PAS tolak rayuan Anwar, tetap mahu kemuka 2 nama

Video: Arab Kids Playing ISIL Terrorist Game!

Source : ABNA

UN: ISIS Prefers Maiming, Killing on Fridays

So far, when the media even bothers to cover the rise of ISIS, they’ve generally chosen to focus on the atrocities in northern Iraq, where the Yazidi population and other minority sects have been explicitly hunted. But across the border, in Syria, the bloodletting has been going on for years -- and the carnage there is equally as bad, if not worse.

And yet to their credit, UN investigators have done yeomen’s work exposing ISIS’s atrocities in Syria, especially during the first half of this past year. Their 45-page expose is gruesome yet a must-read.

Ironically, too, the commissioners discovered that the holiest day of the week, Friday, is when ISIS radicals prefer torturing, maiming, and executing their victims. How sick is that?

Public executions, amputations, lashings and mock crucifixion are a regular fixture in jihadist-controlled areas of Syria, a UN probe charged Wednesday, also accusing Damascus of repeatedly using chemical weapons against civilians. "Executions in public spaces have become a common spectacle on Fridays" -- the Muslim holy day -- in parts of Syria under control of the Islamic State (IS), the independent Commission of Inquiry on human rights in Syria said. In a 45-page report covering the period from January 20 to July 15, the commission also detailed a wide range of crimes against humanity and war crimes committed by the Syrian government and other armed opposition groups. And it accused Damascus of dropping chlorine bombs on civilian areas in April -- the first time the UN has directly blamed the government for the chemical attacks.
The four-member commission detailed a litany of horrors committed by IS, including beheading boys as young as 15 and amputations and lashings in public squares as residents, including children, are forced to watch.

This blood spectacle is appalling. And yet human rights violations are not merely unique to ISIS. The Syrian government, under President Bashar al-Assad, has committed all sorts of atrocities, the commissioners found:

Government forces, which were blamed for the lion's share of abuses and deaths in the early years after the conflict broke out in 2011, had carried out more massacres and committed murder, torture and rape against civilians, the report said. Since January, the government's "indiscriminate firing of missiles and barrel bombs into civilian areas" had killed hundreds of men women and children every week, it said. At the same time, the already staggering number of deaths in Syrian prisons also appeared to be on the rise and many more civilians had disappeared without a trace, said the report.

The administration’s objective in Syria is arming and supporting the “moderate” wing of the opposition. But with so much death and destruction going on, it’s difficult to credibly decipher between friend and foe.
It’s true too that ISIS and Assad’s government forces are killing each other; but if the US intervenes, and alters the balance of power, insulating Assad even more is hardly an ideal outcome.

Marched to their deaths: Sickening ISIS slaughter continues as 250 soldiers captured at Syrian airbase are stripped then led to the desert for mass execution

WARNING GRAPHIC CONTENT

• Startling footage of vast pile of bodies circulated today on social media
• Men in only their underwear form a long line stretching across the desert
• Islamic State fighter said men were from Tabqa air base, captured this week
• Human Rights Watch described shocking video as 'another ISIS war crime'

Sickening footage appears to show Islamic State militants parading around 250 captured soldiers through the desert in their underwear before they are killed and their bodies piled on the bare earth.

An Islamic State fighter claimed the men were from the Syrian government's Tabqa air base which extremists seized on Sunday, potentially handing them warplanes, tanks, artillery and ammunition.

The video, which has not been independently verified, is too graphic to be published in full.

It begins by showing dozens of men being marched through the desert wearing only their underwear. It then fades to black, resuming with a pile of bloodied bodies stacked on top of one another.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/

Barisan must own up to sedition charges against Pakatan, says DAP

Barisan Nasional component parties and Cabinet ministers must be held accountable for the sedition charges being slapped on Pakatan Rakyat leaders, DAP parliamentary leader Lim Kit Siang said.


He said it was not just Attorney-General Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail and Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak who must be held responsible for this “new despotism” in Malaysia.

"The BN component parties and leaders must either dissociate themselves from the democratic regressions or must be held whether as principals or as having aided and abetted in the New Despotism," said Lim in a statement.

Lim said Najib's new despotism had even topped Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad in using the Sedition Act to stifle dissent.

He said Najib was setting a record for invoking the draconian law against Pakatan MPs and assemblymen, which he added was ironic since he pledged in July 2012 that the Sedition Act would be abolished in line with Putrajaya's transformation plan.

"Five MPs, including the late Karpal Singh and one state assemblyman, had been charged with sedition in the six-year Najib premiership, while the 22 years of Dr Mahathir had seen only one MP charged, jailed and disqualified as a parliamentarian… Lim Guan Eng.

"Of course, Dr Mahathir had recourse to the notorious detention-without-trial Internal Security Act but this is no excuse for the advent under the Najib premiership of a new despotism against democratic liberties through the Sedition Act and other repressive laws," he said in a statement today.

The move, described as Putrajaya's attempt at silencing its political foes, has seen Pakatan leaders being charged with sedition over the last few days.

They are: PKR vice-presidents Rafizi Ramli and N. Surendran, Shah Alam MP and PAS central committee member Khalid Samad, and DAP Seri Delima assemblyman R. S. N. Rayer.

DAP Seputeh MP Teresa Kok and PKR Batu MP Tian Chua are also facing trial for sedition, while former Perak MP and Changkat Jering assemblyman Nizar Jamaluddin was charged with criminal defamation for a statement he had allegedly made two years ago.

Under the Federal Constitution, an elected representative is disqualified from office if fined more than RM2,000 or jailed for a term exceeding one year.

Lim said if found guilty, the nation will face five parliamentary and two state by-elections.

There is also another threat of a by-election in Permatang Pauh, if opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim failed in his appeal at the Federal Court on October 28 and 29 to strike out the Court of Appeal decision which found him guilty of sodomising his former aide. – August 28, 2014.

- See more at: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/barisan-must-own-up-to-sedition-charges-against-pakatan-says-dap#sthash.lQf35YpP.dpuf

Quit if you can't serve, MIC chief told

 

Former MIC Youth chief T Mohan has told his party president to resign if he cannot serve the Malaysian Indian community.

"If G Palanivel does not have the hunger to serve the community, he should resign and hand his position to a more capable person," he said in a statement issued late yesterday.

Mohan was livid with the president over his delay in nominating a party leader for the post of senator.

"As president, he should have followed up with Perak Menteri Besar Zambry Abd Kadir, instead of dwelling on a meeting that took place three months ago," he added.

Mohan was referring to Palanivel's meeting with Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak at the Perak convention on the matter of appointing a senator.

"I am also perplexed as to why Palanivel has not taken the initiative, as president of the party, to nominate someone for the post.

"He was informed of it six months ago," he said, referring to Zambry's statement that he has already informed Palanivel about the matter earlier.

Mohan also criticised Palanivel for constantly blaming Najib for the delay, calling it a lame excuse.

"He should have taken the initiative to have a discussion with Najib, submit names and get his approval," he noted.

According to Mohan, one of the reasons why there is a delay in appointing a MIC senator is because of Palanivel giving assurances to several dozen candidates for the post.

This has happened before

Mohan also pointed out that MIC has seen this problem before, when Palanivel took two years to submit names when two posts for senators from MIC fell vacant in 2012.

"It was only after my statement, as well as others questioning the delay in the appointment of the senators early this year that led to the appointment of former MIC Youth chief SA Vigneswaran and R Goonasekaran in June," he added.

He also questioned the re-nomination of two senators, V Subramaniam and A Sivabakiam, which was done in a flash on July 1 when their senate terms only expire at the end of this month.

"Is it because both senators are Palanivel's close allies and he is thus beholden to them?" Mohan asked.

Citing another example of poor leadership, Mohan said the mid-term review of the Fifth Malaysia Plan is ongoing but MIC has been lackadaisical about initiating meetings and providing the government with input.

On the other hand, Mohan applauded Zambry for providing the nation with a "clearer picture" on the tussle regarding the senator's post.

Vell Paari: It's obvious who is lying

Meanwhile, MIC strategy director S Vell Paari said the spat does not bode well for both BN and MIC, especially for the latter, which does not have any elected representatives in the state.

"Compared to other states, the Perak menteri besar has been much more generous to MIC even though we have no elected representatives. He has given MIC the positions of speaker, special advisor and special officer.

"But going by the latest turn of events, one does not have to be a rocket scientist to figure out who is responsible for the delay. It is quite obvious who is not telling the truth," he added in an obvious reference to Palanivel.

Vell Paari said there is no need to drag Zambry into this issue, especially asking him to make the candidate announcement.

"He has no vested interests in this issue. Why should he? What has he got to gain or lose over the appointment of a MIC senator?" he pointed out.

"If there is an issue then it is something that Palanivel has to take up with PM and not Zambry. The power to recommend the candidate is the prerogative of the party president.

"So to involve the menteri besar in this issues is incomprehensible. Unless like how the PM's name was used to escape criticism over the extensions of the two senates.

"So should a candidate be chosen and masking it to look as if the candidate was the menteri besar's decision, hence can escape criticism from others in Perak who were promised the senate seat," he added.

Kula says Najib forgets his 'manly' challenge

 

DAP national vice-chairperson M Kulasegaran reminded Prime Minister Najib Razak of his 2012 call to the opposition to disdain street rallies and fight at the ballot box, which was the manly thing to do.

"Why the preference now by the PM for the less manly weapon of the Sedition Act to fight the opposition?" queried the MP for Ipoh Barat.

Kulasegaran was referring to the spate of charges against opposition legislators filed in the courts the past few days, which the federal legislator said indicated that Najib was "caving in to pressure to flex his muscles in order to show he is not a weak leader."

"In 2012, when faced with a huge gathering of opposition supporters at a street rally, the PM challenged demonstrators to fight him the manly way - at the ballot box," recalled Kulasegaran.

"We can excuse the PM for his pledge in September 2011 to make Malaysia the best democracy, but we can't allow him to forget his challenge to our manliness," he remarked.

"A challenge based on manliness goes to the heart of one's sense of self and with the PM now backing away from it in preference for repression of the opposition through use of a colonial era law, he is saying he has no identity," commented the DAP leader.

"The fact that the opposition has bested the government at the ballot box in the 2013 general election has not acted as a restraint on the PM in his choice of options to fight his critics.

"Najib's sense of manliness has not embarrassed him into a proper humility at his government's loss to the opposition for the popular vote in the 2013 election.

"Instead, more than a year after that rebuke, it seems to have driven him to the desperate option of repression through use of the Sedition Act which is an unmanly thing to do," argued Kulasegaran.

He said the country could no longer tolerate the PM's crisis of self-identity - whether to identify himself as a liberal and a moderate or be a poseur and a masquerade.

"You are either one or the other but PM thinks he can be both and that the people would tolerate his dissembling," said Kulasegaran.

Indian court orders DNA tests to settle cow dispute

 

A court in India’s southern state of Kerala has settled a legal dispute between two women over the ownership of a cow after conducting DNA tests, a news report said today.

A woman called Geetha alleged that her cow was stolen by another woman named as Sasilekha in a nearby village two years ago. Geetha filed a police complaint and the case went to in court.

The court in Kollam city ordered DNA tests after Geetha said one of her other cattle was the mother of the disputed cow, and could prove she was the original owner.

The tests showed that the DNA of the cows did not match and the court yesterday gave Sasilekha possession of the bovine, the Hindustan Times daily reported.

“It is a rare case. Perhaps, the first time a DNA test was held on a cow to find out its real owner,” N Chandra Babu, the lawyer for Sasilekha, said.

He said he was planning to seek compensation from Geetha for “undue mental agony” inflicted on his client.

Many families in India are farmers who earn their livelihood through cattle-breeding. Cows are also held sacred in the predominantly Hindu nation.

- dpa

PAS snubs Anwar's plea, insists on two names - Malaysiakini

 

PAS continues to snub Anwar Ibrahim by rejecting his plea and insisting that it will submit two names to the Selangor palace for the menteri besar's post.

Speaking to Malaysiakini, PAS secretary-general Mustafa Ali (right) said the Islamic party will abide by the ruler's decree.

"We must not be seen to be forcing the palace (by submitting one name)," he said, adding that it is not good in terms of Malay ethics.

In view of this, PAS will be nominating PKR president Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail and her deputy Azmin Ali as agreed at its central committee meeting on Aug 17.

Furthermore, he said by nominating Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, PAS is displaying sufficient respect to its Pakatan Rakyat ally.

"There is nothing wrong to send in more than one name. He (Azmin) is the deputy president, the next in line after Kak Wan, it's a natural choice even for PKR," he said, despite Azmin giving his full backing to Wan Azizah's candidacy.

This afternoon, Anwar pleaded with PAS to adhere to the Aug 17 Pakatan council's decision to only propose Wan Azizah for the post.

Before it was not public

On Tuesday, the sultan requested Pakatan parties to submit "two or more names", with the deadline set for next Wednesday.

However, PKR and DAP, citing convention, disclosed that only Wan Azizah's (below) name will be submitted.

PAS' contradicting stands on the Selangor crisis has strained ties with its allies, with Selangor DAP leaders even mulling the need for the opposition bloc's continued existence.

Quizzed on the ruler having requested for more than one name after the last two general elections, Mustafa explained that the situation is different now.

"At that time, it was not an open matter. Now, it is revealed to the public. We must take into consideration public perception," he said.

He said the party would not like to be perceived as openly defying the ruler.


Selangor crisis today

8.28am: Gerakan urges PKR and DAP to not insist on Wan Azizah as it will only prolong the crisis and their goal to unseat Khalid has been reached.

12.58pm: Anwar urges PAS to respect the Pakatan leadership council’s Aug 17 decision to only nominate Wan Azizah

1pm: Umno MP Shamsul Anuar Nasarah says the crisis is prolonged because Pakatan has no direction

2.46pm: Former MCA president Dr Chua Soi Lek says Anwar will control Selangor if Wan Azizah is MB

4.26pm: Law professors say acceding to the sultan's decree for multiple candidates will put the sultan in a tight spot as only Wan Azizah commands majority support.

5.30pm: PAS snubs Anwar’s appeal that PAS submit only Wan Azizah’s name, and will include PKR deputy president Azmin Ali’s name, too

6.15pm: After PAS says it doesn’t want to force the sultan to choose Wan Azizah, PKR points out that PAS didn’t mind forcing the palace in 2008 and 2013

DAP to PAS: Why don’t you join UMNO?

PAS might be better off declaring it wants to get out of Pakatan and to implement its Islamist agenda in Kelantan, says Ariff Sabri.

PETALING JAYA: Raub MP Ariff Sabri Abdul Aziz of DAP has told PAS to consider quitting Pakatan Rakyat so that it can team up with Umno.

“If it thinks the way forward to govern Malaysia is by having political union with Umno, we must not stop it,” Ariff said in his latest blog entry at Sakmongkol AK47.

“PAS might be better off declaring it wants to get out of Pakatan and state that it wishes to implement its Islamist agenda in the state that it now controls, Kelantan.

“Then it can make Kelantan a showcase on the beauty of implementing hudud and all other Islamist agenda.”

However, Ariff said PAS could count on Pakatan’s support for its agenda if it was willing to work with the coalition.

“If PAS still prefers to work with Pakatan, all other Pakatan parties can support the PAS agenda,” he said.

Turning to the recent turn of events in the Selangor MB saga, Ariff said, “Before the Umno people pompously claim that they would do anything to protect the institution of the monarchy, let me remind them, the thing that we must protect is representative democracy. “That should take precedence,” he said.

The MP said Umno “royalists” should stop “clumsily invoking threats” on people who speak of the monarchy and inserting a racist element into the issue.

“Speaking of the monarchy should not be read as an affront by non-Malays against Malays,” he added.

The role of the state monarch in appointing the MB is being scrutinised by various parties and analysts after the Sultan of Selangor ordered PAS, PKR and DAP to submit more than two names as candidates for the Menteri Besar post.

Anwar has locked himself into a paradox

Khalid remained convinced his replacement can be anyone except Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail (the nepotistic wife) or Azmin Ali (the blind royalist), PKR president and deputy president, respectively.

Azmi Anshar, NST

THE diabolically messy Selangor menteri besar power wrangle has arrived at devilish crossroads, a flashpoint of fear, uncertainty and doubt that just cannot resolve as to which elected representative can eventually replace Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim without infuriating the palace.

It’s now known that Khalid’s gruelling method to (finally) quit his untenable MB’s job had a causal conviction — his replacement can be anyone except Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail or Azmin Ali, PKR president and deputy president, respectively.

Khalid remained convinced, an attitude shared by his Pas backers, that Dr Wan Azizah and Azmin, while arguably equipped in savvy political/leadership horse sense, are severely compromised by Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s dodgy baggage — she as the nepotistic wife, while he as the blind loyalist.

That’s why Khalid remained pugnacious to the last, conscientiously repelling his PKR bosses’ boorish attempt to replace him through the feckless “Kajang Move”, mooted initially as the grand design to “save Selangor”, but exposed as a conspiracy to inject steroids into Anwar’s crumbling bid to become prime minister.

Construing correctly the plot, Khalid negotiated an intricate exit strategy that would be endorsed by the sultan of Selangor, while preserving the RM3.2 billion state coffers that, without someone like Khalid to oversee, would whittle away recklessly in record time.

Despite being outed as outlandish power grabbers, Anwar and his ilk remain unrepentant, mulishly maintaining that Dr Wan Azizah is the sole MB nominee but competing against a top-contending Azmin, which belligerently defies the sultan of Selangor’s demands for more nominees.

Reports abound that the sultan of Selangor is disturbed by PKR/DAP’s letter seeking His Highness’ discretion in accepting a sole nominee in Dr Wan Azizah, following the precedent set last year, when Khalid was the sole candidate for the MB’s post after the 13th General Election, a setting Khalid has denied.

Clearly, the sultan of Selangor has seen through the PKR/DAP manoeuvring, in which he will not be brazenly pushed into an ultimatum that stops him from considering alternative nominees.

In this instance, the likes of Ijok assemblyman Dr Idris Ahmad, 67, scion of PKR and a successful gynaecologist who has delivered the babies of Kuala Lumpur’s movers and shakers, and Cempaka assemblyman Iskandar Abdul Samad, Pas’ 47-year-old outsider, are plausible pretenders to the position.

You’d expect the sultan to prevail in this confrontation, backed by convention and the constitution, but given PKR/DAP’s tendency to overreact obstinately if they don’t get their way, whoever is anointed by His Highness is expected to serve in choppy waters.

Nevertheless, the snap state polls to resolve the leadership catastrophe dreaded by virtually everyone will be averted if the sultan’s choice of nominee for the MB’s post is accepted by the warring parties.

Once the complex permutations on who gets to finally replace Khalid are finally sorted out, Khalid must be owed a huge apology by harsh critics, who have underhandedly accused him of trying to cling to power.

If there ever was a power-hungry embodiment of this nine-month pickle, it is Anwar, to whom it can be traced the origins of this silly MB crisis.

However, at the rate that the realpolitik is playing out, the biggest loser will be Anwar, an outcome not unwelcome by Pas or even DAP, who never condoned Anwar, but only sucked up to him because he is the only player able to glue the fractious axis.

Anwar’s mad and fixated ambition to be prime minister is the troubling political narrative undistracted by the tragedies of our times, but tell that to Anwar, who will reverse in recoil position until he schemes the next gambit.

He may not realise this yet, but Anwar has locked himself into a classic paradox: because of him, the axis secured strong gains in the 12th and 13th General Elections, but because of him, the majority of parliamentary voters won’t give him the Federal Government and the coveted federal premiership.

Kok says it again: Kamalanathan must apologise

The Seputeh MP calls for full release of facts and figures on public university intake of medical students.

KUALA LUMPUR: DAP vice-chairperson Teresa Kok today reiterated her call for Deputy Education Minister P.Kamalanathan to apologise to the public for “making a false claim” that the Malaysian Medical Council (MMC) requested a reduction in intakes of medical students to public universities.

In a media statement, Kok also said the “public are entitled to ask if there have been intentional moves to try to avoid giving the accurate and full facts to them.”

The MP from Seputeh was responding to Health Minister S. Subramaniam’s denial that MMC had any role in the annual reductions of intake since academic year 2011/2012.

Figures disclosed by Subramaniam showed that 1,550 places for medical students had been allocated to 11 public universities but only 919 had been filled so far. Referring to this, Kok asked, “Why have they decided to only accept 919 students? Since the question of qualified applicants does not arise as many top scorers have complained of not being offered the medical programmes, could fund shortage or lack of staff be the issue?”

Kok called on Education Minister Muhyiddin Yassin to “show transparency and reveal the full facts and figures” on the intake of medical students by public universities.

Another DAP MP, Teo Nie Ching, said in a separate statement that increasing the intake numbers alone would not solve Malaysia’s lack of properly trained medical professionals.

“We need to ensure the students have adequate training at a later stage,” she said

Najib’s despotism worse than Dr M’s “Dark Age”

Lim Kit Siang says that far from being the best democracy, Najib is using the Sedition Act to suppress the opposition.

KUALA LUMPUR: DAP’s Lim Kit Siang said Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak’s heavy-handed use of the Sedition Act to silence the opposition was “putting to shame Tun Dr.Mahathir’s 22-year ‘Dark Age’”.

The DAP Parliamentary leader said, “We are looking at the likelihood of six parliamentary and two state assembly by-elections as a result of the recent spate of arrests and prosecution of PR leaders.”

Lim said it was “the height of irony” that Najib announced in July 2012 that the Sedition Act would be abolished as part of his National Transformation Plan.

He added that far from being the “best democracy in the world”, Najib had achieved just the opposite with his brand of despotism.

“Five MPs and one state assemblyman had been charged with sedition in the six-year Najib premiership,” Lim explained.

While he admitted Dr.M “had recourse to the notorious detention-without-trial Internal Security Act”, he said it did not excuse Najib for silencing the opposition by using the sedition act “and a panoply of undemocratic and repressive laws” time and again.

Lim also said the blame lay not on Najib’s shoulders alone but Attorney-General Gani Patail and all cabinet ministers in the ruling administration.

He also said, “…all the Barisan Nasional component parties and leaders must either dissociate themselves from the democratic regressions or be held whether as principals or as having aided and abetted in the New Despotism in Malaysia.”

In the last ten days Rafizi Ramli, N.Surendran, Khalid Samad, RSN. Rayer and Nizar Jamaluddin have all been hauled to court on charges of sedition as have Teresa Kok and Tian Chua.

Anwar Ibrahim may also lose his seat in Permatang Pauh should he fail in his appeal at the Federal Court on the sodomy charge.

Are companies hiring based on race?

MTEM wants public-listed companies to publish analysis of racial diversity.

KUALA LUMPUR: The Securities Commission should consider a regulation to make public-listed companies publish a diversity analysis in their annual reports.

The Malay Economic Action Council (MTEM) said by doing this, civil society and shareholders would know if a company had utilised racial profiling in it’s hiring practices.

Its chief executive officer Nizam Mahshar said even some Forbes 100 companies declared diversity within their organisational structures.

Nizam also suggested corporations reveal the salary ratio of their chief executive officers to average workers within their companies.

“Investors should take into account the Drucker Institute’s recommendation that the proper ratio between a CEO and an average worker should not exceed 20:1,” he said.

Around 30% of Malaysian workers are earning below RM2,000 a month, according to figures published by the Employees Provident Fund.

MTEM also said Pemandu should monitor how much local corporations were paying employees at the lowest level since the latter was pushing for Malaysia to become a high-income nation with employees taking home RM45,000 annually or RM3,750 per month.

MTEM said they fully backed Prime Minister Najib Razak’s call to the corporate sector to use best practices and declare the diversity within their organisational structures.

Terrorism experts see long, tough battle to contain Islamic State

While the world has recoiled in horror at the atrocities committed by Islamic State radicals, the violence has helped the militant group recruit a global force of extremists and furthered its pursuit of a fundamentalist Muslim caliphate in the heart of the Middle East, terrorism experts say.

The United States and its Western allies have responded with airstrikes on militant positions in Iraq and relief operations for the victims of the Al Qaeda splinter group's campaign of violence.

But the air attacks on Islamic State fighters in Iraq and contemplation of similar action in war-torn Syria will do little more than temporarily curb the militants' momentum as the international community struggles to find a long-term solution to their destabilizing threat, analysts say.

"There is no short-term fix that will completely defeat this threat, so it's important to differentiate between stopping ISIS' momentum and ending or defeating them as an organization," said Janine Davidson, senior fellow for defense policy at the Council on Foreign Relations. She was referring to the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, as the group called itself before proclaiming its caliphate two months ago.

Without forces in Syria and Iraq to identify targets and ensure that civilian communities aren't vulnerable, airstrikes alone are unlikely to roll back the Islamic State militants who have seized large swaths of territory in those countries, Davidson said.

Targeted strikes can and have taken out militant positions and training camps and can undermine the group's image as a force "screaming through Iraq with one military success after another," Davidson said. But air power alone won't do more than chase the militants from one stronghold to another or counter their sophisticated use of social media to recruit and raise funds, she said.

In an interview discussing Western states' limited options for containing the militants, she said they should focus on forming regional security alliances with Iraq's and Syria's Middle East neighbors and on reform of the Iraqi government that so excluded and repressed Sunni Muslims that many welcomed the militants when they overran northern Iraq.

The Islamic State battlegrounds and gruesome execution of enemies have become a magnet for aspiring militants around the world, said Christopher Chivvis, a senior political scientist at Rand Corp.

Chivvis estimates the number of foreign fighters who have joined Islamic State and other militant Sunni factions at 10,000, including as many as 3,000 carrying European passports and a "not insignificant number" from the United States. On Tuesday, White House officials confirmed that a San Diego man, Douglas McAuthur McCain, had died in Syria fighting for Islamic State.

"People like to be on the winning team and right now it looks like ISIS is winning," Chivvis said. "They have effectively challenged Al Qaeda as leader of global jihad, offering a different model for what jihad ought to look like -- more violent, more locally focused, but equally extreme."

If the United States and its allies want to combat Islamic State's power to attract disaffected and marginalized Muslims, broad international cooperation is required in law enforcement and intelligence sharing, Chivvis said. He pointed to the U.S. turn at the U.N. Security Council presidency in September as an opportunity to galvanize coordinated efforts to counter the extremists' message.

Like Davidson, Chivvis sees little prospect of Western states collaborating with Syrian President Bashar Assad to roll back their common enemy, Islamic State. It would be politically and operationally problematic, he said, as Assad is accused of committing war crimes against his own people.

An independent U.N. investigative commission on Wednesday issued a scathing report accusing all combatants in Syria of inflicting "immeasurable suffering" on civilians, including the Assad government's sarin gas attacks on suburbs of Aleppo a year ago and barrel-bombing of opposition-held villages in the provinces of Idlib and Hama with chlorine gas in April.

Jeffrey Bale, a historian and scholar of political and religious extremism at the Monterey Institute of International Studies, criticized the Obama administration and its European allies for ruling out collaboration with Assad, whom he sees as the lesser of two evils.

“The regime in Syria is fighting for its own survival, using brutal methods and not concerning themselves with civilian casualties. But neither are the jihadists -- they are deliberately targeting civilians and anyone they consider insufficiently Islamic,” Bale said.

“We should be collaborating with the Assad regime and with the Iranians, who already have Revolutionary Guards in Iraq, to weaken and destroy the operational capabilities of Islamic State. It's not like we're not doing this anywhere else in the world,” he said, pointing out U.S. alliances with authoritarian governments in Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and elsewhere.

“We have to assess what is the No. 1 threat,” Bale said. “What would be catastrophic is if Islamic State was able to establish permanent control over the heartland of the Middle East.”

Bale also said that the United States and its allies were too timid in their initial strikes against Islamic State fighters when they were traveling on open roads in celebratory convoys after seizing the northern Iraqi city of Mosul in June.

“Whenever we observe Islamic State fighters away from heavily civilian areas we should be launching devastating attacks on them with the full panoply of weapons from aircraft,” he said.

“Obviously, once these guys are back in big urban areas surrounded by civilians, it’s much more difficult to target them from the air,” he said. “Now they are hunkered down using civilians as shields.”

Follow @cjwilliamslat for the latest international news 24/7

Putrajaya’s sedition dragnet an attack on freedom of expression, say lawyers

Malay Mail
by JOSEPH SIPALAN, PATHMA SUBRAMANIAM AND BOO SU-LYN

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 28 — The recent spate of probes and court actions under the controversial Sedition Act 1948 reeks of a government clamp down on dissenting views, lawyers claimed as authorities slapped two separate sedition charges on a Penang state assemblyman yesterday.

 

Legal experts argued that Putrajaya is relying on questionable grounds to charge RSN Rayer for allegedly insulting Umno — the dominant party in the ruling Barisan Nasional coalition — on two separate occasions.

“The government of Malaysia in 2014 is relying on a legislation that was introduced by the colonial government in 1948 to protect itself and to stop people from criticising its policies and governance,” Bar Council human rights committee chairman Andrew Khoo told Malay Mail Online when contacted.

“It is highly regrettable that the government should rely on a colonial mentality and legislation to deny the people the right to be critical either of the government or on the administration of justice,” he added.

Khoo said it was too early to say if the government is indeed actively trying to silence its critics despite the apparent “overuse” of the Act, but stressed that Putrajaya’s actions run counter to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s 2012 promise to repeal the legislation.

Lawyers for Liberty (LFL) executive director Eric Paulsen, however, said that the government has clearly been “misusing” the Sedition Act to persecute opposition politicians and quash public dissent.

 

The use of the Act against the late DAP chairman Karpal Singh, former PKR vice-president N. Surendran and PAS Selangor deputy commissioner Khalid Samad were examples that an individual need not act in a seditious manner to be liable for the offence, he said.

Prior to his death in April, Karpal was found guilty of sedition by the Kuala Lumpur High Court for questioning the Sultan of Perak’s decision to remove Datuk Seri Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin as Perak mentri besar in 2009.

Surendran was charged last week for criticising the Court of Appeal’s ruling against PKR de-facto leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim in the latter’s second sodomy appeal, while Khalid was charged yesterday for questioning the powers of the Selangor Islamic Religious Council (Mais) and the Sultan of Selangor.

“In the current climate, the Act is being used to persecute the opposition. Whether what was said or by way of conduct is seditious or not, is irrelevant,” Paulsen said.

Civil liberties lawyer New Sin Yew noted that part of the problem lies with the vague definition of seditious behaviour outlined in the Act, particularly the point on “exciting disaffection” against the aggrieved party.

“The problem is, ‘exciting disaffection’ is quite vague. I may insult you, but insulting you may not bring disaffection. If I say ‘go to hell, the government’, it may not cause many people to be dissatisfied with the government.

“We have the fundamental right to insult our leaders and the government. Insulting and exciting disaffection are different,” he said when met earlier.

New also stressed that Umno and the government are separate entities, noting that the Sedition Act only criminalises incitement against the government, but not political parties.  

Constitutional lawyer Syahredzan Johan stressed that the developments have effectively narrowed public discourse to what the government decides can be said out in the open.

“With sedition looming large in the background, it has really stifled freedom of expression. Even I find myself treading carefully when commenting on the Ruler’s powers... I shouldn’t, but I don’t want to get into trouble either.

“And this is not good. If people are going to be constantly mindful and hold back from saying something, even if it is criticism that is constructive, what you’re doing is stifling the exchange of ideas,” he said.

The Centre for a Better Tomorrow (Cenbet), meanwhile, demanded that the Attorney-General (A-G) explain why it is a criminal offence for an elected representative to criticise a political party in a state assembly.

The organisation said in a statement that the onus falls on the A-G to clearly spell out the terms for using the Act, or end up reinforcing public perception that it is being used arbitrarily or selectively

“Such prosecution would criminalise common conversation among the people in Malaysia and be seen as favouring one political party over the other,” the group said.

MH17 Issue Played Up To Break Up Solidarity

PUTRAJAYA, Aug 28 (Bernama) -- The people have abeen advised against falling into the trap of certain groups who play up the issue on the special honour accorded to victims of the Malaysia Airlines (MAS) flight MH17 crash and the intrusion in Lahad Datu to break up national solidarity.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said although the government gave special honour to the victims of the MH17 tragedy, the sacrifices of the police and soldiers who died in the Lahad Datu incident would continue to be highly appreciated.

"There are always people who want to break us up. In the Lahad Datu incident, the same people who alleged that it was a drama questioned why we did not accord a special honour to members of the security forces who had died although initially they claimed it was just a drama," he said.

"In the Lahad Datu incident, we have given more assistance than usual...so, don't turn it into an issue...this is a matter for all of us," said Najib in his speech at the Ulama-Umara Premier Council and Malaysian Mosque Award 2014, here Thursday.

The Prime Minister said he had done his level best with regard to the MH17 incident by achieving something that had never been done before, that is, communicating with the rebel leader.

"So, (in) our foreign policy, we communicate with the major powers, we also have relations with the developing countries, in fact, we also negotiate with the rebel groups because we believe in whatever that is good.

"If I had not played this role, it would have been impossible for us to retrieve the remains (of the MH17 victims) to be received by their beloved family members," he said.

Najib said he had made the effort because when he met the families of the victims personally, he was deeply touched and saddened, thus he had promised to do whatever he could to bring back the remains of the victims of the MH17 crash.

"So, I appealed to the rebel group without promising anything in return...I did not pay even a single sen. I said please and they said they would help and hand over the black box and remains of the victims to the Malaysian team," he said.

He said that from his observation, the MH17 and MH370 tragedies had clearly shown the unity of the people in facing the sadness of the nation by rejecting political differences regardless or religion and race.

"The incident should be taken as a lesson for everyone.

"When the nation is tested by various challenges, as the head of the government I appeal for your help...together we build an excellent future for the Muslims," Najib added.