Thaipusam ignites racist rants on Twitter

The annual Thaipusam festival never fails to bring traffic at Batu Caves and its surrounding areas to a crawl.

The Hindu homage to Lord Muruga draws more than a million people, among them devotees, tourists and Malaysians of all faiths.

Since taking over the reins in 2003, Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak has also made it a point to visit the iconic Batu Caves temple on Thaipusam, which is a public holiday in several states.

This year, Thaipusam fell on a Friday (Jan 17), which is also the day that Muslims perform their Solat Jumaat in mosques.

And the traffic congestion as a result of Thaipusam saw a slew of racist and derogatory remarks made on Twitter.

Among others, one tweet says: “Bodoh punya keling (derogatory term for Indians) paria baruah anjing! Thaipusam kau, kau cuti. Aku nak pergi Solat Jumaat, kau tak bagi. Keling sakai anjing.”

(Stupid pariah Indian dogs. It is your Thaipusam, you go on leave. I want to go carry out Friday prayers, you do not allow. Keling sakai dogs.)

'Politicians to blame'

Screen captures of these messages have now gone viral.

Observers have blamed politicians from race-based parties for the regression in racial ties due to the playing up of racial and religious sentiments to garner votes.

Umno and its leaders often shoulder the lion’s share of the blame.

Some have claimed that Umno has chosen to up the racial and religious ante as its leaders are aware that it is the only formula that can ensure the party continues to remain in power.

Prior to this, MIC lodged a police report against a Facebook user, "Man Namblast", who posted a status on Jan 18 that read: "Berpuluh ribu syaitan sedang berarak menaiki tangga Batu Cave." (Tens of thousands of devils are marching up the steps of Batu Caves).

Jam-packed police reports over Hindus ‘syaitan’ remark

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 20: A Facebook post addressing Hindus as ‘syaitan’ (demons) has caused an uproar among Malaysians of all races for its insensitivity, especially to the Hindus, whom had just celebrated Thaipusam.

On Friday, a Facebook user named Man Namblast allegedly posted “berpuluh ribu syaitan sedang berarak menaiki tangga bt caves” (tens of thousands of demons are marching up the stairs at Batu Caves).

The remark aimed on Hindu devotees, who celebrated the Thaipusam festival at the Batu Caves Murugan temple, has offended and provoked the public’s outrage.

The Facebook page was removed entirely, when checked by The Malaysian Times (TMT).

However, a screenshot of the post is being circulated and has gone viral in media and social networks.

Frustrated with the racial remark that insulted the Hindus and Thaipusam, the public, various NGOs and political parties are lodging police reports nationwide.

Datuk Seri G. Palanivel

MIC president Datuk Seri G. Palanivel told TMT that it was a foolish remark that has offended the Indian community and has called upon the police and the Malaysian Communication and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) to take stern action without any delay.

“Issues that can harm the unity in this country shouldn’t be tolerated.

“It is not our culture and it is very unacceptable,” the Natural Resources and Environment Minister said.

“The matter is going viral everywhere and the police and relevant authorities must take action immediately,” he stressed.

Meanwhile, Malaysian Indian Education Transformation Association (MIETA) chairman A. Elangovan, who also made a police report on the matter, told TMT that it was an irresponsible post and has triggered anger of many.

“No religions have the rights to humiliate the others. Thaipusam is a recognised festival in this country and it has to be respected by all.

“It is a racist remark that can threaten the unity among the multiracial community in Malaysia.

“I believe with the police reports lodged nationwide the police and MCMC will take action on the irresponsible Facebook user,” he said.

A. Elangovan

MIC YOUTH WILL TAKE IT TO COURT

Meanwhile, MIC youth chief C. Sivarraajh said that the wing will take the matter to the court if no action are taken regarding the post by Man Namblast.

“If police refused to take any action against the user, MIC youth will sue and drag him to the court on our personal capacity.

“No apology accepted,” he stressed. The wing has also lodged a police report.

C. Sivarraajh

MIC Puchong youth secretary K. Gunalan said police report has been made by the division youth against Man Namblast hoping the authority will take immediate action as a lesson for those irresponsible racial remarks made in social media.

“Should the authority fail to take further action, we shall not hesitate to proceed with legal action as mentioned by National MIC Youth Leader,” he said.

The Malaysian Hindu Youth Council (HYO) committee members will also lodge report, today, against the Facebook post that insulted the Hindus.

Its secretary-general A. Tharman said that police reports will be lodged by the members of the movement in all states.

A police source confirmed that various complaints have been received and more reports are expected on the matter by NGOs and civilians as their part to fight for their community’s rights.

A saddened devotee, who preferred to be unnamed, told TMT that such remark in social media was a disappointing act.

“It is very sad to see certain individuals making fun of other religions. Wonder what good feel they get in insulting the others?” she asked.

“The police have to put a full stop for such reckless remarks,” she added.

Mohd Ismail said that “Every ethnic in this country has the rights to practice their culture freely.

“Any critics over the religious matters have to be harshly punished,” the 23-year-old engineering student said.

AS SERIOUS AS ‘BAH KUT TEH’ FIASCO

While, another devotee said that the matter has to be taken seriously by the police and government, as it can pollute the country’s harmony.

“This is a national issue. Actions have to be taken like how the authorities reacted towards  the controversial Alvivi couples,” he said.

The Alvivi pair, Alvin Tan Jye Yee and Vivian Lee May Ling, was charged at court despite their action of posting a message ridiculing Ramadan and pornographic images on their blog.

Tan, 25, and Lee, 24, came under fire making a seditious posting on their Facebook page by uploading a photo of themselves eating bak kut teh (a pork dish) with the greeting Selamat Berbuka Puasa with bak kut teh (fragrant, delicious and appetising) together with the halal logo.

Lament for a vanishing genre

 

REVIEW Column-writing calls for the melding of reportage and commentary. Writing a political column on a regular basis, say, twice a week, requires not only a good’s reporter eye for colour, the pithy anecdote or quotation, but also a ruminative mien that can make arguments resonate long after the reader has turned the page.

The time S Thayaparan got that elusive blend down to a gem was when he fused a spot of reminiscences about the admirable conduct of a nazir agama (chief of religious affairs) he knew in the armed forces in the 1970s with critical scrutiny of a call by Umno types in 2011 for more representation for ulama in their party’s supreme council.

The piece sang from its ‘intro’ - as they say among journalists - to its conclusion with an eloquence that prompted this reviewer to recall what a famous poet said on encountering the work of another: “I wanted to go to the man that wrote it and say something.”

Unfortunately, that piece - actually, it was a letter that appeared in theSun - is not among the compilation of articles ‘No Country for Righteous Men’ that Thayaparan wrote during a two-year (2011-13) stint for Malaysiakini, though it was the best of a slew of missives from him that had enlivened the theSun's letters column and got him an invitation to write for the portal.

Had Thayaparan’s letter praising Warrant Officer Haji Mohd Said as a multicultural exemplar been included in ‘No Country’, it would have served as useful basis to suggest why that piece was memorable while much of what has been included here is ephemeral.

The latter description, though, is no reason to resist engagement with this collection, subtitled ‘Essays in a Culture of Offendedness’, which can also be seen as a 383-page jeremiad on the evanescence in Malaysian life of what may be called the ‘pluralistic personality’, of which Mohd Said was a quintessential embodiment.

In our multiracial, multicultural and multi-religious country, the pluralistic personality approaches others to study their differences from him/herself, is willing to discover that learning comes by way of a certain humility, displays a certain hesitance to judge others too quickly, is equipped with watchfulness for possible errors in one’s own perceptions, and has a capacity for laughing at foibles that does not sour into cynicism about underlying values.

That personality, examples of which abounded in the 1960s and 1970s, spawning period of Thayaparan’s self-enriching discovery of his multifarious milieu, is almost extinct these days.

In its stead is a profusion of one-dimensional types who wall themselves away, smugly satisfied with the monisms of race or religion.

Is it a surprise that in the latter environs, the culture of easily taken umbrage is rife, leaving a sociopolitical commentator like Thayapayan (left), of evident distaste for this prickliness, exposed to the ire of one-dimensional partisans of our social spectrum?

In this straits it helps that this former naval commander who read law while in service can dish it out as well as he takes, maybe even better.

The racial and other shibboleths he took on in his letters to The Sun were splendid cuts to the bone of the issues involved, leaving readers with the feeling that it is not good for one’s self-esteem to be in Thayaparan’s editorial cross-hairs.

Editorial miscue

It must be said, though, that an excess of the polemical strain in a writer detracts from a columnist’s craft. The latter’s job is to try to get behind the news, to understand the personalities and forces that hog it, to give a wider perspective to the events making the headlines.

The difficulty of shining a steady columnar light on newsy developments that are can spurt and twist confusingly is exacerbated by the short attention span of readers. TS Eliot captured this attention deficit disorder thus: “Readers of the Boston Evening Transcript/Sway in the wind like a field of ripe corn.”

In pursuit of one shift in the gusts, Thayaparan tracked Hindraf’s P Waythamoorthy (left) in the immediate prelude to last May’s general election, an effort that left the columnist with a sour aftertaste as the Indian rights’ exponent made a deal with the BN that was either going to be a stunning coup or a sellout - more the latter it has now transpired.

It’s easy to be wise in hindsight. But had Thayaparan been in the reporting business before graduating to column-writing, he conceivably would have been aware of the number of Hindraf’s early enthusiasts who had already left the movement to join the opposition, especially PKR.

That fact would have raised suspicion that Waythamoorthy was posturing on behalf of remnants of a NGO whose main drivers had already left to join what they felt were more effective political vehicles for the aspirations of the Indian Malaysian poor.

Hindraf, in the time that Waythamoorthy was on a theatrical fast simultaneous with a lookout for a deal with either of the two political coalitions vying for Indian support in the upcoming polls, was by early 2013 a shell of the body that had jolted the Malaysian political landscape with an impressive demonstration in Kuala Lumpur on Nov 25, 2007.  

Thayaparan’s editorial miscue on Waythamoorthy was a minor blemish in an otherwise energetic and arresting engagement with the socio-political concerns of Malaysians, the heightened focus of intensive debate in web news portals, blogs and newspapers after the general election of March 2008.

This mostly “digital democracy”, as Muss Hitam (right) put it, was among the beneficial aftereffects of that political tsunami when BN lost its supermajority in Parliament.

Six years on from that landscape churning event, historians and commentators may plausibly argue that there is now a pre-2008 period to modern Malaysian history and a post-2008 phase to it - seminal was the impact of the 12th general election.

In the future, scribes wishing to make sense of this bifurcation would find ‘No Country’ a useful guide. They are certain to be enlarged and even entertained by what they find.

They may not always agree with the author’s views and evaluations, but perhaps that would only encourage them to share his conviction - that the waning of the multicultural archetype in our society is a suicidal loss of our essence.

---

TERENCE NETTO has been a journalist for four decades now. He likes the profession because it puts him in contact with the eminent without being under the necessity to admire them.

‘No Country’ will be launched tomorrow.

Perkasa: Kangkung furore can spark May 13 repeat - Malaysiakini

 

Malay rights group Perkasa today claimed the furore over kangkung can result in a repeat of the May 13 racial riots if it continues to be played up.

Its information chief Muhammad Zahid Md Arip said the issue has become racial and is against Malaysia’s multiracial society.

Many people, Zahid (right in photo) said, are seen as disrespecting Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak on this issue.

“The May 13th incident may repeat itself if people want it to happen again. If the kangkung issue goes too far, it is not impossible that it might,” the Perkasa information chief reportedly said in a press conference today.

He was asked to comment on yesterday's protest by Umno and its allies with banners put up reading, 'Kerana mulut pemimpin DAP, 13 Mei 1969 terjadi. Mahu lagi ka?' (Because of DAP leaders, May 13, 1969 occurs. Do you want a repeat?)

The protest organised by Umno yesterday was in retaliation to the flash mob protest held by PKR Machang Bubuk assemblyperson Lee Khai Loon, for questioning Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak's 'kangkung' remarks.

Najib was ridiculed by the people for saying that “people did not thank the government when the prices of kangkung dropped”.

'Ignore Anwar'

Zahid also wants the country's Foreign Ministry to reject opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim's demands of an explanation on why he was barred from entering Japan yesterday.

“No need to waste time checking on this. I am surprised he found fault with Wisma Putra when Wisma Putra does not have anything to do with immigration (issues). Anwar (right) went there without informing Wisma Putra,” he was quoted to have said.

“(Only) when he is barred, (does) he try to contact Wisma Putra,” added Zahid.

Zahid further said that this is not a big issue but that it was further exploited by Anwar.

This, he stressed, shows Japan does not need Anwar.

“Anwar sees this as an opportunity to get cheap publicity, and think he is great. This issue is not that big but Anwar had used it to his own benefit,” said Zahid, who was notably once with PKR.

Perkasa kata sensitiviti umat Islam perlu dihormati

Penganut agama lain dilarang menggunakan kalimah Allah.

PETALING JAYA: Perkasa menjunjung kasih yang tidak terhingga atas titah Yang Dipertuan Agong bahawa kalimah Allah adalah hak eksklusif orang Islam.

Menurut Presidennya, Datuk Ibrahim Ali, penganut agama lain dilarang menggunakan kalimah Allah.

“Sensitiviti umat Islam perlu dihormati dan ini adalah amalan di Persekutuan Tanah Melayu zaman berzaman dan Malaysia,” kata beliau dalam satu kenyataan kepada FMT.

Beliau berharap dengan titah ini semua pihak menghormatinya dan ianya akan membantu keharmonian kehidupan seluruh rakyat Malaysia.

“Sebelum ini Raja Raja Melayu sebagai ketua agama Islam negeri telah bertitah yang sama dengan tegas dan jelas,” kata beliau.

Ibrahim yang juga bekas ahli parlimen Pasir Mas berharap pihak berkuasa dapat mengambil tindakan yang tegas kepada mana-mana pihak yang menggunakan kalimah Allah seperti yang dilakukan oleh JAIS baru-baru ini.

“Konsep 1Malaysia bukannya Malaysian Malaysia tetapi bertunjang kepada asas perlembagaan negara,” katanya lagi

Education first, politics second, says deputy minister

Kamalanathan says that political differences should be set aside and local universities used as research source for better contribution to the country's development.

GEORGE TOWN: Political differences should be set aside when it comes to issues involving academics and knowledge sharing, said deputy education minister P Kamalanathan.

Cooperation is important, to ensure that all will receive the same education benefits from research conducted by universities even though they are located in the opposition states, he said at Universiti Sains Malaysia’s (USM) main campus in Minden Heights, today.

“By right, there should not be any room for problems in cooperating with each other despite having different political ideologies and directions in terms of academics,” he said.

Kamalanathan who is also Hulu Selangor MP, described universities in opposition-led states as an education hub.

He was responding to questions on whether USM faced difficulties in getting cooperation from the Pakatan led Penang government in various areas.

“When we make academics as a priority for all, such issues should not even arise. If there is, then the problem lies with them.

“So if anybody finds cooperating with USM a problem, then the problem starts with themselves,” he told a press conference during a campus visit.

Earlier, Kamalanathan attended a briefing on the university’s plans to strive for further academic excellence.

Asked whether USM had been approached to give input on state policies and state projects involving the environment, namely the underwater tunnel and hillslope development projects, Kamalanathan said it was impossible to give input when input was not asked from them (USM), even if the university had the specialisation and a host of experienced consultants.

USM vice-chancellor Prof Dr Omar Osman was however quick to add that all the university’s researchers are made available online and through journal publications.

“We conduct researchers to reach out to all quarters across all divides so it is up to them to make this as their reference in all subject matters,” he said.

He said that the university has a healthy platform of cooperation with the private sector, entrusted with carrying out 33 researchers in the electrical and electronics industry for 17 private companies amounting to RM8.5mil in Penang and other places.

“We’re now in the midst of strengthening more industrial ties through post graduate research funded by the government and private firms.

“We look forward to closer ties and cooperation from the industrial sector, to strive towards further excellence of the prestigious APEX status university so that the university can contribute towards the country’s development, better,” Omar added.

In terms of patent files, Omar said that the university has seen an increase from 50 patent files to 250 patent files in the last five years.

“Our top focus now is to look into ways to commercialise the products designed and formulated by the university,” he said.

‘May 13 warning banner not Umno’s’

Penang Umno denies any link with the 'May 13' banner brought during the recent protest there.

BUKIT MERTAJAM: Penang Umno today distanced itself from the controversial and provocative banner of ‘May 13′ put up during a protest march on Saturday against PKR’s “kangkung flash mob” held here last week.

Insisting on Umno’s innocence, party state deputy chairman Reezal Merican Naina Merican instead blamed the Machang Bubok assemblyman Lee Khai Loon-led flash mob of inciting anger among local Malay groups.

He clarified that Umno was not the organiser of the protest in Seberang Jaya which was reportedly joined by 600 to 700 protesters from various Malay-based groups, including local Umno leaders.

“Umno had no control over the protest, protesters and their banners,” he told FMT via telephone.

He insisted that neither Umno nor its leaders backed the putting up of the provocative ‘May 13′ banner or condoned any form of violence in the country.

He explained that the six Umno divisional leaders were present at the demonstration merely to express their anger against Lee for organising a flash mob insulting Umno president and Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak.

Apart from Reezal, who is also the Kepala Batas MP, state Umno secretary Musa Sheikh Fadzir and Tasek Gelugor division chief and MP Shabudin Yahaya were also present.

“We were there because the person humiliated was Umno president.

“We don’t know who brought the banner.

“Those who joined in the protest were with different state of minds, ranging from extremely angry people to calm and moderate ones.

“It’s not fair to blame Umno just because some leaders were present.

“It was beyond our control. We were not the organisers. We just joined it,” stressed Reezal Merican, adding that he only knew about the rally via social network, Facebook.

Lee inflamed the demonstrators

Saturday’s demonstrators vented their anger against Lee for allegedly insulting Najib by stuffing

kangkung into the premier’s effigy during a flash mob held outside a wet market in Alma, under Machang Bubok state constituency last Wednesday.

Chanting “Allahu Akbar” and “Hidup Melayu” (Long live the Malays), they marched about 1km towards the Sunway Carnival Mall with banners.

The banners read: “Because of DAP leaders’ mouth, May 13, 1969 happened… Want some more?”, “Insulting the PM is like insulting the Malays”, “Penang Malays survive by eating kangkung”, “ABCD – Asal Bukan Cina DAP” and “DAP is the enemy of Islam”.

Insisting that he would never support violence, Reezal Merican however, blamed Lee for inflaming the demonstrators.

If not for the PKR representative’s provocative flash mob insulting Najib, Reezal Merican said the demonstrators would not put up the ‘May 13′ banners.

“I am not defending the individual who put up the banner.

“Wrong is a wrong. But Lee is also equally guilty. Lee’s action caused the protest and the May 13 banner.

“Lee’s extreme provocative flash mob invited such extreme reaction,” he insisted.

Reezal Merican anyway welcomed police investigation into the banner issue. He also challenged Lee to organise similar flash mobs to gauge public support.

The Najib-Anwar Weakly Show

It came as a surprise to many people that Prime Minister Dato’ Sri Najib Tun Razak and Opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim have been holding “secret negotiations” for a unity government. If the “Edge Review” is to be believed, for the last eight months both sides have been involved in secret meetings to discuss forging a unity government of sorts, with the powerful Home Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi leading the talks on Najib’s behalf. We can only guess that Anwar’s many close confidantes and advisers led Pakatan’s side of the discussions.

The “Edge Review” also revealed that the negotiations have not been going well, and it seems that Anwar has lost hope of a successful outcome. Internal attacks against Najib seem to have surged lately, suggesting that powerful groups within UMNO are not keen on such a pact with their sworn enemy, the Pakatan Rakyat. The “Edge” quoted a prominent, UMNO-linked businessman as saying that Najib’s position is politically weak, one from which he’s unlikely to get the endorsement of warlords in his party.

I am disappointed that the talks are not succeeding, as I’m certain many Malaysians are. When the idea was mooted by no less than the Prime Minister himself, I sang his praises. Here is a party leader and PM who, despite enjoying an overwhelming majority, still felt it was necessary to start talking to the Opposition to address the many difficult issues facing the nation. So why have the talks not worked? Was it because they were not, in the end, about national unity, but about keeping alive the political lives of two politicians who can no longer offer anything useful or exciting to the people of this country? This is unlikely because Najib has a strong majority and a large-scale rebellion in UMNO against him is unthinkable, even one led by the irrepressible Tun Dr Mahathir Mohammad.

There is a chance the talks have not been successful because the Opposition proved to be too demanding. Could they have asked for too many Cabinet posts? Perhaps even the powerful Finance Minister’s portfolio? Did they ask Najib to step down at end of this term? What is most exasperating to ordinary people like you and me is that we have to keep guessing about possibly one of the more significant and defining moments in our democratic history, i.e. when the Government and the Opposition were at last talking to one another.

It’s not necessary for such meetings to be held in such a clandestine fashion. The public should be kept informed of the agenda and progress of these talks. If there had been some transparency, we could have at least avoided all the speculation and rumour-mongering.

In today’s world political talks are held openly – at least in a democracy they are. Unfortunately, in this instance we have not been kept informed, not even of the broad outline of the issues to be resolved. What has been on the table for discussions? Were they issues of interest to the people, such as the state of the economy, education, low wages and unemployment, the widening gap between income and wealth of the rich and poor, declining living standards, the oversupply of toll roads, the behaviour of the Muftis, the “Allah” issue and corruption, for instance? That’s what the unity talks should at least try to address, with both sides making the effort to arrive at some hard decisions together.

But if the talks are about Najib’s and Anwar’s political survival then of course the issues would be different. Who will become Deputy PM? Will we need more than one DPM? The very attractive Finance Minister’s portfolio would also be up for grabs by both sides. I am only speculating here as there is no other way to get more information (this is my pre-emptive warning to Anwar not to accuse me of reading nothing else but Utusan Malaysia).

I wonder what assurances or commitment Najib asked from the Pakatan. It’s not inconceivable that the new private jet will be allowed to remain in service, and that Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor will continue with her “diplomatic overtures” overseas, which I can understand, given the quality of our Ambassadors appointed under Najib.

In the end, what the country needs is leaders who communicate constructively with the rakyat on substantive issues, in the spirit of candour and openness. There must be transparency and a willingness to be truthful when dealing with hard decisions. Otherwise, forget about unity talks.

The public needs to know how much more of the subsidy will be reduced, if at all. Will the Government consider capping toll rates? What steps will Najib and Anwar agree on to stop price hikes on goods and services? Will the PM and his Ministers personally undertake some austerity measures to show credibility? Will Anwar and his team offer support for some of these measures? Will Pakatan stop politicking on some of the agreed issues? These are what the people expect from their political leaders in national unity talks.

They expect leaders from both sides of the political divide to come to an agreement on difficult economic and social issues. They expect these political leaders to show that the public’s interest supersedes their own. At the moment however, we are still not getting that message from the two star performers in this weakly show.

Mahathir Wing of UMNO Turns The Screws on Najib

Father and son bonding

Former prime minister’s wing veers towards open warfare

Pressure is continuing to rise against Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak, the latest in the form of an exclusive interview with Mahathir scion Mukhriz in the Malay-language newspaper Berita Harian Sunday expressing concern that the ruling national coalition could lose the next national elections under Najib’s guidance.

Mukhriz’s statement, carefully couched to describe Najib’s economic policy in doing away with subsidies as “correct but unpopular,” is being regarded as an open volley against the prime minister fired by the wing of the United Malays National Organization loyal to former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad. On the same weekend that Mukhriz was giving the interview with Berita Harian, former Finance Minister Daim Zainuddin, a long-time ally of the elder Mahathir, spoke to members of the suburban UMNO division in Kuala Lumpur that he once headed to say largely the same thing – and add that “It is up to you to ask him to step down."

The pressure so far is coming from within Najib’s party. Despite steeply rising prices, there has been little pressure for angry citizens to take to the streets.

The elder Mahathir and Daim have been extremely critical of Najib since the May 5 national election, in which the Barisan Nasional lost the popular vote to the opposition for the first time since 1969 but prevailed in the parliament through gerrymandering and the first-past-the-post voting system.
Mukhriz, now the chief minister of the state of Kedah, said defeat in the next election, due in 2018, is a real possibility if the prime minister continues with his “present policy of correct but unpopular decisions.”

Those “correct but unpopular decisions” revolve around cuts in subsidies that have resulted in sudden and dramatic bounces in the price of many staples, including petrol, chicken, vegetables, prawns, sugar and, according to the UMNO-owned Malay Mail, kangkong, also known as water spinach or morning glory, which grows wild on roadsides and waterways. Najib drew widespread derision recently when he responded to criticism over rising prices by saying the price of kangkong had fallen. Malaysians began mocking the prime minister as being out of touch, a complaint that made it all the way onto the BBC news.

In a translation of Mukhriz’s remarks by The Malaysian Insider, a Kuala Lumpur-based news portal, the 49-year-old Mukhriz said that “Barisan Nasional's performance in the last general elections shows that we have not fully regained the [people’s] confidence. I am very worried that although we have implemented good policies, we have ignored the issue of popularity. If the voters already have a negative perception of Barisan Nasional, it will not matter whether we have done the right thing or not."

With national and intraparty elections out of the way last year, the government acted to reverse a flock of subsidies that have driven the country’s fiscal debt close to the statutory limit of 55 percent of GDP and are a source of growing international concern by investors and economists. Those subsidy costs were compounded by a flock of government pay raises and programs designed to lure ethnic Malays into voting for the Barisan. During the campaign, Najib also assured voters in his election manifesto there would be no major rises in the cost of living.

“Economically, cutting the subsidies was astute, but politically it has been disastrous,” said a longtime UMNO member. “For now Najib has to realize the situation on the ground. He and his cabinet have lost touch with reality.”

Najib’s holiday visit to the US gaming mecca of Las Vegas – with gambling anathema to Muslims – has also drawn widespread criticism in UMNO, as has the luxurious lifestyle of the premier’s wife Rosmah Mansor.

The prime minister is unlikely to be driven from power, however, unless there is a groundswell in the local divisions of the party to call for an emergency general meeting to pass a no-confidence vote. He was reelected president of the party, the country’s biggest, by acclamation. He controls a strong majority of the 40-member Supreme Council, either through his own loyalists or through those aligned with former Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, who have made common cause with Najib against the Mahathir wing. Nor will the rebels attempt to oust him through a no-confidence vote in the parliament, which would result in the near destruction of the party.

Part of what is contributing to the prime minister’s staying power is that there appears no one on the horizon who is prepared to take him on. Mukhriz is regarded as too young, and was turned down by the rank and file in intra-party elections to become one of the party’s three vice presidents. Muhyiddin Yassin, the current deputy prime minister, is 66 years of age and is expected to retire from politics after his current stint. Khairy Jamaluddin, Abdullah Badawi’s son-in-law, is only 38 and in any case is regarded as a deeply polarizing figure.

The elder Mahathir himself is increasingly mentioned as possibly coming back, either as an “advisor” along the lines of Lee Kuan Yew, the “minister mentor” in Singapore until he retired from politics, or as prime minister, a move that would send shudders through the minority community in Malaysia because of his increasing alignment with Perkasa, the ultra-nationalist Malays-first organization headed by Ibrahim Ali.

The only alternative is to take the route Daim appears to have embarked on, a Kuala Lumpur-based political observer said, and that is to go to the grassroots of the party and seek to embarrass him enough to force him to step down voluntarily.

In any instance, with no one strong enough to challenge the prime minister, the continuing prognosis for debilitating infighting within UMNO seems the most likely scenario. But there also appears little scope for the opposition, headed by Anwar Ibrahim, to take advantage of the situation. Pakatan Rakyat, split between three strikingly dissimilar parties with different ethnic agendas, seems ill equipped to be able to capitalize.

Boos, doubts stalk Najib after kangkung ridicule

There are some in Umno who want Najib to go, believing that the next election will be lost because of rising cost and drift in the country's leadership. - The Malaysian Insider pic, January 20, 2014.
It doesn't seem to be getting any better for Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak after a week of being ridiculed for talking about falling vegetable prices amid rising living costs.

There is talk among the Umno elite of moves to push out the party president, who won more seats for the party but also lost more for Barisan Nasional (BN) in Election 2013. His men also swept the party elections last December but his position now looks shaky as dissent rises inside and outside Umno.

And yesterday, the boos were louder than the cheers when Najib presented the winner's medal to badminton star Datuk Lee Chong Wei when won his 10th Malaysian Open singles title in Kuala Lumpur.

On the same day, the Umno-owned Berita Minggu carried an interview with Kedah Menteri Besar Datuk Mukhriz Mahathir who expressed concern that the ruling BN might lose in the 14th general election if Putrajaya continued implementing unpopular decisions.

"Defeat is a real possibility if Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak continues with his present policy of correct but unpopular decisions, especially issues concerning the rising cost of living."

"If Putrajaya continues to ignore the rakyat's grouses and complaints, Barisan Nasional will find the 14th general election a tough nut to crack," the youngest son of former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad told the Malay daily which is controlled by Najib's
appointees.

On Saturday, former finance minister Tun Daim Zainuddin (pic, right) gave the same line in a closed-door briefing at the Merbok Umno division meeting in Dewan Kismec in Sungai Petani, Kedah.

Sources said the former Merbok MP was a guest of honour at the briefing where he spoke about Putrajaya's failure to control goods prices or review highway toll agreements to extend concessions rather than allow charges to rise.

It is learnt Daim also criticised the Cabinet's failure to explain issues, the government for cutting subsidies rather than cutting expenses for things that did not appear to benefit the people, and ignoring the fact that higher civil service wages and allowances would influence prices.

Sources said Daim predicted that BN would lose the elections if it was held now, saying it continued to rule due to Malay support, but Putrajaya had spent more to attract the Chinese vote to no avail as the community would not support it.

Najib is following the wants of advisers to determine policies which will bring loss to the Malays, a source quoted Daim as saying.

"The conclusion is... the government under PM's leadership is not effective and will cause BN to lose power in administering the country in the coming elections," he added.

But there is no bunker mentality yet in Putrajaya over such criticisms although the Prime Minister understands that there is unhappiness against the government's efficiency arm Pemandu and the use of consultants, with critics urging Najib to take charge of the situation.

The view from Putrajaya is essentially this: the so-called critics are among those who fleeced the country with their policies and shenanigans while in power, so why should the PM or the cabinet take them so seriously?

But there are some in Umno who want him to go, believing that the next election will be lost because of rising cost and drift in the country's leadership. They want someone better to take charge, said a Putrajaya insider, but not many names have cropped up as yet.

"They want him out sooner than later, how, nobody knows," said a businessman with links to the Umno elite.

"So we wait and see if the boos can snowball to something bigger or Najib stays the course," he added. - January 20, 2014.

Former Sodomy II investigator cries foul after barred from Bar

Malay Mail 
by IDA NADIRAH

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 17 — Former police investigating officer Jude Blacious Pereira is unhappy with the Bar Council for objecting to him practising law.

He said he had received a letter from the council in November withdrawing its objection against him being admitted as an advocate and solicitor.

However, he was surprised the matter was brought  up on Wednesday in  the High Court, which allowed the council’s  objection.

“It is not fair for the Bar Council to go against me and judge me based on the Brickfields case,” said Pereira, who was the investigating officer in the second Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim sodomy case,

“I did not act on my own accord but acted while I was under the police force.

“I will appeal and leave this to the court. Let them decide.”

Pereira questioned why he was allowed to go through seven months of chambering without any objection from the council.

“Up to my third call they did not object, so why is it that at the last minute they are the pulling the carpet under my feet?” he asked.

Pereira said he failed the first time he sat for the Ethics and Professional Standards examination organised by the council but passed when he sat for the paper again and obtained a certificate.

“I was looking forward to practising law. It is the only thing I am good at,” he said.

High Court judge Datuk Zaleha Yusof, who struck out the petition by Pereira to practise law, allowed the Bar Council’s notice of objection and notice of caveat against admitting him as an advocate and solicitor.

After retiring from the police force as a superintendent, Pereira had applied to practise in Ipoh where he completed his chambering.

Lawyer Pavendeep Singh,  representing the Bar Council, said the Bar had the right to object to Pereira because he was found “not to be a credible witness” during a human rights case last May, based on the Human Rights Commission inquiry.

The case involved the arrest of five lawyers at the Brickfields police station on May 7, which was later found to be in violation of human rights due  to mala fide (acting in bad faith).

Pereira was one of the two top police officers responsible, along with OCPD Wan Abdul Bari Wan Abdul Khalid.

Time for gov't to come clean on 'Allah' issue

Malaysiakini 
Comment by Andrew Khoo

As published in Malaysiakini on 18 Jan 2014.

In March 2011, 30,000 copies of the Christian ‘New Testament, Psalms and Proverbs’ in Bahasa Malaysia were impounded at Port Kuching. At the same time as this news came to be known, it was highlighted that 5,100 copies of the Alkitab had been impounded at Port Klang since March 2009 and had been sitting there for two years. These 5,100 copies had remained impounded even though Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak had ordered their release in December 2009.

The reason for the impounding was that these copies of the Bible, printed in Bahasa Malaysia, were found to contain the word ‘Allah’. An earlier edition of the Alkitab had been categorised as an undesirable publication and prohibited from being imported into Malaysia.

Whilst negotiations were being held to secure the release of all these copies of the Bible, the Publication Control and Quranic Text Division of the Home Affairs Ministry had each copy stamped with a serial number, the official seal of the relevant government department and the words “by order of the Home Affairs Ministry” and then released.

In the ensuing controversy, and in order not to have a repeat of this incident of impounding and then desecration of copies of the Bible, a 10-point solution was initiated by the federal cabinet on April 2, 2011 and agreed to by the Christian Federation of Malaysia.

The text of the 10-point agreement was set out in a letter from the prime minister to the then chairperson of the Christian Federation of Malaysia, Anglican Bishop Ng Moon Hing, on April 11, 2011. In this letter, the prime minister stated that the 10-point solution was a collective decision of the cabinet.

One thing needs to be made absolutely clear at this juncture: The 10-point solution applied to both the peninsula, as well as Sabah and Sarawak. The only difference was that the copies of the Bible being imported into Sabah and Sarawak were not required to have the mark of the Christian cross and the words “Christian Publication” printed on the outside cover of the Bible.  

Otherwise, the 10-point solution accepted the fact that the Bahasa Malaysia Bible with the term ‘Allah’ was allowed to be brought into anywhere in Malaysia, and printed anywhere in Malaysia.

Statements in the media and elsewhere that the 10-point solution was only applicable to Sabah and Sarawak are therefore wholly incorrect.

Court ruling muddies the issue

Fast forward now to Oct 14, 2013, when the Court of Appeal issued its decision in the case of the Herald. There was immediate uncertainty as to what the exact nature and extent was of this decision. In order to address concerns about the ambit of the Court of Appeal’s decision, attorney-general Abdul Gani Patail came out with a statement on Oct 20, 2013.

In a press report by national news agency Bernama and published on online media, he clarified that the decision of the Court of Appeal was that the Printing Presses and Publications Act 1984 gave the home affairs minister the discretion to prohibit words that were prejudicial or likely to be prejudicial to national security and public order.

So long as that discretion was exercised legally, reasonably, rationally and proportionally, the court would not interfere with the exercise of the minister’s discretion.

Naturally, the minister’s discretion must conform with the provisions of the federal constitution.  The attorney-general stated that the Court of Appeal had unanimously held that the constitutional protection afforded to the practise of one’s religion was confined to practices that formed an essential and integral part of the religion. And it is here that the Court of Appeal’s decision is worrying for Christians in Malaysia.

The attorney-general continued in his statement that the Court of Appeal had made a determination that, “the use of the word ‘Allah’ in the Malay version of the Herald to refer to God is not an essential or integral part of the religion of Christianity and therefore does not attract the constitutional guarantee under Article 11 of the federal constitution”.

The situation is, in fact, much worse. With due respect to the attorney-general, the judgment of the Court of Appeal does not show that it found “the use of the word ‘Allah’ in the Malay version of the Herald to refer to God is not an essential or integral part of the religion of Christianity”.  

The underlined words are simply not there in the judgment. Instead, at paragraph 51 of his judgment, Appandi JCA states: “... It can be concluded that the word or name ‘Allah’ is not an integral part of the faith and practice of Christianity, in particular that of the Roman Catholic Church.”

At no point does Appandi JCA attempt to limit this observation only to the use of the word ‘Allah’ in the Malay version of the Herald. Indeed in paragraph 5 of the summary, it is stated, “It is our common finding that the usage of the name ‘Allah’ is not an integral part of the faith and practice of Christianity”.

The attorney-general has tried to suggest that the extent of the decision is narrow. Yet it is the Court of Appeal’s own words that “the word or name ‘Allah’ or the usage of the name ‘Allah’ is not an integral part of the faith and practice of Christianity”.

It thus gives rise to the real and serious concern that this finding is of wide purport and must be generally and broadly applied. This would then justify the outlawing of the use of the word ‘Allah’ not just in a church newspaper but anywhere else, including copies of the Bible, prayer books, study materials, etc. In other words, a blanket prohibition.

In any event, just as the federal government ignored the advice of the attorney-general in relation to the re-introduction of detention without trial in the amendment to and enlargement of the Prevention of Crime Act 1959 (the attorney-general - to his credit - was not in favour, but the cabinet overruled him), the federal government has ignored the attorney-general’s attempted clarification of the Court of Appeal’s decision.

Solution without a solution

The prime minister himself, speaking on Oct 22, 2013 to delegates of Parti Bersatu Sabah in Kota Kinabalu - a component party of BN - tried to have his cake and eat it too. He stated that the 10-point solution would be honoured in Sabah and Sarawak. However he said nothing about the 10-point solution continuing to apply to the peninsula, even though it is clear that the 10-point solution does not make mention of newspapers.

The 10-point solution - which clarified that the Malay-language Bible could be printed in Malaysia and also imported into Malaysia - was never stated to be only applicable to Sabah and Sarawak. Indeed, as has been set out earlier, the circumstances which brought about the 10-point solution was the impounding of the Bahasa Malaysia Bible from being brought into both the peninsula and Sarawak, precisely because they contained the word ‘Allah’.

If the prime minister is now trying to suggest that the 10-point solution somehow does not apply to the states of the peninsula because of the ambit of the ruling in the Herald, that would contradict the opinion of his own attorney-general on the one hand, and to detract from the raison d'être of the 10-point solution on the other.  

It should also be noted that the Printing Presses and Publications Act 1984 that was being challenged in the Herald case, is applicable to the states of Sabah and Sarawak just as much as it is to the states in the peninsula. Thus, if under the Printing Presses and Publications Act 1984 it may be lawful for the minister to exercise his discretion to prohibit the use of the term ‘Allah’ in church newspapers in the peninsula, he could do so in Sabah and Sarawak as well.   

And while the Herald case’s immediate subject matter was a church newspaper, even the printing and publishing of the Bible comes under the jurisdiction of the home affairs minister pursuant to the Printing Presses and Publications Act 1984.

If there is no constitutional protection for the use of the word ‘Allah’ amongst Christians, that lack of protection would apply equally whether in the Bible or church newspapers, and would also apply equally to Sabah and Sarawak as it would to the states of the peninsula. There cannot be two separate and distinct applications of the federal constitution in this respect.

The prime minister wrote in point 10 of the 10-point solution that, “There is a need to manage polarities that exist in our society to achieve peace and harmony. I believe the best way to achieve this is through respect, tolerance, forgiveness and reconciliation”.

If he genuinely meant those words, he must reaffirm the following:

1. The 10-point solution remains in full force and effect, both in the peninsula and Sabah and Sarawak.

2. The right of the Christian community in Sabah and Sarawak to use the word ‘Allah’ in their Bible, church services, prayer books, teaching material and church newspapers does not arise merely out of custom and practice, but is intrinsic in their constitutionally-guaranteed right to freedom of religion.

3. That same constitutional right must by necessity apply to the Christian community in the peninsula as well, otherwise it is rendered meaningless. And if one community does not enjoy the constitutionally-guaranteed right to freedom of religion, then no community enjoys the constitutionally-guaranteed right to freedom of religion because it will have been rendered illusory.

4. The so-called finding by the Court of Appeal that “the word or name ‘Allah’ or the usage of the name ‘Allah’ is not an integral part of the faith and practice of Christianity” ignores the faith and practice of Bahasa Malaysia-speaking and or bumiputera Christians throughout Malaysia that was implicitly accepted in the 10-point solution, and the attorney-general should be instructed to apply for such references in the judgment of the Court of Appeal to be expunged, regardless of the final outcome of the appeal.

---

ANDREW KHOO is co-chairperson of the Human Rights Committee of the Bar Council Malaysia. He writes here in his personal capacity.

Cambridge English Evaluates Learning, Teaching And Assessment Of English In Malaysian Schools

From Khairdzir Md Yunus

LONDON, Jan 20 (Bernama) -- Cambridge English, an expert in language assessment in United Kingdom (UK), has been commissioned by the Ministry of Education (MOE) to undertake a comprehensive evaluation of learning, teaching and assessment of English language in Malaysian schools from pre-school to pre-university.

Deputy Director-General of Education (Policy and Development, MOE) Datuk Amin Senin said Cambridge English was commissioned to undertake the study in May last year.

It was expected to be completed by the end of this month while the findings and recommendations were expected to be submitted to the government in April next year.

Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, who is in London for a three-day visit to the UK beginning January 21, is scheduled to be briefed on the preliminary report on "The Baseline Project: Measuring English Language Standard and Establising and evidence-based base line for Malaysian schools."

Amin said Cambride English would be meeting Muhyiddin, who is also the Education Minister on Tuesday (Jan 21) and would brief him on the report.

Cambridge English Language Assessment proposed to MOE on January 21, 2013 and was asked to do a comprehensive evaluation of the learning, teaching and assessment of English language in Malaysian schools from pre-school to pre-university.

The proposal was presented to and endorsed by the MOE top managemen on May 8, 2013.

The objectives of the study are to strengthen, promote and develop cooperation in English Language education to ensure every child is proficient in Bahasa Malaysia and English Language as endorsed by the Malaysian Education Blueprint 2013-2025.

The base line study is a platform to benchmark the standards of English language in Malaysian schools according to international standards.

The findings from this study will enable MOE to set realistic and achievable targets for future learning and teaching and will also provide baseline data which it can use to monitor and evaluate whether future set targets are met and whether any future education reform is working as intended.

Amin said the study will measure English language proficiency of students from year 1 to year 6. It will also measure the teaching abilities and practices in schools.

The study will review current assessment practices by analysing current examinations, test specifications, mark schemes and recent examination results at end-of-school, end of primary school (Year 6), end of lower secondary (Form 3), end of upper secondary (Form 5 and end of Form 6).

It will also analyse the current english language curricula, teaching guides, teaching materials, current examinations and recent examination data.

Asked whether the outcome and recommendations of the study would cause major adjustment and aligment to the current education policy, Amin said he did not think so.

-- BERNAMA