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Malaysia: Sharia Courts Keep Non-Muslim Mothers away from Their Children

By Fox News
IPOH, Malaysia–It was the last round of a recurring argument: M. Indira Gandhi's husband wanted her to convert to Islam. A committed Hindu, she refused.

He threatened divorce. Both started shouting. Neighbors came looking. Suddenly, he snatched their 11-month-old daughter from the arms of an older child, tucked her under one arm and sped off on his motorbike.

That was more than five years ago. Gandhi hasn't seen her child since, even though a Malaysian civil court awarded her custody.

Her husband — who converted to Islam shortly before taking his daughter away — won custody in an Islamic court. Because Gandhi is not a Muslim, she was not even called to appear. Police have been unwilling to enforce the civil court's decision.

"I am pining to see my daughter. No mother should ever have to endure this pain," said Gandhi, a kindergarten teacher, in her small rented home in Ipoh city in Perak state, about 124 miles north of Kuala Lumpur, the capital. "Give us a chance. We are all Malaysians. We should have equal rights."

Gandhi's case and others highlight perils of Malaysia's divided legal system, where majority Muslims use Shariah courts for religious and family issues such as conversion, divorce and death. The other 40 percent of the country — mainly Christians, Buddhists and Hindus — use a secular legal system inherited from the Southeast Asian country's British colonial rulers.

Critics accuse the ethnic Malay Muslim-dominated government of doing too little to resolve problems when those legal systems collide. The government has become increasingly reliant on support from Islamist and right-wing pressure groups as other constituencies flock to the opposition.

M. Kulasegaran, an opposition lawmaker who is also Gandhi's lawyer, said there are many similar cases, including several he plans to file once Gandhi's case is resolved. Some earlier cases have turned out even worse for non-Muslims than Gandhi's case has so far: In 2007, the top civil court ruled that a Muslim spouse had the right to convert his children without the mother's consent.

Some lawyers and legal experts say spouses in especially bitter custody battles sometimes convert to Islam to gain an upper hand. A Muslim with a non-Muslim spouse who seeks custody from the Shariah court is almost certain to win because the spouse has no standing.

The government has long pledged to tackle legal ambiguities related to religious conversions. But a Cabinet decision in 2009 to allow minors to be converted only with both parents' consent has yet to be made legally binding.

In southern Negeri Sembilan state, Deepa Subramaniam's Hindu husband quietly embraced Islam in 2012 and formally converted both their children without her consent. He was then granted custody of the children by a Shariah court. Deepa turned to the civil court, which annulled her marriage on grounds of domestic violence and granted her custody of the children. Two days later, her ex-husband abducted their 5-year-old son.

National police chief Khalid Abu Bakar has refused to act on court orders to return either Deepa's son or Gandhi's daughter to their mothers. He has been cited for contempt but is waiting for a higher civil court to weigh in.

He was quoted as saying by local media that police were "sandwiched" between legal systems and proposed that children caught in custody tussles be placed in welfare homes. Khalid did not return text messages from The Associated Press seeking comment.

The abduction of Gandhi's daughter, Prasana Diksa, came days before her first birthday. Her mother had bought her a Minnie Mouse blouse and jeans, and had planned to take her to the temple for ear piercing, a traditional Hindu practice when a child turns 1.

Gandhi repeatedly called her husband and begged him to return Diksa, who was still on breast milk, in the hours and days after she was taken. Her husband, an odd-job worker now called Muhammad Riduan Abdullah, initially told her again to convert to Islam, then stopped replying to any of her requests.

Gandhi found out that he had officially converted to Islam when she went to a police station to report the abduction. There she learned that he had also changed the birth certificates of the couples' other two children to state they were Muslims. Fearing that Islamic authorities may seize them as well, Gandhi went into hiding.

The Shariah court granted Riduan temporary custody of all three children days after he abducted Diksa, and granted him permanent custody a few months later. No grounds were given by the Islamic court. In Perak and some other states, Shariah allows one parent to convert children to Islam without the consent of the other.

Gandhi turned to the civil court, which in 2010 awarded her custody of all three children and ruled that the Shariah court had exceeded its jurisdiction.

Last year, a civil court quashed the children's conversion to Islam in a landmark ruling. Civil courts had in the past said they had no jurisdiction in such cases.

Riduan appealed the civil court's custody decision but lost. His appeal of the ruling on his children's conversions has yet to be heard.

In May this year, the court ordered police to arrest Riduan for contempt of court and return Diksa, now 6, to her mother. Yet with police refusing to act, she is no closer to her daughter. The case continues to go through the civil court system, where it may take years to resolve.

Riduan declined to speak to a reporter. His lawyer, Anas Fauzi, said in an email that Riduan refused to comply with the civil court ruling because he was bound by the Shariah order.

Prime Minister Najib Razak has urged parents to resolve their disputes in the Federal Court, the nation's highest civil court, but has not condemned the abductions. An aide to Najib declined to comment further on the cases.

Many Islamic clerics view the prospect of a Muslim child being brought up in a non-Muslim household as unacceptable.

Abdullah Zaik Abdul Rahman, who heads the Islamic right-wing group Isma, defended the Shariah courts' actions, saying the Muslim fathers are in a better position to raise the children as Muslims. He said the law should be changed to allow Shariah courts to hear petitions from non-Muslims, and added that "its decision must be final."

But Muhammad Asri Zainal Abidin, an Islamic scholar and a former state mufti, said children caught in such custody battles should be able to live with non-Muslim mothers as long as they care for them well.

"There is no compulsion in Islam. Nobody can force others to embrace a religion, not even their parents. Leave the matter to the children to decide when they are old enough," he said.

Diksa, now called Ummu Habibah Muhammad Riduan, lives with her father in a Muslim community in northeastern Kelantan state. His lawyer, Anas, said she has adjusted well and that "both the father and the daughter receive moral and physical support from the local society."

Riduan does not provide financial support for his other two children, now 16 and 17, who have remained with Gandhi throughout the dispute. Anas said that since his client converted, "the conditions and the circumstances do not even allow both disputed parties to have any relationship."

Gandhi did, however, finally receive recent pictures of her youngest child this year. In one, a smiling Diksa is clad in a black Islamic headscarf, posing with her father.

Every day, at an altar in her home, Gandhi lights a candle for Diksa and prays that she comes home.

"Whether she is a Muslim or not, it doesn't matter," she said. "She is still my daughter. All I want is to hold and embrace her. I have missed many precious moments with her. I will fight until I get my child back."

ISIS kidnap, auction, sell, rape Yazidi women for USD 10: Watch full video

By Shikhar Jiwrajka @shikharjiwrajka

The brutality of Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) in the Middle East continues. It is well known that the Iraq-based terrorist organisation have committed innumerable crimes, leaving no stone unturned in order to propagate their philosophy of Islam. It has been reported that savagely atrocities have been committed on women and children in particular. The militants have killed millions of people and have become an unstoppable force, it seems.

Turning a blind eye towards humanity, the Muslim organisation- Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) has not only forced women into prostitution, but also feeding on the innermost souls of the hapless. One Yazidi woman is sold to 10 Muslim ISIL men! What? Yes, you read it right. One wonders, how could a human indulge in such forlorn practises?

A video have surfaced online covered by Euro News which sees a 19-year-old girl Amsha, describing the plight of women in that region. She describes how her husband was killed in front of her, and then she was abducted by the ISIS men. She managed to flee with the help of local people there and recalls the sorrowful memories.

Teary-eyed Amsha says, “One Yazidi woman was given to 10 Muslim ISIL men. We were sold for USD 10 or 12. Who could accept that behaviour? Can God accept that? It’s a shame to rape a woman, but when she is raped by 10 men. What is this? They are animals, they are not humans. Because of them I am afraid all the time.”

Look at the sorrowful video below:

Widow wants justice over Customs officer’s death at MACC office

The widow of Ahmad Sarbaini Mohamed told the High Court in Kuala Lumpur today that she filed legal action against the Malaysian Anti Corruption Commission (MACC) to seek justice for his death.

Masiah@Maziah Manap (pic), a supervisor with Petronas Dagangan Berhad in Shah Alam, said she and her children wanted the MACC to explain why her husband and their father was returned to them in a "stiff and lifeless" form.

Ahmad Sarbaini, 56, a Selangor Customs assistant director who was then based at Port Klang was found dead on April 6, 2011, at the badminton court on the first floor of the MACC office in Jalan Cochrane in Kuala Lumpur.

He was believed to have fallen from the pantry located on the third floor of the MACC office building.

Ahmad Sarbaini (pic, below) had gone to the MACC office voluntarily to meet with an investigating officer regarding a corruption case involving 62 Customs officers.

"MACC must accept responsibility for what had happened to the late Ahmad Sarbaini because he was in their premises when his life was taken," she said in tears during the proceeding.

Masiah, 53, was testifying on the first day of the suit which she filed with her son Shahril Ahmad Sarbani, 30, against the MACC and eight others.

Her witness statement, which was tendered in court today, said she felt disheartened that no one from the MACC had come to see her or her family to express their regret over the incident.

Responding to a question from her counsel Razlan Hadri Zulkifli on her feelings when told about her husband's fall from the MACC building, Masiah said she was shocked and distressed to be the last person to know about it.

"On the day of the incident, I received a call from MACC director Mohamed Yusuff Akope that my husband "fell" while he was at the MACC building.

"I only came to know that my husband had fallen off the building, through a neighbour and the news on television," she said.

Masiah disagreed with senior federal counsel Zureen Elina Mohd Dom's suggestion that the MACC did not have the opportunity to explain to her about the incident the very same day.

The mother of five said her husband's death had traumatised her and her children.

She claimed that as a result of the incident, she and her children had to face the perception of other family members, friends and the community that her husband had probably taken bribes and committed suicide.

The proceeding before Justice Datuk Kamaludin Md Said will continue at 2.30pm tomorrow after his visit to the scene of the incident at 11am.

Masiah and her son filed the suit on April 4, this year, naming the MACC, government, MACC chief commissioner, MACC director and five other officers, as defendants.

In the statement of claim, she cited mental and physical torture of her husband by the defendants, resulting in death by negligence.

The plaintiffs are claiming damages for misfeasance in public office, aggravated damages, exemplary damages and vindicatory damages totaling RM8 million.

On September 26, 2011, the Coroner's Court ruled that there was no criminal element or third party interference in Ahmad Sarbaini's death. – Bernama, November 10, 2014.

- See more at: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/widow-wants-justice-over-customs-officers-death-at-macc-office-bernama#sthash.w1JR0XHU.dpuf

Karpal Singh’s widow allowed to proceed with his appeal

T he Court of Appeal in Putrajaya today allowed the widow of the late Karpal Singh to proceed with his appeal against conviction for sedition and the RM4,000 fine imposed by the High Court.

A three-member panel chaired by Justice Datuk Aziah Ali granted the application by Gurmit Kaur who is also the administrator of her late husband's estate, to act as substitute appellant.

The panel which also comprised Justice Datuk Zakaria Sam and Datuk Abdul Rahman Sebli set January 21 next year for hearing of the appeal.

Ram Karpal Singh said the family wanted to pursue the appeal to clear his father's name.

Acting as counsel, he said if Gurmit Kaur succeeded in the appeal, she would have the right to receive her husband's pension.

Karpal Singh was the Bukit Gelugor Member of Parliament when he lost his life in a road accident along the North-South expressway near Gua Tempurung on April 17, this year. He was 73.

Gurmit's application to act as substitute appellant was made under Orders 41 of the Court of Appeal Rules 1994. Deputy public prosecutor Lailawati Ali did not object to it.

On February 21, this year, Karpal was found guilty by the High Court in Kuala Lumpur for questioning the Sultan of Perak's action in removing Datuk Seri Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin as the menteri besar of Perak in 2009.

He was fined RM4,000 by the High Court on March 11, and filed a notice of appeal at the Court of Appeal on March 24.

On August 21, his family filed the petition of appeal, stating among others, that the High Court judge who found Karpal guilty of sedition failed to consider the latter's defence that the ruler's decision could be challenged. – Bernama, November 10, 2014.

- See more at: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/karpal-singhs-widow-allowed-to-proceed-with-his-appeal-bernama#sthash.7JHdrw61.dpuf

Talk with Fatwa Council in 2012 did not touch on liberalism, says SIS

Sisters in Islam (SIS) today confirmed there was a meeting with the Selangor Fatwa Council in 2012 but it was not about “liberalism” and “pluralism”, which had been used as a basis to brand the organisation as deviant.

The NGO said in a statement that the January 12 meeting only discussed their activities and research findings.

SIS insisted that it had not been given the opportunity to defend itself from accusations of promoting liberalism and religious pluralism before the religious authorities issued and gazetted the fatwa against the group in July this year.

The NGO said it was disappointed and puzzled by the Selangor mufti’s statement, as reported by the media on November 7, had cited the meeting as “evidence” that they had met on the issue of religious liberalism and pluralism.

“If the Fatwa Council suspected that SIS subscribes to religious liberalism and pluralism, why did they not raise their concerns and make attempts to advise us at the time?

“Why is it that the fatwa declaring SIS as ‘sesat dan menyeleweng daripada ajaran Islam’ was only issued 2½ years later?” SIS asked.

On October 31, SIS filed a judicial review against the fatwa, which declared the NGO and any other similar organisations that promoted “liberalism and pluralism” as deviants.

Last Thursday, SIS board member Datin Paduka Marina Mahathir told a press conference that the group had not been informed of the fatwa either before or after it was gazetted, and had only discovered it by accident.

But the following day, the Selangor Mufti Department said that SIS had met with the Selangor Fatwa committee members on January 12, 2012.

“The Selangor Mufti Department denies claims that no meeting was held with SIS before the fatwa on liberalism and religious pluralism was gazetted on July 2014,” Selangor Mufti Datuk Mohd Tamyes Abd Wahid said in a statement on November 7.

SIS said today that if the Selangor Fatwa Council and the Selangor Mufti’s Department wanted to discuss issues of religious liberalism and pluralism, they must explain to the group their concerns.

“Additionally, they should point out which specific aspects of SIS activities they believe reflect religious liberalism and pluralism,” said SIS.

It said that if the outcome of the 2012 meeting had led to the Selangor Fatwa Council to issue a fatwa against the group, SIS should have a right to know about the serious allegations and the severe implications of it.

“More importantly, what opportunity was SIS afforded as the accused to defend itself?”

Last Thursday, Tamyes told reporters he refused to meet with SIS because it would be prejudicial, as the group had already filed a judicial review against the fatwa.

In a separate press conference that day, Global Movement of Moderates Foundation (GMMF) CEO Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah said he supported SIS’s judicial review application as a right to defend itself.

PAS lawmakers Datuk Dr Mujahid Yusof Rawa and Khalid Samad had also come to the defence of SIS, saying the religious authorities would have learned that SIS did not deal with theology, let alone liberalism and pluralism, if they had made the effort to meet with the group. – November 10, 2014.

- See more at: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/talk-with-fatwa-council-in-2012-did-not-touch-on-liberalism-says-sis#sthash.8iy25cC1.dpuf

Medicine worth RM1.2mil stolen from KL Hospital

 

AUDIT REPORT The Auditor-General’s Report 2013 has revealed that medicine stocks worth RM1.21 million were stolen from Kuala Lumpur Hospital (HKL).

It also said Penang Hospital (HPP) lost RM240,000 worth of medicine stocks due to theft.

In November 2011, 68 medicine stocks amounting to RM1.21 million were stolen from the stores of the HKL’s neuroscience as well as urology and nephrology pharmacies.

A police report on the incident was lodged on Dec 27, 2011.

Part of the stolen medicine stocks, worth RM740,000, was found in January 2012.

Based on investigation conducted by HKL, the theft was committed by someone from the inside who constantly dealt with the staff of the store and as such, knows the weaknesses in the store management.

The case was decided to be written-off while disciplinary action will only be taken against civil servants after police investigations are completes, the Audit Report noted.

In December 2013, a Shimadzu control panel was stolen from the radiography room of the diagnostic imagery department of HKL.

The control panel was one of the components of the general x-ray equipment, which is worth RM300,000.

“As the control panel had been stolen, the general x-ray equipment can no longer be used,” the Audit Report states.

It also noted how there were recurring cases of four types of assets, namely air-conditioning compressors, syringe pump, physiologic monitoring system and pulse oxymetres, being lost.

A total of 97 units of these assets, worth RM610,000, were lost.

Based on safety inspection reports prepared by HKL’s security division, the urology and nephrology department as well as the physiotherapy department, outpatient treatment centre, paediatric institute and forensics institute are high risk areas where air conditioning compressors constantly go missing.

As for the theft that occurred in Penang Hospital, 694 medicine stocks worth RM242,125 were stolen in February 2013.

A final report was issued in July 2013 and the hospital is awaiting further action from the relevant authorities.

'Anti-cross dressing ruling to stop LGBT activities'

The anti-cross dressing provision in Syariah enactments is to "curb the spread of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender practices", says the Islamic Development Department (Jakim).

"(Such practices) is clearly against Islamic teachings,” Jakim director-general Othman Mustapha said.

"However, I would like to stress that the (anti-cross dressing) enactments is only for Muslims and does not apply to adherents of other religion."

Othman was commenting on the Court of Appeal judgement which last week found a Negri Sembilan syariah enactment banning cross-dressing unconstitutional.

In a statement late today, he noted that Jakim takes a softer approach towards the issue of transgenders by voluntary "self-esteem building, rehabilitation and spirtual" camps.

He said the programmes are held with state Islamic affairs departments since 2010 for those experiencing "confusion" like the transgender community.

Break the stigma

As a result, he said, there is greater awareness of HIV/Aids among the target group and less "stigma" towards the transgender among the religious authorities and vice versa.

"What is important is that the leave these deviant activities and also help Jakim in continuing our spiritual rehabilitation work with those who share their same fate…

"I truly hope that the three applicants named in the case in question can contact us and volunteer for our programme,” he said.

On Nov 7, the Court of Appeal had found in favour of transgender make up artists Muhamad Juzaili Mohamad Khamis, 26, Syukor Jani, 28, dan Wan Fairol Wan Ismail, 30, application to declare Secction 66 of the Negeri Sembilan Syariah Enactment 1992 unconstitutional.

The government has urged the religious authority to appeal the decision, while the PAS ulama wing said the decision puts in doubt Islam’s position in the country.

The Muslim Lawyers Association said anti-cross dressing laws are not discriminatory, while the Muslim Youth Movement (Abim)'s legal bureau raised concerns that the ruling could lead to similar applications that undermine Islam.

The Malaise of the Malays: The reason Malays are lazy

By Narinder Singh

"......Malays are lazy," Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamed said recently. The question that begs an answer is "why and what made them so?" If for 22 years Dr Mahathir could not do much in changing them, what will drive them to change their attitude now, at least going by his logic and stand?

Various policies failed to get them to top the nation financially, economically and politically. The Malays have been "malaised" by the very policies implemented by Dr Mahathir himself but now he blames the entire race for falling behind the non-Malays.

He said he is ashamed of them. Well maybe on a personal capacity he could say that but again it does not justify the ignorance he had exhibited when failure was staring at him from his early days of helming the nation.

Why blame them when he had personally played a role in paralysing and debilitating them systematically across at least two generations.

Today the Malays are left behind chasing the minorities for the pie that is slowly but surely getting smaller in all sectors. The entire geopolitical and economic landscape has and is experiencing major paradigm shift in Malaysia.

Unlike during the tenure of Dr Mahathir as the premier, competition is stiff not only locally but also globally. The Malay race cannot be shielded anymore from getting bombarded by external forces.

To make matters worse, the Malays today are far more divided, which Dr Mahathir could not have even envisaged in his lifetime. He claims to be visionary but he missed the sight to foresee the inevitable cast of the internet and its powers.

Above that, the Malays who were deprived of achieving great heights to financial freedom and upper class status platform during Dr Mahathir's time revolted by aligning themselves to opposition parties, especially PAS and PKR.

Politically, Umno may also lose governing power at federal level if they stay disintegrated far too long with equal opportunity promises made by their nemesis Parti Keadilan Rakyat.

Failure of a race cannot be blamed due to the co-existence of another. That is a fact.

When a race is domesticated and protected for prolonged periods, it fails miserably to hunt effectively for better grounds.

If the government of the day continues to resonate on the sentiments of Dr Mahathir – that only if adequate protection can catapult the Malays to higher order in all sectors, then for sure predictably they are doomed further.

This is not about challenging the special rights and the pillars of the Malays and Muslims as enshrined in the Federal Constitution but a fundamental issue of grabbing golden opportunities.

In the moment of weakness within the Malays, the others saw gaps to rake in their wealth using some lazy Malays as Bumiputera fronts to capture multi-million or even billion dollar projects dished out by the Umno government.

That is the second fact. The public will not buy it that Dr Mahathir was not aware of all this. So why is he blaming the entire race when selected cronies were cultivated under his tutelage and they were harvesting the richness for the few Malays while the masses of the Malays were deprived of equality?

Come on, the state of the Malays today is a direct outcome of the concoction that was formulated and fed to them for 22 years by the leader who thought he knew it all for the best of the race.

Nevertheless, today the game has changed drastically but unfortunately the Malays were not prepped for the inevitable. Can they wait for another 22 years? – November 10, 2014.

* Narinder Singh reads The Malaysian Insider.

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

- See more at: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/sideviews/article/the-malaise-of-the-malays-narinder-singh#sthash.ylNSHNem.dpuf

Additional history book for Chinese schools

The textbook will be used as an extra teaching material.

FMT

KUALA LUMPUR: An additional history textbook documenting the achievement and contribution of the Chinese community to the nation will be distributed free to Chinese primary schools next year.

United Chinese Schools Teachers’ Association (Jiao Zong) chairman Ong Chiow Chuan said the current textbook did not reflect the multiracial history of the country.

“The additional history book will be published and distributed to Chinese schools since there is no objection from the Education Ministry,” he told a Chinese daily yesterday.

He added that they had approached the Education Ministry on the matter and proceeded to draft the book’s contents when it received no objection.

Ong said the history book was to be used as an extra teaching material which would document the achievements and contributions of the Chinese community to the nation.

“This is done so that the Chinese school students will remember their roots,” he said.

Najib told to be grateful to Malays

Kadir Jasin joins Zainuddin Maidin in opposing Sedition Act repeal.

FMT

PETALING JAYA: Veteran journalist Abdul Kadir Jasin has urged Prime Minister Najib Razak to abandon the idea of repealing the Sedition Act, less than 24 hours after a similar call by another prominent ex-newsman, Zainuddin Maidin.

They couched the call in the context of protecting Malay interests.

Both Kadir and Zainuddin are associated with Mahathir Mohamad, and many blog followers read their postings to get an idea of what the former prime minister is thinking.

Kadir, expressing his feelings in the form of rhetorical questions, insinuated that Najib was ignoring Malay interests in favour of liberal ideas. Zainuddin said the same thing.

Kadir questioned whether Najib “still remembers” that it was the Malay vote that saved Barisan Nasional from defeat in the last general election and whether he was still grateful.

“If he remembers and is grateful, he will surely say something important at the Nov 25-29 Umno general assembly, like announcing the withdrawal of his proposal to repeal the Sedition Act,” he said.

“Thank God, more and more Umno leaders are openly rejecting Najib’s one-sided proposal.

“A question that arises is whether Najib ignored Umno’s opinion when he repealed the Internal Security Act and the Emergency Ordinance in 2011.

“Was his decision influenced by an insistence by the liberal group surrounding and advising him? Is Umno’s voice no longer the voice he listens to?”

He urged Najib to outline his master plan for improving the lot of the Malays, suggesting the following among the actions he should consider:

1.Strengthen the Malay/Bumiputera economy to be in line with the growth of the national economy;
2.Solve the problem of rises in the prices of goods and services as a result of the gradual withdrawal of the petrol subsidy;
3.Address the possibility of rises in the prices of goods and services with the instroduction of the GST;
4.Solve the problem of unemployment among Malay/Bumiputera graduates;
5.Address the problem of discrimination against Malay and Bumiputera candidates in job placement in non-Malay companies.

Kadir said Najib seemed to have surpassed previous prime ministers in making slogans, promises and policies but had so far been the least successful in realising them.

It’s an increasingly aging world

There’s a need for universal health care to prevent older people from slipping into poverty and being unable to pay for health services.

By Anthony Thanasayan - FMT

One of the frustrations I have faced growing up with a disability all of my life, and later working as a councillor with the Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ), is coming across people who think that being handicapped is something that only happens to other people.

They couldn’t be more wrong.

Basically, this false notion is the reason why government at the various levels seems to respond in a sluggish manner to calls from disability groups for infrastructure to include disabled and elderly-friendly facilities.

MBPJ is an exception in this case.

Little by little, the planning, engineering and building departments here have begun taking positive measures to build a barrier-free society for everyone.

We are not only concerned about the growing elderly population with increasing disabilities, but equally worried about the many handicapped citizens “imprisoned” in towns and cities that have never really cared for them or considered their participation in society.

While several councils in Selangor said they needed “more convincing facts” that the lack of facilities was a problem, others are mostly in a state of denial that people with disabilities even existed, and if so in significant numbers.

An increasing aging population

A report last week by American broadcast institution, the Voice of America (VOA), on an increasingly aging population should serve as a timely wake-up call for everyone concerned.

The VOA quoted the World Health Organisation (WHO), as saying that “Governments the world over must now prepare to deal with an increasingly aging world.”

“Otherwise, the growing burden of chronic diseases will seriously affect the quality of life of older people and create economic and other hardships for national health systems.”

The VOA revealed that these findings appeared in a new series on health and aging published in the British journal, The Lancet.

According to them, the latest statistics show that by 2050, an estimated two billion people will be aged 60 and older, more than double the 841 million today.

The WHO noted that 80 per cent of these older people will be living in low and middle-income countries.

A burden to society

The increase in longevity in affluent countries is largely due to the “decline in deaths from cardiovascular disease resulting from simple, cost-effective strategies to reduce tobacco use and high blood pressure.”

A VOA interview with WHO Senior Policy and Strategy Adviser in the Department of Aging and Life Course Islene Araujo revealed that life expectancy in Africa now is 60 years.

She explained that cardiovascular diseases such as stroke and infarction are not only responsible for killing most elderly people but causing stroke survivors to “become disabled, burdening society”.

She also pointed out that cardiovascular diseases can be prevented by controlling hypertension, which can save many lives and avoid disability.

Besides heart disease and stroke, VOA reported that other major illnesses of aging include cancers, chronic lung disease, sensory disorders, vision problems, mental and neurological disorders.

One WHO report author told the VOA that “there are low-cost strategies that can help older people live healthier lives” like reducing one’s salt intake.

A policy change

According to the VOA, the report’s authors also suggested changing policies to encourage older adults to remain part of the workforce beyond their retirement age.

They also agreed with the WHO’s call for universal health care to prevent older people from slipping into poverty and being unable to pay for health services.

The VOA also suggested that people of all ages should not smoke, do more physical activity, and practice moderate alcohol consumption and good nutrition in order to enjoy good health dividends later in life.

Anthony Thanasayan is an FMT columnist

Malays and Islam are not under attack in Malaysia. It is multi-racial, multi-religious and multi-cultural Malaysia which is under siege by intolerant and extremist forces which are trying to turn moderation into a dirty word in Malaysia

By Lim Kit Siang Blog

It is the supreme irony of ironies.

While the government continues to propagate the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s initiative of a Global Movement of Moderates, this time at the Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation (APEC) Summit currently being held in Beijing, Najib had never been so weak and impotent at home to check the forces of hatred, intolerance and extremism rearing their ugly heads.

On the day that Bernama reported that the Prime Minister’s Global Movement of Moderates (GMM) proposal had received praise from the APEC foreign ministers meeting in Beijing before the 22nd APEC Summit, an ex-UMNO Minister had opened fire on Najib’s GMM initiative, claiming that Christian fanatics in Malaysia had seized on Najib’s concept of moderation and exploited it for their own interests.

Former Information Minister Tan Sri Zainuddin Maiddin claimed that the Malays and Islam were under pressure due to the concept of moderation, asserting that there were signs the concept was on the wrong track.

He cited with approval a recent statement by Johor Umno youth vice-chief Khairul Anwar Rahmat, who said that moderation was unsuitable for certain issues, claiming that it reflected the thoughts and opinions of the Umno grassroots.

Khairul said the concept of moderation must be placed in the right place and used at the right time – and is not suitable to be used when it involves religious struggle and the upholding of shariah law.

Zainuddin said brave and courageous voices to defend the character and pride of the Malays were no longer coming from Umno, but from non-governmental organisations.

Zainuddin said Khairul was right in saying it was better to fight till the bitter end as being too engrossed in moderation would result in average, instead of devout, Muslims.

He blogged: “While Najib has succeeded in his efforts to promote Malaysia as a moderate Muslim country to the global community, it has had a negative impact internally.”

I do not want to get involved in a religious polemic, but the thesis of the former UMNO Minister which he claims represents the thoughts and opinions of the Umno grassroots, is most disturbing as he seems to suggest that Islam is not a religion of moderation.

This is a great disservice to Malaysia and to Islam, especially at a time which is seeing the rise of bigotry and extremism all over the world – like the self-styled born-again “Caliphate” , “Islamic State”, which has carried out a systematic campaign of sectarian brutalities, beheadings and massacres, recruiting between 20,000 to 30,000 foreign fighters, including from Malaysia through the social media to entice those between 14 and 30, using the well-scripted texts on why ‘jihad’ (martyrdom) is an obligation in Islam.

Let there be no mistake. Malays and Islam are not under attack in Malaysia. It is multi-racial, multi-religious and multi-cultural Malaysia which is under siege by intolerant and extremist forces which are trying to turn moderation into a dirty word in Malaysia.

When Najib made his first speech at the UN General Assembly in September 2010, where he first set out his Global Movement of Moderates proposal, Najib publicly commended United States President Barack Obama for the latter’s “courageous public position” in dealing with Islamophobia in condemning the proposed burning of the Quran by a Florida pastor and urged Obama “to galvanise the moderates, bring in the non-governmental organizations and social movements so that more people could see the importance of taking a moderate stance”.

As for himself, up to now, Najib is not prepared to do what he commended Obama of doing – condemning Ibrahim Ali for his threat to burn the Bible.

At the United Nations General Assembly and international forums, Najib called for a coalition of moderates.

In his recent speech at the UN General Assembly, Najib set out for the third time the world agenda for moderation when he said:

“The fight against extremism is not about Christians versus Muslims, or Muslims versus Jews, but moderates versus extremists of all religions. We therefore need to rally a coalition of moderates; those willing to reclaim their religion, and pursue the path to peace.”

It is pathetic and shocking that after preaching the moderation agenda at world forums for the past four years, Najib has yet mobilise a coalition of moderates in Umno and Barisan Nasional to reclaim their religion and pursue the path to peace and moderation.

As often been rightly pointed out, if we can see the nature of religion through the prism of moderation, we will be able to identify common values shared by all religions. The values are peace, harmony and true happiness which will materialize when the followers of every religion avoid excessiveness in religious practices and in the conduct of worldly life.

Malaysians are entitled to ask why UMNO and Barisan Nasional leaders and MPs have refused to sign in a coalition of moderates against extremists of all religions, both nationally and internationally, to build a future based on peace, harmony and security for all, regardless of faith?

Recently, the cacophony from the intolerant and extremist strains in our society have become louder and more insistent, and new rhetorics of hatred, intolerance and extremism are becoming quite commonplace, including:

• Opposition to building of a church in Petaling Jaya although the land was set aside by the BN government for a church 13 years ago in 2001;
• Strident demands for the closure of Chinese primary schools on the spurious ground that they cause racial conflict;
• Furore to incite inter-racial and inter-religious tensions over “halal” mineral water bottles to promote tourism with the large Lord Murugan status at the Batu Caves temple.
• Seizure of Christian books and CDs brought in from Indonesia and on transit to Sabah; and
• Refusal to prosecute Perkasa’s Ibrahim Ali for his threat to burn the Malay-language Biblle on the ground he was defending the sanctity of Islam and is protected by the Malaysian Constitution while the Attorney-General launches a bitzkrieg of arrests and prosecutions under the Sedition Act.

Yesterday, the UMNO Wanita leader Datuk Seri Shahrizat Jalil joined forces with those opposed to the repeal of the Sedition Act and promised one million signatures in the campaign although she has nothing to say about the double standards of the Attornery-General in the selective and malicious prosecution of Pakatan Rakyat leaders, activists and intellectuals as well as total silence about the RM250 million National Feedlot Corporation scandal, involving her family members.

Malays and Islam are not under siege in Malaysia. But UMNO is under siege and there is a desperate attempt to equate UMNO under siege as equal to Malays and Islam under siege, which is a great fallacy.

Are we going down the path of Talibanisation just so UMNO can keep grip of power in Malaysia?

Although this question was posed by The Malaysian Insider two days ago, it must have already troubled many Malaysians.

As The Malaysian Insider commentary put it:

“Just like what happened in Afghanistan after the fight to rid of Soviet occupiers, those without political power used religion and race to win over and control the population. It happened there and it appears to be an emerging tactic here.”

This is what Najib’s Global Movement of Moderates is meant to prevent – the lurch towards Talibanisation.

During my speech on the 2015 Budget, I had asked about the outcome of the promise by the Attorney-General, Tan Sri Gani Patail, to review the sedition charges against Dr. Azmi Sharom and others but no answer has been forthcoming from Nancy Shukri, the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department responsible to Parliament on this issue.

More than two months have passed since the AG’s promise of a review of the sedition blitzkrieg and charges. Has this been done, who carried out the review – or is Nancy just totally ignorant about it?

The explanation by the Attorney-General on why Perkasa President Ibrahim Ali had not been prosecuted for his threat to burn the Malay-language Bible had added salt to the wound, as it failed not only to win over doubters but have been received with scorn and rejected outright by majority of the critics.

What is worse, it reinforced the perception that the AG’s arguments that Ibrahim Ali should enjoy immunity and impunity from legal sanctions because he was defending the sanctity of Islam and was protected by Article 11(4) of the Constitution were not only shallow, superficial and cock-eyed but reflects a Public Prosecutor who has failed in his duties to be a responsible and trustworthy upholder of the rule of law and the protector of inter-racial and inter-religious unity and harmony in a multi-racial, multi-cultural and multi-religious nation.

The AGC had said that “After the context had been studied as a whole, Ibrahim Ali’s statement does not fall into the category of having seditious tendencies”.

Does this mean that there are certain “context” where it is fully permissible to threaten the burning of the Bible?
Furthermore, are there also certain “contexts” where it is permissible to threaten the burning of holy books of other religions, for instance, Tripitaka for Buddhism, Vedas for Hinduism, Torah for Judaism, Guru Granth Sahib for Sikhism and Tao Te Ching for Taoism?

Are there also “contextual” justifications to justify the threat to burn the Holy Quran?
Just as there should be zero tolerance for corruption, there should be zero tolerance for any threat to burn the holy books of any religion in Malaysia.

Surely not, there can be no justification in any context to justify the threat to burn any holy book of any religion in multi-religious Malaysia if we want to maintain inter-religious understanding, harmony and peace and to quote Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, to go beyond just “tolerate” but to “accept” and even celebrate Malaysia’s multi-ethnic, multi-religious and multi-cultural diversity.

Is Najib prepared to announce a zero tolerance policy in Malaysia for any threat to burn any holy books of any religion so as to be a role model of moderation for other countries?

(Speech on the Prime Minister’s Department during committee stage debate of 2015 Budget in Parliament on Monday, 10th November 2014)

‘Don’t repeal Sedition Act’

The New Straits Times
by HANA NAZ HARUN

KUALA LUMPUR: THE government should not go ahead with the plan to repeal the Sedition Act 1948 until it holds more discussions with all concerned parties, including Wanita Umno.

The wing’s chief, Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil, said the party would send a memorandum to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak to ask for a deferment in repealing the act.

“Many have come to us raising their concerns and anxiety regarding the situation in the country.

“The act must not be repealed to protect the people for the sake of national security and harmony and I believe the issue of peace and safety goes across all religions and races,” she said, adding that the memorandum would be handed to Najib after he returned from China.

She said it was important that the government took into account the views of everyone.

“They (the government) must listen to the rakyat who fear for their safety and peace in the country.

“The women in the country must also be consulted and our voice cannot be ignored in this,” Shahrizat said here, yesterday.

She also expressed concern that if the Sedition Act was replaced with the National Harmony Act, the latter would not be able to maintain the country’s sovereignty and stability.

Shahrizat had earlier attended a closed-door forum titled “Understanding the Sedition Act” with 500 Wanita Umno members, where they had unanimously agreed to request for the postponement to repeal the Act.

Among the panel members were former Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Tan Sri Musa Hassan, as well as lawyers Salehuddin Saidin and Mohd Khairul Azam Abdul Aziz.

Shahrizat also said the women’s wing would begin a petition drive to collect one million signatures, to demonstrate the public’s support in retaining the act.

“Our 19,000 branches all over the country will be mobilised for this purpose. We aim to collect the signatures within the next two to three months.

“We will also organise forums and programmes for the public to give them further understanding of the risks if the Sedition Act is repealed.”

Several quarters within Umno had expressed their concern over the possible repeal of the Sedition Act, ahead of the party’s general assembly later this month.

The New Straits Times had reported yesterday that political observers, including former IGP Tun Hanif Omar and National Professors’ Council political cluster head Prof Datuk Dr Mohamed Mustafa Ishak, had said that the law should be strengthened and not repealed.

They said repealing the act could lead to racial disharmony and disrupt peace in the country.

PAC To Summon Ministries, Government Department, Agencies Over AG Report

Datuk Nur Jazlan Mohamed KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 10 Bernama) -- The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) will summon nine ministries and five government departments and agencies to provide clarification on the 3rd series of the 2013 Auditor General's Report that was presented in Dewan Rakyat, Monday.

Its chairman Datuk Nur Jazlan Mohamed said the nine ministries are the Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development, Ministry of Tourism and Culture, the Ministry of Agriculture and Agro-based Industry, Ministry of Defence, Ministry of Plantation Industries and Commodities, Ministry of Transport, Ministry of Communication and Multimedia, the Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health.

"For example, the Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development need to explain a few things on its 1Azam programme such as selection of participants and the provisions that were given," he said.

He said the Ministry of Tourism and Culture, will be called to clarify the management of the events in programmes organised, while the Ministry of Agriculture and Agro-based Industry would be called to explain the management of paddy seeds subsidy.

"All of them will be called in stages beginning January, and reports on the results of the meeting will be tabled in Parliament in March," he said told reporters at the presentation of the Auditor General's Report after a meeting with the Deputy Auditor-General Datuk Anwari Suri at the Parliament House, here.

Nur Jazlan said the five agencies to be hauled up will be the Department of Veterans Affairs (Ministry of Defence) over the management of benefit payments to retirees of the Armed Forces and the Accountant General's Department (Ministry of Finance) over the management of unclaimed funds.

Also called will be the Royal Malaysia Police Force (Home Ministry) over the management of patrol vehicles and motorcycles of the Mobile Patrol Unit and the management of traffic summonses.

In addition, to be called would be Majlis Amanah Rakyat (Ministry of Rural and Regional Development) over the construction of its Mara Junior Science College (MRSM) Arau, Kuala Kangsar, and Mara Higher Vocational College Lenggong and the management of Syarikat Malaysia Institute of Aviation Technology Sdn Bhd.

"Other agencies to be called are the Department of Environment (Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment) over the management of privatization activity for air monitoring and enforcement of mobile and stationary sources."

Asked about the audit report, Nur Jazlan said he was surprised by the increase in the number of ministries and agencies that will be called in this series compared with the previous series.