Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News
Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News |
- ‘Strip Anwar’s citizenship’
- Azmin: I will respect and uphold Sultan’s decision
- Anwar vows never to surrender until GE13 results validated
- Suara Keadilan apologises to Pakatan supporter
- Two men killed, two injured in Batu Kawan shooting
- Zul Noordin fans ‘Chinese tsunami’ row, says DAP behind May 13
- On May 13, Utusan calls for Malay political unity
- Vernacular schools “disunite” people
- 'Umno, MCA, MIC Could Merge Into Single Party'
- EC may have problems re-delineating new seats in PR states
- There for the taking
- Battle begins for a bruised but wealthy MCA
| Posted: 12 May 2013 08:02 PM PDT
Former Penang DCM Fairuz Khairuddin, now with Umno, wants a motion to be tabled in parliament to make Anwar stateless for causing chaos in the country. (FMT) - PKR's former deputy chief minister in Penang, Fairuz Khairuddin, today called for Anwar Ibrahim's citizenship to be stripped if the latter continues to cause chaos in the country. Fairuz, a former close aide of Anwar, was quoted by Umno-Online today as saying that Anwar was a threat to the security of the nation following his mass rallies nationwide to protest against alleged electoral fraud. "If Anwar continues to instigate the people to break and challenge the sovereignty of the country's laws, the implication of which will be chaos, then a motion to strip him of his citizenship must be tabled in parliament," Fairuz was quoted in the Umno mouthpiece. Fairuz also suggested that Malaysia's security and peace can be guaranteed without Anwar. Fairuz was appointed as the Penang DCM 1 after the 2008 general election but he soon quit his post and party, citing personal issues. He then joined Umno in 2010. Fairuz today said that a motion must be brought in the parliament to strip off Anwar's citizenship if the latter "continues to break the laws by provoking and acting in seditious manner". He added that MPs must be brave to table such a motion as Anwar's acts are detrimental to the safety and security of Malaysia. "If Anwar continues to instigate the people to break the law which can lead to chaos and unrest, the motion to strip his citizenship must be tabled. "This will ensure that the nation's peace, safety and secutiry are protected…I am convinced Anwar will not stop instigating the people from breaking the law," he added. Fairuz said Anwar was using the people to create unrest as a result of his unhappiness in being unable to form a Pakatan Rakyat government. "He is using the people as his puppets to protest in the streets," he said. He urged the people to reject Anwar and his political agenda. "I am confident that Anwar will not stop until his ambition to become the prime minister is achieved," said Fairuz.
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| Azmin: I will respect and uphold Sultan’s decision Posted: 12 May 2013 03:31 PM PDT
(The Star) - PKR deputy president Azmin Ali said the decision on who would be the Selangor Menteri Besar lies ultimately with the Sultan of Selangor and he will respect it totally. Despite his earlier strong objections over the way party president Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail had submitted a candidate's name, allegedly without the knowledge of the state party's leadership, Azmin said that whoever was eventually chosen would have his full backing.
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| Anwar vows never to surrender until GE13 results validated Posted: 12 May 2013 03:13 PM PDT
Clara Chooi, TMI Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim vowed last night never to surrender Pakatan Rakyat's (PR) fight to ensure the pact claims its rightful place in Putrajaya, maintaining his stance that Barisan Nasional (BN) had cheated its way to victory on May 5. The de facto PR leader, looking energetic and full of gumption as he addressed thousands of black-clad supporters at PR's third post-Election 2013 rally in Ipoh, acknowledged that it has been a week since the polls results were formally announced. But he insisted that although Datuk Seri Najib Razak has been sworn in as prime minister and it appears to be business as usual for the ruling pact in Putrajaya, the BN chairman and Umno president was not the actual person chosen for the job. "Umno leaders would say, 'we have the mandate so you shut up'. But I say — 'No way'. We have the mandate and we will... lawan tetap lawan (keep on fighting)," he thundered, urging the crowd to sound PR's often-used rallying cry along with him. "Najib has been endorsed as having won... and he has been sworn in. What should we do? "So that is why we say.... in Kelana Jaya, we amassed hundreds of thousands of people with just two days' notice... In Penang, hundreds of thousands turned up in Batu Kawan... the people's uprising. "Why? Because the voice of the people is sacred," the prime minister hopeful continued, unabated. "On Tuesday, we gather in Kuantan. On Wednesday in Johor. And we will not stop until justice is served in this country. "We will not stop until the valid results are announced. Yes. We will continue and we will never surrender," he added, according to a live streaming of the event last night. Anwar and his team in PR have insisted that the just-concluded May 5 polls were rigged, citing irregular voting patterns, suspicious handling of ballot boxes and other issues. Claiming to have gathered sufficient evidence to back their claims, lawyers from both the DAP and PAS are mulling filing election petitions to contest the results. PR officials say they are disputing up to 29 election results and the rallies, which began in Selangor last Wednesday, moved on to Penang on Saturday and Perak last night, will continue in Kuantan on Tuesday, followed by Johor on Wednesday.
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| Suara Keadilan apologises to Pakatan supporter Posted: 12 May 2013 02:13 PM PDT
(The Star) - Suara Keadilan has apologised for wrongly accusing a Malaysian supporter of being a Bangladeshi who voted in the elections. PKR's official newspaper carried a boxed-up clarification in its print edition for the article which appeared on page 13. "Suara Keadilan apologises for its error in printing a picture of Ali Mydin as a Bangladeshi. "He is a Pakatan Rakyat supporter. He failed to sing the Negaraku when questioned as he was rushing for time," the clarification stated. The paper went on to explain that Ali had previously voted in several elections and was a legitimate Malaysian citizen. The error and apology was picked up by several people on Twitter including Kota Belud MP Datuk Abdul Rahman Dahlan as well as Rembau MP and Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin. "Saw this in Suara Keadilan paper ... Apology 4accusing their own supporter as Bangla who failed singing NegaraKu. :-)" Abdul Rahman tweeted. Khairy said: "OK but damage done. Next time jgn tipu." @J4frul also reacted to the apology: "LOL. Obviously this event would mark down his choice of vote. Good job PR". @Zapa claimed: "Ni la akibat Krn terlalu Ghairah utk FITNAH SPR (This is the result of being too passionate about defaming EC). Others such as @haqimhakimi expressed pity for Ali.
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| Two men killed, two injured in Batu Kawan shooting Posted: 12 May 2013 02:07 PM PDT
(The Star) - BATU KAWAN: Two men were killed while two others were seriously injured in a shooting at the Bukit Tambun traffic-light junction here Sunday night. The four, travelling in a pickup truck, were taken to the Seberang Jaya Hospital. However, two of the men - aged 28 and 40 - succumbed to their injuries, said Penang police chief Datuk Abdul Rahim Hanafi, adding that they had criminal records. He said the four men, aged between 28 and 60, had just left a relative's wedding when two assailants on a motorcycle pulled up to the left of the vehicle and fired multiple shots at about 10.30pm. The other two were critically injured and warded at the Seberang Jaya Hospital, Abdul Rahim told reporters here Monday. Their identities have yet to be ascertained. Abdul Rahim said the police believed automatic pistols were used in the attack and four bullet casings were found at the scene. He said investigations are underway but the police did not rule out business rivalry as the motive of the attack. Eyewitnesses and those with information are urged to contact the nearest police station, he added.
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| Zul Noordin fans ‘Chinese tsunami’ row, says DAP behind May 13 Posted: 12 May 2013 01:51 PM PDT
(TMI) - Datuk Zulkifli Noordin raised the spectre of May 13 last night when he accused the DAP and Lim Kit Siang of being behind Malaysia's worst race riots even as Umno leaders continue to blame last week's poor election results on a "Chinese tsunami" that was fanned by the Pakatan Rakyat (PR) party. The controversial Perkasa vice-president, who was a direct Barisan Nasional (BN) losing candidate in Election 2013, made the allegations in a series of tweets sent out on the eve of the 44th anniversary of the riots. "Tomorrow is May 13... the 44th anniversary of race riots in Malaysia which was the atrocity of chauvinists including Kit Siang's party which used the slogan Malai-Seh or Die Malays," he tweeted late last night. Lim has frequently been the target of right-wing Malay groups who have singled him out for blame for the riots even though he was not even in Kuala Lumpur when the riots broke out. But former Umno member Tamrin Ghafar had cleared Lim while on the stump of the Election 2013 campaign trail, saying that Umno itself was behind the riot. The son of former deputy prime minister Tun Abdul Ghafar Baba said he was told by former home minister, the late Tun Ghazali Shafie, that the May 13 riots were likely the result of an internal Umno coup against founding prime minister Tunku Abdul Rahman. According to police records, 196 people were killed in the riots which were largely clashes between Malay and Chinese groups, following the results of the general election held a few days earlier. In the 1969 elections, the Alliance coalition of Umno, the MCA and MIC lost the popular vote but won the elections. In Election 2013, BN, the successor to the Alliance also won the polls but lost the popular vote. Umno president Datuk Seri Najib Razak suggested a "Chinese tsunami" had caused his BN to record its worst-ever electoral results. Utusan Malaysia, the newspaper owned by Umno, has also suggested Chinese voters were provoking race tensions by voting against BN, with one headline last week asking the question "Apa lagi Cina mahu? (What else do the Chinese want?)" The newspaper — seen as being aligned with Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad — and other party leaders have consistently argued that votes against the Umno-led BN were akin to voting against the Malays.
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| On May 13, Utusan calls for Malay political unity Posted: 12 May 2013 01:46 PM PDT
The daily also quoted former PAS and PKR member Datuk Zulkifli Noordin who raised the spectre of May 13 by accusing the DAP and its veteran Lim Kit Siang of being behind Malaysia's worst race riots. Zurairi AR, TMI Utusan Malaysia ran a series of stories today, repeating calls for both Umno and PAS to unite for the sake of the Malay race and Islam after the recent general election where the Malays allegedly lost their political upper hand to the Chinese. With its front-page headline "Bersatulah Melayu" (Malays unite), the Umno-owned broadsheet quoted several speakers from a forum called "GE13 post-mortem: Muslim leadership and survival" yesterday, including maverick PAS politician Nasharuddin Mat Isa who moved again to revive unity talks between the Islamist party and ruling Umno. "The Malay-Muslim unity agenda through Umno and PAS's co-operation must go on ... The call was voiced by former PAS deputy president Nasharuddin Mat Isa (picture) who asked Malay-Muslim leaders to realise the reality that the race and religion's futures are now being torn by certain parties," said Utusan today. The PAS conservative, who was edged out by the party's progressives during their 2011 internal polls, insisted yesterday that negotiations to unite both warring Malay-centric parties must continue for the sake of strengthening Islam and the position of the Malay race in the country. "To me, the unity of PAS and Umno must be a continuing agenda. I only cannot accept it when what is being pursued in the unity between PAS and Umno, there are those who say their face should be spat on.... what religious teaching is this?" said Nasharuddin. The daily also quoted former PAS and PKR member Datuk Zulkifli Noordin who raised the spectre of May 13 by accusing the DAP and its veteran Lim Kit Siang of being behind Malaysia's worst race riots. Zulkifli had accused the DAP of using the slogan "Malai-Seh" (Die Malays) in the 1969 bloody riots, and had asked yesterday whether Malays have truly "died" after certain parties are now willing to work together with "racist" DAP and "extremist and chauvinist" Lim. The controversial Perkasa vice-president, who was a direct Barisan Nasional (BN) losing candidate in Election 2013, made the allegations last night in a series of tweets sent out on the eve of the 44th anniversary of the riots. On its Page 3, Utusan ran the story "Berjihad perkasa Perlembagaan" (Jihad to strengthen the Constitution) where former appeals court judge Datuk Mohd Noor Abdullah urged the Malays not compromise in having a Malay prime minister, mentri besar and chief minister. Mohd Noor had yesterday urged the Malays to be more aggressive to strengthen political and economic power to avoid being regarded as a weak race in their own country. As a result, DAP chairman Karpal Singh has urged the police to cite the former judge for sedition, claiming that Mohd Noor had used provocative language when he warned the Chinese of a Malay backlash for their alleged "betrayal" of BN in last Sunday's polls.
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| Vernacular schools “disunite” people Posted: 12 May 2013 01:16 PM PDT
(Bernama) - The result of the 13th general election which has triggered the issue of national integration has given rise to calls for vernacular schools be changed to single stream schools to strengthen national unity. The calls were made by academicians who were of the opinion that the problems of racial unity in the country were caused from an inconsistent schooling system, with the existence of schools of various streams. Universiti Technologi Mara (UiTM) pro-chancellor Dr Abdul Rahman Arshad said vernacular schools developed at a faster pace and that only 10 percent of non-Malays studied in national schools. "The rest are in vernacular schools. It is clear that racism is expanding widely, this continues with private secondary chools and national-type secondary schools. "If we still allow such schools, don't ever hope to talk about unity, it will only be lip service," he said at the 'GE13 Post Mortem Discourse: Leadership Discussion and Survival of the Muslim Community' here, yesterday. A more strident tone was used by former Appeals Court judge Mohd Noor Abdullah who wanted national-type schools (SJKs) to be done away with because they were not recognised under the constitution. "SJKs only disunite the people. We should now have government primary schools, government secondary schools. The existing SJKs should be changed to government schools. "Every student studies in the same classroom, eats at the same canteen, plays in the same court. Then we can strengthen national integration," he said. This should be supported by the whole Malaysian society, he said, regarding those who disagreed with a single stream school as anti-unity.
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| 'Umno, MCA, MIC Could Merge Into Single Party' Posted: 12 May 2013 01:06 PM PDT (The Malay Mail) - Senior Barisan Nasional (BN) politicians have called for an end to race-based politics on the 44th anniversary of of the May 13 riots as part of reconciliation efforts to make the party relevant to the present generation, which is averse to divisive politics. Umno secretary-general Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor suggested that the ruling coalition merge into a single party as part of its rebranding exercise to make it relevant to all Malaysians. The Putrajaya MP said BN is currently studying all possibilities to rebrand and make significant changes. "BN could perhaps be made into a single party that is no longer race-based someday," he told The Malay Mail. Tengku Adnan was responding to Umno supreme council member Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz's call for the party to "ubah" (change). In a front-page report in The Malay Mail last Friday, Nazri said BN is outdated and does not resonate with the younger voters, who emphasise on unity. Tengku Adnan said for changes to take place sooner, youths should be more educated on politics and history. Another Umno supreme council member, Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah, said BN should try to address a newer form of politics to appeal to youths. "They don't like race-based politics as well as parties that carry baggage. Most youths relate to 'democratic hopes' like freedom of speech, human rights and fairness, whereas BN is currently only good at addressing 'developmental hope' such as welfare and infrastructure," he said. Saifuddin believes change in BN should begin with the appointment of younger and more youth-oriented people in its leadership. "Youth-orientedness is not just about attending and organizing programs. It is about developing a genuine world view on politics through experience and education," he said, adding that BN should encourage direct membership for youths. "There are many who want to support BN but are not comfortable in joining the component parties for various reasons," he said. Meanwhile, three Malay leaders: Umno vice-president Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein, Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin and PKR deputy president Azmin Ali, have also called for an end to partisan politics to get Malaysia moving forward. |
| EC may have problems re-delineating new seats in PR states Posted: 12 May 2013 12:05 PM PDT
(The Sun Daily) - The Election Commission (EC) may find itself faced with obstacles when it gets to the task of re-delineating the electoral constituencies. This will especially be so in Penang, Kelantan and Selangor where Pakatan Rakyat (PR) not only controls but holds two-thirds majority after the recent general election. Under Article 113 of the Federal Constitution, the EC has to review the division of federal and state constituencies, and recommend changes as necessary every eight to 10 years. The last re-delineation exercise was conducted in 2003, making this year the deadline for a review of the 222 parliamentary and 505 state constituencies. The re-delineation process requires either a simple majority in the respective legislative assemblies to approve the recommendations (if there is to be no change to the number of seats) or a two-thirds majority if there is to be an increase in the number of seats. If the states do not consent, the constituencies will remain unchanged. Barisan Nasional has two-thirds majority only in Perlis, Malacca, Johor, Sabah and Sarawak. In Penang, Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng told a press conference yesterday said any redelineation exercise which does not uphold the "one-person-one-vote" principle is a no-go for the PR government. He said the upcoming redelineation exercise must emphasise this value, and PR will not agree to any new delineation of constituencies at the parliamentary or state level if the precept is not upheld. The disparity between votes and seats won has led critics to allege gerrymandering, the practice of creating partisan-advantaged constituencies, as the cause for the inequality. Several quarters have called for a more equal representation in the constituencies, and for equal weightage in votes between rural and urban seats. The Malaysian Bar has also called on the EC to give effect to "as equal as possible" a representation in each seat, whether parliament or state. Bar Council president Christopher Leong said the process must be underpinned by principles of equality. "A delineation exercise must be conducted with the objective to achieve equality, and equal representation as far as possible. "It must not be lopsided, where an MP of one constituency represents 100,000 people while another speaks for only 15,000 people," he said. Some parliamentary constituencies, like Kapar in Selangor and Gelang Patah in Johor, have over 100,000 voters while the smallest seat is Putrajaya with 15,000 voters. Leong added that while urban constituencies will have more people due to economic opportunities, this does not mean depriving urbanites of a fair voice in the legislative assemblies.
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| Posted: 12 May 2013 11:57 AM PDT
(NST) - If paedophiles knew they could get away with having sex with children just by offering to marry them once they are damaged, then, all children are in danger of these sexual predators, who would take greater risks, because legal precedent would be on their side. The law must protect children from rape, not marry them off to rapists AN advanced civilisation can be measured on how well it protects its children. But, based on an incident that occurred in the Kota Kinabalu Sessions Court last week, the legal system could set this country back half a century. A 40-year-old manager, who had been charged with raping a 13-year-old schoolgirl, had the charge dropped when he decided to marry the girl he had allegedly raped, and the girl accepted his offer. Subsequently, the girl withdrew her accusation against the man, leading the public prosecutor's office to "have no objections" to dropping the charge. The man and the girl are reportedly in the process of getting married in the syariah court. From a societal point of view, it is understandable that the girl's parents may want to marry her off, because in the paternalistic and chauvinistic culture that is still Malaysia, great value is placed on a woman's virtue. To have been robbed of that virtue, even if through no fault of her own, places less value on her worth. Although this idea of a girl or woman being seen as goods that are either brand new or slightly used is deplorable, it is a mindset that has yet to change. From the prosecutor's point of view, it is very difficult to continue with the prosecution if the complainant refuses to cooperate. It might even be seen as an act of compassion to not force the girl through the trial process, especially if the girl is convinced she would have a better life without it. It is unclear whether the alleged rape in question was on account of the girl being underage, or whether the two were a couple. In any case, the issue of consent cannot come into play, since the law says that girls under the age of 16 are incapable of giving consent or understanding the nature of what they are consenting to. Either way, the solution that has been arrived at does nothing to protect children, and girls in particular. If paedophiles knew they could get away with having sex with children just by offering to marry them once they are damaged, then, all children are in danger of these sexual predators, who would take greater risks, because legal precedent would be on their side. And if a girl fancied a sexual relationship with an older man, it doesn't take much to legalise it. An underage Muslim girl cannot get married without the syariah court's consent. But, if the court's understanding of a solution involves covering the shame and reducing the chances of further sin, then, the last gatekeeper falls. When society, parents, prosecutors, judges and courts are complicit in marrying off children, what hope is there that these children's bodies and future will be respected and protected?
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| Battle begins for a bruised but wealthy MCA Posted: 12 May 2013 11:53 AM PDT
(fz.com) - After a disastrous general election outing, the posturing for control of MCA has begun as the party heads for internal polls that begin in June. MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek has resisted calls for his immediate resignation, insisting that he still has "loose ends" to tie up after MCA's most devastating general election. On Saturday, MCA's presidential council unanimously decided that it would commence party elections in June starting with branch level polls and leading up to the national level contest for the party's top jobs by October. Already, three main factions are moving into place to take control of the central committee and the party's powerful positions. At present, one faction consists of MCA deputy president Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai's supporters. This group feels strongly that Chua should step down immediately to let Liow take over the mantle. The personable Liow is seen as a more acceptable face for MCA, some say. Party veterans and workers have noted that it was an uphill climb for MCA to showcase its candidates for the general election campaign as the party had been tainted by the memory of Chua's sex video scandal in early 2008. A second faction consists of supporters of former MCA president Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat, led by MCA vice-president Gan Ping Sieu. Ong's faction is calling for immediate party polls where the former Transport Minister is expected to go head-to-head with Liow for the party's top job. In the last MCA leadership crisis, Ong and Chua were engaged in a bitter spat that ended with Chua defeating Ong and former MCA president Tan Sri Ong Ka Ting for the presidency. Tee Keat is said to be waiting to make a comeback after Chua's intervention caused Tee Keat to be dropped from defending his Pandan parliamentary seat. Barisan Nasional's candidate Garry Lim, a local leader chosen by Chua himself, lost the bid to PKR strategy director Rafizi Ramli. Gan too was unexpectedly not fielded to contest the Kluang parliamentary seat. Instead, MCA's Datuk Dr Hou Kok Chung contested the Johor seat but lost to DAP's Liew Chin Tong. The third faction of Chua's loyalists is led by secretary-general Datuk Seri Kong Cho Ha. This faction is backing Chua to stay on in the presidency during the party's tumultuous post-general election period. It is understood that this group is hoping to buy some time to re-group after the general election. Read more at: http://www.fz.com/content/battle-begins-bruised-wealthy-mca |
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