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Wednesday, 1 June 2016

Rulers will not fail Malaysians, says Dr M

Dr Mahathir Mohamad believes the rulers will intervene to stop the alleged "abuse of power" by Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak.

He said this is despite no provision in the law allowing such intervention.

"Nevertheless, there are ways and means for the rulers to save the country form the abuses of power by Najib.

"The people look up to the rulers to save Malaysia. I am sure the rulers will not fail them," he added in a blog post today.

The former premier said this is why the Citizens' Declaration, which has reportedly been signed by more than a million Malaysians, would be sent to the rulers.

Mahathir reiterated that sending the declaration to the rulers was the last resort.

The declaration among others called for Najib's resignation amid allegations of corruption.

This includes the 1MDB imbroglio and RM2.6 billion found in the prime minister's account.

Najib has been cleared of wrongdoing by the attorney-general over the RM2.6 billion and RM42 million funnelled into his account from state firm SRC International.

The prime minister has also denied abusing public funds, and blamed such allegations on Mahathir and those conspiring to topple him from power.

International agencies including in Singapore, Switzerland and the United States are investigating the 1MDB trail of funds.One former banker has been charged in Singapore for charges related to the 1MDB probe, while authorities ordered the shutdown of BSI Bank branch in Singapore.

Switzerland has also started criminal proceedings against the 143-year-old Swiss bank that had earlier been under the United States Justice Department radar for assisting in tax evasion by moving funds across borders incognito.

Tell PM to remove Johor from M'sia: crown prince to envious lot

Johor crown prince Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim has never shied from speaking his mind, and in a latest Facebook posting, there is a message from him to those uncomfortable with the state being part of Malaysia.

".... You can all march down to Putrajaya and propose to the prime minister to remove the state of Johor from Malaysia," read the message.

The posting on the Southern Tigers Facebook page also cited a slew of reasons that fuelled disdain amongst some towards the state, including the absence of racism and its abhorrence for corruption.

Each point mentioned began with the words "Don't blame Johor".

"... We weren't built on the foundations of racism. We were built on the foundation that we are united and identified as one race that is Bangsa Johor.

".... Why are we proud of our leaders, because our leaders are always with us in good times and bad, when we're in joy or in pain.

"Why we don't like people who are corrupt? It's because we are brought up never to be as despicable as that."

The posting also pointed out that Johor had existed since 1885, well before 1957, when Malaya achieved its independence.

Apart from this, it also stated that Johoreans should not be blamed for holding their crown prince close to their hearts and outlined the differences between leaders in the state and elsewhere.

"Don't blame Johor and accuse us of being obsessed with the crown prince of Johor because we have witnessed for ourselves how he has always stood firmly by our side..

"Don't blame Johor or be envious of the relationship we have with our leaders because only he has been tirelessly brave enough to fight and guarantee our existence and welfare.

"Don't blame Johor if your leaders are not there with you. The difference between our leaders and yours is that our leaders were born to serve the people.

"Don't blame Johor if your leaders are not there with you when the country is plagued with integrity turmoil. We are proud to have leaders who will always fight for our rights and be transparent with us.

"Don't blame Johor if your leaders are not there in your own state for you to turn to in your time of need."

Answering Jeyakumar's questions on hudud

“It's a universal law - intolerance is the first sign of an inadequate education. An ill-educated person behaves with arrogant impatience, whereas truly profound education breeds humility.”

- Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn


I have been reading the commentaries and observing the antics of our elected representatives about the latest provocation by PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang on the manufactured controversy of the tabling of the Hudud Bill.

As expected, the controversy has generated the required outrage among Pakatan partisans and the rhetoric has neatly followed a pre-arranged script that Umno believes would distract from the very real problems that plague this nation.

Hudud, in any form, would just be the cherry on the sundae of the fascist agenda that this regime is executing in terms of its security policies meant to stifle dissent and sustain hegemony.

The fact that the opposition establishment is suffering from self-inflicted political wounds and myopic in its political agenda not only helps the deterioration of this country but also gives the Umno state breathing room to regroup and advance its agenda.

Therefore, it was a pleasure reading the piece on the hudud controversy by Dr Jeyakumar Devaraj of Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM).

As usual, the good doctor clearly articulated his views on the supposed controversy and with a level-headedness unsuited to the cut-throat take-no-prisoners world of politics, and made suggestions on how to deal with the issue. He did the same with the Lynas controversy, a sane voice in the midst of lunacy and political opportunism but as usual, his pleas fell on deaf ears.

The honourable member from Sungai Siput did raise some pertinent questions in his piece that I believe deserve answers or, at the very least, a public answer on behalf of Malaysians who may have the same perspective as me on this issue.

Jeyakumar’s analysis of the political motives of Umno and the opposition are spot on and there really is nothing to discuss. However, the MP raises interesting questions that are fodder for a public debate.

Readers should be aware that PAS grassroots members who have worked with Jeyakumar have told me that the good doctor is someone who truly cares about Malaysians without regard for their race or religion. This particular politician is someone who should be emulated and it is to our detriment that few of our elected representatives are cut from the same cloth.

My answers here are not to be construed as an attack on the good doctor’s article but rather as a launching pad for some of my own beliefs.

Jeyakumar (photo) said, “We should not be afraid to discuss religious issues, but should take extra
care to be respectful of the beliefs of others. This implies a certain acceptance of diversity.”

The problem with a statement like this is that the only definition of Islam that matters in this country is how Umno defines it and we get an idea of how this Umno regime defines Islam with this quote from Dr Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki, the deputy minister in charge of Islamic affairs:

“It’s time for the allowances of imams, religious teachers and staff throughout Malaysia to be reviewed for an increase (this year alone, the allocation of allowances for imams and religious teachers amounted close to RM500 million), seeing that their responsibility in safeguarding Islam is even more challenging today with plenty of extremist ideologies that are starting to take root, such as IS, the liberalism ideology and pluralism, including the LGBTs who loosen and degrade religion.”

What does this mean? Well, it means firstly, that this regime does not accept diversity as an acceptable form of compromise in a diverse social, political and religious polity, and secondly, that people who do believe in certain fundamental rights, should not accept intolerant religious views as an example of “diversity”.

Do non-Muslims have a right to object to the way in which Muslims choose to practise their religion?

Herein lays the problem. The question sets up an ‘us versus them’ dialectic, of non-Muslims versus Muslims. Nobody has a right to tell anyone how to practise his or her religion including the state whose religious laws (as Jeyakumar acknowledges) has far-reaching consequences for all the country’s citizens.

When we object to certain practices of the state which we deem immoral or corrupt, we do so as citizens of the country. The same principle applies to certain religious practices. We speak for those who cannot, we support those who have been unfairly targeted and who have no choice as to whether they accept or reject religious dogma as defined by the state.

Across the world, in regimes which actively oppose secularism, the agenda is to separate communities either by religion or race and the means by which they do this is through legislation. If communities cannot come together to oppose injustice or prejudice, merely because such are defined as religious imperatives, there can be no hope for change.

Can we tell Muslims how to practise their religion?

Why not? Muslim regimes have no problem defining the Other’s religion. In this country, there are numerous examples of how Muslims dictate how non-Muslims should practise their religion. The problem here is that freedom of expression and speech is selectively practised. As the good doctor illustrated, there are diverse views on Islam in this country.

Islamic perspectives could change and evolve through interaction with other perspectives. Christianity and Judaism are examples of the Abrahamic faiths which have evolved through interactions with other religious and secular points of views. This is the reason why certain Muslim regimes are deathly afraid that their dogma would be rejected if there is a free exchange of ideas.

But the problem here is not non-Muslims telling Muslims how to practise their religion. It is the state telling Muslims how to practise their religion. It is the state rejecting diversity in the Muslim Malaysian experience and non-Muslims are caught in the crossfire.

Do we not believe that each religious community has the right to practise their religion freely?

I, for one, believe that each community has a right to practise their religion freely without interference from the state. I believe that the state should not impose its religious dogma on any of its citizen even indirectly. I believe that a citizen should define his or her religious beliefs for themselves and as long as it does not impinge on the rights of others, should escape sanction from the state. In fact, I believe that the state should have no say in the religious beliefs of its citizens, much less demand billions of tax ringgit to enforce state-sanctioned dogma.

Don’t we recognise that the entire Islamic world is struggling to define what it means to be true to their faith as Muslims in the 21st century? Do we expect Muslim Malaysians to be unaffected by the ongoing debate/battle?

I recognise (as do many other Malaysians, including Muslims) that Islam in this country is affected by the petrodollars of the Saudi regime, as evidenced by the so-called donation to our current prime minister for defending Islam. I recognise that there is a deliberate effort by the House of Saud and its tributaries to silence the diversity in Islam. I recognise that the religious schisms within Islam affect minority Islamic brethren the world over and that, being true to their faiths, they are being hampered by the stratagems from palaces in Saudi Arabia.

I also believe that forming strategic alliances with Islamic parties does no good for the idea of democracy in any country in the long term. I believe that political grandstanding by certain political parties in this country, in lieu of concrete principles, is why Islam has dominated the discourse in an adverse way.

Lastly, I know many people would not agree with me for various political or pragmatic reasons and while I have rambled on, my stand is exactly the position of PSM. Here is its message on religion on its website:

“PSM berpendirian hak kepercayaan beragama atau tidak adalah hak individu dan mesti dihormati. Ia adalah hubungan peribadi antara manusia dan kepercayaan mereka. Ia tidak boleh dipaksakan melalui undang-undang.”


89 2 2 93 Mahathir shares his secret to longevity

Former PM in his element as he slams Western style of doing things and the TPP at international conference.

TOKYO: Former Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad told an international conference the secret to longevity, while reiterating that the Trans-Pacific Partnership was not good.

His formula for a long and healthy life is not to overeat and to keep the body and mind busy. Overeating, he said, was the reason for the rise in obesity.

Speaking at the 22nd Future of Asia conference here, he reiterated his stand that the Trans-Pacific partnership was not good for Malaysia and other countries.

He said regional trade agreements were not always beneficial for member nations. This was because nations were obliged to agree to trade rules that could affect their “freedom of action”, something that could be especially problematic for less-developed nations.

The Nikkei Asian Review quoted him as saying: “When economies are at different levels, you cannot apply standard formulas.”

However, Mahathir was supportive of the Asean drive for greater integration, saying the Asean Economic Community did not impose a standard formula on all members.

He said poorer countries should be given time and should not be restricted in the way they managed their economies, so that they could catch up with the rich countries.

This was Mahathir’s 18th appearance at the annual Future of Asia conference organised by Nikkei Inc.

At 90, the report said, Mahathir remained energetic and eloquent.

Asked about his secret to longevity and health, he said: “One is, never overeat. My mother always told me that when the food tastes good, that’s the time you must stop eating.”

“Later as a doctor, I realised why. When the food is good, you tend to overeat; and when you overeat, your stomach increases in size, and in order to stop your hunger, you eat more food. That is the problem the world is facing today with obesity: people are eating too much.”

He also said one should keep on working. “When you keep your mind and body active, I think it will be good for you.”

The Nikkei report said Mahathir’s disapproval of the “Western style” of doing things, whether in trade or politics, was apparent throughout his appearance at the conference, especially when he spoke about democracy in Asean.

Countering Western criticism of democratic shortcomings in Southeast Asia, Mahathir said: “For democracies to work well, it will take time. I would say that you have to tolerate some of the wrong things done by people who are trying to be democratic.

“Among the developed democracies of the West, there seems to be no toleration. If you are not doing what they are doing, if you are not as liberal, then you are not democratic.

“But it is really difficult for a new country (to suddenly become democratic). We need to deal with the multiracial population, we need to have some control over even the media, because we don’t want the people to be agitating all the time to overthrow the government and sabotage the economy. I would say that you need a little time, and you need to be more tolerant.”

‘UnIslamic to sneak Shariah punishments into legal system’

KUALA LUMPUR: Trying to “sneak Shariah punishments” into the legal system without open debate and a comprehensive understanding on the implications is “unIslamic”, says an Islamic scholar.

“You don’t see it, you don’t feel it. Yet one day, you’ll just wake up and find yourself in a much more Islamic state than you ever imagined,” Professor Abdullahi A An-Na’im said at a press interview organised by G25 at a hotel here today.

“If you want to do it, do it openly with a clear understanding where people can debate, accept or reject freely,” he added.

Abdullahi said this in response to PAS’ Private Member’s Bill which seeks to empower the Shariah Court to impose any form of hudud punishment under Islamic law, except the death penalty.

He said this was strange when hudud does indeed prescribe the death penalty and wondered if the exclusion of the death penalty was based on PAS’ definition of hudud.

“So you are redefining hudud from the way it exists for your own political expediency,” the Sudanese-born scholar from Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, said.

In some parts of the Middle East which implement hudud laws, the death sentence is handed down to those convicted of adultery and apostasy, among others.

PAS is currently pushing for hudud to be implemented in Kelantan. Its president Abdul Hadi Awang has tabled a bill seeking to amend the powers of the Shariah court which would pave the way for the controversial law to be implemented in the East Coast state.

Returning GST to people

PUTRAJAYA: Both the RM27bil collected from the Goods and Services Tax (GST) in 2015 as well
as the RM39bil expected this year will be given back to the people in the form of major projects and infrastructure construction, said the Prime Mini­ster.

“With the GST, we can afford to carry out the MRT, the Pan Borneo Highway project in Sabah and Sarawak as well as other development plans which the people will benefit from and enjoy.

“It is from this same revenue that the Government can afford to give the special increment to public officers this year,” said Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.

Assuring the public that the Government was responsible and had the rakyat’s interest at heart, Najib said its good intentions were however being misconstrued and politicised.

“But if you look at things rationally, you know that (GST) is a strong and stable source of revenue and contributes towards economic resilience and the well-being of the people,” he said when presenting excellent service awards to 100 Finance Ministry staff members here yesterday.

Malaysia’s economy, added Najib, managed to register growth despite global uncertainty and weak external factors because the Government had made several right decisions that helped drive it further.

Later, at another function, Najib said the Government would continue to spend and invest more on children.

“We want them to be able to exercise good judgment, to choose well and to use this responsibly while rejecting what is harmful and not worthwhile,” he said when opening the three-day Permata International Conference 2016 themed “Children Beyond Tomorrow”.

Participants and speakers from 29 countries, including Gambia, Swaziland, Nigeria and Ghana, will examine the role of childhood in achieving sustainability in nation-building.

Driver pulled out alive from six-vehicle pileup


GEORGE TOWN: Firemen took nearly an hour to free the driver of a cement mixer truck in an accident that involved five other vehicles.

The six-vehicle pileup in Jalan Tanjung Tokong that included a 20-tonne tanker, a lorry, a van and two Mercedes-Benz, also caused a two-hour bumper-to-bumper traffic jam from Batu Ferringhi heading towards the city.

George Town OCPD Asst Comm Mior Faridalathrash Wahid said the cement mixer truck crashed into the van and the van driver in turn crashed into the left side of the 20-tonne tanker that was on the middle lane.

“The cement mixer truck also rear-ended the 20-tonne tanker and another lorry on the right lane.

“The impact pushed the lorry into the two Mercedes-Benz in front of him,” he said.

ACP Mior said only the 59-year-old cement mixer driver suffered a minor injury on his left leg.

“He was treated at Penang Hospital and allowed to go home,” he said.

State Fire and Rescue Department spokesman Mohd Azman Hussin said they received a distress call at 1.11pm yesterday and seven firemen from Bagan Jermal fire station rushed to the scene.

“We had to cut the cabin of the cement mixer and only managed to free the driver at 1.53pm,” he said.

Masrukin Aknam, 45, the 20-tonne tanker driver, said all the vehicles were stopping at the red light in front of Uda Flat in Tanjung Tokong, when the cement mixer truck suddenly lost control.

“It is fortunate that no one was seriously injured.”

Masrukin said he was on his way back to Ipoh after off-loading cement at a quarry in Tanjung Bungah.

MCA: Chinese must reject PAS, Amanah in by-elections

KUALA LUMPUR: MCA has urged the Chinese voters in Sungai Besar and Kuala Kangsar to reject PAS and Parti Amanah Negara in the parliamentary by-elections on June 18.

MCA central committee member Datuk Chew Kok Woh (pix) said PAS should be rejected for obvious reasons.

“The party's very existence is to turn Malaysia into an Islamic state and impose hudud.

“The MCA will remind the Chinese voters there to demand that the DAP explain why it asked the Chinese to support PAS in the 2013 general election," he said.

Chew said the DAP would now tell the Chinese to back Amanah, the breakaway group of former PAS leaders.

He said the DAP would portray Amanah leaders as being moderate but the Chinese should not be duped again.

Chew said Amanah leader, Khalid Samad, was among the first to declare his support for PAS president Datuk Seri Hadi Awang's Private Member’s Bill on Syariah court amendments.

On the other hand, he said, DAP and PKR had refused to commit themselves citing that it was too early to make a stand.

“I don't think the Chinese can afford to believe in these parties."

Chew hoped the Chinese had learnt the lesson of the last elections and reiterated that PAS and Amanah must be rejected as they were of the same mould.

Liquor age limit raised to 21

PUTRAJAYA: The age limit for purchasing alcoholic drinks will be raised from 18 to 21 starting Dec 1, 2017.

Apart from this, all premises offering alcoholic drinks are required to display a notice to warn customers on the adverse effects of consuming liquor.

This ruling will take effect on Dec 1, 2017, said Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr S Subramaniam.

Apart from the notices to be displayed at outlets, alcoholic drink manufacturers must also label such warnings on their products.

Amendments to the Food Regulation 1985 have been gazetted ‎on May 27 for the liquor ruling to be enforced, Dr Subramaniam said.

"The amendment is in line with the global strategy to reduce the harmful use of alcohol signed by all health ministers to reduce the availability of alcoholic beverage in the market," he said Wednesday.

Dr Subramaniam said the move was also aimed at stopping teenagers and students from‎ buying liquor.

Twenty-four Filipinos charged with having fake MyKads

JOHOR BARU: Twenty-four Filipinos pleaded guilty at a Magistrate’s court here for possessing fake MyKad and cards belonging to Malaysians.

They were arrested in raids at residential areas in Masai and Pasir Gudang by the Putrajaya National Registration Department (NRD) enforcement officers from 1.30am on May 19 to 6am on May 20.

The eight women and 16 men are aged between 25 and 60 years.

One of them, Norman Salam, 34, was sentenced to a two-year jail term for possessing three MyKads belonging to Malaysians.

The rest received 10-month jail term each for either having fake MyKad or the cards belonging to locals.

NRD officers Mohd Fazdhly Abd Razak and Mohd Ashgar Mohd Hussain prosecuted the case while the 24 were not represented.

Cops net man for insulting Johor royalty

JOHOR BARU: Police had to go out to the sea to catch a man for posting insulting comments about the Johor royalty.

State police chief Comm Datuk Wan Ahmad Najmuddin Mohd said the 46-year old suspect was detained while he was on a fishing boat off Tioman island, about 200km from here, at around 11am on Tuesday.

He said the man was caught after two police reports were made against him on May 28 for uploading insulting remarks about Johor’s Sultan Ibrahim Ibni Almarhum Sultan Iskandar, Tunku Mahkota Johor Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim and the people of Johor.

Comm Wan Ahmad Najmuddin said the suspect had uploaded the comments in a Facebook page under the account “Minah Pendek”.

“We also seized two mobile phones with the SIM cards from him," he said in a press statement.

The suspect has been remanded to assist in investigations under Section 233 of the Communication and Multimedia Act 1998.

Comm Wan Ahmad Najmuddin advised the public against misusing social media by uploading derogatory remarks or comments about other people.