Tuesday, 23 October 2012
Jordanian Salafi cleric: We planned attack in Israel
A Jordanian Salafist-jihadist cleric with ties to al-Qaida said on Saturday that jihadists from his country had planned to carry out a suicide attack in Israel.
Abu Muhammad al-Tahawi said that Jordanian Salafist-jihadists had wanted to carry out an attack but the plan had failed.
However, Tahawi said that Jordanian Salafists were “getting closer to Palestine via Jordan, Syria and Lebanon,” according to a report on Jordan’s Albawaba news website on Sunday.
“Our Palestinian brothers who are now in Aleppo [Syria] will then go to Israel to fight there,” he said, speaking at a funeral ceremony for a Salafist killed fighting against President Bashar Assad’s forces in Deraa, Syria. “Jihad requires patience.”
Tahawi’s remarks come after the Jordanian Salafist jihadist movement said that to date it has sent 250 fighters to Syria to join the fight against Assad, the Arabic-language Jordan Zad news site reported on Sunday.
According to the report, a source within the movement said that some of the Jordanian Salafists have assumed leading roles around Damascus, Aleppo, Deraa and Idlib.
According to the Long War Journal, an American news website, many foreign jihadists including from Egypt and Jordan are fighting in Syria in the al-Qaida-linked Jabhat al- Nusra terrorist group, which has carried out several suicide bombings at government and military installations. Jabhat al-Nusra is active across all Sunni areas of Syria, and has carried out most of its attacks in Damascus, according to Foreign Policy magazine.
In May, Tahawi published a written statement in support of Jabhat al-Nusra, calling on Muslims to go and fight in Syria against Assad.
In his statement, Tahawi praised suicide bombing attacks in Syria and elsewhere, saying that the “people who wrapped explosive belts around themselves” in Iraq and Afghanistan helped defeat the US, and that suicide bombers would also expel Israel and the US from Muslim lands in the Levant.
Last week, the Jordanian authorities arrested two Salafists, Zayed Sweiti and Firas Khalailah, as they returned to Jordan from Syria.
Both men are Jordanian cousins of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, who founded al-Qaida in Iraq.
Jordan has an estimated 5,000 Salafist Jihadist supporters, according to United Press International.
Pictured: Trio in court over 'rucksack bomb plot bigger than 7/7'
- Two Muslim suspects had made martyrdom videos, court told
- Pair alleged to have planned eight rucksack bomb attacks
- Court hears gang is 'homegrown terrorist cell'
A gang of Muslim jihadists planned to launch a bombing campaign to eclipse the London attacks of 7/7, a court heard today.
One of them even described the plot as “another 9/11”, the jury was told. It is alleged they aimed to detonate eight rucksack bombs in suicide attacks to cause mass death.
Woolwich crown court heard that two had made martyrdom videos at a terrorist training camp in Pakistan, ready for release to the world once the bombings had taken place.
It is also claimed that they made street collections for the Muslim Aid charity, which they diverted to their terrorist cause.
Irfan Naseer, 31, Irfan Khalid, 27, and Ashik Ali, 27, deny engaging in conduct in preparation for terrorist acts between Christmas Day 2010 and September last year.
They were among 11 people rounded up by anti-terrorist officers in the West Midlands. Brian Altman QC, prosecuting, said: “Police successfully disrupted a plan to commit an act or acts of terrorism on a scale potentially greater than the London bombings in July 2005, had it been allowed to run its course.
“Although the finer details had not been worked out and agreed on, the defendants were preparing to detonate up to eight rucksack bombs on a suicide attack, and/or detonate bombs on targets in crowded areas to cause mass death and casualties.
“One of them was even to describe their plan as another 9/11.”
The gang was a “homegrown terrorist cell”, the court heard. The 11 arrested and charged were of Pakistani and Bangladeshi origin. They include a young woman who was the estranged wife of one of the alleged plotters. All 11 have been charged with a variety of terrorist offences.
The defendants, who were British-born and from Birmingham, were “central figures in the plot”.
Naseer, who was known as “Chubbs” or “Big Irfan”, had a chemistry degree from Aston University.
Mr Altman said: “It was his knowledge of chemistry, plus his training in terrorism in Pakistan, which allowed the defendants to experiment in producing an explosive mix, with a view to constructing a homemade explosive device in the kitchen [of Ali’s one-bedroom flat] in the days leading up to the arrest of the defendants and others.”
It is alleged that during terrorist training in Pakistan, Naseer and Khalid were taught how to make weapons and poisons — techniques they hoped to deploy in this country. They both made martyrdom videos in Pakistan, the court heard, and returned to Britain in July last year.
Mr Altman said they sought to spread what they had learned to others in this country: “The defendants were trying to recruit others to join them, some were sent abroad to train in terrorism and others joined them in using charity funds to raise money for terrorist purposes.”
Khalid, known as “Little Irfan” or “Sylvester”, worked as a security guard in 2010. It is alleged Ali’s flat was used as a safe house. He was es-tranged from his wife and cut himself off from his family so he could concentrate on jihad, the jury heard.
Mr Altman told how Naseer, Khalid and others wore high visibility jackets and shook buckets on the streets of Birmingham as they collected cash for the charity Muslim Aid: “The defendants and those they employed to raise funds with them were despicably stealing from their own community money donated to charity.”
Rahin Ahmed, who has pleaded guilty to preparing for terrorist acts, was chief fundraiser and banked just over £13,500.
The court heard he gambled £14,500 on foreign exchange trading to try to increase his profits, but ended up losing £9,000. In the end Muslim Aid got only £1,500 and an Islamic learning centre £900 of the money raised.
The court heard that the defendants were jihadists who had been influenced by the lectures and writings of Anwar Al-Awlaki, a US-born extremist of Yemeni descent who was an affiliate of al Qaeda on the Arabian peninsula. Al-Awlaki was killed in September last year by an American drone only 12 days after the defendants had been arrested.
Mr Altman said: “The defendants made the deliberate decision to be-come a terrorist following what they believed to be the right path dictated by their extremist religious and ideological belief.” The trial continues.
- Pair alleged to have planned eight rucksack bomb attacks
- Court hears gang is 'homegrown terrorist cell'
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Terror allegation: Irfan 'Chubs' Naseer, 31, Irfan Khalid and Ashik Ali, both 27, are accused of bei
One of them even described the plot as “another 9/11”, the jury was told. It is alleged they aimed to detonate eight rucksack bombs in suicide attacks to cause mass death.
Woolwich crown court heard that two had made martyrdom videos at a terrorist training camp in Pakistan, ready for release to the world once the bombings had taken place.
It is also claimed that they made street collections for the Muslim Aid charity, which they diverted to their terrorist cause.
Irfan Naseer, 31, Irfan Khalid, 27, and Ashik Ali, 27, deny engaging in conduct in preparation for terrorist acts between Christmas Day 2010 and September last year.
They were among 11 people rounded up by anti-terrorist officers in the West Midlands. Brian Altman QC, prosecuting, said: “Police successfully disrupted a plan to commit an act or acts of terrorism on a scale potentially greater than the London bombings in July 2005, had it been allowed to run its course.
“Although the finer details had not been worked out and agreed on, the defendants were preparing to detonate up to eight rucksack bombs on a suicide attack, and/or detonate bombs on targets in crowded areas to cause mass death and casualties.
“One of them was even to describe their plan as another 9/11.”
The gang was a “homegrown terrorist cell”, the court heard. The 11 arrested and charged were of Pakistani and Bangladeshi origin. They include a young woman who was the estranged wife of one of the alleged plotters. All 11 have been charged with a variety of terrorist offences.
The defendants, who were British-born and from Birmingham, were “central figures in the plot”.
Naseer, who was known as “Chubbs” or “Big Irfan”, had a chemistry degree from Aston University.
Mr Altman said: “It was his knowledge of chemistry, plus his training in terrorism in Pakistan, which allowed the defendants to experiment in producing an explosive mix, with a view to constructing a homemade explosive device in the kitchen [of Ali’s one-bedroom flat] in the days leading up to the arrest of the defendants and others.”
It is alleged that during terrorist training in Pakistan, Naseer and Khalid were taught how to make weapons and poisons — techniques they hoped to deploy in this country. They both made martyrdom videos in Pakistan, the court heard, and returned to Britain in July last year.
Mr Altman said they sought to spread what they had learned to others in this country: “The defendants were trying to recruit others to join them, some were sent abroad to train in terrorism and others joined them in using charity funds to raise money for terrorist purposes.”
Khalid, known as “Little Irfan” or “Sylvester”, worked as a security guard in 2010. It is alleged Ali’s flat was used as a safe house. He was es-tranged from his wife and cut himself off from his family so he could concentrate on jihad, the jury heard.
Mr Altman told how Naseer, Khalid and others wore high visibility jackets and shook buckets on the streets of Birmingham as they collected cash for the charity Muslim Aid: “The defendants and those they employed to raise funds with them were despicably stealing from their own community money donated to charity.”
Rahin Ahmed, who has pleaded guilty to preparing for terrorist acts, was chief fundraiser and banked just over £13,500.
The court heard he gambled £14,500 on foreign exchange trading to try to increase his profits, but ended up losing £9,000. In the end Muslim Aid got only £1,500 and an Islamic learning centre £900 of the money raised.
The court heard that the defendants were jihadists who had been influenced by the lectures and writings of Anwar Al-Awlaki, a US-born extremist of Yemeni descent who was an affiliate of al Qaeda on the Arabian peninsula. Al-Awlaki was killed in September last year by an American drone only 12 days after the defendants had been arrested.
Mr Altman said: “The defendants made the deliberate decision to be-come a terrorist following what they believed to be the right path dictated by their extremist religious and ideological belief.” The trial continues.
‘Malays not ready for hudud’
Incessant politicking, the lack of understanding on hudud and the need for a proper model are all major barriers for the Malays, say the experts.
PETALING JAYA: Malays are not ready for hudud in Malaysia, experts said, citing incessant politicking, fear, lack of understanding and the need for a proper model on the Islamic criminal law.
“Mentally and spiritually, Malays are ready for hudud but they need to be more enlightened on the issue and to move away from the shock factor,” said Muhammad Fauzi Asmuni, vice-president II of Islamic NGO Ikatan Muslimin Malaysia (ISMA).
Hudud is a strict Islamic criminal law famous for resorting to punishing offenders through physical means, including slicing thieves’ hands, stoning adulterers to death and flogging those who consume alcohol.
But Muhammad Fauzi told FMT that only a minority of Malays in Malaysia actually feared the law, and that most had the intention to be governed by Islamic laws.
He said that the fear stemmed from the fact that the people had no proper model to refer to with regard to the implementation of hudud.
“The people need a model because there’s none in front of their eyes, there’s no model that they can hold on to.
“The only thing they see is the Taliban regime, and also how Iran and Saudi Arabia govern their people. This is why the fear towards hudud comes,” he added.
He said that if Malaysian leaders truly wished to implement hudud in Malaysia, they must first allay fears by educating Malaysians on the law.
Politicians are at fault
Meanwhile, Professor Dr Mahmood Zuhdi Abdul Majid of IIUM told FMT that heavy politicking had not only set the nation backwards in terms of implementing the law but was also the reason why many Malays were frightened of hudud.
“If we do not politicise it, we Malays are definitely ready [to implement hudud in Malaysia], but if we were to look at hudud as a political issue, then it becomes a problem,” said the professor from the department of Fiqh and Usul Al Fiqh (Islamic Jurispudence and Roots of Jurispudence).
PAS had long championed the criminal law, despite it not being included in the opposition pact’s common manifesto, and this created a rift between the Islamist party and its political ally, the Chinese-dominated DAP.
Meanwhile, MCA had seen fit to perpetually warn the Chinese community of the “dangers” of hudud should Pakatan come to power – even though PAS had promised that the Islamic criminal law would only be applied to Muslims.
“There is this misunderstanding that hudud is all about cutting hands solely, but in fact hudud is actually a law to prevent people from committing a crime in the first place,” said Mahmood.
“The cutting only comes later on, but that is only for those who actually commit the crime,” he stressed.
He said that while hudud could certainly be implemented now, everything depended on the politicians.
Hudud should be for Malays and non-Malays
Meanwhile, both experts disagreed with PAS’ stance that hudud should only apply to Muslims, saying that such a ruling was “illogical”.
“It would be illogical for there to be differences in the law governing a particular country. If Islamic law was to come into the national level, then the law should be the law of the country,” said Muhammad Fauzi.
Mahmood Zuhdi said it was a violation of Islam to mete out different punishments to people who had committed the same offence based on religion alone.
“Criminal laws should be imposed on all citizens because Islam does not discriminate on whether you are a Muslim or a non-Muslim,” he added.
PETALING JAYA: Malays are not ready for hudud in Malaysia, experts said, citing incessant politicking, fear, lack of understanding and the need for a proper model on the Islamic criminal law.“Mentally and spiritually, Malays are ready for hudud but they need to be more enlightened on the issue and to move away from the shock factor,” said Muhammad Fauzi Asmuni, vice-president II of Islamic NGO Ikatan Muslimin Malaysia (ISMA).
Hudud is a strict Islamic criminal law famous for resorting to punishing offenders through physical means, including slicing thieves’ hands, stoning adulterers to death and flogging those who consume alcohol.
But Muhammad Fauzi told FMT that only a minority of Malays in Malaysia actually feared the law, and that most had the intention to be governed by Islamic laws.
He said that the fear stemmed from the fact that the people had no proper model to refer to with regard to the implementation of hudud.
“The people need a model because there’s none in front of their eyes, there’s no model that they can hold on to.
“The only thing they see is the Taliban regime, and also how Iran and Saudi Arabia govern their people. This is why the fear towards hudud comes,” he added.
He said that if Malaysian leaders truly wished to implement hudud in Malaysia, they must first allay fears by educating Malaysians on the law.
Politicians are at fault
Meanwhile, Professor Dr Mahmood Zuhdi Abdul Majid of IIUM told FMT that heavy politicking had not only set the nation backwards in terms of implementing the law but was also the reason why many Malays were frightened of hudud.
“If we do not politicise it, we Malays are definitely ready [to implement hudud in Malaysia], but if we were to look at hudud as a political issue, then it becomes a problem,” said the professor from the department of Fiqh and Usul Al Fiqh (Islamic Jurispudence and Roots of Jurispudence).
PAS had long championed the criminal law, despite it not being included in the opposition pact’s common manifesto, and this created a rift between the Islamist party and its political ally, the Chinese-dominated DAP.
Meanwhile, MCA had seen fit to perpetually warn the Chinese community of the “dangers” of hudud should Pakatan come to power – even though PAS had promised that the Islamic criminal law would only be applied to Muslims.
“There is this misunderstanding that hudud is all about cutting hands solely, but in fact hudud is actually a law to prevent people from committing a crime in the first place,” said Mahmood.
“The cutting only comes later on, but that is only for those who actually commit the crime,” he stressed.
He said that while hudud could certainly be implemented now, everything depended on the politicians.
Hudud should be for Malays and non-Malays
Meanwhile, both experts disagreed with PAS’ stance that hudud should only apply to Muslims, saying that such a ruling was “illogical”.
“It would be illogical for there to be differences in the law governing a particular country. If Islamic law was to come into the national level, then the law should be the law of the country,” said Muhammad Fauzi.
Mahmood Zuhdi said it was a violation of Islam to mete out different punishments to people who had committed the same offence based on religion alone.
“Criminal laws should be imposed on all citizens because Islam does not discriminate on whether you are a Muslim or a non-Muslim,” he added.
Nazri: M’sia not a secular state
At the same time, the minister does not say if Malaysia is an Islamic state.
FULL REPORT
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia, according to the federal government, has never been defined as a secular state.
Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Nazri Abdul Aziz said this in the Dewan Rakyat today, adding that the word “secular” was not even present in the Federal Constitution.
“…the allocation of the law shows that it is clear that Malaysia has never been determined or declared as a secular state,” he added.
He was responding to a question by DAP-Seremban MP John Fernandez, who asked Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak about the decisions made by the former Lord President Tun Salleh Abbas in the case of Che Omar Che Soh vs the Public Prosecutor (1988), where secular law came into question.
At the same time, Nazri did not state if Malaysia was an Islamic country.
However, he added that the country had been using secular law which had been brought over from before Independence, through Article 162 of the Federal Constitution.
The article states that laws existing before Merdeka Day 1957 would continue to be enforced.
In his speech, Nazri said that countries such as India, Turkey and the United States were clear examples of secular countries as their respective constitutions defined them as thus.
He said that secular countries did not specify official religions and that their citizens were free to choose whatever religion they liked.
Malaysia, he hinted, was different. He cited the former Chief Justice Tun Ahmad Fairuz, adding that Islam was not just a set of dogmas and rituals, but a way of life.
He also cited the Federal Constitution with Islam’s position being the religion of Federation of Malaysia.
Kit Siang: It is secular state
Later, DAP-Ipoh Timur MP Lim Kit Siang said that though the word “secular” did not arise in the constitution, it did not mean that Malaysia was not a secular country.
Speaking to reporters in Parliament lobby, he said that several documents had reinforced the country’s status as a secular state.
He cited two 1983 The Star reports, and said that former prime ministers Tunku Abdul Rahman and Tun Hussein Onn had referred to Malaysia as secular states.
Lim also cited the 1957 Reid Constitution and the 1962 Cobbold commission report as evidence that the country was meant to be governed as such.
“…the Tunku said, ‘Don’t turn Malaysia into an Islamic state, because it is a secular state…Islam is the official religion’, and that was supported by Tun Hussein Onn!” he said.
He added that the term “secular” had appeared in pre-constitution reports, and that Malaysia was in a unique position with its focus on Islam.
Malaysia’s position as an Islamic state had been in confusion ever since former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad had in 2001, declared that the country was already one.
At the time, it was believed that he had done so to counter PAS’s influence.
FULL REPORT
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia, according to the federal government, has never been defined as a secular state.Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Nazri Abdul Aziz said this in the Dewan Rakyat today, adding that the word “secular” was not even present in the Federal Constitution.
“…the allocation of the law shows that it is clear that Malaysia has never been determined or declared as a secular state,” he added.
He was responding to a question by DAP-Seremban MP John Fernandez, who asked Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak about the decisions made by the former Lord President Tun Salleh Abbas in the case of Che Omar Che Soh vs the Public Prosecutor (1988), where secular law came into question.
At the same time, Nazri did not state if Malaysia was an Islamic country.
However, he added that the country had been using secular law which had been brought over from before Independence, through Article 162 of the Federal Constitution.
The article states that laws existing before Merdeka Day 1957 would continue to be enforced.
In his speech, Nazri said that countries such as India, Turkey and the United States were clear examples of secular countries as their respective constitutions defined them as thus.
He said that secular countries did not specify official religions and that their citizens were free to choose whatever religion they liked.
Malaysia, he hinted, was different. He cited the former Chief Justice Tun Ahmad Fairuz, adding that Islam was not just a set of dogmas and rituals, but a way of life.
He also cited the Federal Constitution with Islam’s position being the religion of Federation of Malaysia.
Kit Siang: It is secular state
Later, DAP-Ipoh Timur MP Lim Kit Siang said that though the word “secular” did not arise in the constitution, it did not mean that Malaysia was not a secular country.
Speaking to reporters in Parliament lobby, he said that several documents had reinforced the country’s status as a secular state.
He cited two 1983 The Star reports, and said that former prime ministers Tunku Abdul Rahman and Tun Hussein Onn had referred to Malaysia as secular states.
Lim also cited the 1957 Reid Constitution and the 1962 Cobbold commission report as evidence that the country was meant to be governed as such.
“…the Tunku said, ‘Don’t turn Malaysia into an Islamic state, because it is a secular state…Islam is the official religion’, and that was supported by Tun Hussein Onn!” he said.
He added that the term “secular” had appeared in pre-constitution reports, and that Malaysia was in a unique position with its focus on Islam.
Malaysia’s position as an Islamic state had been in confusion ever since former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad had in 2001, declared that the country was already one.
At the time, it was believed that he had done so to counter PAS’s influence.
BN approved project near Batu Caves
A Selangor exco's aide reveals that it is BN which approved a construction project near the iconic temple.
PETALING JAYA: The Selangor state government today dismissed the allegation that it approved a housing project near Batu Caves, which has left the temple committee and residents fuming.
Exco Dr Xavier Jayakumar’s special officer A Pakkiya Nathan revealed that the township project was approved by local authorities in 2007 under the Barisan Nasional state government.
Yesterday, R Nadarajah (photo), chairman of the Sri Maha Mariamman Devasthanam, which manages the Sri Subramaniar Swamy temple in Batu Caves, vowed to stage a peaceful gathering on Friday to protest the construction of two 29-storey condominiums in the area.
He said the peaceful protest aimed to put pressure on the PKR-led state government as the project could pose a danger to the structures in Batu Caves.
MIC president G Palanivel also raised concern over the project, saying that it would affect the stability of the caves and the statues.
However, Pakkiya Nathan urged both the MIC president and the temple committee not to politicise the matter.
“The project was approved in 2007. And what have the temple committee and MIC been doing over the five year period?” he asked.
“It is weird that the temple committee chairman came to know of it through a friend,” he said.
He said that the proposed township project comprised terrace houses, condominiums and shop lots.
“We (the state government) welcome the temple committee to come forward to discuss the matter with the state authority,” he added.
PETALING JAYA: The Selangor state government today dismissed the allegation that it approved a housing project near Batu Caves, which has left the temple committee and residents fuming.Exco Dr Xavier Jayakumar’s special officer A Pakkiya Nathan revealed that the township project was approved by local authorities in 2007 under the Barisan Nasional state government.
Yesterday, R Nadarajah (photo), chairman of the Sri Maha Mariamman Devasthanam, which manages the Sri Subramaniar Swamy temple in Batu Caves, vowed to stage a peaceful gathering on Friday to protest the construction of two 29-storey condominiums in the area.
He said the peaceful protest aimed to put pressure on the PKR-led state government as the project could pose a danger to the structures in Batu Caves.
MIC president G Palanivel also raised concern over the project, saying that it would affect the stability of the caves and the statues.
However, Pakkiya Nathan urged both the MIC president and the temple committee not to politicise the matter.
“The project was approved in 2007. And what have the temple committee and MIC been doing over the five year period?” he asked.
“It is weird that the temple committee chairman came to know of it through a friend,” he said.
He said that the proposed township project comprised terrace houses, condominiums and shop lots.
“We (the state government) welcome the temple committee to come forward to discuss the matter with the state authority,” he added.
Kampung Railway settlers submit memo to MP
PKR MP Nurul Izzah Anwar received the memorandum and urged the government to compensate the settlers adequately.
KUALA LUMPUR: The Kampung Railways settlers from Sentul submitted a memorandum to MPs at Parliament today.
This was a follow-up to the memorandum they sent to Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak on Sept 25 to get their homes gazetted as an Indian heritage site.
“Development should not be done at the expense of heritage. I hope Keretapi Tanah Melayu [KTM] can offer them adequate compensation for their losses,” PKR MP Nurul Izzah Anwar said at a press conference at the Parliament lobby.
Also present were DAP MP Teresa Kok, Federal Territories and Selangor Community Association coordinator Lena Hendry and the settlers action committee communications director Jaison Alex.
The 31 families at Kampung Railway Sentul are the fourth generation of Malayan Railway workers who have been residing in Jalan 12, Sentul Pasar, since 1886.
It is said that the area is the last remaining Indian settlement in Kuala Lumpur.
YTL Corporation Bhd was reported to have bought the land in 2002 from KTM and served an eviction notice on the settlers.
When the settlers refused to vacate their homes, YTL Corporation filed a court case on the matter.
Nurul, who is also PKR vice-president, urged the government to reveal details on how the land was sold to YTL in the first place.
On a related matter, Alex claimed that Najib had issued a letter to Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) mayor Ahmad Phesal Talib to have a dialogue session with the settlers but nothing has come forth.
“We have lived there for generations. We had always paid quit rent to DBKL all these years and this is how they treat us. Are we just some dirt to them?” asked Alex.
KUALA LUMPUR: The Kampung Railways settlers from Sentul submitted a memorandum to MPs at Parliament today.This was a follow-up to the memorandum they sent to Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak on Sept 25 to get their homes gazetted as an Indian heritage site.
“Development should not be done at the expense of heritage. I hope Keretapi Tanah Melayu [KTM] can offer them adequate compensation for their losses,” PKR MP Nurul Izzah Anwar said at a press conference at the Parliament lobby.
Also present were DAP MP Teresa Kok, Federal Territories and Selangor Community Association coordinator Lena Hendry and the settlers action committee communications director Jaison Alex.
The 31 families at Kampung Railway Sentul are the fourth generation of Malayan Railway workers who have been residing in Jalan 12, Sentul Pasar, since 1886.
It is said that the area is the last remaining Indian settlement in Kuala Lumpur.
YTL Corporation Bhd was reported to have bought the land in 2002 from KTM and served an eviction notice on the settlers.
When the settlers refused to vacate their homes, YTL Corporation filed a court case on the matter.
Nurul, who is also PKR vice-president, urged the government to reveal details on how the land was sold to YTL in the first place.
On a related matter, Alex claimed that Najib had issued a letter to Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) mayor Ahmad Phesal Talib to have a dialogue session with the settlers but nothing has come forth.
“We have lived there for generations. We had always paid quit rent to DBKL all these years and this is how they treat us. Are we just some dirt to them?” asked Alex.
PKR Youth calls on IGP to quit
A PKR Youth member wants the IGP to quit as he claims that the public has lost confidence in him.
GEORGE TOWN: A PKR Youth leader has called on the Inspector-General of Police Ismail Omar to retire immediately, citing growing loss of public confidence in his leadership.
Negeri Sembilan PKR Youth exco member R Sri Sanjeevan wants Ismail to step aside gracefully and let his deputy Khalid Abu Bakar take over.
In his statement here today, he claimed that fear of crime has now gone viral among Malaysians.
Since the abolishment of the Emergency Ordinance, which allowed detention without trial, he noted that the crime rate had gone up.
He said police must do more to eliminate rising prostitution, illegal gambling, and other vice-related crimes.
But, instead of being action-orientated to combat crime, he criticised Ismail and Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein for merely paying only lip service to assure Malaysians that the country was safe.
He recalled that even former IGP Musa Hassan had claimed that Ismail and Hishammuddin had manipulated to produce irrelevant crime index to substantiate their fake claims.
He pointed out that Musa had also disclosed some top police officers’ alleged direct links with the underworld and mafia dons.
“Musa’s claims are seriouss. But what has the IGP done on this?” he asked.
Claiming that Ismail had lost control over his men, Sanjeevan rebuked the police disciplinary department for covering up many reported cases in the disguise of investigation.
He urged Ismail to produce facts and figures on the number of complaints lodged and action taken against his men.
GEORGE TOWN: A PKR Youth leader has called on the Inspector-General of Police Ismail Omar to retire immediately, citing growing loss of public confidence in his leadership.Negeri Sembilan PKR Youth exco member R Sri Sanjeevan wants Ismail to step aside gracefully and let his deputy Khalid Abu Bakar take over.
In his statement here today, he claimed that fear of crime has now gone viral among Malaysians.
Since the abolishment of the Emergency Ordinance, which allowed detention without trial, he noted that the crime rate had gone up.
He said police must do more to eliminate rising prostitution, illegal gambling, and other vice-related crimes.
But, instead of being action-orientated to combat crime, he criticised Ismail and Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein for merely paying only lip service to assure Malaysians that the country was safe.
He recalled that even former IGP Musa Hassan had claimed that Ismail and Hishammuddin had manipulated to produce irrelevant crime index to substantiate their fake claims.
He pointed out that Musa had also disclosed some top police officers’ alleged direct links with the underworld and mafia dons.
“Musa’s claims are seriouss. But what has the IGP done on this?” he asked.
Claiming that Ismail had lost control over his men, Sanjeevan rebuked the police disciplinary department for covering up many reported cases in the disguise of investigation.
He urged Ismail to produce facts and figures on the number of complaints lodged and action taken against his men.
Perkasa mohon Raja-Raja turun padang
Memandangkan zaman berubah mengikut arus demokratisasi dan perjuangan hak asasi, Institusi Diraja kini mudah diungkit dan dikritik secara terbuka.SHAH ALAM: Pertubuhan Pribumi Perkasa Malaysia (Perkasa) memohon perkenan Raja-Raja supaya turun padang lebih kerap dan berjumpa dengan rakyat jelata serta badan bukan kerajaan (NGO).
Presidennya Datuk Ibrahim Ali berkata, memandangkan zaman berubah mengikut arus demokratisasi dan perjuangan hak asasi, Institusi Diraja kini mudah diungkit dan dikritik secara terbuka.
Namun katanya, dalam perubahan ini hanya masyarakat Melayu sahaja yang masih taat kepada kepada Raja-Raja.
“Bagi memperkasakan Institusi Diraja, Perkasa mohon ampun perkenan mesti turun ke padang dan berdampingan dengan rakyat.
“Kita tahu seperti sebelum ini Sultan Pahang dan Kelantan juga sering melakukannya tapi perlu lebih kerap dan bergaul lebih mesra,” katanya.
Cadangan itu dikemukakan Ibrahim dalam ucapannya di Persidangan Khas Tahunan Perkasa Peringkat Selangor di Dewan Tuanku Canselor Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) di sini petang semalam.
Sementara itu, beliau turut memberi jaminan Perkasa akan menyokong sepenuhnya calon Barisan Nasional (BN) dalam Pilihan Raya Umum (PRU) 13 akan datang.
Ibrahim berkata walaupun Perkasa adalah NGO bebas, namun sokongan terhadap parti komponen BN tidak akan berbelah bagi termasuk undi kepada calon MCA.
Ahli Parlimen Pasir Mas itu dalam ucapannya turut melancarkan boikot dan melarang setiap ahlinya daripada memberikan sebarang kenyataan terhadap portal berita Malaysiakini.
Beliau mendakwa Malaysiakini mendapat pembiayaan daripada George Soros yang juga dikaitkannya dengan NGO Suara Rakyat Malaysia (Suaram).
“Haram bagi ahli Perkasa bagi kenyataan kepada Malaysiakini. Kita cakap lain dia tulis lain. Kita boikot sampai PRU13,” katanya.
Persidangan itu juga dirasmikan Menteri Pertanian dan Industri Asas Tani Datuk Seri Noh Omar yang turut menyumbang RM10,000 kepada pertubuhan itu.
Condos rock Batu Caves
The Star,
PETALING JAYA: Controversy is brewing in Selangor over a proposed 29-storey condominium project near Batu Caves, riling a temple management, nature lovers and local residents.
Registration for the high-rise property was recently opened on property websites and advertised as a serviced residence located “a stone's throw” from Batu Caves and boasting a “panoramic view” of the renowned natural rock formation site.
Datuk R. Nadarajah, chairman of Sri Maha Mariamman Devasathanam temple committee, which manages the Sri Subramaniar Swamy temple in Batu Caves, pledged to lead a group to protest against the project on Friday. “We oppose it. Construction work will pose a danger to the structures in Batu Caves, including the 42.7m statue of Lord Murugan.
“Batu Caves has been gazetted as a national heritage site. This project should not be allowed,” he said.
“Such a large building will also be an eyesore and obstruct the scenic beauty of the area.”
Nadarajah said the peaceful protest, aimed at putting pressure on the Selangor government to halt the project, “is open to all, and not just devotees.”
He said the committee had not been notified of the project from the developer or local authority.
“I only came to know of it through a friend,” said Nadarajah. He said the committee would send a letter of protest to the Selangor Mentri Besar today. “We will demand that he stop this project altogether,” he said, adding that the committee was also mulling over legal action.
The Malaysian Nature Society (MNS) agreed with the temple committee, saying that Batu Caves was a historical site.
“We are concerned that the development project would affect it,” MNS communications head Andrew Sebastian said. MIC president Datuk Seri G. Palanivel has also voiced his objection, saying the project would “affect the stability of the caves and the structures in the temple”.
Palanivel recalled that former prime minister Tun Hussein Onn had stopped quarrying work in the area during his tenure, following opposition from residents who complained that blasting had caused pollution.
Selangor state exco member in charge of Indian Affairs Dr Xavier Jayakumar said he was unaware of the project being approved by the local authority. “The hills at Batu Caves have been gazetted as a heritage property of the state. Any development in that vicinity can only be allowed after conducting an environmental impact assessment,” he said.
On the planned protest, Dr Xavier said he had not received any complaints on the project.
“They should at least submit an official complaint to us first,” he said.
PETALING JAYA: Controversy is brewing in Selangor over a proposed 29-storey condominium project near Batu Caves, riling a temple management, nature lovers and local residents.
Registration for the high-rise property was recently opened on property websites and advertised as a serviced residence located “a stone's throw” from Batu Caves and boasting a “panoramic view” of the renowned natural rock formation site.
Datuk R. Nadarajah, chairman of Sri Maha Mariamman Devasathanam temple committee, which manages the Sri Subramaniar Swamy temple in Batu Caves, pledged to lead a group to protest against the project on Friday. “We oppose it. Construction work will pose a danger to the structures in Batu Caves, including the 42.7m statue of Lord Murugan.
“Batu Caves has been gazetted as a national heritage site. This project should not be allowed,” he said.
“Such a large building will also be an eyesore and obstruct the scenic beauty of the area.”
Nadarajah said the peaceful protest, aimed at putting pressure on the Selangor government to halt the project, “is open to all, and not just devotees.”
He said the committee had not been notified of the project from the developer or local authority.
“I only came to know of it through a friend,” said Nadarajah. He said the committee would send a letter of protest to the Selangor Mentri Besar today. “We will demand that he stop this project altogether,” he said, adding that the committee was also mulling over legal action.
The Malaysian Nature Society (MNS) agreed with the temple committee, saying that Batu Caves was a historical site.
“We are concerned that the development project would affect it,” MNS communications head Andrew Sebastian said. MIC president Datuk Seri G. Palanivel has also voiced his objection, saying the project would “affect the stability of the caves and the structures in the temple”.
Palanivel recalled that former prime minister Tun Hussein Onn had stopped quarrying work in the area during his tenure, following opposition from residents who complained that blasting had caused pollution.
Selangor state exco member in charge of Indian Affairs Dr Xavier Jayakumar said he was unaware of the project being approved by the local authority. “The hills at Batu Caves have been gazetted as a heritage property of the state. Any development in that vicinity can only be allowed after conducting an environmental impact assessment,” he said.
On the planned protest, Dr Xavier said he had not received any complaints on the project.
“They should at least submit an official complaint to us first,” he said.
Malaysia's Missing Police Chief
 |
| Musa's mum |
What happened to Musa Hassan on his way to Bangkok – if indeed he was going? The retired national police chief was said to be giving a press conference with “new revelations” in the 2006 murder-for-hire of Mongolian beauty Altantuya Shaariibuu by two elite bodyguards for then-defense minister Najib Tun Razak.
But within an hour after the Foreign Correspondents Club of Thailand sent out a press release announcing the event, scheduled for today at noon, someone called and cancelled it.
Musa was quoted in the Kuala Lumpur-based Star daily newspaper saying he would be in Kuala Lumpur today and that “I am not giving any press conference on any matter. I want those spreading such lies to stop it immediately.”
Was this a case like that of Wang Lijun, the Chongqing police chief who made a highly publicized run for the US Embassy in Chengdu in February this year with details of the crimes of his boss, Chongqing Mayor Bo Xilai? That is a case that has shaken Chinese politics to the core.
Pursued by a string of police cars, Wang stayed in the US Embassy long enough to raise suspicions across the country about the misdoings of Bo and his wife, Gu Kailai, and then passed on details to the government in Beijing.
Gu Kailai has been convicted of murder and sentenced to prison. Bo has been kicked out of the Chinese politburo and evidently will stand trial sometime after the Communist Party congress finishes in early November. Wang himself has been sentenced to prison.
In the FCCT press release, it was announced that after Altantuya’s death “it was revealed that she had been linked to the sale of two French-made submarines to Malaysia for US$1.3 billion – a deal under heavy suspicion of high-level corruption. The current Malaysian PM, Najib Razak, was then Minister of Defense and the national police chief was Musa Hassan. The revelations shook the Malaysian political landscape.”
The incident remains extremely mysterious. Unlike that of Wang Lijun, it has received little mention in Malaysia’s mainstream media, all of which are owned by pro-government political parties.
“Nobody’s saying anything,” said another Kuala Lumpur source. “It’s like it never happened.”
As Malaysia’s national police chief, Musa is intimately familiar with all of the details of the murder of the 28-year-old Altantuya. But, sources in Kuala Lumpur say, suspicions that he might deliver lurid allegations of Najib’s involvement in the case are probably unfounded.
The mystery “hasn’t made much, if any, impact as yet on the Malaysian scene,” a veteran political observer in Kuala Lumpur said. “There is so much spin going on from both sides, the public is sceptical. Furthermore, Musa has denied it and many people I spoke with think that this was probably just an Anwar spin,” a reference to Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim. “I don’t think it’s going to have the same impact as Wang and Bo Xilai. It’s just another day in Malaysia’s gutter politicking.”
However, Musa appears to have been at least disaffected by the political environment, another source said. The police chief, who retired at age 60, reportedly was promised a plum job as Malaysian high commissioner to Brunei. When he didn’t get it, he was forced to take the teaching job.
Local media reported earlier that Musa has been flirting with Parti Islam se-Malaysia, the fundamentalist Islamic component of the three-party opposition. Musa, however, has publicly denied he intended to join PAS. A source with Pakatan Rakyat told Asia Sentinel Musa had met with a top leader of PAS several months ago, but that the former police chief had no interest in politics and that it was unlikely he would join. He himself told The Star today he had no intention of joining any parties.
Musa retired on Sept. 13 after 41 years of service, the last six as national police chief. He has long been a controversial figure, having been investigated himself on allegations of corruption, particularly over the release of three members of illegal betting syndicates. Reform critics have accused him of using his police power to thwart investigations into corruption and to protect powerful figures in the government.
The episode also calls up one in July 2008 when a Kuala Lumpur-based private investigator, P. Balasubramaniam, retracted an explosive sworn statement alleging that Najib was involved with Altantuya before she became the mistress of Abdul Razak Baginda, Najib’s best friend. Instead, Balasubramaniam said he had made his original statement under duress from Anwar’s associates. He then fled the country, still later saying he had recanted under duress and had been offered RM5 million to shut up by Deepak Jaikishan, a reputed business partner of Najib’s wife,. Rosmah Mansor.
Last week Musa dropped a 2008 defamation suit against Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim after Anwar accused him and Attorney General Abdul Gani Patail of conspiring to cover up a 1998 physical assault which left the then-imprisoned Anwar with a black eye and a permanent back problem. The dropping of the suit also fueled speculation that Musa was moving towards a rapprochement with the opposition. However, an opposition leader said the PR leadership was convinced he dropped the suit because he knew he wouldn’t be able to win it.
Umno, kerajaan bergantung kepada Mahathir?
Laporan itu lucu tetapi ia tidak boleh dikira karut. Sepatutnya ia karut tetapi suasana pimpinan Perdana Menteri Najib dilihat keliru dan was-was, maka yang dirasakan lucu itu nampaknya bukan perkara karut.
Hampir dua tahun pimpinan Najib dan Muhyiddin hendak mengadakan PRU supaya dapat keluar dari bagi mandat Abdullah Badawi yang mereka rasa amat malang, tetapi tempoh penggal ltu hampir luput, mereka belum jumpa tarikh keramat bagi mengadakannya. Semua tarikh sepanjang dua tahun itu seolah-olah tidak keramat belaka.
Telah banyak persepsi merasakan Najib dan Muhyiddin bukan sekadar tidak berdaya menjadi pimpinan kerajaan yang baik, malah mereka tidak ada wibawa untuk memimpin UMNO bagi menghadapi PRU13.
Laporan akhbar betapa UMNO bergantung pada bantuan Dr. Mahathir bagi menyelamatkan UMNO dan kerajaannya adalah satu pemberitahuan betapa Najib dan Muhyidin adalah pimpinan yang tidak berwibawa hingga tidak ada lagi orang-orang yang lebih muda Dr. Mahathir yang dapat memimpin UMNO.
Laporan adalah satu cara bagi menyatakan Najib tidak berguna dan Muhyidin sendiri dapat membantu Najib bagi menjadi pemimpin parti dan Perdana Menteri yang berguna. Kedua-duanya tidak berguna dan tidak orang lain yang layak memimpin UMNO melainkan Dr. Mahathir yang pimpinannya dulu penuh kontroversi.
Ia adalah satu gambaran betapa UMNO sudah bankrap pimpinan. Tiada lagi orang yang layak memimpinnya hingga terpaksa mengambil orang lama juga terus menerus dipertikai oleh orang ramai termasuk UMNO.
Gaya pimpinannya dulu lebih kurang saja dengan pemimpin-pemimpin yang sudah dibuang dan sedang hendak dibuang oleh gelombang Arab Spring. Demi mengekalkan kuasanya dia cantas semua pencabarnya seperti Musa Hitam, Ghafar Baba, Tengku Razaleigh dan Anwar Ibrahim. Sekalian yang dipancungnya itu adalah watak yang membina diri masing-masing untuk menjadi pemimpin.
Kemudian dia sendiri gagal menyediakan pimpinan UMNO. Disediakannya Abdullah Badawi, diratahnya. Disediakannya Najib, lalu Najib jadi macam yang semua lihat sekarang terus hidup di bawah bayangan Dr. Mahathir dan Rosmah Mansor. Muhyidin pula tidak mencapai wibawa yang ada pada Musa Hitam dan Tengku Razaleigh. Mungkin tidak mampu mencapai oleh pimpinan Abdullah Badawi dan Najib yang lemah itu.
Pentadbiran Mahathir sendiri meruntuhkan apa yang dirancang dan ditinggal oleh Tunku dan Tun Razak. MAS runtuh, Bank Bumputera hapus, Bahasa Melayu sebagai bahasa rasmi dan bahasa pengantar di sekolah-sekolah hancur. Dasar dan projek yang ditinggalkan olehnya pula membebankan rakyat dan negara seperti penswastaan, lebuh raya bertol, pengajaran sains dan matematik dalam bahasa Inggeris.
Dalam zamannya pun Maahthir bukanlah pimpinan yang baik, dan zaman ini pula bukanlah zaman yang sesuai bagi orang setuanya dan berulang alik ke hospital saja. Sekarang UMNO dan kerajaan memerlukan orang yang lebih muda bagi menghadapi masa depan yang mencabar, bukan lagi zaman orang bergantung pada kehebatan Hang Tuah dan Dr. Mahathir.
Menggunakan Dr. Mahahir seperti memakai barang terpakai. UMNO tidak memerlukan pimpinan recond. Apabila Najib. Muhyiddin sudah tidak berguna tidak banyak bijaknya menggunakan barang-barang lama.
Apabila UMNO sudah ada orang baru untuk memimpin, maka itu tandanya UMNO juga tidak layak lagi memimpin rakyat dan negara. Tali hayatnya tidak boleh disambung. Itulah ertinya berita UMNO dan Najib bergantung pada Dr. Mahathir.
History contradicts minister’s arguments that Malaysia is not secular
Tunku Abdul Rahman expressly stated that Malaysia was not an Islamic state and should not be turned into one.
KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 22 ― Historical accounts show that Tunku Abdul Rahman and Tun Hussein Onn had both said Malaysia is a secular state, contradicting de facto law minister Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz’s remarks in Parliament today that the country had no secularist roots.
Nazri told Parliament today that Malaysia has never been declared or endorsed as a secular state, arguing that the country was formed of the Malay Sultanate, an Islamic government and, unlike countries like the United States, India or Turkey, was never declared as secular.
His remarks today come amid debate over the status of the Federal Constitution. It was also made despite a previous Supreme Court ruling that said Malaysia is a secular state, as well as previous statements made by earlier leaders such as the Tunku, the country’s first prime minister.
Tunku Abdul Rahman had referred to Malaysia as a secular state, and not an Islamic one, on a number of separate occasions.
He was first recorded telling Parliament on May 1, 1958: “I would like to make it clear that this country is not an Islamic state as it is generally understood; we merely provided that Islam shall be the official religion of the State.”
The Star had also reported Tunku speaking on February 8, 1983 at a gathering to celebrate his 80th birthday, with the headline “Don’t make Malaysia an Islamic state ― Tunku”, where he said “the country has a multi-racial population with various beliefs. Malaysia must continue as a secular state with Islam as the official religion.”
In the same newspaper, Malaysia’s third PM, Tun Hussein Onn, was reported as supporting his predecessor in rejecting Malaysia being made an Islamic state.
“The nation can still be functional as a secular state with Islam as the official religion,” Hussein said.
National University of Singapore’s Hussin Mutalib had interviewed Tunku for his book, Islam in Malaysia: From Revivalism to Islamic State.
In the interview, Tunku said: “...There is no way we should have an Islamic state here ... The nature of our political parties, our coalition government, our democracy, and our multiracial life are sufficient foundations which can be used to build a prosperous and peaceful Malaysia. Why must we look to Iran and other Islamic states?”
An Islamic state is defined as a country where the primary basis for government is Islamic religious rule, the Syariah law. Article 3 of the Federal Constitution states that Islam is the religion of the Federation, and it is used to support the claim that Malaysia is an Islamic state rather than secular.
However, in drafting the Constitution of Malaysia, the Reid Commission had this to say about Islam as an official religion, in its report in February 1957: “The observance of this principle shall not impose any disability on non-Muslim nationals professing and practising their own religion and shall not imply that the state is not a secular state.”
According to the same report, the Council of Rulers (Majlis Raja-Raja) were against the inclusion of such provision: “It is Their Highnesses’ considered view that it would not be desirable to insert some declaration such as has been suggested that the Muslim Faith or Islamic Faith be the established religion of the Federation.”
Justice Abdul Hamid, a member of the Reid Commission from Pakistan, was the main proponent for inserting the provision. “A provision like one suggested above is innocuous. Not less than fifteen countries of the world have a provision of this type entrenched in their Constitutions,” Hamid said in the report.
“(This) declaration has not been found to have caused hardships to anybody, no harm will ensue if such a declaration is included in the Constitution of Malaya.”
The 1988 Che Omar bin Che Soh v. P.P. case in Supreme Court (now Federal Court) is commonly quoted in support of secular Malaysia.
In his judgment, then Lord President Salleh Abbas summarised: “...We have to set aside our personal feelings because the law in this country is still what it is today, secular law, where morality not accepted by the law is not enjoying the status of law.”
The position of Malaysia as a secular state went unchallenged until it was declared otherwise by the nation’s fourth PM, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, in September 29, 2001, while launching Gerakan’s National Delegates Conference.
“Umno wishes to state clearly that Malaysia is an Islamic nation,” the former premier announced, after PAS challenged Umno to declare Malaysia an Islamic state. “This is based on the opinions of many clerics (ulama) who have explained the concept of Islamic state in the past. For the public’s information, a cleric has even written a book titled Malaysia Is an Islamic state.”
Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi’s administration first declared the country as an Islamic country in July 17, 2007. Then-Deputy PM Datuk Seri Najib Razak told reporters after officiating the International Conference on the Role of Islamic States in a Globalised World: “Islam is the official religion and we are an Islamic nation. But as an Islamic nation, it does not mean that we don’t respect the non-Muslims. The Muslims and the non-Muslims have their own rights (in this country).”
This statement was echoed by Abdullah in a parliamentary written reply. “Malaysia is an Islamic country which is administered based on the principles of Islam and at the same time adheres to the principles of parliamentary democracy guided by the highest law of the land - the Federal Constitution.”
Kill the death penalty
The Sun Daily
by Tan Yi Liang
by Tan Yi Liang
PETALING
JAYA (Oct 22, 2012): The moratorium and review of the death penalty
should be extended to all capital punishment offences, not only drug
trafficking, say legal activists.
Lawyers
for Liberty founder N. Surendran told theSun yesterday civil society is
calling for the repeal of the death penalty for all offences, and said
capital punishment is incompatible with a modern, civilised justice
system.
"It
is the ultimate denial of human rights. We welcome any move by the
government to impose a moratorium on the death penalty, which is long
overdue," said Surendran.
He
was commenting on a statement by Minister in the Prime Minister's
Department Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz that a moratorium on the
death penalty for drug trafficking offences might be imposed.
Mohamed
Nazri said on Saturday this was due to the ongoing review by the
Attorney-General's Chambers of the mandatory death penalty for drug
trafficking.
The review is examining alternatives to the present mandatory death sentence, including extended jail terms.
It was reported that as of July this year, 640 of the more than 900 convicts on death row, were sentenced for drug offences.
On
the death penalty for drug trafficking, Surendran said the concerns
were greater due to the presumptions stacked against an accused person,
as the burden of proof is with the accused person and not the
prosecution.
Malaysian
Centre for Constitutionalism and Human Rights member Edmund Bon
supported the call for an across-the-board moratorium on the death
penalty.
He proposed that a Royal Commission of Inquiry be set up to review and analyse the effectiveness of the death penalty.
"The existing review on the death penalty is not sufficiently transparent and too narrow in scope," said Bon.
Criminal
defence counsel Sreekant Pillai hoped the moratorium would translate
into the end of the death penalty. "A death sentence has not stopped
people from committing offences," he said.
MIC Youth Voluntary Squad Now Has 5,000 Members - Palanivel
KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 21 (Bernama) -- The MIC Youth Squad, which is the
party's voluntary squad, now has 5,000 members including party members.
MIC president Datuk Seri G.Palanivel said the squad would be involved in various voluntary activities.
"Our hope is to pool the energy of 20,000 Indian youths in this country and to establish closer relations with the public, especially with the Indian community through this squad," he said after launching the Youth Squad of MIC Youth, here, Sunday.
MIC president Datuk Seri G.Palanivel said the squad would be involved in various voluntary activities.
"Our hope is to pool the energy of 20,000 Indian youths in this country and to establish closer relations with the public, especially with the Indian community through this squad," he said after launching the Youth Squad of MIC Youth, here, Sunday.
Malaysia, China Strengthen Cooperation In Combating Transboundary Crime
KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 22 (Bernama) -- Malaysia and China are strengthening
cooperation in combating transboundary crime due to the expected entry
of five million China nationals including tourists and students each
year into this country.
Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein said there were about three million China nationals in Malaysia at the moment as tourists, students or workers, while some had entered this country illegally.
"Therefore, a detailed discussion will be held between the Immigration authorities of the two countries, focusing on the visa arrangement in finding a mechanism to address the issue," he said after chairing the first meeting of the Malaysia-China working group to combat transnational crime, here, Monday.
Also present at the meeting was Hishammuddin's counterpart, China's Public Security Minister Meng Jianzu, who arrived here Sunday for a three-day working visit to Malaysia.
The formation of the working group had been agreed upon through a cooperation agreement signed together with Meng on Aug 2 this year in Beijing, China to fight the crime.
Through the agreement, Malaysia and China will focus on efforts to combat transboundary crime including terrorism, cyber crime, human trafficking, smuggling of migrants, drug trafficking and economic crime, as well as on border control and public order.
He said the signing of the agreement was an apt move as the status of China's nationals in Malaysia had often been doubted.
"The signing of the cooperation agreement also shows Malaysia's continuous commitment to establishing close cooperation with foreign enforcement agencies in fighting transboundary crime, which is on the rise."
The agreement with China is the fourth security cooperation document signed by Malaysia with its strategic partners after Saudi Arabia, the United Kingdom and United States.
Today's meeting focused on strengthening cooperation between the enforcement agencies of the two countries, sharing of information and intelligence, conducting joint investigations and sharing of findings, exchange visits by personnel and repatriation of suspects.
Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein said there were about three million China nationals in Malaysia at the moment as tourists, students or workers, while some had entered this country illegally.
"Therefore, a detailed discussion will be held between the Immigration authorities of the two countries, focusing on the visa arrangement in finding a mechanism to address the issue," he said after chairing the first meeting of the Malaysia-China working group to combat transnational crime, here, Monday.
Also present at the meeting was Hishammuddin's counterpart, China's Public Security Minister Meng Jianzu, who arrived here Sunday for a three-day working visit to Malaysia.
The formation of the working group had been agreed upon through a cooperation agreement signed together with Meng on Aug 2 this year in Beijing, China to fight the crime.
Through the agreement, Malaysia and China will focus on efforts to combat transboundary crime including terrorism, cyber crime, human trafficking, smuggling of migrants, drug trafficking and economic crime, as well as on border control and public order.
He said the signing of the agreement was an apt move as the status of China's nationals in Malaysia had often been doubted.
"The signing of the cooperation agreement also shows Malaysia's continuous commitment to establishing close cooperation with foreign enforcement agencies in fighting transboundary crime, which is on the rise."
The agreement with China is the fourth security cooperation document signed by Malaysia with its strategic partners after Saudi Arabia, the United Kingdom and United States.
Today's meeting focused on strengthening cooperation between the enforcement agencies of the two countries, sharing of information and intelligence, conducting joint investigations and sharing of findings, exchange visits by personnel and repatriation of suspects.
Monday, 22 October 2012
Keluarga remaja mati ditembak polis saman PDRM dan kerajaan Malaysia
Keluarga remaja yang mati ditembak polis telah memfailkan tuntutan saman diantaranya, ganti khas, teruk/tauladan faedah dan kos keatas pihak Polis Di Raja Malaysia, kerajaan Malaysia, lima anggota polis termasuk Ketua Polis Negara sebagai defendan di Makhamah Tinggi Sivil, Menara MSC Cyberport, Johor Bahru, hari ini.
Sapiah Md Ellah, 54, ibu si mati dalam tuntutannya menuduh pihak polis telah melanggar piawaian tatacara pengendalian Polis (SOP) apabila menembak mati anaknya, Mohd Affam bin Arif, 19, dalam kejadian 20 Oktober, 2009 lalu.
Mohd Affam Arif adalah seorang penuntut di sebuah Kolej Komuniti.
Sapiah berkata, semasa kejadian, anaknya, Mohd Affam sedang menunggang motosikal bersama seorang rakan menuju ke Taman Daya dan cuba ditahan oleh beberapa orang berpakaian preman yang memperkenalkan diri mereka sebagai anggota polis.
Mohd Affam gagal ditahan malah beliau terus memecut motorsikal yang ditunggangnya dan kemudiannya ditemui mati setelah terkena tiga das tembakan yang dilepaskan oleh anggota polis berkenaan.
Menurut Sapiah, kes kematian anaknya sudah hampiri tiga tahun, akan tetapi sehingga hari ini, pihak polis masih gagal memberi satu jawapan yang memuaskan.
‘Mereka (polis) menuduh anak saya seorang peragut, pencuri, perompak dan adalah seorang penjenayah yang dikehendaki polis’, kata Sapiah.
‘Saya rasa terkilan bila anak saya dituduh sampai macam itu’, tambah beliau.
‘Saya buat andaian bahawa, besar kemungkinan anak saya sampai di bank situ, perompak sampai, kebetulan anak saya pun sampai dan anak saya diugut perompak supaya suruh lari, jadi polis pun kejar dia sehingga ditembak mati’, kata Sapiah
Apabila ditanyakan Citizen Journalists Malaysia (CJMY) apakah harapan beliau berkenaan dengan tuntutan yang dibuat, Sapiah memberitahu bahawa, beliau minta keadilan yang sebenar-benarnya, dengan jujur dan ikhlas dari pihak atasan serta perlu membersihkan nama anaknya dan nama beliau.
Sementara, seorang peguam sukarelawan daripada Lawyers For Liberty (LFL), Haijan Omar, yang mewakili Sapiah berkata, pihaknya juga telah menghantar surat kepada pihak polis untuk mendapatkan jawapan dalam kes tersebut tetapi gagal kerana pihak polis menyatakan kes berkenaan masih lagi dalam siasatan sedangkan kes ini telah berlaku hampir tiga tahun lalu.
Syria: Terrororists Violated a Shia Muslim Girl, Left Her Bare in Street
Anti-Shia terrorist one again commit a crime in Syria. (Ahlul Bayt News Agency) - Anti-Shia terrorist one again commit a crime in Syria. According to SRW reporter, daughter of one of the well-known Shia family was kidnapped couple days ago in the town of Maliha, around Damascus.
Anti-Shia terrorist raped her, cut all her hair and left her on the side of the street without any cloth.
We strongly condemn this inhumane action and urges the different groups in Syria to issue a statement and ask the entire members to respect the Shia Muslim and stop any violence toward them.
Noting that freedom never can be achieved if there are many cases of Human Rights violation toward any minority in the country.
Najib: Malays had enough of DAP
Najib challenged the DAP to contest in Malay-majority areas. — Picture by Choo Choy May
KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 21 — Datuk Seri Najib Razak said today that the Malay community has grown tired of the DAP, adding a challenge to the party to prove otherwise by contesting in Malay-majority areas.
The Prime Minister said he agreed with MCA that DAP leaders have only been consistent in preaching multiracialism, but have never shown this to be true.
“Is DAP multiracial? I agree with the MCA president — if they are really multiracial, I dare them to stand in a Malay constituency.
“I dare them... You know, the Malays have had enough of the DAP. Enough. All rubbish,” he said in his speech at the launch of MCA’s 59th annual general meeting (AGM) here.
To expound on his point, Najib made special mention to Tunku Abdul Aziz, a key Malay leader who recently left the DAP, after falling out with the party leadership over his views on the Bersih 3.0 rally earlier this year.
“Are they (DAP) more democratic than us? If you want to know, ask Tunku Aziz,” Najib said in his speech, earning cheers from the crowd of MCA delegates.
The country’s top leader reminded party leaders that Malaysia was built on the principles and spirit of the Federal Constitution, which he said outlines a space for all races in the country.
He said that while affirmative action for the Bumiputera community was still needed, the non-Bumiputeras must similarly be accorded fair treatment through sound and inclusive policies.
“You must be fair to the Malaysian Chinese... I understand. This is why I came up with the 1 Malaysia platform... we must be inclusive.
“We must help all Malaysians as much as we can... all races, all communities, big or small... even the 5,000 Kelabits in Sarawak are also Malaysians and must be helped,” he said.
Najib is poised to lead the BN coalition into its most crucial polls to date where the ruling pact will not only be faced with a more discerning electorate but also its foes in Pakatan Rakyat (PR), considered its strongest opposition yet in the country’s political history.
Before the latest defections of two Sabah MPs, BN controlled 22 out of the 25 federal seats in Sabah and one in the Federal Territory of Labuan. In Election 2008, BN lost its customary two-third parliamentary majority largely due to significant losses in the peninsula, where it won just 85 seats while the opposition swept 80 seats.
BN’s saving grace was in Sabah, Sarawak and Labuan where the pact trounced the opposition and made a near-clean sweep, winning 55 parliamentary seats to the opposition’s two.
The beginning of a civilised police force?
Can degree holding cops ensure that the police force’s reputation will be enhanced and police brutality be a thing of the past?
COMMENT
The Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM) is welcoming graduates into its fold but will having degree- holding cops mark the beginning of a ‘civilised’ police force and end of police brutality?
Will the highly educated cops be able to redeem the image of PDRM that has taken a beating due to the unruly and inhumane behaviour of its personnel?
As it stands, the PDRM has to work a lot harder to convince the rakyat that it can be trusted and relied upon, virtues which the force has lost due to its uncalled for aggressive nature.
PDRM has been around for 205 years but a shame that instead of walking tall as a reputed institution, the police force due to its shenanigans has left the rakyat scared and doubting the effectiveness of the force whose motto is ‘Firm, Fair and Prudent’ (Tegas, Adil dan Berhemah).
From rapes and nude squats in police lock-ups to abuse and death of detainees in prisons, the true calling of the PDRM has come into question.
Will bringing in graduates to serve as cops change all that and make PDRM the rakyat’s ‘knight and shining armour’?
Repeated calls to set up the Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission (IPCMC) that could act against unscrupulous police personnel have been shot down by Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein.
The Home Minister continues to dismiss the urgency of IPCMC, in spite of the 2005 revelation by the Royal Commission of Inquiry led by a former judge that found the police to be brutal, inept and the most corrupt among the government departments.
Between 1999 and 2003, there were 5,726 formal corruption complaints involving the police force which led to the recommendation that the RMP be monitored by an independent watchdog.
Graduate or not, stop the brutality
Police statistics show that 147 people have died in police custody between January 2000 and February 2010.
Of the number, Malays stood at 64; Chinese (30); Indians (28); other races (eight) and foreigners (14).
The incessant calls for the IPCMC keep falling on deaf ears; meanwhile the rakyat continues to be the ‘punching bag’ of the PDRM, as was the case with Norizan Salleh in 2009.
Norizan, a single mother, sustained five gunshots fired by a cop and on Oct 15 this year filed a civil suit in High Court against the government, inspector-general of police, Sentul district police and police personnel Mohd Firdaus.
Norizan claimed the police violated its standard operating procedure when it opened fire at a moving car in which she was seated at the back. The Proton Perdana driven by Norizan’s friend was on the MRR2 highway when a police patrol car suddenly appeared from the right at 4am.
Mohd Firdaus who was one of the police personnel in the car took out a firearm and pointed at the car.
The incident involving Norizan is not the first and one doubts if it will be the last.
Disappointing the rakyat seems to come easy to PDRM as seen from its 2008 refusal to act on police reports lodged by parents against school teachers in a school in Taman Klang Jaya who subjected Indian students to physical and verbal abuse.
The police, like the Education Department decided to ignore the parents’ call for action against the racist teachers’ concerned who continued to teach in the alleged school.
Why was the police silent then, in spite of the teachers turning violent against the students?
Can the Inspector-General of Police Ismail Omar assure the rakyat that with graduates donning the police
uniform, the force’s reputation would be enhanced and police brutality be a thing of the past?
PDRM must drop its ruthless image
A graduate himself, IGP Ismail is excited at having degree holders join the PDRM; it however remains to be seen whether these graduate-cops will be able to survive the ruthless system and remain uncorrupted, their compassion intact and devoid of the urge to kill at any time they so desire?
Incidents like that of S Mogan, 42, a mechanic who in February claimed he was assaulted and robbed by Rela personnel and policemen who wanted to force a confession out of him speaks volume of the need for the IPCMC.
A month later, 14-year-old Lim Hup Hwang was riding without a helmet when he reached a roadblock; in trying to stop the teenager, the policeman kicked Lim’s motorcycle causing the boy to fall and hit the road divider. Lim slipped into a coma with blood clots in his neck, neck sprain, head and ear bleeding. Lim also received stitches for the injuries all over his body.
Such cases and many more are testimony that it will take much more than merely hiring graduates as cops for the PDRM to win the rakyat’s trust.
To begin with, the police force must drop its ruthless reputation and portray a more humane image, one that is combination of both compassion and assertiveness – this will slowly but surely restore the people’s faith in the PDRM.
Jeswan Kaur is a freelance writer and a FMT columnist.
COMMENT
The Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM) is welcoming graduates into its fold but will having degree- holding cops mark the beginning of a ‘civilised’ police force and end of police brutality?Will the highly educated cops be able to redeem the image of PDRM that has taken a beating due to the unruly and inhumane behaviour of its personnel?
As it stands, the PDRM has to work a lot harder to convince the rakyat that it can be trusted and relied upon, virtues which the force has lost due to its uncalled for aggressive nature.
PDRM has been around for 205 years but a shame that instead of walking tall as a reputed institution, the police force due to its shenanigans has left the rakyat scared and doubting the effectiveness of the force whose motto is ‘Firm, Fair and Prudent’ (Tegas, Adil dan Berhemah).
From rapes and nude squats in police lock-ups to abuse and death of detainees in prisons, the true calling of the PDRM has come into question.
Will bringing in graduates to serve as cops change all that and make PDRM the rakyat’s ‘knight and shining armour’?
Repeated calls to set up the Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission (IPCMC) that could act against unscrupulous police personnel have been shot down by Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein.
The Home Minister continues to dismiss the urgency of IPCMC, in spite of the 2005 revelation by the Royal Commission of Inquiry led by a former judge that found the police to be brutal, inept and the most corrupt among the government departments.
Between 1999 and 2003, there were 5,726 formal corruption complaints involving the police force which led to the recommendation that the RMP be monitored by an independent watchdog.
Graduate or not, stop the brutality
Police statistics show that 147 people have died in police custody between January 2000 and February 2010.
Of the number, Malays stood at 64; Chinese (30); Indians (28); other races (eight) and foreigners (14).
The incessant calls for the IPCMC keep falling on deaf ears; meanwhile the rakyat continues to be the ‘punching bag’ of the PDRM, as was the case with Norizan Salleh in 2009.
Norizan, a single mother, sustained five gunshots fired by a cop and on Oct 15 this year filed a civil suit in High Court against the government, inspector-general of police, Sentul district police and police personnel Mohd Firdaus.
Norizan claimed the police violated its standard operating procedure when it opened fire at a moving car in which she was seated at the back. The Proton Perdana driven by Norizan’s friend was on the MRR2 highway when a police patrol car suddenly appeared from the right at 4am.
Mohd Firdaus who was one of the police personnel in the car took out a firearm and pointed at the car.
The incident involving Norizan is not the first and one doubts if it will be the last.
Disappointing the rakyat seems to come easy to PDRM as seen from its 2008 refusal to act on police reports lodged by parents against school teachers in a school in Taman Klang Jaya who subjected Indian students to physical and verbal abuse.
The police, like the Education Department decided to ignore the parents’ call for action against the racist teachers’ concerned who continued to teach in the alleged school.
Why was the police silent then, in spite of the teachers turning violent against the students?
Can the Inspector-General of Police Ismail Omar assure the rakyat that with graduates donning the police
uniform, the force’s reputation would be enhanced and police brutality be a thing of the past?PDRM must drop its ruthless image
A graduate himself, IGP Ismail is excited at having degree holders join the PDRM; it however remains to be seen whether these graduate-cops will be able to survive the ruthless system and remain uncorrupted, their compassion intact and devoid of the urge to kill at any time they so desire?
Incidents like that of S Mogan, 42, a mechanic who in February claimed he was assaulted and robbed by Rela personnel and policemen who wanted to force a confession out of him speaks volume of the need for the IPCMC.
A month later, 14-year-old Lim Hup Hwang was riding without a helmet when he reached a roadblock; in trying to stop the teenager, the policeman kicked Lim’s motorcycle causing the boy to fall and hit the road divider. Lim slipped into a coma with blood clots in his neck, neck sprain, head and ear bleeding. Lim also received stitches for the injuries all over his body.
Such cases and many more are testimony that it will take much more than merely hiring graduates as cops for the PDRM to win the rakyat’s trust.
To begin with, the police force must drop its ruthless reputation and portray a more humane image, one that is combination of both compassion and assertiveness – this will slowly but surely restore the people’s faith in the PDRM.
Jeswan Kaur is a freelance writer and a FMT columnist.
Violence against women surging in India
Analysts point out that the violence ripping through India often takes the form of rape, kidnapping, dowry-related cruelty, molestation and harassment.
FEATURE
By KS Hari Krishnan
NEW DELHI: As gender-based violence across India becomes more frequent, and more savage, increasing numbers of women are speaking out against the cruelty.
On Oct 6, a 14-year-old girl from the Sacha Khera village in the Jind district of northern India’s Haryana state set herself on fire after a brutal gang rape.
In her statement to the police, the girl claimed that two male youngsters dragged her into a house, while the sister-in-law of one of the culprits stood guard on the terrace.
The teenaged girl doused herself in kerosene oil shortly after the attack. She was rushed to the hospital but eventually succumbed to her injuries.
In September, according to ‘oneindianews’, 17 rapes were reported in Haryana, a state infamous for so-called ‘honour killings’ of young women and girls who are thought to have brought dishonour upon their family or community.
Sonia Gandhi, chairperson of the ruling United Progressive Alliance, who met the girl’s family, told reporters in Jind on Oct 9 that those guilty of such heinous crimes must be severely punished.
Nationwide trends suggest that the incident in Haryana, reports of which shocked the country for days, is far from an isolated case.
The annual report by the New Delhi-based National Crimes Record Bureau (NCRB) found that a “total of 228,650 incidents of crime against women were reported in the country during the year 2011 as compared to 213,585 incidents in the year 2010, recording an increase of 7.1 percent.”
The issue has also attracted the attention of government officials. Indian Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde told a conference of police director generals and inspectors in New Delhi on Sept 6 that crimes against women were indeed on the rise and stressed the need to adopt adequate methods of dealing with the perpetrators.
Analysts point out that the violence ripping through India often takes the form of rape, kidnapping, dowry-related cruelty, molestation and harassment.
Dr Sreelekha Nair, researcher at the Centre for Women’s Development Studies in New Delhi, told IPS that data for the period between 2007 and 2011 revealed that cruelty by husbands topped the list, with 99,135 cases reported in 2011.
Meanwhile, 42,968 molestation cases were reported to the police that same year, making it the second most prevalent crime. Police stations also registered 35,565 complaints of kidnapping or abduction.
Turning the tide
Female politicians, activists and other leading members of civil society assert that a decline in the quality of governance, lack of public awareness and lethargy on the part of internal security officials have made matters worse for women.
Member of Parliament and head of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), TN Seema, told IPS that both administrative and judicial institutions would have to adopt more gender sensitive policies in order to contain the wave of violence.
“The number of violent crimes is increasing every year while the number of (those convicted) for (such crimes) is decreasing. When analysing records, we can see that only one-fourth of the total accused” received any kind of punishment.
According to Seema, “The mindset of society must be changed to accommodate the heightened role of women in public life.”
The fact that a male-dominated power structure still has a strong hold over most of Indian has led to a culture of victim blaming.
Urban centres bear the brunt of this rising tide of gender-based violence, with the government recording “a total of 33,789 (reported) cases of crimes against women (in) 53 cities during the year 2011 as compared to 24,335 cases in the year 2010.”
Archana Rajeev, a senior journalist in Thiruvananthapuram, believes this could be attributed to the presence of large floating populations, comprised primarily of male migrant workers, in metropolises such as New Delhi.
However, crimes against women should not be viewed exclusively as a “law and order” problem, experts say.
The main cause is an entrenched feudal, patriarchal mindset that refuses to regard women as independent, autonomous and equal human beings.
The beefing up of policing and judicial policies has to be accompanied by a socio-cultural campaign to ensure the rights of women.
More women holding positions of power within local administrations has led to widespread awareness about crimes and abuse. Simultaneously, an increase in the number of registered complaints in police stations suggests victims themselves are becoming more vocal about the issue.
Key assets
A recent joint study conducted by experts at the Harvard business school, the University of Warrick and the International Monetary Fund traced the link between the surge in the number of reported cases of gender-based violence and the impact of the 1993 self-government reforms, which introduced a quota system to boost female political representation in local bodies throughout the country.
According to the researchers, “There are two reasons behind the surge in reported crimes against women. First, greater numbers of female politicians make the police more responsive to crimes against women.
“Second, women victims who encounter more sympathetic women leaders may feel more encouraged to report crimes.”
Sociologists believe that property, education and employment are key assets for women to be able to combat violence.
Durga Lakshmi, an independent researcher in Kollam, a coastal city in the southern state of Kerala, told IPS, “Education and employment have been upgrading the status of women, helping (them) to find a solution in complex situations.”
A study on containing violence against women in rural Haryana conducted by Prem Chowdhary, former professorial fellow of the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library in New Delhi, stated, “Once a woman’s role in the household changes from recipient to provider, her (role) as a decision maker also stands to be recognised and consolidated, erasing the social sanction for violence.”
- IPS
[Photo credit: KS Harikrishnan/IPS]
FEATURE
By KS Hari KrishnanNEW DELHI: As gender-based violence across India becomes more frequent, and more savage, increasing numbers of women are speaking out against the cruelty.
On Oct 6, a 14-year-old girl from the Sacha Khera village in the Jind district of northern India’s Haryana state set herself on fire after a brutal gang rape.
In her statement to the police, the girl claimed that two male youngsters dragged her into a house, while the sister-in-law of one of the culprits stood guard on the terrace.
The teenaged girl doused herself in kerosene oil shortly after the attack. She was rushed to the hospital but eventually succumbed to her injuries.
In September, according to ‘oneindianews’, 17 rapes were reported in Haryana, a state infamous for so-called ‘honour killings’ of young women and girls who are thought to have brought dishonour upon their family or community.
Sonia Gandhi, chairperson of the ruling United Progressive Alliance, who met the girl’s family, told reporters in Jind on Oct 9 that those guilty of such heinous crimes must be severely punished.
Nationwide trends suggest that the incident in Haryana, reports of which shocked the country for days, is far from an isolated case.
The annual report by the New Delhi-based National Crimes Record Bureau (NCRB) found that a “total of 228,650 incidents of crime against women were reported in the country during the year 2011 as compared to 213,585 incidents in the year 2010, recording an increase of 7.1 percent.”
The issue has also attracted the attention of government officials. Indian Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde told a conference of police director generals and inspectors in New Delhi on Sept 6 that crimes against women were indeed on the rise and stressed the need to adopt adequate methods of dealing with the perpetrators.
Analysts point out that the violence ripping through India often takes the form of rape, kidnapping, dowry-related cruelty, molestation and harassment.
Dr Sreelekha Nair, researcher at the Centre for Women’s Development Studies in New Delhi, told IPS that data for the period between 2007 and 2011 revealed that cruelty by husbands topped the list, with 99,135 cases reported in 2011.
Meanwhile, 42,968 molestation cases were reported to the police that same year, making it the second most prevalent crime. Police stations also registered 35,565 complaints of kidnapping or abduction.
Turning the tide
Female politicians, activists and other leading members of civil society assert that a decline in the quality of governance, lack of public awareness and lethargy on the part of internal security officials have made matters worse for women.
Member of Parliament and head of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), TN Seema, told IPS that both administrative and judicial institutions would have to adopt more gender sensitive policies in order to contain the wave of violence.
“The number of violent crimes is increasing every year while the number of (those convicted) for (such crimes) is decreasing. When analysing records, we can see that only one-fourth of the total accused” received any kind of punishment.
According to Seema, “The mindset of society must be changed to accommodate the heightened role of women in public life.”
The fact that a male-dominated power structure still has a strong hold over most of Indian has led to a culture of victim blaming.
Urban centres bear the brunt of this rising tide of gender-based violence, with the government recording “a total of 33,789 (reported) cases of crimes against women (in) 53 cities during the year 2011 as compared to 24,335 cases in the year 2010.”
Archana Rajeev, a senior journalist in Thiruvananthapuram, believes this could be attributed to the presence of large floating populations, comprised primarily of male migrant workers, in metropolises such as New Delhi.
However, crimes against women should not be viewed exclusively as a “law and order” problem, experts say.
The main cause is an entrenched feudal, patriarchal mindset that refuses to regard women as independent, autonomous and equal human beings.
The beefing up of policing and judicial policies has to be accompanied by a socio-cultural campaign to ensure the rights of women.
More women holding positions of power within local administrations has led to widespread awareness about crimes and abuse. Simultaneously, an increase in the number of registered complaints in police stations suggests victims themselves are becoming more vocal about the issue.
Key assets
A recent joint study conducted by experts at the Harvard business school, the University of Warrick and the International Monetary Fund traced the link between the surge in the number of reported cases of gender-based violence and the impact of the 1993 self-government reforms, which introduced a quota system to boost female political representation in local bodies throughout the country.
According to the researchers, “There are two reasons behind the surge in reported crimes against women. First, greater numbers of female politicians make the police more responsive to crimes against women.
“Second, women victims who encounter more sympathetic women leaders may feel more encouraged to report crimes.”
Sociologists believe that property, education and employment are key assets for women to be able to combat violence.
Durga Lakshmi, an independent researcher in Kollam, a coastal city in the southern state of Kerala, told IPS, “Education and employment have been upgrading the status of women, helping (them) to find a solution in complex situations.”
A study on containing violence against women in rural Haryana conducted by Prem Chowdhary, former professorial fellow of the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library in New Delhi, stated, “Once a woman’s role in the household changes from recipient to provider, her (role) as a decision maker also stands to be recognised and consolidated, erasing the social sanction for violence.”
- IPS
[Photo credit: KS Harikrishnan/IPS]
Chua: I agree PAS condones raping of non-Muslim women
The MCA president said there was nothing wrong with Wanita vice-chairman Heng Seai Kie's interpretation of Nik Aziz's statement.
KUALA LUMPUR: MCA president Dr Chua Soi Lek agrees with Wanita vice-chairman Heng Seai Kie for saying that PAS condones the raping of non-Muslim women who do not conform with the Islamic dress code.
Earlier today, Heng produced a video showing PAS spiritual leader Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat giving a speech four years ago in which he said that women who do not protect their modesty deserved to be raped.
She said that Nik Aziz was instigating the Muslims to rape non-Muslim women.
When asked to comment on Heng’s statement, Chua said there is nothing wrong for Heng to interpret Nik Aziz’s statement that way because rapists do not choose their victims.
“When a Muslim rapist wants to rape, it doesn’t mean he must rape a Muslim. He can choose anybody.
“You cannot say I am not a Muslim, please don’t rape me,” he said at a press conference after chairing a delegates’ briefing session this afternoon.
Earlier today, Heng urged MCA Wanita members at the party’s AGM to go all out to stop Pakatan from taking power, or risk seeing the implementation of hudud law.
MCA Wanita chairman Yu Chok Tow also raised the possibility that all Muslim MPs, including those from Umno, would support PAS’ hudud proposal should Pakatan win the next general election.
“Due to religious concerns, Umno and PKR Muslim parliamentarians will have no choice but support a [hudud] bill…” she said.
On a separate issue, Chua said that Pakatan Rakyat’s proposed floor wage of RM1,100 would incur RM10 billion to RM12 billion extra costs to employers a year.
He said the proposal would put 1.2 million people out of job and cause unemployment rate to increase.
KUALA LUMPUR: MCA president Dr Chua Soi Lek agrees with Wanita vice-chairman Heng Seai Kie for saying that PAS condones the raping of non-Muslim women who do not conform with the Islamic dress code.Earlier today, Heng produced a video showing PAS spiritual leader Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat giving a speech four years ago in which he said that women who do not protect their modesty deserved to be raped.
She said that Nik Aziz was instigating the Muslims to rape non-Muslim women.
When asked to comment on Heng’s statement, Chua said there is nothing wrong for Heng to interpret Nik Aziz’s statement that way because rapists do not choose their victims.
“When a Muslim rapist wants to rape, it doesn’t mean he must rape a Muslim. He can choose anybody.
“You cannot say I am not a Muslim, please don’t rape me,” he said at a press conference after chairing a delegates’ briefing session this afternoon.
Earlier today, Heng urged MCA Wanita members at the party’s AGM to go all out to stop Pakatan from taking power, or risk seeing the implementation of hudud law.
MCA Wanita chairman Yu Chok Tow also raised the possibility that all Muslim MPs, including those from Umno, would support PAS’ hudud proposal should Pakatan win the next general election.
“Due to religious concerns, Umno and PKR Muslim parliamentarians will have no choice but support a [hudud] bill…” she said.
On a separate issue, Chua said that Pakatan Rakyat’s proposed floor wage of RM1,100 would incur RM10 billion to RM12 billion extra costs to employers a year.
He said the proposal would put 1.2 million people out of job and cause unemployment rate to increase.
Pakatan must endorse Johor Demand
The Johor Friends of Suaram and Hindraf Makkal Sakti said only then will Pakatan get their electoral support.
GEORGE TOWN: The Johor Friends of Suaram and Hindraf Makkal Sakti have come up with a Johor Demand and wants Pakatan Rakyat to endorse it.
They say Pakatan must endorse it, if they want their electoral support in Johore In a joint-statement here today, Friends of Suram coordinator, Ang Pei Shan and Hindraf’s Y Mohan said Johore Demand constituted three major demands: racism, “nationalisation” of alien workers and Pengerang.
Mohan said the NGOs would want pre-election commitment from Pakatan to implement their demands if the coalition took over power in Johor or Putrajaya.
Yesterday, he said, the Johore Demand was submitted to the state branches of DAP, PKR and PAS.
“Our support for next general election must be on a win-win strategic alliance,” Mohan said.
The NGOs’ main demands were:
Elimination of all racial oppression and work towards equality for all ethnic groups.
To protect Johorean rights and interests in land acquisition under the Pengerang Integrated Petroleum Complex (PIPC) project.
To repeal Article 153 of the Federal Constitution, the New Economic Policy (NEP), Bumi quota and Section 17(1) of the Education Act 1996 to achieve unity, social harmony and prosperity of the country.
They said the unequal provision in Article 153 had given a legal basis for UMNO-dominated Barisan Nasional ruling elites to practise institutionalised racism, create two classes of citizens of Malays and non-Malays.
The NGOs said the NEP and bumiputera quota system allowed BN ruling clique and cronies to enrich themselves while the Malays at large remained poor and live in abject poverty.
In this era of China and India emerging as big powers, they said any attempt to eliminate Chinese and Tamil education for the 6.96 million ethnic Chinese and 2.07 million ethnic Indians is wrong.
The NGOs want the authorities to establish more Chinese primary schools in Chinese dominated areas and Tamil primary schools in Bukit Indah, Mount Austin, Kota Tinggi and other areas in Johore.
The NGOs also want authorities to approve the application to revive the Segamat Chinese independent secondary school and give due recognition to United Examination Certificate (UEC) and degree of Southern College University.
The groups called on the state government to allocate land for Masai Hindu cemetery, which has now been hit by land shortage.
They said this would prevent poor Indian families from falling prey to loan sharks, who collect exorbitant interest on loans taken for cremation.
The groups resolutely opposed Project Mahathir because it was highly prejudicial to Malaysian citizenry rights.
Through Project M, the groups claimed that Umno elites has legalised illegal immigrants in Sabah and now in Peninsular.
According to conservative official statistics, they said three million aliens have been legalised and, issued long-term work permits and identity cards.
On Pengerang, the NGOs want 20% of total profits derived from PIPC project and petrochemicals integrated development project under RAPID, should be used for the purposes of economic development and health care services in the state of Johor
They want the government to minimise the environmental pollution in the process of producing petrochemical products.
They said Pengerang residents adversely affected by the development project should be given adequate compensation and appropriately resettled, and the relocation of Malay and Chinese cemeteries must be dealt in appropriate manner.
They called on the government to prevent well-connected groups from pocketing huge profits through resale of land acquired in the name of implementing development projects.
They said the land acquisition process should be open and transparent, and monitored by civil society and opposition parties.
The civil rights organisations want Pakatan to implement either fully or partially the Johor Demand within five years of coming to power if it formed the next state or federal government.
GEORGE TOWN: The Johor Friends of Suaram and Hindraf Makkal Sakti have come up with a Johor Demand and wants Pakatan Rakyat to endorse it.They say Pakatan must endorse it, if they want their electoral support in Johore In a joint-statement here today, Friends of Suram coordinator, Ang Pei Shan and Hindraf’s Y Mohan said Johore Demand constituted three major demands: racism, “nationalisation” of alien workers and Pengerang.
Mohan said the NGOs would want pre-election commitment from Pakatan to implement their demands if the coalition took over power in Johor or Putrajaya.
Yesterday, he said, the Johore Demand was submitted to the state branches of DAP, PKR and PAS.
“Our support for next general election must be on a win-win strategic alliance,” Mohan said.
The NGOs’ main demands were:
Elimination of all racial oppression and work towards equality for all ethnic groups.
To protect Johorean rights and interests in land acquisition under the Pengerang Integrated Petroleum Complex (PIPC) project.
To repeal Article 153 of the Federal Constitution, the New Economic Policy (NEP), Bumi quota and Section 17(1) of the Education Act 1996 to achieve unity, social harmony and prosperity of the country.
They said the unequal provision in Article 153 had given a legal basis for UMNO-dominated Barisan Nasional ruling elites to practise institutionalised racism, create two classes of citizens of Malays and non-Malays.
The NGOs said the NEP and bumiputera quota system allowed BN ruling clique and cronies to enrich themselves while the Malays at large remained poor and live in abject poverty.
In this era of China and India emerging as big powers, they said any attempt to eliminate Chinese and Tamil education for the 6.96 million ethnic Chinese and 2.07 million ethnic Indians is wrong.
The NGOs want the authorities to establish more Chinese primary schools in Chinese dominated areas and Tamil primary schools in Bukit Indah, Mount Austin, Kota Tinggi and other areas in Johore.
The NGOs also want authorities to approve the application to revive the Segamat Chinese independent secondary school and give due recognition to United Examination Certificate (UEC) and degree of Southern College University.
The groups called on the state government to allocate land for Masai Hindu cemetery, which has now been hit by land shortage.
They said this would prevent poor Indian families from falling prey to loan sharks, who collect exorbitant interest on loans taken for cremation.
The groups resolutely opposed Project Mahathir because it was highly prejudicial to Malaysian citizenry rights.
Through Project M, the groups claimed that Umno elites has legalised illegal immigrants in Sabah and now in Peninsular.
According to conservative official statistics, they said three million aliens have been legalised and, issued long-term work permits and identity cards.
On Pengerang, the NGOs want 20% of total profits derived from PIPC project and petrochemicals integrated development project under RAPID, should be used for the purposes of economic development and health care services in the state of Johor
They want the government to minimise the environmental pollution in the process of producing petrochemical products.
They said Pengerang residents adversely affected by the development project should be given adequate compensation and appropriately resettled, and the relocation of Malay and Chinese cemeteries must be dealt in appropriate manner.
They called on the government to prevent well-connected groups from pocketing huge profits through resale of land acquired in the name of implementing development projects.
They said the land acquisition process should be open and transparent, and monitored by civil society and opposition parties.
The civil rights organisations want Pakatan to implement either fully or partially the Johor Demand within five years of coming to power if it formed the next state or federal government.
Explosive Altantuya Revelations Coming?
(Asia Sentinel) Retired Malaysian police chief schedules mysterious Bangkok press conference Monday to announce “new revelations” in murder for hire case
The Foreign Correspondents Club of Thailand announced Saturday that Musa Hassan, who retired recently as Malaysia’s national police chief, would hold a Monday press conference in Bangkok with “new revelations” over the 2006 murder for hire of Mongolian beauty Altantuya Shaariibuu.
“After her death it was revealed that she had been linked to the sale of two French-made submarines to Malaysia for US$1.3 billion - a deal under heavy suspicion of high-level corruption,” the FCCT announcement said. “The current Malaysian PM, Najib Razak, was then Minister of Defense and the national police chief was Musa Hassan. The revelations shook the Malaysian political landscape.”
It remains unsure if the announcement was a hoax. Attempts to reach Musa were unsuccessful. A Malaysiakini reporter said he has reached the former chief, but that Musa refused comment and said he hadn't heard of the press conference. There was at least one error in the announcement -- that Musa had quit as head of the police when he had actually retired with full honors. Although there have also been subsequent rumors that the press conference has been canceled, an FCCT officer told Asia Sentinel it appears to still be on, although it was moved from Oct. 19 to Monday.
The 60-year-old Musa retired on Sept. 13 after 41 years of service, the last six as national police chief. He was previously deputy inspector general. He has long been a controversial figure, having been investigated himself on allegations of corruption, particularly over the release of three members of illegal betting syndicates. Reform critics have accused him of using his police power to thwart investigations into corruption and to protect powerful figures in the government.
Officials with the Pakatan Rakyat opposition coalition said they had been caught off guard by the announcement that Musa would speak in Bangkok.
Local media reported earlier that Musa has been flirting with Parti Islam se-Malaysia, the fundamentalist Islamic component of the three-party opposition. Musa, however, has publicly denied he intended to join PAS. A source with Pakatan Rakyat told Asia Sentinel Musa had met with a top leader of PAS several months ago, but that the former police chief had no interest in politics and that it was unlikely he would join.
However, if anybody knows where the bodies are buried, so to speak, it would be Musa Hassan.
Six years ago, according to court testimony in a long-drawn-out Kuala Lumpur trial, bodyguards attached to the office of Najib, now the prime minister, dragged the translator and party girl out of a car into a patch of jungle near the Kuala Lumpur suburb of Shah Alam, As she begged for her life and apparently that of her unborn child, they knocked her unconscious, then shot her twice in the head.
Chief Inspector Azilah Hadri and Corporal Sirul Azhar Umar, members of the elite Unit Tindakan Khas, then wrapped Altantuya’s body in C4 plastic explosives and blew her up, possibly to mangle her remains so badly that the fetus would be destroyed, according to a confession that Sirul made but which was never introduced in court despite its seeming validity.
In his cautioned statement, as confessions are called in Malaysia, the police corporal told authorities he and Azilah had been offered RM100,000 to kill the woman and her two companions, who were causing highly public embarrassment for Abdul Razak Baginda, Najib’s best friend. The 28-year-old Mongolian woman, in a letter found after her death, wrote that she was sorry she had been blackmailing Razak Baginda.
Ironically, if unknown persons hadn’t ordered Altantuya’s death, the story of the massive bribes for the purchase of the submarines would by this time probably have disappeared. Similar scandals with the same magnitude of questionable overpayments have since died down, one involving the purchases of Sukhoi jets and another involving the waste of hundreds of millions of dollars on a company owned by an United Malays National Organization crony to build patrol boats. However, continuing questions about her murder have kept the story alive.
As Asia Sentinel reported in June, French police records alleged that Razak Baginda was a central figure in a bribery case in which a total of nearly €150 million in payments were steered to two Razak Baginda companies, Perimekar Sdn Bhd and Terasasi Hong Kong Ltd from subsidiaries of DCN, the French defense giant, in connection with the purchase of the submarines by the Malaysian defense ministry. The records seized from DCN by the French police show that former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad and the French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe were aware of the transactions. Memos obtained by Asia Sentinel show the French expected at least part of the money to be steered to UMNO, Malaysia’s biggest ethnic political party.
Despite a 14-month trial, neither the prosecutors, the defense nor the judge asked who had offered the RM100,000 payment to the two men. Najib’s chief of staff, Musa Safri, reportedly dispatched the two policemen to pick up Altantuya and her companions, who mercifully weren’t around.
Altantuya appears to have been killed at the behest of someone with considerable clout in Kuala Lumpur. If her dying statement to Sirul Azhar is to be accepted, as he recounted it in his confession, she appeared to have been carrying the baby of someone, perhaps high in power in Malaysia.
Najib has sworn on the Quran that he never met Altantuya, although she appears to have been in France at the same time as he was, accompanying Najib’s best friend, Razak Baginda. On June 11, 2005, for instance, Najib gave a press conference after having visited the site where the Scorpene submariners were being trained and, according to the log of an Australian submariner association, presented jackets made available by Perimekar – Abdul Razak Baginda’s company – to the crew.
After the arrest of the two bodyguards, eventually Abdul Razak Baginda was acquitted without having to put on a defense. There were a long string of irregularities in the trial, which as much as anything appeared to be designed on the part of the judiciary, the prosecution and perhaps the defense to make sure nobody in Najib’s office was investigated or called as witnesses.
The two bodyguards were convicted and sentenced to death. Their appeals were supposed to have been heard in February this year, eight months ago. Mysteriously their appeals have been delayed. They were supposed to be heard in August. They have been delayed again.
Last week Musa dropped a 2008 defamation suit against Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim after Anwar accused him and Attorney General Abdul Gani Patail of conspiring to cover up a 1998 physical assault which left the then-imprisoned Anwar with a black eye and a permanent back problem. The dropping of the suit also fueled speculation that Musa was moving towards a rapprochement with the opposition. However, an opposition leader said the PR leadership was convinced he dropped the suit because he knew he wouldn’t be able to win it.
Ancaman tak berair dan banjir
21 Okt — Kira-kira 10 hari sebelum rencana ini ditulis tersiar berita dan gambar kolam takungan air di kawasan Sabak Benam diancam kekurangan air dan ia memungkin kawasan berkenaan akan putus bekalan air.
Lalu kerajaan Pakatan Rakyat Selangor ditempelak betapa ia berdegil menolak pelan Langat-2 yang dirancang sebagai persediaan bekalan air yang secukupnya bagi Lembah Kelang khususnya dan Selangor amnya untuk beberapa dekat akan datang bahkan untuk sekurun lagi.
Orang ramai cuba dibimbangkan betapa Selangor bukan sekadar diancam bekalan air yang dirawat, bahkan kekurangan bekalan air termasuk yang tidak dirawat.
Sedang kerajaan Selangor mendapat nasihat dari pakarnya betapa pesat pun pertumbuhan kemajuan pembangunan dan pertambahan penduduk di negeri itu tidak diancam krisis air tanpa projek Langat-2 kiranya pelan rawatan air dibuat mengikut sistem yang betul.
Bagi Pakatan Rakyat sistem bekalan air itu yang mesti dibetulkan nescaya ia dapat menyelamatkan dana negeri dari meneruskan pelan Langat-2.
Untuk menjelaskan isu pertikaian air itu kepada umum maka TV1 mengadakan perbincangan mengenainya oleh orang-orang dirasakan tahu atas masalah itu.
Tetapi sesi perbincangan itu tidak membawa pakar dari Selangor bagi memberi pandangan kedua atas isu itu.
Maka penjelasan pihak sebelah samalah dengan perbicaraan tanpa pembelaan oleh pihak yang dituduh. Penjelasan itu seperti tidak memberi penjelasan saja.
Penjelasan Menteri Besar Selangor atas amaran kekurangan air di sekitar Sabak Bernam itu cuba diatasi dengan sistem menabur benih hujan di angkara yang diharapkan agar ada hujan lebat dan sementara itu ia akan menyiasat punca kekurangan air itu.
Dua tiga hari selepas itu tersiar berita bahawa ancaman air itu kerana ban di sungai yang menyalurkan air itu pecah. Makan semua pihak yang terbabit dikerah turun padang bagi membaiki kerosakan.
Di tengah kebimbangan orang akan ancaman krisis bekalan air itu keluar pula amaran beberapa kawasan di Selangor mungkin berdepan dengan ancam banjir dan orang ramai mesti bersedia untuk dipindahkan.
Dalam masa seminggu saja rakyat Selangor diancam dua kebimbangan berhubung air. Kebimbangan pertama putus bekalan dan kebimbangan banjir iaitu berlebihan air. Air tak ada pun susah dan air banyak pun susah.
Dalam masa sepuluh hari selepas berita susutan air di takungan Sabak Bernam itu lima enam hari Lembah Kelang disirami hujan yang amat lebat. Sehari sebelum artikel ini ditulis hujan di Kuala Lumpur turun dari pagi hingga ke petang. Dalam hujan lebat itu saya pergi ke Hulu Langat, sepanjang jalan hujan. Sudah beberapa hari pagi hujan, petang pun hujan.
Apakah memang sekarang musim hujan atau ia hasil semaian benih hujan di awan angkasa Selangor. Tetapi saya menunggu berita tentang kekurangan air di takungan Sabak Bernam itu. Tiada yang menyiarkan air masih kurang atau kembali penuh. Tetapi kekurangan itu bukan kerana negeri itu benar-benar diancam krisis air, tetapi ia disebabkan ban sungai yang pecah.
Apakah ancaman air di Selangor itu palsu atau hakikat, tunggu PRU 13. Kalau Putrajaya jatuh, maka kita akan tahu, ia benar anacaman atau tidak. Jika ia benar ancaman kerajaan baru akan menentukan apakah Langat-2 akan diteruskan atau sistsem bekalan akan disempurnakan.
Tetapi, kalau tiada perubahan dalam PRU 13, BN akan mengatakan Langat-2 adalah jawapan atas isu itu.
* The views expressed here are the personal opinion of the columnist.
'Mak Nyah' witch-hunt fear
Malay Mail
by Hamzah Nazari
by Hamzah Nazari
Council raises concern transgender persecution may increase discrimination
A
RECENT case in Negri Sembilan where four transgender persons lost their
case when challenging a ban on Muslim men dressing and posing as women
could spark a witch-hunt by the authorities against the community, the
Malaysian AIDS Council (MAC) said.
“We
don’t want these things to happen again in other states,” said MAC
media and communications head Azahemy Abdullah, when commenting on an
earlier MAC statement backing the cause of the four transgender persons.
“While
MAC respects the decision of the Negri Sembilan Syariah Court, we
firmly believe that every Malaysian is entitled to equal protection and
dignity under the country’s constitutional rights," said Azahemy.
“We
fear that this judgment could lead to increased stigma as well as acts
of persecution and discrimination by authorities, especially from the
enforcement officials of the religious department."
However,
practising Syariah Court lawyer Fakhrul Azman Abu Hasan said Syariah
Courts prosecuting transgender persons was not a new trend.
“The syariah law is very clear. A man cannot act as a woman and a woman cannot act as a man,” he said.
He
said the Syariah Court prosecution and judges had to act according to
the law but usually opt to send transgender Muslims for counselling.
“They give chances, arrange for an Ustaz to give lectures on why they are born as men and women.”
“Most will plead guilty and not contest it. They will pay the fine,” he said.
Fakhrul
Azman said transgender persons could challenge the law by claiming it
was against human rights in the Federal Court, or by getting their
plight to be heard in Parliament.
If
they were to win in court, he said the law would be deemed void, but
added that this would be difficult as, unlike in European countries,
morality is taken as law in Malaysia.
“They (Europeans) do not take morality as law, but in Asian and Muslim countries, they do.”
“The law has been enacted by parliament. If the law is there, the judges have to follow,” he said.
Bar
Council president Lim Chee Wee said transgender Muslims were treated
well in the past and there was no reason as a matter of policy why they
should be persecuted or prosecuted now.
He
quoted Teh Yik Koon’s essay, "The Male To Female Transsexuals In
Malaysia: What Should We Do With Them?" in which the writer claimed that
transgender persons, commonly known as ‘Mak Nyahs’ in Malaysia, had a
better standard of living during the colonial days and that there were
less sex workers then compared to now.
Many were Mak Andams (bride’s attendants), joget dancers, cooks or artistes.
He said in an interview with a 63-year-old ‘Mak Nyah’, it was related that during the colonial days, they were left undisturbed.
Lim
said Malaysians must ask themselves why people who are different and
who are at the margins of society could not be accepted.
"Why
can’t we accept them as who they are with compassion, and liberal and
progressive ideals, rejecting extremism?" he asked Lim said: "Human
beings should be treated equally, and the principle of nondiscrimination
is paramount in this respect.
"Individuals should have the right to make their own choices relating to gender identity," he said.
Government's Islamic Practice Not Merely Rhetoric, Says Najib
PEKAN, Oct 21 (Bernama) -- The government's Islamic practice in
delivering assistance to the needy is not merely rhetoric or slogan, but
based on the tenets of Islam, said Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.
"Although no Islamic label is denoted on the ruling party's emblem, we live up to the objective of protecting, defending and enhancing the teachings of Islam," he said.
Najib, who is also the Member of Parliament for Pekan, was speaking at the handing over of cows for the Aidiladha sacrifice to chairmen of mosques and surau, and government and company offices in the Pekan parliamentary constituency here Sunday.
On the coming Aidiladha celebration, he urged Muslims to enhance their adherence to Islam in line with the principle of sacrifice as shown by Prophet Ibrahim.
He said for this year, the Pekan parliamentary constituency, would get 364 cows for the sacrifice donated by several private companies and him for 57 mosques, 154 surau, and 30 government and company offices.
Najib also presented B2 license to 234 youths who took part in the 1Malaysia License (BL1M) scheme launched in the district in May last year.
"Although no Islamic label is denoted on the ruling party's emblem, we live up to the objective of protecting, defending and enhancing the teachings of Islam," he said.
Najib, who is also the Member of Parliament for Pekan, was speaking at the handing over of cows for the Aidiladha sacrifice to chairmen of mosques and surau, and government and company offices in the Pekan parliamentary constituency here Sunday.
On the coming Aidiladha celebration, he urged Muslims to enhance their adherence to Islam in line with the principle of sacrifice as shown by Prophet Ibrahim.
He said for this year, the Pekan parliamentary constituency, would get 364 cows for the sacrifice donated by several private companies and him for 57 mosques, 154 surau, and 30 government and company offices.
Najib also presented B2 license to 234 youths who took part in the 1Malaysia License (BL1M) scheme launched in the district in May last year.
MCA’s Star goes on propaganda offensive
The MCA publication, The Star, has gone on a propaganda offensive today in a bid to check eroding support for the party and provide a morale booster for the party’s general assembly.
The party news organ points to the crowds at the nine MCA “mega dinners” as an indication of a reversal in declining support for the party – or at least there is an “open verdict” as to whether the people will swing back to the MCA. To back up its claim, the paper claims that people are paying RM30 to attend these dinners and listen to political speeches, apart from tucking in the food. Some 12000 tickets have been sold for one such dinner in Kulai, and the other mega dinners are targeting at least 5000 diners.
The question is, who exactly is buying the tickets and who is actually attending the dinners? Are they the same people? Are the majority of tables being bought by certain quarters in block or are tickets being sold individually to the public for most of the tables?
The party’s propaganda tabloid also tries to give the impression that the protests over the petroleum refinery in Pengerang are inspired by the opposition, when it is the residents themselves who are unhappy over the development.
The paper even says that no one can see Pakatan going from one parliamentary seat to 12 in Johor in the coming general election. No one? Really?
And it says that the Johor MB is not controversial and has no baggage even after five terms. No baggage? Really?
No wonder the circulation of The Star has dipped from 310008 in 2006 to 287204 last year.
What do you think? Have any of you attended these dinners? Do any of you read The Star anymore?
Let’s strip away the pretence and call a spade a spade: The Star is less a newspaper, much less a ‘people’s paper’, and more like the unofficial party organ of the MCA.
The party news organ points to the crowds at the nine MCA “mega dinners” as an indication of a reversal in declining support for the party – or at least there is an “open verdict” as to whether the people will swing back to the MCA. To back up its claim, the paper claims that people are paying RM30 to attend these dinners and listen to political speeches, apart from tucking in the food. Some 12000 tickets have been sold for one such dinner in Kulai, and the other mega dinners are targeting at least 5000 diners.
The question is, who exactly is buying the tickets and who is actually attending the dinners? Are they the same people? Are the majority of tables being bought by certain quarters in block or are tickets being sold individually to the public for most of the tables?
The party’s propaganda tabloid also tries to give the impression that the protests over the petroleum refinery in Pengerang are inspired by the opposition, when it is the residents themselves who are unhappy over the development.
The paper even says that no one can see Pakatan going from one parliamentary seat to 12 in Johor in the coming general election. No one? Really?
And it says that the Johor MB is not controversial and has no baggage even after five terms. No baggage? Really?
No wonder the circulation of The Star has dipped from 310008 in 2006 to 287204 last year.
What do you think? Have any of you attended these dinners? Do any of you read The Star anymore?
Let’s strip away the pretence and call a spade a spade: The Star is less a newspaper, much less a ‘people’s paper’, and more like the unofficial party organ of the MCA.
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