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Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News

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• Doubts over PAS in Putrajaya
• PAS: Implementing hudud our right, no forcing of non-Muslims
• Woman's death shows risks of putting the church before civil law
• Asean leaders ink declaration
• Calls mount to scrap ASEAN human rights plan
• PM Abdullah urges Islamic teachers to be more understanding
• PAS must first win all the 60 parliamentary seat for Hadi to be PM
• Kebebasan Agama atau Non Dialog: Yang Mana Satukah Ancaman?
• The Challenge of Malaysian Civil Society: Good Governance Beyond BN & PR
• Hadi: I’m ready to be PM
• Does ABU equal to Anwar-for-PM?
• PAS dials down on hudud, concedes it can’t rule alone
• Hudud hak PAS, tidak paksa bukan Muslim terima Hudud
• PM signs Asean Human Rights Declaration
• ‘Umno-linked ustaz implied Prophet is racist’
• The political evolution of the Malays
• Husam Musa: PAS perlu menang 60 kerusi Parlimen
• Anwar distances himself from Pas prayer
• Muslimat, Ulama Pas hanya mahu Hadi jadi PM
• Anwar: Pakatan to discuss future country leadership
• Anwar says ‘no problem’ if Hadi made PM
• Sting in the tail (or at the end)
• PRU13: Ada tokoh tertentu akan jadi calon PAS
• Striking the right chord
• Angkara Chua Soi Lek, habislah Umno kali ini
• Tanya Najib siapa Deepak dan K Eswaran
• BN’s only strategy in economics
• Rumble in Jelapang
• PAS’ unwavering pursuit of Islamic state

Doubts over PAS in Putrajaya Posted: 18 Nov 2012 10:23 AM PST   Joceline Tan, The Star  The trouble is that none among the second echelon has that X-factor needed to lead the party. The current top ulama leadership dates back to the early years of PAS. They have aged and some are sickly.  PAS' final muktamar before the mother of all battles ended on a note that left doubts as to whether the party is ready for prime-time politics. ABU Kassim Abdullah is the most witty man in PAS. The Kedah-born permanent chairman of PAS has the ability to make everyone, including the stern-faced Datuk Seri Hadi Awang, laugh out loud at his cheeky remarks and pantun on stage. His jokes sometimes bite and poke at PAS leaders, but he never offends. Some of the ladies in the Muslimat wing complain he makes too many jokes about men with more than one wife and big families, but they still laugh along. He is unapologetic because he has two wives and many children and grandchildren. No one can do it quite like him and PAS members say it is a God-given talent. His hair has turned grey and his goatee looks unkempt, but Abu Kassim's humourous personality was one of the few familiar things at the muktamar this year. PAS is basically on unfamiliar territory. It is part of a coalition that has never been this close to power. Yet, many in the party are unsure whether the purity of the party's Islamic agenda is being compromised. After three days of political speeches, delegates are going home with their heads filled with conflicting messages. On the one hand, they are told to downplay contentious issues like hudud law and the Islamic State as they prepare to face the general election. On the other hand, there are leaders cautioning the party not to stray from its origins as an Islamic party. One delegate even asked: "What good is winning Putrajaya if it means that we have to forego our Islamic goal?" The calls from the floor insisting that Hadi is the best candidate for prime minister is an indication that people in the party are not sure whether the Pakatan Rakyat set-up will respect the party's Islamic State principles. Deputy Dewan Ulama chief Datuk Dr Mahfodz Omar assured members that Hadi will become the prime minister if PAS wins the most seats. Just because those who spoke at the muktamar did not attack Karpal Singh for opposing hudud does not mean that people in the party are not angry with DAP. They are just as furious about DAP as they are about MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek. It is quite evident that the rank and file, especially those in the rural heartland, are still uncomfortable about DAP and PKR. Much of the exuberence about the Pakatan set-up come from the leaders, especially those who will be contesting seats, or as secretary-general Datuk Mustafa Ali puts it, those eyeing stalls to do business in the pasar malam. Mustafa has likened the general election to a pasar malam and the candidates as traders trying to win as many customers as they could. These would-be candidates are the ones most eager for the party to foster closer ties with Pakatan. Read more at: http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2012/11/19/nation/12338871&sec=nation

PAS: Implementing hudud our right, no forcing of non-Muslims Posted: 18 Nov 2012 10:22 AM PST   (Bernama) - PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang has stressed that hudud is PAS' right to implement in this country when the time comes. "Hudud is our right, and we (PAS) will not be enforcing hudud on non-Muslims as they have their own religion. For example, Muslims caught drinking liquor will be punished under hudud law but not the non-Muslims," he told reporters at the end of PAS' 58th Annual Muktamar (General Assembly), here, yesterday. Hadi said a study done by PAS showed that many non-Muslims supported the implementation of hudud as they had no confidence with the existing law. The hudud issue rose again when the party's Dewan Ulama chief, Datuk Harun Taib said PAS would definitely implement hudud if the opposition group comes into power after the upcoming general election. However, this was disputed by several DAP leaders including its national chairman, Karpal Singh. On PAS-DAP relations, Hadi said it was different from that between Umno and MCA because DAP accepted Islam's position as stipulated in the Federal Constitution, while the question of rejecting hudud was another matter. Asked about the suggestion by the muktamar delegates for Hadi to be appointed prime minister, he said they were free to speak "but the most important thing is to ensure the opposition wins the upcoming elections first". On the preparations for the elections, Hadi said everyone in PAS was in the mood to do battle and a joint manifesto of the opposition allies would be drawn up, besides the manifestos for the respective states.

Woman's death shows risks of putting the church before civil law Posted: 18 Nov 2012 10:18 AM PST   (Brisbane Times) - One person's religious freedom must end where it hurts another's right to health or happiness - or, as in Halappanavar's case, the right to life itself. As protesters outside the Irish Parliament last week pointed out, Halappanavar had a heartbeat, too.    It is said that the best way to get a bad law overturned is to enforce it. When people see its consequences, the truism goes, they will be so appalled that public support for change will build up an unstoppable head of steam.   The death of Savita Halappanavar might do just that for the women of Ireland.   Halappanavar, 31, was 17 weeks pregnant with her first, much-wanted baby when she went to Galway's University College Hospital in pain. Doctors told her that her cervix had opened and amniotic fluid was leaking. Her pregnancy was ending and there was no hope for the child. "One person's religious freedom must end where it hurts another's right to health or happiness - or, as in [Savita] Halappanava's case, the right to life itself." Photo: AP Over the next three days, in agonising pain, Halappanavar repeatedly begged for an abortion to get the miscarriage over quickly. Could doctors not induce the labour so she could give birth sooner?   Advertisement According to her husband, Praveen, the consultant told them this was not possible because there was still a foetal heartbeat and ''this is a Catholic country''.   That heartbeat stopped after four days and only then was Halappanavar taken to have the contents of her womb removed. She developed septicaemia, or blood poisoning, and was dead three days later.   Obstetrics 101 tells us that sepsis is more likely if the mother's membranes stay ruptured for a long time, or if she retains ''products'' in her womb after miscarriage, termination or delivery. A dilated cervix is like a open wound.   Halappanavar's homeland of India is aghast and there have been diplomatic flurries of concern. Three separate inquiries are under way into the catastrophe and no doubt there will be findings as to whether or not medical negligence was a factor.   That was a straw eagerly clutched by some defenders of the Irish Catholic Church after the scalding rage that erupted over Halappanavar's case.   ''It has nothing to do with the church,'' one deeply Catholic woman assured me sharply. ''It sounds like medical negligence. And, anyway, it happened in a state hospital.''   She was channelling Pontius Pilate washing blood from his hands. In Ireland, politics is deeply intertwined with Catholic doctrine and the institutional power of the church - and the church's tough stance against abortion has protected a near total ban on the procedure.   Ireland still has on its books 1861 legislation that makes it a crime to procure a miscarriage. A 1983 amendment to the constitution acknowledges the right to life of the unborn child but is also meant to give equal right to the life of the mother.   In 1992, Ireland's Supreme Court was forced to interpret that during the case of X, a suicidal 14-year-old rape victim. The government was trying to stop her going to Britain to abort the pregnancy that had resulted from the rape. The court ruled that if there was a substantial risk to the mother's life - her life, but not her health - it would be lawful to terminate. Irish governments have prevented that judgment from coming into effect by failing to pass laws that would affirm and clarify it.   More than 4000 Irish women each year go to Britain to end pregnancies, according to British health statistics, with almost one in 10 Irish pregnancies ending in British abortion clinics. An unknown number go to other European countries. ''Abortion tourism'', they call it.   Years ago, it could be argued that the influence of church doctrine on the Irish government was democratic - the majority believed in Catholic teachings, so it was fair enough that they were reflected in Irish law and that church leaders were consulted about planned legislation.   But that is no longer the case. A poll in The Irish Times found that 77 per cent now believe abortion should be permitted in some circumstances. Other polls have found the hold of the church is weakening more generally - 77 per cent of Irish now think there should be female priests, 90 per cent want married priests and 70 per cent say the church's teachings on sexuality are not relevant to them at all.   Read more: http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/opinion/politics/womans-death-shows-risks-of-putting-the-church-before-civil-law-20121118-29k4w.html#ixzz2CdBoFSd0

Asean leaders ink declaration Posted: 18 Nov 2012 10:17 AM PST     (The Star) - Addressing concerns that the declaration was not up to international standards, Najib said Malaysia's stand was that the country had its own norm and values.  Asean leaders have adopted the Asean Human Rights Declaration at the 21st Asean Summit here. Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak signed on behalf of the Malaysian Government at the Peace Palace yesterday where the summit is being held. The Asean Human Rights Decla­ration states that every person is entitled to certain rights regardless of race, gender, age, language, religion and political opinions, among others. The declaration also states that the rights of women, children, elderly and disabled persons and migrant workers are an integral and indivisible part of human rights and fundamental freedoms. Addressing concerns that the declaration was not up to international standards, Najib said Malaysia's stand was that the country had its own norm and values. "In fact we feel that the declaration has points which are better than the universal declaration of human rights," he told the Malaysian media after attending the first day of the summit. The Prime Minister said Malaysia rejected any inclusion of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) rights in the declaration. "It depends on your values and norms and we reject LGBT but it does not mean any weakening in terms of the principle of human rights," he said. "The leaders did not discuss Malaysia's stand and they have accepted it. We have signed it and as far as we are concerned Asean countries have accepted (our stand)." Asean secretary-general Surin Pitsuwan said the adoption of the declaration was a major development and member states were ready to commit themselves to it. "Asean shall pursue the protection and promotion of human rights in the region in our own way and also try to maintain the highest standard as expressed in various declarations and instruments of the international community," Surin told a press conference here. On his meeting with Myanmar President Thein Sein, Najib said he had expressed Malaysia's concern over sectarian violence which had resulted in internally displaced persons in Rakhine state. "Malaysia noted that while Rakhine is a very sensitive issue to Myanmar, it has generally been very forthcoming and cooperative to concerns raised by Malaysia," he said.

Calls mount to scrap ASEAN human rights plan Posted: 18 Nov 2012 10:14 AM PST   (Al Jazeera) - The draft hasn't been published officially but a copy obtained by Al Jazeera shows that these principles would require that human rights and freedoms be "balanced with the performance of duties" and be subject not only to regional and national "context" but limited on a variety of grounds including "national security", "public order" and "public morality".  Ten Southeast Asian nations are set to sign a declaration critics say will degrade, not protect, human rights. Leaders from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) will sign the group's first-ever declaration on human rights on Sunday with a clear statement on the supremacy of the Universal Declaration on Human Rights in an attempt to ease concerns that their own document falls short of international standards. Indonesia's Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa told Al Jazeera that there would be no delay and that the Phnom Penh Statement would include a "very clear assertion" that the implementation of the Asean declaration will be in accord with the Universal Declaration on Human Rights. "If we were now to doubt and decide to delay there's no guarantee that it will ever come back," he said on Saturday. "We have to seize the moment." In a grouping that includes the Communist governments of Vietnam and Laos, as well as the monarchy of Brunei and the more vibrant democracies of Indonesia and the Philippines, it has taken years of sometimes tense negotiation for ASEAN to get this far. The commissioners who helped draft the document insist the declaration should be seen as a starting point, rather than an end in itself. 'Good start' "Some countries are conservative, some are more liberal so we have to come to a melting pot of all these diversities," said Muhammad Shafee Abdullah, Malaysia's Commissioner to the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights. "It's a good start. From here you can only go upwards." The United Nations High Commissioner on Human Rights, Navi Pillay, as well as groups such as Amnesty International, have called on ASEAN to delay the adoption of the document. "We are very disappointed and actually, outraged, that such standards are being adopted" - Yap Swee Seng, human rights activist The main point of contention is the declaration's General Principles. The draft hasn't been published officially but a copy obtained by Al Jazeera shows that these principles would require that human rights and freedoms be "balanced with the performance of duties" and be subject not only to regional and national "context" but limited on a variety of grounds including "national security", "public order" and "public morality". "We are very disappointed and actually, outraged, that such standards are being adopted," said Yap Swee Seng, Executive Director of the Bangkok-based Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development. "If ASEAN adopts the declaration, the credibility and reputation of ASEAN will be dented in the eyes of the international community." Cambodia, the group's current chair, is battling accusations of deepening human rights abuses including the forced eviction of people from their land. In the run up to the summit, it tried to close down a series of workshops and discussions arranged by regional and local NGOs. Organisers say they were forced to cut short events after venue owners were intimidated and hundreds of participants found themselves ordered out of the Phnom Penh guesthouses where they were staying. They were allowed, however, to hold a peaceful rally outside Cambodia's National Assembly, although riot police kept watch. 'Living document' The process of drafting the text has been left mostly to the ten AICHR commissioners, most of them government appointees. The Commissioners say that discussions were held at the national level although there were only two regional consultations with civil society groups: one in Kuala Lumpur in June and another in Manila in September. The UN's Pillay says the process would have benefited from being more open. "This is not the hallmark of the democratic global governance to which ASEAN aspires, and it will only serve to undermine the respect and ownership that such an important declaration deserves," she said in a statement. Read more at: http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/2012/11/2012111710397253488.html?utm_content=tweets&utm_campaign=Trial3&utm_source=SocialFlow&utm_term=twitter&utm_medium=ExperimentMasterAccount

PM Abdullah urges Islamic teachers to be more understanding Posted: 18 Nov 2012 10:12 AM PST   (Channel News Asia, 2007) - Mr Abdullah says: "This is not something that cannot be done. It has happened before. Those who have decided to leave the religion for some reason, they don't want to be Muslims anymore, what can you do? If they want to leave the religion, what are you going to do?" Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi has called on the country's religious departments to listen to the problems raised by those wanting to renounce Islam and find a solution for them. He was speaking to reporters after opening an Islamic conference in Putrajaya on Monday. The Malaysian leader has urged Islamic teachers to be more understanding and provide a listening ear to those who want to leave the religion. He made this point when speaking to reporters after opening an Islamic conference in Putrajaya. Mr Abdullah says: "I have always said to the religious officers that they must listen to what their grouses are. Is it that they are disappointed with certain things that happened and because of that they want to leave the religion of Islam?" Asked about the growing number of religious disputes dominating news headlines, he clarified that Muslims can leave the religion but they must first bring the matter to the state religious authorities. Mr Abdullah says: "This is not something that cannot be done. It has happened before. Those who have decided to leave the religion for some reason, they don't want to be Muslims anymore, what can you do? If they want to leave the religion, what are you going to do?" But he stressed that religious officers must offer counselling and find out what was behind the intention to renounce Islam. Under Malaysia's Syariah law, it is the duty of religious authorities to determine whether a Muslim should be allowed to leave the religion or not. Just last week, a 29-year-old Indian woman, who wanted to renounce Islam, was released from a rehabilitation centre run by the state's Islamic religious authorities.  Revathi, also known as Siti Fatimah, was born to Hindu parents who later converted to Islam. She was separated from her Hindu husband and 18-month-old daughter for six months and claimed to have been ill-treated. She says: "It was a waste of time. I was detained and tortured in there. I was separated from my husband and my child. I am not satisfied at all!"  Since she's out of the rehabilitation centre, the civil court has decided that it has no jurisdiction to hear her plight given she is no longer under any form of actual detention.  Revathi's fate now lies with the Syariah court.  Revathi is known as the Indian Lina Joy. Lina Joy, who was born a Malay Muslim, earlier failed in her bid to renounce Islam and be officially recognised as a Christian, despite appealing to the country's highest court. Their cases have attracted much public sympathy in Malaysia's multi-racial and multi-religious society.

PAS must first win all the 60 parliamentary seat for Hadi to be PM Posted: 18 Nov 2012 12:28 AM PST (Sun Daily) - PAS must concentrate on winning the next general election and not get carried away with the issue of who will be the next prime minister. Dewan Muslimat information chief Aiman Athirah Al-Jundi said the party must first win most or all of their allocated seats in the election before deciding on who will become the country's premier. "The most important thing is if we want to capture Putrajaya is that it must be done through hard work and not just words. "Do not insist that we be the leader (prime minister) or become the core issue in the Pakatan Rakyat coalition," she said in her winding-up speech for the women's wing. On Saturday, Dewan Ulama delegate Hairun Nizam nominated party president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang as Pakatan's best choice to be the country's seventh prime minister. Aiman Athirah said if PAS really wants Abdul Hadi for the post, the party must first win all the 60 parliamentary seats it will be contesting. Abdul Hadi, responding to the nomination, said he would prefer to be a 'servant' for the people, instead of their master. "As a leader who is taught by an Islamic party, I cannot ask to be appointed to a position. What is most important is we must first secure victory (in the election)," he said. Meanwhile, Dewan Ulama vice-chief Datuk Dr Mahfodz Mohamed said PAS members should not entertain petty and sensitive issues stirred by the 'enemies' of PAS and Pakatan. He said they should instead find the similarities with their counterparts in Pakatan, strengthen their determination and work hard to defeat Barisan Nasional (BN). "I urge all to restrict talking about sensitive issues and differences between all. Instead, we need to find our similarities and discuss the concrete issues so we could focus more on defeating Umno and BN," he said. A total of 1,116 delegates had gathered at the Pusat Tarbiyah Islamiyah Kelantan (Putik) in Pengkalan Chepa here since Friday for the three-day PAS muktamar. Speaking to reporters after launching the National Direction of Education Convention at Universiti Selangor yesterday, Anwar responded positively: "Never mind. It is not a problem. We can discuss it nicely." He said he was rushing for another event in Kuantan, Pahang.

Kebebasan Agama atau Non Dialog: Yang Mana Satukah Ancaman? Posted: 17 Nov 2012 09:20 PM PST   To best of my knowledge, among all the revealed texts, only the Quran stresses religious liberty in such a precise and unambiguous way. Faith, to be true and reliable faith, absolutely needs to be free and voluntary act. In this connection it is worth stressing that the quoted verse was aimed at reproving and condemning the attitude of some Jews and Christians who, being newly converted to Islam in Medina, were willing to convert their children with them to their new faith. Thus it is clearly emphasized that faith is an individual concern and commitment and that even parents must refrain from interfering with it. The very nature of faith, as is stressed in the basic text of Islam is clear and indisputable words, is to be a voluntary act born out of conviction and freedom (Mohamed Talbi, 2009: 109). Dr Mohd Faizal Musa, Felo Penyelidik Institut Alam dan Tamadun Melayu (ATMA) Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) Bangi, Selangor Malaysia Kebebasan beragama adalah bahagian penting dari Deklarasi Hak Asasi Manusia 1948 (UDHR). Fakta sejarah menunjukkan pada tahun 1972 negara-negara Islam melalui OIC, telah bersetuju untuk mendokongi UDHR secara penuh. Ann Elizabeth Mayer yang menganalisis Resolusi OIC tahun 1972 tersebut menyatakan, negara-negara anggota OIC telah pun memperakukan yang UDHR bersesuaian dengan nilai-nilai agama Islam: The 1972 Charter of the Islamic Conference, the international organization to which all Muslim countries belong, expressly endorses international law and fundamental human rights, treating them as compatible with Islamic values. In the Preamble of the Charter, two adjacent paragraphs assert that the members are – RESOLVED to preserve Islamic spiritual, ethical, social and economic values, which will remain one of the important factors of achieving progress for mankind; REAFFIRMING their commitment to the UN Charter and fundamental Human Rights, the purposes and principles of which provide the basis for fruitful co-operation amongst all people. That is, the formal position of Muslim states justifies the conclusion that the international human rights standards developed in the United Nations are regarded as compatible with Islamic law by the very actors – governments – whose conduct is subject to regulation by international human rights principles (Ann Elizabeth Mayer, 1991: 14). Salah satu isu hak asasi manusia yang paling kontroversial membabitkan agama Islam ialah persoalan murtad, atau apostasia. Para sarjana Islam sering berdepan dengan pertanyaan daripada pejuang hak asasi manusia berkenaan kebebasan beragama. Mohammed Abed al-Jabri, seorang Profesor dalam bidang falsafah di Maghribi sebagai misalan, terpaksa mempertahankan Islam dengan nada yang sedemikian defensif, untuk menjelaskan isu rumit ini: …we must realize that the legal position of the apostate in Islam does not come under the rubric of freedom of faith, but under what is nowadays called high treason, by taking up arms against society and the state. Those who talk about human rights today, with emphasis on the freedom of belief, do not mean by it freedom to betray one's own country, society and religion, or freedom to usurp other people's property, or freedom to collude with the enemy. Therefore, freedom is one thing, apostasy another. What the modern jurisprudents are expected to do is to decide whether or not a Muslim who chooses to follow another faith, on personal bases, which do not affect the Islamic society or the state, should be considered an apostate in the traditional jurisprudential sense or in the sense explained by the verses quoted above, where the apostates are threatened with great punishment in the hereafter, without reference to execution (Mohammed Abed al-Jabri , 2009: 196-200). Secara ringkasnya, pandangan Al-Jabri tersebut meletakkan gejala meninggalkan agama Islam sebagai satu jenayah politik, dan bukannya 'jenayah agama'. Kemurtadan, apostasia atau apa sahaja yang seerti dengannya dilihat sebagai satu pengkhianatan, malah penderhakaan terhadap agama Islam. Sebahagian besar perbincangan tentang kebebasan beragama dalam Islam, termasuk yang dianalisis oleh Al Jabri adalah sekitar ayat 256 surah al Baqarah; 'tidak ada paksa dalam ugama (Islam), kerana sesungguhnya telah nyata kebenaran (Islam) dari kesesatan (kufur). Oleh itu, sesiapa yang tidak percayakan Taghut, dan ia pula beriman kepada Allah, maka sesungguhnya ia berpegang kepada simpulan (tali ugama) yang teguh, yang tidak akan putus. Dan (ingatlah), Allah Maha Mendengar, lagi Maha Mengetahui' (Tafsir Pimpinan Ar Rahman).' Pandangan Al Jabri tersebut bukanlah baharu memandangkan Rachid Ghannouchi (1993: 44-50) dalam al Hurriyat al-'Ammah Fid Daulah al-Islamiyyah, telah pun menyamakan apostasia dengan 'jenayah hasutan'. Ghannouchi, justeru, dalam karya tersebut menyatakan tindakan meninggalkan agama Islam tanpa 'menjejaskan citra agama Islam' adalah sesuatu yang tidak dapat dielakkan, dan selalu berlaku hari ini. Selepas penerbitan al Hurriyat al-'Ammah Fid Daulah al-Islamiyyah, sekali lagi dalam kuliahnya untuk Cardiff Islamic Society pada tahun 1997, Ghannouchi menegaskan, hukuman terhadap seseorang Islam yang murtad hanyalah satu urusan ijtihad dan ini dikesan menerusi pertikaian antara para sahabat Rasulullah saw khususnya dalam menentukan perang terhadap golongan murtad ketika awal pemerintahan Abu Bakar. Tindakan memerangi golongan murtad yang dilancarkan oleh Abu Bakar tersebut, awalnya dibantah oleh beberapa sahabat ternama termasuk Umar al Khattab (Azzam S Tamimi, 2001: 191). Beza Ghannouchi dan Mohammed Abed al Jabri adalah, Al Jabri berpendapat 'kebebasan satu hal, apostasia satu hal berbeza.' Ghannouchi pula menegaskan apostasia hanya menjadi sesuatu yang serius jikalau maruah 'Islam dicemari'. Dua pandangan di atas, masih kelihatan samar. Al Jabri dan Ghannouchi malah tidak ditanggapi sebagai sarjana pengajian Islam. Dalam tahun 1992, Mohamed Talbi, seorang sarjana terhormat dari University of Tunis, Tunisia, dan mahir dalam bidang tafsir al-Quran menulis tentang hak-hak untuk memilih beragama. Menurut Talbi, pilihan beragama dan kepercayaan adalah urusan sukarela hatta ibu bapa tidak mempunyai hak untuk memaksakan ke atas anak-anak mereka pilihan kepercayaan mereka: To best of my knowledge, among all the revealed texts, only the Quran stresses religious liberty in such a precise and unambiguous way. Faith, to be true and reliable faith, absolutely needs to be free and voluntary act. In this connection it is worth stressing that the quoted verse was aimed at reproving and condemning the attitude of some Jews and Christians who, being newly converted to Islam in Medina, were willing to convert their children with them to their new faith. Thus it is clearly emphasized that faith is an individual concern and commitment and that even parents must refrain from interfering with it. The very nature of faith, as is stressed in the basic text of Islam is clear and indisputable words, is to be a voluntary act born out of conviction and freedom (Mohamed Talbi, 2009: 109). Tentu sahaja, dari pandangan Islam, seseorang yang memilih untuk keluar dari agama Islam melakukan 'kesilapan', akan tetapi itu adalah pilihan sendiri. Mohamed Talbi menegaskan, mereka yang memilih agama selain Islam telah diberi amaran bahawa Islam adalah agama kebenaran; dan keselamatan di akhirat tidak ada pada agama lain: Accordingly, the apostates are warned: those who choose apostasy, after being convinced in their innermost thoughts that Islam is the truth, are unjust, and as such they are bereft of God's guidance, with all the consequences that follow for their salvation (Mohamed Talbi, 2009: 115). Di hujung makalah beliau yang terkenal itu, Talbi menekankan, meskipun 'terkutuk secara moralnya'; urusan seseorang yang murtad bukan sama sekali urusan penguasa. Malah, pilihan untuk menukar agama tersebut harus dihormati, 'religious liberty is fundamentally and ultimately an act of respect for God's sovereignty and for the mystery of God's plan for humanity'. Sejarah juga menjadi bukti, pemerintahan Islam bersikap begitu longgar terhadap 'Crypto Jewish' dan 'Crypto Christian', malah ia pernah menjadi fenomena meluas ketika pemerintahan Othmaniyyah satu masa dahulu. Terminologi crypto merujuk kepada 'mereka yang pandangan keagamaan dan amalan mereka tidak bersesuaian dengan agama rasmi anutan mereka dan selalunya menyembunyikan hakikat tersebut dari masyarakat awam'. Terminologi ini tidak eksklusif untuk Yahudi dan Kristian sahaja, malah, setelah Sepanyol jatuh ke tangan Kristian, masyarakat Islam yang tidak berhijrah ke daerah-daerah di Afrika Utara dan memilih untuk menetap di Sepanyol turut menjadi Crypto Muslims (Moriscos). Maurus Reinkowski (2007: 416) menegaskan 'crypto Jews' dan 'crypto Christians' adalah golongan murtad, 'quite naturally should have been considered apostates; they had confessed to be a Muslims, and had then fallen away from Islam', tetapi pemerintah Islam khususunya Othmaniyyah bertolak ansur dengan mereka. Cryptos hanya dihukum apabila secara 'berterusan' mencabar 'kedaulatan Islam' (Selim Deringil, 2000: 547-575). Di Malaysia, semua urusan perihal Islam diurus, ditadbir, dikendali dan ditentukan secara penuh oleh pemerintah. Datuk Seri Jamil Khir Baharom (2012), Menteri di Jabatan Perdana Menteri sebagai misalan menyatakan Islam adalah agama rasmi menurut perlembagaan Malaysia, makanya setiap anak yang dilahirkan sebagai seorang Islam hendaklah kekal sebagai seorang Islam. Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal (2012), Menteri Kementerian Kemajuan Luar Bandar Dan Wilayah dengan nada yang hampir sama memberi jaminan yang 'untuk setiap Muslim, pemerintah bertanggungjawab memastikan nilai-nilai Islam dipraktik dan dilaksanakan. Oleh kerana itu madrasah (surau), sekolah agama, Universti Islam, ceramah agama dan kuliah agama di tv dan radio dipupuk oleh pemerintah demi memastikan orang Islam tidak terkeluar dari jalan Islam.' Malaysia seperti yang kita semua maklum, mengamalkan undang-undang Islam dan sivil (versi Malaysia) dan ia diurustadbir oleh Jabatan Kemajuan Agama Islam Malaysia dan Mahkamah Syariah. Fakta sejarah tidak dapat dimungkiri lagi bahawa urusan agama di dalam genggaman kerajaan sepertinya yang dilihat hari ini merupakan warisan penjajah Inggeris. Moshe Yegar, seorang penyelidik berbangsa Yahudi dan rakyat Israel dari Hebrew University of Jerusalem pernah menetap di Malaysia dari bulan November 1964 sehingga hujung 1965. Hasil penelitian Yegar, beliau menerbitkan sebuah buku akademik yang kandungannya memuji 'kebijaksanaan British' dalam memperkenalkan birokrasi Islam di Malaysia sehingga Islam akhirnya menjadi satu jurus yang tertentu dan terhad di bawah satu pentadbiran: In general, British tolerance of Islam, indirectly, knowingly and unknowingly, was most helpful in an expansion and consolidation of Islam by legislative and administrative means. But the preservation and reinforcement of the traditional bases of authority and social organization implicit in British policy, and improved communications and progressive centralization, combined to fashion a more authoritarian form of religious administration than any that the Peninsula had known before. Colonial rule thus made for the concentration of doctrinal and administrative religious authority in the hands of a hierarchy of officials directly dependent on the sultans for their posts and power. The rulers and their State Councils began to assume a wider responsibility for religious affairs. Written, codified systems of civil and criminal law generated pressure to establish a more formal system of Islamic law, which was duly enacted in State Councils; courts were set up, legal procedures laid down, and a legal bureaucracy built to administer therm. A new establishment of religious officials now functioned in the sultans' courts and in the villages no less. Many of these developments (notably the regulation of sharia courts), while responding to a real need, were also and emulation of administrative models of the West in a field which the Malays felt to be peculiarly their own. While there had been kathis, sharia law, and restrictive Islamic provisions at various times and places before, what the Malays added was the methodical application of law by an organized religious officialdom (Moshe Yegar, 1979: 266). Peninstitusian Islam seperti yang terlihat pada Jabatan Kemajuan Agama Islam hari ini, menurut Yegar membuahkan semacam 'authoritative Islam' yang dipertahan oleh Malaysia sebagai 'satu urusan di bawah takluk perlembagaan'. Tentulah sangat menjengkelkan buat ramai 'agamawan konservatif', hakikat bahawa seorang ahli akademik Israel seperti Moshe Yegar pernah hadir di negara ini dan 'memuji' pula warisan kepintaran British, iaitu pentadbiran agama Islam sebagai ber'model Barat'. 'Pujian' Moshe Yegar terhadap legasi penjajah Inggeris ini bagaimanapun tidak disambut baik oleh antropologis terkenal di Malaysia. Abdullah Taib (1985: 226) misalnya pernah menyatakan, 'Sejak tahun 1920-an beberapa buah negeri di Tanah Melayu telah menubuhkan Majlis Agama dan Adat Istiadat Melayu. Hingga ke hari ini sudah hampir 60 tahun majlis itu berjalan atas nama seperti itu. Penubuhan Majlis Agama ini ialah hasil 'kebijaksanaan' penjajah Inggeris.' Penggunaan tanda kurung untuk ungkapan 'kebijaksanaan penjajah Inggeris' menunjukkan rasa kurang selesa Abdullah Taib. Bahkan dalam kajian beliau tersebut, peranan Jabatan Agama Islam dalam menyudutkan nilai-nilai lokal dikritik secara halus, dan secara akademik tentunya. 'Islam institusi' yang diperkenalkan oleh penjajah inilah yang perlahan-lahan mulai 'menggelisahkan' bahagian-bahagian hidup segelintir rakyat Malaysia yang bukan beragama Islam. Persoalan ini menjadi semakin dramatik dan kontroversial baru-baru ini, seperti yang terpapar dalam surat pembaca Steve Oh (2012) kepada Malaysiakini. Pandangan peribadi dan kebebasan berekspresi Oh boleh sahaja ditanggapi sebagai 'menghasut'. Namun demikian, 'kegelisahan' warga Malaysia yang bukan beragama Islam seperti Steve Oh mesti ditangani dengan dialog dan keterbukaan. Amalan mendiamkan orang seperti Steve Oh tidak membawa apa-apa manfaat jangka panjang. Kebebasan beragama di Malaysia memang sering menjadi sasaran kritikan luar. Sebagai contoh, Jabatan Negara Amerika Syarikat pada tahun 2007, dalam laporannya menyatakan: State authorities impose Islamic religious laws administered through Islamic courts on all ethnic Malays (and other Muslims) in family law and other civil matters. Muslims may generally not convert to another religion although article 11 of the Federal Constitution guarantees religious freedom, the country's highest court ruled during the reporting period that Muslims wanting to convert to another religion must first obtain approval from a Shari'a court (US Department of State, 2007). Sebagai catatan, pada tahun 2007 tersebut, Mahkamah Persekutuan telah menolak permohonan Lina Joy untuk menggugurkan kata Islam dari kad pengenalannya. Permohonan Joy, yang dilahirkan sebagai Azlina Jailani tersebut telah dinafikan kerana mahkamah memutuskan, oleh kerana agama asal Joy adalah Islam maka ia merupakan sebahagian dari urusan Islam. Justeru, hanya Jabatan Agama Islam sahaja boleh memutuskan secara rasmi kedudukan Joy sebagai seorang Kristian. Keputusan mahkamah tersebut disambut oleh World Muslim Congress dengan tempelak: Freedom of faith means not only freedom to choose a faith, but also freedom to change one's faith. While Islam regards apostasy a grave sin, but that is between God and the respective individual. When it is a matter of simple apostasy, .e, merely changing one's faith without any aggression or treason against an lslamic State or Muslims, the principle of freedom of faith in Islam requires that such apostate must be allowed to exercise their God-given freedom. The traditional position, which seems to have been the basis for the Malaysian civil court to defer the matter with treason or aggression. An encouraging thing is that the tide of opinion among Muslims in turning away from the traditional view to one that is in consonance with the message of the Quran and the legacy of the Prophet Muhammad (World Muslim Congress, 2007). Perenggan dari kenyataan media di atas, secara signifikan dikeluarkan oleh World Muslim Congress. Ia turut membantah pencabulan hak asasi manusia di Malaysia. Harus dinyatakan, World Muslim Congress mengundang Joy untuk kembali ke agama Islam, 'we invite our sister in humanity Lina Joy (Azlina Jailani) back to Islam' tetapi dalam masa yang sama menggesa kebebasan beragama diberikan dan menuntut supaya pemerintah Malaysia membuang pandangan apostasia sebagai 'treason or aggression'. World Muslim Congress tentu sahaja tidak membuat tuduhan liar dan serkap jarang, ia mungkin bersandarkan pandangan pegawai Bahagian Penyelidikan Akidah Jabatan Kemajuan Agama Islam Malaysia yang sering merujuk kepada pandangan-pandangan sempit ulama salafi: If a person's apostasy is announced to the public and his new faith advertised, then the person had declared an attack in the form of perceptions (al-harb al-fikriyyah) on Islam and its belief. His action will raise or plant seeds of doubts in the hearts of the other Muslims. At such time, the act of apostasy should not be seen from the angle of individual rights to change his religion, but from the aspect of the presence of "hirabah‟‟ element which is an attack on the fundamentals of religion that is the pillar of an Islamic government. Therefore, immediate steps should be taken to start the process of providing explanation to clear the person‟s doubts, asking him to repent and should he remain defiant and insist to apostate, the end is a death penalty on the grounds of "hirabah‟‟ (al-qatlu hirabatan). This means, apostates are not executed because of their infidelity but on the grounds of hirabah. This is clear based on verse 33 of surah al-Ma'idah which means: "Indeed, the penalty for those who wage war against Allah and His Messenger and strive upon earth [to cause] corruption is none but that they be killed or crucified or that their hands and feet be cut off from opposite sides or that they be exiled from the land…". Even though the verse is defined by most Islamic scholars as a verse to carry out punishment on criminals and robbers, it cannot be denied that the public act of apostasy is an act that wage war against Allah s.w.t. and His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him). As such, a few of Salaf scholars hold the opinion that the punishment to execute an apostate is taken from this verse too, apart from the sound hadiths that serve to clarify the matter (Mohd Aizam Mas'od, tanpa tarikh: 5). Pandangan ekstrim di atas tentu sahaja dapat dipermasalahkan untuk sebuah negara berbilang kaum dan agama di Malaysia. Mereka yang menuntut kebebasan beragama misalnya dengan mudah ditanggap sebagai penghasut dan penjahat dengan niat buruk terhadap Islam. Adakah pandangan di atas, pandangan Ahlus Sunnah wal Jamaah? Atau hanyalah pandangan minoriti ulama wahabi yang terkenal sebagai pembantah dialog? Read more at: http://www.projekdialog.com/featured/kebebasan-agama-atau-non-dialog-yang-mana-satukah-ancaman/

The Challenge of Malaysian Civil Society: Good Governance Beyond BN & PR Posted: 17 Nov 2012 09:10 PM PST   Democracy concerns maximizing opportunities for as many people as possible to participate in the political process. Throughout history, we have witnessed the exclusion of women, the poor and minority groups. More recently, the debate over whether a candidate should be allowed to stand in both federal and state seats makes a mockery of this participatory principle. If we cannot find suitable candidates to contest in the state and federal legislative assemblies, fifty-five years after independence, that is a gross failure of our national development.  Dr Kua Kia Soong, SUARAM Adviser On the eve of Malaysia's 13th general election, the challenges of good governance whichever coalition wins, are the concerns of a vibrant Malaysian civil society. Throughout the Arab world and Asia, the actions by civil society have produced results in recent months. In India, the massive demonstrations against corruption have forced the government to legislate anti-corruption laws. It was the denial of democratic space to civil society that led to the Arab Spring. And the consequence of bad governance in the richest capitalist countries in the world, namely, the failure to regulate finance capital, has led to the greatest credit crisis ever in the United States and Europe. The Malaysian state has failed to structurally meet the needs of the poor, disadvantaged and marginalized minorities in our highly inequitable society. Nor is the strategy by both competing coalitions of chasing after investments through neo-liberal policies, likely to fill this gap. It remains a crucial role for civil society, made up of "Concerned NGOs" (CONGOs), to play, in demanding that this imbalance be urgently and effectively redressed. At the same time, we face the challenge of "uncivil society" made up of GONGOs, or "Government NGOs" – the far-right who undermine the democratic rights of Malaysians in their pursuit of private interests and special privileges through racism. The challenge for Malaysian civil society is to push demands for good governance covering the political, economic, social and cultural spheres and for these reforms to be as concrete and time specific as possible. These have been drafted in "REFORM MALAYSIA: Malaysian Civil Society 13GE Demands", highlighting twenty institutions in Malaysia targeted for reform. We need bottom-up not top-down governance, especially when we confront so-called development projects such as the MRT and hydroelectric power dams. Civil society needs to mobilise grassroots social movements to confront these global forces, to put people first before profits, empowerment above development.   What is good governance? Governance – the process of decision-making and the process by which decisions are implemented – concerns not only the government but also NGOs, corporate organisations, unions, associations right down to families and individuals. As citizens of a democratic country, we expect good governance to include processes that are equitable and inclusive; promote participation; accountable and transparent; responsive, effective and efficient, and that follow the rule of law. This requires the establishment and strengthening of credible national institutions to implement good governance. We aspire to good governance not because we wish to please international investors. Good governance involves not only technocratic criteria of efficiency and order but more importantly, democratic principles of participation and accountability. If governance is the exercise of authority in managing the resources of a country, then good governance concerns improving the quality of life of all citizens.   Good governance is by no means some grand utopian ideal. It is achievable now and that is why Malaysian civil society has drafted its "13GE Demands to Reform Malaysia". The future of our country depends on it, as we try to claim a place in this increasingly competitive global world. Malaysian civil society can provide this vital contribution to promote and protect the principles of liberty, democracy, respect for human rights and the rule of law. In the political sphere, democracy in Malaysia does not stretch very far beyond elections to the federal and state legislative assemblies. A general election is less about contending parties telling us their election manifestoes, it is more about people and civil society deciding what they think policies ought to be in a locality and the country. And candidates must convince us that they will champion our policies and carry them forward. In economic policy, the competition by both BN and PR coalitions in chasing after investments in a free and unfettered market, especially in land, housing & property development and private health "tourism" is cause for Malaysian civil society to be alarmed and alert. It is the responsibility of Malaysian civil society to ensure that people come before profits and that people's empowered engagement determines development. We expect both BN and PR to live up to these tenets of good governance by making clear to us (inter alia): (i) Their progressive economic policy that includes nationalizing all utilities and essential services including water resources, health, public transport, energy; a sustainable agricultural policy to ensure self-sufficiency in rice and basic food items and a reduction in  food imports; providing fair and adequate support for all sectors and a just land distribution to all farmers, irrespective of ethnicity; modernizing the New Villages by giving land titles, improving infrastructure and government assistance to small and medium enterprises; apportioning more revenue from oil and gas (60%) to the states that produce these resources. (ii) Their fiscal policy to reduce income inequality and fund public services. We expect  a higher marginal tax rate on high income earners and a correspondingly lower tax rate for lower income earners; an incremental Capital Gains Tax on property; a progressive inheritance tax; regular review and monitoring of the tax laws and implementation to ensure there are no tax loopholes; review of capital allowances and tax holidays for foreign firms; tax on all international financial transactions and hedge funds; no Goods and Services Tax and a progressive tax on all luxury goods.  (iii) Their defence policy to ensure that the defence budget is diverted to productive investments and social services and the reshaping of a national defence policy that promotes a culture of peace and disarmament; promoting ASEAN cooperation in order to pool resources and slash arms spending in all ASEAN countries; cutting the defence budget to below 1% of GDP and apportioning a correspondingly higher budget for health, education and social services; setting up a Parliamentary Defence Committee chaired by an Opposition MP as well as an independent Ombudsman to oversee the defence budget; abolishing RELA - powers of arrest and detention, and the right to bear firearms must be restricted to professionally trained law enforcement officers; (iv) Their energy policy, and transparency, especially regarding the decisions to build mega dams, nuclear reactors and the privatization of power plants to Independent Power Producers. We need to know PR's alternative energy policy relating to the use and investment in renewable energy sources and the implementation of demand management to encourage conservation and efficient use of energy resources.   Equity & Inclusiveness Good governance should ensure that all citizens in the country have a stake in the country, particularly, the most vulnerable, who need to have the opportunity to improve their lot in society. Slogans such as "1Malaysia" are empty, when Malaysians are divided into "bumiputera" and "non-bumiputera" to suit racially discriminatory policies such as the "Bumis Only" enrolment policy of public sector institutions such as UiTM and other excesses of the New Economic Policy since 1971. After more than forty years of the NEP, good governance requires the eradication of institutional racism through a "New Equitable Policy" with corrective action in all economic and education policies based on need / sector or class and not on race, with priority given to indigenous people, marginalised and poor communities; institutionalizing means testing for access to scholarships or other entitlements; implementing merit-based recruitment in civil & armed services; enacting an Equality Act to promote equality and non-discrimination irrespective of race, creed, religion, gender or disability with provision for an Equality & Human Rights Commission, and ratifying the Convention on the Eradication of Racial Discrimination (CERD). Good governance relating to Malaysian women's human rights and dignity requires: the implementation of  at least a 30% quota for women's representation in all decision-making bodies of government, the judiciary, political parties and corporate bodies; incorporating the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) and its provisions into national law; reviewing and amending all laws and constitutional provisions that discriminate on the basis of gender; confronting sexism and prejudice based on gender stereotypes; equal pay for women holding similar posts as men; ensuring through competent national tribunals and other public institutions the effective protection of women against any act of discrimination. The contribution of Malaysian workers to the nation's progress and their rights must be recognized by ensuring labour laws are compatible with the International Labour Organisation (ILO) Convention; encouraging and promoting workers' unionisation; - legislating a progressive guaranteed minimum wage for all workers, including foreign workers; abolishing the Contractor for Labour System and restoring direct two-party employment relationship between principal/owners of workplaces and the workers that work therein; ensuring all workers are employed as permanent employees who enjoy all benefits, including maternity rights and an extended retirement age; Including workers and their trade unions in decision-making at the workplace, especially control of pension funds; enabling workers to have a controlling stake in their company stock ownership and for profits to be diverted into employee share funds; electing workers' representatives into the management so that they share corporate decisions, including investments, technology, wages and prices. Although they are the Orang Asal, the indigenous peoples are among the poorest sectors of the Malaysian population and the most marginalized. Good governance would demand: recognising the right of the Orang Asal to self-determination; protecting the right of the Orang Asal to sustainable development, access to basic needs and advancement of their traditions and languages; following through on Malaysia's endorsement of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP); enacting or amending state laws that recognise and protect the native customary rights of the Orang Asal to their traditional lands and territories.   Participation Democracy is not simply the act of casting one's vote once every four years. Party leaders likewise hang on to their posts and monopolise positions by spreading the myth of their indispensability. Democracy concerns maximizing opportunities for as many people as possible to participate in the political process. Throughout history, we have witnessed the exclusion of women, the poor and minority groups. More recently, the debate over whether a candidate should be allowed to stand in both federal and state seats makes a mockery of this participatory principle. If we cannot find suitable candidates to contest in the state and federal legislative assemblies, fifty-five years after independence, that is a gross failure of our national development. Or perhaps it is indicative of party leaders who seek to monopolise positions and material privileges. And it is not a question of asking political leaders to give up their privileges voluntarily, it is a democratic principle that any party that claims to be democratic should abide by. As Aung San Suu Kyi put it: "It is not power that corrupts but fear. Fear of losing power corrupts those who wield it and fear of the scourge of power corrupts those who are subject to it." Fixed term of office is another fundamental principle of a democratic society that has been recognized in the US, China and many other countries. But somehow, this democratic principle of encouraging broader participation has not been discerned by many political party leaders in either BN or PR. Malaysian NGOs have spoken loudly and clearly in the Bersih campaign for free and fair elections. It is a campaign that has not only pushed this principle of participation to the fore but also made a breakthrough in Malaysian peoples' power. This campaign and the campaign for a safe and clean environment have shown that we need to take direct action and resort to civic mobilization to solve our societal issues – we no longer need to accept injustice and oppression. Locally elections are vital for democratic participation in electing legitimate representatives. In the modern state, many social groups such as women, manual workers, urban settlers, farmers and indigenous peoples are grossly under-represented and local government can provide them with the channels to air their concerns. Generally speaking, at this local level it is easier for voters to influence decisions. This dispersal of political power is therefore a concrete way to realise the civil society. Local councils should not be the arenas for "professional" NGO activists to have themselves appointed by the political parties. It should be the role of NGO activists to nominate empowered leaders from the communities they work with to sit in local councils. Greater participation can also be realized when social services such as housing, education, health and even crime prevention are decentralized once local government officials are elected rather than appointed. Full participation in a democratic society requires the freedoms of expression, assembly and association to prevail. The freedom of expression and information cannot prevail until we abolish the Sedition Act, the Official Secrets Act and the Film Censorship Act; enact a Freedom of Information (FoI) Act at federal and state levels which is reflective of the peoples' right to know, with the public interest as the overriding principle; prevent the monopoly of ownership and control of the press and broadcasting stations by political parties or corporate bodies. Media organs paid for by tax payers – including RTM and Selangor Times - must be independent and not be used as propaganda organs of the ruling coalitions. Good governance relating to the freedoms of assembly & association entails repealing the Police Act, the Societies Act, the Universities & University Colleges Act, Peaceful Assembly Act 2011 and other relevant laws which restrict these fundamental freedoms, and granting students of voting age the full freedoms enjoyed by other Malaysian citizens.   Transparency Decisions taken and enforcement that follows must be done in a manner that follows rules and regulations. The recent harassment of SUARAM and the directive by the government for six government agencies to pin a charge on SUARAM show a total lack of transparency. Their actions were prompted by police reports made by some far-right group that did not produce any evidence of SUARAM wrongdoing. What evidence must be furnished before the police investigates? Is there no standard operating procedure for the police to initiate any investigation? Why haven't these government agencies started their investigations when there is ample evidence uncovered by the French police after two years of investigation into  questionable payments in the Scorpene scandal? The lack of transparency over mega projects is another recent example of the Malaysian state's willful negligence. The Murum dam is nearing completion but the resettlement report is still being withheld. As for the Bakun dam, all studies related to the projects have not been transparent. The affected Penan and Kenyah have stated that they have never been asked for consent as demanded by the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP). The project developer, Sarawak's state-owned electricity generating company, Sarawak Energy Berhad (SEB) has not provided indigenous communities with an opportunity to grant or withhold their "free, prior and informed consent" for the project as required by UNDRIP. Even in cases where there was agreement, however, it was neither FREE from coercion; the resettlement plan was not made known to the indigenous peoples PRIOR to the start of the construction, and they were not INFORMED by access to information about the project's impacts.   Accountability All institutions of the state as well as civil society must be accountable to their stakeholders. SUARAM is proud to say we have been proven to be accountable after the closest scrutiny by the Companies Commission of Malaysia which had pledged to pin a charge on us but had the file thrown back at them by the Attorney General's Office. At the same time, the CCM and the Domestic Trade Minister have suffered the worst humiliation by the expose of the Auditor General that CCM had failed to bring to book corporations which had failed to pay their compounds amounting to millions of ringgit. Again, this has exposed the government's lack of acountability in their arbitrary actions and prosecutions. The recent expose of money laundering when RM40 million was uncovered by the Hong Kong police and purportedly meant to be donations for the Sabah UMNO and the billions of ringgit in illicit money flowing abroad every year require strong regulation and tougher laws to ensure greater accountability. According to Global Financial Integrity (GFI), Malaysia lost a total of US$338 billion (RM1.08 trillion) through illicit money outflows over the first decade of the century. Corruption in Malaysia needs to be curbed effectively through setting up an Independent Anti-Corruption Commission answerable to parliament with the power to recommend prosecutions for all offences of corrupt practice; a Public Accounts Committee in Parliament that is chaired by an Opposition Member of Parliament and not by the ruling coalition; tighter regulation to prevent money laundering and the outflow of illicit money; eliminating opportunities for corruption by proscribing the "revolving door" opportunities between the civil/armed services and the private sector; ensuring the government ministry/department head accounts for every discrepancy in the annual Auditor-general's report and pays for any negligence or corruption involved; open tendering all privatised projects, and for all wakil rakyat and heads of civil and armed services to declare their assets and those of their family's.   Responsiveness, Effectiveness & Efficiency Good governance requires institutions and processes to serve stakeholders within a reasonable timeframe and to make the best use of our resources. The BN government has been found wanting in many areas including the implementation of the Independent Police Complaints & Misconduct Committee; anti-corruption measures; reduction of crime and ensuring public safety; environmental protection measures and the use of sustainable energy sources, among others. In defence procurements, deployment of police personnel, construction and maintenance of power plants, the BN government has flouted the imperatives of effectiveness and efficiency. The selectiveness of the BN government in responding so speedily to complaints by far-right groups against Suaram while remaining totally unresponsive to ample documents by the French police on the questionable dealings by Terasasi is bad governance.   Rule of Law The concept of rule of law can be distinguished from rule by law in that, under the rule of law, the law is preeminent and can serve as a check against the abuse of power. The rule of law ensures that laws are enforced impartially and there is full protection of human rights, especially for minorities. This requires the existence of an independent judiciary, an impartial Civil Service, and an incorruptible police force. The BN government has often confused the rule of law with rule BY law, in which the law is a mere tool for the government that suppresses in a legalistic fashion. The recent harassment of SUARAM has seen the most extreme mockery of the rule of law in Malaysia.   Through the years, Malaysian NGOs have been playing the important role of watchdogs to ensure the rule of law and human rights are safeguarded. Good governance to uphold the rule of law requires repealing all laws that allow torture, whipping, detention-without-trial and incommunicado detention; abolishing the death penalty in Malaysia; ratifying the International Covenants on Civil and Political Rights and on Economic, Social & Cultural Rights, the Convention against Torture and the Convention on Refugees; implementing the Independent Police Complaints Committee (IPCMC); establishing a law reform commission to restore the independence of the judiciary; reviewing the Federal Constitution and all laws that are unjust and violate human rights, and resolve the conflict of jurisdiction between civil and syariah laws; establishing a Royal Commission of Inquiry to solve once and for all the problem of citizenship for Malaysians, their foreign spouses as well as the problem of undocumented migrants in the country; ensuring social justice for lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgenders (LGBT).   The Struggle Continues… Real change requires focus and commitment. We have to stand up to the fascism of the far-right, the complicity of the state. We do not have to accept oppression. Like all human beings, Malaysians share a destiny to be free and independent and we have to keep struggling for it: "And if we do act, in however small a way, we don't have to wait for some grand utopian future. The future is an infinite succession of presents, and to live now as we think human beings should live, in defiance of all that is bad around us, is itself a marvelous victory." (Howard Zinn)

Hadi: I’m ready to be PM Posted: 17 Nov 2012 07:26 PM PST Mohd Farhan Darwis, The Malaysian Insider Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang finally bowed today to repeated calls from PAS members for him to be the next prime minister, saying he was ready to lead the country should Pakatan Rakyat (BN) win the next election. "I welcome being elected as the prime minister ... but I ask for Allah to grant us victory," the PAS president said in his closing speech at the party's 58th annual conference, or muktamar. The Marang MP was responding to calls by several delegates who insisted numerous times during the muktamar that the next prime minister should come from the Islamist party. Abdul Hadi's statement and the resounding support of party delegates contradict the stand taken by the PR leadership, which has repeatedly endorsed its de facto leader Anwar for the post of prime minister. Among those who voiced their endorsement was the information chief for the women's wing, Aiman Athirah, who had called for delegates to work harder so that PAS can lead PR, and Abdul Hadi Awang be elected the prime minister. The PAS Ulama wing also urged for the party to be the major power in PR so Abdul Hadi can be elected as cabinet leader. "We live in a democratic system, so if PAS wins a lot (of seats) in the next election, then the prime minister's post must go to the President," said Datuk Dr Mahfodz Mohamad, the Deputy Chief of PAS Ulama wing during the closing speeches. "So after this, let there be no one who promote others, we unanimously want our president to be the prime minister. "Rise if you agree with me," he requested, prompting the whole hall of delegates to stand up. Yesterday, Abdul Hadi Awang played down a suggestion from party delegates that he become the next prime minister instead of Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, saying he would rather be a "servant" to the country instead of pursuing the post. Meanwhile, Anwar responded positively today to calls from PAS members, saying the proposal could be discussed, despite his ambition for the post being no secret. "No problem, kita boleh bincang dengan baik (we can discuss this amicably)," Anwar said to reporters earlier.

Does ABU equal to Anwar-for-PM? Posted: 17 Nov 2012 06:49 PM PST   We were not the only ones caught gasping by Anwar's acquittal. PAS, too, could not accept Anwar as Prime Minister. But for them to renounce Anwar would have been 'bad politics'. However, if Anwar were convicted for 'Sodomy 2', then the problem would solve itself. Due to Anwar's conviction for 'Sodomy 2', he would be disqualified from becoming Prime Minister even if Pakatan Rakyat wins enough seats to form the next federal government. THE CORRIDORS OF POWER Raja Petra Kamarudin PAS wings' support for Hadi as future PM continues to put Opposition partners in a spot (The Star) - The PAS Ulama and Muslimat wings' support for party president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang to be made prime minister should Pakatan Rakyat come to power continues to put other Opposition coalition members in a spot. Opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, widely seen as the premier-in-waiting, was evasive when reporters asked for his response. "It's okay. No problem. We will discuss in a nice manner", he said as he walked briskly to his car after launching a convention on national education at Universiti Selangor (Unisel) in Shah Alam on Sunday. He said he had to rush off to another function in Kuantan. However, DAP was characteristically vocal. Its deputy chairman Dr Tan Seng Giaw said bluntly on Sunday that Anwar would be prime minister should Pakatan win the 13th general election and hudud law would not be implemented. "All of us have agreed that Anwar will be the PM should we take over Putrajaya." "In a democracy, we, of course, allow for differing opinions, but the consensus in Pakatan that Anwar remains the PM-in-waiting is final, so even if the PAS Ulama and Muslimat wings say otherwise, it makes no difference," he said. He said that the Pakatan Rakyat leadership would only implement policies that have the consensus of all three-component parties, and reject those which have yet to obtain it. At the same time, it was the lack of consensus that has stopped the implementation of hudud law from becoming part of Pakatan's common framework policy. "If there is consensus, we will enforce it. If not, we won't. And the decision from the leadership is final," he told reporters after a DAP ceramah in Kepong Baru on Sunday morning, reiterating the DAP's position on the matter. He also said that it was "pure politicking" by Barisan National to imply that the Islamic penal code could be so easily implemented. He said that it required an amendment to the Federal Constitution to implement hudud and any amendment to the constitution required consent from two-thirds of the members of parliament. At the 58th PAS muktamar in Kota Baru on Saturday Dewan Ulama representative Hairun Nizam had said Hadi was the best candidate for the job if the coalition took over Putrajaya, a sentiment echoed by PAS Muslimat on Sunday. When pressed for a reaction, Hadi had earlier dodged responding directly, saying instead, that he would rather be a "servant" to the people and country. "Whoever becomes the prime minister needs the support of the party and people. I would rather be a khadam (servant) to the people," he had said. Meanwhile, in Ipoh, Umno treasurer Datuk Seri Ahmad Husni Hanadzlah said Sunday the Opposition's inability to agree on a common platform and contest under a common flag in the upcoming general elections showed that they could not govern the country. "PAS will definitely want to implement their Islamic ways if Pakatan comes into power and if it is not done, it will destroy the Opposition." "Intellectually, if they cannot even be united in contesting as a single party, then they are incapable of being united to rule the country," he said in a press conference in Manjoi here on Sunday. "As such, I do not see that they have any hope of winning in the upcoming elections," he said. ****************************************** The Malaysian Civil Liberties Movement (MCLM) was launched two years ago in London with a specific agenda in mind -- to try to reform Malaysian politics and introduce what back in 1999 PKR (then PKN) called 'Politik Baru' or 'New Politics'. This basically means to discard race/religion-based politics in favour of a more mature form of politics and to try to end 'money politics', or the practice of voting based on financial considerations. It was certainly a tall order indeed and not a journey that we imagined we would achieve in our lifetime. Europe took two generations for the seed that was planted by Napoleon Bonaparte over 12 years from 1803 to finally germinate with the outbreak of the 1848 revolutions. Even then it took another 22/23 years (or one more generation) until 1870/1871 before real change finally came to Europe. In short, Europe took 60-70 years for change to happen. And it only happened through an armed and bloody revolution, which proves what Mao Zedong said: power comes from the barrel of the gun. Hence, short of embarking upon a Chin Peng sort of armed insurgency, how long do you think it is going to take for change to come to Malaysia? Those were the issues troubling us back in 2010. And those were the issues MCLM was supposed to address, or try to address. But many things would need to be done to even come close to what we were seeking. Amongst those many things would be to seek out at least 30 Malaysians suitable to be fielded as Member of Parliament candidates in the coming general election. Haris Ibrahim (Sam) then began to approach a few likely candidates -- some who had earlier been approached by the opposition back in 1999, 2004 and/or 2008 -- to explore the possibility of them standing as candidates in the coming general election. Almost all said 'no'. However, due to Sam's power of persuasion, eventually five relented and said 'yes' while another two said they would seriously consider the proposal. So we had five yeses and two tentatives. And then it stopped. We could not move beyond those seven. And we were not even close to the 30 that we had targeted. The rut we found ourselves in was due to the hostile reaction from Pakatan Rakyat. While we made it clear we were seeking these candidates to offer them to Pakatan Rakyat, Pakatan Rakyat in turn said that MCLM itself was planning to contest the election to trigger three-corner contests. Hence we are going to jeopardise the opposition's chances of forming the new federal government. Hence, also, we are Barisan Nasional's 'Trojan horse' whose job is to sabotage Pakatan Rakyat. It was apparent that Pakatan Rakyat was not going to welcome these independent candidates. Pakatan Rakyat was only going to field party members and if MCLM's independent candidates wanted to contest the elections then they would have to join one of the three parties first. Even then there was no guarantee they would be fielded as candidates. With that very negative reaction from Pakatan Rakyat, the two tentative candidates backed off. From the balance five, another four also decided to withdraw, leaving only one still prepared to go the distance. However, this last candidate would have to contest the Kapar seat on the basis of a three-corner contest, which would defeat the whole purpose of the exercise. MLCM is not a political party so it does not intend to contest the general election. It was seeking candidates on behalf of Pakatan Rakyat, not to contest against Pakatan Rakyat. And if Pakatan Rakyat does not want these candidates then the whole exercise would need to be aborted. It was agreed that the candidates who wished to withdraw would say nothing for the time being. We had to first seek an exit strategy so that they can gracefully bail out without losing face. And that exit plan offered itself on 1st January this year when I did my second interview with the mainstream media. Because of that interview, the candidates were able to announce that they were distancing themselves from MCLM. Sam, too, was able to bail out gracefully by resigning from MCLM and embark upon his ABU agenda outside MCLM. In the meeting we had in Chiengmai in late January this year, three weeks after my 'explosive' 1st January 2012 interview, it was agreed that I, too, would withdraw from MCLM and a new committee would take over. My continued involvement in MCLM would 'taint' the movement. Hence we would need to call for an AGM, which we did soon after, and I left the scene and the new committee took over. It was also agreed in that Chiengmai meeting that MCLM would now focus purely on matters involving civil liberties and it would no longer be involved in politics. A month before that Chiengmai meeting, a meeting was held in Phuket to discuss many issues regarding not only MCLM but also about Malaysian politics in general. And one of the issues of concern was the information that Sam received from his contacts in Umno that Anwar Ibrahim would be acquitted from the 'Sodomy 2' charge. The information that Sam received was that Najib had made a deal with Anwar. However, it was not too clear what type of deal it was. This was definitely troubling news indeed. Sam was convinced that the information was accurate because it came from 'high-ups' in Umno and they have never been wrong before. My response to that was we would have to wait another one and a half months or so to see if it was true that Anwar was going to be acquitted and if so, why. Nevertheless, we would need to pre-empt this, in case, so one week later I did that interview with the mainstream media where I whacked Anwar. Basically, as what Sam and I discussed in Phuket, we needed to launch a 'Get Anwar Campaign', or GAC for short. We needed to neutralise Anwar in case he had turned Umno Trojan horse. And his acquittal would more or less confirm this. We were not the only ones caught gasping by Anwar's acquittal. PAS, too, could not accept Anwar as Prime Minister. But for them to renounce Anwar would have been 'bad politics'. However, if Anwar were convicted for 'Sodomy 2', then the problem would solve itself. Due to Anwar's conviction for 'Sodomy 2', he would be disqualified from becoming Prime Minister even if Pakatan Rakyat wins enough seats to form the next federal government. In fact, Anwar's conviction for 'Sodomy 2' would have been 'good politics'. The sympathy factor would be high and Anwar could be 'marketed' as a martyr and a victim of injustice. Having Anwar in jail would benefit the opposition a great deal. Plus it would solve the additional problem of not having him as the Prime Minister in the event Pakatan Rakyat gets to form the federal government. Maybe Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak realised this. Maybe he realised that acquitting Anwar works better for Barisan Nasional than putting him in jail. Najib, too, knew that PAS did not want Anwar as Prime Minister. Hence the Prime Minister would be doing PAS a favour by putting Anwar in jail. But if Anwar were to be acquitted, then PAS would face a dilemma. Do they keep quiet and accept Anwar as Prime Minister or do they openly declare that they cannot accept Anwar as Prime Minister? Was Anwar's acquittal an independent decision by the judge or was the judge's decision to acquit Anwar a brilliant political move by Najib to drive a wedge between PAS and PKR (plus also now between PAS and DAP it seems)? The issue here is, ABU or 'anything but Umno' is about rejecting Umno, which invariably means rejecting Barisan Nasional as well. However, as Sam and I discussed in Phuket, ABU does not translate to 'Anwar for PM'. But then the judge (with or without Najib's instructions) threw a spanner in the works by acquitting Anwar of the Sodomy 2 charge. So now ABU also means Anwar for PM. And herein lies the problem for many people, those in PAS included. Many in PAS are not convinced about Anwar's innocence. They are convinced that Anwar is guilty. But they do not want to be the ones to say so. They want the court to say so by convicting Anwar. But when the court did not do that, PAS either has to accept that as an indication that Anwar is innocent or else they would have to come out and say that they do not want Anwar as Prime Minister -- without explaining why and leaving it unsaid that the reason is because they think Anwar is guilty. Anyway, Pakatan Rakyat needs to win at least 120 seats in Parliament (to be safe, although 112 seats gives it a simple majority with a two-seat margin) to form the federal government. PAS says it plans/hopes to win at least 60 seats. If it does, that would mean DAP and PKR combined would have won only 60 seats. And this would also mean PAS would become the Prime Minister. Hence it is not impossible for Tok Guru Haji Abdul Hadi Awang to become the Prime Minister if PAS wins more seats that PKR and DAP -- unless DAP wins the most number of seats and they nominate Anwar for Prime Minister.   The meeting in Phuket a year ago and one year after the birth of MCLM

PAS dials down on hudud, concedes it can’t rule alone Posted: 17 Nov 2012 06:31 PM PST (TMI) -- Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang appeared today to admit that PAS may never entirely abandon its plans to impose hudud for Muslims and had only softened its approach on the matter as the Islamist party knew it could not rule without its non-Muslim allies in Pakatan Rakyat (PR). But the PAS president offered his word that if implemented, the controversial Islamic penal code would not be imposed on the non-Muslims, shooting down a suggestion yesterday by former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad. "Hudud is (PAS') rights (to implement), and we are not forcing non-Muslims (to follow it)," Abdul Hadi told reporters after closing the party's 58th annual conference, or muktamar, here. "And the rights of non-Muslims are allowed by their own religion ... for example, liquor is allowed by their religion ... although it is haram in Islam, it is still their right." Dr Mahathir had stepped into the hudud fray yesterday, challenging the party to implement hudud for all, including the non-Muslims, in order to be fair. During the stretch of the party's annual meet this weekend, the PAS leadership seemed to deliberately dodge the issue of hudud and the party's Islamic state ideals, moving instead to appear more inclusive with slogans that advocate religious tolerance and acceptance. But the party's religious conservatives in the ulama wing and youth members insisted on raising the controversial issue, which has put a strain on PAS' ties with PR ally DAP. In his policy speech at the opening of the muktamar, Abdul Hadi focussed on PAS' plans to improve Malaysia's economy should PR come to power and skirted around hudud and the implementation of the Islamic state. But the veteran politician could not avoid the matter today, after PAS continued to find itself the target of critics who complained of the party's apparent failure to stick to its ideals. He would not expressly state if PAS would push ahead with its hudud agenda but appeared to suggest that the matter had to be shelved for the sake of its non-Muslim partners in PR. "We want to rule a country, if it's just PAS, then it will be impossible (for us) to rule," he told reporters. The Marang MP's remarks today will likely draw more criticism from PAS' political foes who have often accused the party of straying from its Islamic ideals and bowing down to its allies for the sake of wresting federal power. PAS also reiterated today that there is no friction between the party and DAP, with which they have gone into collision course on issues such as Islamic state and hudud. "DAP, PKR have accepted Islam as the religion of the federation," PAS secretary-general Datuk Mustafa Ali said. "Don't equate them disagreeing over hudud, with them rejecting (Islam). It is not the same." Abdul Hadi's statements came after PAS's religious wing continued to reaffirm its stand on hudud, insisting that it should be implemented if the party wins a significant majority in the next election. "So far, hudud is still relevant," said Datuk Dr Mahfodz Mohamad, the Deputy Chief of PAS Ulama wing during the closing speech at the muktamar. "We will implement hudud in a democratic system if we win a lot of seats. It is not impossible that hudud can be implemented in Malaysia." Mahfodz reminded the PAS leadership that they should not forget Islam and hudud while they fight through the next campaign stage to reach Putrajaya. "A 'benevolent state' must be based on the Quran, sunnah and ijtihad ... not the -isms which contradict Islam," he added. This remark followed the information chief for the women's wing, Aiman Athirah's call for delegates to work harder so that PAS can lead Pakatan Rakyat (PR), and for President Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang to be elected as the prime minister if the party wins in the next election.

Hudud hak PAS, tidak paksa bukan Muslim terima Hudud Posted: 17 Nov 2012 05:52 PM PST (TMI) -- Pelaksanaan hukum hudud adalah hak orang Islam dan PAS tidak memaksa golongan bukan Islam menerima hukum itu, kata Presiden PAS, Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang. Abdul Hadi ketika sidang media sejurus tamat Muktamar Tahunan PAS ke-58 di Pusat Tarbiah Islamyiah Kelantan (Putik) hari ini bagaimanapun menegaskan PAS akan melaksanakan hudud melalui proses demokrasi. "Hudud hak kita ... dan kita tidak paksa orang bukan Islam, dan kita akan melaksanakan melalui proses demokrasi. "Hak bukan Islam diizinkan untuk agama mereka ... contohnya  arak, itu diizinkan agama dia ... walaupun Islam mengharamkan, tetapi itu hak dia," katanya kepada pemberita. Mengambil contoh penjualan arak kepada bukan Islam di Kelantan, Abdul Hadi menjelaskan itu adalah salah satu perkara di dalam hudud. "Di Kelantan kita benarkan jual arak kepada bukan Islam ... itu adalah hudud, tetapi bukan untuk Islam," katanya lagi. Memetik laporan Bernama sebelum ini, bekas Perdana Menteri Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad mahu PAS memperjelaskan tafsiran mereka mengenai pelaksanaan hukum hudud. Beliau berkata pelaksanaannya harus berlandaskan keadilan sepertimana yang terkandung dalam ajaran Islam. Dr Mahathir berkata parti itu seharusnya melaksanakan hukum yang dapat diterima pakai oleh semua golongan termasuk bukan Islam sesuai dengan kedudukan negara ini yang mempunyai penduduk berbilang agama. "Saya hendak tahu hudud yang dikenakan oleh orang Islam dan bukan Islam itu sebagai adil seperti yang dikehendaki oleh agama Islam. "Terdapat 43 ayat dalam Al-Quran iaitu kalau mahu hukum, hukumlah dengan adil dan tidak adil itu bertentangan dengan ajaran Islam," katanya.     "Hukum orang Islam potong tangan manakala bukan Islam dikenakan penjara dua bulan akibat kesalahan mencuri. "Itu dilihat tidak adil dan bertentangan dengan agama Islam," katanya kepada pemberita di Kota Kinabalu semalam.   Mengulas berkenaan perkara itu, Ahli Parlimen Marang itu dalam nada sinis berkata perdana menteri yang berkhidmat selama 22 tahun itu tidak memahami maksud hudud. "Dia (Dr Mahathir) bukan tahu ... dia cakap pasal perubatan sahaja lah," katanya lagi. Pemimpin PAS yang dicadangkan untuk menjadi perdana menteri sekiranya Pakatan Rakyat (PR) memerintah negara selepas pilihan raya umum ke-13 dalam muktamar hari ini turut berkata, pihaknya telah menjalankan kaji selidik berhubung pelaksanaan hudud dan peratusan kumpulan bukan Muslim menerima hudud adalah tinggi. "Kita telah buat kaji selidik ... peratus besar bukan Islam sokong kerana undang-undang sedia ada gagal tangani jenayah," katanya. Sementara itu, Setiausaha Agung PAS atuk Mustafa Ali turut mempertahankan rakan parti komponen dari DAP, Karpal Singh yang menolak pelaksanaan hudud dengan menegaskan, pengerusi DAP itu tidak menolak Islam, sebaliknya itu adalah pendapat beliau. "DAP bukan tolak Islam, itu dia beri pandangan, kalau tidak dah lama mereka masuk Islam. "DAP dan PKR sudah menerima negara Islam dan Hudud sudah selesai, kita bersetuju untuk tidak bersetuju," katanya. Abdul Hadi turut menerangkan, kerjasama Umno dan MCA adalah menggadai prinsip, sehingga menimbulkan kefahaman judi apabila mempunyai lesen sebagai halal, dan tiada lesen haram. "Kita benarkan orang bukan Islam buka kedai arak, apa yang dibenarkan untuk dia, hanya untuk dia sahaja," katanya lagi.

PM signs Asean Human Rights Declaration Posted: 17 Nov 2012 04:43 PM PST (The Star) - PHNOM PENH: Asean leaders have adopted the Asean Human Rights Declaration at the 21st Asean Summit here Sunday. Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak signed on behalf of the Malaysian Government at the Peace Palace where the summit is being held. The Asean Human Rights Declaration states that every person is entitled to certain rights regardless of race, gender, age, language, religion and political opinions, among others. The declaration also states that the rights of women, children, elderly and disabled persons and migrant workers are integral and indivisible part of human rights and fundamental freedoms. Asean secretary-general Surin Pitsuwan said the adoption of the declaration is a major development and member states were ready to commit themselves to it. "Asean shall pursue the protection and promotion of human rights in the region in our own way and also try to maintain the highest standard as expressed in various declarations and instruments of the international community," Surin told a press conference here.

‘Umno-linked ustaz implied Prophet is racist’ Posted: 17 Nov 2012 04:34 PM PST This kind of person is the stumbling block to national unity, says Islamic Renaissance Front. Leven Woon, FMT An Umno-linked religious academician has implied that the Prophet Muhamad is a racist in a bid to justify the BN's racial policies, claimed Islamic Renaissance Front chief Ahmad Farouk Musa today. He said Fathul Bari Mat Jahya (photo), from the Umno's Islamic scholars group Ilmuwan Muda Umno (Ilmu), has made the argument in an op-ed in Utusan Malaysia earlier this year. "The worst thing about Ilmu people… one of its leaders wrote specifically in a column in Utusan that it's alright for the government to practice racism, because the Prophet was a racist," he said in a NGO conference this morning. "And this is the character who is touted to be the next Perlis MB," he told some 100 audiences in a speech which themed on national unity. He said these group of Islamists, coupled with the far-right government-owned NGOs, which he mockingly dubbed as "gongos", are the major stumbling block to unity. Ahmad Farouk was referring to the Utusan article titled "The Prophet Racist Agreement and The Malay Rulers' Deal" which was published on Feb 29. In the article, Fathul argued that the Prophet appointed the keeper of the holy Kaaba key based on the person's lineage. The Kaaba key keeper overlooks the Zamzam Well, which is believed to be a miraculously-generated source of water from the god. While Fathul did not openly declare the Prophet as a racist, he however drew similarity between the Kaaba appointment and the social contract "sealed" by the country's forefathers which guarantees the rights of the Malays. READ MORE HERE

The political evolution of the Malays Posted: 17 Nov 2012 04:27 PM PST With the present scenario, the Malay race will never again be united like it had been during the early post-independence days because the younger internet-savvy 'Malay' generation will never understand the mentality of the 'Malay' generation of the 50's or 60's. Stephen Yaman, Sabah The Malays have been a predominant race in Malaysian politics. This had been the situation since the early days of independence when the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) was a very strong and cohesive party. The Malays among themselves were very united in their struggle for independence from the British colonial rule. After the independence of Malaya, the Malays as the majority race managed to unite and rule, initially with the help of the Chinese and Indians, and later, after the formation of Malaysia, with other native races of Sabah and Sarawak. As Malaysia grew, developed and prospered over the years, the Malay race became more powerful. Individuals among the Malay leaders wanted to have more control, more power and more wealth (money) that goes with power. But who are the Malays? From a very brief study at school regrading the history of 'Malaya', we were taught that the ethnic 'Malays' originated from the Indonesian island of Sumatra back in the year 1402. They came to 'Malaya' with their king Parameswara who fled from the kingdom Singapura after it was sacked by naval forces from the ruler of the kingdom of Majapahit. After embracing Islam, Parameswara changed his name to Iskandar Shah. Before these refugees landed in 'Malaya', I assumed the country was already inhabited by the Orang Asli in the interior and by the Thais in the north. So the 'Malays' were newcomers to 'Malaya'. (Corrections to all this is very much welcome!) However, the history of the Malays only became more widely known after they embraced the Islamic religion -- as before that they were Hindus, just like their king, Parameswara. Very little is taught in school of the history of the Malays in the period when they were Hindus, before they embraced Islam. For a few hundred years, the 'Malays' ruled a large portion of the land now known as 'Malaya'. They fought and won several wars with the Thais in the north and later with the European invaders who came in their battleships with their superior weapons to whom they eventually lost. (As we do not want a repeat of our defeat to the Portuguese, we have bought the two submarines, the Scorpions to defend Malaysia!) Up until then, the Malay people were a fairly well defined race by their bloodline and ancestry. They were a group of people who lived the area of the world, named by the British as the Malay Archipelago, which covered the present countries of Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines. However, beginning with the colonial days with the influx of people from other countries, notably from China and India, the racial bloodline of the 'Malays' started to get diluted and became much less well-defined, to the extent now the physical features of the 'Malays' range from the 'original stock' of small and brown-skinned people to tall and dark skinned more like the Indians, or medium height, light skinned and rounded face like the Chinese, or tall and light skinned eith sharp facial features like the Europeans. The Malays of Malaysia as a race have evolved so much that being a 'Malay' now is more a matter of definition rather than being determined by the bloodline of the person. A 'Malay' is now defined by Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad as a person who 'speaks the Malay language, mainly observes the 'Malay' customs, habitually wears a sarong when relaxing at home, often comfortably eats with his fingers while seated on a mat on the floor, but most importantly who professes the religion of Islam'. So by this definition, a person of any racial grouping in the world could become a 'Malay' in Malaysia. So now it is quite possible to have a Chinese Malay, an Indian Malay, an Arab Malay and even an 'orang putih' Malay! In Sabah it is also possible to find Dusun Malays, Bajau Malays and of course Brunei Malays. With all the different varieties in the 'Malay' race, the 'Malays' as a race in Malaysia, are no longer united, with each variety seeing a different path to their future and the future of the country. The Kelantan Malays and PAS could not be bothered with all that were happening in the Malaysian capital and they have stayed out of BN-UMNO although Tengku Razaleigh, a Malay of Kelantan, did show some interest in the leadership of the party and with Musa Hitam, he did try but failed to topple Dr Mahathir in UMNO. Mahathir, an Indian Malay, was a very strong minded prime minister who could not tolerate anyone who questioned his authority. As Lim Kit Siang, who is not a Malay, said, "Mahathir is a PM with a mind of his own. He is capable of doing great good but he is also capable of great evil." "He can believe that he is right while the whole world is wrong, and he does what it takes to change it. Well, if you are right, then, fine. But if you are wrong, then you can cause great evil. There is nothing to act as a brake". Dr Mahathir managed to survive for many years as the longest serving Prime Minister but finally fell due to "money politics" within UMNO. The Malays in Malaya were further broken up by Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim with the setting up of Party Keadilan Rakyat (PKR). In the 2008 General Election, Anwar successfully managed to pull together a coalition to form Pakatan Rakyat (PR) comprising PKR/DAP/PAS opposition parties that broke the two thirds majority of BN in the Malaysian parliament. In the meantime, Sabah had been a big headache and a huge problem state for BN. To counter the racial 'imbalance' problem in Sabah, new 'Malays' were needed and was created with the now infamous 'Project IC'. With the creation of the new 'Malays', the population of Sabah 'Malays' exploded over a very short period of time, the Project IC 'Malays' being a naturally prolific breeder. Even with the help of the new Project IC 'Malays' in Sabah it took some years for Mahathir to successfully suppress and put PBS under his control but Pairin, who is not a Malay by definition, remained as an opposition leader until 2003 when UMNO set up office in Sabah. By then, Pairin had no choice but to ask his followers to jump ship for their survival. It was then that PBS coined their famous saying, "To join BN and correct BN from within" as justification for joining BN. So the situation now is that, apart from the various varieties of 'Malays' mentioned earlier, we also have UMNO 'Malays', PAS 'Malays', PKR 'Malays', Sabah 'Malays', Sarawak 'Malays' and the Project IC 'Malays'. From the early post-independence days of 'unite and rule', the Malays have now evolved politically to adopt, from their previous British masters, a political strategy of 'divide and rule' - the Chinese, Indians and others. But now UMNO as a 'Malay' political party had become too big and too fat and serious cracks began to appear from factions or groups within the party due to power struggle, control and greed. The Malay in-fighting, which started in the 1980's, resulted in UMNO being deregistered, 'New UMNO' being born, many leaders were sidelined, Anwar left, Mahathir resigned, Badawi, a Chinese Malay, took over and lost control, and Najib, a Bugis Malay, came to power. It is now impossible to bring back the 'Malays' together as a cohesive race like the days prior to Malaya's independence. It is now widely believed that Sabah and Sarawak will play the role of the "King Maker" again, and for the second time, in the coming 13th General Election. This is the reason why Najib and many BN leaders have been making frequent trips to Sabah and Sarawak; and so have opposition leaders from PR. The side-players on the BN "chess board" are slowly dropping off – the Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA), the Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC), Gerakan, and Peoples Progressive Party (PPP), are becoming less and less significant in Malaysian politics. Meanwhile, Sarawak BN seems happy for now with the Party Pesaka Bumiputra Bersatu (PBB) leadership of Taib Mahmud (a Melanau Malay by Mahathir's definition) at the helm. There is, however, no successor to Taib Mahmud's decaying dynasty as his boys are indifferent to the politics of the country and couldn't care less about the welfare of the people because they have rich toys to play with and they already have billions of dollars in their bank accounts. The natural phenomenon of the tsunami of reformation and transformation in Malaysia will come in the 13th General Election with the power of the now fragmented Malay race in Malaysian politics very much weakened. The smaller BN component parties in Sabah and Sarawak will inevitably fade away just like their counterparts in Peninsula Malaysia – with less and less representation in parliament. With the present scenario, the Malay race will never again be united like it had been during the early post-independence days because the younger internet-savvy 'Malay' generation will never understand the mentality of the 'Malay' generation of the 50's or 60's. And with the fragmentation of the 'Malay' race, Malaysia and the world would see a totally different picture in the 13th General Election, which will give birth to a natural balance of power. If the individual wealth of 'Malay' leaders is measured in billions of Ringgit, what significance is now the value of giving RM500, even twice, to the generally low income, dangerously dissatisfied and resentful 'Malay' populace? Politically, the 'Malays' of the various varieties have matured. They will no longer accept peanuts while their leaders swim in wealth, drive in exorbitantly expensive cars, live in palatial residences, have multiple wives with unlimited expense accounts and with children educated in expensive foreign universities. They also want a piece of the Malaysian cake so they will surely cast a vote for change in the next general election.

Husam Musa: PAS perlu menang 60 kerusi Parlimen Posted: 17 Nov 2012 03:57 PM PST (Malaysian Digest) - PAS, yang mengadakan muktamar tahunan terakhir sebelum Pilihan Raya Umum ke-13 (PRU13), perlu menang sekurang-kurangnya 60 kerusi Parlimen, kata Naib Presidennya, Datuk Husam Musa. Sehubungan itu menurut beliau, kemenangan yang paling mustahak dalam menentukan hala tuju perjuangan parti berusia lebih enam dekad ini. "Sehebat mana perjuangan kita dalam kerangka demokrasi, kemenangan yang paling mustahak. "Berapa kerusi yang kita boleh menang? Paling tidak kita kena menang 60 kerusi dan sekarang kita fokus kerusi mana yang boleh menang," kata beliau ketika menggulung perbahasan ucapan dasar presiden pada Muktamar Tahunan Pas ke-50 di Pengkalan Chepa. Husam yang juga Exco Kerajaan Negeri Kelantan berkata, pada PRU12 empat tahun lalu, Pas  memberi fokus ke atas 40 kerusi, tetapi ketika itu 10 kerusi tersasar daripada mencapai sasar kerana faktor undi pos. Menurut Husam, terdapat 11 kawasan Parlimen yang majoriti undi membabitkan tentera. Husam yang juga Pengerusi Bersama Manifesto Pakatan Rakyat melontarkan pesanan supaya jangan terlalu ghairah ketika melangkah untuk mencapai kemenangan. PRU13 disebut-sebut akan diadakan dalam waktu terdekat. Mandat semasa Kerajaan Pusat akan berakhir 28 April depan. Katanya, setiap ahli parti perlu bertindak bagi mengolah Pas  untuk menang dan mudah diterima semua pihak. Oleh itu kata beliau, kunci kepada kejayaan itu ialah merakyatkan perjuangan dengan bekalannya "Negara Berkebajikan." "Jangan terlalu hendak menang tanpa menyemak kedudukan kita sebenarnya. Pengkritik telah mengkritik kononnya kita telah meninggalkan perundangan Islam sehingga diperkenalkan pula konsep Negara Berkebajikan. "Jangan pula kita hilang rasa tawaduk kepada Al-Malik dan menerimalah apa yang ditentukan Allah," kata Husam. Katanya: "Jangan dilihat kita terlalu gelojoh, jangan pula kita menunduk sehingga terhantuk. Kita hendak kaji apakah punca kita kalah sebelum ini dan bagaimana pula cara hendak menang." "Selepas muktamar ini kita balik dan semak di kawasan masing-masing," kata Husam.

Anwar distances himself from Pas prayer Posted: 17 Nov 2012 03:51 PM PST Opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has chosen to distance himself from Pas' prayer for the fall of Umno at the Sultan Muhammad IV Stadium on Friday night.   "No problem, we can discuss this in a nice manner," he said shortly when stopped by reporters before making a hasty exit.   Anwar who is also Parti Keadilan Rakyat de facto leader earlier delivered a keynote address at the National Education Direction Convention at Unisel Shah Alam.   Pas organised the prayer for divine intervention (sembahyang hajat) to destroy Umno in conjunction with the party's rally and muktamar held in Kelantan.   The supplication by thousands of Pas supporters was led by the younger brother of Pas spiritual leader, Kelantan Menteri Besar Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat.   Among the content of the supplication was to wish for Umno and Barisan Nasional (BN) to be condemned like how the Pharaohs were drowned in the ocean, how Qarun was swallowed by the earth and how Nimrod, as well as Abu Lahab were cursed.   They also prayed for the Opposition to have an easy road to Putrajaya.   However, the act had been criticised by various quarters as inappropriate as it was against the values and teachings of Islam. Read more: Anwar distances himself from Pas prayer - Latest - New Straits Times http://www.nst.com.my/latest/anwar-distances-himself-from-pas-prayer-1.173038?localLinksEnabled=false=03d163d03edding-pred-1.1176%2F%3Fpfpentwage63dp%3A%2Fhe3d03dn63frea-rti3d19.3d163d03edding-pred-1.1176%2F%3Fpfpentwage63dp%3A%2Fhe3d03dn63frea-rti3d19.111w5ii%2Fed-1.1176%2F%2F2.2525%2F2.2525%2F1.331200%3Fcache%3D03d163d03edding-pred-1.1176%2F%3Fpfpentwage63dp%3A%2Fhe3d03dn63frea-rti3d19.111w5ii%2Fed-1.1176%2F%3Fparentpage%3D2.%2F7.2772%2F7.2772%2F7.2772%2F7.2772%2F7.27722%2F7.2772%2F7.2772%2F7.2772%2F7.2772%2F7.%3Fcache%3D03d163d03ntpage%3D2.%2F7.2772%2F7.2772%2F7.2772%2F7.2772%2F7.27722%2F7.2772%2F7.2772%2F7.2772%2F7.2772%2F7.%3Fcache%3D03d163d03edd1ng-pred-1.1176%2F%2F1.331200%2F7.184652%2F7.77028#ixzz2CYgpSzXB Opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has chosen to distance himself from Pas' prayer for the fall of Umno at the Sultan Muhammad IV Stadium on Friday night. "No problem, we can discuss this in a nice manner," he said shortly when stopped by reporters before making a hasty exit. Anwar who is also Parti Keadilan Rakyat de facto leader earlier delivered a keynote address at the National Education Direction Convention at Unisel Shah Alam. Pas organised the prayer for divine intervention (sembahyang hajat) to destroy Umno in conjunction with the party's rally and muktamar held in Kelantan. The supplication by thousands of Pas supporters was led by the younger brother of Pas spiritual leader, Kelantan Menteri Besar Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat. Among the content of the supplication was to wish for Umno and Barisan Nasional (BN) to be condemned like how the Pharaohs were drowned in the ocean, how Qarun was swallowed by the earth and how Nimrod, as well as Abu Lahab were cursed. They also prayed for the Opposition to have an easy road to Putrajaya. However, the act had been criticised by various quarters as inappropriate as it was against the values and teachings of Islam.   Read more: Anwar distances himself from Pas prayer - Latest - New Straits Times http://www.nst.com.my/latest/anwar-distances-himself-from-pas-prayer-1.173038?localLinksEnabled=false=03d163d03edding-pred-1.1176%2F%3Fpfpentwage63dp%3A%2Fhe3d03dn63frea-rti3d19.3d163d03edding-pred-1.1176%2F%3Fpfpentwage63dp%3A%2Fhe3d03dn63frea-rti3d19.111w5ii%2Fed-1.1176%2F%2F2.2525%2F2.2525%2F1.331200%3Fcache%3D03d163d03edding-pred-1.1176%2F%3Fpfpentwage63dp%3A%2Fhe3d03dn63frea-rti3d19.111w5ii%2Fed-1.1176%2F%3Fparentpage%3D2.%2F7.2772%2F7.2772%2F7.2772%2F7.2772%2F7.27722%2F7.2772%2F7.2772%2F7.2772%2F7.2772%2F7.%3Fcache%3D03d163d03ntpage%3D2.%2F7.2772%2F7.2772%2F7.2772%2F7.2772%2F7.27722%2F7.2772%2F7.2772%2F7.2772%2F7.2772%2F7.%3Fcache%3D03d163d03edd1ng-pred-1.1176%2F%2F1.331200%2F7.184652%2F7.77028#ixzz2CYgpSzXB

Muslimat, Ulama Pas hanya mahu Hadi jadi PM Posted: 17 Nov 2012 03:34 PM PST (Sinar Harian) - Susulan syor perwakilan Muktamar Tahunan Pas ke-58 semalam, Dewan Muslimat dan Dewan Ulama hari ini melahirkan pendirian pihaknya hanya mahu Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang menjadi Perdana Menteri jika Pakatan Rakyat (PR) mengambil alih Kerajaan Pusat. Dewan Muslimat Pas Pusat menerusi Ketua Penerangannya, Aiman Athirah Al Jundi mengetengahkan pendirian itu ketika menyampaikan ucapan penggulungan pada Muktamar Tahunan Pas ke-58 hari ini.Namun kata Athirah, bunyinya memang lunak untuk menjadikan presiden mereka sebagai tonggak, tetapi ia harus dibuktikan dahulu menerusi kerja kuat yang diterjemahkan dengan kemenangan sekurang-kurangnya 60 kerusi Parlimen pada pilihan raya akan datang. "Kemenangan itu tidak akan dicapai apabila kita bercakap kita akan menang, tidak juga melalui cabar-mencabar atau desak-mendesak agar kita menjadi ketua. "Apabila kita mahu pemimpin kita Datuk Seri Tuan Guru Presiden yang dikasihi diangkat menjadi Perdana Menteri yang ketujuh maka wajib, kita berusaha sehabis mungkin untuk memastikan semua kerusi Parlimen dalam pilihan raya umum akan datang kita sapu," katanya sambil disambut sorakan para perwakilan. Sementara itu, Naib Ketua Dewan Ulama Pas Pusat, Datuk Dr Mahfodz Mohamed berkata, tidak ada sebab untuk presiden parti itu tidak dilantik sebagai Perdana Menteri jika Pas berjaya menyumbang kerusi paling banyak pada PRU akan datang. "Jadi lepas ini, jangan ada yang mempromosikan orang lain, kita sebulat suara mahu Hadi jadi PM," ujarnya yang disokong sebulat suara oleh seluruh perwakilan. Semalam wakil Dewan Ulama Pas Pusat, Hairun Nizam Mat Hussain menyatakan hasrat sayap parti itu agar Presiden Pas, Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang dilantik sebagai Perdana Menteri Malaysia, dan bukannya dari parti komponen Pakatan Rakyat, jika menang PRU. Beliau yang ditemui Sinar Harian selepas itu mengulangi pendirian bahawa beliau yakin sebahagian besar ahli Pas mengharapkan Abdul Hadi yang menerajui Malaysia pada masa akan datang. "Saya kira kalau rata-rata ahli Pas mahukan presiden (Abdul Hadi) sendiri jadi Perdana Menteri, tetapi tuan guru dia mempunyai sikap yang baik iaitu dalam masalah memimpin masyarakat itu yang terbaik adalah pelaksanaan amanah, siapa yang hendak menjadi yang paling tinggi, ia terserah kepada rakyat," katanya. Malah Hairun semalam berkata, tidak sepatutnya parti itu berkempen untuk orang lain yang menjadi Perdana Menteri. "Bukan sebagai alasan untuk menaik-naikkan beliau, tetapi beliaulah orang yang lain layak untuk menjadi pemimpin, Perdana Menteri pada masa akan datang dan kita sebagai anak didik kepada Pas, tidak sepatutnya, kita pula yang berkempen agar orang lain menjadi pemimpin sedangkan negara yang ingin dibawa adalah negara yang berdasarkan syariat. "Kita meletakkan satu keyakinan bahawa presiden kita orang yang berkaliber untuk memimpin sebuah negara...," katanya. Kenyataan itu dilihat bercanggah dengan beberapa pandangan sebelum ini yang menyatakan bahawa Ketua Pembangkang, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim merupakan individu paling layak untuk menjadi Perdana Menteri. Abdul Hadi ketika diminta mengulas perkata itu berkata beliau lebih rela menjadi khadam.

Anwar: Pakatan to discuss future country leadership Posted: 17 Nov 2012 03:28 PM PST (The Star) - Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim will hold a discussion with his Pakatan Rakyat colleagues on the suggestion by PAS' Dewan Ulama that PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang be made Prime Minister should the coalition come into power. Anwar was evasive when met by reporters after launching a convention on national education at Universiti Selangor (Unisel) here Sunday, saying he had to rush off for another function in Kuantan. When asked to react to the call made by Dewan Ulama representative Hairun Nizam in support of Hadi as Prime Minister, Anwar said: "It's okay. No problem. We will discuss in a nice manner". He then quickly stepped into his car and took off. At the 58th PAS muktamar in Kota Baru on Saturday, Hairun said Hadi was the best candidate for the job if the coalition took over Putrajaya. His call runs contrary to the popular assumption that Pakatan would appoint Anwar as Prime Minister if it won the 13th general election. DAP's Lim Kit Siang reaffirmed this stance at the Pakatan gathering in Kota Baru on Thursday. When pressed for a reaction, Hadi dodged questions and said he'd rather be a "servant" to the people and country. "Whoever becomes the Prime Minister needs the support of the party and people. "I would rather be a khadam (servant) to the people," he said.

Anwar says ‘no problem’ if Hadi made PM Posted: 17 Nov 2012 03:22 PM PST Nomy Nozwir, The Malaysian Insider Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim responded positively today to calls from PAS members for their party president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang to be prime minister should Pakatan Rakyat (PR) win the coming polls, saying the proposal could be discussed. The veteran politician, whose ambitions for the post is no secret, did not waver when approached by The Malaysian Insider for his response to the suggestion made yesterday by members of PAS's ulama wing. "No problem, kita boleh bincang dengan baik (we can discuss this amicably)," Anwar said. During debates at the muktamar yesterday, a delegate from the party's ulama wing made a surprise proposal for Abdul Hadi to take on the prime minister's post instead of Anwar. Hairun Nizam, who made the suggestion during his turn at debates, said the PAS president was the "best person" to lead the country. In response, the delegate earned enthusiastic shouts of "takbir" from the over 1,000 gathered for the annual meet here. "I'd like to ask the delegates — who is the best person to lead the Malaysian government if not for Tuan Guru president?" he asked. "This is not for the sake of revering him, but he is the most qualified person to become the next prime minister... and we, as protégés of an Islamic party, should not campaign for others to take on the post," he added. Hairun's suggestion and the resounding support of party delegates contradicts the stand taken by the Pakatan Rakyat (PR) leadership, which has repeatedly endorsed its de facto leader Anwar for the post of prime minister. During the pact's mammoth Himpunan Merdeka Rakyat rally in the Sultan Muhammad IV Stadium here on Friday, DAP adviser Lim Kit Siang had reaffirmed this stand, declaring that PR parties DAP, PKR and PAS were united in selecting Anwar to replace Umno's Datuk Seri Najib Razak should the pact wrest federal power in the next general election. "Anwar will be the seventh prime minister, not the sixth," he told the tens of thousands gathered at the venue. The veteran politician said the stand was taken to "save" the country from the spread of corruption. PR parties have repeatedly had to reaffirm their endorsement of Anwar as prime minister-designate to deflect criticisms from their political foes in Barisan Nasional (BN) that they were unable to achieve consensus on numerous issues. MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek recently said that PR was unfit to rule the country due to the numerous conflicts among the pact's three parties, pointing out that while some leaders have touted Anwar as prime minister, others have also said that the opposition leader was not the only qualified candidate for the post. In a recent interview with the Financial Times, Anwar admitted that the coming 13th general election may be his last shot at power, saying that he may quit politics if PR fails in its bid to claim Putrajaya. The influential business newspaper had noted that Anwar seemed tired for a man facing his best shot yet of governing a 28 million multiracial population fed-up with over half a century of BN rule that appears unable to reform politically, socially and economically.

Sting in the tail (or at the end) Posted: 17 Nov 2012 03:08 PM PST Poor Anwar bravely said it's okay for PAS' Hadi Awang to be PM. Of course it's not f* okay for Anwar. He didn't come on this long arduous road just to hand over his long-sought-after dream job, the PM-ship, to a PAS man, whose party couldn't and wouldn't have achieved such a broad based multi racial multi religious support if not for Anwar Ibrahim. KTEMOC KONSIDERS Malaysiakini - PAS ready to rule M'sia with Pakatan, declares Hadi reported: "PAS conducts tahaluf siyasi with an understanding that Pakatan Rakyat upholds the concept of commonality and not focus on differences," he said. "This tahaluf siyasi should not make us lose sight of PAS members' understanding towards the concept of Fiqh al-Taat (loyalty) to the party," he said. Harakah Daily - Hadi outlines ways to set right the economy Hadi said should PAS be given the mandate to rule as part of Pakatan Rakyat, the party would strive for a shift to an economic philosophy that was fairer. "In this regard, the fiscal as well as the fair monetary policy must be utilised fully to pace growth," he said, adding that future implementation of economic policy must be complemented by the concept of reward and punishment according to the Shariah, holistic accountability and preventive laws to prevent extravagance, leakage, fraud and corruption. These are not just the words of a PAS President but that of a PM-in-waiting. Pak Haji has now projected his very very presidential prime ministerial persona, and proclaims he/PAS is "ready" to rule Malaysia …. er … together with Pakatan of course. Throughout his more than 2-hour speech at the PAS Muktamar, he studiously avoided any mention of the hudud word, and stressed instead on PAS' concept of an Islamic welfare state. Coincidentally, The Malaysian Insider (TMI) had carried the news earlier that some leading PAS delegates want party leaders to tread lightly on sensitive issues where it reported: Several PAS delegates have expressed fear that the outspokenness and eagerness of some leaders to comment on sensitive issues would only invite trouble for the party ahead of the coming general election. Though they used Nurul Izzah's 'no compulsion in religion' as the example to showcase the improper, inappropriate and indiscreet haste of some over-eager PAS leaders to speak out, and unwittingly use words which could hurt PAS' election prospects, I suspect those PAS delegates have something more important in mind, namely, the implementation of PAS avowed hudud. Today, TMI's Muktamar PAS lebih matang, elak bicara isu sensitif untuk kekal sokongan bukan islam left us in no doubt on that, reporting clearly PAS' pre-election strategy: Muktamar Tahunan PAS ke-58 yang terakhir menjelang pilihan raya umum (PRU) ke-13 akan melabuhkan tirainya hari ini dilihat lebih matang berbanding tahun sebelumnya, kata penganalisis politik tanah air. Mereka turut berpendapat, PAS dilihat mengamalkan sikap berhati-hati dalam menyentuh isu sensitif seperti hudud yang berkemungkinan akan memberikan kesan sokongan daripada penyokong bukan Muslim mereka. In short, ... (translated in kaytee's way) ... so far so good mateys, you've shown maturity but make sure you don't blurb out sensitive stuff that'll frighten away the non-Muslim votes for PAS. To be fair, PAS has never hidden the fact it is an Islamic party with an Islamic obligation to turn Malaysia into its vision of what an Islamic country should be. And no matter how many examples or empirical evidence we present to it in hopes those would convince the Islamic party that a syariah system, inclusive of hudud, will not cure away or even minimize corruption, injustice and misrule or for that matter, install a better regime of social justice, proper governance and compassion (as per the Compassion of Allah swt), it will fall on their deaf ears ... ... as PAS firmly believes it's not only its Islamic duty to implement hudud successfully but that it can do what couldn't be done/achieved in other Islamic hudud-ruled countries like Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and even Shia Iran, etc. hudud-ruled Pakistan In those and any other Islamic countries, you will not find one single Islamic country which can demonstrate those aspired Islamic qualities of social justice, proper governance and compassion, as ironically can be found in many secular nations. Hudud! Aiyah, PAS obviously hasn't heard of the non-Islamic advice given by: (a) Lord Acton who said "Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men", or Lord Acton (b) British PM William Pitt the Elder who advised "Unlimited power is apt to corrupt the minds of those who possess it", or (c) French poet Alphonse Marie Louis de Prat de Lamartine who gave us "It is not only the slave or serf who is ameliorated in becoming free ... the master himself did not gain less in every point of view, ... for absolute power corrupts the best natures." And that's what a hudud-ruled nation would confer on its leaders, total unchallengeable unquestionable absolute power as witnessed in Afghanistan under the Taliban, Iran under the ayatollahs, Saudi Arabia, etc, and even a whiff of that in our own Kedah where PAS has passed legislation stating its fatwa's may not be questioned or challenged. The common denominator of hudud-ruled countries seems to be the 3-P's, that of 'prohibit', 'persecute' (note, not 'prosecute') and 'punish'. Missing instead are the 3-C's of 'counselling', 'care' and 'compassionate' (a la the Compassion of Allah swt). Nonetheless, for PAS to achieve its religious dream it must first be in (majority) rule, and that in turn relies on two equally important factors. Firstly, it must win for itself mucho federal parliamentary seats, on which it is fairly dependent on non-Muslim votes, to help secure, say, around 60-ish federal parliamentary seats if not more. Every single vote counts a la Julia Fietcher Carney's:   Little drops of water, little grains of sand, make the mighty ocean and the beauteous land    Yes, every non-Muslim vote helps if it is to realize its desire to emerge as the Pakatan component party with the most number of parliamentary seats and thus, with the loudest say in the coalition, in other words, as Pakatan's primus inter pares (first among equals). PAS supporters club Naturally, at this most crucial moment (on the eve of GE-13) it most certainly doesn't want some inflexible (immature, wakakaka) hardcore ulama to say stuff that will frighten away its non-Muslim supporters ... ... non-Muslim supporters whom it has now gained substantially for the first time in its long history, thanks to a combination of the brilliant strategy by its Erdogen faction (one which Pak Haji Hadi Awang joined late, perhaps after his ulama eyes were opened to the 'bigger picture') and the support of its Pakatan allies. The ABU campaign which I only support with much reservation and many qualifications has also contributed greatly to the pro-PAS non-Muslim supporters' blind rage to get rid of everything and anything BN, even if the consequences can in some cases be far more forbidding. In this, PAS' Erdogan-ists have to be complimented for brilliantly projecting to the non-Muslims that it's an inclusive political party with the welfare of the rakyat foremost in mind. Of course in the process it had to marginalize those obdurately blinkered Myrmidon ulamas within its fold. So basically, it's a crucial juncture in time that calls for the following reminders: READ MORE HERE

PRU13: Ada tokoh tertentu akan jadi calon PAS Posted: 17 Nov 2012 02:57 PM PST (Harakah) - Setiausaha Agung PAS Datuk Mustafa Ali memberitahu akan ada di kalangan calon PAS pada Pilihan Raya Umum (PRU) ke-13 nanti yang bukan dari cadangan mana-mana cawangan, kawasan mahupun negeri. Sebaliknya, calon-calon ini adalah pilihan pimpinan tertinggi parti yang merasakan perlu untuk mereka bertanding atas faktor tertentu. Menurut Mustafa, kebiasaannya pejabat setiausaha agung akan meminta PAS negeri mencadangkan tiga nama sama ada untuk peringkat Dewan Undangan Negeri (Dun) atau Parlimen. Negeri pula biasanya akan meminta cadangan nama calon itu daripada kawasan untuk diserah kepada pusat bagi diteliti oleh  jawatankuasa harian PAS dan kemudia Majlis Syura Ulamak. "Ada juga individu yang tidak dicadangkan oleh parti sama ada oleh cawangan, kawasan atau negeri, tetapi pimpinan merasakan perlu orang-orang tertentu ini diberi tempat bertanding dalam PAS, tapi jumlahnya tak ramai. "Ini kerana mereka mungkin ada pengaruh di kalangan masyarakat dan penyertaan mereka sebagai calon akan memberi nilai tambah sokongan rakyat kepada PAS," katanya. Beliau berkata demikian sewaktu berucap menggulung ucapan dasar Presiden pada Muktamar Tahunan PAS semalam. Justeru ujar beliau, ahli di semua peringkat harus faham dengan sebarang ketetapan yang akan diputuskan oleh pimpinan tertinggi parti. Sementara itu, Mustafa turut menjelaskan bahawa tidak berlaku dalam PAS di mana calon, mencari-cari sendiri kawasan yang dia mahu bertanding. Sebaliknya, hal berkaitan kawasan khususnya parlimen adalah ditentukan juga oleh pimpinan tertinggi parti. "Kalau nak kata bahawa orang tertentu mencari-cari tempat mana dia nak bertanding, itu tidak ada berlaku dalam PAS. "Sebab syarat nak jadi calon dalam PAS ini, dia tak boleh mintak nak jadi calon. Kalau dia mintak jadi calon awal-awal lagi dia tidak akan jadi calon," katanya.

Striking the right chord Posted: 17 Nov 2012 02:48 PM PST On the same note: Khairy has given Umno Youth the urban voice that it so badly needs in the new political landscape. He is seen with the Prime Minister at a music event organised by Barisan Nasional Youth. The three wings of Umno are reporting back to the party next week on what they have accomplished after having to confront some very challenging terrain in the post-2008 political landscape. Umno Youth has been the most aggressive opposition among the three wings and its chief Khairy Jamaluddin has been central to this role. The Youth wing has adapted best to the new environment and Penang Youth head Sheikh Hussein Mydin is making a name for himself as a critic of the Chief Minister. Joceline Tan, The Star DATUK Seri Shahrizat Jalil may be down and on the way out but her ladies in red still love her. She is no longer a minister, she does not get the media coverage she used to enjoy and she is struggling to clear her family's name in court over the NFCorp case. But her supporters in Wanita Umno do not seem to mind and many of them still flock to hug and kiss her at Wanita events. It has been a turbulent year for the Wanita Umno leader during which her personal life was turned upside down and her political career derailed. But very few who have seen her in action would suspect that life has been anything but normal for her. The lady has been superb at keeping her composure. She is immaculately groomed as always, her smile is as broad as ever except it does not seem to reach her eyes these days. And wearing the tudung has given her a new image as a Muslim woman. The chief concern of many Umno leaders when Shahrizat quit her minister post in April was the potential impact on the women's wing. They have seen with their own eyes the kind of support she enjoys in the wing. For instance, Kota Belud MP Datuk Rahman Dahlan was stunned to see the normally staid Wanita ladies, some of whom were old enough to be his mother, climbing on top of their chairs and screaming their support for Shahrizat when the latter visited Kota Kinabalu earlier this year. "I was like, wow, I have not seen anything like that before," said Rahman. Rosnah: Questions about whether the Puteri wing is still relevant. But their fears have not materialised. The Wanita wing has held together and part of the credit goes to Shahrizat. She has tried to keep things as normal as usual by holding back her emotions instead of transferring it to the ladies. Without the NFCorp scandal, Shahrizat would have been a wildly successful leader of the wing and won another term hands down. But the sun is setting on her career and she has told her ladies that she will not be contesting the next election. A lot of her oomph is gone without the ministerial clout and she has lost the moral high ground on a lot of issues but there is no question about her commitment as Wanita Umno chief. "You look around and you can see they are still intact. You don't see cracks. I believe she will go all out for Umno in the general election," said Rahman. The senior ladies have shown they are among the most stable and loyal segment of the party. A lot of it has to do with the nature of their gender and the fact that being mothers and grandmothers, they see things in a much more long-term perspective. The Jalinan Rakyat system that Shahrizat introduced at the start of her term is set to be one of the key advantages of the Barisan Nasional campaign in the coming election. Wanita Umno used to be known for their Kumpulan-10 programme where every Wanita member monitors 10 houses in their area. Shahrizat upgraded it to each member looking over 10 voters. The implementation is uneven but in areas where they have been diligent, it means the wing is able to gauge the voting sentiment in great detail. And because of their wide outreach, they are also able to identify needy households. In Selangor, the ladies are known to visit needy families regardless of race with basic items like cooking oil and canned food. People say a lot of nasty things about Umno but its reputation as a grassroots party is for real. Shahrizat: Support from senior ladies despite her fall from grace. Umno's toughest post-2008 challenge has been adapting to the role of opposition in Kedah, Penang, Selangor and Kelantan. "It hasn't been easy because Umno is used to being in power. But I can see them making noise, raising issues in the last couple of years. They have learnt that you cannot take people and power for granted," said businessman Juhaidi Yean Abdullah. Central role Umno Youth has been the most aggressive opposition among the three wings and its chief Khairy Jamaluddin has been central to this role. The Youth wing has adapted best to the new environment and Penang Youth head Sheikh Hussein Mydin is making a name for himself as a critic of the Chief Minister. Khairy had a rocky start after winning the post in a bitter three-way fight with Datuk Seri Dr Khir Toyo and Datuk Mukhriz Mahathir. Dr Khir has been knocked out of the game following his graft conviction. Khairy's relationship with Mukhriz is still thorny but they treat each other professionally in Parliament. Many in Umno blamed Khairy and then Prime Minister Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi for their 2008 debacle. But the boos that had greeted Khairy when he won the Umno Youth leadership in 2009 have changed to acknowledgement that he has performed. The critics are still there but it is increasingly hard to find people in Umno who do not agree that Khairy has done well despite not holding a government post. Every generation is different from the one before it but this generation has been particularly different because of unprecedented factors like the Internet and a world without borders. In that sense, Khairy had more on his plate than many of his predecessors. But his approach and commentary on public issues have shown that he has the intellect, is able to think on his feet and articulates well. His less than conventional style and ideas also reflect well on people of his generation and that is important for a Youth wing. Rahman: Umno's wings have hundreds of programmes every month. He has given Umno Youth the urban voice that it so badly needs. The wing was the prime mover behind the Barisan Youth Lab, a platform for young people to express their views and concerns. Some of the proposals led to actual government policies aimed to meet the housing needs of the younger generation. It mooted the annual Barisan Youth Jobs Fair and participated in the push for civil liberties and has even proposed a bank belia for young people. Some in Umno said the turning point for Khairy was during the Bersih 2.0 street rally when he and other Youth members defied a ban on entering the city to join the protests. He was tear-gassed, drenched by pepper water and arrested. In the eyes of many in Umno, he took the hits for the party and it means something to them. Others said it was his series of public debates with PKR strategist Rafizi Ramli and Bersih chairman Datuk S. Ambiga. Khairy held his own and some thought he did better than Rafizi in one of the debates. Gold medal material Lanchang assemblyman Datuk Sharkar Shamsuddin likes to say that Khairy is gold medal material in the arena of debates because no one else in Umno has done what he did. "Speaking at a ceramah is easy but a debate is tough. You have to do your homework, you've got to be able to argue factually," said Sharkar. When he started out in Parliament, the opposition bench used to taunt him as the "richest unemployed man". But Khairy has become one of the most watched backbenchers and, according to his friend and colleague Rahman, he has taken on no less than Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim in some fiery exchanges. The upside to being without a government post is that he is freer to speak up and take stands that may be contrary to that of the government. He has measured up well against his Youth counterparts like Nasruddin Hassan of PAS and Shamsul Iskander of PKR. Khairy used to be seen as a tall poppy, cocky and too big for his boots but the shoes fit better now. "He has emerged from the shadow of his father-in-law, he is becoming his own person," said Juhaidi. Puteri Umno pales in comparison and Puteri chief Datuk Rosnah Rashid Shirlin, like her immediate predecessor Datuk Noraini Ahmad, has struggled under the long shadow of founding Puteri leader Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said. Sharkar: Described Khairy as the 'gold medallist' debater in Umno. Azalina made Puteri famous partly by the sheer force of her personality – she was bold and tomboyish, unafraid to buck the trend and had lots of va-va-voom. A common remark made about the post-Azalina Puteri wing was that it is lembab or slow. When eye candy Noraini took over, the men used to say that the wing was "pretty and smells nice" but basically, they were mostly disappointed with the wing. Rosnah won the post after a multi-corner fight and, as Rahman pointed out, those who lost did not give their full cooperation. Moreover, Rosnah, a lawyer and a serious person by nature, brought a sober and safe style to a basically young wing and she was seen as toeing the line on issues. The wing has fluctuated from being happening to being pretty and nice-smelling to playing a more mature role. It needs to find its footing. The Puteri ladies have been assigned to handle the IT needs of Umno on the ground and most people in Umno acknowledge that they have done well in that aspect. "When Puteri was formed, there was a crying need for young Malay women to have a role in Umno. It is still relevant but it needs to be more creative in approach," said Umno politician from Terengganu Datuk Wan Albakri Mohd Noor. Politics is a numbers game and critics claimed that the Puteri membership has not increased much. The wing has some 370,000 members and Rosnah has actually recruited about 90,000 new members since taking over. But the 35-year age limit in the wing means that every year, thousands of Puteri girls graduate to join Wanita Umno. The three wings of Umno have had mixed results in the new politics of the post-tsunami years. It has not been an easy journey but the difficult part is yet to come when they will have to put in their all in the general election.

Angkara Chua Soi Lek, habislah Umno kali ini Posted: 17 Nov 2012 02:33 PM PST (Harakah) - Serangan melampau Presiden MCA, Datuk Seri Chua Soi Lek terhadap PAS, hudud dan Mursyidul Am, Tuan Guru Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat telah menimbulkan keresahan dalam Umno sehingga Presiden Umno Datuk Seri Najib Razak tidak boleh berkata apa-apa dalam isu ini. "Ramai dalam Umno merungut, siapakah yang benarkan Chua serang Nik Aziz. Orang Melayu di kampung terfikir bagaimana seorang ulama dan hukum hudud boleh dibiarkan dihina Chua yang pernah dirakam video seksnya. Kalau orang lain, mungkin tak seteruk ini. Tapi Chua, habislah Umno kali ini," kata sumber dalaman Umno kepada Harakahdaily. Kata beliau, walaupun Umno tidak menyukai Nik Aziz dan menyerangnya daripada sudut isu-isu di Kelantan dan kerjasama dengan DAP, akan tetapi Umno tidak pernah sesekali berani mengutuk peribadi beliau sebagai agamawan. "MCA dakwa Nik Aziz galakkan rogol. Melayu mana yang percaya? Tuduh Nik Aziz rasuah pun tak masuk, ini tuduh benda yang tidak berasas ini. Video yang dijadikan bukti tu, semua orang Melayu tonton pun faham Nik Aziz sedang mengajar Islam dan menjurus kepada kebaikan," kata sumber itu lagi. Sumber itu turut mempersoalkan taktik yang digunakan MCA dan Umno untuk meningkatkan undi bukan Islam. "Undi bukan Islam dah hilang. MCA berkata apapun tiada guna. Tapi sekarang MCA sedang menghalau undi Melayu kepada PAS. Orang Umno seperti saya pun terasa tidak tergamak untuk mengundi MCA, malah terasa kesian kat PAS. "Macam mana orang Melayu boleh membiarkan orang Cina yang moralnya tercalar seperti Chua untuk menyerang seorang ulama bertaraf Nik Aziz tanpa berkata apa-apa. Betullah, hanya syaitan yang dikenali yang sanggup membiarkan keadaan sedemikian berlaku,"  tambah beliau. Ketika ditanya mengenai tarikh PRU13, sumber dalaman itu memberitahu Harakahdaily, Pakatan Rakyat kini di depan dengan simple majority seperti yang dikatakan Pengarah Strategi PKR, Rafizi Ramli. "Tapi selepas bom Chua dan MCA, Najib rasanya terpaksa saja meneruskan lakonan ini dan bertukar serangan kepada DAP. MCA serang PAS tak akan diberi liputan di berita bahasa Melayu, Umno pula serang DAP tidak diliputi di berita bahasa Cina. Perang di Facebook dan internet rasanya boleh diucapkan selamat tinggal," kata beliau.

Tanya Najib siapa Deepak dan K Eswaran Posted: 17 Nov 2012 02:29 PM PST (Harakah) - Para wartawan diminta bertanya kepada Perdana Menteri, Datuk Seri Najib Razak siapakah orang yang bernama Deepak (Jaikishan) dan Kenneth Eswaran jika benar beliau perjuangkan Melayu. "Kalau dia pemimpin Melayu, dia kena terang siapakah dua manusia yang mengelilingi kehidupan beliau," kata Dr Hairudin Abdul Malik, perwakilan Tambun. Beliau berkata demikian ketika membahaskan usul yang dibentangkan oleh PAS Pusat berhubung dengan pengkhianatan parti itu kepada orang Melayu ketika bercakap Pakatan akan mengkhianati Melayu jika menang nanti. Siasatan Harakahdaily melalui Google mendapati, kedua-dua nama ini mempunyai hubungan yang sangat rapat dengan Najib khasnya isteri beliau, Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor. Deepak (gambar) dalam satu sidang medianya memberitahu, isteri Perdana Menteri, Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor umpama kakak kepada beliau. "Saya kenal (Rosmah), saya anggap dia seperti seorang kakak. Tetapi dalam perniagaan permaidani, sekali sekala dia akan telefon dan dia mahu bercakap mengenai perkembangan yang berlaku di sekitar kota... Itu sahaja. "Dia seorang yang baik. Jika anda mengenal dia secara peribadi, dia seorang yang baik," kata Deepak  lagi. Katanya lagi, beliau mula mengenali Rosmah apabila wanita itu mula mengunjungi kedai permaidani milik keluarganya di pusat bandar Kuala Lumpur "sekitar enam atau tujuh tahun lalu." "Daripada itu kami membentuk hubungan dengan (keluarga Rosmah). Kadang kala mereka memperkenalkan kami (untuk peluang perniagaan). "Kadang kala kita mahu buat sesuatu projek, mereka berikan surat rujukan kepada kami. (Apabila) kerja dijalankan dengan baik, mereka berikan surat juga," katanya lagi. "Kadang kalau kita mahu buat sesuatu projek, mereka berikan surat rujukan kepada kami. (Apabila) kerja dijalankan dengan baik, mereka berikan surat juga," katanya lagi. Datuk Kenneth Eswaran (gambar) pula adalah rakan akrab kepada Datuk Seri Najib Razak dalam urusan pribadinya termasuk menghubungkannya dengan bomoh dari India. Laman web The Malaysian Insider melaporkan, K Eswaran juga sorang ahli perniagaan yang berada di belakang stesen TV berbayar baru yang bakal dilancarkan tidak lama lagi di bawah syarikat Nilamas Corporation Sdn Bhd. Syarikat ini akan membelanjakan sehingga RM2 bilion dan akan melancarkan Asian Broadcasting Network Sdn Bhd, jenama TV berbayar baru. "Dia mendapat semua ini kerana hubungannya dengan keluarga Najib khasnya 'wanita pertama', Rosmah mansor," kata satu sumber kepada laman web itu.

BN’s only strategy in economics Posted: 17 Nov 2012 02:17 PM PST The Felda Global Venture issue and democracy under Umno have many similarities, says a former Umno Pahang assemblyman. Mohd Ariff Sabri Aziz, FMT What has the Felda Global Venture (FGV) issue got to do with the state of democracy in the country under Umno? The FGV listing simply illustrates that special interest groups in this country determine our democracy instead of the wishes of the majority. The listing of FGV has more to do with the agenda of the moneyed class than the agenda of the no-money settler class. Settlers and employees got 200.6 million of the 2188.9 million shares to be sold. The people representing the majority and overriding interest are the settlers and the employees. There are 112,635 settlers and 3835 employees. They represent directly the interest of Felda people. They are the majority on whose backs and on whose name, this listing was supposed to be done for and benefits meant. My questions to the Felda people is this: Why get only 200.6 million out of the 2.188 billion shares offered? Why own the same from the 3.6482 billion of the enlarged share capital? That's only 5.5% of the interest in Felda. What Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak and the government are doing to you is just cosmetics. Because you are 116,470 strong, you are bribed with RM15,000, RM380 duit raya, 810 shares worth RM3685 at listing and your sons' and daughters' PTPTN are being paid by the government using money that belongs to YOU. Najib will do anything to keep you corralled and addicted to the cocaine of handouts. Who are the "people"? The same is happening to the state of democracy under Umno. This country's future is being determined by special interest groups who are self-selected and thrive on a single chosen issue. When the FGV shares rose up to near RM6 per unit, everyone said that was a testament of the confidence people have with FGV. But who are these "people" exactly? The "people" – a nebulous and hazy term which could be infused with whatever meaning one wishes – refers to the various state governments that were asked to buy the shares and the various government-linked companies (GLCs) that Najib directed to buy FGV's stocks. More important, these "people" are really the moneyed and special interest groups. And of course, Najib alone represents the "people" and naturally he wasn't shy to pat his own back. He must now be an accomplished contortionist. Now that the share price has gone down tremendously, everyone who previously jumped up and down, are saying that it is a normal course in share trading. Going down is part of the normal course, but going up is taken to mean much more? Our take is this – going by the logic of the majority of us with only weak school certificates – the reduction in price, must be testament to lack of confidence. READ MORE HERE

Rumble in Jelapang Posted: 17 Nov 2012 02:13 PM PST The writer, in his usual style, uses satire to question the warrior of Jelapang's quest to recontest in Jelapang. Iskandar Dzulkarnain, FMT Deputy Perak Speaker Hee Yit Foong who quit DAP in 2009 to become a Barisan Nasional-friendly independent, expressed her interest to re-contest Jelapang again, saying that she will not run away from her constituents. "I will be in Jelapang till death and not be a renegade," she said, as the voters of Jelapang have accepted her decision as she has been serving them all this while. What a pleasant surprise for the Jelapang folks. Her announcement is timely and noble of her to reassert her rights as an Independent elected state rep. MCA who is also eyeing the seat has expressed shocked at such a notion and promptly passed judgment that she is unlikely to win the seat. But if she does contest in Jelapang, it is quite certain that any MCA candidate wouldn't stand a chance in a three-cornered fight. Even the DAP candidate may lose his deposit under a heavyweight like Ms Hee. Yes, if there is anyone that can make mincemeat of the opposition, it would be none other than Hee Yit Foong. A petite giant Hee made headlines when she turned independent, leading to the fall of Perak state, much to the annoyance and sullen faces of Pakatan Rakyat. From a nobody, she crawled up to be an MP and a Deputy Speaker. Today, she is an Independent DUN with a fiery ambition, and possesses a beautiful and desirous face that sells. In short she is candidate material and a winnable one too. She is the epitome of political mastery and an example for other aspiring politicians. DAP should seriously woo her back again and apologise for her ill treatment. She is an asset to any coalition. If she happens to contest, DAP knows that the seat is as good as gone. She has determination, self-dignity, loyalty, unselfish, focus and honesty. Such traits are not found in many candidates nowadays. You can be sure that she would not let her constituents down again. A petite lass with a cute smile, somewhat handicapped but still willing to give her life to fight for the downtrodden masses. Today, she is well known as the patriot of Jelapang and the warrior of Jelapang. Someone even called her St Joan of Arc – a famous French woman crusader who fought against the tyrants in the Royal Court. A victim of hate propaganda Why she became independent is still vague, but she had cited being bullied and she was tired of DAP internal politics. After making the brave decision to quit DAP, she became an innocent victim of hate propaganda out to tarnish her impeccable image. She was even accused of being bought over for thousands of ringgit, even though there was no concrete proof. Another rumour was that she was spurned by the DAP who denied her an official Toyota Camry vehicle which led to her walking out. And to top it all, she was blamed for the loss of the Perak state. That is so unfair and you can hardly blame her, as once she turned independent, she obviously cannot be PR-friendly anymore. The fact that she was seen later in a Mercedes Benz proves that she did not leave because of a miserable Camry?! Today, Perak state is in good hands under the meticulous leadership of Zambry Abdul Kadir and efforts are underway to ensure that BN retains the state from falling into the wrong hands again. Kudos to her for such a fine job! There are even critics who said that fielding a donkey against her; the donkey will win hands down. Now, that is rather absurd, as a donkey does not carry an IC and thus cannot become a candidate. Secondly, if the donkey cannot garner enough votes and loses its deposit, how is anyone going to get the money out of that donkey? READ MORE HERE

PAS’ unwavering pursuit of Islamic state Posted: 17 Nov 2012 02:10 PM PST Those following closely the ongoing muktamar will see that PAS is still trapped in the age-old agenda. Implementing hudud laws still remain a priority in its struggle. By Ahmad Farouk Musa, FMT If there is anything unmistakably clear from the recent muktamar or general assembly of Islamic party PAS is that despite the acceptance of the concept of tahalluf siyasi or political consensus among the three major components of the opposition front – Pakatan Rakyat – PAS' ambition in establishing an Islamic state and implementing hudud laws is unwavering, if not more resolute. It appears rather incongruous that despite the acceptance of Buku Jingga or Orange Book as a comprehensive framework of the opposition front on how to govern the country when they come to power, PAS seems to have a higher agenda – to transform the multiracial and multi-religious country into a full-fledged Islamic state with Islamic laws. Islamic laws and hudud were never mentioned in Buku Jingga and neither was the establishment of Islamic State. PAS even came out with its own manifesto "Nation of Care and Opportunity". However this concept of a benevolent state is not well received by many PAS members themselves. Reason being, the so-called Erdoganists in PAS mainly mooted it. Recent spate of debate about the concept of Islamist Democrat – a term popularised by the Erdoganists – between the ulama faction and the young Turks clearly proved that they are considered contaminants in the "pure and pristine" PAS struggle. The changing trend While PAS has been in existent since 1951, it has remarkably shown to be very consistent in its struggle ever since, no matter how insensible it could have been to many. PAS has tried to restore Islam's place as a central reference point for all social, cultural, economic and political life in Muslim society. In the words of Bobby Said in his book "A Fundamental Fear: Eurocentrism and the Emergence of Islamism", he said: Islamism is a project that attempts to transform Islam from a nodal point in the discourse of Muslim communities to a master signifier. In particular, the Islamist project is an attempt to make Islam the master signifier of the political order. However this project of political Islam has taken a new turn after what is known as the Arab Spring or the Arab Awakening. The discourse now is not about establishing an Islamic state or implementing hudud laws. The aspiration now is to nurture pious Muslims within a democratic polity. Rachid Ghannouchi, leader of en-Nahdha in Tunisia has categorically rejected Islamic State in favour of parliamentary democracy. His party en-Nahdhah is committed to social justice, multiparty democracy and religious pluralism. A Professor of Sociology at the University of Illinois, Asef Bayat termed this shift as post-Islamism. There was a clear shift from the age-old slogan of al-Islam huwa al-hal – Islam is the solution to all problems – to a more practical approach and solution. As put forward by Rachid Ghannouchi in interpreting the saying of the Prophet: "You are the best people to know what is beneficial for you in your worldly affairs" meaning to say that it is not the duty of religion to teach us agriculture, industrial or even governing techniques. Reason is qualified to teach this truth through the accumulation of experiences. The role of religion, however, is to answer the big question for us, those relating to our existence, origins, destiny and the purpose for which we were created. It is to provide us with a system of values and principles that would guide our thinking, behaviour and the regulation of the state to which we aspire. Same old rhetoric For those who followed closely the ongoing muktamar, it is evident that PAS is still trapped in the age-old agenda. Implementing hudud laws still remain a priority in its struggle. Obviously this is a clear contradiction to the mutually agreed Buku Jingga. Whether they are aware of the repercussion or not, it definitely provides ammunition to the ruling party that PAS has an ulterior motive to change this country into an Islamic state. The patronising speech by head of Dewan Ulama or the Religious Council in saying in a jest that hudud will create more job opportunities since training is needed in order to chop off hands and that training is also needed for caning of alcohol drinkers only showed that they are not serious about the current economic problems faced by the nation. It is as though by simply implementing hudud, all the economic woes and social ills of the society will be solved. Nothing serious was discussed about the idea of nation of care and opportunity. PAS seems to have lost interest in pursuing the welfare state agenda. The main tone that vibrates especially among the Islamic scholars was nothing more than hudud and their unyielding push for this agenda and not in the least worried about going public about it. One of the most worrying trends during the muktamar is the voices of little Napoleons who tried to silence Harakah and the online Harakahdaily who had been accused to give more space to progressive figures in PAS and sidelining conservative forces. Harakah is accused to have strayed away from its original intent and aspiration of PAS. Such an act would have been seen by many who understand freedom of the press as stifling with the most fundamental foundation of freedom of speech. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights states that everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression: this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference, and impart information and ideas through any media regardless of frontiers. Now this act by the little Napoleons only showed how much they understand and respect human rights and what the future may hold if they come to power. There will not be any room left for dissension and differing opinions than what is being held by them. The political reality Perhaps the most important thing that PAS should appreciate and understand is that the appeal for hudud and Islamic state is not there anymore in the post-Islamism period. PAS should not misunderstand the votes they received as amounting to the support for their Islamic agenda. More than a hundred thousand went to the street for demonstration during Bersih 3.0 recently. The demand was not to implement hudud or establishing an Islamic state. People of various races and religions from all walks of life marched together for a better democracy. They wanted a clean and fair election and a government free of corruption. It was an act of defiance to the draconian and unconstitutional Act that prevented people from any peaceful assembly. It must be heard loud and clear that the people want a truly democratic state. Not a state ruled by a group of Mullahs who considered themselves to be above the law. The precedent was already set when one state under PAS passed an enactment that a fatwa or religious verdict from a Mufti cannot be challenged in the court of law. It has to be understood that the state is not something from God but from the people. The state has to serve the benefit of the people and not just a certain group based on their faith. The state has to be neutral in all aspects. It must also be made clear that a state is a human product and managing a state requires human endeavor and not divine inspiration. READ MORE HERE

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