Lies, lies, and more lies

 

 First there was the assertion that there exists an attempt by Christians to make Penang a Christian state; simply because the chief minister is reputed to be a Christian. No evidence was ever found or elicited for these unfounded rumours. The perpetrators of the crime were not charged. I believe they were Umno-linked bloggers.

Now there are ‘Jesus the son of Allah’ banners which, frankly, no Christian would ever make. The reason is simple: If we do, the whole sentence would be in Malay; never in English with the Arabic ‘Allah’ word. What will come next? Maybe a ‘Melayu balik kampung’ banner which then sparks another round of racial riot rumours, or pig-heads into mosques?

These were standard tactics since 1969 in Penang but it was stopped in good time because of the then chief police officer’s (CPO) quick response and actions? 

But he was an outstanding Special Branch (SB) officer well-trained in the matters of psychological warfare, but there are no such people any more, since our communist threat is no more. Our current CPOs are only of one race and religion.

Today, police officers appear to pursue their partisan agenda against both citizens and foreigners alike. People are losing faith in the so-called ‘not-so-royal police force’, but which however does not act against Umno extremists. Selective persecution and prosecution seems the order of the day today.

All these rumours when printed and taken up by both mainstream and even the sidestream media, become almost facts, and then the truth of matters. I would have thought there is a law against such rumour mongering. We also witnessed such abuse of print media before the 13th general election (GE13).

Consequently, and because of our lack of faith in both the police and the Attorney-General’s Chambers, some of us with the Media Group @ MiDAS took the initiative to make a formal and written complaint to Suhakam about mainstream media distorting truth and promoting lies through advertorials; basically distorting truths and reporting untruths.

To Suhakam’s credit, I believe that they called a formal meeting with all media to address the issue last week. We await the follow up action from Suhakam.

But, why are the media lying instead of telling and promoting truths and facts? What do I mean?  On the ‘Allah’ issue; do Malaysians not really know that the first and original version of the Bahasa Melayu version of the Matthew’s Gospel was translated in 1621 by a Dutch scholar named AC Ruyl?

The originals are still available at the University of Amsterdam and the University of Cambridge. By 1733, the first Malay Bible was complete and the word ‘Allah’ was consistently used.

Are these newspaper editors really ignorant and condone their journalists to choose to spread lies and not state the facts. Do they not know that Sabahans and Sarawakians had Malay Bibles well before Malaysia was formed in 1963? Furthermore, do not the same idiocratic editors not know that under the 18 and 20 point demands before the Malaysia Agreement was voted upon, these states had clearly clarified that Islam is not the religion of these states?

Dr Tajuddin’s proposal and Dr Patricia’s response

In a recent article submitted by Dr Mohd Tajuddin Mohd Rasdi, he sought to argue that Christians as a community should apply their love in action and learn to “turn the other cheek on this matter!” In reply, Dr Patricia Martinez has responded well on this issue. While his is a very noble and commendable effort, I think it is flawed both theologically and rationally.

Let me try and explain to my good friend and academic colleague why this is not feasible for the same factual reasons of misinformation:

• The ‘Allah’ issue is a bigger issue for bumiputra Christians of Sabah and Sarawak worshipping in Malay. Most peninsular Christians worshipping in English have no issue about this word and its non-usage. We would ordinarily not use the ‘Allah’ word unless when singing Malay songs or hymns;
• The East Malaysian brothers and sisters, on the other hand, whose mother tongue is Malay, make up about 65 percent of all Malaysian Christians of about 3 million citizens.  Their language of heart worship is Bahasa Melayu. Nonetheless, peninsular Christians cannot speak for them;
• They voted and elected, as moderated by the UN, to support the formation of Malaysia but under certain explicit conditions, which cannot be violated now;
• The peninsular Malays have to instead be educated about the root of the ‘Allah’ word, and that the de-sacralisation of the name of Jesus, as ‘son of Allah’, is totally in bad taste and does not even make for good theology; and
• The Christians worshipping in Malay use only the Malay Bible and have been using it since their days of the grandparents. They hardly even mix Malay and English and no English Bible would ever carry the word Arabic word ‘Allah.’

Conclusion and way forward

Bumiputra Christians, whether from Sabah or Sarawak, have and will always use their heart language to worship in Malay. It is their heart language and mother tongue, and cannot be changed or imposed even through theologically sound teaching, like turning the other cheek, even if it is well-communicated and well reflects Christian-type unconditional love.

Frankly, all this seems to reflect a clear and focussed agenda by some unscrupulous groups to create trouble through fear and uncertainty, but have we not learned that citizens in cities and towns today are more rational and cannot be so easily misled. There is another danger though, that all the ordinary and good hearted citizens may all get upset and decide to turn against the groups that are spreading such evil ideas and antics.

Let us not however respond to fire with fire, because once fire begets more fire and once a wildfire starts, we will all have some serious issue to deal with. I am not sure the security forces are really prepared to deal with these issues. It is better to deal with these issues before the real problems start.

Let us nip these symptoms in the bud; but that requires a police force that is indeed called to serve the public interest, not partisan interests. Let us all make March a month for prayer for good sense in this nation. May God bless Malaysia.

---

KJ JOHN was in public service for 29 years. The views expressed here are his personal views and not those of any institution he is involved with. Write to him at  kjjohn@ohmsi.net with any feedback or views.

Perkasa veep: Sorry's no cure to racism

Prior to the last general election, a video recording surfaced showing Perkasa vice-president Zulkifli Noordin insulting the Hindu religion, for which he later apologised.

And when MIC protested over him being named as the BN candidate for the Shah Alam parliament seat, Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin (left) reminded critics that Zulkifli had apologised and should be forgiven.

But now, the Perkasa leader claims that an apology is not sufficient.

In his latest blog posting, Zulkifli lamented that the Chinese school teacher who labelled two of her students as cows, tied bells on them and forced them to eat grass had been let off with a slap on the wrist.

The two Standard Four students of SJKC Khai Meng in Perak, Muhammad Nasvinder Muhammad Amit dan Mohd Izat Iqbal Mohd, were also caned.

Zulkifli said that he had expected the teacher to be subjected to sterner punishment.

“But no... Malaysia which is governed by a Malay government is very tolerant and accommodating. The teacher was merely transferred and that too because the teacher’s action had ‘tainted the name of the Education Ministry’.

“The reputation of the ministry is so valuable, more valuable than the dignity of our religion and race,” he said in a blog posting.

The Perkasa vice-president said the teacher’s actions not only violated the children’s rights but was also a form of torture that is bound to leave them traumatised.

“It is not only inhumane but also racist, since two other Chinese students who also did not complete their homework were not punished. I view these incidents as an extreme racial virus which must be curbed,” he added.

How long will apologies suffice?

Zulkifli also recounted the incident where a Muslim teacher at a Chinese school in Johor was asked to remove her tudung by the chairperson of the school board.

“Once again, the Malay government’s tolerance shone when it issued a warning not to repeat the incident after the school board chairperson reportedly apologised,” he added.

The Perkasa leader also asked what would have happened if a Malay teacher had hung a pig’s head or punished Chinese students by insinuating that they are pigs?

Zulkifli questioned for how long would these incidents be treated as isolated cases, which could be resolved with a mere apology.

“I can list out numerous incidents which smack of racial and religious bigotry which are the deliberate work of a handful of chauvinists who are let off the hook with an apology.

“Excusing them on the ground of an apology would only embolden these racists and chauvinists,” he said referring to Namewee and “many more Chinese kids”.

Zulkifli also called for an in-depth research to determine if these racist and extremist attitudes were products of vernacular schools.

“If this is true, we must be bold enough to carry out changes and transformation, including closing vernacular schools if they are found to be breeding grounds for chauvinists, racists and extremists,” he said.

Putrajaya practises ‘extreme political Islam’, says Baru Bian

(TMI) Malaysia is heading towards an oppressive Islamist regime for allowing state enactments to take precedence over the Federal Constitution on the religious freedom of non-Muslims, a Sarawak opposition leader said.

In a swipe at the Najib administration, Sarawak PKR chief Baru Bian (pic) said the “extreme political Islam” practised by Putrajaya was almost similar to former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s stand on the alleged conversion of Muslims.

Baru, a senior lawyer in the state, said many lawyers and scholars were not arguing against the authority the states have under Article 11(4) of the Federal Constitution to enact legislation to regulate the preaching of religion to Muslims.

“But they have no jurisdiction over non-Muslims," he pointed out

“The state laws which ban the usage of Arabic words without any reference to attempts at proselytisation are arguably unconstitutional and open to challenge,” he said.

Selangor are among several states in the peninsula that have enactments banning non-Muslims from using the word 'Allah'.

The ban not only affects Bahasa Malaysia-speaking Christians from Sarawak and Sabah, but also Sikhs.

The Sultan of Selangor, Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah, in November last year decreed that the use of the word 'Allah' in the Bible and Malay section of the Catholic weekly, Herald, cease immediately to avoid confusion among Muslims in the state over the use of the word in the context of other religions.

The sultan said everyone in the state, regardless of their religion and origin, must abide by the ban under Section 9 of the Non-Islamic Religions (Control of Propagation Amongst Muslims) Enactment 1988.

On Mahathir’s allegations that the word 'Allah' was used by certain parties to convert Muslims into Christianity, Baru said: “There has never been any proof to support this accusation and the former prime minister invites ridicule in making such baseless claims.

“However, I have to concur with him that Muslims did not have problems with Christians for a long time, but I differ with his answer as to why the issue is raised now, if not for an ulterior motive.

“My question to him is: who was it that first created the problem if not the Home Ministry in issuing the ban on the Herald?”

Baru said Mahathir was right to observe that, “we lived in harmony and there was no friction between Muslims and Christians”.

“None until the tsunami of the 2008 election, when Umno realised it needed to salvage the support of the Malays.

“Before that, no Muslim claimed to have been confused by the use of the word ‘Allah’ by Christians, a word that had been in their vocabulary for centuries,” said Baru.

“After 2008, the Umnoputras decided that the Muslims could be confused and started fomenting fear and mistrust between them and non-Muslims.

“Where no fear existed previously, the Umnoputeras planted the seeds of fear. That was when the problems started.”

Baru said the religious tension is spooking foreign investors.

“Foreign investors are having doubts about the wisdom of their decision to invest here. Should they pull out, we will become a bankrupt nation, if we are not there already.” - January 28, 2014.

PSM to contest Kajang by-election?

Secretary-general gen S Arutchelvan is in the running as he fulfills the party's criteria

PETALING JAYA: PKR should not discount the possibility that the Kajang by-election will be a crowded field.

PSM is mulling contesting the seat after receiving backing from youth NGOs who are fed up with the current situation in the PKR-led Selangor government.

“PSM has received numerous calls to contest the Kajang seat but we have not decide anything yet. The youth NGOs think that we should be the third choice in the by-election

“Party president Dr Mohd Nasir Hashim has called for a meeting to discuss the calls,” PSM secretary-general S Arutchelvan told FMT today.

According to Arutchelvan, PSM is actively serving the people of Kajang.

“We have set the criteria for any PSM candidate to contest an election, and he must have served the constituency for at least five years.

“We have candidates (who match the criteria set by the party) as we’ve been active in Kajang,” he added.

No decision yet

Arutchelvan also did not deny speculation that he will be nominated by PSM, adding that he is eligible.

“There are a lot of speculations that I would contest but we have not decided on anything. For the Kajang state seat, based on party’s criteria, I’m eligible,” he said.

In the 13th General Election (GE13), PKR first timer, Lee Chin Cheh, won the Kajang state seat by defeating five other candidates, including three independents.

Lee gained 19,571 votes, a 6,824 majority followed by BN’s Lee Ban Seng (12,747); Berjasa’s Mohamad Ismail (1,014), Independents Ir Mohd Iwan Jeffrey Abdul Majid (249), Ong Yau Foo (85) and Mohd Khalid Kassim (83).

Based on this trend, PKR should not discount the possibility that independents candidates can turn out to be spoilers in this third by-election after GE13.

Arutchelvan lost the Semenyih state seat, just outside Kajang, in the last general election under the PSM banner as PKR decided not to cave in to PSM plea to let them have a straight contest with BN candidate Johan Abd Aziz.

In 2008, Arutchelvan lost the seat narrowly to Johan under the PKR banner, but PKR decison to nominated Hamidi A Hassan in May 2013 resulting in Johan winning the seat with a 4,145 majority votes. Hamidi gained 13,471 votes followed by Arutchelvan with 5,568 votes.

PRK Kajang: PAS ‘naik angin’, mahu boikot

PAS ini apa ? Parti Tupper Ware? Tak bincang sepatah? Tak runding sikit pun? Politik apa ini?

PETALING JAYA: PAS kesal dengan tindakan bekas Adun Kajang Lee Chin Cheh dari PKR yang meletakkan jawatan tanpa sebab yang munasabah.

Ketua Penerangan Dewan Ulamak PAS Pusat Dr Mohd Khairuddin Aman Razali at-Takiri berkata, pihaknya menuntut penjelasan munasabah daripada PKR kerana pilihanraya kecil akan mengorbankan banyak masa, tenaga dan harta rakyat.

“Rakyat melihat situasi ini dengan penuh prihatin.

“Pergolakan kecil politik Selangor melibatkan jawatan Menteri Besar dan isu PKNS ditambah pula dengan perletakan jawatan ini boleh memualkan rakyat di saat rakyat dibelenggu dengan pelbagai isu negara khususnya melibatkan peningkatan kos hidup,” katanya dalam satu kenyataan hari ini.

Menyifatkannya sebagai politik picisan, Mohd Khairuddin turut mengingatkan isu ini mampu menggugat keyakinan rakyat kerana Pakatan Rakyat sepatutnya fokus kepada mendedahkan kegagalan kerajaan Barisan Nasional (BN) mengurus ekonomi negara.

Katanya, Pakatan Rakyat perlu menilai semula sejarah Pilihan Raya Umum ke-12 (PRU12) yang menyaksikan beberapa wakil rakyat dari PKR melompat dan meninggalkan parti yang telah merugikan dan menggugat keutuhan Pakatan Rakyat.

Manakala sejarah PRU ke-13 pula dimulakan dengan perletakan jawatan Adun.

“Nasihat ini saya lontarkan sebagai peringatan bersama seluruh warga Pakatan Rakyat khususnya para pemimpinnya,” katanya.

PAS, parti tupperware?

Sementara itu Ahli Parlimen Temerloh Nasruddin Hassan Tantawi berkata, pihaknya kecewa kerana PKR tidak pernah berbincang dengan PAS mengenai konflik di Selangor sehingga menyebabkan berlakunya pilihan raya kecil Kajang.

“PAS ini apa ? Parti Tupper Ware? Tak bincang sepatah? Tak runding sikit pun? Politik apa ini? Cara dan skil mana digunakan,” soalnya

Katanya, PKR tidak sepatutnya mempermainkan amanah rakyat yang berkerja, berjuang dan mengundi bersungguh-sungguh dalam PRU lalu.

“Saat rakyat berhempas pulas mencari sesuap nasi berdepan dengan kos sara hidup yang tinggi, kenaikan harga barang yang melambung.

“Tak pasal-pasal cipta pilihanraya kecil dengan drama realiti perletakan jawatan,” katanya.

Manakala Pengarah Jabatan Pilihanraya Dewan Pemuda PAS Malaysia Mohd Sany Hamzan berkata, pihaknya menuntut penjelasan yang munasabah daripada Lee terhadap perletakan jawatan beliau secara bertulis kepada Ketua Dewan pemuda PAS Malaysia dengan kadar segera.

“Sekiranya penjelasan yang diberikan tidak munasabah maka Jabatan Pilihanraya Dewan Pemuda PAS Malaysia memberi amaran akan mengeluarkan arahan kepada seluruh jentera pilihanraya pemuda PAS di semua peringkat untuk tidak memberikan kerjasama di dalam Pilihanraya Kecil DUN Kajang nanti sekiranya calon yang ditentukan masih lagi dari kalangan calon PKR,” tegasnya.

Beliau menganggap tindakan Lee sebagai satu pengkhianatan amanah yang diberikan rakyat Selangor serta membelakangkan semangat ‘syura’ di kalangan Pakatan Rakyat Selangor.

Beliau juga kecewa terhadap pimpinan PKR Selangor yang mengamalkan agenda ‘politik egois’ dan ‘besar kepala’ dengan membelakangkan PAS dan DAP Selangor di dalam kerja buat mereka di Selangor.

“PKR Selangor berlagak seperti ‘boss besar’ yang boleh mengambil apa saja tindakan politik yang menguntungkan mereka tanpa persetujuan dan pandangan rakan-rakan parti PAS dan DAP sedangkan PKR Selangor hanyalah ‘pemegang saham minoriti’ di dalam Kerajaan PR Selangor,” katanya.

Youth chief irked by Palani’s appointments

Sivarraajh says state leaders were chosen without consulting him

PETALING JAYA: Newly elected MIC Youth chief C Sivarraajh today expressed disappointment with party president G Palanivel’s choice of state youth leaders.

“I am not satisfied with the overall appointments,” Sivarraajh told FMT.

“Most of the names put forth by the youth wing seems to have been rejected by the president. He has taken the liberty to make his own appointments.”

He acknowledged that it was Palanivel’s prerogative to appoint the new leaders, but said he should have chosen people who could work well with officials of the parent MIC Youth movement.

Palanivel announced his choice of youth and wanita state leaders yesterday.

Former deputy MIC Youth chief V Mugilan was among the prominent names in the list. He replaces Shanker Raj Ayanger as Selangor MIC youth leader.

At the MIC Youth polls late last year, Sivarraajh defeated Mugilan by 44 votes.

“I have received numerous calls from youth members who are upset with the new appointments,” said Sivarraajh.

He said Palanivel never consulted him before announcing the list of state youth leaders.

New treasurer-general

Meanwhile, party sources have told FMT that businessman R Ragumoorthy of Klang may be replacing R Ramanan as MIC treasurer-general.

Ramanan resigned yesterday, saying he made the decision in the interest of the party and to protect Palanivel from being attacked for appointing him to the position.

Last week, the High Court here ordered Ramanan to return RM5.5 million to psychiatrist Dr M Mahadevan after it ruled that the money was fraudulently received.

A party source said Ragumoorthy, who was elected to the MIC Central Working Committee last November, would be the best replacement for Ramanan.

“He has the capacity to manage party funds and also bring in revenue to the party,” he said.

Where is Anwar going with this play?

(The Sun Daily) - What is de facto Pakatan Rakyat leader, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s, game plan in contesting the Kajang state seat?

Is it to quell the storm of discontent within a Selangor Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) wracked and debilitated by factionalism evidenced in the internecine political battle between Mentri Besar Tan Sri Khalid and PKR deputy president Azmin Ali?

Khalid, an astute but somewhat parsimonious state leader, has had his hands tied by Azmin and his cohorts who have given him a hard time since he took up the post in 2008.

Things came to a boil when Khalid was chosen to lead the state administration once again at the expense of Azmin who many thought could be mentri besar given his power base in Selangor.

Since then, Khalid has been under siege by Azmin and his group who many say have tried to stymie the former’s efforts to continue his programme of economic growth which has come under fire over his alleged tight-fistedness.

Or is the 67-year-old former deputy prime minister making another bid for a position of power, albeit in a smaller theatre of influence, after his climb in Umno (and the nation) came to an abrupt halt following intervention by Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad?

Interestingly enough, Anwar has rubbished talk that he will be the next mentri besar upon winning the seat, indicating that he will be in the most unlikely position of backbencher in the state assembly.

Many are also surprised that DAP secretary-general and Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng was not apprised about the resignation of Kajang state assemblyman Lee Chin Cheh and was in no position to comment on the matter.

This is difficult to believe given that the DAP is the lynchpin in PR with 38 MPs, the largest opposition party in Parliament, with 15 state seats in Selangor giving it the power to call the shots in the state.

All this calls to question PR’s promises before the last two general elections that its complexion would be dissimilar to that of the BN in that there would be no pandering to the interests of specific individuals.

It was also assumed that this would translate into transparency in politics without cliques or factions within PR.

But this has not proven true with the mudslinging in Selangor and open rivalry between Penang Deputy Chief Minister II Dr P. Ramasamy and DAP chairman Karpal Singh.

Azmin is making a statement today that hopefully will throw some light on the mystery surrounding Anwar’s, and by extension, PR’s decision to field him in the forthcoming by-election.

The people of Selangor, and the nation, are in the dark about where this intrigue is going.

Kajang By-Election – Azmin: Lee’s resignation a ‘tactical move’

(MM) – Lee Chin Cheh’s resignation as Kajang state assemblyman was a tactical move to strengthen Pakatan Rakyat’s hold on Selangor, according to PKR deputy president, Azmin Ali.

“It was a tactical move, we needed the seat to be vacated,” Azmin told reporters here.

Azmin said a “national leader” of Anwar’s calibre was needed to improve PR’s position in the country’s richest state, even though the coalition currently holds 44 of the 56 seats in the state assembly.

“Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim has laid a strong foundation for the past five years. But we should not be too complacent,” Azmin added.

Asked whether this meant Anwar would replace Khalid as Selangor Mentri Besar assuming the former deputy prime minister won the Kajang by-election, Azmin said that nothing had been decided yet.

“Do not speculate beyond Kajang. We will discuss matters after the by-election, if there is a need…,” Azmin said smiling without finishing his sentence.

He added that Anwar had “many contacts” who would help improve Selangor and that the Opposition leader would play a strong role as state assemblyman.

Azmin has said he personally had “no objection” to Anwar contesting the by-election.

Confirming widespread speculation today, Anwar announced that he will contest the upcoming Kajang by-election but stopped short of declaring that he planned to replace Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim as Selangor Mentri Besar.

Anwar said he had no choice but to contest the seat as he had been chosen to do so by PKR.

The Malay Mail Online understands that high-level discussions are well under way among top Pakatan Rakyat (PR) leaders to replace Khalid.

While popular with the general public, Khalid’s penchant for unilateral decision-making in governing the country’s wealthiest state is understood to be a source of dissatisfaction among other state level PR leaders.

Among his decisions that have ruffled feathers are controversial pay hikes for Selangor state assemblymen and administrators, an unexpected decision to go with Putrajaya’s recommendations in the state’s water restructuring plans, and the convoluted removal of PKR deputy president and known rival Azmin Ali from the board of the Selangor State Development Corporation (PKNS).

Rumours over the position of state chief minister began swirling after Azmin was sacked from the PKNS board, allegedly on orders from the state government.

Khalid said the Selangor executive council had not ordered Azmin’s removal, and declassified official state documents to confirm the matter last week.

Azmin told The Malay Mail Online in a recent interview that he was more concerned about improving PR’s performance in its second term in the Selangor government, rather than pursuing “personal rivalries”.

Nation on fragile ground, warns Kit Siang

BY JENNIFER GOMEZ | The Malaysian Insider


It only takes a spark to set off another May 13, said a worried Lim Kit Siang (pic) as he called on Malaysians to quell tension plaguing the country now.

The DAP adviser said this was the reason he had asked Penang PKR assemblyman Lee Khai Loon to apologise for stuffing kangkung into an effigy of the prime minister during a flash mob in Penang two weeks ago.

He said it was also why he has been crusading for Barisan Nasional and Pakatan Rakyat to form a secretariat to discuss issues plaguing the country.

“The situation has become very unhealthy, with drawn-out stoking of religious and racial tension for the past eight months,” he told The Malaysian Insider today.

Lim, who is Gelang Patah MP, is worried that the currently escalating tension could lead to a scenario similar to the black day in Malaysian history almost 45 years ago.

He also expressed concern that the police and authorities were standing by and doing nothing about the situation.

“While the majority of the rakyat want peace, all it takes is for a small percentage of people to go haywire, to spark another racial riot,” Lim warned.

Citing the recent Allah banner placed outside five churches in Penang and the molotov cocktail that was thrown into a chuch compound in Lebuh Farquhar in Penang in the wee hours of Sunday morning, Lim cautioned that there were certain quarters out to undermine harmony by engaging in these acts.

On January 15, Machang Bubok assemblyman Lee led a kangkung flash mob in Penang and stuffed the vegetable into an effigy of Datuk Seri Najib Razak, triggering outrage in Penang Umno, who then led demonstrations in the state and threatened a repeat of the May 13 racial riots.

“There was nothing wrong with what Lee Khai Loon did, but I was concerned that certain people out to create trouble would distort the situation and label it anti-Malay or such.

“For that (asking him to apologise), I got attacked all around, “Lim said.

Lim’s concerns led him to push for a Barisan Nasional-Pakatan Rakyat joint secretariat to discuss these issues.

He even suggested an emergency Parliament meeting during Chinese New Year to address the “kangkung” crisis, and the escalating attempts to incite religious hatred and create conditions for another May 13.

Lim said that over the past few days, he had received many calls from those who were equally concerned that matters were spiralling out of control.

“One of them was Ambiga. That is why I asked her to speak at the dialogue session tonight and she agreed,” he said, referring to former electoral watchdog Bersih 2.0 co-chair and prominent lawyer Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan.

Lim said that what was needed was a proactive approach to remove destabilising effects on society, given what he described as extraordinary levels of tension building up in the country of late.

“There should be a proper response to this racial and religious incitement.

“We must learn to be sensitive to each other’s race and religion, and whatever we do, we must not cross the line,” he added.

The public dialogue at the DAP headquarters in KL tonight will discuss the most rational response to the escalating racial and religious polarisation in Malaysia over the past eight months.

Lim said the issue was not about the ‘kangkung phenomena’, the PM, Lee Khai Loon or any one personality,

“The issue is about reckless groups that have enjoyed immunity and impunity to incite racial and religious hatred, conflict and tension to destabilise the country and create another May 13 racial riots to achieve their petty, selfish and even traitorous political objectives,” he added.

Racial and religious tension has intensifed, with the latest incident being banners with the word ‘Allah’ put up in front of five churches in Penang over the weekend and Molotov cocktails thrown into the compound of one church early Sunday morning.

Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim reiterated on Sunday his call for a dialogue with BN to address raging racial and religious issues, three days after making the same overture to the ruling coalition.

The opposition leader moved to extend the olive branch a second time after many Malaysians expressed concern over increased tension in the country resulting from several racial and religious issues lately. – January 28, 2014.

Suspension on The Heat lifted

The Sun Daily 
by Karen Arukesamy

PETALING JAYA (Jan 27, 2014): The Heat will be back on the streets soon with the Home Ministry lifting its suspension on the newsweekly today.

Confirming this, the publication's editor-in-chief David Lee Boon Siew said that the ministry notified the decision in a letter dated Jan 24.

A statement on the its website said the newsweekly will hit the streets on Feb 7 after the Chinese New Year holidays.

It is learnt that the ministry's decision was conveyed to the newsweekly’s publisher Satria Kiara Sdn Bhd in a letter dated Jan 24, 2014 that was signed by Publications and Quranic Text Division head Hashimah Nik Jaafar, on behalf of the ministry’s secretary-general.

It was reported that the lifting of the suspension allows the newsweekly to continue its operation without any change to its current publishing permit.

The Heat was suspended "indefinitely" on Dec 19, 2013 allegedly over its November 23-29's front-page article entitled “All eyes on big-spending PM Najib”.

However, the ministry later clarified that the suspension was for allegedly not informing them of the changes in the publication's ownership, in addition to an alleged refusal to respond to two showcause letters.

Refrain From Reacting To Provocative Banners - Najib

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 28 (Bernama) -- Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak has urged all parties to refrain from reacting to provocative banners hung at Penang churches as it will further aggravate the situation.

The prime minister said as peace-loving Malaysians, they should act rationally guided by the rule of law upheld over the years.

"I hope that all parties will stay calm and will not lose their composure amidst provocations by irresponsible parties," he said in his Facebook posting Tuesday.

On Sunday, banners with the message "Allah is great, Jesus is the son of Alllah" were hung outside churches in Farquhar Street, Sungai Pinang, Pulau Tikus and Gelugor, Penang as well as at a bus stop on the island.

Meanwhile, in his Twitter post, the prime minister asked young Bumiputera entrepreneurs to demonstrate their ability to initiate business by capitalising on RM100 million allocated under the Bumiputera New Entrepreneurs Start-Up Scheme or Superb.

Introduced last year, Superb provides grants up to RM500,000 to creative and innovative new entrepreneurs in strategic sectors which have big potential in the future.

Cadbury launches investigation after 'wasp is discovered' in bar of Dairy Milk

Cadbury has vowed to launch an investigation after a picture of a wasp embedded into one of its chocolate bars was posted on Twitter.

Jake Keating, from Liverpool, tweeted the image after he found the insect lodged inside a bar of Dairy Milk.

He used Twitter to contact Cadbury via their official account (@CadburyUK), saying: "As if I have just found a WASP in my chocolate!!! What are you gonna do about this!?!"

The company swiftly responded on the social networking website, replying:"We'd love to reply with a pun, but we want you to know how seriously we're taking this, so we won't,"

The image soon swept around Twitter, prompting Cadbury to take action, assuring their other followers the matter was being dealt with: "‘Hi guys, we’re investigating this and are in contact with the original poster. Thanks for flagging."

Cadbury, based in Birmingham, is listed as the second largest confectionery company in the world, after being acquired by Mondelez International in 2012.

More cops from Ipoh to patrol Penang churches, mosques

Sweden: Muslims parents arrested for “smacking” son over prayer

by Rachel Banning-Lover - telegraph.co.uk

Thousands of Malaysians are backing a campaign for the release of a Muslim couple after they were arrested in Sweden for allegedly smacking their 12-year-old son’s hand when he refused to pray.

Azizul Raheem Awalludin, who is the Stockholm director of the Malaysian tourist board, has been on remand for over a month with his teacher wife Shalwati Nurshal, and anger back home has erupted over both their detainment without charge, and that their four children were placed with non-Muslim foster parents.

A Facebook page, Bring Shal and Family Home, has amassed more than 14,000 followers in five days as the Malaysian media reports that the oldest child, Aisyah, is uncomfortable about living in a house where non-halal food is served and a dog is kept.

“Although they do not feed us non-halal food, we share the crockery and utensils used for non-halal food,” she said.

“We have to fend for ourselves. Every day we have to take the public transport such as the bus or train in cold weather. We don’t have enough warm clothing.”

The teenager also complained about the Swedish authorities stopping the children from seeing relatives who had flown into look after them.

The detained couple have requested the Swedish Social Services to let their children be temporarily cared for by a Muslim family at the Malaysian embassy in Sweden until their case is resolved, according to Free Malaysia Today newspaper.

Rohani Abdul Karim, Malaysia’s Minister for Families told Malaysian media that the Government was doing all it could to resolve the case through diplomatic channels: “We believe there was no child abuse involved.”

“It was probably a misunderstanding about the parents educating their children religiously and instilling good Muslim values in them from a young age.”

Swedish authorities, who were alerted about the incident by the boy’s school, are continuing to investigate the parents.

Sweden has strict laws banning all physical punishment of children, and many internet users have questioned how the family were ignorant of these protection laws – when it is believed they had lived in the country three years.

Sweden’s laws has surprised many in Malaysia though, where parents smacking their children is widely accepted as normal.

Philip Golingai, a columnist in the Kuala Lumpur newspaper The Star, reminisced about being beaten by the rotan, a cane, during his childhood in the 1980s: “Some of my schoolmates had it worse. Their parents hit them with broomsticks, feather dusters, clothes hangers, belts and irons.”

World Cup: 185 Nepalese died in Qatar last year, official records say

Death toll likely to rise as new cases revealed, sparking fresh wave of concern over treatment of migrants

By Owen Gibson - Gulfnews

London: The extent of the risks faced by migrant construction workers building the infrastructure for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar has been laid bare by official documents revealing 185 Nepalese men died last year alone.

The 2013 death toll, which is expected to rise further as new cases come to light, is likely to spark a fresh wave of concern over the treatment of migrant workers in Qatar and increase the pressure on Fifa to force meaningful change.

According to the documents the total number of verified deaths among workers from Nepal, just one of several countries that supply hundreds of thousands of migrant workers to the gas rich state, is now at least 382 in two years alone. At least 36 of those deaths were registered in the weeks following the global outcry that followed the Guardian’s original revelations in September.

The revelations forced Fifa president Sepp Blatter to promise football would not “turn a blind eye” to the issue following a stormy executive committee meeting. The Qatar ministry of labour hired law firm DLA Piper to conduct an urgent review and Hassan Al Thawadi, chief executive of the World Cup organising committee, said the findings would be treated with utmost seriousness, vowing the tournament would not be built “on the blood of innocents”. The DLA Piper report is expected to be published in the coming weeks.

The Nepalese make up around one sixth of Qatar’s 2 million population of migrant workers, with verified figures for the 2013 death rates among those from India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and elsewhere yet to emerge.

The Nepalese organisation working with the families of dead workers to repatriate their bodies and campaign for adequate compensation from the companies that employed them under the kafala sponsorship system said on Friday that Fifa should do more.

The overall death toll is expected to rise still further, with the Pravasi Nepali Co-ordination Committee (PNCC), which has cross checked the figures from official sources in Doha against death certificates and passports, still receiving new cases on a regular basis. The Guardian has seen evidence of at least a further eight cases, which would take the 2013 total to 193.

The PNCC called on Fifa’s sponsors to reconsider their relationship with world football’s governing body, which awarded the World Cup to Qatar in December 2010.

“Fifa and the government of Qatar promised the world that they would take action to ensure the safety of workers building the stadiums and infrastructure for the 2022 World Cup. This horrendous roll-call of the dead gives the lie to those reassurances,” said a spokesman for the PNCC.

“These were young or otherwise able-bodied men, with their futures in front of them, families at home and everything to live for. Many have been literally worked to death. Some have met with even more sinister ends. All have been betrayed by Fifa.”

Change of MB needs Sultan’s accord and Pakatan endorsement

Selangor Menteri Besar Abdul Khalid Ibrahim (pic) appeared to be fighting back today at attempts to remove him, by saying that a change of the state’s leader has to be endorsed by the Selangor Sultan and Pakatan Rakyat parties.

"An MB's appointment must have the consensus of all three parties (in Pakatan Rakyat). The MB candidate must be chosen and agreed upon by the parties.

"They must also inform the sultan and get his consent. There are a lot of procedures," he told reporters after attending the launching of a book on the maps of Malaya and Borneo in Kuala Lumpur today.

Khalid dismissed talk that Kajang assemblyman Lee Chin Cheh’s sudden resignation was part of a plan to remove him

“No such thing," he said, dismissing claims that Opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim will be contesting the Kajang seat in the imminent by-election, to replace him.

"There have been no discussions on this," he said, although adding that he “would not be surprised” if there was an attempted coup against him.

Khalid said any move to remove him must be done with a consensus of the three Pakatan parties – DAP, PAS and PKR.

"It can be done only if all three parties sit together to decide so. There must be a discussion, and right now there has been none as yet," he stressed.

Earlier today, the popular second term MB declared that he was still the state administrator and that he was "not going anywa,y" admidst speculation that he was quitting.

Abdul Khalid also said there had been no discussion with PKR supremo Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim on the latter replacing him as menteri besar.

He said he had not received any word from the Selangor palace on any change to the menteri besar's post, stressing that the palace had to be informed of a critical change to the state's administration.

"I strongly deny these rumours and I hope that the media is more careful in its speculation. Do your research first. There is a process that has to be done first, if change is to take place.

"I have spoken to him (Anwar), but our discussions were on other matters. This (Abdul Khalid's resignation) did not crop up," the Selangor MB said, while distributing oranges in Klang today.

Abdul Khalid was refuting a report in The Star today that he would be resigning this Wednesday to make way for Anwar.

Quoting party sources, the report said a special by-election would be held in Selangor to enable Anwar, an MP from Penang, to contest for a seat in the state assembly, so that he can hold the post of menteri besar.

The report came on the heels of a vigorous effort by some people in PKR to remove Abdul Khalid, a popular figure in his state, as menteri besar.

Several PKR leaders are pushing to remove Abdul Khalid from the post after state party chief Azmin Ali was dropped from state developer PKNS's board of directors.

Khalid has denied any wrongdoing in that decision, saying it was done by the firm, not the state executive council which decides on appointments.

The second-term Abdul Khalid was the top choice for the post, although his PKR only won 14 state seats, while their Pakatan Rakyat (PR) allies DAP and PAS won 15 seats each in the 56-seat assembly.

Abdul Khalid stressed that there had not been any discussion between him and the Sultan of Selangor regarding his post as menteri besar.

"If I want to do anything, I must first get the advice from the Sultan. I cannot leave out that institution.

"There have been discussions on development in Selangor, but not on this (his resignation)."

He also brushed off moves from certain party members to remove him, saying that their demands were similar to the calls for Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak to resign.

"They can make demands, but you have to go through a process first," he said, referring to the need to get the consent of the Sultan of Selangor to replace the menteri besar. - January 27, 2014.

‘Rights, Not Mercy’ Hindraf begging for Umno's mercy

 

(Malaysiakini) On April 18, 2013, the prime minister apologised to the the Indian Malaysian community and a historic memorandum of understanding (MOU) was signed in front of 1,000 Persatuan Hindraf Malaysia supporters in Kuala Lumpur, while millions of Indian Malaysians were disappointed with the alignment.

For the past 56 years Indian Malaysians were systematically marginalised and kicked out from mainstream programmes by the Umno-led government. The sweet promises of PM Najib Abdul Razak and his team managed to conquer the heart of the Hindraf movement which had shaken up the Umno government in the 12th general election.

Persatuan Hindraf Malaysia, which had stood vigilant and been a loud voice of Indian Malaysians against the atrocities of Umno, became a voice for voiceless and defenceless people. Najib promised to accept a six-point demand, a special ministry under the Prime Minister’s Department, and a figure of RM 4.5 billion yearly had been mentioned.

Today, eight months after the signing of the MOU and after 56 years of waiting and drama of elections, the Indian Malaysian community has been left in the lurch. Not a single point has been implemented.

Before this, PM Najib had asked forgiveness in three different events, two were in front of Indian Malaysian crowds to get their valuable votes. In the MOU with Persatuan Hindraf Malaysia, a unit was promised to take care of Indian affairs, but till today no unit has been formed.

In the speech of the association’s leader P Waythamoorthy at the events, the crowd was told that Najib promised over 600 government contracts, but none were delivered. Waythamoorthy was appointed as a deputy minister under the Prime Minister’s Office. He was paid approximately RM20,000 a month, with a government car and a driver, but till today what his role is in the PM’s Office is still a question mark for all Malaysians.

‘Janji ditepati’?

There are programmes which PM Najib and Waythamoorthy could have done without any financial involvement. These are to avoid temple and Indian burial ground demolition, to approve birth certificates and identity cards for thousands of stateless Indians, to convert all Tamil schools to fully government-aided schools and stopping the displacement of Indian settlements.

During these eight months, several temples been demolished, including an ancient Bujang Valley temple in Kedah, the problems of stateless Indian Malaysians were not settled (lately an Indian Malaysian student drank poison due to not being allowed to register in a secondary school), Kg Railway in Sentul was demolished, the Bukit Jalil estate is awaiting demolition and a few Indian Malaysian settlements have been demolished by Najib’s government.

The whole MOU with Persatuan Hindraf Malaysia was breached and Indian Malaysians regarded it as toilet paper.

Persatuan Hindraf Malaysia, be honest with the public. Did you table the same demands with Pakatan as you had with Barisan Nasional?

The association intentionally dropped many demands towards Barisan Nasional, whereas they were demanding extra seats from Pakatan in the 13th general election. This shows that the association had a political agenda but then cheated the Indian community by saying Persatuan Hindraf Malaysia is an apolitical movement.

PM Najib gave hot capati and Waythamoorthy brought disappointment for the whole Indian Malaysian community. Najib’s hot capati is regarded as ‘hangat hangat tahi ayam’, but Waythamoorthy the self-claimed Indian Malaysian representative sold the community’s dignity to Barisan Nasional.

Today, Persatuan Hindraf Malaysia is no longer voicing out for the voiceless Indian Malaysians. They are just depending on the mercy of Umno. Once in a while they give press statements as an eyewash.

I challenge Waythamoorthy to tell the truth to the public and walk out of BN because these eight months you didn’t achieve anything. PM Najib should understand that the signing of the MOU with you will not bring back poor Indians to BN. This is your last chance, our curse will haunt BN and their marginalising laws forever.

MIC man quits pending RM5mil case appeal

 

R Ramanan, who was ordered by the court to return RM5.5 million to psychiatrist Dr M Mahadevan on Thursday, has stepped down as MIC treasurer-general today.

Ramanan (right), who will submit his resignation letter to party president G Palanivel today, said he made the decision for the good of the party.

“I hope the president will accept my resignation as he had been bombarded by the media because of this issue; despite this being a civil case and personal matter which has nothing to do with MIC or Barisan Nasional, the president was made the victim, which is not fair.

“This is my own decision and I had not been forced or asked to resign,” he told a press conference at the MIC headquarters in Kuala Lumpur.

The High Court ordered Ramanan to return to Dr Mahadevan, RM5.5 million which he was alleged to have fraudulently received while ‘assisting’ the specialist to pursue a claim four years ago.

Judicial Commissioner Lee Heng Cheong in his judgment, said he concurred with counsel Lavinia Kumaraendran and Cassandra Lee who were representing Dr Mahadevan, that Ramanan had misled the plaintiff into transferring the money into his personal account on May 19, 2010.

Ramanan said he filed an appeal against the court’s decision this morning.

Asked whether he would withdraw his decision to step down should the court of appeal rule in his favour, Ramanan said: “I leave this matter to the president and MIC members to decide.”

- Bernama

Kisah Datuk Seri Guruji

(FMT) Selain daripada watak Datuk Guluji, nampaknya ada individu lain yang seolah-olah menggunakan modus operandi sama.
COMMENT

Salah satu isu hangat dalam kalangan kaum India sejak sekitar sedekad lalu adalah mengenai ajaran sesat yang disebarkan secara amat terancang dan amat licik oleh individu yang dipercayai menggunakan ilmu pukau.

Saya menulis makalah bertajuk “Kisah Datuk Guluji” (FMT, 2 Disember 2013) dan “Lagi kisah Datuk Guluji” (FMT, 25 Januari 2014) berdasarkan maklumat yang disampaikan sejumlah individu yang pernah menjadi mangsa seorang penipu yang bertopengkan “guruji” iaitu guru agama Hindu.

Susulan daripada itu, surat pembaca turut disiarkan di FMT pada 6, 7, 10 dan 26 Disember 2013. Ramai juga yang menghubungi saya secara peribadi untuk berkongsi pengalaman sedih menjadi mangsa beberapa orang guruji.

Ternyata “Datuk Guluji” yang didedahkan menerusi makalah saya bukan satu-satunya individu yang menggunakan agama sebagai senjata dan alat untuk menipu orang dan mengaut keuntungan.

Pendedahan besar-besaran mengenai seorang individu bernama Balakrishnan Vellasamy atau “Datuk Seri Guruji” dilakukan secara amat berani oleh akhbar Tamil Malar pada pertengahan Disember 2013.

Susulan daripada pendedahan berani itu, pejabat akhbar berkenaan dilaporkan diserang sekumpulan penyokong tegar Balakrishnan. Saya kurang berpeluang mengikuti kisah itu kerana berada di Hat Yai, Thailand bersama-sama Kughan Nadarajah bagi “Kunjungan Kebudayaan Kavyan” (17-20 Disember 2013).

Makalah bertajuk “Kisah mangsa ‘guruji’ dibukukan” (FMT, 28 Disember 2013) pula ditulis berdasarkan pelbagai maklumat tambahan yang diterima serta pengalaman membaca buku yang ditulis seorang bekas mangsa seorang guruji.

Salah satu persoalan yang timbul adalah mengapa Malaysia Hindu Sangam (MHS) tidak kelihatan mengambil sebarang tindakan tegas membendung pelbagai ajaran sesat yang disebarkan beberapa individu dengan memanipulasi nama agama (istilah dalam konteks Bahasa Sanskrit, bukan Bahasa Malaysia).

Sehingga kini, saya masih menerima pelbagai aduan dan maklumat daripada orang ramai berhubung isu ajaran sesat ini. Ramai juga yang mempersoalkan kredibiliti MHS sedangkan ia badan tertinggi dalam soal agama Hindu di negara ini.

Maka, apabila berpelung bertemu bekas presiden MHS, Datuk A Vaithilingam di kediaman beliau di Petaling Jaya, baru-baru ini, saya tidak melepaskan peluang meminta pandangan beliau berhubung isu hangat ini.

Perbualan kami menggunakan Bahasa Tamil dan berikut adalah transkrip yang saya tulis berdasarkan rakaman sebahagian perbualan itu. Sekiranya timbul sebarang kekeliruan, harap maklum bahawa terjemahan saya mungkin sahaja tidak seratus peratus menggambarkan kata-kata sebenar dalam bahasa asal.

Uthaya: MHS sekarang dilihat diam dalam isu penyebaran ajaran sesat oleh pelbagai guruji yang muncul bagaikan cendawan selepas hujan. Apakah semasa Datuk menjadi presiden MHS (Oktober 1996 – Ogos 2009) pernah timbul isu seperti ini?

Vaithilingam: Saya antara individu yang paling awal mengeluarkan kenyataan menentang ajaran yang disebarkan itu.

Sebenarnya, pada sekitar tahun 1997, seorang individu dari Johor datang bertemu saya selaku presiden MHS dan mengadu telah menyerahkan wang sehingga RM3,000 kepada Balakrishnan.

Mangsa itu mengatakan bahawa apa-apa yang dijanjikan oleh Balakrishnan tidak menjadi kenyataan dan dia mahu wang dikembalikan. Guruji itu tidak mahu memulangkan wang dan mangsa membawa kes ke mahkamah.

Ini adalah kisah lama; sebelum Balakrishnan menjadi “Datuk Seri Guruji” yang kaya-raya dan berpengaruh besar seperti sekarang. Pada masa itu, dia masih menunggang basikal dari tempat ke tempat untuk menyebarkan ajarannya di Johor.

Sekitar dua tahun kemudian, saya mendapat tahu bahawa Balakrishnan telah menghubungi mangsa tadi dan merayu kes ditarik balik. Wang RM3,000 dipulangkan dan kes ditutup begitu sahaja.

Saya lalu membiarkan sahaja kes itu kerana dianggap sudah selesai. Akan tetapi, pada sekitar tahun 2002, aduan kembali diterima oleh MHS daripada beberapa orang.

Mangsa membuat laporan kepada kami bahawa mereka perlu membayar RM730 untuk menyertai suatu kursus motivasi keagamaan anjuran guruji itu.

Hasil maklumat yang diterima, kursus besar-besaran nampaknya diadakan di Pusat Dagangan Dunia Putra (PWTC), Kuala Lumpur dan agen-agen kepada Balakrishnan membawa peserta dari seluruh negara.

Apakah tindakan Datuk dan MHS apabila menerima laporan pada kali ini?


Sebagai individu yang memegang jawatan presiden MHS (1996-2009), saya mengadakan sesi perbincangan khas dengan pakar-pakar dari majlis penasihat kami.

Perbincangan khas juga diadakan di Dewan Soma, Wisma Tun Sambanthan, Kuala Lumpur bagi membuka ruang kepada masyarakat berkongsi maklumat, mengemukakan kemusykilan dan mendapatkan penjelasan.

Balakrishnan pula menghantar sekitar 200 ahli kumpulannya ke majlis itu sebagai peserta. MHS menerima kehadiran mereka dengan tangan terbuka. Kami tidak sangka mereka akan menimbulkan kekecohan.

Sebelum sesi pertemuan, saya ada mengeluarkan kenyataan media menyelar tindakan Balakrishnan mengenakan bayaran RM730 kepada para pengikut. Pada pendirian saya, seorang swami, mahaguru, sittar atau guruji tidak akan menetapkan bayaran seperti itu.

Hasil siasatan dan maklumat yang diterima, Balakrishnan mengendalikan sesi ceramah motivasi selama sehari dengan menggunakan khidmat sekumpulan penceramah dan pakar motivasi.

Balakrishnan sendiri hanya muncul sekitar 15 minit dengan memakai kot dan tali leher. Guruji itu akan membaca mantera tertentu dan para hadirin dilaporkan bagaikan dipukau.

Selepas sesi khas 15 minit itu, Balakrishnan akan berangkat pergi. Baki sesi dikendalikan orang lain. Maka timbul persoalan di mana orang ramai tertanya-tanya apakah itu cara sebenar seorang guruji menyampaikan ilmu kepada para pengikutnya.

Maklumat yang diterima daripada sumber tertentu mendedahkan bahawa Balakrishnan pernah pergi ke Indonesia dan mempelajari ilmu pukau yang sangat berkesan. Tentu sahaja perbuatan seperti ini – jika benar – adalah bertentangan dengan ajaran Hindu.

Khabarnya sebagaimana dalam kes Datuk Guluji, peserta kursus Datuk Seri Guruji juga dikenakan bayaran tanpa resit. Apa komen Datuk?

Satu lagi kelemahan dan masalah etika yang dilihat secara nyata pada Balakrishnan adalah bahawa peserta dan pengikut yang membayar RM730 seorang tidak diberikan apa-apa resit atau pengesahan penerimaan bayaran.

Hasil siasatan juga mendapati bahawa syarikat Rajayoga Power Transcendental (RPT) yang digunakan untuk menjalankan kegiatan itu adalah milik Balakrishnan dan isterinya. Ia sebuah perniagaan yang berdaftar dengan Suruhanjaya Syarikat Malaysia (SSM).

Anehnya, tiada resit dikeluarkan bagi bayaran yang diterima oleh syarikat perniagaan itu daripada “pelanggan”. Bayangkan bahawa setiap sesi dihadiri seribu orang. Jumlah wang tunai terkumpul dalam satu sesi adalah RM730,000 tanpa sebarang resit dan bukti bayaran diterima.

Katakanlah kos bersih mengendalikan keseluruhan sesi itu di PWTC adalah RM230,000. Maknanya, Balakrishnan mendapat keuntungan bersih tanpa resit dan tanpa dikenakan cukai sekitar RM500,000 bagi setiap sesi yang dikendalikan!

Pada masa sekarang, dia bukan sahaja mengendalikan sesi yang sama seperti itu di beberapa tempat di Malaysia, tetapi juga di Tamil Nadu, India. Khabarnya sudah ada pejabat di London dan Australia. Apa yang pasti, Balakrishnan yang dahulu menunggang basikal kini sudah menjadi jutawan melalui cara ini.

Berbalik kepada sesi taklimat di Dewan Soma, Datuk ada menyebut tentang kekecohan. …

Semasa sesi penerangan di Dewan Soma pada sekitar tahun 2002, lebih kurang 200 pengikut tegar Balakrishnan memang membuat kecoh dan marah-marah. Saya secara tegas mengatakan bahawa apa yang dilakukan oleh Balakrishnan adalah seratus peratus penipuan terancang.

Setiausaha MHS pada waktu itu juga menjawab pelbagai pertanyaan dengan berani berdasarkan fakta. Pengikut Balakrishnan yang hadir pada sesi itu nyaris-nyaris mahu memukulnya kerana tidak sanggup guruji mereka dikritik oleh sesiapa. Mereka seolah-olah dipukau dan tidak mampu berfikir secara rasional.

Pihak MHS dan beberapa orang kuat Balakrishnan berjaya meredakan keadaan. Kalaulah pada hari itu berlaku kekecohan yang tidak dapat dikawal atau jika setiausaha MHS dibelasah pengikut Balakrishnan, tentu kes telah menjadi besar.

Malah, secara retrospektif, kalaulah sesuatu yang di luar kawalan telah berlaku di Dewan Soma pada hari itu (sekitar 2002), tentu tindakan mengikut undang-undang sudah diambil ke atas Balakrishnan sebelum dia sempat menjadi jutawan yang berkuasa dan berpengaruh besar seperti sekarang.

Mungkin sahaja RPT tidak akan ada pada hari ini dan tidak akan ada mangsa yang menderita. Tentu ramai yang telah terselamat sebelum menjadi umpama kambing yang merelakan dirinya dikorbankan.

Kajang rep quits to pave way for Anwar?

(FMT) The plan to replace Selangor MB with Anwar gains momentum with Kajang rep stepping down.
UPDATED

PETALING JAYA: PKR’s Kajang state rep Lee Chin Cheh has resigned from the post with immediate effect, announced Selangor legislative assembly speaker Hannah Yeoh today.

She said Lee, a first-time state rep, submitted his resignation letter to the state assembly this morning. She added that he had not given reasons for his resignation.

Later in a statement issued through his party HQ, Lee said his decision was for the “common good and to strengthen Pakatan’s abilities to serve the people of Selangor”.

Party sources told FMT that Lee’s resignation will now enable PKR de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim to contest in the ensuing by-election, and become the new Selangor Menteri Besar if he wins the by-election.

As reported by FMT on Saturday, this could be the party’s plan to solve the long-standing power struggle between incumbent MB Khalid Ibrahim and his nemesis Azmin Ali, who is the state PKR chief.

While no PKR leader had confirmed the plan, the fact that Lee tendered his resignation showed that the plan was well underway.

Sources told FMT that senior leaders in the party have agreed to it. PAS is also said to have approved Anwar as the new MB.

However the question remains if the Sultan of Selangor would approve it. Khalid’s office meanwhile told FMT earlier today that he was not resigning from his post.

Lee, 43, could not be contacted for comment at press time.

Anwar meanwhile will be holding a press conference tomorrow and is expected to touch on the issue.

Other sources are also speculating that either Pandan MP Rafizi Ramli or PKR secretary general Saifuddin Nasution could be picked by the party to be the candidate for Kajang, and then subsequently to assume the MB’s post.

Why BN’s losing support – by Dr M

(FMT) The former PM blames liberalism, saying it goes against “fair sharing” of power and wealth.

PETALING JAYA: Support for the Barisan Nasional (BN) started going downhill after the 2004 election, when it began bowing to popular demand to adopt a more liberal attitude in politics and economics, former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad said today.

“In other words, the idea of fair sharing of political power and economic wealth between the different races was terminated,” he wrote in a blog article.

“But in the 2008 elections it was manifestly clear that the BN had lost popularity instead. It scored less than two-thirds for the first time since 1969, gaining only 140 of the 222 seats.

“The pro-sharing Malays were dismayed but despite changing their leader, they found that the trend towards liberalisation remained.

“The belief of the new leadership was that Chinese support would come back if the sharing policies of the NEP were not implemented. Despite obviously rejecting the sharing principle, support for the BN did not return.”

He said DAP dangled before the Chinese the possibility of having both political and economic dominance and this was deemed possible because the Malays had split into three parties and each one of them needed Chinese support in order to win.

“The Chinese had the deciding vote and were in a position to give victory only to those who believe in throwing out the sharing concept.

“The slogan coined ‘Ini kalilah’ was used to indicate that political power could be wrested from the BN and the opposition would form the next government. This opposition government would discard the sharing principle.

“Many non-Malay supporters of the BN component parties were convinced that by withdrawing their support the BN would lose and so would the idea of sharing political and economic power between the races.”

Dr Mahathir said BN managed to scrape through with a reduced majority principally through the support of Malays and other indigenous peoples.

He said race relations in Malaysia were now “tense as never before” and he blamed liberalisation and a weakened government.

“The people show no respect for the government,” he added.

“Malaysians by and large are not violent people. But for how long can Malaysia remain stable in the face of persistent violation of the good understanding and the sharing of power between the races.

“Malaysian, be they Malays, Chinese, Indians or natives of Sabah and Sarawak, must banish from their minds the idea of racial dominance. This country must be shared and shared fair by all the races.”

Dr Mahathir said Malaysia was multiracial in the true sense of the word with Malaysians retaining their identification with their countries of origin or where their forebears came from.

“In no other country with a large number of citizens of foreign origin do we see this retention of previous identities,” he said.

Khalid: I will resign if coalition’s leadership reaches consensus

(Bernama) - Selangor Mentri Besar Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim said he would resign as the mentri besar if the leadership of the three coalition parties of the state government reached a consensus on this and obtained the Sultan of Selangor, Sultan Sharafudin Idris Shah’s approval.

However, he said to date there were no discussions by them on the matter.

“I can concede if the opposition coalition wants to replace me, but there have been no discussions on the matter till now,” he told reporters after attending the launching of the book “Maps of Malaya and Borneo: Discovery, Statehood and Progress” here today.

The book was launched by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak.

He was commenting on rumours that he was resigning as mentri besar to make way for opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to replace him, following speculation that Anwar will be contesting in the Kajang state seat.

Kajang state seat incumbent Lee Chin Cheh resigned as state assemblyman today.

Commenting on Lee’s resignation, Abdul Khalid said the matter was no surprise as he had heard of such talk.

“I am not at all surprised with Lee’s action as I have heard of it before,” he said.

The opposition coalition in Selangor is made up of the DAP, Parti Keadilan Rakyat and PAS,

Anwar, Khalid and Lee are from PKR.

Zaid: If Najib goes, who will be next PM?

(WikiSabah) - Known for his expertise in exterminating political careers, it is rumoured that Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s dagger is now pointed at Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak.

Speculation is rife that there is a concerted effort spearheaded by the former premier to oust the current premier.

But former law minister Zaid Ibrahim questioned who would then succeed Najib?

“Those who want Najib to step down do not tell us who they want to succeed him. Some have touted the idea of a Ruling Council, presumably headed by Dr M,” he said in his blog.

“That would be ridiculous! Just because crazy Thai demonstrators are asking for the People’s Council to replace an elected PM, that does not mean we should follow their lead,” he added.

Zaid also shot down the possibility of Umno vice-president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi taking over the leadership reins.

“If Ahmad Zahid were to succeed Najib, do you really think we will be better off? Only if you want half the country to wear military uniforms, patrolling and monitoring the other half with armed weapons.

“It’s not enough for him that we have 300,000 Rela members – now he wants Syariah enforcement militias as well,” he added.

Weak reasons to demand Najib’s head

Zaid, a former Umno member, said Mahathir’s supporters have offered a reasoning that is “weak, even contrived at best” for Najib to step down.

“They say Najib has failed because the prices of goods and services have gone up, but we can expect this to happen when subsidies are cut. And subsidies have to be cut to reduce the deficit in the country’s accounts, which in turn has come from the government spending more than it received in revenue. This is a cumulative effect of many years of unsound economic management, and Najib is not solely to blame for this.

“The former prime minister’s fan club members also point to the more than 50,000 unemployed graduates in Malaysia as proof of Najib’s failure, but we have had this many (or more) unemployed or unemployable graduates since 1995.

“This is thanks to our insistence on wanting more Malays in the universities, regardless of the circumstances. We have given our schoolchildren innumerable As to please parents, but these students had to end up in universities somewhere. Umno likes to build universities all over the country and they can’t be left vacant. This is not Najib’s fault either,” he added.

Zaid also pointed out that Dr M’s supporters also castigate Najib for traveling in private jets.

However, he said this penchant for luxury living has been the lifestyle of all Malaysian prime ministers, except for the first three.

“Since then our PMs have all lived in style, going on holidays in private jets and sailing the high seas in their yachts (which they always claimed to belong to their friends). Najib is just following the trend, even if he has perhaps taken the matter of style a notch or two up. Still, it’s not sufficient grounds to remove him,” he added.

Zaid also dismissed the demand from this group for Najib to change as unrealistic and meaningless.

Zaid also dismissed the demand from this group for Najib to change as unrealistic and meaningless.

“What change can Najib possibly try to implement without upsetting Umno? Would Umno be happy if Najib were to remove the tolls, scrap APs and reduce cars prices? The same people asking for Najib’s removal would cry blue murder, and they would still demand his removal, this time for betraying the Malay race.

"Would they be happy if he woke up one morning and declared that the rule of law will be the order of the day? That the Official Secrets Act will be removed (except for matters of military and police intelligence)? That the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission will have the power to prosecute the corrupt without needing to get the blessing of the attorney-general? These same critics would not be happy," he added.

Zaid also denied that Najib's continued presence at the helm would put BN at risk of losing the next general election.

“This is again a remote possibility. BR1M3 is coming soon and Najib will be sure to have more of that before the next GE. His popularity will be restored.

"The wisdom of the saying ‘Melayu mudah lupa’ (The Malays forget easily) is not lost on our PM. Furthermore, the delineation exercise will somehow protect the present majority in Parliament and Najib will again win at the polls," he added.

Playing with fire to spark riots with Allah banners

 

Churches and Penang Umno have lodged reports over this provocative banner found 

outside several churches in Penang. - Pic courtesy Anil Netto, January 27, 2014.

(TMI) Christians went for Sunday mass in Penang yesterday and found banners which read "Allah is Great, Jesus is the son of Allah" outside several churches, at a time when the mercury is rising over the use of the word "Allah" by non-Muslims.

In short, this was a most clumsy but dangerous attempt to spark riots between the majority Muslims and minority Christians in Malaysia.

Would any church display such banners openly when Islamic enforcement officers have seized Malay-language bibles containing the word Allah?

Yet, some people tried their luck at this in Penang over the weekend. No one knows who did it but it bears resemblance to orchestrated arson attacks on churches and the so-called reprisals against mosques in 2010.

But why are individuals and groups so brazenly lighting the fuse of religious and racial hatred?

Simple. Because they know that Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak is so weak and indecisive that he will stay silent on the sidelines.

Because they know that the police rarely, if ever, acts against individuals or groups aligned to the ruling coalition.

Remember the slap on the wrist for those arrested over the cow-head incident in Shah Alam in 2009? All they got was a paltry fine and a week in jail.

What do these groups expect to incite with their latest stunt? Angry Muslims and defensive Christians at war with each other over the banners? The Christians have been told not to react and leave it to the police.

Both Christians and Penang Umno have lodged reports, and now the police will have to investigate this stunt which makes all sides harden their stand on the word "Allah".

Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng rightly said yesterday that the banners were intended to increase tensions between Muslims and Christians, which spiked after the 2009 High Court ruling that allowed Catholic weekly Herald to use the word Allah in its Bahasa Malaysia section.

What happens now is up to the authorities and community leaders.

They have to take action and stop such people from causing more trouble in a country where people actually live in peace and harmony, if not for some who want Muslims and Christians to go to war for their own reasons.

It will be a sad day in Malaysia if we allow such people to continue committing such malicious and dangerous acts like what happened in Penang yesterday. - January 27, 2014.

Call for an emergency Parliament during Chinese New Year period to address the “kangkung” crisis faced by the Prime Minister and the country, including attempts to incite racial and religious hatred to create another May 13

I call for an emergency meeting of Parliament during the Chinese New Year period to address the “kangkung” crisis faced by the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak and the country, including blatant attempts by irresponsible and reckless elements to escalate the incitement of racial and religious hatred, conflict and tension to create the conditions for another May 13 racial riots in the country.

The throwing of two Molotov cocktails into the compound of the Church of the Assumption in Lebuh Farquhar, Penang, early this morning and the putting up of the provocative banner “Jesus is the son of Allah” without the knowledge of church authorities outside three churches in Penang yesterday by irresponsible and reckless elements out to escalate the incitement of racial and religious hatred, conflict and tension are the latest evidence of the existence of a treacherous conspiracy by a small group of traitors out to destabilize the country and cause a racial or religious conflagration.

The Inspector-General of Police, Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar could resort to the fairy tale that there was a conspiracy to topple the elected government on New Year’s Eve at Dataran Merdeka although there was no basis for such a wild allegation as there was only a peaceful gathering to protest price hikes.

Why is the IGP completely silent about the numerous attempts by reckless and irresponsible elements who are acting no different as traitors in the past few months out systematically to incite racial and religious hatred, conflict and tension to create another May 13 in the country?

Is the IGP sleeping on his job? It is time that the IGP wake up and carry out his duty to the nation and the people to protect them from traitors who are prepared to incite racial and religious hatred, conflict and tension to create another May 13 in the country.

Former Prime Minister Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad said today that racial tensions are rising under a weak BN.

He is both right and wrong – right that the Barisan Nasional is weak and that is why the “kangkung” hullabaloo could resonate throughout the country and even become international news because of a rudderless, clueless and leaderless administration.

Wrong because a rudderless government is not caused by attempts by the Chinese to establish political and economic dominance over the Malays as repeatedly alleged by Mahathir.

In fact, if there is any single person who is responsible for the present state of affairs in Malaysia, it is Mahathir himself, who started even before the May 5 general elections last year to incite racial and religious hatred, conflict and tensions by for example alleging that I was contesting in Gelang Patah for the Chinese to confront the Malays and to destroy the power-sharing of Malays and Chinese in Malaysia – which were a sheer pack of lies.

The first step for Malaysia to restore normalcy is for irresponsible elements like Mahathir to stop their irresponsible inciting of racial and religious hatred, conflict and tension through lies and falsehoods.

I call for an emergency Parliament during Chinese New Year period to address the “kangkung” crisis faced by the Prime Minister and the country, including attempts to incite racial and religious hatred to create another May 13.

In 2008, former Prime Minister Tun Abdullah dissolved Parliament to hold the 12th general elections during the Chinese New Year period. If Parliament could be dissolved during the Chinese New Year period for a general elections to be held, there can be reason why an emergency meeting of Parliament cannot be held during the Chinese New Year period when the so many national issues are so imperative, urgent and pressing.

[Lim Kit Siang media Conference Statement after a Chinese New Year visit to Tangkak together with Johore DAP State Assemblymen Ee Chin Lee (Tangkak), Tan Hong Pin (Mengkibol) and Lim Eng Guan (Bekok) in Tangkak on Sunday, 26th January 2014 at 3 pm]

Shariah police conflicts with Constitution, experts warn

The Malaysian Insider 
by MD IZWAN

Putrajaya's proposal for a Shariah police force is in conflict with the Federal Constitution as Islam is a state matter and there would be authority issues with the national police force, say constitutional experts.

Lawyer Syahredzan Johan stressed that religious authorities and the police are two separate enforcement agencies in Malaysia.

"Both these bodies have different tasks and responsibilities. If combined, it is bound to create an issue because of their fields of authority," he told The Malaysian Insider.

 

Syahredzan said religious agencies were under their respective states while the police were answerable to Putrajaya.

"The formation of the Shariah police unit cannot come to be because the Federal Constitution is clear on the division of authority between the state and Federal government."

He said if the Shariah police unit is set up, the government is clearly overstepping their authority and overriding the Federal Constitution.

Syahredzan noted that another potential problem was whether the police officers seconded to the religious authorities would come under the ambit of the state or federal law.

"This is because both the state and federal governments have different sets of rules," Syahredzan said.

He questioned the authority and powers which to be vested in the police's Shariah unit, wondering how the police could have authority in Islamic issues.

On Saturday, Malaysian Islamic Development Department (Jakim) director-general Datuk Othman Mustafa said the setting up of the police Shariah unit would be finalised soon.

He said the Department of Islamic Development Malaysia (Jakim), the Home Ministry and police would be meeting soon to discuss the matter.

Constitutional expert Dr Abdul Aziz Bari criticised Putrajaya's decision to set up the unit, saying the police were supposed to uphold internal security and public order.

"I do not think that religion falls within the realm of the police. How is the Shariah police unit supposed to be included in the Police Act?"

"The police should just concentrate on upholding public order and enforcing the law," Abdul Aziz told The Malaysian Insider.

He said the proposal to set up such a unit was an attempt to increase the burden and pressure of the police force.

"They have not even properly executed their primary responsibilities and already have a lot of work. Do they need more on their plate?"

Abdul Aziz said there was no need to look for additional tasks when the present chores had not been completed.

Syahredzan meanwhile questioned the legality of setting up the police Shariah unit as it had never been mentioned in Parliament.

"How can the Federal government just make a snap decision without at least discussing the matter in Parliament?"

He expressed concern that this was Putrajaya's snap reaction to tackle the Shia issue and human rights coalition Comango, or Coalition of Malaysian NGOs in the UPR Process

Umno leaders have labeled both as potential threats to the sanctity of Islam in Malaysia.

Meanwhile, legal expert Associate Professor Dr Azmi Sharom said the formation of a police Shariah unit was not certain yet as many issues had yet to be resolved.

"We have to ask ourselves, do we need or want a moral police unit?" he told The Malaysian Insider. - January 27, 2014.

Najib Wants Action Against Provocative Acts Threatening Racial, Religious Harmony

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 27 (Bernama) -- Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak wants the authorities to take action to prevent provocative acts like the hanging of offending banners in Penang over the "Allah" issue, which could sour race and religious relations in the country.

The prime minister said the government always prioritised unity and harmony and would do whatever it could to preserve this situation through law enforcement.

However, he reminded that whatever action taken should be based on the rule of law.

"I hope there won't be any undesirable reaction to the (offending banner) incident as it can worsen the situation.

"Let the relevant authorities take further action. In times like this, we should be calm and not act irrationally as this can be detrimental to the country," he said after launching the book, 'Maps of Malaya and Borneo: Discovery, Statehood and Progress', here, Monday.

Najib was commenting on the hanging of provocative banners in front of churches in a number of locations in Penang over the "Allah" issue, which has aroused religious sentiments and caused uneasiness among the state's multiracial community.

Asked whether the authorities had not acted strictly enough, he said: "Let them investigate and take action accordingly, as we don't know who were responsible for the provocative act.

"We can guess but it may be off-target. That is why I hope all quarters will remain calm and not react rashly in this matter."

Let’s talk, says Anwar as he again offers to meet with Barisan over racial and religious issues

Anwar has urged Barisan Nasional to work together with Pakatan Rakyat to ease the racial and religious tension in the country. – The Malaysian Insider pic by Najjua Zulkefli, January 26, 2014.
Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has once again reiterated his call for a dialogue with Barisan Nasional to address raging racial and religious issues, three days after making the same overture to the ruling coalition.

The opposition leader is moved to extend the olive branch again after many Malaysians expressed concern over increased tension in the country resulting from several racial and religious issues lately.

In calling for a national consensus, the former finance minister said leaders from both sides of the political divide must put aside all partisan concerns and show real leadership in easing the tension and working towards ameliorating the situation.

"Indeed, the time has come for us to reach a national consensus on these crucial issues that impact the sub-stratum of our identity as a nation.

"I call on you, my fellow Malaysians to rise and let your voices be heard. Let your voice of mutual respect and goodwill, your voice of understanding and trust, and your voice of unity and integration prevail over these voices of hatred, rancour, hostility and destruction," he said in his special address to all Malaysians in Petaling Jaya today.

In describing his address as a message "conceived in love for the nation and not in hate against anyone", Anwar lamented that the situation is no longer "tenable" as in the last few months, a series of circumstances and developments are fast eroding the cohesiveness that is crucial to the Malaysian identity.

"We must turn the corner from the path of increasing polarisation to the path of greater integration. We must stop the race baiting, put an end to this disease of incitement to religious intolerance and hatred, and join our hands in unity and togetherness," he said.

He said it is morally incumbent on leaders, to go beyond partisan lines and come to a national consensus - which can also include issues like the country's economy, corruption and rising cost of living - on how to move the nation forward.

In the run-up to 2014, tensions flared again over the use of the Arabic word Allah by non-Muslims, with Muslim groups insisting the word is exclusive to Islam.

It culminated in the Selangor Islamic Religious Department’s (Jais) raid of the Bible Society of Malaysia (BSM) office in Petaling Jaya on January 2, and seizure of more than 300 copies of Bibles in Malay and Iban language. Two BSM officials were detained and their statements recorded.

Although international Islamic scholars have clarified that the term is not exclusive to Islam, state Islamic authorities in Malaysia have reacted negatively to reports of churches using the word Allah in services and literature catering to the Bahasa Malaysia-speaking Christian community.

However, critics have claimed that the entire controversy was an attempt to deflect attention from the country’s economic problems such as the rising cost of living due to price hikes and subsidy cuts. – January 26, 2014.