Another teacher tells students to 'balik Cina, India'

 

In what sounds like a repeat of recent incidents, a teacher in a secondary school in Semenyih, Selangor, is alleged to have told students refusing to sing and respect the national anthem to "go back to India (or) China".

According to Sin Chew Daily, the assistant principal of SMK Engku Husain said during the afternoon session weekly assembly on Sept 23 that the students could "go back" if they do not like Malaysia.

The daily reported that the school was already investigating the matter, which came to the principal's attention when ethnic Chinese students posted about it on their Facebook pages.
Principal Abdul Ghafar Kunchi Mohd (right) told Sin Chew that the students, some of whom do not understand Bahasa Malaysia well, have previously been advised, warned and even caned for not singing or respecting the 'Negaraku', but to no avail.
Assistant principal to be told to explain
Ghafar said this could have been the reason the assistant principal had lost patience and uttered those remarks, but he would ask her to explain when she returns from a course tomorrow.

"However, no matter Malay, Chinese or Indian, everyone is Malaysian. This remark should not have been uttered. Therefore I will ask the assistant principal to apologise to students at the assembly," he is quoted as saying.

The daily also quoted Deputy Education Minister P Kamalanathan as saying that the ministry would investigate the case, as students should not be subjected to such inappropriate remarks.

Last month, a school principal in a school in Shah Alam apologised to her students for telling them to "go back to India, China or Indonesia" if they do not want to respect the national anthem.

'Jangan lupa Chin Peng menentang demokrasi'

MP calls for govt to come clean on nuclear power plans

Men in court over rape of young girls

By Louis Emanuel

TWO men have appeared in court charged with raping underage girls who were under the care of social workers.

Bristol Magistrates' Court was told the house where the girls were living, which cannot be named for legal reasons, effectively became a brothel.

The victims were placed in the home, which the court heard was supported housing, by social workers.

The men, one of whom is an asylum seeker who has been given the right to remain in the country by the Home Office, are accused of child sexual exploitation, which includes sexual activity at the home, as well as at the Premier Inn at St James Barton roundabout.

One of them is also charged with paying a child for sexual services.

Said Zakaria, 21, also known as Target, of Seymour Road, Easton, is charged with sexual activity with a 13-year-old girl and rape of a girl aged 14 at the Premier Inn and the home.

Gama Mohammed, 32, also known as G, of Gordon Road, Whitehall, whom the court heard was an asylum seeker, spoke through an interpreter to confirm his name, age and address.

He is charged with rape at the same home and paying for the sexual services of a child at the Premier Inn.

They both denied all the charges at Bristol Magistrates' Court on Friday.

Appearing separately, the two Somali men were remanded in custody. They are due to appear at Bristol Crown Court on October 10.

The court heard that the defendants had been arrested as part of Operation Brooke – an investigation working with child exploitation teams.

Before the hearing, DCI Carolyn Belafonte, of Avon and Somerset Police, said: "Operation Brooke is a dynamic investigation; we're working closely with the Barnardo's child sexual exploitation team and other partner agencies to follow up every line of enquiry and, most importantly, ensure that victims are well supported.

"We would very much like to hear from anyone who believes they may have been a victim of similar sexual exploitation offences. You can call us on 101.

"We understand that reporting something to the police can be a bit daunting so if you think you are or have been a victim, and don't want to talk to us right now, please don't hesitate – talk to a parent or teacher or someone else you can trust.

"And if you do come straight through to us, I promise we'll listen, support you and take what you have to say absolutely seriously."

French model, 27, who starred in hostage crisis film shot dead next to her mother as they parked in Kenya terror mall car park

Anne Dechauffour and mother Corinne, 54, shot as militants stormed mall
At least 61 civilians, six security officers and five terrorists killed in siege

A London-based French model who acted in a film about a hostage crisis was gunned down with her mother as they parked up outside the Kenyan mall, it emerged today.

Anne Dechauffour, 27, and her mother Corinne, 54, were shot in their car as Islamic militants stormed the shopping centre in Nairobi.

Their deaths are among a number of heartbreaking stories that are emerging from the terror atrocity that has seen at least 61 innocent shoppers killed since it began on Saturday.

Cut down in her prime: London-based French model Anne Dechauffour who was shot dead by Islamic militants with her mother as they parked outside the Westgate shopping centre in Nairobi

Cruel irony: Anne had appeared in a short film about a hostage crisis before her death

According to reports, Anne had been visiting her mother, an artist who had remarried and settled in Kenya ten years ago.

Her father, Michel, is believed to run a luxury hotel, the Rock Leopard Lodge, in Kenya's Meru National Park.

Anne had appeared in a short film about a hostage-taking before her death, it was reported in The Times.

She was a student in cinema and linguistic sciences and was working part-time as a model.

Francois Hoffman, director of the Cours Florent drama school, told Le Parisien: 'She had potential. She had a fragility that felt like an extension of childhood.'

The murder of the two women, who were from Nice on the French Riviera, has caused outrage in France.

Operation: Kenyan soldiers move in formation, clearing the top floor balcony and interior of the Nairobi mall

Out in force: Kenyan soldiers comb the rooftop of the Westgate mall on the fourth day of the siege

Evasive action: Kenyan soldiers and policemen crouch down behind a wall near the car park as they prepare for the next stage of the assault on the mall on Tuesday

The Paris based anti-terrorism bureau opened an investigation into 'murder and attempted murder in association with a terrorist organisation'.

Corinne's brother, Gabriel, was reported to have arrived in Nairobi accompanied by representatives of the French Foreign Ministry on Sunday.

The two women were among at least 61 civilians killed when Al Shabaab gunmen stormed the Westgate shopping centre and took a number of hostages during a five-day siege that Kenyan officials claimed had finally ended yesterday.

The number of victims, gunmen and hostages has been unclear throughout the crisis as has the progress of the operation to secure the mall.

Kenya's President tonight announced that his country had 'ashamed and defeated' its attackers, but even as he spoke shots were heard inside the mall.

Gunshots also rang out this morning, but government spokesman Manoah Esipisu said they came from Kenyan forces going room to room, firing protectively before entering unknown territory.

The girl, 13, who lived by playing dead next to her father's body

Victim: Dr Juan Ortiz-Iruri, whose daughter Juanita survived the mall 

attack by playing dead next to his body after he was shot by terrorists

A 13-year-old girl survived the mall massacre by pretending to be dead next to her father's corpse.

Dr Juan Jesus Ortiz-Iruri had just pulled up in a basement car park under the shopping centre when he was shot in the chest.

His daughter, Juanita Ortiz, sustained gunshot wounds to her leg and hand, but managed to evade a possible follow-up hit by lying still for up to four hours.

Her brother Luis, who flew to Kenya from Australia, told The Times: 'For a couple of hours, maybe four, she sat in the car until someone came and got her and carried her into an ambulance.

'They left my father because he was dead.'

Dr Ortiz-Iruri had recently been offered a job as a senior technical adviser in the Centre of Maternal and Newborn Health at the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine.

The family was due to leave Kenya today and Juanita was reportedly excited about moving to England.

'Look after my baby daughter': Hostage's chilling last text to nephew

A father taken hostage at the mall sent a chilling final text to his nephew asking him to look after his one-year-old daughter.

Lorry driver Thomas Otieno, 29, phoned his parents on Saturday to say his life was in danger.

The next the family heard was a text he sent to Michael Wasonga two days later saying: 'Pray for me, that I will come out alive and meet another day.'

In another message he listed his estate, including 30,000 Kenyan shillings (£214) in his bank account, a motorbike and two cows.

A final text asked Mr Wasonga to care for this daughter.

Mr Wasonga, 30, told The Times: 'After that, I knew he wasn't going to come out.'
The Ghanaian poet who was jailed for alleged coup plot

Kofi Awoonor was a Ghanaian poet, professor and former ambassador to Brazil, Cuba and the United Nations.

Ghana's ministry of information said Awoonor's son was injured and is responding to treatment.
Awoonor's work drew its inspiration from the traditions of his native Ewe tribe.

Ghana's poetry foundation said on its website that Awoonor went into exile after Ghana's first president, Kwame Nkrumah, was driven out in a coup in 1966.

Tragic: John Henry Martey Newman, chief of staff at the Ghanaian presidency, signs the condolences book for Ghanaian poet Kofi Awoonor, who was killed in the mall attack

He studied at the State University of New York at Stony Brook and his dissertation was published in 1975.

He returned to Ghana and was later jailed for his alleged involvement in a coup plot.

His time in prison was recounted in The House by the Sea (1978), the foundation said.

FROM PERU TO INDIA, THE MALL VICTIMS CAME FROM ACROSS THE GLOBE

Died together: British architect Ross Langdon, 33, and his pregnant girlfriend 

Elif Yavuz who were killed in the Kenyan shopping mall massacre

BRITAIN
British Defense Secretary Philip Hammond said six British deaths occurred and the number could rise. 
They include architect Ross Langdon (pictured, right, with his Dutch-born pregnant girlfriend, Elif Yavuz, who was also killed) and Zahira Bawa and her eight-year-old daughter Jenah, from Leamington Spa in central England, a relative told Britain's Press Association news agency.
---
CANADA
Annemarie Desloges, a border services liaison officer in Canada's High Commission to Kenya, 'was one of our bright young lights, and hers was a career brimming with promise,' said Tim Edwards, president of the Professional Association of Foreign Service Officers. 
She was a 29-year-old from a 'foreign service family' and had accompanied her parents on overseas postings before deciding to follow in their footsteps in 2006. 
Vancouver businessman Naguib Damji also died in the attack, a daughter and niece confirmed to various media. 
Two sisters from Toronto, 17-year-old Fardosa Abdi and 16-year-old Dheeman Abdi, were seriously injured.
Their aunt Hodan Hassan said from her home in Minnesota that Fardosa was in critical condition with severe leg injuries.
---
CHINA
A 38-year-old Chinese woman with the surname Zhou who worked in the real estate industry was killed, state media said. Her son was injured in the attack and was in stable condition in a hospital, according to the Chinese Embassy in Kenya.
---
FRANCE
Two French victims of the Nairobi terrorists were named last night as Corinne Dechauffour, 54 and her daughter Anne who was 27.
The murder of the two women who were from Nice on the French Riviera caused outrage in the southern city and in the rest of France.
The victims were gunned down in the car park of the Westgate Mall just after they had parked their car.

Distraught: Father Louis Bawa (left) is seen with his nine-year-old daughter Jennah (right). She has been confirmed as one of the British victims in the Kenya terrorist attack, in which her mother also died

GHANA
Kofi Awoonor was a Ghanaian poet, professor and former ambassador to Brazil, Cuba and the United Nations. Ghana's ministry of information said Awoonor's son was injured and is responding to treatment. 
Awoonor's work drew its inspiration from the traditions of his native Ewe tribe. Ghana's poetry foundation said on its website that Awoonor went into exile after Ghana's first president, Kwame Nkrumah, was driven out in a coup in 1966.
He studied at the State University of New York at Stony Brook and his dissertation was published in 1975. He returned to Ghana and was later jailed for alleged involvement coup plot. His time in prison was recounted in The House by the Sea (1978), the foundation said.
---
INDIA
Three Indians were killed in the attack, including an 8-year-old boy, Paramshu Jain, whose father is manager of a Nairobi branch of an Indian bank. The child's mother, Mukta Jain, is among four Indians who were injured. 

The others confirmed dead by the Indian External Affairs Ministry are Sridhar Natarajan, a 40-year-old from India's southern state of Tamil Nadu, and Sudharshan B. Nagaraj, of the southern city of Bangalore.
---
KENYA
Ruhila Adatia-Sood was a popular radio and TV personality in Kenya and her husband worked for the U.S. Agency for International Development in Nairobi. She was expecting a child. 

Mitul Shah was president of the Bidco United football team in Kenya, Football Kenya spokesman John Kaniuki said. Shah worked for the Bidco cooking oil company and was reportedly attending a promotional cooking event with children at the mall. 
President Uhuru Kenyatta's nephew and nephew's fiancee were also among the dead.
---
THE NETHERLANDS
Elif Yavuz was a senior vaccines researcher for the Clinton Health Access Initiative, according to a statement from the Clinton family. 'Elif was brilliant, dedicated, and deeply admired by her colleagues, who will miss her terribly,' the Clintons said. 
She had completed her dissertation research on malaria in eastern Africa and graduated this year from Harvard University's Department of Global Health and Population, the school said.
Yavuz, 33, was Langdon's partner and was expecting their first child in early October.
---
NEW ZEALAND
Andrew McLaren, 34, a New Zealander who managed a factory in Kenya for the avocado oil company Olivado, was wounded in the attack, the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed. He was hospitalized in stable condition.
----
PERU
Juan Ortiz-Iruri was a retired tropical disease specialist for UNICEF who had lived for 25 years in Africa, according to UNICEF and Peruvian Foreign Ministry spokesman Alejandro Neyra.
His son, Ricardo Ortiz, told Radio RPP that Ortiz-Iruri entered the mall accompanied by his daughter, a 13-year-old born in the U.S. She suffered a hand injury, but is out of danger.
---
SOUTH AFRICA
One South African citizen was killed, according to the country's International Relations Department.
---
SOUTH KOREA
South Korea's Foreign Ministry said one South Korean woman was among the dead. It provided no further details.
---
SWITZERLAND
One Swiss citizen was injured, but the embassy would not provide further the victim's name.
---
UNITED STATES
Five American citizens were injured, U.S. officials said.

ISA is back under the PCA amendments

Opposition MPs decry the amendment to the Prevention of Crime (Amendment and Extension) Act 2013 which will allow two years detention without trial for a detainee.

KUALA LUMPUR: The government is attempting to revive the Internal Security Act (ISA) under the guise of Prevention of Crime (Amendment and Extension) Act 2013 (PCA), which allows a 3-member board to detain a suspect without trial for two years.

“It is the return of ISA,” said an fuming PKR MP N. Surendran at a media conference at the Parliament this morning.

“It allows two years detention without trial and disallows detainees the right to seek for judicial review except on procedural matters.

“It means we are back to preventive detention. This shows how dirty, undemocratic and dictatorial our government is,” he said.

Home Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi tabled the first reading of the amendment to the PCA in the Parliament earlier today. The House is scheduled to debate the bill next Monday.

Under the proposed new sections 7B and 7C of the Bill, a 3-member Prevention of Crime Board would be formed, consisting of a senior-ranking judges as the chairman and two other members.

The minimum requirement for the board chairman is that the person must be, or must have held the post of a judge high court or any other higher courts.

They would hold office for two years and is eligible for re-appointment, but for not more than two terms. Their appointment shall be made by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong.

The board is empowered to issue a detention order under Section 19(a) of the Bill on grounds that “a person has committed two or more serious offences, whether or not he is convicted thereof, if the report finds sufficient evidence to support such finding”.

“That the person has previously been placed under a supervision order under Section 15 and has contravened or failed to comply with any order or restriction imposed on him, whether or not he has been convicted under subsection 15(4),” the Bill says.

The board can also put the person under monitoring on similar conditions.

Section 19A of the bill says the detention order lasts for two years, and may renew any such detention order for a further period not exceeding two years at a time.

Section 15A says there shall be no judicial review in any court in respect of any decision made by the board in exercising of its discretion, except in regards to any question on procedural matters.

But unlike the ISA, the powers to issue detention orders is now vested in the hands of the board, not the Home Minister.

However, opposition backbencher Surendran was not impressed by the amendments, saying it is meant to intimidate opposition and the civil society.

“Eventually they will use it to arrest the opposition. Najib lied to the public when he says he is going to take away preventive detention. He is a liar and the worst prime minister of the country,” he said.

Lembah Pantai MP Nurul Izzah Anwar said the police’s track record proved that the crime rate would remain high regardless on the the new amendments.

“The real solution is to increase the number of police personnel attached with the crime investigation department,” she said.

On related matter, Zahid defended the amendments and called it part of the government’s transformation plan.

The Bagan Dato MP, however, refused to elaborate on why the government wanted to reintroduce preventive detention and asked reporters to wait for details which will be presented during the second read on Monday.

Asked on the Bar Council’s comment that the government had not sought their opinion before tabling the amendment, Zahid said, ” A forum will be held on the matter this Saturday and the Bar is invited to attend it.”

Tak adil hukum Sekolah Cina, Mukhriz

Dasar sistem pendidikan negara menjamin hak sama rata kepada semua rakyat.

PETALING JAYA: Sekolah aliran Cina tidak patut dihukum berdasarkan keputusan pengundi Cina yang tidak memihak kepada Barisan Nasional (BN) semasa Pilihan Raya Umum ke-13 (PRU13) Mei lalu.

Bekas Timbalan Menteri Pendidikan Datuk Wee Ka Siong berkata, tidak adil jika kerajaan menyekat saluran bantuan kewangan kepada sekolah Cina dan membezakannya dengan sekolah aliran yang lain.

“Dasar sistem pendidikan negara menjamin hak sama rata kepada semua rakyat.

“Tidak ada kaitan langsung dengan keputusan pilihan raya,” katanya ketika dihubungi hari ini.

Semalam, Menteri Besar Kedah Datuk Mukhriz Mahathir berkata, kerajaan negeri kini tidak akan melayan sebarang permintaan daripada sekolah Cina selepas melihat keputusan PRU13.

Calon Naib Presiden Umno itu berkata, pihaknya tidak boleh mengabaikan pengundi yang menyokongnya sebelum ini, tambahan Kedah juga penduduknya majoriti terdiri daripada Melayu.

“Saya nak bersifat adil tapi saya pun manusia juga. Akhirnya saya terpaksa membantu orang yang bantu saya dulu.

“Jadi kalau ada yang lebih-lebih tu barulah saya bantu orang lain,” katanya.

Wee yang juga Ketua Pemuda MCA bagaimanapun menegaskan, kerajaan tidak sepatutnya mencampur adukkan hal politik dengan pendidikan kerana bimbang amalan ini mungkin menjejaskan BN kembali meraih semula sokongan pengundi.

“Kita boleh memahami situasi politik yang berlaku sekarang tetapi tolong biarkan sistem pendidikan negara berfungsi sendiri,” katanya.

Ahli Parlimen Ayer Hitam itu berkata, trend PRU13 menunjukkan pengundi sebenarnya mahukan BN memperbaiki kelemahannya tadbir urus dengan baik, komitmen memerangi rasuah dan bukan sebaliknya.

Sementara itu, Ketua Pemuda Gerakan Kedah Tan Keng Liang berkata, Mukhriz sebagai pemimpin negeri yang baru dilantik tidak sepatutnya mengeluarkan kenyataan sedemikian.

Malah, hanya akan mengeruhkan keadaan sekaligus membuatkan jurang perbezaan antara kaum semakin besar.

“Saya juga tidak gembira dengan undi Melayu di bandar tetapi saya lebih tidak gembira jika sekolah Cina yang terkena tempiasnya,” katanya.

Allegation of slapping a fabrication, says Barat Maniam

MIC division leader denies slapping ruffian branch chairman; mulls legal action for defamation

PETALING JAYA: MIC PJS Selatan division head V Subramaniam denies the accusation made by MIC Jalan Bukit 11/2 chairman R Krishnamoorthi of slapping him during the 20 th AGM held last Saturday

Subramaniam, better known as Barat Maniam, even denied interfering during the AGM and merely attended to oversee the meeting in the capacity as division leader.

According to Subramaniam the meeting was called in order by the returning officer, K Viswalingam and advised those present to come forward with their identity cards to register their attendance; as it is standard operating procedure to ensure all those attending the meeting are bonafide members of the branch.

At this juncture, Krishnamoorthi aggressively raised his voice and instructed those present not to comply with the request to verify their identity cards.

“He behaved like a ruffian and suddenly grabbed the returning officer’s membership list which was on the table in front of me,” said Subramaniam in a press statement.

“During this time, the returning officer and I requested Krishnamoorthi to return the membership list, as it belongs to the returning officer.

“Krishnamoorthi continued to behave in an uncalled-for manner and used abusive language on the two of us,” he added

After the incident, Viswalingam proceeded to lodge a police report on the same day at the Petaling Jaya police station.

“It is interesting to note that in Tamil Nesan, he is photographed pointing to his right cheek, while in FMT and Makkal Osai, he is photographed pointing to his left cheek,” said Subramaniam

“This clearly shows that his allegation is a mere fabrication to tarnish my name and reputation,” added Subramaniam

Subramaniam has instructed his lawyers to study the matter further and is contemplating to take legal action against the branch chairman

Borneo activists put Putrajaya on edge

The calls by several Sabah and Sarawak activists for Putrajaya to honour the Malaysia Agreement is making some leaders' nervous.
COMMENT

It is interesting to note that Defence Minister Hishammuddin Hussein did not mention Sarawak when he said that his ministry would help the Home Ministry identify anti-Kuala Lumpur instigator groups who want Sabah to leave Malaysia and are politicising the issue on Facebook.

Obviously, it would be bad news for the powers-that-be to mention Sabah and Sarawak in the same breath when challenging any change advocated, however, remote, in their current status in the Federation of Malaysia.

Hishammuddin was speaking to the media after a parade in conjunction with the 80th Malaysian Armed Forces Day at Dataran Merdeka in Kuala Lumpur on Saturday.

The Defence Minister said the talk on taking Sabah out of Malaysia had been going on for the past several years and its promoters evidently getting bolder because of official inaction.

He reiterated the heroic efforts made by security personnel from Peninsular Malaysia in beating back a bunch of claimants from the Sulu islands who seized a remote village in Lahad Datu in Sabah not too long ago.

Hishammuddin stopped short of issuing the usual threats as in the past, but was careful at the same time not to appear to be too toothless in Umno’s fixed deposit states.

After all, he is facing a six-cornered fight to retain one of the three Umno vice-presidencies.

Hishammuddin also warned the separatists against flogging the “Sabah for Sabahans” theme, last played up in the late 80s and early 90s by the then ruling Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS).

No one remembers the old PBS battle cry being replayed in recent years. Indeed, the nearest to the theme are constant reminders in Facebook in particular illegal immigrants with and without MyKads are a crushing burden and whose presence is no longer tolerable in Sabah.

Former Petagas state assemblyman James Ligunjang was furious with Hishammuddin for putting the Sabah for Sabahans theme under government scrutiny.

“If Sabah is not for Sabahans, then for who?” he asked rhetorically in a text message as soon as news of the Defence Minister’s controversial remarks broke in Kota Kinabalu.

Ligunjang, was once executive secretary of PBS which he ditched in 1994 for the breakaway Parti Demokratik Sabah (PDS), now the United PasokMomogun KadazanDusunMurut Organisation (Upko).

He like many Sabahans and Sarawakians feel that “it is high time that we stood on our own two feet”.

Ligunjang said this approach was the only way for the two states to realise their full potential.

It is common knowledge that anti-Malaysia comments from Sabah and Sarawak in Facebook originate from these two states.

Indeed, these comments may be viewed by Putrajaya as bordering on treason or sedition and calculated to pit people against each other on both sides of the South China Sea and cause public alarm.

These comments are more a reflection of the perennial question in Malaysian Borneo since Sept 16 1963: “How did we get into this situation (being in a Federation with Peninsular Malaysia on the other side of the South China Sea)?”

Such sentiments translate into Facebook Pages like “Sabah Sarawak Keluar Malaysia”, moderated by Doris Jones, a UK-based lawyer from Sabah.

There have been calls in Facebook from Peninsular Malaysia for her to be arrested.

While Hishammuddin’s pre-occupation is with retaining his Umno vice-presidency, he is also capitalising on the Achilles Heel of the ruling Malay elite that they would not want Sabah and Sarawak issue to challenge their so-called dignity and Malay political supremacy and dominance.

However, there’s nothing that Putrajaya can do about the numerous anti-Malaysia comments in Facebook or emails circulating in cyberspace.

On the one hand, Putrajaya would not want to make heroes out of zeroes.

The more Putrajaya shrieks in public about the issue of Sabah and Sarawak in Malaysia, the worse it will be for them as it will be tantamount to opening the Pandora’s Box.

Putrajaya first pretended to be deaf, dumb and blind when activists in Sabah and Sarawak started “wagging their tails”.

They pretended to be much bigger than anything that can be thrown at them.

Meanwhile, multiple themes on Malaysia are being promoted by individuals locally or groups based abroad and which certainly do not run foul of the law.

Besides the “we want to stand on our own two feet” lobby, State Reform Party (Star) Sabah chairman and Bingkor state assemblyman Jeffrey Kitingan, for one, has been questioning Putrajaya on the Federal Government’s non-compliance of the 1963 Malaysia Agreement.

Jeffrey has long been chanting the same mantra since the late 80s and was even incarcerated for this under the Internal Security Act (ISA) in 1990 for two two-year terms, the second cut short in time for the 1994 state elections during which he won Bingkor for the first time.

Then Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad openly accused Jeffrey of plotting to take Sabah out of Malaysia to be its president. Jeffrey, upon his release, claimed that Mahathir advised him not to tell the people what they did not know and not to make the people smart.

Mahathir, in retaliation, alleged that RM4 billion – apparently the difference between spot prices and long-term contract prices – went missing during Jeffrey’s tenure as Sabah Foundation director.

Jeffrey has denied the allegation and welcomed an investigation. A PriceWaterHouse audit found no criminal wrongdoing on the RM4 billion.

An unrepentant Jeffrey wants the 20/18 points in the Malaysia Agreement to be honoured – a Federation of Malaya and a Federation of Malaya, Sabah and Sarawak as one country with two systems like in China.

Jeffrey’s Borneo Heritage Foundation has agreed to sponsor an international forum Malaysia 50 Years On – Expectation vs Reality in Kota Kinabalu on Oct 5.

At least nine papers will be presented by local and international speakers. The conference is being organised by former Borneo Mail managing director and former Star Sabah deputy chairman Paul Voon.

Former Sabah state secretary Simon Sipaun has been preaching, even after being questioned by police not so long ago, that “life was better in Sabah before Malaysia”.

Sipaun’s beef is that “the people in Sabah are living in fear”, their country swamped by illegal immigrants as racial and religious polarisation a la Malaya takes root.

Sipaun will moderate the conference. He will also present a paper on his favourite theme in a late September conference on “Malaysia 50 Years” at the National University of Singapore.

Some activists want to restore the sovereignty of Sabah and Sarawak won on Aug 31, 1963 and July 22, 1963 through the Declaration of Independence from British colonial rule.

Surprisingly, for the first time in 50 years, the Sarawak Government observed July 22 this year as Liberation Day.

Kuching blogger Lina Soo organised a conference at the same time on Sabah and Sarawak’s 50 years in Malaysia. Jeffrey was among the speakers. She moderates a 916 Occupation Day Page in Facebook.

The UK-based Borneo’s Plight in Malaysia Foundation (BOPIM), headed by former Star Sabah deputy chairman Daniel John Jambun, has been making the rounds of several western capitals – Brussels, Amsterdam, Geneva and London – raising awareness on “Malaya’s colonisation of Sabah and Sarawak”.

The BOPIM campaign has been inspired by the contents of declassified colonial documents on Malaysia released in London but not by Putrajaya.

These documents appear to indicate that the British were convinced that Malaya would colonise Sabah and Sarawak after they left.

Daniel John hopes to hit the international circuit again soon but has been handicapped somewhat since Hindraf Makkal Sakthi chairman P. Waythamoorthy joined the government.

Waythamoorthy used to be BOPIM’s honourary international adviser in the United Nations, the US State Department and the House of Commons in the UK.

There’s a case in the High Court of Borneo claiming that the Petroleum Development Act is unconstitutional and illegal.

Activists are alleging that Putrajaya has been stealing Sabah and Sarawak oil and gas since 1976. They want the fields returned before they run dry in 15 years and compensation at eight per cent interest per annum compounded yearly for the stolen commodities.

Other running themes in FaceBook and emails are that Malaysia is a failure – lack of security, poverty and unflattering comparisons with Singapore and Brunei are being cited.

Among others are Sept 16 is Occupation Day since there was “no referendum” on Malaysia; Malaysia is a Bad British Idea; the Sabah Royal Commission of Inquiry is set to be a Great Whitewash and the UN should revisit Malaysia in Borneo following allegations of colonisation.

The betting in Sabah and Sarawak is that Putrajaya’s own “guilty conscience on Malaysia”, will eventually kill them in Borneo.

The activists are realistic enough to be convinced that it would not be enough to say “boo” when the day comes for “Putrajaya to flee from Borneo in sheer terror with its tails between its legs”.

Police nab duo with Chin Peng items

A tip-off that two men were bringing in the ashes of Chin Peng turned out to be false as the duo were only having paraphernalia of the former communist party leader.
FULL REPORT

GEORGE TOWN: Police arrested two men last night following a tip off that they were bringing in ashes of deceased communist leader Chin Peng via the Penang International Airport in Bayan Lepas.

A Malaysian from Penang and a Hong Kong national, who took a flight from Bangkok, were arrested on arrival at the Penang airport at 10.30pm.

However, police later found that the two were only having paraphernalia of the former communist leader.

The local man is a local branch chairman of a prominent party and a brother to a former deputy minister.

Security forces were mobilised and the airport was put under heavy guard after the tip-off.

The police only found a portrait of Chin Peng, eight digital video discs, 11 souveniers, a cap displaying a communist emblem and 13 books and documents, all linked to communism and Chin Peng.

The Malaysian, 66 and foreigner, 59, were later taken to the Bayan Baru police station for questioning under the Printing Presses and Publications Act 1984, and were released some five hours later at 3.30am.

When contacted, the branch leader, who declined to be identified, said that he and his foreign friend were treated well by the police.

He said police had seized the items and revealed that his foreign friend was released without any conditions.

He however, declined to reveal on whether he had attended Chin Peng’s funeral in Bangkok on Monday.

Possible ban on Chin Peng’s book

Penang police chief Deputy Comm Abdul Rahim Hanafi said last night the police were investigating on whether the duo had attended Chin Peng’s funeral in Bangkok on Monday.

Chin Peng died in a Bangkok hospital on Sept 16 at the age of 90 and was cremated at the Wat That Thong temple in Bangkok on Monday.

His death sparked controversy here with Umno and other Malay-based non-governmental organisation leaders saying that Chin Peng’s body should not be allowed to be buried or cremated in his hometown Sitiawan.

Putrajaya had even prohibited Chin Peng’s ashes from being brought into Malaysia.

The MCA, Pakatan Rakyat and former Inspector-General of Police Abdul Rahim Mohd Noor have urged Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak to respect the 1989 Haadyai Peace Accord signed between Malaysia, Thailand and the Communist Party of Malaya.

Several lawyers had said there was no law to bar Chin Peng’s ashes from being brought to his hometown but Najib has refused to give in and upheld the government’s ban on Chin Peng ashes.

When met at the Parliament, Home Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi denied that the police have arrested the duo, saying that the individuals were merely held up for investigations.

He said he would instruct relevant departments to study whether is there a need to impose a ban on Chin Peng’s book.

PKR MP Surendran thrown out of Dewan

The Speaker orders the Padang Serai MP out for wanting to discuss a custodial death matter.
UPDATED

KUALA LUMPUR: PKR’s Padang Serai MP N. Surendran was ejected from the Dewan Rakyat shortly after the session opened this morning due to his insistence to move a petition before the question and answer session.

Surendran cited Standing Order 14(f) to move a petition for the house to discuss the death in custody of P Karuna Nithi, whose post mortem report says he suffered 49 injury marks.

Speaker Pandikar Amin Mulia first thought that Surendran raised a point of order, but later said that the petition can be heard after the Q and A session.

Surendran, however, insisted that it should be heard immediately, which sparked a shouting match and ended with him being thrown out from the house.

Pandikar did not said the days that Surendran would be barred, hence PKR Subang MP R Sivarasa said Surendran would most probably face a two-day ban.

Speaking to reporters at the Parliament’s lobby later, Surendran said the Standing Order 14(f) allows MPs to raise a petition on behalf of the people before the question and answer session.

The PKR MP also said that he tried to explain the matter to Pandikar, but was denied a chance.

The petition was to urge the authorities to scrap the inquest into the death of Karuna Nithi, since there was already medical evidence to prove that the victim was assaulted before he died.

It is also intended to compel the Home Ministry to take action against the police personnel involved in Karuna Nithi’s death.

“What power does the Speaker have to prevent the family of a victim who died in custody to bring up a petition?

“The Speaker is appointed by Umno. This is the height of Umno’s arrogance,” said Surendran, who is also a PKR vice president.

When Kota Bharu MP Takiyuddin Hassan appealed to Pandikar to reconsider his decision, Pandikar dismissed the matter.

Explaining his decision, Pandikar said that although Surendran is entitled to raise the petition before the question and answer session, he decided to strike it out after considering its merits.

“Surendran has submitted a formal letter to me beforehand, but after going through the content of the petition and considering the government’s views that an inquest is needed to establish the reason behind Karuna Nithii’s death, I decided not to allow it to be debated,” he said.

On how long Surendran will be barred from the House, Pandikar said he has yet to decide on the matter.

Let Chin Peng's remains stay in Thailand, says Pas Dewan Ulamak chief

Pas Ulamak chief Harun (left) believes Chin Peng's remains should remain in Thailand 

as he is not a citizen. (Graphics by Dayang Norazhar/The Mole)

KUALA LUMPUR:  A Pas leader thinks that it is better that the remains of former Communist Party of Malaya leader Chin Peng, to stay in Thailand.

Pas Dewan Ulamak chief Datuk Harun Taib told The Mole: “In Islam, where ever a person dies, that is where they should be buried.”

Harun, who is also Pas Syura council member however stressed that he was not commenting on behalf of the party but as a Muslim.

The Pas Terengganu commissioner said from the political viewpoint he also felt believed that Chin Peng's remains should remain where it is at present as the communist leader was not a Malaysian.

“Politically speaking, he is not a Malaysians and his remains should not be brought back,” added Harun.

Prior to this, Pas central committee member Datuk Dzulkefly Ahmad in a news report said Chin Peng’s ashes should be allowed back into the country in the name of justice.

“I recall they (CPM) agreed to lay down their weapons and, as far as I am concerned, that is a ceasefire,” Dzulkefly was quoted as saying.

Pas Kedah leader Fadzil Baharom was also reported to have attended Chin Peng’s wake on September 22 in Bangkok where the communist leader had died.

Fadzil said his presence at the wake was not representing Pakatan Rakyat rather it was his own personal reason to which he believed that his presence at Chin Peng’s wake would not have any significance now but would be a historical moment in five to 10 years' time over his bravery to attend the wake. 

Harun when asked what he thought about Dzulkefly's and Fadzil’s views said he was unable to comment, adding: “I cannot comment on other issues, that you would have to ask the Pas president (Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang).”

Prior to this, Pas president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang said the party accepted the government's stand not to allow Chin Peng to be cremated in the country.

Hadi was reported as saying that the ban had already been issued by the government and any opinion from the Islamic party would not change the decision that has already been made.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak banned Chin Peng’s body from returning to which he compared the latter’ s death to the way the Americans treated Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden’s body.

"If you see it that in the context of how the Americans treated Osama bin Laden, you know. You could see that Chin Peng died a natural death. Osama bin Laden was singled out, and he was killed and his body was just thrown into the sea. That's what the Americans did in the case of Osama bin Laden."

Opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim shared a different sentiment over the issue of Chin Peng’s final resting saying that it was time to let bygones be bygones as the CPM leader had signed the Hat Yai 1989 Peace Accord.

However DAP leaders argued that Chin Peng was a freedom fighter who contributed in achieving independence in an armed struggle against the Japanese and British forces.

On September 23, Chin Peng was cremated at the Wat That Thong in Bangkok around 6 pm attended by over a hundred ex-comrades of CPM, Parti Sosialis Malaysia deputy chairman M. Sarasvathy, former Thai prime minister Gen Chavalit Yongchaiyudh, Thai military commanders Gen Datuk Kitti Ratanachaya and General Pisarn Wattanawongkiri alongside family members of the deceased.

Kerfuffle at Penang airport over alleged smuggling of Chin Peng’s ashes

(MM) - A commotion broke out at the Penang International Airport late last night when local authorities mistakenly nabbed two men for allegedly carrying in the ashes of former Communist leader Chin Peng.
The suspicion turned out to be a false alarm, however, when it was discovered that the duo, who had arrived on a direct flight from Bangkok, Thailand, at about 10pm, were merely carrying paraphernalia in memory of the now-deceased leader.

As such, instead of ashes, the police only found printed materials, books and CDs about Chin Peng in the men’s luggage.

They were taken to the Bayan Baru police station for questioning under the Printing Presses and Publications Act 1984. As at 1am this morning, the duo were yet to be released.

Chin Peng’s body was cremated at the Bangkok Wat That Thong temple in Bangkok at about 6pm on Monday.

He had reportedly died in a Bangkok hospital on September 16 at 90 years old.

The leader’s death sparked controversy here, with several Umno leaders condemning him as a terrorist and others stressing his role in liberating the country from British colonial rule.

Umno-aligned broadsheet Utusan Malaysia claimed over the weekend that Chin Peng’s date of death had been manipulated to coincide with Malaysia Day to make it a memorable event, saying that he had actually breathed his last on September 15.

His family has since rubbished the claim.

Putrajaya has also insisted on prohibiting Chin Peng’s ashes from being brought into Malaysia, despite his last wish to be buried in his hometown in Sitiawan, Perak.

Home Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi reportedly said that Chin Peng was not a Malaysian citizen, and that allowing his remains into the country would lead to his veneration.

The MCA, Pakatan Rakyat (PR) and even former Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Tan Sri Abdul Rahim Mohd Noor, however, have told Putrajaya to respect the 1989 Hat Yai Peace Accord signed between Malaysia, Thailand and the CPM that allowed CPM members, who laid down their arms, to return to their homeland.

Lawyers have also said that there is no specific law that Putrajaya can use to bar Chin Peng’s ashes from being brought into Malaysia.

But Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak had emphatically said that this would not be permitted.

Karachi: Burning and Dying

How do they ever stop this?

Once known as the City of Lights, Pakistan's commercial capital is in chaos
The spate of violence that has engulfed Karachi, Pakistan's chaotic commercial and economic hub, has come to resemble in many ways the lawlessness of the tribal areas, giving it the dubious distinction of being known as the world's most dangerous megacity.
Armed gangs operate with impunity and without fear of detention, holding hostage the city, teeming with about 18 million people. It is estimated that more than 8,000 people have died in past five years or so as the militant wings of political parties, sectarian outfits and criminal gangs continue to battle for domination.
Thousands of innocent people have died, but even this number does not and can't fully reflect the multidimensional problems Karachi faces. It has political, economic, social, religious, demographic, and external dimensions, which demand a carefully crafted national policy to tackle. The Taliban dimension is a recent addition to the problems. The near collapse of law-enforcement and governance has turned Karachi into a virtually lawless territory with the population living in a perpetual state of fear.
What is most frightening is the prospect of the city becoming the new battleground for the Taliban and other militant groups. The breakdown of law and order and the bloody strife among the alleged armed wings of the ruling coalition partners has given huge space to militants fleeing low-intensity military operations in Swat and South Waziristan.
With the presence of thousands of fugitives, the city has become the country's biggest sanctuary for militants who find little difficulty in blending into large immigrant populations from the northwest. Hundreds of radical madrassahs across the city not only provide them with shelter and logistical support but also a constant supply of recruits. The militants have hugely benefited from the criminalization of politics and ethnic tension.
High-profile terrorist attacks have taken place against military and other security installations, including a 2011 raid on the Mehran Naval Airbase that lasted for 17 hours and resulted in the deaths of 10 security personnel and the loss of two US-manufactured surveillance planes, and the car bombing of a CID detention center the same year that resulted in the deaths of seven security personnel.
Not surprisingly, some security officials compare the Karachi situation with North Waziristan, the tribal agency which is described as the center of gravity for militants and terrorism. It is perhaps for this reason that Major General Rizwan Akhtar, the Director General of the Sindh Pakistan Rangers,said similar things in his report to the Supreme Court of Pakistan, pointing out not only the influx of terrorists from the tribal agencies, but hinting the involvement of ‘foreign elements' behind the whole problem.
Akhtar pointed out that some 19,000 containers of weapons and vehicles had gone missing during the tenure of Rehman Malik, the Interior Minister of the previous PPP government. Establishing a connection between Karachi and tribal areas, the DG reported that weapons that are first taken to tribal areas and from there are again smuggled into Karachi.
Going further into the nature of the problem he pointed out that 78 percent of the illegal weapons being used in Karachi were foreign-manufactured, including AK-47s and 9mm guns, which were being used mainly in committing murders and launching terrorist attacks.
Mafias fight over control of turf or land. In order to wage their fight, they need funds. And, in order to acquire those funds they need to extort. And, in order to extort, they need to control a patch of land. This struggle over land and the growing demand for it coupled with a limited supply has driven violence and violent group formation in Karachi for decades. What is further igniting this conflict is the demographic change which is taking place in Karachi now for many years.
It's common knowledge that Karachi is a migrant's city. What is less commonly appreciated is that the migrants consist in large part of people displaced by conflict. The first to come were refugees, or population fleeing violent persecution and conflict were those who call themselves Mohajirs today. The next wave consisted of those today referred to as the Biharis, who ended up in a patch of land outside Karachi at that time with little more than the shirts on their backs. That patch of land is today called Orangi Town, but at that time it was an informal settlement outside the city limits.
The next big influx of people fleeing violent conflict were the Afghans, in the 1980s, followed by another wave of Pashtun migrants in the latest round of conflict in Afghanistan.
With each wave of migration, a new fault line has been created in the city's ethnic constitution. Then there are the economic migrants, displaced not by conflict but by opportunity. According to some estimates, close to a million people are added to its population each year, making Karachi the fastest-growing city in the world. The massive influx of immigrants from the northwest in recent years has significantly changed the ethnic balance.
The tug of war between the largely Pashtun Awami National Party and the liberal, Urdu-speaking Muttahida Qaumi Movement, or MQM, is a manifestation of the city`s new demographic reality and ensuing political dynamics. It is as much a battle for control the city as for killing political and ethnic identity of the rival political groups, thereby weakening their political support.
The power struggle has taken a violent turn owing to the parties' alleged patronage of criminal elements involved in land grabbing, arms smuggling and extortion. According to some studies, more than 200 well-armed criminal gangs with political patronage are operating in Karachi, adding to its volatility.
This constant influx of migrants has strained the city's capacity to absorb them. On the one hand, the economy has not been able to generate jobs fast enough to put the rapidly growing demographic to work, and on the other hand, the city infrastructure and its institutions for settlement and management of residential areas have not been able to keep pace.
The result has been large unregulated and illegal settlements springing up on the outskirts of the city, eventually being absorbed by the growing metropolis. A large part of the violence plaguing the city today grows out of this very process of absorbing unregulated settlements.
What has made the situation more dangerous is the inability of the government to crack down on the perpetrators, many of whom are said to come from within the ranks of different political parties. The liberal Pakistan People's Party, which was led by Benazir Bhutto until her assassination, and which heads the government in the province that surrounds the city, is also allegedly patronizing some of the criminal gangs to expand its political base in the city itself, deliberately escalating the violence to achieve certain political ends.
Politicization of the law enforcement agencies has further exacerbated the situation. At least 40 percent of the Karachi police force has reportedly been recruited on political grounds rather than on merit. Many are said to have criminal records. Politicization has become more pronounced after the Sindh government repealed Police Order of 2002, giving powers of transfer and appointment of senior officers to the provincial government. Since then it has become much easier for the ruling parties to get police officers of their choice posted in their constituencies to protect their illegal activities.
Fear of repercussions is a strong factor contributing to professional police officers not being proactive in cracking down on politically connected criminals.
They cannot be blamed for maintaining a low profile after what happened to the officers who were involved in 1995 operations against militant groups during Nawaz Sharif's previous reign. Almost all were said to have been assassinated by militant groups of political parties, especially MQM.
Life in Karachi has thus been paralyzed. There are many areas where people cannot go for various reasons. Local newspaper reports say there are eight main flashpoints in Karachi where hundreds of people have died in this year alone over inter-party politics, drug mafias, kidnapping, extortion, activities of the Tahrik-i-Taliban Pakistan, the local Talib known as the TPP.
The spate of violence has thus led to current targeted operations by the police and the Rangers. Although hundreds of arrests have taken place since September 5, no major terrorist leader, kidnapper or extortion group has been taken into custody. Similarly, although operations are taking place, neither the Rangers nor the police have yet been able to penetrate the city's no-go areas and it is very doubtful they would succeed in crushing these virtually lawless areas.
The operations, on the other hand, are more likely to result in prolonged fighting. Karachi's problems are multi-dimensional and a multi-dimensional approach and policy is needed. For implementing such a policy, the state needs to reform, depoliticize the police and give the policemen incentive of security of life to work independently. The Rangers can't stay in Karachi forever, and ultimately it is the local police which must accomplish the task.
Reforming Karachi police, de-weaponization of militant groups and creating career opportunities for the vulnerable youth are extremely essential aspects of the proposed strategy to bring peace back to what was once known as the "city of lights." It is now a city of tragic darkness.

The End of Poverty, Soon

Appealing for peace 50 years ago, President John F. Kennedy told the Irish Parliament, “The problems of the world cannot possibly be solved by skeptics or cynics, whose horizons are limited by the obvious realities. We need men who can dream of things that never were and ask, why not?”

Today, more and more people are dreaming of a world free of poverty.

In April, the Development Committee of the World Bank set the goal of ending extreme poverty by the year 2030. More recently, the United Nations General Assembly working group on global goals concluded that “eradicating poverty in a generation is an ambitious but feasible goal.” As one who wrote in 2005 that ours was the generation that could end extreme poverty, I am pleased to see this idea take hold at the highest levels.

Are these errant dreams as the world barrels toward more confusion, conflict and climate change, or is there something substantial in the recent wave of high-level interest in the idea? The evidence is on the side of the optimists. And the evidence also supports both those who favor more markets and those who favor more public-private strategies. It’s all a matter of context.

The global picture will surprise doomsayers. According to the World Bank’s scorecard, the proportion of households in developing countries below the extreme-poverty line (now measured as $1.25 per person per day at international prices) has declined sharply, from 52 percent in 1980, to 43 percent in 1990, 34 percent in 1999, and 21 percent in 2010. Even sub-Saharan Africa, the region with the most recalcitrant poverty, is finally experiencing a notable decline, from 58 percent in 1999 to 49 percent in 2010.

The gains are more marked in health. According to the latest Unicef study this month, the mortality rate of children under 5 in Africa declined from 177 deaths per 1,000 births in 1990, to 155 per 1,000 births in 2000, to 98 per 1,000 in 2012. This is still too high, but the rate of progress is rapid and accelerating.

While the recent gains are undoubted, the question is how to ensure that progress on incomes, health and other dimensions of poverty eradication (including access to schooling, safe water, electricity, sewerage) continues until extreme poverty is vanquished. Debates rage on this question and often shed more heat than light.

Here are the basics: economic growth, and hence a market economy, is vital. Africa’s poverty is declining in part because its growth rate picked up from 2.3 percent per year during the lackluster years of 1990-2000 to 5.7 percent during 2000-10. Without economic growth, there cannot be sustained gains in income, health and other areas. Continued progress depends on heavy investments in major infrastructure — water, electricity, waste management — and these in turn depend on large-scale private financing, hence a suitable market framework.

So anti-market sentiment is no friend of poverty reduction. But neither is free-market fundamentalism. Economic growth and poverty reduction can’t be achieved by free markets alone. Disease control, public education, the promotion of new science and technology, and protection of the natural environment are public functions that must align with private market forces.

Consider two keys to Africa’s recent poverty reduction. The first is the introduction of cellphones, which have revolutionized communication and much else in both remote African villages and the streets of Manhattan. Smartphones are poised to transform education, health care, finance and agricultural value chains. Malaria control, made possible by new technologies, including long-lasting bed nets, rapid diagnostic tests and a new generation of medicines, has also played a vital role in reducing poverty in Africa.

In both cases, the private sector has been essential, not only in developing breakthrough technologies but also enabling them to spread in a short time. Hundreds of millions of cellphones and hundreds of millions of bed nets have helped slash rural poverty in the past few years.

Yet the public sector is also critical. Public funds finance crucial scientific and technological breakthroughs. The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria, an agency backed by international public funds, has financed the mass distribution of the bed nets. Malaria is down by at least 30 percent as a result. Smartphone applications for community health workers are now similarly being hugely scaled up with increased public as well as private backing.

One can say that the fight to end poverty is helping to forge a new kind of mixed capitalism. Old debates of public versus private are being superseded by new strategies that involve both the public and private sectors. The need for both will become more urgent as climate change and water scarcity intensify. Also, the idea of bold global goals’ driving bold actions is proving the cynics wrong. A global commitment to ending extreme poverty will spur creativity and action.

As Kennedy also declared a half-century ago, “By defining our goal more clearly — by making it seem more manageable and less remote — we can help all people to see it, to draw hope from it, and to move irresistibly toward it.”

Jeffrey D. Sachs is special adviser to the United Nations Secretary General on the Millennium Development Goals and director of the Earth Institute.

Minister replies to MPs who want an alternative law body

The Star

THERE cannot be two Bar Councils in the country, says Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department in charge of law Datuk Nancy Shukri.

“Lawyers may be able to have a separate society to defend their rights, but the fact is that there can never be another Bar Council,” she said during the second reading of the Legal Profession (Amendment) Act 2012.

She was responding to comments from MPs who had questioned the Bar Council’s impartiality and called for an alternative Bar to be created.

Earlier, Datuk Bung Mokhtar Radin (BN - Kinabatangan) claimed that the Bar Council had appeared to have “turned its back on the country and people’s aspirations”.

Datuk Shamsul Anuar Nasarah (BN - Lenggong) said the Bar Council often dragged the people into issues unsuitable to its role.

Datuk Seri Noh Omar (BN - Tanjung Karang) went further and questioned the integrity of some senior lawyers.

“The Bar Council practises double standards. It criticises the Govern­ment, but keeps silent when the Opposition commits wrong-doings.

“The Bar Council should remain impartial with regard to justice and the law,” he added.

On the Legal Profession (Amend­ment) Act 2012, Nancy said local legal firms would be protected in the event of the liberalisation of legal practice in Malaysia.

“We have advised GLCs and international banks based here to give priority to local law firms when they engage legal services,” she said.

She added that foreign lawyers and law firms registered to practise would be monitored by a select committee to ensure national interests are protected.

“Foreign lawyers and law firms must first receive a practising licence from the select committee.

“Each applicant will also have to present a business plan.

“They will be permitted to provide legal advice and consultation on foreign matters, and are subject to all the rules and regulations of the Bar Council and its disciplinary board,” she said.

Special Laboratory To Tackle Syiah Issue - Jamil Khir

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 25 (Bernama) -- The government has set up a special laboratory to tackle and prevent the spread of Syiah teachings among the people in the country.

Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Jamil Khir Baharom said the laboratory, involving 46 relevant agencies, was also expected to come up with a suitable action plan to tackle the Syiah issue.

He said among the agencies were the Malaysian Islamic Development Department (JAKIM), state Islamic religious departments, Education Ministry, Home Ministry and the police.

"The laboratory has been set up in Melaka and we really wish that it will be able to tackle the Syiah issue in a comprehensive and effective manner," he told reporters after chairing the Syariah Law Enforcement Coordination Committee meeting here Wednesday.

Also present was JAKIM director-general Datuk Othman Mustapha.

Jamil Khir said JAKIM would also carry out public briefings and roadshows to put some light on the issue and the danger of Syiah teachings to the people.

-- BERNAMA

Banyak Orang Indonesia Jadi Menteri di Malaysia

Menteri Dalam Negeri Malaysia Ahmad Zahid Hamidi mengungkapkan, lebih dari separuh dari total menteri di Malaysia adalah keturunan Indonesia. Dia pun menyebut betapa dekatnya hubungan antara kedua negara bertetangga ini.

"Hubungan dua negara luar biasa dekatnya dan Duta Besar Herman Prayitno juga luar biasa. Kami di Malaysia senang dengan beliau," kata Zahid pada Resepsi Diplomatik menyambut HUT ke-68 Republik Indonesia di Kuala Lumpur, Senin (2/9) malam.

Salah satu menteri Malaysia keturunan Indonesia adalah Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, yang keturunan Jawa. Sejumlah menteri Malaysia lainnya ada yang berketurunan bugis, minang dan sejumlah suku di Indonesia.

Menurut Zahid, hubungan darah antara kedua negara ini dapat mengatasi banyak masalah dan merupakan pendekatan untuk mempererat hubungan mulai dari pemimpin, budayawan, sampai pelaku bisnis.

Dia percaya hubungan kedua negara ini di masa mendatang akan terus menguat. Sementara, mengenai operasi pendatang asing tanpa izin yang telah digelar sejak 1 September, Zahid mengaku sudah berbicara dengan KBRI Kuala Lumpur.

"Saya sudah bicara dengan Pak Dubes Herman, apa yang akan kam lakukan. Jangan khawatir karena kami akan menjaga kebajikan para pekerja. Mereka akan pulang sebentar dan kami tengah melakukan upaya agar mereka dapat kembali ke Malaysia," kata dia.