NGO dedah salah laku terbaru Taib Mahmud

Job vacancy for 'Yes tuan' deputy minister - Malaysiakini

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

All MIC leaders qualified

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

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

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

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

'World must recognise M'sia belongs to Malays'

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

‘Guan Eng ignoring Indians’

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Currently Lim had been viewing Indian issues narrowly.

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

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

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

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

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

Demands in the petition

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

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

Among the coalition’s demands are:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

MIC hits back at Waytha

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

‘Local councils still in dire straits’

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Dr M: Religious clerics dividing Muslims

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

By Lim Kit Siang,

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

LAWASIA Concern at Karpal Singh Conviction on Sedition Charges

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Isomi Suzuki 

PRESIDENT 

February 26, 2014

Access To Higher Education Improves Lives - Najib

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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