| Stop demanding religious equality, says ex-Fatwa Council chief Posted: 27 Dec 2012 01:28 PM PST 
(The Malaysian Insider) - Non-Muslims should drop their demand to use "Allah" for their gods as the Arabic word is fundamental to Islamic belief and therefore exclusive to Muslims, National Fatwa Council former chairman Datuk Dr Ismail Ibrahim was reported saying in a Malay daily. Ismail was weighing in on the latest debate over the Arabic word for god, in a row between Islamist opposition party PAS and its secular ally, DAP, which appears to be a hot-button topic in the run-up to national polls due soon. "Enough is enough, enough with all the other policies, including the ones enshrined in the Constitution that has been claimed for equality, to be granted equal rights... therefore the right to recognise the concept of the divinity in this religion, don't grab, challenge and manipulate so. The name 'Allah' is still something basic and fundamental to Islam. "The name 'Allah', from a philosophical point, its definition and concept is not equal with the name Tuhan, God, Lord and so on in the usage of other religions," he was quoted as saying by Sinar Harian in its front-page report today. Ismail was further reported saying those insisting the word "Allah" be allowed for use in Malay bibles should desist due to linguistic and cultural differences. He gave an example that Arabs could swear by the word "Wallahi" hundreds of times in their daily conversation but the oath was incomparable to that understood by Muslim Malaysians in the local language and that this difference between an ordinary oath and the Syariah term was explained in the Quran. "The same, therefore, with the use of the name 'Allah' that is being attempted to be compared with other languages, especially Arabic, even though this comparison should be understood from a linguistic and cultural angle between Malay and Arabic," Ismail told the newspaper. Without naming anyone, he urged the parties against looking for petty reasons to justify the usage of "Allah" for the Christian god. Read more at: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/stop-demanding-religious-equality-says-ex-fatwa-council-chief/ |
| The PAS conundrum – or is it really? Posted: 27 Dec 2012 01:24 PM PST 
No policy decision would be made without consensus from all three parties. This must be emphasised. No one party would be able to decide all on its own the policy of the coalition, since each pary's point of view would have to be given equal consideration even at the policy formulation stage. Tricia Yeoh, Selangor Times At a recent policy dinner at St. Mike's, a cozy Ipoh restaurant, I spoke of civil society, reform issues and my experience of having worked at the Pakatan Rakyat-led Selangor government. The discussion eventually centred on one subject alone, that being the 'PAS conundrum' (titled by me); conundrum being defined as a confusing and difficult problem or question. This has been a recent trend, where I am often asked questions like, "How can we be sure that the radical, conservative Islamic right of PAS won't wield a bigger influence in Pakatan?", or "If Pakatan forms the next Federal Government, would PAS push its agenda of an Islamic State nationwide?", reflecting the real fears and concerns of a certain section of Malaysians. The recent reports of the PAS-led Kelantan state government's gender-segregation regulations for hair salons that were initially imposed on non-Muslim outfits (which were later withdrawn), as well as two non-Muslim couples being issued summonses for indecent behaviour, have contributed to such sentiment. The narrative being played up daily by MCA (not Umno, for obvious reasons) is that non-Muslims in Malaysia must therefore reject Pakatan wholesale based on the assumptions that first, these are bad policies; second, people do not like these bad policies; and third, if PAS can do it in Kelantan, they are likely to do it elsewhere. At the very core of this discussion is the question of how the three Pakatan parties are able to agree on public policy and its implementation were it to take over in the upcoming 13th General Election, given their differences most starkly between DAP and PAS. The former is clearly opposed to the Islamic state, championing the cause of the secular state whilst the latter holds the Islamic state close to heart. First, let us acknowledge that Malaysia is far from homogeneous, its society made up of an extremely wide range of ethnic backgrounds, religions, cultures, class, genders, and more relevant to this discussion: worldviews. The reason we are afraid is because we have not truly known the other. This we may attribute to a rigid education system, political party structure, history, the British practice of divide-and-rule thereby segregating the races, all of which resulted in frail identities that we are not confident about and therefore fearful of losing. Any political coalition that attempts to mirror this complex makeup of Malaysian society is bound to face challenges. The Barisan Nasional model of having race-based parties coming together in a coalition is becoming obsolete not because our society is necessarily becoming less defined by our respective cleavages (whatever they are, may it be class, language, ethnicity or otherwise). It is outdated because that structure inherently requires that each party retreats to their ethnic voting base and panders to their needs, almost always at the exclusion of others. That the Pakatan coalition is multiracial is not a statement of lines blurring between these identities. In fact, it is an acknowledgement that these numerous (and sometimes multiple) identities exist, but are encouraged to flourish whilst looking out for the other within one big family. This is the approach that appeals to me. That I am not segregated by my race as a Chinese from others, but that whilst celebrating my Chinese-ness, I am also working alongside my Malay sister within the same party towards building a better country. Now, to address the PAS issue. I highlighted it as a conundrum because keen Pakatan supporters who are worried about such trends above feel they are caught between the devil and the deep blue sea. They seek change in Malaysia and ask themselves, at what cost is this change worth? At the policy dinner, several views were given in response, including my own. First, that although PAS may have its strong views in Kelantan, it is a coalition of three parties rooting to be the next government. No policy decision would be made without consensus from all three parties. This must be emphasised. No one party would be able to decide all on its own the policy of the coalition, since each pary's point of view would have to be given equal consideration even at the policy formulation stage. We can also see how a state like Selangor, which has the most mixed representation from all three parties amongst the Pakatan states, has been governed, as an example. Even when difficulties have come up over the past four years, these are resolved by recognising the concerns of all three parties, and then making a decision after such negotiation. This represents a sort of new politics, completely different when compared to the Umno-style dominance in the Barisan coalition. Pakatan also has the advantage of raising concerns that are not necessarily based on race, and therefore a closer reflection of society's needs (poverty, education and so on). This is therefore an opportunity to use the political process itself as a method by which concerns that are representative of a people as a whole can be pushed forward rather than that from an exclusive segment of people alone. Read more at: http://www.selangortimes.com/index.php?section=views&author_id=17&permalink=20121227173350-the-pas-conundrum-a |
| Is it any wonder that poverty is still prevalent in the resource rich states of Sabah and ... Posted: 27 Dec 2012 01:20 PM PST 
Is it any wonder that poverty is still prevalent in the resource rich states of Sabah and Sarawak after 45 years in Malaysia? CT Ali, Free Malaysia Today History will tell us that alliances between states are entered into to serve strategic, economic and the national interest of their people. More often than not these alliances are driven by political leaders who dream of greater glory and national advancement that the sum of such an alliance may bring. History will also tell us that no nation can survive an alliance with another for too long when the interest of its people are exploited and taken advantage of by the another. Such is the situation that the people of Sabah and Sarawak now feel they are in – the same Sabah and Sarawak that joined with Singapore and Malaya to form that new nation of Malaysia. Joined not as the 12th and 13th states under Malaya but as equal partners having equal status and rights within the Federation of Malaysia. Singapore has since bid adieu to Malaysia because it serves the political purpose of the Umno-led Barisan Nasional government of Malaysia for that to happen. Political Armageddon awaits Umno if Singapore was allowed meaningful participation into the federal politics of Malaysia. With Singapore conveniently out of the way, this BN government of Malaysia did partake in and willingly encourage the following in Sabah and Sarawak: - First it proceeded forthwith to export to East Malaysia the politics of race and religion that had enabled Umno to divide and rule the population of Malaya to their political advantage for over 50 years.
- Second this same BN government set out to colonise East Malaysia and took absolute control over their oil, gas and land resources for the benefit of Malaya – or more to the point for the advantage of the political elites in Umno in particular and BN in general.
- Third they allowed with impunity the contemptible practice already embedded in the culture of Sabah and Sarawak politicians to grow indiscriminately – and that is the willingness of these politicians to indulge in party hopping and horse trading – much aided and infused by the proliferation of money politics, rampant state level corruption abuse of power and administrative management already prevalent in Malaya under the Umno-led government of Barisan Nasional.
Is it any wonder that poverty is still prevalent in the resource rich states of Sabah and Sarawak after 45 years in Malaysia? Is it any wonder that corrupt administrators, crony timber robber baron and massive and endemic corruption now colour the politics in Sabah and Sarawak? A political landscape that is also not unfamiliar to those in Malaya. A political landscape that any state and people will have to endure where corrupt politicians are allowed to rule not for the good of the people who elected them to office but for their own benefit. Everyone has an agenda For me the problems besetting our brothers and sisters in Sabah and Sarawak are no different from that faced by us in Malaya. Read more at: http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/opinion/2012/12/28/dealing-with-the-borneo-agenda/ |
| The nation's future Posted: 27 Dec 2012 01:17 PM PST Because they bother about their positions, we have seen our national debts climbing and money handed out generously. Because they fear losing their power, administrative agencies have been spared from the rod despite deteriorating efficiency. Lim Sue Goan, Sin Chew Daily To Malaysia, 2012 should have been a year of accelerated transformation. Everything seems to have been on the right track but unfortunately, several year-end international ratings seem to have exposed the "king's new clothes." In the 2012 corporate bribery survey, Malaysia is right at the bottom. 50% of respondents contacted by Transparency International have replied affirmatively when asked whether they have lost their contracts due to bribes offered by their rivals during the past one year, attesting to the fact that commercial bribery is very serious in this country. According to Global Financial Integrity's latest report, some RM196.8bn of black money made its way out of Malaysia in 2010 alone, the second highest in the world. During the past decade (2000-2010), a whopping RM871bn of money flowed out of the country through illegal means, a loss of RM33,000 for each of the country's 27 million inhabitants. In addition, Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) studies show that Malaysia slides the most among 59 countries surveyed in mathematics and science performances. It is not true to say that the government's Economic Transformation Programme has resulted in more foreign investments, as Q3 manufacturing investments plummeted 26.1% to RM6.2 billion against a sharp increase to about US$20 billion in our neighbour Indonesia. International rankings aside, we also fumble in a number of domestic issues. While the transport ministry has reiterated that that legal issues pertaining to the AES system are non-existent, Attorney-General Abdul Gani Patail lately announced that all court prosecution procedures involving the AES would be temporarily halted. In another incident, the MCMC recently awarded eight 4G (LTE) Long Term Evolution permits, with companies having no telecommunication background getting the biggest quota share. Rampant corruption, sliding academic standards, stagnant administrative and executive capabilities, lack of transparency in the award of contracts, etc. are all old issues. The ETP is not half as great as the government has claimed and the irregularities are still very much alive. Without checking on corruption, the country's valuable resources will continue to drain away. Without solid effort to improve the calibre of Malaysians, there is no way we can achieve our vision. If such things are allowed to go on next year, we won't expect to see any significant breakthrough in 2013. We are not lacking talented people or ambitious plans. We are seriously in want of political wisdom. Leaders with political wisdom should place national interests above their own. Because they bother about their positions, we have seen our national debts climbing and money handed out generously. Because they fear losing their power, administrative agencies have been spared from the rod despite deteriorating efficiency. |
| Utusan justified to carry comment by Hasan Ali Posted: 27 Dec 2012 01:13 PM PST 
(NST) - KUALA LUMPUR: A Malay daily was justified to carry a comment by Datuk Hasan Ali in response to opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's interview with the BBC as the matter touched on public interest. Lawyer Datuk Firoz Hussein Ahmad Jamaluddin told the High Court yesterday Utusan Malaysia (UM) and Hasan Ali, the then Selangor PAS Commissioner, must be given the right to freedom of speech. "As a newspaper, UM has the duty to publish matters of public interest. What politicians utter is also of public interest," he said in his submission before judge Datuk V.T. Singham. Firoz was submitting in a RM50 million defamation suit brought by Anwar against the defendants for publishing an article attributing to Hasan in reaction to his (Anwar) interview with BBC regarding Malaysia's laws on homosexuals. Anwar, who had named the publisher Utusan Melayu (M) Bhd and its group editor Abdul Aziz Ishak as defendants, is also seeking aggravated and exemplary damages and other relief deemed fit by the court. Feroz said a news report had a short life span and could become stale the following day. He said newspapers were competing with broadcast and other social media and that was why it was urgent to break a news as soon possible. Feroz said Anwar's statement attracted Hasan to respond in that he was not in agreement with the opposition leader's stand. At this juncture Singham interjected and asked whether Anwar's statement meant he wanted to legalise homosexuality. Feroz replied in the affirmative as Anwar had uttered in the BBC intereview that "we should not be seen as punitive". Singham said the newspaper should have sought clarification from Anwar as in certain circumstances issues relating to race and religion were sensitive. Counsel N. Surendran, who is representing Anwar, said the news report attributing to Hasan meant that his client was unfit to be a leader. He said the media law, including the Defamation Act, only gave protection to responsible journalism. Surendran said UM's report implied that Anwar encouraged homosexuality. He said Anwar's reference to the word punitive only meant harshness of punishment, not promoting homosexuality. "The publication in UM is therefore a false statement and the defendants' have no defence to rely on," he said, adding that the defendants' position that news had short life span tantamount to opening the door to publish false news. "Newspapers must get verification before going to print," he said. Singham will deliver his written judgment on Jan 21. |
| The Election Commission should resign for condoning vote-buying by the BN Posted: 27 Dec 2012 01:09 PM PST 
As if this allegation of abuse of power and vote-buying is not bad enough, Election Commission (EC) deputy chairman Wan Ahmad Wan Omar has been quoted by the media as saying that the alleged incident was a "perfectly acceptable and normal" exercise of "voter education" by the BN. Zairil Khir Johari, DAP Assistant National Publicity Secretary A recent exposé by Perak PKR has alleged that the Department of Orang Asli Development (Jabatan Kemajuan Orang Asli or Jakoa) in Tapah has been conducting mock voting sessions in order to "train" the local Orang Asli to vote for the BN. It is further claimed that not only were the Orang Asli forced to cast their votes for the BN in full view of Jakoa officers and Chenderiang assemblyman Dr Mah Hang Soon, they were subsequently rewarded with 5kg of rice each. As if this allegation of abuse of power and vote-buying is not bad enough, Election Commission (EC) deputy chairman Wan Ahmad Wan Omar has been quoted by the media as saying that the alleged incident was a "perfectly acceptable and normal" exercise of "voter education" by the BN. Wan Ahmad further justified the donation of rice in exchange for votes as acceptable as he reasoned that it would only be an offence if it is "given during the campaign period". Such a response by the EC is shocking and incredulous to say the least. How can the EC, which is a public institution entrusted to regulate elections in an unbiased manner, so boldly attempt to whitewash such an unethical act, and on top of that one that was alleged to have been conducted in collusion with a publicly-funded government department? Furthermore, is the EC actually saying that vote-buying is acceptable as long as it is not done during an election campaign? How does that make any sense at all? Can we therefore say that it is acceptable for a student to cheat as long as he is not doing it during an exam? Clearly, the EC and the BN have no respect whatsoever for the democratic rights of Malaysian citizens. But while it is expected for the BN to attempt such Machiavellian chicanery, it is completely unacceptable for the very institution that is tasked to protect our electoral system to condone vote-buying and political corruption in the guise of "voter education". These irresponsible remarks, coupled with earlier allegations surrounding the chairman and deputy chairman's membership of a certain political party, have severely compromised the integrity of the EC. There is now no way out but for the entire EC to resign in order to preserve what little credibility is left of the institution. |
| Questionable Reputation of a Well-Known Specialist Hospital Posted: 27 Dec 2012 01:05 PM PST We had put the life of our father in the hands of these experts and trusted with our life that they will save my father because of their specialisation. With this kind of ability and no sympathy shown to our late father, I am now doubtful of the integrity and reputation of this hospital. Yet, this specialist hospital have the cheek to promote itself as a medical tourism hospital. Chew Leong Hong, Taipei, Taiwan My father passed away suddenly on December 17, 2012. He was a stocky and strong 78 years old man but passed away suddenly after being hospitalised for 15 days. I am not writing to pour out the sorrow of my father's demise, rather I would like you to judge for yourself the reputation of a well-known and expensive specialist hospital in *******, which is amongst the best private hospitals in Malaysia. My father was treated for oesophagus cancer and undergone chemotherapy and radiation therapy on the advice of the oncologist (cancer specialist). Upon completion of those therapies, the oncologist suggested a computer tomography scan a month after the treatment to verify whether the cancer has spread. The results of the scan showed the treatment was successful, the cancer remained localised which means it did not spread and my father went on with his normal life. However, a month or so after that, he started feeling dizzy and the oncologist said he has low blood count. He recommended blood transfusion but my father continued to have low blood count and required blood transfusion every two weeks. Prior to the chemotherapy and radiation, we were not told of the risks which we now realised will result in the low production of red blood cells. As the low blood count did not improve, the oncologist recommended my father to a haematologist (blood specialist) and he ordered a bone marrow biopsy. The haematologist could not find anything wrong with the bone marrow. He then ordered an endoscopy of the colon and intestine to rule out any internal bleeding. Again, the results showed there was no bleeding in the colon and intestine. These tests were conducted between September and November 2012 and the specialists could not find the root cause of my father's low blood count. They kept recommending blood transfusion as the solution. After his death, we googled and found that having too many blood transfusion, as in the case of my father, results in iron overload that will damage the liver and spleen. These specialists did not warn us about those dangers but continue to put my father on blood transfusion. My father eventually died of liver and spleen failure. Four days before my father passed away, this haematologist threatened not to continue treating my father if he is not allowed to perform a bone marrow analysis. We are not in favour of a second bone marrow biopsy since the first biopsy did not indicate anything wrong with the bone marrow. We eventually gave in as we felt he might make good his treat (he is the only blood specialist in this hospital). But we are suspicious that this haematologist seems to have a secret agenda. We confronted this haematologist who incidentally carried an honorific Dato' title, after my father's funeral, not only he did not show any sympathy, he was so arrogant and talked down to my mother, sister and me and defended himself by saying that the bone marrow analysis he performed four days before my father passed away indicated metastasis tumour, and cancer has spread to the liver and spleen. I am not sure if this is coincidental or a stroke of luck for this haematologist as he is now absolved of any blame. As for the oncologist, he was a tad better than the haematologist but these two specialists provided us ill informed advice or rather the lack of it when treating my father. And their service do not come cheap yet their best solution for a low blood count problem was blood transfusion. We had put the life of our father in the hands of these experts and trusted with our life that they will save my father because of their specialisation. With this kind of ability and no sympathy shown to our late father, I am now doubtful of the integrity and reputation of this hospital. Yet, this specialist hospital have the cheek to promote itself as a medical tourism hospital. The lesson to be learned from this sad episode is not to trust the specialists entirely, must demand for an explanation if a certain treatment is recommended and its associated risks and demand for answers if the patient is not responding to treatment. Most important of all, take control of the patient's destiny and never rely totally on the specialists. We have lived to regret it and it is a pain we will carry for life for we have lost a loved one to people whom we thought we could trust to cure him. How naive all of us have been. |
| May 13: Official Version Vs Declassified Documents Version Posted: 27 Dec 2012 06:06 AM PST 
What was never revealed was Tunku's statement from his residence in Penang, 1972, what Asiaweek's M.G.G Pillai had alleged in the 17 February 1978 issue of that magazine and Tunku's interview with Asiaweek, published on 10 May 1985. May 13, 1969 - Truth & Reconciliation
[Posted Oct 1, 2008] Reading the Malaysiakini report dated Oct 12, 07 entitled 'Malay capitalists' not behind May 13′ I can't help but wonder how the powers-that-be took great pains to rebut the allegations and accusations that the riots were planned by Malay capitalists as concluded by Suaram's director Dr Kua Kia Soong's in his bookMay 13 – Declassified Documents on the Malaysian Riots of 1969. In fact the Utusan Group has republished first prime minister Tunku Abdul Rahman's book, May 13: Before and After and its obvious that the publication of this book was to dispel Dr. Kua's conclusions. However this book 'Before and After' was written by Tunku shortly after the May 13 incident and what was never reveal was Tunku's statement from his residence in Penang, 1972, what Asiaweek's M.G.G Pillai had alleged in the 17 February 1978 issue of that magazine and Tunku's interview with Asiaweek, published on 10 May 1985. The writer wishes to present all three articles here, one by Malaysiakini at attempts to potray Tunku's book 'Before and After' as official facts and excerpts from an article written by Fan Yew Teng, former DAP Acting SG entitled 'Some UMNO Myths Young Malaysians Should Know About' and Tunku's statement in 1972 for readers to make an informed conclusion. _____________________________________________________________________________________ 'Malay capitalists' not behind May 13′Oct 12, 07 Utusan Group has republished first prime minister Tunku Abdul Rahman's May 13: Before and After book to rebut the allegations and accusations that the riots were planned by Malay capitalists. It is obvious that the publication of this book was to dispel conclusions found in Suaram director Dr Kua Kia Soong's May 13 – Declassified Documents on the Malaysian Riots of 1969. In his book, Kua (right) said the May 13 incident was a coup d'etat against Tunku by Malay capitalists surfacing that at time to grab power from the old aristocrats to execute a new Malay agenda. He drew his conclusions based on a three-month research into various sets of foreign dispatches and confidential reports from that time – which were declassified recently by the Public Records Office in London after 30 years. However, the official version by the government states that the riots were caused by predominantly Chinese opposition supporters who provoked the Alliance party by celebrating their election victory by parading on the streets. The reason for the republication of Tunku's book was noted clearly in the foreword written by academician Prof Dr Nik Anuar Nik Mahmud who is based in the history, politics and strategy department under Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia's social science and humanities faculty. He said the republication was timely "in light of recent attempts by parties who were trying to twist the facts and cause confusion over the bloody May 13 riots." 'Cause of the tragedy' He wrote: "In mid-May, a book about May 13 was published. However, the approach used clearly rejected the belief that the riots were caused by the socio-economic imbalances between the races in the country. "Instead, the writer presented a new thesis that the Malay capitalists let by Tun Abdul Razak tried to topple Tunku as the cause of the riots." However, Nik Anuar did not expressly acknowledge that the aforesaid book was the book written by Kua but the references were clear. The academician elaborated that despite it being difficult to discover the real motive for that book, there is a current trend to besmirch the country's past leaders including, Abdul Razak, Harun Idris, Mohamad Ghazali Shafie and security officers. He said the approach was clearly prejudiced – and if not refuted – would lend credence to the Malay capitalist takeover claim. Hence, Nik Anuar said the publication of Tunku's book would satiate all allegations against national leaders especially those directed at Abdul Razak. In the 195-page book, Tunku summarised that the racial riot was the work of extremists and communists. According to him, these two group of people have been attempting to start riots even before independence. Power struggle
Tunku said they started tensions in the economic boycott (Hartal) in 1967, the death by hanging incident (1968), elections boycott (1969), corpse parade (May 9, 1969) and the victory march by opposition parties on May 12, 1969 causing racial tensions and riots. Based on this, Nik Anuar ruled out the role of the Malay capitalists because Tunku has never viewed the incident as a move to seize power. He did note that Tunku (left) admitted that the bloody incident was due to a few Umno members who were not happy that he remained as PM.. "But their dissatisfaction did not cause the riots itself. This has been explained by Tunku in Chapters 15 and 16 of the book," Nik Anuar stated. He added that Tunku's book should be read and studied by the people especially the youths "so that they would not be caught in the accusations of parties trying to twist facts and defame leaders that have sacrificed for their race, religion and country." "Tunku's book is based on documents procured from the Royal Malaysian Police. This different from the book published before this that are based on diplomatic and foreign journalist sources that are not reliable," Nik Anuar wrote. |
| Malaise in Malaysia: Corruption in High Places Posted: 27 Dec 2012 06:00 AM PST 
It is an accepted cliché that power corrupts and is usually in reference to a country's leaders and their ability to amass private fortunes at the expense of their electorate. But the real tragedy is how corruption corrodes civil society. It creates cynicism, anger or voter apathy, with people losing confidence in politicians and therefore losing their connection with democracy. If the problem cannot be solved through the ballot box because of a corrupt electoral system, then a country is really in trouble. Azeem Ibrahim, Huffington Post Malaysia may not be in big trouble yet. While it still has a robust free press and whistleblowers are protected, the current issues have a chance to be addressed fairly. But the media is under pressure to conform and whistleblowers have been arrested instead of the corrupt officials. One of the foundations of the fight against corruption is the need to protect the messenger, and while many countries are being urged to adopt such legislation, it is only effective if respected and enforced. Malaysia ranked 60th out of 182 nations last year in Transparency International's Corruption Perceptions Index, down four places from 2010, when 178 countries were included. Two recent scandals have rocked the establishment party of UMNO, bringing disrepute to people in high places from the Prime Minister down. The Scorpene submarines deal has exposed the hypocrisy of leaders who pledge to end corruption yet proceed as if winning elections is all about self-enrichment. Malaysia was a signatory of the UN Convention against Corruption (UNCAC) in 2008 with a legal obligation to "prevent, investigate and prosecute" cases of international corruption. However, a complaisant majority party and judiciary allow for delays in hearings, refusals to release documents and in the case of the submarines deal, to deny that French law has jurisdiction over Malaysian transactions. The French government however, is actively pursuing its own inquiry and has released over 153 documents making it clear that apart from individuals, the ruling party (UMNO) was the biggest beneficiary, receiving commissions, bribes and support fees in the millions. In spite of government harassment, the civil rights organization, SUARAM, is determined to uncover the truth in its pursuit for accountability and stated in a May 2012 press conference in Bangkok, that it will continue to make the results public as the case proceeds in the French Court. Another scandal has recently become public and tarnished the reputation of a former government minister and family members when it was revealed that National Feedlot Corporation funds weremisused for the purchase of condominiums using Malaysian government funds. Government patronage over the years has involved highway construction and defense contracts and a variety of other government arrangements with UMNO cronies. Prime Minister Najib Razak, who chairs the Finance Ministry Acquisition Committee, is in the powerful position of being able to award contracts and to charge whistleblowers instead as a smokescreen to protect his friends. PKR leader Anwar Ibrahim has condemned such politically-motivated charges and his party is setting up a National Oversight and Whistleblower Centre to offer future informants protection via legal and monetary aid. Anwar promises to end corruption and dissatisfaction with UMNO and has been reinforcing the popularity of the PKR. But while the integrity of the electoral process is in doubt and the institutions responsible for anti-corruption and the rule of law have been compromised, it is difficult to foresee how the next election will play out. Read more at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/azeem-ibrahim/malaise-in-malaysia-corruption_b_2304185.html |
| New Year Countdown Party for Damansara Utama (PJ) Residents Posted: 27 Dec 2012 05:55 AM PST All DU residents are welcome. There will be performances, music & fireworks. Jointly organized by the Adun/State Assemblyman (Dr. Cheah Wing Yin), DUST (Damansara Utama Service Team) & MBPJ. Please like our Facebook page: www.facebook.com/pages/DUST/317161921722690 |
| Don’t bribe us with our money! Malaysians are not that stupid Posted: 27 Dec 2012 05:53 AM PST 
The Prime Minister seems to be playing Santa Claus. He is very generously dishing out goodies from seemingly bottomless coffers, convinced that Malaysians are a greedy, unthinking lot who can be bought easily. P Ramakrishnan, Aliran executive committee member Little does he realise that the Malaysians of today are a very perceptive and discerning lot who can see through his election ploy. They know that the money that is being doled out does not come from Barisan Nasional coffers. If that was the case, then Malaysians can be grateful to the BN. But when he uses the people's money to bribe them and expects them to be grateful to the BN, it is insulting their intelligence. The new-found concern and compassion for Malaysians is very telling. It is nothing but a bait to fish for votes that will keep the BN in power. Malaysians will not fall for this ruse. Housing has been a great problem for Penangites for the last thirty over years. The soaring prices have put houses beyond the reach of average Penangites. Thousands of Penangites have moved to the mainland to buy houses. An equal number of Penangites have bought houses in Kulim and Sungai Petani simply because they could not afford houses on the island. The narrow streets and poor public transport had created horrendous congestion and pollution for Penangites, making their lives a nightmare. But this problem did not suddenly confront Penangites with the change in government on 8 March 2008. It has always been there. Hardly anything substantive has been done by the BN to redress these problems. This neglect continued despite Penang producing a Prime Minister in the past. Penang has been marginalised for many decades. That is a fact. The housing problem confronting Penangites has been there all along. Najib should have known this. He was the Deputy Prime Minister for more than five years after which he became Prime Minister, a position he has been holding for more than three years. In other words, he was in the forefront of the nation's leadership for almost nine years. How has he been blind to this grave situation all this while? He must have known this; yet he did nothing to alleviate the misery of the poor in Penang. He did nothing to solve this problem even when he became the Finance Minister. It is not a question of finance for not building the much-needed houses in Penang. The BN seems to be never short of cash! It only means that the BN did not care for Penang in spite of the continued support that the BN received from Penang every time there was an election. We were just taken for granted! During his visit to Penang on 8 December 2012, Najib said that "the opposition had failed to deliver on promises of affordable housing made when campaigning during the last election". He further alleged, "They had promised that they would resolve the housing issue within two weeks of coming to power". I don't seem to remember such a promise being made. If it was true that the opposition promised to solve the housing issue within two weeks of coming to power, then they must be stupid. Can houses be built that fast? The opposition has been in power for more than four years. With limited resources and burdened with carried forward debts, can this be solved within this period? Let's take a look at Najib's promise. He promised to build 20,000 houses for Penang. He stated that under the 1Malaysia People's Housing Scheme, "the first PRIMA project will involve some 2,000 units in Kampung Kastam, Bukit Glugor". The ground-breaking for the project is expected to be next year and the project is slated for completion 36 months later. In other words, with all the resources and expertise at hand, it would take the federal government three years just to build 2,000 houses. Yet he expects the opposition to build houses in "two weeks"! What kind of houses is the BN going to build? According to him, "if the current unit costs RM500,000, we will sell it around RM300,000 only". In would mean a 40 per cent discount. But the RM200,000 discount has to be absorbed by the government. It would cost RM400,000,000. For the 20,000 units promised, the government will have to fork out four billion ringgit! What would be the monthly instalment for these houses? Who can afford to pay such instalments? Now, even if the houses are to be bought at RM300,000, who will be buying these houses? Can the homeless poor and the low-income earners afford to buy these houses? Where is the BN's concern for the poor? All their talk about caring for the poor and taking care of their welfare is now exposed as empty talk. There is no housing solution for the poor! Why is the BN unable to start building immediately? According to him, federal-owned land and that belonging to agencies like the Penang Regional Development Authority, JKP Sdn Bhd and Syarikat Perumahan Nasional Bhd are available for this project. This land has been available for many years; so why was no attempt made previously to build houses to ease the housing problem. Why wait until next year? This is where the BN comes across as hypocritical. He is making a conditional promise expecting support to be returned to power in order to build the houses. He is coercing Penangites to vote for BN. He did not say that these houses would be built irrespective of the outcome of the election results. He did not say that the BN will build these houses even if it lost the elections. Will Najib dare to declare that he will build the promised houses even if Penangites voted for the opposition? Prove your sincerity by making such a declaration. Malaysians are not that stupid. They will not be bribed with their own money! (P Ramakrishnan is the immediate past president of Aliran) |
| Deepak withdraws case against Wanita Umno leader Posted: 27 Dec 2012 04:30 AM PST 
A lawsuit against Awan Megah (M) Sdn Bhd, allegedly a vehicle for Selangor Umno Wanita chief Senator Raja Ropiaah Abdullah, was withdrawn without reasons. Teoh El Sen, FMT Controversial businessman Deepak Jaikishan today withdrew a lawsuit against a Wanita Umno leader's company over a Defence Ministry land deal which went sour. The withdrawal was confirmed by Saseedharan Menon, the lawyer for the main defendant, Awan Megah (M) Sdn Bhd which belonged to Selangor Umno Wanita chief Senator Raja Ropiaah Abdullah. "Yes, they have withdrawn [it] and the court has struck off the case," he told FMT. He said that reasons behind the sudden withdrawal today, which was fixed for oral submissions, were not given. "We had no objections to the withdrawal and there were no orders as to costs," he said "This is no out-court-settlement." Saseedharan said the withdrawal would vindicate Raja Roopiah, saying: "It has to vindicate my client as the withdrawal comes from the plaintiff himself" Meanwhile, lawyer Latheefa Koya said that Deepak had changed his lawyers on short notice today. "We are no longer his lawyers on record," she said, referring to lead counsel R Sivarasa and N Surendran. She said that Deepak's matter, including the withdrawal, was handled by another firm, adding that no reason was given for the change of lawyers. Deal to build defence research centre Previously, Deepak, through the company Astacanggih Sdn Bhd, of which he is a director, had filed the legal suit in the Kuala Lumpur High Court naming the Malaysian government, Syarikat Tanah Harta Sdn Bhd, Awan Megah and Cebur Megah Development Sdn Bhd, in which he is also a director, as defendants for breach of agreement over the 233.33 acres of land. Awan Megah had filed a counter-claim in response. High Court judge Zabariah Mohd Yusof had earlier struck out the Malaysian government, Syarikat Tanah Harta and Cebur Megah as defendants in the suit, a decision later upheld by the Court of Appeal. READ MORE HERE |
| ‘Just imagine if PR is to lead this country’ Posted: 26 Dec 2012 04:52 PM PST 
It has been part of DAP's tradition to threat people when it comes to covering their scandal. Thus, on December 20, at 3.30pm when he was at the food court of Dewan Undangan Negeri, Nga Kor Ming came to Dato' Hamidah and threatened her by saying, "If you revealed this, you watch out I will go after you''. The Kuala Lumpur Post The issue of Kelantan's 4,210 land which is worth almost RM30 million in locations such as Relai, Chiku District at Gua Musang which is given to Upayapadu Plantation Sdn Bhd by Nik Aziz's government is beginning to fall apart. It is said that the land is given because it involves the interest of politicians such as Adun DAP Sitiawan, Datuk Ngeh Koo Ham, few of the investors in the company. The 'gift' given by PAS government to the Perak DAP leader is said so that PAS could put Adun Pasir Panjang, Datuk Seri Mohamad Nizar Jamaluddin as Perak Chief Minister at the time. Based on the search on Companies Commission of Malaysia (SSM), 40% or RM15 million of Upaya Padu Plantation Sdn Bhd is owned by Ngeh Koo Ham, and 51% or RM16 million is owned by a company known as Efektif Kirana. And 99% of the shares in Efektif Kirana is owned by Ngeh Koo Ham as well. Thus, in a way, Upaya Padu Plantation is almost 100% owned by Ngeh Koo Ham. Ngeh also confirmed that he is the owner of the company even though previously he tried to lie deny everything. This issue is not really that hard to understand especially when Nik Aziz's Media Secretary himself, Ahmad Fadhli Shaari confirmed that the state government had offered Upayapadu Sdn Bhd through the letter of Yayasan Islam Kelantan dated August 28, 2005. Considering that everything is breaking up, Nik Aziz and Ngeh began to find ways to defend themselves when their 'dirty business' is exposed. Harakah also took an important role to twist stories and to blame UMNO leaders as the backbone of the whole thing. They are saying that the land is given to Upayapadu through the approval from the central government based on the letter from Deputy Minister of Ministry of Rural and Regional Development, Datuk Dr Awang Adek bin Hussin, and the letter from Minister of Plantation Industries and Commodities at the time, Datuk Peter Chin Fah Kui. It is clear that this is PAS's desperate efford in trying too twist such a simple story, so that it would be too twisted for rakyat to understand. This is because, both of the letters which is being used as PAS as their 'evidence that they are innocent' is only support letter on the project which is proposed and not the document to change land ownership to anyone. It has always been the responsibility of the central government to support projects that are seen to be able to generate state income. However, Datuk Awang Adek nor Datuk Peter Chin have any rights or power to change the land ownership to Upaya Padu Sdn Bhd or anyone. According to the Perak Today, the only one who has the power to do such thing is none other than Tok Guru Nik Aziz himself. The thing which makes it harder for PAS and DAP is when this scandal is raised in Dewan DUN Perak by Dato' Hamidah Osman. It has been part of DAP's tradition to threat people when it comes to covering their scandal. Thus, on December 20, at 3.30pm when he was at the food court of Dewan Undangan Negeri, Nga Kor Ming came to Dato' Hamidah and threatened her by saying, "If you revealed this, you watch out I will go after you''. However, as usual, DAP is too arrogant to admit that they threaten anyone even though the fact is, Mohamad Tajol Rosli Ghazali and Datuk Rusnah Kassim was there during the incident. Who knows what DAP and PAS would do after this to cover their corruption issue. Today, PAS had proven that they are willing to sacrifice 4,210 hectare of their land for the CM post. Just imagine if PR is to lead this country…who knows how much land would PAS give away for the post of Cabinet Ministers or even GLC Directors. And just imagine the kind of threats those DAP would do if they don't get what they want. |
| SEED: We have no reason to hide figures Posted: 26 Dec 2012 04:27 PM PST 
Responding to a call from an Indian business group, the secretariat explains the loans given out to Indian businesses. G Lavendran, FMT The Special Secretariat for Empowerment of Indian Entrepreneurs (SEED) today said that people should first dismiss the misconception that it is a MIC initiative. SEED director AT Kumararajah explained that the secretariat was set up by the Prime Minister's Department to assist in giving out the RM180 million allocated for the Indian community. He added that G Palanivel was playing his role in SEED as a cabinet minister and not as the president of MIC. Kumararajah claimed that SEED had data since August 2012 up until Dec 6, 2012 with regard to the number of applicants, the amount of loans dispersed and the applicants who had been rejected. "It is a work-in-progress, we have no reason to hide the figures. At the same time, it's not easy to collect data from the 13 banks affiliated with this programme and all its branches from around Malaysia. We are getting there," he said. The SEED director was responding to the Malaysian Indian Business Association (Miba) which demanded MIC to reveal the figures pertaining to the funds allocated for Indian businesses. According to Kumararajah, there had been 932 applications as of December 20 this year. Out of which, 643 had been approved and dispersed and 20 applications rejected. The balance 269 applications were still being processed but 57 of them were already lined up out of which, 28 almost completed. He said that out of the total RM2.43 billion allocated by the government for businesses, RM180 million was allocated specifically for the Indians. This amount, he added, was broken down and parked under several other programmes and financial institutions – RM10 million to Malaysian Industrial Development Finance (MIDF), RM10 million to Small and Medium Enterprises Corporation Malaysia (SME), RM30 million to Tekun and the remaining RM130 million to banks. Responding to another point raised by Miba, Kumararajah said: "The funds given out by banks is indeed using the Islamic concept. People have to realise that the Islamic concept is merely a funding mechanism and has proved to be one of the fastest growing mechanisms." "There is no difference between normal loans and that of the Islamic concept, the only thing is the 'halal' factor. Still, there is leniency ranging from 15%-20% of the business being of 'non-halal' in nature," he added. Creating awareness Explaining further on the figures, Kumararajah said RM24.37 million had been given out so far to the above mentioned 643 approvals – RM3 million via SME, RM9.9 million via MIDF, RM9 million via Tekun and RM13.8 million via banks. "We have the figures and just need time to collect the precise data. Once that is complete, we would definitely publish the details," he told FMT. READ MORE HERE |
| Khairy tells Edge: retract provocative article on May 13 Posted: 26 Dec 2012 04:08 PM PST 
(Malaysian Digest) - Edge Financial Daily has been urged to retract its article related on the May 13 tragedy, in which it was claimed that the incident was triggered by Umno's plans to topple the late Prime Minister Tuanku Abdul Rahman Putra. Umno Youth has condemned the accusations and described the article as "an act of provocation."
The party's youth wing chief, chief Khairy Jamaluddin said, the article, which was based on accusations and sentiment, was intentionally aired as a means to provoke a reaction towards the Malay party.
He said the bloody tragedy was a 'black mark' on the country's history, and needs to serve as a lesson not only to Umno but also all Malaysians.
"In history, it is already written what happened in this tragedy; everyone also knows who was responsible for it.
"The act of blaming Umno is unacceptable. Not only does it not make sense, it also far off the mark from the truth," he told Utusan Malaysia.
He was commenting on an article published in the Edge Financial Daily, written by Mohsin Abdullah on Dec 17, which stated that the May 13, 1969 tragedy was planned by Umno to topple the leadership of Prime Minister Tuanku Abdul Rahman Putra.
Khairy explained, anyone who wished to publish an article on sensitive issues such as the May 13 tragedy should instead refer to historical facts first, and not form a partisan conclusion.
He said, any assessment or accusation of such nature should be examined first with full responsibility to avoid confusing the public. Khairy said, historical facts clearly showed that the tragedy was triggered after a provocation-riddled parade by Opposition supporters, following a huge win in that year's general election.
"Umno strongly condemns the accusations and see it as an act of provocation. We urge that the article be retracted as soon as possible." |
| Confidence tricks in Sabah politics Posted: 26 Dec 2012 03:46 PM PST 
Former Chief Minister Harris Salleh's latest comments are indicative of how disengaged Sabah leaders, both past and present, are from the man on the street. Free Malaysia Today Ask almost anyone in Sabah, especially those in the Chinese business community, and they'll tell you the state's economy is in a bad way and will be so for the foreseeable future. Sabah's prized assets are in greedy hands. Its golden crop – oil palm – is losing its lustre in the commodities market, its tourism lure is messy, the prices of goods and services have gone up, property prices have sky-rocketed and where jobs are available wages are low and the infrastructure remains creaky and basic. With all this pointing to deepening economic woes, you'd think that the state's politicians who have rarely been so unpopular would be cautious about throwing stones at glass houses that they are living in. But no, its still business as usual. The constant government boot-polishing goes on as though these things don't matter. Have the state's leaders become disengaged from the people? Are they out of touch with what the man in the street thinks? Former chief minister Harris Salleh, who never misses an opportunity to give advice though he was unceremoniously booted out of government more than 27 years ago, gave some insight into the state politicians' thinking this week by heaping praise on what most would view as failure and incompetence. Speaking as though he was giving the state a Christmas present, Harris predicted more of the same from the Barisan Nasional and Chief Minister Musa Aman for Sabah after the looming 13th general election. He said BN will win in Sabah without breaking a sweat. The prediction came with the usual boot polishing and though couched in the language of the confident, sounded like a plea when he said there was a possibility that the BN might lose a few seats, especially in the urban areas where people were more in touch with what was going on. An indication that the former chief minister is aware that the ruling coalition is facing a tough time. Explaining what it has done with the years it has been given to develop the state, Harris said: "… changing from Barisan Nasional is just like the English saying jumping from the frying pan into the fire" and the opposition coalition Pakatan Rakyat was without "real leaders". As though reciting a mantra, he added: "Sabah under Musa has done very well. It is a well managed state. This was confirmed by the Auditor-General's report that Sabah has the best accounting system in Malaysia. Musa has also jump-started the Sabah economy from the top to the bottom. This is almost completed." But the former chief minister also said that further pain was necessary for all Malaysians for this "top to bottom" economic revamp being put in place heroicly by the current chief minister with a little help from a BN government in Putrajaya. "After this election Musa will jump-start the economy from the bottom if the federal government adopts the policy to abolish all subsidies, education and medical fees and in return pay a cash allowance of RM300 to every person. "This will immediately trigger the development of abandoned rural lands. It will also create hundreds of thousand jobs for Sabahans," he was quoted as saying. That distribution of cash, which has always been one of the former chief minister's monetary policies since his days helping Berjaya, has always led to head-scratching among the more economically prudent and will again bemuse most. Observers noted that Harris who has given candid advice about state and national governance has not dared to point out that Musa has done nothing out of the ordinary and can instead be blamed for allowing poverty to flourish during his tenure. The man who signed over Sabah's oil and gas rights in return for 5% royalty and controversially ceded the island of Labuan, which used to be part of Sabah, to the federal government, making it the second Federal Territory in the country, sees the writing on the wall for the BN and is hoping he can help starve-off defeat and perhaps protect his legacy. Sounding as though he was pleading to Sabahans he said: "With another five years there is ample time for Najib to reform both the government and Umno. "With the plan to reform, it will give time to Najib to jump-start the economy from the bottom. This means that everybody – the rural people will be given opportunities to improve and sustain their economy forever." Harris talked of "well-planned" programmes for the cultivation of both cash and permanent crops that have to be introduced in the rural areas to jump-start the economy from kampong-level and raising to the top.
'Halt all subsidies'
This, by itself, he said, would create employment for the locals apart from reducing import of agricultural produce and creating cash-flow in the small townships or districts. All this, however, borders on an insult to many who have made the best they can with poorly planned and delayed infrastructure development in the state, including in healthcare and educational services. The most controversial of the former chief minister's suggestions was that the government halt all subsidies as, he said, these were creating an artificial sense that the living standard and cost of living in Malaysia is cheap. READ MORE HERE |
| Pakatan to hold rush meet over ‘Allah’ issue, Anwar says Posted: 26 Dec 2012 03:39 PM PST 
Ida Lim, The Malaysian Insider Pakatan Rakyat (PR) leaders will conduct an urgent meeting to discuss the controversial "Allah" issue that has resurfaced, Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said today. Anwar said this when asked to comment on DAP and PAS taking different stands on whether the Arabic word "Allah" should be used by Christians to describe their god in the Alkitab, the Malay-language translation of the Bible. "Now that this matter has resurfaced, I think it will require an urgent meeting of Pakatan leadership," Anwar told reporters after a court hearing here. Earlier on, the PKR de facto leader said that the matter had previously been settled in a meeting with leaders from all three PR parties ― DAP, PAS and PKR ― present. "From my understanding, this issue was resolved. Not only was there a meeting, but there was a detailed elaborate discussion on the subject..." he said, saying that classical and religious texts were referred to in the meeting. In a renewed debate over the use of the word "Allah", PAS yesterday said that Christians should not use it in the Alkitab, claiming that it does not reflect the actual meaning of "God" in the original text. PAS also said that using the word "Allah" in the Alkitab will confuse both Christians and Muslims. But DAP insisted yesterday that Christians in Sabah and Sarawak, who use the Malay language to converse, should be allowed to use the word "Allah" in their Alkitab. READ MORE HERE |
| PAS: The Najib factor is not key in voting Posted: 26 Dec 2012 03:24 PM PST 
"Especially when PAS fights against Umno (in Malay-majority seats), the background of the candidate counts. It also matters if the candidate has a big family there, lots of friends or contacts," he said. Tarani Palani, fz.com Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak's approval ratings have been coasting at a steady 60% since he took office in 2009, but whether that is enough to take his weakened coalition through the crucial 13th general election is an open question. For PAS, Najib is dogged by controversies that the people would not easily forget and this would negate his high score in opinion polls. Therefore, the Islamic party is confident that the Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition would not be able to regain its precious two-thirds majority that it lost for the first time in the 2008 electoral contest. PAS secretary-general Mustafa Ali downplayed the effect of the Najib factor on the election outcome. The key to winning the coming election lies in the candidate's local connections, he opines. "In the elections, whether you can win or will lose depends on the local constituency – how big is your power base there and how strong is your candidate. Those two elements count more. It is not the Najib factor," he said in an interview with fz.com recently. According to Mustafa, the way the party machinery and workers were organised and how they worked the ground in the local constituency still mattered a lot. He believes that Najib's high approval ratings may be due to the people's perceptions as well as the clever use of Najib's appearances and public image. "Maybe it is a perception because people see him out and about, but the Najib factor is not too much of a factor," he said, when it comes to the next general election. In particular, Najib's popularity does not diminish the fact that the prime minister has to deal with the effect of his involvement in high profile cases, in the minds of the general public, said Mustafa. "He may present a new kind of politics but he has political baggage," said Mustafa said with a chuckle. Najib has been embroiled in allegations that huge commissions were paid for the purchase of Scorpene submarines from French defence firm DCNS during his tenure as the Defence Minister. A close associate, Abdul Razak Baginda, had been charged with abetment in the murder of Mongolian national Altantuya Shariibuu, who was an interpreter in the submarine deal. Abdul Razak was acquitted in 2008. Opposition politicians have used the case as a talking point during ceramah (talks) and the issue can be expected to be extensively aired during the election campaign. Mustafa's views notwithstanding, Najib's popularity is frequently cited by political commentators as an important factor that will influence the BN's chances in the general election. Its significance is seen as even more important considering that the percentage of people who are dissatisfied with his leadership has been consistently below 30% since 2009. However, the BN has not fared as well in its approval ratings and Najib has been constantly coaxing BN politicians to work harder to win the people's support. Soon after taking over as the country's sixth premier, Najib made a strong bid to re-brand the BN administration as inclusive by promoting the 1Malaysia concept as a way to foster national unity. He has also tried to re-invent himself as a leader reaching out to the middle ground, instead of taking the rightist approach that has been the traditional Umno position. Analysts have also rated his economic and administrative transformation programmes and the steady stream of financial handouts as positive factors that would pay dividends during the general election. Discounting the Najib factor, PAS is putting its faith in its core election strategy of connecting with voters, and it remains to be seen whether this approach is the correct one for what may be the closest fight yet in an election. In Mustafa's view, the coming election may be revolutionary for the nation but the political culture on the ground remains unchanged. This is especially true in the seats where PAS has traditionally faced Umno in a battle for Malay hearts and minds. "In PAS, we chose candidates based on their 'winability'. Their capacity to perform, their acceptance by local constituents and the 'X' factor," said Mustafa. "Especially when PAS fights against Umno (in Malay-majority seats), the background of the candidate counts. It also matters if the candidate has a big family there, lots of friends or contacts," he said. "It all counts. These people can vote across party lines if they like the candidate. That will be the 'X' factor. It does not matter if the candidate is young, old or new – as long as they have these criteria, they will be elected," said Mustafa. Also, he believes that the next election will be such a close fight that the idea of securing a "two-thirds" majority, which was the yardstick to measure the BN's election performance, will no longer apply. "I think the people see a possibility of a two-party system now," he said. On the chances of Pakatan gaining power, Mustafa solemnly believes that it was a distinct possibility. "For all three Pakatan parties, this is the closest to the central government (that we have been)," he said. "It will be a close fight that nobody will ever think of getting a two-thirds majority. Whoever wins will win with a simple majority," he said. |
| No side will win two-thirds majority, says PAS sec-gen Posted: 26 Dec 2012 03:17 PM PST 
(The Malaysian Insider) - The 13th general will be a very tight race where the Pakatan Rakyat (PR) pact and the Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition can only hope to take Parliament by a simple majority, Datuk Mustafa Ali predicts. The PAS secretary-general poured cold water on the BN's upbeat forecast for the looming elections that it has got the upper hand and reclaim the two-thirds majority it lost four years ago in the landmark 2008 elections, which also saw the formation of PAS-DAP-PKR partnership. "Even if Pakatan rakyat wins, we will not get two-thirds majority. "There will be no side that will get a two-thirds majority victory," he told Sinar Harian Online yesterday. The ruling BN is now in control of 137 seats out of 222 in the Dewan Rakyat. But Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, who heads the 13-member BN coalition, has expressed confidence it can take back its customary two-thirds control of Parliament as in previous years, so long as members unite instead of sabotaging the party. Umno information chief, Datuk Ahmad Maslan has said BN only needed to win a minimum of eight seats to add to its 140 seats it won in the 12th general elections to reclaim its pole position in the law-making house. However, political observers have said that BN could possibly take only 120 seats at the next polls, pointing to growing voter restlessness at the slow pace of the Najib administration's promised government and economic reforms. While a simple majority is good enough to enact new laws, a two-thirds majority is crucial to amend the Federal Constitution. |
| Neither BN nor Pakatan good for Sabah, S’wak Posted: 26 Dec 2012 03:08 PM PST 
Declassified documents pertinent to Borneo, found in the British archives, indicate that Putrajaya's policies may be running foul of the unwritten constitution of Malaysia. Joe Fernandez, FMT Former Sabah Chief Minister Mohd Harris Salleh has never failed to appear from time to time as a bundle of contradictions to the extent of even embarrassing his own party leaders. Harris, in his defence, may be said to mean well and even acting in good faith but often this argument is nothing more than the proverbial fig-leaf. The man simply can't be allowed to get away with it too many times. It creates not just bad but dangerous precedents. Both Harris and former Malaysian Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad appear to be birds of a feather in more ways than one. However Harris isn't even facing the remotest danger of being hauled up by Umno — assuming he's still a member of the party given his penchant for sponsoring mosquito parties including Usno 2006 which is awaiting "registration" — on disciplinary charges for bringing it into public disrepute. This Mother of All Charges, with apologies to Saddam Hussein, is sure to cook anyone's goose for good. Harris, in the latest, put his aging foot in his mouth in making comparisons between the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) and Pakatan Rakyat (Pakatan). In remarks carried earlier this week in the local media, a seemingly worried and frustrated Harris warned Sabahans in no uncertain terms that voting in Pakatan will be like going into the fire from the frying pan (BN). Either state is not a desirable "ideal" for Sabahans. Harris however seems quite convinced that the frying pan is the lesser of two evils for Sabahans "since there's no other choice". Orang Asal — Murut and Dusun including Kadazan or urban Dusun — activists beg to disagree with Harris on his theory that "better the frying than the fire". For starters, they think the jury is still out on whether Pakatan is the fire or the frying pan, not that it makes any difference. Pakatan, in a way, might be akin to going into the frying pan from the fire (BN). Pakatan has pledged that Sabah and Sarawak will enjoy 20 per cent oil and gas royalty under its federal administration vis-a-vis the present measly five per cent they collect from the BN federal government. Agenda Borneo vs Agenda Malaya Is this what Sabahans really want after 50 years of putting up with Malaysia in the mould of the Peninsular Malaysia-dominated Putrajaya? This year alone, the federal government collected RM18 billion in oil and gas revenue from Sabah. Elsewhere, it has collected RM24 billion in other revenue. The Malaysia Agreement stipulates that 40 per cent of this combined total must be returned to the state. However, this stipulation has allegedly not been honoured since 1970, according to sources in the know. Orang Asal activists like local hero Jeffrey Kitingan are urging the people to say "enough is enough!". "Ini kali lah!", scream Sabahans who want to have nothing to do whatsoever with Putrajaya allegedly continuing to rule Sabah and Sarawak through local proxies and their stooges. "Kalau bukan sekarang, bila lagi! Kalau bukan kita siapa lagi!", they want to know. Enter the Agenda Borneo, propagated by Jeffrey's United Borneo Front (UBF), as the eternal stand against the Agenda Malaya of Putrajaya and the parti-parti Malaya operating in Borneo. The Agenda Malaya, according to Jeffrey and his people, has seen the Federation of Malaya masquerading as the Federation of Malaysia since 1963. Giving proof they cite the fact that Putrajaya claimed that Malaysia was 55 years old this year, the figure calculated from Aug 31, 1957, the day that the British advisors to the Bugis Sultans gave up their control of the Malayan Administration. As further proof they point out that Putrajaya keeps referring to Sabah and Sarawak as the 12th and 13th states and has ensured that local history text books maintain the fiction that both "nations in Malaysia" secured their independence through Malaysia on Sept 16, 1963. Malaysia has unwritten constitution Nothing could be further from the truth on the history of Malaysia, swear activists in Sabah and Sarawak. Sarawak in fact chose independence as its form of self-determination and secured that status on July 22, 1963. Sabah, likewise, chose independence as its form of independence and secured that status on Aug 31, 1963. It follows therefore that both Sabah and Sarawak entered the 1963 Federation as "independent nations" in Malaysia unlike self-governing Singapore which became independent through the new Federation. Brunei chose to remain a British protectorate rather than risk all in emulating Singapore. Brunei was proven right when Singapore left Malaysia two years later in 1965. Sabah and Sarawak, which realised that the written Constitution of Malaya was being passed off as the written Constitution of Malaysia, were not allowed by Putrajaya to follow in Singapore's footsteps and go back to solely their hard-won self-determination status of July 22, 1963 and Aug 31, 1963 respectively. Malaysia, Jeffrey and company want to tell the whole world, has an unwritten constitution based on the Batu Sumpah among other constitutional documents including the written constitution of Malaya. The other constitutional documents cited are the Inter-Governmental Committee Report (IGCR); the Cobbold Commission Report (CCR); the 20/18 Points; the informal UN survey in Sabah and Sarawak; the Malaysian Bill and the state constitutions of Sabah and Sarawak. Constitution a pandora's box STAR deputy chairman Daniel John Jambun and activist Kanul Gindol claim that they found more than 5,000 declassified documents during a month's research stint in November at the British Archives in Kew Gardens, England. READ MORE HERE |
| Pembangkang tidak dibenarkan ceramah di Felda Posted: 26 Dec 2012 03:01 PM PST 
Muda Mohd Noor, FMT Biro Felda dan Orang Asal PKR mendakwa Felda telah mengeluarkan arahan bahawa pemimpin pembangkang tidak dibenarkan lagi mengadakan program ceramah di kawasan tanah peneroka. Pengerusi biro, Suhaimi Said berkata, bagi negeri Pahang arahan itu dikeluarkan di Rompin kira-kira seminggu lalu. "Di Pahang ia telah berkuatkuasa di beberapa tempat seperti Rompin dan Jengka 22 serta Jengka 23. "Arahan ini datang dari ibu pejabat Felda di Kuala Lumpur. "Tetapi kami tidak mahu mempedulikan arahan itu. Kami telah mengadakan ceramah di sebuah Felda di Rompin malam tadi tetapi tidak ada kejadian buruk berlaku," tambah Suhaimi. Bagaimanapun, ketua cabang PKR Kuala Krau itu mendakwa arahan itu tidak membabitkan Umno. Ia mungkin ada kaitan dengan konvoi Oren Pahang anjuran Persatuan Anak-anak Peneroka Felda (Anak) di negeri itu minggu lalu. `Janji pilihanraya' Sementara itu dalam perkembangan lain, Suhaimi mengalu-alukan sebarang usaha untuk membina rumah-rumah untuk generasi kedua Felda adalah janji pilihanraya. Bagaimanapun, katanya pihak berwajib perlu memastikan projek perumahan itu sampai kepada kumpulan sasaran iaitu anak-anak peneroka.
Beliau mendakwa beberapa projek perumahan sebelum ini hanya memberi manfaat kepada anak pengurus dan kakitangan Felda. "Ini janji pilihanraya. Rumah yang dibuat itu banyak dinikmati oleh anak pegawai Felda dan golongan bukan peneroka. "Ini berlaku di Felda Mempaga dan Felda Lepar dekat Bentong, Pahang," tambahnya. Aktivis masyarakat itu berkata demikian ketika ditanya mengenai dakwaan bahawa sebuah syarikat swasta telah ditawarkan kontrak untuk membina rumah bagi generasi kedua warga Felda di seluruh negara. Syarikat tersebut dikatakan akan bekerjasama dengan KPF Holding yang akan menyediakan dana bagi projek pembinaan rumah berkenaan.
Bagaimanapun, menurut sumber ia masih di peringkat perbincangan dan belum dibawa dalam mesyuarat KPF untuk dimuktamadkan. |
| Cassa kecam MB Selangor berhubung isu air Posted: 26 Dec 2012 02:57 PM PST 
Adakah MB Selangor mahu mahu satu 'perang politik' di antara kerajaan negeri dan kerajaan pusat berhubung isu air? (Bernama) - Persatuan Pengguna Subang dan Shah Alam (Cassa) mengecam Menteri Besar Selangor Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim ekoran kenyataannya baru-baru ini bahawa beliau (Khalid) sanggup menunggu sehingga 100 tahun untuk menyelesaikan isu air walaupun Selangor diancam krisis bekalan air menjelang 2015. Presiden Cassa, Datuk Dr Jacob George, berkata kenyataan Khalid itu "tidak profesional" dan mengesahkan beliau mahu satu 'perang politik' di antara kerajaan negeri dan kerajaan pusat berhubung isu air. "Sebagai menteri besar, beliau harus lebih sensitif kerana yang menanggung kedukaan dan kelukaan daripada masalah air ialah pengguna di Selangor sendiri," katanya dalam satu temubual. Dr George berkata apa yang terjadi ekoran pendirian yang diambil oleh Khalid berhubung isu air ialah "gajah berlawan dengan gajah tetapi pelanduk yang mati di tengah-tengah", iaitu rakyat, pengguna negeri Selangor dengan masalah pemotongan air dilaporkan di beberapa kawasan ekoran kekurangan bekalan. Sebagai contoh, minggu lepas, beberapa kawasan di sekitar Pandan Perdana, Pandan Indah, Taman Taynton View dan Taman Bukit Segar di Cheras mengalami gangguan bekalan air berikutan penurunan paras kolam utama yang dikesan sejak awal minggu. Menurut Syarikat Bekalan Air Selangor (Syabas, ia berpunca daripada permintaan bekalan air yang meningkat mendadak sejak kebelakangan ini dan melibatkan lebih 9,000 pengguna. "Sebelum mereka datang memerintah negeri ini, mereka buat banyak kenyataan bahawa mereka nak mesra rakyat dan sebagainya. Tetapi dari 2008 sampai sekarang kita nampak sudah ada satu penukaran fikiran dalam cara mereka membuat kerja dan lakukan tanggungjawab. "Mereka dah jadi tidak sensitif lagi, mereka ingat sudah berkuasa, boleh buat apa-apa (sahaja), tak payah dengar (suara rakyat). Ini mendukacitakan bila mereka keluar kenyataan iaitu 100 tahun pun mereka akan melengah-lengahkan walaupun mereka tahu pada tahun 2015 kita akan berhadapan dengan masalah bekalan air yang begitu besar," katanya. Beliau berkata kekurangan bekalan air di Selangor bukan sahaja berpunca daripada permintaan pengguna biasa tetapi lebih kepada industri-industri, projek-projek perumahan yang tumbuh seperti cendawan yang mengakibatkan pertambahan jumlah penduduk dengan mendadak. Menurut Dr George, beliau perhatikan setiap kali pihak seperti kerajaan pusat berbincang atau melaksanakan langkah-langkah mengatasi isu air di Selangor, kerajaan negeri akan membawa masuk isu-isu baru yang tidak ada kaitan dengan isu-isu asal. Beliau berkata, kerajaan pusat sudah membuka banyak ruang kepada kerajaan Selangor sama ada secara langsung atau tidak langsung, termasuk sedia membantu dari segi kawangan dan teknikal dan malah Timbalan Perdana Menteri Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin pun setuju untuk turun padang. |
| Why MyKad change at the Immigration? Posted: 26 Dec 2012 11:45 AM PST 
(Daily Express) - "But it is being done at the Immigration Department, which is only handling passport and work pass. Since when did the Immigration Department also handle the job of the National Registration Department?" he asked. DAP Tanjung Aru has queried the reason for the changing of new MyKad being done at the Immigration Department in the Federal Administrative Complex here instead of the National Registration Department. Its Chief, Dato David Chong Ket Sui, said he had received a report that the process to change to the new MyKad and address could be done up to two hours only. "But it is being done at the Immigration Department, which is only handling passport and work pass. Since when did the Immigration Department also handle the job of the National Registration Department?" he asked. In a statement Wednesday, Chong said he received information that most of those who were changing their MyKad and address were from Pulau Gaya, Telipok, Menggatal and Karambunai. "Most of these people are from the Bajau Filipino community who are changing their address to Kota Kinabalu and Sembulan," he said, adding the move was allegedly facilitated by "agents" offering money ranging from RM100 to RM200 for them to change their address in their MyKad and in the process moved their voting constituency. He said all they had to do was to select areas such as Karamunsing, Kampung Air and Sinsuran as their new address even though they were not residing in these places. Chong believed the move had something to do with the fact that the Barisan Nasional (BN) had found out that it would be difficult for them to win Chinese majority constituencies such as Kota Kinabalu, which has about 90 per cent Chinese voters. "Therefore, the BN is moving voters from other constituencies to the Chinese majority constituency to change the demography and give them a chance to win in the coming election," he claimed. According to him, the BN needed at least 4,000 voters to offset the Chinese votes in Kota Kinabalu, which in the last general election had voted in a candidate from DAP. Meanwhile, Chong said since the process to change the address and in the MyKad now was so easy and quick, he urged those who had to take a long journey back to cast their vote to change their address in their Identity Card so that their polling centre could be nearer. "Those who always complained about the trouble for them to go back to far away constituencies like Kudat or Sandakan should take the opportunity to change their address in their MyKad, which only takes up to two hours now," he said. Chong presumed that the change of voting constituency in the electoral roll is being done together with the change of address in the MyKad at the Immigration Department. It had been reported that BN leaders from Sepanggar parliamentary constituency had also complained about the "exercise" to move voters from the constituency to neighbouring Kota Kinabalu parliamentary constituency. |
| The smartphone rebate just got stupider Posted: 26 Dec 2012 11:40 AM PST 
Why offer such a rebate to only youths, a key electoral demographic that the Barisan Nasional is struggling to win over, and not also to older Malaysians who are just as economically-disadvantaged? A. Asohan, Digital News Asia - Only eligible for pre-approved devices costing under RM500; other qualifying criteria just as bad
- Smartphone rebate still stinks of an election ploy, with possible 'crony play' now added in as well
ONE of the most flabbergasting initiatives unveiled by Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak (pic), Malaysia's Prime Minister and Finance Minister, in his proposed national budget, was a rebate of RM200 (US$65) for youths to purchase a 3G smartphone. As my colleague Karamjit Singh noted in his commentary, Budget 2013 smartphone rebate: A stupid thing to do, the RM300 million (US$98 million) could have been put to better use on other initiatives to develop the ICT ecosystem in the country. It's all about smartphones these days admittedly, with the device fast becoming the first point of access to the Internet and entry to the Digital Economy for an increasingly large segment of society. Research firm Gartner recently reported that global sales of mobile phones to end-users in the second quarter of 2012 saw a 2.3% decline from the corresponding period the previous year; while smartphone sales accounted for 36.7% of total mobile phone sales and grew 42.7% in the same period. Our own telcos are finding that smartphones are becoming increasingly important to their own customers as well. Maxis said that in an internal survey it found that 31% of its subscribers were smartphone users. Meanwhile, an analyst report earlier this year estimated that about 20% of DiGi Telecommunications Bhd customers are smartphone users. This can only increase over the coming years as prices come down and telcos hopefully come out with even more attractive data packages. So with market forces on our side, why do we – or our youths at least – need a rebate? Well, putting on my rarely-used 'Mr Nice Guy' hat, I could argue that even with prices coming down, the rebate can help bridge the divide between the haves and the have-nots. It's not just about a device, it's about ensuring that every Malaysian can participate and be a player in the Digital Economy.  I could argue that, but I won't, if only because details have just come in about the smartphone rebate proposed under the nation's Budget 2013, the so-called Youth Communications Package. Malay-language technology portal site Amanz.my broke the news that the rebate is only eligible for pre-approved devices that will cost under RM500.
The criteria for which a Malaysian youth can qualify for the smartphone rebate is listed in the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) website in a PDF file here or click the accompanying picture on the left. The MCMC said the the list of approved devices and authorized dealers will be made available on its website starting Jan 1, although Amanz.my has already revealed that Senheng and SenQ will be part of that list. It's on a 'first-come, first-served' basis too. The rebate is open until Dec 31, 2013, or until the RM300 million allocated under Budget 2013 runs out, whichever comes first. Also, as LowYat.net noted in a quick follow-up, one has to be "an existing subscriber or register for a new broadband plan with any of the telco that participated in the program" such as Maxis, Celcom Axiata, DiGi, U Mobile, YTL and Tune Talk. The criteria to qualify doesn't seem well thought out either – any youth earning RM3,000 or less per month is eligible. That's individual income, according to the language in the MCMC document, not monthly household income – "Berpendapatan bulanan RM 3,000 ke bawah" or "monthly income of RM3,000 or less". I am hoping that this is a mistake, because as it stands now, if you're between 21 and 30 years old, and you just got a job that pays you that much – and your parents are well-heeled executives earning 10 times your salary – not to worry, you poor thing. You too qualify. And since that RM500 is just pocket money to you, you can beat out that poor guy whose entire family earns less than RM3,000 per month – if only because by the time he saves up the money to buy the device and subscribe to a data plan, it will be 2014. Or that RM300 million allocation would have run out. Way to bridge the digital divide. Read more at: http://hornbillunleashed.wordpress.com/2012/12/27/39365/ |
| Islamic banking practices a scam Posted: 26 Dec 2012 11:32 AM PST 
There must be something terribly wrong with the Islamic banking policy adopted by Malaysia where it turns borrowers into deep debtors. Awang Abdillah, Free Malaysia Today Poverty has a negative multiplier effect on the economic, racial, religious and social fabric of a nation, and Malaysia is no exception. Hence it must be addressed by the incumbent government as a priority issue. Since 1981 until today, poverty has never been a priority issue for the federal government and the Sarawak state regime. Instead the nation's wealth and that of Sarawak has been misused to enrich the Umno political elite through the implementation of mega economic projects at inflated prices. The federal projects have been monopolised by Umno cronies while in Sarawak it is used to expand the business empire of Chief Minister Taib Mahmud. In Semenanjung Malaysia the Indians and rural Malays form the core of the poverty group while in Sabah and Sarawak it is the rural natives and Malays. Poverty can be defined as the deprivation of the necessary needs of a good quality of life of the people. The standard needs are sufficient personal earnings, decent homes, access to good public infrastructure and modern transport and communications system, creation of sufficient employment opportunities for job seekers of all categories, quality education especially at the tertiary level, quality medical and health facilities, a strong currency and cheaper cost of imports. Hence the ability of the people to improve their personal economic well-being and the role of the government as a provider must complement one another in efforts to eradicate poverty. To this end, a banking system can play a major role in enabling the people to acquire socio-economic stabilities.
Islamic banking
The concept of modern banking is primarily the lending of money as a profit-making business. Borrowers have to pay interest for the loans which is profit to the lender. And though the banking system does provide financial assistance, it does not offer it cheap. Growing interest charges eventually makes this financial assistance a liability. Many companies and even nations go bust because of this accruing interests. Hence very often such banking system benefits the lender and the borrowers are on the losing end. On the other hand the Islamic principle of financial assistance is to provide loans without making a profit from it. The Islamic lending concept has two objectives – provide financial assistance to those in need and maintain a low-cost of acquiring these goods and services. Under the true Islamic banking system, lending in any form is not classified under the business category because the lender is merely giving financial assistance and not involved in any business transactions with the borrower. Trade or business involves activities such as purchases and sales, export-import, construction, manufacturing, property development, renting and services. Therefore the earnings from lending which is defined as riba (interest) is not a business profit and hence is haram (prohibited ) under the syariah law. The responsibility of the borrower is to return the principal sum to the lender plus minimum services charges, which then enables the lender to re-lend it to those in need.
Wrong interpretation of Islamic banking
The Quran is correct in defining that lending is NOT a business. It is stated in Surah Al Baqarah verse 275, where among others God permits trade/business but prohibits 'riba', i.e profit/interest from a loan. This means that lending activities just like zakat (alms to the poor ) is not a business but an obligation to help those in need. The current Islamic banking system that is operating in Malaysia and the Islamic world for that matter tries to do away with the Western concept of banking. However due to their wrong interpretation of the Islamic lending principle or hypocrisy they rebrand the Western lending concept and presented it as Islamic. Take for example the housing loan under the murabahah concept and the western banking system. Under the latter, if the price of a house is RM100K, the bank will charge another RM100k interest for 20 years for a 100% housing loan. The total cost of the house is now RM200k. The banks will make a 100% profit over the 20-year period. Now under the current Islamic bank system, the housebuyer will still pay RM200k. Read more at: http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/opinion/2012/12/27/islamic-banking-practices-a-scam/ |
| Dr M sees Najib as errand boy Posted: 26 Dec 2012 11:30 AM PST 
And Mahathir's declaration that Rosmah has the right to stay 'high profile' is actually a death sentence. Mohd Ariff Sabri Aziz, Free Malaysia Today Why was Najib Tun Razak profusely complimenting Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad at the recent Umno general assembly while blithely ignoring his immediate predecessor Abdullah Ahmad Badawi? The reason is because Najib didn't have the presence of mind to do what is honorable. Abdullah who must also have been sitting somewhere in front was cavalierly, not cleverly, brushed aside by Najib. Didn't Abdullah achieve anything during his short stint as prime minister? Truth is Najib never had an iota of appreciation or respect for the colourless Abdullah. Abdullah has been and still is the object of Mahathir's invectives. The Sun newspaper reported that in the run-up to the 2008 elections, Mahathir had openly criticised Abdullah's administration despite the latter being the man Mahathir had handpicked to take over the top job after he decided to step down. Najib's enthusiastic outpouring was because he did not want his number two Muhyiddin Yassin to outshine him. When Muhyidin spoke and mentioned Mahathir, he got thunderous applause on each occasion. So, Najib added those ritualistic outpouring of love for the "man who can walk on water". He knows Mahathir remains a powerful force behind the scenes.
Najib cares less for Umno
Listening to both Muhyiddin and Najib, everyone in the hall and outside knew that Mahathir still called the shots in Umno. Najib is not PM material and Mahathir knows this. To him Najib is just an errand boy who will soon outlive his usefulness. So what can Najib do? Well, he will have to ensure his men are chosen to be candidates in the next election. His winnable candidates criteria means loyalty to him above all else. Umno, as far as Najib is concerned can go to the dogs. Was Mahathir impressed by Najib's low class histrionics and dramatisation? Definetly not. Also notable is that Najib knows that Mahathir can't stand the sight of his wife, Rosmah Mansor. Read more at: http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/opinion/2012/12/27/dr-m-sees-najib-as-errand-boy/ |
| Nik Aziz needs to withdraw 'Apostate' ruling on Umno Posted: 26 Dec 2012 11:27 AM PST 
(Bernama) - Apart from PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang's decree 35 years ago which should be withdrawn as it causes disunity among Muslims, the opposition party's spiritual advisor should also withdraw several of his own religious rulings (fatwas). Umno Information chief Datuk Ahmad Maslan said this was because several religious rulings made by Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat as Kelantan Menteri Besar especially that Umno was apostate and whoever supported Umno was evil, had bad implications on Malays and Muslims in the country. "Nik Aziz needs to withdraw his religious rulings which could break up the Malays and Muslims, not only Abdul Hadi should do so (withdraw his decree)," he told reporters after visiting 157 flood victims at Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Mulong here last night. Ahmad said this was in line with the address of the Sultan of Kelantan, Sultan Muhammad V on Tuesday who wanted Muslims to mutually respect each other and avoid prolonged problems. In his speeh at the 100th anniversary of the Kelantan Islamic Religious and Malay Customs Council (MAIK), the Sultan said that he hoped all parties were aware of the high hopes of Muslims towards peace and harmony as well as his disappointment when the energy and strength of Muslims were sapped because of internal struggles. The text of his speech was read out by the Tengku Mahkota of Kelantan, Tengku Muhammad Fa-iz Petra. |
| January rally to go on even without permit, says activist Posted: 26 Dec 2012 11:25 AM PST 
(The Malaysian Insider) - The Himpunan Kebangkitan Rakyat (People's Uprising Rally) mass event next January 12 will go on at Stadium Merdeka even without the authorities' permit to use the iconic venue, The Malaysian Insider understands. According to social activist Hishammuddin Rais, event organisers are still waiting for a response from the KL City Hall on their application for Stadium Merdeka, which was sent some time last week. But he noted that even without permit, rally-goers could gather peacefully in the areas surrounding the stadium. "I am just paraphrasing Md Sabu... if there is no stadium permit, we gather around it," he said, referring to PAS deputy president Mohamad Sabu, who is chairman of the event. "I don't think there will be any chaos, unless the cops are going to come running again. But I think the time is not conducive for this... but we shall cross the river when we get there," Hishammuddin told The Malaysian Insider. Should the event proceed without permission, the streets of the capital will again become the focus of international attention as major civil society movements nationwide, along with PR parties and other anti-government proponents, gather to demand a string of key issues ahead of national polls. Hishammuddin said that the People's Uprising Rally is a culmination of sorts for all movements against purportedly unfair government policies and decisions, as well as pro-change, pro-democracy and pro-opposition groups, and a massive show of force to frighten the ruling administration away from cheating during the coming polls. At a press conference to announce the rally last week, Mohamad had invited all those with grouses against the government to participate in the mammoth event. "We are not hiding the fact that this date was selected specifically because it is near the elections. And yes, there will be those who say this is purely political. "It is clearly an event to mount pressure on the government of the day so they will not do mass cheating during the polls, so that it will not be a stolen election," Hishammuddin said. But the activist, who is also a Bersih 2.0 steering committee member, reminded that regardless of the political nature of the rally, the involvement of civil society movements meant that the groups want their demands delivered ― from the scrapping of the Lynas plant in Kuantan, to the promise of fair royalty payments to oil-producing states, free education and a fair polls process. "These groups have been voicing their demands... and this is not just for the present government but for the incoming government as well. "These demands are still valid so whoever rules next, must remember this," Hishammuddin said, before adding that the demand for free and fair elections will lead as the key message of the event. As such, protestors, numbering to a targeted one million, will colour the iconic Stadium Merdeka this January 12 in splashes of anti-Lynas's fluorescent green, Bersih 2.0's eye-catching yellow, the anti-FGVH movement's orange and the striking red of pro-oil royalty groups. Read more at: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/january-rally-to-go-on-even-without-permit-says-activist/ |
| “Dragging” Its Feet? The EC Has Had to Be “Dragged” Kicking and Screaming by Bersih 2. ... Posted: 26 Dec 2012 11:19 AM PST 
As we come to the closing days of 2012, we have to note that unless the amendments to the 2003 Postal Voting Regulations are made soon, there is no way that 1 million overseas Malaysians will be able to register to vote by post in time for the next general election. MyOverseasVote MyOverseasVote reads with interest EC Deputy Chairman Datuk Wan Ahmad Wan Omar's denial yesterday of Bersih 2.0 Co-Chairman Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan's allegation that the EC has been "dragging its feet" on election reform. In his rebuttal, Wan Ahmad cited, as an example of the EC's "unprecedented" reforms, the extension of postal voting to all Malaysians overseas (Malaysiakini, 20 December 2012). MyOverseasVote believes that to state that the EC has been "dragging its feet" is to endue the EC with more activity and cooperativeness than it actually deserves. It would be more apt to say that the EC has had to be dragged kicking and screaming by civil society, Bersih 2.0 and the Parliamentary Select Committee on Electoral Reform (PSC) in order to come up with any reforms at all. We believe that the EC's inaction on this issue alone speaks for itself: - On 11 February 2011, nearly two years ago, Wan Ahmad told the press that the EC "was now looking at extending the ballot to other Malaysians at large who were working in international organisations or running businesses overseas" (The Malaysian Insider).
- On 25 August 2011, shortly after the historic Bersih 2.0 rally in July 2011, EC Chairman Tan Sri Abdul Aziz Mohd Yusof announced that the EC "was in the midst of amending regulations to extend postal voting rights to Malaysians working overseas" (The Star).
- On 1 December 2011, the PSC recommended in its interim report that all Malaysians living overseas should be entitled to vote by post. This was accepted by the Dewan Rakyat, but the EC insisted on a requirement that overseas Malaysians could not vote unless they returned to Malaysia every five years.
- On 3 April 2012, the PSC confirmed its recommendation in its final report and gave the EC a three-month deadline (3 July 2012) to make the necessary arrangements with Government departments to implement its recommendation. This was also accepted by the Dewan Rakyat.
- On 11 July 2012, having missed the PSC's deadline, Abdul Aziz told Malaysians that "the system [of overseas postal voting] can be implemented by September if we have to amend the law, but it could be earlier than that (if legal amendments are not needed)" (Malaysian Insider).
- On 14 September 2012, two weeks before the start of the last Dewan Rakyat sitting before the next general election, Abdul Aziz said that the Attorney-General's Chambers was "still studying whether an amendment to the Election Act was needed" before overseas postal voting for Malaysians could be implemented" (Bernama/Malaysiakini).
- On 19 October 2012, Wan Ahmad said that: "Very soon, maybe next month[November], we will upload the form that can be accessed by Malaysians all over the world who are already registered voters, to request to receive their ballot papers by post" (The Star).
- On 3 December 2012, having missed the end of the final Dewan Rakyat of this Parliament, EC Secretary Datuk Kamaruddin Mohamed Baria said that: "The EC is finalising the policy, planning logistics, labour and financial provisions to implement this system effectively. After that, the EC will amend the Election (Postal Voting) Regulations 2003″ (The Sun).
Again, MyOverseasVote would point out that the EC, as the body entrusted by the Federal Constitution with the preparation and revision of electoral rolls and the conduct of elections, has its own legal staff and a RM700 million budget and is given wide rule-making powers both by Article 113(5) of the Federal Constitution and by the Elections Act 1958. As we come to the closing days of 2012, we have to note that unless the amendments to the 2003 Postal Voting Regulations are made soon, there is no way that 1 million overseas Malaysians will be able to register to vote by post in time for the next general election. After two years of deceit and inaction, MyOverseasVote has little confidence that the EC will deliver on overseas voting by the 13th General Election, though we would be very happy to be proven wrong. |
| DAP, PAS send mixed messages on ‘Allah’ issue Posted: 26 Dec 2012 12:57 AM PST 
Ida Lim, The Malaysian Insider In a fresh debate over the word "Allah", PAS says that Christians should not use it to describe their god in the Bible, while its political ally DAP insists that Christians in East Malaysia should be allowed to use the Arabic word. PAS information chief Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man said today the use of the word "Allah" in the Alkitab, the Malay-language translation of the Bible, would not reflect the original text's meaning. "PAS' stand is that the Bahasa Melayu Bible should replace the 'God' term with 'Tuhan' and not 'Allah' to mirror the actual meaning of the original text," he said in a press statement. Tuan Ibrahim said both Christians and Muslims could be confused when the word "Allah" is used in the Alkitab. "Since the Bahasa Melayu Bible is a translation from the original English text, the term 'God' does not mean 'Allah', because the accurate translation is 'Tuhan'. It should be translated according to original meaning. Translating 'God' to 'Allah' will confuse Christians and create unease among the Muslims and can confuse Muslims," he said. He said "Allah" was a sacred name for the Muslims and should be used appropriately. "In relation to that, (the) request to use Allah's name in the Bahasa Melayu translation of the Bible is not wajar (suitable), even the society in the West, they don't use Allah's name to refer to God whether in speech, writing of films. The word that is often used is 'Lord'," said Tuan Ibrahim, who is also Pahang PAS commissioner. On Monday, DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng had raised the controversial "Allah" issue in his Christmas message. "For this reason, DAP urges the BN Federal government to allow the use of the word 'Allah' on the Bahasa Malaysia version of the Bible as has been allowed in Sabah and Sarawak for the last 50 years and practised in the Middle East for more than a thousand years," Lim wrote in a statement on December 24 in English and Mandarin. Zairil Khir Johari, DAP's assistant publicity secretary, said today that Lim's words have been "twisted", saying that the Penang chief minister had only asked Putrajaya not to deny the rights of Christians in East Malaysia to use the word "Allah". According to Zairil, several news reports had falsely accused Lim of urging the federal government to allow Christians in Peninsula Malaysia to use the word "Allah" in the Alkitab. "He (Lim) only asked that it be allowed in the Bahasa Malaysia version of the Bible that is used by Christians in Sabah and Sarawak." "Furthermore, the Bahasa Malaysia version of the Bible can only be found in Sabah and Sarawak and not in Peninsula Malaysia. "Therefore, the issue of usage of the word "Allah" in Peninsula Malaysia does not arise at all," Zairil said. Zairil pointed out that the word "Allah" was commonly used by Christians in neighbouring Indonesia and has been used for decades by the Bumiputera Christians in East Malaysia that converse in the Malay language. Christians form 9.2 per cent of Malaysia's 28.3 million-strong population, with many of them in east Malaysia using the Malay language and the word "Allah" to refer to their God. In recent years, the Christian and Muslim religious communities have been engaged in a tug-of-war over the word "Allah", with the latter group arguing that its use should be exclusive to them on the grounds that Islam is monotheistic and the word "Allah" denotes the Muslim god. A legal tussle over the use of the word "Allah" remains unresolved, with the Catholic Church still barred from publishing the word in its weekly newspaper, despite winning a High Court decision on December 31, 2009. This is due to the Home Ministry filing an appeal in 2010 against the High Court's decision, which have since stagnated in the courts as no date has been set for its hearing. Last year, shipments of the Alkitab, the Malay-language Bible catering to the Bahasa Malaysia-speaking Bumiputera Christians, were blocked or confiscated at ports, before the government finally bowed to pressure and released them. |
| Nallakaruppan and Utusan retain most of their defence in Anwar’s defamation suit Posted: 26 Dec 2012 12:53 AM PST 
(The Star) - Malaysian United Indian Party president Senator Datuk S. Nallakaruppan and two others were allowed to retain most of their statements of defence in a RM100mil suit filed by Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim against them. Nallakaruppan, Utusan Melayu (Malaysia) Bhd and its Editor-in-Chief Datuk Abdul Aziz Ishak had pleaded the defence of justification, qualified privilege and fair comment which were part of the opinion in the majority judgment of Anwar's 1998 sodomy case in the Federal Court. High Court Judicial Commissioner Vazeer Alam Mydin Meera Wednesday granted only a part of Anwar's application to strike out a portion of the defence statements by Nallakarupan, Utusan Melayu and Abdul Aziz. The only part, which was allowed to be struck out by the Judicial Commissioner, was the plea of justification. However, Vazeer allowed the defences of qualified privilege, fair comment and mitigation of damages to be retained. On March 26, the Opposition leader had filed the suit alleging Nallakaruppan had uttered defamatory words against him which were then published on the front page of the Utusan Malaysia daily on March 20. In his statement of claim, Anwar said the defamatory words included in the article were false, baseless, was published with ill intention and had tarnished his good name. Anwar is seeking RM100mil in general, aggravated and exemplary damages, cost and other relief deemed fit by the court. The High Court has set January 18, 2013 for case management. |
| 351 peneroka saman Felda, tuntut RM200 juta Posted: 26 Dec 2012 12:48 AM PST 
Felda Palm Industries didakwa berniat jahat dan sengaja menurunkan KPG sehingga enam peratus bertentangan dengan kadar sepatutnya. Jamilah Kamarudin, FMT Seramai 351 peneroka Felda Mempaga 1, 2, dan 3 serta Felda Bukit Damar, Pahang hari ini memfailkan saman menuntut ganti rugi keseluruhan kira-kira RM200 juta terhadap Felda kerana menipu kadar perahan gred (KPG) sawit. Saman difailkan melalui Tetuan Daim dan Gamany di Mahkamah Tinggi Temerloh, Pahang pagi tadi menamakan Lembaga Kemajuan Tanah Persekutuan (Felda) sebagai defendan pertama dan Felda Palm Industries Sdn Bhd sebagai defendan kedua. Plaintif dalam writ saman antara lain mendakwa, Felda Palm Industries berniat jahat dan sengaja menurunkan KPG sehingga enam peratus bertentangan dengan kadar sepatutnya dengan tujuan untuk menurunkan harga setiap tan buah sawit. Peneroka terbabit turut mendakwa wujud konspirasi antara defendan pertama dan kedua menyalahgunakan kaedah penggredan untuk memastikan KPG diturunkan, selain menjual buah sawit dibawah KPG yang sepatutnya tanpa pengetahuan plaintif. Disebabkan itu, plaintif mendakwa setiap mereka mengalami kerugian sebanyak RM30,912 pada tahun 2008. Manakala bagi buah yang ditahan tapi tak dilupuskan, setiap peneroka telah kehilangan pendapatan sebanyak RM1345.63 (RM560.08 setan). "Kerugian kesemua plaintif untuk tahun 2008 lebih kurang RM11.322 juta," writ saman itu menyebut. Ganti rugi Sehubungan itu, plaintif memohon mahkamah untuk mendapatkan printah supaya Felda dan Felda Palm Industries membayar ganti rugi khas kepada plaintif berdasarkan jumlah keluaran dan harga sawit untuk setiap tahun bermula tahun 1995. Selain itu, peneroka terbabit turut meminta ganti rugi am dan teladan untuk penipuan dan pecah amanah, kadar faedah empat peratus setahun dikenakan keatas jumlah ganti rugi khas bemula dari tahun 1995 serta empat peratus jumlah ganti rugi am dari tarikh pemfailan writ sehingga kes selesai sepenuhny dan lain-lain kos. Saman difailkan wakil peneroka Abdul Rashid Abdul Wahab sebagai plaintif pertama dan Din Mohd Arif (plaintif ke-331). Mereka diwakili Ketua Biro Guaman PKR Latheefa Koya dan Timbalan Pengerusi Biro Peneroka Felda dan Orang Asal PKR T Kumar. Turut hadir Pengerusi Biro Peneroka Felda dan Orang Asal PKR Suhaimi Said serta timbalannya Bob Manolan. |
| Reveal the figures, MIC told Posted: 26 Dec 2012 12:44 AM PST 
Miba wants MIC to disclose the figures and documents pertaining to the funds allocated for Indian entrepreneurs. G Lavendran, FMT An Indian business group leader has urged MIC to reveal the proper figures with regard to the funds allocated by the government for Indian entrepreneurs. Speaking to FMT, Malaysian Indian Business Association (Miba) president P Sivakumar said this was the only way for confidence in MIC to grow. "Out of the RM180 million that was allocated, only RM30 million is justifiable through Tekun. Perhaps another RM20 million can be justified through the Small and Medium Enterprise Corporation Malaysia (SME). But what about the other RM130 million?" he asked. Furthermore, he said the RM130 million was dispersed to financial institutions to be given out as business related loans via the Islamic concept. "It is not easy for Indians to apply for loans via this concept, the document requirements are not flexible. So how is the Indian community going to benefit from this? "This shows how little the system has opened up for equality and fairplay," he added. Sivakumar commended the MIC secretary-general S Murugesan on his comments pertaining to the same issue but stressed that it should be supported with proper documentation. "Every Malaysian deserves to know the truth. We need more people from MIC to clear the haze by giving statements, this time around with figures and proper supporting documents to get the message across clearly to the people," he said. Sivakumar said he welcomed the idea of new policies and programmes being implemented by MIC but felt that the government must participate in this together. "Stand up and be accounted for, MIC," he said. READ MORE HERE |
| PKR cries foul over mock voting for BN Posted: 26 Dec 2012 12:41 AM PST 
But EC says the exercise among Orang Asli in Tapah, even if true, would be legitimate. Anisah Shukry, FMT Barisan Nasional rewarded indigenous people in Tapah with 5kg of rice each in return for casting mock ballots in favour of its candidates, PKR claimed today. "Several weeks ago, the Department of Orang Asli Development (Jakoa) and Chenderiang assemblyman Mah Hang Soon ran a series of programmes in Orang Asli villages in Tapah," Perak PKR treasurer Yap Yit Thong told FMT today. "In the programme, the Orang Asli were given two homemade ballot papers similar to the ballot paper used in elections, and were forced to tick Barisan Nasional in full view of the Jakoa officers and Dr Mah. "Those who ticked BN in both ballot papers were then given 5kg of rice as a reward." Yap said the Orang Asli had to return the marked ballot papers immediately to the officials, apparently so that no evidence of the exercise remained. But some of the marked ballot papers wound up in Yap's hands when several Orang Asli approached him to complain about the issue. 
"We don't know what BN's purpose is," Yap told FMT. "Maybe when it's time for general election, BN will tell the Orang Asli, 'You already voted for us' or 'We gave you the rice and you promised you would vote for us; so you must do so.'" Yap said the mock election, if it did take place, was in violation of the Election Offenses Act and could be investigated as a crime. The act states that any person who "without due authority prints any ballot paper or what purports to be or is capable of being used as a ballot paper at an election" could be imprisoned for up to two years or fined up to RM5,000 or suffer both penalties. A person who "prints any advertisement, handbill, placard or poster which refers to an election and contains a reproduction of a ballot paper, or of what purports to be a ballot paper, to be used or likely to be used at such election" may face similar punishment. Yap said he had yet to approach Jakoa or Mah over the issue, but was demanding that they give an explanation. He also called on the Election Commission to question Jakoa and Mah. "Dr Mah must resign as Chenderiang state assemblyman and executive council member of Perak for abusing his power," he said. 'Completely fine'
However, EC deputy director Wan Ahmad Wan Omar told FMT the alleged incident appeared to be a voter education programme rather than an attempt at vote buying or blackmail. 
"This is the first time this issue has been raised with me, but from what you explained, it sounds perfectly acceptable and normal," he said. "A lot of political parties are doing mock elections. This is a form of voter education, by which they are educating people on how to vote. "That is completely fine. The EC is in fact encouraging political parties, NGOs and concerned citizens to educate one another on how to vote." He said that the EC had been promoting voter education programmes for a while now, especially in light of the high percentage of spoilt votes in the 2008 general election. As for allegations that the Orang Asli participants had to vote for BN's candidates in the mock ballot, Wan Ahmad said that that was perfectly natural and to be expected. "That is campaigning," he said. "Any political party, whether from the government or the opposition, would do the same if they were teaching the public to vote. It doesn't matter at all. "To me, it just sounds like BN is conducting a voter education programme while campaigning at the same time." READ MORE HERE |
| Kalimah Allah: Guan Eng timbul ‘Kristianofobia’ Posted: 25 Dec 2012 04:27 PM PST 
Fathul Bari Mat Jahaya mendakwa kenyataan Ketua Menteri Pulau Pinang itu hanya menimbulkan perasaan takut umat Islam terhadap agama Kristian sekaligus mengugat keharmonian beragama di negara ini Fazy Sahir, FMT Tindakan Setiausaha Agung DAP, Lim Guan Eng mendesak kerajaan membenarkan penganut Kristian di Semenanjung menggunakan kalimah Alalh dalam Bible versi Bahasa Melayu hanya mahu menimbulkan perasaan 'Kristianofobia'. Pengerusi Jawatankuasa Kerja Sekretariat Ulama Muda Umno (Ilmu), Fathul Bari Mat Jahaya mendakwa kenyataan Ketua Menteri Pulau Pinang itu hanya menimbulkan perasaan takut umat Islam terhadap agama Kristian sekaligus mengugat keharmonian beragama di negara ini. Fathul turut mempersoalkan kredibiliti Guan Eng yang dilihat tampil ke depan untuk menyatakan pendiriannya mengenai hal tersebut. "Kenyataan Guan Eng hanya menimbulkan Kristianofobia. Beliau perlu tahu 61 peratus rakyat di negara ini beragama Islam. Islam agama majoriti. "Sedangkan di Vatican City juga tidak pernah menggunakan kalimah Allah. Maka saya tanya Guan Eng berapa kali beliau (Guan Eng) sebut kalimah Allah? "Jika beliau tidak jadikan ia sebagai sebutan (Allah) sebagai kebiasaan,mengapa beliau harus ke depan?," oal beliau dalam satu sidang media di Ibu Pejabat Umno Selangor hari ini. Fathul Bari mendakwa isu kalimah Allah ini juga sekadar strategi politik pihak pembangkang untuk meraih undi 9.2 peratus warga Kristian di negara ini pada Pilihan Raya Umum ke-13 akan datang. Muzakarah amanat Hadi Sementara itu, Fathul Bari turut mencadangkan agar pihak Jabatan Kemajuan Islam Malaysia (Jakim) menjemput Presiden PAS, Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang bermuzakarah untuk membentangkan kewajaran sama ada amanat beliau itu diteruskan atau ditarik balik. "Amanat Hadi ini memberi implikasi besar dan ianya negatif sehingga membawa kepada perpecahan umat Islam. "Hasil dan kesan amanat ini menonjolkan sikap kafir mengkafir. Sebagai contoh wujud situasi di mana pernikahan dengan orang Umno tidak sah. Ziarah jenazah orang Umno tidak sah. Malah pimpinan PAS tahu hal ni," katanya. Amanat itu didakwa dibuat oleh Abdul Hadi dalam satu ceramah di Kuala Terengganu pada tahun 1981. READ MORE HERE |
| Winds of change blowing towards BN Posted: 25 Dec 2012 03:08 PM PST 
Associate Professor Dr Rohana Yusof from Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM) said a recent survey showed that 70 per cent of 10,800 respondents in Kedah had no confidence in Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's leadership. S. Kisho Kumari, Bernama Choosing the tagline of 'Fulfilling Promises' as the foremost important agenda, the Barisan Nasional (BN) has touched the hearts of many Malaysians regardless of age, gender, religion and living standards with continuous efforts for the betterment of all. Placing importance on welfare, none of the people had been left behind including students, women, senior citizens, entrepreneurs, civil servants and youths under the BN government. Looking back in the early part of 2012, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, who is also the BN chairman, had felt the hardship faced by fishermen, and had distributed aid ranging from RM5,000 to RM10,000 to them throughout the country to repair their homes, on Jan 21. The aid was part of the RM300 million Special Fund for Fishermen's Housing, which was announced in the 2012 Budget last year. To further reduce the burden of the people, the government had continuously assisted the rakyat through programmes such as the Perumahan Rakyat 1Malaysia (PR1MA), Kedai Rakyat 1Malaysia (KR1M), Kedai Kain Rakyat 1Malaysia, Kedai Buku 1Malaysia, Bantuan Rakyat 1Malaysia (BR1M), Skim Amanah Rakyat 1Malaysia (SARA 1Malaysia), Transformasi Kedai Runcit (TUKAR) and Menu Rakyat 1Malaysia (MR1M). As a result of the BN's sincere move to improve the well-being of the people, the wind of change began to appear within the BN, including in the states ruled by the opposition pact. A very recent report showed that about 400 hardcore PAS members in the Semerak state constituency in Kelantan had joined Umno, saying they had been duped by the so-called "Amanat Haji Hadi" (Haji Hadi Message), which branded Umno members and supporters as infidels. Even the majority of over 30,000 teachers in the state were now BN supporters, a good sign that BN is capable of wresting Kelantan from the opposition. Kelantan Umno liaison deputy chief, Datuk Dr Awang Adek Hussin said they were also willing to work hard to ensure that BN would be back in power after the general election since the current federal government had taken their (teachers) interest into consideration and fulfilled all promises made. In Penang, hundreds of hardcore supporters of the opposition party showed interest in joining the BN after losing their hope in the DAP leadership. This had become a reality when almost 350 former Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) members from Bayan Baru, Bukit Gelugor and Jelutong submitted their application letters to rejoin Umno to Najib on Dec 8. Describing Penang as a Gerakan stronghold for 40 years before losing to DAP in the 2008 general election, Gerakan president Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon said the party was determined to do more and better for the people in Penang and asked voters to give the party a chance in the 13th general election to serve them. Close to their hearts and minds, Gerakan members and Malaysians were saddened by the demise of its former president Tun Dr Lim Keng Yaik, 73, one of the political giants and longest serving Chinese minister in Malaysia, last Saturday. Back on track, a positive sign was also seen in Kedah and Selangor through surveys done by several academicians in the middle of the year. Associate Professor Dr Rohana Yusof from Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM) said a recent survey showed that 70 per cent of 10,800 respondents in Kedah had no confidence in Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's leadership. According to the survey, the respondents felt that it was pointless for the current PAS government in Kedah to continue ruling the state and therefore, the BN government would be the best choice for the development of Kedah and the country in general. In Selangor, a simulation study done based on the previous 11th and 12th general election and with the latest registered voters' profile, showed that BN could win 40 state seats during the coming general election. Taking all these scenarios into consideration, the coming 13th general election could be shaky for the opposition pact of PKR-DAP-PAS to retain the states currently under their rule especially in Selangor where the outcome is said to be a 50-50 chance. Evaluating support given by all the ethnic groups, the Indians were the biggest swingers in the last general election but they appeared to be withdrawing their support for the Pakatan due to the frustration of being cheated with empty promises. A noticeable trend swept through the 2008 polls when almost 85 per cent of the Indian votes went to the opposition pact, as a result of issues played up by the Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf). Thereafter, the Indian community's support for the BN had risen to over 70 per cent following government aid amounting to RM415 million being given to improve their living standard. The aid was distributed via Amanah Ikhtiar Malaysia or AIM (RM100 million), Tabung Ekonomi Kumpulan Usahawan Malaysia or Tekun (RM65 million) and a RM250 million allocation to entrepreneurs. During the 66th MIC Annual General Assembly held on Dec 9, party president Datuk Seri G. Palanivel said the support was stronger for the ruling coalition after receiving considerable benefits, particularly in education, public service development programme, economy and social programmes initiated by Najib. Meanwhile, MCA deputy president Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai also expressed his confidence that MCA, which took a severe beating in 2008, would rise again in the next general election. With plenty of aid given through 1MCA Medical Foundation, allocations for education and entrepreneurs, the Chinese community saw the winds of change blowing in the level of support towards the government compared to 2008. In Sabah, its chief minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman believed that the state had grown as a progressive, prosperous, peaceful and stable state under the initiatives taken by BN. The establishment of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into the issuance of citizenship to illegal immigrants, appointing locals to helm Federal departments in the state and the recognition of Sept 16 as Malaysia Day proved that BN always listened, cared and worked to fulfil every request made by the people. |
| Stop PR stunts, get real with Christians Posted: 25 Dec 2012 02:58 PM PST 
An NGO says this Christmas is the time for Najib to ponder and really hear the Christians on the issue of fairness and justice. Luke Rintod, FMT Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak has been asked to stop his "public relations stunts" and instead deal with the biased treatment his federal administration has meted out to Christians in Sabah and Sarawak. Demanding that Najib "walk his talk", a local NGO, Borneo's Plight in Malaysia Foundation (BoPiMaFo), said the PM's "nice words" in his Christmas message yesterday, rang "hollow as far as sincerity and truth is concerned" when compared to the "real situation" in Malaysia affecting Christians. The foundation's president Daniel John Jambun said that in Sabah especially, the "Christian community continued to be increasingly marginalised and victimised by loads of actions from Najib's ruling party Umno." "This Christmas time is for Najib to ponder and really hear the Christians on the issue of fairness and justice. "In Sabah especially, we are constantly being marginalised. Christians face difficulty in building their own churches, mission schools are in a sorry state, there's marginalisation in scholarships and government jobs and promotions. "What justice does he speak of if mosques, suraus and even madrasahs and all their officials like imam, bilal, missionaries are being salaried from taxes the government collected from us the rakyat while our churches and officials are being left out only for the faithfuls to support? "And on top of that, there seem to be various open concerted efforts from the government agencies to frustrate the development of Christianity in worship, education, literature, arts, even cultures. We cannot even put up crosses," said Jambun. Christians marginalised Jambun, who is also a deputy chairman of the Sabah chapter of opposition State Reform Party (STAR), also raised the issue of the Alkitab and Bibles which are subjected to unnecessary scrutiny. READ MORE HERE |
| Church leaders happy with Najib’s pledge, but wary it won’t trickle down Posted: 25 Dec 2012 02:55 PM PST 
Najib had reassured the Christian community in Malaysia on Christmas Day yesterday that the government recognised them the as an essential part of the nation. – Picture by Saw Siow Feng Zurairi AR, The Malaysian Insider Church leaders are happy with Datuk Seri Najib Razak's pledge to the Christian community, but expressed concern that the prime minister's message will not filter down to conservatives and extremist elements in his party and government. Najib had reassured the Christian community in Malaysia on Christmas Day yesterday that the government recognised them the as an essential part of the nation. Christians form about nine per cent of the country's 28 million population. "I hope that was not only from him alone, but it (also) has to be from the other part of the government," Christian Federation of Malaysia (CFM) chairman Datuk Ng Moon Hing told The Malaysian Insider yesterday. CFM, the umbrella body of all Christian denominations in the country, organised its annual Christmas Day party attended by all political leaders. Ng's view was mirrored by the Tan Sri Murphy Pakiam, Archbishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Kuala Lumpur, who said the prime minister needs courage, determination and consistent effort to accomplish his promises. "Hopefully he can get his whole team to (work at it)," Pakiam said. The church leaders agreed that Najib's attendance in the Christmas event was a nice gesture towards the Christian community, but would be for naught if he failed to confront extremists elements in his party and the government. "What's troubling to Christians is that the government has not spoken up to the extremists what its views are," said Hermen Shastri, the general secretary from the Council of Churches of Malaysia (CCM). The CCM is an ecumenical fellowship of churches and Christian organisations that are part of the larger Christian Federation of Malaysia (CFM) representing 90 per cent of the country's 2.8 million Christians. Last year, Umno-owned daily Utusan Malaysia published a report entitled Kristian Agama Rasmi? ("Christianity the official religion?"), where it was alleged that DAP leaders and Christian clergymen were conspiring to take over Putrajaya, abolish Islam as the religion of the federation and install a Christian prime minister. In the aftermath of the report, Malay supremacist group Perkasa and its president Datuk Ibrahim Ali threatened Christians nationwide with a holy war against any move to usurp Islam with a Christian state. Najib then meet church leaders to clear the air but the Home Ministry had only slapped the daily with a warning letter for publishing the unsubstantiated report. Shastri warned that by not taking any action on extremists, it will undo and make difficult the plans that the PM wants to accomplish. "(This will happen) as long as some groups keep on saying that Christians are a threat," Shastri said. The church leaders have listed several issues affecting the Christian community that has yet to be addressed by the government, with the issue of insufficient land for religious sites chief among them. "What we felt previously is that there are certain issues that the government could be more upfront (with) when dealing with them," confessed Philip Kok, a bishop with the Lutheran Church of Malaysia. "I think a lot of time, (we are facing) a struggle against bureaucracy. Some difficulties looked like it was (a problem with policy), but then the policy is interpreted in a different light," Ng explained. READ MORE HERE |
| Psychedelic psychic power? Posted: 25 Dec 2012 02:41 PM PST 
KTemoc Konsiders FMT - DAP leadership must share power
Sweetie Selena Tay is an amazing reporter (or journalist) for Free Malaysia Today. In one of her previous article Pakatan's 'shadow cabinet' list she claimed she could even speak with a non-existent Pakatan 'shadow minister', so shadowy that he seemed like a miasmatic mist of ........, wakakaka, okay lah ... mystery then, wakakaka. I had then commented her Pakatan shadow cabinet was a Kafkaesque joke – and if you don't know the meaning of this word, ask Mr Manmanlai, wakakaka - with the potential for Pakatan to outdo BN in the numbers department. 15 ministries including shared deputy prime minister-ships were listed, with each having at least 3 if not more names, making a total of no less than 45 and probably exceeding 60. WTF! Sweetie Selena admitted that her list has been compiled from a combination of: (a) discussions with a Pakatan MP who wished to remain anonymous ... ... but who wakakaka, I suspect, was probably from PKR. As usual, by suggesting some key nominees in the secret list, he was pre-empting PKR's supposed allies from choice ministries wakakaka, (b) observations from the performances and statements of Pakatan MPs ....., ... and undoubtedly, the most mysterious of all, wakakaka ........ (c) personal conversations with the shadow ministers, their friends or their acquaintances, where in the first place, shadow ministers, other than the PM-designate, don't exist ........ I was very cruel to her when I wrote: No, I won't hold much store by the list that Sweetie has written, perhaps more to mitigate against the BN sting that Pakatan is still incapable of coming up with a shadow cabinet than it be a genuine secret Pakatan plan. Of course I have my opinion as to why, but the far more important point was my amazement at Sweetie's claim of talking with non-existent shadow ministers ..... unless of course she had the conversation with the self-appointed wet-dreaming shadow Home Minister wakakaka. I hope she as a DAP member (so she claimed in her recent article) didn't/doesn't take my criticisms too badly as I had also excoriated another DAP sweetie, Hannah Yeoh, for being mathematically challenged in her support for Anwar Ibrahim's 916 (Hannah took law, not maths so it's okay, wakakaka), as follows: 
| I love but don't blindly idolize her, wakakaka | The saddest consequence of Anwar's 916 debacle was a DAP sweetie like Hannah Yeoh being swept into that mesmerizing manmanlai miasmatic mist of malarkey Рsee my February 2009 post DAP should stop defending Anwar Ibrahim where Hannah stupidly wrote (yes, I support DAP but that doesn't mean I am like some people, blind as a bat wakakaka): "Those who argue that the political crisis in Perak now is a taste of Pakatan Rakyat's own medicine Рa reference to Sept 16 Рfail to see the key differences between the two." "When Anwar claimed to have the numbers to form the federal government, he wrote to Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, requesting him to convene an emergency sitting of Parliament. This was rejected by the prime minister." "The next constitutional option was to press for the dissolution of Parliament to make way for fresh elections. This too was not entertained." "Anwar exhausted every constitutional means available to him. If Pakatan were to act unconstitutionally and lure defections, then we will be having a new government today. So, you can't say that Najib's coup in Perak and the Pakatan plan РSept 16 Рwere one and the same." Leaving aside the different issue of Najib's coup d'̩tat in Perak which involved someone high up who should have stayed out of direct politics, Hannah Yeoh was stupid (and I hope the sweetie isn't now) to claim that Anwar had the right to demand AAB convene an emergency sitting of Parliament or to press for the dissolution of Parliament to make way for fresh elections. WTF for, just after an election where AAB's BN trounced Pakatan by 140 seats to 82? Was she mathematically challenged? Now, would you believe it, the mystery of the phantom (wakakaka) shadow ministers has just become even more mysterious because on re-checking her shadow cabinet article I found the words 'shadow ministers' mysteriously missing like Jim Thompson, wakakaka. Oh, the mystery of it! 
| Jim Thompson disappeared in Cameron Highlands on 26 March 1967 Joining the Malaysian PFF in the biggest man hunt in Malaysian history were a Sarawak border scout, bomohs, aborigine pawang and European psychics To this day, the mystery of his disappearance remains | Surely this calls for the use of that wonderful Indonesian word anéh as in anéh bin ajaib (extremely strange, wonder of wonders) wakakaka. Hey, maybe sweetie didn't write it and I was, no not psychic, but psychedelically hallucinating, wakakaka. Hmmm, I wonder whether she read my post, wakakaka. Never mind, but incidentally, just where is Hartalmsm when you need them? Busy attacking politicians like Lim GE, I suppose? Wakakaka. Oh incidentally, on 30 June this year, sweetie wrote another article titled The doctor decides …? which states: Three days ago, a reporter friend (sweetie Selena has always been very discreet, never mentioning her sources, wakakaka) forwarded a text message to this columnist which says that the doctor has taken over Umno and right now the grassroots reports are being forwarded to him. But the big news is that the doctor is planning to have the polls held in September. This is because it seems that the doctor has got tired of Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak's feet-dragging and lack of confidence … […] Wakakkaa, I had then posted my take on her headline-grabbing coup d'état by Dr M as: We may yet again take it that Sweetie's latest article of Dr Mahathir mounting a silent coup d'état to launch a September poll was sourced from PKR, especially in the light of UMNO information that Dr Mahathir has affirmed Najib should be complimented for not calling for early election (or if you like, ordering Najib to hang on for as late/long as possible). Anyway, back to her latest article DAP leadership must share power in FMT. Just a few extracts I wish to comment on as follows: READ MORE HERE |
| ‘Can we trust Sabah BN leaders, anymore?’ Posted: 25 Dec 2012 02:30 PM PST 
The only reason Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak is desperately wooing Sabah is because Umno can no longer rule Peninsular Malaysia without Sabah and Sarawak. Luke Rintod, FMT PENAMPANG: A veteran political activist who was once with Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) said many among the Barisan Nasional leaders in Sabah had at many times told crowds that BN stands for "Barisan Nah Sial". Fredoline Edwin Lojingki, 71, who is now with opposition State Reform Party (STAR) said he could name these hypocrite leaders who are now heaping praises after praises on BN and its corrupt leaders. "These leaders once referred to BN as Barisan Nah Sial but they are singing a different tune now because they are now ministers, they got projects and all the trappings of power," he said in a statement here today in response to PBS Johnny Mositun's statement yesterday. Lojingki said the PBS information chief has forgotten what had Umno done with its two-thirds majority. "He forgot that it is because of BN losing its two thirds majority in parliament that it is now wooing Sabah and Sarawak votes," he opined. "Has Mositun forgotten that at one time Dr Mahathir Mohamad proudly announced on television that without Sabah and Sarawak, Umno could still rule the federal government? "Is Mositun aware of the importance of a check and balance in parliament?" he asked. Lojinki further reminded Sabahans and leaders to think before they speak. He said the questions they must first ask of themselves is: "Is a two-third majority, or worse, a complete control of parliament by BN good or bad for Sabah." "We leaders have a duty to explain what we believe is good for the country. Let us not mislead the people just because we curry powder with the power that be. "Lets not forget how difficult it is for lagging Sabah and Sarawak to be heard by a powerful central power," he said, adding that it is only the people who could decide if they want BN, or any other party, to have a two-thirds majority in the 222-seat parliament. READ MORE HERE |
| Istilah ‘God’ dalam Bible BM perlu diganti dengan Tuhan, bukan Allah Posted: 25 Dec 2012 02:27 PM PST 
PAS melihat isu penggunaan nama Allah di dalam terjemahan Bible dalam BM tidak mencerminkan maksud sebenar dari teks asal. (FMT) - PAS berpendapat menggunakan nama Allah dalam terjemahan Bible Bahasa Melayu tidak wajar dan parti itu berpendirian istilah 'God' digantikan dengan Tuhan dan bukannya Allah untuk mencerminkan maksud sebenar daripada teks asal. Dalam satu kenyataan media hari ini, Ketua Penerangan PAS, Datuk Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man berkata, memandangkan Bible Bahasa Melayu adalah terjemahan dari teks asal bahasa Inggeris, maka sewajarnya istilah God tidak bermaksud Allah, kerana terjemahan tepat ialah Tuhan. Bahkan di kalangan masyarakat Barat pun mereka tidak menggunakan nama Allah bagi merujuk kepada God sama ada dalam pertuturan, penulisan atau filem. Perkataan yang sering digunakan ialah 'Lord'. PAS juga melihat isu penggunaan nama Allah di dalam terjemahan Bible dalam Bahasa Malaysia tidak mencerminkan maksud sebenar dari teks asal serta mengelirukan pelbagai pihak. Menurut Tuan Ibrahim lagi, cadangan tersebut juga telah mengundang pelbagai reaksi di kalangan orang Islam dan penganut Kristian. Katanya, menterjemahkan God dengan Allah akan mengelirukan penganut Kristian dan menimbulkan rasa kurang senang di kalangan umat Islam serta boleh mengelirukan orang Islam. "Walaupun penggunaannya tidak bertentangan dengan tradisi ilmu dan budaya di kalangan ahli kitab (Yahudi dan Nasara), tetapi keluar dari khilaf atau mengelak berlakunya kekeliruan dan polemik adalah jalan terbaik," katanya lagi. Tuan Ibrahim berkata, bagi umat Islam, nama Allah merupakan nama yang khusus yang mesti dipelihara kesuciannya. Katanya, a tidak boleh dibuang merata tempat atau digunakan nama tersebut pada tempat yang tidak layak baginya seperti menyamakan dengan makhluk, bersifat dengan sifat makhluk, seperti menganggap ia ada anak, isteri, makan, tidur dan berjalan sebagaimana makhluk. Beliau berkata, ada perkataan yang sensitif bagi sesetengah agama, seperti kalimah Dua Shahadah dan Allah, tidak boleh disebut secara sewenang-wenangnya dalam konteks yang tidak tepat kerana ia boleh menimbulkan kemarahan dan ketidaksenangan yang tidak perlu dalam masyarakat majmuk di negara kita dan situasi negara masa kini. |
| The problem with Opposition supporters Posted: 25 Dec 2012 01:49 PM PST 
Look at the "Comments" section in Malaysiakini, Malaysia Today and Malaysian Insider. They have total disdain for the establishment and everything associated with the establishment is wrong. They have this utopian idea that by changing the government and leave it to the politicians, things will be better. Ooi Kok Hin, The Malaysian Insider The highest form of patriotism is dissent. This quote is often used to describe the situation in which we protest against something we love, even at the risks of harming ourselves, when it goes in the wrong direction. Opposition supporters attribute their dissent to their love for the country, which is a good thing. However, many of them see things differently when this quote is applied to them. Opposition enthusiasts don't appreciate it when you protest their wrongdoings. They'd call you "pengkhianat, katak, turncoat, UMNO dogs etc." They see their leaders as saints and the other side as devils. For them, political contest is as simplistic as the choice between good and evil. Like it or not, your favorite politicians are not saints. They make mistakes and take risks; most evidently give their words on too many populist promises.
Two Wrongs Don't Make One Right
Take the Malay members' defeat during DAP's Central Executive Committee (CEC) election. When criticism poured in, DAP's hardcore supporters brushed aside those criticism and pointed at UMNO's mono-ethnic composition. They merely attack their critic's characters and not the argument; this is known as ad hominem. That is not a justification for DAP delegates' racial preferences. We already know that none of UMNO, MCA and MIC is an inclusive Malaysian party. Their racial foundation is a contradiction to their mission; this is an omen to their failures to unite Malaysians. Perhaps, race-based parties were needed in the early 20th century, but for far too long since then, they are impediments to unity. DAP's membership is open to all but its delegates are still more comfortable in trusting people of their own race. Unless DAP wants to continue that pathway, DAP leaders and members need to look at themselves in the mirror instead of keeping a blind eye to their own racial preferences. I am not saying that the Malay candidates should win due to their race, but as a nationwide party, the DAP should have enough Malays who are as capable as the others. If this is not true, then the DAP's goal of an inclusive Malaysian society is far-fetch, since the party itself is unable to be multiracial 47 years after its formation. And if this goes on, Pakatan Rakyat's politics is just like Barisan Nasional; DAP will take care of non-Malays and PAS will go to the Malay areas. Take politicians who jump ships. Opposition supporters welcome those who jump to their side. They are treated like heroes. "He realizes the truth at last! He's enlightened and joined our struggle!" Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and his men are trying hard to recruit more of such heroes in Sabah and Sarawak. But when their own men jumped to the other side, all hell breaks loose. "She's a piece of crap! He betrayed the people's trust! He has been bought!" It's amusing to see people's hypocrisy in action. As I see it, people elect their YB to represent their interests which are in line with the YB's party. If the YB decides to jump ship, (it's your freedom to associate), he or she can do but must resign and stand as a new candidate. It doesn't matter which direction he or she jumps to. I recall that Karpal Singh was the only one who spoke out when the infamous Trojan horse jumped to Pakatan. It took the fall of a state government to make the others pick up the principles they abandoned when the tide favors them. Check your facts before you shoot A recent video and an article caught my attention. Both have been widely misinterpreted by opposition supporters who trumpeted that Malaysia is the worst-ranked country in corruption. Read more and watch the video at: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/sideviews/article/the-problem-with-opposition-supporters-ooi-kok-hin/ |
| Stay the course or abandon ship? Posted: 25 Dec 2012 01:44 PM PST 
To Hu, PAS' struggle is based "on true Islamic principle" and the party is fair to all – Muslims and non-Muslims which is "guaranteed" by the party constitution. Hence his support as long as the constitution remains as it is. Mohsin Abdullah, fz.com Following the recent public "spat" between Hu Pang Chau, the National PAS Supporters Congress chairman, and Kelantan state exco member Datuk Takiyuddin Hassan over "actions" against non-Muslims, a logical question to ask now is: Should the supporters (who are all non-Muslims) continue supporting PAS? After all Takiyuddin has accused Hu of having "bad intentions" for bringing to the media cases of non-Muslims being "penalised" by the Kota Baru Municipal Council for alleged indecent behaviour. Then there was the unisex salon issue, also in Kota Baru, involving the enforcement of gender segregation rules. Hu's response then was he acted "in the interest of non-Muslims" and was "defending" their rights. So back to the earlier question: should the congress and Hu in particular stay the course? "My relationship with Takiyuddin is not affected by the issues. We are like crew members of a same ship, holding on to the belief of the PAS constitution and the same struggle. The only difference perhaps is on the approach taken," said Hu in an email response to fz.com. Meaning he and the congress will continue to stick with PAS. To his critics that is expected. Hu has always been accused of being a "PAS apologist". Hu nevertheless is unfazed by such accusation. "As long as the PAS constitution remains unchanged, I will continue to support the party," said Hu, adding: "I dare say I understand the objective and PAS struggle better than many party members or leaders". To Hu, PAS' struggle is based "on true Islamic principle" and the party is fair to all – Muslims and non-Muslims which is "guaranteed" by the party constitution. Hence his support as long as the constitution remains as it is. And he is confident the congress is playing the role of taking care of non-Muslims interests. "We have representatives in the elections and political bureaus or lajnah. Two most important lajnahin PAS," he said. Still, are the representatives truly "functional"? "If our views and proposals are not accepted why should PAS include us in the bureaus?" was Hu's reply. PAS has always worked towards reaching out to non-Muslims, especially the Chinese community. In the 1980s, the party established what was known as the Chinese Consultative Council. In 2004, the PAS Supporters Club was set up. And in 2010, the club was upgraded to become the current congress as PAS sought to get more non-Muslims to play a bigger role in the party. The congress is placed on par with the other wings in PAS, namely Dewan Ulama, Dewan Pemuda, Dewan Muslimah – hence its official name Dewan Himpunan Penyokong PAS. And it boasts some 30,000 members nationwide, comprising Indians, Chinese, Iban and Malaysians of Thai descent. But is the congress effective in "helping" PAS? "Years ago even the sight of a PAS member wearing the kopiah will frighten away non-Muslims, especially the Chinese. Now we have non-Muslims campaigning for PAS carrying the party flags, wearing PAS T-shirts. It's like a miracle. Yes, the congress has been effective. But to what extent I can't say as I do not have a barometer," said a PAS activist. Hu, understandably, has good words for his outfit. "In the early days, when I went to Chinese areas not even a single Chinese turned up for PAS ceramah. Not even for tea party. Now we get big crowds of non-Muslims at PAS ceramah, not only in the peninsula but also Sabah and Sarawak," he said. That PAS sees the congress as priceless is given. Said PAS director of election Dr Hatta Ramli: "The formation and inception of the congress is a significant milestone for PAS. For non-Muslims to support PAS so dearly is something unthinkable just a decade ago. "The congress is an asset for our struggle. It can further soften our image, increase our tolerance and implement a diversity of approaches." For the 13th GE, PAS will field members of the Supporters Congress. "The congress will likely be entrusted to attract support of non-Muslims not just as election strategists and workers but also as candidates both for the DUN (state legislative assembly) and parliament levels. "It will take PAS a long way into a new era of inclusive politics. I foresee this as a breakthrough for PAS in national and mainstream politics," said Hatta. Hu confirmed that PAS will field the congress members in Sarawak and Johor with "Kedah, Perak, Melaka as possibility". |
| Sarawak Rela ordered to give ‘undivided support’ to BN Posted: 25 Dec 2012 01:41 PM PST 
(Free Malaysia Today) - Sarawak PKR has described calls to Rela members to help Barisan Nasional win in the state as 'immoral'. The neutrality of paramilitary volunteer corp, Rela, in Sarawak has come under question following a recent "immoral" order by a top ranking officer urging its members to support Barisan Nasional. Sarawak has 300,000 Rela members stationed in 32 districts.Nationwide, there are 3.2 million members. At a function in Julau district, Rela officer Lieutenant Colonel (Rela) Moses Sipan reportedly told Rela members that the government had allocated some RM400 million in the 2013 budget for the corp. "This huge sum shows the government's confidence in Rela. "Therefore as a show of our appreciation we must give our undivided support to BN in the coming general election," he said. Julau has about 8,000 Rela members. The constituency is currently held by Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) vice-president Joseph Salang, who is also a deputy minister in the federal cabinet. Sipan's call to Rela members in Julau is also seen as an 'order' to all Rela members in Sarawak. The directive has irked the opposition in Julau constituency and the state. Slamming Sipan, state PKR chief Baru Bian said: "This is wrong. It is immoral and politically wrong for them to do that. "Rela is not a political party. It is a voluntary organisation and funded by the rakyat's money. "You don't use this kind of voluntary organisation to strengthen your political influence." Read more at: http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2012/12/26/sarawak-rela-ordered-to-give-undivided-support-to-bn/ |
| HOLIDAY MUSINGS and PROPOSITIONS on THE GENEALOGY of RELIGION Posted: 25 Dec 2012 07:52 AM PST 
All ideas of "god" are rooted in language and concepts in materialism and the dialecticness of it; different names of different gods signify the attempt by Man to name the Unknown and the Infinite and the Non-Being via words framed culturally, so that Man can worship the name and appease the construction of personal and social reality. A REPUBLIC OF VIRTUE Dr Azly Rahman As we close the year 2012 and enter a new age of the Mayan calendar, I invite my learned readers to discuss the propositions below as a way to cleanse our minds of the flux and cloudiness of matters concerning the belief system we are all in. I suppose Malaysians especially are now ready to engage in dialogue sessions that require an open mind and rationality in order for us to evolve more into an Athenian rather than a Spartan society still trapped in the glory of Oriental Despotism. 1] all religious celebrations are more cultural than religious; for the roots of religion and spirituality lie in human anthropology framed by the agricultural society, and the need to engage in rites and rituals to structure the inner and outer patterns in understanding the unknown and that elusive concept called "divinity"; 2] all ideas of "god" are rooted in language and concepts in materialism and the dialecticness of it; different names of different gods signify the attempt by Man to name the Unknown and the Infinite and the Non-Being via words framed culturally, so that Man can worship the name and appease the construction of personal and social reality; 3] all forms of worship --- the prayers, the puja, the sembah Hyang, the solat -- are a form of cultural-language-play rooted in the origins of names and the process of constructing language out of the need to "connect"; the purpose of all form of prayer is psychological, i.e. to numb the self so that its conscious state of "being-in-this-word" can be "destroyed" and the self can experience "death and living" all in one, in a different realm of consciousness now directed to the Unknown imagined as the "Divine" or the "Theos and the Logos" worshipped all in one; 4] all worshippers in religion worhip objects and do not worship objects all at once -- the Hindus worship/do not worship the multitude of gods from the pantheon gods, the Christians worship/do not worship the symbolic representation of a man crucified, the Muslim worship/do not worship the cube/kaabah that house the black stone from Paradise, and those of other cultural beliefs worsh...ip/do not worship the forces of Nature ... in essence worshippers are a creature of semiotics (of signs, symbols, significations, representations) that do not have the power NOT to imagine ... it is impossible NOT to imagine anything while worshipping ... as Man is an invention imbued with the power to read and recite and redefine the world he/she lives in; 5] when one prays, where will the words/mantras/puja/doa/surahs/prayers be directed to ... ? do one know who the receiver of the offerings and words of sacrifice shall be ... ? ; 6] since the beginning of it, the greatest beneficiary of religion has been the rulers of men and the priest class that help provide the divine-ly sanctioned legitimacy; those who owns the means to produce Official Knowledge and those who rule by myth and the architecture of power derived from such myths ... hence Kings, Emperors, Sultans, and Rajahs are all capitalists of "spiritual knowledge" .. their glory tied to the need for religion to be "spread" in the name of "empires of faith" ... the story of these rulers have not only been the story of plunderes and coversions to this or that religion, but how they plunder in style with the pomp and pageantry and nobility divinely-inspired thieves can be; 7] the pen is said to be mightier than the sword .. if it belongs to the priest class and the sword wielded by kings ... but it is the invention of the writing systen that has given might to both the pen and the sword ... whoever owns the means to tell the story of others own the mind of the future of the genrations they wish to colonize in a world of epic-poems and storytelling of heroes and villains and masters and slaves; 8] in a world of the haves an have-nots of spiritual/religious knowledge the more the rulers and the guardians of religion emphasize the mundane but over-glorified ritualistic aspoects of religion so that the masses can weep and cry while praying and take Fate as a life of suffering divinely-orchestrated, the more the ruling priestly class can administer more control using more sophisticated and ceremonial signs and symbol of alleviating suffering ... so that behnd the scene the national treasures can be robbed clean; 9] if it is said that "the body is the temple of the soul," why is there a need for any house of worship and to imagine that god "lives" there?; 10] what actually is the origin of Man? .. and for what purpose did he invent the idea of "god". ********************************** OUR USUAL REMINDER, FOLKS:
While the opinion in the article/writing is mine,
the comments are strictly, respectfully, and responsibly yours;
present them rationally, clearly, politely, and ethically. https://www.facebook.com/#!/azly.rahman http://azlyrahman-illuminations.blogspot.com/ |
| Pekida akan terus pertahankan kedaulatan bangsa Melayu dan agama Islam Posted: 24 Dec 2012 06:07 PM PST 
(Bernama) - Pertubuhan Kebajikan dan Dakwah Islamiah Malaysia (Pekida) akan terus mempertahankan kedaulatan bangsa Melayu, agama Islam dan tanah air daripada dirosakkan oleh mana-mana pihak, kata Presidennya Jamaludin Yusof. Beliau berkata sebagai sebuah pertubuhan yang diwujudkan atas dasar Melayu dan Islam, sudah pasti kedua-dua dasar berkenaan menjadi pegangan utama dan akan diperjuangkan sampai bila-bila. "Pekida mempunyai misi dan visi tersendiri iaitu menegakkan Islam dan memastikan bangsa Melayu terus menjadi tunjang negara. Kita akan terus mempertahankan agama, bangsa dan negara walaupun terpaksa berjuang hingga ke titisan terakhir. "Justeru kita sebagai anggota (Pekida), kita mempunyai tugas yang berat untuk pastikan kestabilan politik negara dikekalkan supaya negara akan terus aman dan damai," katanya semasa berucap pada Mesyuarat Agung Pekida Malaysia ke-18 yang dirasmikan Ketua Menteri Melaka Datuk Seri Mohd Ali Rustam, di sini hari ini. Jamaludin berkata sehingga kini keanggotaan Pekida sudah menjangkau kira-kira 300,000 orang dan jumlah itu sangat penting dalam menguatkan pertubuhan itu dalam memperjuangkan matlamat penubuhannya. "Pekida mempunyai anggota yang ramai dan kita sedang mencari formula bagaimana untuk menyatukan kesemua anggota supaya perjuangan kita mencapai matlamatnya. "Kita tidak mahu satu hari nanti kita terpaksa menangis di belakang pintu disebabkan oleh kegagalan kita untuk mempertahankan bangsa, agama dan negara kita sendiri," katanya. Jamaludin turut menyeru semua anggota pertubuhan itu agar terus menyokong kerajaan sedia ada yang sudah terbukti banyak membantu membangunkan syiar Islam selain mempertahankan keistimewaan orang Melayu sejak negara merdeka hingga kini. "Hanya kerajaan yang ada sekarang ini akan terus memberikan kemakmuran, kesejahteraan dan kebajikan kepada rakyat. Jadi, saya minta semua anggota Pekida agar terus menyokong kerajaan pimpinan Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak sekarang ini agar semua yang diperoleh sekarang ini berterusan untuk anak cucu kita," katanya. |
| Malaysian Psephology: Kapar 2008 Posted: 24 Dec 2012 03:54 PM PST 
Prashun Dutt, The Sun Daily FROM 1995 to 2008, the number of registered voters (electorate) had grown by over 66% from 67,555 to 112,224. This indicates a substantial increase of 44,669 voters over this 13-year period, making Kapar among the largest Parliamentary constituencies in Malaysia. In terms of ethnic breakdown, as of March 2008, Malays constituted 49.3% of the Kapar electorate, while Chinese made up 37.6%, Indians 12.6% and the rest less than 0.5%. Despite the sizeable growth of the electorate, the percentage of voting has remained consistently high throughout these 13 years (from 73% to 78%). Ballot papers issued had increased by nearly 77% from 49,595 (1995) to 87,644 (2008), confirming that the increasing number of registered voters in Kapar remained similarly committed towards casting their votes. Despite growth in electoral size, the percentage voting support for Barisan Nasional (represented by MIC) has been declining or inconsistent since the resounding 67.1% support garnered by MIC's G. Leelavathi in 1995. Prominent MIC leader Datin Komala Devi received 49.6% of the votes in 1999, overcoming the challenge by PAS and avoiding a closer contest due to a split in opposition ranks. She retained the seat in 2004, this time brushing off a PKR challenge, with 57.9% support and a convincing margin of 14,588 votes. In 2008, however, she lost the seat by a similarly convincing margin of 12,297 votes to PKR's Manikavasagam Sundaram. PKR wrested the seat with 55.3% of the votes versus 41.2% polled by BN-MIC. While the gap in votes polled by the two candidates was around 15%, this seat witnessed one of the most noticeable "swing factors" of 2008. From losing the seat by 14,588 votes in 2004, PKR worked the ground and connected adequately with at least an additional 1/3 of the electorate, including the new entrants in the constituency, besides retaining most of their own support base. Considering all the relevant contributing factors – the 8,039 growth in size of electorate (from 2004 to 2008), the number of additional 11,000 plus ballots in the box (in 2008 compared to 2004), and the difference in voting support – the swing factor was over 24% in the final touchdown. The constituency has a mix of well-settled urbanites, new townships and some rural areas. With ethnic block-voting trends declining in Malaysia, large electorate constituencies having different socio-economic clusters will require sincere constructive groundwork by all candidates. However, at the time of print, theSun was yet to obtain comments from both parties regarding their specific plans for this constituency. |
| PR mulls Media Freedom Act Posted: 24 Dec 2012 03:50 PM PST 
(The Sun Daily) - A Media Freedom Act, which would include barring political parties from owning media companies, is being bandied by federal opposition pact Pakatan Rakyat (PR) as a means to ensure continued press freedom in the country. Penang Chief Minister and DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng said the tripartite PR alliance is planning to table the bill for passage in Parliament if PR assumes federal power in the 13th general election. He said such a law would prohibit political parties from having a direct stake in media companies, be it newspapers, television or radio stations and online media. "This means that political parties cannot have direct or effective control of media companies," he told theSun in an interview recently. The issue of media ownership in Malaysia is a thorny one with politicians on both sides pointing the finger at each other for abusing and stunting media freedom. The federal opposition has been quick to point out unfair coverage on issues raised by them while their political opponents have fingered the online media as a factor for perceived eroding support. Nonetheless, it was reported that Malaysia's rank in the annual Press Freedom Index moved up 19 places to 122 out of 178 countries in 2011 compared to 141 the previous year. However, Reporters Without Borders, the organisation which compiles the index, noted that the upward trend was "in fact due more to the sharp decline in the situation in a number of other countries," in an open letter written by its director-general Olivier Basille. On the proposed Act, Lim conceded to theSun that it would not be enough to stop indirect ownership of media companies or ownership by proxy. "But they won't be able to exercise effective and total control then," he noted,. He urged those running websites to identify themselves properly to enable them to be held responsible for the content. |
| MIC is finished, says ex-leader Posted: 24 Dec 2012 03:39 PM PST 
Muthu Palaniappan predicts a worse outing than in 2008 and says the party will drag down BN with it. Zafry Dahalan, FMT MIC will do worse in the coming election than it did in 2008, according to a former leader of the party. M Muthu Palaniappan, a defector to PKR who claims to be familiar with grassroots feelings, made this prediction in an interview with FMT. He said a majority of Indian voters had grown tired of MIC's "empty promises" and would make their feelings known at the ballot box. Muthu's main power base is Negeri Sembilan, but he was one of the few state MIC leaders who rose to national prominence in the 80s and 90s. He was MIC Youth chief from 1979 to 1984 and vice president of the party from 1997 to 2000. He holds the record as the longest serving Negeri Sembilan state assemblyman from MIC, having won the Si Rusa (now Port Dickson) seat in 1982 and the Rantau seat in 1986 and 1990. He was a member of the state exco for 13 years until 1995. He was the Negeri Sembilan MIC chief from 1979 to 1995. He was often in the news in the late 80s and early 90s for his bold criticism of party president S Samy Vellu. Muthu studied law at Lincoln's Inn and was once the chairman of the London Union of Malaysian and Singapore Students. FMT: Why did you leave MIC after being with the party for 40 years? MIC is not on the right track. Gone are the days of MIC leaders working for the people. Nowadays they work only to enrich themselves. They are not bothered about the Indian community. Just look at the civil service and how the Indians are left out. The state of Indians in the public sector is very sad. What has MIC has done? Nothing. MIC leaders at the national level have not kept their promises. That's why I left and joined PKR. How do you think MIC will fare in the 13th general election? It will lose badly, worse than in 2008. The people—Malays, Chinese and Indians—have already made up their mind to vote for changes. The expectations of the Indians are high. They want government jobs, but the intake of Indians into government service leaves much to be desired. And even among those lucky enough to have jobs in the civil service, they have low expectations of being promoted. The situation is similar with intake into public universities. Not enough places are offered to Indian students although many of them are deserving. MIC does nothing about all this. The only thing MIC does is make empty promises, millions of empty promises. Let's talk about Negeri Sembilan. Indians make up quite a sizeable number of voters in the state. Surely some will vote for MIC. MIC will lose everything in Negeri Sembilan. The remaining MIC seat in Negeri Sembilan is the Jeram Padang state seat. This seat will go to Pakatan Rakyat. MIC has been talking about winning back the Port Dickson state seat and the Teluk Kemang parliament seat. It must be joking. Negeri Sembilan MIC is very ineffective. It has done nothing for the Indians in the past 10 years. Other Barisan Nasional component parties also will face the same fate as MIC because the Indians are the balancing power in Negeri Sembilan. This fact is known to Umno as well. No point giving hampers at the last minute. There is awakening among the Indians in the state. Negeri Sembilan MIC is divided into factions, but they pretend to be united. There are many MIC branch leaders pretending to be loyal to the party. But they are only eyeing the material benefits that will come during the election campaign period. Politically, they have felt cheated for a long time. They are disappointed. Just watch out; these leaders will throw their support behind Pakatan during the general election. What are your feelings about MIC chief G Palanivel? 
He is the weakest president in MIC's history. He can't gather any support. He has no grassroots support. Palanivel has a strange political style. He has chosen a few people to be with him in a small circle. He doesn't know that these people are actually there only for material benefits, not out of loyalty to MIC and BN. What do you think of the idea of bringing back Samy Vellu to help MIC retake Sungai Siput? BN will lose at least an extra 10% of votes not only in Sungai Siput, but also throughout the country. Samy's presence will tremendously help Pakatan. It will send a signal to the voters that Palanivel is a weak president. READ MORE HERE |
| Checks find ex-top cop not owner of Miharja flats Posted: 24 Dec 2012 03:28 PM PST 
Adila Razak, Malaysiakini Checks with Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) have found that four low-cost flats in Miharja are not owned by any notable former high-ranking police officer, as claimed by PKR. Malaysiakini's assessment rate searches with DBKL on the four properties last week following a press conference by the opposition party on the matter showed that they are owned by nondescript individuals.
However, PKR consumer rights bureau chief Yahya Sahri, when contacted, insisted that the flat had until "a few years ago" belonged to a "high ranking ex-police officer" and his wife.
Not dismissing the possiblity that the flats may have changed hands, Yahya also insisted that the ex-officer and his wife had purchased the units.
 Yahya (left in photo) last week exposed this information at a press conference but withheld the identity of the former police officer, claiming that it will be revealed at later press conferences.
He had then also claimed that the former police officer "still owns" the properties, which he should not have been qualified to purchase.
Yahya also provided media with copies of DBKL assessment rate searches the party had done on 10 properties, including the four flats, allegedly belonging to the former officer and his wife.
The names of the owners were blanked out by PKR, but the owner's address for one of the flats was listed as "Ibu Pejabat Polis, Bukit Aman".
Malaysiakini's search for property ownership history at the Federal Land Office only returned the history for the master title, and not the strata title for the individuals flat units. The agency said it cannot conduct a strata title search on the individual units as it cannot locate the units ownership numbers (nombor hakmilik). It claims that the 'nombor hakmilik' can only be provided by the developer. |
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