Karpal: Blame Dr M for poor English

The policies of Dr Mahathir Mohamad when he was education minister is the cause of the poor standard of English today, said DAP' Karpal Singh

GEORGE TOWN: DAP national chairman…

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The policies of Dr Mahathir Mohamad when he was education minister is the cause of the poor standard of English today, said DAP' Karpal Singh

GEORGE TOWN: DAP national chairman Karpal Singh has blamed former Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad for the poor command of English among Malaysians today.

The Bukit Gelugor MP said Dr Mahathir must be held fully responsible was his policies during his time as the Education Minister (1974-1978) that started the English rot in Malaysia.

Karpal said before Mahathir was Education Minister, Malaysia was on par with Singapore in the standard of English.

He said Mathathir’s wrong priorities caused the standard of English had declined far behind Singapore.

He said a camparision must be made because Singapore was once under the Malaya and administered by the British.

“We should turn the clock back and ask Mahathir to explain on how the standard of English has declined in Malaysia.

“He should be blamed for the poor English among Malaysians,” Karpal told newsmen during his constituency visit here today.

He was commenting on findings of a forum on “Legal Education in Malaysia, The Way Foward” on Friday at Taylor’s University’s Lakeside campus.

The forum was told that both the legal education and profession were plagued by poor command of English

Karpal said the standard of English had dropped drastically not only among those in the legal profession but among Malaysians generally.

He said there were lawyers who were hesitant to speak in English and ministers who could not speak good English.

“I wonder how the ministers communicate in international forums?” asked Karpal.

He called on the government to face universal reality and correct past mistakes to improve the standard of English.

He suggested that although Bahasa Malaysia was the national language, English should be also be given equal importance, starting from education policies.

“One cannot run away from the fact that English is the international language. Even Russia and China have recognised it,” he said.

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Another case of a pupil quizzed by cops

The child’s mother, Yogeswary Erusan, said that during the Sept 27 incident she was not allowed to be in the room where her son was being quizzed as well as…

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The child’s mother, Yogeswary Erusan, said that during the Sept 27 incident she was not allowed to be in the room where her son was being quizzed as well as threatened by the police officer over a complaint lodged against a teacher.

“I was not in the room at the police station. I was told to wait outside while my son was questioned,” she told Malaysiakini.

She said according to her 10-year-old son, he was asked whether Yogeswary’s police report against his teacher was true, to which he responded in the affirmative.

He was also asked about his past disciplinary problems and subsequently threatened with arrest if his claims were found to be untrue.

Malaysiakini is withholding the names of the parties involved pending their comments.

“We don’t know if this (the threat) is serious or if they are just trying to frighten the child,” said Malaysian Tamilan Today secretary K Gunasekaran, who is helping Yogeswary with her predicament.

Gunasekaran is seeking legal advice over the matter, particularly from Malaysian Centre for Constitutionalism and Human Rights coordinator Edmund Bon.

Bon had been quoted in theSun last month saying that the parents of students from another primary school - the controversial SK Seri Pristana in Sungai Buloh - should sue the police for questioning their child over the “shower room canteen” issue without their consent and claim damages for causing emotional distress.

Yogeswary had lodged a police report against the teacher on Sept 25, claiming that the teacher had hit her son on the right arm with a shoe for not bringing his exercise book.

She claimed that the school’s headmaster had called her to a meeting on the following morning and asked her to retract the report, which she refused.

Yogeswary added the teacher had conceded to have brandished the shoe but did not hit her child with it.

“Although the teacher says she didn’t hit my son and my son said she did, we didn’t see it. But in any case, how can a teacher brandish a shoe at a student?” she said.

Transfer to new school

Gunasekaran said he would take the matter up to the state education department next week, and follow up the matter with the Education Ministry later.

In the meantime, he said the child is being transferred to a new school and his NGO is helping to foot the additional transportation fees.
          
The former disciplinary teacher added that according to the ministry’s regulations, only the headmaster, teacher in charge of students’ affairs, disciplinary teachers, and any other teaching staff authorised in writing by the headmaster may issue corporal punishment against student.

Even so, he said the punishment is limited to caning.

“Definitely not with shoes, handbags, books, or any other thing that teachers have used in the past,” he said.

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Dr Vijay: Umno's stability is Malaysia's stability

Minister: Can you change bad behaviour in 150 days?

WEST BENGAL POLICE IS TORTURING COW LOVERS FOR PROMOTING COW SLAUGHTER ON BAKAR EID.

WB Police is torturing upon Cow Lovers for promoting Cow Slaughter on Bakar Eid. Illegal Cow Market in front of the Office of SP (Rural) Howrah by flouting all existing…

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WB Police is torturing upon Cow Lovers for promoting Cow Slaughter on Bakar Eid. Illegal Cow Market in front of the Office of SP (Rural) Howrah by flouting all existing laws and Court Orders. 

~ Upananda Brahmachari. 

Flash News: Uluberia ACJM Court | 04 Oct 2013:: Today Hon’ble Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate of Uluberia Court today granted bail to all five arrested Hindu boys conditionally. The learned advocates for the accused persons moved the bail petition and denied allegations raised by the the Govt Pleader and the Learned Court granted of bail.  The vindictive police authority brought allegations under section 143/149/341/323/325/379/427/186/353 and 120 B of IPC in relation to Uluberia PS Case No. 843 and 844 dt. 03-10-2013. The united Hindu Youth Forum decided to move legally further before the Hon’ble Calcutta High Court for punishment for the vindictive police personnel who tortured upon Hindu youths and helping the illegal cow trading, cow transportation, cow markets and cow slaughter through various provisions of law and Orders given by the Hon’ble Supreme Court of India and Honb’le Calcutta High Court.  

An oxymoron. Secular plus Islamist bigot. Not a man at all.

Do you know Dr. Bharat Lal Meena, one IPS officer in West Bengal, in the capacity of Superintendent of Police of Howrah (Rural)? [email: sphowrahrural@gmail.com and phone no. 033-2661-6210, 033-2661-6400 and his mobile no is +91-9674100400]. I have never seen such a filthy creature having a Dr. tag with it! When I wanted to discuss with him for a matter in his office at Paniara, Howrah, with our advocates, this stooge of Islamist used abusive language like *B-h-n-c-o-d* (sister fu-k-r] and threatened us to *break our legs* if we continue any movement for saving cows before Bakar Eid. This Bharat Lal Meena hails from Rajasthan and has a link with Hamdard Study Circle, which is a prime Islamic Institution of India.

I was then fervently submitting our representation to take action for restoration of Hon’ble Supreme Court and Calcutta High Court’s Order for banning Cow Slaughter on Bakri Eid, grossly violating existing rules and regulations.

On 3rd Oct, 2013, there was a road accident between an Inova Car  (beating no. KA 03 MP 116) and a vehicle carrying cattle near Khalisani Kalitala upon NH-6 under Uluberia PS at about 1 pm. After the road accident a long row of vehicles were put on a road jam and an altercation held between the owner of the car and the cattle carrying vehicle.

Incidentally, some vehicles full of cattle were also seen in the row which irritated the locals as the cattle were carried in a very inhumane manner. In an argumentative point, there was a collision between the illegal cow traders and the aggrieved locals, then protesting to stop torture on cows on vehicle. No vehicle had any proper challan with them for the transportation of cows.

To clear the road jam and see the law order situation a contingent of police came to the spot at about 2 pm from Uluberia Police Station under the instruction of SP, Howrah Rural.

The local villagers of Khalisani Kalitala, headed by Sri Ranjan Ranjit and Debashis Ranjit requested the police to cease the cattle (over 300 in numbers) with the vehicle bearing numbers, WB-41-6-1976, WB-65-B-0188, WB-65-B-0233, WB-25-D-3664, WB-11-A-8404, WB-23-E-2870, WB-29-A-6855 and so on. The villagers also pointed out the illegal cow market in front of Howrah SP (Rural) Office at Paniara. They demanded to stop the illegal cow trading, carrying and holding market in front of a Dist level Police Office.

The Police Inspector on Duty present on the spot, Mr. Anirban Das assured to take necessary action if the agitators file an FIR formally at Uluberia PS and requested the leaders to go to Uluberia PS.

Relying upon Mr Das, the agitators made their mind to reach Uluberia PS and some of them got into their car to proceed.

All on a sudden Police started lathi charge, tortured barbarically upon villagers present there and arrested Sri Ranjan Ranjit nad Debashis Ranjit and sent them in an other place immediately. The Sub Inspector Anirban Das and Maidul Islam jointly ruffed up Hindu youths brutally.

Finding no other ways, the leaders present there, Acharya Yogesh Shastri (Arya Samaj), Upananda Brahmachari (Hindu Existence), Chittaranjan Sural (Hindu Janjagruti Samiti), Rajesh Yadav (Rajasthan Go Shala), Subrata Gupta (President Cow Cell, BJP, WB) and others reached the SP Office at Paniara to release the cow lovers and make stringent action agaist illegal cow traders.

But, after awaiting over 45 minutes, we had a chance to meet a Dr. Bharat Lal Meena, who was nothing but a stooge of Islamist and the puppet in the hands of Md, Sultan Ahamed, MP of this area (Uluberia Loksabha), Haider Aziz Safi (Uluberia Bidhan Sabha) and Gulshan Mallik (Panchla Bidhan Sabha) the local eyeballs of cow eater Muslims. More over, it is reported to us that the local MP and MLA have a good understanding with Ms Mamta Banerjee, the Chief Minister of West Bengal, to run all illegal cow markets in Howrah like Paniara, Dhulagarh and Panchpara.

The SP (Rural), Howrah, ill behaved with our lawyers, with this writer and the leaders of BJP Cow Cell, West Bengal. The SP Office denied to receive Letters/FIR fron BJP Cow Cell, but anyway received an letter upon request of Upananda Brahmachari and Vijay Raj Gupta.

As there was no trace of arrested persons for a long time, some of villagers then reached to Uluberia Police Station, where they found Ranjan and Debashis in custody. But, when the villagers and the BJP Cow Cell Leaders wanted to submit FIR again, the Police again started misbehaving.

In this juncture Police again arrested three persons, named Biswanath Santra, Anup Dhul and Surojit Karmakar.

Police is trying to put Sec. 353 and 186 of IPC against the arrested persons so that the arrested Hindu persons may be kept in Jail in Durga Puja timings as to earn a special festive mood in Bakar Eid.

In Camera at Khalisani Kalitala upon NH-6 on 03-10-2013

While five Hindus have been arrested for fight against illegal cow slaughter and trying restoration of the provision of laws and Hon’ble orders of apex curt and Calcutta High Court, the illegal cow traders and the Muslim offenders were offered to escape. No Muslims were arrested so far for illegal cow trading, carrying near Khunsuni Kalitala, Paniara, Panchpara or Dhulagari.

On 4th Oct, all joint force of Hindu Orgs will move bail for arrested persons through their advocates at Uluberia Court and to move further accordingly, if necessary.

I want to alert these Mamta Banerjee, Bharat Lal Meena or Anirban Das etc., as the coming days are very dangerous for them while they would be victimized by the Islamists. Now, you are torturing Hindus under an Islamic control. The time will come, when you have to taste what an Islamic torture is. Think the situation of Hindu commoners, politicians, police personnel etc. in Bangladesh and Pakistan right now! Think rightly.

Illegal Cow Market Before SP (Rural) Office at Paniara, Howrah.

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Kenya: Muslim rioters torch church after police kill jihadist cleric

The church had nothing to do with the killing of the cleric, of course. But for the rioters, it is all one big enemy. "Kenya rioters torch church after Muslim…

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The church had nothing to do with the killing of the cleric, of course. But for the rioters, it is all one big enemy. "Kenya rioters torch church after Muslim cleric killed," from AFP, October 4 (thanks to Lookmann):

MOMBASA: Rioters set fire to a church in Kenya's port city of Mombasa Friday, in furious battles with the police sparked by the killing of a Muslim cleric, police said. Witnesses said one protester was shot and wounded, as armed paramilitary police moved towards a mosque, whose leaders have been accused of links to Somalia's Islamist Shebab, insurgents who attacked a Nairobi shopping mall last month.
Riots were sparked after unknown gunmen assassinated a popular Muslim preacher and his three companions in a drive-by shooting late on Thursday, a killing that mirrored the murder of another cleric last year which provoked days of deadly riots.
Radical preachers have said the killing Thursday was an "execution" by the police, claims the force has denied.
"They have burnt the Salvation Army church and we are now trying to repulse them with tear gas," a senior police officer said.
Slain cleric Sheikh Ibrahim Ismail was viewed as the successor to Aboud Rogo Mohammed, a controversial preacher accused of links to Somalia's Shebab insurgents, who was shot dead in August 2012.
Like in the case of Rogo, radical preachers have said the killing of Ismail was an "execution" by the police, which denied the claims.
Thick smoke apparently from burning tyres rose around Mombasa's Masjid Musa mosque — where both Rogo and Ismail used to preach — while police fired tear gas and youths hurled stones in return. Several gunshots were also heard.
One wounded protester with his clothes soaked in blood was rushed to a nearby clinic.
"He was shot in the stomach... he is bleeding profusely and we just pray for him," said Salim Abdallah, a witness.
It was not clear who fired the shot. Mombasa is Kenya's main port and a major tourist hub, popular with visitors coming to enjoy the white sand beaches on the Indian Ocean coastline.
The deaths follow attacks last month by the Shebab, who launched a deadly assault on an upmarket Nairobi shopping mall, killing at least 67 people in a four-day bloodbath.
The Islamists have since threatened "rivers of blood" would flow in fresh attacks if Kenya does not pull its troops out of Somalia.
Rogo was on US and UN sanctions lists for allegedly supporting the Al-Qaeda-linked Shebab, including through recruitment and fundraising.
Another radical cleric, Abubaker Shariff Ahmed -- known more commonly by his nickname "Makaburi" or "grave" in Swahili -- spoke at the site of the attack, where he accused the police of the "outright execution" of his comrades.
"The police are killing people while saying it is a war against terrorism, this is a war against Islam," Makaburi said, a former close colleague of Rogo and also on a UN sanctions lists accused of recruiting and fundraising for the Shebab. "These people have been executed."...

"The police are killing people while saying it is a war against terrorism, this is a war against Islam." Hmmm. That is very close to what "moderate" Muslim spokesmen in the U.S. say. One would almost think they were working from the same playbook.

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Pak reporter gets threatening letter for covering minorities

Malaysia Sun (ANI) Friday 4th October, 2013

A reporter in Pakistan has received a threatening letter for covering minorities.

The Express Tribune Chief Reporter Rana Tanveer received a one-page letter,…

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Malaysia Sun (ANI) Friday 4th October, 2013

A reporter in Pakistan has received a threatening letter for covering minorities.

The Express Tribune Chief Reporter Rana Tanveer received a one-page letter, with stamps of a Multan post office and Lahore Garden Town post office.

Tanveer was termed as 'apostate' by accusing him of favouring minorities, especially Ahmadis and Christians.

According to the Daily Times, the letter started with "Allah-o-Akbar" read: "Rana Tanveer enough is enough. Your favour to Ahmadis and Christians is increasing and now it is my firm belief that you are not a Muslim. You have turned to be an apostate by writing against Islam and in favour of 'anti Islam'."

"We know your purpose of doing such but now it is better for you to stop writing 'against' Islam and in favour of Qadianis or else you will be killed".

The letter, which was written in the name of 'Mard-e-Mujahid', said that in defiance 'you will be hit from where you cannot even imagine'.

The letter was sent on the newspaper's official address and was written in Urdu.

Rana Tanveer said that he always observed objectivity during his professional duties. He said being a Muslim, he cannot even think of writing against Islam.

He added that whatever he writes is based on facts and being a professional journalist it is his duty to do factual reporting. (ANI).

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Home minister: No more talk on weapons lost by police!

Home Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi today defended the integrity of the police force, saying that the weapons lost by the police were due to human error and not foul play.…

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Home Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi today defended the integrity of the police force, saying that the weapons lost by the police were due to human error and not foul play.

He then forbade any more discussion on the matter and said "no more" queries from Malaysiakini.

Asked about the RM1.3 million worth of weapons lost by the police force, as reported by the Auditor-General's Report 2012, Zahid said he was positive that there was no sinister motive behind the missing weapons.The auditor-general reports that handcuffs topped the list of missing items at 156, followed by 44 weapons and 29 police vehicles.

"I know the loss was not due to a breach of trust, deviant acts or elements of bribery," he told reporters.

"It is because of carelessness and mistakes made in the line of duty."

Zahid said he has followed up on the audit report by asking the inspector-general of police to have a standard operating procedure (SOP) and to slap a surcharge on errant officers involved.

He said he hoped next year's audit would not contain such weapons lost reports, as he does not want the "image of the police to be scarred by the auditor-general's report".

More and more people now trust the police, he said, adding that the force has shown high integrity.

Malaysiakini warned

Zahid then ended his statement by warning Malaysiakini to report exactly as he said, without any "spin".

"Malaysiakini, write clearly yeah? Don't write other things... Other reporters can ask questions, Malaysiakini may not," Zahid said.

He also told Malaysiakini not to ask any follow-up questions on the missing weapons.

"You write everything that is only bad about us, about the Home Ministry (KDN)... By right, you shouldn't have come today, you are shameful."

Zahid then answered another question from a Nanyang Siang Pau reporter before taking yet another swipe again at Malaysiakini.

"Okaylah, maybe Malaysiakini will write all sorts of things again... enough-lah,” and ended his tirade with "I don’t trust you at all...  Assalamualaikum!" before stalking off.

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Perkasa minta PDRM jangan cakap macam tong kosong

Ibrahim berkata Khalid dan Polis Di Raja Malaysia (PDRM) sepatutnya lebih banyak bekerja dan bukannya bercakap.

PETALING JAYA: Presiden Pertubuhan Pribumi Perkasa Malaysia (Perkasa) Datuk Ibrahim Ali hari ini membidas…

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Ibrahim berkata Khalid dan Polis Di Raja Malaysia (PDRM) sepatutnya lebih banyak bekerja dan bukannya bercakap.

PETALING JAYA: Presiden Pertubuhan Pribumi Perkasa Malaysia (Perkasa) Datuk Ibrahim Ali hari ini membidas Ketua Polis Negara Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar ekoran kenyataan Khalid yang berkata bahawa pindaan Akta Pencegahan Jenayah (Pindaan dan Perluasan) 2013 memberi lebih tenaga kepada pihak polis.

Ibrahim berkata Khalid dan Polis Di Raja Malaysia sepatutnya lebih banyak bekerja dan bukannya bercakap.

“Nasihat Perkasa kurangkan bercakap, orang dah muak dengan berbagai kenyataan. Cukuplah bercakap seperti tong kosong. tiada guna ada undang-undang atau apa pun dasar yang diumum alau pelaksanaan

“Akta Pencegahan Jenayah (Pindaan dan Perluasan) 2013 dikatakan beri lebih tenaga pada polis, kata KPN.

“Perkasa harap jangan cakap saja. Kenyataan sedap tapi pelaksanaan macam mana?” Ibrahim berkata dalam satu kenyataan yang dihantar melalui SMS.

Beliau berkata demikian ekoran laporan akhbar bahasa Melayu, Utusan Malaysia hari ini yang menerbitkan laporan bertajuk PCA beri lebih ‘tenaga’ kepada polis.

Akta tersebut diluluskan dua hari yang lalu dengan sokongan 115 ahli parlimen dan bantahan 66 ahli parlimen dua hari lalu.

Ramai pihak telah menyuarakan bantahan mereka terhadap pindaan ini ekoran dari tindakan kerajaan memasukkan pindaan yang membenarkan penahanan tanpa bicara.

Ibrahim berkata bahawa rakyat mahukan pihak polis mengambil tindakan dan bukannya menikus apabila pihak pembangkang kecoh.

“Apa yang orang mahu tengok, tindakan tegas. Yang bersalah diambil tindakan segera tanpa menunggu orang ramai buat laporan polis.

“Apa gunanya kalau bertimbun laporan dibuat, tetapi tiada tindakan diambil. Bila parti pembangkang gertak, buat bising dah kecut. jadi serba salah dan bersikap mempertahankan diri,” kata Ibrahim lagi.

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When 100 years of existence doesn’t matter

The Hakka Village in Mantin, Negeri Sembilan, traces its history back to 1860, but now its residents are classified as squatters and forced to make way for development
COMMENT

By…

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The Hakka Village in Mantin, Negeri Sembilan, traces its history back to 1860, but now its residents are classified as squatters and forced to make way for development
COMMENT

By S Arutchelvan

The first Monday in October has been designated by the United Nations as World Habitat Day. The purpose of celebrating this date is to reflect on the basic rights of all to adequate shelter. The UN has dedicated this day to highlighting the plight of people fighting for a decent shelter and a home as it is one of the most fundamental of human rights.

With this in mind, let me argue the case of Kampung Hakka in Mantin, Negeri Sembilan. When I first stepped into Kampung Hakka a year ago, I was amazed to encounter a Chinese new village complete with temple, community hall and a school.

I was further shocked to learn that all the people living there have been declared as illegals just because some rich company has bought their land. Looking at the building structure of their homes and their lifestyle, I was convinced that these villagers had a history to talk about having lived here for decades.

Most of the villagers were elderly as their children have left for the urban town centres. Their economic activity varies, with most of them being petty traders and self employed.

I met up with a group of the residents in their community hall. I was warmly welcomed and they readily related their plight. I listened and posed two major questions to them which will determine my own intentions if I want to continue working with them.

The first question was if they think that they have a right to stay in their current homes and the second, if someone else claims to have the grant titles of their land, will they move out?

They responded strongly saying that they have rights. They spoke about how their forefathers came many years ago and how the village was built. They stated that they will fight stay on here.

I was shown a photo of the village taken in the 1960s when there were only two buildings in Mantin town which I recognised. The rest of the town must have come up after the village was set up.

Looking at all angles, I was convinced of their plight. Together with friends from Community Front (CF) a front of PSM, we decided that the people have a legitimate right to their struggle and that they have a genuine case.

‘Where do you want us to go?’

During discussions we learnt of many disturbing issues one being that some villagers have already taken compensation and left. The amount given ranged between RM 1,500 to RM 7,500 – a low figure by any standard.

Many claimed that they were either cheated or threatened into accepting the amount. When asked what their demand would be, the remaining villagers wanted to stay on the current land failing which, they want to be given a plot of land or a house in the same location. I thought their request was reasonable.

The Hakka villagers claim that their village is more than 100 years old. They traced their history right back to 1860. Most of them came from Hui Zhou, China and were brought over to Malaya by the British to work in the tin mines.

They settled in a village in Mantin known as Kampung Attap because of its roofing. Today the same village is known as Kampung Hakka. They have a temple, Tokong Tan Gong and a school, SJK Chi Chi Mantin, both with a hundred-year history.

Today these same people are being humiliated as squatters, illegals’ and being chased away. The private developer, Mega 9 which began its existence in 2005 is now calling them squatters. These squatters was equated to criminals by former Lord President Azlan Shah. They were defined as people who illegally build houses on Government land.

In the case of Kampung Hakka, these villagers were given TOL (Temporary Occupation Licence) by the Seremban land Office since the 1960s. They have been paying quit rent to the local Municipal Council, even till now. Looking at all this, there is no way that they can be called squatters or illegal.

But sadly, going by experience, we have one big problem in this country. It is how our Judiciary and legal system defines who has rights and who does not. It is narrowly defined that those who hold the land title are the legitimate owners.

Sometime in 1987, the Kampung Hakka villagers heard that their land was to be taken away to make way for a development project. All became clear in 2005, when the local Government sold the Kampung Hakka land to a private developer, Mega 9, with the objective of building a mixed development project that includes 374 houses, 116 low cost houses and shop lots.

Therefore Mega 9 which came last to the land has overnight become the King whilst the people who initially built the village and settlement are condemned as squatters and illegals. This is the sad reality where might is decided by money and corruption. Justice is buried under a paper called “geran tanah”.

On Aug 26, 2013, the villagers lost their case in the Seremban High Court. The decision was made in chambers while the villagers waited in open court. The court only saw who had the land title and it was decided that the villagers must give vacant possession of it to Mega 9.

Unbelievably, Mega 9 made an Order 89 application and was successful. Under normal circumstances, the court should have reject the application and order for a full trial. Order 89 is a summary proceeding which is normally done in clear cut trespassing issues.

High-handed action by the authorities

For Kampung Hakka, a trial is warranted as there is a long history of the villagers’ existence. This not a simple case of someone trespassing or not paying rent. The High Court narrowly interpreted the issue.

This is an issue of equitable rights, this is an issue of rights to shelter and this is an issue of rights to livelihood as enshrined in the Federal Constitution Article 5. But the court seems to have chosen just to see who has the land title and gave the death sentence to the villagers.

The lawyers for the villagers applied for a stay of execution and obtained a court date to hear the stay on Oct 17, 2013. On Sept 25, Mega 9 served notices to the villagers, giving them seven days to vacate the land. But within five days, they came in with the full might of the police force, TNB and court bailiffs to evict the people.

Why the hurry when there is a court date pending on the 17th? Why the hurry when there is an appeal? Why couldn’t the bailiff just wait another 30 minutes to allow the villagers’ lawyer to be present?

The lawyer, a State Assemblyman was in the Dewan Negeri and advised that he will be there by 11.30am. In spite of this the bailiff, citing higher orders, carried on with the eviction. The police used excessive force to arrest, injure and humiliate those protecting the houses.

Thirteen people were arrested and three houses were destroyed. The demolition machine only stopped when the lawyer arrived 15 minutes later. An interim stay was granted till Oct 17, 2013. We (those detained) greeted this news with applause while we were at the Mantin police lock-up. At least, the entire village was not in ruins.

As we celebrate world habitat day, I hope the State government will come to its senses. It is the role of the State to ensure its people are given adequate housing. In this case, how could it approve a development plan without first resolving issues faced by the Kampung Hakka villagers. Isn’t this policy called profit before people?

Why can’t the state resolve the housing issues or better still, why not make this a heritage settlement? It seems the authorities have been paid off handsomely by the developer. This is the only logical explanation I can come up with and many people feel likewise.

As the remaining villagers pondered their future, I repeated the question to them. “Do you want to surrender or fight on?” They replied that they have no choice but to fight on. More villagers have now come forward after the rude awakening they got on Sept 30.

As for us in the PSM, this is a class war between the powerful rich against the poor. The policemen recording my statement after my arrest asked if I lived in Kampung Hakka or if I had relatives there. For him, it was a joke that among the 13 people arrested, there were six Malaysian Indians caught protecting Chinese villagers.

I told him that, I have been arrested before for supporting the plight of Palestinians, so what is the big deal in supporting affected people in Mantin, Negeri Sembilan. Feeling embarrassed he soon started to speak our language – the language of the poor.

While there are people who keep arguing on the technical issues of whether the villagers were right to defend their homes and why didn’t they take the compensation, etc., the bigger issue remains that a 100 year-old-village and its people are being forcefully evicted because some big company has made a move and some big people have taken a cut.

The rest of us have a choice on where we want to stand in this dispute. For those who want to support, the Kampung Hakka struggle, please contact Ghandi at 0166862080.

The writer is PSM’s secretary general

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Najib’s policy of spend and be damned

The auditor-general’s report simply confirms that the Prime Minister is not interested in stemming all the embezzlement from the treasury
COMMENT

When someone steals from you, it becomes a personal…

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The auditor-general’s report simply confirms that the Prime Minister is not interested in stemming all the embezzlement from the treasury
COMMENT

When someone steals from you, it becomes a personal matter. It is of little consequence if the theft involves a small sum of money or larger amounts because your reaction is the same; you feel cheated, you want retribution, you seek justice and you demand the return of your money.

A few days ago, many people were alarmed by the 2012 Auditor-General’s report. Contrary to public opinion, the report is not about wastage. It is about theft which has been perpetuated by corrupt politicians and civil servants.

True, some of the money was probably wasted; but the bulk of the money went into the back-pockets of these men and women, who acted in tandem with unscrupulous traders. That money belongs to you.

Malaysia has charlatans and clowns, masquerading as politicians and civil servants. Putrajaya is notorious for its centralised control, and Umno Baru keeps many key civil servants under their yoke.

The 47% of the rakyat who voted BN at GE13, are devoted disciples of the party. They are in denial or are too dopey to accept that BN means a ‘Bankrupt Nation’ or ‘Barang Naik’. They keep springing to the defence of BN politicians and irresponsible civil servants, who steal from them, and who lack any accountability for their actions.

If the stolen money could be recovered, our youth might be able to receive free higher education, our senior citizens could benefit from free and improved health care, we might enjoy an efficient public transport system, or go about our business without fear of being victims of crime.

When BN politicians and civil servants stole from the public to enrich themselves, they left a huge dent in the nation’s finances. When Najib Tun Razak spent his way into GE13, he effectively emptied the treasury.

Let us consider some of the issues in the audit that BN loyalists have ignored. IGP Khalid Abu Bakar shot himself in the foot with his flippant response that the missing weapons had “fallen into the sea”.

Perhaps, the loss of 156 pairs of handcuffs and 29 vehicles by the police, costing taxpayers a staggering RM1.33 million had fallen off the back of a lorry?

The Department of Broadcasting had purchased 20 wall clocks for several RTM branches. Each clock cost RM3,810, although each one had an estimated value of RM100. Despite the expensive clocks, many civil servants are still working to Malaysian Rubber Time.

The audit created a side-show when a public spat erupted between Youth Minister Khairy Jamaluddin and Communications minister Shabery Cheek, over the funding for a K-Pop concert, held last year.

Shabery said the money had come from sponsors, but Khairy contradicted him and said that his ministry picked up the tab when the sponsors withdrew from the deal. Who is lying – the Auditor–General, Khairy or Shabery?

Naturally, for a concert of this magnitude, contracts would have been signed, with severe penalties for breaching the terms of the agreement. It is highly likely that if a crony company had been involved, only a loose, non-binding verbal arrangement would suffice between friends. Could this explain why there were no consequences, when the sponsors withdrew?

Najib’s split personality

We would lose our homes, or cars, if we defaulted on our mortgage or hire-purchase payments. You don’t need to go to Oxford University to know about contracts and binding agreements. You only need common sense and good moral values to know that you have to be responsible with taxpayer’s money.

In the last few days, President Obama cancelled his trip to Asia because his government had limited funds from the US shutdown.

If there was no money, why wasn’t the vulgar K-pop concert, which we know was only a crowd-puller to make people vote BN in GE13, cancelled?

Last week, Najib told an audience in San Francisco that his aim was to consign corruption to Malaysia’s past. Najib often makes this type of announcement whilst overseas, but he knows that no one at home believes him when he talks about moderation, corruption and transformation.

Three years ago, he told the UN that he practised moderation and that extremists had no place in Malaysia. Najib is someone who has a split personality. He delivers two messages; one for the international community and another for the hardliners at home.

On Malaysian soil, he panders to the nationalists and has another storyline for the non-Malays.

Prior to GE13, Najib announced that he was going to repeal the ISA in a move that he knew would appeal to younger Malaysians and activists. Ealier this week, he reversed that decision when the Prevention of Crime Act (PCA) was bulldozed through parliament.

Critics claim that he is preparing for GE14 and that activists and opposition politicians will be detained to prevent them from scuppering Umno Baru’s chances.

Najib tried to impress the crowd by saying that the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) would “…serve as an example for other countries looking to build the institutional capacity to combat corruption.”

Malaysians know better. Corrupt politicians and civil servants are safe in the knowledge that the MACC is a toothless tiger, which will purr when they tickle its neck.

Najib’s speech was littered with phrases like “…we deliver what we have promised to the people…”, “…a concerted fight against corruption…”, “…deliver consistently over time…”, ”…an open and transparent business environment…” or “…the ability of governments to change things for the better…”. His speech writers have made him a figure of mockery and derision.

Be wary of Umno Baru

Najib had the audacity to say that corruption “crushed individual endeavour and harmed social cohesion”. His crowning glory was to say, “If we do not give all of our citizens a stake in our region’s future, we risk encouraging ethnic tensions, religious extremism and political instability.”

Even Najib must have sensed the irony in his words because Umno Baru seems to do little other than stir-up racial tension to try to divide the rakyat.

The auditor-general’s report confirms that Najib is not interested in stemming the theft from the treasury.

He got us into the mess in the first place, but he and his co-conspirators are laughing all the way to the bank while you dig deeper into your pockets.

In GE13, 53% of the rakyat voted for change and dreamt of a harmonious, tolerant and crime-free society, but they were thwarted. Tragedy will surely befall the nation if the 47% of the electorate who voted for BN in GE13, repeat their folly in GE14.

Mariam Mokhtar is a FMT columnist.

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Woman in death plunge believed to be drunk

A guest relation officer has been drinking with two men before falling to her death from the 17th floor of an apartment block in Damansara Intan.

PETALING JAYA: A 28-year-old…

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A guest relation officer has been drinking with two men before falling to her death from the 17th floor of an apartment block in Damansara Intan.

PETALING JAYA: A 28-year-old woman who died after falling from the 17th floor of a service apartment in Damansara Intan on Wednesday was believed to drinking with two men before the tragedy.

Investigation showed that the woman was believed to have been drunk before slipping from the balcony.

Police from the Seapark station found the body at the open car park of the apartment block.

A police source said the woman was working as a guest relation officer (GRO) in a club and had spent the night with two men, including the apartment owner.

“From our investigation, there is no foul play,” the source said.

Police have recorded the statements from the two men who were with the GRO before the tragedy and have also taken the CCTV cameras from the apartment management.

Meanwhile, the woman’s family has refused to claim the body from the University Malaya Medical Centre suspecting foul play in her death and demanded that the police classify the case as a crime.

Petaling Jaya district police chief Arjunaidi Mohamed said there was no criminal element involved in the case.

“We will continue to investigate and look into the case for new evidence,” he said.

Arjunaidi said the family was emotional because they could not accept the tragedy.

The GRO’s death was witnessed by a 7-Eleven worker who was taking a break outside the outlet and alerted the apartment’s security before notifying the police.

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Malaysia would be misguided to ban Arabic word for God

By Khaled Diab,

Malaysia is embroiled in a holy war of words. The government wants to ban Christians from using what it regards as a word that should be used…

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By Khaled Diab,

Malaysia is embroiled in a holy war of words. The government wants to ban Christians from using what it regards as a word that should be used only by Muslims.

In 2008, the government threatened to revoke a publishing licence from the Catholic Herald if the newspaper did not refrain from referring to “God” as “Allah”. This would be problematic, as it would force the newspaper to misquote the centuries-old Malay version of the Bible. The local alternative, Tuhan, is used to refer specifically to “the Lord”.

Fortunately, Malaysia’s high court ruled in the newspaper’s favour. The authorities, however, have appealed the verdict.

The dispute is a symptom of deeper troubles. Despite the fact that Malaysians, in their kaleidoscope of religious and racial diversity, tend to “talk conflict, but walk cohesion”, as one academic put it, the country has been experiencing rising tensions between its various groups.

Though it is one of the world’s longest-ruling parties, Barisan Nasional (the National Front) has seen its support base dwindling in recent years. In May, Barisan – whose three race-based parties operate on sectarian grounds outside of elections – gained less than half of the popular vote.

Despite statistical evidence to the contrary, prime minister Najib Razak blamed the erosion on a “Chinese tsunami”. The Malaysian government has also been under growing pressure from Islamic parties, and this has led the government, as has occurred elsewhere, to play the piety card and engage in identity politics.

But is there any validity for limiting the use of “Allah” to Muslims?

The controversy is partly fuelled by confusion. Most Malaysians do not speak Arabic and so some of the Muslims among them may be under the false impression that “Allah” is an exclusively Islamic word. But they are mistaken. “Allah” is simply the Arabic word for “God”.

The word itself – which is probably a contraction of the Arabic al-illah (the god) – predates Islam. It was used by the Arabs to refer to the chief god of Mecca, whom they believed to be the creator of the world and the giver of rain and was venerated around the black stone of the Kaaba.

In Islam, “Allah” is one of 99 names of God. And the word still has not lost its general sense. For example, the beginning of the shahada, or Islamic creed, states that: “la illaha ila Allah”, or “there is no god but God”. The word is also used in the plural form, “alleha”, to refer to the Egyptian and Greek pantheons, for example.

It should then come as no surprise that Arabic-speaking Christians and Jews have, for centuries, referred to God as Allah. In Egypt, for instance, Copts say “Allah mahaba” or “God is love” and I have met Christians whose name is Abdullah (Servant of God).

The fact that Arab and Maltese Christians worship “Allah” while Malaysian Christians have gone to court to defend their right to do so is likely to confuse many conservatives and anti-Muslims in the West.

This is reflected in the controversy in January when a Colorado school allowed pupils to recite the pledge of allegiance in Arabic, sparking anger that the kids were expressing their loyalty to “one nation under Allah”.

But this is just plain ridiculous: Allah is God and God is Allah.

That is why it sometimes irritates me when English translations of the Quran talk of Allah, not God. After all, English translations of the Bible do not tend to use the Aramaic or Hebrew words for God but employ a Germanic one, which derives from guthan, meaning “that which is invoked”.

But some conservative Christians will invoke, in their defence, that Muslims pray to a different deity to them and so this must be distinguished. But this is also nonsense. Though they may disagree on certain ideological and doctrinal issues, and even a little on the nature of God, Judaism, Christianity and Islam all worship the same monotheistic deity.

In fact, it is not a stretch to say that the three religions are essentially branches of the same faith. That is why Muslims refer to the “People of the Book”, and all three religions trace their roots back to Abraham, whom they believe to be their common patriarch.

Khaled Diab (www.chronikler.com) is a Belgian-Egyptian freelance journalist

On Twitter: @DiabolicalIdea

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Ignoring popular will, Barisan returns to old ground with preventive laws

What is it about the Malaysian government that makes it so dependent on detention without trial?

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What is it about the Malaysian government that makes it so dependent on detention without trial?
Najib delivering his historical speech on the repeal of the ISA and other preventive detention laws in Kuala Lumpur on September 15, 2011. - The Malaysian Insider pic, October 4, 2013. Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, eager to boost his credentials as a reformist, made a promise on the eve of Malaysia Day in 2011 to get rid of preventive laws, which are basically an oxymoron: how can a law that cannot be challenged in court be called a law?

Then, for a brief moment in Malaysia’s history, the thing the sceptics never thought could happen, indeed happened.

The country abandoned its hoary dependency, doing away with the dreaded Internal Security Act and even the infamous Emergency Order (EO) that the police relied on to detain criminals they had no confidence to confidently prosecute in court.

For all the claims by cynics that this was just a shimmy shuffle by the Prime Minister to win over the liberal vote, it happened. Malaysia entered a period where its citizens could not be detained without the authorities having to prove their case to the courts.

But after the general election of May 5 where the majority vote went against the government, the very thing that the cynics warned about, occurred not so many hours ago: Malaysia restored detention without trial under the Prevention of Crime Act early on Thursday morning.

This, despite the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition losing its popular mandate for the first time in history, on May 5. Yes, it made the government but only through gerrymandering. Should not this inform its decisions from poll day 2013 onwards?

Should not this government have a sense that it might not bulldoze its laws through parliament anymore without serious consequences?

There is an opposition in the same chamber that won the mandate and it is nothing more than a powerful technicality that it is not in government, that it has inferior numbers to the BN in parliament alone.

Yet, here is BN again treating the results of May 5 as nothing more than a political strategy gone wrong.

The ruling coalition appears not to have acknowledged that the rakyat set a direction for the country on May 5.

And so Datuk Seri Najib Razak has made a U-turn with impressive nimbleness, taking the short view that his party hardliners are the ones whose views he must respect – even though he has already secured the presidency of Umno, the most dominant and the only successful portion of the ruling coalition.

His tacit approval to seeing the controversial bill pushed through was evident when he uncharacteristically made an appearance in Parliament, albeit looking tired late Wednesday evening, and was seen leaving just after midnight, when it was evident that the bill would be passed.

The passage of the law has earned the country international condemnation already, just hours later, with global NGO Human Rights Watch leading the charge that the legislation is a huge step backward.

The amendments to the PCA will deny Malaysians the fundamental right guaranteed to all under the Federal Constitution.

"The so-called safeguards introduced into the PCA, which are the Prevention of Crime Board and the right of judicial reviews against any order imposed by the board are meaningless," said Bar Council president Christopher Leong.

"The board is designed to be wholly dependent on the report issued by the inquiry officer. It has no authority to re-examine the accuracy and veracity of the inquiry officer's findings."

If the board cannot inquire or verify the authenticity of the inquiry officer's findings, then the decision to increase the membership of the Prevention of Crime Board from three to five is a cosmetic decision.

There are also valid concerns among opposition parties that the law is vague, especially on what constitutes an unlawful society, giving rise to fears that political parties might be targeted.

Bayan Baru PKR MP Sim Tze Tzin admitted that they knew the bill would go through because BN has more representatives in the lower house with 133 seats against Pakatan Rakyat's 88.

"But we wanted to fight till the end because this is what we believe in. While we support getting tough on crime, this is not the way to go and it is our duty as MPs to advise the government on this," he stressed.

The proposed amendments by the Pakatan Rakyat MPs were also, not surprisingly, voted out.

"Let the rakyat decide, we gave it our best," Sim added.

Political analyst Professor Dr Jayum Jawan said the government must now prove to the rakyat that it would use the Act responsibly to combat crime and not for its political agenda.

“The opposition has all the reasons to fear that the Act would be used against them, but now the government has to prove that they are sincere in passing the bill to combat crime,” he said.

“I don’t think the Bill is a copy of the Internal Security Act per se as there are limits to the power of the minister.”

Jayum also said it did not matter how the Bill was passed even though it seemed to have been done in a rush as the ruling party had the numbers to push the Bill through.

The lack of sincerity by the ruling government on allowing proper debate on the amendments was glaringly obvious when only two days were allocated for the PCA.

Even the minor amendments made to the Legal Profession Act (LPA) when Parliament convened last week, were allowed a longer debate period of three days.

"This just shows the government deliberately dragged the debate on the LPA to give us minimum time to debate on the PCA, which is a far more important legislation," said PKR vice-president and Padang Serai MP N. Surendran.

Then there is the hypocrisy of the MCA, which openly declared its stand against detention without trial but then voted with the government on Wednesday.

There is also the supposed corridor meetings where a leader of Pakatan Rakyat had met with a senior member of the ruling government and had agreed that some changes were needed to the amendments proposed.

In the end, with the exception of expanding the three-man board to oversee detention of criminals to five members, no concrete changes were made to ease concerns over the trampling of civil liberties.

So a battle was won by the ruling coalition using its superior numbers in Parliament, pandering to its sclerotic instincts, returning to familiar turf. But to what end, when it goes against the popular will? – October 4, 2013.

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Press Release: Amendments to the Prevention of Crime Act 1959 are Regressive and a Blow to the Rule of Law in Malaysia

The Malaysian Bar is troubled and disappointed by the passage into law of the amendments to the Prevention of Crime Act 1959 (“Act”) in the early hours of 3 October…

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The Malaysian Bar is troubled and disappointed by the passage into law of the amendments to the Prevention of Crime Act 1959 (“Act”) in the early hours of 3 October 2013.

The re-introduction of preventive detention without trial laws and the limitation or ouster of the jurisdiction of the courts in the Act, which was passed through Parliament, is a great blow to the rule of law in Malaysia.

It is very sad that for a country wishing to move forward, we had at midnight regressed and moved backwards.

Violence has been done in Malaysia to the principle long held in the civilised world that a person is presumed innocent until proven otherwise in court.  The amendments to the Act will deny fundamental rights guaranteed under the Constitution to people based on belief or suspicion.

The purported safeguards introduced into the Act, namely, the establishment of the Prevention of Crime Board (“Board”), and the right of judicial review against any orders imposed by the Board for preventive detention without trial are illusory and meaningless.

The Board has limited utility as it is designed to be wholly dependent upon the report of the Inquiry Officer.  The Board has no power to inquire into, or re-examine, the accuracy and veracity of the findings of the Inquiry Officer and the grounds for the said findings.  The Inquiry Officer is appointed by the Minister and has sole conduct of any inquiry under the Act. 

The Board, when exercising its discretion to direct a preventive detention, is therefore effectively bound by the report of the Inquiry Officer.  In this regard, the further amendment to the Act to increase the membership of the Board from three to five is cosmetic. 

The limited access to the courts on judicial review provided in the amended Act is rendered meaningless by other amendments introduced in the same Act.  The new section 15A expressly prohibits any judicial review by the courts with respect to any police supervision order imposed on a person, save on procedural grounds.  Such procedures are, however, determined by the Board as they wish.  The right of judicial review pursuant to the new section 19A(2) is negated by the new section 21A as the Inquiry Officer and the Board may refuse to provide any information and document to the court and the affected person on the basis that it would be against the public interest to do so.  There is therefore no material before the court to review.

It is a sad day for Malaysia when those who make law do not understand the principle of the rule of law.

The Malaysian Bar recalls the words of Sir Winston Churchill, “The Power of the executive to cast a man into prison without formulating any charge known to law is in the highest degree odious and the foundation of all totalitarian government,…”.

Christopher Leong

President

Malaysian Bar

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Malays: The oppressed ‘master race’

Oct 4 — Most Malays would like to think that their race is one that is proud and as old as time, and thus will remain pure and noble until…

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Oct 4 — Most Malays would like to think that their race is one that is proud and as old as time, and thus will remain pure and noble until the end of it all.

“Takkan Melayu hilang di dunia,” (Malays will never become extinct) they would repeat ad nauseam, parroting the words allegedly spoken by the icon of that noble Malay man: Hang Tuah.

Bereft of achievements that they can be immensely proud of as Malaysians, numerous Malays have retreated into a cocoon, where race and religion have become their defining marks.

I had the most interesting opportunity to immerse myself in this mentality last weekend as I sat in on a symposium called “Mendepani Agenda Asing” (Facing foreign agenda), or MEGA, co-organised by the Islamist NGO Ikatan Muslimin Malaysia (ISMA).

The main theme of MEGA had been “Malays in a leadership crisis.” It was divided into two sections, the first of which was on so-called “foreign threats” to Muslim Malays as identified by ISMA such as the teachings of the Shiah school of Islam, free trade agreements including the controversial Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement, Americanisation, and Christianisation.

There was even a presentation about “Nam tien” which generally refers to the southward expansion of Vietnamese territory between the 11th and 18th century.

While sourced from historical texts, the presentation sounded as if there was a conspiracy: an invasion of Southeast Asia which started from South China cutting through the ancient kingdoms of Champa, Funan, and afterwards the Malay peninsula.

This “invasion” had victimised several ancient natives, such as the Cham people, who all share the same lineage with the Malays. Ancient Malays, if you will.

These transgressions has continued, with the latest victims being the modern Malays.

The historian who presented that paper had previously been part of a study to ascertain the origin of the Malay people, through archaeological and genomic studies, covered previously in the media for their infamous Konvensyen Asal Usul Melayu (Convention on the Origin of Malays).

While the intention of the study was nothing less than charitable—there are so many benefits from such studies, mostly in medicine—the way it has since been promoted is problematic.

In announcing a book on the topic, former Malacca chief minister Ali Rustam, who is also the president of the Malay World Islamic World organisation, had presented its findings by saying that Malays originated from the Middle East.

But Malays were not from the Middle East, as much as almost everybody is from there. The Out of Africa theory posits that modern humans originated from a single point in East Africa.

The allusion is obvious that some Malays would like to link their race directly with the Biblical and Quranic “father of all men”, not unlike how Malay kings had boasted themselves to be descendants of Alexander the Great, or some Malay clans advertising themselves as descendants of the Prophet Muhammad.

Just like the self-proclaimed ancestors of Aryans who believe that theirs is the master race, these groups would like to believe that Malays have also been responsible for birthing many of the other races.

Some believe the ancient Malays were rich in knowledge and treasures, but were stripped of them by “invaders” which sometimes were backed by foreign Western powers.

After years of ethnic cleansing, these knowledge and riches were gone and stolen by these “jealous” races, leaving modern Malays just shells of what they were.

Which is where the “Aryan dream” must have ended. A once proud race was humiliated through years and years of subjugation by foreign powers, one after another. It is as if the Malays have never recovered from that dark period in their history.

Ironically, the way some Malays are acting now is probably closer to that of another group who were also historically oppressed: the Jews.

The Jews are another race who mostly feel that they are “God’s chosen people.” After thousands of years of oppression, the Jews are obsessed with the concept of their Promised Land.

One can almost see the parallel in the Malays. The Malay origin study has been presented as proof that modern Malays have always been in the Malay archipelago, and subsequently Malaysia.

Malaysia is the Malays’ Promised Land, as some see it. The Malays deserve their land, and they deserve to rule it.

Not anybody else, and certainly not the Chinese nor Indians who were “just immigrants.”

If these people had it their way, Malaysia would only be for Malays, and ruled under Islamic law. After all, the Malays are paragons of Islam—surely “Malays” and “Muslims” are interchangeable?

Which is why Sabah mufti Bungsu @ Aziz Jaafar—also part of the same MEGA symposium—is so fond of converting non-Malay Muslims into Malays. After all, aren’t Malays and Sabah natives all from the same ancestry?

A country where its people are of the same race strictly tied to a religion. Where somebody critical of that race easily gets labelled as an anti.

I could have sworn I have heard of another country just like that before.

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Vast Economic Opportunities Await Malaysia And China - Agong

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 4 (Bernama) -- Vast economic opportunities await to be explored and exploited by investors and entrepreneurs from Malaysia and China, said the Yang di-Pertuan Agong Tuanku Abdul…

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KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 4 (Bernama) -- Vast economic opportunities await to be explored and exploited by investors and entrepreneurs from Malaysia and China, said the Yang di-Pertuan Agong Tuanku Abdul Halim Mu'adzam Shah.

His Majesty said he was confident that Malaysian and Chinese business communities would continue to strengthen their ties and take advantage of economic opportunities created by both governments.

Speaking at a state banquet in honour of China's President Xi Jinping, who is on a state visit to Malaysia, at Istana Negara here on Friday night, the King said bilateral relations between the two countries had grown stronger with China becoming Malaysia's largest trading partner.

"Malaysia and China have always enjoyed close ties. The close relationship between the people of Malaysia and China is attributed to history, ethnic origin and cultural ties between the two countries.

"Our economy has grown in tandem and enhanced each other economic growth. Cooperation in the field of tourism, education, science and technology, and finance has expanded significantly," said the Yang di-Pertuan Agong.

Tuanku Abdul Halim was accompanied by the Raja Permaisuri Agong Tuanku Hajah Haminah while Xi was accompanied by his wife, Peng Liyuan.

Present were Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak and his wife, Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor, and Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin and his wife, Puan Sri Norainee Abdul Rahman.

The Yang di-Pertuan Agong said the world today acknowledged the importance of China in regional and global affairs and its phenomenal economic success made it a great influence on global economy.

"China remains Asean's strong partner. It is very encouraging when China, under the leadership of His Excellency, strives to maintain good relations with countries in the region as reflected by your visit.

"Raja Permaisuri Agong and I are confident that close and mutually beneficial ties existing between China, under the stewardship of Your Excellency, and Malaysia will continue to be strengthened and broaden in years to come," said Tuanku Abdul Halim.

In his speech, Xi said China was ready to work with Malaysia for mutual benefit and common development.

"I believe that as long as both sides work together, our practical cooperation will bring greater benefits to our people and China-Malaysia relations will have a brighter future," he said.

He said next year would mark the 40th anniversary of China-Malaysia diplomatic ties and both countries were blessed with close cooperation and great common interest.

"Over the four decades, thanks to the concerted efforts of successive generations of leaders and the people of the two countries, our relationship has stood the test of time and the changing international landscape and demonstrated remarkable vitality.

"In the world of deepening globalisation and IT application, the destinies of China and Malaysia are getting increasingly interconnected. Our relationship is very important to both countries," he added.

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Backhoe cuts into dinosaur's tail, revealing rare fossil find

(CNN) -- It's like a scene out of a Flintstones comic. Fred is running a backhoe and drops its shovel right on top of a dinosaur's tail.

It happened in…

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(CNN) -- It's like a scene out of a Flintstones comic. Fred is running a backhoe and drops its shovel right on top of a dinosaur's tail.

It happened in Canada this week when the backhoe laid bare an extremely rare find, the fossil of a dinosaur millions of years old.

A whole 35-foot dinosaur may be slumbering inside the rock a construction worker hit while clearing a site in the town of Spirit River. He was making way for an oil pipeline.

The company stopped work and called around to find someone who knew something about dinosaurs.

Word got to paleontologist Matthew Vavrek, who went out to inspect. He wasn't expecting to see what he found on the side of a sandstone boulder.

"As we walked around it, we saw this whole part of a tail of a dinosaur. To see something like that is pretty incredible," he said.

Paleontologists usually find fossils jumbled up, broken apart, crushed and spread out over a large area, not in one piece like this one.

"The last time I've seen something like that was in a museum. I've never found something like this before," he said. He has rarely ever even heard of a find like this anywhere in the world.

Researchers say fossil with tooth proves T. rex was predator

Delicate dinosaur

Had the backhoe kept going, this fossil would have turned to mush, too.

The chunks that the shovel picked up, quickly fell to pieces. The driver noticed this and immediately halted it.

The dinosaur may have been tough when it was alive, but its fossil is as fragile as crumb cake.

"You handle it carefully, or it's just going to shatter," Vavrek said.

The Tourmaline Oil Corp has enlisted its workers and machinery to help Vavrek and his colleagues remove it gingerly and slowly.

That could take weeks, if the weather holds, or months, if there is a cold snap that freezes the dino in the ground.

The first flakes have already fallen, Vavrek said. Workers are in a race to beat Alberta's usually heavy snow fall.

Will mammoths be brought back to life? Liquid blood fuels cloning hopes

Slow revelations

As they go, they will reveal just how big of a find this is.

"We don't know for sure that the rest of the animal is there," Vavrek said. "Sometimes, all you get is what you see."

They will take it out surrounded by much of the soil it's buried in then cart it off to a place where they can slowly clean and prepare it for study and identification.

Technicians will use tiny jackhammer-like instruments to buzz away the dirt and reveal the stony skeleton.

But even then, they still might not know what kind of dinosaur it is. If it is a textbook specimen that scientists are already familiar with, it could take years to categorize it.

New dinosaur is a primitive bird

"If it turns out to be something new, never found before ... it would take even longer," Vavrek said.

If they do pull a whole dinosaur out of the ground, Vavrek thinks it will be about mid-size as dinosaurs go, or a little larger.

Its happenstance discovery by a backhoe seems ironic to Vavrek.

He is used to grueling prospecting tours for much smaller fossils in the Alberta wilderness, where he has to keep an eye out for dangerous wild animals.

He has had some encounters with black bears and grizzly bears. But they've gone well so far.

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