Wednesday 26 November 2014
For Indonesian Bishops, the state should register mixed marriages as a matter of religious freedom
The Bishops' Conference stands for civil rights, in particular with regard to mixed marriages. Muslims, Hindus and Confucians oppose changes to existing legislation that bans mixed marriages. Even members of the Constitutional Court are opposed to changes. For the Catholic Church, it is a fight for "human rights".
Jakarta (AsiaNews) - The Indonesian Bishops Conference (KWI) has renewed its fight for civil rights, particularly in the area of mixed marriages, which must always be recognised, guaranteed and protected.
This goes against existing legislation in the world's most populous Muslim nation. The former in fact requires that all couples must present the Civil Registry Office with a religious marriage certificate and must have the same religion for their marriage to be registered.
The principle of separation and religion and the practice of forced conversions, especially towards Islam, are at stake.
The Church, which has played a leading role in the fight for religious freedom, stands alone in this as Hindus and Confucians, like Muslims, oppose mixed marriages.
Under Law No. 1 of 1974 concerning marriages in Indonesia (Article 2 (1): "a marriage is legitimate if it has been performed according to the laws of the respective religious beliefs of the parties concerned."
In recent months, thanks to the work of academics and scholars from four law schools in Jakarta, the Constitutional Court has begun debating the possibility - and the opportunity - of changing existing laws.
Proposals submitted to the Constitutional Court in July 2014 centre on three issues: the inability to recognise a marriage unless it is performed by one of Indonesia's state-recognised religions, the ban on mixed marriage and the requirement that spouses belong to the same religion.
Last September, the then Minister for Religious Affairs Lukman Hakim confirmed the validity of the rules in place and excluded the need for any constitutional amendment.
In his view, before any legislative action is taken, religious leaders, in particular experts in Islamic law, should be consulted
The former president of the Constitutional Court also shut the door to possible changes, noting that "if a mixed couple insists on legalising their status, they should go abroad."
Asked for their opinion on the matter, the leaders of the Indonesian Council of Ulema (MUI) called on the Constitutional Court to reject calls for changes and maintain the status quo.
Prompted by parliament, leaders of religious minorities presented their respective positions, with the Catholic Church taking a lonely stance.
Indonesia Hindu Dharma Parisada, which represents the country's Hindus, came out against the legalisation mixed marriages.
Similarly, the deputy president of Matakin (the Supreme Council for Confucian Religion in Indonesia) said that "mixed marriages are not valid according to our teachings."
Catholic bishops have taken a different view. For Fr Purbo Tamtomo, expert in Canon Law at the Archdiocese of Jakarta, the union between a man and a woman is "an inalienable human right". Equally, the principle of separation between state and religion is the basis of the state.
In fact, he complained that many couples, married in Church, end up converting to other religions in order to have their union recognised by the state.
IS, militant groups received $120 mn in ransoms: UN
Lalji added that terrorist groups operating in the Middle East, Asia and Africa have made kidnapping the core Al Qaeda tactic for generating revenue.
The IS has executed several Western nationals, including three Americans. A young American woman remains captive.
Many governments do pay ransom to release their nationals kidnapped by terrorist groups, Lalji said. However, the US refuses to change its position against paying ransom for American hostages.
Woman made to parade naked for not working well in Pakistan
Press Trust of India | Lahore
A 28-year-old pregnant Christian woman in Pakistan was allegedly paraded naked for not working up to the expectation of her employer.
The victim is a resident of Christian Colony Rana Town of Sheikhupura district in Punjab Province. She worked as a maid.
The victim claimed that she was made to walk naked for about half an hour for not up to the expectations of her employer.
She said her employer’s son dragged her outside and tore her clothes with his four friends.
She said the culprits left her naked in the corner of the street where an elderly woman gave her clothes. She was later shifted to hospital by her relatives.
Flanked by her husband and other Christian leaders, the mother of four, said: “I was two-month pregnant and I lost my baby in the incident. Police are not arresting the accused. I will commit suicide if I am not given justice,” she warned.
Her husband said the police had registered a case against the accused after medical report confirmed five injuries of his wife. However, the police had refused to include Anti-Terrorism Act charges in the FIR as demanded by the victim.
An FIR has been registered against Mobin Gondal and his four accomplices under various sections of Pakistan Penal Code, Station House Officer Rana Town Muhammad Khan told PTI.
“We are investigating the claim of the complainant that his wife was paraded naked by the accused,” Khan said, adding the police is trying to arrest the culprits.
Christian leader and Human Liberation Front head Aslam Sahotra warned the community would hold demonstrations across the province if the accused were not arrested.
- See more at: http://indianexpress.com/article/world/asia/woman-made-to-parade-naked-for-not-working-well-in-pakistan/#sthash.gXFlrWOt.dpuf
A 28-year-old pregnant Christian woman in Pakistan was allegedly paraded naked for not working up to the expectation of her employer.
The victim is a resident of Christian Colony Rana Town of Sheikhupura district in Punjab Province. She worked as a maid.
The victim claimed that she was made to walk naked for about half an hour for not up to the expectations of her employer.
She said her employer’s son dragged her outside and tore her clothes with his four friends.
She said the culprits left her naked in the corner of the street where an elderly woman gave her clothes. She was later shifted to hospital by her relatives.
Flanked by her husband and other Christian leaders, the mother of four, said: “I was two-month pregnant and I lost my baby in the incident. Police are not arresting the accused. I will commit suicide if I am not given justice,” she warned.
Her husband said the police had registered a case against the accused after medical report confirmed five injuries of his wife. However, the police had refused to include Anti-Terrorism Act charges in the FIR as demanded by the victim.
An FIR has been registered against Mobin Gondal and his four accomplices under various sections of Pakistan Penal Code, Station House Officer Rana Town Muhammad Khan told PTI.
“We are investigating the claim of the complainant that his wife was paraded naked by the accused,” Khan said, adding the police is trying to arrest the culprits.
Christian leader and Human Liberation Front head Aslam Sahotra warned the community would hold demonstrations across the province if the accused were not arrested.
- See more at: http://indianexpress.com/article/world/asia/woman-made-to-parade-naked-for-not-working-well-in-pakistan/#sthash.gXFlrWOt.dpuf
If Umno loses, the Malays will be damned, says Najib
Datuk Seri Najib Razak today reminded delegates that the only way to ensure Malays are protected is to see the recovery of Umno.The party president, in a strongly worded message, told a closed door meeting that the Umno machinery was not doing enough despite more than a year having passed since the 13th general election.
Umno Supreme Council member Datuk Ahmad Puad Zarkashi, who relayed the prime minister's message to the media outside the Merdeka Hall, said that Najib was clearly unhappy with efforts being made to ensure victory in the next polls.
"He raised the issue that the Umno machinery is still weak, slow and not moving fast enough.
"This is his bold rebuke in front of Umno leaders and he clearly shows that he is not satisfied with how things are moving after more than a year has gone by.
"He said that if Umno loses, the Malays will be damned. Those were his words. Not only that, he said religion will be at stake if Umno loses," he said.
Puad said Najib pinpointed the scenario of a defeated Umno and the Malay decline as a reminder to the delegates to be proactive and work towards rejuvenating the party.
He said he had never seen Najib, who is known for his calm approach, to lash out or use such strong words.
"I guess this is the party president at his angriest. Probably he is tired of just talking and decided to use stronger words this time to get his message across,"
The former Batu Pahat MP added that Najib also reminded that the party be open to fresh blood and wanted to see the implementation of online registration of new members.
"When the president announced that he wanted this to happen with immediate effect, he is signalling to all members that he is serious and does not want to hear stories of members driving away professionals and scholars from joining the party, he said.
Najib over the past few weeks have been telling party leaders to come to terms with current political realities and not to obstruct the young and professionals from joining and contributing to the party.
He said Umno must embrace youths if the Barisan Nasional wishes to restore its influence.– November 25, 2014
- See more at: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/if-umno-loses-the-malays-will-be-damned-says-najib#sthash.68Bt8KWu.dpuf
Criticise Umno leadership at assembly, Dr M tells delegates
Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad has called on Umno delegates to be critical and speak their minds at its
assembly which begins tomorrow if the party is to survive and move forward.He said Umno members must be brave in openly criticising their leaders, including their presidents, said Dr Mahathir, who was, at one time, the party’s longest serving president.
“Everyone knows that Umno now is not as popular as before. There are those who say Umno is not relevant.
“If Umno is defeated and wiped off the face of the earth, its leaders and members cannot deny that they had contributed to the downfall of the party that has done a lot for Malays and Malaysia,” said Dr Mahathir in a posting in his blog chedet.cc.
His message to Umno leaders and members comes a day before the country’s largest party is scheduled to hold its 68th assembly in Kuala Lumpur beginning November 26.
Dr Mahathir staunchly criticised Umno members in the past, and had gone on record to withdraw his support for president Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak, who is also the country’s prime minister.
He said he did this after his recommendations to Najib fell on deaf ears.
Dr Mahathir’s most recent criticism was aimed at Najib’s policy of giving out cash transfers such as the People Aid Scheme and his management of debt-ridden sovereign wealth fund, 1Malaysia Development Berhad.
In calling for Umno members to be critical, Dr Mahathir said he himself had been openly criticised and even came close to losing the presidency.
The same, he said, happened to Umno’s first president Tunku Abdul Rahman, and his successors, Tun Abdul Razak Hussein and Tun Hussein Onn.
“Without criticism, leaders will believe everything they do is correct. But in reality, it may be wrong.”
Dr Mahathir also touched on his fallout with Najib, although he did not explicitly mention Najib’s name.
“I was advised to not criticise openly. In reality, I had given my criticisms repeatedly behind closed doors, especially on Bumiputera and Umno problems.
“But it did not work. So I am forced to criticise openly.”
Dr Mahathir also said the "warlord culture" among Umno branch and division leaders corrupted the party to the point where bright and talented members got sidelined.
This has led to the party’s grassroots's structure being dominated by mediocre leaders, he said.
“Umno only accepts new members who do not threaten the position of their leaders at all levels. Branches do not accept those who can challenge the position of branch leaders.
“This is because there are rewards for being branch leaders.
“These branch leaders are then only replaced by weaker and mediocre successors as they are the only type of people the leadership accepts.
“That is why when the question crops up, ‘Who will be Selangor menteri besar if Barisan Nasional wins?', there is no answer... even though Selangor is full of educated and talented Malays who do not have to use Umno to enrich themselves.
“These people are barred from entering Umno. Those who make it in are barred from climbing up as leaders.
“Because of this disappointment, those who have talent are going into other parties. Umno will fade and this sacred party will fade away.” – November 25, 2014.
- See more at: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/criticise-umno-leadership-at-assembly-dr-m-tells-delegates#sthash.3QfEVNzQ.dpuf
Muhyiddin: Time for Umno to do or die
It is now the last call for Umno to buck up or
become irrelevant, and party leaders who stand in the way of its
rejuvenation should leave, said Umno deputy president Muhyiddin Yassin.
"Do or die! Don't place your own interests above the party's interests. I wish to remind myself and Umno leaders of all levels that if we have become a hindrance to the party's rejuvenation, then we should step down honourably.
"Our party must maintain relevance so that the Malay race is protected. The self is unimportant, what is important is the Malays and Umno," he said at the opening of its Wanita's, Pemuda's, and Puteri's wing general assemblies.
Previously,
in the run-up to the Umno general assembly, many Umno leaders including
party president Najib Abdul Razak, had slammed Umno leaders who kept
youths from joining the party in a bid to secure their own positions.
Other salient points from Muhyiddin's speech:
Studies
have also shown that Malay graduates are less likely than equally
qualified Chinese Malaysian graduates to be called for a job interview
in the private sector even with the same qualifications, and receive
lower pay. Most (70.3 percent) of the unemployed are also Malays,
including 66.9 percent of all unemployed graduates.
Intellectual
discourse on human rights and freedom from the perspective of Islam is
needed instead of emotive responses, while Islamic institutions, NGOs,
among others, need to be strengthened.
"Do or die! Don't place your own interests above the party's interests. I wish to remind myself and Umno leaders of all levels that if we have become a hindrance to the party's rejuvenation, then we should step down honourably.
"Our party must maintain relevance so that the Malay race is protected. The self is unimportant, what is important is the Malays and Umno," he said at the opening of its Wanita's, Pemuda's, and Puteri's wing general assemblies.
Previously,
in the run-up to the Umno general assembly, many Umno leaders including
party president Najib Abdul Razak, had slammed Umno leaders who kept
youths from joining the party in a bid to secure their own positions.Other salient points from Muhyiddin's speech:
-
Seven steps proposed to improve the party’s appeal to youths, including
creating youth leaders who are capable opinion leaders, seeking out
young talents to join as active members of the party, and holding more
volunteer programs for the people.
-
Umno members should not be concerned with the party hierarchy, so that
they can voice their own views without keeping an eye on their seniors,
and avoid the image that Umno is a feudal party.
- Accusations that the New Economic Policy (NEP) is backward, drives away investment and causes brain drain is untrue, and are only accusations hurled by haters. Studies including those articulated in Khazanah Research Institute research director Muhammed Abdul Khalid’s book The Colour of Inequality, shows that it benefited all races and improved incomes. Nevertheless, ‘leakages’ have caused it to fall short of its goals.
Studies
have also shown that Malay graduates are less likely than equally
qualified Chinese Malaysian graduates to be called for a job interview
in the private sector even with the same qualifications, and receive
lower pay. Most (70.3 percent) of the unemployed are also Malays,
including 66.9 percent of all unemployed graduates.-
The Bumiputera Agenda needs to be raised as a national agenda and not a
racial one, because it cannot be executed in isolation from the rest of
the economy and needs to cut across all economic sectors.
-
A new ‘National Economic Policy’ is also needed to ensure income
equality. Among others, there should be needs-based affirmative action
policies for the bottom 40 percent income earners regardless of race.
-
The practice of lodging police reports and holding protests in no longer
an adequate answer to challenges against Islam such as liberalism and
secularism.
Intellectual
discourse on human rights and freedom from the perspective of Islam is
needed instead of emotive responses, while Islamic institutions, NGOs,
among others, need to be strengthened.-
· The Sedition Act needs to be retained with some amendments to counter
prejudice in Malaysian society. These amendments include provisions
barring people from questioning the position of Islam as the religion of
the federation, the right of non-Muslims to practice their respective
religions, the status of Malay reserve land, and maintaining the Royal
Malay Regiment.
- Umno had been called as racists when championing Malay rights or Islam, but other races or non-Muslims are not called likewise when defending their kin. This has gone to the extent of Umno being portrayed as the oppressor, despite its contributions for the country.
MMA: Tinasha's parents entitled to medical report
"As the girl is underage and under the custody of her parents, the medical report should be given to the parents directly according to the guidelines of the Healthy Ministry," MMA president Dr H Krishna Kumar told Malaysiakini.
He said the parents need not to abide by the private hospital's demand of sending in a formal write up through the Personal Data Protection Act (PDPA).
"This is not necessary for the parents to follow. If the hospital fails to give the report to them, they can take legal action against them," he added.
Yesterday, the parents of the 14-year-old student filed another police report against the hospital after failing to obtain the medical report.Tinasha's uncle I Ramesh claimed that the hospital was withholding the report because the family went to the media.
However, Assunta Hospital chief executive officer Peter TL Leong said that the family had to follow the proper channels.
Last Friday, Tinisha's parents I Uthayabavani and B Ganesan Rao had accused the hospital of negligence resulting in their daughter's death.
However, Leong had dismissed this, saying the medical staff followed procedure and accused the parents of not wanting to agree to an amicable solution.
MIC Youth: This is a shame
Meanwhile, MIC Youth criticised Assunta Hospital for delaying the medical report.
In a statement MIC Youth leader C Sivarraajh lambasted Leong for his "rude and arrogant" response.
"It
is a shame that Assunta Hospital is behaving in this manner all because
of one man who can’t handle the parents in their moment of grief."I have never heard of a 'proper channel' to get a copy of the medical report. I have also never heard of getting the medical reports through the Health Ministry," he said.
"They are prolonging the parents' anguish and bereavement by giving them the run around, which shows they are not transparent and professional," he added.
Sivarraajh said that MIC is also willing to offer help to the family including legal services.
KAMLES KUMAR is a trainee reporter with Malaysiakini.
Police deny foul play in detainee's death
Instead, Johor CID chief Hasnan Hassan said it was sudden death.
Syed Mohd Azlan Syed Mohamad Nur died while being transferred from the Sungai Rengit police station to the Kota Tinggi police headquarters.
The deceased's family yesterday claimed that the unemployed youth's body was covered in bruises and "hole shaped puncture marks".Hasnan (left), however, alleged that Syed Mohd Azlan was a drug addict with prior criminal records and sustained injuries when resisting arrest.
He was arrested in Kg Simon, Pengerang, at 3.30am on Nov 3, on suspicion of being involved in an armed riot with seven others at Kota Tinggi on Sept 19.
The police believe that Syed Mohd Azlan had brandished a gun during the incident, in which two people were seriously injured.
"When the arrest was being carried out, the deceased (Syed Mohd Azlan) acted aggressively to escape. This caused a struggle between the deceased and the police.
"A
police report has been lodged regarding the arrest and the injuries
sustained by the deceased and police," Hasnan said in a statement late
last night.Syed Mohd Azlan was then brought to the Sungai Rengit police station for further investigations.
Police then claimed that he had trouble breathing while being transferred to Kota Tinggi, and was rushed to the Bandar Penawar Clinic where he was pronounced dead on arrival.
"A post mortem was carried out at the Sultan Ismail Hospital in Johor Bahru. The investigation has been classified as 'sudden death'," Hasnan said.
Brother: Why wasn't he treated earlier?
Commenting on the police’s response, the deceased’s brother Syed Mohd Shariff questioned why Syed Mohd Azlan did not get medical attention earlier.
"He (Syed Mohd Azlan) had difficulty breathing since 5am.
"The Sungai Rengit clinic is just a few meters away from the police station. If he was injured, he should have been treated first," he said in text message to Malaysiakini.
The
unemployed youth's father, Syed Mohamad Nur Ali, had lodged a police
report over the death, and the police said that an investigation would
be launched.The 67-year-old farmer also claimed that when policemen questioned him in connection with his son's arrest, they had threatened him with a gun.
The police are also waiting for the full results of the post-mortem as well as the chemist report, before submitting their investigation report to the deputy public prosecutor.
Judges recuse themselves from AG's immunity case
The hearing is to set aside the High Court judgment that he is not immune from legal action, following suits brought by former Commercial Crime Investigation director Ramli Yusof and lawyer Rosli Dahlan.
The two suits are related to what is known as the Copgate affair.
The two judges who removed themselves from hearing the appeal were Justice Alizatul Khair Othman and Justice P Nalini.
Justice Alizatul recused herself as she was the KL High Court judge who dismissed Rosli's judicial review application to challenge the Malaysian Anti Corruption Commission order for him to declare his assets.
Justice Nalini was one of the members in the Court of Appeal panel which upheld the KL High Court judgment awarding Rosli RM300,000 in damages, following suits he filed against the MACC and New Straits Times for defamation.
Following this, the Court of Appeal has fixed April 1 next year to hear Abdul Gani's appeal before another panel.
Rosli was represented by Chethan Jethwani, while lawyer Harvinderjit Singh appeared for Ramli. Senior lawyer Cecil Abraham appeared for Abdul Gani.
Chethan had pointed out to Justice Alizatul at the start of today’s proceedings that she was involved in the judicial review application by Rosli, and this led to her recusing herself and Justice Nalini to also withdraw herself.
It was reported on April 11 this year that Judicial Commissioner Vazeer Alam Mydin Meera has dismissed Abdul Gani’s application to strike out the two suits brought by Ramli and Rosli, where he ruled the AG was not immune to legal action.
‘AG has no total immunity’
Vazeer Alam wrote that the notion of absolute immunity for a public servant, even when mala fide or abuse of power in the exercise of their prosecutorial power is alleged in the pleadings, is anathema to modern day notions of accountability.
“I agree that deliberate abuse of power by a person holding a public office is tortuous and is referred to as misfeasance in public office.
“Such a tortuous act can arise when an officer actuated by malice, for example, by personal spite or a desire to injure for improper reasons, abuses his power,” the judicial commissioner had said in his lengthy judgment.
Ramli and Rosli named Abdul Gani, former inspector-general of police Musa Hassan and the MACC officers claiming abuse of power, malfeasance in the performance of public duty, malicious prosecution and prosecutorial misconduct among others.
Ramli had filed a RM128.5 million suit, while Rosli had filed a separate suit amounting to RM48 million against the same parties.
At present, thi
Muhyiddin: ‘New’ NEP needed to bridge gap between rich and poor
“I would like to propose that a new NEP is designed to drive equality initiatives,” said the Umno deputy president.
He said most bumiputra were still trapped in the low-income group although Malaysia’s economic growth had reached 6.3% – one of the highest in Asia and recorded RM216.5bil in foreign direct investment (FDI) in 2013, the best in history.
“Do we keep our eyes closed and choose not to do anything if the bumiputra, which comprise 67.4% of the population are still in the low-income group; if four million from 6.5 million employees who contribute to EPF (Employees Provident Fund) earn less than RM2,000 a month?
“How about if the income gap disparity in our country is among the highest in the region; if the people are still not able to own their own home?” Muhyiddin told Umno delegates at Putra World Trade Centre here, Tuesday.
Muhyiddin, when officiating the annual gathering of Umno Youth, Women and Puteri wings, said the Government now faced with beliefs that opposed any implementation of bumiputra empowerment agenda, which he claimed deterred economic development.
“In fact, this kind of policy was used by developed countries more than half a century before they reached the level of developed nations,” he said, adding that the disparity in society was “terrifying” as Malaysians now competed in a more open economy.
He said it was time for the country to reassess the economic model although Malaysia’s economic record showed that the country was on track to become a high-income, developed nation by 2020.
“Therefore, we need to make the bumiputra economic agenda the national agenda, not the agenda of race,” he said, further suggesting that the policies and strategies of the economic agenda be made the main thrust in the 11th Malaysia Plan.
“The bumiputra economic agenda cannot be implemented separately from the framework of national economy. It needs to be implemented inclusively and comprehensively across all sectors of the economy.
Pak Lah: Umno must lead the country fairly
The political philosophy and formulas used by Umno must change to reflect the socio-economic situation in Malaysia.
FMT
KUALA LUMPUR: Former Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, popularly known as Pak Lah, called in a blog post for Umno to manage the country fairly for the advancement of all races in Malaysia, not just Malays.
Addressing the upcoming Umno Annual General Assembly, Badawi said that while the party’s struggle was for race, religion, and country, it also exists to lead the rakyat.
Calling the party the “most important in Malaysia,” Badawi conceded that the political philosophy and formulas used by the party must change to reflect the socio-economic situation in Malaysia.
“Malay economic advancement does not need to be accompanied by suspicion or racial conspiracy theories. In pursuit of progress, the Malays do not have to point fingers or offend others,” he wrote, adding that he was saddened and worried that many people perceived Umno as having or supporting “racial extremist elements.”
He also wrote that he hoped the party would be more positive during the Assembly, asking that the delegates take a positive approach on the development of the Malays and light a spirit of struggle among the party, and not a “spirit of racism,” so that Umno’s agenda would be accepted by all.
“I believe the rhetoric and political philosophy of Umno needs to be updated immediately, in tandem with the development of the political philosophy of the people of today’s Malaysia,” he wrote, “I also hope that non-Malays will not misunderstand when Umno leaders discuss and argue about Malay affairs, and not make groundless accusations. While there may be a speech that seems offensive, Umno as a party is not racist.”
Badawi also encouraged the party to be less aggressive and more proactive to tackle the needs of the current geo-political situation, saying that he believed the rakyat truly wanted a party that understood their needs, tried to resolve their struggles, and was in touch with them.
KUALA LUMPUR: Former Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, popularly known as Pak Lah, called in a blog post for Umno to manage the country fairly for the advancement of all races in Malaysia, not just Malays.
Addressing the upcoming Umno Annual General Assembly, Badawi said that while the party’s struggle was for race, religion, and country, it also exists to lead the rakyat.
Calling the party the “most important in Malaysia,” Badawi conceded that the political philosophy and formulas used by the party must change to reflect the socio-economic situation in Malaysia.
“Malay economic advancement does not need to be accompanied by suspicion or racial conspiracy theories. In pursuit of progress, the Malays do not have to point fingers or offend others,” he wrote, adding that he was saddened and worried that many people perceived Umno as having or supporting “racial extremist elements.”
He also wrote that he hoped the party would be more positive during the Assembly, asking that the delegates take a positive approach on the development of the Malays and light a spirit of struggle among the party, and not a “spirit of racism,” so that Umno’s agenda would be accepted by all.
“I believe the rhetoric and political philosophy of Umno needs to be updated immediately, in tandem with the development of the political philosophy of the people of today’s Malaysia,” he wrote, “I also hope that non-Malays will not misunderstand when Umno leaders discuss and argue about Malay affairs, and not make groundless accusations. While there may be a speech that seems offensive, Umno as a party is not racist.”
Badawi also encouraged the party to be less aggressive and more proactive to tackle the needs of the current geo-political situation, saying that he believed the rakyat truly wanted a party that understood their needs, tried to resolve their struggles, and was in touch with them.
Sarawak labeled as ” ground zero of deforestation’
NGO calls for replacement of top officials in Sarawak "who should have dealt with these problems a long time ago but failed to do so"
FMT
KUCHING: The Swiss-based Bruno Manser Fund (BMF) has called on the Sarawak Government in a statement to establish a Green Task Force “to deal with the urgent problems of corruption in the timber industry, deforestation and the loss of biodiversity”.
The Task Force, adds the NGO, should see the replacement of the top officials in Sarawak “who should have dealt with these problems a long time ago but failed to do so”.
The BMF call for the Task Force follows two events on November 17.
REDD-Monitor, an international body based in Frankfurt, Germany, labeled Sarawak as “ground zero of deforestation”.
November 17 is also the day that Chief Minister Adenan Satem apparently publicly humiliated the Big Six in the Sarawak timber industry by getting them to sign a Corporate Integrity Pledge worked out by the Malaysian Integrity Institute.
“This must have been bitter for Sarawak’s timber giants who have earned billions of dollars under Adenan’s predecessor, the notorious Taib Mahmud,” said the BMF statement.
While Adenan has since qualified the strong words he reportedly used in the presence of the Big Six and journalists, notes BMF, he did reiterate that corruption and illegal logging in Sarawak were “very serious“ and that Sarawak needed more protected forest areas.
Adenan reportedly told the heads of Rimbunan Hijau, Samling, Shin Yang, WTK, KTS and Ta Ann . . . “I will put the fear of God into people who are dishonest”, “don’t mess with me”, “I mean business” etc and/or words to that effect. The Chief Minister clarified the next day that the harsh words were actually meant for those working with the Big Six, the lesser mortals, and others in the Sarawak Government, not the heads of the Big Six.
“While the Bruno Manser Fund commends the new Chief Minister’s resolve to fight corruption and combat illegal logging, pledges alone will not be enough to save Sarawak’s’ threatened old-growth forests, which have been reduced to less than ten per cent of the state’s surface,” said the BMF statement.
The NGO called on Adenan to seriously consider, as among Task Force initiatives, an export ban like that imposed by Myanmar and Gabon on raw logs.
Among other measures, it advocates freezing of timber concessions over high-conservation value forests, the publishing of all forestry and plantation concessions in order to create transparency, as well as a comprehensive review of indigenous communities’ claims over forests in the light of the latest court decisions on native rights.
“It appears particularly important that indigenous communities who wish to protect their native lands from being logged or converted into plantations, should be allowed to do so without restraints,” said BMF.
It cited the proposed “Penan Peace Park”, a model that integrates forest protection with socio-economic development in Upper Baram, as a case in point.
KUCHING: The Swiss-based Bruno Manser Fund (BMF) has called on the Sarawak Government in a statement to establish a Green Task Force “to deal with the urgent problems of corruption in the timber industry, deforestation and the loss of biodiversity”.
The Task Force, adds the NGO, should see the replacement of the top officials in Sarawak “who should have dealt with these problems a long time ago but failed to do so”.
The BMF call for the Task Force follows two events on November 17.
REDD-Monitor, an international body based in Frankfurt, Germany, labeled Sarawak as “ground zero of deforestation”.
November 17 is also the day that Chief Minister Adenan Satem apparently publicly humiliated the Big Six in the Sarawak timber industry by getting them to sign a Corporate Integrity Pledge worked out by the Malaysian Integrity Institute.
“This must have been bitter for Sarawak’s timber giants who have earned billions of dollars under Adenan’s predecessor, the notorious Taib Mahmud,” said the BMF statement.
While Adenan has since qualified the strong words he reportedly used in the presence of the Big Six and journalists, notes BMF, he did reiterate that corruption and illegal logging in Sarawak were “very serious“ and that Sarawak needed more protected forest areas.
Adenan reportedly told the heads of Rimbunan Hijau, Samling, Shin Yang, WTK, KTS and Ta Ann . . . “I will put the fear of God into people who are dishonest”, “don’t mess with me”, “I mean business” etc and/or words to that effect. The Chief Minister clarified the next day that the harsh words were actually meant for those working with the Big Six, the lesser mortals, and others in the Sarawak Government, not the heads of the Big Six.
“While the Bruno Manser Fund commends the new Chief Minister’s resolve to fight corruption and combat illegal logging, pledges alone will not be enough to save Sarawak’s’ threatened old-growth forests, which have been reduced to less than ten per cent of the state’s surface,” said the BMF statement.
The NGO called on Adenan to seriously consider, as among Task Force initiatives, an export ban like that imposed by Myanmar and Gabon on raw logs.
Among other measures, it advocates freezing of timber concessions over high-conservation value forests, the publishing of all forestry and plantation concessions in order to create transparency, as well as a comprehensive review of indigenous communities’ claims over forests in the light of the latest court decisions on native rights.
“It appears particularly important that indigenous communities who wish to protect their native lands from being logged or converted into plantations, should be allowed to do so without restraints,” said BMF.
It cited the proposed “Penan Peace Park”, a model that integrates forest protection with socio-economic development in Upper Baram, as a case in point.
Malaysia’s Najib Under Fire at AGM
No open rebellion, but Prime Minister faces a rebellion over Malay privilege
By Asia Sentinel
Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak opened the United Malays National Organization annual general meeting Tuesday under siege on his own flanks, partly former from Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, and partly from his own deputy prime minister and party deputy chief Muhyiddin Yassin, who is increasingly openly challenging him.
Given Malay politics, where frontal opposition is rare, the attacks are obtuse and opaque. But the messages from both are clear: that under the party’s current leadership, the ruling Barisan Nasional, will lose the next election because the party, the biggest component of the national ruling coalition, is being deserted by ethnic Malays.
The conclave is expected to run through Saturday and can be expected to feature the usual fire-breathing attacks on other races and religions -- from the dais -- if things go as usual. But sources close to Mahathir say this one is also expected to feature rank-and-file efforts to pass a resolution telling Najib he can’t do away with the country’s colonial era sedition laws, as the prime minister has promised.
“That is a blow to the PM, who has pledged to abolish it,” the source said. The divisions won’t take on a growing scandal over the sovereign wealth fund 1Malaysia Development Bd., he said, “because it is now a national problem. We don’t expect it to be discussed because most members don’t know what is going on. It’s too complicated.”
1MDB, however, is the elephant in the room to the leadership, a disastrously managed sovereign investment fund which has accumulated debts of RM36 billion, apparently because of a calamitous investment in a Saudi Arabian oil venture in which RM7.2 billion appears to have disappeared altogether. Subsequent attempts to cover the failed investment have driven debt through the roof. Mahathir has assailed the government over the operation of 1MDB, as has Daim and several bloggers who are loyal to Mahathir.
A source close to the Mahathir wing described the 1MDB investment as the biggest scandal the country has ever faced, a tall statement given that billions have been lost through disastrous and crooked loans from the state-owned Bank Bumiputera Bhd, the attempt to modernize the Port Clang seaport, attempts to corner the tin market, a failed steel mill and many others.
The bigger issue for this round is Malay privilege. Ethnic Malays dominate almost all of the top positions in the civil service, the military and the police. Malay-owned companies are given the lion’s share of government contracts. They are given preferential treatment in the number of positions in government universities, receive 7 percent discounts for new houses, have special reserve land in housing settlements and burial plots. A minimum of 30 percent equity must be given to Malays in all listed companies. Mosques and Islamic places of worship are fully funded. They receive special share allocations for new applications.
Nonetheless, Najib and the coterie surrounding him are under fire from Mahathir and organizations such as Perkasa, a Malay superiority organization headed by Ibrahim Ali, once described by a critic as “Mahathir’s Brown Shirts,” a reference to the shock troops of the Nazi leader Adolf Hitler, for giving away too much to other ethnic groupings, particularly the Chinese. Despite the perks given to ethnic Malays, the Chinese continue to dominate the economy.
Mahathir and his close associate, onetime Finance Minister Daim Zainuddin, lambasted Najib for attempting to reach out to the minorities prior to the 2013 general election, in which a three-party coalition headed by Anwar Ibrahim won a vast majority of the Chinese votes. Anwar’s coalition, Pakatan Rakyat, won a majority of all votes in the election but lost parliamentary seats through gerrymandering and the country’s first-past-the-post electoral system.
Political rumor mills are buzzing over indications that Muhyiddin would make a move for the top job, although change is unlikely during the current conclave. But for months, Muhyiddin, a Johor-based Malay nationalist, had been telling associates and friends that he would like to retire. He is 67 and has said he is tired. He recently went on the haj, or religious pilgrimage to Mecca, however and came back to say he feels rejuvenated.
Last week, he gave a series of interviews to local papers, saying he is afraid the party would lose the next election, which must be held before May 2017 because of continued infighting among leaders and because of corruption. He singled out UMNO Youth and the women’s division for criticism, which is telling because the heads of both are close allies of Najib’s. The youth wing is headed by Khairy Jamaluddin, a close lieutenant of Najib’s, and the women’s division, headed by Shahrizat Abdul Jamil, whom Najib saved from a massive scandal involving the loss of millions of dollars from a national cattle feeding scheme because of corruption and mismanagement.
Mahathir, in his blog Che Det, urged the rank and file to criticize party leaders, saying warlords are blocking fresh blood from entering party ranks and that ethnic Malay voters are losing faith in the party over its ability to defend them. Implicit in that attack is that Najib has given away too much political and economic power to ethnic Chinese, who make up 22.9 percent of the population against 60.1 percent for ethnic Malays.
Perkasa, which has become quite influential within UMNO held its own AGM recently to say that if UMNO continues to ”fail Malays,” Malays will teach UMNO a lesson by leaving the party in the next election.
Unfortunately these statements betray ignorance of the fact that Malays are turned off not so much by UMNO’s failure to protect them as by the fact that the party has grown sclerotic and is characterized by rent-seeking and outright corruption on a vast scale, with the party’s leadership enriching themselves while leaving the villagers in the kampungs with few benefits except at election time. One of Muhyiddin’s family, for instance, is rumored to have grown rich enough via government contracts to afford a private executive jet.
Most recently, costs for the construction of a new terminal at Kuala Lumpur International Airport is believed to have ballooned from RM1.7 billion to RM4 billion because of contract irregularities.
Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak opened the United Malays National Organization annual general meeting Tuesday under siege on his own flanks, partly former from Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, and partly from his own deputy prime minister and party deputy chief Muhyiddin Yassin, who is increasingly openly challenging him.
Given Malay politics, where frontal opposition is rare, the attacks are obtuse and opaque. But the messages from both are clear: that under the party’s current leadership, the ruling Barisan Nasional, will lose the next election because the party, the biggest component of the national ruling coalition, is being deserted by ethnic Malays.
The conclave is expected to run through Saturday and can be expected to feature the usual fire-breathing attacks on other races and religions -- from the dais -- if things go as usual. But sources close to Mahathir say this one is also expected to feature rank-and-file efforts to pass a resolution telling Najib he can’t do away with the country’s colonial era sedition laws, as the prime minister has promised.
“That is a blow to the PM, who has pledged to abolish it,” the source said. The divisions won’t take on a growing scandal over the sovereign wealth fund 1Malaysia Development Bd., he said, “because it is now a national problem. We don’t expect it to be discussed because most members don’t know what is going on. It’s too complicated.”
1MDB, however, is the elephant in the room to the leadership, a disastrously managed sovereign investment fund which has accumulated debts of RM36 billion, apparently because of a calamitous investment in a Saudi Arabian oil venture in which RM7.2 billion appears to have disappeared altogether. Subsequent attempts to cover the failed investment have driven debt through the roof. Mahathir has assailed the government over the operation of 1MDB, as has Daim and several bloggers who are loyal to Mahathir.
A source close to the Mahathir wing described the 1MDB investment as the biggest scandal the country has ever faced, a tall statement given that billions have been lost through disastrous and crooked loans from the state-owned Bank Bumiputera Bhd, the attempt to modernize the Port Clang seaport, attempts to corner the tin market, a failed steel mill and many others.
The bigger issue for this round is Malay privilege. Ethnic Malays dominate almost all of the top positions in the civil service, the military and the police. Malay-owned companies are given the lion’s share of government contracts. They are given preferential treatment in the number of positions in government universities, receive 7 percent discounts for new houses, have special reserve land in housing settlements and burial plots. A minimum of 30 percent equity must be given to Malays in all listed companies. Mosques and Islamic places of worship are fully funded. They receive special share allocations for new applications.
Nonetheless, Najib and the coterie surrounding him are under fire from Mahathir and organizations such as Perkasa, a Malay superiority organization headed by Ibrahim Ali, once described by a critic as “Mahathir’s Brown Shirts,” a reference to the shock troops of the Nazi leader Adolf Hitler, for giving away too much to other ethnic groupings, particularly the Chinese. Despite the perks given to ethnic Malays, the Chinese continue to dominate the economy.
Mahathir and his close associate, onetime Finance Minister Daim Zainuddin, lambasted Najib for attempting to reach out to the minorities prior to the 2013 general election, in which a three-party coalition headed by Anwar Ibrahim won a vast majority of the Chinese votes. Anwar’s coalition, Pakatan Rakyat, won a majority of all votes in the election but lost parliamentary seats through gerrymandering and the country’s first-past-the-post electoral system.
Political rumor mills are buzzing over indications that Muhyiddin would make a move for the top job, although change is unlikely during the current conclave. But for months, Muhyiddin, a Johor-based Malay nationalist, had been telling associates and friends that he would like to retire. He is 67 and has said he is tired. He recently went on the haj, or religious pilgrimage to Mecca, however and came back to say he feels rejuvenated.
Last week, he gave a series of interviews to local papers, saying he is afraid the party would lose the next election, which must be held before May 2017 because of continued infighting among leaders and because of corruption. He singled out UMNO Youth and the women’s division for criticism, which is telling because the heads of both are close allies of Najib’s. The youth wing is headed by Khairy Jamaluddin, a close lieutenant of Najib’s, and the women’s division, headed by Shahrizat Abdul Jamil, whom Najib saved from a massive scandal involving the loss of millions of dollars from a national cattle feeding scheme because of corruption and mismanagement.
Mahathir, in his blog Che Det, urged the rank and file to criticize party leaders, saying warlords are blocking fresh blood from entering party ranks and that ethnic Malay voters are losing faith in the party over its ability to defend them. Implicit in that attack is that Najib has given away too much political and economic power to ethnic Chinese, who make up 22.9 percent of the population against 60.1 percent for ethnic Malays.
Perkasa, which has become quite influential within UMNO held its own AGM recently to say that if UMNO continues to ”fail Malays,” Malays will teach UMNO a lesson by leaving the party in the next election.
Unfortunately these statements betray ignorance of the fact that Malays are turned off not so much by UMNO’s failure to protect them as by the fact that the party has grown sclerotic and is characterized by rent-seeking and outright corruption on a vast scale, with the party’s leadership enriching themselves while leaving the villagers in the kampungs with few benefits except at election time. One of Muhyiddin’s family, for instance, is rumored to have grown rich enough via government contracts to afford a private executive jet.
Most recently, costs for the construction of a new terminal at Kuala Lumpur International Airport is believed to have ballooned from RM1.7 billion to RM4 billion because of contract irregularities.
Malaysia reaping inequality, corruption and racial envy from race-based policies
Tan Sri Dr Kamal Salih, an adjunct professor of Economics and Development Studies at Universiti Malaya (UM) said that the benefits of the development policies did not truly extend beyond the first 20 years of the New Economic Policy's (NEP) implementation.
"The problem over the decades involved has not been with the intent nor the content of the NEP and its successors, but the manner of their implementation, which have produced new inequalities, poverty and vulnerabilities in the development process.
"While no further progress has been made in reducing inequality in income distribution over the last decade, the NEP had resulted instead in creating a culture of dependency, corruption and racial envy."
Successive policies after the NEP, like the National Development Policy (NDP) and National Vision Policy (NVP), also had the same consequences as inequality in wealth distribution was not addressed, he said.
Kamal said this in his keynote speech at the launch of the Malaysia Human Development Report (MHDR) 2013 at the Pacific Regency Hotel in Kuala Lumpur today.
Kamal was the lead author of the report, which revealed that the formation of the middle class was fastest during the implementation of the NEP in the 20-year period involved.
"However, throughout the entire period until now, the size of the middle class... has remained relatively small for Malaysia, trending around the 20% when in comparison in a typical developed country situation, the percentage is closer to 50-55%."
He said the middle class was defined by the World Bank as those households positioned between 20% of the median income.
Kamal added that NEP-based ethnic classification was becoming less relevant when tackling equity in development, noting that inequality in Malaysia went beyond race.
The policies were aimed at bringing Malays and Bumiputeras to be on a par economically with other ethnic groups.
But the study showed that inequality had also grown within ethnic groups. Wealth gaps between ethnic groups as a whole did close, but resulted in the creation of a class divide.
"While the bottom 50% has wages/salaries making up 97% of their purchasing power, the upper part of the middle class would exhibit a similar pattern to the upper 50% with contribution from wealth effects approaching 11% and increasing as they climb the income ladder.
"In other words, on the basis of household fiscal capability Malaysia essentially exhibits a two-class social stratification, with inequality diminishing between ethnicities but within-group income gaps rising more and more to obliterate the NEP-based ethnic classification as a relevant issue of equity in development.
"Income inequalities then become essentially a question of class. This would be good news for some, while not so for others!"
He added that the New Economic Model's (NEM) emphasis on the bottom 40% overlooked "vertical and horizontal equity" in development, such as institutional issues, corruption and rent-seeking behaviour.
"In my view, a piecemeal and project-oriented approach will not do the job, only a comprehensive reform of policies and institutions will set the course of the country's development in its proper path onwards to economic growth and social justice." – November 25, 2014.
- See more at: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/malaysia-reaping-inequality-corruption-and-racial-envy-from-race-based-poli#sthash.zABzvRbm.dpuf
Questions over mystery death in custody of Johor man linked to firearms
Malay Mail
by JOSEPH SIPALAN
by JOSEPH SIPALAN
KUALA
LUMPUR, Nov 24 — The family of a 25-year-old man in Johor who died while
under police custody demanded today the Inspector-General of Police
(IGP) Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar explain the questionable circumstances
leading to the tragedy, highlighting an autopsy report of blunt force as
the cause of death.
Lawyer
Gobind Singh Deo, who is acting as counsel for the family of Syed Mohd
Azlan Syed Mohamed Nur, said the police have not even informed the
family as to why the victim was arrested nor did they explain how he
ended up in the Kota Tinggi hospital morgue on November 3.
“We
don’t know when he was detained or what was the reason. Based on what
the father said, it appears to be related to firearms, but there has
been no explanation,” he said at a news conference here.
According
to the family’s account, Syed Mohd Azlan was last seen when he left
their family home in Pengerang, Johor at around 9pm on November 2 to go
shopping.
His
father, Syed Mohamad Nur Ali, 67, said the police later came banging on
his front door at 5am the next day, demanding to be let in to search
their house.
Syed
Mohamed claimed that no warrant was produced, and was only told after
asking officers involved in the raid that they were looking for
firearms.
The
farmer said he legally owns a shotgun to protect his crops, and that he
kept it in a strongbox under lock and key, adding that he owned no
other firearms.
Recounting
the events of that fateful day, Syed Mohamed said he was also summoned
at 6am on November 3 to give a statement at the Sungai Renggit police
station, where he believes his son was detained in a meeting room but
denied permission to meet him.
It
was only later in the afternoon at around 1pm when police told him that
his son had died and his body kept at the Kota Tinggi hospital.
Gobind
said a post mortem, carried out at the Sultan Ismail Specialist
Hospital in Johor Bahru, found that the cause of death was blunt force
trauma to the chest.
The
Puchong MP for DAP said he will write to Khalid giving him 14 days from
today to give a full explanation as to what happened in Syed Mohd
Azlan’s case, failing which they will proceed to raise the matter with
the Attorney-General (AG) seeking an inquest.
Should
they also fail to get the AG to launch an inquest, the family would
then have no choice but to file a civil suit against those responsible
for Syed Mohd Azlan’s death, he noted.
“The
police didn’t even come to meet the father. We will continue to push
this until something is done... those responsible must be brought to
justice,” Gobind said.
Muhyiddin Says Appropriate To Maintain Sedition Act, But With Improvements
KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 25 (Bernama) -- Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin on Tuesday said that it is appropriate for the Sedition Act 1948 to be maintained with several improvements made because it serves to preserve unity and national harmony, and not aimed at protecting the interests of the Malays alone.
The Deputy Prime Minister said it was apt for the government to take stern action to curb quarters from making statements which touched on racial and religious sensitivities that could spark tension because prevention was better than cure.
Hence, he expressed the need for several provisions to be inserted in the law to prohibit anyone from questioning the provisions in the constitution that safeguarded Islam as the religion of the federation.
"This act is also needed to prevent anyone from questioning the rights of believers of other religious faiths to practice their religion.
"Likewise, with the position of the Malay reserve land and the Royal Malay Regiment which are part of the decisions by the Malay rulers that have to be protected from any acts of sedition," he said.
Muhyiddin, who is also Umno deputy president, said this in his speech at the simultaneous opening of the Wanita, Youth and Puteri Umno assemblies in conjunction with the 2014 Umno general assembly at the Putra World Trade Centre here.
He also reminded party delegates to be firm in opposing extremism and militancy which were rapidly influencing young people who wanted a short-cut to heaven.
"We will not compromise with those who attempt to twist the meaning of 'wasatiyyah' (moderation) which is synonymous with the Islamic principles of moderation by bringing deviationist ideologies, like liberalism and secularism," he added.
Muhyiddin said Umno could not remain at its old notch by making police reports or putting up banners in tackling pressures against Islam, but with knowledge.
"We have to have more discussions, publications and discourse on freedom and human rights according to the Islamic perspective and how Islam deals with secularism.
"We have to address secularism in religion by being steadfast in faith and sharpness of the mind, and not shrouded by blind emotions," he said, adding that Islamic institutions and law enforcement should be emphasised through cooperation with Islamic non-governmental organisations.
This, he said, was because Muslims were now in the post-modern world that regarded religion as an obstacle to human freedom.
He referred to last October issue of the 'Economist' magazine which stated that same-sex marriage, which was not accepted by almost all countries in the 1950s, was now recognised in 113 countries or 63 per cent of the countries in the world.
The Deputy Prime Minister said it was apt for the government to take stern action to curb quarters from making statements which touched on racial and religious sensitivities that could spark tension because prevention was better than cure.
Hence, he expressed the need for several provisions to be inserted in the law to prohibit anyone from questioning the provisions in the constitution that safeguarded Islam as the religion of the federation.
"This act is also needed to prevent anyone from questioning the rights of believers of other religious faiths to practice their religion.
"Likewise, with the position of the Malay reserve land and the Royal Malay Regiment which are part of the decisions by the Malay rulers that have to be protected from any acts of sedition," he said.
Muhyiddin, who is also Umno deputy president, said this in his speech at the simultaneous opening of the Wanita, Youth and Puteri Umno assemblies in conjunction with the 2014 Umno general assembly at the Putra World Trade Centre here.
He also reminded party delegates to be firm in opposing extremism and militancy which were rapidly influencing young people who wanted a short-cut to heaven.
"We will not compromise with those who attempt to twist the meaning of 'wasatiyyah' (moderation) which is synonymous with the Islamic principles of moderation by bringing deviationist ideologies, like liberalism and secularism," he added.
Muhyiddin said Umno could not remain at its old notch by making police reports or putting up banners in tackling pressures against Islam, but with knowledge.
"We have to have more discussions, publications and discourse on freedom and human rights according to the Islamic perspective and how Islam deals with secularism.
"We have to address secularism in religion by being steadfast in faith and sharpness of the mind, and not shrouded by blind emotions," he said, adding that Islamic institutions and law enforcement should be emphasised through cooperation with Islamic non-governmental organisations.
This, he said, was because Muslims were now in the post-modern world that regarded religion as an obstacle to human freedom.
He referred to last October issue of the 'Economist' magazine which stated that same-sex marriage, which was not accepted by almost all countries in the 1950s, was now recognised in 113 countries or 63 per cent of the countries in the world.
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