MI6 attacks al-Qaeda in 'Operation Cupcake'

The magazine is produced by the radical preacher Anwar al-Awlaki

British intelligence has hacked into an al-Qaeda online magazine and replaced bomb-making instructions with a recipe for cupcakes. 
 

By Duncan Gardham, Security Correspondent

The cyber-warfare operation was launched by MI6 and GCHQ in an attempt to disrupt efforts by al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsular to recruit “lone-wolf” terrorists with a new English-language magazine, the Daily Telegraph understands.

When followers tried to download the 67-page colour magazine, instead of instructions about how to “Make a bomb in the Kitchen of your Mom” by “The AQ Chef” they were greeted with garbled computer code.

The code, which had been inserted into the original magazine by the British intelligence hackers, was actually a web page of recipes for “The Best Cupcakes in America” published by the Ellen DeGeneres chat show.

Written by Dulcy Israel and produced by Main Street Cupcakes in Hudson, Ohio, it said “the little cupcake is big again” adding: “Self-contained and satisfying, it summons memories of childhood even as it's updated for today’s sweet-toothed hipsters.”

It included a recipe for the Mojito Cupcake – “made of white rum cake and draped in vanilla buttercream”- and the Rocky Road Cupcake – “warning: sugar rush ahead!”

Ibrahim Ali calls new PAS leadership ‘Anwar’s voice’

KUALA LUMPUR, June 4 — Perkasa chief Datuk Ibrahim Ali mocked the new PAS leadership as merely Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s voice, saying today the internal elections have not changed the Islamist party’s outlook.

Ibrahim said Anwar’s influence will still remain in the party if PAS spiritual leader Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat and president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang continue to be at the helm.

“Anwar’s voice in PAS is determined by Datuk Nik Aziz and Hadi who has become a stooge… the others are not relevant… True, there are the Erdogans, ulamas and others but all do not have any influence except for Datuk Nik Aziz and Hadi the stooge,” he said in a statement.

Ibrahim won the Pasir Mas federal seat on a PAS ticket in Election 2008 but repudiated the party and became an independent MP. He has aligned himself with Umno on most issues.

Ibrahim mocked the new PAS leadership. — File pic

Ibrahim’s comments came after popular PAS leader Mohamad Sabu won the party deputy presidency today with 420 votes, leading a group of progressive leaders to counter conservatives who prefer to link up with Umno.


Mohamad, popularly known as Mat Sabu, defeated incumbent Nasharudin Mat Isa, who received only 224 votes, and vice-president Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man, who came second with 399 votes. A total of 1,100 delegates voted in this year’s party elections.

In the vice-presidential race, incumbent Salahuddin Ayub took top spot with 753 votes, Datuk Husam Musa was second with 660 votes while another incumbent Datuk Mahfuz Omar kept his post with 616 votes.

The party poll was billed as a contest between the party’s conservative ulama faction and the professionals (dubbed the Erdogans in a reference to progressive Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan).

Perkasa secretary-general Syed Hassan Syed Ali also criticised Mohamad’s credibility, saying the newly-elected deputy was not fit for the office.

“Mat Sabu only studied in ITM and did not even finish, he is not even a religious studies graduate from the Middle East. It is an embarrassment to the ulama faction in PAS because Mat Sabu has no academic qualifications while the Erdogans are disappointed because Mat Sabu does not support Anwar,” said Syed Hassan through a text message.

He added that Mat Sabu had once called the opposition leader as Anwar al-Juburi or Anwar the anus, referring to the latter’s sodomy trials.

Syed Hassan believed the new leadership will make it hard for Umno to have unity talks with PAS.
He also regretted Hadi’s attacks against Umno and the president’s allegiance with the DAP and PKR.
“There was not a single sentence in his speech yesterday that can pave the way for PAS to have a common understanding for the Malay race and Islam,” he said.

He added the Islamist party must be the first party to start the unification process because Islam invites its followers to forge unity for the religion.

PM: No compromise with self-interest groups

The Prime Minister warns that the government will not tolerate groups that fan racial and religious sentiments in the country.

Najib Razak

KUALA LUMPUR: The government will not compromise with groups which act for their own interests without regard for the consequences their measures will have on the nation, Najib Tun Razak said today.

The prime minister said the government wanted to remind these irresponsible people that they were playing with fire in fanning racial and religious sentiments openly or subtly.

“They are gambling with the future of our children and grandchildren and, eventually, both the victors and the vanquished will be the losers,” he said in his speech at the investiture in conjunction with the birthday of Yang di-Pertuan Agong Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin, at the Istana Negara.

Najib said that if this was what they coveted, then it would be a failed and disunited Malaysia that they would leave behind for the coming generations.

“Shouldn’t we learn from what’s happening elsewhere, such as in the Balkans in the continent of Europe? Let us also not forget to learn from the tragedy which befell our beloved country,” he said.
The prime minister reminded that one should not also fish in troubled waters.

“We have painstakingly built and nurtured our powerful relationship over decades. As such, we will not compromise on, and will reject, any attempt by specific groups to act for themselves without regard for the consequences their actions will have on the majority of Malaysians and the country,” he said.

Najib said that like it or not, before anything was undone, the government would be cautious and adopt corrective measures without hesitation.

“Certainly, such a noble effort demands moral and political courage from all quarters in the name of Malaysia,” he said.

Najib said that the government, in formulating any policy, always took into account the existing differences as an important factor of consideration.

“In fact, expecting unity to continue to blossom without any proactive role by the government and community leaders of all the races will only invite tragedy.”

Najib said a major effort of the government was to continue to drive development, avert cultural confrontation, enhance understanding and celebrate differences that exist among the people through sharing what they had.

He said the unity of the various races in the country did not occur naturally, but was shaped by the environment and historical events and episodes, and cosmopolitan Malaysia was a reality.

“The question before us now is whether we want to use it as a catalyst for better prosperity for us and our children and grandchildren or as an unending source of polarisation. It all depends on us,” he said.
- Bernama

‘Stop scholarships to students from vernacular schools’

Perkasa is courting yet another controversy with its latest call to the government to further tighten the conditions for scholarships to non-Malays.

PETALING JAYA: Malay rights group, Perkasa has suggested that the government limit its Public Service Department (PSD) scholarships ‘strictly’ to non-Malay students who have completed their education ‘exclusively in national school’s.

In making this call Perkasa secretary general, Syed Hassan Syed Ali said it would be unfair to award scholarships to students whose parents have no faith in the national education system.

He urged the government to make this a condition for those wanting to apply for scholarships from the Malaysian government.

“Non-bumiputra parents who want their children to obtain national and PSD scholarships should place them in a national school from standard one until Form 5.

“Parents who don’t trust the nations school system and send their children to vernacular schools should not ask for scholarships from the government.

“They should ask for scholarships from the Indian and Chinese based fundations and corporate companies instead,” Syed Hussein said alluding to the Chinese and Tamil vernacular schools in the country.

According to Wikipedia there are some 60 Chinese schools in Malaysia offering secondary education, some 23 of these schools are in East Malaysia.

Primary level Chinese and Tamil vernacular schools in the country are government-aided.


Courting controversy

Syed Hussein said the 300 seats (which includes the bumiputras) set aside for national and PSD scholarships should be given based on merit.

He was commenting on the controversy over scholarships following Deputy Education Minister Wee Ka Siong’s disclosure, last month, that 363 straight A+ students failed to obtain PSD scholarships.

The disclosure led to a spate between Wee and Minister in Prime Minister’s Department, Nazri Aziz.
On June 1, following public outcry, Nazri announced that 86 additional PSD scholarships will be disbursed.

He also said that the balance students who applied for scholarships would have to go through twinning programmes locally.

Nazri said in addition, other government GLCs and the 1Malaysia Development Board were also 500 places for students who had achieved 9A+ and 8A+.

Perkasa has in the past insisted that allocations for vencular schools be reduced and more funds be channeled to national schools.

Perkasa has alleged that claims by the Chinese and Indian community for equal treatment was seditious and contravened the Federal Constitution.

NATO uses attack helicopters for first time in Libya air assault

(CNN) -- NATO used attack helicopters for the first time Saturday as part of its military operation aimed at increasing pressure on Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi's regime.

"The use of attack helicopters provides the NATO operation with additional flexibility to track and engage pro-Gadhafi forces who deliberately target civilians and attempt to hide in populated areas," NATO said in a statement.

Military vehicles and equipment were among the targets struck by the helicopters. NATO did not disclose where the strikes took place.

On Friday, fighting continued in the western town of Yefren, where NATO-allied aircraft destroyed government tanks and personnel carriers, officials said.

NATO warplanes belonging to the United Kingdom's Royal Air Force fired Paveway guided bombs and destroyed two main battle tanks and two armored personnel carriers belonging to Libya's military, said Maj. Gen. John Lorimer, strategic communication officer for the chief of the defense staff. The airstrikes occurred Thursday, he said.

NATO reported that government forces were continuing "to attack the peoples of the western highlands," Lorimer said.

Meanwhile, rebels claimed to liberate Yefren and the nearby town of Kikla, both of which are about 25 miles east of their stronghold in Zintan, one rebel fighter said.

Talhat al-Jiwayli, a rebel on the front lines in Zintan, also said that anti-Gadhafi forces were surrounding the town of al-Rayyana, more than 7 miles northeast of Zintan.

Al-Jiwayli added that the situation on the ground was still tense, and the troops of Gadhafi were still firing daily barrages of Grad rockets on Zintan and surrounding villages.

In other measures against Gadhafi's forces Thursday, NATO airstrikes hit four surface-to-air missile launchers near Tripoli; a tank, two armored personnel carriers and an ammunition storage facility near Mizdah; more ammunition storage facilities near Hun and Qaryat; two armored fighting vehicles near Sirte; and a command and control node in Brega and nearby radar, according to NATO.

The latest NATO strikes occurred two days after the alliance announced its decision to extend its mission in Libya by 90 days, continuing a campaign that began in March.

The resolution approved by the U.N. Security Council in March authorized member states "to take all necessary measures to protect civilians under threat of attack in the country, including Benghazi, while excluding a foreign occupation force of any form on any part of Libyan territory."

Up to 450,000 Indians may be 'stateless'

COMMENT (Malaysiakini) I still remember the proud day when, just after turning 12, I was taken by my mother to the National Registration Department (NRD) to get my identity card. No doubt it appeared to be a simple looking card, but even back then I knew the importance and weight that it carried. 

I was advised to keep it very carefully and I made sure I carried it with me at all times whenever I left home. Fast forward to today: many of us never leave our homes without our MyKad. There is a reason for this because there are many things in our daily lives that cannot be done without it.

The MyKad that we possess is a symbolic identity document to show that we are citizens of Malaysia. It is safe to say that a MyKad is needed from cradle to grave.

From birth to the cremation or burial of your body, you would require documentation to prove that you are indeed a citizen of this country.

Your parents could not have got you delivered safely in a hospital without proper documentation of themselves. Without these documents, you would probably have been delivered by some untrained midwife in a house and would have been subjected to risks of infections, being born handicapped or even not surviving at all.

With your birth, the issuance of your birth certificate would also require the valid documentation of your parents. This birth certificate entitles you to privileges such as government hospital treatment, which includes vaccinations, paediatric check-ups and medications, all almost free of cost - and later on, even getting into school.

A MyKad is a mandatory requirement for numerous things - from opening a bank account to seeking employment, enjoying EPF/Socso benefits, making purchases of property, cars or making investments to getting married legally, voting in elections and finally, being able to have your body buried or cremated once you're dead.

Article 15 of the United Nations' Universal Declaration on Human Rights gives everybody the right to a nationality: no one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his or her nationality nor denied the right to change nationality.

As a member of the UN, Malaysia should be strictly adhering to this noble declaration. However, in reality, Malaysia has an alarmingly growing number of stateless people - those denied their legitimate, human right to citizenship.

Unfortunately in Malaysia, the ruling elites within the Umno-dominated government have been systematically using 'citizenship' as one of the means of continuing their autocratic rule.

A 'numbers' game

It has always been a 'numbers' game, with allegations of a tacit, hidden policy of the Umno government to reduce the number of non-Muslim voters and at the same time, increase Muslim voters in critical areas where Umno's dominance is seen to be weak. 

In Sabah particularly, several Kadazan-Dusun-Murut (KDM) leaders have alleged that 'Project M' was implemented to ensure that Filipino Muslims and Pakistanis were granted citizenship in large numbers to dilute the KDM majority of the state. 

Parti Bersatu Sabah supreme council member Dr Chong Eng Leong (left) in his book Lest We Forget estimates that around 600,000 Filipino and Indonesian Muslims were given citizenship in 1986. 

Apparently, peninsular Malaysia has not been spared either. Selangor PKR deputy chairperson Zuraida Kamaruddin has alleged that Umno is trying to get citizenship for some 2,000 permanent residents, mainly Indonesians, in Hulu Selangor to bolster its vote bank in the next general election. 

PAS central committee member and Tumpat MP Kamaruddin Jaafar has also alleged that Thai Muslims living near the Kelantan-Thailand border are being given citizenship to increase BN's vote bank in Kelantan. 

Kamaruddin claims this is part of an attempt to create a body of 'phantom' voters nationwide. It is also believed that Indonesians in the peninsula are enjoying the privilege of citizenship with relative ease, unlike local born people of other races who still hold red identity cards, even those born before independence. 

This new 'soft Muslim vote bank', which will forever be dependent on Umno, will provide the ruling elite a perfect counter-balance against not only the non-Muslims but also against the growing number of Muslims who are politically enlightened about the gross abuses and corruption that have become so widespread under the BN. 

Furthermore, more and more Malays are beginning to migrate, having become frustrated with the way Umno is running the country. 

According to Dr Ahmad Zaharuddin Sani of Universiti Utara Malaysia, thousands of Malays have migrated to Australia, citing career and business opportunities as their reasons. In the state of Victoria alone, there were about 5,000 Malays who are either permanent residents or Australian citizens.

NRD director-general Alwi Ibrahim said that between 2007 and 2009, more than 15 Malaysians have been renouncing their citizenship, every day!

Act of omission and commission

Another methodology employed by Umno is the act of omission and commission in denying citizenship to the softest target within the Malaysian community, the Indian Malaysians, a good number of whom are the sixth generation born in this land.

The Human Rights Party of Malaysia (HRP) estimates that 450,000 Indian Malaysians do not possess citizenship papers. This number may raise eyebrows in disbelief - but the following points may prove that this could indeed be shockingly true.

In 1976, the MIC formed a bureau to register Indian Malaysians with citizenship problems and within five years, more than 40,000 stateless people had been registered. The numbers were staggering, despite the MIC doing this very quietly, without any publicity - which was probably why many people did not know about the exercise. 

And that was all the MIC did - register the stateless Indians. Nothing more.

Then, in 1981, the MIC was ordered to close down that bureau and along with it, the more than 40,000 stateless Indians were swept under the carpet. It's anybody's guess who gave the order, but coincidentally, it was about the time Dr Mahathir Mohamad became prime minister.

Malaysia's population stood at 13.43 million in 1981 and today it is around 29 million. Just on that account only, there can easily be more than 100,000 stateless Indians in the country today. 

On Jan 21, 2008, the then Selangor menteri besar Dr Mohd Khir Toyo called on the Home Ministry to set up a body to handle the plight of 40,000 Indian children in the state who did not have birth certificates. Subsequently, no one heard anything about this matter, ever again.

If there were 40,000 stateless Indian children in Selangor alone, what about their parents and grandparents, as well as siblings 18 years and older? This could possibly mean that there could well be more than 100,000 stateless Indian Malaysians in Selangor alone.

On Aug 18 last year, officials from the HRP met with the top NRD brass in Putrajaya and informed the officers that HRP estimates stateless Indians in Malaysia to number 450,000.

The HRP said its detailed investigation revealed these reasons for the situation:

1) Tacit Umno government policy of ignoring the problem of stateless Indians;

2) Lack of political will to resolve these issues by both the BN and Pakatan Rakyat elected representatives;

3) Application processes are too complicated for the illiterate and semi-literate Indian poor;

4) Racial and religious bias against the Indians;

5) Insensitive and hostile over-the-counter NRD staff; and

6) Sheer ignorance of the magnitude of the problem among these officers.

So, it is not as if the Umno government is totally ignorant of the gravity of the problem as well as the causes of it.

On Jan 23 this year, Home Ministry deputy secretary-general Raja Azhar Raja Abdul Manap was quoted as saying, “We do not know how many of these people (Indian Malaysians) are without the documents.” (StarOnline)

Another 'wayang kulit'

Then, on Feb 19, a Special Implementation Task Force (SITF) on the Indian community was set up, in collaboration with the Home Ministry, to register, process and eventually provide fast-track birth certificates and MyKads to stateless Indians. 

That was the officially stated purpose - but what has transpired since this makes the SITF another 'wayang kulit'. The campaign was run for just eight days in nine states through 61 NRD branches. The MyDaftar teams merely registered the applicants and gave them reference numbers.

However, the mainstream media reported differently: the propaganda circulated nationwide was that the citizenship and birth certificate problems of the Indian Malaysians were resolved - for as many numbers as each media shouted out. 

Interestingly, within just the first 52 hours of work, a total of 14,882 applicants turned up. This would roughly translate to five applications being made every minute - or one stateless Indian registering every 12 seconds. 

It was also stated that another 10,000 forms were taken by those who turned up at the counters for their friends or relatives, but that these forms were not returned. 

The MyDaftar team, which is under the SITF and is chaired by Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak, then chose to extend the campaign by a mere five days, despite the numbers turning up to register being very high. The extension was done in a very quiet manner, without media fanfare, probably on fears that even larger numbers could turn up.

Tomorrow: The sorry lives of Indian Malaysians

DR PARAMAN VS is a general practitioner by profession. Just entering into his fifth decade of life, he regretfully admits to having exercised his right to vote only once - which was in the last general election. He drove 200km to do so. His wish is that the millions of Malaysians who have yet to register as voters will do so, soonest possible. He can be reached at paramanvs@yahoo.com.sg

Keep husbands sexually satisfied to curb infidelity, says wives club

Obedient Wives Club international vice-president Dr Rohaya Mohamad (right) says women need to fulfill their husbands’ sexual needs to prevent them from straying. With her is the club’s Malaysian chapter representative Fauziah Ariffin. — Picture by Clara Chooi

RAWANG, June 4 — A wife who obeys and fulfils her husband’s sexual needs will deter him from infidelity or going to prostitutes — that is the Obedient Wives Club’s (OWC) solution to curb social ills across the globe.


The club launched its Malaysian chapter at the Perangsang Templer Golf Club today and plans to spread its wings to other countries like Indonesia on June 19 and even European nations like London, Paris, Rome and Frankfurt in the coming weeks.

The OWC boasts some 1,000 members already — 200 in its first chapter in Jordan launched on May 1 and 800 in Malaysia, at least 50 per cent of whom are said to be middle- to upper-class career-minded individuals and intellectuals. The club was formed by Global Ikhwan which was founded by the now banned Al Arqam Islamist group and is open to wives of all races and faiths.

OWC vice-president Dr Rohaya Mohamad told reporters that women often forget their duties as a “good wife” also entails pleasuring their husbands in the bedroom.

“If you look at the world today, women are already being treated as sex objects... in magazines, on TV... so why can’t they be sex objects to their husbands? It is legal and permitted by God.

“A good wife is a good sex worker to her husband. What is wrong with being a whore in bed to your husband?” she asked.

She said the OWC will hold seminars and talks to train women to be good wives, counselling sessions for married couples and will even offer lessons on sex and the art of seduction to those who request for them.

Dr Rohaya admitted the club’s message would invite much controversy and criticism, particularly from women’s rights groups and feminists, but insisted that a wife’s obedience to her husband would ultimately keep men from resorting to prostitution to fulfil his sexual needs.

She also agreed that the more liberated Western societies would likely find it harder to accept OWC’s objectives but reminded that the club’s concept stemmed from a universal belief in God.

She also agreed that the more liberated Western societies would likely find it harder to accept the club but reminded that the club's concept stemmed from a universal belief in God.

A woman pleads forgiveness from her husband during a skit performed at the launch of the Obedient Wives Club at the Perangsang Templer Golf Club in Rawang today. — Picture by Clara Chooi

"It is common to have different schools of thought but at least they must be open to accept different ways of thinking," she said.

Dr Rohaya said a man who is kept sated and satisfied in the bedroom would have no reason to stray and this ultimately results in a happy and passionate marriage.

“The family institution is protected and we can curb social ills like prostitution, domestic violence, human trafficking and abandoned babies.

"Now, this obedience is lacking and it is causing many marriages to breakdown. Men are having girlfriends and mistresses, they are going to prostitutes... I believe the problem starts at home where his sexual needs are unfulfilled," she said.


She said women should return to the basic Islamic teaching that a good wife should fulfill four conditions — pray five times a day, fast during Ramadan month, take care of her body and obey her husband.

When asked if a wife should remain loyal and obedient to her husband if he abuses her or insists on going to prostitutes, Dr Rohaya said: “God has his ways and is fair to all. A husband is also subject to God’s rule, meaning he can go to hell too. But a woman must be a good wife to the end.”

The trained medical practitioner, who is herself a third wife and has eight children with her husband, said she is very happy with her marriage and considers her husband’s other three wives and nine children as her own family.

The club’s launch today, which was held together with a mass wedding ceremony involving 10 couples, saw the attendance of a large number of news organisations, including correspondents from major foreign wire agencies.

Consumers cry foul over tampered meters

Consumers have been receiving shocking electrity bills ever since TNB installed new meters in their premises.

PETALING JAYA: Tenaga Nasional Bhd (TNB) has been conducting a covert operation to boost its profits by first installing new meters in the houses, and then accusing owners of tampering with the gadgets and stealing power, claims a complaints bureau.

Selangor MCA Public Complaints Bureau chief Theng Book alleged that based on complaints received, it seemed that TNB had been conducting a nationwide operation in recent months to “blackmail” their customers by “wrongfully” accusing them of tampering with their meters.

Theng said that more than 40 people in the Klang Valley have complained to him about being billed exorbitant amounts ranging from a few hundreds to RM40,000.

“I believe this is just a way for TNB to increase its profits. This is a wrong operation. These people, who I believe to be innocent, are scapegoats,” he said.

Theng said the bureau had also received similar complaints from Penang, Kuantan, and Negri Sembilan.
He said complaints started pouring in since the beginning of this year.

Many of these complaints, he said, were from owners and residents of low and medium-cost houses and apartments, who have been slapped with bills totalling in the thousands.

According to Theng, the TNB’s operation was flawed because the technicians could not produce proper evidence in all cases.

He said that TNB’s “modus operandi” was to go to houses or commercial shoplots and change the owners’ meters without informing the residents.

After a few months, TNB would send residents a letter saying it has concrete evidence that they have been found to have tampered with their old meters.

The owners would then be asked to pay the owed amount or have their electricity cut within 14 days.
“This amounts to blackmail. TNB should stop such operations and observe the rule of natural justice, which is to give people the chance to defend themselves.

“Proper notices should be sent and proper evidence should be shown,” he said.

Faulty meters

Showing FMT a sample of a letter from one of his complainants, Theng noted that TNB had merely claimed the owner had failed to pay a certain amount but did not state how much electricity had actually been “stolen”.

“The amount seems arbitrary, seemingly plucked out of thin air,” he said, adding that the fault could have been in the meters.

“We have many cases where complainants said that after the meter was changed, their bill was even less than before, so how could they have tampered with both the old and new meters?”

Theng said many of his complainants said they were merely shown some photographs and wires when they insisted on proof, which to him was inadequate.

He said TNB’s replies to his letters on behalf of the complainants also did not explain their case well.
“The burden should be on TNB to prove its allegations against the owners; most of these people are now confused and don’t know what to do.

“Many do not much income but are forced to pay,” he said.
Theng said there were many cases where the complainants were given discounts and told that they could pay by instalments.

Most of those who have complained to Theng have refused to pay, but some, desperate to appease the authorities, had started paying by instalments.

Theng, an MCA legal expert, said that his bureau is offering free legal service to anyone with a similar case who is being sued by TNB.

“I cannot say if all are genuine but if there is a case, then we would help defend as a test case,” he said.


Rigged by TNB insiders

Theng said that one woman from whom TNB had claimed some RM12,000 had recently won her case against the utility company.

“We’ve been informed that there are some people who are well versed in TNB operations and are offering their services to tamper with meters.

“TNB should go after them. We suspect that they may even be TNB insiders. It’s TNB’s problem, don’t pass the problem back to the consumer,” said Theng.

FMT was furnished with a list of some 40 complainants.

One  victim, LP Chong, 38, claimed that her 81-year-old auntie was slapped with a whooping RM35,410.31 bill after being accused of tampering with the meter in her shoplot in Pandan Perdana, Kuala Lumpur.

“We were shocked when we received the letter in February asking us to pay some RM35,000 within 14 days,” said Chong, a marketing manager, who helped her auntie resolve the issue as she was hospitalised.
The shoplot was rented out to a hair saloon operator.

“So I met TNB to discuss in March and they told me they changed the meter last October and found that we have been stealing electricity.

“They were very rude. They told me I must pay or go to court. They also said there was no way we could win in court,” said Chong, who was offered a 10% discount and to pay by instalment.

“But we could not pay such an amount. I asked if they had proof and they showed me some wires and a file but I did not understand those technical words.

“But they did promise me verbally that they won’t cut my electricity supply until my case goes to court,” she said.

Shocking amounts

However, on March 26, TNB sent a letter saying that electricity would be cut within 24 hours.
“They came, but I stopped them… after much discussion, my tenant begged and they allowed the electricity to continue,” she said.

“My tenants are paying about RM400 a month for electricity; how could it have come up to such an amount?

“My auntie would not have allowed such things. This is very unfair. I hope that more people would be aware of what’s happening,” said Chong.

Another complainant, Lai Weng Hing, a 45-year-old mechanic from an apartment in Winner Heights, Taman Desa Petaling, said he was perplexed when TNB sent him a bill of RM19,024.33 for tampering with the meter.

“But this is impossible. I have only two air-conditioners in my house of four people. We don’t use much electricity. My bill is usually RM90 to RM100 a month. Why do I want to tamper with the meter?” he said.

What’s stranger is that after TNB changed his old meter, supposedly to check for tamperings, the new meter found that bills were even cheaper (between RM80 and RM90).

It is learnt that TNB will be meeting with the complaints bureau on Monday. It is also believed that MCA is scheduling a meeting with Energy, Green Technology and Water Minister Peter Chin Fah Kui over the matter this month.

Defamation suit: Hishman wants Anwar’s defence struck off

Hishamuddin Hussein has alleged that PKR advisor Anwar Ibrahim's words at a press conference in March had injured his reputation as a Home Minister and politician.

KUALA LUMPUR: Home Minister Hishammuddin Tun Hussein has claimed that Anwar Ibrahim had ill intentions when he uttered  malicious words at a press conference in connection with a sex video featuring someone resembling the opposition leader.

Hishammuddin said the words which were later widely reported in the media and the Internet, were not published in good faith and that the main motive of Anwar was to injure his (Hishammuddin’s) reputation as a minister and politician.

In his reply to Anwar’s statement of defence filed on June 1, Hishammuddin said Anwar was indifferent to the falsity of words spoken.

He contended that the tone of language used by Anwar was reckless without any care whether the aspersions cast on him were true or false.

Hishammuddin said the words were not factual, pure conjecture and grossly inaccurate.

As such Hishamuddin said he wants the statement of defence filed by Anwar on May 16 to be struck out.
In his reply to Anwar’s counter-claim, Hishammuddin said the words uttered by him (Hishammuddin) relating to the sex video were made in discharging his public duties as Home Minister to the public, who had a corresponding and a legitimate interest in receiving the same.

He also denied any misuse or malfeasance of his position or office or any action which was contrary to his duties and responsiblities and that he was asking the court to dismiss the counter-claim.

Defamation suit

On April 26, Hishammuddin had filed a defamation suit against Anwar for uttering defamatory words against him during an interview with the media on March 22 after Anwar had lodged a report on the video with the Dang Wangi police here.

Hishammuddin, 50, said the words were understood to mean that he was responsible for screening the video to a group of editors and journalists at Carcosa Seri Negara Hotel on March 21.

The Minister said the words were also understood to mean that he arranged for the screening of the video and plotted with the Prime Minister and the police top brass to have it done.

Anwar defended that the words uttered by him were published on an occasion of qualified privilege and published in the reasonable protection of his own legitimate interest as opposition leader to the public who had a corresponding interest in receiving the information.

In his counter-claim, Anwar contended that Hishammuddin’s words in his press conference on March 21, gave weight to the assertion by the three persons who exposed the video that it was him (Anwar) in it.
High Court Judicial Commissioner Vazeer Alam Mydin Meera set July 25 for case management to allow Anwar to counter Hishammuddin’s reply.

He set the date after meeting counsel Cecil Abraham and Sunil Abraham representing Hishammuddin and S Ambiga and J Leela for Anwar, when the case came up for case management today.

- Bernama

Homes demolished based on court order

Developer Peter Brickworks gave Selangor councillor Iskandar Samad the snub, when they went ahead and demolished the homes of PJS1 residents.

PETALING JAYA: PJS1 longhouse residents, who’ve been at odds with developer Peter Brickworks, discovered that a ‘no demolition’ commitment given to them by Selangor state executive councillor Iskandar Samad was meaningless in the face of a court decision.
Yesterday pleas for a reprieve on humanitarian grounds fell on deaf ears as the residents alongwith PJ Selatan MP Hee Loy Sian watched in dismay as their homes were demolished by authorities waving a court order.
“We will vacate on Saturday and Sunday. You can demolish on Monday,” pleaded Hee, on behalf of the residents but court bailiff Nurul Asma Hairi refused to budge.

She said the demolishment was based on a court decision and could not be deferred.

“I am only following instructions. I have to obey court order,” she told the residents upon arrival at the site.

She was accompanied by police officers and developer’s, Peter Brickworks, representative.
An agitated PJS1 resident committee chairman, S Sugumaran confronted Nurul Asma saying: “We agree to move out. Your actions are inhumane and violates human rights.”

In response Nurul Asma called her superior, a court official, who then asked the residents if they were willing to foot the cost of proceedings if he delayed the demolition.

The court official, who declined to be named, argued that lawyers for Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ) had failed to obtain a third party intervention to stop the demolition.

‘Developers agreed’

Sugumaran however said that the developers had ‘orally’ agreed to postpone the demolishment.
“Developer Peter Brickwall agreed orally not to demolish at the meeting with state exco Iskandar Samad last night,” he said.

Also present at the site was Suhakam chief commissioner Shaani Abdullah.

“We have received reports of threats against the residents. The developer has a social responsibility to provide homes for the people,” he said.

Echoing Shaani’s views, Hee also said that “Pekida gangsters were also involved with the police.”
A disappointed Sugumaran later told FMT that he hoped that the Selangor government would take necessary action and keep up their word.

“Iskandar promised that the demolition will not happen. He promised to take action.

“He sent an SMS stating that the state would seize three plots of the developers land on Monday, ” he said.
The residents would also be meeting the state government officials on Monday.

Rajagobal and late Arumugam awarded “Datuk” title

The national football coach and the late Arumugam touted as "spiderman" once will get their "datukship." from the King..

KUALA LUMPUR: National football team head coach K. Rajagobal and the late football legend R. Arumugam or better known as ‘Spiderman’ for his silky skills and brilliant saves, will be awarded the Panglima Jasa Negara (P.J.N) which carries the title ‘Datuk’ in conjunction with the Yang di-Pertuan Agong’s birthday.

Arumugam and Rajagobal will be among 67 recipients of the awards from Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin at Balairong Seri, Istana Negara today.

Rajagobal guided the national team to achieve a historic feat by lifting the AFF Suzuki Cup for the first time in 14 years, a prized gift for the Malaysian fans, deprived of football glory for many years.

Arumugam, the former national team goalkeeper was not only regarded as the best in the country but in Asia as well and also helped the country qualify for the 1980 Moscow Olympics.
He died in a road accident in 1988.

Former long distance ace and multiple SEA Games gold medallist M. Ramachandran and FIFA referee Subkhiddin Mohd Salleh received the Kesatria Mangku Negara (K.M.N).
- Bernama

More versions of sex clip leaked online

(Malaysiakini) More versions of the sex video clip, featuring a man who resembled opposition figure Anwar Ibrahim, has made its way online.

Links to a download site for the sex video clips, three in all, were posted on a blog called anwarcctv today.

Of the three clips posted, one shows the same four-frame black and white video footage that was screened to journalists at Carcosa Seri Negara in Kuala Lumpur on March 21.

However, the video clip has been edited down to 15 minutes and 3 seconds from the 22-minute-long clip shown during the screening by the 'Datuk T' group.

A second clip, which is 17 minutes and 59 seconds long, is a compilation of the four separate feeds in the previous video.

A third clip, 13 minutes and 36 seconds long, is another compilation of the four feeds but with several portions in slow motion, including the part where the man is depicted putting on his clothes.

Unlike the other clips, the third clip includes background music, beginning with the theme song for Hawaii Five-O, followed by a Kelantanese dangdut number, reggae artist Shaggy's It Wasn't Me, local group The Fabulous Cats' Papa Jahat and concludes with Zee Avi's Kantoi.

No Thai script this time

Also unlike several other clips released previously, one which included a white bar at the bottom of the screen with Thai script, the three clips released today are marked with a date and time stamp.

The Thai script in the earlier clip, which reads 'Phaholyothin Road, Bangkok, Thailand 10400, Copyright 2011', led some people to suspect that there were Thai links to the posting of the clip on the Internet.

With the most recent release of the four-frame video clips, questions will certainly be raised on the source of the leak.

The Datuk T trio of businessman Shazryl Eskay Abdullah, former Malacca chief minister and Risda chairperson Abdul Rahim Thamby Chik and former Perkasa treasurer Shuib Lazim, claim to have handed the original video clip to the police on March 24.

The police have since confirmed that the video clip is undoctored and said they have positively identified the man in the video. However, the police have refused to name the person.

The leak of the latest sex video clips also coincides with the elections to the PAS central leadership, which are being held today.

Some observers feel the sex video release was designed to drive a wedge between the conservative Islamist party and Anwar.

Several pro-Umno blogs and Umno-owned Utusan Malaysia have been strongly backing the so-called 'unity government' faction in PAS, which allegedly wants the party to leave Pakatan Rakyat.

VIDEO:  http://www.papagomo.com/2011/06/ekslusif-18sx-video-seks-anwar-ibrahim.html

One accused of attempted rape

Dimapur, June 2 (MExN): Dimapur police informed today that the police have registered a criminal complaint against a Muslim person residing in Chumukedima for attempting to rape an 11-year-old Naga girl. Dimapur police said in a note today that one Abdul Rehaman, 31 years old, sexually assaulted a minor girl, unnamed on May 28.

The accused is from Karimkanj in Assam and currently residing in Chumukedima, a note from the SP’s office informed today. Police said the accused came to the victim’s place and took her to his house where she was assaulted sexually, police said. The accused has admitted to sexually assaulting the victim with the intention to commit rape, police said.

However, Abdul Rehaman denied raping the victim, the note added. Medical examination of the victim and the accused was conducted at the Dimapur Civil Hospital and results are being awaited, the police said.

PJS1 longhouses demolished.. disabled man homeless

European cult that mixes yoga with sex sets up base in Tamil Nadu

A team of seven Misa teachers, nationals of Denmark and Romania, is now in Chennai for a special camp, titled 'Tantra-The Path of Love'. A majority of them, including the lead couple Mihai Stoian and Adina Stoian, have starred in porn movies.

CHENNAI: A European cult that mixes yoga with sex and pornography has been found to be operating out of Chennai.

Training nearly 100 youngsters in yoga and 'tantric love' at a rented house in Chokalingam Nagar, Teynampet, for more than two years now, the Movement for Spiritual Integration in Absolute (Misa) is trying to spread across the country, investigations by TOI have revealed.

A team of seven Misa teachers, nationals of Denmark and Romania, is now in the city for a special camp, titled 'Tantra — The Path of Love'. A majority of them, including the lead couple Mihai Stoian and Adina Stoian, have starred in porn movies produced by Copenhagen-based production house Sublime Erotica, which the Misa group has close ties with. Misa operates under different names in different countries. It is Natha in Denmark, Tara in the US and Satya in India.

TOI is in possession of videos that show the yoga teachers, now in India, in explicit sexual acts. Misa's supreme guru, a Romanian called Gregorian Bivolaru, has been jailed on several charges, including pornography, and is now said to have taken political asylum in Sweden.

When asked about the videos, Mihai, the 42-year-old Romanian national who heads Misa activities in the absence of Bivolaru, said it was an experiment in spreading the group's philosophy and practice. "For many, sexuality stems from desire. We want to spread the message that it is a divine integration of masculinity and femininity to attain spirituality," he told TOI at the camp being organised at a private club in Nungambakkam.

Other Misa teachers who figure in porn videos and now in Chennai are Ulrik Lishoj (Denmark), Simona Colesniuc (Romania) and Nicole Markus (Romania).

The foreigners' regional registration office said that as these people were on visit visas, they are not allowed to teach yoga or do any such job, but the 'teachers' have an argument. "We are only volunteers. The yoga centre is registered under a trust represented by Indians," said Angela Oestergaard, a 35-year-old Danish woman who manages Chennai Satya Esoteric Integral Yoga at Teynampet.

'Tantra', as an ancient philosophy and practice, has different definitions. The blurb of MISA's controversial guru Bivolaru's unpublished book The Secret Tantric Path of Love has this to say: Have you ever dreamed of or aspired to make love intensely, profoundly and frantically with your beloved woman for even ten hours in a row? This book reveals a host of such secret methods in a clear and accessible language, if you allow yourself to be guided by the personal experience of the author.

Mihai, with a salt-pepper beard and dressed in a yellow cotton shirt and trousers, doesn't quite look a yogi. But, for his disciples — he claims there are 40,000 of them in 30 countries — he is much more than that. He is a scientist (a nuclear scientist-turned-researcher in artificial intelligence, he says), philosopher and guru who teaches sexual continence as the panacea for all relationship problems. Don't mistake this continence for abstention-Misa believes sexual continence is the ability to have orgasms at will, minus the ejaculation. "It's perfect for India." Stoian says, "You can bring down the population growth without any contraceptive!"

But that's not what he teaches at the Satya Yoga centre. It's about the coming together of the masculine and the feminine, Siva and Sakthi to attain supreme spirituality.

Do their Indian students know about their other life? Yes and no. "I don't know if they have done such videos, but what they do in their country doesn't bother me," says Rajesh Shah (45), a manager with an engineering firm in Chennai. "Two years of learning here has made me more energetic, creative and innovative in all spheres of life." Another student, Sanjai Jain (42), a jeweller, says he has heard of the videos, but not viewed them. "Every famous person faces such allegations," he says.

With such confidence in their students, Satya Yoga has ambitious plans in India. "We are blending ancient knowledge with modern science. The Indian potential is big. There is a big need for such a comprehensive approach on spirituality. In five years, there will be hundreds of thousands of our students in India," says Mihai, who will be flying out of the country next week. His team of seven teachers will accompany him abroad, while a few other foreigners would stay back to train Indian students.

Putrajaya agreeable to student demos if legal, apolitical

KUALA LUMPUR, June 3 — University students can join demonstrations including an upcoming electoral reforms event as long as it is legal and not organised by any political party, Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin said today.

The authorities have come down hard on students taking part in protests, citing the University and University Colleges Act (UUCA), which prohibits students from being participating in politics.

“I think any demonstration has to go according to the law for the sake of national security. If the authorities issue them a permit, then I can’t say anything. Then it also depends on who the organiser is,” Khaled said today.

The Pasir Gudang MP told reporters after the first National Student Consultative (MPPK) meeting of the year here at the Putra World Trade Centre (PWTC) that the UUCA was raised during the meeting, which was expected.

“To me, in regards to AUKU, the issues raised is nothing new, and since the conditions are still the same, the answer will also be the same,” he said, using the Bahasa Malaysia acroynym for the law.

The law prohibits students from associating with any society, political party, trade union, or any other organisations, whether it is in the university or outside the university, or even out of the country.

In addition to that, a university student who is detained, or is subjected to any order imposing restrictions on him or her, shall immediately cease to be a student of the university and shall not remain in or enter the campus or of any other universities.

Election watchdog Bersih 2.0 said it will organise a protest on July 9 as the government has ignored its demands for electoral reform, according to PAS central committee member Mohamad Sabu.

The election watchdog held a massive rally of tens of thousands in the city in November 2007, a few months before the historic Election 2008 that saw the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) lose its two-thirds parliamentary majority and five states for the first time since independence.

Berjaya: We’re not slave masters

Berjaya denies that it is ill-treating its workers in the Nigel Gardner estate and vows to look into their grouses.

KUALA LUMPUR: Conglomerate Berjaya Group has denied ill-treating and subjecting its workers in the Nigel Gardner estate in Hulu Selangor to slave-like conditions.

During a meeting with FMT at the Berjaya headquarters here yesterday, the group’s general manager Sandy Tham held a slideshow presentation on the facilities at the estate.

She also provided documents to prove that the management was transparent and adhered to stipulated regulations.

Expressing shock over the FMT report last weekend which stated that the workers were living in squalid conditions, she said: “We are a big corporation, and we don’t do such things.”

The presentation showcased how Berjaya, owned by tycoon Vincent Tan, had carried out upgrading works at the estate, from the laying of new roads to providing cleaner water for its residents.

Apart from this, Tham said, Berjaya had always considered the welfare of its workers and their children, by providing mobile clinic services, transport, donations to the temples and schools as well as refreshments for the pupils such as Milo and biscuits.

“The news report gave the impression that we are exploiting our workers,” she said.

Based on the slides presented, the upgrading works at the estate started in 2009, which concidentally was the same year that the Hulu Selangor by-election was held.

Quizzed on why Berjaya, which owned the estate for 13 years, had chosen to start numerous projects that year, Tham appeared stumped.

However, another Berjaya official quickly added: “We became more focused then… prior to that, we were carrying out upkeeping work from time to time.”

In the Hulu Selangor by-election, Barisan Nasional’s P Kamalanathan had defeated PKR’s former strongman Zaid Ibrahim to clinch the parliamentary seat.

Winning the seat, which fell to PKR in the 2008 general election, was considered vital for BN and Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak.

Berjaya’s Tan had always been considered a BN-friendly businessman and was often accused of being a crony of the government and having strong political influence.

‘Work without leave for better pay’

On the meagre wages drawn by the workers, Tham said this depended on the quantity of leave taken.
“If they work 26 days straight, they can earn a gross pay with incentives given for attendance amounting to more than RM700 (before deductions)… this is a comfortable income,” she added.

As for the condition of the houses and complaints of the outdoor bathroom doors not being fixed, Tham said repair works were being done in stages.

She also pointed out that some of the residents carried out illegal extensions and this proved to be a problem for the management.

“Apart from this, another problem is the rearing of cows and goats. We don’t mind if it is for personal consumption, but they rear the livestock to be sold for a profit,” she said.

On houses being infested with insects and incidents of snakes slithering into the living quarters, Tham said this could be related to personal hygiene.

“It is up to the workers to keep their houses clean and prevent such things,” she added.

Tham also vowed to look into the workers’ grouses concerning the estate manager, whom the latter accused of numerous misdeeds.

Berjaya would also look into the claim that the sundry shop in the estate sold items at inflated prices and that peddlers were barred from entering Nigel Gardner.

“We will definitely look into their complaints and fix the problems,” Tham said.
After visiting the estate last Saturday, MIC publicity and communication chief S Vell Paari said that he was appalled by what he had seen, and planned to relocate the residents.

Vell Paari said the plan was non-political and invited representatives from Pakatan Rakyat and NGOs to join in the effort.

Tomorrow, the MIC leader would be visiting the estate again to meet the residents to gather their feedback.

Club for obedient wives

To entertain their husbands is compulsory. If she doesn't do this, the husband will look for another woman, says the founder of the club.

KUALA LUMPUR: A group of  Muslim women say they will fight divorce, domestic violence and other problems – by appealing to wives to be more obedient, one of the organisers said today.

Maznah Taufik said “The Obedient Wife Club” being launched today is aimed at drawing women who will be taught how to please their husbands better to prevent them from straying or misbehaving.

“We just want to ask all the wives to be obedient wives so that there will be fewer problems in our society,” such as infidelity, divorce and domestic violence, she told AFP.

“Obedient wife means they are trying to entertain their husbands, not only taking care of their food and clothes,” Maznah said. “They have to obey their husbands. That’s the way Islam also asks.”
According to local media, the country’s divorce rate doubled from 2002 to 2009, with rates higher among Muslims than non-Muslims.

Maznah said it was also the men’s responsibility to teach their wives to be obedient.
“Some wives, they just want to get married for leisure but they don’t know the responsibility,” she said.
“To entertain their husbands is compulsory. If she doesn’t do this, the husband will look for another woman… and the house will break down.”

Maznah said that a similar club was set up in Jordan last month. Maznah is already involved in another controversial venture – the Ikhwan Polygamy Club, which was launched in 2009 to promote polygamy. Muslim men in Malaysia can take up to four wives.

She is herself in a polygamous marriage, as the second of her husband’s two wives.
In 2010, a study by a Muslim activist group found men in polygamous relationships find it difficult to meet the needs of all their wives and children, and that the result is often unhappy and cash-strapped families.

-AFP

For King, Berjaya cancels meeting

Out of respect for the King's birthday, Berjaya denies permission to Vell Paari to meet its workers in the Nigel Gardner estate tomorrow.

KUALA LUMPUR: Berjaya Group has denied permission for MIC leader S Vell Paari to hold a meeting with its workers in the Nigel Gardner estate in Hulu Selangor tomorrow.

In a letter dated today, Berjaya’s general manager Sandy Tham said the decision was made because tomorrow was the King’s birthday, which is a public holiday.

“The management has decided not to allow any activities to be held in our estate as a mark of respect for our King,” she added in the letter addressed to local MIC branch leader P Nagamuthu.

On June 1, Nagamuthu had filed an official request on behalf of Vell Paari for the latter to meet the residents at the Nigel Gardner Tamil school canteen.

After visiting the Berjaya-owned estate last Saturday, Vell Paari, who was appalled by the living conditions of the residents, had mooted the idea of relocating them.

Tomorrow’s meeting was supposed to determine how many of the residents wished to relocate and to document their grievances.

‘Hopefully, this is not an excuse’

Contacted later, Vell Paari said he was disappointed that Berjaya had cancelled the meeting.
“But since the management mentioned that it is out of respect for the King, then I will abide by their decision. Hopefully, it is not a convenient excuse to prevent me from meeting the workers.

“I am also hearing rumours that residents are being threatened not to meet me. I hope this is not true as well. As for the residents, I urge them not to be afraid. I guarantee that no action will be taken against them for exercising their right to speak up,” he told FMT.

Despite the setback, Vell Paari said that he would meet some of the residents outside the estate tomorrow and brief them on his plan.

“I have also discussed the matter with the prime minister’s special aide, and I will submit the residents’ complaints to him,” he added.

Vell Paari, who would be leaving for overseas tomorrow night, said that he would request for another meeting to be held in the estate next Sunday when he returns.

Berjaya is owned by business tycoon Vincent Tan while Nigel Gardner and the surrounding estates fall under the Hulu Selangor parliamentary constituency held by MIC’s P Kamalanathan.

Also read:
Berjaya: We’re not slave masters

Mustafa Akyol: Faith versus tradition in Islam

Mustafa Akyol is the deputy editor of the Turkish Daily News. Mustafa Akyol talks about the way that some local cultural practices (such as wearing a headscarf or tudung) have become linked, in the popular mind, to the articles of faith of Islam. Has the world's general idea of the Islamic faith focused too much on tradition, and not enough on core beliefs?
NO HOLDS BARRED
Raja Petra Kamarudin
First of all, see the video here:

OR SEE VIDEO HERE: http://www.ted.com/talks/mustafa_akyol_faith_versus_tradition_in_islam.html?
Mustafa Akyol is Turkish. Turkey’s population is higher than that of Britain (72 million) and 70% of Turks live in urban areas with only 30% living in the rural areas. But there are many reasons why the Turks are more modern than Muslims of other countries, as explained by Mustafa Akyol in the talk above.
The reason I am writing this article today is to respond to what the MCA Chinese leaders have to say about PAS’s ‘dress code’. Actually, if you go to the Sultan of Selangor’s palace, you also have to observe a dress code and if you do not wish to comply with the dress code then you are at liberty to decline all invitations to the palace and boycott all palace functions -- if that so pleases these MCA Chinese.

But then these MCA Chinese people will even dress in monkey suits if they are ordered to do so just as long as they can go to the Sultan of Selangor’s palace to receive awards, medals or datukships. That is the hypocrisy of these MCA Chinese people. They will drop their pants and bend down if they can get datukships. Even Chinese gangsters and underworld bosses pay RM250,000 to get datukships and they don’t mind wearing suits and songkoks to attend the palace functions.
Try walking into Selangor Club or the Lake Club dressed in shorts and sleeveless T-shirts and see what happens to you. In fact, even the National Press Club (NPC) has a dress code and those dressed in slippers, shorts and/or collarless T-shirts will be denied entry to the club premises (which happened to me and my guests a couple of times).
In Turkey, women are banned from wearing the tudung in the parliament building or on the grounds of the universities. They must remove their tudung as they enter the gate or else will be denied entry. This is of course the opposite of the ‘compulsory tudung rule’.
In short, whether you enter a club, university, palace, mosque, parliament or whatever, it is up to the building owner to decide on your dress code. In England, in some places they enforce the coat and tie rule -- even in some restaurants -- and if you are not dressed properly they will be very happy to lend you a coat and tie.

Try walking into Masjid Negara (the National Mosque in Kuala Lumpur) dressed as above. And note that the National Mosque is NOT owned by PAS but by the government of Malaysia. You will certainly be denied entry.
Does MCA have a problem with this? Foreign tourists who visit the National Mosque do not complain and they are very happy to follow the dress code (or do not visit the National Mosque if they have a problem with the dress code).
Ibrahim Ali of Perkasa says that the non-Muslims are kurang ajar (insolent) and are questioning Islam. Maybe Ibrahim Ali should address this to MCA. The non-Muslims in Pakatan Rakyat are not complaining. It is the MCA Chinese who are members of Barisan Nasional who are.
The MCA Chinese are those who are the real kafir kurang ajar whom Ibrahim Ali is talking about.
Anyway, PAS did not impose the tudung ruling on the non-Muslim women attending their annual assembly. So the issue is a non-starter. It is just that the MCA leaders are trying to mislead the nation and are pretending that PAS imposed this when actually it did not.
That is the real issue here. So, as Mustafa Akyol said in the video above, we must understand what is Islam and what is tradition. Some Muslims are confused between the two. And some non-Muslims whack Islam also because of their misunderstanding about what is Islam, what is dress code, and what is tradition and culture (which may not be Islam at all).

Tarif Elektrik: Ani Arope selar EPU, Gelar ‘Unit Penyamun Ekonomi’

Dari Keadilan Daily

Bekas Ketua Pegawai Eksekutif  Tenaga Nasional Berhad, Tan Sri Ani Arope menyalahkan Unit Perancang Ekonomi kerana menaikkan tarif elektrik.

Laman web The Malaysian Insider memetik Ani sebagai  berkata, TNB dipaksa menandatangani perjanjian berat sebelah, sejak hampir 20 tahun lalu.

Ani, yang menyifatkan EPU sebagai ‘Economic Plundering Unit’, memaksa TNB membeli tenaga elektrik daripada Pengeluar Tenaga bebas (IPP), Genting Sanyen sebanyak 14 sen kilowatt sejam (Kwj) walaupun wujud tawaran 12 sen n kemudiannya. IPP lain kemudian mengenakan caj 16 sen/ kwj.

“Kamu tidak perlu pergi sekolah perniagaan untuk memahami mengapa perlu kenaikan tarif elektrik- hanya melihat semula syarat diberikan kepada beberapa IPP,” kata Ani yang menerajui syarikat utiliti itu antara 1990 hingga 1996 dalam status di laman sosial, Facebook.

“Dengan fasal ambil-dan bayar, dan dengan 40 peratus rizab berlebihan yang kita ada hari ini, satu pihak hanya perlu menghasilkan setengah keupayaan pihak  lain dan dibayar 80 sen dengan kapasiti dipersetujui.
“Bagus EPU — Unit Plundering Ekonomi,” katanya mengejek unit ekonomi di bawah Jabatan Perdana Menteri itu.

Justeru, Ani meminta satu kajian semula syarat-syarat asal dengan IPP kerana perjanjian tenaga itu terus dilakukan.

Ani menimbulkan kegemparan pada 15 tahun lalu apabila meletakkan jawatan daripada jawatan pengerusi eksekutifnya kerana enggan menandatangani persetujuan tak seimbang dalam Perjanjian Pembelian Tenaga (PPA)

Ia menyebabkan kewujudan generasi pertama IPP seperti YTL Power Services, Powertek dan Malakoff,  semasa negara di bawah pentadbiran Dr Mahathir.

“TNB ialah budak belasahan. TNB tidak mempunyai kawalan harga yang ia perlu bayar kepada IPP. Pergi kepada punca masalahnya,” katanya.

Press Release: Home Minister must walk the PM’s talk in respect of refugee deal with Australia

The details of the proposed agreement between the governments of Malaysia and Australia with respect to the processing in Malaysia of 800 irregular maritime arrivals (“IMAs”) apprehended by the Australian authorities remain shrouded in secrecy.  In an era of openness, transparency and accountability, this does not bode well.

As things stand, the Malaysian Bar remains opposed to the idea in principle, since Malaysia is not a signatory to the 1951 Convention on the Status of Refugees, or its 1967 Protocol.  However, it has been brought to our attention that the Division of International Protection of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (“UNHCR”) issued a position paper in November 2010 entitled “Maritime interception operations and the processing of international protection claims: legal standards and policy considerations with respect to extraterritorial processing”¹.

The paper outlines UNHCR’s views on extraterritorial processing of claims for international protection made by persons who are intercepted at sea.  It provides an overview of the applicable standards under international human rights and refugee law as well as key policy parameters for extraterritorial processing from the perspective of UNHCR.  There is also a related 10-point plan².   We believe that the agreement between the governments of Malaysia and Australia will rely in part on this policy paper and the 10-point plan. 

However, based on our reading of this policy paper, Malaysia still falls far short of the standards to be expected of a country entering into an extraterritorial processing arrangement.  Formalised reception arrangements do not exist in Malaysia, except for the presence of immigration detention centres.  Informal reception arrangements practised in Malaysia do not address the basic needs of new arrivals and provide for a stay consistent with the right to an adequate standard of living.  There are no provisions of adequate security, freedom of movement, and opportunities for self-reliance under such circumstances.  Legal guarantees of access to education and work do not exist, and access to health care remains prohibitively expensive.

The paper specifically states that any transfer of responsibility for processing asylum claims made by intercepted persons from an intercepting state to another country is subject to appropriate protection safeguards.  Thus any agreement between Malaysia and Australia must guarantee Malaysia’s respect for international standards of treatment and procedural and substantive rights for refugees and asylum seekers.  The Malaysian Bar insists that such guarantees should apply to ALL refugees and asylum seekers in Malaysia, and not just to the chosen 800 IMAs.  To do otherwise would be to breach the specific statement that the 800 IMAs are not to enjoy any preferential treatment.

How do we move forward?  Malaysia needs to build its credibility in the area of refugee management from the ground up.  In order to do so, the Malaysian Bar calls on the Malaysian Government to include Bar Council and local civil society organisations (“CSOs”) involved in refugee work to take part in the negotiations with the Australian Government.

On 7 May 2011, our Prime Minister Dato’ Sri Mohd Najib Tun Abdul Razak addressed a meeting with Association of Southeast Asian Nations (“ASEAN”) CSOs in Jakarta, as part of the 18th ASEAN Summit.  Our national news agency Bernama reported on 8 May 2011 as follows:

Urging the organisations to enhance cooperation with the Asean governments, [Datuk Seri Najib] said CSOs could provide good feedback to the governments on civil society matters.  In a closer cooperation, they should also act as partners to the Asean governments in solving various issues and enhance their participation at the regional level rather than focus only at the national level.  “CSOs are responsible for not only addressing regional society issues but also are responsible for socialising well and sound values to the community.  Right now, the era of government knows best and the government knows all is over.  CSOs need to provide feedback for policy makers and become frontliners in a race to find solutions for the community,” he said.

Bar Council and numerous CSOs are involved in assisting refugees and asylum seekers in Malaysia.  Several CSOs are operational and implementing partners of UNHCR in Malaysia, providing educational, health and social services and logistical support to refugee communities.  Given that the Malaysian Government will delegate to UNHCR most of the work of determining the refugee status of the 800 IMAs who will be sent to Malaysia under the proposed agreement, the participation of Bar Council and these CSOs will help build credibility in the Malaysian Government.  They have the requisite on-the-ground experience and expertise, and are fully aware of the challenging circumstances that refugees and asylum seekers face in Malaysia.  They have the knowledge and ability to help make the agreement work.

If the Malaysian Government is serious about the refugee problem in Malaysia, it should, in conjunction with the negotiation of this agreement, announce that whatever international standards agreed with the Australian Government will immediately apply to all refugees and asylum seekers in Malaysia.  It should also concurrently announce a timetable for accession to the 1951 Convention on the Status of Refugees and the 1967 Protocol.

As the PM has said, “the era of government knows best and the government knows all is over.”  The Malaysian Bar calls upon the Minister of Home Affairs to abide by the words of the Prime Minister.  The Malaysian Government must show its sincere commitment to private-public partnerships not just in the areas of the economy and public works, but equally critically in the area of the promotion and protection of human rights for all, including ALL refugees and asylum seekers.

Lim Chee Wee
President
Malaysian Bar

New revelations in Australia-Malaysia refugee deal

Malaysia has removed the term “human rights” from the refugees-for-asylum seekers swap deal with Australia, according to an ABC report.


Why has the Australia government agreed to this stinking deal in the first place, knowing Malaysia’s poor human rights record and its failure to ratify the 1951 UN refugee rights’ convention? Is Australia ‘outsourcing’ its handling of asylum seekers/boat people to a third country?

And what happens to women and children among the boat people landing in Australia? Do they end up in overcrowded Malaysian detention camps as well?

It is bad enough that we are being saddled with an Australian rare earth refinery that will leave behind waste containing radioactive material in this country.

Now we have an appalling deal which treats human beings as commodities to be bartered – “I give you five refugees, you give me one asylum seeker”.

Shameful.