Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News
Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News |
- Appeal Court inept judgment based on internet research
- Double whammy of Penang’s tunnel and reclamation
- Part 2: The betrayal
- Najib defends Malaysia’s TPPA stand
- Parliament Must Replace Najib With Tengku Razaleigh
- Malaysia's "Allah Controversy" revisited
- DAP re-election a "drama", says former party vice-chairman
- The wheel has turned for Khairy
- Uneasy times for DAP
- Catholic Church to challenge ‘unrealistic’ decision
- Borneo churches insist on using ‘Allah’, slams appeal ruling
- What I fear about DAP is this…
- Politicians, corporate leaders Syiah followers
- No ‘Allah’ for Herald
- Anti-TPPA: Debunking the misconceptions
- Lee’s sacking douses anti-Chua movement?
- ‘Christians would be confused as well’
- Allah’ bukan hak esklusif untuk Muslim sahaja
- Inside a church, a hundred times the sound of Allah
| Appeal Court inept judgment based on internet research Posted: 14 Oct 2013 12:47 PM PDT
How then does the judge proceed in his inquiry? Essentially, he offers a series of cut and paste, piecemeal quotations which he deems to have a decisive bearing on his judgment. Ng Kam Weng, TMI The Court of Appeal in Putrajaya on yesterday over-ruled the earlier decision by Justice Lau Bee Lan in the Kuala Lumpur High Court to allow Christians (Herald) to use the word Allah. The wide ramifications of the Appeal Court decision calls for careful analysis to ascertain whether it is based on accurate facts which are foundational for a coherently argued and impartial judgment. I shall focus on the judgment delivered by one of the three judges, Justice Mohd Nawawi bin Salleh, since it ostensibly examines the facts pertaining to the legitimacy of Christians (the Herald) using the word Allah. Justice Mohd Nawawi notes that Justice Lau Bee Lan in her High Court judgment concluded that "it is apparent that the use of the word Allah is an essential part of the worship and instruction in the faith of the Malay (Bahasa Malaysia) speaking community of the Catholic Church in Malaysia and integral to the practice and propagation of their faith." [2] He then refers to some earlier court judgments which ruled that the wearing of the purdah and the serban was not integral to the practice of Islam. More importantly, he cites the principle that was used by a court in India to decide whether a dance involving public display of skulls and knives was integral to the practice of the sect in question. "Test to determine whether a part of practice is essential to the religion is to find out whether the nature of religion will be changed without that part or practice. If the taking away of that part or practice could result in a fundamental change in the character of that religion or in its belief, then such part could be treated as an essential or integral part." [6] This should have been a straight forward test. Dressing and dance change as fashions come and go. They would not be considered as constituting the essence or core of a religion. In contrast, the concept of God is THE defining centre for any religion. This being the case, Justice Lau's judgment which affirms the word Allah is an integral part of Christian faith and practice would have been self-evident. Justice Mohd Zawawi seems to think otherwise and proceeds to lay out the grounds for his decision to set aside the judgment of Justice Lau. The judge reiterates the claim made by the Muslim appellants that the word Allah is not found in the original Hebrew and Greek Bible, and as such, it cannot be integral to the practice of the Christian faith. However, the Muslim appellants' assertion is disputed by the respondent for the Herald who emphasizes that the word Allah has been used for years by the majority of the Catholics to translate the Hebrew word elohim. We should not miss the judge's acknowledgment that "This debate does not exist for Arabic-speaking Christians who had continually translated "Elohim" and "Theos" (the primary terms for "God" in Biblical Hebrew and Greek), as Allah from the earliest known Arab Bible translations in the eight century till today." [16] Read more at: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/sideviews/article/appeal-court-inept-judgment-based-on-internet-research-ng-kam-weng |
| Double whammy of Penang’s tunnel and reclamation Posted: 14 Oct 2013 12:44 PM PDT
(fz.com) - If the trend for sales of new high-end property in Penang is anything to go by, it's not just locals that the projects are catering for; the units would very likely draw interest of foreigners and speculators who want to make a buck by re-selling at higher prices later. When Penangites recently woke up to news that the state has sealed a preliminary agreement for a new undersea tunnel and three major roads costing RM6.3 billion, it inevitably stirred a lot of interest over how the projects would impact the local community and landscape. Stretching some 6.5km, the tunnel would connect Gurney Drive directly to Butterworth, while the highways measuring a total of 20.8km would significantly shorten travel time between key sites on the island. But there is one important link in this matter that has been overlooked by many. It has to do with the distinct prospect that this mega project will be tied – financially and functionally – with another one, even more titanic in scale. This is the Sri Tanjung Pinang Phase II, or STP2 for short, which is nearby around Gurney Drive itself. Touted to have a whopping gross development value of RM25 billion, it would be one of the biggest single projects, in terms of size and monetary worth, in Malaysia. The project entails the reclamation of some 891 acres off Gurney Drive – including a 760-acre island plus foreshore reclamation of Gurney Drive itself by 131 acres. The developer undertaking it, Tanjung Pinang Development Sdn Bhd, is 78.8% owned by E&O Property (Penang) while the Penang government has 21.2%. Unsurprisingly, there are those who fear that the tunnel would usher unwelcome congestion to the already packed roads of the island, as people with vehicles from the mainland get increasingly drawn in due to the new link. But the crowd is bound to increase, also because of the sheer number of houses and commercial units intended to be built on the massive STP2 project. Under the current plan, the STP2 area is targeted to have about 12,000 new homes, in addition to mixed-use commercial spaces – retail units, offices, tourism outlets and so on – occupying some 28.45 million sq ft. Read more at: http://www.fz.com/content/double-whammy-penang%E2%80%99s-tunnel-and-reclamation |
| Posted: 13 Oct 2013 07:49 PM PDT AS THE STOMACH TURNS: A STORY OF FICTION It was just another birthday party like the hundreds of other birthday parties I have attended over the last half century, and probably hundreds more I shall attend before I leave this world. This one was slightly different, though, and in that sense maybe a bit special. Tonight's birthday party was being held at the Hard Rock Café in Kuala Lumpur. And after dinner we were going to adjourn next door to the Havana Club for a drink and a cigar, one of my favourite haunts. The second session was the more interesting part of the night, as far as I was concerned, because it is too noisy to talk over dinner. Talk, of course, means gossip, and that was what makes the night really interesting -- when we can talk about others. If gossiping were an event in the Olympics, Malaysia would sweep all the medals -- gold, silver and bronze. There is no doubt about that. Gossiping is the favourite Malaysian pastime, what we would call lepak or lepaking. In the UK we call it chilling out. Malaysians, however, chill out by talking about others. And in Malaysia there is certainly a lot to talk about when it comes to 'the others'. That was my first time in the Hard Rock Café although I had been to the Havana Club many times. I just do not see why I should pay triple for a slice of a dead cow when I could get the same thing elsewhere for a fraction of the price. But then I was not paying that night so the price really did not matter. What I found unique about the Hard Rock Café was the unisex toilet. Men and women shared the same toilet. Now that is what I would call advancement. I mentioned this to the chap on my right and he appeared puzzled. "Unisex toilets?" he asked me. I pointed to the toilet in question and he smiled as he informed me that I had gone in to the ladies toilet. Shish…no wonder the ladies were all smiling at me. Why don't they post clear signs on the door for short-sighted people like me? Now it explains why I could not find any urinals in the 'unisex' toilet! Well, it was not my fault, really. I was stumbling in the dark and asked the waiter where the toilets were and he did point to the ladies toilet. It was about eleven. I was taking a deep drag on my cigar when the phone call from Rusdi came in. "Where are you?" he asked me. "At the Havana Club in the Concorde in KL." I replied. "How long you going to be there?" "Maybe a couple of hours more." "Can we meet tonight?" "Can. What time?" "I'm at a wedding. I have to send my wife home first and can be there by midnight. You'll still be there midnight?" "Should be." I told Rusdi. Rusdi walked in around midnight and I pulled up a chair for him. "We need to talk," he said. "Sure," I replied. "In private." "Okay, let's go out on the veranda." The veranda was deserted. Even at midnight it was hot and dusty and the traffic was noisy. Malaysia is not the best place for an open-air meeting but then Rusdi wanted privacy so we would have to tolerate the heat, dust and noise. "Let me get straight to the point," said Rusdi, with a very serious look on his face as if he was about to break some earth-shattering news. "Sure. Let's," I replied. This was beginning to sound like cloak-and-dagger stuff and I just love cloak-and-dagger. It is what I live for. "How much do you want?" he asked me. I was stumped for a while and did not fully understand what he was driving at although I suspected he was talking about money here. "Excuse me! What do you mean?" "How much do you want? To stop writing about Najib." I did not expect this and was pondering on how to respond to this very direct question, which I regarded as a bit of an insult. I mean there are other ways you can broach this subject such as, "How can we explore how we can work together that will be mutually beneficial to both parties?" or something like that. "I can't promise you that Najib will agree to the amount," Rusdi continued. "But I can bring this message back to him. If the amount is reasonable I am sure he can agree to it." "Did Najib ask you to meet me to make this offer?" I asked him. "He knows we are meeting tonight. I informed him we are meeting. But he does not know the details of our meeting." "So this offer is your initiative then?" "Yes." "Thirty cents." "What?" "My price is thirty cents." "Look, I am serious." "So am I. My price is thirty cents." "What do you mean thirty cents?" "I mean my price is the cost of a phone call. Thirty cents!" "I don't get you." "All it takes is a phone call from Dr Mahathir, which costs thirty cents, telling me to stop writing about Najib and I will stop writing about him." "Why are you dragging Mahathir into this? What has Mahathir got to do with this?' "Mahathir has everything to do with this." Rusdi had a stunned look on his face as his jaw dropped. "You mean you are working for Mahathir?" "Who did you think I was working for? Anwar?" "You mean you are not with Anwar?" "Is that what you thought? Then you people are more stupid than I thought. What makes you think I am with Anwar? I do not even like him." I was enjoying every minute of this banter. Najib's people think I work for Anwar. Anwar's people think I work for Mahathir. Mahathir's people think I work for Tengku Razaleigh. And Tengku Razaleigh's people are incapable of thinking. Isn't politics just lovely? I think I will become a politician when I grow. It sounds like fun. "So if Mahathir asks you to stop writing about Najib you will do so?" "Yes, one phone call from Mahathir telling me to stop whacking Najib and I will stop whacking him. All Mahathir has to do is to tell me, 'Najib is our friend. Stop whacking him.' And I will stop whacking Najib." "But why would Mahathir want to whack Najib?" "Because Najib is a traitor." "What do you mean?" "Would Najib be the Deputy Prime Minister if not because of Mahathir? If not because of Mahathir, Muhyiddin would be the Deputy Prime Minister. Not Najib. And then Najib goes and publicly proclaims that he is loyal to the Prime Minister. Do you remember him saying that? He said it publicly." "But Najib has no choice. He needs to demonstrate loyalty to the boss." "There you are. You have just proven what I said. Who is the boss?" "Pak Lak of course. He is the Prime Minister." "See! You people regard Pak Lah as the boss. Pak Lah may be the Prime Minister. But he is not Najib's boss. Najib's boss is Mahathir. Mahathir made him the Deputy Prime Minister and Mahathir, not Pak Lah, will decide if he will become the Prime Minister. If left to Pak Lah he would choose Muhyiddin. So who is the boss? Mahathir or Pak Lah? That is the problem with you people. You are confused as to who is the boss. The boss is Mahathir lah, brader, not Pak Lah. And because of that we need to whack Najib until he understands who the real boss is." Rusdi was at a loss for words and he gave me a blurred look so I continued the attack. "Najib is Bugis. So am I. Najib is also the son of the most illustrious Old Boy, Tun Razak. Tun Razak is revered by us MCKK Old Boys. So I have a soft spot for Najib. But he is a disgrace to our Bugis race. The Bugis never turn on the boss. And for that we must whack Najib, until he understands who made him and who can unmake him. We must teach Najib a lesson." "Do I have your permission to tell Najib what you have just told me?" "Of course. Repeat word-for-word what I just told you. Can you remember everything I said? You want me to repeat it so that you can write it down?" "No. I can remember what you said." "Good. Then go tell Najib what I told you. He is a traitor and a disgrace to our Bugis race. If Najib wants to become the PM then he has to challenge Pak Lah. If he is loyal to Pak Lah then he will be ousted alongside Pak Lah." The next morning I phoned Datuk and told him that I have to meet Mahathir urgently. At three I walked in to Mahathir's office at the Petronas Twin Towers, together with my wife. Datuk was already waiting for us. I related what had happened the night before and Mahathir listened without comment. When I had finished my story Mahathir asked me, "So how much did you ask for?" I was taken aback by the question and said that I did not ask for anything. "You should have asked for twenty million," Mahathir said with a smile on his face. "Then you can keep ten million and give me ten million." I never asked him whether he was serious or just joking but I would like to believe that this was one of those rare moments when the old man actually cracked a joke. That evening I again received a phone call from Rusdi. "No bullshit," Rusdi said. "Just tell me the truth. Did you tell anyone about our meeting last night? The truth please." "I did." "Who?" "Tun Dr Mahathir." "Oh shit! No wonder Najib called me. He sounded very angry and said that he wants to meet me the first thing tomorrow morning. Why the hell did you tell Mahathir about what we spoke?" "I had no choice. What if I don't tell Mahathir and he finds out about our meeting? He will think that I made a deal with Najib. So I had to tell him to protect my arse. If not then Mahathir will think I sold out to Najib." I then phoned Datuk and he confirmed that after our meeting Mahathir asked someone to go and see Najib to inform him that he is aware of 'the offer' and to back off. "Mahathir told Najib to 'stop trying to buy off my people'," said Datuk. Hmm…my people. I like that. I never thought of myself as 'Mahathir's people'. I must say it's got a nice ring to it. "So what does Mahathir want me to do now?" I asked Datuk. "Continue whacking Najib. Don't stop until we say so. The old man wants to force Pak Lah to resign. And Najib must be the one to pressure Pak Lah to resign. So unless Najib challenges Pak Lah we will continue to whack him." "Okay. So the game plan is we will bring Najib down unless Najib brings Pak Lah down. Is that it?" "That's about the gist of it," confirmed Datuk. "Hmm…so in this high-stakes political game I am merely the assassin and when the job is done the assassin eventually gets assassinated," I joked. Little did I know that many a true word is said in jest and that my joke was about to become a reality. But then that is politics for you. The Queen checkmates the King and the pawns get sacrificed in the process. That is what the Americans would call collateral damage. But it would be many months before I would find out that when the shit hits the fan you are entirely on your own.
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| Najib defends Malaysia’s TPPA stand Posted: 13 Oct 2013 06:51 PM PDT Negotiators were told that Malaysia's Bumiputera policy must be seen in the context of having fair and just society because Bumiputeras comprise 67% of the population and they include both Muslims and non-Muslim Bumiputeras. If Bumiputeras were left behind or marginalised, it doesn't augur well for long-term well-being and stability of the country. (BERNAMA) - There is no denying that Najib Tun Razak worked vigorously to the defence of Malaysia's stand at the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA) leaders' talks in Bali last week. The prime minister had made it abundantly clear that whatever decision it makes on the regional pact, it would have to go back to its people through parliamentary debates and the Cabinet.
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| Parliament Must Replace Najib With Tengku Razaleigh Posted: 13 Oct 2013 06:44 PM PDT
M Bakri Musa Malaysia cannot afford Najib Razak's continued inept leadership. As UMNO has failed to terminate his leadership, and the next election is too far away, it is now up to Parliament to do the necessary. Najib, who is also Finance Minister, will table his budget on October 25, an opportune time for Parliament to pass a no-confidence vote on the budget – and hence his leadership – thus forcing the son of Tun Razak (TR-1) to resign. MPs have a far greater duty beyond loyalty to their leader, and that is loyalty to their country. With the Will and Guidance of Allah, SWT, Najib can spare himself this unprecedented disgrace and simultaneously relieve his fellow parliamentarians of this distasteful chore by ceding the Prime Ministership to Tengku Razeleigh (TR-2). By gracefully withdrawing now, Najib could return later to lead his party for the 14th national election, and would be a better leader for this voluntary hiatus. Should Najib contemplate being stubborn, he should remind himself of similar parliamentary practices resulting in the ejection of his contemporaries. In August, British MPs denied Prime Minister Cameron his motion to intervene in Syria. This defying the leader is also not alien to UMNO. TR-1 did it to Tunku Abdul Rahman, albeit in a soft, subtle way. The wise and sensitive Tunku readily saw the signals. A parliamentary no-confidence vote would not affect Najib's UMNO presidency. The constitution does not mandate the leader of a ruling party should also be prime minister. That is only tradition, tenable only as long as he has Parliament's confidence. As UMNO has the largest parliamentary representation, it is appropriate that one of its members should be the Prime Minister. There is no better choice than TR-2. He is a glittering gem to the sparkle of pebbles that is the current UMNO leadership. He also has the exquisite synthesis of talent and experience. Rest assured that TR-2 would not be preoccupied with reelections and the consequent pandering to various constituencies, Najib's destructive obsession. He would focus exclusively on running the country. With no children, TR-2 would have no grandiose pretensions of starting a political dynasty, yet another preoccupation of current leaders. Malaysians can be assured that TR-2, like TR-1, would pick only the competent and untainted to be his ministers and advisors. They would reflect the man; his team would be the antithesis of Najib's. TR-2 has no need for courtiers or cheerleaders. Unlike Najib, TR-2's executive and leadership abilities have been tested inside and outside of government. Malaysians can be assured that there would be no freelancers or lone rangers in TR-2's team spouting out offensive racial taunts. Najib on the other hand could not restrain the extremist ulamas on his payroll who think that the marriage of a Muslim to a non-Muslim is invalid. Najib is not up to par even when compared to his lackluster predecessor, Abdullah Badawi. With Abdullah, Malaysians within and beyond his party clearly expressed their disapproval; some politely, others less so. The man recognized this and wisely withdrew. Dissatisfaction with Najib is palpable even or especially within his party. However, he is a stubborn mule, and with as much insight. He must be told in no uncertain terms by Parliament that his leadership is wanting. As a dumb mule responds only to a big stick, anything less would not do it. Relieved from running the country, Najib could focus on ridding UMNO of its fortune seekers. They mock the party's aspiration of Agama, Bangsa, Negara (Faith, Race, and Country). There is nothing Islamic or Malay about corruption, cheating and the plundering of our nation's wealth. There is no reflected glory for Malays to see UMNO leaders grow glutton on hogging the public trough. Malaysia would be far better without these scoundrels.
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| Malaysia's "Allah Controversy" revisited Posted: 13 Oct 2013 06:34 PM PDT
What's in a name? Maybe nothing. Maybe everything. And even more so this Shakespearean "a rose is a rose" type of problematique seems relevant in a world of political manipulations such as in Malaysia when race and religion are the twin determinants of political evolution. Azly Rahman Only in Malaysia is the world perhaps witnessing a raging debate on who has the patent to the word 'Allah'; simply translated as 'the/that god.' It seems to be a seasonal debate to get the political parties to wrestle over the linguistic or semiotic of the word; one that connotes and denotes 'the Force of Divinity' that Man has attempted to understand, revere, love, and fear yet can never comprehend. This is simply because we are in a matrix of truth and representation, and in a prison-house of language unable to see what the Ultimate Reality looks like.
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| DAP re-election a "drama", says former party vice-chairman Posted: 13 Oct 2013 06:30 PM PDT
(Bernama) - Former DAP national vice-chairman Zulkifli Mohd Noor has described the re-election of the party's Central Executive Committee (CEC) on Sept 29, as a "drama". He said the re-election was "crafty and worse than the CEC election on Dec 15 last year." Speaking to reporters here today, he said the re-election of the CEC last month should have been based on the status quo of delegate and branch lists on Dec 15. "The CEC also has no authority to approve or upgrade the status of a 'B' certificate branch into an 'A' certificate this year, as the CEC was not recognised by the Registrar of Societies (ROS)," said Zulkifli. Therefore, he is calling on the ROS to investigate the attendance and balloting of 450 delegates from 120 new branches at the CEC re-election last month.
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| The wheel has turned for Khairy Posted: 13 Oct 2013 06:26 PM PDT
Khairy Jamaluddin's ability to take on the tsunami politics of the last few years was a major reason for the sweeping vote of confidence in him to continue as Umno Youth leader. Joceline Tan, The Star KHAIRY Jamaluddin showed little emotion even as the feedback from his boys on the ground showed that he was going to win big on Saturday night. The SMSes were beeping in fast and furious and lots of calls were coming in. Every single one of the messages and calls conveyed positive news on his bid for a second term as Umno Youth leader. But he kept his composure. There were no celebratory gestures or show of elation, even as the numbers edged past the target of 175 divisions that his team had set out to achieve. His team could hardly contain their excitement when the dozen or so divisions they had considered as less than friendly to Khairy also gave him their votes. That was when they realised that Khairy was speeding towards what they thought was the impossible – a perfect sweep of all 191 divisions, leaving his four challengers in the zero zone. It was only when he arrived at the PWTC at about 10pm, wearing the white-and-red Umno Youth baju Melayu, that he had relaxed enough to smile and wave at those calling out to him. His mother Datuk Rahmah Hamid and wife Nori Abdullah were with him. Datuk Alwi Che Ahmad, the former political secretary to Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, was in Mecca when he heard about Khairy's win. His immediate reaction was: "Wow! Overwhelming support." Alwi had watched how Khairy struggled in his first term as Umno Youth chief because he was regarded as a "minority leader" after securing only slightly more than a third of the votes in the three-way fight in 2009. But he is now the clear-cut choice of the Youth delegates and the big winner among the three wings. Wanita Umno's power woman Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil also crushed her competitors but had to concede five divisions to one of her challengers – Datuk Maznah Mazlan. But, said Alwi, a big win also comes with high expectations and big responsibilities. "He has a lot to do, to carry out what is expected of him. But it is very important that he should not become proud or acquire airs. Humility is important when they give you so much support," said Alwi. The humility thing aside, the big win will give Khairy the clout to push through the ideas and plans he has for the Youth wing, that is, to groom new leaders in the wing, win over fence-sitters and ensure that young Malay voters remain with Umno. Moments after acknowledging that he had won, he said it meant that the grassroots were ready to go along with his progressive and liberal agenda. Khairy will add energy and dynamism to Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak's team. He has shown that he is not afraid of challenges and he dares to tackle the Opposition. Najib can rely on him to play that role. The wheel has turned for Khairy. During an interview with The Star shortly before the campaign started, he described what he had gone through in politics as a wheel – sometimes up, sometimes down. His first victory as Youth chief was followed by one of the lowest points in his political career. He said he had spent the last four years trying to rehabilitate his career and admitted that there had been a point when he thought of calling it quits. His father-in-law and former prime minister Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, who had his share of political ups and downs, advised him to be patient, persevere and stay relevant. "I've learnt that you have to roll with the punches. You need to be patient because when you are down, it's not easy to be patient. You've got nothing - no influence, no friends, no future. "You have to wait for the wheel to turn again. "Sometimes, it turns quickly, sometimes it takes years and in politics, a week is a long time," he said. There was so much scepticism about Khairy when he took over the wing in 2009. But he has shown his party that he can survive the tsunami politics of the last five years and the sweeping win is basically about the Youth wing telling him that he has proven himself and deserves their full support. Besides, Malay politics is such that there is often a reluctance to support a candidate who is sure to lose and that was how the Youth delegates viewed Khairy's challengers. After a brief press conference at the media centre, he gathered his team around him to thank them and even exchanged man-hugs with a few of them. That was when they knew that the pressure of the race had lifted because Khairy is not a touchy-feely person. In fact, he can be quite aloof and some friends even say that he is actually a rather shy person who is not very good at making small talk. That may be one area he will have to work on if he is to make further progress in the grassroots politics of Umno. The Khairy team then went down to the fourth floor of the PWTC where the portrait gallery of Umno leaders is located. On the way down, they came across Shahrizat's team and also the new Puteri Umno chief Mas Ermieyati Samsudin. That was when the celebratory mood kicked in for them and there was a lot of laughter and cheering as they posed for one photo after another. But the last and most important photo shot for Khairy was him posing against the backdrop of the former prime minister whose advice had helped him to persevere and wait patiently for the wheel to turn.
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| Posted: 13 Oct 2013 06:19 PM PDT
Baradan Kuppusamy, The Star Trouble is brewing in the DAP on several fronts - in Johor, Kedah, Sabah and Malacca and even in Perak – as the party prepares to hold state elections in December where opportunities arise for the central leadership to engineer the replacement of state leaders seen as recalcitrant. This move to exert greater central control is causing friction with the respective state leaders who have become used to the leeway they always have to administer their respective states. In Perak, another long-standing feud again erupted between proxies of Ipoh Barat MP M. Kulasegaran and state chairman Ngeh Koo Ham and secretary Nga Kor Ming with a DAP member's Facebook posting alleging the cousins were "lining their pockets." Nga denied the allegations but the political damage was done.Dr Boo had also questioned party policies like the Malaysian Dream movement and other policies and had skipped a meeting with Guan Eng and others in Sungei Renggam, Johor, on Saturday night to discuss his grouses. A text message that he had a "throbbing headache" was sent to Guan Eng. Clearly Dr Boo was unhappy with the recent developments in the party, especially the central leadership takeover of the Kedah state committee and he fears that the same could happen in Johor."His position as Johor DAP chairman is now at risk," said a DAP veteran branch secretary adding if it can happen in Kedah it can happen to other states as well. In Kedah, the CEC suspended the state committee and appointed Bukit Bendera MP Zairil Khir Johari as caretaker Kedah chairman replacing a democratically-elected committee, as was said by the former chairman Lee Guan Aik. While some in the DAP see Dr Boo's suggestion to form an independent panel as a rebellion against the central leadership, Dr Boo's supporters said he was merely suggesting a better mechanism to resolve the Kedah crisis. "The era of state warlords is over," said another member who is a supporter of the central leadership. "We have to work as a team and ensure that the team comes out tops… not the individual. This is the corporate culture the world over," he said. He said this is also what the delegates want and as proof pointed to the recent CEC election on Sept 29 where all the state warlords were either at the bottom of the list or were defeated. The rise in infighting between state leaders and central leadership is also a sign that the party was in a quandary, political analysts said. "The DAP is a political success but it has big problems managing success especially the rise of young professionals and their movement to occupy important party posts," said a political veteran. "This has upset the old guards like Dr Boo who was used to having his way in Johor," he said. The same kind of dynamics is taking place in other states where the old guard has to deal with the young Turks, causing uneasiness in Kedah, Johor and Malacca and elsewhere.
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| Catholic Church to challenge ‘unrealistic’ decision Posted: 13 Oct 2013 06:03 PM PDT
(MM) - The Catholic Church today said it would contest the Court of Appeal's decision to overturn an earlier High Court judgment allowing its weekly publication the Herald to use the word "Allah" in its Bahasa Malaysia section. Herald editor Father Lawrence Andrew said they cannot see how the government can reconcile its position against the use of "Allah" in the Catholic weekly, when it concurrently promised to continue to allow the Christian community to freely use, import and distribute the Malay version of the Bible, known as the al-Kitab, which uses the word extensively.
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| Borneo churches insist on using ‘Allah’, slams appeal ruling Posted: 13 Oct 2013 05:55 PM PDT
(MM) - Sabah and Sarawak churches maintained today that they will continue calling their god "Allah", despite the Court of Appeal ruling today that the Arabic word was exclusive to Muslims. Archbishop Datuk Bolly Lapok, chairman of the Association of Churches in Sarawak, said it was "utterly irresponsible" and "grossly demeaning, to say the least", for the appellate court to rule that the use of the word "Allah" was not integral to the Christian faith.
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| What I fear about DAP is this… Posted: 13 Oct 2013 05:47 PM PDT The recently held DAP CEC re-election reminds me of the 'bisa diatur' Umno's party elections. CT Ali, FMT Sweet and sour oranges look the same from the outside. It is only after you peel off the skin and taste the fruit will you be able to know if they are sweet or sour. Many a dishonest hawker have profited by selling sour oranges as being sweet and juicy! The same with Umno and DAP. For me DAP and Umno are one and the same thing in how they project a sweet public persona and yet conduct their party affairs in a sour manner that fool so many of us. DAP has achieved much in the last two general elections – achieved through great discipline, hard work and entrenched Chinese support. It has gone from strength to strength winning from a low of nine parliamentary seats won in the 1995 general election to garnering 38 seats in the last general election. If truth be told they can lay claim to be the leader within the Pakatan Rakyat coalition by virtue of their electoral gains – an additional 10 seats between the 12th and 13th general elections – a feat no other member of the coalition was able to match. But what are they really like? It took half a century for the rakyat to finally wake up to the arrogance, nepotism and corruption within Umno and when they did, the punishment meted out to Umno during the 12th and 13th general elections was a political disaster for Umno. I predict that with DAP, the social media will quicken the process many times over. Politicians who lie for short-term advantage are par for the course. Those who lie when caught between a rock and a hard place are harder to forgive but their supporters may still find enough compassion in their hearts to forgive, but maybe not to forget. But politician who goes down the sordid avenue of hypocrisy risks more than just their integrity (if there were any in the first place!) and any reserve of goodwill they may have amongst those who are prepared to give them a chance at governing. Truth is the recognition of realities. It is time we begin to see the DAP for what it is. Hypocrites! Let us take their latest spate with the Registrar of Societies. All guns (at least those belonging to Lim Kit Siang, Karpal Singh, Lim Guan Eng and their cohorts) are trained at ROS for being the running dogs of the Barisan Nasional government in harassing DAP in the manner they conduct their party polls. Let us get one thing crystal clear. ROS is not bothered about the result of the polls but they are bothered in the manner DAP did not adhere to their own constitution when conducting the polls. That all DAP branches must be given 10 week notice is the requirement in DAP's constitution, not a requirement of the ROS. And if this recent party polls did not follow that same 10-week notice requirement to be made to all DAP branches – guess what ROS are going to do again? Just address the problem So please DAP stop beating the drums to tells ROS and the BN government that the Chinese within DAP are restless. Why not just address the problem? Surely party secretary-general Guan Eng must not think that:
Not bloody likely! Yes PKR has its problems but PKR wears its heart on its sleeves. They had problems with Zaid Ibrahim and it was out there for us to see. Azmin Ali had problems with Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail and Nurul Izzah, again out there for us to see. Anwar Ibrahim cannot tell Azmin what to do? Once again we saw it all unfold in real time. I say I am more comfortable with the PKR devil that I know than a DAP devil that I don't! What I fear about DAP is this – what we see is not what it is! The recently held party CEC re-election reminds me of the "bisa diatur" Umno's party elections – done to maintain the CEC status quo. More truthfully, it was done to enshrined Guan Eng's people within the party CEC so as to enable easy passage of Guan Eng's political agenda to make DAP into his image – a Chinese one. That RM64 million for the Jabatan Agama Pulau Pinang is just a smokescreen to pacify the Malays. I am no racist but if you are Chinese, then you must be comfortable with DAP and the direction it is travelling to. The Malays and the other races have their own take on the situation but then why should Kit Siang and Guan Eng be bothered about what they think. For now multi-racism be dammed.
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| Politicians, corporate leaders Syiah followers Posted: 13 Oct 2013 05:43 PM PDT
(Bernama) - Stringent prevention laws are needed to curb the spread of Syiah teachings in the country, which is currently said to When making the proposal, Home Ministry Security and Public Order assistant secretary Zamihan Md Zain Al-Ghari said there was an immediate need to stop the teaching following involvement from politicians and corporate figures.
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| Posted: 13 Oct 2013 05:38 PM PDT
The Court of Appeal overturns a High Court ruling that allowed the word 'Allah' to be used by a Christian publication. K Pragalath, FMT The Court of Appeal today upheld an appeal from the government to bar Christian publication, The Herald, from referring to God as 'Allah'. The panel of judges – Federal Court judge Mohamed Apandi Ali, Appeals Court judges Mohd Zawawi Salleh and Abdul Aziz Abdul Rahim – were unanimous in their decision.
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| Anti-TPPA: Debunking the misconceptions Posted: 13 Oct 2013 05:34 PM PDT
The writer debunks some of the myths about TPPA, and why the opposition to it serves beyond, if at all, the purpose of only these various special interest groups. By Anas Alam Faizli, FMT Bantah TPPA, the largest single voice yet far in the ongoing battle against TPPA, has made significant inroads into increasing public awareness and engaging various stakeholders, industry experts, as well as the government to address the potential harms of the TPPA onto ordinary Malaysians at large.
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| Lee’s sacking douses anti-Chua movement? Posted: 13 Oct 2013 05:27 PM PDT
Even though he's been sacked from the party, ex-MCA central committee member Lee Hwa Beng believes the anti-Chua fire he's stoked within the party will continue to smoulder. Leven Woon, FMT Former MCA central committee member Lee Hwa Beng's aim to start Anthing But Chua (ABC) movement to oust party president Dr Chua Soi Lek has been nipped in the bud. His sacking by the MCA central Committee on Oct 3 put paid to his ambition to start a movement from within the party to eject Chua.
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| ‘Christians would be confused as well’ Posted: 13 Oct 2013 05:24 PM PDT
Their concept of God as symbolised by the Trinity is absolutely and completely dissimilar to the concept of Allah in Islam, says Justice Zawawi Salleh. K Pragalath, FMT Even the Christians would be confused over the usage of Allah's name since there is a different understanding of God in Christianity and Islam, said Court of Appeal judge, Zawawi Salleh in his written judgment today. The Cout of Appeal today unanimously over-ruled a Kuala Lumpur High Court decision in 2009 which had allowed Catholic newspaper The Herald to use 'Allah' to refer to the Christian God.
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| Allah’ bukan hak esklusif untuk Muslim sahaja Posted: 13 Oct 2013 05:20 PM PDT
Walau bagaimanapun, rakyat Sabah Sarawak tetap tenang berhadapan isu ini William Mangor, FMT Keputusan penggunaan kalimah 'Allah' bakal menentukan sejauh mana kejayaan kerajaan dalam berhadapan isu yang melibatkan agama dan keberkesanan Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak dalam merealisasikan impian '1Malaysia'. Walau bagaimanapun, rakyat Sabah Sarawak tetap tenang berhadapan isu ini meskipun laporan FMT kelmarin memaklumkan Jakim melalui khutbah Jumaat menggesa umat Islam mempertahankan kalimah tersebut.
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| Inside a church, a hundred times the sound of Allah Posted: 13 Oct 2013 08:42 AM PDT Today, the Court of Appeals will make its ruling on the Home Ministry's appeal against the High Court's ruling that allowed the Catholic weekly publication, the Herald, to use the word, "Allah" in its Bahasa Malaysia section. Desmond Davidson, TMI Inside the spotless white walls of the All Saints' Church tucked in the largely Dayak village of Kampung Tabuan, the common voice of the faithful at morning mass throbbed the walls. In the Sunday service yesterday, the 400 or so said in one voice the word, Allah, no fewer than 100 times. It reverberated off the rafters in the church, which is literally going to raise its ceiling as the church builds a new roof. Whatever the High Court rules on the "Allah" issue today, churches in Sarawak like this one that conduct their services in the native languages have no plans to change the way they worship, with many saying that "Allah" will continue to be used in their prayers. At this church in Kampung Tabuan yesterday, which caters to the largely Iban villagers in the surrounding areas, the service was conducted in Iban. The liturgy alone – the booklet that sets out the fixed set of Eucharistic rites and words to be used in worship – contained no fewer than 80 of the words "Allah Taala", which means God Almighty in Iban. The word was also used in the hymns and in the sermon of Reverend Nelson Sinken. The secretary of the Parochial Council of Churches, Maxwell Landong, told The Malaysian Insider after the service, "Since I started going to church, the words Allah Taala have been used by the church to refer to God. It's our language and there are no other words I know that were used to refer to God." He added, "We have been using Allah in our liturgy, our Iban-language Bibles, publications, prayers and sermons for as long as I can remember. The Muslims in Sarawak have accepted that. So what is the fuss? Why now?" He pointed out that if the court ruled against the Catholic Church's use of the word, it would be difficult to enforce the ruling here. He said that on a personal basis he would still pray to Allah Taala and read Bibles that use the word Allah to refer to God "no matter what the court says". For his part, Reverend Sinken was sanguine on today's highly anticipated Court of Appeals decision on the dispute between Christians and certain Malaysian Muslim authorities over the use of the word. "I'm not worried," Reverend Sinken said. He did not offer prayers for divine intervention or speak on the subject in his sermon. Echoing the exact sentiments of Landong, Reverend Sinken said of the Christians, "We in Sarawak have been using the word Allah for years without problem. It's also our language. I'm sure the court will take all those into consideration." Like the majority of the churchgoers here yesterday, Dorothy Gregory is optimistic that the court will decide in the favour of "what is fair and just". There are many similar words in the Iban and Malay languages. For example, "hutan" (jungle) in Malay is "utan" in Iban. "Jalan" (walk) in Malay is "jalai" in Iban and "makan" (eat) in Malay is "makai" in Iban. When asked what could happen if the court ruled that Christians cannot use the word "Allah", both Landong and Reverend Sinken said it would be up to the Archbishop to determine what they should do next. Datuk Bolly Lapok is the Anglican Archbishop for Sarawak and Brunei.
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