Friday 14 November 2014
Arab Students Hurl Rocks at Schoolgirls on Field Trip
In unprovoked attack, Arab schoolboys threw rocks at group of Jewish schoolgirls in national park; student, teacher hurt.By Yishai Karov
Arab students from the Galilee on a field trip hurled stones at a girls' school on a hike in the Arbel National Park (West of Tiberias - ed.) Wednesday, outraged parents told Arutz Sheva.
The group, from Kibbutz Sde Eliyahu in Beit She'an, was hit with a "heavy barrage" once they attempted to enter a cave, a father of one of the victims said.
"The girls were hit with rocks when the teacher called for the group to enter a nearby cave," he recounted. "[My daughter] was hit by a number of rocks, injuring her."
Several students and at least one teacher were injured in the attack.
"Once the Arabs identified them as Jewish students, they began to throw the rocks," he added.
Security forces arrived at the scene and administered medical treatment to the wounded teacher and children. They were later transported to hospital nearby and treated in the emergency room.
The Arab group's guide later apologized to the school after the incident.
Police Investigate Bridenapping After Woman Jumps From Balcony
Police in Stavropol are investigating the circumstances behind the suspected bridenapping of a 19-year-old woman who leaped from a fourth-floor balcony in an alleged effort to escape her "groom."
"A young man committed the abduction of a girl with the aim of marriage, in accordance with his ethnic traditions," police claimed in a statement issued by the regional branch of the Interior Ministry on Wednesday.
On Oct. 23, a 29-year-old native of Dagestan allegedly forced the victim into his vehicle and then took her to an apartment in the southern city of Budyonnovsk, the statement said.
The victim was held in the apartment until Oct. 31, when she jumped from a fourth-floor balcony in an apparent bid to escape her captor, according to the statement.
A neighbor who happened to be standing on his third-floor balcony at the time of the incident saved the kidnapped bride, catching her by her clothing as she fell and then letting her into his own apartment before calling police.
An investigation is still under way into the incident. If the suspect is tried and convicted of the crime of abduction, he could face up to 10 years in prison.
It was unclear whether the victim was also a native of Dagestan, and if not, whether she was familiar with the phenomenon of bridenapping, where men abduct their intended brides and force them into marriage.
In many countries, marriage by abduction is considered a sex crime, but it is still practiced in certain parts of Central Asia, the Caucasus and in some African countries.
Shariah court that has same powers as civil Federal Court unconstitutional, says expert
Putrajaya's plan to set up a Shariah court that would have the same powers as the civil Federal Court is unconstitutional as religious courts were established out of state law, said law expert Professor Gurdial Singh Nijar.
He said that religious matters come under the state as accorded under the 9th Schedule of the Federal Constitution, which contains the lists of legislature under state and federal powers.
"The constitution is the supreme law of the land. So this means that when it comes to Islamic laws, Islamic matters, these are governed by the state," he told The Malaysian Insider.
Shariah courts in the Federal Territories of Kuala Lumpur, Labuan and Putrajaya are governed by a law passed by Parliament while religious courts in other states are governed by state enactments.
Gurdial was commenting on a statement by Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Jamil Khir Baharom that Putrajaya was looking at setting up two more Shariah courts to enable them to have the same powers as the civil Federal Court, which is the highest court in the country.
Jamil, who is in charge of Islamic affairs, was reported saying in Malay daily Berita Harian that discussions on the matter with state religious councils have been ongoing for two years and they were looking at Shariah courts that would have equal powers with that of the Federal Court.
Gurdial admitted, however, that this could be done and said the government could set up any number of Shariah courts, but the fact remained that its powers would only be limited to Islamic matters as provided in the constitution.
"They can get the same status but the subject matter will be limited to Shariah matters only," he said.
"This means that it will have control only over persons professing the religion of Islam, Islamic family laws and such."
Bar Council's National Young Lawyers Committee president Syahredzan Johan (pic, right) offered a similar view, saying that Islamic laws are under the jurisdiction of the respective states and not the federal government.
"By setting up a Federal Shariah Court, this will encroach upon what should rightly be within the jurisdiction of the states," he said.
" And this Federal Shariah Court cannot have the same powers as the Federal Court because of Article 121(1A) (which provides for the dual justice system)."
Like Gurdial, the lawyer also pointed out that Shariah courts would only have jurisdiction in Islamic laws and only on Muslims.
"And most importantly, only the civil courts have jurisdiction to decide on constitutional issues," he added.
The current Shariah Courts comprise the Shariah Subordinate Court, Shariah High Court and Shariah Appeals Court.
Former Federal Court judge Datuk Seri Gopal Sri Ram had previously said that in the Malaysian legal system, the constitution was the supreme law and laws passed by Parliament and state assemblies were subordinate to it.
"Shariah courts cannot be ranked the same as the civil court as the religious courts are established by state laws," he had said.
Sri Ram said Parliament and state assemblies had no power to make laws which were in conflict with the constitution. – November 13, 2014.
- See more at: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/shariah-court-that-has-same-powers-as-civil-federal-court-unconstitutional#sthash.xI0f4YR2.dpuf
MAS confirms it sacked employee for alleged sexual assault
Malaysia Airlines (MAS) today confirmed that it terminated the services of a flight attendant who had been held in a Paris detention centre since August for alleged sexual assault on a passenger.
But, in a statement to The Malaysian Insider, the national carrier said it was not at liberty to discuss the matter further as the case was under the judicial purview of the Industrial Relations Department (IRD).
”Malaysia Airlines is not at liberty to comment on the matter as it is currently under the judicial purview of the authorities and we confirm that the person is no longer an employee of the company," the statement read.
Earlier today, The Malaysian Insider reported that the employee, who had served MAS for 32 years, was notified of his termination in a letter that was sent to his home in the Klang Valley two weeks after the alleged incident.
National Union of Flight Attendants Malaysia (Nufam) president Ismail Nasaruddin said the letter was sent while he was still languishing in an overseas detention centre.
Ismail said that MAS gave the attendant 60 days to appeal against the termination on grounds of "misconduct", but added that he could not appeal as he had no idea he had been sacked.
The union had since referred the matter to the IRD to reinstate the 57-year-old employee.
The attendant was detained on August 7 after an Australian passenger Laura Bushney, 26, said he had sexually assaulted her twice during a flight from Kuala Lumpur to Paris.
Bushney said the first incident occurred on the flight before it took off.
The second incident took place three-and-a-half hours later while the plane flew over the Bay of Bengal, India, in international airspace.
The passenger apparently expressed her nervousness about flying over the Indian Ocean following the disappearance of flight MH370 and the downing of flight MH17.
The passenger, it was reported, lodged a police report upon reaching the Charles de Gaulle airport on August 5.
Ismail said MAS had not provided any assistance to the family of the attendant, adding that the Malaysian embassy in Paris was the one helping him and the family cope.
He said that MAS wanted to wash its hands of the incident as it was struggling from the negative publicity generated following the MH370 and MH17 incidents.
On March 8, Flight MH370, carrying 227 passengers and 12 crew members, went off the radar over the South China Sea, an hour after takeoff from the KL International Airport at 12.41am. The aircraft was bound for Beijing, China.
Efforts to locate the aircraft are still ongoing in the southern Indian Ocean but there has been no trace of the jet yet.
Flight MH17 crashed in eastern Ukraine on July 17 en route from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur with 283 passengers and 15 crew members on board. The Boeing 777-200 aircraft is believed to have been shot down by a ground-to-air missile. – November 13, 2014.
- See more at: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/mas-confirms-it-sacked-employee-for-alleged-sexual-assault#sthash.U5va8kK9.dpuf
Mind your own business, Isma tells Nurul Izzah
In a statement, Isma vice-president Abdul Rahman Mat Dali (right) told the Lembah Pantai MP "not to be nosy".Instead, he said Nurul should concentrate on solving the issues plaguing PKR.
Abdul Rahman said ISMA members’ attitude and motivation are totally different from members of PKR.
"Isma members, consisting of various backgrounds including professionals and businessmen, are highly committed, sincere and ready to sacrifice for the sake of our race, religion and country.
"We are not like PKR, who have confusing and contradicting agendas.
"Therefore, instead of being nosy and questioning about Isma, why don't you focus on solving problems in PKR first," he added.
Abdul Rahman also called on Nurul to reveal PKR’s funding first before questioning others.
"I am confident that the people of Malaysia are all enquiring where PKR gets their money from.
"Since
you are questioning Isma's funds, are you brave enough to allow Isma to
question PKR’s funding on behalf of the nation?" he said.Nurul (left), in Parliament, had questioned if the government was funding Isma and Perkasa through the Finance Ministry’s RM30 million allocation for NGOs in Budget 2015.
"The chairperson of Isma is currently being investigated under the Sedition Act.
"If the government decides to fund the organisation, including its forum that is also being attended by (former premier) Dr Mahathir Mohamad, it indicates that the government supports someone who is seditious about racial relations," she had said.
'Create constitutional court above civil, syariah'
The Universiti Selangor (Unisel) academician suggested this in response to a call by Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Jamil Khir Baharom for the formation of a Syariah Federal Court.
Aziz, a former law professor at the Universiti Islam Antarabangsa (UIA), said Jamil (right)
may not be aware of the repercussions of his suggestion in asserting
that both the civil federal and syariah federal courts will have equal
powers.The minister’s statement, he said, would have far-reaching implications not only on the courts but also on the country's constitutional system.
Aziz said the minister's proposal for both courts having equal powers had to be taken as a proposal from Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak.
"Najib may now affirm or deny it. Curiously, the Islamic Development Department (Jakim) has declined to comment over the matter," he said.
Later, the Malay Mail Online reported that Jakim director-general Othman Mustafa confirmed that the proposal for a five-tiered syariah court system has been on the table since 2011.
In that proposal, the highest religious court would be the Syariah Appeal Council or the Syariah Federal Court.
Needing a constitutional amendment
Aziz said the Federal Court is now effectively the constitutional court, as it rules on issues pertaining to the constitution.
He said a new constitutional court would be above all other courts, whether civil or syariah.
"The
new constitutional court could be based on the German model that has
been followed in some Asean countries, including Indonesia, Thailand and
several Indo-China states."The move towards forming a constitutional court will not be easy, as it requires amendments to the federal constitution and Umno-BN simply don't have the majority," he said.
Any amendment to the federal constitution requires a two-third vote from Parliament. BN lost the majority in 2008 and again in last year's general election.
Berita Harian today reported Jamil as saying he was waiting on the decision by the various state Islamic councils for a five-tiered court system, like the civil courts, to strengthen the syariah judiciary.
At present, there are the Lower Syariah Court, Syariah High Court and the Syariah Court of Appeal in the various states.
Jamil said the two additional courts proposed are the Middle Syariah Court and the Syariah Appeal Council or the Syariah Federal Court, which would have similar powers with the Civil Federal Court.
The minister said the proposal was still under discussion and approval by the Rulers Council, which is getting an explanation over this proposal from the respective state Islamic councils.
Tourism players see red over non-halal food ban
The Tourism and Culture Ministry’s move
to bar the serving of non-halal food at the Fabulous Food 1Malaysia
(FF1M) 2014 has raised the ire of tourism players.
With this move, they suggested, the ministry should change the event name from 'Fabulous Food 1Malaysia' to 'Halal Food Festival' to portray the 'halal only' limitation.
Some also disagreed with the ministry's way in handling the controversy, suggesting that two separate venues can be used to serve the halal and non-halal food.
"Malaysia Truly Asia is no more. Now it is Malaysia Truly Halal," Malaysia Inbound Tourism Association (Mita) secretary-general Leong Hooi Min told Malaysiakini when contacted today.
Surprised
by the decision, Leong criticised the ministry for backsliding, day by
day, in promoting Malaysia to the world due to growing conservatism.
"Tourism should be an 'open-minded' industry. It should not be related to any worship or religious element.
"If you intentionally sell non-halal food outside the mosque, then it should definitely be banned. But if it is just a food festival, than it shouldn’t be so sensitive," she said.
Yesterday, the ministry said that it will no longer serve non-halal food, following a reprimand in the latest Auditor-General’s Report.
The auditor-general had ticked off the ministry for serving the pork dish bak kut teh at the Fabulous Food 1Malaysia (FF1M) at Jalan Alor in Kuala Lumpur and in Taman Johor Jaya, Johor, last year.
The auditor-general also reprimanded the ministry for serving international cuisine such as the Japanese sushi and Korean kim chi at the festival.
Ministry secretary-general Ong Hong Peng said the ministry will continue to promote cuisines from difference communities, but all the dishes must be halal.
Gov't contradicting itself
However, Leong said the ministry’s decision contradicted with its own objective of attracting more tourists to Malaysia in the wake of the MH17 and MH370 tragedies.
"Malaysians faced two serious air disasters this year alone and the number of tourist visits had decreased obviously, especially visits from China.
"Prime
Minister Najib Abdul Razak had strongly urged the government to propose
and plan more strategies to attract tourists, but now, with what has
happened, it all seems contradictory," she said.
Leong said although Malaysia is a Muslim majority country, its brand is its multiculturalism.
Thus, promoting the food of all races should not pose any problems.
She added that food festivals have always been successful programmes in tourism as these always attracts many tourists.
Therefore, the 'halal only' restriction will hurt the tourism business and limit promotion avenues for the industry.
"I can understand if it is other ministries, but why would you want restrict a Ministry of Tourism programme? It is unacceptable.
"We will continue to promote non-halal food to tourists despite the ministry's decision,” Leong said.
Under pressure
Meanwhile, Malaysian Chinese Tourism Association (MCTA) president Paul Paw said the ministry’s reaction showed it was clearly buckling under pressure.
Paw said that to avoid confusion, the term '1Malaysia' should be removed from the festival's name as it is clearly not reflective of all of Malaysia.
Instead, '1Malaysia' should be replaced with 'halal', he said.
"I urge them to change the name from 'Fabulous Food 1Malaysia' to 'Halal Food Festival' to avoid any confusion among tourists.
"We understand the Ministry of Tourism is under a lot of pressure, but we hope the title can be put clearly," Paw added.
With this move, they suggested, the ministry should change the event name from 'Fabulous Food 1Malaysia' to 'Halal Food Festival' to portray the 'halal only' limitation.
Some also disagreed with the ministry's way in handling the controversy, suggesting that two separate venues can be used to serve the halal and non-halal food.
"Malaysia Truly Asia is no more. Now it is Malaysia Truly Halal," Malaysia Inbound Tourism Association (Mita) secretary-general Leong Hooi Min told Malaysiakini when contacted today.
Surprised
by the decision, Leong criticised the ministry for backsliding, day by
day, in promoting Malaysia to the world due to growing conservatism."Tourism should be an 'open-minded' industry. It should not be related to any worship or religious element.
"If you intentionally sell non-halal food outside the mosque, then it should definitely be banned. But if it is just a food festival, than it shouldn’t be so sensitive," she said.
Yesterday, the ministry said that it will no longer serve non-halal food, following a reprimand in the latest Auditor-General’s Report.
The auditor-general had ticked off the ministry for serving the pork dish bak kut teh at the Fabulous Food 1Malaysia (FF1M) at Jalan Alor in Kuala Lumpur and in Taman Johor Jaya, Johor, last year.
The auditor-general also reprimanded the ministry for serving international cuisine such as the Japanese sushi and Korean kim chi at the festival.
Ministry secretary-general Ong Hong Peng said the ministry will continue to promote cuisines from difference communities, but all the dishes must be halal.
Gov't contradicting itself
However, Leong said the ministry’s decision contradicted with its own objective of attracting more tourists to Malaysia in the wake of the MH17 and MH370 tragedies.
"Malaysians faced two serious air disasters this year alone and the number of tourist visits had decreased obviously, especially visits from China.
"Prime
Minister Najib Abdul Razak had strongly urged the government to propose
and plan more strategies to attract tourists, but now, with what has
happened, it all seems contradictory," she said.Leong said although Malaysia is a Muslim majority country, its brand is its multiculturalism.
Thus, promoting the food of all races should not pose any problems.
She added that food festivals have always been successful programmes in tourism as these always attracts many tourists.
Therefore, the 'halal only' restriction will hurt the tourism business and limit promotion avenues for the industry.
"I can understand if it is other ministries, but why would you want restrict a Ministry of Tourism programme? It is unacceptable.
"We will continue to promote non-halal food to tourists despite the ministry's decision,” Leong said.
Under pressure
Meanwhile, Malaysian Chinese Tourism Association (MCTA) president Paul Paw said the ministry’s reaction showed it was clearly buckling under pressure.
Paw said that to avoid confusion, the term '1Malaysia' should be removed from the festival's name as it is clearly not reflective of all of Malaysia.
Instead, '1Malaysia' should be replaced with 'halal', he said.
"I urge them to change the name from 'Fabulous Food 1Malaysia' to 'Halal Food Festival' to avoid any confusion among tourists.
"We understand the Ministry of Tourism is under a lot of pressure, but we hope the title can be put clearly," Paw added.
SUARAM wants persecution of Zunar to cease
Police action against political cartoonist Zunar goes against the recent stand taken by the Court of Appeal on his work.
FMT
KUALA LUMPUR: Suara Rakyat Malaysia (SUARAM), an NGO, has called on the Home Ministry and the police to cease all harassment and investigation of political cartoonist Zunar, or Zulkifli Anwar Ulhaque, and his staff.
The NGO also wants the authorities to stop intimidating printers, publishers, vendors and bookstore owners partnering with the political cartoonist.
The NGO further called on the Home Ministry and police to return all books confiscated from Zunar and lift the ban on his works.
SUARAM pointed out that the police action against Zunar goes against the recent stand taken by the Court of Appeal on his work.
“The Court of Appeal took an unanimous stand and lifted a ban imposed by the Home Minister on two of Zunar’s cartoon books, Perak Darul Kartun and 1 Funny Malaysia, on grounds that they were not a threat to national security or prejudicial to public order,” said SUARAM Executive Director Yap Swee Seng in a statement.
Justice Mohamad Ariff, in his judgment, stated that the law should not be abused by the executive and that public odium cannot be so conveniently equated with public order, added Yap.
In 2011, Zunar was conferred, Courage in Editorial Cartooning Award, by Cartoonist Rights Network International, a cartoonists’ rights NGO based in Washington, USA.
In Oct 2014, one of Zunar’s books, Pirate of the Carry-BN, was accepted by the Library of Congress in Washington, USA.
KUALA LUMPUR: Suara Rakyat Malaysia (SUARAM), an NGO, has called on the Home Ministry and the police to cease all harassment and investigation of political cartoonist Zunar, or Zulkifli Anwar Ulhaque, and his staff.
The NGO also wants the authorities to stop intimidating printers, publishers, vendors and bookstore owners partnering with the political cartoonist.
The NGO further called on the Home Ministry and police to return all books confiscated from Zunar and lift the ban on his works.
SUARAM pointed out that the police action against Zunar goes against the recent stand taken by the Court of Appeal on his work.
“The Court of Appeal took an unanimous stand and lifted a ban imposed by the Home Minister on two of Zunar’s cartoon books, Perak Darul Kartun and 1 Funny Malaysia, on grounds that they were not a threat to national security or prejudicial to public order,” said SUARAM Executive Director Yap Swee Seng in a statement.
Justice Mohamad Ariff, in his judgment, stated that the law should not be abused by the executive and that public odium cannot be so conveniently equated with public order, added Yap.
In 2011, Zunar was conferred, Courage in Editorial Cartooning Award, by Cartoonist Rights Network International, a cartoonists’ rights NGO based in Washington, USA.
In Oct 2014, one of Zunar’s books, Pirate of the Carry-BN, was accepted by the Library of Congress in Washington, USA.
Ex-CJ slammed for being ‘alarmist’
Zaid Ibrahim says judges should be level-headed even in retirement.
FMT
KUALA LUMPUR: Political commentator Zaid Ibrahim today criticised former chief justice Abdul Hamid Mohamad for “outright alarmism” in his reaction to the recent Court of Appeal decision on the rights of transgendered people.
“Judges ought to remain level-headed even in retirement and should not be influenced by extraneous factors, prejudices or their own wild imaginations,” the former law minister said in his latest blog entry.
A Bernama report yesterday quoted Abdul Hamid as saying he feared that the Appeal Court decision would result in the eventual invalidation of Islamic laws, including those that permit Muslim polygamy and outlaw adultery and sodomy.
Zaid accused Abdul Hamid of “dramatising” the possible effects of the decision.
“We would hasten to assure him that none of the civil court judges will approve same-sex marriage applications because it simply isn’t permitted under federal law. Likewise, sodomy is an offence and adultery is an offence for Muslims,” he said.
“In the case of Muslim offences generally, I am sure that civil court judges will not disturb shariah verdicts if there are sufficient witnesses to prove the offence in accordance with Islamic law.”
He said Abdul Hamid, as a former chief justice sworn to uphold the Federal Constitution, should have congratuled the Court of Appeal judges for interpreting the law according to the constitution.
“As a lawyer, Abdul Hamid surely knows that all state laws must conform to the Federal Constitution,” he said. “The areas of the law on which the state can legislate are described in the Ninth Schedule of the Constitution.”
KUALA LUMPUR: Political commentator Zaid Ibrahim today criticised former chief justice Abdul Hamid Mohamad for “outright alarmism” in his reaction to the recent Court of Appeal decision on the rights of transgendered people.
“Judges ought to remain level-headed even in retirement and should not be influenced by extraneous factors, prejudices or their own wild imaginations,” the former law minister said in his latest blog entry.
A Bernama report yesterday quoted Abdul Hamid as saying he feared that the Appeal Court decision would result in the eventual invalidation of Islamic laws, including those that permit Muslim polygamy and outlaw adultery and sodomy.
Zaid accused Abdul Hamid of “dramatising” the possible effects of the decision.
“We would hasten to assure him that none of the civil court judges will approve same-sex marriage applications because it simply isn’t permitted under federal law. Likewise, sodomy is an offence and adultery is an offence for Muslims,” he said.
“In the case of Muslim offences generally, I am sure that civil court judges will not disturb shariah verdicts if there are sufficient witnesses to prove the offence in accordance with Islamic law.”
He said Abdul Hamid, as a former chief justice sworn to uphold the Federal Constitution, should have congratuled the Court of Appeal judges for interpreting the law according to the constitution.
“As a lawyer, Abdul Hamid surely knows that all state laws must conform to the Federal Constitution,” he said. “The areas of the law on which the state can legislate are described in the Ninth Schedule of the Constitution.”
When dinosaurs roamed in Malaysia
The remains of the first herbivorous dinosaur in the form of a tooth fossil is found in the rural interiors of Pahang.
FMT
KUALA LUMPUR: Some 100 million years ago dinosaurs roamed in Malaysia. This was confirmed with the discovery of the remains of the first herbivorous dinosaur in Malaysia, in the form of a tooth fossil found in the rural interiors of Pahang.
The tooth, from the Herbivorous Ornithischian Dinosaur that lived during the early Jurassic and Cretacious periods, is named Sampel UM10580 and measures just 13mm long and 10.5mm wide. It is believed to be between 100 million and 110 million years old.
The University Malaya paleontology research team stumbled on the tooth recently, making it the second discovery of fossil remains of a dinosaur in Malaysia. In February this year, the fossils of fish-eating dinosaurs were discovered.
The latest dinosaur remains were identified by the paleontology research team led by Associate Professor Dr Masatoshi Sone from the UM Geology Department, in collaboration with reptile paleontology specialist Professor Ren Hirayama from Tokyo’s Waseda University and Associate Professor Toshifumi Komatsu from Kumamoto University.
Dr Sone said that with the discovery of the fosslised tooth, the team had successfully confirmed the presence of dinosaur remains in Pahang.
“The discovery of raw samples pertaining to the tooth was made in December last year, following field expeditions and searches for dinosaur deposits in Malaysia since September 2012,” he told a press briefing at the UM today.
“They walked on two legs or four legs, and did not possess body armour…it spent half its life in the river or lake and the other half on land,” Dr Sone said.
He added that the sample was too small to provide other details, including the sex of the prehistoric creature, although they were generally believed to be territorial animals.
KUALA LUMPUR: Some 100 million years ago dinosaurs roamed in Malaysia. This was confirmed with the discovery of the remains of the first herbivorous dinosaur in Malaysia, in the form of a tooth fossil found in the rural interiors of Pahang.
The tooth, from the Herbivorous Ornithischian Dinosaur that lived during the early Jurassic and Cretacious periods, is named Sampel UM10580 and measures just 13mm long and 10.5mm wide. It is believed to be between 100 million and 110 million years old.
The University Malaya paleontology research team stumbled on the tooth recently, making it the second discovery of fossil remains of a dinosaur in Malaysia. In February this year, the fossils of fish-eating dinosaurs were discovered.
The latest dinosaur remains were identified by the paleontology research team led by Associate Professor Dr Masatoshi Sone from the UM Geology Department, in collaboration with reptile paleontology specialist Professor Ren Hirayama from Tokyo’s Waseda University and Associate Professor Toshifumi Komatsu from Kumamoto University.
Dr Sone said that with the discovery of the fosslised tooth, the team had successfully confirmed the presence of dinosaur remains in Pahang.
“The discovery of raw samples pertaining to the tooth was made in December last year, following field expeditions and searches for dinosaur deposits in Malaysia since September 2012,” he told a press briefing at the UM today.
“They walked on two legs or four legs, and did not possess body armour…it spent half its life in the river or lake and the other half on land,” Dr Sone said.
He added that the sample was too small to provide other details, including the sex of the prehistoric creature, although they were generally believed to be territorial animals.
We talked, he proposed, I said no
Penang CM Lim Guan Eng is stupefied by Home Minister Zahid Hamidi’s claims he agrees to PPS becoming a community policing unit.
FMT
GEORGE TOWN: Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng has expressed shock that Home Minister Zahid Hamidi had told the press he had consented to the Penang Voluntary Patrol Unit being revamped into a certified community policing unit.
While acknowledging that the two did meet to talk things over, Lim maintained that all he agreed to was for a working paper by the home ministry to be submitted to the state government so the matter could be discussed further.
”I did not say I agreed to the proposal. I only said to give us the working paper on it for the exco to consider,” Lim told reporters.
Zahid on the other hand was rather confident when he told reporters a somewhat different version of what transpired between the two.
According to Zahid, Lim had agreed to revamp the illegal PPS into a community policing unit, fully endorsed by the police.
He told reporters, “PPS will be replaced with a community policing (unit) similar to those in other states.”
He also stated his happiness at Lim’s willingness to find an amicable solution to the controversial PPS issue, adding, “I hope it can be implemented as soon as possible.”
Another issue of contention between Lim and Zahid involved the legal status of the PPS.
Saying the state government was adamant about challenging the home ministry’s decision to outlaw the PPS, Lim added, “The state’s stand on PPS has not changed.”
“He (Zahid) said the banning of PPS was initiated by the Attorney-General and I reiterated that we will challenge that in court to defend the 158 PPS members who were arrested.
Zahid’s ministry meanwhile is sticking to their guns in declaring the PPS an illegal organisation for not being registered with the Registrar of Societies as well as the issue that many of its members were involved in crime.
Talking to reporters outside Bukit Aman, Zahid said police have screened 9,000 PPS members and will announce soon enough the actual number of those involved in crime.
FMTGEORGE TOWN: Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng has expressed shock that Home Minister Zahid Hamidi had told the press he had consented to the Penang Voluntary Patrol Unit being revamped into a certified community policing unit.
While acknowledging that the two did meet to talk things over, Lim maintained that all he agreed to was for a working paper by the home ministry to be submitted to the state government so the matter could be discussed further.
”I did not say I agreed to the proposal. I only said to give us the working paper on it for the exco to consider,” Lim told reporters.
Zahid on the other hand was rather confident when he told reporters a somewhat different version of what transpired between the two.
According to Zahid, Lim had agreed to revamp the illegal PPS into a community policing unit, fully endorsed by the police.
He told reporters, “PPS will be replaced with a community policing (unit) similar to those in other states.”
He also stated his happiness at Lim’s willingness to find an amicable solution to the controversial PPS issue, adding, “I hope it can be implemented as soon as possible.”
Another issue of contention between Lim and Zahid involved the legal status of the PPS.
Saying the state government was adamant about challenging the home ministry’s decision to outlaw the PPS, Lim added, “The state’s stand on PPS has not changed.”
“He (Zahid) said the banning of PPS was initiated by the Attorney-General and I reiterated that we will challenge that in court to defend the 158 PPS members who were arrested.
Zahid’s ministry meanwhile is sticking to their guns in declaring the PPS an illegal organisation for not being registered with the Registrar of Societies as well as the issue that many of its members were involved in crime.
Talking to reporters outside Bukit Aman, Zahid said police have screened 9,000 PPS members and will announce soon enough the actual number of those involved in crime.
Negara-Ku starts roadshow to reclaim Malaysia from extremism
New people's movement Negara-Ku is set to carry out its "reclaim Malaysia" agenda nationwide with a roadshow beginning in Malacca tonight to return rationality, open and civil discussion, moderation and harmony to Malaysia.
"Kembalikan Negaraku" or "Return My Country" aims to take back Malaysia from racism and extremism, and provide a platform for safe debates, even on controversial issues such as the court's recent decision on Negri Sembilan's Islamic enactments on transgenders.
More than just focusing on issues themselves, the movement's founder and chairperson Zaid Kamaruddin said they wanted to promote a climate where Malaysians could discuss matters without getting emotional.
Their aim was to also put forward the fact that all differences could be discussed with the Federal Constitution as a reference.
Zaid also said the roadshow was not just about promoting the movement but to draw all other civil society groups that wanted to promote healthy relationships among communities. Years before Negara-Ku, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak launched his 1Malaysia concept when he took office in 2009 but the slogan has since petered out.
"We support all other efforts that promote the coming together of Malaysians, to be able to express what they want," he added.
Zaid said this was "absolutely necessary" because of continued extremist rhetoric over race, religion and social issues, which Negara-Ku felt it had to counter by advocating moderation, peace and harmony.
Using the recent court decision on the Negri Sembilan transgender case as an example, Zaid said that there was concern over the way people perceived the decision.
"When discussing an issue like this, we should look at what the constitution says and be able to take the differences in opinion in a civilised manner without getting overly emotional," he added.
The Court of Appeal had on November 7 declared unconstitutional a provision in the Negri Sembilan Islamic religious enactment which made it an offence for Muslim males to dress and behave as women.
The three appellants in the case are transgender women who have experience humiliating treatment and arrest several times for violating Section 66 of the state's Shariah Criminal Enactment.
Reactions to the court case have bordered on instigation to violence, the group Lawyers for Liberty had warned in a statement yesterday.
Some of these reactions included calling transgenders "a cancer" to society, as persons who had
"challenged God's law", as well as calling for "jihad" to be waged against them. Some of those who made such statements included prominent and influential religious figures, groups and the Ulama Council of political party, PAS.Negara-Ku's roadshow will cover seven states, and will kick off in Malacca tonight at the Heng Ann Association.
Speakers include PAS politician Datuk Dr Mujahid Yusuf Rawa, who is also the chair of Gerakan Anti-Perkauman; Al-Mustaqeem M. Radui, coordinator of Lingkaran Islam Tradisional; and also Zaid.
Mujahid has been a prominent figure in interfaith dialogues, participating in forums with speakers representing other religions, visiting churches and speaking up for other faiths.
After Malacca, the roadshow will make stops in Perak, Johor, Negri Sembilan, Penang, Sabah and Kuala Lumpur.
Zaid also said that the roadshow was aimed at bringing back the essence of Malaysia as a country formed on equality, secularism, guaranteed fundamental rights and a prosperous state where everyone feels at home.
These attributes appear to be under threat these days, he said, adding that if nothing is done, Malaysians may no longer be able to recognise their country in time to come.
"If we keep idle while insensitive quarters continue propagating racism and intolerance amongst us, it is an indication that hate speech and extremism are acceptable.
"It is certainly not and that message must be clearly sent," Zaid said.
Next year, there are plans for the roadshow to head for east coast states.
Negara-Ku was launched four months ago, with the aim of bringing Malaysians from all backgrounds together to counter negative developments threatening the social fabric of the country.
Negara-Ku aims to bring Malaysians back to the country's basics in the Federal Constitution, Malaysia Agreement and the Rukunegara.
Endorsed by over 60 civil society groups, the movement's patrons are former Bersih co-chair and prominent lawyer Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan, national laureate Datuk A.Samad Said and former vice-chairman of the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam) Tan Sri Simon Sipaun.
Ambiga had said that Negara-Ku was an initiative by concerned citizens unable to remain on the sidelines while leaders did nothing to stop certain quarters from destroying the nation’s harmony.
She had also previously said the movement sought to provide information and education for people to face challenges in Malaysian society.
This would be done through videos, social media and forums and talks “to get people to listen, to question and to think," she had said. – November 12, 2014.
Negri to appoint lawyers for appeal
The New Straits Times
SEREMBAN:
The Negri Sembilan government has decided to appoint its lawyers to
appeal the Court of Appeals’ decision that a state syariah law
forbidding Muslim men from wearing women’s clothes in public as
unconstitutional.
Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan said his counterparts in other Barisan Nasional-controlled states had agreed to assist.
He said the appointment of the lawyers was agreed during the state executive council meeting yesterday.
Mohamad said he had contacted leaders of other BN state governments to discuss the matter.
He
said the state government would ask for a stay of execution on the
Court of Appeals’ ruling once the appeal was filed in the Federal Court,
to return power to the Negri Sembilan Islamic Religious Affairs
Department to reinforce the law against cross-dressing in public by men.
“It is also important for us to file this appeal. Otherwise, this ruling will stay and it will lead to bigger problems.”
Last
week, the Court of Appeals struck down the state syariah law in a
unanimous decision delivered by a three-man bench chaired by Datuk Mohd
Hishamudin Mohd Yunus.
975 prisoners on death row awaiting appeals
The New Straits Times
KUALA
LUMPUR: A total of 975 prisoners sentenced to death for various offences
are awaiting appeals at the Court of Appeal, Federal Court and the
respective state Pardons Board.
In
a reply to Liew Chin Tong (DAP-Kluang), Home Minister Datuk Seri Dr
Ahmad Zahid Hamidi told the Dewan Rakyat that only two Malaysians and a
foreigner have been sentenced to death in 2012 and 2013.
“In 2013, a total of 8,481 prisoners have been sentenced to caning, involving 2,483 Malaysians and 5,998 foreigners.
“It
should be mentioned that caning has helped in reducing the number of
repeat offenders, especially with drug offences. We also need to
continue caning for foreigners due to their influx into Malaysia, as it
is more effective than imposing fines on them,” Zahid said.
Zahid added that the Prisons Department was looking to upgrade its facilities, especially for the condemned prisoners.
On
another question by Bung Mokhtar Radin (BN-Kinabatangan) about the
waiting period for prisoners on death row, Zahid said: “The appeal cases
of the 975 prisoners depend on the courts, where their cases are being
heard.
“Based
on state Pardons Boards reviewing such cases, we have seen that some
cases have had their death sentences changed to life imprisonment or
20-year sentences. But this depends on the appeal made by the prisoner,
prisoner’s rehabilitation report or the Attorney-General’s report.
“So,
our legal system is good in that it ensures such factors can be used to
review such cases. At the end of the day, the prison system is not
merely to punish but to rehabilitate the convicts.”
Zahid said the rate of recidivism has declined from 32 per cent to 7.6 per cent.
Everyone In Malaysia Should Support Government In Role As Asean Chairman - Najib
From Minggu Simon LhasaNAY PYI TAW, Nov 13 (Bernama) -- Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak hopes that when Malaysia takes over the task as Asean chairman next year, it will be supported by and receive the cooperation of the Malaysian people.
"Otherwise, it will be very difficult for us to achieve whatever we want to do when Malaysia becomes the chairman," he told Malaysian journalists after the conclusion of the 25th Asean Summit, here Thursday.
The support of everyone, namely the government, private sector and corporate bodies, the media and individuals must be focused towards this which was considered as a national pride and mission, he said.
Malaysia received the honour to become the Asean chairman in the historic year, that is, when Asean would be declared as an economic community, he added.
"This is the responsibility for all of us as Malaysians, to achieve everything that we should do as Asean chairman," Najib said.
If the people in Asean were to appreciate the slogan 'People-Centred Asean', it must begin with the people of Malaysia themselves, he said.
In order to achieve the objective, there must be an effective communication plan and various programmes involving not only the Asean leaders but also certain groups such as the young entrepreneurs, parliamentarians and women.
He said the 25th Asean Summit went smoothly and was successful as a whole.
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