Nik Aziz: DAP ibarat budak-budak kecil takutkan hantu

Hudud untuk orang Islam dan apa hubungan dia (DAP) dengan orang Islam, kata Menteri Besar Kelantan.

KOTA BARU: Menteri Besar Kelantan Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat berkata hukum hudud yang mahu dilaksanakan kerajaan Kelantan sama sekali tidak kena mengena dengan masyarakat bukan Islam terutama DAP yang juga tiada sebab membantah undang-undang Islam itu dilaksanakan.

Beliau menyifatkan DAP seperti “budak-budak kecil takutkan hantu”, sedangkan hukum hudud sebenarnya lebih adil dan tidak membabitkan golongan bukan Islam.

“DAP nak keluar (gabungan pembangkang) pasal apa? Hudud untuk orang Islam dan apa hubungan dia (DAP) dengan orang Islam,” katanya kepada pemberita di kediaman Menteri Besar di sini, hari ini.

Semalam, Nik Aziz berkata hukum hudud itu akan dilaksanakan di Mahkamah Syariah di Kelantan walaupun mendapat tentangan daripada DAP.

Baru-baru ini, pemimpin-pemimpin kanan DAP dilaporkan akan meletakkan jawatan beramai-ramai sekiranya terdapat usaha meletakkan matlamat menjadikan negara Islam atau melaksanakan hukum hudud di negara ini.

Kenyataan Mursyidul Am PAS itu bertentangan dengan saranan Setiausaha Agung PAS Datuk Mustafa Ali yang meminta semua pemimpin Pakatan Rakyat tidak membuat sebarang kenyataan mengenai hukum hudud sehingga mesyuarat bulanan mereka, Rabu ini.

Ia adalah persetujuan yang dicapai antara beliau dengan setiausaha agung PKR, Saifudin Nasution Ismail, dan Ketua Pemuda DAP, Anthony Loke, kata Mustafa  kepada pemberita di ibupejabat PAS di Kuala Lumpur.

Mustafa berkata, mesyuarat pada hari tersebut yang sepatutnya membincangkan mengenai Bajet 2012 tetapi akan meletakkan isu sensitif hukum hudud sebagai keutamaan dan satu pendirian bersama akan dibuat.

- Bernama

MIC: DAP threat a ‘sandiwara’

MIC secretary-general S Murugesan urges DAP to resolve the issue once and for all or do the honourable thing.

KUALA LUMPUR: DAP leaders’ threat to resign en masse pertaining to the hudud row is nothing more than a charade, according to MIC secretary-general S Murugesan.

“It’s just a ‘sandiwara’, they will not do it,” he said in a statement today.

Going by the modus operandi of Pakatan Rakyat, Murugesan said, the component parties would offer a joint statement claiming that the matter had been resolved without going into the details.

“Both PAS and DAP are playing to their support bases by chest-beating and trying to shore-up their diminishing support,” he added.

Murugesan was responding to DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng who said that the party’s top leader would resign from the Pakatan council if hudud law or the formation of an Islamic state were included in the Pakatan Rakyat’s Buku Jingga common policy framework.

“If there is any mention that we want to implement hudud law in our common policy framework and the Buku Jingga, the party’s entire central committee will resign,” Lim had said.

DAP had always been a strong opponent of the Islamic state agenda, arguing that the Federal Constitution specified Malaysia as a secular state whereas PAS leaders pointed out that the establishment of an Islamic state was the core of the party’s struggle.

Meanwhile, Murugesan challenged the Chinese-dominated DAP to put an end to this issue or quit the opposition coalition.

“DAP must resolve this once and for all. Failing which they must do the honourable thing and leave Pakatan,” he added.

Murugesan said that DAP and PAS’ stand on this issue were at complete odds and go the root of their respective causes.

“If they can’t resolve this, then it is pointless for them to discuss anything else,” he added.

Bila rogol dikatakan halal

“SEKUMPULAN WANITA BERSKIRT MINI BERHIMPUN DI JAKARTA”,
“PAKAI SKIRT BANTAH GABENOR”

Bila baca tajuk berita sedemikian, imej apa yang terus terbayang di fikiran pembaca? Mungkinkah: “Whoo, perempuan seksi!” Atau: “Teruk betul wanita yang berdemo itu kerana pakai mini skirt.” Mungkin: “Inilah bila wanita kebaratan sangat…!”
Tetapi, berapa ramai agaknya yang merasa mahu tahu isu apakah yang membuatkan wanita-wanita itu berdemonstrasi?
Berita mengenai wanita berdemonstrasi di Jakarta baru-baru ini tersiar di akhbar-akhbar perdana di Malaysia. Mereka memprotes kenyataan gabenor Jakarta yang menyalahkan cara perempuan berpakaian sebagai punca mereka dirogol.
Mangsa yang diperkosa adalah seorang mahasiswi yang masih berpakaian seragam dalam perjalanan pulang dari kampus. Gabenor terus menuduh punca wanita diperkosa di dalam bas pengangkutan awam adalah kerana wanita memakai skirt pendek. Apakah kenyataan itu benar dan patut?
Justeru, para wanita berdemo dengan memakai pelbagai jenis pakaian untuk menunjukkan bahawa pakaian bukanlah menjadi penyebab wanita diperkosa.

Demonstrasi di Jakarta (photo courtesy of Kiki Febriyanti)

Masyarakat memangsakan mangsa
Antara faktor pemerkosaan adalah kerana penjenayah merasa mempunyai kuasa untuk melakukan kekerasan ke atas orang yang lebih lemah dari dirinya.
Hakikatnya, bayi, kanak-kanak kecil, nenek-nenek dan wanita yang bertudung labuh pun ada yang dirogol.
Malaysia masih ingat kes Nurul Huda Abd Ghani, murid Tahun 4 yang dirogol oleh tiga lelaki di pondok pengawal TNB di Johor Bharu. Juga kes Noor Suzaily Mokhtar, jurutera komputer yang dirogol dan dibunuh dengan kejam oleh pemandu bas.  Noor Suzaily tidak memakai skirt pendek semasa beliau menaiki bas tersebut.  Beliau bertudung kepala.
Apa yang sering berlaku, reaksi spontan ramai orang adalah untuk terus menyalahkan si mangsa. “Mesti kerana dia berpakaian yang menjolok mata”, atau “Gaya dia membuatkan lelaki tergoda”.
Jangan terperanjat jika reaksi sebegini turut datang dari orang-orang yang berpendidikan tinggi, termasuk yang dikatakan tinggi ilmu agamanya.
Bila rogol dianggap halal dalam Islam
Seorang pemimpin parti politik bergelar ulama berkata wanita yang tidak menutup aurat memang layak dirogol. Ceramah beliau tersiar di YouTube, ditonton lebih dari satu juta kali.
Baru-baru ini juga seorang pemimpin tertinggi di Acheh Barat juga mengeluarkan kenyataan yang serupa, iaitu wanita yang tidak berpakaian menurut Shariah layak diperkosa.

Fauzi Bowo Canisius, gabenor Jakarta (Wiki commons)

Mesej apakah yang diberi oleh tokoh-tokoh Islam ini? Ajaran Islam apakah yang disampaikan? Apakah pelaksanaan negara Islam mereka lebih kepada untuk menghukum? Adakah menurut kefahaman mereka, merogol wanita yang tidak menutup aurat itu hukumnya halal?
Dalil apa yang mereka pakai? Apakah ada ayat al-Qur’an yang mengatakan hukum perempuan tidak berpakaian sopan adalah dirogol? Apakah Rasulullah pernah mengeluarkan hadith yang sekejam itu?
Bercakap atas nama agama
Ini yang menjadi ironisnya.  Orang Islam marah benar bila orang Barat atau bukan Islam menuduh agama Islam sebagai mengamalkan diskriminasi, keras dan tidak berperikemanusiaan.  Akan tetapi, orang Islam seperti mereka jugalah yang mengatakan perempuan memang layak diperkosa jika pakaiannya tidak sopan.
Mereka bercakap atas nama agama.  Walaupun mereka mempunyai ilmu tentang Islam, namun mereka tetap merupakan manusia yang pemahamannya tentang agama dan kemanusiaan masih terbatas mengikut kadar pemahaman, tafsiran dan pengalaman mereka sendiri. Lantas, ternodalah nama Islam akibat pemikiran sempit dan sikap sadis mereka.
Teramat jarang sekali saya dengar tokoh agama di Malaysia yang kritikal tentang punca masalah keganasan seksual dan menawarkan pemikiran yang membina dalam usaha membanteras jenayah rogol. Usaha penyelesaian memerlukan pemikiran yang berupaya mengharmonikan objektif Shariah dengan konteks masyarakat moden.
Di Indonesia, saya berkesempatan bertemu beberapa tokoh Islam yang menawarkan cara pandang baru untuk masyarakat Islam di Malaysia.
Konsep dan objektif mahram
Ibu Nyai Masriyah Amva adalah seorang ulama wanita yang memimpin sebuah madrasah di Cirebon, Indonesia. Di dalam sebuah buku karangannya, beliau menceritakan pengalaman semasa di tanah suci Mekah dan Madinah.
Bagi wanita yang berasal dari negara yang secara amnya menyediakan ruang kebebasan untuk wanita bergerak ke mana saja, beliau hairan bagaimana wanita seperti beliau yang berada di kota-kota suci Islam malah lebih terdedah pada gangguan lelaki. Betapa kota yang menempatkan rumah Allah sangat tidak ramah pada perempuan.

Ibu Nyai Masriyah Amva (Sumber: kebonjambu.org)

Beliau justeru sedar bahawa perempuan adalah korban dari budaya dan undang-undang yang membunuh kekuatan-kekuatan wanita, yang membuatkan wanita terpaksa bergantung pada lelaki untuk jaminan keselamatan dirinya. Beliau lalu menyeru kerajaan Arab Saudi untuk menyediakan suasana yang aman dan kondusif agar wanita dapat bergerak bebas dan beribadah pada Tuhannya tanpa perlu bimbang dari gangguan lelaki.
Kiyai Husein Muhamad, seorang ulama tradisional di Indonesia yang berkelulusan dari universiti Al-Azhar, Mesir, memahami keadaan sukar yang dialami para wanita termasuk Ibu Nyai Masriyah.
Beliau lalu menjelaskan bahawa pada zaman Nabi yang masyarakatnya mengamalkan hidup nomad serta keadaan tanah Arab yang berpadang pasir, dengan kedudukan bandarnya yang berpuluh-puluh atau beratus-ratus batu jauhnya, memang boleh difahami mengapa wanita perlu ditemani mahram, yang biasanya adalah orang lelaki. Tujuannya agar keselamatan wanita terjaga dari anasir buruk seperti dirompak, diculik, diperkosa atau dibunuh.
Akan tetapi, di dalam sistem negara moden seperti Malaysia dan Indonesia, beliau berpendapat bahawa negaralah yang seharusnya berperanan sebagai mahram dalam memastikan keselamatan semua rakyatnya terjamin.
Ia boleh dilaksanakan dengan menyediakan sistem yang baik dan efisien. Ini termasuklah menyediakan lampu-lampu bagi memastikan jalan terang, sistem pengangkutan yang cekap yang mana kesemua kakitangan dan pemandu bas hendaklah berdaftar dan tiada rekod jenayah.
Negara yang berperanan sebagai mahram juga termasuk pasukan polis yang cekap dan mesra rakyat, dan sistem perundangan yang cekap dan tegas dalam menghukum pelaku jenayah. Penting juga dari segi pendidikan ialah memberi ilmu mempertahankan diri, menerapkan dalam sistem pendidikan agar manusia saling menghormati antara satu sama lain walaupun mereka berbeza dari pelbagai segi, termasuklah  agar lelaki menghormati orang perempuan, dan sebagainya.
Menggunakan akal dalam agama
Ramai ulama mendakwa dalam Islam tidak boleh menggunakan akal fikiran, harus berdasarkan keimanan.  Pada saya, kenyataan sedemikian bertentangan dengan wahyu Allah yang pertama, iaitu “Bacalah”. Tentu saja membaca memerlukan akal fikiran yang tajam bagi memproses informasi yang dibaca dengan menghubungkannya dengan alam dan hidup kita.
Dalam hal ini misalnya, apakah beriman atau meyakini itu adalah dengan meyakini apa yang dikatakan oleh pemimpin-pemimpin Islam yang mengatakan perempuan boleh dirogol? Bukankah pandangan mereka juga hasil dari menggunakan akal fikiran mereka?
Jika kita benar-benar meyakini Islam adalah agama yang baik, adil, penyayang dan mencintai keamanan, maka umat Islam harus mengelak dari mengambil sikap menyalahkan, tetapi menggunakan akal fikiran dalam mencari jalan penyelesaian terbaik terhadap masalah yang dihadapi oleh masyarakat kita di zaman ini.

Mat Zain: Charge Gani Patail, not change A-G’s powers

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 26 — Taking away the Attorney-General's power to prosecute will not stop abuses of power, a former senior police officer said today.

Former Kuala Lumpur CID chief Datuk Mat Zain Ibrahim said that there was nothing wrong with the functions of the A-G as defined by the Federal Constitution, and charged that it was Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail (picture) who had abused his powers as the current A-G “several times over.”

“We should not blame the Constitution. It’s the honesty of the person holding the post that matters.

“Even if we were to separate the functions of the A-G and the PP, there are no guarantees that either one or both of them will not abuse their powers,” Mat Zain wrote in an open letter to The Malaysian Insider. 

Mat Zain was referring to Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz’s recent remarks supporting calls to separate the functions of the A-G.

In Malaysia, the A-G is the principal legal adviser to the government and also serves as the country’s highest-ranking public prosecutor.

The former policeman continued his attacks against Abdul Gani, accusing him of fabricating evidence in an investigation back in 1998.

It is believed he was referring to Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s controversial “black eye” incident.

The deputy prime minister-turned-opposition leader is back in the dock on a similar charge of sodomising a former male aide.

Mat Zain reiterated that the criminal allegations against Abdul Gani were made publicly in two previous parliamentary sessions — the first in March 2009 and the other just last December.

Mat Zain said that an independent three-man panel had also investigated the allegations against the A-G and that one of the panellists had concluded the A-G was involved in evidence tampering, which was stated in the form of three expert reports.

“The Cabinet has to explain to the public how they could clear Gani Patail from any wrongdoing when the evidence presented to them is crystal clear. The A-G must be made to account for the three expert reports in question.

“If it is the A-G himself who has committed a crime, so be it. He has to face the music like everybody else,” the former top cop added.

Sarbani inquest rules its “misadventure”

The inquest into senior Customs officer Sarbani’s death at the MACC office has ruled that it was a case of misadventure.
Ho-hum. Right. Sure.
Did you expect anything else after the Beng Hock findings?
We still don’t know how the cctv recordings were deleted.

Girl accused of blasphemy for a spelling error

Eighth-grader expelled from school; mother forced to move from city.

ABBOTTABAD:  It may have been a mere misplaced dot that led to accusations of blasphemy against a Christian eighth-grader, whose miniscule error led to her expulsion from school and uproar amongst local religious leaders.

Faryal Bhatti, a student at the Sir Syed Girls High School in Pakistan Ordnance Factories (POF) colony Havelian, erroneously misspelt a word in an Urdu exam while answering a question on a poem written in praise of the Holy Prophet (PBUH). The word in question was ‘laanat’ instead of ‘naat’ – an easy error for a child to make, as the written versions of the words are similar.
According to the school administration and religious leaders who took great exception to the hapless student’s mistake, the error is ‘serious’ enough to fall within the realm of blasphemy, Saturday.
Spelling out her punishment
On Thursday, Faryal’s Urdu teacher was collecting the answer sheets from her students when she noticed the apparently offensive word on her pupil’s sheet. The teacher, Fareeda Bibi, reportedly summoned the Christian girl, scolded her and beat her. Her punishment, however, did not end here. When Faryal’s class fellows learnt of the alleged blasphemy, the teacher brought the principal’s notice to the matter, who further informed the school management.
In the meanwhile, the news spread throughout the colony. The next day, male students of the POF colony school as well as certain religious elements took out a rally, demanding the registration of a criminal case against the eighth-grader and her expulsion from the area.
Prayer leaders within the community also condemned the incident in their Friday sermons, asking the colony’s administration to not only take action against Faryal but her entire family. In the wake of the increasing tensions, Managing Director POF Colony Havelian Asif Siddiki called a meeting of colony-based ulemas and school teachers to discuss the situation. The girl and her mother were asked to appear before the meeting, where they explained that it was a mere error, caused by a resemblance between the two words. The two immediately apologised, adding that Faryal had no malicious intentions.
In a move that was apparently meant to pacify the religious elements clamouring for action against the teenage ‘blasphemer’, the POF administration expelled her from the school on Saturday. Faryal was not the only one who got in trouble for her spelling error, however, as her mother, Sarafeen Bhatti, who was a staff nurse at the POF Hospital Havelian for several years, was immediately transferred to POF Wah Cantonment Hospital.
Decision applauded
While talking to The Express Tribune, Maulana Alla Dita Khateeb of Gol Masjid praised the decision of the POF colony administration, claiming that he had personally seen the answer sheet in question. He further went on to say that he had met the girl himself, who had apologised for the word used in error.  Asked whether the incident still fell within the realm of blasphemy and whether Faryal deserved expulsion when she had misspelt the word unintentionally, Khateeb said that although he was unclear about the intentions of the girl, the word she had used was sacrilegious.
The managing director of POF Colony was not available for comment.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 25^th, 2011.

DAP leadership to cede office if hudud law part of Pakatan agenda

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 25 – DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng today threatened the resignation of his party’s entire leadership if the implementation of hudud law is forced into Pakatan Rakyat’s (PR) common policy framework.

His statement comes ahead of plans by the PR leadership to address the longstanding issue during a meeting this Wednesday.

According to Star Online, Lim (picture) pointed out that the tripartite PR pact comprising DAP, PAS and PKR was founded on common policies and understanding, particularly on issues like fighting corruption and upholding justice.

Hudud law, he said, was never included in PR’s common policy framework or its Buku Jingga and should therefore never be part of the pact’s agenda.

“If there is any mention that we want to implement hudud law in our common policy framework and Buku Jingga, the party’s entire central committee will resign,” Lim was quoted in Star Online as saying to reporters after officiating DAP’s Federal Territories convention here.

DAP and PAS has been at loggerheads over the Islamist’s party’s support for the controversial law which prescribes stoning, whipping and amputation as punishment for criminal offences.

PAS has refused to back down from its plan, with its spiritual adviser Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat reportedly saying recently that DAP could leave the coalition if it refused to offer support.

Hudud is a prickly subject in multicultural Malaysia where race and religion are closely-linked. The country’s 28-million population is also still haunted by the bloody racial riots of May 13, 1969.

The issue is raised cyclically as political fodder as its divisive nature often causes conflicts to occur within otherwise-friendly circles, making it ideal to pit parties with opposing ideologies against one another.

Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has also backed the introduction of hudud in Kelantan, saying it would not infringe upon non-Muslims’ rights, further escalating the dispute.

The PR de facto leader also rebuked Barisan Nasional (BN) for purportedly exploiting hudud, or Islamic laws, to gain political support as national polls nears.

He accused Umno of provoking greater tension among the different races and faiths by telling Muslims one thing and non-Muslims something else.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak too had yesterday pledged his administration would block any attempt to implement the Islamic penal law, in a bid to curtail further debate on the fractious subject.

Najib is the second PM to take a strong stand against hudud, after fourth prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, who had blocked Kelantan’s attempts to implement the Islamic laws in the state.

Najib’s Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, however, recently expressed support for hudud earlier this week, upsetting Umno’s Chinese partner MCA.

MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek has threatened pull his party out of the ruling coalition if senior ally, Umno, goes ahead with enforcing hudud. Gerakan has expressed the same threat.

Taking the fight to enemy territory

BN supremo Najib Tun Razak is leading the charge in the political battle but he is not gettting support from his allies.

KUALA LUMPUR: Najib Tun Razak is on the offensive – the prime minister has gone down to the grassroots to make his case and at the same hitting out at the opposition.

For the last two years, he has borne the brunt of the opposition onslaught on him – ranging from his personal life to the policies he had mooted and implemented.

Now he is taking the battle to the enemy territory and his intense “campaigning” has sparked strong speculation that the 13th general election is just around the corner.

Since taking over the helm of the nation in April 2009 from Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, Najib had straightened out and strengthened Umno, the backbone of the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN).

The party has postponed its election this year to next year, a move aimed at staying united before the next general election. In many past instances, Umno has always been plagued with internal feud immediately after the party elections.

With Umno now united and strong, Najib feels more confident to lead the party in the “political war” against Pakatan Rakyat. Already, he has set his mind on taking back Selangor despite the state Umno being divided into three factions – each wanting its leader to be the next menteri besar if the Barisan Nasional succeeds.

Najib is not about to announce who he would pick to head the state if BN succeeds, as this would create more division and disgruntlement. Although Umno appears to be united, any wrong move by the prime minister could create unnecessary rift.

However, Najib’s main worry is still the Chinese-based parties in the ruling coalition – MCA and Gerakan.

Worries for Najib

MCA under Dr Chua Soi Lek has been making all the appropriate noises in its bid to champion the Chinese cause, at times taking on a racial overtone. But the party has yet to regain the confidence of the Chinese community.

The Chinese abandoned the party in 2008 and until today it has yet to return, which is causing a lot of worries to Najib.

Hence, Najib is going to war in Selangor with only Umno following him while MCA leaders can only show moral support without the backing of the Chinese community.

MCA won only two state seats in Selangor in 2008 and has yet to recover from its devastating show. Najib expects MCA to do its work fast as the momentum for the coming general election picks up.

Najib needs Chinese votes to carry him through his plan to wrest back Selangor but MCA is not making things easier for him.

Gerakan, on the other hand, is a lost cause. The party has yet to pick up the pieces since it lost Penang and all the seats it contested in the 2008 general election.

To help Najib in the “Selangor offensive” is out of the question. Gerakan is currently facing internal turmoil, with members calling on their president Koh Ksu Koon to step down.

The internal feud in Gerakan is not about to end anytime soon or in the near future, thus putting the party out of action in the Selangor offensive.

Core issue

Umno and its BN partners have still not got over the 2008 electoral whacking it received from Pakatan allies – PAS, DAP and PKR – which grabbed Penang, Kedah, Perak and Selangor, and retained Kelantan. It also nearly took Negri Sembilan.

However, BN succeeded in taking back Perak when three Pakatan assemblymen crossed over to become independents. But the defections did not mean the voters have swung back to the BN camp. It is only the assemblymen who came over, and not the voters.

Then Pakatan leaders in the states they ruled began highlighting the weaknesses of the previous BN administrations, forgetting that they were elected to rule the states and develop them.

While the Pakatan-ruled states were busy searching for issues to keep the amber of “hatred towards BN” burning, Najib began introducing policies to bring back confidence to the BN.

He launched the economic transformation plans, followed by political reforms. He amended some of his policies to accommodate the wishes of some dissatisfied quarters.

Najib has succeeded in winning the hearts and minds of the young and new voters through the cyber medium, the vehicle the youths have been using to communicate and exchange views and debate issues with him.

Najib succeeded in directly addressing and debating with them the core issue that matters to them – the future of the nation through education.

He has also succeeded in regaining the trust and confidence of the business community through his economic reforms, which are based on merit rather than on Malay privileges.

Najib is fighting a lone battle and whatever support he can muster – be it from Umno or any other party in the coalition – can be considered a bonus for his efforts.

Is MCA in a better position to face GE?

By Alan Ting

KUALA LUMPUR: Come Oct 2, the MCA will hold its 58th annual general meeting (AGM), an important general assembly to be attended by party members and delegates, before it heads towards the 13th general election (GE).

No doubt, the second largest Barisan Nasional (BN) component is more stable and its leadership more focused on efforts to rebuild the party after two turbulent years, following the party’s worst-ever performance in the last general election in 2008.

However, questions abound as to whether MCA is really in a better position to face the next general election.

Party grassroots leaders such as Selangor MCA Public Complaints Bureau chairman Theng Book believes this is so.

He reasoned that people are generally satisfied that MCA is more stable and accomodating under current party president Dr Chua Soi Lek’s leadership.

“So far, I have not met anyone complain about Chua. They are quite OK, with the people saying he is capable. He has done his part, now it is up to the Chinese community to decide. I personally feel, under the current situation, when the party is facing internal and external threats, he (Chua) is the best person to handle (such situations).

“We are not saying that under Ong Ka Ting, it was not okay. Under the current situation, Chua is the best person to handle (whatever pressing issues) while the immediate past president (Ong Tee Keat ) was acting more like the opposition,” he said.

Ka Ting was MCA president from 2006 until October 2008 while Tee Keat was at the party helm from October 2008 until March last year before he was succeeded by Chua, through a fresh party election to end the leadership crisis.

No logic

Theng said there was no logic to the notion that MCA would be wiped out in the next GE as the fact remained that opposition party DAP could not accept the more Islamisation approach taken by PAS, its partner in the opposition pact.

“If anyone says that MCA is going to close shop in the GE, that person is either a supporter or member of the opposition party. If you look at what they have done, so far, in some states under their control, many people are also frustrated as they were given false hopes,” he said.

Political analyst Dr Chin Yew Sing, who heads the Oriental Strategy Research centre, a think-tank under the Federation of Chinese Associations of Malaysia (Huazhong), also believed the party was in a better position to face the next GE.

He said MCA had become more agressive and vocal in voicing out issues related to the Chinese community.

“Whether it can be solved or not, is another matter, altogether. People know that issues can’t be resolved overnight. Whether MCA is effective or not, also very much depends on how Barisan Nasional handles the issues. BN lost in 2008, not because of the opposition, but because of themselves,” he said.

However, he said, MCA and BN were now seen to be working together to address some issues such as corruption, crimes and human rights issues, as well as funding for Chinese schools, as the government had introduced transformation plans.

Centre for Strategic Engagement co-founder Rita Sim said MCA appeared to be more stable under its “war-time president” Chua, who had come up with several good initiatives such as 1MCA medical fund and 1MCA scholarship, targeted at ordinary people.

“He works very hard on the ground. Whether it works or not, no one can be sure until the next general election. Certainly, if they (MCA) don’t do anything, it would be even worse. MCA has wasted a lot of time due to the internal fighting,” she said, adding that MCA’s performance also depended on issues the voters faced near the election, as well as the mood of the voters at
the time of the election.

Negative perception

However, Monash University political analyst James Chin does not believe the MCA is in a better position to face the GE as the party still faced internal problems, but concealed the split by presenting a united front in the run-up to the GE.

“Although Chua is seen to be moving on the ground and trying his best to revive the party, the bigger issue is how to select candidates for the general election. The split is still there.

“I believe the split will surface again when many are jockeying and lobbying for seats, closer to the election,” he said.

Besides, he said, MCA was also facing difficulties to win back the tough urban constituencies which were known to be opposition strongholds as the party still suffered negative perception.

Meanwhile, Sim pointed out that the urban seats had always been difficult for MCA, but believed, should BN be able to improve the result even by a small margin, it would favour the coalition in the overall result.

“Even during the best years, the level of support for MCA in these seats was only between 35 and 38 percent. During Pak Lah’s (former prime minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi) “feel good” general election in 2004, the support even went below 30 percent. Now, it is only about 20-25 percent.”If they (MCA) can get back between four and five percent, the result will certainly be better as many seats were lost, with the majority of less than 2,000 votes. If you can cut opposition support by between four and five percent in these constituencies, it could tip the balance,” she said.

The focus is not just on the Chinese voters, but also on Indian and Malay voters as a little increase of support from these two groups would contribute to better results for BN.

Another analyst, Khaw Veon Szu, explained there was no political party that could consolidate its members 100 percent.

“If you can get 60-70 percent, it is considered very good as you can do a lot of things.”

Nevertheless, there are some political analysts who believe MCA is not getting the right approach.

A Penang-based political analyst at the Han Chiang College, Chech See Kian, believes that MCA fights for party survival, instead of focusing on the people’s aspirations.

“For example, when they said MCA leaders would not take up Cabinet posts if they lost in the next general election… this is not good. You have to tell the people that you want to do more, not just maintain the status-quo. MCA must change its strategy, to be more sincere and focus on the people. Put the people first, not the party,” he said.

Bernama

The four-letter word called SEX

So the state religious authority can actually be called ‘The Department of Anti-Illicit Sex’. It is not actually a religious department. It is an anti-illicit sex department. Millions of Ringgit of your taxpayers’ money is spent to employ thousands of officers whose job is to make sure that you only bonk your wife, and from the front, and no one else other than that and not from any other position other than the front.
NO HOLDS BARRED
Raja Petra Kamarudin
Sex video allegations ‘cruel’, says Customs DG
(The Malaysian Insider) - Customs’ chief said there was no proof its officer was in a sex video recently unveiled by pro-Umno bloggers, adding it’s “cruel” to link it to Ahmad Sarbaini Mohamed’s death.
“Although the blog clearly showed sexual acts, until today there has been no further information over who was involved. As such, it cannot be conclusively said that it involved a Customs staff,” Customs director-general Datuk Seri Mohamed Khalid Yusuf said in an SMS response to The Malaysian Insider. 
“Linking the sex act to Sarbaini’s case, which I cannot even see the link, is a cruel act and an irresponsible one, if it seeks to humiliate a person who has died,” he added.
If there was proof, then Khalid said the evidence should be passed to the police, not revealed in public.
Earlier this week, Umno-linked blogs released a video in an apparent attempt to tarnish the reputation of Customs officers ahead of Monday’s verdict in the Sarbaini inquest.
The video — which appears to have been secretly recorded — shows a Malay man engaging in sex with a Caucasian woman in what looks like a hotel room.
Umno-linked blog theunspinners.blogspot.com was the first to release the video, claiming the man in the recording was a Customs officer while suggesting the woman was a Russian prostitute.
The man in the video is not named, but the blogger links the recording, which is titled “Pegawai Kastam Yang Terlampau,” to the senior Customs officer’s death while in the custody of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) earlier this year.

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

When all else fails, raise allegations of sexual misconduct. It works every time. When they wanted to bring down Anwar Ibrahim in 1998, they did this. Why not raise allegations of abuse of power or corruption involving contracts, projects, shares, etc? I am sure they can find many instances where friends and even family members of Anwar were recipients of government ‘favours’.
Every Barisan Nasional politician (and/or their friends/family members) benefited from some form of government handout. I know of many instances where those close to both Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad and Anwar benefited from being close or related to the Prime Minister/Deputy Prime Minister.
It would not be that hard to find at least one instance where Anwar can be said to have abused his position to enrich his friend or family member. I personally know of some, although I will not mention them or else there will be allegations made against me that I have been bought, have turned, am a Trojan Horse, etc. Anwar can do no wrong so I better not say he did if I value my life.
Rahim Thambi Chik, the one-time Chief Minister of Melaka, was absolutely corrupt. There would be scores of instances where he was involved in corruption to the tune of hundreds of millions. But it was the ONE allegation of sexual misconduct and not the 50 cases of corruption that brought him down.
Mat Sabu and Ahmad Sarbaini (the Customs Officer who died at the hands of the MACC) are now being smeared by sexual misconduct allegations as well. Why sexual misconduct and not something else? Because allegations of sexual misconduct works every time and has never failed thus far to bring someone down.
Even if all these people are sexually promiscuous, so what? Even if they are gay or bi-sexual, so what? Even if they do poke their peckers into all and sundry and bonk all over the place, so what? How does it affect me personally? In what way do I suffer? Do I lose anything? Does the country lose anything? Will it bring the country to bankruptcy? Will the country’s economy collapse? Are the taxpayers paying for it?
Yes, what is it that does affect me personally? In what way would I suffer? In what way do I lose? In what way does the country lose? What is it that will bring the country to bankruptcy? In what way will the country’s economy collapse? In what way will the taxpayers pay?
All the above, and more, will happen only when the country is mismanaged and the country’s wealth is plundered by those who walk in the corridors of power. Other than that, neither the country nor I suffer in any way -- even if those who walk in the corridors of power indulge in orgies every weekend.
So, why this fixation on sex rather than on how the country is being mismanaged and on how the country’s wealth is being plundered? Well, because most Malaysians don’t care a damn about important issues. Most Malaysians are kay poh. They only want to know who is bonking whom and whether from the front or from the back.
That’s Malaysians for you.
So they raise allegations of sexual misconduct and use this to bring their adversary down. And that is why the deceased Customs Officer is now being smeared by the Umno Blogs.
Initially, he was said to have been involved in a multi-billion racket. Then it was reduced to a mere few hundreds of millions. Now it is sex with a woman who is not his wife. The last minor allegation -- though of no impact to me, you, or the nation -- is the sure formula for success.
I suppose, to the Chinese, this type of allegation would not matter. In fact, it can even enhance your chances of becoming the party president. If Chua Soi Lek can arrange for 100 more DVDs to be released showing him in various Kamasutra positions, he might even go on to become the Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia. But to the Malays, this is taboo. This will bring you down if you are Malay.
Why are Malays so fixated with that four-letter word, sex? I am not a sociology or anthropology student but it is not that difficult to analyse the Malay mind. Let me very briefly tell you why (hey, can I get a PhD for this?).
Let’s look at the current controversy raging in Malaysia with regards to the Islamic law of Hudud. Hudud is actually one of many laws under the Shariah and involves what can be considered as serious crimes under Islam. These are crimes such as robbery, rebellion, murder, etc., plus allegations of sexual misconduct.
Yes, that right, the allegation of sexual misconduct is amongst the serious crimes such as robbery, rebellion and murder. In fact, Islam regards false allegations (fitnah) as worse than murder (the taking of a human life).
Amongst the seven serious crimes stipulated under Hudud is the crime of alleging that a woman is immoral. If the allegation is true and can be proven -- or can be supported by the testimony of witnesses (or a video/photograph, which can be taken as evidence) -- then the punishment is very severe. Some say she must be whipped with 100 lashes. Some say she should be whipped with 100 lashes only if she is not married. If she is married then she should be stoned to death. And if the accuser can’t prove the allegation, then the accuser should be whipped with 80 lashes instead.
So you see, allegations of sexual misconduct sit way up there amongst the sevens serious crimes in Islam. Racism, persecution, discrimination, corruption, abuse of power, abuse of public funds, spending tens of millions of the taxpayers’ money for your wife’s shopping sprees, cruelty to animals, and many more are not serious crimes covered by Hudud. Making false allegations of sexual misconduct is.
So Malays, being Muslims, have been brought up with this mindset. There is nothing more serious than allegations of sexual misconduct. Racism, persecution, discrimination, corruption, abuse of power, abuse of public funds, spending tens of millions of the taxpayers’ money for your wife’s shopping sprees, cruelty to animals, etc., are not serious crimes.  An allegation of sexual misconduct is!
This is why you see all these allegations being made. Malays are fixated with sex. Everything is about sex. The Malay mind is submerged in sex.
If you still don’t think so, let us look at the Shariah courts. What do the Shariah courts deal with other than family matters and matters such as eating during the month of Ramadhan when you should be fasting? Why, sex, of course.
The state religious authorities conduct raids to catch people indulging in illicit sex. Do the state religious authorities conduct raids to catch people involved in racism, persecution, discrimination, corruption, abuse of power, abuse of public funds, spending tens of millions of the taxpayers’ money for your wife’s shopping sprees, cruelty to animals, etc? Of course not! They do not care about all that. They only care about those people indulging in illicit sex.
So the state religious authority can actually be called ‘The Department of Anti-Illicit Sex’. It is not actually a religious department. It is an anti-illicit sex department. Millions of Ringgit of your taxpayers’ money is spent to employ thousands of officers whose job is to make sure that you only bonk your wife, and from the front, and no one else other than that and not from any other position other than the front.
Sounds pathetic, doesn’t it? Well, that’s because it IS pathetic.
So now do you understand the Malay mind? And this is why all these allegations of sexual misconduct are surfacing. It is because of the way the Malays have been brought up and because of how they have been educated.
The Malay mind can be summarised in just three words -- sex, sex, sex!
Have I upset some Malays? Well, I hope so. I intend to upset them.

'Replace OSA with new law'

The New Straits Times
by Lydia Gomez

KUALA LUMPUR: The Official Secrets Act (OSA) should be reviewed and replaced by a more balanced law to protect government secrets and the people's right to information.

National Union of Journalists general secretary V. Anbalagan said the union was firm in its view that the mandatory jail term in the act should be replaced with only a fine.

He said the OSA was an obsolete law that prevented journalists from performing their duties on matters of public interest.

"This act carries a jail term and journalists are supposed to report on matters of public interest. 

"The definition of an official secret is also vague and subjective." 

Anbalagan said certain classified information about the country and its leaders was already exposed through whistleblower sites like WikiLeaks.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak recently announced that the Internal Security Act would be abolished and two new laws would be introduced to safeguard peace and order. 

He also said the government would repeal the Banishment Act 1959, while a comprehensive study would be carried out on the Restricted Residence Act 1993 and the Printing Presses and Publications Act 1984 where annual renewals would be done away with, and replaced with the issuance of licence until it was revoked.

Former New Straits Times journalist Sabry Sharif, the first local journalist to be convicted under the OSA in 1985 for a news report on alleged irregularities in a defence contract awarded by the Royal Malaysian Air Force, said the use of the OSA would only victimise journalists.

Sabry, 53, who had served the NST between 1981 and 1998, said the law did not recognise the need for journalists to seek the truth.

"I think all journalists should ask for the OSA to be reviewed if the government wants to curb abuse and if they are advocating transparency in government.

"The review of laws should be done in a holistic manner.

"I think editors and journalists should be allowed to do their jobs without fear," he said.

Centre for Independent Journalism programme officer Chuah Siew Eng said the OSA prevented journalists from fulfilling three important journalistic principles: their obligation to tell the truth, their loyalty to citizens in matters of public interest and their role as an independent monitor of the ruling power.

"The wide powers given to the executive in classifying any information as secret, even beyond the reach of judicial scrutiny, makes the law open to abuse. 

"It has no place in the best democracy that the prime minister envisions for Malaysia.

"It should instead be replaced by another law to allow the right to information, which would balance the need to protect government secrets and the people's right to information.

"And by encouraging a culture of transparency and openness in public bodies, it will serve as a first check against corruption and abuse of power," she said.

Old Penang: Weld Quay

As you can see, Penang once had a decent public transport system.

Trolleybus No. 36 passing by the Railway Jetty at Weld Quay - Photograph from Ric Francis, also published in his book Penang Trams, Trolleybuses and Railways

Thanks to Ric for this photo from the 1950s. Click on the photo to view a full-screen version.
Here you can see a trolleybus passing by the Railway Jetty along Weld Quay. The Railway Jetty was located at the site of the present-day Church Street Pier. You can see a newspaper vendor and money-changer at the entrance to the Jetty.
Trolleybuses, ferries and trishaws and not a car in sight. People used to buy a train ticket at the KTM office on the island and then hop on a ferry to the Prai Junction railway station, where they could board the trains. The two ferries shuttling to Prai in the early 1950s were known as ‘Elizabeth II’ and ‘Victoria’, recalled a senior citizen. According to him, the trolley buses and tram cars were a major attraction for visitors to Penang. “It felt as if we were entering a foreign land.”
The present railway station in Butterworth was only opened in 1967.
Unfortunately, the state government is now taking the regressive step of catering for private motor vehicles with all the road infrastructure projects in the pipeline.
If you have any other old photos to share of places and people of interest, do send them to me. (See ‘Submit photos’ link at the top of the page.)

Behold – Najib & Rosmah’s idea of what a ‘do away with protocol’ bus ride is like

Bernama:

For the first time in his nationwide tour, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, wife Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor and entourage boarded a bus plying to attend programmes in Perak.
“It used to be by car but this time we board the bus to meet the people. I want to feel what its like to do away with protocol.
“There must be no barrier to separate leaders and the people,” he said at his first event

Great!! I’m sure there’s a photo out there somewhere showing our beloved PM experiencing what everyday rakyat experience, having to take public transport…..

:|
Sigh. Najib old boy, if you wanted to ‘do away with protocol’ and experience what the rakyat experience, the photo would have been more like this:

Haihz. (And I mention this only because it came up in the google image searches), maybe we should just be thankful he’s not going around on buses doing this:

Punjab: armed Muslims rape a Christian, a "common practice"

by Jibran Khan - Asianews.it


A 32 year old woman and mother of five children was abducted and raped in turn by three men. Threats to the husband to force him to withdraw his complaint. Police officers covering the crime, drawing up a report full of holes. Priest in Lahore: Christian violence against women is widespread and scandalous.

Lahore (AsiaNews) – The rape of Christian women in Punjab has become a "common practice" an "outrageous" phenomenon compounded by the fact that "the police protect the guilty" and not the victims. This is the bitter synopsis of Fr Jill John, of the Diocese of Lahore on the last recorded case of sexual violence against a Christian mother. The family calls for justice, but is struggling against a society in which the defenders of the law support the rapists. Even human rights groups like Masihi Life for All Foundation have intervened on the matter, asking government authorities to target the perpetrators of crimes and punish the corrupt and conniving police officers.

The incident dates back to Sept. 15, but the news filtered through only in recent days. Arifa Mushtaq (name changed for security reasons - ed) 32, mother of five was abducted and raped by three Muslims . Her husband Muashtaq Masih a worker at the Kasur sanitation department, in a devastated condition said, "Arifa use to work in a garment factory, on the y evening of 15 September she was coming home from work, she got off the bus, two local Muslims grabbed her from the back. Another armed accomplice came and put a gun on her head".

The woman began to scream, then asked the trio to leave her free to think their children who were waiting at home. Instead, the men took Arifa by force to a house and, one by one, they raped her. The family is in shock and even their attempt to report the rape has added insult to injury: the Muslims have threatened her husband, warning him to withdraw the lawsuit. Otherwise, his children will have to go through what his wife has gone through. The police has also protected the perpetrators, putting pressure on Muashtaq Masih.

Fr. Jill John confirms that "the police helps the guilty, with omissions and gaps in the compilation of complaints to favor their freedom." The family of the raped woman, added the priest, are now living in fear while criminals are free to roam the streets of the town. "How much longer - he asks – will we see the children of God suffer? And when will Mushtaq Masih's family get justice? ". He appealed to the police chief of Punjab and the Minister of Justice to target the corrupt police officers and protect the family.

Bersih's Ambiga receives top French award

Flag remark: Six months suspension for Manoharan

Pakatan to work out ‘hudud’ consensus next week

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 25 — Pakatan Rakyat (PR) is resolved to end the ongoing squabble over PAS’s hudud laws initiative during its leadership council meeting on Wednesday.

PR de facto leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim agreed today that the pact’s three parties require a consensus over the sensitive issue, which has seen DAP and PAS at loggerheads on numerous occasions prior to the formalisation of the present coalition.

He told reporters at PKR’s open house here that the meeting was originally scheduled to discuss Budget 2012 to be tabled next month but the PR leadership had agreed to add the discussion on hudud to its agenda.

“This scheduled meeting is to discuss the budget, and also the issue made bigger by the media than it actually is,” he said, referring to the controversial war over Islamic law which prescribes stoning, whipping and amputation as punishment for criminal offences.

Anwar (picture), however, stressed that the issue was not a new one, saying that PAS had always been clear on its stand.

“The view of PAS is also not new... (But) there must be consensus in PR... This is what we will talk about,” he said.

DAP national chairman Karpal Singh, who has been openly critical of the plan to implement hudud laws, yesterday urged the PR leadership to convene an emergency meeting to discuss the matter.

“An emergency meeting must be held immediately to publicly clarify Pakatan’s stand on the issue and the controversy must end, once and for all,” he was quoted as saying on Bernama Online yesterday.

PAS has refused to back down from its plan, with its spiritual advisor Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat reported to have said DAP may leave the coalition if it refused to support the measure.

Hudud is a prickly subject in multicultural Malaysia where race and religion are closely-linked.

The issue is raised cyclically as political fodder as its divisive nature often causes conflicts to occur within otherwise-friendly circles, making it ideal to pit parties with opposing ideologies against one another.

Anwar backs hudud in Kelantan, saying it does not infringe upon non-Muslims’ rights, further escalating the dispute.

The PR leader also moved yesterday to rebuke Nasional (BN) for purportedly exploiting hudud, or Islamic penal laws, to gain political support as national polls nears.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak yesterday pledged that his administration would block any attempt to implement the Islamic penal law, in a bid to curtail further debate on the fractious subject.

Najib’s deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, however, expressed support for hudud earlier this week, upsetting Umno’s Chinese partner, MCA.

MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek has threatened pull his party out of the ruling coalition if senior ally, Umno, goes ahead with enforcing hudud. Gerakan has expressed the same threat.

“We have to acknowledge the fact that as a Muslim, we must support (hudud laws) one hundred per cent. That’s why I said I endorse that,” Anwar said.

“But when you ask what about federal level? There must be consensus.”

Najib goes pedalling for ‘votes’

The prime minister joins 20,000 cyclists for a charity ride but clearly he is wooing the Chinese community.

GEORGE TOWN: Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak today took part in a charity bicycle ride despite undergoing a knee injury a month ago.

Accompanied by Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng, and Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Koh Tsu Koon, he and some 20,000 other cyclists pedalled for some 7km before returning to Straits Quay while the participants continued with their 17km-journey.

It may be a charity event but political observers did not miss the underlying message: it was all part of Najib’s charm campaign to woo back the Chinese community.

Earlier, Najib, the Barisan Nasional chairman, hailed the ethnic Malaysian Chinese community for its commitment to education.

He commended the Chinese for their determination and dedication to always improve the education standards and opportunities for their children, and efforts to raising funds for Chinese schools.

He was addressing a large crowd when launching the 1Malaysia Charity Ride For Education at Tanjung Tokong’s Penang Straits Quay here today.

Clearly, Najib is wooing the all-important Chinese votes for the next general election.

Some 70 to 80 percent of the ethnic Chinese, especially in Penang, are believed to be favouring Pakatan Rakyat over BN in the next general election.

Best start in life

Some 65 percent of registered voters in Penang are Chinese.

Local Chinese laymen claimed that the majority of the Chinese have more or less made up their minds on whom to vote for in the next polls.

But political analysts predicted that a swing of 20 percent of the Chinese votes to the BN could immeasurably help the coalition win many urban seats, especially in Penang.

His presence no doubt had helped the cycling event organiser – the state’s leading Chinese daily, Kwong Wah Yit Poh – to raise RM15 million for Chinese schools, to be shared equally among 15 schools, including five private institutions.

Najib later distributed the cheques to representatives from each school.

Also present were Tourism Minister Dr Ng Yen Yen, Kwong Wah Yit Poh chairman Ong Gim Huat, and state executive councillors.

Pointing out that the Chinese community was known for industriousness, hard work and thriftiness, he said it was time to add selflessness and dedication to learning.

“From pre-schools to schools, through to colleges and universities, we share your ambition that young Malaysians of all backgrounds should get the best start in life by studying and working hard,” he told the largely Chinese audience.

‘Fair to all Malaysians’

Najib reminded the Chinese community he was the only education minister who was bold enough to amend Section 21(2) of the Education Act to remove the power of the education minister to convert national-type schools to national schools.

“I did it when those before me did not,” he said, firing a broadside at Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim, who was among Najib’s predecessor as education minister.

Najib assured that in future, schools would be judged on how well they educate their pupils, and not the structures that govern the schools.

He also said governing all Malaysians was never an easy task.

“It means listening to all Malaysians. It means making the right decisions for the future of the country.”
“I am always been fair to all Malaysians,” he added.

Chinese schools nationwide have some 56,000 Bumiputeras out of 612,000 students.

Najib said more Malays were now speaking Mandarin, including his son, which formed part of the transforming Malaysia to give the country a competitive edge as China consolidates its economic power.

He said the relationship with China would continue to change for the better, adding that all Malaysians should be proud of developing and strengthening ties with the giant neighbour.

Stressing that part of Malaysia’s future prosperity will be built upon ties with China, he said the country needed more Malaysians, from all backgrounds and heritage, to win businesses from China.

“Therefore, we need more Mandarin speakers to help us explore new frontiers in our dealings with China as a global economic superpower,” he said.

He said he shared the views of the ethnic Chinese community to have maximum opportunities to get access to university education.

“I believed that every Malaysian with talents and skills should be able to gain university education,” he said.

When ‘Hang Tuah’ became ‘Hang Jebat’

The Prime Minister’s campaign continued. He silenced the Rulers over the issue of the 1987 ISA detentions; staged a hostile debate on the monarchy in the 1990 Umno general assembly after the loss of Kelantan to PAS; removed the Rulers’ immunity to prosecution following the constitutional crisis of 1992-93; stripped away their flights, outriders, and special hospital wards; and in 1994, with little opposition, finally removed the need to obtain the Rulers’ assent for State laws.
NO HOLDS BARRED
Raja Petra Kamarudin

The young should emulate Hang Tuah - Melaka CM
(Bernama) -- Youths should emulate the legendary Malay warrior Hang Tuah, who had a superior character and was loyal to king and country, Melaka Chief Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Ali Rustam said last night.
He said that Hang Tuah was indomitable in defending the Melaka Sultanate from external attacks.
"His leadership qualities were pronounced because his knowledge covered religion and the art of silat," Mohd Ali said when opening the Hang Tuah Festival at the Malay Melaka Sultanate Palace Museum at Bandar Hilir here last night.
Also present were Information, Communications and Culture Deputy Minister Datuk Maglin Dennis D'Cruz and Melaka State Assembly Speaker Datuk Othman Muhamad.
Mohd Ali said Hang Tuah used his mastery of several languages to help boost relations between Melaka and other states and territories.

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

Mahathir vs the Malay Rulers
By HUZIR SULAIMAN, The Star
In the concluding instalment of the three-part series, Ruling the Rulers, our columnist looks at the outcome of Dr Mahathir’s 1983 standoff with the Sultans.
BY October 1983, Malaysians were becoming aware that a constitutional crisis was in full swing. The Constitution (Amendment) Bill 1983 had been passed by both houses of Parliament, but the King, under pressure from his fellow rulers, was refusing to give his Royal Assent to it.
The bill would remove the need for the King to assent to legislation, and would similarly do away with the need for Sultans to assent to State laws. It would also take away the King's power to declare an Emergency and give it to the Prime Minister.
The Rulers publicly rejected these amendments after a meeting in Selangor on Nov 20, 1983. When the public became aware that a storm was brewing, Dr Mahathir’s administration initiated a propaganda war to put pressure on the Rulers.
There took place a “series of illegal public rallies held by Umno in Alor Star, Bagan Datoh, Seremban, Batu Pahat, Malacca, for the Prime Minister with reports of officially inflated crowd figures?.” as Lim Kit Siang would later describe them in the Dewan Rakyat.
These rallies, staged in order to generate sympathy for the Government’s cause, were illegal in the sense that police permits were neither sought nor granted.
Whether or not the crowd figures were inflated by the Umno-aligned media – it is true that they generally reported these events in positive terms – it is clear that the 1983 rallies were exciting evenings, with republican sentiments on everyone’s minds, if not exactly on their lips. One of the most arresting images in Rais Yatim’s Faces in the Corridor of Power is a photograph of two youths at one such rally. They are wearing T-shirts bearing Dr Mahathir’s picture and the words “DAULAT RAKYAT”.
Although the Prime Minister denied wanting to abolish the monarchy, at these rallies “the historical moment of unfolding Malay nationalism was relived as a continuing battle of Malay popular sovereignty against royal hegemony,” as Khoo Boo Teik writes in Paradoxes of Mahathirism.
At a rally in Alor Star on Nov 26, Dr Mahathir declared that “It was the rakyat who had protested against the Malayan Union after the Second World War; it was the rakyat who wanted a democratic system that would enable them to choose their own leaders. It was always the people who had fought for their destiny.”
At the largest rally, in Batu Pahat, Dr Mahathir told the crowds, in a thinly veiled dig at hereditary rulers, “We weren’t born Ministers ? We’re up here because we were chosen by all of you.”
The propaganda war continued, with tales of royal extravagance and impropriety emerging. The Government leaked the fact that they were compiling dossiers on the Sultans. RTM announced they were preparing a year-long TV series on the Rulers and the Constitution.
Yet pro-royal rallies took place too – especially in Kelantan and Terengganu, where Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah was rumoured to be responsible for them – and they drew large crowds, although they went unreported by the media.
Upping the ante, the Umno Youth executive council called for the Government to gazette the Constitution (Amendment) Bill without waiting for the King's assent, effectively daring the Rulers to challenge it in court. Dr Mahathir did not immediately adopt this strategy, but held this “nuclear option” in reserve while behind-the-scenes negotiations continued with the Rulers.
Public opinion was divided over the issue. Rural Malays tended to support the Rulers; urban Malays, while not uncritical of Mahathir’s strategies and motives, were more ready to accept egalitarian ideas.
As for the Chinese community, R.S. Milne and Diane K. Mauzy note in Malaysian Politics Under Mahathir that “One might have expected that, since the rulers and the Agung were symbols of ‘Malayness’ the Chinese would feel little loyalty to them. Paradoxically, they were quite pro-royalty, because they did not really trust Malay politicians. Indeed, they viewed the Agung and the rulers as protectors of their vital interests.”
There seemed to be no way out of the impasse except by compromise – which is what happened. The Rulers agreed to the Constitutional (Amendment) Bill 1983 on the condition that many of its provisions were modified or repealed immediately with the introduction of the Constitution (Amendment) Bill 1984.
The new bill, passed in January 1984, meant that the King could now only delay a piece of non-money legislation for a month. It then had to be sent back to Parliament with his objections. If the King still opposed it in the form in which Parliament then passed it, he could only delay it for another month before it was gazetted as law.
The King could therefore only delay legislation for up to two months before it became the law of the land.
But this principle was no longer extended to the State level: Sultans still needed to assent to State bills before they became law, which was an important symbolic victory. Most importantly for those who feared Dr Mahathir’s supposed plan to concentrate power in his own hands, the bill removed the proposed ability of the Prime Minister to declare an Emergency by himself, and restored it to the King.
Nonetheless, Dr Mahathir saw himself as having won, declaring at a victory rally in Malacca that the feudal system had ended. He had brought his theatrical, confrontational, unapologetically antagonistic style to a high-stakes arena and had, by some accounts at least, triumphed over the Malay Rulers.
He quickly moved to consolidate his gains. Stories had been circulating that the head of the army, Jen Tan Sri Mohd Zain Hashim, was opposed to Mahathir’s approach and believed the armed force’s loyalty lay with the Rulers. Mohd Zain took early retirement. This was followed by a reorganisation of the army and some 500 other early retirements and dismissals.
When the independent-minded Sultan of Johor took over as Yang di-Pertuan Agong in 1984, some feared (and some hoped) that royal activism would reassert itself.
As Roger Kershaw writes in Monarchy In South-East Asia: Faces of Tradition in Transition, “From the beginning, the Agong had made no secret of his contempt for Mahathir on the grounds of his mixed blood, calling him, to his face, ‘Mamak’ (a derogatory nickname for those of Indian Muslim ancestry). [?] But Dr Mahathir had proved more than a match for this difficult sovereign. Having got the measure of the King’s essential vanity and exhibitionism, he prudently pandered to it, even to the extent of placing a more convenient Royal Malaysian Airforce helicopter at his permanent disposal?.”
Through this and other measures, Dr Mahathir maintained good relations with the new King, enlisting him in his 1987 move against the judiciary, the effects of which are still felt today.
The Prime Minister’s campaign continued. He silenced the Rulers over the issue of the 1987 ISA detentions; staged a hostile debate on the monarchy in the 1990 Umno general assembly after the loss of Kelantan to PAS; removed the Rulers’ immunity to prosecution following the constitutional crisis of 1992-93; stripped away their flights, outriders, and special hospital wards; and in 1994, with little opposition, finally removed the need to obtain the Rulers’ assent for State laws.
Looking back, we can see how the bars of the yellow silk cage began to go up in 1983, closing in year after year.
Should we find it surprising, then, that after 25 years the tigers within should want to break free? Can we not understand that the Rulers might want to regain what has been lost?
And here is the hardest question of all: without giving up our democratic ideals, in a cynical and disloyal age, can we find a way to let our Rulers rule?
Huzir Sulaiman writes for theatre, film, television, and newspapers.



 

Religion vs Politics

By John Doe

Greetings. Firstly, I believe I owe some of you all an explanation for yesterday's "Top 10 Reasons why Hudud is good", it was an experiment done on MT readers as a means of a gauge on the MT populace. In line with the recently opened anonymity and the allowance of comments from unregistered commentators, I wondered what MT readers really felt in their hearts.

 

From a bird's eye view, it approximated what  was initially anticipated. I was however slightly disappointed that few had things of real substance to say, and of course, you had the occasional "Jar-Jar Binks" archetype who hopped around screaming for attention. What was worrying however, was the curiosity that why so few people openly condemned what  I stated. 

The list which I presented yesterday consisted of nothing more than the most often misquoted and abused texts of the Holy Quran. And surprisingly, they were not misquoted by non-Muslims, but by Muslims themselves. I even made a glaring mistake in naming the Sabbath as a Friday instead of a Saturday, and save one, no one else picked it up. I did deliberately pick on the Quran, as someone rightly pointed out, for this short "test" because of its relevance to Malaysia. Do feel free to watch footage on YouTube for the following.

I'll give you the brief run-down. Any NGO can confirm the following list.

Item 1 was the supposed justification of wife-beating. 

Item 2 was the supposed justification of amputations.

Item 3 was the supposed justification of multiple wives.

Item 4 was the supposed justification of marriage to under-aged girls

Item 5 was the supposed justification of Slavery from Prisoners of War.

Item 6 was the supposed justification of anti-semitism.

Item 7 was the supposed justification of marrying your daughter in-law.

Item 8 was the supposed justification of inequality of Gender

Item 9 was the supposed justification of inequality of the distribution of wealth

and item 10 is the most often used supposed justification of the annihilation of non-Muslims by Suicide Bombers.

None picked up on this. In fact, I was complaining to my friends, while watching some of the updates. I asked "Where are the fireworks? Where are the screams of my gross (and deliberate) misinterpretation?" I was actually pretty glad when someone actually challenged me to the justification of child-brides, and I was really hesitant to give my reply, pensive if I might give the game away. Be assured that my best intentions are for Malaysia. My only wish being that Malaysian would start to think for themselves. I received an email this morning asking if "I had sold my soul to the Devil" for writing such a piece. Rest assured that I have not. 

It makes me sad however, that Malaysians have been brought up to simply absorb, and absorb, and absorb whatever is taught to them, and regurgitate it during exams. There is never any desire to think out-of-the-box. Teachers tell you time and again to toe-the-line instead. This hinders personal thought, cripples creativity and retards growth. This method of learning merely makes one a foot soldier, suitable only for deployment as a faceless statistic. If you want to be a leader, then you need to stop being a foot soldier. On the flip-side however, UMNO loves to have such demure citizens. Ever looking up to them, ever willing to provide corruption money to them, and in a cruder way, ever-willing to "kiss and suck up" to anyone with a Title, be it earned or bought.

The whole point of the exercise yesterday was to show how easy it is to manipulate ANY Religion, by throwing in a few verses of scripture, and then use whatever "revelation" or "enlightenment" , thus allowing for pretty much ANY INTERPRETATION for WHATEVER intentions imaginable. Of course I am acutely aware of Catholic Priests and Imams who rape, Temple Priests who rob, and Monks who give themselves $5million loans. Point is they succeed not because their Religion is bad. These villains succeed because their "flock" is gullible. Please stop being gullible. I cannot say this enough times. Religions are so easy to manipulate given the correct opportunity, and "Holy-sounding words"  Please educate and equip yourself for your own good. I mean this in the most sincere way. Read, digest and learn your Holy Book often, and in a Language which you understand, so that you are not easily misled. In fact, I personally gain nothing if you succeed in this. My only reward being the slight satisfaction that I could help contribute towards a better Malaysia. A Malaysia which is free of tyranny. A truly free Malaysia.

It is now time the Rakyat took back this freedom. A freedom lost for exactly 500 years since 1511, when the Portuguese colonized Malaya. From a Merdeka which UMNO now claims never happened, and the Malaysia which helped them acquire the Colony States of Sabah and Sarawak. I look forward to this New Merdeka. 

True to my word, I, John Doe will never let Malaysians down.

What has happened to the rule of law?

— P. Ramakrishnan - The Malaysian Insider

SEPT 24 — We must not forget the larger issues involved in the case simply because the government had decided to get out of a messy situation for its own good.

The Barisan Nasional government created this untenable position that cannot be sustained by logic and facts. As a cover-up for its high-handedness, it is posturing itself as a generous institution that is capable of being considerate. The fact is it is trying to extricate itself from this unjustified and cruel action against these helpless people who only meant well.

It is unthinkable that people will be deluded by this gesture of the police. Malaysians are no more gullible or naïve to be easily fooled by such tokenism. The reprehensible conduct of the police cannot be condoned.

These 30 PSM members are innocent and not guilty of any offence by any stretch of the imagination under any Malaysian law. That was the reason why the police tried desperately to incriminate them by all sorts of ridiculous accusations:

• They were accused of carrying weapons in their buses on June 25, 2011.

• They were accused of possessing subversive material.

• They were accused of attempting to wage war against the Yang di-Pertuan Agong.

• They were accused of being a national threat.

The police invoked Section 122 of the Penal Code, Section 48 and Section 43 of the Societies Act, Section 29 (1) of the Internal Security Act and the Emergency Ordinance to build up a case that these are indeed dangerous criminals.

The police threw everything available at them in an attempt to crush them and frighten other Malaysians in an attempt to prevent them from joining the Bersih 2.0 Walk for Democracy.

They were incarcerated unjustly under intolerable conditions. On July 4 — after nine days of imprisonment — 24 of them were charged in court while the rest of the six were charged in court on August 3 after having been held for 28 days in solitary confinement.

The court imposed bail of RM8,000 each, which meant they had to scramble desperately to raise RM240,000 to seek their freedom — almost a quarter of a million ringgit! How could these poor people raise such a huge sum to post bail?

All this, however, failed to break the spirit of these 30 stalwarts; it failed to discourage outraged Malaysians from marching for democracy on July 9, 2011. If anything it only spurred Malaysians to discard their fear and stand up for their rights.

But the worrying thing about the whole episode involving these 30 Malaysians is the conduct of the police force. We are perturbed that the police can detain anyone under baseless charges with impunity. It looks that they can accuse anyone for whatever reason without a shred of evidence to back up their claim and detain them.

How could they accuse them of waging a war against the Agong, which is a serious criminal offence — Section 122 allows for 20 years or even life imprisonment — without an iota of incriminating evidence. This is clearly an abuse of their authority.

How could they accuse them of carrying weapons in their bus when no weapon was found in the bus?

How could they accuse them of possessing subversive material when this was not established?

How could they accuse them of being a national threat without proving the existence of such a threat?

Who cooked up these stories? Surely someone must be answerable. Who will be held accountable for this sordid affair? Shouldn’t the Inspector-General of Police who is the head of the police force be held accountable for this? Shouldn’t the Minister of Home Affairs be taken to task for this break-down in the rule of law?

Why didn’t the judge who is responsible for granting the remand order demand proof before granting such an order? Aren’t the fundamental rights and freedoms of a person his concern? Isn’t he the person who ensures that justice must be upheld and every person under the law is entitled to the protection of the law? Why did he fail miserably in his duty to uphold the constitution?

The rule of law should not become a myth in our country. The police must not be a law unto themselves. The rule of law must prevail at all times.

To prevent similar incidences from occurring in future we need to go deep into this episode and ferret out those who were callous in accusing innocent Malaysians without just cause. We need a Royal Commission of Inquiry to examine how and why the detention of the 30 PSM members took place.

We need to know what gives the police the authority to behave in the manner they have without being accountable for their action. We need to establish the fact that there is such a thing as Rule of Law in this country. — aliran.com

* P. Ramakrishnan is president of Aliran

South Indian Temple E-Auctions Human Hair For RM90 Million

By P. Vijian

CHENNAI, Sept 25 (Bernama) -- Hair-raising sale. The world-famous Tirumala Tirupati Venkateswara Temple in south India has auctioned human hair donated by devotees for a whopping RM90 million.

The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD), the temple's custodian, sold 466 tonnes of hair in its maiden e-auction last Thursday, where 49 bidders, including foreign buyers, joined in the bid, reported the Hindu newspaper.

Tipped to be one of the richest temples in the world, and perched on a hilly top in Andra Pradesh, the temple draws tens of millions of devotees and tourists annually.

Thousands of devotees tonsure their head as penance to Lord Venkateswara -- the presiding deity in the ancient temple.

According to local media, about 500 barbers deftly worked round-the-clock to tonsure devotees, including women and children, who travel to the hills on holy pilgrimage.

Daily, nearly one tonne of human hair is collected from 14 centres in the temple's sprawling complex and later sold to human hair traders. However, this was the first time it was sold on-line.

The flowing long, black and strong Indian hair is in great demand in the global fashion industry, in the production of wigs and artificial eyelashes.

India supplies nearly 30 per cent of world's human hair demand, second only to Brazil which dominates the industry with over 50 per cent.

China, the United States and United Kingdom are three major buyers of human hair.

Several injured in fracas at Mat Sabu ceramah

(Malaysiakini) Two PAS supporters were injured at a ceramah in Seremban last night after a protest held by members of Malay rights group Perkasa across the venue of the event turned rowdy.

It was a Hari Raya-cum ceramah session and was supposed to start at 9pm, but as early as 8.30pm, more than 100 Perkasa members were already at the side of the main road about 60 metres from the stage holding a noisy gathering. 

It was still calm when Mohamad Sabu - popularly known as 'Mat Sabu' (right, at podium) - started to deliver his ceramah around 10.15 pm.

The Perkasa members carried banners with slogans like “Mat Sabu Pembohong (Liar)”, “Mat Sabu Perosak Bangsa (Corrupter of the race)” and “Mat Sabu Hina Pejuang (Insults freedom fighters)”.

But when the Perkasa members attempted to move closer to the ceramah stage and were stopped by PAS supporters, then control - as well as stones and mineral water bottles - went up in the air.

Two PAS supporters were said to have been injured - one alleged he was punched by Perkasa members and another was spotted with an injury to his head from one of the stones thrown during the fracas.

A Unit Amal member alleged it was his men who were injured during the incident.

PAS Seremban deputy chief Ghazali Mat Som - one of the event organisers - expressed his regret over the incident.

“One man was injured at his nose. Another man injured on his head. Two men were punched at the cheek and another man was hit by stone at his back.

“One of the Perkasa man wanted to submit a memorandum, but we did not agree and asked them to disperse.

“Then we informed the police. When the police asked them to disperse, they resist and then showed their uncouth (biadap) behavior. Only when the police sent for more people did they disperse.

“I urged the police to take a fair action and in future to take earlier action against this kind of situation.

“My men have already gone to the Rahang police station to lodge a report”, said Ghazali.

Perkasa man 'scalded'?

Meanwhile Negeri Sembilan Perkasa secretary Alias Mohamad, who was present during the protest, told Malaysiakini when contacted this morning said that the group's demonstration was not against PAS, but an expression of protest against Mat Sabu.

“He hurt the feeling of many army personnel.

“There many former army officers last night and they were disappointed with Mohamad Sabu's stubbornness and unwillingness to apologise for his statements.

“He martabatkan (dignified) the communists and the communist symbol,” said Alias.

When asked to comment on the injuries of the PAS activists, Alias said: “We just wanted to submit the protest memorandum and we were stopped by the PAS supporters. This resulted in a situation of panic. It should not have happened.

“But I heard that one of my men (also) was hit with hot water from an unknown individual,” Alias asserted.

About 800 people attended the ceramah that proceeded following the incident.