'Insane man' destroys three Buddhist deities

Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim has condemned the act of an insane man who destroyed three Buddhist deities in a temple in Tanah Liat, Bukit Mertajam, today.

"I visited three mosques on the occasion of Prophet Muhammad's birthday today and all the religious heads have disagreed with the act.

"I then told them I am heading to the Siamese temple and none of them protested," he told reporters at a press conference in the main hall of Wat Chatararam where the incident happened yesterday morning.

Anwar (right) felt grateful that the communities in Tanah Liat did not react to the incident as though it was a religious attack.

"I am thankful the public understands that this kind of behaviour is not Islamic," he added.

"I hope the police will monitor and step up security at the other temples around the area," he urged.

Anwar said the matter was reported in the Thai media and that he was alerted to it by a former Thai official who had visited the temple in his trips to Penang.

Also present were Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng, accompanied by several DAP and PKR assemblypersons, and Seberang Perai Tengah OCPD Rusli Mohd Noor.

Temple committee chairperson Koh Kok Weng and Reverend Chan Ah Pin joined the group at the press conference.

Both Anwar and Lim praised the police for their swift response to the incident, which happened around 10am.

In a CCTV recording of the incident, a man wearing a kopiah was seen entering the temple on a motorcycle.

He then kicked down three deities, which shattered upon impact on the ground, yet he seemed very calm and remained in the area until three temple staff appeared and tried to stop him.

He then fled on his motorcycle, almost running into one of them, after circling the place and punching the air with his right fist.

‘No Muslim would approve of such behaviour’

Lim urged the public to remain calm, and to not link the issue to a religious threat.

Today is the Prophet's birthday, he reminded, saying no Muslim would approve of such behaviour.

Lim said the state government viewed the incident seriously, although it appears that the culprit may be "a mad man".

His behaviour in destroying the three deities and attempting to run down one of the temple staff who had witnessed the incident, was described as "dangerous".

"He is dangerous and may be planning on doing the same to other temples," Lim cautioned.

"We hope the police will nab the culprit soon. If he is from this village, it may not be difficult to identify him," he added.

"Such acts (attacking deities), although by an insane man in this incident, is a threat to all communities.

"If he is a fanatic, it is a cause of concern for all," Lim stressed, and then pledged financial aid to the temple to restore the deities.

Koh said that a police report has been lodged at 4pm yesterday in Bukit Mertajam.

"This temple has been around for 100 years, but nothing like this has happened before.

“When I found out what happened I rushed to the temple, and many who heard about it felt shocked and worried. This temple is next to a mosque and the place has always been peaceful," he told Malaysiakini.

Koh said the temple is well-known in Thailand, and that many prominent individuals - including Buddhist religious heads - have visited the Wat before.

When asked how much would it cost to restore the broken deities, Koh noted that the damages have yet to be ascertained.

"They are about 50 years old and are priceless," he quipped.

'PAS cannot rebuild Kelantan without Umno'

Rowdy teen told police he only answers to Allah

A ROWDY teenager in Omagh, told police he only answered to Allah.

Emmett Byrne (19) of Ardown, Monbrief, Craigavon appeared before the town’s Magistrates Court as a result of the incident and when invited to quote the Koran told the District Judge he could not remember making the comment.

Byrne admitted a charge of disorderly behaviour and was fined £300.

Intoxicated

At 11.30am on the morning of December 4, police went to the Strathroy Road after receiving a report that the teenager was shouting abuse at members of the public.

The court was told he was intoxicated and became abusive towards the police officers. Despite being warned to calm down he continued to shout and swear at members of the public. On being cautioned, he told police, “F*** the court I only answer to Allah.”

On telling District Judge Bernie Kelly he could not remember making the comment, she said, “Absolutely, you don’t recall saying that because you were as high as a kite.”

She also told Byrne not to bring that behaviour “down here” from Craigavon and said there was “no reason” for him to come west of the Bann.

Judge Kelly added his remark about Allah could be viewed as racist as the defendant is not a Muslim.

Apologise

A defence solicitor said the teenager accepted he was “totally out of line.” He said Byrne went to Omagh with friends and had been drinking and had no way to get home. The solicitor said his client wished to apologise to the court.

Judge Kelly pointed out the defendant has two previous convictions for public order offences, the last coming just weeks before this incident.

The solicitor replied that he is staying off drink and his mother is “steering him in the right way.”

Imposing the fine Judge Kelly added, “It is frightening at the age of 19 he has a drink problem. I expect this to be paid and it will be less money to buy drink.

“The good news is I am temporarily in court in Craigavon and if I see him again he is going to prison.”

- See more at: http://ulsterherald.com/2015/01/02/rowdy-teen-told-police-he-only-answers-to-allah/#sthash.lca5V5gR.dpuf

Putrajaya must revise budget in light of oil slump, says economist

As Putrajaya responds to falling global oil prices by prioritising domestic spending and investments, a leading economist has warned that the national budget for 2015 was unsustainable if it is not revised to account for the price drop in the commodity, of which Malaysia is a net exporter.

Tan Sri Dr Kamal Salih, an adjunct professor of Economics and Development Studies at Universiti Malaya, said no amount of tax increase could compensate for Petroliam Nasional Bhd’s (Petronas) lower revenue contributions to Putrajaya.

“Of course, the government has to revise the budget. The assumption of the oil price was quite high and now it must be reduced to a realistic level, especially as the price may go down for a long time,” he said.

“The current budget is not sustainable now.”

Budget 2015 of RM273.9 billion was tabled last October and passed by the Dewan Rakyat on November 25. It was prepared on the assumption that oil prices would hover around US$100 (RM351) to US$105 a barrel.

The government has moved to boost domestic consumption in 2015 by instructing all government-linked companies and statutory bodies to prioritise domestic investments and cease purchases of foreign assets.

A circular on this dated December 26, 2014, was seen by The Malaysian Insider.

Kamal also warned that plunging commodity prices, such as oil, palm oil, rubber as well as surplus trade were putting pressure on Malaysia’s revenue and the creation of jobs.

“Now the job creation (rate) has dropped again. So if there is a recession due to the lowering of prices, we are going to enter a deflationary period that the government may not be able to handle.”

A few days after the budget was passed, Petronas, which contributes to almost 40% of the national coffer, warned Putrajaya to tighten its belt. The national oil firm said it faced the possibility of lower earnings in light of falling crude oil prices.

Petronas president and group chief executive officer Tan Sri Shamsul Azhar Abbas said the price range of Brent crude oil at US$70 to US$75 may be a "new era", until the end of next year, if not for the next two years.

“If the oil price is to remain at the current level, it would mean a much lower revenue contribution (from Petronas) to the government. Lower oil price will affect the amount of tax and royalty to the government," Shamsul had said in a statement on November 28.

Petronas' pre-tax profit fell 12% to RM22.8 billion in the third quarter ending September 30, 2014, against RM25.9 billion in the previous corresponding quarter. Its revenue also slipped 1% to RM80.4 billion from RM81.4 billion last year.

Despite this, Deputy Finance Minister Datuk Chua Tee Yong told Dewan Negara on December 8 that the budget would not be revised, as the 3% fiscal deficit target in 2015 would not be affected.

He said the decline in oil revenue would be balanced by substantially reduced fuel subsidy with the implementation on December 1 of a managed float system to determine prices of RON 95 petrol and diesel.

While Malaysia may not face another 1998 financial crisis, its debts were still high and thus created “a different ballpark”, said Kamal, who co-authored the United Nations' Malaysia Human Development Report released last year.

Kamal said that aside from revising the budget in terms of oil revenue, the government needed to create “pragmatic new economic policies” to address the high income and wealth inequality in Malaysia.

He said efforts to alleviate the burden of the poor through cash transfers, such as the 1Malaysia People’s Aid Voucher (BR1M), were not financially sustainable for the government.

Instead, Putrajaya should “reset the economy” to create a larger middle class, he said, noting that only 20% of Malaysians made up that demographic.

He added that expanding the middle class through policies revolving minimum wage and education, for instance, would ensure inclusive growth and development, as opposed to the government’s current focus of simply pursing a high-income status.

“We must allocate our resources better and not pursue this very pro-business capital economy orientation that the current administration prefers.

“The policies must be directed more to the vulnerable group. The government should not add to the living costs, but instead tax the more wealthy,” said Kamal.

He gave as an example the capital gains tax – a system mooted by opposition pact Pakatan Rakyat in place of the goods and services tax (GST), but shot down by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak on the grounds that it was not business-friendly and would result in capital flight.

Kamal dismissed such an argument, noting that other countries had implemented capital gains tax without much difficulty.

“If you just favour the GST, that is being biased. Such taxes should be implemented, but what matters is that it is done without creating a disincentive. Economics is all about balancing incentives with disincentives.”

When asked if he believed the government was on the right track to improving the country, Kamal said, “I think the government is aware what needs to be done.

“The question is whether it was the political will to get it done correctly.”

He had also told The Malaysian Insider in the first part of this interview published yesterday that the government should have a national economic policy that did away with the Bumiputera agenda in favour of one that would uplift all Malaysians regardless of race. – January 3, 2015.

- See more at: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/putrajaya-must-revise-budget-in-light-of-oil-slump-says-economist#sthash.0R9tTMmP.dpuf

G25 growing with more influential Malays, says group coordinator

Ten more Malays, many of whom are former but influential members of the government service, have joined the group of 25 prominent Malays who signed an open letter appealing for rational discourse on Islam, the group’s spokesperson, former diplomat Datuk Noor Farida Ariffin (pic), said today.

In a brief statement to the media, Farida, the former Malaysian ambassador to the Netherlands, wrote: “Dear friends, it is with pleasure we announce the names of the new members of the G25.”

They are Tan Sri Alwi Jantan, former director-general, Public Services Department; Tan Sri Rafiah Salim, former vice-chancellor, Universiti Malaya (UM) and former assistant secretary-general, United Nations; Datuk Seri Nazir Ariff, businessman; and Datuk Ahmad Mokhtar Selat, former deputy secretary-general of Asean.

Joining them are Datuk Anwaruddin Osman, former managing director and CEO of Petronas Dagangan Berhad; Datuk Baharuddin Musa, former deputy secretary-general of the Defence Ministry and first director-general of the Tourist Development Corporation; and Professor Dr Adeeba Kamarulzaman, dean of the UM's Faculty of Medicine.

Professor Dr Ariff Abdul Karim, the former executive director of MIER and former dean of UM’s Faculty of Economics; former member of Parliament Mohamed Tawfiq Tun Dr Ismail; and Shazal Yusof Mohd Zain, the former corporate finance executive for the Commerce International Merchant Bankers Berhad complete the list of newcomers.

The original group of 25, which comprises retired civil servants and influential leaders, had published an open letter on December 8 asking for a rational dialogue on the position of Islam and Islamic law in a constitutional democracy.

In their open letter, they had asked Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak to address religious and racial tension and exercise leadership in guiding Malaysia back to moderation.

The letter decried the "lack of clarity and understanding" on the place of Islam within Malaysia's constitutional democracy, as well as a "serious breakdown of federal-state division of powers, both in the areas of civil and criminal jurisdictions".

It also expressed concern at how religious authorities were "asserting authority beyond their jurisdiction" and that fatwa issued had violated the Federal Constitution as well as the consultative process.

Among the proposals it recommended was the need to promote awareness about the diversity of views and interpretations in Islam.

Some members, in individual comments to the media, had singled out groups like Perkasa and Ikatan Muslimin Malaysia (Isma) for politicising Islam, prompting Perkasa to mull taking legal action against them.

“We are not going to be lenient anymore. We will take action against any party who makes baseless allegations against Perkasa,” Perkasa secretary-general Syed Hassan Syed Ali told The Malaysian Insider on Tuesday.

But Farida said she was happy that Perkasa was following the law in addressing their grievances instead of breaking it.

“The Malay rights group wants to sue G25, so sue us, let the courts decide,” she told The Malaysian Insider.

Public support for the letter's contents and for the 25 signatories has been strong, with many writing to media organisations expressing their thanks and solidarity with the signatories, while an online petition called #iam26 drew thousands of signatures. – January 2, 2015.

- See more at: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/g25-growing-with-more-influential-malays-says-group-coordinator#sthash.0kCHoiBy.dpuf

Flood-hit teachers not forced to return to work earlier – Bernama

There is no obligation for teachers affected by the floods to report for duty before the 2015 school session begins, said Deputy Education Minister P. Kamalanathan yesterday.

He said all parties must comply with the directive issued with regard to commencement of the school session. However, if there were teachers willing to volunteer to clean up their school, they were most welcome.

"We are not forcing anyone, but if there are teachers who want to help in the cleaning-up, we are more than happy.”

The National Union of the Teaching Profession (NUTP) had recently appealed to the Education Ministry to investigate reports of teachers affected by the floods being called to report for work before the new school session begins.

Schools are scheduled to start the new session on January 11 (Sunday) in Kedah, Kelantan, Terengganu and Johor, and on January 12 (Monday) for other states.

Kamalanathan said the matter was being investigated.

He said the ministry was identifying the number of teachers and pupils affected by the floods for the purpose of channelling aid to them. – Bernama, January 3, 2015.

- See more at: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/flood-hit-teachers-not-forced-to-return-to-work-earlier-bernama#sthash.Xl4UDYa3.dpuf

Same old, same old from EPU on bumi equity

 

COMMENT The Economic Planning Unit's (EPU) reply to the two recent Malaysiakini articles, 'Has 30pct bumi equity target been achieved' and 'Major flaw in computing bumi equity target', was to be expected.
                                                                                                          
Instead of addressing the substantive issue of government massaging of the corporate equity data through methodology subterfuge, and selective and disputable definition, there is a meaningless declaration of good intentions and how "the government is intent on reducing the socioeconomic imbalances and improving income of all Malaysians irregardless (sic) of race."

The EPU should revisit the messy history of the corporate equity controversy which goes back to 2006. It needs to inform the public of the progress it has made in improving the methodology for measuring the respective racial shares.

More important, the Prime Minister's Department needs to address various concerns I had highlighted in March 2007 in response to then prime minister Abdulah Ahmad Badawi's statement in Parliament that the government hoped to achieve the 30 percent Malay corporate equity target in three years (i.e. by 2010!)

At that time, I had pointed to these major issues:

"One is to ensure that during the remaining three-year life span of that condition, it is the bumiputera poor that will become the beneficiaries of the quota condition, and not the politically connected and already wealthy...

“The other is that the corporate equity condition is a small part of a large system of racially privileged entitlement. That larger system needs to be dismantled if the country is to go forward as a united and cohesive nation."

I had also noted:

"The best gift Pak Lah can give to young Malaysians on the eve of the 50th anniversary of Merdeka is to define a new and historic direction for the country in which all Malaysians, regardless of race, religion, political affiliation, class and region, will be treated equally; and the poor and vulnerable are provided resources and special attention to help them improve their lives."

Musa Hitam on GLC's share

The public can understand why the EPU continues to ignore feedback from me and others who are seen as critics. But surely it should respond to its own past leaders.

Musa Hitam, former deputy prime minister, has recently gone on record to state that shares held by government-linked companies (GLCs) should be taken into account when calculating the bumiputera equity participation in the national economy.

According to the former deputy prime minister, corporate wealth owned by bumiputera may go beyond the 30 percent target set under the New Economic Policy (NEP).

He is also reported to have told the Sinar Harian forum on ‘Survival of the Malay economy’ last year that "Statistics can be twisted. If you want to talk about Malay participation, I would include the GLCs. They are part of the Malay agenda".
          

---

Dr LIM TECK GHEE is former World Bank senior social scientist, whose report on bumiputera equity when he was director of Asli's Centre for Public Policy Studies sparked controversy in 2006. He is now CEO of the Centre for Policy Initiatives.

VIP jet lands in Bangkok after trip around the world

 

After two weeks, the government VIP jet bearing the registration number 9M-NAA has made a trip around the world and landed in Bangkok this afternoon amid posers on the whereabouts of Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak's wife, Rosmah Mansor.

Since Najib is already back in Malaysia to deal with the recent floods, it is unclear who is using the aircraft or for what purpose.

According to the flight tracking website Flightradar24, the Airbus 319 jet left its base in Subang on Dec 20 and flew to Honolulu, Hawaii after a brief stop in Osaka, Japan.

There, Najib had played golf with US President Barack Obama, but had to cut his holiday short amid criticism for his absence as the flood situation worsened.

He later revealed to the media that while his family was sad to see him leave, he had told them that the suffering of flood victims was greater.

He later revealed to the media that while his family was sad to see him leave, he had told them that the suffering of flood victims was greater.

He also defended the tee-off with Obama, saying that it is ‘golf diplomacy’ and was also practiced by his predecessors, including his father and former prime minister Abdul Razak Hussein.

The floods are reportedly the worst in recent decades, especially in the East Coast, with 21 dead and over 200,000 displaced at its peak.

Najib had reached Kota Bharu on the afternoon of Dec 27 using a different aircraft. He is believed to have been picked up from Hong Kong by another Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) VIP jet.

From Honolulu to Hong Kong?

It is unclear how Najib reached Hong Kong from Honolulu, but Flightradar24’s records show that the Boeing 737 business jet (BBJ) arrived in Kota Bharu from there at the same time Najib was reported to have arrived.

At that time, the government jet that took Najib to Honolulu was already in Indianapolis, US, having arrived there on Dec 26 after a brief stop at Los Angeles.

It remained in Indianapolis for six days until Dec 31, where it took off for Los Angeles, then New York, London, Dubai and finally Bangkok – all with brief stops at each airport for no more than several hours until it reached Bangkok.

It touched-down at Bangkok’s Don Mueang International Airport at 2.11pm today after a journey of some 41,900 kilometres, and is still there as of the time of writing.

Indianapolis is also the base for the aircraft cabin design, maintenance, and refurbishing arm of the aviation company Comlux Aviation, which specialises in chartering and refurbishing VIP aircraft.

Comlux has previously done refurbishing work on 9M-NAA, and has a six-year contract from 2013 to perform maintenance work on the aircraft. However, it is not clear if this is the reason for its stop in Indianapolis.

Malaysiakini has contacted the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) and Comlux about the aircraft earlier today, but has yet to receive a response.

Aircrafts for VVIP use, not just PM

The aircraft is among a few VIP jets registered to the Royal Malaysian Air Force.

In a statement last year, the PMO had said that there are four VIP jets: A Bombardier Global Express, a Dassault Falcon 900, and the aforementioned Boeing and Airbus jets.

A fifth aircraft, a Fokker F28-1000, has been decommissioned in Aug 2012, it added.

It added that the aircrafts were not exclusively for Najib’s use, but are also for the Agong, sultans, yang di-pertuas negeri, ministers, deputy ministers, foreign guests to the federal government, senior government officials and VIPs.

It said this helps these individuals move about safely and aids their busy schedule.

Meanwhile, Semambu assemblyperson Lee Chean Chung (left) appealed to members of the public to come forward if they had sighted any VIPs at the cities that 9M-NAA stopped over.

He also urged the prime minister to explain the purpose of the trip.

“The aircraft was flying back and forth between Los Angeles and New York. Is this for a holiday or to strengthen relations between Malaysia and the US? Since the aircraft was originally carrying Najib to Hawaii to celebrate Christmas with Obama, Najib must clarify what transpired,” he said in a statement today.

He added that it would be an abuse of public resources if Najib had allowed his relatives or close confidants to use the aircraft for personal purposes.

What’s wrong with Perdana 1?

The technical problems it developed must be quite serious for it to spend six days in Indianapolis.

FMT

KUALA LUMPUR: It’s been a week since Prime Minister Najib Razak returned to address the flood situation in the country, but the official government jet, Perdana 1, is still not back.

According to the Prime Minister’s Office, the plane developed technical problems and needed to be checked for maintenance, forcing Najib to take a commercial flight to Hong Kong before flying to Kota Baru on a Royal Malaysian Air Force jet.

Perdana 1, an Airbus 319, is operated by the KL-based Jet Premier One, which has a six-year maintenance and service contract with Comlux Aviation Services. Comlux’s specialty is designing and outfitting exclusive aircraft cabins. In a press statement in October 2013, Complux announced it had completed refurbishing the “Head of State of Malaysia’s Aircraft”.

We know that Perdana 1 was in Hawaii before going to Los Angeles. It then flew eastwards to Indianapolis, and then back to Los Angeles before heading east again to New York en route to London, Dubai and Bangkok, where it landed yesterday.

One of the nagging questions is why it spent six days in Indianapolis. Although the Indiana capital is the home of Comlux, any of the airports where it landed could have serviced any technical problem, according to Airbus’s official website.

When Najib leased the Airbus 320 9H-AWK, or Perdana 2, it cost taxpayers RM27,501.75 per hour. How many hours has Perdana 1 been in use since Najib left for his Hawaiian holiday?

It is likely that Najib took along his wife, Rosmah Mansor, on his holiday, although there has been no official confirmation of this. If he didn’t, where is she? If he did and left her in Hawaii when he rushed back to handle the flood crisis, wouldn’t she have taken commercial flights for the rest of her holiday instead of risking her life flying in a faulty plane? Or has she been on the plane at all?

Perhaps we’ll know when Perdana 1 officially lands in Malaysia. Keep checking Flightradar24.com to find out when that will be. Search for Perdana 1′s tail number, 9M-NAA.

Another 11 eminent Malays join Group of 25

The newcomers read like a list of who’s who from all walks of life.

FMT

KUALA LUMPUR: The ranks of the Group of 25 Eminent Malays were bolstered on Friday by 11 new equally eminent persons, according to the Group’s spokeswoman Noor Farida Arifin, a former Ambassador to the Netherlands.

The 11 newcomers include former Umno lawmaker Mohamed Tawfik Ismail, the son of former Deputy Prime Minister Ismail Abdul Rahman, and former Universiti Malaya (UM) vice-chancellor Rafiah Salim.

Others joining them are Alwi Jantan, formerly a deputy secretary-general in the Prime Minister’s Department, and former ambassador and ex-ASEAN deputy secretary-general Ahmad Mokhtar Selat.

Also on the list are the former chairman of the Social Security Organisation (SOCSO) Abu Huraira Yazid, former Petronas Dagangan Berhad managing director and CEO Anwaruddin Osman, former Defence Ministry deputy secretary-general Baharuddin Musa, UM dean of medicine Professor Dr. Adeeba Kamarulzaman, former executive director of the Malaysian Institute of Economic Research (MIER) Professor Ariff Abdul Kareem, businessman Nazir Ariff and former senior banker Shazal Yusof Mohd Zain.

The Group of 25 penned an Open Letter on December 8 calling for respect for the Federal Constitution, and expressed concern at the creeping Islamisation and desecularisation amidst increasing polarisation.

They called for dialogue among all concerned parties to pull the country back from the brink.

Married via Skype to IS fighter, then nabbed at KLIA

Police arrest a 27 year-old student who tried to leave for Syria to join her husband in the IS struggle.

FMT

KUALA LUMPUR: Police have nabbed a 27 year-old student who married an Islamic State fighter via Skype as she was trying to leave the country to join the struggle in Syria. She was detained at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport.

According to the New Straits Times, the woman from a higher learning institution in the Klang Valley, was arrested on December 24 by the Special Branch’s Counter-Terrorism Division (SB-CTD) operatives.

Inspector-General of Police Khalid Abu Bakar, said the woman fell under the spell of the IS struggle after watching a YouTube video on the group’s propaganda, after which she embarked on a Facebook relationship with an IS fighter.

He explained, “Police found that the suspect then started interacting with an IS fighter through Facebook since mid-November.

“The woman then got married to the Maghribi man through Skype application mid last month,” Khalid said, after which her “husband” then persuaded her to join him in Syria.

The second suspect, a 22-year-old male student of a public university in Perlis, was arrested in KLIA on December 28, also trying to leave the country for Syria where he planned to join a suicide mission there.

Both suspects were detained on suspicion of committing an offence under Chapter VI A (terrorism-related offences) of the Penal Code, and will be investigated under the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act 2012.

Get rid of Najib or lose Putrajaya, BN told

Kadir Jasin makes his most blatant call yet for the PM's ouster.

FMT

PETALING JAYA: If Umno and Barisan Nasional wants to keep Putrajaya, they must get rid of Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak, veteran journalist Abdul Kadir Jasin says in his latest blog entry.

“I am sorry to have to say this,” he writes. “Umno and BN can keep the PM and pretend that everything is fine, but they must accept the fact that the risk of them being chucked out at the next GE is immense.

“The Pakatan Rakyat parties do not have to do much. They just need to keep their internal differences in check and stop washing dirty linen in public.”

Kadir is known to be a close associate of former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad and his blog articles are often interpreted as echoing Mahathir’s thoughts. He has often criticised Najib’s leadership, but this latest article is the most blatant call he has made for the Prime Minister’s ouster.

“For Umno and the Barisan Nasional, a change has to happen,” he writes. “If it does not happen, the situation can only get worse and the grand old coalition may finally succumb to old age.

“Like the Romans who had to choose between Caesar and Rome, the time has come for Umno and BN to choose between Mohd Najib and Putrajaya.”

He says Najib and “his merry men and women” have wasted the opportunity offered by the current floods to prove their concern and capabilities.

Quoting a Malay saying which he translates as “each time it floods, the sandbank would move”, he says it could “very well have a literal meaning” for Najib.

“If that saying holds true, I believe the wave of change will only get stronger. Umno has to do something about its President and Prime Minister if it wants to stop the situation from getting worse. Like the sandbank, it could be swept away at the next general election.

“The big floods may be the watershed that we are hoping for. They may spell the beginning of the end of a mediocre leadership.

“It is a watershed and an ominous one when the rakyat, through the blogs, the independent news portals and the social media outlets, discovered that the PM was golfing in Hawaii while a quarter million people were flooded out of their homes and asked, ‘Does the PM care?’

“No amount of explanation and attempts to gloss over the Hawaiian misstep by his propaganda machines will restore the Prime Minister’s image as a caring leader. His ‘rakyat didahulukan’ (people first) slogan is a sham.”

Bad weather sees MAS flight diverted

Kuala Lumpur flight bound to Kota Kinabalu is diverted to Miri due to bad weather.

FMT

KOTA KINABALU: A Malaysia Airlines flight bound for Kota Kinabalu was diverted to Miri after encountering bad weather this morning.

According to the New Straits Times, MAS flight MH2604 took off from Kuala Lumpur International Airport at 7.30am and was scheduled to land at the Kota Kinabalu International Airport at 10.05am.

Reassuring passengers that no technical issue had cropped up, the official statement from Kota Kinabalu Malaysia Airport Holding Berhad confirmed bad weather was the only cause for the diversion.

“There was no technical issue. It was the bad weather,” their operator said.

Let’s band together against the extremists in 2015

Another new year has arrived and we are now in 2015. I have never declared or committed myself to any new year resolution because I think it's all crap. You change when you want to change.

But this time, I'm going to commit to a resolution. It is simple. I will continue to use every platform that I have to promote moderation, open-mindedness, multiculturalism and religious pluralism.

I have done it for years and will continue doing it with even stronger force this year because 2014, to me, was the year of overbearing racial and religious extremism.

Groups like Isma and Perkasa, and individuals like Ridhuan Tee Abdullah, have been so loud throughout last year that my ears are still aching and ringing into the new year. They definitely do not speak for me.

And I'm very sure that this feeling is shared by so many of my fellow sane, rational and logical Malaysians out there. We should all band together and do something about these annoying extremists.

Since we all believe that these people who go on and on about preserving a specific racial and religious supremacy are the loud minority, then why are we allowing them to be so loud?

If they are such a small group (Perkasa is reported to only have 900 odd official members), why are we allowing them to shout so loud without any repurcussions?

If we are the silent majority, then we need not be too worried about showing our strength in numbers and not be silent anymore. What can they do to a whole huge bunch of us, right?

There are among us those who have already stood up to voice their concerns. There are the Prominent 25, former ministers and politicians like Tun Musa Hitam, Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah, etc, who have taken the lead.

And if we feel strongly about what the extremists are spreading, we need to also do our share and create a counter movement that will spread across the country.

I say it is enough what these loudmouths are trying to propagate. Malaysia is for Malaysians and it doesn't matter what race or religion you are. We all have the right to live together with respect, understanding and harmony.

The days of Isma, Perkasa, Ridhuan Tee and their likes are numbered. Let 2014 be the last year of them having free reign saying whatever they please. We need to silence them and take Malaysia back starting this 2015.

Happy New Year Malaysia! – January 2, 2015.

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

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7 More Bodies Recovered From AirAsia Crash, 16 Total

By EILEEN NG and ROBIN McDOWELL Associated Press

More ships arrived Friday with sensitive equipment to hunt for the fuselage of AirAsia Flight 8501 and the more than 145 people still missing since it crashed into the sea five days ago.

Indonesia's Search and Rescue Agency chief Henry Bambang Soelistyo said efforts would be stepped up as long as the weather allowed.

"We will focus on underwater detection," he said, adding ships from Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and the U.S. had been on the scene since before dawn Friday to try to pinpoint wreckage and the all-important black boxes? the flight data and cockpit voice recorders.

The Airbus A320 crashed into the Java Sea on Sunday with 162 people on board. Sixteen bodies have been recovered so far. Seven were announced Friday morning, six of which were found by a U.S. Navy ship, said Suryadi B. Supriyadi, operation coordinator for the National Search and Rescue Agency.

Nine planes, many with metal detecting equipment, were also scouring a 13,500 square kilometer (8,380 square mile) area off Pangkalan Bun, the closest town on Borneo island to the search area. Two Japanese ships with three helicopters were on their way to the area, Soelistyo said.

But he said bad weather, which has hindered the search the last several days, was a worry. A drizzle and light clouds covered the area Friday morning, but rain, strong winds and high waves up to 4 meters (13 feet) were forecast until Sunday. Strong sea currents have also kept debris moving.

Soelistyo estimated the fuselage was at a depth of 25 meters to 30 meters (about 80 feet to 100 feet), and vowed to recover the bodies of "our brothers and sisters ... whatever conditions we face."

So far, one victim of the crash has been returned to her family Thursday ? the first of many painful reunions to come.

Hayati Lutfiah Hamid's identity was confirmed by fingerprints and other means, said Col. Budiyono of East Java's Disaster Victim Identification Unit.

Her body, in a dark casket topped with flowers, was handed over to family members during a brief ceremony at a police hospital in Surabaya, Indonesia's second-largest city and the site where the plane took off. A relative cried as she placed both hands against the polished wood.

The coffin was then taken to a village and lowered into a muddy grave, following Muslim obligations requiring bodies to be buried quickly. An imam said a simple prayer as about 150 people gathered in the drizzling rain, and red flowers were sprinkled over the mound of wet dirt topped by a small white tombstone.

The longer the search takes, the more corpses will decompose and the farther debris will scatter.

Aviation expert Geoffrey Thomas in Australia said there's a chance the plane hit the water largely intact, and that many passengers remain inside it.

He added that bodies recovered so far would have come out with a breach in the fuselage. "But most passengers still should have had their seat belts on, particularly as the plane was going into weather. The captain would have still had the seat belt sign on."

It's unclear what brought the plane down about halfway into its two-hour flight to Singapore. The jet's last communication indicated the pilots were worried about bad weather. They sought permission to climb above threatening clouds but were denied because of heavy air traffic. Four minutes later, the airliner disappeared from the radar without issuing a distress signal.

Highlight Equality, Celebrate Diversity To Enrich Unity - Najib

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 2 (Bernama) -- Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak has urged Malaysians to always enrich the spirit of unity by highlighting equality and celebrating the existing diversity.

He invited the people to together build the country based on the unity they have enjoyed all this while.

"Let us together build this country with open hearts in the name of unity, take along all that is good and leave out the bad," the prime minister said his in message in conjunction Maulidur Rasul 1436 Hijrah (Prophet Muhammad's birthday) which was uploaded on his www.najibrazak.com website, Friday.

Prophet Muhammad's birtday will be celebrated Saturday.

In exalting the greatness of Islam in Malaysia, Najib said Muslims should make the struggle to strengthen Islamic faith and teachings espoused by Prophet Muhammad as the main agenda in their daily lives.

At the government level, Najib said the commitment was proven by the development of the Shariah Index which will be measuring the government's commitment to implement policies based on the principles, values and systems of Islam across a range of sectors.

"This initiative is hoped will make governance more towards the practices and the teachings of the Prophet in our efforts to meet the demand for the tenets of Islam to be enhanced.

"The result will be the birth of a country and people well-balanced and excellent in terms of progress, mastery of knowledge and skills while at the same time virtuous and with good self-esteem as Malaysian citizens," Najib said.

He hoped that the efforts to apply Islam in administering the nation would make Malaysia a more prosperous and blessed country.

"May the celebration of Maulidur Rasul this time continue to arouse passion and empowers us to emulate the Prophet and practice his teachings to be successful in the world and in the hereafter," he said.

At the same time, the prime minister urged Malaysians to fortify themselves with patience and acceptance especially in facing the unusual floods in the country.

He hoped that the efforts of the government would in some way help ease the burden of the victims affected by the disaster.

"And at the same time we continue to pray for our country to be always blessed by Allah," he said.

--BERNAMA