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Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News

Man gets 5 years for insulting Islam on Facebook
Remember your roots, Mahathir
Jeffrey: Tell RCI the truth, Anwar
Malaysia’s judiciary is independent, says retired judge
Prosecute Ibrahim Ali over bible-burning call, Bar Council urges
Citizenship-for-votes probe stirs outrage
Subpoena Dr M, Anwar, Sabah RCI told
Allah issue: ‘Pakatan stands by Hadi’
Kelantan – Myths and Realities
G5 states to jointly battle for oil royalty?
‘GE’ to be held in 81 NS camps
BR1M to stay for long if people support BN
Hamas Paints Malaysian Premier’s Visit as a Stand Against Israel
Priest lodges police report over ‘Bible burning pesta’ notice
Pakatan fears PAS puritans putting non-Muslim vote at risk

Man gets 5 years for insulting Islam on Facebook

Posted: 22 Jan 2013 03:47 PM PST

Members of Indonesia's Islamic Defenders Front (FPI) rally on the streets in Jakarta July 30, 2011. Members of the FPI are demanding the government to disband Ahmadiyah sect. Indonesia's Assembly of Indonesian Muslim Clerics (MUI) considers the Ahmadiyah sect to be 'heretical' for believing that Mohammad was not Islam's final prophet. — PHOTO: REUTERS

(The Jakarta Post) - The Bandung State Court has decided to add one more year to the prison term of Sebastian Joe, who was sentenced to four years imprisonment for blasphemy of Islam by the Ciamis District Court in West Java.

The state court decided on Tuesday to slap a higher sentence as it used the 2008 Information and Electronic Transaction (ITE) Law as a lex specialis (special law), instead of the Criminal Code (KUHP) used by the district court, said Sebastian's lawyer, Anang Fitriana, as quoted by tempo.co on Wednesday.

Sebastian was reported by the Ciamis chapter of the Islamic Defender Front (FPI) last year for a Facebook status he made, which they considered insulting to Islam.

Anang said that he planned to appeal the case to the Supreme Court.

Remember your roots, Mahathir

Posted: 22 Jan 2013 03:31 PM PST

NGO tells the former premier that he would not have been a Malaysian if Tunku had not granted citizenships to non-Malays during Merdeka

G Vinod, FMT

If Tunku Abdul Rahman did not grant citizenships to non-Malays during Merdeka, Dr Mahathir Mohamad would not have been a Malaysian, claimed an NGO.

Malaysian Indian Progressive Association (Mipas) chairman A Rajaretinam made this known during a protest in Brickfields against Mahathir's call to probe citizenships given during Independence.

The former premier said this in reaction to the damning revelations made in the Sabah RCI, which implicated his administration in granting citizenships to foreigners to reside in Sabah.

Rajaretinam was hinting at Mahathir's Indian heritage, where the latter's father was an Indian Muslim immigrant.

Rajaretinam said that not only did Mahathir insult the Tunku with his statement but also the entire Indian community.

He added that the Indians in Malaysia got their citizenships by sacrificing their blood, sweat and tears for the sake of national development, as opposed to the immigrants in Sabah.

"Our ancestors were not refugees. We were brought in by the British government to Malaya to build the country.

"When you talk about plantation, railway and building roads, you will see our ancestors' sacrifice for the country," said Rajaretinam.

READ MORE HERE

Jeffrey: Tell RCI the truth, Anwar

Posted: 22 Jan 2013 03:25 PM PST

The Sabah strongman says Anwar, being the second most powerful leader in Umno then, could not have been ignorant of what was happening in Sabah.

K Kabilan, FMT

Sabah's veteran politician Jeffrey Kitingan today expressed hope that Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim would "tell the truth" if he ends up testifying in the Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) probing the "Project IC" in Sabah.

"I am glad he has said that he has no problem in testifying in the RCI probing into citizenship granted to immigrants in Sabah.

"However I do hope he would tell the truth about his own role in the citizenship fiasco," Jeffrey told FMT today.

"From what I know, he was indeed in charge of Sabah [for Umno]. He was the director of operations and was involved actively in the citizenship project," he added.

"I am very sure he was in the know of what was happening in Sabah at that time."

Earlier today, Anwar told reporters that he was ready to testify at the RCI but quickly added that he was also in the dark about the project.

"I have no problem whatsoever. I knew for a long time the project was under the prime minister, that it did not involve a Cabinet process, so it is the full responsibility of the prime minister and finance minister.

"When I was there, even I was not briefed on the issue [of providing citizenship to immigrants]," Anwar said.

He also said that the RCI had not summoned him because "they know I have nothing to do with it".

Yesterday, Sabah Umno liaison deputy chief Salleh Said Keruak had challenged Anwar to tell the truth about the illegal immigrants to the RCI tasked with looking into the long-standing problem in the state.

He said that Anwar was duty-bound to do so as he was deputy prime minister at that particular period, adding that "he was a powerful man and knew what was going on in Sabah".

In recent weeks, various quarters have asked for both former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad and Anwar to be summoned by the RCI to testify on the citizenship-for-vote issue.

Posted: 22 Jan 2013 03:10 PM PST

(Bernama) - Despite criticisms and accusations on the transparency and independence of Malaysia's judicial system, a retired Federal Court judge, Datuk Seri Panglima Sulong Matjeraie, said never in his years in service did anyone try to influence him in his decisions.

"I have been working as a judge for 15 years and not on one occasion did any of my bosses said: 'Sulong, you decide this way and not that way'. It never happened.

"In the Federal Court, there are five judges and one of us will write the judgment and then pass it to the rest of us. If we don't agree, we will be dissenting. There is no such thing where you have to follow.

"Definitely, we uphold the independence of the judiciary," he told Bernama here recently. Sulong, 66, the first Sarawakian appointed as Federal Court judge, clocked out for the last time at the Palace of Justice last Friday.

"To be able to administer justice according to the law is something we hold dear."

As a judge, you must make sure you serve justice and ensure justice is achieved. I think we have done that," he added.

Sulong said the transformation of judiciary in the country had also reduced the backlog of cases in courts.

"We have been working hard. There was too much of a backlog that we had to sacrifice our personal time to clear these cases. We have to ensure justice is done expeditiously. All of us work our guts out to make sure we finish our cases," he said.

Sulong was born to a humble family in 1947 in the rural town of Saratok, about 140km from Kuching. As a boy, he used to help his father to tap rubber trees and sell "kuih" in the village to earn extra pocket money.

"My late father always wanted me to be an agriculture assistant where I could get 'free uniform'. I never dreamt of becoming a lawyer or a judge.

"My late father always said: 'Sulong, learn to plant rubber trees. when you get older, you will have your own plantation'.

"As a judge, I get free uniform too," he smiled wryly.

The fourth child in a family of nine, Sulong started his working career at the tender age of 17 when he was appointed a probationary Sarawak Administrative Officer (SAO) in the Sarawak Civil Service.

That was in 1964. When he was 23, Sulong was appointed the District Officer (DO) of Bintulu -now an oil and gas town. The appointment gave him the distinction of being the youngest District Officer in Malaysia.

Sulong started his career in the judiciary when he was appointed a Judicial Commissioner in September 1998 in the High Court of Malaya in Johor Baharu. Two years later, he was a High Court Judge in the Kota Kinabalu High Court, Sabah.

In 2007, he was a judge of the Court of Appeal in Putrajaya and in April last year, he was appointed a Federal Court Judge at the Palace of Justice, here.

"My only regret was not having my father around when I was made the Court of Appeal and Federal Court Judge. He passed away few months before I was appointed as a judge," he said.

Sulong's interest in law was stirred when he was in the civil service, where one of the requirements for an administrative officer to be considered for promotion was to pass the law exam. From there it was all history. To read law, Sulong went to London on a Sarawak government scholarship to study at the Inns of Court School of Law in 1971.

"I am always grateful to the Sarawak state government for giving me that opportunity to further my studies. Otherwise, I don't think I could become a judge. I'm lucky. But then again, all you need to do is work hard and you can achieve any dreams you have," he said.

Sulong obtained his Master of Law Degree in Mercantile Law at the University of Southampton in 1977 where the law study was made possible by his wife who supported him financially.

"I'm thankful to my wife who supported me to do my Master. She was working and I was studying," he added.

Sulong served the state government in various capacities, including as General Manager of Sarawak Timber Industry Development Corporation from 1979 to 1980 and as the General Manager of Bintulu Development Authority from 1980 to 1983. Sulong left the civil service in 1983 and set up his own legal firm under the name of Messrs Sulong Matjeraie & Co. in Kuching the same year.

On his future and what he would like to do, Sulong said he would like to sit back first before deciding what he would like to do.

"I will take a break first before beginning to do something else. Actually I have no future plan yet. First thing I will do though is rest. It has been a long journey. It has been 49 years of working," he said.

His words to the Malaysia's judiciary: "They are doing a good job. I'm sure the judiciary of Malaysia will be second to none in years to come. The people here are very dedicated."

Prosecute Ibrahim Ali over bible-burning call, Bar Council urges

Posted: 22 Jan 2013 02:11 PM PST

Syed Jaymal Zahiid, The Malaysian Insider

Perkasa chief Datuk Ibrahim Ali should be charged under the Sedition Act for his remarks advocating the burning of bibles, Bar Council president Lim Chee Wee said today, backing an similar call by an opposition lawmaker.

Lim said that although the Bar maintains the law deemed a political weapon to silence dissent, should be repealed, it must be impartially applied against Ibrahim given that authorities have charged opposition leaders under the same Act.

"If sedition charges were brought against Karpal Singh, equally charges should also be brought against Ibrahim Ali ... Whilst the Bar calls for the repeal of the Sedition Act, if it were to be applied, it must be applied fairly and without discrimination.

"This incident together with the contemptuous statement by another Perkasa leader against a judge and the judiciary suggest that Perkasa is allowed to behave with impunity," Lim said in a statement.

Karpal, who is DAP chairman and Bukit Gelugor MP, in on trial for sedition over remarks made pertaining to the Perak constitutional crisis in 2009, for which he was accused of making statements challenging the authority of the Sultan of Perak in dissolving the Perak state assembly.

He had earlier been acquitted of the charge by the High Court in 2010, but the Court of Appeal subsequently ordered him to enter his defence upon a successful appeal brought by the Attorney-General's Chambers.

Lim added that if the authorities do not wish to charge Ibrahim under the Sedition Act, the Penal Code may also be applied on the Perkasa chief.

"This statement by Ibrahim is an incitement or abetment to commit criminal offence under Section 107 of the Penal Code, whilst the seizure and burning of bibles is an offence under Section 441 of the Penal Code," he said.

Section 441 of the Penal Code states that "Whoever enters unto or upon property in the possession of another with intent to commit an offence or to intimidate, insult or annoy any person in possession of such property; or having lawfully entered into or upon such property, unlawfully remains there with intent thereby to intimidate, insult or annoy any such person, or with intent to commit an offence, is said to commit 'criminal trespass'."

"The public must be warned that this is probably a criminal offence," Lim said.

Posted: 22 Jan 2013 01:51 PM PST

The opposition and election-reform advocates allege massive fraud in voter rolls nationwide and have seized on the testimony as proof of government vote-tampering.

By Julia Zappei, FMT

KUALA LUMPUR: For years, charges have swirled that a secret Malaysian scheme gave citizenship to huge numbers of illegal migrants in a politically important state in exchange for votes for the ruling coalition.

Now, an inquiry is finally airing detailed allegations that have the government on the defensive ahead of elections that pose the greatest threat yet faced by the ruling bloc that has controlled Malaysia for 56 years.

A Royal Commission of Inquiry opened last week with ex-officials admitting they gave citizenship to Filipinos and Indonesians in resource-rich Sabah, one of two Malaysian states on jungly Borneo island.

One former official said some 100,000 identity cards (ICs) were handed out in 1993 ahead of a crucial state election, Malaysian news reports said. Another admitted signing hundreds of thousands of ICs in the 1990s.

The testimony has revived accusations of treason against former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad, who is alleged to have masterminded the scheme to shore up support for his government.

As head of the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition, Mahathir dominated Malaysia for 22 years with his famously hardball political tactics until he resigned in 2003.

Current prime minister Najib Tun Razak is now battling to rally support for the BN ahead of polls he is expected to call within months, in an era when the coalition's power grip has slipped.

But outrage over "Project IC", as the alleged scheme is widely known, is undercutting his claims that the national electoral roll is free of fraud.

The opposition and election-reform advocates allege massive fraud in voter rolls nationwide and have seized on the testimony as proof of government vote-tampering.

"What we are concerned about is that this is still going on. That's what we want to stop," S Ambiga, head of the clean-elections activist coalition known as "Bersih", or "Clean", told a press conference Tuesday.

The outlines of "Project IC" have been whispered about for three decades and have bolstered the view of Sabah as a reliable "fixed deposit" of votes for the BN to help it weather challenges elsewhere.

The government allegedly targeted Muslims from neighbouring Indonesia and the predominantly Muslim southern Philippines.

Sudden growth in population

More than half of Malaysia's 29 million people are Muslim ethnic Malays, but indigenous tribes, many of them Christian, predominate in Sabah.

They have bridled at the foreigners, blaming them for crime, drug abuse and economic competition, and alleging their homeland was being stolen.

Najib last June gave in to calls for an inquiry, but the move could backfire, said Ibrahim Suffian, head of independent polling firm Merdeka Centre, calling the revelations "explosive".

"It probably will create a wave of resentment and dissatisfaction among native Sabah voters. This confirms their worst fears," he said.

The population of Sabah, a region of rugged mountains and powerful rainforest rivers that is about the size of Ireland, has surged from some 600,000 citizens in 1970 to more than three million — more than double the national growth rate.

READ MORE HERE

Subpoena Dr M, Anwar, Sabah RCI told

Posted: 22 Jan 2013 01:48 PM PST

It will be an invaluable opportunity to uncover the black operations behind elections in Malaysia, says Suaram's Kua Kia Soong.

Lisa J. Ariffin, FMT

Suaram today called on the Sabah Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) to subpoena Dr Mahathir Mohamad and Anwar Ibrahim in its ongoing probe into illegal immigrants.

Suaram adviser Kua Kia Soong said the RCI "must spare no effort" in revealing how citizenships had been given out clandestinely to illegal immigrants and refugees under the Mahathir administration.

Anwar was then in charge of Sabah operations.

"This RCI on immigrants in Sabah is an invaluable opportunity for us all to uncover the black operations behind elections in Malaysia," Kua said in a statement.

"The perpetrators of this electoral deceit must be brought to justice," he added, reiterating the need for the RCI to subpoena Dr M and Anwar.

Kua then claimed the current Najib administration had only acceded to Sabahans' demands for an RCI for political mileage ahead of the 13th general election.

"The RCI had been demanded by Sabahans for years… Umno just couldn't evade their demand anymore," he said.

"Sabahans have had it up to there. And that is why (Najib) had to accede to their demand for a RCI if he was to try and keep his 'fixed deposit' in Sabah," he added.

Implement recommendations

Kua cautioned the failure of the RCI to bring this inquiry to a satisfactory conclusion "will forever bring into question the legitimacy of elections in Malaysia".

READ MORE HERE

Allah issue: ‘Pakatan stands by Hadi’

Posted: 22 Jan 2013 01:26 PM PST

Anwar Ibrahim is firm that Pakatan Rakyat will allow non-Muslims to use the word 'Allah'.

Anisah Shukry, FMT

Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim said that Pakatan Rakyat was firm in its decision that non-Muslims were allowed to use the word "Allah".

"Pakatan Rakyat in the past meeting looked through the statement made by PAS president [Hadi Abdul Awang] carefully and we took the stand that we agreed to give room [for Allah to be used by non-Muslims], but to also remind people to not misuse it," said Anwar.

"So we follow what the PAS president says. And if he does not revise that statement, then that is Pakatan's decision."

He was referring to a statement by PAS president Hadi Awang after the opposition pact's presidential meeting on Jan 8.

Hadi had said that "Allah", which is written in the Quran, is special and cannot be translated properly to other languages.

"That's why Muslims of all races refer to God as Allah. So non-Muslims can use the holy word although it may not reflect the original meeting," Hadi had said.

But the PAS Syura Council said last week that non-Muslims should prevent the use of the word "Allah" in translations of their religious text.

"Translating the word God or Lord from any non-Muslim religious texts to the word Allah cannot be allowed because it is wrong from the aspect of meaning…. therefore, it has to be prevented," PAS spiritual adviser Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat said in a statement.

Commenting on this, Anwar said: "I've read the PAS Syura Council's statement. Its concern is the problem of the term 'Allah' used for other purposes, and that is probably where there is a difference of opinion…"

But he said the difference of opinion was small and the issue as a whole had been interpreted differently by various Muslim scholars.

READ MORE HERE

Kelantan – Myths and Realities

Posted: 22 Jan 2013 11:51 AM PST

Is Kelantan a backward state filled with restrictions imposed on its people as commonly believed? The Rocket (Chinese Edition) reporter Alice Tan took a tour to the state and witnessed for herself why Kelantan folks' lives are as described in its namesake, 'Darul Naim' (pleasant abode).

Report by Alice Tan. Translated by T.K Tan

Some Myths

To many people, Kelantan seems mysterious and remote from the rest of Malaysia, both physically and metaphorically. A car journey to Kota Baru (to the locals, simply 'KB') from Kuala Lumpur takes about 8 to 10 hours.

As a result of PAS's long rule in Kelantan, many outsiders believed that Kelantan is an Islamic state through and through. BN's scaremongering of Kelantan as a theocratic state has caused many to view its non-Muslim population with pitiful and sympathetic lenses, deprived of their freedom to practice their lifestyles ('no pork, no booze, no music, no fun' goes the quip).

No discrimination, please

Kelantan's non-Malay population forms about 5 percent of the population, with the Chinese being the biggest group, at 3.6 percent of the population, while Malays form 95 percent of the total state.

Kelantan's Chinese are mostly concentrated in and around KB, primarily engaged in commerce and trading activities. Many of the Chinese restaurants here still display Chinese signboards and liquor advertisements prominently on their business façade.

Aside from the many Jawi language signboards, KB is no different from any Malaysian towns. As dusk sets in, its eateries -Muslims and non-Muslims- are just as packed and lively as other places. There are many Chinese restaurants, coffee shops and pubs that dot KB, except that they are strictly for non-Muslims.

My tour guide, Teoh, explains that Kelantan folks are a harmonious lot. "We are pretty much racial blind; Kelantan people see each other as brothers and sisters. Due to societal factors, many Chinese can speak the Kelantanese dialect fluently. Kelantan folks, Malays or non-Malays, use the Malay and Kelantanese dialect pervasively. In the Malay restaurants, the races often mingle with each other easily."

Kelantan folks are a friendly lot too; I often saw them smiling at strangers. The non-Malays are conversant with the local Malay customs; the non-Malays often greet each other in the traditional Malay pleasantries.

The Kelantan society truly lives out a one Malaysia spirit. In this opposition-run state, the ethnic groups are treated fairly and have equal standing. It is easy to see why Kelantan folks interact and embrace each other easily.

All to one's faith

Kelantan has the biggest sitting Buddha statue in the entire South East Asia.

To many outsiders, women are perceived to have no status in Islam. In Kelantan however, the womenfolk more than hold up their own. In KB's biggest wet market, the Siti Khadijah wet market, women are the ones running the businesses. Kelantan women are gentle yet capable, as evidenced from their thriving entrepreneurship and ability to take care of their families.

Another common misperception about Kelantan is that due to strong Islamisation, there is forced segregation of the sexes in public areas. However, on my observation most people ignore this ruling in their daily lives. In many supermarkets and shops, there are signboards being hung requiring the people to line up according to their gender. There are also queues for families. However, for the other queues the people line up without regards to the regulations. Even the Malays don't have much regard for this regulation.

Rich people, poor government

Another common myth about Kelantan is because it is governed with a theocratic bend by PAS, it lacks development and as result has a lot of poor people.

Hu Pang Chaw, PAS Supporters' Club (DHPP) chairman countered that the people in some of the other states that have oil and gas resources that are under BN's governance are even poorer than Kelantan.

According to the official statistics released in 2009, the states with the highest poverty rates are: Sabah, Perlis, Sarawak, and Kedah at third place and Kelantan, fourth place. Terengganu is fifth.

"It is the state government who is poor, not its people. Many Malays have land to till; some are even wealthy enough to buy properties with cash."

Kelantan Chinese Assembly Hall (KCAH) advisor Lau Chit Fang said that even though Kelantan produces oil, its state government has not received any oil and gas royalty from the federal government.

"Even though Petronas's oil rigs are located within 140 km of Kelantan's shore, its oil is transported 300 km to Terengganu. What is their motive for doing so? This is why the state government is launching a movement to demand back the RM 10.4 billion oil and gas royalty due to Kelantan," Lau said.

G5 states to jointly battle for oil royalty?

Posted: 22 Jan 2013 11:38 AM PST

(fz.com) - The combined electoral weight of the five states - Kelantan, Terengganu, Pahang, Sabah and Sarawak - is enough to make their wishes heeded, Husam argues. The five states have a total 92 parliamentary seats with over 3.5 million voters.

From championing solely Kelantan's bid for oil royalty, PAS leader Datuk Husam Musa plans to expand the crusade to all five oil-rich states to leverage on their collective political clout.

Mooting a grouping of five resource-rich states, or G5, Husam aims to get them to present a united stand when negotiating on oil royalty issues with the federal government, he told fz.com in a recent interview.

The combined electoral weight of the five states - Kelantan, Terengganu, Pahang, Sabah and Sarawak - is enough to make their wishes heeded, Husam argues. The five states have a total 92 parliamentary seats with over 3.5 million voters.

"People from these five states must unite if they understand their rights and object to what the federal government practices now," he says.

"They can use their standing during the general election. Certainly, 92 seats is a very large force," said Husam, who is Kelantan's state executive council member. That makes up a substantial 41.4% of the 222 seats in Parliament.

Of the five states, only Kelantan is currently governed by the Pakatan Rakyat (PR) while the other four states are ruled by the Barisan Nasional (BN).

Still, the federal opposition hopes that issues like oil royalty payments can help it gain ground in these states.

Husam plans to tour the five states to introduce his G5 concept and to push for higher oil royalty payments of up to 20% of the value of the oil produced in the respective states.

It is unclear how much traction Husam and Pakatan can gain with the demand for 20% in oil royalties since the agreements signed with the national oil company Petroliam Nasional Bhd (Petronas) has set payment at 5% of the value of the oil produced in the states.

Petronas pays the federal government another 5% for production of the liquid gold.

Both Petronas and Minister of Finance II Datuk Seri Ahmad Husni Mohamad have warned that increasing the royalty payments could strain Petronas' economic viability and impede future investments.

Scepticism over new territorial law

Using the G5 platform, Husam plans to warn chief ministers and menteris besar of the potential danger of the Territorial Sea Act 2012 which parliament passed last year.

In particular, Section 4 of the Act provides for the sovereignty of the territorial sea, in respect of its bed and subsoil, to be vested in the Yang di-Pertuan Agong.

Husam fears that Section 4 can be invoked by the federal government to lay claim to resources under the sea bed, thus undermining the states' claims to oil and gas resources.

"I have drafted a letter to all the states so that they are aware that this Act will undermine their state's position. I suggest that they reject the new law.

"If you want to alter any boundary, you need to go through the state assembly and Council of Rulers. This Act is not applicable until the state assembly approves it," said Husam, who is Salor assemblyman.

The new legislation was introduced to specify Malaysia's territorial sea limit of 12 nautical miles after the 1969 Proclamation of Emergency was annulled in December 2011.

Previously, the Emergency Ordinance No 7 1969 had set three nautical miles as Malaysia's territorial sea limit.

The federal government has hitherto relied on the Emergency Ordinance to strengthen its argument that Kelantan can lay no claim to the petroleum produced off the state's shore as the resource was found beyond three nautical miles.

But Kelantan disagrees.

"The Emergency Ordinance is purely on the administration of the sea in case of external threats. It has nothing to do with petroleum," Husam said.

Fairness between states

Apart from securing oil royalty payments for Kelantan, Husam's mission is to ensure that Petronas pays oil royalty directly into the states' coffers so that there is more transparency in the way the funds as spent.

There appears to be little uniformity when it comes to oil royalty payments to oil-producing states.

‘GE’ to be held in 81 NS camps

Posted: 22 Jan 2013 11:25 AM PST

(The Star) - National Service (NS) trainees will hold mock elections in all 81 camps this year, mimicking the general election.

Calling it an "election simulation", NS Department director-general Datuk Abdul Hadi Awang Kechil said the programme would mirror that of university polls.

"We're going to use the camps as a platform to show how the political process works," he told a press conference at the Setia Ikhlas NS camp.

He added that trainees would be divided into two "political" groups, carry out campaigning and even nominate and vote for their peers.

Abdul Hadi said the programme was not designed to create young political leaders but to educate the trainees on Malaysia's election process.

"We're worried that youths today forget or aren't aware of the democratic process of how leaders are appointed," he said.

Camp supervisors, he added, would be trained by the Election Commission to oversee these polls.

Abdul Hadi also said that more youths today were interested in the NS than before.

"The perception is changing. People now don't see NS as a burden, but as an opportunity," he said.

He added that 2,000 people had applied voluntarily to join the first NS batch this year, of which 867 were approved. In comparison, he said that 4,000 had applied voluntarily in 2012, with more than 500 youths getting in.

NS volunteer Himuneswary Subramaniam, 18, said she applied because of her ambition to become a police officer.

"I hope that the NS can be a stepping stone and for me to get some experience," she said.

Yesterday, Abdul Hadi oversaw the opening ceremony for the first of three NS batches for 2013. This year also marks a decade of operations for the programme.

A total of 140,000 trainees are involved in the NS this year.

BR1M to stay for long if people support BN

Posted: 22 Jan 2013 11:23 AM PST

(Bernama) - The people will continue to benefit from the 1Malaysia People's Aid (BR1M) programme if they give their support to the Barisan Nasional (BN) government in the 13th general election (GE).

Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said the aid, introduced last year, had given a huge impact in helping to ease the burden of more than four million households nationwide.

"I believe Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak sees this (BR1M) as something which has to be continued, and I believe when the people see it as something good, their hope would be to have it implemented for a long period of time.

"I do not expect it to be a one off or two off. I expect it to be implemented for as long as BN is given the trust to be the government after the 13th GE," he told reporters after a 1Malaysia people's feast which was attended by about 10,000 people at Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Tun Haji Abdul Malik here today.

Also present were Muhyiddin's wife Puan Sri Noorainee Abdul Rahman and Melaka Chief Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Ali Rustam.

Muhyiddin said the RM500 aid given to the BR1M recipients would possibly be increased if the country's revenue increased in future.

Besides BR1M, he said, other forms of aid, like the early schooling aid, would also be continued because of the huge impact it had given in reducing the people's burden.

"What we are hoping is for the people to evaluate this contribution (by the government) and if they think it is good, we hope they will continue to give their support to the BN government," he added.

Earlier in his speech, Muhyiddin said the opposition pact was not capable of continuing with efforts to develop the country as had been done by BN since 55 years ago because there was no consensus among them.

"Until today, PAS and DAP are still at loggerheads, while PKR failed to bring them together at one table to discuss their problems. When there is no consensus, it can weaken the government," he added.

He said BN's success in preserving the country's harmony and peace, developing its economy and providing comfort for the people should be maintained in an effort to make Malaysia a developed nation.

"A strong government, like the BN government is capable of fulfilling its promises," he added.

At the function, Muhyiddin announced an allocation of RM250,000 for upgrading of the surau at SMK Tun Haji Abdul Malik and RM4.5 million to build a hall for the school.

Hamas Paints Malaysian Premier’s Visit as a Stand Against Israel

Posted: 22 Jan 2013 11:21 AM PST

(The New York Times) - Prime Minister Najib Razak of Malaysia visited the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip on Tuesday on what he called a humanitarian mission but Hamas portrayed as a defiant stand against Israeli restrictions on Gaza.

"This is an Islamic declaration for breaking the Israeli siege on Gaza," said Ismail Haniya, the prime minister of Hamas, the Islamic movement, who received the Malaysian premier, his wife and his foreign minister at the Rafah crossing point between Gaza and Egypt. Although the restrictions have been eased recently, most exports from Gaza are still banned.

The visit came as Israelis headed to polling stations for parliamentary elections. Mr. Haniya said he considered Mr. Razak's visit "a Palestinian, Arab and Islamic response" to a visit on Tuesday by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel to the Western Wall in Jerusalem.

Mr. Haniya said the Western Wall, known to Muslims as Al Buraq, was "an Arab and Islamic wall," and added, "Jerusalem is Islamic."

Priest lodges police report over ‘Bible burning pesta’ notice

Posted: 22 Jan 2013 11:18 AM PST

(The Malaysian Insider) - A Christian priest has lodged a police report after he found a notice purportedly by an Anti-Bahasa Melayu Bible Action Group calling all Muslims to join in a 'Bahasa Melayu Bible burning pesta'.

Reverend John Kennady, from St Mark's Church, was shocked to find the notice typed on a plain piece of paper with the title 'Jom Bakaq! Pesta Bakaq Bible Bahasa Melayu' (Let's burn! Bahasa Melayu Bible burning fest) in his post box this morning.

He had immediately informed the Christian Federation of Malaysia (CFM) before he lodged a report at the Butterworth police station at about 3pm today.

The notice, written in Bahasa Malaysia, invites all Muslims to join the 'Anti-Bahasa Melayu Bible Action Group' in a 'pesta' to burn the Malay version of the Bible 'for the sake of the future generations'.

It further proclaimed that the group already has in its hands several Malay versions of the Bible and it urged all Muslims to join in the 'pesta' to burn the Bibles at a field in front of the Ahmad Badawi Hall in Bagan Luar here this Sunday morning.

It also stated that the reason they had chosen Sunday was because it is the day that Christians are in churches praying and it ended with a sentence proclaiming 'Let's Teach 'Em A Lesson'.

Pakatan fears PAS puritans putting non-Muslim vote at risk

Posted: 22 Jan 2013 11:16 AM PST

(The Malaysian Insider) - There is concern among Pakatan Rakyat's (PR) rank-and-file that PAS risks losing the pact's non-Muslim vote in Election 2013 due to the Islamist party's puritanical restrictions for the word "Allah" and its gender-segregation policies in Kedah and Kelantan.

Several PR leaders and lawmakers have admitted the controversies are hurting the pact's image ahead of the polls due by June, but hope discreet dialogue will blunt the conservative Islamists' influence in PAS policies.

DAP national chairman Karpal Singh asked PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang over the weekend to get the party's top policy-making body ― the Majlis Syura ― to reverse its ruling that the Arabic word "Allah" could not be translated to or from other languages as it is specifically used by Muslims to refer to God.

"The recent ruling by the council that the word 'Allah' cannot be used by non-Muslims contradicts the position taken by the leadership of Pakatan component parties," Karpal had said, adding it would affect his fellow Sikhs as the word appears in their holy book, the Guru Granth Sahib.

Pointing out that elections are around the corner, the Bukit Gelugor MP said the PAS-led Kedah government should stop "rocking the boat" by issuing guidelines on dress codes for women as it did recently for Chinese New Year celebrations in the state.

The ruling has since been modified for cultural events but caused some ripples among the non-Malays and has become a campaign issue for Barisan Nasional (BN) parties.

DAP Serdang MP Teo Nie Ching had slammed PAS over the Kedah Chinese New Year guidelines, saying the policy would sabotage PR's polls preparations by alienating Chinese support.

A PAS leader who declined to be named admitted that the party's conservative stance would have an effect on support from the non-Muslim electorate.

"There is an impact and we have to mitigate it," he said, adding the conservatives held sway as they controlled the party's top leadership.

Kredit: www.malaysia-today.net

Rabu, 23 Januari 2013

Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News

Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News

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