Ismail Sabri: I won’t apologise

He says he won't withdraw the statement calling on Malays to boycott profiteering Chinese traders.

FMT

KUALA LUMPUR: Beleaguered Agriculture Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob has refused to apologise for calling on Malay consumers to boycott profiteering Chinese traders.

“I won’t withdraw my statement and I won’t apologise,” he told reporters covering a gathering of his supporters at the Putra World Trade Centre.

He also said he would cooperate with police in their investigations into his case.

Inspector-General of Police Khalid Abu Bakar, in a Twitter message late yesterday, said police would question Ismail over his statement, which critics have described as racist in nature.

“I’ll leave it to the police to do their duty,” Ismail said.

Commenting on an MCA call for his resignation, he said: “What’s wrong with MCA? As partners in the (Barisan Nasional) coalition, we should be sitting down in discussion if there’s something one of us is dissatisfied with. There’s no need to join DAP in issuing a statement.”

Temple could save RM160k if exemption granted

The Johor government is considering waiving the land fees according to past practice on other land.

FMT

JOHOR BAHARU: The Johor state government is prepared to consider an application by the Arulmigu Thendayuthapani Kovil temple management here for an exemption from paying an additional land premium of RM160,000.

Johor Menteri Besar Mohamed Khaled Nordin said the additional premium imposed on the management was the result of building a multi-purpose hall at the temple site before getting approval from the State Land office.

“If I am not mistaken, the additional premium that should be paid is RM160,000 and this is on top of the regular land premium amounting to RM80,000 which should be paid by the management.

“So, I shall consider the exemption soon according to our past practices on other lands,” he said when opening the Thaipusam celebration here today.

Also present were Johor Baharu MP Shahrir Abdul Samad and MIC vice-president and Johor MIC Liaison chairman, S Balakrishnan.

According to Mohamed Khaled, the state government would give due consideration to the temple which played a role in creating a community which emphasised on religion as a guide to their lives.

“We know all religions encourage the spirit of goodwill, tolerance and mutual assistance. When devotees give high emphasis on this aspect, it would propel them and the country forward,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Thaipusam celebration attracted 100,000 Hindu devotees.

The Thaipusam procession from Arulmigu Rajamariamman temple in Jalan Ungku Puanto the city centre to the Arulmigu Thendayuthapani Kovil in Jalan Kuel started at 10pm last night and ended at around 4pm today.

- BERNAMA

Saravanan may bid for MIC presidency

He claims that already at least 1,500 of the 3,700 MIC branches are behind him.

FMT

KUALA LUMPUR: MIC vice-president M Saravanan has hinted that he might challenge G Palanivel for the party presidency.

“I haven’t really thought too much about it so far,” he said today on the sidelines of the Thaipusam celebrations at Batu Caves.

“I will be speaking to my supporters on whether to go for the vice-presidency or the presidency. If my supporters say go for the presidency, I will seriously consider their advice.”

He claims that at least 1,500 of the 3,700 MIC branches are behind him but he thinks that he can draw support from another 500 branches. That appears to be lower than the support enjoyed by former party president S Samy Vellu, to whom he has been reportedly aligned.

Saravanan’s statement comes in the wake of comments by Samy Vellu that MIC will be buried for good if Palanivel doesn’t do something to save it.

“MIC’s support level from the Indian community is dropping and if nothing is done, the party will lose its influence,” said Samy at Batu Caves. “Palanivel, as the number one, must find a way out of the internal crisis the party is facing.”

Palanivel plans to hold fresh party elections by June, a move that has won the approval of Home Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and the Registrar of Societies (ROS).

Earlier, ROS had directed that re-elections be held for three vice presidencies and 23 Central Working Committee (CWC) positions on the grounds that the November 30 results were tainted by irregularities.

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

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

FMT

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

He sees no need for this.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Are these errant traders only selling to Malay consumers?

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

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

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

Muhyiddin Sad Land Clearing Of Cameron Highlands Still Occur During Enforcement Ops

CAMERON HIGHLANDS, Feb 3 (Bernama) -- Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin today expressed his sadness with the continuous intrusion in Cameron Highlands despite enforcement operations.

The Deputy Prime Minister said what was more worrying was that the culprits were blatantly challenging the authorities and if it continued, he did not know how long the highlands would last.

"I am very upset. When you look closer, some of the land covered in plastic is agriculture land which have been cleared even while enforcement is being carried out.

"I have been here two days and see Cameron Highlands severely damaged, and if no stern and effective action is taken, I do not know how long this area will last," he said.

He was speaking to reporters after a surprise visit to Cameron Highlands to review the latest recovery development and inspection of the authorities following the floods and landslide at the holiday destination in November last year.

Muhyiddin, who is also chairman of the Special Committee on Flash Floods in Cameron Highlands, said although more than 500 officers and staff from various departments and agencies were involved in the operations to clean up the land, he said these were not enough as the land-clearing was severe and had a worrying effect on the environment.

However, he said, the enforcement would be more effective by increasing the number of enforcers and equipment as well as implementing the law under the Land and Mines Department or the Forestry Department.

Muhyiddin said among the measures which could be implemented was creating permanent posts in the areas which had been identified as focal places for intrusion.

He said the matter would be decided after obtaining the views of Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar and Armed Forces Chief Tan Sri Zulkifeli Mohd Zin as well as the Pahang state government at the next meeting of the Special Committee on the Flash Floods in Cameron Highlands.

This would ensure tighter monitoring was carried out to prevent further intrusions into the highlands, he said.

To prevent future threats to the authorities, the deputy prime minister said he would be suggesting that the areas where these frequently happened be gazetted as security areas.

"This move must be further studied such as the need for a special force to patrol the areas from intrusions and preventing intruders from entering them," he said.

Asked if efforts to revert Cameron Highlands' glory as a tourist attraction could be attained soon, Muhyiddin said he was not optimistic this could be done.

"At this stage, I am not optimistic, until the enforcement efforts against intrusions have been fully carried out," he said.

The flood and landslide in Kampung Raja, Pekan Ringlet and Bertam Valley in Cameron Highlands on Nov 5 claimed five lives, with more than 90 victims from 28 families being evacuated to the relief centres.

The illegal land clearing was believed to have been a factor causing the flood and landslide in the highlands.

-- BERNAMA

Zahid commends Palanivel on fresh party polls decision

Kilburn supporter of hate preacher Anjem Choudary admits grooming girl, 15, over Facebook

A supporter of hate preacher Anjem Choudary faces jail after he admitted grooming a 15-year-old schoolgirl on social media site Facebook

KILBURN TIMES

Mansoor Miah, of Hilgrove Road, Kilburn, invited the underage teenager to meet him for sex at a hotel in Kent, in November 2013.

The 21-year-old, who works as a sales assistant in Tesco in Brent Cross, also swapped lewd photos with the youngster and pleasured himself in front of the teen via webcam.

Southwark Crown Court heard the child’s mother was alerted after her daughter’s school reported online contact between the pupil and Miah.

Miah retweets several messages from Anjem Choudary including one just three days before his arrest on June 25 last year, which begins: ‘Which Muslim wouldn’t want to live in the Khilafah, ie Islamic ruling system...’

Today in court he admitted attempting to meet a child following sexual grooming.

Neville Rudston, defending Miah, said: “What is different about this offence is that he is a 21-year-old of limited sexual experience who unfortunately seized the opportunity to pursue a sexual relationship with someone who was 15.

“I will seek to distinguish him from someone who has deliberately targeting children rather than effectively being a relatively young person who has committed this act.”

Miah denied five charges of intentionally encouraging an offence and a further charge of attempting to arrange the commission of a child sex offence.

Prosecutor Stephen Requena said: “The plea is acceptable, we won’t seek trial on counts one to six.”

He was released on bail ahead of sentencing on February 26.

Judge Loraine-Smith told him: “Your counsel rightly concedes that this case crosses the custody threshold.

“He will be attempting to persuade the judge on that occasion to suspend the sentence. Whether he succeeds or not, time alone will tell.”

ISIS Opens Market in Mosul for Stolen Assyrian Property

Mosul (AINA) -- ISIS has opened a special market to sell property it looted from Assyrian homes and churches in Mosul. The market, called "Spoils Of The Nazarenes," sells televisions, refrigerators, microwave ovens and other electronic devices, as well as furniture and artwork. Prices range from 50,000 to 75,000 Iraqi Dinars ($42 to $63).

ISIS captured the city of Mosul on June 10. Almost immediately thereafter it began to drive Assyrians out of Mosul and destroy Christian and non-Sunni institutions. It imposed a poll tax (jizya) on Assyrians, ordered unmarried women to 'Jihad by sex', destroyed the statue of the Virgin Mary at the Immaculate Church of the Highest in the neighborhood of AlShafa in Mosul, as well as the statue of Mullah Osman Al-Musali.

• On June 26 Kurds clashed with ISIS near Baghdede, an Assyrian town east of Mosul, forcing nearly 50,000 Assyrians to flee.
• On July 8 ISIS removed the Cross from St. Ephrem Cathedral in the Shoorta neighborhood in Mosul, one week after the church was seized on July 1.
• On July 18 ISIS marked Christian homes with the Arabic letter "N" for the word Nasrani, which means Christian.
• On July 19 ISIS plundered Assyrians as they fled Mosul.
• On July 22 ISIS and Kurds clashed near the Assyrian town Tel Kepe; 2000 Assyrian families were driven from Mosul.
• On July 29 ISIS destroyed or occupied all 45 Christian institutions in Mosul.
• On August 2 ISIS looted 8 million dollars from Assyrian farms.
• On August 21 ISIS looted Assyrian homes, vandalized churches in Mosul.

Revisiting the Altantuya crime scene

 

COMMENT Nine years on and three weeks after the final Federal Court decision, public speculation as to the motive for the murder of Mongolian national Altantuya Shaariibuu has refused to die down.

And now, added to this is the interview political analyst Abdul Razak Baginda gave to The Malaysian Insider last week where his statements defending Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak over Altantuya's murder have instead raised more questions.

This is the second time Abdul Razak - the third accused charged six years ago with abetment to murder Altantuya - has defended Najib who is a close acquaintance of his.

The first was during a press conference in November 2009 after his acquittal without his defence being called by the Shah Alam High Court, when he emphatically said Najib was not involved in the Altantuya murder plot.

In his most recent interview, the political analyst likened Chief Inspector Azilah Hadri and Corporal Sirul Azhar Umar' actions to those of other rogue cops who have been found liable for death in custody cases. Azilah and Sirul were last month given the death penalty for the murder of Altantuya.

Blown to bits

Abdul Razak maintains her murder is a straightforward case but his comments on rogue cops has irked Inspector-General of Police Khalid Abu Bakar who responded that the public would never know why the two elite police officers killed her.

The IGP's response, in turn, has been criticised by DAP parliamentary leader and Gelang Patah MP, Lim Kit Siang, who said the top cop was committing “dereliction of duty” by not revealing the truth behind the murder.

This led to Khalid to retort on Sunday that the motive for Altantuya's murder had indeed been established by the cops but was not revealed during Azilah's and Sirul's trial by the prosecution. He added he was not empowered to reveal it post-conviction.

Having covered numerous murder cases in the courts, I can say that in the majority of instances, motive is normally established. However, in Altantuya's case, it was not revealed by the prosecution throughout the entire duration of the trial.

For this case, it can certainly be said that her killing was pre-meditated as she was shot first and her body was then blown to bits with the intention of erasing all evidence of the murder.

Bright, sunny day

I remember that unforgettable day during the trial when all three accused and the court visited the macabre crime scene in Shah Alam.

This visit came after DPP Tun Abdul Majid Tun Hamzah (now deputy solicitor-general) asked Shah Alam High Court judge Mohd Zaki Yasin whether the court would like to inspect the murder scene at Puncak Alam.

Prior to that, the court was shown the deceased's bone fragments which had been recovered from the scene of the crime.

The court visited the crime scene on the afternoon of July 17, 2007, nine months after the murder.

Some 60 journalists - including those from the international corps - decided to go to the crime scene early with their photographers. From the main road of what is now Persiaran Mokhtar Dahari, we took a right turn.

There were various stalls going about their businesses as we drove along the road and parked our cars up ahead at a foothill.

It was a bright sunny day and some who did not have four-wheel drive vehicles decided to walk up the hill while others with motorcycles rode up.

I (then attached to a mainstream newspaper) fortunately managed to hitch a ride in a colleague's 4WD as the hill slope leading to the crime scene was quite steep.

Skies darken ominously

When we arrived at the hilltop, we saw a clearing with burn marks on the ground and some sort of blue sash tied to a tree. There were various other ornaments placed there including a rosary crucifix and Buddhist prayer items.

The trees and their leaves of the surrounding area still showed burn signs as a result of the explosion that tore apart Altantuya and that probably resulted in a small fire.

Just as the various parties - the judge, the prosecutors and lawyers and the accused - from the court were about to arrive, the skies began to darken ominously with thunderclouds.

From what had been a bright and sunny day, the weather rather rapidly changed to one of thunder, lightning and pounding rain by the time everyone gathered at the site at 3pm.

Reporters ran helter-skelter seeking whatever shelter they could find under the cover of the secondary forest while the prosecutors proceeded to show judge Zaki - who had an umbrella-wielding assistant - how the murder occurred.

The prosecutors showed the exact place where Altantuya was shot as she squatted and the nearby location where explosives were placed around her dead body before being detonated.

All this was done under the watchful eyes of the judge, defence counsel and accused Abdul Razak, Azilah and Sirul - the latter two sporting hoodies to hide their faces.

The pouring rain continued right until the whole entourage was beginning to leave the scene. And as we were leaving the place and going downhill, the rain suddenly stopped and it was sunny again.

An ordinary murder?

For me, the visit was memorable as it was my first and only time visiting the Altantuya murder crime scene.

It was also rather unforgettable as later that evening, we were startled to find out that one of the prosecutors who had briefed the judge at the murder scene had met with an accident as her car skidded and overturned later that day. Luckily, she escaped unhurt.

With answers still lacking as to the motive for this apparently senseless murder, what happened on July 17, 2007 will continue to be in the public's consciousness as people ponder as to whether this was truly an “ordinary” murder case (according to Abdul Razak).

The other ponderable is why did Abdul Razak's wife Mazlinda Makhzan, a former magistrate, cry out in open court that “my husband does not want to be the prime minister” as her husband was being charged with abetment to murder Altantuya?

At that time in 2006, Najib was the deputy prime minister and he has since repeatedly denied any involvement in the murder whatsoever.

---

HAFIZ YATIM is a member of Malaysiakini team.

IGP plays down police dissent against Zahid

Inspector-general of police (IGP) Khalid Abu Bakar has accused Malaysiakini of attempting to drive a wedge between the police and Home Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.
 

He said this when asked to respond to Malaysiakini's report today on police officials taking to social media to mock Zahid for sending a letter to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) on Paul Phua, who is allegedly linked to 14K, an international crime syndicate.

 

"You see, I want to call in the Malaysiakini chief editor (for questioning). This (article) is an attempt to instigate the police (against) the minister.

 

"I can't let this go on. If Malaysiakini continues to play this up, I think they are looking for trouble. Don't try to stir things up between the police and the minister. 

 

"Report factual matters only. If there are police officers (who are not happy), let me know who they are. Who were the ones who said this?" asked Khalid.

 

Khalid was speaking to reporters after attending a function in Putrajaya.

 

Earlier today, Malaysiakini reported that several police officials have been openly criticising Zahid for writing a letter to the FBI in support of Phua (left), despite the latter's history with illegal gambling syndicates.

 

Phua has been convicted before in Miri for running an illegal gambling ring in 2004. He is currently facing trial in the United States for similar charges after being arrested last year.

Following this, Zahid wrote to the FBI claiming that Phua had no links with the 14K triad and had previously helped Malaysia on "national security" matters.

Cops watching alleged 'economic saboteur'

On a separate matter, Khalid said cops will investigate The Edge Media group owner Tong Kooi Ong if there is any truth to allegations the tycoon was engaged in economic sabotage.

"If it is true, he must be ready to face the country's laws," said Khalid.

However, Khalid declined to elaborate on whether police had opened investigations against Tong, merely stating that cops will probe any threat to the country's security and prosperity.

Tong (left) has vehemently denied engaging in currency speculation, an allegation levelled against him by an anonymous blogger.

On another matter, Khalid said Malaysian authorities has yet to receive confirmation on whether Zulkifli bin Hir, better known as Marwan, had been killed in clashes with Philippines forces.

"We are relying on the Philippines police department, there has been many reports, some say there was a cut finger but we are waiting for their official report," he said.

Zulkifli, a Malaysian who is among the most wanted terrorists in South East Asia, was reportedly killed by Philippines forces on Jan 25.

44 Filipino commandos were killed in the operation, the heaviest number of single-day casualties in recent history for the country.

The top cop also warned secessionists in Sabah that police will go after them following the arrest of nine individuals in Sabah last night who allegedly distributed pamphlets calling for secession from the federation.

"To those who are inciting the rakyat to support them for Sabah and Sarawak to exit Malaysia, wait for our action," he said.

On the 1MDB probe, Khalid said the investigation is still ongoing.

'I meant stubborn Chinese traders, not all'

 

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

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

"Regarding my boycott call to Malays against Chinese traders, I was responding Facebook users who are angry at stubborn Chinese traders who don't want to cut prices," he said on Facebook.

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

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

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Malays urged to boycott Chinese businesses

 

Agriculture and Agro-Based Industry Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob has urged Malays to shun Chinese businesses to compel them to lower prices.

Ismail Sabri had made the comment through his Facebook page, but the post is not accessible publicly.

However, the post has been screencaptured and is in heavy circulation among pro-Umno blogs and social media, with many expressing support for the minister.

The Malaysian Insider reports that the minister has confirmed authoring the Facebook post.

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

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

Ismail Sabri also accused Chinese businesses of having suspect halal certifications, yet Malays are still patronising such establishments.

"Just look at Old Town White Coffee... They are suspicious... but still Malays are not boycotting (the company). Moreover, the company is owned by the Ngeh family (of) Perak DAP, which are anti-Islam.

"As long as Malays don't change, the Chinese will take advantage and oppress the Malays," he stressed.

It is believed that Ismail Sabri is referring to DAP's Sitiawan assemblyperson Ngeh Khoo Ham.

When contacted, Ngeh denied an interest in Old Town White Coffee and said he will issue a press release later.

Old Town White Coffee denies any links to DAP

 

The Old Town White Coffee restaurant chain has denied having any links to DAP or its politicians, following allegations made by Agriculture and Agro-Based Industry Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob.

In addition, it noted that is a publically listed company on Bursa Malaysia’s main board, and that none of its board members are active members of any political party.

“We would also like to clarify once again that Old Town White Coffee is not affiliated with any political party, or any politician as recently alleged by a certain public figure, nor does the company have any political interests,” the company’s chairperson, Ahmed Tasir, said in a statement today.

Previously, Ismail Sabri (right) made a controversial Facebook posting urging for a boycott on Chinese Malaysian businesses, in which he made reference to Old Town.

“Just look at Old Town White Coffee... They are suspicious... but still Malays are not boycotting (the company). Moreover, the company is owned by the Ngeh family (of) Perak DAP, which are anti-Islam.

“As long as Malays don't change, the Chinese will take advantage and oppress the Malays,” he pointed out.

He said this in claiming that Chinese businesses have suspect halal certifications and yet Malays do not boycott them.

Ismail Sabri has since clarified that he was referring to “stubborn Chinese traders” who refuse to drop goods prices despite falling fuel prices.

Meanwhile, a report by The Malaysian Insider quoted Perak DAP advisor Ngeh Koo Ham, as saying that he never owned any Old Town shares and denied that he is anti-Islam.

Ngeh (left) reportedly demanded Ismail Sabri to retract his remarks within 48 hours, and said he would be lodging a police report against the minister tomorrow.

As for Old Town, Ahmed assured that the restaurant’s halal certification remained valid, and that claims to the contrary are untrue and misinformed.

“Old Town White Coffee does not serve any non-halal food products or alcohol, and all our food and beverages are prepared in a halal manner.

“We will continue to work closely with the relevant authorities to ensure that all our outlets in Malaysia remain halal-certified,” he said.

Devotees throng Batu Caves ahead of Thaipusam

 

Waves of Hindu devotees thronged the Batu Caves Temple since last night following the 'Silver Chariot' procession from the Sri Maha Mariamman temple in Jalan Tun HS Lee in Kuala Lumpur in conjunction with Thaipusam tomorrow.

Sri Maha Mariamman Temple Dhevasthanam honorary secretary RT Sundaram said more than 1.6 million people are expected to gather at Batu Caves tomorrow, with 200,000 Hindus performing rituals in the annual religious event.

“The temple management has made thorough preparations to accommodate the crowds of people who will enliven Batu Caves during the Thaipusam festivities,” he told Bernama in Kuala Lumpur today.

Thaipusam is celebrated in the month of ‘Thai’, the 10th month in the Tamil calendar, and also commemorates the occasion (day) when Lord Murugan or Subramaniam or Kartikeya as he is also known, received the ‘Vel’ or divine spear from his mother, Parvati, so he could vanquish the evil demon ‘Soorapadman’.

Sundaram said the ‘silver chariot’ carrying the deities Lord Murugan and his two consorts Valli and Theivanai from, Sri Maha Mariamman Temple started at 10pm last night in a slow procession, covering 13 kilometres, to Batu Caves.

Sundaram said the ‘silver chariot’ with the deities will return to Sri Maha Mariamman Temple at 4pm on Wednesday (Feb 4).

He added that the ‘silver chariot’ has been given a facelift this year by widening its size, adding wheels and replacing the silver after 30 years.

Sundaram said that like previous years, Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak is expected to participate and witness the unique celebrations at Batu Caves at 10am on Thaipusam day (tomorrow).

Visitors can also witness a special photo exhibition celebrating 125 years of Thaipusam featuring 200 photographs which chronicles the development of the festival since 1891. The exhibition will be open to the public until Feb 8.

During Thaipusam, devotees carry ‘paal kudam’ (pots filled with milk) and decorated ‘kavadis’ up the stairs to the cave temple to fulfill their vows in exchange for answered prayers.

Thousands try to beat the crowd tomorrow

Meanwhile, a Bernama survey of Batu Caves found thousands of devotees had begun fullfilling their vows by shaving their heads, carrying pots of milk and offering prayers to beat the crowd tomorrow.

A devotee, G Ayanar, 68, from Felda Palung 8, Negri Sembilan, who was with his grandson G Kesavan, 17, and an acquaintance, K Murali, 43, said they had walked from Senawang via Sungai Besi, Kuala Lumpur since last Saturday to fulfill their vows at the Batu Caves temple today.

“I still want to maintain the tradition of walking 70km once a year to celebrate Thaipusam at Batu Caves temple, to offer my prayers and to seek the deity’s blessings for the whole family,” he said.

Murali said he will be shaving his head in gratitude for the well-being of his whole family after surviving a robbery incident that took place in 2010.

Kesavan expressed his excitement in having the opportunity to accompany his grandfather to carry on the tradition of celebrating Thaipusam in Batu Caves.

- Bernama

'I meant stubborn Chinese traders, not all'

 

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

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

"Regarding my boycott call to Malays against Chinese traders, I was responding Facebook users who are angry at stubborn Chinese traders who don't want to cut prices," he said on Facebook.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Retract claims or I’ll sue, Ngeh warns Ismail

MP for Beruas gives Minister Ismail Sabri 48 hours to apologise over lies that he has shares in a restaurant and is anti-Islam.

FMT

PETALING JAYA: A DAP MP has reacted to a statement by minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob which he said were blatant lies and has given him 48 hours to retract the claims or face legal action.

Perak DAP chairman Ngeh Koo Ham was referring to a message Minister of Agriculture and Agro-based Industries Ismail Sabri Yaakob posted on Facebook urging the Malay community to boycott Chinese businesses who refused to lower prices, specifically Old Town White Coffee which Ngeh and his family had shares in. Ismail also accused Ngeh of being anti-Islam.

”There is not an iota of truth that I have shares in Old Town White Coffee or that I am anti-Islam.

“I never have, neither have I now nor in any part of my life, had shares in Old Town White Coffee,” he told The Malaysian Insider today.

He also said he had publicly denied any links to the franchise and stated his social work among his Muslim constituents in Beruas was proof enough that he was not anti-Islam.

Stating his shock that someone who he knew personally in Universiti Malaya could tell such outright lies, Ngeh said Ismail had 48 hours to retract the statement, failing which he would lodge a police report and take legal proceedings against him.

Ngeh also said prime minister Najib Razak should step in to reprimand Ismail as his Facebook message had gone against the principles of 1Malaysia.

“Najib has always been proud of his 1Malaysia slogan. He should ask himself whether this minister is fit to lead the country,” Ngeh said expressing his shock and saying that it was Ismail who was “racist”.

Ministry says structure on M’sian, not Indon soil

Indonesian residents claim 4-storey building is on Indonesian territory.

FMT

KUCHING: Malaysia has not encroached on Indonesia’s territory by erecting a structure within the republic’s borders as alleged by local residents of an island in North Kalimantan, said Deputy Home Minister Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jafaar.

Indonesian news portal Kompas reported that residents of Kayu Mati Island – which is shared by both countries – claimed to have seen a new post built by Malaysians in an area that they believed falls within Indonesian territory.

Local leader Imam Basran was quoted as saying that he was sure it was a new structure, claiming that he had frequented the area over the past four decades.

“What happened was when we built the check-point there was an allegation from a local representative (Indonesia) that we built the facilities on their border but I have already checked and it is not,” he said when asked to comment on the allegation during a press conference here yesterday.

According to Wan Junaidi there was a river at Pulau Sebatik and the border runs through the middle of the river and it did not encroach the Indonesian and Malaysia border.

He said the four-storey building built by Malaysia was within its territory while the border runs through a river, called Puis Point and at the other side of the river was the Indonesian army check-point.

Wan Junaidi said Malaysia had no name for the island but the Indonesians called it Pulau Kayu Mati.

He said previously Malaysia did not have a check-point there and the government through the National Security Council constructed the building which would accommodate the police, immigration and custom offices as well as other agencies.

He said the construction of the building was expected to be ready by mid-year and would start operating by year’s end.

With the facilities, Wan Junaidi said Malaysia would have its enforcement agencies stationed there to help reduce illegal immigrants from Nunukan, Kalimatan from coming over to Tawau, Sabah and at the same time curb smuggling goods from Nunukan.

-- BERNAMA

IGP to call in Ismail Sabri for statement

"The police will ensure that racial harmony is respected," said Khalid.

FMT

KUALA LUMPUR: Inspector-General of Police Khalid Abu Bakar has confirmed in a tweet that Agriculture and Agro-based Industries Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob will be called in to give a statement on an allegedly inflammatory posting on Facebook.

“The police will ensure that racial harmony is respected,” said Khalid.

Ismail was reported to have posted, “Malays are still refusing to boycott (Old Town White Coffee) what more when its owner is said to be the DAP Ngeh family of Perak which is known to be anti-Islam. As long as the Malays don’t change, the Chinese will take the opportunity to oppress the Malays.”

Ngeh, furious with Ismail’s message has given him 48 hours to apologise or face a legal suit.

Ismail however has refused to do so claiming that he did not specifically say “Ngeh Koo Ham”. ”Ngeh… Is he the only one in Perak?” he asked Malaysian Insider in a WhatsApp message.

In a statement later, DAP elder statesman Lim Kit Siang said Ismail had committed three sins in two short sentences: firstly, fanning racism and hatred in inciting Malays to boycott Chinese businesses; secondly, spreading the lie that Old Town Bhd was owned by the “DAP Ngeh family”; and thirdly, fanning religious hatred, conflict and tensions by spreading the false accusation that DAP leaders are “known to be anti-Islam”.

IGP warns separatists: Wait for my action

Sabah and Sarawak police have been ordered not to tolerate any violation of the Constitution.

FMT

PUTRAJAYA: Inspector-General of Polis Khalid Abu Bakar today issued a stern warning to those agitating for Sabah’s and Sarawak’s separation from Malaysia, saying it amounted to treason.

“Let me say this to those inciting the people to support the move to take Sabah and Sarawak out of Malaysia: just wait for my action,” he told reporters covering the launch of the police football tournament for 2015.

He said he had given strict directives to Sabah and Sawarak police against tolerating any violation of the Federal Constitution.

“The Royal Malaysian Police will not let it happen,” he said of the separatist moves.

Yesterday, Sabah police arrested nine people suspected of distributing separatist literature. They were detained under the Sedition Act but were released after their statements were recorded.

Sabah Police Commissioner Jalaluddin Abdul Rahman said police also recorded statements from 14 witnesses.

Kit Siang wants Najib to kick out Ismail Sabri

Lim describes minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob as a "rabid racist" out to stoke racial tensions.

FMT

KUALA LUMPUR: DAP elder statesman Lim Kit Siang wants to know whether Prime Minister Najib Razak will continue to tolerate “rabid racist” Agriculture and Agro-based Industries minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob in the Federal Cabinet.

Ismail, said Lim in a statement, “has been dishonest in resorting to lies and falsehoods to incite racial and religious hatred, conflict and tension in the country”.

Commenting on the deafening silence from Inspector-General of Police Khalid Abu Bakar regarding Ismail’s statement, the DAP veteran said the IGP would have jumped into action immediately, via tweets, if “the culprit” had been an Opposition leader instead.

Lim, who is also DAP Parliamentary Leader and Gelang Patah MP, noted that Ismail had singled out the Old Town White Coffee chain owned by Old Town Bhd, by saying that the “anti-Islam” DAP Perak chairman Ngeh Khoo Ham owned shares in the company.

He quoted Ismail as saying: “Malays are still refusing to boycott (Old Town White Coffee) what more when its owner is said to be the DAP Perak’s Ngeh family which is known to be anti-Islam. As long as the Malays don’t change, the Chinese will take the opportunity to oppress the Malays.”

Ismail, fumed Lim, had committed three sins in two short sentences:

Firstly, fanning racism and hatred in inciting Malays to boycott Chinese businesses; secondly, spreading the lie that Old Town Bhd was owned by the “DAP Ngeh family”; and thirdly, fanning religious hatred, conflict and tension by falsely accusing the DAP leader of being “anti-Islam”.

“I have just spoken to DAP MP for Bruas, Ngeh Koo Ham, and he told me that he had (tweeted) his denial two or three times previously that he or his family owns a single sen of share in Old Town Bhd, but Ismail had just ignored Ngeh’s earlier denials so as to pump racial and religious vitriol and poison to create a tsunami in Malaysia’s multi-racial and multi-religious waters,” said Lim.

“If Ismail does not resign or is not sacked by the Prime Minister on Wednesday, right-thinking Malaysians regardless of race, religion or region would expect all the other Ministers to make an issue of Ismail’s suitability to continue as Minister.”

This is not an issue of Umno or BN, nor is it an issue of Malay, Chinese, Indians, Orang Asal, or Muslims, Buddhists, Christians, Hindus and Sikhs, stressed Lim.

The issue is whether a rabid racist who could openly call for a confrontation of races, i.e. Malay consumers boycotting Chinese businesses, continued Lim, is qualified to continue as a Minister of government of a plural nation and “whether all other Ministers, whether Umno, MCA, Gerakan, Sabah and Sarawak BN parties, are prepared to be identified with Ismail by continuing to serve in the same Cabinet”.

Mutual friends: secularism and Islam

The Middle East will only be convinced by Islamic arguments for a secular state

By Brian Whitaker

On the first page of his book, Islam and the Secular State, Abdullahi an-Na'im writes: "In order to be a Muslim by conviction and free choice, which is the only way one can be a Muslim, I need a secular state."

He explains that he is not advocating a secular society but a state which is neutral with regard to religion – a state whose institutions "neither favour nor disfavour any religious doctrine or principle", a state that has no enforcing role in religious matters.

The object of state neutrality, an-Na'im says, is to facilitate "the possibility of religious piety out of honest conviction" and allow individuals in their communities the freedom "to accept, object to, or modify any view of religious doctrine or principle". States that take sides in such matters become an obstacle to religious freedom.

To some readers, this may be little more than a statement of the obvious. But to many Muslims, especially in countries where the state poses as a "defender of Islam" and an enforcer of "Islamic values", it is not only an unfamiliar argument but one that sounds dangerously mad, even heretical.
Last week, in an article for Cif, I discussed the shutting-down of debate about Islamic secularism in most of the Arab countries and posed the question: how can it be re-opened? I'd now like to suggest an answer.

The idea of states enforcing correct "Islamic" behaviour is based on a presumption that such behaviour can be clearly and indisputably defined. But we have only to look at an issue such as female circumcision, where scholarly opinions range from saying it is obligatory to forbidden, to see that this is anything but the case.

In practice, the "Islam" they are seeking to enforce is nothing more than the prevailing local orthodoxy – modified, where necessary, to suit the political needs of the regime. Conveniently, this allows them to invoke religion to justify all manner of abuses that cannot be defended by rational argument.

In 2000 Saudi Arabia, which is probably the world leader in institutionalised discrimination, signed up to the international Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) but added a reservation saying it did not consider itself bound by any part of the convention that conflicts with "the norms of Islamic law". In effect, it was claiming the right to choose which bits of the treaty, if any, it would implement. As Denmark noted in an objection at the time, the Saudis' references to the provisions of Islamic law were "of unlimited scope and undefined character".

Abuses of power are often dressed in a religious gloss which helps to win acceptance from Muslims but doesn't stand up to much serious scrutiny. Saudi Arabia, besides its achievements in the field of discrimination, also has the most comprehensive system of internet censorship in the Middle East and it cites verses from the Qur'an in support of this practice. The passage it quotes is about resisting sexual temptation and the verses (12: 33-34) imply that God will protect those who seek His help. If this has any relevance to internet use its point, surely, is that the temptations of the internet are a matter for users to sort out between themselves and God. So there is no reason for the state to become involved – unless the Saudi authorities are saying they don't trust God to do His job properly.
The central illusion here is that states can determine the one "true" voice of Islam, regardless of the diversity of Islamic thought through the ages, and also have the right to impose it on the public.
The question "How do they know their version is correct?" is what starts to undermine this edifice. Of course, they don't really know but they have power on their side, and might is right. The need here is not to categorically refute their religious arguments but to neutralise them by pointing out that other interpretations are possible. In that way a space is created where people can confront the underlying moral issues themselves and feel free enough to make their own choices.

To begin the process of separating states from religion, secularists have to be prepared to engage with religious arguments – something they are often reluctant to do. Human rights activists, for example (even those in Muslim countries) often fail to address the religious dimension, with the result that their arguments cut little ice among the public. Kecia Ali writes:

For the vast majority of Muslims worldwide – not only extremists or conservatives, but also those who consider themselves moderate or progressive – determining whether a particular belief or practice is acceptable largely hinges on deciding whether or not it is legitimately "Islamic".

Increasingly, feminists and others in Muslim countries are finding that if they want to make headway they have to present their case in terms that people can perceive as compatible with Islam. That means studying the scripture and exploring its various interpretations. Once the possibility of multiple "Islamic" interpretations is acknowledged, rational debate can begin.
 
Official discrimination against the Baha'is in Egypt is one example of a problem that cannot be tackled though secular arguments alone, because of the claims that it is sanctioned by Islam.
"One scholar after another, one government official after another, would insist that under Islam only three religions are allowed – Islam, Christianity and Judaism," Hossam Bahgat of the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights recalled when I spoke to him about this in Cairo last summer. He continued:

When we started doing research we realised there is no basis in the Qur'an or the Sunna to support their claim that Muslims may only coexist with "people of the book" – and we started saying so.
I was once in a televised debate with the former president of al-Azhar university who was one of the chief jurists of the Islamic Religious Council and we were talking about the Baha'i faith. He started stating the usual position that Islam only allows adherents to the three Abrahamic religions. So I challenged him on this and said: "What's your evidence?"
I think he was stunned … I cited all the evidence about how the Prophet Muhammad in Madina never discriminated between people of the Book and others who adhered to other faiths – like the Zoroastrians, for example. He couldn't argue with my evidence because my evidence came not from fringe opinions but from major books that are selectively avoided by scholars because they don't give them the cover they want for their bigotry.
So immediately he shifted. He said: "Yes, but they [the Baha'is] have their headquarters in Haifa in Israel and they work against the fabric of our society, their presence is against national unity," etc.

Once the religious cover has been blown or neutralised, the way is open for a reasoned debate based on facts and logic rather than what someone in authority claims to have been told by God.

Malaysia has abandoned rights reforms – Human Rights Watch

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak abandoned his pledge to revoke Malaysia’s repressive sedition law and oversaw a wave of arrests of opposition politicians and social activists, Human Rights Watch says today in its World Report 2015.

The authorities continued their politically motivated prosecution of parliamentary opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim for sodomy.

In the 656-page world report, its 25th edition, Human Rights Watch reviews human rights practices in more than 90 countries.

In his introductory essay, executive director Kenneth Roth urges governments to recognise that human rights offer an effective moral guide in turbulent times, and that violating rights can spark or aggravate serious security challenges.

The short-term gains of undermining core values of freedom and non-discrimination are rarely worth the long-term price.

“Prime Minister Najib’s shameful reversal of his pledge to end sedition shows his willingness to put politics over human rights,” said Phil Robertson, deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch.

“Malaysia’s human rights are in a downward spiral because the government evidently believes that continued rule depends on suppressing speech, harassing opposition groups, and targeting prominent figures with legal action.”

During 2014, Malaysian authorities arrested dozens of people under the Sedition Act for making remarks critical of the government, its political leaders, the ruling party, and sultans.

At least 20 people were charged, including four senior opposition members of parliament. The crackdown generated public opposition from the Malaysia Bar Council and other organisations, and a suit contesting the constitutionality of the Sedition Act.

Najib, who in 2012 had promised to repeal the Sedition Act, announced on November 27, 2014, that the law would instead be revised and strengthened to penalise those who violate the sanctity of Islam and other religions or call for the secession of Sabah and Sarawak from Malaysia.

The Malaysian authorities also continued their politically motivated prosecutions to cripple the political opposition.

In March, an appeals court overturned a 2012 not guilty verdict against parliamentary opposition leader Anwar on sodomy charges and sentenced him to a five-year prison term in a rushed judicial proceeding. Should the Federal Court uphold his conviction, he faces imprisonment and loss of his seat in parliament.

The government’s repeated prosecutions of Anwar under the sodomy law (penal code article 377), invoked only seven times since 1938, highlights the dangers this discriminatory law poses so long as it remains on the books.

The Royal Malaysian Police continued to abuse rights of detainees in police custody with impunity.

There were at least 10 new cases of custodial deaths in 2014, and police used excessive force during apprehension of suspects.

However, police stymied proposals for an effective and independent external oversight such as an Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission.

Malaysia’s image as a moderate Muslim country was tarnished by new government restrictions on freedom of expression and association in 2014.

The government-controlled Registrar of Societies tightened its restrictive oversight on civil society groups seen as critical of the government, refused newspaper licences to critical outlets, and prosecuted an activist on film censorship charges.

The government continued to vilify lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people. However, in November 2014, in an unprecedented action, the Appeals Court unanimously ruled that a Shariah law ordinance prohibiting cross-dressing was unconstitutional.

Senior national and Negri Sembilan government officials criticised the decision as “anti-Islamic,” with a senior minister calling for Muslims to defend Islamic teachings “by any method”.

“The Malaysian government appears to be resting its global reputation on its new term at the UN Security Council rather than addressing the country’s serious rights problems,” Robertson said.

“The government will need to reverse course on rights in 2015 if it wants to truly bolster its international standing.” – January 29, 2015.

* To read Human Rights Watch’s World Report 2015 chapter on Malaysia, visit http://www.hrw.org/world-report/2015/country-chapters/malaysia.

* This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insider.

- See more at: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/sideviews/article/malaysia-has-abandoned-rights-reforms-human-rights-watch#sthash.uhY0lmYp.dpuf

Government Committed To Work Together With Indian Community Based On 'Nambikei' - PM

Datuk Seri Najib Tun RazakKUALA LUMPUR, Feb 2 (Bernama) -- Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak on Monday reiterated the government's commitment to stand by the Indian community and work together based on nambikei (trust) towards overcoming the challenges faced by the community.

The Prime Minister said the government is also committed to help the Indian community in achieving the success the community strives for.

Najib said this in his message in conjunction with the Thaipusam celebration tomorrow in his blog www.najibrazak.com.

"As our Hindu brothers and sisters observe this day by offering prayers of thanksgiving and fulfilling their vows at temples throughout the country, let us come together in solidarity to show our respect for each other's religious festivals," he said.

Najib said: "As the Malaysian Hindus mark the auspicious festival of Thaipusam, we are, once again reminded of our rich and diverse culture.

"As Malaysians, we are indeed blessed that people of different faiths and ethnicities live together in peace and harmony."

Thaipusam will be celebrated tomorrow nationwide. More than three million devotees, spectators and tourists, both local and foreign, are expected to converge at a few hot spots among them Batu Caves in Selangor and Waterfall Road in George Town, Penang.

Meanwhile, Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin said Malaysia was fortunate that the majority of the people adopted a rational attitude even though there were elements out to destroy unity and cause racial discord in the country.

"We are also thankful because the people support the government's efforts to preserve the peace in the country using existing laws," he said in a statement in conjunction with Thaipusam.

On Thaipusam, Muhyiddin said he hoped Malaysian Hindus would further intensify efforts to enhance racial harmony, unity and patriotism besides contributing to national development and the people's wellbeing.

He said Thaipusam like other major festivals could be celebrated full of joy by not only Hindus but all Malaysians who loved peace, harmony and multi-racial unity.

He said large scale religious celebrations in the country were the manifestation of freedom of religion practised by the government and the people.

"Although Islam is recognised as the official religion of the federation and Muslims form the majority of the population, it does not negate the freedom of others to practise their own faiths.

"It is also the same with language, culture and customs. Each community is free to practice their own language, culture and customs without any restrictions," he said.

Muhyiddin said although this was taken for granted, these freedoms must be valued by Malaysians in this blessed land.

"In some contries, minorities are discriminated and their rights trampled on.

"But this does not happen in Malaysia. The rights and freedoms are protected by the Constitution and the country's laws," he said.

He said Malaysia was very blessed because of the tolerant nature of its multi-racial people which has been the case since the very beginning and had brought about the desired unity and harmony.

"This formula has been accepted since Merdeka (Independence). Its effectiveness is proven because Malaysia is a success story," he said.

Meanwhile, MIC President Datuk Seri G. Palanivel in his Thaipusam message urged those who are offering prayers of thanksgiving and fulfilling vows at temples to do so with calm and orderliness, given the big crowds expected at major temples like in Batu Caves, Penang and Ipoh.

He hoped devotees going to temples for prayers follow the guidelines set by the temple authorities to avoid unwanted incidents.

"I would like to take this opportunity to wish all devotees in Malaysia and all over the world a blessed Thaipusam," he said.

-- BERNAMA

Another ex-home minister denies sending letter to FBI

Doktor arah henti, Kumar berdegil mahu terus berlapar

Scottish Tory leader Ruth Davidson slams Saudi flags 'nonsense'

Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson has condemned the lowering of flags on public buildings as a mark of respect for the Saudi king.

Ms Davidson tweeted that it was "a steaming pile of nonsense".

Downing Street and other Whitehall departments were among those to put Union Flags at half mast after the death of 90-year-old King Abdullah.

In a second tweet, Ms Davidson said it was a "stupid act on its own and a stupid precedent to set".

The UK government's Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) sent out the request.

Officials said it was a matter of protocol and that the formal request had been made by Buckingham Palace, which is also flying its flag at half mast.

But the move caused disquiet because of the human rights record of the country during King Abdullah's reign.

There has been recent outrage focused on the public beheading of a woman and a sentence of 1,000 lashes meted out to the creator of an online blog.

The mark of respect was not adopted north of the border.

A Scottish government spokesman said: "We offer the people of Saudi Arabia our condolences following the passing of King Abdullah.

"Flags are not routinely flown at half-mast from Scottish government buildings to mark the deaths of foreign heads of government or state."

Scottish Labour leader Jim Murphy said the Scottish government had got it right.

He said: "I know there are all sorts of issues of protocol here. But when the sorts of things that happen in Saudi Arabia - a thousand lashes, the recent beheading of a woman.

"I think, all across Scotland - all across the UK - there will be a sense of bewilderment about it."

Ms Davidson's tweets came as Tory Prime Minister David Cameron and the Prince of Wales prepared to fly to Saudi Arabia to join international figures paying tribute to the king, who was seen as a crucial Western ally.

Mr Cameron said that he was "deeply saddened" and that the ruler would be "remembered for his long years of service to the kingdom, for his commitment to peace and for strengthening understanding between faiths".

Former Tory MP Louise Mensch issued a foul-mouthed response to Mr Cameron's message of condolence to the Saudi royals and said she felt "ashamed to be a Conservative" until Ms Davidson spoke out.

She said: "It is so unacceptable to offer deep condolences for a man who flogged women, didn't let them drive, saw guardian laws passed & STARVES THEM".

"I have been ashamed to be a Conservative today. Ruth Davidson has restored my faith. Somebody who truly stands for something."

The flags issue also split opinion between two of UKIP's key figures.

Leader Nigel Farage said it showed "respect for an ally in the war against terror" and that the issue of human rights should be taken up with the new king.

But MP Douglas Carswell said officials had seriously blundered and showed "immoral" values far from those of the British public.

Ban on adopting Syrian, Iraqi orphans in Saudi Arabia

By Dammam | Saudi Gazette

The Ministry of Social Affairs has prohibited Saudi families from adopting children of foreign or Arab nationalities and said the ministry is only concerned with taking care of Saudi orphans.

According to Al-Hayat newspaper on Thursday, the ministry said the children who lose their parents in areas of conflicts such as Iraq and Syria are the concern of the international humanitarian organizations.

Latifa Al-Tamimi, director of the women social supervision office in the Eastern Province, said the ministry is also looking after children of Saudi fathers with foreign wives abandoned abroad.

This article was first published in the Saudi Gazette on Jan 23, 2014.

‘Allah’ ban wrong if not linked to conversion, says law don

Any blanket ban on the use of "Allah" and other Arabic words by state laws without linking it to proselytisation is unconstitutional, Emeritus Professor Datuk Dr Shad Saleem Faruqi told a lecture on human rights today.

The Universiti Teknologi Mara law lecturer said a ban on the word was particularly unfair to the people of Sabah and Sarawak, who have used it for a long time.

"I've said this many times before, 'Allah' precedes Islam.

"It may have even preceded Christianity and Judaism. It is a word more ancient that these religions," he said during question and answer session with law students at the Brickfields Asia College in Petaling Jaya today.

He said the word was also used by Sikhs and Hindus.

He said the only issue that arose was in Article 11(4) of the Federal Constitution that permits the state to pass laws to regulate the preaching of religion to Muslims.

"Religiously and linguistically speaking, there is no basis for the ban, but Article 11 clause four is there.

"Some Muslims are saying that the use of the word is an attempt to proselytise," he said.

But he added that to have a blanket ban on 35 Arabic words as in the case of Selangor without linking the usage to proselytisation was beyond the scope of Article 11 (4).

"Article 11 does not authorise a complete ban no matter what, unless it invokes proselytisation," he said.

The Selangor Non-Islamic Religions (Control of Propagation Among Muslims) Enactment 1988 bans non-Muslims from using 35 Arabic words and phrases, including "Allah".

Shad said today the concern now was that the Court of Appeal ban on the word appeared to be broad enough to cover Sabah and Sarawak.

He added that this was a problem as some of the people there only spoke in Malay.

"They have been using the word for a long time and nobody can tell them to wipe out their childhood memories and ask them to use new vocabulary.

"It is totally oppressive and unjust to ask them to change things," he said.

Shad was referring to the appellate court’s decision to uphold the Home Minister's ban on the use of the word Allah in the Catholic weekly.

The Catholic Church took their case to the Federal Court, which denied it leave to appeal against the ban in a 4-3 majority decision.

The church's review application against the Federal Court decision was also dismissed on Wednesday, ending the church's long struggle that began in 2009. – January 23, 2015.

- See more at: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/allah-ban-unconstitutional-if-not-linked-to-conversion-says-law-lecturer#sthash.UmOxbIV3.dpuf

Furious MIC man's fast ends fast

 

An MIC leader started his hunger strike yesterday afternoon and it was supposed to last until his "last breath" should his demands not be addressed.

But G Kumar Aaman will be eating tonight.

This is after party president G Palanivel told him to end his strike outside the Registrar of Societies (ROS) headquarters in Putrajaya.

In an announcement late this evening, Palanivel (left) said the hunger strike should end "for the sake of MIC and BN's image".

The president said he is currently dealing with the ROS issue and the validity of Kumar's appointment as MIC secretary-general.

Speaking to reporters, Kumar said he will respect the wish of his president and end the hunger strike tonight.

"I will follow the president and will await the arrival of (MIC vice-president) S Balakrishnan to officiate the ending of the strike," he said.

Kumar's strike was aimed at pushing for the Home Ministry's intervention as well as the removal of the ROS director-general and his officers.

After launching his hunger strike, Kumar had remarked: "I will stay here until my last breath. I will die for the Indian community."

The MIC man said that he would sleep outside the building and ingest only liquids until justice is done.

Kumar also revealed that his action was inspired by Mahatma Gandhi.

I never wrote to FBI, confirms Syed Hamid

 

 Former home minister Syed Hamid Syed Albar says he never wrote any letter to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) of the United States during his tenure in government.

"During my time, I didn't write any letter to the FBI, " Syed Hamid said after attending a signing ceremony of the Land Public Transport Commission (SPAD), which he chairs, today.

This comes after another former home minister, Hishammuddin Hussein, also declared earlier this week that he had never issued any letter to the FBI.

Last week, Home Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi (right) defended his action on issuing a letter to the FBI.

In the letter, Zahid explained that the there was no 14K triad in Malaysia and alleged 'kingpin' Paul Phua is not a member of the triad in Malaysia.

Zahid has also declared that it is within his discretion and power to issue such a letter, adding that his predecessors had issued similar letters.

Syed Hamid, who also the former Kota Tinggi MP, was appointed to become the home minister after the 12th general election in 2008.

However, he was replaced by Hishammuddin in 2009 during the cabinet reshuffle.

This was after the notorious ISA detention on Malaysia Today webmaster Raja Petra Kamaruddin, DAP Seputeh MP Teresa Kok and a Sin Chew Daily reporter Tan Hoon Cheng in late 2008.

Syed Hamid said that he did not write any letter to any agencies when he was the home minister.

“During my time, when I was heading (the ministry), there was no such case and I had never written to agency.

“If it is agency to agency, I am not interested to know as I am a policy guy. So I would leave it to the relevant agency to tackle,” he said.

Nevertheless, he defended Zahid’s action as this is the discretionary power given to the home minister to issue such letter.

MIC chief roasts deputy as a 'rumour monger'

 

The rift in MIC is widening, with president G Palanivel breaking his silence to swipe back at his deputy Dr S Subramaniam for making allegations to the media on his inaction on the directive from the Registrar of Societies (ROS).

ROS in a series of letters to MIC has asked it to re-elect its vice presidents and central working committee (CWC) members.

"Office-bearers of MIC, including the deputy president, one of the vice-presidents and others are spreading numerous allegations and misinformation to the media in respect of the issues of the elections raised by the ROS.

"The only thing that I have not done is to discuss the party's internal matters in the media as being done by the others, including the deputy president and one of the vice-presidents," Palanivel said in a statement today.

He said he was aware of meetings organised by Subramaniam and others in relation to the ROS issue and that these meetings were not sanctioned by him.

The Cameron Highlands MP added that he has done what was required of a president to keep the party afloat despite there being claims that he has remained silent on the issue.

"I, as the president of MIC, took immediate steps to protect the interests and rights of MIC, contrary to the allegations levelled against me that I have done nothing.

"I would like to make it clear that there are certain procedures and proper channels provided for in the Societies Act 1966 in dealing with complaints and decisions made by the Registrar of Societies.

"We, together with the lawyers, are following proper procedures and have taken all measures necessary to protect the interest of MIC in this matter," Palanivel said.

He also said the party has lodged an appeal with the Home Ministry as the letters that were sent to MIC by ROS were defective and incorrect.

"Our lawyers have perused the letter dated Dec 31, 2014, in detail, including all the matters raised by ROS, and have advised me that the purported notice issued by ROS is flawed and wrong in law.

"Upon the legal advice from the lawyers, MIC has on Jan 14 lodged an appeal to the Minister of Home Affairs, pursuant to the provisions of the Societies Act 1966, against the contents of the letters dated Dec 5, 2014 and Dec 31, 2014 from ROS to MIC," he added.

On Monday, Subramaniam flayed Palanivel for not responding to his requests to meet up with the president to discuss the ROS issue and reiterated that the window for discussions between him and Palanivel has been "closed".

Meanwhile, MIC vice-president S Saravanan slammed Palanivel for keeping mum on the ROS issue and instead opening fire at members who spoke up.

“The reason we went to the media and talked is because Palanivel has been keeping silent on the issue for way too long,” Saravanan said at a press conference today.

He also added that the president should be transparent and make collective decisions with the rest of the committee as “MIC is not his family matter”.

Saravanan also warned the media that carried M Kumar Aaman’s allegations over him yesterday without clarifying with him, might be sued.

Malaysia still a flawed democracy, says EIU

Today online

KUALA LUMPUR — Malaysia’s pace of democratisation has improved only marginally over the years and it remained a “flawed democracy” last year, the same category it occupied in 2008, the Economist Intelligence Unit’s (EIU) latest findings showed.

The country placed 65th out of 167 nations and federal territories reviewed in the EIU’s Democracy Index 2014, putting it 10 spots ahead of Singapore, but far behind other South-east Asian peers such as Indonesia, which is 49th, and the Philippines in the 53rd spot.

Last year, Malaysia was categorised as a flawed democracy from its aggregate grade of 6.49 out of 10, according to scores tabulated from expert assessments and public surveys.

Flawed democracies are countries that respect basic civil liberties and generally hold free and fair elections, though they may be marred by problems such as infringements on media freedom, said the EIU.

Apart from possible irregularities in elections, a flawed democracy also suffers from other significant weaknesses such as problems in governance, an underdeveloped political culture and low levels of political participation, the EIU said.

Civil society movements in Malaysia have previously alleged that clandestine gerrymandering, the abuse of government machinery, strict media controls and vote-rigging in elections have allowed the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition to stay in power for more than five decades.

Despite the allegations, BN lost five states to the opposition as well as its customary parliamentary supermajority in a 2008 general election that was later described as a “political tsunami”. Allegations of unfair polls arose more strongly after the following general election in 2013, when BN lost the popular vote but remained firmly in power and whittled down the number of opposition-held states to only three.

The EIU findings put Singapore in 75th place last year, under the flawed democracy category, with a score of 6.03. That was an improvement from its “hybrid regime” ranking in 2008, when it came in 82nd place with a score of 5.89.

In its report, the EIU highlighted the notable trend of a growing level of engagement in politics in Asia, including more prominent protests in countries “ranging from supposedly apathetic Singapore through to more active democracies, such as India and Taiwan”. “In Singapore, this shift has been enough to lift the country from the status of hybrid regime to flawed democracy,” the report added.

In response, a Singapore Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman said: “This index is based on a rigid, ideological position that ignores the fact that democratic governments around the world take different forms, depending on their particular history and national conditions. Singapore is a fully democratic state that pragmatically pursues policies to maximise the social and economic outcomes for our citizens.”

The index considers hybrid regimes as countries with substantial election irregularities that often prevent them from being free and fair. They also tend to see government pressure on opposition parties and candidates and “serious weaknesses” in political culture and civil society, among other factors.

The EIU said the index, a snapshot on the state of democracy worldwide, was based on ratings for 60 indicators grouped into five categories: Electoral process and pluralism, civil liberties, the functioning of government, political participation and political culture.

Based on scores within the five categories, rankings are then assigned according to four types of regimes: Full democracies (8 to 10), flawed democracies (6 to 7.9), hybrid regimes (4 to 5.9), and authoritarian regimes (below 4).

Malaysia and Singapore share their category with 51 other countries. Twenty-four nations were categorised as full democracies, 39 as hybrid regimes and 52 as authoritarian regimes. Agencies