Najib’s despotism worse than Dr M’s “Dark Age”

Lim Kit Siang says that far from being the best democracy, Najib is using the Sedition Act to suppress the opposition.

KUALA LUMPUR: DAP’s Lim Kit Siang said Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak’s heavy-handed use of the Sedition Act to silence the opposition was “putting to shame Tun Dr.Mahathir’s 22-year ‘Dark Age’”.

The DAP Parliamentary leader said, “We are looking at the likelihood of six parliamentary and two state assembly by-elections as a result of the recent spate of arrests and prosecution of PR leaders.”

Lim said it was “the height of irony” that Najib announced in July 2012 that the Sedition Act would be abolished as part of his National Transformation Plan.

He added that far from being the “best democracy in the world”, Najib had achieved just the opposite with his brand of despotism.

“Five MPs and one state assemblyman had been charged with sedition in the six-year Najib premiership,” Lim explained.

While he admitted Dr.M “had recourse to the notorious detention-without-trial Internal Security Act”, he said it did not excuse Najib for silencing the opposition by using the sedition act “and a panoply of undemocratic and repressive laws” time and again.

Lim also said the blame lay not on Najib’s shoulders alone but Attorney-General Gani Patail and all cabinet ministers in the ruling administration.

He also said, “…all the Barisan Nasional component parties and leaders must either dissociate themselves from the democratic regressions or be held whether as principals or as having aided and abetted in the New Despotism in Malaysia.”

In the last ten days Rafizi Ramli, N.Surendran, Khalid Samad, RSN. Rayer and Nizar Jamaluddin have all been hauled to court on charges of sedition as have Teresa Kok and Tian Chua.

Anwar Ibrahim may also lose his seat in Permatang Pauh should he fail in his appeal at the Federal Court on the sodomy charge.

Are companies hiring based on race?

MTEM wants public-listed companies to publish analysis of racial diversity.

KUALA LUMPUR: The Securities Commission should consider a regulation to make public-listed companies publish a diversity analysis in their annual reports.

The Malay Economic Action Council (MTEM) said by doing this, civil society and shareholders would know if a company had utilised racial profiling in it’s hiring practices.

Its chief executive officer Nizam Mahshar said even some Forbes 100 companies declared diversity within their organisational structures.

Nizam also suggested corporations reveal the salary ratio of their chief executive officers to average workers within their companies.

“Investors should take into account the Drucker Institute’s recommendation that the proper ratio between a CEO and an average worker should not exceed 20:1,” he said.

Around 30% of Malaysian workers are earning below RM2,000 a month, according to figures published by the Employees Provident Fund.

MTEM also said Pemandu should monitor how much local corporations were paying employees at the lowest level since the latter was pushing for Malaysia to become a high-income nation with employees taking home RM45,000 annually or RM3,750 per month.

MTEM said they fully backed Prime Minister Najib Razak’s call to the corporate sector to use best practices and declare the diversity within their organisational structures.

Terrorism experts see long, tough battle to contain Islamic State

While the world has recoiled in horror at the atrocities committed by Islamic State radicals, the violence has helped the militant group recruit a global force of extremists and furthered its pursuit of a fundamentalist Muslim caliphate in the heart of the Middle East, terrorism experts say.

The United States and its Western allies have responded with airstrikes on militant positions in Iraq and relief operations for the victims of the Al Qaeda splinter group's campaign of violence.

But the air attacks on Islamic State fighters in Iraq and contemplation of similar action in war-torn Syria will do little more than temporarily curb the militants' momentum as the international community struggles to find a long-term solution to their destabilizing threat, analysts say.

"There is no short-term fix that will completely defeat this threat, so it's important to differentiate between stopping ISIS' momentum and ending or defeating them as an organization," said Janine Davidson, senior fellow for defense policy at the Council on Foreign Relations. She was referring to the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, as the group called itself before proclaiming its caliphate two months ago.

Without forces in Syria and Iraq to identify targets and ensure that civilian communities aren't vulnerable, airstrikes alone are unlikely to roll back the Islamic State militants who have seized large swaths of territory in those countries, Davidson said.

Targeted strikes can and have taken out militant positions and training camps and can undermine the group's image as a force "screaming through Iraq with one military success after another," Davidson said. But air power alone won't do more than chase the militants from one stronghold to another or counter their sophisticated use of social media to recruit and raise funds, she said.

In an interview discussing Western states' limited options for containing the militants, she said they should focus on forming regional security alliances with Iraq's and Syria's Middle East neighbors and on reform of the Iraqi government that so excluded and repressed Sunni Muslims that many welcomed the militants when they overran northern Iraq.

The Islamic State battlegrounds and gruesome execution of enemies have become a magnet for aspiring militants around the world, said Christopher Chivvis, a senior political scientist at Rand Corp.

Chivvis estimates the number of foreign fighters who have joined Islamic State and other militant Sunni factions at 10,000, including as many as 3,000 carrying European passports and a "not insignificant number" from the United States. On Tuesday, White House officials confirmed that a San Diego man, Douglas McAuthur McCain, had died in Syria fighting for Islamic State.

"People like to be on the winning team and right now it looks like ISIS is winning," Chivvis said. "They have effectively challenged Al Qaeda as leader of global jihad, offering a different model for what jihad ought to look like -- more violent, more locally focused, but equally extreme."

If the United States and its allies want to combat Islamic State's power to attract disaffected and marginalized Muslims, broad international cooperation is required in law enforcement and intelligence sharing, Chivvis said. He pointed to the U.S. turn at the U.N. Security Council presidency in September as an opportunity to galvanize coordinated efforts to counter the extremists' message.

Like Davidson, Chivvis sees little prospect of Western states collaborating with Syrian President Bashar Assad to roll back their common enemy, Islamic State. It would be politically and operationally problematic, he said, as Assad is accused of committing war crimes against his own people.

An independent U.N. investigative commission on Wednesday issued a scathing report accusing all combatants in Syria of inflicting "immeasurable suffering" on civilians, including the Assad government's sarin gas attacks on suburbs of Aleppo a year ago and barrel-bombing of opposition-held villages in the provinces of Idlib and Hama with chlorine gas in April.

Jeffrey Bale, a historian and scholar of political and religious extremism at the Monterey Institute of International Studies, criticized the Obama administration and its European allies for ruling out collaboration with Assad, whom he sees as the lesser of two evils.

“The regime in Syria is fighting for its own survival, using brutal methods and not concerning themselves with civilian casualties. But neither are the jihadists -- they are deliberately targeting civilians and anyone they consider insufficiently Islamic,” Bale said.

“We should be collaborating with the Assad regime and with the Iranians, who already have Revolutionary Guards in Iraq, to weaken and destroy the operational capabilities of Islamic State. It's not like we're not doing this anywhere else in the world,” he said, pointing out U.S. alliances with authoritarian governments in Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and elsewhere.

“We have to assess what is the No. 1 threat,” Bale said. “What would be catastrophic is if Islamic State was able to establish permanent control over the heartland of the Middle East.”

Bale also said that the United States and its allies were too timid in their initial strikes against Islamic State fighters when they were traveling on open roads in celebratory convoys after seizing the northern Iraqi city of Mosul in June.

“Whenever we observe Islamic State fighters away from heavily civilian areas we should be launching devastating attacks on them with the full panoply of weapons from aircraft,” he said.

“Obviously, once these guys are back in big urban areas surrounded by civilians, it’s much more difficult to target them from the air,” he said. “Now they are hunkered down using civilians as shields.”

Follow @cjwilliamslat for the latest international news 24/7

Putrajaya’s sedition dragnet an attack on freedom of expression, say lawyers

Malay Mail
by JOSEPH SIPALAN, PATHMA SUBRAMANIAM AND BOO SU-LYN

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 28 — The recent spate of probes and court actions under the controversial Sedition Act 1948 reeks of a government clamp down on dissenting views, lawyers claimed as authorities slapped two separate sedition charges on a Penang state assemblyman yesterday.

 

Legal experts argued that Putrajaya is relying on questionable grounds to charge RSN Rayer for allegedly insulting Umno — the dominant party in the ruling Barisan Nasional coalition — on two separate occasions.

“The government of Malaysia in 2014 is relying on a legislation that was introduced by the colonial government in 1948 to protect itself and to stop people from criticising its policies and governance,” Bar Council human rights committee chairman Andrew Khoo told Malay Mail Online when contacted.

“It is highly regrettable that the government should rely on a colonial mentality and legislation to deny the people the right to be critical either of the government or on the administration of justice,” he added.

Khoo said it was too early to say if the government is indeed actively trying to silence its critics despite the apparent “overuse” of the Act, but stressed that Putrajaya’s actions run counter to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s 2012 promise to repeal the legislation.

Lawyers for Liberty (LFL) executive director Eric Paulsen, however, said that the government has clearly been “misusing” the Sedition Act to persecute opposition politicians and quash public dissent.

 

The use of the Act against the late DAP chairman Karpal Singh, former PKR vice-president N. Surendran and PAS Selangor deputy commissioner Khalid Samad were examples that an individual need not act in a seditious manner to be liable for the offence, he said.

Prior to his death in April, Karpal was found guilty of sedition by the Kuala Lumpur High Court for questioning the Sultan of Perak’s decision to remove Datuk Seri Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin as Perak mentri besar in 2009.

Surendran was charged last week for criticising the Court of Appeal’s ruling against PKR de-facto leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim in the latter’s second sodomy appeal, while Khalid was charged yesterday for questioning the powers of the Selangor Islamic Religious Council (Mais) and the Sultan of Selangor.

“In the current climate, the Act is being used to persecute the opposition. Whether what was said or by way of conduct is seditious or not, is irrelevant,” Paulsen said.

Civil liberties lawyer New Sin Yew noted that part of the problem lies with the vague definition of seditious behaviour outlined in the Act, particularly the point on “exciting disaffection” against the aggrieved party.

“The problem is, ‘exciting disaffection’ is quite vague. I may insult you, but insulting you may not bring disaffection. If I say ‘go to hell, the government’, it may not cause many people to be dissatisfied with the government.

“We have the fundamental right to insult our leaders and the government. Insulting and exciting disaffection are different,” he said when met earlier.

New also stressed that Umno and the government are separate entities, noting that the Sedition Act only criminalises incitement against the government, but not political parties.  

Constitutional lawyer Syahredzan Johan stressed that the developments have effectively narrowed public discourse to what the government decides can be said out in the open.

“With sedition looming large in the background, it has really stifled freedom of expression. Even I find myself treading carefully when commenting on the Ruler’s powers... I shouldn’t, but I don’t want to get into trouble either.

“And this is not good. If people are going to be constantly mindful and hold back from saying something, even if it is criticism that is constructive, what you’re doing is stifling the exchange of ideas,” he said.

The Centre for a Better Tomorrow (Cenbet), meanwhile, demanded that the Attorney-General (A-G) explain why it is a criminal offence for an elected representative to criticise a political party in a state assembly.

The organisation said in a statement that the onus falls on the A-G to clearly spell out the terms for using the Act, or end up reinforcing public perception that it is being used arbitrarily or selectively

“Such prosecution would criminalise common conversation among the people in Malaysia and be seen as favouring one political party over the other,” the group said.

MH17 Issue Played Up To Break Up Solidarity

PUTRAJAYA, Aug 28 (Bernama) -- The people have abeen advised against falling into the trap of certain groups who play up the issue on the special honour accorded to victims of the Malaysia Airlines (MAS) flight MH17 crash and the intrusion in Lahad Datu to break up national solidarity.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said although the government gave special honour to the victims of the MH17 tragedy, the sacrifices of the police and soldiers who died in the Lahad Datu incident would continue to be highly appreciated.

"There are always people who want to break us up. In the Lahad Datu incident, the same people who alleged that it was a drama questioned why we did not accord a special honour to members of the security forces who had died although initially they claimed it was just a drama," he said.

"In the Lahad Datu incident, we have given more assistance than usual...so, don't turn it into an issue...this is a matter for all of us," said Najib in his speech at the Ulama-Umara Premier Council and Malaysian Mosque Award 2014, here Thursday.

The Prime Minister said he had done his level best with regard to the MH17 incident by achieving something that had never been done before, that is, communicating with the rebel leader.

"So, (in) our foreign policy, we communicate with the major powers, we also have relations with the developing countries, in fact, we also negotiate with the rebel groups because we believe in whatever that is good.

"If I had not played this role, it would have been impossible for us to retrieve the remains (of the MH17 victims) to be received by their beloved family members," he said.

Najib said he had made the effort because when he met the families of the victims personally, he was deeply touched and saddened, thus he had promised to do whatever he could to bring back the remains of the victims of the MH17 crash.

"So, I appealed to the rebel group without promising anything in return...I did not pay even a single sen. I said please and they said they would help and hand over the black box and remains of the victims to the Malaysian team," he said.

He said that from his observation, the MH17 and MH370 tragedies had clearly shown the unity of the people in facing the sadness of the nation by rejecting political differences regardless or religion and race.

"The incident should be taken as a lesson for everyone.

"When the nation is tested by various challenges, as the head of the government I appeal for your help...together we build an excellent future for the Muslims," Najib added.

Khalid to stay on as Pelabuhan Klang assemblyperson

Khalid Ibrahim letak jawatan MB S'gor

Muslim cleric justifies Islamic State beheadings: “Islam is a religion of beheading”

 

Hussein bin Mahmoud invokes Qur’an 47:4: “When you meet the unbelievers, strike the necks…” It would be refreshing if Barack Obama or the Archbishop of Brisbane or one of the many other non-Muslim authorities who have insisted that the Islamic State has nothing to do with Islam would explain how he is misunderstanding that verse. But it is doubtful that they even know that such a verse exists in the Qur’an.
“Jihadi Cleric Justifies IS Beheadings: ‘Islam Is A Religion Of Beheading,’” MEMRI, August 26, 2014 (thanks to Pamela Geller):

In a recent article, jihadi cleric Hussein bin Mahmoud, a prominent writer on jihadi forums, expressed support for the beheading of American journalist James Foley by a member of the Islamic State (IS). Bin Mahmoud wrote that beheading was an effective way to terrorize the enemies of Islam, and stressed that, under Islamic law, Foley was a harbi, i.e. a non-Muslim whose life was not protected by an agreement of protection. He argued further that Islam allows and encourages such acts, since it is a religion of war and fighting.
The following are excerpts from the article, as posted August 21, 2014 on the Shumoukh Al-Islam forum.

“All Scholars… Agree On The Permissibility Of Killing A Harbi Infidel”

“I don’t know what to say. My mind is perplexed by words I have read and heard from people whom I do not know how to describe!! Millions of Muslims have been killed, tortured and driven from their homes; tens of thousands of Muslim women have had their honor violated and have been sexually abused by the Americans – yet people are weeping over a Christian American harbi infidel who entered the Islamic State, knowing full well what the Islamic State is, and without a pact [of protection]. Were the soldiers of the Islamic State supposed to pat this American harbi on the back and smile at him? All scholars, without exception, agree on the permissibility of killing a harbi infidel, and agree that his blood and property are fair game. Most of them [also] agree on the permissibility of killing him if he is taken prisoner. So where does this condemnation of the IS come from?… Let it be known to all people that when a harbi enters the land of Islam without a legal pact [of protection], his property, life and progeny are fair game.
“Many Muslims are influenced by the West’s false views and its repulsive ideas, which are exported to the Islamic nation in order to weaken it and change the perception of its youth so that [the youth] become cowardly and subdued and abandon the means of power and terror, and thus create a generation that does not know fighting or the cutting of necks. Recently we saw some who are considered scholars mixing things up and deceiving the nation, changing the concepts of Islamic law to fit the plans of the enemies. We don’t know if they did this out of ignorance about some of the tenets of Islamic law, or were [simply] lying…”

“Beheading A Harbi Infidel Is A Blessed Act For Which A Muslim Is Rewarded”

“Chopping off the heads of infidels is an act whose permissibility the [Muslim] ummah agrees on. Beheading a harbi infidel is a blessed act for which a Muslim is rewarded. The [only] matter scholars disagree about is the question of transferring the head from one place to another, traveling with it and carrying it around…”

Bin Mahmoud: Jews, Christians, Shi’ites And ‘Alawites Who Committed Crimes Against The Muslims Must Be Beheaded

After clarifying that he is opposed to killing Muslims, bin Mahmoud continues: “As for beheading infidel Jews, Christians and ‘Alawites, as well as apostate Shi’ites, who commit crimes against the Muslims, they must be terrorized, filled with fear and beheaded without any respect. Cutting off heads is part of the tradition of the [Prophet's] Companions. In the Koran Allah ordered to smite the infidels’ necks and encouraged the Muslims to do this. He said [in Koran 47:4], ‘When you meet those who disbelieve on the battlefield, smite at their necks until you have killed and wounded many of them…
“How many hadiths [relayed by] the Prophet’s Companions have we read in which they demanded that he strike the necks of certain men, and the Prophet did not condemn the striking of necks… Striking necks was a well-known matter that did not elicit any condemnation in the eras of the Prophet, the rightly-guided caliphs and their successors,  right until the time of the Christian occupation of the Muslims’ lands in the [20th] century. Those crusaders fought the Islamic legal concepts, distorted the religion, and convinced the Muslims that their religion is a religion of peace, doves, love and harmony, and that there is no blood in it, no killing and no fighting. The Muslims remained in this state until Allah revived the tradition of beheading by means of the mujahid and slaughterer Abu Mus’ab Al-Zarqawi, may Allah have mercy upon him and accept him as a martyr.”

“Islam Is A Religion Of Bloodshed”

Bin Mahmoud goes on to quote a long list of texts which, according to him, prove that Islam condones beheading as a means of terrorizing the enemy, and then emphasizes once more that Islam is not a peaceful religion, since its essence is jihad and martyrdom. He concludes that “Islam is a religion of beheading”:
“The truth is that what distorts the image of Islam is not the beheading and terrorizing of infidels, but rather those who want [Islam to follow the path of] Mandela or Ghandi, with no killing, fighting, brutality, bloodshed or the striking of heads or necks. That is not the religion of [the Prophet] Muhammad son of ‘Abdallah who was sent [to fight] with the sword [until]   Judgment Day. The only Koranic surah that is named after him, Surah Muhammad, is [also] called ‘The Surah of Fighting’…
“Islam is a religion of power, fighting, jihad, beheading and bloodshed, not a religion of turning the left cheek to whoever slapped you on the right cheek. On the contrary, it is a religion of breaking the hand that is stretched out to humiliate the Muslim. [Any Muslim] who fights for his property, blood or honor is a martyr.
“In Islam, tourism [means] jihad for the sake of Allah… There is no true life for its believers except through jihad, [and] the goal of its fighters is to die for the sake of their religion…”

- See more at: http://pamelageller.com/2014/08/prominent-cleric-cleric-justifies-beheadings-islam-religion-beheading.html/#sthash.1MPeRTwU.dpuf

Poll: 92% of Saudis believe that Islamic State “conforms to the values of Islam and Islamic law”

 

Now where did they get this idea? Haven’t they been listening to Barack Obama and David Cameron, the Pope of Rome and the Archbishop of Brisbane, who tell them that the Islamic State has nothing to do with Islam, and to all the Muslim groups in the West who have condemned (in vague, non-specific terms) the Islamic State? Is the Kingdom of the Two Holy Places, dedicated to implementing Islam in every detail of life, somehow filled with misunderstanders of Islam? What an odd turn of events! How could it possibly have come about?
“92% of Saudi’s believe that ‘IS(IS) conforms to the values of Islam and Islamic law’ – Poll,” Muslim Statistics, August 24, 2014:

Saudi poll to reveal public’s level of sympathy for IS

The Sakina Campaign plans to carry out a scientific survey to determine the position of the Saudi public on the “caliphate” announced by the Islamic State (IS) in Iraq and Syria. This comes after the results of an opinion poll of Saudis were released on social networking sites, claiming that 92% of the target group believes that “IS conforms to the values of Islam and Islamic law.” Observers believe that in the current period, it is most important to “focus on the roots of extremism and to address and fight it.”

The Saudi Sakina campaign plans to conduct a survey to determine the extent to which the Saudi public sympathizes with the Islamic State and its recent declaration of a caliphate.
Author Abdullah al-Duhailan, Rahma Thiab, Shaden al-Hayek
July 22, 2014, Al-Hayat
Translator(s) Tyler Huffman
Original Article اقرا المقال الأصلي باللغة العربية
Meanwhile, Saudi families refused to hold mourning gatherings for their sons who were killed in troubled places outside of the kingdom. The “confusion” that was sparked by IS’ recent expansion saw the proliferation of websites selling shirts carrying slogans that called for jihad and glorified IS. Advisory Committee member Sheikh Abdullah al-Suwailem refused to classify those affiliated with terrorist groups as “criminals,” claiming that pressure had led them to join these groups in the absence of guidance.
Some of the families of those killed fighting outside of Saudi Arabia expressed their “joy,” refusing to show grief over the deaths of their sons. Preachers and sheikhs considered this ideology “the reason for terrorism,” saying, “It harms the reputation of the Islamic religion.” They stressed that those who go to these places of conflict are in violation of the religious authority, which must be followed. They therefore concluded that their deaths are not a form of martyrdom, as their families think. The families are overcome with emotion and distribute sweets and refuse to mourn, show sadness or cry, considering those killed to be martyrs.
Abdul Moneim al-Mushawwah, the director of the Sakina Campaign, which operates under the supervision of the Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Endowments, Da’wah and Guidance in Saudi Arabia, told Al-Hayat: “In the coming period, the campaign plans to work on a manual survey, through which we can determine the extent to which the Saudi public sympathizes with what happened recently in Iraq, namely the declaration of the caliphate.” He added: “This survey will target a specific segment in a particular time period, ranging between one and two months. It will be supervised by an academic to meet the required conditions.”
In a related context, Sheikh Abdullah al-Suwailem, another Advisory Committee member, refused to classify those affiliated with terrorist groups such as IS and Jahbat al-Nusra as criminals. Suwailem told Al-Hayat: “The youth are languishing under various pressures, including some that are legitimate and brave. And excess and pressure are realities experienced by the youth, with little direction.” He added: “We do not classify the youth affiliated with these groups as criminals. If we do this, we prejudice them and make them our adversaries.”
“We must confront arguments with arguments, evidence with evidence. [We should] provide our youth with correct guidance, not criminalize them, so as to not further inflame the issue,” he noted.
On the other hand, shirts with phrases calling for jihad and photos glorifying IS and extremist currents and calling for fighting were promoted on Internet sites and on the social media pages of terrorist organizations. The spokesman for Saudi customs, Issa al-Issa, said: “The importation of clothing requires a commercial registration that lists the activity of clothing trade. As for controls on clothing imports, [any imports] must conform to adopted standards. The customs authority takes a sample and sends it to registered laboratories to report on the extent to which it complies with specifications. Another stipulation is that [the clothing] does not have inappropriate phrases or images that contradict Islamic law.”

Khalid resigns as S'gor MB, no snap polls

The sultan of Selangor has consented to Abdul Khalid Ibrahim's request to relinquish his post as menteri besar.

This debunks speculation of dissolution of the Selangor legislative assembly and subsequent snap polls.

However, the ruler had asked him to remain at the helm until a replacement is appointed.

A jovial looking Khalid (left) read the statement by the palace at a packed press conference at the state secretariat building in Shah Alam this afternoon.

While the sultan appears favourable to a smooth transition of power, he has however instructed Pakatan Rakyat leaders to propose more than two names for the post, citing “convention”.

"The Sultan has ordered for a leader each from PKR, DAP and PAS to submit more than two names among Pakatan Rakyat parties as the menteri besar candidate," the sultan’s press secretary Muhammad Munir Bani said in the statement.

"This is in tune with the convention that has been practised in all previous MB appointments.”

Sultan has 'absolute discretion'

Muhammad Munir also said that the sultan retains "absolute discretion" to appoint a new MB that he feels obtains the majority support of the state assembly.

Asked why he did not ask for dissolution, Khalid told reporters that he felt that his resignation was the best solution to the crisis because the issue in Selangor is about the majority not wanting him to be MB.

"The intention is not to have me as MB, so if I am no longer the MB there is no need (for state assembly dissolution or emergency sitting).

“Why are we going around in circles? If their intention is to change the MB, there are many ways and I want the best way," he said.

"The best way is to accept the request (by resigning)," he added.

He will also request the Selangor palace to release the list of candidates for the MB post that were considered but not appointed in 2008 and 2013.

This was after reporters questioned him if the same convention of submitting several names was practised when Pakatan nominated Selangor MBs both in 2008 and 2013.

"This was practised even during the times of the sultan's father, there were more than four names submitted at one point," he said.

Happy to be free from the job

Previously, PKR and DAP had agreed on PKR president Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail (below) to replace Khalid.

After initially expressing support for the PKR president, PAS took a different stand after a meeting yesterday.

Earlier, Khalid had met the sultan at his palace in a highly-anticipated audience in the crisis which has dragged on for about month.

Making his announcement, Khalid also stressed that the issue of Wan Azizah's feasibility as a MB or her majority support did not arise in audience.

"No, that was not discussed at all," he said.

Khalid said he also “apologised” to the ruler as the palace was “dragged along” in the Selangor political crisis.

"I hope all parties especially politicians, media and social media users avoid from making statements or criticism to undermine the role played by all involved parties, especially the institution of monarchy," he said.

Khalid also said that he would remain Port Klang assemblyperson at the time being, and refused to divulge any details on his next move until after he has handed over his duties as MB.

But he said that if by any bizarre circumstance any party nominates him as MB, he would refuse as he is "happy to be free from the job".

He, however, refused to state if he will be joining PAS in the future.

Palace's press statement


Selangor crisis today

11.50am: Fearing snap polls, DAP reveals that it discussed the possibility of a Pakatan break up in an emergency meeting last night

2.39pm: Selangor sultan has an audience with Khalid

3.33pm: PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang’s office denies that he had offered PKR deputy president Azmin Ali the MB post if Azmin backs a PAS-Umno unity government.

4.42pm: Palace accepts Khalid resignation as MB, pending appointment of a replacement. The ruler also asks for more than two MB nominees each from each Pakatan party.

5.57pm: Selangor PAS says sultan’s decree for multiple candidates in in line with Abdul Hadi’s view.

10.29pm: PKR and DAP say they will only submit Wan Azizah’s name as in 2013 , the palace sought four names and was given only one.

Penang rep to be charged with sedition, likely for ‘Umno celaka’ remark

(Malay Mail Online) – Seri Delima assemblyman RSN Rayer will be charged with sedition tomorrow, believed to be over his controversial “Umno celaka” remark that he made inside the Penang state assembly.

According to the DAP lawmaker, police instructed him today to appear at the Sessions Court early tomorrow morning.

“They called me at about 1pm telling me to be present at the sessions court tomorrow morning to face a sedition charge,” he said.

On June 18, Rayer was arrested and released on police bail before he was told to turn up at the sessions court on June 19.

He was investigated under Section 4(1)(b) for uttering allegedly seditious words at the state legislative assembly on May 20 and was supposed to be charged in court on June 19.

However, he was not charged on that day and was told to leave as the Attorney-General had issued instructions that his charge be deferred.

Rayer, who will be represented by his lawyers Gobind Singh Deo, Ramkarpal Singh Deo and S.Raveentharan tomorrow, said he will go to court tomorrow and see what happens.

Rayer was not informed what he will be charged over, but it is believed that he will be indicted for uttering the words “celaka Umno” in the state assembly in May this year.

Rayer’s controversial “celaka Umno” remark had sparked protests by Umno Youth members who had demonstrated and then invaded the Housel on May 21.

A total 15 men were arrested for the state assembly intrusion and charged with trespassing on June 19.

PKR & DAP defy Sultan, insists on only Wan Azizah’s name

(The Star) – In defiance of a decree by Selangor Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah, PKR and DAP will forward only PKR president Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail’s name for consideration for the post of the mentri besar.

In a joint statement signed by PKR secretary-general Datuk Saifuddin Nasution Ismail and DAP national publicity secretary Tony Pua late Tuesday, the two parties maintained their recommendation of Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail for the Sultan’s consideration.

The component parties said a single name nomination was in line with the convention practised by Pakatan Rakyat in 2013 especially after the PKR party president had a majority support of at least 30 state assemblymen, including herself.

“In 2013, the Sultan had also requested for Pakatan Rakyat component parties to nominate more than one name for the appointment of mentri besar that year.

“That request was conveyed to PKR, PAS and DAP through a letter dated May 7, 2013 and it reflected the convention practised by the Sultan.

“Subsequent to that request, Pakatan submitted a single name nomination which was Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim for the Sultan’s consideration. This nomination was agreed and used by His Highness,” it said.

On Tuesday, Khalid said he had submitted his resignation letter but that the Sultan had deferred acceptance of it until a suitable replacement could be named.

The Sultan had requested Pakatan Rakyat component parties to submit more than two names each for consideration for the post of mentri besar.

MMC did not ask for lower intake of medical students

MMC did not ask for lower intake of medical students

PETALING JAYA: Deputy Education Minister P Kamalanathan is in a bit of a twist. He said the Malaysian Medical Council (MMC) had asked for a reduction in the intake of medical students. But the MMC has denied making the request.

DAP vice-chairman Teresa Kok said Kamalanathan could not now keep quiet or he will be called a liar for making a false claim

On Aug 19, New Straits Times reported that Deputy Education Minister II Kamalanathan said that 418 places were available for a medical degree in public varsities this year, compared with 699 places last year, based on the recommendation of the MMC.

He said that MMC requested for a lower intake to prevent the oversupply of doctors as there were housemen in hospitals with no work to do.

Kamalanathan said 1,163 students who achieved a 4.0 Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) from matriculation and straight As for the Sijil Tinggi Persekolahan Malaysia (STPM) applied for the 2014/2015 session.

However, there days ago, MMC issued a statement to rebut Kamalanathan’s claim that it has issued a directive to reduce intake of medical students.

The MMC statement issued by its president Dr.Noor Hisham Abdullah states:-

” The Malaysian Medical Council (MMC) would like to clarify that all accredited medical schools in Malaysia have been given approval for a specific quota in terms of the number of students to be enrolled every academic year. The quota is determined by their teaching capacity, and takes into consideration among others the lecturers to student ratio, and also the students to hospital beds ratio to ensure that students get adequate clinical teaching.”

” For the public medical schools in Malaysia, the total size of the approved quota is 1,550 student intake annually, and is distributed among the 11 Public Universities with 13 medical programmes (UM-180, UKM-200, USM-300, UPM-100, UNIMAS- 120, UIA-140, UMS-90, UiTM-230, USIM-80, UNIZA-60, UPNM-50). The approved quota was decided based on their ability to comply with the accreditation guidelines for medical programmes.

MMC has never given any directive to any of the public universities/public medical schools to reduce their intake of the medical students. They are free to enroll the students in accordance with the quota approved for them, provided they are in compliance with the accreditation guidelines .

“The issue of oversupply does not arise as long as the public universities comply with the approved quotas and the accreditation requirements, which is important in ensuring the quality of medical graduates so that patients are provided with safe and quality care.”

Kok wants to know why Kamalanathan said it was MMC that directed a reduction be made and why only 418 places were allocated, well below the approved quota?

Sultan tangguh peletakan jawatan MB

Sultan Selangor juga telah menitahkan agar setiap pemimpin parti PAS, PKR dan DAP mencadangkan lebih daripda dua nama daripada parti dalam Pakatan Rakyat sebagai calon MB Selangor

SHAH ALAM: Setiausaha Sulit Sultan Selangor, Mohamad Munir Bani berkata Sultan Selangor, Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah menangguhkan penerimaan letak jawatan Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim sebagai Menteri Besar Selangor.

Menurutnya, Baginda menangguhkan sehingga perlantikkan MB Selangor yang baru ditentukan.

Ini untuk memastikan pentadbiran kerajaan negeri Selangor berjalan dengan lancar dan teratur.

Sultan Selangor telah menerima menghadap Khalid pada hari ini untuk menyembah maklum bahawa beliau memohon perkenan Baginda untuk meletak jawatan sebagai MB.

“Sebagaimana yang telah diperuntukkan di bawah Perkara LI (1), Perkara L111 (2) (A), (4) dan LV (2) (a) Undang-undang Rubuh Kerajaan Selangor 1959, Sultan Selangor telah diperuntukkan dengan kuasa budi bicara mutlak di dalam pelantikan seorang MB bagi kerajaan negeri Selangor yang pada pendapat Baginda mungkin mendapat kepercayaan majoriti Ahli Dewan Negeri,” katanya dalam satu kenyataan.

Sultan Selangor juga telah menitahkan agar setiap pemimpin parti PAS, PKR dan DAP mencadangkan lebih daripda dua nama daripada parti dalam Pakatan Rakyat sebagai calon MB Selangor.

“Ini bagi memudahkan Sultan untuk menentukan calon yang berkelayakan dan seterusnya memberi perkenan untuk melantik mana-mana calon yang difikirkan layak sebagai MB.

“Ini adalah sejajar dengan konvensi yang telah diamalkan secara berterusan dalam pelantikan MB Selangor sebelum ini,” jelasnya.

Who’s ‘qualified’ to be MB?

Adat istiadat will be the guide to what will happen next.

Menteri Besar Khalid Ibrahim had an audience with the Sultan of Selangor and indicated that in light of the current developments he would like to tender his resignation.

The Sultan took note of Khalid’s request but deferred the acceptance of his resignation (meaning, did not accept the resignation yet) until a new MB has been decided.

According to the Articles of the Selangor State Constitution, the Sultan has the absolute powers to use his discretion in the appointment of an MB who in his opinion may most likely command the confidence or trust of the majority in the state assembly.

Note the part about “discretion”, “opinion” and “may most likely”, words that mean what the Sultan “believes to be” even if it is not so.

The Sultan commands the leaders of PAS, PKR and DAP to propose “more than two” names as candidates for the MB’s office to facilitate his determining a candidate who is qualified for the job.

This is a titah, or royal command, and not open to discussion or debate. And note the word “qualified”. And how do you determine the qualifications?

This qualification and the manner the MB will be appointed will be done in accordance with convention.

And the operative phrase here is “according to convention”.

And convention may be something not stated in the Selangor State Constitution but has been the practice in the past.

Hence, adat istiadat will be the guide to what is going to happen next.

Roslan Bistamam is a FMT columnist

Who is ‘likely to command the confidence of the majority’? — Gurdial Singh Nijar

AUGUST 25 — The Selangor Constitution obliges the Sultan to appoint as the MB “a member of the

State Legislative Assembly who in his judgment is likely to command the confidence of the majority of the members of the Assembly”: Article 53(2)(a).

30 of the 56 members of the Assembly have already sworn on oath a declaration that they support Dato Seri Dr Wan Azizah. This constitutes 53.5% of the members of the Assembly – a clear majority; and in any event a majority that is higher than that which led the Sultan of Perak to appoint an MB on the basis that he commanded the majority. This exercise of discretion was accepted by the Federal Court in the Perak case (Nizar v Zambry).

Secondly, PAS has also expressed its support for Dato Seri Dr Wan Azizah, although the Party also proposed an additional name. This means that Dato Seri Dr Wan has the cumulative support of 43 out of the 56 members of the Assembly — an overwhelming 77% of the majority of the members of the State Assembly.

Significantly, BN has not indicated its support for any candidate. That is, it has abstained in this exercise.

This means that Dato Seri Dr Wan Azizah has the support of a very clear majority of the members of the Assembly; with no one opposing her appointment as MB.

Where it appears abundantly patent who is likely to command the majority, the Sultan’s discretion must be exercised in favour of that person – based on the facts, the Constitution, constitutional convention (practice) and the Perak case. — Reuters pic

* Gurdial Singh Nijar is a Professor at the Law Faculty of University of Malaya.

** This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of Malay Mail Online.

Court quashes Christian woman’s khalwat conviction

The Malaysian Insider
by LOOI SUE-CHERN

Halimah, the Indonesian Christian woman who was charged and found guilty of "khalwat" (close proximity) two years ago, can finally put her worries behind her, as her conviction was quashed by the Penang lower shariah court this morning.

Syarie prosecutor Mohamad Fahmi Mohamad Idris informed the court that they are withdrawing its case against Halimah.

The instruction came from the shariah chief prosecuting officer under the Section 103 of the Penang Shariah Criminal Procedure Enactment, which allows the chief prosecuting officer to withdraw any charge at any stage of the case.

Judge Zaini Abd Rahim allowed the application by the prosecution and ordered Halimah to be discharged and acquitted immediately.

Halimah, 42, a reflexologist, and a mother of four from Bandung, was acquitted after the charge against her was withdrawn, just as her case was scheduled for retrial at the Penang lower shariah court.

"I am finally free. I am so happy," she said told reporters when she walked out of the courtroom.

"I am crying because I am so happy. I thank tuan-tuan (sirs, referring to her lawyer Wan Faridulhadi Mohd Yusoff and officials from the Indonesian Consulate-General in Penang) for helping me.

"Thank you, adik-adik (little brothers and sisters from the media for highlighting my case)."

Halimah was charged with committing close proximity under Section 27(b) of the Shariah Criminal Offences Enactment (Penang) on May 15, 2012 at a Penang Shariah Lower Court.

It was reported that Halimah, who is illiterate, had pleaded guilty as she was unrepresented and did not understand the charge against her.

She was sentenced to 14 days jail and fined RM3,000. She has not served her sentence pending the appeal.

"It has been difficult. My heart had been troubled ever since. I could not eat or sleep very well as I was worried.

"Now it is over. I want to call my family back home to tell them the news."

The soft-spoken and shy woman, who could not leave Malaysia while her case was pending, said she is planning to go back to Indonesia next year to see her family.

"I will still go on working here. I want to save up more money to take home.

"Maybe by then, I will be a grandmother. Who knows?"

Halimah's son got married this May but she had to miss the wedding.

Her employer Datin Josephine Ong, who paid for Halimah's legal fees and stood by her throughout the case, said she is just happy.

"I am happy for Halimah. She is now a free woman."

Lawyer Cecil Rajendra, who was holding a watching brief for the Malaysian Bar Council and the National Human Rights Society (Hakam), said they are now discussing the next step.

They are contemplating suing the relevant authorities for the ordeal Halimah and her employer had to face for more than two years.

Rajendra said there has been no formal apology to Halimah by the court or the state Islamic department (JHEAIPP) that had her taken from her place of work on Jalan Siang Tek on December 8, 2011, for interrogation.

Her detention by the religious authorities subsequently led her to be charged with khalwat.

"Halimah and her employer were both put under stress due to the wrongful prosecution.

"She should never have been charged in the first place. She was virtually under house arrest since she could not go home to her family in Indonesia.

"We will discuss further after this if we should pursue this," Rajendra said, adding that Halimah's rights as a woman, migrant worker and religious minority were also violated.

Cecil also thanked the Consul-General of Indonesia in Penang, Ronald P. Manik, for writing to the Penang shariah chief judge recently regarding the case.

Halimah's case attracted attention because she was likely the first non-Muslim to be charged and found guilty for khalwat in the country. – August 26, 2014.

Najib: People In Selangor Should Gauge Rationally Political Developments In The State

DENGKIL, Aug 26 (Bernama) -- Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak wants the people in Selangor to gauge rationally, the political developments in the state.

Najib, who is also Barisan Nasional (BN) chairman, said nepotism openly occurred in Selangor where a fit elected representative was asked to resign and be replaced by one's own wife. A by-election was earlier held and after that, the wife was chosen as candidate for the menteri besar post.

"Just imagine, if in BN we make our own wife as menteri besar, we will be accused of open nepotism but this is happening in Selangor.

"It is up to the people in Selangor to think of what is good and appropriate to be done based on wisdom and rationale, and this consideration will save the state and country as a whole.

"Consideration with a motif like 'ada udang galah disebalik batu (there's a giant prawn behind the rock - meaning, ulterior motive) will only bring losses to the people," Najib said at a Selangor Umno Aidilfitri celebration attended by over 10,000 people at Sekolah Rendah Jenis Kebangsaan (Cina), here, tonight.

Also present was state Umno liaison chief and Federal Action Council chairman for Selangor, Datuk Seri Noh Omar.

Najib said the federal government expressed its appreciation for Selangor Menteri Besar Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim who agreed to sign the agreement for the implementation of the Air Langat Water Treatment Plant 2 (Langat 2) project to ensure sufficient water supply for the people in Selangor and the Federal Territories of Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya.

He said although the agreement should have been signed three years ago, politics was above Abdul Khalid's rational consideration at the time.

"The Selangor menteri besar has realised that the federal government's decision on the project was right after all as without Langat 2, there is no guarantee of adequate water supply (for the three areas)," he added.

Meanwhile, Najib said there were lessons learned from the MH17 tragedy as Malaysians were united in sadness and grief when they observed one minute of silence last Friday in honour of the crash victims.

"This was a very unique and special situation when we managed to forget our quarrels and different political ideologies and regardless of our race and religion, we as Malaysians shared the sadness and sympathy.

"This showed that in such a testing time, Malaysians could unite and there were no hurdles they could not overcome," he said.

Earlier, Najib and the other attendees of the Raya celebration also observed a minute of silence in honour of the victims of the MH17 crash which occurred on July 17 when the Malaysia Airlines plane was en route from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, as well as the passengers and crew of MH370 which went missing on March 8.

At the function, Najib also handed over contributions to the Haj would-be pilgrims from the Sepang parliamentary constituency.

PAS not signing SD supporting Azizah

President Jimmy Carter to be keynote speaker at Muslim convention in Detroit

The Islamic Society of North America or ISNA, the nation's largest Muslim group, will hold its 51st annual convention in Detroit's Cobo Center Friday through Sept. 1, and will feature former President Jimmy Carter as the keynote speaker. President Carter will talk on the subject of his latest book, A Call to Action: Women, Religion, Violence, and Power, at a luncheon Aug. 30.

That night, at a session called “Generations Rise: Elevating Muslim-American Culture” -- the same title as the entire conference theme — the outgoing president of ISNA, Imam Mohamed Magid, and four other Muslim speakers will offer ideas for Muslim-American advancement over the next five years. A “secret special guest” is also on the bill.

The convention‘‍s opening session Friday will include words from Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder and Bishop Elizabeth Eaton, the national leader of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. U.S. Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.), the first Muslim member of Congress, will also be speaking Saturday.

There will be many other sessions over the four days, including workshops on a variety of topics including religion with both Muslim and interfaith approaches, education, and culture. An Islamic Film Festival and a competition for those who recite the Qur‘‍an will be held, and there will be a bazaar/trade show with more than 400 vendors.

At the same time and location as the conference, the Islamic Medical Association of North America, Muslim Students Association, and Muslim Youth of North America will have their annual gatherings.

This is the first time the organization will will hold its convention in Detroit. Its headquarters is in Plainfield, Ind, near Indianapolis.

Source: http://www.toledoblade.com

Video shows young boy pledging allegiance to ISIS

A video of a young boy pledging allegiance to its self-proclaimed “Islamic State” is circulating on social media.

The boy is seen in the video reciting a pledge of allegiance to ISIS.

The boy seemed to utter the statements with difficulty, forcing the man who dictated the allegiance to repeat himself more than once.

As soon as the boy finishes the pledge, a voice heard from behind the camera asks the boy how he feels about joining ISIS.

The video ends as the camera holder tells the boy: “Are you now ready to die in the way of Allah?”

The boy replies: “Yes, God willing.”

Al Arabiya News cannot independently verify the location of the video shoot.

U.N. accuses Islamic State of mass killings

By Stephanie Nebehay and Ahmed Rasheed

GENEVA/BAGHDAD (Reuters) - The United Nations on Monday condemned "appalling, widespread" crimes by Islamic State forces in Iraq, including mass executions of prisoners that could amount to war crimes.

U.N. human rights chief Navi Pillay condemned "grave, horrific human rights violations" being committed by Islamic State, a Sunni Muslim group which has seized large areas of Iraq and Syria to the alarm of the Baghdad government and its allies in the West.

Up to 670 prisoners from Badush prison in the city of Mosul were killed by Islamic State on June 10, Pillay said in a statement quoting survivors and witnesses to the "massacre" as telling U.N. human rights investigators.

"Such cold-blooded, systematic and intentional killings of civilians, after singling them out for their religious affiliation, may amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity," Pillay said.

Islamic State (ISIL) loaded 1,000 to 1,500 prisoners from the jail on to trucks and took them for screening, Pillay said. Sunni inmates were then separated and removed.

"ISIL gunmen then yelled insults at the remaining prisoners, lined them up in four rows, ordered them to kneel and opened fire," she said.

AIR POWER

Islamic State fighters have made gains against Kurdish forces in the north in recent weeks, seizing towns, oilfields and Iraq's largest dam. Backed by U.S. air power, Kurdish forces later took back control of the Mosul dam.

An Islamic State video last week depicting the beheading of American journalist James Foley prompted revulsion in the West and calls for tougher action against the jihadists, including taking the fight to them in Syria as well as Iraq.

Some experts have suggested that attacking Islamic State in Syria should involve coming to some sort of arrangement with the government of President Bashar al-Assad, seen in the West as a pariah since an uprising against him began three years ago.

Syria said it would cooperate in any international efforts to fight Islamic State in the country, after Washington signaled it was considering extending the battle against the militants into Syrian territory.

Foreign Minister Walid al-Moualem presented his country as a vital partner in the war against Islamic State.

"Syria, geographically and operationally, is the center of the international coalition to fight Islamic State," Moualem said in a televised news conference. "States must come to it if they are serious in combating terrorism," he added.

Asked about the prospect of U.S. air strikes against Islamic State in Syria, Moualem said his government was ready to cooperate with any country fighting militants. But air raids without Damascus's approval would be seen as hostile acts.

While the White House indicated last week that it was considering taking on Islamic State in Syria, Washington has also supported the insurgency against Assad and there has been no sign of any shift in U.S. policy toward him.

GERMANY KEEPS DISTANCE

Germany said on Monday it has had no diplomatic contacts with the Assad government and no plans to rekindle ties because of the threat posed by Islamic State.

The statement by a German foreign ministry spokesman followed a report in The Independent, a British newspaper, which said the United States had shared intelligence with Syria via Germany's BND intelligence service.

"The regime of President Assad has committed unbelievable injustice in every form during the civil war that has been raging for 3-1/2 years. Nearly 200,000 people have died," the spokesman, Martin Schaefer, told a news conference.

"To be honest it is very difficult to imagine that all this can be ignored in the name of Realpolitik," he said.

Russia, Syria's major ally, urged Western and Arab governments to overcome their distaste for Assad and engage with him to fight Islamic State insurgents. "I think Western politicians are already realizing the growing and fast-spreading threat of terrorism," Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said.

The growing perception in the West and in Baghdad that Islamic State represents a threat to the region and beyond has shaken old alliances and enmities.

While there have been suggestions that the West may find itself dealing with Assad, old enemies Iran and Saudi Arabia have united in welcoming this month's appointment of incoming Shi'ite Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi in Iraq.

Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian left for Riyadh on Monday, the state news agency IRNA reported. This would mark the first visit to Saudi Arabia by a senior government official since President Hassan Rouhani was elected in 2013, promising to try to improve Tehran's relations in the region and with the West.

Shi'ite Muslim Iran and Sunni Saudi Arabia are enmeshed in a struggle for influence in the Middle East and back opposing sides in conflicts and political disputes in Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Bahrain and Yemen.

IRNA said Abdollahian was due to meet Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al Faisal. Riyadh officials were not available to comment, but Saudi-owned satellite news channel al-Arabiya said the Iranian minister would arrive on Tuesday for talks.

The visit follows talks in Baghdad on Sunday between Abadi and Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, who reaffirmed Tehran's support for Iraq's territorial unity and its fight against militants.

Abadi said on Monday that talks on forming a new government were constructive and predicted a "clear vision" on a unified administration would emerge within the next two days, state television reported.

Abadi is tasked with forming a power-sharing government that can tackle deepening sectarian violence and counter Islamic State.

In Baghdad, a suicide bomb attack in a Shi'ite mosque on Monday killed at least nine people and wounded 21, police and medical sources said.

Islamic State claimed responsibility for the bombing, saying in a statement that it was to avenge an attack on Friday when Shi'ite militiamen opened fire in a Sunni mosque in Diyala province north of Baghdad on Friday, killing 68 people.

Later on Monday, two car bombs killed at least 11 people and wounded 25 in a mainly Shi'ite district of Baghdad, police and medical sources said. One exploded in a busy street and another at a restaurant in the Utaifiya district in the west-central area of the capital.

(Additional reporting by Michael Georgy and Kareem Raheem in Baghdad, Mariam Karouny in Beirut, Katya Golubkova in Moscow, Noah Barkin in Berlin, Michelle Moghtader in Dubia and Angus McDowall in Riyadh; Writing by Giles Elgood; Editing by David Stamp and Jonathan Oatis)

Thousands to lose jobs in MAS restructuring

About a quarter of Malaysia Airlines' 20,000 employees are likely to lose their jobs under a restructuring plan for the loss-making airline hit by two separate jet disasters this year, a source with direct knowledge of the matter said.

The restructuring plan, due to be unveiled later this week, will include route cuts, as well as the loss of up to 5,000-6,000 jobs, according to the source, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The carrier's majority owner, Khazanah Nasional Bhd, is expected to announce the plan to restructure the firm as early as August 28. Khazanah, which owns 69.37% of the airline, formally known as Malaysian Airline System Bhd (MAS), said earlier this month it is taking MAS private in a RM1.37 billion deal.

MAS is due to announce second-quarter results on August 28 that are expected to show losses expanding. MAS has been struggling with a slump in business since the unexplained disappearance of Flight MH370 in March tipped the airline into its worst quarterly performance in two years in January-March.

Its problems deepened on July 17 when its Flight MH17 was shot down over Ukraine, killing all 298 people on board. The airline is now set to post one of its weakest performance in the April-June quarter, hit by due to cancelled bookings, weak passenger yields and high overheads, according to analysts.

The same source told Reuters in July that Khazanah planned to de-list the airline, which has recorded a net loss for the past three years, and announce the restructuring plan as early as the end of August.

A Khazanah spokesperson said it does not comment on speculation.

Prime Minister Najib Razak, who is chairman of Khazanah, still has to sign off on a restructuring plan for the carrier that is politically sensitive.

While 5,000-6,000 job losses would signal a drastic downsizing of the firm, analysts have said many staff could be offered jobs at other government-run firms to soften the blow to them and their families. About 13,000 MAS workers are unionized, belonging to the MAS Employees Union.

The airline and its key stakeholders are in talks with banks for an overhaul that could include the partial sale of its engineering unit and an upgrade of its ageing fleet, sources involved in the discussions have told Reuters.

The plan is also expected to bring in a new chief executive and replace other senior executives.

Shares of MAS ended unchanged at 25.5 sen on Monday. The stock has dropped 17.7% year to date, compared with a 0.2% rise in the benchmark index. – Reuters, August 25, 2014.

Losing the best people in PKR - Malaysiakini

 

COMMENT If Abdul Khalid Ibrahim is a good man, why has there not been a single leader in his party who has stood up for him?

This is a reasonable question, given that in these last few months, literally not a single PKR top leader has come out to say: I support Khalid.

There are two very obvious potential scenarios that explain this state of affairs.

The first, propagated by the likes of Rafizi Ramli (left), is that Khalid is in fact corrupt, and all PKR leaders realise this truth.

If this is true, we would be hard pressed to explain why Khalid did not take what were literally hundreds of opportunities to abuse his position of power and enrich himself in his six years as menteri besar.

If anyone thinks it is difficult to make five or ten-fold of RM 70 million within six years as menteri besar of the richest state in Malaysia, one only need ask Dr Khir Toyo for some pointers.

The second explanation as to why Khalid has no political allies within PKR is simply because there is no ‘benefit’ or ‘reward’ in supporting Khalid.

No contracts for backing Khalid

You could suck up to Khalid from the rising of the sun, to the going down of the same, and not only will you not be rewarded with positions or contracts, you are likely to end up in his bad books.

This is the exact opposite of the spirit of feudalism that it is increasingly clear pervades PKR.

Politicians have prevailed on Khalid again and again to loosen Selangor’s purse strings, and to oil the wheels of Pakatan Rakyat’s political machinery. Khalid has again and again said no, this money belongs to the people of Selangor, not to any political interests.

For a while, some of the slightly better politicians praised Khalid for taking this stance. However, a much bigger group started saying: “Very action lah! Think you’ll be there forever? Let’s just see how long you can stay in power like that.”

It turns out the latter group has long overpowered the few in the former.

Integrity deficit in PKR leadership

If I am correct in thinking of Khalid as a man of integrity, then you can imagine my sad disappointment at how so many people in the party I have known personally for such a long time abandoned him to the wolves.

Not a single one of his former supporters, or those who would sing his praises, stood by him when push came to shove.

From the perspective of democratic representation, we note also that despite over a third of PKR’s members voting for Khalid in the second to last vote count, not a single leader has taken up his cause.

Again, his detractors will say the fault for this lies with Khalid himself, but for whatever little my opinion is worth, I think this reveals more about those who did not stand up for Khalid than it does about Khalid himself.

Does politics invariably corrupt?

There are some people who feel that politics invariably corrupts. Being allergic to cynicism, I have never chosen to agree with the ‘invariably’ part of that sentence, but at this point I am certainly comfortable with replacing it with ‘often’ or even ‘almost always’.

Malaysian politics feels like acid that eats away at personal integrity. PKR used to be home to so many individuals I looked up to - individuals of integrity that I felt fought bravely and intelligently for Malaysians, and for a Malaysia free from corruption.

Now, it feels like never-ending shades of grey have eliminated even the most basic sense of black and white in these same individuals. The Selangor crisis has clearly smashed what little was left of PKR’s moral compass, causing its ship to drift well into Barisan Nasional’s waters of corruption and self-centered politics.

The situation seems no better with DAP and the Erdogan faction of PAS. If my evaluation of the entire Kajang Move is correct, then they are as complicit and responsible as anyone in PKR.

Khalid losing his position as menteri besar is probably not the worst thing to emerge from this crisis. The worst is that in its pursuit of misguided objectives, PKR and Pakatan have lost their best, strongest feature - the integrity of their leaders.

‘Friend and family member’

Some will cry realpolitik and make accusations of both naivette as well as a blind obsession with Khalid. I do not begrudge them their view. We must all reflect on our positions and then live with them.

I joined PKR in 2007, just before the Ijok by-election that Khalid lost. PKR was a one seat party then, with Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail standing alone in a Parliament dominated by dark blue.

I left the party in January 2014. This time, it is now Khalid who is alone. I am proud to have believed in the underdog in 2007, and no less proud to do the same in 2014.

Anwar Ibrahim’s exhortation not to resort to personal attacks against his ‘friend and family member’ Khalid was not wrong, but one cannot help but feel that it rings hollow, given how the vicious campaign against Khalid would have been impossible without Anwar’s go ahead.

Broken bonds

Nurul Izzah Anwar made one of her first public comments about the menteri besar issue, throwing her support behind her mother Wan Azizah, quoting Wan Azizah’s strength during Anwar’s imprisonment as qualification for the menteri besar post.

I cannot help but recall another story Nurul Izzah used to tell. I heard it once in person at a Selangor buka puasa event some years ago, and I believe it is a story she often used to tell at events with Khalid.

Nurul Izzah spoke of how alone Anwar was, imprisoned in Sungai Buloh, with all his former friends and allies having completely abandoned him. No one who was part of the establishment would dare to visit him in prison for fear of the taint it would bring onto themselves.

No one but Khalid.

I remember Nurul Izzah describing with great feeling and eloquence how, despite having everything to lose, Khalid stuck to his principles, and stood by Anwar and his family in their darkest hour.

Fifteen years later, Khalid is still sticking to his principles. This time, though, he appears to be standing alone.

---

NATHANIEL TAN thanks everyone who has ever stood by him, including Anwar Ibrahim. He tweets @NatAsasi.

What are the criteria for male MBs?

 

Najib Abdul Razak’s latest slogan ‘Endless Possibilities’ only applies to men. In Najib’s Malaysia, women face ‘Endless Objections’. The latest victim is Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail. Her plan to become the first woman menteri besar for Selangor is being thwarted by Umno Baru and the critics in her own coalition.

In patriarchal Malaysia, women must prove themselves more than most men, and obstacles are deliberately put in their way. Many women know that if they put their minds to it, they can achieve whatever they desire. Have the people who question Wan Azizah’s suitability, applied the same rigorous standards to MBs in other states? Unsurprisingly, MBs in the opposition-held states of Selangor, and Penang are subjected to intense scrutiny.

Did anyone ask if the Kelantan MB possessed the necessary experience? Ahmad Yaakob, the Syariah graduate from Al-Azhar University in Egypt and former teacher did not have a rough ride when he was chosen as MB for Kelantan.

Similarly, his predecessor, ‘Tok Guru’, who is much respected and admired, even by non-Muslims, and has been credited for PAS’ increased popularity among non-Muslims,  eased effortlessly into the role of MB.

The former MB of Terengganu, Ahmad Said, who many will remember as the explorer who met the penguins in Antarctica, and whose temper tantrums, just before his daughter’s wedding caught Najib’s attention, was not the first choice for MB, in 2008. In the Terengganu constitutional crisis, Ahmad was alleged to be the sultan’s favourite, despite Ahmad’s unpopularity within Umno Baru.

Did anyone question if Mukhriz Mahathir had the necessary experience to be MB? Sometimes, one’s political pedigree is enough to silence one’s detractors.

In 2010, Perak’s BN senior executive councillor Hamidah Osman (right) was rumoured to be Najib’s preferred choice for MB, because of her alleged role in persuading three Pakatan assemblypersons to leap frog to ‘independence’, thus causing the collapse of Pakatan’s 10-month government of Perak.

If Najib had been successful in making Hamidah the MB of Perak, he would have been lauded for being progressive. What a wasted opportunity! Instead, Najib listened to the chauvinists in Umno Baru and chose Zambry Abdul Kadir instead.

In a face-saving gesture, Hamidah betrayed every woman in Malaysia, when she said that a female politician could become a minister, but not an MB. “As menteri besar, one has to meet the Tuanku, where protocol is involved, and one has to meet religious officers, and in such situations it is not possible for a woman to become the head of a state government.”

This mantra is continually applied to women, who might accompany the sultan. Recently, Umno Baru lawyer Mohd Hafarizam Harun mentioned a woman’s unsuitability to be the MB, because her menstruation would be an “obstacle for her, to accompany the sultan at religious functions”.

No mention of women being ineligible

The news article on Hafarizam also said that in the Selangor constitution, an MB must be “a member of the Malay race and profess the Muslim religion”. There was no mention of women being ineligible.

Dr Shamrahayu Abdul Aziz (right), a Universiti Islam Antarabangsa (UIA) Malaysia lecturer agreed that it was possible for a woman to be MB. “There is no specification in the state laws that does not allow for a woman to be the menteri besar. The main requirements are for the candidate to be Muslim and Malay”.

Conscious of her Umno Baru minders, she cautiously said, “But we also have to take into account sensitivities and taboos in society, as well as whether we are ready for a female menteri besar”.

Why is Shamrahayu afraid of advancing the progress of other women? Is she aware that at one time, women had great difficulty getting an education, let along becoming lecturers?

Najib became Malaysia’s youngest MB when he was 29, in 1982. Did anyone question his suitability as MB, for Pahang? Did the sympathy vote, after the death of his father, a few years earlier, which made him suitable?

Last year, Najib took over from Shahrizat Abdul Jalil, as the Women, Family and Community Development Minister. Did anyone broach the subject of his ability to hold three portfolios - prime minister, finance minister and also women minister? Was he paid three salaries? How did other women gauge his effectiveness as a minister in charge of women’s affairs?

Najib cares more about his public image. He craves status and power. Over the years, many women in employment have given up lucrative careers, because of expensive child care. Single mothers are neglected. The syariah laws do not protect women. Child marriages destroy the lives of many young girls. Sports personalities are let off when they commit statutory rape.

How did Najib transform the lives of women during his tenure as the Women Minister? He could not fill the quota for women in government. He lacked the courage and conviction to push through policies, which would help Malaysian women. The bigger disappointment is that few women complained about him being an ineffective minister for women’s affairs.

Sometimes, those who blight the hopes of Malaysian women are other women. Wan Azizah is being savaged for wanting to become MB, not because of her education, her achievements as a doctor, her knowledge of the struggles as a wife, working mother and grandmother, but because she is Anwar Ibrahim’s wife.

By the time Wan Azizah takes her place as MB, she will be battle-hardened. Being a good MB is not gender-specific. It is about leadership skills and the passion to engage with Malaysians, for one common purpose.

Another fear of Umno Baru and conservative Malays is that once a woman becomes an MB, the rakyat will also accept the possibility of capable non-Malays becoming MBs, and PM. That would be the death knell of parties based on race and religion, like Umno Baru and PAS.

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MARIAM MOKHTAR is a defender of the truth, the admiral-general of the Green Bean Army and president of the Perak Liberation Organisation (PLO).

PAS MP to be charged with sedition - Malaysiakini

PAS's Shah Alam MP Khalid Samad is expected to be charged with sedition tomorrow, joining a growing list of opposition politicians facing the same.

It is believed that he will be charged over his remarks on the Selangor sultan and the Selangor Islamic Affairs Council (Mais).

"I am being called to go to court tomorrow. They are going to charge me under the Sedition Act," he told reporters in Pandamaran tonight.

The MP was informed by the police via text message earlier this evening.

"An arrest warrant will be given to me later tonight, meaning that I will be arrested if I don't show up in court tomorrow," he said.

Last month, Khalid was called in by police to give a statement after suggesting that Mais' powers be curbed.

The police had acted on a police report by NGO Jalur Tiga (Jati), which is headed by former Selangor PAS leader Hasan Ali.

He had on June 17 urged the Selangor government remove Mais' executive powers as Mais is an institution seen to be close to the Selangor sultan.

This followed Mais' refusal to allow its enforcement arm the Selangor Islamic Affairs Department (Jais) to return copies of the bible it seized from the Bible Society Malaysia.

His remarks had prompted Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah (above) to rebuke Khalid as "insolent".

Khalid will be fourth elected representative to be charged this month alone, after PAS' Changkat Jering assemblyperson Nizar Jamaluddin (criminal defamation), PKR's Batu MP Tian Chua (insulting one's modesty) and PKR's Padang Serai MP N Surendran (sedition).

Long list of sedition cases

Others charged with sedition include DAP's Seputeh MP Teresa Kok, for her Chinese New Year video 'Onederful Malaysia' and PKR's Batu MP Tian Chua, for remarks made on the Lahad Datu incursion and general election results.

In June, DAP's Seri Delima assemblyperson RSN Rayer  (left) was informed that he will be charged with sedition for calling Umno 'celaka' (damned), but was the charge was postponed.

The late Karpal Singh, who was DAP's Bukit Gelugor MP, was convicted of sedition for observations he made as a lawyer on the Perak MB crisis.

DAP's Gelang Patah MP is under investigation for sedition over remarks made on the death of DAP political aide Teoh Beng Hock.

Last June, NGO Ikatan Muslimin Malaysia (Isma)'s president Abdullah Zaik Abdul Rahman was charged with sedition for saying that the Chinese are "intruders".

Separately, police investigated a 17-year-old for sedition, for clicking 'like' on an 'I Like Israel' Facebook page earlier this month.

In 2012, PM Najib had promised to repeal the Sedition Act.

Proposals to replace it with anti-bigotry law, as mooted by the National Unity Consultative Council, has met fierce resistance from right-wing groups who say it threatens bumiputera rights.