| Don’t take us for fools Posted: 11 Jul 2013 01:12 PM PDT 
Our country is in hopeless decline, politically as well as economically and I am another angry Malaysian. CT Ali, FMT One cannot sweep everything under the carpet by comparing the Transparency International Corruption Index with that of other countries and say the situation is not that bad after all. This is what the Minister in the Prime Minister's Department and Pemandu CEO Idris Jala was trying to do in his comment "In conversation with an angry Malaysian" which appeared in a local daily last month.
Of course the situation is not bad but worse. Our country is in hopeless decline, politically as well as economically and I am another angry Malaysian.
Idris was just trying to fiddle with the percentages and making a fool out of us. Let us not try to delude ourselves that being in the company of Latvia and Turkey is something we can be proud of! Even Rwanda, Dominica and Botswana did better than Malaysia in the corruption index rating.
He stated that despite there not being much corruption in the United States, Britain, Germany and Singapore these countries still have absolute and relative poverty.
There is absolute and relative poverty anywhere in the world but these governments have governed responsibly and are accountable for what they do.
Corruption is not tolerated or condoned and any abuse by those in high public and political office, when uncovered, will be punished without fear or favour in these countries!
Yes, not everyone in Singapore is rich but even if there was zero corruption in Singapore there will still be absolute and relative poverty there. So Idris' arguments are self-serving!
There is no corruption in many rural villages because the people are too involved in trying to earn a decent wage to think about corruption. Their beliefs in Allah and Islam will not allow them to be involved in corruption.
Idris said it was the shared responsibility of the people to stop corruption by not giving bribes. As long as there is giving there will be taking! How perceptive of you and how true, but Idris tell me what happens in Cabinet? As I see it there is a lot of taking but not much giving thereI
Illegal outflow of illicit funds
Checks and balances abounds to "manage" the rakyat but for the political elites NFC, PKFZ and Taib in Sarawak are just a few examples when the BN government closes one eye.
When will the Barisan Nasional government share with us the responsibility of not doing the giving to its own political elites and their cronies and when will they not do the taking from who ever is giving?
Idris tells us that Bank Negara has refuted the claims that 80% of illicit capital flow is from the proceeds of corruption. Then do you agree that RM873bil of illegal capital outflow has happen over the last 10 years?
There is something wrong somewhere with Bank Negara's inability to stem the illicit outflow of capital. Let us not quibble over the nuances of where that RM870bil originates! Why has this Barisan Nasional government not stop the illegal outflow of illicit funds? Is it due to the lack of political will or is Bank Negara acting on instructions of the government – tacit or implied?
Idris said it was totally wrong to say that this was due to government corruption so how would you describe what the Barisan Nasional government was doing to stem the outflow of illicit capital.
He talks of the South Koreans not complaining about not getting government contracts and just getting on with the job of being the best in the world. Maybe you should stop talking and trying to spin away Umno's and Barisan Nasional's obvious failings.
Just get on with your own responsibilities within the cabinet. Even if you start doing that now you will still have a long way to go to catch up with South Korea. I would go so far as to say that we have missed the train because its so laden with gravy meant for your peers! The gravy train is too burdened to be able to pick up enough speed to go anywhere!
You say that half the Singaporeans surveyed wanted to migrate for reasons best known to themselves. Let me tell you why Malaysians want to migrate in just two words – Barisan Nasional or to be more precise – just one word – Umno.
Talking about reducing our fiscal deficit from 6.6% to 4.5% last year can Idris elaborate on our mounting national debt that has been steadily mounting in the last 15 years and projected to be RM1 trillion by 2020.
This is without taking into consideration the private debt and part of it that is publicly guaranteed because all this add to the government debt burden.
Idris said it was public perception that the crime rate was is increasing.
He also pointed out that in Britain that crime rate was increasing when in fact it was decreasing.
The British public holds their government strictly accountable for everything that it does, including press freedom.
They made Rupert Murdoch own up for what his newspapers do in Britain and corruption among the police, government servants and politicians are always under the scrutiny of NGOs and independent bodies. READ MORE HERE |
| Street savvy Umno, PAS men in straight fight Posted: 11 Jul 2013 01:03 PM PDT 
(Bernama) - Two locals who are pitted against each other in the Kuala Besut by-election have promised to adopt a moderate and prudent approach to reach the voters in this Muslim enclave. By and large, Barisan Nasional's (BN) Tengku Zaihan Che Ku Abd Rahman, 37, and PAS' Azlan Yusuf, 48, will be attending religious programmes such as tazkirah (religious talks) in mosques and surau throughout the campaign.
The duo will break the fast with locals as they observe Ramadan – a period of prayer, fasting, charity-giving and self-accountability.
Without doubt the by-election where the BN is defending the seat is a duel between a street smart (Tengku Zaihan) and a street savy (Azlan).
The BN is banking its hope on Tengku Zaihan, an engineer with the Drainage and Irrigation Department (DID) based in Putrajaya who had once served the Kuala Besut District DID as district engineer for five years.
Hailed from Kampung Nail, Kuala Besut, Tengku Zaihan said although he was born with the honorific 'Tengku', he was a regular guy as he grew up among fishermen.
A graduate in civil engineering from Universiti Sains Malaysia, he has served the community as Kuala Besut district engineer and Seri Seratus Umno branch member.
Thanking the BN leadership for nominating him to stand in the by-election, he said, "It is my ardent hope that the voters will give the opportunity to me to serve them.
"If chosen, I will do my best to help them improve their livelihood," he added.
Azlan's popular with locals
On the other hand, Azlan of PAS is a self-made businessman who is fondly known as 'Che Long' by locals.
The choice of Azlan, who is Kuala Besut PAS treasurer, ended speculations that PAS would be fielding a well known religious teacher after it failed to wrest the seat from the BN through a woman candidate in the last general election.
Meanwhile, the two candidates filed their nomination papers for the by-election, scheduled for July 24, at the Rakan Muda Complex in Kuala Besut.
Only two names were announced as the official candidates by the Election Commission (EC) for the state seat which is holding the Terengganu state assembly in a limbo.
BN currently holds 16 state seats while Pakatan holds 15 in the state assembly.
In the event Pakatan wins Kuala Besut, it will effect a hung state assembly in Terengganu, which may trigger a statewide by-election to end the impasse.
The state seat fell vacant after its Umno assemblyman Dr A Rahman Mokhtar passed away last month due to cancer.
Earlier, thousands were seen gathered outside the nomination centre.
While Tengku Zaihan was accompanied buy BN deputy chairman Muhyiddin Yassin and secretary-general Tengku Adnan Mansor, Azlan was also accompanied by Pakatan bigwigs such as DAP adviser Lim Kit Siang and PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang.
The by-election was necessitated by the death of assemblyman Dr A.Rahman Mokhtar of the BN of lung cancer on June 26.
He had won the seat with a 2,434 majority by beating Napisah Ismail of PAS in the general election on May 5.
Kuala Besut has 17,679 voters which is made up of 17,463 Malays, 125 Chinese and the rest other races. |
| Stop Blaming the Victims Posted: 11 Jul 2013 09:30 AM PDT 
Instead of standing in solidarity with women and other persons who have had their dignity – and sometimes lives - forcibly taken from them, this woman choses to exonerate the aggressor and vilify the victim. Leroy Luar Once when I was in Form 2, I was attacked by a senior student who had befriended me several weeks earlier. It was still dark out and I had gone to school early that day to get some last minute homework done. When I first noticed that he was in the classroom with me, I thought nothing about it. We were friends, weren't we? But when he came up to me, picked me up (I was a really small kid) and began to hump me from behind, I knew I was in serious trouble. He was literally twice my size and even though I struggled for all I was worth, I just couldn't wriggle out of his bear hug until he was done with me. A friend of mine even walked in on us in the middle of the attack and I remember shouting at him to go get help but by the time he came back with someone, the attacker had already released me and left the classroom. Even though I reported the incident to the discipline teacher, I never said a word to my parents for fear that I would get into trouble. The fact that the teacher did nothing further reinforced my fear that I had done something wrong. Imagine my horror upon finding out this morning that an elected assemblywoman from PAS has called for1 stricter enforcement to prevent women from dressing "indecently" in public, in order to curb sexual crimes. In her speech, Siti Zailah Mohd Yusoff, the party's Rantau Panjang MP declared in Parliament that short pants and short skirts were among the factors that contributed to crimes of a sexual nature. Comments like these are ignorant and insulting at best, dangerous and malicious at worst, and even more so when made by a woman. Instead of standing in solidarity with women and other persons who have had their dignity – and sometimes lives - forcibly taken from them, this woman choses to exonerate the aggressor and vilify the victim. For victims of a sexual assault are precisely that – victims. Any insinuation that these victims had anything to do with the assault – that they had somehow earned the attack through their dressing, behaviour or gender – does nothing but pour salt into an already festering wound. [Take the survey at http://goo.gl/5TuKY: "What Were You Wearing When it Happened? - Anonymous fact finding to debunk existing anecdotal external causes (i.e. dressing, behaviour, gender, sexual orientation, etc...) to sexual assault (rape, incest, molest, etc...)"] In recent reports2, close to 100 women have fallen victim to "rampant" sexual attacks in Cairo's Tahrir Square during four days of protests against Egypt's President Mohamed Morsi. In a harrowing recount by assault victim Yasmine El Baramawy, she recalls her attackers who "tore at my clothes like savage animals and tried to pull down my trousers. I felt hands all over my body." According to her, more than 100 men hit her with clubs and waved knives around her – 'punishment' for her audacity in joining the protestors who had congregated last November in protest of constitutional changes, made by now deposed President Mohamed Morsi. Not once in the reports that came after attributed her attack to the manner of her dressing or raised the question of her decency or lack thereof. Closer to home3, the Malaysian Police recently arrested three handball players on charges of raping a female officer of the women's handball squad at the Sukma Games Village in Malaysia. The victim alleged that she was raped on Wednesday at the sports village in Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) situated in Serdang district. National Sports Council (NSC) director general Datuk Seri Zolkples Embong said at a press conference on Sunday that the 19-year-old woman was in a semi-conscious state when she was repeatedly raped in a hostel room at the university. I note again that not once in any of the reports that came after was her dressing or morality alluded to. Move further back into our not so distant past and we can very easily recall sensational case after case of women – and yes, some men – being forced to sexually submit to someone else's will. Not once in any of these cases were the victims provoking the assault much less deserving or asking to be attacked. The story of my attack resurfaced some years later when I participated in a college focus group discussing sexual assault. As I related my story to the members of the group, I came to realise that my feeling of shame of having been attacked had been replaced by that of anger and disappointment. Anger - that I had been stripped of my dignity and my innocence by a man who had insinuated himself into my unwitting confidence for that purpose and that alone. Disappointment -that I was not given the protection that I clearly needed from the one authority figure I chose to confide in. Anger - that I was inadvertently made to take responsibility for an attack on my person. And today, disappointment – that many years later, even after rape after rape after rape, our leaders still seem none the wiser on how to approach this discussion. For it is an indisputable fact that sexual assault is more oppressive and dominative an act than it is an expression of sex and sexuality. Rape - the mother of all sexual assaults – and her lesser cousins – incest, molest and all other acts of sexual violation, penetrative or otherwise – are weapons wielded by people in a violent show of power, aggression and yes, violation. Yes, the physical acts of sexual assault may be anecdotally informed by external factors – porn, alcohol, drugs… maybe even popular culture. But the root cause inspiring the need to express dominance through sexual assault runs much deeper and darker – take your pick: a fundamental disdain for private property, misogyny, a perverted sense of patriarchy. The sooner we get around to wrapping any future discourse on sexual assault beyond simplistic notions, the better. Sources: 1 Enforce dress code for women to curb sexual crimes, says PAS women's chief (http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/enforce-dress-code-for-women-to-curb-sexual-crimes-says-pas-womens-chief/) 2Tahrir rape victim: 'I felt hands all over my body' (http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4403474,00.html) 3Malaysia: Three Athletes Arrested for Rape in Sukma Games Village (http://www.ibtimes.co.in/articles/487448/20130708/rape-sukma-games-village-malaysia-athlete.htm) |
| Pakatan: Be a Responsible Opposition; No ARAB SPRING Please Posted: 11 Jul 2013 09:22 AM PDT 
A person who takes part, loses then complains is commonly referred to as a sore loser. TRUTH SEEKER GE 2013 is over. The new government is in place and things should have returned to normalcy. But Pakatan and its cohorts refuse to allow this by refusing to accept the results and are bent on street protests, and disrupting the peace and stability in the country. The rules to decide the winner of the elections in Malaysia has been established and accepted by all since independence. Due to our history, we follow the Westminister model as do most commonwealth countries. The winner is the party that gains the most seats. DAP and Pas have taken part in so many Malaysian Elections, in the past they accepted the decision that the party with the most seats is the winner. There was no mention of winning the popular vote. Even in 2008, there was no talk of the popular vote. The party that won over the most seats was declared the winner. Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim when he was a member of Barisan Nasional was happy to accept the results and there was no attempt to question how elections should be decided in Malaysia. When he was Deputy Prime Minister he was no doubt waiting rather impatiently for THE election that would see him appointed Prime Minister of Malaysia. His burning desire to be Prime Minister was too obvious and many say it was one reason why he was sacked from the government. The current situation created by Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim is akin to two players competing in a competition. Can the player who lost say he will not accept the results, claiming the spectators clapped the loudest for him? A wise player would study the rules of the game before playing. If he does not agree to the rules, he would discuss it and try to change the rules before the competition. If he cannot get the rules changed, he would not take part in the competition. A person who takes part, loses then complains is commonly referred to as a sore loser. One would be more indulgent if the loser was a child and try to teach him the importance of sportsmanship and accepting defeat gracefully. But when it is a petulant 65 year old man, what can we say but that 'most Malaysians are fed up with your antics and rallies. Just grow up and play your role as Leader of Opposition responsibly, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim' Pakatan please note: most Malaysians, including many of the 51% whom you claim voted for you cherish peace and do not want to see street battles, bombs and blood shed. |
| MIC members surprised by Daljit’s decision to contest Posted: 11 Jul 2013 09:18 AM PDT 
(The Malay Mail Online) - He is also an MIC veteran, how is he going to bring about change? Leaders and members of the MIC are surprised with the news that former Senator Datuk Daljit Singh will be going for the party's top post. This comes after Daljit had criticised party president Datuk Seri G. Palanivel's leadership as "disappointing", "old-fashioned" and "non-democratic", among other comments made. The Malay Mail had reported yesterday that Daljit, who is linked to former president Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu, intends to create a new direction and bring fresh blood to the party. Daljit had also said that "modernisation" was needed to infuse new blood into the party. Former MIC secretary general Datuk S. Murugesan seemed speechless upon hearing the news. Read more at: http://www.themalaymailonline.com/malaysia/article/mic-members-surprised-by-daljits-decision-to-contest |
| Indian shops to close on Tuesday in protest against trade fairs Posted: 10 Jul 2013 06:09 PM PDT 
The traders say the Indian trade fairs and shopping carnivals are robbing them of their business. (Bernama) - Local Indian traders at major shopping spots nationwide are to close for business on July 16 in protest against Indian shopping carnivals and trade fairs in the country participated in by foreigners. President of the Malaysian Indian Textiles and General Stores Association (MITA), R. Moorthy Ramasamy, said these trade fairs and shopping carnivals organised during the festive season were taking away the good business enjoyed by the local traders, particularly from the 'Little India' enclaves of shops run by the Indian community.
"MITA wants an immediate stop to such carnivals and we have sent many memorandums, including to the prime minister, to resolve the matter but they have not been fruitful.
"As such, as a last resort, local textile merchants and costume jewellery shop and restaurant owners have unanimously agreed to close their business operations for one day on July 16 in protest against the matter.
"Even the vegetable sellers who are badly affected by the foreigners are supporting us," he told Bernama.
He said Indian trade fairs organised by local event management companies were originally meant to be participated in by manufacturers from countries like India, Pakistan and Bangladesh to introduce their products to local traders.
However, he said, the objective had changed along the years as foreign traders involved in these trade fairs started doing retail sales to local customers.
"The foreigners in the trade fairs are making a huge profit at the expense of local traders ," he said.
MITA secretary Maheswary Ramasamy said it was bad for the country's economy to have foreign traders at trade fairs as this would result in the outflow of money.
She said many small-scale Indian traders found it difficult to break even due to such trade fairs and, worse still, some of them were forced to close shop.
Meanwhile, a saree shop owner, Surendran Subramaniam, 39, from Sungai Petani, Kedah, said the issue of foreign traders taking away the business of locals had become a national issue and needed to be addressed quickly by the government.
Malaysian Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry Penang branch president N.
Vasantharajan had said that 120 traders in 'Little India' in George Town would close for business on July 16 in protest against an Indian shopping carnival scheduled to be held next month.
Vasantharajan was reported to have said that the carnival, which also involved the participation of traders from India, had caused the 'Little India' traders losses to the tune of RM10 million. |
| The Trinity called Judaism, Christianity and Islam Posted: 10 Jul 2013 04:13 PM PDT 
The common belief is that there are three religions in the Abrahamic faiths. Of course, if you were to compare the three religions, today, that statement would be true. And herein lies the problem. You cannot compare the three religions according to what they look like today. You need to go back to the time those religions first existed in medieval times to do your comparison study. NO HOLDS BARRED Raja Petra Kamarudin I closed my previous article with: "Okay, absorb all this for the meantime (and I know the Muslims, plus probably the Christians as well, are going to scream and curse me for this) and in the next article we shall talk about whether we really do have three Abrahamic religions or was there only one." Now, some of you may ask: why are we discussing the three Abrahamic faiths and not any of the other religions? Well, first of all, this is because the Muslims and the Christians in Malaysia are quarrelling over all sorts of things (today itself there are three issues in the press), as they are all over the world. The Muslims view the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan as a Christian crusade against Islam (not a war against terrorism). The '911' tragedy in New York is seen as Islam's retaliation against Christianity (or 'The Great Satan', the US). And so on. Secondly, both the Christians and the Muslims believe that some time in the future we are going to see a great world war that will destroy the world and trigger the end of the world. And this Great War is going to be between religion and evil and will be led by Jesus Christ who will come back to earth to lead humankind. Hence it is crucial that we understand what many call 'the Clash of Civilisations' or the great divide between Judeo-Christianity and Islam and how this whole thing came about -- plus whether it will ever end or whether it will continue till the end of time (or most likely be the cause of the end of time). In short, in case many of you have not yet noticed, I am NOT talking about religion -- although it appears like I am. I am talking about politics. And in this case I am talking about Political Islam versus Political Judeo-Christianity. Let me rephrase that. The Judeo-Christians and the Muslims are not fighting over dogma. On this point they have agreed to disagree. They are fighting over supremacy. Hence this is about politics and not about religion. Many Malaysians resent Ketuanan Melayu (Malay Supremacy), and for good reason. But what difference is Ketuanan Judeo-Christianity or Ketuanan Islam? And this, basically, is what is going on and what has been happening for 1,500-2,000 years. Okay, at this point, some of you are going to argue that while Political Islam does exist, there is no such thing as Political Judeo-Christianity. Judeo-Christianity is about love. It is about peace. It is about hate the sin but love the sinner. It is about love your neighbour even if he is a Muslim. Hence Political Judeo-Christianity does not exist while Political Islam does. Christianity was not spread at the point of the sword while Islam was. Islam was propagated by a 'convert-or-die' policy while Christianity was spread through missionary work and plenty of love thrown in. That is sheer propaganda and you are wrong on all counts. To understand the great divide you must first dwell in depth into the study of comparative religion. And to do this you must not be clouded by any religious beliefs or dogma. And this is why 'committed' Jews, Christians or Muslims cannot do this. Committed Jews, Christians and Muslims will be biased and influenced by their religious beliefs. So we need 'independent' people to do this study. However, 'independent' people would mean those not bound to any of the three Abrahamic faiths. But then Muslims will not accept the views of these people who they call 'orientalist' -- and orientalist is used as a negative word here. They will only accept the work of fellow-Muslims. But then Muslims will work backwards -- if you know what I mean. They will research to prove their doctrine correct rather than work independent of their doctrine. In other words, they have already decided on the answer. So now they try to come out with a formula to prove that their answer is correct -- rather than come out with the formula first and see what answer they obtain at the end of the whole exercise. And that is why religionists work with a closed mind and will refuse to open their minds to the possibility that the answer may be something else entirely and contrary to popular belief. The common belief is that there are three religions in the Abrahamic faiths. Of course, if you were to compare the three religions, today, that statement would be true. And herein lies the problem. You cannot compare the three religions according to what they look like today. You need to go back to the time those religions first existed in medieval times to do your comparison study. And if you do that then the three religions would look exactly the same -- or almost. Hence you will see one religion, not three. But then we do have three religions, you may say. Ah, yes, but are they three 'independent' or separate religions or are they what you can regard as three 'sects' of the same religion? (I have used 'sects' and not sects, if you know what that means). And this is the focus of my series of articles this week: to explore how three sects of the same religion mutated into three separate religions that are now at odds with one another. However, as I said, we are not talking about religion. We are talking about politics. And, because of politics, the one religion was turned into three. Let me put it another way. Are Umno, Semangat 46 and PKR three different political parties or in reality three 'branches' of the same party? Are PAS, Hamim and Berjasa three political parties or in reality three 'branches' of the same party? The answer you will give to those questions will depend on your perception. In that same spirit, are Judaism, Christianity and Islam three 'political' religions or in reality three 'branches' of the same 'political' religion? Again, the answer you will give to this question will depend on your perception. What I am trying to say is, if you look at the three Abrahamic faiths as political movements rather than as religions (such as Hinduism or Buddhism), then things begin to make sense -- or you will begin the understand the reason for all this chaos. We shall continue this discussion in the next episode of this series of articles. Oh, and one last thing, my 'theory' may not quite meet the approval of the religionists who will call me a religious deviant. |
| It’s time for PAS to change Posted: 10 Jul 2013 03:18 PM PDT 
Zaid Ibrahim I'm pleasantly surprised that PAS has selected a businessman rather than an ustaz as their candidate for the Kuala Besut by-election. Just before this, Husam Musa of Kota Bharu was selected to be the election director instead of a Terengganu PAS leader. Both decisions augur well for the party as it shows a practical side that will be much needed if PAS wants to replace UMNO as the Malay/Muslim party of the future. The problems faced by the people in Malaysia, including in Kuala Besut, and around the world are generally associated with a lack of jobs, housing and business opportunities and gross inequality. The people want to believe that their representatives or wakil rakyat can understand and help them overcome these problems. UMNO undoubtedly has the resources and the machinery to manage some of these issues more effectively than PAS can. The people know how wasteful and corrupt UMNO is, but they will still vote for the party if they see PAS is unable to at least address these problems or provide reasonable alternatives. The fishermen in Pulau Perhentian will not be impressed by an Opposition candidate who just preaches about the evils associated with UMNO or the rewards in the afterlife. They would instead be grateful for a politician who can offer them the practical support and financial assistance they need. Kelantan, the bastion of PAS rule, will come under severe threat in the next General Election unless party leaders offer practical steps to improve the people's lives. Complaining about the lack of monies or investments, or about the tyranny of Barisan Nasional rule in denying them oil royalties will not be enough to hold on to the state. Development is important and economic matters must now take priority in any PAS administration. Those who think otherwise are living in the past. READ MORE HERE |
| Halim Saad saman kerajaan Malaysia RM2 bilion Posted: 10 Jul 2013 03:13 PM PDT 
V Anbalagan, TMI Taikun, Halim Saad mengambil tindakan saman RM2 bilion terhadap kerajaan Malaysia, Khazanah Nasional dan bekas menteri berkaitan penyerahan kawalan konglomerat, Renong yang bermasalah kepadanya. Dalam kenyataan pembelaan, Tan Sri Nor Mohamed Yakcop dan dua lagi defendan, bagaimanapun mempertikai saman Halim dan wajar dibatal berikutan ia terkeluar dari tempoh iaitu melebihi enam tahun dari peristiwa itu. Ia didakwa bermula pada Ogos 2002 apabila Halim diberitahu, Khazanah Nasional tidak akan melayan tuntutannya untuk bayaran pukal. Teras tuntutan yang menjadi perbincangan ramai ialah peristiwa yang membawa Halim menyerahkan kawalan Renong dan peranan yang dimainkan bekas Perdana Menteri, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad. Secara mudah, krisis kewangan Asia pada 1997 meranapkan harga saham Renong dan mendedahkan konglomerat itu kepada masalah aliran tunai dan beban hutang yang besar. Perniagaan pada tahun pembelian UEM pada takat 32 peratus blok saham Renong tidak berlangsung baik daripada pelaburan awam. Bagi meredakan pasaran, Halim pada 1998 didakwa menawar untuk membeli saham Renong dari UEM secara pilihan. Sebanyak RM3.2 bilion yang dibayar empat kali ansuran, tiga pada nilai RM100 milion dan bakinya bersama faedah pada 14 Februari 2001. Kali pertama, Halim membayar RM100 juta tetapi tidak membayar untuk kali kedua hingga tempoh tamat sehinggalah Khazanah mengambil alih. Versi HalimHalim membuat bayaran pertama pada Februari 2001 sebelum Julai tahun dipanggil ke Putrajaya oleh Dr Mahathir yang memberitahu beliau patut membiarkan kerajaan mengambil alih pegangan saham dalam Renang dan UEM. Dalam pertemuan pada Julai itu, Mahathir juga meminta Halim membincangkan hal itu dengan Nor Mohamed. READ MORE HERE |
| MP questions need for Islamic subject in private universities Posted: 10 Jul 2013 03:05 PM PDT 
Md Izwan TMI An opposition MP today called on the education ministry to re-think its move to make Islamic Civilisation studies compulsory for local students in private universities. DAP Kampar MP Dr Ko Chung Sen said the ministry will make the subject compulsory from Sept 1. "We strongly urge the education ministry to reverse the ruling and let the individual universities decide on the needs of their courses," he said during a press conference today. "If you look at the renowned universities in the world, there is no subject on religion that is made compulsory for its students. "How will this subject help a student studying medicine, engineering or law?" he asked. READ MORE HERE |
| Church right to say Allah describes God, says Vatican’s first envoy to Malaysia Posted: 10 Jul 2013 03:01 PM PDT 
Jennifer Gomez, TMI In his first interview with the Malaysian media, the first resident diplomat sent by the Vatican to live and work in this country spoke on the controversial issue of the use of the Arabic word "Allah" to describe God in any religion. Archbishop Joseph Marino said he supports the stand of the Catholic Church in Malaysia. He applauded the arguments made by the Christian Federation of Malaysia to use "Allah" in its texts to refer to God as very well done. Archbishop Marino is the Apostolic Nuncio to Malaysia. This position, also often known as a papal nuncio, is the Vatican equivalent to an ambassador. This is the first time the Vatican has opened what is the equivalent to an embassy in Malaysia. The diplomat said the only way to stop deterioration in race relations in Malaysia is through dialogue, saying it would work out if people sat down and talked. On his experience being the former nuncio in Bangladesh, Archbishop Marino said the people in that Muslim country have great respect for Christianity. READ MORE HERE |
| 5 states allow unilateral conversions Posted: 10 Jul 2013 02:51 PM PDT 
DAP's Nga Kor Ming urges the AG Chambers to advise these states to amend their Islamic laws in line with the federal constitution. Leven Woon, FMT Although the government has withdrawn the controversial Federal Territories Islamic Bill which would have allowed for unilateral conversion of minors to Islam, this specific provision is still effective in five other states, a DAP lawmaker pointed out today. The five states which allow for unilateral conversions of minors are Perak, Kedah, Negeri Sembilan, Sarawak and Malacca, Taiping MP Nga Kor Ming told a press conference in the Parliament.
Laws on Islamic issues fall under the prerogative of the respective states. The FT Islamic Bill – Administration of Islamic Law (Federal Territories) Bill 2013 – however fell under the purview of the parliament as it involved federal territories.
Nga today urged the Attorney-General's Chambers to advise the five state governments to amend their respective state enactments so that they would uniformly reflect the definition of "parent" as stipulated in the Federal Constitution.
Enactments in the five states were passed between 2001 and 2008. These state Islamic laws stated that a non-Muslim aged 18 and below can embrace Islam with the consent from one of his/her parent.
Nga noted Islamic enactments in Selangor, Terengganu, Pulau Pinang, Sabah, Perlis and Johor however required consent from both the father and mother for a minor to be converted to Islam.
"How come there are two systems in one country?" he asked. READ MORE HERE |
| ‘Sulus will return better armed’ Posted: 10 Jul 2013 02:44 PM PDT 
ESSCOM deputy commissioner Ahmad Nadzer believes that the numerous water villagers along the ESSCOM stretch are breeding growns for 'arriving' terrorists. LAHAD DATU: If the Sulus return they will be eliminated at sea, even before they breach the security net in eastern Sabah, assured Eastern Sabah Security Command (ESSCOM) Director of Intelligence, deputy commissioner Ahmad Nadzer Nordin (picture, right). Ahmad Nadzer, who confessed that the February intrusion at Kampung Tanduo here was a result of a 'slip-up', believes the Sulus will return and this time it will be with vengeance on their mind.
"We believe they will return. We expect them to come better armed, but we will be ready and waiting for them and they will not get to land at our shores," he said.
He said they expected the terrorists to sneak into the area using other routes and take refuge among the water villages along the 1,784 km ESSCOM coastline.
He said although the long coastline covering 10 districts from Kudat to Tawau were "well secured" there were still "pockets" which did not fall within the range of the eight radars
He said once these terrorists slipped pass the security net they took refuge in the many water villages which litter the ESSCOM coastline.
"These villages must be demolished and residents resettled elsewhere.
"All this while our (police) intelligence indicated water villages were used as hide out for criminals and smugglers, they hide their fire arms, contraband include drugs there.
"I strongly believe it is high time for us to eradicate such threats once and for all," he said.
Ahmad said ESSCOM has been exploring and adopting all possible measures to improve its security network and its intelligence collecting process.
He said cooperation with the Philippines and Indonesia security forces had also strengthened even as ESSCOM fostered closer ties with residents within the range. READ MORE HERE |
| How Sandakan became Little Philippines Posted: 10 Jul 2013 02:35 PM PDT 
Sandakan's former MP speaks of the town's rich past and laments the present. Cyril Lim, FMT The presence of a huge number of Filipino illegal immigrants in Sandakan has inspired opposition leaders to give the nickname "Little Philippines" to Sabah's second largest city. According to statistics obtained from the Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) hearings on illegal immigrants in Sabah, there are 172,000 illegal immigrants in Sandakan. This figure represents 38% of the Sandakan population.
Sandakan was the first capital of Sabah, when the state was known as North Borneo. In its heydey as a timber producing centre, it was reputed to have the highest concentration of millionaires in the world. It had another nickname then. Because of its population was predominantly Chinese, it was popularly known as Little Hong Kong.
However, the influx of Filipino illegal immigrants has changed demography of Sandakan and many other areas in Sabah, perhaps forever. In the last three decades, the state's population has jumped 285% to become 2,450,000. Most of the increase has been attributed to illegal immigration, mostly from the Philippines, but also from Indonesia.
Former three-term Sandakan MP Fung Ket Wing of DAP recently shared his views on changes that have taken place over the last three decades in his town as well as the rest of Sabah.
FMT : Opposition leaders in Sabah are saying that Sandakan, once known as Little Hong Kong, now looks more like Little Philippines. Do you agree?
FUNG : The Chinese came to Sandakan in the early part of the 19th century, before William Pryer founded the town in 1882.
In the early days, there were mass recruitments of labourers from China for developing the Sandakan area. They came in by tongkang through Hong Kong, the shortest route to Sandakan in those days. Some went back to China also through the same route. Thus Sandakan was well known to the people of Hong Kong in the old days. They were the ones who started calling Sandakan "Little Hong Kong".
After Sabah had joined the Malaysian Federation in 1963, the government's policy was to allow the free flow of Filipinos into Sabah. The close proximity between Sandakan and islands in the Southern Philippines and good job opportunities caused an influx of illegal immigrants into the state, particularly into Sandakan. The government gave them citizenship legally and illegally, and this encouraged more of them to come.
The governments policy of increasing the Muslim presence in Sandakan and Sabah ironically coincided with increased birth control and increased emigration among the Chinese.
With the ever increasing Filipino population and the diminishing of the Chinese, Sandakan of course looks more like a Filipino town today.
However the Chinese in Sandakan still make up the largest single majority. It is thus rather improper to call Sandakan "Little Philippines". Some people are wary of using that name because of the recent incident in Lahad Datu and the Philippines' claim on Sabah. READ MORE HERE |
| Most Islamic countries in the world are non-Muslim Posted: 10 Jul 2013 01:21 PM PDT 
Radical Muslims should be careful that the Christians they imagine lurking under their beds may turn out to be better Muslims than themselves. Yin Ee Kiong, Malaysiakini (Published in 2011) What makes a good Islamic country? Is it one where the people dress conservatively (or even severely in the case of women), adhere strictly to the rituals of Islam, where shariah laws apply? Or is a good Islamic country one that keeps to the substantive teachings of Islam, more concerned with the content rather than the form of the religion? Where fairness, justice, honesty are the cornerstones of government policies and of its citizens' daily dealings. How is a good Muslim judged? By the number of times he prays a day, by how assiduously he keeps to the rules? Or by how he lives the true meaning of his faith? A study by Scheherazade S Rehman and Hossein Askari from George Washington University, published in the Global Economy Journal Vol 10 drew surprising conclusions. The study examined if policies of Muslim countries (or Muslim majority countries) were founded on Islamic principles in comparison to non-Muslim countries. 208 countries were studied. The criteria: economic opportunity, economic freedom, corruption, financial systems and human rights were used to measure the level of 'Islamicity' (based on an information website about Islam and Muslims). The study found that most Islamic countries did not conduct themselves according to Islamic principles concerning economic, financial, political, legal, social and governance issues. This is reflected in the governments in those countries but also the practices of the citizens in their daily dealings. Even at a social level it was found that many non-Muslim countries did much better in keeping to Islamic values. The most 'Islamic' country the study found was actually non-Muslim – New Zealand. Luxembourg came second. The top 37 countries in the study were all non-Muslim. Imaddudin Abdulrahim, one of Indonesia's leading thinkers on Islamic monotheism claimed that Ames, a small city in Iowa, represents an exemplar of an Islamic state. Yet Islam does not play a part in the day-to-day social, economic and political life of the city. The population does not observe Islamic rules on food or dress. Imaddudin was not interested in form; he used parameters which reflect what he considered true Islam – trust, justice, fairness, freedom. He found that people did not lock their doors when they went out and yet no one trespassed. If you returned a broken egg to the grocer he accepted that it was broken when you bought it and replaced it without question. People were honest in their dealings irrespective of the value of the transaction. The government was fair and non-discriminatory. People were accepting of ethnic or religious differences. He saw Islam beyond shariah and beyond its textual appearances. He was more concerned with the substantive elements of the religion. Recently I enquired through a friend the possibility of getting a scholarship (from a certain university funded by a Muslim tycoon) for an Indian girl who had done very well in her exams but whose parents were poor and unable to send her to university. I was told in no uncertain terms that scholarships were only given to Muslims. How does this reflect the true values of Islam? When I was in Sudan I visited villages where artesian water was pumped out by equipment donated by Christian charities. I saw clinics and schools built and maintained by Christian foundations. Every village involved was however 100 percent Muslim! Is there anywhere in any 'Christian' country where Muslims are forbidden to build mosques? As long as they comply with the local building codes they have every right to do so and the law will protects their rights. Yet this is not the case in many Muslim countries. No wonder so many non-Muslim countries score higher than Muslim ones based on Islamic principles. It's no use spouting chapter and verse of the Quran if our deeds do not match the words we mouth. We can follow all the rituals – fast, do the haj, pray five times a day, abstain from non-halal food, and cover ourselves. They all count for little if our deeds do not reflect the values of the religion. If we are corrupt, if we discriminate against others because of ethnicity or religion, if we deny freedom of worship to others or even to one's own, are we living by the true values of Islam? Are our economic policies geared to help those at the bottom of the ladder or do they benefit the top disproportionately? Is our political system fair? Do we respect human rights? Have we an untainted legal system? Is our governance transparent and accountable? Are we tolerant of other religions and not impede their practice? By any of the above criteria Malaysia has failed to live up to Islamic principles. The authorities obstruct the building of non-Muslim places of worship – or even demolish them. Christians are persecuted on dubious grounds. Our government discriminates on race and religion. Corruption is rife especially in high places. The poor (the majority of whom are Malays) are left behind while the rich get richer. There is no respect for human rights and the political system is skewed. On every count we fail to live up to Islamic values. Lately radical Muslims have started to see 'Christians under the bed' – an Islamic form of the infamous McCarthyism of the fifties in the US. They imagine that Christians are out to proselytise their fellow believers. They don't believe that other Muslims can be more sophisticated than they and can make up their own minds what to believe in. More than that, they demand Christians desist in doing whatever may remotely be a threat to them. If these people were in charge in Sudan there would have been a lot of thirsty people and a lot of people without medicine and children without schooling. I suppose they will now pass a fatwa that no Muslims must go to Christian hospitals. The Seventh Day Adventist Hospital in Penang has been servicing the people for a long time and a lot of Muslims use the hospital. There are symbols of Christianity everywhere and there are Bible tracts for those who want to read them. Going by recent events the hospital could be charged with proselytising. If so I think they would have failed miserably - I doubt a single Muslim patient has converted. You go to a hospital because you are sick and because you think it gives good service. You send your children to a school because you think it gives your children the best education, you drink because you are thirsty, you don't care who paid for the pump that brought the water out. Religion does not come into the reckoning for most people in this way. Conversely you provide care irrespective of that person's religion or give scholarships because the person is poor and deserving, irrespective of her skin colour or her religion. If Malaysia lives up to the real values of Islam and not its superficiality, the country would be much better off. Radical Muslims should be careful that the Christians they imagine lurking under their beds may turn out to be better Muslims than themselves. But then maybe that's the crux of the problem, they are being exposed for what they are, faux Muslims. |
| Saudis target Iran and Israel at missile base Posted: 10 Jul 2013 01:09 PM PDT Image showing two circular launch pads, #1 pointing in direction of Israel, and #2 pointing in direction of Iran. A vehicle-mounted ballistic launcher drives to the launch pads and directs itself along thick dark line pointing at ten o'clock. At the bottom of the image an underground bunker built into the hillside with two entrances, one 12 metres wide and the other 15 metres wide, can be seen, where missiles and their warheads are stored. Administrative and residential buildings are shown at the centre of the image. (The Telegraph) - Saudi Arabia is targeting Israel and Iran with powerful ballistic missiles, new satellite photography suggests. Images analysed by experts at IHS Jane's Intelligence Review have revealed a hitherto undisclosed surface-to-surface missile base deep in the Saudi desert, capable of hitting both countries. The Chinese-made missiles are not remotely guided and have to be aimed at their target before firing.
The analysts spotted two launch pads with markings pointing north-west towards Tel Aviv and north-east towards Tehran. They are designed for Saudi Arabia's arsenal of lorry-launched DF3 missiles, which have a range of 1500 to 2500 miles (2400 km to 4023 km) and can carry a two-ton payload. The base, believed to have been built within the past five years, gives an insight into Saudi strategic thinking at a time of heightened tensions in the Gulf. While Saudi Arabia does not have formal diplomatic relations with Israel, it has long maintained back-channel communications as part of attempts to promote stability in the region. The two countries also have a mutual enemy in Iran, which has long seen Saudi Arabia as a rival power in the Gulf. Experts fear that if Iran obtains a nuclear weapon, Saudi Arabia would seek to follow suit. Analysts at IHS Jane's believe that the kingdom is in the process of upgrading its missiles, although even the DF3, which dates back to the Eighties, is potentially big enough to carry a nuclear device. Read more at: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/saudiarabia/10172463/Saudi-Arabia-targeting-Iran-and-Israel-with-ballistic-missiles.html |
| How I sought police help first - by man suing Home Minister Posted: 10 Jul 2013 01:04 PM PDT 
(TMI) - Amir says the IGP refused to see him. "I was instead referred to the IGP's secretary. And even she did not want to see me." A question surrounding the case of the businessman who was allegedly assaulted by Home Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi is why did the police take no action. That is the question that even led to a shouting match in Parliament two days ago between opposition member for Puchong, Gobind Singh Deo and the Home Minister. Businessman Amir Bazli Abdullah, the man suing Ahmad Zahid, laid out his version of the events after the alleged assault in 2006, to The Malaysian Insider: "I first lodged a report at the Dang Wangi police station the day after I was assaulted but was referred to Kajang police. "I met a chief inspector where my statement was recorded over three days." Amir said he was then admitted to a hospital in Cheras but was later transferred to a hospital in Kelantan upon his request as his family was there. Three police officers, he said, went to see him in Kelantan and they obtained his medical report. "Some three to four months later, the chief inspector informed me that my case was classified 'no further action'. I questioned him why this was happening as he had promised he would investigate fairly. "The officer was apologetic and said his hands were tied as the instructions came from above." Read more at: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/how-i-sought-police-help-first-by-man-suing-home-minister |
| Can PPP be saved? Posted: 10 Jul 2013 12:55 PM PDT 
(The Star) - "PPP is ready to sacrifice its existence as should other parties if it's for the progress of the country. Because of current political reality a merger seems to be inevitable. The question is when." The 13th General Election saw some big winners and losers, with both coalitions claiming triumphs, but for a number of smaller political parties the message was clear ... adapt or die! The People's Progressive Party (PPP) has a history that is glittering and turbulent in equal measure, but the party is now at a crossroads and the thumping defeats it experienced on May 5 make its very survival and relevance an issue of concern. "To move forward, we have to think collectively," said PPP assistant secretary general Datuk Simon Sabapathy, acknowledging that the party may have to consider the option of merger. "The struggle for all Malaysians could well be under the umbrella of a single party." In late June, party president Datuk Seri M. Kayveas announced that Sabapathy was to head a special committee to look at reforms within the party to ensure it continues to remain relevant and progressive. The issue is twofold. Firstly internal restructuring within the party and secondly greater co-operation with its Barisan Nasional counterparts. Sabapathy said there would be a brainstorming session with all Barisan component parties on the direction and future of BN. "We will push for a merger to make ourselves more relevant collectively," he said. "It will be painful to abolish a party that has existed since 1953 but we are ready to make that sacrifice for the good of the nation. PPP is ready to sacrifice its existence as should other parties if it's for the progress of the country. Because of current political reality a merger seems to be inevitable. The question is when." Sabapathy dismissed the notion that PPP were not relevant because the party lost all five seats (one parliamentary and four state seats) it contested in the recent elections. He said that all those seats contested by PPP were tough seats in the first place and that any Barisan component party would have lost them as well. "It's not fair to say that we did badly because any Barisan party would have lost. It's not a reflection of PPP's strength but rather Barisan's weakness," he said. At the same time Sabapathy did not think it likely that PPP would pull out of BN. "It will be tough to step out of BN because of sustainability as the party does not have much funding." He said that BN should not have individual parties taking care of individual groups and that they should share their resources for the good of the people. "We should move beyond this race-based mindset. If there is a Malay student who is doing well but is financially deprived, it should not be an Umno problem, but a Malaysian problem," he said. He however acknowledged that it would be an uphill task because those in power would not want to relinquish their positions and posts easily. The PPP was found in April 1953 by celebrated brothers D.R. and S.P. Seenivasagam. The party was particularly strong in Perak, almost helming the state government following the May 1969 general election. However, after joining BN in 1973, it went into decline and was only revived under the helm of Kayveas in the 1990s. Over the past decade both Kayveas and Datuk T. Murugiah served in the cabinet as Deputy Ministers although the latter left the party after losing a power struggle. PPP claims an impressive membership of 775,000 people with 43% Indians, 28% Chinese and other races. Unfortunately, these numbers have not translated into electoral strength. Political analyst Khoo Kay Peng believes that there is very little to suggest that PPP is still relevant. He said the party was not active in the national political discourse and were probably given token seats in the election to contest by BN just to show they were still alive. "As a political party, winning elections are very important. If not, there is not much legitimacy to it. They are a small party in a matured coalition. This might not be to their advantage," he said. He believes it would be quite difficult for BN to become a single component party. Khoo said that given the current scenario, PPP and other like-minded smaller parties could merge and play a bigger role in the next elections. "I believe there are always opportunities for a third force to emerge and PPP could work with parties on a common cause," he said. |
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