Wednesday, 24 October 2012
President of India greets countrymen on the occasion of Durga Puja.
In a message, the President has said, “On the auspicious occasion of Durga Puja, I extend warm greetings to all my fellow citizens.
The festival of Durga Puja marks the victory of good over evil. It is the celebration of Shakti and Bhakti and symbolises our inner struggle to rise to higher levels of consciousness. This is a festival in which every household brims with worship and merriment.
Let us pray to Mother Durga, who epitomises female dynamism that she guide us in the path of righteousness and blesses our land with peace, happiness and prosperity. .
The President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee has sent his greetings to his fellow countrymen on the occasion of Durga Puja.
In a message, the President has said, “On the auspicious occasion of Durga Puja, I extend warm greetings to all my fellow citizens.
The festival of Durga Puja marks the victory of good over evil. It is the celebration of Shakti and Bhakti and symbolises our inner struggle to rise to higher levels of consciousness. This is a festival in which every household brims with worship and merriment.
Let us pray to Mother Durga, who epitomises female dynamism that she guide us in the path of righteousness and blesses our land with peace, happiness and prosperity.
May this festival strengthen bonds of brotherhood and may Goddess Durga shower her blessings on all our people for years to come”.
Fresh violence in Myanmar leaves mosque, monastery burned
(CNN) - Fresh sectarian clashes in Myanmar's western state of Rakhine killed three people and left more than 400 houses, a monastery and a mosque burned to the ground, authorities said Tuesday.
The clashes began Sunday night and spread to four townships, said state Attorney General Hla Thein.
Rakhine is home to the Rohingya, an ethnic Muslim minority who say they have been persecuted by the Myanmar military during its decades of authoritarian rule.
More on Myanmar: Leader holds landmark press briefing
The unrest between the majority Buddhists and the Rohingya minority began five months ago and has tested the efforts of President Thein Sein's administration to seek reconciliation with Myanmar's different ethnic groups and move the country toward more democratic governance.
Authorities have declared at state of emergency in two of the townships, with the state's prime minister instructing that medical teams be accompanied by security personnel when they visit them.
The situation in the region has been tense since May when police detained three Muslim men in relation to the rape and killing of a Buddhist woman. Two of the men were sentenced to death; the third hanged himself while in detention.
News of the crime appears to have motivated several hundred people to attack a bus in Rakhine in early June, killing 10 Muslims who were on board.
The violence then spread across the northern part of the state, resulting in the destruction of thousands of homes and the deaths of dozens, according to the government.
The national government declared a state of emergency in Rakhine, bringing in the military to help restore order.
Hundreds of Rohingyas tried to cross the border into neighboring Bangladesh, but were turned back.
Bangladesh said it already has too many Rohingya refugees, estimating that about 300,000 live in the country.
Afghan husband stabbed wife to death 'for working'
German soldiers on patrol walk past a woman wearing a burka in Balkh, Afghanistan. Picture: AFP
Source: AFP
AN AFGHAN man stabbed his wife to death because she worked for an NGO outside the home, police said on Monday after arresting the suspect in the western province of Herat.
"Kulsoom was stabbed eight times by her husband on Friday afternoon because she was working," provincial police spokesman Noor Khan Nekzad told AFP.
"We have arrested the murderer, Abdul Rahim, who killed his wife," Mr Nekzad said.
The couple had been married for six years and had two children.
The killing occurred nearly a week after a 20-year-old woman, Mah Gul, was beheaded in the same province by her in-laws after she refused to go into prostitution.
Abdul Qader Rahimi, the regional director of the government-backed human rights commission in western Afghanistan, said violence against women had dramatically increased in the region recently.
"There is no doubt violence against women has increased. So far this year we have registered 100 cases of violence against women in the western regions," he said, adding that many cases go unreported.
Last year, in a case that made international headlines, police rescued a teenage girl who was beaten and locked up in a toilet for five months after she defied her in-laws who tried to force her into prostitution.
Pakatan divided on secular state issue
While DAP insists Malaysia is a secular state, PKR says it is a non-issue while PAS says the matter is best debated when the political climate is more 'free'.
KUALA LUMPUR: Pakatan Rakyat MPs are divided on the issue of whether Malaysia is a secular state or otherwise.
While DAP insists that Malaysia is a secular state, PKR and PAS MPs were non-committal, saying what matters most is to rejuvenate Malaysia democratic space.
Yesterday, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Nazri Aziz told the Dewan Rakyat that Malaysia is not a secular state as the Federal Constitution is “silent” about it.
But the Padang Rengas MP did not state if Malaysia was an Islamic state either.
However, he added that the country had been using secular laws which had been brought over from before Independence, through Article 162 of the Federal Constitution.
Petaling Jaya Utara MP Tony Pua was not impressed with Nazri’s answers and accused the minister of being in denial syndrome, to serve the political interest of Barisan Nasional.
“It’s like saying you’re neither a man nor woman,” said Pua.
The DAP publicity chief also said that Nazri’s refusal to recognise Malaysia’s secular constitution was a clear attempt to influence the Malay voters.
“There is nothing wrong with a secular state having Islam as the official religion. It just means that everyone is free to practise their own religion,” said Pua.
Respecting the constitution
Lembah Pantai MP Nurul Izzah Anwar said that BN had always used the secular state and Islamic state argument to confuse the masses for its own political advantage.
“I think it’s a bait. As far as we are concerned, we will continue to uphold and respect all that is enshrined in the constitution,” said Nurul.
Whether Malaysia was a secular state or otherwise, Nurul said it was a non-issue.
“The point is that our constitution has helped navigate Malaysia as a moderate Muslim state. The most important thing now is to improve our democratic state to realise our potential to be a beacon of democracy,” said the PKR vice-president.
Meanwhile, PAS’ Shah Alam MP Khalid Samad said that it was best for everyone to leave the debate at an academic level as some quarters may politicise the matter for their own agenda.
“I also think that it’s best for us to debate the matter when the environment is more free. Currently, the situation is too politicised.
“So, it’s more important to get a good government to power that will make the enviroment more conducive for discussions and debates,” said Khalid.
When pointed out that two former prime ministers and a former chief justice had declared Malaysia as a secular state, the PAS MP said that the statements were made based on the situation back then.
“Tunku Abdul Rahman and Hussein Onn interpreted the constitution in the way consistent with whatever they were doing then.
“As for former chief justice Salleh Abas, you must remember that when he was a Terengganu exco, he agreed to the tabling of Syariah enactments by then PAS state government,” said Khalid.
KUALA LUMPUR: Pakatan Rakyat MPs are divided on the issue of whether Malaysia is a secular state or otherwise.While DAP insists that Malaysia is a secular state, PKR and PAS MPs were non-committal, saying what matters most is to rejuvenate Malaysia democratic space.
Yesterday, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Nazri Aziz told the Dewan Rakyat that Malaysia is not a secular state as the Federal Constitution is “silent” about it.
But the Padang Rengas MP did not state if Malaysia was an Islamic state either.
However, he added that the country had been using secular laws which had been brought over from before Independence, through Article 162 of the Federal Constitution.
Petaling Jaya Utara MP Tony Pua was not impressed with Nazri’s answers and accused the minister of being in denial syndrome, to serve the political interest of Barisan Nasional.
“It’s like saying you’re neither a man nor woman,” said Pua.
The DAP publicity chief also said that Nazri’s refusal to recognise Malaysia’s secular constitution was a clear attempt to influence the Malay voters.
“There is nothing wrong with a secular state having Islam as the official religion. It just means that everyone is free to practise their own religion,” said Pua.
Respecting the constitution
Lembah Pantai MP Nurul Izzah Anwar said that BN had always used the secular state and Islamic state argument to confuse the masses for its own political advantage.
“I think it’s a bait. As far as we are concerned, we will continue to uphold and respect all that is enshrined in the constitution,” said Nurul.
Whether Malaysia was a secular state or otherwise, Nurul said it was a non-issue.
“The point is that our constitution has helped navigate Malaysia as a moderate Muslim state. The most important thing now is to improve our democratic state to realise our potential to be a beacon of democracy,” said the PKR vice-president.
Meanwhile, PAS’ Shah Alam MP Khalid Samad said that it was best for everyone to leave the debate at an academic level as some quarters may politicise the matter for their own agenda.
“I also think that it’s best for us to debate the matter when the environment is more free. Currently, the situation is too politicised.
“So, it’s more important to get a good government to power that will make the enviroment more conducive for discussions and debates,” said Khalid.
When pointed out that two former prime ministers and a former chief justice had declared Malaysia as a secular state, the PAS MP said that the statements were made based on the situation back then.
“Tunku Abdul Rahman and Hussein Onn interpreted the constitution in the way consistent with whatever they were doing then.
“As for former chief justice Salleh Abas, you must remember that when he was a Terengganu exco, he agreed to the tabling of Syariah enactments by then PAS state government,” said Khalid.
Police report against Maicci chief
Kenneth Easwaran's remarks have riled up Bestino investors, who accuse him of being a busy body.
PETALING JAYA: A group of disgruntled Bestino investors today lodged a police report against the Malaysian Associated Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Maicci) president Kenneth Eswaran over “a slanderous” statement against them.
The report was lodged at the Ipoh district police headquarters by the Bestino Investors Action Committee, who wanted the police to investigate and initiate action against the businessman.
Yesterday Makkal Osai, a local Tamil newspaper, published a report quoting Eswaran who had said that it was unfair for the investors to ask the prime minister to settle their dispute with Bestino and repay their investment.
He was also quoted as saying that the investors had suffered due to their greed and that they did not seek Bank Negara Malaysia’s (BNM) advice before investing in Bestino.
Bestino was a huge firm dealing with gold trading and investment, attracting nearly 6,700 investors who had invested to the tune of RM411 million. The company was raided and closed down by BNM in 2009, after it found some discrepancies in the firm’s dealings.
Since then, investors had been trying to get back their investment. The firm said that their money was safe in an account overseas. The company claimed that the funds could not be brought into Malaysia as the sum was too huge and needed government approval.
Both BNM and the Finance Ministry were reported to have given Bestino the green light to transfer the funds but the firm was still citing several obstacles in getting the money into Malaysia.
Dubbing Easwaran as a “busy body”, K Kunasekaran of the Bestino Action committee said the MAICCI head should stay out of the matter as he was neither an investor nor a Bestino director to comment on it.
“He has no right to talk about the thing since he is not the finance minister. Bestino is a legal gold scheme company which is registered under the Registrar of Companies (ROC). It is also endorsed by BNM. Let the authorities and the company do the talking, not outsiders,” he told FMT.
He said the company was established in 2006 and was giving dividends to investors until its accounts were frozen in 2009.
“It seems like Easwaran made noise just to satisfy someone who was not happy with our action to get back our investment. His statement has made many investors angry.
“He should be careful in making statements in the future. Please do not talk about something that does not concern you,” he added.
PETALING JAYA: A group of disgruntled Bestino investors today lodged a police report against the Malaysian Associated Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Maicci) president Kenneth Eswaran over “a slanderous” statement against them.The report was lodged at the Ipoh district police headquarters by the Bestino Investors Action Committee, who wanted the police to investigate and initiate action against the businessman.
Yesterday Makkal Osai, a local Tamil newspaper, published a report quoting Eswaran who had said that it was unfair for the investors to ask the prime minister to settle their dispute with Bestino and repay their investment.
He was also quoted as saying that the investors had suffered due to their greed and that they did not seek Bank Negara Malaysia’s (BNM) advice before investing in Bestino.
Bestino was a huge firm dealing with gold trading and investment, attracting nearly 6,700 investors who had invested to the tune of RM411 million. The company was raided and closed down by BNM in 2009, after it found some discrepancies in the firm’s dealings.
Since then, investors had been trying to get back their investment. The firm said that their money was safe in an account overseas. The company claimed that the funds could not be brought into Malaysia as the sum was too huge and needed government approval.
Both BNM and the Finance Ministry were reported to have given Bestino the green light to transfer the funds but the firm was still citing several obstacles in getting the money into Malaysia.
Dubbing Easwaran as a “busy body”, K Kunasekaran of the Bestino Action committee said the MAICCI head should stay out of the matter as he was neither an investor nor a Bestino director to comment on it.
“He has no right to talk about the thing since he is not the finance minister. Bestino is a legal gold scheme company which is registered under the Registrar of Companies (ROC). It is also endorsed by BNM. Let the authorities and the company do the talking, not outsiders,” he told FMT.
He said the company was established in 2006 and was giving dividends to investors until its accounts were frozen in 2009.
“It seems like Easwaran made noise just to satisfy someone who was not happy with our action to get back our investment. His statement has made many investors angry.
“He should be careful in making statements in the future. Please do not talk about something that does not concern you,” he added.
Stop work order for Bt Caves condo project
The state government has directed the Selayang Town Council to issue a stop work order until further tests are conducted.
BATU CAVES: The Selangor government has directed the Selayang Town Council (MPS) to issue a stop work order against a developer who is planning a condominium project just adjacent to the famous Batu Caves Hindu temple.
State exco member Ronnie Liu said the state government would conduct a soil test in the area to ensure that the development did not damage statues in the temple, before allowing the developer to proceed with the condominium project.
On Monday, the Sri Maha Mariamman Devasthanam chairman R Nadarajah raised concerns over the proposed construction of two 29-storey condominiums slatted for the land beside the temple.
The Sri Maha Mariamman Devasthanam manages the Sri Subramaniar Swamy temple in Batu Caves.
The temple management had planned for a peaceful protest on Friday to pressure the Pakatan Rakyat-led state government and the developer to stop the project, which could pose a danger to the temple caves and statues.
Speaking to reporters after visiting the site, Liu said the project was approved in Sep 27, 2007, when the state was under the Barisan Nasional government.
“We learnt that the Mineral and Geo-science Department had also given its approval for the project after conducting tests on the land near the temple,” he said after meeting the temple committee, MPS and the developer.
Also present was DAP stalwart Lim Kit Siang, Ipoh Barat MP S Kulasegaran, Teluk Intan MP M Manoharan, Cheras MP Tan Kok Wai, Subang MP R Sivarasa, Selayang MP William Leong, Sungkai, Perak state assemblyman A Siveneson, MPS chief Zainal Abidin Azim and several other Pakatan Rakyat leaders.
Liu said MPS had done three separate tests on the land of the proposed condominiums. However, MPS admitted that they did not conduct any tests on the temple caves or statues.
“The Pakatan state government is very concerned. We will look at it at from all angles before making a decision,” he added.
Liu also claimed that MIC’s P Kamalanathan and Gerakan’s A Kohilan Pillay were MPS councillors when the project was approved by the district council.
Kamalanathan is currently the Hulu Selangor MP and MIC Putera coordinator while Kohilan is Gerakan Selangor chief and deputy foreign minister.
It is learnt that the temple committee would stage the protest as planned on Friday.
“We will organise the protest as planned until the government gives us a final decision,” said a spokesperson, representing the temple committee.
BATU CAVES: The Selangor government has directed the Selayang Town Council (MPS) to issue a stop work order against a developer who is planning a condominium project just adjacent to the famous Batu Caves Hindu temple.State exco member Ronnie Liu said the state government would conduct a soil test in the area to ensure that the development did not damage statues in the temple, before allowing the developer to proceed with the condominium project.
On Monday, the Sri Maha Mariamman Devasthanam chairman R Nadarajah raised concerns over the proposed construction of two 29-storey condominiums slatted for the land beside the temple.
The Sri Maha Mariamman Devasthanam manages the Sri Subramaniar Swamy temple in Batu Caves.
The temple management had planned for a peaceful protest on Friday to pressure the Pakatan Rakyat-led state government and the developer to stop the project, which could pose a danger to the temple caves and statues.
Speaking to reporters after visiting the site, Liu said the project was approved in Sep 27, 2007, when the state was under the Barisan Nasional government.
“We learnt that the Mineral and Geo-science Department had also given its approval for the project after conducting tests on the land near the temple,” he said after meeting the temple committee, MPS and the developer.
Also present was DAP stalwart Lim Kit Siang, Ipoh Barat MP S Kulasegaran, Teluk Intan MP M Manoharan, Cheras MP Tan Kok Wai, Subang MP R Sivarasa, Selayang MP William Leong, Sungkai, Perak state assemblyman A Siveneson, MPS chief Zainal Abidin Azim and several other Pakatan Rakyat leaders.
Liu said MPS had done three separate tests on the land of the proposed condominiums. However, MPS admitted that they did not conduct any tests on the temple caves or statues.
“The Pakatan state government is very concerned. We will look at it at from all angles before making a decision,” he added.
Liu also claimed that MIC’s P Kamalanathan and Gerakan’s A Kohilan Pillay were MPS councillors when the project was approved by the district council.
Kamalanathan is currently the Hulu Selangor MP and MIC Putera coordinator while Kohilan is Gerakan Selangor chief and deputy foreign minister.
It is learnt that the temple committee would stage the protest as planned on Friday.
“We will organise the protest as planned until the government gives us a final decision,” said a spokesperson, representing the temple committee.
Politicisation of hudud angers Dr M
But the former premier is vague if he objected to MCA's move to exploit the issue to gain Chinese votes.
PETALING JAYA: Dr Mahathir Mohamad said he detested the ongoing politicisation of the hudud debate but made no clear position on MCA’s move to exploit the issue to win the Chinese votes.
“I am disappointed that hudud is being used for the gains of certain quarters… the issue is not a religious one but a political one,” the former premier told reporters here today.
“I am against hudud being used as a political issue,” added the nation’s longest serving PM whose administration was known for its promotion of moderate Islam and anti-hudud stand.
The longstanding controversy over the Islamic penal law resurfaced when the ruling coalition’s Chinese component party, MCA, at its annual general assembly last weekend played on the issue apparently aimed at shoring up support from the community.
MCA president Dr Chua Soi Lek had said that a vote for rival DAP would mean support for PAS’ push for hudud to be implemented if the federal opposition bloc wins the general election.
Chua had also said that PAS condoned the rape of non-Muslims.
PAS and DAP are allies in Pakatan Rakyat but the two clash ideologically with one pushing for an Islamic state and the other being staunch secularists.
To date the hudud issue had not been resolved and political rivals have used the debacle to drive a deeper wedge between the two but PKR, the leading moderates in Pakatan, have so far been successful in containing the conflict.
PAS leaders said Chua’s comments were an insult to Islam and that MCA, with drastic drop in Chinese support, had played the religious card to stay relevant.
Malaysia a Muslim country
The Chinese form the second biggest electorate next to the Malays in Malaysia. Its support for the ruling
coalition had fast dwindled since the landmark polls in 2008 with analysts saying the worse is yet to come for MCA.
Mahathir too admitted that MCA had tried to use the hudud issue to scare the Chinese from voting DAP.
Meanwhile, the former prime minister weighed in on the Islamic state debate and said that Malaysia is by definition a Muslim country despite the absence of any mention of it in the Federal Constitution.
“It is not stated in the constitution but by definition we are a Muslim country and many Muslim countries out there see us as a Muslim-majority country.
“We don’t care if they want to make this a political issue or not,” he said.
The sensitive debate over the country’s status as a secular or Islamic country again made headlines just ahead of key polls when a minister said Malaysia is not a secular state, arguing that there is no mention of the term “secular” in the constitution.
His statement drew a huge debate over the unresolved issue that is often exploited by both sides of the political divide to sway the conservative majority Malay-Muslims.
PETALING JAYA: Dr Mahathir Mohamad said he detested the ongoing politicisation of the hudud debate but made no clear position on MCA’s move to exploit the issue to win the Chinese votes.“I am disappointed that hudud is being used for the gains of certain quarters… the issue is not a religious one but a political one,” the former premier told reporters here today.
“I am against hudud being used as a political issue,” added the nation’s longest serving PM whose administration was known for its promotion of moderate Islam and anti-hudud stand.
The longstanding controversy over the Islamic penal law resurfaced when the ruling coalition’s Chinese component party, MCA, at its annual general assembly last weekend played on the issue apparently aimed at shoring up support from the community.
MCA president Dr Chua Soi Lek had said that a vote for rival DAP would mean support for PAS’ push for hudud to be implemented if the federal opposition bloc wins the general election.
Chua had also said that PAS condoned the rape of non-Muslims.
PAS and DAP are allies in Pakatan Rakyat but the two clash ideologically with one pushing for an Islamic state and the other being staunch secularists.
To date the hudud issue had not been resolved and political rivals have used the debacle to drive a deeper wedge between the two but PKR, the leading moderates in Pakatan, have so far been successful in containing the conflict.
PAS leaders said Chua’s comments were an insult to Islam and that MCA, with drastic drop in Chinese support, had played the religious card to stay relevant.
Malaysia a Muslim country
The Chinese form the second biggest electorate next to the Malays in Malaysia. Its support for the ruling
coalition had fast dwindled since the landmark polls in 2008 with analysts saying the worse is yet to come for MCA.
Mahathir too admitted that MCA had tried to use the hudud issue to scare the Chinese from voting DAP.
Meanwhile, the former prime minister weighed in on the Islamic state debate and said that Malaysia is by definition a Muslim country despite the absence of any mention of it in the Federal Constitution.
“It is not stated in the constitution but by definition we are a Muslim country and many Muslim countries out there see us as a Muslim-majority country.
“We don’t care if they want to make this a political issue or not,” he said.
The sensitive debate over the country’s status as a secular or Islamic country again made headlines just ahead of key polls when a minister said Malaysia is not a secular state, arguing that there is no mention of the term “secular” in the constitution.
His statement drew a huge debate over the unresolved issue that is often exploited by both sides of the political divide to sway the conservative majority Malay-Muslims.
What MAIKA could not do Tony Fernandes did
Senator S.Ramakrishnan,
Maika holding Bhd the flagship of MIC was started with great promise to the Indian community. But after 28 years of operation there was no hope of return. It became an embarrassment to BN, that PM Datuk seri Najib Tun razak found a way out to get rid of Maika Holdings Bhd.
Oriental capital insurance (OCI) of Maika holding was forced to sell by Najib government to G team resource of Ganalingam for RM106 million (80cents per share). Maika set up out of sweat and blood of Malaysian Indian community but cheated and ruined by Samy Velu and MIC.
UMNO and Najib couldn’t be bothered of the sweat and blood of Indian community but wanted to get rid of this MIC ruined company so that it won’t be an issue for PR to take a swipe at BN.
Oriental capital insurance Bhd was sold to Tony Fernandez of Air Asia for RM156.91 million by G resources. G resources never responded to calls on whether the RM50.91 million surpluses will be returned to shareholders.
Why is G resources of Ganalingam remaining silent about this RM50.91 million? Gnanalingam owe an explanation to MAIKA shareholders.
Within one year of purchase Tony Fernandez is able to apply for listing of OCI in bursa Malaysia. Tony plans to raise RM1 billion from the proposed listing. Maika holding or G resources could have done the same and saved the investment of poor people who responded to the call of Samy Velu and MIC to form an economic arm for Indian community.
MIC failed to float this one good investment and allowed it to slip away. Can MIC ever do anything proper and meaningful to Indian community? What one businessman can do within a short span of time, MIC as an important BN component party could not accomplish in 28 years.
Looks like MIC can only give out hampers and provide entertainment to Indian youths during election to get votes for UMNO. MIC wants to keep Indian community weak and ignorant so that they are subservient to BN and remain poor. This is the party created by UMNO to outsource Indian affairs to MIC.
Even the recent announcement by PM Datuk Najib Tun Razak that RM100 million allocated to repair Tamil Schools were withheld by ministry of education. Suria cooperative could only nominate names of contractors but MOE will decide whether to award the job or not.
It’s sad that Indian community with so much talent and able people could not build any economic vehicle with a RM100 million investment company in 1980s. MIC squandered away many opportunities.
Even without UMNO support, Indians could have built an economic empire with the Malaysian economy growing 8% to 10% continuously for about 20 years. MIC not only loss RM100 million of Indian community, the Indian community rights as citizens of this country were diluted and were on the wedge of losing it for good. Indians are doing well in all other countries except Malaysia due to the apartaid policy of BN government.
After years of suffering and erosion of basic human rights, the community woke up to the calls of NGOs and opposition parties in particular HINDRAF and the rest is history. Let’s hope and do our part to keep the community alert and be aware of the political developments.
As citizens of Malaysia we have equal right as any other citizens regardless of race or religion. UMNO using MIC has been cheating Indians all this while. Indian community is not beholden to them and it is time that we get rid of them in the coming 13th GE for a better future to our children and grand children.
Maika holding Bhd the flagship of MIC was started with great promise to the Indian community. But after 28 years of operation there was no hope of return. It became an embarrassment to BN, that PM Datuk seri Najib Tun razak found a way out to get rid of Maika Holdings Bhd.
Oriental capital insurance (OCI) of Maika holding was forced to sell by Najib government to G team resource of Ganalingam for RM106 million (80cents per share). Maika set up out of sweat and blood of Malaysian Indian community but cheated and ruined by Samy Velu and MIC.
UMNO and Najib couldn’t be bothered of the sweat and blood of Indian community but wanted to get rid of this MIC ruined company so that it won’t be an issue for PR to take a swipe at BN.
Oriental capital insurance Bhd was sold to Tony Fernandez of Air Asia for RM156.91 million by G resources. G resources never responded to calls on whether the RM50.91 million surpluses will be returned to shareholders.
Why is G resources of Ganalingam remaining silent about this RM50.91 million? Gnanalingam owe an explanation to MAIKA shareholders.
Within one year of purchase Tony Fernandez is able to apply for listing of OCI in bursa Malaysia. Tony plans to raise RM1 billion from the proposed listing. Maika holding or G resources could have done the same and saved the investment of poor people who responded to the call of Samy Velu and MIC to form an economic arm for Indian community.
MIC failed to float this one good investment and allowed it to slip away. Can MIC ever do anything proper and meaningful to Indian community? What one businessman can do within a short span of time, MIC as an important BN component party could not accomplish in 28 years.
Looks like MIC can only give out hampers and provide entertainment to Indian youths during election to get votes for UMNO. MIC wants to keep Indian community weak and ignorant so that they are subservient to BN and remain poor. This is the party created by UMNO to outsource Indian affairs to MIC.
Even the recent announcement by PM Datuk Najib Tun Razak that RM100 million allocated to repair Tamil Schools were withheld by ministry of education. Suria cooperative could only nominate names of contractors but MOE will decide whether to award the job or not.
It’s sad that Indian community with so much talent and able people could not build any economic vehicle with a RM100 million investment company in 1980s. MIC squandered away many opportunities.
Even without UMNO support, Indians could have built an economic empire with the Malaysian economy growing 8% to 10% continuously for about 20 years. MIC not only loss RM100 million of Indian community, the Indian community rights as citizens of this country were diluted and were on the wedge of losing it for good. Indians are doing well in all other countries except Malaysia due to the apartaid policy of BN government.
After years of suffering and erosion of basic human rights, the community woke up to the calls of NGOs and opposition parties in particular HINDRAF and the rest is history. Let’s hope and do our part to keep the community alert and be aware of the political developments.
As citizens of Malaysia we have equal right as any other citizens regardless of race or religion. UMNO using MIC has been cheating Indians all this while. Indian community is not beholden to them and it is time that we get rid of them in the coming 13th GE for a better future to our children and grand children.
The man who brought the Black Flag to Timbuktu
A new Islamist strongman has taken the stage in North Africa. His rising power is giving him a lot of bad ideas.Ag Ghali has already begun to realize his dream of imposing sharia law. Music, TV, and smoking have all been banned in the areas under his control, and Ansar Dine troops have been punishing women for not covering up properly. The group's members have drawn up lists of unwed mothers and offering couples money to get married. Those who don't comply with their demands face harassment, torture, or execution.
William Lloyd-George, Foreign Policy
He was once known for his drinking habits, his stylish mustache, and his serial womanizing. Over the course of his colorful career he has served as a diplomat, a rebel chieftain, and a negotiator with al Qaeda hostage-takers. Today, however, Iyad Ag Ghali -- known within his community as the "Lion of the Desert" -- is winning new notoriety as a militant commander and Islamist powerbroker in a strategically sensitive corner of North Africa.
His prominence is likely to increase in the months to come. The rebellion in northern Mali that began earlier this year, fueled by loose weapons from the revolution in neighboring Libya, has morphed over the past few months from an ethnic separatist conflict to one increasingly dominated by Ansar Dine, the radical Islamist movement led by Ag Ghali -- raising the possibility that the breakaway region could become a new jihadist safe haven and a lingering source of instability across northern Africa.
French President François Hollande has engineered a U.N. vote to consider intervention in Mali, and his defense minister, Jean-Yves Le Drian, recently said it was "a matter of weeks" before military action. Washington has given its blessing to military involvement by a regional grouping of African states eager to staunch the possible side effects radiating out from Ansar Dine's new mini-state. And there's even been talk that the Obama Administration might launch drone strikes against members of Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), a group that has sought refuge with the Islamists in northern Mali and which has been linked by U.S. officials with the attack that killed U.S. diplomat Christopher Stevens last month in Libya.
Much of what happens next will depend crucially on Ag Ghali's skills as a politician and a military leader. In recent months he has put his talents on ample display, stunning regional observers by engineering a convincing political and military victory over his erstwhile allies, the National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad (MNLA), the latest manifestation of a long line of rebel groups that have violently agitated for independence for the ethnic Tuaregs of the northern part of the country. While Tuaregs share Muslim beliefs with other Malians, the MNLA was never distinguished by religious militancy -- in stark contrast to Ansar Dine, which aims for the unification of Mali under Islam and sharia law. By contrast, the MNLA has committed itself to a secular independent state it calls Azawad (a word that translates as "Land of the Nomads") and opposition to Islamic groups operating in the North.
Ag Ghali has already begun to realize his dream of imposing sharia law. Music, TV, and smoking have all been banned in the areas under his control, and Ansar Dine troops have been punishing women for not covering up properly. The group's members have drawn up lists of unwed mothers and offering couples money to get married. Those who don't comply with their demands face harassment, torture, or execution. In the town of Aguelhok, a man and woman were recently stoned to death for adultery. In Gao a young man had his hand chopped off for stealing. And in the fabled city of Timbuktu, Ansar Dine units have demolished various ancient Sufi tombs -- part of a UNESCO world heritage site that is nonetheless derided by ultraconservative Muslims as a symbol of unorthodox belief.
Ansar Dine's ascendance is fueling worries in the West about the possibility of a new Islamist nexus in a part of the world that had long seemed dependably stable. For two decades Mali has enjoyed a reputation as a successful Muslim democracy, a status rewarded by the U.S. and other western donors with generous supplies of aid. But there was one source of potential trouble: The large and restive Tuareg population in the country's arid North, who have launched a series of haphazard revolts over the years, citing oppression and discrimination. During famines, for example, the central government looted funds for aid and resettlement camps, fueling anger amongst the Tuareg communities (often known locally as the "blue people," thanks to the indigo headscarves often wear, sometimes staining their skin the same color).
Many of the Tuaregs moved to Libya to escape drought and economic underdevelopment in their desert homeland; some of them even found jobs in the Libyan military. As it happened, the fall of Muammar Qaddafi last year gave fresh impetus to Tuareg separatists. As they watched Qaddafi's regime near its end, leaders from previous rebellions began plotting to return to Mali, now bolstered by cars and heavy weapons believed to have been largely swiped from Libyan government arsenals. Having formed the MNLA, which incorporated various Tuareg groups from around the region, the rebels launched an offensive and quickly took several major cities in the North.
Ag Ghali, who had been the instigator of a previous rebellion in 1990, quickly spotted an opportunity. At a meeting of rebel leaders last October, Ag Ghali offered himself as a leader of the MNLA. But the Tuareg leaders rejected him on the grounds of his increasingly ardent Islamist beliefs. "We want to be a secular group," MNLA spokesman Moussa Ag Acharatouman told me at the time. "Ag Ghali's desire to impose sharia does not fit the wishes of the people or the goals of the MNLA."
The leaders of the group have since had ample reason to regret their decision. Just weeks after they rejected him, Ag Ghali moved to announce the creation of his own group, which he dubbed Ansar Dine, or "Defenders of the Faith." Ag Ghali declared -- to the dismay of MNLA leaders -- that his group's main goal was the establishment of sharia law across Mali. The nationalist leaders suddenly found themselves outflanked. "We knew that with Ag Ghali, a famous Tuareg leader, running around shouting about sharia law and welcoming Islamists into the region, we had no hope," said one MNLA commander at the time, wishing to remain anonymous due to his physical proximity to Ansar Dine units.
This time the Tuareg revolt got off to a blazing start. The separatists took town after town with barely a fight; Ansar Dine and AQIM forces helped to push out the Malian troops. The Tuaregs' rapid success ultimately even triggered a military coup in the South, where disgruntled officers, enraged by the government's failure to support their efforts to quash their rebellion, toppled the civilian government in the capital of Bamako. Ironically, considering the plotters' expressed intent to maintain Mali's national integrity, their move ended up accelerating the Tuareg takeover of the North. Although barely in control of the region, the rebels' political wing announced the creation of the new state of Azawad on April 6. The declaration was aimed at trying to steal some of the thunder from Ag Ghali's group.
The leader of Ansar Dine wasn't prepared to let it go at that. He welcomed in Islamists from around the region, and, with Mali's borders unguarded by Malian troops, they began to flock to the North. The ranks of Ansar Dine, which had begun with just a few hundred troops, quickly swelled -- and the MNLA found its power slipping away. "One moment we were in control of everything," one MNLA fighter told me. "We thought this was it, this is set to be the most successful rebellion yet. Then suddenly it all went completely wrong. It's heartbreaking." The MNLA discovered that it didn't have enough troops to control all the territory it had captured. Ansar Dine began following it into captured towns, where they raised the black flag of the group and announced that they were in control.
For many, Ag Ghali's metamorphosis into a fervent defender of the faith came as a surprise. For years, locals say, he was well known for his love of women and alcohol. Chana Takiou, the chief editor of the Malian newspaper 22 Septembre, says that during Ag Ghali's earlier years he was well known for frequenting bars and drinking the night away. "He is shy, not very talkative, and rarely laughs," Takiou told me, though noting that Ag Ghali often prayed. He also recalls that Ag Ghali guarded his privacy.
Born in Kidal, a member of the Ifoghas clan, Ag Ghali was the son of nomadic stock farmer. During the 1980s, when he was still in his early twenties, Ag Ghali traveled to Libya, where he joined Qaddafi's Islamic Legion, a group of fighters recruited to defend Islamic causes (and bolster Qaddafi's religious credentials in the process). Ag Ghali was sent to fight against Christian militias in Lebanon.
After the legion was dismantled in 1987, Ag Ghali found himself back in Mali, now with a newly acquired taste for rebellion. On June 28, 1990, he launched the previously mentioned attack on the town of Menaka in the North, killing several Malian police and inspiring the first of many Tuareg revolts. Six months later, however, after intervention by the government of neighboring Algeria, he was pushed into signing a peace agreement without having attained any of his goals. Many of his supporters derided him for selling out, and accused him of stopping the rebellion just as it was getting under way.
Following the 1990 rebellion and a trip to Pakistan, Ag Ghali is reported to have become involved with the Dawa fundamentalist sect, an offshoot of the South Asia-based Islamic missionary association Jamaat al-Tabligh. He is said to have spent increasing amounts of time in mosques, and distanced himself from his previous social circles. Takiou, the Malian journalist, says that was the period when Ag Ghali became more of a hard-line Islamist. "He was spending time with a particular Pakistani preacher called Peshawar, who brought the Dawa movement to Kidal," says Takiou.
Mohammed Sylla, a member of the Dawa movement, who claims to have known Ag Ghali, tells me that he did not appear particularly militant, and was very friendly to all the members. "When some of our members realized he was going to take a rebel initiative, we tried to discourage him," says Sylla. "Our aim is not to attack any one or any country. We are friendly. Ansar Dine has nothing to do with the Dawa movement and we do not understand his objective or his vision." Sylla says that the members of the group "have no idea" why their former adherent embarked on his present path.
It was in 2003 that Ag Ghali began to make public statements of his following adherence to the fundamentalist cause (though he took care to reject terrorism and suicide bombings). He was chosen to be the government's intermediary to negotiate the release of hostages held by the Islamic Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat (GSPC), the primarily Algerian militant organization that has since changed its name to Al Qaeda in the Maghreb (AQIM). His most significant success came in August 2003, when he negotiated the release of European tourists kidnapped in Algeria and held by Abou Zeid, a GSPC commander.
He has since been involved in a number of other negotiations with the group, sometimes accepting large commissions for his work, which has also brought him a reputation as a powerbroker. In 2006 he became involved again in plans for rebellion, contacting a veteran rebel Tuareg leader with who he started yet another uprising. Yet again, though, to the dismay of countless Tuareg separatists, Ag Ghali once again took the lead in negotiating a peace deal with the Malian government.
In 2007, as described by a leaked State Department cable, he even paid a visit to the U.S. embassy in Bamako, where he met with then-U.S. Ambassador Terence McCulley. "Soft-spoken and reserved, [A]g Ghali showed nothing of the cold-blooded warrior persona created by the Malian press," the cable notes. It also said that the "seemingly tired" Ag Ghali requested U.S. military assistance for special operations against AQIM. Despite his current efforts to impose sharia law, Ag Ghali admitted to the U.S. ambassador that "one of AQIM's weak points was that not many people in northern Mali buy into its extremist ideology." His ability to play off different sides against each other has long been one of his most famous traits, and has helped to accentuate the air of mystery that he has cultivated around himself.
Small wonder, then, that the Malian government was happy to get him out of the way. In 2007, after he told authorities he was fed up with the problems of the North and requested to leave Mali, the government gave him a job as a consular official and dispatched him to Mali's embassy in Saudi Arabia, though without giving him any real diplomatic responsibilities. The government in Riyadh eventually expelled him, accusing him of cultivating contacts with extremist groups. When he returned home, Ag Ghali spent even more time in mosques and grew his beard even longer, though his political motives remained opaque.
Ag Ghali's group has rejected repeated requests for an interview, informing me that he does not wish to receive non-Muslim journalists. While there has been some debate about the sincerity of his religious zeal, analysts note an increasingly radical tone emanating from Ansar Dine over the past few months (as well as from Ag Ghali's own statements).
According to Tinegoum Maiga, the director of the Bamako newspaper La Nouvelle République, Ag Ghali's stress on the imposition of sharia law is motivated above all by a desire to secure financing. "He just wants to make a safe territory for himself, and so he uses sharia law to justify his donors sending him funding," explained Maiga, who claims that Qatar has been subsidizing the group. Maiga also explained that Algeria has a very strong relationship with Ag Ghali and has funded several of his operations for years. "He is very impressed with his new role as spiritual guide, coupled with warlord," says Maiga.
After meeting Ag Ghali in the northern town of Kidal in June, Malian journalist Adama Diarra told me that the Ansar Dine leader appeared deeply committed to his goal of implementing Islamic law. Diarra says that Ag Ghali depicted his aims as modest, and claimed that he merely wished to unify all Malians around their common Islamic heritage. But he says that Ag Ghali also declared anyone who refused to fight under the black flag of his group as "our enemy," and denounced secularism as "rubbish." "Whoever is working with secularism is our enemy and we will fight against them by all means," the warlord declared, according to Diarra. Ag Ghali also went on to demand that Mali should prove its democratic bona fides by holding a referendum allowing the Malian people to vote on the implementation of sharia law.
While Ag Ghali's relationship with the MNLA seems to have waned, and with most MNLA units either fleeing to the border areas or joining Ansar Dine's ranks, he has continued to build a strong network of Islamists in the region. Following the sightings of AQIM leaders around Timbuktu in April, members of the Movement for Unity and Jihad in West Africa (MUJWA) also began to operate in the region. Although closely allied with AQIM, MUJWA is a jihadi group controlled by black Africans with an operational focus on the countries of West Africa.
In recent months, though, the lines between these Islamist groups has increasingly blurred. Oumar Ould Hamaha, previously a senior member of AQIM, recently began describing himself as an Ansar Dine commander. While AQIM has long operated in the region, this is the first time its leaders have openly appeared in public. In addition to his role as a negotiator, Ag Ghali is also closely linked to the group through a cousin who serves as one of its officers.
The MNLA leadership spent months demanding that Ag Ghali denounce the Islamist groups. But those hopes were dashed when MUJWA fighters clashed with the Tuareg nationalists on June 27. The head of the MNLA, Bilal Ag Acherif, was injured in the fighting and taken to Burkino Faso for treatment; he is yet to return to Mali. Soon after the event, Abu Omar, a senior member of Ansar Dine, sounded unrepentant. "If you want to know if we are in conflict with MNLA, just bear in mind we do not have the same goals," Omar told me. "We will not fight against those who want to make Islam the winner." He explained that Mali has long been dominated by "satanic policies" such as open access to alcohol, prostitution, non-Islamic banking, and tolerance of stark inequalities of wealth as well as "so-called democracy." "We will not go back to the kind of system that God helped us to destroy," Omar told me. Meanwhile, Tuareg sources say that Ag Ghali is pushing the remnants of the MNLA into joining Ansar Dine, threatening attacks if they don't merge with his group.
Local sources say fighters from Senegal, Pakistan, Nigeria, Afghanistan, Yemen, and Somalia, are arriving in northern Mali and attending Islamist training camps. Just last month MUJWA reinforced their rule in the town of Douentza, pushing the boundary of Islamist-controlled territory even further south and raising alarms in Bamako. Already some are beginning to worry that Ansar Dine and its allies could start to launch terrorist attacks in other countries of the region. Such concerns are prompting members of the regional grouping of West African countries, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), to consider calls for intervention. Responding to these moves, Ansar Dine spokesman Hamaha recently said: "We will conduct a war against all state members of ECOWAS and also France and the United States of America, the European Union which are supporting ECOWAS. We are ready to die for it."
The gravity of the situation has the attention of policymakers in the West, in Paris as well as Washington. The Malian government and ECOWAS military advisers are drawing up military plans for submission to the United Nations by a late November deadline. Those plans are likely to follow the model of the military intervention in Somalia by East African countries organized and supported by the West.
Talks between ECOWAS and Ansar Dine have so far brought little progress. When ECOWAS asked Ag Ghali to separate himself from "foreign" Islamist groups, he responded with fresh calls for the implementation of sharia. Malian Islamic officials have contacted the Ansar Dine leader to sound out possibilities for implementing some version of Islamic law, but it could already be too late for a peaceful solution. As his enemies marshal their forces, the enigmatic Ag Ghali will soon be forced to show his true colors. Either he will have to find an exit plan that plays to his well-versed strengths as a mediator or to go all the way in the fight for his religious beliefs.
Mengapa Perancis Bersungguh Dengan Skandal Kapal Selam?
Harakah
Oleh Subky Latif
Jika Suaram bersungguh-sungguh memanjangkan kes skandal pembelian dua kapal selam dari Perancis dapat difahami mereka tidak rela rakyat dan Malaysia dipelekuh oleh penyangak berbaju pemimpin.
Sebagai pembayar cukai, mereka tidak mahu duit mereka dirompak dan mereka mahu negara dan duit negara yang juga duit mereka diurus dengan baik. Binasa negara dan rakyat termasuk mereka jika negara ditadbir oleh orang yang mereka percaya sang penyangak.
Itu hak mereka yang dijamin oleh perlembagaan.
Tetapi puak-puak Perancis, terutama pengamal undang-undang seperti peguam dan pengendali mahkamah, mengapa pula beria-ia memproses aduan yang dikemukakan oleh Suaram?
Dalam apa yang dirasakan skandal ini jika benar-benar berlaku, yang tertipu dan yang kena perdaya ialah orang Malaysia dan negaranya. Ia hendak lingkupkah dan hendak mampuskah, ia masalah orang Malaysia.
Kalau orang-orang Malaysia bodoh hingga ditipu oleh pemimpinnya dan negaranya ditipu serta dipelekuh oleh penyangak dunia adalah masalah Malaysia. Kalau orang Malaysia dan para pemimpin Malaysia semuanya bodoh, bodohlah kalau penyangak dunia kalau tidak tipu mereka.
Bukan Perancis itu bangsa penjajah yang pernah menindas, memperbodoh, menipu anak-anak tanah jajahannya. Mana mereka belas kasihan kepada orang yang dijajahnya. Dan peguam dan pengamal undang-undang Perancis itu adalah keturunan puak-puak penindas belaka.
Jika betul Malaysia dan kerajaannya menjadi mangsa tipu syarikat pembuat kapal selam, maka kena tipu itu bukan Perancis dan bukan syarikat Perancis yang kena tipu. Lantaknyalah.
Dari apa yang saya faham, pihak bodoh dan kena tipu dalam skandal ini ialah Malaysia. Sama ada syarikat Perancis menipu, disengaja atau tidak sengaja, Perancis belum tentu jadi penipu. Yang mungkin menipu itu ialah pemimpin-pemimpin Malaysia sendiri yang dipillih oleh rakyatnya.
Tiada apa rugi Perancis dan jelas yang bodoh bukan Perancis.
Oleh sebab yang besarnya adalah masalah Malaysia, maka Perancis dipercayai tidak gatal untuk bersusah payah melibatkan diri dalam suasana orang-orang bodoh itu. Jika tidak melibatkan kepentingan Perancis, maka tiada sebab Perancis gatal mencampuri skandal itu.
Jika demikian mengapa mereka bersusah payah?
Mereka bersusah payah bukan masalah yang menimpa Malaysia. Kalau Malaysia hendak mampus, mampuslah. Tetapi mereka tampil ke depan kerana menjaga kepentingan Perancis. Mereka mahu memastikan Perancis tidak jadi tukang karut dalam skandal kapal selam itu. Mereka mahu menjaga nama baik, prestasi dan imej syarikat Perancis sentiasa baik.
Bukan saja mereka tidak mahu syarikat Perancis tipu bangsa mereka sendiri, mereka juga tidak mahu ada orang luar ditipu oleh syarikat Perancis. Jika penyangak Perancis tipu orang luar, mungkin payah sikit hendak mencegahnya. Tetapi syarikat besar Perancis terlibat dalam penipuan, maka Perancis akan malu besar. Mereka tidak mahu ada syarikat Perancis melakukan penipuan baik terhadap rakyatnya mahu pun orang.
Dalam sekandal ini, syarikat pengeluar kapal selam itu sudah disebut. Apakah betul ia skandal? Adakah syarikat Perancis itu berpakat dengan pemimpin Malaysia menipu rakyat dan kerajaannya?
Perancis tampil dalam kes ini adalah untuk memastikan ada unsur jenayah oleh syarikat Perancis itu. Soal berdepan dengan kerajaan dan pemimpin Malaysia adalah perkara kedua. Yang pertamanya ia hendak memastikan syarikat Perancis itu jahat atau tidak.
Ada pun usahanya untuk membabitkan Perdana Menteri Najib dan pegawai-pegawai ialah untuk mendapatkan bukti tentang pembuat kapal selam itu curang atau tidak.
Pemimpin Malaysia dalam masalah ini tidak sangat sebagai pihak yang dituduh tetapi lebih sebagai saksi.
Malaysia a secular state contrary to Nazri’s remarks, say law experts
The Malaysian Insider
by Debra Chong and Ida Lim
by Debra Chong and Ida Lim
KUALA
LUMPUR, Oct 23 — Malaysia is and has always been a secular state even
though not expressly stated in the Federal Constitution because the
country’s supreme law and founding document is secular, several law
experts say as debate continues to storm over the mainly Muslim nation’s
status.
The
legal pundits refuted minister Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz’s remarks in
Parliament yesterday that Malaysia is not a secular state because it had
never been declared or endorsed as such and is wholly absent in the
Constitution though he stopped short of labelling the country an Islamic
state.
“It’s absolutely untrue,” said Tommy Thomas, regarded as one of the country’s foremost authorities on constitutional law.
“To
me, to say that Malaysia is not a secular state because the Federal
Constitution does not say so is a real, oversimplistic argument. Just
like the Federal Constitution does not say Malaysia is an Islamic
state,” he told The Malaysian Insider last night.
The
veteran lawyer, who had studied the subject and presented an essay
debunking Malaysia as an Islamic state at the Malaysian Law Conference
seven years ago, said his research had shown that the country’s
forefathers and the legal experts who helped draft the Constitution had
intended the country remain secular even as it acknowledged the
individual Malay state Rulers’ rights and power over religious matters
which, he pointed out, was for the most part ceremonial.
Thomas
pointed to a Pakistani Federal Court judge, Abdul Hamid, who was part
of the five-man Reid Commission formed in 1956 to help draw up
Malaysia’s Constitution and held the minority dissent on religion, did
not go so far as to say Malaysia must have an Islamic state in its
Constitution.
He said Abdul Hamid’s remarks from then was the clearest indicator that the country should remain secular.
Abdul
Hamid was the main proponent for including a provision that read:
“Islam shall be the religion of the State of Malaya, but nothing in this
Article shall prevent any citizen professing any religion other than
Islam to profess, practice and propagate that religion, nor shall any
citizen be under any disability by reason of his being not a Muslim.”
Thomas
said Abdul Hamid, who was from Pakistan, which had gained its
independence from Britain in 1947 — a good 10 years before Malaya — and
had an Islamic Constitution that put it squarely as an Islamic state,
had noted that such a proviso was “innocuous” and would not cause any
“hardship” to anyone, but that the judge’s suggestion was rejected by
the Conference of Rulers which was against the idea.
The
lawyer of more than 30 years’ experience told The Malaysian Insider he
still stands by his 2005 essay titled “Is Malaysia an Islamic State?”
which concluded that the country was and remains secular, and that no
one has disputed his argument to date.
“No
one has ever written in to say it’s nonsense,” Thomas said, who blamed
Malaysia’s fourth and longest-serving prime minister, Tun Dr Mahathir
Mohamad, for sparking the present confusion over Malaysia’s Islamic or
secular state status.
The
former Bar Council secretary-general noted in his 2005 essay that it
was Dr Mahathir who unilaterally declared Malaysia to be an Islamic
country in a political speech at the Gerakan party’s national delegates
conference on September 29, 2001.
Dr
Mahathir had single-handedly negated the secular pronouncements made by
his predecessors including first prime minister and the country’s
founding father Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Al-Haj and third PM, Tun
Hussein Onn, by saying: “Umno wishes to state loudly that Malaysia is an
Islamic country. This is based on the opinion of ulamaks who had
clarified what constituted as Islamic country. If Malaysia is not an
Islamic country because it does not implement the hudud, then there are
no Islamic countries in the world.”
Thomas’ views on Malaysia’s secularism found strong support with three other legal experts.
Former
de facto law minister Datuk Zaid Ibrahim, who is among the most vocal
opponents to the introduction of hudud law, the strict Islamic penal
code, took to Twitter yesterday in an immediate response to Nazri’s
remark.
“Constitution
don’t define lots of things. It doesn’t define democracy, so does it
mean we are not democratic?” the former lawyer who started Malaysia’s
biggest private practice posed on his microblogging account
@zaidibrahim.
“If
Malaysia is neither secular or theocratic, then its whatever BN says it
is,” said Zaid, referring to the ruling Barisan Nasional coalition.
Civil liberties lawyer Syahredzan Johan echoed the two law veterans.
“Just because the Federal Constitution does not have the word ‘secular’ does not mean that Malaysia is not a secular state.
“Just
like how the word ‘democracy’ does not appear in our Constitution, yet
we are a country that practises parliamentary democracy,” he said in
weighing in on the debate that raged in Parliament yesterday following
Nazri’s remark.
Syahredzan stressed that Malaysia is secular because the Constitution is secular.
“An
Islamic state would place the Quran as the highest authority, but our
Constitution provides in Article 4 that the Constitution is the highest
law of the land.
“The
validity of laws therefore must be measure upon the yardstick of the
Constitution, and not Islamic principles, thus making the Constitution a
secular one,” he said in an emailed response to The Malaysian Insider.
He
pointed out that the Supreme Court had set a precedent in 1988 when it
rejected an argument in the landmark case of Che Omar Che Soh, a Muslim
drug trafficker facing the mandatory death sentence, that because Islam
is the religion of the Federation, laws passed by Parliament must be
imbued with Islamic principles and that the death penalty was void
because it was not according to hudud, or Islamic law.
Tun
Salleh Abas, who was then Lord President and head of the judiciary, had
said in the landmark ruling that “however, 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 the law.”
Universiti
Malaya law lecturer Azmi Sharom also agreed with Syahredzan’s view and
went a step further to explain the confusing dual-track judicial system
that allows for an Islamic or syariah court to be practised alongside
the civil courts.
“Malaysia
is a secular state in my point of view because ALL laws must be in line
with the constitution and the Constitution is a secular document.
“We
have a syariah system because a secular constitution allows it. We have
Islamic government agencies but their behaviour is governed by the
principles of a secular constitution,” he told The Malaysian Insider.
Azmi
seemed confident that Malaysia’s secular status will remain
unchallenged despite Nazri’s remark yesterday and Dr Mahathir’s 2001
declaration.
“The
only way that Malaysia can lose its secular status is through a serious
amendment of the Constitution and that will require two-thirds majority
agreement in both Houses of Parliament and the agreement of the
Conference of Rulers and the states of Sabah and Sarawak,” he said, and
added: “Unlikely.”
But
Syahrezan was less sure, noting that while legal eagles were splitting
hairs over Malaysia’s Islamic versus secular state, a more worrisome
trend had emerged in the courts whereby the civil courts appeared to be
ceding their authority to the Islamic courts in disputes involving
Muslims.
“We
are seeing a trend lately to place what the authorities deem as ‘Islam’
on a higher pedestal, even higher than the Constitution itself.
“If
the nation is as how the minister described it, ‘founded on the basis
of an Islamic government’, then it makes it easier to justify
unconstitutional laws and acts because they are ‘Islamic’,” he told The
Malaysian Insider.
The
up-and-coming lawyer said that the whole debate over the country’s
secular or non-secular status was linked to hudud, which is being hotly
debated in public in the run-up to the 13th general election that must
be called by next April.
“Unfortunately,
we seem to be dancing to the tune of those with political motives, who
for whatever reasons want Malaysia to be transformed into a theocratic
state, or at the very least be seen to champion such a cause.
“The
fear is that these will be justified by ascribing extra-constitutional
meanings to the words in Article 3, ‘religion of the Federation’, so
much so that laws and acts that are unconstitutional would become
permissible merely by attaching an Islamic label on them.
“We
may see more and more encroachments into the realm of fundamental
liberties, and actions taken by authorities inconsistent with the
Constitution or ultra vires their powers all in the name of religion,”
said Syahredzan.
Khir Toyo Apologises To Ronnie Liu In Settling Defamation Suit
KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 23 (Bernama) -- Former Selangor Menteri Besar Dr
Mohamad Khir Toyo today apologised in open court to Selangor State
Executive Councillor Ronnie Liu Tian Khiew in the settlement of a
defamation suit against him over a newspaper article in which Khir had
implied that Liu was involved in prostitution activities.
The apology was read out by Khir and recorded before Justice Datuk Nik Hasmat Nik Mohamad in the High Court here.
Khir said he apologised to Liu, who is the state assemblyman for Pandamaran, for having caused to be published an article entitled "Khir Membongkarkan Laporan Polis Liu Tian Khiew Pernah Bercampur Tangan Dalam Urusan Menghapuskan Kegiatan Pelacuran" (Khir Exposes Police Report that Liu Tian Khiew Had Interfered in Activities to Eradicate Prostitution) in the China Press dated May 9, 2008.
He said the article referred to Liu as the individual who had obstructed officers of the Subang Jaya Municipal Council and the police in an operation to close down a hotel in Puchong which he had insinuated was a centre for prostitution.
Khir said he also apologised to Liu for further insinuating that he was involved in such activities, which he added was totally untrue.
The apology was read out by Khir and recorded before Justice Datuk Nik Hasmat Nik Mohamad in the High Court here.
Khir said he apologised to Liu, who is the state assemblyman for Pandamaran, for having caused to be published an article entitled "Khir Membongkarkan Laporan Polis Liu Tian Khiew Pernah Bercampur Tangan Dalam Urusan Menghapuskan Kegiatan Pelacuran" (Khir Exposes Police Report that Liu Tian Khiew Had Interfered in Activities to Eradicate Prostitution) in the China Press dated May 9, 2008.
He said the article referred to Liu as the individual who had obstructed officers of the Subang Jaya Municipal Council and the police in an operation to close down a hotel in Puchong which he had insinuated was a centre for prostitution.
Khir said he also apologised to Liu for further insinuating that he was involved in such activities, which he added was totally untrue.
Education Plan To Be Presented To Conference Of Rulers
KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 23 (Bernama) -- A completed Malaysian Educational Development Plan (PPPM) 2012-2025 will be presented to the Conference of Rulers for consent to implement the plan that can bring a major shift in the country's educational system.
Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said he appreciated the suggestions and views presented by the Regent of Perak, Raja Dr Nazrin Shah because every strata of society including the highest echelon must be directly involved in the plan.
"I appreciate his suggestion. It's our hope that the Rulers will give their endorsement to this plan. I will make a presentation to the Rulers if this is allowed to brief them on the contents of the PPPM," he said here Tuesday.
He disclosed this to reporters after closing the National Convention on the Educational Management of Malaysian Outstanding Principals 2012 entitled "Education in Malaysia Past 2020" and letters of appointment to 112 new outstanding principals.
When opening the convention yesterday, Raja Dr Nazrin suggested that the government presented the PPPM at the Meeting of the Conference of Rulers so that it would get the consent before its implementation.
Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said he appreciated the suggestions and views presented by the Regent of Perak, Raja Dr Nazrin Shah because every strata of society including the highest echelon must be directly involved in the plan.
"I appreciate his suggestion. It's our hope that the Rulers will give their endorsement to this plan. I will make a presentation to the Rulers if this is allowed to brief them on the contents of the PPPM," he said here Tuesday.
He disclosed this to reporters after closing the National Convention on the Educational Management of Malaysian Outstanding Principals 2012 entitled "Education in Malaysia Past 2020" and letters of appointment to 112 new outstanding principals.
When opening the convention yesterday, Raja Dr Nazrin suggested that the government presented the PPPM at the Meeting of the Conference of Rulers so that it would get the consent before its implementation.
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'
1 of 2
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
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| 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.
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