Pakistani Hindus angered by ‘forced conversions’

PTI | KARACHI | Feb 17, 2014:: Pakistan’s Hindu minority is angered by “forced conversions”, with leaders of the community saying girls as young as six years were being pressured to change their religion.

“Can you accept your daughters being forcibly married to Hindu men?” said Raj Kumar, whose niece Rinkle Kumari was allegedly forced to convert and marry a Muslim man in 2012. Rinkle’s case made headlines and was even taken up by the Supreme Court.

Speaking at a seminar at the Karachi Press Club on Sunday on the theme “Hindus in Pakistan – issues and solutions”, Kumar called six-year-old Jumna on to the stage and said she and her 10-year-old sister Pooja would have been forced to change their religion if the media had not raised their case.

“What do children as young as Jumna and Pooja know about Islam and their own religion, for that matter, that they’d want to convert? This is the height of injustice,” Kumar was quoted as saying by the influential Dawn daily.

Jumna’s mother Marju and father Soma, residents of Mirpurkhas city in Sindh province, were present at the event.

“We are poor people. My little girls helped supplement our income by selling clay toys and utensils door to door. On February 4, they left home as usual with their basket of toys but didn’t return. We raised an alarm,” Soma said.

“After several reports in the media about our missing girls, it was found that they had been staying with a man named Rajab Pathan. The police of our area later produced them in court as Muslim children. We were prevented by the police from seeing them too.”

Soma said the court sent the girls to a Darul Aman or womens’ home following suspicions they may have been subjected to child abuse at home.

“Little Jumna has been given back to us now but Pooja is still at the Darul Aman. She seems to have been brainwashed into saying strange things about us. Her mind seems affected by the trauma,” he said.

All Hindu Rights Organisation chairman Kishan Chand Parwani, one of the organisers of the seminar, said it was sad to see the problems of Pakistan’s minorities “multiplying instead of decreasing”.

Former lawmaker Safdar Abbasi said it was a sad reality that not just Hindu temples but mosques, imambargahs or Shia prayer halls and churches were no longer safe in Pakistan.

Courtesy: TOI.

Christian Family Murdered in Alexandria

Six-year-old among members of a family stabbed to death. Family is of Syrian origin.

Four members of a Christian family of Syrian origin living in Alexandria, Egypt, were stabbed to
death Monday. A man was seen walking out of their apartment holding a black plastic bag.

The father of the family, 44, who was employed in one of Sharm el-Sheikh's hotels, was found stabbed in the stomach, the chest and the shoulder. His 35-year-old wife was stabbed in the neck, and so was the husband's 43-year-old sister. Their six-year-old daughter was also found murdered.

The attackers started a fire in the kitchen, in an apparent attempt to set the entire apartment aflame and destroy evidence.

The large Christian community in Egypt, which numbers about 10 million people, has increasingly been coming under attack from Muslims in the last few years. Many Christians have been murdered and wounded, and over 100 churches, homes and businesses owned by Christians have been attacked, with some being burned down.

The Egyptian regime has blamed the Muslim Brotherhood and other radical Islamist forces for these attacks.

Iowa: Lack of physical evidence exonerates imam in nude Islamic ritual

via Jurors announce verdict in religious ritual assault trial h/t @VinIenco

Jurors announced a verdict Friday just hours after starting deliberations in the Nermin Spahic trial.

They found Spahic not guilty on all three charges.

Spahic was emotional at hearing the verdict and was in tears.

Defense attorney Angela Campbell said the quick jury verdict may have come from the lack of physical evidence in the case.

“It’s a he said, she said case,” said Campbell.

Campbell said she didn’t know what resonated with the jury, but thought officers who said they decided not to collect evidence from Spahic’s fingernails and the victim’s body may have played a role.

“They had the opportunity to pursue physical evidence and they didn’t. That resonates with me, and I assume it would resonate with anyone that’s listening to the evidence in this case,” said Campbell.

The case wasn’t without circumstantial evidence. Assistant Polk County Attorney Steve Foritano focused on the defendant’s history of performing the religious ceremony on clothed people. That night with the 18-year-old woman and her mother, he performed the ceremony with them in the nude covered only by a towel.

The 18-year-old texted her friends that she was scared and immediately following the ritual, texted about places his hands should not have been.

Closing arguments were presented on Friday morning and the case was turned over to the jury about 11 a.m.

Spahic, 41, is on trial charged with third-degree sexual assault and two counts of sexual exploitation by clergy. A mother and her 18-year-old daughter both reported being assaulted by Spahic during a counseling session at a Johnston home last August.

Testimony started on Tuesday and Thursday Spahic took the witness stand in his own defense.

Waytha Moorthy: Honouring his pledge; redeeming his name – Lim Teck Ghee

On February 9, following the news that Waytha Moorthy had resigned from his position in the government, I was asked via e-mail for comments on the resignation. The excerpts below are from my response reproduced in toto:

1. Waythamorthy's resignation will have any impact/bearing on the BN?

Yes; besides the Indian community, other minority communities especially in East Malaysia have been monitoring the progress of the Hindraf agreement with the Prime Minister. Basically the message that they will get from the resignation is that the PM – for whatever reason – will not honour his commitment to provide a fair deal to minority communities. Should Hindraf decide to engage in a public campaign to denounce the PM and the support institutions in the civil service and other federal agencies for their cynical disregard of the Indian electorate after making use of them during the recent elections, the damage to the PM personally and BN as a whole could be considerable and long lasting.

2. Is this a slap in Najib's face?

Yes. But it is a slap also to Waytha, the Hindraf movement and to the other Indian-based parties such as the MIC in the BN. Although Umno is the major partner in the BN, there has been some optimism that it will moderate its "ketuanan Melayu" stance for a 1Malaysia one. Now it looks as if the 1Malaysia concept is well and truly buried especially when other recent developments are also taken into account.

3. What does it do for the public's perception towards BN and their promise to help the Indian community?

I think the public will see this as another of the broken promises of the PM and the BN. We can expect even greater distrust, cynicism and alienation even among many members of the Malay community who are concerned for political ethical standards and morality, despite the racial angle that seems to be the dominant factor in this development.

4. Biggest loser and biggest winner with this resignation and why

Biggest losers are PM, Waytha and other Indian supporters of the BN. There are no winners in this unless all political parties learn that racial discrimination and injustice have no place in our political system, and are fully committed to these principles in word as well as deed.

Response from Indians to Waytha’s resignation

Following the exchange above, I have talked to Indian friends on Waytha’s resignation and the view that Waytha has been a big loser. Their unanimous response differs from my initial view and it is one which is important to note.

Their view is that while Waytha may have suffered a severe setback to his credibility through his inability to deliver on Hindraf’s MoU with the BN, he has in fact redeemed his, and his organisation’s, honour and good name, by biting the hard bullet of resignation. What was clear in the response of ordinary Indians (some I spoke to had asked not to quote their names) which was surprising to me was their pride that someone in their community had stood firm against the BN juggernaut on the side of justice, fair play and integrity.

Contrary to public expectations of behind-the-door deals aimed at self-enrichment of a few Hindraf leaders and self-serving excuses aimed at confusing the constituency of poor Indians on the delay in the implementation of the MOU agreement, Waytha – and in fact the entire central committee leadership – decided that he should not delay his departure.

Today, Waytha’s official public statement on his resignation has finally appeared. In it he states that “(f)or the last eight months I had tried patiently to work with the PM to roll out the programmes agreed to in the agreement, but we have not been able to move even on one item in the MoU. I make no excuses for our failure; I take full ownership for the failure and its consequences”.

Raising the bar on political standards

Although there are members of the public still angry at the role that Waytha and Hindraf played in the last elections in mobilising Indian support for the BN and who will not be appeased by this public apology, I believe that Waytha has raised the bar for those who believe that joining the BN bandwagon or throwing in their support for the incumbent government is the right strategy to bring reform and change to the country.

Apologists for the BN in public but damning the excesses and misgovernance of the ruling party in the safety of their cocktail or lunch crowd, these self-advancement-seeking BN political allies have been one of the main reasons why the BN continues to ransack the country with impunity and ruins it with disastrous policies.

In the murky world of Malaysian politics, high principles, ethical standards and moral values all too often do not count, or count for little. It is too easy to compromise one’s integrity and honour especially when the rewards for reaching agreement with a vastly superior political force are so rich and beguiling.

In refusing to give up on Hindraf’s objectives aimed at assisting poor Indians, and in accepting responsibility for the failure of any tangible programmes to be implemented, Waytha has shown the way forward for the political "realists" and "optimists" who think that change towards a racially fair and just Malaysia is possible under the present government. – February 18, 2014.

* Lim Teck Ghee reads The Malaysian Insider.

* This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insider.

Trouble brewing in Penang MIC

State chief's appointment of S Muthurani as women's wing leader has raised the hackles of branch and division leaders

GEORGE TOWN: Penang MIC president M Karuppanan is facing a revolt from the party’s state Wanita wing over his choice of S Muthurani as the wing’s chief.

Wanita division leaders in the state are planning to send a petition against Karuppanan’s appointment of Muthurani to party president G Palanivel.

Karuppanan had earlier appointed two leaders to head the state Youth and Wanita movements respectively. But these appointments were revoked after both the movements rejected his choice.

Last week, he appointed Muthurani as the state Wanita chief but this too had not gone down well among the grassroots, especially division and branch Wanita leaders.

Wanita leaders from nine out of 11 divisions in the state have prepared and signed a petition, to be submitted to Palanivel, urging him to remove and replace Muthurani.

They are also planning to submit copies of the petition to party secretary-general Prakash Rao and national women leader M Mohana.

The nine are M Maliga of Tasek Gelugor, S Praymah (Nibong Tebal), S Mugaambigai (Bagan), A Letchumy (Batu Kawan) and N Deviga (Bukit Mertajam). Others are S Suguna Devi (Bukit Gelugor), A Thangamalar (Bayan Baru), K Nagesuari (Balik Pulau) and R Prema (Jelutong).

The nine leaders are upset that Karuppanan decided to appoint 38-year-old Muthurani, who is only the Bukit Gelugor division Wanita deputy chief.

They feel that the state Wanita wing should be headed by a senior leader who had a proven track record and good work ethics.

“Karuppanan told division Wanita leaders in Penang that his choice has been endorsed by Palanivel. He can’t be appointing someone just because he is ‘comfortable’ working with her.

“Is Karuppanan trying to say he can’t work with rest of us?” asked a division leader who declined to be named.

Karuppanan replaced Prema, the Jelutong MIC Wanita chief, with Muthurani, better known as Kavitha in the party circles.

Muthurani unperturbed

Muthurani, who operates a kindergarten, was earlier appointed state deputy Wanita head.

Karuppanan has also changed the youth leadership by appointing A Murugan as its head with M Shankar as deputy.

Originally Shankar, who heads Bukit Mertajam division youth wing, was the state chief with Murugan, who is Tasek Gelugor youth chief, as his deputy.

Karuppanan it is learnt had informed, about the changes in the Youth and Wanita wings, all division leaders, youth and women leaders of this latest change via a text message on Feb 10.

Previously many division leaders and Wanita chiefs were against the appointment of Prema as state leader, citing her inexperience and lack of track record and seniority as reasons.

Now they are also against Muthurani’s appointment for same reasons. When contacted, Muthurani was unperturbed about the petition.

She told FMT that several division women leaders had told her that “they were forced to sign the petition.”

She claimed to have the backing of eight division women leaders.

She said Bagan, Nibong Tebal, Jelutong and Bayan Baru women leaders were against her appointment while Balik Pulau’s K Nagesuari had taken a neutral stand.

Muthurani had previously served as state Puteri wing deputy head and Bukit Gelugor division Puteri head (both 2010-2012).

She also worked for Karupanan in the last general election as his press secretary and programme coordinator in the Bagan Dalam state constituency.

“It’s normal to have detractors in politics. I will carry out my duties. The women section will work hard to regain the trust of Indian women towards MIC and Barisan Nasional in Penang,” said Muthurani.

‘Waytha, it’s time to repent’

Indian leaders feel Waythamoorthy betrayed the community for his own personal political mileage when he signed the MOU.

PETALING JAYA: Several Indian leaders have provided mixed views on the recent apology made by Hindraf’s chairman P Waythamoorthy for failing to fulfill the promises made to the poor Indian community in Malaysia.

Malacca PKR vice-chairman G Rajendran said that it is too late for Waythamoorthy to apologise, and thus it cannot be accepted.

“What he has done was not a mistake instead a betrayal to his own community,” Rajendran said.

“As I said before, the signing of the memorandum of understanding(MoU) between Barisan Nasional and a faction of Hindraf led by Waythamoorthy himself is nothing but for his personal political mileage ” he added.

“He can say and do whatever he wants, but, he should accept the fact that he will always be remembered as a traitor among Indians, who successfully destroyed Hindraf and its objectives for the Indian community.”

Rajendran also urged Waythamoorthy to unveil the total allocation he received from Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak during his tenure as deputy minister in the prime minister’s department.

M Murugan, a Hindraf activist, in sharing the same view said that he will not accept Waythamoorthy’s apology.

“My advice to him, please stop doing drama,” he said, adding that the public is well aware that he resigned from the government for other reasons and not for the community.

“I am an uneducated man. Even I can predict that BN agreed to sign the MoU for nothing but for Indian votes. But it is a surprise for us to know that Waythamoorthy was not aware with BN’s election tricks.”

Murugan, a security guard was among the 136 people arrested during the Hindraf rally in 2007 and was charged for illegal assembly.

All pleaded guilty and paid the fine except Murugan who decided to plead not guilty and entered his defense.

Murugan is appealing the Sessions Court’s decision after he was sentenced to 14 days jail and a fine of RM2000.

One the other hand, Malaysian Indian Progressive Association(Mipas) said that it is time for Waythamoorthy to serve the community to repent.

“What we can tell him is go door to door and serve the people to rectify your mistakes,” said S Barathidasan, Mipas’ secretary-general.

“The public has lost confidence and trust in Waythamoorthy and Hindraf,” he said.

“Even if he has resigned and wanted to start with Hindraf 2.0, I am sure the majority of Indians will not support and be fooled again with all his drama,” he added.

Don’t blame Najib

Meanwhile, MIC Youth chief C Sivarraajh said that Waythamoorthy should not blame Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak over his failure to resolve and honor his promises to the Indians.

“He is been there for only eight months and his ambitious thinking to change government policies and resolve all the Indians problems in eight months is ridiculous,” Sivarraajh said.

“It is a process and cannot be resolved over night,” he added.

Sivarraajh claimed that Najib is working towards long term and permanent solutions for the Indians.

“But, what Waythamoorthy wants is a quick solution just to project his success during his tenure as senator and deputy minister.”

Sivarraajh also stressed that Waythamoorthy failed because he is arrogant and thinks he is supreme compared to others.

KJ takes Waythamoorthy to task

The Hindraf chief is not a team player and also not effective in advocating Indian issues, says the Umno Youth chief

PETALING JAYA: Umno Youth leader Khairy Jamaluddin hit out against Hindraf chairman P Waythamoorthy when the latter called for Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak to step down.

Waythamoorthy who on Monday relinquished his posts as a senator and deputy minster, in making the call, criticised Najib for not fulfilling promises made in the MoU signed before the 13th GE.

Khairy in his tweet, said: “Waythamoorthy is not a team player and not effective in advocating the Indian issues”.

He also revealed that “whenever Waythamoorthy had brought matters up to Najib’s attention, they were resolved”.

Through his ‘tweet’ he also told the public to refer to Kota Belud MP Abdul Rahman Dahlan for the Indian community’s housing issues to be settled.

“The fact is that he (Waythamoorthy) demands all the government budget meant for the Indian community be parked under his discretion… this is not how the government operates.

“Waythamoorthy wanted to control the money, by-passing ministries and agencies, when he didn’t get this, he quits and blames the PM,” said Khairy.

“Even without him, the government remains committed to the Indian community and to resolving issues such as education, poverty and national identification card woes faced by the community.”

Khairy said that Waythamoorthy did not reveal this during his press conference, but when you pin blame on the PM unfairly, he (Khairy) had to reveal the truth as it was a collective cabinet responsibility.

Earlier today, Waythamoorthy said Najib did not have the requisite will and courage to meet the demands made in the memorandum.

He vented his disappointment at Najib, saying that he had held 16 meetings with the premier to push forward the demands in the MoU, as well as to obtain the necessary budget but Najib failed him.

Waythamoorthy labelled Najib as a weak leader and said it was time he (Najib) passed the leadership baton on to a more credible person.

Waytha wants Najib to quit as PM

Waytha wants Najib to quit as PM

The Hindraf leader calls Najib a weakling who does not have the will to fulfill promises made in the MOU between Hindraf and BN.


KUALA LUMPUR: Hindraf chairman P Waythamoorthy today called on Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak to step down from office as he had betrayed the Indians by not fulfilling the promises made in the MOU signed prior to the 13th GE.

Making the call at a press conference here today, Waythamoorthy said Najib does not have the requisite will and courage to meet the demands made in the memorandum.

He further vented his disappointment with Najib, saying that over the eight months he had held 16 meetings with the premier to push the demands forward, as well as to obtain the necessary budget but Najib failed him.

Waythamoorthy, labelling Najib as a weak leader, said it was time he passed on the leadership to a more credible person.

In a bold move last week Waythamoorthy relinquished all his positions in the government and had apologised to the Indian community for failing them in getting their demands met by the Barisan Nasional government.

Hindraf’s list of demands were contained in a MOU signed by Hindraf and the BN government prior to the 2013 General Election, in May last year.

Waythamoorthy was appointed senator and subsequently deputy minister to carry out initiatives for the Indian community as contained in the MOU.

Najib cheated the Indians

Waythamoorthy also deemed Feb 10, 2014 as a black day for the Indian community as it became clear that Najib would not be making his promises good.

“As the leadership of Hindraf and I have often said, the day we realise that we will not be able to ‘operationalise’ the agreement, we will leave the government.

“We have no more to do there and the only reason for our participation in the government was to materialise the agreement,” said Waythamoorthy.

He also added that they never expected Najib to renegade on the promises made since he is the Prime Minister.

“We boldly went ahead and supported BN in spite of all the criticism thrown at us for supporting our enemy in GE13.

“He has stooped this low to cheat his own poor people and in full view of the world,” added Waythamoorthy.

Waythamoorthy wants fellow Malaysians to witness what the Prime Minister has effectively done as the chief executive of the country.

He also called Najib a liar for telling the public that he did not discuss his resignation beforehand.

“The Prime Minister has further lied to all Malaysians when he said that I did not discuss with him on my resignation.

“BN should be ashamed to be led by a leader who openly lies and deceives the people on a written contract he made in public,” said Waythamoorthy.

Mahathir ‘fears’ Anwar as PM

The former prime minister says he fears because the people will not be safe in the hands of his former deputy.
UPDATED

GOMBAK: Ex-prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad today renewed rivalry with his former deputy Anwar Ibrahim, saying that the prospect of the latter becoming prime minister was something he feared.

“Of course I have fears, because people will not be safe, staff won’t be safe with (Anwar) around. See what happened to his staff?” Mahathir told a press conference here today, alluding to Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan, Anwar’s former aide who accused the PKR de facto chief of sodomising him.

“He will be more influenced by his freedom to do whatever he likes. So he thinks as prime minister probably he’ll be above the law.

“You are not above the law. You commit anything wrong, you are immoral, the government will take action against you.”

Mahathir also stressed Anwar was not qualified to become Selangor Menteri Besar.

“He is not qualified. He set up a party just to become prime minister, not to fight for the nation, religion or the country. No. Just so, that Anwar can become prime minister.

“He entered Umno only to become prime minister. Not to fight for Umno,” said Mahathir.

BN must contest

On another note, the former premier also said that Barisan Nasional should field a candidate from any of its component parties, and not just the MCA, for the Kajang by-election.

“The BN should contest whether it is Umno, MIC, MCA, or Gerakan for that matter. It should be… BN must contest,” stressed Mahathir.

He also welcomed independent candidates who had offered themselves to contest saying they were all qualified to do so.

“Even if you have no standing, an ex-minister or someone like this man Herman Tino, they are all qualified, in our system they can contest. They may lose their deposit, but that’s alright,” said Mahathir.

Selangor Sultan bars royal family from involvement in Kajang by-election

(The Star) - Selangor ruler Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah has forbidden members of the royal family from interfering or being involved in political activities related to the upcoming Kajang by-election.

They have also been ordered not to allow any political party to use their name and royal status for any form of political campaigning.

“His Royal Highness also hopes that political parties and politicians will not involve the palace in the Kajang by-election campaign,” said a statement signed by the Sultan’s private secretary Datuk Munir Bani.

The statement added the Sultan ordered the prohibition after some pictures were published or aired by the media, depicting political party leaders with members of the royal family with the insinuation they were involved in the political campaign.

“This order was issued to prevent any negative perception about the involvement of the palace in political activities which should not happen and should be prevented,” added Munir in the statement.

He added the Sultan was firm on ensuring that the palace remained independent and will not align itself to any political party.

Hindraf leader loses sedition appeal, sent back to jail

(MM) - Hindu rights activist P. Uthayakumar lost his bid today to appeal his 30-month jail sentence for sedition after a High Court here upheld last year’s Sessions Court ruling on the matter.

In delivering his decision this morning, High Court judge Datuk Mohd Azman Husin said the lower court had not erred in meting out the punishment against Uthayakumar, who is the brother fellow rights activist and Hindraf chief P. Waytha Moorthy.

Mohd Azman said he will provide his grounds for dismissing Uthayakumar’s appeal in a written judgement later on.

Uthayakumar, an Indian rights activist and lawyer, was present in court and listened calmly as the judge delivered his decision. His wife S. Indra Devi was also present.

After the judgment was delivered, a number of Uthayakumar’s supporters seated in the public gallery silently lifted their hands to the leader after he left the court.

On June 5 last year, Uthayakumar was given a 2½-year jail sentence for writing seditious remarks in a 2007 letter to former British Prime Minister Gordon Brown.

The former Internal Security Act (ISA) detainee’s jail sentence was meted just hours after his brother Waythamoorthy was sworn in as a senator in the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) government following the May 5 general election.

Recently, Waythamoorthy abruptly quit his post as a deputy minister in the Barisan Nasional (BN) administration and has apologised for failing to fulfill Hindraf’s pledges of socio-economic reforms to the poor within the Indian community.

Today, Uthayakumar’s lawyer M. Manoharan said he will be filing an appeal at the Court of Appeal within this week.

“We will be filing an appeal on both the conviction and sentence,” the lawyer told reporters when met at the court complex here.

Noting that Uthayakumar was due to finish serving his jail term next February 15, just a year away, Manoharan said he will urge the court to speed up the appeal to prevent it from being “nugatory”, or of no importance.

“We will be filing a certificate of urgency for the appeal to be heard fast,” he said.

Manoharan cited prison authorities when saying that Uthayakumar will be released in February next year.

He also claimed that the 30-month jail sentence for his client was too “excessive” and pointed out that the federal government had previously indicated that it would abolish the Sedition Act 1948.

Manoharan said his client had merely highlighted the alleged “errors and defects” of the government in his 2007 letter.

After the judge delivered his decision today, he agreed to Uthayakumar’s request to meet his wife for one hour.

Anwar: BN the main enemy in Kajang polls

Malaysiakini

The BN “remains the main enemy” in the Kajang by-election even though Zaid Ibrahim has decided to join the fray as an independent candidate.

Expressing this view at a press conference today, PKR de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim said he does not underestimate the strength of the BN in the contest for the state seat on March 23.

“I think the issue is the enormous machinery, funds and (use of the) media by the BN,” he said.

“I think we have to be realistic enough to … accept the fact that, once they announce the candidate, the BN will go full fledged into a massive campaign and we would have to deal with it.”

Anwar, who will be contesting in the by-election, added Zaid had a right to contest according to democratic practices and it was up to the people of Kajang to decide.

However, Anwar questioned the apparent flip-flopping by Zaid (right) who had initially supported him to become the next Selangor Menteri Besar.

“I read two weeks ago he supported me to become menteri besar then two weeks after that, he now does not support me to become a state assemblyperson.

“How to become menteri besar without first becoming a state assemblyperson?

“He is a lawyer, perhaps he can answer, ask him,” said Anwar.

Zaid, who last Sunday announced his candidacy, said a vote for him would be a vote to retain the current Selangor Menter Besar Abdul Khalid Ibrahim.

Since then, netizens have highlighted Zaid’s contradictory stances, pointing a posting he made on Twitter on Feb 2 which read: “Anwar Ibrahim made the right decision to become menteri besar. The tiger must face a lion only then the rakyat will be comfortable”.

Anwar had in recent weeks hinted he may replace Abdul Khalid as the state’s new chief executive but has to date refused to clearly confirm the matter.

Sudden entry

Yesterday, PKR secretary-general Saifuddin Nasution questioned whether Zaid was being proxy for Umno with his sudden entry into the contest.

The remarks appear to have piqued Zaid, who lashed out at Anwar on Twitter.

“PKR’s Saifuddin (right) says Umno is behind me, that I am a plant. That’s trademark Anwar. Always humiliate your opponent. Truth is, I am not (a plant).

“Anwar behaves like he is invincible and can walk on water. But he knows Kajang is different. He can ridicule me but he is scared!” Zaid said in a series of postings.

However, Anwar brushed aside the criticism, saying that he would not be so busy in Kajang if he was being overconfident.

“I never said I am invincible or overconfident or otherwise I won’t be seen there day after day.

“In politics, we cannot make assumptions that people will support us without engaging them.

“So I accept the criticism and in several dialogues and speeches I have responded when clarification is asked,” he said.

On BN’s side, the seat is traditionally contested by MCA but the federal ruling coalition has yet to announce its candidate.

Nomination day for the Kajang by-election is set for March 11 while polling day is fixed for March 23.

The enemy of the people – Sakmongkol AK47

I will come back to the Kajang topic soon. It is now becoming more interesting as Zaid Ibrahim is entering the race.

At the moment, I want to share some thoughts on a topic that has been at the back of my mind for some time.

It is Umno’s perversion of the idea of nationalism and the “Umnonisation” of Islam. The danger is this. If left unchecked, Umno will confer upon itself the right as final arbiter on who is a Malaysian or not Malaysian and eventually who is Islamic, less Islamic and so forth. In a bizarre twist, Umno has totally outflanked PAS in portraying itself as the religious zealots bent on “talibanisation” of Muslims in Malaysia and eventually over all Malaysians.

We are all in danger. The country is crumbling under a fainéant leader. His madmen are on the loose. Umno’s nationalism.

It may have gone unnoticed, but the government’s loose categorization of all those who questioned its conduct on handling the nation’s security for instance as unpatriotic, is an expression of this high-pedestalled self-conferred stature. Tian Chua’s criticisms on the conduct of the security forces on the Lahad Datu invasion for instance, were used to brand him as a traitor.

The chief of the army, who isn’t a politician but a civil servant who swore allegiance to King and nation, joined others to brand as traitors who questioned the inept handling of the invasion. But let us question his motives over his own conduct over the whole affairs.

Why isn’t there a white paper or post-mortem analysis done on Ops Daulat? What lessons have we learnt from the invasion? How much money was spent over the operations? The chief of armed forces can easily justify purchase of military assets and consumables under the excuse of an emergency situation. He didn’t even have to go through any administrative motions. Perhaps we have heard of a bar of Cadbury chocolate costing RM80?

Those responsible for equipping our soldiers with substandard armaments and equipment are traitors of the highest order to our country. No amount of pantomimes or pretentious sympathy on those who lost lives in the invasion by a band of under-nourished sarong-clad individuals can absolve nor excuse the government over its inept handling.

Instead we must ask, with the military capabilities stationed in Sabah, why wasn’t the handling of the invasion entrusted to the field commander in Sabah? We seemed to marshal our security forces as though we were at war with the Philippines. The chaotic handling I assure you is not lost on our neighbours who are better equipped militarily. Putrajaya actually moved to Lahad Datu for a short while with two ministers were stationed there over an extended period. And to do what? To handle a band of sarong clad, slipper-wearing and under-nourished individuals?

Umno’s sponsored 1Malaysia is dead. As long as Umno divides the country into the various races, we can never achieve a Malaysian nationalism. We are moving towards an oligarchy where power seems to be divided between a select few including those entrusted to guard our nation’s external and internal security. Umno now acts on the basis of might is right. Because it controls the federal government, it thinks it can bully everyone into submission.

It’s helped further by the legitimate coercive forces of the country- the police and the military. The military has shown it was quite inept when dealing with a mere incursion of a band of under nourished sarong clad men. The IGP and Chief of army descended on Sabah to direct operations. The defence minister as his home security colleague were there too making it out as though we were at war with another country. Surely, these are signs to shudder about the capacity of our country’s defence.

Umno has claimed absolute ownership on the concept of nationalism and how it shapes religious thinking. Umno’s Nazi-like definition of Malay means only Umno Malays are Malays. Other Malays of differing politics are apostates. There’s only Umno nationalism which crushed all other variants.

Our country continues to be divided into Umno Malays, non-Umno Malays, Chinese Indians, Melanau, Iban, Dayak, Kadazan so on and so forth. The indigenous people in Sabah and Sarawak are only Bumiputera if they are willing to give up their own ethnicity and become Melayu. Otherwise your 10% strength serves only to add comfort to the peninsular Malays so that they can say they are 61% strong.

The fact is Malays are only 50-51% strong in Malaysia. To the Sabahans and Sarawakians, I only ask: how come when it comes to claiming to be Malays, Umno doesn’t differentiate you but when it comes to distributing gains and rewards, Umno discriminates you. And still you want to be with Umno despite the discrimination and humiliation. What is it with East Malaysians? Do they have political BDSM or what?

As long as Umno plays us off against one another along racial lines, we cannot have a Malaysian Nationalism. So Najib’s 1Malaysia is a hypocritical slogan with no real intent. It’s already dead before it can assume life and will be buried without tombstone if it’s not already buried.

A former deputy Umno president and a former deputy PM puts it laconically; Umno’s survival strategy is to show that it’s more Malay than Berjaya and more Islamic than PAS. And it cannot win in both areas by being on the same level; because in the case of Perkasa, the NGO gained the earlier ground to put up the claim; in PAS’s case, Islam has long been the party’s raison d'être.

So its only option is to appear ultra-racist and ultra-religious. We are looking at the rise of Umno’s Reich-wing nationalism and the start of Umno’s inquisition. – sakmongkol.blogspot.com, February 18, 2014.

* Sakmongkol AK47 is the nom de guerre of Raub MP Datuk Ariff Sabri Abdul Aziz.

*This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insider.

Unity council plans nationwide road shows to foster goodwill and harmony

The Malaysian Insider 
by JENNIFER GOMEZ

The recently-formed National Unity Consultative Council will hold a series of dialogues to collect feedback from the public on national unity and inter-ethnic harmony, said

Themed 'Voice of the Grassroots', the 18 dialogue sessions will cover all states in the country and will start this Saturday at the Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka auditorium in Kuala Lumpur.

The dialogues, which will conclude on March 30, will be launched by the minister in charge of national unity, Tan Sri Joseph Kurup.

Joint secretariat member for Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia's Institute of Ethnic Studies and the National Unity and Integration Department, Datuk Dr Denison Jayasooria (pic), said the dialogue sessions will be open to individuals and groups.

He added that apart from the road shows, there would be simultaneous discussions, including closed-door, to facilitate certain groups and thematic topics, such as on religious freedom and wealth distribution.

"Some issues might be sensitive and need greater in-depth study, so we can hold smaller discussions behind closed doors.

"What is important is that all this information and views will be factored into the making of the National Unity Blueprint," he explained.

Jayasooria said it was premature to conclude that the dialogues might not attract certain groups that are averse to unity talks such as Malay rights group Perkasa.

"Let's not pre-empt the situation. For all you know, these groups might turn up at all 18 locations," he told The Malaysian Insider.

The NUCC was formed on November 30 in the aftermath of the 13th general election, following several issues and statements touching on race which surfaced in public.

The council has been tasked with formulating a National Unity Blueprint within two years but had said it will produce an interim report in six months.

The 30-member council includes PAS's Parit Buntar MP Datuk Mujahid Yusof Rawa, former deputy higher education minister Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah, former Bar Council president Lim Chee Wee, activist Datin Paduka Marina Mahathir, and Malaysian Crime Prevention Foundation vice-chairman, Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye.

In announcing the dialogues, the NUCC said it would like to hear positive experience and stories of Malaysia’s achievement in ethnic relations.

The views collected will be documented by rapporteurs from several public universities for input into the formulation of the National Unity Blueprint.

Last Saturday, following its second meeting, NUCC said Putrajaya must uphold the rule of law and promote national unity by taking prompt action against provocative statements and actions that could lead to conflicts and tensions within the Malaysian society.

Saturday's dialogue will be followed by unity dialogues in Seremban and Malacca. On March 1, dialogues will be held in Johor, Kelantan and Terengganu, while March 8 and 9 will see the roadshow moving to Sabah and Pahang.

Dialogues will also be held in Labuan, Kedah and Penang (March 15), Perlis and Perak (March 16), Sibu and Miri (March 23 and 24). The last session will be held again in Kuala Lumpur on March 30. – February 17, 2014.

Spend Quality Time With Family, Keep Children Off Drugs - Najib

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 18 (Bernama) -- All Malaysians are advised to spend quality time with their families and to communicate and pay extra attention to their children's feelings and requirements, so that they will not easily be influenced by negative elements.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said cooperation from all quarters was vital to ensure that the Malaysian society would be free from threats of drugs, and that Malaysian children would grow up as a competitive and successful generation.

"The government is concerned about drug issues, which usually caused by the breakdown of the family institution. Therefore, I would like to call on all Malaysians to ensure that our families practice a happy lifestyle.

"I strongly believe this will prevent our children and our loved ones from getting involved in drugs."

Najib said this in his message for the Anti-Drugs Day 2014 which will be celebrated tomorrow with the theme 'AADK (National Anti-Drugs Agency) Prihatin, Rakyat Sejahtera'.

Najib said parents should be sensitive to any negative behaviour changes in their children, so that early prevention could be done as drug abuse usually began at home.

"Spend quality time with the children, respect their feelings and opinions, teach them about the bad effects of drugs so that they get the correct information," he said.

The prime minister said unhappy and uncomfortable life at home would introduce the children and teenagers to drugs as at those ages, they would believe their peers more than they believe their parents.

He said drug abuse among patients seeking treatments and undergoing rehabilitation processes, especially at 1Malaysia Cure and Care clinics, showed that some of them started having drug issues at the aged of 10.

Najib said Universiti Utara Malaysia's research findings on the economic cost involved concerning drug abuse in 2009, revealed that the government had spent RM8.65 billion through direct and indirect costs to tackle the drug issues.

"If the money were spent on building secondary school with 1,200-student capacity, the government would have built 216 schools which would benefit 259,200 students.

"I think if we can tackle the issue of drug abuse together, we can definitely save the money and use it for other important and beneficial programmes for the people," he said.

Najib also said the government would remain committed and responsible to ensure people's wellbeing by providing more services to meet the people's demands.

Apart from the 1Malaysia Cure and Care clinics, he said the government had also been providing medical treatment and community-based rehabilitation at the Cure and Care Service Centre (CCSC) and Caring Community House (CCH), which also provide counseling, consultancy, reference and advocacy to local residents with drug issues.

The prime minister also called on community members to join the AADK anti-drugs volunteer team, known as SKUAD 1Malaysia, to provide assistance to those having drug issues, including their own family members.

"So far, the squad has 223,201 members nationwide, 80.5 per cent of whom were teenagers and youths aged between 15 and 39," he said.

He also congratulated and expressed gratitude to all non-governmental organisations, government's departments and ministries, for their continuous efforts to combat drugs in the country.