Thursday, 9 October 2014
Pro-ISIS radicals with machetes, knives attack Kurds in Germany (VIDEO)
 |
| Still from Ruptly video |
Police in Hamburg, a port city of 1.8 million people, used water cannons, batons and pepper spray late Tuesday to disperse crowds of warring Kurds and pro-jihadist Muslims, armed with knives and brass-knuckles, following a protest against Islamic State militants who are attacking the Kurdish town of Kobani in Syria near the Turkish border.
Read more: http://rt.com/news/194060-germany-kurds-muslims-brawls/
ISIS veteran among four terror suspects arrested in London raids on suspicion of plotting UK attack
Four terror suspects were seized in dawn police swoops yesterday - including an Islamic State veteran suspected of plotting an attack in the UK.
At least one of four suspects - all arrested in London - is thought to have trained with ISIS and returned to the UK after fighting on the Syrian killing fields.
Dozens of IS fighters are thought to have been stopped at the border as they attempt to return to the UK but this person is understood to have gone home and remained under surveillance.
The men - aged between 20 and 21 – were held by counter terror police and assisted by armed officers who tasered one during the the early morning raids.
They were arrested in the early morning on suspicion of being concerned in the commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism and have been taken to police stations in central London and remain in custody.
A number of residential addresses and vehicles were last night being searched by specialist officers in west and central London as part of the investigation.
The ISIS suspect was taken in West London and armed police were at least one of the raids.
Much of the focus of MI5’s battle against Islamic extremism has switched to West and East London after a number of successful counter-terror operations in North London.
British police arrested 11 people last month in other Islamist-related operations. It was not immediately clear if the various investigations were connected.
A Scotland Yard statement said: “These arrests and searches are part of an ongoing investigation into Islamist-related terrorism.”
Video link: http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/isis-veteran-among-four-terror-4397805
In August the Security Service pushed up the UK’s threat level warning about international terrorism - like that from Islamic extremism - to “severe” meaning an attack is “highly likely.”
The level had until then been set at “substantial” for more than a year - even though the sudden increased alert status was recently said not to be related to a particular plot.
On social media British jihadists fighting in Syria have threatened to launch a terror attack in Britain in a mark of retribution against UK airstrikes in Iraq.
They claim the attack would parallel the 7/7 London bombings and beheading of soldier Lee Rigby.
Reacting to RAF missions that have struck Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) militants, vehicles, and positions, a British jihadist based in the Middle East delivered an in-depth interview via social media on Wednesday.
He said that those who have travelled to war-torn Syria to fight in the region could potentially return to conduct attacks in Britain.
The message said: “Tell the Brit govt to withdraw unless they want the days of 7/7, and Adebolajo [to] become regular days,” he warned, referencing Michael Adebolajo, one of two young men who murdered Rigby in Woolwich last year.
Chinese schools more multiracial, says PKR - Malaysiakini
Nik Nazmi noted that many Chinese schools are more "multiracial" than national schools and “some race-based parties out there".
Children from all ethnic backgrounds, including Malays, can be found thriving in vernacular schools at present.
Though
Nik Nazmi admitted that multiple education streams posed challenges to
national unity, the "social contract" guaranteed the right to vernacular
education and this cannot be changed without the consent of all ethnic
groups concerned.He also called on detractors to stop barking up the wrong tree.
Instead of wasting time and needlessly increasing ethnic tensions by trying to abolish or handicap vernacular schools, Nik Nazmi said, efforts should be made to improve the conditions in national-type schools so that these schools become the first choice for all Malaysian parents.
"At the end of the day, education is a matter of parental choice."Parents will choose whichever stream will give their children the best education and an inclusive learning environment,” he added.
The Seri Setia assemblyperson also had some choice words for those harping on the vernacular schools issue.
"We should be working to push all our children upwards, rather than seeking to drag everyone down," he said.
'Cops talking nonsense'
Meanwhile, DAP MP Gobind Singh Deo rapped the police for classifying the case against Petaling Jaya Umno deputy division chief Mohamed Azli Mohamed Saad, who called for the abolition of vernacular schools, as a civil matter.
"With respect, this is absolute nonsense," Gobind said.
"How can this be? We have a case almost on point, in which charges were brought against a MP for uttering somewhat similar words in Parliament itself," he added in a statement.
The
Puchong MP cited the case of Public Prosecutor vs Mark Koding in 1978,
in which Mark, then a Sabah Umno MP, was charged with sedition for his
speech and was convicted.Mark's speech, delivered in Parliament, questioned the policy of the government in allowing Chinese and Tamil schools to continue in this country.
He advocated the closure of Chinese and Tamil schools and suggested that if such closure contravened Article 152 of the Federal Constitution, then the constitution should be amended in the interest of the people and the nation.
Based on the above case, Gobind called on Attorney-General Abdul Gani Patail to explain.
"Are there double standards here? If a MP could have been hauled up and charged for sedition for saying that, why not the Umno politician?
"This is a very serious matter. Is this not another classic example of the abuse of discretion when it comes to the use of the Sedition Act?
"Why is it used against some and not others in cases with similar facts? Are we not entitled, in the absence of any reasonable explanation to the contrary, to say this is evidence of selective prosecution?" he added.
'Distraction tactic'
Yesterday, Cheras Umno division chief Syed Ali Albahshee also suggested that the time has perhaps come to shut down vernacular schools in favour of a single-stream system.
Syed Ali said a single-stream system would foster racial unity, whereas vernacular schools sowed the seeds of racism.Sprinkling a dose of conspiracy on the issue, another DAP parliamentarian said the call from Umno to abolish vernacular schools is an act of distraction.
"The tactic is to distract the non-Malay community and make them lose focus on the presentation of the 2015 Budget on Friday," Lim Lip Eng said.
The Segambut MP said the tactic is also to shift attention away from the failures of Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak's administration that has plunged the nation into high national debt
Police detain bride-to-be over IS involvement
She was supposed to marry a Malaysian in Syria, who is also an ISIS member.
FMT
KUALA LUMPUR: Police detained a Malaysian bride-to-be for alleged involvement with the international militant group, the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (IS), at the KL International Airport (KLIA) 2, on Sunday.
The 25-year-old woman from Negeri Sembilan, was detained under the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act (Sosma) 2012.
She was supposed to marry a Malaysian in Syria, who is also an IS member.
According to a police source, who spoke to Bernama, the man had given the woman RM6,000 for travel expenses.
The police source said initially she had booked a ticket to Istanbul, Turkey, but changed her flight route to Brunei before heading to the Middle East to elude the authority’s detection.
It is understood that the Malaysian man had a brother, who was killed on September 30 in Syria in the ongoing conflict in that country.
Meanwhile, the Inspector-General of Police, Khalid Abu Bakar when contacted here to confirm the arrest said, “A press conference will be held.”
It was the fourth arrest made by police, after three Malaysians were arrested at KLIA on September 27 on suspicion of planning to depart for Syria to take part in the IS struggle.
Wisma Putra had recently said that the Malaysian government regarded the IS as a terrorist organisation and did not agree with any of its activities.
From April to September 21, 19 Malaysians have been arrested on suspicion of being involved with IS.
- BERNAMA
KUALA LUMPUR: Police detained a Malaysian bride-to-be for alleged involvement with the international militant group, the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (IS), at the KL International Airport (KLIA) 2, on Sunday.
The 25-year-old woman from Negeri Sembilan, was detained under the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act (Sosma) 2012.
She was supposed to marry a Malaysian in Syria, who is also an IS member.
According to a police source, who spoke to Bernama, the man had given the woman RM6,000 for travel expenses.
The police source said initially she had booked a ticket to Istanbul, Turkey, but changed her flight route to Brunei before heading to the Middle East to elude the authority’s detection.
It is understood that the Malaysian man had a brother, who was killed on September 30 in Syria in the ongoing conflict in that country.
Meanwhile, the Inspector-General of Police, Khalid Abu Bakar when contacted here to confirm the arrest said, “A press conference will be held.”
It was the fourth arrest made by police, after three Malaysians were arrested at KLIA on September 27 on suspicion of planning to depart for Syria to take part in the IS struggle.
Wisma Putra had recently said that the Malaysian government regarded the IS as a terrorist organisation and did not agree with any of its activities.
From April to September 21, 19 Malaysians have been arrested on suspicion of being involved with IS.
- BERNAMA
Students bear the strain of Malaysian school ‘crisis’
Re-examinations were held last week, with additional subjects set for Thursday, despite wide complaints that children were paying the price for official incompetence.
FMT
KUALA LUMPUR: Bowing before an altar in a Hindu temple, 12-year-old Dharmishta Ramachandran prayed for strength and wisdom before taking high-stakes Malaysian school exams that have huge bearing on her future.
She looked weary, and for good reason: it was the second time in weeks that nearly 500,000 students took the exam, after initial results were invalidated when test questions were found leaked online.
The fiasco has incensed families and spotlighted mounting criticism of a government-run school system seen to be in disarray.
The Primary School Evaluation Test taken by nearly 500,000 pupils can decide coveted access to elite government-run secondary schools or private-school scholarships, and the re-examination has only magnified that pressure.
“My fear is I may not perform well,” said a pensive Dharmishta, primly dressed in her Kuala Lumpur school’s blue uniform.
“I’ve had trouble sleeping and eating the past few weeks.”
Re-examinations were held last week, with additional subjects set for Thursday, despite wide complaints that children were paying the price for official incompetence.
Around a dozen people have reportedly been arrested over the leak, mostly teachers.
While authorities have released no details, many parents attribute the scandal to fierce jockeying to stand out in an education system they say is failing to prepare students for the world.
“It’s a crisis. It’s ‘code red,’” Sivaraman Sabapathy, a public relations consultant with a school-aged son, said of the school system.
“It’s sad. The government is unable to provide a good education for its citizens.”
Poor marks
The school system was respected during and after British colonial times, credited with aiding Malaysia’s growth from agrarian backwater to regional economic standout.
It has some of Asia’s highest per-capita education funding, and access is near-universal.
But in 2012 standardised tests, Malaysian 15-year-olds were the worst in East Asia, outperforming only Indonesia.
Of 65 countries worldwide, Malaysians ranked no higher than 52nd in any subject, and were 39th out of 44 countries in problem-solving skills.
Universities also have slipped in global rankings over the past decade, and employers frequently lament the quality of graduates.
English skills, long a Malaysian advantage in attracting foreign investment, have “deteriorated” as well, the World Bank said in a report last year, adding to an erosion of national competitiveness vis-a-vis regional rivals.
It said student abilities were “not on par” with ambitious government development promises, citing poor administration, the standard of teachers and excessive bureaucracy.
Malaysia’s race-based politics also loom large.
The ruling United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) has long imposed controversial policies favouring majority ethnic Malays — UMNO’s political base — including quotas that ensure Malay numbers in the best secondary schools and in public universities.
This often shuts out better students from the large ethnic Chinese and Indian minorities, contributing to a much-chronicled “brain drain” overseas of some of Malaysia’s best talent that has economic planners worried.
“Perhaps the most serious problem is that (education officials) see their role as ensuring the well-being and interests of Malay students,” said Lim Teck Ghee, head of the Centre for Policy Initiatives, a Malaysian think tank.
“Teacher recruitment has been politicised for over 30 years and we are paying a heavy price.”
Deputy Education Minister P. Kamalanathan denied any racial bias, but said criticism of schools was “quite accurate.”
However, ambitious reform plans announced last year will, by 2025, address key problems including student performance, teacher quality, school management, and excess bureaucracy, he said.
“The aim is to empower parents and teachers while creating an educational system that brings out the potential of students to meet global standards,” he told AFP.
Down the ‘drain’
But Lim said the government, frequently accused of corruption and misrule by critics, has a “bad record” on institutional reform.
“The most we can hope for is not to fall further back,” he said.
Meanwhile, many parents complain of unqualified instructors, or none at all for extended periods due to chaotic administration. Poor students often receive passing marks despite learning little.
Policy flip-flops, including a recent move to abandon English as the medium of instruction for math and science, sow confusion, they add.
The government had switched to English in 2003, hoping to enhance students’ high-tech competitiveness. The latest reversal is widely seen as an admission that English levels were insufficient for that.
“(Students) may get straight-As but when they enter university they have poor problem-solving and writing skills, especially in English,” said Tengku Azita Tengku Aziz, a telecommunications lecturer at Universiti Kuala Lumpur.
“Many parents want their children to enter (elite government-run) boarding or private schools, a clear indication of deteriorating standards.”
V. Ramachandran, Dharmishta’s father, hopes to enrol her in an expensive private school and, eventually, university in Singapore, another drop in Malaysia’s “brain drain”.
“She can live there and not come back,” he said.
- AFP
KUALA LUMPUR: Bowing before an altar in a Hindu temple, 12-year-old Dharmishta Ramachandran prayed for strength and wisdom before taking high-stakes Malaysian school exams that have huge bearing on her future.
She looked weary, and for good reason: it was the second time in weeks that nearly 500,000 students took the exam, after initial results were invalidated when test questions were found leaked online.
The fiasco has incensed families and spotlighted mounting criticism of a government-run school system seen to be in disarray.
The Primary School Evaluation Test taken by nearly 500,000 pupils can decide coveted access to elite government-run secondary schools or private-school scholarships, and the re-examination has only magnified that pressure.
“My fear is I may not perform well,” said a pensive Dharmishta, primly dressed in her Kuala Lumpur school’s blue uniform.
“I’ve had trouble sleeping and eating the past few weeks.”
Re-examinations were held last week, with additional subjects set for Thursday, despite wide complaints that children were paying the price for official incompetence.
Around a dozen people have reportedly been arrested over the leak, mostly teachers.
While authorities have released no details, many parents attribute the scandal to fierce jockeying to stand out in an education system they say is failing to prepare students for the world.
“It’s a crisis. It’s ‘code red,’” Sivaraman Sabapathy, a public relations consultant with a school-aged son, said of the school system.
“It’s sad. The government is unable to provide a good education for its citizens.”
Poor marks
The school system was respected during and after British colonial times, credited with aiding Malaysia’s growth from agrarian backwater to regional economic standout.
It has some of Asia’s highest per-capita education funding, and access is near-universal.
But in 2012 standardised tests, Malaysian 15-year-olds were the worst in East Asia, outperforming only Indonesia.
Of 65 countries worldwide, Malaysians ranked no higher than 52nd in any subject, and were 39th out of 44 countries in problem-solving skills.
Universities also have slipped in global rankings over the past decade, and employers frequently lament the quality of graduates.
English skills, long a Malaysian advantage in attracting foreign investment, have “deteriorated” as well, the World Bank said in a report last year, adding to an erosion of national competitiveness vis-a-vis regional rivals.
It said student abilities were “not on par” with ambitious government development promises, citing poor administration, the standard of teachers and excessive bureaucracy.
Malaysia’s race-based politics also loom large.
The ruling United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) has long imposed controversial policies favouring majority ethnic Malays — UMNO’s political base — including quotas that ensure Malay numbers in the best secondary schools and in public universities.
This often shuts out better students from the large ethnic Chinese and Indian minorities, contributing to a much-chronicled “brain drain” overseas of some of Malaysia’s best talent that has economic planners worried.
“Perhaps the most serious problem is that (education officials) see their role as ensuring the well-being and interests of Malay students,” said Lim Teck Ghee, head of the Centre for Policy Initiatives, a Malaysian think tank.
“Teacher recruitment has been politicised for over 30 years and we are paying a heavy price.”
Deputy Education Minister P. Kamalanathan denied any racial bias, but said criticism of schools was “quite accurate.”
However, ambitious reform plans announced last year will, by 2025, address key problems including student performance, teacher quality, school management, and excess bureaucracy, he said.
“The aim is to empower parents and teachers while creating an educational system that brings out the potential of students to meet global standards,” he told AFP.
Down the ‘drain’
But Lim said the government, frequently accused of corruption and misrule by critics, has a “bad record” on institutional reform.
“The most we can hope for is not to fall further back,” he said.
Meanwhile, many parents complain of unqualified instructors, or none at all for extended periods due to chaotic administration. Poor students often receive passing marks despite learning little.
Policy flip-flops, including a recent move to abandon English as the medium of instruction for math and science, sow confusion, they add.
The government had switched to English in 2003, hoping to enhance students’ high-tech competitiveness. The latest reversal is widely seen as an admission that English levels were insufficient for that.
“(Students) may get straight-As but when they enter university they have poor problem-solving and writing skills, especially in English,” said Tengku Azita Tengku Aziz, a telecommunications lecturer at Universiti Kuala Lumpur.
“Many parents want their children to enter (elite government-run) boarding or private schools, a clear indication of deteriorating standards.”
V. Ramachandran, Dharmishta’s father, hopes to enrol her in an expensive private school and, eventually, university in Singapore, another drop in Malaysia’s “brain drain”.
“She can live there and not come back,” he said.
- AFP
Latheefa flicks off pesky mosquito
PKR lawyer says tweet cannot be interpreted as a death threat by any stretch of the imagination.
FMT
KUALA LUMPUR: Like flicking off a pesky mosquito, Lawyers for Liberty co-founder Latheefa Koya simply remarked that the police report lodged against her by Kinabatangan Umno Youth as false and orchestrated by Umno.
“I find the police report lodged against me as false and mischievously orchestrated by those in Umno,” she said referring to the tweet in question where she wrote, “Rather than get rid of the Sedition Act, it’s better to get rid of the Kinabatangan MP (Bung Mokhtar) instead”.
She also said the report was lodged in a move to intimidate her and apply pressure on the police to take action against her although no crime had been committed.
Implying Bung had an active imagination, Latheefa maintained she had never threatened Bung and as such the tweet could not be construed as a death threat “by any stretch of the imagination”.
Saying she was ready to take legal action against those who lodged the report against her, Latheefa said the same went for any other party who dared make more false allegations against her.
Kinabatangan Umno Youth came to the aid of their MP Bung Moktar Radin who had earlier issued a 24-hour ultimatum to Lateefa to either offer an explanation regarding her tweet or apologise for it, before a police report was lodged.
Failing to receive either from Latheefa, except for the tweet being deleted, a police report was lodged thereby taking the twitter brawl a step further.
KUALA LUMPUR: Like flicking off a pesky mosquito, Lawyers for Liberty co-founder Latheefa Koya simply remarked that the police report lodged against her by Kinabatangan Umno Youth as false and orchestrated by Umno.
“I find the police report lodged against me as false and mischievously orchestrated by those in Umno,” she said referring to the tweet in question where she wrote, “Rather than get rid of the Sedition Act, it’s better to get rid of the Kinabatangan MP (Bung Mokhtar) instead”.
She also said the report was lodged in a move to intimidate her and apply pressure on the police to take action against her although no crime had been committed.
Implying Bung had an active imagination, Latheefa maintained she had never threatened Bung and as such the tweet could not be construed as a death threat “by any stretch of the imagination”.
Saying she was ready to take legal action against those who lodged the report against her, Latheefa said the same went for any other party who dared make more false allegations against her.
Kinabatangan Umno Youth came to the aid of their MP Bung Moktar Radin who had earlier issued a 24-hour ultimatum to Lateefa to either offer an explanation regarding her tweet or apologise for it, before a police report was lodged.
Failing to receive either from Latheefa, except for the tweet being deleted, a police report was lodged thereby taking the twitter brawl a step further.
Is it OK now to burn holy books?
DAP men denounce 'abuse of discretion' in racial incitement cases.
FMT
PETALING JAYA: Two DAP MPs today decried what one of them called an “abuse of discretion” by the authorities in treating cases of alleged incitement of communal hatred.
They pointed to recent cases of offenders being let off for the apparent reason that they happened to be Umno members or supporters.
Serdang MP Ong Kian Ming, in a press statement that condemned the police for refusing to act against Perkasa President Ibrahim Ali for his threat to burn Malay-language Bibles, asked whether Bible burning was now acceptable in Malaysia.
Referring to a police statement that Ibrahim’s outburst was “not intended to incite religious tension but to protect the sanctity of Islam”, Ong asked: “Does this mean that one can now threaten to burn the sacred texts of other religions all in the name of protecting one’s own religion?”
He also criticised the Attorney General’s decision not to prosecute KL Umno Youth Chief Razlan Rafii, who was investigated under the Penal Code for threatening to burn down the DAP headquarters last May.
He asked whether the AG was tacitly approving the torching of buildings belonging to opposition parties.
Puchong MP Gobind Singh denounced the leniency shown towards an Umno divisional leader Mohamad Azli Mohamed Saad who recently called for the abolition of Chinese schools.
Referring to a police statement that police had dismissed the case as a civil matter, he said, “This is absolute nonsense.”
Gobind recalled the case of former MP Mark Koding, who was convicted of sedition for a speech he made in Parliament, in which he advocated the closure of Chinese and Tamil schools.
“I call upon the Attorney-General to explain,” he said. “Is there a double standard here?
“If a member of Parliament could have been hauled up and charged for sedition for saying that, why not the Umno politician?
“Is this not another classic example of the abuse of discretion when it comes to the use of the Sedition Act? Why is it used against some and not others in cases which present similar facts?
“Are we not entitled, in the absence of any reasonable explanation to the contrary, to say that this is evidence of selective prosecution?”
PETALING JAYA: Two DAP MPs today decried what one of them called an “abuse of discretion” by the authorities in treating cases of alleged incitement of communal hatred.
They pointed to recent cases of offenders being let off for the apparent reason that they happened to be Umno members or supporters.
Serdang MP Ong Kian Ming, in a press statement that condemned the police for refusing to act against Perkasa President Ibrahim Ali for his threat to burn Malay-language Bibles, asked whether Bible burning was now acceptable in Malaysia.
Referring to a police statement that Ibrahim’s outburst was “not intended to incite religious tension but to protect the sanctity of Islam”, Ong asked: “Does this mean that one can now threaten to burn the sacred texts of other religions all in the name of protecting one’s own religion?”
He also criticised the Attorney General’s decision not to prosecute KL Umno Youth Chief Razlan Rafii, who was investigated under the Penal Code for threatening to burn down the DAP headquarters last May.
He asked whether the AG was tacitly approving the torching of buildings belonging to opposition parties.
Puchong MP Gobind Singh denounced the leniency shown towards an Umno divisional leader Mohamad Azli Mohamed Saad who recently called for the abolition of Chinese schools.
Referring to a police statement that police had dismissed the case as a civil matter, he said, “This is absolute nonsense.”
Gobind recalled the case of former MP Mark Koding, who was convicted of sedition for a speech he made in Parliament, in which he advocated the closure of Chinese and Tamil schools.
“I call upon the Attorney-General to explain,” he said. “Is there a double standard here?
“If a member of Parliament could have been hauled up and charged for sedition for saying that, why not the Umno politician?
“Is this not another classic example of the abuse of discretion when it comes to the use of the Sedition Act? Why is it used against some and not others in cases which present similar facts?
“Are we not entitled, in the absence of any reasonable explanation to the contrary, to say that this is evidence of selective prosecution?”
WONG CHEN CATCHES AHMAD MASLAN IN A LIE: Which law says billionaires’ tax bill must be kept SECRET?
This morning Dato' Seri Anwar Ibrahim asked if the government is willing to disclose how much income tax the top 20 richest persons in Malaysia, collectively pay. He did not ask the Minister to disclose individually how much each of them is paying. He asked for a collective sum.
The Minister Ahmad Maslan later said that he cannot disclose the information because section 138 of the Income Tax Act forbids him to do so.
I have read section 138 and here is my response.
First, there is no provision in section 138 that says that a collective number cannot be disclosed. Income tax is happy to say that it will collect RM140 billion this year from 2.3 million tax payers and 100,000 companies. That's a collective number. So why can't they announce a collective number of how much the combined 20 richest persons pay?
Second, section 138(2)(c) actually ALLOWS the Minister unfettered powers to disclose whatever information he sees fit.
So there you have it.
To quote X-files: A Minister can say what he wants but "the truth is still out there".
Yesterday Ahmad told the Dewan Rakyat he could not disclose the tax paid by the top 20 richest people in Malaysia as it goes against Section 138 of the Income Tax Act.
He was responding to Anwar, who named the son of former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad, Mokhzani, and business tycoons T Ananda Krishnan and Vincent Tan as among the top 20 richest people in Malaysia.
When asked by PKR MP for Bayan Baru Sim Tze Tsin to give a lump sum figure instead, Ahmad said he needed to check if this is allowed.
Govt drafting new bill to replace, complement the Sedition Act
The Sun Daily
by Karen Arukesamy
by Karen Arukesamy
KUALA
LUMPUR: The government is in the midst of drafting a new bill to
complement the existing Sedition Act 1948, which also may be amended
accordingly, the Dewan Rakyat was told today.
Minister
in the Prime Minister's Department Nancy Shukri said the government
needs to maintain the Sedition Act until the new bill is drafted because
there is no other law to prosecute those who instigate or spread hatred
in the community.
"For now we are in the midst of drafting a new bill either to replace or to complement the existing law if it is amended.
"It
is still in force because we do not have any other law to act against
those who have the potential to threaten public order," she said to a
question from Opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
Anwar
had earlier raised the question in the House whether the government is
of the opinion that by prosecuting some Pakatan Rakyat leaders,
including a few MPs, activists and intellectuals accused of sedition is
in line with his commitment to make Malaysia a more democratic country.
Nancy
reiterated that the government does not practice suppression of power
and does not interfere in the roles and functions of other agencies
adding that in this it is the Attorney-General's Chambers that decides
to charge or withdraw the charges.
"We are in the midst of looking into a new bill to take over all the cases under Sedition," she said.
Repeatedly
pointing out that the commitment to abolish the draconian law was made
by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak himself, Anwar said that
the sedition charges has been contradicting his commitments.
"First
of all, the PM himself has given the commitment to abolish the Act that
was introduced by the British under the excuse to fight communists.
Anwar said Malaysia is matured today and the government cannot use the Act as and when it likes.
"Are you saying that when academicians criticise the government policies and administration, they are threatening public order?
"Are
you saying there is no such criticisms from the (Barisan Nasional)
side?" he said, adding that he would still not support even if anyone
from the ruling party was charged under the Sedition Act.
"I would not agree, because I am against the Act in principle.
Dewan Rakyat: 1MDB Has Total Assets Worth RM44.67 Billion - Najib
Datuk Seri Najib Tun RazakKUALA LUMPUR, Oct 8 (Bernama) -- 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) has accumulated assets amounting to RM44.67 billion until March 31 last year, said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.
He said the agency was tasked with raising funds by bringing in foreign direct investments for national projects and issuing bonds, apart from securing loans from domestic and international financial institutions.
"1MDB, set up by the government in 2009, has secured loans guaranteed by the government amounting to RM5.8 million, but has not receive any government guarantee for bonds or other financing.
"It issued RM5 billion guaranteed Islamic medium-term notes (IMTNs) for a tenure of 30 years and borrowed RM800 million," he said in a written reply to Liew Chin Tong (DAP-Kluang) at the Dewan Rakyat here today.
Najib, who is also Finance Minister, said 1MDB spearheaded long-term projects by capitalising on foreign investments and expertise to clinch investments that have high multiplier effect and innovations.
He said the ongoing 1MDB's ventures included the City of Malaysia Project, which entailed the development of affordable housing, particularly for young executives.
The integrated development project involves the redevelopment of the Sungai Besi Airport as an icon for sustainable living in the capital, he added.
He said 1MDB also focused on the energy sector by acquiring energy assets from Tanjong Energy Holdings, Genting Sanyen and Jimah Energy Ventures Sdn Bhd to fulfil the government's aspirations in ensuring long-term sustainable energy security.
"1MDB-Mitsui Consortium also won the Energy Commission's 3Boleh Project involving the construction and operation of a 2000 megawatt coal-fired plant adjacent to the Jimah power plant in Negeri Sembilan," he said.
Hence, 1MDB has become the second biggest independent power producer in the country in terms of energy production capacity.
Najib said 1MDB was also tasked with the development of the Tun Razak Exchange to turn Kuala Lumpur into an international financial hub in line with the government's aspiration to make the capital a global city.
He said the project, scheduled for completion in 15 years' time, was identified as an enabler in the National Economic Transformation Programme in the quest to double the country's per capita income by 2020.
"The agreement signed by 1MDB Real Estate Sdn Bhd and Lend Lease's is expected to attract up to USD$1 billion (RM3.2 billion) in foreign direct investments into Malaysia," he said.
The Prime Minister said 1MDB was set up in accordance with the Companies Act 1965 to spearhead sustainable strategic economic development initiatives and encourage the inflow of foreign investments into the country.
"1MDB was established to drive long-term high impact economic development and forge strategic partnership globally to attract foreign direct investments into Malaysia that focus on the energy, real estate and hospitality sectors," he said.
The Dewan Rakyat sitting continues tomorrow.
Cops acted as executioners, court rules in awarding family RM351,000
The Court of Appeal today awarded RM351,000 in damages to the next-of-kin of a car repossessor who was shot dead by police in 2008.
Judge Datuk Hamid Sultan Abu Backer, who delivered the unanimous judgment, said police could not be executioners and the court had a constitutional duty to deal with "police excesses".
"In this case, the shooting of the deceased by a police team within a space of 10 seconds is not an exercise of spontaneous act of self-defence," Hamid said in allowing the appeal by Abdul Jaafar's widow, Abra Bibi Shahul Hamid and daughter, Norasmira Abdul.
Datuk Linton Albert and Vernon Ong were the other two judges on the bench.
Hamid said the court was mindful of police sacrifices in maintaining law and order but what was reprehensible was the need to be condemned in a fake encounter as in this case.
He said Abdul's shooting was a violation of the right to life as stated under Article 5 (1) of the Federal Constitution.
"It is an unlawful shooting," he added.
The court awarded RM51,000 in dependency claim and another RM300,000 in exemplary damages.
Lawyer V. Rajadevan, who appeared for the appellants, said high exemplary damages were awarded when the court found that acts by civil servants were arbitrary, oppressive and unconstitutional.
Facts revealed that members of the Special Action Squad shot Abdul six times while he was seated in the front passenger seat of a car.
The incident occurred at 8am on September 2, 2008 near a petrol station in Section 13, Shah Alam. Abdul was 45 years old at the time of his death.
The plaintiffs filed a dependency claim in 2009 but the High Court last year dismissed the suit. – October 8, 2014
- See more at: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/cops-acted-as-executioners-court-rules-in-awarding-family-rm351000#sthash.QelC8Jbg.dpuf
Perkasa chief’s Bible-burning call to defend Islam, says minister
The police decided not to take action against Perkasa president Datuk Ibrahim Ali over his call last year to burn copies of the Bible containing the word "Allah" because he was merely defending Islam, a minister has told Parliament.
Nancy Shukri, the Minister in the Prime Minister's Department in charge of law, said the police concluded that his words were only directed at specific individuals, and not a threat to larger society.
"The statement he made was not intended to cause religious chaos but only to defend the sanctity of Islam," she said in a written parliamentary reply dated yesterday to a question by Bagan MP, Lim Guan Eng, on why Ibrahim had not been charged with sedition.
Lim had asked the prime minister to explain why Ibrahim had not been charged for calling on Muslims to burn Malay-language Bibles containing the word "Allah" and other Arabic words.
Ibrahim's call in January last year prompted outrage from politicians and Christian groups, with critics accusing Putrajaya of double-standards in using the Sedition Act against critics while sparing Ibrahim over his remarks.
Nancy, replying on behalf of the prime minister, said investigations by the police into Ibrahim's statement found that what he had said was aimed at the activities of some individuals who allegedly distributed Christian literature outside a school in Penang.
"The words he uttered were directed at individuals who were distributing Bibles with the word 'Allah' and also Jawi writings to students at Sekolah Menengah Jelutong, Penang, including Malay students," she said, referring to the police's findings.
Lim had also asked why the Sedition Act was still being used despite the government's promise to repeal it in 2012, and wanted to know when it would be repealed, as well as whether it would not be abolished.
In her reply, Nancy referred to a press statement from the Prime Minister's Office on September 12 this year that full consultations would be held before the government decided whether or not to repeal the colonial-era law.
On the number of court cases under the act, she said there had been one each in 2009 and 2011, eight in 2013 and 12 from January to September this year. There were no cases in 2010 and 2012, she added. – October 8, 2014.
- See more at: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/perkasa-chiefs-bible-burning-call-to-defend-islam-says-minister#sthash.7aJiEeZZ.dpuf
We spare no one, says top cop Khalid
Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar has denied that police were selective in their investigations and were only focused on the opposition and critics of the government.
The inspector-general of police said they have investigated everyone including ministers and the police.
"When a report is made, police will investigate. We do not have to publicise it to the world,” he said today after visiting the I-City in Shah Alam.
He was asked to comment if police had taken action against Home Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi following a police report during the Pengkalan Kubor by-election.
DAP's Canning assemblyman, Wong Kah Woh had lodged the report, accusing the Umno vice-president of inciting racial sentiments by claiming at a ceramah that DAP tried to pit the Chinese against the Malays during the 2009 Perak constitutional crisis.
"It does not matter who the subject matter is, we will investigate,” Khalid said. – October 8, 2014.
- See more at: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/we-spare-no-one-says-top-cop-khalid#sthash.uNQGEhws.dpuf
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