Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News
Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News |
- Non-Muslim religious leaders give a big ‘no’ to hudud in Malaysia
- Zaid quits as Kita chief, cites health problems as the reason
- GE13: Targeting Perak
- Hudud PAS: Soi Lek sudah rasa tertekan
- PAS buat keputusan 'menjohorkan' PAS di Johor
- Should the King invoke Article 130?
- To know Malaysia is to love Malaysia
- Mat Sabu: Pakatan yakin tawan Negeri Sembilan
- Support me on bill, Karpal urges BN
- Minister Displayed Poor Leadership
- MyKad "Islamisation" of Sabah's bumiputra Christians
- Pas tetap lawan Najib di Pekan
- Salahuddin sedia tentang MB Johor
- Bawa saya ke mahkamah, Nazri cabar Rafizi
- Knowing what not to post…
- Karpal’s call a ‘populist remark with no substance’
- Nurul Izzah backs religious freedom for all
- PKR gets ball rolling with polls billboards
- Quantity surveyor arrested over royal 'Facebook insults'
- Najib to witness signing of RM15bil railway double track project
- Guan Eng: Despite AES, people should still pay their summonses
- Karpal wants support for anti-party hopping law
- Hudud versi PAS, versi Umno?
- Strong candidates can wrestle Kelantan from PAS, BN leaders claim
- Ahmad Said rubbishes Hadi’s ‘Pekan’ challenge as a political ploy
- BN tak mahu berubah, rakyat wajib tukar
- Nik Aziz beri lampu hijau Hadi tanding Pekan
- Shafie puts foot in mouth about Sabah oil and basic politics
- Is Indonesia Ngruki Islamic school teaching terrorism?
- Ordinary, average Muslims are not easily confused – their faith is strong!
- Yang Kamu Semai, Itulah Yang Kamu Tuai!
- Sabah BN ‘sensibly’ confident
- BN could lose 8 parliament seats in Pahang
- Minister urges employers not to hire by race
- Pakatan’s ties do not bind, says Dr M
- Hadi Awang says ready to challenge Najib in Pekan
- Leave religious matters to relevant bodies, political parties told
- Splits in the Singapore elite
- Cubaan takutkan orang Melayu
- Saifuddin: PR belum ada ketetapan Hadi tanding di Pekan
- Malaysia – revisiting the secular state debate
- Lawyer denies giving false information on Suaram
- Klang leaders back Karpal’s proposal
- Anti-hopping Bill ‘against federal laws’
- DAP campaign lorry stolen
- Trouble in Sabah: PKR’s ‘ori’ vs ‘photocopies’
- Manikavasagam to be dropped?
- Do they know what we want?
- Amangate: will Najib clean up Nazri’s mess?
- What Everyone Should Know About Operasi Lalang
| Non-Muslim religious leaders give a big ‘no’ to hudud in Malaysia Posted: 04 Nov 2012 10:59 AM PST
(The Star) -- Hudud will affect non-Muslims in the country if it is implemented, said a Hindu leader. Hindu Sangam president R.S. Mogan Shan said non-Muslims were already affected by existing Islamic laws, especially when it involved married couples and if one converted to Islam. He cited the case of S. Shamala, whose husband became a Muslim and converted their sons without her knowledge or consent, leading to a long custody battle in court. In an interview with the Free Malaysia Today news portal, Mogan said that while he respected Islam's position as the official religion of the country, he did not agree with hudud being implemented in the country. On Oct 25, Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Jamil Khir Baharom told Nibong Tebal MP Tan Tee Beng in the Dewan Rakyat that hudud would not affect non-Muslims. He had said the Syariah Court only has jurisdiction on Muslims as stipulated under the Federal Constitution. Mogan said Hindu Sangam was handling about 1,000 cases involving overlapping jurisdiction between Syariah and civil courts. Malaysian Gurdwara Council president Jagis Singh said under Islamic law, non-Muslims were only known as protectorates (a weak faction protected by a stronger force). In such situation, he felt the non-Muslim's testimony would have little value. He said that implementation of hudud would be unconstitutional as the highest law of the land, the Federal Constitution, guaranteed Malaysians equality before the law. Brickfields Buddhist Mahavihara vice-president Premasilaka K.D. Serisena said hudud is a criminal justice system and with its implementation, a dual criminal justice system would be created. |
| Zaid quits as Kita chief, cites health problems as the reason Posted: 04 Nov 2012 10:54 AM PST
(The Star) -- Datuk Zaid Ibrahim has resigned as president of Kita but claims he still retains control of the party. Party secretary Masrum Dayat, who has taken over as president, said Zaid submitted his resignation letter on Saturday. "However, he is still a central committee member and an ordinary Kita member," he said, adding that Zaid cited health problems as the reason for his resignation. Masrum takes over the post with immediate effect. Zaid, when asked about his resignation, replied through SMS saying "Yes". He, however, added that the party remained "under my control". When asked under what capacity would he remain in control of the party, Zaid said: "Position is not as important as influence." It was reported that Zaid was believed to be suffering from a heart ailment, which has left him unwell lately. In his last post on his blog on Oct 24, Zaid said: "On the advice of my doctor, I've been avoiding stressful activities for several months." He also said quitting his post as Kita president would facilitate him contesting under the Pakatan Rakyat banner, preferably against Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak in Pekan. However, he said, he would only consider doing so if PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang opted not to contest for the seat. Hadi was recently reported to have said he would stand wherever the party sent him, even Pekan. |
| Posted: 04 Nov 2012 09:07 AM PST
Let us not be greedy. Let us leave Gerik and Lenggong for BN. Sakmongkol AK47 Where to attack in Perak? Many of us like to know where we can hit BN where it hurts. This is the first of several articles, where I have identified the places I think are worthwhile to mount our attacks. Let us start with Perak. If we focus our attacks on Larut, Parit, Tapah, Pasir Salak, Bagan Datok and Tanjung Malim, we will leave only two seats for BN to win in Perak. That will be Gerik and Lenggong. In an earlier article, I said, BN will win only 7 parliamentary seats. Let us make that 2. The more important strategy is to take the federal seats to allow PR to form the federal government. States that do not fall under PR will run to form state coalition governments. Najib says melancholically in Penang that he does not mind other people taking over his PMship- but he fears under Pakatan, the country will go bankrupt. Come on Mr PM, it is not like you are the only person who can do the job of PM and it is not that only Barisan can run the country. You have spent more than you earned for the last 16 years since 1998. I have said it before and now will repeat- if Najib can become PM, so can everyone else.
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| Hudud PAS: Soi Lek sudah rasa tertekan Posted: 04 Nov 2012 09:04 AM PST
(Harakah Daily) -- Mursyidul Am PAS, Tuan Guru Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat, menyifatkan kenyataan Presiden MCA, Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek, dalam sebuah akhbar mingguan hari ini kerana sudah merasai tertekan dengan kemarahan umat Islam.
Mengambil tempoh waktu tertentu akhirnya Presiden MCA membuat kenyataan baru untuk mengelak daripada dirinya terus dikecam. "Dia sebenarnya rasa tertekan…tersinggung dengan kritikan umat Islam sendiri sebelum ini berhubung tindakannya mempertikaikan hukum hudud dan sebagainya. "Dia kata dia tidak hina Islam, tetapi pertikaikan hukum hudud PAS, mana boleh jadi begitu sedangkan hukum hudud itu sendiri adalah Islam," ujarnya. Sambungnya, sebagai contoh andainya ada orang menentang hanya satu dari yang terkandung dalam undang-undang Malaysia, ertinya orang terbabit telah menentang negara ini. Pada masa yang sama Menteri Besar Kelantan itu juga berkata, Soi Lek seharusnya mempersoalkan 'mana hukum hudud Umno' dan bukannya memperosalkan hudud yang diperjuangkan PAS. Katanya, sekiranya tiada hukuman itu yang dibentangkan oleh Umno, sudah bererti apa yang diusahakan PAS adalah ajaran Islam. Beliau berkata demikian kepada Harakahdaily, ketika ditemui di pejabatnya tengah hari tadi bagi mengulas kenyataan Soi Lek yang mendakwa beliau tidak menghina Islam, cuma persoal hudud PAS. |
| PAS buat keputusan 'menjohorkan' PAS di Johor Posted: 04 Nov 2012 08:42 AM PST
(Harakah Daily) -- PAS Johor mengambil pendekatan untuk 'menjohorkan' PAS di negeri ini dengan menjadikan seluruh aktiviti dan tindak tanduk para pemimpin dan ahlinya sesuai dengan sosiobudaya orang Johor.
Pendekatan ini disepakati oleh pimpinan PAS Johor dalam konvensyennya yang diadakan di Markas PAS Parit Sulong dekat sini semalam. "Ada dua pendekatan, kita men'johor'kan PAS atau mem'pas'kan Johor. Rasanya yang tepat adalah men'johor'kan PAS iaitu dengan kita di negeri ini mengamalkan budaya orang Johor kerana sememangnya kita orang Johor. PAS Johor juga, katanya, sedang mengkaji tentang kesenian yang diamalkan oleh rakyat Johor untuk turut diamalkan atau diterima oleh PAS sekiranya tidak bertentangan dengan Islam. Semasa memberikan ucaptamanya, Dr Mahfodz berkata, PAS perlu memaplikasikan sepenuhnya strategi 'menjohorkan' PAS dalam membina jambatan untuk masyarakat. |
| Should the King invoke Article 130? Posted: 04 Nov 2012 06:20 AM PST   Hemananthani Sivanandam, The Sun Daily The contentious debate about whether Malaysia is a secular or Islamic state has been raging on both sides of the political divide. DAP chairman Karpal Singh recently proposed urging the Yang di-Pertuan Agong to invoke his powers under Article 130 of the Federal Constitution, to refer to the full bench of the Federal Court for an opinion as to whether Malaysia is a secular state or an Islamic state. He argued that in the 1988 case of Che Omar Che Soh vs Public Prosecutor, the Supreme Court headed by then lord president Tun Salleh Abbas had clearly stated that the law in the country was secular. However, Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz said in Parliament last month that Malaysia had never been endorsed or declared as a secular country. He said according to the nation's history, Malaysia was formed based on the Islamic government of the Malay Sultanate and the Malay rulers are the heads of religion in their respective states. While some believe it is best to put an end to the issue, others feel it is best to just move on and leave the sensitive subject unexplored. Views put forward include: Nazri Aziz Tun Salleh's (pronouncement) was obiter dicta (Latin for "something mentioned in passing) and it was not an issue put before the court to decide if the country is secular or Islamic. He mentioned only in passing that Malaysia has secular laws. It is up to the King now. Also, we don't have to be one or the other. We are unique and we have gone this far without any problem. Why do we have to follow one or the other? If we are not secular, must we be Islamic? No! Monash University political science lecturer Prof Dr James Chin Asking for a legal opinion by the King is frought with danger because the issue at stake is really not a constitutional issue, but a political question. The best place to settle the debate is on the floor of the Parliament which can amend the constitution to say either way. Karpal Singh If the government feels that it is obiter dicta, and not the rationale for the decision, then it should get the King to refer the issue to the Federal Court for its opinion. I don't think it was obiter dicta, because the court in deciding whether Islamic or secular laws applied in the country, declared it was secular laws … which means we are not an Islamic state. Even democracy is not mentioned in the constitution, but we should go on the overall manner in which it was drafted. Let the issue be decided once and for all by a full bench of the Federal Court. Political analyst Khoo Kay Peng Karpal's suggestion is apt as this issue has been politicised and has tremendous effect on the judiciary, administration and public policy. In the interest of the nation, I think the King should invoke his powers to settle the matter, as he is above politics. His role is also providing positive moderation of the country. Let the court decide and put an end to this instead of letting the politicians go around confusing the people.
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| To know Malaysia is to love Malaysia Posted: 04 Nov 2012 04:22 AM PST While the Malays practically monopolise politics, the Chinese monopolise the economy although you are bound to hear most Chinese grumble about the discrimination that they face. Even though the Chinese control the wealth of the nation it is best you do not point this out to those you talk to, as they are more comfortable with the notion that the non-Malays suffer discrimination and unfair treatment in spite of their vast wealth. NO HOLDS BARRED Raja Petra Kamarudin Ladies, welcome to our orientation session. These sessions are meant to help the wives of foreign diplomats serving in Malaysia to better familiarise themselves with local culture, traditions, customs and taboos. Actually, Malaysians themselves have not yet come to a decision as to what their culture, traditions, customs and taboos are. Hence you have to play by ear most of the time and tune in to TV3 every night to monitor what statements come out from the mouths of politicians, which will then give you an idea as to what the flavour of the day is, so to speak. Invariably, this constantly changes from time to time depending on what the political issues of the day are and who is doing the talking. Malaysia has what they call the New Economic Policy or NEP. This was a policy introduced in 1970 and was supposed to have run for 20 years and end in 1990. Nevertheless, 42 years on and that 20-year policy is still being enforced. It is best you do not try to understand how a 20-year policy can run for 42 years and will probably run for another 42 years with no end in sight. The NEP was intended to bridge the gap between the haves and the haves-not and to reduce the disparity between the different races. What you will see instead when one day you get to tour the country, however, is that the poor remain poor while the rich get richer. You will also come to realise that it is not the NEP but political power that bridges the gap between the haves and the haves-not and reduces the disparity between the different races. It would be wise, however, if you keep these observations to yourself as it can be a very sensitive issue to most Malaysians. That is probably the first taboo you need to note. Malaysia, as most of you know, is a Constitutional Monarchy. It has a Parliament that is elected into office with a Prime Minister as its head every five years. However, unlike Britain, which gave Malaysia this system, the general elections are not held every five years. They are held when the government feels it is strong enough to win the elections. Malaysia has nine state monarchs with one of the nine becoming its Supreme Head for a period of five years on the basis of a rotation system and based on the concept of first amongst equals, who is called the Agong. Malaysia, therefore, is the only country in the world where the Prime Minister can rule till the day he dies while the monarch rules for only five years. Furthermore, the monarch cannot remove the Prime Minister while the Prime Minister can remove the monarch, although this is seldom done, at least not since the British gave Malaysia its independence in 1957. Of course, during the time of the British occupation, a number of monarchs who did not demonstrate pro-British tendencies were kicked out of office and were replaced by pretenders to the throne who were British lackeys. Malaysia still practices old British laws of 1,000 years ago that makes it a crime to criticise the rulers so it would be best that none of you engage in any discussion regarding the royal family. In the next session we will teach you the proper protocol and the manner in how you address members of the royal family and non-royal Malaysians who have been given titles by the palace. It is a very complicated culture but if you were to view movies of England of, say, 500 years ago, that would give you a pretty good idea about how it works. Malaysians are fond of talking about race and religion, two subject matters that most of us in the west do not like to talk about. Hence it would be advisable that when you meet Malaysians you try to steer the discussion into another direction lest you get dragged into discussing this most unpalatable subject. One strategy would be to talk about the traffic jams and Malaysian driving habits, another subject Malaysians are most passionate about. As I said earlier, Malaysia is a Constitutional Monarchy with Islam as the official religion of the country. However, Malaysia is neither a Theocratic State nor a Secular State and after 55 years of independence Malaysians are still arguing about what the country is. Some will insist that Malaysia is an Islamic State, some that Malaysia is a Secular State, while some will insist that Malaysia is neither or is something in between. Actually, Malaysia is more accurately in a confused state, as I doubt they will ever come to any agreement on the matter. Most of our governments, however, consider Malaysia an Autocratic State but it would be best we do not mention this fact, as it can be a very sore point to most Malaysians. Malays are the dominant ethnic group in Malaysia and they hold most of the political power plus the majority and key positions in the government, police and armed forces. However, more than a dozen political parties form the government of the day under a coalition, the only country in the world where more than a dozen political parties are needed to form the government, as not one of the two dozen or so political parties has enough votes or seats to form the government. Hence Malaysia's political system comprises of two coalitions, both which claim to be multi-racial but are in reality very racial in composition and structure. While the Malays practically monopolise politics, the Chinese monopolise the economy although you are bound to hear most Chinese grumble about the discrimination that they face. Even though the Chinese control the wealth of the nation it is best you do not point this out to those you talk to, as they are more comfortable with the notion that the non-Malays suffer discrimination and unfair treatment in spite of their vast wealth. Malays are officially and legally Muslims and no Malay may convert to any other religion once they are born into a Muslim family. Malays are also forbidden from indulging in vices such as the drinking of liquor, gambling, extra-marital sex, and so on, while homosexuality is illegal. Nevertheless, you will find that many Malays secretly do what is officially forbidden and you are advised to not make any mention of this lest you rub their sensitivities the wrong way. Okay, we will stop here for today. Next week we will discuss some of the other taboos, which some of you may find very amusing. Oh, and Malaysians are very superstitious, especially the Chinese, even the educated Chinese, so you must take special note of this as they tend to get very emotional if you make any mistakes such as giving out white coloured envelopes instead of red ones during Chinese New Year.
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| Mat Sabu: Pakatan yakin tawan Negeri Sembilan Posted: 04 Nov 2012 12:09 AM PDT
(Sinar Harian) - Pakatan Rakyat (PR) yakin bahawa Negeri Sembilan bakal ditadbir oleh perikatan itu ekoran "kebangkitan rakyat", yang diperlihatkan pada program Himpunan Kebangkitan Rakyat di Seremban, semalam. Timbalan Presiden Pas, Mohamad Sabu berkata, PR mempunyai keyakinan akan menawan Negeri Sembilan pada Pilihan Raya Umum ke-13 (PRU13) berdasarkan sokongan ditunjukkan rakyat dengan menghadiri majlis semalam walaupun dalam keadaan hujan. Menurutnya, pada tahun 2008 PR tidak memiliki kekuatan seperti sekarang. PR dianggotai Pas, PKR dan DAP. Kini ia mentadbir Kelantan, Kedah, Pulau Pinang dan Selangor. Bagaimanapun apabila semua parti bekerjasama dalam setiap program yang dianjurkan PR, katanya, ia menunjukkan pembangkang semakin kuat. "Kita yakin PR akan menang untuk tawan Negeri Sembilan pada kali ini. "Kita kata sebegitu kerana rakyat turun menunjukkan sokongan kepada semua program yang kita buat termasuk Himpunan Kebangkitan Rakyat, semalam. Semalam, PR telah mengadakan Himpunan Kebangkitan Rakyat di Negeri Sembilan dan menampilkan barisan pemimpin PR, artis-artis dan aktivis-aktivis. Berdasarkan maklumat sebelum ini, PR menganjurkan perhimpunan semalam untuk menyegarkan semula tuntutan ke arah pilihan raya yang bebas dan adil.
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| Support me on bill, Karpal urges BN Posted: 03 Nov 2012 11:53 PM PDT He says his proposed anti-hopping law was important to stop future political coup d'etat to form governments by defections. Athi Shankar, FMT DAP national chairman Karpal Singh has called on Barisan Nasional parliamentarians to support his imminent private members' bill to amend the Federal Constitution to stop party hopping. He said BN reps should back him to uphold public interests and political stability of the country. Karpal's initiatives are to amend Articles 10 and 48 of the Federal Constitution to pave way for the federal and state anti-hopping legislations to stop MPs and assemblymen from hopping to another party after being elected by voters under another party candidature. Karpal will table his private bill to make the constitutional amendments in coming week parliamentary session. He said his amendments were important to stop future political coup d'etat to form governments by defections as a government should only be formed through legitimate elections. He said political defections were not only unethical practice, dangerous trend and betrayal against people's mandate, but could cause political uncertainty, destabilise a government, trigger public anxiety and frighten off investors. Article 10(1)(C) guarantees Malaysian citizens the right to freedom of association. Article 48(6) and sub-section 6 (5) Schedule Eight respectively stipulate that a MP or state assemblyman who resigned be disqualified from contesting as a member of the House of Representatives for a period of five years effective from the date of resignation. In the case of Kelantan Legislature vs Nordin Salleh, the then Supreme Court ruled on April 3, 1992 that the PAS-helmed state government's enactment outlawing party hopping was unconstitutional. The court ruled that it violated Article 10 as it affected one's right to freedom to association. Despite the legal barriers, the Pakatan Rakyat Penang state government passed a Penang State Constitution Enactment (Amendment) Bill 2012 on Nov 1 to end party hopping in Penang. However, Karpal said Penang's amendment can only gain legitimacy strength if amendments were done to Federal Constitution. He pointed out the failure to party hopping via state constitutional amendments made in Sabah in 1980s and Kelantan in early 1990s to back his argument. "Without the constitutional amendments, any anti-hopping law would be void," said Karpal, the two-term Bukit Gelugor MP. He said it was important for the federal and state governments to legislate anti-hopping laws to stop the breeding of political frogs. "I hope the BN reps would support my private members' bill," said Karpal, also a senior lawyer.
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| Minister Displayed Poor Leadership Posted: 03 Nov 2012 11:28 PM PDT
From this incident and many others that have happened in our country, it shows the "I don't care" attitude of many leaders is very prevalent. Why have this lack of concern and sense of responsibility which have permeated in our society so extensively? John Lo 1. Out of the chaos and great inconvenience that have been created by the faulty KKIA Runway Lights, Sabahans are perfectly entitled to ask many questions and demand answers from the "Sabah-must-accept-the-CABOTAGE POLICY" Minister of Transport who is ultimately responsible for the management [or the lack of it] of airports in the country. it is called "MINISTERIAL RESPONSBILITY". If the Minister cares for Sabah, he would have left no stone unturned to prevent a recurrence as KKIA IS THE ECONOMIC LIFELINE OF SABAH. 2. In any well managed country where Ministerial Responsibility is taken seriously, the Minister of Transport should have been on top of things immediately by [1] Assessing the situation. [2] Initiating a technical rectification plan. [3] As the Minister in charge, he should inform the public of the nature of the problem and a time line when KKIA can resume in good working order again without delay. [4] A good and responsible Minister would have apologized to Sabahans and the travelling public and promised no more repetition in future immediately after the runway lights went out. By announcing that a probe would be conducted and at the same breath, talked about sabotage, is nothing but a put-up drama to cause diversion of attention from bad management and planning by the Ministry of Transport. 3. From this incident and many others that have happened in our country, it shows the "I don't care" attitude of many leaders is very prevalent. Why have this lack of concern and sense of responsibility which have permeated in our society so extensively? 2 basic negative human elements or a combination thereof have overtaken good sense and basic human decencies: [1] Being in power for too long hence the tendency to take the voters for granted. [2] Systemic corruption which can casue "keep 1 eye shut" syndrome. Once the political leaders have been inflicted with these two "diseases", the effectiveness of government will begin to crumble and things will begin to stop properly. What are the symptoms of these 2 diseases? We can see them and experience and/or suffer the resultant effects in our daily life from the high-price roads that are littered with potholes, bad and slow delivery service [no corruption money - no approval syndrome] to the ram shackle little houses and extensive urban and rural poverty. From overnight-rich cronies living in huge mansions to driving "dream million-dollar" cars. From high cost of business to expensive housing and low GDP per capita. Though there may be economic growth, it will be slow and dependent on the short term model of exploitation of natural resources rather than on the long term model of enhancement of human capital capacity. 4. The aforementioned 2 diseases have caused poor policy decision-makings and breakdowns in the MICRO management of the Malaysian economy - resulting in poor economic performance. Malaysians are quite familiar with some high profile poor quality policies. I will try to illustrate some of the failures of MICRO management in the KKIA case: [1] Top of the list is the failure of the Minister of Transport to make his presence felt immediately after the lights have gone off. He should know this is very serious for Sabah. It has greatly inconvenient thousands of traveler and deprived many Muslims of their quality time with their family on Hari Raya Haji. Equally important, as Sabah Minister of Tourism has said, this incident has negated the promotional efforts by Sabah that KKIA is a reliable airport. It has also tarnished Sabah's image as a tourism destination. [2] Poor planning and low quality implementation are obvious, as such an accident should have been foreseen and a backup system/plan put in place. This is elementary and should never have been overlooked. The whole process of planning and execution could not have been by amateurs as there are professionals in the Ministry and highly paid consultants. Can we then presume what we can only conclude by such blatant amateurism? [3] If the incident has been caused by the contractor as has been mentioned in the news, then the authorities supervising the contact must take responsibility for poor supervision. [4] The resultant chaos [nobody seemed to know what to do] and typical "tight lip" by the authorities in the whole incident reek with ineffective co-ordination and poor leadership. [5] The Minister has announced a probe which is long on form but short in substance as he has failed to say that he would sack those responsible if there is negligence and/or poor management. He is being vague and tries to buy time in the hope that all the problems will go away eventually. If there is sincerity on his part, he would have personally announced the offer of compensation to those who have suffered inconvenience and financial losses without waiting for his so called probe. After all, whatever the outcome of his probe, the faults still lay no further than at the doors of his Ministry. We have seen too many Ministers announcing this probe and that probe. Show us how many of these probes have produced positive results? I truly feel sorry for the PM and Datuk Musa who are trying their best to win over the hearts and souls of Sabahans by their frequent visits to various places in our State and their offers of "election goodies". I am afraid the Minister of Transport, by continuing to ignore the plights of Sabahans, will unravel all the efforts of the Prime Minister and the Chief Minister. 5. Like so many cases in our country, most of our ministers would not take their MINISTERIAL responsibility seriously, take the voters for granted thinking that they would not complain, keeping quiet, hoping the problem will right itself or blow away eventually. Come next election, they will get re-elected again and things will remain exactly the same as before. I hope Malaysian voters will have learned from all the abuses by the political leaders in the past and will know what to do at the ballot box. In the era of the 2 party-system, we expect the opposition to raise hell and cry for blood over this incidence but so far they have been tame like new born kittens. 6. Now that the damage has been done, what is the Minister of Transport going to do about it? Will he play the political "deaf, dumb, mute and blind" with Sabahans as he has done so with the Cabotage Policy? If he is forthright and will not play camouflage, he should announce what he would do to those who are responsible for bad planning, bad management and poor implementation. The wording of his probe is anything but convincing from a man who really means business. If he is a gentleman politician, he should apologize immediately to Sabahans and tell us why he has allowed such an incidence happen. In many countries, Ministers would have resigned for lesser negligence or mistakes. 7. As political parties, there is nothing wrong with BN/UMNO and PR except that they have failed to weed out bad and irresponsible leaders. Such leaders are giving their party a bad name by not taking responsibility for their mistakes and negligence. Both parties must really pull up their socks and examine the lack of quality of their current leadership. Many of them [in Government and Opposition] have performed way below expectation and should not be allowed to stand in GE13. 8. All that it remains now is for me to ask: [1] For an explanation as to why the Minister of Transport has allowed such an incident to happen. [2] What has the Minister of Transport done for Sabahans since he assumed this post? [3] The Deputy Prime Minister, on behalf on the Federal Cabinet, has issued an apology to the affected passenger 30 October 2012. Has the Minister of Transport said sorry? [4] What is the stand of MCA Sabah on this incident and the Cabotage Policy? Is MCA Sabah so timid that it would not go against its political boss in KL to protect the economic interest of Sabahans on this incident and the Cabotage Policy?
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| MyKad "Islamisation" of Sabah's bumiputra Christians Posted: 03 Nov 2012 06:20 PM PDT
Bob Teoh, Sin Chew Daily Bumiputra Christians in Sabah continue to be "converted to Islam" by the National Registration Department (NRD) simply because they have "bin" and "binti" in their names. Sabah churches are seeking urgent solutions to the crisis but none seems to be in sight. The NRD has made it clear it would continue to list bumiputra Christians in Sabah as Muslims as long as they are known by bin or binti. It would also not rectify past entry errors by way of changing the religion listing back to Christianity in the identity cards (MyKad) of those affected. The NRD would only act upon an order by a Syariah High Court to determine whether those bumiputra Christians whom it had listed as Muslims are not Muslims indeed. Even if these native Christians get a hearing from the Syariah Court, both the NRD and Islamic authorities may not turn up, thus causing unnecessary delays. A current test case has been mounted by a 53 year-old widow and her two adult daughters and supported by the respective local churches. All three are from the Dusun Banggi tribe. Intim binti Lambatan, was born in 1959 in Banggi, the northernmost island in Sabah. Her husband died 20 years ago. She was officially baptised in her church, the Sidang Injil Borneo (SIB) in Limbuak Darat, in Kudat on mainland Sabah seven years ago and issued a Baptism Certificate. The SIB is the biggest indigenous protestant church in Sabah. Her elder daughter, Norina binti Nuhudan,28, was baptised when she was 15 while her younger daughter, Listin Nuhudan, 22, was baptised when she was 14. Both are also SIB members. When all three had their religion wrongly classified as "Islam" in their MyKad, they brought the matter up to their pastors. A Christian lawyer from another SIB church in Kota Kinabalu agreed to take up their case but the lawyer had to engage a Muslim counsel to act on their behalf in the Syariah High Court. In March last year a Christian lawyer, Victoria Jayaseele Martin, was barred from practising in a Syariah court despite having a Diploma in Syariah Law and Practice from the International Islamic University Malaysia, in addition to a University of London law degree. The test case was initiated several months ago when Intim went to the Kudat office of the Jabatan Hal Ehwal Agama Islam Negeri Sabah – JHEAINS - or the Sabah Islamic Affairs Department, to clarify the status of her religion. On 25 July, the department wrote to the Syariah Court in Kudat to say that Intim's name is not on record in their Pendaftaran Pengislaman (Islamisation Register). With JHEAINS's clarification, she made a statutory declaration at the Kudat Magistrate Court stating that she is not a Muslim and that her name is not on the Islamic department's register. She said she was not originally a Muslim but when she applied for her identity card, the word "Islam" was wrongly recorded on it. But still the NRD would not rectify its error and issue her a new identity card with her correct status as a Christian. It looks like it is Intim's responsibility to first go to the Kudat Syariah High Court for a declaration that she is not a Muslim. This she did by filing a case against the Ketua Pendafter Muallaf (Chief Registrar of New Believers) of Sabah on 14 August. The Director General of the NRD was cited as the second respondent. She is asking for her status as a Muslim to be deleted from her identity card. The Kudat Syariah High Court then wrote back to the Islamic Department to investigate further whether Intim is a Muslim on their register. The mention date was twice postponed to last Monday (28 Oct). But both the respondents did not turn up, thus causing more delays. The problem has long reached a crisis in Sabah when SIB churches could not marry their members as some are found to be "Muslims" in their MyKad and the Registrar of Marriages would not recognise such marriages. Two years ago, the National Evangelical Christian Fellowship (NECF), of which SIB is a member, met the NRD Director General and his senior officers. NECF was assured that the problem could easily be resolved be those affected filing in what it called a "Borang A" to change the status of their religion. The NECF was happy with that assurance and posted an advisory on its website: "Fuss-free way to change religion data in MyKad." "Christians who wish to change their religion to Christianity in their MyKad data are not required to tender any legal documents, such as baptism certificates. They only need to fill in 'Borang A' to effect the change," NECF then said. "This was confirmed at a recent meeting between NECF Malaysia and top officials from the National Registration Department (NRD)." But NECF itself pointed out the catch. "This is not applicable if they had been registered as Muslims." NECF said, at the meeting with NRD officials, it also raised the issue of East Malaysian Christians whose religion in their MyKad is recorded as "Islam" simply because their names carry "bin" and "binti". "This is a prevailing problem in Sabah and Sarawak where many indigenous citizens have names that carry bin and binti". The NRD automatically assigns their religion as 'Islam' even though many of them are Christians," according to NECF. NECF also said the NRD confirmed that those who are affected could change the data in their MyKad provided they had obtained clearance from the Syariah Court. It looks like NECF had bought a dud – the Borang A assurance by the NRD is just a ruse to continue its "Islamisation" by deception in Sabah.
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| Pas tetap lawan Najib di Pekan Posted: 03 Nov 2012 05:55 PM PDT
(Sinar Harian) - Pas Kelantan menyifatkan Presiden parti, Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang sangat berani apabila menunjukkan kesungguhannya mahu bertanding menentang Perdana Menteri, Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak pada Pilihan Raya Umum (PRU13) nanti. Ketua Penerangannya, Dr Mohd Fadhli Datuk Hassan berkata, hasrat tersebut membuktikan Pas akan menentang Barisan Nasional (BN) habis-habisan pada PRU13 tanpa mengira siapa calonnya. Bagaimanapun, keputusan sama ada meletakkan Abdul Hadi mahupun sesiapa untuk berdepan dengan calon parti lawan di Parlimen Pekan terletak pada penentuan mutakhir Majlis Syura Ulama.
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| Salahuddin sedia tentang MB Johor Posted: 03 Nov 2012 05:53 PM PDT
(Sinar Harian) - Naib Presiden Pas, Salahuddin Ayub tidak menolak kemungkinan akan bertanding bagi kawasan Dewan Undangan Negeri (Dun) Serom pada Pilihan Raya Umum Ke-13 (PRU13), yang kini disandang Menteri Besar Johor, Datuk Abdul Ghani Othman. Menurutnya, beliau kini bersedia untuk menentang pemimpin nombor satu di negeri ini sekiranya pucuk pimpinan parti mengarahkannya untuk bertanding di Dun berkenaan."Siapa pun di dalam parti tidak kira memegang jawatan Presiden atau sebagainya perlu ikut arahan diberikan. "Sebab itu bila parti mengarahkan saya untuk pulang ke Johor dan bertanding di sini, saya patuh dan meninggalkan Kelantan. "Jika parti arah saya untuk lawan Menteri Besar di Dun Serom, saya akan patuh," katanya kepada Sinar Harian, semalam. Beliau berkata demikian ketika diminta mengulas kejutan dan kesediaan Presiden Pas, Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang untuk bertanding di kerusi Parlimen Pekan pada PRU13, yang kini disandang Perdana Menteri, Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, kelmarin. Salahuddin yang merupakan Ahli Parlimen Kubang Kerian berkata, kesediaannya untuk bertanding di Dun Serom itu selari dengan nada yang dilontarkan oleh Ahli Parlimen Marang (Abdul Hadi). "Saya akan patuh seperti mana Presiden Pas sendiri. Ia akan berlaku sekiranya parti memutuskan ia kelak," katanya. Ditanya persiapan jentera parti sekiranya beliau bertanding di Dun Serom, beliau berkata, semua jentera Pas di negeri ini sudah bersedia untuk memastikan kemenangan Pas dan calon-calon pakatan pembangkang di setiap kerusi yang ditandingi. "Jentera tidak mempunyai masalah. Jika pemimpin (calon) sendiri sudah bersedia untuk berkorban, jentera Pas juga akan berjuang seperti mana dilakukan sebelum ini. "Mereka (jentera) sentiasa taat dan patuh kepada parti serta kepimpinan," katanya. Selain itu, Salahuddin berkata, pembahagian kerusi dalam kalangan Pakatan Rakyat (PR) di negeri ini sudah 95 peratus selesai sekali gus tidak timbul dakwaan berlakunya masalah berhubung perkara berkenaan.
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| Bawa saya ke mahkamah, Nazri cabar Rafizi Posted: 03 Nov 2012 05:51 PM PDT
(Sinar Harian) - Menteri di Jabatan Perdana Menteri, Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz mencabar Pengarah Strategi PKR, Mohd Rafizi Ramli membuat laporan di Suruhanjaya Pencegahan Rasuah Malaysia (SPRM) berhubung beberapa dakwaan melibatkan diri dan anaknya. Nazri turut mencabar Rafizi mengambil tindakan undang-undang ke atasnya kerana terlalu yakin mempunyai bukti kukuh membabitkan anaknya yang menggunakan kenderaan mewah milik ahli perniagaan Micheal Chia. "Saya cabar dan tunggu di mahkamah. Saya tidak perlu buat laporan ke atasnya, dia yang menuduh, maka dia yang patut bawa ke mahkamah. Undang-undang negara kita, siapa menuduh, dia yang perlu dakwa dan buktikan, bukannya orang dituduh."Saya juga cabar dia buat laporan kepada SPRM. Saya tunggu," katanya kepada Sinar Harian, semalam. Kelmarin, Rafizi mencabar Nazri mengambil tindakan undang-undang ke atas dirinya kerana dituduh menyebarkan fitnah. Sebelum itu, Rafizi turut menayangkan tujuh klip rakaman video berhubung penggunaan kenderaan mewah itu. Bagaimanapun, hasil pemerhatian wartawan Sinar Harian mendapati anak menteri terbabit bersama ahli keluarganya tidak menggunakan kenderaan itu, sebaliknya menggunakan kenderaan sendiri iaitu Toyota Vellfire berwarna hitam dan Audi R8 berwarna hijau. Kenderaan mewah itu hanya dikendalikan oleh pemandu dan pengawal peribadi kepada anak menteri itu, walaupun ia disimpan di kediamannya di salah sebuah kondominium di ibu kota. Rafizi turut menggesa Nazri mengikut langkah bekas Menteri Pembangunan Wanita, Keluarga dan Masyarakat, Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil yang bercuti dari Kabinet berikutan pendedahan isu syarikat milik suaminya National Feedlot Corporation (NFCorp) yang kini masih disiasat.
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| Posted: 03 Nov 2012 05:47 PM PDT
Does an alleged crime repeated often enough become the truth? I personally believe that a democracy should allow vigorous debate. The debate we want is the voice of reason, not the strident arguments that reverberate with dissent for the sake of automatically dissenting with your opponent or automatically agreeing to everything "your" side says. Dave Avran, Free Malaysia Today With the elections looming large, there is simply too much politicking today. This has trickled down to involve everything that occurs now, including crime. The catalyst for this phenomenon is social media, which has enabled everyone with a smartphone to scan the news and pass instant judgment on current issues. However, social media has a Jeckyll and Hyde personality. If you are constantly aware and use it consciously, you are safe. Overstep the boundries and you pay dearly. I am referring to my previous article "What is wrong with our judges" where I highlighted the unhappiness and anger expressed by many Malaysians via social media channels (including MARAH) over the lenient sentences for rapists with "bright" futures in contrast to the death sentence meted out to two Indonesian brothers who killed a violent burgler, R Khartic, in self defense. You now have Khartic's father VP Rajah emerging to say that he is a licensed money changer, a plantation business owner and a mini market operator who paid his son RM10k a month in salary and commissions. He is very upset that his son has been labelled a burglar and has defended his son as a good man and a registered organ donor. Despite eyewitnesses claiming that Khartic entered the shoplot unit through an opening in the ceiling, Rajah is accusing investigating officer ASP Zaiharul and the deputy public prosecutor Yusof Rahman of working in cahoots with the shop operator to pin the blame on his son, and has counter claimed to have witnesses including his brother-in-law who saw Khartic being dragged upstairs of the shophouse by four men. Here are the obvious questions. If there was a fracas of sorts and Khartic was dragged upstairs, why didn't anybody (including the brother-in-law) come to his aid or call the cops? The Indonesian brothers were the only ones who testified in their own defense. Why didn't any of these witnesses step up to vouch for Khartic? Here's another question. Who do we, Joe and Jane public, believe? Clearly, there is manipulation of social media channels to form public opinion. Whilst Malaysians are quick in assuming that there are always hidden hands in every picture, we are also quick to judge on issues. A scan of the comments section indicates an outpouring of sympathy for the father and hate for the designated bad guys – the police. Have we had all the complete facts of the case to mull over and evaluate before commenting? Vigorous debate I personally believe that a democracy should allow vigorous debate. The debate we want is the voice of reason, not the strident arguments that reverberate with dissent for the sake of automatically dissenting with your opponent or automatically agreeing to everything "your" side says. Apparently today you must take a side, otherwise how are we know which team you are playing for? The diplomatic art of agreeing to disagree is dead today's sociopolitical climate. Read more at: http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/opinion/2012/11/04/knowing-what-not-to-post/
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| Karpal’s call a ‘populist remark with no substance’ Posted: 03 Nov 2012 05:45 PM PDT
(Free Malaysia Today) - Does DAP have the political will to accede to Karpal Singh's proposal that the party adopts a one-seat-one-candidate policy? Two Gerakan leaders have expressed doubt that DAP will execute its one seat-one-candidate proposal since the the socialist activists are inclined to accord "special treatment" to some leaders. The duo are of the opinion that the proposal by DAP chairman Karpal Singh is just a populist remark with no substance behind, since it has often been DAP's strategy to allow its leaders to contest many seats, or to migrate from one state to another. Kedah Gerakan Youth head Tan Keng Liang said DAP usually grants exceptions to some leaders such as its secretary-general Lim Guan Eng, who is also the Penang Chief Minister as well as Bagan MP. Guan Eng is also the Air Puteh state assemblyman in Penang, and he also assumes various chairmanship posts of state-linked companies by the virtue of his appointment as the state's chief minister. "Guan Eng is their great leader as he can wear many hats at the same time. That is why, he ended up preparing for his Budget speech at 3am when others are asleep as he has many responsibilities." Working late hours is indicative to illustrate that Lim is overwhelmed with many duties from holding so many posts, he said. According to Tan, there are other leaders in DAP, who also tend to be accorded exceptions besides Lim. He has reservations whether DAP has the political will to accede to Karpal's proposal that the party adopts a one-seat-one-candidate policy ahead of the next general election. "Karpal in trying to be a righteous leader, has been proposing many things for DAP in the past decade, but it does not reasonate within the party as it has the Lim dynasty in-placed. Only if both Lims agree then, perhaps the party would adopt it." Karpal is proving the suspicion held by some quarters here that he is more of a figure-head rather than an outright DAP leader. Read more at: http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2012/11/03/karpals-call-a-populist-remark-with-no-substance/ |
| Nurul Izzah backs religious freedom for all Posted: 03 Nov 2012 05:42 PM PDT
(Free Malaysia Today) - PKR's rising star Nurul Izzah Anwar offered her conditional support of the LGBT and is for a non-compulsory religious practice. Freedom of religion should be applied equally to everyone in the country including the Malays, said PKR vice president Nurul Izzah Anwar. Pressing home the message of religious freedom at a forum titled "Islamic state? Which vision? Whose responsibility" today, she said there should be no compulsion in any religion including Islam. "How can anyone say (freedom of religion) only apply to the non-Muslim, it has to be applied equally. "In Quran, there is no specific term to the Malay as how it should be done," she said when replying to an audience's question on whether Malays should be entitled to freedom of religion. Nurul Izzah's remark is expected to stir controversy as Malay Muslims in Malaysia are banned from converting out from Islam except under unique circumstances and discussion of the subject is seen as taboo. However, the PKR rising star said it is fine for Malays to be granted such freedom as the ties between a believer and certain religion was based on personal faith. "If you believe so strongly in your faith, then being schooled in (SK) Assunta with a big cross in the hall and singing Catholic songs all the time would not deter you," she said. Read more at: http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2012/11/03/nurul-izzah-backs-religious-freedom-for-all/ |
| PKR gets ball rolling with polls billboards Posted: 03 Nov 2012 05:38 PM PDT
(The Star) - PKR has started its general election campaign, becoming the first party to launch its election billboards nationwide. Among the messages on the billboards are the party's promises to wipe out the National Higher Education Fund Corporation loans as well as lowering the prices of fuel and cars. Some of the billboards feature Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and PKR president Datin Seri Dr Wan Azizah Ismail. For starters, 10 billboards would be erected nationwide, with more to be set up soon, said Dr Wan Azizah at the launch of the campaign yesterday.16:41:30 |
| Quantity surveyor arrested over royal 'Facebook insults' Posted: 03 Nov 2012 05:33 PM PDT
(The Sun) - Police have arrested a 27-year-old quantity surveyor for allegedly posting seditious remarks on Facebook about the royal family of a southern Malaysian state, his brother said Sunday. Ahmad Abd Jalil was arrested in Kuala Lumpur on Friday night but handed to police in Johor where he may have to beg forgiveness from the sultan, his brother said. The government has announced plans to repeal the controversial Sedition Act, which has previously been justified as necessary to curb racial conflict in the multicultural nation. But authorities have continued to invoke the act, under which those found guilty can be jailed, and Ahmad's arrest is at least the third in two years related to the Johor royal house. "They said the sultan was angry over Facebook posts and that it was being investigated under the Sedition Act. But they could not tell us which posts were being investigated," said Ahmad's brother, who asked not to be named. Ahmad's lawyer, Fadiah Nadwa Fikri, told AFP he had not been allowed to meet any family members or lawyers since being brought to Johor. "The alleged crime happened here so there is no reason to take him to Johor. They should just take his statement and let him go, this is not a violent crime," she said. "Police told the family they may take Ahmad to the palace to beg the Sultan's pardon and then they can drop the case but that is highly unconstitutional." Police refused to confirm details of the arrest. "I cannot comment on this as it is extremely sensitive," Johor Baru (North) district police chief Ruslan Hassan told AFP, referring to the state's royal house. Each state's royal family is given limited powers in the federation of Malaysia. They are widely revered by the majority Malay Muslim population as the rulers are heads of Islam in their respective areas.
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| Najib to witness signing of RM15bil railway double track project Posted: 03 Nov 2012 05:29 PM PDT
(Bernama) - Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak will witness the agreement signing for the USD$5bil (RM15 billion) electrified double track railway project to be built by a Malaysian company that will turn landlocked Laos into land link. The master concession agreement is between the Laotian government and Giant Consolidated Ltd, the Malaysian company, to develop the 220km track from Savannakhet to Lao Bao, near the Vietnam border. Malaysian Ambassador to Laos Datuk Than Tai Hing (pic) said Laotian Prime Minister Thongsing Thammavong would also witness the signing ceremony to be held here Monday. Najib will arrive here this afternoon for a three-day working visit to Laos and to attend the 9th Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM). Than said the five-year standard gauge railway project would link the east and west of this country and turn this nation from landlocked to land link, apart from realising the Asean Connectivity by 2015 and contributing to this country's economic development. Najib, who is also Finance Minister, will open Maybank's first branch in this country here Monday, completing the bank's presence in all the 10 Asean member nations. Currently, Maybank, Malaysia's largest commercial bank and regional financial services leader, has an international network of over 2,200 offices in 19 countries, including in the United States, Britain, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, China, Hong Kong and India, apart from Asean member countries. Than said Najib would also meet Malaysian investors engaged in a hydro-electric project and in a special economic zone in this country here. Malaysians have invested about USD$165 million (RM495 million) in Laos between 2000 and 2011, making them the ninth largest investors in this country, he said. Malaysians' investments in Laos are in banking, insurance, education, semiconductors, tourism and agriculture sectors. Public Bank, Dominant Semiconductors Co Ltd, Mega First Corporation Bhd, Savan Pacifica Development Co Ltd and Dansavanh Nam Ngum Resort are among Malaysia's major companies that have invested in this Asean member state. "Malaysians' new investments are in the electrified double track railway and hydro-electric projects that will definitely change Malaysia's position as the largest investor in this country currently being led by China," he said. Najib will also join 48 leaders from Asia and Europe at the two-day ASEM starting here tomorrow. The meeting themed "Friends for Peace, Partners for Prosperity" will further strengthen economic and political cooperation between the two regions amid the current euro zone debt crisis. ASEM leaders are expected to discuss the global economic situation, reforms to international financial institutions, water, energy, food security, disaster management, interfaith dialogue, tourism and migration, among others. Than said Najib is also expected to promote the global moderation movement concept at this meeting. The ASEM grouping membership will be expanded to 51 with the inclusion of Bangladesh, Norway and Switzerland at this meeting. ASEM was established in 1996 with its inaugural meeting in Bangkok. ASEM leaders meet every two years alternately in the two regions. Najib will also hold separate bilateral meetings with France President Francois Hollande, Norway Prme Minister Jens Stoltenberg and PakistanPrime Minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf on the sidelines of the meeting. Najib will be accompanied by his wife, Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor, during the visit. This is the first time, Laos, a country with six million population, is hosting its biggest international conference. |
| Guan Eng: Despite AES, people should still pay their summonses Posted: 03 Nov 2012 05:26 PM PDT
(The Star) - Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng said despite his opposition to the Automated Enforcement System (AES), people should still pay their summonses. "As a senior government officer, I would want the Transport Ministry to explain to us why they want to implement the AES. "But these are summonses that have been issued under the law, and the law has to be respected," said Lim who is also the DAP secretary-general. He was referring to the call by PAS vice-president and Pokok Sena MP Datuk Mahfuz Omar to ignore the AES summonses issued by the Road Transport Department and to contest them in court. Lim was speaking at a press conference after opening the Selangor DAP annual convention here Sunday. To date, the Pakatan Rakyat-led state governments in Penang, Selangor, Kedah and Kelantan have decided to defer the implementation of the AES cameras in their states, affecting 331 cameras out of the 831 set up nationwide. |
| Karpal wants support for anti-party hopping law Posted: 03 Nov 2012 05:23 PM PDT
(NST) - DAP national chairman Karpal Singh said he wants the Barisan Nasional ruling government to support a national anti party hopping law which he will propose in parliament in the coming week. Karpal said he will be in parliament next week to submit a proposal to amend Article 10(1) of the constitution to make party hopping illegal.'BN must realise that it is in the public interest that party hopping should be outlawed,' he said at a press conference in Air Itam here today.
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| Posted: 03 Nov 2012 02:39 PM PDT
Kalau hudud PAS dipolitikkan, mahukah Chua Soi Lek menerima hukum hudud versi Umno?
Setelah puas menghentam dan menghina kesucian syariat Islam menerusi hukum hudud Presiden MCA, Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek mula sedar bahawa dirinya kini tersepit dan bertindak memutar belitkan kenyataannya. Dalam akhbar milik Umno, Mingguan Malaysia hari ini, Soi Lek dalam kenyataannya menjelaskan pendirian parti perkaumannya mengenai hukum hudud di bawah tajuk 'Kami hanya tentang hudud versi PAS'. Di antara lain, beliau berkata, "ketika MCA bangkit untuk menentang perjuangan Enakmen Hudud versi PAS, MCA sebenarnya tidak menghina agama Islam kerana tindakan MCA mempertikaikan perjuangan sesebuah parti politik (PAS) adalah berbeza dengan penentangan MCA terhadap sesuatu agama (Islam). "Isu ini sebenarnya telah dipolitikkan dan diputar oleh pemimpin Pakatan Rakyat apabila mereka menganggap sesebuah parti politik (PAS) itu adalah agama Islam," kata Soi Lek dalam kenyataannya itu. Sekali lagi Soi Lek mendedahkan kecetekan ilmunya tentang Islam dan lagi banyak beliau mengeluarkan kenyataan tentang Islam dan hukum hudud ternyata terserlah lebih banyak kesalahan dan kesilapannya. Kenyataan terkini tentang hudud ialah dakwaan beliau bahawa hukum hudud yang mahu dilaksanakan di negara ini adalah hudud versi PAS. Barangkali kenyataan beliau ini dikeluarkan setelah mendapat nasihat daripada para pemimpin Umno bagi meredakan kemarahan umat Islam yang semakin memuncak. Istilah hudud 'versi PAS' ini mula dipelopori oleh mantan perdana menteri Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad pada sekitar tahun 1994 apabila beliau menolak cadangan kerajaan negeri Kelantan mahu melaksanakan hudud dengan memberi amaran keras. Dr Mahathir cuba untuk mengelirukan umat Islam agar menerima dakyah beliau bahawa hukum hudud yang mahu dilaksanakan itu adalah hudud versi PAS dan bukan hudud dalam Islam yang sebenar. Ramai yang terpedaya dan ada yang keliru dengan propaganda Dr Mahathir ini hingga ada yang menganggap hukum hudud ini sengaja dipolitikkan oleh PAS dan bukan tuntutan yang tercatat dalam Al Quran. Kini Soi Lek mula memutar belitkan kenyataannya apabila mendapati semakin ramai anggota masyarakat Cina yang ingin mengetahui lebih lanjut tentang hudud dan boleh menerima pelaksanaannya. Satu kajian yang dijalankan oleh Pusat Kajian Demokrasi dan Pilihan Raya Universiti Malaya (UMCEDEL) mendapati penerimaan pelaksanaan hukum hudud di kalangan masyarakat Cina meningkat sebanyak 12 peratus. Kajian persepsi pertama ini dijalankan tahun lepas melibatkan 683 responden Melayu dan 245 responden Cina dan kajian kedua melibatkan 1,041 responden Melayu dan 385 responden Cina. Kebimbangan Soi Lek ini didedahkan oleh Pengerusi Dewan Himpunan Penyokong PAS, Hu Pang Chow yang berkata, tindakan Soi Lek itu telah menambah rasa ingin tahu anggota masyarakat Cina tentang hudud. "MCA cuba fitnah isu hudud hingga menyebabkan rasa ingin tahu masyarakat Cina terhadap hudud semakin bertambah dan inilah masanya untuk pimpinan PAS menerangkan mengenai hudud yang sebenar," katanya. Sebenarnya Soi Lek takut dengan pelaksanaan hukum hudud kerana beliau bimbang sokongan masyarakat Cina terhadap partinya yang lapuk itu, lama kelamaan akan terhakis dan lenyap dari muka bumi ini. Kalau tidak masakan beliau melenting apabila Ahli Dewan Undangan Negeri (Adun) Kemelah, Datuk Ayub Rahmat encadangkan bahawa negeri Johor seharusnya melaksanakan hukum hudud untuk semua kaum berbanding dengan Kelantan yang mahu melaksanakan untuk umat Islam sahaja. Soi Lek menganggap Adun Umno itu sudah hilang akal kerana mencadangkan perkara ini dan ini menyerlah peribadinya yang sebenar, Hudud versi Umno? Kalau tidak, mahukah Soi Lek menerima hukum hudud versi Umno kerana Adun yang mencadangkan pelaksanaan hudud di Johor ini adalah datangnya daripada seorang Adun dari Umno, sekutunya dalam Barisan Nasional?
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| Strong candidates can wrestle Kelantan from PAS, BN leaders claim Posted: 03 Nov 2012 02:25 PM PDT
(TMI) - Barisan Nasional (BN) can wrest Kelantan if quality candidates fielded in the general election receive strong support from all levels of party leadership.
Umno Veterans Club secretary Datuk Mustapha Yaakub and Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin believed quality candidates and zero sabotage would help BN wrest Kelantan from PAS. Mustapha said Kelantan people are ready for change because the PAS state government had failed to manage Kelantan and BN should take full advantage of the situation. "BN candidates must be of good character, have high moral, not corrupted, not arrogant, easily approachable and willing to serve in all situation." "They must also receive strong support of the party leadership at division and branch level." Meanwhile, Khairy proposed that Kelantan Umno include special incentives to youths in its election manifesto. "These incentives can be made in terms of youth development, facilities or by giving allocation directly to youths," he added. |
| Ahmad Said rubbishes Hadi’s ‘Pekan’ challenge as a political ploy Posted: 03 Nov 2012 02:17 PM PDT
(TMI) - Terengganu BN Datuk Seri Ahmad Said claims that PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang's decision to challenge Prime Minister and Barisan Nasional (BN) chairman Datuk Seri Najib Razak for the Pekan parliamentary seat in the upcoming general election is a political gimmick. Ahmad, who is also Terengganu Menteri Besar, said if Hadi did not have to wait for approval from the president of PAS if he was sincere in his intent to put up a fight with Najib in Pekan. "This is one of PAS' gimmicks. No need to entertain this. He should just walk the talk. If he really does it he must be having a "death wish"," he told reporters after attending a state-level Deepavali open house here last night. Hadi is currently the MP for Marang and assemblyman for Rhu Rendang. |
| BN tak mahu berubah, rakyat wajib tukar Posted: 03 Nov 2012 12:50 PM PDT
(Harakah Daily) - Rakyat wajib menukar kerajaan yang ada pada hari ini memandangkan Umno BN tidak bersedia membuat perubahan. Presiden PAS, Datuk Seri Tuan Guru Abdul Hadi Awang berkata, rakyat merupakan hakim yang menghukum kerajaan apabila pemimpin tidak menjalankan amanah dengan baik. "BN tak bersedia buat perubahan jadi kita wajib mengubah kerajaan hari ini. "Jangan lupa 16 November ini kita turun ramai-ramai ke Kota Bharu untuk perhimpunan kedua," katanya.
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| Nik Aziz beri lampu hijau Hadi tanding Pekan Posted: 03 Nov 2012 11:14 AM PDT
(Sinar Harian) - Hasrat Presiden Pas, Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang yang mahu bertanding di Parlimen Pekan, Pahang pada Pilihan Raya Umum ke-13 (PRU13) disambut baik dan direstui Mursyidul Amnya, Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat. Nik Abdul Aziz semalam memberi 'lampu hijau' kepada Ahli Parlimen Marang itu dan menyokong kenyataannya bertanding PRU13 menentang Perdana Menteri, Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak. "Dia (Abdul Hadi) adalah presiden parti, jadi apa (hasrat) yang dicakapkan kita akan turut dan sokong demi kebaikan parti serta perjuangan Islam."Saya sangat menyokong sekiranya Abdul Hadi benar- benar mahu bertanding di Pekan pada pilihan raya akan datang untuk menentang mereka yang mengagun-gagungkan perjuangan kebangsaan daripada memilih agama," katanya kepada Sinar Harian ketika ditemui di rumahnya, semalam. Nik Aziz yang juga Pengerusi Majlis Syura Ulama Pas tidak terkejut dengan pengumuman Abdul Hadi yang ingin berhijrah ke Pahang walaupun tidak dapat memberi jaminan sepenuhnya sama ada kemenangan memihak kepada parti mahupun pihak lawan. "Sekarang ini menang atau kalah itu lain hal, apa yang penting adalah sokongan kepada beliau setelah menunjukkan keberanian untuk bertanding di kerusi disandang Perdana Menteri," katanya. Tanpa menunjukkan kebimbangan terhadap kerusi Parlimen Marang sekiranya dilepaskan Abdul Hadi nanti dengan penghijrahannya ke Pekan, Nik Aziz mengharapkan perjuangan tersebut disokong penuh. Nik Aziz juga Menteri Besar Kelantan turut menyuarakan kebimbangan sekiranya pilihan raya yang berlangsung di Pekan tidak dilaksanakan dengan adil. "Saya minta ketika pilihan raya nanti tidak ada pengundi- pengundi hantu yang mempengaruhi keputusannya," katanya. Dalam masa sama, Nik Aziz juga turut memuji keberanian Abdul Hadi itu untuk melawan mana-mana calon yang dilihat menolak kepada perjuangan Islam.
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| Shafie puts foot in mouth about Sabah oil and basic politics Posted: 03 Nov 2012 11:06 AM PDT
Isn't it ridiculous to reject an increase in oil royalty on the ground that we need to share our good fortune with the non-oil states? If we believe in this twisted economic logic then we should share whatever we have – everything including wealth as well as problems. Why not share our misfortunes as well, such as our highest poverty rate, lack of developments, illegal immigrants and high prices of basic commodities? Daniel John Jambun In Datuk Shafie Apdal's comment about the opposition's promise to give 20% royalty for its oil if it was voted to power, he stressed only two important points, that is, Sabah shouldn't take 20%"because it needs to share its wealth" and "the opposition should not makes promises that causes rift among the people." I have one thing to say about what he said: these are some of the dumbest and most idiotic statements we have heard in the political history of Sabah. It is no better than when Datuk Salleh Said Keruak said the people should blame themselves for the increase in illegal immigrants inSabah, or when Tun Mahathir said the illegals in Sabah should be given citizenships because they can speak Bahasa Malaysia! How ridiculous of Shafie to say that Sabah needs to share it wealth with non-oil producing states in Malaysia. First of all the oil belong to us, but 95% is being taken away. All we are asking for is this 95% being taken away be reduced to 80%. That's still a lot of sharing to satisfy Shafie. Strangely, he admitted he himself wants 20% royalty but at the same time said he is happy with 5%! What? He rather sees Sabah remain poor, rather than get a little bit more of what belong to us in the first place. Isn't it ridiculous to reject an increase in oil royalty on the ground that we need to share our good fortune with the non-oil states? If we believe in this twisted economic logic then we should share whatever we have – everything including wealth as well as problems. Why not share our misfortunes as well, such as our highest poverty rate, lack of developments, illegal immigrants and high prices of basic commodities? Doesn't Shafie realize that with just 20% oil royalty, we can already solve most of these problems? Is he saying that we decided to be part of Malaysia so that the Federal Government can take away what we have and cause us to be the poorest state? No, we formed Malaysia with the promises of progress, development and wealth, not this poverty which Shafie seems to prefer. Being part of the Federal Government, Shafie is also an accomplice in the scheme to strip Sabah of its wealth, and he is admitting he prefers it that way! The other silly thing Shafie said is that the opposition is making this promise to cause a rift among the people. Is Shafie still a greenhorn in politics, or is he now behaving like the typical Umno leaders who are telling the people that we shouldn't speak up the truth because "it causes disunity among the people"? Has he forgotten that we are living in a democratic society and now thinks we are in an autocratic regime? How stupid to say that we shouldn't say anything in politics to cause rifts among the people! This is what we politicians have been doing since day one –to speak the truth and to expose lies of the other party to educate the people, and now we have "caused a rift among the people" (memecah-belahkan rakyat), that is to cause them to go into at least two camps, the ruling coalition and the opposition! Is Shafie against this? Does Shafie prefer it if we don't have any election and everyone joins the BN? Will that be good for us, or for Shafie, in the long run? Ther we don't need politics, we don't need elections of parliament! What I suspect is that Shafie is very worried that the real rift is happening in the BN. Many BN members have long started to love the promise of 20% royalty and had left the BN to support the opposition, causing a rift among the BN members (not among the people), because as Shafie says, who doesn't want 20% royalty? I would advise Shafie to refrain from making childish statements in the future as if we the rakyat are so uneducated, backward and unable to think intelligently.
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| Is Indonesia Ngruki Islamic school teaching terrorism? Posted: 03 Nov 2012 11:02 AM PDT
(BBC) - "When our religion is threatened and when we're deprived of our right to follow the Islamic law, that's when we have to do defend our faith." As recent terror arrests in Indonesia refocus attention on the country's fight against extremism, the BBC's Karishma Vaswani looks at the Islamic school said to have nurtured many of the militants. Amrozi, Mukhlas, Idris, Mubarok - all men who were involved in the deadly Bali bombings on 12 October 2002. But they have something else in common - they all graduated from the Al Mukmin Islamic boarding school in Solo - more commonly known as Ngruki. Indonesian officials believe the school is actively teaching radicalism and spreading messages of hate among its young students. They point to the list of graduates from Ngruki, which reads like a Who's Who of Indonesia's terror world. Authorities say the September arrests of suspected militants in Solo have also shown a link to the school - at least three of the men captured spent some time studying at Ngruki. "All this group came from Ngruki," Ansyaad Mbai, Indonesia's anti-terror chief told the BBC. "It means that this radical ideology is coming from Ngruki." Mr Mbai said Ngruki, which was co-founded by Abu Bakar Ba'asyir, is still heavily influenced by the radical cleric, even though he is behind bars. Ba'asyir, thought to be the spiritual head of South East Asian militant network Jemaah Islamiah (JI), was jailed for 15 years on terror-related charges last year. "Even though he is behind bars, he remains an influence," said Mr Mbai. "He gives orders to the militants and preaches sermons telling people to carry out jihad." 'Don't assume' Ba'asyir was jailed in June for giving support to militants in Aceh provinceOn the surface, the boarding school looks benign enough, although far more conservative than most Indonesian schools. Some young girls are covered from head to toe in black burkhas, with only their eyes visible. The boys wear traditional Muslim attire and are not allowed to talk to or mingle with any of the females. Parents have to pay to send their children here - one of the administrators says budgetary restraints mean only a small percentage of the student body get scholarships. Lessons cover a mix of the national curriculum and some subjects that Ngruki has added in to the mix - such as Arabic. The huge mosque in the centre of the school is being renovated, so the children have to attend afternoon prayers in the gym. Hundreds of young boys line up faithfully to offer their prayers: There is the usual children's mucking around that children do too, with boys giggling and whispering to each other before they are called to attention by teachers. But there are other, more unusual signs. On the school's noticeboard there is a news story printed from a radical website about Ba'asyir. Read more at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-20177008 |
| Ordinary, average Muslims are not easily confused – their faith is strong! Posted: 03 Nov 2012 10:58 AM PDT
It is difficult to understand the so-called Muslim elites who constantly and consistently convey the erroneous message that Islam is under threat and that the Muslims will be easily misled. P. Ramakrishnan The protest against the Shah Rukh Khan movie My name is Khan has baffled P Ramakrishnan, who points out that the film has been screened without much problem in many countries with a sizeable Muslim population. So just who are the people "confused"? They always seem to suggest that Muslims must be sheltered and protected otherwise they can go astray and embarrass their religion. The latest episode involves the screening of the movie My name is Khan by TV3 on the second day of Hari Raya Aidil Adha. The Muslim youth movement, Abim, has strongly protested against this film, claiming that Shah Rukh Khan's film My name is Khan "confuses Muslims as it promotes liberal Islam and religious pluralism, and warned Malaysian broadcasters not to air the hit film". Abim vice-president Ahmad Saparudin Yusuf "gave examples of scenes in the film such as the Muslim hero marrying a Hindu heroine, saying that it is 'clearly against Islam's teachings'". He also pointed out "that the depiction in the film of acceptance and mixing of other religions' worship methods with Islam's, as well as giving zakat or alms to non-Muslims were 'confusing'". This film has been available in Malaysia since March 2010. It has been screened in cinemas and the film's CD has been widely sold. In the two and half years that it was around, thousands upon thousands of Muslims and other Malaysians have seen and enjoyed the film. Is there any evidence that the average, ordinary Muslims in Malaysia have become confused about Islam because of the film? Has their faith in Islam been eroded as a result of seeing this film? My Name is Khan has been shown in many Muslim countries where the film is very popular. It has become the highest Bollywood earner in the Middle East. It has been screened in Jordan, Lebanon and Syria in March 2010 when the film was released. In Indonesia, the country with the biggest Muslim community, the film was so popular when it was first released that it grew from six to 14 screens. In all these countries there was no protest against or any negative reaction to what was depicted in the movie. No one took offence to the film. In India, the country with the biggest Muslim population outside Indonesia, there was no problem whatsoever. Besides Islam, many other religions and various forms of worship exist on a daily basis in that country. People are tolerant and accept the fact that others have a right to their religion. As a matter of fact, religions co-exist in India. In real life, Shah Rukh Khan – a Muslim – is married to a Hindu woman. This has not upset the Muslims in India or anywhere else. Knowing this fact has not prevented the Malacca state government from conferring on him a datukship. Even Tun Dr Mahathir on his visit to India made it a point to meet up with him. So who are the people who are confused? The average, ordinary Muslims are of stronger faith and they are not easily confused!
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| Yang Kamu Semai, Itulah Yang Kamu Tuai! Posted: 03 Nov 2012 10:35 AM PDT Tanda-tanda UMNO kalah sudah menjadi nyata. Orang UMNO tidak pernah sasau melakukan kekasaran, membuang poster lawan, menyimbah cat dan membaling batu, mengacau ceramah parti lawan, membuat ugutan fisikal, menyekat pergerakan pihak lawan dan sebagainya. UMNO Dato Onn sehingga UMNO Hussein Onn tidak pernah melakukan perkara ini. Sakmongkol AK47 Saya ada membaca suatu berita yang menyatakan bahawa orang Melayu Johor akan menyekat kemaraan PR. Kenyataan itu boleh jadi ada kebenarannya. Tambahan pula PR tidak pernah menyasarkan kemenangan total di Johor. Kita pun tahu, mustahil lah UMNO kalah semua. Mereka akan menang di Pekan. Mereka menang di Pagoh. Kita hanya menyatakan UMNO akan kalah secukupnya untuk membolehkan PR memerintah. Kita tahu UMNO cukup kuat di Johor dan orang Melayu Johor cukup tebal dengan semangat keUMNOan mereka. Bacaan harian mereka selepas Subuh selain Yasiin, ialah Utusan Malaysia dan tontonan mereka ialah TV3. Kita semua tahu jenis orang Melayu yang membaca dan menonton dua jenis media ini. Itulah yang menerangkan mengapa Melayu Johor sokong UMNO. Namun, terdapat juga kelompok Melayu yang sedar bahawa sokongan membabi buta kepada UMNO adalah merugikan. Sokongan kepada manusia adalah sokongan bersyarat yakni qualified support bukannya absolute support. Kita menyokong kerajaan dan pemerintah selagi mereka bersikap adil. Atas dasar itu, untuk negeri Johor cukup setakat 9-12 kerusi parlimen jatuh ketangan PR. Bila PR pegang Kerajaan Persekutuan, kita akan tahu asal usul MP dan ADUN UMNO. Belum sempat teh tarik segelas habis, mereka akan lompat masuk PR. Biarlah mereka berada dalam alam mimpi mereka. Mereka tidak terbayang bahawa UMNO akan tewas. Tapi 2008 membuktikan bahawa UMNO tidaklah sekuat yang mereka sangkakan. Calon UMNO pun hanya memperolehi 2 juta undi orang Melayu. Majority Melayu sudah menolah UMNO. Ertinya, bumi di atas mana mereka berpijak sudah berganjak dan beralih. Profail pengundi telah berubah. Rakyat memiliki kesedaran social yang kian meningkat. Pemerintah dan kerajaan tidak lagi di lihat sebagai sesuatu yang memaksa ke atas mereka; kerajaan dan pemerintah ada suatu wadah yang melaluinya, rakyat mencapai matlamat dan objektif-objektif tertentu. Ertinya, rakyat mulai sedar, bahawa baik atau jahat sebuah kerajaan bergantung kepada mereka yang membentuknya. Bila mereka sedar meraka yang sebenarnya berkuasa, maka kuasa untuk membetulkan keadaan pun ada dalam tangan mereka. Maka hari ini, kesedaran sosial yang paling bernilai ialah kesedaran bahawa pemerintah yang adil adalah pemerintah yang disembah, pemerintah yang tidak adil adalah pemerintah yang disanggah. Sementara pemimpin UMNO korap dan bongkak, orang Melayu sudah bertambah yakin kepada diri mereka sendiri. Tanda-tanda UMNO kalah sudah menjadi nyata. Orang UMNO tidak pernah sasau melakukan kekasaran, membuang poster lawan, menyimbah cat dan membaling batu, mengacau ceramah parti lawan, membuat ugutan fisikal, menyekat pergerakan pihak lawan dan sebagainya. UMNO Dato Onn sehingga UMNO Hussein Onn tidak pernah melakukan perkara ini. Hari ini semua perkara ini suatu kebiasaan kepada ahli UMNO seolah olah pemimpin UMNO mengajar anak buah nya tidak disiplin. Ini semua menandakan UMNO sudah berada dalam keadaan cemas. UMNO sanggup mencetuskan kacau bilau apabila melihat zaman pemerintahannya akan berakhir. Kalau UMNO mempunyai rekod yang baik seperti yang dipekikkan oleh Dato Najib, apakah yang hendak ditakutkan? Bukankah kita hanya perlu menunjukkan satu jari, semua masalah akan selesai? |
| Posted: 03 Nov 2012 10:09 AM PDT
A Barisan Nasional loyalist in Sabah thinks the threat of a growing opposition is good for BN's younger politicians. Pushparani Thilaganathan, FMT Sabah Barisan Nasional seems unfazed by the spins spewing out of the political rumour mill and are confident of retaining the state albeit having more opposition faces in the state assembly and losing some parliamentary seats. But that's alright, says Sekong assemblyman Samsuddin Yahya because Umno BN is 'overall' confident about its voters loyalty and will not lose its clout in the upcoming 13th general election. "We are not worried about the Muslim and KDM (KadazanDusunMurut) votes. We are confident. Only the Chinese seats worry us. KK (Kota Kinabalu) is most a difficult seat for us because it is majority Chinese," he told FMT recently. He was alluding to the widespread reports that the opposition was making damaging inroads into the Muslim and KDM communities in the state and that the state BN could lose up to 20 parliamentary seats in the next election Samsuddin's Sekong constituency comprises both these communities and some Chinese. Sekong and Karamunsing sectors come under BN-Parti Bersatu Sabah held Batu Sapi parliamentary constituency. The Batu Sapi parliamentary constituency is adjacent to Sandakan bordering Libaran and Kinabatangan. Sandakan is a pipeline of BN loyalists. In the 2010 Batu Sapi by-election, BN won the seat by a 6,359 vote majority. PBS rode on Umno's support against a divided opposition. BN-PBS candidate Linda Tsen faced off with PKR's Ansari Abdullah and Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) president Yong Teck Lee. At that time SAPP was attempting an alliance with Pakatan Rakyat but seat allocations was always the issue. BN, said Samsuddin, is confident of retaining the Batu Sapi parliamentary seat this time round. And again local observers add, it will be because the opposition coalition is still divided. For reasons best known to the local political circles here, SAPP can't seem to gel with the opposition parties, all of whom are clamouring to lead the people into the next general election. No group seem to want SAPP. SAPP and BN A former chief minister under the Sabah CM-rotation system, Yong's personal and political history has much to do with this. The politics here spout a love-hate relationship with him. Some don't trust Yong, others hate his guts. But Umno, it appears is good with him. A local political analyst went so far as to say "Umno needs him before and after GE. They're old flames" Whilst in the BN coalition, SAPP contested in four seats and won with Umno's help two parliamentary and two state. But SAPP quit the coalition in 2008 and has since been in the wilderness, having tried to hook up with Pakatan and then local State Reform Party (STAR) under Jeffrey Kitingan but to no avail. Now its four seats are being horse-traded within BN with every other partner in the party staking a claim.
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| BN could lose 8 parliament seats in Pahang Posted: 03 Nov 2012 09:38 AM PDT
It would be wrong for Barisan Nasional to assume that the votes garnered by the opposition in Pahang in the 2008 polls were protest votes. Mohd Ariff Sabri Aziz, FMT In 2008, the vote swing to the opposition in Pahang was around 9%. Allowing for a generous re-gain of 5% by Barisan Nasional, the opposition Pakatan Rakyat still has a 4% vote swing. In Raub, Pakatan saw a 45% swing, while in Jerantut (46%), Temerloh(46%), Indera Mahkota (50%), Kuantan (52%) and Bera (43%). Based on 2008 performance, six seats showed great promise for Pakatan. The opposition won in Kuantan and Indera Mahkota. Both seats were won by PKR. But this time round, with the racial factoring, and a simple vote swing of 4%, my projections are that Pakatan could well win eight parliamentary seats in Pahang. The seats are Cameron Highlands, Raub, Kuala Lipis, Jerantut, Temerloh, Indera Mahkota, Kuantan and Paya Besar. This is because there are a few peculiar features shown by Pahang and which are capable of being generalized. (1) Areas with a large Malay population do not necessarily lead to easy wins for BN. Jerantut, Temerloh, Indera Mahkota and Kuantan all have majority Malay voting populations. But in each of these areas, Pakatan secured 46-52% of the votes. Pakatan got 40% votes in Kuala Krau and 43% in Bera. (2) It means Malays are more discerning and are ready to evaluate their voting preference in terms of the costs and benefits. (3) Jerantut in particular with a population of 81% Malay voters saw Pakatan took home 46% of the votes. (4) As a rule, if Pakatan puts up a Malay candidate in these areas, the Malay votes are easily split 50:50 How stable was the vote swing to the opposition? Very often, the gains made by Pakatan were dismissed as protest votes. 'Votes for Pakatan are stable' They probably were but no one is sure how much of the swing to the opposition in 2008 was done in the name of protest. And to assume that all were protest votes would be a big mistake. The swing to the opposition can only be attributed to the people having made a choice based on conviction and belief.
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| Minister urges employers not to hire by race Posted: 02 Nov 2012 07:17 PM PDT
(TMI) - Employers in this country have been reminded not to practice racial discrimination in the recruitment of workers. Human Resources Minister Datuk Seri Dr S. Subramaniam said they should be transparent and not put certain conditions that prevent certain races from joining their organisations. "If there is evidence of discrimination, the ministry can take action against the employer in accordance with the provisions of existing laws," he told reporters after opening Batu Caves Library in the compound of Sri Subramaniar Swamy Temple here today. Subramaniam was commenting on a study by a news portal on the tendency of employers in Malaysia to favour a particular race than other races. He added the ministry would examine the basis of the study before taking further action if necessary. At the event, Subramaniam donated books to the library that has nearly 6,000 titles in Tamil literature and religion. |
| Pakatan’s ties do not bind, says Dr M Posted: 02 Nov 2012 07:14 PM PDT
(TMI) - Former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad regards the co-operation among the opposition parties as temporary and only to win the coming general election. Unlike the Barisan Nasional (BN) component parties, which had close co-operation and understanding among them for 55 years, he said there was often no consensus in the opposition Pakatan Rakyat pact and no plans for the future. "We must remember that the pact is not a coalition. It is an unwritten agreement to co-operate to fight BN, that's all," he said. He noted that certain quarters were reported to want to give a chance to the opposition in the upcoming general election, thinking that they were like BN. Speaking to Malaysian journalists after delivering a public lecture to about 1,000 guests comprising university students, academicians and corporate figures from all over Sudan yesterday, Dr Mahathir said the opposition did not have a development agenda for the country, much less to look after the interest of the people. "What has been promised is to raise to 20 per cent the (petroleum) royalty for some state governments. So, other states without oil will lose out and this means only the states which have oil can be developed. "Even now, with the 5 per cent royalty we pay, they are so rich, far richer than other states," he said. On the opposition's shadow cabinet, which was said to be still vague, the country's fourth prime minister said it was normal. "They have the ambition to rule Malaysia. As such, they need to set up what is called a shadow cabinet but it is only a shadow. "They find it difficult to select a leader because everyone wants to be a leader. Anwar Ibrahim (the opposition leader) thinks he will be prime minister but other people also have big ambitions." Dr Mahathir said promising to have 10 to 15 deputy prime ministers in the shadow cabinet was just bait for the opposition parties to co-operate. A foreign newspaper recently pointed out that Anwar's interest in a shadow cabinet had remained vague, despite expressing his interest a few times since the last general election in 2008. The report said the shadow cabinet model, found mainly in Britain and Australia, would mark each individual cabinet minister who play a role in criticising the current government and its policies, while offering alternative solutions. Dr Mahathir who arrived in Khartoum Wednesday, earlier opened the Malaysia-Sudan Trade and Investment Forum, here. He will leave for Oman today. |
| Hadi Awang says ready to challenge Najib in Pekan Posted: 02 Nov 2012 07:10 PM PDT
(TMI) - PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang has announced his readiness to challenge Umno giant and Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak for the Pekan seat in Pahang in the coming 13th general election, Sinar Harian has reported. The veteran PAS leader, however, said the decision would be left to the party's central leadership to decide. "I will heed the party's decision and will leave it to the party. The party will make the decision... including whether it will direct me to stand in the Pekan parliamentary seat," he was quoted as telling reporters at the Terengganu PAS Muslimat election fund launch yesterday. Abdul Hadi has been active in politics for more than three decades since his entry into the Islamist party in 1978. The 65-year-old politician was Terengganu mentri besar for one term from 1999 to 2004, before the state fell back into Barisan Nasional (BN) hands in the 2004 general election. Pekan's incumbent Najib, who is also Malaysia's sixth prime minister, was the Pahang mentri besar between 1982 and 1986, and was also known as the youngest politician to take on the post at 29 years. The Kuala Lipis-born Najib first ran for elections in 1976 and has been an elected representative since then. |
| Leave religious matters to relevant bodies, political parties told Posted: 02 Nov 2012 06:16 PM PDT (The Star) - MCA respects the position of Islam in the country but does not want political parties to claim authority over religious matters, said its central committee member Datuk Ti Lian Ker. He said there were already institutions authorised to regulate Islamic matters and political parties should allow them to perform their duties. "The public should not confuse political parties with institutions like the National Fatwa Council. No political party should encroach into the jurisdiction and authority of these institutions," Ti told reporters here yesterday. He said MCA respected the law and the Federal Constitution but it would not tolerate political parties that ran foul of and sidelined the Islamic institutions by implementing their own version of the law. "The hudud law that is to be implemented by PAS is inconsistent and not in line with real Islamic law. For example, the PAS spiritual leader has said that this would be enforced on non-Muslims as well. "From time to time, PAS also amend its law to fit its political agenda. So, it cannot be said that PAS law is the same with hudud law," he said. Ti, who is also Kuantan MCA chairman, said the division would continue to support party president Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek in voicing public concerns on PAS' version of hudud. "It is a flaw to say that we cannot comment when a political party wants to legislate laws in whatever form in the name of Islam. "It is not right to intimidate or threaten non-Muslims who have questions and want explanations," he added. Hundreds of members from 12 Muslim NGOs had earlier gathered at the Kuantan MCA headquarters to hand over a memorandum demanding that Dr Chua retract his statements, which they claimed had insulted hudud and Islam. Ti said he regretted the manner in which the group had gathered, adding that they were shouting "aggressively" in a provocative manner. He also slammed the group for being selective when DAP chairman Karpal Singh himself had also spoken against hudud. |
| Posted: 02 Nov 2012 06:07 PM PDT
New Mandala The dramatic electoral setbacks suffered by the People's Action Party government in Singapore during 2011 have led to speculation about the possibility of a future opposition victory. A major line of thinking within the opposition camp is that such a change would most likely come about following a serious split in Cabinet, whereby a strengthened parliamentary opposition could align itself with a dissident faction in Cabinet. Should such a development come about it would be emulating the 'Taiwan model', whereby democracy and a change of government were brought about when the Guomindang's President Lee effectively endorsed the opposition Democratic Progressive Party and brought about a two-way split in his own party and a three-way split in his party's popular vote. I contend that this is a most unlikely development in Singapore for three distinct reasons. The first and main reason for this logic is that the Singapore elite is much more risk averse than the Taiwan elite ever was. Singapore is so much smaller than Taiwan; its economy is so much more fragile and vulnerable to the mood swings of international finance and markets, that such a split is unlikely unless the country itself is nearly on its last legs. Dissidents in Cabinet would be, in their minds, putting at risk the fundamentals that give the international financial and investment markets confidence in Singapore, and I do not believe that they would take such a risk. The second reason I doubt the likelihood of such a scenario is a little counter-intuitive: Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has used the PAP's electoral setbacks in 2011 to consolidate his stature within in the elite. By effectively shifting the blame for the parliamentary losses onto others – most notably his own father – and by ensuring that he has been given credit for the result not being any worse than it was, he has now, for the first time, stepped out of his father's shadow and clearly established himself as the master of the situation. His party lost a significant amount of electoral ground in 2011, but Lee successfully stage-managed the narrative of the election after the event, beginning on election night itself, during which the Elections Department actively cooperated to allow him to mount the podium and claim victory as the government's white knight and saviour. He is now fully in charge of Cabinet and has used his new power ruthlessly to push aside the deadwood and the duds who had been pulling the party down. Before the 2011 results there had been some dissident rumblings in Cabinet, but even then this did not amount to very much. Former Nominated MP Viswa Sadasivan told in interview in January 2011 that he had become used to government MPs and even one or two Cabinet members congratulating him for his forthright and highly critical speeches in Parliament – but they would not speak out themselves, nor even associate themselves with dissenting voices. This is decidedly not the stuff of which Cabinet splits are made! The third reason I doubt the likelihood of a split in the elite is that the best chance for such a split came and went in the mid-1990s when Goh Chok Tong was prime minister. Goh tried to use his position as PM and his control of the Ministry of Finance through his close ally, Finance Minister Richard Hu, to wrest the reins of power from the Lee family – father and son. He was doing this through a deliberate campaign of supplanting the Lee family's patronage in the civil service and in the huge and powerful government-linked company (GLC) sector. The campaign promised to be particularly effective in the GLC sector. The key instrument of patronage in this campaign was the secretive Directorship and Consultancy Appointments Council (DCAC) which at the time was responsible for the appointment of boards and executive positions across the whole of the GLC sector, and which operated under the authority of the Finance Minister Hu. Read more at: http://asiapacific.anu.edu.au/newmandala/2012/11/02/splits-in-the-singapore-elite/
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| Posted: 02 Nov 2012 06:02 PM PDT
(Sinar Harian) - DAP Selangor mendakwa terdapat usaha pihak tertentu yang cuba memburuk- burukkan parti itu melalui tiga risalah diedarkan kepada orang ramai di sekitar Kelana Jaya. Setiausaha Pengelolanya, Lau Weng San berkata, perkara itu dikesan apabila pihaknya menerima aduan daripada orang awam berhubung pengedaran risalah itu di sebuah kondominium di Seksyen 7 di sini, kira-kira tiga minggu lalu.Menurutnya, ketiga-tiga risalah itu didakwa cuba memburuk-burukkan Pakatan Rakyat (PR) terutamanya DAP, Menteri Besar, Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim dan Buku Jingga. Weng San berkata, beliau percaya tindakan tidak bertanggungjawab itu dilakukan musuh PR tetapi tidak menamakan mana-mana pihak. "Saya percaya tujuan risalah ini diedarkan adalah untuk menakutnakutkan pengundi Melayu di kawasan tersebut dengan menyatakan DAP parti rasis dan sebagainya. "Kerja macam ini hanya akan dilakukan oleh musuh PR kerana kita dapati ia tidak mempunyai nama penerbit dan pencetak pada risalah tersebut," katanya pada sidang media di ibu pejabat DAP Selangor, di sini semalam. Menurutnya, beliau berharap masyarakat tidak tertipu dengan risalah diedarkan itu dan dapat menilai dengan bijak dasar yang PR laksanakan. Katanya, sebarang isu yang ditimbulkan di dalam risalah tersebut telah dijawab oleh PR sebelum ini. "Isu-isu dibangkitkan di dalam risalah itu tidak benar kerana kita dah jawab sebelum ini dan sekiranya ada pihak tak berpuas hati lebih baiklah berdebat atau mengadakan perbincangan mengenainya. "Tindakan seperti ini melambangkan budaya politik tidak beretika dan tidak matang umpama membaling batu sembunyi tangan," katanya. Dalam pada itu, Weng San berkata, pihaknya sedang meneliti tindakan selanjutnya yang perlu diambil berhubung pengedaran risalah itu. |
| Saifuddin: PR belum ada ketetapan Hadi tanding di Pekan Posted: 02 Nov 2012 06:00 PM PDT
(Sinar Harian) - PKR, salah satu komponen Pakatan Rakyat (PR) belum membuat sebarang pendirian berhubung hasrat Presiden Pas, Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang untuk bertanding di kerusi Parlimen yang disandang Perdana Menteri di Pekan, Pahang. Setiausaha Agung PKR, Datuk Saifuddin Nasution Ismail ketika dihubungi Sinar Harian Online berkata, setakat ini hasrat Hadi masih belum dibincangkan di peringkat pusat. "Pengumuman harus dibuat oleh Pas untuk mengesahkan hal ini. "Kita tidak bincang lagi di peringkat pusat jadi masih tidak ada ketetapan parti dalam hal ini," ujar beliau. Semalam, Hadi membuat kejutan apabila mengumumkan beliau sedia bertanding di kerusi Parlimen Pekan pada Pilihan Raya Umum ke-13 (PRU13). "Saya ikut keputusan parti, serah kepada parti. Parti akan membuat keputusan termasuk jika parti menyuruh saya bertanding di Parlimen Pekan," katanya pada Majlis Pelancaran Dana PRU13 Dewan Muslimat Pas Negeri Terengganu semalam. Beliau berkata demikian ketika ditanya adakah beliau akan kekal sebagai calon Marang atau mempunyai perancangan untuk bertanding di luar Terengganu pada PRU nanti. Beliau bagaimanapun berkata, kedudukan calon yang bertanding di mana-mana kerusi tertakluk sepenuhnya kepada keputusan parti. Hadi sebelum ini dilaporkan berkata berkemungkinan besar bertanding di kerusi Parlimen Marang pada PRU13 selepas hasrat beliau untuk tidak bertanding ditolak Pas. Beliau memberi alasan bahawa pencalonan beliau di Parlimen kelak memudahkannya untuk bergerak di peringkat pusat, lebih-lebih lagi untuk melaksanakan tanggungjawabnya sebagai presiden parti. "Seboleh-bolehnya satu (kerusi) sahaja. Itu yang saya minta. Terpulang kepada partilah (untuk menentukan sama ada Parlimen atau Dun) tetapi saya lebih mudah di Parlimen untuk bergerak di peringkat pusat," katanya awal Februari lalu.
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| Malaysia – revisiting the secular state debate Posted: 02 Nov 2012 05:56 PM PDT
Ahmad Farouk Musa, New Mandala One of the most contentious issues in our country is the debate on Islamic State vis-à-vis Secular State. It should be highlighted at this initial point that the Islamic State concept was borne out only early in the twentieth century after the demise of the Ottoman Caliphate. Irrespective of which divide we are on, one basic fact that we have to agree upon is that the terminology Dawlah Islamiyyah or Islamic State was never mentioned in the Qur'an. However, Islamic State remains the main agenda of political Islam that defines Islam as ad-deen wa-dawlah or "religion and state". It could be argued that since there is no single predominant interpretation of what an Islamic state is, a vicious contestation still exists among the Islamists about the concept of Islamic State. The realm of as-siyasi – the political It is also worth noting from historical evidence that Muslims have been fighting against each other for centuries over political power. Rachid Ghannouchi leader ofHizb en-Nahda – The Renaissance Party – quotes a renowned Muslim historian, Shahrastani, as saying that it was on a question of political power that Muslims drew sword, fought each other and shed blood of one another. And because of this, Ghannouchi distinguishes what he calls as ad-deeni – the religious, sacred or absolute – to that of as-siyasi – the political, profane or relative. The main problem Muslims especially are facing is in the realm of as-siyasi. Many Muslims including some conservative political activists from the Islamic Party especially in the Ulama' and Youth wings are insistent on the idea of replicating the Medinan city-state model of the seventh century. The Qur'an is considered as a constitution that spells out everything that is needed to form a "truly Islamic" government. Obviously this understanding is anything but a fallacy. The Qur'an only lays the basic foundation that guides mankind. As the erudite Muhammad Asad said: "Every generation faces different circumstances and thus many laws and ways for society cannot be fixed for all time. This is also why the Qur'an fixes time-less law, ethics and restrictions that are universal in its appreciation. The companions of the Prophet were not left with a set of rules as to how to settle disputes or lead their worldly lives. However they were compelled to perform ijtihad or independent reasoning, using God-given faculty in order to find their own ways. The en-Nahda leader, Ghannouchi argues that if Islam is the final divine revelation to humanity then it is only appropriate that no fixed prescriptions are given for matters that are of a changing nature such as governing a country. Muslims should be able to exercise their independent reasoning to devise suitable solutions for emerging problems. And the result of this exercise, Islam is then suitable for all times and all places. Many Islamists argued that the Qur'an provides a solution to every single problem that faces humanity. Many verses have been cited to prove that Muslims need not find answers anywhere else. Among the most famous is: Today have I perfected your religious law for you, and have bestowed upon you the full measure of My blessings, and willed that self-surrender unto Me – al-Islam – shall be your religion." [al-Ma'idah– The Repast 5: 3]. And another verse is: 'No single thing have We neglected in Our decree." [Al-An'am – Cattle 6: 38] In interpreting these verses, Ghannouchi asserted that many misunderstood them to mean that the Holy Qur'an has a solution to every problem whether major or minor. However what these verses really meant is that while some answers are already there, which if considered absolute, belong to the realm of ad-deeni; only guidelines and foundations are provided in the case of as-siyasi, so that Muslims may search for the detailed answers in accordance with the requirements of their respective time and place. To exemplify this, Ghannouchi draws the attention to the Qur'anic declaration that: "And there is no living creature on earth but depends for its sustenance on God". [Hud11: 6] For in spite of such a declaration many creatures, including human communities, die of thirst and hunger. Where is then their sustenance? Their sustenance has indeed been stored in the earth and the heavens, but to become readily available, it requires exploring, an exertion of effort, on the part of those to whom it has been destined. The need for human intellectual exegesis Having said that, we have to acknowledge the fact that there exist shortcomings of a great deal of what we may believe to be sacred. The acceptance of God as Lord of the universe does not mean that everything is a priori. Islam is not a panacea that provides ready-made answers to all human problems. Muslim scholars have not solved all the problems of humanity, in history and for all times. Rather, Islam provides a moral and just perspective within which Muslims must find answer to all human problems. Ultimately governing a state is a human endeavor. And there is only one thing that could rescue us from our current impasse: democracy. Democracy is essential for any Muslim group and only democracy could guide Muslim societies towards Islam, where the operation of the community and the demands of Islam are freely debated and refashioned. This point needs further examination because a key and stubborn misperception of Muslims in regard to democracy is based on the notion that in Islam sovereignty belongs to God, while in democracy it belongs to people. This is a naive and erroneous notion or interpretation. God IS the true and ultimate Sovereign, but He has bestowed a level of freedom and responsibility upon the human beings in this world. God has decided not to function as the Sovereign in thisworld. He has blessed humanity with revelations and His essential guidance. We are to shape and conduct our lives, individually and collectively, according to that guidance. But even though essentially this guidance is based on divine revelation, its interpretation and implementation are human. God does not seek to regulate all human affairs and instead leaves human being considerable latitude in regulating their own affairs. In the Qur'anic discourse, God commanded the angels to honor man because of the miracle of human intellect – an expression of the abilities of the divine. When we humans, search for ways to approximate God's beauty and justice, we do not deny God's sovereignty; instead we honor it. But if we were to say that the only legitimate source of law is the divine text, and that human experience and intellect are irrelevant to the pursuit of the divine will, then divine sovereignty will become an instrument of authoritarianism and an obstacle to democracy. And in effect, that authoritarian view denigrates God's sovereignty. The democratic ideals It should be emphasized that a state has to govern the relations between human beings and the ultimate aim of the state is to set up a society based on justice and benevolence – or 'adl and ihsan in the Qur'anic terms. 'Adl and ihsan are most fundamental human values and any state worth its salt has to strive to establish a society based on these values. But for this, no particular form of state is needed. Even an honest monarch can do it. It is for this reason that the holy Qur'an praises prophet-rulers like David and Solomon, who were kings and just rulers. But the Qur'an is also aware that such just rulers are normally far and few in between. The governance has to be as democratic as possible so that all adults can participate in it. If governance is left to an individual, or a monarch, the power may corrupt him or her as everyone knows absolute power corrupts absolutely. It is for this reason that the Qur'an refers to democratic governance when it says: "And those who respond to their Lord and keep up prayer, and whose affairs are (decided) by mutual consultation, and who spend out of what We have given them". [Ash-Shura– Consultation 42: 38] Thus the mutual affairs – those pertaining to governance – should be conducted only by mutual consultation which in contemporary political parlance will be construed as democratic governance. Since in those days there was no well-defined practice of political democracy, the Qur'an refers to it as `amruhum shura baynahum, i.e. affairs to be conducted through mutual consultation, which is a very meaningful way of hinting at democracy. The Qur'an is thus against totalitarian or absolute monarchical rule. This injunction, implying government by consent and council, must be regarded as one of the fundamental clauses of all Qur'anic legislation relating to statecrafts, and is binding on all Muslims and for all times as asserted by Muhammad Asad, in his book, State and Government in Islam. Whether the people will decide to choose the path to heaven or hell is a human decision. Whether they will choose Islam or another path, it is a human decision. Whether people will choose to organize their lives based on Islam or not is a human decision. It can be argued that for making wrong choices in this world, Muslims might be facing negative consequences in the life hereafter. But, still it is a matter of choice; there is no room for compulsion or imposition. Then what happens when the society and leadership faces a conflict where for example the majority of the Muslim society does not want to uphold Islam? It must be emphasized that the leadership cannot coerce the society into what it does not want. There is no compulsion or coercion in Islam. Coercion never delivers sustainable results, and the foundation of Islam cannot be based on coercion. Observe that God IS the sovereign from the viewpoint of Islamic reality, but not from practical standpoint. When our decisions are to be made based on Ijtihad – and we could be wrong; where our constitution and policies would be formulated through human consultation – and we can err; when our judicial system would be guided by the revealed guidance, yet, based on the evidence presented, there would be chance for an innocent to get convicted and a guilty to go free, God is not acting as a sovereign in this world. Read more at: http://asiapacific.anu.edu.au/newmandala/2012/11/03/malaysia-revisiting-the-secular-state-debate/ |
| Lawyer denies giving false information on Suaram Posted: 02 Nov 2012 05:56 PM PDT (The Star) - A lawyer has denied claims by an MP that he provided false information to a French lawyer in a bid to topple the Federal Government. "I wish to state that the allegations made by Wee Choo Keong and the insinuations by newspapers are false and baseless," Amer Hamzah Arshad told reporters yesterday. Wangsa Maju MP Wee Choo Keong, who sits as an Independent, had accused Amer of attempting to fool international authorities by claiming in a letter to French lawyer William Bourdon that Suaram was a legal entity and a registered body through Suara Inisiatif Sdn Bhd. "Suaram is not a registered body with the Registrar of Societies (ROS) and yet the law firm sent a letter to a French lawyer claiming that it is a registered body," Wee said in Parliament on Wednesday. Wee said it was a "grand design to discredit the Government" and that Suaram had received foreign funding showing that "they have a bad intention". Amer clarified that he was not practising with the law firm Wee had named, and that Suaram was a personal client of his. "The said letter was written and signed under my name as the personal legal adviser of Suaram to state the background and registration history of Suaram under the Companies Act," said Amer, reading from a statement. "The allegations of a grand design' is a figment of Wee Choo Keong's grand imagination' and I challenge him to repeat his slanderous and defamatory accusations outside Parliament." |
| Klang leaders back Karpal’s proposal Posted: 02 Nov 2012 05:51 PM PDT
(The Star) - DAP grassroots leaders here have come out to back Karpal Singh's "one candidate, one seat" proposal. Seven party branches from Klang, led by Taman Chi Liung Indah DAP branch chairman K. Yogasigamany, said they supported Karpal's proposal as there were many qualified leaders in the party. They said the party should acknowledge the hard work put in by the party's grassroots by nominating some of them as election candidates. Yogasigamany said those who objected to Karpal's proposal did not understand the people's needs as they were "parachuted" in. "Grassroots leaders are people-oriented who have been serving the rakyat. "Why have these people not been nominated?" he asked in a statement yesterday. The other branches are Southern Klang, Taman Gembira, Klang, Bukit Tinggi, Ehsan and Teluk Pulai. Yogasigamany added that 14 DAP branches had collectively sent a memorandum recommending five grassroots' leaders to be chosen as the candidate for the Kota Alam Shah seat. However, he said they had yet to receive a response from state or national-level leaders. |
| Anti-hopping Bill ‘against federal laws’ Posted: 02 Nov 2012 05:38 PM PDT
(The Star) - The anti-hopping Bill passed by the Penang State Assembly is unconstitutional and can be challenged in court, experts said. Constitutional law expert and UiTM Emeritus Professor of law Datuk Dr Shad Saleem Faruqi said that Article 10(1)(c) of the Federal Constitution clearly stated that all citizens have the right to form associations. He also pointed out that the Federal Court (then Supreme Court) had ruled in the 1992 case of the Kelantan state assembly versus Nordin Salleh, that an anti-hopping law passed by the state assembly was unconstitutional and not in accordance with Article 10(1)(c). "Changing one's party to another party is part of the freedom of association provided for in the Federal Constitution. It is a person's constitutional right to disassociate or re-associate. "This law is likely to be challenged in the courts and is clearly in disregard of a binding judicial decision," he said yesterday. Article 10 of the Federal Constitution provides for the freedom of speech, assembly and association. Senior lawyer Roger Tan described the anti-hopping law as a populist move without regard to the sanctity of the Federal Constitution. "Pakatan Rakyat has always claimed that the Federal Constitution is the supreme law of the land. I would have expected the Penang Government to show more respect to it. "It is also bad governance if the government of the day takes a position that they can do anything they want until and unless it is declared invalid by the courts. This is not helping ordinary citizens to observe the rule of law," said Tan in reference to the 1992 Federal Court's decision. DAP chairman and Bukit Gelugor MP Karpal Singh, meanwhile, said the Penang enactment as it stood was unconstitutional because of Article 10 of the Federal Constitution and the verdict in the Nordin Salleh's case. "I will file a Private Members' Bill sometime next week to give it a legality. The Bill is to amend Article 10 to accommodate the anti-hopping provision. "A Constitutional amendment is necessary. Otherwise the whole amendment will be null and void as Article 10 will still stand," he said, noting that generally, all Constitutional amendments were made retrospective to Aug 31, 1957. |
| Posted: 02 Nov 2012 05:32 PM PDT
(The Star) - A DAP campaign lorry borrowed from a party supporter was reported to have been stolen early this morning in Johor Baru. DAP Youth chief and Negri Sembilan party chairman Anthony Loke said that although they were not entirely sure if the lorry had been towed away by authorities or stolen, the latter was highly likely. He said the five-tonne box van was last seen by party workers parked outside Gelang Patah DAP Wanita Chief Ng Siam Luang's shop in Taman Tun Aminah, Skudai at 1am on Saturday. The party workers had been loading the truck with campaign materials for a ceramah in Seremban later. "When the party workers came back to the shop at 6am, the lorry was gone," he told The Star. He added that it was strange a thief would steal a lorry adorned with DAP stickers. Loke said the party would lodge a police report on the matter soon. In JOHOR BARU, Gelang Patah DAP Wanita Chief Ng Siam Luang said she remembered locking the lorry's doors and checking the alarm system before heading home. "When my daughter went out at around 7am, she noticed that the lorry was no longer parked there but thought that one of our members had driven the vehicle away as we were supposed to go to Seremban for a 4pm ceramah," she told reporters. |
| Trouble in Sabah: PKR’s ‘ori’ vs ‘photocopies’ Posted: 02 Nov 2012 05:04 PM PDT
Anwar Ibrahim must come up with a quick solution to douse the growing resentment between original members and newcomers Calvin Kabaron, FMT There's a new catch-phrase greeting in Sabah PKR's political circles and it is greatly divisive. The greeting is "PKR ori" or "PKR photocopy?". "PKR ori" refers to genuine members of the party while "photocopy" addresses those with Angkatan Perubahan Sabah (APS) and Pakatan Perubahan Sabah (PPS) who "refused" to be members of PKR. APS is led by Tuaran MP who was once deputy president of Upko, Wilfred Bumburing, while PPS is by Lajim Ukin, a former federal deputy minister, who is also Beaufort MP. Lajim was with Umno and is often referred to as Umno's westcoast warlord. Their 'defection' was much heralded by opposition Pakatan Rakyat. These parties are now "parked" under Pakatan and and have declared their support of Anwar Ibrahim, PKR's de facto leader. The "ori" and "photocopy" catch-phrase is rising in popularity within PKR in Sabah. Anwar must already be aware of its effect on his party, more so now after last night's 'revelation'. Last night Bumburing was supposed to "launch" his APS for Sepanggar at a clubhouse in Inanam but only about 50 people turned up, according to PKR insiders in the division. Bumburing was disappointed and embarrassed. And so too was PKR Batu MP Tian Chua. Both were on their way to Inanam when told of the poor turnout. Eventually it was former senator Maijol Mahap who delivered Bumburing's speech, eye-witnesses claimed. Tian Chua is now expected to discuss with his national leadership on how to negotiate this new challenge, resulting from PKR's "multiple-marriage" with APS and PPS. Observers here are already questioning whether this political arrangement is counter-productive to the opposition party. He told his friends "his mood just evaporated". Meanwhile a state PKR leader who declined to be named said there was an urgent need for PKR's top leadership to address the "ori" and "photocopy" issue, as it was now dividing the hard-earned unity within the party in Sabah. Sabah PKR has been, for years in a tumultuous situation, especially when Sabah rights advocate Dr Jeffrey Kitingan was in it. "This is not a laughing matter. This is a real issue in PKR. "What made thing worse is that these "PKR photocopy" claimed and behaved as deciders and "the power' in the party. You can feel the uncomfortable alliance between the two groups in Tuaran, Kota Marudu, Kota Belud and in other areas too," he alleged. Read more |
| Posted: 02 Nov 2012 04:54 PM PDT
K Pragalath, FMT Kapar MP, S Manikavasagam may be dropped as the opposition candidate of the country's largest parliamentary constituency and instead offered a state seat by PKR for the upcoming general election, party sources revealed. Sources said the first term Kapar MP has been offered a choice of two state seats – Sri Andalas and Bukit Melawati – in exchange for the Kapar parliamentary constituency. In 2008, Manikavasagam beat S Komala Devi, the MIC Wanita chief, with a thumping 12,297 vote majority. As off March, 2008, the seat had 112,224 voters out of which 51% were Malays, 35% Chinese and 13 % Indians. The Kapar parliamentary seat has four state seats – Meru, Sementa, Sungai Pinang and Selat Klang. Sources close to Manikavasagam claim that the first term parliamentarian was keen to contest in Sri Andalas or Batu Caves and not Bukit Melawati. Incumbent Sri Andalas state assemblyman is Xavier Jayakumar, who is also a Selangor exco member. Amiruddin Shari and MP Muthiah are Batu Caves and Bukit Melawati state reps respectively. Party sources say Manikavasagam, fondly known as Mike in party circles, and Jayakumar could be involved in a seat swap. "Xavier (Jayakumar) would go to Kapar parliamentary seat while Mike would take over at Sri Andalas. Mike will strenghen the state Pakatan while Xavier (Jayakumar) would move up to national politics," a party source claimed. Jayakumar, however, is not the sole option for the party in Kapar. There are talks that PKR may field "an outsider" in Kapar. Lawyer and social activist K Saraswathy, who is yet to join any of the three main opposition parties, is another possible opposition candidate for Kapar. The Barisan Nasional also appears to have two candidates for Kapar. The seat is allocated to the MIC under BN's seat sharing system. Read more
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| Posted: 02 Nov 2012 04:47 PM PDT
Barisan Nasional and Pakatan Rakyat say that the time for change is nigh – just as long as the change is for their own good – not ours! CT Ali, FMT We know Barisan Nasional and Pakatan Rakyat better than they know themselves. BN ridicules the impossibility of Pakatan coalition partners working with each other within the confines of their own political ideologies. Three diametrically opposing political entities that BN hopes will be torn asunder by hudud and the realities of power sharing where race and religion, not needs, will decide who will be in government. Pakatan is spoilt for choice. They are tripping over themselves as to what they should do next to expose the abuses and mismanagement in government by BN. Does Pakatan start with exposing the need for greed amongst BN politicians and the corruption that goes with it or will Pakatan 'educate' the public on the massive abuse and misuse by BN of their political power to achieve their political agenda – that of remaining in government at all costs? I have news for BN and Pakatan – We already know all this and more! We know our politicians from both sides of the divide are so enamored with their own political agenda that they cannot see the forest for the trees! Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak comes up with scores of transformation initiatives that he said would make our country, our people and our economy better. Not to be outdone, Pakatan too have their proposals that they say would take away much of the economic burden of the people. BN and Pakatan say that the time for change is nigh – just as long as the change is for their own good – not ours! BN and Pakatan are so desperately focused on trying to win government that they fail to understand what we want. We want honest, decent and responsible politicians in government. We do not want politicians who lie to us, politicians who abuse the trust we place in them, politicians who takes money that does not belong to them, politicians who are arrogant, politicians who do not understand the meaning of the phrase "servants of the people" and politicians who talk of family values, devotion to religion and god even as they fornicate outside their matrimonial bonds and deliberate on how they could use god to boost their political credentials. We know all this and we also know the reality too. We know that when all is said and done, it is BN and Pakatan that will decide our fate and the sorry future of our nation. Our history has always shown this to be true, whether at state or federal level. Those who have political power do as they please because they can. So how is it that our people are able to put history aside and work towards trying to bring about change? Read more
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| Amangate: will Najib clean up Nazri’s mess? Posted: 02 Nov 2012 12:12 PM PDT
If Nazri disclaims responsibility over his statements, then who is responsible to parliament for them? Nazri is a cabinet minister in the prime minister's department, looking after parliamentary affairs, as well as de facto law minister. So, if Nazri's disclaimer is justified, does it not mean that in addition to Nazri himself, the prime minister and the entire Barisan Nasional (BN) cabinet can also be freed from responsibility over possible false statements on the scandal made in parliament?
Kim Quek Minister in Prime Minister's Department cum de dacto law minister Nazri Abdul Aziz's attempt to disown responsibilities for his contradictory statements in parliament on ground that he was only the reader – not the author – of those statements has brought serious concern to the soundness of the Barisan Nasional political leadership. The senior minister was confronted with evidence of his son Nedim's family using a luxurious vehicle registered in Michael Chia's name, who together with Musa Aman (Sabah chief minister), were cleared by Nazri of corruption in parliament earlier.
Nazri had provided written answers in parliament that there was no corruption in the four-year-old scandal where Chia was alleged to have been arrested in Hong Kong for trying to smuggle S$16 million of Musa's cash to Malaysia. Nazri also denied that Chia was arrested, or that he had cash with him. Nazri attributed these findings to the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) and the Attorney General (AG).
Talking to reporters on Nov 1, Nazri explained that all his statements in parliament came from the MACC and AG, over whom he had no control. He was only the minister answering questions in parliament on issues that he was not involved in. As such, he sees no conflict of interest with Michael Chia. Sadly and shamefully, Nazri was in effect saying that he merely parroted what these government agencies told him, for which he disavowed any responsibility.
BREACH OF PARLIAMENTARY DEMOCRACY
Nazri's stance immediately raises an alarm. If Nazri disclaims responsibility over his statements, then who is responsible to parliament for them?
Nazri is a cabinet minister in the prime minister's department, looking after parliamentary affairs, as well as de facto law minister.
So, if Nazri's disclaimer is justified, does it not mean that in addition to Nazri himself, the prime minister and the entire Barisan Nasional (BN) cabinet can also be freed from responsibility over possible false statements on the scandal made in parliament?
Doesn't this amount to the Barisan Nasional leadership abdicating wholesale its accountability to parliament, and by extension, betraying the trust upon which the people have elected the coalition to power?
This is certainly a serious breach of the principles of parliamentary democracy upon which this nation was founded, for which Prime Minister Najib Razak can no longer keep silent and must promptly stand up to make his stand to the nation. He must urgently clarify in parliament whether Nazri was authorized to make those statements and whether every minister is personally responsible for what he states in parliament.
And since MACC comes under the prime minister's department while the AG is the cabinet's chief legal adviser, both of whom are claimed by Nazri to be responsible for the statements he made in parliament, Najib must now give unequivocal answers to many perplexing questions on the scandal, compounded by Nazri's contradicting versions of the story.
NAZRI'S CONTRADICTORY STATEMENTS
To appreciate the seriousness of these contradictions perpetrated by Nazri in parliament, I will briefly recap them as follows: · On Oct 11, answering MP Chua Tian Chan, Nazri stated that the AG decided that there was no corruption, based on MACC's investigations and reports. However, this assertion immediately clashes with MACC's own statement a few days earlier, when its deputy chief commissioner (operations) Shukri Abdul said on Oct 5 that investigation was still on-going, due to instruction by its review panel to get more evidence. · On Oct 18, answering MP Tan Kok Wai, Nazri changed his tune by saying that investigation was not carried out by MACC, but instead, by Hong Kong's Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC), which concluded that there was no corruption. No explanation was given as to why Nazri reversed his story. · On Oct 22, answering questions in the committee stage of the Budget 2013 debate in Dewan Rakyat, Nazri astounded all by denying that Michael Chia was ever arrested, neither did Chia possess the alleged cash, as he understood from MACC. No explanation was given why the BN government had kept its strange silence, while reports of Michael Chia's arrest with S$16 million cash meant for Musa Aman swirled for the past four years. It is important to note that while Nazri was dancing like yo-yo in parliament with his statements of exoneration for Chia and Musa, none of the investigating/law-enforcing bodies – ICAC, MACC or AG – ever uttered a word on the scandal (except for MACC's statement on Oct 5 that investigation was still in progress), least of all any declaration of the duo's innocence.
All we have is Nazri's words – words that are not collaborated or substantiated with even an iota of evidence, in addition to being self-contradictory and conflicting with MACC.
PM MUST ANSWER
Under the circumstances, Premier Najib must take responsibility for the bumbling minister in his department and step up to give categorical answers to the following questions in parliament to avert a total collapse of confidence in his leadership: 1. Is it true that ICAC has conveyed its findings of money laundering to MACC, including a money flow chart trailing the Sabah timber corruption money through a convoluted network to end up in Musa Aman's UBS AG account in Zurich, complete with details of various nominee accounts, payers and payees, deposit amounts, etc? (This money flow chart has been widely circulating in the Internet for some time). 2. Is it true that MACC has carried out an investigation of its own on Sabah timber corruption including probe on Musa Aman and his brother Anifa Aman (Malaysia's foreign minister) since the Michael Chia incidence in Hong Kong? 3. Is it true that neither ICAC nor MACC has ever exonerated Chia and Musa of money laundering and corruption? To avoid falling into the same quagmire as minister Nazri has, the premier is well advised to buttress his answers with sufficient and credible facts – the kind of evidence that will restore public confidence.
THE LATEST NAZRI-CHIA CORRUPTION SCANDAL
With regards to Nazri's latest refutation of any impropriety over his family's beneficial link to Michael Chia on ground that his son is his son, with whom he has nothing do, this is sheer child's talk.
Whether Nazri likes it or not, his son Nedim is his immediate family, and for any improper favour granted to Nedim by virtual of Nazri's position as a minister, the latter is deemed beneficiary and recipient of that improper favour.
Would Chia have given the half-million-ringgit Hummer SUV for use by Nedim's family, if not for the fact that Nazri is a senior minister capable of doing Chia a favour? In this case, Nazri easily stands out as a prime corruption suspect, as he has already stuck his neck out in parliament where he recklessly cleared Chia (as well as his alleged master Musa Aman) of any wrong-doing. This is clearly a case with classical corruption ingredients, cut out for action by any corruption buster worth its salt in any democratic country.
However, in Malaysia, our MACC has already played deaf and dumb on the Chia-Musa scandal for the past four years. Will it also do a Chia-Musa on the latest Nazri-Chia corruption scandal this time around?
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| What Everyone Should Know About Operasi Lalang Posted: 02 Nov 2012 12:09 PM PDT  Kee Thuan Chye Last week, we marked the 25th anniversary of Operasi Lalang, that black day in our history that changed our country for the worst. Like May 13, 1969, it was a Malaysian tragedy. And after all these years, we have yet to fully recover from it. The beneficiaries of that notorious official move on Oct 27, 1987, to detain 106 Malaysians under the Internal Security Act (ISA) were – as journalist uppercaise has rightly pointed out in his blog – the then prime minister, Mahathir Mohamad, and Umno. Or, to be precise, Mahathir's Umno Baru, which came about after the original Umno was declared illegal by the High Court in February 1988. The year before, Mahathir was under siege as president of the party. The party was split – into Team A and Team B. And in April, he was challenged for the presidency by Tengku Razaleigh. Members had come to dispute Mahathir's leadership style. Team B, led by Razaleigh, criticised Mahathir for not consulting other Umno and Barisan Nasional (BN) leaders before making decisions. As prime minister, he put his own people in charge of key operations. His privatisation schemes were given to his cronies. Team B pointed out that the New Economic Policy had failed to benefit poor Malays. Now, in hindsight, it's even clearer to us why that was so. Team B made an impact, and Mahathir won the election by polling 761 votes against Razaleigh's 718, scraping through by a mere 43 votes. Many people actually expected Razaleigh to win, so the suspicion of election-fixing arose. But Razaleigh accepted defeat and promised to support Mahathir if the latter did not embark on a witchhunt. Of course, now that we know from hindsight the kind of man Mahathir is, it comes as no surprise that he embarked on a witchhunt anyway. He removed all Team B supporters from his Cabinet, and did the same at state and local government levels. In June, a group of Umno members who came to be known as "the Umno 11" filed a suit to have the Umno elections declared illegal because they had found invalid voters among the delegates. These delegates were allegedly from Umno branches that had not been approved by the Registrar of Societies. The court asked both sides to settle the issue themselves, but an amicable solution was not reached. So on Oct 19, the Umno 11 said it would press on with its legal action. At the time, the tensions within Umno were being compounded by racial tensions outside. Chinese educationists had been upset by the Education Ministry's appointing of non-Chinese-educated principals and senior assistants for Chinese schools. The custodians of Chinese education, Dong Jiao Zong – abetted by political parties like the MCA, Gerakan and the DAP – staged a protest against the move. It immediately provoked a counter-rally by Umno Youth at which about 10,000 people turned up. This was the event at which Najib Razak, then the Umno Youth chief, famously unsheathed a keris and reportedly vowed that it would be bathed in Chinese blood. The authorities seized on this potentially explosive situation – and the somewhat random act of an army private running amok in Chow Kit shooting his M16 at people – as a pretext to swoop down on "troublemakers". Operasi Lalang resulted in conveniently shutting away a good number of Opposition politicians and civil society activists who had been critical of the Government. I use the words "pretext" and "conveniently" because most of those detained were not at all involved in the Dong Jiao Zong protest or the Umno Youth counter-rally. Among them were members of Christian groups, environmentalists and anti-logging natives of Sarawak , and a Malay Christian convert. Why were they taken in? Forty of the 106 even had their detentions extended by Mahathir for two years. They included DAP deputy chairman Karpal Singh, Opposition Leader Lim Kit Siang and his son Guan Eng, some PAS members and numerous NGO activists. On the other hand, the leaders of the Umno Youth rally who were brandishing banners that called for Chinese blood and proclaimed "May 13 has begun" were untouched. Why were they not taken in? The Government also conveniently shut down three newspapers that had been critical of it. The Star, Watan and Sin Chew Jit Poh had their publishing permits suspended. Purwaiz Alam, who was a journalist at The Star during its suspension, recalls in uppercaise's blog the months of uncertainty he experienced, surviving on one-third pay and waiting anxiously for the newspaper to be forgiven. At one point, he and his wife had to sell their video cassette recorder just to get some extra cash. "But on the first day that The Star re-opened," he writes, "most of us knew things would never be the same any more. The journalism that we had learnt and knew well would wither away soon enough. As the months went by, it became obvious that my job (and those of hundreds of others) had been saved at a price, a very hefty price." His grim conclusion: "All of us are still paying for it 25 years later." Effectively, Operasi Lalang heralded the culture of fear that strangulated Malaysians for at least two decades. It also provided the environment for Mahathir to rule in an even more authoritarian manner. He had scared off his opponents and silenced his critics, so now he was free to do what he wished. He amended the Printing Presses and Publications Act (PPPA) to keep newspapers under tighter control. He amended the Police Act to restrict our right to free assembly, making a police permit mandatory for public gatherings. According to the book Malaysian Maverick by Barry Wain, Mahathir said his amendments were aimed at those who abused the Government's "liberal attitude". "Being liberal to them is like offering a flower to a monkey," Mahathir said, disdainfully. "The monkeys would rather tear the flower apart than appreciate its beauty." In 1988, as a result of his unhappiness over a few court judgements that favoured natural justice over his administration's convenience, he amended the Federal Constitution to remove the independence of the judiciary. There is much more to say about how Mahathir tampered with our sacred institutions in the years after Operasi Lalang, but it would take a book to cover it all. Some people think another tragedy like Operasi Lalang could happen again – and not too far in the future. Especially when, as journalist Charles Chan who lived through the dark days of The Star's suspension puts it, "desperate politicians face loss of power that opens the doors to prosecution for their abuses of power, corruption, etc". To prepare ourselves for such a contingency, we need to ask ourselves how we would respond if it should happen. Should we be docile like we were in 1987 or should we stand up for our rights? What's paramount is that we should find ways of preventing such tragedies in future. First, we should not allow a despot to rise again. At the first sign of such a creature emerging, we should vote him out instead of supporting him for more than two decades. Concomitant with that, we should not allow any ruling party the luxury of a two-thirds majority in Parliament so that they can amend the Constitution anyhow they like. We should also be vigilant in not allowing any of the despot's proxies to climb to the top. Second, we must ensure that checks and balances are firmly in place, like a strong civil society – and, certainly, the reinstatement of the separation of powers among the executive, the legislative and the judiciary engraved in our Constitution. This means independence must be returned to the judiciary. Third, we must repeal all laws that are against the spirit of democracy, like the PPPA, the Official Secrets Act, the Sedition Act (soon to be called the sweet-sounding National Harmony Act) and the Universities and University Colleges Act. There is no ISA now but in its place is the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act 2012. This has to go. We have enough laws to take care of terrorist threats. Fourth, we must get rid of our feudal mentality. This perpetuates a culture of blind subservience to the leader and a culture of sycophancy, both of which empower the leader even more. Furthermore, ascent to leadership should be based on merit, not on an individual's ability to suck up to the boss. Fifth, Operasi Lalang is a tragedy that needs to be told and re-told so that those who don't know about its ramifications may understand why Malaysia is in the mess it's in. Those who have lived through that terrible day and its aftermath need to tell their children and grandchildren the real story about what happened and condemn the abuse of power and dictatorial rule. Our first Prime Minister, Tunku Abdul Rahman, gave us a lead when he said right after Operasi Lalang: "It's not a question of the Chinese against the Government but of his own party, Umno, who are against him." The real story of Operasi Lalang is not about a potential racial war erupting. It is about a despot who wanted to hang on to power, shut out all opposition, and run the country to his own advantage. That's what everyone should know. |
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