Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News
Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News |
- Bellicose Islamic leaders might destroy Malaysia, warns Zaid
- What the Chinese want and why we wouldn’t ‘balik’ China
- A time when Utusan Malaysia didn’t get away with everything…
- Singapore’s Kuan Yew says Malaysia bleeding talent due to race policy
- Lab on serious crime after Raya, says minister
- DAP's Phee has most assets, while PAS man owns only car and motorcycle
- Pak Lah in ‘Awakening’ anger at Dr M
- The greatest crime of all: free thought
- In new book, ‘sleeping’ Pak Lah says Dr M knew of condition
- Syiah practices allowed under Pak Lah
- Election Court rules by-election in Klias
- Trapped in a vicious cycle
- On lemang, keramat and opiates
- Dua ditahan di Perak kerana bermazhab Syiah
- Can Muslims Think?
- A Guide to the Trans Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA) – Why BANTAH?
| Bellicose Islamic leaders might destroy Malaysia, warns Zaid Posted: 06 Aug 2013 12:05 PM PDT
(The Malay Mail) - Hardline Islamic leaders seeking to punish Shia Muslims might "destroy the country", former minister Datuk Zaid Ibrahim said yesterday as state religious authorities move to enforce laws that forbid the teachings of denominations other than the mainstream Sunni. In a series of scathing posts on Twitter, Zaid lashed out at the Malaysian Islamic Development Department (JAKIM) for its crackdown of followers of the Shia school of jurisprudence that the former de facto law minister compared to the intra-faith conflict raging among the Arab nations. "Are the Syiah Muslim? Obviously they are otherwise Jakim would not be interested in them," he said in a posting on his Twitter handle @zaidibrahim. "So if you are Muslim but not of the variety accepted by Jakim you get punished... If this is not stupidity what is?" he added.
The National Fatwa Council had issued an edict on May 5, 1996 banning the belief on the grounds that it would split Muslims in the country. But the issue resurfaced in public discourse recently after Kedah Mentri Besar Datuk Mukhriz Mahathir pushed for an anti-Shia fatwa to be gazetted in the state to curb the spread of the Shia belief in the country. The Home Ministry's secretary-general Datuk Seri Abdul Rahim Mohamad Radzi was reported by Malay daily Utusan Malaysia as saying today that 10 states had gazetted anti-Shia laws that went against the Sunnah Wal Jamaah jurisprudence. According to Abdul Rahim, Pahang, Kelantan, Sabah dan Sarawak were in the process gazetting the anti-Shia legislation. The senior officer also said there were some 250,000 Shia followers in the country and added that the home ministry was keeping a close eye on them for possible militant activity. In his latest Twitter tirade, the founder of Malaysia's largest law firm, Zaid Ibrahim & Co ― which he has since sold off ― continued to hit out at the country's leading Islamic authority for trying to drive a wedge among Muslims. "Just because the Arabs partake in Syiah-Sunni warfare doesnt mean we have to follow. Do we want those killings in this great country?" he asked. Read more at: http://www.themalaymailonline.com/malaysia/article/bellicose-islamic-leaders-might-destroy-malaysia-warns-zaid |
| What the Chinese want and why we wouldn’t ‘balik’ China Posted: 06 Aug 2013 11:44 AM PDT
In Malaysia, even if we don't get whatever rights we are supposed to get as a Malaysian citizen, we can still behave like how Chinese do in other countries where we are not citizens… just do our work or run our businesses quietly and carry out our traditions and beliefs and be ok with it. But some people just can't leave us alone even to do that. Carol Ng, letter to FMT What do the Chinese want? It's pretty amazing after 55 years in the same country that our leaders still have no clue to the answer to this question. And even more amazing is the demand for Chinese to go back to China, and in the meantime, Indians go back to India too. I'm not sure what makes them think China or India would take us 'back' in the first place. Both countries are so populated, the governments there would not only deport us, they might ask us to take some of their own citizens back with us while we're at it. This is my attempt to answer this apparently very elusive question. I apologise if my views don't represent those of all Malaysian Chinese, but I believe that for most of us, going 'back' to China, even if we legally could, is nowhere on the list. I'm also about to highlight some negative perceptions about the Chinese, which I'm not afraid to point out being a Chinese well, as I believe it's important to be able to acknowledge when your own people are doing something wrong and not be afraid to criticise it…. Something that quite a few people in this country seem to be unable to do and would rather ignore the wrong others are doing just because they are of the same race or religion. China may be making a name for itself as a technological powerhouse, but the country is run by a dictatorship. There is no freedom of speech, and there are heavy restrictions on use of the internet, the press, freedom of religion, and freedom of assembly. There is a huge disparity between rich and poor in China, social injustices are high and people have become so indifferent to each other that people can walk pass an injured and dying toddler on the road and not be bothered to help. Basically, everything we don't like about Malaysia, is a lot worse in China. For my Indian friends, it's pretty much a similar case in India. If we did leave the country, why go to a country where life would be more difficult? If we migrated anywhere, we'd rather go to Singapore, America, Australia, United Kingdom, which may not be perfect, but there is more equal opportunity, more freedom, higher pay and a good chance at a better livelihood. But for a lot of us, we'd rather stay in Malaysia, simply because most of our happy memories, friends and family are here. Plus the food here is just too good. So if we don't like China and we'd rather not run off to some developed country, why do we Chinese complain so much about Malaysia if it's not that bad? I believe it can be summarised as follows:
Every Chinese New Year, the typical Chinese parent will go round getting updates from family members asking what their kids are doing, then tell what their kids are doing, then compare which kid is doing better in life. It's annoying for the children, but it encourages competitiveness. Same goes for Malaysia. We know it is a good country. But when we see other countries that are economically stronger and richer, we know it could be a better country. Malaysia is rich in natural resources, which when managed well, would help Malaysia develop quickly. Yet when we visit our tiny neighbour down south, we have to pay double the price for the same thing. Singapore's GDP ranks among the top 5 in the world, but Malaysia is all the way below, at 55th. How can this be? We are losing face to our tiny neighbour! So we complain because we want to be better than them. The Chinese like taking pride in telling people whatever we earned was through our own hard work. But if a Chinese is not working and just receiving money from elsewhere, we may think they are lucky, but not someone very respectable as they are not contributing to society. This is partly why the Chinese do not favour monetary handouts like BR1M. There is no pride in receiving money for doing no work. This is why we hate corruption so much as corrupted people are essentially getting money for nothing. It's especially annoying when we know that money was earned through our own hard work to begin with. The Chinese win hands down In fact, China's Chinese hate it so much that corrupted officials get the death sentence. The other reason is because monetary handouts are not a sustainable form of income as the money is used up quickly and there is no guarantee it will be continuous, so what's happens when such handouts stop? It is not a long term benefit for us and for our future generations. And for Chinese, ensuring a secure future for our children is very important. So much that some poor parents work all their life and stay frugal just to ensure their children get a good education and are successful in future. So what would be better is to provide scholarships to our intelligent children. You would never see the Chinese demand scholarships for poorly performing Chinese students to get scholarships, far as we are concerned, if you cannot study, you don't deserve a scholarship. We only complain when a student has performed very well in his or her studies, but is still unable to get a scholarship in Malaysia just because they are not of a certain race. Security for future generations also includes ensuring costs of living remains low. Which is why we always complain that costs of living, housing, transportation and practically everything is skyrocketing but our salaries are not. This is not a sustainable future for our children. Not for any Malaysian children, for that matter. The Chinese also really like money. We like it so much that in some Western countries, while the local shops all shut at 5 or 6pm or locals are going on strike to demand improved labour rights, who are the ones still having shops open until late at night? Those crazy Chinese. Similarly in Malaysia, even if we don't get whatever rights we are supposed to get as a Malaysian citizen, we can still behave like how Chinese do in other countries where we are not citizens… just do our work or run our businesses quietly and carry out our traditions and beliefs and be ok with it. But some people just can't leave us alone even to do that. They want to burn our bibles, which we use to minister to our fellow Christians. And even for our Indian friends who also want to do their own thing quietly, they're also not left alone by some jokers who had the gall to put the head of their most sacred animal in front of a Hindu temple. Why? Because we are perceived as a major threat to their race. The Chinese make up 23% of the Malaysian population and Indians even less at 7%. How logical is it that we would be a threat to a race that makes up well over half the country's population? While some extremists are busy lodging reports and protesting about anything and everything that they perceive to be a threat to their race or religion, we just continue doing our work. Even when the blogger Papagomo made an incredibly scary suggestion to "rise, riot and kill all Chinese bastards in Malaysia, and slaughter them like slaughtering pigs.", the most Chinese do is complain online or among each other, and then back to doing our own thing. We are so busy with our lives that the primary complainant, Jamilah Baharuddin, who lodged a report against the bigot Papagomo was ironically not even a Chinese! And instead of being appreciated, or at least left alone to focus on our work (which by the way, is how we improve the country's economy), our beliefs are hijacked to demonstrate some misguided form of racial superiority, and we are told to go back to China. Which seems to show that some people are just way too free to do these kinds of things instead of doing actual work and contributing something to the development of our country. The reality is Chinese make up the largest ethnic population in the world population, 20% to be exact. Together with Indians, who are also one of the largest, we could collectively take over the world if we want to. If anybody has rights to racial superiority, based on sheer numbers, the Chinese win hands down. But we don't try to overthrow governments. We don't proclaim supremacy over other races. We are perfectly ok spreading out all over the world and making ourselves minorities in other countries as long as there is freedom to practice our ways and good opportunity for economic success. A lot of Malaysians have already left the country to find greener pastures elsewhere as they see better opportunity in other countries than here, which I personally find sad. As easy as it would be for me to leave too, I'd rather stay and continue to hope for Malaysia to truly become the racially harmonious and progressive country it proclaims itself to be instead of a divided people that have fallen to the tricks and lies of certain unscrupulous politicians. Wishing my Malay friends a Selamat Hari Raya and hope that this helps create a better understanding and respect between all races and religions. |
| A time when Utusan Malaysia didn’t get away with everything… Posted: 06 Aug 2013 11:42 AM PDT Abdullah Badawi implies such Utusan Malaysia headlines as these would not have been tolerated by him. (The Malaysian Insider) - In a book about his years in power, former prime minister Tun Abdullah Badawi makes a startling revelation about how he dealt with Utusan Malaysia, in stark contrast to how the strident newspaper is managed by its Umno backers now. Abdullah was known for liberalising news media in an attempt to restore their credibility after the severe damage that mainstream media took under the Mahathir years, but Abdullah still kept a firm line on racial and religious issues. Referring to his appointees, he said, "I did not interfere with their work as I believed that they had a professional job to do and I allowed them the space to do it. But when they abused the openness by playing up racial and religious issues, like when Utusan Malaysia did, then I would call them and warn them." He revealed that he made a phone call to the editor-in-chief of Utusan Malaysia and left him with a stark warning: the newspaper had crossed the boundary with an editorial that smacked of racism and he should expect no favours from Putrajaya if charged with sedition. As it turned out, the police did not come a-calling and the editor escaped any sanction. But Abdullah said that phone call put the fear of God into the newspaperman and, after that, there were no more offensive articles from the Umno-owned paper. Such control apparently no longer exists over the newspaper that has since lost a bunch of defamation cases to opposition members and has even been ticked off in the courtroom for not following journalistic standards. In reply to a question from the editors of the book on how much control Umno has over Utusan Malaysia now, the former leader replied, "Now, I don't think there's any control anymore." Read more at: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/a-time-when-utusan-malaysia-didnt-get-away-with-everything-.- |
| Singapore’s Kuan Yew says Malaysia bleeding talent due to race policy Posted: 06 Aug 2013 11:39 AM PDT
(The Malaysian Insider) - "They are prepared to lose that talent in order to maintain the dominance of one race" Malaysia's acute brain drain problem is due to its government's insistence on promoting "one race" above all others, former Singapore Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew wrote in his latest book. Malaysia experiences a severe talent flight issue with an estimated 5 per cent of skilled locals exiting the country on an annual basis, with the main beneficiary being Singapore. A World Bank report from 2011 concluded that 20 per cent of Malaysian graduates opt to quit the country, again with Singapore cited as the preferred destinations. Worryingly for Malaysia, the report concluded that these migrants were being replaced by unskilled and uneducated foreigners. "They are prepared to lose that talent in order to maintain the dominance of one race," read an excerpt of Lee's book, "One Man's View of the World". "This is putting the country at a disadvantage. It is voluntarily shrinking the talent pool needed to build the kind of society that makes use of talent from all races," Lee continued in parts of the book reproduced by news portal The Malaysian Insider. In a report last month, British newspaper The Guardian cited analysts as saying the cloud of the New Economic Policy (NEP) race-based affirmative action may stifle investment and hamper Malaysia's quest for developed nation status come 2020 and drag the bottom 40 per cent of its population into high-income status. Born from the communal dissatisfaction that climaxed during the May 13, 1969 race riots, the NEP was designed ostensibly to lift the poorer sections of the Bumiputera Malay group in a bid to help it catch up to the economic progress of other communities. Although technically defunct since 1990, the application of the NEP remains very much alive albeit unofficially. Read more at: http://www.themalaymailonline.com/malaysia/article/singapores-kuan-yew-says-malaysia-bleeding-talent-due-to-race-policy |
| Lab on serious crime after Raya, says minister Posted: 06 Aug 2013 11:33 AM PDT Datuk Seri Idris Jala - Rise in crime = Perception (Bernama) - A Special Laboratory aimed to explore ways to tackle serious crime in the country would be held after Hari Raya Aidilfitri said Minister in the Prime Minister's Department, Nancy Shukri. Nancy Shukri said the Special Laboratory would look into the issue from the legal perspectives, especially on the formulation of a stringent act to ensure the personal safety of Malaysians. "A lab is going to be established after the Hari Raya celebration, (and it) will be headed by Datuk Seri Idris Jala (Minister in the Prime Minister's Department), and the rest of the ministers going in there will be me, Home Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and Senator Datuk Paul Low Seng Kuan (Minister in the Prime Minister's Department). "I will also be a member of the lab that would discuss matters related to the duties of the respective agencies under our ministries," she told Bernama, here today, when clarifying a local daily report that said the Special Laboratory would look at laws to replace the Emergency Ordinance. |
| DAP's Phee has most assets, while PAS man owns only car and motorcycle Posted: 06 Aug 2013 11:30 AM PDT
(The Star) - DAP Sungai Puyu assemblyman Phee Boon Poh probably has the most in terms of assets among Penang's Pakatan Rakyat's assemblymen, with eight properties including joint properties, some of which are in Hamilton, New Zealand. According to his asset declaration, Phee, who is a state exco member, jointly owns houses (inherited) and land in Hamilton, an apartment in Pantai Molek, Butterworth, a house in Taman Dalia, a shophouse in Bandar Mutiara (inherited), land in Teluk Air Tawar, a penthouse in Bagan Ajam and bungalow land in Batu Kawan. Phee also owns shares in 24 companies and unit trust shares in six companies. Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng, meanwhile, has two shophouses in Malacca, the same as he did when he first took office in 2008. He also has RM308,368 in fixed deposit and shares/unit trusts in eight companies. One shophouse is a joint property bought for RM435,000, and while another was bought for RM530,000. Lim settled the RM300,000 loan for the first shophouse and a RM350,000 loan for the second one last year. He does not own any vehicle. Another state exco member, Lim Hock Seng, also from DAP, owns a house in Seberang Jaya, a flat in Mutiara Perdana, a flat in Vista Perdana, a shophouse in Jalan Raja Uda and a factory in Permatang Pauh (both joint properties) and two pieces of land in Teluk Air Tawar. State PAS commissioner and Permatang Pasir assemblyman Datuk Salleh Man does not own any property or shares. He owns a motorcycle and a Toyota Corolla Altis, which he bought for RM5,000 and RM118,000 respectively. Datuk Abdul Malik Abul Kassim of PKR does not own any property or shares. Abdul Malik, who is also a state exco member and second-term Batu Maung assemblyman, is listed as owning a Proton Tiara, a Honda CRV and a Ford Ranger, which he bought for RM36,000, RM143,000 and RM32,000 respectively. PKR's first-term Machang Bubuk assemblyman Lee Khai Loon does not own any property but has 10,254 units of Amanah Saham Wawasan 2020 shares and a fixed deposit of RM41,990. Sungai Pinang assemblyman Lim Siew Khim of DAP only owns a flat and a Proton Wira which she bought for RM50,00 and RM43,000 respectively. She took loans of RM45,000 and RM23,000 to buy the flat and car respectively. Sungai Bakap assemblyman Maktar Shapee of PKR owns an inherited land in Seberang Prai Selatan and a Proton Persona which he bought for RM60,000. He does not own any property, shares or unit trust shares. |
| Pak Lah in ‘Awakening’ anger at Dr M Posted: 05 Aug 2013 10:53 PM PDT
(MM) - After years of "elegant silence", Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi is now firing back at his number one critic and former boss Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, accusing his predecessor of leading the "unwarranted attacks" that led to his eventual ouster. Although handpicked by Dr Mahathir to be his successor, Abdullah later came under relentless attack from the nation's longest-serving prime minister and ultimately was forced to relinquish his presidency of Umno and position as prime minister to Datuk Seri Najib Razak in April 2009, after leading Barisan Nasional (BN) to its then-worst electoral showing in Election 2008.
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| The greatest crime of all: free thought Posted: 05 Aug 2013 09:32 PM PDT I have a whole collection of Che Guevara T-shirts. I also have a whole collection of berets -- mainly because Che used to wear one as well -- and I am sure you have seen pictures of me wearing a beret. I have the double-DVD movie of Che and have watched it so many times. NO HOLDS BARRED Raja Petra Kamarudin
(TMI) - He has made the news over and over again for about the same reasons – he raps about people and things one doesn't normally expect to turn up in a rap song. And this has incurred the wrath of the authorities from time to time. For a rapper who is no stranger to controversy, the last thing one expects Namewee to say is he is tired. "I am just very tired. I have put in so much effort, wasted so much of my time and youth to promote unity through movies, yet they are doing this," he told The Malaysian Insider, referring to attacks from Umno-backed newspapers and rights groups. He has made the news over and over again for about the same reasons – he raps about people and things one doesn't normally expect to turn up in a rap song. And this has incurred the wrath of the authorities from time to time. But this time, it is different. This time, Namewee is in the sights because he has come out in support of a movie that was slammed by the weekend newspaper Mingguan Malaysia for glorifying communism. Yesterday, Malay rights group Perkasa even demanded that his citizenship be revoked. ********************************************* Now they want Wee Meng Chee a.k.a Namewee's citizenship to be withdrawn because he is alleged to be 'glorifying' communism. This means glorifying something is now considered a crime in Malaysia. What does glorify mean anyway? Glorify means to exalt, honour, acclaim, extol, eulogise, commend, celebrate, laud, sing praises of, etc. And, that, some Malaysians would like to add to the list of crimes against the nation. If we classify glorifying as a crime, that would mean we are declaring freedom of thought as a crime as well because glorifying is something embedded in your mind. You imagine or perceive something as worthy of exalting, honouring, acclaiming, extolling, eulogising, commending, celebrating, lauding, singing the praises of, and so on. I have a whole collection of Che Guevara T-shirts. I also have a whole collection of berets -- mainly because Che used to wear one as well -- and I am sure you have seen pictures of me wearing a beret. I have the double-DVD movie of Che and have watched it so many times. In that sense you can say that I exalt, honour, acclaim, extol, eulogise, commend, celebrate, laud, sing praises of, etc. -- meaning I glorify Che. Now, Che is a Communist. Do these people who want Namewee's citizenship to be withdrawn also want my citizenship withdrawn since both Namewee and I glorify Communism? I perceive Che -- a physician born in Argentina -- as being a fighter. He fought against corruption and injustice, which is a noble thing. The only thing is he was a Marxist. But then, at that time, in that part of the world, Marxism was chic or fashionable. Most young people, students, revolutionaries, etc., subscribed to Marxism, even those in the west. No doubt some people grew out of this fad later in life. But many held to the ideals of Marxism in their younger days. This is what we call freedom of thought. You are free to think what you like. You can even believe that there is a God somewhere up there if you would like to believe that -- or you can believe that there is no such thing as God if you so wish as well. No one has the right to tell you that you should not believe in God since you can offer no proof of the existence of God -- or tell you that you must believe in God since you cannot prove that God does not exist. Believe what you want to believe. That is your freedom of thought. Hence, if you also believe in Che, like me, or even in Communism, that is your freedom of thought. No one has the right to tell you what you can and cannot believe. Okay, some may argue that the Communist Party has been banned in Malaysia. That is well and fine. Since that is the law then we shall respect the law. But we are not talking about forming or registering a Communist Party. If we do then that would be a crime. We just believe in Communism. That is not a crime. Let me put it another way. Islam has never outlawed slavery. So, say, as a Muslim, I tell you that I believe in slavery. Is that a crime? If it is then Islam should be banned. I said I believe in slavery. I did not say I keep slaves in my home. That would be a crime. I also did not raid any neighbouring land and capture slaves to sell, or buy slaves from the slave-market, which would also be a crime. Hence where is my crime? Is it a crime to believe in something without doing anything about what you believe in? I also believe in gay rights. I do not have a gay partner or indulge in sex with another man, which would be a crime in Malaysia. So where is my crime when I only believe in gay rights? Believing is not a crime, even if you glorify what or whosoever you may believe in. That is called freedom of thought. So stop asking for the citizenship of those who practice freedom of thought to be withdrawn. That is silly.
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| In new book, ‘sleeping’ Pak Lah says Dr M knew of condition Posted: 05 Aug 2013 08:21 PM PDT
(MM) - In a soon-to-be-released book entitled "Awakening", former prime minister Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi reveals that predecessor Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad knew of his sleep apnoea problem but still went on to accuse him of sleeping on the job. "I did tell Mahathir of my condition so for him to say I doze off because I am not interested in the job is most unkind," read an excerpt of the book reproduced by new portal Malaysiakini today.
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| Syiah practices allowed under Pak Lah Posted: 05 Aug 2013 04:31 PM PDT
Malaysia is a signatory of the Amman Messages, which gives recognition to Sunni, Syiah, Ibadi and Thahiri schools of jurisprudence. K Pragalath, FMT Former prime minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi allowed the Syiah minority to practice their religion in Malaysia by signing an agreement called the Amman Messages in November 2004 in Jordan. He was one of 552 signatories representing 84 countries. Other Malaysian leaders who endorsed the Amman Messages were opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim, former minister in the prime minister's department Abdul Hamid Othman and current ministers Shahidan Kassim and Khairy Jamaluddin. The first point in the Amman Messages gives recognition to schools of jurisprudence within the Sunni, Syiah, Ibadi and Thahiri sects. "Whosoever is an adherent to one of the four Sunni schools of Islamic jurisprudence (Hanafi, Maliki, Shafi'i and Hanbali ), the two Shi'i schools of Islamic jurisprudence (Ja'fari and Zaydi), the Ibadi school of Islamic jurisprudence and the Thahiri school of Islamic jurisprudence, is a Muslim. Declaring that person an apostate is impossible and impermissible," the agreement stated. Signatories to the agreement are also not allowed to declare practitioners of Sufism and Salafism as apostates. This contradicts Minister in Prime Minister's Department Jamil Khir Baharom's statement last week that any individual propagating the Syiah ideology could be prosecuted in a civil court under the Control and Restriction of the Propagation of Non-Islamic Religions Enactment. Action also can be taken under the Syariah Criminal Offences Enactment on Contravening Fatwa. "The country adopts the Ahli Sunnah Wal-Jamaah ideology and stern action will be taken against those propagating the Syiah ideology," Jamil Khir was reported as saying. The third point pertains to the issuance and limitation of fatwas. "No one may issue a fatwa without the requisite personal qualifications which each school of Islamic jurisprudence determines [for its own adherents]. No one may issue a fatwa without adhering to the methodology of the schools of Islamic jurisprudence. "No one may claim to do absolute Ijtihad (reasoning) and create a new school of Islamic jurisprudence or to issue unacceptable fatwas that take Muslims out of the principles and certainties of the Shariah law and what has been established in respect of its schools of jurisprudence."
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| Election Court rules by-election in Klias Posted: 05 Aug 2013 03:55 PM PDT
(FMT) - KOTA KINABALU: The Klias state seat in Sabah will see a by-election, the Election Court decided today. The court's decision in allowing the first GE13 election petition, paves way for the by-election. The decision is likely to court protest by the opposition pact Pakatan Rakyat, whose election petitions so far have been dismissed with high costs. In the last polls, the Klias seat was won by Sabah opposition chief Lajim Ukin who beat Barisan Nasional's Isnin Aliasnih by a majority of 342 votes. The decision is the first challenge allowed by the courts on the 13th general election, held on May 5. The court, however, threw out Lajim's election petition challenging the result of the Beaufort parliamentary seat, which he lost to Barisan Nasionl. The petition for the Klias seat, which Lajim won with a 342-vote majority, was filed by Barisan Nasional's Isnin. Justice Yew Jen Kie, in making the decision however, struck out Isnin's petition against the Returning Officer (RO) and Election Commission (EC) and ordered Isnin to pay them RM10,000 each in costs. He said Isnin did not plead how the RO and EC's actions had affected the outcome of the Klias seat. Isnin was represented by counsel Japar Estaban, Saiful Aizat Moktar and Rizwandean Bukhari Borhan. Justice Yew also struck out Lajim's petition challenging the validity of the Beaufort results. The seat was won by Barisan's Azizah Mohd Dun. Justice Yew ordered Lajim, who was represented by counsel Chau Chin Tang and Lawrence Thien, to pay RM30,000 in costs to Azizah and RM10,000 each to RO Jupari@Jupri Etok and the EC.
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| Posted: 05 Aug 2013 02:57 PM PDT
Najib said he was prepared to consider giving the police "whatever they required" to fight crime, provided these requests were reasonable and affordable. By Mariam Mokhtar, Malaysiakini "Malaysia is more dangerous than South Africa," were the parting words of a retired couple who returned to Johannesburg after a failed attempt to live in Malaysia under the 'Malaysia My Second Home' (MM2H) programme. Friends of the couple said they had feared for their own and their family's safety.Unlike this South African couple, ordinary Malaysians are trapped in a vicious cycle of emboldened criminals, an inept police force and a government in denial. Few have access to guns like the Tan Sri who recently shot dead a thief at a clinic in Kuala Lumpur. Owning a gun is not what Malaysians desire. We want a police force which is committed to tackling crime and not being the lapdog of Umno Baru. Cabinet ministers deny that a state of lawlessness exists. They issue statements and are then trapped by their own spin.  Former home minister Hishammuddin Hussein, more noted for his incompetence than his achievements in office, had complete disregard for the concerns of the public. He ridiculed the rakyat after they complained about rising crime levels and told them that increased crime was only a "perception".In October 2012, the government's efficiency-monitoring unit Pemandu released data which appeared contradictory. This prompted the DAP's Tony Pua to request from the home minister, a detailed breakdown of statistics, according to categories of crime. Hishammuddin said the statistics were not available: "…the ministry is of the view that it is not plausible to present the detailed statistics for each crime category according to the various districts in Selangor and all states…" He knows that BN's fabricated crime figures would be exposed if the statistics were released.
What would Hishammuddin and his family know about crime when they have 24-hour security and well-guarded properties? Many Umno-Baru politicians enjoy the trappings of high office which closely resemble an aristocratic life of pomp, pageantry and pampering.
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| On lemang, keramat and opiates Posted: 05 Aug 2013 02:40 PM PDT
Our leaders always speak of Malay rights and promise to defend them at all cost. These promises are really just opiates that dull the Malay senses. Other opiates include our leaders' habit of rewriting history, instilling fear of the Chinese, and making the people believe that the Malay Rulers are being threatened and that Islam itself is under assault. These are false and meaningless slogans, but they have the desired effect of redirecting the Malay consciousness away from examining just how dismal their lives have become and economically neglected they truly are. Zaid Ibrahim The search for lemang (glutinous rice baked in bamboo) can be trying during the fasting month. Most lemang sellers only operate their stalls at night and usually open for business a few days before Hari Raya. So my search took me to many areas in Datuk Keramat, Keramat Dalam and parts of Setiawangsa. At last, I managed to find one along Jalan Kelang Genting, manned by a sweet Malay lady in her 60s who was being helped by her grandson. I was so happy about finding the stall that I ended up buying most of her stock. She was pleased—you could tell she ended the day happy with herself.Driving around Keramat is always enjoyable. The Malay in me is elated whenever I enter this traditional Malay area, which is also what happens when I am in Kampung Baru. The modest homes, the mosques and surau and of course the quintessential warong and food stalls selling kuih, tom yam and sup tulang make these neighbourhoods unique and bring back memories of our own kampung far away. Then reality sets in: the sight of old and crowded flats, low-grade shoplots, clogged drains and unkempt playgrounds always brings back the reality of Malay life in the city. The urban Malays have not changed much over the years. In the meantime, the Chinese keep up their pace of acquiring and developing the great city of Kula Lumpur. Our leaders always speak of Malay rights and promise to defend them at all cost. These promises are really just opiates that dull the Malay senses. Other opiates include our leaders' habit of rewriting history, instilling fear of the Chinese, and making the people believe that the Malay Rulers are being threatened and that Islam itself is under assault. These are false and meaningless slogans, but they have the desired effect of redirecting the Malay consciousness away from examining just how dismal their lives have become and economically neglected they truly are. |
| Dua ditahan di Perak kerana bermazhab Syiah Posted: 05 Aug 2013 02:30 PM PDT
(Bernama) - Jabatan Agama Islam Perak (JAIPK) menahan dua individu, termasuk seorang doktor wanita, di Kamunting, Taiping, Perak kerana dipercayai terbabit dengan fahaman serta ajaran Syiah. Pengarah JAIPK, Datuk Mohd Yusop Husin, berkata mereka yang ditahan ialah Dr Nur Azah Abdul Halim, 41, dan Mohammad Ridzuan Yusof, 51. |
| Posted: 05 Aug 2013 01:32 PM PDT
Many Malaysians are starting to see some of the officials of Jakim and Jawi for what they really are: a bunch of bitter and vindictive individuals who know little of the world beyond their myopic perspectives, who were elected by no-one, but who somehow have the incredible presumption to claim to do the thinking for millions of Muslims. It's funny that they seem to go through so much trouble to find perceived insults to Islam. The next time they want to find an insult to Islam, they need only look in a mirror. Shaun Tan A few months ago my Australian Muslim friend asked me about Islam in Malaysia. When I told her about it she was shocked. Shocked at the coercion used to impose a narrow brand of orthodoxy. Shocked at the extremism and intolerance in a country that proclaims itself 'a moderate Muslim nation'. 'I can't believe it,' she said sadly. 'A fundamental principle of Islam is that there is to be no compulsion in religion.'. She then told me about the Allah that she knew. The Allah whose name is peace, and love, and compassion, and understanding, and wisdom. We've seen a very different version of Islam in recent weeks. We've seen draconian laws used against childish bak kut teh bloggers. We've seen four Muslim beauty pageant finalists charged with 'insulting Islam', apparently for the egregious sin of daring to participate in a beauty contest. We've seen them threatened and insulted and bullied into apologizing. We've seen Maznah Mohd Yusof, a kind person with a big heart, arrested for posting up a video of herself celebrating Aidilfitri with her dogs. All these waves after waves of persecution done in the name of Islam. The rabid fanatics at the head of this farce have been the Islamic departments Jakim and Jawi. These measures are necessary, Jakim and Jawi allege, to protect Muslims in Malaysia. According to them, Muslims are so stupid that they can be misled by bak kut teh antics; their faith is so shallow that it can be threatened by a beauty pageant; Islam is so petty that it can be undermined by a woman choosing to celebrate Aidilfitri with the animals she loves. With all their talk, Jakim and Jawi might have convinced me. Except that I happen to know quite a few Muslims and have on many occasions been impressed by their intelligence, by their kindness, and in some cases, by their extraordinary courage and their strong sense of justice. Some of them are my friends and I am honored to know them. I'm convinced that they are capable of thinking and choosing for themselves and I put my trust in their judgment knowing that, whilst we may not agree on all things, their essential goodness and humanity will endure. Jakim and Jawi seem to think otherwise. They seem to think that the best thing is for Muslims in this country to be scared out of their wits, to be straight-jacketed into orthodoxy, to live in fear of fictitious 'enemies' behind every corner – and for proof of this you need only look at Jakim's planned Aidilfitri sermon. They seem to think that Muslims must be treated like children (or rather, like machines, for even children are supposed to think) incapable of thinking or questioning for themselves, but who should just uncritically accept the diktats Jakim and Jawi hand them. They seem to think that any Muslim who lives a little differently should be made to cower, to apologize where no apology is necessary, to feel shame where there is no cause for shame. It is time, past time, for Malaysians to start calling injustice by its name. To say to bodies like Jakim and Jawi that stupidity is stupidity, that bigotry is bigotry, that cruelty is cruelty, no matter what religious scriptures they try to twist to defend their villainy. Many Malaysians are starting to see some of the officials of Jakim and Jawi for what they really are: a bunch of bitter and vindictive individuals who know little of the world beyond their myopic perspectives, who were elected by no-one, but who somehow have the incredible presumption to claim to do the thinking for millions of Muslims. It's funny that they seem to go through so much trouble to find perceived insults to Islam. The next time they want to find an insult to Islam, they need only look in a mirror. At their official Aidilfitri sermon this week, Jakim plans to cast the issue in opposition to 'secularism, pluralism, and feminism'. The real question at issue is a far more fundamental one: Can Muslims think? I, and some other Malaysians who I respect and admire, have given our answer to this question. Jakim and Jawi have given theirs. It's up to other Malaysians to speak out about whose they think is right.
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| A Guide to the Trans Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA) – Why BANTAH? Posted: 05 Aug 2013 01:06 PM PDT
In fact, the TPPA is neither about fair trade nor even about free trade alone, since it seeks to lock in the monopolistic position of big corporations over their industries. It is about ensuring the protection and prioritization of corporate interests above those of public welfare, safety and the socio-economic interests of less affluent economies than the obvious economic master here, which is America. Anas Alam Faizli
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Three years ago, the MCA president Dr Chua Soi Lek allegedly called Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng a liar, when a Bernama report alleged that Lim had said that kidnappings were common in Johor.
Did Najib address the nation because the high-profile murder of a foreigner would dent his image overseas? Was he afraid that his silence could be used against him in the Umno general assembly?
Musa (left) had also complained about political interference. So, has Najib stopped this political meddling? Has Najib even begun to investigate any of the points raised by Musa? Have any conclusions been drawn, or is Najib afraid of revealing a can of worms?
Victims of crime are already traumatised. Must they go through more agony, this time at the hands of the police? Not everyone can spare money for travel, or time off from work or their hospital bed, to make several reports.
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