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The rats leaving the sinking ship Posted: 19 May 2013 05:24 PM PDT So they are now embarking on an asset-stripping exercise. Chua Soi Lek, Tan Chai Ho, Vincent Lee Fook Long, Kat Swee Sang, and a few other MCA taikos are shifting MCA's assets so that they can eventually bury an empty shell that was once the second-most powerful and richest political party in Malaysia. They will then ride out into the sunset and all live happily ever after while the Malaysian Chinese continue to argue about who should hold power and who should be represented in the government. THE CORRIDORS OF POWER Raja Petra Kamarudin While the Malaysian Chinese are arguing over whether MCA should be closed down, whether there should be any Chinese representation in the Federal Cabinet, whether Paul Low Seng Kuan should or should not be in the government, and so on, the MCA leaders have been quietly planning to abandon ship since a couple of years back. MCA knew back in 2009, soon after Najib Tun Razak took over as Prime Minister, that the 2008 general election was the signal that MCA and Gerakan were finished. The writing was already on the wall. MCA is a sinking ship. Hence, as is normal in all sinking ships, the rats had better leave the sinking ship or else drown.  The early life of MCA in the pre-Merdeka days was as a grouping of wealthy Straits Chinese, some who did not even know how to speak Chinese but spoke just Malay at home. Over time, MCA has become an economic giant and is considered wealthier than Umno by far. Remember what happened to Umno back in 1988? The Registrar of Societies deregistered Umno and all its billions in assets got frozen. That was when Umno decided to change its strategy. Instead of parking all its wealth under the name of Umno, it embarked on an asset-stripping exercise and transferred all the party's assets into the names of nominees. Now you can no longer tell which of those billions belongs to Umno and which belongs to certain individuals who are allegedly mere nominees of Umno. The demarcation between what belongs to the party and what belongs to certain individuals behind the party is very blurred. Most likely it is the other way around -- the party is actually the 'nominee' of certain individuals. Now MCA is going to suffer the same fate as Umno in 1988, with a slight twist, of course. Umno of 1946 died but from the ashes of the old Umno arose the new Umno (Umno Baru). But the new Umno no longer owned the assets of the old Umno. The new Umno was as poor as a church mouse although certain key people in the new Umno may be wealthy like hell. MCA has learned from this Umno episode of 1988. (So who says the Chinese cannot learn from the Malays?) The 'old' MCA is in its death throes. But there is not going to be a MCA Baru à la Umno Baru. For all intents and purposes, MCA Baru, if there ever were going to be one, would be DAP. Hence they need to do some asset stripping because MCA, without a doubt, is a sinking ship. The plan is: they need to bail out of the sinking ship with all the assets. Let the ship go down but it must be an empty ship, not a ship laden with wealth. So they are now embarking on an asset-stripping exercise. Chua Soi Lek, Tan Chai Ho, Vincent Lee Fook Long, Kat Swee Sang, and a few other MCA taikos are shifting MCA's assets so that they can eventually bury an empty shell that was once the second-most powerful and richest political party in Malaysia. They will then ride out into the sunset and all live happily ever after while the Malaysian Chinese continue to argue about who should hold power and who should be represented in the government. I thought the Chinese voter was one sharp cookie. Apparently they are not any smarter than the Umno supporter in the rural kampongs of Malaysia. They quarrel over nothing while the taikos rob them blind in broad daylight. I suppose with a guru like Umno how can MCA go wrong? And while Umno's slogan is 'Ketuanan Melayu', MCA's slogan is 'Just Duit' -- or is it 'Just do it', à la Nike? *********************************************************** Tan Chai Ho MCA's Huaren Holdings sells stakes in MCIL (Bernama, 24 September 2010): Huaren Holdings Sdn Bhd, the investment arm of the MCA, has sold its entire 3.6% equity in the Media Chinese International Ltd (MCIL). Huaren chairman Datuk Seri Tan Chai Ho said the Huaren board had in August disposed of 60,394,191 ordinary shares of 10 HK cent per share for a total cash consideration of RM47.88 million. Huaren's 3.6% equity in MCIL was the result of a merger and a scheme of arrangement undertaken in 2008 by Ming Pao Enterprise Corp Ltd, Sin Chew Media Corp Bhd and Nanyang Press Holdings Berhad.  "The board of directors is of the opinion that the disposal is in the best interest of the company," Tan, who is also the MCA treasurer-general, said in a statement today. Huaren had earlier owned up to 72.3% in Nanyang, paying RM230 million or RM5.50 per share, for the stake which was approved by the MCA at its extraordinary general meeting on 24 June 2001. Later, it sold off 15.4 million Nanyang shares (a 21% stake then) in March 2007 for RM67.7 million to Ezywood Options Sdn Bhd, a vehicle controlled by timber tycoon Tan Sri Tiong Hiew King. After the disposal, Huaren was left with 17.1 million shares or a 23.1% stake in Nanyang, which were exchanged for new shares in MCIL following a merger between Tiong's Sin Chew Media Corp Bhd, Hong Kong-based Ming Pao Enterprise Corp Ltd and Nanyang in early 2008. After the exchange, Huaren ended up with 3.6% stake in the enlarged media group called Media Chinese International Ltd (MCIL) which currently owned various Chinese newspapers in Hong Kong and Malaysia -- Ming Pao (Hong Kong), Sin Chew Daily, China Press, Nanyang Siang Pao and Guang Ming (Malaysia). *********************************************************** Menara Multi-Purpose, which is 99% occupied, has rental income of RM2.1mil per month MPHB sells Menara Multi-Purpose to MCA for RM375mil The Menara Multi-Purpose office tower in Kuala Lumpur will be sold to the MCA for RM375mil cash. In a filing with Bursa Malaysia, Multi-Purpose Holdings Bhd (MPHB) said it had entered into a sale and purchase agreement with MCA for the sale of the 17-year-old office tower together with 414 car park bays within the Capital Square development. The office tower has a total net lettable area of 541,424 sq ft, and is 99% occupied with a rental income of RM2.1mil per month as of July. The net book value of the office tower and car park bays was RM175.4mil as of Dec 31, 2010, based on the audited financial statements of MPHB. However, a valuation by Henry Butcher Malaysia Sdn Bhd on April 20 deemed the office tower and car park bays to have a market value of RM384mil. MPHB said its original cost of investment in the office tower from 1993 till 1996 and car park bays in 2004 was RM289mil. Proceeds from the sale, which is due to be completed by the end of this year, will be utilised to repay MPHB's bank borrowings. MPHB said the rationale for the sale was part of the group's asset rationalisation exercise to dispose of its non-core assets. The group's gearing would drop to 0.88 times from 1.1 times (as of April 28) after the sale is completed. *********************************************************** Chua Soi Lek Matang, Scope agree on deal (The Star, 20 November 2012) - Matang Holdings Bhd has entered into a business merger agreement with the Bursa Malaysia ACE market-listed Scope Industries Bhd to transfer its entire business and undertaking including assets and liabilities to the latter for RM145mil. Scope Industries is an electrical and electronics manufacturer. In a press statement released here, the company said the transfer would be satisfied with the issuance of 580 million new ordinary shares of 10 sen each in Scope at an issue price of 25 sen per share. This would path the way for the a proposed merger of the business of Matang with the businesses of Scope. Upon receiving approval for the merger, Matang would carry out a capital reduction and repayment exercise under Section 64 of the Companies Act 1965 to distribute the shares to its shareholders. *********************************************************** Press Statement 20 April 2013: Proposed Business Merger Agreement between Matang Holdings Bhd and Scope Industries Bhd. The reason for this Press Conference is to publicly appeal to Huaren Holdings Sdn Bhd, the controlling shareholder of Matang Holdings Bhd with 10.72% of the share capital to refrain and abort the Business Merger Agreement with Scope Industries Bhd dated 19 November 2012 failing which we would request all existing Matang Holdings Bhd shareholders to be present and vote against the proposal during the EGM to be convene in due course. The Minority Shareholders are of the opinion that: (i)              The Board of Directors of Matang has in disposing off the Matang landed assets including cash at a grossly undervalued amount of RM145,000,000.00 has acted in bad faith and has failed to discharge diligently their fiduciary duties to the shareholders. (ii)             The value of RM145,000,000.00 is inclusive of CASH held by Matang and to date the CASH so held is more than RM25,000,000.00 which effectively means that the landed assets is disposed off at only RM120,000,000.00. A valuation done by Henry Butcher in July 2012 valued the landed assets at RM168,000,000.00 The difference in valuation alone is RM48,000,000.00. If the cash sum of RM25,000,000.00 is taken into consideration, the amount of difference is RM73,000,000.00 (iii)            The consideration for the disposal as stated in the Business Merger Agreement is for an exchange of shares in Scope Industries Bhd and not for cash is in total disregard of the fact that the shares received in exchange by the shareholders of Matang Holdings Bhd is subject to a moratorium of 4 years and cannot be sold off immediately but only over a period of 4 years The Minority Shareholders have appointed Messrs Lau Kok Guan Liana & Associates to act on their behalf. We would like to appeal to all shareholders regardless of their shareholdings to take the appropriate action to stop the proposed Business Merger with Scope Industries Bhd based on the facts above. You have only yourself to blame if you do not take action to protect your own investment.  *********************************************************** Highlights of the disadvantages of Scope Industries Bhd shares in exchange for Matang Holdings Bhd shares 1. Moratorium i. The shareholders of Matang cannot immediately dispose of all of the Scope shares received. ii. For the 1st six months after the shares are listed, none (0) of the Scope shares can be sold. iii. From the 7th month to the end of the 12th month, only 15.4% of a shareholder's Scope shares can be sold. iv. From the 13th month to the end of the 24th month. only 28.2% can be sold. v. From the 25th month to the end of the 36th month, only 28.2% can be sold. vi. From the 37th month to the end of the 48th month, only 28.2% can be sold. In addition to that, bear in mind that at the same time Scope is also issuing up to 126,880,000 shares for the acquisition of Benua Mutiara Sdn Bhd. These shares are not subject to moratorium. Share capital of Scope                                    No. of Shares                        Amount(RM) Existing Issued share cap                                     384,382,000                       38,438,000 Issue to Matang for merger                                  580,000,000                       58,000,000 Issue to Benua Mutiara for acquisition                   118,118,000                       11,812,000 Assuming full exercise of all o/s warrants               118,598,000                       11,860,000 Enlarged Issued & paid up                                 1,201,096,000                     120,110,000 Also note that, except for the 580,000,000 Scope shares issued to Matangs' shareholders, all the rest of the Scope shares can be freely traded and are not subject to moratorium. The moratorium is imposed on Matang because after completion of the merger but before the Scope shares are distributed to the Matang individual shareholders, Matang has temporary control of Scope Industries Bhd holding more than 50% of Scope paid up capital. However, even though Matang has more than 50% of Scope the BOD of Matang has failed to seek for control of the Board of Scope as Matang can only appoint three Board members whereas the existing number of BOD in Scope is five. (2) Value of Scope Industries Bhd Share. Scope's audited FYE 30 June 2012 Earnings per share                                                            0.21 sen Net Assets per share                                                            12 sen Matang's audited FYE 30 June 2012 Earnings per share                                                             4.3 sen Net Assets per share                                                       118.9 sen The value of RM0.25 as used by Scope to value its shares in exchange for Matang shares is at a Price Earnings Ratio of 119.0 times. The price used cannot be fundamentally supported and is grossly overvalued. As its net assets is only 12 sen, it is also not justifiable to value its shares at RM0.25 which is 2.1 time to its book value. Scope will be highly dependent on Matang's earnings to support its business for the forseable future. Matang shareholders is much better off not taking part in the business merger as Matang shareholders do not enjoy any synergy benefit but is actually contributing its profit to the enlarged group. Conclusion (extracted from circular sent to Scope shareholders). Availability of Land for Cultivation. The availability of agricultural land that possesses suitable soil and terrain characteristics for oil palm cultivation is critical in the supply of oil palm and ultimately palm oil products. Without land oil palm cannot be cultivated and hence FFBs cannot be harvested. Plantation companies wishing to expand their operations will also need to secure suitable and arable land. However, globally, land is becoming scarce and expensive. It is reported that Malaysia is left with 800,000 hectares of land suitable for further oil palm cultivation, and that the country will run out of available oil palm land by 2015 or 2016. *********************************************************** Vincent Lee Fook Long, Executive Deputy Chairman, Star Publications (M) Bhd No buyout plans, says Star Publications (The Star, 16 May 2013) - Star Publications (M) Bhd has denied talk that there are plans for a management buyout from the MCA, the majority shareholders of The Star. Star Publications chairman Tan Sri Dr Fong Chan Onn said neither the management nor the staff had initiated such a plan. "I have received calls from the media making enquiries as to whether there are plans for a management buyout. "I regard such talk as malicious and speculative in nature. "It also appears to be politically motivated as it comes at a time when the MCA is undergoing a difficult period. "Such rumours are not helpful and serve no purpose. "I do not intend to elaborate on such rumours as such baseless talk does not deserve to be given credence," he said in a statement. *********************************************************** ADDENDUM  Head Investor Affairs and Complaints Department Securities Commission Malaysia No 3 Persiaran Bukit Kiara Bukit Kiara 50490 Kuala Lumpur                                                                          PRIVATE AND CONFIDENTIAL   28 December 2012 Dear Sir/Madam Re: Proposed Merger of the Businesses of Scope Industries Bhd and Matang Holdings Bhd through the transfer of the entire Business and Undertakings, including all assets and liabilities of Matang to Scope for a total consideration of RM145,000,000 as announced on 19 November 2012. Introduction Matang Holdings Bhd was established some 36 years ago and most of its members consist of MCA members from the state of Johor. Currently the paid up capital of Matang Holdings Bhd is RM60,000,000 made up of 120,000,000 shares of RM0.50 per share, with 19,984 shareholders as at1 October 2012, of which the largest shareholder is Huaren Holdings Sdn Bhd with 12,864,000 shares or 10.72% of the share capital. A copy of the latest Annual Report of Matang Holdings Bhd is enclosed. Questions to be posed to the Board of Directors of Matang Holdings Bhd 1. As the chief financial officer of Matang Holdings Bhd, I was not allowed to be engaged in the negotiation of the terms and conditions of the Business Merger Agreement with Scope and I was also kept in the dark as to the signing of the Business Merger Agreement until it was signed. The act has resulted in that I was not able to carry out my fiduciary duty to the shareholders. Needless to say the BOD has also failed in its fiduciary duty. 2. In my opinion, the Business Merger Agreement is detrimental to the shareholders of Matang Holdings Bhd because: A           the valuation of the assets of Matang is grossly undervalued. A valuation performed by Henry Butcher on 23 July 2012 (certificates enclosed) had valued all the 3 properties of Matang at a total value of RM168,000,000.  A subsequent valuation was performed by KGV on 10 November 2012 (certificates enclosed) which had valued all the 3 properties at only a total value of RM119,550,000. My guess is that this second valuation was done in order to be in line with the offer price proposed by Scope.  B           the cash in hand as at 30 June 2012 held by Matang was RM22,732,000. This amount will form part of the assets to be taken over by Scope. Matang has been paying dividends for the past 10 years and because of the proposal, the BOD has for that financial year not declared a dividend. Shouldn't all the cash be returned to the shareholders rather than be part of the proposal? As of the date of this writing, the cash in hand has increased to RM24,698,986. C           Matang's assets are all income generating and its business has always been profitable. Why should any right thinking shareholder wants to exchange his Matang shares for shares of Scope based on an exchange price of RM0.25 per Scope share and for paper only. Scope's exchange share price of RM0.25 cannot be fundamentally supported. In an earlier exercise, in June 2012, Scope shares was only valued at RM0.15. D          the moratorium to be imposed by Bursa on the Matang shareholdings in Scope will not allow Matang shareholders to dispose of their Scope shares as and when the proposed merger is completed. Matang shareholders will be better off finding a suitor listed on the Main Board.  E           the composition of the BOD after the completion of the proposed merger does not reflect the controlling shareholdings of Matang in Scope after completion, as the existing number of directors in Scope is 5 whereas in the Business Merger Agreement, Matang is only to nominate 3 directors. Based on the above information, I sincerely hope that the Securities Commission would look into the proposed merger as the existing shareholders of Matang are being oppressed and has nothing to gain but a lot to lose if the proposed merger in its current form is allowed to proceed. Please do not hesitate to contact me should you require further information. Thank you. Yours faithfully   Wong Pang Nam Chief Financial Officer

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Sumber Asal Berita :-

Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News

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• Xavier, Wong may be dropped from S'gor exco lineup
• Apologise for baseless attacks, Azmin told
• Boycott ‘madness’ festivals, accept defeat
• ‘Low’s appointment against TI-M ethics’
• Ahmad Zahid: Enough of warnings, it's time for tough action
• Victorious DAP, Defeated MCA
• Jusuf slams Anwar's polls stance
• Hindraf co-founder Uthayakumar blames his sibling for polls defeat
• MCA group seeks change
• DAP rep: Return KL to Selangor

Xavier, Wong may be dropped from S'gor exco lineup Posted: 19 May 2013 09:28 PM PDT Meena Lakshana, fz.com PKR's Dr Xavier Jayakumar and Elizabeth Wong have accepted the possibility that they may not been reappointed to the Selangor state executive council. This is apparently because the new lineup will feature six Malays and four non-Malays, as requested by the Sultan of Selangor to better reflect the racial composition of the assembly members.   With three or four of the non-Malay exco positions going to DAP, PKR will at the most have only one non-Malay representative in the lineup.         Wong, when contacted today, said she is committed towards working for her Bukit Lanjan state constituency and addressing environmental issues irrespective of whether she gets an exco post.   "Yes there is a possibility (of not being re-appointed) but it won't affect my resolve to represent my constituents and my work on the environment," she said.   "We place our trust in MB (Menteri Besar Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim) to make the best decision on this matter (exco line-up)," she added.   Xavier told fz.com that PKR had agreed to include a non-Malay assembly member in its exco list but the decision was not final.   'There are a few names. We will have to wait and see," he said.   In previous discussions, Selangor Pakatan Rakyat leaders had agreed that the 10 exco positions would be equally distributed between Malays and non-Malays, with PAS representatives holding three posts (in addition to the speaker's post), DAP holding four posts and PKR holding three posts (as well as the menteri besar's post).   DAP had already mooted former speaker Datuk Teng Chang Khim and Seri Kembangan assembly member Ean Yong Hian Wah to fill two exco positions.   Teng was known to have thrown his name in the hat for the exco position even before the May 5 polls.   Also, DAP won more seats in Selangor compared to PKR. DAP and PAS each won 15 seats while PKR won 14 seats.   However, in a surprise announcement on Saturday, Abdul Khalid revealed the ratio of positions between DAP and PAS had switched.   According to a PKR source, the reason behind this was due to a proposal from the Sultan of Selangor for Malay elected representatives to assume six exco positions while non-Malay representatives will assume the remaining four exco positions to better reflect the racial composition of the newly elected state assembly.   Out of 56 state assembly members, 37 are Malays and 19 are non-Malays.   The previous exco lineup had five Malays and five non-Malays.     If Pakatan were to accede to the ruler's proposal, and maintained DAP's ratio of four exco positions, then PKR would have to nominate its Malay elected representatives for the exco posts and exclude  Wong and Xavier.   The Pakatan leadership is now in discussion to solve the kerfuffle over the exco line-up. READ MORE HERE

Apologise for baseless attacks, Azmin told Posted: 19 May 2013 09:23 PM PDT A prominent PKR member also says that the deputy president has set a bad precedent by washing party's dirty linen in public B Nantha Kumar, FMT A prominent PKR grassroots member today called on party deputy president Azmin Ali to apologise to Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismal for initiating baseless attacks against the party president. "What Azmin did was really unhealthy for the party. And we, party members want him to apologise to Wan Azizah," Dr V Neduchelian, a member from Kapar PKR division, told FMT. He said by 'attacking' Wan Azizah in the mainstream media, Azmin had set a bad precedence which allows party members to use the media to criticise the party and its fellow leaders. "All discussions involving party matters should be discussed behind closed doors . This is the advice given to us. But what surprises us, is that the same leader who propagates this uses the media to attack the president," he added. Recently, Azmin, who retained his Gombak parliamentary and Bukit Antrabangsa state seats, criticised the party leadership for nominating Abdul Khalid Ibrahim as the Selangor Menteri Besar without the consensus from Selangor PKR. Azmin is the Selangor PKR head. Azmin said Wan Azizah had submitted a letter to the Selangor palace nominating Khalid Ibrahim before getting consensus from the state PKR leaders. He also accused the PKR president of nepotism. "It is really weird that Azmin is talking about nepotism. In the last general election, he picked leaders aligned to him to contest seats. Those against him were not even given seats to contest. This is an open secret in PKR. "Azmin is not fit to talk about nepotism or cronyism since he himself piggybacked on PKR de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim's popularity to reach where he is now," he said. READ MORE HERE

Boycott ‘madness’ festivals, accept defeat Posted: 19 May 2013 08:08 PM PDT Anizah Shukry, FMT Malaysians must boycott the "pesta kegilaan" (festival of madness) by the opposition over claims of electoral fraud and accept that Barisan Nasional won the 13th general election. Newly minted Communications and Multimedia Minister Ahmad Shabery Cheek said this when asked to comment on Home Minister Zahid Hamidi's statement that Malaysians unhappy with the electoral system should emigrate. "I have to see the context of Zahid's statement, what was reported [before I can comment]… but I agree…that there are 'madness festivals' being run by sore losers," said Ahmad Shabery at a press conference today. "I feel this must be stopped. Most importantly, the rakyat must stop them, must boycott them and leave them because these festivals are about rejecting the decision made by the rakyat through our electorate system," he added. Ahmad Zahid wrote in a column published last Wednesday in Utusan Malaysia that the opposition was deliberately confusing "Chinese youths and politically blind followers" into protesting the election results. This was in response to the series of mega rallies Pakatan Rakyat organised, claiming that electoral fraud and an incompetent Election Commission had robbed them of their victory. But Ahmad Shabery today mocked the opposition and their supporters for "behaving like children" and "shrieking here and there" and suggested that their actions contravened the country's democratic and constitutional system. "We have to see what laws applies against these sore losers who act outside the limits of our democratic and constitutional system," said Ahmad Shabery. "Are they seen as going against our constistution and democratic system?" he asked. READ MORE HERE

‘Low’s appointment against TI-M ethics’ Posted: 19 May 2013 07:53 PM PDT Robert Phang says the anti-graft watchdog must now monitor the new minister's performance. Alyaa Azhar, FMT Paul Low violated Transparency International's code of ethics when he accepted his appointment as a minister in the Prime Minister's Department, former MACC advisor Robert Phang said today. He said Low, who has yet to quit his post as Transparency International Malaysia (TI-M) chief, caused shock among the organisation's executives when he accepted his new job. "His appointment is a violation and serious breach of the TI-M code of ethics," he added. "I'm sure there'll be outcries from TI-M members." Recently, Low explained that his job in the Prime Minister's Department was to propose changes to government systems, procedures and processes to reduce opportunities for corruption. He said he had no enforcement powers and was hoping to rely on the Prime Minister's stature to enable him to fight corruption. Referring to that statement, Phang said it was an admission by Low that he was a lame duck. "So what can the rakyat expect from him?" Phang claimed that TI-M members were already questioning Low's integrity. He said the anti-graft watchdog would now have to monitor the new minister's performance. READ MORE HERE

Ahmad Zahid: Enough of warnings, it's time for tough action Posted: 19 May 2013 07:39 PM PDT (Bernama) - The government would not be issuing warnings anymore but would act tough against individuals whose extreme actions would only disrupt public order, said Home Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi today. He said the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), and heads of departments and agencies under the home ministry had been given the full power to carry out the task within their respective jurisdiction and without political interference.   Ahmad Zahid said any action taken by the ministry to maintain public order must not be regarded as politically motivated but was based on the existing laws of the country.   Hence, he reminded the opposition leaders not to politicise the actions to be taken by the authorities in order to preserve peace and stability in the country.   He warned these leaders that they would face a big risk if they insisted on being stubborn.   "Lim Kit Siang and Lim Guan Eng should differentiate political objectives and political measures from the implementation of laws. Do not politicise every law enforcement by the IGP and other agencies under the ministry.   "We will not compromise but will act in accordance with the existing Acts and enactments. We will not give anymore warnings, so don't be angry with us when we take action," he said at a news conference in conjunction with his first day as home minister, here.   Also present were his deputy Datuk Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar and the new IGP, Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar.   Ahmad Zahid said the ministry required the cooperation, support, views, suggestions and feedback from all quarters including the local communities, institutions, NGOs and political leaders from within and outside the government.   "This is not for our (Barisan Nasional) own political interest but for the good of the society and country," he said.   On statements made by opposition leaders over various matters recently, Ahmad Zahid said these could be argued out in Parliament.   "As politicians, we meet in the political arena, not on the street or at the open field but in the Dewan Rakyat," he added.

Victorious DAP, Defeated MCA Posted: 19 May 2013 07:19 PM PDT At first Chua sneered at Lim Keat Siang's announcement to contest in Gelang Patah and said that Lim was 'dreaming'. It would later turn out that Lim's 'dream' had come true. We all witnessed how energetic and enthusiastic Lim could be even he is already in his seventies. He fought with such zeal over the past month, he travelled north and south for thousands of miles and he kept his morale high to the last minute. It was not by luck that DAP emerged a winner, for Lim had been giving out ceramah not only in his constituency but all over Malaysia. By Xing Yue Zhen邢月珍 @ nanyang.com The election results are pretty much set. From 15 parliament seats and 36 state assembly seats in 2008 MCA saw their numbers dropped to 7 and 11 respectively in recent election. MCA have since closed down their service centers in many areas as if they are exercising their revenge: if you did not help me, I will not help you!  A defeated candidate in Johor even said: go seek help from the candidate who won! Another politician also stated that MCA will only help those who voted for them and requested the others to ask help from DAP. MCA are not only being ridiculous acting this way but they are digging their own grave as well. Politicians should set their hearts at serving the community selflessly. But for these MCA leaders, it is apparent that wining election and becoming government officer are more important. DAP had never been in power before 2008 and they had endured being 'title-less' for more than 50 years, hence just by mere comparison it is easy to see why MCA have failed to win the hearts of the people. Voiceless and gutless in the face of discriminative policies The people have already abandoned all hopes on MCA. They have been known to always kowtow to the autocratic UMNO and remain voiceless and gutless in the face of discriminative policies: as long as they keep their positions, all other issues can go to hell! The recent turbulences that hit MCA are none other than the quarrel over the decision to not be a part of Cabinet and the plan to overthrow Chua Soi Lek. Though MCA had previously announced that should they lose in the election they would not want to be in the Cabinet, some leaders are still trying to overrule that decision. It seems that MCA are facing a dilemma in keeping a clean sheet as the Sultan of Johor has already instructed that Tee Siew Kiong of MCA should be named an EXCO member. It is very likely that winning candidates in other states will follow the same 'strategy'. The screams demanding Chua to immediately step down have been non-stop even though he already announced that he wouldn't participate in the coming party election; even the long-retired past leaders also jumped in with their sharpened swords. From the leader of MCA Chua has become what the Chinese would call 'a rat that running across a street – kill it!' Sigh, where should MCA bury its 'face'? Dream came true for Lim Keat Siang You can find among the screamers some committee members who used to support Chua in becoming their leader. They should have known that a tainted leader will always have his ball grabbed by the enemies and that they should be prepared to face the situation they are facing today. It can't be that 3 years ago Chua was very competent but he suddenly turned 'incapable' after the GE, hence why didn't they react when things started to go wrong but only started making noises after the results were out?   Chor Chee Heung whacked Chua for being too overconfident that he did not consult others when making decisions. If what Chor said is true, then why did they not stop Chua and force him down in the first place? DAP fought a brilliant battle in the recent GE with a never-seen-before hit rate. If it weren't for PKR and PAS losing composure during the last stage, they could have won the election and placed themselves in Putrajaya by now.  At first Chua sneered at Lim Keat Siang's announcement to contest in Gelang Patah and said Lim was 'dreaming', but it would later turn out that Lim's 'dream' had come true. We all witnessed how energetic and enthusiastic Lim could be even he is already in his seventies. He fought with such zeal over the past month, he travelled north and south for thousands of miles and he kept his morale high to the last minute. It was not by luck that DAP emerged a winner, for Lim had been giving out ceramah not only in his constituency but all over Malaysia. No matter which opposition ceramah you attended in Johor you could always see Lim's face and hear Lim's voice. It is not an overstatement to say that Lim alone accounted for the 3-parliament-13-state wins in Johor. Najib did not manage the country properly Not every candidate has what it takes to leave his/her safe seat to contest in other area, especially if that area is the opposition's stronghold. It takes a lot of courage to do so, hence politicians like Loke Siew Fook, Liew Chin Tong and Teo Nie Ching should also be applauded. We should also give compliments to all the nameless heroes who worked behind the backdrop tirelessly to put up such a brilliant strategy. Lim has seen the insides of many jailrooms in his fight for democracy and justice. The fact that he still keeps his beliefs and acts in accordance to the ethic is very admirable. I however hope that DAP can do away their internal problems and recruit more members from all races. It is of upmost importance that they do not alter their beliefs even when they are desperate to gain powers; they should keep their fight for democracy and justice but not for self-interest. Before the GE my young daughter asked me why we shouldn't vote for Najib. It surprised me that I did not know how to simplify a complicated political matter as such into a clear, short answer without misleading her I thought for 3 seconds, then I told her: Because Najib did not manage the country properly. I thought to myself that was a very good answer, in a mere sentence I summarized all the problems. This is indeed a very good answer, one which by itself is more than enough to answer all. Read more here http://nanyang.com.my/node/535021?tid=490#.UZiMShLNdYo.facebook

Jusuf slams Anwar's polls stance Posted: 19 May 2013 02:34 PM PDT (NST) - Former Indonesian president Jusuf Kalla has expressed disappointment with Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, whom he said had rejected his defeat  and any form of reconciliation with his rivals in Barisan Nasional. Jusuf's disappointment was conveyed yesterday by Indonesia's former law and human rights minister, Hamid Awaluddin, who was quoted by the online portal of an Indonesian national daily, Republika. "Yes, of course Pak J.K. (Jusuf) is disappointed but (he) is in the midst of trying to bring things back to normal," Hamid was quoted as saying. He explained that Anwar had promised Jusuf that the former would control his opposition coalition if he was defeated by his rival, Datuk Seri Najib Razak, who chairs the BN coalition. Republika said since the election was over, the Pakatan pact led by Anwar had been holding rallies in various locations nationwide, claiming electoral fraud. Anwar and his supporters had cast doubt on the running of the election, something which Republika said needed to be substantiated through legal means. "However, Anwar has yet to move towards that line (proving his claims)." Hamid said Anwar had from the beginning given the perception that he was confident of victory in the polls, based on surveys conducted prior to it. Anwar had cited these surveys during his campaign and this was reported widely by the people and media. "This was among the reasons the opposition leader was confident of victory," said the daily. It claimed that it was Anwar's confidence in claiming victory which led to him "approaching" Jusuf, who was a long-time friend of Anwar. Republika said Jusuf, through Anwar, wanted to convey to Najib that there needed to be graciousness on the part of those defeated in the polls. It said whoever won the Malaysian general election needed to reconcile with those who were defeated and that the "losers had to appreciate the winners".

Hindraf co-founder Uthayakumar blames his sibling for polls defeat Posted: 19 May 2013 02:05 PM PDT (The Star) - The rift between Hindraf founders and brothers P. Uthayakumar and Waythamoorthy is set to widen with the elder brother, who lost in his bid to take the Kota Raja parliamentary and Sri Andalas state seats, blaming his sibling for the polls defeat. Uthayakumar, who is Hindraf co-founder and Human Rights Party pro-tem secretary-general, also accused his brother of betraying the movement by joining hands with Barisan Nasional. Waythamoorthy, newly appointed as Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister's Department, had reportedly signed a memorandum with Barisan on April 18 concerning Hindraf's five-year blueprint to uplift the Indian community. He had said he turned to the Barisan as he felt the opposition front had not delivered on its promises or endorsed the Hindraf blueprint. He had previously expressed hope that the sour relationship with his brother would be mended after the elections. They have reportedly not spoken to each other for two years. "We had a post-election meeting last Saturday and 26 of the 30 people who attended said Waythamoorthy was the reason why we lost," said Uthayakumar when contacted. "We may not have won but if it was not for Waythamoorthy, we will not have lost our deposits." Uthayakumar said he had been asked if he would be joining the Barisan like his brother. "Joining Barisan has never been Hindraf's struggle," said Uthaya-kumar who also attributed his losses in GE13 to the "change factor" which was strong but did not include Hindraf. Waythamoorthy said Uthaya-kumar had no right to criticise his appointment as he had left Hindraf to form HRP. His appointment, he said, was another step towards Hindraf's vision of uplifting the underprivileged in the community, adding that the movement was not a political party. "It (Hindraf) is an organisation with the sole purpose of improving the lives of the poor. This appointment enables us to serve that purpose and that only," he said, adding that it would also enable them to implement the blueprint. Waythamoorthy's appointment as deputy minister has created a wave of dissatisfaction among people from both sides of the political divide. However, he is unfazed by his critics and said they will be "eating their words". "They (the detractors) have been happily naysaying almost everything that we (Hindraf) have been engaging in, ever since we went into this partnership with Barisan," he said.

MCA group seeks change Posted: 19 May 2013 02:00 PM PDT Political youth: MCA members (from left) Chew, Liaw, Desmond, Lim and Nicole holding up speech bubbles calling for party renewal.  (The Star) - A group of six young MCA members has launched a new movement to overhaul the party, calling for direct elections to empower members to have a bigger say in the party's direction and leadership. Chew Hoong Ling, who is one of the six founders, said there was a need to reform, rejuvenate and revamp the party after its disastrous outing in the May 5 general election. She said among the reasons the party did badly in the polls was because it had lost public support as well as the lack of a voice among members to determine its direction. "We feel power should be returned to the grassroots so that they can directly vote for new party leaders and be directly involved in the party's renewal process. "The question is not who should quit or who controls MCA but who determines the leadership and direction of the party. "This is important to redeem the pride of the members and party," she told reporters here yesterday. Among others, the movement aimed to reconnect with active party members, adopt a direct elections system and have a mechanism to determine who are to be appointed to government posts. Chew, who stood and lost against DAP's Tony Pua for Petaling Jaya Utara parliamentary seat, said they would be compiling feedback on the party's future direction via their website at www.mcachange.my, adding that all were welcomed to give their views. "We hope to submit the views to the leadership and for these to be adopted as a resolution so that the party can start its change from within," she said. Another founder Desmond Wong, 36, said they were going ahead with their plans although the movement was not sanctioned by the top leadership. "We must be brave to start from zero, to rekindle our spirit. "The new MCA generation needs to have a strong heart to make a change," he said, adding that the "C" in MCA should also stand for Change. Other founders of the movement are Nicole Wong, 33; Lim En Theng, 29; Joe Liaw, 36, and Winson Tan, 27.

DAP rep: Return KL to Selangor Posted: 19 May 2013 01:34 PM PDT DBKL has been ineffective in improving the administration of KL, says DAP's Lau Weng San. Alyaa Azhar, FMT Kampung Tunku DAP state assemblyman Lau Weng San today urged the federal government to return the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur to Selangor. "The federal government should return the administration of Kuala Lumpur to the Selangor state government after alienating Kuala Lumpur to the federal government 39 years ago. "In 1974, the then Barisan Nasional government decided to alienate Kuala Lumpur as a whole to the federal government's administration, which is politically motivated by ostensibly upgrading Kuala Lumpur as a 'federal territory'," said Lau. Kuala Lumpur was then placed under the administration of Dewan Bandaraya Kuala Lumpur (DBKL), which was led by Kuala Lumpur's mayor. Lau claimed that after 39 years under the direct administration of DBKL, "DBKL was ineffective in improving the administration of Kuala Lumpur to a point where DBKL was adopted by Permudah to 'restore' DBKL." He further asserted that it occurred because KL has been administered by way of centralisation of power in the hands of the Mayor and Federal Territories Minister. "The citizens of Kuala Lumpur hadn't any chance to voice their point of view when the decision was made to alienate Kuala Lumpur to the federal government," claimed Lau, adding that the decision to alienate Kuala Lumpur to the federal government was done in a rush. "Furthermore, the federal government has Putrajaya as central administration to replace Kuala Lumpur. And in 1974, the federal government only paid RM200 million as compensation to the Selangor government as 'acquisition' of Kuala Lumpur. "Annually, the Selangor government only receives RM18.3 million from the federal government in compensating yield loss from alienating Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya as Federal Territories to the federal government," said Lau. He reiterated that therefore the federal government has to return Kuala Lumpur to Selangor since the federal government already has Putrajaya. "Kuala Lumpur resembles the lifeblood of the Selangor state. It is not only that Kuala Lumpur is physically close to Selangor, but many of Selangor's historical moments and events occurred in Kuala Lumpur. "My objective of repeating this call is to remind the federal government that they should not be silent on this matter anymore. "In fact, the federal government should acknowledge the role of the Selangor government in matters related to the development and management of Kuala Lumpur," he said.

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Protesting against Utusan Posted: 19 May 2013 03:40 PM PDT   AT 4pm today, former Utusan Malaysia senior journalist Hata Wahari plans to protest against what he calls the "racist attitude" of the editors and journalists of the Umno-controlled Malay newspaper in their coverage of GE13 – before, during and after the May 5 polls.   Mohsin Abdullah, fz.com    In his Facebook posting, Hata said he, together with several former Utusan journalists, are launching a "Mogok Utusan" or an "Utusan Strike" in front of the newspaper's office in Kuala Lumpur's Jalan Chan Sow Lin.   "Anybody who's willing to be with me, let's demand the suspension of Utusan's permit for their extreme racism," said Hata.    It can be taken that the "permit" Hata was referring to is the one which allows the printing and publishing of the paper. And his choosing of "Mogok Utusan" to name his protest is obviously a reference to the historic Utusan Melayu strike in 1961 when the then staff of the newspaper fought against Umno control.   As we know Hata was the president of the National Union of Journalists who spoke against political interference in Utusan's editorial coverage which resulted in "racial, bias and slanted" coverage. Utusan didn't take kindly to all that, naturally, and Hata was sacked soon after (in 2011). Well, after a domestic inquiry which found him guilty of "bringing the newspaper into disrepute and insulted its management."   Of course that was not the first or rather the only time Utusan had come under fire. To its critics and detractors, Utusan Malaysia is "Utusan Meloya" or the "nauseating courier."   In Wikipedia it is stated that "Utusan Malaysia's credibility as a newspaper has come under fire from many circles for its blatant practice of double standards in its reporting especially with regard to politically related news. Statements by chief ministers in opposition held states have been taken out of context, manipulated or otherwise downright fabricated. And of late Utusan has also stoked racist sentiments with provocative headlines."   Ever since Wikipedia made that 'observation', things seem to have gotten worst. The post-GE13 'Apa lagi Cina mahu' is one typical example.   Utusan group editor in chief Datuk Abdul Aziz Ishak did not respond when asked for his reaction on the recent "allegations" against his paper.   His predecessor Datuk Khalid Mohd didn't want to comment either, citing "sudah pencen" (already retired) as the reason. But said a former senior journalist: "Utusan is a sensitive issue as it involves many different wings of Umno. I don't want to interfere and I won't say more."   However Aziz has been quoted before as saying Umno-owned Utusan does not provide balanced political coverage and instead promotes the aspirations of the ruling party. Aziz was reported to have said that in court in a defamation suit filed against Utusan not too long ago.   He also told the court that there were Umno representatives sitting in the Utusan board of directors including a high ranking officer of the PM cum Umno president. Read more at: http://www.fz.com/content/protesting-against-utusan#ixzz2ToRNzv5X

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• Employees wanted
• When, Why and How Christians use the word 'Allah'
• The Tao and the "mother of all things"
• Exempt Sabah Sarawak from GST

Employees wanted Posted: 19 May 2013 08:53 PM PDT Gossip on Broadway http://gossiponbroadway.com/ Malaysia's first kopitiam in North-West England No. 2 Broadway, New Moston, Manchester We are looking for Malaysian students to work part-time 20 hours a week as waiters/waitresses/kitchen porters. Expected launch: 1st June 2013 Contact: Raja Azmir Petra/Marina Lee at 075 8000 7891

When, Why and How Christians use the word 'Allah' Posted: 19 May 2013 03:26 PM PDT   The objective of this document is to explain briefly to those Christians who do not understand when, why and how Churches in Malaysia use the word 'Allah. It is also for Christians who are confused about how to respond, when confronted by the ignorance of non-Muslims about the Christian use of the word 'Allah'.  Christian Federation of Malaysia  Introduction and Background  The objective of this document is to explain briefly to those Christians who do not understand when, why and how Churches in Malaysia use the word 'Allah. It is also for Christians who are confused about how to respond, when confronted by the ignorance of non-Muslims about the Christian use of the word 'Allah'.  There are many (misleading) statements by non-Christians who claim that we should not use the word, because it is an exclusive Muslim term for the God of Islam and can be used only by Muslims. This is a situation peculiar to Malaysia, as elsewhere in the Muslim world, Arabic-speaking Christians use the word 'Allah'.  Christians themselves are sometimes ignorant, because unless we pray in Bahasa Malaysia, we pray to 'God' in our own language. In English services, for example, nowhere do we use the word 'Allah'.  However, more than 60% of Malaysian Christians only speak Bahasa Malaysia, and the word used for God in the Bahasa Malaysia Bible (Al-Kitab) since its translation in 1731, is 'Allah'. The word is used by Bumiputera Christians who only have Bahasa Malaysia as their common language in Sabah, Sarawak and peninsular Malaysia, and by the Baba community in Malacca.    Historical Usage and Meaning  1. The word 'Allah' was a term used for the supreme God in a pantheon of gods, before the revelation of Islam. The Shorter Encyclopedia of Islam ed., H. A. R. Gibb & J. H. Kramer and The Oxford Encyclopedia of the Modern Islamic World, ed. John L. Esposito, both affirm and support this contention.  2. Historically, Malay-speaking Christians in South-East Asia have used 'Allah' to refer to God. The proof is as follows:  • The Kitab salat as-sawai or Christian catechisms in Malay written in 1514 and published around 1545,  • The printed version of the Gospel of Matthew in Malay by A.C. Ruyl in 1629,  • Malay-Latin Dictionary was printed in Rome in 1631 (The Dictionarium Malaicum-Latinum and Latinum - Malaicum)  • The translation of Genesis by D. Brouwerius (1662),  • M. Leijdecker's translation (1733),  • H.C. Klinkert's translation (1879),   • W.A. Bode's translation (1938), and  • The complete Malay Bible of 1731-1733 containing the word 'Allah' for God.  3. Therefore, from the very beginning, the word 'Allah' has been used in the liturgy, prayers and worship of those Christians who speak Bahasa Malaysia.  But for centuries, there has been no opposition or uproar about their use of 'Allah'.    Language  Objections to the use of the word 'Allah' comes mostly from political discourse, or those who argue that the translation and usage of the word is a recent decision. This is not true for the following reasons:  1. In Semitic languages, the word 'Allah' has been widely used in the Middle East dating back to the 5th century BC and up to the time of the expansion of Islam and the spread of the Arabic language in the 7th century AD.  2. The translation of the Al-Kitab is not from the English translation but based on the Hebrew and Greek text of the Bible. In the Hebrew language, the word 'God' has the same root form as the Arabic language. So, when the word 'God' was first translated into Bahasa Malaysia, the translators merely followed the Arabic Christian usage and retained the word 'Allah'.  3. As stated earlier, the word 'Allah' pre-dates Islam. It is not a creation of the Muslims and its existence does not begin in the Al-Quran.    Should Christians Substitute the word 'Allah' with 'Tuhan'?  This is not possible for the following reasons :  1. In the Malay language, 'Allah' means 'God' and Tuhan means 'Lord'. As is obvious when we read the Bible, both God and Lord are used in the Bible, and both have different connotations. Therefore 'Allah' cannot be substituted by 'Tuhan'.  2. The word Tuhan has been applied to Jesus Christ and read as Tuhan Yesus. If Christians are to substitute the word 'Allah' for Tuhan, it will render many Biblical references to God and Jesus incoherent because:  • The meaning of 'Allah' and Tuhan are different.  • This is obvious in just one example. In Isaiah chapter 41 and verse 13; also 43 : 3 and 51 : 15. "For I am the LORD, your GOD..." is translated as "Akulah TUHAN, ALLAH kamu...". (ALKITAB : Berita Baik. 2001. 2nd edition. Published by the Bible Society of Malaysia).  • It creates an absurd situation if Christians have to translate the biblical phrase 'Lord God' as Tuhan Tuhan. The repeated words Tuhan Tuhan indicates plural in Bahasa Malaysia, and creates the impression that Christians believe in many Gods, which is unacceptable.  • Bahasa Malaysia-speaking Christians will not be able to affirm the deity of Jesus Christ and teach the doctrine of the Trinity as these two 3 foundational words are essential to maintain and communicate these truths.    Consequences of Banning the Word "Allah"  1. Being denied the use of the word 'Allah' disregards the constitutional right of Malaysian citizens to freedom of religion under the Federal Constitution.  Article 11 of the Federal Constitution safeguards the right of each Malaysian to profess and practice one's religion of choice. Article 11(3) expressly provides that every religious group has the right to manage their own religious affairs.  2. In 2011, the High Court handed down a judgement allowing the Catholic Church to use the word 'Allah'. The government (of all Malaysians, including Christians) is appealing the judgement and it is pending.  3. There have been other infringements on the right to use words imperative in the Bahasa Malaysia Bible. See the directive of 5 Dec 1986 from the Ministry of Home Affairs stating that, in addition to 'Allah', the words: Al-Kitab, Firman, Rasul, Iman, Ibadah, Injil, Wahyu, Nabi, Syukur, Solat and doa are not to be used in the Al-Kitab. In addition, making such prohibitions through fatwa render them only relevant to Muslims as the Shari'a does not apply to non Muslims.  4. Prohibiting the use of the word 'Allah' and these other terms is unjust. Bumiputera Christians should be given the respect and freedom to call God in the only language they have in common. This is important to their religious and cultural identity.  5. If Churches in Malaysia agree to stop using the word 'Allah', it means that the right to edit the Scripture of a major world religion has been given over to a secular government. This would be a shameful and an unprecedented development for any religion and government.    Conclusion  Some Muslims have claimed repeatedly that Christians in Malaysia refuse to stop using the word 'Allah' because they want to confuse and convert Muslims, thereby posing a threat to national security. The claim is groundless as there has been no evidence offered of any threat to security. These remain unfounded accusations.  On the contrary, such an assertion is made in ignorance of the fact that when Christians use the Al-Kitab, it is simply for Bahasa Malaysia-speaking Christians.  Malaysian Churches have never suggested changing the words 'God' and 'Lord' to 'Allah' and 'Tuhan' respectively, in the other languages of the Bible.    PREPARED BY THE CHRISTIAN FEDERATION OF MALAYSIA  (Persekutuan Kristian Malaysia)     ******************************************** BILA, MENGAPA DAN BAGAIMANA KRISTIAN MENGGUNAKAN KATA 'ALLAH'  Pengenalan dan Latarbelakang  Tujuan dokumen ini adalah untuk menjelaskan secara ringkas kepada orang-orang Kristian yang tidak faham bila, kenapa dan bagaimana Gereja-gereja di Malaysia menggunakan kata 'Allah'. Ia juga untuk orang Kristian yang keliru tentang bagaimana harus bertindak apabila berhadapan dengan orang bukan Islam yang jahil tentang penggunaan kata 'Allah' dalam agama Kristian.  Terdapat banyak (tidak tepat) kenyataan bukan Kristian yang mendakwa bahawa kita tidak boleh menggunakan kata 'Allah' kerana ia adalah istilah eksklusif untuk agama Islam yang merujuk kepada Tuhan Islam dan hanya boleh digunakan oleh orang Islam. Ia merupakan masalah pelik di Malaysia kerana di negara-negara Islam yang lain , di negara Arab – penganut Kristian berbahasa Arab menggunakan kata 'Allah'.  Umat Kristian sendiri kadang-kadang jahil kecuali jika kita berdoa dalam Bahasa Malaysia, kita berdoa kepada 'Allah' dalam bahasa kita sendiri. Sebagai contoh, dalam Bahasa Inggeris, kita tidak menggunakan kata 'Allah'.  Walau bagaimanapun, lebih 60% daripada Kristian di Malaysia hanya bercakap dalam Bahasa Malaysia, dan perkataan yang digunakan untuk Tuhan di dalam kitab Bahasa Malaysia (Al-Kitab) sejak terjemahan pada tahun 1731, adalah 'Allah'. Kata ini digunakan oleh Bumiputera Kristian yang menggunakan Bahasa Malaysia sebagai bahasa pengantara mereka terutama di Sabah, Sarawak, Semenanjung Malaysia, dan masyarakat Baba di Melaka  Sejarah Makna dan Penggunaan  1. Kata 'Allah' adalah istilah yang digunakan bagi Tuhan yang tertinggi di antara tuhan-tuhan, sebelum wahyu Islam. The Shorter Encyclopedia of Islam, ed. H.A.R. Gibb & J. H. Kramer dan The Oxford Encyclopedia of the Modern Islamic World, ed. John L. Esposito, menyokong dan mengesahkan pernyataan ini.  2. Dari segi sejarah, penganut Kristian berbahasa Melayu di Asia Tenggara telah menggunakan 'Allah' untuk merujuk kepada Tuhan. Buktinya adalah seperti berikut:  • Wujudnya Kitab salat as sawai atau Katekismus Kristian di dalam Bahasa Melayu telah ditulis pada tahun 1514 dan diterbitkan sekitar 1545,  • Telah ada versi cetakan Injil Matius di dalam Bahasa Melayu oleh A.C. Ruyl pada tahun 1629,  • Kamus Melayu-Latin telah dicetak di Roma pada tahun 1631 (Dictionarium The Malaicum-Latinum dan Latinum - Malaicum)  • Terjemahan Kitab Kejadian oleh D. Brouwerius (1662),  • Terjemahan M. Leijdecker (1733),  • Terjemahan H.C. Klinkert (1879),  • Terjemahan W.A. Bode (1938), dan  • Pada tahun 1731-1733, telah wujud Al-Kitab Bahasa Melayu lengkap mengandungi kata 'Allah' iaitu terjemahan untuk 'God'.  3. Oleh itu, sejak awal lagi, kata 'Allah' telah digunakan dalam liturgi, doa-doa dan ibadat orang-orang Kristian yang bertutur dalam Bahasa Malaysia. Tetapi selama berabad-abad itu, tidak ada bantahan atau kegemparan mengenai penggunaan kata 'Allah'.     Bahasa  Bantahan terhadap penggunaan kata 'Allah' kebanyakannya berpunca dari wacana politik, atau di kalangan mereka yang membantah dengan tuduhan bahawa penterjemahan dan penggunaan kata 'Allah' baru sahaja berlaku. Ini tidak benar kerana sebab-sebab berikut:  1. Dalam bahasa-bahasa Semitik, kata 'Allah' telah digunakan secara meluas di Timur Tengah sejak abad ke-5 SM, sehingga masa perkembangan Islam dan penyebaran Bahasa Arab pada abad ke-7 M.  2. Penterjemahan Al-Kitab bukan menterjemah dari Bahasa Inggeris tetapi berdasarkan teks-teks dari Al-Kitab Ibrani dan teks Yunani. Dalam Bahasa Ibrani, kata 'Allah' mempunyai bentuk akar yang sama seperti Bahasa Arab. Jadi, apabila kata 'Allah' pertama kali diterjemahkan ke dalam Bahasa Malaysia, para penterjemah sebenarnya mengikut penggunaan Bahasa Arab Kristian dan mengekalkan perkataan 'Allah'.  3. Seperti yang dinyatakan sebelum ini, kata 'Allah' digunakan sebelum kedatangan Islam. Ia bukan ciptaan umat Islam dan kewujudannya tidak bermula di dalam Al-Quran.    Haruskah Kristian Menggantikan kata 'Allah' dengan 'Tuhan'?  Ini tidak mungkin atas sebab-sebab berikut :  1. Dalam Bahasa Melayu, 'Allah' bermakna 'Tuhan' dan 'Tuhan' bermaksud 'Lord'. Ini jelas apabila kita membaca Al-Kitab, 'Allah' dan 'Tuhan' digunakan di dalam Al-Kitab, dan kedua-duanya mempunyai konotasi yang berbeza. Oleh itu 'Allah' tidak boleh digantikan dengan 'Tuhan'.  2. Kata Tuhan telah digunakan untuk Yesus Kristus iaitu Tuhan Yesus. Sekiranya Kristian menggantikan kata 'Allah' untuk Tuhan, ia menimbulkan banyak kekeliruan dan tidak keruan yang merujuk kepada Tuhan dan Yesus  kerana:  • Makna 'Allah' dan Tuhan adalah berbeza.  • Ini sangat jelas melalui satu contoh sahaja. Di dalam Yesaya, Bab 41 dan Ayat 13; 43:3 dan 51:51. "For I am the LORD, your GOD..." diterjemahkan sebagai "Akulah Tuhan, Allah kamu..."(ALKITAB : Berita Baik. 2001. Edisi Kedua. Terbitan The Bible Society of Malaysia).  • Ia akan mewujudkan situasi tidak masuk akal jika orang Kristian perlu menterjemahkan frasa alkitabiah 'Lord God' sebagai Tuhan Tuhan. Pengulangan kata Tuhan Tuhan menunjukkan jamak di dalam Bahasa Malaysia, ia seolah-olah memperlihatkan bahawa agama Kristian percaya akan banyak tuhan, ini adalah sesuatu yang tidak boleh diterima.  • Umat Kristian berbahasa Malaysia tidak akan dapat mengesahkan ketuhanan Yesus Kristus dan mengajar doktrin Tritunggal kerana dua perkataan ini adalah kata-kata asas     Kesan-kesan Larangan Kata 'Allah'  1. Dinafikan untuk menggunakan kata 'Allah' adalah melanggar hak perlembagaan kebebasan beragama rakyat Malaysia di bawah Perlembagaan Persekutuan. Perkara 11 Perlembagaan Persekutuan melindungi hak setiap rakyat Malaysia untuk menganut agama dan amalan pilihan masing-masing. Perkara 11 (3) jelas memperuntukkan bahawa setiap kumpulan agama mempunyai hak untuk mengurus hal ehwal agama mereka sendiri.  2. Pada tahun 2011, Mahkamah Tinggi memberikan penghakiman yang membenarkan Gereja Katolik menggunakan perkataan 'Allah'. Kerajaan (semua rakyat Malaysia, termasuk Kristian) membawanya ke Mahkamah Rayuan dan ia masih belum selesai.  3. Selain itu, terdapat juga pelanggaran hak menggunakan kata-kata penting dalam Al-Kitab Bahasa Malaysia. Lihat arahan 5 Disember 1986 daripada Kementerian Hal Ehwal Dalam Negeri menyatakan bahawa, sebagai tambahan kepada 'Allah', kata-kata : Al-Kitab, Firman, Rasul, Iman, Ibadah, Injil, Wahyu, Nabi, Syukur, Solat dan doa adalah tidak boleh digunakan dalam Al-Kitab. Di samping itu, membuat larangan melalui fatwa hanyalah relevan dengan umat Islam sahaja dan tidak terpakai kepada bukan Islam.  4. Melarang penggunaan kata 'Allah' dan istilah-istilah lain adalah tidak adil. Kristian Bumiputera perlu diberi penghormatan dan kebebasan untuk memanggil Tuhan dalam satu-satunya bahasa yang mereka. Ini adalah penting bagi identiti agama dan budaya mereka. 5. Jika gereja-gereja di Malaysia bersetuju untuk berhenti menggunakan kata 'Allah', bermakna hak untuk mengedit Kitab Suci agama utama dunia telah diberikan kepada sebuah kerajaan sekular. Ini akan menjadi satu perkara memalukan dan kejadian yang belum pernah berlaku pada mana-mana agama dan kerajaan.    Kesimpulan  Sesetengah umat Islam mendakwa berulang kali bahawa orang Kristian di Malaysia enggan berhenti menggunakan kata 'Allah' kerana mahu mengelirukan umat Islam dan memurtadkan penganut Islam, sekali gus menimbulkan ancaman kepada keselamatan negara. Tuntutan itu adalah tidak berasas kerana tiada bukti penggunaan kata ini membawa ancaman keselamatan negara. Tuduhan ini kekal sebagai tidak berasas.  Sebaliknya, keadaan sebegitu dibuat kerana jahil dengan hakikat bahawa apabila orang Kristian menggunakan Al-Kitab, ia adalah khusus untuk umat Kristian berbahasa Malaysia. Gereja-gereja di Malaysia tidak pernah mencadangkan untuk mengubah kata 'Allah' dan 'Lord' kepada 'Allah' dan 'Tuhan', begitu juga bahasabahasa lain dalam Al-Kitab. DISEDIAKAN OLEH PERSEKUTUAN KRISTIAN MALAYSIA  (The Christian Federation of Malaysia)

The Tao and the "mother of all things" Posted: 19 May 2013 03:20 PM PDT   According to the Taoist world view, the birth of the "mother of all" things is a sure sign of the the two extreme Yin and Yang forces are at its peak.  Kuo Yong Kooi  In a short period of just over a month, Malaysia went through a festivity of 'mother of all things political'. Just after the parliament was dissolved, the opposition declared that GE13 is the 'mother of all elections'. In the period leading up to the May 5 election day, new records were set in the numbers of ceramah attendees night after night. On election day, we had the 'mother of all voter turnouts' with 84.4 percent, a new record. Adding in BR1M 1 and BR1M 2, GE13 is undoubtedly the 'mother of all amounts of money' spent on buying votes compared to any other elections. We also have the 'mother of all number of independent candidates' participating in the recent general election.   Anwar Ibrahim has publicly declared that the GE13 is the 'mother of all fraudulent elections'. We had the 'mother of all post-election gatherings' in Kelana Jaya stadium on May 8. We also saw a series of after-shocks in Batu Kawan, Penang; Ipoh, Perak; Kuantan and Johor Baru; with large turnouts but not as impressive as the one in the Kelana Jaya Stadium. Depending on the outcome of the coming Umno general assembly, Najib Abdul Razak's head might roll and that would be the 'mother of all heads rolling', adding to the recent head-rolling of Gerakan's Koh Tsu Koon. MCA's Chua Soi Lek's head will purportedly roll at the end of this year as he stated.  The opposition PAS might also do some blood letting in the coming PAS muktamar as the progressive 'Erdogan' faction suffered losses at the last GE13. We will have to see if Mat Sabu's head is going to be rolling, too. Uncle Kit Siang has seen cabinet line-ups since the sixties. He labelled the current new cabinet as the most (mother of all) unimpressive cabinet in Malaysia's history. East Malaysians had just witnessed the 'mother of all number of East Malaysians' in the current cabinet line-up. The winner of the 'mother of all political illusionists' is P Wathaymoorthy. Many did not take him seriously when he demanded a few seats from Pakatan in negotiations prior to the election. I was really touched when he did his 21-day fast. He even got Karpal Singh's attention and sympathy. I guess many Indians went along with his call to vote for BN and that contributed to the "technical" survival of MIC in the recent polls. That was really a class act. He worked hard and honestly to get sympathy from the Indian community to vote for BN as a free agent/NGO.  Whereas BN openly and utterly disregarded the sanctity of a "free and fair" election campaign. Its secretary-general Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor said, "There is nothing wrong with flying in voters to vote", and the caretaker PM Najib Razak was quoted to have said that there will be more BR1Ms to come if BN is re-elected during the campaign. Of course Wathaymoorthy deserves the position as a deputy minister in the Prime Minister's department as far as the prime minister is concerned. I think he might have a future in Bollywood after this stint at the Prime Minister's Department. The progressive forces in Malaysia are now split. This election result has pushed the radicals out of the woodwork. We will have to see the turn out in the 'one million people' protest march in the next week or so. If the group manages to attract a big turnout like all other previous post GE13 'aftershock' rallies, we will be witnessing the 'mother of all stalemates' in the history of Malaysia's politics.  This group will surely thumb their noses at the legitimacy and effectiveness of the Najib administration and ask for Anything But Umno (ABU). According to the Taoist world view, the birth of the "mother of all" things is a sure sign of the the two extreme Yin and Yang forces are at its peak. We are living in an interesting time indeed in the context of Malaysia's political history.

Exempt Sabah Sarawak from GST Posted: 19 May 2013 03:10 PM PDT   The BN government should stop beating around the bush and just plainly say that it needs to raise another RM27 billion from GST, which is the equivalent to about RM1,000 per person per year, to cover the ballooning national debt which have been increased partly by the various Santa Clause programs to fish for votes in the recent general elections. Datuk Dr. Jeffrey Kitingan   "The people of Sabah and Sarawak should be exempted from the Goods and Services Tax (GST) that appears imminently to be implemented by the BN Federal government at any time" said Datuk Dr. Jeffrey Kitingan, STAR Sabah Chief. Foremost, the PM needs to practice what he says and start implementing his transparency programs by not "testing the people" by using mouthpieces for feedback on the intended GST implementation.    The BN government should stop beating around the bush and just plainly say that it needs to raise another RM27 billion from GST, which is the equivalent to about RM1,000 per person per year, to cover the ballooning national debt which have been increased partly by the various Santa Clause programs to fish for votes in the recent general elections. The BN government should not treat the people as fools anymore. People can understand the need to increase revenue to cover the national debt but whether the need to tax and burden the people is another matter altogether. The government should pay attention to reduction of economic leakages and to wipe out corruption which is probably the biggest cause for any unjustified increase in the national debt. As for the GST itself, the federal government should exempt Sabah and Sarawak from its implementation. The GST will burden Sabahans and Sarawakians who are already poor. Sabah and Sarawak are more than justified in being exempted from the GST implementation. Firstly, Sabah and Sarawak, both with riches and wealth have been robbed and are now suffering from being made the two poorest states in Malaysia. In 2012, RM17.88 billion in oil revenue were siphoned by Petronas from Sabah and another RM35 billion from Sarawak. Sabah lost another RM24 billion in federal taxes and revenues collected from the state. Secondly, the crippling cabotage policy is not only increasing the living costs of Sabahans but is stifling Sabah's economy and making Sabah an uncompetitive investment destination. Thus, depriving our youths of further job opportunities. If the PM is serious with his "Rakyat Didahulukan" slogan, the PM should immediately abolish the cabotage policy. There are no two ways about it. Yet, the federal and state governments are deaf to the pleas of the people to have the cabotage policy abolished. Thirdly, rural Sabahans and Sarawakians have low household incomes and this is made even worse by the federal government's minimum salary level which has fixed a lower minimum of RM900 for Sabah and Sarawak and discriminates against them compared to West Malaysians with a threshold level of RM1,000. Last but not least, instead of imposing the GST on Sabah and Sarawak, the PM should stop the marginalization of Sabahans and Sarawakians and implement programs in both states to increase the income levels and improve their livelihoods, consistent with his "Rakyat Didahulukan" slogan. If the PM fails to exempt Sabah and Sarawak from the GST implementation, he should be wary of the consequences of being the last Umno Prime Minister. The people in Sabah and Sarawak have awoken to the concept of Sabah and Sarawak being the kingmakers and can topple the BN federal government at any time. This "kingmaker" role and leverage can be seen in the increased composition of Sabah and Sarawak lawmakers in the new Cabinet and demands for more. "I will personally be meeting further with Sabah and Sarawak leaders and work on bringing this kingmaker role to the next level. We need to work towards the restoration of our rights and autonomy if it means toppling the current BN regime" concluded Dr. Jeffrey.

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