Saturday 28 February 2015
NORWEGIAN STATE BROADCASTER SAYS MULLAH KREKAR’S APPROVAL OF PARIS AND COPNHAGEN KILLINGS, DOESN’T REPRESENT TRUE ISLAM…….
NRK doesn’t represent real journalism.
NRK runs defense for Islam: ”Krekar doesn’t speak for all of Islam”, though his views are in fact, in keeping with Islamic norms. And most observing Muslims understand this:
Krekar sparks more outrage
February 25, 2015
Islamic extremist Mullah Krekar continued to provoke Norwegian authorities and the public in general on Wednesday after he unleashed another string of alarming statements in an interview with Norwegian Broadcasting (NRK). Prime Minister Erna Solberg, who’s been threatened by Krekar herself, said that Krekar exhibited “extreme attitudes” that aren’t shared by the majority of Muslims.
Krekar claimed, for example, that he was pleased by the recent terrorist attacks in Paris, that anyone who draws pictures the Prophet Mohammed deserves to die, and that he would send a gift to anyone who kills one of the Kurds that he earlier was convicted of threatening.
His brash statements generated the publicity Krekar seems to thrive on, with the prime minister, the justice minister and several leading muslims in Norway reacting publicly. Justice Minister Anders Anundsen said he was frightened by Krekar’s statements, while leading muslims wish Krekar would simply be ignored.
“Mullah Krekar has no credibility when it comes to Islamic theology,” Dr Mohammad Usman Rana, a doctor and local commentator on Islam, told NRK. “Even though he puts on a turban and robes, that doesn’t make him an Islamic scholar.”
Bushra Ishaq, another local muslim commentator, was also disgusted by Krekar’s remarks. “He justifies the murder of civilians,” she told NRK. “He stands for a perverted view of the world and he directly encourages acts of terrorism. He has a beard, but he is not theologist. Most of us muslims feel he has hijacked our faith.”
MORE HERE: h/t: Fjordman
Dr.Andrew Bostom proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that murdering those who ‘defame’ Mohamed, even the non-believer, is deserved of being killed according to Islamic law.
'If he's a "beautiful, kind man", why is he killing innocent civilians? He's a monster': Brother of British hostage Alan Henning blasts the Jihadi John apologists who blamed MI5 for radicalising executioner
- Asim Qureshi helped name his friend Mohammed Emwazi as Jihadi John
- Mr Qureshi said that MI5 had harassed Emwazi and help radicalise him
- Campaigner was tearful as he described him as 'extremely kind and gentle'
- He added that 'the man I knew would never hurt a single person'
- But David Henning hit back and said: 'He's a monster'
- Comments caused fury from people who believe MI5 were doing their job
- CAGE broadcast was on Sky News for 58 minutes without interruption and the BBC showed it for 52 minutes
By Martin Robinson for MailOnline and Laurie HannaA video has surfaced of the Muslim activist who described ISIS executioner Jihadi John as 'a beautiful man' supporting Jihad at an anti-US rally in London.
Asim Qureshi, leader of campaign group CAGE, was filmed urging protesters to 'support the jihad of our brothers and sisters' in Iraq, Afghanistan, Palestine and Chechnya.
Yesterday, Qureshi, who helped to name ISIS militant Jihadi John as west London student Mohammed Emwazi, caused outrage by saying the murderer was 'beautiful' adding that he 'wouldn't hurt a fly'.
But Reg Henning, brother of British aid worker Alan Henning who died at Jihadi John's hands, hit back and said: 'If he's a "beautiful, kind man", why is he killing innocent civilians?
'He's a monster. Everyone should be doing everything they can to capture him and bring him to justice - not stick up for him like he's been hard done by.'
Speaking while close to tears at a press conference this afternoon, he blamed MI5 for radicalising Emwazi, saying the security services harassed him and alienated him.
In the earlier footage, Qureshi can be seen speaking through a microphone at the pan-Islamic Hizb ut-Tahrir movement rally.
He says: 'When we see the example of our brothers and sisters fighting in Chechnya, Iraq, Palestine, Kashmir, Afghanistan, then we know where the example lies.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2970521/Outrage-group-blames-MI5-radicalising-extremely-kind-Jihadi-John-fled-Syria-kill-people-ISIS.html
OK for non-Muslims to return free Quran copies, says Jakim
Non-Muslims can return copies of the Quran after accepting them and it is also untrue that their religion will be converted to Islam just by filling up a form, says the Department of Islamic Development Malaysia (Jakim).This is the first time the department has spoken on the outcry by some that a project to distribute translated copies of the Quran would result in conversion or entrapment if the holy books were to be disposed of.
Jakim director-general Datuk Othman Mustapha told Chinese daily Sin Chew Jit Poh this in response to a message being circulated on social media warning non-Muslims not to accept the free copies.
Othman told the Chinese newspaper that for a non-Muslim to officially convert to Islam, he or she needed to take an oath before being able to go through ceremonies to complete the conversion.
“A person who decides to uphold Islamic beliefs must do so voluntarily, not under forced circumstances,” he said.
He was also reported as saying that if a non-Muslim felt they could not keep the Quran in good condition, they could always opt to return it to the distributor, to a mosque or even another Muslim person.
“In Islamic teachings, it is imperative that the followers of the religion regard the Quran with high levels of respect. Anyone who accepts the Quran is obligated to keep it properly.
The message that had been circulated through social media and on WhatsApp said non-Muslims should not accept a copy of the Quran because "the minute you do you will have to fill in a form claiming it just for record purposes, but actually they will track you down and convert you or change your records stating that you are a Muslim.
“Be reminded that the Quran is their holy book and it’s not to be touched by others and once it’s in our possession we can't dispose (of) it or put it anywhere because it’s considered as a holy book. Please be safe and exercise your rights and politely reject it," the message read.
The message also said the project to distribute 1 million free copies of the translated Quran had already started in Klang.
But two groups, the Malaysia Reverted Muslims (MRM) and the Islamic Information and Services Foundation which produced translation of the Quran, have both denied handing out the texts to non-Muslims in Klang.
On February 9, interfaith council the Malaysian Consultative Council of Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Sikhism and Taoism (MCCBCHST) urged non-Muslims not to accept the free copies.
The council said it rejected the project aimed at reducing misconceptions and Islamophobia.
It added that the actual intention appeared to be propagation of Islam and while Malaysia's laws did not allow non-Muslims to proselytise to Muslims, there were no laws banning Muslims from doing so. – February 27, 2015.
Chinese spurn PM, only 18pct give thumbs up
As expected, Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak is far from being the toast of the Chinese community.
A survey by Merdeka Centre revealed that only 18 percent of those polled from the community are satisfied with his performance.
Whereas, only 13 percent believe that the country is headed in the right direction under his stewardship. Overall, 39 percent involving all ethnic groups say the country is headed in the right direction while 47 percent say it is going in the wrong direction.
As for the perception towards the government along ethnic lines, the survey found that only 11 percent of the Chinese respondents expressed "happiness".
Out of the 1,008 polled, 30 percent of the respondents were Chinese,
60 percent were Malays, whereas the remaining 10 percent were Indians.
The percentages could have dipped further if the survey, which was conducted in January, had been carried out this month following Agriculture and Agro-based Industries Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob's call on the Malays to boycott Chinese traders.
Since the 2008 general election, the Chinese have drawn the ire of Umno for throwing their lot behind the last general election.
Following the lack of action on Ismail, PKR vice-president Rafizi Ramli claimed that the Chinese are now a community whose sentiments no longer have political value to Umno.
As for Najib's support among the Malay community, it remains unchanged for four consecutive monthly surveys since October last year, at 58 percent.
On another note, the overall sentiment of the Malay community about the country's direction improved, with 54 percent believing the country is on the right track, up five percent from last month.
This is also reflected in perception towards the government, with 52 percent of the Malay community saying they are happy, an improvement of two percent.
There is some good news for the premier though, as his support among the Indian community improved slightly from 39 percent to 44 percent.
Nonetheless, the community's view of the government remains unchanged, with 34 percent expressing happiness with the government.
However, the Indian community's view on whether the country was on the right direction fell to 26 percent compared to 29 percent.
Survey: Najib's popularity dips to 44pct
A survey by Merdeka Centre revealed that only 18 percent of those polled from the community are satisfied with his performance.
Whereas, only 13 percent believe that the country is headed in the right direction under his stewardship. Overall, 39 percent involving all ethnic groups say the country is headed in the right direction while 47 percent say it is going in the wrong direction.
As for the perception towards the government along ethnic lines, the survey found that only 11 percent of the Chinese respondents expressed "happiness".
Out of the 1,008 polled, 30 percent of the respondents were Chinese,60 percent were Malays, whereas the remaining 10 percent were Indians.
The percentages could have dipped further if the survey, which was conducted in January, had been carried out this month following Agriculture and Agro-based Industries Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob's call on the Malays to boycott Chinese traders.
Since the 2008 general election, the Chinese have drawn the ire of Umno for throwing their lot behind the last general election.
Following the lack of action on Ismail, PKR vice-president Rafizi Ramli claimed that the Chinese are now a community whose sentiments no longer have political value to Umno.
As for Najib's support among the Malay community, it remains unchanged for four consecutive monthly surveys since October last year, at 58 percent.
On another note, the overall sentiment of the Malay community about the country's direction improved, with 54 percent believing the country is on the right track, up five percent from last month.
This is also reflected in perception towards the government, with 52 percent of the Malay community saying they are happy, an improvement of two percent.
There is some good news for the premier though, as his support among the Indian community improved slightly from 39 percent to 44 percent.
Nonetheless, the community's view of the government remains unchanged, with 34 percent expressing happiness with the government.
However, the Indian community's view on whether the country was on the right direction fell to 26 percent compared to 29 percent.
Survey: Najib's popularity dips to 44pct
Najib's daughter to wed Kazakh beau on March 28?
The speculation intensified after photographs of their purported wedding invitation was circulated.While the Prime Minister's Office has remained tightlipped on the matter when queried, Daniyar's mother, however, declined to confirm or deny the wedding.
In an email response to Malaysiakini, Maira Kesikbayev, through her New York-based spokesperson, said: "We have no comment at this time."
As for the wedding invitation, it comes in a gold and white box, which includes a scroll as well as a card for those invited to confirm their attendance.
The card stated that the wedding will be held at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre on March 28 at 8pm.Nooryana and Daniyar reportedly met in the United States, where the couple pursued their tertiary education.
A check by Malaysiakini revealed that the KLCC venue for March 28 has already been booked but it could not be confirmed for whom.
Nooryana, 26, is the eldest of Najib and Rosmah Mansor's two children. Najib also has three other children from his previous marriage with Tengku Puteri Zainah Tengku Eskandar.
The
prime minister's future son-in-law is related to Kazakhstan president
Nursultan Nazarbayev, who is the brother of Daniyar's stepfather.In 2012, Daniyar became embroiled in controversy amid his mother's legal tussle with his stepfather Bolat Nazarbayev.
Bolat, in a suit against Maira at the Manhattan Supreme Court, had accused his ex-wife of cheating him of a US$20 million New York apartment and spending US$75 million of his money on jewellery.
He also accused Maira of being wanted by Interpol for kidnapping and extortion.
According to New York Post, court documents also claimed that Daniyar had forged his education qualification to get into Columbia University.
Maira had denied being wanted by the authorities or having committed any wrongdoing.
An aide close to Rosmah had later described the controversy as being "exaggerated".In the purported wedding card, Danayir's surname "Nazarbayev", which was widely used in the media, was dropped in favour of his old surname "Kasikbayev".
His mother had reportedly changed Danayir's surname to Nazarbayev previously to have the same family name as the Kazakhstan president.
Maira's name made news again in 2013 when it was revealed that the controversial RM24 million diamond ring which was brought into Malaysia under Rosmah's name was for the former's viewing.
Maria was then said to be residing at the prime minister's residence in Putrajaya as a guest.
Kadir: Why deny PM's brothers' right of reply?
Former New Straits Times group editor-in-chief A Kadir Jasin said the four brothers were merely replying to what had been published about their father in those very newspapers and elsewhere.
“It is clear that the mainstream media have not been practicing the right of reply,” he told Malaysiakini in response to a media blackout of the statement by Najib’s brothers.
In the statement, Nazir, Johari, Nizam, and Nazim Razak expressed concern over a Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) clarification to the New York Times (NYT) that Najib’s wealth came by their late father, Malaysia’s second prime minister Abdul Razak Hussein.Kadir (right) said had the newspapers not published the PMO statement, they would not be obliged to publish the brothers’ response. The reverse however applied if they did carry the PMO's statement.
“What’s important to note here is that there must be something terribly wrong with the PMO statement to prompt the brothers to not only distance themselves from the content of that statement, but to accuse it of tarnishing the image of their late father,” he said.
Kadir, however, did not want to speculate on whether the newspapers were pressured not to cover the brothers’ response.
Nazir mum on blackout
Meanwhile when contacted, Nazir declined to comment on the media blackout.
“Apologies, but I have no further comments to make on this matter,” he said in an email to Malaysiakini.
Nazir (left) was asked on lack of coverage of the brothers’ statement in the mainstream media and to clarify why Najib did not sign the statement along with his siblings.Checks by Malaysiakini found that the Wednesday and Thursday print editions of major dailies Utusan Malaysia, Berita Harian, New Straits Times and The Star failed to report on the brothers’ response.
Interestingly, The Star’s online edition did publish a report on Tuesday night but the article did not make it to the print version.
A Google search also identified a New Straits Times’ online article on the statement two days ago. However, the article is no longer available online.
Family rift?
In the statement to NYT, the Razak brothers stated that their father was a highly-principled man known for his integrity.
“We
take issue with anyone who taints his memory, whatever the motive. We
would also like to add that our whole family is united on this issue,”
said the quartet minus Najib.They were responding to PMO’s justification of Najib and his wife Rosmah Mansor’s lavish lifestyle as not unusual “... for a person of the prime minister’s position, responsibilities and legacy (of) family assets”.
The ensuing fallout has raised speculation of a rift between the four brothers and Rosmah.
On this alleged family split, Kadir said he did not know anything about it, as he was not privy to such information.
Bogus Sirul's mum PAS event fools reporters
Journalists today were duped into thinking that
PAS information chief Mahfuz Omar was holding a press conference at the
PAS headquarters in Kuala Lumpur with fugitive former police commando
Sirul Azhar Umar's mother.
It turned out that the WhatsApp message sent to reporters was actually a fake one. The origins of the message cannot be determined but it was circulated on a PAS media WhatsApp group.
A
PAS headquarters staff said Mahfuz was in Alor Setar this morning and
the latter had not called for any press conference much less for one
with Sirul’s mum.
"I just called him. He is in Alor Setar and confirmed he never called for a press conference.
"He said an invitation would have been sent out earlier if he wanted to hold a press conference," said the staff who identified himself as Saripuddin Mohd Yatim.
Saripuddin's disclosure was met with groans and annoyed exclamations from reporters present who were blithely waiting for the press conference to start.
Monday announcement
In a statement later, Mahfuz said he will be leaving for Australia on Sunday (March 1) at 11pm.
"The media are invited to meet us at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) departure hall at Level 5 at 9pm on Sunday," he said in a statement.
The Pokok Sena MP had on Monday made attempts to initiate a conference call with Sirul. Numerous failed attempts later, Mahfuz cancelled the event and the ensuring press conference.
Sirul was finally reached only two hours later.
Mahfuz had then also announced a press conference would be held - most probably on Friday (today) - to announce the date he and Sirul's mother, Piah Samad (above), would leave for Australia.
"We will be there for a week to visit Sirul. A press conference will be held, most probably on Friday, to announce the date we are leaving," Mahfuz had said then.
It turned out that the WhatsApp message sent to reporters was actually a fake one. The origins of the message cannot be determined but it was circulated on a PAS media WhatsApp group.
A
PAS headquarters staff said Mahfuz was in Alor Setar this morning and
the latter had not called for any press conference much less for one
with Sirul’s mum."I just called him. He is in Alor Setar and confirmed he never called for a press conference.
"He said an invitation would have been sent out earlier if he wanted to hold a press conference," said the staff who identified himself as Saripuddin Mohd Yatim.
Saripuddin's disclosure was met with groans and annoyed exclamations from reporters present who were blithely waiting for the press conference to start.
Monday announcement
In a statement later, Mahfuz said he will be leaving for Australia on Sunday (March 1) at 11pm.
"The media are invited to meet us at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) departure hall at Level 5 at 9pm on Sunday," he said in a statement.
The Pokok Sena MP had on Monday made attempts to initiate a conference call with Sirul. Numerous failed attempts later, Mahfuz cancelled the event and the ensuring press conference.Sirul was finally reached only two hours later.
Mahfuz had then also announced a press conference would be held - most probably on Friday (today) - to announce the date he and Sirul's mother, Piah Samad (above), would leave for Australia.
"We will be there for a week to visit Sirul. A press conference will be held, most probably on Friday, to announce the date we are leaving," Mahfuz had said then.
Muhyiddin: We view IGP death threat seriously
Three-pronged approach to be taken to deal with the situation, says deputy prime minister.
FMT
PUTRAJAYA: The government views seriously the death threat made by a group of youths to the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Khalid Abu Bakar on social media as it could lead to bigger dangers to the nation in the future.
According to Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin, three steps must be taken to contain the threat of extremism, including thorough education, to provide an understanding about security to the younger generation.
“Secondly, the existing laws need to be implemented effectively, and thirdly, cooperation among the public to help the authorities take the appropriate steps.
“We cannot take this lightly because today, extremism is a global issue….some of our people are involved with the IS (Islamic State), ” he said.
He was speaking to reporters when asked to comment on the threat by a group of youths on social media after chairing a special meeting on the Post Floods Action Plan here today.
Two days ago, a provocative 1:27-minute video showing three masked men who called themselves Anak Malaysia Anti Demokrasi (AMAD) went viral on social media.
They had earlier planned to burn fireworks at all the courthouses throughout the country at 11.30pm on February 18, while this time, they threatened to blow up the IGP’s car and kill him.
Asked about the proposal by various parties that a new subject be created to provide understanding of security to students, Muhyiddin who is also Education Minister, said the matter had first to be studied due to the limited schooling hours.
“We have limited time in terms of contact hours at school so any proposal to add more (subjects) is not practical and not easy for the ministry.
“But, I think the introduction of a specific subject within the co-curriculum that is related to the issue of security, the need for the students to understand the danger and the role of social media that might have impact on their lives…we will look into that,” he said.
FMT
PUTRAJAYA: The government views seriously the death threat made by a group of youths to the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Khalid Abu Bakar on social media as it could lead to bigger dangers to the nation in the future.
According to Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin, three steps must be taken to contain the threat of extremism, including thorough education, to provide an understanding about security to the younger generation.
“Secondly, the existing laws need to be implemented effectively, and thirdly, cooperation among the public to help the authorities take the appropriate steps.
“We cannot take this lightly because today, extremism is a global issue….some of our people are involved with the IS (Islamic State), ” he said.
He was speaking to reporters when asked to comment on the threat by a group of youths on social media after chairing a special meeting on the Post Floods Action Plan here today.
Two days ago, a provocative 1:27-minute video showing three masked men who called themselves Anak Malaysia Anti Demokrasi (AMAD) went viral on social media.
They had earlier planned to burn fireworks at all the courthouses throughout the country at 11.30pm on February 18, while this time, they threatened to blow up the IGP’s car and kill him.
Asked about the proposal by various parties that a new subject be created to provide understanding of security to students, Muhyiddin who is also Education Minister, said the matter had first to be studied due to the limited schooling hours.
“We have limited time in terms of contact hours at school so any proposal to add more (subjects) is not practical and not easy for the ministry.
“But, I think the introduction of a specific subject within the co-curriculum that is related to the issue of security, the need for the students to understand the danger and the role of social media that might have impact on their lives…we will look into that,” he said.
A pilot did it, says documentary on MH370
An aviation safety expert suggests that someone in the cockpit deliberately flew the plane towards Antarctica.
FMT
PETALING JAYA: A documentary video on Flight MH370 concludes that a pilot was responsible for the disappearance of the Malaysia Airlines plane.
The 44-minute video appears on YouTube and is said to be a leaked National Geographic documentary scheduled for airing on March 8, the anniversary of the tragedy.
On March 8 last year, what was meant to be a routine night flight turned out to be the aviation industry’s worst nightmare. A Boeing 777 carrying 227 passengers and 12 crew flown by Captain Zaharie Ahmad Shah and first officer Fariq Abdul Hamid disappeared without a trace after taking off at 12.41am from Kuala Lumpur bound for Beijing.
In the video, former air force and airline pilot John Nance, an internationally recognised expert in aviation safety, said the conversation in the cockpit before the plane went missing had gone according to routine.
At 1.19am, air traffic control in KL made its last transmission to MH370. The crew was then expected to contact air traffic control in Vietnam in less than one minute, but 19 minutes later there was no word from the plane, and it had disappeared from radar screens. Malaysian and Vietnamese controllers scrambled to contact it, but could not elicit any response from the cockpit.
Following this, Malaysian authorities launched a massive search for the missing plane, and were later joined by Australia, the US and China.
But things proved difficult as Flight MH370 had disappeared over the Gulf of Thailand, where there was limited radar coverage. So they turned to the Aircraft Communications Addressing and Reporting System (ACARS), which used satellite to transmit information between the ground and aircraft in flight.
But unlike GPS, ACARS does not provide constant location data, and without knowing the flight’s direction, there was not much to go on.
While scrutinising the plane’s passenger manifest, authorities discovered that two persons had boarded the plane illegally, leading investigators to examine the possibility that the plane had been hijacked.
On March 11, the Malaysian military released radar data that seemed to support a hijacking theory. Three minutes after its last radio call, MH370 had made a sharp turn off course.
Also, photos from a previous flight of Fariq posing with a passenger surfaced and sparked speculation that the cockpit’s security had been compromised.
But aviation experts dismissed the hijacking theory. Nance pointed out that pilots had several ways to send emergency signals during a possible hijacking – radios, emergency frequencies, ACARS, and codes to key into the transponder. Air traffic controllers never received any of these, and the two suspects travelling on stolen passports were cleared as they had no links to terrorism.
Fire theory doused
Authorities then focused on why the plane’s transponder cut off two minutes after the last communication from the cockpit, followed by signals from the ACARS.
According to Nance, this could be attributed either to a purposeful act or an emergency, such as a fire.
Malcolm Brenner, the US National Transportation Safety Board’s former senior investigator, agreed that a fire could have affected the capabilities of the ACARS.
The video suggested that the plane might have changed course to prepare for an emergency landing.
But the fire theory was doused by Nance, who pointed out there was no radio call and the plane was later discovered to have flown for seven hours after it disappeared.
In London, a team of engineers at Immarsat, which runs a satellite system, uncovered a series of automated signals received from MH370 long after it had vanished from radar screens. The signals continued from 2.25am until 8.19am. This meant the plane had not crashed over the Gulf of Thailand, but had enough fuel to fly for seven hours.
Another theory the video explored was that the plane suffered pressurisation failure and flew for hours on auto pilot.
But well before hypoxia (lack of oxygen) could set in, the plane had made three turns, taking the plane south towards Antarctica over the next one and a half hours.
Brenner concluded that this suggested that someone in the cockpit deliberately flew the plane off course.
“The flight over the next hour makes a few more turns that appear to be human directed and finally ends up heading to Antarctica. So it is apparent that this was a carefully thought out action to evade detection,” he said.
Brenner added, “It is conceivable that a pilot could deliberately de-pressurise the airplane as part of an effort to hijack the airplane or take it for some purpose.”
The video also explored the possibility that the pilot had sent the first officer for a coffee and locked the door. Then, he could have switched off the transponder and changed course to somewhere with little radar coverage, and later switched off the ACARS without realising that some part of the signal would remain on.
“Somebody did this and it was a pilot,” said Nance. “Whether it was one of the two individuals up front, or in charge of keeping the plane safe, or whether it was somebody else, we do not know.
“I feel very strongly, very very strongly, given all the evidence we think we have – we always have to put that caveat on it – that whoever did this intended for the airplane and the passengers to simply vanish from the planet” he added.
FMT
PETALING JAYA: A documentary video on Flight MH370 concludes that a pilot was responsible for the disappearance of the Malaysia Airlines plane.
The 44-minute video appears on YouTube and is said to be a leaked National Geographic documentary scheduled for airing on March 8, the anniversary of the tragedy.
On March 8 last year, what was meant to be a routine night flight turned out to be the aviation industry’s worst nightmare. A Boeing 777 carrying 227 passengers and 12 crew flown by Captain Zaharie Ahmad Shah and first officer Fariq Abdul Hamid disappeared without a trace after taking off at 12.41am from Kuala Lumpur bound for Beijing.
In the video, former air force and airline pilot John Nance, an internationally recognised expert in aviation safety, said the conversation in the cockpit before the plane went missing had gone according to routine.
At 1.19am, air traffic control in KL made its last transmission to MH370. The crew was then expected to contact air traffic control in Vietnam in less than one minute, but 19 minutes later there was no word from the plane, and it had disappeared from radar screens. Malaysian and Vietnamese controllers scrambled to contact it, but could not elicit any response from the cockpit.
Following this, Malaysian authorities launched a massive search for the missing plane, and were later joined by Australia, the US and China.
But things proved difficult as Flight MH370 had disappeared over the Gulf of Thailand, where there was limited radar coverage. So they turned to the Aircraft Communications Addressing and Reporting System (ACARS), which used satellite to transmit information between the ground and aircraft in flight.
But unlike GPS, ACARS does not provide constant location data, and without knowing the flight’s direction, there was not much to go on.
While scrutinising the plane’s passenger manifest, authorities discovered that two persons had boarded the plane illegally, leading investigators to examine the possibility that the plane had been hijacked.
On March 11, the Malaysian military released radar data that seemed to support a hijacking theory. Three minutes after its last radio call, MH370 had made a sharp turn off course.
Also, photos from a previous flight of Fariq posing with a passenger surfaced and sparked speculation that the cockpit’s security had been compromised.
But aviation experts dismissed the hijacking theory. Nance pointed out that pilots had several ways to send emergency signals during a possible hijacking – radios, emergency frequencies, ACARS, and codes to key into the transponder. Air traffic controllers never received any of these, and the two suspects travelling on stolen passports were cleared as they had no links to terrorism.
Fire theory doused
Authorities then focused on why the plane’s transponder cut off two minutes after the last communication from the cockpit, followed by signals from the ACARS.
According to Nance, this could be attributed either to a purposeful act or an emergency, such as a fire.
Malcolm Brenner, the US National Transportation Safety Board’s former senior investigator, agreed that a fire could have affected the capabilities of the ACARS.
The video suggested that the plane might have changed course to prepare for an emergency landing.
But the fire theory was doused by Nance, who pointed out there was no radio call and the plane was later discovered to have flown for seven hours after it disappeared.
In London, a team of engineers at Immarsat, which runs a satellite system, uncovered a series of automated signals received from MH370 long after it had vanished from radar screens. The signals continued from 2.25am until 8.19am. This meant the plane had not crashed over the Gulf of Thailand, but had enough fuel to fly for seven hours.
Another theory the video explored was that the plane suffered pressurisation failure and flew for hours on auto pilot.
But well before hypoxia (lack of oxygen) could set in, the plane had made three turns, taking the plane south towards Antarctica over the next one and a half hours.
Brenner concluded that this suggested that someone in the cockpit deliberately flew the plane off course.
“The flight over the next hour makes a few more turns that appear to be human directed and finally ends up heading to Antarctica. So it is apparent that this was a carefully thought out action to evade detection,” he said.
Brenner added, “It is conceivable that a pilot could deliberately de-pressurise the airplane as part of an effort to hijack the airplane or take it for some purpose.”
The video also explored the possibility that the pilot had sent the first officer for a coffee and locked the door. Then, he could have switched off the transponder and changed course to somewhere with little radar coverage, and later switched off the ACARS without realising that some part of the signal would remain on.
“Somebody did this and it was a pilot,” said Nance. “Whether it was one of the two individuals up front, or in charge of keeping the plane safe, or whether it was somebody else, we do not know.
“I feel very strongly, very very strongly, given all the evidence we think we have – we always have to put that caveat on it – that whoever did this intended for the airplane and the passengers to simply vanish from the planet” he added.
Accepting free Quran doesn’t make one Muslim
Anyone accepting the free Quran must keep it properly and respect it , otherwise return it to the distributor.
FMT
KUALA LUMPUR: A religious authority, the Department of Islamic Development Malaysia (Jakim), has laughed off suggestions in the social media that a project underway to distribute one million free copies of the Quran to non-Muslims had a hidden agenda.
The Malaysia Reverted Muslims (MRM) and the Islamic Information and Services Foundation, the two groups behind the translated version of the free Quran, have claimed the project was to reduce misconceptions about the religion and Islamophobia.
The Sin Chew Jit Poh, a Chinese daily, reported Jakim director-general Othman Mustapha as laughing off the suggestions in the social media that the free Quran project had any sinister purpose.
He stressed that anyone who embraces Islam had to take an oath and go through certain ceremonies. The mere act of accepting a Quran does not make one Muslim, he assured. “No one can be forced to accept Islam.”
“Anyone accepting the free Quran must keep it properly and respect it or otherwise return it to the distributor, a mosque or another Muslim,” he said. “Muslims respect the Quran and expect others to do the same.”
In the past, there had been reports that non-Muslims had been “tricked” into reciting the profession of faith and subsequently reported to the religious authorities as having converted. Those who deny, the reports go, had to explain to the Syariah Court why they wanted to “leave Islam”.
The reports in the social media warn that anyone who accepts a copy of the Quran would have to fill in a form, listing out their particulars. Apparently, the fear is that that such particulars will be used by the religious authorities to track them down later and also get them to change their status from non-Muslim to Muslim.
“You have to fill in a form. They will claim it’s just for record purposes, but actually they will track you down and convert you or change your records stating that you are a Muslim,” the messages in Whatsapp state.
“Be reminded that the Quran is their holy book and it’s not to be touched by others and once it’s in our possession we can’t dispose it or put it anywhere because it’s considered a holy book. Please be safe and exercise your rights and politely reject it,” the message read.
The Malaysian Consultative Council of Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Sikhism and Taoism (MCCBCHST) warned non-Muslims on February 9 against accepting the free copies of the Quran. It pointed out that non-Muslims are not supposed to even touch the Quran, let alone have a copy of it for whatever purpose.
The Council doesn’t buy the idea that the free Quran project was aimed at reducing misconceptions about the faith and eradicating Islamophobia. “It should work both ways.”
The actual intention behind the free Quran project, it claimed, was propagation of Islam since the laws don’t prohibit Muslims from preaching to non-Muslims, only vice versa.
FMT
KUALA LUMPUR: A religious authority, the Department of Islamic Development Malaysia (Jakim), has laughed off suggestions in the social media that a project underway to distribute one million free copies of the Quran to non-Muslims had a hidden agenda.
The Malaysia Reverted Muslims (MRM) and the Islamic Information and Services Foundation, the two groups behind the translated version of the free Quran, have claimed the project was to reduce misconceptions about the religion and Islamophobia.
The Sin Chew Jit Poh, a Chinese daily, reported Jakim director-general Othman Mustapha as laughing off the suggestions in the social media that the free Quran project had any sinister purpose.
He stressed that anyone who embraces Islam had to take an oath and go through certain ceremonies. The mere act of accepting a Quran does not make one Muslim, he assured. “No one can be forced to accept Islam.”
“Anyone accepting the free Quran must keep it properly and respect it or otherwise return it to the distributor, a mosque or another Muslim,” he said. “Muslims respect the Quran and expect others to do the same.”
In the past, there had been reports that non-Muslims had been “tricked” into reciting the profession of faith and subsequently reported to the religious authorities as having converted. Those who deny, the reports go, had to explain to the Syariah Court why they wanted to “leave Islam”.
The reports in the social media warn that anyone who accepts a copy of the Quran would have to fill in a form, listing out their particulars. Apparently, the fear is that that such particulars will be used by the religious authorities to track them down later and also get them to change their status from non-Muslim to Muslim.
“You have to fill in a form. They will claim it’s just for record purposes, but actually they will track you down and convert you or change your records stating that you are a Muslim,” the messages in Whatsapp state.
“Be reminded that the Quran is their holy book and it’s not to be touched by others and once it’s in our possession we can’t dispose it or put it anywhere because it’s considered a holy book. Please be safe and exercise your rights and politely reject it,” the message read.
The Malaysian Consultative Council of Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Sikhism and Taoism (MCCBCHST) warned non-Muslims on February 9 against accepting the free copies of the Quran. It pointed out that non-Muslims are not supposed to even touch the Quran, let alone have a copy of it for whatever purpose.
The Council doesn’t buy the idea that the free Quran project was aimed at reducing misconceptions about the faith and eradicating Islamophobia. “It should work both ways.”
The actual intention behind the free Quran project, it claimed, was propagation of Islam since the laws don’t prohibit Muslims from preaching to non-Muslims, only vice versa.
Growing demands for transfer of teacher in conversion case
Upko President wants errant teacher transferred as far away as possible from non-Muslim students.
FMT
KOTA KINABALU: United Pasokmomogun Kadazandusun Murut Organisation (Upko) President, Wilfred Madius Tangau, has taken to Facebook, to demand that a teacher involved in the scam conversion of an underaged Christian schoolgirl at the SMK Kinarut in Kinarut, in the outskirts of Kota Kinabalu, be transferred out immediately.
He wants the errant teacher to be transferred as far away as possible from non-Muslim students, preferably to a religious school where all the students are Muslims.
“I have requested the Sabah Education Director to transfer her to somewhere without a lot of non-Muslim students,” said Wilfred who is also Tuaran MP.
“Instead, she should be moved to a Sekolah Menengah Agama where 100 per cent of its students are Muslim.”
The Upko Chief’s Facebook page was flooded with Likes from irate parents and other netizens.
One posting which supported Wilfred’s statement said the move would prevent the errant teacher from “breaking up another family”.
Angry Sabahans have taken to social media to campaign for the errant teacher to be dealt with by way of a transfer and disciplinary measures, an example made of her for neglecting her duties and for playing politics with religion at a school which the parents trusted to look after their children and educate them.
Social media and Whatsapp have been flooded with pictures of the errant teacher apparently in a bid to “name and shame her” and serve as a warning to others out there.
The errant teacher was apparently moved to SMK Kinarut recently. Following the eruption of the controversy over the alleged conversion, there were reports in social media that she had been temporarily transferred to SMK Tamparuli.
“Please monitor her. What she did, breaking up families, was wrong,” said a posting from a Facebook user.
Another wrote; “Her washing of hands in this incident was also very inappropriate. Do take precautionary measures. Don’t let your children be the next victims.”
Other comments called for the Education Director and the principal of the school concerned to be held accountable for breaching the trust that parents have in the school system. “A school is not the place to carry out missionary work,” was the general thrust of the comments.
Sabah Commissioner of Police, Jalaluddin Abdul Rahman, has since confirmed that the girl concerned is not Muslim and there’s no documentation supporting the alleged conversion.
He has also come under criticism for declaring a person’s faith instead of investigating the report lodged against the errant teacher and the school by rubber tapper Jilius Yapoo, the girl’s father.
Parti Bersatu Sabah Secretary-General, Johnny Mositun, has also stressed that it won’t do for the authorities concerned to take their cue from police declaring that a 16-year-old girl student in Sabah at the heart of a growing controversy over conversion in boarding schools “is not a Muslim” and leave things at that.
“The girl’s religious status is not for the police to declare. The school cannot be allowed to go scott-free if they have broken the law.”
The Director of Education, he reiterated, has some explaining to do. He was referring to his statement that “the girl wanted to be Muslim.”
KOTA KINABALU: United Pasokmomogun Kadazandusun Murut Organisation (Upko) President, Wilfred Madius Tangau, has taken to Facebook, to demand that a teacher involved in the scam conversion of an underaged Christian schoolgirl at the SMK Kinarut in Kinarut, in the outskirts of Kota Kinabalu, be transferred out immediately.
He wants the errant teacher to be transferred as far away as possible from non-Muslim students, preferably to a religious school where all the students are Muslims.
“I have requested the Sabah Education Director to transfer her to somewhere without a lot of non-Muslim students,” said Wilfred who is also Tuaran MP.
“Instead, she should be moved to a Sekolah Menengah Agama where 100 per cent of its students are Muslim.”
The Upko Chief’s Facebook page was flooded with Likes from irate parents and other netizens.
One posting which supported Wilfred’s statement said the move would prevent the errant teacher from “breaking up another family”.
Angry Sabahans have taken to social media to campaign for the errant teacher to be dealt with by way of a transfer and disciplinary measures, an example made of her for neglecting her duties and for playing politics with religion at a school which the parents trusted to look after their children and educate them.
Social media and Whatsapp have been flooded with pictures of the errant teacher apparently in a bid to “name and shame her” and serve as a warning to others out there.
The errant teacher was apparently moved to SMK Kinarut recently. Following the eruption of the controversy over the alleged conversion, there were reports in social media that she had been temporarily transferred to SMK Tamparuli.
“Please monitor her. What she did, breaking up families, was wrong,” said a posting from a Facebook user.
Another wrote; “Her washing of hands in this incident was also very inappropriate. Do take precautionary measures. Don’t let your children be the next victims.”
Other comments called for the Education Director and the principal of the school concerned to be held accountable for breaching the trust that parents have in the school system. “A school is not the place to carry out missionary work,” was the general thrust of the comments.
Sabah Commissioner of Police, Jalaluddin Abdul Rahman, has since confirmed that the girl concerned is not Muslim and there’s no documentation supporting the alleged conversion.
He has also come under criticism for declaring a person’s faith instead of investigating the report lodged against the errant teacher and the school by rubber tapper Jilius Yapoo, the girl’s father.
Parti Bersatu Sabah Secretary-General, Johnny Mositun, has also stressed that it won’t do for the authorities concerned to take their cue from police declaring that a 16-year-old girl student in Sabah at the heart of a growing controversy over conversion in boarding schools “is not a Muslim” and leave things at that.
“The girl’s religious status is not for the police to declare. The school cannot be allowed to go scott-free if they have broken the law.”
The Director of Education, he reiterated, has some explaining to do. He was referring to his statement that “the girl wanted to be Muslim.”
Malaysia’s Islamic Party Seeks Primacy
Leadership of coalition that Ibrahim founded is in danger of falling into the hands of the fundamentalist Parti Islam se-Malaysia
Asia Sentinel
With opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim jailed for five years on sodomy charges, the leadership of the coalition he founded, which has upended Malaysian politics over the past seven years, is in increasing danger of falling into the hands of the fundamentalist Parti Islam se-Malaysia.
PAS, as the rural-based party is known, is moving aggressively to assume primacy in Pakatan Rakyat, which Anwar founded in 2008. The coalition’s disparate elements include, besides PAS, the Chinese-dominated Democratic Action Party and Anwar’s own Parti Keadilan Rakyat, mainly composed of urban, moderate ethnic Malays. In particular, PAS is seeking to ride to national prominence the issue of seventh-century religious law, or hudud, which calls for stoning to death adulterers and amputation of limbs for theft.
Malaysia, despite its 60 percent Muslim population, has always been viewed as a moderate state. That impression is in danger today. Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak, weakened by scandal and party infighting, has been unwilling or unable to stem the rising tide of fundamentalism, which is being used by extremist elements of his own United Malays National Organization as a political tool to cudgel the opposition, particularly the 22 percent of the population who are Chinese. UMNO’s own leadership are privately concerned that the Barisan Nasional, the ruling national coalition, could fall to the opposition in elections scheduled for 2018 at the latest.
Thus, the leadership of the opposition has suddenly achieved new urgency. UMNO has been in deepening jeopardy over events of the past few weeks. The voting public, especially among ethnic Malays, are growing increasingly outraged by a flock of scandals and turned off by infighting within UMNO itself, with former Premier Mahathir Mohamad asking for Najib’s head over vast losses within the state-backed 1Malaysia Development Bhd fund.
“My concern is that PAS is taking the lead,” said a young Malay lawyer with ties to the party. “We would edge ever closer to a PAS national government. PAS can go it alone on an Islamic State platform as Umno has gone it alone without Chinese votes. Malays now feel UMNO is sinful.”
Other longtime observers in Kuala Lumpur say the concerns are overblown, and that an increasingly urban Malay society that favors blue jeans, high heels, makeup and beer will have nothing to do with hudud. Anwar’s party forms the bulwark of those voters, along with other more urban voters in UMNO..
In any case, hudud would inevitably cause the DAP to pull out and cause some serious soul-searching among Parti Keadilan’s followers. The coalition would likely splinter. But apparently PAS, as with UMNO, feels that with a winning issue among the 60 percent of the population who are ethnic Malays, it could pull it off. Last week, Mahfodz Mohamad, the deputy chief of the PAS religious council, or ulama, told reporters the council would continue to seek hudud by tabling a bill in Parliament, asking “Why do we need to follow the DAP? Their stance is different. They want to go to Putrajaya [the seat of government]. We want to win elections too but more.”
PAS says Islamic law would only apply to ethnic Malays. But other ethnic groups, particularly the Chinese, are deeply concerned that if hudud were to be put in place for Malays, inevitably it would follow that they also would be threatened. In nearby Brunei, the Sultan recently decreed that hudud applied to everybody in the sultanate.
The opposition coalition has been an uneasy alliance from the start, united as it was and is by nothing more than a desire to replace the Barisan Nasional in power. But that ambition led it to work together in the 2008 general election, in which they gained control of five states and for the first time denied the Barisan its historic two-thirds majority in the Dewan Rakyat, or parliament. Despite internal dissention, the coalition for the first time since 1969 won the popular vote in the 2013 general election with a 50.87 percent majority to the Barisan’s 47.38 percent, although gerrymandering kept them from taking control.
Especially over the past year, the coalition has shown increasing signs of disarray. Anwar has been preoccupied with the certainty he would be jailed in what is regarded internationally as a trumped up legal proceeding. As a result, the strong central leadership of a coalition that is unruly at best has been lacking.
PAS jumped into the enormous controversy surrounding the detention in Australia of one of the killers of the Mongolian translator Altantuya Shaariibuu in 2006. Sirul Azhar Umar, one of Najib’s two bodyguards, fled to Australia last year after being temporarily freed by an appellate court. His conviction was reinstated this month by the Federal Court. It has long been suspected that someone close to Najib ordered the killing. Sirul appeared willing to talk to a PAS-sponsored press teleconference but later backed away.
Now PAS information chief Mahfuz Omar has said he would take Sirul’s mother and younger sister and Sirul’s lawyer to meet with the detained former police commando in Sydney. If Sirul were indeed to go public with what he knows about those who hired him and his fellow officer to kill the 28-year-old woman, it is likely to cause deepening problems for Najib, whose popularity has fallen to the lowest point of his premiership at 44 percent.
PAS is also making itself felt by opposing the leadership of the three-party opposition coalition by Anwar’s wife, Wan Aziza, who the party says lacks experience, and is instead pushing PAS President Abdul Hadi Awang. The party asserted its growing clout last year by refusing to go along with naming Wan Aziza the chief minister of the state of Selangor after an abortive effort to make Anwar the chief minister was thwarted with an appellate court’s judgment of his guilt in the sodomy charges. PAS tied up the selection process for months despite the fact that Parti Keadilan holds a majority in the state. Eventually, Mohamed Azmin Ali, a rival within Anwar’s own party, was selected for the job.
PAS is now threatening to introduce hudud in the rural eastern state of Kelantan State, with discussion in the state assembly from March 16 to 19. That would be followed with a move to table it in Parliament. Federal approval is needed.
Unofficial soundings suggest that as many as seven of 10 ethnic Malays, including urban moderates, see hudud as the answer to rising crime, drug addiction, adultery – especially among UMNO leaders – and other issues. The UMNO sources say that if hudud is enacted in Kelantan, ethnic Malay state voters are likely to demand enactment, and that UMNO would probably have to go along, feeling hard-pressed to vote against “God’s law” despite it clearly being the machinations of those in charge of PAS.
It is almost unheard of that an opposition party could introduce a private member’s bill in Parliament, as PAS is threatening to do. In the parliamentary system such actions are blocked. But, an UMNO source says, UMNO leaders are being cowed into letting it go ahead because of a fear of ethnic Malay backlash.
They say they are concerned that if the northern and eastern tier of ethnic Malay states were to go along, a hudud bill is likely to be introduced in the Parliament. As an indication of how UMNOis cowed by the rising Islamic tide, already the leaders of Terengganu – controlled by UMNO – the neighboring state to Kelantan, are out to prove their Muslim bona fides. They say Muslims who skip the obligatory Friday prayers at mosques may soon be paraded around town in hearses as punishment.
With opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim jailed for five years on sodomy charges, the leadership of the coalition he founded, which has upended Malaysian politics over the past seven years, is in increasing danger of falling into the hands of the fundamentalist Parti Islam se-Malaysia.
PAS, as the rural-based party is known, is moving aggressively to assume primacy in Pakatan Rakyat, which Anwar founded in 2008. The coalition’s disparate elements include, besides PAS, the Chinese-dominated Democratic Action Party and Anwar’s own Parti Keadilan Rakyat, mainly composed of urban, moderate ethnic Malays. In particular, PAS is seeking to ride to national prominence the issue of seventh-century religious law, or hudud, which calls for stoning to death adulterers and amputation of limbs for theft.
Malaysia, despite its 60 percent Muslim population, has always been viewed as a moderate state. That impression is in danger today. Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak, weakened by scandal and party infighting, has been unwilling or unable to stem the rising tide of fundamentalism, which is being used by extremist elements of his own United Malays National Organization as a political tool to cudgel the opposition, particularly the 22 percent of the population who are Chinese. UMNO’s own leadership are privately concerned that the Barisan Nasional, the ruling national coalition, could fall to the opposition in elections scheduled for 2018 at the latest.
Thus, the leadership of the opposition has suddenly achieved new urgency. UMNO has been in deepening jeopardy over events of the past few weeks. The voting public, especially among ethnic Malays, are growing increasingly outraged by a flock of scandals and turned off by infighting within UMNO itself, with former Premier Mahathir Mohamad asking for Najib’s head over vast losses within the state-backed 1Malaysia Development Bhd fund.
“My concern is that PAS is taking the lead,” said a young Malay lawyer with ties to the party. “We would edge ever closer to a PAS national government. PAS can go it alone on an Islamic State platform as Umno has gone it alone without Chinese votes. Malays now feel UMNO is sinful.”
Other longtime observers in Kuala Lumpur say the concerns are overblown, and that an increasingly urban Malay society that favors blue jeans, high heels, makeup and beer will have nothing to do with hudud. Anwar’s party forms the bulwark of those voters, along with other more urban voters in UMNO..
In any case, hudud would inevitably cause the DAP to pull out and cause some serious soul-searching among Parti Keadilan’s followers. The coalition would likely splinter. But apparently PAS, as with UMNO, feels that with a winning issue among the 60 percent of the population who are ethnic Malays, it could pull it off. Last week, Mahfodz Mohamad, the deputy chief of the PAS religious council, or ulama, told reporters the council would continue to seek hudud by tabling a bill in Parliament, asking “Why do we need to follow the DAP? Their stance is different. They want to go to Putrajaya [the seat of government]. We want to win elections too but more.”
PAS says Islamic law would only apply to ethnic Malays. But other ethnic groups, particularly the Chinese, are deeply concerned that if hudud were to be put in place for Malays, inevitably it would follow that they also would be threatened. In nearby Brunei, the Sultan recently decreed that hudud applied to everybody in the sultanate.
The opposition coalition has been an uneasy alliance from the start, united as it was and is by nothing more than a desire to replace the Barisan Nasional in power. But that ambition led it to work together in the 2008 general election, in which they gained control of five states and for the first time denied the Barisan its historic two-thirds majority in the Dewan Rakyat, or parliament. Despite internal dissention, the coalition for the first time since 1969 won the popular vote in the 2013 general election with a 50.87 percent majority to the Barisan’s 47.38 percent, although gerrymandering kept them from taking control.
Especially over the past year, the coalition has shown increasing signs of disarray. Anwar has been preoccupied with the certainty he would be jailed in what is regarded internationally as a trumped up legal proceeding. As a result, the strong central leadership of a coalition that is unruly at best has been lacking.
PAS jumped into the enormous controversy surrounding the detention in Australia of one of the killers of the Mongolian translator Altantuya Shaariibuu in 2006. Sirul Azhar Umar, one of Najib’s two bodyguards, fled to Australia last year after being temporarily freed by an appellate court. His conviction was reinstated this month by the Federal Court. It has long been suspected that someone close to Najib ordered the killing. Sirul appeared willing to talk to a PAS-sponsored press teleconference but later backed away.
Now PAS information chief Mahfuz Omar has said he would take Sirul’s mother and younger sister and Sirul’s lawyer to meet with the detained former police commando in Sydney. If Sirul were indeed to go public with what he knows about those who hired him and his fellow officer to kill the 28-year-old woman, it is likely to cause deepening problems for Najib, whose popularity has fallen to the lowest point of his premiership at 44 percent.
PAS is also making itself felt by opposing the leadership of the three-party opposition coalition by Anwar’s wife, Wan Aziza, who the party says lacks experience, and is instead pushing PAS President Abdul Hadi Awang. The party asserted its growing clout last year by refusing to go along with naming Wan Aziza the chief minister of the state of Selangor after an abortive effort to make Anwar the chief minister was thwarted with an appellate court’s judgment of his guilt in the sodomy charges. PAS tied up the selection process for months despite the fact that Parti Keadilan holds a majority in the state. Eventually, Mohamed Azmin Ali, a rival within Anwar’s own party, was selected for the job.
PAS is now threatening to introduce hudud in the rural eastern state of Kelantan State, with discussion in the state assembly from March 16 to 19. That would be followed with a move to table it in Parliament. Federal approval is needed.
Unofficial soundings suggest that as many as seven of 10 ethnic Malays, including urban moderates, see hudud as the answer to rising crime, drug addiction, adultery – especially among UMNO leaders – and other issues. The UMNO sources say that if hudud is enacted in Kelantan, ethnic Malay state voters are likely to demand enactment, and that UMNO would probably have to go along, feeling hard-pressed to vote against “God’s law” despite it clearly being the machinations of those in charge of PAS.
It is almost unheard of that an opposition party could introduce a private member’s bill in Parliament, as PAS is threatening to do. In the parliamentary system such actions are blocked. But, an UMNO source says, UMNO leaders are being cowed into letting it go ahead because of a fear of ethnic Malay backlash.
They say they are concerned that if the northern and eastern tier of ethnic Malay states were to go along, a hudud bill is likely to be introduced in the Parliament. As an indication of how UMNOis cowed by the rising Islamic tide, already the leaders of Terengganu – controlled by UMNO – the neighboring state to Kelantan, are out to prove their Muslim bona fides. They say Muslims who skip the obligatory Friday prayers at mosques may soon be paraded around town in hearses as punishment.
KC Vohrah: Ex-CJ Eusoff tried to subvert judge
The subversion has been alleged by a now retired Court of Appeal judge who made the claims in an in-house publication of the Malaysian judiciary last year to mark the Court of Appeal's 20th anniversary.
Former Justice KC Vohrah - who sat on the panel hearing the Ayer Molek appeal - wrote in his article that one of the judges of the three-member panel was asked to meet Eusoff.
Besides Vohrah (left)
- who was then a High Court judge co-opted to sit at the Court of
Appeal - the other judges who sat for the case were Court of Appeal
judges NH Chan and Siti Norma Yaakob, the latter who later rose to
become the first female Chief Judge of Malaya.Vohrah alleged in his article - titled ‘In the Court of Appeal, during the winds of change’ - that Eusoff called the judge into his chambers before the appeal was heard and when the judge entered, the CJ pointed to a pile of files on his table.
"He (Eusoff) said the papers were related to the Ayer Molek case and he (the CJ) indicated that the appeal had no merit," claimed Vohrah.
Vohrah, however, did not name who was the judge who met Eusoff. His startling article appeared in the booklet Court of Appeal, Malaysia, 1994-2014 - 20th anniversary which was published last year.
In the Ayer Molek case, Insas was represented by the well-known VK Lingam while Ayer Molek was represented Loh Siew Cheang. Lingam was later implicated over the infamous video clip case and was also caught with Eusoff holidaying together in New Zealand.
A royal commission of inquiry formed to investigate into the video clip allegations had recommended action be taken against Lingam and Eusoff and four others, including former former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
History of Ayer Molek vs Insas
In explaining the Ayer Molek case, Vohrah - now a consultant at Lee, Hishammuddin, Allen and Gledhill - wrote that the case involved the grant of an ex-parte order to compel Ayer Molek to effect the transfer of 540,000 ordinary shares of Ayer Molek to Insas in the share register of the company and to issue new certificates in Insas' names within two working days of their receiving the share certificates.
On April 12, 1995, Ayer Molek filed an application to set aside the ex-parte mandatory order of April 10, 1995.That application came up for hearing before the High Court on April 13, 1995 but the judge adjourned it to April 27, 1995 which was after the two days period he allowed for compliance of his ex-parte order.
The defendants immediately applied for a stay of the ex-parte mandatory order pending disposal of their application to discharge it. The High Court judge refused to grant a stay of his ex-parte order.
On April 14, 1995, the transfer of the shares was registered in the share register of Ayer Molek and new share certificates were issued to Insas under compliance of the ex-parte order.
On April 18, 1995, Ayer Molek filed a notice of appeal against the ex-parte order at the Court of Appeal. On the same day, they filed a motion for a stay of the ex-parte order pending their appeal.
At the Court of Appeal hearing, it was abundantly clear (Vohrah wrote in his article) that grave injustices had been perpetrated in the case at the High Court level.
The
appellate court granted an interim order that pending the disposal of
the appeal, the respondents (Ayer Molek) were restrained from exercising
any rights including disposing of the shares.Vohrah, Chan and Siti Norma wrote separate judgments, where Chan wrote on the abuse of the process of the High Court while Siti Norma wrote on the fact that the proceedings were filed in the Special and Appellate Powers Division of the High Court whereas it should have been in the Commercial Division.
"I wrote on the company law aspects of the case involving the transfer of shares," Vohrah said in his damning article.
'Unethical lawyers'
Chan, Vohrah remembers, skilfully melded their three views and his judgment stated unequivocally that the case was about an injustice that had been perpetrated by a court of law.
"Here Insas - through their legal advisers - have abused the process of the High Court by instigating the injustice through misuse of the court's procedure by manipulating it in such a way that it becomes manifestly unfair to the defendants," Chan wrote in his judgment.
"By doing what they did, these unethical lawyers have brought the administration of justice into disrepute. While it does not render the
proceedings to be in any way invalid, it may give the impression to right thinking people that litigants can choose the judge before whom they wish to appear."
The
High Court case was heard when then the court was housed in Wisma
Denmark or Denmark House in Kuala Lumpur and in his judgment, Chan
quoted Shakespeare's 'Hamlet' in saying that, "Something is rotten in
the state of Denmark."The Court of Appeal granted the stay order on July 26, 1995 and written grounds were given five days later.
Vohrah wrote: "Swift as an arrow a stay application on appeal against that decision was filed on July 27, 1995. The application and appeal were heard at the Federal Court on August 1, 1995 before a three-member bench comprising Eusoff (above), a Court of Appeal judge and a High Court judge. The written grounds was provided 12 days later which set aside the Court of Appeal decision."
The former judge noted that the Malaysian Bar was aghast at the decision made by the Federal Court and issued a strong statement against it while saying the panel headed by Eusoff had been illegally constituted.
Justice Hishamudin enters
Eleven years after, the retired judge noted the Bar's views was proven right following a RM100 million defamation suit brought by Lingam against Euro Money Publications over an article titled ‘Malaysian justice on trial’ which was published in the International Commercial Litigation magazine.
The case came up before Justice Mohamad Hishamudin Mohd Yunus, whom Malaysiakini highlighted earlier this week for being sidelined for elevation to the Federal Court despite being the most senior judge at the Court of Appeal.While Lingam submitted that the Court of Appeal judgment in the Ayer Molek case had been expunged, Justice Hishamudin (left) stood his ground saying the Federal Court panel by Eusoff was not legally constituted as it comprised only "two legally competent judges, namely, Eusoff and a Court of Appeal Judge. The third judge of the panel, Pajan Singh Gill, was not legally competent to sit on that bench as he was only a High Court judge then".
"Justice
Hishamudin ruled that the judgment of the Court of Appeal by Chan, Siti
Norma and Vohrah in the Ayer Molek case is still wholly intact and is
still a valid and binding judgment and 'I am entitled, indeed I am duty
bound, to take cognisance of the judgment in deciding on Lingam's claim
in this action'," Vohrah wrote.Eventually, Lingam's (right) suit was dismissed by Justice Hishamudin.
Eusoff Chin also presided in the controversial Federal Court land case of Adorna Properties Sdn Bhd vs Boonsom Boonyanit in 2000 in Penang where his judgment created an uproar for recognising that land deals done through fraudulent means were legal.
This decision was eventually corrected by then Chief Justice Zaki Azmi in another land matter in 2010 in the case Tan Ying Hong vs Tan Sian San, Cini Timber Industries Sdn Bhd and United Malayan Banking Corporation Bhd.
As a footnote, despite the royal commission of inquiry in recommending action against Lingam and Eusoff, none has been taken till today.
Nevertheless, Lingam is facing contempt proceedings in the Kian Joo Can Company matter.
Chinese Entrepreneurial Contribution To Country's Development Recognised - Najib
KUCHING,
Feb 27 (Bernama) -- Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak today
recognises the contribution made through the entrepreneurial ability of
the Chinese community in the development and success enjoyed by the
country, especially in Sarawak.According to him, in Sarawak he saw that its people really appreciated unity in the diversity of its ethnicity, culture, lifestyle and mutual respect that had become its main strength.
"When the strength in diversity can be made whole, only then can it bring strength to the nation to forge greater success," he said when speaking at a Chinese New Year gathering at the Kuching City South Council community hall at Jalan Padungan here.
Najib outlined three main levels in embracing diversity to build strength, namely tolerance, acceptance and a high standard to celebrate it.
He also commended on the commitment and firm leadership of Tan Sri Adenan Satem who would hold the post of Sarawak Chief Minister for one year tommorrow, in the fight against corruption.
He said Adenan who was described as 'simple and down-to-earth' succeeded in gaining the support of the Chinese community that wanted a government with a good administration to fight against corruption, maintain peace and stability as well as curb any elements of extremism.
Earlier Adenan in his speech said this year the state government had increased its financial aid allocation to 14 Chinese private schools in Sarawak to RM4 million compared to only RM3 million last year.
Also present at the function were Sarawak Deputy Chief Minister Tan Sri Alfred Jabu, Sarawak ministers and local leaders from the Chinese community,
Najib is scheduled to present financial aid to flood victims and make a walkabout at Kubah Ria, Petra Jaya here tomorrow before ending his three-day working visit to Sarawak.
-- BERNAMA
Friday 27 February 2015
How a rape was filmed and shared in Pakistan
When a young Pakistani woman was gang raped in a remote village, she kept silent. But then a video of the rape began circulating online and via mobile phone. As BBC Urdu's Amber Shamsi reports, little appears to have been done to stop web users from sharing the video.
Sadia (not her real name) had thought that if she kept quiet, it might protect her from the humiliation of being known as a rape victim.
But in the days or weeks after, two versions of her ordeal began to circulate online - one lasted five minutes, the other 40 minutes.
The video showed her being raped by four men, one by one, while she pleaded for mercy. It spread rapidly through the towns and villages of Punjab.
"It was my elder brother who first told me about the video. He saw it and recognised Sadia, then came to me," Sadia's father says.
"She felt too ashamed to tell me because I'm her father. If her mother had been alive, I'm sure my daughter would have told her."
They then reported the rape, and it was easy to find the alleged culprits in that small community.
'Sharing' the rape
It was shared largely through Bluetooth and clips have reportedly made it on to social media websites such as Facebook.
It can still be shared. Pakistan does not have the laws to stop this from happening.
Sadia lives in a typical Pakistani village, with mud homes surrounded by fields of sugarcane and small vegetable gardens.
She is 23 but she looks much younger. Since her mother died, she has been a surrogate mother to her younger siblings.
BBC video: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-31313551
But in the days or weeks after, two versions of her ordeal began to circulate online - one lasted five minutes, the other 40 minutes.
The video showed her being raped by four men, one by one, while she pleaded for mercy. It spread rapidly through the towns and villages of Punjab.
"It was my elder brother who first told me about the video. He saw it and recognised Sadia, then came to me," Sadia's father says.
"She felt too ashamed to tell me because I'm her father. If her mother had been alive, I'm sure my daughter would have told her."
They then reported the rape, and it was easy to find the alleged culprits in that small community.
'Sharing' the rape
It was shared largely through Bluetooth and clips have reportedly made it on to social media websites such as Facebook.
It can still be shared. Pakistan does not have the laws to stop this from happening.
Sadia lives in a typical Pakistani village, with mud homes surrounded by fields of sugarcane and small vegetable gardens.
She is 23 but she looks much younger. Since her mother died, she has been a surrogate mother to her younger siblings.
BBC video: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-31313551
Australian immigration minister mum on Sirul
Australian Immigration and Border Protection
Minister Peter Dutton was tight-lipped when asked to comment on former
police corporal Sirul Azhar Umar.
Dutton said privacy laws in Australia are quite strict and prevented him talking about individual cases.
"It is difficult for Australian ministers to comment on ongoing matters because of privacy laws and the desire not to prejudice any matter that might be under consideration," Dutton (left in photo) told reporters today.
He was asked for an update on Sirul Azhar, who is now under immigration detention in Australia where he fled to.
He was sentenced to death for killing Mongolian national Altantuya Shaariibuu.
Australia has no death penalty and its laws prevent the country from deporting people facing death sentence in their home countries.
Dutton was at the Home Ministry in Putrajaya to pay a courtesy call on the minister, Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.
Dutton also clarified that applications for the deportation of Sirul will be taken into account but the process might take awhile.
"The Australian government will take into consideration any applications that have been made and advice that has been provided.
"But there is a stringent legal process and rule of law that operates in relation to serious allegations against people within the Australian border, and that process now needs to take its course," said Dutton.
Teleconference okay
Asked to comment on the recent teleconference attempt with Sirul held by PAS information chief Mahfuz Omar (below), Dutton said it was a non-issue as Australian law allowed for such form of communication.
He, however, declined to comment on Sirul's immigration status.
"I don't want to comment on individual matters, but the general rule of
law in Australia means that people, if they are subject to a visa, the
government has the ability to deal with that visa, they have the ability
to process matters according to the law.
"There are certain items and procedures, I will let officials comment in relation to particular matters, but there's nothing else publicly that I would like to add to it," the minister said.
While refusing to disclose specific details of his meet with the home minister, Dutton said Sirul’s matter had been raised by Zahid.
"Yes, the minister raised that issue with me and its an issue that he takes very seriously. It was raised during the course of our meeting," Dutton revealed without commenting further.
Dutton said privacy laws in Australia are quite strict and prevented him talking about individual cases."It is difficult for Australian ministers to comment on ongoing matters because of privacy laws and the desire not to prejudice any matter that might be under consideration," Dutton (left in photo) told reporters today.
He was asked for an update on Sirul Azhar, who is now under immigration detention in Australia where he fled to.
He was sentenced to death for killing Mongolian national Altantuya Shaariibuu.
Australia has no death penalty and its laws prevent the country from deporting people facing death sentence in their home countries.
Dutton was at the Home Ministry in Putrajaya to pay a courtesy call on the minister, Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.
Dutton also clarified that applications for the deportation of Sirul will be taken into account but the process might take awhile.
"The Australian government will take into consideration any applications that have been made and advice that has been provided.
"But there is a stringent legal process and rule of law that operates in relation to serious allegations against people within the Australian border, and that process now needs to take its course," said Dutton.
Teleconference okay
Asked to comment on the recent teleconference attempt with Sirul held by PAS information chief Mahfuz Omar (below), Dutton said it was a non-issue as Australian law allowed for such form of communication.
He, however, declined to comment on Sirul's immigration status.
"I don't want to comment on individual matters, but the general rule of
law in Australia means that people, if they are subject to a visa, the
government has the ability to deal with that visa, they have the ability
to process matters according to the law."There are certain items and procedures, I will let officials comment in relation to particular matters, but there's nothing else publicly that I would like to add to it," the minister said.
While refusing to disclose specific details of his meet with the home minister, Dutton said Sirul’s matter had been raised by Zahid.
"Yes, the minister raised that issue with me and its an issue that he takes very seriously. It was raised during the course of our meeting," Dutton revealed without commenting further.
Vell Paari: Palanivel willing to destroy MIC
An MIC leader lambasted party president G Palanivel saying he's selfish enough to destroy the party, just to hang on to power.
Kepong MIC division chairperson S Vell Paari said that Palanivel's decision to appeal the decision of the Registrar of Societies (ROS) for fresh party elections stemmed not from advice from the BN leadership, but out of greed.
Vell Paari said Palanivel's supporters were out and about condemning the “interference” of Home Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, yet kept mum when BN secretary-general Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor gave his advice.
“Why never claim interference that time? The reason being, when something is favorable to you (Palanivel), you agree with it but you condemn and say interference when it's otherwise,” he said in a statement today.
Vell Paari (left)
reiterated that Palani's current actions were not about the issue of
interference by BN leadership or even ROS. Instead, it was an
egotistical need to remain in power.
Zahid's advice for Palanivel to follow ROS order was initially met positively by the same supporters, who later lambasted the home minister for “interference”.
Zahid had said that he hoped MIC would not take ROS to court as the ROS was not taking sides, but merely doing its job.
Vell Paari also said that he was “deeply disturbed and disappointed” by the condemnation thrown at ROS and the BN leaders.
“Rather than fixing the issue, Palani's supporters are out in public condemning ROS and the BN leadership while trying to divert the actual issue of election fraud,” he asserted.
ROS had ordered the 68-year-old Indian party to hold fresh party elections by May this year, after it found election fraud and declared the positions of three vice-presidents, 23 central working committee members (CWC), several divisions and branches in MIC, null and void.
However it later issued a definitive letter ordering the MIC to conduct re-elections for all of its branches, wings, divisions and its central leadership as well as the election for the president's post, to be held in May.
Kepong MIC division chairperson S Vell Paari said that Palanivel's decision to appeal the decision of the Registrar of Societies (ROS) for fresh party elections stemmed not from advice from the BN leadership, but out of greed.
Vell Paari said Palanivel's supporters were out and about condemning the “interference” of Home Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, yet kept mum when BN secretary-general Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor gave his advice.
“Why never claim interference that time? The reason being, when something is favorable to you (Palanivel), you agree with it but you condemn and say interference when it's otherwise,” he said in a statement today.
Vell Paari (left)
reiterated that Palani's current actions were not about the issue of
interference by BN leadership or even ROS. Instead, it was an
egotistical need to remain in power.Zahid's advice for Palanivel to follow ROS order was initially met positively by the same supporters, who later lambasted the home minister for “interference”.
Zahid had said that he hoped MIC would not take ROS to court as the ROS was not taking sides, but merely doing its job.
Vell Paari also said that he was “deeply disturbed and disappointed” by the condemnation thrown at ROS and the BN leaders.
“Rather than fixing the issue, Palani's supporters are out in public condemning ROS and the BN leadership while trying to divert the actual issue of election fraud,” he asserted.
ROS had ordered the 68-year-old Indian party to hold fresh party elections by May this year, after it found election fraud and declared the positions of three vice-presidents, 23 central working committee members (CWC), several divisions and branches in MIC, null and void.
However it later issued a definitive letter ordering the MIC to conduct re-elections for all of its branches, wings, divisions and its central leadership as well as the election for the president's post, to be held in May.
Interfaith group: 'Reject Quran' text not from us
The Malaysian Consultative Council of Buddhism,
Christianity, Hinduism, Sikhism and Taoism (MCCBCHST) has denied
circulating text messages to non-Muslims urging them not to accept
translated copies of the Quran from a Muslim NGO.
The message, sent via instant messaging application WhatsApp, warns of a clandestine operation to convert non-Muslims through distribution of the Quran
"We issued a statement on this on Feb 9 and we left it at that.
"Anybody doing that (circulating the message) is assuming it is from the council, but it is not," MCCBCHST secretary-general Prematilaka KD Serisena said today.
The
message reads: "Please don't accept it because the minute you do
(accept the Quran), you will have to fill in a form claiming it is just
for record purposes but actually they will track you down and convert
you or change your records stating you are a Muslim.
"Be reminded that the Quran is their holy book and it's not to be touched by others and once it's in our possession we can't dispose it or put it anywhere because it's considered a holy book .
"Please be safe and exercise your rights and politely reject it. Please inform all your loved ones and especially children. Please warn them not to take anything or give any personal or family details to anybody."
The message claims that copies of the Quran were distributed to the public in Teluk Pulai, Klang.
Muslim NGO: We haven't distributed the books
On Feb 9, MCCBCHST raised concerns over the plan of the Islamic Information and Services Foundation's (IIS) to distribute a million copies of the Quran, translated inyo various languages, to counter Islamophobia.
The council feared that the distribution of the Quran could be a way to propagate the religion to non-Muslims and induce conversions.
MCCBCHST said it released the scathing statement with careful consideration following rising complaints of "covert conversions" of non-Muslims to Islam.
However, an official with IIS told The Malaysian Insider that it has yet to distribute the Quran and the holy books would only be distributed to religious organisations and not to random individuals.
IIS also denied that it would take down personal information of those who accepted the holy books.
Also circulating on WhatsApp is a picture of the van of Muslim evangelical group Multiracial Reverted Muslims, which has the words "Ask us. Get your free Quran today" on its side.
However, MRM official Firdaus Wong told the The Malay Mail Online that his organistion is not distributing copies of the Quran as alleged in the WhatsApp message.
The message, sent via instant messaging application WhatsApp, warns of a clandestine operation to convert non-Muslims through distribution of the Quran
"We issued a statement on this on Feb 9 and we left it at that.
"Anybody doing that (circulating the message) is assuming it is from the council, but it is not," MCCBCHST secretary-general Prematilaka KD Serisena said today.
The
message reads: "Please don't accept it because the minute you do
(accept the Quran), you will have to fill in a form claiming it is just
for record purposes but actually they will track you down and convert
you or change your records stating you are a Muslim."Be reminded that the Quran is their holy book and it's not to be touched by others and once it's in our possession we can't dispose it or put it anywhere because it's considered a holy book .
"Please be safe and exercise your rights and politely reject it. Please inform all your loved ones and especially children. Please warn them not to take anything or give any personal or family details to anybody."
The message claims that copies of the Quran were distributed to the public in Teluk Pulai, Klang.
Muslim NGO: We haven't distributed the books
On Feb 9, MCCBCHST raised concerns over the plan of the Islamic Information and Services Foundation's (IIS) to distribute a million copies of the Quran, translated inyo various languages, to counter Islamophobia.
The council feared that the distribution of the Quran could be a way to propagate the religion to non-Muslims and induce conversions.
MCCBCHST said it released the scathing statement with careful consideration following rising complaints of "covert conversions" of non-Muslims to Islam.
However, an official with IIS told The Malaysian Insider that it has yet to distribute the Quran and the holy books would only be distributed to religious organisations and not to random individuals.
IIS also denied that it would take down personal information of those who accepted the holy books.
Also circulating on WhatsApp is a picture of the van of Muslim evangelical group Multiracial Reverted Muslims, which has the words "Ask us. Get your free Quran today" on its side.
However, MRM official Firdaus Wong told the The Malay Mail Online that his organistion is not distributing copies of the Quran as alleged in the WhatsApp message.
20 richest M'sians: Mokhzani slides off list
Mokhzani Mahathir, son of former prime minister
Dr Mahathir Mohamad, saw the biggest hole in his pocket as his net worth
tumbled 42 percent or by about half-a-billion US dollars last year,
according to the latest Forbes’ list of Malaysia’s 50 richest released today.
The
big tumble takes him from 15th last year on the list (US$1.2 billion)
to 26th this year (US$700 million). This represents the biggest net
worth decline among the top 50 richest Malaysians over the past year,
said Forbes.
Meanwhile, diversified businessman Syed Mokhtar Albukhary (left), the only Malay in the top 10, fell one spot to eighth this year as his net worth dipped by US$200 million to US$2.9 billion this year.
Hong Kong-based tycoon Robert Kuok remains Malaysia’s richest citizen as a number of Malaysia’s wealthiest see their net worth fall following the recent global oil price plunge.
Genting scion drops, too
According to an update of Forbes’ list of Malaysia’s 50 richest today, 91-year-old Kuok saw his net worth dip slightly by US$200 million (RM721.9 million) this year to US$11.3 billion compared to US$11.5 billion last year.
Retaining second place is Ananda Krishnan, whose net worth stands at US$9.7 billion. This represents a drastic fall from US$11.3 billion last year — a 14 percent dip.
Banking magnate Quek Leng Chan overtook gaming tycoon Lim Kok Thay this year to take third place, boasting a net worth of US$5.6 billion, though this is 12.5 percent lower than US$6.4 billion last year.
Similarly Lim of Genting fame saw his net worth tumble 15.3 percent over the past year to US$5.5 billion this year.
Read the full story at KiniBiz now.
The
big tumble takes him from 15th last year on the list (US$1.2 billion)
to 26th this year (US$700 million). This represents the biggest net
worth decline among the top 50 richest Malaysians over the past year,
said Forbes.Meanwhile, diversified businessman Syed Mokhtar Albukhary (left), the only Malay in the top 10, fell one spot to eighth this year as his net worth dipped by US$200 million to US$2.9 billion this year.
Hong Kong-based tycoon Robert Kuok remains Malaysia’s richest citizen as a number of Malaysia’s wealthiest see their net worth fall following the recent global oil price plunge.
Genting scion drops, too
According to an update of Forbes’ list of Malaysia’s 50 richest today, 91-year-old Kuok saw his net worth dip slightly by US$200 million (RM721.9 million) this year to US$11.3 billion compared to US$11.5 billion last year.
Retaining second place is Ananda Krishnan, whose net worth stands at US$9.7 billion. This represents a drastic fall from US$11.3 billion last year — a 14 percent dip.
Banking magnate Quek Leng Chan overtook gaming tycoon Lim Kok Thay this year to take third place, boasting a net worth of US$5.6 billion, though this is 12.5 percent lower than US$6.4 billion last year.
Similarly Lim of Genting fame saw his net worth tumble 15.3 percent over the past year to US$5.5 billion this year.
Read the full story at KiniBiz now.
Najib told to quit finance post over 1MDB failure
Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak must resign from
his position as finance minister for the failure of debt-ridden company
1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) to pay off its debts.
“He must do so in order for a full-time finance minister to take over his duties,” PKR secretary-general Rafizi Ramli said in a statement today.
Pointing out how 1MDB’s failure was no longer a secret, Rafizi said those responsible for the company’s management and decisions must therefore resign before the government agrees to the cash injection in the form of an RM3 billion bailout.
As
such, apart from Najib resigning as finance minister, 1MDB’s board of
directors must likewise do the same by resigning immediately, he said.
Rafizi, who is also a PKR vice-president, said the members of the board of directors should also not be appointed to any of the government’s subsidiary companies or agencies, lest they be “recycled”.
The Pandan MP said he would move a motion in the coming parliamentary session to ensure that the government bailout does not materialise until there is accountability for 1MDB’s failures.
The motion will also push for the RM3 billion bailout to be debated in a special parliamentary session.
“1MDB’s failures must be brought forward to Parliament so that these are not repeated, and action must also be taken against those responsible,” he said.
Quoting sources, The Edge Financial Daily reported that 1MDB was not only helped by billionaire Ananda Krishnan to settle its RM2 billion debt to banks, but it may also require a cash injection of as much as RM3 billion from the Finance Ministry.
The report also pointed out that “the controversial debt-laden outfit is facing a cash crunch as income from its power assets is not enough for debt servicing and it has run out of borrowing options”.
“He must do so in order for a full-time finance minister to take over his duties,” PKR secretary-general Rafizi Ramli said in a statement today.
Pointing out how 1MDB’s failure was no longer a secret, Rafizi said those responsible for the company’s management and decisions must therefore resign before the government agrees to the cash injection in the form of an RM3 billion bailout.
As
such, apart from Najib resigning as finance minister, 1MDB’s board of
directors must likewise do the same by resigning immediately, he said.Rafizi, who is also a PKR vice-president, said the members of the board of directors should also not be appointed to any of the government’s subsidiary companies or agencies, lest they be “recycled”.
The Pandan MP said he would move a motion in the coming parliamentary session to ensure that the government bailout does not materialise until there is accountability for 1MDB’s failures.
The motion will also push for the RM3 billion bailout to be debated in a special parliamentary session.
“1MDB’s failures must be brought forward to Parliament so that these are not repeated, and action must also be taken against those responsible,” he said.
Quoting sources, The Edge Financial Daily reported that 1MDB was not only helped by billionaire Ananda Krishnan to settle its RM2 billion debt to banks, but it may also require a cash injection of as much as RM3 billion from the Finance Ministry.
The report also pointed out that “the controversial debt-laden outfit is facing a cash crunch as income from its power assets is not enough for debt servicing and it has run out of borrowing options”.
Zahid: AG decides if Anwar can attend Dewan
The Home Minister says his deputy made an incorrect statement.
FMT
PUTRAJAYA: It is the Attorney-General’s Office, not the Home Ministry, that decides whether jailed Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim can attend Parliament, according to Home Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.
Speaking at a press conference here, Zahid expressed disapproval of his deputy’s statement yesterday that the Home Ministry could decide on the issue.
“I disagree with my deputy,” he said. “The matter should be referred to the Attorney-General. There’s no need for individual opinions, whether from among ministers or politicians.”
The deputy minister, Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar, commenting on a law professor’s statement yesterday, said Anwar must apply through the Prisons Department and Parliament if he intends to attend the Dewan Rakyat. The Home Ministry would then decide on the application, he added.
Wan Junaidi agreed with opinions that say Anwar remains in his status as a member of Parliament pending a decision on the petition for a royal pardon that his family has submitted.
Zahid said the Attorney-General would be the party responsible for interpreting Section 49 of the Federal Constitution and the provisions of related laws.
FMT
PUTRAJAYA: It is the Attorney-General’s Office, not the Home Ministry, that decides whether jailed Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim can attend Parliament, according to Home Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.
Speaking at a press conference here, Zahid expressed disapproval of his deputy’s statement yesterday that the Home Ministry could decide on the issue.
“I disagree with my deputy,” he said. “The matter should be referred to the Attorney-General. There’s no need for individual opinions, whether from among ministers or politicians.”
The deputy minister, Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar, commenting on a law professor’s statement yesterday, said Anwar must apply through the Prisons Department and Parliament if he intends to attend the Dewan Rakyat. The Home Ministry would then decide on the application, he added.
Wan Junaidi agreed with opinions that say Anwar remains in his status as a member of Parliament pending a decision on the petition for a royal pardon that his family has submitted.
Zahid said the Attorney-General would be the party responsible for interpreting Section 49 of the Federal Constitution and the provisions of related laws.
Palanivel willing to destroy MIC to hang on to power
Vell Paari says Palanivel is a hypocrite to scream 'interference' simply because he doesn’t agree with the advice BN leaders are giving him.
FMT
PETALING JAYA: MIC members that are being left as “political orphans” as a direct result of party president G Palanivel’s “ill leadership” desperately need clarification regarding the current turmoil within the party, said S Vell Paari.
The Kepong division chairman also said that Barisan Nasional leaders and the Registrar of Societies (RoS) weren’t the parties to be blamed for MIC’s current predicament, contrary to what some factions within MIC claimed.
“I am deeply disturbed and disappointed to note recent acts and statements by Dato Palani’s supporters condemning RoS and BN leaders,” said Vell Paari in a media statement today.
He added that rather than resolving the matter of irregularities with the party’s election process which Palanivel was responsible for, the president’s supporters were painting a whole different picture to the Indian community by suggesting RoS and UMNO were out to get them.
“Home Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi was only advising MIC to solve the internal crisis, but that was blasted by Balakrishnan (MIC’s vice-president) as interference,” said Vell Paari who pointed out that MIC’s president was in agreement with the Home Minister regarding re-elections just weeks before.
When Palanivel announced MIC’s plans to appeal to the RoS on the advice of BN Secretary-General Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor, Vell Paari questioned, “Why didn’t (he) claim interference that time?
“The reason being when something is favourable to you, you agree with it but you condemn and say interference when it’s otherwise.
“Hence this is not an issue of interference by BN leadership or ROS but it’s purely a selfish and greedy act to hang on to power by Palanivel, for which he is even willing to destroy MIC.”
FMT
PETALING JAYA: MIC members that are being left as “political orphans” as a direct result of party president G Palanivel’s “ill leadership” desperately need clarification regarding the current turmoil within the party, said S Vell Paari.
The Kepong division chairman also said that Barisan Nasional leaders and the Registrar of Societies (RoS) weren’t the parties to be blamed for MIC’s current predicament, contrary to what some factions within MIC claimed.
“I am deeply disturbed and disappointed to note recent acts and statements by Dato Palani’s supporters condemning RoS and BN leaders,” said Vell Paari in a media statement today.
He added that rather than resolving the matter of irregularities with the party’s election process which Palanivel was responsible for, the president’s supporters were painting a whole different picture to the Indian community by suggesting RoS and UMNO were out to get them.
“Home Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi was only advising MIC to solve the internal crisis, but that was blasted by Balakrishnan (MIC’s vice-president) as interference,” said Vell Paari who pointed out that MIC’s president was in agreement with the Home Minister regarding re-elections just weeks before.
When Palanivel announced MIC’s plans to appeal to the RoS on the advice of BN Secretary-General Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor, Vell Paari questioned, “Why didn’t (he) claim interference that time?
“The reason being when something is favourable to you, you agree with it but you condemn and say interference when it’s otherwise.
“Hence this is not an issue of interference by BN leadership or ROS but it’s purely a selfish and greedy act to hang on to power by Palanivel, for which he is even willing to destroy MIC.”
Home minister sticks up for IGP
Zahid Hamidi tells the public to respect the IGP as he is an institution and not merely a man in uniform.
FMT
KUALA LUMPUR: Home Minister Zahid Hamidi has cautioned the public against threatening the Inspector-General of Police, saying he was not merely one man in a uniform but represented an institution guarding the security of the nation.
“The question of threatening any public officer should be avoided, because the person appointed is translating their responsibilities,” he was quoted by the Malaysian Insider as saying.
He was referring to an IS-styled group calling themselves Anti-Democracy Sons of Malaysia (AMAD) who uploaded a video onto YouTube Tuesday threatening to kill IGP Khalid Abu Bakar by blowing up his car.
Zahid said the death threat was not only about Khalid per se, but the institution that he represented.
Zahid said, “In this case, the IGP is not a person, he is an institution. Please respect the institution. His main responsibility is to make sure that the element of security is translated in general.
“His position has to be respected. Any statement issued by him is not his personal statement, it is a statement issued by an institution. This must be respected,” he emphasised.
Reacting to the death threat in the video, Bukit Aman’s Special Branch principal assistant director (counter-terrorism division) Ayob Khan Mydin Pitchay, told The Rakyat Post, “We, the authorities, take this matter seriously and those responsible for the release of the two videos will have serious actions taken against them.”
An earlier video, also uploaded onto YouTube showed three similarly clad men in full face masks threatening to blast firecrackers in front of the nation’s courthouses.
In a statement yesterday, Khalid said he was taking the death threat issued against him in stride as it was common for men in uniform like him to be threatened in the line of duty.
“Such threats do not scare me as the police chief to carry out the tasks entrusted to me. Such threats are common in the life of a police officer in performing his duties,” The Malaysian Insider reported him as saying.
FMT
KUALA LUMPUR: Home Minister Zahid Hamidi has cautioned the public against threatening the Inspector-General of Police, saying he was not merely one man in a uniform but represented an institution guarding the security of the nation.
“The question of threatening any public officer should be avoided, because the person appointed is translating their responsibilities,” he was quoted by the Malaysian Insider as saying.
He was referring to an IS-styled group calling themselves Anti-Democracy Sons of Malaysia (AMAD) who uploaded a video onto YouTube Tuesday threatening to kill IGP Khalid Abu Bakar by blowing up his car.
Zahid said the death threat was not only about Khalid per se, but the institution that he represented.
Zahid said, “In this case, the IGP is not a person, he is an institution. Please respect the institution. His main responsibility is to make sure that the element of security is translated in general.
“His position has to be respected. Any statement issued by him is not his personal statement, it is a statement issued by an institution. This must be respected,” he emphasised.
Reacting to the death threat in the video, Bukit Aman’s Special Branch principal assistant director (counter-terrorism division) Ayob Khan Mydin Pitchay, told The Rakyat Post, “We, the authorities, take this matter seriously and those responsible for the release of the two videos will have serious actions taken against them.”
An earlier video, also uploaded onto YouTube showed three similarly clad men in full face masks threatening to blast firecrackers in front of the nation’s courthouses.
In a statement yesterday, Khalid said he was taking the death threat issued against him in stride as it was common for men in uniform like him to be threatened in the line of duty.
“Such threats do not scare me as the police chief to carry out the tasks entrusted to me. Such threats are common in the life of a police officer in performing his duties,” The Malaysian Insider reported him as saying.
Why the Malaysian Government Has Reneged on Political Reform
This morning I listened to a local business station which carried an interview with Tom Greatex. He is a British Labour Party politician who is head of the All Party Committee on Malaysia of the UK Parliament. In the interview, although cautious, Greatex expressed great concern with the recent human rights record of the Government, especially after all the big talk by the Prime Minister of doing away with the Sedition Act, of political reform and being moderate.
His visit follows the recent statement by the British Foreign Minister who, immediately after the Federal Court’s confirmation of Anwar’s conviction, said that “[Anwar’s] case raises worrying questions about the independence of the judiciary and rule of law in Malaysia….the integrity of the rule of law is a key part of its success, as are the values of moderation and tolerance. We encourage Malaysia to recognise the importance of international confidence in its judicial system and to restore trust in its commitment to human rights.”
This is diplomatic language for saying that there is little or no international confidence in our judicial system when it comes to dealing with the opposition. It is also a polite way of saying that the Brits do not trust our commitment to human rights.
The British are not the only countries that have expressed concern. Our printed media has tried to minimize or even suppress it but strong words have also come from European Union countries, the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, etc. Stronger criticism on the Anwar case have come from human rights groups such as Amnesty International and the International Federation for Human Rights which have called the verdict “disgraceful” and a “black day” for justice.
But what happened in the Anwar case is really the tip of the iceberg in terms of the Government’s attempt to kill off the opposition. To date, this drive has netted a wide range of government critics – not only politicians. Thus we have student leaders such as Adam Adli Abdul Halim and Fariz Musa, human rights lawyer Eric Paulsen, Bersih activist Hishamuddin Rais and cartoonist Zunar, being charged with sedition.
Killing Off Any Kind of Opposition
What is clear and especially alarming is that the Government is not only trying to kill off the political opposition but is also trying to kill off any kind of opposition; and it is using the state machinery which is supposed to be independent and neutral. Hence, not only is the judiciary brought into cooperating or colluding with the political masters, other agencies are also brought into the equation. This can be seen by the creation of the Classified Special Unit D5 in the police force to identify and handle sedition cases on social media. Apart from communist countries, ours must be the first country in the world to set up a branch of the police force set up to monitor the social media and cleanse it of anti government voices and sentiments.
So what is the impact of this shotgun approach to killing off the opposition which is definitely being initiated by UMNO and probably does not have the support of the other BN parties in the coalition.
I am sure that every foreign embassy which has an office in Malaysia and which reports back to their foreign ministries will have carried reports of this recent tsunami of political persecution. They will also be carrying analysis of why this is happening and of the impact of the political repression in Malaysia.
Check Out This Public Feedback Not Found in the NST
Here are my suggestions for what they should be including in their reports on the current political and socio-economic situation in Malaysia.
1. The Prime Minister is politically insecure and fighting desperately to hold on to his position. Hence he has to take a tough line and go back on his earlier promises to abolish the sedition act and to liberalize the country.I propose that the foreign mission staff do their own private questioning or polling on these issues and to share their feedback with their colleagues and Malaysians.
2. UMNO hard liners are in the ascendency. They have become increasingly insecure following the recent two elections and know that the party’s grip on power will finally be broken soon. Hence they are trying every trick in the book to bring down Pakatan and the greater opposition. In particular, they are manipulating religious sentiments and intolerance to ensure that they do not lose the Malay constituency.
3. The state apparatus in Malaysia is being used to prop up the old regime.
4. The Malaysian public has become disenchanted. The taxi drivers, the police men when they are not in uniform, the lower rung civil servants, the traders, university students, media practitioners, the professionals – most of them see the present government to be corrupt, incompetent, ineffective, hypocritical and undeserving of support.
Press Release | The Bar is Pro-Rule of Law and Justice, Not Pro-Opposition or Government
Much
has been said of the prosecution of Dato’ Seri Anwar Ibrahim, and there
appears to be some obfuscation. Those who are misconstruing or
distorting the Malaysian Bar’s press release of 11 February 2015, which
was plainly and clearly only in respect of the prosecutorial process,
should cease doing so.
Without recapping the issues raised therein, the Malaysian Bar wishes to address some issues that have arisen in the past week.
The
prosecutor-by-fiat in the Dato’ Seri Anwar Ibrahim case has been
reported to have been giving interviews, attending roadshows purportedly
organised by a political party in Government, and with his name used in
suggestions for debates. It was subsequently reported that the
roadshows were not at the behest of or sanctioned by that political
party.
Is
such conduct befitting or compatible with the dignity of a prosecutor
or the office of the Public Prosecutor? Is it appropriate or proper for
a prosecutor to replay the prosecution by way of roadshows or public
debates? Does a fiat given to a prosecutor to conduct a prosecution
confer a licence to embark on a public tirade against a convicted and
incarcerated person, or has the prosecutor-by-fiat been nevertheless
authorised by the Public Prosecutor to undertake these activities?
A former Attorney General is reported to have said that such conduct is unprecedented.
The
“Standards of professional responsibility and statement of the
essential duties and rights of prosecutors” adopted by the International
Association of Prosecutors on 23 April 1999 provide, amongst others,
that prosecutors shall:
(1) at all times maintain the honour and dignity of their profession;(2) always conduct themselves professionally in accordance with the law and the rules and ethics of their profession;(3) at all times exercise the highest standards of integrity and care;(4) strive to be, and to be seen to be, consistent, independent and impartial;(5) always serve and protect the public interest; respect, protect and uphold the universal concept of human dignity and human rights;(6) remain unaffected by sectional interests and public or media pressures and shall have regard only to the public interest; act with objectivity; and(7) preserve professional confidentiality.
Furthermore,
the “Guidelines on the Role of Prosecutors” adopted by the Eighth
United Nations Congress on the Prevention of Crime and the Treatment of
Offenders in 1990 provide, amongst others, that prosecutors shall:
(1) as essential agents of the administration of justice, at all times maintain the honour and dignity of their profession;(2) in accordance with the law, perform their duties fairly, consistently, and expeditiously, and respect and protect human dignity and uphold human rights, thus contributing to ensuring due process and the smooth functioning of the criminal justice system;(3) carry out their functions impartially and avoid all political, social, religious, racial, cultural, sexual or any other kind of discrimination;(4) protect the public interest and act with objectivity; and(5) keep matters in their possession confidential, unless the performance of duty or the needs of justice require otherwise.
Are
prosecutors governed by a set of practice and etiquette rules
established by the Public Prosecutor, who is also the Attorney General,
in a similar vein to the standards and guidelines referred to above, or
the Legal Profession (Practice and Etiquette) Rules 1978 that govern
advocates and solicitors?
The Public Prosecutor should perhaps shed light on these matters.
The
prosecutorial discretion pursuant to Article 145(3) of the Federal
Constitution is vested in the Attorney General. However, as the late
Sultan Azlan Shah once said, there is no such thing as an unfettered
discretion, as every discretion has its legal limits. Thus, although
the exercise of discretion may be vested in an office, the exercise of
it is accountable and is not beyond scrutiny.
There
may thus be occasions when the Public Prosecutor or his office may be
required to render an account of the exercise or non-exercise of the
prosecutorial discretion or conduct on certain matters raised by the
public. We ought to bear in mind that, in any criminal prosecution, the
Public Prosecutor’s office represents the public interest, and not the
Government. Criminal prosecutions are thus in the name of the Public
Prosecutor, and not in the name of the Government of Malaysia.
The
account or clarification would usually be done in a clinical, measured
and dispassionate manner, mindful that the office is a public office
acting in furtherance of the public trust.
There certainly should be no place for roadshows or debates.
Any
roadshow or public debate by a prosecutor with respect to a prosecution
he had conducted, culminating in a conviction, would add nothing to the
conduct of the prosecution, proceedings or conviction, but may
potentially embarrass, or affect the public confidence in or perception
of, the office of the Public Prosecutor.
It
was also reported that the prosecutor-by-fiat had referred to, and
revealed in public, matters or details of proceedings expressly held in camera.
Proceedings held in camera
are proceedings that are not conducted in open court, and are without
the presence of the public. The court would usually make directions or
set terms as to the ambit of the restriction in terms of any revelation
or publication of the matters heard in camera. Whether it is
improper or a contempt of court for a prosecutor (or a
prosecutor-by-fiat) or any party to reveal or publish matters and
evidence heard in proceedings held in camera would depend on the
directions made or terms set, if any, by the court, and whether those
directions or terms have been breached.
The directions or terms made with regard to any particular proceedings held in camera
could only be ascertained from the notes of court proceedings on the
matter, if available, and any breach thereof would be a matter for the
parties involved in the criminal trial or the court itself to take up.
The
media release dated 12 February 2015 by the Attorney General is an
example of an account or response by the office of the Public Prosecutor
in a clinical, measured and dispassionate manner.
We
thank the Attorney General for the statistics provided with regard to
prosecutions undertaken between 2010 and 2014 pursuant to section 377B
of the Penal Code. It would be informative to have the statistics, if
any, for such prosecutions under section 377B from the 1990s to 2009.
The
law is only as good and fair as if it is consistently and equally
applied and enforced. Section 377B, read with section 377A,
criminalises both sodomy and oral sex (fellatio). Section 377D has in
the past been used to prosecute a participant or abettor in consensual
sodomy. The offences apply to heterosexuals and homosexuals. It would
be instructive to see what the statistics are for prosecutions for
consensual oral sex under section 377B, read with section 377A, and
under section 377D.
An
analogy was drawn in the Attorney General’s media release with a
prosecution for a corruption offence, to explain why the complainant was
not charged as a participant for abetment in the prosecution for
consensual sodomy against Dato’ Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
Is
it a matter of policy, in the overall and long-term public interest, to
grant immunity to those who are participants in an offence in order to
prosecute other participants, instead of plea bargaining for an
admission and lesser sentence, except where the participant is an agent provocateur acting with or emplaced by the authorities in a sting operation?
In
line with the analogy drawn in the said media release, it is to be
noted that section 11 of the Whistleblower Protection Act 2010 provides
that a participant in an offence cannot enjoy protection under the said
Act, including the removal of any immunity from criminal action.
Although this Act came into force subsequent to the charge against
Dato’ Seri Anwar Ibrahim and is largely concerned with corruption, it
may said that section 11 of the said Act is a statutory codification or
reflection of the public interest policy with respect to there being no
immunity for participants in offences.
The
Bar raises these issues and asks questions because it is pro-rule of
law and pro-justice. The Bar is neither pro-Opposition nor
pro-Government.
Christopher Leong
President
Malaysian Bar
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)