Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News
Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News |
- NGOs to hold anti-TPPA protest on Friday
- No Tiga Line thugs in police lockup
- Guan Eng mum on Malacca duo's resignations, says yet to get letters
- DAP facing full-blown crisis
- Sabah Mufti to face native court
- HRW wants Najib to act against Zahid
- Can PAS galvanise the Malays?
- ‘Tunnel inconsistent with DAP’s green stance’
- Anwar tight-lipped on PKR presidency
- Somewhere in Umno, the ghost of 1Malaysia drowns
- US adults score below average on worldwide skills test
- Human chain formed to protect Christians during Lahore mass
| NGOs to hold anti-TPPA protest on Friday Posted: 08 Oct 2013 06:17 PM PDT
Chegubard announced that a forum will be held Thursday at the Sultan Sulaiman Club in Kampung Baru, titled Pentas Perdana: Selamatkan Kedaulatan Negara, Tolak TPPA (Premier Forum: Save the country's harmony, say No to TPPA). (The Star) - A group non-governmental organisations (NGOs) against the controversial Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA) will hold a protest here Friday to pressure the Malaysian government against signing the agreement. The demonstration, to be held at the Kuala Lumpur City Centre (KLCC), also coincides with the visit of United States Secretary of State John Kerry, who is expected to push the Malaysian government to sign the agreement. NGOs under Bantah TPPA, Solidariti Anak Muda Malaysia (SAMM) and Jaringan Rakyat Tertindas (Jerit) will start their demonstration from As' Syakirin Mosque, better known as KLCC Mosque, at 2pm after Friday prayers. They will march towards KLCC, where John Kerry is expected to be. Bantah TPPA spokesman Anas Alang told a press conference at Kuala Lumpur and Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall here that Bantah TPPA was the biggest anti-TPPA organisation in Malaysia and that he expected a big crowd on Friday. Some of the NGOs involved are the Malaysian Aids Council, Malaysian Council for Tobacco Control, Positive Malaysia Treatment Access and Advocacy Group. "In 2008, we protested against the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) and we succeeded. "This time around, we're planning to do the same and say no to American hegemony," said a Jerit coordinator, who identified herself only as Kohilah. When asked about security measures, SAMM coordinator Badrul Hisham Shahrin, better known as Chegubard, said there will be marshalls overseeing the demonstration. "This is not a political demonstration. This is a demonstration to show that the people are concerned about the repercussions of TPPA," he said, adding that the Bantah TPPA secretrait was discussing with the police over the demonstration. Chegubard also announced that a forum will be held Thursday at the Sultan Sulaiman Club in Kampung Baru, titled Pentas Perdana: Selamatkan Kedaulatan Negara, Tolak TPPA (Premier Forum: Save the country's harmony, say No to TPPA). It will be attended by Opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and Selangor Mentri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim. "We've also sent a letter to former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohammad and are hopeful he will be able to attend for the forum and give his thoughts on TPPA," said Chegubard. The TPPA is an initiative to establish a free-trade agreement among the 12 countries of the Asia-Pacific region and is open to other Apec economies. The 12 TPP members are Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, the United States and Vietnam. The opposition is trying to draw the support of Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad by inserting his name and picture in the above poster.
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| No Tiga Line thugs in police lockup Posted: 08 Oct 2013 06:08 PM PDT Alfian ZM Tahir, FMT To date, thousands of suspected gangsters from underworld organisations in the country have been arrested, but surprisingly, none of them were from the Tiga Line group. This latest information was revealed by Bukit Aman's secret societies, gambling and anti vice principle assistant director, SAC Abdul Jalil Hassan today.
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| Guan Eng mum on Malacca duo's resignations, says yet to get letters Posted: 08 Oct 2013 04:51 PM PDT (The Star) - The DAP top leadership has yet to receive any resignation letter from the Malacca DAP chief and state legislative assembly Opposition leader, party secretary-general Lim Guan Eng said Wednesday. Goh Leong San, who is also Duyong assemblyman, was reported Tuesday to have resigned because his praise for Malacca Chief Minister Datuk Idris Haron had earned the wrath of DAP members. Goh's deputy and Bachang assemblyman Lim Jak Wong was also reported to have resigned. "I have checked with DAP chairman Karpal Singh and he has yet to receive any resignation letters from the duo. "I will only comment on their resignations upon receiving their letters. I don't want to rely on media reports on the matter," he told reporters here after witnessing a memorandum of understanding signing between University of Hull and ALC College.
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| Posted: 08 Oct 2013 04:45 PM PDT
Standing strong: Goh (left) and Lim's resignations are seen as an open declaration against the pro-Guan Eng faction. (The Star) - The feud between rival DAP factions here has erupted into a full-blown crisis with state chief Goh Leong San quitting as Opposition leader and threatening to open a "Pandora's Box" of wrongdoings. The bad blood between assemblymen who are either pro or anti party secretary-general Lim Guan Eng had been simmering since the May general election. Saying that he was being forced to expose wrongdoings of certain assemblymen and abuse of the state party funds, the Duyong assemblyman said: "I can no longer tolerate it. I will expose everything it if there are attempts to force me to relinquish my position (as state chairmen) unfairly and without concrete grounds." Goh said he had lost patience with "certain central leaders" for constantly poking their noses into state party affairs. Goh's deputy and Bachang assemblyman, Lim Jak Wong, joined him by quitting as deputy state opposition leader. The resignation letters of Goh and Jak Wong were sent to the Malacca legislative assembly and DAP chairman Karpal Singh yesterday. The moves are being seen as an open declaration against the pro-Guan Eng faction. Goh who has had long standing differences with Guan Eng, said his main reason for resigning was the central leadership's meddling in state party affairs. He said among the issues involved the Jonker Street night market and the state DAP's working relationship with new Chief Minister Datuk Wira Idris Haron. Goh has also implied that the party might try to oust him as state chairman, in the wake of criticism of his leadership by two reputed to be staunch supporters of Guan Eng – Khoo Poay Tiong (Ayer Keroh) and Lai Kuen Ban (Kota Laksamana) Goh came under fire from Khoo and Lai after he described Idris as "approachable" and "a professional manager" during the recent assembly sitting. Lai had also accused Goh of not showing support when the former was ejected from the assembly over the Jonker Street issue. Goh said he was also ready to expose the "interference" from these central leaders in the selection of candidates in the general election, saying that he had documents to back his claims. The latest fallout is a continuation of the crisis which almost derailed the DAP campaign during the general election when state and central party leadership quarrelled over candidates list, forcing party adviser Lim Kit Siang to personally intervene to resolve the deadlock. There is also much bitterness between Goh and Guan Eng, dating back to the years when Guan Eng was still active in Malacca DAP.
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| Sabah Mufti to face native court Posted: 08 Oct 2013 04:42 PM PDT
(The Star) - Sabah Mufti Bungsu Aziz Jafaar (pic) has landed himself in a controversy following his alleged description of the Kadazans as "an invented race". Kadazandusun leaders are not amused and would be hauling him up before a native court to answer to the community for the alleged insult. The Kadazan Society Sabah (KSS) filed a customary saman malu (a summons to appease the humiliation) at the Penampang district court against Bungsu here yesterday. KSS deputy-president Sylvester Disimon, who filed the summons at the office of district chief (Customary) OKK Christopher Mojungkim, said Bungsu's remarks had drawn anger from the Kadazan community. "Our feelings and dignity will be hurt beyond repair if it is not settled through the native court. "Mufti Bungsu is therefore required to make appeasement to the Kadazan community in accordance with native customary law," he told reporters. Bungsu had reportedly made the remarks at a symposium discussing the Malay leadership crisis in Putrajaya on Sept 28. He had said that for the sake of the Malay Muslim community, natives in Sabah who are already Muslims must be recognised as Malays, referring to the Dusun, Bajau, Murut and other ethnicities that make up Sabah's many indigenous people. He further compared the situation to the Kadazans, which according to him was an "invented" ethnic group made of non-Muslim Dusun people, who are mostly Catholics. Disimon said the term "Kadazan" was never invented and is not of recent origin, as claimed by Bungsu. He said there is evidence the term had been used long before the 1950s. He cited the book The Pagans of North Borneo by Owen Rutter in 1929 that stated a Dusun usually describes himself generically as a tulun tindal (landsman) or, on the west coast of the state, particularly at Papar, as a Kadazan. Rutter worked in North Borneo (now Sabah) for five years from 1910 and left the state in 1914 when World War I broke out. "So, if this misconception is left unchecked and not rectified, other communities might think that Bungsu's statement is correct," added Disimon. Mojungkim said Bungsu is obliged to appear at the Penampang native court within 21 days (of the summons being field). "If he fails to appear in the native court, we will work with the police to issue a warrant (of arrest) on him," he added. Bungsu, of Brunei-Suluk ancestry, has yet to respond to the calls for him to explain his remarks.
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| HRW wants Najib to act against Zahid Posted: 08 Oct 2013 04:10 PM PDT
(FMT) - The government should act to ensure that the Home Minister's support for the police to "shoot first" when apprehending criminal suspects is not police policy, Human Rights Watch said today. Home Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi made remarks in a speech in Malacca on Oct 6, 2013, that showed gross indifference for the right to life and the rights of the country's minority populations.
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| Posted: 08 Oct 2013 04:05 PM PDT
K Pragalath, FMT PAS appears not to have an agenda to woo back the Malay voters in its upcoming 59th annual party polls on Nov 22. "Thus far, we have not received any proposal on how to regain Malay votes. It doesn't mean it won't be addressed. Let's wait for the muktamar," said PAS' Dewan Ulama chief, Harun Taib.
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| ‘Tunnel inconsistent with DAP’s green stance’ Posted: 08 Oct 2013 04:00 PM PDT
Hawkeye, FMT The Penang state government, which has been championing environmental issues, is contradicting itself by going ahead with the RM6.34 billion undersea tunnel project, said a political observer here. Lim Boo Chang (pic), who is now a social issues commentator after stints in Gerakan, MCA and PKR, said the undersea tunnel, linking Gurney Drive here to Bagan Ajam in Butterworth, had caused much anxiety among local environment experts.
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| Anwar tight-lipped on PKR presidency Posted: 08 Oct 2013 03:54 PM PDT
PKR supremo plays his cards close to his chest when asked if he will contest the presidency, saying it was not discussed at the political bureau meeting. - See more at: http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2013/10/09/anwar-tight-lipped-on-pkr-presidency/#sthash.0QA19ugO.dpuf G Vinod, FMT PKR supremo Anwar Ibrahim was coy when asked whether he would contest for the party presidency in the the upcoming party polls, scheduled for January next year. "The issue does not arise yet. Wan Azizah (Wan Ismail) is still the president," said Anwar, when asked during a press conference held at the party headquarters today.
"The issue does not arise yet. Wan Azizah (Wan Ismail) is still the president," said Anwar, when asked during a press conference held at the party headquarters today. On Sept 20, FMT carried an article quoting sources, claiming that Anwar may contest for the PKR presidency in the upcoming party polls to avert a power struggle in the party. It is said that Wan Azizah is not keen on defending her post, and three key personalities – PKR deputy president Azmin Ali, party vice president Nurul Izzah Anwar and Selangor MB Abdul Khalid Ibrahim to eye for the post. The source added that if Anwar decides to go for the presidency, Azmin and Nurul would remain in their current posts and also throw a spanner into Khalid's plan in contesting for the presidency. When met outside the party headquarters, Anwar said that the party polls is still a long way to go and the issue of him running for presidency has yet to be discussed. "I'm more focused on my work now. We had our political bureau meeting last night and no one raised anything about the matter (party presidency)," said the Permatang Pauh MP. - See more at: http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2013/10/09/anwar-tight-lipped-on-pkr-presidency/#sthash.0QA19ugO.dpuf
"The issue does not arise yet. Wan Azizah (Wan Ismail) is still the president," said Anwar, when asked during a press conference held at the party headquarters today. On Sept 20, FMT carried an article quoting sources, claiming that Anwar may contest for the PKR presidency in the upcoming party polls to avert a power struggle in the party. It is said that Wan Azizah is not keen on defending her post, and three key personalities – PKR deputy president Azmin Ali, party vice president Nurul Izzah Anwar and Selangor MB Abdul Khalid Ibrahim to eye for the post. The source added that if Anwar decides to go for the presidency, Azmin and Nurul would remain in their current posts and also throw a spanner into Khalid's plan in contesting for the presidency. When met outside the party headquarters, Anwar said that the party polls is still a long way to go and the issue of him running for presidency has yet to be discussed. "I'm more focused on my work now. We had our political bureau meeting last night and no one raised anything about the matter (party presidency)," said the Permatang Pauh MP. - See more at: http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2013/10/09/anwar-tight-lipped-on-pkr-presidency/#sthash.0QA19ugO.dpuf |
| Somewhere in Umno, the ghost of 1Malaysia drowns Posted: 08 Oct 2013 12:38 PM PDT
(TMI) - Malays good. Non-Malays bad. That's the rhetoric that sells to the Umno party base, not 1Malaysia. Rest in Peace 1Malaysia. It was a vague concept to start with, something the Prime Minister promised as his vision for a united Malaysia – one where all Malaysians came first, regardless of race or religion. Then he stood on the sidelines as the country watched the Prime Minister's own power base rip apart his delicate vision of a united Malaysia. The shredding reached fever pitch this week in the run-up to Umno's polls on October 19. Much of the second echelon of Umno – the would-be vice-presidents – have put the us-versus-them theme front and centre of Umno politics. Malays good. Non-Malays bad. That's the rhetoric that sells to the Umno party base, not 1Malaysia. The Chinese only got successful because they would do all the illegal things good Malays would never do, said Datuk Seri Mohd Ali Rustam this week to a group of Malay businessmen. Indian gangsters are killing our Malay people, so what's wrong with a shoot-first policy, argued… wait for this… the Home Minister of Malaysia, the man in charge of the police and law and order: Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi. Opposition leaders and even the Bar Council have turned their sights on Zahid for his increasingly racial taunts, but will this turn the tide? Not likely. If anything, Zahid will ride the surf of opposition from non-Malays as his party base craves for more of the same. Read more at: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/somewhere-in-umno-the-ghost-of-1malaysia-drowns |
| US adults score below average on worldwide skills test Posted: 08 Oct 2013 12:28 PM PDT
(MSN News) - Are you a worker for whom technology makes it possible to do a better job or are you a worker that the technology can replace?" he said. For those without the most basic skills, he said, the answer will be merciless and has the potential to extend into future generations. Learning is highly correlated with parents' education level. It's long been known that America's school kids haven't measured well compared with international peers. Now, there's a new twist: Adults don't either. In math, reading and problem-solving using technology — all skills considered critical for global competitiveness and economic strength — American adults scored below the international average on a global test, according to results released Tuesday. Adults in Japan, Canada, Australia, Finland and multiple other countries scored significantly higher than the United States in all three areas on the test. Beyond basic reading and math, respondents were tested on activities such as calculating mileage reimbursement due to a salesman, sorting email and comparing food expiration dates on grocery store tags. Not only did Americans score poorly compared to many international competitors, the findings reinforced just how large the gap is between the nation's high- and low-skilled workers and how hard it is to move ahead when your parents haven't. In both reading and math, for example, those with college educated parents did better than those whose parents did not complete high school. The study, called the Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies, found that it was easier on average to overcome this and other barriers to literacy overseas than in the United States. Researchers tested about 157,000 people ages 16 to 65 in more than 20 countries and subnational regions. It was developed and released by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, which is made up of mostly industrialized member countries. The Education Department's Center for Education Statistics participated. The findings were equally grim for many European countries — Italy and Spain, among the hardest hit by the recession and debt crisis, ranked at the bottom across generations. Unemployment is well over 25 percent in Spain and over 12 percent in Italy. Spain has drastically cut education spending, drawing student street protests. But in the northern European countries that have fared better, the picture was brighter — and the study credits continuing education. In Finland, Denmark, and the Netherlands, more than 60 percent of adults took part is either job training or continuing education. In Italy, by contrast, the rate was half that. As the American economy sputters along and many people live paycheck-to-paycheck, economists say a highly-skilled workforce is key to economic recovery. The median hourly wage of workers scoring on the highest level in literacy on the test is more than 60 percent higher than for workers scoring at the lowest level, and those with low literacy skills were more than twice as likely to be unemployed. "It's not just the kids who require more and more preparation to get access to the economy, it's more and more the adults don't have the skills to stay in it," said Anthony Carnevale, director of the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce. Read more at: http://news.msn.com/us/us-adults-score-below-average-on-worldwide-skills-test?ocid=twmsnnews |
| Human chain formed to protect Christians during Lahore mass Posted: 08 Oct 2013 12:23 PM PDT
(The Express Tribune) - Mufti Mohammad Farooq delivered a sermon quoting a few verses of the Holy Quran that preached tolerance and respect for other beliefs, Father Nasir Gulfam stepped right next to him after having conducted a two hour long Sunday service inside the church. The two men stood shoulder to shoulder, hand in hand as part of the human chain that was formed outside the church not just as a show of solidarity but also to send out a message, 'One Nation, One Blood'. Hand in hand as many as 200-300 people formed a human chain outside the St Anthony's Church adjacent to the District Police Lines at the Empress Road, in a show of solidarity with the victims of the Peshawar church attack two weeks back, which resulted in over a 100 deaths. The twin suicide attack on All Saints church occurred after Sunday mass ended and is believed to be the country's deadliest attack on Christians. Standing in the small courtyard of St Anthony's Church, as Mufti Mohammad Farooq delivered a sermon quoting a few verses of the Holy Quran that preached tolerance and respect for other beliefs, Father Nasir Gulfam stepped right next to him after having conducted a two hour long Sunday service inside the church. The two men stood shoulder to shoulder, hand in hand as part of the human chain that was formed outside the church not just as a show of solidarity but also to send out a message, 'One Nation, One Blood'. As part of an attempt to sensitize the public at large, the human chain was the second such event after a similar had been organized in Karachi last week outside the St Patrick's Cathedral by an organization called Pakistan For All – a collective of citizens concerned about the growing attacks on minorities. "Well the terrorists showed us what they do on Sundays. Here we are showing them what we do on Sundays. We unite," said Mohammad Jibran Nasir, the organizer who made the calls for the event on social media. Read more at: http://tribune.com.pk/story/614333/muslims-form-human-chain-to-protect-christians-during-lahore-mass/ |
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