Kematian di depan pejabat PM mengecewakan

'Pakatan could push for M'sia to be a republic'

Jakarta Man Allegedly Kills Wife For Denying Sex

Jakarta Police have charged a 73-year-old man with murdering his wife after she reportedly refused to have sex with him.

Adj. Sr. Comr. Budi Irawan, the South Jakarta Police’s chief of detectives, said on Monday that the suspect, identified only as S.L., was arrested on Saturday after allegedly beating his 50-year-old wife to death with a hammer.

“He claimed he wanted to have sex with her, but she refused,” Budi said. “He got angry and hit her repeatedly in the head and body with a hammer and smashed her head into a wall.”

S.L. faces murder charges that carry up to 15 years in prison.

Bihari-Bengali Islamist nexus desecrated Hindu Shiva Temple in Asansol with the blessings of ‘Change Queen’ in Bengal.

The Shiva temple in Budha (Asansol) where the communal incident happened.

Islamic Gift to Bengali Hindus in Bengali New Year: Chopped Cow-head in Shiva Temple.

Asansol| April 14, 2012 | Titu Shadowson | AsansolNews :: The Bengali Hindus could never think that such a unique and unexpected gift is waiting for them, on their very auspicious ceremony, the Bengali New Year 1419. Bengalis are habituated to have unexpected gifts, be it in 1946, 1947 or 1948 or in 1971 and even today; they can see it in the constant attacks on them. Now the muslims have prepared themselves to give them hateful gifts.

While Bengali women were preparing to worship their mud-made traditional stoves as par the rituals, the communal to the core Muslims threw before their chaste temple the thing that they can’t even watch: chopped cow-head.

Last night at Budha locality of Asansol, West Bengal, some communal to the core muslim boys plotted a chopped cow-head at around 3pm last night in the coward way that suits them perfectly. This is the traditional way of the muslim run atrocities on Hindus: abduct Hindu women and plunder their chastity, behead Hindu men, unchaste and vandalize their temples by prohibited stuffs like Beef. This time history took a repeat performance.


While the local women of the Budha locality were going early morning to worship the deity of Lord Shiva inside the temple, they found that a chopped cow-head has been plotted at the entrance. Some of them fell sick at the mere visuals of the thing, they vomited. The outraged women then called the males and urged to take the matter seriously.

Some muslims were standing there in a casual motive apparently, to do a Reece of the situation. As soon as they realized the magnitude of the outrage in the Hindu community, they alerted the already prepared muslims who were in battle-ready mode.

They have already informed the police of Asansol, who have historically been active to serve the communal to the core Muslims. Also the local ward councilor of ward no 8 of Asansol Municipal Corporation (AMC) Mr. Gurudas Chatterjee (Rocket-da); both the councilor and the corporation politically affiliated to TMC which considers its political color to be jihadist green; have been informed by the communal to the core muslims themselves to create a shield around them. As obvious they un-listened the complaints of the Hindus and threatened to remove the head so that the news doesn’t spread. Rocket wanted to camouflage the musilm communalism. The angry Hindu youth then protested and encircled the head with bricks. At this the police was called in and a Lathicharge was launched to dismantle the Hindu protesters. The Hindus have seen in recent past how easily they have been subjected to police bullets. So the Hindus afraid, fled for a moment and the Muslim youth laughed at their backs with a taunt how you Hindus fall prey before our nasty will.

Pic. All petro dollar greedy Bengali media keep mum to the persecuted Hindus.

Then in a helpless situation in a loss what to do, how to obtain justice they contacted the Bengali news channels like Kolkata TV, Star Anando, News Time etc but strangely none even took any interest to cover the story, probably not to make their Islamic masters angry.

When a VHP operative called the local correspondent of Kolkata TV, Mr. Venkateshwar Lahidi at his phone numbers 9674#665#7 and 9832#144#5. He took the calls, prepared to note down the news but then his pen halted as he realized he was being requested to cover the Muslim communalism; he disconnected the call. Similar treatments were received in all the cases with all the Bengali media houses.

Except Asansol TV not even a single news channel telecasted this news, because this might cause decrements in their petro-dollars.

Pic. Hindu housewives came out of their houses and assembled inside the temple so that even the police cant harm it, they have lost faith on police.

The local Hindus consulted the Vishwa Hindu Parishad and lodged an FIR against the already pointed communal to the core Muslim youths.

When Asansol News correspondents interviewed the local Hindu boys, they were looking not afraid but outraged. “If those bloody cowards do really have the guts, then they should sometime attempt to hit me with their crowded mass, when I am alone. Why they pursue their frustration on poor cows? We never do that against their divine pigs! But yes, after looking at their history and culture it probably suits them I feel,” said a Hindu youngster Aniruddha Konar.

Pic. Bengali Hindus were outraged at the incident, they were also outraged at the inaction of police and politicians.

Another local girl Moumita Dawn reacted, “We are taught communal harmony, but how far can we maintain this? Are only the Hindus responsible to maintain harmony? Won’t they take any effort to maintain harmony? This is not any one way traffic.”

Though the police were discouraging the public to shoot any videos and no journalist from the Bengali TV channels were present over there, a team under the guidance of Asansol News operatives Gautam pandit and Abhed Acharya got themselves at the rooftops of the local houses and shot from there the happenings. As the police realized there is no option open, they threatened to lathicharge and they did it finally to dismantle the Hindu protesters, so that they could easily take away the evidence of the Islamic communalism.

Everything is on record by Asansol News and it forwarded a copy of the clippings to Asansol TV to telecast. The other Bengali channels have passed a message to the public of Asansol that they will no way expose the real face of communal muslims in India.

After the crowd was vandalized, the police hurriedly took the head away. Within hours, the VHP and Hindu Jagran Manch Asansol lodged an FIR against unknown perpretators in Asansol South police station. Though locals have pointed out fingers to some muslim youngsters who were frustrated enough at the last world cup victory of India against Pakistan, to make an attempt to vandalize the celebration of the young Hindu boys and girls in Budha Aagori pada. That time they were beaten back and since then are always planning to retaliate in some conventional coward manner.

However the police made every possible attempt to discourage the Hindu leaders to take the issue further, they didn’t permit to do a rally protesting the communalism. On 15thof April a crucial meet has been called by Hindu Jagran Manch (HJM) and Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) to discuss the future course of action.

When Asansol News visited the HJM operatives, they were angry and stable both simultaneously. “I know we are living in a camouflaged democracy, camouflaged secularism in India, but that does not mean we wont expect our basic freedom of worship. Every time they vandalize our temples (last week they vandalized a temple in Sripur area) and then their leaders pass unity-messages. This cunning game wont make any long run. This dualism will not be tolerated,” said Sanjay Paswan, the Gen Secy of HJM Asansol.

By now they are planning to march a silent rally with the theme “NO FREEDOM TO PROTEST”.


Pic change Regimen Bengal Police threatening the Hindus or  lathicharge and Hindus immediately being beaten at the edge of stick.

PM, wife sent lawyer on ‘sensitive legal assignment’ abroad, PKR MP reveals

KUALA LUMPUR, April 17 — A PKR lawmaker exposed in Parliament today a letter allegedly penned by prominent lawyer Datuk Seri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah (picture) claiming that he has been sent by the Prime Minister and his wife on a “sensitive legal assignment” abroad that “must be completed before the general election”.

The letter, according to Saifuddin Nasution (PKR-Machang), was addressed to Chief Justice Tan Sri Ariffin Zakaria, Court of Appeal president Tan Sri Md Raus Sharif Chief Judge Malaya Tan Sri Zulkefli Ahmad Makinudin on March 23, and seeks for a postponement of Shafee's cases from April 2 to 25.

The lawmaker, who exposed the matter when debating amendments to the Penal Code, read several paragraphs of the letter in his possession.

“We write to Yang Amat Arif on the above matter as we seek to appraise Your Lordships of a specific development whereby Datuk Seri Dr Muhammad Shafee Abdullah has been appointed on behalf of the government of Malaysia, in particular by Yang Amat Berhormat Datuk Seri Mohd Najib bin Tun Haji Abdul Razak and Datin Paduka Sri Rosmah Mansor, to undertake a sensitive legal assignment overseas that must be completed before the general elections (which is rumoured to be very soon),” he read.

“The nature of this legal assignment is confidential, at present. But, if required, Datuk Seri Dr Muhammad Shafee Abdullah can be present personally to see Yang Amat Arif-Yang Amat Arif for an explanation of the nature of this legal assignment,” he added.

According to Saifuddin, the letter also states that as a result of the “assignment”, Shafee would have to travel to several cities abroad including New York, London, Dubai, Paris and Basel.

He did not, however, read the letter in full or reveal the purpose of Shafee's alleged “sensitive legal assignment”.

Saifuddin connected the matter earlier to the ongoing debates on amendments to the Penal Code by asking if possession of such a document would be considered as detrimental to “parliamentary democracy”, a point in the proposed Bill that lawmakers have been locked in debates all afternoon over.

“Would the person in possession of such a document be charged under provisions of it being detrimental to parliamentary democracy?” he asked the House.

Interjecting, Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Aziz said he would not be able to comment on the issue as he was unsure of the letter's authenticity.

Deputy Speaker Datuk Ronald Kiandee, who was presiding over policy stage debates at the point, then warned Saifuddin to verify the documents in his possession.

“I have done my homework. I am confident of the authenticity of the documents,” Saifuddin said in response.

When winding up debates on the Bill later, Nazri told the House that the government had not appointed Shafee for the alleged mission abroad, pointing out that the purported letter had mentioned Rosmah's name.

“This is not a government appointment because the government cannot appoint a lawyer to represent the prime minister's wife,” he said.

When asked by R. Sivarasa (PKR-Subang) whether Shafee had then committed an offence by claiming his appointment was by the government, Nazri noted that the latter may have committed “misrepresentation”.

“But it is not against the Constitution and has nothing to do with this Act,” he said.

He also said it was likely that the matter was merely the personal actions of the prime minister's private lawyer.

Recent media reports have pinned Najib to the ongoing Scorpene submarine sale probe by French authorities, which has also been linked to the case of murdered Mongolian model Altantuya Shaariibuu.

Altantuya's one-time lover Abdul Razak Baginda, who was said to be a close associate of Najib, was acquitted of a charge of abetting two Special Action Squad members – Azilah Hadri and Sirul Azhar Umar – to commit the murder in 2006.

The murder was committed between 10pm on October 19, 2006, and 1am the following day at a clearing in Shah Alam's Mukim Bukit Raja.

Last week, Altantuya's father Dr Setev Shaariibuu told a press conference in Petaling Jaya that he had offered himself as a witness in the Scorpene submarine probe, claiming that his testimony would be able to “connect the dots” between her death and the Scorpene” case, which will be heard in a French court soon.

Revoke ISA ban on Alkitab, Christians tell PM

File photo of a Christian going through his copy of the Alkitab.

KUALA LUMPUR, April 17 — The Christian Federation of Malaysia (CFM) today urged Datuk Seri Najib Razak to lift immediately the government’s outdated orders banning the import of the Alkitab to prove his global movement of moderate reforms.

The umbrella body, representing over 90 per cent of Christian groups in the country, reminded the prime minister of three outstanding orders dating back 20 years under the Internal Security Act (ISA), which is being replaced by a new security law currently the subject of hot debate in Parliament.

The first, signed in March 1982 under the Internal Security (Prohibition of Publications) (No. 4) Order 1982, outlaws the Indonesian version of the Alkitab published by the Lembaga Alkitab Indonesia and printed in Korea.

The other two orders ban the publication of a book titled “Kalam Hidup”, published by the Kalam Hidup (Kemah Injil Gereja Masehi Indonesia), and “Perjanjian Baru” (New Testament), published and printed by the Lembaga Alkitab Indonesia, in 1983.

“This order deems the Alkitab (the Bible in the Malay language) to be prejudicial to the national interest and security of the Federation and prohibits the printing, publication, sale, issue, circulation or possession of the publication with the condition that the prohibition ‘shall not apply to the possession or use in churches of such publication by persons professing the Christian religion, throughout Malaysia’.
“Pursuant to Clause 32 of the Bill, such orders will remain in force notwithstanding the repeal of the Internal Security Act 1960. This is wholly unacceptable,” Bishop Datuk Ng Moon Hing, who chairs CFM, said in a statement today.

He added that all three orders must be lifted to be in line with Najib’s raft of law reforms.

“As long as they remain part of the corpus of legislation in Malaysia, they represent an odious and obnoxious derogation from the freedom of religion in Malaysia,” Ng stressed.

The Federal Constitution, the country’s highest law, states that Islam is the religion of the federation but provides for Malaysia’s diverse ethnic and religious groups the freedom to profess their faiths.

While Christians make up only about 10 per cent of the country’s 28 million population, it forms the biggest religious group in East Malaysia, where bibles in the national language are widely used as a common denominator.

In recent years, the Christian and Muslim religious communities have been engaged in a tug-of-war over the word “Allah”, with the latter group arguing that its use should be exclusive to them on the grounds that Islam is monotheistic and the word “Allah” denotes the Muslim God.

Christians, however, have argued that “Allah” is an Arabic word that has been used by those of other religious beliefs, including the Jews, in reference to God in many other parts of the world, notably in Arab nations and Indonesia.

A 2009 High Court ruling in favour of the Catholic Church using the word to also refer to God has however been blocked pending an appeal by the Home Ministry for the past three years.

A number of conservative Muslim groups have also accused Christians of attempting to convert Malays, resulting in heightened tension between followers of the two religions.

Last month, an officially-sanctioned seminar focusing on the “threat of Christianisation” jointly-organised for religious teachers by the Johor Education Department and the Johor Mufti Department saw another flare up among Christians and Muslims.

Enter new bill, exit ISA

The Internal Security Act has finally been sent to the dustbin of history after the Dewan Rakyat passed the replacement Bill.
UPDATED

KUALA LUMPUR: The Dewan Rakyat today passed the Security Offences (Special Measures) Bill 2012 after Deputy Speaker Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar put the matter to a voice vote.

Sungai Siput MP (PSM) Dr Michael Jeyakumar Devaraj tried to raise amendments affecting five sections of the Bill.

He was the only MP in the Dewan Rakyat to do so.

Following his attempt, which was rejected by a voice vote, Parliament then speedily passed the law this afternoon.

It was presented for first reading last Tuesday and the second reading yesterday.

The new law will replace the 52-year-old Internal Security Act. It is aimed at combating terrorism, sabotage and espionage, but cannot be used to detain people for their political beliefs.

It also removes the home minister’s power to extend periods of detention and provides for the right of a detained person to a trial in court.

However, the Bill still has to go through the Dewan Negara and then on to Royal Assent before it can be gazetted as law.

Nazri admits ISA has been abused

The de facto law minister also says there is no guarantee that the new law will not be misused as well but urges the people to use the ballot box to register their protest if this happens.
FULL REPORT

KUALA LUMPUR: The Internal Security Act was at times used to crack down on political dissidents, admitted Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Nazri Abdul Aziz.

The de facto law minister told the Dewan Rakyat this in his winding-up speech on the Securities Offences (Special Measures) Bill 2012.

“The then deputy prime minister Tun Abdul Razak had promised in 1960 that the ISA will only be used against the communists but it was not the case all the time,” he added.

Abdul Razak, who eventually became the second prime minister of Malaysia, is the father of Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak.

Nazri said this was the reason why the government, under Najib, had qualified the new Bill by inserting a provision that nobody could be detained for their political beliefs.

In the past, the government had denied using the controversial security law to throw its critics behind bars, claiming that arrests were done to uphold national security.

Yesterday, Najib tabled the Securities Offences Bill for a second reading and promised that the government would do away with the ISA once the new law is gazetted.

The new Bill included a clause that would disallow the authorities from detaining anyone based on their political beliefs.

However, Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim had pointed out that the new Bill would allow the police to detain an individual, even after being acquitted by the court, following an oral application by the DPP until the detainee exhausted the appeal process.

‘Nobody can give a guarantee’

Nazri told the opposition backbenchers that although he understood their concerns that the new law might be abused like the ISA, he said nobody in the government could provide a guarantee.

“It all depends on the chief executive (prime minister) at that point of time. If he disregards the rule of law, it will be difficult for us,” said the Padang Rengas MP.

And that was why, Nazri added, the government inserted various safeguards in the new Bill such as the right to seek judicial review for detention and the right to seek a lawyer within 48 hours of the arrest.

“But in the end, the people must act if the law is misused. Use the ballot box,” he added.

Since its inception in the 1960, Nazri said a total of 10,883 people had been detained under the ISA.

“Currently, there are 22 people detained under the preventive law,” he added.

Meanwhile, Nazri said that there were 12 incidents involving militant groups in Malaysia, including that of Jemaah Islamiah (JI) and Al-Qaeda.

He said that these incidents included a planned (and failed) 1999 New Year’s Eve bomb attack in Bangsar, as well as the discovery of an Al-Qaeda cell in Gombak, which at the time had been recruiting suicide bombers for attacks against religious places.

Nazri said that as of March 1, 2009, a counter-terrorism department (under the police) known as the “Special Task Force” had been formed to combat terrorists.

He added that the home ministry had conducted six public discussions in 2009 over the ISA, involving the participation of various NGOs, academicians, political parties and so on.

Perkasa anjur himpunan ‘Raja Berdaulat, Kasih Dijunjung’

Tema 'Ke Titisan Darah Terakhir Demi Raja dan Negara' menjadi pemangkin semangat kepada perhimpunan pada kali ini.

KUALA LUMPUR: Pertubuhan Pribumi Perkasa Malaysia (Perkasa) akan menganjurkan perhimpunan yang dikenali ‘Raja Berdaulat, Kasih Dijunjung’ pada 29 April ini sebagai tanda taat setia kepada Raja-raja Melayu.

Sambil mengalu-alukan penyertaan rakyat daripada pelbagai kaum, Presidennya Datuk Ibrahim Ali berkata pihaknya telah memohon kelulusan Dewan Bandaraya Kuala Lumpur untuk menggunakan sama ada Dataran Merdeka atau Padang Merbuk sebagai tempat perhimpunan.

Ketika ditemui FMT beliau berkata, tema ‘Ke Titisan Darah Terakhir Demi Raja dan Negara’ menjadi pemangkin semangat kepada perhimpunan pada kali ini bagi menarik seramai mungkin ahli dan orang ramai.

Menurut Timbalan Presiden, Datuk Abd Rahman, perhimpunan ini juga bagi meraikan Pertabalan Duli Yang Maha Mulia Seri Paduka Baginda Yang Dipertuan Agung ke-14, Sultan Abdul Halim Mu’adzam Shah di Istana Negara Jalan Duta pada 11 April lepas.

Beliau mengecam tindakan Pakatan Rakat yang didakwa mengejek dan mempersendakan Raja-Raja Melayu ketika majlis pertabalan tempoh hari.

Abdul Rahman berkata, mereka tidak berpeluang untuk bersama-sama dalam Balairong Seri Istana Negara bagi mengikuti adat istiadat majlis pertabalan Tuanku.

“Bukan seperti wakil rakyat Pakatan yang diberi keistimewaan hadir dalam Balairong Sri Istana Negara pada majlis tersebut.

Bukannya mahu menjaga tata tertib bahkan mengejek dan mempersenda Raja-Raja Melayu termasuk Perdana Menteri,” katanya dalam

sidang media di luar Ibu Pejabat Polis Daerah (IPD) Dang Wangi petang tadi.

“Perkasa akan tentang habis-habisan pihak yang cuba menghapuskan sistem pemerintahan raja berperlembagaan dan menukar negara ini menjadi sebuah negara republik.

“Perkasa akan terus pertahan dan memperkasakan Raja-Raja Melayu. Itu adalah satu perjuangan Perkasa yang tercatat dalam Perlembagaan Perkasa,” tegas beliau.

‘Cops bashed me’ man charged with ‘bashing’ cop

Technician S Morle, who claimed he was beaten till he fainted, has been accused of throwing a beer can at a police inspector during the Thaipusam festival.

GEORGE TOWN: A 30-year-old technician, who claimed he was assaulted by 20 policemen during the Thaipusam festival, has been charged with assaulting a police officer instead.

S Morle from Padang Serai claimed trial for the charge under Section 186 of the Penal Code for obstructing a public officer.

He was charged with throwing a beer can at Inspector M Chandran during the Thaipusam festival chariot procession return trip.

Morle was charged with committing the offence at a public sitting area along the Jalan Penang-Lebuh Chulia junction, located opposite Odeon Cinema, between 2am and 2.30am on Feb 9.

The charge carries a maximum two-year jail or a fine up to RM10,000 or both upon conviction.

Morle, represented by lawyers RS Nethaji Rayer and S Raveentharan, pleaded not guilty before Magistrate Noor Aini Yusof after DPP Nur Azizan Jaafar read out the charge. He posted a RM2,000 bail with one surety.

Last Tuesday, the technician revealed that he lodged an official complaint with Suhakam claiming that a group of policemen had beaten him till he bled and fainted.

Morle, who also lodged a police report on the incident, told a press conference organised by Suaram that he received intensive medical treatment for his injuries.

Morle claimed that he was holding a bottle of beer wrapped in a plastic bag during the chariot procession when a man approached him and abruptly snatched the bottle; and asked for his identity card.

When Morle questioned who he was, the man allegedly assaulted him until he fell to the ground.

Then he claimed that a group of policemen suddenly came over to kick and punch him while he was still lying on the roadside before thousands of people following the chariot.

Morle was then dragged to a dark back lane where the policemen took turns to assault him, including beating him with mineral bottles, until he bled and fainted.

He was then taken to the Sungai Dua police station where the policemen allegedly continued to hit him until he fainted again.

Morle claimed that he passed out blood in his urine and was denied the right to contact his parents.

When contacted last week, George Town police chief ACP Gan Kong Meng had vowed that “there would be no cover-up”.

‘Dr M chided Najib for stoking racial tension’

Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim, who was then education minister, revealed this in the Dewan Rakyat during a debate on the ISA replacement bill.

KUALA LUMPUR: Racial unity has been a key feature of Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak’s administration under his 1Malaysia campaign but Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim revealed that the former had landed in trouble for singing a different tune in the past.

In 1987, Anwar said, the then Umno Youth chief Najib had received a stern warning from former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad for stoking racial tension.

Anwar, who was then Umno vice-president and education minister, disclosed this while debating the Securities Offences (Special Measures) Bill 2012 in the Dewan Rakyat today.

Earlier, Pokok Sena MP Mahfuz Omar asked Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Nazri Abdul Aziz why he (Mahfuz) was detained under the Internal Security Act (ISA) during the Operasi Lalang in 1987 when he did nothing wrong.

The PAS leader said it was Najib who stoked racial tension during that period but was let off the hook.

“Najib is the one who said that he wanted to soak the keris in Chinese blood (during an Umno rally) but he was sent for a holiday to Australia while I was detained for no reason,” he added.

However, Nazri dismissed Mahfuz’s accusation, saying that Najib never uttered such a remark and that he too was present at the rally.

Barisan Nasional MP Abdul Manan Ismail also defended Najib, claiming that the latter was not sent to Australia for a holiday and accused Mahfuz of lying.

Anwar agreed with Manan and corrected Mahfuz but maintained that the problem in 1987 was between Najib and then MCA Youth chief Lee Kim Sai.

“The fact is, many of them detained at that time were not involved in instigating a racial riot,” he said.

During Operasi Lalang, the Mahathir administration detained over100 political leaders and activists, including DAP stalwarts Lim Kit Siang, his son Guan Eng and Karpal Singh.

Deputy minister backs students’ right to rally

However he also believes that the PTPTN is still relevant and just needs refinement.

PETALING JAYA: The students’ sit-in rally at Dataran Merdeka has ruffled many feathers but not those of Deputy Higher Education Minister, Saifuddin Abdullah.

In an exclusive interview with FMT last night, the outspoken deputy minister asserted that the students who have been camping there overnight since Saturday had every right to voice their opinion over an issue that is “close to their hearts”.

Over 300 students had set up camp in Dataran Merdeka over the weekend to push for free tertiary education and the abolishment of the National Higher Education Fund Corporation (PTPTN) loan scheme.

As expected, the ruling government has criticised the move while members of the opposition have gone down to the ground to offer their support.

Saifuddin, however, acknowleged the students’ right to occupy Dataran Merdeka as long as the sit-in was conducted within the parameters of the Peaceful Assembly Act 2011.

“Considering that the police haven’t taken any action, my reading of the sit-in is that it is legal,” he said. “And it is their right although I personally believe that the PTPTN is still relevant and just needs improvement.”

“Whether or not these students get support from their peers or the same kind of sentiment from the public is another matter. I’m not saying I agree they should be there but it is their right and I recognise it.”

Saifuddin’s stand will be seen as gracious compared to that of Higher Education Minister, Khaled Nordin, who yesterday challenged the students to return the loan money currently used to fund their education if they were so unhappy with it.

When asked whether he agreed with Khaled, Saifuddin said that that viewpoint was separate matter altogether.

Though mindful of his position, he nevertheless said that any disagreement over the issue should be directed solely at the students’ demands and their choice in voicing them.

“If we look at the issue from other perspectives, then it is like telling someone who can’t play football to play basketball instead,” Saifuddin said.

“That’s not the way to handle things. If they love football but can’t play well then we should facilitate football instead of discussing basketball.”

‘I’m put in a spot



The Temerloh MP added that he too would have visited the students in Dataran Merdeka if not for the garland of flowers that they had placed on framed pictures of Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak, and Khaled on Saturday.

He noted that the flowers were a Hindu symbolism for death and that it was “uncalled for” to use them in this instance.

“It is a little difficult for me to visit the students after they put flowers on my boss,” Saifuddin said. “That has put me in a spot. And the situation is a little heated at the moment.”

“Then there have been opposition leaders who have visited the students, which is their right, but which has also given a certain perception to some people.”

This isn’t the first time that Saifuddin has backed student rallies. Last December, he found himself in hot water after he defended the rights of all students to assembly and voice their views even after a protester lowered a banner bearing Najib’s likeness outside the Umno headquarters.

An angry pro-government group responded by demanding that Saifuddin take responsibility for the “banner incident” by resigning from his position as deputy minister and Umno supreme council member.

But Solidariti Mahasiswa Malaysia (SMM) came to Saifuddin’s defence, saying that he had been made “victim by certain parties in the government”.

Let’s ban people who believe in God from public office

Anyway, why in the first place are oral and anal sex crimes in Malaysia, never mind if between straight or gay people or between husband and wife? Well, that is because Malaysia practises British laws. Most of our laws were inherited from the British Colonial government and we just continued with them after Merdeka. And British laws are basically Christian laws.
NO HOLDS BARRED
Raja Petra Kamarudin

Before I talk about what I want to talk about today, let me start with that news report about the member of the Johor royal family would beat up a rapper (read here: http://www.malaysia-today.net/mtcolumns/newscommentaries/48720-johor-royalty-linked-to-assault-on-rapper).

Now, when I write something about, say, the Chinese, I will get accused of generalising. I will be told that it is unfair of me to paint all Chinese with the same brush. This may be true of certain Chinese. This may be true of MCA Chinese. But not all Chinese are like that. Those who are like that are the minority. The majority are not like that.

Apparently, not generalising is something that only I must not do. It is okay for you to generalise. And I must not do this specifically when I talk about the Chinese. We must not generalise about only the Chinese. When it comes to Malays or members of the royal family then it is okay to generalise. In fact, it is a must, it is good that we generalise.

It may have escaped that pea-brain of yours that 49% of the Malays voted opposition in the last general election in March 2008 (more if you exclude the postal and phantom voters) while more than 50% of the members of the royal family support the opposition. Yes, more than 50% of the members of the royal family support the opposition, idiots!

Anyway, just so that you know, I knew what you would comment if I published that news report on the member of the Johor royal family beating up that rapper. I intentionally published it to see what type of responses we would get. My purpose was to show you what hypocrites many of you are. And I was right. You responded the way I thought you would.

Do you think that your racist, anti-Malay-anti-royalty attitude is going to help Pakatan Rakyat in the coming general election? And you grumble when you can’t seem to get 60% or 65% of the Malays to vote opposition. You are not happy that Pakatan Rakyat cannot garner more than 50% of the Malay vote. Are the Malays the problem? Or are you the problem?

I consider myself a liberalist Malay. I support the rights of LGBTs (lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgender people) -- something even Christians cannot accept, so don’t talk about Muslims. I support the rights of Muslims to leave Islam -- a no-no for the majority of Malays-Muslims. So that makes me amongst the minority.

Yet, how liberal I may be, I still consider most Malaysia Today readers as racists and bigots, in particular the non-Malay readers. If I can think like that what do you think the more conservatist and fundamentalist Malays-Muslims are thinking?

Yes, maybe the Malays-Muslims are not the problem. Maybe you are the problem. Have you ever thought of that? Have you ever thought that, as I have been saying time and again, that your foul-mouths are pushing the Malays-Muslims away? Do you really expect more than 50% of the Malays to vote Pakatan Rakyat and more than 50% of the members of the royal family to support the opposition when you have such foul-mouths?

And I am both -- I am both Malay and a member of the royal family. And if I am angry how do you think the other Malays are feeling? And you want us to support the opposition and vote Pakatan Rakyat when we are angry about your attitude? Why should we allow Pakatan Rakyat to take power when you opposition people think poorly of the Malays and the royal family?

Hey, those Malays in the corridors of power may be corrupted. Those Malays who support those in the corridors of power who are corrupted may also be corrupted. Sure, we may all be corrupted, but that does not make us stupid. In fact, to be corrupted and still hold on to power means you must be very clever. Stupid people can’t do that, especially not for 55 years and maybe another 55 years to come.

Don’t make the mistake of underestimating our intelligence just because we happen to be Malays. You want the support of the Malays and members of the royal family then learn how to win the hearts and minds of the people you want to win over. Thus far you are not doing a very good job at it.

Okay, now on to what I want to really talk about in today’s article. Sekijang MP Baharum Mohamad said that 30% of Malaysian men are gay, meaning that three out of 10 are homosexual, something he called “scary”. (Read more here: http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2012/03/23/stop-the-homosexual-witch-hunt/). There is also a call to ban LGBTs from public office. I wrote about this yesterday (read here: http://malaysia-today.net/mtcolumns/no-holds-barred/48718-human-rights-and-fundamental-liberties-for-idiots).

Okay, why do we want to ban LGBTs from public office? Is it because the laws of Malaysia make homosexuality a crime? Is it because homosexuality is a sin according to the Abrahamic faiths (Jews, Christians, and Muslims)? Or both?

Well, if we go by Malaysia’s common law, then oral and anal sex acts are also crimes, even between husband and wife. And the punishment is the same for all sex acts – oral or anal, straight or gay. Hence, they are all equal in seriousness. Hence, also, if we want to ban LGBTs from public office, then even straight people who indulge in oral and/or anal sex must also be banned from public office.

That would be according to the law -- straight or gay, both go to jail for the same number of years if they indulge in anal and/or oral sex.

The question is: if we want to implement the law and ban both straight and gay people who indulge in oral and/or anal sex, how do we do it? Would they be asked to swear on the Bible or Quran during the swearing-in ceremony that they are straight and have never indulged in oral and/or anal sex since the day they were born? Can we trust those who swear on the Bible or Quran? I personally would never trust people who swear on the Bible or Quran. That is not good enough for me. I would need more proof that that.

Can we instead make them take a lie detector test? But even that is not enough. Some people can beat a lie detector test. The only sure way would be to inject them with a truth serum. There would be no way they can lie under the influence of a truth serum. Then we will know if those who are about to take public office are straight or gay and whether they have ever indulged in oral and/or anal sex some time in their lives.

Anyway, why in the first place are oral and anal sex crimes in Malaysia, never mind if between straight or gay people or between husband and wife? Well, that is because Malaysia practises British laws. Most of our laws were inherited from the British Colonial government and we just continued with them after Merdeka. And British laws are basically Christian laws.

You see, in Islam, oral and anal sex, as long as between husband and wife, are not a sin. Some scholars or ulamak say they are but others dispute this and say they are not. So, according to common law, they are crimes, but according to Islamic laws they are not. But a person caught for oral and/or anal sex would be sent to jail under common law and not Islamic law -- in short, under old Christian laws of pre-Merdeka British inheritance.

So, I am a Muslim, but if I am caught for the ‘crime’ of indulging in oral and/or anal sex, I get sent to jail for 20 years because of Christian laws that we inherited and never repealed after Malaysia got independence from Britain.

Apa ni? Gila ke?

I am not a Christian and yet I am subjected to Christian laws that somehow have become Malaysia’s common law.  On the other hand, anal sex between homosexuals is a sin under both Christianity and Islam. So that too has become a crime under Malaysia’s common law. But the Buddhists in Thailand allow or tolerate homosexuality. So, if I am a Thai Buddhist, and since this is not considered a sin, how can you punish me under laws that are actually old Christian and Muslim laws that have been adopted as Malaysia’s common law?

In short, just because your religion disallows it, you turn it into common law and then punish me for it.

Apa ni? Gila ke?

Actually, we should not be banning LGBTs from public office. We should be banning those who believe in God from public office. Just because they happen to believe in God they impose laws that they believe to be God’s laws on us although we may not share their religious beliefs. Then we end up with Christian laws as Malaysia’s common laws. Then oral and anal sex even if between husbands and wives are made a crime.

So, yes, this is not about just LGBTs. It is not a crime to be gay. It is a crime to be a practising gay who indulges in oral or anal sex. But then you do not have to be gay to be a criminal. Even straight people who indulge in oral and anal sex are criminals under Malaysia’s common laws that are actually old Christian laws.

Apa ni? Gila ke? So what do you want me to now say: bodoh punya Kristian?

MALAYSIA – A SMALL COUNTRY

1. Malaysia is, relatively speaking, a small country. The population is only 28 million with a per capita income of USD8,000. But many Malaysians have done very well on the world stage. They are big and often they are the biggest in the world.

2. This is especially so in business. These people make their first million in the country. And they grew, prospering in the conducive business environment that Malaysia provides.

3. PETRONAS is a Government company. It is a national oil company like those found in most oil-producing countries. But PETRONAS did not confine itself to merely collecting royalty. PETRONAS went into all the different upstream and downstream areas of the petroleum industry. It went abroad, prospecting, producing, transporting, shipping, laying pipes and building ports and terminals. It is also into natural gas liquefaction and petrochemicals.

4. It is rare for a Government company to do well. But PETRONAS has done well and contributed much to Government revenue.

5. The private sector has not done badly either. Many have grown and expanded. Kuok Bros, building on its sugar and flour monopoly business, expanded into luxury hotels. The Shangri-La Hotel chains are all over East Asia and beyond. Palm oil plantations in Malaysia and Indonesia contributed billions to the corporation.

6. Lim Goh Tong came to Malaysia penniless. A casino license granted by the first Government of independent Malaysia contributed to the creation of one of the biggest corporations in the world. Resorts World operates casinos in Malaysia, Singapore, USA and UK, and elsewhere. Additionally, his Malaysian corporation owns huge palm oil estates and cruise ships.

7. The Genting group has more hotel rooms than any other hotel chain in the Far East.

8. Yeoh Tiong Lay (YTL) is another Malaysian company, which started as a construction company but now owns valuable properties in KL and other Malaysian towns. It owns a profitable power plant in Malaysia and a water supply utility in the UK.

9. Datuk Azman Shah owns a hotel chain, the Holiday Villa, largely in Malaysia but also in London, Sudan and other locations.

10. Vincent Tan has many businesses. He is also a big property owner in KL and in other parts of Malaysia. His most remarkable success in the Cosway chain of stores, with thousands operating in East Asian countries, in the USA and in Mexico.

11. Ananda Krishnan made his first million trading in oil. Coming home he started Astro and Maxis, telecommunication and paid television businesses. He is the owner of three satellites, which provide telecommunication service covering most of Southeast Asia. He owns and operates mobile phone services in many countries, including in India.

12. Eversendai is not a Japanese company. It is a Malaysian company, which has done very well in the Middle East especially. The main business is steel framework for building, including the Burj Khalifa, currently the tallest building in the world. The owner is an Indian.

13. And there are many more companies, which had their head start in Malaysia but have grown and expanded to many parts of the world. They may not be as big as the ones I have listed but they have done quite well for themselves.

14. For a relatively small country, still not a developed country, Malaysia can be proud of the successes of its sons. I am sure that these successful people must also be proud of themselves and their achievements. I am also sure that they never forget their small beginnings in Malaysia, the kick-start that set them off to achieve great things.

15. There are many other kinds of successes that Malaysians can be proud of. We were once the biggest producer of tin and rubber in the world. Now we are the biggest producer of palm oil in the world.

16. Malaysians now bought and own brand name companies like Laura Ashley, Crabtree & Evelyn.

17. Yes, Malaysia is a small country but it has provided Malaysians of all races the opportunities to excel and succeed beyond the dreams of its founding fathers, perhaps beyond the dreams of the Malaysian tycoons themselves.

Mahathirism and bailouts for cronies: Why do students need loans to go to university

Today, the raging debate is about PTPTN loans. Buried within this concern that has gone viral and public today is a long and festering issue of making education into a business to profiteer from. The trophy of course goes to Tun Dr Mahathir although he has recently and as usual, blamed Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim entirely.
When the Pakatan Leader announced that the Opposition political party will do away with education loans and ensure everyone had free access to higher education, the avalanche of BN machinery has come cascading.
Senior BN personalities have immediately dismissed the notion of free education. Their arguments ranged from maintaining that the nation would be bankrupted to one of one of putting the blame entirely on the head of DSAI. How pathetic.
But history is recorded. Let us take a trip down memory lane.
This is what Tunku said
In 1958 the late YTM Tunku Abdul Rahman Al-Haj declared, “Here I would like to emphasize that there is one thing the Government will not consider in terms of lack of money, and that is the question of education. In this case, the Government is giving special consideration in order to honor its education policy. The future of the country depends a great deal on the students of today.”
We did not have petro-dollars then; we did not have the highly profitable palm oil either. We were a poor, fourth-world nation that had just earned its independence after having lost so much wealth to feed and comfort the colonial powers. But Bapa Malaysia had that courage, determination and wisdom to recognize that education was the cornerstone for the future of the nation. He made it very clear that the Government must shoulder this responsibility fully.
And YTM Tunku encapsulated the role and responsibility very clearly – one that does not let money to be the impediment of education. If the money had to be found, it better be found so that every one can have free education.
And what Hussein Onn said
If that is not enough, let us hear out another Visionary Leader, the late YAB Dato’ Hussein Onn who held in 1979, “It has always been the Government’s desire to widen the opportunities and access to higher education for all. Tertiary education should not be confined only to those who can afford or those who come from higher income groups. But, it should be available to everyone who qualifies.”
Again, a right thinking Government ensured that there are no financial impediments to further education.
Then came Mahathirism
But look at what Mahathirism has yoked the rakyat with. Through all kinds of unprecedented privatization policies, crutches, favoritism, Ali Baba schemes, and what have you, the visions of our past Leaders were systematically dismantled and abandoned by the doctor who helmed the nation for 22 years.
And today when the students, unable to continue any longer with the burden of PTPTN loan schemes – given the spiraling cost of living and shrinking purse strings, raise the alarm what do we get in rebuttal?
> blaming the Opposition leader;
> challenging the opposition held States to go it alone;
> attempting to justify by stating that the Government already subsidizes the cost of education;
> taking high handed action against protestors; threatening that the country would sink into bankruptcy if education was free;
> accusing those in support of free education of becoming victims of populist ideologies – all of these despite having created for the select and privileged few a handful of billionaires;
> extravagant lifestyles for BN leaders and their families;
> recording eyebrow-raising profits year in, year out for some select companies;
> and what have you.
Just shut up and study!
One cannot question the wheeler-dealer mega million businesses inked under cloak and cover of the Official Secrets Act (OSA); arresting and shutting down people in the know who question such deals with the infamous Internal Security Act (ISA) and beating up people with scare tactics and chemical laced water cannons if they protest in public.
"Your job students is to shut up and study, otherwise we will throw you out" has been the all too often threat billowed down the necks of students who moaned and groand under the trying conditions.
Too busy with bailouts for cronies
It is not a problem to pump billions of ringgit into loss making Government ventures; it is also okay to rescue sons and daughters and proxies when they hit troubled financial waters, thereby costing the nation’s coffers millions of ringgit.
So Mahathir set in motion an idea that was contrary to what YAB Dato’ Hussein Onn and YTM Tunku Abdul Rahman Al-Haj had about education. For the Tun and BN, education cannot be free. If you want we will lend you some money but you better pay up or else we will come after you like a blood hound.
Today when it comes to education, all the way from pre-school to the graduate corridors it is money making. From school bags to pencils, from text books to workbooks, from sports to extra-curriculum activities, from projects to examinations – it is money. Even to get to do your mandatory internship, you have to fork out your own money because the pittance paid by some organizations cannot even buy you one lunch every day.
No money, no talk.
And on top of that you have to borrow from your own Government and earn your guts out to make good all payments.

So, in a nutshell is it not a case of bonded slavery in disguise? The ordinary rakyat must slog all the way to his or her tombstone making others richer. If you happen to get rich through the long corridors of education, sheer hard work, and some luck, you must also keep paying the rent-seekers to keep moving on, right?
When do we say enough is enough? When do we say the buck stops right here? When do wake up and see the whole truth? And how?
It is only when we are all agreed on the answers to these questions can we start back from where our founding fathers YAB Dato’ Hussein Onn and YTM Tunku Abdul Rahman Al-Haj left us.
Otherwise, we are headed in one direction – all the way downhill for a crash landing. But by then the pilots would have fled to their havens under the pretext of giving others a chance to lead, you know.
Malaysia Chronicle