PKR Exco Selangor mandore empty promise of temple land, MIC style politics.

Yet again this PKR Indian Selangor exco mandore is making a false promise of land for the Banting Sungai Sidu Mariaman Hindu temple in Selangor (Makkal Osai 16/1/2010 at page 6). But he did not hand over the land title to the temple to the temple committee. Without the title deeds it is just a politician’s promise.

This is this PKR Exco mandore’s modus operandi as what the MIC mandores had been doing for the previous 50 years in Selangor.

By the stroke of his pen his “Tuan” Menteri Besar of Selangor can grant land to all Hindu temples in Selangor but this ex UMNO man turned PKR M.B for Selangor isn’t doing it.

That would give a permanent solution to the Hindu temple demolishment problem in Selangor which in the M.B Khir Toyo regime was demolishing at the rate of one Hindu temple in every ten days as revealed at the Selangor State assembly in early 2009.

Since this PKR mandore like the previous MIC mandore is powerless, he wants to to be seen to be doing something. So this PKR mandore continues the puppet shadow play (wayang kulit) that was played for 50 years by the previous MIC Mandores.

Come what may Anwar Ibrahim is a former UMNO man and is and will continue this mandore politics in Selangor, Kedah, Penang, Perak (earlier) and most likely even if and when he takes over federal power in Malaysia.

Admin

UMNO: No pre school and kindergarden for poor Indian children.

Malaysia plans to increase pre school (malay muslim) children from 76% to 87% by 2013 say the Secretary General of the Education Ministry (NST 29/1/2010 at page 25).

But UMNO denies pre school and even kindergarden to 95% of the poor, working class and underprivileged Indian children.

Yet another tip of the iceberg of UMNOs; racist, religious extremist and supremacist agenda which they package as Prime Minister Najib Razak’s One Malay-sia?

P. Uthayakumar

Wayang kulit MIC mandore empty politics for Batu Estate Indians.

Not many may know that a large part of Segambut was once an estate.

Instead of fulfilling the UMNO government’s Estate Workers Housing Scheme, after 52 years of independence these Indians at their old age after having sucked out their most from their labour are now promised peanuts of RM 10,000.00. And that is if and when they actually receive this RM 10,000.00.

But what happens to them after they finish up their RM 10,000.00.

Why can’t UMNO grant them the ten acre land ownership schemes in Felda, Felcra, Risda, Fama, Agropolition Kesedar, Kejora etc and offer them a permanent solution as opposed to the usual piecemeal paper politics. Afterall these Indians are the displaced plantation workers, whereas land is allocated to Malays under the many schemes even when they are not displaced persons.

P. Uthayakumar

Muslim groups back caning of women

By Asrul Hadi Abdullah Sani - The Malaysian Insider

Abim is now calling for Kartika’s caning to be expedited. — file pic

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 18 — Muslim groups praised the government today for caning three women recently under Syariah laws on charges of engaging in “illicit sex” despite widespread outrage from advocacy groups.

Mohd Isa Abdul Ralip, the president of the Association of Syarie Lawyers, said the successful caning of the three women demonstrated that such punishment under Islamic law was not cruel or inhumane.

The caning was conducted on Feb 9, Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein disclosed yesterday. Two of them received six strokes while another one was given four.

“The sentencing has proven that caning is not unjust, inhumane or causes injuries. This also proves that Jakim and the Prisons Department are prepared and ready to implement Syariah criminal punishment.

“The public and world community no longer needs to fear caning as a punishment under the Syariah because it is not cruel but instead educates the offenders. It also provides awareness and teaches the offenders to repent and not repeat the acts,” he said in a press statement today.

The announcement that the three women had been caned comes amid a continuing controversy over a similar sentence imposed last year on Kartika Sari Dewi Shukarnor for consuming beer.

Government officials, hoping to avoid any criticism, had asked her to appeal the sentence. She refused, and instead, asked for the caning to be expedited.

Faced with domestic and foreign criticisms and fearful of the effect the caning of a woman would have on Malaysia’s image as a moderate Muslim country, officials continued to delay carrying out the sentence.

Recently, religious officials in Pahang, where Kartika was sentenced, said the caning issue would only be decided after she has an audience with the Tengku Mahkota of Pahang, Tengku Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah.

But Mohd Isa urged the authorities today to now go ahead with Kartika’s caning as the penalty has now been meted out on three other women.

“We fully support Kartika’s caning punishment to be expedited so as to avoid it from becoming sensationalised and causing many to look down on the institution of the Syariah courts,” he added.

The Islamic Youth Movement (Abim) also questioned why advocacy groups were outraged by the caning of the three women.

“This is concrete proof that the punishment went well and has been accepted. The guilty has also repented and there is no proof of any injuries at all. What is the problem now? It has proven that the punishment can save cost and the person does not have to stay in jail for a long period. You get your caning sentence then you can go out and continue with your life. So what is the problem?” Abim vice president Fadhilina Sidek said today.

She also contended that those who argued that the caning of women was unconstitutional were ignorant.

“They say that it goes against the constitution because there is gender discrimination and equality before the law. For me, they don’t want to know and pretend to not know. If they really want to understand then they can ask and we are willing to explain to them. But they did not want to understand from the beginning,” she said.

However, Malaysian Human Rights Association president Malik Imtiaz Sarwar said he believed that the caning was outside the jurisdiction of the Syariah courts.

He said the Syariah Courts (Criminal Jurisdiction) Act 1965 — which confers powers on the Syariah courts — does not authorise caning of the kind dictated by Islamic law.

Under prison rules, only those who are serving a sentence can be caned. But civil law does not allow caning for women while only men below 50 can receive the punishment.

In carrying out the caning sentences, the country’s prison authorities have now demonstrated their willingness to carry out caning sentences on women if ordered to do so by a Syariah court.

Advocacy groups are now demanding that the government explain why the three Muslim women were caned recently without public knowledge.

Amnesty International’s Nora Murat said that the government should have been forthright about the caning of the women.

“I think that there shouldn’t be any secrecy about it and there are also a lot of questions on why they were punished. I am angry because the government has not been honest with the whole process. We should be honest about it. There are a lot of grey areas and question marks when it comes to all the Syariah issue and process,” she told The Malaysian Insider.

The executive director of Amnesty International Malaysia said that the country had taken a “regressive step” with the punishment.

“Although it was stated that the Syariah authority was there to witness the caning, it still doesn’t take away the fact that it is a degrading punishment to humiliate the person.

“Don’t get me wrong. I am not saying that the caning has to be done in public but why was the whole process done in secrecy? That itself brings a lot of questions on the legal and punishment process in this country. We are questioning that. I think Malaysia is taking a regressive step to inflict such degrading treatment. We have been portrayed and promoted ourselves as a moderate country and why on earth are we [using] punishment from the Dark Ages,” she said.

The three women offenders, together with four men, had been sentenced to whipping under section 23 (2) of the Kuala Lumpur Federal Territory Syariah Criminal Offences Act 1997 (Adultery) by the Kuala Lumpur Syariah High Court between December 2009 and January this year.

Executive director of Women’s Aid Organisation, Ivy Josiah, was angry that the government had allowed the canning after the public outcry against a similar sentenced imposed last year on Kartika for consuming beer.

“We are really angry that this whole exercise was done in the face of so many memorandums, appeals, arguments against the whipping and sentencing of Kartika.

“So the authorities obviously knew what society wanted but to completely ignore all of these arguments is sheer disrespectful,” Josiah said.

Zulkifli hearing pushed to March 1

By Syed Jaymal Zahiid - The Malaysian Insider

Business or pleasure? There are conflicting accounts of why Zulkifli is in Korea. — file pic

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 18 — The PKR disciplinary board has decided to postpone Kulim-Bandar Baru MP Zulkifli Noordin’s hearing to March 1, citing “fairness” as the reason.

The Malaysian Insider understands that the decision was reached in the name of “natural justice”, to give Zulkifli sufficient time to respond to a second show cause letter dated Feb 16.

The Feb 16 letter was issued to the parliamentarian following his open attack against DAP, which the Islamic hardliner labelled as racists, anti-Islam and the “thorn” in Pakatan Rakyat’s Islamic cause.

It is understood that the mood at the board’s meeting on Zulkifli’s fate today was “neutral”, unlike what had transpired at the party’s political bureau meeting the night before.

The Malaysian Insider understands that many, including Sungai Petani MP Datuk Johari Abdul, were calling for Zulkifli to be axed from the party.

“Those on the disciplinary board are not interested in politicking. They are only interested in giving a fair hearing to all involved, including Zulkifli.

“After lengthy deliberation, we felt that it’s best to postpone it (Zulkifli’s hearing) to the said date so he can have time to respond to the second show cause letter and [we] might as well just carry the old case to this date as well,” a party official told The Malaysian Insider.

Zulkifli, who was supposed to face the board today, is currently in Korea, and had claimed during an interview with The Malaysian Insider that the trip was co-ordinated by the party.

Today was the deadline for the conservative MP to reply to the first show cause letter dated Feb 8, issued following his salvo against fellow Pakatan Rakyat peer, Shah Alam PAS MP Khalid Samad, over the “Allah” row.

PKR deputy president Syed Husin Ali, however, claimed the Kulim Bandar Bharu MP was in Korea on a personal trip.

He slammed the excuse given by Zulkifli as “typical of him”.

The Kulim MP had said he was ready to face the board, but in the aforementioned interview, Zulkifli said some within his party were trying to set him up by picking the date of the hearing to coincide with his Korean trip.

Umno Youth gets RM2m but no Cabinet post

Datuk Seri Najib Razak (right) at yesterday’s meeting but he was non-committal about giving their chief Khairy Jamaluddin a Cabinet post. – Bernama pic

By Adib Zalkapli - The Malaysian Insider

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 18 — The Umno Youth went away with RM2 million to fund its programmes from Datuk Seri Najib Razak at yesterday’s meeting but he was non-committal about giving their chief Khairy Jamaluddin a Cabinet post.

Some Umno Youth executive councillors were disturbed with the Cabinet post request made to the party president. The Umno Youth only has its deputy Datuk Razali Ibrahim as the deputy youth and sports minister.

“Not everyone was given a chance to speak, but that’s alright, because there were too many of us, but that one issue which was brought up by an exco member was totally inappropriate,” an Umno Youth exco member said on condition of anonymity.

“Nobody should question the Prime Minister’s power to appoint the minister, he is free to appoint whoever he likes,” he added.

The Malaysian Insider understands that a member of the Umno Youth exco who asked Najib to award the wing with a ministerial position argued that the appointment would prove the administration’s good relationship with Khairy.

Questions on why Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil, who lost her Lembah Pantai parliamentary seat in Election 2008, was made minister after she won the Wanita Umno chief post last year, was also raised.

“The PM talked about the suitability of Cabinet appointment and he gave the direction for Umno Youth to take and he also asked to close ranks,” he said.

Another Umno Youth exco member confirmed the request for ministerial post was made adding that the RM2 million allocation was for programmes such as the “Jelajah Pemuda 1 Malaysia” announced by Khairy yesterday.

Khairy, who is the son-in-law of former prime minister and Umno president Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, is the first Umno Youth chief in many years not to get a Cabinet post. The only other one in recent history is Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi in 1993.

While Razali was made deputy minister, defeated Umno Youth chief contender Datuk Mukhriz Mahathir was appointed deputy minister of international trade and industry.

The meeting between the Umno Youth exco with Najib yesterday was described as normal “courtesy visit” by Khairy and he also dismissed the suggestion that the meeting was an attempt to resolve a leadership crisis insisting that the wing is not in any crisis.

The visit took place just about two weeks after a heated Umno Youth meeting where an exco member, Hishamuddin Yahya, was said to have asked Khairy to quit for being ineffective.

Hishamuddin had also called for fresh election to choose a more effective line-up of Youth leaders.

The Putrajaya Umno Youth deputy chief declined to comment when asked about what transpired at yesterday’s meeting.

Zul Noordin dodging party disciplinary hearing

By Syed Jaymal Zahiid - The Malaysian Insider

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 18 — PKR deputy president Syed Husin Ali (pic) said today Kulim Bandar Bharu MP Zulkifli Noordin has been evading the party’s disciplinary board.

Syed Husin, in a statement issued today, said the errant MP, known for his Islamic hardline views, has been told to reply to a Feb 8 show cause letter but asked for a Feb 12 extension.

Zulkifli picked either today or Feb 23 to face the board but on Feb 16, the problematic Kulim MP told the media that he was going to Korea for a party trip. PKR denied there was such a trip today.

“The party has no idea about his trip. He never told the disciplinary board anything about the trip nor did he propose a substitute date for his hearing,” said Syed Husin.

“This is typical of him... Zulkifli has chosen his personal Korean trip over attending the hearing to defend himself,” added the PKR deputy president.

Zulkifli’s open salvo against fellow Pakatan Rakyat peer Shah Alam PAS MP Khalid Samad over the “Allah” row has forced the party to refer him to the disciplinary board.

The Kulim MP said he is ready to face the board but in an interview with The Malaysian Insider, Zulkifli said some within his party are trying to set him up by picking the date of the hearing to coincide with his Korean trip.

Syed Husin said the party’s political bureau has decided to leave Zulkifli’s fate in the hands of the disciplinary board.

“The board has been advised by the bureau to take into consideration all the statements he made after the show cause letter was given to him.”

Zulkifli returns to Malaysia on Feb 25.

If I were a lawyer…..

Normal 0 0 1 1969 11227 Malaysia Today 93 22 13787 11.1287 0 0 0

Anwar Ibrahim’s lawyer, Karpal Singh, told the court that there are two ‘black hands’ at work in framing his client on sodomy charges. Anwar’s defence team plans to subpoena both Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak and his wife, Rosmah Mansor, to testify during the trial. Understandably, the court would either block this move, like it did in the Sodomy 1 trial, or, if they were put on the stand, they would be ‘hostile witnesses’. Let us imagine what would probably happen if it ever does happen.

NO HOLDS BARRED

Raja Petra Kamarudin

If I were a lawyer,

Ya ha deedle deedle, bubba bubba deedle deedle dum.

All day long I'd biddy biddy bum.

If I were Anwar’s lawyer.

I wouldn't have to work hard.

Ya ha deedle deedle, bubba bubba deedle deedle dum.

I would put Najib onto the stand.

Yidle-diddle-didle-didle man.

Sung to the song 'If I Were a Rich Man' from the musical 'Fiddler on the Roof'

*************************************************

Karpal: Did you not at first deny that you ever met Saiful?

DPP: Objection, Your honour. The witness has already confirmed that he did meet Saiful. What is the motive of the Defence in raising this issue?

Karpal: Sit down. Why are you so nervous? This is only my first question and you already object. Even before I can finish asking my question you are jumping up from your seat.

Judge: Yes, what is the motive in raising this question?

Karpal: Your Honour, the Defence wishes to establish that there is a political conspiracy against my client and that the Prime Minister tried to hide this fact from the public by lying about his meeting with Saiful. That is our line of defence and the Defence is allowed to decide on and choose what line of defence it wishes to take. The court cannot deny the Defence this right even if it may be a stupid defence.

Judge: I will allow it but rephrase the question.

Karpal: Thank you, Your Honour.

Okay, can you tell this court why at first you denied meeting Saiful?

Witness: I did not understand the allegation and was confused. They said I met Saiful in my office. But I did not meet him in my office. He came to my office to meet my staff. He did not meet me. That is why I denied meeting him. In fact, there are photographs of him taken with my staff in my office. But there are no photographs of him with me.

Karpal: So you denied meeting Saiful because you thought they meant meeting him in your office. But you did not meet him in your office. He only met your staff.

Witness: That’s right.

Karpal: But you did meet him in your house, right?

Witness: Yes.

Karpal: And you in fact met him twice, right?

Witness: Yes.

Karpal: And what was the purpose of your two meetings with Saiful?

DPP: Objection, Your Honour. The witness has already explained why he met Saiful. Why raise this issue again?

Karpal: He may have explained this in a press conference, Your Honour. But he now needs to tell this court. Let him repeat in this court what he told the public. Why is the DPP so scared? What is there to hide? The witness has already made public his meeting with Saiful and the reason why he met the young man.

Judge: Okay, I will allow the question.

Witness: The first meeting was because he wanted my help in getting a scholarship and the second meeting was because he wanted to complain to me that Anwar Ibrahim had sodomised him.

Karpal: But you are neither the Education Minister nor the Chief of Police. So why should you want to meet Saiful about matters not concerning you or not of national importance?

Witness: I am a compassionate person. So I am always prepared to meet anyone who needs my help. Furthermore, I was not aware of the purpose of the meeting until I had met him. After I found out the purpose of the meeting I told him I was not able to help him and that he should go to the police instead.

Karpal: But your meeting with Saiful was before the date of the alleged sodomy, not after. How can he complain to you about a sodomy act that had not occurred yet?

Witness: I am not too clear about the dates. I do not maintain a record of the dates of my personal meetings at home. Only the dates of my official meetings in the office are on record.

Karpal: So was that the reason why you refused to meet Saiful in your office and you told your staff to send him to your house instead? This is so that there would be no official records of your meetings with Saiful?

Witness: That is just your assumption. You have no evidence to support that assumption, which is mere speculation.

Karpal: But you lied about the meeting. That is no assumption or speculation.

Witness: I did not lie. I was confused about which meeting they were talking about.

Karpal: I put it to you that you met Saiful before the date of the alleged sodomy not because he wanted to complain about Anwar sodomising him but because you wanted to coach him on how to fabricate sodomy allegations against my client. And I put it to you that you are lying.

DPP: Objection, Your Honour. The Defence counsel is badgering the witness. May I remind my learned counsel that it is Anwar and not the witness who is on trial!

Karpal: May I remind my learned counsel that it is not Anwar who is on trial but Malaysia’s legal system and the A-Gs Chambers.

DPP: Your Honour, this is contempt of court. The Defence counsel is making disparaging remarks about this court.

Karpal: I am not making disparaging remarks about this court. I am making disparaging remarks about the whole legal system.

Judge: I caution you, sir. You are bordering on contempt of court.

Karpal: No need for you to hold me in contempt of this court, Your Honour. I hold myself in contempt of this court. In fact, the whole of Malaysia and the international community feel nothing but utter contempt for this court.

Judge: This is my last warning, Karpal! One more outburst and I will cite you for contempt.

DPP: Thank you, Your Honour.

Karpal: Oh sit down.

DPP: I can sit down but you can’t stand up.

Judge: Heh heh heh.

Karpal: Your Honour, that is a most uncalled for remark from the DPP. And why are you giggling, Your Honour?

Judge: Hrmph…sorry…yes, withdraw that statement please.

DPP: Okay, I withdraw the statement even though it is true.

Karpal: It is also true that you are Malay who received his education financed by public funds and paid for by the taxpayers who are not Malays. But does that mean I must say this in this court?

DPP: Your Honour, the Defence counsel is getting personal.

Judge: Oh sit down and stop fighting you two.

Continue please, Karpal. And watch what you say.

Karpal: I put it to you that you plotted with Saiful to fabricate allegations of sodomy against my client and that...

DPP: Objection, Your Honour.

Judge: Yes, what is the purpose of this question, Karpal?

Karpal: We need to establish that there is a political conspiracy against my client and that the sodomy allegations are fabricated as part of this conspiracy. It is therefore crucial that we go into this issue in depth.

DPP: But these questions are speculative in nature and there is no evidence of a political conspiracy.

Karpal: Your Honour, how would the DPP know there is no evidence of a political conspiracy unless the Defence is allowed to question the witness and establish what really happened?

Judge: Okay, I will allow it. But rephrase the question.

Karpal: Thank you, Your Honour.

Is there a political conspiracy against my client and are you not behind this conspiracy?

Witness: No.

Karpal: But did my client not make many very serious allegations against you?

Witness: What serious allegations are you talking about?

Karpal: Well, for starters, my client alleges that you knew Altantuya Shaariibuu and that you had sex with her and that her murder was to cover all this up and that...

DPP: Objection, Your Honour. This is not the Altantuya murder trial. This is Anwar’s sodomy trial. Why bring Altantuya into this?

Karpal: Your Honour, the witness asked me what serious allegations, so I am just replying to the witness’s question. The witness has a right to an explanation so that he does not get confused like about his meeting with Saiful.

Judge: Okay, the witness can answer the question. But please pose a question and not make a statement. You made a statement. That was not a question.

Karpal: Thank you, Your Honour. I will rephrase the question.

Did my client not allege that you knew Altantuya Shaariibuu and that you had sex with her and that her murder was to cover all this up and that you are, directly or indirectly, somehow involved in the murder, or at least members of your staff are involved?

Witness: Yes he did.

Karpal: And was not my client’s allegation based on the Statutory Declaration signed by private investigator Balasubramanian?

DPP: Objection, Your Honour. Now the Defence counsel brings PI Bala into this.

Karpal: Your Honour, it is important to establish that my client made these allegations against the witness based on sworn testimony by the private investigator who was there the day they picked up Altantuya in front of Razak Baginda’s house. Therefore, my client made his allegation based on facts and not based on assumptions or speculation.

Judge: But what relevance does this have to the sodomy allegation against the accused?

Karpal: If the DPP will allow me to continue without jumping up from his seat and interrupting me each time I pose my questions then this relevance can be established.

Judge: Okay, I will allow it. But I reserve the right to expunge this part of the testimony if I later find it has no relevance to the trial.

Karpal: Thank you, Your Honour.

DPP: But Your Honour….

Karpal: Oh sit down and stop whining.

DPP: Stop telling me to sit down.

Karpal: Stop standing up then.

DPP: Your Honour, this is uncalled for. The Defence counsel is making a mockery of this court.

Karpal: This court is already a mockery. How can I further make a mockery of it?

Judge: Karpal…

Karpal: Sorry, Your Honour. I withdraw that statement.

Judge: Karpal, I have already warned you once. This is definitely the last warning I am giving you.

Karpal: Yes, Your Honour.

Has my client not been going all over Malaysia making allegations that you were involved not only with Altantuya but with her murder as well?

DPP: Objection, Your Honour.

Karpal: What is there to object? Is this not true?

DPP: No, it is not true. There is no evidence that the witness was involved with Altantuya or with her murder.

Karpal: I am not referring to that. I am asking you whether it is not true that my client has been making these allegations.

DPP: You are insinuating that the witness is involved with Altantuya and her murder.

Karpal: I am doing no such thing. I am saying that my client has been going round the country making these allegations. And is this not true?

DPP: What is not true?

Karpal: That my client made these allegations.

Judge: Rephrase the question, Karpal.

Karpal: Yes, Your Honour.

Are you aware that my client has been going all over Malaysia making allegations that you were involved not only with Altantuya but with her murder as well?

Witness: Yes, I am aware.

Karpal: And was this why you plotted and conspired to fabricate this sodomy allegation against my client?

DPP: Objection, Your Honour. There is no evidence to suggest that there is any conspiracy to fabricate allegations of sodomy against the accused. This is mere conjecture.

Karpal: If the DPP keeps interrupting me and objects to all my questions how will we ever establish the truth, Your Honour?

Judge: Rephrase the question, Karpal.

Karpal: Yes, Your Honour. I will rephrase the question.

Has my client been saying nasty things about you?

Witness: Yes he has.

Karpal: And are all these nasty things lies and innuendoes?

Witness: Yes they are.

Karpal: And are all these nasty things, which are lies and innuendoes, regarding allegations about you and Altantuya?

Witness: Yes.

Karpal: And you deny all these nasty lies and innuendoes?

DPP: Irrelevant, Your Honour. I don’t see what this has to do with the sodomy allegation. Anyway, the witness has already sworn on the Quran that he did not know Altantuya.

Judge: Yes, Karpal, what is the relevance of that question?

Karpal: The witness did not swear on the Quran that he did not know Altantuya, Your Honour. He swore he did not know ‘that Mongolian woman’. He never mentioned Altantuya’s name.

Judge: Still not relevant. Stick to the sodomy charge. This is not the Altantuya murder trial.

Karpal: Your Honour, the Defence is attempting to prove that the witness has a personal grudge against my client and that the sodomy allegation against my client is a fabrication and part of a political conspiracy. If I am not allowed this line of questioning, then how can this be established?

Judge: Enough questions about Altantuya. This court will not allow this line of questioning. Ask the witness other questions.

Karpal: Yes, Your Honour.

When private investigator Balasubramaniam made his Statutory Declaration known to the public was the press conference not held in the office of my client?

DPP: Again, irrelevant, Your Honour.

Karpal: And was this not why you are angry with my client?

DPP: Objection.

Karpal: And was this not why you suspected that my client was behind the PI Balasubramaniam revelation?

Judge: Karpal…

Karpal: And was this not why you are seeking revenge against my client with this fabrication of the sodomy allegation?

Judge: Stand down. This court will recess. I want to see both counsels in my chambers now.

And that is how the longest sodomy trial in Malaysian history would probably proceed if the Prime Minister and his wife were subpoenaed as witnesses. Finally, the Prosecution will win its case even though there is lack of evidence and even though there was no penetration whatsoever.

Malaysia's sex trial of Anwar raises political stakes

Anwar Ibrahim, Malaysia's opposition leader, is on trial for sodomy for a second time. The BBC's Vaudine England investigates the political ramifications.

A sodomy trial cuts through Mr Anwar's image as a good Muslim, say government critics

Two years ago, few Malaysians would have predicted the current state of their country's politics.

In the March 2008 elections, the opposition led by Anwar Ibrahim demolished the ruling coalition's two-thirds majority.

The coalition still won, but it emerged bruised by its worst election result in 50 years.

"It's the first time in Malaysian history that a possibility of change is something that is reachable, not an impossible dream," said Lim Kit Siang, head of the Democratic Action Party (DAP).

The result only exacerbated the hatred that was already felt by the Malay political establishment towards Anwar Ibrahim - a man who was once one of its leading figures.

Divisive move

Mr Anwar is now the head of the increasingly powerful opposition, and many analysts say that his current trial for sodomy - the second time he has been accused of this offence - may have more to do with his politics than his personal life.

The ruling coalition - the Barisan Nasional (National Front) - comprises the dominant United Malays National Organisation (Umno), the Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA) and the Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC).

There is no doubt about Anwar's unique contribution in bringing the three parties together Lim Kit Siang, DAP leader

The opposition Pakatan Rakyat coalition comprises Mr Anwar's Parti Keadilan or Justice Party, the Islamic Party of Malaysia (PAS), the largely Chinese DAP and others.

In December 2009, Pakatan Rakyat held a national conference which laid out the beginnings of a serious challenge to the establishment - to rule Malaysia from the basis of a multi-ethnic and multi-faith platform.

The calculations of electoral politics are invoked by many for the recent rash of attacks on houses of worship in a row over the use of the word Allah.

Some have blamed the government for the provocations, in a plot to draw PAS out of opposition into a pro-Muslim alliance against Mr Anwar.

Others have pointed the finger of blame squarely at Mr Anwar.

"I see this is the effort by certain quarters of the society associated to a political party… to test the rigidity or the flexibility of our tolerance that has been in our system since the first day of our independence or even before that," said Umno Supreme Council member Idris Haron.

"What do I mean? Anwar Ibrahim," he added.

He then recounted an incident from decades ago in which Mr Anwar had "put him down in public", displaying a level of lasting vitriol against the opposition leader which is shared by many in Umno.

'Too rotten'

Government critics believe it is no accident that the charge against Mr Anwar is sodomy - this is not white collar crime, a funding scandal or a conflict of interest, it is something which cuts to the quick of this Malay politician's identity as a good Muslim.

Allah row reflects race divide Profile: Anwar Ibrahim

Several Umno leaders have labelled Mr Anwar a "traitor" to the Malay race, claiming his advocacy of equal rights to all endangers the Malays.

"He has deviated from the struggle for the Malays. We speak the truth and are ready to face any legal action from him," a former Umno minister Shahrir Samad said.

Among the opposition, the trial posses an immediate practical problem - how do you take over government if your leader is in jail?

"There is no doubt about Anwar's unique contribution in bringing the three parties together," says Mr Lim, of the opposition alliance.

"But I think should anything untoward happen - which we hope would not take place, although we have to be realistic about it - I believe the Pakatan Rakyat will have become more mature and able to undergo such a test," he says.

Within Umno, some members suggest that restoring their party's electoral might requires more than simply locking up Mr Anwar.

These voices see the old Umno as out of tune with a younger, more globalised and questioning constituency, and as too willing to pander to a more extremist religious right wing within the party.

Umno is too rotten to be saved, according to Zaid Ibrahim, a former law minister for Umno and now an opposition strategist.

"Umno's preoccupation (in the 1960s) was to try to uplift the spirit of the Malay," he says.

"But along the way it has become an almost fascist type of machinery, spreading lies about the country that Malays are going to be overwhelmed.

"It's very fascist. And I think after 20-30 years, they begin to believe it themselves, they can't control it."

Most analysts credit Prime Minister Najib Razak as being a well-meaning promoter of centrist government - "as liberal as any other wealthy Malay", as Zaid Ibrahim puts it.

Mr Najib has already watered down the country's contentious pro-Malay affirmative action policies, and embarked on a new target-setting approach for his cumbersome bureaucracy, perhaps in the hope that economic success will quell political distress.

Another former Umno luminary who has also split from the party, Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah, described the 2008 election as a national watershed which marked the end of Umno's invincibility.

"The people want more than ethno-religious politics," but Umno seems to be digging a hole for itself, he said in a recent speech.

Umno is becoming "more extreme and out of touch with ordinary voters of every race and religion, whose major concerns are not racial or religious identity, but matters such as corruption, security, the economy and education," he believes.

Maulid: Antara Sejarah Dan Amalan

*Artikel lama, dicadangkan untuk pembacaan.

http://drmaza.com

Para sarjana sejarahwan Islam berbeza pendapat tentang tarikh sebenar kelahiran Nabi s.a.w. Hadis Nabi s.a.w yang diriwayatkan oleh al-Imam Muslim hanya menyebut bahawa baginda lahir pada hari Isnin tanpa menyebut haribulannya. Sesiapa yang membaca karya-karya sejarah Islam yang besar seperti al-Bidayah wa al-Nihayah oleh al-Imam Ibn Kathir (meninggal 774H) akan melihat berbagai pendapat tentang haribulan dan bulan kelahiran baginda s.a.w.

Bagi yang berpendapat baginda lahir pada Bulan Rabi’ul Awwal, mereka berbeza pendapat pula dalam menentukan haribulannya. Ada yang menentukan pada 8 haribulan, ada yang pada 9 haribulan, ada pula pada 12 haribulan seperti yang menjadi anggapan ramai, ada juga pada 17 haribulan dan seumpamanya. Di samping di sana ada pula sarjana Islam yang menyatakan baginda lahir pada Bulan Ramadan dengan hujah-hujah mereka yang tersendiri.

Apa pun yang penting, sejarahwan Timur atau Barat, Utara atau Selatan tidak pernah berbelah pendapat tentang lahirnya seorang insan bernama Muhammad bin ‘Abdillah yang diikrarkan oleh umat Islam sebagai rasul terakhir yang diutuskan Allah. Hal ini berbeza dengan Jesus yang berada dalam gambaran Barat. Setengah ahli kajian mereka mempertikaikan tentang kelahiran Jesus itu sendiri.

Kelahiran Nabi s.a.w adalah peristiwa yang amat penting kerana ia peristiwa yang memulakan episod baru bagi kehidupan manusia sejagat. Penentuan haribulan atau bulan secara tepat bukanlah faktor utama. Tidak dapat menentukan tarikh lahir yang pasti, bukan bererti seseorang itu tidak wujud. Entah berapa ramai para nabi, tokoh, individu yang gagal dikesan tarikh kelahiran mereka, tetapi mereka wujud dan telah mewarnai sejarah.

Kegagalan sarjana untuk mengetahui hari dan bulan sebenar kelahiran Nabi s.a.w antaranya berpunca daripada tindakan para sahabah Nabi s.a.w yang tidak merayakan tarikh tersebut. Walaupun dalam sejarah Islam, merekalah generasi yang paling mencintai Nabi s.a.w namun mereka tidak membuat perayaan khas hari kelahiran baginda disebabkan kerana mereka tidak melihat baginda melakukan hal yang demikian.

Bahkan Ibn Kathir menceritakan bagaimana Saidina ‘Umar apabila dicadangkan permulaan tahun Islam dikira pada tahun kelahiran Nabi s.a.w, beliau menolaknya. Sebaliknya khalifah agung itu memilih tahun hijrah baginda sebagai permulaan kiraan. Bukan kelahiran tidak penting, tetapi hijrah adalah permulaan kejayaan dan sejarah perjuangan. Perkara yang paling utama buat seorang rasul ialah baginda diikuti, bukan sekadar dirayakan. Saban tahun orang Kristian Barat merayakan kelahiran Jesus, namun apakah kehidupan mereka sama seperti yang diajar oleh Jesus?

Hari berganti dan bertukar. Dunia Islam beralun dengan berbagai krisis politik yang akhirnya mencetuskan mazhab. Antaranya Mazhab Syiah yang asalnya merupakan mazhab politik, bertukar menjadi mazhab agama dengan segala macam aliran di dalamnya. Islam sepatutnya mencorakkan politik telah bertukar menjadi ‘politik mencorakkan Islam’. Lalu kefahaman agama dibina di atas blok-blok politik, bukan reka fikir politik itu diwarnakan oleh Islam. Maka perebutan kuasa berlaku atas agenda politik yang dimasukkan unsur Islam ke dalamnya. Maka berselerakanlah umat Islam akibat agenda politik berbagai aliran.

Di Mesir, Syiah Fatimiyyah pernah menguasai tampok kuasa. Berbagai agenda agama dilaksanakan dalam kerangka pemikiran mazhab politik yang bertukar menjadi agama. Berbagai perayaan agama dibuat dengan tujuan untuk mencapai matlamat politik yang tersendiri.

Dalam Fatawa al-Azhar diakui bahawa ahli sejarahwan Islam tidak mengetahui sesiapa pun yang memulakan perayaan Maulid Nabi s.a.w melainkan Kerajaan Syi’ah Fatimiyyah di Mesir yang mengadakannya secara besar-besaran. Mereka turut meraikan hari kelahiran tokoh-tokoh Ahlil Bait dan kelahiran Nabi Isa a.s. Kemudian pada tahun 488H dihentikan oleh Khalifah mereka al-Musta’la billah. Kemudian dihidupkan kembali oleh sesetengah kerajaan dan negeri. Demikianlah sejarahnya.

Ya, saya fikir, perasaan bersyukur mengenangkan sejarah kelahiran Nabi s.a.w dengan semangat untuk mengikuti baginda adalah wajar. Di samping kita perlu sedar fakta-fakta yang disebutkan tadi. Jika Bulan Rabi’ul Awwal ini dikatakan bulan kelahiran Nabi s.a.w, maka tidak salah untuk kita berceramah menceritakan sejarah perjuangan dan prinsip-prinsip Islam yang dibawa oleh baginda. Sama ada pada bulan ini atau selain. Sama seperti apabila kita melintas suatu tempat bersejarah, kita mengenang sejarah tersebut. Cuma janganlah kita ini menjadi manusia bermusim yang hanya mengenang rasul dan ajaran baginda pada hari-hari tertentu, tetapi kita seakan sudah tidak mengingati baginda selepas itu.

Di samping itu, hendaklah kita sedar, jika kita mengikuti Nabi s.a.w, maka pastikan kita tidak menokok tambah ajaran baginda apa yang baginda tidak izinkan. Baginda bersabda:

“Sesiapa yang membuat perkara baru dalam urusan kami ini (Islam) apa yang bukan daripadanya maka ia tertolak” (Riwayat Muslim).

Oleh kerana baginda tidak pernah menunjukkan kita ibadah khas sempena kelahiran baginda samada solat khas, atau puasa khas atau bacaan khas, maka kita tidak boleh mengadakannya. Jalan yang patut diikuti dalam masalah ini adalah jalan para sahabah baginda s.a.w. Sabda baginda s.a.w:

“..Sesungguhnya Bani Israil berpecah kepada 72 puak, dan umatku akan berpecah kepada 73 puak. Kesemua mereka dalam neraka kecuali satu puak”. Mereka bertanya: “Apakah puak itu wahai RasululLah?” Jawab baginda: “Apa yang aku dan para sahabahku berada di atasnya”. (Riwayat al-Tirmizi dinilai sahih oleh al-Diya al-Maqdisi).

Perlu diingat, antara keistimewanya sejarah Nabi s.a.w kerana ia dapat dikenal pasti antara yang tulen dan tokok tambah. Ini berbeza dengan sejarah pengasas-pengasas agama dalam dunia ini yang hampir keseluruhan sejarah mereka dibina atas sangkaan atau perkhabaran yang tidak pasti. Ilmu hadis yang menapis sanad dan matan telah memelihara fakta sejarah nabi kita Muhammad s.a.w. Hanya sejarah yang pasti sahaja yang menjadi ikutan kita, bukan yang direka.

Kata al-Sayyid Sulaiman al-Nadwi:

“Sesungguhnya sirah yang berhak diikuti oleh manusia sebagai contoh yang baik dan teladan yang tinggi disyaratkan terlebih dahulu mestilah bersifat tarikhiyyah (sejarah). Adapun sirah yang tertegak diatas dongengan dan cerita-cerita khurafat yang tidak disokong oleh riwayat-riwayat yang dipercayai kesahihannya, adalah menjadi tabiat insan tidak akan terpengaruh dengan apa yag diceritakan kepadanya tentang sirah peribadi yang direka sedangkan sejarah tidak pernah mengenalinya” (Sulaiman al-Nadwi, al-Risalah al-Muhammadiyyah, m.s. 41, Saudi: al-Dar al-Sa`udiyyah).

Buku Maulid al-Barzanji yang banyak dibaca dalam masyarakat kita ketika majlis kenduri-kendara atau selainnya mempunyai sumbangan yang tersendiri. Banyak sirah yang sahih dicatatkan oleh penulis karya tersebut iaitu Ja’far bin Hasan bin `Abd al-Karim al-Barzanji (meninggal 1187H). Namun satu hakikat yang diboleh dinafikan dari segi ilmu hadis bahawa terdapat fakta-fakta yang tidak sahih dalam buku al-Barzanji tersebut. Antaranya, beliau menyebut:

“Telah hadirlah pada malam kelahiran baginda (Nabi s.a.w.) Asiah (isteri Fir`aun yang beriman) dan Maryam (ibu Nabi Isa a.s.) dalam kumpulan wanita dari syurga)”.

Tiada satu riwayat yang sahih daripada Nabi s.a.w yang mengakui peristiwa seperti ini. Sehingga seorang pengkaji sejarah Muhammad Muhammad Hasan Syurrab menyebut:

“Wajib kita berhati-hati ketika memetik dari buku-buku sirah terutamanya buku-buku sirah yang terkemudian. Para rawinya (periwayat) banyak menokok tambah cerita dan sirah Rasulullah. Mereka mengaitkan kepada baginda mu’jizat dan perkara-perkara luar biasa sejak kelahiran sehingga kepada kewafatan baginda dengan perkara yang tidak ada sanad yang boleh dipegang. Seakan-akan para rawi ini melihat tujuan penambahan perkara-perkara luar biasa ini untuk memberikan kepada Rasul a.s. mu’jizat-mu’jizat yang tidak ada pada para nabi sebelum baginda (Muhammad Muhammad Hasan Syurrab, Fi Usul Tarikh al-`Arab al-Islami, m.s. 84, Damsyik, Dar al-Qalam).

Kita semua bersyukur dan bergembira dengan kelahiran Nabi Muhammad s.a.w. Namun kita wajib pastikan cara kita ikut dan faham mengenai baginda. Saban tahun banyak pihak yang meraikan maulid, apakah umat Islam bertambah dekat dengan baginda?

SOUND BITES - AUSTRALIA'S INDIAN STUDENTS

1. The Australians have been attacking Indian students. Barry Wain would consider this as isolated incidents, not typical of Australians at all. He would certainly not put the blame on Mr Kevin Ruud, the Prime Minister.

2. But supposing this happens in Malaysia, then of course the Prime Minister must have been responsible.

Bekas Timbalan Menteri Keluar BN, Sokong Pakatan

Dari Malaysia Kini

Bekas Timbalan Menteri Persekutuan Datuk Kalakau Untol, hari ini mengumumkan perletakan jawatan beliau dalam syarikat-syarikat berkaitan kerajaan dan keanggotaan beliau dalam Barisan Nasional (BN).

Beliau mengumumkan pelepasan jawatan sebagai Pengerusi Superpanel (Sabah) Sdn Bhd, sebuah subsidiari milik penuh Lembaga Pembangunan Perumahan Bandar (LPPB) serta sebagai ahli Lembaga Pengarah Perbadanan Pembangunan Ekonomi Sabah (Sedco), di dalam satu sidang akhbar di Tamparuli.

Kalakau, 55, pernah berkhidmat sebagai Timbalan Menteri Buruh pada tahun 1986 hingga 1990 dan merupakan Ketua Pemuda Pertubuhan Pasokmomogun Kadazandusun Murut Bersatu (Upko) negeri selama 12 tahun sejak 1985.

Dengan perletakan jawatan dan keanggotaan dalam BN tersebut, beliau juga mengumumkan keputusan untuk melibatkan diri dan menyokong dasar-dasar kumpulan pembangkang Pakatan Rakyat, seterusnya membantu mereka menyebarkan penjelasan ke seluruh negeri dalam usaha merakyatkan dasar Pakatan Rakyat untuk mendepani pilihanraya umum ke-13.

Kalakau menjelaskan walaupun pemimpin-pemimpin dari Sabah dari dulu sehingga sekarang telah melakukan yang terbaik untuk mempertahankan hak-hak negeri Sabah, namun pucuk pimpinan negara dan sebilangan pemimpin Persekutuan nampaknya tidak begitu serius dan komited dengan saranan dan tuntutan-tuntutan para wakil rakyat dari Sabah dan pihak kerajaan negeri Sabah sendiri.

“Saya yakin dengan kesepakatan pimpinan Pakatan Rakyat dalam konvensyen yang pertama yang diadakan tahun lalu, di mana mereka bersetuju menyemak semula kepentingan negeri Sabah dan Sarawak seperti yang termaktub dalam 20 Perkara untuk Sabah dan 18 Perkara untuk Sarawak, seperti yang telah dipersetujui dalam rundingan pelbagai pihak semasa penubuhan negara Malaysia pada tahun 1963.

“Perkara dan agenda ini hanya akan dapat direalisasikan dengan pembentukan sebuah kerajaan persekutuan yang baru di bawah pimpinan Pakatan Rakyat. Begitu juga dengan isu pendatang tanpa izin (Pati), perkara ini yang telah berlarutan sekian lama tidak akan dapat diatasi oleh pemerintahan kerajaan BN,” tambah beliau.

“Pakatan Rakyat pada konvensyen tersebut mereka bersetuju untuk menyelesaikan masalah ini dengan menubuhkan Suruhanjaya Diraja. Jadi saya bertekad membantu Pakatan Rakyat memberi penjelasan ke seluruh negeri,” tambah beliau

Menjawab satu soalan, Kalakau bagaimanapun berkata beliau belum menyertai mana-mana parti komponen Pakatan Rakyat.

Kalakau, yang juga merupakan presiden Persatuan Dusun Sabah Bersatu (Usda), juga pernah berkhidmat sebagai Senator sehingga tamat penggalnya pada Dis 2005.

Malaysia's Brain Drain

(Asia Sentinel) It's Not Just Politics and Racial Discrimination.

Malaysia's brain drain appears to be picking up speed. According to a recent parliamentary report, 140,000 left the country, probably for good, in 2007. Between March 2008 and August 2009, that figure more than doubled to 305,000 as talented people pulled up stakes, apparently disillusioned by rising crime, a tainted judiciary, human rights abuses, an outmoded education system and other concerns.

The general assumption is that Chinese and Indians form the majority of those abandoning the country of their birth because ethnic Malays consider them pendatang – aliens in a Malay land, regardless of how long they have been in the country. However, increasing numbers of Malays have already emigrated as well, or are seriously thinking it, dismayed by corrupt practices as well as the rigid confines of Islam and the rise of fundamentalism embodied in the revelation on Wednesday by Home Minister Hishammuddin Tun Hussein that three women had been caned in Kajang Prison in Selangor on Feb. 9 for having had illicit sex under shariah law.

In 2000, according to figures compiled in 2007, 40 percent of Malaysian emigrants headed for Singapore – at the same time Singaporeans are headed somewhere else. By one estimate, (Singaporeans Seek Asylum Elsewhere, Asia Sentinel, Jan. 7) the number who put the Lion City behind them is as high as 15 percent of annual births. In 2006, the Transport Minister, Raymond Lim, expressed concern that 53 percent of Singaporean teens would consider emigration. One website survey put Singapore's average outflow at 26.11 migrants per 1,000 citizens, the second highest in the world - next only to East Timor (51.07).

Of the other émigrés, 30 percent go to OECD countries (Australia, New Zealand, the United States, Canada and Britain) 20 percent to Asian countries (Brunei, Philippines, Indonesia) and the rest of the world (10 percent). Malaysian Employers Federation executive director, Shamsuddin Bardan, said in an interview that 785,000 Malaysians are working overseas. Unofficially, the figure is well over 1 million.

Nor are people all that is leaving. Asia Sentinel reported on Jan.11 (Malaysia's Disastrous Capital Flight) that there has been an exodus of money from Malaysia on a scale which surpasses that which occurred during the Asian crisis. The decline is also reflected in a sudden decline in base money supply – even while, thanks to Bank Negara, broader M2 has continued to grow modestly.

A major problem is the flight of graduates. As early as 2004, former Premier Abdullah Ahmad Badawi was becoming concerned, pointing out that as many as many as 30,000 thought to be working in foreign countries, many of whom had held scholarships in top universities from the Malaysian government but chose to stay overseas at the end of their studies. Former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad demanded that other countries pay Malaysia for having seduced them to stay, " since, by right, the graduates' training and knowledge should be called intellectual property."

The typical reasons are well-documented: improved employment and business prospects, higher salaries, better working environments, greater chances of promotion and a relatively superior quality of life.

Three Malay women put a personal face on statistics in conversation with Asia Sentinel, sharing their decisions to emigrate. Two are graduates of overseas universities, the third is from a local school. Their decisions to leave were made, they say, after a lot of soul searching. But for these women, money and economic incentives were not the end-all. Their names have been changed to protect them.

Anita claims to have left because of her sexuality. She graduated from a university in the United Kingdom but continued with a post-graduate degree course. At the end of her studies, she worked in a multinational corporation in London and is now a department head. She was recently married, in a civil ceremony, in the UK. A Malay, Anita is naturally Muslim. Her partner is another woman, Nadia, an Iraqi Jew. They met as undergraduates.

For a decade, the two made the annual pilgrimage to Malaysia to visit Anita's ageing parents, Anita says. When in Kuala Lumpur, they are regular patrons of lesbian joints in Bangsar. After the Malaysian National Fatwa Council issued an edict banning lesbianism in 2008, Anita travelled alone. Nadia dislikes the risk of being 'caught,' The clues to their sexuality are their short cropped hair, Doc Marten shoes, preponderance of masculine clothes and, on closer inspection, their identical wedding rings with each other's names inscribed. Anita is in self-imposed exile because her partner will not be allowed to reside in Malaysia.

Although male homosexuality is illegal in Malaysia and sodomy incurs a punishment of 20 years jail, Malaysia's civil code does not ban lesbianism. Malaysian men are just so big-headed that they cannot imagine any woman not wanting to sleep with a man.

"It is unacceptable to see women who love the male lifestyle including dressing in the clothes men wear," said Abdul Shukor Husin, the Fatwa Council chairman. Harussani Idris Zakaria, the mufti of Perak, says that the council's ruling was not legally binding as it had not been passed into law. He wants tomboys to be banned because their actions are immoral. "It doesn't matter if it's a law or not," he says,

In 2000, Malaysia had around 80,000 official expatriates. By 2008, this figure had shrunk to 38,000 as the collapsing global economy cut into trade and thus trade and Malaysian exports. When Bibi worked in an electronics factory in north Perak, little did she foresee marrying her expatriate quality control engineer. After his conversion to Islam and their subsequent marriage, he attempted unsuccessfully to gain permanent residence. He claims to have spent a small fortune on lawyers, on 'proof' and photographs for the application process, and several trips to the immigration offices to be 'verified'. He claims that one low ranking government official even offered him a birth certificate for RM60,000, as a pre-cursor to a 'red' identity card, which would help facilitate the PR status.

When Bibi's husband's work permit expired, he attempted to form a trading company. He travelled to the border every few months to renew his immigration-social visit pass, while he explored this avenue. He was ineligible for a sole proprietorship and although he could form a limited company with 51 percent bumiputra ownership, he found that for one reason or another, it was not viable. Local partners wanted maximum profits for little or no work. A Caucasian, he was seen as a cash cow, he says.

In addition, the Perak town they lived in was very provincial. Had he lived in Kuala Lumpur or Penang, he could be anonymous, like the expatriates married to Malay women in these cities. As an expat convert in his local town, the Malays expected him to uphold Malay values and scrutinized his every move, right down to his religious obligations. He was disillusioned with living in a goldfish bowl and both he and Bibi left for Europe.

According to one local daily, the number of Malaysian researchers, scientists and engineers working overseas exceeds 20,000 with 40 percent of them in the United States and 10 percent in Australia. When Ida graduated from Australia with a chemical engineering degree, she worked in a chemical plant in Selangor. Her friendship with a chemist blossomed into love, with talk of marriage. There was one problem - Anthony was a Catholic. He dutifully presented himself at the mosque for agama lessons in preparation for his conversion. The imam never appeared for their pre-arranged appointments. Frustrated with being let down repeatedly, he stopped going. His lucky break came when he was offered a job in a neighboring country. Ida joined him. She was free from parental and family pressures, he from the religious zealots. They married. He retained his faith, she remained a Muslim. They started a family and have since emigrated to New Zealand. Recently, she embraced Catholicism.

Malaysian emigration has critical policy implications. There are questions over what will happen when overseas students receive employment offers in the country where they are studying, when skilled people leave Malaysia, when pensioners retire abroad (the silver economy) and the nation registers an increase in unskilled foreign workers but a decrease in skilled expatriates.

The challenge for policymakers is to harness the economic and political potential of this largely ignored diaspora. There is no point pretending Malaysia does not have a serious problem. The incentives to reverse the brain drain and attract those who are abroad must be reviewed, as they are currently ineffective. For many like Anita, Bibi and Ida, it is not just politics and racial discrimination but also religious and social pressures that drive them away.

Gerakan has lost Penang for good, says Keng Yaik

The Edge Financial Daily

In the first part of our interview with Gerakan adviser Tun Dr Lim Keng Yaik yesterday, he spoke about the problems plaguing both the Barisan Nasional (BN) and Pakatan Rakyat (PR) coalitions. What of his own party?

Lim expressed concern over whether his anointed successor, current Gerakan president Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon, can take the party out of its decline.

Although the veteran politician said Koh was the best he had in terms of intellectual capacity and integrity, he feels that Koh is unable to make politically difficult decisions and provide leadership.

He thinks that Gerakan would need to go back to its core ideology based on a multiracial approach before it can pick itself up again.

Lim, who headed Gerakan for 27 years, believes that Gerakan has lost Penang for good.

“Should it (regain Penang)? No! We missed our chance. In cricket, they say you had a good innings and 39 years is a long and good one. What more do we want?” said Lim in his office in Bandar Utama in Petaling Jaya recently.

Lim, who was in government from 1972 to 2008, is also pessimistic about efforts to turn the country into a high-income economy.

The basis for a knowledge economy is human resource, he said, and to restructure this, the government would need to change its education policy.

On the controversy over the usage of the “Allah” word, Lim said that both sides of the divide were right and wrong at the same time.

“The issue has been over-politicised and maybe the solution lies with the Council of Rulers,” he added.

This is the second and final part of his interview with Sharon Tan, Cindy Yeap and Chan Kok Leong of The Edge Financial Daily (TEFD).

TEFD: Can Gerakan retake Penang?

LKY: No. (Laughs) Should it? No. You missed your chance. In cricket they said you had a good innings. A long and good innings of 39 years. What more do you want?

TEFD: What does Gerakan need to do to get back Penang? Gerakan is seen as Penang, Penang is Gerakan.

LKY: No more. The long innings is gone. Gerakan has to look after its base which has been lost. It is baseless. It has to revert to its ideological background. And it must play a more prominent part as the influencing partner in future politics to move towards our ideological path.

TEFD: Is Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon the right man for the job?

LKY: What to do? He was the best I had in terms of intellect and integrity. Nobody can fault me. But in terms of politics, he is still struggling. If he is not careful, there will be a quiet revolution within Gerakan.

TEFD: Now there is talk about reallocation of seats in Barisan Nasional (BN).

LKY: More so that we need an ideological approach rather than trying to maintain base lah. Then at least we are part of this ideological move to mature politics on a multiracial basis. Don’t think in terms of numbers or try to still be in government. Get that out of our bloody minds.

We had a good run in 39 years in a place where we used to have a base. So instead of hankering for your base, why don’t you follow your ideological path and choose partners which can fulfil your ideological base? After March 8, politics is going towards an ideological base that is multiracial in approach.

TEFD: Where do you see Gerakan in this? Gerakan is a multiracial party and the conscience of BN.

LKY: We always say that we are too far ahead of ourselves (laughs). That is why I keep saying that there will be a realignment in future.

TEFD: Which party has most to lose in this realignment?

LKY: Even if PAS joins Umno, do you think they can maintain the majority on a pure Malay, racist and Islamic agenda? You think they can? I don’t know.
TEFD: The numbers favour them…

LKY: I don’t think so. I think the young Malays if you get a charismatic multiracial Malay leadership, you may just beat them with a total block of non-Malays on their side.

You can get 60% and this new multiracial Malay leadership will get 40% but with overwhelming non-Malays. I am not saying Chinese and Indians only but with Kadazans and Ibans.

You try lah.

You think they can get 80% with Umno and PAS joining? The more you push, the more likely but there are also people in PAS that don’t think they can do it although Umno wished they would.

It takes a lot. That is why politics is very interesting and challenging in Malaysia. That’s why as a young man of 28 or 29, I got immersed in politics. I could see the challenge.

My thoughts and feelings could make a difference. I intended to make a difference.

But unfortunately 36 years of it makes no difference (laughs). I don’t know. If in my retirement I can still carry on explaining and guiding the people to make the right choice, I feel grateful that I am still alive today.

So in this respect, we need politicians who are more thinkers than those with personal agendas. We need people to think for our complicated society and challenges facing our country to allow the people to become part of this maturing of democratic politics.

TEFD: What is Gerakan’s ideological base now?

LKY: Multiracial, non-racial approach, not only care about Chinese even though your base is Chinese, but all other races.

TEFD: Gerakan used to have a lot of thinkers but…

LKY: Being in the beehive, the bees start to sting our own people until they cannot stand it, they start to leave.

TEFD: Are you advocating that Gerakan should get out of BN?

LKY: There is nothing to get out to. How to get out?

TEFD: Within BN there are no multiracial parties except in Sabah and Sarawak.

LKY: You see lah who is not working with the Ibans and Kadazans.

TEFD: Does Gerakan plan to go to East Malaysia?

LKY: You don’t tell people what you are going to do early. When PBS and Gerakan wanted to do the joint council, (former prime minister Tun Dr) Mahathir (Mohamad) saw it and killed it. Killed it!

Will (Tan Sri Abdul) Taib Mahmud stay? He has good control but will it split when he’s not there anymore? That will depend on who provides the leadership for the Ibans. Are they a satisfied lot? I don’t know.

How about in Sabah? Are the Kadazans okay? There is a big difference between (Tan Sri) Bernard Dompok and (Datuk) Joseph Pairin Kitingan. One is too complacent while the other one is still very much a reformist. Maybe (Gerakan) can even play second fiddle to DAP.

TEFD: What do you make of the “Allah” issue?

LKY: (After deep thought) Both sides are right and both sides are wrong. Using constitutional rights and universal rights, the Christians might be right. But in the context of Malaysia, they may be wrong. So both sides are right and both sides are wrong.

The issue has been over-politicised. To me you should let the Council of Rulers decide and take it away from the politics and then we may be able to maintain peace and harmony.

If they decide otherwise then so be it. Even if it is loaded on the Malay and Islam side, let it be. After all they are rulers.

That is the time for the constitutional monarchy to play its part. Take it off politics since it has been politicised. And to take it off from politics, let the rulers decide.

TEFD: You were in the cabinet in 2007 when the issue first came up. How did they get so far? Was it discussed at all?

LKY: Pak Lah (Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi) with one hand just brushed it off just like that. Bernard (Dompok) reported back to the Catholic church that they cannot do anything. So they went to the court to plead for their constitutional and universal rights.

You have a situation where the Peninsular Malays/Muslims feel bad but those in Sabah and Sarawak don’t feel bad because they are used to it.

In Sabah and Sarawak, they use the Bahasa (Malaysia) version because they are not well-versed in English while in the Peninsula they use English which uses the word God.

The court will rule on constitutional and universal rights but people are not prepared for that. So it’s better to refer back to the constitutional monarch which is the rulers in council.

TEFD: Tun, do you think we are more polarised now than before?

LKY: Yes. The implementation of the New Economic Policy. The rise of religious extremism. And the application of human and universal rights by the non-Malays. And education and facilities in schools and universities which have not been balanced over time.

I use that word because they have enough doctors and accountants and lawyers and yet the quotas still apply.

Opportunities in education and universities have not been balanced over time. This kind of things, you have to rebalance from time to time.

TEFD: Talking about a high-income economy, can we do it?

LKY: This is difficult. If they don’t change the education policy, they cannot achieve high-income economy status. If the education policy doesn’t change with the passage of time, to produce the right human resources for the needs of this country, then we will regress and not progress.

A high-income economy must be based on people, equipped with the best knowledge and retained for the country’s use. Then we may stand a chance. If not, we can talk till the cows come home and we will regress and not progress.

TEFD: So, isn’t the PPSMI reversal a step back for the high-income economy drive?

LKY: In my memorandum to Dr Mahathir, I said that Maths and Science should be taught in their mother tongue in primary schools while English periods should be increased.

And then English should be made the medium of instruction for Maths and Science in secondary schools.

In modern education methods, there are better ways of educating people in languages than what we are currently doing. We can use audio and video to teach languages instead of the rote system. For that, I used to argue with Dong Jiao Zong in 1972 when I was still in MCA and asked them, how much Chinese do you want a Chinese to know?
The East Ender Londoner speaks English which none of us can understand and yet they are Englishmen.

Equip students with enough content in Chinese to enable them to read and write and converse in Mandarin. Or do they want every Chinese to be a literature expert and quote proverbs only Chinese in China understand? If 3,000 words is enough I can’t see how they can’t pump the students with the words within six years.

I’m English educated but can they say that I’m not a Chinese. Those days I couldn’t even speak Mandarin although I’ve picked it up now and can give a two-hour lecture in Mandarin without being able to read Chinese.

They want their mother tongue education, forgetting they are in Malaysia. Undoubtedly, the Chinese Malaysian is very appreciated in the last 20 years in the international circuit.

To those who have been exposed, the Chinese from here are better appreciated than those from other countries like mainland China, Taiwan, Indonesia, Hongkong and Singapore.

Chinese from Singapore are very educated but have their noses in their foreheads. China Chinese are hillbillies although they are very much different today.

Those from Taiwan will eat you up and swallow you lock, stock and barrel. There won’t even be bones coming out.

And the Hongkong Chinese only care for themselves and nobody else.

There is nothing to say about the Indonesian Chinese as they have even lost their names.

To appreciate that, the Chinese in Malaysia, being influenced by other races here, their mannerisms, eating habits and appreciation of multiracial society that makes them what they are, should be confident of that.

People outside the country compliment the Chinese Malaysians for being well mannered, know how to mix with people, caring and don’t impose on people. All these good characteristics come from here.

What’s wrong?

If 3,000 characters are enough to maintain our mother tongue then that should be good enough. And then we can spend more time learning English and Bahasa Malaysia.

There is no doubt that the Malays in this country need help. In any country, it’s the rural people who need the most help. It so happens that the rural people in Malaysia, 90% are Malays. It’s a rural problem and not just a Malay problem. Like Dr Mahathir in The Malay Dilemma says, “You change the environment, you change the race.”

The NEP should help Malays and enlarge the cake to allow others to have a piece of the cake. But you must help the great proportion of Malays who live in the rural areas and change their environment, state of mind and thinking.

What the government has failed to do is help build entrepreneurs from the Malay masses. Although professionally they have built up enough people, there are not enough businessmen. The Chinese entrepreneurs are needed to help.

Instead of being jealous of them because they have the experience and capability, they should make use of them by instituting genuine bumiputera-Chinese joint ventures. Genuine and not Ali Baba style. Incentivised and monitored by the government, by certain departments.

If we can monitor capital and business structure in the country, why can’t we incentivise these local joint ventures for a purpose? That is to build up local entrepreneurship among the Malays.

But those who are not working must be removed without fear or favour, whether they are Umno or not. But it must be monitored by the government so that those who are sleeping, lazy or have their own agenda should be removed and replaced by more genuine ones.

This will stop (Datuk Seri) Anwar (Ibrahim) from saying that we are building Umnoputeras and not bumiputeras. But we have wasted 40 years. The ones who think they can become rich quickly by joining politics should be condemned and kept out of politics and government. You know it but don’t dare say it. I’m saying it now.

In a way, I’m saying that Umno should remove these fellas. There are 50,000 Class F contractors, what for? The famous words are sub, sub, sub, sub. No wonder, our computer labs have only two “tiangs” and one roof and then collapse.

If you appreciate the experience and capability of the Chinese, why can’t we do it? The Malays should be inculcated with the value that you can make money not only through your own people but through others as well. It can be tax-free and exposure to capital when there is a Malay partner. It can be incentivised by the government and monitored.

I always ask, do you need a Malay to help a Malay?

When oil palm went up, it benefited the 75% Malays. 50% of the oil palm is produced by Felda and 25% by PNB corporates.

But I’m a Chinaman who has helped the small Malay stakeholders be it rubber or oil palm planters.

They wanted to subsidise cooking oil when the bulk of it is consumed by Chinese. Want to die ah? Taxing the poor Malay to subsidise the Chinese. They wanted to impose excess profit taxes on oil palm because of envy of KLK, IOI’s profits but they forgot about Golden Hope, Sime Darby and Guthrie and that 50% of the smallholders are from Felda.

I tell you, I give up la talking to this government.

No action on Lim, Nizar

Police find no element of sedition in their comments on Federal Court ruling
G. PRAKASH | Wednesday, February 17th, 2010 Malay Mail

PUTRAJAYA: Police will not take any action against DAP adviser Lim Kit Siang and former Perak Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin for criticising the Federal Court’s decision on the legitimacy of the dismissal of the Pakatan Rakyat State government in February last year and the installation of the Barisan
Nasional government.

A police report lodged against the two on Feb 11 by a retired Royal Malay Regiment officer in Kuala Muda, Kedah, had been transferred to Putrajaya for further action.

Putrajaya district police chief Supt Abdul Razak Abd Majid told The Malay Mail the decision was made after going through the report.

“No further action will be taken as we found no element of sedition as alleged in the report,” he said.

He said only one police report was lodged against the two Opposition leaders for their alleged statements reported in a Malay daily and several online news portals.

The 50-year old retiree had stated in his police report that the statements by Lim and Nizar questioning the Federal Court’s ruling were seditious and asked that police take the necessary action against the two.

The statements had allegedly caused an uproar among some NGOs and politicians, who had also called for police to investigate the matter.

Among those who slammed Lim and Nizar were Pertubuhan Pribumi Perkasa Malaysia (Perkasa) president Datuk Ibrahim Ali, Federal Territories and Urban Wellbeing Minister Datuk Raja Nong Chik Raja Zainal Abidin, Port Klang Authority chairman Datuk Lee Hwa Beng and Human Resources Minister Datuk Dr S. Subramaniam.

Even Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin had called on the police to investigate the report lodged against Lim and Nizar.

He had said that the court’s decision was final and the Perak menteri besar issue should be put to rest once and for all.

Copies of the police report had been posted in many blogsites. The Federal Court had on Feb 9 declared Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir as the valid menteri besar of Perak.

A five-man bench led by Court of Appeal president Tan Sri Alauddin Mohd Sheriff unanimously ruled that Sultan Azlan Shah had exercised his royal power to appoint Zambry to succeed his Pakatan Rakyat opponent, Nizar, after he was satisfied that the latter had lost the majority vote in the State Legislative Assembly.

Alauddin sat with Chief Judge of Malaya Tan Sri Arifin Zakaria and Federal Court judges Datuk Zulkefli Ahmad Makinuddin, Datuk Wira Ghazali Mohd Yusof and Datuk Abdull Hamid Embong.

Malaysia's Judiciary Ensures Every Person A Fair Trial - Anifah

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 18 (Bernama) -- Malaysia's judiciary operates according to the legal standards of any other fully developed country, requiring that every person in Malaysia receives a fair trial, regardless of any other factor, Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Anifah Aman said Thursday.

"Our system honours and respects the independence of our courts to find facts and to apply the law impartially," he said in a statement Thursday, in response to U.S. Senator John Kerry's recent request that the Government of Malaysia ensured that Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim received a fair trial in Malaysia's legal system.

Anifah said Malaysia took note of the senator's request.

He said while all citizens should avoid seeking to inflame or prejudice the outcome of any legal proceedings, public servants in particular had the obligation to avoid the politicization of any trial.

Anifah also said that it was best for the protection of the rights of all parties involved in any legal proceedings, as well as for the rule of law overall, that neither any government official unrelated to the prosecution or the defense, nor any outside person, seek to influence the outcome of a matter that was undergoing trial.

He said an important hallmark of the Malaysian judicial system was the presumption of innocence while the rights of both the accuser and the accused must be respected in any trial without bias in favour of or against either party.

In a case involving a prominent person, it was especially important to avoid outside pressure, so that each party had an opportunity to present their case to an impartial, unbiased judge, he added.

"Our government is deeply committed to upholding the rule of law in Malaysia.

"Our legal system has the obligation to proceed with this trial, not because the accused is a prominent political figure, but because it has the responsibility to protect all Malaysians under the law, to seek justice and to avoid any form of prejudice regarding any of the parties to a trial," he said.

'One of the biggest medical research frauds' - Anil Netto

Big Pharma firms usually peddle wonder drugs and vaccines citing “evidence-based medicine” and “real science” to back up their claims – so tell me, how did a medical researcher receiving grants from these firms get away with fabricating research data for 13 years?

A US doctor, a former member of Pfizer Inc’s speakers’ bureau, has reportedly agreed to plead guilty to accusations of having launched “one of the biggest research frauds in medical history”.

Dr Scott Reuben has been charged with accepting a US$75,000 Pfizer grant to study Celebrex in 2005: problem is no patients were ever enrolled in the study! His research, published in a peer-reviewed medical journal, “proved” that the painkiller helped reduce pain during post-surgical recovery.

Turns out he had been fabricating data for 13 years. How did a ‘peer-reviewed’ medical journal fall for this and previous submissions by the same researcher? Just how many other rogue researchers, bank-rolled with grants from Big Pharma, are out there?

Check out Natural News’ scathing indictment of this scam.

Will Ku Li leave Umno?

Tengku Razaleigh explains his stand on various issues and tackles the questions: Will you leave Umno? What will happen to Umno?

By Anil Netto

Illegitimate confiscation of books and suppression of info continues

By Nathaliel Tan

ps- Still working on blog design, sorry. Also, everyone seems to be talking about the caning – more on that later, if I can gather some thoughts.

I stopped by two big chain bookstores, one in Bangsar and the other in PJ. The first had no stock apparently, and the second reported that the Home Ministry had been by to confiscate copies.

I’m not sure what the letter of the law is, but to my reckoning, this is certainly wrong.

What right or purpose does the Home Ministry have to confiscate more than one copy of these books?

With one copy in hand, they can proceed to do their studies, and decide whether to ban it or not. Confiscating any more than that is both an unethical suppression of legitimate commercial activity, and an unjust suppression of freedom of information.

We’ll continue to work on ways to keep that information flowing, despite such constant repression.

I’d like to request your help – everytime you pass a bookstore, if you could pop in and find out: if they have copies in stock, whether they are on the shelves, and if any authorities have been there to confiscate copies. The information would really be helpful.

So far, thanks to The Star and Malay Mail for coverage (if there’s any I’ve missed, please let me know).

As per always, to get this book:

1. Get one from your local major bookstore (I’ve previously seen them available in Popular, MPH, Borders, etc). Note: If they are not on the bookshelves, they may still be available over the counter on request.

2. Order one online from Kinibooks.

3. (If you live within the Klang Valley) Place an order with whereisjustice@jelas.info, and we will do our best to get a copy to you at RM 30 (incl delivery costs), on a COD basis.