Dr M: Death penalty supporters should try it themselves

Mahathir: Malays are lazy, dishonest

Islamic State Releases Video with Youngest Female Fighter

The Islamic State (IS) jihadist group has debuted a video of a girl it claims is the youngest female fighter in its ranks. The video, posted online by the Terrorism Research and Analysis Consortium (TRAC), features both a speech from the girl and other children at a training camp. It is the terrorist group's latest propaganda video featuring children.

In the video, a man in white threatens Zionists and claims IS will “reclaim their lands.” He also says the group “prepared a new generation that will fight you until their martyrdom or victory.” He turns to the young girl, who appears to be at least seven years old, as proof of his claims.



“Praise be to Allah, the lord of the worlds, the most gracious prayers and greetings on our Prophet Mohamed and his family and companions,” she says, adding:

I call for all Muslims on the surface of this earth to openly flow to Jihad in Bilad al-Sham [the Levant] and against the tyrants of al-Sham, and Hezobollah and the Iraqi Shiite gangs who have come to Syria to kill the women and children and to wreck havoc in Bilad al-Sham, and we must uproot them from our land and not leave a single one of them, and we will continue our jihad until we take back Jerusalem and lift the banner of "There is no god but Allah and Mohammed the messenger of Allah" in the streets of al-Quds [Jerusalem] and above the al-Aqsa mosque, for tomorrow is ours, and it is near. Praise to Allah, lord of the worlds. Takbeer.

IS ends its segment with "Allahu Akbar." The screen jumbles, but then it focuses on a training camp for children. The cameraman claims these two children are the “descendants of the messenger.” The picture is somewhat blurry as the man instructs one boy, who appears to be around eight years old, how to load a rocket launcher. After the boy successfully loads the machine, the man tells him to say "Allahu Akbar" and to move to the other boy, Abdul Rahman. He tells Rahman to scream "Allahu Akbar" and pull the wire to launch the rocket.

The first segment does deter from IS's other training videos with children. IS follows a strict interpretation of Islamic law, which means women do not join men on the battlefield. In fact, when the group started its jihad, it persuaded women not to join. IS only allowed women after it needed females for Sharia law. Men are not allowed to examine women at checkpoints or medically. The jihadists also need women to reproduce and set up marriage centers across Syria.

Another reason the Islamic State does not typically use females is because being killed by a female is the worst thing that can happen to a jihadist. These terrorists believe if they sacrifice their life on earth for jihad, Allah will reward them with 72 virgins in heaven. IS members hate the female Peshmerga, the Kurdish army, because if they are killed by a female, their reward is in jeopardy.

"The jihadists don't like fighting women, because if they're killed by a female, they think they won't go to heaven," one female fighter told The Wall Street Journal.

In other videos, no longer available on YouTube, males are the focus. One video shows white Bosnian children, mainly boys, shouting "Allahu Akbar." At one training center, boys between five and seven-years-old show off their military skills for Chechen leader Omar al-Shishani. IS also posted a video from a training camp in Ninevah that was filled with children.

‘Laptop of Horror’ Exposes Detailed Threats of ISIS Attack on US

As President Barack Obama is setting his sights on annihilating ISIS in the Middle East, the ISIS “laptop of terror,” whose contents have been obtained by U.S. reporters, reveal the terrorist group’s plans to launch weapons of mass destruction.

The contents, copied by Foreign Policy from a laptop discovered by Syrian rebel fighters in January, show that ISIS is considering attacks on “soft targets,” closed areas like stadiums or shopping malls.
The information on the laptop suggests its owner is a Tunisian national named Muhammed S. who joined ISIS in Syria. He studied chemistry and physics at two universities in Tunisia, and he was planning to put all that education to use:

According to FP, the laptop contains a 19-page document in Arabic on weaponizing the bubonic plague.

The document argues that “the advantage of biological weapons is that they do not cost a lot of money, while the human casualties can be huge. When the microbe is injected in small mice, the symptoms of the disease should start to appear within 24 hours.”

The laptop also includes a 26-page fatwa by Saudi jihadi cleric Nasir al-Fahd, currently in Saudi prison, on whether or not Allah approves of using weapons of mass destruction: “If Muslims cannot defeat the unbelievers in a different way, it is permissible to use weapons of mass destruction, even if it kills all of them and wipes them and their descendants off the face of the Earth.”

Increase this man’s Prozac…

One video clip on the laptop shows former American Nazi Kurt Saxon explaining how to prepare the deadly toxin ricin from castor beans. Saxon declares: “Now you really have some lethal stuff here!”
In the folder “explosives,” the owner had gathered 206 documents, one of which describes how to make the plastic explosive Semtex. Other documents in the same folder describes making other explosives.

There are also 51 U.S. Army publications dealing with sniper training and psychological operations.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has declared it found no evidence of specific threats by ISIS to America. We can only hope that they know different but won’t share.

I-hls.com, a website dealing with Israel’s homeland security issues, suggests terrorist groups routinely distribute training manuals and handbooks to members, together with ideological material. It notes that the al-Qaeda handbook contains both the group’s ideology and goals and practical advice for members eager to do some damage.

How British jihadist 'madams' are running Isis brothels full of thousands of kidnapped Iraqi women

• Al-Khanssaa brigade is female-only militia set up by Isis in Raqqa, Syria
• 3,000 women and girls have been taken captive from the Yazidi tribe
• It's believed they're being forced into sex slavery in brothels for fighters

Thousands of Iraqi women are being forced into sex slavery in brothels run by a 'police force' of British women jihadis, it has been reported.

As many as 3,000 women and girls have been taken captive from the Yazidi tribe in Iraq as Isis militants continue their reign of terror across the region.

Sources now say that British female jihadis operating a religious police force called the al-Khanssaa brigade, that punishes women for 'un-Islamic' behaviour, have set up brothels to for the use of Isis fighters.

A source told the Mirror: 'These women are using barbaric interpretations of the Islamic faith to justify their actions.

'They believe the militants can use these women as they please as they are non-Muslims. It is the British women who have risen to the top of the Islamic State’s sharia police and now they are in charge of this operation.

'It is as bizarre as it is perverse.'

The think tank MEMRI (the Middle East Media Research Institution) released a report saying that IS had taken many Yazidi women to be sold and used as sex slaves.

The al-Khanssaa brigade is a female-only militia set up by the Islamic State in Raqqa, Syria, with a key figure believed to be Aqsa Mahmood, 20, of Glasgow, who fled to the country last year.

Academics at King's College London have identified three other British females as members of the group - and say there are about 60 UK women who have gone to Syria on jihad.

Most of these women - including privately-educated Mahmood - are aged between 18 and 24, with al-Khanssaa said to be seeking out people engaging in Western culture in Raqqa.

It is believed that US hostages James Foley and Steven Sotloff were both beheaded in the desert near Raqqa - and therefore the British women in al-Khanssaa could know who killed them.

Melanie Smith, a research associate at King's College's International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation, told journalists Robert Mendick and Robert Verkaik of The Sunday Telegraph: ‘Al-Khanssaa is a sharia law police brigade. This is Isis’s female law enforcement.

'We think it’s a mixture of British and French women but its social media accounts are run by the British and they are written in English.

‘Given how small the community networks are - we know there are about 500 male British jihadis out there - it is quite likely these women move in the same circles as the British killer of Foley and Sotloff.

Read More: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2751506/Thousands-Iraqi-women-forced-sex-slavery-Isis-militants-kept-brothels-run-police-forceof-British-women-jihadis.html

Dr Mahathir tells former IGP to try the death sentence

The former Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Musa Hassan “should try the death penalty on himself”, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad said today on Musa’s call that the Sedition Act include capital punishment.

Musa had said that the Sedition Act should not be retained but instead be amended to include stiffer punishments, including the death penalty.

"Maybe he (Musa) should try it himself," said Dr Mahathir, Malaysia's longest serving prime minister from 1981 to 2003.

Dr Mahathir’s comment comes amid Putrajaya’s blitz against political opponents and others who have voiced critical opinions deemed seditious under the act’s loose definition.

Dr Mahathir himself had used the now-repealed Internal Security Act during Operasi Lalang in 1987 and 1988 to curtail political dissent.

The former prime minister had also curbed the authority of the royals with constitutional amendments in 1993 to remove their immunity from criminal prosecution.

However, Umno divisions and a group called Gerakan Warganegara Mempertahankan Akta Hasutan 1948 have called for the Sedition Act to be retained to protect the position of the Malays, Islam and the royalty.

Musa had given his support to the group which was launched yesterday.

Dr Mahathir was asked about the current spate of arrests and charges under the Sedition Act at a book launch he attended today, but appeared reluctant to comment other than to make the quip about Musa trying the death penalty himself.

Musa, who was IGP from 2006 to 2010, had said that stiffer punishments, like the death penalty, were needed for those who were repeat offenders.

He was also quoted by Berita Harian today as saying that the Sedition Act should not be abolished simply to satisfy the demands of certain quarters.

“I believe that those who always incite and do this purposely should be given a stiffer punishment. The laws are there but they still do it even though they know it is wrong."

Musa suggested that Malaysia should follow Singapore, which still retains the Internal Security Act (ISA) as well as the Sedition Act. – September 11, 2014.

- See more at: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/dr-m-tells-former-igp-to-try-the-death-sentence#sthash.rl4Otc6h.dpuf

Dr M: I gave one name, rulers had no issue

 

 In a rare instance, Dr Mahathir Mohamad appeared to be on the same page with his arch-nemesis Anwar Ibrahim.

The former premier revealed that during his tenure, he had only submitted a single name to the palace to be considered for the menteri besar's post.

"Throughout my time, it was always one name only. I never had any problem with any of the sultans," he said when asked if the monarchs had ever requested for more names to be submitted.

However, Mahathir did not let the opportunity slip to take a swipe at the Anwar-led Pakatan Rakyat.

He said perhaps the opposition bloc is getting the royal cold shoulder because it "annoyed" the state ruler.

"You can't annoy people and expect them to co-operate with you. They annoy not only the sultan but also many other people with their bickering," he added.

PKR and DAP incurred the wrath of the Selangor palace by insisting on submitting a single name, PKR president Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, for the menteri besar post despite the sultan requesting for more names.

The palace retorted with a stern reprimand, accusing PKR and DAP of being insolent and defiant.

Both parties have since apologised.

Mahathir also said that it is "not acceptable" to have a "remote controlled" MB in the state.

 

"You want to appoint someone who is going to take orders from someone else?" he said, refuting however that his objection has anything to do with Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail's gender.

 

"I have no problem with females, even my wife is female," he said cheekily.

 

Mahathir also said that it is "up to the sultan" who he wants to appoint but did mention that if the person appointed does not hold a majority, the individual can be voted out through a vote of no-confidence.

 

"That is according to our system," he said.

Khalid Ibrahim still legitimate Selangor MB, says state legal advisor

(Bernama) – Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim is still the legitimate Selangor Menteri Besar and is sanctioned to carry out the responsibilities as a Menteri Besar, Selangor legal adviser Datuk Nik Suhaimi Nik Sulaiman said today.

He said this in response to a statement by Klang Member of Parliament Charles Santiago on the possibility of the water agreement to be signed between the state government and the federal government becoming invalid.

“According to provisions in the Selangor State Constitution 1959, for as long as the Selangor Sultan has consented to the appointment of Abdul Khalid as the Selangor Menteri Besar and the appointment is in accordance with the provisions of the law, Abdul Khalid can still function and discharge his duties and responsibilities as a Menteri Besar.

“Therefore, the question on the illegality of actions or decisions made by the Selangor Menteri Besar in all matters, including his capacity to sign the water agreement on behalf of the Selangor government with the federal government do not arise as these actions are still within the executive powers of the Menteri Besar and in accordance with state laws,” he said in a statement here today.

Nik Suhaimi said the federal government was aware of the matter and that discussions, as well as negotiations, on the water agreement continued according to plan.

He said as provided under Article LI(1), Article LIII(2)(a) and(4),as well as Article LV(2)(a) of the Selangor State Constitution 1959, where the Sultan of Selangor had absolute discretionary powers to appoint a Menteri Besar, the ruler’s decision in not wanting to accept Abdul Khalid’s resignation until the appointment of new menteri besar should be complied with to ensure the state government’s administration continued to run smoothly.

“The rights of the Selangor Sultan under the Selangor State Constitution 1959 should be respected and not disputed by any quarters.

“Statements which are not accurate and confusing, if believed, can create anxiety and fear among the people,” he added.

Meanwhile, Abdul Khalid, in a statement issued by his press secretariat today, advised politicians to exercise caution, as well as do some research, before issuing any statement.

“This is to avoid confusion,” he said.

Last Tuesday, Santiago was reported to have questioned the legitimacy of signing the RM9.65 billion water agreement with the federal government as he (Abdul Khalid) is an interim Menteri Besar.

As such, he urged the federal government to shelf the signing of the agreement until a new Selangor Menteri Besar is appointed.

Female trainer assaults army recruit

The mother of an army recruit has lodged a police report that her son was assaulted by a female trainer.

PORT DICKSON: A 20-year-old army recruit was stomped on the face and beaten by a female trainer at the Armed Forces Training Centre in Port Dickson on Sept 9.

His mother, K Eeswary, 45, said her son told her about the incident which happened between 7.45am and 9am at the centre.

“My son told me the trainer stomped on his face and assaulted him during training,” she said.

Eeswary said her son joined the army on April 13 this year. She lodged a report at the Lukut police station this morning.

Earlier today, Port Dickson state assemblyman M Ravi arranged for a closed-door meeting with chief trainer Lt-Col Osman Ahmad, Eeswary and her husband.

After the one-hour meeting, Osman assured the parents that action would be taken against the trainer.

“We will take disciplinary action against the trainer for not following the Standing Operating Procedure,” said Osman.

Ravi urged to public not to speculate as the incident was purely a disciplinary issue and not racial in nature.

“The boy’s parents are satisfied with the explanation and assurance given by Osman,” he said.

Mahathir thinks Malays are a dishonest bunch

After spending 22 years trying to change the Malay mindset, Mahathir says they are still dishonest, lazy and lack integrity.

PETALING JAYA: In a no holds barred message at a book launch, former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad said he found it hard to trust Malays because they lacked a sense of honesty and integrity.

Mahathir said, “Malays think nothing of taking money that is not theirs. I have seen it with my own eyes. They also struggle to manage their finances well or with any degree of honesty.”

He added, ”If you take something that does not belong to you, what you are doing in essence, is stealing.”

He said some Malays had the bad attitude of pinching money from their bosses and thinking nothing of it simply because what the boss didn’t know, wouldn’t hurt him.

Mahathir related how his own mother instilled in him the principle of never taking what was not his.

“I can only hope the people have the presence of mind to put honesty and integrity before all else in their lives as well,” he said.

Mahathir also said he was saddened at his apparent failure to change the Malay mindset despite trying to do so for 22 years as the nation’s premier.

He said he tried hard to change the perception that Malays were lazy but that if someone asked him today what his opinion of Malays were, he would say in all honestly that he thought Malays were lazy.

Mahathir gave this sobering speech at the launch of the book “Wahai Melayu” by Anas Zubedy.

Demi berjihad di Syria, saya tidak akan pulang

Demi berjihad di Syria, saya tidak akan pulang

PETALING JAYA: Seorang lagi rakyat Malaysia yang menyertai perjuangan, Ajnad As Syam telah meninggal di Syria menjadikan jumlah rakyat Malaysia yang terkorban seramai empat orang.

Terbaru Mohammad Fadhlan Shahidi yang menjejak kaki ke Syria Mei lalu terkorban dalam serangan hendap yang dilakukan oleh tentera Bashar al-Assad.

Allahyarham Mohamad Fadhlan antara sekumpulan kecil yang berhijrah ke Syria sebelum ini bertegas untuk menyertai Ajnad As Syam bagi memerangi tentera Bashar al Assad yang berpusat di Kafr Zayta, Hamah.

“Ketegasan itu seiring dengan niatnya untuk berjihad selain bersedia berdepan apa jua keadaan, walaupun berdepan kematian,” kata Allahyarham.



Mereka yang menganggotai kumpulan itu diberi gelaran seakan nama penduduk tempatan dan dia digelar Abu Muhajir.

Anak muda berusia 21 tahun dari Kulim, Kedah ini sanggup meninggalkan ahli keluarga tercinta demi mengejar ‘jihad’ di bumi Syam (Syria).

“Niat untuk berjihad sudah lama ada, cuma tidak tahu caranya. Alhamdulillah, ALLAH SWT memberi saya peluang mendalami agama sebelum berangkat ke Syria. Semuanya ada hikmah,” katanya sebelum ini menerusi akaun Facebooknya.

Ibu kepada Allahyarham, Fatimah Md Lazim, 55, berkata beliau redha dengan apa yang berlaku terhadap anaknya.

“Kami tidak sangka sama sekali tragedi itu boleh menimpa dirinya tetapi kami yakin dan percaya dia ada keikhlasan untuk sama-sama berjuang bila berada di negara itu (Syria),” katanya.

Jelas Fatimah beliau menerima panggilan daripada anaknya itu sebelum berlepas ke Syria.

Fatimah berkata dia tidak dapat menahan kehendak anaknya itu memandangkan usianya telah mencecah 21 tahun.

“Dia ada ilmu agama setelah belajar di Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Agama Bukit Jelutong dan selepas itu menyambung pula di sebuah pondok di Kampung Ulu Bakai di sini,” katanya.

Akhbar tempatan melaporkan turut cedera dalam pertempuran itu adalah lima lagi rakyat Malaysia iaitu Mohd Lofti Ariffin yang dikatakan parah dan masih tidak sedarkan diri.

Why broadband is slower and costlier in Malaysia

G Sharmila  KiniBiz
Malaysia has ambitions of becoming a developed nation in six years’ time, yet broadband speed and affordability remains a critical, unresolved issue. In fact, research shows that even Thailand is ahead of us in terms of broadband speed and affordability. Where did we go wrong?

Although Malaysia is targeting developed nation status by 2020, our broadband speeds are still lagging behind our closest neighbour Singapore, and even that of Vietnam and Thailand, as shown by a study in April this year by Asean DNA.

The study was highlighted in an article by Asean Briefing, which said that within Asean, Singapore and Thailand have the fastest average Internet speeds at 61 megabits per second (mbps) and 17.7 mbps. Vietnam has an average speed of 13.1 mbps while Cambodia has 5.7 mbps. Malaysia on the other hand, has an average speed of 5.5 mbps. The average Asean Internet speed is 12.4 mbps, which puts our broadband speed well below average.

What’s more disturbing is that while Malaysia lags behind in Internet speeds, it’s service comes at a much higher price – more than triple that of services in countries such as Singapore and Thailand on a comparable basis .

A Comparison of Broadband Speeds and Charges 090914 02For instance, Telekom Malaysia Bhd’s UniFi charges RM199 (US$62.40) a month for its 10mbps fibred Internet service, while as the article by Asean Briefing points out Singapore’s largest telco offers 15 mbps Internet for US$30 a month and Thailand charges around US$25 a month for 12 mbps speeds.

The root of the problem

To understand the root of the problem, it pays first to understand the national broadband policies of countries like Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. Like Malaysia, all three have national broadband plans. However what differs in Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam is that their markets are deregulated, allowing for multiple broadband service providers to own infrastructure and offer broadband services. Competition in these markets fuels demand and supply, thus users are offered higher speeds at competitive prices.

The situation is very different in Malaysia. The fixed broadband market is dominated by government-linked incumbent Telekom Malaysia (TM), which owns 90% of telephone lines and fibre infrastructure in the country, say industry experts. In fact, it is the sole infrastructure provider for the High Speed Broadband (HSBB) project under the National Broadband Initiative (NBI). And the agreement between TM and the government for the HSBB falls under the Official Secrets Act.

Because TM owns last-mile access, other players are ‘forced’ to lease infrastructure from the incumbent to offer broadband services. Again, as an industry expert points out, the industry has been given the raw end of the deal as TM dictates wholesale rates to players who want to provide broadband services.

“Their (TM’s) wholesale rates are not as competitive as the market anticipated and this has left the other players no choice in the end but to offer higher-priced broadband services,” says the industry expert.

This dominance by one player has led to the present-day situation of high broadband prices and partly the near-stagnating broadband penetration rate. Ironically, a National Key Economic Area under the Economic Transformation Programme is to increase the penetration of high-quality and affordable broadband to 95% of the population by 2020. That’s a mere six years away yet our broadband speeds and prices are nowhere near that of Singapore, our closest neighbour.

Of course one may argue that household broadband penetration in Malaysia was only at 31.7% in 2009 and that this jumped to 55.6% in 2010 owing in part to the deployment of the first phase of the HSBB under the NBI.

However this includes the Streamyx service which is based on copper cabling and not fibre. If this is excluded, then broadband penetration can be lot lower. Also, 2010 was the year in which the true broadband service Unifi was introduced, which means that the large jump could be because of that.

The issue however, is that household broadband penetration does not seem to be increasing as fast as it should be in recent years. According to data from the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC), as of the first quarter of this year, broadband penetration in Malaysia per 100 households was only 67.3%, compared to 66.6% during the same period last year. That’s a paltry year-on-year increase of 0.7 percentage points.

Analysts believe it won’t be long before broadband penetration hits a saturation point. “I believe saturation under normal circumstances should be closer to 80% (this can change if broadband becomes a basic utility just like electricity and water). If you see the breakdown by states (see table), you will have an idea why the broadband penetration has stayed around 67% in the past year. The low penetration is in rural and East Malaysia – the areas are ‘underserved’ by mobile players as well as fixed-line incumbent TM for broadband,” a telco analyst tells KiniBiz.

“It is a function of economics – the telcos will focus on urban areas first to maximise the returns on capital expenditure. For the mobile players, they have just extended 3G coverage to 80+% of population in the past year or so,” he added.

To achieve higher penetration rates, the government needs to take the lead, the analyst said. “To achieve 80+% penetration, the government will need to take the initiative and even allow the release/use of lower-band spectrum (e.g. 700MHz for longer-range 4G-LTE) so that the rural areas can benefit from wireless broadband. It does not make economic sense to ‘cable up’ rural and vastly populated areas. Hitting more than 90% penetration is a long shot,” he added.

The analyst pointed out also that fixed line broadband is still very expensive and that to push broadband penetration to the next level, prices have to drop. And that is going to be virtually impossible with one player dominating the broadband market.

“Maybe MCMC can require all telcos to provide a basic broadband package (with limited data usage) with low entry cost such as RM30 a month. In fact, the mobile players are pushing their prepaid clients to jump on the data bandwagon by offering ‘bite-sized’ data offerings to get prepaid users to use data. I suspect the broadband penetration may exceed 70% if mobile broadband gets more prevalent with the increasing availability of cheap smartphones,” the analyst explained.

The industry expert suggests that to level the playing field, the government should call for an open tender for the second phase of the HSBB project, due to start later this year. “However, TM still has the last mile connectivity. To open up a tender may prove difficult as TM already has a dominant position,” he said.

One may argue that having millions of broadband customers already means that TM has achieved the economies of scale to allow it to drop prices of its broadband packages. Yet customers continue to pay steep prices for even its ADSL services (Streamyx packages), while in other countries like Singapore, prices have dropped for ADSL packages as other wireless and fibred broadband technologies have overtaken ADSL.

Malaysia isn’t the only country that started out with an incumbent player. Even Singapore started out with SingTel as the only broadband player and South Korea with Korea Telecom. Yet these markets have evolved for the better and ours hasn’t. How did South Korea do it? In our next instalment, KiniBiz speaks to a South Korean expert on how the country achieved the high broadband penetration rates it has today.

Review all sedition cases, not just select few, AG told

Malay Mail 

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 10 — The Attorney-General (AG) should consider dropping all sedition charges used recently against a number of government critics instead of reviewing just a few, the Bar Council and DAP said, as authorities charged yet another today.

 

Reminding the Attorney-General Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail of his opening remarks at the Opening of the Legal Year 2013 calling of tolerance, Bar Council president Christopher Leong said in a statement here that the review of the charges will eventually lead to the abolition of the controversial legislation.

Quoting Gani saying “in order that every man presents his views without penalty, there must be a spirit of tolerance in the entire population”, Leong said he hoped that this phase of reform will also see the repeal of the Sedition Act.

In a separate statement, DAP’s national legal bureau chairman Gobind Singh Deo pointed out that the sedition charges, particularly the one against law lecturer Associate Professor Dr Azmi Sharom, “bordered on absurdity”.

“Such a charge does little if nothing to assist in our hope to build a nation which promotes healthy discussion, in particular amongst academicians, especially in times of legal uncertainties such as that of the current matter at hand,” said Gobind, who is also representing Azmi in the case.

Azmi was charged in court with sedition last week for his remarks linking the handling of the Selangor menteri besar impasse to the 2009 Perak constitutional crisis, making him the first academic to be snagged in the dragnet.

 

Yesterday, however, Abdul Gani announced that the AG’s Chambers will review several sedition cases, including Azmi’s, to ensure that the prosecution had been fair and transparent.

Gobind, who is also Puchong MP, said the AG should consider the impact the charge has on freedom of expression among academics, who should be entitled to express their professional opinions on matters of public importance.

“What was said in this case cannot by any stretch of the imagination be taken to be seditious,” said Gobind.

“I hope that reason will prevail and the charges against Dr Azmi Sharom will be dropped. That would certainly be a step in the right direction and would, to my mind, augur well for the AG himself as public prosecutor,” he said.

Putrajaya recently embarked on a sedition crackdown, hauling up at least 16 anti-government dissidents and opposition politicians under the colonial-era law in the space of one month.

The crackdown led to three opposition lawmakers being charged under the 1948 Act two weeks ago, including one for uttering the words “celaka Umno” in the Penang state assembly.Among the latest targets to come under a sedition scope are news portal Malaysiakini and its journalist Susan Loone, over a report on a police crackdown on Penang’s state-endorsed volunteer patrol unit.

This was followed by the charge against Azmi and, a day later, Sabah police confirmed that they have started a sedition probe on the owners of a Facebook page propagating the secession of Sabah and Sarawak from Malaysia.

Also in Sabah the same day, opposition politician David Orok claimed trial to a sedition charge for allegedly posting remarks insulting Prophet Muhammad and Islam on Facebook in July.

Last Friday, student activist Muhammad Safwan Anang was sentenced to 10 months’ jail after the Sessions Court here found him guilty of sedition.

On Monday, social activist Ali Abd Jalil became the fifth person to be charged with sedition in under a fortnight, after he claimed trial for posting remarks on Facebook that allegedly insulted the Johor royal house.

Earlier today, Muslim preacher Wan Ji Wan Hussin claimed trial to an offence of having allegedly insulted the Sultan of Selangor in a Facebook post, nearly two years ago. 

Najib Arrives For Two-day Official Visit To Azerbaijan

From Mohd Shukri Ishak

BAKU (Azerbaijan), Sept 11 (Bernama) -- Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak arrived here Thursday night for a two-day official visit to add greater traction to the existing bilaterial relations between Malaysia and Azerbaijan and pave the way for further economic investments.

The special aircraft carrying Najib and wife, Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor touched down at the Heydar Aliyev International Airport, Baku at 9.30pm local time (12.30am Malaysian time).

They were received on arrival by Azerbaijan First Deputy Prime Minister Yaqub Abdulla Oglu Eyyubov, Malaysia's Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Anifah Aman and Malaysian Ambassador to Azerbaijan Datuk Roslan Abdul Rahman.

This is the first official visit by a Malaysian Prime Minister to Azerbaijan.

Apart from a four-eyed meeting between Najib dan Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev, and a bilateral meeting jointly chaired by both leaders, they are also expected to sign a joint declaration which outlines both countries' commitment to enhance bilateral and economic relations in various fields.

On Friday, after the official welcoming ceremony at the Presidential Palace, Najib is scheduled to hold bilateral discussions with Ilham Aliyev, to be followed by a delegation meeting between Malaysia and Azerbaijan.

Later, they will witness the signing of memorandums of understanding and agreements, including on economic, scientific and technical cooperation agreement, an MoU in the field of training of diplomats and another between Petronas and State Oil Company of Azerbaijan (SOCAR) to cover cooperation in the oil and gas sector.

Najib is also scheduled to officiate the establishment of the Embassy of Malaysia in Baku, Azerbaijan.

Malaysia established its mission in Baku on April 1, 2014.

The Prime Minister's visit will also enable him to personally extend Malaysia's invitation to the Azerbaijan President to undertake a state visit to Malaysia in the near future.