Whitney Houston's storied career: A regal rise, a tragic fall

(CNN) -- The news broke on the eve of Grammy Awards, the music industry's biggest night: The woman with the pitch-perfect voice who once reigned as the queen of pop at the awards show had died.

Whitney Houston was found dead Saturday by her bodyguard on the fourth floor of an upscale Beverly Hills hotel where only hours later she was to attend a pre-Grammy bash hosted by her longtime mentor, Clive Davis.

Her death, at age 48, was the final chapter of a storied career that began with the nurturing by superstar cousin Dionne Warwick, soared in the 1980s and 1990s with one record-setting achievement after another, stalled as her drug use and marriage to Bobby Brown made for tabloid fodder and was on the rebound with a highly anticipated star turn.

"You're going to remember where you were when you heard the news. It's that significant. She was undoubtedly one of the greatest superstars of all time," music producer Simon Cowell said.

"One of the greatest voices in our lifetime we're likely ever to hear. And to hear this news, it really, really, really upset me."

Houston's voice, once described by The New York Times as "peerless," influenced and inspired a new generation of singers, from Mariah Carey to Christina Aguilera, and garnered a legion of fans.

"Her notes soared to places most singers dream of reaching," Aguilera said.

Houston seemed destined for stardom almost from the very beginning.

Born on August 9, 1963, in Newark, New Jersey, to gospel great Cissy Houston, cousin to both Dionne and Dee Dee Warwick and goddaughter to Aretha Franklin, Houston's upbringing was the embodiment of musical greatness.

Grief flows at hotel where Houston died

She honed her vocal skills from a young age, singing in the church choir and taking the stage occasionally with her mother. As a teenager, she sang backup for Chaka Khan on "I'm Every Woman," a song Houston would re-record in 1992 and that would go on to become one of her biggest hits.

As the story goes, Clive Davis spotted Houston in 1983 in a New York nightclub performing and signed her on the spot.

Houston released her debut album, "Whitney Houston," in February 1985 to wide acclaim. Rolling Stone magazine called her "one of the most exciting new voices in years."

With the release of the album, her commanding voice combined with a natural beauty and a clean-cut image made her an instant star.

Fans: Whitney Houston's music spanned an era

A generation danced their way through the 1980s to a string of her hits, including the poppy "How Will I Know," "Saving All My Love For You," "I Wanna Dance With Somebody" and "The Greatest Love Of All."

But it was in the 1990s that she shot into the superstar stratosphere with two songs that showcased her stunning octave range and her maturity.

On January 27, 1991, while the United States was at war in the Persian Gulf, Houston performed "The Star Spangled Banner" at Super Bowl XXV to a record 79 million viewers.

During a time when the country seemed divided by the war, her searing, heartfelt performance seemed to unite a nation at least for a few minutes. Her rendition -- the gold standard by which all performances of the national anthem are judged -- was released as a single and reached the Top 20 on the U.S. Hot 100 Billboard.

Houston's version was re-released in 2001 following the September 11 terrorist attacks, and proceeds from the sales were donated to charity.

That was followed up by her cover of Dolly Parton's "I Will Always Love You" recorded for the movie "The Bodyguard," in which she also made her acting debut.

Stunned celebrities mourn Whitney Houston

While the movie received mostly poor reviews, the song went onto to sell 10 million singles, winning Grammy's record of the year and best female pop vocal. The soundtrack was named album of the year.

"I will always be grateful and in awe of the wonderful performance she did on my song and I can truly say from the bottom of my heart, 'Whitney, I will always love you. You will be missed,'" Parton said.

But by the time the movie opened, Houston's clean-cut pop image had begun to tarnish with her marriage to R&B bad boy Bobby Brown. The two met in 1989 and married three years later.

HLNtv.com: What about Bobbi Kristina Brown?

Their relationship became tabloid fodder, with every misstep chronicled and the couple's relationship a subject of constant speculation. Brown's notorious hard-partying led him to several run-ins with the law and stints in jail.

While Houston managed to maintain a successful music and movie career through the end of the 1990s, starring in "The Preacher's Wife" and "Waiting To Exhale," her behavior turned increasingly erratic amid reports of heavy drug use.

By the 2000s, her career was in free fall as her album sales dropped off and her voice began to show signs of wear.

The rumors were further fueled by her gaunt appearance and crass behavior on the 2001 short-lived Bravo reality show "Being Bobby Brown," which she later said in an interview she only did to try to save her marriage. The couple, who had a daughter together, divorced in 2007.

Brown performed at a "New Edition" concert Saturday night in South Haven, Mississippi.

"The atmosphere felt bittersweet," said iReporter Moshiu Knox, who attended the concert with his wife. "Bobby was crying during his performance and at one point had to walk off stage. ... The crowd was emotional and tears were flowing all over the arena."

Video of the concert shows Brown asking the audience to pray for the couple's daughter. "If you find the time, can you say a prayer for me because I'm going to need it," he says.

In an infamous interview in 2002 with ABC's Diane Sawyer, Houston admitted to using drugs but denied the use of crack.

"Crack is wack," she said, quoting a line taken from Keith Haring mural painted in 1986.

It was during the same interview, she told Sawyer: "The biggest devil is me. I'm either my best friend or my worst enemy."

Houston bounced in and out of drug rehab twice, declaring herself drug-free during a 2010 interview with Oprah Winfrey, though an Australian tour that same year was fraught with reviews that she sounded "croaky" and, at times, appeared disoriented.

Recently, Houston was working to turn around her career -- and image -- with a star turn in the upcoming movie "Sparkle,'' the remake of a 1976 film that is said to be loosely inspired by the Supremes.

The night Houston died she was to be a guest of honor at Davis' annual pre-Grammy bash.

"She loved music and she loved this night that celebrated music," Davis told party-goers.

"Her family asked that we carry on."

She would have loved that, too.

Bangladesh: JeI activists vandalise Hindu temples

New Delhi: Fundamentalist Jamaat-e-Islami activists vandalised several Hindu temples in the Hathazari area of Chittagong in Bangladesh on Thursday and Friday, forcing the law enforcement authorities to impose Section 144 of the Bangladesh Penal Code that bans public gatherings in the affected area.

According to the website bdnews.com, Muslims, allegedly instigated by the fundamentalist Jamaat-e-Islami, first damaged a temple in the compound of the Loknath Sebasram at Nandirhat on Thursday evening and blocked the Chittagong-Rangamati Road on Friday morning in retaliation to a mosque being damaged by people coming out of the Loknath Sebasram.

The website report further said that at least three other Hindu temples were attacked by the Islamic activists.

It said that damage was inflicted on the Sri Sri Jagadeshwari Ma Temple, the Jagannath Bigroho Temple at Nandirhat and the Kalibari Temple in Sadar Upazila. The Sri Sri Jagadeshwari Ma Temple was also burnt, it added.

The Primary and Mass Education Minister of Bangladesh, Afsar-ul-Ameen, has visited the area and instructed local authorities to take steps to normalise the situation.

Local administration officials blamed the Jamaat-e-Islami and its student wing, the Islami Chhatra Shibir, for the incidents.

Reacting to the incident, liberal and secular minded people in Bangladesh said such events could pose a threat to the country’s secular fabric.

Haroon Habib, a 1971 war veteran and a senior journalist, told ANI in a telephonic interview that: “These are very tragic events. Bangladeshis were never communal even under military rule. People must see a definite political motive behind these events.”

He added: "There is a definite extremist political agenda behind these attacks. There are elements who want to destabilise the incumbent Hasina Government.”

Haroon also blamed the local administration for not acting tough against fundamentalist elements in the area.

Allegations have it that houses belonging to Hindus in the area were also vandalised. Leaders of the minority Hindu community have blamed the ''indifference'' of the administration for the prevailing situation.

Rejecting suggestions of fundamentalism being on the rise in Bangladesh, Haroon said there was no existential threat to the current regime, but he cautioned the Sheikh Hasina government not to be complacent.

He also opined that there were many elements in Bangladesh who were unhappy with Sheikh Hasina’s close ties to New Delhi, as also her move to make the Constitution of the country more secular.

Recently, the Bangladesh Army had foiled a coup attempt by retired and serving Army officers who had fundamentalist leanings.

India has said that it is keeping a close watch on emerging developments in both Bangladesh and Maldives.

ANI

Trouble in paradise: Maldives and Islamic extremism

MALE — At the Maldives' National Museum, smashed Buddhist statues are testament to the rise of Islamic extremism and Taliban-style intolerance in a country famous as a laid-back holiday destination.

On Tuesday, as protesters backed by mutinous police toppled president Mohamed Nasheed, a handful of men stormed the Chinese-built museum and destroyed its display of priceless artefacts from the nation's pre-Islamic era.

"They have effectively erased all evidence of our Buddhist past," a senior museum official told AFP at the now shuttered building in the capital Male, asking not to be named out of fear for his own safety.

"We lost all our 12th century statues. They were made of coral stone and limestone. They are very brittle and there is no way we can restore them," he explained.

"I wept when I heard that the entire display had gone. We are good Muslims and we treated these statues only as part of our heritage. It is not against Islam to display these exhibits," he said.

Five people have since been arrested after they returned the following day to smash the CCTV cameras, he said.

The authorities have banned photography of the damage, conscious that vandalism of this kind which echoes the 2001 destruction of the Bamiyan Buddha statues in Afghanistan by the Taliban is damaging for the nation's image.

The gates of the two-storeyed grey building, which opened in 2010, are padlocked and an unarmed guard keeps watch.

The Maldives, a collection of more than 1,100 coral-fringed islands surrounded by turquoise seas, is known as a "paradise" holiday destination that draws hundreds of thousands of travellers and honeymooners each year.

Visitors' contact with the local population is deliberately kept at bay, however, with most foreigners simply transferring from the main international airport directly to their five-star resorts on outlying islands.

Few have any idea they are visiting a country of 330,000 Muslims with no religious freedom, where women can be flogged for extramarital sex and consuming alcohol is illegal for locals.

Islam is the official religion of the Maldives and open practice of any other religion is forbidden and liable to prosecution.

The religious origins of the Maldivian people are not clearly established, but it is believed that a Buddhist king converted to Islam in the 12th century.

Thereafter, the country practised a mostly liberal form of the religion, but more fundamentalist interpretations have spread with the arrival of money and ultra-conservative Salafist preachers from the Middle East.

In 2007, following a bombing that wounded a dozen foreign tourists, the former president Maumoon Abdul Gayoom banned head-to-toe coverings for women as a sign of his intent to battle conservative Islamic thinking.

At the museum, another official said that fundamentalists had threatened to attack the museum on previous occasions unless it withdrew the Buddhist display.

The country's ultra-conservative Islamic group, the Adhaalath Party, condemned the attack, but said they remained opposed to Nasheed's decision to accept three monuments from India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

"Our constitution does not allow idols and that is why we objected to the monuments," General Secretary Mohamed Muizzu said, referring to the gifts to mark a South Asian summit held in November in the Maldives.

The monuments, which included one of pillar featuring Buddhist motifs, and which had been on display in the southernmost island of Addu, have all since been vandalised.

The Adhaalath party supports new president Mohamed Waheed, who Nasheed accuses of taking part in a coup, and is due to join the new government.

Waheed called the museum attack "totally unacceptable" and denied there was religious violence in his country.

Former foreign minister Ahmed Naseem disagreed.

He said extremists were thriving in the Maldives and that they were partly responsible for the toppling of Nasheed and the installation of Waheed. "What we had was a military coup backed by religious extremists," he said.

"There is a strong influence of Islamic fundamentalists in the country and they will get stronger," Naseem told AFP. "These groups are funded from abroad. "This threat is not only to us, but the rest of the world as well."

The moderate Nasheed, who was educated in Sri Lanka and Britain, was consistently accused of being under the control of Jews and Christians by religious opposition parties now linked to the government

There were also demonstrations over proposals from the transport ministry to allow direct flights from Israel.

"We strongly condemn the anti-Semitic words and the other commentary recently," US assistant secretary of state for South Asian affairs Robert Blake said during a visit to Male on Saturday.

"Under President Nasheed, the Maldives tried to improve relations with Israel and showed what a progressive country they were and we really commend them for that."

Shame covers sleaze

Many connected with the university admit that "seedy affairs had been going on in the holy precincts" for some time. – File Photo

ISLAMABAD: Sex scandals have rocked the International Islamic University Islamabad (IIUI) in recent months, with several faculty and staff members accused of preying upon the vulnerable female students or juniors.
Many connected with the university admit that “seedy affairs had been going on in the holy precincts” for some time. But they did not speak on record.
Acting president Sahabzada Sajidur Rehman of the university, however, confirmed that recently a professor and a librarian left the university after allegations of rape emerged against them.
“We did not approach the police to investigate the allegations as it would have brought bad name to the university and set parents of the 9,500 girls studying here worrying,” he told Dawn on Thursday.
Sources in the university claimed that the professor of economics department used to offer his victims “good marks” in examinations in return for sex. He would even force himself upon the unwilling with threats of failing her.
It was shocking to hear the president of the University Staff Welfare Association, Chaudhry Mohammad Nazir, say “the situation is far worse than what you know”.
IIUI sources said the professor’s escapades came to an end after he landed his last victim on January 20, a Friday. The university asked the victim to file a formal complaint for initiating action against the accused but her family refused.
However, the students union took up her case and threatened the university administration it would go public with the evidence, the sources said.
It was claimed to be the same kind of evidence that had gone viral on the internet and forced the university’s old librarian to resign a few months earlier.
That was despite the university administration’s alleged attempt to make his victim – a female assistant – to resign on the charge that she was a willing partner. But she firmly refused and went on leave.
On her return, the administration assigned her to a new department, according to her colleagues.
It is not that families of the victims of coercive sex took their sufferings lying down. One father reported a senior faculty member to the Prime Minister’s Secretariat which instructed the Islamabad police to investigate.
When the investigators arrived to probe, however, the university officials pleaded with them to hush up the matter as “the accused has already been punished” and a probe would only tarnish the image of the university and scare the parents.
It is a different matter that for the librarian the punishment meant retiring six months before it was due, and for the professor resigning on his own and securing a new job in the National Agriculture Research Centre, allegedly with the help of friends in the bureaucracy.
khawar.ghumman@gmail.com

Another ceramah aborted after 'gangsters' strike

A ceramah on academic freedom was aborted last night after a rowdy group of youths wrecked and blockaded the intended venue at Kampung Idaman, Klang.

When contacted, Solidariti Mahasiswa Malaysia (SMM) president Ahmad Syukri Ab Razab said the "gangsters" had broken chairs and strewn them in the multipurpose hall before the ceramah began.

"They also surrounded the venue and we were forced to take refuge at a nearby food stall while waiting for the situation to calm down," he said.

However, the group of some 70 people, Ahmad Syukri said, refused to budge, prompting the students numbering, about 15, to lodge a police report at Pandamaran police station.

"We arrived at Pandamaran police station at about 10.30pm, the gangsters followed us and started to gather there on their motorcycles."

The incident was the second time a ceramah was disrupted in Klang, the first being a ceramah by Anything But Umno (ABU) where rowdy youths on motorcycles stormed the venue at Jalan Kebun and reportedly beat up a youth.

‘Hit by stones and sticks'

He said that due to the tense situation, local police decided to escort the students to the Klang district police headquarters for the report.

"Three police cars escorted us in a convoy of five but when we came out they threw stones and hit our cars with sticks.

Thankfully the windows did not shatter but (Kumpulan Aktivis Mahasiswa Independen deputy president) Khalid Mohd Ismath's (left) car was badly dented, but there was nothing the police could do," he said.

The gangsters again followed the students to Klang district police station headquarters and their numbers swelled to over 100, claimed Ahmad Syukri.

"After making the police report, we were advised not to leave the police station for our safety.

"Even at 4am, the gangsters were still outside, we had to escape through another door with the help of local residents," he said.
The students managed to leave without incident and no one was injured that night, said Ahmad Syukri.

The ceramah last night was part of the students' nationwide road show for academic freedom. However this was the first time it has been disrupted.

Despite virtual death sentence, Malaysia sends Saudi blogger home

Kashgari is alleged to have posted blasphemous comments on his Twitter account. — Reuters pic

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 12 — Malaysia deported a Saudi Arabian blogger today, police said, despite fears voiced by human rights groups that he could face execution in his home country over Twitter comments he made that were deemed insulting to the Prophet Mohammad.

Hamza Kashgari, a 23-year-old columnist, sparked outrage in the oil-rich kingdom with comments posted on the Prophet’s birthday a week ago that led some Islamic clerics to call for him to face the death penalty.

Kashgari fled the country, but was arrested by police in majority-Muslim Malaysia on Thursday as he transited through Kuala Lumpur International Airport.

“The Saudi writer was repatriated to his home country this Sunday morning,” a police spokesman told Reuters. “This is an internal Saudi matter that we cannot comment on.”

Malaysia has a close affinity with many Middle Eastern nations through their shared religion. But it is also a US ally and a leading global voice for moderate Islam, meaning that the decision to extradite Kashgari is certain to be controversial.

“Saudi clerics have already made up their mind that Kashgari is an apostate who must face punishment,” Christoph Wilcke, senior Middle East researcher at Human Rights Watch, said in a statement on Friday.

“The Malaysian government should not be complicit in sealing Kashgari’s fate by sending him back.”

Kashgari’s lawyer in Malaysia, Mohammad Noor, told Reuters by telephone that he had obtained a court order to prevent the deportation, but had not been allowed to see his client.

“If the government of Malaysia deports him to Saudi Arabia, disrespecting the court order, this is clearly contempt of court, unlawful and unacceptable,” he said.

The Star newspaper quoted Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein as saying that Kashgari had been repatriated and that the charges against him would be decided by Saudi authorities.

“Malaysia has a longstanding arrangement by which individuals wanted by one country are extradited when detained by the other,” he was quoted as saying.

Blasphemy is a crime punishable by execution under Saudi Arabia’s strict interpretation of Islamic syariah law. It is not a capital crime in Malaysia.

Reuters could not verify Kashgari’s comments because he later deleted them, but media reported that one of them reflected his contradictory views of the Prophet — that he both loved and hated him.

Kashgari later said in an interview that he was being made a “scapegoat for a larger conflict” over his comments. — Reuters

Kashgari deportation unlawful and cruel, says PKR veep

Surendran accused the authorities of rushing the blogger’s deportation in order to circumvent the legal process. — File pic

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 12 — PKR vice president N. Surendran denounced the federal government for sending Saudi Arabian Hamza Kashgari home today, where he will likely be executed for alleged blasphemy.

“The deportation was unlawful, unconstitutional and a cruel act. The deportation was carried out in an unholy haste in order to defeat the legal process in Malaysia,” he said in a statement.

Surendran pointed out that a High Court had convened unusually on a Sunday to issue an interim order barring the deportation.

“The issuance of the order meant that the High Court judge had found basis in Hamza’s complaint that he was being illegally held by Malaysian authorities and that his deportation would be unlawful,” he said.

The human rights lawyer said there was no basis for the Malaysian government to deport Hamza as there is no extradition treaty between Malaysia and Saudi Arabia.

Surendran added that the offence the blogger is accused of does not attract capital punishment in Malaysia.

He said the deportation was in breach of Malaysia’s legal norms and constitutional principles. It also violated international law and human rights instruments, including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, continued Surendran.

“Prime Minister Najib Razak must be held accountable for this unlawful and arbitrary action by his government and must answer for the black mark upon Malaysia’s international reputation,” he demanded.

Faith is not a bottle of vodka martini

Najib's Islamic faith can neither be shaken nor stirred.
COMMENT

Faith is a belief system that comes from within. It is not something that can be, to paraphrase Britain’s fictitious spy, James Bond’s famous line, “shaken not stirred”.

In short, Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak’s faith in Islam is not a bottle of vodka martini.

Yes I am writing this in response to Perak mufti Harussani Zakaria’s remarks over Najib’s visit to Batu Caves in conjunction with Thaipusam.

An online media report quoted Harussani as saying: “Najib’s visit is blasphemous. I have been telling this to him for years.”

It also quoted Harussani as saying that Najib “sacrificed his faith” and that it was an “idolatrous act” on Najib’s part when he attended the Thapusam festival on Tuesday.

Najib has been visiting Batu Caves for the past three years.

How can Najib’s Islamic faith be shaken and stirred when his motive of being there is purely political, not religious?

He was there to announce about the funds for the temple and additional Tamil schools, hence Harussani’s contention that Najib joined Thaipusam celebration does not hold water.

From a political perspective, one can decipher Najib’s “nambikei” (trust) speech as a bait for election.

At the end of the day, Najib & Co must obtain the people’s trust to form the next government at the 13th general election.

Harussani does not need to do so since his appointment as mufti, by convention, is done by the sultan.

It is also vital for Najib to be present in Batu Caves, Selangor, since 52% of the voters in Selangor are non-Malays.

My second point would look at the issue from the Islamic perspective.

Islam is a religion of reason

The Islamic civilisation had world reknowned scholars such as Avicenna because arguments are based on facts and Muslim scholars then were able to reason.

Unfortunately, Harussani has not given any reasoning in lashing out at Najib.

Based on the news report, Harussani also did not present his argument by using the four sources of Islamic as his basis for argument. The four are Al- Quran, As-Sunnah, Ijma and Qiyas.

The Sunnah are actions and quotations of Prophet Muhammad that is recorded in the Hadith.

Ijma is the general consensus among Muslim jurists (ulama) on a particular issue whereas qiyas refers to process of legal deduction where jurists are allowed to argue by using the Quran and Sunnah.

As a mufti which is equivalent to the top most religious official, Harussani’s statement is detrimental to Malaysian Muslims as it gives the impression that the faith of the Muslims can be shaken and stirred.

It also serves to belittle Islam to the Western world that has not wholly come out of Islamophobia since the 9/11 incident in 2011 where Muslim terrorists crashed two airlines onto the World Trade Center in America.

Saudi journalist deported; court order comes too late

Injunction order obtained by Malaysian lawyers acting for Kashgari's family came too late to stop the deportation.
FULL REPORT

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia today deported a young Saudi journalist wanted in his home country over a Twitter post about the Prophet Mohammed, defying pleas from human rights group who said he faced execution.

Hamza Kashgari, who was detained in Malaysia on Thursday after fleeing Saudi Arabia, has now left the country, national police spokesman Ramli Yoosuf said.

“He was deported to Saudi Arabia,” Ramli told AFP. A government offical said Kashgari was escorted back to his home country by Saudi officials.

“He has been deported. He was picked up by Saudi officials at the airport,” said the source who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Kashgari fled to Malaysia after making comments on the microblogging site deemed insulting to the Prophet Mohammed, which triggered outrage and death threats.

Insulting the prophet is considered blasphemous in Islam and is a crime punishable by execution in Saudi Arabia.

Kashgari’s detention sparked outrage from human rights groups, with Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch urging Malaysia not to send him back to face severe punishment and possibly a death sentence.

Malaysian rights activist Fadiah Nadwa Fikri condemned the move, saying that a court order to prevent Kashgari’s deportation was secured Sunday but that immigration authorities advised he had already been deported.

“It is a blatant violation of the law and human rights,” she said.

Fadiah said Kashgari’s mother and brother had arrived in Malaysia to seek his release and were distraught at the news of his repatriation.

“They are very distressed. They broke down in tears. They fear for his safety,” she said, adding that they will also return to Saudi Arabia Sunday.

Fadiah said Kashgari had been intending to travel to New Zealand where he planned to seek asylum. He flew to Malaysia via Jordan and was in transit when he was detained.

“He flew to Malaysia because there was no visa requirement,” she said.

Malaysia and Saudi Arabia do not have a formal extradition treaty but have close ties as fellow Muslim countries.

Long-standing arrangement

The home ministry defended its stance earlier Sunday.

“Malaysia has a long-standing arrangement by which individuals wanted by one country are extradited when detained by the other, and (Kashgari) will be repatriated under this arrangement,” it said in a statement.

“The nature of the charges against the individual in this case are a matter for the Saudi Arabian authorities.”

Human Rights Watch senior Middle East researcher Christoph Wilcke had said Saturday that Malaysia should not be “complicit in sealing Kashgari’s fate by sending him back”, where he would be unlikely to face a fair trial.

Kashgari’s controversial tweet sparked tens of thousands of responses, according to an online service that tracks Twitter postings in the Arab world.

He tweeted: “I have loved things about you and I have hated things about you and there is a lot I don’t understand about you.

“I will not pray for you.”

Kashgari apologised but a committee of top clerics branded him “an “infidel” and demanded he be tried in an Islamic court, while a Saudi Facebook page calling for his execution has attracted thousands of followers.

- AFP

‘Najib guilty of blatant abuse of power’

DAP veteran Karpal Singh accuses the PM of misusing government facilities to canvass for votes and criticises the AG for keeping silent.

GEORGE TOWN: DAP chairman Karpal Singh has slammed Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak of kickstarting his election campaign trail early by misusing government facilities and paraphernalia.

He questioned why the Attorney-General’s Chambers had not pressed any charges against Najib, who is also the Barisan Nasional chairman and Umno president, for blatant abuse of power.

He noted that Najib had been using government facilities to canvass votes across the country for BN and Umno.

Karpal rebuked Najib’s use of government transportation, bodyguards, state-sponsored functions and civil servants in his current nationwide ala election tour had infringed the election laws.

“This is blatant abuse of power and violation of election rules. I wonder why the AG has not taken any action. Why is the AG so silent and allows the prime minister to get away with it?” he asked.

AG quick to act against Pakatan leaders

Comparatively, he said the AG Chambers had been quick in taking action against Pakatan Rakyat leaders, even for merely suggesting that the Sultan of Perak could be sued.

Karpal noted that the Federal Constitution provisions allowed the royalty to be sued in certain issues.

“However, I am being charged with sedition for making a legal suggestion during the height of the Perak constitutional crisis,” he added.

Pointing out that Pakatan was a government in waiting, he cautioned Attorney-General Abdul Gani Patail to carry out his public duty without fear or favour.

“The AG should be reminded that he is being watched closely,” said Karpal.

The DAP veteran also slammed MCA for making false claims that DAP supported PAS’ Islamic agenda.

MCA, he said, had resorted to the cheap political stunts of 1999 to avoid being completely wiped out in the next general election.

In 1999, he added, MCA deceived the people by ridiculing DAP’s electoral links with PAS.

As a result, he said the party suffered major electoral reverses including his and party adviser Lim Kit Siang’s shock parliamentary defeats.

“DAP has always categorically opposed PAS’ agenda of forming an Islamic state and implementing the hudud laws. MCA should stop the lies,” he added.

Who the fuck are you to tell me what to do?

My reasons as to why I wanted a change of government back in 1978, 1982, 1986, 1990, 1995, 1999 and 2004 remain the same. That has not changed. I am not prepared to tolerate slight corruption. I am not prepared to tolerate slight racism. I am not prepared to tolerate slight extremism. I am not prepared to tolerate slight intolerance. I am not prepared to tolerate slight Talibanism. I am not prepared to tolerate slight whatever it may be.
NO HOLDS BARRED
Raja Petra Kamarudin
The year was 1976, mid-January to be exact. Tun Razak Hussein (current Prime Minister Najib’s father) had just died and Tun Hussein Dato’ Onn had just taken over as Prime Minister. I had just migrated to Kuala Terengganu barely two years before that in 1974.
There was a raging debate going on as to who will take over as Hussein Onn’s new Deputy. There were many theories and many names. I said: Dr Mahathir Mohamad. There was a minute of silence while everyone pondered on my choice before all shook their heads and said ‘no way’.
Dr Mahathir became Deputy Prime Minister and that launched my new ‘career’ as a political observer, analyst, commenter, and whatnot.
That was 36 years ago. I was only 26 then. Hence for more than half my life I have been doing what some would call ‘shit-stirring’.
It was a couple of years later that I first met Tok Guru Ayah Cik (Hadi Awang) in his house in Rusila. He had just come back from his studies in the Middle East. I liked Tok Guru the instant I met him. From then on I would make many trips to the Rusila mosque to hear Tok Guru’s usrahs (lectures) and kutbahs (sermons) about the struggles and sacrifices of Muslim freedom fighters over more than 1,000 years.
Then, in 1979, the Islamic Revolution of Iran exploded and I became ‘inspired’. I visualised a similar Islamic revolution in Malaysia. When a delegation of the Islamic Revolutionary Council came to Malaysia I attended the gathering and when they told us that the purpose of their trip was to export the Iranian Revolution to Malaysia my hair stood on end. I was practically getting an orgasm.
Well, I was only 29 then and at 29 you are always idealistic and a great romantic, if you know what I mean.
Anwar Ibrahim had been detained under the Internal Security Act in 1974 and was spending his time in Kamunting. On his release 20 months later he took his ABIM, which was formed in 1971, on a road show all over Malaysia.
The last I had seen Anwar was back in 1965 when I was still in school, the Malay College Kuala Kangsar. So it was more than fourteen years since I had last seen him. Now Anwar was visiting Kuala Terengganu and was speaking at a PAS ceramah and I just had to go listen to him.

I was smitten. Anwar moved me to tears. Anwar spoke about an Islamic revolution. Anwar was my hero, my alma mater, my prefect in school, and he was going to lead us on a jihad so that we can fight and die for Islam and get to go straight to heaven where 72 virgins were awaiting us. (Well, I did say I was idealistic and a romantic at that age).
In 1981, Dr Mahathir ousted Hussein Onn and took over as Prime Minister. In 1982, Anwar broke our heart when he joined Umno. This was the same party he had been condemning as ahli neraka (members of hell). Now he was joining these same people we had sworn to defeat even if we have to die doing so.
A couple of months later I went to Mekah with a few PAS leaders. I met up with Mustapha Ali, Fadzil Noor, and a few others and spent a week discussing Malaysian politics and Anwar’s betrayal to the cause. I also joined an anti-Saudi-anti-US demonstration organised by the Iranians.
Man, was it huge. There were easily more than 100,000 people. We practically took over the streets of Mekah. The Saudi army with guns just stood there and did not dare shoot at us. (The following year they did shoot and thousands from both sides died: but I missed that one…sigh….)
Soon after I returned from Mekah the Special Branch called me in. The Director told me that I had been identified as a threat to Umno and was just one step short of detention under the ISA. I was told to report back to the Kuala Terengganu police station the following day at 7.00am.
The following day they brought me to the Menteri Besar’s residence. Wan Mokhtar Ahmad, the MB, told me that they do not want to take action against me because I am the nephew of the Tengku Ampuan of Terengganu. But they warned me that if they were forced to detain me they would do so. Hence, I had better tone down my anti-Umno activities.
A few days later a judge phoned me and asked whether we could have lunch. I did not know this judge but had heard his name mentioned many times (he was a very close friend of a very close friend in ABIM).
We met for lunch at the Primula and the judge told me that the government wanted to detain me under the ISA but he had warned them not to. He said he had told them that since I was the nephew of the Tengku Ampuan that may cause a conflict between Umno and the palace. He suggested they just talk to me.
That explained why I was called in to meet the Director of the Terengganu Special Branch and the following day brought to meet the MB in his house.
I, of course, never did tone down. In fact, I did the opposite. I spoke to Tok Guru Ayah Chik and arranged to bring him to Kuala Lumpur. I told him that PAS should not remain just a kampong party. It needs to penetrate the urban areas and the big city. PAS needs to gain acceptance from the city dwellers and the non-Malays. If not, it will never become a national party and get to form the federal government.
Tok Guru’s first ‘big city’ ceramah was held in Masjid Mujahideen in Damansara Utama in 1983. The crowd was huge. Never before had that mosque seen so many people. From then on it became a monthly affair and PAS was soon on the way to conquering the city. Of course, it took 25 years before that would happen, as the 2008 general election proved. But it did eventually bear fruit. PAS is now a national party.
No doubt I now no longer believe in the Iranian Revolution. I also no longer believe that Malaysia should be turned into ‘The Islamic Republic of Malaysia’. I am now 62, not 32. But I sill believe in PAS as I did 36 years ago in 1976.
And, sure, I am critical of PAS. I whack them when they want to bar Elton John from singing in Genting. I whack them when they confiscate beers in Seven-Elevens. I whack them when they ask the government to ban Valentine’s Day celebrations. And so on and so forth.
And, sure, many of you whack me for whacking the opposition. But who the fuck are you to tell me what to do? I have earned my right to whack the opposition.
Where were you back in the 1970s? Many of you were not even born yet then.
Who were you supporting back in the 1970s? Many of you supported Barisan Nasional and voted for the ruling party in 1978, 1982, 1986, 1990, 1995, 1999 and 2004. Only now, in 2008, did you vote for the opposition. And just because you voted opposition in ONE election you feel you have earned the monopoly to talk about the opposition and no one else should talk, especially if it is talk that is critical of the opposition.
Many wakil rakyat (members of parliament and state assemblypersons) who won in 208 were not even in politics yet in the 1970s. Hell, many were not even born yet then. But now that they are the wakil rakyat (because we voted for them, mind you) they feel we have no right to criticise them or chide them.
Let me make one thing very clear. We opposed Barisan Nasional and Umno back when Hussein Onn was the Prime Minister and Dr Mahathir Mohamad the Deputy Prime Minister because they were evil. They were corrupted. They were racists. They did not allow freedom of speech. They violated the Federal Constitution of Malaysia.
Of course, they were not that bad then, back in the 1970s. They were only a shade of what they are today.  But we still opposed them nevertheless. But many of you did not oppose them. In 1978, 1982, 1986, 1990, 1995, 1999 and 2004 you voted for them. While we tried to kick them out you voted for them.
My reasons as to why I wanted a change of government back in 1978, 1982, 1986, 1990, 1995, 1999 and 2004 remain the same. That has not changed. I am not prepared to tolerate slight corruption. I am not prepared to tolerate slight racism. I am not prepared to tolerate slight extremism. I am not prepared to tolerate slight intolerance. I am not prepared to tolerate slight Talibanism. I am not prepared to tolerate slight whatever it may be.
That was what you all said in 1978, 1982, 1986, 1990, 1995, 1999 and 2004. You were prepared to tolerate corruption, racism, extremism, intolerance, Talibanism, etc., as long as it is slight. Now that slight has become major. Now it is impossible to eradicate corruption, racism, extremism, intolerance, Talibanism, and more. Now is it almost impossible to kick Barisan Nasional and Umno out. You have allowed them to get a strong grip on the country that it is now almost impossible to kick them out.
I can see that many Chinese are prepared to accept the slight corruption and slight everything else in the interest of kicking out a Malay government. This sounds like this is not about eradicating corruption but about kicking out the Malays. From where I am sitting this sounds like it is about Ketuanan Cina versus Ketuanan Melayu.
Yeah, sure, the Chinese are practical and realistic people, not like the Malays who are emotional. The Chinese can accept slight corruption as long as Umno is kicked out. Just make sure the money is in a red and not white envelope.
Do you know that another word for realism is hypocrisy?

Greece set to agree to bailout as Germany demands action

By Harry Papachristou and Matt Robinson - Reuters

ATHENS (Reuters) – Greek lawmakers looked set to agree to a deeply unpopular bailout deal on Sunday to avert what Prime Minister Lucas Papademos warned would be “economic chaos,” and Germany demanded Athens dramatically change its ways to stay in the euro.

The austerity bill sets out 3.3 billion euros ($4.35 billion) in wage, pension and job cuts as the price of a 130-billion-euro rescue package from the European Union and International Monetary Fund – Greece’s second since 2010.

Greece needs the funds before March 20 to meet debt repayments of 14.5 billion euros and the bill has stirred anger on the streets and turmoil within the coalition government.

Addressing the nation late on Saturday, Papademos warned that failure to back the bill would mean a disorderly default and “set the country on a disastrous adventure.”

“It would create conditions of uncontrolled economic chaos and social explosion,” he said.

“The country would be drawn into a vortex of recession, instability, unemployment and protracted misery and this would sooner or later lead the country out of the euro.”

Greece’s Communist Party accused him of “lying and scaremongering.”

But euro zone paymaster Germany ratcheted up the pressure, saying Europe needed action, not words.

“The promises from Greece aren’t enough for us any more,” German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble said in an interview published on Sunday in Welt am Sonntag newspaper.

German opinion polls show a majority of Germans are willing to help, Schaeuble said, “but it’s important to say that it cannot be a bottomless pit.

“That’s why the Greeks have to finally close that pit. And then we can put something in there. At least people are now starting to realize it won’t work with a bottomless pit.”

“Greece needs to do its own homework to become competitive – whether that happens in conjunction with a new rescue program or by another route that we actually don’t want to take…”

When asked if that other “route” meant Greece would have to leave the euro zone, Schaeuble said: “That is all in the hands of the Greeks themselves. But even in the event (Greece leaves the euro zone), which almost no one assumes will happen, they will still remain part of Europe.”

DIRE WARNINGS, STORMY DEBATE

He said that the rescue efforts for Greece were proving more difficult than efforts to unify Germany in 1990.

“The reason is the realization that there is a need for change, and change dramatically, still needs to develop further with a lot of people in Greece.”

The 300-seat parliament is due to begin debating the bill at 2 p.m. (1200 GMT) before a vote expected late in the evening.

Demonstrators have pledged to turn out in force at 6 p.m. (1600 GMT) on the main square in front of the assembly, although rainy weather may limit the numbers of protesters.

The austerity measures include 300 million euros in pension cuts and a 22 percent reduction in the minimum wage from about 750 euros a month.

The bill aims to cut Greece’s bloated state sector workforce by about 150,000 people by 2015.

It also provides for a bond swap to ease Greece’s debt burden by cutting the real value of private investors’ bond holdings by some 70 percent.

On a day of dire warnings and stormy debate on Saturday, leaders of the ruling coalition told uneasy lawmakers to support the bill or be dropped from party lists for an election that could come by April.

At least 20 deputies from the two main parties in the Papademos coalition threatened on Saturday to vote ‘No’ – but the bulk of the coalition’s 236 MPs are still all but certain to approve the package. Six members of his cabinet have resigned.

Finance Minister Evangelos Venizelos said the deal had to be approved by Sunday or the country would miss a February 17 deadline to offer the debt “haircut” to its private-sector bondholders.

Euro zone finance ministers also expect Greece to explain by then how 325 million euros from this year’s total budget cuts, as yet unspecified, will be achieved before it agrees to the bailout.

Bailout documents released on Friday left blank the amount of the full rescue package, and Venizelos said Greece might need 15 billion euros more to save the country’s banks, confirming estimates from EU officials.

The EU and IMF say they will not release the aid without clear commitments by the main party leaders that reforms will be implemented, whoever wins the next election.

Hearing date set for ex-professor

The Star

KUALA LUMPUR: The High Court has set Sept 24 and Sept 25 to hear former Universiti Islam Antarabangsa (UIA) law professor Dr Abdul Aziz Bari’s defamation suit against Kulim Bandar Baru MP Datuk Zulkifli Noordin and Utusan Melayu (M) Bhd.

High Court judge Justice Zabariah Mohd Yusof fixed the date after issuing orders for the parties in chambers yesterday.

Lawyer Azhana Mohd Khairudin acted for the professor while counsel Rohanidah Shafie appeared on behalf of Utusan.

Rohanidah later said the judge had ordered the parties to file various documents including statement of agreed facts and issues to be tried by April 13.

She said the judge had set April 17 for case management of the civil suit.

Dr Abdul Aziz sued Zulkifli and Utusan for allegedly defaming him in relation to his remarks on the Sultan of Selangor’s decree over a church raid.

He also named Utusan Malaysia group editor-in-chief Datuk Aziz Ishak as a defendant in the defamation suit.

In his lawsuit, Dr Abdul Aziz said Zulkifli had on Oct 17 last year uttered slanderous words against him, which were published in the Utusan Malaysia newspaper the next day.

He said the words implied that he was rude and not qualified to be a lecturer or a professor.

He said the publication had caused him to suffer embarrassment, humiliation and torment in terms of dignity, credibility, character and reputation.

Dr Abdul Aziz said he had been insulted and ridiculed among society by the article.

He said Zulkifli had uttered such words which were published by Utusan on purpose, without any cross-checks and without considering his dignity.

He said he had sent a notice to the defendants to withdraw the allegations, apologise to him and pay damages but they did not.

In the statement of claim, filed on Dec 22 last year, he is seeking general, exemplary and aggravated damages, costs and further relief deemed fit by the court.

He is asking the High Court to direct the defendants to apologise to him and retract all defamatory words in the newspaper within 24 hours from the court order.

Malaysian Students Scramble Through Window As Roof Collapses

JAKARTA, Feb 12 (Bernama) -- Thirty female students, including 11 Malaysians scrambled to safety through the back window of their two-storey house in Grogol, North Jakarta when its front roof collapsed during a heavy downpour last night.

Neighbours came to their rescue by broking the window.

One of the Malaysian students, Nor Ubudiah Seti said they took some personal items and documents with them as they scrambled to safety.

"We heard a very loud noise from outside the home as if a cement truck had overturned before neighbours shouted to us to leave the house as the front roof had collapsed.

"We could not get out of the front door as it was blocked by debris from the collapsed roof and climbed out of the window," said Nor Ubudiah, a fourth-year medical student at Trisakti University here, Sunday.

The Malaysian students were putting up with their friends nearby and turned down an arrangement made by Malaysian Education Attache and First Secretary (Education) Ludinata Misnun to house them at the Malaysia Hall.

According to the students, the Malaysia Hall located in South Jakarta is very far from Trisakti University in North Jakarta and moreover they would be sitting for an examination this weekend.

‘Dr Rosmah’ and Curtin University

Back in Australia after a New Year’s jaunt in Sydney, Rosmah was awarded an honorary doctorate at Curtin University’s Bentley campus in Perth yesterday.

Rosmah receiving her honorary doctorate from Chancellor of Curtin University Jim Gill. Photograph: Bernama

Rosmah received her scroll along with 600 other graduating students.
What are Curtin University’s links to Malaysia?
In 2010, the Malaysian Qualifications Agency granted Curtin University of Technology in Sarawak self-accreditation status following an institutional audit that included a visit by an MQA panel of auditors to the university campus. The campus was opened in Miri in 1998.
Curtin Sarawak has received various sources of funding in Malaysia:

In August 2003, Curtin Sarawak became the first international university in Malaysia to be entitled to access the prestigious IRPA grants (“Intensification for Research in Priority Areas”) of the Ministry of Science, Technology and the Environment.
In December 2004, researchers at Curtin Sarawak were awarded their first IRPA grant.
In addition to sources of funding from the Federal Government, Curtin Sarawak has also access to funds from the Sarawak State Government as well as from various industrial partners.

If this is true, why are public funds going to a foreign university when many schools in Sarawak don’t even have basic facilities? How much has Curtin received in total?
In addition, the Sarawak government’s BioValley Park Project is to be developed at the Curtin Sarawak campus. The project is supposed to boost R&D to meet the state’s technological needs, particularly for the Sarawak Corridor of Renewable Energy (Score).
Curtin Sarawak is also associated with the Sarawak leadership.
From the Curtin website:

Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Dr George Chan, who is also the chairman of the Curtin Sarawak Council, said the first phase of the project spearheaded by the state Ministry of Industrial Development will be developed on a 10-acre site at the campus.

The Perth Now website reports:

LAST time Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak visited Perth, he was met with angry protests during the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting.
Today, it was a far more peaceful visit as he slipped into Curtin University on a hush-hush private visit with his wife, who accepted an honorary doctorate…
The Prime Minister’s last visit to Perth for CHOGM in October was met with angry protests when a “Bersihkan Malaysia” group held a rally in Forrest Place to campaign for electoral reforms in Malaysia.

Temples, shops of Hindus attacked at Hathazari

Chittagong, Feb 10 (bdnews24.com) – Authorities clamped Section 144 banning public gathering at Hathazari on Friday amid mounting tensions after several Hindu temples were vandalised and torched there.

Local people claimed religious bigots of Jamaat-e-Islami and its student wing Chhatra Shibir incited the vandalism and arson of the temples from Thursday evening to Friday noon.

Tensions that boiled over into violence originated Thursday morning following rumours that a mosque had been attacked. Allegations have it that houses of Hindus in the area were also attacked. The leaders of the Hindu minority there blamed the 'indifference' of the administration for the situation.



Another group of people took to the Chittagong-Rangamati road blocking traffic from Nandirhat to Hathazari Sadar upazila around 11am Friday. They also said their Friday prayers on the road.

They alleged a mosque had allegedly been hurled with brick bats from a procession of Loknath Sebashram Thursday morning. The blockaders demanded arrest of those linked with 'hurling brick bats on the mosque'.

After simmering tensions through the day, primary and mass education minister Afsarul Ameen, city Awami League president A B M Mohiuddin Chowdhury, Chittagong Development Board chairman Abdus Salam and city Awami League's joint secretary Ibrahim Hossain Chowdhury Babul went to the area and calmed the agitated locals in the afternoon.

"Tensions mounted following a misunderstanding. Security in temples and mosques in the area has been strengthened and the law enforcers have been alerted," Ameen said.

Chittagong district deputy commissioner Faiz Ahmed told reporters about the ban on public assembly through the imposition of Section 144.

"Police will take action if they see any gathering," he said.

TIT FOR TAT: THE ORIGIN

According to the local people, Hindus in the area took out a procession to celebrate the founding anniversary of Loknath Sebasram Thursday morning.

They used microphone and drums in the procession.

When the procession was passing a mosque, Muslims in the mosque forbade them to drums. At one stage, someone hurled a brick bat on the procession.

An altercation took place at once which turned into chase and counter-chase when someone from the procession responded by throwing a brick bat.

Police organised a meeting between the two parties which was allegedly delayed with ill-intention. A group of Muslims said that the meeting will be held in the mosque and the Hindus agreed.

The meeting started in the evening. Requesting anonymity, several of those who attended the meeting told bdnews24.com that a handful of miscreants vandalised a temple on the Loknath Sebasram premises when the meeting was underway.

They also vandalised seven to eight cars of the temple's visitors.

Puja Udjapon Committee convenor Ashok Kumar Deb told bdnews24.com that someone broke a windowpane of the mosque after the incident in the morning and a rumour that Hindus vandalised the mosque spread in the area.

On Friday morning, temples in the area were vandalised and shops owned by Hindus were torched and looted after madrasa students in the area gathered following an announcement through a PA system.

A bdnews24.com correspondent in Chittagong said he saw tell-tale signs of vandalism in three other temples in the area. They are the Sri Sri Jagadeshwari Ma Temple and Jagannath Bigroho Temple at Nandirhat and Kalibari Temple at Sadar upazila.

The Sri Sri Jagadeshwari Ma Temple was burnt, too.

JAMAAT-SHIBIR BLAMED

Many of the people in the area said a quarter is provoking the incident and Zila Parishad administrator M A Salam pointed the finger at Jamaat-e-Islami and its student wing Islami Chhatra Shibir.

As the area is only three kilometres away from the Chittagong University (CU), many of the leaders and activists of Chhatra Shibir's CU unit live there.

Moreover, the largest madrasa of the country is located in the area and Shibir allegedly controls it.

Zila Parishad administrator Salam said adequate police were not deployed in the area to tackle the situation after Thursday's incident.

Salam, an Awami League leader, said Jamaat and Shibir leaders were fuelling the tension to destabilise the situation after CU was ordered shut on Wednesday following deaths of two Shibir men in clashes with activists of pro-government students.

Hathazari Thana BNP chief S M Fazlul Haque blamed the administration for the unpleasant events.

"The situation would not have been like this in the first place had the administration been on alert at the beginning," he said.

Haque added that all local supporters and activists of BNP were asked to work together to protect communal harmony in the locality.

Local MP and Jatiya Party presidium member Anisul Islam Mahmud went to the area in the morning but failed to get the situation any better.

The disturbing developments prevented the annual festival of the Loknath Temple to begin Friday morning. A large number of Rapid Action Battalion members and police have been deployed there.

bdnews24.com/corr/mu/mc/ost/bd/2345h  

Hindu Sangam and Malaysian temple authorities should revamp Hindu festivals.

By Saravanan,

Malaysian Indian forum are shocked with some photographs of Thaipusam and complains from the festivals. Thaipusam is a Hindu festival celebrated mostly by the Tamil community on the full moon in the Tamil month of Thai (Jan/Feb). Pusam refers to a star that is at its highest point during the festival. The festival commemorates both the birthday of Lord Murugan, the youngest son of Shiva and Parvati, and the occasion when Parvati gave Murugan a vel (spear) so he could vanquish the evil demon Soorapadman. According to the true story of Thaipusam it is more of devotion and love towards Lord Muruga. In all Hindu scriptures surrendering to the lord was well emphasized but in recent times the celebration of spiritual festivals has been turned to fun fair.

Mr.Arvind Raj, A senior member says “The truth about Batu caves is, it has no system at all, everyone implement their own rules!” During such festivals garbage is thrown everywhere and the atmosphere doesn’t reflect a holy place. The festival has been turned to be a fun fair without the real motive of the Thaipusam. Since it is a holy festival, we are suggesting the Hindu Sangam and Maha Mariamman authorities to make traditional dresses as compulsory for devotees. Man should wear dhoti or least kurta and for women Saree or Chudithar should be the dress code. We got multiple complaints that women are wearing sexy cloths like short pants or tights till uphill. Our religion never taught to wear sexy dresses to temples and these dress guidelines will steadily make the Indians aligned to customs and culture of holy place.

During this Thaipusam, we were extremely shocked with 2 kavadis which were carried with Manchester United football club logo and with DAP logo. It is high time to control superstitious worship and back to the real thaipusam. Many of our members are asking for immediate action.
Many were observed that why this kolavery (Tamil song) was widely used for kavadi dance. Youngsters never been taught about the history and importance of such festival for many years. And eventually festivals are turned more like a street dance festival.

The policeman even stopped devotees (especially kids and women) who were holding Pal Kudam, Kavadis from entering the main gates and diverts them through the exit gate as the main gate is blocked for the Prime Minister Najib. The policemen should have arranged for alternate routes for devotes before blocking them and should have managed the crowd better.

I personally have seen the same festival in the same shape 30 years ago and now in 2012 also we are seeing the same. It is high time for the authorities to intervene and take stern action in future to make this festival showcasing our true Tamil culture and customs.

Passing assets to Bumi elites a return to Dr M’s failed policies, MPs say

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 10 — Lawmakers across the political divide are wary of Putrajaya’s move to

Umno supreme council member Datuk Bung Mokhtar Radin gave the example of Khazanah’s MAS-AirAsia share swap as a deal that resulted in the public suffering. — file pic

transfer 10 non-core businesses from Khazanah Nasional Bhd and Permodalan Nasional Bhd to Bumiputera companies.

They say it mirrors the failed Mahathir-era plan to groom Bumiputera entrepreneurs in the 1990s.

While Barisan Nasional (BN) MPs support efforts to grow Bumiputera equity, which stood at 22 per cent in February last year, short of the 30 per cent target set by the government, they told The Malaysian Insider it has so far benefited only a handful of “crony elites.”

Umno supreme council member Datuk Bung Mokhtar Radin said “the government must be transparent as to which Bumiputera company is being selected to ensure the national interest is served.”

“If we keep feeding the same Ali Babas which we’ve already helped, then this doesn’t help anything,” the Kinabatangan MP said, referring to Khazanah’s recent divestment of its 32 and 42.7 per cent stake in Pos Malaysia and Proton respectively to DRB-Hicom, controlled by Tan Sri Syed Mokhtar al-Bukhary.

The state investment arm had announced last month the sale of its shares in the national carmaker for RM1.3 billion, which followed from the RM623 million divestment in Pos Malaysia to Malaysia’s richest Bumiputera entrepreneur.

Bung Mokhtar also added that Khazanah handing over 20.5 per cent of Malaysia Airlines (MAS) in exchange for a 10 per cent stake in AirAsia was another deal that resulted in the public suffering.

His Umno colleague Datuk Nur Jazlan Mohamed also said “this is nothing new and has been done for the past 40 years under the New Economic Policy (NEP).”

“If you compare with Mahathir’s time, instead of Mr Halim and Mr Tajuddin, read Mr Syed Mokhtar,” said Pulai MP Datuk Nur Jazlan Mohamed, referring to the two poster boys of Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s now discredited policy of nurturing a class of Malay corporate captains on government largesse.

Tan Sri Tajuddin Tamli, Tan Sri Halim Saad and others flew high in the 1990s but their true mettle was tested during the Asian financial crisis. Nearly all of them fared poorly.

Tajuddin helmed MAS from 1994-2001, after which it was renationalised as it struggled under a mountain of debt.

Halim’s Renong was also the subject of a reported RM10 billion bailout by the government which was completed after Tun Abdullah Badawi became prime minister in 2003.

PAS vice president Datuk Mahfuz Omar said that “the government seems to have a habit of handing over profitable businesses to its cronies who are incompetent.” — file pic

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak said yesterday the divested entities will be awarded to Bumiputera companies that have good potential to grow after an open evaluation process.

Last year, Khazanah made a total of eight divestments which brought in proceeds of RM7.7 billion and helped to push the company’s profit before tax for the full year to RM5.3 billion from RM3 billion in 2010.

This included the complete privatisation of PLUS Bhd through a joint acquisition by UEM Group Bhd and the Employees’ Provident Fund (EPF).

But DAP strategist Liew Chin Tong told The Malaysian Insider today that “the government cannot say functions like postal services are ‘non-core’ when everyone depends on them.”

“A private company will try to make profit whereas the government can help keep the cost of this basic amenity low. Even if Khazanah makes a profit from Pos Malaysia, it goes back into the taxpayers’ coffers.

“None of this helps the bottom 40 per cent of society, nearly three-quarters of whom are Bumiputera,” the Bukit Bendera MP said, referring to households earning RM1,500 per month or less.

PAS vice president Datuk Mahfuz Omar also said that “the government seems to have a habit of handing over profitable businesses to its cronies who are incompetent, and then being forced to nationalise the losses when these cronies fail.”

“And then they say that is in the national service because it is a key function. Look at how we’ve bailed out Renong and MAS,” the Pokok Sena MP said.

Najib ‘sacrificed his faith’ to attend Thaipusam do, says Perak Mufti

Najib (centre, left) and Rosmah (centre, right) wave to the crowd from within a flower garland during the Thaipusam celebrations at Batu Caves, February 7, 2011. — Picture by Choo Choy May

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 10 — Perak Mufti Tan Sri Harussani Zakaria today expressed his dismay over the prime minister’s decision to “sacrifice his faith” to attend Thaipusam celebrations at Batu Caves recently.

Harussani said even though he advised Datuk Seri Najib Razak every year not to join such events, the Barisan Nasional (BN) chief appeared not to place much importance on his faith or Islam.

“It’s an idolatrous act. I don’t know why this happened... when we don’t join in the celebrations of other races in their houses of worship.

“The prime minister should have sent a Hindu minister to take his place... as Muslims cannot be involved in other religions’ festivities,” he told The Malaysian Insider.

Harussani added that the minister in charge of Islamic affairs or a religious advisor should have advised Najib not to attend the event held two days ago.

“We cannot join in (on other religions’ celebrations). They perform religious rituals, and as Muslims, we cannot be present,” he said, adding that going to open houses was acceptable but not places of worship.

On Tuesday, Najib attended the annual Thaipusam festival at Batu Caves — his third visit in as many years — where he announced an allocation of RM2 million to build a cultural centre in the area.

Najib, who wore a yellow kurta and was joined by his wife, Datuk Seri Rosmah Mansor, had said he was happy to join in the festivities.

‘Election reforms still not enough’

NGOs say that despite the reforms the Election Commission has a long way to go to win over people's confidence.

PETALING JAYA: The Election Commission (EC) has made some changes to the electoral process but NGOs say it is not enough.

In the last two months, the EC has been announcing a slew of changes. Many of these changes stem from the interim report of the Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) on electoral reforms tabled in Parliament in November last year.

One example is the much-contested issue of indelible ink which the EC said yesterday will be gazetted into law come Feb 15.

Other changes include early voting for the armed forces personnel. This exercise will include some 200,000 army and police officers.

The move is also seen to address the concerns of many parties who have claimed that postal votes have been abused in favour of the ruling government in the past.

However, many NGOs are not impressed by the EC’s changes. Many of them labelled these changes as cosmetic, saying that the EC had a bigger task of winning back public confidence.

“Why should we give the EC credit? It took them 50 years to even propose these changes.We know that they are doing it because they feel the pressure from the people.

“The issue does not concern these reforms so much as it concerns the EC’s legitimacy itself. People must have faith that the EC is not working for any party and that the government that is elected is done so in a free and fair manner, ” said Wong Piang Yao of Tindak Malaysia.

Lack of confidence

Wong, who had participated in all six of PSC’s public hearings, said that these suggestions were merely “cosmetic changes” and that the EC had to work twice as hard in order to gain public trust.

Referring to the use of indelible ink which was rejected at the eleventh hour in the 2008 election, Wong said that he was “cautious” with the EC’s proposed reforms.

“It has to do with public confidence and the EC has very little at the moment based on past experience,” he added.

He said there needs to be an automatic voter registration system in place, voting for overseas Malaysians and other issues to be addressed to achieve a fairer election process.

The lack of confidence in the EC also persists as there are many concerns regarding the new early voting system involving the armed forces.

The EC announced yesterday that political party observers were now allowed to observe the early voting process which allows for greater transparency.

Commenting on this, Mafrel secretary-general Shaharudin Othman said that it was a positive move by the EC . However, he raised many questions regarding the manner in which these early votes will be handled.

Many unanswered questions

“Having political observers present at camps is not new as they were also allowed to be present previously but there are many unanswered questions.

“Can the observers stay back with the ballot boxes to ensure that there is no hanky-panky? Will the ballots be counted immediately to prevent any doubts?” he asked.

Bersih steering committee member, Wong Chin Huat, raised similar concerns.

“You can have early voting for the armed forces, you may have political observers there, but what happens after the polling stations in the camp close?

“Who stays back to observe? What guarantee is there that the votes will not be tampered with?” he asked.

Responding to this, PAS member in the PSC, Hatta Ramli said that this new process would ensure some transparency.

Explaining the differences, he said that political observers were previously allowed into the voting areas for the armed forces.

“The difference was that the army men were given the ballot paper and they could take the paper out of the camp. After a designated period they would return the form in envelopes. Technically through this way, they could have someone else vote on their behalf,

“But through early voting it is exactly like ordinary voting. The vote is cast immediately.

“Now the political observer can check if each army man has voted, check his IC number and see if he is around the stated age,” he said.

He also added that there will not be a break in the trail of the ballot as political observers are allowed to stay back with the ballot box.

“Now they can stay back with the ballot box to ensure that it is not tampered with.

“The ballots will be counted on election day itself. If early voting takes place three days in advance, then the political party representatives can stay back for three days and follow the ballot box to the counting station on polling day.”

He said that this was conveyed by the EC during its meetings with PSC, adding that it was merely a suggestion made by the EC but voiced his hope that it will be implemented.

When asked why the ballot papers could not be counted immediately, DAP member of PSC Anthony Loke said that there was a consensus that it will not be done at the moment.

“From our discussion there are many pros and cons to it. You don’t want the results to be revealed before election day itself as there may be a psychological effect on the voters or the party that is trailing.

“For now, it will be counted on election day.”

Pro-Palani man decries revolt threat

The call for a Gerakan Anti Palani is childish, says the Kota Raja division chief.

KLANG: The leader of a key MIC division today came out in support of party president G Palanivel to counter the threat of a revolt against the latter.

RS Maniam, chairman of MIC’s Kota Raja division in Selangor, accused Taman Mujur branch chief VT Rajen of trying to destroy the party with his call for a movement to unseat the party president.

Rajen has been issued with a show-cause letter from MIC’s disciplinary committee for calling on Palanivel to resign over reports that the party president was conspiring to nominate himself as candidate for the Cameron Highlands parliamentary seat in place of incumbent SK Devamany.

In making the call, he threatened to spearhead a Gerakan Anti Palanivel (GAP), reminiscent of the Gerakan Anti Samy Vellu that was launched a few months before the former party president gave up his post to Palanivel in late 2010.

In a statement to the press, Maniam said Rajen was only showing how “childish and politically immature” he was.

Maniam’s opinion would carry weight with some sections of MIC because Indian voters in Kota Raja account for 28% of the electorate there. No other parliamentary constituency in the country can boast a higher figure.

He said GAP would be an extremist movement and Rajen’s call for it showed that he was devoid of ideas and merely trying to gain popularity “for reasons best known to himself”.

“Comments like these are the least that MIC now needs. Instead the focus should be on serving the Indian community better by understanding their needs.

“He should be talking on such issues and not on ways to destroy the party.”

He said Palanivel should be allowed the privilege of choosing where he would contest in the next elections. “This should be a basic right of the president.”

Rajen’s threat came after reports that Palanivel, anxious to legitimise his political position with a parliamentary seat, was secretly planning with the Cameron Highlands Umno chief to enable himself to stand for election in the hill resort. Incumbent Devamany, a vice president in MIC, has not made any significant comment on the reports.

Rajen warned Palanivel not to go for any parliamentary seat currently held by MIC.

Disciplinary committee chairman KS Nijhar confirmed today that he had given Rajen two weeks to explain his outbursts. He said a similar show-cause letter had been issued to Gadong Kecil branch chairman M Karunanidhi, who has also called for Palanivel’s resignation over the same issue.

Haris: What happened to the 2010 findings?

Selcat taken to task for absolving sand-mining company Kumpulan Semesta from any wrongdoing while an inquiry into its operations is yet to be concluded

PETALING JAYA: Human rights advocate, Haris Ibrahim, wants to know why the Selangor Select Committee on Competency, Accountability and Transparency (Selcat) has not released the written findings on the 2010 inquiry into a sand mining scandal.

In a blog posting on his People’s Parliament today, Haris also rebuked Selcat chairman Teng Chang Khim for pleading ignorance of the latest expose by blogger Raja Petra Kamarudin (RPK).

RPK alleged that Amirudin Shari and Mat Suhaimi Shafiei, the Batu Caves and Sri Muda assemblymen respectively colluded with a contractor to benefit from the sand mining operations.

He said the contractor gave cash to Suhaimi to finance the latter’s programmes while Amirudin provided a supporting letter to Double Dignity Sdn Bhd, a company belonging to the contractor.

Both assemblymen, said RPK, were part of Double Dignity’s directors.

“Selcat held a public inquiry into the administrative aspects of sand-mining in Selangor in June 2010 after Kapar MP S Manikavasagam exposed improprieties in the operations.

“The proceedings were adjourned in June 4 to await further submissions of evidence from Manikavasagam,” said Haris.

“Manickavasagam wanted to produce witnesses but Teng reprimanded him for not providing written statements first.

“Since then, Manickavasagam who was initially anxious to expose corruption in the state sand mining industry had become very quiet,” said Haris.

Teng yesterday claimed he was in the dark over the latest allegations made by RPK and said he needed time to study before considering holding a public inquiry on his allegations.

Haris reminded Teng that the latter had absolved Kumpulan Semesta Sdn Bhd (KSSB) of any wrongdoing in June 2010 although the hearing has yet to be concluded.

Haris added that when he contacted Teng last year to ask of outcome of the inquiry, he was told the written findings will ready by November.

“But nothing has come forth. Teng absolved KSSB before the hearing was completed. Manickavasagam had also failed to produce his witnesses. Why is it so?” asked Haris.

When contacted, an upset Teng said neither he or his committee members had made any public announcements on releasing a written statement on the 2010 inquiry findings.

On the latest allegation by RPK, Teng said he had already called for a meeting with his committee members on the matter. “We will let the press know of developments,” he said.

Police detain Saudi tweeter

The Saudi journalist fled his country after making some Twitter comments about Prophet Muhammad.

KUALA LUMPUR: The police today said they had detained a young Saudi journalist who fled his country after Twitter comments he made about the Prophet Muhammad triggered calls for his execution.

Hamza Kashgari was taken into custody after flying into Malaysia’s main international airport yesterday, police spokesman Ramli Yoosuf told AFP.

“Kashgari was detained at the airport upon arrival following a request made to us by Interpol after the Saudi authorities applied for it,” he said.

The state news agency Bernama said the 23-year-old Kashgari had been detained by Muslim-majority Malaysia “for allegedly insulting Islam and the Prophet Muhammad”.

AFP could not immediately confirm where the 23-year-old Kashgari flew in from and officials in Interpol’s office in Malaysia could not immediately be reached for comment.

Last week, on the prophet’s birthday, he tweeted: “I have loved things about you and I have hated things about you and there is a lot I don’t understand about you.

“I will not pray for you.”

As fellow Muslim countries, Malaysia and Saudi Arabia have close ties but do not have a formal extradition treaty.

However, an official with the Malaysian home ministry who asked to remain unidentified said Kashgari could be extradited under other bilateral security agreements.

Malaysia has in the past summarily deported people it considers undesirable.

Fadiah Nadwa Fikri, a spokeswoman for Malaysian activist group Lawyers for Liberty, said Kashgari was a blogger who had decried the “oppression of women”. “This is again a violation of freedom of expression. He has every right of making comments and so on without being persecuted,” she told AFP.

“Malaysia should give asylum to him. But instead they are conspiring with the Saudi government. It’s abhorrent.”

‘An infidel’

Kashgari’s controversial tweet sparked some 30,000 responses, according to an online service that tracks Twitter postings in the Arab world.

Insulting the prophet is considered blasphemous in Islam and is a crime punishable by death in Saudi Arabia.

Kashgari has apologised but that has not stemmed calls for his head.

A committee of top clerics branded him “an “infidel” and demanded he be tried in an Islamic court, while a Facebook page entitled “The Saudi people demand Hamza Kashgari’s execution” has attracted thousands of followers.

The incident has shone a spotlight on the use of freewheeling social media networks such as Twitter and Facebook in deeply conservative Saudi Arabia.

Top Saudi cleric Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdul Aziz bin Abdullah al-Sheikh has called Twitter “a great danger not suitable for Muslims” and “a platform for spreading lies and making accusations”.

But millions of Saudis, including many government officials, have created Twitter and Facebook accounts.

The true meaning of a civil society

Luckily Perak is a Barisan Nasional run state and Najib is the head of Barisan Nasional. If the Selangor Mufti had done this and if he had whacked the Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim, the Pakatan Rakyat people would have screamed that he had been bought off, he is working for Umno, he is on Najib’s payroll, and so on.
NO HOLDS BARRED
Raja Petra Kamarudin

(Mail Online, 10 February 2012) - A Christian street preacher told two gay men they were 'sinners' who would 'burn in hell' as they walked past him on a busy high street, a court heard today.
In a case, which could reignite the debate over the boundaries of free speech, Michael Overd, 47, is accused of using threatening language towards civil partners Craig Manning and Craig Nichol when he saw them as he preached on a busy high street last July.
The court heard claims the lay preacher was provoked by a previous altercation with the couple in October 2010, when he singled them out when he saw them holding hands.
The defence claim that Overd, of Creech St Michael in Somerset, did not threaten the pair but was merely exercising freedom of expression by loudly reading from the Bible as they passed, and accused them of being threatening towards the preacher when they saw who he was.
Giving evidence at Taunton Magistrates' Court, Mr Nichol said that as soon as Overd saw them from around 10 metres away on July 16 last year 'the expression on his face changed'.
'He said "I have already told these two sinners over here that they are going to burn in Hell",' he said.
'He looked at us and pointed at us when he said it. His voice was quite loud and very clear. I felt angry, embarrassed and ashamed.’
'It was a really busy day and I felt that everyone was looking at us when he was saying these things to us. I asked him who he was to judge me and he said "It’s God’s words, it is in the Bible".’
'He said I should repent and ask God for forgiveness.'
Paul Diamond, representing Overd, claimed his client was merely reciting a passage from 1 Corinthians, which says: 'Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor homosexuals nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.'
He said his client was allowed to use freedom of expression to read from the bible and accused the pair of threatening violence against Overd, something they deny.

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

Interesting or not? In Britain, even if you are a preacher, imam, rabbi, priest, or whatever, if you quote from the Holy Book and condemn someone as a sinner who is going to burn in hell, you will be arrested and charged in court.
Yes, Britain practices freedom of speech. You can even criticise the Queen and the Royal Family -- not like in Malaysia where you would be charged for sedition, like Karpal Singh, if you were perceived (even wrongly-perceived by a Malay, non-English-speaking reporter) that you have criticised the Sultan.
Nevertheless, as much as Britain practices and allows freedom of speech, they do draw the line somewhere. And if you try to impose your religious beliefs and values on others you will get arrested and will be sent to jail. In short, keep your religion to yourself and don’t pass judgment on others, or else you get sent to jail.
In Malaysia it is the opposite.
PAS wants to ban Valentine’s Day. The Perak Mufti condemned Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak for attending the Thaipusam celebrations at the Batu Caves (READ MORE HERE).
In Malaysia, if you whack the Mufti for imposing his values on others and say that it is a stupid attitude, you may instead get arrested for ‘insulting Islam’.
In the first place, how can the Perak Mufti whack the Prime Minister? Is he not a government officer who is paid a salary from the government coffers? Is he not supposed to ‘show loyalty’ to Barisan Nasional?
Luckily Perak is a Barisan Nasional run state and Najib is the head of Barisan Nasional. If the Selangor Mufti had done this and if he had whacked the Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim, the Pakatan Rakyat people would have screamed that he had been bought off, he is working for Umno, he is on Najib’s payroll, and so on.
No way will the Pakatan Rakyat people allow the Selangor Mufti to whack Anwar. So how come the Umno people are keeping quiet when the Perak Mufti whacks Najib? Very strange! Is the Perak Mufti a Trojan horse who has been paid off by Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin to undermine Najib? Strange indeed!
Anyway, as they say, one man’s terrorist is another man’s freedom fighter. In that same spirit, one man’s freedom of speech is another man’s Trojan horse. Such are the ways of humankind.
And in Britain if you moralise and whack ‘sinners’ you go to jail. In Malaysia, if you whack the moraliser and ‘bible-thumper’ you end up in jail instead.
I can see that my work will never be accomplished in my lifetime…..sigh……

Personal Data Act may be enforced soon

The Star
By FLORENCE A. SAMY

KUALA LUMPUR: The Personal Data Protection Act may be implemented this year after enforcement personnel and department staff have been trained, said Information, Communication and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Dr Rais Yatim.

“This is to ensure that all parties understand the law before it is enforced. Awareness programmes are also on-going for consumers and those in the industry,” he said after opening the new Personal Data Protection Department and awareness seminar here yesterday.

Training, he added, would be given to members of the Attorney-General's Chambers and the police. The Act was gazetted in June 2010.

Dr Rais said the Act aimed to protect people's personal data, such as bank account details, credit card information, medical history, blood type and communication details, to ensure it was not abused.

“A person is committing an offence if he keeps personal data without permission or does not abide by the seven principles in the Act,” he said, adding that offenders could face a fine of up to RM30,000 and a year's jail.

He said the new law, which complements the Communications and Multimedia Act, would help Malaysia become a leading e-commerce and communications centre.

On Thailand's move to back Twitter's controversial censorship policy, Rais said the authorities would study the developments objectively.

“If what is being done in Thailand results in something good for the nation, then we will look into it from various aspects and we will take into account legal issues and personal rights. We will also look at the importance of online transactions and communication among people,” he said.

The micro-blogging site announced recently that it had refined its technology for specific content to be withheld in a certain country but viewed elsewhere in the world.

The move has come under heavy criticism for stifling freedom of speech.

Thailand has become the first country to publicly endorse Twitter's decision.

On Pas Youth's proposed memorandum against media publicity for Valentine's Day, Dr Rais said he was ready to accept any memorandum from them.

However, he noted that Malaysia was a multi-racial country where different cultures and practices had to be respected.

Hishammuddin Confirms Arrest Of Saudi Arabian Newspaper Columnist

PUTRAJAYA, Feb 10 (Bernama) - Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein has confirmed the arrest of Saudi Arabian newspaper columnist Mohammad Najeeb A Kashgari at KL International Airport (KLIA) Thursday.

Hishammuddin said the Saudi citizen better known as Hamza Kashgari, 23, was arrested by police at about 9.40am at the request of Saudi Arabian authorities for reportedly insulting Islam and Prophet Muhammad.

"The police have been in contact with authorities in Saudi Arabia to determine further action," he said in a statement Friday.

Bernama Thursday quoted an Interpol source that the columnist was arrested by police shortly after his arrival at KLIA.

Hamza was reported to have made posting that insulted Islam via social networking site Twitter, causing outrage in Saudi Arabia.

Saudi media said Hamza made posting on Prophet Muhammad's birthday celebration last week, implying that he was interacting with the prophet, as if they were of equal status.

Hamza also said that he liked some characteristics of the prophet while others were not to his liking.

Following Hamza's posting, some 30,000 Twitter entries venting anger were made in less than 24 hours.

Old Penang: Penang Road

This is what Penang Road looked like in the early 20th century – we once had a car-free George Town, didn’t we?

(Click on picture to enlarge)
This is approaching the junction at the end of Chulia Street. Notice the trolley buses, rickshaws, and bicycles and pedestrians – all environmentally friendly.
Thanks to Ric Francis for forwarding this picture.