90 residents & activists protest against Kg Hakka Mantin demolition

Adamant activists 'force' deputy minister to accept memo

Gambian president says ‘anti-Allah’ homosexuality becoming epidemic

The president of Gambia listed homosexuality as one of the biggest threats to human existence in a shocking address to the U.N. General Assembly last week.

“Those who promote homosexuality want to put an end to human existence,” Gambian President Yahya Jammeh told the gathering of world leaders in New York, according to The Huffington Post. “It is becoming an epidemic and we Muslims and Africans will fight to end this behavior.”

“Homosexuality in all its forms and manifestations which, though very evil, anti-human as well as anti-Allah, is being promoted as a human right by some powers,” he continued. “The Gambia is a country of believers … sinful and immoral practices [such] as homosexuality will not be tolerated in this country.”

Mr. Jammeh previously told homosexuals to leave the country or he would “cut off the head” of those who disobeyed. Same-sex sexual activity is illegal in Gambia.

In 2009, Mr. Jammeh told newly promoted army chiefs: “We will not encourage lesbianism and homosexuality in the military. It is a taboo in our armed forces. I will sack any soldier suspected of being a gay or lesbian in The Gambia. We need no gays in our armed forces.”

Muslim cleric says Nairobi mall attack 'right thing to do'

Gov't faces backlash over push for tough new laws

Malaysia’s bid to bring back detention without trial and toughen a range of other laws has triggered a backlash from civil society groups who call the move politically motivated and a major step back for human rights.

Home Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi was due to debate the proposed changes in parliament today, justifying them as necessary to battle a rise in violent crime, as the government tries to push through the controversial bills this week.

The proposed amendments appear to mark a reversal of Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak’s steps in recent years to repeal draconian security laws, such as the Internal Security Act (ISA), that were sometimes used to jail government critics.

They come weeks ahead of a ruling party assembly where Najib faces pressure to make concessions to hard liners, following a weak election result in May that cut the ruling coalition's majority, undermining the prime minister’s moderate agenda.

"After the election they are showing their real colours," said Nalini Elumanai, executive director of human rights group Suaram. "It’s not because they want to curb crime. They want to stop the civil society movements, that's the real motive."

The tougher laws come as Najib’s dominant United Malays National Organisation (Umno) struggles to retain its traditional grip on the multi-ethnic South-East Asian nation in the face of growing demand for more freedoms.

Najib attempted to rebrand Umno after a dismal election showing in 2008, liberalising security laws and pledging to phase out privileges for majority ethnic Malays.

But he is widely seen as having been pegged back by Umno traditionalists, particularly after May’s election, in which minority ethnic Chinese and most urban voters rejected the ruling coalition.
   
‘Wide open to abuse’

The changes to the 1959 Prevention of Crime Act provide for a board made up of three members and headed by a judge to issue detention orders for up to two years that can later be renewed.

The suspect has no right to legal representation, according to a copy of the bill seen by Reuters, and lawyers said there would be limited scope to appeal against decisions.

In addition, the government is proposing amendments to the country’s Penal Code, mandating prison terms of five to 15 years for promoting a false national flag and up to three years for
‘vandalism’, which includes the display of banners or placards without proper permission.

Judges’ powers of discretion in sentencing are curtailed in favour of minimum mandatory sentences.

The new laws could be so broadly interpreted that they were “wide open to abuse,” said Andrew Khoo, co-chairperson of the Malaysian Bar Council’s Human Rights Committee. The Bar has said the changes are “repugnant to the rule of law”.

Khoo (right) told Reuters, “I think the average citizen, rather than feeling safer as a result of these amendments, could actually feel much less safe.”

Najib has denied the amendments mark a return to the days of the ISA, saying the increased powers were squarely aimed at tackling crime and would not be abused.

“If the police were to arrest anyone, they have to convince the judge that the particular individual should be detained,” Najib was quoted as saying by state-run Bernama news agency as he ended a week-long visit to the United States.

“And we will make sure that no one will be victimised.”

Ahead of the May election, government officials had denied crime had risen, despite public concern over a perceived increase in robberies and murders. It has since said that violent crime has spiked, although overall crime rates are down.

“It’s become a law-and-order regime that I can see very easily sliding over into cases of going after people who are politically active,” said Phil Robertson, deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch in Bangkok.

“The liberal honeymoon period of Najib is over and now he’s basically thrown in with the conservatives.”

- Reuters

Roof collapse in T'ganu: 'Where's the accountability?'

How many times must the roof of a public facility collapse in Terengganu before the authorities take action?

This was the question raised by PAS parliamentarian for Kuala Terengganu, Raja Kamarul Bahrin Shah Raja Ahmad, on the third such incident this year.

The state government,  Raja Kamarul said, has still not learnt any lessons, as evidenced by the roof of the Kampung Tebauk mosque in Kuala Nerus caving in early yesterday morning.

He pointed out that no one has been taken to court over similar incidents that have occurred previously, some dating back to 2008.
                       
"It's as though we are encouraging things like these to be repeated. There must be some accountability," he told a press conference at the Parliament lobby today.

"Are we getting value for money? Those guilty have never been punished," Raja Bahrin said.
Name all those involved
Meanwhile, PAS' Kuala Nerus MP Dr Mohd Khairuddin Aman Razali asked the Terengganu state government to name all the companies and individuals involved in construction of new mosques in Terengganu since 2009.

"If there is negligence, there must be a blacklist. The company and also the individuals," he said.

Mohd Khairuddin also urged the government to immediately release its report on the roof collapse of a mosque in Binjai Kertas, Hulu Terengganu in May this year.

"No report has been released yet. We urge the government to release a report on the collapse immediately," he said.

In February, the roof of the Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin Stadium in the state collapsed for the second time. The first collapse was in 2008.
Meanwhile, Works Minister Fadillah Yusof said that the ministry was sending a team of experts to the state in order to investigate the collapse.

"We have formed a team of experts and we are conducting (review) throughout the nation," he said.

He said that this would then culminate in an industrial dialogue in December.

"This will avoid future incidents. We would be able to recommend to key players about what will be a good construction," he added.

Ambiga: Did gov't go against AG on PCA proposals?

Did the government sideline the attorney-general when it tabled legislative proposals in the Dewan Rakyat to bring back preventive detention?

Senior lawyer Ambiga Sreenevasan raised the question in relation to Prevention of Crime Amendment Bill, tabled in Parliament last week.

Speaking at a rally outside Parliament House today, Ambiga said this is because AG Abdul Gani Patail had made a public statement in July that he is against preventive detention.

"Did the government not take the AG's advice? I want to know whether the AG had been consulted, as he has made it clear he does not agree with this," she said.

Addressing about 30 people, who had marched from the Kuala Lumpur Lake Gardens to Parliament House to hand over  a protest memorandum to the home minister, she said the argument that the proposal is to control crime does not hold water.

Rather, she said, the objective of curbing crime would be better served if police officers are paid more, trained better and given better technology to work with.

"Don't believe those who say that we need this (law) to fight crime. Other countries do not have detention without trial (to fight crime). They help the police," she said.

Speaking to reporters, she said the worst aspect of the Bill is that Malaysians have been "misled".

"Before the (13th) general election, (it was) ‘abolish preventive detention’. After (the) general election, (it was) ‘bring it back’. (Voters were ) absolutely taken for a ride."

She said Home Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi himself seems to have "misread the Bill".

"He says there is no detention without trial but this is their appreciation of the Bill. My reading as a lawyer is different ... In the first two years (of detention) there is no real recourse, and no right to legal representation," she said.

‘Bar to continue protesting’

The discrepancy in interpreting the Bill also calls for an urgent dialogue, instead of rushing through the second reading tomorrow in the Dewan Rakyat, Ambiga said.

A former Bar Council president, she said the Malaysian Bar has come out strongly against the proposals and is expected to continue with its protest.

"There is no doubt (the Bar) will do more. They would like to see more discussion, but this is not just the Bar's fight, it is for everyone," she said.

Asked if activists will stage a protest when US president Barack Obama comes to Malaysia next week, she said: "Some people may, (but) it is our battle. Malaysians must fight."

Pakatan to propose 10 changes to Preventive Crime Act

Pakatan Rakyat is proposing 10 changes to the controversial Prevention of Crime Act (PCA), which
Parliament is expected to begin debating tomorrow.

According to PKR Subang MP R. Sivarasa (pic), the proposed changes are primarily over the two-year detention without trial.

He said Pakatan Rakyat MPs will raise the various amendments tomorrow during the policy and committee stages of the debate.

He said Pakatan Rakyat had this evening filed a motion giving notice to introduce the changes to the PCA with the Speaker.

PKR Padang Serai MP N. Surendran said they hoped the Government would consider the changes.

"At committee stage, these amendments will be debated clause by clause in the House. The amendments are crucial to protect the interest of the public because there are major flaws in the PCA.

"And while we support every effort to reduce crime, this Bill is flawed and dangerous," he said.

Earlier today, independent think-tank Political Studies for Change (KPRU) organised a briefing for Pakatan Rakyat MPs by the Bar Council, where legal experts, including Malaysian Bar vice-president Steven Thiru, offered views on the PCA amendments by the Government.

KPRU executive director Ooi Heng said that they organised the briefing as they found it to be "quite unusual" that the Bar was not consulted by the Government on the amendments.

"Previously, before the controversial Peaceful Assembly Act was tabled, the Bar was consulted. So, we were quite perturbed that they were not consulted on such major amendments on the PCA this time around.

"We thought it was our duty to bring the Bar into the picture," he explained.

The amendments to the PCA were tabled last week in Parliament, one of which provided for up to two years detention without trial.

Currently, the PCA allows the detention of suspects up to 72 days, during which period they should be produced in court at certain stages.

Meanwhile, eight members of NGO Joint Action Group for Gender Equality met with Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Nancy Shukri earlier today to offer their views on amendments to the Penal Code and Criminal Procedure Code that dealt with rape and domestic violence.

"We informed her that we are very concerned over the amendments being rushed through Parliament without any prior consultation with NGOs," said JAG member Honey Tan, who is also a lawyer.

Tan added that Nancy appeared very receptive to their recommendations, especially the need for rehabilitative counselling.

"We explained to her that crime prevention is not just about punishment and that there was a real need to rehabilitate the offenders and, as such, rehabilitative counselling should be made compulsory," Tan said. - September 30, 2013.

Muhyiddin dakwa slogan ‘Ini Kalilah’ bertukar ‘Lain Kalilah’

Rakyat Sabah telah menolak pembangkang termasuk Pakatan Rakyat (PR). Rakyat Sabah tidak mahu.

KOTA KINABALU : Timbalan Perdana Menteri, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, menempelak pembangkang dengan berkata slogan mereka “ini kalilah” telah bertukar menjadi “tak payahlah” atau “lain kalilah” selepas rakyat Sabah menolak mereka dalam pilihanraya umum yang baru lalu.

“Rakyat Sabah telah menolak pembangkang termasuk Pakatan Rakyat (PR). Rakyat Sabah tidak mahu,” katanya.

Pada pilihanraya Mei lalu PR menang 11 daripada 60 kawasan Dewan Udangan Negeri Sabah dan tiga daripada 25 kerusi Parlimen. Parti Reformasi Negeri (Star) pula menang satu kerusi negeri.

Muhyiddin berkata sokongan rakyat itu akan memantapkan lagi usaha kerajaan membangunkan negara termasuk di Sabah yang turut menerima pelbagai program pembangunan agropolitan, mini estet sejahtera, perumahan, program usahawan Tekun dan Amanah Ikhtiar Malaysia (AIM) dan bermacam lagi bantuan.

Beliau berkata demikian ketika berucap pada majlis perjumpaan khas dengan para usahawan dan kontraktor bumiputera sempena memperkasa ekonomi bumiputera di sebuah hotel di sini hari ini. Beliau dalam lawatan dua hari Sabah bermula hari ini, isnin.

Seperti biasa, Timbalan Presiden Umno itu juga berkata hanya kerajaan Barisan Nasional yang mampu membawa pembangunan kepada rakyat Sabah dan ini terbukti dengan pencapaian meningkatkan pendapatan isi rumah di Sabah berlipat kali ganda berbanding sebelum ini.

Beliau juga mengulangi penurunan kadar kemiskinan di Sabah sudah berjaya diturunkan dari 19.7% dalam tahun 2009 kepada hanya 8.1% pada tahun lalu.

“Mungkin sekarang kadar kemiskinan hanya 4% dan tak lama lagi boleh turun lagi kepada hanya 1%,” katanya sambil memuji pelbagai program anjuran kerajaan yang telah membantu menurunkan kemiskinan di seluruh negara.

Muhyiddin memuji program 1Azam yang mensasar bantuan kepada semua isi rumah miskin yang dimulakan oleh Kementerian Pembangunan Wanita dan Masyarakat tidak lama dahulu.

“Program 1Azam ini dimulakan oleh Datuk Seri Sharizat Jalil dan ia telah terbukti amat berkesan mengeluarkan isirumah dari kemiskinan di seluruh negara,” katanya.

Sebelum itu beliau berkata sambil separuh berseloroh,beliau gembira kerana tidak perlu lagi berkempen untuk dirinya dalam pemilihan Umno bulan depan ini.

Muhyiddin dan juga Presiden Umno, Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, sudah pun menang tanpa bertanding jawatan masing-masing dalam parti tertua Malaysia itu. Seloroh Muhyiddin itu dilihat sebagai “membantu” Sharizat yang akan dicabar jawatan Ketua Wanita Umno pada pemilihan Oktober ini.

Kebetulan agak ramai juga wanita Umno turut hadir pada perjumpaan hari ini yang dihadiri kira-kira 500 orang itu. Muhyiddin gembira sambutan hangat majlis berkenaan yang pada awalnya hanya untuk 400 orang tetapi kemudian memaksa penganjur menggunakan ruang legar apabila balai utama hotel berkenaan penus sesak.

Turut hadir ialah Ketua Menteri Sabah, Datuk Musa Aman, Menteri di Jabatan Perdana Menteri, Datuk Wahid Omar dan Timbalan Ketua Menteri, Datuk Raymond Tan.

12 ditahan termasuk dua wanita di Kampung Hakka, Mantin

Antara yang ditahan termasuk Setiausaha PSM, S Arutchelvan dan Setiausaha PSM Seremban, S Tinagaran

SEREMBAN – Seramai 12 individu yang terdiri daripada ahli Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM), aktivis NGO Jerit dan penduduk kampung ditahan polis di Kampung Hakka, Mantin di sini apabila hampir 200 penduduk kampung tersebut cuba menghalang pemaju merobohkan kediaman mereka.

Antara yang ditahan termasuk Setiausaha PSM, S Arutchelvan dan Setiausaha PSM Seremban, S Tinagaran. Daripada 12 individu tersebut, sekurang-kurangnya dua adalah wanita.

Kesemua mereka ditahan atas dakwaan menghalang tugas penjawat awam.

Penduduk kampung bersama-sama dengan ahli PSM dan aktivis Jerit sudah berkumpul sejak awal jam 8.00 pagi.

Penduduk menghalang pemaju membawa masuk jentera dengan meletakkan kenderaan dijalan masuk ke rumah-rumah penduduk kampung.

Pasukan polis juga tiba untuk mengawal keadaan termasuk pasukan ‘Light Strike Force’ (LSF).

Lebih kurang pukul 10.00 pagi, Arutchelvan dan penduduk kampung berunding dengan Pegawai Bailiff Mahkamah Tinggi Seremban, Adzahari Ramli.

Dakwa pemaju gagal

Arutchelvan berkata bahawa pemaju gagal memberikan notis yang secukupnya kepada penduduk kampung untuk mengosongkan rumah.

“Walaupun mahkamah memutuskan bahawa penduduk kampung harus mengosongkan rumah, tetapi pemaju gagal memberikan notis yang secukupnya.

“Pemaju hanya memberi notis pada 25 September dan sepatutnya pemaju hanya boleh merobohkan rumah penduduk kampung bermula 2 October ini.

“Penduduk kampung juga telah memfailkan ‘perintah penggantungan pelaksanaan’ (stay of execution) di Mahkamah Tingi Seremban dan kes tersebut akan didengar pada 17 Oktober ini,” jelas Arutchelvan.

Walaubagaimanapun Adzahari ingin berbincang dengan peguam penduduk iaitu Siow Kim Leong di mana ketika itu peguam pemaju Sharif Mohamad turut serta dalam perbincangan tersebut.

Adzhari memberikan masa hinggga pukul 11.00 pagi untuk memberi masa kepada Siow hadir untuk mengadakan perbincangan.

Walaubagaimanapun Siow yang merupakan Ahli Dewan Undangan Negeri DAP Lobak untuk kali pertama terpaksa menghadiri Perasmian Persidangan Dewan Undangan Negeri, Negeri Sembilan yang dirasmikan oleh Yang
D iPertuan Besar Negeri Sembilan, Tuanku Muhriz ibni Almarhum Tuanku Munawir.

Lebih kurang pukul 11.00 pagi, kakitangan Tenaga Nasional sudah tiba untuk memutuskan bekalan elektrik ke dua buah rumah. Jentera untuk merobohkan rumah juga berada di sekitar lokasi tersebut.

Rantai manusia

Penduduk kampung mula menghalang dengan membuat rantai manusia dihadapan dua buah rumah tersebut.

Keadaan menjadi tegang dan kecoh apabila penduduk kampung berusaha menghalang usaha pihak polis menyuraikan mereka.

Apabila penduduk kampung ingkar untuk bersurai, pihak polis terpaksa menahan beberapa penduduk kampung.

Seorang penduduk kampung Yong Kai Hong, 46, mendakwa polis bertindak kasar dan isteri beliau Cheng Pit Kee, 42, patah bahu kiri.

Seorang lagi penduduk kampung, Lee Kam Hua, 60, pula mendakwa cedera di kening kiri dan lengan kiri kerana kekasaran polis.

Kesemua 12 individu yang ditahan di bawa ke Balai Polis Mantin untuk siasatan.

Sementara itu lebih kurang pukul 11.35 pagi, Siow bersama Ketua Pembangkang Dewan Undangan Negeri, Negeri Sembilan, Loke Siew Fook
(DAP) dan beberapa lagi ADUN Pakatan Rakyat tiba di lokasi kejadian.

Siow dan Loke mengadakan perbincangan dengan peguam pemaju, Sharif.

Minta tangguhkan tindakan

Loke meminta Sharif menangguhkan tindakan meroboh kediaman penduduk kampung sementara kes ‘perintah penggantungan pelaksanaan’
yang difailkan oleh penduduk kampung yang akan didengar di Mahkamah Tinggi Seremban pada 17 Oktober akan datang.

Selepas berbincang lama akhirnya Sharif mengarahkan pemandu dua jentera yang sedang merobohkan dua rumah penduduk supaya berhenti
meroboh rumah tersebut.

Sharif memaklumkan bahawa beliau akan berjumpa dengan Hakim Mahkamah Tinggi Seremban, Siti Mariah Ahmad, petang ini untuk tindakan seterusnya, sama ada meneruskan tindakan merobohkan rumah penduduk kampung atau menangguhkan dulu tindakan meroboh ini sehingga kes ‘perintah penggantungan pelaksanaan’ didengar pada 17 Oktober ini.

Penduduk asal Kampung Kakka di bawa oleh penjajah British untuk bekerja di lombong bijih timah berhampiran kawasan kampung mereka.
Kini generasi kelima seramai 61 keluarga masih tinggal di kampung yang dilengkapi dengan kemudahan air, elektrik, tokong dan jalan bertar.
Penduduk kampung ini telah banyak menyumbang untuk pembangunan di sekitar kawasan Mantin ini.

Pada tahun 1998 penduduk kampung terkejut apabila mendapati tanah rezab kerajaan negeri telah dijual kepada pemaju tanpa pengetahuan
penduduk. Di dapati, sehingga tahun 1998 penduduk kampung telah membayar TOL kepada kerajaan negeri. Sehingga hari ini penduduk kampung masih membayar cukai taksiran kepada Majlis Perbandaran Nilai.

Pada tahun 2005 Majlis Perbandaran Nilai dan Pemaju Mega 9 Sdn Bhd telah mengumumkan bahawa satu projek Mega akan dilaksanakan yang dikenali sebagai ‘Mantin New Township’.

Pada 2011, Pemaju Mega 9 telah merobohkan dua buah rumah kampung untuk memulakan projek perbandaran Mantin. Justeru itu penduduk kampung menentang tindakan perobohan rumah penduduk dan mahu pemaju berunding.

Namun pemaju enggan berunding dan masih mahu meneruskan kerja kerja projek di kawasan kampung.

Akibat penentangan berterusan oleh penduduk kampung, pemaju tidak dapat meneruskan projek di Kampung Hakka.

Oleh itu pemaju memfailkan kes di Mahkamah Tinggi Seremban untuk mengusir penduduk kampung. Pada 26 Ogos 2013, Mahkamah Tinggi Seremban telah memutuskan untuk membenarkan pemaju mengusirkan penduduk kampung melalui order 89.

‘Boss can be charged with human-trafficking’

An employer can be charged with human-trafficking if he fails to provide valid documents for the foreign maids, says Suhakam.

KUALA LUMPUR: Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam) said sheltering foreigners without valid documents in a home is tantamount to human trafficking or forced labour.

Its commissioner, James Nayagam said an employer could be charged with human-trafficking if investigations showed that he had sheltered his maids who did not have proper documents.

Nayagam was responding to a FMT article on Sept 27 where a Filipino maid, who had been jailed and awaiting deportation, planned to sue her employer and the police force upon her return to the Philippines.

Jemie Ramos, who is now under detention at the Machap Umboo Immigration Detention Centre in Malacca, claimed her employer, who is a lawyer, failed to process her work permit.

She said she was arrested at her employer’s house on Sept 9 with another colleague Lisa Balajadia for not having valid documents.

Nayagam said Suhakam would act upon receiving the report and investigate further.

Police report against employer

A group of church members meanwhile had lodged a police report claiming that they knew the employer, who is also a local church leader.

A church member said the employer had sheltered the maids for two years and urged the police to investigate the matter.

“We read the FMT report and we know the maids and the employer. We have seen the maids in church and at the employer’s home,” he said.

“We are surprised how the person who employed them was not charged while the maids are,” he said.

The church member lodged a report at the Petaling police station on Saturday and produced evidence to help in the investigation.

“We also showed the police videos and pictures of the maids working in their employer’s home,” he added.

Responding to the molest allegations as claimed by the maid, he said he knew the church leader was a womaniser but never thought that he would outrage the modesty of his own maids.

“We are not concerned about his personal life. We want the employer to be responsible and send the maids back to their country at his expenses,” he added.

Anti-PCA protest amid strong police cordon

Suaram looking to handover memorandum to home minister protesting amendments to the PCA, which will be tabled for its second reading today
UPDATED

KUALA LUMPUR: A group of 20 Suaram demonstrators marched towards parliament to protest the amendments to the Prevention of Crime Act (PCA) 1959 which is expected to go for its second reading today

About 20 policemen formed a human barricade near the parliament gate to prevent the group which is hoping to hand over a memorandum to Home Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi protesting the amendments.

The group are waiting for a parliament rep to take them in to handover the memorandum to the home minister.

The protestors were joined by Pakatan Rakyat reps as well as other NGO leaders. Also present were Bersih 2.0 co-chairperson S Ambiga and MIPAS sec-gen S Barathidasan.

Civil liberties groups say the provisions on detention without trial in the PCA violates fundamental human rights values enshrined in the Federal Constitution and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR).

The PCA (Amendment and Extension) Bill 2013 went through its first reading on Sept 25, 2013 in the Dewan Rakyat.

Suaram says the amendments proposed in the bill harkens back to the days of the Internal Security Act which was repealed by Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak on Sept 15, 2011 along with three Emergency Declarations.

The demonstration was organised by a coalition of NGOs, among who were Suaram, Gabugan Mansuhkan ISA (GMI) and Malaysian Indian Progressive Association (MIPAS).

At about 11am, the group was taken inside parliament by Opposition MPs Nurul Izzah Anwar (Lembah Pantai), Wong Chen (Kelana Jaya), G Manivannan (Kapar), Fuziah Salleh (Kuantan) and N Surendran (Padang Serai).

The NGOs were led by GMI chairman Syed Ibrahim Syed Nor who initially met a representative from the Home Ministry but insisted on meeting either the Home Minister or his deputy to receive the memorandum.

Since either minister failed to turn up, the representatives sat at the parliament lobby in protest. PKR deputy president Azmin Ali joined in as a sign of support.

After 20 minutes, Deputy Home Minister Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar met the representatives and received the memorandum.

Syed Ibrahim wanted the PCA Amendment Bill to be withdrawn and urged the Home Minister to consult legal fraternities such as the Bar Council before it is tabled for a second reading.

According to the GMI chairman, there are several irregularities in the PCA which contravenes Human Rights values and will be detrimental to the public.

The Deputy Home Minister promised to bring the memorandum to the attention of the Home Minister and revert to the protestors and the NGOs.

AG has misled the public

Meanwhile, Subang MP Sivarasa Rasiah in a press statement claimed that the Attorney-General (AG) misled the public that he said that he was opposed to a reintroduction of a detention without trial law.

“He cannot plead ignorance of these bills, after all they are drafted under his supervision,” said Sivarasa.

Sivarasa, who is also a lawyer, said the AG had on August 24, at a crime prevention forum organised by the Home Ministry, declared that there was no need for such laws as the police were capable of dealing with violent criminals without such Acts.

The Subang MP also questioned the government on why those detained under the Emergency Ordinance were not charged in court although they served a two year detention period, prior to the repeal of the ordinance in 2011.

Towards world-class education

Here, one hopes that the leaders who take such steps will have the grit and wherewithal to bite the bullet when necessary, even at the risk of appearing unpopular in the short run.

But whatever decisions Malaysia may take in the near future, the fact is that the world is not about to slow down for Malaysia to catch up.

Farish Noor, NST

Malaysia, with an emerging youth sector that will soon be demanding access to higher education as a means of attaining upward social mobility, cannot take higher education for granted, and in time to come, may also realise that an improved higher education system would also add to the country's pull factor if and when Malaysia is seen as a destination for foreign scholars as well.

However, as has been noted by myself and many other academicians, the major stumbling block Malaysia faces at the moment is the lack of access to the global academic arena and the relatively low profile that our institutions have in relation to better-known universities and colleges in the developed Western world.

That it has come to this is a sad reflection of how our standing has fallen of late, though it was not always the case: Universiti Malaya was once regarded as among the best universities in Asia, and among its alumni are many academics, technocrats, businessmen and leaders of other countries in Asia today.

It has been argued by some that one factor that may have contributed to our relative decline was and is the phenomena of linguistic nationalism that ultimately led to the shift to Bahasa Malaysia, perhaps at the cost of English.

Though this shift did not necessarily erode the standard of teaching and knowledge production in our institutions of knowledge, it did mean that fewer and fewer academics and students outside Malaysia were able to access, and appreciate, whatever developments and discoveries were being made in our universities.

The pressing question at the moment is this: how can we raise the profile of Malaysia's universities in as quick a period as possible, without compromising standards of teaching, knowledge production and academic integrity?

There are no simple answers to the question here, for the matter at hand extends beyond mere epistemic concerns and spill over into the domain of the political as well.

Yet political decisions can be made if there is enough political will and mettle to address the realities of the day. The linguistic-nationalists among us may balk at the idea that English is the dominant language in global academic circles at the moment, but that is the reality one has to swallow.

If they are dismayed by the sad realities of the age we live in, they might find comfort among French, German, Japanese and other academics who likewise have come to accept the fact that the world does not speak those languages.

Pragmatism has to be the order of the day here, and I have witnessed first-hand how practical steps can be taken to resolve the question of how to raise the profile of a country's education sector.

During my last years as an academic in Germany, I noted that even Germany's hallowed halls of learning have come to accept the necessity of making room for English: Berlin's Graduate School project was aimed at luring non-German students to pursue their higher studies in the country and it was a school where the mode of instruction was in English.

Prior to that, the biggest problem faced by foreign students in Germany (where education costs are surprisingly reasonable, even relatively cheap by comparison) was the need to take a two or three-year course in academic German.

Then we have the Indonesian model next door to consider as well. Indonesia happens to have a large, lively and, I would argue, exceptionally well-appointed higher education sector.

Its universities are among the most diverse and progressive I have ever taught and researched in, but again the major drawback is that almost all of the courses offered are in Bahasa Indonesia -- which is a negative push factor if you happen to be a prospective student from India, China or elsewhere.

Of late, however, efforts have been made to improve the standard of English in universities. The Indonesian government has earmarked a number of university journals -- ranked as the best in the country -- for special consideration and has made it necessary for them to publish in English. (I know this to be true as I happen to sit on one of the editorial boards.)

Compelling Indonesian scholars to write and publish in English also means that the journals would have editorial boards made up of foreign academics, raising the standard of peer review and thus raising its standing among other journals as well.

Thus, after decades of linguistic nationalism, Indonesia's universities are now slowly but surely making their entry into the arena of international academia, which is highly competitive.

 Read more at :  http://www.nst.com.my/opinion/columnist/towards-world-class-education-1.365425#ixzz2gN8r3vSQ

King hands letters of appointment to seven judges

(Bernama) - The Yang di-Pertuan Agong, Tuanku Abdul Halim Mu'adzam Shah, today handed letters of appointment to three Federal Court judges and four Court of Appeal judges at the Istana Negara.

The Federal Court judges are Datuk Seri Mohamed Apandi Ali, Datuk Seri Abu Samah Nordin and Datuk Ramly Ali and the Court of Appeal judges are Datuk Seri Zakaria Sam, Datuk Abang Iskandar Abang Hashim, Datuk Umi Kalthum Abdul Majid and Datuk Varghese George Varughese.

The judges took their oath of office in the Small Throne Room.

Also present at the ceremony were Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Nancy Shukri; Chief Justice Tun Arifin Zakaria; Chief Judge of Malaya Tan Sri Zulkefli Ahmad Makinudin; Chief Judge of Sabah and Sarawak Tan Sri Richard Malanjum and Court of Appeal president Tan Sri Md Raus Sharif.

Interlok membara di Aswara

Kontroversi novel Interlok: Edisi Murid yang hangat mulai Disember 2010 nampaknya dihangatkan kembali. Bagaimanapun, pada kali ini, diberikan “twist” atau fakta dimanipulasi sesuka hati untuk menyampaikan gambaran yang tidak betul kepada khalayak.

Uthaya Sankar SB, MMO

Perkara ini berlaku semasa Seminar Sastera Pelbagai Kaum di Akademi Seni Budaya dan Warisan Kebangsaan (Aswara) pada 24 September 2013.

Seminar dijadikan tempat untuk menegakkan benang yang basah.

Pada mulanya, saya memilih untuk tidak mengulas mengenai perkara itu kerana tidak mahu “luka lama berdarah kembali”.

Akan tetapi, memandangkan isu sebenar dimanipulasi dan disajikan dalam versi “tidak benar” – sepertimana filem Tanda Putera (2013) – maka saya merasakan amat perlu untuk membetulkan fakta.

Dr Lim Swee Tin yang menyampaikan ucaptama pada seminar bertema “sastera kebangsaan pemangkin perpaduan kaum” menyebut mengenai novel Interlok – tanpa menyatakan sama ada beliau merujuk pada versi asal (1971-2008), versi pelajar (2005) atau versi murid (2010).

“Novel Interlok karya Sasterawan Negara Datuk Abdullah Hussain (Pak Lah) … novel yang mengambil kaedah realisme ini membuatkan orang kadang-kadang keliru bahawa ia sebuah teks sejarah.

“Mengapakah karya sebaik Interlok yang telah ditolak keluar dari pagar sekolah tidak berani pula dibawa ke universiti-universiti dalam kalangan mereka yang boleh berfikir dengan matang dan dewasa?”

Demikian kata-kata Dr Lim yang sudah dicalonkan oleh wakil Kumpulan Sasterawan Kavyan (Kavyan) sejak 2010 bagi Anugerah Sastera Negara yang membawakan gelaran Sasterawan Negara.

“Berpolitikkah Dr Lim?” Demikian pertanyaan seorang rakan yang hadir sama ke seminar di Dewan Orkestra Aswara.

“Eh, tidaklah! Saya setuju Interlok: Edisi Asal masuk IPTA. Wajar. Saya sokong,” saya menjawab menerusi SMS sementara Dr Lim masih menyampaikan ucaptama dengan penuh bersemangat.

Tentulah saya kurang bersetuju dengan kata-kata “ditolak keluar dari pagar sekolah” yang digunakan oleh Dr Lim tetapi saya setuju dengan persoalan “tidak berani pula dibawa ke universiti-universiti”.



Menyalak tanpa tahu fakta

Dalam kertas kerjanya yang lebih lengkap, Dr Lim berhujah: “Jika kabinet memutuskan ia (Interlok) perlu dikeluarkan dari sekolah, ia masih boleh digunakan di IPG-IPG, kolej dan universiti.”

Sewajarnyalah begitu! Dalam isu novel Interlok: Edisi Murid (2010), Kavyan sejak awal sudah menegaskan bahawa edisi asal yang terbit pada 1971 dan diulang cetak beberapa kali – terakhir pada 2008 – perlu dikekalkan dalam versi asal.

Maknanya, tidak disunting, dicantas, dibuang dan “diperelokkan” bahagian-bahagian melibatkan watak-watak kaum tertentu sementara gambaran buruk melibatkan kaum lain dibiarkan; atau dijadikan lebih buruk!

Saya menulis puluhan makalah berkaitan kontroversi novel Interlok: Edisi Murid sejak Januari 2011 dan boleh dibaca di blog saya.

Sayangnya, puak yang bising dan menyalak ternyata adalah puak yang tidak (tahu) membaca.

Malah, realiti yang melucukan dan amat menyedihkan adalah bahawa puak-puak yang kononnya mempertahankan novel Interlok adalah puak yang tidak tahu perbezaan antara Interlok edisi asal, edisi pelajar dan edisi murid.

Sehari selepas seminar di Aswara, seorang kenalan berkongsi di Twitter bahawa “Dr Lim Swee Tin terkilan dengan drama yang dilalui Interlok. Uthaya sendiri mengakui, Interlok wajar dibaca di IPTA.”

Memandangkan hanya judul “Interlok” digunakan tanpa menjelaskan versi mana yang dimaksudkan, saya membalas dengan penjelasan berikut:

“Harap maklum: Interlok Edisi Asal; bukan edisi yang disunting/dibuang sebahagian (oleh editor di DBP). Bukan juga edisi yang dibuang 20 halaman seperti dicadangkan Dr Lim.”

Untuk rekod, individu yang mula-mula sekali mengadu kepada saya betapa novel Interlok: Edisi Murid “tidak layak” dijadikan teks Komponen Sastera Dalam Mata Pelajaran Bahasa Malaysia (Komsas) ialah Raja Rajeswari Seetha Raman (20 Disember 2010).

Pada Seminar Sastera Pelbagai Kaum (7 September 2012), penulis Bukan Melayu itu diangkat sebagai “satu-satunya penulis yang mewakili masyarakatnya” serta disarankan “masuklah Islam cepat-cepat dengan suami” berikutan kehebatannya menulis “sajak-sajak bertema Melayu dan Islam”.


Buang 20 muka sebab novel tebal

Dr Lim yang pernah digelarkan oleh Salbiah Ani sebagai “musang berbulu ayam” (Berita Harian, 3 Mac 2011) pula merupakan individu yang pernah mengemukakan cadangan supaya “penyuntingan berhemah” dilakukan ke atas novel Interlok: Edisi Murid dengan alasan novel itu “terlalu panjang” untuk dijadikan teks Komsas.

“Penyuntingan yang dilakukan adalah amat minimum kerana ia hanya melibatkan pembuangan 20 halaman. … Novel Interlok: Edisi Murid didapati terlalu panjang, iaitu sebanyak 426 halaman,” katanya dalam suatu cadangan rasmi (bertulis) yang dikemukakan pada Februari 2011.

Berbalik kepada paparan menerusi Twitter pula, seorang wartawan sebuah akhbar arus perdana mengemukakan pertanyaan: “Yang edisi pelajar pun nak kena ubah/buang 100 perkara. Kalau edisi asal, berapa ratus perubahan pula?”

Ya, memang susah melayan “orang bodoh yang menyangka dirinya pandai”.

Puak jahil seperti inilah yang sering menggunakan kehebatan serta kelebihan kebodohan mereka untuk mengelirukan orang ramai.

Pada Januari 2011, Gabungan Persatuan Penulis Nasional Malaysia (Gapena) pernah membuat resolusi bahawa walau sepatah perkataan pun tidak mereka izinkan disunting dalam novel Interlok.

Pertanyaan logik yang saya dan Kavyan kemukakan adalah “tidak boleh membuang walau sepatah perkataan dalam Interlok edisi asal atau edisi murid?”

Kami berani bertanya kerana hanya golongan yang memahami isu sebenar serta sudah membaca ketiga-tiga versi (edisi asal, edisi pelajar dan edisi murid) tahu hal sebenar.

Semasa kontroversi Interlok: Edisi Murid sedang hangat pada 2011, beberapa pensyarah tampil mengatakan bahawa pelajar-pelajar sarjana di universiti pernah mengkaji novel berkenaan.

Ya, Mak Cik dan Pak Cik! Perkara itulah juga yang ditegaskan berkali-kali oleh saya dan Kavyan. Jadikan Interlok: Edisi Asal sebagai teks kajian sastera, sosio-budaya, politik, etnik dan sebagainya pada peringkat sarjana muda, sarjana dan kedoktoran di universiti.

Pada masa yang sama, tolong jangan memalukan pangkat “pensyarah” dengan tidak tahu membezakan antara edisi asal, edisi pelajar dan edisi murid. Bolehkah, Mak Cik dan Pak Cik?

Semasa Seminar Sastera Pelbagai Kaum di Aswara, Dr Ding Choo Ming yang berkali-kali mengaku dirinya hanya pakar kajian teks tradisional, turut tidak melepaskan peluang memperkatakan mengenai novel Interlok. Tentunya tanpa menyebut edisi mana yang dimaksudkan!

Dalam kertas kerjanya, Dr Ding memetik pandangan Neil Khor dan Mohd Khaldun Malek yang disiarkan dalam jurnal Malay Literature: Interlok Special Issue (Vol. 24, 2011):

“… if there are some passages in Interlok that some segments of Malaysian society finds offensive, the answer is not the wholesale rejection of the novel or the censoring of the so-called ‘offensive’ passages, but an intelligent conversation or critical appraisal of the novel. There is nothing wrong for teachers or students to disagree with the writer.”


Jangan buka cerita sekerat sahaja

Semasa membentangkan kertas kerjanya, Dr Ding – yang suka membuat lawak “bodoh” untuk mengundang tawa berpanjangan daripada hadirin – menekankan frasa “jangan ditolak, jangan disunting” untuk mempertahankan novel Interlok dijadikan teks Komsas.

Hujah-hujah yang dikemukakannya sangat tidak relevan kerana tokoh sastera tradisional itu ternyata tidak sedar bahawa novel Interlok: Edisi Murid (2010) sudah pun disunting daripada Interlok: Edisi Pelajar (2005) dan sangat berbeza dengan edisi asal (1971-2008).

Lebih melucukan dan memalukan apabila Dr Ding memetik hujah Neil dan Khaldun dari halaman 194 jurnal Malay Literature.

Malangnya beliau gagal membaca fakta yang dipaparkan oleh mereke berdua di halaman 191 pada makalah dan jurnal yang sama:

“To fit into the reading capacity of Malaysian high school students, the novel had to be ‘edited’ to a suitable length. … these editors also decided to expunge what they considered the more controversial bits out.”

Gambaran yang masih cuba diberikan puak tertentu – dan ternyata disokong secara membuta-tuli oleh Dr Lim dan Dr Ding – adalah seolah-olah kaum India, Kavyan dan saya yang mendesak novel Interlok disunting.

Mereka “menyembunyikan” fakta sebenar. Atau mereka tidak tahu fakta sebenar.

Saya tidak pasti sampai bilakah manipulasi fakta akan dilakukan untuk memberikan gambaran seolah-olah “kaum tertentu” yang bersalah dalam peristiwa novel Interlok: Edisi Murid disunting.

Kepada Dr Lim, Dr Ding dan pakar-pakar lain, usah dilupakan bahawa arahan yang disampaikan kepada Panel Bebas Mengkaji Pindaan Novel Interlok (Februari 2011) adalah supaya “buatlah seberapa banyak suntingan yang perlu, asalkan novel ini kekal sebagai teks Komsas”.

Usah lupa bahawa Kavyan yang mendesak secara berterusan supaya nama Pak Lah dicetak pada kulit novel Interlok: Edisi Murid – lihat edisi kulit biru (2011). Kavyan juga yang memperjuangkan supaya hak cipta (copyright) novel Interlok: Edisi Murid tetap dipegang oleh Pak Lah.

Usah pula lupa bahawa pada Januari 2011, Pak Lah sudah memberikan izin agar perkataan sensitif dalam novel Interlok: Edisi Murid dibuang; tetapi pihak tertentu mendesak izin itu ditarik balik “demi mempertahankan maruah pengarang Melayu”.

Kepada Mak Cik dan Pak Cik yang budiman, kalau mahu membuka kembali kisah kontroversi novel Interlok, sila buka sepenuhnya. Bukan dibuka sekerat-sekerat. Buruk padahnya!

* Uthaya Sankar SB pernah dilantik oleh Menteri Pelajaran menganggotai Panel Bebas Mengkaji Pindaan Novel Interlok.

CLUMSY MOVES: Is Najib trying to influence who becomes the next Indonesian president?

KUALA LUMPUR - The usually sedate Kota Bharu High Court was transformed into a rare hive of activity by the presence of Indonesian presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto as well as 'big-time' Umno lawyer Shafee Abdullah.

The VVIPs were in town for a murder hearing involving an alleged underage maid Wifrida Soik.

The presence of so many political 'big guns' has prompted concerns that the small-town courthouse might be intimidated, and justice might be undelivered to a 60-year Malaysian citizen who had been murdered.

It has also sparked speculation of a political conspiracy of the 'I help you, you help me' sort between Prabowo and Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak.

"Prabowo's argument is for leniency because Wilfrida was allegedly a victim of human trafficking and she is only 17 even though her documents say she is 23. But human trafficking or not, a life was taken. Who took it? So we hope Prime Minister Najib Razak and Umno will not rush to grab political mileage and make it seem they are so cozy with the Indonesian leaders that the murder of a Malaysian citizen is brushed aside," a human rights lawyer following the case told Malaysia Chronicle. 

"These days, given the extent of Malay racism in the Malaysia, Umno leaders can do anything. They can forgive murder or even commit murder - this is the view of a great many Malaysians and it is not at all a pleasant picture for the outside world that there is no functioning, free and fair justice system in this country. Only politics rule and very sick politics at that."

Who will 'save' the murdered Malaysian victim?

Wilfrida had been been detained for allegedly killing her employer Yeap Seok Peng in Kampung Chabang Empat, Tok Uban, Pasir Mas. According to news reports, Wilfrida hails from East Nusa Tenggara, and has been working since she was 12. She is said to be a victim of human trafficking.

Prabowo, who is due to stand for next year's Indonesian presidential election, caught the eye of curious onlookers at the Kota Bharu High Court this morning, while the Indonesian media who had followed him to Malaysia could be seen scrambling to get his views.
The Indonesian presidential poll, due to be held on July 9, 2014, will elect a president for a five-year term. Incumbent president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono is constitutionally barred from seeking a third term in office.

Prabowo, from the Great Indonesia Movement Party (Gerindra), has said he wants to 'save Wilfrida and is even contemplating a direct appeal to Najib, with whom he says he is close to. Prabowo was accompanied by Indonesian ambassador to Malaysia Herman Prayatino.

Clumsy moves: Najib helping Prabowo for future political favors?

Yet Prabowo's critics have questioned his sincerity and whether he was 'saving' Wilfirda or was 'using' Wilfrida to gain popularity at home. There is also some discomfort on the Indonesian side that Malaysian leaders were going out of their way to help him; what and when will be the payback time?

"Put it this way. If the Wilfrida case helps Prabowo to win the presidential election, then he would be very grateful to Najib. This is akin to interfering with Indonesia's domestic politics and we hope Najib will not succumb to such clumsy manipulations as though no one can put two and two together. It is actually a most dangerous game and Najib would do well to remember that international diplomacy is not like the slam-bang Umno elections where everything including the dog and the kitchen sink goes," a political observer told Malaysia Chronicle. 

Indonesian news portal  Tribunnews.com had reported that Prabowo studied in Kuala Lumpur when his father, Sumitro Djoyohadikusumo, was based in Malaysia. It said he has a good relationship with Najib as their fathers were close friends.

Even the lawyer whom Prabowo has hired to defend Wilfida is linked to Umno, which is Najib's political party. Shafee Abdullah, who is known for his seven-figure legal fees, handles most of the big cases involving the top Umno leadership.

Najib has been accused of hand-picking Shafee - a private lawyer - to act as the government's chief prosecutor in its appeal against a court decision to acquit Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim of manifestly fabricated sodomy charges.

Unnerved by the Umno and Indonesian bigwigs?

Meanwhile, the concerns that the Kota Bharu High Court might be affected by the presence of the 'double-barreled personalities' appear to have some basis.
The court decided postponed to Nov 17 its decision on whether to call for Wilfrida's defence for murdering her employer in Pasir Mas in 2010.

Judge Ahmad Zaidi Ibrahim also agreed to the requests made by the defence lawyer to have the accused undergo a bone test to determine her actual age and psychiatric evaluation. He also allowed Shafee Abdullah's request for notes of the court proceedings.

It was reported that in 2010, Wilfrida was approached by some men who managed to get her a job in Malaysia through the Indonesian Ministry of Labour's agency in Belu. To help her enter Malaysia, they falsified her papers, passing her off as an adult.

Once in Malaysia, Wilfrida was employed as a maid in the house of an elderly lady in Johor. The old lady, who suffered from Parkinson's disease, was found dead on December 7, 2010. Wilfrida was arrested less than two weeks later.

Malaysia Chronicle

Why Najib hightails it to New York and such…

 

Najib addresses the 68th United Nations General Assembly in New York yesterday.

 – Reuters pic, September 29, 2013.

Here is one reason why Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak enjoys being outside the country so much: it is only in the rarefied air of the United Nations assembly or in meeting rooms at the swanky Waldorf Astoria in New York that an audience still buys his talk about Malaysia being a model of moderate Islam.

Back home, here in Malaysia, with the right wing very much in ascendancy in Umno and with religious and racial intolerance at red flag levels, any mention of the word "moderation" is met with cynicism. Or worse yet, disdain.

It was revealed in Parliament that the Prime Minister spent a staggering RM44 million on travel abroad between March 2008 and May 2013.

It is a fact that has raised eyebrows even among Umno politicians. Some of them wonder why attending the UN assembly or opening the Khazanah Nasional office in San Francisco is so important, or why it was necessary to go to Thailand for his second break after the May 5 general election.

Actually, there is a simple explanation why he enjoys being outside the country so much. He needs a diversion from the daily mess that is Malaysia, a mess compounded by his willingness to allow shrill, fringe voices to dictate the tone of this country. And his inability to tackle the laundry list of issues from endemic corruption to the breakdown in law and order.

A laundry list that also includes: an increasingly right-wing Umno; an inept Cabinet; a combative opposition; fractured and irrelevant BN component parties; a widening budget deficit and the insatiable appetite of businessmen and cronies; and, not least, the hulking presence of Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

Against this backdrop, putting some space between Malaysia and himself is Najib’s preferred option.

Think about it. What happens to children in a house where peace and quiet is a rare commodity and where the air is pregnant with tension and where every day seems like a battle? Usually the children find excuses to hang out in a friend's house, stay over with a cousin, where they may receive praise and affirmation.

What happens to a student who feels overmatched in school, overwhelmed by the demands of parents and teachers and under pressure from bullies? Chances are that the student will play truant, or do his best to limit his appearances in the classroom.

So it is with the Malaysian PM. Those who have been part of his entourage say that he is relaxed when away from home and loves pressing the flesh with foreign leaders and businessmen, talking about the Global Movement of Moderates and impressing them with his smooth delivery, sharp dressing and his ability to speak the language that Westerners like to hear.

In New York before an appreciative audience at the Council of Foreign Relations, he was applauded for arguing for "dialogue over confrontation, negotiation over conflict".

The irony is that in Malaysia, the country he leads, there is more confrontation than dialogue on race and religion.

The party he leads is not interested in compromise or the middle path, choosing instead to trample on the rights of those who did not vote for Umno/Barisan Nasional in GE13. And Najib has in recent weeks dropped all pretence, becoming instead an active supporter of the right-wing agenda.

Even The Economist, a publication which has been generous in its praise of Najib as a reformer in the past, noted in its current edition the unsavoury changes taking place here.

It noted that following BN's poor performance in 2013, "the party has reverted to the bad old ways of race-based politics to shore up the Malay base, at the expense of those who were ungrateful enough to vote for the Opposition".

"The main casualty of this retreat is Mr Najib himself. Before the election he had come to be seen as a great reformer... he repealed outdated security legislation and was slowly rolling back the system of ethnic preferences. Yet to survive an onslaught from his conservative wing, Mr Najib has been forced to backtrack abruptly," said The Economist.

It then went on to conclude that the stuttering Malaysian economy will have to raise billions for the new affirmative action programmes and noted that the brain drain of talented non-Malays will continue, disgusted by the overt racism here.

"So much for Mr Najib's great reforms," concluded the newsweekly.

When he returns to Malaysia next week, the PM will have to once again face the litany of problems in the country. But this week away from home, he can live in his bubble – where he is feted as a leader of moderates. – September 29, 2013.

Protesters march to Parliament to say NO to PCA amendments

A group of Malaysians marched to Parliament to hand over a memoradum to the Home Minister to oppose amendments to the Prevention of Crime Act that have been tabled.

Najib Tells Malaysian Community: "Be Proud To Be Malaysian!"

By Manik Mehta

NEW YORK, Sept 30 (Bernama) -- Wrapping up his New York visit with a meeting with the Malaysian community at the Malaysian Permanent Mission in New York Saturday night, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak urged the attentively-listening Malaysians to be "proud to be Malaysian".

Citing the example of unity within the cross-sections of the American population, he said that despite all their differences of the American nation and the politicians - he was, apparently, referring to the ongoing heated debate over the Obamacare health plans providing healthcare coverage to Americans - Americans were always united behind the American flag and were proud to be Americans.

"Are you willing to rise above your self-interest and think of the nation?," he asked. "I have a dream for Malaysia and want our 28 million population to also have this dream. Join me in this endeavour, despite our differences.

"Each of us can contribute to achieving this goal. Stay united and make Malaysia a great nation," he added.

Addressing the packed auditorium at the Malaysian mission, Najib said that if Malaysia was to be a great nation, "you must have a global strategy. It has to be far-reaching and global in every respect."

Indeed, his visit had been "all-encompassing", covering a myriad of sectors of importance to a modern economy - multimedia, science, biotechnology, business, foreign affairs, politics and even children's education - saying that the last-named sector was looked after by his wife.

"I have travelled from the west coast to the east. I have realised the importance of having links with the global community, particularly the United States," he said, adding that the west coast was home to the information technology and that he had also met representatives of Facebook and Twitter.

Najib reminded the Malaysian community, which included many students at various American institutions of learning who had come to listen to the prime minister, that Malaysia's goal was to become a developed nation by 2020.

"You should join in our endeavours and help make Malaysia become a developed nation by 2020," he told the gathering.

Malaysia already has a hi-tech environment. "But we do not want to be mere consumers of information technology...we want to be creators of information technology.

"That is why, we have created the Multimedia Super Corridor. We want Malaysian companies to grow from Cyberjaya to Silicon Valley...either we bring Silicon Valley to Cyberjaya or go from Cyberjaya to Silicon Valley.

"But to succeed in the IT sector, you don t have to be a drop-out," he said amidst laughter from the audience which was tickled by his veiled reference to the founders of global US-based IT companies that have been led by corporate leaders who, despite not completing college education, have become global corporate icons and have left a huge mark on the global industrial and corporate landscape.

Emphasising the need for new technologies, he said these were needed for various applications.

"I want to bring the Tessler electric car to Malaysia, for example, because it will help us reduce our carbon footprint. You have to be an innovative nation.

"We need innovation in the biotech sector. For example, we need lots of innovation in the soybean sector. Palm oil has to be innovative, failing which the soybean sector would overtake it.

"Malaysia s banana industry has been afflicted by disease and this brings us to the need for global technology which can help us overcome such problems," he said.

The IM4U outreach programme was also launched at the dinner-reception for the community.

Carrying the prime minister's signature, the project is aimed at encouraging youth volunteers to contribute towards transforming Malaysia into a better place to live and work.

The locally-based Malaysian students presented to the prime minister a mock check of US$10,000, representing the sum collected for Malaysia.

A Malaysian student studying at the Hoboken-based Steven's Institute of Technology in New Jersey told Bernama that Malaysian students were galvanising their efforts to make a "modest contribution" to help build Malaysia become a developed nation.

Earlier, Malaysian Consul-General in New York Syed Mohammed Bakri Syed Abdul Rahman welcomed Najib, his wife Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor, Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Anifah Aman and others in the prime minister's entourage.

Syed Mohammed Bakri recalled how he, during his former posting as Malaysian consul-general in Jeddah, had met Najib - who was then deputy prime minister - who had left a "positive impression" on him.

He told the students that they were indeed, very fortunate to be able to meet with the prime minister and other dignitaries at the Malaysian mission in New York.

"When I studied in the American heartland, we did not have such opportunity to meet with such high-ranking dignitaries," he said.