Let’s talk, says Anwar as he again offers to meet with Barisan over racial and religious issues

Anwar has urged Barisan Nasional to work together with Pakatan Rakyat to ease the racial and religious tension in the country. – The Malaysian Insider pic by Najjua Zulkefli, January 26, 2014.
Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has once again reiterated his call for a dialogue with Barisan Nasional to address raging racial and religious issues, three days after making the same overture to the ruling coalition.

The opposition leader is moved to extend the olive branch again after many Malaysians expressed concern over increased tension in the country resulting from several racial and religious issues lately.

In calling for a national consensus, the former finance minister said leaders from both sides of the political divide must put aside all partisan concerns and show real leadership in easing the tension and working towards ameliorating the situation.

"Indeed, the time has come for us to reach a national consensus on these crucial issues that impact the sub-stratum of our identity as a nation.

"I call on you, my fellow Malaysians to rise and let your voices be heard. Let your voice of mutual respect and goodwill, your voice of understanding and trust, and your voice of unity and integration prevail over these voices of hatred, rancour, hostility and destruction," he said in his special address to all Malaysians in Petaling Jaya today.

In describing his address as a message "conceived in love for the nation and not in hate against anyone", Anwar lamented that the situation is no longer "tenable" as in the last few months, a series of circumstances and developments are fast eroding the cohesiveness that is crucial to the Malaysian identity.

"We must turn the corner from the path of increasing polarisation to the path of greater integration. We must stop the race baiting, put an end to this disease of incitement to religious intolerance and hatred, and join our hands in unity and togetherness," he said.

He said it is morally incumbent on leaders, to go beyond partisan lines and come to a national consensus - which can also include issues like the country's economy, corruption and rising cost of living - on how to move the nation forward.

In the run-up to 2014, tensions flared again over the use of the Arabic word Allah by non-Muslims, with Muslim groups insisting the word is exclusive to Islam.

It culminated in the Selangor Islamic Religious Department’s (Jais) raid of the Bible Society of Malaysia (BSM) office in Petaling Jaya on January 2, and seizure of more than 300 copies of Bibles in Malay and Iban language. Two BSM officials were detained and their statements recorded.

Although international Islamic scholars have clarified that the term is not exclusive to Islam, state Islamic authorities in Malaysia have reacted negatively to reports of churches using the word Allah in services and literature catering to the Bahasa Malaysia-speaking Christian community.

However, critics have claimed that the entire controversy was an attempt to deflect attention from the country’s economic problems such as the rising cost of living due to price hikes and subsidy cuts. – January 26, 2014.

Hindu Elements in Indian Constitution.

 

Hindu Elements in Indian Constitution. The implication of Hindu Culture and Tradition in Indian Constitution.

Upananda Brahmachari | Hindu Existence Bureau | 26 January 2014:: India i.e. Bharat is celebrating its 65th anniversary of adopting its Constitution as it was taken granted on the day of 26^th January, 1950. We are very much proud for the Indian Constitution and celebrating the Republic Day, but we never look through the Hindu Elements in Indian Constitution or the implication of Hindu Culture and Tradition in it.

The partition of India in 1947, made this unique land of cultural unity divided into two pieces on the basis of two nation theory, Hindu-Muslim basis which was undesirable to the majority people.  But, the communal minority Muslims procured their holy land of Pakistan on the strength swords and the cunning politics in connivance of the British who adopted ‘divide-&-rule’ policy.

Though least blood shedder and the minimum trouble taker Muslim conspirators materialized their holy land Pakistan even trough bloody direct action against the majority Hindus, the largest contributors of freedom struggle, the Hindus did not get the a Hindu India in return.

In contrary, the band of Muslim leaguers stayed in India only to have more slice of bread from Hindu’s share.  The Muslims who did not leave this country showing their so-called secular mentality at the time of partition, were not the patriot people, one can misunderstand the reality. But, they took a risk to stay here to form another movement of partition whenever it would be possible.  Kashmir to Kerala, Hyderabad to Muzaffarbad, we have sufficient evidences to make it clear.

To strangulate the Hindu voice to raise a demand of Hindu Rashtra in India, a long series of agents were present in the Constitute Assembly and Drafting Committee for adopting a Non Hindu texture of Indian Constitution.

The presence of hypocrite secular, Arab Culture propagator and prominent Muslim Leaguers like Liyakat Ali Khan, Firoz Khan Noon, Khaja  Nizamuddin, Shaid Swharabardy Jafarulla Khan, Md. Saadullah etc. in the above committees were suitably used to shield any chance to table any Hindu Nation in and Hindu Constitution in India. Most of these people were the staunch supporters of Muslim League, Pakistan and were involved in Direct Actions against Hindus. We cannot ignore the most critical role as played by Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, very silently to deter any Hindu fervor of Indian Constitution.

God saved us as at least three true nationalists were present in the Constitute Assembly and Drafting Committee to adopt some deliberate actions in favour of the majority people and Hindu Nature of this ancient land.  Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel, Dr Bhim Rao Ambedkar and Dr Shyama Prashad Mookerjee acted fortunately in favour of the majority sentiments in this land, where the Hindu sentiment was the most unwanted subject in Indian politics.

As Indian Constitution says the measures of ‘prohibiting the slaughter of cows’ as to protect it as a tradition of this land or otherwise adopting such provisions of ‘Rights’, ‘directive principals’ or other mechanism to rule this land, has been derived from Hindu Values and put into it as to check the further division to protect the statute and texture of the Bharatiyata of the people of this land.

Afterwards, this philosophy was challenged by Mrs. Indira Gandhi (don’t forget her name as Mymuna Begum and wife of Firoze Khan), the autocrat of Indian emergency period and attacked Indian Constitution in its Preamble by infiltrating two words,  ‘Socialist’  and ‘Secular’ in the unfortunate 42 amendment in 1977.

Then Prime Minister, Indira  Gandhi tried to please her communist friends  and the international Russian lobby by inserting ‘Socialist’ and evidently tried to please the communal forces in Muslim and Christian community by inserting ‘Secular’, so that this Constitution would be a powerless fallacy for any Hindu rights or empowerment.

As told by me by late Pabitra Kumar Ghosh, a veteran journalist in Bengali media that Smt. Gandhi then tried to delete the pictures from the original copy of Indian Constitution as provoked by the communists and the communalists but it could be possible by relying the intelligence reports as it might be a great retaliation as an aftermath from the patriotic forces.

Most of the students and concerned readers do not know even the pictures illustrated in its original copy of the hand written Constitution of India. Such books are also not available in the market containing the pictures of Indian Constitution.  The calligraphy in the original constitution was done by Prem Behari Narain Raizda. It was illuminated by Nandalal Bose and other artists, published by Dehra Dun, and photolithographed at the Survey of India Offices.

The twenty pictures so far enshrined in the Constitution of India may be termed as the reflection of Culture and Tradition of Bharat and most evident of the context of Hindu culture of Bharat. These pictures reflect the historicity of the Lank Vijay and Sita Uddhar by Lord Ram (Victory of Lanka and rescue of Sita), Gita Upadesh by Lord Krishna (Exhorting Gita in Kurukheshtra), Vedic Life, Ganga Anayan by Bhagirata ( Bringing Ganages from heaven to the earth by Bhagirata), King Viktamaditya, Gautam Buddha, Tirthankar Mahavir, illustration of Nalanda University, Chatrapati Shivaji, Guru Govinda Singh, Rani Lakshmibai, Scene of Himalaya which are exclusively reflecting the message of rich Hindu Culture and Tradition of Bharat.

Every picture drawn in every Part of the Constitution of India has its own relevance and significance. The Part I of The Union and its Territory starts with the Seal of Mahanjadaro.  The seal emblems with the traditional Oxen worship in India. Part II, Citizenship starts with the scene reflecting the Vedic Tradition of Yajna tradition in India; Chapter III, Fundamental Rights starts with the win of Truth and faith over the evil power by depicting the picture of Lanka Vijay; Part IV, Directive Principles of State Policy reflects of the knowledge of Gita as exhorted by Lord Krishan; Part V, The Union depicts the picture of the Sangha established by Lord Buddha, Part VI, The states in Part A.. shows the picture of Tirthankar Mahavir, picture of Nataraj in Part XII and so on. One cannot deny the significance of these pictures in relation of Indian culture and heritage in the context of  the philosophy of Indian Constitution.

Only two contemporary Indian icons of freedom struggle have been included in the Constitution. They are Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (two pics, one of Dandi March and other is Noakhali Hindu Carnage visit) and Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose (one pic of role of Netaji and Indian National Army in Indian Freedom Struggle). Two controversial pictures of Muslims Akbar and Tipu Sultan are also included in it. Akbar’s role to capsize the warrior Rajput power and Tipu’s role for Hindu massacre are always debatable points in the Indian history.

But, in no way the Hindu significance of the Holy Indian Constitution can be denied. This generation and the next must know it with full deliberation.

All the pictures preserved in the World Digital Library is reproduced here-under with due courtesy to the authority.

    

  

  

Picture Courtesy: World Digital Library.

Yemeni held for forcing 8-year-old to marry

Yemen’s police arrested a local man after he forced his eight-year-old daughter to marry a 30-year-old man because of his wealth.

Newspapers said Afnan Al Shibani’s relatives, who were strongly opposed to the marriage, reported him to the police after they failed to dissuade him.

Police raided Al Shibani’s house in the southern town of Ibb and arrested him a few days before the wedding on Thursday. Police then handed the girl to her uncle.

Newspapers said the girl is just below eight years of age and is in the second class in the primary school in the province.

http://www.emirates247.com/news/region/yemeni-held-for-forcing-8-year-old-to-marry-2014-01-26-1.536078

The shoes I walk in: Minorities blame growing discrimination for the loss of a feeling of fellowship

A speaker, M Prakash, said that there were 350 temples and gurdwaras in Sindh but only five to 10 were owned by them.

KARACHI: In 1947, there were a 100 Parsi families living in Quetta. Today, there are only two.

“This figure alone tells the deplorable state of minorities in the country,” aptly concluded Justice (retd) Mehta Kailash Nath Kohli, the keynote speaker on the first day of a two-day workshop, ‘Status of Religious Minorities in Pakistan: Challenges and Response’, organised by the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) at the Avari Towers on Saturday.

The judge, who hails from Quetta, spoke how his community members — the Hindus — are being abducted and kidnapped. “Since Pakistan’s inception, not a single law has been legislated in favour of religious minorities,” he added.

Human rights defenders from Palestine, France, Indonesia and Philippines gravely listened to the woes of the minorities.

The issue of land grabbing of the houses of worships and properties by the Evacuee Trust Property Board also became a part of the discussion. Lawyer Rochi Ram claimed that one-million acre land in Badin, Umerkot and Tharparkar was left behind by the Hindus but the land was no longer under the community’s ownership. “The government takes over the land and gives it on lease. Many burial places belong to the non-Muslims but we are not allowed to bury the bodies over there.”

A speaker, M Prakash, said that there were 350 temples and gurdwaras in Sindh but only five to 10 were owned by them. Minority members pointed out how discussions over the misuse of the blasphemy law have disappeared from the forefront. “We have forwarded recommendations to the government on how can we stop the misuse of this law,” said father Emmanuel Yousaf.

Another participant, Jaipal Chhabria, lamented that there was not a single Christian parliamentarian in Sindh Assembly. “Bilawal Bhutto dreams of having a Christian prime minster but his government did not to make the required amendments to allow minorities to hold important positions.”

He frowned that the media showed Hindus as opportunists. HRCP’s vice-chairperson Amarnath Motumal discussed how personal laws and marriage rights of their community were being completely ignored. “The courts do not recognise our rights. Even seven-year-old girls are being converted.”

Pushpa Kumari broke down into tears as she narrated the incident when a body of a 17-year-old girl was taken out from a graveyard because she was buried in a Muslim graveyard.

Carrying a bunch of newspapers dated last week, she said, “There are five cases of sexual harassment of Hindu women in Sindh, including the gang rape of a teenager.”

Kumari said that recently the government released 39 bonded labourers of the Hindu community, but asked would it take their responsibility. She narrated how in 1996, she was told to quit her job at the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission because their policy did not allow Hindus to work there.

A Sikh community member, Sardar Kalyan Singh, said that when they go to Peshawar or FATA, they have to pay Jizyah, which is sometimes Rs25,000, per person per year.

“Two days ago, a member of the Sikh community was killed because he refused to pay Jizya. When we spoke to the minister, he said that he is being forced to pay the same, so we should abide.”

A member of the Ahmadi community, Amir Mahmood, called for elimination of the anti-Ahmadi Ordinance.

Barkat Ali from the Hazara community said that he had lost his cousin in the recent attack on Hazara pilgrims. “We are left with no hope and we think the government is not serious about solving anything.”

Bigger picture: Foreign activists paint dismal picture

Foreign human rights defenders also shared the situation in their countries. Ihsan Ali Fauzi, a researcher at the Center for the Study of Religion and Demonstration in Indonesia, said that since 2006, discrimination and violence against Ahmadis, Biharis, Christians and Shias had increased.

Through his presentation, he shared that attacks on minorities have risen from 216 in 2010 to 244 in 2011. Fauzi said that the blasphemy law which came into existence in Indonesia in 2008, and the laws pertaining to seeking permission before building a house of worship led towards religious intolerance.

Present at the HRCP workshop, Palestinian Al-Haq’s general-director Shawan Jabarin, said that Pakistan’s government was not doing enough to tackle the human rights violations in the country.

“I feel that the government is not playing its part. The people here should be free from fear and enjoy freedom,” said Jabarin, who since 1987 has been fighting for the rights of his people back at home.

Jabarin, who also holds a Masters degree in International Human Rights Law, said that Al-Haq was founded in 1979 and is the first human rights organisation in the Middle East region. His organisation dealt with policies instead of isolated cases.

Jabarin is a firm believer of self-determination, and feels that people all over the world should be entitled to their right. “Back home, our people are not enjoying self-determination. They face property destruction and killings. We are struggling but one day we will get there. This is what we learn from history.”

Published in The Express Tribune, January 26th, 2014.

Chinese ships patrol area contested by Malaysia

'A' marks the location of James Shoal, about 80km off the coast of Sarawak. - January 26, 2014.(TMI) Three Chinese ships patrolled the James Shoal, that is also claimed by Malaysia, as soldiers and officers on board swore to safeguard its sovereignty, in the latest sign of Beijing's territorial assertiveness in the South China Sea, Reuters reported today.

This latest act of aggression by China is a slap in the face of the Najib administration that has talked up China's benign intentions in Asean meetings as well as touted Malaysia's special ties with Beijing.

James Shoal is located about 80km from Sarawak, however, Beijing regards it as the southernmost part of the country's territory.

The Chinese vessels comprised an amphibious landing craft, the Changbaishan, and two destroyers, state news agency Xinhua said.

"During the ceremony held in the Zengmu Reef area, soldiers and officers aboard swore an oath of determination to safeguard the country's sovereignty and maritime interests," Xinhua said. Zengmu Reef is the Chinese term for James Shoal.

Xinhua said the fleet commander Jiang Weilie "urged soldiers and officers to always be prepared to fight, improve combat capabilities and lead the forces to help build the country into a maritime power".

China is in an increasingly angry dispute with its neighbours over claims to parts of the potentially oil and gas-rich South China Sea. China lays claim to almost the whole of the sea, which is criss-crossed by crucial shipping lanes.

Last March, Malaysia protested against the incursion of four Chinese ships in James Shoal. Chinese sailors fired guns in the air during the visit to the shoal.

In April, a Chinese maritime surveillance ship returned to James Shoal to leave behind steel markers to assert its claim.

China upset the Philippines and the United States this month when rules went into force demanding fishing boats seek permission to enter waters under the jurisdiction of China's southern province of Hainan, an area the provincial government says covers much of the South China Sea.

Vietnam, Taiwan, Brunei, Malaysia and the Philippines also claim other parts of the South China Sea. China has a separate dispute with Japan in the East China Sea. - January 26, 2014.

Former Johor sultanah appeals on 'divorce'

 

The alleged ‘divorce’ of former Johor sultanah Tuanku Zanariah Tunku Ahmad will go to the highest court in the state - the Syariah Court of Appeal.

This follows lawyers acting for Tuanku Zanariah filing a notice of appeal today at the Johor Syariah Court of Appeal.

Six days ago the Syariah High Court refused to review a decision by the Syariah lower court that recognised the divorce.

This follows the Johor Syariah High Court ruling that it had to abide by the Johor fatwa committee's decision in 2010 that announced the divorce as valid, even though the application was made after the late Sultan Mahmud Iskandar passed away earlier that year.

The Johor Syariah High court also issued a gag order on those in the public gallery not to report the decision outside.

The notice of appeal today was filed by the firm of Kamar Ainiah Raziff & Zashidi. With this, the Johor High Court will have to prepare the written grounds of the decision it made on Jan 20 and following that the grounds of appeal will be filed.

The two were married on Aug 19, 1961. It was Mahmud Iskandar's second marriage.

Notified of divorce after sultan's death

Tuanku Zanariah's plight began in August last year when she received a letter from Johor mufti Mohd Tahrir Syamsuddin, along with three other documents including a divorce certificate dated Oct 8, 2010, that said the divorce took place on Jan 23, 2009.

The second letter was from the former Johor menteri besar Abdul Ghani Othman (right) dated Dec 9, 2010, informing her of the Johor fatwa committee’s decision on Aug 6, 2010 that recognised the validity of the divorce.

The final document was from the Lower Syariah Court dated Sept 30, 2010 that affirmed the divorce.

Sultan Mahmud passed away on Jan 22, 2010.

Tuanku Zanariah claimed that the divorce is not valid and wants the Syariah lower court order to be set aside as she was not called for any divorce proceedings.

She wants the court to investigate whether her late husband's proclamation in Jan 2009 that was allegedly witnessed by Abdul Ghani and the Johor Royal Committee chairperson Tengku Osman Tunku Temenggong Ahmad, was valid, based on a statutory declaration they made.

"A person who passed away on Jan 22, 2010 does not have the legal capacity to initiate any court proceedings unless it is for the administration of its estate.

"Furthermore, during his lifetime the sultan had not filed for any divorce proceedings at any Johor syariah court against me,” she said in court documents challenging the divorce.

Her title as sultanah was also revoked.

Transferred: Teacher who fed grass to student

A primary school teacher in Sungkai, Perak who forced two students to consume grass as punishment has been transferred to another school.

Director-General of the Education Department Khair Mohamad Yusof said the teacher who shamed the students will be served with a warning letter for being excessive.

He said investigation by the Perak Education Department found that the action by the teacher had tarnished the good image of the Ministry of Education.

"As primary school students, they should be given guidance," he said in a statement today.

Khair said failing to complete school work is not a disciplinary offence but part of the teaching and learning process that should be addressed via continuous guidance.

In the incident at Khai Meng Chinese National Type School (SJKC) on Friday, an English language teacher had punished two students in year four for failing to complete their homework.

Action by the 26-year-old teacher caused the mothers of the two students to lodge police reports at Sungkai police station yesterday.

The issue prompted the Perak Welfare Department to provide counseling to the two students to help them regain their enthusiasm for school tomorrow.

– Bernama

Uthaya infected from 'unhygienic' conditions

Hindraf leader P Uthayakumar says he has contracted scabies due to unhygienic conditions at the Kajang Prison, and appeals to Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak and Home Minister Zahid Hamidi to intervene in the matter.

He said the disease has afflicted several areas of his body - including his hands, legs, and buttocks - after being quarantined within the death row chambers for eight days from Jan 15, causing sleepless nights and bleeding from having scratched the infected skin.

“In the circumstances, I hereby urge your good selves to make a surprise visit to Kajang Prison.

“I would be more than happy to show your good selves the dirty blocks, the victims and the other prison abuses and shortcomings as per my complaints in the Official Request books,” he wrote in a letter to the duo, dated Jan 25.

The letter was also sent to Prison Department director-general Zulkifli Omar, and had been made available to media by his family.

In the letter, Uthayakumar (right) claimed that the scabies had afflicted some 30 percent of Kajang prisoners - naming several of them - and pointed out that the disease had also spread to the private parts of a prisoner at an adjacent cell.

“I dread thinking of Subramaniam (28) of Ayer Tawar, Perak who in 2006 died of septicaemia (blood poisoning) arising from scabies at the Air Molek Prison.

“On behalf of the family (of Subramaniam), I had filed a civil suit - but as usual - which was struck off. Now I myself do not want to be part of these statistics! Please Mr. Prime Minister, we are dealing with human lives here,” he pleaded.

Scabies is a disease characterised by intense itching and allergic reactions, caused by microscopic mites burrowing under the skin.

‘Why the eight-day quarantine?’

Uthayakumar, who had been sentenced to two-and-a-half years’ jail time for a conviction under the Sedition Act last June, was already afflicted by chronic diseases prior to his imprisonment.

These include diabetes, arthritis, and a prolapsed disc in his spine.

Uthayakumar also questioned the necessity of placing him under an eight-day quarantine, whereas Kajang Prison regulations - displayed at its entrance - stipulate only three days.

“If the smuggling-in of drugs and tobacco is the reason, why not a simple portable X-ray machine costing a mere RM8,000?” he said.

In addition, he noted that the prison conditions would have been better if the prison director and the prison doctor had inspected the prisons regularly, as stipulated by the same regulations.

“Almost all the prisoners had never seen the director or the doctor in their prison blocks, let alone ever having seen the director - (which is) pertinent because he is the prison’s CEO,” he said.
      
He claims that under Regulation 203, the prison director is supposed to inspect the prison at least once a day, and that the doctor is expected to make “periodic visits” under Regulation 236.

Perkasa mahu Sinar Harian batalkan debat Noh-Khalid Samad - FMT

Untuk kebaikan Islam tidak perlu debat di antara mereka

PETALING JAYA: Perkasa mahu Sinar Harian membatalkan debat antara Pengerusi Badan Perhubungan Umno Selangor, Datuk Seri Noh Omar dengan ahli parlimen Shah Alam, Khalid Samad.

Menurut Presiden Perkasa, Datuk Ibrahim Ali, untuk kebaikan Islam, tidak perlu debat antara mereka mengenai isu kalimah Allah daripada aspek undang-undang.

Katanya, debat ini akan banyak mudaratnya dan keburukan kepada Islam.

“Ianya tidak setakat undang-undang. ianya akan jadi debat politik kalimah Allah,” katanya kepada FMT.

Bekas ahli parlimen Pasir Mas itu menambah memang terbukti dengan langkah itu bahawa ahli politik dan akal fikiran tiada kena mengena dengn satu sama lain.

“Terus terang debat yang ingin dibuat itu menghina mahkamah, kerana kes ini masih dibicarakan di mahkamah tidak boleh dibincang atau diulas oleh mana-,mana pihak,” katanya.

Ibrahim berkata siapa yang menjadi penasihat kepada mereka berdua ini manakala akhbar Sinar Harian seperti biasa mendapat keuntungan dan perhatian lebih ut,a daripada Islam.

“Fikirlah sebelum banyak lagi kekeliruan sesama Islam dan bukan Islam bertepuk tangan,” katanya lagi yang menghantar sms dari Mekah.

'Can't go far with Tamil language'

‘Najib is capable, no need for Dr M’

A Sabah Umno leader says Najib can handle the nation's economy, and dismisses recent call for the return of Mahathir.

KOTA KINABALU: Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak is capable of managing and handling the national economy well, said Sabah Umno deputy chief Salleh Said Keruak.

As such, he said the recent call by former information minister Zainuddin Maidin for former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad to be appointed as Minister Mentor to tackle various issues affecting the country, particularly economy was inappropriate and unnecessary.

Although Zainuddin was entitled to his views, Salleh opined that Mahathir could aptly convey his advice to the government through appropriate channel, and it was not necessarily “by way of appointment as senior minister or Minister Mentor in the federal cabinet”.

“Our Prime Minister (Najib) is handling the economic situation very well albeit in a different approach…Mahathir’s era is different from Najib’s. Economic recipe might also not be the same.

“What is happening now is that the opposition is trying to manipulate or capitalise on various issues engulfing the country, including economy.

“There are also certain quarters (dissident leaders from within) expressing different views in tackling economic problems. We respect their views….but at the same time let us give Najib a chance to continue or carry out his reforms or economic policies.

“I believe Najib is genuinely sincere in wanting to get the reforms going in the larger interest of the nation and people, ” he said.

Salleh, who is also Sabah Legislative Assembly Speaker said this after launching the Dalamalee boutique at King Fisher Park, near here today.

Zainuddin was recently quoted as calling for a return of Mahathir to Putrajaya to help the Barisan Nasional federal government tackle raging racial, religious and economic issues.

Zainuddin said the proposal was not for Dr Mahathir, Malaysia’s longest-serving prime minister, to take over the stewardship of the country from Najib, but to help Najib face issues that are engulfing the country.

Salleh asserted that Najib inherited fundamental economic problems that needed to be resolved wholeheartedly for the good of the people and the country.

“I am confident, Insyallah, the people will support the government’s initiatives for the common good,” he said, urging the people to rallly behind Najib’s government.

Provocative banners found outside churches - FMT

The police and Umno urge the public to remain calm and not to make quick assumptions.

KEPALA BATAS: Penang police have dismissed the involvement of churches in the state in relation to three banners depicting Jesus as the son of Allah which have sparked outrage amongst Muslims and Malay NGOs including Umno here.

State police chief Abdul Rahim Hanafi said the police believe provocation was the motive of the placing of the banners by certain quarters here.

He added that police have stepped up security in various areas in the state, especially in the heart of George Town which has a total of about 40 churches.

“Until now, we have received three reports on the matter (of the placement of banners) and investigations are still ongoing.

“We doubt that the incident has nothing to do with the churches but was done by unscrupulous parties to spark provocation and racial tension,” he told reporters here today.

Earlier today, residents from a few areas were shocked to discover the banners hung around several areas here with wording such “Allah is great” and “Jesus is the son of Allah”.

The act is seen and thought to be by way of retaliation against the Allah issue which has been much talked and debated about of late.

The tree banners were found hung in front of the bus stop of the St. Britto Church in Sungai Pinang, at the compound of the Church of Assumption in Lebuh Farquhar and outside the Church of the Immaculate Conception in Pulau Tikus.

Rahim added that a closed circuit television camera (CCTV) footage from all three areas where the banners were found had already been obtained by the police and police were also trying the trace finger prints to trace those behind the incident.

He said that the case was being investigated under Section 4 (1) (A) of the Sedition Act and urged all quarters not to make premature assumptions into the matter.

Meanwhile, Penang Umno has slammed the act, describing it as a provocation of the highest order.

They want for the matter to be investigated by the police and for all not to make assumptions as it was a way to further rile things up between the Muslims and the Christians in the state.

Utusan tells Anwar to learn from Japanese porn actress

 

Japanese porn actress Maria Ozawa was denied entry into Indonesia and did not make a fuss about it.

 Utusan Malaysia has asked opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to follow her example. – 

Pic courtesy of punchingthewallsofreality.com., January 26, 2014.

(TMI) - Umno mouthpiece Utusan Malaysia today told opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to take a leaf out of the book of Japanese porn actress Maria Ozawa and not make a fuss after being denied entry into Japan.

Columnist Awang Selamat, the pseudonym for the paper’s collective editorial voice, said Anwar should just accept the facts when he was barred from entering Japan recently.

“In 2009, Ozawa was barred from entering Indonesia after various Muslim non-government organisations protested against it,” Awang said.

“However, Ozawa did not take offence nor did she create a big fuss over being stopped from entering Indonesia.”

Awang took a swipe at Anwar by saying Ozawa understood that she was the cause of the problem.

“Ozawa did not blame the Indonesian authorities or any other party because she understood the issues surrounding her.”

Awang expressed admiration at Ozawa’s attitude, although she had been labelled immoral because of her career.

“But even a pornographic actress can learn to accept facts and live with them.”

The daily also slammed Anwar for blaming Putrajaya without investigating why he had been barred from entering Japan.

“It appears that Anwar is still the same, blaming everyone else for his problems.

“Anwar needs to be a responsible global citizen. If he wishes to enter another country, heed the rules for ex-convicts first as is practised in Japan.”

On January 19, Anwar arrived at Narita International Airport in Tokyo but was barred from entering by Japanese immigration authorities.

Anwar was not only denied entry into the Land of the Rising Sun but was also told to take the first available flight back to Malaysia or face being deported.

In a statement, Anwar demanded an explanation from the Foreign Ministry and questioned their role in causing him to be barred from entering Japan.

Putrajaya denied any involvement in the incident and said Anwar's accusations were baseless.
The Japanese embassy in Kuala Lumpur later confirmed that Anwar needed special clearance to visit Japan as he was a former convict.

Embassy spokesman Tomoko Nagai said Anwar's previous visits to Japan in 2011 and 2012 had been via special clearances. His latest visit did not undergo the same process. – January 26, 2014.

Is Time Running Out for Najib?

(Asia Sentinel) Mahathir and his allies want to set a date for Malaysia’s prime minister to move out

Forces aligned with former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad appear to be attempting push embattled Malaysian Premier Najib Tun Razak into giving a time frame for his eventual departure from office and naming a successor, sources in Kuala Lumpur say.

The sources say that successor could be hard-line Home Affairs Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, 61, who was once an ally of opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim when Anwar was still in Mahathir’s government. Zahid is third in line for succession and his rise would bypass Muhyiddin Yassin, the current deputy president of UMNO and deputy prime minister, who is 66. Muhyiddin has said he will retire soon.

It should be noted that Najib operates from a position of relative invulnerability, given that both national and intraparty elections are out of the way, leaving him secure at least until the next UMNO general assembly late this year. However, the scenario, the sources say, is similar to that forced upon Najib’s immediate predecessor, Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, who was pushed come up with a timeline in 2008 after the Barisan’s disastrous political showing in general elections. At that time, the ruling coalition lost its two-thirds majority in parliament for the first time in history. The campaign to push out Badawi lasted from the May 2008 election until April 2009, when Najib took office.

Although Mahathir left office as prime minister in 2003, he has kept up a constant barrage of criticism about the way the country has been run, quitting UMNO near the end of Badawi’s reign in supposed outrage over party politics. He reawakened with force after the 2013 general election, charging that Najib’s election strategy of reaching out to the country’s 40 percent of minority voters was a mistake.

Najib is also under heavy public pressure because of rising prices due to the withdrawal of subsidies and other reasons, not least of which is dissatisfaction with the ostentatious behavior of his wife, Rosmah Mansor. He has also been widely criticized for being out of touch with the rakyat, or citizenry. He was ridiculed for saying that while some prices had gone up, the price of “kangkong [water spinach] has fallen but why don’t they praise the government?”

The drumbeat of anger over corruption in UMNO also continues, with the Mahathir forces alleging that vote-buying was used to deny Mahathir’s politician son Mukhriz a top position in last September’s UMNO party elections.

An increasing number of Mahathir’s long-time allies, including former New Straits Times editor-in-chief A. Kadir Jasin and Zainuddin Maidin, the former information minister, have called for the prime minister to take the 88-year-old Mahathir back into government as a “minister mentor” akin to what Lee Kuan Yew did in Singapore from 2004 to 2011 before ostensibly retiring from politics. Former Finance Minister Daim Zainuddin, another Mahathir ally, has also made public statements disparaging Najib’s premiership.

Mukhriz on Sunday gave an interview to the Malay-language newspaper Berita Harian, saying that “Defeat [in the next general election] is a real possibility if Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak continues with his present policy of correct but unpopular decisions, especially on issues concerning the rising cost of living,"

Mukhriz was subsequently slapped down publicly by Tengku Adnan Tenku Mansor, the UMNO secretary general, and told to use party channels to express his concerns.

Some sources in Kuala Lumpur say the move to return Mahathir to government is unlikely to succeed. One UMNO source aligned with the Mahathir wing of the party, said the real game is getting Najib to move along.

“The ball is in Najib's court,” he said. “If he prefers war, he will get it.”

Zahid Hamidi has been regarded as something of a loose cannon. Once a close Anwar ally, Zahid was arrested and held in prison along with Anwar in 1998. However, he later returned to UMNO saying Anwar had impelled him to raise allegations of cronyism and nepotism in the party.

Since becoming home affairs minister, he has issued a number of incendiary statements against opponents who were unhappy with the political system after the Barisan lost the popular vote but held onto its majority in parliament.

He has threatened to crack down on opposition leaders, dissent and crime. During a speech in Malacca, he was recorded as saying police should “shoot to kill” gangsters in a campaign to cut down violent crime. He has also become a lightning rod for making racially inflammatory remarks that have alienated the Chinese and Indian minority.

Let’s work towards a national consensus

SPECIAL ADDRESS TO MALAYSIANS
26 JANUARY 2014

Let’s work towards a national consensus

1. It has been just over four months since we last celebrated Merdeka Day and Malaysia Day. Just celebrating them as a festivity doesn’t mean much if we miss the bigger picture.

2. I cannot overemphasise the importance of this bigger picture.

3. That is why I am taking this opportunity to address not just all of you present here this afternoon but to all Malaysians at home and abroad today.

4. By all Malaysians I mean exactly that – regardless of race, religion, cultural group or mother tongue; regardless of whether you are from the Peninsula or from Sabah and Sarawak; and regardless of your political affiliation.

5. It does not matter whether you are with Pakatan Rakyat or with Barisan Nasional, or that you are with neither party, nor that you are independent or even totally apolitical, I want to reach out to all with this message.

6. It is a message conceived in love for the nation and not in hate against anyone. It is a message raised on the altar of hope, not on the ruins of despair. And it is a message for all of us including myself to take home and share with our family, our neighbours and our friends so that we may move forward.

7. At the outset, I mentioned celebrating Merdeka Day and Malaysia Day and what it entails for it to be truly meaningful. First and foremost, it is a celebration of the fundamental liberties enshrined in our Federal Constitution, a document of statehood agreed to by our founding fathers attendant upon our gaining independence.

8. This constitution is not just a piece of paper. It is a sovereign document brought into existence as a result of the social compact of our leaders representing the diverse communities in this blessed country of ours.

9. It guarantees our right to life and liberty, to freedom of speech, assembly and association. It prescribes equality of all citizens before the law and guarantees freedom of religion.

10. These provisions form the sub-stratum of our Malaysian identity, an identity made up of a multi-racial, multi-religious and multi-cultural society. These principles must be respected by all communities, whether they comprise the majority or they constitute minorities. They must be honoured by the politicians in word and deed whether they are in power or whether they are in the opposition. Similarly, all civil society groups, NGOs, and all the organs of state must abide by these constitutional safeguards.

11. The Malaysian identity as a nation of peoples can only be as good as the cohesiveness of this very plural society of ours. Take this unity and sense of togetherness away and we will take away our identity as Malaysians.

12. So, indeed, after 56 years of independence one would expect that this cohesiveness is not only in existence but should be growing stronger by the day. Unfortunately though, there has been particularly in the last few months, a series of circumstances and developments that collectively are fast eroding the cohesiveness that is so crucial to our identity.

13. In fact, these developments appear to be reaching a crescendo that threatens to tear the very fabric of our unity apart. Of course, we have not reached the tipping point yet but as they say, an ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure.

14. And we cannot be vigilant enough here. That is because what we are seeing today are all kinds of attempts by certain quarters to take this nation to the brink.

15. In fact, we have not seen this building up of tension since the events leading up to our national tragedy of May 13th 1969. The voices of hate and animosity, the voices of prejudice and suspicion, and the voices of wreck and ruin are attempting to drown out the harmony, cooperation and understanding that we have managed to build on the ruins of this tragedy.

16. I call on you, my fellow Malaysians to rise up and let your voices be heard. Let your voice of mutual respect and goodwill, your voice of understanding and trust, and your voice of unity and integration prevail over these voices of hatred, rancour, hostility and destruction.

17. We must turn the corner from the path of increasing polarization to the path of greater integration. We must stop the race-baiting, put an end to this disease of incitement to religious intolerance and hatred and join our hands in unity and togetherness.

18. Leaders from both sides of the political divide must put aside all partisan concerns and show real leadership in easing the tension and work towards ameliorating the situation.

19. Indeed, the time has come for all of us to reach a national consensus on these crucial issues that impact the sub-stratum of our identity as a nation.

20. In line with the spirit of the constitution, all parties must cease questioning the paramount position of Islam as the religion of the Federation.

21. In reaffirming the position of Islam and recognizing that Muslims make up the majority of the population, we must reject the notion that Islam is under threat. We must reject the notion that there is some sinister conspiracy to replace Islam as the religion of the Federation with some other religion.

22. We must at the same time give due recognition to the same constitutional safeguards on all the other religions in the land. We are a nation of communities comprising a plurality of faiths. In this regard, Buddhists, Taoists, Christians, Hindus, Sikhs and practitioners of ethnic religions must be accorded their constitutional freedom to practise their religion in the manner of their choosing.

23. In working towards this consensus, let us remain focussed on the other things that really matter to us as a nation going forward.

24. Let us work together to tackle the issues of governance, transparency and accountability. Whether it is at the Federal or state levels, let us resolve to stamp out the cancer of corruption which still plagues us.

25. The problem of rising prices recognises no partisan boundaries. So, let us channel our energies to enhancing the welfare of the rakyat and formulating practical solutions to lighten their burden.

26. Instead of fighting figments of our imagination, let us help our police fight crime and make our homes, our schools, our shopping complexes safer.

27. It is morally incumbent on us, particularly those of us who have been elected by the people to represent them, to go beyond partisan lines and come to a national consensus on how to move the nation forward.

28. Duty towards the nation, even greater than duty to party, impels us to take up the challenge. We must strengthen our resolve and summon all our moral courage to see this through.

Thank you.

ANWAR IBRAHIM

Najib should be the first to undergo mandatory media training to prevent gaffes like the “kangkung” hullaballoo which has highlighted the “feet of clay” of the Najib administration

By Lim Kit Siang,

The Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak is reported to have directed mandatory media training for his ministers to prevent missteps that have made his administration a laughing stock among Malaysians.

Najib’s second term has been marked by “foolish” remarks from several ministers that spawned Internet memes and jokes detrimental to Putrajaya’s image.

The Malaysian Insider’s report today “To avoid more gaffes, ministers to learn to speak sensibly” quoted a source that Najib wants his ministers to undergo media training to avoid repeatedly delivering “foolish remarks”.

Specifically cited as examples of Ministerial bloopers which have spoilt Putrajaya’s image were those by the Minister for Domestic Trade, Co-operatives and Consumerism Datuk Seri Hasan Malek who wanted the people to be thankful for having “sincere” leaders who “prioritise people’s needs above all else” in response to the people’s unhappiness at subsidy cuts and price hikes and the Federal Territories Minister Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor who made insensitive responses to the complaints of property owners in Kuala Lumpur to the hike in assessment rates.

“You want me to revaluate your property at 0.1% for 21 years? It does not matter to me… up to you.” He had admonished the media over the issue, telling them: “I don’t know why people like to spin this issue out of control. You should tell the rakyat that this is good for them,” Adnan had said.

Putrajaya’s economic czar, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Abdul Wahid Omar is also remembered for his advice to the people a few months ago to stop eating chicken if the prices were too high and to use alternative roads if they did not want to pay toll on highways, when he spoke of impending hike in toll rates.

Even the Deputy Prime Minister and Education Minister, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin is not spared from being guilty of such follies committing bloopers which make him and the government a laughing stock.

Muhyiddin was in London last week to attend the Education World Forum 2014 – the largest gathering of nearly a hundred education and skills ministers in the world.

Muhyiddin, who probably lead the ministers as the most unskilled education ministers in the world, said in his speech at the EWF 2014 that education should produce a “global citizen” mentality.

Imagine such a speech from a person who does not even have a “Malaysian citizen” mentality – as testified by his boastful declaration in 2010 that he is “Malay first, Malaysian second” in rejecting Najib’s 1Malaysia signature policy!

But these are child’s play compared to the biggest blooper of all of the Najib administration – the “kangkung” hullaballoo which has also highlighted the “feet of clay” of the Najib premiership: clueless, rudderless and leaderless at a great moment of test for any government with the country facing a quintuplet of nation-building, economic, educational, security and anti-corruption crisis never before experienced by the country in her 57-year history.

But horror of horrors, the person who committed the biggest blooper in triggering the “kangkung” hallaballoo is none other than the Prime Minister himself, resulting in the Prime Minister and his administration being lampooned for arrogance of power and indifference to the people’s legitimate grievances over the avalanche of price hikes on the one hand coupled with unprecedented ostentation, squandering of public funds and new heights of corruption in the country.

In fact, the “kangkung” hullaballoo of jokes, videos, satire, comedies, sketches, demos and counter-demos, spawning products like Kangkung Fried Chicken, Burger Kangkung, McKangkung and even crossing international boundaries to become embarrassing “kangkung-gate” international news in BBC, Channel New Asia, Singapore Straits Times, Jakarta Post, is still from from over after two weeks of the “kangkung” storm.

The “kangkung” craze has also gone viral on the Internet, with three videos now attracting over 1.5 million hits on YouTube alone: the “kangkung remix feat, Najib” by Yuri Wong crossing 811,000 hits, the “Ucapan Najib ‘kangkung’ hangat di alam maya” video in second place with over 541,000 hits while the Effing Show #99 “Let Them Eat Kangkung” established as the hottest item of the “popteevee” series, with over 168,000 hits in less than ten days.

Sending his Ministers for compulsory media training is no real answer to bring an end to the administration of bloopers led by Najib.

What he should do is to take a firm grip of himself, end the auto-pilot administration and demonstrate leadership for a change by giving a positive response to the olive branch offered by the Pakatan Rakyat to him and the Barisan Nasional leadership for a Summit of Barisan Nasional and Pakatan Rakyat leaders to seek a consensus to end the quintuplet of national crisis in the country, including assuring Malaysians that there cannot be another May 13 racial riots.

Secondly, he should sack half the Cabinet who fits the definition of the previous Prime Minister, Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad as “half-past six Ministers” and produce a Cabinet which commands respect and confidence of Malaysians.

Kamalanathan forgives teachers who punched him

KUALA LUMPUR (Jan 26, 2014): Deputy Education Minister and Hulu Selangor MP P. Kamalanathan has forgiven the man who assaulted him at his service centre in Hulu Selangor two weeks ago.

Kamalanathan said the incident was a personal matter between Hulu Selangor Umno Youth assistant secretary Muhammad Rizuan Suhaimi and him, and it was an unintentional act of emotion.

"To err is human and I have no reason to continue being upset with it," he said in a statement today.

On Jan 12, Kamalanathan was punched by Muhammad Rizuan, who was reported to have been upset the deputy minister could not assist in transferring the teacher's wife from Johor to Selangor.

Kamalanathan stressed that this is not a political matter as it is related to a request for transfer, that comes under the Education Ministry.

"I have explained to the man the process for transfer requests and informed him that officials in the ministry are responsible for considering the merit of each case.

"I do not interfere with the administrative process of any department. I do issue support letters for appeals based on compassionate and/or humanitarian reasons," he said.

He also said that he will not interfere with police investigations and advised the public and the media to allow space for the authorities to complete their probe. – Bernama