Wednesday, 12 February 2014
UGLY EUROPE: ETHNIC MOROCCAN WOMAN OPENS UP WINE BAR AND RECEIVES DEATH THREATS…….
Elou Akhiat:
“I want to be who I am: That’s how I teach my children that they should be in the world, instead of the one I grew up with…
Elou Akhiat:
“I want to be who I am: That’s how I teach my children that they should be in the world, instead of the one I grew up with that opening a wine bar might be contrary to Islamic culture, but I feel good. I want to do what I want, I’m autonomous and independent. “
Moroccan Woman who Opens a Wine Bar Receives Death Threats
Elou Akhiat, a Moroccan woman who opened
a wine bar in Rotterdam received death threats. In view of the extreme
character of some of the threats, police are following the affair
closely. Last year, Dutch columnist Ebru Umar published a critical
column about freedom of opinion in Turkey. She received thousands of
death threats.
Moroccan wine bar threatened with death
Moroccan businesswoman Elou Akhiat (40) is threatened with death because of the opening of its wine bar in Rotterdam last weekend.
The Moroccan Elou Akhiat has
hundreds of death threats received in response to the opening of her
Dolce Uva Wine Bar in Rotterdam. Through internet threats rained Friday after being in the Rotterdam Metro section of her story did. Meanwhile, the police keep a close eye on the matter.
Akhiat showed the article to
know that she is aware of the friction there is, because it starts in
alcoholic beverages as a Moroccan company.
[...]
An avalanche of responses followed. Positive but also negative. Akhiat which veiled walked up six years ago, has been overtaken by the message flow. She shows mostly calm wanting and is silent about the threats. The severity of some reactions was the reason police Saturday night, to keep. opening night, an extra eye “There is nothing strange happened around the opening.,
More here
Labels:
Islam Discrimination
12 killed in Shama Cinema blast in Peshawar
Volunteers and rsecurity officials investigate the cinema after the attack. PHOTO: AFP
PESHAWAR: Three explosions occurred inside Shama Cinema in Peshawar on Tuesday, Express News reported.The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan…
Volunteers and rsecurity officials investigate the cinema after the attack. PHOTO: AFP
PESHAWAR: Three explosions occurred inside Shama Cinema in Peshawar on Tuesday, Express News reported.The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) condemned the blast and claimed that they had nothing to do with it.
Twelve people were killed and 23 injured in three hand grenade explosions inside the Shama Cinema in Peshawar.
Security forces and the Bomb Disposal Squad (BDS) reached the scene shortly after the incident. Rescue teams reached the location and the injured were taken to Lady Reading Hospital for treatment.
At least 50 people were inside the cinema hall at the time of the explosion.
Shama Cinema
According to sources in the city, the cinema was once owned by senior minister Bashir Ahmed Bilour. The cinema, it is believed, is now managed by close relatives of the Bilour brothers.
When contacted by The Express Tribune in 2011, Aziz Ahmed Bilour said he had been busy doing public service in Islamabad since he left Peshawar two decades ago. He said he has not gone to the cinema since then. Aziz also insisted he does not own any cinema and does not know who owns the Shama Cinema.
The cinema was known for showing pornographic films in one of its auditoriums.
Labels:
Pakistan
Countries with hudud laws fail to reduce crime, says former top judge
Muslim countries which have implemented Islamic capital punishments, or hudud, have not been successful in reducing crime rate, former Chief Justice Tun Abdul Hamid Mohamad said today.
Speaking a…
Muslim countries which have implemented Islamic capital punishments, or hudud, have not been successful in reducing crime rate, former Chief Justice Tun Abdul Hamid Mohamad said today.
Speaking at a public talk in Petaling Jaya, Abdul Hamid (pic) compared several Muslim countries practising hudud laws, which form part of the Shariah system, with non-Muslim nations, noting that they were far behind in terms of tackling crime and establishing peace and justice despite the existence of hudud laws.
“So far, countries that have implemented hudud such as Pakistan, Nigeria and Sudan, are still far behind in comparison with countries that did not implement it, like Sweden, Norway, Iceland, Denmark and Japan,” he said in his lecture at the International Institute of Advanced Islamic Studies (IAIS) today.
He said the implementation of hudud in the Muslim holy cities of Mecca and Medina should also not be a yardstick to determine the effectiveness of Islamic laws.
“Those who go there for the Hajj are there once in their lifetime and they have brought sufficient money. These people want to perform an accepted Hajj and are mostly the elderly and repentant,” he said.
“Clearly they would not commit crimes,” he added.
State governments in Malaysia have the authority to implement laws governing Muslims, but such laws could be extended to non-Muslims if the case involves abetting a Muslim in committing an offence.
Hudud was proposed by the current PAS government in Kelantan as well as in Terengganu during the party's rule, but to date, it has not been enforced.
Abdul Hamid noted that prior to implementation of any laws, legislators should also be aware of the repercussions and not merely focus on enforcement.
“The implementation of laws does not end with enforcement,” he said.
“What is more important is how it was done, what are the effects and as an end result, would it bring about better standards of living, peace and prosperity? Would it improve the standards of justice in this country?” he added. – February 11, 2014.
Man dies in custody 24 hours before court appearance
Police urge public not to speculate as no injury was found on the dead detainee.
NIBONG TEBAL: A lock-up detainee was found dead in the Nibong Tebal police station this…
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NIBONG TEBAL: A lock-up detainee was found dead in the Nibong Tebal police station this…
Police urge public not to speculate as no injury was found on the dead detainee.
NIBONG TEBAL: A lock-up detainee was found dead in the Nibong Tebal police station this morning, just a day before he was to be charged in court for theft.
Seberang Prai Selatan OCPD Supt Shafien Mamat said the detainee, A Punniyanathan, 40, was pronounced dead upon arrival at the Seberang Jaya Hospital.
Shafien said post-mortem result showed that the deceased had died of lung infection.
“Punniyanathan and another man, believed to be a friend of his, were arrested by village folks in Sungai Bakap and subsequently handed over to the police on Feb 5 after they were allegedly caught red handed stealing iron rods meant for construction in the village.
“In remand, Punniyanathan was seen to be acting peculiarly; lock-up police reported that he was seen talking to himself and would remove his lock-up attire and walk around in the cell naked in a restless manner, believed to be caused by alcohol deprivation as he was said to be an alcoholic.
“When the police were doing their rounds at about 6.20am this morning, they found the deceased sprawled motionless, stark naked,” he told a press conference at the district police station here today.
Shafien added that the officer in charge of the police station then contacted the Sungai Bakap Hospital and a team of paramedics who arrived shortly confirmed that Punniyanathan had died at about 7.20am. His body was then taken to the hospital for a post mortem.
Shafein urged the public not to make any speculation as there was no injury found on the body of the deceased.
“The deceased had been charged in court before under Section 302 of the Penal Code for murder and Section 324 of the Penal Code for assault but was subsequently relieved of both charges
“We gathered that the deceased had a serious alcohol addiction and was a very heavy drinker,” he said
He said Punniyanathan was a bachelor selling scrap metal.
Police, he said, had classified the case as sudden death.
▲
NIBONG TEBAL: A lock-up detainee was found dead in the Nibong Tebal police station this morning, just a day before he was to be charged in court for theft.Seberang Prai Selatan OCPD Supt Shafien Mamat said the detainee, A Punniyanathan, 40, was pronounced dead upon arrival at the Seberang Jaya Hospital.
Shafien said post-mortem result showed that the deceased had died of lung infection.
“Punniyanathan and another man, believed to be a friend of his, were arrested by village folks in Sungai Bakap and subsequently handed over to the police on Feb 5 after they were allegedly caught red handed stealing iron rods meant for construction in the village.
“In remand, Punniyanathan was seen to be acting peculiarly; lock-up police reported that he was seen talking to himself and would remove his lock-up attire and walk around in the cell naked in a restless manner, believed to be caused by alcohol deprivation as he was said to be an alcoholic.
“When the police were doing their rounds at about 6.20am this morning, they found the deceased sprawled motionless, stark naked,” he told a press conference at the district police station here today.
Shafien added that the officer in charge of the police station then contacted the Sungai Bakap Hospital and a team of paramedics who arrived shortly confirmed that Punniyanathan had died at about 7.20am. His body was then taken to the hospital for a post mortem.
Shafein urged the public not to make any speculation as there was no injury found on the body of the deceased.
“The deceased had been charged in court before under Section 302 of the Penal Code for murder and Section 324 of the Penal Code for assault but was subsequently relieved of both charges
“We gathered that the deceased had a serious alcohol addiction and was a very heavy drinker,” he said
He said Punniyanathan was a bachelor selling scrap metal.
Police, he said, had classified the case as sudden death.
Labels:
killing Indians by police
‘Syaitan’ Man Namblast arrested
Man Namblast, the Facebook user who described Hindus as 'syaitan' was arrested by police yesterday.
PETALING JAYA: The Facebook user, Man Namblast, who had described the Hindus as ‘syaitan’ or…
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PETALING JAYA: The Facebook user, Man Namblast, who had described the Hindus as ‘syaitan’ or…
Man Namblast, the Facebook user who described Hindus as 'syaitan' was arrested by police yesterday.
PETALING JAYA: The Facebook user, Man Namblast, who had described the Hindus as ‘syaitan’ or demons during the recent Thaipusam festival was nabbed by police yesterday.
The arrest was confirmed by Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Khalid Abu Bakar through his twitter account yesterday at 6.50pm from Kuching, Sarawak.
Khalid’s tweet reads: “Akhirnya Man Namblast yg muat kata2 berunsur hasutan semasa upacara Thaipusam tempoh hari berjaya ditangkap tadi,” which translates into: “Finally, Man Namblast who made seditious remarks during the Thaipusam festival has been arrested”.
However no further details were revealed by Khalid on the arrest.
Man Namblast (not his real name) had on Jan 17 posted a picture on his Facebook account with a caption that read: “Berpuluh ribu syaitan sedang berarak menaiki Bt Caves”, (in translation: tens of thousands of demons are marching up the stairs of Bt Caves)
Though the Facebook account was deactivated, a screen shot of the posting had gone viral on the social media and it enraged the Hindus here.
Hundreds of police reports were made against Man Namblast and also against another Facebook user called Mohd Hidayat, who defended Man Namblast’s posting.
In relation to this case, MIC Youth information chief C Sivarraajh will be holding a press conference tomorrow at the party headquarters.
“We will explain the current status of the case to the reporters,” he told FMT.
Last week, Sivarraajh offered a RM5,000 reward to anyone who can help identify and locate Man Namblast after the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission(MCMC) failed to track him down.
On the other hand, the police is still unable to track down Mohd Hidayat, though MIC’s Youth wing had provided his personal details to them, including his residential address.
▲
PETALING JAYA: The Facebook user, Man Namblast, who had described the Hindus as ‘syaitan’ or demons during the recent Thaipusam festival was nabbed by police yesterday.The arrest was confirmed by Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Khalid Abu Bakar through his twitter account yesterday at 6.50pm from Kuching, Sarawak.
Khalid’s tweet reads: “Akhirnya Man Namblast yg muat kata2 berunsur hasutan semasa upacara Thaipusam tempoh hari berjaya ditangkap tadi,” which translates into: “Finally, Man Namblast who made seditious remarks during the Thaipusam festival has been arrested”.
However no further details were revealed by Khalid on the arrest.
Man Namblast (not his real name) had on Jan 17 posted a picture on his Facebook account with a caption that read: “Berpuluh ribu syaitan sedang berarak menaiki Bt Caves”, (in translation: tens of thousands of demons are marching up the stairs of Bt Caves)
Though the Facebook account was deactivated, a screen shot of the posting had gone viral on the social media and it enraged the Hindus here.
Hundreds of police reports were made against Man Namblast and also against another Facebook user called Mohd Hidayat, who defended Man Namblast’s posting.
In relation to this case, MIC Youth information chief C Sivarraajh will be holding a press conference tomorrow at the party headquarters.
“We will explain the current status of the case to the reporters,” he told FMT.
Last week, Sivarraajh offered a RM5,000 reward to anyone who can help identify and locate Man Namblast after the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission(MCMC) failed to track him down.
On the other hand, the police is still unable to track down Mohd Hidayat, though MIC’s Youth wing had provided his personal details to them, including his residential address.
Labels:
Racism
MIC leader defends party polls results
MIC CWC member V Subramaniam says that there were only 1,453 delegates in the party election conducted last year, which did not exceed the 1,500 mark.
PETALING JAYA: An MIC…
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MIC CWC member V Subramaniam says that there were only 1,453 delegates in the party election conducted last year, which did not exceed the 1,500 mark.
PETALING JAYA: An MIC leader today dismissed claims that the party polls conducted last year had more delegates than the number allowed under the party constitution.
“This is rubbish. There were 1,453 eligible delegates but only 1,427 turned up to cast their ballots. So I don’t know where they got the 1,523 number from,” said MIC central working committee member V Subramaniam.
Yesterday, a party insider claimed that the last MIC election was invalid as the number of delegates had exceeded the maximum 1,500 allowed in the party constitution.
The party insider also gave a breakdown on the delegates as follows: 127 from national body which is, one party president, one deputy president, two vice presidents (as Dr S Subramaniam had been promoted to deputy president), 31 CWC members including nine appointed CWC members, 38 delegates each from Youth and Women wings and 16 delegates representing Puteri MIC.
“Taking the election committee’s official number into account, the total number of ordinary delegates was 1,361. This does not include 35 delegates from Tanjung Malim and Kuala Selangor divisions who were not allowed to vote in the election after their division were suspended.
“By adding it, the number will increase to 1,398 and adding another 127 from national body, then the number would be 1,523, which clearly violates article 74.1 and 74.2 of the constitution,” the party insider was reported saying.
However, Subramaniam, who is also known as Barat Maniam, dismissed the insider’s claims and insisted the number was below the 1,500 mark.
He also said that the Kuala Selangor and the Tanjung Malim division were suspended from voting in the polls.
“The election this time around included the president, deputy president, two vice presidents, CWC members and delegates from Youth and Women Wing,” said Subramaniam.
He also said that the Puteri Wing was disallowed from voting, based on the decision made by the CWC back in October last year.
On why the Puteri Wing was disallowed, Subramaniam said that it was due to some problems in the movement.
On claims that a former youth CWC member MP Shanmugam being allowed to vote despite not being a delegate, Subramaniam insisted that former was a delegate.
“The MIC’s management working committee endorsed Shanmugam as a delegate. Plus, the proposal to make Shanmugam a delegate came from Dr Subramaniam himself,” he said.
▲
PETALING JAYA: An MIC leader today dismissed claims that the party polls conducted last year had more delegates than the number allowed under the party constitution.“This is rubbish. There were 1,453 eligible delegates but only 1,427 turned up to cast their ballots. So I don’t know where they got the 1,523 number from,” said MIC central working committee member V Subramaniam.
Yesterday, a party insider claimed that the last MIC election was invalid as the number of delegates had exceeded the maximum 1,500 allowed in the party constitution.
The party insider also gave a breakdown on the delegates as follows: 127 from national body which is, one party president, one deputy president, two vice presidents (as Dr S Subramaniam had been promoted to deputy president), 31 CWC members including nine appointed CWC members, 38 delegates each from Youth and Women wings and 16 delegates representing Puteri MIC.
“Taking the election committee’s official number into account, the total number of ordinary delegates was 1,361. This does not include 35 delegates from Tanjung Malim and Kuala Selangor divisions who were not allowed to vote in the election after their division were suspended.
“By adding it, the number will increase to 1,398 and adding another 127 from national body, then the number would be 1,523, which clearly violates article 74.1 and 74.2 of the constitution,” the party insider was reported saying.
However, Subramaniam, who is also known as Barat Maniam, dismissed the insider’s claims and insisted the number was below the 1,500 mark.
He also said that the Kuala Selangor and the Tanjung Malim division were suspended from voting in the polls.
“The election this time around included the president, deputy president, two vice presidents, CWC members and delegates from Youth and Women Wing,” said Subramaniam.
He also said that the Puteri Wing was disallowed from voting, based on the decision made by the CWC back in October last year.
On why the Puteri Wing was disallowed, Subramaniam said that it was due to some problems in the movement.
On claims that a former youth CWC member MP Shanmugam being allowed to vote despite not being a delegate, Subramaniam insisted that former was a delegate.
“The MIC’s management working committee endorsed Shanmugam as a delegate. Plus, the proposal to make Shanmugam a delegate came from Dr Subramaniam himself,” he said.
Labels:
MIC
Hong Kongers Flee the Heat from a China Sex Raid
Baidu “heat map” shows thousands headed out of Dongguan fastBaidu, the enormously popular Chinese-language version of Google, launched a “heat map” before the Lunar New Year to show trends…
Baidu “heat map” shows thousands headed out of Dongguan fastBaidu, the enormously popular Chinese-language version of Google, launched a “heat map” before the Lunar New Year to show trends of where Chinese travelers were heading to and coming from as hundreds of millions headed for their homes for the traditional holiday, which began Jan. 31.
But Baidu and the police didn’t expect that it would show a massive and hurried migration out of the Pearl River delta city of Dongguan Sunday afternoon, when vast numbers of people fled for all points – as the police cracked down on the city’s notorious red light district.
It is estimated that 10 percent of the floating population of the sprawling factory city of 7 million people are engaged in the world’s oldest profession. By one estimate anywhere from 500,000 to 800,000 people are in some way employed in the sex trade. A staggering 300,000 sex workers, known locally as "technicians" according to the South China Morning Post, are thought to ply their trade in thousands of side-street massage parlors, exclusive hotels, spas and neon-lit karaoke bars.
Apparently that finally got too much for the Chinese authorities. In two news broadcasts, the state-owned CCTV television network charged that police had ignored prostitution in the city and allowed the industry to thrive for five years since the last crackdown. After viewing the CCTV reports, Guangdong's party secretary Hu Chunhua ordered the raids.
The crackdown netted two suspended police chiefs, the shuttering of 12 “entertainment venues” and the arrests of scores and presumably left thousands of Hong Kong housewives questioning where their husbands had been on Sunday.
That prompted an exodus from the city in all directions – although, according to Baidu’s heat map, a full quarter of the departures headed for Hong Kong in a hurry. According to the Tech in Asia website, Baidu gathers data from smartphones with Baidu Maps and other apps using its location-based platform to create the heat map. Baidu Maps alone has more than 200 million registered users and receives 3.5 million position requests every day, according to Tech in Asia. The heat map updates every four to eight hours, showing the most popular destinations, points of origin, and travel routes.
According to the map, in a report made public in the Hong Kong-based Marketing.trade publication, other cities that were destinations for the fleeing tourists were Ganzhou, Jiangxi, Guangxi Yulin, Chenzhou, Hunan and Zhejiang Ningbo. The Baidu live map visualizes the hottest migration routes. From 12 noon to 8 pm, the rush was on.
Is Najib and Cabinet really seriously about national reconciliation and national consensus rising above partisan differences to end national drift and loss of leadership and direction?
By Lim Kit Siang,
I have addressed three Open Letters to the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak and the Cabinet before three Cabinet meetings in January last month urging…
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I have addressed three Open Letters to the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak and the Cabinet before three Cabinet meetings in January last month urging…
By Lim Kit Siang,
I have addressed three Open Letters to the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak and the Cabinet before three Cabinet meetings in January last month urging the end of national drift and loss of leadership and direction in the past nine months since the 13th general elections last May.
I also appealed to the Prime Minister and the Cabinet to accept the olive branch offered by the Pakatan Rakyat leadership “to love and save Malaysia” by preserving and promoting national unity, harmony and tolerance in the country and to ensure that no nefarious and treacherous plot to cause racial chaos and religious conflagration could succeed in Malaysia.
After the January 29 Cabinet meeting, Najib announced a Cabinet green light for a Barisan Nasional and Pakatan Rakyat Leaders’ Summit on national reconciliation and national consensus, claiming that he had first mooted the idea of national reconciliation after the last general election but various parties were not responsive to his appeals to come together.
For the past six months, Pakatan Rakyat leaders have been urging for Barisan Nastional/Pakatan Rakyat talks on national reconciliation and national consensus in view of the unprecedented slew of major national crises faced by the country, including the quintuplet of national crisis covering nation building and national unity, economic, educational, security and anti-corruption. The PR leadership never proposed the idea of “national unity” government.
I do not think claiming credit for the first to moot national reconciliation talks will the country very far if there is no sincerity, commitment or political will to come to the roundtable to achieve national reconciliation and national consensus.
I felt significant progress was made when Najib announced on Jan 29 that the Cabinet had given the “green light” for national reconciliation and national consensus talks with Pakatan Rakyat.
Najib had spoken of the “four thrusts to national reconciliation plan” namely social, political, government and international relations.
These “four thrusts” would serve as a useful proposal for a working agenda by a joint BN/PR Leaders’ Summit Secretariat which should have been formed to finalise the agenda and other details of the BN/PR Leaders’ Summit.
It is therefore most shocking that two full weeks elapsed with no follow-up action whatsoever to the Cabinet meeting of Jan. 29 which gave the greenlight for the BN/PR Leaders’ Summit on national reconciliation and national consensus.
Neither the Pakatan Rakyat nor any of its three component parties, PKR, PAS and DAP, received any official communication on the National Reconciliation and National Consensus talks.
I was most shocked when I found out the reasons for this procrastination.
Yesterday, the Umno secretary-general Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor told The Malaysian Insider that “the much-publicised national reconciliation talks between Barisan Nasional and Pakatan Rakyat will not be taking off anytime soon as Umno has still to get the green-light from its allies in BN”.
“We are going to have our first meeting and we need to engage the other parties in this effort as well” said Tengku Adnan, adding that only Umno has so far agreed to the talks.
“We are BN, and we work on a consensus basis as a multi-racial party, so we need to include the rest in it.”
I find this the height of irresponsibility for two reasons.
Firstly, Adnan had been appointed by the Cabinet to liaise with the Pakatan Rakyat on the proposed national reconciliation and national consensus talks.
Why is Adnan still dilly-dallying on the issue after two full weeks have passed.
Isn’t he aware of the urgency and priority of the bi-partisan national reconciliation and national consensus talks, especially as there are irresponsible and reckless elements – though a minority – who are trying to up the ante to destabilise the country through incessant incitement of racial and religious hatred, conflict and tension whether through demonstrations, provocative banners or extremist utterances, including raising the spectre of another May 13 riots.
Secondly, is Adnan suggesting that there are BN component parties which opposed the proposed national reconciliation and national consensus talks with PR?
Why hasn’t the Barisan Nasional Supreme Council convened in the past two weeks to give full authorisation and mandate for the holding of a BN/PR Leaders’ Summit on national reconciliation and national consensus?
What is the stand of MCA, Gerakan, MIC and the Sabah and Sarawak component parties on the proposed national reconciliation and national consensus talks with Pakatan Rakyat?
In fact, I want to specifically ask the new top MCA leadership of Datuk Seri Liow Liong Lai and Datuk Wee Ka Siong elected some two months ago why they are not in the forefront requisitioning an urgent meeting of the BN Supreme Council meeting?
Or are the new MCA leaders only interested to get back to the Cabinet and government so as to be appointed Ministers or Deputy Ministers but totally unconcerned about the great burning national issues facing Malaysians?
Tengku Adnan said once BN coalition members agree to the talks, he will contact PR to fix a date.
When will the BN Supreme Council be meeting? And when will Adnan be contacting the PR?
The Cabinet, at its meeting, should review the non-progress in the national reconciliation and national consensus talks in the past fortnight, which has virtually reduced the whole subject into a national joke.
The question all Malaysians are entitled to ask is whether Najib and the Cabinet are really seriously about national reconciliation and national consensus rising above partisan differences to end national drift and loss of leadership and direction?
Let Najib and Cabinet furnish the answer to all Malaysians after the Cabinet meeting tomorrow.
(Media Statement in Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday, 11th February 2014)
▲
I have addressed three Open Letters to the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak and the Cabinet before three Cabinet meetings in January last month urging the end of national drift and loss of leadership and direction in the past nine months since the 13th general elections last May.
I also appealed to the Prime Minister and the Cabinet to accept the olive branch offered by the Pakatan Rakyat leadership “to love and save Malaysia” by preserving and promoting national unity, harmony and tolerance in the country and to ensure that no nefarious and treacherous plot to cause racial chaos and religious conflagration could succeed in Malaysia.
After the January 29 Cabinet meeting, Najib announced a Cabinet green light for a Barisan Nasional and Pakatan Rakyat Leaders’ Summit on national reconciliation and national consensus, claiming that he had first mooted the idea of national reconciliation after the last general election but various parties were not responsive to his appeals to come together.
For the past six months, Pakatan Rakyat leaders have been urging for Barisan Nastional/Pakatan Rakyat talks on national reconciliation and national consensus in view of the unprecedented slew of major national crises faced by the country, including the quintuplet of national crisis covering nation building and national unity, economic, educational, security and anti-corruption. The PR leadership never proposed the idea of “national unity” government.
I do not think claiming credit for the first to moot national reconciliation talks will the country very far if there is no sincerity, commitment or political will to come to the roundtable to achieve national reconciliation and national consensus.
I felt significant progress was made when Najib announced on Jan 29 that the Cabinet had given the “green light” for national reconciliation and national consensus talks with Pakatan Rakyat.
Najib had spoken of the “four thrusts to national reconciliation plan” namely social, political, government and international relations.
These “four thrusts” would serve as a useful proposal for a working agenda by a joint BN/PR Leaders’ Summit Secretariat which should have been formed to finalise the agenda and other details of the BN/PR Leaders’ Summit.
It is therefore most shocking that two full weeks elapsed with no follow-up action whatsoever to the Cabinet meeting of Jan. 29 which gave the greenlight for the BN/PR Leaders’ Summit on national reconciliation and national consensus.
Neither the Pakatan Rakyat nor any of its three component parties, PKR, PAS and DAP, received any official communication on the National Reconciliation and National Consensus talks.
I was most shocked when I found out the reasons for this procrastination.
Yesterday, the Umno secretary-general Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor told The Malaysian Insider that “the much-publicised national reconciliation talks between Barisan Nasional and Pakatan Rakyat will not be taking off anytime soon as Umno has still to get the green-light from its allies in BN”.
“We are going to have our first meeting and we need to engage the other parties in this effort as well” said Tengku Adnan, adding that only Umno has so far agreed to the talks.
“We are BN, and we work on a consensus basis as a multi-racial party, so we need to include the rest in it.”
I find this the height of irresponsibility for two reasons.
Firstly, Adnan had been appointed by the Cabinet to liaise with the Pakatan Rakyat on the proposed national reconciliation and national consensus talks.
Why is Adnan still dilly-dallying on the issue after two full weeks have passed.
Isn’t he aware of the urgency and priority of the bi-partisan national reconciliation and national consensus talks, especially as there are irresponsible and reckless elements – though a minority – who are trying to up the ante to destabilise the country through incessant incitement of racial and religious hatred, conflict and tension whether through demonstrations, provocative banners or extremist utterances, including raising the spectre of another May 13 riots.
Secondly, is Adnan suggesting that there are BN component parties which opposed the proposed national reconciliation and national consensus talks with PR?
Why hasn’t the Barisan Nasional Supreme Council convened in the past two weeks to give full authorisation and mandate for the holding of a BN/PR Leaders’ Summit on national reconciliation and national consensus?
What is the stand of MCA, Gerakan, MIC and the Sabah and Sarawak component parties on the proposed national reconciliation and national consensus talks with Pakatan Rakyat?
In fact, I want to specifically ask the new top MCA leadership of Datuk Seri Liow Liong Lai and Datuk Wee Ka Siong elected some two months ago why they are not in the forefront requisitioning an urgent meeting of the BN Supreme Council meeting?
Or are the new MCA leaders only interested to get back to the Cabinet and government so as to be appointed Ministers or Deputy Ministers but totally unconcerned about the great burning national issues facing Malaysians?
Tengku Adnan said once BN coalition members agree to the talks, he will contact PR to fix a date.
When will the BN Supreme Council be meeting? And when will Adnan be contacting the PR?
The Cabinet, at its meeting, should review the non-progress in the national reconciliation and national consensus talks in the past fortnight, which has virtually reduced the whole subject into a national joke.
The question all Malaysians are entitled to ask is whether Najib and the Cabinet are really seriously about national reconciliation and national consensus rising above partisan differences to end national drift and loss of leadership and direction?
Let Najib and Cabinet furnish the answer to all Malaysians after the Cabinet meeting tomorrow.
(Media Statement in Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday, 11th February 2014)
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umno
Bar Council: Putrajaya encouraging tensions
Free Malaysia Today
by Lisa J. Ariffin
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by Lisa J. Ariffin
KUALA
LUMPUR: Putrajaya’s inaction over the cash reward for anyone who could
slap MP Teresa Kok is seen as encouraging incitement and…
Free Malaysia Today
by Lisa J. Ariffin
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by Lisa J. Ariffin
KUALA
LUMPUR: Putrajaya’s inaction over the cash reward for anyone who could
slap MP Teresa Kok is seen as encouraging incitement and a threat to
public order.
“The
Bar Council is of the view that the demonstration by the group of NGOs
that day is an incitement and a threat to public order,” chairman
Christopher Leong told a press conference here today.
“The
fact that the authorities are dragging feet over this incident
contributes to the unease that is currently prevailing in society and
may even be seen to be encouraging such incitement,” he added.
Leong
slammed the government as being “wholly irresponsible” for not taking
immediate and firm action against the group of Muslim NGOs, who have
accused the Seputeh MP’s controversial ‘Onederful Malaysia CNY 2014′
video of fanning racial hatred.
Labels:
BAR council
Bloody Incident In Simunul, Semporna Still Fresh In Villagers' Memory
By Siti Zubaidah Abdullah
SEMPORNA, Feb 11 (Bernama) -- For residents of Kampung Sri Jaya Simunul located at the outskirts of Semporna town in Sabah's east coast, March 2, 2013…
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SEMPORNA, Feb 11 (Bernama) -- For residents of Kampung Sri Jaya Simunul located at the outskirts of Semporna town in Sabah's east coast, March 2, 2013…
By Siti Zubaidah Abdullah
SEMPORNA, Feb 11 (Bernama) -- For residents of Kampung Sri Jaya Simunul located at the outskirts of Semporna town in Sabah's east coast, March 2, 2013 will always serve as a grim reminder of a bloody tragedy.
That was when a bloody tragedy occurred, leaving Malaysians reeling in shock, 19 days after a group of armed terrorists from southern Philippines landed in the village of Tanduo, Lahad Datu.
It began with the armed aggression in Tanduo, a remote village located approximately 140km off Lahad Datu town, which later turned into a battlezone between Malaysian security forces and the terrorists, spreading to other areas, particularly the village of Sri Jaya Simunul.
Recalling the incident in Tanduo on March 1, days after negotiations to drive the terrorists out without bloodshed failed, clashes took place between security forces and the terrorists, which saw two armed VAT 69 police commandos killed in action.
A day after, Kampung Sri Jaya Simunul saw a bloody encounter that left six policemen killed in an ambush by the foreign intruders. It transformed the water village, which is usually serene and quiet, into a state of chaos.
Today, calm has returned as villagers go about their daily life and related activities in peace and harmony. Nevertheless, the tragedy is still fresh in the memory of some Kampung Simunul villagers.
A villager, Mohd Zainal Marasad, 18, who was a witness to the bloody battle between Malaysian armed forces and the terrorists, said he could still recall the incident which occurred during Maghrib prayers.
He said, at the time of the incident, he was with his family at their house, located next to a house which was the location of the attack.
"We saw the light and heard the sound of gunfire. After the gunshots, we were crouching in fear...and power supply was cut for a while," he told a Bernama journalist and photographer who visited the scene recently.
Clearly traumatised by the incident, Mohd Zainal said it was difficult for him to put behind the horrific episode.
A village head, Abdul Rahim Mangsahirun, 58, said villagers were currently carrying out their daily chores as if nothing happened.
"...There is no disturbance and without fear, I can walk from one end of a bridge to the other. But if I begin to recall the bloody incident, I feel like it had just happened yesterday," he said.
Abdul Rahim who has been the village head since Jan 1, last year, assumed the position from his late brother, Ramlee Saraman. As village head, he has to maintain the security of the village and monitor the situation, should there be reports on sightings of strangers.
He said the bloody intrusion by the terrorists had left an indelible mark on his life.
A resident, self-employed Karman Karno, 57, said the tragedy was not easily be forgotten by the people in Semporna, but it taught him to be more alert and cautious.
"We feel safe now with frequent patrolling of police and security forces in our area. Although it has been a year now, the villagers will not forget the tragedy easily," he added.
Following the terrorist intrusion, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak announced the establishment of the Eastern Sabah Security Command (ESScom) on March 7.
ESScom, led by Datuk Mohammad Mentek, was established to strengthen maritime security in the eastern part of Sabah.
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SEMPORNA, Feb 11 (Bernama) -- For residents of Kampung Sri Jaya Simunul located at the outskirts of Semporna town in Sabah's east coast, March 2, 2013 will always serve as a grim reminder of a bloody tragedy.
That was when a bloody tragedy occurred, leaving Malaysians reeling in shock, 19 days after a group of armed terrorists from southern Philippines landed in the village of Tanduo, Lahad Datu.
It began with the armed aggression in Tanduo, a remote village located approximately 140km off Lahad Datu town, which later turned into a battlezone between Malaysian security forces and the terrorists, spreading to other areas, particularly the village of Sri Jaya Simunul.
Recalling the incident in Tanduo on March 1, days after negotiations to drive the terrorists out without bloodshed failed, clashes took place between security forces and the terrorists, which saw two armed VAT 69 police commandos killed in action.
A day after, Kampung Sri Jaya Simunul saw a bloody encounter that left six policemen killed in an ambush by the foreign intruders. It transformed the water village, which is usually serene and quiet, into a state of chaos.
Today, calm has returned as villagers go about their daily life and related activities in peace and harmony. Nevertheless, the tragedy is still fresh in the memory of some Kampung Simunul villagers.
A villager, Mohd Zainal Marasad, 18, who was a witness to the bloody battle between Malaysian armed forces and the terrorists, said he could still recall the incident which occurred during Maghrib prayers.
He said, at the time of the incident, he was with his family at their house, located next to a house which was the location of the attack.
"We saw the light and heard the sound of gunfire. After the gunshots, we were crouching in fear...and power supply was cut for a while," he told a Bernama journalist and photographer who visited the scene recently.
Clearly traumatised by the incident, Mohd Zainal said it was difficult for him to put behind the horrific episode.
A village head, Abdul Rahim Mangsahirun, 58, said villagers were currently carrying out their daily chores as if nothing happened.
"...There is no disturbance and without fear, I can walk from one end of a bridge to the other. But if I begin to recall the bloody incident, I feel like it had just happened yesterday," he said.
Abdul Rahim who has been the village head since Jan 1, last year, assumed the position from his late brother, Ramlee Saraman. As village head, he has to maintain the security of the village and monitor the situation, should there be reports on sightings of strangers.
He said the bloody intrusion by the terrorists had left an indelible mark on his life.
A resident, self-employed Karman Karno, 57, said the tragedy was not easily be forgotten by the people in Semporna, but it taught him to be more alert and cautious.
"We feel safe now with frequent patrolling of police and security forces in our area. Although it has been a year now, the villagers will not forget the tragedy easily," he added.
Following the terrorist intrusion, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak announced the establishment of the Eastern Sabah Security Command (ESScom) on March 7.
ESScom, led by Datuk Mohammad Mentek, was established to strengthen maritime security in the eastern part of Sabah.
Labels:
Sabah and Sarawak
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