Friday 26 September 2014
Iraqi female activist killed by ISIS
Samira Salih al-Nuaimi was seized from her home on Sept. 17 after allegedly posting messages on Facebook that were critical of the militants' destruction of religious sites in Mosul. Her Facebook page appears to have been removed since her death.
According to the United Nations Assistance Mission in Iraq, Nuaimi was tried in a so-called "Shariah court" for apostasy, after which she was tortured for five days before the militants sentenced her to public execution.
"By torturing and executing a female human rights' lawyer and activist, defending in particular the civil and human rights of her fellow citizens in Mosul, ISIL continues to attest to its infamous nature, combining hatred, nihilism and savagery, as well as its total disregard of human decency," Nickolay Mladenov, the U.N. envoy to Iraq, said in a statement, referring to the group by an alternate acronym.
The militant group captured Iraq's second largest city Mosul during its rapid advance across the country's north and west in June, as Iraqi security forces melted away. The extremists now rule a vast, self-declared caliphate straddling the Syria-Iraq border in which they have imposed a harsh version of Islamic law and beheaded and massacred their opponents.
In the once-diverse city of Mosul the group has forced religious minorities to convert to Islam, pay special taxes or die, causing tens of thousands to flee. The militants have enforced a strict dress code on women, going so far as to veil the faces of female mannequins in store fronts.
In August, the group destroyed a number of historic landmarks in the town, including several mosques and shrines, claiming they promote apostasy.
The Gulf Center for Human Rights said Wednesday that Nuaimi had worked on detainee rights and poverty. The Bahrain-based rights organization said her death "is solely motivated by her peaceful and legitimate human rights work, in particular defending the civil and human rights of her fellow citizens in Mosul."
The militants' rapid advance eventually prompted U.S. airstrikes last month to aid Kurdish forces and protect religious minorities in Iraq. This week a newly formed U.S.-led coalition expanded the aerial campaign into Syria, where ISIS is battling President Bashar Assad's forces as well as Western-backed rebels.
Read more: http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2014/Sep-25/271947-iraqi-female-activist-killed-by-isis.ashx#ixzz3EMpIDQ7U
Isis: Plea for West to help more than 1,000 kidnapped Yazidi women forced into 'sex trade'
Yazidis in Iraq have made an emotional plea for the international community to help find more than 1,000 women and children kidnapped by Isis.
Those willing to convert to Islam are married off to militants but those maintaining their faith are trafficked as sex slaves, abused and imprisoned.
Thousands of people from the religious minority, who are considered heretics by the Sunni extremist group, were driven from their homes by the Isis advance in August.
The US started its intervention in the Iraq conflict as part of a humanitarian mission to rescue the families trapped without food and water on Mount Sinjar but not all were saved.
More than 1,000 Yazidi women had already been captured by Isis as Kurdish soldiers advanced on Mosul and hundreds more are believed to have been abducted as part of the group’s mission to eradicate other religions in its Sunni-dominated Islamic "caliphate".
Vian Dakheel, Iraq’s only Yazidi parliamentarian, is sheltering more than 30 displaced relatives at her home in Irbil.
She told the BBC she believes Western military intervention on the ground could help free the prisoners.
“Publicity would also help just like when Mrs Obama got involved in trying to rescue the schoolgirls captured by Boko Haram in Nigeria,” she added.
“We're a minority here and there's no strong lobby to support us. We ask for support from those governments that care about human rights and humanity.”
Witnesses said the abducted women were separated from their male relatives, who were often then murdered, divided into groups by age and sent away to Isis strongholds.
A 14-year-old Yazidi girl, known as Narin, told journalist Mahammed A Salih her 19-year-old brother was shot with other young men as she and other girls and women were taken to an empty school in Baaj, near the Syrian border.
An Isis fighter entered the room and recited the shahada for the women to repeat, saying it would convert them to Islam but they refused.
“They were furious,” she said. “They told us we were pagans and confined us for 20 days inside the building, where we slept on the floor and ate only once per day.
“Every now and then, an Islamic State man would come in and tell us to convert, but each time we refused.
“As faithful Yazidis, we would not abandon our religion.”
After weeks of imprisonment, Narin and a childhood friend were given as “gifts” to senior Isis militants living in Fallujah and she was beaten and starved by her new captor known as Abu Ahmed – around 40 years her senior.
After more than a week with the men, the two girls managed to contact a friend in the city, who picked them up and helped them travel to safety with fake IDs.
They have since been reunited with their families but others have not been able to escape.
Another Yazidi girl, 17-year-old Mayat (not her real name) spoke to Italian paper La Repubblica from captivity earlier this month – Isis allowed the interview so her parents would know “in detail” what they were doing.
She had been kidnapped on 3 August during the Isis offensive on Sinjar and was being kept in an unknown city with around 40 women and girls aged from 12 to 30, she said.
Mayat described three “rooms of horror” where the women were raped, often by different men throughout the day and said many of her fellow prisoners had tried to kill themselves.
“They treat us like slaves. We are always ‘given’ to different men. Some arrive straight from Syria,” she said.
“Even if I survive, I don’t think I’ll be able to remove this horror from my mind.”
Video link: http://bcove.me/okxu0wcy
Only Utusan has total freedom, says Marina Mahathir
Activist Datin Paduka Marina Mahathir today took a dig at Umno-owned Utusan Malaysia,
saying that the daily enjoys absolute freedom unlike other newspapers which do not have such a privilege."Utusan has the freedom to stir up things," said the eldest daughter of former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad in her speech at the International Malaysia Law Conference in Kuala Lumpur.
She was speaking at a session titled “Freedom from Fear – Is it a Basic Human Right?” when she made the reference to Utusan Malaysia, which had been slapped with numerous suits for its reports.
Marina said this in response to a question by moderator, former Bar Council chairman Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan, who asked panel members whether the Sedition Act 1948 must be repealed.
Many, including opposition members, have asked why the newspaper was not prosecuted for carrying inflammatory articles that touched on race and religion.
Marina said Putrajaya was wrong in using the law on the pretext of stopping chaos from happening.
"Are they talking about a pre-emptive strike, and did it work?" she said.
She said she had complete faith in the public who would not react when provoked.
"Some people wanted to burn churches, but Malaysians did not buckle," she said, adding the event could have been manufactured to create fear.
She said it was Putrajaya who was in fear, and not the people, in using the law to stifle freedom of speech and expression.
"Young people are not scared and the law will not deter them."
She also said Malay rights group Perkasa enjoyed special treatment and obtained space to have its views heard on the media compared to others.
Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Paul Low Seng Kuan, who was in the panel, said the law was there to preserve peace and harmony in a multi-racial society.
"Some are insecure while others are aggressive. How do you maintain harmony?" he said.
Low said Putrajaya was not trying to instil fear or prevent the people from being critical of the establishment but only to stop remarks that incited violence and hatred.
But, he told the audience that there should not be political interference when the Attorney-General (A-G) decides to charge someone with sedition.
"The A-G must be free to decide and for the court to mete out appropriate punishment."
Centre for Better Tomorrow co-president Gan Peng Sieu said there must some form of amnesty from prosecution under the law until a replacement was introduced.
"However, provisions in the Penal Code can be used against anyone for causing disharmony and unrest."
He said there was no point for anyone to "to dig old wounds as the country need to move forward".
Lawyer Tommy Thomas said the sedition law was introduced by the British without much debate, and intended to protect a select few, including the Malay Rulers.
"The law is now being used because Umno is paranoid," he said in reference to Seri Delima assemblyman R. S. N. Rayer who was charged for uttering "celaka Umno".
He said no political parties were protected under the law.
The Malaysian Insider editor and chief executive officer Jahabar Sadiq said the current climate of investigation and prosecution under the law had not jolted journalists.
"I wonder why the prime minister who won the general election, and who is in a comfortable position, is taking this path." – September 25, 2014.
- See more at: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/only-utusan-has-total-freedom-says-marina-mahathir#sthash.aPFvfz36.dpuf
IGP gets permanent stay on arrest order - Malaysiakini
Court of Appeal President Md Raus Sharif, chairing a three-member panel allowed Khalid’s application for an inter-parte stay order, pending disposal of his appeal over the High Court decision.
Md Raus, who presided together with Court of Appeal judges Zaharah Ibrahim and Abdul Aziz Abdul Rahim, set Oct 30 to hear Khalid’s appeal against the High Court’s decision.
“This is an important issue. We grant the stay and fix an early date to hear and dispose of the appeal,” he said.
On Sept 12, this year, the High Court in Ipoh, Perak allowed a judicial review brought by M Indira Gandhi for a mandamus order to compel Khalid to arrest her former husband, Muhammad Ridhuan Abdullah and return their six-year-old daughter, Prasana Diksa to her.
Last Sept 17, Khalid obtained an interim (temporary) stay order from a Court of Appeal single judge Aziah Ali, against the high court's decision, pending hearing of the inter-parte stay application which was fixed for today.
Meanwhile, the same panel has dismissed Indira Gandhi’s application to set aside the interim stay order obtained by Khalid.
Lawyer Aston Paiva, representing Indira Gandhi, agreed to have an early hearing date fixed but he objected to the stay application.
In 2009, the Syariah Court in Ipoh had given Ridhuan, who was formerly known as K Pathmanathan, the custody of the three children, Tevin Darsiny, 17, Karan Dinish, 16, and Prasana, six, after he unilaterally converted them to Islam.
In 2010, the High Court in Ipoh granted Indira Gandhi full custody of all three children and Muhammad Ridhuan was ordered to return Prasana Diksa to the mother.
On May 30, the Ipoh High Court cited Muhammad Ridhuan for contempt and issued a warrant of arrest against him after he repeatedly failed to hand over Prasana Diksa to the mother.
Indira Gandhi had also obtained a recovery order from the high court to compel the police to locate Muhammad Ridhuan.
She then filed the judicial review seeking the mandamus order, following Khalid’s insistence on taking the middle path in cases where disputing parties had obtained separate orders from the civil and Syariah courts.
Last Sept 10, the Court of Appeal struck out Muhammad Ridhuan’s appeal against the contempt order and recovery order after ruling that the court could not hear his appeal because he did not “purge his contempt” for disobeying the court order for him to return his daughter to Indira Gandhi.
Senior federal counsel Noor Hisham Ismail and Suzana Atan appeared for Khalid.
- Bernama
Cops begin probe on death of Beng Hock
This follows the Court of Appeal’s ruling this month which overturned the coroner’s court open verdict on Teoh’s death.
Deputy federal CID chief DCP Datuk Amar Singh said a team of officers were studying the files on the case, including the initial sudden death report, the findings of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Teoh’s death, and the Court of Appeal ruling.
“There are three officers, including myself, studying the reports. We are halfway through them. It is taking some time as we have to be meticulous with every single detail,” he said yesterday.
All three officers were not involved in the case five years ago, and Amar believes this will enable them to look at the case “with a fresh perspective”.
He said the police would revisit the scene and question witnesses again after reviewing the files.
On September 5, a three-man bench at the Court of Appeal overturned the coroner’s open verdict on Teoh’s demise.
The bench directed Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar and the Attorney General’s Chambers to reopen the investigation papers.
Teoh, 30, the former political aide of DAP Seri Kembangan assemblyman Ean Yong Hian Wah, had been questioned at the Selangor MACC headquarters in Shah Alam when his body was found on the fifth floor of Plaza Masalam, which also housed the MACC office, on July 16, 2009.
BN menang besar di Pengkalan Kubor
Mat Razi berjaya memperoleh sebanyak 9,961 undi manakala calon PAS pula, Wan Rosdi Wan Ibrahim meraih sebanyak 7,326 undi dan calon Izat Bukhary Ismail Bukhary sebanyak 38 undi.
PENGKALAN KUBOR: Calon Barisan Nasional (BN) Mat Razi Mat Ail berjaya memenangi Pilihan Raya Kecil (PRK) DUN N.01 Pengkalan Kubor mengalahkan calon PAS, Wan Rosdi Wan Ibrahim dan juga calon bebas, Izat Bukhari Ismail Bukhari dengan majoriti sebanyak 2,635 undi.
Pengumuman tersebut dilakukan oleh Pegawai Pengurus Suruhanjaya Pilihan Raya (SPR), Mohd Sobri Ramli yang mengumumkan Mat Razi berjaya memperoleh sebanyak 9,961 undi manakala calon PAS pula, Wan Rosdi Wan Ibrahim meraih sebanyak 7,326 undi dan calon Izat Bukhary Ismail Bukhary sebanyak 38 undi.
PRK Pengkalan Kubor hari ini menyaksikan peratusan keluar mengundi sebanyak 73 peratus
Dalam sidang media selepas pengumuman SPR, Mat Razi mengucapkan terima kasih kepada pengundi di DUN N.01 Pengkalan Kubor kerana masih memberi peluang kepadanya untuk meneruskan legasi Allahyarham Datuk Noor Zahidi Omar.
“Saya juga berterima kasih kepada media kerana memberikan liputan sepanjang kempen PRK ini berjalan dan juga saya mengucapkan jutaan terima kasih kepada jentera-jentera daripada akar umbi hingga pusat serta kementerian-kementerian yang turut bersama membantu saya berkempen.
“Saya juga berjanji akan memikul amanah Allah yang diberikan kepada saya dan saya berjanji akan meneruskan legasi Allahyarham Datuk Noor Zahidi Omar,” kata Mat Razi.
Dalam pada masa yang sama, Timbalan Perdana Menteri Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin turut menyatakan keputusan yang diterimanya adalah diluar jangkaan dan ini juga sebagai petanda baik kepada BN untuk merampas Kelantan daripada PAS.
“Ini merupakan gelombang baru rakyat BN untuk mengembalikan Kelantan kepada BN,” katanya.
Muhyiddin turut menyatakan antara faktor kemenangan calon BN adalah jentera BN berjaya menjelaskan isu-isu semasa kepada rakyat.
“Faktor lain pula adalah faktor calon itu sendiri. Calon BN merupakan calon yang baik dan bersesuaian untuk rakyat Pengkalan Kubor.
“Masalah dalaman Pakatan Rakyat juga antara faktornya. Terutamanya krisis Menteri Besar di Selangor. Selain itu, cara jentera kita berkempen serta menerima sokongan daripada semua kementerian yang terbabit,” ujarnya.
Manakala, Pengarah PRK PAS, Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man mengucapkan tahniah kepada Mat Razi dan berharap akan memikul amanah Allah yang diberikan sebaik mungkin.
“Saya berpuas hati dengan gerak kerja yang diberikan oleh PKR dan PAS serta seluruh jentera tidak kira di dalam ataupun di luar kawasan yang banyak membantu calon PAS Wan Rosdi,” katanya dalam satu rakaman suara kepada pihak media.
Tuan Man tidak menafikan faktor utama kekalahan calon PAS berpunca daripada hari mengundi yang diadakan pada hari bekerja.
“Ia menghalang pengundi terutamanya pengundi luar pulang ke kampung halaman untuk mengundi. Saya juga akan mengadakan ‘post mortem’ bagi mengkaji dan meneliti tempat-tempat yang kita selalu menang sebelum ini tetapi kita tewas,” katanya.
Turut hadir di Pusat Penjumlahan Undi, di Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Dato’ Biji Wangsa adalah Timbalan Perdana Menteri, Datuk Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, Ahli Majlis Tertinggi Umno, Tan Sri Anuar Musa, Pengarah Operasi BN PRK Pengkalan Kubor, Datuk Mustapa Mohamed, Menteri Wilayah Persekutuan, Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor, Menteri di Jabatan Perdana Menteri, Datuk Seri Shahidan Kassim, Timbalan Menteri Kewangan, Ahmad Maslan dan juga calon BN, Mat Razi Mat Ail
Namun demikian calon PAS, dan juga calon bebas tidak menghadirkan diri ke tempat penjumlahan undi.
Pengumuman tersebut dilakukan oleh Pegawai Pengurus Suruhanjaya Pilihan Raya (SPR), Mohd Sobri Ramli yang mengumumkan Mat Razi berjaya memperoleh sebanyak 9,961 undi manakala calon PAS pula, Wan Rosdi Wan Ibrahim meraih sebanyak 7,326 undi dan calon Izat Bukhary Ismail Bukhary sebanyak 38 undi.
PRK Pengkalan Kubor hari ini menyaksikan peratusan keluar mengundi sebanyak 73 peratus
Dalam sidang media selepas pengumuman SPR, Mat Razi mengucapkan terima kasih kepada pengundi di DUN N.01 Pengkalan Kubor kerana masih memberi peluang kepadanya untuk meneruskan legasi Allahyarham Datuk Noor Zahidi Omar.
“Saya juga berterima kasih kepada media kerana memberikan liputan sepanjang kempen PRK ini berjalan dan juga saya mengucapkan jutaan terima kasih kepada jentera-jentera daripada akar umbi hingga pusat serta kementerian-kementerian yang turut bersama membantu saya berkempen.
“Saya juga berjanji akan memikul amanah Allah yang diberikan kepada saya dan saya berjanji akan meneruskan legasi Allahyarham Datuk Noor Zahidi Omar,” kata Mat Razi.
Dalam pada masa yang sama, Timbalan Perdana Menteri Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin turut menyatakan keputusan yang diterimanya adalah diluar jangkaan dan ini juga sebagai petanda baik kepada BN untuk merampas Kelantan daripada PAS.
“Ini merupakan gelombang baru rakyat BN untuk mengembalikan Kelantan kepada BN,” katanya.
Muhyiddin turut menyatakan antara faktor kemenangan calon BN adalah jentera BN berjaya menjelaskan isu-isu semasa kepada rakyat.
“Faktor lain pula adalah faktor calon itu sendiri. Calon BN merupakan calon yang baik dan bersesuaian untuk rakyat Pengkalan Kubor.
“Masalah dalaman Pakatan Rakyat juga antara faktornya. Terutamanya krisis Menteri Besar di Selangor. Selain itu, cara jentera kita berkempen serta menerima sokongan daripada semua kementerian yang terbabit,” ujarnya.
Manakala, Pengarah PRK PAS, Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man mengucapkan tahniah kepada Mat Razi dan berharap akan memikul amanah Allah yang diberikan sebaik mungkin.
“Saya berpuas hati dengan gerak kerja yang diberikan oleh PKR dan PAS serta seluruh jentera tidak kira di dalam ataupun di luar kawasan yang banyak membantu calon PAS Wan Rosdi,” katanya dalam satu rakaman suara kepada pihak media.
Tuan Man tidak menafikan faktor utama kekalahan calon PAS berpunca daripada hari mengundi yang diadakan pada hari bekerja.
“Ia menghalang pengundi terutamanya pengundi luar pulang ke kampung halaman untuk mengundi. Saya juga akan mengadakan ‘post mortem’ bagi mengkaji dan meneliti tempat-tempat yang kita selalu menang sebelum ini tetapi kita tewas,” katanya.
Turut hadir di Pusat Penjumlahan Undi, di Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Dato’ Biji Wangsa adalah Timbalan Perdana Menteri, Datuk Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, Ahli Majlis Tertinggi Umno, Tan Sri Anuar Musa, Pengarah Operasi BN PRK Pengkalan Kubor, Datuk Mustapa Mohamed, Menteri Wilayah Persekutuan, Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor, Menteri di Jabatan Perdana Menteri, Datuk Seri Shahidan Kassim, Timbalan Menteri Kewangan, Ahmad Maslan dan juga calon BN, Mat Razi Mat Ail
Namun demikian calon PAS, dan juga calon bebas tidak menghadirkan diri ke tempat penjumlahan undi.
DAP call for scrapping of re-sitting of UPSR English, Tamil and Maths papers as the 500,000 primary school pupils should not be made to suffer because of the incompetence and lack of professionalism of the Education Minister and his Ministry
By Lim Kit Siang Blog,
DAP calls for the scrapping of the re-sitting of the UPSR English, Tamil and Maths papers as the 500,000 Std. 6 primary school pupils should not be made to suffer because of the shocking incompetence and lack of professionalism of the Education Minister, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin and his Ministry.
It is the height of irresponsibility and gross negligence of the first magnitude that the Education Ministry took13 days to announce the leak in the UPSR Maths and Tamil papers and the requirement for UPSR pupils to resit for these two papers on Oct. 9.
The Education director-general Datuk Dr. Khair Mohamad Yusof announced on Monday that the date was fixed after the Examinations Syndicate confirmed on Sunday that the papers sat by the UPSR pupils on Sept. 10 were leaked.
What boggles the mind is that after the disgraceful leak of the UPSR Science and English papers on Sept. 10 and 11, which were discovered on the very same day itself, it has taken the Examinations Syndicate, the Education Ministry and the Education Minister almost a fortnight to discover that the UPSR Tamil and Maths had also been leaked.
If this is not incompetence and lack of professionalism of the first order, I do not know what would qualify to come under the rubric of these two terms.
Muhyiddin shouted “sabotage” when the Science and English papers were leaked. Has he found any evidence that the leak of these two UPSR papers were part of an insidious political conspiracy to attack his integrity and that of his Ministry?
Muhyiddin’s allegation becomes even more intriguing when a former UMNO Minister recently blogged on the need to protect Muhyiddidn from being forced to resign by a faction in UMNO promoting “Queen’s English” UMNO leaders!
Is there any truth in this UMNO intra-party “cloak-and-dagger” intrigue?
Is Muhyiddin again shouting “sabotage” to undermine his integrity and that of his Ministry with the leak of the UPSR Tamil and Maths papers?
The Malaysian public are not interested in these UMNO political “fairy tales” but want to know why the Education Ministry has taken such an inordinate and even unconscionably long time to discover that the Tamil and Maths papers had leaked, when on Sept. 11 itself, the ministry had announced investigations into whether the UPSR Maths paper had leaked.
There can be no doubt that Muhyiddin had been most remiss in the discharge of his responsibilities as Education Minister.
Is he prepared to state publicly when he first learned about rumours of the leak of the UPSR Maths paper and when he was first informed categorically that the UPSR Maths paper had been leaked?
It is most unfair and unconscionable to put half a million Std. 6 pupils through enormous emotional stress and strain of re-sitting for the leaked UPSR papers, through no fault of the pupils.
Those responsible for the dastardly act of the leak of the UPSR papers for gain and profit must be brought to book without any mercy shown to them.
But those who, through their incompetence and utter lack of professionalism, had allowed such leak of UPSR papers to take place should not be allowed to escape blame and responsibility.
The least Muhyiddin can do to minimise the great emotional stress and strain he has brought on the half-a-million Std. VI pupils and their parents as a result of unbelievably great Ministerial incompetence is to take the immediate decision to scrap the re-sitting of the UPSR English paper on Sept. 30 and UPSR Maths and Tamil papers on Oct. 9.
DAP calls for the scrapping of the re-sitting of the UPSR English, Tamil and Maths papers as the 500,000 Std. 6 primary school pupils should not be made to suffer because of the shocking incompetence and lack of professionalism of the Education Minister, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin and his Ministry.
It is the height of irresponsibility and gross negligence of the first magnitude that the Education Ministry took13 days to announce the leak in the UPSR Maths and Tamil papers and the requirement for UPSR pupils to resit for these two papers on Oct. 9.
The Education director-general Datuk Dr. Khair Mohamad Yusof announced on Monday that the date was fixed after the Examinations Syndicate confirmed on Sunday that the papers sat by the UPSR pupils on Sept. 10 were leaked.
What boggles the mind is that after the disgraceful leak of the UPSR Science and English papers on Sept. 10 and 11, which were discovered on the very same day itself, it has taken the Examinations Syndicate, the Education Ministry and the Education Minister almost a fortnight to discover that the UPSR Tamil and Maths had also been leaked.
If this is not incompetence and lack of professionalism of the first order, I do not know what would qualify to come under the rubric of these two terms.
Muhyiddin shouted “sabotage” when the Science and English papers were leaked. Has he found any evidence that the leak of these two UPSR papers were part of an insidious political conspiracy to attack his integrity and that of his Ministry?
Muhyiddin’s allegation becomes even more intriguing when a former UMNO Minister recently blogged on the need to protect Muhyiddidn from being forced to resign by a faction in UMNO promoting “Queen’s English” UMNO leaders!
Is there any truth in this UMNO intra-party “cloak-and-dagger” intrigue?
Is Muhyiddin again shouting “sabotage” to undermine his integrity and that of his Ministry with the leak of the UPSR Tamil and Maths papers?
The Malaysian public are not interested in these UMNO political “fairy tales” but want to know why the Education Ministry has taken such an inordinate and even unconscionably long time to discover that the Tamil and Maths papers had leaked, when on Sept. 11 itself, the ministry had announced investigations into whether the UPSR Maths paper had leaked.
There can be no doubt that Muhyiddin had been most remiss in the discharge of his responsibilities as Education Minister.
Is he prepared to state publicly when he first learned about rumours of the leak of the UPSR Maths paper and when he was first informed categorically that the UPSR Maths paper had been leaked?
It is most unfair and unconscionable to put half a million Std. 6 pupils through enormous emotional stress and strain of re-sitting for the leaked UPSR papers, through no fault of the pupils.
Those responsible for the dastardly act of the leak of the UPSR papers for gain and profit must be brought to book without any mercy shown to them.
But those who, through their incompetence and utter lack of professionalism, had allowed such leak of UPSR papers to take place should not be allowed to escape blame and responsibility.
The least Muhyiddin can do to minimise the great emotional stress and strain he has brought on the half-a-million Std. VI pupils and their parents as a result of unbelievably great Ministerial incompetence is to take the immediate decision to scrap the re-sitting of the UPSR English paper on Sept. 30 and UPSR Maths and Tamil papers on Oct. 9.
BN's Win Due To Effectiveness Of Election Machinery - Muhyiddin
TUMPAT,
Sept 25 (Bernama) - Barisan Nasional's (BN) win in the Pengkalan Kubor
by-election is due to the effectiveness of its election machinery and
the good background of the candidate.Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said the win was surprising because the majority of votes received by the BN candidate was more than the votes received in the general election last year.
"Contributing factors include good handling of issues including the oil royalty. Pakatan Rakyat's internal problems made many voters to become fed up with them," he told reporters after the announcement of the win by the BN candidate, Mat Razi Mat Ail at SMK Dato Biji Wangsa here, Thursday night.
Mat Razi received 9,981 votes to beat PAS candidate Wan Rosdi Wan Ibrahim (7,326 votes) and independent candidate Izat Bukhary Ismail Bukhary (38 votes).
The BN won with a majority of 2,635 votes compared to a majority of 1,736 votes in the general election last year.
Pengkalan Kubor by-election was held following the death of Datuk Noor Zahidi Omar (BN) on August 20.
Muhyiddin said BN had already communicated the win to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, who is now in New York.
"The Prime Minister congratulated the BN election machinery and the candidate, Ustaz Mat Razi on the win."
He said BN would like to thank the voters in Pengkalan Kubor as the party only lost in three of the 12 polling district centres.
The win was also because BN by-election director Datuk Seri Mustapa Mohamed succeeded in repelling PAS attacks on issues including the petroleum royalty.
Muhyiddin said BN would deliver all the promises made such as upgrading of infrastructure adding the win was a catalyst to capture Kelantan from PAS.
He urged Mat Razi to serve the electorate regardless of race, religion and political affiliation.
Meanwhile, Mat Razi said he was grateful for the win and promised to continue the good work of former state assemblyman, the late Noor Zahidi.
"I would like to thank all those who helped me including the family of the deceased."
He said the win was beyond expectation adding that he would like to see Pengkalan Kubor properly developed.
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