PERKASA S'gor anggap nasihat Dr M 'bapa pada anak'

Erdogan's new Turkey to requires all students to study the Qur'an

by NAT da Polis

School reform begins this year by introducing compulsory Islamic religious education to all grades, including Arabic, to help students understand the Qur'an. For 200,000 Syrian Christian refugees in Turkey, this will be a problem.

Istanbul (AsiaNews) - Turkey's newly elected President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, aided by his faithful new Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, begins his term of office with a major overhaul of the country's education system.

Although adopted a year ago, the reform plan, which has largely gone unnoticed, begins this year and extends Islamic religious education to all school grades. Only religious high schools (Imam Hatip Lisesi) offered such an education as part of their training programme for the country's Muslim clergy. At the same time, the reform extends compulsory schooling from Grade 8 to Grade 12.

Erdogan's new Turkey, which plans to celebrate the centenary of the secular Turkish Republic founded by Kemal Ataturk in 2023, is making Islamic religious education compulsory in both primary and secondary school, for 12 grades. Until recently, the latter was available only in religious high schools starting in Grade 9.

Another significant change is that religious school graduates can now apply to university faculties that train students for top public administration positions. Even Turkey's current president, who studied Business Administration and not political science, was kept out because he was graduate of a religious school.

It seems clear that the school system AKP leaders dream about and planned for is inspired by existing religious high schools.

The next step in the reform involves teaching Arabic, even as a second language, to enable students to understand the Qur'an, as Turkish lacks words that help understand the Holy Book.

However, Turkey's Armenian and Orthodox schools are not required to provide Islamic religious education to their students who number 2,000 and 250 respectively.

By contrast, those who do not want to attend public schools to avoid religious education will have to go to private schools, which are a privilege of the wealthy because of high tuition fees.

People have to get used to the idea that 52 per cent of Turks, plus another 10 per cent from the ultranationalist Turkish party, believe in Erdogan's Islam, this according to the newspaper Radikal.

Recently in Anatolia, a local school principal, whose tasks also includes assigning students to classes, required Jewish students to register for Islamic religious courses because of their Turkish-sounding names.

Historically in fact, many Jews (and members of other ethnic groups and religions) chose to Turkify and Islamise their names and surnames out of sheer need for survival in view of the rules established following the founding of the Turkish Republic in 1923, based on the notion that Turkey was ethnically homogenous as a Turkish and Muslim nation.

Following an outcry from world Jewish leaders, Turkish authorities suspended the measure in the case of Turkish Jews.

However, many wonder about what will happen to the 200,000 Christian refugees from Syria who are at present in Turkey and their children who will soon start school in Turkey.

The Malaysian premier Najib Razak praised ISIS fighters

By AWDNews

The Malaysian prime mister ordered police to suppress voices demanding his Islamist government to abandon supporting ISIS.

My party members must emulate the bravery of a Middle Eastern militant group that defeated an Iraqi force outnumbering it nearly 30 to one if we (Malay Islamist party) are to survive, Najib Razak said on Sunday during a formal party dinner in Kuala Lumpur.

The Malaysian prime minister was listing virtues that were needed to allow his party to continue in power, during a dinner to commemorate the 75th anniversary of Malaysian independence.

“For example, when someone dares to fight to their death, they can even defeat a much bigger team.

“As proof — whether we agree or not is another matter — the group ISIL with the strength of just 1,300 people, can defeat an Iraqi army of 30,000 soldiers, until four, five generals with three, four stars run for their lives, jump out the window at night. Why? Because they are afraid of those who are brave,” he told more than 1,000 Malaysian Islamic party members in attendance.

He also stressed the importance of being loyal to god, the party, and friends.

Najib said having wisdom and foresight in battles as well as the ability to organize is also crucial in strengthening the party.

The Sausi-backed Islamic State of Iraq in the Syria (ISIS) is a splinter group of al-Qaeda that wants to set up an Islamic caliphate encompassing both Iraq and Syria.

Engineer latest arrest over UPSR exam leaks

The on-going investigation into the UPSR examination leaks has led to one more arrest today, Bernama reports.

Police detained an engineer in Kemaman, Terengganu, in connection with the leak of UPSR examination papers for two subjects, English and Science, last week.

This brings the total number of people arrested over the exam leaks to seven. Four were arrested yesterday, while two more this morning.

Two of those arrested yesterday were subsequently released last night on police bail.

The six people detained earlier comprise a primary school headmaster, four teachers and an insurance agent.

On the latest arrest, Kuala Lumpur CID chief SAC Gan Kong Meng said the man aged 34, was detained at 1pm today.

"The man will be brought to the Putrajaya Court and will be remanded tomorrow," Bernama quoted Gan as saying.

Following the leak, the examination for the English papers, 014/1 and 014/2, which the pupils had sat for on Thursday was nullified, while the examination for the Science papers, 018, 028 and 038, which was to be held the same day, was suspended.

According to Bernama, the Examinations Syndicate has set September 30 as the new examination date for both subjects. – September 15, 2014.

Sabah ‘colonised’ by Malaya, says Jeffrey Kitingan ahead of Malaysia Day - TMI

Sabah’s presence in Malaysia will become meaningless if the federal government continues to dominate through its officers and agencies from the peninsula, Sabah opposition politician Datuk Dr Jeffrey Kitingan said in his Malaysia Day message.

Sabah had become “just a colony of Malaya” through the appointment of government officers, federal ministries, departments and agencies instead of allowing locals to fill these posts, the Bingkor assemblyman said.

"Sabah is slowly becoming a Malay unitary state of Malaya," said Kitingan, who is also chairman of Borneo Heritage Foundation.

He said Putrajaya had robbed Sabah of its independence, re-engineered the population and given political franchise to illegal immigrants.

Malaysia, he said, had become a “takeover project” through Umno, and through federal control of oil resources and tax revenues.

"Even our rights to visit and honour our Oath Stone, (Batu Sumpah) in Keningau has been denied to us. Do not brand us as trouble makers when we question what is wrong," he added.

A group of Sabah natives under the Jaringan Orang Asal Sabah had tried to hold a traditional ritual at the oath stone on August 31. The stone located within the premises of the Keningau District Office commemorates the 20-point agreement that protects Sabah’s rights as a member of Malaysia.

The state government had issued a directive to ban the group from holding the ritual near the stone.

Of late, Sabah has seen a rise in anger against the federal government over the erosion of rights and provisions in the Malaysia Agreement.

The Facebook group, Sabah Sarawak Keluar Malaysia, has grown increasingly vocal about calls to secede from Malaysia in the run up to Malaysia Day, as long-standing issues such as unequal development, federal control over Sabah’s oil revenue and under-representation of Sabahans at senior levels of the federal service, come to a boil. – September 15, 2014.

51 years of Malaysia, and where are we?

 

COMMENT Tomorrow, Sept 16, will mark the  nation’s 51st anniversary of the formation of the Federation of Malaysia, by way of an agreement to form a ‘united nation’ of four entities - Peninsular Malaya, Sabah, Sarawak and Singapore.

The island republic left us in 1965. Or, as some would insist, was expelled in that year.

More than half a century ago, our forefathers fought tirelessly to gain independence for Malaya, which was achieved back in 1957. And then came independence from British colonial rule for Sabah and Sarawak, which in 1963 joined with Malaya and Singapore to form Malaysia.

What have we become today?

It has been a great relief for me, after years of working in Singapore, to finally resettle back in Malaysia, after missing peers and of course, the Malaysian atmosphere.

Life in a developed country was rather different, despite it being just a Causeway over a narrow straits. I honestly felt Singaporeans were more ‘Malaysians’ than Malaysians themselves. Weird, but it is a bitter pill to swallow for some.

Visit Malaysia Year 2014 boasts about the lushnes of greenery in the country, forged by the multi-ethnic diversity of its people, welcoming tourists around the world with warmth. And all these despite the real situation in many parts of peninsular Malaysian being marred by a series of racial and religious intolerance. Be this in the urban or rural areas, the situation is felt throughout the country.

Major news dailies and portals too never cease to ‘detour’ from such sensational religious and racial spats in the country, giving much coverage to the various, so-called ‘defenders of faith and race’. After all, stirring emotions and sentiments of the people will annoy the ruling government, and get it to be on its toes at all times.

Gone are the days of the far-fetched stories of the early days of Malaysia, where people were jolly and a young nation like Malaysia was way ahead among her peers in the South-East Asian countries.

Fast forward to the year 2014, with barely six years to go to the year 2020 and the infamous Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s Vision 2020, what have we achieved in order to become a fully developed nation? Socio-economic stability? Inclusive politics?

The nation seems to be more divided than ever during these hard times with countless politicians, activists, journalists and academicians hauled up to the court for sedition and various charges. Freedom of speech, as we stand for, is but all in vain as we turn backwards in our direction.

Threats to the very foundation of a nation

The failure to subdue the imminent threats to the nation has serious long-term effects to nation building; not from terrorism or militants, but from the divisive mentality and policies of various political parties and NGOs in the country.

The fact that the country was built by Malaysians in diversity, and the emergence of three different groups, namely radical conservatives, moderates and secessionists in East Malaysia, have taken a toll on the direction of the country.

Are we getting more and more divided than before? It is so, it seems. However, in my honest opinion, the Law of Nature will take its course in striking the equilibrium of a ‘bell curve’ of moderation.

Coming from the humble city of Kuching, I have known life in the East Malaysia to be far much different than what I see here in the peninsula.

And we have the message, “Sarawak for Sarawakians”, spreading throughout the state among Sarawakians, it is to ignite nationalists in the state to stand up against the divisiveness and racism that is so common in peninsular Malaysia.

With the Sarawak election looming around the corner and expected to be called next year, the election will be the first test for the state's newly-minted Chief Minister Adenan Satem, even as he is widely expected to retain a stronger majority in Malaysia’s oldest state assembly.

With growing factionalism in the state Barisan Nasional, will the call of “Sarawak for Sarawakians” continue to echo among its people?

Disparity between the East and West Malaysia seems to be brewing since the general election last year. Incidents and events of racial and religious intolerance in West Malaysia have irked most East Malaysians, and have been likened to a ‘virus’ seeping into the state.

Growing dissatisfaction of these events have certainly contributed to the emergence of secessionists in Sabah and Sarawak.

Confucius in Analects 8:2 wrote: “The Master said, 'Respectfulness, without the rules of propriety becomes labourious bustle; carefulness, without the rules of propriety, becomes timidity; boldness, without the rules of propriety, becomes insubordination; straightforwardness, without the rules of propriety, becomes rudeness'.”

The only way to seal the bonds and break the differences is to adopt the principles of loyalty, filial piety, propriety and righteousness.

'Bhinneka Tunggal Ika' – A way forward

‘Unity in Diversity’, literally translated from Indonesia’s national motto, “Bhinneka Tunggal Ika” (in Javanese) should be a reflection for all of us as we celebrate 51 years as a nation.

The recently concluded United Nations Alliance of Civilisations Global Forum held in Bali, Indonesia, was a great eye opener to efforts made by many nations, like Malaysia even, in forging stronger inter-cultural and inter-religious understanding and dialogues. We are not alone in facing such racial and religious bigotry, after all.

Hate speech, religious and racial intolerance are among the global phenomenon as the world continues to drown in the turmoil of clashes and conflicts.

As we move ahead to the years to come, bridging our divided nation by supporting efforts of understanding is the way forward. And this begins with the simple acts of mutual respect, understanding and humility.

We live in a world of diversity, and so is Malaysia, a nation that proudly calls itself ‘Malaysia, Truly Asia’. A call, I would say, is also one to unite everyone under the umbrella of a sovereign nation we call home.

There will be those who will go against the efforts of equality and justice for all, belittling people of other races and of different faiths. The nature shall take its course, as the voice of ‘Bhinneka Tunggal Ika’ ignites the conscience of Malaysians to stand together once more in unity.

Happy Malaysia Day to all Malaysians! Agi Idup Agi Ngelaban!

---

NORMAN GOH is a member of the Malaysiakini Team.

Zaid: Spell out what insults Zahid's 'sacred four' - Malaysiakini

 

If there are no detailed laws and prohibitions covering the four sacred areas mentioned by Home Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, then it would be unfair to punish Malaysians for talking about them, said former law minister Zaid Ibrahim.

Despite the sedition crackdown, he did not mince words in claiming that the apartheid system in South Africa was better than the situation in Malaysia as the laws then were clear.

"If you listened carefully to the home minister's speech a few days ago, you would have been troubled by its lack of clarity about exactly what constitutes an offence to the four sacred areas he grouped together as the social contract.

"Umno would use all available laws to punish those who question them, the minister screamed," he added in his blog post today.

Starting with Bahasa Malaysia, Zaid pointed out that no right minded Malaysians are opposed to the national language.

"It probably exists only in the mind of the minister. If the PM speaks in English at his press conference (and he likes to do this), would he be insulting the national language?

"Must a Malaysian speak in Bahasa Malaysia at least once a day to be regarded as 'not opposing' the language? We should have laws passed to make it clear what constitutes an offence.

"If we don't, then Umno would always be able to say so-and-so is not loyal to the language or is opposed it. In other words, things would be even worse than what it was like under apartheid because the people would not know what the offending act is. It's all up to Umno," he added.

On the issue of royalty, Zaid asked when does one insult a ruler, and called for it to be put in writing as well.

"If a Malay ruler decides to have executive powers in the administration of the country and that is permitted by Umno, then say so in our laws so that the people understand it is an offence to oppose it.

"Pass a clear law that prohibits even commenting on the wishes of a ruler. That was the situation with the Chinese emperor in the Middle Kingdom.

"At least then we would not be duped into thinking that we have a right to ask questions and then face criminal charges for that. We cannot pretend to be a normal democracy when we are actually semi-apartheid in substance," he added.

Islam and Malays' special position

Terming Islam as the "big issue", the former minister also wondered what amounted to insulting and challenging the religion.

"For now, everything the authorities do cannot be questioned, for this might be construed as insulting Islam. Help the people by spelling out the issue or circumstances clearly.

"For example, Rosli Dahlan, a friend and lawyer, is facing disciplinary action for defending another Muslim, Kassim Ahmad, in the Syariah Court," he added.

Touching on the fourth sacred area of Malay special rights, Zaid noted that during apartheid,  questioning the whites for their discriminatory policies was an offence.

"How different is this from what the home minister said in his recent speech? For now, no one knows what constitutes the Malay rights that he was talking about.

"Article 153 is about 'privileges' so I am not sure what Malay 'rights' are. If I say we should send more Malays to vocational and semi-professional courses, and therefore fewer of them to universities, the minister will probably think I am anti-Malay.

"(Former premier) Dr Mahathir Mohamad recently said Malays are lazy or lacking in integrity. Is this an offence? We should list out all the situations where we are prohibited from talking about the Malays, the way the Afrikaaners did to the blacks," he added.

In the absence of clear laws, Zaid noted that Umno would become the sole authority to define what is and isn't an offence .

"It is already clear that if you make Umno angry or feel insulted, it’s an offence. This is pernicious and unfair , and far worse than the laws that were in place during the apartheid era, surely," he added.

As Dr M backs Anwar, Selangor palace loses moral ground

For one thing it was Mahathir who instructed Anwar, who was then an Umno vice-president, to lead a negotiation with the rulers after Umno lost Kelantan in the 1990 general election.

Aziz Bari, The Ant Daily

It is not really necessary as the law and practice on the point have been very clear. But when former premier Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad revealed on Sept 11 that he, when he was Umno president, actually submitted one name to the palace, the octogenarian had virtually vindicated his arch nemesis Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

The latter had, two days earlier, apologised to the Sultan of Selangor for just submitting one instead of two as HRH has required. The Sultan has made his displeasure public and he rebuked both PKR and DAP. Only PAS has complied with the palace request.

Apology notwithstanding Anwar, like DAP, stuck with the name of Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail as the MB-designate as it was, the Pakatan Rakyat leader said, a matter of constitutional principle.

Not many people know that Mahathir actually disliked the Umno-led power grab in Perak in 2009 when the Malay party depended on the royal assistance to wrest the state back after losing it in the 2008 general election. I had the privilege to hear this from the horse’s mouth itself over a meal. Mahathir knew that making such matter public would incur the wrath of Umno which was desperate to claw back to its former glory.

Be that as it may, for those who were old enough to see how Mahathir fought tooth and nail to circumscribe the rulers’ powers and influence during his two-decade premiership would not be too surprised.

For one thing it was Mahathir who instructed Anwar, who was then an Umno vice-president, to lead a negotiation with the rulers after Umno lost Kelantan in the 1990 general election. The Malay party was humiliated 36-0 by PAS who was with Semangat 46, a splinter party led by Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah.

The party general assembly that followed was filled with attacks on the nine rulers, most of which would have caught the net of Sedition Act 1948. Umno eventually came out with one resolution: that power to appoint menteri besar at the hands of the rulers must be abolished. Back to the negotiation itself the rulers were then led by the late Sultan Azlah Shah of Perak who used to be the Lord President – the judiciary chief – before he ascended the throne in 1984.

Given the amendment procedure in the Federal Constitution itself, as well as the unpredictable nature of general elections, Umno later realised that such abolition could not be done. But somehow the Malay party still wanted to score political points. Hence their insistence on putting on a limitation on what Umno claimed the rulers’ interference in politics. This was spelt out in a document, officially known as Declaration of Constitutional Principles 1992, which was actually concluded after a series of talks between the rulers and the Umno team led by Anwar.

Up to now, I would say the consistent practice has been along the line laid down by the Federal Constitution. Thus what has been done by the Sultan of Selangor – ignoring the prevalent majority in the house and insisting on new names to be submitted – stands as the only deviation from the otherwise smooth transfer of power in Selangor following the sacking of Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim from PKR on Aug 9.

If we narrow down the law to situations prevalent after a general election or change of guard during the term, the precedents are overwhelmingly against the Selangor palace. I know some will raise the points put up by two lawyers – Datuk Sallehudin Saidin and Datuk Param Cumaraswamy – on Sept 10.

My short response to them is that we need to understand the provisions of the Federal Constitution within a parliamentary context, hence the need to refer to the practice of Commonwealth countries. This was recommended by the Reid Commission that drafted our constitution. The two lawyers apparently took the provisions out of that context. And that is why they came out with strange result.

The overwhelming precedents I mentioned above include the smooth transfer of power between Tunku Abdul Rahman and Tun Abdul Razak in 1970. Other occasions include the one between Datuk Hussein Onn and Mahathir in 1981 and the one between the latter and his successor Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi in 2003. We saw the same pattern in 2009 when Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak succeeded Abdullah. The fact remains that the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, to use the term by constitutional authority Professor Rodney Brazier, did not play any significant role in the process: a mere bystander. Indeed this is what is expected from a good referee who must stand above the fray.

We have similar law governing the states. That is why we saw the similar phenomenon in Sarawak and Terengganu earlier this year. Even in Selangor we went through the same route. Remember 1997? The Sultan accepted the one name submitted by Mahathir. And it is interesting to note that the MB-designate then was not even a member of the Selangor Assembly: the MB designate Datuk Abu Hasan Omar was still a federal minister in Mahathir’s cabinet! As such, one finds it weird that Wan Azizah, after showing the 30 statutory declarations with her on Aug 14, is still waiting for the royal audience.

Dr Abdul Aziz Bari is formerly IIUM law professor who now teaches at Unisel. He is also Senior Fellow at independent think tank IDEAS and state-owned Penang Institute.

The lazy, greedy, dishonest Malay

The point is many Chinese and Indians talk fondly about the Malays they knew back in the 1950s and 1960s. Then, by the 1970s, things started to change. The Malays started to become more aggressive, abrasive, competitive and greedy. They started to look at things from a Malay versus non-Malay perspective.

NO HOLDS BARRED

Raja Petra Kamarudin

Quite a few people, Umno as well as opposition leaders and supporters, have commented about Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s statement regarding the lazy and dishonest Malays.

It appears like Malaysians are divided on the issue, though. Even some Malays think that Dr Mahathir is right while some Malays think he is wrong. And opinions both for and against are not divided along political affiliations. There are some Umno people who agree with Dr Mahathir and other Umno people who do not.

I believe this is the same for the non-Malays as well. There are non-Malays who think that Dr Mahathir is right while there are others who think he is wrong. And this is the beauty of free discourse. You are free to offer your views and opinions even if they may not be correct.

Dr Mahathir has always been irritated with the Malays since long before he became Malaysia’s Prime Minister in 1981. Hence I do not view Dr Mahathir’s view as racial in nature. And if any Chinese, Indian or ‘others’ agree with Dr Mahathir I would not consider them racists as well.

It is just that many do not understand the Malay psyche, Dr Mahathir included.

Back in 2003, when asked what his greatest regret in his 22 years as Prime Minister is, Dr Mahathir replied that his greatest regret is that after 22 years he still could not change the mindset and attitude of the Malays. “Why can’t the Malays be more like the Chinese?” lamented Dr Mahathir.

Well, if the Malays were more like the Chinese, then the British would not have needed to bring the Chinese to Malaya from the mid-1800s onwards to work the tin mines. It is because the Malays did not want to work the tin mines that they needed to bring in the Chinese labourers.

And the same goes for the Indians who were brought in to work the estates. It was because the Malays did not want to do that job so they had to bring in the Indian estate labourers. If the Malays were prepared to do that job then, today, Malaysia’s population would not be only about 60% or so Malays. Malaysia’s population would probably be 95% Malay like in the East Coast of West Malaysia (except for the population of the main towns, of course).

I faced this same problem back in the 1970s-1980s when I operated a small fleet of fishing boats in Terengganu. Initially I tried to use Malay fishermen but could not make any money. The Malays were not prepared to fish for long periods of time. They would go out in the morning and return the same day. Hence we lost money.

I then brought in Chinese fishermen from Sungai Besar and Sabak Bernam. They would go out and return three, four or five days later once the hold was full of fish or once they ran out of ice and fuel. Invariably we made money because the cost of ice and fuel for three days or more was not that much different from the cost of ice and fuel if you just fished for one day.

Unfortunately, Umno was not happy that I brought in Chinese fishermen into what they considered ‘Malay territory’ and this matter was raised in the Terengganu State Assembly. I was then summoned to the State Fisheries Department and the Director, Seow Kuan Tow, told me about the complaint and advised me to get rid of the Chinese fishermen.

I eventually had to sell off my boats at a great loss because used fishing boats do not really have a good second-hand value. I lost about RM100,000 at a time when a Mercedes Benz cost only RM47,000. So in that sense I lost two Mercedes Benzes. And it was because it was not profitable to operate the boats with Malay fishermen and Umno would not allow me to use Chinese fishermen.

By the way, this was around the time that Dr Mahathir was complaining about the Malays and when his book ‘The Malay Dilemma’ was banned because it was too critical of the Malays and of the Umno Malay leadership.

So what is wrong with the Malays? Are they really very lazy? Dr Mahathir thought so plus he thought that the Malays lacked ambition and a competitive spirit. That was why he wrote that book and whacked the Malays. And what Dr Mahathir said in his book was quite accurate although his prognosis of the reason why the Malays are like that may be wrong.

You see; Malays are also Muslims so the Malays are Muslims first and Malays second. And in Islam you are taught to be shukor (satisfied, grateful or contented). God will provide and all you need to do is to be a good and obedient Muslim and follow the teachings of Islam and God will never abandon you. Have you not heard Christians, too, say that the Lord shall provide?

So Malays will work only as far as their needs are fulfilled. Any surplus and it is no longer need but greed. “How much can you eat?” the Malay will ask. As long as there is food on the table, clothes on your back, and a roof over your head, that is all you need.

Malays differentiate between needs and wants. You need a car. You do not need a Ferrari. A Ferrari is what you want, not what you need. So a Proton is good enough to drive you to work and to send your kids to school. Anything else is just to show off that you have money. And this is considered pride and ego and a sin in Islam (as it is in Christianity as well).

Then along came Dr Mahathir and his book ‘The Malay Dilemma’ and Umno’s New Economic Policy in the 1970s to tell the Malays that they should not be contented. Why should they be contented? Malaysia belongs to the Malays but the non-Malays have ‘stolen’ all the wealth. The Malays must become successful and not be hamba di negara sendiri (slaves in your own country). And Malays were told to stop working for others and to start their own businesses even if they do not have a head for business.

To get rich is glorious. In fact, it is mandatory. If not how to take back the country from the pendatang (immigrants)?

But not everyone can be a good businessman. And not all the Chinese are successful as well. There are many more failures compared to success stories amongst the Chinese community. Cleverness or stupidity is colour-blind. Remember I mentioned above that I employed Chinese fishermen from Sungai Besar and Sabak Bernam? So there are poor Chinese fishermen as well, just like there are poor Malay fishermen.

But these Chinese fishermen from Sungai Besar and Sabak Bernam worked hard not because they are cleverer than the Malay fishermen from Terengganu but because they had no choice. If they could not give me a profit I sent them home and replaced them with other Chinese fishermen. And they needed the work so they feared being sent home.

Anyway, I am digressing. The point is many Chinese and Indians talk fondly about the Malays they knew back in the 1950s and 1960s. Then, by the 1970s, things started to change. The Malays started to become more aggressive, abrasive, competitive and greedy. They started to look at things from a Malay versus non-Malay perspective.

But that is what happens when you wake the Malays up and ask them to fight for their rights (whatever that is supposed to mean). And when you cannot win the fight in a clean way you fight dirty. The objective is to win and not in how you play the game. Hence matlamat menghalalkan cara or the end justifies the means.

Keshukoran or contentment/satisfaction is no longer the in thing. You must be successful. And success is measured by your wealth. People look down on you when you are not wealthy. You command respect when you have plenty of money.

And the shortcut to becoming wealthy is politics. In politics you have power and with power you can become wealthy, although the non-halal way.

In the 1940s and 1950s no one wanted political power. You practically had to beg them to lead you and they would do so most reluctantly. Today, they will fight tooth and nail to gain political power. And nothing is haram when it comes to politics.

So why lament now that Malays are greedy, lazy, dishonest, inconsiderate, and more. That is what we wanted the Malays to become and they have become just that. Just be happy that the Malays will resort to anything to get ahead, whether fair means or foul. Old values no longer apply. The Melayu Baru is now a most brutal beast that will kill its own mother if necessary.

Maybe Dr Mahathir should celebrate this as a success rather than a failure.

Zaid: Situation here is worse than apartheid

At least under apartheid the laws are clear-cut and precise unlike in Malaysia where the people do not know what the offending act is.

KUALA LUMPUR: Former minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Zaid Ibrahim has said that while the whole world, including Malaysia, condemned apartheid when it was in place in South Africa, Malaysia was no different, probably even worse.

Zaid also said although offensive, apartheid was at the very least clear-cut and precise.

He added that laws were enacted to preserve the separation between race communities and discrimination against the black population, and everyone knew where they stood.

“Can we say the same is true in Malaysia?” he asked.

He added that the whites made no bones about their position and did not care what the rest of the world thought about them.

“How different are we in Malaysia?” he asked.

Zaid said the Home Minister’s speech a few days ago lacked clarity about exactly what constituted an offence to the four sacred areas he grouped together as the Social Contract.

The minister had said that Umno would use all available laws to punish those who questioned them.

“How can one be thought to be opposing Malay as a national language? No right-minded Malaysian will oppose to the national language.

“We should have laws to make it clear what constitutes an offence. If we don’t, then Umno will always be able to say so-and-so is not loyal to the language or are opposed to it.

“Things will be even worse than what it was like under apartheid because the people would not know what the offending act is. It’s all up to Umno.

“The second sacred issue is the royalty. What are the things we must not do against a Ruler?

“If a Malay Ruler decides to have executive powers in the administration of the country and that is permitted by Umno, then say so in our laws so that the people will understand it is an offence to oppose it,” he said in his blog, Zaidgeist, today.

Zaid said another big issue was Islam and everything the authorities did could not be questioned as it might be construed as insulting the religion.

He said the government should spell out the issue or circumstances clearly.

He added that in South Africa, questioning the whites for their discriminatory policies was an offence – how different is this from what the Home Minister said in his recent speech?

“For now, no one knows what constitutes the Malay rights that he was talking about. Article 153 is about ‘privileges’ so I am not sure what Malay ‘rights’ are.

“If there are no detailed laws and prohibitions covering the four sacred areas, it would be most unfair to punish Malaysians for talking about them,” he added.

“Then Umno would be the sole authority to define what is and isn’t an offence,” he added.

Zaid said it was already clear that if you make Umno angry or feel insulted, it was an offence.

He said this was unfair and far worse than the laws that were in place during the apartheid era.

Writer charged over tweet on IGP

The Malaysian People's Party member pleads not guilty to charges of posting comments meant to “demean” and “annoy”.

KUALA LUMPUR: A freelance writer pleaded not guilty at the Sessions Court here today to a charge of posting comments through his Twitter account that allegedly demeaned the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) and the Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM).

Wong Hoi Cheng, 43, entered the plea after the charge was read out to him before Judge Abdul Rashid Daud.

He is alleged to have deliberately posted the comments to rouse anger and embarrass IGP Khalid Abu Bakar and the police force. The offence was allegedly committed at a restaurant in MidValley, Brickfields, at 2pm on August 31.

Wong, a Malaysian People’s Party (PRM) member, was charged under Section 504 of the Penal Code, which provides for a maximum jail sentence of two years or a fine or both.

He also pleaded not guilty to an alternative charge of posting the offensive comments about Khalid with the intention of annoying others. For this, Wong was charged under Section 233 (1) (a) of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998, punishable under subsection 233 (3) with a maximum fine of RM50,000 or a maximum of a year’s imprisonment or both.

Abdul Rashid allowed bail of RM4,000 in one surety and fixed Oct 27 for mention of the case.

Wong was represented by Arafas Abdul Razak.

Kula to IGP: Listen to your predecessor

DAP’s Kulasegaran urges the IGP to carry out his duties and arrest Muhammad Ridzuan Abdullah immediately.

PETALING JAYA: DAP’s M.Kulasegaran has urged the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Khalid Abu Bakar to arrest Muhammad Ridzuan Abdullah for contempt of court after failing to surrender his six-year-old child to his ex-wife, Indira Ghandhi.

Kulasegaran cited former IGP, Musa Hassan who openly supported the arrest of Ridzuan and called for Khalid to abide by the Judge’s order to set aside his “personal opinion” and “carry out his policeman’s duties without fear or favour”.

“I am sure the former IGP has deeply thought how unfair the present IGP is on refusing to exercise his power to act against Ridzuan and retrieve the child”.

“The IGP should take the views of his predecessor very seriously and be persuaded to carry out his duties with vigour and arrest Ridzuan and retrieve the child immediately,” said Kulasegaran.

He added, “Section 20 is crystal clear and has spelt out the duties and obligations of an IGP. The IGP must carry out the orders of the court.”

Confirming that the police already know the whereabouts of Ridzuan, Kulasegaran said, “This is an open and shut case for the police to locate the fugitive.”

He added, “Nobody is above the law and that includes the IGP.”

Indira has struggled since 2009 to regain custody of the child she had with Ridzuan, who was 11 months old when Ridzuan took her away along with two older siblings and converted them to Islam.

The High Court later granted Indira full custody of all three children. In a decision on March 11 2010, Ridzuan was ordered to return the child, now six to the mother, an order he has refused to abide by.

Malaysia: Sedition Act Wielded to Silence Opposition

Government Campaign Violates Free Expression Rights

SEPTEMBER 14, 2014

(Bangkok) – The Malaysian government should cease using the country’s sedition law to arbitrarily arrest opposition lawmakers, activists, and critical academics, Human Rights Watch said today. Since 2013, at least 14 people have been charged under the Sedition Act 1948 for criticizing the government or government officials. Those found guilty face up to five years in prison and a fine of RM 5,000 (US$1,600).

The government of Prime Minister Najib Razak should repeal the Sedition Act, which has repeatedly been used to prosecute people for political purposes in violation of the right to freedom of expression.

“The Malaysian government is increasingly using the Sedition Act to instill fear and silence in political opponents and critics,” said Phil Robertson, deputy Asia director. “Prime Minister Najib’s crackdown on free expression has shown his true rights-abusing colors.”

The Sedition Act prohibits vague offenses such as uttering “any seditious words” without defining what constitutes “sedition” or “seditious words.” It broadly outlaws any “seditious tendency” that would “bring into hatred or contempt or excite disaffection against any Ruler or against any Government.”

In the period before the general election on May 5, 2013, Prime Minister Najib repeatedly said that he would lead an effort to repeal the Sedition Act and replace it with a so-called Harmony Act. However, following the election, in which the ruling coalition the Barisan Nasional retained power despite major losses in the national parliament, he retreated from his pledge.

Malaysian authorities have used the vaguely worded act to charge four opposition members of parliament with sedition, including Party Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) Vice President Tian Chua and Democratic Action Party (DAP) Vice President Teresa Kok.

On August 19, 2014, the authorities charged PKR Vice President N. Surendran with sedition in connection with a statement to the media attacking the decision of the appeals court. A second sedition charge was brought against him on August 29 for alleging that the renewed sodomy charges against his client, the parliamentary opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim, were “an attempt to jail the opposition leader of Malaysia,” and that Prime Minister Najib was responsible.

On August 26, the authorities charged Khalid Samad, a member of parliament from the Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS), with sedition for allegedly critical remarks he made regarding the Selangor state sultan and the State Islamic Affairs Council. Khalid had called for reviews of laws after the state council failed to abide by the attorney general’s decision that Iban and Malay-language Bibles seized by the Selangor Islamic Religious Department must be returned to the Bible Society of Malaysia.

In June, authorities charged Kok with sedition for her Chinese New Year video “Onederful Malaysia CNY 2014,” which depicts Kok as host of the program with three volunteers playing characters before a small audience. The video makes no mention of any individual or the government.

The DAP Penang State Assemblyman R.S.N. Rayer was charged on August 27 for allegedly saying “celaka celaka UMNO” (“damn, damn UMNO”) to several state assemblymen of the United Malays National Organization (UMNO) during an assembly session in May.

On September 3, the authorities brought sedition charges against David Orok, a politician from the state of Sabah, claiming that he defamed Islam and the Prophet on Facebook. He has pleaded not guilty and apologized on his Facebook page, but the authorities confiscated his passport and the court released him on RM 7,000 ($2,200) bail.

The authorities charged five activists and Tian Chua with sedition for remarks made on May 13, 2013, at the Kuala Lumpur and Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall. The group had accused the government of pervasive voter fraud and suggested that under current election regulations, the opposition coalition could never win an election. On September 5, 2014, a Kuala Lumpur sessions court sentenced Safwan Anang, former chair of Malaysian Students Solidarity, an activist group, to 10 months in prison, although he was released on RM 15,000 ($4,700) bail pending his appeal. Cases are still pending against Tian, the activists Hishamuddin Rais, Haris Ibrahim, and Tamrin bin Abdul Ghafar, and the student leader Adam Adli.

The government is also prosecuting academics and journalists under the Sedition Act. On September 1, Dr. Azmi Sharom, a University of Malaya professor, was charged with sedition for comments related to a political event five years ago. On September 10, a group of academics and students organized a public rally on Azmi’s behalf and to decry the threat the Sedition Act poses to academic freedom. The Attorney General’s Chambers announced that it would review the sedition charge against Azmi and possibly others.

On September 4, the authorities arrested Susan Loone, assistant editor at Malaysiakini, an online newspaper critical of the government and ruling coalition, on suspicion of sedition for her article that included statements by Phee Boone Poh, a Penang State executive councilor. Loone was held and interrogated for nine hours before being released on bail. Police had earlier detained Phee because of his role as chairman of the Penang People’s Voluntary Patrol, an auxiliary force connected with the state government that the inspector general of police alleges is illegal. The story reported Phee saying that during four hours of police questioning he was “treated like a criminal.”

The government has also investigated several senior opposition politicians but ultimately charged them with sections of the penal code that severely restrict expression. On August 28, the authorities charged Rafizi Ramli, a senior member of the PKR and member of parliament, with article 504 of the penal code, which criminalizes “intentional insult with intent to provoke a breach of the peace.” The charge was based on statements he made in a newspaper article that suggested that UMNO was attempting to undermine and destroy the PKR leadership in Selangor State by using policies emphasizing race and religion.

Similarly, on August 25, authorities charged the former Perak State Governor Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin, from the opposition PAS party, for defaming Prime Minister Najib in remarks he made in Ipoh in April 2012.

“The Malaysian government has apparently decided that its vaguely worded Sedition Act is its new catch-all charge against its most vocal critics,” Robertson said. “Prime Minister Najib should realize that throwing activists and opposition leaders in jail for what they say is a slippery slope to authoritarian rule.”

Perodua Axia Sets New Benchmark In EEV Market - Muhyiddin

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 15 (Bernama) -- The all-new Perodua Axia, the latest energy efficient vehicle (EEV) model launched by Perodua will set a new benchmark in terms of quality, cost management and productivity in the EEV market.

Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said Perodua Axia, the Malaysia's first EEV car has proved that Perodua is able to adapt and flourish in the country.

"It is our hope that the brand will emerge as a regional player and later, a globally recognised brand," he said when launching the car at Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre here, Monday night.

Also present were Deputy Minister of International Trade and Industry, Datuk Hamim Samuri, Second Deputy Education Minister, P. Kamalanathan and Perodua president and chief executive officer, Datuk Aminar Rashid Salleh.

Muhyiddin who is also chairman of the special committee to tackle the cost of living lauded Perodua for introducing an excellent model that is value for money.

With this new model, Muhyiddin said Perodua has amply rewarded Malaysians with what they truly deserve, by developing the car that the market wants.

"This is the car that offers a simple and contemporary design which combines functionality, practicality and eco-friendly, and yet is available at a very affordable price.

"Based on the price list and the features of the car, I believe that the Perodua Axia will be well accepted by MalaysianS. I further hope that this model will be marketed to the Asian region in the near future."

Muhyiddin also said the Malaysia's EEV focus is not merely on fuel efficient vehicles, but also encompassed the whole automotive green life cycle.

He added it was imperative to take into account the entirety of the automotive value chain in transforming the industry towards a sustainable one.

"The emission of greenhouse gases need to be controlled throughout the process in producing vehicles, while both vehicle and component manufacturers have to improve their processes to reduce the impact on the environment.

"And this should include optimisation of energy usage and resources management," he said.

With continuous ‎investments by companies like Perodua, Muhyiddin said the government's plan under the National Automotive Policy 2014 in making Malaysia an EEV production hub would be realised.