NGO dedah salah laku terbaru Taib Mahmud

Job vacancy for 'Yes tuan' deputy minister - Malaysiakini

 

 The humorous forces that dwell in Malaysian cyberspace have struck again, this time with a ‘job vacancy advertisement’ in the Prime Minister’s Department.

The posting comes in the wake of Persatuan Hindraf Malaysia chairperson P Waythamoorthy’s (left) resignation as a senator and deputy minister early this month.     

Among others, the advertisement stated that all “kooja thukis” (apple polishers) are encouraged to apply for the position.
         
It also contained the images of several Indian Malaysian leaders such as MIC’s M Saravanan and P Kamalanathan, who drew flak for kissing the hand of Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin during the Hulu Selangor by-election in 2010.

Others portrayed were Malaysian Indian United Party (MIUP) chief S Nallakaruppan and Makkal Sakti Party president RS Thanenthiran.

The advertisement, posted by the Facebook user ‘Bolehland’, stated that candidates with the experience of shortchanging the Indian community would have an added advantage.

Other requirements include being a BN team player, and the applicant must be able to communicate in the BN language of “Ya Tuan” (yes, master), “Boleh Tuan” (can do, master), “Jangan takut Tuan” (Don’t be afraid, master) and “Orang India semua sokong Tuan” (All the Indians support you, master).

Aspiring candidates were told to contact ‘Najib’ if interested.

All MIC leaders qualified

The advertisement is gaining in popularity since its emergence, with hundreds sharing it with their friends.

As for the comments in cyberspace, Indian NGO leader Rajaretinam Armuggan wrote: “Kelayakan asas.... mesti sedia jadi pengkhianat kaum!!! Serta sgt suka tunduk dan cium2 dan jilat Umno... walaupun dipukul ditendang berkali2...” (Basic qualification, must be prepared to betray the race, as well as bow, kiss and lick Umno... despite being kicked repeatedly).

Another user, Sathy Vel Naidu said, “And the winner is ‘Ketta’Karuppan”. This was an obvious reference to Nallakaruppan, where the first four alphabets of his name “Nalla” means “nice or good” while “Ketta” means “bad”.

Whereas Radha Krishna Subramaniam remarked, “All MIC leaders are qualified for the job.”

'World must recognise M'sia belongs to Malays'

Islamic NGO Ikatan Muslimin Malaysia (Isma) today demanded global recognition that Malaysia is the land of the Malays, claiming that scientific study had proven that the Malay civilisation was older than Angkor Wat or Borobudur.

"Like how the world recognises that China is for Chinese, India is for Indians, England for the English, Ireland is for the Irish, and Germany is for Germans, surely Malays have their own land," Isma's vice-president II Abdul Rahman Dali said in a statement today.

Claiming unspecified "scientific research", Isma said that the Malay gene has been proven to exist before that of the Chinese.

"This region, which centres at the land of the Malays, is called the Cradle of Human Civilisation, which gave birth to other ethnicities.

"So it is valid that this land belongs to the Malays originally," he said.

He also claimed a recent research showed that the Kedah Tua Malay civilisation in Lembah Bujang dates back to the 2nd century BC, thus confirming that the civilisation was older than archaeological and historical sites such as Angkor Wat in Cambodia and Borobudur in Indonesia.

"As such, we want the Chinese, Indians or anyone not to question the Malay position anymore. We also want the whole world to recognise Malaysia, which is known as Malaya, as the heritage and right of the Malays," Abdul Rahman said.

Isma's statement today comes following months of increasing demands by several Islamic and Malay rights NGOs, including Isma and Perkasa, to strengthen Malay supremacy in the country.

The calls grew louder ever since a kangkung-themed flash mob, organised by PKR's Machang Bubok assemblyperson Lee Khai Loon, which angered such NGOs who claimed the act of stuffing the leafy vegetable into an effigy of Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak was an affront to Malays and the rulers.

Racial and religious tension in the country have escalated of late, partially due to the Court of Appeal ruling in October last year that Catholic weekly The Herald is not allowed to use the word ‘Allah’ to address God in its Malay texts.

The Christian community in Malaysia, especialy those in Sabah and Sarawak, have used the term in Malay copies of the Bible for years, however, various other quarters have claimed that ‘Allah’ is exclusive to Muslims.

‘Guan Eng ignoring Indians’

A coalition of NGOs in Penang made demands to Lim Guan Eng to address problems plaguing the Indian community there

GEORGE TOWN: A coalition of local NGOs here has called on the Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng to directly address Indian issues, inclusively and effectively in Penang.

Coalition of Non-Governmental Organisations and Concerned Citizens on Indian Affairs in Penang chairman N Ganesan said Lim would never find permanent solutions for fundamental Indian issues in the state by sidetracking the problems.

He also reminded Lim that it was the social responsibility of his Pakatan Rakyat administration to resolve the Indian issues.

He said Lim should firstly set aside time to hear out lay Indian public views and opinions on arising matters pertaining to the community.

Secondly, he said the Chief Minister should forge close working ties with the coalition, representing 51 Indian-based NGOs and Hindu temples in Penang, to address and resolve the issues.

He said there were fundamental problems in the manner the Indian and Hindu social, political and economic issues being handled currently by the state government.

He said these were matters for the state government to deal with, not for Lim’s administration to delegate and relegate them to peripherally related agencies to handle them.

“Currently Lim had been viewing Indian issues narrowly.

“He ignores our requests to hear our views on various issues affecting the community

“He seems not to understand the fundamental dynamism of Indian issues in Penang.

“He also does not have time for us despite us requesting a meeting with him three times,” lamented Ganesan at a press conference here today.

Also present were coalition members V Nandakumar, SV Manimaran, P Janarthan and P Asokan.

For instance, he said the issue of Hindu burial ground and crematorium in Batu Lanchang was yet to see any positive resolution because Lim had not found the time to hear the coalition’s petition.

Demands in the petition

The coalition submitted the petition to the Chief Minister’s Office this morning.

Ganesan said demands in the petition were minimum social responsibilities and costs for the state government.

Among the coalition’s demands are:

1)The current two cremation incinerators must be restored to operating conditions with the necessary statutory compliance achieved.

2)Competent personnel need to be appointed to manage, operate and maintain the facility.

3)The management of the crematorium has to be consolidated with the appointment of competent and experienced manager.

4)Independent continuous audits of the management and technical aspects need to be performed by reputable audit firms and the reports of each audit to be made public.

5)The state government needs to provide financial and other necessary resources and expertise for the request we have set forth above.

6)On successful implementation of the items above for the Batu Lanchang crematorium, it is the desire of the Indian community that another similar crematorium be set up at a suitable site on the mainland. The Indian population in the 55-95 years segment is expected to triple in 20 years’ time and much of this growth is expected to happen on the mainland.

“We are interested in achieving a sound and amicable solution to the matters.

“We have been very patient with him and had given him almost three months to respond but he responded by deflecting and ignoring our requests.

“His disregard for the seriousness of the matter and towards representatives of the Indian community of Penang is in stark contrast to his otherwise daily rhetoric of inclusiveness.

“Given this, we cannot help but conclude that the Malaysian Malaysia of DAP was nothing more than just another political perversion,” said Ganesan.

MIC hits back at Waytha

'Don't blame us for your failure,' says secretary-general Prakash Rao

PETALINGJAYA: A top MIC official today chided Hindraf leader P Waythamoorthy for his remarks about the party, saying he was blaming it for his own failure as deputy minister in the Prime Minister’s Department.
MIC Secretary-General A Prakash Rao told FMT his party saw itself as part of a brotherhood in the Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition.

Referring to Waythamoorthy’s recent resignation, he said the former deputy minister was too greedy and wanted to handle all government funds meant for the Indian community.

“Waythamoorthy failed to shine as deputy minister because he was a lone ranger,” he said.

“He did not even bother trying to work with MIC since the day he signed the memorandum of understanding with BN. Thus, it is not fair for him to ask MIC to leave BN.”

Yesterday, Waythamoorthy challenged MIC to leave BN, accusing it of acting as a propaganda mouthpiece for the government and ignoring issues affecting the Indian community.

In a press statement, the Hindraf chief said MIC was founded to protect the rights of Malaysian Indians, who were then mostly plantation workers, but had failed to do so.

Prakash Rao rejected the accusations. “MIC is more focused on finding solutions to our community’s problems through BN consensus,” he said. “We prefer to fight from inside to find solutions then fight from outside.”

He added that MIC had managed, through the years, to benefit the Indian community through educational and economic programmes.

He also said Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak and MIC president G Palanivel had been working closely in the past three years to finding fast-track solutions to uplift Indians economically.

“Our priority is to uplift the Indians to be on par with national development,” he said.

‘Local councils still in dire straits’

Only a portion of the 24 councillors were appointed in each local authorities in Selangor, says a coalition of NGOs

PETALING JAYA: A Selangor-based coalition of NGOs today expressed concern over the state government’s delay in appointing a full batch of local councillors across the 12 district authorities in Selangor, saying this might lead to potential policy snags.

The Coalition of Good Governance (CGG) spokesperson Jerald Joseph said despite the need to appoint 24 councillors in all the local governments by Dec 31 last year, the state has so far only appointed a portion of them.

He said for Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ), only 19 of out the 24 councillors were appointed

“The whole of PJ is divided into 24 zones and each councillor is supposed to take care of one area. Now there are five zones which are not represented,” he told a press conference today.

Another NGO leader from Friends of Kota Damansara, Jeffrey Phang, claimed that some local governments were mulling over the rise in property density (plot ratio) in areas surrounding the Mass Railway Transit (MRT) project.

“This is going to have a serious impact in places like PJ, which is already very crowded. Who is going to oversee our interest ?” he asked.

Most of the local councillors in Selangor were appointed from the Pakatan Rakyat coalition parties of DAP, PKR and PAS, except a 25% quota which is supposedly reserved for the NGO members.

The appointment of councillors involves a great deal of horse-trading and political negotiations.

Jerald said while the NGO coalition places restoration of local council election as the ultimate agenda, they were concerned that even the current interim measure of having local councillors appointed by the state was not transparent.

For example, he said, the guidelines for councillors appointment was kept in the dark and the 25% quota allocated for NGO members was diluted.

“The CGG believes that this delay in appointments affects the running and functioning of local governments and thus the need of having local government elections is more urgent,” he said.

He said the state executive councillor (exco) for local government Teng Chang Khim has promised to hold local government elections by end of this year, but the details have not been forthcoming.

The CGG would be organising a public forum on March 12 in Kajang to invite all Kajang bye-election candidates to state their commitment on local elections .

The Pakatan-ruled states has argued that the federal laws have prevented them from holding local government polls, but civil society said the problems can be solved by the state appointing individuals who win in local elections.

Dr M: Religious clerics dividing Muslims

(MM) - In a scathing post against the ulama (clergy) class, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad accused its members today of disuniting Muslims in Malaysia for worldly and political gains.

The nation’s longest-serving prime minister also defended himself against anti-hadith accusations, claiming that Islam and its adherents have become weak from blind faith perpetuated by the clerics.

“In Malaysia, schism also happens when those who are called ulama and are proficient in Arabic isolate themselves and break the unity of Muslims, just because they do not attain a post in the world and not chosen to be a Yang Berhormat,” Dr Mahathir wrote in his blog yesterday.

Yang Berhormat is the Malay honorific commonly used to refer to federal and state lawmakers.

“The schism is ongoing up until now. Therefore Muslims have become weak and they have to beg for support from non-Muslims … There is no neutral ulama who is urging Muslims to unite and be brothers again,” he added.

Dr Mahathir also questioned the public’s unquestioning acceptance of these ulama and their interpretation of Islam solely due to the group’s proficiency in the Arabic language, which is regarded as central to the faith.

“Is it wajib (compulsory) for us to accept whatever is taught by those religious scholars who speak Arabic although it runs counter the Islamic teaching in Quran or hadith?” the veteran statesman asked.

“It is very dangerous and confusing when anybody, just because they are proficient in Arabic and received a bachelor’s degree in Islamic studies, can be labelled ulama.”

According to Dr Mahathir, the clerics are also to blame for the division among Muslims of different denominations, in addition to starting feuds against non-Muslims that is contrary to Quranic teachings.

“The weakness of Muslims and the insults against Islam is caused by their teachings that cannot be questioned, which begs for unconditional loyalty only for them,” he added.

Dr Mahathir’s comments came after he was accused of being a deviant and anti-hadith stemming from his support for outspoken scholar Dr Kassim Muhammad, who was similarly labelled.

According to the former prime minister, his critics have rejected and refused to consider his opinions on Islam simply because he is not proficient in Arabic.

Dr Mahathir insisted that one is no less a Muslim even if one does not speak the language, and pointed out that some Arabic-speaking Muslims behaved poorly and caused more harm to their fellow followers of Islam.

He also questioned Muslims who prioritised the hadith over Quranic teachings, and who consequently advocate the violent and cruel punishments prescribed in the hadith.

Hadith — the collection of Prophet Muhammad’s deeds and sayings — were collected and documented by scholars in the 9th century after they were previously passed down orally for over 200 years.

Islamic scholars have used hadith as basis for the Islamic code of law and an essential complement to the Quran, despite contradictions to Quranic teachings.

Earlier this month, Kassim, a controversial social science and Islamic academic, delivered a lecture at the Perdana Leadership Foundation where Dr Mahathir was patron, during which he lambasted, among others, the Muslim clergy class of imitating the Christian priesthood caste.

His lecture has since been derided by some clerics and members of Islamist party PAS, who subsequently used it to attack rivals Barisan Nasional and Umno as allegedly supporting an anti-hadith movement.

Why Muhyiddin has not countermanded the mean, petty and punitive directive to transfer Nor Izzat from Jerantut to a rural school for spearheading the protest against the SBA weaknesses

By Lim Kit Siang,

The Najib administration prides itself on its efficiency and “People First, Performance Now” slogan, but almost a week have passed and the Deputy Prime Minister and Education Minister, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin has yet to countermand the mean, petty and punitive directive to transfer Mohd Nor Izzat Mohd Johari, head of Suara Guru Masyarakat Malaysia (SGMM) from Jerantut to a rural school for spearheading the protest against the weaknesses in the implementation of the student-based assessment (SBA) system.

Instead of thanking Nor Izzat for his contribution in forcing the Education Ministry to face up to the crisis faced by teachers as a result of dismally-conceived implementation of the SBA, resulting finally in the SBA system being put on hold last week, Muhyiddin is allowing the “Little Napoleons” in the Education Department a free hand to penalise Nor Izzat and other teachers for their courage and conviction in speaking up about the SBA weaknesses.

When Nor Izzat’s punitive transfer to a rural school with only 24 hours’ notice became public, Muhyiddin disclaimed responsibility, denying that he was involved in Nor Izzat’s transfer.

But what has Muhyiddin done in the past week to countermand Nor Izzat’s punitive transfer.

I have been informed that Muhyiddin had done nothing and Nor Izzat’s 24-hour transfer directive has not been countermanded.

Nor Izzat and others who have stood their ground to point out the weaknesses of the SBA system had performed an important national service and should be commended and rewarded for their conviction and tenacity to act in the interests of the teachers and even more important the students.

Instead of being grateful to Nor Izzat and the teachers involved, they are instead being victimised by mean, petty and punitive bureaucratic actions.

It has been suggested that Nor Izzat should be conferred the “Tokoh Cikgu” for the Year 2014. Muhyiddin should give this proposal serious consideration.

I suggest that the over 400,000 teachers in the education service be given an opportunity to express their views whether they agree that Nor Izzat should be conferred the title “Tokoh Cikgu” for the year 2014.

Muhyiddin should meanwhile take immediate action to revoke all mean, petty and punitive directives issued to Nor Izzat and other teachers for their role in criticising the weaknesses in the implementation of the SBA system?

(Media Statement in Kuala Lumpur on Thursday, 27th February 2014)

LAWASIA Concern at Karpal Singh Conviction on Sedition Charges

As the Law Association for Asia and the Pacific, LAWASIA joins others in the international legal community in recording its concern at the recent conviction of senior lawyer and leader of the Malaysian opposition party, Karpal Singh, on sedition charges. 

Mr Singh faced charges under the Sedition Act 1948 for a statement made by him to the media during a constitutional crisis in Perak in 2009 where he indicated his view as a lawyer that the Sultan of Perak's actions in removing the Chief Minister of the Perak government would be justiciable. 

While appreciating that the conviction is a matter for the courts, LAWASIA's concern arises where the Malaysian government had, in 2011, indicated its intention to repeal the Sedition Act, which is widely regarded as draconian and a relic of colonial era laws. 

In this context, it notes the view of the Malaysian Bar that "the decision to proceed with the prosecution of YB Karpal Singh under a law that the government has slated for repeal is inexplicable and raises the spectre of selective prosecution." 

Further, it notes that the United Nations Basic Principles on the Role of Lawyers indicate at Article 23 that lawyers "have the right to take part in public discussion of matters concerning the law, the administration of justice and the promotion and protection of human rights…" 

In addition, it endorses the view of the Malaysian Bar that "The right of a citizen (in this case a senior and experienced lawyer) to voice an opinion on a constitutional law point, that is, whether the decision of a Ruler of a State is justiciable in the courts, is clearly within the scope of freedom of speech and expression guaranteed under Article 10 (1)(a) the [Malaysian] Constitution.” 

As an association comprised of the peak legal bodies of Asia and the Pacific, as well as individual judges and lawyers, LAWASIA is dedicated to protecting human rights and upholding the rule of law. It shares the concerns of others that the prosecution of Karpal Singh in these circumstances indicates a disregard for fundamental constitutional rights of freedom of expression as well as the universally-accepted responsibilities that adhere to members of the legal profession. 

Isomi Suzuki 

PRESIDENT 

February 26, 2014

Access To Higher Education Improves Lives - Najib

PETALING JAYA, Feb 27 (Bernama) -- Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said a quarter of Malaysians aged between 18 and 24 are now pursuing higher education, thanks to the government's continued efforts to improve and widen access to education to citizens.

The prime minister noted that when Universiti Malaya took its first batch of students in 1959, there were only slightly over 300 students enrolled in higher education in this country, before the numbers improved to about 4,500 in 1967.

"Today, with increased access to education, it's estimated that one in four Malaysians aged between 18 and 24 are in higher education," he said when opening the Unitar International University's new campus in Kelana Jaya, here today.

Present were Second Education Minister Datuk Seri Idris Jusoh, Unitar chancellor Datuk Mohamed Nizam Tun Abdul Razak and chairman Datuk Seri Dr Suleiman Mohamed.

Najib noted that increasing access to education at every level for all could improve the odds of success for those who were born in less fortunate circumstances.

"Over the years we've fought poverty through education," Najib said, adding that education was also a potent medicine to address income inequality.

"Today, we see many sons and daughters of fishermen, rubber tappers and farmers return to their kampung during Hari Raya, Chinese New Year and Deepavali as doctors, engineers and lawyers," he said.

The prime minister drove home the point that widening access to education should go hand in hand with efforts to increase the quality of education.

In this connection, Najib called for greater collaboration and engagement between local and international universities, saying that Unitar was one of the institutions created for this purpose.

He said armed with education, people would be able to overcome challenges that may come their way.

"And an educated person is not just about having a degree but, more importantly, having the right attitude towards life," he added.

On Unitar, which was set up in 1997, Najib hoped the university which was named after his late father, Tun Abdul Razak Hussein, could continue to grow into a top private institution of higher learning based on the spirit and legacy left by the creator of the National Education Policy.

"On behalf of my family members, I wish to congratulate Unitar on the launching of this new campus and pray that it will continue to progress in providing quality education to the community," he said.

The new 15-story campus building built on an environment-friendly concept also has facilities for the disabled group and capable of accommodating 8,000 students.

Rafizi persoal integriti Zaid

Marina Mahathir sues Muslim NGO over Comango allegations – Bernama

Datin Paduka Marina Mahathir (pic) is suing the president and 15 committee members of Ikatan Muslimin Malaysia (Isma) over its allegations linking her to the activities of the Coalition of Malaysian NGOs in the UPR (Universal Periodic Review) Process (Comango).

Marina, who sits on the Sisters in Islam (SiS) board of directors, named Isma's president Abdullah Zaik Abd Rahman, deputy president Aminuddin Yahaya, vice-president Abdul Rahman Mat Dali and 13 other committee members as the defendants.

Marina was represented by counsel Muhammad Faizal Faiz Mohd Hasani, of Messrs Lee Hishammuddin Allen & Gledhill, who filed the defamation suit at the High Court Registrar's office on January 16.

The media was provided a copy of the statement of claims today when the case was mentioned in chambers before Judicial Commissioner Rosilah Yop.

The defendants' counsel Azad Bashir told reporters that Rosilah had scheduled March 10 for the filing of their defence statements.

In her statement of claims, Marina claimed that Isma had distributed 70,000 pamphlets titled "Among the 54 NGOs in Comango" at mosques in the Klang Valley, Kuala Lumpur, Shah Alam, Putrajaya, Seremban, Kota Samarahan (Sarawak), Melaka, Kuantan and Kuala Terengganu on November 8 2013.

The former chairman of the Malaysian AIDS Foundation claimed that Isma also posted an article titled "Isma distributes 70,000 pamphlets exposing Comango" on its website http://www.ismaweb.net the same day.

She stated that the pamphlets and article implied that she was involved in Comango's activities, personally involved in its report on human rights, was the mastermind behind the non-governmental organisation and did not respect the Federal Constitution.

Marina claimed that on November 11 2013 she had issued a press statement refuting the allegations, denied she was involved in said report and gave the defendants a chance to retract their accusations.

She claimed that on the same day Isma had however made a press statement through Aminuddin repeating its accusations, to which she responded two days later through the press as well.

She further claimed that all the defendants had failed to retract the alleged defamatory statements despite three letters of demand dated November 19 and 27 and December 12.

Marina said the statements had tarnished her reputation and sought general, exemplary and aggravated damages, an injunction to prevent the defendants from publishing said statements again and an apology from them. – Bernama,February 26, 2014.

Pelajar dakwa guru pukul dengan kasut

Tidak memberi tumpuan ketika pendidikan jasmani.

PETALING JAYA: Seorang pelajar tingkatan dua mendakwa seorang guru sekolah menengah di Pulau Carey memukulnya menggunakan kasut kerana didakwa tidak memberi tumpuan ketika pendidikan jasmani.

Sebuah NGO iaitu Pertubuhan Progresif Tamilar Malaysia memberitahu perkara ini dalam satu kenyataan hari ini.

Presiden NGO itu, M.A. Kalaimugilan berkata, beliau bertindak pantas setelah mendapat tahu perkara itu.

“Phak kami bersetuju dengan tanggungjawab seorang guru untuk menghukum seorang pelajar , tetapi ini bukan caranya.

“Penghinaan seperti ini sudah pun telah menjadi trend bagi masa sekarang kerana masalah seperti ini sering berlaku di banyak sekolah,” kata Kalaimugilan kepada FMT.

Tambahan pula, pihak pengurusan sekolah juga mengaku bahawa tidak ada tindakan tatatertib kerana guru berkenaan telah memohon maaf kepada pelajar, kata kalaimugilan yang mereka melawat pengurusan sekolah untuk penjelasan semalam.

Bagaimanapun, katanya beliau tidak mahu `mohon maaf’, tetapi tindakan berat perlu diambil ke atas guru berkenaan.

“Bukan sekadar penukaran sekolah guru, atau mohon maaf, supaya masalah ini akan menjadi satu pengajaran bagi semua guru guru sekolah,” katanya lagi.

Kalaimugilan juga menambah, penghinaan seperti ini, mungkin akan menjejaskan pelajar dan keluarga pelajar dari segi mental .

Pengurusan sekolah juga berjanji supaya akan membawa pergi isu ini kepada perhatian pejabat pendidikan daerah (PPD).

School student (1)“YB P Kamalanathan (Menteri Pelajaran) mungkin ada ciri-ciri untuk memaafkan sesiapa, tetapi kami sebagai NGO tidak boleh lagi memaafkan mana-mana pihak yang bersalah.

“Kami juga menuntut Kamalanathan sebagai menteri pelajaran bertanggungjawab untuk mengambil tindakan ke atas guru berkenaan kata Kalaimugilan.

Beliau juga telah menghantar memo kepada PPD, Kementerian Pelajaran melalui email dan jika pihak berkuasa gagal untuk menyelesaikan masalah, mungkin rakyat sendiri akan turun untuk bertindak.

Kata Kalaimugilan. tujuan penglibatan NGO adalah untuk menjaga kebajikan, hak pelajar-pelajar.

Beliau menambah, NGO itu mempunyai rakaman video mangsa pelajar, dan rakaman video perbincangan dengan pihak sekolah.

Waytha wants ‘slave MIC’ to leave BN

Waythamoorthy says that the Umno "tuans' have used Indian issues for their own political ends.

PETALING JAYA: Former deputy minister P Waythamoorthy wants MIC to leave Barisan Nasional (BN) for acting as a propaganda mouthpiece for the government and sidelining issues affecting the Indian community.
Waythamoorthy in a press statement said that MIC was founded to protect the rights of the Malaysian Indians who were then mostly plantation workers but failed to do so.

“All we hear from MIC is that government is doing this and that in the Tamil media.

“But beyond that nothing concrete is done to find permanent and comprehensive solutions to the long standing problems faced by the Indian community.

“Since my resignation, BN has falsely propagated than a sum of RM 500 million has been dispersed to the Indians over the last 5 years.

“On the other hand even if it is true, the RM 500 million never reached the community,” said Waythamoorthy.

He also challenged the government to prove how the RM 500 million allocation was spent.

Government Ministries have failed

On the other hand Waythamoorthy claims that the Education Ministry had failed to disburse scholarships and places in local universities on a fair basis and thousands of deserving Indian students were denied their educational rights.

He adds that even the Agriculture, Housing as well as Human Resources Ministry have failed to provide alternative agriculture ventures, job training opportunities, alternative land and houses nor adequate compensation for the 800,000 displaced plantation workers since 1970’s.

With all these government failures, Waythamoorthy says it has caused the new urban underclass and rise in crime among Indians.

After resigning from his post last week, Waythamoorthy called Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak to step down for failing the Indian community and breaching the MoU signed between Barisan Nasional and Hindraf prior to GE 13.

Tamil Muslims and nation-building

Jihad for Justice chairman, Thasleem Mohamed Ibrahim, highlights his community's contribution to Malaya and the importance of the Tamil language

PETALING JAYA: Indian Muslims, particularly the Tamil Muslims, are not aware of the extent of their contribution towards nation-building, said Jihad for Justice chairman Thasleem Mohamed Ibrahim.

Speaking from his office located in Petaling Jaya, Thasleem, 64, said that Tamil Muslims not only came to then Malaya to do business but they also contributed immensely to society.

“How many of us know that a number of Tamil dailies in the past were set up by Tamil Muslims? We had the Vidya Vicharini set up in 1883 by Ghulam Kadir Navalar, a famous poet in Penang.

“CK Malchdoom Sahib founded Singai Varthamani in Singapore in 1875. SPSK Kader Sahib, another Tamil Muslim, started Vijaya Kedanan in 1887 in the British crown colony,” said Thasleem.

Thasleem added that Kadir Sahib also started one of the earliest Malay newspapers in 1894, known as Tanjong Pengerusi.

Thasleem also touched on Munshi Abdullah, known as the father of Malay literature in the 1800s, saying that Munshi was from a Tamil-Yemeni ancestry, and was a scholar fluent in multiple languages.

“Munshi was fluent in Arabic, Tamil, English and Malay. Nevertheless, he was very proud of his Tamil ancestry,” said Thasleem.

“And how many of us know that Munshi was one of the earliest persons in the region to translate the Bible into the Malay language,” asked Thasleem.

He also said that the word Melayu comes from the Tamil word Malai Ur- which means land of the mountains. The British imperialists corrupted the word and changed it to Malaya,” he said.

Maintaining that he is not against the Malays or anyone else, Thasleem said that it was time for Tamil Muslims to start learning about their history and cherish their cultural heritage.

“Don’t get me wrong. I’m always a Malaysian first. At the same time, I would like to also preserve my ethnic identity as it defines my origins.

“My ancestors came from Alagankulam, an ancient maritime port located in Tamil Nadu, India. I’m a Tamil Muslim and proud of my heritage.” he said.

‘We must cherish our heritage’

Thasleem added that Malaysian Indians, in general, are fortunate in a way because they are still able to trace their ancestral genealogy, unlike those living in other nations.

“Indians in Mauritius, the US, South America and Fiji are only Indians by blood as they do not speak their mother tongue. It is only in recent years that they are trying to trace their roots,” he said.

Thasleem urged Tamil Muslims in the country to do some soul-searching and trace their rich history.

One way, he said, was to encourage more Tamil Muslim children to attend Tamil schools in order to at least preserve the use of the classical language.

Currently, Thasleem said the enrollment of Tamil Muslim children in vernacular schools was low.

“There are about 500,000 Indian Muslims in the country, with Tamils making roughly 90% of the number.

“But out of the about 100,000 students studying in Tamil schools, only 375 of them are from the Tamil Muslim community,” said Thasleem.

He added that in the past the Tamil Muslim community had contributed immensely to the development of Tamil schools, by offering land and funds.

However, Thasleem urged Tamil Muslims not to turn fanatical in protecting their roots, saying that it goes against Islamic teachings.

“We don’t have to be a fanatic to be proud of our heritage. Prophet Muhammad says that no race is superior to another. Don’t adopt a racial background we don’t belong to.

“The Tamil language defines our heritage and it is wrong to say that only Hindus speak Tamil. If you can’t study in a Tamil school, at least speak the language at home,” he said.

End ‘Allah’ dispute by settling court case, pastors tell Putrajaya

(MM) - Putrajaya should end its five-year-old legal tussle with the Catholic Church by coming to a mutual agreement on the latter’s use of the word “Allah”, a Sabah-based group of pastors said today ahead of next week’s appeal on the matter at the Federal Court.

Unhappy that the Court of Appeal had last October upheld a ban on “Allah” in Catholic weekly Herald, the group of clergymen also insisted that the appellate court has “no rights to interfere in religion”.

Claiming that the Court of Appeal had exceeded its constitutional jurisdiction by ruling that use of the word “Allah” was not integral to the Christian faith, it said federal government still had a chance to set things right at the country’s highest court.

“We now call on Putrajaya to rectify the mistake by entering into a consent judgment before the Federal Court based on the 20 points assurance given to Sabah and Sarawak in the formation of Malaysia in 1963,” the Kota Kinabalu Chinese Pastors’ Fellowship (Chinese PFKK) said in a statement tonight.

A consent judgment takes place when all parties involved in a court matter agree to a set of terms to resolve the dispute.

In the 20-point agreement inked before the formation of Malaysia in 1963, it was stipulated among others that the people of Sabah are free to practice their own religion, and there should be no state religion in North Borneo.

The Sabah Constitution was, however, amended in 1973 by the state government to make Islam the religion of the state of Sabah.

Besides the Catholic Church’s challenge of the Home Ministry’s banning of “Allah” in its weekly paper Herald, two other cases involving Christian materials with the Arabic word for God will be up for case management here next week.

The Malay Mail Online understands that the Sabah SIB Church’s case over materials previously seized by the Home Ministry will be heard in chambers next Tuesday, while Sarawakian Jill Ireland Lawrence Bill’s case is scheduled to appear in court next Thursday.

In reference to these three cases, the Sabah group said : “This is a call to prayer for all parties as well as the judges to act with justice and righteousness.

“More importantly, they must act with conscience based on the Malaysia Agreement,” it added, referring to the 1963 agreement which incorporated the guarantee of complete religious freedom to Sabah and Sarawak.

Noting that one-third of the Cabinet ministers were from Sabah and Sarawak ― whose Christian natives had long used “Allah” in their indigenous languages, the group urged them to speak up for religious freedom regardless of their religious beliefs.

“The crisis facing us is one of freedom of religion enshrined in the Federal Constitution. They are duty bound to uphold the supremacy of the Constitution,” it said.

In a show of solidarity with the the state’s grassroots movement of Christian natives ― Perpaduan Anak Negeri (PAN) Sabah, the PFKK said it was “equally affected and offended” when their rights were “crippled” by government restrictions on the use of the Malay language bible Alkitab and the banning of the use of “Allah”.

Despite acknowledging Putrajaya’s 10-point solution in 2011 which allows Christians to use, print and distribute bibles with the word “Allah” with certain requirements for Peninsular Malaysia, the group called it “the latest deception” and “a 1Malaysia but 2-Alkitab policy”.

“We reject this one-country-two-system policy,” it said.

On October 14 last year, Justice Datuk Seri Mohamed Apandi Ali, in reading a summary of the Court of Appeal judgement by a three-man panel, said the home minister had acted well within his powers to disallow the Herald from using the word “Allah” in its Bahasa Malaysia section.

The Catholic Church’s bid to appeal the appellate court’s October ruling is opposed by nine respondents, namely the Home Ministry, the government, the Malaysian Chinese Muslim Association and the Islamic councils of six states.

According to a 2010 census, Muslims are Malaysia’s largest religious group, followed by Buddhists. Christians are the third largest at 2.6 million, which comes up to about 10 per cent of the entire Malaysian population.

Bumiputera Christians, who form about 64 per cent or close to two-thirds of the Christian community in Malaysia, have used the word “Allah” when praying and speaking in the national language and their native tongues for centuries.

Malaysia’s Allah Issue Seen from Afar

A former US ambassador to Malaysia sounds the alarm

Like other friends of Malaysia overseas, I have followed the controversy over the use of the word "Allah" with interest, but also with great concern. For I believe that this issue, if left unchecked, has the potential to tear Malaysia and the dream of "Bangsa Malaysia" apart.

While there are racial and religious issues in every society, what makes the situation in Malaysia different is that it is the government that has condoned and even provoked these tensions for its own political purposes.

For years, UMNO justified its existence by saying that the Malays are under threat, and that only UMNO could defend “the Malay race”.

After the 13th general election, in which UMNO candidates received only 30 percent of the national vote – and in which BN as a whole got only 47 percent – it had two choices. It could broaden its appeal or it could narrow it by trying to appeal to the PAS voter base, for whom religion rather than race is a more important concern.

Unfortunately, UMNO chose the latter course and started to play the "Muslim" card. Now, according to the government and UMNO, it is not just Malays, it is also Islam that is under threat. As for the "Malay" card, UMNO increasingly has gone to the extreme, pandering to extreme racist elements, starting with PERKASA.

The irony of the “Malays/Islam under threat” claim, of course, is that in Malaysia, both Malays and Muslims are the majority. And UMNO controls the government. So how can the Malay race and the Muslim religion in Malaysia be under threat?

To UMNO’s leadership, it doesn’t matter. There is no need to explain. They just speak and offer no evidence, and use their propaganda instruments - Bernama, RTM, Utusan Malaysia, the New Straits Times, etc – to spread the word.

From an international perspective, they also make assertions that are totally out of line with Islamic thinking and practice in the rest of the world.

Think about it – Malaysia is the only country in the world that ignores history and linguistics and dares to ban non-Muslims from uttering the word "Allah." Like Humpty Dumpty, the Malaysian government stands alone – and claims for itself the right to decide what words mean and what words people may read, write, think, and speak.

How can Prime Minister Najib Razak, his government, and its supporters justify their actions, when no one else in the Islamic world agrees with them? When Islamic scholars like Reza Aslan say, “We are laughing at you,” how do they respond?

They don’t. Because they don’t know what to say. They seem to be living on their own planet.

Actions, not just words

But it is not just what Najib and his government say, it also is what they have done.

It is the government that seized more than 20,000 Bibles in 2009.

It is the government that banned the use of the word "Allah" in the Catholic weekly The Herald.

It is the government’s Police Force that joined the recent raid on the Bible Society of Malaysia, confiscating over 300 bibles without a search warrant.

It is the government’s religious affairs department, JAKIM, that directed mosques throughout Malaysia to say, without citing any evidence, that Islam is “under threat,” that Christians and Jews are “enemies of Islam,” and that Christians are responsible for turning Muslims against each other and tricking them into losing their rights.

It is Najib’s cabinet that stood silently by and decided not to enforce its 10-point plan to restore religious peace and harmony in the nation.

It is the government that refused to take any action after the leader of PERKASA called for the burning bibles.

There is no greater example of uniformed assertions than former PM Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s recent claim that Christians have “no right” to use the word "Allah." Because he is Mahathir, he just says it, and he expects everyone to agree.

As the saying goes, everyone is entitled to their own opinions, but not to their own facts. In this case, history and the facts are not on Mahathir’s side. Mahathir is totally, 100 percent, wrong.

The word "Allah" was used by Arabic-speaking Christians for centuries before the birth of the Prophet and the rise of Islam. Indeed, archaeologists have found an Arabic-language Christian Bible (the Mt Sinai Arabic Codex 151), that is nearly 1,300 years old, in which God is called "Allah."

Indeed, someone might ask what right Muslims have to say the word "Allah," when it was used first by Christians? Who is violating whose rights?

The answer is simple – even though Jews and Christians used it first, they would never deny Muslims the right to say the word "Allah." Because while over the years, men and women have practiced and interpreted our religions in different ways, in the end we all worship the same God – the God of Abraham, the Creator of the Universe.

So here is the question. In the entire Islamic world, why is it only in Malaysia that people claim that uttering or writing the word "Allah" is the exclusive right of Muslims? Why is it only in Malaysia, and nowhere else in the world, that some Muslims say they will be “confused” if other people – Christians – use the word "Allah" when they worship inside their own churches, or when they read the Bible in the privacy of their own homes?

What makes Muslim Malaysians different from the other 1.5 billion Muslims in the rest of the world? I would like Malaysian advocates of the "Allah" ban to explain this, not to me (a Christian), but to explain it to the rest of the Islamic world.

Dangers of ‘quick research’

The senior judge in the Allah appeal, Mohamed Apandi Ali, wrote in his opinion that through his “quick research” on the history of the language of the Bible, “it is clear that the word ‘Allah’ does not appear even once as the name of God or even of a man in the Hebrew scriptures. The name ‘Allah’ does not appear even once in either the Old or New Testament.

“There is no such word at all in the Greek New Testament. In the Bible world, God has always been known as ‘Yahweh’, or by the contraction ‘Yah.’ That being the historical fact, it can be concluded that the word or name ‘Allah’ is not an integral part of the faith and practice of Christianity.”

Justice Apandi’s judgment clearly shows the dangers of “quick research.” He should have spent a little more time on the web. But because he refers to how the word "God" is expressed in Hebrew, Greek, and Arabic, he has raised the important issue of language and the words that we use in different languages to refer to God.

How many languages are there in the world? The Christian Bible has been translated in whole or part into an astonishing 2,817 languages, according to the Wycliffe Bible Translator, a UK organization. The complete Bible is available in 513 languages, including Arabic and Malay.

Both the Arabic and Malay Bibles use the word "Allah" to refer to God. In the case of Arabic, it has been so for at least 1,300 years, and in the case of Malay, which “borrowed” the word "Allah" from Arabic, for at least 300.

Even so, Justice Apandi ignored both history and language when he claimed that the Arabic and Malay language word for God – Allah – belongs exclusively to Muslims. That is because Jews and Christians used the word "Allah" before the Prophet was even born.

Judge Apandi also was wrong when he said that the Jews have always referred to God as "Yahweh." My own “quick research” on Wikipedia, which must have lasted 15 seconds longer than the learned judge’s, shows that the Hebrew Bible uses many names for God.

While Yahweh is indeed the most common expression, two others are "Elah" and "Eloah." They both sound very similar to "Allah" and there is a reason for that. Just as Jews, Christians, and Muslims all believe in the God of Abraham, the Hebrew, Aramaic, and Arab languages are all related to each other.

Most scholars say that Jesus spoke Aramaic, not Hebrew. And when Jesus spoke of God, he said, “Ellah.” That sounds remarkably very similar to the Arabic "Allah." And it should, because Aramaic and Arab are what linguists call “cognates.”

As word of Judaism and Christianity spread into the Arabian Peninsula, "Allah" became the Arabic language name for the God of Abraham. The word "Allah" was used first by Arab Christians and Mizrahi Jews, and only later by the Prophet and Muslims.

Sorry, Justice Apandi. Sorry, Mahathir. Sorry, Najib and UMNO.

If anyone owns the “trademark” on the word "Allah," it is the Christians, who first spread the word of the God of Abraham into the Arabian peninsula, and who first used the word "Allah." But here is the point – no Christian Malaysian insists and no Arabic-speaking Christian insists that the word "Allah" belongs exclusively to them.

So the burden of proof therefore is on any Malaysian who ignores history, language, and the facts – and who ignores what the rest of the Islamic world is doing – and simply asserts that only Muslim Malaysians may use the word "Allah."

John R. Malott served as US Ambassador to Malaysia from 1995 to 1998. He contributed this to the Malaysian website Malaysiakini.

Saifuddin jawab Daim: Ya, Anwar ‘lemah’

Malaysiakini
Setiausaha Agung PKR, Datuk Saifuddin Nasution Ismail secara sinis hari ini bersetuju dengan bekas menteri kewangan, Tun Daim Zainuddin yang menyifatkan ketua pembangkang, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim sebagai pemimpin yang “lemah”.

“Dalam konteks yang disebut itu, saya setuju Anwar lemah kerana Anwar tak dapat angkat anak dia jadi sepuluh (orang) yang terkaya di Malaysia.

“Beliau juga lemah kerana gagal mengumpul kekayaan seperti Daim.
“Ia amat sukar bagi saya untuk memaafkan Anwar di atas kelemahannya ini,” kata Saifuddin pada sidang media pagi ini.

Tambahnya lagi, Anwar juga “lemah” kerana melunaskan hutang-hutang negara lebih awal daripada yang sepatutnya dan tidak mengumpul hutang untuk negara.

“Anwar juga lemah kerana semasa jadi menteri kewangan dia bayar hutang negara lebih awal daripada jadual.

“Menteri kewangan yang baik harus menimbun hutang.

“Dalam konteks itu saya setuju sepenuhnya dengan kenyataan Tun Daim,” katanya lagi.
Dalam wawancara yang disiarkan KiniBiz semalam, Daim yang juga merupakan tokoh korporat berjaya menyifatkan Anwar sebagai “lemah” kerana tidak mempunyai sebarang pencapaian sewaktu berada di dalam kerajaan.

Beliau juga berkata, Perdana Menteri Datuk Seri Najib Razak gagal menunjukkan kepimpinan di peringkat nasional.

Najib’s plan may turn out to be ‘Never Really Plan’ – Kennee Wong

Yesterday, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak penned an article about the government’s new initiative for a more cohesive and united Malaysia.

Called the National Reconciliation Plan (NRP), it will be unveiled and implemented in the next few months and he has shared a bit of what is to come.

I cannot help but to wonder if the NRP will be another irresolute proposal that will have little consequence towards the improvement of our nation’s race and interfaith relations.

I commend him for the courage to voice his aspiration for a better Malaysia.

It takes a bold resolve on any authority figure to approach such a delicate situation head-on.

Enthusiastic terminologies aside, I find he has shared nothing more than wishful thinking that all peace-loving public has long thought of.

I had been pining for a more decisive and authoritative conduct from my prime minister, and not simply lament over the current state of affairs we are finding ourselves in.

At this deteriorating juncture, we can ill afford another stop-gap measure.

Back in 2011, we had a glimmer of hope when the 10-point solution was drawn up.

It is now, however, a subject of scorn and ridicule as the government seemed to have backtracked on the agreement.

The seizure of Alkitab in Selangor in January 2014 was a good example.

It was a convenient revelation that state religious laws will override the 10-point solution even when there was a comprehensive mention of country and the peninsula in the first and second points.

What use is a promise when it is ineffectual when it comes to resolving matters of interfaith discords at the executive level?

I have never felt so belittled for exercising my democratic right to vote in the last general election.

It was barely hours after the results when the prime minister proclaimed that a “Chinese tsunami” was the reason for Barisan Nasional’s declined support.

Surely, a more thorough post-mortem ought to have been conducted before issuing such a premature and pandering assumption.

The excuse was later debunked, but never to be acknowledged formally by BN.

As much as I would like to see less racial hatred in our multicultural society, I do not think highlighting the nuances of a Malay policeman helping an old Chinese woman crossing the street will be a good example.

It would only serve to reinforce the racial differentiation in an otherwise colour-blind society that we should be striving for.

Alternatively, I would prefer to see politicians put an end to making irresponsible statements with regard to race relations and interfaith matters and reprimand their colleagues when they misbehave.

Instead of sweeping news coverage of extremists under the carpet, the right approach has to be at the root of the vexation itself.

While it is decorous not to provide a pedestal for the extremists to be lionised, they cannot be dispensed from justice as a deterrence for other heinous stunts.

Cowardly acts of subversion may be ignored by the rakyat, but action from the authority has to be unwavering and they cannot be seen dragging their feet when it comes to procedural investigation.

It has often fascinated me how much we have progressed since Malaysia’s independence, owing to the profusion of technological advancements.

The immediacy of information and news should match our growth as a nation.

In spite of that, it is also the abuse by reckless parties for political expedience that we are regressing at a worrying rate.

The prime minister’s call for reconciliation will need a more methodical approach instead of mere rhetoric if he wants to see a positive outcome, otherwise his NRP would be fast known as No Real Purpose or Never Really Plan. – February 26, 2014.

* The writer blogs sporadically at kennee.com.

* This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insider.

PM: Just ignore the extremists

The Star

PETALING JAYA: Malaysians should not give extremists and instigators the publicity they crave, said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.

He said all Malaysians should discourage the spreading of reports on action taken by such groups that tend to destroy the trust between races and incite fear and hatred.

“You know what these extremist groups are saying on social media sites are wrong, so should we share such views online?” he wrote in his latest blog post at www.1malaysia.com.my.

“If you want to preserve the harmony of this country, don’t let these instigators overpower us!”

Najib pointed out that if no one responded to these groups, they would not be able to get the recognition they wanted and would fail as they would be unable to recruit more people to their cause.

Instead, he urged the public as well as mainstream and online media to share stories on acts of kindness between races, which reminded Malaysians that they were all part of one family.

“Do not give these extremists the publicity they crave. We don’t have to condemn them, just ignore them. Don’t give them the airtime or publici­ty,” he said.

Najib said the Government’s National Reconciliation Plan (NRP) was a concept that belonged to all Malaysians, adding that everyone should play a role if they wanted peace and harmony.

He said if the people wanted a better nation and their faith restored in one another, then they would need to take the steps to do it.

“Once you do this, it will not matter who says what or which group makes silly demands, because you will know how you, your neighbours and, by extension, how most Malay­sians feel.

“If we feel united as a people, these extremists, regardless of who they are and what they do, will get no traction.

“Destroy them by having faith in yourself and your fellow Malaysians,” he said.

Najib, who thanked the Opposition and various groups for their input on the NRP and said it would be consi­dered, added that the plan would be unveiled and implemented over the next few months.

He said it would encourage an environment that was conducive and promoted national reconciliation through unity and consensus, adding that it was based on the principles of respect, working and playing together and the spirit of give and take.

“What we want to do is help inspire the rakyat to respect and reconnect with one another so as to make Malaysia a better home for all of us,” he said, adding that he was touched by the rakyat’s strong support and encouragement for a cohesive and united nation.

Federal, Selangor Governments Sign MoU On State' Water Restructuring

PUTRAJAYA, Feb 26 (Bernama) -- The federal and Selangor governments have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on the restructuring of the state's water supply industry which has dragged on for five years.

The federal government was represented by Energy, Green Technology and Water Minister Datuk Seri Dr Maximus Ongkili while the state government by Menteri Besar Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim at the signing ceremony held at the Perdana Putra Complex here Wednesday.

The ceremony was witnessed by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin and the Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Dr Ali Hamsa.

Under the MoU, the state government will issue a development order for the construction of the Langat 2 Water Treatment Plant (Langat 2) and its distribution system (LRAL2) (Package 2A) effective today and ensure that all approvals and authorisations relating to the LRAL2 project approved within 30 days.

In addition, the federal government is ready to inject additional funds to enable the state government to take over water concession companies and manage water supply in the state through a state-owned company.

The restructuring exercise is essential in ensuring sustainable and efficient water supply services in Selangor, Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya.

The MoU also allows the state government to bid on the state's water concession companies, namely Puncak Niaga Sdn Bhd (PNSB), Syarikat Bekalan Air Selangor Sdn Bhd (Syabas), Syarikat Pengeluar Air Selangor Sdn Bhd (Splash), and Konsortium ABASS Sdn Bhd (ABBAS).

It also spells out that the federal government becomes a facilitator for the state government in implementing the restructuring exercise through the Water Services Industry Act 2006 (WSIA) and other applicable laws.

Speaking at a news conference later, Ongkili said the federal government agreed to set up a committee made up state government representatives for the implementation of the LRAL2 project.

"The federal and Selangor governments hope water concessionaires in the state will give full cooperation to ensure the success of the restructuring of the water supply services industry for the well-being of the people of Selangor, Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya," he said.

Ongkili said the MoU was not prompted by current water crisis in Selangor but rather in the interest of the people.

"Even though Selangor is not under Barisan Nasional, the people's interest comes first... we have worked hard for more than seven months to reach a consensus," he said.

Describing the signing of the MoU as timely, Khalid said: "We have agreed to implement the restructuring of the water industry which we considered timely in light of the current situation to ensure that water consumers in Selangor, Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya enjoy the best service," he said.

Negotiations on the restructuring exercise started in 2008 with no end in sight to the detriment of the state's water supply services industry and new development projects due to worries over water shortage.

The quagmire has stalled the LRAL2 project, an important component in resolving impending water woes in Selangor, Selangor, Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya.

Indian women's lonely battle against illegal sand mining

Simbah cat: Polis bawa balik itik untuk siasatan

Bekasi Islamic Teacher Arrested on Student Rape Charges

Bekasi. An Islamic studies teacher accused of raping a 17-year-old during a ritual to counteract the effects of “black magic,” was arrested by police on Monday in this West Java city.

Bekasi Police detained 44-year-old Islamic studies teacher Mulyadi on Monday after the teenage girl reported the incident to police. According to investigators, the teenaged girl, a student of Mulyadi, approached her teacher for help on Sunday morning. The student believed she was suffering the ill-effects of black magic and sought treatment from Mulyadi, who also professed to be a traditional healer with magical abilities.

The two had known each other for some two years, police said.

“The victim claimed that she was suffering from black magic,” Bekasi Police spokesman Adj. Comr. Siswo said. “Then [Mulyadi], who is also her Islamic studies teacher, asked her to come for treatment.”

He invited the girl to his house, which doubled as the Yayasan Anwarul Istiqomah Islamic School, at 11 a.m. on Sunday. When she arrived, Mulyadi allegedly sexually assaulted her in his living room, raping the girl while his wife and three children were out of the house.

“[He assaulted] the victim by covering her mouth with his hand and [forced her] to have an intimate relationship,” Siswo said.

He then sent the girl home. She immediately reported the incident to local police, prompting an investigation.

Mulyadi was charged under the 2002 Law on Child Protection and faces a maximum sentence of 15 years in jail if convicted.

Nigerian Islamists kill 59 pupils in boarding school attack

(Reuters) - Gunmen from Islamist group Boko Haram shot or burned to death 59 pupils in a boarding school in northeast Nigeria overnight, a hospital official and security forces said on Tuesday.

"Some of the students' bodies were burned to ashes," Police Commissioner Sanusi Rufai said of the attack on the Federal Government college of Buni Yadi, a secondary school in Yobe state, near the state's capital city of Damaturu.

Bala Ajiya, an official at the Specialist Hospital Damaturu, told Reuters by phone the death toll had risen to 59.

"Fresh bodies have been brought in. More bodies were discovered in the bush after the students who had escaped with bullet wounds died from their injuries," he said.

Rafai, who had given an earlier estimate of 29 killed, said all those killed were boys. He said the school's 24 buildings, including staff quarters, were completely burned to the ground.

President Goodluck Jonathan called the attack "callous and senseless murder ... by deranged terrorists and fanatics who have clearly lost all human morality and descended to bestiality".

The Islamists, whose struggle for an Islamic state in northern Nigeria has killed thousands and made them the biggest threat to security in Africa's top oil producer, are increasingly preying on the civilian population.

Militants from Boko Haram, whose name means "Western education is sinful" in the northern Hausa language, have frequently attacked schools in the past. A similar attack in June in the nearby village of Mamudo left 22 students dead.

They have killed more than 300 people this month, mostly civilians, including in two attacks last week that killed around 100 each, one in which militants razed a whole village and shot panicked residents as they tried to flee.

That attack prompted U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry to condemn Boko Haram for "unspeakable ... acts of terror".

The failure of the military to protect civilians is fuelling anger in the northeast, the region worst affected by the four-and-a-half-year insurgency. An offensive ordered by Jonathan in May has not succeeded in crushing the rebels and has triggered reprisals against civilians.

A military spokesman for Yobe state, Captain Lazarus Eli, said "our men are down there in pursuit of the killers", but gave no further details.

Addressing a news conference on Monday, Jonathan defended the military's record, saying it had had some successes against Boko Haram. He said Nigeria was working with the Cameroon authorities to try to prevent militants from mounting attacks in Nigeria and then fleeing over the border.

The military shut the northern part of the border with Cameroon on the weekend.

The insurgents mostly occupy the remote, hilly Gwoza area bordering Cameroon, from where they attack civilians they accuse of being pro-government. They have started abducting girls, a new tactic reminiscent of Uganda's cult-like Lord's Resistance Army in decades past.

(Additional reporting by Ibrahim Mshelizza in Maiduguri; Writing by Tim Cocks; Editing by Andrew Roche and Alison Williams)

Time for Waytha to accept political realities - Malaysiakini

Persatuan Hindraf Malaysia leader P Wathymoorthy, who took everyone by surprise with his sudden resignation announcement from all government positions, is indeed a disappointment. Those who had high hopes of Waytha are now wondering whether they should ever trust him again.

Within a short stint in the PM’s Department Waytha expected the government to fulfil the memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the association. Waytha has indeed betrayed the Indian Malaysian community with his abrupt resignation from the deputy minister and senator posts.

It is obvious Waytha seems to be lacking the patience and the stamina to work with the PM and his officers to make the association’s blueprint a reality for the benefit of the marginalised Indian Malaysian community.

There is a saying that says when the going gets tough, the tough get going. In the case of Waytha, when the going gets tough he decides to quit with a hundred and one reasons. Can the Indian Malaysian community depend on such “softies” to represent and champion their cause?

At the height of the Hindraf demonstration in 2008 he bolted to Britain, leaving his comrades to face the full weight of the law for the illegal gathering. Later he sneaks into the country, striking a deal with the authorities, and takes the community for a ride.

I knew from day one that Waytha will not last long when he arrogantly brushed off the noble invitation by MIC deputy president Dr S Subramaniam to Waytha to cooperate and to work as a team for a common good - in uplifting the Indian Malaysian community. The snobbish and egoist stance of Waytha did not go down well with the community then.

Waytha should realise that MIC has been representing the Indian community in the BN coalition government for more than 55 years and despite their shortcomings, the MIC with their many years of experience in politics has delivered whatever it could under the difficult political circumstances of the Indian Malaysian community.

Trying to downplay the MIC will not get Waytha anywhere. It is time Waytha accepts that his short stint in the BN government was a failure and come to terms with the political realities, rather going around the country “crying out loud ” for sympathy.

In the meanwhile, the jostling has started for the vacated position of deputy minister and senator in the PM’s Department which was once held by Waytha. According to local Tamil newspaper reports, several Indian Malaysian-based political party leaders are said to be busy issuing statements trying to capture the attention of the PM for the vacant post .

If the PM is prepared to fill up Waytha’s vacant position with another Indian rep, perhaps the PM should consider giving the opportunity to the Indian Progressive Front (IPF) which has been an ardent supporter of the BN government for the last 25 years. Kimma, the Indian Muslim political party, too, deserves due consideration.

MP: Stop defending Najib over Hindraf MOU - Malaysiakini

DAP’s Serdang MP Ong Kian Ming today urged cabinet ministers Khairy Jamaluddin and Abdul Rahman Dahlan to stop defending Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak over the alleged non-implementation of the BN-Persatuan Hindraf Malaysia memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed last year before the general election.

Ong pointed out in a statement today that a separate budget allocation, which Khairy and Abdul Rahman said was being demanded by former deputy minister and the association’s chair P Waythamoorthy, was exactly what Najib had promised if the duo had read the MOU.

“Both ministers are disingenuous in their defence of the prime minister in that they make no mention of the contents of the Persatuan Hindraf Malaysia MOU and to what extent the prime minister has failed or succeeded in implementing the promises outlined in this MOU,” Ong said.

After referring to the demands made in the association’s blueprint, Ong said that Najib had already signalled his intention not to honour the agreement when he appointed Waythamoorthy as a deputy minister and not a minister taking charge of his own ministry.

“Without a Minority Affairs Ministry and without a Persatuan Hindraf Malaysia minister, needless to say, the promise of a dedicated budget also failed to materialise,” Ong said.

Ong said it is wrong for Khairy, who is the Youth and Sports Minister, to criticise Waythamoorthy over the latter wanting to control his own budget, as that was “explicitly spelt out” in the MOU.

“If Khairy, having been in cabinet for less than a year, can say that ‘this is not how the government operates’, then Prime Minister Najib, having been in cabinet for much longer, should never have signed the MOU with Persatuan Hindraf Malaysia if he had no intention of giving the association’s appointed leader any budgetary control,” Ong said.

BN will lose GE14, says Waythamoorthy

'The coalition's betrayal will not go down well even with the Malays.'

PRAI: Hindraf chief P Waythamoorthy is certain that Barisan Nasional (BN) will lose the 14th general election.

He said Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak’s failure to honour his agreement with the Hindu-based movement would cause BN to lose votes not only among Indians, but other Malaysian communities as well, including the Malays.

“BN has deceived the Indians,” he said in an interview with FMT. “The coalition has failed to fulfil a promise made publicly. It’s a serious human rights violation. Everyone sees that.”

In the run-up to last May’s general election, BN and Hindraf signed a memorandum of understanding based on the civil rights movement demand for policies to benefit Malaysian Indians.

The contents of the memorandum will always be available in the Hindraf website and other social media networks.

After the May election, Waythamoorthy was appointed a senator and given a deputy minister’s post in the Prime Minister’s Department. He recently quit the position, citing a lack of political will on Najib’s part to honour the agreement.

Waythamoorthy told FMT that BN’s failure to implement the blueprint meant that the coalition had lost its Indian vote bank for good.

“BN has already lost the Chinese votes; now it will lose Indian votes,” he said.

“The natives of the peninsula, Sabah and Sarawak will not trust BN any more.

“BN’s betrayal and violation of human rights will not go down well even with the Malay community.

“Being a Kelantanese, I know the Malays are a community who keep their word. I lived among Malays in my home state. For them, fulfilling a promise is more precious than their life.”

He praised former Kelantan Mentri Besar Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat as a model Malay leader. “He always keeps his promises to the people, especially to the poor.”

He said Hindraf made sure that the agreement with BN was signed in full public view last April because it wanted to avoid the fate suffered by Suqiu, a Chinese lobby group set up in the late 1990s to advocate broad institutional and policy reforms.

Suqiu officials have said the group’s proposals were accepted and endorsed in principle by Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s cabinet in a closed door session prior to the 1999 general election only to be rejected after the polls.

Waythamoorthy said BN had yet again proved that it never wanted to implement permanent solutions to problems faced by poor Indians in the country.

“By not honouring its promise made publicly before millions to implement the Indian blueprint, BN has showed it is a maestro in breaking promises,” he said.

“With that, BN has lost the Indian votes forever.”

What is the Hindraf problem? - Malaysiakini

Did the prime minister fully understand what he was dealing with, when he invited P Waythamoorthy, the leader of Persatuan Hindraf Malaysia, to join the cabinet?

Or, was it simply a ploy, to co-opt the movement’s leader for the thirteenth general election and then to ignore the man and his issues and concerns, when it was not convenient any more?

Regardless of the PM’s pure intentions, it is now obvious that he could not keep some kind of promise, whereas it is claimed that Waythamoorthy (left) had tried his best. That was obviously why he resigned in protest, after having given the PM a few months to respond to the issues and concerns raised.

Therefore, I do not understand why the cousin or other barking dogs choose to speak for the PM who is quite capable of speaking up for himself? I have now also noticed that the PM often does not speak up whenever he is caught between a rock and a hard place.

That may be wise too; except it also makes one look like a lame-duck PM. It also smacks of lack of moral maturity and integrity.

I do not know if either Umno, or Umno-linked think tanks like Isis or Mier or any of the ones in public universities, have ever tried to study and understand the real Hindraf problems and issues.

I once first asked a notable Tan Sri who heads a think tank if my NGO think tank could collaborate with it to study the Hindraf problem. It seemed like my question motivated an angry and emotive response which sounded like: ‘Why do we need to study an artificially created problem?’

So what is the Hindraf problem and the related issues?My limited and not comprehensive study of has informed me as follows:

1. The Hindraf issues and concerns are largely related to migration of indentured labour for rubber plantations in Malaya from two South Indian communities, namely the Tamils and Telugus.

2. These migrant labourers and their families came to Malaya more than 100 years ago and were hosted in British-owned rubber plantations within clusters which included a temple, a toddy shop and Tamil school organised around some barrack-type housing lines.

3. They were recruited from the public square or marketplace in India and verbally promised not just jobs but also accommodation and a lifestyle. Most were single and only travelled back to get married and start a family once settled in the job.

4. Throughout Malaya, there were many small settlements of ‘Indian colonies’ which were almost identical in structure and form. They were visible to anyone with eyes to see.

5. The real problems began when the rubber plantations were fragmented because of sale of the principal ownership, either by self-selection or by forced sale as in the now famous ‘London Raid’.

6. With fragmentation, smaller lots were taken up by housing developers, whether called PKNS or Sime Darby or Guthrie. While these ‘developers’ made plans to comprehensively develop their acquisitions, they did not take care to understand the residual problem of the ‘squatters’ they inherited.

7. The resultant issues and problems became known as Hindraf issues or concerns. What are these?

- Many of these ‘squatter residents’ did not have proper documents to establish their citizenship, even if they were third- and fourth-generation Malaysians. Even the birth certificate, the defining document of one’s identity, was not available to them. Moreover, as the Tamil school was privately run by the estate owner, the requirements in registering pupils may not have included a birth certificate.

- Most of these schools remained primary schools with a focus on language and culture; there was less emphasis on the teaching of Malay or English, math and science.

- The toddy shop and the culture of drinking became part and parcel of life on the rubber estates. Movies shown were also part of the system of ‘forgetting one’s predicaments in life’.

- The temple priests (all brought in from India) and their rituals became the defining hierarchy of culture and life, with the rise of absentee fathers another common feature.

- Then, one day, the residents of the ‘rubber plantation village’ were told they were squatters because some developer had gained the right to develop the land into a new township and they had to leave because they were ‘squatters’.

8. At the height of the Hindraf crisis, it was estimated that there were about 50,000 Malaysian third- and fourth-generation Tamils and Telugus whose grandparents had migrated to British Malaya rubber plantations. They did not have birth certificates. Whose problem was this? Who created this problem?

9. At the height of this crisis in Selangor, the debate centred upon the state authorities seeking to demolish a 100-year-old temple which was declared to be “situated in the wrong place”.

How could this be? The Federation of Malaya and Malaysia is less than 100 years old! So, what was the real problem?

Seeking solutions

We, the Merdeka generation of Malayans, are part of the Hindraf problem. We never took time to understand and appreciate the real issues and concerns of these rubber plantation workers, especially those who only studied in Tamil with little or no Malay and English.

Of course, as a young man, I had assumed that the so-called Indian Party would address the problem. Obviously, it did not!

My father is a founder member of the Kedah portion of that party and therefore I too have to assume some blame for its failure. I have never been and never will be a member of the party but that is not the point here. The point is our negligence of the issue.

The Merdeka Malayans must now ask the Hindraf-type victims of colonisation a la the British divide-and-rule system that we be forgiven for our neglect of the issues and concerns of these groups of Tamils and Telugus. Is that too difficult to do? Why so?

And is this problem too difficult to quantify and resolve, Mr Prime Minister?

May God bless Malaysia!

_______________________________________________________
KJ JOHN was in public service for 29 years. The views expressed here are his personal views and not those of any institution he is involved with. Write to him at kjjohn@ohmsi.net with any feedback or views.

Waytha’s forecast way off, say Indian parties

They are confident that Indians will support BN in GE14

PETALING JAYA: MIC and two other Indian-based parties have rejected a Hindraf prediction that Barisan Nasional’s alleged marginalisation of Indians will result in its losing the 14th general election.

Reacting to a statement by Hindraf chairman P Waythamoorthy, representatives of the three parties told FMT they believed the Indian community would continue to support BN.

MIC treasurer-general S Murugesan said Waythamoorthy was speaking as a man who had become bitter because the Indians had lost faith in him and deepened their trust in BN. “He’s eaten sour grapes,” he said.

He recalled that the Hindraf chief, in a statement issued prior to last May’s general election, had told the community their best chances were with BN.

He said Waythamoorthy should stop issuing press statements and concentrate his energies on finding ways to be of better service to the community.

S Nallakaruppan, who leads the BN-friendly Malaysian Indian United Party, said he was confident that BN would increase its majority in the next general election.

He said the Indians would increase their support for BN because they were aware that it had been addressing most of their problems.

In an interview with FMT yesterday, Waythamoorthy said Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak’s failure to honour his agreement with Hindraf would cause BN to lose votes not only among Indians, but other Malaysian communities as well, including the Malays.

Malaysia Makkal Sakti Party, another BN-friendly organisation, said Waythamoorthy was being presumptuous. “He is not the kingmaker to decide on Indian vote distribution,” said the party’s president, RS Thanenthiran.

He said Indians could no longer be deceived by “old Hindraf tricks”.

He also said Najib had done more for Indians than Waythamoorthy had.

MIC risking de-registration?

The party is risking de-registration for not acting against allegations of election misappropriation

PETAING JAYA: While constant internal bickering is common in all political parties, the problems in MIC, touted to be the largest Indian based political party in the country, is not only tearing the party apart but also bringing it to the brink of de-registration

FMT learnt that the party is being investigated by the Registrar of Societies (ROS) after a spate of reports by disgruntled leaders to the authority on the running of the party’s internal polls, including divisional elections, late last year

A source revealed that over 50 reports had been lodged against the party election to the ROS and “in the last three weeks ROS had investigated more than 20 party leaders and members”

“Taking the ongoing investigations into account, we cannot discount de-registration of the MIC. The ROS is expected to direct the party to hold re-election and if the current leadership is adamant not wanting a re-election, then we are looking at de-registration of the MIC,” said the source close to the party leadership

The MIC national election, held in Malacca on Nov 30, witnessed various election offences. While protests mounted on the running of the polls, the MIC central working committee earlier this month endorsed results of the polls.

The party disciplinary committee meanwhile is looking to punish disgruntled leaders who aired their dissatisfaction in the media soon after the polls.

Now, these leaders are saying that they are being victimised for asking a free and fair elections. They also want a re-election to set things right.

The November polls saw the election of three vice-presidents and 23 central working committee members.

MIC violated its constitution

The source said MIC chief G Palanivel cannot dispute that fact that the MIC election committee had run foul of the MIC constitution in conducting the polls.

“Firstly, not allowing the Putera and Puteri wings to vote in the election is a violation of the constitution. Secondly, the total number of voters exceed the number of ballots cast. Thirdly, more than 1,500 delegates voted and this is against the constitution which only allows 1,500 delegates to cast their ballots.

“The fourth point is that a non-delegate was able to cast his ballot with the consent of the president. Then you have some people who were not even authorised by the election committee counting and overseeing the tabling of votes.

“All these must be addressed by the party. Saying that the election went without a glitch and was fair is ridiculous. All the leaders, winners or losers, saw what transpired. They all know who is in the wrong,” said the source.

He further said Articles 74.1 and 74.2 of the MIC constitution states that the total number of delegates entitled to attend the General Assembly shall not exceed 1,500 at any one time.

“But, it was proven that the total delegates during the election was 1,523, which is more than that allowed under the party’s constitution.

“Article 70.3, on the other hand, clearly mentions that both Putera and Puteri wings must be given the right to attend and vote at annual general assemblies. But this was not the case last year. These two wings were barred from voting,” he added.

The case of a non-delegate voting he said, MIC’s central working committee member V Subramaniam has admitted that the person did indeed vote after a special request by deputy president Dr S Subramaniam, which Palanivel approved.

“Basically, it is ‘catch 22′ for Palanivel. Being a party president it is the time for him to decide whether to hold a re-election or allow the party to be de-registered,” said the MIC insider.

Don’t just label me, come debate with me, Kassim Ahmad tells Muslim critics

 

Kassim says he is ready for a debate with his critics. – 

The Malaysian Insider pic by Hasnoor Hussain, February 25, 2014.

“They disregard the views and opinions of others. That is how they have come to this conclusion. In other words, they are not honest. God is all-knowing. I do not fear them. They (Jakim) are small fries.”

Looi Sue-Chern, The Malaysian Insider

Dr Kassim Ahmad is no stranger to controversy, and only recently he has been accused of another wrongdoing, encouraging apostasy.

The only prominent person who has openly defended him so far is former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, his junior during their years at University of Malaya in Singapore.

Kassim, who once headed Parti Sosialis Rakyat Malaysia (PSRM), was repeatedly slammed for his views on the hadith, or the sayings of Prophet Muhammad, at a seminar in Putrajaya last weekend.

But Dr Mahathir said Kassim was labeled “anti-hadith” because detractors failed to debate with him on religious issues.

“Tun (Dr Mahathir) is a thinker,” Kassim said. “He gives his views on what is happening and many people respect him for it,” Kassim told The Malaysian Insider at his home in Kulim, Kedah, recently.

Kassim, who joined Umno in 1986, praised Dr Mahathir, saying he “has great drive to correct what he deems as mistakes”.

He recalled telling Dr Mahathir upon the latter’s retirement that they both belong to the old generation, lamenting they could not do anything if the younger generation did not want to listen to them.

He said Dr Mahathir had then answered that he would continue to give his views.

He and Dr Mahathir go a long way back. Kassim’s childhood home was in Bukit Pinang, Jitra, some four miles from Titi Gajah, where Dr Mahathir used to live.

“After he was expelled from Umno in September 1969, I called on him at his house there. When he saw me at his doorstep, he told me that I did not look like a communist,” said Kassim, who said they used to write to each other on contemporary Malaysian problems.

“I was heading PSRM at the time,” he said, adding that it was Dr Mahathir who had him released from Internal Security Act detention in 1981 shortly after becoming the prime minister.

Kassim was PSRM president from 1968 to 1984, and was detained for almost five years for his views. Now 80, he is again in the spotlight for his non-mainstream views about Islam, namely the hadith.

He is being investigated by the Federal Territory Islamic Religious Department (Jawi) over some controversial statements he made at “The Thoughts of Kassim Ahmad: A Review”, a seminar organised by the Perdana Leadership Foundation, of which Dr Mahathir is the patron.

Among others, Kassim had accused some ulama (religious scholars) in Malaysia of imitating the “priesthood caste” system.

He riled up Muslims on both sides of the divide when he questioned the use of hadith to interpret the Quran, and described the Prophet as “just a messenger of Allah”.

In his lecture titled “The Nation’s Direction in the Next Thirty Years”, Kassim also questioned the hijab (Islamic headscarf) worn by Muslim women, saying that “the hair is not part of the aurat” (parts of the body which need to be covered according to Islamic teachings).

Department of Islamic Development (Jakim) director-general Datuk Othman Mustapha said they would question Kassim on his controversial views.

In its latest Friday sermon text, Jakim reminded Muslims of the obligation to believe, accept and obey the hadith, saying the words of the Prophet’ were divinely inspired and the source of the Islamic law.

Kassim, who said he had anticipated such a reaction from Jakim, challenged it to prove the accusation that he insulted the Prophet.

“They disregard the views and opinions of others. That is how they have come to this conclusion. In other words, they are not honest. God is all-knowing. I do not fear them. They (Jakim) are small fries,” said Kassim.

Kassim said the reactions to his lecture were mixed, with some challenging him to debate and while there were others who congratulated him.

He said his views on the hadith were not new, recalling that his work “Hadis: Satu Penilaian Semula” (Hadith: A Re-evaluation), which was banned in 1986. He urged the Home Ministry to lift the ban, but the matter was referred to Jakim, which meant he was back in square one.

On his view on the ulama “caste”, Kassim said he used the term “priesthood” because the ulama have become “dictators” of the Muslim’s understanding of his Islam.

“This class of priests control the interpretation of religion to the masses. They are dictators. There is no freedom,” he said.