Najib, Pak Lah and Mahathir also named in banknote graft case injunction, says WikiLeaks

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, his two predecessors and several former ministers have been named in the gag order obtained by the Australian government that censors the media there from reporting about a multi-million dollar corruption case involving Malaysia, Indonesia and Vietnam, whistleblower website WikiLeaks revealed today.

The case involves the Reserve Bank of Australia's subsidiary companies Securency and Note Printing Australia.

Employees from both companies are alleged to have bribed foreign officials in Malaysia, Indonesia and Vietnam from 1999 to 2004 to win banknote printing contracts.

Besides Najib, Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad and former finance minister Tun Daim Zainuddin were among prominent Malaysian politicians named in the injunction.

Also named were former international trade and industry minister Tan Sri Rafidah Aziz and former foreign affairs minister Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar.

It also included a sister–in-law of Abdullah, who is identified only as Noni in the injunction.

WikiLeaks had managed to obtain a copy of the super injunction order, which had been granted to prevent damage to Australia's international relations.

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange said the orders had been made on the grounds that it was necessary to prevent prejudice to the interests of the Commonwealth in relation to national security.

"The orders were deemed necessary to prevent a real and substantial risk of prejudice to the proper administration of justice that cannot be prevented by other reasonably available means."

Assange had criticised the Australian government for obtaining the super injunction, accusing them of gagging and blindfolding the Australian public.

"This is not simply a question of the Australian government failing to give this international corruption case the public scrutiny it is due," Assange said.

"Foreign Minister Julie Bishop must explain why she is threatening every Australian with imprisonment in an attempt to cover up an embarrassing corruption scandal involving the government."

The bribery allegations first surfaced in 2009, which at the time prompted Australian Federal Police and the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) to begin separate probes.

In 2010, the MACC detained three individuals linked to the supply of RM5 polymer notes following a report that Securency had offered bribes to officials in Malaysia.

All three, including a businessman, were charged with taking RM11.3 million to secure the contract from Bank Negara Malaysia and to ensure that the government of Malaysia opted for the polymer notes.

Abdullah, who is popularly known as Pak Lah, had in 2011, denied allegations that the two Australian firms attempted to bribe him for a RM100 million Malaysian currency contract during his tenure as prime minister.

The attempt is believed to be related to the deal to supply the RM5 polymer notes that began circulating in 2004.

http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/najib-pak-lah-and-mahathir-also-named-in-banknote-graft-case-injunction-say#sthash.t2CwFBPG.dpuf

Ustaz apologises for making disparaging remarks

An Ustaz has apologised to Hindus for making disparaging remarks about Hindu deities.

GEORGE TOWN: A video showing a Muslim cleric insulting Hinduism and Ganesha (the Elephant God) while calling on Muslims to boycott the popular Alagappa brand curry powder, has caused a stir among Hindus nationwide.

Many Penang-based Hindu groups, including MIC, PPP, the Malaysia Hindu Youth Council and the Malaysia Hindu Sangam have lodged reports against Ustaz Shahrul Hamid.

The video went viral on social media and micro-blogging sites on Monday.

The Hindu groups have urged authorities to take firm and stern action against Shahrul.

A demonstration, led by MIC national youth chief C. Sivarajah, was held in Brickfields, Kuala Lumpur today and police reports, lodged.

However, apparently another video recording has gone viral since late yesterday showing Shahrul apologising to Malaysians, especially the Indian community, for his offensive remarks, if any.

Shahrul claimed that the video showing him insulting Hinduism and making his boycott call on Alagappa curry powder was uploaded without his knowledge or permission by certain unknown quarters with bad intentions.

The forum, said Shahrul, was all about “halal and haram” in Muslim life.

“In the course of my speech, I may have spoken certain words that could be construed as an insult to the Indian community.

“I apologise for any offensive remarks that might have insulted and hurt the Indians or others.

“I can assure that it would never happen again,” said Shahrul.

Alagappa curry powder products are manufactured by a company based in Bukit Mertajam.

Don’t sacrifice quality

At the end of the day, nothing beats the maxim – quality is better than quantity. What’s the use of having all those PhD holders if half of them cannot string two sentences without five mistakes?

R. Nadeswaran, The Sun Daily

UNTIL 1968, those in Form Five in government secondary schools in Klang had to sit for the Form Six Entrance Examinations if they had wanted to further their studies. Each year, a handful of students from the five secondary schools in Klang would get places in five secondary schools in Kuala Lumpur.

“Those are the studious ones,” we would remark of the qualifiers. The majority of us went to work after leaving school and only went to university late in life, or took up part-time courses or never at all.

In 1968, the Education Ministry announced the setting up of Form Six in Klang High School and it welcomed students from other secondary schools in the area and became a co-ed school about 40 years after its founding. One from the pioneer batch of students is Court of Appeal judge, Datuk Varghese George.

A good result in the Higher School Certificate examinations was a pre-requisite for tertiary education. These days, there are Form Six classes in most secondary schools but entry into universities no longer required students to have good grades in the Sijil Tinggi Pelajaran Malaysia examinations.

With four credits at Form Five level, any college, university college or university would welcome you with open arms as education has turned into a big money spinner for entrepreneurs.

Every year, thousands of “graduates” are churned out by these educational outfits and very regularly, we hear of graduates who have not found jobs after graduation. They fall into two categories – unemployed and unemployable.

In the case of the unemployed, they may have done courses in areas for which there is scarce demand or in disciplines where supply has outstripped demand.

In the case of unemployable ones whom I have come across, is a case of having a piece of paper as a qualification but with no substance.

They have no communications skills and are unable to relate their course work to the job requirements. To the interviewer, they appear to have “passed by memorising” rather than having applied what they learnt at lectures.

In the past, I have been given copies of answer scripts where students’ answers showed they had no clue as to the questions. Besides, the spelling and grammar were horrendous, to put it mildly.

Against this backdrop, the government’s plans came as a shock. In a letter published in this newspaper two weeks ago, the Education Ministry wrote: “In an attempt to increase the national competency and capacity for higher level research and innovation, the National Higher Education Strategic Plan has initiated a High Impact Agenda; namely, MyBrain15. This programme has been developed to enhance research, development and innovation by increasing the number of highly knowledgeable human capital with world class researchers and doctorate holders within 15 years.

“The government wishes to create a pool of brilliant human resources among Malaysians and aims to have 60,000 PhD holders by 2023. MyBrain15 will embark on coordinated efforts in human capital development with a common goal of enhancing national competitiveness, innovation system and wealth creation.”

It is not my intention to pour cold water on such ambitious plans but we need to bear in mind that we have to sieve and filter the applications so that only the best are chosen. If those magic numbers have to be reached, look no further than the degree mills which have grown around the world.

I have nothing against late bloomers or those who choose to further their education later in life. But we often come across some which stick out like a sore thumb.

READ MORE HERE

Wan Azizah: It is my duty to take over as Selangor MB

(The Star) – PKR president Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail says it is her duty and responsibility to assume the role of Selangor Mentri Besar as the party had already made its decision on the matter.

“All the positions I hold are a responsibility.

“Even without a position, it is a service to the people,” she said Wednesday after a prayer ceremony at the Permatang Nibong mosque here.

On claims that as MB, she would be a mere “puppet” of her husband Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, Dr Wan Azizah said: “Well, he was in jail when I was elected (party) president.

“They can criticise whatever they want, but we have a team and teamwork is what we emphasise on,” she said.

The PKR supreme council endorsed Dr Wan Azizah for the role of Selangor MB, last Monday.

On Wednesday, the party’s decision to replace Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim was agreed to in principle by PKR’s Pakatan Rakyat partners DAP and PAS.

On Friday, however, PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang defended Khalid, saying he wanted the latter to remain in office.

He was reported as saying that a majority of PAS grassroots agreed that Khalid should stay on, judging from his track record in helming the state.

In an immediate reaction, PAS deputy president Mohamad Sabu said that Hadi’s statement was merely a personal opinion and not the party’s official stand.

PAS spiritual leader Datuk Niz Abdul Aziz Nik Mat has also supported Hadi’s view, saying that Khalid has not done anything wrong.

Crisis for Anwar’s Coalition

Internal squabbling could splinter Malaysian opposition

By Asia Sentinel

Malaysia’s unwieldy Pakatan Rakyat opposition coalition, born in 2008 and led by Anwar Ibrahim, looks to be in the biggest crisis of its existence and could come apart, costing it the leadership of Selangor, the country’s richest state, potentially costing Malaysia its only alternative to the scandal-ridden Barisan Nasional led by the United Malays National Organization, whose popularity with voters continues to flag.

The issue that may undo the coalition is an internecine squabble over who should be the chief minister of Selangor. It could force a snap state election that could result in victory for the Barisan Nasional, the ruling national coalition, according to the head of a Kuala Lumpur-based think tank.

Others are less pessimistic. A Malay businessman said he thought the parties eventually would sort out the issue, and that UMNO is more concerned about a Selangor snap election than the Pakatan coalition because they fear they would still lose.

Anwar, in an interview with the popular website Malaysian Insider, expressed optimism that the coalition could stay together, with the leadership of the three-party coalition looking at larger interests. "We have already endured so long with principles like tolerance," he said. "I do not see it as a breakup."

It is true that the coalition survived a long string of crises to prosper in the 2013 general election despite the disparate nature of the three parties that make it up. But, say several sources in Kuala Lumpur, Anwar is preoccupied over concern that he might be jailed as the result of a guilty verdict rushed through an appellate court in March, reversing a 2012 not-guilty verdict in a high court in a case that has since become known as Sodomy II, in which he was accused of having forced sex with a male aide. Anwar spent six years in a Malaysian prison from 1998 to 2004 on similar charges that were widely considered to be trumped up by former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad and UMNO officials to keep him from heading the opposition.

Critics say the appellate decision, in Malaysia’s malleable court system, was designed to keep him from running in a by-election to give him the right to become chief minister of Selangor, and giving him a platform to take on the prime minister. Friends say Anwar is depressed and believes that before the end of the year he may well be put back in prison. That, they say, has affected his ability to keep his fractious coalition together.

The coalition is composed of Anwar’s Parti Keadilan Rakyat, made up mostly of urban, moderate ethnic Malays; Parti Islam se-Malaysia, a fundamentalist Malay Muslim party with its roots in rural Malaysia; and the Democratic Action Party, made up primarily of ethnic Chinese. It came together in the immediate wake of the 2008 general election, in which the three parties gained control of five state assemblies and made significant gains at the federal level, denying the national ruling coalition a two-thirds majority in the Dewan Rakyat, or parliament.

The coalition hit its high point in the 13th general election in May 2013, winning an absolute majority in the parliament with 50.87 percent of the votes cast to 46.38 percent for the Barisan. However, gerrymandering and the first-past-the-post electoral system gave the Barisan 133 seats compared to 89 for the opposition. That is increasingly looking like the crest, perhaps for good, especially if Anwar, who is now 66, goes to jail.

The strains between three such dissimilar parties have made for disruptive politics for the six years of its existence. But now the coalition could come apart altogether over what appears to be a parochial matter – the leadership of Selangor by the Parti Keadilan chief minister, Khalid Ibrahim, whom Anwar decided to replace in March, allegedly for lack of leadership. Anwar engineered the resignation of the seat-holder, Lee Chin Cheh, in a Kuala Lumpur suburb to create a vacancy that he hoped to fill via a by-election.

However, Anwar’s plans were blocked when the appellate court rushed through the guilty verdict. The verdict, now on appeal to the country’s Federal Court, disqualified him from running for the seat as a convicted felon. His wife, Wan Aziza Wan Ismail, ran instead and won. The plan was to install her as chief minister.

It didn’t work. Khalid Ibrahim found an unlikely ally in PAS president in PAS leader Abdul Hadi Awang, who would ultimately like to make an ally, Parti Keadilan vice president Azmin Ali, the chief minister. While Azmin is a member of Anwar’s own party, the two are rivals. The DAP backs Anwar. In order to decide who gets the job, it might require a state snap election, which, according to sources in Kuala Lumpur, the national ruling coalition might be able to take the state back.

While the issue of the chief ministership is the focal point, virtually since the coalition came together there have been understandable strains. Neither the moderate urban Malays nor the Chinese in the DAP wants anything to do with PAS’s continuing efforts to push through hudud for the state of Kelantan, which it controls. Hudud is a medieval system of punishment under Islamic religious law that would include the amputation of limbs for minor crimes and stoning for adultery. The other two parties fear that passage in Kelantan could be contagious, with other Malay-majority states adopting the system. And, they fear, if those states adopt hudud, it wouldn’t be long before it is applied to non-Malays.

UMNO has played skilfully on the divisions between the parties, particularly over the hudud issue. Although it would be unheard of for an opposition party to be allowed to introduce a private member’s bill in the parliament, The issue was quickly steered to a committee for study. But the question comes down to whether the fear of a resurgence of the Barisan and UMNO is enough to keep the warring elements together to solve the problem.

Tampered MH17 site not likely to yield new clues, experts say

KUALA LUMPUR, July 29 — After over 12 days of exposure to looters, amateur searchers, and now debris from nearby battles, experts on the ground believe that evidence from MH17’s crash site in eastern Ukraine may be too contaminated to be of much use to investigators.

According to CNN, one frustrated official labelled the site “one of the biggest open crime scenes in the world” after a team of Dutch and Australian investigators were forced to turn back yesterday due to nearby clashes between Ukrainian forces and Russia-backed separatists.

The 45-member team, which was accompanied by officials from the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), were left frustrated by the fighting which, according to reports from wire agencies, may have destroyed parts of the site where the aircraft’s remains still lie.

AFP reported Vladimir Antyufeev, the self-styled deputy chief of the “Donetsk People’s Republic” as saying that the Ukrainian army has now “taken over part of the crash site”.

The situation on the ground now “is very complicated, it is not a secret”, the rebel leader added, AFP added.

OSCE spokesman Michael Bociurkiw told CNN that on-site experts are growing “sick and tired” of being delayed.

“We all know there are still human remains out there exposed to the elements, number one.

“Secondly, it is one of the biggest open crime scenes in the world as we speak, and it is not secured. There’s no security perimetre around the 30— or 35-square-kilometre site,” he was quoted saying on the news channel’s website.

The Dutch and Australian team was forced to turn back yesterday despite a weekend agreement between Malaysia and the rebels at the crash site which sought to secure the area and protect investigators by allowing entry to police personnel.

But a senior air-safety official said the wreckage may now be “long past contamination”, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported today, and investigators may have to rely on a broader range of evidence to determine how the aircraft came down.

Among others, investigators could examine satellite imagery and the flight’s radar tracks, apart from information gleaned from the plane’s black boxes.

According to WSJ, Dutch authorities believe they can find out what happened to the plane and who should be held responsible for the crash.

“They also have talked about the likelihood of conducting some type of criminal investigation to punish the guilty,” the international newspaper reported.

But, the paper noted, air-safety experts have maintained that recovering the plane’s fuselage could provide an important insight to the crash prove, through metallurgical and chemical analyses.

Without guaranteed security for crash investigators, however, the process of retrieving parts of the fuselage may be near impossible.

On CNN, Bociurkiw said the team will attempt again to access the site today.

“We will keep trying every day,” he said.

A broadcast channel reported that its media team had been part of yesterday’s convoy into the site but had to turn back on orders from armed men near Shakhtorsk. They were followed shortly after by a group of forensic experts.

Malaysia Airlines (MAS) Flight MH17, a commercial jetliner ferrying 298 civilians from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, crashed in Donetsk, eastern Ukraine, on July 17.

Western governments and Ukraine have insisted that the Boeing 777 aircraft had been shot down by a Buk missile system operated by the Russia-backed rebels controlling Donetsk. The rebels, however, have accused Ukrainian forces for shooting down the Malaysian plane.

Najib To Meet With Dutch PM Over MH17 Crash

From Mohd Razman Abdullah

AMSTERDAM, July 30 (Bernama) -- Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak is scheduled to meet his Dutch counterpart Mark Rutte in The Hague over the Malaysia Airlines (MAS) Flight MH17 crash in Ukraine when he arrives Thursday for a two-day working visit to the Netherlands.

Najib is scheduled to arrive at 8 am (2 pm in Malaysia), accompanied by his wife Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor, Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr S. Subramaniam and Deputy Foreign Minister Datuk Hamzah Zainuddin.

Malaysian Ambassador to the Netherlands Datuk Dr Fauziah Mohamad Taib said Najib's visit was primarily aimed at getting an update on the identification of the victims of the disaster and the repatriation of the remains.

She told Malaysian journalists here that Najib would have discussions with Rutte from 11.15 am (5.15 pm in Malaysia) and then leave for Hilversum where the remains of the victims were undergoing identification and forensic process.

The MAS flight, MH17, was flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur when it went down in Donetsk, eastern Ukraine, near the Russian border on July 17.

The Boeing 777-200 aircraft, which was carrying 298 people - 283 passengers and 15 crew, is believed to have been shot down, but until today no one has claimed responsibility.

The remains of the victims were flown from Ukraine to the Netherlands. Dutch nationals, at 193, comprised the largest number of passengers on Flight MH17.

Dr Fauziah said Najib would host a dinner Thursday and a media conference at 8 am (2 pm in Malaysia) the next day.

She said this was Najib's first working visit to the Netherlands. Previous Malaysian leaders who visited the Netherlands were former Prime Minister Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, in 2005, and Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, in 1986, she added.

Dr Fauziah said Malaysia was the Netherlands' largest trading and investment partner among Southeast Asian countries.

US report: Religious intolerance rising in M'sia - Malaysiakini

 

The United States has expressed concern over growing religious intolerance in Malaysia as Islamic sects are being persecuted in public and in secret, along with abstruse laws aimed at blocking those wishing to leave Islam.

In the recently released ‘International Religious Freedom Report 2013’ the US noted that observers continued to express concern that "the secular civil and criminal court system had ceded jurisdictional control to syariah courts, particularly in areas of family law involving disputes between Muslims and non-Muslims."

The report also raised alarm that the Department of Islamic Development (Jakim), under the prime minister's purview, now had full power to determine what was proper Islamic teaching and hammer away at those who did not agree.

"The government reportedly has a secret list of “sects” banned as “deviant” interpretations of Islam which included over 50 groups," the report, submitted to the US congress, said.

It notes that among those publicly banned were Shia, Ahmadiyah and Al Arqam believers.

"Members of banned groups may not speak freely about their religious beliefs. The government may detain Muslims who deviate from accepted Sunni principles and subject them to mandatory “rehabilitation” in centers that teach and enforce government-approved Islamic practices," the report noted.

The report singled out Prime Minister’s Department minister Jamil Khir Baharom (left), Home Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and Kedah Chief Minister Mukhriz Mahathir as among government leaders who publicly backed and carried out the government's policy to weed out Shia and Al Arqam followers in the country.

It added that these forced "rehabilitation programmes" could last up to six months.

One-way street

The US also expressed concern that Islam was a one-way street in Malaysia.

"The law strictly forbids proselytising of Muslims by non-Muslims, but allows and supports Muslims proselytising others.

"Neither the right to leave Islam nor the legal process of conversion is clearly defined in law," it said.

This has led to the Syariah court having an bigger say on child custody issues when parents of mixed-faith divorce.

The US report noted that the case of M. Indira Gandhi, dating from 2009, remains unresolved. In
another case, Siti Hasnah Vangarama Abdullah (right) faced much difficulty in getting the courts to hear her case, challenging the validity of her conversion to Islam when she was seven years old.

"At year’s end, the police had taken no action to return the youngest child to Gandhi, and the case was ongoing," the report stated.

"Religious NGOs contended that syariah courts did not give equal weight to the testimony of women.

Several NGOs dedicated to the advancement of women’s rights continued to state that women did not receive fair treatment from syariah courts, primarily in matters of divorce, child custody, and enforcement of alimony payments," it said.

The report also noted that there were stringent laws restricting the use of certain words exclusively to Muslims, including the controversial court case over use of "Allah" by Catholic publication, the Herald.

Other restricted words included ‘baitullah’ (house of God), ‘Kaabah’ (location toward which Muslims pray) and ‘salat’ (prayer).

Meanwhile, under a section on "Status of Societal Respect for Religious Freedom" the US report singled out Malay rights NGO Perkasa's Ibrahim Ali as an unpunished violator.

"In January, Ibrahim Ali (right), president of the Muslim NGO Perkasa, called for bibles to be
burnt..."

"In response to his statement, lawyers and human rights activists called for action to be taken against IbrahimAli for inciting religious disharmony, hatred, disunity, and discomfort, which is punishable by law. The Attorney General’s Chambers noted that they would only take action against Ibrahim Ali if the bibles were actually burnt," the report said.

Other incidences

Other incidences of religious bigotry in Malaysia cited in the 13-page report included:

• The use of Registrar of Societies (under Home Ministry) to arbitrarily determine whether a religious group may be registered and thereby qualify for government grants and other benefits. It noted that Jehovah’s Witnesses and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons) were registered businesses in Malaysia.
• State laws in in Kelantan and Terengganu making apostasy, defined as conversion from Islam to another faith, a capital offense. However it notes this law has yet to be implemented.
• Islamic religious instruction is compulsory for Muslim children in public schools; non-Muslim students are required to take nonreligious morals and ethics courses. Local churches and temple groups unsuccessfully urged the government to include the option for non-Muslim religion classes to be held during the school day.
• State governments have exclusive authority over allocation of land for, and the construction of, all places of worship, as well as land allocation for all cemeteries.
• On October 24, the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission questioned two radio producers after they conducted an interview with American religious scholar Dr. Reza Aslan, who criticized the Malaysian government over the ban of the use of word “Allah” by non-Muslims.
• In August the Sultan of Johor, the highest Islamic authority in the state, called for a Muslim prayer hall at a privately-owned resort to be demolished after a group of Buddhists used the hall for religious meditation.
• According to the Malaysian Consultative Council of Buddhists, Christians, Hindus, Sikhs, and Taoists (MCCBCHST), the government continued its practice of restricting visas for foreign Muslim and non-Muslim clergy under the age of 40 as a means of preventing “militant clergy” from entering the country.
• The government continued to require, but did not strictly enforce, all Muslim civil servants to attend approved religion classes, and several government agencies pressured non-Muslim women to wear headscarves while attending official functions.
• Kelantan's restrictive laws prohibiting traditional performances such as Mak Yong and Wayang Kulit and overzealous enforcement on conservative women dressing codes and crackdown on hair salon publicity posters which displayed hair.

Positive note

The report ended with a positive note: "Unlike previous years, there were no reports of public anti-Semitic statements made by government representatives." -

Released on July 28 to mark International Religious Freedom Day, US secretary John Kerry (left) stressed that “nations that protect this fundamental freedom will have the partnership of the United States and the abiding commitment of the American people as we seek to advance freedom of religion worldwide.”

Kerry also announced the following countries as Countries of Particular Concern (CPC): Burma, China, Eritrea, Iran, North Korea, Sudan, Saudi Arabia, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. Turkmenistan has been designated a CPC for the first time this year.

The reports, now in their 16th edition, are available on State.gov and HumanRights.gov.

Read the full report on Malaysia here.

Dr M, what about the 'monsters' back home?

COMMENT And so Dr Mahathir Mohamad is upset - perhaps this is too timid a description of his outburst. Perhaps it would be more apt to phrase it as him being in high dudgeon with the Jews over the bombardment of Gaza.

Such anti-Semitic frothing in the mouth is nothing new for the old chap.

Mahathir has always harboured a hard spot for the Jews and judging from his recent blog post, titled simply as "The Jews", the ill-feeling has not mellowed with age.

On the contrary, it seems to have ascended a notch or two on the scale of viciousness.

Over in Gaza, the never-ending tale of hostilities has unraveled once again, with both sides accusing each other of barbaric acts and having the blood of the innocent on their hands.

But when images of civilians, including children, perishing in the war surface, Mahathir's indignation is understandable.

However, to condemn all Jews for the actions of the Zionist regime is akin to blaming all Muslims for the violence permeated by terror networks like Al-Qaeda.

Post 9-11, numerous Muslim luminaries both in politics and the religion reminded the world not to equate the two in order to prevent a backlash on the innocent.

Similarly, many Jews around the world have taken to the streets to protest against the ongoing bedlam in Gaza, with one such protestor in New York brandishing a placard, which read: "New York Jews, Say Not In Our Name."

When a "learned" man like Mahathir refrains from making the distinction, firing his salvo on all Jews, would not the average man be consumed with blind hatred for all that is Jewish?

The former premier lashed out on how the holocaust had not taught the Jews the meaning of suffering and now took delight in massacring the Arabs.

He commented on their "imbued" superiority complex stemming from the belief that they are the "chosen ones" of God and therefore considered themselves above criticism.

He then blamed the United States and Europe for "creating this monster" vis-a-vis Israel.

What about monsters he helped create?

But what about the "monsters" he helped create, who seem to behave in a similar fashion to the "chosen ones" depicted in his anti-Jew tirade?

These "monsters" who choose to divide this nation along ethnic and religious lines, branding all efforts geared towards unity as being the work of the devil?

These individuals, politicians and groups like Perkasa, of which Mahathir is the patron, and Ikatan Muslimin Malaysia (Isma) operate on the same "superior" wavelength that empowers them to belittle and deride Malaysians of other races and faiths.

They bombard the "insignificant other" not with missiles but insults and do this without the slightest remorse and worse, believing that their deeds are justified, with their supporters heralding them as heroes.

And it must be pointed out that the "chosen ones" exist on both sides of the political divide.

Given the often repeated "threats, reminders and warnings" of a repeat of the racial bloodletting which rocked the nation more than four decades ago, it seems like the "chosen ones" here would not hesitate to emulate the "chosen ones" in Mahathir's diatribe and spill the blood of those whom they consider to be a danger to their divine status and birthright.

And with unscrupulous characters continuing to sow the seeds of division and hatred in impressionable minds, perhaps there may come a time in the not too distant future that there would be a pogrom "for fun" similar to what, according to Mahathir, the Zionist are executing.

Another strange and rather comical phenomenon that emerged under Mahathir's 22-year watch is a group - with significant numbers-  masquerading as the "chosen ones" and joining the bandwagon to lash out at others, including those from their own ethnic background.

For example, even Mahathir, who is speculated to have paternal relatives in India, questioned the granting of citizenship to Chinese and Indians.

And this comes from the man who envisioned Malaysia to be a developed nation in 2020, when a sizeable portion of its inhabitants, much to his own doing, still dwell in caves with regard to their mindset.

Skycrapers, bigots in designer suits and elephantine malls, make not a developed nation.

It requires an evolved state of mind that transcends the narrow peripheries, where respect is accorded to all regardless of color and creed.

It is a state where bigotry and bigots are shunned and not celebrated.

Ironically, the bridges are burning under Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak's nose, the man who rode into office on the 1Malaysia slogan, promising to bridge the gaps.

And to those who champion and desire for change, do not be disheartened by the voices of detractors. Do not allow them to extinguish the flame.

"Change does not roll in on the wheels of inevitability, but comes through continuous struggle. And so we must straighten our backs and work for our freedom. A man can't ride you unless your back is bent." -Martin Luther King, Jr.

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RK ANAND is a member of the Malaysiakini team.

Dishonourable of Khalid to cling on to MB post, say DAP leaders

Senior DAP leaders have voiced their concerns over Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim’s insistence on remaining in his post as Selangor menteri besar, saying it is inappropriate for him to stay on when he has lost the support of his own party, PKR, and its partners in Pakatan Rakyat.

The DAP leaders, who requested anonymity because they were not authorised to speak about this issue, said they were tired of Khalid's "authoritarian" leadership and his insistence on serving out his term in office, especially having known since March that he would be replaced.

"It is dishonourable of him to insist on staying despite losing the confidence of his party and the majority of the Pakatan pact," said a DAP leader with knowledge of Khalid's way of doing things.

Khalid, a former corporate captain, became MB six years ago when PKR and its allies scored a shock win over Barisan Nasional (BN) in the 2008 general election.

The DAP leader said the two-term MB's idiosyncrasies became obvious after his first term.

Efforts were made after last year’s general election to bring to Khalid's attention as well as secure his agreement on outstanding issues that needed to be resolved or improved in Malaysia's richest state, but Khalid blithely went about his own way, the leader said.

"Instead of things getting better, they became worse," said the leader.

"He is not a man of his word."

Another DAP leader said Khalid's insistence on staying despite broad opinions that he has to go was tantamount to disrespecting the views of his party.

It is also reflective of Khalid's leadership style of not taking into account the opinion of other Pakatan assemblymen as well as those from his party and from DAP and PAS.

"It is this kind of authoritarian style that makes us tired of him," said the leader.

Collectively, Pakatan’s three component parties control the majority in Selangor’s 56-seat assembly with 44 seats ― 15 each for DAP and PAS, and 14 for PKR.

Despite this, the leader said there was hardly any power-sharing among the three parties as Khalid preferred to do things unilaterally.

"A lot of times, we asked him to resolve certain issues but he refused to listen to us. How do you expect things to move?

"It all depends on his choices and preferences. That is why so many things are not moving in Selangor.

“How can one man resolve everything?"

Khalid’s dare to his allies to table a no-confidence vote against him with the real possibility of triggering a snap election in the state, showed his "real face" in wanting to hang on to power, said the leader.

"He is treating the MB’s position as his own. He has forgotten that it is the consensus of the three parties that agreed to his nomination as MB."

The leader added that they had tried to keep a lid on things and not criticise him openly until recent developments in the state showed that it was untenable for Khalid to remain.

These include his handling of issues, such as water rationing, the Selangor Islamic Religious Department's seizure of Malay and Iban Bibles as well as Khalid's push for the Kinrara-Damansara Expressway (Kidex), which had upset some Pakatan leaders as it went against the pact's election manifesto to abolish tolled highways.

PKR has endorsed Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail as potential MB candidate, completing its "Kajang move". This was agreed by top leaders in Pakatan's leadership council meeting last week.

However, the situation went into a tailspin when PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang openly supported Khalid remaining as menteri besar until the end of his term, a stand contrary to that of his party colleagues who attended the Pakatan meeting.

Hadi’s endorsement of Khalid, which was followed by his deputy president Mohamad Sabu's reply that Hadi was merely expressing his "personal view", might split the Ismalist party.

Influential PAS spiritual leader Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat also backed Hadi's support for Khalid.

The latest development caused PKR secretary-general Datuk Saifuddin Nasution Ismail to issue a statement that the party would stick to PR's decision that Khalid had to go and Dr Wan Azizah was the top choice for the post.

Netizens lash out at PAS over divisive Selangor MB issue

Netizens are angry with PAS over their resistance to removing Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim as Selangor menteri besar, with many calling for the Islamist party to leave Pakatan Rakyat.

Others hit out at the loosely-held coalition over the "mess" in Selangor, saying that PR was bound to lose Malaysia's richest state to Barisan Nasional if it did not resolve the matter soon.

"This may be a blessing in disguise – Purging Pakatan of those whose vision is too small and doesn't include Putrajaya, @MengoYee tweeted, referring to Islamic party PAS.

@kcwai said: "So, Hadi is willing to lose Sgor to BN in GE14 despite calls to remove Khalid as MB, just like how PAS lost Kedah?"

The user was referring to PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang who has publicly thrown his support behind Khalid and said he disagreed with replacing the latter.

"PAS needs to be split instead. Then the moderates can continue to ensure PR thrives. Enough of proUmno gang antics," said @kcwai.

Twitter user @oonyeoh concurred, saying: "Never mind, I'm prepared to see PAS return to its old days of being an opposition party that can win only Kelantan.

DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng had said earlier that the refusal of PAS to respect and adhere to views agreed together could lead to the break up of the coalition.

"If the decisions we have achieved together in the Pakatan highest leadership council is dismissed just like that by one party, the survival and credibility of Pakatan will continue to be undermined," he had said.

@lawofmalaysia warned that: "if this happens PAS will lose all non-Malay support in Selangor!"

"Its for Pakatan to lose rather than BN to win," said @SharaadKuttan.

Others hit out at the coalition saying that the support for Pakatan could dwindle following the differences in opinion within the parties.

"Paras air di empangan-empangan di Selangor mungkin sama rendah dengan paras sokongan rakyat Selangor kepada Pakatan. aku rasa la," said @norman__g. (the water level in Selangor dams is probably the same level as the support of the people of Selangor towards Pakatan, I feel).

@askaychan added: "The political game in Selangor for MB post amidst the tragedies of MH370, MH17 and Gaza is downright disgusting."

@ahmadridzalman also said" "100% agree..mmg padan muka kalau hilang kuasa disebabkan isu ini." (I agree 100%..it would serve them right if they lost their power because of this issue."

PKR initiated the "Kajang move" to replace Khalid with its de facto leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim after numerous complaints against the two-term MB for running the state unilaterally without consulting his party PKR as well as the national Pakatan leadership.

He had also been criticised for his handling of issues, such as water rationing, the Selangor Islamic Religious Department's seizure of Bahasa Malaysia and Iban-language Bibles and support for the Kinrara Damansara Expressway (Kidex), which upset some Pakatan leaders as it was seen as going against the pact's election manifesto to abolish tolled highways.

Anwar was supposed to run as the party's candidate in the Kajang by-election but the plan was scuttled after the Court of Appeal found him guilty of sodomising his former aide Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan.

His wife, PKR president Datuk Seri Wan Azizah Wan Ismail ran in Anwar’s place and won the state seat and has been endorsed by PKR as the candidate for the Selangor MB post and a consensus was reached at the PR leadership council meeting on Wednesday.

However, Khalid has remained adamant that he would not step down as MB, saying he would continue to hold the post until his term ended.

Hadi’s endorsement of Khalid, followed immediately by his deputy president Mohamad Sabu's reply that Hadi was merely expressing his "personal view", might split the Islamist party.

Influential PAS spiritual leader Datuk Nik Aziz Nik Mat also weighed in on the issue, backing Hadi's support for Khalid.

Leaked PAS message: Team up with Umno in S'gor

 

A leaked screenshot of a conversation on the instant messaging application WhatsApp has inadvertently revealed that PAS central committee leaders have been actively discussing possible scenarios of leaving Pakatan Rakyat.

In what is probably the biggest hint to date that the threat of Pakatan disintegrating is true, the screenshot circulated on Facebook showed central committee member Mohd Zuhdi Marzuki discussing teaming up with Umno.

Zuhdi, a lecturer, outlined a scenario on how PAS could defect from Pakatan and later form a simple majority government in the Selangor state assembly with the help of Umno, while keeping Khalid Ibrahim as Menteri Besar.

The conversation took place in a WhatsApp group involving all PAS central committee leaders.

PAS members who did not want to be named confirmed with Malaysiakini that the screenshot was authentic.

Later today Zuhdi in a Facebook posting did not deny the message, but instead denied that he was part of the group that has put forward the idea of leaving Pakatan.

"I was just outlining scenarios based on my imagination because I was asked to come up with a few scenarios.

"But I am not part of the group that has proposed to leave Pakatan. This is slander aimed at implicating me as the one who came up with the idea," he said.

Zuhdi is the operations director of the PAS research centre (PPP).

Friction within PAS revealed

What would be more unsettling for Pakatan insiders is Zuhdi's admission that no less than 10 central committee members, some of them strong allies of opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim, "has strongly supported the proposal" to leave Pakatan.

This development follows a week in which PAS' top leadership appears to be breaking ranks with PKR and DAP as well as some of its own members over the replacement of Khalid.

This despite a Pakatan Rakyat council meeting comprising leaders from all three parties that claimed to have arrived at a consensus over the matter.

Meanwhile the leaked WhatsApp conversation also appeared to show the friction running deep within PAS itself.

When Zuhdi included co-operation with Umno in the possibility list, Kuala Krai MP Hatta Ramli (above) immediately shot it down.

"Working together with Umno? I'm out!" he appeared to have replied instantly.

Racist face of PAS?

The screenshot of the conversation started making rounds in the social media earlier this morning.

Another highly disturbing feature of the conversation is the blatant tone of racist politics, with Zuhdi commenting that his scenario would return political dominance to the Malays and that they could negate "DAP and non-Muslims".

"After this, if DAP and non-Muslims make noise about the Allah issue or raids, we can just swat them away," he said.

"At the end of this year just change the borders to return all the Malay-Muslim political power," he wrote, without any apparent disagreement from the group.

Shoe-throwing case: A deputy education minister fails miserably

Sonia Ramachandran - The Ant Daily

QUICK TAKE: With Kiki Kamaruddin (Siti Fairrah Ashykin Kamaruddin), we got a taste of what road rage in Malaysia looks like and with Abdul Rahim Jaafar, we apparently see what “classroom rage” in the country is like.

On July 10, Abdul Rahim, a teacher at SK Port Dickson, reportedly threw his shoe at eight-year-old M Sharmini for not paying attention during her moral studies class which resulted in the latter receiving three stitches on her head for the injury.

That did not seem the end of the case for Sharmini, who according to Facebook postings, was recently admitted to hospital after fainting at her home, apparently due to a seizure.

Her parents, according to the posting, do not have a history of seizures.

That naturally begs the question if her condition was brought about due to the trauma of the “shoe-throwing” incident.

In Sharmini’s case, Abdul Rahim allegedly continued to teach although she was bleeding profusely after being hit by his shoe.

Abdul Rahim has since been issued a show-cause letter and transferred to SK Linggi, with the possibility of further action against him soon.

MIC Youth has come to the fore by reportedly saying it will provide legal assistance to Sharmini to file a civil suit against Abdul Rahim.

"Legal aid will be provided free of charge to help the family advocate their rights and to ensure the offender who has caused injury to Sharmini is appropriately punished for his action.

"We have yet to determine the amount of the suit. But what is important is to teach a lesson to all teachers not to do the same," MIC Youth chief C Sivarraajh was quoted as saying.

Saying he wanted to ensure such an incident is not repeated, Sivarraajh lamented that many teachers involved in such cases were transferred to other schools and later merely asked to apologise with no further action

MIC Youth seemed to walk the talk with its members present when Sharmini was admitted for her apparent seizure, rallying around her and her family to show their support.

The question now is what is Deputy Education Minister P Kamalanathan’s, who is also a MIC central working committee member, reaction to all this?

He reportedly expressed his regret over the issue through his Facebook page and said that an apology had been issued by the school, the state Education Department and the Port Dickson district education office.

Malaysian Community Development Organisation (MCEO) founder and president Jeevithan P Ganasan said such statements over the social media will not make any difference to Sharmini’s life or the lives of the other students Abdul Rahim is teaching right now.

“As a responsible deputy minister and as a leader of the Indian community who he is entrusted to look after and who put him there in the first place, he should take further action in this matter.

“The little girl did not just get a slap on the wrist but was injured to the extent of needing stitches, that too on her head. MIC Youth is the one seen making the effort and taking action in this matter,” said Jeevithan.

So what indeed is Kamalanathan actively doing for the Indian community, aside from the much publicised picture of him bowing and kissing the hand of Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, who is also the education minister?

It looks like MIC Youth is the one taking the lead in this matter and the ones actually standing by Sharmini and her family throughout their ordeal.

Perhaps Sivarraajh should be the deputy education minister instead.

Hannah Yeoh: Women make better Speakers

Watch: IDF Sets Up Hospital for Gazans

As part of the IDF's commitment to minimizing civilian casualties, it has set up a field hospital capable of advanced medical treatment.

By Elad Benari, Canada

As part of the IDF's commitment to minimizing civilian casualties, it has set up a field hospital capable of advanced medical treatment.

The following video provides a glimpse into the hospital.

In addition to the field hospital, the IDF has also ensured that medical supplies enter Gaza, even during Operation Protective Edge, as can be seen in the following video.

Israel has attempted to limit civilian casualties in Gaza by warning civilians to leave areas where fighting is expected.

The IDF halted fire for several hours last week to give Gaza residents time to evacuate safely. However, Hamas called on civilians to stay where they were, and praised "martyrs" who died as human shields.

(Arutz Sheva’s North American Desk is keeping you updated until the start of Shabbat in New York. The time posted automatically on all Arutz Sheva articles, however, is Israeli time.)

Negara-Ku tidak perlu didaftarkan, kata Ambiga

Negara-Ku merupakan gabungan badan bukan kerajaan (NGO) yang tidak perlu didaftarkan di bawah Akta Pertubuhan, kata penaungnya, Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan hari ini.

"Kami percaya tiada keperluan untuk membuat pendaftaran kerana kami ikatan kemasyarakatan," katanya kepada The Malaysian Insider.

Beliau mengulas kenyataan Kementerian Dalam Negeri (KDN) hari ini Negara-Ku adalah pertubuhan haram kerana Pendaftar Pertubuhan (RoS) tidak menerima sebarang permohonan untuk mendaftarkan kumpulan itu.

"Atas sebab itu, Negara-Ku organisasi haram," kata kementerian itu.

KDN turut memberi peringatan bahawa NGO berkenaan melanggar undang-undang jika terus mengadakan aktiviti tanpa membuat pendaftaran dengan RoS.

Selain KDN menggesa NGO berkenaan untuk membuat pendaftaran, KDN berkata nama Negara-Ku juga tidak sesuai kerana ia milik Malaysia dan akan mengundang kekeliruan.

"Ini kerana Negara-Ku merujuk kepada lagu kebangsaan seperti disebut dalam Seksyen 2 Akta Lagu Kebangsaan 1968," kata KDN.

Bagaimanapun, Ambiga menolak dakwaan itu kerana pemimpin NGO berkenaan sudah meneliti akta yang dimaksudkan dan tidak melihat sebarang masalah dengan nama itu.

"Kami percaya ia tidak mengelirukan mahupun melanggar undang-undang. Kami tidak menggunakan nama lagu kebangsaan," katanya yang menolak nama NGO itu milik Malaysia.

Arahan KDN itu dikeluarkan selepas akhbar milik Umno, Utusan Malaysia menyelar Negara-Ku bertujuan mecapai cita-cita politik Ambiga.

Awang Selamat, nama pojokan yang mewakili pengarang akhbar berkenaan mendesak RoS menolak permohonan Negara-Ku kerana mengelirukan orang ramai.

"Biarkannya kekal sebagai pertubuhan haram sehingga namanya ditukar kepada AgendaKu. Ia lebih sesuai dengan rekod dan reputasi Ambiga," katanya.

Ambiga berasa kesal dengan pengumuman KDN dan mempersoalkan mengapa kementerian berkenaan tunduk kepada "suara ekstremis minoriti".

"Ia sangat menghampakan apabila setiap kali kumpulan ekstremis menyuarakan pendapat mereka, KDN mengambil tindakan tehadap apa yang mereka rasakan. Sepatutnya, mereka melihat kami secara objektif.

"Bagaimana ia menjadi masalah apabila semua yang kami lakukan mempunyai agenda perpaduan? Mereka patut melihat sokongan yang diterima NGO terlibat.

"Adakah mereka melihat secara objektif atau sekadar memberi arahan kepada KDN," katanya.

Gerakan Negara-Ku dilancarkan dua minggu lalu dan diketuai aktivis Zaid Kamaruddin dalam memberi harapan baru kepada Malaysia.

68 NGO menyertai Negara-Ku yang mensasarkan mengukuhkan Perlembagaan Persekutuan, Perjanjian Malaysia dan Rukunegara.

Zahid will not allow Negara-Ku to register

Home Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi today declared that his ministry will not allow anti-racism NGO Negara-Ku to register as an organisation under its current name.

Ahmad Zahid said the movement led by former Bar Council president Ambiga Sreenevasan and national laureate A Samad Said has yet to apply for registration with the Registrar of Societies (ROS).

"Even if it were to apply for registration with the Registrar of Societies (ROS), the name Negara-Ku is not suitable because it belongs to Malaysia.

"Negara-Ku refers to the song Negaraku which is recognised as the national anthem under Section 2 of the National Anthem Act 1968.

"It can cause confusion among the public, and in line with Section 7(3)(d)(i) and (iii) of the Societies Act 1966, it should not be registered," he said in a statement posted on the Home Ministry's official Facebook page today.

Section 7(3)(d)(i) of the Act allows the ROS to refuse registration of any organisation whose name appears to mislead or deceive the public to the true character and purpose of a society, while Section 7(3)(d)(iii) allows for the same  to apply if the ROS finds the name to be "undesirable".

Ahmad Zahid maintained that any organisation intending to conduct its activities legally in the country must be registered under the Socieities Act 1966.

"The government would like to stress that an organisation that conducts its activities without being registered under the Societies Act 1966 is an illegal organisation," he said.

Earlier this month national laureate A Samad Said and former Malaysian Bar president Ambiga Sreenevasan formed a new NGO to battle racism and extremism in the nation, called Negara-Ku (my country).

Previously,  both led the Bersih movement for clean and fair elections, which like Negara-Ku, comprised a coalition of NGOs.

In the case of Bersih, even though it was not registered, its member organisations were.

Despite this, the government in 2011 declared Bersih an illegal organisation.

However, the Kuala Lumpur High Court overturned the declaration the following year, stating that the government decision was "tainted with irrationality".

Britain arrests two in suspected female genital mutilation case

Actress and Girls' Rights ambassador for Plan International, Freida Pinto, listens to speeches at the 'Girl Summit 2014' at the Walworth Academy in London. The arrests of two people in London came only days after the summit on female genital mutilation. – Reuters pic, July 26, 2014.

British police have arrested two people in London on suspicion of conspiracy to carry out female genital mutilation (FGM) and placed a young girl in the care of social services, a police statement said today.

The arrests followed the arrival at the capital's Heathrow airport on yesterday from Kampala of a 72-year-old Ugandan man accompanied by an 11-year-old girl, the statement said.

They came only days after London hosted a one-day summit on FGM and forced marriage where the government announced it would earmark 1.4 million pounds (RM7.5 million) for a prevention programme and prosecute parents allowing the practice.

The man was arrested in Newham, east London, today and a 40-year-old woman was also arrested in Hackney, northeast London, it said. Both remain in police custody.

The statement did not say whether the girl had undergone FGM in Uganda. Immigrant families sometimes take girls back to their home countries for FGM, the partial or total removal of external female genitalia to suppress sexual desire and prevent what their traditional societies see as immoral behaviour.

"With concerns for her welfare, specialist officers took the girl – a UK national – into the care of social services," the statement said.

The Female Genital Mutilation Act 2003 made it illegal to participate in any sort of arrangement for FGM to be performed on another, either in or outside of Britain.

At the "Girl Summit" on Tuesday, Prime Minister David Cameron said 21 countries had signed an international charter to eradicate both practices and urged other countries to join them.

About 103,000 women aged between 15 and 49, as well as 10,000 girls under 15 who have migrated to England and Wales, are estimated to have undergone FGM, according to a report from City University London.

Worldwide, more than 130 million girls and women have undergone FGM are more than 700 million women alive today were children when they were married. – Reuters

Perkasa questions Ambiga’s credentials in criticising former chief justice

Malay rights group Perkasa has warned former Bersih 2.0 chairperson Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan not to go overboard in her criticism of former chief justice Tun Abdul Hamid Mohamad, saying she was not sufficiently qualified to judge him.

Its president Datuk Ibrahim Ali (pic) said Ambiga should take a look at herself in the mirror before criticising Hamid.

"Ambiga is just a former Bar Council president, there are so many people out there who are far more qualified than her," he said in a statement today.

"Who is Ambiga to issue a warning to Hamid? She should look at the mirror first.

"She is always raising her voice and calling for attention to various issues such as human rights and free elections.

"But others cannot call attention to issues, only her. Pi la Ambiga, Lu boleh jalan (Get lost Ambiga, take a hike)," Ibrahim said.

Negara-ku patron Ambiga yesterday said Hamid was still bound by restraint even though he was no longer sitting on the bench.

"By convention, former judges, even after they step down, are expected to conduct themselves in a particular way.

"They must do this so that it does not reflect badly on the judiciary. It's like an unwritten rule but in other countries, they actually have guidelines on that," Ambiga said after speaking at a forum in Penang yesterday.

Hamid had earlier this week claimed that the position of Islam was under threat in Penang, saying non-Muslims wanted similar status to be accorded to their respective faiths.

Hamid, who is the head of the National Unity Front – a unity council set up by Malay rights group Perkasa and other Muslim NGOs – blamed Muslims for allowing the use of the word Allah in Bahasa Malaysia Bibles.

He said this while presenting a paper in a forum organised by Yayasan Dakwah Islamiah Malaysia (Yadim).

The Bahasa Malaysia Bibles are used by the Bumiputera Christian communities in Sabah and Sarawak, as well as by some Christian orang asli community in Peninsula Malaysia.

‘Level-headed people won’t oppose Negara-Ku’

No reason why the NGO Negara-Ku should be opposed by any level-headed and right-thinking Malaysian, says former Sabah state secretary.

KOTA KINABALU:Former Sabah state secretary Simon Sipaun, 76, said he decided to be a patron of the newly-launched NGO Negara-Ku because the objectives are worth supporting to make the country a better place for every citizen irrespective of race to live in.

Simon said he became patron after Negara-Ku steering committee member Jerald Joseph contacted him just before its launch recently.

“They were looking for a person from Sabah to be one of the patrons. My role is essentially ceremonial,” he said.

Negara-Ku chairman Zaid Kamaruddin confirmed last Thursday that Simon would be a patron of the NGO.

The former Suhakam vice-chairman, who is now a MACC adviser, sees no reason why Negara-Ku should be opposed by any level-headed and right-thinking Malaysian.

“National unity and integration which is so important and essential in a plural society continues to be an elusive dream and vision in Malaysia.

“This is despite having a minister in charge of national unity, a department of national unity and national integration and a national unity consultative council,” he said.

He added that there was a lack of political will and strong national leadership for integration to take place.

“We need national Malaysian and not racial leaders,” said Simon.

He said the country needed a Mandela-type of leadership which did not condone discrimination based on race and religion.

“Mandela, despite the temptation, never advocated black supremacy or one community claiming superiority over others,” he added.

Simon said he was confident that the country would have a better and brighter future if it turned away from an overdose of politics based on race and religion.

“It must embrace good governance and the citizens must be made to feel that the government truly cares for them,” he said.

The two other patrons of Negara-Ku are novelist A. Samad Said and former Bar Council chairman Ambiga Sreenevasan.

Hadi’s backing for Khalid risks Pakatan break-up, say insiders - TMI

PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang's surprising endorsement of Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim to remain as Selangor menteri besar has thrown Pakatan Rakyat (PR) into a spin, and could even risk a break-up, say insiders.

Some PAS leaders have expressed shock but there has been no official reaction from PKR and DAP over Hadi's remarks but coalition insiders say it went against the PR leadership council decision on Wednesday to mull over PKR's proposal that party president Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail take over the job.

"The question now is, who speaks for PAS? Is it the leadership that attended the PR leadership meeting or just Hadi? And is he repudiating the PR statement now?" a PR insider told The Malaysian Insider.

"It is up to PAS to resolve that issue now. As far as PR is concerned, we have all agreed to replace Khalid and the replacement comes from PKR," he added.

Another PR leader also warned that Hadi's decision to back Khalid could have far-reaching consequences for PR, including a break-up if the leadership council decision was not upheld.

"Anything can happen now, from the real threat of the pact breaking up or even snap polls.

"We are not prepared but we have no choice but to sketch out all scenarios," he said, adding that they have to wait for PAS to make its final decision on Khalid, who has been facing criticism of not acting in the coalition's interests.

The PAS leadership is due to meet on August 10 to discuss PKR's proposal for Dr Wan Azizah to replace Khalid but Hadi remained adamant yesterday that the two-term menteri besar has done no wrong to deserve the sack.

"I have heard all the opinions, collected it all before I finally found that the PAS grassroots agree that Khalid remains because he has fulfilled the trust," Hadi said in Terengganu yesterday, citing Selangor PAS commissioner Iskandar Samad's remarks that the state chapter did not support the idea of replacing Khalid.

Most PAS leaders, who were contacted, declined to comment on Hadi's remarks but central committee member Khalid Samad said a final decision has yet to be made.

"We have agreed to discuss this on August 10. So I presume that this is not PAS's official decision yet," said the Shah Alam MP.

Khalid Samad also said Iskandar's remarks did not represent Selangor PAS as the two meetings between the state party leadership and the national leadership did not produce any consensus about Khalid's job as menteri besar.

Selangor PAS committee member Izham Hashim also confirmed that the state chapter has yet to decide whether Khalid should go or stay on as menteri besar.

"The meeting did not achieve any consensus as we all had differing views. The meeting decision was to leave it to the party leadership to negotiate with our Pakatan Rakyat friends to get consensus," Izham told The Malaysian Insider.

PAS information chief Datuk Mahfuz Omar said he did not know about Hadi's remarks on the matter.

"We will meet after Hari Raya," he said, referring to the Hari Raya Aidil Fitri holidays next week.

But this is not the first time that Hadi's decisions has rocked Selangor PR.

He had personally endorsed Ridzuan Ismail for the Kota Damansara state seat in election 2013 although the seat was being defended by PSM president Dr Nasir Hashim, who stood on a PKR ticket as the party was not a PR member. Both lost to BN.

There were questions about Hadi endorsing Ridzuan as only the PAS secretary-general, Datuk Mustafa Ali, was authorised to issue letters certifying election candidates.

Despite the loss in Kota Damansara, PR grabbed a bigger victory in Selangor with PAS and DAP winning 15 seats each while PKR took 14.

Umno holds the other 12 in the 56-seat state assembly.

What is Impian Malaysia?

Once upon a time, a political party was formed. Its name was Democratic Action Party or DAP, and it wanted to promote the idea of a Malaysian Malaysia.

It was meant to be an idea for a united nation, a country for all Malaysians, regardless of race and religion. Hence, Malaysia would never be a monopoly of any particular race, religion or ideology, as enshrined in the original Federal Constitution.

The idea was born almost a half century ago. It may sound obsolete to some, it may even sound obscene to some racist-minded people.

However, despite its noble intention, the Alliance and its successor Barisan Nasional under the control of Umno through their controlled media had portrayed the ideal as something evil, especially for the Malays.

The obstacles

Even until today, there are some Malays who believe that Malaysian Malaysia is an attempt to destroy the Malays, although no one has ever come up with a detailed explanation on how such a diabolical plot would be carried out.

In other words, it was just a lie propagated over the years by Umno-Barisan Nasional.

But in politics, perception is almost everything. Hence “Malaysian Malaysia” has become a dirty word, regurgitated by Umno-owned media as well as other state apparatuses such as government-conducted team-building courses and political talks.

“Malaysian Malaysia” has even paved the way for Umno-BN to push the boundary of control by vilifying words such as “liberal”, “secular”, “plural” and many more terms that imply freedom, democracy and rights.

Yet many Malaysians, including some Malays, are not easily cowed by such form of control. They know some leaders in the Umno-BN government are merely trying to usurp power via hegemonic dominance, especially by using, misusing and abusing religion and race.

For DAP, it has suffered almost 50 years of lies and slander of being demonised as communist and Chinese chauvinist party. Yet the party is still standing.

And now, more than ever, young Malaysians have become more interested to know about DAP. Many have joined, many more are still thinking of joining.

To the surprise of Umno and its political cronies, even young Malays are interested in joining DAP, or at least are keen to know deeper about the party. “What’s happening here?” some of them may be wondering.

No doubt some people have some ideas about the phenomenon – maybe it’s the new generation of millennials (born after 1985) who have had no historical baggage, maybe the Internet has helped the young to circumvent old politics, or maybe the youth are merely curious or perhaps they are just being rebellious.

Or perhaps – to some Malays especially – it’s the image of Dyana Sofya Mohd Daud, the DAP candidate for the recent Teluk Intan by-election, giving hope to a new era of politics in Malaysia.

Whatever the reasons, for he DAP, it is yet a new hope for its ongoing process of rejuvenating the party. By that, it doesn’t simply mean having young faces but also new ideas, allowing the combination of strength between the young and old with a shared ideal of a new Malaysia.

The dream

It’s also beyond the party. It’s a dream for all Malaysians. This is the idea of Impian Malaysia or the Malaysian Dream.

In the words of Lim Kit Siang:

“The Malaysian Dream (Impian Malaysia) envisions a plural society where all her citizens are united as one people, rising above their ethnic, religious, cultural and linguistic differences as the common grounds binding them as one citizenship exceed the differences that divide them because of their ethnic, religious, linguistic and cultural divisions.

“The Malaysian Dream does not exist only today. It had existed even before the founding of Malaya and Malaysia.

“The Johor Malay leader Datuk Onn Jaafar had also fought for it as far back as 62 years ago in 1951 when he suggested that Umno open its door to non-Malays and Umno change its name from United Malays National Organisation to United Malayans National Organisation.

“This is a worthwhile patriotic contribution to the Malaysian Dream shared by all patriotic Malaysians, regardless of race, religion or region, down the decades, whether in Malaysia or in the world Malaysian Diaspora.”

Those words were uttered a year ago when Kit Siang launched the Impian Malaysia movement in Gelang Patah, Johor to recruit “agents… for our activities and programmes to promote Malaysian identity and consciousness particularly among the young generation of Malaysians.”

The DAP veteran is serious with his dream of hope.

This means Impian Malaysia is not merely a slogan, it is aimed at the younger generation. It challenges them to be in the forefront. It wants them to walk the talk, pardon the cliché, because the Umno-BN leaders have failed the young in providing the environment, the space and the zone needed for them to express themselves openly without fear of anything.

The Umno-BN leaders have failed the young who are disgusted to see politics of hate, racial abuses and discrimination, economic injustices, income inequalities, job opportunities, limited freedom for arts and culture, lack of academic excellence and many other forms of unnecessary restrictions.

The reality

Hence, Impian Malaysia aims to unite Malaysians through all forms of programmes, activities and ideas that promote understanding and tolerance.

Impian Malaysia is both an idea as well as a programme that aspires to empower Malaysians, especially the marginalised and the have-nots.

In fact, programmes have begun since last year with the launch of “Impian Sarawak” where DAP volunteers are working hand in hand with local villagers to build basic infrastructure such as roads, water and electricity supply, and other amenities.

From Sarawak to “Impian Sabah”, and now more similar projects, including environmental care programme are being implemented in the peninsula.

Cynics will always have time and energy to point out weaknesses. Most of them will see Impian Malaysia as at best, an idea or worst, a political slogan.

Surely they are entitled to their opinion. However, lest they forget, nothing is stronger than an idea whose time has come, a saying usually attributed to the great French author Victor Hugo.

However, it doesn’t necessarily mean it will be automatically successful. Many of us understand that if such an idea can win the hearts and minds of all Malaysians, it may spell the end of racial politics and race-based political parties in our country. And we know that many people in power now may not like it, to put it mildly.

This simply means that for Impian Malaysia to become a reality, it’s not going to be a walk in the park. Hence the minds, the strength and the tenacity of our younger generation are much needed.

With the help of the senior minds and experiences, the young can finally achieve the equal opportunity dream of Datuk Onn whose idea was far ahead of its time.

At the same time it’s important to note that Impian Malaysia is not a new thing. Yet it’s not about going back into the past. It’s all about refreshing an idea that has always been with us for such a long time.

It’s about doing the right thing without being afraid of our own shadow. It’s not easy but it can be done, if we want to. – July 26, 2014.

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

Weightlifter Mohd Hafifi Delivers Malaysia's First Gold Medal At Glasgow Commonwealth Games

GLASGOW, July 27 (Bernama) -- Nohd Hafifi Mansor clinched the first gold medal for Malaysia at the 20th Commonwealth Games here in the men's weighlifting 69kg category just a short while ago.

Pudu Sentral sesak, ramai tiada tiket balik kampung

'There’s no sex during Ramadan!' Khloe Kardashian reveals she and French Montana are abstaining due to his religious beliefs

Khloe Kardashian is not having sex with her rapper boyfriend French Montana due to his religious beliefs.

The 30-year-old reality star revealed during a radio interview on Thursday that she and Montana are abstaining during the month of Ramadan out of respect for his faith in Islam.

'There’s no sex during Ramadan,' she told Power 105, adding jokingly, 'That’s so fun.'

French also said he is currently eschewing alcohol for Ramadan as well as fasting during the daylight hours, per the requirements of the faith.

Meanwhile, Montana has been accused of being a bad influence on Khloe. But the Kardashian had some harsh words for her critics.

'They’re not f**king him, so why should they care?' the 30-year-old said during the same radio interview, alongside her rapper beau.

'Or maybe they are,' she said laughing, while still giving French a pointed look.

The reality star said she has stopped caring about what people say.

'People are going to comment no matter what,' she told radio host Angie Martinez. 'If I dated the most clean cut perfect guy they’re going to comment.'

She said she has learned from her mistakes, alluding to her split from ex-husband Lamar Odom.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2705009/Khloe-Kardashian-blasts-critics-relationship-French-Montana-rapper-reveals-Kris-Jenner-best-friends.html

Taliban kill 14 Shiites in Afghanistan road attack

Taliban insurgents halted minibuses in western Afghanistan, identified 14 Shiite passengers and shot them dead by the side of the road overnight Friday, an official said.

KABUL, Afghanistan —

Taliban insurgents halted minibuses in western Afghanistan, identified 14 Shiite passengers and shot them dead by the side of the road overnight Friday, an official said.

The busses were traveling from Kabul and carrying around 30 passengers, many of whom had gone to the capital to shop ahead of the holiday marking the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, said Sayed Anwar Rahmati, the governor of the western Ghor province, where the attack took place.

After questioning the passengers, the Islamic militants identified 14, including three women, as Hazara Shiites. The insurgents then bound the passengers' hands, led them away and shot them, Rahmati said, adding that the other passengers were released. The dead included a couple who were engaged and two relatives travelling with them, he said.

The Taliban, like other Sunni extremist groups, view the country's minority Shiite community as apostates, and have targeted Hazaras in the past with suicide bombings and other attacks.

Malaysian cyclist given warning over ‘Save Gaza’ gloves

A Malaysian cyclist was issued an official reprimand and warned that he risked being thrown out of the Commonwealth Games if he repeated wearing gloves bearing the message "Save Gaza".

Azizulhasni Awang (pic) could have been ejected from the 2014 Glasgow Games after wearing the gloves in competition yesterday.

Instead the 26-year-old, nicknamed the "Pocket Rocket", who was set to take part in the individual sprint quarter-finals today, was given a reprimand and warned not to wear them again.

The Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) seeks to avoid its competitions being used for political means. The multi-sport event, held every four years, is nicknamed the "Friendly Games".

Though Awang insists his message was "humanitarian" rather than politically-charged, he issued an apology.

"The actions were investigated and we spoke with the Malaysian team management and it's a matter for the management to address," said CGF chief executive Mike Hooper.

"It's inappropriate for any form of protest in a Games venue. We respect everyone's right to protest outwith.

"He has had a strong reprimand from his team management and he has apologised. In apologising profusely he now knows any repetition will see a removal of his accreditation."

On his Facebook fan page, which has more than 200,000 followers, he wrote: "I feel sorry to the people who misinterpret my message. There's no such thing with political protest.

"It's from the bottom of my heart to express humanitarian. Since when expressing humanitarian considered as political?

"Anyway, I apologise to those who think I'm doing wrong.

"I got a warning and still can race today but without my 'SaveGaza' glove.

"Thanks everyone for your support and really appreciate it.

"We all stand as a human."

Azizulhasni's action yesterday came as the death toll in Israeli shellings of Gaza climbed to 800. Malaysians are largely sympathetic towards the Palestinians, with both sides of the political divide condemning the latest attacks on civilians.

The Terengganu-born father of two, who was the flag bearer for the Malaysian contingent at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, won the gold medals at the Asian Cycling Championships in April 2008.

High Court allows bid to block Syariah Court

The Ipoh High Court today granted permission for M Indira Gandhi to seek a prohibition order to block the Syariah Court in a controversial custody battle over religious conversion.

"The court gave (leave for) an order of prohibition to restrain or prohibit the execution of the Syariah Court order," said Ipoh Barat MP M Kulasegaran, who is acting as Indira's counsel in a statement today,

Indira in 2010 won custody of her daughter at the Ipoh High Court but has yet to be reunited with her five-year-old as her husband refused to comply with the order and police will not act.

Her husband Mohd Ridzuan Abdullah @ K. Pathmanaban, had converted the child to Islam without the mother's knowledge and obtained custody from the Syariah Court.

Police have refused to act, citing the High Court order granting custody to the mother and the Syariah Court order granting custody to the father.

The leave to seek a prohibition order was granted together with leave to seek a mandamus order against Inspector-General of Police Khalid Abu Bakar.

Kulasegaran said the mandamus order is to compel the IGP to execute an earlier warrant of arrest and recovery order issued by the court against Indira's husband.

He added that his legal team will persue the matter urgently.

'Landmark decision'

Describing today' decision as a landmark High Court decision, he said that it has far reaching consequences.

"To the best of our knowledge its the first of its kind against a IGP in any country in the world," he said. They were granted by Justice Lee Siew Seng.

In the judgment, Lee said: "As the IGP has declared that he would not be exercising his power and discharging his duty here based on his understanding that there are two conflicting orders from the Syariah Court and the Civil High Court...

"...there is a prima facie case to be heard on the substantial merit before deciding whether or not an order for mandamus should be issued."

He added the prohibition order against the SyariahCcourt order was also a "flip side of the same coin" and fulfilled the requirements for leave.

Kulasegaran urged Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak to take note of today's judgment and urged Khalid to be suspended for failing to execute his duty.

"We want a speedy closure of this issue with the immediate arrest of the ex-husband and the child returned to the natural mother.

"Indira Gandhi and her other children are yearning for the last child. Their continuous agony and mental torture should end forthwith," he said.

 

Watch your words, Ambiga reminds ex-CJ

 

Ambiga Sreenavesan has reminded former chief justice Abdul Hamid Mohamad on the need to exercise restraint with regard to his remarks that Islam was under threat in Penang.

The former Bar Council chairperson, who is now with the NGO Negara-Ku, said judges must be careful about their statements even after stepping down as it can affect the judiciary.

"By convention, former judges, even after they step down, are expected to conduct themselves in a particular way," Ambiga said after speaking at a forum in Penang today.

"They must do this so it doesn't reflect badly on the judiciary

"It's like an unwritten rule but in other countries, they actually have guidelines on that," she added, when asked to comment about Hamid’s statement.

The Penang government has dismissed the former chief justice’s claim as "pure nonsense, baseless and heavily reliant on heresay".

Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng questioned why Hamid did not take Gerakan to task when the party blamed the state government under Pakatan Rakyat for giving out more allocations for Islamic activities.

Lim said Hamid should be sent for "counselling" since he cannot prove his allegations, and has taken a political stance favouring Umno in his approach, which is unbecoming of a former chief justice.

'Judges have a special position'

Meanwhile, Ambiga said in any event, judges, serving or retired, do not need rules on how to conduct themselves.

"That's why judges are special and treated specially under the Federal Constitution. They are not like any other employees.

“They are in a special position where you cannot sack them like other employees," she added.

“Given that stature under the constitution, it calls for a certain standard of behaviour, even after they step down," she noted.

Asked if the judiciary would take Hamid to task for his behaviour, Ambiga said it was most unlikely.

"But I suppose it is something the legal community would have to look at," she added.