PAS donates USD 50,000 to Hamas

'PKR should get MB post, but Sultan has final say'

Iranian Blogger Soheil Arabi Sentenced to Death for Insulting Muhammad on Facebook

Soheil Arabi, an Iranian blogger, has been sentenced to death for "insulting the prophet" on Facebook. Meanwhile, politicians and the media continue to praise Islam.

Iran—A blogger found guilty of insulting the Prophet Mohammad in his postings on Facebook has been sentenced to death. An informed source told the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran that the blogger, Soheil Arabi, will be able to appeal the decision until September 20, 2014.

Agents from the Revolutionary Guards Corps’ (IRGC) Sarallah Base arrested Soheil Arabi, 30, and his wife in November 2013. Arabi’s wife was released a few hours later, but he was kept in solitary confinement for two months inside IRGC’s Ward 2-A at Evin Prison, before he was transferred to Evin’s General Ward 350. Branch 76 of the Tehran Criminal Court, under Judge Khorasani, found Arabi guilty of “sabb al-nabi” (insulting the Prophet), on August 30, 2014.

“The way he was arrested was illegal. It is not clear how the agents were able to enter their home at that time in the morning. All the doors were locked and family members were asleep. Agents entered his home and bedroom. He and his wife were arrested and some of their photographs and personal belongings were taken after their home was searched,” said the source.

“Soheil had eight Facebook pages under different names, and he was charged with insulting the Imams and the Prophet because of the contents of those pages. He has accepted his charges, but throughout the trial, he stated that he wrote the material without thinking and in poor psychological condition,” the source told the Campaign. (Continue Reading.)

Anti-terror operation in Sydney and Brisbane 'thwarted' beheading plot

Police say a large-scale anti-terrorism raid in Sydney this morning has foiled a plot to "commit violent acts" in Australia, including a plan to behead a member of the public.

More than 800 officers launched the raids as part of Operation Appleby in suburbs across Sydney's west and north-west, with a further 70 police involved in raids on properties in Brisbane's south.

Police said 15 people had been detained in Sydney as part of the operation between NSW officers, the Australian Federal Police and ASIO.

Court documents are expected to reveal that the raids, at 25 different properties,were aimed at a cell which planned to behead a member of the public in Sydney.

The documents are expected to say that the plan involved snatching a random member of the public in Sydney, draping them in an Islamic State group (IS) flag and beheading them on camera.

Prime Minister Tony Abbott said he was briefed last night on the operation, adding that the intelligence received by police gave "not just suspicion" but "intent".

"The exhortations, quite direct exhortations, were coming from an Australian who is apparently quite senior in ISIL to networks of support back in Australia to conduct demonstration killings here in this country," he said, using another acronym for IS.

"That's why the police and security agencies decided to act in the way they have."

Mr Abbott will cut short his visit to Arnhem Land today to farewell RAAF crews heading to the Middle East and to attend security briefings on the terror raids in Sydney.

'Right now is a time for calm'

He said the operation commenced earlier this year and had interrupted a terrorist attack in Australia.

"Police believe that this group that we have executed this operation on today had the intention and had started to carry out planning to commit violent acts here in Australia," he said.

"Those violent acts particularly related to random acts against members of the public."

Commissioner Colvin said the raids in Brisbane were not "directly linked" to the raids in Sydney, but authorities were looking to see whether there were any links.

He said the Brisbane raids were linked to a similar operation in Queensland last week, when an Islamic bookshop was searched, and two men arrested.

NSW Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione said the raids reflected "the reality of the threat we actually face".

"You know it is of serious concern that right at the heart of our communities we have people that are planning to conduct random attacks," he said.

"Today we work together to make sure that didn't happen. We have disrupted that particular attack.

"Our police will continue to work tirelessly to prevent any such attacks but certainly can I stress that right now is a time for calm.

"We don't need to whip this up."

He said cars were also searched in the raids and at least one weapon was seized.

A total of 25 search warrants were executed in the Sydney suburbs of Beecroft, Bellavista, Guildford, Merrylands, Northmead, Wentworthville, Marsfield, Westmead, Castle Hill, Revesby, Bass Hill and Regents Park.

Similar raids took place in Brisbane with officers conducting searches on properties at Creek Road in Mt Gravatt East, as well as Logan and Underwood.

The men have been accused of helping to recruit, facilitate and fund people to travel to Syria to engage in hostile activities.

Queensland Police Minister Jack Dempsey has sought to assure people in the state that they were safe.

"Obviously with the lead-in to G20 we're already at a certain risk level which ensures that Queenslanders are even safer than most other states and territories in Australia," he said.

Helicopters, loudspeakers involved in Guildford raid

ABC reporter Lucy Carter said part of Bursill Street in Guildford was still blocked off by police, where a home was being raided.

"[Police] are questioning a number of people on the front balcony of a single-storey home," she said.

"Neighbours say police burst into the house before dawn, shouting through loudspeakers and with a helicopter hovering overhead.

"Right now police are removing items including computers from this Guildford home, and a sniffer dog has also been brought in.*"*

Neighbours said the occupants had only lived in the house for about three weeks.

A resident of Bursill Street, who wished to remain anonymous, has been trying to come to terms with the raids.

"I just find it so wrong for that to be happening here in Australia. How do we get to this stage that people are this out of control?" he said.

"You talk about the money going overseas - earlier this morning I heard $18 million or $20 million going overseas, and we don't know about it until it's too late."

Officers are refusing to give more information at this stage, as the operation is still underway.

They say they will provide updates throughout the morning.

Man claims he was punched by officer in raids

One man who was at one of the raided properties when police arrived claims to have been punched by an officer.

Maywand Osman, who was detained during the raids at Waterloo Rd in Marsfield but not arrested, said: "I opened the door this morning at 4:45am to about four police officers."

"They asked me to raise my hands. I immediately raised my hands. Four officers then jumped at me and one punched me in the face.

"They threw me to the ground and started hitting me in the head and pulling my hair.

"One officer grabbed me by the hair and said 'you piece of shit'. While they were beating me I heard one officer say 'just don't make him bleed'.

"They then went inside my house to conduct a search. They found nothing in my house and I was not under arrest or in custody at any point in time."

A statement released by Mr Osman's solicitor said: "My client was brutally attacked by four police officers this morning without provocation."

"He sustained injuries to the face and head. He was escorted to hospital by ambulance."

Commissioner Colvin said he was personally not aware of the claims.

Raids follow terror alert level raise: terrorism expert

Greg Barton, who heads the Global Terrorism Centre at Monash University, said the raids followed the warning issued by ASIO director David Irvine.

On Friday, authorities announced Australia's terror alert level had been lifted to high, meaning the risk of an attack is likely.

"He said there was considerable amounts of intelligence about plots underway and that's why he had to raise the terror alert level," Mr Barton said.

"Of course that begs the question: if they know about plots under the way what are they doing to intercept them? Now we're finding the answers today."

Immigration Minister Scott Morrison told the ABC's AM program that the raids demonstrate the "very real threat that's there".

"I think again [the operation] supports why the Government has been so strong in its response to this threat," he said.

He said the Government was working closely with the Islamic community "more broadly" and that "goodwill exists".

Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull told Radio National this morning that the raids demonstrate Australian authorities are keeping the nation safe.

"Our security is the consequence of continued vigilance and hard work on the part of the security agencies," he said.

"There is no cause, no reason, for being complacent about security.

"There are people regrettably, some of them in our midst, that don't have the nation's best interests at heart."

Ikebal Patel from Muslims Australia told AM that the Islamic community has been stunned by the raids.

"Details are very sketchy and we don't even know who the individuals are and from which particular area, or sort of association they are part of," he said.

"So, it's all very very sketchy. It's all moving very fast."

The ABC understands the raids are linked to a similar operation in Queensland last week, when an Islamic bookshop was searched, and two men arrested.

The men have been accused of helping to recruit, facilitate and fund people to travel to Syria to engage in hostile activities.

 https://au.news.yahoo.com/a/25038127/anti-terror-operation-in-sydney-and-brisbane-thwarted-beheading-plot/

Muhyiddin fears Malay mindset change could cut Umno’s support in GE14

Umno deputy president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin (pic) expressed worry tonight that the changing mindset among the majority Malays will cut the Barisan Nasional's (BN) popular vote in the next general election, and the ruling coalition could lose power in the future.

The deputy prime minister also said that Umno's easy period has gone by and the party now has to face the challenges of a changing mindset among the Malay community.

"The terrible losses in Selangor was not only unexpected but also sad.

"Johor used to be Umno's fortress but in the last general elections, the fortress was breached, 18 seats fell, that has never happened in history," Muhyiddin said when opening the Putrajaya Umno division meeting in Putrajaya tonight.

BN kept Putrajaya by winning 133 of the 222 federal seats in Election 2013 but their popular vote fell to 48% while Pakatan Rakyat (PR) took 51% of all the votes.

The deputy Barisan Nasional (BN) chairman admitted that there could be serious implications if Umno holds on to its old ways while the needs of the Malays have changed.

He added that despite all the assistance provided and policies implemented, the Malays are still not fulfilled and it would seem that all the benefits have made no impact on their lives.

"Instead, the people and various NGOs are more vocal than before, expressing their dissatisfaction with the government. It is clear now that the support for Umno has deteriorated.

"Under these circumstances, we must consider what needs to be done to maintain our power, not just for the future but forever. We must find ways to enhance our outreach to the Malay voters.

"It worries me when Malays are dissatisfied, because our role is to fight for the rights of the Malays," Muhyiddin said.

When speaking of the future and the challenges it will bring, he advised party leaders not to restrict younger members from moving up the ladder.

"These are tough times and we have to stay relevant. For that, we must accept renewal and act according to the times."

Meanwhile, Putrajaya Umno chief Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor said despite BN's win in the home of the federal administration in the last elections, he feels that many civil servants are starting to turn away from Umno.

Maybe it is because of our own lack of approach or that we are not paying attention to the needs of civil servants that is causing this," he said.

- See more at: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/muhyiddin-fears-malay-mindset-change-will-further-cut-umnos-support-in-ge14#sthash.FpesfR0T.dpuf

‘Malaysian Isis member’ shares Syrian experiences on social media

“Shams”, a member of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (Isis) and who claims to be a 26-year-old doctor from Malaysia, is on social media to narrate her months living in war-torn Syria.

Her posts on her blog, Diary Of A Traveler, describes her activities in Syria, including her marriage to a fellow Isis member after she set foot in the country in February, as well as the medical treatment she provides to the people there.

"After two months in Shaam (Syria), I finally think about getting married because life without a Mahram (husband) is quite hard and it can cause fitnah.

"When I told this matter to one of my best friend, she was the happiest person because I was never interested before," wrote Shams.

Her story spread on social media today first on the BuzzFeed website. Her Facebook account under the name "Diary of a Muhajirah" appears to have been started less than 24 hours ago.

She said she agreed to marry a man whom she had not yet met – a friend of her friend's husband – and wedded him the day she first laid eyes on him.

"He looked at me, our eyes catches each others'. I had palpitation that is faster than the speed of light," she wrote.

"He smiled. And he asked a question that I shall never forget for the rest of my life.

"'Can we get married today? After Asr?'

"Deep inside my heart shouted, 'noooo'. But I have no idea why I answered 'Yes'."

Such anecdotes are interspersed with posts advising interested Islamic State fighters to "re-new" their intentions, and with facts regarding marriage within the Islamic State.

“Shams” also gives reminders to women to join the Islamic State for Allah, and not for marriage.

According to "Shams", Islamic State members are given free houses in Syria and they need not pay electricity and water bills. Monthly groceries are also providedto all, as well as monthly allowances for married couples and children.

She also attempted to dispel the media's "attacks" against the Islamic State fighters, and described most of them as being "just like us".

"These men, mostly are in their 20-s and unmarried. Most of them are just like us, they were once lived in Jahilliah (ignorant) life, that made them fed-up with this worldly life and wants (sic) to make a change.

"These men, they are not from illiterate background. Many of them came from a wealthy family and lived like a king/prince back where they came from."

According to her Twitter and ask.fm accounts, which have both been deleted, "Shams" is from Malaysia and was 26 when she left for Syria in February.

However, it is unclear whether "Shams" is a real person, or is part of the Isis's social media propaganda to recruit women into joining their fight to set up a caliphate in Syria and Iraq.

Shams' writings gloss over the brutal war and violence that has ravaged the state since Isis forces lay claim over it.

Instead, she elicits sympathy from readers over her "bittersweet life" and her constant fears that her husband, too, may be martyred.

"Eleven days after we got married, he told me that he is off for an operation. It was the most heart-breaking thing I have ever heard since I came to Syria. I can’t deny that my heart bleeds and I can’t hold my tears...," she wrote.

"He noticed my gloomy face and said this to me, 'Habibty, I’m married to Jihad before I’m married to you. Jihad is my first wife, and you’re my second. I hope you understand'."

Sham's posts have attracted a large following online, despite the numerous times her Facebook accounts have been removed.

Although created only yesterday, her latest Facebook page has already received over a thousand "likes" and comments from Malaysians supporting her "hijrah" to Syria.

Last month, The Malaysian Insider reported that Malaysian women are believed to have joined Isis forces to offer Jihad Al-Nikah or sexual jihad.

Senior intelligence officials confirmed that three Malaysian women have journeyed to the Middle East to join up with Isis forces.

Jihad Al-Nikah refers to a controversial concept where Sunni women allegedly offer themselves in sexual comfort roles to fighters for the establishment of Islamic rule.

The concept originated from a Wahhabi edict around 2013, that called for Sunni women supporters to come forward for sex jihad and boost the morale of fighters battling against Bashar al-Assad's regime in Syria. – September 18, 2014.

- See more at: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/malaysian-isis-member-shares-syrian-experiences-on-social-media#sthash.TpIMl4FY.dpuf

Azmin for MB is ‘awkward’, say PKR sources

PKR sources are hesitating to confirm rumours this evening that party deputy president Azmin Ali would be made the new Selangor Menteri Besar as he was never nominated for the post.

Party sources told The Malaysian Insider that they were also hearing news that the Selangor Palace had chosen Azmin, but did not dare confirm, calling the situation “awkward”.

They said even if it were to be true, Azmin could change his mind and not accept the post as he did not have the support of the majority of Selangor legislators.

Azmin’s name was tweeted all evening as social media users speculated that he would be the palace’s choice.

Bernama, the national news agency, also reported that Azmin and PAS Cempaka assemblyman Iskandar Abdul Samad were both in the running for the swearing-in ceremony this Tuesday.

Bernama did not say where it got the information from.

Berita Harian this evening also reported that PKR president Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail would most likely not be appointed, citing palace sources who told the paper’s online news site that the Sultan would not be selecting a female menteri besar.

The palace source, however, declined to reveal who the actual candidate was nor even the party involved.

It was reported earlier today that the Selangor palace had issued invitation cards to state leaders to attend the swearing-in ceremony to be held on Tuesday, at 10am at the Istana Alam Shah in Klang.

The name of the new menteri besar, however, was not revealed.

DAP and PKR have submitted only one name – PKR president Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail – for the state’s top post. But PAS broke ranks when its president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang sent three names to the palace.

The three are said to be Dr Idris Ahmad (PKR-Ijok), Dr Yaakub Sapari (PKR-Kota Anggerik) and Iskandar, who is also the Selangor PAS commissioner and a state exco member.

It is not known if PKR and DAP have submitted more names following a reprimand by the Sultan of Selangor, who had asked the Pakatan Rakyat parties to submit more than two names. – September 18, 2014.

- See more at: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/azmin-for-mb-is-awkward-say-pkr-sources#sthash.xY5I1KRE.dpuf

AG blasted for appealing arrest order issued to IGP

The Attorney-General’s Chambers came under fire today for appealing against the order issued to Inspector-General of Police Khalid Abu Bakar to arrest Muslim convert K Pathmanathan @ Mohamad Ridhuan Abdullah for taking away his daughter Prasana Diksa from his former wife.

The lawyer for Prasana’s mother M Indira Gandhi, M Kulasegaran, who received the notice of appeal filed with the Court of Appeal on Monday, said the attorney-general (AG) should, in all fairness and justice, discontinue with the IGP's appeal to Court of Appeal in the inter-faith custody dispute.

Kulasegaran (left), who is also DAP national vice-chairperson, said by appealing the Ipoh High court’s decision, the AG is sending a message to the IGP and other public servants that court orders are open to question despite having a conclusive determination.

“With this, all decisions of the court can now be open to question by the IGP and every police officer. The rule of law becomes an illusion in Malaysia. An appeal will only impose unnecessary, mental torture and cause much anguish to Indira Gandhi and her children.

“Public interest dictates all court orders and warrants of arrest must be obeyed without question and it is in the welfare of Prasana Diksa for her to be reunited with her mother and her other siblings.

"An appeal only confirms that the AG, as the principle lawyer for the government of the day, agrees and feels that what the IGP is doing is correct and right. Is this truly the case?" Kulasegaran asked.

The Ipoh Barat MP further asked if the Home Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak, and other cabinet ministers, support this decision to appeal.

The High Court in Ipoh last Friday ordered Khalid and police to arrest Ridhuan and retrieve Prasana Diksa @ Ummu Habibah within seven days.

The senior federal counsel had on the same day applied for a stay but this was refused by Justice Lee Swee Seng, who heard the matter.

No resolution if no political will

Kulasegaran said if the AG does not proceed with the appeal, it would do justice to Indira as Ridhuan has yet to purge his contempt of court and Prasana Diksa is yet to be found.

Ridhuan, Kulasegaran said has exhausted all legal avenues as he has no further appeals pending, and what remains outstanding is for him to purge his contempt.

“A refusal to arrest him only sustains the false proposition that orders of the court can be disregarded with impunity,” he warned.

Citing Justice Lee's judgment, the Ipoh Barat MP said if the IGP's appeal's is successful it cannot prove to be nugatory as all that happens would be that the child be returned to the father with the mother granted reasonable access.

On Wednesday, it was reported that the Court of Appeal had struck out Ridhuan's application for extension of time to file his record of appeal to set aside the contempt order served against him for not returning Prasana Diksa.

Kulasegaran also warned that matters pertaining to parental abduction by converting spouses cannot be resolved if the AG continues to lack the political will to see that the rule of law prevails and no injustice is caused to the other spouse or member of any minority community in Malaysia.

“We must not forget to put a human face to the law and here it is a case of a mother having to wait for five years to see the child of her womb.”

Prasana Diksa was taken by Ridhuan since 2009, when she was just 11 months old, after he had converted to Islam. She is presently six years old.

Although Ridhuan obtained custody of Prasana and his other two children, the Ipoh Syariah High Court did not issue any order for the police to retrieve the child.

The two other older children are now living with the mother.

Kulasegaran said the AG should see this dispute from a human perspective as she had filed her case in 2009 and till today it remains unresolved.

Indira Gandhi, who was also present in the Ipoh press conference, also asked why was it taking so long to get back her youngest child.

'My brother should have been acquitted'

 

Persatuan Hindraf Malaysia (PHM) chief P Waythamoorthy said today his brother P Uthayakumar should have been acquitted of sedition by the Court of Appeal, which instead reduced Uthayakumar's sentence.

The former deputy minister in the Prime Minister's Department said he was "disappointed" with the court's decision.

"Uthayakumar should have been acquitted instead of the sentence being reduced," he said.

Waythamoorthy (right) took oath as a deputy minister on the same day Uthayakumar was jailed after refusing to appeal his sentencing under the Sedition Act.

Uthayakumar was found guilty of sedition for a letter he penned to former British prime minister Gordon Brown in 2007, at the height of the Hindraf movement that the brothers had once led.

Waythamoorthy said the Malaysian government should have investigated claims made by Uthayakumar that the government practised "ethnic cleansing" on Indians, instead of taking action against him immediately.

"The Malaysian government should have acted responsibly in investigating Uthayakumar's claims, instead of silencing the voice of justice.

"The Court of Appeal, in considering Uthayakumar's appeal, should have scrutinised the whole contents of the said letter and its intentions instead of just looking at the alleged offending words literally," he added.

Waythamoorthy previously had asked his brother to appeal his sedition sentencing, which his brother did belatedly after being imprisoned in the Kajang prison.

Uthayakumar (right) is set to be freed on Oct 3 after his sentence was reduced by six months by the Court of Appeal.

He leads the unregistered Hindraf movement while Waythamoorthy's faction, PHM, was registered as a NGO prior to his short-lived participation in the government.

Uthayakumar had previously accused Waythamoorthy of wanting to be the new S Samy Vellu, the long-serving former MIC president, and also "sacked" his brother from the Hindraf movement prior to the 2013 general election.

Waythamoorthy campaigned for BN during the election while Uthayakumar contested as an independent candidate for both the Kota Raja parliamentary seat and the Seri Andalas state seat.

Uthayakumar lost his deposits for both seats.

Pengguna FB biadap hina lagu Negaraku

(Kuala Lumpus Post) – Selepas dua hari Negara menyambut Hari Malaysia ke-51, pelbagai kontroversi dan sindiran timbul membabitkan lagu Kebangsaan, Negaraku yang dimainkan di pawagam seluruh negara dan lebih menyedihkan ia dicemuh oleh rakyat Malaysia sendiri.

Terbaharu, status yang di muat naik oleh seorang pemilik akaun Facebook menggunakan nama, Tenashar Low (QiQi) dilihat turut dikecam oleh pengguna di laman sosial ekoran tindakan yang disifatkan sebagai melampau.

Tenashar Low dalam status yang di muat naik mengutuk usaha kerajaan yang mencadangkan lagu Negaraku dimainkan di pawagan dengan menjadikan status yang di muat naiknya sebagai kapsyen kepada artikel yang diterbitkan oleh sebuah portal berita, The Rakyat Post, baharu-baharu ini.

“Government alrdy (already) fucked me everyday, now they aspect me to respect them by standing up while the full of lie songs playing? And after i paid for my bloody ticket that include of A tax B tax C tax? Bitch please o0o!! I just want to enjoy my movie, those who blame others for not standing up, so u (you) think ur (your) country threaten u (you) very good? Idiot (Kerajaan telah menganiaya saya setiap hari, Adakah sekarang mereka minta saya menghormati mereka dengan berdiri semasa lagu (Negaraku) yang penuh penipuan dimainkan? Sudahlah saya membayar harga tiket (wayang) yang termasuk cukai A, cukai B dan cukai C? Saya cuma ingin menikmati filem yang ditonton, kepada mereka yang menyalahkan orang lain yang tidak berdiri, adakah anda fikir negara mengancam anda adalah suatu yang baik? Bodoh),” tulis Tenashar di laman Facebooknya, semalam.

Status tersebut menerima cemuhan daripada ramai pengguna laman sosial yang menyifatkan sikap gadis itu sebagai kurang sopan dan tidak menghormati negara.

Sehingga kini, status yang dimuat naik di Facebook, Friends of BN – Barisan Nasional, itu telah mendapat perkongsian sebanyak 326 dan disukai oleh lebih 2,300 orang.

Sebelum ini, rata-rata portal berita melaporkan gambar segelintir rakyat Malaysia yang tidak berdiri ketika lagu Negaraku dimainkan di pawagan yang menyifatkan ianya sesuatu yang sia-sia apabila dimainkan di pusat hiburan.

Kerajaan semenjak Ogos tahun lalu telah mengeluarkan kenyataan dimana lagu Kebangsaaan, Negaraku akan dimainkan di seluruh pawagan sebagai salah satu cara menyemai semangat patriotik dalam kalangan rakyat Malaysia, lapor Malaysian Digest.

Forum organiser quizzed by cops

PIPPA plans to hold another forum soon and says the police’ questioning of them will not dampen their enthusiasm.

KOTA KINABALU: The Progressive Institute of Public Policy Analysis (PIPPA) which organised a forum, Malaysia at the Crossroads, in Labuan on Aug 24, and in Kota Kinabalu from Aug 27 to 29 was hauled up by the police on Wednesday for an explanation.

The forum had apparently been cleared earlier by the relevant authorities including the police.

Sabah Progress Party (Sapp) deputy president Amde Sidek, who represented PIPPA, said that he was no wiser after being questioned by the police.

Saying he did not know whether someone had lodged a police report against him or PIPPA, Amde explained, “I told the police that we held the forum because the topic is relevant. We had speakers from the academia and politicians who are experts.

“I don’t think we offended anybody since what was said was based on facts and figures.”

The forum, Amde stressed, was educational for the people as they discussed issues pertaining to Sabah’s Independence, Malaysia Day as well as local sentiments which had raised concerns.

Announcing that plans were already underway to hold another forum before the year end, Amde reiterated, “The police’ questioning will not dampen our enthusiasm,”

Former Sabah Secretary Simon Sipaun was also quizzed by police on Wednesday and whether others too were called in remains unconfirmed.

PIPPA is an NGO that organises forums, among other things, besides carrying out research.

Anwar mohon ampun kepada Sultan

Sekiranya ada kekhilafan berlaku, Anwar mohon ampun dari Sultan Selangor

PETALING JAYA: Ketua Umum Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR), Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim memohon ampun kepada Sultan Selangor, Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah kerana mengeluarkan kenyataan pencalonan satu nama menteri besar merupakan konvensyen sejak zaman kemerdekaan 1957.

Menurut Anwar, beliau merujuk kenyataan daripada Setiausaha Sulit Sultan, Datuk Mohamad Munir Bani dan Istana Selangor mengenai soal amalan (convention) itu berdasarkan pengetahuannya yang diamalkan oleh kerajaan Barisan Nasional (BN).

“Saya ingin saya jelaskan dan ingin menyatakan apa yang berlaku adalah dalam pengetahuan saya terutama sepanjang saya dalam kerajaan UMNO-BN, sejak 1982 hingga 1998.

“Sekiranya ada kekhilafan berlaku, saya mohon ampun dari Sultan Selangor,” katanya dalam satu kenyataan.

Sebelum ini, Istana Selangor hari ini menafikan kenyataan Ketua Pembangkang Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim dalam akhbar-akhbar tempatan berikutan penghantaran nama calon Menteri Besar.

Menurut satu kenyataan media oleh Setiausaha Sulit Sultan Selangor Datuk Mohamad Munir Bani, kenyataan Anwar Ibrahim bahawa hanya satu nama calon Menteri Besar sudah dijadikan amalan sejak 1975 tidak tepat dan mengelirukan rakyat.

Mohamad Munir berkata, sewaktu pentadbiran Kerajaan Barisan Nasional (BN), pemilihan calon Menteri Besar Selangor dipersembahkan kepada Sultan Selangor oleh Perdana Menteri melalui Majlis Menghadap Sultan.

“Semasa Majlis tersebut, Perdana Menteri akan menyembahkan beberapa nama calon yang difikirkan layak untuk mendapat perkenan Sultan Selangor.

“Kemudian, daripada senarai nama calon-calon tersebut, Sultan Selangor akan memilih hanya satu orang calon untuk dilantik sebagai Menteri Besar,” katanya dalam kenyataan tersebut.

Manakala pada tahun 2008, Sultan Selangor menitahkan PKR, DAP dan PAS membincangkan calon-calon nama untuk menjadi Menteri besar Selangor berikutan kemenangan parti tersebut di Pilihan Raya Selangor.

Setelah sepakat untuk mengesyorkan beberapa nama calon, Sultan Selangor melalui Mohamad Munir telah meminta dua nama calon dan PR telah sebulat suara mencalonkan Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim sebagai Menteri Besar Selangor.

Sultan Selangor telah melantik Khalid setelah beliau memenuhi kriteria-kriteria untuk menjadi Menteri Besar dan menepati syarat-syarat yang telah diperuntukkan dalam Undang-Undang Tubuh Kerajaan Selangor 1959.

Pada 2013 pula, Sultan Selangor menitahkan melalui Mohamad Munir agar PR mencadangkan empat nama calon Menteri Besar. Walau bagaimanapun, Presiden Parti Keadilan Rakyat Datin Seri Wan Azizah ada membuat kenyataan dalam kempen Pilihanraya Umum ke-13, Khalid tidak semestinya kekal sebagai Menteri Besar.

Namun, ketua-ketua parti dalam PR telah menulis surat kepada Sultan Selangor agar mengesyorkan Khalid kekal sebagai Menteri Besar.

Walaupun pada masa yang sama baginda telah menerima beberapa lagi nama calon, namun baginda berkenan supaya Khalid kekal dengan jawatan tersebut kerana Khalid mempunyai hubungan yang baik dengan pihak Istana dan juga rakyat Selangor.

Malaysia’s Sultans Regain Power

Leadership vacuum at both state and national levels opens the door

By John Berthelsen - Asia Sentinel

The long-running political crisis in Malaysia’s Selangor state has shone a spotlight on what was thought to be an unlikely political phenomenon, the resurgence in power of the country’s nine sultans.

In particular, two of the sultans have refused to bend to parliamentary power. They are Sultan Sarafuddin Idris Shah of Selangor and Tunku Ismail Idris of Johor.

Tunku Ismail was batted back earlier this year in his bid to gain control of the regulation of land development in his home state. However, he remains involved in massive land reclamations that subvert Malaysian laws and pose an environmental dilemma for Singapore and he has not decreased the pressure. He is said to be a substantial shareholder in several real estate and other ventures within the massive Iskandar Malaysia Development Region, covering 2,200 sq. km and including the city of Johor Bahru and three surrounding towns. The project, started in 2006, is named for the current sultan’s late father, Almarhum Sultan Iskandar.

In Selangor, Malaysia’s richest and most populous state, Sultan Sarafuddin Idris Shah, also has extensive business interests. He is involved in many business deals with his partners Ong Beng Seng of Singapore and Syed Yusoff Syed Nasir, his old friend. They are building the Four Seasons Residences in KL City Center next to the iconic Twin Towers, Hard Rock Hotels and other projects, either together, mostly, or the Sultan on his own.

He has stepped into the middle of a controversy generated when opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim attempted to replace a rebellious chief minister, Khalid Ibrahim, with his wife, Wan Azizah Ismail. However, Parti Islam se-Malaysia, one of the component parties in Anwar’s Pakatan Rakyat coalition, has staged its own rebellion, refusing to go along with Anwar’s plans, instead asking the sultan to name a PAS member to the job.

The resultant impasse has stretched on for weeks as Sarafuddin has insisted on the prerogative of picking his own choice. On Sept 8, he said he would weigh names put forward by all three opposition parties, but would not limit possible candidates to those put forward by the coalition. The prolonged political mess has nearly wrecked the opposition, resulted in what appears to be a growing split between PAS fundamentalists and moderates, and, according to one source could result in a fundamentalist PAS government in one of Malaysia’s most moderate states.

That is a far cry from the 1980s and 1990s, when former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad , in a bitter political struggle, broke the absolute power of the nine sultans, seeking to reduce them to figurehead status. They have been largely content to rule their fiefdoms, some of them running up astronomical gambling debts in London casinos that they demanded their own state exchequers to pay. But during the reign of the current prime minister, Najib Tun Razak, they have begun to reassert their sway.

“Even the Sultans were afraid of Mahathir because he took them on in 1983 and 1992/3 and curbed their extravagance and powers,” said a Kuala Lumpur-based political analyst. “After Mahathir left, the sultans were kept in check until they saw that (former Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi) was a weak leader.”

In 2008, the normally quiet Sultan of Perlis objected to Badawi’s choice of chief minister and appointed his own, as did the Sultan of Terengganu. In 2009, the late Raja Azlan Shah, the sultan of Perak, stepped into the middle of a political crisis in that state after the opposition won a majority in the statehouse in the 2009 general election, only to have Najib attempt to take the state back by wooing three opposition members, reportedly with offers of cash, into the Barisan Nasional fold, causing the state government to collapse.

Azlan Shah then refused the request of Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin, the opposition chief minister, to dissolve the state assembly and call for new elections. Instead, the Barisan Nasional (BN), with support from the three defecting assemblymen, now independents, formed the new state government.

“Given the lack of strong political leadership in Malaysia – where Najib’s silence and all too frequent travels overseas make it appear as if we have an absentee PM – people are carving out little fiefdoms, be it Perkasa, Mahathir, Isma, right wing NGOs, Malay Chambers of Commerce, and of course, some of the Sultans,” said a business source with close connections to the United Malays National Organization. :”Even the quiet Sultans are flexing their muscles a little bit, at the moment, demanding or putting in business proposals and getting them.”

The sultans of Malaysia have always been a strange graft onto the political system, in effect created by the British during the colonial period when they elevated a bunch of minor Malay chieftains into power as a means of controlling the country. Nine of Malaysia’s 13 states are constitutionally headed by the traditional rulers.

State constitutions limit eligibility for the thrones to male Malay Muslims of royal descent. Seven are hereditary monarchies based on male primogeniture. Malaysia’s kingship, the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, rotates among the nine with each serving a five year term.

Outside of Malaysia, and even inside the country, they have often been privately derided as a bunch of inbred freeloaders although rural Malays regard them as spiritual leaders and protectors of Islam despite the fact that many have broken a wide variety of laws and spend their time in casinos in the UK. Mahathir clearly regarded them as a bunch of ingrates. In a flame-throwing February 14, 1993, speech in Malaysia’s parliament, he accused them, among other things, of giving away parts of the country to the British, oppressing the people, breaking civil and criminal laws, misusing the money and property of the government and pressuring government officials.

He pushed through a measure that included a rule to allow commoners to criticize the Sultans, even the Agong, without fear of the Sedition Act other than questioning the legitimacy of the monarchy itself. It was passed overwhelmingly by the parliament, apparently without outcry over Mahathir's rather tough treatment of the country's nine monarchs.

In the past decade, however, the Barisan Nasional has seen it convenient to regenerate the power of the sultans to use them as a cudgel against the opposition despite the legislation pushed through by Mahathir. When the late Carpal Singh, then the national chairman of the Democratic Action Party, merely discussed whether it was legal to sue Azlan Shah in the courts to get his decision reversed, scores of UMNO members filed complaints and led rallies against him for insulting the sultan. Karpal Singh was facing sedition charges when he was killed earlier this year in a car accident.

Mahathir’s bill controlling the sultans has never been repealed. Nonetheless, the country’s courts, which have long bent to the political will of the ruling national coalition, have never declared the use of the sedition laws against opposition members to be illegal.

In the political vacuum that has come into being with the weakened national coalition, which lost the popular vote for the first time since 1969, the United Malays National Organization, the leading party in the coalition, has found it expedient to rehabilitate the sultans for political uses. That in turn has resulted in opportunities for the sultans to rebuild their power base.

“There is only so much wealth and so many titles to go around and now, the loud ones believe that you have to be louder to get what you want. Hence, the flexing of muscles by the natural claimants to power - the Sultans - and the minions in Umno,” according to the Malay businessman.

Congratulations Najib for the Democracy Setback of the Decade and making moderation sedition and his brainchild the Global Movement of Moderates virtually a seditious organisation

By Lim Kit Siang Blog

The Cabinet meeting yesterday has come and gone and there are no signs that it has achieved any historic distinction when Cabinet Ministers drew the line in the sand to declare their repudiation of the sedition dragnet in the past month and their commitment to move forward to be among the world’s best democracies and not going backwards to be among the world’s worst democracies.

There are no inklings that the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, Dato Sri Idris Jala had raised serious objection, led alone led the charge of conscientious and conviction Ministers in their opposition to the obnoxious dragnet of the draconian sedition law to stifle dissent and criticism to crate a climate of fear in the country reminiscent of the Internal Security Act (ISA) days especially during the th 22-year Mahathir premirrship.

On the contrary, congratulations are in order to the Primer Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak on three grounds:

Firstly, achieving the Democacy Setback of the Decade since Mahathir’s stepping down as Prime Minister in October 2013, when for the first time in a decade, the country has been enveloped in a climate of fear as a result of the sedition spree in the past month with a whole spectrum of victims, from Pakatan Rakyat MPs and SAs to social activists including members of the legal profession and the press, student leaders, preachers and simply laymen.

Secondly, for the worldwide feat in making moderation an offence of sedition to the extent that Malaysians are beginning to feel that the fundamental right of freedom of speech is cursed by the burden of unfreedom after speech.

Thirdly, in virtually making his brainchild, the Global Movement of Moderates (GMM) into virtually a seditious organisation. As a result, the media were asked not to report the proceedings of the GMM forum on the “Future of Malaysia” with NGOs, because the GMM cannot ensure the freedom of the participants and protect them from the sedition dragnet even when advocating moderation!

Najib will go down in history as the Prime Minister who turned the colonial Sedition Act into a repressive and draconian instrument to stifle criticism and dissent although he had promised to repeal it as part of the country “political transformation” to become the world’s best democracy.

The Sedition Act is an arcane law of a bygone colonial era to protect the white colonial masters from the freedom struggle of subject peoples in colonies when freedom of speech was not seen as the right it is today, and has no place in a modern age where freedom of speech is now seen as a touchstone of democracy, and the ability of individuals to criticise the state are crucial to maintaining freedom and human rights.

Najib cannot continue to equivocate but must decide one way or another whether he is still committed to the goal to make Malaysia the world’s best democracy, in which case he should halt the sedition blitz, drop all sedition charges and repeal the Sedition Act, or he should unashamedly announce the end of whatever political transformation and democratisation under his administration and a new Najib phase of a counter-revolution where the Sedition Act replaces the ISA of earlier decades as the weapon of choice in a reign of “white terror” to suppress criticism and dissent in the country.

Saying one thing but doing another

“Sedition and seditious and defamatory libel are arcane offences – from a bygone era when freedom of expression wasn't seen as the right it is today.

“Freedom of speech is now seen as the touchstone of democracy, and the ability of individuals to criticise the state is crucial to maintaining freedom.

“The existence of these obsolete offences in this country had been used by other countries as justification for the retention of similar laws which have been actively used to suppress political dissent and restrict press freedom.”

The above statement is the words of UK justice minister Claire Ward in 2009 when she announced that the government was doing away with sedition offences.

The UK government had remarked that it was troubled by the fact that other countries used components of this archaic 1661 British enactment to justify quelling political dissent and differences opinion.

Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore and Zimbabwe were named among countries which have used the iron-clad interpretation of sedition as a blank cheque to go after anyone who criticises the authorities and bring the government of the day into disrepute.

Sedition laws after all, said Ward, have no place in a society that emphasises the freedom of the individual and a nation which aims to be a leader in the fight for equality and civil liberties.

Following pressure from its own society, the UK government moved for the repeal of laws governing sedition and criminal defamation.

However, this was not something that was done overnight.

The idea for the abolition of UK’s sedition laws was first mooted in 1977 by the Law Commission and working papers were only drafted in 1985, with the actual repeal coming into fruition in 2009.

Hopefully it will not take us 32 years as it did the English to junk sedition rules.

While our Sedition Act is a 1948 enactment that was focused on national security during the emergency, as we have seen and experienced, the Sedition Act is a brush with wide bristles – depending on who is using it and what it is used for.

But it will be nice to know that Malaysia – or at least our leaders – are not alone in this dilemma of doing away with an act that in effect helps in self-preservation.

India, for instance, is debating doing away with its own 1870 Act and introducing components for the protection of national security in its Penal Code.

The National Harmony Act and the National Unity Act which are being drafted are Malaysia’s feeble attempts at demonstrating to the international community that it is serious about the respect of civil liberties and freedom of expression – a cosmetic measure that parallels its ambitions for a seat on the UN Security Council.

The new act allows racist statements as long as they do not incite harm. Fears are its wide interpretation will be used as a “get out of jail” free card for extremist groups with ties to the ruling party while minorities who speak out and scholarly opinions will be reigned in.

It could end up being worse than the Sedition Act that we have now.

Two years ago on Malaysia Day, the prime minister made this promise:

“The Sedition Act represents a bygone era in our country and with today’s announcement we mark another step forward in Malaysia’s development.

“The new National Harmony Act will balance the right of freedom of expression as enshrined in the Constitution, while at the same time ensuring that all races and religions are protected.

“Our country’s strength lies in its diversity. The new Act underlines my commitment to nurturing the spirit of harmony and mutual respect that has been the foundation of our stability and success.”

Since then, the prime minister has reiterated the “government’s commitment” to repeal the Sedition Act. Unfortunately all we have heard from the prime minister is lip service. Actions speak louder than words.

The dragnet over the last month flies in the face of the “reforms” this administration has promised.

First they came for the politicians, and then they came for the lawyers. Next they came for the NGOs, following which they came for the academicians. Then they came for the press.

That many voices of differing opinions are spending their Malaysia Day week at police stations only goes towards underscoring the “cakap tak serupa bikin” syndrome which seems to define the Najib administration. – September 17, 2014.

* Terence is a veteran at giving police statements. He hopes this article will not make him a guest of the Royal Malaysian Police yet again. He is investigations editor at The Edge and can be reached at terence.fernandez@bizedge.com.

* This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insider.

Press Release | Cease the Sedition Act Onslaught

The Malaysian Bar is appalled by the unrelenting misuse of the Sedition Act 1948 and other laws, and investigations and threats of prosecutions thereunder, to stifle speech and expression over the past four weeks.  The abuse has continued unabated in the past few days.

 

We refer to the following incidents:

 

(1) A preacher, Abu Bakar Baikalani, was reported in the news media on 11 September 2014 as having been arrested and under investigation pursuant to section 4(1) of the Sedition Act 1948 for allegedly insulting the Government and police, by criticising the mass arrest of members of Pasukan Peronda Sukarela (“PPS”);

(2) A lawyer, Edmund Bon, was reported in the news media on 12 September 2014 as being investigated under the Sedition Act 1948 in relation to his alleged comments on the Federal Constitution, by way of legal opinion, in a news report entitled “Bukan Islam tidak perlu patuh kepada titah Diraja atau fatwa, kata peguam”;

(3) An opposition politician and lawyer, Hassan Karim, was reported in the news media on 13 September 2014 as being investigated under the Sedition Act 1948 over postings on Twitter with regard to the Selangor Menteri Besar (Chief Minister) crisis.  The police had attended at his house and confiscated his laptop and mobile phone;

(4) A director of a Malaysia-based think-tank known as Inter-Research and Studies, Wong Hoi Cheng, was reported in the news media on 15 September 2014 as having been charged in court under section 504 of the Penal Code for allegedly insulting and provoking the Inspector General of Police (“IGP”), by having tweeted a criticism of the mass arrest of members of PPS and comparing the IGP to Henrich Himmler, the leader of the feared “SS” during Adolf Hitler’s World War II rule over Germany.  He also faces an alternative charge under section 233(1) of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998.

 

These recent events or actions are alarming.  The Malaysian Bar is deeply concerned that as we celebrate the 51st anniversary of the formation of Malaysia we are lurching steadily towards an intolerant authoritarian State.

 

The recent reports of a lawyer, Edmund Bon, being placed under investigation for expressing his legal opinion on matters in the public domain are deplorable.  The Malaysian Bar also recalls the recent prosecution of Dr Azmi Sharom, a law lecturer, for offering an opinion on matters connected with the law and the Federal Constitution.  It is unjustifiable and unacceptable that people are being placed under investigation or charged for expressing opinions or views with regard to or based on the law and the Federal Constitution.

Lawyers are duty-bound by the Legal Profession Act 1976 and the Montreal Declaration of June 1983 to uphold the cause of justice without fear or favour, and without regard to their own interest; and to protect and assist the public in all matters touching, ancillary or incidental to the law.

The United Nations Basic Principles on the Role of Lawyers provides that lawyers shall have the right to freedom of expression, belief and assembly, and shall 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”.

The United Nations Basic Principles go on to provide that governments shall ensure that lawyers “are able to perform all of their professional functions without intimidation, hindrance, harassment or improper interference”, as well as “shall not suffer, or be threatened with prosecution or administrative, economic or other sanctions for any action taken in accordance with recognized professional duties, standards and ethics”.

Previous to the recent events, we witnessed various actions being taken by the authorities under the Sedition Act 1948, or section 499 or section 504 of the Penal Code, against students, an academic, members of civil society, journalists, Members of Parliament and Members of the State Assembly.  There was additionally the mass arrest of members of the PPS immediately after they completed their participation in the Penang State National Day parade.

These actions by the authorities have given rise to grave concerns that a culture of intimidation, fear and subjugation is being perpetrated and perpetuated by the misuse of the Sedition Act 1948 and other laws such as section 499 and section 504 of the Penal Code.

The Malaysian Bar shares the wishes and hopes of all right-thinking Malaysians for genuine peace, harmony and unity.  The Malaysian Bar however questions whether these can simply be legislated into existence, and whether the use of the Sedition Act 1948, and the other laws as described, would serve to achieve these aspirations.  In addressing the substantive issues, the people of Malaysia should honestly ask themselves these questions: “Who is it that is behaving in a menacing manner and threatening public disorder?  Who is it that is causing disharmony and disunity?  Is the Sedition Act 1948 being evenly used?”  The answers are plain for all to see, if only one bothers to look.

The Malaysian Bar calls on the authorities to cease their action against all of these individuals, and to recognise the right to freedom of speech and expression.  The authorities must not use an abhorrent piece of colonial-era legislation to protect themselves from fair comment and criticism. 

 

Christopher Leong

President

Malaysian Bar

Swearing-in Of New Selangor MB On Sept 23

SHAH ALAM, Sept 18 (Bernama) -- The Selangor Palace has confirmed that the new Menteri Besar of the state will be sworn in on Tuesday, Sept 23 at the Istana Alam Shah, Klang near here.

The Sultan of Selangor's private secretary, Datuk Mohamad Munir Bani, when contacted by Bernama Thursday, however declined to divulge the name of the new menteri besar.

He said this would only be known on the day of the ceremony.

Bernama understands that Bukit Antarabangsa state assemblyman Mohamad Azmin Ali and Cempaka assemblyman Iskandar Abdul Samad are likely to be made MB, holding the highest administrative post in Selangor.

However, Mohamad Munir refused to confirm this when asked to comment on the matter.

The Sultan had ordered on Aug 26 that the parties within Pakatan Rakyat - DAP, PKR and PAS - submit more than two names each as possible candidates for the new menteri besar post.

His Royal Highness had earlier postponed accepting the resignation of Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim as Menteri Besar until after the process of appointing his successor was completed.

However, both PKR and DAP maintained that they wanted PKR president Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail as the sole candidate for the post.

Their actions angered the Sultan, leading to them make an apology to the palace on the matter but maintaining that they stil wanted Dr Wan Azizah to be the new MB.

The political crisis in Selangor came after the "Kajang Move" started by PKR director of strategy Rafizi Ramli in the Kajang by-election in March, aimed at making Anwar the new menteri besar of Selangor.

However, his hopes were dashed when he failed to gain the Kajang seat when the court declared him guilty of sodomy. Subsequently, his wife who is PKR president contested and won the seat.

On Aug 8, PKR expelled Abdul Khalid from the party with the plan to make Wan Azizah the new menteri besar of Selangor.