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Sunday 26 January 2014

Jelajah PSM untuk kikis tanggapan negatif

Six Muslim youths gang-raped a minor girl at river-side while returning from an religious meeting.

Six Muslims gang-raped a minor a girl after hearing an Islamic Jalsa. Arrested one accused sent in 5-day police custody others at large.

Islam Around Us Bureau | Raiganj | West Bengal (India) | 24 January 2014:: West Bengal Police last night arrested one Mohammad Kalu, one of the accused in the gangrape of a girl in Chakulia police station area of North Dinajpur, a northern district of the State.

Kalu was today produced before the court of the Chief Judicial Magistrate, Islampur. The court sent him in five days’ police remand. Five other accused are still on the run.

Six Muslim men allegedly raped the girl on the night of 16 January when she was returning home after attending a 'Islamic jalsa’ programme in the next village. They took the victims at a solitary field and left her finally at a riverside.

Muslim clerics delivered in that Islamic Jasla (Overnight Religious Meeting of Muslims) about the right status of women in Islam and to use all Muslim girls and women for a holy enjoyment as permitted in Islam and to use them as birth giving mechanism.

In that 'Jalsa' the importance of early marriage was also discussed and told to follow the path of Prophet Mohammad who even used to sex with adolescent Ayisha and used to rub his male organ in the thighs of Ayaisha ( Mufa' Khathat ) as her vagina was too small in that tender age to insert the huge penis of Mohammad. (Read here : Muhammad and Aisha sexual relationship Revisited ).

The Muslim audiences enjoyed those holy discourses and boosted with sex and Mohammad Kalu and his other five fiends targeted Rina (name changed), a voluptuous girl present there to hear the sensual discourses of Islamic preachers.

Mohammad Kalu and his five other friends all wearing Islamic cap and out and out shown religious allegedly intercepted her (Rina’s) path, took her to a nearby riverside field and gangraped her. The girl lodged a complaint at Chakulia police station against the six persons of her village on 22 January.

A senior member of the North Dinajpur CPI-M committee, Mr Subir Biswas, said incidents of eve teasing and rape have become common in the state these days, while he claimed that the police have remained mere spectators.

As a matter of fact the Bengali Muslim are turned violent to seduce, harass, molest, rape, abduct the non Muslim girls and women after being irritated by the Muslim Clerics in Islamic Jalsa, but sometimes they feel uncontrolled to play a same side game. In this present case Rina is a same side victim of her religious Muslim brothers gang-raped her.

“The girl was raped around 10 days ago and despite the complaint filed with them, police tried to cover up the incident,” Mr Biswas alleged.

He added that police arrested one of the men only after the rape news hogged the headlines. He said police fear making the other arrests in the case.

“We, all Left Front members, will tomorrow visit the village where we will hold a meeting and chart out a protest programme against the incident,” Mr Biswas said.

SDPO of Islampur, Subimal Pal said the police have taken initiatives to arrest the remaining five accused in the case.

After all these, Islamic clerics defended the rapists as they were badly attracted by the voluptuous breasts and over-ripped heaps of Rina who could not ‘pardah’ (did not hide her face and body under burqa) in a proper way. If Rina put herself undercover an Islamic veil, the gang-rape would not be possible as told from a local mosque.

Muslim Extremists Attack Visiting Preacher on Tanzania’s Zanzibar Island


Islamic extremists pulled down a Church of God building in Kianga, Zanzibar in April 2012. (Morning Star News)
Islamic extremists pulled down a Church of God building in Kianga, Zanzibar in April 2012. (Morning Star News)

Members of nearby mosque threaten to burn down church building.

NAIROBI, Kenya (Morning Star News) – More than 100 Muslim extremists on Tanzania’s
semi-autonomous island of Zanzibar stormed a church following an evening worship service on Jan. 11 and beat a visiting preacher, sources said.

The mob, including suspected members of Islamic extremist groups, meant to attack the Pentecostal Evangelism Fellowship of Africa (PEFA) congregation’s senior pastor, Bishop Daniel Kwilemba, who was not present at the church site in Kisauni village, outside Zanzibar City. Instead, they found a preacher visiting from the Tanzania mainland – William Saidi of the Free Pentecostal Church in Tanzania in Dar es Salaam, church leaders said.

“These rowdy Muslims were shouting and yelling, saying, ‘We are looking for the bishop of the church to slaughter him – we are tired of the existence of this church near our mosque and the noise they are making,’” said a church elder.

The mob fled when police arrived and rescued the pastor after he had suffered multiple contusions for which he is still taking medication, sources said. The assailants tore his shirt and suit coat.

Since the attack, the Muslim extremists have been issuing threats that the church should leave the area near Zanzibar City, capital of the semi-autonomous island in the Indian Ocean about 25 kilometers (16 miles) off the coast of Tanzania, sources said. A church member added that the congregation has been living in fear for their lives.

“At the moment we cannot worship freely because we are being threatened,” the church member said. “The Muslims are accusing us of making a lot of noise while they themselves make a lot of noise.”

Police arrested some suspects and took them to Kisauni police station, but they were later released, sources said.

During the past Christmas season the Muslim extremists threatened to burn down the building of the PEFA church, which began three years ago.

On Sept. 13, 2013, on the outskirts of Zanzibar City, suspected Muslim extremists threw acid on the Rev. Joseph Anselmo Mwangamba, a 60-year-old Catholic priest, outside an Internet café.

On Feb. 17, 2013, suspected Islamic extremists on shot and killed the Rev. Evaristus Mushi, a 56-year-old Roman Catholic priest, in the Mtoni area outside Zanzibar City (see Morning Star News, Feb. 20). The murder came nearly two months after the Christmas Day 2012 shooting of another Catholic priest, the Rev. Ambrose Mkenda, that seriously injured him.

At midnight on April 20, 2013, Islamic extremists in Kianga, 16 kilometers (11 miles) from Zanzibar City, demolished most of the Church of God’s Pool of Siloam church building, a church leader said. Three suspects were arrested, only to be released after three days.

Muslim extremists had attacked the church building before, setting part of it on fire on Feb. 19, 2013 and battering it with sledge hammers in November 2011.

While Tanzania’s population is 34.2 percent Muslim and 54 percent Christian, according to Operation World, the Zanzibar archipelago is more than 97 percent Muslim.

###

© 2014 Morning Star News. Articles/photos may be reprinted with credit to Morning Star News.

DAP brands Najib a ‘lame-duck prime minister’

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak's comment that the use of the word 'Allah' is a state matter has infuriated some Malaysians. – The Malaysian Insider pic by Nazir Sufari, January 25, 2014. 
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak's comment that the use of the word 'Allah' is a state matter has 
infuriated some Malaysians. – The Malaysian Insider pic by Nazir Sufari, January 25, 2014.

Datuk Seri Najib Razak has been labelled a lame-duck prime minister following his comment that it was up to an individual state to decide on the use of the word “Allah”.

DAP national chairperson Karpal Singh said that although Najib had finally broken his silence on the “Allah” issue, his comment on Friday was akin to passing the buck.

"Although the implementation of the 10-point solution is no doubt up to the states, the fact remains there was an understanding," Karpal told The Malaysian Insider.

"This is a clear breach of faith because the 10-point solution was one of the fundamentals for Sabah and Sarawak to join the Federation of Malaya."

Karpal said this was a fact and Najib should be clear about it. He said it was not something which could be left to the respective states to decide.

"Perhaps Najib should be more concerned about the basis of how Malaysia was formed instead of paying attention to state laws."

Karpal, the Gelugor MP, also pointed out that the 10-point solution, which was endorsed by the cabinet in April 2011, was drawn up when the state enactments already existed.

"Despite the existence of the state enactments, Putrajaya still went ahead and endorsed the 10-point solution.

"To now claim otherwise is a serious breach of faith," Karpal said, adding that there was a basis for a suit to be filed against Putrajaya.

Human rights group Lawyers for Liberty today slammed Najib for what it described as a disingenuous solution to the 10-point solution.

"Basically, what Najib is saying is that although Putrajaya has come to an agreement with Christians, he is powerless to do anything within the states," said LFL co-founder Eric Paulsen.

"Najib appears to have forgotten that as the prime minister of Malaysia, he definitely has a say on how Islamic issues are dealt with as this is a policy matter."

Paulsen said Najib's comments did not resolve anything because the states would continue implementing whatever religious policies they saw fit.

"This includes future raids and seizure of Alkitab and Bup Kudus," Paulsen told The Malaysian Insider today.

Paulsen described the state enactments as impractical and questioned how certain Islamic and Arabic words could be banned in some states and valid in others.

"Under what context can these words be banned? And how can non-Muslims be banned wholesale from using these words?"

He said the state enactments, especially those relating to the control of propagation among Muslims, were too widely drafted and clearly not enforceable.

"This is making a mockery of the Federal Constitution as it infringes on fundamental principles, such as freedom of religion and speech."

He asked how the ban was to be applied. Did it apply to articles or a blog posting or only if he attempted to propagate to Muslims.

"Let us not forget, it is clearly stated in the Federal Constitution that non-Muslims are not bound by these state enactments."

Paulsen said Lawyers for Liberty was also concerned about the apparent growing move to dismantle constitutionalism in Malaysia.

"There seems to be a growing form of Islamisation and Talibanisation going on in Malaysia.

"Laws and policies are being seen through the eyes of conservative Islamic quarters and how the religious authorities interpret Islam in Malaysia."

Because of the interpretation of Islam by conservative quarters, other laws, including the Constitution, are being overridden.

Paulsen said Putrajaya appeared to be pandering to conservative Malay-Muslim powers and, in the process, undermining the fundamental principles that formed the very fabric of Malaysia.

"The rule of law, including freedom of religion and speech, has now been made secondary to these conservatives," Paulsen said.

On Friday, Najib finally ended his silence on the “Allah” issue and 10-point solution, saying the use of the word was up to the individual states.

Najib said the 10-point solution allowing the use of the word “Allah” in Bibles was valid for Sabah and Sarawak and any other state that did not forbid its use among non-Muslims.

However, in all other states, the use of the word depended on their respective enactments, such as in the case of Selangor.

Selangor's 1988 enactment prohibiting the use of the word “Allah” by non-Muslims led to a raid by the Selangor Islamic Affairs Department on the Bible Society of Malaysia’s office on January 2.

More than 300 Bibles in Bahasa Malaysia and Iban were confiscated in a move that caused an outcry in civil society. – January 25, 2014.

Perkasa now attacks Najib on 'Allah' stand

Prime Minister Najib Razak has earned the wrath of Malay supremacist group Perkasa for not coming down hard on Christians continuing to use the word 'Allah' in their practice.

This despite the PM finally breaking his silence on the ongoing row by affirming that the cabinet's 10-point solution was still subject to state laws that banned the use of the word.

Although the cabinet had discussed the matter earlier, Najib had not made any statement until last night after meeting with the Umno supreme council.

Responding in a statement today, Perkasa Islamic affairs bureau chief ustaz Shamsuddin Moner slammed Najib and the Umno supreme council for not showing "firmness and transparency" in defending the sanctity of 'Allah' from being allegedly "insulted and "humiliated and mocked" by the Catholic church.

"As Umno president ... he and the Umno supreme council should by right insist that all churches and Catholic priests in the country to recognise and respect the decision of the Court of Appeal on Oct 14, 2013...

"There was not a single criticism by the Umno supreme council that convened last night against those who dispute the Appeal Court's ruling," he said.

The Appeal Court's ruling last October overturned the 2010 High Court decision that the Home Ministry ban on The Herald's use of the word was unconstitutional.

'Blanket ban implied'

Shamsuddin, however, maintained that the latest ruling implied a blanket ban on the use of the word, which Borneo Christians have been using for over a century in their Malay and Iban bibles.

He claimed that the 10-point solution did not concern the use of the word 'Allah' in the bibles, but was instead directed at the use of the Malay language in bibles.

"It does not allow for the use of the word 'Allah' in bibles, but is general in nature on allowing bibles to be published in the Malay language," he said.

Shamsuddin urged Najib to consult with the National Fatwa Council and international Islamic scholars on the matter.

"We want this issue to be resolved by the Conference of Rulers... the Conference of Rulers can block or prevent any ritual such as the practice demanded by (editor of Catholic weekly, The Herald) Lawrence Andrew (left) that the word 'Allah' be used in all Catholic rituals in Selangor churches," he said.

Najib yesterday said that the word 'Allah' cannot be used by non-Muslims in states where there is such prohibitions under law, but Sabah and Sarawak - which do not have such laws - may continue to use the word.

However, Shamsuddin blasted Najib for pandering to Sabahans and Sarawakians.

"The prime minister does not need to refer to (Minister in the Prime Minister's Department) Idris Jala simply to take care of the feelings and politics in Sabah and Sarawak," he said.

Idris had been the lead negotiator on behalf of the government when the 10-point solution was first drafted.

Gerakan says stop the fuss over open pork sales

 
 Penang Gerakan has described the open sale of pork in several locations in the state as a “non-issue”, saying the business has been in place even when the party was in power, pre-2008.

"It is nothing new. It's more an issue of health and cleanliness, and sometimes involves planning (areas to conduct the business)," said Gerakan national legal and human rights bureau chief Baljit Singh.

"There is no reason to ban it," the lawyer told Malaysiakini.

While agreeing that the Penang Municipal Council (MPPP) should act firmly against illegal hawkers, Baljit (left) said that the law should apply across the board, regardless of race or religion of the culprits.

On the alleged sensitivities of the matter, Baljit said this depends on the individual, to each its own, and is beyond control.

Baljit reminded that the act of slaying a cow during Hari Raya Aidiladha may also hurt the sensitivities of Hindu who deem it a "sacred or holy animal".

Buddhists or vegetarians may also oppose to this act as they are against violence or killing of a life, he added.

He stressed that keeping calm, while others serve beef or meat, which Hindus, Buddhists or vegetarians avoid for religious or health reasons during public functions, is also another example of how the different communities have managed such sensitivities.

Tolerance survives despite constant battering

"We live in a multiracial country, most of us have managed to exercise tolerance and keep our sensitivities in check because we want to maintain peace and racial harmony," Baljit reminded.

"I hope we do not come to a point where we make rules or impose punishments to prevent hawkers from legally selling the meat," Baljit added.

"I hope and hope, that certain quarters will stop raising such issues or make a big fuss about it," he pleaded.

Baljit said most Malaysians, from all walks of life, ethnic or religious groups do not see this as an issue.

"Only certain people who are looking for some political mileage would like to make up this issue. Let's us move on and forget about this," Baljit urged.

He was referring to the Islamic Solidarity and Charity Organisation (Isco) memorandum to MPPP complaining about pork being sold openly in public areas like Chulia Street, Kuantan Road and CY Choy Road.

The group of seven, led by the NGO's president Abdul Rahman Makhtun handed over the letter to Zulfaqar Yakob, a representative of the Penang administration, in Komtar yesterday.

They urged the MPPP to be more sensitive towards the Muslims as pork is "haram" to the community.

CM: Learn from PAS

The group expressed regret, claiming that the MPPP and state government under Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng are not sensitive to the Muslim community, although the latter has consistently denied such allegations when revealing that Penang's allocation for Islamic activities has been boosted under the Pakatan government.

Umno Tanjong division youth wing vice-chief Mohd Yusmadi Mohd Yusof and Isco secretary Mohd Firdaus Humayoon were part of the delegation which submitted the memorandum peacefully yesterday.

Asked to comment on the issue, Lim (right) said that the open sale of pork in certain locations in the island had been the practice since BN days.

"Why didn't they raise it then when former CM Koh Tsu Koon was in power, why do it now?" he asked.

"They should learn from PAS. Even in Kelantan, where the party rules, this is not an issue where the meat is hung up openly for sale," Lim added.

Lim said Umno cannot be trusted, cautioning others not to repeat their statement as "it can eat you up".

He added that the locations mentioned by the group are pre-dominantly non-Muslim areas, labelling Isco as being "unfair and insensitive" to others when issuing the demands.

When told that the group wanted the meat sold in an enclosed area, Lim retorted "are we supposed to imprison them?"

On the demand for MPPP to act sternly against illegal hawkers, Lim shot back "don't just point at the pork sellers, it should apply to all".

'Issues turned sensitive by Umno'

He pointed out that pro-Umno supporters and NGOs like Perkasa and Pekida had come out strongly to defend illegal hawkers when district offices or MPPP personnel demolished their stalls after the owners refused to adhere to local council rules and regulations.

Meanwhile, DAP national chairperson Karpal Singh said Isco and Umno members should "resist and desist" from exploiting sensitive issues.

Karpal (right) recalled that the open sale of pork existed even during British rule and under the Alliance government, and no one has objected to it.

"The issue is not sensitive, but is turned into one. It is obvious that Umno is exploiting it for political reasons," he said at a press conference today.

"We hope Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak will direct Umno members to refrain from turning this into a sensitive issue or to further exploit the matter," he added.

Karpal said such sensitive issues were raised because Umno is "desperate", as the party had minimal support - 10 seats - in Penang.

Nevertheless, exploring racial, religious and sensitive issues for political expediency is wrong, Karpal added.

"Muslims in the state will understand without objection in this issue because they know Umno is just looking for cannon fodder to make it a sensitive issue when it is a non-issue here," he stressed.

'Allah ban laws don't apply to non-Muslims'

A day after Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak declared the 10-point solution was subject to state enactments banning non-Muslims from using the word 'Allah', constitutional expert Abdul Aziz Bari declares that  they have no power over non-Muslims.

"The jurisdiction of the states is on Islam while the rights of the non-Muslims are protected by the federal constitution.

"State enactments cannot override the rights of the non-Muslims enshrined in the Constitution and these include their right to religious freedom," he said in a statement today.

The 10-point solution or agreement was approved by the cabinet in 2011, allowing free use of Bibles with the word 'Allah' in Sabah and Sarawak while those in the peninsula must be embossed with "For Christians Only" stamp.

However, Najib (left) had said yesterday that the solution was subject to state enactments banning non-Muslims from using the word 'Allah' which exist in most peninsular states but Sabah and Sarawak were still free to use the word in the absence of such state laws there.

Abdul Aziz added that some of the enactments went against the federal constitution.

"If the government was really committed to the contents of 10-point solution they would have abide by the federal constitution," he said.

He pointed out that the solution was meant to allay fears of non-Muslims ahead of the Sarawak state election of 2011.

"If the prime minister was really serious and meant what is stated in the 10-point solution they would not have appealed against the High Court decision in 2009," he said.

Ramanan’s fate to be known next month

The MIC treasurer-general to know his fate in the party at its central working committee meeting next month

KUALA LUMPUR: The fate of newly-appointed MIC treasurer-general R. Ramanan will be decided upon at the party’s central working committee (CWC) meeting next month, said party president G Palanivel.

“We have fixed our first CWC meeting in February. We will look into this matter,” he told Bernama via short messaging service (SMS) here today.

He was commenting on several calls from MIC leaders and an opposition leader to remove Ramanan, following his involvement in a fraud case.

Yesterday, the High Court here ordered Ramanan to return RM5.5 million to psychiatrist Tan Sri Dr M. Mahadevan, which he had fraudulently received from the defence ministry when “assisting” the psychiatrist to recover the payment, four years ago.

Judicial Commissioner Lee Heng Cheong, in his decision, said he agreed with Dr Mahadevan’s counsel that Ramanan had fraudulently misrepresented himself to the plaintiff, resulting in him to transfer the money into the defendant’s personal account on May 19, 2010.

Ramanan was ordered to pay the money within 14 days from today, but following his application, the court allowed an interim-stay of execution, pending an application next Monday.

The MIC will hold its first CWC for the term 2013/1016 after the party held its election on Nov 30, last year.

The MIC CWC is also expected to decide if the party needs to hold a re-election of national office bearers following allegation of misappropriation of votes at the November polls.

The election was held to pick three vice presidents and 23 CWC members. A total eight aspirants fought for the three veep positions while 88 candidates contested the 23 CWC positions.

Palanivel and Dr S Subramaniam won the party top two positions uncontested.

– Bernama

MIC leaders make beeline to ROS


Fed-up with the silence from party leadership, disgruntled leaders are making a beeline to the Registrar of Societies to air their grouses with the hope justice would be served and action would be taken

PETALING JAYA: Disappointed with the eerie silence from the MIC top leadership, 20 party leaders have lodged three separate reports to the Registrar of Societies (ROS) complaining of unfair practices at the MIC elections in November 2013.

They want the ROS to declare the polls null and void and force the party leadership to hold fresh elections to pick 23 central working committee members and three vice-presidents.

Former Youth chief T Mohan and ex-CWC member Madhu Marimuthu lodged a report to the ROS on Jan 10, after waiting for nearly two months for the party to decide if a re-election was warranted.

The two leaders, who contested in the polls and lost, had submitted two memorandums to the party leadership outlining why a re-election was needed but there was no response from either the president G Palanivel or his deputy, Dr S Subramaniam, on issues raised.

Mohan confirmed that he had lodged a report to the ROS on the matter with several other CWC candidates.

It is learnt that former treasurer-general Jaspal Singh and former Youth chief SA Vigneswaravan have also lodged two separate reports with ROS. The two leaders lost their bid for vice-presidency in the election.

“To be honest, I regret bringing the matter to the ROS but I have no choice. I am doing this for the party and not for me.”

“It was crystal clear that the polls were marred by various election malpractices, including a massive difference in the number of ballots cast and delegates who voted at the polls. Todate, six petitions had been submitted to the party but they are still pretending to be in dark over this issue. This has forced us to lodged the ROS report,” Mohan said when contacted.

The party held it elections on Nov 30, in Malacca to pick 23 CWC members and three vice-presidents. A total of eight candidates contested the vice-presidency while 88 aspirants fought it out for the CWC seats.

Mohan said he was not confident that the party’s CWC would be able to come up with an amicable solution to the issue.

“How can we except the CWC to discuss this matter without fear or favour. All the CWC members except the appointed ones were directly involved in the elections. There are also complaints against the president.

“He should also excuse himself from the meeting since there are allegations against him as well. That leaves the deputy president (Dr S Subramaniam) as the lone voice with the right to decide,” he added.

Dr Subramaniam is the president-in-waiting following Palanivel’s announcement prior to the party presidential election in August last year that this would be his last term and that he would relinquish the post in 2016.

Mohan said the best way to deal with the issue would be to set up an independent body to investigate into claims of election discrepancies in the party polls.

FMT learnt that Palanivel has set Feb 5 for the first CWC meeting after the MIC elections. The CWC meeting apart from discussing the election issue would also delve on the fate of MIC treasurer-general R Ramanan, who was convicted for fraud earlier this week. Ramanan was recently appointed by Palanivel replacing Jaspal.

In a related matter, Puchong MIC division Youth chief Subash Chandra Bose today lodged a police report against Ramanan at the Sentul police station.

In the report he urged the police to investigate Ramanan, following a High Court order requiring Ramanan to return RM5.5mil to renowned psychiatrist Dr Mahadevan. The court ruled Ramanan had fraudulently received the money.

Citing the court order, Subash said Ramanan was convicted for criminal breach of trust and the police should investigate him under Section 420 of the Penal Code.

“There are also other police reports against Ramanan lodged last year for the same reason.But, until today there is no action from the police. I hope the police will be fair to everyone and would not take sides in this matter,” said Subash.

Rumble in S’gor PKR

The power struggle among top two PKR leaders in Selangor is not about to die down with state assemblymen taking sides to show their loyalty.

PETALING JAYA: Selangor Menteri Besar Khalid Ibrahim seems to be walking on a tightrope, facing revolt among fellow party leaders who want him replaced with nemesis Bukit Antarabangsa state assemblyman Azmin Ali, who is also the PKR deputy president.

The fight between the two could result in long-term instability to the state leadership, now in the hands of Pakatan Rakyat.

The 14 PKR state assemblymen in Selangor have taken sides and this has caused nighmares for Khalid in running the state smoothly.

Pakatan Rakyat cornered 44 state seats in Selangor at the last general election in May 2013. Fellow components DAP and PAS hold 15 seats each, in the 56-seat Selangor state assembly.

Seri Andalas assemblyman Xavier Jayakumar and Sri Muda assemblyman Mat Shuhaimi Shafie confirmed that Selangor PKR, headed by Azmin, at a meeting on Jan 12, unanimously decided to write a collective letter to the national leadership stating their unhappiness with Khalid over several issues.

Sources told FMT that the letter triggered the PKR supreme council to discuss the review of Khalid’s position in a meeting on Jan 15, in which “two or three” attendees called for Khalid to be removed.

PKR secretary-general Saifuddin Nasution said no concrete decision was made at the meeting and that Khalid was still the Menteri Besar.

The fact that he is facing revolt from Selangor PKR state assemblymen makes it difficult for Khalid to administer the state efficiently as he would be without the support “his own party leaders.”

Shuhaimi said the Selangor PKR meeting had good attendance made up of state supreme council members, branch chiefs and also elected PKR representatives.

He said the attendees reached a consensus to write the letter to air their dissatisfaction towards Khalid on three issues. The grouses are:

Khalid’s decision to enter into a joint effort with the federal government to acquire the Selangor water concessionaires and to allow the federal government to construct the Langat II Water Treatment Plant;

Hiking licensing fees affecting shops and factory operators; and

Removing Azmin from the Selangor State Development Corporation (PKNS) board.

“Nobody opposed the issuance of the letter, even if there were, they kept silent. So the motion was passed without much ado,” Suhaimi told FMT today.

While momentum against Khalid seems to be growing by the day, observers feel the menteri besar faced an uphill task in running the state even with the backing from DAP and PAS state assemblymen.

In-fighting and internal sabotage is starting, evident when PKR’s Kuala Langat MP Abdullah Sani Abdul Hamid and Batu Caves assemblyman Amirudin Shari organised a protest recently to oppose Khalid’s decision to transfer out the PKNS general manager and executive secretary, blaming them for excluding Azmin from the PKNS board..

‘Selangor going Kedah’s way’

Meanwhile, Xavier, when contacted today, said Khalid ought to be removed immediately because the current leadership has not delivered the kind of changes that people wanted following the general election.

“In the past one year, nothing has moved, everything done in Selangor contravenes what the party and Pakatan leadership want.

“All the time we have been fighting fire rather than come out with concrete programmes.

“We don’t want Selangor to go down the path of Kedah,” he said, referring to Pakatan losing the state in the last election.

Abdullah Sani said he was disappointed with Khalid’s decision in issues such as water concession, salary hike for executive councillors and assemblymen and the removal of Azmin.

“He is not setting an example of good governance. He should be removed,” he said.

Selangor exco for welfare and women affairs Rodziah Ismail, however, defended Khalid saying that the second term MB was the one who led Pakatan Rakyat to a bigger victory in the general election.

“No one can deny that because of Khalid that we gained more than two-thirds majority in the state legislative assembly. So the people’s preference should be taken into consideration.

“I admit there are shortcomings, but that can be corrected from time to time,” she added.

Syariah police unit to be finalised soon, says Jakim

(Bernama) - The setting up of the syariah police unit will be finalised soon, Malaysian Islamic Development Department (Jakim) Director-General Datuk Othman Mustafa said today.

He said the department, the Home Ministry and the Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM) would meet soon to discuss the matter.

“The first stage on the setting up of the police unit will be known next week,” he told reporters at a media conference after the Federal Territory Maulidur Rasul celebration in Kuala Lumpur today.

Last night, Home Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said the ministry would work with Jakim in addressing issues on the enforcement of Islamic laws with the setting up of the syariah police unit.

He said the syariah police unit would comprise degree graduates in Islamic studies.

No translation for ‘Allah’, Nik Aziz insists


nik_aziz(MM) - Non-Muslims should not translate God as “Allah” in their holy books, PAS’ Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat reiterated as he waded into the latest interfaith flare-up over the right to use the Arabic word.

The Islamist opposition party’s spiritual adviser said the word God in non-Muslims’ holy scriptures could better be translated into “Tuhan” (Lord) instead, Malay-language daily Sinar Harian reported today.

“But the problem now is because there are people who want God to be translated as ALLAH, this is not correct, God means Tuhan, it doesn’t mean ALLAH, ALLAH is different, tuhan (god) is different, there are too many gods, some people make possessions god,” the former Kelantan Mentri Besar was quoted as saying in a sermon in the state yesterday.

Nik Aziz repeated the PAS Syura Council’s stand that the English word for God cannot be translated as “Allah”.

The Syura Council, the religious arm of PAS, had in January last year decided that non-Muslims could not use the word “Allah” in their holy books.

After the Syura Council made known its decision, Nik Aziz also said in the same month that those worshipped more than one god should not use the word “Allah”.

The word “Allah” is viewed as exclusive to Islam by some Malaysian Muslims, who also proposed that non-Muslims — especially Christians — use the Malay word “Tuhan” for God instead.

However, the Christian Federation of Malaysia (CFM) — an umbrella body of churches nationwide — has pointed out that the word “Allah” could not be replaced with “Tuhan”, as both words have different connotations in the Christian faith.

CFM had also pointed out that any attempts to replace “Allah” in the local translation of the phrase “Lord God” in their bible would create an “absurd situation”, where the resulting phrase “Tuhan Tuhan” would indicate plurality and create the impression that Christians believe in many gods.

Earlier this month, the Selangor Islamic Religious Department (Jais) raided the Bible Society of Malaysia and seized over 300 copies of its Malay and Iban language bibles, which contain the word “Allah”, deepening the religious lines that resurfaced following last October’s Court of Appeal ruling barring the Arabic word to non-Muslims.

It also complicated Putrajaya’s 10-point solution that was introduced in 2011 to allow Christians the continued use of bibles in the national and other native languages even as the legal case dragged on.

The ongoing legal dispute between the government and the Catholic Church over its right to print the word “Allah” in the Herald’s Bahasa Malaysia section is pending before the Federal Court, which is set to hear arguments from both sides on March 5 before deciding on whether it will hear an appeal by the Catholic Church.

Christians make up close to 10 per cent of the Malaysian population, or 2.6 million.

Almost two-thirds of them are Bumiputera and are largely based in Sabah and Sarawak, where they routinely use Bahasa Malaysia and indigenous languages in their religious practices, including describing God as “Allah” in their prayers and holy book.

Our very own 'White Book'

The Star  BY VANES DEVINDRAN

KUALA LUMPUR: The legal practice in Malaysia now has its very own home-grown edition of The White Book, the Malaysian Civil Procedure 2013.

Chief Justice of Malaysia Tun Arifin Zakaria, who launched it yesterday, said the availability of these references would be instrumental to the elevation of the standard of Malaysian legal practice and the quality of legal education in Malaysia.

“The publication of the Malaysian edition of The White Book is most timely following the introduction of the Rules of Court 2012.

“The Bench and the Bar in Malaysia will benefit the most as they finally have specific references in so far the civil court practices are concerned,” he said.

Arifin said that in 1980, Malaysia adopted the English Rules of the Supreme Court 1965 in the form of the Rules of the High Court 1980.

At the same time, he said the Subordinate Courts Rules 1980 were promulgated to regulate the conduct of civil cases in the subordinate courts.

He said that over the years, the practice in both High Courts and subordinate courts in Malaysia had gone through several developments.

He said there was a great need to simplify and standardise civil procedure in the courts to raise the quality of the Malaysian justice system.

He said the rules committee therefore deemed it necessary for a comprehensive review of the rules of procedure for High Courts and the subordinate courts.

Arifin said the Malaysian Civil Procedure brought together virtually all Malaysian material relevant to civil practice in Malaysia.

“I am confident the Malaysian Civil Procedure would be an indispensable tool to practitioners appearing before the court. The book can be relied on with utmost confidence,” he said.

The Malaysian Civil Procedure 2013 features must-have court litigation references that provide illuminating commentary on the new Malaysian Rules of Court 2012.

Cordial Ties Between Federal And State Governments Important For Development

JOHOR BAHARU, Jan 25 (Bernama) -- Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said cordial relations between the federal and state governments is crucial for national economic development.

He said Iskandar Malaysia was the best example where the cordial relations between the federal government and the Johor state government had benefited both parties.

"Iskandar Malaysia had so far attracted accumulated investments valued at RM131 billion of which 45 per cent had been realised.

"This is the result of the close relationship that had been established between the federal and state governments. Following infrastructural expenditure of RM8 billion, we managed to attract RM131 billion in investments with 554,000 job opportunities being created since 2006 until today," he said.

He said this in his speech at the dinner, 'Bingkisan Medini' and the official closing of the Annual Programme of the Malaysian BN Elected Representatives Wives 2013/2014, here Saturday night.

The dinner, held at the residence of the Johor Menteri Besar, was also attended by the president of the Wives of Ministers and Deputy Ministers Charitable Organisation (Bakti), who is also the prime minister's wife, Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor, as well as Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin and wife Puan Sri Noorainee Abdul Rahman.

Also present were Johor Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Khaled Nordin and wife, Datin Seri Rosni Omar in her capacity as president of the Welfare Organisation of the Wives of Johor State Assemblymen (Juita).

Meanwhile, Najib said that the wives formed the pillar of strength for the BN elected representatives and they played a role as the antidote to their emotions and sentiments.

"There are many who support us intellectually, but the antidote to our feelings and emotions, who support and understand us so that we can become effective elected representatives are our wives.

"If you (elected representatives) are a happy and satisfied individual, then you will be happy to serve the rakyat," he said.

Meanwhile in her speech, Rosmah said that the annual championship programme had succeeded in achieving its objectives especially in forming a consensus and instilling cordial sentiments.

She also praised the quality of the championship which had improved each year.

The four-day championship was participated by 560 competitors from 14 contingents who competed in badminton and bowling.