Rabu, 20 November 2013

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Over-regulation of Islam won’t help resolve interfaith issues
Salesman fined RM15,000 for insulting Sultan of Perak on blog
Pakatan leaders side-step quit threat by Penang PAS
We never claimed 40,000 Bangladeshis were voters, says Anwar
MCA to Pakatan: State stand on PAS hudud plans
Daim suggests abolishing open Approved Permits for cars
Sacked Fong accuses DAP of being selfish

Over-regulation of Islam won’t help resolve interfaith issues

Posted: 19 Nov 2013 08:36 PM PST

One thing is for sure: any form of dialogue can only take place if its participants are well-equipped with knowledge to argue their case, coupled with the humility to accept varying opinions.

Alyaa Alhadjri, The Ant Daily

Any move to "over-regulate" the practice of Islam as Malaysia's official religion is not the solution to resolve issues surrounding interfaith relations.

Jihad for Justice president Datuk Thasleem Ibrahim said the process should instead start from an early stage where children are taught religious values in the "right way".

"Faith is between you [as a person] and Allah SWT. Let us as Muslims examine ourselves first.

"Are we doing the right things or are we going to over-regulate until the day we find our children going overseas, only to realise that this [what they were taught] is not Islam in its entirety?" he told theantdaily.

Thasleem also said that the Department of Islamic Development Malaysia (Jakim), as well as state religious authorities, should reconsider its approaches towards regulating Islam in Malaysia.

The first step, he said, is to stop propagating government-sanctioned ideologies during the weekly Friday prayer sermons.

"Some of the sermons today are just ridiculous. Nowhere in the world are the sermons prepared in this way," he said in echoing criticisms to the perceived pro-government stand adopted in the name of Islam and delivered through the pulpit.

A sense of disillusionment with the message delivered had even driven National Laureate Datuk A Samad Said to perform his Friday prayers at Masjid India where the sermon is delivered in Tamil.

"I moved to the Masjid India mosque on purpose. I do not understand Tamil, so I feel more relieved," said the octogenarian, who is fondly known as Pak Samad, in an interview with an online portal last week.

This, Thasleem argued, is a clear sign of the extent that religion and Islam have been "politicised" in Malaysia, particularly by the ruling Barisan Nasional government led by Umno.

"They [Umno] have tried the racial, economic and religious cards but [many] people today have progressed beyond the stupidity of Jakim," he said.

Thasleem also said that there has been no proof to back up claims of Islam and Malays in Malaysia being under threat from non-Muslims.

Posted: 19 Nov 2013 07:15 PM PST

(Bernama) - A 48-year-old mobile phone shop salesman was fined RM15,000 Wednesday after he was found guilty of posting remarks on his blog insulting the Sultan of Perak four years ago.

Rutinin Suhaimin was accused of committing the offence at Block A, Lot 4, Sedco Shop, Kundasang, Ranau at 6.33pm on Feb 13, 2009.

He was charged under Section 233(1)(9) of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998, which carries a fine of not more than RM50,000 or a jail term of not more than one year or both upon conviction.

Rutinin allegedly posted insulting remarks on a blog linked to the Sultan of Perak's official website.

Judge Ummu Kalthom Abdul Samad found Rutinin guilty and ordered him to pay a fine of RM15,000 in default of a eight months' jail term.

Senior Federal Counsel Jamil Aripin appeared for the prosecution while Rutinin was represented by counsel Muammar Julkarnain.

Rutinin paid the fine.

Pakatan leaders side-step quit threat by Penang PAS

Posted: 19 Nov 2013 06:00 PM PST

Azril Annuar and Sangeetha Amarthalingam, fz.com

Penang Pakatan Rakyat Council (PPRC) chief Lim Guan Eng has asked PKR and PAS to sort out their differences over religious and political matters that were highlighted by the state PAS leadership yesterday.

Penang PAS' shocking revelation confirmed rumours among political circles that the problem was evidently between PKR and PAS.

Lim, who is also Chief Minister, said `misunderstandings' between political parties were common and as a democratic government, the parties are given the space to voice their discontent.

"I have asked Deputy Chief Minister (I) Datuk Mohd Rashid Hasnor and Datuk Abdul Malik Abul Kassim to discuss with State PAS commissioner Datuk Mohd Salleh Man in order to iron things out.

"Mohd Salleh has agreed to speak with them. They have already met and they have agreed to resolve this matter internally. Both parties will not to make further media statements," he said.

The anticipated press conference by Lim was over within ten minutes with no question and answer session, along with Lim's comment that PR leaders were not allowed to make media statements.

He said despite giving political parties within the government room to voice their discontent, `certain media' manipulated the statements.

Lim was speaking in relation to an English daily that carried a report alleging DAP's inteference in religious matters following PAS' statement.

Therefore, he added it was better that the matter was resolved internally and behind closed doors.

"The important part is we are united in PR and we are still strong in our common goals. We want to tell our supporters not to be worried. Some of the media reports were manipulated," he said.

Mohd Salleh, who was with Lim, dismissed the allegations in the English daily that implied DAP's `interference' in Islamic affairs in Penang.

"State PAS deputy commissioner Muhammad Fauzi Yusoff's statement yesterday did not mention any parties' involvement.

"Therefore, the paper's article is actually a manipulation to break up our relationship with our partners in PR," he said, adding that legal action by PAS will be taken if the daily refused to apologise.

Yesterday, Muhammad Fauzi issued a startling statement with four demands to PRC to give them more opportunities to speak, decide and select political appointees, and engage in policy making.

He said failure by PRC and the state government to do so would result in PAS reviewing its position within the council, and withdraw and resign from the positions and portfolios it held in the state and the council.

Permatang Pasir assemblyman Mohd Salleh, who is the sole PAS representative in the government, was also Penang Islamic Religious Council (MAIPP) president, a position that is appointed by the King.

PAS asked PPRC and the state government to give Mohd Salleh `absolute control' over the selection of the MAIPP chairman and its councillors, and MAIPP subsidiaries' board of directors.

PAS claimed that there have been `unreasonable interference' by the state executive council on the appointment of MAIPP councillors, the chairman, and the board of directors of MAIPP's subsidiaries.

PAS also stressed that the number of PAS local government councillors should be increased from two to four in both local councils, and be given `absolute power' to select village development and security committee (JKKK) members within the six state and two parliamentary seats it contested.

The issue of overlapping opinions between PKR and PAS in relation to Islamic matters and the appointment of MAIPP office bearers has existed from the PR government's first term.

While Abdul Malik, who is State PKR vice chairman, was the state exco member for religious affairs, Mohd Salleh was MAIPP president, a post that was given to PAS by way of consensus among PR leaders in Penang.

However, over the years, alleged conflict between the parties on religious affairs occurred occasionally.

PAS' national leaders said the threat by Penang PAS to leave Pakatan Rakyat (PR) if their demands were not met by the coalition partners will be brought up in a meeting with the PAS Central Committee after its Muktamar this weekend.

Posted: 19 Nov 2013 03:11 PM PST

Eileen Ng, TMI

Opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim (pic) today accused Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak of misleading Parliament by alleging that the opposition had claimed 40,000 Bangladeshis were registered as voters.

He said Pakatan Rakyat had checked and found that no such allegations were made.

"We spoke about voters being flown in from Sabah and Sarawak but never said anything about 40,000 Bangladeshis being registered as voters.

"This allegation was created and spun by pro-Umno blogs," he said a press conference at the Parliament lobby.

When tabling Budget 2014 on October 25, Najib had spoken about the Malaysian population breakdown and had jokingly quipped that it did not include the 40,000 Bangladeshis who were brought in as phantom voters in the 13th General Election as alleged by the opposition.

"Until today, no one has seen them or their shadow. Enough of lies. Seek forgiveness from Him," Najib had said. Anwar said it was irresponsible of Najib to have made such accusations and to ask Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to issue a denial that her countrymen voted in the general election.

"How would she know? This is an internal matter which should be monitored by the Election Commission." He said EC chairman Tan Sri Abdul Mohd Yusof had previously acknowledged that there were 62,000 dubious voters on the electoral roll.

He said this was supported by information received by Pakatan Rakyat, who had proof that foreigners were part of the early voters' list, which is confined to certain people like police and army personnel. "There should be an independent commission to investigate this," Anwar said.

Last week, Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Shahidan Kassim criticised the opposition for claiming that 40,000 Bangladeshis voted for Barisan Nasional.

He said only 12 Bangladeshis were granted Malaysian citizenship in the past 10 years. "These 12 people can only vote if they registered as voters. Let us close the book on the 40,000 Bangladeshi voters issue as it is a big lie," he had said.

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MCA to Pakatan: State stand on PAS hudud plans

Posted: 19 Nov 2013 03:03 PM PST

(MM) - Pakatan Rakyat (PR) must come clean on whether or not it supports pact member PAS' latest push for hudud, the MCA insisted today when saying the Islamic penal code would infringe upon the fundamental rights of all Malaysians.

MCA publicity bureau chairman Loh Seng Kok said that the latest announcement by PAS vice-president Salahuddin Ayub - who reportedly said that hudud implementation in Kelantan is only the beginning - would require "colossal change" to the Federal Constitution.

"Pakatan allies, in particular DAP and PKR must now come up to clarify if they agree or object to this latest reiteration of PAS' insistence on the enforcement of the Kelantan Syariah Criminal Code (II) Enactment 1993 and to exert its influence.

"Failure to chastise Salahuddin's remarks indicates the tacit collusion of DAP and PKR as a conduit to gradually introduce PAS hudud enactments into Penang and Selangor," Loh said in a statement.

Yesterday, Salahuddin was reported to have said that hudud implementation in Kelantan is only the first step in PAS's plan to expand Islamic penal law to other states under PR rule.

Malay daily Sinar Harian quoted him as saying that the plan would need co-operation from the federal government and all stakeholders.

PAS information chief Datuk Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man, however, denied reports that their coming muktamar or general assembly will pressure PR state governments to adopt hudud, saying instead that they are setting their sights on nationwide implementation.

In a statement today, also carried by Sinar Harian, Tuan Ibrahim said the motion received to debate hudud implementation at their muktamar this weekend is to pressure the federal government to fully implement Syariah law and assist any state that wants to do the same.

Loh today claimed that there are many examples to show that PAS's pursuit of Islamic laws and its "ultra conservative values" have encroached on the rights of non-Muslims, such as the controversial separate seating ruling for unmarried couples at a cinema in Kuala Selangor last year.

PAS leaders have since denied that such a ruling was in place, however, claiming that it was merely a suggestion by a PAS local councillor in the district to discourage public displays of affection such as kissing.

Loh also homed in on "unreasonable gender segregation rules" that were implemented in Kedah, which until recently was under PAS rule, and the alleged forced closure of entertainment outlets during the holy fasting month of Ramadan, saying that it only proved that theocratic rule is not an option for Malaysia.

"All parties irrespective of political affiliation must prevent PAS from extending its influence into other states in Malaysia, lest we see further erosion of our rights," he said.

Implementation of hudud has long been a hot button issue in Malaysia, whose citizens are mostly Muslim but with a sizeable non-Muslim population.

PAS's pursuit of full implementation of syariah law, which also includes hudud, had repeatedly put it at odds with PR partner DAP, who argue that the federal constitution's recognition of Islam as the nation's official religion does not make Malaysia an Islamic state.

MCA, which is a component of the ruling Barisan Nasional, have also been a staunch critic of PAS's hudud plans, and have regularly used the issue as part of their campaign tactics to sway voter sentiments against the opposition.

Daim suggests abolishing open Approved Permits for cars

Posted: 19 Nov 2013 03:00 PM PST

(Bernama) - Former finance minister Tun Daim Zainuddin has suggested that the government consider abolishing the open Approved Permits (APs) policy required for the import of vehicles to help reduce the cost of owning cars in Malaysia.

"Removing the APs would translate into cheaper cars for the rakyat," he said here today.

Daim was commenting on a statement by Mercedes-Benz Malaysia Sdn Bhd President and Chief Executive Officer, Roland S. Folger, who had said that such a move would mean cheaper cars and encourage car manufacturers to increase their investments to produce more affordable cars locally.

"For me, there is one way we can reduce car prices. It's a simple solution to the issue (and that is to) do away with open APs," Folger told The Sun newspaper recently.

Daim said the government would have to take positive steps in the soon-to-be-revised National Automotive Policy (NAP) in order to consider the interests of larger sections of the population rather than a selected few.

It has been reported that 98 companies are Open AP holders for the import of cars into the country.

Industry analysts have often debated how to make the local automotive industry more competitive, encourage greater investment and re-investment, and for cars to be more affordable locally.

Folger had also highlighted the fact that removing open APs would not hurt government revenue collection but would even serve to enhance its collection.

Industry analysts say that the government could do away with an extra layer of people in the business equation and pass on the cost savings to the rakyat as open AP holders charge several thousand ringgit for each transaction processed.

The cost savings could be used by the government to spur the industry further or chanelled to more productive spending, they add.

Analysts suggested that the government could tender out the Open APs to earn more revenue, which in turn may reduce taxes for car buyers to make the cars more affordable.

Open APs are usually used by parallel importers to import re-conditioned luxury cars to sell them at slightly lower prices than the locally-assembled ones.

For example, an Internet check revealed that a new Mercedes-Benz E200 is sold from about £35,000 (about RM179,000) in Great Britain compared with RM366,000 for the same locally-assembled model in Malaysia.

A second-hand Mercedes-Benz E200 in Great Britain would be even cheaper by about £10,000 or about RM51,000, depending on the year of manufacture and mileage covered.

Grey importers, or open AP holders, then take advantage of the higher price differential in Malaysia to sell the "re-conditioned" E200 from between RM270,000 and RM290,000 each, even after paying for taxes.

This discount is often seen as "advantageous" to the consumer but is at the expense of the manufacturer who has to incur additional costs like local procurement, assembly costs, branding and promotion, sales and after-sales service.

Doing away with open APs would also eliminate Malaysia as one of the top destinations for luxury second-hand cars in the world, the analysts note.

They stress that the government would have to re-examine the whole automotive industry structure, including areas like the tax regime and end-of-lifespan of cars, to ensure that it can move forward since the national car makers have been around for almost 20 to 30 years as the first Proton Saga rolled out in July 1985 and the first Perodua Kancil emerged in August 1994.

The NAP was introduced on March 22, 2006 and subsequently revised in 2009 and 2012 aimed at promoting a competitive and viable domestic automotive sector, in particular, national car manufacturers.

It was also to promote Malaysia as an automotive regional hub, by integrating the local automotive industry into regional and global industry networks within the increasingly liberalised and competitive global environment.

Analysts also say that providing for greater competition would shake out the complacency among local car manufacturers and their local parts suppliers.

They also hope that the revised NAP would look at the larger picture and help rejuvenate the local automotive industry to become a foreign exchange earner for the country.

Sacked Fong accuses DAP of being selfish

Posted: 19 Nov 2013 02:52 PM PST

The Pujut assemblyman said party gave him 14 days to appeal, fully aware that he will be attending the 10-day Sarawak Legislative Assembly as a people's representative.

(FMT) - KUCHING: Sacked Pujut DAP assemblyman, Fong Pau Teck, accused the party of "depriving" him of his rights and least caring of his responsibility to his constituents.

He said the party's disciplinary board had given him 14 days to appeal knowing full well that he would be attending the State Legislative Assembly (DUN) sitting which began on Monday.

"The DUN is sitting for 10 days, that means they (disciplinary commitee) have only given me four days to respond. They expelled me on the first day of sitting.

"It means they want me to chose between my constituents and my personal interest. They deprived me of my right to appeal and have shown that they don't care about the people's interest," he said.

On Monday, DAP disciplinary committee chairman Tan Kok Wai confirmed that Fong was sacked for insubordination and "various acts of disobedience".

"The disciplinary committee decided that Fong's insubordination has set a bad precedent which is unpardonable," said Tan in a statement today.

He added that the decision was unanimous and Fong had been directed to vacate his seat enabling a by-election.

At the DUN sitting yesterday Fong maintained his seat amongst DAP assemblyman.

He told reporters that he will debate as a DAP assemblyman for the period of the current DUN sitting because "I still have 14 days to appeal".

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Kredit: www.malaysia-today.net

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What Good Things Has the Govt Done for Malaysians?

Posted: 19 Nov 2013 08:51 PM PST

Kee Thuan Chye

I wanted to write something positive about the Federal Government. But I could think of only two good things that it has done in the last few months.

One of them – making English a must-pass subject at the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) examinations starting in 2016 – I had written about at length before. The other is the introduction of financial education in the school curriculum starting next year with Primary 3 students and in 2017 for secondary schools.

This is a welcome move by the Education Ministry, although it is being done with the collaboration of Bank Negara, which seems to have initiated the idea. I wish we had this when I was in school; it would have helped me understand money and what to do with it. This is something important to learn from young, and I'm happy for our young that they will soon be getting that benefit.

If I had learned how to save, invest, manage my finances and plan for the future, I might not have squandered the money I earned in my youth. I could be owning numerous units of property now or earning substantial revenue from investing in businesses. Today, I wouldn't still have to slog to eke out a living.

So much for that. But for my project, I figured that if I wrote only about this good thing being done for our young, I might manage just one-quarter the length of an article. That would be too short. But I did want to write something positive. So what could I do?

I decided to send an e-mail to about 40 people I know asking them to tell me what good things they thought the Government had done for the Malaysian rakyat in the last few months.

Many did not reply. And those who did gave me a crystal-clear indication of what they think of the Government. And how much confidence they have in the decision-makers in Putrajaya. Honestly, I wasn't surprised.

Lawyer Mansor Adnan (not his real name – all the names mentioned here are not real, by the way, but they do reflect ethnicity) wrote back, "Have to really dig deep for this one, bro." My reaction was, he was finding it hard too.

A few minutes later, he wrote again: "Frankly, I can't think of any. That's frightening, isn't it? Or this could just mean I'm an incurable cynic."

I don't think he is. In fact, he's one of those sensible, non-partisan, thinking Malaysians who care about the country. And he's right – it's frightening.

Kulwant Singh, a former civil servant, reinforced the frightening aspect when he wrote: "Will have to put on my thinking cap. More bad than good." I asked him to try. He didn't reply.

Burhan Fadzir, an arts practitioner, responded: "Search me. It was all only for the Malays." Well, he is entitled to say that.

The most unconventional response came from Dean Khoo, a retired lecturer. He wrote a quatrain:

This government shall continue to rot

As a leopard does not change its spots.

It shall go on preying on people's fear

Though the winds for change are near.

It didn't quite address my question, but it encapsulated what many of my respondents felt about the Government.

Teacher Mavis Thomas sounded even more bleak: "Quite honestly, I can think of no good things this government has done for the rakyat in the last few months. In fact, tragically the rakyat have had to stomach an absent prime minister who never spoke up for ALL of the people. After a gruelling election in which people of all races voted for him, he appears to be only representing the Malays. Over the last few months, he has kept silent as members of his party spewed racist remarks against the minority races on an almost weekly basis. From a PM who kept saying Nambikkai to the Indians, all that has been proven in the post-election period is a prime minister and federal government that cannot keep a promise and seem incapable of doing the right and just thing. We are experiencing involution – a nation turning in on itself."

My quest was beginning to look hopeless.

Then Tan Huat Seng, managing director of a company, responded: "If I trusted the Barisan Nasional government, I would say the removal of the sugar subsidy and the reduction of the one for petrol were brave and good deeds. But I don't." Well, despite the distrust, at least he did point out a couple of things. Nonetheless, he was probably worried that the Government might use the money saved from those subsidies for the wrong purposes.

Journalist Sim Saik Siong agreed with one of Tan's mentions: "Removing the subsidy on sugar is the only thing worth remembering."

Remus Leong, another journalist, thought of the increase in the real property gains tax: "I think one good step is that they have FINALLY taken steps to rein in the property speculators by raising RPGT and closing other loopholes."

But even then, he expressed scepticism about the motive surrounding the move: "As we know, the politicians are in cahoots with developers for mutual benefit, so WHY are they taking these steps? Because of too many public complaints? I doubt it. Maybe because there's a serious danger of a bubble economy and subsequent crash."

It seems there's always some ulterior motive behind every measure taken by the Government. Even the BR1M (Bantuan Rakyat 1Malaysia) handout. You can sense it in the way retired executive Leman Lukman put it: "The good thing ... good for the gullible rakyat ... of course is the BR1M thingy ... fulfilling the promise although the amount is a disappointment to many."

Although I see where Leman was going with his sardonic "good for the gullible rakyat", I can't agree that BR1M is good. It encourages the subsidy mentality, and it makes use of the rakyat's money to buy the Government popularity.

Finally, one unconditionally good thing did come – from engineer Krishna Vasudevan: "I LOVE the UTC – Urban Transformation Centre – where they have centralised JPJ, JPN, Immigration, and it's open EVERY day from 8.30am to 10pm. I had to renew my son's and my own passport urgently in October and I went to the UTC in Sentul on a Tuesday night. Got it renewed in an hour! Then just this weekend, my son turned 12. Went to the UTC Sentul on Saturday morning to get his IC and also to change mine as well because it was fraying at the edges. Picked up both ICs on Sunday evening and then renewed my driving licence at the JPJ there too. Very impressed by the level of service – and it's available on weekends and after hours too! So not all is bad la!"

OK, that sort of saved the day. And at least Krishna was enthusiastic about it. He didn't see any prawns lurking beneath the rocks (er … transliterated from the Malay idiom udang di sebalik batu.)

Nonetheless, I discovered that on the whole, the respondents' perception of the Government was far from positive. Still, I tried.

Perhaps you have your own examples of the good things the Government has done for the Malaysianrakyat in the last few months? Care to share them with me?

Kredit: www.malaysia-today.net

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Wanita PKR chief agrees to hudud but not for immediate implementation

Posted: 19 Nov 2013 05:44 PM PST

Stressing that there must be a process before the implementation, Zuraida said:

"As a Muslim I agree with the implementation of hudud. But there must be a process of awareness and education on the fundamentals of hudud laws to the public. I therefore cannot agree on its immediate enforcement"

Zuraida said this when asked to comments on the issue regarding the implementation of the Islamic penal code in Kelantan that has been an on-going topic over the past week.

She said it was crucial for the masses to be educated about the fundamentals of hudud through the media before its implementation and said she had proposed on the idea before but was ignored.

Zuraida also blamed Barisan Nasional for 'beating around the bush' on the issue and had urged their members to seriously look into it instead of abandoning their responsibility and pointing fingers at PKR.

She also echoed veteran Umno leader Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah's comments on the issue that the Federal Government would have to amend the constitution first to allow hudud to be enforced in Kelantan.

Another PKR leader, vice-president Tian Chua in a text message to The Mole had said: "Hudud is a discourse of Muslim scholars and legal experts. The discussion will continue."

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Pas terus jadi Pak Pandir selagi tunduk kepada DAP

Posted: 19 Nov 2013 08:58 PM PST

Katanya, Pas selama ini gagal menerajui gerakan massa untuk kepentingan dan masa depan orang Melayu.

"Pas sekadar medium mengatur kepimpinan masa depan parti itu dengan menonjolkan golongan liberal yang sealiran pemikirannya dengan Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim," ujarnya.

Beliau berpendapat, matlamat asal perjuangan Pas sudah jauh terpesong sebaik parti itu menyebelahi gerakan politik jalanan Anwar.

Menurutnya, pemimpin tertinggi Pas tidak akan mendengar bantahan dan suara akar umbi.

Tambah beliau lagi, keupayaan Pas yang kononnya memperjuangkan kepentingan umat Islam sekadar menjadi pengucapan ilmiah tetapi pada sisi politik ternyata gagal.

Syed Ali mendakwa, Pas ternyata lebih berkiblat kepada DAP sebagai 'abang besar' dalam PR yang turut didominasikan oleh PKR pimpinan Anwar.

"Penyertaan Pas dalam PR dan sikapnya yang tergamak melutut kepada DAP menyebabkan orang Melayu khususnya umat Islam mula menjauhi parti itu," katanya.

Beliau menyebut betapa Pas telah mengecewakan pengikutnya sendiri apabila pemimpin mereka tidak berupaya untuk berdepan dengan cabaran politik semasa terutama onar DAP dan PKR.

Sebagai contohnya kata beliau, Pas menjadi 'tikus' apabila Pengerusi DAP, Karpal Singh secara terbuka mahu parti politik termasuk Pas yang menggunakan agama dibatalkan pendaftarannya.

"Pemimpin mereka (Pas) tidak berani bersuara sedangkan ahli-ahlinya mahu parti itu keluar daripada PR kerana mereka sudah tidak tahan lagi dengan penghinaan DAP," katanya.

Justeru kata Syed Ali, muktamar tahunan Pas kali ini tidak menjanjikan lontaran idea yang bernilai untuk rakyat khususnya umat Islam di negara ini.

"Cadangan pelaksanaan hukum hudud juga pada saya akan menjadi isu yang dipanaskan semula sebagai menutup kepincangan parti itu," tambanya.

Malah secara sinis beliau menjangkakan muktamar Pas itu juga tidak berupaya untuk 'mengajar' Pengerusi DAP, Karpal Singh yang sebelum ini didakwa telah 'buat tahi' dalam PR.

Pas dakwa beliau lagi, akan berterusan menjadi 'Pak Pandir' selagi bertuankan DAP selaku 'abang besar' dalam PR.

Percaturan politik ala COMANGO

Posted: 19 Nov 2013 03:36 PM PST

Umum tahu bahawa Islam adalah agama rasmi Persekutuan and tiada tolak ansur atau kompromi mengenai perkara ini. Begitu juga dengan Raja-Raja yang merupakan ketua agama di peringkat negeri juga persekutuan. Kedua-dua perkara ini termaktub dalam Perlembagaan Persekutuan.

Bagi bukan Melayu dan golongan Melayu liberal ini, mereka secara terbuka mahu supaya Perlembagaan Persekutuan ini dipinda kerana bagi mereka perlembagaan ini sudah lapuk dan ketinggalan.

Bagi meminda perlembagaan yang sedia ada, mereka hanya memerlukan majoriti dua per tiga di Parlimen walau dalam sesetengah kes hanya sedikit majoriti sudah mencukupi. Tetapi dalam kes yang menyentuh isu berkaitan Islam, Bahasa Melayu dan juga hak-hak keistimewaan Melayu, mereka terlebih dahulu memerlukan kelulusan dari Majlis Raja-Raja sebelum sebarang pindaan dibuat.

Di sinilah semuanya menjadi masalah kepada mereka. Ini kerana, sebagai ketua agama Islam, Majlis Raja-Raja tidak akan pernah berkompromi mengenai perkara yang membabitkan akidah dan Islam. Ia harus kekal sebagai status quo.

Walau Pakatan Rakyat mengambil alih pentadbiran negara sekalipun, mereka tidak akan dapat merubah apa-apa klausa dalam Perlembagaan terutama sekali yang berkaitan dengan Islam.

Kerana itulah mereka kini menjalankan strategi baru bagi mencabar Islam.

Mengheret kerajaan ke mahkamah mengenai hak orang Kristian bagi menggunakan nama Allah. Membawa isu hak asasi manusia di Malaysia (atau lebih kepada kekurangannya) bagi meraih perhatian dunia dengan melahirkan COMANGO.

COMANGO adalah gabungan 54 NGO Malaysia yang kebanyakkannya terdiri dari NGO bukan Islam dan mereka mahu masyarakat antarabangsa mengisytiharkan Malaysia sebuah rejim pariah kerana tidak membenarkan orang Islam untuk meninggalkan Islam dan untuk tidak membenarkan orang Islam untuk mengamalkan gaya hidup gay / transeksual.

Antara yang ada di dalam senarai tuntutannya, COMANGO menggesa kerajaan mengiktiraf hak-hak Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity (SOGI) terutamanya LGBT dan juga International Covenant on Civil & Political Rights (ICCPR) yang memberikan kebebasan beragama serta kebebasan untuk menukar agama yang dianuti.

READ MORE HERE

Kredit: www.malaysia-today.net

Selasa, 19 November 2013

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Belief is shaped by doctrine

Posted: 18 Nov 2013 03:49 PM PST

Hmm…that may be the problem after all. Malaysians are still running the 1955 Version 1.0 operating system (when Blacks or African Americans in the US had to sit at the back of the white bus) and we have not upgraded to the latest 2013 Version 10.0 (when Blacks or African Americans in the US can sit at the front in the White House).

NO HOLDS BARRED

Raja Petra Kamarudin

The graphics below is from Malaysiakini and, below that, is an extract from Helen Ang's article in her Blog about the same matter. And that 'matter' is regarding what the Malays and Chinese think of each other.

Being someone with the advantage of living in both worlds, so to speak, I can say that this study about what the Malays and Chinese think of each other is pretty accurate.

If you were an independent and unbiased judge who has been tasked with the job of listening to the grouses from both sides, you would probably come to a conclusion that both sides have a case. In other words, both the Malays and the Chinese are right.

In any conflict there is always two sides to a story and if you were to analyse the issue deep enough you can come to a conclusion that both sides are wrong in their actions (or both sides are right about the allegation against the other party).

For example, regarding the current brouhaha about the recent CHOGM meeting in Sri Lanka (which Malaysia refused to boycott), KTemoc Konsiders wrote this piece today regarding the matter -- Why Najib didn't boycott CHOGM in Sri Lanka (READ HERE) -- and I think he accurately pointed out the fact that both sides are equally guilty of the same 'war crimes'.

Another example is the 1989 Tiananmen Square protest in Beijing, China. Conservative figures put the deaths at 241 while some estimates put it in excess of 1,000, with an estimated 1,000-3,000 injured.

The world always talks about the brutality that the students in Tiananmen Square suffered at the hands of the military. What the world does not talk about is regarding the military and police personnel who were executed by the protestors all over China in roughly 400 cities.

Hence the trouble was not just in Beijing but also in 400 other cities all over China. And the killings had been going on for about two to three weeks before the government decided to act and end the Tiananmen Square sit-in.

I was in China soon after that and I met some students from the Beijing University (all girls and lovely creatures, I must say) so I personally saw all the photographs of military and police personnel hanging from lampposts in Shanghai, Guangzhao, and so on. In fact, their bodies were left there to rot (because no one dared take them down) for weeks until the military took back control of the cities.

So you see, in any conflict you need to go down to the ground and find out what really happened. Who started it first is one issue (and in Sri Lanka and China it was not government that started it first) but whether one side is the 'war criminal' and the other side the 'innocent victim' is true, as what we are being told.

Anyway, back to the issue of the survey regarding what the Malays and Chinese think of each other. As I said, being from both a Malay and Chinese family, I can say that the finding of this survey is pretty accurate.

The Malays perceive themselves as the victims and the Chinese as the aggressors. And the Chinese, too, perceive themselves as the victims and the Malays as the aggressors. The truth is, both sides are aggressive (whether rightly or wrongfully is another matter) and hence the other side needs to take a siege mentality stance.

We cannot solve this matter by finger pointing and by trying to find out who the culprit in this crisis is, if we can call it a crisis. This just puts the other side on the defensive and those on the defensive need to come out with their counter-charges. Hence what we get in the end is merely a blame game.

Okay, let us look at this survey as positive rather than negative. I always said that the first step to curing a disease is to find out what is wrong and what disease we are suffering from.

Now we know what the disease is and what caused it. Next we need to find the cure. And the cure is not in blaming someone else for the disease because that is not going to cure the disease. The cure would be to kill the virus.

Now, again, I am going to argue that same old argument, which I am sure many of you are tired of hearing by now.

Can changing the government cure this disease? I fear not because never mind what government runs the country the opinions of the Malays and Chinese regarding one other is never going to change.

I mean, Penang, Selangor and Kelantan are under a Pakatan Rakyat government. So we do have new governments in those states. But are you telling me that the Malays and Chinese in those three states do not think of each other the way this survey shows?

Far from it!

So the cure to the disease has to be more than just changing the government (although many would argue that that is a good start). The cure is in your mind. As long as the Malays think that way about the Chinese, and vice versa, the problem is never going to go away.

My title for this article is 'Belief is shaped by doctrine'. And why did I use that title? Simple! Because doctrine determines our belief system. And unless we change our opinion regarding doctrine then our belief is never going to change. And religion would be the best example to demonstrate how doctrine shapes our beliefs.

This is really not as complicating as it sounds. For example, the Malay 'doctrine' is that the Malays 'own' Malaysia while the Chinese are immigrants or 'guests'. As long as there is this doctrine (of Ketuanan Melayu) then this belief will be carved in stone.

And the list goes on where the Malays and Chinese hold to a certain doctrine, which shapes what they believe. Hence my old and often used argument: change has to be in the mind, not in the changing of the government.

And if we continue to believe what we believe and hold on to the very old and divisive doctrine, then Malaysians will forever remain divided because of the belief (by both sides) that 'the other side' is too much, too demanding, too arrogant, unreasonable, unfair, unjust, greedy, does not respect the Constitution, etc.

And that brings us to the most important question: what do we do and how do we change this? I really don't know. If I did then I should be the next Prime Minister of Malaysia. Is it possible to send 28 million Malaysians to have their brains reformatted and then we reinstall the latest operating system into their brains?

Oh, and feel free to interpret this article of mine any way you wish.

I. Views that can be somewhat corroborated or somewhat disproved

(i) "Chinese private schools do not teach Malay history"

(ii) "In Chinese companies, Malays salaries always lower than the Chinese"

(iii) "Chinese only award contracts to Chinese companies"

(iv) "Chinese have taken control of the private sector"

(v) "Chinese colonized Malay land by their economic powers"

II. Race issues and nation-building

(i) "Education system is fair / only Malaysia is practicing vernacular school system in the world"

(ii) "Chinese ruined ethnic unity by rejecting Wawasan schools"

(iii) "Chinese are unpatriotic because Chinese do not like to learn bahasa Malaysia"

(iv) "Chinese jealous of Malays' special rights"

(v) "Chinese do not support ethnic unity"

III. Religion and the Malaysian identity

(i) "Chinese do not accept Islam as state religion"

(ii) "Chinese are unpatriotic because Chinese do not accept Islam"

(iii) "Chinese are unpatriotic because Chinese do not respect the Malay rulers"

IV. "Melayu diutamakan" vs jus soli

(i) "Chinese must admit the fact that Malays are the landowners of Malaysia"

(ii) "Malay are masters, Chinese are guests to Malay land"

V. Perceptions that cause instability

(i) "Chinese look down on Malays"

(ii) "Chinese keep demanding but never respect Malay thinking"

(iii) "Malays always fulfill Chinese request"

(iv) "Chinese have obtained too much / Malays have tolerated a lot"

Kredit: www.malaysia-today.net

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Penang PAS alleges being sidelined in state policies and appointments, wants more say
25 perkataan yang tidak boleh digunakan oleh bukan Islam
Stop PAS’ push for hudud, MCA tells Pakatan
Apologise for twisting facts, Karpal tells Raja Ahmad
Hasina denies her citizens voted in GE13
Perkasa’s Ibrahim Ali gets one-day jail, RM20,000 fine for contempt of court
KENYATAAN MEDIA Badan Perhubungan PAS Pulau Pinang
Belief is shaped by doctrine
Will Khalid be a big winner or a big loser?
Karamkah kapal DAP-PAS ekoran Karpal?
Tahniah PAS Kelantan kerana tubuh jawatankuasa khas hudud
Umrah trip, hotel rooms for votes in Umno Lembah Pantai polls, say complainants
MAS turnaround bid hit by RM375m loss
PAS at a Crossroads

Penang PAS alleges being sidelined in state policies and appointments, wants more say

Posted: 18 Nov 2013 06:20 PM PST

(TMI) - Penang PAS has flexed its muscles, sending a message to the state Pakatan Rakyat (PR) leadership that it wants equal standing with its colleagues from the DAP and PKR. If not, the party will walk.

The party, which has one state seat in Penang, said its deputy state commissioner Muhammad Fauzi Yusoff wants to be consulted on policy-making by the state government before final decisions are made, among other things.

"We are not going to let the party be viewed as a puppet in Penang.

"Penang PAS, with all due respect, will withdraw and resign from state positions and appointments offered if the state government and the state PR Council do not take our demands seriously.

"We will also review our position in the state PR if PAS is no longer needed in the state government to safeguard our principles and the dignity of our struggles," he told a press conference in Seberang Jaya today that was attended by several state party leaders.

He said even though the party has one seat in Permatang Pasir, it did not mean its voice, contribution, service and professionalism in Penang can be disregarded.

The party is demanding that all political appointments in the state government that are set aside for PAS must be made only after consulting and getting consent from the party.

Otherwise, Fauzi said, Penang PAS will consider the action as sidelining the party, and will not acknowledge the appointments and will even take action against the individuals involved.

He said the party wanted its state commissioner and sole assemblyman Datuk Mohd Salleh Man, who is also state religious council head, to have full power over the appointments of council members and board of directors in agencies and subsidiaries under the Penang Islamic Council (MAIPP), without any interference from the state exco.

He alleged that there was unnecessary interference from the exco on appointments for the coming term, and it was against the ethics and spirit of PR.

"We fear that such interference will cause power overlapping, which will disrupt MAIPP's administration and appointments made by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong," Fauzi said, declining to say if he was referring to Datuk Abdul Malik Abul Kassin of PKR, who is state religious affairs, domestic trade and consumerism committee chairman.

Penang PAS is also demanding a quota be set for its members to be appointed as directors on the boards of state government-linked companies. Presently no PAS member holds such a position.

The party also wants control over the appointments of Village Security and Development Committees (JKKK) members in the six state and two parliamentary constituencies contested by PAS.

"We were made to understand that appointments had been made directly without consulting us nor getting our consent when the constituencies are PAS seats. That is against the PR ethics. It is most regrettable. Logically, the mandate should be ours.

"We also want the number of Penang and Seberang Prai municipal councillors from PAS to be increased from two to four for each council, and they must be individuals recommended and approved by the party," he said, adding that the demands are being made following a state party meeting last Thursday chaired by Mohd Salleh.

Fauzi said the demands were not unreasonable because improvements should be made in the PR administration.

"Last term, PR was just learning how to administer the state but now we want to see improvements," he said.

Posted: 18 Nov 2013 06:04 PM PST

(Malaysian Times) - Majlis Agama Islam Selangor (MAIS) menyelar kenyataan pakar perlembagaan, Dr Aziz Bari bahawa Sultan tidak mempunyai kuasa untuk menghalang bukan Islam daripada menggunakan kalimah Allah.

Ahli MAIS, Datuk Aidit Ghazali berkata kenyataan oleh bekas pensyarah Universiti Islam Antarabangsa (UIA) itu nyata bersifat berat sebelah dan condong kepada pembangkang.

Aziz Bari sebelum ini berkata pemerintah negeri di Malaysia tidak mempunyai kuasa untuk menggantung atau menafikan hak beragama bukan Islam yang telah dijamin Perlembagaan Persekutuan, lapor laman portal Antarapos.

Beliau berkata demikian beberapa hari selepas Sultan Selangor, Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah menitahkan agar akhbar mingguan Katolik, The Herald dan kitab Bible versi Melayu dihalang daripada menggunakan kalimah Allah.

Titah Baginda selari dengan keputusan Mahkamah Rayuan pada 14 Oktober yang memutuskan The Herald tidak boleh menggunakan kalimah Allah dalam sebarang penerbitannya.

Aidit berkata, Aziz Bari perlu akur pada peranan Baginda sebagai Ketua Agama Islam negeri itu.

"Dia (Dr Aziz) tak ada apa-apa kuasa, tapi Tuanku ada kuasa. Dalam hal ini kita kena lihat apabila Tuanku bertitah, Tuanku tidak bertitah dengan apa-apa sandaran memihak kepada pandangan politik tapi Dr Aziz kita semua tahu inklinasi beliau pada politik pembangkang.

"Justeru apabila orang membuat sesuatu kenyataan dan bersandarkan kepada sesuatu inklinasi politik, maka pandangan itu bersifat prejudis," katanya.

Aidit selain itu berkata, titah Sultan Selangor perlu dilihat dari semua aspek bagi memelihara kesucian agama Islam.

Baginda juga merujuk kepada apa yang terkandung di dalam Al-Quran dan Sunnah, ijmak para ulama serta fatwa-fatwa yang diwartakan di peringkat negeri dan kebangsaan, sebelum bertitah sedemikian, ujar Aidit.

"Pendapat Dr Aziz Bari ialah pendapat peribadi beliau. Apabila Tuanku Sultan Selangor membuat titah sedemikian rupa, Baginda mengambil kira dari pelbagai aspek, bukan sahaja aspek perlembagaan persekutuan, tetapi dari aspek apa yang terkandung dalam Al-Quran dan Sunnah dan Ijmak Ulama, serta aspek fatwa oleh Majlis Fatwa Kebangsaan dan fatwa yang diwartakan di peringkat negeri serta aspek kuasa Baginda sebagai Ketua Agama Islam Selangor.

"Ada pakar-pakar sehebat Dr Aziz malah ada yang lebih hebat yang sebenarnya mengiyakan dan menyokong apa yang telah dititahkan oleh Tuanku Sultan Selangor," jelasnya lagi.

Aidit kemudiannya mengingatkan Selangor sebelum ini meluluskan Enakmen Agama Buakn Islam (Kawalan dan Sekatan Pengembangan di Kalangan Orang Bukan Islam) 1988 yang menetapkan 25 perkataan yang tidak boleh digunakan oleh bukan Islam.

Perkataan itu adalah Allah, Illahi, Rasul, Fatwa, Firman Allah, Wahyu, Iman, Ulama, Mubaligh, Dakwah, Nabi, Hadith, Syariah, Injil, Sheikh, Ibadah, Qiblat, Salat, Kaabah, Haji, Khalifah, Kadi, Mufti, Wali dan ibadah.

Stop PAS’ push for hudud, MCA tells Pakatan

Posted: 18 Nov 2013 05:59 PM PST

MCA Kelantan wants PKR and DAP to pressure the Islamic party into revoking the Kelantan Syariah Criminal Code (II) Enactment 1993

Anisah Shukry, FMT

MCA Kelantan has called for opposition parties DAP and PKR to step in and put a stop to its Islamist ally PAS' renewed talks of implementing hudud in the state.

"DAP and PKR must assert their influence on PAS and call for the revocation of the Kelantan Syariah Criminal Code (II) Enactment 1993, rather than defend it," said MCA Kelantan secretary Tan Ken Ten.

"The enactment which was unanimously passed by the Kelantan state assembly in 1993 shows that PAS' call for hudud has gained support, and the Syariah courts are ready to execute the criminal codes."

The enactment has not been implemented as it requires amendments to the Federal Constitution.

However, local authorities have imposed by-laws on non-Muslims, jeopardising their livelihoods and lifestyles, according to Tan.

Last week, the head of Kelantan's Syariah Court said they were ready to implement the controversial Islamic criminal law in the state.

"God willing, Kelantan is able to implement hudud. The laws are already there and if there's a need for more judges, we will add," Syariah chief judge Daud Muhammad said on Nov 13.

Anxiety among non-Muslims in Kelantan

PAS vice-president Mahfuz Omar subsequently told the media that the party was mulling a proposal to forward a motion to debate hudud in the Dewan Rakyat.

The minister in charge of parliamentary affairs, Shahidan Kassim, was reported as saying he was prepared to back such a motion.

Posted: 18 Nov 2013 05:55 PM PST

Reiterating that he owes no one an apology, the DAP chairman wants the Islamic party's youth vice chief to publicly apologise for lying about his views on race-based parties

Athi Shankar, FMT

DAP national chairman Karpal Singh insisted that he would not apologise for his statement on Nov 5 where he called for the deregistration of race-based political parties in the country.

Instead, the senior parliamentarian called on PAS national youth vice-chief Raja Ahmad Iskandar Raja Yaacob to publicly apologise for misrepresenting facts of his statement.

"Raja Ahmad has clearly misled the public and he is guilty, I repeat, of perpetrating an unadulterated lie for which he owes the public an apology.

"The demand by some misguided and ignorant leaders in PAS in giving me an ultimatum to apologise to PAS within five days is an absolutely outlandish and an unwarranted demand.

"Needless to say, the question of apologising to anyone does not arise. There will be no apology. I will not entertain any idle demands by misguided PAS leaders," said Karpal, the Bukit Gelugor MP.

He said he stood by his statement made during a press conference in Penang in relation to the need for race-based political parties and organisations to be deregistered.

He reiterated that a multiracial country like Malaysia should not have race-based political parties for such parties would only further divide the people.

Incomplete recording of speech

Since unity is strength, Karpal said race-based political parties do not strive towards the significance and import of that adage.

"I repeat the only sensible approach to ensuring a truly united Malaysian nation was to outlaw race-based political parties," said Karpal.

Posted: 18 Nov 2013 05:40 PM PST

(Bernama) - Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has denied Pakatan Rakyat's claim that 40,000 of her people were involved and voted for the Barisan Nasional (BN) in Malaysia's 13th general election (GE13).

Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak said during his meeting with Sheikh Hasina, the South Asian leader shook her head in disbelieve at the erroneous claim.

Najib also said if the claim that his visit to Bangladesh was to meet and thank those people for voting for the BN in the last general election, then his mission had failed as he did not meet any of the purported voters.

"Looks like this second mission has failed because I did not meet the 40,000 Bangladeshis who were said to have voted for the Barisan Nasional," he told reporters after a bilateral meeting with the Bangladesh government here.

Najib said the Bangladesh prime minister further dismissed the claim as absurd as it was unlikely for Malaysia to accord citizenship to 40,000 Bangladeshis.

Last week, Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Shahidan Kassim while winding up the Budget 2014 Bill in the Dewan Rakyat charged the claim made by the opposition during the GE13 to be a big lie, stressing that only 12 Bangladeshis had acquired Malaysian citizenship in the past 10 years.

Perkasa’s Ibrahim Ali gets one-day jail, RM20,000 fine for contempt of court

Posted: 18 Nov 2013 05:21 PM PST

(The Star) - Perkasa boss Ibrahim Ali (pic) was sentenced to one-day jail and RM20,000 fine for contempt of court against a judge hearing the Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's defamation case against Utusan Melayu.

High Court judge John Louis O'Hara gave his judgement after hearing nearly two hours of submissions by counsels.

Anwar was granted leave on March 5 to cite Ibrahim and writer Zainuddin Salleh for contempt for scandalising the trial judge in his defamation case.

However, Ibrahim claimed that neither he nor Perkasa was responsible for posting a defamatory article on a website on Jan 7.

Anwar's lawyer, R. Sivarasa submitted to the court on Tuesday that the article had make scurrilous and personal attacks on a High Court judge whilst a decision was pending to be delivered by the trial judge in a RM50mil defamation case filed by Anwar against Utusan Melayu (M) Bhd.

On Jan 21, Anwar won his defamation suit against Utusan Melayu over publication of two articles on his comments to BBC during an interview on homosexuality laws.

Justice V. T. Singham had ordered Utusan Melayu to pay RM45,000 in costs to Anwar.

KENYATAAN MEDIA Badan Perhubungan PAS Pulau Pinang

Posted: 18 Nov 2013 04:33 PM PST

PAS Pulau Pinang dengan penuh hormat akan menarik diri serta meletak jawatan dalam beberapa tawaran jawatan, portfolio dan posisi jawatan tertentu dalam Kerajaan Negeri jika tuntutan dan ketetapan ini tidak diambil serius oleh pihak Kerajaan Negeri dan Majlis Pakatan Rakyat.

Mohd Fauzi b Yusof

TIMBALAN PESURUHJAYA PAS PULAU PINANG

Bagi memperkukuh dan memberdaya Pakatan Rakyat Negeri Pulau Pinang, Mesyuarat Badan Perhubungan PAS Negeri P.Pinang pada 14 November 2013 lalu yang dipengerusikan sendiri oleh Pesuruhjaya PAS P.Pinang YB Dato' Mohd Salleh Man, telah membuat beberapa ketetapan untuk makluman dan tindakan Kerajaan Negeri serta Majlis Pakatan Rakyat Negeri P.Pinang, seperti berikut:-

1.      Memberi kuasa penuh tanpa sebarang campur tangan yang tidak wajar kepada YDP MAINPP sekarang (YB Dato' Mohd Salleh Man) untuk mengemukakan makluman keputusan cadangan lantikan Ahli-ahli Majlis MAINPP serta mana-mana portfolio Lembaga Pengarah dalam mana-mana agensi atau anak syarikat dibawah Majlis Agama Islam Negeri Pulau Pinang.

Kami difahamkan terdapat campur tangan yang tidak sewajarnya dari pihak Exco Kerajaan Negeri untuk menetapkan Ahli-ahli Majlis MAINPP serta Pengerusi dan Ahli-ahli Lembaga Pengarah anak-anak syarikat MAINPP untuk sesi akan datang. Jika benar, ianya adalah satu tindakan yang bertentangan etika & semangat Pakatan Rakyat. Tindakan campur tangan ini sangat dikesali.

2.      Menambah bilangan Ahli Majlis MPPP dan MPSP untuk kuota PAS P.Pinang dari 2 orang setiap PBT kepada 4 orang setiap PBT. Ini adalah manifestasi dari pandangan ahli peringkat akar umbi dalam mesyuarat-mesyuarat agung yang telah dijalankan sebelum ini.

Perlantikan Ahli Majlis MPPP & MPSP untuk kuota PAS ini hendaklah dilantik dengan cadangan & persetujuan PAS P.Pinang.

3.      Memberi kuasa penuh kepada PAS P.Pinang untuk memilih dan melantik JKKK di kawasan DUN / Parlimen yang ditandingi PAS (6 DUN, 2 Parlimen).

Kami difahamkan bahawa terdapat lantikan JKKK di kawasan yang ditandingi PAS dibuat secara terus kepada individu terlibat tanpa persetujuan & perbincangan melibatkan pihak PAS Kawasan. Tindakan ini juga melanggar etika Pakatan Rakyat.
Ia sangat dikesali.

4.      Memperuntukkan kuota mewakili PAS bagi lantikan Ahli Lembaga Pengarah dalam anak-anak syarikat milik / berkaitan Kerajaan Negeri (GLC). Sehingga kini, TIADA mana-mana lantikan yang dibuat mewakili PAS dengan persetujuan PAS P.Pinang. Tindakan ini juga tidak menggambarkan semangat kerjasama Pakatan Rakyat.

Tuntutan / ketetapan ini dibuat berdasarkan beberapa justifikasi seperti berikut:-

1.      Mesyuarat Agung PAS Kawasan-kawasan seluruh P.Pinang serta sayap parti (Dewan Ulama, Dewan Pemuda & Dewan Muslimat) yang berlangsung baru-baru ini sebahagiannya membuat keputusan bahawa PAS P.Pinang perlu lebih bertegas dengan pihak rakan Pakatan Rakyat dalam Kerajaan Negeri P.Pinang supaya diberi peranan & posisi yang seimbang dalam Kerajaan Negeri. Tuntutan ini dibuat berdasarkan maklumbalas ahli-ahli peringkat akar umbi bagi memperkukuhkan PAS dalam Pakatan Rakyat di Pulau Pinang.

2.      Tuntutan & ketetapan ini adalah selari dengan semangat persefahaman & kerjasama yang digariskan dalam Pakatan Rakyat.

3.      Ia juga adalah selaras dengan slogan CAT (Cekap, Akauntabiliti, Telus) yang diamalkan Kerajaan Negeri. Kami mendapati bahawa slogan CAT ini tidak dipraktikkan dalam hubungan PAS bersama Pakatan Rakyat Pulau Pinang.

4.      PAS P.Pinang akan terus bertindak sebagai juru semak & imbang (check and balance) kepada Kerajaan Negeri & Pakatan Rakyat P.Pinang. Tuntutan & ketetapan ini adalah sebahagian dari fungi semak & imbang tersebut.

5.      PAS P.Pinang bimbang dengan campur tangan yang tidak wajar oleh pihak Kerajaan Negeri terhadap MAINPP akan menyebabkan berlakunya 'Pertindihan Kuasa' yang akan mengganggu kelancaran pentadbiran dan organisasi MAINPP yang dilantik oleh Yang Dipertuan Agong.

6.      Walaupun PAS P.Pinang hanya memiliki 1 kerusi DUN, ia tidak bermakna suara, sumbangan, khidmat & profesionalisma PAS di Pulau Pinang dipinggirkan.

Dengan ini, PAS P.Pinang membuat penegasan bahawa:-

1.      PAS P.Pinang hendaklah dilibatkan dalam apa-apa perbincangan dasar dan polisi yang hendak dirancang oleh Kerajaan Negeri sebelum ia dilaksanakan. Perbincangan tersebut hendaklah melibatkan organisasi, bukan secara individu. Hal ini amat perlu kerana ahli-ahli PAS, penyokong dan pendokong PAS tidak mengizinkan PAS dilihat seperti boneka rakan Pakatan Rakyat terutamanya di P.Pinang.

2.      Sebarang perlantikan politik terhadap mana-mana jawatan, portfolio, posisi dalam Kerajaan Negeri yang melibatkan kuota PAS mahupun pimpinan atau mana-mana ahli PAS, mestilah dengan perbincangan dan persetujuan PAS P.Pinang. Jika tidak, PAS P.Pinang tidak mengiktiraf penglibatan individu tersebut sebagai mewakili parti dan akan mengambil tindakan keatas individu berkenaan, serta menganggap tindakan ini sebagai mengenepikan PAS P.Pinang.

3.      PAS P.Pinang dengan penuh hormat akan menarik diri serta meletak jawatan dalam beberapa tawaran jawatan, portfolio dan posisi jawatan tertentu dalam Kerajaan Negeri jika tuntutan dan ketetapan ini tidak diambil serius oleh pihak Kerajaan Negeri dan Majlis Pakatan Rakyat.

PAS P.Pinang juga akan mengkaji kembali kedudukannya dalam Pakatan Rakyat P.Pinang jika tidak lagi diperlukan dalam Kerajaan Negeri, demi memelihara prinsip & maruah perjuangan.

Sekian, terima kasih.

Mohd Fauzi b Yusof
TIMBALAN PESURUHJAYA PAS PULAU PINANG

15 Muharram 1435H / 19 November 2013

Belief is shaped by doctrine

Posted: 18 Nov 2013 03:49 PM PST

NO HOLDS BARRED

Raja Petra Kamarudin

Being someone with the advantage of living in both worlds, so to speak, I can say that this study about what the Malays and Chinese think of each other is pretty accurate.

Okay, let us look at this survey as positive rather than negative. I always said that the first step to curing a disease is to find out what is wrong and what disease we are suffering from.

Now, again, I am going to argue that same old argument, which I am sure many of you are tired of hearing by now.

Can changing the government cure this disease? I fear not because never mind what government runs the country the opinions of the Malays and Chinese regarding one other is never going to change.

Far from it!

Oh, and feel free to interpret this article of mine any way you wish.

I. Views that can be somewhat corroborated or somewhat disproved

(i) "Chinese private schools do not teach Malay history"

(ii) "In Chinese companies, Malays salaries always lower than the Chinese"

(iii) "Chinese only award contracts to Chinese companies"

(iv) "Chinese have taken control of the private sector"

(v) "Chinese colonized Malay land by their economic powers"

II. Race issues and nation-building

(i) "Education system is fair / only Malaysia is practicing vernacular school system in the world"

(ii) "Chinese ruined ethnic unity by rejecting Wawasan schools"

(iii) "Chinese are unpatriotic because Chinese do not like to learn bahasa Malaysia"

(iv) "Chinese jealous of Malays' special rights"

(v) "Chinese do not support ethnic unity"

III. Religion and the Malaysian identity

(i) "Chinese do not accept Islam as state religion"

(ii) "Chinese are unpatriotic because Chinese do not accept Islam"

(iii) "Chinese are unpatriotic because Chinese do not respect the Malay rulers"

IV. "Melayu diutamakan" vs jus soli

(i) "Chinese must admit the fact that Malays are the landowners of Malaysia"

(ii) "Malay are masters, Chinese are guests to Malay land"

V. Perceptions that cause instability

(i) "Chinese look down on Malays"

(ii) "Chinese keep demanding but never respect Malay thinking"

(iii) "Malays always fulfill Chinese request"

(iv) "Chinese have obtained too much / Malays have tolerated a lot"

Will Khalid be a big winner or a big loser?

Posted: 18 Nov 2013 02:02 PM PST

Three key things stood out in his blog posting. First, he slammed the group that claimed it is out to save PAS from practising the "culture of slander and destruction". This group has been pushing for ulama candidates in the party polls and running down those from the Erdogan camp.

Joceline Tan, The Star

SHAH Alam MP Khalid Samad will either be a big winner in this week's PAS election or the big loser.

His latest blog post, a no-holds-barred opinion piece on the party's election campaign attracted mixed reactions. Some agreed with it, some accused him of campaigning for incumbent deputy president Mohamad Sabu while others think he is too emotional and has gone overboard. One PAS branch is even contemplating lodging a complaint to the party's election committee.

Three key things stood out in his blog posting. First, he slammed the group that claimed it is out to save PAS from practising the "culture of slander and destruction". This group has been pushing for ulama candidates in the party polls and running down those from the Erdogan camp.

Second, he rubbished claims that Mohamad, who is seeking re-election, is a Syiah and said it was concocted by external enemies and perpetuated by "orang PAS" or people inside the party. He disagreed that the No. 2 must be an ulama and said that Mohamad should be retained.

Third, he said the agenda of those who claimed they want to save PAS actually want to take the party out of Pakatan Rakyat.

He appealed to delegates to vote for status quo so that the Pakatan coalition will remain intact.

The Erdogan have been under attack by the young Turks in the ulama group and Khalid is taking a calculated risk in hitting back.

About 30% or so among the 1,300 delegates who will be voting on Friday are ulama; that is, those who went through religious education and who work as religious teachers and preachers.

Delegates who approve of the ideas and approach of the Erdogans comprise about 30%.

Khalid is reaching out to the remaining 40% fence-sitters who will decide on the outcome of the polls.

The pro-ulama group has been preparing for the showdown since September when the Dewan Ulama hosted a big gathering or Multaqa Ulama in Alor Setar to discuss issues of concern to their circle.

About 1,500 ulama from the party attended and this was where the now famous call to review the political cooperation or tahaluf siasi between PAS and the Pakatan parties came about. They also called for more ulama to occupy the top party posts.

"There were suggestions that the top leaders including the deputy president and vice-president in the party should be from the ulama group.

"We have made our stand and we leave it to the delegates to decide at the muktamar," Johor PAS commission Datuk Dr Mahfodz Mohamed.

The ulama clout in PAS is what makes this party special and different from arch rival Umno.

This group does not necessarily want PAS to quit Pakatan, as claimed by Khalid, but they want the party to redefine its role in the coalition.

For several years now, the Erdogan group had convinced the leadership that the party should focus on winning Putrajaya instead of frightening voters with talk about their Islamic state goal.

But PAS lost the Malay ground to Umno in the general election and the ulama feel that the party needs to review its political approach.

Some of those in the pro-ulama group have even come up with a menu of candidates who have their support. Top of their list is Datuk Mohd Amar Nik Abdullah who is challenging Mat Sabu for the No 2 post.

Their choice for the three vice-presidents are Datuk Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man and Datuk Abu Bakar Chik, both ulama, and the popular incumbent Datuk Salahuddin Ayub.

Their endorsed list of CWC candidates includes 10 religious scholars.

Also on the list are Nik Abduh Nik Aziz, the son of Datuk Nik Aziz Nik Mat, and Khairuddin Muhammad, the son-in-law of Datuk Seri Hadi Awang.

Meanwhile, some leaders in PAS are still denying there is a rift between the ulama and the pro-Erdogan camp, insisting that the media is making it up.

They are suffering from what is known as the elephant-in-the-room syndrome.

Karamkah kapal DAP-PAS ekoran Karpal?

Posted: 18 Nov 2013 01:57 PM PST

Amran Ahmad, TMI

Perbalahan antara Pengerusi DAP, Karpal Singh dengan beberapa pimpinan utama PAS, yang paling ketara dengan Naib Ketua Dewan Pemuda PAS Dr. Raja Ahmad Iskandar Raja Yaacob dan Dewan Muslimat PAS ternyata tiada penghujungnya sehingga hari ini.

Disahut pula oleh beberapa pimpinan tertinggi PAS yang lain antaranya Naib Presiden PAS Datuk Mahfuz Omar dan Timbalan Pesuruhjaya III Pas Kelantan yang juga calon Timbalan Presiden PAS Datuk Mohd Nik Amar Nik Abdullah yang menyifatkan kenyataan Ahli Parlimen Bukit Gelugor hanya satu suara ganjil dalam Pakatan Rakyat (PR).

Justeru, segelintir dengan cepat berpendapat bahawa inilah bibit-bibit yang boleh menjerumuskan kedua-dua parti ke lembah kebinasaan yang memungkinkan kapal PR karam apabila PAS tidak lagi mahu menjadi antara nakhoda utamanya.

Ada yang yang berpendapat bahawa perbalahan secara terang-terangan ini menjadi suatu manifestasi kepada kekecewaan PAS dalam bergandingan bersama DAP pada pilihan raya umum ke-13 (PRU13) yang tidak lagi dapat dibendung.

Malah ada juga yang berpendapat kelantangan pimpinan PAS ini adalah sebahagian kempen di kalangan calon-calonnya menjelang Muktamar Tahunan PAS ke-59 akan menyaksikan pemilihan untuk jawatan tertinggi di peringkat pusat dan dewan-dewan bagi penggal 2013-2015 bermula 20 November ini.

Apa jua penyebab atau ramalannya, perbalahan secara terbuka yang mendapat liputan meluas oleh media cetak, elektronik dan portal berita tempatan terutama milik Umno seperti Utusan Malaysia dan TV3 itu, secara terang lagi bersuluh, menggambarkan kekusutan hubungan antara PAS dan DAP.

Itu belum termasuk kecenderungan PAS Kelantan untuk menubuhkan jawatankuasa khas bagi melicinkan pelaksanaan undang-undang hudud di negeri tersebut, suatu tindakan yang tidak digemari oleh DAP dan sering menjadi punca pertikaman lidah antara kedua-dua parti sebelum ini.

Bagaimanapun, ia tidak mampu untuk menjadi faktor utama kepada perpecahan dalam PR, apatah lagi tidak memungkinkan kepada keputusan PAS untuk tidak lagi bergandingan bersama DAP dan PKR pada PRU14.

Apa yang lebih menarik untuk diperhatikan ialah keputusan pemilihan PAS pada 24 November ini yang akan menjadi penentu kepada kesinambungan hubungan erat antara parti komponen dalam PR terutama DAP dan PAS.

Ada yang berpendapat, jika Mohamad Sabu yang lebih terkenal dengan panggilan Mat Sabu berjaya mengekalkan jawatannya, maka hubungan PAS dan DAP kekal seperti biasa malah akan terus diperkukuhkan.

Telah menjadi rahsia umum mengenai hubungan akrab antara Mat Sabu dengan Setiausaha Agung DAP yang juga Ketua Menteri Pulau Pinang, Lim Guan Eng semenjak sama-sama menjadi penghuni Kem Kamunting semasa Operasi Lalang 1987.

Keakraban yang dicemburui oleh Ketua Pemuda Umno Khairy Jamaludin ini terserlah kerana Guan Eng dikatakan sanggup berjaga malam jika Mat Sabu mengajaknya menemani beliau makan nasi kandar jika Mat Sabu singgah di Pulau Mutiara itu.

Keakraban tersebut juga meletakkan Mat Sabu dalam kedudukan untuk menjawat kerusi Pengarah Perbadanan Bekalan Air Pulau Pinang (PBA).

Namun jika Nik Amar pula berjaya meneruskan Mat Sabu untuk jawatan nombor dua dalam PAS itu, ramai melihat bukan sahaja keakraban antara kedua-dua parti itu tergugat, malah turut melibatkan PKR.

Pandangan ini tidak salah jika dilihat pada kenyataan Nik Amar sebelum ini yang pernah bertegas mengenai keperluan PAS mengkaji kerjasamanya dengan DAP dan PKR setelah parti itu gagal mendapatkan sokongan majoriti pengundi Melayu pada PRU13.

Nik Amar dipetik sebagai berkata : "PAS ketinggalan dalam PRU yang lalu dalam jumlah kerusi yang dimenangi. Kita menang 21 kerusi Parlimen berbanding 23 sebelum ini, sedangkan Umno menambah daripada 79 kepada 89. Kita tidak boleh mencapai matlamat untuk menggantikan Umno jika kita tidak mendapat sokongan majoriti pengundi Melayu Islam."

"Kita bukan nak menarik diri daripada PR tetapi kita perlu mengkaji masalah dan kesilapan yang menyebabkan orang Melayu menyokong Umno bukan PAS," kata Nik Amar lagi yang melegakan ramai penyokong PR.

Posted: 18 Nov 2013 01:52 PM PST

Mohd Sayuti Omar, TMI

Tanggal 1 November lepas saya mencadangkan kepada kerajaan Kelantan agar menubuh sebuah jawatankuasa khas teknikal pelaksanaan hukum hudud bagi mencari makenisme proses perlaksanaan hukum hudud.

Menerusi jawatankuasa itu ia boleh mencari pendekatan dan penyelesaian terhadap teknikal yang boleh membantu pelaksanaan Jenayah Syariah II (hukum hudud) yang dilulus DUN Kelantan sejak tahun 1993.

Tampaknya cadangan saya itu selari dengan kehendak PAS Kelantan. Hari ini PAS Kelantan mengumumkan penubuhan jawatan kuasa khas bagi melincinkan pelaksanaan undang-undang hudud di negeri tersebut yang berkuat kuasa hari ini.

Jawatankuasa itu digerakan oleh Lajnah Undang-Undang dan Hak Asasi Manusia (Luham) PAS Kelantan, di mana jawatankuasa itu dipimpin sendiri oleh Menteri Besar Ahmad Yaacob.

Perkara ini diumumkan oleh Pengerusi Luham Hisham Fauzi yang juga merupakan ahli jawatankuasa khas berkenaan.

Tahniah kepada PAS Kelantan yang peka mengenai hal ini. Cuma sedikit dipersoalkan kenapa jawatankuasa itu tidak ditubuh di peringkat negeri? Mungkin kalau ia ditubuh diperingkat negeri jawatankuasa berkenaan lebih rasmi, skopnya lebih luas dan efektif. Peruntukan RM1 juta boleh diguna pakai jawatankuasa berkenaan.

Bagaimana pun sebagai permulaan ia sesuatu yang baik dan menjelaskan keprihatinan dan kesungguhan PAS Kelantan untuk melaksanakan hukum berkenaan. Tahniah.

Dalam pada itu, sehubungan isu hudud sehari dua ini diperkatakan oleh pelbagai pihak termasuk juga wakil rakyat Umno Annuar Musa dan Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah serta Ketua Hakim Mahkamah Syariah Kelantan Daud Muhammad yang memberi jaminan pihaknya bersedia melaksanakan hukum berkenaan, adalah elok kalau Ahmad Yaakub menulis surat kepada Perdana Menteri Mohd Najib Razak memohon pengecuali untuk Kelantan melaksanakan yang kesekian lama tertangguh itu.

Posted: 18 Nov 2013 01:46 PM PST

V. Anbalagan and Diyana Ibrahim, TMI

A month after the Umno polls, a member has complained to the party's election committee that delegates were bribed with hotel rooms and umrah packages to elect Lembah Pantai division office-bearers.

Asat Ahmad said he also lodged a complaint with the party's disciplinary board on the preferred list which was distributed to elect the division committee members for the next three years.

A letter to election committee chairman Tan Sri Mohammad Tajol Rosli Ghazali and another note to acting disciplinary board chairman Tan Sri Megat Najmuddin Megat Khas were sent on October 31.

Copies of Asat's complaint were also given to Umno secretary-general Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor. Asat, a former branch chairman in the Lembah Pantai Umno division, said Umno should stop leaders from destroying the party through money politics and expressed hope the leadership would take steps to treat the problem which has reached a "cancerous" stage.

"The results of the last two general elections showed that the people rejected Umno and the party will be destroyed if the situation was not corrected," he said in a letter made available to The Malaysian Insider.

Barisan Nasional lost the Lembah Pantai parliamentary seat to Nurul Izzah Anwar in 2008 and failed to recapture the seat in the May 5 general election.

Another complainant, Mohyiddin Mohmad, a former Lembah Pantai division committee member, said on October 19, he was at the Pullman Hotel in Jalan Pantai Baru to attend the division meeting when he was approached with the preferred list.

Mohyiddin claimed he was also informed by hotel employees that 50 rooms had been booked to accommodate delegates attending the meeting.

"As a past division committee member, I was unaware and shocked that rooms were booked," he said, adding that he believed that the practice was masterminded by senior leaders in the division.

READ MORE HERE

MAS turnaround bid hit by RM375m loss

Posted: 18 Nov 2013 01:34 PM PST

The losses came about despite despite a 12.4% improvement in revenue to RM3.91 billion from the RM3.47 billion it made in the corresponding quarter last year.

by Prem Kumar Panjamorthy, FMT

Despite optimism for improvements this year, national carrier Malaysian Airline System Bhd (MAS) reported a loss of RM375.44 million for its third-quarter (3Q) ended Sept 30.

Earnings per share showed a loss of 2.25 sen, compared to 0.52 sen previously. The losses were made despite a 12.4% improvement in revenue to RM3.91 billion from the RM3.47 billion it made in the corresponding quarter last year, in which it posted a RM37.08 million net profit.

For the cumulative nine months, MAS' net loss widened to RM830.25 million from RM483.96 million previously. Revenue for the period improved to RM11.22 billion from RM9.89 billion in 2012.

The loss was reported late yesterday when MAS stocks closed unchanged at 35 sen, but strong trading movements are expected today.

The loss, which went against market expectations, is an indication that the worst is not over for MAS, which is undergoing a comprehensive turnaround plan that is scheduled to bring the company back into the black by the end of 2014. This goal is expected to be deferred for the third time.

Last week, analysts covering the national carrier had expressed confidence that MAS would break even in the 3Q. Maybank Investment Bank Bhd expected the airline to report a RM17 million net profit on the back of seasonally strong 3Q and a better load factor.

The airline's 3Q load factor stood at 84.8% — a historic peak for the 41-year-old carrier.

MAS said its operating expenditure in the last quarter was higher by 16% compared to the same quarter last year due to higher fuel and non-fuel variable costs, which rose in line with capacity increase and the weakening of the ringgit against the US dollar.

"Fuel and non-fuel costs for the airline increased by 16%. The increase in operating expenditure is also attributed to a one-off cost incurred for redelivery of aircraft.

"In addition, the group intensified its advertising and promotional activities amid intense competition as part of its long-term strategy to continuously strengthen presence in key markets," MAS said in a filing to Bursa Malaysia yesterday.

Despite the loss, the carrier said its cash position remains strong at RM5.4 billion.

MAS said its operating revenue improved 13% to RM3.78 billion compared to the same quarter last year due to an increase in seat factor by 10.3 percentage points to 84.8%, on the back of a 20% increase in capacity.

READ MORE HERE

PAS at a Crossroads

Posted: 18 Nov 2013 12:49 PM PST

Zaid Ibrahim

This weekend's elections for the top posts in PAS will reveal many things about the Islamist party. Are they a serious alternative for Malays and Malaysians or are they just a group of ideologues with no real prospect for government besides in the state of Kelantan?

If incumbent deputy president Mohamad Sabu and his friends win well, and especially if the three incumbent Vice Presidents—Datuk Paduka Husam Musa, Datuk Mahfuz Omar and Salahuddin Ayub—are returned to their posts, then I will be reasonably confident that the party has a future in galvanising the democratic and moderate forces of the country.

On the other hand, their defeat will mean that right-wing conservatives in PAS may coalesce and join forces with those outside the party, particularly UMNO, to further the cause of extremist politics in Malaysia.

The forthcoming PAS elections will be a day of reckoning for the party, for the Malays and for Malaysia. Some observers have pointed out that the resurgence of PAS conservatives is a result of the defeat of party moderates at the recent General Election. This, say observers, is why delegates will abandon the moderates at the party polls and opt for the ulama faction. They also say that widespread talk of implementing hudud is a sign of the growing influence of the conservative faction.

It will be most disappointing if the conservatives prevail. UMNO will then have no reason to return to a moderate and progressive Malay-Muslim political platform, as some expected after the General Election.

Indeed I believe that the DNA of UMNO has totally mutated and it has become a completely different species from the original party that was founded 55 years ago and led by our first three Prime Ministers. The fact that the MCA, Gerakan, the MIC and other parties in East Malaysia are still attached to UMNO does not in any way indicate that they are real partners in Malaysian politics today.

Thus, the space for a moderate and progressive Islamic party is there for the taking. There is room for PAS to make new friends and build new alliances in addition to those they already have in the Pakatan Rakyat. If PAS were to opt for more practical and pragmatic politics and policies, they will fill the void by making it easier for others to work with them.

The first step towards greater acceptance must involve putting an end to using hudud as a tactic to scare people. PAS leaders know that this aspect of shariah law does not resonate in Malaysia and will not be implemented, whether by PAS or by UMNO, in the near future. We are not Brunei where the views of the many do not count. So why give Middle Malaysia no choice but to support the so-called "moderate" UMNO when UMNO has become extreme beyond recognition?

PAS leaders need only address the real issues of the rakyat and champion the cause of the people in order to make the party an acceptable alternative to UMNO. PAS leaders should remember the advice of Dr Burhanuddin Helmi, Tan Sri Asri Muda and Datuk Fadzil Noor, that uplifting Muslim life in economics and education is the only way to create a just Muslim society. As such, the structure and forms of the Islamic State, with its attendant ideologies such as hudud, do not enrich or empower Muslims and do not deserve priority when so much more can and must be done.

Malaysia today is desperately in need of a Malay-Muslim party that addresses the needs and hopes of the common people. The young need jobs. Those with jobs need good pay. Those who have gone to university need regular incomes to repay their student loans. The list goes on and on, and the country deserves a fairer party in power than UMNO. PAS has the potential to be this party if it can offer reforms in all walks of life to improve the lot of ordinary Malaysians of all creeds and colours.

READ MORE HERE

Kredit: www.malaysia-today.net

Rabu, 20 November 2013

Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News

Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News

Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News

Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News

Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News

Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News

Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News

Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News

Selasa, 19 November 2013

Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News

Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News

Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News

Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News

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