'Who caused Dharmendran's death?'

Come and join us, MIC tells IPF

MIC has told the Indian Progressive Front (IPF) and other Indian based parties affiliated to BN, to come in under MIC if they want to consolidate as one party under the BN banner.

MIC youth chief C Sivaraajh said this today after Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak at the IPF general assembly yesterday, urged all Indian parties in the ruling coalition to consolidate, as there are too many parties attempting to represent Malaysia's 7.5 percent Indian population.

"But the biggest and oldest party is the MIC and all other parties should merge into the MIC to strengthen it and consolidate the Indian community," Sivaraajh said in a statement today, while agreeing with Najib's call.

He pointed out that other four parties attempting to represent the Indian community within the BN fold all started as "MIC splinters".

"The MIC is mother of all Indian parties," he said.

However, Sivaraajh (right) also demanded that IPF first consolidate their leadership crisis before talking about merging with MIC.

IPF is separated into three factions currently, with no wholly recognised leader.

"How can a one-third president unite 80 percent of the Indian community? Ridiculous," he said, aiming his criticism at IPF faction president P Sambanthan.

"Please wake up to your puny status as a one-third president," he said.

CWC to discuss re-elections

Meanwhile, MIC also announced today that it will hold an emergency Central Working Committee (CWC) meeting over the Registrar of Societies (ROS) order for it to conduct re-elections.

Party secretary-general A Prakash Rao, according to a Bernama report, said the meeting would start at 2pm this Thursday  with top MIC officials, the election committee and lawyers.

MIC has said that it intends to appeal the ROS directive within 10 days as there "uncertainties in the directive".

The ROS order to re-elect all of MIC's posts except for the post of president and deputy president has further put party president G Palanivel's position in question. He has already been criticised for his poor leadership of the party.

 

Stop being in denial mode, cops told

The police should stop being "in denial" about negative public perception of the force's integrity, Home Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said today.

He  said that the process of keeping the force's integrity should start from the higher ups, who will then be emulated by the junior ranking officers.

"A fish starts rotting from its head. Because we are the head here, we must take care of that integrity," Zahid (left) said.

"We need a joint commitment. The time is over for us to be in denial about the negative perception that has taken place all this while," Zahid said at a police officers event in Cheras today.

"Do not think that the people do not know what we are doing," he added.

Zahid was launching the police rebranding of the Logistical Department to become the Department of Strategic and Technological Resources.

In his speech the home minister who is also Umno vice-president, said he wants to change the perception that crime is increasing despite in actuality it had reduced by 35 per cent.

He believed such a perception would result in the public having a biased view of the authorities.

In changing such notion, Zahid admitted that the force is faced with restrictions and limitations in its budget to modernise its equipment and assets.

He listed old patrol cars which and closed circuit cameras as some of the equipment that need replacement.

“We want modern equipment, assets which are up to date. But we must also be prepared at all times to tackle crime with the equipment that we possess.”

Zahid said the public should also be fair to the police who are doing their best despite facing limitations equipment-wise.

Muslim scholars push for constitutional changes

 

Last week, 25 "Eminent Malays" rose to prominence when they urged Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak to show leadership in the face of intolerant voices.

This week, 33 Muslim scholars, consisting mostly of professors in various disciplines, urged the government to set up a "high-powered committee" to review the Federal Constitution for amendments to incorporate the needs of Muslims and entrench the rights of minorities.

At a press conference today, Malaysian Consultative Council of Islamic Organisation (Mapim) president Mohd Azmi Abdul Hamid said the constitution was not cast in stone.

Speaking on behalf of the scholars, Mohd Azmi said the committee should consist of Muslim and non-Muslim experts on constitutional law, Islamic law as well as other relevant fields.

"Apart from reviewing the constitution, the committee should address the weaknesses in the current Syariah judicial system and make recommendations to overcome them," he told reporters.

Meanwhile, although the scholars said they agree with the 25 that a solution must be found to the unresolved disputes on the position and application of Islamic laws in the country, the eminent Malays’ criticisms of Islamic law was not helpful in promoting discussion on the issues, they said.

On the group’s statement that the Syariah Criminal Offences laws of Malaysia were in conflict with Islamic legal principles, the scholars said that the Eminent 25 did not provide evidence to support the allegation.

“The charge is serious at it reflects on the competence of the state governments, state legal advisers and the attorney-general.

“How can they approve laws that are contrary to Islamic principles?”

Adding that although they were heartened by the retired civil servants’ initiative to address the alleged weaknesses in Islamic law, the scholars expressed hope that they will likewise show concern on other issues such as the growing disparity between the rich and poor, corruption, as well as erosion of moral and ethical values.

“It will be beneficial to the nation for them to share their knowledge, time and expertise with civil society organisations to promote social justice and national unity,” Mohd Azmi said, reading from the statement.

‘A public debate will only confuse people’

Speaking to Malaysiakini later, Mohd Azmi said the matter should have been discussed by the group behind closed doors as a public debate will only confuse people further and create slander.

“When a person wants to talk about a certain issue, he or she must be qualified in the discipline and have depth of knowledge.

“Can I, who am not equipped with Christian theology, make statements about Christianity?”

When told that the eminent Malays had possibly made the statement because they felt entitled to do so as Muslims, Mohd Azmi said followers of other religions do not do such things.

“Do you see Buddhists and Christians doing it? They respect the fact that they are mere followers and are not experts in the particular religions,” he said.

Meanwhile, former Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia deputy vice-chancellor Shaharir Mohamamd Zain said that English daily The Star had played the issue as though the 25 Malays were the only moderate ones while others are extreme.

“I hope The Star does not label those who try to rectify the laws through the Islamic way as extremists,” Shaharir said.