Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News
Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News |
- Nazri warns youth who abuse social media in a rude manner
- Insulting Prophet Muhammad: authorities urged to take action
- ‘Red Bean Army’ is merely a title, says creator
- Dr M: Racial polarisation more pronounced now thanks to DAP
- Dr M takes potshots at DAP and the Chinese
- Hannah Yeoh to push for new law to make Selangor legislature more independent
- Don’t drag monarchy into contentious issues, says Raja Perlis
- Will Malaysia's brain drain block its economic ambitions?
- Muslims and Sikhs feel more British than Christians and Jews, university study finds
- Long queues at Immigration department due to new system
| Nazri warns youth who abuse social media in a rude manner Posted: 05 Jun 2013 07:53 PM PDT
"Being rude and saying vile things are possible because the youth can hide behind the walls of cyberspace and are not saying it face to face. If in a face-to-face situation they would not be brave enough to utter those words." Azril Annuar, fz.com Tourism and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz raised a red flag over social media websites, like Facebook, being the root cause for rude or uncouth behaviour by youth. After visiting the National Culture and Arts Department today, Nazri said such websites allow people to interact anonymously while online but he warned that the government will not hesitate to take action on anyone found to have "gone overboard" or broken any law in cyber space. "Being rude and saying vile things are possible because the youth can hide behind the walls of cyberspace and are not saying it face to face. If in a face-to-face situation they would not be brave enough to utter those words. "But in this matter, I want to remind everyone that our government has laws and we will enforce those laws if we find anyone breaking the laws that fall under the MCMC or the Sedition Act. "If we need to preserve our culture by taking legal action against these rude and uncouth youths, we will," he said, adding that he cannot allow such rude actions or words to "contaminate" the Malaysian culture where such behaviour is alien to local customs. "Cultural change will happen as time goes by. What was once respected and honoured 20-years ago might not be in practice anymore. This will affect national culture. However, not all old practices and customs are out of date and should be abandoned just because it's old. "Some, are still current and this is where parents need to play a role in educating their children," said Nazri. He also admitted that "cultural assimilation" between all the ethnicities in the country will be a challenge and also have an impact on national culture. "However, such cultural assimilation is all right because all cultures is a result of evolution. "So, 100 years from now the result of the cultural integration in Malaysia might result in a new culture that is accepted by all. These are the origins of cultures and customs," said Nazri. |
| Insulting Prophet Muhammad: authorities urged to take action Posted: 05 Jun 2013 04:21 PM PDT
(Malaysian Digest) - Police and the Malaysian Commission of Multimedia and Communication (MCMC) are being urged to take stern action towards an individual who had insulted the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) through Facebook recently. Umno Puchong secretary, Mohamad Yusof Mohamad Yasin was quoted by Malay daily Sinar Harian, as saying that the statement made was dangerous and will incur dissatisfaction amongst Muslims in the country.
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| ‘Red Bean Army’ is merely a title, says creator Posted: 05 Jun 2013 04:16 PM PDT
(The Star) - The "Red Bean Army" is merely a title and not an organisation with an agenda, said one of the page creators Li Shuang. According to China Press yesterday, Li said it was merely a platform for the Netizens to discuss political issues, stressing that they had never issued any comments to provoke racial hatred. Li claimed he and one of the administrators of Zheng Yi Zhi Sheng (a Facebook fanpage), Ye Jin Qiang, only knew 40 to 50 people out of over 200 "Red Bean Army" members as reported by a Malay daily. He said the "Red Bean Army" was not a registered organisation while Facebook was a social network where anyone could claim they were part of the "Red Bean Army". Li and Ye stressed that the irresponsible statements issued by some of the Netizens had nothing to do with the "Red Bean Army" and called on the police to take action against those who issued the provocative statements. It was reported that Malaysian technopreneur Pua Khein Seng (picture) denied that he was behind the funding of the "Red Bean Army", an alleged cyber trooper group linked to the DAP in attacking the Government via the social media. Pua is the founder of Phison Electronics Corp which introduced the world's first single-chip USB flash drive or pen drive, In his recent statement, Pua said he would not hesitate to take legal action against the newspaper after the authorities completed their probe. "This is a fabricated, baseless and malicious allegation. Honestly, I do not know how I should respond since it is an unfounded accusation. "I urge the authorities who are investigating the matter to contact me so that the truth can be revealed. I will give my full cooperation," said Pua, whose statement was read out by Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng during a press conference at his office recently.
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| Dr M: Racial polarisation more pronounced now thanks to DAP Posted: 05 Jun 2013 04:08 PM PDT
Sean Augustin, fz.com Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad believes racial polarisation has become "more pronounced now than ever before" and has blamed the DAP for causing the schism. The former prime minister said the results of the May 5 general election proved this as the DAP had allegedly played on racial sentiments by depicting the MCA as lackeys of Umno, thus leading the Chinese away from the Barisan Nasional (BN). Mahathir went on to cite the large Chinese attendance at rallies organised by Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and PKR, with Chinese youths decked in black shirts and masks, making up a majority of the demonstrators as well as the lack of respect by Chinese youth for the national flag by displaying it upside down as proof of the "role of Chinese racism" in the election. He noted in such rallies, PAS members were "noticeably absent" and had in fact dissociated themselves from the agitation to overthrow the government through street demos ala Arab Spring. The protests, Mahathir concluded, seemed to be "mainly a Chinese affair". He said that was an "indisputable fact" that the DAP had succeeded in destroying the collaboration or sharing between the different races as exemplified by the BN. In slamming Pakatan Rakyat, Mahathir said it was not a true coalition but simply an election pact between the parties opposed to BN, which clearly benefited the chauvinist Chinese in DAP. "If today the schism between the races is deeper it is because the DAP rejects the Malay/Chinese/Indian 'kongsi'. "The DAP wants the Chinese who already dominate the economy, to dominate Malaysia's politics as well," he wrote in his blog this morning. DAP, he added, was clearly racist and rejected inter-racial sharing of power and wealth as advocated by the BN and as a result racial polarisation has become more pronounced. "It will become more so in the future," he claimed. The majority of Chinese votes that swung towards the opposition led to BN chief Datuk Seri Najib Razak calling it a 'Chinese Tsunami', despite the ruling coalition securing a fresh mandate to govern the nation. The prime minister has since called for a national reconciliation against a backdrop of provocative statements and news reports. |
| Dr M takes potshots at DAP and the Chinese Posted: 05 Jun 2013 04:04 PM PDT
Former Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad has trained his guns at the DAP calling it a racist party championing the rights of the Chinese (FMT) - Former Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad today took potshots at the DAP, labeling it as a racist party which did not want to share power and wealth of the nation with other races. "If today the schism between the races is deeper it is because the DAP reject the Malay/Chinese/Indian "kongsi" (sharing). The DAP wants the Chinese who already dominate the economy, to dominate Malaysia's politics as well. "It is clearly racist and reject inter-racial sharing of power and wealth as advocated by the BN. Racial polarization has become more pronounced as a result. It will become more so in the future," said Mahathir who was Prime Minister for 22 years before retiring in 1999. In his latest blog posting today, he said although DAP claims to be multiracial, it is in fact a Chinese party with mainly Chinese members and leadership. "Hatred of the Malays was whipped up through the slogan "Malaysian Malaysia", implying that Malaysia is for the Malays only while other races were discriminated against and alleged to be second class citizens. "Advocating meritocracy, the extremists Chinese in the DAP charged the BN Government of discriminating in favour of the Malays even though they were inferior and less qualified for places in the universities, awards of scholarships, contracts, licences and positions in the government. "Whenever Government policies such as the NEP were defended, the defenders whether in the Government or NGO's are labelled racist. The Malay parties in the election pact in Pakatan Rakyat were tolerated because they were useful for election purposes," he said. He said more proof of Chinese racism in the just concluded 13th general election is evident at demonstrations organized by the opposition accusing the Barisan Nasional of fraud and cheating in the polls.
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| Hannah Yeoh to push for new law to make Selangor legislature more independent Posted: 05 Jun 2013 03:04 PM PDT
(TMI) - The DAP's Hannah Yeoh will seek to make the Selangor state assembly more independent from the state government by pushing for a new law, Sin Chew Daily reported today. Yeoh, 34, who was recently named the new Selangor Speaker, said one of her main tasks after coming into office would be to get the Selangor Legislative Assembly Service Commission Enactment (Selesa) 2009 passed. After she was named to the post on May 30, her predecessor Datuk Teng Chang Khim said that the previous state assembly had failed to pass the enactment owing to "some obstacles". Teng reportedly said the Selangor administration's executive committee (exco) had been an obstacle to the passing of the law, with The Star quoting him as saying: "Now that I'm in the exco, I will get rid of these obstacles." In an exclusive interview with Sin Chew, Yeoh explained that the new enactment will be instrumental in implementing the separation of powers in the Selangor government and further enhance the state assembly's role and effectiveness. Selesa will improve the separation of powers between the three arms of the Selangor government — the executive, the legislature and the judiciary. The proposed law would see the setting up of a new Legislative Assembly Service Commission which would manage the state assembly — including its jurisdiction, finances and staff — independently of the state government's executive arm. The commission will then be headed by the Speaker and will include the Selangor mentri besar, the state opposition leader as well as between five and six state lawmakers. Yeoh told Sin Chew that she will also continue carrying out three of Teng's previous initiatives, namely the live airing of the Selangor state assembly proceedings, improving the state assemblymen's welfare and the Selangor Select Committee on Competency, Accountability and Transparency (Selcat). Selcat had conducted public inquiries on a few matters, including the alleged sand mining theft in the state as well as two independent companies that had been awarded a RM180 million loan by the Selangor Agricultural Development Corporation. According to Sin Chew, Yeoh said she will be fair to state assemblymen from political rival Barisan Nasional (BN) and give them sufficient time to speak during debates.
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| Don’t drag monarchy into contentious issues, says Raja Perlis Posted: 05 Jun 2013 03:01 PM PDT
(The Star) - The royal institution should not be dragged into provocative issues that may stir up emotions to benefit certain quarters, said the Raja of Perlis Tuanku Syed Sirajuddin Tuanku Syed Putra Jamalullail. During a speech at a seminar here, he said the royal institution was aware of current issues that were deemed sensitive and might pose a challenge to the country's sovereignty. He stressed that peace and harmony must prevail and sanctity of the Federal Constitution be maintained. "Do not drag this institution with uncontrollable emotions just to please a few and having to tarnish the sanctity of the Constitution," he said in his address at the Royal Institution Seminar (SIRaj) here yesterday. It was organised by the Universiti Malaysia Perlis and the Malaysian Royal Institution Research Centre. Tuanku Syed Sirajuddin said education was a good medicine for tackling the problem of a handful of Malaysians who did not respect the royal institution. "A wider exposure on the role of the constitutional monarchy should be taught early in school to ensure that the royal institution is respected," he added. He noted that under the Constitution, the Yang di-Pertuan Agong and the Malay Rulers were empowered to appoint the Prime Minister and mentris besar and could give advice and provide guidance to federal and state leaders. He added that loyalty to the King and country was also listed as the second principle in the Rukun Negara. Raja Muda of Perak Raja Dr Nazrin Shah said the royal institution played an important role as a social glue to unite all Malaysians regardless of race or religion. In his keynote address titled "Constitution and Islam: The Role of the Royal Institution", he said the nation's political landscape had been facing changes since the 12th general election. "It has been said that a political tsunami has happened and the country is said to be heading further towards a two-party political scenario," he added. This scenario, he said, had the potential to bring a positive impact while the democratic process would flourish if it was carried out in an orderly and wise manner, with proper respect accorded to the Constitution and the law. "However, it seems that the methods towards this scenario have ignited a wave of discord. "Citizens seem to be increasingly detached from each other, so much so that the bastion of unity seems to have been shattered. "More worryingly, this rift has been allowed to happen on the basis that it is about one's religion and race," he said. Raja Nazrin said the Perak sultanate was closely monitoring and studying the current situation in the country.
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| Will Malaysia's brain drain block its economic ambitions? Posted: 05 Jun 2013 11:50 AM PDT Successful return? (BBC) - Mr Dushyan is glad to be home but he worries about the quality of English-language education in the country for his children, and rising ethnic and religious tensions. There is still too much uncertainty in Malaysia, he says. He won't rule out leaving the country again just yet. Willson Lee is a proud Malaysian, but he left the country five years ago. The Japanese grill in Hong Kong's crowded district of Causeway Bay is just one of a handful of restaurants he now runs in China. Over plates of marbled beef, Mr Lee explained that he used to have businesses in Malaysia ranging from gold mining to stem cell banking. But he left in 2008 because, he said, a policy favouring the Malay-majority over ethnic minorities was "blatantly abused" to enrich those in power. The policy, he said, meant that his companies had fewer opportunities, something that hurt profits and left him and his partners demoralised. Mr Lee is part of what the World Bank calls an "intense" brain drain problem that could hurt Malaysia's ambition to become a high-income economy by 2020. Most of those who leave are ethnic Chinese, like Mr Lee, or Indian. They make up a third of Malaysia's population of 29 million people. Many are propelled from the country by long-standing policies that give preferential treatment to ethnic Malays in areas from housing and education to government projects. The objective is to re-distribute 30% of the country's wealth into the hands of Malays and indigenous groups, collectively known as the Bumiputras, because they lag behind the ethnic Chinese. Although a certain percentage of listed companies has to be owned by Bumiputras, Mr Lee says this quota is applied to private businesses as well. The government would often give licenses to a Malay company and he would have to partner with them in order to do business, he said. "That is standard practice throughout Malaysia," he said. 'Chinese tsunami'Mr Najib still secured a simple majority despite winning only 47% of the popular vote.Prime Minister Najib Razak wants to attract this talent back, but it will be tricky. In polls on 5 May, the disaffected Malaysian Chinese community largely abandoned his Barisan Nasional coalition. That's because constituency sizes give greater weight to rural Malay voters, who are the core supporters of the governing coalition. There were also allegations of electoral fraud, which the governing coalition has denied. Mr Najib's former political secretary and senior visiting fellow with Singapore's Nanyang Technological University, Oh Ei Sun, says the results are disappointing to the Malaysian talent overseas, who are believed to be mostly opposition supporters. Some flew to Malaysia just to cast their ballots but when the opposition won 50% of the popular vote and still didn't form the government, many went back feeling hopeless, Mr Oh said. He believes many more professionals may leave the country. Read more at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-22610210 |
| Muslims and Sikhs feel more British than Christians and Jews, university study finds Posted: 05 Jun 2013 11:41 AM PDT
Muslims, Sikhs, Hindus and Buddhists feel more British than Christians living in the UK, it was revealed today. Experts say that ethnic minorities are 'less likely to take their Britishness for granted' when compared to white people in 21st Century Britain. University of Manchester academics have analysed the 2011 Census, and found that every other main religion in the UK feels more British than Christians. Sixty two per cent of Sikhs, 57 per cent of Muslims and 54 per cent of Hindus describe their national identity as British only. The figure is only 15 per cent for Christians.
Picture of the UK: Data harvested from the 2011 UK Census shows that Christians feel less British than any other main religious group
However, 65 per cent of Christians and 54 per cent of Jews say they feel English. 'Though the 2011 Census allowed people to report multiple identities from English, Welsh, Scottish, Northern Irish, British and Other, nine in ten people reported a single national identity,' Dr Stephen Jivraj, who led the research, said. 'Indeed, the distinction between British and English identities continues to confuse not only tourists, but policy makers - but it's something we all need to understand more fully. 'If you believe what you read in the newspapers, Muslims are less likely to feel British than anyone else. In fact, the opposite is true. 'For many non white residents, including Muslims, this feeling of Britishness is probably partly a result of the citizenship process: they are surely less likely to take their Britishness for granted. 'Our findings are at odds with the present and previous Government's emphasis on encouraging ethnic minorities and new migrants to accept "British' life and "British" values.' Read more at: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2336210/Muslims-Sikhs-feel-British-Christians-Jews-university-study-finds.html
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| Long queues at Immigration department due to new system Posted: 05 Jun 2013 11:36 AM PDT RARE SIGHT: To beat the long queues at the Jalan Duta Immigration office, many arrived uncharacteristically early only to find that many of their others were already patiently waiting in line (The Malay Mail) - MALAYSIANS hoping to renew, or apply for new passports have recently been faced with long queues and delays which last hours due to the implementation of a new system which requires among others a polycarbonate page in the passport. During a visit to the Jalan Duta Immigration branch yesterday, The Malay Mail was informed by the public that after waiting for hours, many who were seeking to renew their passports were told to return the next day to collect them.Worse still were those applying for new passports who had to return three days later to collect their travel documents. The situation is a far cry from how things were up till a few weeks ago when Immigration offices were able to issue passport renewals within an hour of payment. |
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