Chinese make up 90% of those who gave up citizenship

ALMOST 90% of the 56,576 Malaysians who renounced their citi­zenship over the past decade were Chinese.

Home Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi revealed that 49,864 Malaysian Chinese gave up their citizenship from 2006 to April this year.

In a written reply to Ramkarpal Singh (DAP-Bukit Gelugor), Dr Ahmad Zahid also said in that pe­­riod, 834 Malays, 1,833 Indians and 4,044 others had done the same.

On a separate question by Kasthu­riraani Patto (DAP-Batu Kawan), Dr Ahmad Zahid said 43,453 foreigners were granted citizenship since 2006.

“The largest numbers were from Indonesia, India and Thailand,” he said.

Boikot Cina: PKR cabar Ismail Sabri jadi 'lelaki', mohon maaf

Non-Muslims should also be allowed to give out their holy books, says civil society group

The move to distribute one million translated copies of the Quran for free should be accepted as a gesture to promote cross-cultural understanding and enhance unity, said a civil society group, pointing out that other religious bodies should also be allowed to do the same.

The Centre For A Better Tomorrow (Cenbet) co-president Gan Ping Sieu said in the spirit the "principle of mutuality" and for educational purposes, other religious bodies should be encouraged to distribute copies of their holy books or religious literature.

"Despite living alongside each other for close to 60 years since independence, we are shamefully ignorant of each others' beliefs and practices. Such ignorance breeds contempt and suspicion. As a result, we collectively become susceptible to fear-mongers and those who fan religious hatred.

"But if we are grounded on basic knowledge of others' beliefs and traditions, we are less likely to develop prejudice against those who are different from us.

“On the contrary, we may learn to appreciate the beauty in other faiths, which is useful in helping peel off layers of suspicion or prejudice some of us have built up over the years," he said in a statement today.

Gan said government agencies at both federal and state levels should adopt a holistic approach in educating people of all major faiths and their respective histories.

He said such efforts should be in accordance to Article 11 (4) of the Federal Constitution, which allows the state to restrict or control the propagation of any religious doctrine or belief among persons professing the religion of Islam.

As such, he said the Attorney-General Chambers can draw up guidelines, after consultation with various religious bodies, on the dos and don'ts of such educational efforts.

This include the correct and respectable way in handling holy books which he said would prevent people to claim ignorance on where to draw the line between "educational" and "proselytising".

He said the relevant religious authorities should also have dialogues with interfaith council – Malaysian Consultative Council of Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Sikhism and Taoism (MCCBCHST) – as well as other religious bodies to find out their grievances and address their concerns.

A message circulated through social media and on messaging app WhatsApp had 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 a 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, the MCCBCHST urged non-Muslims not to accept the free Qurans.

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 otherwise.

However, the Department of Islamic Development Malaysia (Jakim) had said non-Muslims can return copies of the Quran after accepting them and it is also untrue that they will be converted to Islam just by filling up a form.

Race and religious relations have frayed further after the general election GE13 last year when the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) blamed its heavy losses on the Chinese minority, fuelled by Malay-Muslim groups that seek more puritanical Islamic laws across Malaysia.

Malay rights groups like Perkasa and Ikatan Muslimin Malaysia had claimed that Malay rights were being threatened but their often inflammatory statements and actions had been denounced by moderate Malaysians, including Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Tan Sri Joseph Kurup who had said their actions went against the very values that the nation was founded upon.

Critics have also accused prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak of pandering to conservative views in his party, Umno, so as to remain in power.

Amid worsening race and religious relations in Malaysia, a group of 25 prominent Malays comprising retired high ranking civil officials had published an open letter asking for a rational dialogue on the position of Islam in a constitutional democracy.

Besides garnering support from 22 Muslim activists and 93 civil society groups, the open letter has inspired Malaysians, fed up with fraying race and racial relations, to start similar petitions online. – March 3, 2015.

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

Present day Chinese are M’sians, not pendatang

CM says Sarawak is home for everybody of all races and divide and rule tactics will not be used.

FMT

KUCHING: Chinese in Sarawak must no longer be regarded as pendatang (immigrants) declared Chief Minister Adenan Satem in his Chinese New Year address,

“We cannot have divide and rule tactics… Sarawak is for everybody and Sarawak is big enough for everybody,” said Adenan.

He said the forefathers of the Sarawak Chinese community who came from China could be called immigrants but not the present generation, The Star Online reported.

“You call Sarawak your home, and indeed this is your home, just like for those from many other races.”

Adenan paid tribute to the Chinese community which he said had always been an important part of the state’s political and economic life.

“I would like to thank Chinese businesses for playing their role in building Sarawak.”

Adenan urged the various people of Sarawak to continue upholding the spirit of moderation and to interact among themselves.

“To the non-Chinese, please do visit Chinese New Year open houses in our joint effort to strengthen unity among all.”

He said Sarawak belonged to Sarawakians and that mutual respect and the value of human dignity must continue to be the basis of the relationship among the people in the state.

PM, DPM, Other BN Leaders Attend MCA Chinese New Year Open House

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 19 (Bernama) -- Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak and his wife Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor attended the Chinese New Year 'open house' organised by MCA here today.

Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin and his wife Puan Sri Noorainee Abdul Rahman also attended the open house, held at Wisma MCA in Jalan Ampang.

Najib, Rosmah, Muhyiddin and Noorainee, all attired in red, were welcomed upon arrival by MCA leaders led by party president Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai, to the accompaniment of a lion dance performance.




Najib, Rosmah, Muhyiddin and Noorainee, along with Liow and MIC President Datuk Seri G. Palanivel, tossed the 'yee sang' raw fish salad, a traditional festive dish.

Defence Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein; Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr S. Subramaniam; Federal Territories Minister Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor; Youth and Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin and PPP senior vice-president Datuk Seri Maglin Dennis D'Cruz also attended the open house.

The other guests at the open house included Malaysians of various races as well as foreign tourists. They were entertained to song and dance performances as well as a display of martial arts.

Najib, in a live interview over Radio Television Malaysia (RTM), said the Chinese New Year open house that gathered people of all the races reflected the unity of Malaysians.

"I believe that our unity is the basis for us Malaysians to together consolidate our future as a nation," he said.

Najib extended Chinese New Year greetings to all Malaysians, particularly to the Chinese community.

He expressed the hope that the Year of the Goat would bring more prosperity, success and well-being to all the people.

Approached by reporters later, Najib said he hoped that 2015 would be a fruitful year for the people and the country.

"2014 was a very challenging year for the country, (augmented) with a drop in the oil price. So, we hope we can have a good year in 2015," he said.

As the name suggests, the Chinese New Year celebration is the beginning of the new year in the Chinese lunar calendar.

Later, Najib, Rosmah, Muhyiddin and Noorainee attended the Chinese New Year open house hosted by Gerakan at Menara PGRM in Cheras.

Gerakan president Datuk Seri Mah Siew Keong, who was attired in red, welcomed them as they arrived at 11.15 am.

Najib had a look at the stalls where various types of food, such as satay and laksa, were offered to guests, and then joined several other VIPs to partake of some food.

Also present were Tengku Adnan, Hishammuddin, Palanivel, Dr Subramaniam, Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Abdul Wahib Omar and MCA deputy president Datuk Dr Wee Ka Siong.

Gerakan vice-president Datuk A. Kohilan Pillay and former Gerakan president Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon were also present at the open house.

Najib and Muhyiddin also joined several people in tossing the 'yee sang'.

Guests were entertained to a performance of dances and songs as well as a lion dance.

-- BERNAMA

If there is nothing wrong with his Facebook post calling on Malay consumers to boycott Chinese businesses, why has Ismail Sabri deleted the post?

By Lim Kit Siang blog,


Malay Mail Online today reported that “due to his busy work schedule” the Minister for Agriculture and Agro-based Industry, Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob is not expected to give his police statement this week over his controversial Facebook post call on Malay consumers to boycott Chinese businesses.

Yes, Ismail is now very busy basking in the glory of a new “hero” status after political pressure was invoked in the Cabinet, resulting not only in 35 Ministers, but also the two MCA Minister who had been breathing fire and brimstone against Ismail’s racist remarks before yesterday’s Cabinet meeting, to meekly accept that Ismail’s call on Malay consumers to boycott Chinese businesses were actually a very smart call to all traders and not at those of a certain race to reduce prices!

Nobody knows how the two MCA Ministers could square the circle, but clearly they have acquired such superior art of political somersaults not understood by ordinary mortals, including ordinary politicians.

However, if the Inspector-General of Police, Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar’s tweet directing a police investigation into Ismail’s Facebook post making the racist call to Malays to boycott Chinese businesses is still to be taken seriously after the Cabinet clearance of Ismail’s Facebook post, shouldn’t the police be investigating the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak and the entire Cabinet to learn how they could transform Ismail’s racist call to Malay consumers to boycott to Chinese businesses into a call to all traders and not at those of a certain race to reduce prices?

Not only Malaysians, but the world would like to know how the Malaysian Cabinet achieve such a double miracle, firstly transforming a racist all to Malay consumers to boycott Chinese businesses into an all-embracing call covering all races in the country; and secondly, an even bigger miracle, to convert political leaders, like the two MCA Ministers, who were absolutely convinced of the racist nature of Ismail’s Facebook post before the Cabinet meeting, into accepting that Ismail’s posting was not racist at all!

Be that as it may, will the police also investigate Najib and all the other 34 Ministers in the Cabinet as to how they had transformed a racist call into a non-racist call?

Ismail said that he had done nothing wrong in his Facebook post and would not apologise, In fact, he is feted as a national hero – bigger than even the Home Minister Zahid Hamidi.

But if there is nothing wrong with his Facebook post calling on Malay consumers to boycott Chinese businesses, why has Ismail Sabri deleted the post from his Facebook?

To Boycott Greedy Traders Not An Instruction But An Intelligent Move By Consumers - Ismail Sabri

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 4 (Bernama) -- Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob said his statement to boycott greedy traders which had gone viral on social networking site since Monday, was not an instruction, but a wise move which should be taken by consumers.

The Minister of Agriculture and Agro-based Industry said every consumer must think and act smart as purchasing power was completely theirs and they are the voice of the majority in the course of trade between buyers and dealers.

"I have explained to my friends on Facebook that the responsibility lies in their hands because they are the majority while traders are a minority. How can the minority manipulate the majority? Of course it is not possible," he said in Dialogue aired on RTM live on TV1, Wednesday night.

The programme themed 'Jihad Against The Middleman' was hosted by Sayed Munawar Sayed Mustar.

Ismail Sabri said every agency under the ministry and together with the association of fishermen and farmers should also play their respective roles and cooperate in the fight against middlemen who had suppressed fishermen and farmers and reaped huge profits.

-- BERNAMA

10 reasons why ‘puak Cina’ succeed in M’sia

 

SATIRE Since the Chinese in Malaysia have no testicles to decisively reprimand a certain minister for his racist rants, let me, an Indian Malaysian, remind them what being a Chinese is about.

At the outset, I got help for this article from one originally written by Dr Chan Lui Lee of Melbourne so 90 percent of the wisdom is his but 100 percent of the sarcasm is mine.

This is also meant to be a wake-up call for those who threaten everyone else (by using state machinery) and think that the country owes them a living and everyone else is a threat.

Just to get the readers into the mood, here's a famous song as a teaser.

Twenty years of crawling were bottled up inside him.
He wasn't holding nothing back - he let 'em have it all.
When Tommy left the bar room, not a Gatlin boy was standing.
He said, "This one's for Becky, as he watched the last one fall.
(And I heard him say,)
I promised you, Dad, not to do the things you've done
I walk away from trouble when I can
Now please don't think I'm weak, I didn't turn the other cheek,
And papa, I should hope you understand
Sometimes you gotta fight when you're a man.

- Kenny Rogers

Chinese people don't go about bombing, terrorising others and creating religious hatred. They don't enter into a country on the pretext of humanitarian reasons and then, try to take over the country by applying warped ideologies.

They don't impose "no go zones" for their hosts and don't demand separate laws for themselves. They don't hatch plots to kill non-believers nor do they harbour or finance such attempts.

They live peacefully with everyone on Earth and if you sent them to Mars, they will make it very liveable too. Take along the Indians too, then it would be a thriving technology-spurred economy.

Why do Chinese succeed in life?

Here is why the Chinese are welcomed almost anywhere:

1. There are over 1.4 billion Chinese on this earth. They are like (after all, all look the same) carbon copies of each other. You get rid of one, five magically appears (like ballot boxes in some countries).

They acknowledge that they are replaceable, they are not particularly 'special'. If you think they are smart, there are a few thousand more people smarter than them. If you think they are strong, there are a few thousand people stronger than them.

2. They have been crawling all over this earth for far more centuries that most (except for the other hardy people, the Indians) civilisations. Their DNA is designed for survival. They are like cockroaches. Put them anywhere on earth and they will make a colony and thrive.

They survive on anything around and make the best of it. In Klang, they threw pig parts into a broth to feed their coolie lot a 100 years ago and today it's a delicacy. Some keep migrating but others will stay and multiply.

3. Nobody cares if they succeed as individuals or not. But their families take pride in knowing they have succeeded. Yes, some will fail. They take nothing for granted. They don't expect privileges to fall on their laps. No one owes them anything.

4. They know they have nothing to lose if they try to succeed. They have no fear in trying. That is why Chinese are attracted to gambling. They thrive on taking risks. Winner takes all.

5. From young they are taught to count every cent. What they take for granted like money management, is not something other cultures practice at home with their children. (It didn't surprise me as I was like them too - some say I'm more Chinese than most Chinese).

But the truth is not all societies or cultures teach their young this set of survival skills because it is considered rude.

Yes, most of them can count wonderfully because they are forced to and the logic of money is pounded into them from the beginning of time (when mama tells them how much she has spent on milk and diapers). Nobody lowers the benchmark to allow them to "pass" Mathematics.

6. They acknowledge life cycles. They accept that wealth in a family stays for three generations. That, every fourth generation will have to work from scratch. That is, the first generation earns the money from scratch, second generation spends the money on education, third generation gets spoiled and wastes all the inheritance. Then they are back to square one.

Some families hang on to their wealth a little longer than most. I'm not sure where Yap Ah Loy's wealth is now but I sure hope his descendants are benefitting from it.

7. It is their culture to pressure the next generation to do better than the last. Be smarter. Be stronger. Be faster. Be more righteous. Be more pious. Be more innovative. Be more creative. Be richer. Be everything that you can be in this lifetime. And if you have some money, take it to the next life when you go.

8. Their society judges them by their achievements... and they have no choice but to do something worthwhile because Chinese New Year comes around every year and Chinese relatives have no qualms about asking them straight in their face - how much are you making? When was your last promotion? How big is your office? What car do you drive? Where do you stay?

You have boyfriend? You have girlfriend? When are you getting married? When are you having children? When is the next child? When you getting a boy? Got maid yet? Does your company send you overseas?

It never ends... so, they can't stop chasing the illusive train - they are damned to a materialistic society. If you are not Chinese, consider yourself unlucky.

9. They have been taught from young that if you have two hands, two feet, two eyes, and a mouth, what are you really doing with them? "People with no hands can do better than you!"

Chinese people never beg, they earn their living. They don't expect government contracts, they get it... well, with their hard-earned money. They sometimes buy it but that's economics.

10. Ironically, the Chinese also believe in giving back to save their rather materialistic souls. Balance is needed. The more their children succeed in life, the more their parents will give back to society as gratitude for the good fortune bestowed on their children.

Yes, that is true. See the Vincent Tans in Malaysia. And that is why Chinese society progresses in all environments.

Nobody pities them and they accept that. No one owes them anything and they know that. There are too many of them for charity to reach all of them and they acknowledge that. But that does not stop them from making a better life. Opportunity is as we make of it.

So, pardon them if they feel obliged to make a better place for themselves in this country we call home. They are not ‘puak pendatang’ and it is the same home as you and me. It is in their DNA to seek a more comfortable life. In whichever country they reside in.

But if history were to be our teacher, look around this globe. Almost every country has a Chinatown but how many government/countries are 'taken' over by the Chinese people.

Don't be afraid of them overwhelming your majority, they are not looking to conquer. China is probably the only major power (besides India) that didn't go on a crusade to further its boundaries and religion.

I think their real religion is money and there's no harm in that. The more money they make, the more to go around. Win-win for all.

If they have moved away from China and Chinese-governed countries, they are not looking for another country to administer. They are more interested in making money than to run a country, seriously.

Their representatives are only there to look after their collective welfare. I don't think a Chinese wants to be prime minister in Malaysia. He'll be better off being a business tycoon for sure.

They prefer to blend in and enjoy the fruits of their labour. They enjoy the company of like-minded people of all races. After all, just like you and me, they are only passing through a small period in the history of time... so, use their skills and we can all progress forward together.

Calling for a boycott of Chinese-owned business is not only foolish but in the end, self-destructive.

---

RAMESH RAJARATNAM is more offended than the Chinese by a recent racist rant by a minister and hopes to educate the masses for a win-win situation.

Vell Paari: Learn from the Chinese, don’t demonise them

“It is highly irresponsible to convert an issue of profiteering into an ‘us vs them’ agenda.”

FMT

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC) activist, S Vell Paari, has lamented in a statement that everything is being seen in Malaysia through racial lenses.

He sees no need for this.

He was expressing sadness and shock with Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob who posted a statement on Facebook calling on Malay consumers to boycott Chinese businesses to force them to lower the prices of their goods.

The statement has since invited many derogatory comments targeting the Chinese community and expressing support for Ismail’s remarks.

“Why couldn’t he (Ismail Sabri) just label them as errant traders?” asked Vell Paari, who is also the son of former MIC President S Samy Vellu, currently the Special Envoy to the Indian subcontinent with Ministerial Status and Functions.

“The minister should know that unscrupulous businessmen come in all shades.”

Therefore, he added, it is highly irresponsible to convert an issue of profiteering into an ‘us vs them’ agenda.”

As a Cabinet Minister, continued Vell Paari, Ismail represents all Malaysians. “Being a Cabinet Minister, he can discuss the issue with his cabinet colleague, the Minister of Domestic Trade, and come up with various stern actions against these errant traders.”

Are these errant traders only selling to Malay consumers?

“They are selling to everyone,” he pointed out. “Hence it’s an issue affecting all Malaysians. Errant traders exist everywhere, so use the law to take action and not turn it into a racial war. This is not in the spirit of Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak’s 1Malaysia vision.”

The Chinese community is a hard working one that has contributed to the growth of Malaysia, stressed Vell Paari.

“So, instead of trying to portray the Chinese community as evil, what we should do is learn from them vis- a-vis their sense of unity, hard work, willpower and the ‘never give up’ attitude to succeed in whichever part of the world they migrate to.”

'I meant stubborn Chinese traders, not all'

 

Under fire for urging Malay consumers to boycott Chinese traders in order to bring prices down, Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob now clarifies that he did not mean all Chinese traders.

Instead, he said the boycott should only be against "stubborn Chinese traders" who refuse to cut prices despite drop in fuel costs.

"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 on Facebook.

He said that what he meant was that consumers should use their power as the majority to pressure producers.

"The principle is the same, that is those in the majority should use their majority power and stop complaining on Facebook."

 

He made the clarification on his public Facebook page, but the post calling for a boycott was on his private profile yesterday.

Using his private profile, Ismail Sabri had yesterday also clarified on what he meant by "boycott the Chinese".

"What I meant by 'Chinese' is Chinese traders, because most of the Chinese are also consumers. The ones who should be boycotted are Chinese traders," he said yesterday.

In his original controversial posting, Ismail Sabri said consumers are the ones who wield the power to compel businesses to lower prices, although the government has legal mechanisms to prevent profiteering.

"The majority of consumers are Malays. The Chinese are the minority. If the Malays boycott their busineeses, they will have no choice but to reduce prices," wrote Ismail Sabri.

He also questioned why Malays are still flocking to Chinese-owned restaurants even though their halal certificates may be dubious.

This prompted MCA Youth chief Chong Sin Woon to declare him unfit to be minister.

DPM Calls For Probe On Eric Paulsen Over Allegation On Friday Sermons

PUTRAJAYA, Jan 12 (Bernama) -- Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin has urged the authorities to investigate Lawyers for Liberty executive director Eric Paulsen over his statement accusing the Malaysia Islamic Development Department (Jakim) of promoting extremism through the Friday sermons.

Muhyiddin, when asked to comment on Paulsen's remarks against Jakim on Twitter, said Paulsen's action must be dealt with appropriately.

"The relevant authorities should investigate Paulsen's statement and appropriate action be taken as many non-Muslims do not understand what Islam really is.

"Islam is not an extremist religion, (and) since when have our people (Malaysians) acted extraordinarily? Islam is the most moderate religion," he said.

Muhyiddin was speaking at a news conference after viewing the situation on the first day of the 2015 school session at Sekolah Kebangsaan Cyberjaya and Sekolah Menengah Cyberjaya, here, today.

He said the allegation of Friday sermons being deviated should not come about at all as the sermons do not ony revolve around the Islamic way of life but also societal and humanity issues.

"Perhaps Paulsen does not know this at all or has not learned about Islam," he said.

Paulsen had made the statement accusing Jakim of spreading extremism every Friday (through the sermons) on his Twitter page on Jan 9.

Following Paulsen's offending remarks, Umno Youth today made a report against him at the Putrajaya district police headquarters, here.

The report was lodged by the movement's Religious Bureau chairman Azmir Yuzaimi Mohd Yunos, who said that police should take stern action against Paulsen as this was not the first time he had made a seditious statement on his Twitter page.

"He had many times before this made provocative remarks against Islam but after being criticised, the criticism just died like that.

"This time, we want real stern action taken against him so that he does not repeat his misdeed," he said.

Paulsen had removed his offending statement from his Twitter page after being slammed by various quarters.

However, last Saturday, Inspector General of Police Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar confirmed that police would investigate Paulsen under the Sedition Act 1948.

Lawyer Paulsen arrested for sedition - Malaysiakini

Lawyer for Liberty (LFL) director Eric Paulsen was arrested for sedition at Brickfields, Kuala Lumpur today, believed to be linked to his tweet accusing the Islamic Development Department (Jakim) of promoting extremism.

He is arrested under Section 4 of the Sedition Act and taken to the Dang Wangi police station, LFL co-founder Latheefa Koya told Malaysiakini.

This was confirmed by police chief Khalid Abu Bakar in a tweet at 9.40pm today.

"We expect police to keep him overnight. We are on standby for the remand tomorrow," Latheefa said when contacted.

LFL said that about 20 police personnel arrested Paulsen.

"It is unnecessary and a waste of police resources," it said in a tweet.

This is because Paulsen had earlier agreed to co-operate with the investigation by presenting himself at Bukit Aman tomorrow, it said.


Police took Paulsen to his firm Daim & Gamany in Petaling Jaya to seize his laptop, Padang Serai MP and LFL co-founder N Surendran said.


In a 10.55pm update on Faceboook, LFL campaign coordinator Michelle Yesudas said police also seized Paulsen's mobile phone.

"Outrageous and horrific for this to happen to a human rights lawyer over a tweet.

"Clearly another red herring to confuse people between the man-made institution of Jakim and the sanctity of religion," she said.

Paulsen last Friday tweeted that Jakim is promoting extremism every Friday.

"Government needs to address that if serious about extremism," he wrote on Twitter, but he later deleted the tweet.

Jakim produces Friday prayer sermons published on the Jakim website and read out in mosques in the Federal Territories.

'Anti-Islam'

Among those who condemned the tweet include PAS Youth deputy chief Muhammad Khalil Abdul Hadi who said it was anti-Islam.

Paulsen (right) today also lodged a police report over a death threat made against him through Twitter and instant messenger application WhatsApp.

In a statement yesterday, the human rights lawyer criticised police for acting against him after pressure from "pro-Umno cybertroopers".

IGP Khalid said police will probe Paulsen for sedition after pro-Umno bloggers trained their guns at the lawyer over his tweet.

Khalid also posted a picture of DAP's Kampar MP Ko Chung Sen, claiming that the latter too will be probed for calling for Islamic civilisation studies be scrapped.

But the photograph with Ko's supposed quote was edited and the MP flayed the IGP for not following his own advice to not spread false information.

发展巨轮碾过边加兰 神诞文化或变调

Deities in Pengerang to be 'homeless'

SPECIAL REPORT For septuagenarian Tan Swee Hoon, the festival of Chinese gods at the Hu Fu temple in Kampung Sungai Jawa in Pengerang, Johor, has been the most anticipated event for the past 70 years.

As she recalled, that was the time when the Kampung Sungai Jawa folk led their lives without television and Internet, which made temple stage performances a precious entertainment. 

In mid-December this year, the Hu Fu temple committee held its annual gods festival together with a number of other Chinese temples in Pengerang.

What makes their festivals unique is that the committee of each temple will ‘invite’ deities from the other temples to join in their celebrations.

Committees that accept the invitation must carry the statue of their temple deity to the celebrating temple and only bring it back after the celebration ends, days later.

Unfortunately, this year’s celebration is the last ever for the Hu Fu temple, which is to give way to the RM60 billion Refinery and Petrochemical Integrated Development (Rapid) project being carried out by national oil and gas company Petronas.

Petronas acquired a 2,630-acre site, spreading across Kampung Sungai Kapal, Kampung Sungai Jawa and Kampung Teluk Ampang, for the project.

Built in 1884, the small Hu Fu temple is located off the shore. It has been guarding and blessing the fishermen in the sea for the past 120 years. The space in front of it is where the villagers gather or hang around.

According to a Hu Fu temple committee member, Yong Teck Chai (right), eight Chinese temples in Kampung Sungai Kapal, Tanjung Tembuang, Kampung Teluk Ampang and Kampung Sungai Kapal are being forced to be relocated to a newly developed residential area - Taman Bayu Damai, some 15km to the east of their current sites.

However, Yong said, the statues would be “homeless” because the temple committees were told to vacate the temples by April next year - with the construction of the new temple buildings still a long way to go.

“It takes one to two years to build (a new temple), so we have no way out. The deities are going to be in trouble... they will have to be put in somebody’s house, temporarily.

“The deities are in trouble, for they have no place to stay. What to do?” he asked with a wry smile.

Yong said the statues of the Hu Fu temple needed to be placed in the house of a priest, at least. The statues from the demolished Kampung Sungai Kapal temple, he added, have been placed at a temple committee member’s house in Singapore.

The rest of the temple statues will be put in a Chinese temple in Kampung Sungai Renggit, which is not affected by the Rapid project.

Plot of 3.5 acres land given to eight temples

According to the government’s planning, Yong said, all the eight temples will be located on a 3.5-acre plot of land and each of the temples will be given 19,000 square-feet sites.

“Originally, they only gave us a two-acre piece of land, and we managed to strive for 3.5 acres,” said the 67-year-old businessperson, adding that each temple would only have limited space as they were planning to build a common hall on the land.

However, the proposal does not satisfy everyone. The Guan Yin temple committee members from Tanjung Tembuang are complaining that the area given them is too small.

One of the Guan Yin temple committee members, who only wanted to be referred to as Soon, said the proposed site would have to accommodate statues from four temples.

Soon said the Guan Yin temple was the only temple in that area that was able to get the land and money compensation from the government as it is a registered temple, while the others were not.

“We have many statues and we would like to fit four into one temple. But how can we arrange them?” he asked.

After a recent meeting among the committee members of the eight temples, Soon happily told Malaysiakini that the problem had been resolved as they eventually obtained a bigger plot of land at the meeting.

On the other hand, although all the temples are forced to make way for the Rapid project under the name of development, Yong still opined that it does more good than harm.

“I personally think that it’s good to relocate as all (the temples and deities) will be together and all of them can be invited to watch the performances during the festival,” Yong said, adding that this would save time and costs if the statues are to be moved to different temples.

No compensation for unregistered temples

Meanwhile, a local resident, Chua Peng Sian, who calls himself the “toothless man” and has been opposing the Rapid project right from the beginning, said the total number of Chinese temples in Pengerang cannot be confirmed.

Of the temples, Chua (left) said, not more than 10 are registered and have received compensation from the government to move out for the RM60 billion Rapid project.

Generally, he explained, registered temples in the Pengerang area have official committee members who organise the large-scale gods festivals, while the other unregistered ones have caretakers and they too did not face any problem before the coming of the Rapid project.

In this case, Chua said, the unregistered temples have no way to seek compensation for relocation.

One typical example of this would be the Shun De temple at Kampung Sungai Kapal, which is currently being cared for by a farmer, Kee Mooi Mooi, 56, and her family.

The family of six had the temple erected right in front of their house some 30 years ago, with Kee’s husband turning into a medium and receiving donations from the community to build the temple.

However, the family faces problems in getting their temple relocated, for the compensation of RM100,000 they have been promised is only for their house and the land it is located on.

“I used to insist on not relocating as I have a deep feeling about the temple. And also, I grew up here and it is a great pity that we are being forced by the government to move out,” said the heart-wrenching Kee (left).

Eventually, she decided to move to Taman Kota Jaya in Kota Tinggi with her family, and spend the monetary compensation to build a new house on a 2.5-acre plot of land, as well as a new Shun De temple right next to it.

“I need to start all over again once I have moved. It causes me a big headache, but I have no choice,” Kee said.

Kampung Sungai Kapal is about 80km away from Taman Kota Jaya, which is about an hour’s drive away.

However, what worries Kee even more is that she has not received the compensation from the government until today.

“It (the government) said (the compensation will be given to us) in the middle of December, but we have got nothing until now. I cannot work on the things that I have planned until I get the money,” she said.

Although Kee said her friends staying in Kota Tinggi welcomed them to move there, she was forced to leave her long-time friends in Pengerang.

“I have to leave this place... it’s a pity. I will be going there (Kota Tinggi), but all the friends here will be gone,” she lamented.

'Chinese kids do business, Malay kids shoot birds'

 

Stressing on the importance of entrepreneurship, Deputy Finance Minister Ahmad Maslan lamented on the difference between Malay and Chinese children.  

"Chinese children, even though they are not taught entrepreneurship in school, they come home and go to their parents' grocery shops to learn.

"They help their parents in grocery shops, factories, they go to their parents' companies.

"But Malay children are not like that. They shoot birds with a slingshot under the oil palm trees, bathe in waterfalls and drains. When can Malays be entrepreneurs?" he asked.

In view of this, he suggested that the government shorten the teaching time allocated for geography in secondary schools and include a subject called "entrepreneurship".

"Open the world map, show the 200 countries (in the world), done. What else is there to learn in geography?" Ahmad asked during a press conference in Kuala Lumpur.

However, the Umno information chief said that he has "nothing against geography".

Ahmad said he had put forth his suggestion to Education Minister Muhyiddin Yassin (left) and the response was positive.

He also explained the rationale behind introducing the "entrepreneurship" subject at the secondary school level.

He said that it was an effort to create more entrepreneurs, especially among the bumiputera, and this would help Malaysia become a high-income nation.

"Perhaps only 30 percent of SPM holders pursue tertiary education, 70 percent of SPM holders, hundreds of thousands of them out there have no knowledge of entrepreneurship.

"After SPM, where do they work? Earning wages at factories and companies. They are unable to be independent and become entrepreneurs. This happens every year, we have lost hundreds of thousands in terms of human resource.

"If they had learned entrepreneurship since Form One until Form Five, they can set up a company after SPM. It can be small and medium enterprises, service companies, contractors and so on," Ahmad added.

Apart from this, he said learning from the Chinese, who are generally adept in business, is also another method to improve the entrepreneurship in Malaysia.

The deputy minister described the Chinese as "bangsa usahawan" (race of entrepreneurs), Malays as "bangsa makan gaji" (race of wage earners) and Indians as "bangsa professional" (race of professionals).

"Malays and Indians should learn from the Chinese," he said.

Forget Chinese votes, says Umno delegate

 

UMNO AGM Umno leaders have been told not to waste their time in getting Chinese votes as it will be a futile effort.

Perak delegate Mohd Radzi Manan (right) said this is because their votes will not increase for the BN.

"Getting their votes is like curah air di padang pasir (pouring water on sand, futile). Their votes won't increase.

"(Therefore), Umno must go back to their own race (the Malays)," said the Kampar division leader.

Mohd Radzi also rapped Umno leaders for going back to the 'kapitan Cina' (Chinese capitan) after winning the elections.

"When wanting votes, they go to the Malays, but when they win, they go back to the Chinese kapitan," he said.

Mohd Radzi, who was debating Umno president Najib Abdul Razak’s policy speech, however did not specify any particular individual when mentioning the Chinese Kapitan.

Meanwhile, he also advised Umno leaders to be closer to the younger generation.

“We should ask whether our policies make them happy and whether they are satisfied with how we spend money.

“Because they have no problems with the Penang bridge but for the 1Malaysia People’s Aid (BR1M), they consider it a waste,” he said.

At this juncture, he urged the party’s Youth wing to “do more”.

“Wake up, Umno Youth. You are not doing enough,” he said.

He also urged that Puteri Umno be fortified, lamenting that its chief, Mas Ermieyati Samsudin, was only an MP.

“She is only an MP, there is not much that she can do.

“If we do not give the ‘vehicle’, how can they (Umno Youth and Puteri Umno) move,” he asked.

Sabah delegate defends vernacular schools

The government should focus on raising the standard of the national language in vernacular schools.

FMT

KUALA LUMPUR: Sabah delegate, Taufiq Abu Bakar Titingan, told the Umno General Assembly on Friday that Orang Asal students form a near majority, if not a majority, in many Chinese schools in Sabah.

He was explaining why he was not in favour of any move to close down vernacular schools in the country.

Citing figures, he said 84 per cent of one Chinese school in Sabah were Orang Asal.

He disclosed that 15,120 out of 35,162 students in Chinese vernacular schools were Orang Asal.

“If we close these schools, where are they going to go?” he asked.

“We want all Malaysians to be able to speak the national language fluently, no matter which schools they attended.”

He conceded that many students in vernacular schools were not proficient enough in the national language and suggested that more efforts be put in to raise the standard of the Malay language in these schools.

Former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, in a recent blog posting on the education system dividing the people, said the natives in Sabah and Sarawak preferred to send their children to Chinese schools.

Make Tamil and Chinese compulsory in national schools

If national schools can be strengthened by introducing Tamil and Chinese, vernacular schools can be closed down.

FMT

KUALA LUMPUR: One Umno delegate thinks that he has found a way to do away with vernacular schools: make Tamil and Chinese compulsory in the Malay-medium national schools.

He did not say whether Malay students in national schools would be required to learn Tamil and Chinese as well.

It was vital for Putrajaya to strengthen national schools, said delegate Mustafa Musa, before it attempted to shut down Tamil and Chinese schools.

“Include the Tamil and Chinese languages in the curriculum of national schools and make it compulsory,” he said in giving his take on the policy speech by party president and Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak. “We lose nothing in learning more to adapt to change.”

“If national schools are strengthened that way, completely equipped with computers, with Tamil and Chinese subjects, this is an alternative to the beginning of single-stream schools. And there will be no reason for anyone to say national schools are weak.”

So we strengthen our own schools, he stressed, “before we shut down other schools”.

Mustafa did not say in his speech whether it’s ever possible for Putrajaya, given its history of flip flops, to give iron-clad guarantees that the Tamil and Chinese languages in national schools would not be abolished once the vernacular schools are closed down.

He also did not touch on the arguments of Tamil and Chinese educationists that it’s a human and universal right for a child to be educated in his or her own mother-tongue. Having just Tamil and Chinese as subjects in national schools, and later doing away with vernacular schools, compromises this right.

Among the Chinese community in particular, Chinese schools reflect the importance of Chinese students having the Chinese character, the result of 4,000 years of recorded civilization.

Tamils point out that their language is 8,000 years old.

MCA: School segregation like 50s US racism

 

MCA has decried a report of racial segregation at a primary school in Setapak as reminiscent of the discriminatory treatment of African-Americans in the 50s.

Responding to a Malay Mail Online (MMO) article today, MCA senator Chong Sin Woon said if the report is true, the said school's instructions must be "chastised and immediately rescinded".

"The situation must be rectified by the school authorities and the Education Ministry, including a warning letter issued to the school official who mandated such a prejudiced directive," said Chong (left), who is also MCA Youth chief.

He likened the scenario to the  “separate but equal doctrine" in 50s America, in which Africa-Americans were placed in separate and substandard classes.

"MCA Youth shudders at the thought that similar discriminatory practices, although unintended by the school authorities, may befall the non-Muslims pupils placed in the second grade.

"Similar to the non-white pupils, we do not want non-Muslim pupils to grow up insecure, with a lack of confidence at their own religion," said Chong.

MMO today reported Deputy Education Minister P Kamalanathan (right) saying that the said segregation is not allowed and should never have happened.

The daily reported a parent's complaint that her 10-year-old son is to be placed in a separate class next year despite obtaining top grades.

The school was reported as saying the move was due to  a shortage of teachers teaching moral studies and Mandarin.

The school’s senior assistant had stressed that the move was to better manage the timetable for Muslim and non-Muslim pupils.

“Once implemented, it will be easier to manage the students for the different subjects,” the senior assistant said, quotes MMO.

However, Chong said the school can easily arrange a separate class for Mandarin and moral studies anytime as practised in other national schools throughout the country, even if such classes are to be held after school hours.

Incident proof vernacular schools not the culprits

Chong opines that students will neglect their studies if they are not taught from young to be merit-oriented as some may think that they will automatically enter the top class while top scholars know they will always be relegated to an inferior-ranked class.

The MCA education consultative committee deputy chairperson also said the particular incident showed how intolerant upbringing occurs at national schools.

“For all too long, detractors have unfairly and without basis, sullied vernacular schools as a hindrance towards national unity.

“(However), the incident indicates that condemnations against vernacular schools are groundless because such intolerant upbringing occurs at national schools,” he said.

Stressing that it is the responsibility of the school authorities and educators to inculcate national unity among pupils from a young age, Chong argued that this is because children are innocent and do not know racism and religious bigotry.

“These traits are never in-born but nurtured over time by bigoted adults,” he said.

He also reiterated MCA Youth’s call for a review of the History textbook syllabus.

“This is so that accurate facts and terminology are taught, to portray and construct national unity, rather than racial stereotypes,” he said.