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Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News

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• Dead pigs dumped near Muslim graves
• This is not about, dare I say it, pigs
• Malaysia’s Mr No Further Action
• Sedition Act won’t go before Umno polls, ST predicts
• Religion & Wikipedia: The 'Edit Wars' Rage On
• People’s Tribunal calls for evidence on electoral fraud and irregularities
• PAS trumpets ‘16:16’ dream for a cleaner goverment
• Bak-kut-teh is NOT chik-kut-teh
• Criminal lawyers question why sex bloggers not given bail
• Attack on youth is an insult to Islam, say Pas Youth
• Kuala Besut by-election: Nik Aziz disregards party’s gentleman’s agreement to conduct civil ...
• Free Alvivi, charge real hate speech makers
• It’s called entrapment
• Raja Nong Chik sues Nurul Izzah for defamation
• Treat Alvivi with care - A Kadir Jasin
• Lawyers slam A-G’s no bail decision
• Keep the English school option open
• Censure Abdul Rahman for racist support of Ibrahim Ali, Guan Eng says
• SANTANA IN CONCERT: MANCHESTER 18 JULY 2013
• Sabah cannot deal with illegals alone
• Ex-IGPs support new preventive law
• Cock-up, cover-up and conspiracy
• Malaysia among world’s most unequal voter dispersal systems, says DAP MP
• Religion is just like a brand name
• Ahmad Zahid and businessman settle civil suit over alleged assault
• Race and the Ordinary Malaysian
• Unravelling the politics behind Penang Port
• Malaysia's Masteel: Government-Linked Company?
• Surat Jusuf Kalla kepada Berita Harian
• There is no 1Malaysia, only Malaysia for 1Race and 1Religion
• Is your search engine halal?
• One can’t insult Islam, it’s simply not possible
• NGOs lodge report against Attorney-General
• A-G: Alvivi tends to incite the public
• MIC past, present presidents engage in war over Vell Paari’s sacking

Dead pigs dumped near Muslim graves Posted: 19 Jul 2013 11:32 AM PDT (WA Today) - He added that the incident was also disrespectful to the animals themselves. "As Muslims we are not meant to eat pigs, but that doesn't mean we should not respect them for what they are." Authorities are investigating an incident in which two dead pigs were dumped in the Muslim section of a Baldivis cemetery. Two pigs' heads and a pile of entrails were left beneath a sign denoting the Muslim burial area of Rockingham Regional Memorial Park.   Cemetery staff discovered the carcasses on Monday morning and notified police, the City of Rockingham and Muslim community leaders.   "This is the first incident of its kind at the park and it is being treated as an isolated occurrence," a spokesman for the Metropolitan Cemeteries Board said. Advertisement       6PR released graphic pictures of the pigs' remains, which were removed by staff "as a matter of absolute urgency", the spokesman said. Read more at: http://www.watoday.com.au/wa-news/dead-pigs-dumped-near-muslim-graves-20130716-2q1ah.html

This is not about, dare I say it, pigs Posted: 19 Jul 2013 11:27 AM PDT Islam, said Hanipa, is a about compassion and also "agama rahmah" or religion of mercy. "So I feel there's nothing wrong for Muslims to accept their apology."   Mohsin Abdullah, fz.com    WE all know that Alvin Tan and Vivian Lee did with the "bak kut teh" invite and all. So I'm not going to drag everybody through all that nonsense again. And we all know the anger they triggered among Muslims and non-Muslims. So I'm not going to repeat the angry words and the calls for them to be "lynched".   Instead let's take a look at Mohamad Hanipa Madin, the lawyer-cum-PAS MP for Sepang. Rather what he said recently about the couple via a statement carried by The Malaysian Insider.    To Hanipa, the couple should be given a chance to "redeem"  for their mistakes. "Any act of insulting religion, any faith for that matter, is despicable," said Hanipa. But in this case both have apologised and should be given a chance and not repeat what they had done.   Islam, said Hanipa, is a about compassion and also "agama rahmah" or religion of mercy. "So I feel there's nothing wrong for Muslims to accept their apology."   He is suggesting a "soft and delicate" approach be used so that negative thoughts the couple have towards the religion can be removed. He cited a case of a non-Muslim poet in the days of Prophet Muhamad.     The poet, said Hanipa, would often insult the prophet until one of the prophet's companion, Umar al Khatab, could not take it anymore that he wanted to pull off the teeth of the poet.   "The prophet prevented Umar from doing so. Finally the poet embraced Islam and put his skills to good use in propagating the religion," said Hanipa, quoting Islamic history.   "Islam will not be weakened by the insulting act of the couple and Islam will not be strengthened by our loud call for action to be taken against them using draconian laws such as the Sedition Act," Hanipa was quoted as saying. Read more at: http://www.fz.com/content/not-about-dare-i-say-it-pigs

Malaysia’s Mr No Further Action Posted: 19 Jul 2013 11:23 AM PDT   (TMI) - A picture is emerging that the biggest obstacle to fair play and justice being part of the country's legal landscape is the man who has sworn to protect the integrity of Malaysia's legal system: Attorney-General Gani. Still waiting for Datuk Zulkifli Noordin to be charged with sedition or some law for uttering insulting words against Hindus? No Further Action. Still waiting for Datuk Ibrahim Ali to be charged with threatening to burn Malay-language bibles? No Further Action. Still waiting for Home Minister Datuk Seri Zahid Hamidi to be charged with causing grievous hurt? No Further Action. Still waiting for Malaysia's Attorney-General Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail to take action against the rich and powerful implicated in the judicial fixing appointments laid bare by the Royal Commission of Inquiry? Do Not Bother. In the past 48 hours, the mercury has been rising over the sledgehammer and swift treatment meted out to publicity-seeking duo, Alvin Tan and Vivian Lee, for their mocking Facebook posts on Ramadan and conspicuous inaction against politically-aligned individuals. Much of the blame has landed in the lap of the Royal Malaysian Police, historically a major player in nothing happening when the accused lives in a tony neighbourhood or has a few political cables. But a picture is emerging that the biggest obstacle to fair play and justice being part of the country's legal landscape is the man who has sworn to protect the integrity of Malaysia's legal system: Attorney-General Gani. At a press conference last night, Datuk Khalid Abu Bakar deflected blame on the inaction against Perkasa vice-president Zulkifli for his cutting comments about Indians and the Hindu religion. He said that the police completed their probe on BN's stellar candidate for Shah Alam but were told by the AG that there was no evidence to charge him with anything. So the case involving the man who has enjoyed favourable ties with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak since he left Pakatan Rakyat has been classified as No Further Action. No evidence? Maybe Gani and his investigators could have got away with that throwaway line in the pre-Internet days. Maybe. But multitudes of Malaysians have seen Zulkifli insulting and demeaning Indians in a video clip that has gone viral. We have seen the evidence and it is damning, in the same way that thousands of Malaysians have seen that rubbish posted by Alvivi and have been mortified at the stupidity and crass insensitivity of the duo. In the case of Alvivi, the AG charged them within a week of their Facebook post becoming public knowledge.  Great, Malaysians are all for speedy action. So please explain what has happened to Ibrahim's file? Read more at: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/malaysias-mr-no-further-action

Sedition Act won’t go before Umno polls, ST predicts Posted: 19 Jul 2013 11:21 AM PDT   (MM) - Datuk Seri Najib Razak is likely to sit on plans to repeal the Sedition Act until he has safely cleared the hurdle of the Umno general assembly later this year, according to an editorial by The Straits Times yesterday. Last July, the prime minister announced plans to abolish the colonial-era law and introduce a National Harmony Act in its place. This was supposed to take place this year and, until last month, the biggest complaint had been the seeming delay in the process. But all that was thrown on its head when Home Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi abruptly announced that the Cabinet only planned to amend the law instead of repealing it as Najib pledged, insisting it was still needed to safeguard Malay rights and the position of Malay rulers. "[On] the surface, Dr Ahmad Zahid's remarks betray his disagreement with the prime minister's proposal to abolish the sedition law. The home minister's words were actually a signal from the Umno right-wingers to Mr Najib that he should go easy in his plans to repeal the law and in liberalising the economy," Salim Osman, a senior writer with the Singapore newspaper, wrote in an editorial yesterday. While the Cabinet has since reaffirmed Najib's pledge to do away with the law that critics contend has been used to silence dissent, the ST wrote that the prime minister must still tread carefully given how the law is represented to the Malays and Umno. Read more at: http://www.themalaymailonline.com/malaysia/article/sedition-act-wont-go-before-umno-polls-st-predicts

Religion & Wikipedia: The 'Edit Wars' Rage On Posted: 19 Jul 2013 11:16 AM PDT   (Huffpost) - "Most of the debates on religion related articles are about the historical facts and reliability of the references. There are less debates on concepts or ideologies and most of the edit wars are on the details of the historical events reported in the article and whether there are ways to proof them from multiple sources."  Scientists have analyzed page edits in 10 editions of Wikipedia to determine thetopics most often fought over by editors of the open encyclopedia. The most debated topics included many religious subjects, like Jesus and God, according to research done by Taha Yasseri, Anselm Spoerri, Mark Graham, and János Kertész. Rather than merely citing pages that changed a lot, they identified pages involved in "edit wars," that involved editors making changes that were almost instantly undone by another contributor. This proved the best method of finding controversial pages as pages often updated could simply belong to a rapidly changing field or topic. However, pages with words and phrases constantly removed and reinserted indicated a passionate disagreement surrounding the issue at hand. The most controversial pages across all ten editions of Wikipedia were: Israel Adolf Hitler The Holocaust God Other controversial subjects were Jesus, the Prophet Muhammad, and Christianity. Read more at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/07/18/religion-wikipedia_n_3618556.html?ncid=edlinkusaolp00000003

People’s Tribunal calls for evidence on electoral fraud and irregularities Posted: 19 Jul 2013 11:13 AM PDT   The Bersih People's Tribunal on GE 13 calls for members of the public to submit evidence and/or witness statement pertaining to electoral fraud and irregularities on Malaysia's 13th General Election The Bersih People's Tribunal on GE 13 calls for members of the public to submit evidence and/or witness statement pertaining to electoral fraud and irregularities on Malaysia's 13th General Election, specifically in instances where: If you are a registered voter, but unable to vote If you are prevented from voting If you were offered monetary incentive (bribe) or gifts to vote for a particular party If you did not register but found your name and address on the electoral roll If you have been threatened or told you will be denied benefits Members of the public who would like to give statements or provide evidence on the above are requested to submit a brief summary of the information via email to the People's Tribunal Secretariat atbersih.tribunal@gmail.com by 16 August 2013 the latest. Meeting arrangement will be organised if necessary. The People's Tribunal on GE13 is mooted in response to the public outcry and concerns of electoral fraud and irregularities in Malaysia's 13th General Election. The People's Tribunal is established to ascertain whether the last election was conducted in a free and fair manner.

PAS trumpets ‘16:16’ dream for a cleaner goverment Posted: 19 Jul 2013 11:11 AM PDT   (MM) - "What would be our advantage if we don't even get to be mentri besar? ... If it is a draw, they cannot do anything dishonest," said Abdul Hadi.  With just four days left on the campaign clock, PAS has not given up hope last night that its candidate Azlan Yusof will make history in triggering the nation's first hung state assembly ever. Speaking to around 400 locals in the riverside village of Kampung Nail here last night, party president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang tried to convince supporters from across the political divide that a hung assembly would benefit every Terengganu resident, even if the mentri besar does not come from PAS. "What is wrong if we leave it at 16:16? Give us 16 seats so we will be equals," Abdul Hadi said in one of the nightly rallies here. "Let one of them be the mentri besar," he added. Terengganu is currently led by Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Ahmad Said from Barisan Nasional (BN). A PAS win this July 24 will see both BN and the opposition Pakatan Rakyat (PR) each holding 16 state seats resulting in a hung assembly.  In such a case, Terengganu's Sultan Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin would be obliged to choose the new mentri besar whom he believes to command the confidence of the majority of the assembly, or call for a fresh state election just months after Election 2013. PAS has been banking on the possibility in its campaign here, using the "16:16 Terengganu Baru" (16:16 a new Terengganu) slogan. Read more at: http://www.themalaymailonline.com/malaysia/article/pas-trumpets-1616-dream-for-a-cleaner-terengganu-goverment

Bak-kut-teh is NOT chik-kut-teh Posted: 18 Jul 2013 07:34 PM PDT Come on. Who are you trying to kid? Is chasiu pau halal? Is it made with chicken? If it is it will not be called chasiu pau. It would be called kai pau. And is bak-kut-teh made with chicken? A less fatty variation of bak-kut-teh made with chicken instead of pork is called chik-kut-teh. NO HOLDS BARRED Raja Petra Kamarudin The issue of what the media has now labelled the two 'sex Bloggers' has taken Malaysia's racial and religious divide to new heights. Just when you thought that we are already scraping the bottom of the barrel and it cannot get any worse than this, it does. But what is this issue really about? Some say, yes, these two 'sex Bloggers' may have committed a crime, but then so have a few others. So why take action only against these two and not against the rest? Now, that is exactly the point I have been making for so many years. But when I raise that matter many of you whack me rather than discuss the issue at hand. My point is you are always aiming at the wrong target. You do not seem to know who or what is at fault and what we should do to address the matter. Oh, the solution is simple, you argue. Just change the government. Then the matter will be solved. Will it? Is it that simple? Or is it you are too simple-minded and imagine that to clean the dirt all we need to do is to sweep it under the carpet. Once it is hidden under the carpet we can no longer see it. And if we do not see it that means it is no longer there. Not that simple mah! First of all, who is the one with the authority to decide whether to prosecute or not? And who decides under which law to prosecute? The police do not have that authority. The police's job is just to investigate and gather the evidence and then make the arrest if there is evidence of a crime. The investigation papers then go to the Attorney General and if the AG is of the opinion there is sufficient evidence he will prosecute. Sometimes the AG may send the investigation papers back to the police if he feels the case is not 'tight' enough. Sometimes he may decide not to prosecute even if there is a solid case. And sometimes he may prosecute even if the case is flimsy. Whatever it may be it is the AG's call. Nothing goes to court unless the AG says so. Once a police report has been made the police are compelled to open a file. They can look at the police report and come to the conclusion that the issue is frivolous and does not warrant further action. Sometimes they may decide that the police report is false and investigate the person who made the report instead. It can go either way. Laws are for the protection of the community. Hence the interest of and the impact to the community also have to be taken into consideration. It is not always just about punishment. It is also sometimes about prevention. A balance needs to be sought between punishing the transgressor and protecting society. This balance is supposed to be done on an impartial basis. But how can people be 100% neutral when race, religion, political affiliations, etc., influence how we think? A Malay judge once stated that he would rule based on his conscience as a Muslim when he should instead rule based on the letter and spirit of the law. Hence this judge is declaring that he is a Muslim first and a judge second. So is his ruling going to be impartial? Certainly not! His ruling is going to be based on how he feels he should rule as a Muslim even if that is not quite what the law says he should do. The two 'sex Bloggers' were charged for a crime under Malaysia's criminal law. And this means secular laws. But their crime is for offending Muslims by insulting Islam. So how do you balance between religion and secularism? You can't. Religion and secularism are opposing ideologies. So one of the two is going to lose out. So, the million-dollar question that many of you have been asking over the last few days: why charge the two 'sex Bloggers' and not the others? Only the AG can reply to that question. But I doubt he will. Ultimately, the issue here is about insulting Islam. But some of you argue that calling bak-kut-teh halal is not wrong because there is such a thing as halal bak-kut-teh. It could be bak-kut-teh made from chicken, which then would be halal. "So where is the insult?" you scream. Come on. Who are you trying to kid? Is chasiu pau halal? Is it made with chicken? If it is it will not be called chasiu pau. It would be called kai pau. And is bak-kut-teh made with chicken? A less fatty variation of bak-kut-teh made with chicken instead of pork is called chik-kut-teh. The Chinese word bak (肉), which means meat (or more specifically pork), is the vernacular pronunciation in Hokkien and Teochew. It was first introduced to Malaya in the 19th century by Chinese coolies and workers of Hokkien origin. The Muslims view the stunt by the two 'sex Bloggers' as an act of provocation as well as mockery towards Islam. And they are not wrong in thinking so because that is exactly what it is. And you cannot blame the Muslims for reacting against any act of provocation and mockery. If you do not wish to attract that type of reaction then don't provoke and mock. Sure, other people have also, as you said, insulted others. So are you saying then it is kosher to provoke and mock Muslims since Muslims have also done the same to others? That is a weak and childish attitude to have. So, a Malay man/boy somewhere raped a Chinese girl and he was never sent to jail for whatever reason we all do not know. That means it is no longer wrong for Chinese to rape Malay girls. Can you get off if you tell the judge in a rape trial this is the only reason you raped the Malay girl, if not you would nave never done it? In that case the Japanese killed tens of thousands of Malayans back in the 1940s and were never punished. Is it therefore okay for us to strangle Japanese tourists who come to Malaysia? I am sure the judge will look at this from your point of view: that since they did it and got away with it then it is not wrong for us to also do it. Maybe the judge who also lost family members in the 1940s should now shake your hand and call you a patriot and invite you home for dinner. Yeah, right, I am a racist. I know what you are going to say. Fine, but at least I am not an idiot.

Criminal lawyers question why sex bloggers not given bail Posted: 18 Jul 2013 05:44 PM PDT (TMI) - Criminal law lecturer Datuk Baljit Singh Sidhu said Section 389 of the Criminal Procedure Code clearly states that bail is offered to secure the presence of the accused in court. What if the sex bloggers are found not guilty? The time spent in jail as remand prisoners cannot be reversed and this would amount to a travesty of justice for sex bloggers Alvin Tan and Vivien Lee. In pointing this out, criminal lawyers are aghast the infamous couple were not granted bail when they were charged yesterday with three charges related to their Ramadan bak kut teh greeting on their Facebook page and pornographic pictures in their blogs. "They are innocent until proven guilty," said Rajpal Singh. Rajpal said under normal circumstances bail would have been offered to those who were charged with similar offences faced by the two. "I feel bail should have been offered to the two because they did not plead guilty to the charges," he said. He said Sessions court judge Murtazadi Amran did not use his discretion to offer bail judiciously. Criminal law lecturer Datuk Baljit Singh Sidhu said Section 389 of the Criminal Procedure Code clearly states that bail is offered to secure the presence of the accused in court. READ MORE HERE

Attack on youth is an insult to Islam, say Pas Youth Posted: 18 Jul 2013 05:38 PM PDT (TMI) - "Irrespective of whether the perpetrators were Muslims or not, they have caused the public at large to view Muslims with anger and disgust." The actions of a group of youth to use Islam as an excuse to assault Ng Mun Tatt has actually desecrated and insulted the religion, said Pas Youth. Its secretary Khairul Faizi Ahmad said the abduction and assault of Ng in Shah Alam recently was unacceptable in society. Ng held a press conference following the incident, denying that he had insulted Islam, clarifying that his abductors had scrawled words on his body to deter the public from helping him. "What is regrettable is that the perpetrators had used the issue of religion to make their criminal act of targeting non-Muslims seem legal," Khairul was quoted by Harakahdaily as saying. "The criminals have not made Islam proud of their actions. In fact, it is the opposite as they have sacrificed the pride and dignity of the religion. "Irrespective of whether the perpetrators were Muslims or not, they have caused the public at large to view Muslims with anger and disgust." READ MORE HERE

Kuala Besut by-election: Nik Aziz disregards party’s gentleman’s agreement to conduct civil ... Posted: 18 Jul 2013 05:03 PM PDT (The Star) - Disregarding his party's gentlemen agreement with Barisan Nasional to conduct a civil and clean campaign as a mark of respect for the fasting month, PAS spiritual leader Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat has called Umno an evil party that built mosques but whose members do not pray. In his first appearance in the Kuala Besut by-election campaign, the former Kelantan mentri besar said the Barisan government and Umno had done a disservice to the Muslims by not giving much focus to religious development in the country. Because of that, he said, the people were only busy working to build big houses and buy big cars but failed to fulfill their religious obligations. And that is the tragedy under Barisan's rule, he said. "For 23 years as the Kelantan mentri besar, they accused me of failing to build mosques. Yes, Umno build mosques, but they don't pray," he said, drawing laughter from a large ceramah crowd at Kampung Beris Pak Abu near here Thursday night. Unlike PAS, he said, Umno's struggle, was only for the Malays and not to uphold and defend the sanctity of Islam. "Even the name of the party is not in Bahasa Malaysia but English," he said referring to the acronym Umno which came from its name 'United Malay National Organisation'. He also accused Umno of brainwashing the people's mind to turn their backs to the truth. At the start of the campaign period, PAS and Barisan leaders had pledged to conduct a clean and civil campaign in deference of the fasting month. Earlier, former Royal Malaysian Airforce lieutenant Kol Mohd Nazali Mokhtar claimed the Government had failed to look after the welfare of the serving armed forces personnel and those who had left the service. He said so bad was the treatment given to ex-servicemen that many were not able to make a decent living. Some, he claimed, had to resort to stealing to survive. Mohd Nazali repeatedly compared the treatment of the ex-servicemen to those in Bangladesh, whom he claimed were very well treated by their government. He also questioned why the government did not provide land for agriculture and other economic activity to ex-servicemen. "If the land given by state governments to Felda were to be divided into smaller parcels, each parcel could be given to 80,000 ex-servicemen," he said while also urging airforce personnel at the nearby Gong Kedak Airforce Base to vote for PAS on polling day.

Free Alvivi, charge real hate speech makers Posted: 18 Jul 2013 04:56 PM PDT Hate speech is hate speech and can be very dangerous but it doesn't take a genius to distinguish actual hateful intentions and just plain stupidity. And Alvilvi is just obviously plain stupidity. And just like the rest of us, I wish we could jail people for stupidity too. But we can't. Zan Azlee, TMI   I had made it a point to not comment in my writings or even mention in any conversations that I had about the Alvivi bak kut teh puasa incident. They are obviously cheap attention seekers who deserve not even a single ounce of my time and intellect. But what the authorities did by charging the idiotic couple in court for sedition and pornography is just the wrong way to handle things. Hate speech is hate speech and can be very dangerous but it doesn't take a genius to distinguish actual hateful intentions and just plain stupidity. And Alvilvi is just obviously plain stupidity. And just like the rest of us, I wish we could jail people for stupidity too. But we can't. Now let's look at the real hate speech makers out there that have actual intentions of hate and are getting away with it scot-free. First up is Ridhuan Tee Abdullah who, week after week, spews out condemnation on non-Muslims and non-Malays in his newspaper column (although a non-Malay himself). READ MORE HERE

It’s called entrapment Posted: 18 Jul 2013 04:39 PM PDT Okay, we know who replied to the question. Can I now have the name of the person who asked that question? Yes, I want the name of the person who asked that question. Give me that name. Now! And if you can't give me that name then shut the fuck up until you can. And I mean BOTH sides to this argument. NO HOLDS BARRED Raja Petra Kamarudin The Vatican's envoy to Malaysia, Archbishop Joseph Marino, was in the spotlight over the Allah controversy but for the wrong reasons. Responding to a question in a meeting last week with a small group of reporters, the 60-year old diplomat, among other things, said he supported the arguments in a fact sheet put out by the Christian Federation of Malaysia (CFM) on why Christians should be allowed to use the word 'Allah' to refer to God. "In terms of how they presented the arguments in favour, it seems to be quite logical and acceptable," he said in his first media outing since arriving in Malaysia in mid-April as the first Apostolic Nuncio to Malaysia, two years after Malaysia established diplomatic ties with the Vatican. Two local online news portals invited to the meeting characterised his comments as supporting the use of 'Allah' which immediately drew flak particularly two right wing Malay groups, Perkasa and Jati. They demanded that the government shut down the Vatican's embassy and kick out Marino if he did not apologise.  Their reaction seemed disproportionate to the situation and surprised even Bernard Dompok, president of UPKO, a component party in the ruling coalition. The former Plantation Industries and Commodities Minister said Perkasa had gone way too far in their demand. "To ask an ambassador to leave… that is just unbelievable," he said. (Read more here: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/sideviews/article/allah-word-in-spotlight-again-but-for-the-wrong-reasons-bob-teoh) ******************************************** So, it seems that the Envoy from the Vatican met the press last week. And one of the members of this press corps asked the Envoy a question. And the Envoy, being a true Christian, replied to that question truthfully. And now some Malaysians want the government to send two submarines to Rome to bomb that city (well, maybe not as dramatic as that but certainly they want him kicked out of the country). So now, yet again, the Muslims and Christians are 'at war' (sigh...and after writing almost a dozen articles about the Christian-Muslim divide over the last fortnight on top of that). Now do you see why I need to write these articles? This is because the more religious they are the more stupid they become. They should put warning labels on all 'holy books' like they do on cigarette boxes: 'The Surgeon-General certifies that religion causes irrevocable permanent brain damage'. First of all, why ask a question that you will not like the answer to? The Envoy is a man of God so he will certainly reply with the truth of what he believes. So if you can't stand the truth don't go asking questions. Anyway, this is not only entrapment but contempt of court as well since this matter is still before the court. So I blame the person who asked the question. Did you expect the Envoy to lie just to please you? He is not in the business of pleasing you. He is in the business of pleasing God, not you. And why should he lie to please you when lying will displease God. So who is at fault here? The person who replied to your question or the person who asked that question? Why pick on the person who replied to the question? Whack the bastard (or bitch) who asked that question. Okay, we know who replied to the question. Can I now have the name of the person who asked that question? Yes, I want the name of the person who asked that question. Give me that name. Now! And if you can't give me that name then shut the fuck up until you can. And I mean BOTH sides to this argument. You ask a question and you get upset with the reply. How stupid can you be? I thought religion enlightens you, not makes you more stupid. What did you expect the Envoy to do? Suddenly turn politician and reply to that question with a political statement? Okay, maybe he should have responded as follows instead: "That is a most interesting question. Yes, I realise that that issue has been a bone of contention for both the Muslims and Christians in Malaysia. However, while it is a very simple and straightforward question, the answer is not equally simple and straightforward. I shall need to reflect on that question. It is best that I fast for 40 days and beseech God for guidance first before I attempt a response. I will certainly bring this question to the attention of the Pope in Rome who will most definitely bring it to the College of Cardinals for deliberation. I realise that you may be expecting an immediate response but it may take time to come to an agreement on the appropriate response. Even the issue of Galileo Galilei took almost 450 years to resolve even after he was proven right that the earth revolves around the sun and not the other way around. This may appear too long for some of you but then if you measure this in human years that may be so. However, God is beyond time, God is eternal, so time is of no consequence to the Lord. And in time, with God's will, the answer will come with the guidance of the Lord. However, it is good that you raised that question. It shows that we are always pondering on issues regarding faith, as what the Lord would like us to do. I commend the person who asked that question and urge more of you to adopt that same attitude of always seeking the truth. A person who stops seeking for the truth is a person who is dead long before the soul leaves his or her body. Thank you so much for that question. Next question please!" I suppose that response will please the Muslims but not the Christians. However, while the Muslims are normally more militant, the Christians are supposed to be more patient and forgiving. And they are supposed to hold fast to the belief that their faith will see all matters resolved in the end with the Lord's help. I remember back in the old days -- I was very young then -- when the Romans gave the Christians an ultimatum to abandon Christianity or else get thrown to the lions. But the Christians refused. They knew they were right and the Romans were wrong. So they held steadfast to their belief in Christ and refused to budge. The Romans then rounded up the Christians and brought them into the arena and then released the lions. The Christians still refused to budge. They got down on their knees and prayed to God and beseeched God to turn the lions into Christian-friendly creatures. And it worked, a miracle of sorts. The lions also got down on their hind paws, and with the fore paws clasped in prayer, they uttered, "Lord, for what we are about to receive, we thank you." Hence prayer and patience can be very potent is matters such as these. So why not get down on your knees and pray for people like Ibrahim Ali, Zul Nordin, Ridhuan Tee, Hasan Ali, etc., to be turned into Christian-friendly creatures like the good Christian that you are? And if that does not work it can only mean that God does not want it to happen. And for that you also need to thank the Lord because nothing happens without God's will.

Raja Nong Chik sues Nurul Izzah for defamation Posted: 18 Jul 2013 03:50 PM PDT (The Star) - He has named Nurul Izzah, online news publisher Mkini Dotcom Sdn Bhd and its reporter Lu Wei Hoong as defendants in his libel suit. Former Cabinet minister Datuk Raja Nong Chik Raja Zainal Abidin is suing Lembah Pantai MP Nurul Izzah Anwar and two others for allegedly defaming him over the sale of prime land in Bukit Kiara. He is seeking a court order to force the defendants to publish an apology, on his terms. Raja Nong Chik also wants an injunction to stop the defendants from publishing any libellous words against him. He is asking for general, aggravated and exemplary damages, interests and costs. He has named Nurul Izzah, online news publisher Mkini Dotcom Sdn Bhd and its reporter Lu Wei Hoong as defendants in his libel suit. On Friday, his lawyer M. Reza Hassan told the media that the suit is fixed for case management before High Court judge Justice Yeoh Wee Siam on Aug 19. In his lawsuit, the former senator said Nurul Izzah has caused the publication of libellous and false statement against him at a press conference to the media on May 4. He said Nurul Izzah has caused similar statements to be published in the Malaysiakini online news portal in two versions - Malay and English - on the same day. He said the words implied that he has misused his position as the Federal Territories and Urban Well-being minister for his personal interest and gain. He said the words also meant that he did not respect law, was untrustworthy and involved in a transaction which was doubtful and caused losses to the people. He said the defendants has published the words without verifying its truth. Raja Nong Chik said that the publication has tarnished his reputation and dignity as a politician, a former minister and a former senator. He said his credibility had been ruined especially among the voters of the Lembah Pantai parliamentary constituency. (In the 13th general election held on May 5, Nurul Izzah received 31,008 votes, beating Raja Nong Chik with a majority of 1,870 votes). In his statement of claim, Raja Nong Chik said that he had sent a letter of demand dated June 10 through his solicitor asking Nurul Izzah to apologise, to promise not to publish libellous statements against him and pay appropriate damages but she had failed to do so. He said that he had sent a similar letter to Mkini Dotcom and Lu and they, too, had failed to meet his demands. He filed the suit through Messrs Raja Riza & Associates at the High Court civil registry on Wednesday.

Treat Alvivi with care - A Kadir Jasin Posted: 18 Jul 2013 03:44 PM PDT (TMI) - I know you know where I am coming from and I know you get my drift. Too many people are dying in custody. And dying with them is the setting up the IPCMC. For desiring glamour or poor demeanour, Alvin and Vivian spent the night in the slammer. There they'll stay until their trial day. That's for inviting the fasting Muslims to break fast on "halal" bak kut teh. Just in case you don't know, bak kut teh is pig bone soup. Sup tulang khinzirlah brother! Malaysian bak kut teh, I am told is world famous. Strictly by the law book, Mr Tan Jye Yee's and Miss Lee May Ling's outlook appears grim. If they are found guilty, the x-rated cyber lovers could be in the slammer for up to 15 years. But it depends on the AG's Chambers. Its conviction record has not  been stellar. On technicalities, alleged murderers and molesters had been set free. So Avivi (Alvin&Vivian) could have their case thrown out on technicalities. To my soup craving Muslim brothers and sisters, beware and be aware. For as long as bak kut teh is bak kut teh, it can never be halal. Or is it? Why not bak kut teh tulang lembu or kerbau - like chicken ham and beef bacon? READ MORE HERE

Lawyers slam A-G’s no bail decision Posted: 18 Jul 2013 03:29 PM PDT Several lawyers disagree with the Attorney-General's decision to disallow bail for sex bloggers Alvin Tan and Vivian Lee. Lisa J. Ariffin, FMT Several lawyers have today slammed the Attorney-General's (AG) decision in disallowing bail for sex bloggers Alvin Tan and Vivian Lee who posted an insensitive Ramadan greeting on their Facebook, recently. The duo better known as Alvivi were charged with publishing indecent photographs, promoting enmity among the races and for sedition at the Jalan Duta Sessions Court yesterday. Tan and Lee were sent to the Sungai Buloh Prison and Kajang Prison, respectively. PKR lawyer Latheefa Koya said that the decision was "overkill." "They were charged with three offences and the fact that they were denied bail is certainly extreme," she told FMT. According to Latheefa, the court has the discretion to grant bail for "non-bailable" offences but not so for "unbailable" offences. "In fact, bail can be granted to a person charged with sedition for the first time. Non-bailable doesn't mean you cannot grant bail to a person and only in limited circumstances do you actually deny bail," she said. She added that the court should have instead allowed bail "under strict conditions" if it (the court) is worried that Alvivi will continue uploading more offensive material online. "Bail is used to secure a person's attendance but when you go beyond that, it becomes a form of punishment. In this case, bail was denied to punish the person," she alleged. "I hope their lawyers will appeal against the decision as this may lead to a dangerous precedent," she added. Lawyer Faisal Moideen shared the same sentiments "as there is no danger in granting bail." However, Faisal disagreed that the charges were harsh and pointed out that Alvivi's lawyers could still appeal against the charges. "It doesn't mean that you are prosecuted now, you cannot state your defence in court. The prosecution team must go to trial to prove their (Alvivi's) guilt," he added. "I understand the reservation about the use of the Sedition Act but it has been used before even during the Cow Head Protest in 2009. Unless it is repealed, the law must be abide to," he said. Fadiah Nadwa Fikri of Lawyers for Liberty disagreed with Faisal and said the "prosecution was done arbitrarily" but agreed that "the AG denying bail was uncalled for." "Bail is as of right and the purpose is to ensure the accused attends trials and subsequent proceedings in court," she said. "It is apparent that they are trying to punish Alvivi and the whole charge is arbitrary because if you look at the Facebook post, it is not something inciting violence. Yes, it is offensive but not a crime," she added. Fadiah said Alvivi's action was of "ignorance and insensitivity," but it "does not warrant prosecution in court". She added that the case was "politically motivated" to gain the support of the Malays and Muslim community. "This is clearly an abuse of the court process and is politically motivated. They are trying to get the support of the Malays and other Muslims by showing that they are staunchly defending Islam," she said. "You have to remember that these people charged are not found guilty yet. The way everybody is behaving, it is as if the court has already convicted them. This is against the principles of law," she added. "They have not yet been proven guilty. Why is everybody speculating?" READ MORE HERE

Keep the English school option open Posted: 18 Jul 2013 03:12 PM PDT It is not just here in Malaysia that the importance of the English language as a communication and competitive tool is being hotly debated. Even in France, where opposition against the use of English in universities is fierce, proponents of the language are gaining strength. Azam Aris, The Edge It is not just here in Malaysia that the importance of the English language as a communication and competitive tool is being hotly debated. Even in France, where opposition against the use of English in universities is fierce, proponents of the language are gaining strength.  A proposed law to introduce more courses in English in universities was passed by the French lower house in May, a move which a top scholar called a "suicidal project" that would lead to France sacrificing its language to "Americanisation disguised as globalisation".   And you are talking about the French community, who are excessively proud of their language wherever they live in the world. In English-speaking Canada, French in spoken by the majority in Quebec and is the sole official language of the country's largest province. In Geneva, Switzerland's second largest city, French is also the official language.   But the introduction of more courses in English in French universities is deemed necessary by its supporters as the lack of usage of English was cited as a major factor for the country's declining global competitiveness.   According to news reports, the move is part of a broader overhaul of tertiary education there, and was introduced in March by France's Minister of Higher Education and Research Geneviève Fioraso. This proposal is part of an ongoing effort to relax a 1994 law that requires the use of French in classrooms, from nursery schools to universities.   It is also aimed at attracting more students from abroad - from emerging economies like China, India and Brazil - who prefer to go to university in English-speaking nations. In short, France realises that English plays a crucial role in ensuring a nation's competitiveness in the Internet era and a globalised economy.   In Malaysia, the sentiment is no different. There are many supporters who want to "bring English back into the education system" because they feel that as a nation, we will lose out. In an Internet world, so much information out there is available in English, information that can only be maximised if one has a reasonably good command of the language.   It is an accepted fact that many employers, including multinational corporations, have cited poor command of English as a reason local graduates find it difficult to get a job here, let alone overseas.   Proponents of the English language are not against the present education system of using Bahasa Malaysia, but they want an option where parents can choose to send their children to a national English school, like in the post-independent years of the 1950s and 1960s. Currently, there is none.   National English schools were slowly phased out by the government from 1970 in the name of promoting national unity and Bahasa Malaysia as the medium of communication in education and administration, in line with its status as the national language. By 1982, teaching in the whole education system was conducted in Bahasa Malaysia with English becoming just a language subject.   Since then, many education experts and professionals in the private and public sectors agree that this is a key reason the standard of English and its proficiency among students have dropped dramatically over the last 30 years.   The government realises this and the Education Ministry chose to implement a policy of teaching and learning science and mathematics in English (PPSMI) in 2003 as one way to avert further decline.   The move to reintroduce English was the right one, but many believe the subjects chosen were wrong if the objective was to improve the writing and communication skills of the students.   Without getting the teaching infrastructure right - having enough science and mathematics teachers proficient in English and English language teachers to implement PPSMI - the move was opposed by many parents and was doomed to fail.   This is because many students in the rural areas, who do not have a strong foundation of English, were put at a disadvantage, so much so that it affected their understanding and performance in the two subjects of science and mathematics. To circumvent the situation, many teachers in the rural areas ended up teaching science and mathematics in Bahasa Malaysia or using both languages.   READ MORE HERE

Censure Abdul Rahman for racist support of Ibrahim Ali, Guan Eng says Posted: 18 Jul 2013 02:54 PM PDT (TMI) - Lim also questioned why no action was taken against Perkasa's vice-president Datuk Zulkifli Nordin for his anti-Hindu statements. The Cabinet will be seen as failing to represent all Malaysians if it does not haul up Urban Wellbeing, Housing and Local Government Minister Datuk Abdul Rahman Dahlan for his racist and extremist support of Perkasa's Datuk Ibrahim Ali on his Bible-burning remarks. The minister, in trying to defend Ibrahim, had said that the Perkasa chief's remarks were merely to correct the error of printing the said Bibles, and that burning them was the proper thing to do, just as Muslims burn copies of the Quran that have misprints. DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng, however, was aghast. "This is a shocking statement. How can it be proper for Ibrahim Ali to say that the threat to burn the Bibles was simply to correct the holy book?" Lim asked. READ MORE HERE

SANTANA IN CONCERT: MANCHESTER 18 JULY 2013 Posted: 18 Jul 2013 02:53 PM PDT

Sabah cannot deal with illegals alone Posted: 18 Jul 2013 02:43 PM PDT The federal government must come up with a formula that would apply to the immigrants,including stateless persons, said former Suhakam commission Simon Sipaun. (Bernama) A former Malaysian Human Rights Commission (Suhakam) commissioner has suggested that the illegal immigrant problem plaguing Sabah be dealt with fairly among all the states in the country. Testifying before the Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) on illegal immigrants in Sabah, Simon Sipaun said the issue of illegal immigrants had become a national problem and it was not fair for genuine Malaysians in Sabah to deal with it alone. On the issuance of Malaysian identity cards (IC) to foreigners, he said the government must come up with a formula that would apply to the immigrants, including stateless persons. "The government should have been proactive in the first place. There needs to be strong political will to tackle this longstanding issue," he said. He also said that recalling and reissuing ICs in Sabah was a good suggestion as it would demand every person to be screened to ensure he or she was a genuine citizen. Asked by conducting officer Manoj Kurup if reconciliation would be an effective way to address the problem, Sipaun said he was not sure if it would be effective as the problem involved many races from different countries. "We cannot emulate how South Africa and Timor Leste solved their problem because they were faced with two communities. "I'm not sure how their success could work in Sabah," he said. Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) vice-president Chua Soon Bui told the inquiry that the state government should be involved in the issuance of citizenship to applicants in Sabah. She said although matters concerning citizenship were under the National Registration Department, it was best that the state government play a consultative role. The inquiry led by former chief judge of Sabah and Sarawak Steve Shim Lip Kiong continues on July 23.

Ex-IGPs support new preventive law Posted: 18 Jul 2013 02:39 PM PDT Abdul Rahim Noor and Hanif Omar say there is a need for a new preventive law to tackle hardcore criminals but also want the new legislation to protect human rights.  P Ramani, FMT Two former top cops today agreed that the repeal of the Emergency Ordinance (EO) had rendered police somewhat ineffective in dealing with crime. Hence, ex-IGPs Abdul Rahim Noor and Hanif Omar supported Home Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi's move to introduce a similar preventive law to replace the EO. "Maybe the word Emergency Ordinance is a bit out-dated as it was used during the communist era but we need a preventive law to tackle hardcore criminals," said Rahim. Yesterday, Bernama reported Zahid Hamidi as saying that police have now been rendered powerless to act against criminals after the EO was repealed. He also said that following the abolishment, about 2,600 detainees at the Simpang Renggam Detention Centre in Johor were released and many of them returned to a life of crime. Therefore, the minister said that the government needed a new legislation similar to EO to tackle criminal activities. Rahim, who was the IGP in the 90s, however, disagreed on the notion that the police were completely powerless as the force is still equipped with the Penal Code and Criminal Procedure Code (CPC) to deal with criminals. "But the Attorney-General's Chambers should draft a new legislation that will strike a balance between tackling criminals and protecting human rights," said Rahim. Hanif, on the other hand, said that the repeal of EO had rendered the police with less investigating powers. Although Section 113 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CPC) provides investigating powers to the police, Hanif said that the legislation was not enough to deal with violent criminals. "So we will have to wait for the new law to be introduced and see how effectively it can be used against organized crime," said Hanif.

Cock-up, cover-up and conspiracy Posted: 18 Jul 2013 02:32 PM PDT Are homicidal maniacs on the loose masquerading as policemen? Until there's political will by all BN MPs to form the IPCMC, deaths in custody will continue to be part of police SOP Mariam Mokhtar, FMT Do you remember N Dhamendran, the 32-year-old man who died on May 21, whilst in police custody, at the Tun HS Lee lockup, in Kuala Lumpur? His case is mired in controversy, just like all the other deaths in police custody. First, the cock-up, involving alleged brutality and torture. Then, comes the cover-up, to disguise what actually happened. When the victims' families probe deeper and demand answers, denials swiftly follow and scapegoats are eventually found. Two months after Dhamendran's brutal murder, the final piece in the jigsaw has been revealed. A few days ago, the identity and photo of the remaining policeman who was allegedly responsible for Dhamendran's murder was released. This thug remains at large. Is he armed and dangerous? Was there really a fourth person involved in Dhamendran's murder? On May 11, Dhamendran was arrested, along with three other suspects, after he lodged a police report about a fight. His family only knew of his arrest on May 19 and after visiting him at the police lock-up, they were told that he would be released on police-bail four days later. Instead of welcoming him home on May 22, they received a telephone call from an unidentified policeman, telling them to collect his body from the Kuala Lumpur Hospital (KLH). May 22 was also the day when the CID chief Ku Chin Wah released a statement claiming that the detainee, after complaining of being unwell with chest pains and breathing difficulties, had succumbed to his illness. Ku said that Dhamendran was rushed to the KLH but was pronounced dead on arrival. The death was attributed to a suspected asthma attack. It is the same old story, with the usual plot – chest pains, breathing difficulties, asthma attack, sudden death. The only difference being the players, healthy, young adults, some of whom never had asthma or any other chronic illness, appear to drop dead whilst in detention. Horror, disgust, condemnation and outpourings of grief are often followed by denials and declarations by senior policemen that an investigation will be conducted "by an officer from Bukit Aman". One would have thought that with every death in police custody, lessons would have been learnt, the guilty punished, the bad policemen weeded out, violent men and violent tactics stopped, the standard operating procedures (SOPs) for questioning suspects would be reviewed and there would be an end to this type of tragedy. Despite these assurances custodial deaths continue, with increasing savagery, as Dhamendran's murder has shown. Many questions remain unanswered: Why did Ku pre-empt the post-mortem results? Does he have any medical qualifications? Was Ku's statement an ill-advised premature act, a panic induced reaction or a genuine error of judgement? Did he have something to hide? Irreparable damage Why did Ku jeopardise both his credibility and the already tarnished image of the police force by adding another lie to the layers of denials and lies of the PDRM? Why did he utter a lie that could so easily be denounced? Was Ku ordered to make this announcement? On May 22, the initial findings of the KLH consultant pathologist confirmed that Dhamendran died from a "diffusion of soft tissue injuries due to multiple blunt force trauma". There was evidence of beating and torture, with fresh wounds from whipping with a rotan, on his back. Staples had been found in his ears and legs. READ MORE HERE

Malaysia among world’s most unequal voter dispersal systems, says DAP MP Posted: 18 Jul 2013 02:32 PM PDT Malaysians queue outside a polling station to cast their vote in Pekan on May 5, 2013. — AFP pic (The Malay Mail) - Ong Kian Ming pointed out that based on his own calculations, Malaysia ranked 21 out of 25 countries on the level of malapportionment, or the measure of inequality in the distribution of voters among seats in a country, noting that Botswana, Sierra Leone and Uganda scored higher at the 10th, 13th and 20th spots respectively. The distribution of voters in Malaysia is one of the most unequal among countries that practise the first-past-the-post electoral system, falling behind even some African democracies, the DAP's chief strategist said today. Ong Kian Ming pointed out that based on his own calculations, Malaysia ranked 21 out of 25 countries on the level of malapportionment, or the measure of inequality in the distribution of voters among seats in a country, noting that Botswana, Sierra Leone and Uganda scored higher at the 10th, 13th and 20th spots respectively. "The reason why the United States (US), Australia, the United Kingdom and Canada have lower levels of malapportionment compared to Malaysia is that they all have rules which limit the maximum amount of deviation allowed for in each individual constituency," the first-term MP said in a statement today. The Serdang MP noted that the US (0.014), Australia (0.03), the United Kingdom (UK) (0.041) and Canada (0.083) have far lower malapportionment measures than Malaysia (0.173). Ong told The Malay Mail Online that Malaysia's score of 0.173 meant that 17.3 per cent of voters needed to be shifted to achieve a score of zero malapportionment. He said that the UK sets a five per cent limit for constituency sizes above or below the national quota, while Australia sets a 3.5 per cent limit above or below a state's electoral quota. Canada sets a limit of 25 per cent above or below a province's electoral quota, while in the US, various Supreme Court decisions require the population in each congressional district to be roughly equal in order to respect the "one-man-one-vote" principle. The opposition lawmaker urged Putrajaya to follow the example of such advanced democracies by ensuring that the disparity among constituencies should not be more than 15 per cent from the average constituency size, as recommended by the Reid Commission before Independence in 1957. In 1962, however, the Alliance government — the predecessor to the Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition — amended the Federal Constitution to retrospectively annul the 1960 delineation and to mandate the Election Commission (EC) to submit new delineations to the prime minister for parliamentary approval. Rural weightage was also changed in the same year so that urban constituencies could be double the size of rural constituencies. The Federal Constitution was later amended again in 1973 to remove the limit entirely. "To ensure that malapportionment in Malaysia is decreased to a level which is consistent with being the 'world's best democracy', Prime Minister Najib should also establish a Parliamentary Select Committee to specifically oversee the next delimitation (or delineation) exercise which the Election Commission has announced will commence at the end of the year," said Ong, referring to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak. "The fact that almost all of the recommendations of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Electoral Reform have not been implemented is a strong reminder of the lack of commitment on the part of the prime minister to introduce serious electoral reform in the country," he added. Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs (IDEAS) chief executive Wan Saiful Wan Jan reportedly said last May that the existing delineation of constituencies was illogical in terms of the number of voters and size. The analyst had pointed out that the Putrajaya federal constituency only has 15,791 voters, compared to Kapar that has a whopping 144,159 voters.

Religion is just like a brand name Posted: 18 Jul 2013 02:05 PM PDT All these religions show one's attachment to mankind but with different practices. The path to God may differ according to the natures of individuals, and only superficial according to their different religious beliefs. Navin Karan  We are more likely to prefer brands in this material world: "I need a Coach bag to carry my stuff"; "Louis Vuitton is better, rougher and tougher", "Alexander McQueen is spacious and with more compartments". [Using bags as an example doesn't mean I'm saying women are crazier about brands compared to men; men love bags tooJ. If all we need is a bag, why are we so adamant about the brands? It's just a label sticking outside the bag. Can anyone of you deny the quality of these brands? We can rate 5 stars for the quality but for designs we will rate according to our taste. So why are we looking at the brand of religion when the ultimate aim is to preach well about the Almighty? The only problem are the followers who insist their Almighty is exclusive and all other religions' Almighty is not almighty. The fact is all great masters (gurus, prophets, saints, rasul) attain the same vision of truth; one and eternal, which we call God. This direct vision of timeless truth forms the basis of religion. The true purpose of scriptures, meditations, mantras, prayers are to show man how to find eternal freedom in God. Great masters in every religion, having perceived God (the Supreme Being) directly emphasized again and again in every language that the Supreme Spirit is the essence of everything. Religion is formed from the master's preaching, correct? Then everyone must begin his search for enlightenment from his own point of understanding; an understanding determined by his human characteristics. Briefly, they are devotional, right actions, meditation and full with wisdom.  In religion, there are various "moods"; for some it is deeply meaningful whereas it may mean less to others. Buddhism is simple and filled with pure kindness; Hindu chants instill joy with powerful but intense personal devotion; Christianity is dedication to living in harmony with God's law; Islam believes in heroic total surrender to the will of God. All these religions show one's attachment to mankind but with different practices. The path to God may differ according to the natures of individuals, and only superficial according to their different religious beliefs. When a good Hindu religious man forbids good thoughts in the Muslim religion or a perfect Muslimin cannot accept the good thoughts in the Bible or when a Christian blocks the Al-Quran from his mind, then the understanding they have from what they know is just for intellectual purposes. This means we are still into brands and during our approach to attaining the apex of our understanding into our particular religion, we are actually comparing and convincing others to buy that particular brand since we believe only that brand is the best.  Thus all religious teaching, spirituality, meditation, gurus, prophets, saints, rasul is a vast embroidery comprising the story of a soul's journey to reach his ultimate God. Not to their individual God, your God or my God but the One. The rivers flow its water to the ocean; religion's utmost path is to the One.  Note: Out of the world population, 10% of humanity are able to see the One in every religion because they are living within the supreme energy whereas the remainder are believers in the brand of religion, unable to merge the scriptures of others which also refer to the supreme energy.  I hope the ratio will increase so humans will do more good during their earthly tenure.

Ahmad Zahid and businessman settle civil suit over alleged assault Posted: 18 Jul 2013 01:15 PM PDT (Bernama) - The decision was reached after Amir Bazli Abdullah and Ahmad Zahid had a mediation with Sessions Court judge Rohani Ismail in chambers, without the presence of their respective counsel. A civil suit filed by a businessman against Home Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi for an alleged assault was resolved today with both parties agreeing to withdraw their suit and counter-claim. The decision was reached after Amir Bazli Abdullah and Ahmad Zahid had a mediation with Sessions Court judge Rohani Ismail in chambers, without the presence of their respective counsel. Lawyers Datuk Shamsul Bahrain Ibrahim, representing Ahmad Zahid, and Karpal Singh, for Amir Bazli, told reporters the judge decided that the mediation should be done without their presence. Amir Bazli said he and Ahmad Zahid had agreed to settle the matter out of court and they would negotiate on the terms of settlement later. In the suit filed on July 4, 2007, Amir Bazli, 42, had sought for damages, claiming that on Jan 16, 2006, Ahmad Zahid had punched him on the face at the Country heights Recreational Club in Kajang, causing him to suffer a nasal bone fracture and swollen eye. On Aug 29, 2007, Ahmad Zahid applied to the High Court to strike out the suit on grounds that it was trivial, but it was dismissed by the court on April 21, 2010. Ahmad Zahid then appealed to the Court of Appeal, but was also dismissed on March 15 last year. On Aug 24, 2010, Ahmad Zahid filed a counter-claim against Amir Bazli for damages for considerable distress, also damages for libel over publication of the alleged incident after Amir Bazli had gone to the media In his statement of defence, Ahmad Zahid, then Deputy Information Minister, denied that he ever punched Amir Bazli, claiming that it was Amir Bazli's own concoction.

Race and the Ordinary Malaysian Posted: 18 Jul 2013 12:44 PM PDT   The problem, contrary to what many think isn't in fact the special rights accorded to one class but the denial of rights of another. Here we see a form of institutionalised oppression that has led us to not only mistrust but also dislike other races for reasons hitherto known.  That a matter of blatant stupidity should be clamped down, denied bail and prosecuted with the full force of that a threat to national security is not only uncalled for but deeply troubling. It is even harder to swallow the AG's reasoning of further provocation from the defendant when a simple silence order would have sufficed.  Vivegavalen Vadi Valu Disclaimer: The graphic images below are not the works of the author and neither do they represent the stance of the author. They have been reproduced purely for the purposes of illustration and in the hope that it provides some context as to the true purpose of the article. Is this really what we have become?    Questions needing answers  As the saying goes, a picture speaks a thousand words and the cold hard truth is that if our forefathers were still alive today, they would cringe, devastated that their dreams which have cost many a life and sweat now lay wasted at the feet of the current generation of Malaysians. One could almost be forgiven for not recognizing Malaysia in all her grandeur and beauty for today it is no longer the country many of us may have grown up in. The continued decline of a society once built on the values of tolerance, understanding and respect is worrying to say the least. Today, the ordinary Malaysian looks over their shoulders with contempt, doubt and often emotions bearing hatred towards another race or religion. The question then is what exactly happened? How did we, peace loving citizens of a country formed on the consensus of racial harmony and religious tolerance come to this? To be able to understand our current quandary, we must first address our history. The Malays are traced back to the Indo-Siam lineage and were the earliest explorers and traders to settle in Malaysia. For the sole purpose of economic construct, the Indians and Chinese were brought in respectively to work for and service rubber plantations and mining of tin ore. Sun Tzu's Art of War sheds some light as to the methodology employed by the British whereby cultural integration was avoided and within the community, a chain of command established to divide and rule. A distinct pattern begins to emerge, not to dissimilar to that of fundamental Marxism or rather what Marxism stood against. Several prominent Marxists describe the theory as the appreciation of class conflict within the capitalist mechanist whereby the privatization of surplus product to create a value for profit is controlled by the bourgeoisie and the human capital subservient to them or the proletariat. This creates unrests between the two antagonistic classes thus culminating in a social revolution. While Marxism employs its theory in absolutes, discarding factors such as race as its sole purpose is the destruction of the capitalist market, Malaysia operates a somehow hybrid form where by the initial two classes were further expanded and amalgamated with a person's race. This meant that the situation will present itself when it mattered not of a battle between the rich and poor so long as the rich was part of one community, even if it meant that the rest continued to suffer. This is what we have come to know today as race politics. The British when granting independence in haste sought to assimilate the classes, making it a requirement that the three major races were united in harmony and collectively rule the country. The problem here is that owing to the fact that there was never in fact a cultural overlap as a precursor, no one predicted the underlying interests and needs of varying communities. Furthermore, the fact that there was an established majority and minority group of races, disparity in terms of power and economic benefit would certainly lead to a clash of interest. May 13 1969 anyone? Now, we are all well versed with the apartheid regime in South Africa whereby the ruling party enacted into legislation the supposed 'white supremacy' and curtailed the rights of the blacks. The then Prime Minister of Malaysia, Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohammad was a staunch critic of the regime and Malaysia with ASEAN was one of the biggest players in the push for reform. However, what ensued in our own backyard immediately after the 13th May incident is in fact not too different to the very issue we strongly opposed. The New Economic Policy 1970 was deemed to be the answer to our problems then but little did we know of its repercussions that would not only destroy racial harmony of the country but pave way to a new generation of Malaysians who no longer considered each other as brothers and sisters but rather employing an 'us v them' mentality. Whatever said and done about the causes of the May 13 riots, it is clear that the underlying problem was poverty and socio-economic interest. Thus, the overriding objective of the NEP was supposed to be a move towards national unity coupled with a strategy to accelerate economic growth and to ensure a holistic development of the nation. However, what was supposed to be the answer to our problems evolved into our biggest nightmare. While the NEP has had its fair share of success, its biggest flaw was the rift it created between the three main races owing to its affirmative action, distortion of the economic pie in terms of the private and public sector, education quota and most importantly, what many call today special privileges and unquestionable rights of the 'bumiputera'. The problem, contrary to what many think isn't in fact the special rights accorded to one class but the denial of rights of another. Here we see a form of institutionalised oppression that has led us to not only mistrust but also dislike other races for reasons hitherto known. This should have been evident enough to the politicians then when even within a family, favouritism causes siblings to often be envious among each other, which then naturally leads up to a clash. A recent paper published for the United States Committee on Foreign Affairs depicts a closer look as to how institutionalised racism and religious freedom has affected Malaysia as a whole. The root of the problem is prescribed to be Article 153 of the Federal Constitution, the direction of Malay supremacy. However, the discourse holds that what is in normal context termed racism is in fact the outcome of a failed system and an incompetent bureaucracy. The politics of the country is such that we have inadvertently taken the whole divide and rule concept to a whole new level. Malaysia has successfully managed to create literally a class within a class whereby the Malay elite continue to subjugate the rural workers and the Indian and Chinese upper class who benefit directly from government transactions ignore the plight of their community and serve to fool the very people who trusts them to protect their affairs. This leaves the oppressed, the poor and the minority fighting not only against the system and state but the upper class of their own community in which they are shackled and blinded for being a member of a similar race. Coming back to the present day, we are presented almost on monthly subscription, doses of racial bigotry and religious intolerance. Who can forget the cow-head incident, or the threat to burn bibles and the 'Apa Lagi Cina Mahu' farce? Recently of course is the whole 'Alvivi' fiasco which has caused rage among the muslim community. While I absolutely abhor and denounce their actions, I take issue with the reaction generated and subsequent punishments intended to be meted out. There can be no grey areas for where the Law is concerned and equality of standing in the course of justice has to be ensured if we are to attain consistency. The problem of course isn't the reaction or lack of reaction from the ruling coalition but rather in which selective persecution is often the norm in particular where race is involved. That a matter of blatant stupidity should be clamped down, denied bail and prosecuted with the full force of that a threat to national security is not only uncalled for but deeply troubling. It is even harder to swallow the AG's reasoning of further provocation from the defendant when a simple silence order would have sufficed. Even as we speak, comparisons are made to the rape incident involving a grandfather who was allowed bail despite the severity of the allegations. If we are to transcend this path, what then of Ibrahim Ali and Zulkifli Nordin? In what legal spheres are the slanders committed not an act against national security and racist in nature? How is it that the same act, nay a significantly lesser act committed by A is wrong whereas B is allowed full leeway without the fear of prosecution? Here, we hit the crux of the matter nail on in that Malaysians were never racists or religious zealots in nature. We have been moulded over decades to fear, despise and ultimately discard another solely by their race. The incumbent establishment has for political survival constructed a model of race politics that has enabled them to play us against each other, blinding us to their abuse of power, corruption and matters of actual importance. The facade that they have put up may have you believing in ideologies such as "Ketuanan Melayu" or "1 Malaysia" but the reality is that there is and has always been only them against us, the rich against the poor and the powerful against the powerless. The sad disposition we find ourselves in now is that two children, yes children for their act is as such, now find themselves prosecuted for a stupid act and find none in their defence despite the fact that the State has infringed on their freedom of speech and continued reliance on the Sedition Act or its metamorphosis for fear of being labelled a racist. In context, which Chinese would want another tirade from Utusan Malaysia? There can be no right and wrong so long as the system in place serves only selective justice. This issue will surely continue on and result in further aggravation but we cannot afford ourselves to continue to fall deeper, to be fooled by the play of the political masters above. The racial construct of Malaysia is too deeply entrenched to undergo a radical change in a short span of time and although a Malaysian Malaysia remains the ideal, our best hope lie under the very earth we step on. The values held close by our forefathers, the ability to respect, love and cherish each other for our differences is what made us citizens of this country. There is no harm in trying to avoid drinking or eating in front of our muslim brothers or sisters during Ramadan and neither is there any harm in calling out and protecting our non-muslim family from being abused or threatened with by a select few imbeciles who would rather see us crash than to co-exist together. Should we lose sight of our roots permanently, I fear the future generation will never be able to see the Malaysia we have grown to love and willingly die for. Is there hope? Yes. Are Malaysians naturally racist? No. We are peace loving people who have been brought up together with our friends of varying races. It is within the power of each and every one of us to give in, to understand the grievances of one another and to stand united against the very institution put in place to divide us. We have done it for fifty-six years and I have an unshakeable faith that we will be able to come out of this again, stronger, together. The author would like to take this opportunity to apologise to all Muslims who were offended by the Alvivi incident. It matters not if they were Chinese or Indian, for in my capacity as a foremost Malaysian, on behalf of a fellow Malaysian, hope that you will be able to forgive them. We are and always will be better than this. Ramadan Mubarak.

Unravelling the politics behind Penang Port Posted: 18 Jul 2013 12:32 PM PDT   (fz.com) - From the Penang government's perspective, there is a "sinister conspiracy" in the making, to ostensibly stifle Penang's economy and industrial prowess. The future of the Penang Port was placed under the lens of public scrutiny again when the federal government dismissed any possibility of an open tender in its controversial privatisation.   Acting Transport Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein, during the current meeting of Parliament, put the lid on a suggestion that the tender for the port's privatisation be re-opened.   In his reply to Bagan MP Lim Guan Eng, who is the chief minister of Penang, Hishammuddin insisted that negotiations with the successful company are already being finalised. "Because of that the question of reopening the tender does not arise," he emphatically said.   Lim, on the other hand, has argued that there should be an open tender. The contract for the chosen company has still not been finalised almost two years after the restricted tender was processed.   (The privatisation through equity ownership in Penang Port Sdn Bhd (PPSB) was done by the Public Private Partnership Unit (UKAS) under the Prime Minister's Department.)   Why is the fate of the Penang Port - the oldest operating port in the country - a contentious issue?   For one thing, the port's privatisation has been decided unilaterally by the federal cabinet without any consultation with the state authorities.    The company reportedly chosen for the tender is Seaport Terminal (Johor) Sdn Bhd, which operates Port of Tanjung Pelepas (PTP) in Johor.    Seaport Terminal is owned by tycoon Tan Sri Syed Mokhtar al-Bukhary.   State's suspicions of "sinister conspiracy"   Now there is a frustration among the state leadership that it is unable to intervene in the future of the port, located on its own land but controlled by the federal government Read more at: http://www.fz.com/content/unravelling-politics-behind-penang-port#ixzz2ZSVdyNlk

Malaysia's Masteel: Government-Linked Company? Posted: 18 Jul 2013 12:26 PM PDT   "The question that needs to be asked to the Prime Minister's Department is, if the government has to fund 70 percent of the project, why bother privatizing it in the first place to a 37-year concession?"   John Berthelsen, Asia Sentinel  UMNO-linked steelmaker looks like winning contract to build RM100 billion commuter rail project A "private sector initiative" criticized by opposition figures in Parliament earlier this week to build a RM1 billion commuter train project linking the Malaysian state of Johor to Singapore is starting to take on the trappings that sank a controversial national cattle feeding scheme in 2012, which earned it the nickname "Cowgate" because of the magnitude of the scandal. The circumstances of the contracts are about the same. In the feedlot episode, the Malaysian government granted a RM250 million soft loan to individuals closely connected to the United Malays National Organization that had no experience remotely related to the operation of a company feed and slaughter 60,000 imported cattle each year.  In the Johor case, a joint venture called Metropolitan Commuter Network, a 60:40 joint venture between Malaysia Steel Works or Masteel and KUB Malaysia Bhd, has won the commuter project, 70 percent of which is to be financed through a government soft loan. As with the National Feedlot operation, both sides of the Metropolitan Commuter Network are linked to UMNO and are in the process of finalizing the contract to build and operate the 100km inter-city rail service in Johor.  Like the National Feedlot Corporation, which established the cattle feeding operation without any prior experience in dealing with cattle but plenty of experience in dealing with UMNO -- since the concern was headed by Shahrizat Abdul Jalil, the government minister for women, family and community development – Masteel acknowledges that it has never built anything remotely resembling a 100-km light rail commuter operation. In fact, it has mainly been involved in steel manufacturing.  Read more at: http://www.asiasentinel.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=5575&Itemid=229

Surat Jusuf Kalla kepada Berita Harian Posted: 18 Jul 2013 12:14 PM PDT    Surat ini menyanggah berita yang diterbitkan akhbar tersebut pada 28 Jun 2013 bertajuk "Anwar dapat dana asing lancar Blackout 505". Beliau tidak pernah diwawancara mengenai isu tersebut. [MTadmin - click the picture to view large]   Kepada Yth, Ketua Pengarang Berita Harian Balai Berita, 31 Riong 59100, Kuala Lumpur Malaysia Dengan hormat, Saya baru membaca Berita Harian tanggal 28 Juni 2013, artikel yang menyebutkan ada wawancara khas saya dengan Sdr. Al-Azharri Siddiq perihal "Anwar dapat dana asing lancar Blackout 505". Saya ingin jelaskan bahwa tidak pernah ada wawancara khas antara Sdr. Azharri Siddiq dengan saya, karena Sdr. Azharri datang untuk membawa surat permintaan ketemu dengan 8 Jurnalis Malaysia yang saya tolak. Pertemuan tersebut (1 Juni 2013) hanya silaturahim singkat karena diatur oleh seorang anggota Parlemen Indonesia. Apa yang ditulis sebagai interview di Berita Harian tidak realistis. Karena itu Sdr. Azharri sudah meminta maaf kepada saya beberapa kali. Terima kasih.   Jakarta, 18 Juli 2013 Hormat saya, M. Jusuf Kalla Tembusan : Sdr. Anwar Ibrahim

There is no 1Malaysia, only Malaysia for 1Race and 1Religion Posted: 18 Jul 2013 12:07 PM PDT What Datuk Rahman Dahlan has done is to defend the indefensible attempt by the right-wing Perkasa leader, Ibrahim Ali in his attempt to incite Malays and Muslims in the country to burn the holy books of Christians.  Tony Pua  For those who are familiar with the antics of Datuk Abdul Rahman Dahlan, Member of Parliament for Kota Belud and new Housing and Local Government Minister, he will be the first in the House to stand up and concoct a reason to defend "why the chicken cross the road?"   However his latest response as to why Perkasa chief Ibrahim Ali's urging to burn bibles containing the word 'Allah' cannot be compared with the present case against the sex bloggers Alvin Tan and Vivian Lee for insulting Muslims certainly takes the cake.   Datuk Rahman Dahlan argued that Ibrahim's remark was merely to "correct the error of printing the said bibles", and hence "burning them was the proper thing to do" just as Muslims burn copies of the Quran that have misprints.   [MTadmin - Is he allowing non-Muslims to burn copies of the Quran if he finds inaccuracies in them?]   He further added that "what Ibrahim Ali said was normal", but has been "twisted".   No right-thinking Malaysian would believe the explanation that Ibrahim's fiery and emotional remark was just an innocent and virtuous attempt to "correct the error of printing" in the bibles. And even in the unlikely earth-shattering event that it was, that is no defence against the current Sedition Act.    For example in the landmark case of Public Prosecutor v Mark Koding, Justice Azmi Kamaruddin in the course of his judgment said: "... It is immaterial whether the accused intention or motive was honourable or evil when making the speech" when finding the latter guilty of sedition. All the judge has to do is to see whether the words are likely to create disaffection against the government, the ruler or the people.   What Datuk Rahman Dahlan has done is to defend the indefensible attempt by the right-wing Perkasa leader, Ibrahim Ali in his attempt to incite Malays and Muslims in the country to burn the holy books of Christians.   However, in the case of the bloggers Alvin Tan and Vivian Lee, better known as "Alvivi", who probably thought it was "funny" to ridicule fasting Muslims, "justice" was meted out before those charged has an opportunity to defend themselves.   Make no mistake, those found guilty must be punished accordingly and the acts of insulting another's religion is not acceptable. However, in the case of Alvivi, they have been denied bail on the basis that "both accused had a tendency to upload pictures that could arouse public outrage", making them guilty before their defence is called.   The clear-cut double-standards in Malaysian prosecution system proves the hypocrisy of "1Malaysia", a slogan preached by the Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak himself. It also makes a mockery of our Federal Constitution which provides that all Malaysians are equal before the law. The fact that Ibrahim Ali who the open and defiant call for bibles to be burnt was not only left uncharged, but also now defended by the UMNO Minister, while summary punishment was meted out to the blogging duo who carried out the tasteless prank confirms that the Federal Government practices not "1Malaysia" but Malaysia for 1Race and 1Religion.

Is your search engine halal? Posted: 18 Jul 2013 11:58 AM PDT   (Al Jazeera) - 'Halalgoogling' site says it filters search results according to Islamic law. Existing search engines aren't catered to the needs and concerns of Muslims, according to "Halalgoogling", a new site that seeks to provide a more Muslim-friendly alternative. Halalgoogling functions much like Google or Bing, but with a built-in "advanced special filtering system" that blocks content deemed "haram", or forbidden in Islam. There are several other "halal" search alternatives on the web, though none have achieved widespread popularity. Halalgoogling aims to succeed where others have failed by offering a variety of specialty search options, such as sports, news, and shopping. Read more at: http://stream.aljazeera.com/story/201307182115-0022918

One can’t insult Islam, it’s simply not possible Posted: 18 Jul 2013 10:56 AM PDT Elsewhere, this would probably have been shrugged of, and the whole thing would have died down. Not in Malaysia, where every Ramadan in the past three years or so have seen Muslims waging personal crusade against even the littlest things that tick them off. All over the excuse of "insulting Islam." Zurairi AR, The Malay Mail  If ever there is a way to insult Islam, it would surely be scamming the gullible with inferior goods by proclaiming its supposed Islamic quality. It seems the gullible are even more gullible during the blessed month of Ramadan. Perhaps you have heard about the al-Khodafi "therapy water" being hawked by a man calling himself Ir. Fazli Azmi. Try Googling it, and you will find how people have mocked its over-the-top claims of magic. Al-Khodafi is not mere mineral water. It has been treated using an obscure technology called "nano hydronium", which sounds so scientific it must be true. As if that is not enough, the water is also enriched with a fungi called "kulat susu harimau", incense from the Islamic city of Mecca, zam-zam water, and water taken from rain that occurred on the 10th day in the Muharram month of the Islamic calendar. I read that kulau susu harimau is being used by traditional medicine practitioners, who believe it has powers to cure cancer. Meanwhile, Muharram 10 is supposed to be sacred day, celebrated by Sunnis as the day when Moses rescued the Israelites from the Pharaohs, while it is celebrated by Shiites as day of mourning for the martyrdom of one of their saints, Hussein the grandson of Muhammad — which is also known as the Day of Ashura. In addition to all that, some Muslims also believe that the world will end on that date. What better way to celebrate it than to ... drink rainwater from that day? It was also advertised, rather unashamedly, as containing "cendawan ajaib". If magic mushrooms were involved, that would probably explain the inventor's state of mind. I guess the people selling mineral water labelled as water from the supposedly sacred well of zam-zam in Mecca have just got their arses handed to them. The ultimate ingredient in the al-Khodafi, at least for me, is from a termite nest. Not just any termites, but termites which have eaten the Quran. Not the whole Quran — which has 30 parts called juz' — but only 22 of them. Did the termites choose which parts to eat? Were they fed the 22 parts? How were the parts chosen? Did the al-Khodafi people know that termite nests also contain termite's spit and s**t? These are the mysteries that perhaps only Ir. Fazli Azmi can answer. Of course these scams do not stop there. Just days after, keen observers revealed another scam selling water that has allegedly been dipped with Prophet Muhammad's hair. The seller even conveniently left a disclaimer: "If you don't love the Prophet, if you don't feel amazed by the power of the Prophet's hair, do not even bother to leave nonsensical comment." My point is, these are not a mere coincidence. Every minute there is a sucker duped into giving money to these charlatans who have half of their work done for them by invoking Islam. That is insulting. Read more at: http://www.themalaymailonline.com/opinion/zurairi-ar/article/you-cannot-insult-islam-it-is-simply-not-possible

NGOs lodge report against Attorney-General Posted: 18 Jul 2013 10:55 AM PDT Gobi Krishnan (right) with (from left) Tamilar Action Force member S. Murali, Malaysian Indians Progressive Association secretary-general S. Barathidasan and Malaysian Indians Progressive Association President Viveka Sri Raja Retinam after they lodged the police report at the Jalan Travers police station.  (The Star) - People's Welfare and Rights Coalition (Power) president S. Gobi Krishnan said that while sex bloggers Alvin Tan and Vivian Lee were charged for their buka puasa Facebook posting, no action had been taken against Perkasa president Datuk Ibrahim Ali and Perkasa vice-president Datuk Zulkifli Nordin. Five NGOs have lodged a police report against Attorney-General Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail accusing the A-G's Chambers of abuse of power. People's Welfare and Rights Coalition (Power) president S. Gobi Krishnan said that while sex bloggers Alvin Tan and Vivian Lee were charged for their buka puasa Facebook posting, no action had been taken against Perkasa president Datuk Ibrahim Ali and Perkasa vice-president Datuk Zulkifli Nordin. He claimed that more than 100 NGOs had lodged police reports against Ibrahim, Zulkifli and lecturer Ridhuan Tee Abdullah for their articles and statements which were said to be "insensitive" towards the Hindu and Christian communities. "This is clearly a form of power abuse by the AG. He is practising selective prosecution," he told reporters at the Travers police station here yesterday. The other NGOs whose representatives were present were the Malaysian Indians Progressive Association (Mipas), Angkatan Warga AMAN Malaysia (WargaAMAN), Tamilar Action Force and Jingga 13.

A-G: Alvivi tends to incite the public Posted: 18 Jul 2013 10:52 AM PDT   (The Star) - Attorney-General Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail says the decision to pursue a case against sex bloggers Alvin Tan and Vivian Lee without offering bail is due to the couple's tendency to incite the public. The two were hit with a triple whammy of charges – under the Sedition Act, the Penal Code and the Film Censorship Act – in the Kuala Lumpur Sessions Court. "Considering that they have a tendency to upload content that can incite public anger, the Attorney-General's chambers is requesting that they not be granted bail leading up to their trial," Abdul Gani Patail said in a statement. He said the case was based on investigations into the couple posting a picture of themselves eating a bowl of bak kut teh (a pork dish) with a halal logo and a message wishing MuslimsSelamat Berbuka Puasa on their now shut down Facebook page. Abdul Gani said the decision to charge the couple – jointly nicknamed Alvivi – was made following an incident where a man was beaten up by unknown assailants which is believed to be a consequence of the pair's actions. They were charged under subsection 5(1) of the Film Censorship Act 2002 (Act 620), Section 4(1)(c) of the Sedition Act 1948 (Act 15) and an alternative charge under Section 298A(1)(a) of the Penal Code. The AG's Chambers is requesting all parties to cease making statements or speculation on the case to avoid a "trial by media".

MIC past, present presidents engage in war over Vell Paari’s sacking Posted: 18 Jul 2013 10:49 AM PDT   (MM) - A full-blown battle has emerged between the past and present presidents of the MIC following the sacking of party strategist S. Vell Paari from the powerful central working committee (CWC). Party leaders say the drastic action by Datuk Seri G. Palanivel against the son of Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu, the former chief, will result in more casualties. With the party polls nearing, insiders also see Palanivel's move as the return of the contentious caste politics. Caste politics had in the past broken up the MIC into factions, causing irreparable damage. Party leaders are bracing for: ● More people to be sacked or suspended; ● Branches to be de-registered; ● New branches to be set up; ● Appointments of low-profile members to important positions. Last week, Palanivel took over the helm of Kedah MIC after removing Samy Vellu loyalist S. Ananthan. The leaders said Palanivel's removal of Vell Paari and Puteri chief Usha Nandini from the CWC smacks of caste politics. The two were replaced by former vice-president Datuk S. Sothinathan and S. Sunthar, the son of former deputy president Tan Sri S. Subramaniam, respectively. Said a leader, who requested anonymity: "Interestingly, both the new CWC members are from the Gounder caste. "It is no secret that Samy was always at loggerheads with Subramaniam and by extension with the Gounder community." He said the Gounder community made up a sizeable number of MIC members and "Palanivel's is consolidating their support for him in the party elections." Palanivel, he said, has angered members of Samy Vellu's caste, the Devar. He said several senior party leaders are from the Devar caste but it looks like Palanivel has decided that the combined vote from the Gounder and his own Muthaliyar caste will be enough to offset the lost votes from the Devar group.

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