Anwar: Smut and sodomy, what have I not seen?

Suicide bomb tears through Pakistani city of Peshawar just hours after peace talks with Taliban are delayed

• Attack came after authorities failed to turn up for peace talks with Taliban
• Nine people were killed and 30-40 injured, including some young children
• Blast ripped through hotel popular with Shiite Muslims and near a shrine

Nine people were killed today when a suicide bomb ripped through a hotel in Peshawar, hours after the Pakistani government failed to show up for peace talks with the Taliban.

Devastation: Police officials and rescue volunteers inspect the site of a suicide bomb blast at a hotel popular with Shiite Muslims in Peshawar, north-west Pakistan, where nine people were killed and 30-40 injured

The hotel popular with Shiite Muslims in the north-western Pakistani city was left a mangled mess of broken concrete, twisted metal and bloodstained furniture by the night-time blast.

A number of very young children are among the 30-40 people estimated to have been injured in the attack, which happened just yards from a Shiite mosque.

Suspicion is likely to fall on Sunni Islamic militants who view Shiites as heretics, although the Pakistani Taliban denied any involvement the bombing.

It came after authorities fouled up peace talks with the Taliban when their negotiating team failed to show up for a meeting set to take place in the capital, Islamabad.

Maulana Samiul Haq, a Pakistani cleric picked by the Taliban to represent them, claimed that the Pakistani government had bowed to American pressure to avoid the talks.

'We waited for the government team today, but they did not come,' he told reporters.

A child injured in the suicide bombing is treated at a nearby hospital: The attack came after authorities fouled up peace talks with the Taliban when their negotiating team failed to show up at a meeting in Islamabad

The child grimaces as a paramedic applies dressings to her wound: Maulana Samiul Haq, a Taliban negotiator, claimed that the Pakistani government had bowed to American pressure to avoid the talks

Medics hold down a screaming child as they attempt to treat his injuries: A member of the government's team claimed his side were waiting for the Taliban to confirm the identities of their negotiators before the meeting

A member of the government's team claimed his side were waiting for the Taliban to confirm the identities of their negotiating team. Rahimullah Yousufzai said that now confirmation had been sent, they were ready to meet.

'We did not meet with the representatives of the Taliban as we needed some clarity from them,' he said, adding: 'now we have received that clarification and the meeting will take place in the next two days.'

A man stands in the morgue of the Lady Reading hospital by the body of a relative who was killed in the attack

Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has been pushing for negotiations over military operations to end militant violence in the country, where over 40,000 people in recent years have been killed in acts of terrorism.

Authorities blame most of the deaths on Pakistani Taliban.

Experts say militants began their campaign of violence in retaliation for the government throwing its weight behind the U.S.-led war in neighboring Afghanistan, as well as trying to meddle in the affairs of tribal areas.

The violence has put pressure on Mr Sharif to use force to put down the insurgency. In an apparent move to avoid any such operation, Pakistani Taliban recently agreed to the peace talks.

Security officials and rescue workers stand at the site of the bomb blast: Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has been pushing for negotiations over military operations to end militant violence in the country

Residents call rescue workers for help: Experts say militants began violence in retaliation for the government supporting the war in neighboring Afghanistan, as well as trying to meddle in the affairs of tribal areas

Over the weekend, the Taliban named a five-member committee, including ex-cricketer Imran Khan, to represent them in talks with the government.

Mr Khan, whose Tehreek-e-Insaf party runs the government in the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province near the Taliban's tribal strongholds, says the Taliban should select its own members as representatives.

He is strongly pro-negotiations and has led a campaign against U.S. drone strikes targeting militants in the northwest.

A man injured in the attack stands near the scene: More 40,000 Pakistanis have been killed in acts of terrorism in recent years, with most of the deaths blamed on militants linked to the hard-line Pakistani Taliban

In a statement, a spokesman for the Pakistani Taliban, Shahidullah Shahid, prayed for the success of the talks. 'May God help these people in this noble task,' he said about Mr Haq and other Taliban negotiators.

Critics say several such peace initiatives in the past failed and only strengthened the militants.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2551712/Suicide-bomb-tears-Pakistani-city-Peshawar-just-hours-peace-talks-Taliban-delayed.html#ixzz2sUCdIWQD 

No toll hikes this year, Putrajaya to compensate RM400 million to concessionaires

Putrajaya today climbed down from its earlier plans to raise toll rates after facing growing revolt on the ground against price hikes and subsidy cuts that has made ministers the butt of jokes in Malaysia.

Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin (pic) said the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) government decided not to raise toll rates this year as part of its plan to tackle the rising cost of living.

He said the move will cost the government RM400 million which has to be paid as compensation to the various toll concessionaires, which Putrajaya said it could not afford under a plan to cut the federal deficit. Putrajaya had earlier raised electricity rates by 15% and pump prices rose 20 sen per litre, saying it had to cut the energy subsidy bill that costs some RM24 billion a year.

Muhyiddin chaired special cabinet committee to tackle the rising cost of living today where the decision to keep current toll rates was made, The Star Online reported.

Muhyiddin also announced an allocation of RM120 million to Fama, Nekmat and Nafas to ensure sufficient food supply in the market.

Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Abdul Wahid Omar had last year said that it was impossible to stop toll rate hikes this year due to the concession agreement between the government and highway concession companies.

He said Putrajaya had to fork out RM400 million in compensation to toll concessionaires after it froze a revision of the toll rates that were meant to be implemented in 2011 under the concession agreement.

PKR strategic director Rafizi Ramli said Putrajaya could put off plans to raise toll rates as it owned or held major stakes in toll concessionaires which gave it decision-making powers.

In refuting Putrajaya’s claim that the hike was “unavoidable”, Rafizi said that the move is totally unjustified as toll operators were making an “obscene” amount of profit with minimal cost.

“What has been hidden from the public’s view so far is the fact that most largest toll concessionaires are owned by government-linked companies,” the PKR strategic director told reporters here.

He had described the financial transactions between Putrajaya and the toll concessionaires as “going from the left pocket to the right pocket”.

“The other misleading statement made by government – it is as if the whole highway system is completely privately funded. It is not, because it involved a lot of government guarantees,” he added.

Rafizi noted that the North-South Expressway Project – which handles, among others, the North-South Expressway, the North Klang Valley Expressway and Central Link Expressway – is wholly owned by government funds such as Khazanah Nasional Bhd and the Employees’ Provident Fund (EPF).

The proposed toll hike had prompted a survey by the Federation of Malaysian Manufacturers (FMM) which showed that 15% of respondents estimated a 25-30% increase in transportation cost as a result of the proposed increase in toll rates by concessionaires in the Klang valley.

FMM said the increase would be from hike in transportation charges by logistics service providers, increase in price of raw materials and increase in travelling claims of their marketing staff who use these highways on a daily basis.

“The hike in toll rates would result in an increase in the prices of goods and raw materials, and subsequently increase the operating cost of manufacturers.

“This increase in operating cost would eventually be passed down to consumers,” it said in a statement.

It said, given the recent increase in electricity rates, the proposed toll hikes would put pressure on inflation, dampen domestic consumption and affect export competitiveness. – February 5, 2014.

Ambiga ticks off EC, all by-elections unexpected

 

Since opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim started the ball rolling on the Kajang by-election, there has been an endless stream of allegations about diabolical plots being hatched.

And now, the Election Commission has opened another window for speculation by delaying the polls for the state assembly seat, whose incumbent had quit on Jan 27, until March 23 - a gap of almost two months.

Under the election laws, EC has 60 days to hold the by-election and the polling day announced by the commission today is just a few days shy of the deadline.

After announcing the nomination and polling dates, EC chief Abdul Aziz Yusof took pains to explain the reasons behind the holdup.

But his bizarre reasoning that the by-election was "unexpected" left one of his staunchest critics in stitches.

Struggling to contain her laughter, former Bersih chairperson S Ambiga reminded him that all by-elections are unpredictable unless the commission has a crystal ball which could foretell impending deaths, resignations and disqualifications.

"EC's reasons for the delay in holding the by-election late do not make sense at all. Particularly, the statement that it is unexpected. Of course it is!

"By-elections are always unexpected. No one can anticipate them," she said.

Some claim that the by-election is being dragged because BN is still unable to find a suitable candidate to challenge Anwar and stop him from becoming the next Selangor menteri besar.

There is also the speculation that Umno wants the seat, believing that it stands a better chance with the 48 percent Malay voters as opposed to MCA with the 40 percent Chinese electorate.

But for Liow Tiong Lai (left) to concede the seat to Umno would be interpreted as a sign of weakness and put the newly minted MCA president in the line of fire.

Compounding the problem, Liow's camp had in the past criticised his predecessor for giving MCA seats to Umno in the previous general election.

Need for extensive preparations

Meanwhile, Abdul Aziz also revealed that the holdup was due to the EC needing to carry out extensive preparations.
      
These, he added, include preparing a complete and clean voter roll, identifying suitable voting, nomination and vote-tallying centres, and conducting training to prevent repeat of past errors such as in the filling out of ‘Borang 13' and ‘Borang 14'.

Abdul Aziz also said time was needed to arrange for indelible ink supply and to have it brought back here.

This prompted the question if the EC had been lackadaisical in terms of preparation in previous by-elections that were held soon after the seats fell vacant.

The Kajang seat fell vacant after state assemblyperson from PKR, CC Lee, quit to force a by-election to pave the way for Anwar to become menteri besar.

Eyebrow-raising statement

While PKR defended the move on the ground that Selangor needed strong political leadership to check Umno from stoking racial and religious tension, the opposition party came under fire, even from its supporters, for manipulating the democratic process.

Ambiga's successor Maria Chin Abdullah (right) also found the EC chief's remark to be strange.

"It is another eyebrow-raising statement from the EC chief, one that reveals his political bias.

"This by-election is no more unexpected than past ones, especially those arising from the death of elected reps.

"Why is the EC chief singling this one out as an excuse for holding out on the polls to the maximum timeframe allowed by the law?" she asked.

Maria also reminded the EC that it is their responsibility to ensure elections are conducted free and fair.

"A repeat of how they conducted themselves at the 13th general election will not be acceptable to all Malaysians," she added.

Waytha: Suspend all death sentences

Putrajaya must stop the execution of a man this Friday until it has decided on the recommendations to abolish capital punishment.

PETALING JAYA: Human rights movement Hindraf today called on the government to suspend all death sentences pending Putrajaya’s decision to look into Human Rights Council’s recommendations by March 2014.

Hindraf chairman P Waythamoorthy, who is also a deputy minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, said Putrajaya had agreed during the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) at the Human Rights Council in Geneva in October 2013 to heed the call made by the international community to abolish death sentence.

“The government had committed to respond to the Human Rights Council by March 2014 on the recommendations made,” he said today.

He added that the call for the abolition of the death sentence in Malaysia has been in place since October 2012 when the then da facto law minister Mohamed Nazri Aziz had expressed his intention to move a moratorium bill to abolish death sentence in Malaysia.

Waythamoorthy said that a public survey conducted in July 2013 also found that the public was favourable in abolishing death penalty.

“With this progress taking shape, it is time for the government to suspend all death sentences until it has decided on the death penalty by March as it had promised the Human Rights Council,” he said.

He added that for starters, the Attorney General’s Chambers can take immediately steps in suspending the execution of one P Chandran which is scheduled to take place this Friday (Feb 7) in Kajang prison.

“A death sentence is incompatible with human rights and human dignity as it violates the right of life which is most basic human rights.

“Therefore we also urge the Bar Council, Suhakam and all like-minded civil societies to lend their support in safeguarding and promoting human rights by voicing together in an effort to halt the impending execution of Chandran,” he added.

He also pointed out that neighbouring Singapore too had amended its laws in regards to death sentence in July 2013, and in November 2013 had substituted MalaysianYong Vui Kong’s death sentence with a life imprisonment.

The long wait for Kajang polls

An analyst says people are being given more time to gripe about PKR's choice of Anwar.

PETALING JAYA: The Election Commission’s choice of March 23 for polling in Kajang is uncommon in that the date is just five days short of the legal deadline.

The law requires a by-election within 60 days of a seat being vacated. In Kajang’s case, the seat will be vacant for 55 days.

The practice has been to have by-elections at the earliest date possible. For example, the Kuala Besut by-election was held 28 days after assemblyman Abdul Rahman Mokhtar died and the Sungai Limau polls 39 days after Azizan Abdul Razak died.

Political analyst James Chin of Monash University said the delay would give people more time to voice their dissatisfaction with PKR’s choice of Anwar Ibrahim as its candidate.

“More and more complaints will be made against Anwar,” he told FMT.

Asked to comment on speculation that the delay may have something to do with the Court of Appeal’s proceedings in the sodomy case against Anwar, Chin said BN was doing a “stupid thing” if it had influenced the Election Commission into delaying the polls for this reason.

“It will backfire,” he said.

“If Anwar is found guilty, PKR will put a replacement candidate, and that candidate will win by a landslide as there would be massive sympathy for PKR.”

The government has appealed against last year’s High Court acquittal of Anwar and the Appeal Court is set to hear the case on Feb 12 and 13.

Chin also said the by-election was a “complete waste of time” and BN “should simply give Anwar a walkover.”

But another analyst, Khoo Kay Peng, said BN had the democratic right to choose whether to field a candidate or not.

“However, even if BN does not field a candidate, I am sure other candidates will contest in the by-election,” he said.

He agreed with Chin that there is no significant connection between the sodomy case and the fate of the by-election. If the Appeal Court were to find him guilty, he said, Anwar would have to face the music whenever the by-election would be held.

However, he acknowledged that if PKR were forced to replace Anwar as its candidate, it would be frustrated in its alleged purpose for forcing the by-election—to depend on his political savvy to resolve the dispute between Menteri Besar Abdul Khalid Ibrahim and PKR deputy president Azmin Ali.

Mat Taib ketepikan kepentingan peribadi sokong Anwar di Kajang

Sebab itu saya pesan kepada BN, jangan cuba jadikan PRK Kajang sebagai tempat menyerang isu peribadi.

PETALING JAYA: Biarpun Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim pernah mengenakan Tan Sri Muhammad Muhd Taib tetapi bekas Menteri Besar Selangor itu tetap menyeru pengundi PRK Kajang menghukum BN pada 23 Mac ini.

Menurut beliau, PRK Kajang adalah peluang kepada rakyat Malaysia untuk menghukum Barisan Nasional (BN) yang gagal menunaikan janji pada Pilihan Raya Umum ke-13 (PRU-13) lalu.

Ketika beliau menjadi menteri besar, beliau ditangkap di Australia membawa masuk wang tunai sebanyak RM2.5 juta yang dikatakan dilapor oleh para pegawai Anwar kepada Imigresen Australia.

Muhammad yang merupakan dari pasukan wawasan selain dari Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak dan Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin yang diketuai Anwar telah menyingkirkan Ghafar Baba dalam pertandingan Umno pada tahun 1993.

Sejak penangkapan beliau, beliau menyalahkan Anwar yang mahu menjatuhkannya dan apabila keluar dari Umno, beliau menyertai PAS dan bukannya PKR milik Anwar Ibrahim.

Memetik laporan Keadilan Daily, bekas Menteri Besar Selangor itu berkata, pengundi Kajang mewakili sentimen seluruh rakyat Malaysia yang berang terhadap kenaikan harga barang dan perkhidmatan ekoran kegagalan pengurusan Perdana Menteri, Datuk Seri Najib Razak.

“Tapi, Umno-BN jangan fikir bahawa rakyat lupa. Dengan kenaikan harga barangan dan kos sara hidup yang meningkat, sudah tentu BN akan menghadapi ujian besar.

“Dan mereka (BN) jangan cuba mengalihkan pandangan rakyat daripada isu besar,” kata Muhammad.

Beliau berkata, PRK Kajang adalah waktu yang tepat kepada rakyat untuk membuat penilaian antara BN dan Pakatan Rakyat (PR).

Katanya, PRK Kajang juga tidak harus digunakan BN untuk menjatuhkan pihak lawan dengan pelbagai serangan peribadi.

“PRK Kajang bukannya isu peribadi. Sebab itu saya pesan kepada BN, jangan cuba jadikan PRK Kajang sebagai tempat menyerang isu peribadi.

“Isu peribadi sudah tidak laku. Tidak payah bawa isu remeh temeh kerana yang penting adalah masa depan rakyat dan negara.

“Isu hutang negara, isu subsidi yang ditarik balik. Ini yang lebih penting, selain ada isu lebih besar yang perlu disentuh dan dibahaskan,” katanya.

Broadening the mix of political options

Local government elections could be a testing ground for newer and smaller parties to prove themselves

Azmi Sharom, The Star

THIS entire Kajang debacle appears to be about changing the Mentri Besar. According to an interview I read, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim is of the opinion that although he is a good manager, Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim does not have the political savvy to deal with the type of attacks the Selangor government has been facing.

Issues which inflame heated emotions need an experienced politician (like Anwar) to deal with them, not a chief executive officer (like Khalid). Yeah, well, whatever.

It is very wearisome to me, all this political wrangling.

Frankly, I couldn’t care less about internal party politics.

What I want is a government that in my view is as good as a government can be. I won’t discuss what I mean by that because that would require a separate article by itself.

So, as long as the mentri besar does his job well, he or she can be whoever the winning party believes should lead them.

Aha, but it is not so simple, is it? Because we don’t have a presidential system of government, we don’t actually have a direct say on whom we want to be the mentri besar.

And even if I am rather blasé about the whole thing, it does not mean my fellow Selangor residents feel the same way.

The sounds that I hear are generally those in favour of Khalid staying; those in favour of Anwar taking over; and those who can live with either of them but not Azmin Ali.

I don’t really know what to think because it is not as if Pakatan Rakyat have been very open about the whole thing, have they?

There is such coyness when talking about whether there actually is going to be a change in boss. And the reasoning as to why such a thing should happen has been very vague.

Like I said, I don’t have strong feelings about the issue. But if you do, what can be done about it?

I think the only option is to make your state assemblyman know what your feelings are on this matter.

They have to know what the citizens of Selangor think and hopefully they will make their minds up accordingly; because at the end of the day it is the person who has the confidence of the state legislature who will be the MB and the state legislators are voted in by us.

This raises another point and that is the role of the Sultan of Selangor in this matter.

It is true that the Sultan has the discretion to choose the MB. However, discretion here has a very special meaning. It means that choosing an MB is one of the things that the Sultan can do without advice from the government.

This does not mean that he can pick simply anybody. His discretion is limited because he has to pick someone whom he believes has the confidence of the house.

This of course makes democratic sense because it ultimately respects the choice of the people, albeit in an indirect manner.

The people can’t choose the MB themselves, but by voting in a particular party or coalition, then there is an implied consent that their chosen group should have a say on who becomes the top honcho.

If the Sultan chooses just any person and the house disagrees with the Sultan’s choice, then they may very well hold a vote of no confidence against the MB once the house is in session.

This could lead to a sticky constitutional crisis. But, and this is a big but, all this depends on Anwar Ibrahim actually winning Kajang and Khalid Ibrahim actually resigning from his post as Mentri Besar.

Who knows what will happen.

This brings to mind another democratic question.

I am sorry if I am meandering all over the place. I think I may have overdosed on mandarin oranges.

I was wondering; if we, the people, get fed up with either Barisan or Pakatan, what choice do we have?

Not much really. I know there are many other political parties which are not the current big guns, but Malaysian politics is rather like Spanish football – two big teams and then everyone else (with apologies to Atletico Madrid fans).

What can be done to add to this mix?

I believe it is hard for smaller parties or new parties to make good because we don’t have local elections. Imagine if we had local elections, then a smaller party could prove themselves at that level.

We can see how well or badly they work and there would be recognition which then could be built upon to go to the state and then federal level of politics.

Local politics allows the smaller parties to get a taste of government at relatively low costs as campaigning in a local government area is a lot cheaper than state or federal level.

Also, it gives the people an opportunity to give them a chance and to see what they can do.

At the very least, local government elections would open up the opportunities for those who want to be directly part of the democratic process. Maybe that is what we need right now; a bit more choice.

Azmi Sharom (azmisharom@yahoo.co.uk) is a law teacher.

The Bible is inaccurate and camels prove it, archaeologists claim

Camels came to the south Levant in the 9th century BC
Archaeologists have cast doubt on the accuracy of the Bible after uncovering new evidence about camels.

Carbon dating suggests the animals were not domesticated in Israel until the 9th century BC - hundreds of years after they were depicted in the Old Testament.

Camels feature in biblical stories involving Abraham and Joseph.

The research was carried out by Erez Ben-Yosef and Lidar Sapir-Hen of Israel's Tel-Aviv University.
A statement from the university, reported in the Times of Israel, said the discrepancy “is direct proof that the [Biblical] text was compiled well after the events it describes”.

The archeologists found camel bones in layers that dated from the last third of the 10th century BC or later, long after they feature in the Bible.

Sweden, bebaskan mereka?

Sinar Harian 
by SYAHREDZAN JOHAN

Baru-baru ini, negara dikejutkan dengan berita tentang pasangan warga Malaysia yang ditahan di Sweden. Mereka ditangkap kerana isu pukul anak bagi mendidik anak tersebut untuk bersolat. Anak-anak mereka, empat orang kesemuanya, ditempatkan di sebuah rumah jagaan sementara.

Penulis tidak arif tentang undang-undang Sweden. Apa yang penulis tahu datangnya daripada laporan yang disiarkan dan sedikit kajian melalui internet. Menurut maklumat, Sweden telah lama mengharamkan sebarang jenis hukuman fizikal ke atas kanak-kanak dan pasangan tersebut ditangkap mengikut undang-undang Sweden tentang perkara itu.

Setiap negara berdaulat bebas menggubal undang-undang mereka sendiri. Itulah alasan yang sering kita gunakan untuk menjustifikasikan undang-undang sedia ada. Mana-mana orang luar juga wajar mengikut undang-undang tempatan. Ini juga sering digunakan apabila kita mengambil tindakan terhadap warga asing. Tidak timbul isu bahawa kerana mereka warga Malaysia, undang-undang Sweden tidak boleh diguna pakai.

Juga mengikut laporan, semua tindakan pihak berkuasa Sweden sehingga kini adalah mengikut undang-undang Sweden. Tidak ada dakwaan yang sebaliknya. Jadi, sekiranya semua tindakan pihak berkuasa adalah mengikut undang-undang, atas dasar apa boleh penahanan mereka dicabar? Jika tindakan pihak berkuasa Sweden adalah ‘betul’ di sisi undang-undang, apa lagi tindakan yang boleh diambil?

Di sini hak asasi manusia memainkan peranan.

Pada pendapat penulis, isunya bukan kebebasan beragama. Kebebasan beragama tidak merangkumi kebebasan untuk memukul anak atas sebab ingin mendidik agama. Juga, sukar untuk berhujah bahawa mana-mana ibu bapa mempunyai ‘hak’ untuk menghukum kanak-kanak secara fizikal. Apatah lagi apabila dibandingkan dengan hak kanak-kanak itu sendiri untuk dilindungi daripada tindakan fizikal daripada sesiapa pun.

Tetapi adalah menjadi hak asasi seorang manusia, tidak kira di mana, untuk tidak dikenakan tahanan, tangkapan atau pembuangan secara arbitari atau sewenang-wenangnya. Juga, terdapat hak untuk dianggap tidak bersalah sehingga dibuktikan kesalahannya di dalam perbicaraan yang terbuka dan yang mana dia diberi kesempatan untuk membela diri.

Di Sweden, seseorang yang disyaki melakukan kesalahan boleh ditahan reman. Menurut laporan, mereka telah ditahan sejak bulan lepas. Mereka akan dibawa ke mahkamah untuk dilanjutkan reman setiap 14 hari, dan tarikh penentuan reman seterusnya adalah pada akhir bulan Januari. Berbeza dengan Malaysia, reman ini boleh dilanjutkan seberapa banyak kali tanpa ada tempoh maksimum.

Pada ketika ini, pasangan tersebut tidak dihadapkan ke mahkamah atas apa-apa tuduhan. Oleh itu, sekiranya mereka terus ditahan dan reman mereka dilanjutkan, ia seperti menghukum mereka sebelum mereka didakwa, dibicarakan, diberi peluang membela diri mahupun kesalahan mereka dibuktikan. Bukankah ini bertentangan dengan hak asasi manusia?

Berbeza dengan Malaysia, hak asasi manusia boleh diguna pakai sebagai alasan untuk mencabar sesuatu tindakan secara asasnya mengikut undang-undang. Ini kerana, hak asasi melangkaui undang-undang tempatan dan tidak boleh dinafikan, disekat atau dicabul oleh undang-undang tempatan. Kes-kes dari Sweden juga boleh dibawa ke Mahkamah Hak Asasi Manusia Eropah.

Di samping itu, keinginan anak-anak pasangan tersebut juga wajar diambil kira. Sekiranya mereka tidak mahu dijaga oleh penjaga bukan Islam contohnya, pihak berkuasa Sweden wajar melaksanakan keinginan mereka, melainkan terdapat sebab-sebab yang perlu dan munasabah demi kepentingan mereka untuk tidak berbuat demikian.

Ya, hak asasi manusia, yang begitu dimomokkan oleh sesetengah pihak, yang dikatakan merupakan konsep Barat yang tidak sesuai atau serasi dengan kita di Malaysia, bahkan diperangi habis-habisan, hak asasi inilah yang boleh diguna pakai oleh pasangan tersebut, yang ditahan kerana mendidik anak mereka tentang kepentingan bersolat.

*Penulis seorang peguam muda yang mengamal undang-undang sebagai rakan kongsi di sebuah firma guaman di Kuala Lumpur.

Put Aside Differences For Country's Continued Progress - Najib

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 5 (Bernama) -- Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak Wednesday night invited Malaysians to make a commitment together to continued development of the country by putting aside differences and looking instead at what they share.

The prime minister urged the people to work together with mutual respect and responsibility, focusing on their common destiny.

"As we look beyond developed-nation status, we must focus our energies on building a sustainable source of talent, those who will carry forward the momentum that began five decades ago in Merdeka Square," he said.

Najib said this in his speech which carried the theme, 'Contribution to the Nation' at the 2013 Merdeka Awards presentation to five recipients, here.

Tan Sri Arsyad Ayub and Raja Tan Sri Muhammad Alias were joint recipients under the Education and Community category, Dr Lim Boo Liat (Environment), Tan Sri Dr Yahya Awang (Science and Technology) and Prof Emeritus Datuk Dr Lam Sai Kit (Outstanding Scholastic Achievement).

Najib presented the awards in the presence of the Regent of Perak, Raja Dr Nazrin shah, who is also the chairman of the Merdeka Award board of trustees.

The prime minister noted that since independence, sustained rapid economic growth had raised Malaysia from an agricultural and commodity-based economy to become one of the world's top trading nations.

"Our sound economic performance has helped improve the quality of life for Malaysians, supporting huge advances in education, healthcare, infrastructure, housing and public amenities," he said.

Najib stressed that the country's hopes and prospects rested on the new generation of young Malaysians who would steer the nation to greater heights.

On the 2013 Merdeka Award recipients, he said they boasted a combined legacy that had benefited generations of Malaysians, past and present.

"Their achievements - in education, rural reform, conservation, healthcare and medical research - have made a significant contribution to the nation's story," Najib said.

Najib pointed out that when his father, the country's second prime minister, the late Tun Abdul Razak Hussein wanted to turn Mara College into an institution focusing on developing the talents the country needed, he entrusted Arshad with the task.

"Tan Sri Arshad has shaped Malaysia's education landscape, developing professional education, and pursuing education reforms and innovation that have opened up a world of opportunities to students in Malaysia," he said.

Najib said the country had also relied on experts like Raja Alias who not only helped develop the palm oil commodity but also made a difference to the lives of numerous rural communities.

He paid glowing tributes to the other recipients as well.

"These five gentlemen, and the teams who worked alongside them, have left their mark on Malaysia's history. They have also laid the foundations for future success," he said.

Since its founding in 2007, the Merdeka Award has recognised 22 exceptional individuals and two organisations, each serving as role models and for the post-Merdeka generation to emulate.

Also present were Raja Puan Besar of Perak Tuanku Zara Salim, the prime minister's wife Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor, Petronas chairman Tan Sri Mohd Sidek Hassan and Shell Malaysia chairman Iain Lo.

Meanwhile, Raja Nazrin said the Merdeka Award had always been about reaching "the highest of heights".

He said the award drew as inspiration the efforts of the nation's founding fathers, who came together to unite under one flag and set the nation's growth and success as their aim.

"These are the values that anchor the 'Spirit of Merdeka' and which we, at the Merdeka Award, have made the mission to cultivate and nurture among the people of Malaysia," he said in his speech at the event.