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• Malaysian PM Najib meets Pope
• Jews trying to interfere, Malaysian newspaper warns
• No kidding, it is actually called the 'Ibrahim Ali Award'!
• Let RTM show Bersih crowd violence, Rais tells cops
• DAP downplays Pakatan split rumours
• ICs to foreigners: Ex CM asked to explain
• Arrested in hotel room for wearing Bersih t-shirts
• PAS: MCA, Gerakan approved nightspot ban in 1997
• Gerakan man tells Umno: Govern like PAS
• Firm loses appeal against Barisan
• Minister not sure when TBH RCI report will be released
• PSM petition campaign to secure release of EO6
• Bersih an opportunity for Jews to infiltrate country, says Utusan
• Kit Siang: Teoh’s ghost will linger after release of RCI report

Malaysian PM Najib meets Pope Posted: 18 Jul 2011 02:46 AM PDT (Channel News Asia) - Malaysia's Prime Minister Najib Razak's visit to the Vatican was planned before street protests rocked the Malaysian capital two weekends ago. The scheduled meeting with Pope Benedict XVI is essentially to establish diplomatic relations with the Vatican. Malaysia is among 16 countries in the world that have no diplomatic ties with the Roman Catholic church. Even Muslim countries like Indonesia, Iran, Iraq and Pakistan have existing diplomatic links with the Vatican. But this is not the first meeting between a Malaysia prime minister and the head of the Catholic church. In 2002, then Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad met Pope John Paul II in the aftermath of the September 11th attacks in the US, to talk about Muslim-Christian relations. Malaysia is seen as a voice of moderate Islam and Mr Najib want to build on the country's standing in promoting interfaith relations which remains a challenge both back home and abroad. Reverend Dr Thomas Philips, president of Malaysian Consultative Council of Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Sikhism and Taoism, said: "PM has always been championing the causes of moderate Islam. "This will definitely raise the status of Malaysia in the world that we are moderate and will engage with everybody'' His administration hopes the meeting with the pope will also send a clear signal that the government cares about Christians who form 10 per cent of Malaysia's population and help mend the strained relations with the Christian community especially following a series of incidents this past year - including the firebombing of churches. The attacks on places of worship were sparked by a high court decision allowing a Catholic weekly to use the word Allah to describe god in the Malay version of the bible. There was also unhappiness over the government's decision to limit the import of Malay version bibles, which the authorities worry will confuse the country's majority Muslim community into converting. Dr Thomas Philips said: "I don't think one visit is going to create an impact but the fact that he shows that he's willing to recognise and engage with the Christian leaders and to go to the extent of having diplomatic ties, it's a positive step." Fui Soong, CEO of Centre of Strategic Engagement, said: "I don't think a visit like this is going to be enough to say I am doing something about it. People want to see concrete actions.'' Many Christians are still waiting for a definitive answer from the court of appeal that the word Allah is not the exclusive use of the Muslim community.

Jews trying to interfere, Malaysian newspaper warns Posted: 18 Jul 2011 02:39 AM PDT Gov't backed newspaper: "The Jews will find ways to destroy our prosperity and well-being." (The Jerusalem Post) - The Malaysian government-backed newspaper said in an editorial that foreign Jewish groups will try to use a current push for reform to interfere in the country. "At a time when the drumbeats in the name of human rights are getting boisterous, it will give the best opportunity for pro-Jewish groups to interfere in any Muslim countries," the Utusan Malaysia daily said in aneditorial Monday. "Muslims and Malaysians should not allow any party, especially the Jews, to discreetly interfere in the country's administration." "The success and prosperity of Malaysia as a model Islamic nation has created jealousy to a certain country and this is made worse by Malaysia's firm stand in fighting against violence by the Jews in Palestine," the editorial continues. "The Jews will find ways to destroy our prosperity and well-being.  "We probably think that this is a misplaced concern, but we must not forget the fate of certain countries which have been victims of the hidden hands," it concludes. The editorial does not provide evidence of a Jewish plot. Malaysia has no diplomatic ties with Israel and supports the Palestinian cause. Some 20,000 people marched in the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur on July 9 demanding electoral reform.

No kidding, it is actually called the 'Ibrahim Ali Award'! Posted: 18 Jul 2011 02:34 AM PDT Five thousand ringgit: That is the amount Ibrahim Ali is offering. Any takers? (Harakah Daily) -  Heaven and earth may be closer than Ibrahim Ali and ivory tower, but that did not stop UiTM to name one of its awards after the Perkasa leader. While Ibrahim Ali's antics may evoke anger among a section of people, most Malaysians have come to terms with the staunchly pro-UMNO independent member of parliament's rhetoric, welcoming him as comic relief in a political environment that has been otherwise littered with vile and personal allegations. And his most recent antic notwithstanding - his weeks-long threat to hold a counter gathering to stop Bersih's rally on July 9, only to disappear during the peak of Bersih's massive rally which saw more than 1,600 arrests. For Pahang PAS commissioner who is also the Islamic party's information chief, the announcement of the award came as embarrasing though retaining all the humour that accompanies any news about the Pasir Mas MP. Understandably so, since Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man (left) was once attached to the same university as a lecturer. "Those leaders who strove hard to make UiTM well-known and respected would have been more deserving of awards being named after them. Tan Sri Arsyad Ayub, Tan Sri Ani Arope, Dato Ishak Mohamad, Dr Awang Had Salleh, and Tan Sri Ibrahim Abu Shah (former UiTM vice chancelor) will also be smiling to find out that there is an award named after Ibrahim Ali!" said Tuan Ibrahim in response to a report today. Earlier today, online news site Malaysiakini reported that UiTM's Institut Pemikiran dan Kepimpinan Melayu was offering the 'Ibrahim Ali Award' in the form of a cash prize sponsored by the Perkasa chief. Among the criteria sought by the award is that students must have "clear and consistent" principles in upholding their race. In addition, they must also help UiTM encourage students to join activities related to "upgrading the honour and reputation of the race". Tuan Ibrahim however predicted that the award would die a natural death. "It is unfortunate when an institute of higher learning does something without any background check on someone. Ibrahim Ali is not a person who is held in esteem by the people. "An award recipient should feel proud of the award. If an award only invites scorn that will later become a stigma on the recipient, I am sure such an award will fail," he added.

Let RTM show Bersih crowd violence, Rais tells cops Posted: 18 Jul 2011 12:01 AM PDT   By The Malaysian Insider BANTING, July 18 — Datuk Seri Rais Yatim today offered for Radio Televisyen Malaysia (RTM) to broadcast police recordings of unruly crowd behaviour captured during the July 9 Bersih rally. The information minister urged the police to hasten the showing of any such material to combat allegations of police brutality during their attempts to disperse the crowds attending the rally for electoral reforms. Earlier today, Deputy Inspector-General of Police Datuk Khalid Abu Bakar said six teams will be set up to probe alleged incidents of brutality and violence by the authorities during the Bersih rally. He also appealed to the public to submit video footage captured during the march as evidence that police used excessive force in dispersing protesters. Police previously another formed three teams to investigate the death of protester Baharuddin Ahmad, whom authorities said died of a heart attack, and claims that police fired tear gas and water cannon into Tung Shin Hospital that day. Today, Rais also said the public should not criticise the police for not being genial in the execution of their duties "If they're like that, the public will not be afraid of them... We don't want the police to be always smiling or being too polite until the people question their ability to protect the country," the minister was quoted in a Bernama Online report today.   READ MORE HERE.

DAP downplays Pakatan split rumours Posted: 17 Jul 2011 06:59 PM PDT   By Clara Chooi, The Malaysian Insider KUALA LUMPUR, July 18 — DAP advisor Lim Kit Siang today shrugged off talk that his party may split from Pakatan Rakyat (PR) due to recurring conflicts with PAS, saying the idea had "not seriously occurred" to party leaders. The senior politician also rejected the notion that PAS had kowtowed to DAP when the former revoked the Kedah entertainment outlet ban yesterday, insisting instead that the state government had shown tolerance and their willingness to resolve conflicts through consultation. "The issue has shown the preparedness of the Pakatan Rakyat leadership to discuss and resolve problems, a glaring contrast with Umno," he told The Malaysian Insider today. "The misunderstanding is really about the enactment in 1997 passed by Barisan Nasional (BN). That enactment affects the rights and sensitivities of the non-Muslims but now it has been rectified." Lim acknowledged, however, that the issue had irked many members from PAS and DAP but stressed that the problem had been resolved amicably through a win-win solution for both parties. The Kedah state government raised eyebrows recently when it said it would enforce the Entertainment and Entertainment Outlets Enactment 1997, which prohibits 13 types of entertainment outlets from operating during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. DAP leaders, including Lim, had spoken out against the ban, saying it infringed on the rights of non-Muslims and would be bad for business. Despite this, an aide close to the Kedah mentri besar said the ban would remain.   READ MORE HERE.

ICs to foreigners: Ex CM asked to explain Posted: 17 Jul 2011 06:45 PM PDT   By Queville To, FMT KOTA KINABALU: The blame game for the massive illegal immigrants in Sabah is now at the feet of former chief minister Harris Salleh. Earlier Harris had questioned a federal minister from Sabah for blaming the National Registration Department (NRD) for the illegal immigrants. Anti-illegal immigrant activist Dr Chong Eng Leong has called the former chief minister to clarify his alleged involvement in the infamous 'Project IC' issue. Chong said Harris had made several statements in the past where illegal immigrants were purportedly granted citizenship to prevent the dominance of the state by a largely Christian population. Chong said Harris had told writer Paul Raffaele in his book 'Harris Salleh of Sabah' that the federal government had the power to do what it liked in the state. Raffaele had quoted Harris as telling him: "… The federal government can register any of the refugees in three hours, three days, three months or three years. "There is no law stating the time and if the federal government wanted to alter forever the voting patterns of Sabah then it can do so it as easily as signing the papers…" This comment appeared in the last sentence of paragraph 6 on page 425 of the book, said Chong who wants Harris to clarify what he meant. United Pasokmomogun Kadazandusun Murut Organisation (Upko) secretary general Wilfred Madius Tangau, a former MP, meanwhile recalled Harris's strong objection to the calls by politicians from both sides of the political divide for the establishment a Royal Commission of Inquiry on the alleged Project IC. He said this could be because Harris was afraid of being called as a witness should the federal government decide to proceed with it. NRD must respond Chong also said that Harris was implicated in the controversy by former ISA (Internal Security Act) detainee Hassnar Ibrahim who wrote in a letter which was reproduced in the book 'IC Projek – Agenda Tersembunyi Mahathir?' by MD Mutalib that Harris was also involved in the exercise. In his letter, Hassnar described how Harris was involved in the issuance of blue ICs to foreigners and the purpose of the exercise. Also mentioned in this letter were many names of top civil servants involved. "I did lodge a police report in October 2006 urging the authorities to investigate by interviewing those people mentioned in the letter but until today there is no reply from the police. I wonder if Tan Sri Harris has read this book," said Chong in a statement issued here today. He further noted that Hassnar was one of his witnesses in the Likas election petition 1999 trial against Sabah Progressive Party president Yong Teck Lee and the Election Commission. "Hassnar testified under oath describing how he was involved in this fraudulent act of issuing blue ICs to foreigners in Sabah and how eventually he was arrested under ISA for it. He named names who were involved, including Tan Sri Harris.   READ MORE HERE.

Arrested in hotel room for wearing Bersih t-shirts Posted: 17 Jul 2011 04:03 PM PDT By G Vinod,  FMT KUALA LUMPUR: In a blatant invasion of privacy, the police arrested four people on holiday in Cameron Highlands by entering their hotel room at 1am on Sunday. The reason for the arrest: they were wearing Bersih t-shirts inside their hotel room. Those arrested were Seputeh MP's Teresa Kok's aide Teh Hoong Keat, 25; Lan Suet Ling, 23; Chin Kah Wai, 25; and a mutual acquaintance who requested anonymity. But the baffling part is that while they were held at the police station for three hours, no statements were taken, and their Bersih t-shirts were given back to them and told "to wear it as we please". Teh told a press conference today that the police arrested him and the three others when they were in their room at Cool Point Hotel in Cameron Highlands. Relating his ordeal, Teh, who was flanked by Lan and Chin said about 15 plainclothes policemen arrived and knocked on their hotel room at about 1am on Sunday after being tipped off by the hotel management that they were in possession of the Bersih T-shirts. "They just entered the room when I opened the door. One officer identified himself as chief inspector Basar Safar and said we needed to follow him to the police station for being in possession of banned material," said Teh. However, Teh said Basar refused to inform them whether they were under arrest. "One female officer then took our MyKads to note our details but refused to return it. She told us they will only be returned if we followed them to the police station," added Teh. Left with no choice, the four changed to a casual clothing and handed over their Bersih t-shirts to the police before following them. However, Teh said the police merely left them to sit on a couch for about three hours before releasing them. "At about 3am, another officer took our personal details again and told us that we can go back," said Teh. Unhappy with the episode, Teh accused the police of being unjust for invading their private space. OCPD must say sorry   READ MORE HERE.

PAS: MCA, Gerakan approved nightspot ban in 1997 Posted: 17 Jul 2011 03:47 PM PDT (The Malaysian Insider) - PAS today called MCA and Gerakan hypocrites for criticising the Kedah ban on entertainment outlets, pointing out that the two parties had approved the law when it was passed during the rule of the Barisan Nasional (BN) in the state. "It was this group that supported the enactment in 1997 when it was debated before," PAS information chief Datuk Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man said in a statement carried on PAS website Harakah Daily this morning. "Suddenly, they want to become heroes supposedly because they want to protect the rights of the non-Muslims." Tuan Ibrahim, who is PAS Pahang commissioner, also countered accusations that the state's decision yesterday to revoke the ban was due to the Islamist party's subservience to DAP and dared all BN-controlled states to impose the same restrictions. Instead, Tuan Ibrahim said it was a smart move because operators had now agreed to help the state government ensure that Muslims would not patronise their outlets and were prepared to be reprimanded if they violated the enactment. "This is a new chapter because the Kedah government, under PAS's leadership, has successfully enforced an enactment that benefits the Muslims in the state, something which Umno never achieved despite its long rule," he said. Tuan Ibrahim also claimed that Kedah Muslims knew of BN's failure in this respect, saying the federal ruling pact had never made any effort to create a conducive environment in the state for the Ramadan month. READ MORE HERE

Gerakan man tells Umno: Govern like PAS Posted: 17 Jul 2011 03:38 PM PDT The Islamic party can teach Putrajaya a thing or two about good governance, says Baljit Singh. (Free Malaysia Today) - A Gerakan leader today praised the Kedah government for cancelling its blanket ban on entertainment during Ramadan. It shows that PAS, unlike the Umno-led Barisan Nasional government, respects public opinion, according to Baljit Singh, who heads Penang Gerakan's Legal and Human Rights Bureau. The PAS-led Kedah administration yesterday revoked a decision to shut bars, discos and other entertainment outlets during the Muslim fasting month, just days after announcing it and provoking a public uproar. Operators are now required merely to turn away Muslim customers. Baljit said PAS, in its willingness to accept positive public feedback, had shown an aptitude for good governance. "I have to praise PAS for listening to the people and accepting views that the blanket ban was a bad move," Baljit said. "The Umno-dominated federal government should be emulating such an example. It should learn from PAS to improve its governance." Instead, he said, Umno had shown arrogance in the face of criticism, as reflected in its refusal to repeal draconian laws and answer the call for reforms in the election system. "Umno seems never to listen to public opinion. If only it would heed the public, we would have a better and more popular federal government." READ MORE HERE

Firm loses appeal against Barisan Posted: 17 Jul 2011 03:04 PM PDT By Lisa Goh, The Star KUALA LUMPUR: Merchandise supplier Elegant Advisory Sdn Bhd received another setback Monday in its RM218mil suit against Barisan Nasional over non-payment for the supply of election paraphernalia for the 2004 general election. The High Court here has dismissed its appeal against an earlier High Court decision (by a senior assistant registrar) in favour of Barisan. Justice Mohamad Ariff Md Yusof made his ruling after meeting with counsel for parties in chambers Monday. Speaking to reporters, counsel for Elegant Advisory Mohd Nazruddin Abdullah said the court made the ruling after finding that the plaintiff had failed to serve the writ to the defendants properly. Counsel for Barisan Datuk Hafarizam Harun, said following the ruling, he would be filing an application soon to have the suit struck out. In its suit filed on Feb 17 this year, Elegant Advisory said it was involved in supplying election merchandise, transportation and publications, and had supplied Barisan with the items for the 11th general election in 2004. Barisan treasurer-general Datuk Seri Ahmad Husni Mohamed Hanadzlah, Barisan secretary-general Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor and the Barisan public officer were named as defendants in the suit. The plaintiff claimed that it had sent invoices for over RM218mil and that the defendant had failed to pay up. On March 7, the plaintiff obtained a judgment-in-default against the defendants. On March 24, the defendants filed an appeal to set aside the judgment-in-default, which was granted by a senior assistant registrar on June 23. The High Court Monday also fixed July 21 for mention of the case.

Minister not sure when TBH RCI report will be released Posted: 17 Jul 2011 02:41 PM PDT   By Melissa Chi, The Malaysian Insider KUALA LUMPUR, July 18 — Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz said today he was not sure when the Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) report into the death of Teoh Beng Hock would be made public. "You have to check with KSN's office because on the implementation of our decision, it is the secretariat of the Cabinet, you have to ask the chief secretary when, I wouldn't know," he told reporters after officiating the Commonwealth Magistrates' and Judges' Conference 2011 here at the Royale Chulan Hotel. He was referring to possible publication issues. Nazri said he had on July 6 submitted the report to the Cabinet and it had unanimously agreed to make the report public. He said the government had no reason to keep the 124-page report under wraps, as the RCI was set up under public pressure. Teoh, 30, the political aide to Selangor executive councillor Ean Yong Hian Wah, was found dead on July 16, 2009, after giving his statement to the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC).   READ MORE HERE.

PSM petition campaign to secure release of EO6 Posted: 17 Jul 2011 02:13 PM PDT By Athi SHankar, FMT GEORGE TOWN: A group of Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) local leaders, members and supporters held an hour long petition campaign here on Sunday evening to secure the release of its six activists from the Emergency (Public Order and Prevention of Crime) Ordinance (EO) 1969. Led by PSM's central committee member and Bayan Baru branch secretary Soh Sock Hwa, the group held public talks, a signature campaign and a brief candlelight vigil at the Esplanade Speaker's Square from 6.30pm. They also held up a banner calling on the government to release the six and distributed leaflets on PSM statements on the EO detention. The petition campaign was a coordinated effort of Soh's branch and Penang chapter of human rights NGO, Suara Rakyat Malaysia (Suaram). It was part of PSM nationwide campaign to garner public support to secure the release of the six, including Sungai Siput Member of Parliament Dr D Micheal Jeyakumar. Jeyakumar is the first MP to be detained for 60 days without trial under EO. The other five are party national deputy chairman M Saraswathy, CC members Choo Chon Kai and M Sugumaran, Sungai Siput branch secretary A Letchumanan and national Youth chief R Sarathbabu. They are aged between 56 and 26. At the campaign, Soh, Suaram local coordinator Ong Jing Cheng and Jeyakumar's sister Prema explained to some 50 people that the detention of the six was unjust, unfair and against the rule of law. They called on the public to support the petition campaign to secure their release. They explained that the six were made scapegoats in the Barisan Nasional federal government anti-Bersih drive. Soh, 29, alleged that the Umno-led Putrajaya administration intended to scare off Malaysians from Bersih 2.0 rally last July 9 by detaining the six under the EO. "EO is to hoodwink the people. The authorities dare not admit ISA detention," claimed Soh. She was among the 30 PSM leaders and members detained on Saturday evening June 25 at the Sungai Dua toll plaza in the North-South Expressway. She was charged together with 22 others in Butterworth Sessions Court on July 4 with allegedly being in possession of 600 photocopies of Bersih pamphlets and subversive documents. The charges were under Societies Act and Internal Security Act.   READ MORE HERE.

Bersih an opportunity for Jews to infiltrate country, says Utusan Posted: 17 Jul 2011 02:06 PM PDT   By Shannon Teoh, The Malaysian Insider KUALA LUMPUR, July 18 — Utusan Malaysia said today that street demonstrations could open the door to Jews and Israel to interfere in  the country's affairs. The Umno-owned newspaper specifically named Bersih as such an example after citing former police chief Tan Sri Rahim Noor's assertion that there were parties who wanted any country that was against Jews and Israel to be toppled. "When the drums in the name of basic human rights becomes louder, it gives an opportunity to pro-Jewish groups to interfere in any Muslim country," Utusan said in an editorial today. "We may not be aware that supporting an action, including demonstrations, can trap us in the mission of foreign parties who are trying to control the country. The same with the illegal Bersih gathering, it is not free from getting foreign aid where thousands of ringgit was channelled into their account." The Malay daily also added that "we have seen a political leader who is said to be close to Jewish leaders and NGOs. Due to political ambitions, Islam and Malays can be sold out," it said, repeating allegations it has made in the past against opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, whose Pakatan Rakyat (PR) were firm backers of Bersih. Utusan Malaysia has also painted Bersih chairman Datuk Ambiga Sreenivasan as anti-Islam and previously alleged that Bersih was funded by Christian groups such as the Konrad Adenauer Foundation from Germany and the Canadian Allied Foundation. It added today that "Muslims and Malaysians should not allow any party especially Jews from interfering in the affairs of this country". Its news editor, Zulkiflee Bakar, also wrote in a separate commentary that swift action should be taken against the Bersih chief, as "we want to know the truth behind the allegations that Ambiga has received foreign funds to organise the illegal demonstration".   READ MORE HERE.

Kit Siang: Teoh’s ghost will linger after release of RCI report Posted: 17 Jul 2011 02:01 PM PDT By Clara Chooi, The Malaysian Insider KUALA LUMPUR, July 18 — DAP's Lim Kit Siang today lauded the  Cabinet's decision to make public the Royal Commission of Inquiry's (RCI) findings on Teoh Beng Hock's death but warned that its release might not lay the two-year controversy to rest. The senior politician reminded the government that it was still yet to be determined if the RCI had successfully unearthed the mysterious circumstances that led to Teoh's fatal fall in 2009. "We do not know if the RCI was able to get to that depth, to the root of the matter . . . to determine the details behind Teoh's death and whether it is acceptable. We will still need to study it," he told The Malaysian Insider. On the announcement by Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Aziz that the report would be made public, Lim said that while this was a positive development, the report should have been released simultaneously to the public when it was presented to Yang di-Pertuan Agong Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin last month. "If this (announcement) is true, it is a positive step," he said. "There is no justification for withholding the report from the public. "But they should have a practice whereby arrangements are made when RCI reports are presented to the Agong, they are also released simultaneously to the public." Lim, along with numerous opposition leaders, has been pressuring the Cabinet to release the report by the RCI, which was tasked to unravel the mysterious circumstances behind Teoh's death and to look into the investigation methods of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC). "This is for the principles of accountability and good governance," said Lim. "It is the people's right to know what belongs to them. "This delay, it reflects the efficiency and competency of the government . . . after more than three weeks, the matter is still shrouded in uncertainty." Federal Court Judge Tan Sri James Foong, who headed the five-man panel on the RCI, presented the 124-page report to the King on June 22. The report documents the proceedings of the inquiry, including testimonies from 70 witnesses and recommendations to the MACC. The Star newspaper today quoted Nazri, a minister in the Prime Minister's Department, as saying that he presented the report to the Cabinet on July 6 and it had decided to release it to the public. READ MORE HERE

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Malaysia in the Era of Globalization #73 Posted: 17 Jul 2011 09:39 AM PDT M. Bakri Musa Islam is fortunate in that right from the very beginning it has a tradition of revival and reform. Chapter 9: Islam in Malay Life Reform in Islam Islam is fortunate in that right from the very beginning it has a tradition of revival and reform. A tradition of the prophet has it that Allah will send every so often unto each ummah those who will renew the faith. Implicit in this hadith is the recognition of a community's dynamism. The great Muslim reformists of the 19th and early 20th Centuries were handicapped because their native lands were under Western colonization. Many were necessarily consumed with the battle to free themselves from colonialism and by association, Western influences. They understandably regarded the West as an enemy of Islam. Nonetheless despite such burdens, reformists like Muhammad Abduh of Egypt and Pakistan's Muhammad Iqbal were able to forge a new understanding and insight into Islam. While many reformists of his time were consumed with the futile effort of trying to bring Islam back to its glorious past, Iqbal was forward looking. He rightly distinguished between the eternal and immutable principles of the Quran on the one hand, and those laws, regulations, and practices that were the products of human interpretation. While he rightly acknowledged the great contributions of earlier scholars and ulama, Iqbal reemphasized the necessity for present-day Muslims to use their God-given akal (intellect) to forge new meanings and interpretations to serve modern society. He was rightly contemptuous of the fiction of the "closing of the gate of ijtihad" (rational discourse)" of the 11th Century, and with it the arrogant presumption that everything had been decided and that no fresh insight or thinking was warranted. All that was needed was for the faithful to follow what had been established. That particular hubris resulted in the subsequent stagnation of Islam. Like many contemporary reformists, Iqbal believed that Muslims must once again emulate our earlier brethrens and reassert our right to ijtihad, that is, to reinterpret and reapply Islam to changing social conditions. More significantly, this right belongs to all Muslims and not just the ulama. He felt strongly that the views of individual members of the ummah must be heard and that the mechanism for this can be achieved through a variety of mechanisms. To him, modern participatory democracy is indeed an idealized form of the Muslim concept of mesyuarah (consultation). This is his take on the Westminster model of democracy: "It is…the spirit of the British Empire that makes it the greatest Muhamadan Empire of the World." Iqbal was the product of the great universities of the West (Cambridge and Munich) and the beneficiary of the finest tradition of liberal education. Having seen the best of the West – its dynamism, unrivalled intellectual fervors, and powerful technology – he was not nearly so dismissive of Western achievements. Iqbal was very unlike those ulama who had never ventured beyond their villages and whose intellectual horizons rarely extended beyond the worn-out pages of ancient religious texts. Although Iqbal was very much aware of the excesses and weaknesses of the Western tradition as exemplified by its legacy of colonialism, exploitative capitalism, and rampant secularism, nonetheless he viewed such central Western values as the equality of man, and the rights and dignity of the individual as very much the ideals of Islam also. While traditional ulama may contemptuously dismiss Iqbal because of his Western training, they cannot easily reject Muhammad Abduh. He was after all, one of them, having served as the Grand Mufti of Egypt. He rejected the orthodox notion that constrained Muslims to a literal reading of the Qur'an and sunnah. Clearly he felt that Muslims were mistaken in rejecting the ideas of the West simply because they originated with non-Muslims. Later 20th Century reformists carry on the Iqbalian tradition. Unlike Iqbal, they were not burdened by having to live under colonial rule or foreign domination. Indeed many benefited from the West in terms of their education and freedom. I will mention two in particular. One is Sudanese Mahmoud Taha. He excelled under the British as an engineering student at the rigorous Gordon College (the precursor of the University of Khartoum) and had a thriving private practice before turning to politics, occasioned by the turn to extreme fundamentalism of the Sudanese military government. He feared that the government's headlong rush to implement Shari'a would severely disadvantage and disenfranchise the significant Christian population. Unchecked this would only lead to a destructive civil war. His observation was particularly prescient. He was not against Shari'a, rather the form in which it was to be implemented. There were too many provisions that were simply inconsistent with modern and widely accepted concepts of justice and simple fairness. He founded the Republican Brotherhood, a movement whose objective was to reform the Shari'a to meet the demands of a modern pluralistic populace. Sadly the military rulers interpreted that to be apostasy, a capital crime under Shari'a. Taha was executed in January 1985. In a turn of events that could only be interpreted as divine intervention (or perhaps simple justice), those same military leaders were later killed in yet another military coup. The Sudanese Supreme Court in reviewing the appeal brought by Taha's daughter, reversed the earlier decision and excoriated those who participated in the sham trial. It was of course too late for Taha. Mahmoud Taha's enlightened views are now widely accepted by the Sudanese and others. Equally significant, his many disciples, in particular Abdullahi An-Na'im, are carrying forward his torch. Na'im is uniquely positioned to spread that message from his vantage point as a professor at a leading American university. With the vast resources afforded by Emory University, An-Naim is able to effectively propagate Taha's ideas to the wider world. An-Naim's translation of Taha's seminal work, The Second Message of Islam, and An-Naim's own tome, Toward an Islamic Reformation, represent some of the most original and enlightened interpretations of Islam and the Shari'a. Taha's basic thesis is that we should, like earlier Muslims, go back to the Qur'an and divine its immutable and eternal theme, and then reformulate a new set of laws to meet the needs of contemporary societies. Just as the ancient Muslims were able to reconcile the apparent inconsistencies and contradictions in the interpretations of the various passages of the Qur'an and successfully formulated a remarkable set of laws, so too should modern Muslims do likewise. While ancient Muslims out of necessity emphasized the later passages of the Qur'an that was revealed to the prophet while he was attempting to build the first viable Muslim community at Medinah, present-day Muslims having successfully established our community, must now go back to the Qur'an and ponder its earlier messages, the Meccan verses, that address the idealistic and universal values of Islam. Early Muslims introduced the concept of naskh (abrogation), to justify their emphasizing certain Qur'anic passages over others. Volumes have been written on this topic, with some denying entirely the very concept. Nonetheless the reality remains; that is, the Shari'a relies on certain passages of the Qur'an while de-emphasizing or simply ignoring others. Thus it justifies capital punishment for apostasy by referring to the Medina verses while ignoring the Meccan passages that encourage Muslims to lead a life of peaceful coexistence with non-believers, and that there be no compulsion in religion. As Muslims accept the Quran to be infallible and consistent, perceived differences must therefore be just that – a matter of perception. Thus instead of analyzing to death particular Quranic verses to support one's viewpoints – the atomistic approach – present-day Muslims should instead emphasize the totality of the message. In the words of the late Fazlur Rahman of the University of Chicago, we should deduce from the particularities of the Qur'an its underlying unifying principles, and then apply those same principles to specific present-day situations. Obviously modern society differs from those of the prophet's time, but the moral principles and imperatives remain the same. Next: Confusing Examples For Principles

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• Many Will Drop Out But Many More Still Will Join
• Open Letter to His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI
• PAS is Trying Hard
• The Influence of US Funds for NGOs on Malaysian Politics.
• A Letter to Heaven
• Stop It, BN!

Many Will Drop Out But Many More Still Will Join Posted: 17 Jul 2011 03:48 PM PDT By batsman  Although RPK has a somewhat cynical opinion of politicians, not all politicians are cads or opportunists. The political struggle is a complex one and people need to understand some basics. I like to compare it to a journey. When people go for a tour, there is a very great likelihood that somehow quarrels, dissatisfaction and unhappiness will surface, especially if the tour consists of strangers from all sorts of backgrounds and needs. If the journey is a long one or an expedition, even more complex episodes and stories will occur and people will drop out from exhaustion, desertion, splits and quarrels, differences in timetables, resources and commitments and so on. Not all will complete the expedition from start to end. However, most journeys or expeditions still give good results. A political struggle is somewhat the same.  I like to classify people into 5 categories for convenience in describing the political journey.  The first category are the non-starters. They are the silly, the unconcerned, the apathetic, the overly busy, the disinterested, the cynical, the uninformed, the ignorant, the marginalized, the contented, the antagonists and the otherwise occupied, the lost and those without hope. These will only join the bandwagon when some sort of tragedy or earth shaking event knocks on their door.  The next group are the crooked, the greedy, the corrupt and the opportunistic. They will also drop off quickly depending on their appetite or ambition. Most will turn into frogs very early on (the minute there is some temporary success) although some crooks can cling on to the bandwagon for quite a long length of time depending on how great their ambition is.  The 3rd group are the weak, the weak-minded, the demoralized, the tired, the small minded, the small hearted, the revengeful, the manipulated, the tricked, the seduced, the satisfied and the self-interested. Most of these people get what they want from whatever small improvements that are achieved whether it is more attention, less suppression, too much pressure, enough goodies thrown their way or a big promotion and they drop out or split.  The 4th group are the true nationalists and professionals. They are fed up of seeing the country racked by corruption, petty racial and religious quarrels and yearn for a truly united and successful country working as one. If they succeed, these are the people who will form the backbone of the new government and the new order, but they will not go further than working to see the country being competitive, successful and progressing fast, not pulled back by internal quarrels. Most of the strongest people in the PR will be from this group. Further when people see hope that corruption and abuse can be successfully fought, many more will join the fight. The tide will be turned. Those who were non-starters or who had no hope before will be eager to join the fight against prejudice, abuse and corruption.  The last group are the idealists. They are the ones who will push to go the farthest. They have a vision for the country that goes beyond being competitive, successful, progressing fast and not pulled back by petty internal squabbles. Most of such ideals will be of a spiritual, cultural or social nature. They see it as pointless to be rich and successful but without a soul or to be surrounded by unhappiness. These people will shrink from spiritual and cultural corruption of society especially those imported from what they see as the decadence and sinfulness of the west or inherited from medieval times. Most of these people will be from PAS but will also include other types of idealists including who have no religious backgrounds as well. Some claim that DAP socialists can be included in this category, but I personally doubt very much that DAP socialists are such idealists. I may be wrong.  The problem with these idealists are that they may actually drop out early in the beginning of the journey especially if they lack patience, when their idealism overrides their judgment, or if their understanding of the struggle is weak. Such people will push for the satisfaction of their ideals even before all the previous stages are achieved – even before the biggest obstacle of all to getting rid of corruption is still entrenched as absolute power in government, wielding all the power it needs to practice corruption and stamp out idealism.  There are some major problems to achieving idealistic goals, whether religious, cultural or social. The understanding that idealistic goals cannot be achieved by force is badly needed. Once force is employed, idealism goes out the window. Without a good understanding and full appreciation of the difficulty, the subtlety and problems involved, there will be an underestimation of the strength and patience needed for the struggle and short cuts will be attempted. Idealism can only be achieved by respect, consensus, consultation and agreement. It cannot be achieved by trying to force beliefs and practices on lost people who lack ideals, but by example and successful projects and programmes starting with small but convincing projects and exercises. If there are no successful practical models to convince people, it is pointless to force non-believers or beginners to achieve idealistic goals.  However, even nationalistic governments will not tolerate things like fraud, prostitution and drug abuse. As members of government concerned not only about monetary corruption but corruption of the spirit, culture and society, idealists have the right to demand a minimum of decency in the social environment. Such a minimum is open to interpretation and will have to be negotiated with others of different faiths, culture or ideals on a progressive basis – as an when the situation improves, a new level of decency may be aimed for.  Idealism is the most difficult and takes the longest to achieve because it involves changing people, their habits, their values and beliefs. Short cuts are appealing but dangerous and apt to backfire. As it stands, people have to be properly briefed, properly motivated and properly informed to get even the most simple agreements, but that is the nature of idealism. If it were not difficult to achieve, it would not be a worthwhile ideal. Not only that, successful real life achievements speak volumes for themselves.  With this, many who call themselves idealists will also drop out along the way, but many more others still will join up because every new level of decency achieved will serve as encouragement for a multitude. Those who drop out however will turn into impatient cynics skilled in using the language and arguments of idealism but actually practicing short cuts and employing force to get what they want. The struggle will be complex and difficult, but there is little choice in the matter as the present abuse, sin and corruption is beyond the tolerance of even the most patient decent person and there will be no improvements at all without struggle against evil. Once the tide is turned, evil will be on the run.

Open Letter to His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI Posted: 17 Jul 2011 01:47 PM PDT   By Martin Jalleh   Dear Holy Father,   I am a Catholic, writing from my blessed and beloved country, Malaysia, a land of poignant diversity, pitiful contradictions, pathetic leadership and plentiful opportunity. It is a nation which I am proud of, one where anything and everything is possible – from the most virtuous to the most vile and venal.  Very soon our Prime Minister (PM) Najib Tun Razak will be paying you an official visit at your summer residence Castel Gandolfo. He will no doubt put on a "grand show" in Ganddolfo, in spite of having suffered from "heat stroke" after a recent summer of discontent in Malaysia.   The Star, an established (i.e., one dictated by the establishment) newspaper has described the scheduled visit as one "making waves among Roman Catholics" in Malaysia. Strangely the only "wave" still etched in the minds of many Catholics is a "political tsunami" that took place in 2008.   The visit which The Star claims is "bound to make an impression especially on Catholics" was not even mentioned at Sunday Mass in Catholic churches. Further many Catholics currently wave off the PM as one who is leading the nation into abysmal political backwaters.   Catholics who are against the visit, fail to understand that as a spiritual leader, your doors are open to any leader – be he honourable or hypocritical, saint or sinner, righteous or rogue and towering statesman or tyrant, though they know for sure which category their PM belongs in!   It seems this 'watershed' event will lead to the establishment of diplomatic relations between the Holy See and Malaysia. Still, many Catholics fail to see the difference such diplomatic ties would make on their daily lives. Will closer ties mean better times to exercise their religious rights, or will there be bolder lies?   The Star also sensationally exclaims: "There cannot be a better opportunity, and at a more appropriate juncture, for the Malaysian leader to highlight the country as one that embodies the principles of inter-religious harmony and respectful co-existence."   Ask anyone who does not read the mainstream press and they will tell you, Holy Father, that since Najib became the PM, Malaysia has been slowly but surely imploding as a result of unprecedented racial and religious insensitivities and intolerance brought about by Muslim zealots and bigots.   In the past, Malaysia had so often been touted as a melting pot of all races and religions in Asia. It has now become a boiling pot! We were once a model, a showcase of a multi-racial-religious society. Now the Government has to put on a big show though the reality that we are so divided is showing!   The truth be told, inter-religious harmony is a myth in this country. Sincere attempts at inter-religious dialogue with Muslims and earnest intellectual discussions and discourses have often been derailed by a mob adept only at displaying their ignorance and irrational arguments to justify their intimidating behavior.   Myth & Mockery of Moderation   The Star also quotes a senior Malaysian diplomatic official involved in the behind-the-scenes work with the Vatican as saying: "The Vatican has also been wanting to engage with Malaysia which it recognises as a moderate Muslim nation made up of various ethnic groups.''   Joceline Tan, a senior journalist of The Star at her jocular best even "canonises" the PM as such: "There is no doubt the Western world has begun to take note of Najib as a Muslim leader of reason and moderation and the visit will certainly reinforce that."   If Najib was indeed "moderate" we would not have had to contend with controversial race and religious issues which are too many to list down here. Najib's heavy-handed response to the recently held Walk for Democarcy (to institutionalize clean and fair elections) made Malaysia look like a moderate Police State!   Such is the "moderation" of Najib that Christians to date cannot use the word "Allah" though a High Court in 2009 had affirmed it as a constitutional right.  Surely the shocked and speechless Preacher to thePapal Household, Fr Raniero Cantalamessa, who visited East Malaysia in 2010 can fill you in on the details!   The PM's political party, the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) has been politicising religion for its survival by creating unfounded fears and insecurities, sowing seeds of suspicion (and definitely not of "reason") amongst Muslims, and deepening their distrust for the adherents of other religions.   Malays/Muslims are made to feel that they are always under siege and non-Muslims are their enemies!Yet, as the Muslims are constantly reminded, Malay/Muslim rights have been carved into and guaranteed clearly by the Federal Constitution. The only party that they have to fear most is the Umno elite and warlords!   Imaginary threats and bogeymen have been created by Umno and its cohorts, such as the Christians being hell-bent on confusing and converting every Muslim and the latest being an unsubstantiated allegation of a Christian conspiracy to replace Islam as the official religion, and to pave the way for a Christian PM!   At times the paranoia created has reached such a ridiculous level that the enlightened Muslim community have expressed their embarrassment and even disgus. Marina Mahathir, a truly moderate Muslim lady once highlighted the existence of a group of defenders of the Islamic faith whom she called the SS (the shallow and superficial).   They are people "who have nothing better to do with their lives than look for monsters under their beds, enemies in their blankets or crosses in their buns (and) ice-cream biscuits". She also wrote about "the Simple-Minded and Stupid (SMS)…who believe every little message that comes into their hot little phones, no matter how unlikely".   There are also the "Korrupt Kombative Knuckleheads (KKK) who "will do things like throw firecrackers into churchyards, destroy temples and raid married people's bedrooms".  She pointed at "the supreme irony of trumpeting our religious superiority while at the same time claiming that it only takes biscuits to destroy us".   Meanwhile Najib's Government through its religious departments and the Home Ministry in particular, dominates, dictates, decides, determines and even defines what non-Muslims can and cannot discuss, deliberate on, display in print, and do. Talk about moderation!   In 2008, the then Home Minister, when issuing a show-cause letter and several warning letters to The Herald (the Catholic newspaper in Peninsula Malaysia) made it his implicit prerogative and position to preach to and pontificate on what Catholics should and should not believe in!   Umno-owned papers, especially the Utusan Malaysia are allowed to go on a spree of spinning falsehood, spouting lies, spewing seditious articles and spreading what the Minister in the PM Department called "outdated racist propaganda" with impunity and immunity provided by the Home Minister.   In June this year, the Utusan Malaysia claimed that millions of ringgit were being funneled from some 11 foreign Christian organisations to fund the Walk for Democracy . The organisers denied any links to Christian funding, saying instead that funds for the march came from local sources.   Bishop Paul Tan of the Melacca-Johor diocese who is concurrently president of the Catholic Bishops Conference of Malaysia, said the Malay daily "appears to have a licence to publish unsubstantiated and wild allegations aimed at fomenting discord between Christians and Muslims in Malaysia."   "It appears the authorities are more interested in checking and monitoring people engaged in legitimate expression of their rights than in stopping people who spread all sorts of calumnies against individuals and groups in this country," he added.   Honour or Hypocrisy?   The religious freedom of Christians and other faiths tragically rests on the PM's political expediency and circumstantial goodwill conveyed during crisis moments in cordial, congenial and courteous close-door meetings together with a chosen few – and not on the constitutional guarantees of religious freedom!   Muslim extremists or fanatics who have been found guilty of sedition, criminal intimidation and sacrilegious acts either go scot-free or are given  light and ludicrous court sentences which make the Attorney-General's Chambers, the judiciary and the government laughable, and reduce Najib's "moderate" resolve to check extremism to mere lip service.   Fanatics, extremists, or what the Minister in the PM Department calls "clowns" are given a free hand in taunting and threatening Christians and other faiths with a bloodbath and a holy war (jihad) whilst the landscape is littered with an increasing number of "Little Mullah Napoleons" running riot with their own brand of religion.   What gives extremist Malay/Muslim groups the audacity to display their insolence with impunity? The moderate PM is their inspiration! During the 61st Umno Annual General Assembly, Najib moderatelyvowed to defend Umno's five-decade stranglehold on the federal government even if it meant "crushed bodies", "lost lives" and "ethnic cleansing"!   After being PM for almost three years, Najib has failed to fight the fires of racial and religious fanaticism, aggressively fanned by his own party. He takes flight and hides behind his 1Malaysia slogan - a faltering façade, farce and flop which makes him look so utterly foolish! Now we have another slogan – "moderation"!   According to Najib's Umno, the Malay/Muslim majority in this country must stamp their superiority over the rest, made all the more easier by Executive Supremacy! Yet this very party that harps on supremacy (be it race or religion), claims that Muslims here can be very easily confused, convinced, controlled and converted!   Perhaps the saddest outcome of today's "moderate Malaysia" is that we have accepted the distinction between "Muslim and non-Muslim dominated areas". Yet, there was a time when the citizens of diverse races and religions so successfully lived together side by side in mutual respect and admiration!   Tengku Razaleigh a veteran in Umno once with dead honesty declared that ours is a "sham democracy…one which existed only in name but grievously compromised in substance, reality and fact"!  According to the politician and prince, Malaysia has "a domineering style of leadership with the cult of the great leader". How can there be moderation?   I hope that you will remind our PM of your wise warning in 2009 when speaking at the King Hussein bin Talal mosque in Amman, that the "manipulation of religion sometimes for political ends…is the real catalyst for tension and division and at times even violence in society…"   I pray, Holy Father, that you will not allow our Prime Minister to politicize the papacy and use the visit as a political ploy and a public relations exercise with his predictable "moderate" proclamations, pious pronouncements and pretentious promises.   In spite of the depressing scenario that I have so described, we are not discouraged nor do we despair. You had once declared that "interreligious and intercultural dialogue between Christians and Muslims … is a vital necessity, on which in large measure our future depends".   It is this path and one towards a "more authentic mutual understanding" with our Muslim friends which many Catholics in Malaysia continue to strive towards. The divine always triumphs over evil human designs.   May the heavens intervene when His Holiness meets His Hollowness! May hype give way to true hope! May honour prevail over hypocrisy!  May humility be the spirit that will grace the hallowed halls ofGandolfo!

PAS is Trying Hard Posted: 17 Jul 2011 01:45 PM PDT By batsman  The recent storm in a tea cup in Kedah shows that things will not always go smoothly for the PR coalition. The last thing needed is for shallow politicians to threaten a breakup whenever small problems arise. New forms of cooperation and new devices to ensure the PR coalition remains strong have not been developed yet. Some patience and imagination is needed for things to work themselves out. Some experiments and some new forms will also need to be tried out and adopted if successful.  PAS may look like it is stumbling and making mistakes even as the Bersih 2.0 wave motivates and gives fresh hope to hundreds of thousands of Malaysians if not millions looking for a way out of prejudice, corruption, abuse and sin. However, I believe that such stumbling may be necessary in order to find new mechanisms to strengthen the PR coalition. Wisdom, understanding and patience is needed.  PAS's approach shows that they are trying hard and yet attentive to complaints and suggestions. The final decision of allowing legal non-Muslim non-halal establishments to operate freely but with the condition that they are not allowed to serve Muslims makes sense as a compromise. Even then, it may be that the problem may still face initial friction. These have to be ironed out whenever they appear.  I am no prophet, but I foresee situations whereby non-Muslim non-halal establishments may need to hire bouncers and install CCTV to show that they have employed due diligence in keeping Muslims out of their establishments. Such practices are already common in the west where poor patrons are kept out of high class popular night clubs and other such establishments by bouncers and CCTV. Some places even install biometrics and in the very most expensive ones, regular wealthy patrons willingly inject identity chips under their skin to facilitate entry.  This is to ensure that non-halal establishments are high class ones – not the type which break the law by illegally hiring GROs from China, Vietnam, Thailand and Indonesia.  Hopefully non-Muslims who regularly patronize non-halal establishments will willingly inject identity chips under their skin as well if they are so obsessed with patronizing such outlets. This is for their own convenience but UMNO will be more than happy with such hi-tech modern biometric cooperation since UMNO is also obsessed about biometrics. I am not sure about PAS.  Although I make such predictions cavalierly, I hope people can see that complex problems exist in out society and shallow politicians are not equipped to solve these things. What we need are wise men and women with wisdom, good judgment and integrity. Hopefully Bapa Transformasi can succeed in transforming our politicians into such men and women. He has my gratitude and admiration if he can succeed.  It is even possible that if such compromise mechanisms work well, legal non-halal establishments may never need to serve Muslims again throughout the year and not just apply the ban during the holy month of Ramadan. After all to Muslims, they must not give in to sin at all, not just ban it from their lives during the holy month of Ramadan. Giving sin a holiday 11 months of the year and banning it for only 1 month also does not make sense.

The Influence of US Funds for NGOs on Malaysian Politics. Posted: 16 Jul 2011 07:37 PM PDT By batsman  Apparently UMNO controlled TV stations are suggesting that US funding for Bersih 2.0 is proof that Bersih is a threat to national security because it is in league with foreign interests. Thus they are now threatening to abuse their power to freeze the assets of those involved in activities against national security. This is a Catch 22 situation for Bersih 2.0. Bersih 2.0 is saying that one of the reasons elections in Malaysia are not free and fair is that UMNO controlled civil service, police, judiciary, and EC, etc., calls all the shots. UMNO is now suggesting that those involved in activities deemed a threat to national security can have their assets frozen and that those institutions which it controls can decide whether Bersih 2.0 is engaged in activities deemed a threat to national security or not.  This means that electoral reforms are or can be put in abeyance by:  Declaring Bersih 2.0 as a illegal organization Freezing the assets of Bersih 2.0 and others for engaging in activities deemed to be a threat to national security.   First it is up to those who are controlled by UMNO (according to Bersih 2.0) to decide that Bersih is an illegal organization and it is also up to those controlled by UMNO to decide that Bersih 2.0 is deemed to be engaged in activities detrimental to national security. Bersih is therefore tied, gagged and thrown into a frozen pond to freeze to death or drown – does not matter which.  In fact just about anybody deemed to be engaged in activities by those institutions controlled by UMNO can be processed in a similar manner. This power is of such great consequence and so unlimited that it can also be applied to foreign investors if they are deemed to be engaged in activities detrimental to national security by those institutions controlled by UMNO. There is absolutely no checks and balances at all (sort of). Resorting to the Malaysian judicial system is expensive, time consuming and subject to control and interference by UMNO.  The only difference between a foreign investor and a citizen of Malaysia is that the foreign investor is protected by his government and his wealth while the Malaysian citizen is protected by the UMNO government and the subsidies given by UMNO.  I guess this is how UMNO sees the situation, but how does the US see the situation? I am no expert on this matter. I guess those experts in the US can tell better. However since they choose not to reveal their thoughts in an open and transparent way, we can only make guesses. 2 significant things come to mind.    The US congress and other organizations are funding Malaysian NGOs The US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is of the opinion that Malaysia is a role model for moderate Islamic democracy. Obviously – one supports the other to make sure that US interests are served. The US Congress wants to make sure that good democratic principles are practiced according to how the US sees good democratic principles should be practiced while Hillary Clinton reminds the UMNO government to practice good moderate Islamic democracy.  Whether the recent crackdown on peaceful protestors is seen by both the US Congress and Hillary Clinton as a good practice of Islamic democracy is anybody's guess. Sometimes US interests can be observed to compromise a little on what good democratic practices should be especially if it is practiced by what they deem to be a good moderate Islamic country. Still, what they say is that they are a bit concerned but will continue to observe and monitor. At the same time, US funding for NGOs in Malaysia seem to be a bit embarrassed by the peaceful rally and kept a low profile. The US does not seem to have come out strongly to condemn the UMNO government's handling of peaceful demonstrators.  So if you ask me what the influence on Malaysian politics of US funding of Malaysian NGOs is, I would have to say – zilch, nada, zero – if anything actually anti-democratic because now they are compromising Bersih 2.0 as a tool of foreign imperialism and a threat to Malaysian national security as defined by UMNO controlled institutions.  As for foreign investors, especially those from the US, I guess as long as they are protected by US power and the UMNO government is seen as a coolie sucking up to US power and wealth, their interests are not shaken in the least. Malaysian citizens, as is true and correct, should be protected by their own government, by their own policemen, their own judiciary and their own central bank.

A Letter to Heaven Posted: 16 Jul 2011 01:42 PM PDT By Nie Ching Dear Beng Hock,  Time flies! We have not seen each other for 2 years. How have you been during these 700 +days and counting? Er Jia is already 17 months old. He is just like his peers — vivacious, cheerful, active and adorable. Xin Xin, the daughter of my eldest brother, is just 3 days older than him so I always like to compare them. Xin Xin is chubby just like me when I was her age, while Er Jia is thinner. I sometimes can't resist asking Cher Wei if she feeds him enough! Come to think of it, perhaps I should have kept quiet. Both of you are on the "lean" side so I suppose Er Jia would take after the both of you.  After spending time with Cher Wei, I can see that you really "fell" for a good woman! She has tremendous inner strength. She is taciturn in front of countless well-wishers, always responding in a calm dignified manner that she is well.  However, I did notice her message on Facebook the other day: "I was taking a ride in my male colleague's car to work the other day. Midway into the journey, he called home and asked, 'Have you brought our precious baby home? Is precious asleep now?' … his child is 18 months old. At that moment, I felt a surge of mixed feelings but the deep pain was unmistakable and unbearable…"  I felt her pain... How could such a great loss and void in her life be erased and forgotten easily?  Your mother-in-law  is not doing so well health-wise. She has to go to the hospital almost on a weekly basis. Lee Lan is very worried, always telling me how she wishes you were here so Cher Wei could lean on you in trying times. She is not alone in her thoughts and Cher Wei's mum probably feels the same way.  As for your sister Lee Lan, she has been running around for the past 2 years on matters pertaining to your case. She keeps taking time off work and finally decided to quit her job. Her boss values her though and has advised her to think of her own future.  I also asked her what would be her ideal occupation and she replied me with an air of innocence - a homemaker! Her reply stunned me! The many years of education provided by your parents might have been flushed down the drain! If not for the fateful event of July 16 from 2 years ago, Lee Lan today might just be another carefree lass who doesn't read the news or care about what happens in this country. But of course, we can't keep harping on the "if"s in real life and she grew up overnight 2 years ago.  Your eldest brother is married and he has also become a father. Your parents are so delighted! On the day of marriage, Mandy, Huan Guan and I went to Melaka for the occasion. But our happiness was tainted with a sense of sorrow, seeing as how you cannot be with us on such a momentous day...  Here's a piece of good news for you! Elections for village heads are finally kicking off in Selangor on July 31, 2011! We used to talk about how to return the Third Vote to the rakyat. Now, although we are still way off target, this is a small breakthrough. If you were still Ean Yong's secretary, you would be very busy with this election now.  Huan Guan recently moved house but is still unsuccessful in the "marriage department". You've got to help him out! Yoke Kong is still the idealist in DAPSY but his beloved Arsenal is anything but ideal. Dickson proposed successfully in Fandao's Mr. Fat Café and his wedding is slated for year-end. Victor is now a photographer with a newspaper. There are lots of changes in our lives but the one thing that never changes is that come Chinese New Year, no matter how busy they are, they will visit your parents in Melaka together with me. Beng Hock, they truly are your buddies.  As for myself, what has changed? Upon reflection, I think I have gone "soft".  A few days ago, DAP organised an experience-sharing session for participants of the Bersih rally. Many "previously-virginal" protestors came and shared their thoughts with great enthusiasm - how they overcome their own fear and the police barricades, dodging teargas, avoiding the water cannons and playing hide-and-seek with the cops.  They were very courageous but I was not. I am a timid person now. Two years ago, I lost my courage to invite friends to participate in rallies. I am scared.  But Beng Hock, if you were still with us, you would definitely be one of the 50,000 who turned up, wouldn't you? You would be with us together, overcoming our inner fear. I wished so badly that you could be with us that night because like me, you would be exemplified by the heroes and heroines of Bersih such as Auntie Annie, the undergraduates, the ordinary Malaysians, and see a bright future for all Malaysians.  Beng Hock, you would have watched us from afar in the last 2 years. Do you think our beloved country is getting better or more chaotic? Are the people more united or more divided? How much more of this challenging journey will we as a nation have to travel?  I do not know, Beng Hock, just as I do not know if I will ever find out the truth about what happened to you on that fateful 19 July, just as I do not know if justice will eventually prevail. But, what I do know and what the participants of the Bersih rally know, is that we belong to this nation, and this nation belongs to us.  Dear Beng Hock, I hope you can bless and watch over Cher Wei, Er Jia, your parents, Lee Lan, and this country, from where you are now.  From a friend who misses you,  Nie Ching

Stop It, BN! Posted: 16 Jul 2011 01:35 PM PDT   By Lim Guan Eng BN should stop destroying Malaysia's financial reputation with irresponsible statements like freezing the assets of those deemed risky to the nation's security because they participate in Bersih rallies calling for clean and fair elections as well as receive funding from non-profit foreign NGOs. Bersih had clarified that money the group received from two US organisations - the National Democratic Institute (NDI) and Open Society Institute (OSI) - were for other projects unrelated to the July 9 march. DAP strongly condemns Deputy Finance Minister Awang Adek Hussin's irresponsible statement that Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) can freeze the assets of those believed to be participating in activities if the police recommend so. Such actions are detrimental to Malaysia's efforts to establish itself as a safe haven for capital and investments. Awang is the same person who announced that the Federal government had approved sports betting licenses in time for the 2010 World Cup. BN was embarrassed and forced to withdraw the sports betting licenses after the Penang state government announced the ban on sports betting, thereby destroying UMNO's arguments that of gambling is part of Chinese culture. If assets can be frozen just for participating in a peaceful assembly or for receiving funds from non-profit foreign NGOs, then many innocent Malaysians and organisations will be unfairly victimised. Using this as a political weapon against opponents of BN would be a gross abuse of the provisions within the Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing Act allowed for the central bank to not only bar access to such funds but also trace both deposits and withdrawals of the offending accounts. Would others involved in "illegal assemblies" like UMNO Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin have their assets frozen? Why then were these provisions not applied against those suspected of corruption of accumulating extraordinary wealth beyond their means? For instance no such action was taken against those suspected of secretly taking out RM 888 billion in illicit money over a 9 year period. BN government only has itself to blame for the negative image overseas, portrayed by the international news media for its harsh crackdown on the peaceful protest Bersih. So ridiculous was the crackdown that wearing yellow was sufficient cause for arrest. And yet Queen Elizabeth received the Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak in a bright yellow dress two days ago in London. The Bersih protest calling for clean and fair elections descended into chaos when the police fired tear gas and water cannons to disperse protestors. The documented beatings and recorded brutal treatment on video tape was completely unprovoked and put Malaysia on the same international platform as the repressive Arab regimes in the Middle-East. The BN government should clean up Malaysia's image by owning up its mistakes such as firing tear gas into Tung Shin Hospital, insulting the Hindus and the Indian community by calling the revocation of Bersih S. Ambiga's citizenship, detaining A. Samad Said because his poems is considered a weapon and apologising for the brutal crackdown. It is good that Najib has admitted that the rally attracted 15,000 demonstrators and not the 5-6,000 demonstrators claimed by police. However this is not enough as more needs to be done such as withdrawing charges and releasing immediately all those arrested such as the PSM 6 including MP of Sungai Siput Dr Jeyakumar, for Bersih related activities. The Bersih rally was a paradigm shift or a transformational event that attracted all Malaysians. In many of the Bersih stories told by ordinary Malaysians marching on 9 July, many amongst the 30,000 crowd was so outraged by the repression of the police as well as moved by the solidarity and support shown by other Malaysians that they felt part of the nation called Malaysia. Finally every one felt 1Malaysia regardless of race or religion or even political affiliation, whether one is rich or poor, male or female, old or young. Even Marina Mahathir defiantly marched. Everyone marched because they wanted to be "Bersih!".   LIM GUAN ENG

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Let me tell you why the Queen wearing yellow when granting an audience to Najib was not a ... Posted: 17 Jul 2011 09:35 AM PDT Fact 1. The Queen, contrary to popular belief, is very much well-informed. She is constantly kept abreast of the latest developments and news pertaining to her realm and her government by her team of palace advisers, secretaries and civil servants. They, in turn, gather their information from various sources, including ministries, government departments, Scotland Yard, 10 Downing Street, and members of the press corp in the UK. (Scotland Yard, knowing that the Queen would be granting an audience to the Prime Minister of Malaysia, would have certainly informed the Palace of the many demonstrations in London by Bersih 2.0 supporters.) When a visiting dignitary is scheduled to meet the Queen, she is always fully briefed on the background of her visitor, the current situation of her visitor's home country, and the DO's and DON'T's to observe. Particularly, she would be informed of developments in her own realm regarding the visitor. Scenes in London like the one in the photo below would not have escaped Her Majesty's team of advisers, who in turn would have briefed the Queen. So, to assume that she was not aware of Bersih 2.0 is untenable. Fact 2. Royal wardrobe and fashion is strictly regulated, and the Queen and members of the Royal Family are always careful not to make any fashion faux pas or distress their guests. Her advisers would have advised her to stay away from wearing yellow, and explained the significance of the colour in present circumstances. As Sarawak Report suggests, "she MUST have been informed of the sensitivity of the colour yellow". My friend (and fashion writer) Sasha Bashir commented at my facebook, "I have read in several write ups about Princess Diana's wardrobe that English royals are always briefed on current issues and what colours should and should not be worn. One I can remember is that she visited some country where they had just lost an important football match and the whole country was upset about it. The baju she was going to wear at state formal dinner was same colour as flag of the other country, so she had to change her wardrobe plans. Kate Middleton is also following this kind of thing. On her trip to Canada recently, she wore white dress, red shoes and red maple leaf hat. Canada flag is red, white with maple leaf. The royals are not supposed to be fashion icons (even though people like Princess Di and Kate are), they are to be fashion diplomats. :)" Fact 3. Besides attending public events, state dinners, receiving dignitaries and horse races, the Queen actually does paper work! Yes, Her Majesty, like many of us, has her daily duty of working at one of her many desks reading and signing state papers and official documents (often classified as secret). British fastidiousness with information and intelligence gathering is well-known. Her cache of papers would most definitely have included confidential dossiers on Najib Razak and Malaysia. And Bersih 2.0. Copyright Press Association Images Fact 4. Besides official papers, she also reads the newspapers. Knowing that she would be meeting the Prime Minister of Malaysia, an article in The Guardian, a respected British newspaper, with the headline "Malaysia's Najib must abandon the Mubarak model", would surely have caught her eye. Fact 5. The Queen meets her Prime Minister once a week, every week. It would have been incumbent upon David Cameron to apprise the Queen of Najib Razak and Malaysia, in view that he would be visiting the UK on an official trip. News of the Bersih 2.0 rally in Kuala Lumpur, being reported globally the same week the Queen had her weekly meeting with David Cameron, would most definitely have been a topic of conversation. It is also a practice for the British Prime Minister to advise the Monarch on how to appropriately respond to political situations of the day, since she is constitutionally apolitical. Did Cameron therefore gently suggest that the Queen wear yellow as a message to our Prime Minister and also to the people of Malaysia? Where Cameron could not publicly chastise Najib, the Queen could, with regal aplomb, send a strong message? Fact 6. The Queen is a politically astute woman who has seen twelve British prime ministers serve under her reign, the list starting with Winston Churchill, no less! Her vast experience in international relations and diplomacy is unchallenged and she would thoroughly understand the subtleties and symbolism attached to what one says and what one wears. To assume that Her Majesty has no political acumen is completely ludicrous. Fact 7. Everything the Queen does is planned in advance and takes into consideration all factors. Everything has a reason, even right down to the colour of the flowers in her audience chamber! Nothing is coincidental, random or arbitrary where the Queen of the United Kingdom is concerned. Read more at: Let me tell you why the Queen wearing yellow when granting an audience to Najib was not a coincidence or a faux pas.

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Tidak pernah saya rasa begitu benci pada kerajaan Posted: 17 Jul 2011 07:16 PM PDT Sasterawan Negara Datuk A Samad Said yang terkenal dengan sikap kelembutannya kini menyimpan satu perasaan benci kepada kerajaan. Ini berikutan tindakan polis menyuraikan perhimpunan Bersih2.0 genap seminggu lalu melibatkan kecederaan dan kehilangan nyawa rakyat. "Tidak pernah saya rasakan begitu bencinya saya pada kerajaan. Itulah waktunya saya lebih benci," katanya yang lebih mesra dengan panggilan Pak Samad yang mengimbau kembali pengalamannya di KL Sentral, tempat beliau mula-mula bertembung dengan polis. Beliau menyifatkan tindakan polis menangani perhimpunan damai itu secara bengis. Katanya, seluruh rakyat Malaysia yang telah menyertai himpunan itu terus mengkritis kerajaan Umno BN apabila melihat keganasan yang dilakukan oleh pihak polis. Justeru, beliau kesal kerana pemimpin Umno BN membuat berbagai helah menyatakan polis yang menjalankan tugas ketika itu tidak melakukan tindakan yang kasar kepada rakyat sebaliknya menuduh rakyat yang bertindak kasar. "Kata-kata itu menjadi luka berdarah buat rakyat Malaysia dan saya percaya Umno BN akan terkubur dalam PRU ke 13 nanti," katanya. Beliau menyatakan demikian ketika berucap dalam Majlis Pelancaran Yellow Saturday di Markaz Tarbiyah PAS di Taman Melewar malam kelmarin. Turut berucap ialah dua Naib Presiden PAS, Salahuddin Ayub dan Datuk Mahfuz Omar serta anggota Unit Amal yang difitnah membawa pisau semasa himpunan Bersih 2.0, Abdul Razak. Pak Samad juga menceritakan peng.alamannya dalam himpunan Bersih 2.0 pada 9 Julai lalu. "Sebelum (gas) ditembak, ada himpitan dari belakang, kelompok polis juga. Jadi kami agak tersepit, seperti di (Hospital) Tung Shin, (kami) tiada jalan alternatif lain, jadi go through saja. "Menghabiskan hari yang panjang daripada pagi sehinggalah disekat polis kali terakhir kira-kira 300 meter daripada Istana Negara di sebelah petang untuk menyampaian Memorandum yang merupakan amanah rakyat untuk di sembahkan kepada Yang di-Pertuan Agong, amat mengecewakan tiada pertimbangan yang sebaiknya oleh polis. "Mata saya telah mengalami kecederaan akibat tembakan gas water canon, mereka (Polis dan FRU) nampak saya ketika itu, kalau boleh mereka hendak makan saya". "Berbeza dengan demonstrasi pertamanya pada Mac 2007 bagi membantah dasar pengajaran dan pembelajaran Sains dan Matematik dalam bahasa Inggeris (PPSMI), kali ini saya rasakan ujiannya terlalu kuat dengan menempuh pelbagai rintangan. "Sepatu Nike saya juga hilang apabila dihimpit dengan ramai rakyat disitu lebih-lebih lagi apabila polis datang mengejar rakyat yang berhimpun di situ. "Saya bukan sahaja hilang capal, tetapi peralatan yang saya bawa seperti garam, tuala kecil dan air mineral yang dibawa sebagai alat pelindung saya tepaksa diberikan orang lain apabila salah seorang peserta himpunan disitu kelihatan nafasnya menjadi sesak meminta-minta agar diberikan bantuan. "Saya berikan semua peralatan saya kepada beliau untuk menyelamatkan dirinya, jika tidak mungkin orang itu juga mengalami nasib yang serupa seperti arwah Baharudin. "Saya seharusnya diapit dua orang peguam, (tetapi) mereka juga hilang apabila kami semua dikejar oleh polis dan FRU untuk mengelak diri daripada ditembak dengan gas. "Pada Sabtu itu, pakaian saya sudah basah lencun akibat hujan dan dengan tembakan meriam air, saya terus berjalan kira-kira 10 kilometer menuju ke Istana Negara untuk menyerahkan memorandum kepada Yang di-Pertuan Agong. "Saya berkaki ayam separuh jalan, berbatu-batu. Ada beberapa anak muda yang nampak saya ketika itu hendak beri saya sepatu Nike tetapi saya menolaknya kerana saya fikir sepatu itu cantik sangat dan biarlah saya bersusah payah untuk masa depan anak bangsa saya sendiri. "Kemudian saya didatangi oleh seorang lagi anak muda dengan memberi saya sepatu yang besar, saya menerimanya kerana saya fikir perjalanan saya jauh dan banyak halangan yang perlu saya tempuhi untuk menyerahkan Memorandum kepada Agong. Ini merupakan satu pengalaman pahit dan tidak mungkin saya lupakan. "Tidak pernah saya melihat satu kelompok orang muda yang berbilang bangsa itu bersatu oleh satu cita-cita. Itu sangat membanggakan. "Saya berpesan berulang kali kepada generasi muda terutamanya kalian seharusnya bertekad bersatu hati untuk mengubah pentadbiran demokrasi Negara ini dalam pilihanraya umum ke -13 nanti, demi masa depan anak cucu kita. "Orang tua mungkin tidak mampu lagi untuk bekerja kuat, namun kita akan sentiasa memberi sokongan padu bagi menukar pentadbiran kerajaan baru," kata Pak Samad Said disambut laungan Allahu akbar hadirin.

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