After 485 days in prison, Uthaya has 'no regrets'

 

Hindraf leader P Uthayakumar today walked out of prison to a hero’s welcome after 485 days of incarceration for sedition.

Some 60 Hindraf supporters, clad in the movement’s trademark orange colour, converged outside Kajang Prison in support of Uthayakumar, who was driven out in a prison van at 9.45am.

Uthayakumar alighted from the vehicle with his belongings - several bundles of court documents and books - as he was greeted in  a carnival-like atmosphere, with drumbeats and hugs from supporters.

 

His teary wife S Indra Devi stood in a corner wearing a wide smile.

"My first words are I have no regrets. In every struggle of every public cause, a price has to be paid," Uthayakumar told journalists.

His release comes amid a string of prosecutions against politicians and activists under the Sedition Act in a recent crackdown on criticism.

The Hindraf leader was sentenced to 30 months’ jail by the Kuala Lumpur High Court on June 5, 2013, after accusing Putrajaya of genocide against ethnic Indians.

The Court of Appeal on Sept 17 upheld Uthayakumar’s sentence but commuted the punishment from 30 months to 24 months.

Uthayakumar, who wore the same Hindraf T shirt when he went into prison, said the only time he cried was when his mother died.

 

"The only day I cried in prison was when my beloved mother Kalaivany passed away and the prison authorities had the week before refused my written application to visit her in hospital," he said.

 

Appearing in high spirits, a defiant Uthayakumar reiterated that he would continue his struggle against racial discrimination.

'Let me be the last one'
 

He also set his sights on the series of recent sedition charges, and called for an immediate stop to the prosecutions.

 

"From the gates of Kajang Prison, I hereby call upon Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak to direct the dropping of all pending sedition charges and to forthwith repeal the Sedition Act.

 

"Let me be the last sedition case prisoner to walk out of Kajang Prison today, just as I was the last Internal Security Act (ISA) political prisoner to have walked out of Kamunting Prison on May 9, 2009," he said.

 

Uthayakumar was detained under ISA for 17 months, shortly after the Nov 25, 2007 Hindraf rally, which saw some 30,000 Indian Malaysians protesting against discrimination.

 

He also stressed that the Hindraf would remain apolitical, stating that the movement would not change its colours to dark blue nor light blue, in apparent reference to BN and PKR.

 

"We believe a change in government will make for a better Malaysia.

 

"Much as we like to support the opposition, we are still waiting for them to publicly declare their support for the outlawing of all the aforesaid racially discriminatory policies and practices and undoing these injustices, beginning in the three states that they are ruling," he said.

 

Uthayakumar also thanked his supporters as well as lawyers, former Teluk Intan MP M Manogaran and former Kota Alam Shah assemblyperson M Manoharan, who visited him every week without fail and were also present today.

 

"Finally, my beloved wife Indra and my daughters Puvenes and Jega, who kept the twice weekly vigil and prayed for my safety and well-being in prison," he said.

Proud to be the wife
 

A delighted Indra later embraced her husband, who gave her a peck on the cheek.

"I am very happy to see my husband, it's not easy, we went through a lot of depression and sadness.

 

"It's very hurting because when he was under ISA, I could at least hug him but here in the prison, it's all covered up in glass and we can only talk through telephone," she said.

 

Despite her ordeal, Indra said, she wants her husband to continue with his fight.

 

"I am very proud of him... I am proud to have married the man who is fighting for the Indian poor.

 

"The struggle will go on. I am happy and glad that he is back with the family," she said.

Don’t eat out on Oct 11, says anti-sedition group

Muslim leaders: Don't send Kiwi SAS troops to battle ISIS

One News

Muslim leaders here are worried a push to send the SAS to fight ISIS-linked terrorists could fuel a backlash among the Muslim community in New Zealand.

Speaking to Radio New Zealand, Wellington's Kilbirnie mosque's Secretary of the International Muslim Association of New Zealand, Tahir Nawaz, says supporting the fight in Iraq would be a bad idea.

"We are a very good community here, we are very co-operative," Mr Nawaz said.

"Once New Zealand troops are sent there, our public attitude could change. At the end of the day there would be people living here whose roots are in the countries where New Zealand would send the troops."

Tony Green the Secretary of the Federation of the Islamic Association of New Zealand believes more western boots on the ground would further radicalise Muslims in the west.

"That potentially fuels things because the whole martyr kind of scenario that's been painted by the groups calling themselves IS, that would fan the flames more than anything."

When asked if he believed a terror plot like the one in Australia could happen in New Zealand, Mr Green said he thought it was unlikely but there were no guarantees.

"I can't give you an answer to that, but I just pray that's not the case. I mean we're watchful, and we try to engage with the wider community. I hope it's not the case, I seriously do."

Mr Key has said that he would seek advice on sending SAS troops to Iraq if a request was made by the US for New Zealand to join the conflict.

Raped, tortured, forced to watch beheadings, then beaten when they tried to kill themselves: Yazidi girls reveal the hell they endured during ISIS captivity

• Two teenage Yazidi girls have described the horror of being capture by Isis
• Aged just 15 and 19, they saw men from their community mercilessly killed
• Both were taken away to be sold on to men in the Iraqi city of Mosul
• Hundreds of other Yazidi females suffered a similarly traumatic fate
• The girls said some considered suicide rather than enduring their ordeal

Two Yazidi teenagers who escaped the clutches of Isis have revealed the full horror of their capture and captivity.

They have described being tortured and forced to watch videos of men from their community being beheaded.

Some, they said, were so traumatised by their experiences that they tried to commit suicide. However, those that tried to kill themselves were severely beaten by Isis fighters.

Yazidi teenager Sara, 15, said that she considered suicide many times after she was kidnapped by Isis.

Her horrifying ordeal began in the Sinjar village of Tal Azir on August 3 when Isis fighters advanced towards them.

Along with her mother, her brother and his pregnant wife, they fled towards the mountains, but Isis caught up with them at a remote farmhouse.

The women were separated from the men – who were simply mown down by machine gun fire in one of the rooms.

Sara was bundled onto a pick-up truck and taken to Mosul, where she was held with hundreds of others prior to being sold off.

She told Globalpost.com: 'We would try to make ourselves look ugly. Some women would cry or scream or fight, but it made no difference. They were always taken anyway. One girl hung herself. Another tried, but the IS guards stopped her and beat her very badly. No one else tried after that.'

Sara, who described Isis fighters as 'dirty, with hairy faces and smelling bad' was eventually sold to 'an old man and a fat man'.

She said that they would show her videos of Isis militants beheading her neighbors.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2776268/Raped-tortured-forced-watch-beheadings-beaten-tried-kill-Yazidi-girls-reveal-hell-endured-witnessed-ISIS-captivity.html

Penang to meet A-G over custodial death cases

The Penang government will send representatives to meet the Attorney-General to discuss issues surrounding custodial death cases in the state, said Deputy Chief Minister II Dr P.Ramasamy (pic).

He said this today after announcing that the state government had received a letter, dated August 29, from the Attorney-General's Chambers that a meeting would be arranged.

"No date has been set for the appointment. It will be decided later after investigations into the deaths of several detainees in Penang have been completed.

"But, this is a positive development. We thank the A-G for agreeing to meet us," he told pressmen at his Komtar office today.

He said the A-G's consent to meet came after he and Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng sent letters to the Chambers about the deaths in lock-up cases in Penang.

Ramasamy reiterated that the best way to investigate custodial death cases was to have the A-G's Chambers set up a body to probe the incidents independently.

He said the body under the Chambers would be able to do a more objective probe than the police.

Ramasamy, who chairs the state's custodial death taskforce that was set up a few months ago to look into the incidents in Penang, said there were over 10 custodial death cases nationwide to-date.

He said seven cases were from Penang.

On February 10, A. Punniyanathan, 40, died while at the Nibong Tebal lock-up on mainland Penang while J. Kulanthangam, 34, died on February 18 at the Dang Wangi police station in Kuala Lumpur.

Ramasamy Nagu, 50, died at the Bayan Baru centralised lock-up in Penang on March 1.

On March 8, Kamarulnizam Ismail, 39, died in Tapah Prison in Perak, a day after he was sent there from the Seberang Prai Tengah district police headquarters lock-up in Bukit Mertajam, Penang.

Koay Soon Guan, 41, was found dead at the Penang Prison on April 6 and on April 12, odd-job labourer M. Murugan, 37, died at the Seberang Jaya Hospital on mainland Penang while under custody.

Morgan Arjunan, 48, died on April 16 at the Jinjang police station and Rahmat Md Noor, 56, died on April 27 at the Bayan Baru centralised lock-up.

Koh Kheng Soon was found dead on June 6 while being held overnight at the Kuantan police station in Pahang.

S.Agin Raj Naidu, 26, died at the Bukit Mertajam Hospital on June 7 after he was held a few days at the SPT district police headquarters.

Last Sunday, the latest death occurred when Tee Meng Hua, 56, allegedly jumped from the first floor of the Seberang Prai Utara district police headquarters in Kepala Batas, Penang while he was being questioned for a cheating case.

The man, who was handcuffed at the time, died on the spot from severe head injuries.

State police chief Datuk Abdul Rahim Hanafi on Monday said that police inquiry papers have been opened to investigate whether there was negligence on the part of the police officers on duty.

Ramasamy said a taskforce would try to get an appointment with Rahim next week to talk about the latest incident and find out how it happened.

He said Penang viewed such incidents very seriously, with the taskforce aiming to do its part effectively to stop such incidents from recurring although it had no jurisdiction over such matters.

"We want to see zero custodial deaths," he said.

Ramasamy also said following discussions with human rights non-governmental organisations that were concerned about custodial deaths, such as Suara Rakyat Malaysia (Suaram), the taskforce would employ a full-time staff.

He said, the officer, who would be appointed by the state, would handle matters related to such incidents such as collecting information, carry out research and liaise with the families of the deceased.

"I will prepare the paperwork and submit it to the state to hire an officer for this job. Hopefully, we will have someone by January next year.

"We need to have some form of support system for the families too," he added. – October 2, 2014.

MCMC wants Facebook to remove sex blogger's page

 

The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) wants Facebook to remove fugitive sex blogger Alvin Tan’s page for its “distasteful” content.

MCMC chairperson Mohamed Sharil Mohamed Tarmizi, in a statement on the commission’s Facebook page, said Tan’s posts were “irresponsible”.

“We have made a complaint to Facebook and have requested Facebook to immediately remove the page as we believe it is also against their terms and conditions of service.

“We remind the public to refrain from sharing sensitive content which may offend others,” read the statement.

Tan recently caught further controversy when he depicted doctored photographs of leaders, including Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak and his wife Rosmah Mansor with pig snouts.

Inspector-general of police Khalid Abu Bakar was also depicted in the photographs.

This prompted the top cop to vow that the police would leave no stone unturned in locating Tan.

Tan, along with former girlfriend Vivian Lee, had been charged under the Sedition Act last year following a blog posting 'Selamat Berbuka Puasa with bak kut teh... fragrant, delicious and appetising'.

Tan is purportedly seeking political asylum in the United States. Lee, however, has refused to follow in his footsteps.

"I don't see the point of living a life on the run. We still have a full life ahead of us and the life of a fugitive wouldn't suit me.

"I was brought up by my parents to deal with any issue in front of me and running away whenever there's trouble isn't a wise approach," she said in a Facebook post recently.

Lawyers to march against Sedition Act on Oct 16

 

The Malaysian Bar today announced that its march against Sedition Act 1948 will be held on Oct 16.

The march, agreed upon by the Bar members at an extraordinary general meeting last month, is dubbed 'Walk for Peace and Freedom 2014'.

Malaysian Bar president Christopher Leong (right) said that the lawyers gather for the march at 10.30am at Padang Merbok, Kuala Lumpur, dressed in chamber attire.

He said the Bar believes that lasting peace, unity and mutual respect will be promoted through ‘robust debate, diversity of opinion, and freedom of speech’.

"The Sedition Act 1948 is antithetical and counter-productive to these values, and to our aspirations for a better Malaysia.

"I call upon all members and pupils in chambers to please attend the walk and express your aspirations and support for a better Malaysia," he said in a statement today.

Calling for a repeal of the Act, he said Malaysia must be premised on "peace, harmony, unity, understanding and freedom from fear, intimidation, exploitation, oppression and extremism".

The Bar had previously led processions against police abuse and the Peaceful Assembly Bill 2011.

The 'Walk for Justice' was held in 2007 where 2,000 lawyers marched 3.5km to the Prime Minister's Department in Putrajaya demanding that a royal commission of inquiry be established to stem the slide in the judiciary.

The march succeeded in compelling then-prime minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi to set up a royal commission of inquiry into the infamous Lingam Tape on appointment of judges.

'Freeze all action under the Act'

Meanwhile, anti-Sedition Act group Gerakan Mansuh Akta Hasutan (GHAH) said the government should impose a moratorium on further use of the Sedition Act 1948 until a constitutional matter is resolved at the High Court.

It urged a freeze by the police and the attorney-general following yesterday's decision of the sessions court in Kuala Lumpur to allow law lecturer Azmi Sharom to challenge the constitutionality of the draconian law.

"Following this court's decision, we call on the police and the attorney-general to impose an immediate moratorium on the use of the Sedition Act on new cases.

"They should also stop pursuing existing cases until the constitutionality of the Sedition Act has been determined by the judiciary," GHAH spokesperson Yap Swee Seng said at a press conference today.

Azmi was previously charged under the Sedition Act for publishing an article titled ‘Take Perak crisis route for speedy end to Selangor impasse, Pakatan told’ on Aug 15, which the associate professor said was a statement made based on principles of law and democratic practices.

His lawyer Gobind Singh Deo had filed an application challenging the law’s constitutionality on basis that the pre-independence law was enacted by the Law Revision Commission, and not the parliament.

The case will be mentioned at the Kuala Lumpur High Court on Nov 7 while the hearing at the Sessions Court has been suspended pending its verdict, since constitutional matters can only be heard at the high courts and above.

'Probe torture allegations'

On a related matter, Amnesty International Malaysia executive director Shamini Darshni said although student activist Ali Abdul Jalil had been released on bail, his allegations of torture should still be investigated.

Ali was previously released and immediately re-arrested on four occasions for various charges or investigations under the Sedition Act, and reportedly claimed to have been tortured while detained at Sungai Buloh prison.

Amnesty International has adopted him as a ‘prisoner of conscience’ and launched a global campaign calling for his release. He was ultimately released on Sept 29 after spending 22 days in detention.

Stop rewriting history to justify racist policies, Ambiga tells Putrajaya

(Malay Mail Online) – Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan accused Putrajaya last night of rewriting history purportedly to justify its race-based policies and to strengthen its hold on power by driving wedges between the country’s different racial communities.

The renowned lawyer and activist told a forum last night that to achieve this end, Putrajaya has been drilling falsehoods into the minds of school kids through history textbooks.

“They (government) are trying to discount our true cultural and historical background because by doing that, they are trying to make parts of our rewritten history relevant for their own good,” she said when met after a forum titled “Stemming The Tide of Racism in Our Nations” here yesterday.

In her speech at the forum, Ambiga accused Putrajaya of indulging in an effort to maintain power, and justifying its Malay-supremacy policies.

She described the education system as one where “the Malays are told and are made to understand that they are better and that others are ‘pendatangs’ (a derogatory Malay word for immigrant)”.

“Then we have national service thereafter. So much damage has already been done and I don’t think it can be fixed,” she added.

“They (Putrajaya) may set up the National Union of Consultative Council (NUCC) and all, but there is a concerted effort to keep the races apart and this is what we are up against — the system.”

Ambiga also urged parents to be more vigilant of what their children are learning in schools and suggested that the education system undergo a review to identify racial elements, and to study if it does lead to racism and bigotry among children.

“We should have it even if the government doesn’t want it,” she told the forum organised by Komas and pro-unity movement, Negara-Ku.

“Rewriting our history books must stop, as you are narrowing their (children) minds..they will never be able to compete abroad as they don’t have the required broad-mindedness, and you are doing them a terrible service,” she added.

Ambiga also alleged that the so-called racism in government policies has created rifts between the country’s different racial communities and an atmosphere or “first class” and “second class” citizens.

“Is that what our constitution (Federal Constitution) intended? The constitution does not have two classes of citizenship, and there is nothing there that divides us as citizens.

“And we have to bear in mind that we cannot be pushed to feel lesser than other Malaysians,” she said, urging Malaysians to speak up on the matter.

Apart from Ambiga, other panellists in the forum last night include Muslim Youths Movement of Malaysia (Abim) secretary-general, Muhammad Faisal Abdul Aziz, and a senior Indonesian academic, Ahmad Zainul Hamidi.

Two days ago, the patron of Negara-Ku accused the National Civics Bureau (BTN) of brainwashing children and turning them into racists and bigots.

She said there have been complaints that the government agency, which is tasked to instil patriotism in students through training courses, has been telling Malay children that non-Malays are “pendatang”.

“I really wish parents would speak up. I’d be really annoyed if people were brainwashing my child and turning him into a racist and bigot. I’d put my foot down.

“But the problem is, many parents don’t know this is happening,” the former Malaysian Bar president said

Dr M’s failures pushed Malay youths into the arms of jihadists, Perak mufti says

(Malay Mail Online) – The policies of the Mahathir administration with its focus on safeguarding non-Malay interests, have pushed Malay youths towards the Islamic State and jihadism, Perak mufti Tan Sri Harussani Zakaria said.

The controversial cleric’s assertion came after Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, retired after serving the country as prime minister for 22 years, blamed the country’s clerics for not doing enough to stop disaffected youth from seeking out jihadism.

Harussani said the government during Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s tenure gave too much emphasis on industrial growth, a sector dominated by the non-Malays, leading to Malays becoming impoverished.

The cleric told Malay Mail Online when contacted this week that poverty drove disaffected Malay youths to romanticise the idea of martyrdom because “they have nothing else on this earth”.

“I think he was overboard,” the Perak mufti, who has courted controversy over his anti-Chinese stance in the past, said of Dr Mahathir.

“When he was ruling, he focused too much on industry. And who dominates industry? Not the Malays. This led to the Malays to become poor and because their development was neglected, they are attracted to the idea of martyrdom because they have nothing else on this earth,” he added.

In his blog posting yesterday Dr Mahathir said by keeping silent, the Muslim clergy in Malaysia are allowing the appeal of the Islamic State to take hold.

Local youths are susceptible to the wiles of the Islamic State jihadist movement because of their weak religious understanding, the former prime minister said, criticising the ulama, or Muslim clerics, for failing to state clearly their stand on the violence perpetrated by the group.

The nation’s longest-serving prime minister complained that there is no effort to study and debate allegations of apostasy made by jihadists.

Additionally no fatwas have been issued by disinterested ulamas, who only hold to the Quran and Hadith, he added.

Harussani, however, dismissed the allegation as baseless, noting that he and other muftis have spoken up against the IS in the past.

“But we actually have made our stance on the matter clearly several times in the past. Few other muftis have too. I have criticised IS before,” he said.

Harussani then continued to attack Dr Mahathir, claiming his policies made non-Malays more successful than their bumiputera counterparts.

“He built roads? Can the Malays eat the roads? Chinese people used to farm but then they developed to become engineers but the Malays farm and are still farmers,” he said.

On Monday, Bloomberg news service reported that as many as 40 Malaysians are currently fighting for the Islamic State in Syria, with some saying that the jihad was mandated by the Prophet Muhammad.

The total number of Southeast Asians fighting alongside Islamic State is estimated by governments and police to be a few hundred. The violence and brutality committed by terrorist groups in Iraq and Syria poses a threat to the Middle East and, if left unchecked, the world, the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations said in a statement on September 27.

Malaysians and Indonesians fighting for the IS have also reportedly banded together over their common language and are said to be planning to expand their numbers to form a “katibah”, a military unit of 100 men roughly equivalent to a company.

Malaysia has designated IS a terrorist group.

The organisation was formerly known as the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) or the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS).

NGO leader pleads not guilty to saying mamaks can’t be trusted

He is alleged to have uttered the words, "Don't ever trust mamak and Kimma members..."

SUNGAI PETANI: Malaysian Indian Progressive Association (Mipas) leader A. Rajaretinam pleaded not guilty in the Sessions Court here today to a charge of making a statement on his Facebook page which insulted the mamak (Indian Muslim) community and Malaysian Indian Muslim Congress (Kimma).

A. Rajaretinam, 52, a hotel manager, was charged with committing the offence at a restaurant next to the Kottumalai Vinayagar temple in Jalan Persiaran Maybank, Kuala Lumpur at 10.34am on August 25.

He was charged with deliberately issuing the statement which read, “Don’t ever trust mamak and Kimma members. They never claim they are Indians or Tamils. They just want hak istimewa (special rights), sanggup jual diri dan bangsa untuk duniawi (willing to sell themselves and their race for worldly things).”

Rajaretinam from Ampang, Kuala Lumpur is alleged to have committed the offence under Section 504 of the Penal Code which provides for a jail term of up to two years or a fine, or both.

DPP Ahmad Zaki Mohd Daud from the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission appeared for the prosecution before judge Ikmal Hishan Mohd Tajuddin, while the accused was represented by counsel S. Ganeson. Ahmad Zaki offered bail of RM5,000 in one surety but the judge allowed the amount at RM4,000 and fixed November 16 for a re-mention of the case.

Black sheep among teachers

It is unfair for the society to blame the whole teaching fraternity when only a small group let the profession down.

KUALA LUMPUR: A few black sheep in the teaching profession have brought a bad name for the whole teaching profession.

This is the perception of many after the recent UPSR examination paper leaks.

A senior lecturer at the education faculty in Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) Dr.Wan Marzuki Wan Jaafar said the episode has affected the integrity of the teaching profession on the whole.

Having said this, he pointed out that the teachers were not solely to be blamed as the weaknesses in the examination management system too contributed to the problem.

Therefore ways have to be found to prevent such incidents from recurring in the future.

“Nonetheless, the impact is on the students. However, teachers should not feel let down by the wrong perception and have to move on.

“There are good lessons to be learnt from here,” he said to Bernama.

An education professor with the International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM) Dr.Sidek Baba said the standard operating procedure (SOP) relating to public examinations have to be reviewed to help identify shortcomings in the nation’s education system.

“Leaking out examination papers is something that is not supposed to happen. There has to be greater scrutiny in handling and distribution of the examination papers,”

Nonetheless, it is unfair for the society to blame the whole teaching fraternity when only a small group failed to honour the trust bestowed on them by the profession.

Sidek added that though the teachers’ integrity could not be taken for granted, parents could not run away from the fact that their children’s success in education is still dependent on the teachers.

“It is not that 99 per cent of the teachers in Malaysia have failed in their undertaking, so don’t look down on their contributions for the nation,” he said.

Meanwhile, a teacher Noor Zariah Yusof voiced her regret over parents who wanted to see their children excel in education but hardly did anything to monitor their children. They literally left everything to the teachers.

She said teachers nowadays have to put up with the poor attitude and behaviour of the students as they have to be in the classrooms to teach, train and evaluate students.

“However, the public perception on the teaching profession is often skewed and cynical, that teachers are overpaid, only work half a day and enjoy long weekends and leave.

AG in all directions on Sedition Act

The PM should make a stand on the AG’s review of sedition cases and give an update on his 2012 promise to repeal the Act.

KUALA LUMPUR: Attorney General Abdul Gani Patail appears to be bent on stepping up the sedition blitz even after pledging a review of the slew of sedition prosecutions. The review itself, if genuine, is shrouded in a veil of secrecy, said Gelang Patah MP Lim Kit Siang in a statement.

“There’s a climate of fear and repression.”

Lim said that he’s at a loss over Gani’s take that the review is “a normal procedure”.

He hopes that Gani is also not implying that “the intensification of malicious and selective sedition prosecutions and investigations against Opposition leaders and activists during the review is also a normal procedure”.

Gani, according to Lim, should take the cue from law professor Dr. Azmi Sharom being allowed to challenge the constitutionality of the Sedition Act.

“He should halt all sedition investigations and charges, as well as suspend all pending sedition prosecutions until the outcome of the challenge on the constitutionality of the Sedition Act,” said Lim.

He noted that Gani had said on Sept. 9 that the final decision on the review of sedition prosecutions will be made “soon”.

“Can Gani explain how soon is his ‘soon’? Could it be as long as months and even years, until he steps down as Attorney-General? asked Lim.

“In fact, nobody knows whether Gani is serious about such review of sedition prosecutions, who are undertaking the review and whether it has even started.”

Such secrecy is totally against Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak’s National Transformation Programme promising accountability, transparency and an open government, added Lim.

The DAP leader wants Najib to make a ministerial statement on the review when Parliament reconvenes on Tues 7 Oct. He also wants to know “the state of his promise in 2012 to repeal the Sedition Act”.

“Sedition cases have become the staple obsession in Malaysia, as if Malaysians have become the most ‘seditious’ people in the world,” said Lim.

Last German state to do away with university tuition fees

ALL GERMAN universities will be free of charge when term starts next week after fees were abandoned in Lower Saxony, the last of seven states to charge.

“Tuition fees are socially unjust,” said Dorothee Stapelfeldt, senator for science in Hamburg, which scrapped charges in 2012.

“They particularly discourage young people who do not have a traditional academic family background from taking up studies. It is a core task of politics to ensure that young women and men can study with a high quality standard free of charge in Germany.”

The experiment with tuition fees, which began in 2006, was overturned by democratic pressure against the conservative-led state governments, all in the west of Germany, which decided to charge euros 1,000 ($A1436) a year.

They were able to do so after a constitutional court ruling that moderate fees combined with loans did not contradict the country’s commitment to universal higher education.

Within eight years, all the states have changed their minds, with Lower Saxony the last to give way after the defeat of its Christian Democrat rulers last year. It means that this autumn’s student intake will enjoy free university courses.

“We got rid of tuition fees because we do not want higher education which depends on the wealth of the parents,” said Gabriele Heinen-Kljajic of the Green party, the minister for science and culture in Lower Saxony.

Under Germany’s federal system, state governments run education policy.

What is Najib and Muhyiddin going to do about the crying shame and national disgrace that not a single Malaysian university could get into the THE Top 400 World University Rankings 2014?

Lim Kit Siang Blog

Today the media of all countries with higher education masterplans and strategies to take their people and economies to greater heights are focussing and debating the Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings 2014, and the performance of their universities – with the exception of Malaysia.

Not a word in the Malaysian mainstream media owned or controlled by the Barisan Nasional parties about the THE World University Rankings 2014 and the dismal performance of Malaysian universities.

The reason is simple. For the fifth year in succession, since the launching of the THE World University Rankings in 2010, not a single university had made it into the THE Top 400 University Rankings.

The Education Minister, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin maintains a conspicuous silence about the continued exclusion for the fifth year of Malaysian universities from the THE Top 400 Universities, just as he had continued to maintain a conspicuous, inelegant and infamous silence about Malaysia’s poor performance in the 2011 TIMSS (Trends in International Maths and Science Study) and 2012 PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment) both of which fell during his term in the education ministry.

Muhyiddin is only good in eating sour grapes with regard to the ranking of Malaysian universities in international university rankings.

Muhyiddin does not have anything to say when rankings of world universities are released, but his stand on these world rankings are on public record – that international rankings of local universities are secondary or even irrelevant, on the ground that most of the criteria and the yardsticks used to gauge the position of local universities in the world rankings do not meet the country’s aspirations.

Malaysian higher education will never be able regain the international greatness and excellence it enjoyed in the 50s and 60s unless we stop having an Education Minister with “sour grape” mentality about world university rankings, who could be complacent and proud that for five successive years, not a single Malaysian university was able to make it to the THE Top 400 University Rankings!

Nine years ago, at the University of Malaya’s centennial celebrations in June 2005, the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak, in his capacity as Deputy Prime Minister challenged the University of Malaya to raise its 89th position among the world’s top universities in the THES-QS Ranking 2004 to 50 by the year 2020.

Let Muhyiddin declare whether he stands by Najib’s challenge to University of Malaya in 2005 to be among the world’s Top 50 universities by 2020, or whether he thinks this is a scatter-brained idea and is repudiating it as unrealistic and irrelevant to Malaysia’s tertiary education and developmental needs?

It is a reflection of the continued decline and deterioration of higher education standards in Malaysian universities that while in the THE-QS Top 200 World University Rankings 2004, two local universities were cited with University of Malaya ranked No. 89 and Universiti Sains Malaysia ranked No. 111, there is not a single Malaysian university a decade later in the THE Top 400 World University Rankings 2014.

The THE Top 400 World University Rankings 2014 show a “power shift” from the United States and United Kingdom to the Far East.

While US and UK universities continue to dominate the THE World University Rankings 2014, they are starting to lose ground to East Asian rivals.

What should concern Malaysians is why this shift of higher education excellence from the West to the East has by-passed Malaysia.

Some 24 Asian universities are now in the top 200 compared with 20 a year earlier. This includes two listed in the top 25 – Tokyo University and the National University of Singapore.

In the top 400 universities list, 52 are from Asia, comprising Japan 12, China 12, South Korea 9, Hong Kong 6, Taiwan 6, India 4, Singapore 2, Thailand 1.

There can no reason for Muhyiddin, the Education Ministry and the Najib Cabinet to continue to be complacent about Malaysia being by-passed in this shift of higher education power from West to East, to the extent that not a single Malaysian university could get into the THE 400 World University Rankings 2014.

What is Najib and Muhyiddin and Najib going to do about this crying shame and national disgrace that not a single Malaysian university could get into the THE Top 400 World University Rankings 2014?

Azmi Sharom strikes a first as court allows review of Sedition Act

The Sessions Court has allowed an application by law professor Dr Azmi Sharom to challenge the constitutionality of the Sedition Act 1948 at the High Court, and to postpone his own sedition case to November 7.

Kuala Lumpur Sessions Court judge Zainol Rashid Hussain‎ agreed that there was a constitutional issue in Section 4 of the Sedition Act, which must be determined by the High Court.

‎Azmi's lawyer, Gobind Singh Deo, told reporters outside the courtroom that this was the first‎ time the High Court would look into the constitutionality of the Sedition Act 1948 on the grounds ‎that the law had not been enacted in parliament.‎

"The judge agreed with our application, this matter is now transmitted to the High Court so that the High Court‎ can determine the constitutional question we have posed and of course make a decision thereon on the matter," Gobind said.

‎On September 17, Azmi's lawyers filed an application for the courts to review Section 4(1) of the Sedition Act 1948, saying that it was unconstitutional it violated Article 10 of the Federal Constitution, which guarantees freedom of speech.

Gobind had argued that Article 10(2) of the constitution states that by law, only Parliament may impose restrictions on the rights under Article 10.

He pointed out that the Sedition Ordinance was enacted in 1948, prior to independence and ‎not passed through Parliament.

‎On September 2, Azmi, a law lecturer with Universiti Malaya, was charged under Section 4(1)(b) and Section 4(1)(c) of the Act over his comments in a news article titled "Take Perak crisis route for speedy end to Selangor impasse, Pakatan told."

If convicted under either charge, he will face a maximum fine of RM5,000 or jailed up to three years, or both.

Gobind said the judge had vacated the dates that were initially fixed for Azmi's sedition case management in light of the review of the Sedition Act.

"But he's fixed (Azmi's sedition case) for mention on November 7 so that the parties can come before him just to update him on the status of the matter in the high court, which I think is fair.

"For now, the procedure that will be adopted is that the registrar of this court will write to the high court to inform the court that there is this (constitutionality) question that needs to be determined.

"We will wait for the notification from the High Court for dates and we will appear in the High Court accordingly."

Last month, PKR's Padang Serai MP N. Surendran and Seri Muda assemblyman Mat Shuhaimi Shafiei had joined Azmi in challenging the constitutionality of the act on similar grounds.

Today, constitutional expert Dr Abdul Aziz Bari will be questioned by the police under Section 4(1)(a) of the Sedition Act 1948 for his published comments on the Selangor Sultan's powers to appoint the state Menteri Besar.

He joins a string of opposition politicians, social activists, a law professor, news portal Malaysiakini and one of its journalists, as well as a Muslim scholar, who have either been charged with sedition, facing trial, or are under investigation.

Earlier this month, activists Safwan Anang and Adam Adli Abd Halim were sentenced to 10 months and 12 months in prison respectively, for remarks made at a May 13 forum last year calling on the people to take to the streets over the general election results.

Activist Ali Abd Jalil faces three sedition charges for allegedly insulting Johor royalty and the Selangor Sultan in Facebook postings. Ali, declared a prisoner of conscience by Amnesty International, was released on bail yesterday after being detained for more than 20 days.

Last Friday, opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim had his statement recorded by police over a report lodged against him in 2011, where he allegedly uttered seditious remarks over his second sodomy case.

On September 20, police recorded a statement from lawyer Edmund Bon, who is being investigated for sedition for saying that non-Muslims are not subject to fatwas or the shariah courts.

Former Selangor PAS ulama committee member, Wan Ji Wan Hussin, was charged on September 10 for posting allegedly seditious words on Facebook that belittled the Selangor sultan’s role as head of Islamic matters in the state.

On September 4, journalist Susan Loone was arrested in Penang over her article on an interview with state executive council member Phee Boon Poh, and the mass arrests of the state’s voluntary patrol unit (PPS) on Merdeka Day.

Other opposition politicians who have been charged with sedition include N. Surendran, Seputeh MP Teresa Kok, Batu MP Tian Chua, Shah Alam MP Khalid Samad, and Seri Delima assemblyman R.S.N. Rayer. – October 1, 2014.
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Malaysia-US Ties Gain Momentum Under Stewardship Of Present Leaders

WASHINGTON DC, Oct 2 (Bernama) -- Existing good bilateral relations between Malaysia and the United States have gained momentum under the leadership of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak and President Barack Obama, said Malaysian Home Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.

He noted that the two countries had forged close relations across many fields since diplomatic relations were established in 1957.

Speaking at the Malaysia Day and Malaysian Armed Forces Day celebrations at the Malaysian embassy here Tuesday night, he said Obama's state visit to Malaysia in April added impetus to Malaysia-US ties as they were upgraded to the level of "comprehensive partnership".

More than 800 people including Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Daniel R. Russel, US State Department officials, diplomats and Malaysians from around the Washington DC area attended the event.

On his visit to New York City and the US capital, Ahmad Zahid said it had been beneficial in a bid to strengthen security ties between the two countries, including in facing threats of transnational crime.

Ahmad Zahid noted that addressing transnational crime in an effective manner would require a coordinated and collective response among states.

He also visited the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) facilities in Reston, Virginia.

During the visit, he was briefed on CBP's National Targeting Center whose tasks include identifying high-risk passengers and cargo at airports across the US.

Meanwhile, Malaysian ambassador to the United States, Datuk Awang Adek Hussin said Malay was playing a big role at the international level, in line with its position as the chair of Asean in 2015.

He said the embassy had met with the representatives of other countries to garner support for Malaysia's bid to be a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council.