'Anwar-Najib dialogue a waste of time'

GST sistem terbaik, jangan terpengaruh dakyah pembangkang - Najib

Stop work in arabic school: High Court

 Hyderabad: The AP High Court on Wednesday directed authorities not to allow any construction on the premises of the Islamic Arabic School, Tondawada village, near Tirupati.

Justice Nooty Ramamohana Rao was dealing with petitions by the Madrasa-e-NiswanIsha-Atul Islam Urdu and Arabic Development Society represented by its president Shaik Nowheera, the Tirumala Tirupati Samrakshna Samiti (TTSS), and S. Muni Gangi Reddy, former sarpanch of Chandragiri.

The management of the school had moved two petitions, one contending that the Tondawada gram panchayat was threatening to demolish the building.

Society asked how 4 extra floors came up

Hyderabad:
In their first petition, the management of the Islamic Arabic School, Tondawada village, near Tirupati, explained why they had constructed extra floors and were ready to pay the required amount to regularise the floors.

The second writ petition moved by the school management challenged the orders of the district collector directing the local panchayat, with the help of the police, to demolish the portions of the structure which had come up in violation of the sanctioned plan. The judge, however, asked the society to explain how six floors were built when permission was given for ground and first floor.

Expressing concern about the stability of the structure as it was built on land adjacent to a water body, the judge directed that no workers should enter the premises and it was not to be used. The Tirupati Urban Development Authority has to approach the civil engineering department of SV University to asses the stability of the structure.

The judge directed the Tirupati Urban Development Authority and the Tondawada gram panchayat to submit records to ascertain whether notices were given and whether the petitioner society had violated the undertaking and whether the sanctioned plan was violated even for the ground and first floors.

The judge directed the collector to depute the local RDO and the district police superintendent was asked to depute the local DSP and the Tuda to depute a senior official to inspect the site to ascertain whether there were any occupants and if any, to ascertain when they would move out. Justice Rao also expressed concern about the safety of girls who are supposed to be put up in the building and asked how the petitioner society had gone ahead and built the structure.

The counsel for the petitioner society said that there were several buildings of TTD which did not have sanctioned plans and that they were being victimised.

The counsel for Tuda said that the proposal for regularisation had not been submitted to it. It had come through the government and the Tuda had rejected it.

Gangi Reddy moved the plea seeking demolition of the structure contending that the officers had conducted an inquiry and found Kalva Poromoboke was encroached by the management.

Keighley Muslims dispute use of ‘halal’ nasal spray

Keighley Muslims have been advised a nasal spray flu vaccine for youngsters is compatible with Islam.

But local religious leaders have questioned this view.

Shirley Brierley, consultant in public health for Bradford Council, was responding to concerns this type of vaccine was derived from pork.

She said: “Flu isn’t just a cold – it’s a very contagious illness that can result in death – we’d encourage anyone eligible for a flu vaccination to have one.

“The injectable form of the flu vaccine is suitable for all eligible people 18 years and over, and also very young children under two years of age.

“All eligible children between two and 17 years will be offered Fluenz vaccine via a nasal spray, which is more effective for this age group.

“It contains porcine gelatine, but this is understood to be a transformed product and acceptable within Islamic and Jewish communities.

“In 2001, the World Health Organisation consulted more than 100 Muslim scholars and confirmed the gelatine is considered halal.”

However, Mohammed Saleem, Keighley Muslim Association spokesman, said he understood the nasal spray is not acceptable for Muslims when there is an injectable form of vaccine available.

“As the nasal spray contains a form of pork gelatine, it would not be permissible for Muslims to administer,” he said. “Therefore, Muslim children should be offered the injection as an alternative.”

Communal tension in Tanda after VHP leader's murder

FAIZABAD: Communal tension gripped Tanda town of Ambedkarnagar district in Uttar Pradesh on Wednesday night after a local VHP leader was shot dead by unidentified gunmen. Keeping in view the simmering tension over the murder, a heavy contingent of security forces including PAC jawans was deployed in the town.

According to official sources, three unidentified gunmen came to the chemist shop of the VHP leader Ram Mohan Gupta in Tanda town and fired three bullets from point blank range. Locals immediately took Gupta to the district hospital where doctors declared him dead on arrival.

After the killing, activists of VHP and Hindu Yuva Vahini blocked traffic on Tanda-Akbarpur road. The activists raised anti-government and inflammatory slogans, locals said.

In March this year, Ram Mohan Gupta's uncle, Ram Babu Gupta — also a VHP leader — was killed in a similar fashion. After the killing, sporadic communal clashes were reported from some villages in Tanda, forcing the administration to keep the areas under curfew for over a week.

'Include Sunni Islam clause in federal constitution' - Malaysiakini

UMNO ASSEMBLY In continuing urgings for sole recognition of Sunni followers as Muslims, a Penang Umno delegate has now proposed the party and government move to amend the federal constitution to include the words Islam "that is practised by ahli Sunnah Wal Jamaah (followers of Sunni school of Islam)".

Shahabuddin Yahya (right) who heads the Tasek Gelugor division, in tabling the motion on education and also religion, said this was necessary to differentiate between teachings, and not allow followers of deviant teachings to use Islam as a shield from action being taken against them.

"The amendment is necessary as in the past, we have seen various deviant teachings like Al Arqam and Al Maunah.

"All Muslims here must be from the ahli Sunnah wal jamaah, from either the Shafie, Maliki, Hambali and Hanafi schools of taught," he said.

The proposed amendment to Article 3 of the federal constitution, if accepted, could pose more problems for Shiite followers, already affected by ongoing government clampdown, as it is not recognised within the four schools.
During the Umno Youth delegates assembly, on Wednesday a delegate had also proposed the federal constitution be amended to only limit Islam that is practised by ahli sunnah wal jamaah.

Shahabuddin also proposed that the party constitution be amended to include Islam "as the religion of the federation" so as to be consistent with the federal constitution.

He also urged that a special commission on Islam be formed to provide uniformity in regulations for the various state Islamic councils.
Puteri Umno delegate Isfarina Mohd Bali, who seconded Shahabuddin’s motion, said the amendment to the federal constitution is needed so that the government can be pro-active in stopping the spread of Shiism and strengthening the use of ‘Allah’ by Muslims.
‘Nik Aziz also a liar’

Shahabuddin, who is also the Tasek Gelugor MP, also commented on party president and Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak’s efforts to extend an olive branch to other political parties.

“Najib is a good leader as despite being in a position of strength in holding (government position), he is willing to be compassionate in trying to be good with other opposition parties. This is hallmark of a good leader and one whom we should support,” he said.

Shahabuddin said besides the opposition leader allegedly having lied in making claims of foreign voters being brought in to vote, there is another Pakatan Rakyat leader who have also told lies.

He said the leader had claimed that in his 23 years of experience in running an opposition state, the prime minister had not extended nor opened his doors to meet him personally.

Although Shahabuddin did not name the leader specifically, he was referring to a person who is a Tok Guru, and this is believed to be former Kelantan menteri besar Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat (left), who was quoted in Sinar Harian as saying that no invitation had been made to him over the past 23 years to meet the prime minister.

“I would like to prove that during Abdullah Ahmad Badawi’s time, in 2007, the then-PM met him (Nik Aziz) when officially opening the Eastern Development Corridor.

Shahabuddin said Najib also met that person in Tumpat in 2009, and put up newspaper cuttings to show this.

“So where is the remark that the PM had not extended an invitation to meet him. All these are lies despite this person is a Tok Guru and a spiritual adviser (Mursyidul Am) of a party,” said the Tasek Gelugor Umno leader.

Nik Aziz was quoted in Sinar Harian as questioning Najib’s opening his arms to meet his successor Ahmad Yaakob in Putrajaya.

“Throughout 23 years I have been as menteri besar no open invitation was made to me,” the influential cleric was reported to have said.

Penang's 6,000-year-old mounds in sad state - Malaysiakini

Guar Kepah (or Shell Mounds), the first archaeological site discovered in Malaysia - in Province Wellesley 153 years ago - is in a sad state, although sitting on Penang government-owned land.

Discovered by English navigator GW Earl in 1860, the land measuring 10,698.8 sq metres (2.643 acres) is not preserved properly as a swiftlet house hasbeen built on the site and jackfruit trees are in luxurious abundance there.

Malaysiakini visited the site yesterday and was disappointed to find that the area, supposedly touted as the site of a prehistoric human settlement, dating back to 5,000 to 6,000 years, had not been fenced up, protected or identified with proper signboards informing the public of its significance.

Despite not alienating (pemberimilikan) the plot to farmer Hor Ah Kaw, who claims that his ancestors lived there for about a century, is allowed to continue farming swiftlets and jackfruits on a temporary licence (TOL).

But the TOL approved by the district office years ago only allowed  residential stay and padi farming there.

Hor, in his 70s, now resides in Kulim, Kedah, but carries on his swiftlet and jackfruit farming activities in Guar Kepar.

On June 16, 2008, he applied to have the land alienated to him, only to be rejected by the state executive council on July15, 2009.

On July 2, Hor's TOL was renewed but was terminated this year yet he continues to work on the site.

On 30 March 2010, Hor expressed his dissatisfaction over the excavation exercise carried out by USM, insisting that he gave them only temporary approval to work on the land.

Met at the site, Hor's wife Ooi Liew Eng said her father-in-law used to live on the land, where her husband and his elder siblings were born.

TOL owner's grouses against USM

"You can imagine just how long we have stayed here," she said, of the land situated along Jalan Guar Kepar also known to locals as Paya Cina.

"We first grew vegetables and then jackfruit since 10 years ago. The swiflet house was only built a few years back," she told Malaysiakini.

"They (USM) came to excavate the place two or three years ago, and I let them use our water and electricity supply," she said.

Ooi (left) said her husband was unhappy about the excavation as the water used flowed back into their home.

"Since the roof was also leaking at that time, we temporarily moved out and stayed in our son's house," she lamented.

Ooi, who claims to be in her 60s, said the family with four children decided to move out when they were no longer given TOL.

She said the excavation team came only once and informed her family of the plan to build a gallery.

Keeping up with the times

"But until now, nothing happened. I don't think the project will be a success. Who wants to visit a gallery here?" she asked.

It is learnt that in 2010, a request had been sent to Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng and George Town World Heritage Incorporated to seek their views on building a Heritage Gallery to be run by Pusat Penyelidikan Arkeologi Global (PPAG), USM.

A source told Malaysiakini that the PPAG wants an exhibition site in situ at the excavated plot, while USM has agreed to built a tent to protect the site (khemah pemuliharaan and pemeliharaan petak/tapak) costing RM92,000.

The source added that there were plans to build a "Recreational Garden" complete with toilets, a cafe, and a souvenir shop for history enthusiasts and tourists.

At a press conference on Wednesday Lim said the state did not allow the destruction of the site, like what happened to Candi 11 at Lembah Bujang.

Lim was responding to Kedah Menteri Besar Muhkriz Mahathir who countered Penang's criticisms of the Candi 11 wreckage by pointing out the condition of Guar Kepah in his tweet yesterday.

Lim explained that the previous BN government issued the TOL to Hor but it has not been extended but terminated this year, and the state is in the process of reclaiming the land.

"However, excavation work needs funding", said Lim, adding the state had issued a letter to the Tourism and Culture Ministry two months ago, requesting RM3.9million to preserve the site and built a gallery.

"A similar letter had been sent to former minister Rais Yatim", Lim added.

Officials told, but neglect obvious

"We are not blaming anyone for giving the TOL, since it involves a genuine farmer and has not affected the site," he stressed.

Lim said the district office has been told the monitor the site  to prevent is destruction.

However, the area cannot be said to be "not affected" when structures and trees are planted on the site itself where countless tiny shells, already cracked and broken, are visible on the mounds now covered with dead leaves, lallang and mud.

According to research, the mounds reveal a Neolithic burial ritual of using seashells by the early human settlers there, who are believed to have practised the 'Hoabinh' culture and this area should at least be fenced off.

It is learnt that the mounds are part of three hilllocks - A, B and C, which stood in the area known as Kg Guar Kepar (on Lot 2613), Mukim 2, in North Seberang Perai.

Hilllocks A and B, similarly covered with shells, had been demolished prior to 2008 to for tar roads into the village surrounded by panoramic padi fields, located about 3/4 meter sfrom the three pronged Butterworth-Alor Setar road.

In 1861, Earl published two books 'On the Shell Mounds of Province Wellesley, in the Malay Peninsula' and 'Topography and Itinerary of Province Wellesley'.

Research in the area continued until the 1940s and according to several researchers (Huxley, Evans, Callenfels and Mijsberg), early findings revealed 30 skeletons buried with stone tools  beneath the mounds.

The human remains are currently kept in Leiden, Netherlands, and USM begun its research into the area in Jan 2010 with a fund of RM75,000, after request was made by the Malay Heritage Research Committee of the university's Global Archeology Research Center.

So far, 68 plots sized one sq metre each have been excavated by USM researchers.

Other than human remnants, sharpeners, pounding tools, broken china and bone parts of animals (turtles) and pig teeth, were found buried beneath the mounds.

Candi part of Malay heritage

Historians also rebuked a Kedah exco for saying it was not necessary to gazette the candis, saying it is about preserving national heritage.

PETALING JAYA: The candi in Bujang Valley, Kedah should be preserved because it is part of Malay heritage.

History Association of Malaysia (Kedah branch) chairman, Wan Shamsudin Mohd Yusof said since the candi were built by the Malays, the government must do its part to preserve it.

He cited research done by Archaeology and Pre-Islamic Malay Culture and Civilizations expert Nik Hassan Suhaimi Nik Abdul Rahman whose findings revealed that the candi were built in the first century.

“The candi were the result of the Malays’ workmanship. The carvings are different from candi (found) in India,” he said.

Recently, developers demolished the most famous 8th century temple remnants known as Candi Sungai Batu estate or Bujang Valley site 11.

As a result, Kedah Menteri Besar Mukhriz Mahathir said the Tourism and Culture ministry has agreed to gazette certain sites in Bujang Valley.

The ancient temple area in Bujang Valley has also been submitted to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco) to be certified as a World Heritage site.

Yesterday Kedah state exco member and Tanjung Dawai state assemblyman Tajul Urus Mat Zain said the government’s move to gazette the land will only result in it (the government) losing Malay votes at the next general election, and that almost every house might have a candi underneath.

Mukhriz disclosed that there are numerous buildings that have already been built on top of candi land.

“As you know, even the city of Rome was built on ruins, so we’re talking about ruins here and it’s inevitable that sometimes that happens,” he lamented.

The Umno leader then said it was important to identify which candi’s were of historical significance to be gazetted or otherwise.

“That’s why I insist on identifying which ones are of historical significance,” he said.

What about ancient temples?

Touching on the subject of ancient temples, he explained that it is impossible to gazette all the ancient temples located in Kedah as it would cost the state government millions of ringgit that the state does not have.

“There may be thousands (of ancient temples) there if you want to gazette all of them,” the Kedah Menteri Besar told reporters at the Putra World Trade Centre (PWTC) at the sidelines of Umno general assembly here.

He explained that the act of gazetting meant the state government would have to pay property owners for the use of their land.

“So it is going to come down to tens of millions of ringgit, which we really don’t have,” he said.

Meanwhile, MIC central working committee member S Murugesan disagreed with Kedah state exco member Tajul’s comments.

“I disagree with his views. The government must take action based on what is right and proper,” he said.

Murugesan urged Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak and Mukhriz to stay on course and do what is right for the country.

“Elections are over. We should do the right thing by gazetting the area as a heritage site.

“This issue concerns our future. It is not just for us, but for our future generation,” he said.

Not a racial issue but of shared heritage

On Tajul who said the government should just concentrate on the majority instead of giving priority to the minorities, Murugesan said the former’s statement “does not make sense”.

“This is not about the majority or minority, it is about doing what is right. Do not turn this into a racial issue,” he said.

Murugesan added that the candi are a shared heritage and belongs to all Malaysians.

“And for all we know, it was his ancestors who built the candi,” he said.

Penang Heritage Trust honorary secretary Clement Liang slammed Tajul, saying the latter’s statement was ridiculous.

“What does this issue have to do with politics. It is a heritage issue, it is about preserving our common human heritage,” he said.

Liang added that what was important is the next step needed to be taken to salvage the candi.

“I think it is time to sit down and review what we have done so far. By preserving our heritage, we will be proud of it someday,” he said.

Liang also expressed hope for everyone to come together instead of politicising the issue.

Bujang Valley is one of the earliest entry points to the Malay peninsula which even pre-dates the Malacca empire. Sailors from India had used Mount Jerai as a reference point to the ancient maritime city.

Excavations at the archaeological site had revealed remains of a jetty, iron-smelting areas and a clay-brick monument dating back to 110AD, which makes it the oldest man-made structure known in Southeast Asia.

Meritokrasi, kuota tidak untungkan Melayu

Wakil Melaka berkata, meritokrasi hanya menguntungkan orang yang lebih kuat

KUALA LUMPUR: Wakil Melaka Datuk Akbar Ali berkata sistem meritokrasi dan sistem kuota tidak menguntungkan orang Melayu.

Beliau berkata, meritokrasi hanya menguntungkan orang yang lebih kuat.

Sebagai contoh katanya, Perbadanan Tabung Pendidikan Tinggi Nasioinal.

“Apabila perlaksanaan PTPTN ditukar dari pinjaman kepada biasiswa, 63% dinikmati oleh bukan Melayu,” katanya membahaskan usul ekonomi di Perhimpunan Agung Umno di PWTC petang ini.

Akbar juga meminta kerajaan membantu kaki tangan awam sebagai tanda membantu orang Melayu.

Katanya, orang Melayu dalam sektor awam adalah 69% manakala sektor swasta 27%.

“Kalau nak tolong orang Melayu kena tolong orang Melayu,” katanya.

Beliau turut menekankan supaya perkongsian kerajaan dan swasta diperkuatkan.

Table White Paper on Bujang Valley

Gerakan man wants the Kedah government to conduct a full inquiry into the destruction of the ancient site and table a white paper in the state legislative assembly

GEORGE TOWN: A Gerakan division has slammed Kedah assemblyman Tajul Urus Mat Zain for claiming that the government’s move to gazette Bujang Valley land would result in loss of votes.

Tanjung division vice-chairman H’ng Khoon Leng said Tajul Urus, Tanjung Dawai representative, was negative in his opinion.

H’ng said the valley, if preserved, conserved and developed correctly, had a potential to become a world heritage tourism destination.

He called on the National Heritage Department (NHD) and Kedah government to gazette the historical site and structures immediately.

“Kedahans must accept historical facts. They should allow the land to be gazetted. Tajul Arus views are negative. He is being pessimistic,” H’ng told a press conference at the Penang Gerakan office today.

He called on the Barisan Nasional Kedah government to conduct a full inquiry and table a White Paper on the destruction of an ancient candi (temple tomb) in Bujang Valley.

He said technical and operational weaknesses that allowed the shocking demolition of an icon of Bujang Valley ancient civilisation must be identified and addressed.

He also urged the state government to take appropriate and deterrent actions to punish those who were found to have abused their power or guilty of negligence.

“No stone must be left unturned to clear up the mess. A White Paper should be tabled at the state legislative assembly,” said H’ng.

Malay-Hindu kingdom

Last month developer, Bandar Saujana Sdn Bhd, demolished historical artifacts of a 1,200-year-old Hindu temple tomb to pave the way for a new township project to be developed on the heritage site.

The temple site was among 90 temple tombs unearthed at ancient sites by archaeological research works started way back in 1930s.

A proposal was submitted in 1987 under a working paper entitled, ‘Bujang Valley and Kuala Kedah Fort – Proposals for a Master Plan’, by John Sanday for Unesco’s World Heritage Listing.

The developer claimed ignorance of the historical value of the demolished ancient structure and its remnants that archaeologists and historians say dates back to the 8th Century.

Bujang Valley was part of a Malay-Hindu kingdom called Kadaaram covering abut 1,000 square miles stretching from Kota Sarang Semut and Jeniang in Kedah to Bukit Mertajam in mainland Penang.

Located near Merbok, Kedah, Bujang Valley covers an area of approximately 224 sq kms between Gunung Jerai in the North and Muda River in the South.

The Malay-Hindu kingdom, which began in the 1st Century AD, was arguably the oldest Malay civilisation in Southeast Asia, pre-dating Malacca.

It was a Malay-Hindu kingdom until the 12th Century when its Hindu king converted to Islam and started a Sultanate.

Gerakan Tanjung also urged the Kedah government to commission a feasibility study to set up a special area plan for the Bujang Valley.

H’ng also wants the state government to undertake a full inventory of all historical structures and artifacts across Kedah, particularly in Bujang Valley.

‘Cipta seorang jutawan Melayu setiap dua hingga tiga tahun’

Seandainya satu GLC diberi tempoh dua hingga tiga tahun untuk wujudkan satu jutawan maka lima GLC dapat wujudkan lima jutawan dalam tempoh dua tahun.

KUALA LUMPUR: Syarikat-syarikat berkaitan kerajaan (GLC) disaran untuk mencipta seorang jutawan Melayu setiap dua hingga tiga tahun bagi memperkasakan ekonomi Melayu.

Wakil Selangor Mohd Haniff Koslan berkata demikian dalam sesi perbahasan usul ekonomi Perhimpunan Agung Umno 2013 hari ini.

“Kalau tak susah, saya cadangkan supaya GLC wujudkan jutawan Melayu.

“Seandainya satu GLC diberi tempoh dua hingga tiga tahun untuk wujudkan satu jutawan maka lima GLC dapat wujudkan lima jutawan dalam tempoh 2duatahun. Dalam 10 tahun akan ada 10 jutawan Melayu,” katanya.

Namun, Mohd Haniff mengakui perkara ini bukan sesuatu yang mudah untuk dicapai dan harus dipantau oleh kerajaan.

“Kita kena ingat, bukan mudah wujudkan jutawan…kita kena ada Indeks Prestasi Utama (KPI) dan audit dalam supaya GLC ini dapat melaksanakannya,” tambah Mohd Haniff lagi sambil menegaskan pelaksanaan sesuatu rancangan tidak cukup kalau tidak diapantau.

Beliau turut berkata orang Melayu tidak mendapat tempat strategik untuk berniaga.

“Mana Melayu nak berniaga, Melayu tak dapat tempat yang strategik untuk berniaga seperti di Pavilion dan KLCC.

“Ramai Melayu pandai berniaga sebenarnya justeru itu perlu wujudkan satu badan khusus untuk membantu orang Melayu berniaga,” jelasnya lagi.

Beliau turut mendakwa bahawa orang Melayu sukar untuk berniaga di Selangor.

“Kami di Selangor nak berniaga bukan senang, kerajaan (negeri) ada tiga parti yang berlainan ideologi.

“Bila kita minta sesuatu, memang kami dianak tirikan. Yang hairannya bila minta dari satu, dia hala kepada yang lain,” katanya lagi.

Mystery woman at MIC polls

A defeated candidate says an unknown person called Mala was seen counting and tabulating votes.

PETALING JAYA: A candidate who lost in his bid for a vice president’s post in last Saturday’s MIC election has demanded that the party leadership disclose the identity of a “mysterious woman going by the name of Mala” who allegedly counted and tabulated the votes.

He also alleged that Mala was a friend of the wife of a party leader whom he did not name.

“Why was she there?” he asked.

“The election committee got some students to count votes. But then we had this woman, who was called Mala doing the job as well. We understand she is a close friend of an MIC leader’s wife. None of the candidates knew who she was.”

He said the leader’s wife had, three days before the elections, checked into the hotel where the polls were held and held “meeting after meeting” with delegates, telling them to vote for certain individuals.

“She also used a Wanita MIC leader and a newly elected central working committee member to distribute the list of candidates allegedly preferred by the president at the meetings.”

He alleged that Mala was with the leader’s wife much of the time.

The party election was marred by allegations of vote manipulation after former youth chiefs T Mohan and SA Vigneswaran openly declared that the polls were not free and fair.

They alleged, according to Tamil newspapers, that certain individuals had manipulated the votes. The polls saw eight candidates vying for the three vice presidential seats and 88 candidates for the 23 central working committee seats.

Former veep S Sothinathan, incumbent M Saravanan and party’s treasurer-general, Jaspal Singh, won the vice presidential race after the first and second vote counts. But after a third count, Jaspal was pipped by Johor Baharu division chief KS Balakrishnan by more than 20 votes.

Ballot papers in toilet

“During the first two counts only Jaspal’s and Balakrishnan’s votes were counted,” said the candidate who spoke to FMT. “Jaspal won by two and four votes respectively.

“Then other candidates wanted all the votes recounted. But the election steering committee could not reopen the ballots, which had been put under lock and key by then.

“They said keys to the ballots were with a prominent MIC leader, who was not even in the election steering committee.

“Why was this person holding the key to the ballots? They tried to locate him for the keys. During this time, this leader had actually taken some unmarked ballot papers into a toilet near the counting centre. He had placed two Rela members outside the toilet to prevent anyone from going in.

“He came out after 20 minutes with the keys. The election steering committee then did the recount. On the third count, Balakrishnan took the third vice-president’s spot, beating Jaspal. Saravanan got angry and demanded a fourth and final recount for all candidates. Then all the numbers changed.”

Students blamed

He said the final vote count did not tally with the number of delegates who voted.

Referring to statements by party leaders that blamed the students for the discrepancy, he said the students “did only what they were told to do”.

He alleged that the use of students as vote counters was part of a ploy to manipulate the results.

“All these years the MIC headquarters staff were entrusted to count and tally votes. Why weren’t they asked to do the same in this election. Why bring in students who did not know the election process?

“Who made this arrangement? It all points to only a selected few in the party leadership. It is an open secret as to who is behind this whole fiasco. If they do not rectify the polls, then we will definitely come out and name this leader and his cronies for making MIC a laughing stock.

“Umno conducted its polls with over 100,000 voters and it went on without any major glitch. We had 1,400 delegates and we messed up because of this leader.”

MIC secretary general A Sakthivel confirmed today that the party leadership had received appeals against the election results. He said the election committee would deal with them.

The next general elections will be all about Islam

I was chatting with a senior PAS leader just before the party’s annual congress, and he expressed his worry over the creeping skin-deep Islamisation that the country is going through. “The next general elections will be about who seems the most Islamic,” he said, and despite his Islamist credentials, his concern was understandable.

Zurairi AR, MM

It is a relatively good time to be an Islamist in this country.

If signs are to be believed, it is only a matter of time until Malaysia becomes a full-fledged Islamic country, just like how it was meant to be.

Last week, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak was kind enough to grant the Mentri Besar of Kelantan, Ahmad Yaakob, an audience. It was believed that part of their discussions centred on steps to allow hudud laws to be implemented in Kelantan.

This, of course, came after Ahmad’s party, the Islamist PAS, passed a resolution during its annual congress last month, calling for the Federal government to not impede the implementation of Islamic laws, especially hudud, in states which are run by the opposition Pakatan Rakyat.

This frenzy, in turn, came about after the Sultan of Brunei decreed that Islamic laws including hudud be enforced in his country, inviting praises from PAS among others, despite international concerns over human rights.

PAS delegates even went as far as calling attention to the Acheh province in Indonesia, urging for the same kind of moral Gestapo to be given authority in Malaysia to harass citizens.

The frenzy for hudud in PAS’ annual congress was followed, almost serendipitously, by the Sultan of Johor’s announcement that the state will revert its rest days to Fridays and Saturdays to allow Muslims time for their weekly Friday prayers.

The last time this had happened was before 1994, and unlike previously, this time around the proclamation was made without much consideration for business entities, and almost failing to recognise Johor’s status as a neighbour to the burgeoning economy of Singapore.

Alas, this is a small matter. The sultans have listened to the rakyat. Islam is back in the grandstand.

For some, this might feel like a fortuitous turn of events. But not everyone obviously will feel the same way.

I was chatting with a senior PAS leader just before the party’s annual congress, and he expressed his worry over the creeping skin-deep Islamisation that the country is going through.

“The next general elections will be about who seems the most Islamic,” he said, and despite his Islamist credentials, his concern was understandable.

For a devout Muslim, this discomfort comes with seeing Islam being cheapened to a mere political tool, with support for hudud seen as the ultimate tool of proving a politician’s devoutness.

It is as if just by crying one’s religious credential over the others, it automatically absolves him of his many other sins.

We have already seen the ball rolling during the Umno general assembly this week.

Seemingly locked in religious auction with PAS, its Malay support base eroded in the last polls, Umno had beaten its chest, proclaiming itself as the “real” champion of Islam.

A delegate from the women’s wing even declared Umno as “more Islamic” than PAS, citing proven Islamic products such as Islamic banking as purportedly the fruits of Umno’s labour.

We also heard the Umno deputy president Muhyiddin Yassin calling for a Constitutional amendment so that Malays will only adhere to the Sunni denomination of Islam, in another demonisation against the Shia sect.

The deputy prime minister also urged for Islamic studies to be a lifelong learning, whatever that means, to combat liberalism of all things.

We have witnessed a truly rare event, where both PAS and Umno mirrored each other: condemning the “liberals” and advocated human rights as undeniable threats to the sanctity of Islam in the country.

Thanks to smear tactics and fear-mongering by some narrow-minded Muslims NGOs, we have now been assured of not only a state-sanctioned, but even bi-partisan effort to deny Malaysians minorities of their rights.

Top of the list, however, is talk that both Umno and PAS should combine their powers for the sake of the Malays and Islam.

Talks of a unity government between the two have always been in the air, but never have they been so loud. Some of the public are truly looking forward to it.

If anything, if both of them do resort to unity after years of labelling each other heretics, it would only show their desperation and lack of political depth to survive the upcoming years.

For now, they might be in consensus. But it might not be long until they start the heretic blame game again in the game of one-upmanship.

The Muslims might think that they are winning out of this—surely this is a victory—but whether they will benefit from this remains to be seen.

One thing for sure, those who will suffer the most from the creeping Islamisation are the multi-cultural, multi-religious, multi-ethnic, multi-ideological Malaysians. You and me.

There is nothing worse than being the minority, and to see the government that is supposed to represent you fixated on the whims and fancy of only one domineering ethno-religious group.

The road towards the next general elections will be intimidating. The hope of seeing any political body standing up for a secular Malaysia looks bleaker than ever.

Now, Umno rep wants 67.9pc Bumiputera quota

(MM) - An Umno delegate today asked for the 30 per cent quota for Bumiputera equity in business to be more than doubled to reflect the country’s population breakdown and deal with what he described as “disturbing emerging issues” in the economy.

Malacca delegate Datuk Akhbar Ali told the Umno general assembly that it is only fair to revise the quota upwards, since the Bumiputera community account for 67.9 per cent of the country’s population of 28 million.

“We need to translate that into a new benchmark for our future planning and targets. If we take that 67.9 per cent as the new benchmark, imagine where we will be,” he said during the economy debate.

The current 30 per cent quota was implemented under the New Economic Policy (NEP) in 1970 to narrow the gap in business equity ownership between the Malay and Chinese communities.

The NEP was created as a response to the deadly racial riots that rocked the nation’s capital on May 13, 1969, and was supposed to run for 20 years ending in 1990.

The government has, however, continued to retain elements of the NEP, amidst growing discontent among non-Bumiputera communities over what they described as a free ride for well-connected Malays into big business.

Akhbar today argued that despite all the policies put in place by the government to empower the Bumiputera community economically, they still lagged behind the non-Bumiputera.

Taking the example of land ownership, he said the Bumiputera community collectively own just 42.5 per cent of the total land area available in the country.

Citing the Wasiat Raja-Raja Melayu or Will of the Malay Rulers — which was issued at the same time Malaya declared independence — Akhbar said 50 per cent of the land sans mountains and lakes was to be Malay reserve land, while the remaining half would be up for grabs by all communities.

“Based on this, the Bumiputera should own over 50 per cent of the land, but the figures show that Bumiputera land ownership is not even at 50 per cent,” he said, while asking party President and Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak to provide a detailed racial breakdown of land ownership in every state.

Akhbar also highlighted the widening gap in household income between Bumiputera and Chinese households, claiming that the average Chinese family earns RM1.45 for every RM1 brought home by a Malay household.

He said the Umno-led federal government must channel as much help as possible for Bumiputera wage earners, who make up the bulk of the Bumiputera economic pie.

The Malacca Umno liaison committee secretary said wage earners comprise 69 per cent of the entire Bumiputera community, with nearly three quarters of that figure falling in the country’s bottom 40 per cent of the economic strata.

He acknowledged that the onus falls on the Bumiputera community to take advantage of all the opportunities provided by the government to uplift themselves, but stressed that the policymakers must also work doubly hard to give the Bumiputera economic empowerment.

“We must bear in mind that growth without equity will only widen the (economic) gap, while equity without growth will only breed poverty,” he said.

Buyer Beware in the Malaysian Franchise Industry

Hamburger Tan

Some winners, but plenty of losers in a rigged system
Malaysia’s franchising industry is considered a potent road to success, having produced such stellar figures as Vincent Tan Chee Youn, who got his start with the McDonalds franchise before moving on to the Berjaya conglomerate and gaming through Sports Toto. Despite becoming one of the country’s most successful Chinese entrepreneurs, worth an estimated US$1.3 billion, he is still known by his nickname Hamburger Tan.
Tan’s success has driven the dream of becoming a successful entrepreneur to be shared by many. The franchise industry has made many successful consultants like Abdul Malik Abdullah of D'Tandoori fame, but unfortunately a large number of local franchise failures are hidden with all the hype about the success of the industry. Even though the industry can point to the success of many local franchises like Nelson's and Marrybrown, the vulnerability of any successful branded franchise can be seen in Secret Recipe going into receivership in Australia.
In fact the industry is packed with consultants and brokers who conduct courses and workshops which may encourage the vulnerable into inappropriate products and businesses, charging as much as RM160,000 (US$50,000) to secure company registration as an approved franchisor. Many franchisors are reckless and oversell their ideas to gullible people who lack any sense about doing due diligence on a business concept.
Under the then-Mahathir government in the 1980s, retired public servants were encouraged to become Bumiputera entrepreneurs through buying into franchises. The then-deputy domestic trade minister Abdul Kadir bin Sheikh Fadzir became the public proponent of franchising, organizing seminars and workshops on the concept all over the country.
Although Singer was the first company to introduce franchising to Malaysia in the 1940s, the first F&B successful franchise in Malaysia was the American hamburger and root beer chain A&W, which opened its first outlet in Petaling Jaya in 1963. Very soon many other successful outlets were opened all around Klang Valley. In the following decades, McDonalds, KFC, Pizza Hut, and Kenny Rogers came to the country.
Franchising became a massive growth industry with the establishment of the Malaysian Franchise Association in 1994, attracting a number of consultants and brokers. A screening and selection system, as well as a number of bureaucratic requirements were enacted, so that the procedure to become either a franchisor or franchisee became cumbersome. Consequently, after a very hopeful beginning, the combination of bureaucracy, regulation, procedure, and plain dishonesty among some franchisors has brought misery and suffering to many unsuspecting franchisees.
The Franchise Development Program (FDP) requires franchisors to undertake a number of steps and procedures before they can be registered. Registration enables a company to be eligible for a grant of RM100,000 for Bumiputera companies and RM50,000 for non-Bumiputera companies. The catch is that ministry officials require franchisors to employ a consultant, usually of their choosing to aid the process, where fees may be as high as 40 percent of the grant. Many unhappy franchisors have suggested to Asia Sentinel that some collusion exists in this process between consultants and officials.
Most consultants are not registered with the US-based and internationally recognized International Franchise Association (IFA). These consultants commonly approach potential franchise businesses promising expansion through franchising. They arrange for grants without much scrutiny over the viability of the businesses they have been engaged to develop franchise models. Consequently the market is full of many dubious business models.
A number of franchisors see franchising as a means to extract money from franchisees rather than a means to develop a brand and business. This results in franchises that have little real potential. Once-successful SMEs that go down this track are poorly advised and often fall into financial difficulties. Franchisees who sign up with them don't last long with the result that the only group who has profited out of this process is the consultant.
The problem today is there are so many franchises up for sale, some bona fide and some not. The quality on offer varies widely. Nascent entrepreneurs with little or no experience make the assumption that regulated franchises have been screened for business model viability. What’s more, some franchises like TuitionMall.com or Pusat Bahasa Titian Jaya are alleged to falsely imply that the company has a connection with Cambridge.
For example two Kuala Lumpur entrepreneurs signed a franchising agreement with an F&B franchisor based in Johor who encouraged the franchisee to install a music box and have a band at the venue for extra franchisee costs outside the royalty agreement based on sales turnover. As a result the franchisee business became commercially unviable and the franchisor insisted on a legal remedy which cost the two entrepreneurs their full investment of over RM600,000.
Most franchise agreements have been drawn up in favor of franchisors, some with traps that bring many small franchisees undone such as extra charges over and above royalties. When business flags, franchisor requirements put the concern into financial trouble. A litigation lawyer disclosed that due to the unfairness of the Franchise Act in its favoritism towards franchisors, very few franchisees have been successful in gaining any legal remedy from unscrupulous franchisors. Most court decisions go against them.
There has also been criticism of the Malaysian Franchise Association lack of effort in promoting ethics within the industry by its membership. Part of the problem may appear to be in the way the Perbadanan Nasional Bhd (PNS) is promoting grants and start-up loan packages to businesses. The question is whether this is encouraging predator consulting practices within the industry.
The onus is on the Malaysian Franchise Association, as many within its membership desire, to do its part in cleaning up the industry. Potential franchisees need to look very closely at any franchise they may consider signing up to. This requires a review of how the business model works and scrutiny about both how much the business would cost to operate on a monthly basis, the potential revenue, and total payments required to be paid to the franchisor through the agreement. Is the planned location suitable for this franchise? Potential franchisees should go and look at the operations of other franchisees and talk to them about the franchise business, focusing particularly on the relationship between franchisor and franchisee.
Potential franchisees should look at what they are getting for the fees they pay. How much is the franchisor putting back into brand support and promotion? They should ask who is the franchisor and whether they really have the affiliations they claim to have. Is the franchisee entitled to new products? if so, are there any extra, one-up fees besides royalty payments?
In the event of financial difficulties or the need to close down for any reason, can the franchise agreement be easily terminated? Does the franchisee have the necessary skills and knowledge to run the business and what sort and duration of training is offered by the franchisor? Most importantly, does the franchisee have sufficient financial backing to undergo this venture? Surprisingly, these types of questions are rarely asked by new entrepreneurs.
Finally what should also be considered from the national perspective, is the effect on national creativity and innovation from the franchising phenomenon. Although the thinking behind franchising is that those who engage in franchising are less likely to fail in a new business, the framework of franchising itself frowns upon franchisees who themselves innovate. Thus franchising on a wide scale may have the effect of suppressing entrepreneurial creativity. Franchising kills creativity.

Power tariff – the last straw that broke the camel’s back?

Liew Chin Tong
Malaysiakini


MP SPEAKS

The spate of new taxes and price hikes, the latest being the electricity tariff hike, have caused me to doubt whether the government under Najib Abdul Razak has any idea about the macroeconomic risks that Malaysia faces.

Against the backdrop of an uncertain global economy and the likeliness of the quantitative easing tapering, domestic demand is crucial in sustaining the Malaysian economy. Yet the spate of new taxes and price hikes will produce an opposite result: the further decline of domestic demand.

Will the electricity tariff increase become the last straw on the camel’s back that will see the Malaysian economy collapsing due to the confluence of several domestic and global factors?

The electricity tariff will be increased by an average of about 14.89 percent for Peninsular Malaysia, and by about 17 percent for Sabah and Labuan from next year.

The average electricity tariff in Peninsular Malaysia will be up 4.99 sen per kWh or 14.89 percent from the current average rate of 33.54 sen/kWh to 38.53 sen/kWh.

For Sabah and Labuan, the average tariff will be up 5 sen per kWh or 16.9 percent from current average rate of 29.52 sen per kWh to 34.52 sen per kWh.

GST will cause inflation

Currently, Malaysia is already burdened with risks of a potential crisis due to the following factors:

First, the goods and services tax (GST), which will be introduced in April 2015, will eat away disposable income and hence depress domestic demand, as well as cause inflation, at least in the first year.

Second, quantitative easing is likely to end by then. The interest rate is likely to be higher in 2015 and a higher interest rate will depress domestic demand further. As the US dollar appreciates, imports will become more expensive.

On the other hand, exports may not be too good, even with a depreciated ringgit largely because job growth in the US and Europe would still be slow, thus demand of our exported goods would not be high.

In addition, some US manufacturers are moving back to the United States, which means room for Malaysia’s export-led growth is limited.

Third, I am of the view that palm oil price is likely to further soften in 2015, mainly due to oversupply and a potential soya super harvest next year, despite the Haiyan catastrophe causing short-term shortages of coconut oil.

The potential softening of palm oil prices will have major political consequences in Malaysia as small owners in small towns and rural areas depend heavily on commodities.

Will there be a property bubble?

Fourth, will there be a property bubble? What would be the combined effect of electricity tariff hike, GST implementation, higher interest rate (mostly as a result of quantitative easing tapering) and lower commodity prices?

The moment somebody begins to default, there is risk of a meltdown, especially in the context of very high domestic debt-to-GDP ratio.

Beyond that, the rating agencies’ greater scrutiny of Malaysia’s poorly managed public finances will likely result in more expensive borrowing costs to the government, and consequently push up further the interest rate for everyone else.

Fuel prices are never easy to gauge, but the petrol price may fall as the supply of shale gas comes through.

The fall of petrol price will be a double-edged sword. It would mean less subsidy payment, thus helping to reduce the deficit,

However, this also means eroding Petronas’s contribution to the public coffers, thus potentially resulting in widening of deficit, which in turn further erodes the government’s creditworthiness.

The government needs to have the big picture in mind and coordinate its macroeconomic policies to avoid the potential meltdown. Any hard landing is going to harm millions of ordinary families, hence efforts should be made now to prevent such an occurrence.

LIEW CHIN TONG is the MP for Kluang and DAP national political education director.

Withdrawal of Bills hailed

The Star
by TAN YI LIANG

PETALING JAYA: The legal community praised the Government for withdrawing two crime-related Bills from Parliament, saying that both of them needed more fine-tuning.

Bar Council president Christopher Leong welcomed the withdrawal of the Criminal Procedure Code (CPC) (Amendments) 2013 and the Evidence (Amendment) Bill 2013.

“Justice must always take into account the particular circumstances of each case and the discretion of the judiciary in this regard must never be interfered with,” he said yesterday.

Objections have been raised by the legal community over the amendments to the CPC as anyone found guilty of multiple offences will now have to serve time for each crime consecutively, with concurrent sentences disallowed under the new amendments.

For example, a person convicted of housebreaking and theft will have to serve out the sentence for each offence one after another.

And since housebreaking and theft carry a maximum of two years and seven years jail respectively, the person could end up behind bars for nine years.

The amendments would also have taken away the judges’ discretion to apply Section 294, which would have meant that a judge would no longer have a discretion to release youth offenders on probation of good conduct if the law provided a minimum penalty for their offence.

Leong said if the Evidence (Amendment) Bill 2013 was passed, it would be problematic to allow evidence taken from witnesses in the absence of the accused in a criminal trial.

Lawyers for Liberty co-founder Eric Paulsen said if the Evidence (Amendment) Bill was passed, it would mean witnesses can testify in secret, with the accused or their counsel unable to see, hear or cross-examine those witnesses.

“Such secrecy is repugnant to the very basic foundation of our criminal justice system that demands a fair trial,” said Paulsen.

On the withdrawal of the CPC, Paulsen said judges need to take into account various factors in individual cases.

“The discretionary powers of judges should remain,” he added.

On Wednesday, the Government withdrew six Bills including the amendments to the CPC and the Evidence Bills.

Criminal defence lawyer Sreekant Pillai said plea bargaining would be a waste due to the lengthy jail sentences the accused would likely face if the CPC amendments were passed.

Grand Mosque Imam Calls On Najib

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 6 (Bernama) -- Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak today received a courtesy call from the Imam of Al-Haram Mosque, Syeikh Dr Khalid Ali Al-Ghamdi at the Putra World Trade Centre (PWTC) here.

Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Jamil Khir Baharom, who was present at the meeting, said Khalid was very excited to be in Malaysia and meet the Prime Minister in person.

"He conceded that he was impressed with Malaysia. He also discussed matters pertaining to Malaysian haj pilgrims," Jamil Khir told Bernama after the meeting.

The minister said the visit by Khalid together with a group of ulama from the University of Um-mul Qura', Makkah was a great honour for Malaysia.

Jamil Khir said the visit by the Imam of the Al-Haram Mosque and his delegation to Malaysia had been planned for a long time and it coincided with the Umno General Assembly 2013 at the PWTC.

"He (Khalid) was very excited to come to Malaysia for the first time," said Jamil Khir.

The Minister said Najib welcomed the visit and thanked Khalid, who is also the 'Imam Haramain' [Imam of two Holy Mosques namely Al-Haram (Makkah) and Nabawi (Medina)], for visiting Malaysia.

"He (Khalid) was previously the imam in Medina and later was promoted to be the imam of Al-Haram Mosque. It's an honour when he is willing to lead the congregation and deliver the Friday sermon at the PWTC surau today," he added.