Hypocrite Hindu Secularists never mind to rape Hindu Sentiments, rather promote Islamic Fanaticism.

India’s dubious Secularists.



Maqbool Fida Husain and Salman Rushdie are a telling comparison and contrast to capture the true character of secular India. Both are Muslims by birth. Both were born in colonial India’s Bombay Presidency. Husain, some 32 years when Rushdie was a child, died last year. Husain was an artist. Rushdie is a writer. Both had become famous, globally — Husain through his paintings and Rushdie through his writings. Husain lived all his life in India before he exiled and became a Qatari in 2006. But Rushdie lives in the UK as a British citizen. While Rushdie excited the highly sensitive Muslims to turn against him, Husain managed to irritate the not-so-sensitive Hindus. Take Husain first.

This is how Husain annoyed the soft Hindus. He used his fertile imagination and painting skills to undress all well-dressed Hindu gods, goddesses, depict them naked and used his popularity to market them. He drew a naked Goddess Lakshmi sitting on Lord Ganesha’s head. He painted Durga in sexual union with a tiger. He portrayed a naked Goddess Saraswati holding a veena. He painted a naked Parvati with her son Ganesha. He depicted a naked Hanuman, seeing a naked Sita sitting on the thigh of naked Ravana. He painted a naked Bharatmata twice — once in the shape of India with names of the states of India on her naked body, alongside a naked sadhu in the Bay of Bengal. But his art on Muslims was a telling contrast. He drew a fully clad Muslim king alongside a naked Brahmin. He completely covered, even with purdah, the Muslim women he drew, which of course included his mother and daughter. He fully attired the Muslim poets he painted

Some Hindus, who saw his perverted art demeaning the Hindu divinities, began protesting at his exhibitions and filing criminal cases. Seeing mounting protests and cases, Husain moved out of India. The government of India, judiciary, political parties and, of course, the media, all rushed to defend Husain’s right to freedom — his right to offend Hindus and demean their gods. There were protests against Husain. But no one issued an order to kill him. No one was injured, no one was hurt and none was killed. Yet, the protests were labelled by ‘seculars’ as ‘saffron terror’.

Now come to Rushdie, a contrast. His life is living hell since he wrote his controversial book The Satanic Verses. Though living, he has, by now, died a million times since February 4, 1989 when Ayatollah Khomeini issued a fiat (fatwa) to Muslims to kill him. But, why should Khomeini order the killing of a fellow Muslim? With almost a generation gone since 1988 when Rushdie wrote the infamous book, it is time to recall some history. Rushdie’s book was about a disputed tradition in Islam. According to it, Mohammed (depicted in Rushdie’sStarting from then and till now, Rushdie has been hitting headlines for the wrong reasons. Now again Rushdie is in the news. Rushdie had been invited to the Jaipur Literature Festival 2012, Asia’s largest, a week back. Muslims threatened agitations and Rushdie’s presence would have meant violence. So the Indian Intelligence Bureau invented an input saying that four hired assassins were roaming around to kill Rushdie. This was proved fake, calculated to prevent Rushdie from coming to India. The four participants who had read out from The Satanic Verses at the meet ran away from India to escape arrest. William Dalrymple, the festival director, got death threats. Finally, Rushdie’s video address to the Jaipur festival was dropped as, according to organisers, it risked the lives of the participants from the Muslim protesters outside.

The contrast is self-evident. Rushdie, who just wrote about a disputed tradition in Islam, was hounded for decades and is on a death threat even now, and people who had nothing to do with either the book or Rushdie have been butchered. Even today the fear of slaughter in his name haunts the world, as the Jaipur meet shows. But, all that Husain, who, in the name of freedom hurt the Hindus — “considered as the gentlest and most civilised on the earth” according to Mahatma Gandhi — faced were normal protests. The protests by Hindus against Husain were ant-bite compared to the scale of violence against Rushdie’s book, even though the hurt to the Hindu sentiments by the perverted paintings of Husain were explicit and undeniably monumental. But what is distressingly shameful is the politics of contrast. See how the secular media, parties, leaders and state glorified Husain’s right to abuse Hindu gods and goddesses to wound Hindus and how the same secular actors repeatedly decried Rushdie’s similar right to hurt Muslims. Now something even more shameful. The ‘seculars’, including the media, had ceaselessly condemned the normal protests against shows displaying Husain’s painting and pontificated to Hindus about the need for tolerance. But they wouldn’t utter a word against the violence by Muslims nor ask them to be tolerant. The reason is obvious. They are dishonest.

Muslims rightly felt offended by Rushdie’s reckless literary work. And Hindus were justly hurt by Husain’s perverted art. Muslims, highly excitable, however reacted violently. Instead of holding both Rushdie and Husain wrong, the seculars faulted Rushdie and praised Husain. Why? Because, being insensitive to Hindus and pretending to be sensitive to Muslims is enough to make one secular. QED: Such secularism is perversion — and a dangerous one.

S Gurumurthy is a well-known commentator on political and economic issues.

E-mail: comment@gurumurthy.net || Courtesy : eXpress buzz.

Muslim teenager attacked by brother and sisters for kissing white man

Kayum Mohammed-Abdul, left to right, Nadiya and Nazira bundled their sister into a car

A Muslim teenager was kidnapped, beaten and threatened with hammers and knives by her brother and sisters after kissing a white man, a court heard yesterday.

Shamima Akhtar, 18, was bundled into a car, called a whore and a prostitute and had her waist-length hair cut to her neck by her two older sisters, Nadiya, 25, and Nazira, 29, and brother Kayum Mohammed-Abdul, 24.

They had "screeched" in the car park of a restaurant in Basingstoke, Hampshire, when they saw her kissing Gary Pain on April 1 last year as she celebrated her 18th birthday, Winchester Crown Court was told.

An "extremely aggressive and threatening" Mohammed-Abdul grabbed Mr Pain by the throat as Miss Akhtar was "firmly escorted" to the car and thrown in, Peter Asteris, prosecuting, told the jury.

The case centred on "honour-based domestic violence", the court heard, in which Miss Akhtar was punished for breaking her family's rules.

Miss Akhtar came from a strict Islamic family and was controlled by her siblings, but she considered herself Westernised, the court heard. All three defendants deny kidnap, actual bodily harm and false imprisonment.

Mohammed-Abdul denies assaulting Mr Pain and the two sisters also deny assaulting Miss Akhtar.

"This case is to some extent unusual because it's about a family, the Crown say, who oppressed and chastised one of their members that was not complying with the rules of that family," Mr Asteris told the jury.

"This is about honour-based domestic violence. Shamima is the sister of the three defendants. Her family has very strong and traditional Islamic beliefs and they live their lives as a family in accordance with those beliefs.

"Shamima was not allowed to smoke or consume alcohol. Importantly, she must not have any contact with males of a different culture.

"Shamima considers herself western and she did not want to live her life that way."

The barrister explained that her three siblings in particular tried to control her but despite this she had got a job at Argos she enjoyed and on April 1 she had reluctantly got permission from her family to go out with work colleagues from Argos to celebrate her 18th birthday.

She had told them that the colleagues were all female and she was told she had to be home by 10.30pm.

During the meal she received many texts and phone calls and she made excuses not to answer and texted there was a bad signal, the court heard.

Eventually she said the food had been late arriving.

"Shamima did not want to return home at 10.30pm that night when she was celebrating her birthday," the barrister explained.

"When it was just about time for her to leave she went outside with Gary Pain, a colleague she had become close to and it appears that when she was outside she kissed Gary Pain.

"It seems that at that point her two sisters and her brother drove into the location at speed. They screeched into the car park, her brother was driving and they got out."

One of the sisters then escorted Shamima into the car while Mohammed-Abdul grabbed Mr Pain "around the neck and became extremely aggressive and threatening", the jury heard.

"Shamima said she was thrown into the back seat of the car and she was punched by her sister Nazira.

"She did not want to go with her family and she was fearful of what they were going to do with her," Mr Asteris said.

The alleged victim told police she overheard her brother on the telephone saying, 'Get the gun, I need the boys tonight'.

The car was driven back to the family home in Basingstoke and she was dragged in to the house and put on a sofa where she was subjected to a "barrage of insults" like "whore and prostitute", the jury heard.

Nadiya is then alleged to have punched her sister in the back of the head and Mohammed-Abdul is alleged to have kicked her.

Mohammed-Abdul then came into the room with two knives and a hammer, Mr Asteris said.

"(He) told his sister to pick one to be used on her and one to be used on her loverboy," The barrister said.

The abuse continued and then the two sisters said Miss Akhtar had to be punished for her behaviour and they decided to cut her hair.

"She was begging and crying for them not to," Mr Asteris told the jury.

"Her brother was there shouting encouragement, saying 'shave it"'

The jury was shown pictures of Miss Akhtar with long hair, that Mr Asteris explained was part of her faith. It was then shown her hair "hacked to neck level".

The court heard that Miss Akhtar had her mobile phone taken from her but she had another one and later that evening she managed to text Mr Pain to say what happened and she told him to call the police.

Mr Pain was unsure what to do and did not, but the next morning Miss Akhtar managed to run upstairs and call the police when her sister Nazira and her brother went out and only Nadiya was home. She had been allegedly imprisoned for around 12 hours.

When arrested Nazira Akhtar told officers her parents where away and she was responsible for the family.

She admitted she had repeatedly called her sister to check on her welfare and she told officers "she was upset when she turned up and she saw Shamima kissing a white man", Mr Asteris said.

Nadiya replied no comment to her interviews and all three would not explain why Miss Akhtar's hair was cut, the jury was told.

Mohammed-Abdul told officers it was fine for Miss Akhtar to come and go as she pleased and he did not mind her kissing a white boy.

He denied kicking her.

The trial is expected to last six days.

Cameron Highlands BN a ‘mess of disunity’

The blame lies with Umno’s Wan Rosdy, says a veteran.

KUALA LUMPUR: A veteran Umno member has decried what he calls a “mess of disunity” in Barisan Nasional’s Cameron Highlands division, laying the blame on Umno division chief Wan Rosdy Wan Ismail.

Cameron Highlands BN is now split into two factions, with one side pledging support for MP SK Devamany and the other backing MIC president G Palanivel’s alleged attempt to replace him as candidate for the constituency in the coming election.

Since FMT reported on Monday that Wan Rosdy had a secret meeting with Palanivel (main photo), the rival groups have come out in the open to declare their stand.

Mahiruddin Ahmad Khairuddin, who has been a member of Cameron Highlands Umno for 20 years, told FMT many members of the division were unhappy with Wan Rosdy’s leadership, often accusing him of using his position for personal gain.

Mahiruddin alleged that the now famous secret meeting was an instance of the division chief’s attempt to feather his own nest.

“We want him to explain what was discussed in the meeting,” he said.

He said he had written to the Prime Minister and the Pahang Menteri Besar to complain about Wan Rosdy’s “destructive” leadership.

According to him, Cameron Highlands BN has become weak not because of any shortcoming attributable to Devamany, as alleged by Palanivel’s supporters, but because of Wan Rosdy’s leadership of the Umno division.

In the last two days, Umno Youth and Puteri Umno, along with MIC Youth and the Felda Youth Council, have proposed that Palanivel be fielded in Cameron Highlands in place of Devamany. But Wanita Umno and several NGOs have declared their support for the incumbent.

Mahiruddin scoffed at the Felda Youth Council’s declaration of support for Palanivel, saying its officials knew nothing about the MIC leader. “How many times have they met Palanivel?” he asked.

He challenged Puteri Umno to give a convincing explanation of why it thought two terms was enough for Devamany, noting that Wan Rosdy was also in his second term as the state assemblyman for Jelai.

He also urged Umno’s national leadership to take action against Cameron Highlands Puteri Umno treasurer Norzalina Mohd Noor for threatening to cast spoilt votes against Devamany (photo).

He said BN should choose candidates who would bring benefits to ordinary citizens, not those who would use politics for personal gain.

Meanwhile, Belia 4B Cameron Highlands has declared its support for Devamany.

“Devamany is a down-to-earth leader,” said Razali Mohd Sani, vice chairman of the youth group.

“He has never missed any Belia 4B programme and he has the support of the younger generations of Malays.”

‘No real benefits for Indians under Pakatan’

A MIC leader claims that Pakatan has failed to keep its promise prior to the 2008 general election with regard to the Indian community.

KLANG: A MIC leader has challenged the Indian leaders in Pakatan Rakyat to reveal statistical proof of how the community benefitted under the opposition bloc’s governance of several states.

MIC Central Working Committee (CWC) member KP Samy claimed that Indian leaders in Pakatan had failed to serve the community which was instrumental for the 2008 political tsunami.

When Pakatan seized power of the states, he said, the Indian community had high expectations based on the promises made in the Pakatan election manifesto.

“However, it seems like appointments in GLCs, and top posts in the states were merely sweet words and nothing more,” he added.

Samy said while Pakatan promised that all would be treated equal and enjoy the same benefits, till today the Indians had not even received a direct contract for cutting grass.

He also pointed out that the Selangor government had 11 GLCs under its wing, with more than 100 directorships available.

“Nine of these companies are fully dominated by the Malays, while the other two companies have 25% Chinese appointed to high posts. But not a single Indian has been appointed with a fixed allowance,” he said.

Samy was also livid that the state government appointed a corporate figure as director of the Selangor public library after the former director retired.

“Why didn’t the state government promote the deputy director, an Indian woman, to that post? She has worked in the library for 30 years,” he said.

Proposals rejected

As for the state owned sand mining company Kumpulan Semesta Sdn Bhd, the MIC leader said it had 200 staff but the only posistion given to the sole Indian there was the driver’s post.

Adding salt to the injury, he said that state exco overseeing Indian affairs Dr Xavier Jeyakumar was part of the team which founded Kumpulan Semesta.

Samy also noted that the banner put up behind the main platform during the recent Pakatan convention did not inlcude the image of a single Indian leader from the bloc.

“Apart from this, Pakatan also rejected the seven proposals made by DAP assembyman (Kota Alam Shah) M Manogaran to upgrade the Indian community.

“So is this what the Indian community can expect from Pakatan?” he asked.

Samy said there were no indications of Indians being promoted to higher positions in the Pakatan states, and if there was, the coalition should release the statistics.

FMT previously reported that DAP’s K Ganapathi Rao had been appointed a non-executive director in Kumpulan Semesta in 2010 and Subang MP R Sivarasah is on the board of Kumpulan Peransang. Kota Alam Shah assemblyman Manoharan meanwhile is a director at the Selangor State Library.

Perkasa mahu rumah ibadat dikawal 24 jam

Datuk Ibrahim Ali berkata KDN perlu memanfaatkan sepenuhnya tenaga 2.8 juta anggota Rela dengan mengawal semua tempat ibadah.

RAWANG: Pertubuhan Pribumi Perkasa Malaysia (Perkasa) mahu rumah ibadat kini dikawal rapi oleh pengawal keselamatan termasuk menggunakan khidmat polis dan Ikatan Relawan Rakyat Malaysia (Rela) bagi mengelak kejadian provokasi berulang.

Presiden Perkasa Datuk Ibrahim Ali berkata Kementerian Dalam Negeri (KDN) perlu memanfaatkan sepenuhnya tenaga 2.8 juta anggota Rela dengan mengawal semua tempat ibadah termasuk masjid, surau, dan madrasah di seluruh kawasan.

Beliau turut menggesa agar rukun tetangga berfungsi membuat kawalan 24 jam, selain mencadangkan agar meletakkan anggota polis mahu pun pengawal keselamatan yang dibiayai oleh Menteri Agama.

“Kalau rumah Perdana Menteri dan Menteri boleh letak polis suruh jaga kenapa di masjid tak boleh,” katanya kepada pemberita selepas melawat Masjid Nurul Iman di Batu 18 di sini tengahari tadi.
Dalam kejadian pagi semalam, satu kepala babi panggang ditemui terletak dihadapan tangga pintu utama masjid tersebut.

Kepala itu ditemui siak masjid kira-kira 5.15 pagi ketika hendak membuat persiapan solat Subuh sebelum melaporkan kejadian itu ke balai polis berdekatan.

Sehubungan itu, Ibrahim dalam responnya mendesak polis bertindak profesional dengan segera membawa dan menghukum pihak yang tidak bertanggungjawab ke muka pengadilan dengan segera.

Sambil mengecam insiden itu, beliau turut mempersoalkan kejadian yang sama pernah berlaku di masjid lain namun polis sehingga kini tidak mengambil apa-apa tindakan.

Katanya, ini kejadian keempat selepas insiden yang sama terjadi di Masjid Jumhuriah Taman Datuk Harun dan Masjid Taman Sentosa di Petaling Jaya pada 27 Januari tahun lalu, Masjid Al-Falahiah di Taman Desa Jaya Johor Bahru 30 Disember tahun lalu, serta Surau

Akademi Pengajian Islam Universiti Malaya (UM) April 2009 sewaktu pemilihan kampus.

Sentimen perkauman dan agama

Sementara itu, ditanya mengenai kenyataan Ketua Menteri Pulau Pinang Lim Guan Eng yang turut mengecam insiden itu dan menganggap tindakan itu sebagai pengecut untuk mengapi-apikan sentimen perkauman dan agama untuk Pilihan Raya Umum 13, Ibrahim sebaliknya berkata pemimpin Pakatan Rakyat perlu menunjukkan keikhlasan lebih daripada itu.

“Saya mengalu-alukan pandangan beliau tetapi mereka perlu bertindak lebih daripada hanya sekadar memberi kenyataan bersifat gimik politik,” katanya.

Sementara itu, Ketua Polis Datuk Tun Hisan Tun Hamzah berkata setakat ini pihaknya masih

menjalankan siasatan dan memberi jaminan akan menyiasat daripada pelbagai sudut.
Katanya, kes itu disiasat dibawah 295 Kanun Keseksaan atas kesalahan mencemarkan tempat sembahyang dengan niat mengaibkan agama.

Walau bagaimana pun katanya, masih tiada sebarang tangkapan dibuat.

Anggota polis dihukum penjara 6 bulan

Beliau didapati bersalah kerana melepaskan tembakan amaran sehingga mencederakan seorang remaja, dua tahun lalu.

SEREMBAN: Seorang anggota polis dihukum penjara enam bulan oleh Mahkamah Majistret di sini hari ini selepas didapati bersalah kerana melepaskan tembakan amaran sehingga mencederakan seorang remaja, dua tahun lalu.

Majistret Nor Azlina Hashim membuat keputusan itu selepas meneliti hujahan daripada pihak pendakwaan dan pembelaan dan mendapati tiada alasan yang sah bagi tertuduh, Konstabel Mohd Hakimi Shamsul melepaskan tembakan terhadap Mohd Azizi Azri Aziz.

Nor Azlina bagaimanapun membenarkan pelaksanaan hukuman tersebut ditangguhkan sementara menunggu rayuan di Mahkamah Tinggi dengan menaikkan jaminan daripada RM3,000 kepada RM8,000 dengan seorang penjamin ke atas tertuduh.

Mohd Hakimi, 21, dituduh melepaskan tembakan terhadap Mohd Azizi Azri, 20, tanpa apa-apa alasan yang sah sehingga mendatangkan kecederaan kepada mangsa, di Jalan Jelebu menghala ke Pantai dekat sini pada 3 petang, 8 Mei 2010.

Dia dituduh mengikut Seksyen 37 Akta Senjata 1960 yang memperuntukkan hukuman penjara tidak lebih dua tahun atau denda tidak lebih RM5,000 atau kedua-duanya.

Menurut keterangan kes, insiden dikatakan bermula di depan sebuah pusat beli belah di Jalan Datuk Siamang Gagap, dekat sini, apabila kereta peronda dinaiki dua anggota polis termasuk Mohd Hakimi mengejar sekumpulan penunggang motosikal termasuk Mohd Azizi Azri.

Mangsa dikejar

Kumpulan penunggang motosikal itu kemudian berpecah dan motosikal ditunggang Mohd Hakimi dikejar kereta peronda polis tersebut beberapa kilometer sehingga ke lokasi kejadian.

Polis kemudian melepaskan beberapa tembakan amaran, namun satu das tembakan dari senjata milik Mohd Hakimi dipercayai terkena perut Mohd Azizi Azri yang kemudiannya ditahan.

Terdahulu, peguam yang mewakili Mohd Hakimi, Param Sundram memohon mahkamah mengenakan hukuman denda memandangkan ia kesalahan pertama selain tertuduh masih muda dan baru memulakan tugasnya sebagai anggota polis ketika kejadian.

Timbalan Pendakwa Raya, Wan Shaharuddin Wan Ladin pula memohon mahkamah mengenakan hukuman yang setimpal kerana tertuduh tidak mempunyai alasan yang sah untuk melepaskan tembakan itu hanya semata-mata hendak memberhentikan mangsa yang cuba lari.

Katanya, sebagai anggota polis, tertuduh sepatutnya menggunakan pengetahuan dan pengalamannya untuk memberhentikan mangsa dengan cara lain dan bukannya dengan melepaskan tembakan apatah lagi tertuduh tidak diancam oleh mangsa. – Bernama

Public Policy: Vision 2020: Is Malaysia Moving Towards the Right Direction?

Who else but Anwar?

Barisan Nasional's obsession with Anwar Ibrahim has come to a head. It is unbelievable that there could be so much emotion over one solitary figure, even if he heads the Opposition pact. Always lurking beneath the surface -- ever since Umno jailed and sacked him on false sodomy charges in 1998 -- this fear of retribution erupted into the open after the 2008 general election, and until today, it has not dissipated.
If one were to watch the news on prime time television not a moment goes by without one knucklehead or other letting off steam against Anwar, while trying to sound and look credible without sticking a finger into his nose or scratching his rear in embarrassment.
BN sharks work overtime
It sounds so ridiculous, but day in and day out, the mainstream media is working overtime to rip apart the 'one great leader' who is expected by his countrymen to save Malaysia from the mighty jaws of the BN sharks, to unite the country and to lead it to become a real and functioning democracy.
No, the BN government simply cannot let that happen. Not over their dead bodies anyway! How can Malaysia become more democratic than it already is? After all, Prime Minister Najib Razak has already said the country is the "best democracy in the world". How can anyone improve on that?
Also, what will happen to all the booty? Yes, Malaysia is rich - or was rich anyway. But how will the BN leaders get to lord over the people and legally steal all their assets if they let Anwar walk over them? That would spell the end of the BN gold mine. Imagine, after extracting all those billions, BN leaders are still desperate to scrape the barrel's bottom for that last dollar. No, no! Cross our BN fingers, Anwar must never come to power!
Scared stiff
Whatever would become of BN? Who is going to protect them from the law? At least now they know they can make the law protect them, but that will change if democracy really sets foot in this country. Their sins will find them out and fast. They will be at the mercy of the people, who will want their heads and rightly so. The looting of the country has gone on for far too long and at too great a scale.
They have been hoodwinking the public for five decades. Everyone now knows their modus operandi and have become wise to their tricks. It is not just the NFC financial debacle, what's a measly RM250 million anyway?. Like Zaid Ibrahim, formerly of Umno, ex-PKR and now KITA, says - Mindef or the Ministry of Defense is a much bigger fish totaling billions in unaccounted for funds.
Yes, UMNO and BN are scared stiff. The mere silhouette of Anwar Ibrahim in the shadows strikes fear into their greedy hearts. The very glimpse of Anwar in person gives them the uncontrollable shakes and shivers, not to mention endless nightmares. Never has anyone person in this country ever had such a paralysing effect on the government of the day. And Anwar hasn’t even lifted a finger to unleash any salvos at them yet! Hehehe!
Be that as it may, they know that as long as Anwar is out there, their goose is fried! Finito! Kaput! You can see the despair in their faces, as they try to discredit Anwar with lame allegations ranging from sodomy to pro-Jewish issues.
Yet, despite the combined might of the BN government and all their machinery, they have failed to dent the image of this charismatic leader, whom the people are counting on to eradicate the cancer eating away at the roots of their nation - CORRUPTION.
Superhero and Superstar
The constant attacks on him are generating a positive attitude towards Anwar, as more and more people become aware of him and his famous face while questioning the BN's absurd attention and overkill towards him. Thanks to the free nationwide publicity, which often spills over into the international press as well, the BN mass media has turned Anwar into a superhero and superstar.
By comparison, Najib, the current prime minister if anyone still remembers who he is, gets at least 70 per cent less. And for that, he has to spend hundreds of millions of public money on his media team. What cheek!
Today, Anwar hogs the spotlight, in all the mainstream media, pro-BN blogs, television and radio, not to mention the constant international media limelight. He is the most talked about person, the most loved and hated, the most persecuted and the most publicly-dissected personality in regards to both his public and private life.
Today, he holds in one finger more credibility than all of the BN politicians put together, as attempts to incarcerate him and pin him down have failed miserably. Sodomy I , Sodomy II, the Datuk T sex video fiasco have all failed to mar his character, boomeranging on Najib and his team of scriptwriters for dreaming up such evil shenanigans against what is after all - a fellow human being.
Who else but Anwar?
And through all the constant attacks, Anwar has risen from the ashes like Prince Charming vanquishing his attackers and appearing as strong and as unblemished as before. He is a true hero of the Malays, and many are silently angry at the vain attempts to discredit such a towering Malay talent. It is a real shame.
Try counting on your fingers, which Malay has ever been so welcomed and respected in both his home country and the world than Anwar? Is it Najib? Was it Abdullah Badawi? How about Mahathir Mohamad?
Now, Mahathir thinks he deserves the honor more than Anwar. According to the good Dr M, he is the one who has achieved the most for Malaysia and therefore deserves to be crowned the best-respected or best-loved Malay leader ever - or so far anyway. But the thing is, while Mahathir left behind a lot of infrastructure, he and his cronies took out even more - disproportionately huge amounts of assets and money out of the country. To the tune of RM888 billion at least if the Global Financial Integrity is correct.
So I don't know if the Malays want to consider him as their best loved son. Even Malaysians would prefer to put him in their Hall of Infamy rather than Fame.
As for Badawi, yawn! Yes, he slept through his tenure just a tad too much. As for Najib, come on! He even needs to have a "Love Najib" campaign started up for him by MCA-linked groups. For sure, someone who has to call himself "Ah Jib Gor" is a cartoon and nowhere in striking distance of even the door to the waiting room where applicants for the crown of most renowned Malay -- er, for good and positive things and not C4 or diamond rings -- have to wait.
The worst cheek of it all is Najib had the gall to ban Zunar's political cartoons while he calls himself "Ah Jib Gor", launches "Love Najib" campaigns, and gives the nod to Datuk T sex video scripts. Doraemon, Ninja Turtles and Debby Does Dallas - watch out, stiff competition is on the way!
So, let the attacks continue, and let Anwar bask in the glory of all the attention directed against him, and let the people decide who they want to be the next leader of this nation.
Although, Anwar may gladly forgo the Prime Minister-ship for the sake of unity and compromise, there is still no one big enough to fill his shoes and neither would the people want anyone less than Anwar Ibrahim.
Malaysia Chronicle

Indian Community's Perception Towards BN Positive - Dr Subramaniam

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 1 (Bernama) -- The Indian community's perception towards Barisan Nasional led by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak is positive, said MIC deputy president Datuk Seri Dr S. Subramaniam.

"Their support is between 60 and 75 percent - it varies in each area," he said after launching a book, 'The Dancing Girl: A History of Early India' at Royal Lake Club, Lake Gardens here Wednesday.

Dr Subramaniam, who is also Human Resource Minister, said the recent announcement by the Prime Minister on the allocation for six new national type (Tamil) primary schools in Kedah, Perak, Selangor and Johor was positively received by the Indian community.

On the 313-page book written by the late Dr Balaji Sadasivan, who was also a former Singapore Foreign Affairs Senior Minister, he said it was good for the young generation to read regardless of whether they were Indians or of other races.

"It traces the history of the community who are now estimated to number 25 million scattered in 110 countries," he said.

Present at the launch of the book published by the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies (ISEAS) in Singapore and supported by the Singapore High Commission in Kuala Lumpur with the cooperation of the Medico-Legal Society of Malaysia and Gandhi Memorial Trust of Malaysia, were Dr Balaji's widow Dr Ma Swan Hoo and ISEAS director, K. Kesavapany.