Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News
Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News |
- Islamists said to execute 15-year-old Syrian boy for heresy
- Just 16.7% to win simple majority in Parliament
- Death of Japanese in lock-up puts police station under scrutiny
- Town lost to outsiders
- Susan Sarandon On Religion And The Catholic Teachings She Never Understood (VIDEO)
- Two, who allegedly insulted the Prophet on Facebook, identified
- No Red Bean Army manning online campaign, reiterates DAP
- Bean me up, Red Army
- Emotional and greedy Chinese will hurt own race, says Utusan
- Adnan: Allow contest for top Umno posts
- No boycott of Parliament sitting, say DAP and PAS
| Islamists said to execute 15-year-old Syrian boy for heresy Posted: 09 Jun 2013 12:58 PM PDT A fighter from the Islamist Syrian rebel group Jabhat al-Nusra (NST) - Members of an al Qaeda-linked Islamist group in the northern Syrian city of Aleppo executed a 15-year-old boy in front of his parents on Sunday as punishment for what the group regarded as a heretical comment, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. Mohammad Qataa was shot in the face and neck a day after being seized, said the pro-opposition monitoring group, which is based in Britain and uses a network of observers across Syria. "The Observatory cannot ignore these crimes, which only serve the enemies of the revolution and the enemies of humanity," said the group's leader Rami Abdulrahman. A photo released by the Observatory showed Qataa's face with his mouth and jaw bloodied and destroyed, as well as a bullet wound in his neck. The Observatory, which based its report on witness accounts of the killing, said Qataa, who was a street vendor selling coffee in the working-class Shaar neighbourhood, had been arguing with someone when he was overheard saying: "Even if the Prophet Mohammad comes down (from heaven), I will not become a believer." The gunmen, who belong to the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, a militant group that started off known as the Nusra Front, took Qatta on Saturday and brought him back alive in the early hours of Sunday to his wooden stand, with whiplash marks visible on his body. "People gathered around him and a member of the fighting brigade said: 'Generous citizens of Aleppo, disbelieving in God is polytheism and cursing the prophet is a polytheism. Whoever curses even once will be punished like this." "He then fired two bullets from an automatic rifle in view of the crowd and in front of the boy's mother and father, and got into a car and left," the report said. Abdulrahman said the boy's mother had pleaded with the killers, whose Arabic suggested they might not be Syrian, not to shoot her son. Qataa's parents said the youth had taken part in pro-democracy demonstrations in Aleppo. Since last year, large parts of the city have fallen under the control of Islamist brigades, including the al Qaeda-linked Nusra Front, as well as other rebel units.
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| Just 16.7% to win simple majority in Parliament Posted: 09 Jun 2013 12:53 PM PDT
(The Sun Daily) - Astonishing as it may seem, it is technically possible for a political party to win a simple majority in Parliament and form the government by garnering a mere 2.21 million votes (or 16.7%) of the total electorate. Because of the imbalance of registered voters in the 222 parliamentary constituencies, there are currently only 4,408,975 voters or 33.22% of the total electorate of 13,268,110 in the 112 seats with smaller numbers of registered voters. The 112 constituencies have a very much smaller number of registered voters, ranging from 15,791 (Putrajaya) to 56,280 (Kuantan), in contrast with the remaining 110 constituencies with more voters, some in excess of 100,000, with the highest being Kapar with 144,159 registered voters. As such, a political party needs to just win by one vote in these 112 seats – a third of which are in Sabah and Sarawak – to obtain a simple majority and form the federal government. Calculations by theSun show that if a party were to win 50.1% in each of these 112 seats, it would only need to get about 2,209,000 votes (or about 16.65% of the total electorate). The actual calculation based on half the total voters plus 1 in each of the constituencies, puts the actual number at 2,208,353, which is a mere 16.64 % of the total number of voters in the electoral roll during the recently concluded 13th general election. And if one were to consider voter turnout on polling day to be around 80%, it would mean the actual number of votes needed to win the 112 seats would be even less, at around 1,767,117 or a mere 13.4% of the total electorate. Hence, the numbers are very compelling reasons for the Election Commission (EC) to ensure that each vote should, as much as possible, be accorded equal value or weight in all parliamentary constituencies. On Saturday, the EC denied claims of inequality among constituencies, claiming that critics had not considered the increase in voter population over the last decade. EC deputy chairman Datuk Wan Ahmad Wan Omar claimed the voter population had increased and there had been much urban migration since. "The inequality among the constituencies was not that large when it was drawn up in 2002," said Wan Ahmad, adding it is unfair to compare the number of voters like Kapar (144,159) to Putrajaya (15,791). "When people talk about 'malapportionment', they refer to the 2002 numbers. It is not fair to compare the present figures to the 2002 numbers," he said at a public forum themed "Constituency Delineation – Knowing where to draw the lines", organised by the Bar Council. Wan Ahmad said the EC would consider the 15% voter variance rule for seats in the same category namely urban, semi-urban and rural seats when conducting the next review. If this rule is applied, the difference in the number of voters between two urban constituencies or two rural constituencies would be less than 15%. Wan Ahmad said there have been many complaints over the high variance percentage of voters between constituencies, adding that he agreed that there were areas like Baling which were "hard to justify". Baling, which is considered a rural seat, has 93,376 voters compared to Alor Star, an urban seat in the same state with 69,189 voters. The EC had last month announced it will study all proposals thoroughly when it conducts the redelineation process. Opposition leaders have also called for the "one man, one vote, one value" ideal to be practised in light of the recent election, where Pakatan Rakyat won 51% of popular vote, but only secured 89 of the 222 parliamentary seats. Under Article 113(2)(ii) of the Federal Constitution, a redelineation exercise should be conducted between eight and 10 years from the last one. The last time the EC conducted the redelineation exercise was in 2003. |
| Death of Japanese in lock-up puts police station under scrutiny Posted: 09 Jun 2013 12:50 PM PDT
(The Malay Mail) - THE standard operating procedure for police investigations and detention of suspects has become more pressing with the fourth death in custody in three weeks.
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| Posted: 09 Jun 2013 12:48 PM PDT
Undesirable elements, illegal activities and murders of Myanmar in Selayang have been on the police radar and the Immigration Department for a long time, yet they have not brought sanity to the township, locals contend. They are aghast how the authorities allowed Myanmar to seize control of the streets of Selayang and two major wholesale markets there over the years. They claimed the authorities were caught off-guard over the rising sectarian violence in Myanmar that bled into Selayang and other parts of the Klang Valley. They claimed police reacted late on the existence of an alleged radical Buddhist movement known as "969" that was purportedly formed to wipe out Rohingya Muslims here. They want the affected areas rid of unwanted foreigners and initiate operations in other areas in the Klang Valley that have been invaded by nationals from various countries. Fighting between Muslims and Buddhists in Selayang and other areas with a large number of Myanmar nationals has claimed two lives. Two are still in critical condition as of yesterday while four more were recovering from slash wounds. Malaysia has stepped up law enforcement to prevent such ethnic clashes within the Myanmar community from spreading. City police have rounded up more than 1,000 Myanmar in a joint effort with the Immigration Department between May 30 and June 4 to quell clashes that threatened to turn into major riots. The operations are ongoing. Up till yesterday, 274 Myanmar men and nine women were being held at the Jalan Duta and Bukit Jalil immigration detention centres for further investigation. Kuala Lumpur Immigration enforcement chief James Musa Singa said 67 people were found holding fake United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Malaysia cards while 207 Myanmar did not have documents. The hotspots in Selayang, home to two big wholesale markets and wet market – located within a kilometre of each other – contain a divided workforce comprising more Muslims than Buddhists. The squabbling has created trouble for local traders at the market and residents in the township who fear rising tensions will badly affect the social and work environment there. A reconnaissance by The Malay Mail at the two markets and neighbourhoods in Selayang over the weekend saw a grim picture of a troubled township. Interviews saw different takes on the issue, but they all agreed that Myanmar have taken over the streets of Selayang. Fruit-seller Siti Rohaizah, 52, said: "The intimidating large presence of Myanmar has become worse with recent attacks." She said there was a drop in customers at the two markets and that traders were worried the situation would not ease despite the recent arrests. The trader said Myanmar were killing the business of locals by selling goods cheaper right outside or at the parking area close to the markets. "We don't dare question them and the reason is simple, we are outnumbered!" Vegetable seller Samad Salleh, 55, who has been operating there for the last six years said: "We have complained about this to the authorities numerous times but nothing has changed. "We believe many of them do not have valid papers, but when the Immigration detain them, they miraculously reappear after a few days." He said the recent strife was not a new indication of Myanmar involvement in violence. "There have been many fights and even killings involving rival factions. They become a nuisance after drinking, while some of them take drugs and supply drugs outside the market. "We give them room to make a living here, but they end up making this place a crime haven." Many of the Myanmar are workers while some run their own businesses. Another trader, who wanted to be known as Lim, said it was puzzling how some of them managed to get licences from City Hall to operate their lots in the market. He said locals were, however, happy to work with Myanmar, who were hardworking and wanted to make a decent living here. "This small group is also living in fear and do not turn up for work, giving a headache to employers." Lim said the situation had reached a stage where local traders at the markets depended on Myanmar to run their business. "We need foreign workers to ensure our business is not affected, but we can't be held to ransom." A Myanmar national, Ho Maung, 27, said he feared for his safety and that of his brother, even more now following the recent attacks. "It's scary and we fear walking around where our fellow countrymen are. "They randomly ask about our religion, and few a days ago, I was hurled with abusive words for being a Buddhist. "We have stopped going out and stay in our hostel after work."
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| Susan Sarandon On Religion And The Catholic Teachings She Never Understood (VIDEO) Posted: 09 Jun 2013 12:44 PM PDT
(Huffington Post) - Susan Sarandon, the oldest of nine children, was raised Catholic and attended Catholic grammar school as a child. Though she grew up with faith, Sarandon says that even as a child, she had many questions about religion -- questions that got her into trouble and ultimately made her rethink her relationship with religion as an adult. In this video from "Oprah's Master Class," Sarandon explains exactly which Catholic teachings she never understood and shares what happened when she asked innocent questions to better understand her religion. "I was a very quiet kid, a very wanting-to-please kid," Sarandon says. "But certain things didn't make sense to me and when I questioned [them], there was a problem." One of the first religious teachings Sarandon questioned was the rule that marriage must take place in the Catholic Church. "I asked how Joseph and Mary were married, since Jesus didn't make it up until later," Sarandon recalls. "[As punishment], I had to go stand in the hallway. That's when the trouble began, when I was in third grade." Sarandon's questions may have been misconstrued as mischievous, but she insists that all she was looking for were answers that made sense to her. "I was not trying to be a wise-ass," Sarandon says. "I just didn't understand why they would put babies in limbo just because they weren't baptized… Or why they would say every other religion was bad." Sarandon says that she believes religions each have something valuable to offer. "I think that all religions at their core have some really magnificent teachings, and most of them are very similar," she explains. "It's the institutionalization of these religious principles that don't serve me well." Watch the video at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/06/08/susan-sarandon-religion-catholic_n_3399166.html |
| Two, who allegedly insulted the Prophet on Facebook, identified Posted: 08 Jun 2013 09:04 PM PDT
(Bernama) - The Communication and Multimedia Ministry has identified the two individuals who allegedly insulted Prophet Muhammad through Facebook on Friday. Its minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Shabery Cheek said Sunday they were registered as 'Calvin Gani' and 'Rakyat Anarki' in their respective Facebook accounts. He said the cases had been submitted to the police for further investigation and action. He stressed that the ministry viewed Internet abuse seriously, particularly the spread of defamation and sedition that could potentially arouse antagonism and uneasiness among the communities in the country. "I wish to remind Internet users in the country that they will not escape the law even though their actions or statements in social websites such as Facebook, Twitter and blogs may have been made on a personal basis," he told reporters after a community function at Felda Neram Satu here. When asked whether Malaysia would ban social websites such as Facebook, Ahmad Shabery said there was no necessity to do so, as the medium could be used positively for various benefits such as access to speedy information, business networks and to strengthen inter-racial harmony. "But I would not dismiss the possibility of the government having to seek the views of the people on whether it should, if the incidences of negative usage is so prevalent leading to anger and tension among the people," he said.
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| No Red Bean Army manning online campaign, reiterates DAP Posted: 08 Jun 2013 03:23 PM PDT
DAP reiterates that there is no Red Bean Army manning its online campaign, just passionate volunteers who want to see change in the country. Last month, Utusan Malaysia reported that DAP has been employing more than 2,000 cyber troopers, tagged as the Red Bean Army, on a RM3,000 monthly salary for the last six years. HARIATI AZIZAN and CHRISTINA CHIN, The Star I command my Red Bean Army to make Umno and Utusan Malaysia the biggest bowl of Ice Kacang now," DAP national publicity secretary Tony Pua recently joked on Twitter and Facebook about what he called the defamation of "the delicious red beans". The party's political education director Liew Chin Tong, however, is not as amused about the so-called DAP-funded cybertrooper buzz. "I am amazed that this baseless allegation is still in the news. DAP does not have any cyber troopers. No one is paying for any online participation. "Our supporters came forward as volunteers to help our online campaign. They are people who want to see change and voice out their opinions. They are using their own names and their own accounts, not fake accounts or names," he attests. Liew echoes the statements by his party supremo Lim Kit Siang and Pakatan Rakyat leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim who have categorically rubbished the reports on the Red Bean Army alleged to be on the party's payroll. Lim claims that it is part of a larger plot by Barisan propagandists "to demonise DAP with lies and falsehoods" since January. Last month, Utusan Malaysia reported that DAP has been employing more than 2,000 cyber troopers, tagged as the Red Bean Army, on a RM3,000 monthly salary for the last six years. As the Malay daily claimed, the opposition party forks out more than RM1.5mil a month on this covert operation to allegedly incite hatred towards Barisan, especially among the Chinese, and attack via social media networks any politician, businessman or celebrity deemed as pro-Barisan. Lim has refuted the claims, putting out his calculations of the total sum of the purported expenditure over six years, which he said in a statement is simply out of DAP's reach: RM108mil. "DAP just does not have this type of money although to Umno/Barisan, this is just a drop in the ocean of their funds," Lim claims. Concurring with Lim, Liew alleges that it is Barisan and Umno who are funding their own army of cyber troopers. "They are funding their own Ikan Bilis Army or whatever, and they are using their own model to imagine that the other side runs on the same basis. We have no funding for such endeavours," he says. Umno Youth New Media Unit chief Tun Faisal Ismail Aziz, however, argues that if no monetary remuneration was on the table, how could the volunteers be so committed? "If they are not getting paid, how can they respond online almost immediately? If they are volunteers, they'd be like those in Barisan and Umno we cannot respond promptly because we don't sit in front of the computer 24/7. We have to do other work," he disputes DAP's claims. Tun Faisal alleges that there are many businesses that can fund DAP's cyber operations. "Our intel shows that there are businesses from overseas and the underworld that can pour money into DAP. If they don't have money, how do they fund their political movement?" The money trail can be traced in the statements made against the party by people like former DAP vice-chairman Tunku Abdul Aziz Ibrahim and former Klang DAP Youth chief Shen Yee Aun, he adds. "If DAP says they are lying, they should sue them. Or do they dare let it go to police investigation?" Tun Faisal challenges. One of the alleged "overseas funders", Taiwan-based Malaysian entrepreneur Pua Khein Seng, whose company Phison Electronics Corp was behind the world's first single-chip USB pendrive, has rebutted the accusations of him funding the Red Bean Army. Pua, in a statement, says he is considering legal action against his "accusers". Liew shares that DAP is also looking at possible legal action. "The people who are saying this should retract their statements or produce the evidence to back their proclamations," he says, stressing that his party survives by organising fundraising dinners. "And the party does not survive on a big budget." Liew believes an underlying issue is the entrenched political culture. "Barisan simply does not understand participatory politics. They cannot conceive how people can voluntarily get involved in a participatory campaign. There is no budget from DAP or organisation to have a Red Bean Army," he insists. Jeff Ooi, Malaysia's first blogger elected into Parliament, believes that all abusive, threatening, defamatory and utterly senseless comments online are extensions of the chatroom culture which was prevalent in the 1990s. When social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter replaced blogs as the flavour of the month, every Tom, Dick and Harry could post their thoughts, leading to the further degradation of the online decorum, says the IT expert. Ooi observes that a majority of those who are politically active online belong to Gen Y with ages ranging from 25 to 35, and most hold steady jobs and are educated. "These cyber activists fall mainly into two groups pro-Barisan Nasional and pro-Pakatan Rakyat. Most are expressing their angst, writing about what they think and talk about in the kopitiam and office." The new phenomenon, he says, is the political awakening of Gen Y. "They give little thought to convention, tradition or even decorum when online," he shares, opining that many cyber activists do not know that racially or religiously sensitive issues can be seditious, or that whatever that's illegal or termed as a criminal act offline can be classified as criminal and punishable online. Ooi also categorically reiterates that DAP does not have the resources to pay for any cybertroopers, what more an "army" of them. "What we have are supporters (who are active online) but they all have full-time jobs." He concedes that there are DAP cyber activists taking the moral high ground. "We don't discount the fact that there are some who speak on our behalf without our consent but if we clamp down, then there's no freedom of expression. However, if nothing is done, the entire platform of public expression through the online media will degrade. So, we try not to stoop to gutter politics," he says. Calling on all online activists to "be responsible, have a face and engage positively", he advises cyber activists to always cross check their facts with several sources, include real names and faces, allow for two-way conversations whether it's positive or negative responses to promote intellectual discourse and to include hyperlinks of the sources quoted in the posting so that readers can form their own opinions. "Please observe some kind of decorum and never accuse people of being guilty unless you have proof," he advises.
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| Posted: 08 Jun 2013 03:14 PM PDT
Red bean has become the order of the day with the heightening political war in cyberspace, but who really is this motley crew? These cyber troopers will gang up against the chosen target and harp on selected issues, which they will do relentlessly until their goal is achieved. Usually they have three days for their operation, says Shen, claiming that although many started out as volunteers, they now work full-time on a RM3,000 monthly pay. Hariati Azizan, The Star THE jury was still out on whether the Red Bean Army in the opposition trenches was just a mirage when one of its "generals" made a confession in a Chinese language daily. According to the China Press report, one Li Shuang had admitted to the existence of a Red Bean Army Facebook fanpage, Zheng Yi Zhi Sheng. Li had attested, however, that the FB fanpage community which has some 50 members is not a registered organisation and it is merely a platform for netizens to discuss political issues, stressing that they had never issued any comments to provoke racial hatred. Yet, it cannot be denied that the hostility is strong in the social media networks. Malaysian Youth Rights Movement (MYRM) president Shen Yee Aun argues that the latest "outing" by Li only proves the existence of these cyber troopers who call themselves the Red Bean Army. Shen, a former executive secretary of DAP Youth, was one of the first few to "expose" the Red Bean Army in the mainstream media and unwaveringly stands by his allegations of these "ruthless cybertroopers". "I am fighting every day. It is a psychological war and they just want to break one's spirit and discredit the person," says the haggard 26-year-old at his office in Petaling Jaya. Shen has no qualms admitting that it is a personal vendetta for him to expose the Red Bean Army.  Shen: 'The vigilante style of the Red Bean Army is harmful.' It was the Red Beans who chose to battle with him, Shen rants. "My personal vendetta is not because of my leaving DAP. That was so long ago. What will you do if you are in my shoes today? The Red Bean Army manipulated, slandered and created lies about my friends, my family and me. They have started to harass my brother that he is scared to use our surname Shen!" he says. He claims thousands and thousands of "hate mail" have bombarded him since he came to the defence of a student and MYRM member who received rape threats after she made a YouTube video to declare her support for Barisan during the elections recently. "They are not talking about facts or political ideas. They are driven by emotions hatred and anger to assassinate my character," he storms on, highlighting the cyber attacks on international film star Tan Sri Michelle Yeoh and model Leng Yein. Facebook photos of him have been copied and manipulated to disparage him, he claims. "As an event organiser, it is normal for me to be seen at these social events. These are my friends and business contacts in the pictures and they are not even into politics. But they have been slandered as prostitutes and I am being called a pimp," Shen rattles on furiously about pictures of him with some friends that are being circulated as him living it up in vice. Shen concedes that he used to be a staunch DAP supporter, sharing that he got involved in politics when he was in his teens. "I don't know if I was too naive to see the truth or DAP changed after it won many seats in the 2008 elections," he adds. Who is the Red Bean Army? Shen describes the Red Bean soldiers as professional netizens who manipulate and misrepresent facts not only to attack the government, but also ordinary Malaysians who pledge support to the Barisan Nasional. These cyber troopers will gang up against the chosen target and harp on selected issues, which they will do relentlessly until their goal is achieved. Usually they have three days for their operation, says Shen, claiming that although many started out as volunteers, they now work full-time on a RM3,000 monthly pay. "Their main goal is to assassinate the character of anyone who supports Barisan. There are many young people who support Barisan but they are too scared to publicly say so because they do not want to be bullied and harassed online," he says.  Tun Faisal: 'It is revolution style – you are either with them or against them.' "Most of all, many are scared that they will be boycotted and lose their opportunity to cari makan." Many netizens have come out to say that they are fighting for the opposition in the cyber world voluntarily, on their own accord, time and money. A member of the "We Support Teoh Beng Hock" FB community, who only wants to be known as Wong, says many of her friends feel that they have to do something to fight for their aspirations for the country. "Many are drawn together because of issues like fighting corruption or saving the environment. It is not systematic and I don't think it is planned. I doubt that they are getting paid either. But I admit, they are emotional and sometimes get carried away by their sentiments," she says. The arts activist believes that many are sincere but get caught in the political crossfire because they lack media literacy. "Many do not know how to process information and sieve what is right and wrong from the noise on the Net. Unfortunately, many prefer to believe the possible untruths on the Internet or alternative media than the truth in the mainstream media," Wong adds. This perception has led to some comparing this Red Bean Army to the Anonymous group, a loose network of hacktivists. The parallels drawn focus especially on their structure, which is said to be "an Internet gathering with a loose and decentralised command structure that operates on ideas rather than directives". Shen refutes the notion, arguing that the Red Bean Army does not deal in facts but is waging personal attacks. "No matter what issue you bring up, they will try and credit your source before attacking you personally by calling you a dog, loser, etc. When that fails, they will start to divert the issue," Shen alleges. Does the Red Bean Army really exist? Shen concedes that he has no list of name but insists that the proof of its existence is there on the Internet. "They have jackets and t-shirts with the Red Bean Army logo. When they attack you, their personal profile says Red Bean Army, so you still think they do not exist?" The admission by Li Shang sheds the contradiction of the statements made by the opposition leaders, Shen adds, calling it a "clich denial". Umno Youth new media unit chairman Tun Faisal Ismail Aziz agrees that "deny, deny, deny" is the modus operandi of the opposition, rubbishing their leaders' statements that the Red Bean Army does not exist. "We didn't know the extent of the army because all the insults and slanderous comments were written in Chinese. We only knew after the war was dragged into the mainstream media, and then we got information from internal sources and our own investigation." Says Tun Faisal, the Red Bean Army can be recognised from their identical traits. "They have the same characters, so we know they are from the same group." He alleges that they are using the same tactics as the Communist Party of Malaya during the Emergency. "It is revolution style you are either with them or against them, and they bully anyone who is against them." What is their threat? "They fight a dirty war and they threaten and harass people. We don't need these people who are disturbing the peace in our country. It will not bring good to the country," says Tun Faisal. Democracy is democracy, but it does not give you the freedom to create and spread lies, he stresses. On allegations that it is a story cooked up by his own unit, Tun Faisal retorts, "What for? Why do I want to create this?" He refutes that they are trying to divert attention from their own cyber troopers who supposedly get paid. "If Barisan is paying for their cybertroopers, why are their responses to the opposition attacks so slow?" he says. "Anyway, we argue with facts. When we expose anything, it is based on facts. We don't create something out of nothing. We don't threaten to rape or kill people." Tun Faisal adds that they will not stoop to the Red Bean Army's level and leave the fight to the authorities, supporting action and a clampdown on the cyber menace. "They complain about the police focusing on this instead of crime on the streets. First of all, statistics show that our crime rate has fallen. Secondly, is this not crime? Cyber crime is a serious crime too, and if they don't want the police to waste their energy and time, they should stop." Shen agrees that the vigilante style of the Red Bean Army is harmful. "Do you know the shame Red Bean Army is bringing Malaysia in the eyes of the world? They spread lies about election fraud in the GE13 with a petition to the United States, risking international interference in our country. "Do you know that before the elections, two Taiwanese singers were supposed to attend our first concert in Penang but in the end, they pulled out because they were scared this army would create fear and attacks to boycott any of their product endorsements?" ************************************************** THE tag "Red Bean Army" is said to be derived from Chairman Mao's "Red Guards" during China's Cultural Revolution. The Red Guards are a group of students in their teens and 20s who banded together in 1966 to overturn the "old order" and fight to protect the revolution and preserve their Chairman's Thoughts. They were also encouraged to criticise Mao's enemies: anyone who was against Mao's vision for China, from writers, economists, artists to anyone associated with Mao's political opponent Liu Shao-chi. However, the zeal of their youth nearly pushed China into social turmoil as schools and colleges had to be closed and the economy started to suffer. The Red Guards began to splinter as their beliefs started diverging. Eventually, they turned on each other. Due to the "disturbances" they caused, the Red Guards were exiled to the countryside for re-education.
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| Emotional and greedy Chinese will hurt own race, says Utusan Posted: 08 Jun 2013 03:05 PM PDT Syed Jaymal Zahiid, TMI Chinese voters will hurt their own race if they continue to be "emotional and greedy", Utusan Malaysia warned today, as it continues with its attack against the community more than a month after the divisive May 5 general election. Under the headline "Sedarlah Cina (Wake up Chinese)", Awang Selamat, which is the nom de plume representing the collective voice of the paper's editors, appeared to suggest that the majority of the Chinese community are overly demanding and ungrateful for voting against a government that has done much to serve them. The column also described the majority of Chinese as racist because they were purportedly influenced by the DAP to hate other races despite having been treated favourably in Malaysia and quoting academic Dr Teo Kok Seong as saying Malaysian Chinese, especially the educationist group Dong Zong, should instead be grateful as no other country would have allowed the community to preserve its identity and "live as 'Chinese'". "Amid the thick racist sentiment of the majority of the Chinese, as a result of the political game played by the most racist party, the DAP, there are voices from the more open and rational Chinese," the columnist wrote, referring to Teo, a researcher with University Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM). "He has openly reminded the Chinese, especially the Chinese educationist group, Dong Zong, that there are no other countries in the world that would have allowed this race to live as 'Chinese', except for Malaysia," the writer added. The column further noted that Teo's supposed advice came at the right time. Although the writer gave no explanation, it is believed that he was referring to Election 2013 where the majority of the Chinese were perceived to have voted against the ruling coalition. Since the results were announced, the Malay broadsheet and Umno's right-wing elements have constantly attempted to frame the May 5 ballot at a Chinese-vs-Malay contest. Polls data, however, showed a significant swing in Malay votes towards Pakatan Rakyat (PR), especially among the middle class in urban areas, with many analysts agreeing that the Election 2013 results pointed more towards an urban-rural and class divide, instead of a communal rift. Utusan has, however, continued with its push to influence the post-May 5 polls discourse with anti-Chinese sentiments, labelling the community as "deserters" and "ungrateful" for voting against a government that has done its best to serve the community. "In the context of Malaysian politics, Awang would like to (say) that any Chinese who are emotional and rakus (ravenous) will hurt their own race despite having control of the economy," the columnist wrote today. The writer further cited Teo's criticism of Dong Zong's demands for recognition of its Unified Examinations Certificate (UEC) as "extreme" in what appeared to be a veiled allegation that the Chinese are too demanding. Awang reminded the community that to continue living in a multi-racial Malaysia, the Chinese must accept the Malay majority as the country's dominant political force. Teo was also quoted on his opinion of Dong Zong's alleged criticism towards ministers who spoke poor Mandarin in a bid to prove allegations of deep chauvinism among the Chinese community. "This matter is too much when the issue of the Chinese community's poor grasp of Bahasa Melayu has not once been raised. "The Chinese themselves have not done anything to rectify this. I suppose this is the time to really discuss, what exactly are the purpose of the Chinese living in Malaysia," the UKM academic was quoted as saying.
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| Adnan: Allow contest for top Umno posts Posted: 08 Jun 2013 02:53 PM PDT
(The Star) - Pahang Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Adnan Yaakob has disagreed with calls for Umno's top two positions to be left uncontested in the coming party polls. Umno, he said, was a democratic party and should not be exclusive if it wanted to remain relevant to youths and the educated. "I do not agree with the statements for the positions to be uncontested," he told reporters after visiting TV3's Jom Heboh carnival at the MPK2 field here yesterday. "For me, it must be open. We can support Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak for the president's post. But how can the posts for the president, deputy president, Youth chief and Wanita chief all be left uncontested? "It's better that we do not do this because it will show that we are becoming autocratic," he said. However, Adnan said this did not mean that he was not loyal to both the party president and deputy president. It was reported that Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin had expressed a wish for the party's top two posts to be won uncontested. Several Umno leaders, including vice-president Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and information chief Datuk Ahmad Maslan, had also supported the call. Asked if he would be contesting, Adnan said he was "already old and would like to focus on doing what must be done". In Kota Kinabalu, Deputy Defence Minister Datuk Abdul Rahim Bakri said the top two posts should not be contested to preserve solidarity among members of the party, which he said was the pillar of Barisan Nasional's strength. "Opening contest for key posts in Umno will create the setting up of camps. Based on past experiences, it is feared that this will lead to internal bickering and continuous politicking, which will only weaken the party," he said. Instead, he said efforts should be made to enhance solidarity and unity among party members in preparation for the 14th general election. Meanwhile, in Muar, Umno deputy president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said it was "still too early" to comment on the issue, stressing, however, that Umno was a democratic party.
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| No boycott of Parliament sitting, say DAP and PAS Posted: 08 Jun 2013 02:36 PM PDT
(ST) - DAP and PAS have snubbed PKR's suggestion to boycott the opening of the 13th parliament sitting. DAP national organising secretary Anthony Loke said that the party had no plans to boycott parliament, while PAS deputy ulama chief Datuk Dr Mahfodz Mohamed said that such a move would be like snubbing the rakyat who had elected the MPs. They said this in response to PKR adviser Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's suggestion for the boycott to protest against the results of the 13th general election. Anwar made the suggestion following calls by some non-government organisations to boycott the sitting that starts on June 24. "Our position is the same as that of the one taken by (party adviser) Lim Kit Siang," said Loke. Lim was quoted in news portals as saying that DAP had no plans at the moment to boycott parliament. Dr Mahfodz said that it was the duty of those who won the elections to attend parliament sessions. "We shouldn't snub parliament, as it is akin to snubbing the rakyat," said Dr Mahfodz, who had contested and lost the Gambir state seat in Johor. Dr Mahfodz, who is also Johor PAS commissioner, said that those who were not satisfied with the election results should file petitions in court. Asian Strategy and Leadership Institute (Asli) director Tan Sri Datuk Dr Ramon Navaratnam urged Anwar to rethink his plans to boycott parliament. "It will be bad to boycott parliament, as elected representatives are obliged to represent the people. "Even his (Anwar's) party was elected by the people to the parliament, and they do not have the mandate from the people to boycott parliament," he said.
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