Saturday 7 February 2015
ISIS Took Her Hostage. Now They Say She’s Dead.
Kayla Mueller went to Syria to help suffering children. Then she was abducted by monsters.
The U.S. government scrambled Friday to confirm the self-proclaimed Islamic State claim that its last remaining American hostage, a young woman and humanitarian aid worker, was killed by a Jordanian airstrike.
So far, three U.S. government officials told The Daily Beast they have no evidence either that she was killed or remains alive.
In the claim, published by the private intelligence group SITE on Friday, ISIS released the name of the hostage, Kayla Mueller, as well as what it claimed were personal details about her, including her phone number. The group showed no photos of her.
Rather it showed the crumbled building where she was allegedly held, saying it was somewhere near Raqqa, the group’s Syrian capital. U.S. military officials said they were doing battlefield assessments with that photo to determine whether it was destroyed by a coalition strike, and if so, when. They so far do not believe it was a Jordanian strike. Jordan ramped up its efforts since Tuesday when ISIS released a video showing the group gruesome burning to death of Jordanian Lt. Moaz al-Kasesbeh. But Jordan has not struck inside Raqqa since al-Kasesbeh’s death but areas east, U.S. military officials told The Daily Beast.
A Jordanian official denied ISIS’s claims that Mueller was killed in one of the country’s airstrikes. “This is just another PR stunt,” the official told The Daily Beast. “This is just part of their whole media-spinning strategy. They’re trying to throw a wedge in the coalition” to combat ISIS. The official noted that ISIS has manipulated the public before when it comes to the status of hostages, most recently by seeming to claim that the Jordanian pilot was alive when he’d really been killed weeks ago.
“There is no clear indication that she is dead or alive," said a U.S. national-security official familiar with the search for Mueller. “If she is dead, why aren't they showing her corpse? They've done it before with everybody else. Why is the news media not calling them out?”
This official said ISIS's claim changed nothing has changed from the U.S. perspective.
“Just because it is on CNN doesn't mean we're gong to look harder,” the official added. “A U.S. person is being held against their will by an enemy. Every effort that can be made is being made. It is the top priority. It has been a priority since it happened.”
“We are obviously deeply concerned by these reports. We have not at this time seen any evidence that corroborates ISIL’s claim,” said Bernadette Meehan, a spokesperson for the National Security Council, using an alternate acronym for the extremist group.
Mueller, a 26-year-old from Arizona, was taken captive by ISIS on August 4, 2013, in Aleppo, Syria, while leaving a Spanish Doctors without Borders hospital.
The Daily Beast, along with other news organizations, had agreed to withhold Mueller’s name at the request of her family and U.S. officials, who feared that further attention would put her in jeopardy.
If confirmed, Mueller’s death would bring to an end months of speculation about what ISIS, whose brutality seems to know no bounds, had planned for its last American captive. ISIS has killed Muslim women, as well as children. And the group has held other female captives, notably Yazidi women for example. But Western women had, so far, not been touched.
That fact, terrorism analysts had said, may have helped to keep Mueller alive. Even for a group as brutal as ISIS, killing a woman aid worker could potentially be seen as a bridge too far, and risk igniting public opposition to the group, which aims to establish a new caliphate.
But since the U.S-led campaign began Aug. 8, there were increased concerns for her safety. Indeed, Pentagon officials privately fretted that ISIS would claim hostages or civilians had been killed by their strikes. As it turned out, ISIS wants to shift all attention away from the strikes. After nearly 4,000 targets hit, this appears to be the first time ISIS has claimed coalition forces killed a captive.
In response to al-Kasesbeh’s death, the Jordanian government carried out a death sentence against two al Qeada operatives the next day. Among them was a 44-year-old woman named Sajida al-Rishawi, a would be suicide bomber in the 2005 attack on three Jordanian hotels. The death of a jihadist woman heralded by some ISIS supporters as a hero may have led to a tit-for-tat response by ISIS, the death a Western female hostage, by the Jordanians no less.
Mueller had said she felt drawn to humanitarian work to ease the suffering Syrians, particularly children, whose lives were devastated by years of civil war. Working in refugee camps in Turkey with the humanitarian group Support to Life, she used art as therapy, encouraging children to draw pictures of places where they felt safe—invariably they drew their houses, which they’d had to flee or were destroyed.
“When Syrians hear I’m an American, they ask, ‘Where is the world?’ All I can do is cry with them, because I don’t know,” she said during a speech to the Kiwanis Club in Prescott, Arizona, her hometown, in 2013.
“In the chaos of waking up in the middle of the night and being shelled, we’re hearing of more children being separated from their families by accident,” Mueller said. She told the audience she felt she “can’t do enough” to help Syrian refugees and others fighting the dictatorship of Syrian strongman Bashar al-Assad.
The Daily Courier reported on the speech and recounted how while working in Turkey, Mueller helped to reunite a Syrian man with a young family member after his camp was bombed. Mueller used a video image of the missing boy to track him down at a hospital after he came out of surgery.
In her speech, Mueller evinced a passion for helping the Syrian people and was hopeful that her work would make a difference in their suffering.
“For as long as I live, I will not let this suffering be normal. I will not let this be something we just accept. It’s important to stop and realize what we have, why we have it and how privileged we are. And from that place, start caring and get a lot done.”
Mueller graduated from Northern Arizona University in 2009. From then until 2011, she lived and worked with humanitarian aid groups in northern India, Israel, and the Palestinian territories. She then returned home to Arizona and worked for a year at an HIV/AIDS clinic and volunteered nights at a women's shelter.
In December 2011, Mueller traveled to France to work as an au pair so she could learn French and then working in Africa. But in December 2012, she went to the Turkish and Syrian border and worked with aid groups helping Syrian refugees.
Mueller's kidnappers first made contact with her family in May 2014, providing proof of life evidence that she was alive and demanding a ransom.
Notably, Mueller didn’t appear in any ISIS videos, including at the end of one released in November 2014 documenting the death of Peter Kassig, another aid worker who, at the time, was the only other American the group was holding.
With the Kassig video, ISIS broke with its custom of showing the next hostage it intends to kill. Subsequent ISIS films showed the murder of a group of Syrian pilots, and most recently the beheading of two Japanese men and the burning alive of the Jordanian pilot.
IS Militants Burn Three Iraqis Alive
Officials and eyewitnesses say Islamic State (IS) militants have burned at least three people alive in Iraq's western Anbar Province.
The victims, residents of an area near the town of Hit, some 200 kilometers west of Baghdad, were suspected of informing Iraqi security forces about the militants' movements.
Our correspondent says the militant group also accused the victims of encouraging people to join tribal forces who are fighting against IS.
Anbar officials said in a statement that one of the victims was a former police officer.
Residents of the area were reportedly forced to come to the site of the burning and watch the incident.
The killings, which come shortly after the release of an IS video purporting to show the immolation of captured Jordanian pilot Muath al-Kasasbeh, is the first known instance of civilians being burned alive in revenge for their opposition to the militant group.
Najib should not don Hindu attire, garlands, says Perlis mufti
Datuk Seri Najib Razak's advisers should be stricter in enforcing the rules set by Islam when the prime minister attends non-Muslim celebrations, the Perlis mufti said.Datuk Mohd Asri Zainul Abidin said the prime minister's advisers should be firm with the event organisers to protect the sanctity of Islam.
"The prime minister's advisers should also inform the organisers not to present a garland to Najib or request that he wear Hindu attire when celebrating a religious festival," he told Malay-language daily Sinar Harian.
"They should be firm in this matter and inform the organisers of the Thaipusam celebration in Batu Caves that Najib will attend on the condition that he not take part in any Hindu ritual.
"This is what Islam forbids. Muslim leaders are not prohibited from attending other religious festivals, but there are rules and limits," he said.
He said Najib could attend the Thaipusam celebration in Batu Caves, as part of his duty as the prime minister, but should not participate in any religious ritual as it was against Islamic teachings.
"Najib can appear there dressed in a suit. There is no harm in that. What matters is that Najib attends the Hindu religious festivals because he is the Malaysian prime minister and he cares for all Malaysians," said Asri.
As an example, Asri said the Muslim police officers on duty in Batu Caves for the Thaipusam festival were not necessarily celebrating it.
"The police are protecting the public and ensuring the celebrations go on peacefully. They are not celebrating the festival, but only carrying out their duty of maintaining public peace and security."
He added that as the prime minister who cared for the interests of all race and religions, Najib should attend the religious celebrations of non-Muslim faiths.
Two years ago, Perak Mufti Tan Sri Harussani Zakaria claimed Najib had "sacrificed his faith" by attending the Thaipusam celebration, and said he advised the prime minister each year not to attend such events as it was an "idolatrous act".
But Harussani later back-pedalled on his criticism after Najib spoke to him personally, and said the prime minister had not flouted Islamic doctrine as he was not involved in a religious procession nor did he enter the cave where the main religious activities are conducted. – February 6, 2015
- See more at: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/najib-should-not-don-hindu-attire-garlands-says-perlis-mufti#sthash.Xt7Ply0B.dpuf
Peguam tak setuju cadangan cerai dulu baru peluk Islam
Pengamal undang-undang mencadangkan supaya kerajaan Negeri Sembilan berbincang dengan para
ulama dan badan bukan kerajaan (NGO) Islam sebelum menguatkuasakan 2 cadangan peraturan baru berkaitan mualaf dalam Enakmen Pentadbiran Agama Islam (Negeri Sembilan) 2003.Dua peraturan baru itu ialah seorang bukan Islam perlu membubarkan perkahwinannya yang terdahulu sebelum dibenarkan berdaftar sebagai mualaf di Negeri Sembilan dan mereka juga perlu membuat akuan berkanun yang menyatakan memeluk Islam.
Semalam, Menteri Besar Negeri Sembilan Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan berkata peraturan baru itu mendapat perkenan Yang di-Pertuan Besar Negeri Sembilan dan ia tidak perlu dibentangkan ke Dewan Undangan Negeri (DUN) tetapi hanya memerlukan kelulusan Majlis Mesyuarat Kerajaan Negeri.
Peguam kanan Mohamed Haniff Khatri Abdulla berkata ini kerana proses seorang bukan Islam untuk membubarkan perkahwinannya di Mahkamah Sivil akan mengambil masa yang agak lama dan melibatkan banyak perkara antaranya harta sepencarian dan hak penjagaan anak.
"Apa hukumnya pihak yang melengah-lengahkan seseorang memeluk agama Islam. Adakah cadangan pindaan itu mendapat pandangan daripada ahli ulama, jika tidak saya syorkan supaya pihak pentadbir (kerajaan Negeri Sembilan) berbincang dan meminta pandangan ahli ulama berhubung cadangan itu," katanya ketika dihubungi Bernama.
Mohamed Haniff yang banyak mengendalikan kes-kes berkaitan perebutan hak penjagaan anak melibatkan mualaf di Mahkamah Sivil berkata beliau kurang bersetuju dengan cadangan itu jika kerajaan negeri tidak mengambil pandangan daripada ulama berserta hukum atau nas-nas yang menyokong cadangan tersebut.
Peguam itu menegaskan prosedur di Mahkamah Sivil berhubung proses perceraian akan mengambil masa yang agak lama dan ada yang berlanjutan sehingga 2 tahun dan jika seseorang itu meninggal dunia dalam proses hendak memeluk agama Islam, siapa yang harus dipertanggungjawabkan dalam perkara itu?
"Perkara ini tidak boleh dibuat secara terburu-buru kerana ia juga melibatkan satu kes mualaf lagi di Mahkamah Persekutuan yang masih belum selesai. Sepatutnya cadangan itu dibuat selepas mahkamah mengeluarkan keputusannya," katanya.
Ia berhubung kes seorang wanita beragama Hindu, S Deepa yang terlibat dalam perebutan hak penjagaan anak dengan bekas suaminya Izwan Abdullah, yang memeluk Islam atau N Viran ketika beragama Hindu.
Katanya kes itu masih belum didengar di Mahkamah Persekutuan.
Presiden Persatuan Peguam Muslim Malaysia Datuk Zainul Rijal Abu Bakar juga mempunyai pandangan sama dengan Mohamed Haniff agar kerajaan Negeri Sembilan berbincang cadangan itu dengan pihak yang berkepentingan seperti NGO Islam dan saudara baru sebelum melaksanakan cadangan itu.
"Pada pandangan saya cadangan itu perlu diperhalusi lagi kerana dikhuatiri ia akan memberi kesan kepada orang mualaf. Hak seorang mualaf harus diberikan kepada mereka sebagaimana hak seorang Islam," katanya.
Zainul Rijal berkata perlu juga dilihat ketika ini, individu yang memeluk Islam tidak mempunyai hak di bawah Seksyen 51 Akta Membaharui Undang-Undang (Perkahwinan dan Perceraian) 1976 iaitu undang-undang keluarga bukan Islam.
"Jadi bagaimana mereka boleh menyelesaikan perceraian mereka? Bagaimanakah pula kalau suami isteri memeluk Islam dan tidak mahu bercerai? Saya juga menyarankan agar kerajaan Negeri Sembilan berbincang hal ini dengan pihak yang berkepentingan seperti NGO Islam dan saudara baharu sebelum melaksanakan perkara ini," katanya.
Bagaimanapun Presiden Persatuan Peguam Syarie Malaysia (PGSM) Musa Awang berkata persatuan itu tiada masalah dengan cadangan kerajaan negeri itu kerana niat utamanya untuk menjaga kepentingan Islam.
Musa berkata individu yang mahu memeluk agama Islam, boleh mengucap 2 kalimah syahadah tetapi pendaftaran mereka akan disimpan dahulu sehingga mereka menyelesaikan perkahwinan terdahulu di bawah Akta Memperbaharui Undang-Undang (Perkahwinan dan Perceraian) 1976.
"Selepas itu baru mereka akan diberi kad perakuan masuk Islam dan memperoleh keistimewaan sebagai seorang mualaf," katanya.
Beliau juga meminta supaya masyarakat memberi peluang kepada kerajaan Negeri Sembilan untuk melaksanakan cadangan itu terlebih dahulu.
"Kita lihat keberkesanannya. Jika berkesan, negeri-negeri lain boleh amalkan prosedur yang sama," katanya. – Bernama, 7 Februari, 2015.
- See more at: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/bahasa/article/peguam-tak-setuju-cadangan-cerai-dulu-baru-peluk-islam#sthash.C3F70Pda.dpuf
Kurta, garlands cultural elements, not religious, say Indian leaders
Traditional attire, such as kurta, and flower garlands are part of Indian culture and have nothing to do with the Hindu religion, Indian leaders said today, refuting the Perlis mufti’s suggestion that by donning such attire at Thaipusam, the prime minister was taking part in the religious ceremony.Malaysian Hindu Sangam president Datuk R. S. Mohan Shan also said that presenting a garland was, in fact, a sign of respect for honoured guests.
"It has always been the Indian way of respecting others. It is an important aspect of our culture and has nothing to do with religion," he told The Malaysian Insider.
"There is nothing in the Quran that says Muslims cannot be presented with garlands."
Mohan was responding to a statement by Datuk Mohd Asri Zainul Abidin that Datuk Seri Najib Razak should not have worn a "Hindu" attire nor should he have been presented with a garland when he attended the Thaipusam celebrations in Batu Caves on Tuesday.
"They (Najib's advisers) should be firm on this matter and inform the organisers of the Thaipusam celebration in Batu Caves that Najib will attend on the condition that he not take part in any Hindu ritual," said Asri.
"This is what Islam forbids. Muslim leaders are not prohibited from attending other religious festivals, but there are rules and limits."
Batu Caves' Sri Subramaniam Temple chairman Tan Sri R. Nadarajah said that it was a tradition to garland any VIP who attended any function as a sign of respect.
"Many sultans, prime ministers, chief ministers and other dignitaries have attended Thaipusam celebrations at Batu Caves.
"As a mark of respect, we garland them. This is tradition. Datuk Seri Najib attended as our guest and we did the same," he added.
Najib did not enter the temple and was just at Batu Caves to perform his official duty as the prime minister, said MIC vice-president Datuk M. Saravanan.
"Why is this being made into an issue? The mufti has failed to understand that the kurta and the garland are cultural elements for Indians. They are not a Hindu thing," he said, adding that Najib was prime minister for all Malaysians.
Hitting out at the mufti, Mohan said Muslims in countries such as India, Bangladesh and Pakistan wore kurtas and not the baju Melayu, which is a Malay traditional costume.
"We can see how shallow-minded the mufti is. Najib is not only the prime minister for Muslims but for all Malaysians," he said.
"We don't deny that Najib is a Muslim. And we have given him all the respect to him as a Muslim. But Muslims in other countries wear similar clothes as Islam does not impose any dress code as long as one is dressed modestly," he said.
Bringing up such a trivial matter, Mohan said, was yet another attempt to create discord and tension among the different races and religions in Malaysia.
Two years ago, Perak mufti Tan Sri Harussani Zakaria claimed Najib had "sacrificed his faith" by attending the Thaipusam celebrations, and said he advised the prime minister each year not to attend such events as they were an "idolatrous act".
But Harussani later back-pedalled on his criticism after Najib spoke to him personally, and said the prime minister had not flouted Islamic doctrine as he was not involved in a religious procession nor did he enter the cave where the main religious activities are conducted. – February 7, 2015.
- See more at: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/kurta-garlands-cultural-elements-not-religious-say-indian-leaders#sthash.pr5cHCHl.dpuf
10 reasons why Indians beat their wives... in chess
I admit, that line was used by a major advertiser earlier (in just about
the only ad that an Indian features). You see, we live in a world of
stereotypes. When I write my articles, I deliberately make it
controversial (much to the trepidations of the editors). After all, if
you write and nobody reads, then you can consider it a ‘syiok sendiri’
piece.
Whenever I post my thoughts, I will get a barrage of comments, both in support and sometimes I appear to hit some raw nerves. Ahh... but that's the objective of a good writer, yes? After all, how interesting would an RTM2 news type be to the average reader.
Let's face it, in Malaysia, the Indians occupy a unique position. They are not a majority in any polling districts but if memory serves me right, they can swing the votes from a BN to an opposition victory in at least 28 constituencies. Now the present government has a majority of 44 seats, with almost 27 of the Indian-swinging seats going to BN in GE 2013. Wait, wait... see the last line of this article for the punchline.
Okay, I digress. Back to the “Kalingas”. Now I lumped all Indians into one group but we fellows are a finicky lot. So here's the top 10 reasons why we:
1. Look like an Indian, talk like an Indian but...
Some of the "Indians" will be offended when a Malayalee or Ceylonese, is called an Indian. Even though it's 2015, there remains a time-stuck group that still holds onto ancient customs and prejudices. In that group, the Ceylon Tamils (popularly known as kottes/Ceylonese in Malaysia) and the Malayalees (known as the mallus or "yellows") consider themselves elitist.
This is because in British rule, these two categories of Indians were the most educated (due to their ‘study first’ philosophy) and hence, the Brits placed them as estate managers, clerks and station masters, that is, in any position that a white man need not helm.
It was common till the late 1980s to see institutions like Sime Darby, Guthrie, KTM, Telekoms and LLN to be staffed at the senior level by either kottes or mallus. (Of course, the question of who is superior will make another story).
It must be remembered that while the Brits placed them there based on their qualification, these days "kulitfication" decides who sits there. As a result, you get madmen/racists/bigots helming senior positions. You can decide for yourself which system is better.
2. Consider a little ‘nip’ a welcoming thingy
Truth be said. Born as an Indian man in Malaysia now is really "suey". Unless you are good-looking like the Bangladeshis (and hence the Malay girls fall for them), if lucky, you will get to date an Indian girl from Batang Berjuntai.
Sorry lah, all the city-bred Indian girls will only "layan" the expatriates. If you don't believe me, go to Skybar and observe. Go on, try your luck. I'd always wondered in the 1980s why I, a (reasonably) good-looking professional witty Indian man could not attract the "tangachees" in Beetlenut but an ugly fat plumber from Newcastle was getting all the attention.
Of course, thanks to the Filipinas, all Indian (and most Punjabi) men no longer feel dejected. In fact, we are now the stars with honorary Philippine citizenship. Remember no Ceylonese or Mallu father is going to allow his high-class doctor/engineer/accountant/pengarah daughter to marry a Gaunder Indian gentleman, even if he was a successful but ugly lawyer like Indi Nadarajah or Alan Pereira.
Worse,
if you were an ordinary TNB (yes, a few Indians are still there) meter
reader. So what else do you do... if you were a professional with money,
head to the Royal Selangor Club. If you were a scrap metal tycoon (and
don't play play, many own Ferraris and Lambos), you head to Chakravathy.
And for the TNB meter-reader types, you can find us in Armada Hotel and Cobra Club in PJ. But all of us are united by Chivas and Johnny. When we are adequately inebriated, all our troubles seem so far away, like yesterday. So, in the end, given the lack of business opportunities, government positions and luck with women, all Indians find solace in Regal and Walker.
With these two best friends with us losers, now we rule the world better than Obama, sing better than Shah Rukh, fight better than Jet Li and look better than Brosnan. Hence, so we imbibe. Really, can you blame us?
3. Have an inferiority complex
It's true. See the above paragraphs. If you were not given any chances, pretty soon, you will think that there was something wrong with you instead. You see, we Indians have been forgotten when our stupid forefathers drafted the NEP.
Razak craftily looked after the Malays' interest while Sambanthan was probably too busy counting his son's dowry to be bothered about the Indians. He should have yelled and thrown tables and chairs (like done now) and made Razak and Dr Ismail agree to include the Indians in the NEP.
Then, with our Chinese brethren (thanks to Siew Sin who stayed awake and dished out contracts quickly), we too would have had the same opportunity to prosper in society. I am most upset because the Malays are always claimed as the poor when it really are the Indians and the Orang Asli who count as hardcore poor.
Just because Ananda, Gnanalingam, Arumugam, Tony Fernandes and AK Nathan are billionaires (and account for 99.9% of the Indian wealth), the other 1,987,423 Indians are forgotten when it comes to government assistance - unless it's election time or Merdeka Day when we get our 20 seconds of fame on TV.
Imagine, if we were treated equal, we would have gotten: free overseas education, cheap housing, extra classes to pass exams, subsidised loans, government jobs, free shares, lower entry results to higher education, "park anywhere" on prayer time rights, virtually no speeding tickets and many more.
The least Sambathan could have done was to give an extra shot of Henessy to Tunku, he then may have voiced up for us. Contrast this with a recent comment by Najib that Indians are bumiputera. I better send in my request for some free shares before the extremist NGOs start to show their posteriors.
4. Are related to Michael Jackson
The world needs healing. Obama is half white and he is proud that he is black. But we Indians, are usually dark brown (if I said black, thousands of Nigerians in KL may be offended) and we apply the ‘Fair & Lovely’ cream so that we can become fairer.
Worse,
I've actually heard non-Indian Malaysians say that the fair Indians are
Ceylonese and Malayalees, and the darker ones are the "estate" type.
It's amazing that after almost 60 years of Merdeka, Merdeka, Merdeka,
with all the bulls**t slogans propagated by the politicians, the four
major races (the Indonesians now outnumber Indian Malaysians) are no
wiser as to each other's culture than we were in 1897.
It was proven when a government educational commission recently sent Thaipusam greetings to Buddhists. Well, you can see where our "world class" education has taken the society to. In Malaysia we excel by lowering the benchmark instead of upgrading our abilities.
Coming back to the colour bar, we Indians are somewhat cowed by our skin colour. Of course, there are some of us who have decided to become (rapper) BAD and now take on names like "Resh" (Suresh), Knife Andy (Kalliandy), Maran Sammy (Munnusamy) and Big Nate (Banganathan). It appears to me, nobody believes that it doesn't matter if you're black or white.
5. Are lawyers
There was a minister who encouraged the Malays to be like the Chinese who went into business and took risks. He also said don't be like the Indians who play safe and become lawyers and professionals.
As a professional in my sane years and then as a businessman in my foolish years (just for the record, I'm now retired with insanity), I've actually been in the full spectrum of "life" in Malaysia. I think I can speak with authority as I was a product of the "Malay" school (yes, from a kampong too), articled in a "Chinaman" firm with an Indian boss, mastered in a "White man's" society, worked in a cut-throat global business and finally retired to an Indian farm - I've been there all.
I think Indians have been gifted with the language skill that Bill himself would have been proud of. Also, we Indians can never tell a story without intrigues and diversions. There must always be a plot, motive (sorry, in Malaysia no need motive lah...) and a hero.
Move aside Barbara, call us the true romantist. Hence, if you want murder, mystery and a hero - alas, law is your calling Mr Watson. Now if they only allowed song as a defence, you could hear the defence in Anwar's case, may I venture, singing Shaggy's "It wasn't me".
And those are the top five reasons. Why only five and not 10 - hey, we Indians always exaggerate lah.
And the cliff-hanger results: If a clever Indian wanted to be deputy prime minister of Malaysia, (how do you think Nick Clegg, leader of the third largest party with 28% of the votes, became the deputy PM in UK?) all he has to do is to make sure, of the 27 king-making polling districts, 23 seats voted the other way.
Voila, Pakatan in power in GE14. No need to beg the Sabahans and Sarawakians. Aiya.
Whenever I post my thoughts, I will get a barrage of comments, both in support and sometimes I appear to hit some raw nerves. Ahh... but that's the objective of a good writer, yes? After all, how interesting would an RTM2 news type be to the average reader.
Let's face it, in Malaysia, the Indians occupy a unique position. They are not a majority in any polling districts but if memory serves me right, they can swing the votes from a BN to an opposition victory in at least 28 constituencies. Now the present government has a majority of 44 seats, with almost 27 of the Indian-swinging seats going to BN in GE 2013. Wait, wait... see the last line of this article for the punchline.
Okay, I digress. Back to the “Kalingas”. Now I lumped all Indians into one group but we fellows are a finicky lot. So here's the top 10 reasons why we:
1. Look like an Indian, talk like an Indian but...
Some of the "Indians" will be offended when a Malayalee or Ceylonese, is called an Indian. Even though it's 2015, there remains a time-stuck group that still holds onto ancient customs and prejudices. In that group, the Ceylon Tamils (popularly known as kottes/Ceylonese in Malaysia) and the Malayalees (known as the mallus or "yellows") consider themselves elitist.
This is because in British rule, these two categories of Indians were the most educated (due to their ‘study first’ philosophy) and hence, the Brits placed them as estate managers, clerks and station masters, that is, in any position that a white man need not helm.
It was common till the late 1980s to see institutions like Sime Darby, Guthrie, KTM, Telekoms and LLN to be staffed at the senior level by either kottes or mallus. (Of course, the question of who is superior will make another story).
It must be remembered that while the Brits placed them there based on their qualification, these days "kulitfication" decides who sits there. As a result, you get madmen/racists/bigots helming senior positions. You can decide for yourself which system is better.
2. Consider a little ‘nip’ a welcoming thingy
Truth be said. Born as an Indian man in Malaysia now is really "suey". Unless you are good-looking like the Bangladeshis (and hence the Malay girls fall for them), if lucky, you will get to date an Indian girl from Batang Berjuntai.
Sorry lah, all the city-bred Indian girls will only "layan" the expatriates. If you don't believe me, go to Skybar and observe. Go on, try your luck. I'd always wondered in the 1980s why I, a (reasonably) good-looking professional witty Indian man could not attract the "tangachees" in Beetlenut but an ugly fat plumber from Newcastle was getting all the attention.
Of course, thanks to the Filipinas, all Indian (and most Punjabi) men no longer feel dejected. In fact, we are now the stars with honorary Philippine citizenship. Remember no Ceylonese or Mallu father is going to allow his high-class doctor/engineer/accountant/pengarah daughter to marry a Gaunder Indian gentleman, even if he was a successful but ugly lawyer like Indi Nadarajah or Alan Pereira.
Worse,
if you were an ordinary TNB (yes, a few Indians are still there) meter
reader. So what else do you do... if you were a professional with money,
head to the Royal Selangor Club. If you were a scrap metal tycoon (and
don't play play, many own Ferraris and Lambos), you head to Chakravathy.And for the TNB meter-reader types, you can find us in Armada Hotel and Cobra Club in PJ. But all of us are united by Chivas and Johnny. When we are adequately inebriated, all our troubles seem so far away, like yesterday. So, in the end, given the lack of business opportunities, government positions and luck with women, all Indians find solace in Regal and Walker.
With these two best friends with us losers, now we rule the world better than Obama, sing better than Shah Rukh, fight better than Jet Li and look better than Brosnan. Hence, so we imbibe. Really, can you blame us?
3. Have an inferiority complex
It's true. See the above paragraphs. If you were not given any chances, pretty soon, you will think that there was something wrong with you instead. You see, we Indians have been forgotten when our stupid forefathers drafted the NEP.
Razak craftily looked after the Malays' interest while Sambanthan was probably too busy counting his son's dowry to be bothered about the Indians. He should have yelled and thrown tables and chairs (like done now) and made Razak and Dr Ismail agree to include the Indians in the NEP.
Then, with our Chinese brethren (thanks to Siew Sin who stayed awake and dished out contracts quickly), we too would have had the same opportunity to prosper in society. I am most upset because the Malays are always claimed as the poor when it really are the Indians and the Orang Asli who count as hardcore poor.
Just because Ananda, Gnanalingam, Arumugam, Tony Fernandes and AK Nathan are billionaires (and account for 99.9% of the Indian wealth), the other 1,987,423 Indians are forgotten when it comes to government assistance - unless it's election time or Merdeka Day when we get our 20 seconds of fame on TV.
Imagine, if we were treated equal, we would have gotten: free overseas education, cheap housing, extra classes to pass exams, subsidised loans, government jobs, free shares, lower entry results to higher education, "park anywhere" on prayer time rights, virtually no speeding tickets and many more.
The least Sambathan could have done was to give an extra shot of Henessy to Tunku, he then may have voiced up for us. Contrast this with a recent comment by Najib that Indians are bumiputera. I better send in my request for some free shares before the extremist NGOs start to show their posteriors.
4. Are related to Michael Jackson
The world needs healing. Obama is half white and he is proud that he is black. But we Indians, are usually dark brown (if I said black, thousands of Nigerians in KL may be offended) and we apply the ‘Fair & Lovely’ cream so that we can become fairer.
Worse,
I've actually heard non-Indian Malaysians say that the fair Indians are
Ceylonese and Malayalees, and the darker ones are the "estate" type.
It's amazing that after almost 60 years of Merdeka, Merdeka, Merdeka,
with all the bulls**t slogans propagated by the politicians, the four
major races (the Indonesians now outnumber Indian Malaysians) are no
wiser as to each other's culture than we were in 1897.It was proven when a government educational commission recently sent Thaipusam greetings to Buddhists. Well, you can see where our "world class" education has taken the society to. In Malaysia we excel by lowering the benchmark instead of upgrading our abilities.
Coming back to the colour bar, we Indians are somewhat cowed by our skin colour. Of course, there are some of us who have decided to become (rapper) BAD and now take on names like "Resh" (Suresh), Knife Andy (Kalliandy), Maran Sammy (Munnusamy) and Big Nate (Banganathan). It appears to me, nobody believes that it doesn't matter if you're black or white.
5. Are lawyers
There was a minister who encouraged the Malays to be like the Chinese who went into business and took risks. He also said don't be like the Indians who play safe and become lawyers and professionals.
As a professional in my sane years and then as a businessman in my foolish years (just for the record, I'm now retired with insanity), I've actually been in the full spectrum of "life" in Malaysia. I think I can speak with authority as I was a product of the "Malay" school (yes, from a kampong too), articled in a "Chinaman" firm with an Indian boss, mastered in a "White man's" society, worked in a cut-throat global business and finally retired to an Indian farm - I've been there all.
I think Indians have been gifted with the language skill that Bill himself would have been proud of. Also, we Indians can never tell a story without intrigues and diversions. There must always be a plot, motive (sorry, in Malaysia no need motive lah...) and a hero.
Move aside Barbara, call us the true romantist. Hence, if you want murder, mystery and a hero - alas, law is your calling Mr Watson. Now if they only allowed song as a defence, you could hear the defence in Anwar's case, may I venture, singing Shaggy's "It wasn't me".
And those are the top five reasons. Why only five and not 10 - hey, we Indians always exaggerate lah.
And the cliff-hanger results: If a clever Indian wanted to be deputy prime minister of Malaysia, (how do you think Nick Clegg, leader of the third largest party with 28% of the votes, became the deputy PM in UK?) all he has to do is to make sure, of the 27 king-making polling districts, 23 seats voted the other way.
Voila, Pakatan in power in GE14. No need to beg the Sabahans and Sarawakians. Aiya.
Sirul extradition a long process, admits IGP
Inspector-general of police Khalid Abu Bakar said today Sirul's extradition involves the courts and therefore would take time.
"So
we have to wait. There are steps that we have to take before we can
extradite him," he told reporters after the launch of the special
edition of PDRM's die-cast toy car collection today in Kuala Lumpur.When asked on how long the court process would take, he said: "I'm not sure. I can't say because it's going to be a long, legal process.
"We know Australia has laws which prevent them from cooperating with Malaysia when it comes to capital punishment."
The Federal Court had on Jan 13 restored a High Court decision sentencing Sirul and Chief Inspector Azilah Hadri to death for the murder of Altantuya Shaariibuu in 2006.
Sirul fled to Australia before the decision, where Malaysia is facing obstacles getting him back due to the former's law preventing extradition of persons facing the death sentence.
‘Ready for any possibilities’
Meanwhile, on another matter, Khalid said the police were “ready for any possibilities” for the Federal Court judgement in opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim’s Sodomy II case on Feb 10.
“We are ready for any possibilities. But I believe nothing untoward will happen.
“I believe the people are matured and can accept whatever the verdict may be,” he said.
Next Tuesday, the Federal Court would deliver its judgement on Anwar’s final appeal against his sodomy conviction and five-year prison sentence.
Khalid, meanwhile, also confirmed that the police have opened investigation papers over threats made against Agriculture and Agro-Based Industries Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob.
“We will investigate under Sections 506-509 of the Penal Code,” he said.
Ismail Sabri had earned the ire of many after he said that the Malays should boycott Chinese traders for refusing to lower the price of goods.
Meanwhile, Khalid also commented on Negri Sembilan Menteri Besar Mohamad Hassan, who had announced that under a new ruling, anyone wanting to convert to Islam but whose spouse refused must first divorce.
When asked whether this would help the police in cases involving child custody battles, he said: “I hope so. I hope so it will help (the police).”
Khalid has been criticised over his role in the child custody battle between S Deepa and her Muslim convert husband Izwan Abdullah after he applied to intervene in the case.
74 arrests on Malaysians who had gone to Syria
On the Islamic State (IS) threats in the country, Khalid confirmed that the police have made 74 arrests on Malaysians who have gone and returned from Syria.
When asked to comment on Defence Minister Hishammuddin Hussein who had said that measures will be taken to increase the security from IS threats in Sabah, Khalid said the police had been increasing security all over the country.
On whether there is, in fact, any IS threats in Sabah, he simply said: “We will be ready if there are any.”
Conversions - can PM live up to Negri's initiative?
Both DAP, MCA and Gerakan have urged that the ruling - which will require non-Muslims to resolve their civil marriage status first before converting to Islam - to be implemented in all other states.
"It
will be ideal if the other states follow this proposal by Mains in
order to avoid future controversy," said Gerakan National Deputy Youth
chief Andy Yong.Negri Sembilan Menteri Besar Mohamad Hassan (left), who is Mains chairperson, announced yesterday that under the ruling, anyone wanting to convert to Islam but whose spouse refused must first divorce.
"This means the person who wants to convert to Islam must first sort out all civil mattters including divorce, maintenance and custody," he said.
The new rules also will require any person who converts to Islam to sign a statutory declaration making public their status as a Muslim.
Child custody tussles
"It means you can convert (to Islam) but settle your obligations first as the marriage took place under civil law," DAP's Ipoh Barat MP M Kulasegaran told Malaysiakini when contacted.
Calling
the ruling 'long overdue' and 'apt', Kulasegaran said the ruling should
not be merely rules but be introduced as law with amendment to the
Administration of the Religion of Islam (Negri Sembilan) Enactment 2003.Kulasegaran (right), a lawyer, is known for handling child custody tussle cases caused by one parent converting to Islam.
There has been several incidents in recent history where a spouse who married under civil law converted to Islam and received custody of the children from the syariah courts while the non-Muslim partner obtained custody from the civil courts. This resulted in a legal and constitutional quagmire.
"The challenge now is whether other states will implement the same kind of rules and this is where the prime minister must take the lead and advise all states to correspondingly implement similar rules," said Kulasegaran.
Toothless committee
He recalled that a committee to look into the conversion issue was formed in Parliament in 2009 and another similar committee under the government was set up last year but Najib failed to effect any changes.
"In 2009, the conversion committee proposed that in the case of conversions, the child will be brought up in the faith before the conversion, but no one bothered to implement this as it was merely an advice and the committee was toothless," he said.
"Now that Negri Sembilan has led the way by taking the right initiative to protect the sanctity of Islam and to prevent similar sufferings by non-Muslim parents from happening to others, the prime minister must not disappoint again. He should now do what ought to have been done," noted Kualsegaran.
However, Vell Paari, son of former MIC president Samy Vellu, said menteri besars and chief ministers should take the initiative to emulate Negri Sembilan without having to wait for the prime minister.
"This is a state matter, so there is no need to wait for the prime minister," he said.
He hailed Mohamad's move as "bold", for pushing with the new rules in spite of possible opposition from conservative forces.
Negri tells converts to dissolve marriage first
Following this, the new convert would have to make a statutory declaration on his or her change of faith, to prevent future legal problems.
Menteri Besar Mohamad Hasan said the proposed new law would be introduced into the Administration of the Religion of Islam (Negri Sembilan) Enactment 2003.
"The new regulations are aimed at protecting the sanctity of Islam and at preventing the religion from being insulted and ridiculed just because of a wrongdoing of an individual," he said, according to Bernama.
"If he or she converted to Islam first and then decided to dissolve the marriage, there will be problems, so it is better to dissolve the marriage first before converting to Islam.
"The statutory declaration is also vital to prevent family disputes over the remains of a Muslim convert," the menteri besar said.
This was informed to reporters after a briefing by the Negri Sembilan Islamic Religious Council (MAINS) to Yang di-Pertuan Besar Negri Sembilan Tuanku Muhriz Ibni Almarhum Tuanku Munawir in Seremban yesterday.
4 nabbed over Indian national kidnapping
Victim's employer told to prepare ransom of RM100,000.
FMT
KUALA LUMPUR: The Serious Crimes Division (D9) of the Kuala Lumpur Police Contingent yesterday arrested four local men in connection with the kidnapping of an Indian national in Sentul here last Saturday.
Kuala Lumpur CID chief SAC Zainuddin Ahmad said the four suspects were nabbed in three raids in Ipoh, Perak; Sungai Buloh, Selangor; and Jalan Masjid India here.
“In the first raid at 12.30am, two suspects, aged 23 and 24, were picked up in front of a cinema in Ipoh, Perak, while the other two, aged 23 and 25, were nabbed in Sungai Buloh at 5.40am and the premises of a cargo company in Jalan Masjid India here at 1.15pm.
“Initial investigations found that the fourth suspect, who works as a driver, was the mastermind in the case … they kidnapped the victim to ask for ransom from his employer,” Zainuddin said in a statement here yesterday.
On January 31, the 39-year-old victim was kidnapped in front of a religious school in Sentul by three suspects travelling in a Proton Persona car.
“The suspects had intercepted the Nissan van, in which the victim was travelling with five other individuals, and introduced themselves as agents from the Indian CBI (Central Bureau of Investigation). They then pulled the victim out of the van and into the car, while at the same time pointing a pistol-like object at him, and sped off,” Zainuddin said.
He said on the same day, the victim’s employer received a call from the suspects demanding RM100,000 in ransom, which was later reduced to RM36,000, to release the victim at a location in Shah Alam, Selangor.
The employer agreed to pay the ransom by leaving the money under a tree in Shah Alam before being told that the victim had been released, Zainuddin said, adding that the three suspects had been remanded until February 9 to facilitate investigation, while the remand order for the fourth suspect would be obtained tomorrow.
Meanwhile, Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar commended the success of the team in arresting the suspects.
“Congratulations STAFOC (Special Task Force On Organised Crime) and Bukit Aman Criminal Investigation Department (CID) for the success in arresting the men involved in kidnapping of Indian national on January 31. Victim is safe,” he tweeted.
– BERNAMA
KUALA LUMPUR: The Serious Crimes Division (D9) of the Kuala Lumpur Police Contingent yesterday arrested four local men in connection with the kidnapping of an Indian national in Sentul here last Saturday.
Kuala Lumpur CID chief SAC Zainuddin Ahmad said the four suspects were nabbed in three raids in Ipoh, Perak; Sungai Buloh, Selangor; and Jalan Masjid India here.
“In the first raid at 12.30am, two suspects, aged 23 and 24, were picked up in front of a cinema in Ipoh, Perak, while the other two, aged 23 and 25, were nabbed in Sungai Buloh at 5.40am and the premises of a cargo company in Jalan Masjid India here at 1.15pm.
“Initial investigations found that the fourth suspect, who works as a driver, was the mastermind in the case … they kidnapped the victim to ask for ransom from his employer,” Zainuddin said in a statement here yesterday.
On January 31, the 39-year-old victim was kidnapped in front of a religious school in Sentul by three suspects travelling in a Proton Persona car.
“The suspects had intercepted the Nissan van, in which the victim was travelling with five other individuals, and introduced themselves as agents from the Indian CBI (Central Bureau of Investigation). They then pulled the victim out of the van and into the car, while at the same time pointing a pistol-like object at him, and sped off,” Zainuddin said.
He said on the same day, the victim’s employer received a call from the suspects demanding RM100,000 in ransom, which was later reduced to RM36,000, to release the victim at a location in Shah Alam, Selangor.
The employer agreed to pay the ransom by leaving the money under a tree in Shah Alam before being told that the victim had been released, Zainuddin said, adding that the three suspects had been remanded until February 9 to facilitate investigation, while the remand order for the fourth suspect would be obtained tomorrow.
Meanwhile, Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar commended the success of the team in arresting the suspects.
“Congratulations STAFOC (Special Task Force On Organised Crime) and Bukit Aman Criminal Investigation Department (CID) for the success in arresting the men involved in kidnapping of Indian national on January 31. Victim is safe,” he tweeted.
– BERNAMA
Big Boss fans try to muscle in on a datukship
Online petition to honour Tamil superstar Rajinikanth.
FMT
KUALA LUMPUR: Move over Datuk Jackie Chan, Datuk Michelle Yeoh and Datuk Shah Rukh Khan. It’s “Big Boss” superstar Rajinikanth’s turn to get a datukship! Or so say his fans, who have started a petition to honour him.
Malaysians will remember that in the run-up to the 2008 General Elections, Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim had a huge billboard in Bangsar with him dressed as Rajinikanth’s character, dark glasses and all, in the movie Big Boss.
His daughter, Nurul Izzah Anwar, who had a starring role on the billboard, went on to thrash Umno Wanita Chief Sharizat Abdul Jalil in the Lembah Pantai seat for Parliament.
Fans of the Kollywood star, a veteran of Tamil and Hindi films, now want Rajinikanth to be honoured like Jackie, Michelle and Bollywood icon Shah Rukh Khan. They are on a signature campaign to urge the government to honour the Indian actor with a datukship.
Why didn’t they think of asking Anwar who obviously admires Rajinikanth?
According to Malay Mail Online, an online petition has been set up for local fans to plead that “talapathi” (Tamil for ‘leader of leaders’) be given a datukship.
“In recent years, datukship has been given to Shah Rukh Khan and also Jackie Chan. If this is possible, then we request to give datukship to Superstar Rajnikanth too. Thalaiva!!!!” reads the petition started by fan Ravisankar Sellakkannu.
“If Jackie Chan can get, our Rajni deserve more,” a fan from Kulim in Kedah, Visnu Shanmugam, wrote on the petition page.
Another admirer, Padmanaban Ben from Ampang, wrote: “Superstar Rajinikanth has a huge fan following in Malaysia and he deserves to (get) this award.”
Rajinikanth, whose real name is Shivaji Rao Gaekwad, has a global cult-following. His films are generally blockbusters.
FMT
KUALA LUMPUR: Move over Datuk Jackie Chan, Datuk Michelle Yeoh and Datuk Shah Rukh Khan. It’s “Big Boss” superstar Rajinikanth’s turn to get a datukship! Or so say his fans, who have started a petition to honour him.
Malaysians will remember that in the run-up to the 2008 General Elections, Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim had a huge billboard in Bangsar with him dressed as Rajinikanth’s character, dark glasses and all, in the movie Big Boss.
His daughter, Nurul Izzah Anwar, who had a starring role on the billboard, went on to thrash Umno Wanita Chief Sharizat Abdul Jalil in the Lembah Pantai seat for Parliament.
Fans of the Kollywood star, a veteran of Tamil and Hindi films, now want Rajinikanth to be honoured like Jackie, Michelle and Bollywood icon Shah Rukh Khan. They are on a signature campaign to urge the government to honour the Indian actor with a datukship.
Why didn’t they think of asking Anwar who obviously admires Rajinikanth?
According to Malay Mail Online, an online petition has been set up for local fans to plead that “talapathi” (Tamil for ‘leader of leaders’) be given a datukship.
“In recent years, datukship has been given to Shah Rukh Khan and also Jackie Chan. If this is possible, then we request to give datukship to Superstar Rajnikanth too. Thalaiva!!!!” reads the petition started by fan Ravisankar Sellakkannu.
“If Jackie Chan can get, our Rajni deserve more,” a fan from Kulim in Kedah, Visnu Shanmugam, wrote on the petition page.
Another admirer, Padmanaban Ben from Ampang, wrote: “Superstar Rajinikanth has a huge fan following in Malaysia and he deserves to (get) this award.”
Rajinikanth, whose real name is Shivaji Rao Gaekwad, has a global cult-following. His films are generally blockbusters.
IGP Khalid should just call off his twitter directive on Monday to police officers to investigate Ismail Sabri for his racist call to Malay consumers to boycott Chinese businesses now that the Cabinet has massaged it into an inoffensive call to all traders and not directed at any race
It would appear that the Inspector-General of Police, Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar has also become victim of the Ismail Sabri virus as to make him say and do weird, outlandish or unacceptable things but putting up a pretence that what he is doing is the most normal, routine or ordinary thing.
Ismail made a rabidly racist call on Malay consumers to boycott Chines business and is trotting round the country basking as a hero as he felt vindicated not only by UMNO leaders lining up behind him with the placard “We Are All Ismail Sabri”, but by the Cabinet as well.
On Wednesday, the entire Cabinet succumbed to the Ismail Sabri virus when the Cabinet decided, as announced in a subsequent Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) statement, that Ismail’s call did not target Chinese traders alone but was aimed at all traders.
The PMO made a gem of a statement, which should framed for all posterity, stating:
“We were informed that his statement was aimed to reprimand traders who refuse to reduce the price of goods even when the price of fuel has reduced.
“The reprimand was aimed at all traders and not at traders of any particular race. He also suggested that consumers use their buying power to force traders to reduce the price of goods.”
The police has not been spared the Ismail Sabri virus attack, as the Inspector-General of Police, Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar reiterated today that the police will not call off its investigations involving Ismail Sabri but will continue with its probe.
On Monday, after Ismail went overboard with his racist fulminations on Facebook calling on Malay consumers to boycott Chinese business, I had asked the Inspector-General of Police whether his twitter account had broken down or whether Bukit Aman had suffered a breakdown of Internet access, as he had been strangely quiet for several hours on his twitter account on Ismail’s transgression.
One of Khalid’s trademarks as IGP is to immediately take to the twitter to direct his police officers to investigate political or civic society leader for any infringement of the law in their statements or speeches, and I myself was such a victim, when the IGP twittered that the police would investigate me under the Sedition Act for saying on the fifth anniversary of the death of Teoh Beng Hock that his killers have yet to be brought to book as Beng Hock did not commit suicide by jumping off the 14th floor of MACC in Shah Alam on July 16, 2009.
It was a few hours after my tweet that Khalid took to the twitter to say Ismail would be investigated.
However, with the Cabinet exonerating Ismail from any transgression, it is the height of ridicule for the police to continue with the rigmarole claiming that the police will still investigate Ismail’s “innocuous” (according to the Prime Minister and Cabinet) call on Malay consumers to boycott Chinese businesses.
Khalid should just call off his tweet directive on Monday to police officers to investigate Ismail as nobody believes that the police will dare to find the Prime Minister and Cabinet wrong and in violation of the law in massaging Ismail Sabri’s racist call to Malay consumers to boycott Chinese businesses into an inoffensive call to all traders and not at those of a certain race.
Why waste police time and resources on an investigation into the Minister for Agriculture and Agro-based Industry when it is obvious even to a child that such police investigation will not be going anywhere?
Radicalism among youth a major threat, says Hishammuddin
KUALA LUMPUR: Radicalism among youth is a threat not only to Malaysia but the world, said Defence Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein.
He said the recent lone wolf attacks in Sydney and Paris were serious and disturbing because they were carried out by young people.
“What’s more painful is the fact these young men and women are often educated and from affluent backgrounds,” said Hishammuddin during his keynote address at the third National Aspiration and Leadership Symposium at the Putra World Trade Centre on Saturday.
He added that the threat posed by the Islamic State (IS) group has shone the spotlight on the global Islamic community (ummah) again.
Hishammuddin said the Malay community is not exempt from this given how crucial Islam is to their identity.
He noted also that it is a sad but undeniable fact that many young Malaysians have gone to Iraq and Syria to fight for IS.
“We cannot bury our head in the sand to this unfortunate trend. Their actions are a stain on the honour of our faith and our community,” he said.
Hishammuddin said he suspects Malaysians joining IS wanted meaning, direction and purpose.
He added that what’s needed to defeat extremism is a comprehensive effort to ensure society’s most venerable members, especially young men, are given alternatives to radicalism.
Adamant Ismail says boycott call taken ‘out of context’
An adamant Agriculture and Agro-based Industries
Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob has again defended his controversial call
for a boycott of the Chinese over high prices, this time claiming that
his statement was taken out of context.
He repeated to the audience of a forum last night not to prolong the issue as a racial one, but to focus on the intent of his message instead, which he said is to call on consumers to unite against traders who refuse to lower their prices despite falling oil prices.
“The cabinet has already agreed that we don’t need to drag on with this issue, because we should know that if we prolong racial issues, we should ask ourselves what is the ending that we are looking for. We need to ask.
“So
it is better we return to the intent (of the message) in the interest
of all consumers; use collective power to do something to these traders
so that they would reduce prices and its benefits can be felt by all
races,” he said.
Ismail (left) said this a forum organised by the Captain Hussein Leadership Academy - a leadership academy founded by Umno Youth - in Kelana Jaya yesterday.
At the forum themed ‘Middlemen profits: Valid or Sabotage’, a member of the audience asked Ismail to explain his controversial statement while another voiced discontent with “racial elements” in the minister’s Facebook statement and urged Ismail not to repeat it, prompting him to respond.
“My statement that day was simple, but (taken) out of context. My statement is simple, the message is clear: Consumers have the power to reduce prices. That is all,” he said.
Not all Chinese, just stubborn ones
Ismail has been in the spotlight since Monday after a screenshot of his comments on Facebook was circulated online, in which he called on Malays to boycott Chinese businesses to compel them to lower prices.
"The majority of consumers are Malays. The Chinese are the minority. If the Malays boycott their businesses, they will have no choice but to reduce prices," he wrote.
In
the posting, Ismail also questioned the Old Town White Coffee
restaurant chain’s halal credentials and claimed it is owned by the
“Ngeh family (of) Perak DAP, which are anti-Islam”, likely referring to
DAP's Sitiawan assemblyperson Ngeh Khoo Ham.
Old Town White Coffee has since denied having ties to any politicians or political parties, and vouched for its halal certification, while Ngeh said his lawyers are initiating legal action against Ismail Sabri.
As for Ismail Sabri, he had clarified shortly after the controversy erupted that he was referring to “stubborn Chinese traders” who refuse to lower their prices, and he wasn’t referring to DAP leader Ngeh Khoo Ham.
"Regarding my boycott call to Malays against Chinese traders, I was responding Facebook users who are angry at stubborn Chinese traders who don't want to cut prices," he said in another Facebook posting that Monday.
‘Don’t rely on gov’t’
Meanwhile at the forum last night, Ismail said there are also political considerations as well when he made his original statement, which is that the opposition seems to gain whether fuel prices go up or down.
When fuel prices go up, he said, prices of goods also increase and BN is blamed for the problem to the extent the coalition’s acronym is nicknamed “Barang Naik” (Prices of goods increase).
“When
fuel prices go down and prices of goods also come down, the BN
government should benefit because we are the one who lowered the prices.
But the government didn’t benefit but was condemned instead for failing
to reduce prices.
“So that is why I said it is best way for us to use our power (as consumers),” he said, adding that there is now greater public awareness among consumers of their collective bargaining power.
When met with reporters outside the forum later, Ismail was asked whether he condones the actions of a Facebook page to list companies and products supposedly owned by Chinese to boycott, offering a list of supposedly Malay-owned companies as alternatives.
The minister replied he was only telling consumers not to rely on the government and instead use their own power to change prices, and what consumers do with that power are merely details.
When asked whether he would support race-based boycotts however, he said, “No. I already said that for the benefit of all, any errant traders whether Malay, Chinese, or Indian cannot be spared. The focus is on errant traders.”
Asked if the 'Boycott Chinese companies' Facebook page is a positive move, Ismail Sabri curtly replied, “I don’t know.”
The Facebook page is knows as “Boikot Barangan Cina DAP ORI”, and has garnered over 54,000 “Likes” so far.
Apart from calling for the boycotts and urging for support for supposedly Malay-owned business, the page also levels various accusations against DAP leaders and voices support for Ismail’s controversial statement.
Asked to respond to Ngeh’s decision to sue him, Ismail said the Perak DAP leader has the right to do so and he shall see him in court.
‘I helped lower prices’
Earlier at the forum, the minister spoke at length about his efforts since 2013 to lower the prices of agricultural produce by cutting out the middlemen.
He said when he came into office as the agriculture minister, he felt that something was amiss when he learnt that his ministry has a large budget of about RM6 billion, and yet farmers, fishermen and breeders were poor.
He
said the ministry’s efforts include founding farmers' or fishermens'
associations to connect them directly to buyers instead of relying to
middlemen to take their products to the market, and also holding
farmers' and fishermens' markets.
He said these associations have succeeded in increasing the income of its members by 10 to 15 percent compared to non-members, although he said his efforts are only partially successful.
Among the challenges include convincing local councils to provide prime land for the markets and breaking the farmers' and fishermens' reliance of middlemen, the latter of which is partially due to culture, and partially due to cycles of debt with the middlemen.
Ismail also accused distributors of being responsible for the high vegetable prices during the floods in December, saying that claims of short supply during the year-end disaster were untrue.
This is because vegetable production areas such as Ulu Yam, Cameron Highlands and much of the West Coast were not hit by flood, he said, whereas the flood-hit East Coast only produces enough vegetables for local consumption and could not even buy vegetables from the West Coast because the markets were closed.
At the time, he said, vegetable prices shot up by 100 to 150 percent.
“I issued a statement that it is not true (that there is a shortage), and I proved it by creating a special farmers' market where prices were 20 to 60 percent lower than the normal markets.
“If the special farmers' market can sell at far lower prices up to 60 percent compared to normal markets, that means there is something is not right with the normal markets,” he said.
Because there is an alternative, he said the prices of vegetables began to come down in less than a month since the farmers' market opened.
He repeated to the audience of a forum last night not to prolong the issue as a racial one, but to focus on the intent of his message instead, which he said is to call on consumers to unite against traders who refuse to lower their prices despite falling oil prices.
“The cabinet has already agreed that we don’t need to drag on with this issue, because we should know that if we prolong racial issues, we should ask ourselves what is the ending that we are looking for. We need to ask.
“So
it is better we return to the intent (of the message) in the interest
of all consumers; use collective power to do something to these traders
so that they would reduce prices and its benefits can be felt by all
races,” he said.Ismail (left) said this a forum organised by the Captain Hussein Leadership Academy - a leadership academy founded by Umno Youth - in Kelana Jaya yesterday.
At the forum themed ‘Middlemen profits: Valid or Sabotage’, a member of the audience asked Ismail to explain his controversial statement while another voiced discontent with “racial elements” in the minister’s Facebook statement and urged Ismail not to repeat it, prompting him to respond.
“My statement that day was simple, but (taken) out of context. My statement is simple, the message is clear: Consumers have the power to reduce prices. That is all,” he said.
Not all Chinese, just stubborn ones
Ismail has been in the spotlight since Monday after a screenshot of his comments on Facebook was circulated online, in which he called on Malays to boycott Chinese businesses to compel them to lower prices.
"The majority of consumers are Malays. The Chinese are the minority. If the Malays boycott their businesses, they will have no choice but to reduce prices," he wrote.
In
the posting, Ismail also questioned the Old Town White Coffee
restaurant chain’s halal credentials and claimed it is owned by the
“Ngeh family (of) Perak DAP, which are anti-Islam”, likely referring to
DAP's Sitiawan assemblyperson Ngeh Khoo Ham.Old Town White Coffee has since denied having ties to any politicians or political parties, and vouched for its halal certification, while Ngeh said his lawyers are initiating legal action against Ismail Sabri.
As for Ismail Sabri, he had clarified shortly after the controversy erupted that he was referring to “stubborn Chinese traders” who refuse to lower their prices, and he wasn’t referring to DAP leader Ngeh Khoo Ham.
"Regarding my boycott call to Malays against Chinese traders, I was responding Facebook users who are angry at stubborn Chinese traders who don't want to cut prices," he said in another Facebook posting that Monday.
‘Don’t rely on gov’t’
Meanwhile at the forum last night, Ismail said there are also political considerations as well when he made his original statement, which is that the opposition seems to gain whether fuel prices go up or down.
When fuel prices go up, he said, prices of goods also increase and BN is blamed for the problem to the extent the coalition’s acronym is nicknamed “Barang Naik” (Prices of goods increase).
“When
fuel prices go down and prices of goods also come down, the BN
government should benefit because we are the one who lowered the prices.
But the government didn’t benefit but was condemned instead for failing
to reduce prices.“So that is why I said it is best way for us to use our power (as consumers),” he said, adding that there is now greater public awareness among consumers of their collective bargaining power.
When met with reporters outside the forum later, Ismail was asked whether he condones the actions of a Facebook page to list companies and products supposedly owned by Chinese to boycott, offering a list of supposedly Malay-owned companies as alternatives.
The minister replied he was only telling consumers not to rely on the government and instead use their own power to change prices, and what consumers do with that power are merely details.
When asked whether he would support race-based boycotts however, he said, “No. I already said that for the benefit of all, any errant traders whether Malay, Chinese, or Indian cannot be spared. The focus is on errant traders.”
Asked if the 'Boycott Chinese companies' Facebook page is a positive move, Ismail Sabri curtly replied, “I don’t know.”
The Facebook page is knows as “Boikot Barangan Cina DAP ORI”, and has garnered over 54,000 “Likes” so far.
Apart from calling for the boycotts and urging for support for supposedly Malay-owned business, the page also levels various accusations against DAP leaders and voices support for Ismail’s controversial statement.
Asked to respond to Ngeh’s decision to sue him, Ismail said the Perak DAP leader has the right to do so and he shall see him in court.
‘I helped lower prices’
Earlier at the forum, the minister spoke at length about his efforts since 2013 to lower the prices of agricultural produce by cutting out the middlemen.
He said when he came into office as the agriculture minister, he felt that something was amiss when he learnt that his ministry has a large budget of about RM6 billion, and yet farmers, fishermen and breeders were poor.
He
said the ministry’s efforts include founding farmers' or fishermens'
associations to connect them directly to buyers instead of relying to
middlemen to take their products to the market, and also holding
farmers' and fishermens' markets.He said these associations have succeeded in increasing the income of its members by 10 to 15 percent compared to non-members, although he said his efforts are only partially successful.
Among the challenges include convincing local councils to provide prime land for the markets and breaking the farmers' and fishermens' reliance of middlemen, the latter of which is partially due to culture, and partially due to cycles of debt with the middlemen.
Ismail also accused distributors of being responsible for the high vegetable prices during the floods in December, saying that claims of short supply during the year-end disaster were untrue.
This is because vegetable production areas such as Ulu Yam, Cameron Highlands and much of the West Coast were not hit by flood, he said, whereas the flood-hit East Coast only produces enough vegetables for local consumption and could not even buy vegetables from the West Coast because the markets were closed.
At the time, he said, vegetable prices shot up by 100 to 150 percent.
“I issued a statement that it is not true (that there is a shortage), and I proved it by creating a special farmers' market where prices were 20 to 60 percent lower than the normal markets.
“If the special farmers' market can sell at far lower prices up to 60 percent compared to normal markets, that means there is something is not right with the normal markets,” he said.
Because there is an alternative, he said the prices of vegetables began to come down in less than a month since the farmers' market opened.
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