Monday 24 November 2014
Saudi Arabia 'intensifies Twitter crackdown'
Saudi authorities have stepped up their crackdown on online dissidents, Human Rights Watch said, alleging that prosecutors and judges use "vague law" to charge citizens for peaceful tweets and social media comments.
The New York-based rights organisation on Sunday called on the government to end the crackdown and live up to its obligations to respect free speech.
Three prominent lawyers were convicted of criticising the Justice Ministry last month and sentenced to prison terms of between five and eight years.
Police also detained a liberal women’s rights activist in connection with tweets that allegedly criticised religious officials and promoted the right of Saudi women to drive.
"These prosecutions show just how sensitive the Saudi authorities have become to the ability of ordinary citizens to voice opinions online that the government considers controversial or taboo," said Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East and North Africa director at Human Rights Watch (HRW).
"Instead of pursuing their peaceful online critics, Saudi officials would be better employed in carrying out much-needed reforms."
The organisation said that Saudi authorities are using vague provisions of a 2007 anti-cybercrime law to charge and try Saudi citizens.
Article 6 criminalises "producing something that harms public order, religious values, public morals, the sanctity of private life, or authoring, sending, or storing it via an information network," and imposes penalties of up to five years in prison and a fine of up to three million Saudi Riyals (US$800,000).
'Attacking Sharia'
According to court documents that HRW has reviewed, prosecutors based their entire case against the three lawyers – Abdulrahman al-Subaihi, Bander al-Nogaithan, and Abdulrahman al-Rumaih – on tweets that officials deemed critical of the Justice Ministry.
The indictment accused the lawyers, among other charges, of "attacking the Sharia judicial system and its independence, and undermining its authority by interfering in the [disciplinary] proceedings of Judge Mohammed Al Abdulkareem."
Human Rights Watch said none of the tweets cited as evidence against the three lawyers incited violence.
One of the lawyers said on Twitter: "The performance [of the Justice Ministry] is catastrophic, packaged in lies and media fraud unprecedented in the history of Saudi ministries."
Another had tweeted: "… the kingdom lives in 2013 but its judiciary lives in the darkness of the Middle Ages in its processes and management."
A third commented: "… $5 billion to Egypt while at the same time Saudi women clean bathrooms."
Saudi authorities have sanctioned other lawyers in 2014 for social media activity, including Waleed Abu al-Khair, who was sentenced to 15 years in prison in July solely on account of his peaceful criticism of Saudi human rights abuses in media interviews and on social media.
Suad al-Shammari, another activist, was arrested on October 28 while attending an investigation session at the Bureau of Investigation and Prosecution in Jeddah.
HRW said Shammari was facing the charge of "insulting the messenger and the hadith" in connection with the 2013 tweets that allegedly criticised religious authorities and called for Saudi women to be allowed to drive cars.
Islamic State (ISIS) Fighters: The Spread Of Islam Requires Body Parts And Chunks Of Flesh
Islam. It’s not like other religions.
ISIS Fighters In Al-Raqqah: The Spread Of Islam Requires Body Parts And Chunks Of Flesh, MEMRI
Following are excerpts from a video of ISIS fighters in Al-Raqqah, Syria, which was posted on the Internet on November 18, 2014:
ISIS fighter: “We congratulate our brothers in the Sinai, Algeria, Yemen, and the Arabian Peninsula for the pledge of allegiance to the Emir of the Believers. We also congratulate the Emir of the Believers, Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi, for the pledge of allegiance by those brothers. I bring you the glad tidings of our conquest of the Arabian Peninsula and the rest of the world.”
ISIS Fighters In Al-Raqqah: The Spread Of Islam Requires Body Parts And Chunks Of Flesh, MEMRI
Following are excerpts from a video of ISIS fighters in Al-Raqqah, Syria, which was posted on the Internet on November 18, 2014:
ISIS fighter: “We congratulate our brothers in the Sinai, Algeria, Yemen, and the Arabian Peninsula for the pledge of allegiance to the Emir of the Believers. We also congratulate the Emir of the Believers, Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi, for the pledge of allegiance by those brothers. I bring you the glad tidings of our conquest of the Arabian Peninsula and the rest of the world.”
Malay groups want PTPTN loan exemption for Bumis only
A coalition of Malay rights groups, led by Perkasa, today urged Putrajaya to consider allowing only Bumiputeras to be exempt from repaying their National Higher Education Fund (PTPTN) loan schemes.They noted in their National Unity Memorandum that the majority of PTPTN borrowers exempted from repaying their loans were Chinese, and this could anger the Bumiputeras.
"The Malaysian government must take immediate action over the phenomenon of many non-Bumiputeras being exempted 100% from PTPTN, compared with the Bumiputera students," read the memorandum, which was drafted by a committee headed by Perkasa chief Datuk Ibrahim Ali.
"At the same time, the Malaysian government must study the reasons why Bumiputera students' academics are declining, compared with non-Bumiputeras.
"In this context, the Malaysian government should review whether PTPTN exemptions should be given to Bumiputeras alone, in line with Article 153 of the Federal Constitution."
The current PTPTN systems allows for all its debtors who graduated with first-class honours to be exempt from repaying their loans, regardless of race.
But the memorandum by the Malay groups today warned that the rising trend of Chinese students enjoying the loan exemptions could jeopardise national unity.
They noted that in 2011, 8,818 Chinese students were exempted from repaying the PTPTN loans, compared with 2,347 Malays, and 456 Indians.
"If this issue is not handled wisely, it could result in Bumiputera students getting angry with PTPTN and upset with the Malaysian government.
"At the same time, this issue could potentially create anger among Bumiputera students towards non-Bumiputera students."
The memorandum also suggested that more non-Bumiputeras earned first-class honours compared with Bumiputeras because private higher education institutions (IPTS) were more "lenient" and had a "hidden agenda".
"Firstly, how and why are Bumiputera students unable to compete with non-Bumiputera students?
"Secondly, are PTPTN's actions caused by the lenient marking systems and curriculum of the IPTS, to the point that many non-Bumiputera students gain first-class honours, so that they need not repay their PTPTN loans?
"Thirdly, are Bumiputera students in the IPTS and IPTA not the cream of the creams? Fourthly, is there a hidden agenda by certain quarters in IPTS to allow many non-Bumiputeras to become exempted from repaying their PTPN?"
The memorandum was debated among over 300 Malay NGOs at the National Unity Convention in Kuala Lumpur today, before it was approved later in the evening.
The groups intend to send the National Unity Memorandum to the government, the Yang DiPertuan Agong and the Council of Rulers. – November 23, 2014.
- See more at: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/malay-groups-want-ptptn-loan-exemption-for-bumis-only#sthash.AhDuyXrB.dpuf
'Asking to close Chinese schools won't help BN'
In an interview with Mingguan Malaysia, Najib, without naming anyone, said that it would be "contradictory" for anyone to ask about increasing Chinese support and at the same time discuss closing down Chinese schools.
Umno's Petaling Jaya Utara division chief Mohamad Azli had recently proposed that the possibility of closing down Chinese schools be discussed in the forthcoming party annual assembly.
"We must decide what is it (our stand). If our actions result in reducing support for Umno and BN, then whatever we do would not be beneficial," he said.
In the same interview, Najib also claimed that the bumiputra empowerment initiatives under the current leadership were more effective than before.
“The structure and the situation is more in tune now,” he said.
“Before this, there was a ministry (for bumiputra affairs), but it operated in the context of that ministry alone, and now we transcend across all ministries,” he added.
“In context, we are helping bumiputras better and more effectively now.”
'Malays to be Red Indians if Umno, PAS don’t unite'
“Malays’ problems are not limited to the abolishing of the Internal Security Act (ISA) or Sedition Act,” he said.
“The problem is they face the threat of becoming like Red Indians in their own land,” he added.
He said that PAS and Umno must now join hands to ensure that the rights of Malays and Muslims are not threatened by DAP.
Hamid said that PKR cannot be expected to champion the cause of Malays because the party fights for “only one Malay”, in an apparent reference to PKR de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim.
“I don’t mention PKR because the party never said it is fighting for the Malays. It only fights for one Malay, that too if that person still considers himself a Malay,” he said.
He, however, said that Umno leaders must change the perception that the party is corrupted.
“Umno should continue being the dominant party for Malays and Muslims. The problem is their leaders,” he said.
“The number one factor why people hate Umno is because the perception of corruption. They have must correct this, not by talking but by actually avoiding corruption,” he added.
Malay groups clamour for end to Chinese, Tamil vernacular schools
According to the so-called National Unity Convention, the existence of vernacular primary and secondary schools opposed the goal of the Education Act 1961 and is an obstacle towards achieving national unity among the young generation.
“It is time for the Malaysian government to abolished a three-stream education system. Specifically, it is time for the Malaysian government to abolish the Chinese and Tamil primary and secondary system.
“It should implement only the national school system for the primary and secondary stages, for every citizens, regardless of race,” said a memorandum drafted during the convention here.
The convention today was organised by a coalition of 58 Malay NGOs, and was attended by over 300 groups, to debate and pass a National Unity Memorandum draft to be delivered to Putrajaya and the Malay rulers, among others.
The memorandum also contained the allegation that the vernacular system has polarised Malaysians according to race, religion and culture.
“The Malaysian government must be strict and not compromise with anybody in implementing this. This strictness is needed because the current system is not conducive towards the effort of nourishing and strengthening national unity in Malaysia,” it said.
Several delegates who debated the memorandum had also echoed the sentiment, with a Federation of Peninsula Malay Students (GPMS) representative urging for vernacular schools to be phased out by 2020.
Chinese vernacular schools will be among the topics discussed during next week’s Umno General Assembly, after party vice-president Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein announced that the subject was included in the agenda.
Controversy over vernacular schools was triggered again when Petaling Jaya Utara Umno deputy division chief Mohamad Azli Mohamed proposed to discuss abolishing Chinese-medium schools at the party’s general assembly later this month, claiming the schools to be hotbeds for racism and anti-establishment sentiments.
The statement sparked a flurry of angry responses from Chinese leaders, with MCA president Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai demanding a police investigation to determine whether or not Mohamad Azli’s statement was seditious.
Noting that Chinese support is gradually improving, Umno president Najib said in an interview with Malay daily Mingguan Malaysia today that such calls were undermining the endeavours to regain the backing of the group that is vital to the party’s electoral performance.
KL Malays far behind others in terms of wealth
Tengku Adnan says statistics show Malays are far behind other races in terms of ownership rights and businesses in the capital.
FMT
KUALA LUMPUR: The economic divide between the Malays and non-Malays in Kuala Lumpur poses a big challenge for the former, says Federal Territory Umno liaison chairman Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor.
He said statistics showed the Malays were far behind other races, in terms of ownership rights and businesses in the capital.
“The question is, who do we blame? When licences are issued, it is mortgaged or sold,” he said when speaking at the Federal Territory Umno Convention launched by Umno president Najib Razak here today.
Tengku Adnan said about 200 years ago, the Malays owned almost 100 per cent of land in Kuala Lumpur, adding however, that it had dwindled to only 21.7 per cent.
This, he noted, was due to the attitude of the Malays who had either mortgaged or sold their land to other races.
Besides that, the Malays in Kuala Lumpur earned an average income of between RM2,000 and RM3,000 and contributed to the percentage of poor people in the city.
Tengku Adnan, who is also federal territories minister, said home ownership statistics also showed the Malays were lagging behind other races.
“Just imagine, the lowest price of a house in the capital is RM300,000, while the affordability level of Malays in the city is only below RM150,000.
“The statistics of individuals who apply to rent or purchase houses from the Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) is more than 42,000, of which 90 per cent are from the Malay community.
“This is the reality which has to be faced by the Malays in Kuala Lumpur, coupled by the high cost of living, which has seen many of them ending up on the streets.
Tengku Adnan, who is also Umno secretary-general, said Umno members in the Federal Territory were playing a role to help ensure the economic divide and hardships faced by the Malays in the city could be resolved.
He said the Federal Territory Umno did not want to see anyone from the Malay race living on the streets and destitute.
“On the contrary, we have a strong determination to take the Malays out of poverty,” he added.
- BERNAMA
KUALA LUMPUR: The economic divide between the Malays and non-Malays in Kuala Lumpur poses a big challenge for the former, says Federal Territory Umno liaison chairman Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor.
He said statistics showed the Malays were far behind other races, in terms of ownership rights and businesses in the capital.
“The question is, who do we blame? When licences are issued, it is mortgaged or sold,” he said when speaking at the Federal Territory Umno Convention launched by Umno president Najib Razak here today.
Tengku Adnan said about 200 years ago, the Malays owned almost 100 per cent of land in Kuala Lumpur, adding however, that it had dwindled to only 21.7 per cent.
This, he noted, was due to the attitude of the Malays who had either mortgaged or sold their land to other races.
Besides that, the Malays in Kuala Lumpur earned an average income of between RM2,000 and RM3,000 and contributed to the percentage of poor people in the city.
Tengku Adnan, who is also federal territories minister, said home ownership statistics also showed the Malays were lagging behind other races.
“Just imagine, the lowest price of a house in the capital is RM300,000, while the affordability level of Malays in the city is only below RM150,000.
“The statistics of individuals who apply to rent or purchase houses from the Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) is more than 42,000, of which 90 per cent are from the Malay community.
“This is the reality which has to be faced by the Malays in Kuala Lumpur, coupled by the high cost of living, which has seen many of them ending up on the streets.
Tengku Adnan, who is also Umno secretary-general, said Umno members in the Federal Territory were playing a role to help ensure the economic divide and hardships faced by the Malays in the city could be resolved.
He said the Federal Territory Umno did not want to see anyone from the Malay race living on the streets and destitute.
“On the contrary, we have a strong determination to take the Malays out of poverty,” he added.
- BERNAMA
Gerakan gets lessons on ‘mother tongue education’
DAP is a multi racial party and champions the right to learn one's mother tongue as enshrined in the Constitution.
FMT
KUALA LUMPUR: Seputeh MP Teresa Kok has called on Gerakan, in a stinging rebuke, not to divert attention from the real issue i.e. that Barisan Nasional (BN) Ministers have low or no confidence in the national education system and policy.
She was taking issue with Gerakan vice president Dominic Lau criticising DAP elder statesman Lim Kit Siang in a Chinese daily as being inconsistent by challenging BN ministers to send their children to national schools while he himself sent his own children to English schools.
Lau had also questioned why Kit Siang was championing Chinese primary schools and independent Chinese secondary schools, when he did not send his children to such schools.
“Lau does not seem to know that the English schools which Kit Siang‘s children attended were then part of the national education system,” said Kok in springing to Lim’s defence.
“His attacks on Kit Siang are therefore wrong and also prove his ignorance about the national education system.”
Kok asked Lau to answer two questions, namely whether Gerakan leaders and members sent their children to Chinese primary schools and independent Chinese secondary schools; and was it Gerakan policy that only those who have sent their children to such schools are qualified to champion them.
Kok pointed out that DAP was a multi racial party and that party leaders and members, regardless of race, supported and championed the right to learn one‘s mother tongue as enshrined in the Constitution.
“The party also has a firm stand that the government’s educational policies must be fair and just,” she said
KUALA LUMPUR: Seputeh MP Teresa Kok has called on Gerakan, in a stinging rebuke, not to divert attention from the real issue i.e. that Barisan Nasional (BN) Ministers have low or no confidence in the national education system and policy.
She was taking issue with Gerakan vice president Dominic Lau criticising DAP elder statesman Lim Kit Siang in a Chinese daily as being inconsistent by challenging BN ministers to send their children to national schools while he himself sent his own children to English schools.
Lau had also questioned why Kit Siang was championing Chinese primary schools and independent Chinese secondary schools, when he did not send his children to such schools.
“Lau does not seem to know that the English schools which Kit Siang‘s children attended were then part of the national education system,” said Kok in springing to Lim’s defence.
“His attacks on Kit Siang are therefore wrong and also prove his ignorance about the national education system.”
Kok asked Lau to answer two questions, namely whether Gerakan leaders and members sent their children to Chinese primary schools and independent Chinese secondary schools; and was it Gerakan policy that only those who have sent their children to such schools are qualified to champion them.
Kok pointed out that DAP was a multi racial party and that party leaders and members, regardless of race, supported and championed the right to learn one‘s mother tongue as enshrined in the Constitution.
“The party also has a firm stand that the government’s educational policies must be fair and just,” she said
Keep emotions out of vernacular school debate
Umno vice-president Hishammuddin Hussein says debate should be realistic and focus on unity.
FMT
KUALA LUMPUR: Speakers have been reminded not to be emotional when debating the existence of vernacular schools at the Umno general assembly.
Umno vice-president Hishammuddin Hussein said they should be realistic and focus on unity.
“A multi-stream education system can unite us. There is no single solution to our problems. I believe the speakers are matured as this is not something new,” he told a press conference after a session with Bona Fide Friends of Umno (BFF) organised by the Umno Constitution and Legal Bureau at Putra World Trade Centre (PWTC).
He was commenting about the possibility of debate on the existence of vernacular schools in the country by Umno delegates at the Umno general assembly starting Tuesday.
Many Umno members have claimed that the existence of vernacular schools in the country had strained racial ties in Malaysia, with some wanting the issue to be debated at the coming Umno general assembly.
Hishammuddin said the vernacular school issue should be debated in a rational and realistic manner and not just for fun.
“We want our children to be educated without strong racial and religious sentiments that will derail our efforts to create a united nation,” he added.
KUALA LUMPUR: Speakers have been reminded not to be emotional when debating the existence of vernacular schools at the Umno general assembly.
Umno vice-president Hishammuddin Hussein said they should be realistic and focus on unity.
“A multi-stream education system can unite us. There is no single solution to our problems. I believe the speakers are matured as this is not something new,” he told a press conference after a session with Bona Fide Friends of Umno (BFF) organised by the Umno Constitution and Legal Bureau at Putra World Trade Centre (PWTC).
He was commenting about the possibility of debate on the existence of vernacular schools in the country by Umno delegates at the Umno general assembly starting Tuesday.
Many Umno members have claimed that the existence of vernacular schools in the country had strained racial ties in Malaysia, with some wanting the issue to be debated at the coming Umno general assembly.
Hishammuddin said the vernacular school issue should be debated in a rational and realistic manner and not just for fun.
“We want our children to be educated without strong racial and religious sentiments that will derail our efforts to create a united nation,” he added.
Three unfinished business which Najib should present to Parliament before it adjourns next Thursday until next March
By Lim Kit Siang Blog,There are three unfinished business which the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak should present to Parliament before it adjourns next Thursday until March next year.
The first is the Report of the Royal Commission of Illegal Immigrants in Sabah (RCIIIS), which is meant to end once-and-for-all the 40-year problem of illegal immigrants in Sabah which had multiplied 15 to 19 times in four decades from 100,000 in the seventies to 1.5 million to 1.9 million at present.
If the Report of the RCIIIS, which was presented to the Federal Government on May 14, is not presented to Parliament next week for a full parliamentary debate, it could only mean one thing – that there is complete absence of political will to resolve the long-standing problem of illegal immigrants in Sabah and the establishment of the Royal Commission of Inquiry was just a Barisan Nasional electoral ruse for the 13th General Election in May 2013 to secure votes for BN from the people of Sabah, and for which it succeeded.
Furthermore, the establishment of the Joseph Pairin Kitingan Review Committee for the RCIIIS Report announced by Najib in Kota Kinabalu last week is just the latest “merry-go-round” sleight-of-hand to kick the problem of illegal immigrants of Sabah into a distant and indefinite future, while the problem snowballs to pass the two million mark for illegal immigrants in Sabah – reducing native Sabahans to a minority and foreigner status in their own land!
Secondly, Najib should table the White Paper on the Islamic State in the coming week, as the Home Minister, Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi had told Parliament in a written reply to the DAP MP for Kampar, Dr. Ko Chung Sen last month that the White Paper on Malaysians involved in terrorist activities such as the Islamic State was being prepared.
Zahid had said that since December 2001, 167 Malaysians had been involved in militancy overseas, including 39 who are fighting for the Islamic State (IS) in Iraq and Syria.
The White Paper on Islamic State had acquired greater poignancy and urgency with two latest developments:
• Malaysia shooting up to the Top 50 countries in the Global Terrorism Index 2014, when we should be one of the 40 countries in the world with no terrorism problems; and
• The arrest of a man and two women by the police counter-terrorism division on Saturday for alleged involvement with the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (Isis).
It has been reported that there were 45 Malaysians in Syria and 15 in Iraq fighting for ISIS; that at least five Malaysians have been killed in action in Syria and that at least five ISIS militants had returned to Malaysia.
Between January and June this year, police arrested 23 people in various parts of Malaysia over alleged links to the terror group.
The tabling of the White Paper on Islamic State becomes even more imperative following the statement by the Deputy Home Minister Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar in Parliament that Malaysian Isis fighters were returning to spread militant ideology in the country.
Thirdly, Najib should make a Ministerial statement on the roiling multi-billion ringgit 1MDB scandal and demonstrate that he is not trying to shut down public query and even parliamentary debate on the latest financial scandal by the threat of legal suit against the DAP MP for PJ Utara, Tony Pua.
In fact, Najib should give a public undertaking that his threat of a legal suit against Tony Pua will not be used to shut down any public questioning of any aspect of 1MDB deals.
Najib should not shoot the messenger just because Tony’s message demanding full accountability and transparency about the 1MDB scandal is most embarrassing for him and his government – as the solution is not to ban all debate and discussion by threat of a legal suit but by full commitment to the principles of accountability, transparency and good governance as establishing a bipartisan Parliamentary Select Committee on 1MDB to ensure that there is no hanky-panky or impropriety in the government endorsement and involvement in 1MDB activities.
Umno, BN Must Be Seen As Symbols Of Nation's Future - Najib
KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 23 (Bernama) -- Umno and Barisan Nasional (BN) must be seen as entities which symbolise the nation's future, says Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.
Najib, who is also Umno president, said Umno and BN must also be seen as modern, progressive, inclusive and just, which had not strayed from the original struggles.
"Justice is a principle of Islam...everything that we do, its thrust is justice. Being just to Muslims and at the same time, to non-Muslims, too," he said in a special interview with the newspaper, Mingguan Malaysia which was published today.
In the interview published in conjunction with the Umno General Assembly 2014, Najib said there was an erosion of values in the party, arising from a generational change.
He said where previously, the Malays were materially poor but rich in spirit, today they were wealthy but poor in the spirit for struggle.
"If we do not revive this spirit, it will be difficult for us to mobilise Umno as a political party which is dynamic and has an image which can convince the people," he was quoted as saying in the report.
The prime minister said leaders of the component parties should also carry out a transformation in their parties to get the people's support.
"They should also transform their parties, and at least in the MCA, there is a new leadership which is ready to move in that direction," he said in the interview.
Najib, who is also Umno president, said Umno and BN must also be seen as modern, progressive, inclusive and just, which had not strayed from the original struggles.
"Justice is a principle of Islam...everything that we do, its thrust is justice. Being just to Muslims and at the same time, to non-Muslims, too," he said in a special interview with the newspaper, Mingguan Malaysia which was published today.
In the interview published in conjunction with the Umno General Assembly 2014, Najib said there was an erosion of values in the party, arising from a generational change.
He said where previously, the Malays were materially poor but rich in spirit, today they were wealthy but poor in the spirit for struggle.
"If we do not revive this spirit, it will be difficult for us to mobilise Umno as a political party which is dynamic and has an image which can convince the people," he was quoted as saying in the report.
The prime minister said leaders of the component parties should also carry out a transformation in their parties to get the people's support.
"They should also transform their parties, and at least in the MCA, there is a new leadership which is ready to move in that direction," he said in the interview.
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