An Interstellar view of ‘Malay-ness’

 

Of late there have been intensifying debates on ‘Malay-ness’ and that political parties will continue to engage in this, conducted within the framework Malaysia’s ‘commanding heights’ (read Vladimir Lenin’s essay) or the economic and ideological basis of this country as a hypermodern state.

Reading some seminal work on evolutionary biology, eugenics, social Darwinism, and the ‘mitochondrial Eve’ as the first human, questions came to be demanding perspectives on what actually is ‘Malay-ness’ and whether the ‘Malay’ exists and what does it have to do with culture, consciousness, and human progress in a multicultural society such as Malaysia.

I recently wrote these on my Facebook page:

“THE TRUTH is ... THE MALAYS

are not the first race/people on planet earth
as will be soon claimed by pop-pseudo-evolutionary biologists
the Mitochondrial Eve from Mother Africa
was the first ... then here is migration and variations
Malay-ness and ‘other-raceness’ is
merely a construct
mere illusion,
mere construction,
merely an idea of social dominance
not to be taken seriously
and to write a history
or a theory of jealousy
race, ethnicity do not exist and has no scientific basis
so you politicians - stop whining
and complaining
and scheming
and fighting till we bleed
read more science and become more human
treat each other like human beings
like what Mother Afrika Mitochondria preaches - ar

Is ‘culture’ the culprit?

We continue to debate about culture and religion in our public schools. We might be debating on faulty premises. We might have to look at the issue of culture, race, and ethnicity from a radically different perspective. Let us see what this may mean based on the propositions I will be making which fundamentally begin like this - culture is in the imagination and is not real.

There is no such a concept as ‘original culture’. Cultures are systems of construction of realities that is influenced by the historical-materialistic march of technology and capital, that then develops conditions of existence and formulate human consciousness. Culture is fluid and amorphous and is a construct rather than a constant. Culture is not static. Cultural construction can be conveniently used and abused to lend legitimacy to power and its concentrated self.

It is more than just the tools we use and play but also the house that we inhabit. Its definition is problematic; the numbers of definitions are many. The words Malay, Chinese, Indian, American, Indonesian - all these are cultural constructs that are useful in some ways but useless in others.

Unfortunately it is the uselessness of culture that is often most attractive and get translated into sophisticated racist policies. As racist policies become further institutionalised and as economic interests that go with these need to be protected even more, racial tensions and consequently violence erupts. As these further mounts, we have war and ethnic cleansing - in the name of cultural superiority.

We are endowed by the Creator these variations in skin colour and appearances to have use of to solve problems of humanity; to understand what needs and wants are, and to discern what is Good and what is Evil.

Cultures can enable human thinking and it can also disable it. It can be shaped, structured, and symbolised based on the influence of class structure of the people/peoples.

This will translate into ‘high’, ‘low’, ‘mass’, ‘popular’, and ‘sub-culture’. With all these subdefinitions of culture comes the status symbols of the object of display, affection, work, leisure, etc, that shape and that are shaped by the economic condition.

Hence, a goblet used in a sultan’s palace might be worth a thousand goblets used by the sultan’s hamba sahayas. Or a Rolls Royce used by a royal family signifies a symbol of ‘high culture’ as opposed to a ‘[Proton] Rusa’, a symbol of ‘popular culture’ used by a family in a remote kampong.

There is a new dimension of culture emerging. There are classes of culture and culture of classes. Classes of culture are post-industrial tribes that are victims of producers whereas culture of classes are the internal logic of cultures that have been eroded by the forces of globalisation and late capitalism.

I am still thinking. I don’t have the answers. I have only more question on whether the ‘Malay’ actually exist and if one needs to defend the people, through political designs. For too long we have been dwelling upon this problematique. Many have written about it.

Maybe we have been asking the wrong question all this while and fighting the wrong battles and setting up the wrong race-based institutions, based on the wrongest premises of winner-only-crafted history. This question by the way, was inspired by a movie I watched recently - Interstellar.

What, then is the answer? Or rather- what should be the questions?

---

DR AZLY RAHMAN, born in Singapore and grew up in Johor Baru, holds a Columbia University (New York City) doctorate in International Education Development and Masters degrees in four areas: Education, International Affairs, Peace Studies and Communication. He has taught more than 40 courses in six different departments and has written more than 350 analyses on Malaysia. His teaching experience in Malaysia and the United States spans over a wide range of subjects, from elementary to graduate education. He has edited and authored six books; Multiethnic Malaysia: Past, Present, Future (2009), Thesis on Cyberjaya: Hegemony and Utopianism in a Southeast Asian State (2012), The Allah Controversy and Other Essays on Malaysian Hypermodernity (2013), a first Malay publication Kalimah Allah Milik Siapa?: Renungan dan Nukilan Tentang Malaysia di Era Pancaroba (2014), and Controlled Chaos: Essays on Mahathirism, Multimedia Super Corridor and Malaysia’s ‘New Politics’ (forthcoming 2014). He currently resides in the United States where he teaches courses in Philosophy, Cultural Studies, Political Science, and American Studies. Twitter, blog.

Did hospital negligence cause 14-year-old’s death?

Tinasha Ganesan Rao is declared brain dead by a private hospital within eight hours of admission for a fever.

FMT

PETALING JAYA: From fever to fits, then death. That was how 14-year-old Tinasha Ganesan Rao spent the last few days of her life when her parents took her to Assunta Hospital to treat her fever.

The members of her family, who are completely distraught, are demanding answers from hospital personnel as to how their daughter ended up brain dead within eight hours of admission after suffering fits.

Speaking to reporters, her parents also expressed their frustration as to why they are not getting any specific answers to questions asked.

Tinasha’s mother, Uthayabavani Inthirarasa, 46, who was with her daughter throughout the ordeal, said the family lodged a police report this morning and were currently awaiting the hospital’s response as to how and why their daughter died.

She explained, ”We had three meetings with the hospital, posing many questions only to have the standard ‘I’ll get back to you on that’ answers.”

Saying they may have lost their “angel who was young and full of life” because of incompetence, Uthayabavani added, “We want to bring up the issue and get justice on this matter to help others who may face this situation, especially young children like Tinasha.”

The Petaling Jaya Assunta Secondary School student passed away at 11:40am this morning, shortly after several of her family members gave a press conference accusing the hospital of negligence.

Meanwhile the chief executive officer of the hospital, Peter TL Leong, maintained that all hospital procedures were followed and that Tinasha’s nausea was treated with the usual medication for such cases.

Leong also said that the hospital was eagerly awaiting the results of the post-mortem so that everyone could know for certain what caused the girl’s sudden death.

He added that it was also too early for Tinasha’s parents to suspect the hospital of negligence and rather than take their suspicions to the media, they should have filed for malpractice instead.

Relating the sequence of events leading to her daughter’s demise, Uthayabavani recalled taking a feverish Tinasha to the hospital at 8:30pm last Sunday.

“She had a fever that was slightly high, nothing too worrying; but I took her to this hospital instead of a clinic just to be safe,” she said.

“She was given one injection and two fever tablets in the span of three hours while waiting for admission.”

She added that by 11.30pm, after Tanisha was admitted, she vomited.

She said, “I went into the bathroom to clean up after her only to realise my daughter was given another injection after she threw up, without my consent.”

Tinasha’s father, taxi driver Ganesan Rao Balakrishnan, 47, who broke down repeatedly when talking about his daughter struggled to relate how Tinasha was given a double shot of fluids to stop the fits she later developed around 2am.

“At around 4am, Tanisha was put on oxygen to relax and next thing you know, by 6:50am they were performing CPR and trying to revive her.

“About an hour later, the specialist who showed up for the first time since admission said there were too many complications and by 3pm Monday afternoon Tinasha was declared brain dead,” he said.

The death of their beloved daughter has left Uthayabavani and Ganesan completely distraught and extremely confused as to why there were still so many questions hospital personnel were refusing to answer.

“We have many questions such as why the specialist told us later at one of our meetings that she was unaware of Tinasha’s condition and that she was not aware of any medical prescriptions given to her between the time she admitted Tinasha until 7:45am,” the girl’s father said.

“Is it the right SOP to not be in communication with the specialist on patients’ condition? How come some of the medication was given without our consent?”

Also present at the press conference was Tinasha’s uncle, Ramesh Inthirarasa, 42, and aunt Suthashini Inthirarasa, 42, who described their late niece as “bubbly, full of life, loveable”.

“To have someone so young taken away in a matter of hours over something that started with a fever… we cannot digest this, we will never accept how this escalated so quickly, and just like that, we’ve lost our baby,” said Suthashini.

Tinasha’s body is currently at University Malaya Medical Centre for a post-mortem.

MIC: Indian only in name, nothing more

It is shameful that MIC is still silent over the issue of the Vivekananda Ashram in Brickfields.

By A Pillai - FMT

Now that Culture and Tourism Minister Mohamed Nazri Aziz has come out openly and aggressively to thwart the development of the Vivekananda Ashram in Brickfields, the obvious question is: “Where are the senior MIC leaders in regard to the ashram?”

Wasn’t M Saravanan the Federal Territories deputy minister for years? Can he not do something? Or is it that in this country only Umno ministers have the power to effect change?

Not a day goes by that MIC leaders go out of their way to remind Indians across this wonderful nation that they have to support the party, because MIC is the one with the power and access to actuate change for the community.

Yet when the opportunity arrives, then festers, all the Indian community gets is a huge yawn of silence as MIC leaders fail once again to use their so-called powerful connections and influence with the Najib Cabinet and administration.

You can hear a pin drop for all of MIC’s silence on the issue of the Vivekananda Ashram. Was this claim of power and influence just a claim and nothing more?

What is the point of having Indian leaders in the government if they are just as powerless as those outside? Can you blame Indians for shifting their support to Pakatan Rakyat or even to the many Hindraf-like NGOs out there, because those in MIC lack the courage and will to fight for Indian issues?

The Vivekananda Ashram has stood in Brickfields for over a century. It has also stood as a symbol of intellectual and cultural development of the Indian people in this country.

While the Vivekananda Ashram Kuala Lumpur management committee argues that the development will not destroy the old building or the statue of Swami Vivekananda, they cannot deny that developing around it will drastically change the aesthetics of the site. Once development takes shape, the ashram will merely be a displaced old building crowded out by other large buildings in its vicinity.

For decades Brickfields has been a famous spot in Kuala Lumpur. However in the last decade or so, it has become a major location with the greater development of KL Sentral. With the ERL station in it, it is the doorway to the country, and that doorway is only a few hundred metres from the Vivekananda Ashram.

The Ashram is as much a Malaysian site as it is an Indian-Malaysian one, and to deny it a good, independent and unique presence when so many will be passing it daily, is to say that a prosperous and modern Malaysia does not require an Indian cultural centre presented unhindered to the peoples of the world.

What does the Vivekananda Ashram mean to the Indian people of Malaysia? The visit of Swami Vivekananda to Malaya in 1893 and the opening of the Ashram in 1904 are part of global story-telling. It is a point of pride. It shows progressive and modern Indian ideas which are universal.

Preserving the ashram as is stands, presents the level in which Malaysian Indian identities are regarded. Does the MIC not care about these things? I wonder about this especially when thinking about leaders like president G Palanivel and M Saravanan.

Are they not ashamed that when there is a protest to defend the ashram, it is led by community leaders of the area and even opposition leaders like Nurul Izzah Anwar? Yes, Brickfields may very well fall under her parliamentary constituency but when we see her and only her with other Pakatan Rakyat leaders like Manivanan of Kapar, we are forced to wonder if there is any life still coursing through the veins of senior MIC leaders.

Truth is, I do not care a lot about politics, but I will remember the politicians who care about my issues. I am not alone, there are many like me. I rather vote for a non-Indian group if they are willing to defend Indian issues like the Vivekananda Ashram, and forget about MIC leaders who are only Indian by name but not when it comes to defending Indian issues.

Save Vivekananda Ashram, Save MIC!

A Pillai is an FMT reader

Change or be changed, Muhyiddin warns Umno

It’s feared that the Umno General Assembly next week will avoid honest debate on the issues of the day.

FMT

KUALA LUMPUR: Umno Deputy President Muhyiddin Yassin has trotted out an old cliché, change or be changed, to warn the ruling party in a Malay daily on Saturday that it’s still in grave peril after winning the last two General Elections “by the skin of its teeth”.

He was referring to the Barisan Nasional’s (BN) loss of its two-thirds majority in 2008; and its failure to win it back last year and the results in the recent outing being even worse than in the previous one.

Muhyiddin’s choice of the Malay daily to deliver his message, on the eve of the Umno General Assembly, was ironic as it’s perceived as shrilly opposed to change of any kind in the nation’s politics.

The paper has instead chosen to make the Chinese community in particular as scapegoats for Umno’s and BN’s woes in electoral outings.

“I am saying that we have reached a rather critical stage, if no change or renewal appears to be happening, the concern is that we will lose,” said Muhyiddin, also the Deputy Prime Minister, in the Malay daily. “The signs are clear in front of us.”

The change or be changed theme comes with a caveat: “Never forget that Umno’s rise and growth was to champion bangsa, agama, negara (race, religion and country).”

“That has never changed,” warns Muhyiddin. “Our methods can be a little different but the message is the same.”

In directing his criticisms at the Malay daily and “extremists” in Umno and its NGOs, he asked: “When we use language, isn’t there a way to convey our message clearly without offending others?”

In a no-brainer, Muhyiddin pointed out the obvious in resuming debate on the change theme: that Umno was still licking its wounds from the beating it received in 2008, obviously at the hands of the people, when the opposition Pakatan Rakyat alliance won by default and couldn’t believe the results for two weeks.

To add insult to injury, he added, the party was plagued by internal strife.

“There are still internal issues which have not been resolved, there are still fights for positions, money politics, carelessness, negligence and forgetfulness, and this includes the party’s wings,” lamented Muhyiddin.

“We have to self-reflect and admit to this, but we must also take firmer, braver and more effective action.”

Taking a fatherly approach with the party’s junior wings, he wonders what else that they could do besides doing more of the same i.e. tackling issues raised by the people and raising awareness among the people on the true nature of the party’s struggle.

“Umno Youth, Wanita and Puteri have not faded, become weakened, or are not keeping silent at all,” said Muhyiddin in springing to their defence. “But there’s a perception that they are no longer like in the old days when they used to come forward if any issue was raised and act as a pressure lobby.”

“This perception has been going on for quite some time now and it must be changed. It cannot go on.”

The Umno Deputy President urged the wings to return to brass tacks and be clear on the issues that Umno should champion, and the different approaches which can be adopted, “in their fight to uphold bangsa, agama, negara”.

It’s feared that the Umno General Assembly next week will degenerate into the politics of distraction and disruption, marked by rhetoric and polemics, and avoid honest debate on the issues of the day.

If so, it would be the clearest indication that Umno is incapable of change and it will continue to be haunted by Muhyiddin’s “change or be changed” warning.

Opposition raises 11 queries on 1MDB for Najib

Prime Minister and Finance Minister urged not to use a legal suit to evade responsibility and accountability on “the scandal”.

FMT

KUALA LUMPUR: Prime Minister and Finance Minister Najib Abdul Razak has been urged to make a ministerial statement on the troubled 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) and not evade responsibility and accountability on the issue by threatening Petaling Jaya Utara MP Tony Pua with a legal suit to silence him.

Pua has since made the 1MDB issue his constituency.

“The Prime Minister should not set a bad example to other Ministers,” said DAP’s elder statesman Lim Kit Siang in a statement. “He has to answer 11 teeming questions on the multi-billion ringgit 1MDB scandal.”

He was commenting on Pua being served on Friday with a letter of demand for allegedly defaming Najib in a YouTube video, Tony Pua: Najib is creating the biggest scandal ever in the history of Malaysia.

Lim listed the 11 questions covering various aspects of 1MDB and its subsidiaries raised by the Opposition in Parliament and outside.

Briefly, the issue of guarantees and letters of support from the Federal Government for 1MDB and their omission from the national debts; surrender of legal jurisdiction to the Courts of London in the event of a dispute or default; payment of “certain commissions, fees and expenses” to raise loans; diversions of loans taken by subsidiaries to repay debts incurred by 1MDB; and highly irregular “Use of Proceeds” of a US$3 billion bond

Among other issues: acceptance of a corporate loan guarantee by International Petroleum Investment Corporation (IPIC) of Abu Dhabi on such onerous terms; the conversion of a US$1 billion investment in a joint-venture with PetroSaudi in 2009, a company with no track record and dubious origins, into a loan subsequently increased to US$1.7 billion; a US$2.32 billion investment in Bridge Capital Partners in Cayman Islands, an unknown fund manager of questionable origins and no track record; and the Finance Ministry’s acquisition of SRC International Sdn Bhd, a 1MDB subsidiary, after it received a RM4 billion loan from Kumpulan Wang Amanah Pesara (KWAP) guaranteed by the Federal Government.

Elsewhere, the issues are overpayment in billions for 1MDB’s acquisition of Genting Sanyen and Tanjong Energy, both power assets; the Ministry of Energy, Green Technology and Water reversing its policy of open tenders for new power plants to directly and hastily award a 50MW solar-power plant and a 2,000MW gas-turbine power plant to 1MDB before even the tariffs were agreed upon; and the Federal Government’s sale of super-prime land to 1MDB at heavily discounted prices to allow the company to “revalue” its assets;

Finally, the queries relate to international auditing firms, Ernst & Young and KPMG, quitting their lucrative work with 1MDB; and the failure by 1MDB subsidiaries to submit their financial statements to the Companies Commission.

“Although the current budget parliamentary meeting is to end on Thursday 27 Nov, 2014, it will be the height of irresponsibility for Najib as Prime Minister, Finance Minister and Chairman, 1MDB Board of Advisers, to evade and avoid accountability for the numerous questions that have been raised over the 1MDB scandal,” warned Lim in his statement.

“These have not been satisfactorily explained by the Deputy Finance Minister Ahmad Maslan.”

He urged Najib to arrange for a full debate in Parliament to be held on his Ministerial Statement on 1MDB.

Those in the know are surprised by the wealth of details on the 1MDB which the DAP has at its disposal.

The fingers of suspicion are being pointed at Umno

Dr Mahathir himself has since alleged that 1MDB paid above market prices in their purchase of power plants from Genting and Ananda Krishnan; that it has a debt of around RM38 billion after just five years in operation; that the money for 1MDB is not from the country’s surpluses but billions of ringgit of debt that has added to the already high national debt; and that the government will not have the ability to help repay the 1MDB debt as it is already facing a deficit budget problem.

Tunisians Are Shaken as Young Women Turn to Extremism

by Carlotta Gall - New York Times

TUNIS — Leila Mustapha Saidi returned home on a recent day to find her daughter Henda missing, along with her computer. Mrs. Saidi, who had watched her daughter grow religious and “obsessed” with the conflict in Syria, said she feared she had run off to join Islamist fighters there.

Instead, the police called four days later. Her daughter Henda Saidi was holed up in a house outside Tunis with a group of suspected insurgents. A day later, security forces stormed the house. Of six people killed in the raid, five were young women.

“They classified her as a terrorist,” Mrs. Saidi said bitterly.

After more than two years of mounting attacks and assassinations, Tunisians are no longer surprised by shootouts between gunmen and anti-terrorist units, even in the capital. But the standoff in which Ms. Saidi was killed nonetheless shocked many here for the sheer number of women involved.

It has also driven home the fact that — nearly four years after events in Tunisia set off the Arab Spring, and with presidential elections Sunday — the lure of extremism has touched virtually every part of society, men and women, the poor and the comfortable alike.

It has reached even the relatively affluent district of La Marsa, where the Saidis live in a pretty house with arbors of flowers in an enclosed front garden. Henda was the third person from her high school to die for the Islamist cause in the last year, teachers and acquaintances said.

“We are all uncomprehending,” said Linda Ben Osman, an art teacher who worked at the high school several years ago and knew Ms. Saidi. “These were smart kids, kind kids, ready for life — very beautiful in the case of Henda.”

“The youth are desperate, I think,” Ms. Ben Osman added. “Before Syria and ISIS,” she said, referring to Islamic State militants in Syria and Iraq, “people self-immolated, or took boats to escape to Europe and died in the sea.”

She and others consider the outburst of extremism to be a reaction to the authoritarianism of Tunisia’s former ruler, President Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali, whose overthrow ushered in a free-for-all democracy.

Radical Islamists released from prison and returning home from exile were quick to exploit the new freedoms, taking over mosques, setting up associations, and recruiting thousands of young followers. Tunisia has been grappling with a surge of Islamist extremism since.

“We were in some sort of prison,” Ms. Ben Osman said. “The former president worked to keep our minds closed. When freedom came, people didn’t understand it. And maybe it did not bring what people wanted, and they look for it elsewhere.”

Young women have been as susceptible as anyone. In an interview, the interior minister, Lotfi Ben Jeddou, said all the women killed in the October raid were in their late teens or early 20s, and had joined the insurgent cell over the past several months. “They were educated,” he said.

Government officials said the women had refused to surrender, even using two children as shields. One small girl was shot in the head. Two men were also in the house; one was killed and one wounded.

Barely a week after burying their eldest child, Ms. Saidi’s parents sat at home stunned at the turn of events.

Mrs. Saidi said she could not bring herself to view her daughter’s body when it was brought home for
the funeral. Her husband, Hedi Saidi, left the house and refused to attend the burial. “I could not accept the fact that it was my daughter,” he said. He criticized the government for hastiness in shooting at a house with women and children.

The Saidis described their daughter as highly principled but sometimes stubborn. “My daughter was a good girl, a hardworking student,” Mrs. Saidi said. “I do not think she was unjust. She did not do any wrong to anyone.”

Ms. Saidi, a 21-year-old law student, had become radicalized, and they knew she often hid her true intentions from the family, they said.

“For a year and a half she kept a system so we would not notice when she left,” Mr. Saidi said. “She was always reading, on the Internet, painting in her room.”

Ms. Saidi’s former high school French teacher, Dejla Abdelhamid, posted a heartfelt message on Facebook lamenting her death and wishing she had done more to prevent her being lured into extremism.

“Henda Saidi with her long fair hair, her radiant smile,” Ms. Abdelhamid wrote. “Her death is our failure, and the failure of a whole society, and in some part it is my failure as a teacher who fell short, missed something.”

Her post received a storm of comments, some accusing her of leading Ms. Saidi into radical Islam when they saw from her photo that she wore a veil. After Ms. Abdelhamid called on Ms. Saidi’s grieving parents, a colleague berated her for visiting the family of a terrorist.

“People do not know what is happening,” Ms. Abdelhamid said in an interview. “People are scared of each other.”

“The youth are lost, they do not have a reference,” she added.

She had met Ms. Saidi on the street a year after she had graduated from high school, she said. When she saw that she had abandoned her jeans and makeup and was dressed in the full black covering and gloves often worn by radical Muslims, Ms. Abdelhamid burst into tears. Ms. Saidi nevertheless seemed happy.

“She just smiled,” her teacher said. “I did not feel she was the girl who was lost.”

Ms. Abdelhamid attributes the turn to extremism by Ms. Saidi and others to the forced secularization under the dictatorship, which she says has left Tunisians ignorant of their religion, and now easily misled by radical preachers who have rushed in with new ideas.

“It’s like a tsunami we have not had time to understand,” she said. “We have to teach them to defend themselves in a solid way.”

Bar Council: Not for us to conduct prosecutions, AG’s fiat for individual lawyers only

Malay Mail
BY IDA LIM

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 21 — Despite a suggestion that it take over the role of prosecutor to haul controversial politician Datuk Ibrahim Ali to court for his bible-burning call, the Bar Council said it is not in a position to carry out such action.

Its chief Christopher Leong clarified with Malay Mail Online that no organisation can act on any fiat from the Attorney-General (AG) for non-government lawyers to act on his behalf in court, adding that the authority can only be granted to an individual.

“It would not be the function of the Bar Council as an organisation to undertake any criminal prosecution. Any fiat to be issued by the AG would be to an individual lawyer,” he said in a text message when contacted yesterday.

Leong added that such authorisation of private lawyers to conduct criminal proceedings would only be granted when the AG himself felt that charges should be pressed.

“Fiats are only issued in cases where the AG as the Public Prosecutor wish to commence prosecution but is either constrained by time, resources or expertise.

“Hence, the PP would only issue a fiat if in the first place he is of the view that a particular matter warrants prosecution. This is because a person holding the fiat is representing and prosecuting on behalf of the PP,” he said, using the initials for public prosecutor.

He also said that only the AG can issue any fiat.

Yesterday, PKR MP Gooi Hsiao Leong called on the Bar Council to apply for a fiat from the AG to allow itself to initiate criminal proceedings against Ibrahim, adding that the AG risks being seen as lacking impartiality he does not issue the fiat.

The awarding of such a “fiat” is not new or unprecedented, Gooi said, pointing to the AG's previous appointment of private lawyer Tan Sri Shafee Abdullah to prosecute Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim on behalf of the government in a criminal case involving a sodomy charge.

He also asked if the AG could have said that Ibrahim's statement was seditious if if it was clearly “intended to be an appeal to stop the propagation of a religious doctrine or belief among persons professing the religion of Islam as provided under Article 11(4) of the Federal Constitution, and not merely a call to burn Bibles” when read as a whole.

Over the past few weeks, Abdul Gani and his office has been under pressure to explain his controversial decision not to press charges against Ibrahim.

Abdul Gani also acknowledged that a sedition charge would not hinge on an individual's intention, but noted that there was also a court case saying that the alleged seditious action must be viewed in context.

In Ibrahim's case, the Perkasa leader issued the bible-burning call after a police report on the distribution of bibles to students, including Muslim students, in front of a Penang school, he said.

Abdul Gani cited Ibrahim's own clarification that he had not intended to create religious strife but had wanted to defend the sanctity of Islam, as well as his qualification that his call to burn bibles was directed at the group distributing them to students.

The government’s top lawyer also said Ibrahim had never called for the burning of “all bibles” which would be seditious, but had pointing to the edition of the bible that allegedly had Malay words with the word “Allah” and Jawi script that could “confuse”.

110 Percent Loan For PR1MA House Buyers - PM Najib

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 22 (Bernama) -- Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said loan offers of as high as 110 percent will be extended to 1Malaysia Housing Project (PR1MA) house buyers by selected financial institutions.

The prime minister said this was a continuance of the government's effort to help the people pertaining to the housing project.

"This financial is to enable all house buyers to own houses while the extra 10 percent is to pay additional costs such as legal fee and insurance.

"The rent-to-own scheme is also offered as an assistance to the middle income group to own houses," he said in his latest entry in his blog Najib.razak.com tonight.

Najib, when tabling the 2015 Budget themed 'People Economy' in Parliament last October, had announced the government would address the issue of house ownership with reasonable prices through the construction of 80,000 units of houses under PR1MA with an allocation of RM1.3 billion.

The move, he said, was to enable more people to own houses, with the criteria of household income raised from RM8,000 to RM10,000.

Meanwhile the prime minister said the government aimed to build 500,000 units of PR1MA houses in five years' time and the PR1MA programme currently had covered all the states except Labuan.

He said among the PR1MA communities at present in the planning were in the southern and northern regions, Sabah and Sarawak with houses priced from RM118,000 to RM335,000.

Among the areas are in Bukit Bintang, Kuala Lumpur (RM275,000), Tebraru, Johor (RM180,000), Kuala Ketil (RM215,000), Sandakan, Sabah (RM280,000) and Kuching, Sarawak (RM235,000).

Najib said steps to apply for PR1MA houses were very easy and urged those who met the criteria to register for application and surf the official website at www.pr1ma.my.

Any applicant can obtain further details on the eligibility requirements or easy steps to apply via the attached infographic in the blog.

3 Malaysians arrested over Isis links

A man and two women were picked up by police last night for allegedly being involved in terrorism, said Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar.

The inspector-general of police said the arrests were made in Kuala Lumpur and Selangor by the force's counter-terrorism division.

Khalid, in a statement, said the three suspects aged between 28 and 34 were believed to be linked with the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (Isis).

"The first suspect, a woman, is the wife of an earlier suspected terrorist charged in court on November 11," Khalid said.

The second suspect was an event manager in Kuala Lumpur, while the male suspect was an executive assistant.

"All three suspects are believed to have been involved witth Isis via Facebook," he said.

Khalid said the three were also found to have been involved in gathering funds, which was used to send Malaysians to join Isis in Syria.

"All three have been arrested to facilitate investigations under the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act 2012," Khalid said.

On Friday, a third Malaysian was charged at the Sepang Sessions Court with supporting the Isis terrorist group.

Mohamad Fauzee Ahmad allegedly entered Syria between June 29 and September 18 to lend support to terror activities involving firearms and explosives.

The 43-year-old was reportedly seen as advancing a religious struggle in Syria.

If convicted, he could be sentenced to up to 30 years in jail, or face a fine and forfeiture of assets used in the commission of the offences under Section 130J(1)(b) of the Penal Code.

Judge Nor Haffizah Mohd Salim reportedly set January 15 for mention. DPP Ishak Mohd Yusoff prosecuted the case.

Fauzee is the third person to be arrested upon returning from Syria, where Isis is operating.

The other two arrested and charged were Muhammad Fauzi Misrak, 32, and Mohammad Na’Im Abd Rashid, 26.

They were reportedly charged on November 11. Fauzi’s case is due for mention on December 19 while Na’Im’s case is on December 15.

The duo had allegedly fought for Isis between December 13 last year and July 14.

They were arrested with 12 others between October 15 and October 17.

On Tuesday, The Malaysian Insider reported that at least five Isis militants had returned to Malaysia, but lack of proof was holding back police from arresting them.

According to a senior intelligence source, under Sosma, there were a number of boxes which police needed to tick.

"Getting statements from sources in the Middle East to confirm that a Malaysian citizen was there fighting alongside Isis forces is insufficient," the official said.

"Police must build a strong case before a Malaysian suspect who fought alongside Isis forces in the Middle East can be charged in court here."

On Monday, Deputy Home Minister Datuk Dr Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar told Parliament that Malaysian Isis fighters were returning to spread militant ideology in the country.

He said police checks showed that those who returned were not driven by disillusionment or the desire to surrender to the Malaysian authorities, but to influence and recruit others.

“The police are monitoring and they know, those who opted to return are doing so because they want to influence other Malaysians to join their cause, regardless if they are Muslims or not."

Thirty-nine Malaysians have been officially identified as being involved with Isis in Syria, whose aim is to set up an Islamic caliphate in the region.

The New Straits Times, however, reported that there were 45 Malaysians in Syria and 15 in Iraq.

It also reported that police may have difficulty in tracing exactly how many have returned as their departure from Malaysia to Syria was not properly tracked.

Between January and June this year, police arrested 23 people in various parts of Malaysia over alleged links to the terror group.

The Malaysians fighting alongside Isis forces in the Middle East were influenced to take up the struggle via social media, intelligence sources previously said.

Some, like former Kedah PAS Youth information chief Lotfi Ariffin who was killed in Syria, had not only posted about his activities with the militants on Facebook, but had issued call-to-action messages, too.

To date, five Malaysians have been killed in action in Syria. – November 22, 2014.

- See more at: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/3-malaysians-arrested-over-isis-links#sthash.76IGmMeu.dpuf

Quitting is last thing on Muhyiddin’s mind

 

Amid rumours that he would quit, Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin says he is still ‘alive and kicking’ and will continue to serve for years to come.

He said he would remain in his post as long as he has the confidence of the Umno president Najib Abdul Razak and his party’s members.

“I think I still have the ability to assist the Umno leadership and the government, so I will continue with my services. There is no need to discuss when I will resign or whether it’s true that I’ll resign.

“I think if we are ready (to face general elections) then I can step down, but to me it seems that is not the situation, so it is important that I remain here and help,” he said in an interview with Utusan Malaysia published today.

Muhyiddin, who is also Umno’s deputy president, added that he and Najib will delegate some of their official duties to other ministers, in order to spend more time reforming the party.

He said he and the PM have been ‘buried’ in government affairs, to the extent of not spending enough time on party affairs.

“We are at a critical juncture. If reform or renewal is not seen to be done, I am worried that we will lose (the next election).

“The writing is already on the wall. If we don’t take stern action on the leaders of any level to bring change, then we will have to bear with the consequences,” he was quoted as saying, when asked about preparations for the 14th general election.

‘Free to speak’

On another matter, Muhyiddin said delegates at the upcoming Umno general assembly should be free to speak on any subject, including hot-button issues such as whether national-type schools help or hinder national unity, on the Sedition Act 1948, and issues of race and religion.

He said the party leaders and delegates have a responsibility to raise issues, and the assembly is the best platform for them to do so.

However, he said the speakers should also come forward with suggestions instead of merely raising issues, and also be tactful, to not hurt the feelings of others.

“Some people have reminded us not to say this or not to say that. For me, the members need to be given the freedom although they should know how to deliver it without hurting the feelings of others.

“Let it be sweet to the ears but sting in the heart because what was said is true. These are basics that I think our speakers could use,” he said.

Previously, Umno secretary-general Tengku Adnan Mansor (left) said that party members were told not play up racial and religious issues, or personal issues between members, during the assembly.

“We should not touch on personal problems, sensitive race issues and sensitive problems between Umno members.

“They can do what they want in accordance to the guidelines given by Hishammuddin Hussein, as the vice-president in charge of these matters,” he said.

Umno would be holding its 65th annual general assembly from Nov 25 until Nov 29 at the Putra World Trade Centre.

Parents blame hospital for teen's death

Orang Pasir Mas merasai kehilangan saya, kata Ibrahim Ali

ISIS accused of using stills from ‘Hungarian porn’ in propaganda which suggested Western soldiers were raping women

• The US State Department is actively countering ISIS propaganda online
• The terrorist organisation was accused of using Hungarian pornography
• The US is trying to dissuade young western Muslims from joining ISIS

The US State Department has accused ISIS of taking screen grabs of Hungarian pornography and claiming the images show the rape of Arab women by western soldiers.

The original image was tweeted from an account claiming allegiance with the terrorist group.

The tweet features three images, one of a distressed, small child. The second features a woman being held by men in military fatigues and the final image shows a man in Arab dress being abused by a soldier.

In the tweet, ISIS claims that they are the 'sole saviour of millions of Sunni Muslims against Iraqi-Syria army butchers'.

In response to the ISIS tweet, the US State Department using their Think Again Turn Away social media account, said the middle rape image was taken from Hungarian porn.

The tweet claims that ISIS should 'stop using fake photos to trick people' into supporting their 'lost cause'.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2839708/ISIS-accused-using-stills-Hungarian-porn-propaganda-suggested-Western-soldiers-raping-women.html

Yazidi families reclaim girls seized by Islamic State – for a price

In interviews, girls who escaped or were bought back by their families tell of their brutal treatment at the hands of IS militants. Almost 150 girls have returned to Kurdish-controlled areas in recent weeks, according to activists, with families paying as much as a year's income to get them back.

By Jane Arraf, Correspondent

Near Zakho, northern Iraq — Suzanne twists the heart-shaped pink plastic ring on her finger as she talks about the women and children who beat her for trying to escape the self-described Islamic State.

The Yazidi 14-year-old, now living with an uncle’s family near Zakho, is one of an estimated 5,000 girls and women from the ancient minority taken captive by IS to be sold or given to fighters as slaves – and one of an increasing number who have recently escaped or been bought back by their families.

Activists believe almost 150 girls and women have returned to the Kurdish-controlled territories in the last several weeks. Some see it as a sign of an overstretched IS that no longer has the resources in Iraq or Syria to hold large numbers of captives.

The women's capture and harsh treatment had raised fears they would not be accepted by their families if they managed to return, and has created challenges for the secretive, ancient religion and deeply conservative society, where some women are still killed to maintain family "honor" for even the appearance of impropriety.

But the sheer numbers of women seized from a small community that does not accept converts has helped prompt a religious decree that the women need to be brought back and re-integrated. In most cases, it seems to have worked.

Like other girls interviewed by the Monitor, Suzanne and her sisters and mother were separated by IS from their male relatives after gunmen took control of villages near Sinjar mountain over two days in August. She and her sisters were first taken to Mosul and then to the IS stronghold of Raqqa, Syria. After US-led airstrikes in Raqqa, their captors moved them to the outskirts of Aleppo, where she escaped, only to be handed back to IS by a Syrian family she had asked for help.



“They beat me with a plastic hose and a cable,” says Suzanne, whose parents and two sisters are still missing. “They were saying ‘it is useless for for you to try to escape’ … They hit me everywhere, my hands, my legs, my back. Everyone took a turn – even the children from the village and the wives.”

The children encouraged to hit her were as young as five, she says.

When the Aleppo prison she was held in was bombed, she and a friend managed to escape. They made their way to the Kurdish region of Syria and then to Turkey, where she was picked up by relatives.
Ending up in an isolated farmhouse

Sabreen is 15. When Kurdish forces protecting Yazidi towns retreated in early August, IS fighters took her to a school in Tel Afar near the Syrian border with several hundred other women. There, IS took all children between the ages of five and 10 from their mothers. When the women screamed and tried to take back their children, the gunmen fired in the air and said they would kill them if they didn’t stay back, she says.

Sabreen also ended up in Syria, in an isolated farmhouse near Raqqa.

“Lots of men used to come and look around and when they would see a girl they liked they would say ‘I want to buy that one,’” she says. “There was an emir who was taking money for the girls – $1,000 to $1,500.” Sabreen says she escaped from her Palestinian and then Saudi "owners" and is now living with an uncle’s family near Dohuk.

The uncle, Hamid, said he was sending his sons to retrieve another distant relative who is believed to be the only surviving member of her family. He raised $5,000 – a year’s income for many families here – to buy her back from Tel Afar through a middleman.

“Suddenly you get a phone call out of the blue saying ‘We have your daughter.’ They don’t tell you their names or anything like that,” says Hamid. “Or ‘We have your girl. We want this amount of money.'”

“If you can find someone you can trust, that man goes and says, 'I want this girl to marry,' and he pays it straight to IS,” he says. “You can’t say ‘I want to buy three girls back’ – they won’t give them to you like that.”

Hamid and others said most families with missing wives and daughters were trying to raise money to buy back them back. He says they paid $10,000 for the first girl rescued in the family but that price has now dropped.

“People were willing to pay any amount of money,” says Hamid. “But now in my own family, we have about 30 girls missing. If you have to pay $5,000 for each one of them … you will not be able to buy all of them back.”

While IS has murdered members of all religious groups during its takeover of northern Iraq and systematically stolen cash and property, it has meted out special punishment to the Yazidis – whom it considers pagans.

Suzanne, Sabreen, and other abducted girls and women say they were told they were infidels and allowed to be bought, sold, or given to fighters. The issue is not spoken of even by Yazidi women, but many of the girls and women who were sold or given away were believed to have been raped.

A Christian woman who was told her family had to convert to Islam says she and her children were held in a house in Mosul with dozens of Yazidi girls.

“At two in the morning we heard the girls screaming,” says the woman, who asked that her name not be used. “The gunmen were raping the girls. You could tell they were being raped and they were hurting them. They said, ‘these ones don’t have religion.’"

Initial reports of some girls and women killing themselves after escaping from IS to avoid shaming their families have been impossible to corroborate. While such cases may exist, the religious ruling by Yazidi elders as women started to return appears to have protected those who have escaped.

“We would never allow anything to happen to them,” says one Yazidi man in Zakho, who is still trying to find his missing mother and sisters. “If anything, they are more deserving of our respect because of all they have endured for our religion.”

Dec 4 set for evidence notes’ application by family of custodial death victim

The Court of Appeal will on December 4 hear an application by a custodial death victim’s uncle who is challenging a coroner’s decision not to give the family lawyer notes of evidence in an inquest and not allowing the counsel to make submissions.

Lawyer M. Visvanathan, representing Cheah Ewe Yeow, said he was notified by the court registry today of the hearing date.

Cheah, whose nephew Chin Lee died in police custody in Penang two years ago, last week filed the application together with a certificate of urgency.

"Hopefully, the Court of Appeal will deliver a ruling soon as the inquest has been adjourned to January 14," he said.

Human rights lawyers and activists had voiced their disapproval following coroner L. Umma Devi's ruling on September 26 not to give the notes of evidence and court recordings of the inquest, and also not to allow Visvanathan to make submissions.

Describing her decision as shocking, they said it would have wide implications, as it had reversed the tradition of allowing lawyers holding a watching brief on behalf of the deceased's family and to address the court.

Visvanathan said four legal questions have been framed for the appellate court's approval before the appeal could be heard.

He said the Bar Council had agreed to send its representative to hold a watching brief during the proceedings since it was a public interest case.

Umma Dewi, when delivering her decision, said only the Attorney-General's Chambers was entitled to such documents.

Cheah Yeow, the paternal uncle of Chin Lee, then applied to the Penang High Court for a revision of the coroner's decision.

On November 6 judicial commissioner Datuk Nordin Hassan upheld the coroner's decision, and said it was her discretion to provide copies of the proceedings and to allow Visvanathan to make submissions.

Chin Lee, a furniture shop sales assistant, died while in police custody on August 13, 2012.

He was arrested on suspicion of attempting to steal a motorcycle earlier that day. – November 21, 2014

- See more at: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/december-4-set-for-evidence-notes-application-by-family-of-victim#sthash.qAa3htgW.dpuf

Accused of abuse, Najib threatens legal action against Tony Pua

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak today issued a letter of demand to Petaling Jaya Utara MP Tony Pua over the DAP lawmaker’s “defamatory” remarks against him on November 3 about the state-owned 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB), which caused him “tremendous stress and embarrassment”.

In a letter signed by Najib’s lawyer, Datuk Mohd Hafarizam Harun, Pua was told to publish a retraction and apology within 14 days in two national newspapers, or face legal action for his speech recorded in the November 3 video: “Tony Pua: Najib is creating the biggest scandal ever in the history of Malaysia”.

The DAP national publicity chief was also told to remove the video from the Internet, stop further defamatory statements, and pay Najib for the damages over his remarks.

Najib’s lawyers said Pua’s statements in the video “mean and were understood to mean” that Najib was an incompetent prime minister and leader of Barisan Nasional; creating the biggest scandal in the history of Malaysia; was a cruel, harsh autocratic not open to criticism; and was tyrannical and oppressive.

The letter, which Pua’s staff received at about 3.30pm today, also said Pua had said in the video that Najib was incompetent in managing the country, had conspired against the nation; was corrupt; had robbed and misused the people’s monies; and abused his power as a political and party leader.

“Our client’s instructions are that the above defamatory statements and such similar statements amount to a very serious slander and/or libel against our client and have caused him tremendous stress and embarrassment,” read the letter.

The video was of Pua’s speech regarding the controversial 1MDB during the DAP fundraising dinner on November 3. According to a transcript in the letter, Pua had said:

“Let me tell you this is the problem with Barisan Nasional. No one dares to stand up to the Prime Minister, and Najib now is like a king. A king that is creating the biggest scandal ever in the history of Malaysia. Huge! No one dares to say a thing, nothing, not even the pin drop from any of MCA of Gerakan leader or even Umno leaders...

“It is disgraceful it is scandalous for 100% Ministry of Finance owned entity with the board of advisors chaired by the Prime Minister himself not being able to submit accounts on time especially when the company is so big when the public looks at it with great interest 36 billion in debt they are not able to submit their account on time…

“There is only one reason why I think can. The reason why can is because all these MCA, MIC, Gerakan kakis all don’t dare to challenge their prime minister, all say okay okay thank you you, please carry on and rob the people’s money.”

Najib’s lawyer said Pua reproduced the statements “time and time again” and was continuing to have them published in various forums, news portals, social media and online media.

“Contrary to your defamatory statements above, our client being the chairman of the Board of Advisors of 1MDB only renders advice to the Board of Directors of 1MDB who is tasked for the management and operation of 1MDB, not a tyrannical and oppressive autocratic who is not open to criticism and shuns criticism, not a leader involved in corrupt practices and not a leader who robs the peoples’ money.

“Accordingly, these entirely baseless and false allegations made by you are with the primary intention of attacking and damaging our client’s goodwill and reputation for no .justifiable reason.

“In doing so, you are/were acting with malice,” read the letter.

The letter stated that if Pua failed to provide a satisfactory response, it would commence legal proceedings against him, “including applying for an injunction to restrain any such further publication”.

Pua told The Malaysian Insider that his lawyer, Gobind Singh, was looking into the matter and would respond accordingly.

He added that TV3 staff were also present when the law firm’s representatives presented the letter to his staff today, although he was not in the office.

When contacted, Hafarizam confirmed that his own dispatch had sent the letter to Pua’s office, but denied all knowledge of inviting the media along.

“I got my dispatch to just send the letter, it was just like any other dispatch – they went by bike. It wasn’t a big entourage.

“I deny having any knowledge, intention or design to have publicity for this. It was a normal dispatching letter of demand.”

He added that he had yet to receive reports from Pua that the latter had acknowledged receiving the letter. – November 21, 2014.

- See more at: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/accused-of-tyranny-najib-threatens-legal-action-against-tony-pua#sthash.rkUxI9Ze.dpuf

Parents blame hospital for teen's death

Minutes after a press conference during which the anguished parents of G Tinasha accused a private hospital in Petaling Jaya of negligence, the Form Two student passed away.

Tinasha, 14, who was suffering from fever, was taken to Assunta Hospital on Sunday night by her mother, I Uthayabavani.

"She was admitted at the emergency ward around 8.30pm. Around midnight, my daughter complained of headaches and felt nauseous.

"A nurse then administered a medication, on the instruction of a medical officer present," Uthayabavani (right) recalled, in between sobs.

The 46-year-old housewife believes her daughter could have been given the wrong medication.

Around 5am, Tinasha suffered a cardiac arrest and her oxygen levels dropped drastically, forcing the medical staff to perform Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) and she was put on life support.

Tinasha's uncle, I Ramesh (left), who was also present at the press conference, described his niece as an active teenager, who participated in various NGO activities.

"Only last week, she was practising for a school concert.

"She wore a mock crown on her head, and was running around the house and showing it to everyone," he said, unable to hold back his tears.

Uthayabavani and her husband, B Ganesan Rao, a taxi driver, have also filed a police report against the hospital.

The uncle also said the medical officer  in charge of Tinasha was not at all bothered about her condition.

"We told the medical officer that she seemed to be motionless and her pupils were not moving.

"The medical officer replied that it was a side effect of the medicine and there was nothing to be worried about," Ramesh said.

Uthayabavani, who was present at her daughter's bedside the whole time, said the medical officer did not even check her at all.

"The medical officer stood from afar and assessed her. He said that he assumed that she looked fine from her breathing," she said.

'Physician-in-charge not aware of happenings'

Ironically, Ramesh said the physician who was in charge of Tinasha was not aware at all of the happenings until she was admitted into the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) after her resuscitation.

"The physician specialist in charge of Tinasha was not aware of what was happening. No one told her anything, even the medicine administered was not approved by the specialist," he said.

The grief-stricken parents said they had a couple of meetings with the hospital administration, including its chief executive, but all to no avail.

Ramesh said the hospital even advised that not much could be done about Tinasha's condition and requested them to take her off life support.

"They told us that we were prolonging the agony of the child if we wanted her on the machine. They offered to provide an ambulance for us to take Tinasha home and let her pass away in a natural state," he agonisingly added.

Bukit Gasing assemblyperson Rajiv Rishyakaran (left), who organised the press conference. said what happened was indeed tragic and the hospital's standard operating procedure (SOP) was doubtful.

"This is a very tragic incident that should not happen to anyone. We still have not got any satisfactory answer from the hospital’s side.

"The SOP of the hospital is questionable. The hospital should not cover-up, it should share everything with the family," he told reporters.

Assunta Hospital has denied any negligence on the part of its medical staff and claimed that procedure was followed.

Hospital: No negligence in teen's death

---

KAMLES KUMAR is a trainee reporter at Malaysiakini.

 

Is gov't sweeping JCY riots under the carpet?

 

COMMENT The Malaysian Trades Union Congress is alarmed at the manner in which the issue of JCY HDD Technology Sdn Bhd (JCY) foreign workers' industrial action is being swept under the carpets by the police.

MTUC is disappointed with Deputy Home Minister Wan Junaidi Wan Jaafar's statement in the Dewan Rakyat that industrial action taken by JCY foreign workers was due to misunderstanding among the foreign workers themselves, especially since this claim is not supported by any facts.

On Sep 4, 2014, we wrote to the Human Resources Ministry to hold a tripartite meeting to discuss the issues raised by JCY’s workers. However, despite several follow-up calls to the ministry, to date our request has fallen on deaf ears.

Our Johor division officers on the ground, who have been following the case closely with some of JCY’s migrant workers, have been informed by the workers that their protest escalated when one of JCY’s staff provoked them by throwing stones at the workers when they refused to engage in a game of throwing stones at one another at their workplace at Kulaijaya.

Initially a group of about 20 workers were forcefully moved to Kulaijaya for participating in the industrial action in Tebrau over the death of their coworker who had complained of having difficulty in breathing.

In Kulaijaya, they were forced to play a game of “volleyball with stones” as a form of punishment for taking part in the said incident.

'Management ignored concerns'

According to the workers, they resorted to industrial action as they were dissatisfied with the manner in which the management handled their grievances.

Their concerns regarding their health, work conditions, poor hostel facilities, calculation of overtime, not adhering to off days entitlement, unfair deductions in their salaries and low compensation for accident and injuries, were ignored by the management.

Furthermore, the workers were also displeased with the attitude of the management, such as for beating them for minor mistakes, and not treating them with dignity and respect.

The workers claimed that their concerns at the workplace worsened over the years and therefore they were left with no other option but to resort to industrial action.

Clearly the police had failed to address and neglected the issues concerning the workers at their workplace.

The police investigation only concentrated on one side of the incident.

This not only raises concerns on the confidence in and the credibility of the police investigation but also raises the issues of bias in the investigation process, especially in the absence of a  transparent and independent inquiry.

On Nov 11, a separate meeting was held at the Johor Bahru Labour Department with JCY's management to discuss the repatriation process and unpaid salary for the 55 workers who were arrested.

MTUC was also informed that five out of 55 workers arrested have been wrongfully charged under Section 6(3) of the Immigration Act for entry into the country without proper documents, as all of them have valid work permits with JCY.

They were scheduled to return to their homeland after the clearance made at Immigration Department.

Unfortunately during the police raid this group of workers was picked up.

Permits expired during detention

At the time of arrest, these workers were documented but during the process of investigation their work permits expired. As such, they were charged under the Immigration offences.

MTUC has engaged the assistance of the Johor Bar Council to represent these workers.

Nevertheless we are deeply concerned with the bureaucracy that is taking place in amending the charge at the expense of these workers, who have been detained since Sept 9, 2014.

These workers did not take part in the industrial action as they were scheduled to return home after completing their contract with JCY.

MTUC is very concerned with the continuous lack of political will by the government in addressing the issues and concerns of migrant workers.

The Home Ministry should not shoot their mouth off without consulting all stakeholders especially when workers’ rights are adversely affected.

Internationally, Malaysia has been continuously criticised for forced labour practices especially as highlighted in the recent Verite report on the electronics industry. The government should no longer ignore this report.

MTUC urges the Human Resources Ministry to step in and take proactive measure in addressing these concerns.

MTUC urges the Human Resources Ministry not to delay any longer our proposal for a tripartite meeting to discuss JCY’s case.

---

N GOPAL KISHNAM is MTUC secretary-general.

Isma flays DAP's Malay MP over Umno link

 

 Ikatan Muslimin Malaysia (Isma) has launched a broadside on DAP MP Ariff Sabri Abdul for claiming that the movement is an Umno tool.

Isma syura council chief Sharipuddin Ab Kadir described the Raub MP as a politician "who clings to other races for survival" and "earnestly attempts to please his masters to hold on to his position".

Sharipuddin also claimed that Ariff (right) was "bankrupt" in terms of knowledge and information.

"Accusing Isma of being an Umno tool with no evidence reveals the character of a cowardly politician. He cannot understand Isma’s struggle in total.

"He only sees Malays in the context of Umno whereas Isma champions the rights of Malays, the original inhabitants of this land, and rights enshrined in the federal constitution and social contract," he said.

Sharipuddin stressed that Isma’s struggle is not premised on political parties, especially Umno.

He was responding to the DAP lawmaker's call on Malays to reject Isma on the grounds that it is working towards achieving an Umno objective.

Continuing his salvo, Sharipuddin (left) said the accusation came from a "cheap politician" who is unaware of his roots.

"As a Malay and Muslim, Ariff should reveal what is his agenda for the Malays and Islam as an MP, as well as his party’s agenda for the Malays and Islam in Malaysia.

"It would not be wrong to say he was chosen as DAP MP for the process of diluting his Malay and Muslim identities because his party will never champion these rights," he added.

Sultan wants all illegals out of Pahang, says report

Following his outburst against palace insiders who had issued “yellow letters” allowing illegal land clearing in Cameron Highlands, Pahang Sultan Ahmad Shah (pic) now says all illegal immigrants in the state should be deported.

“You had better tell these undesirable ­workers we mean business. They can no ­longer encroach on Pahang without permission,” he was quoted as saying by The Star today.

“We must not allow them to wander around, not only in Cameron Highlands, (but) in other districts in Pahang as well.”

He added in the report that there was a plan to get rid of all illegal foreign workers in the state, expressing confidence that Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak would be able to help.

“My prime minister is from Pahang. I will appeal to him personally on behalf of my people,” he was quoted as saying.

Sultan Ahmad Shah also praised Najib as a “working prime ­minister” who was doing a good job.

The sultan’s statement comes in the midst of a crackdown on illegal immigrants in the state, following the event of mudslides and floods on November 5, which saw five dead and another five injured.

Illegal land clearing is believed to have caused the mudslides in Ringlet and Bertam Valley.

Yesterday, the Pahang ruler said the state government would work hard to resolve the issue of illegal immigrants not only in Cameron Highlands but also other districts in the state.

Sultan Ahmad Shah also said the state needed Putrajaya’s aid as it did not have enough resources to deal with the problem alone. – November 21, 2014.

- See more at: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/sultan-wants-all-illegals-out-of-pahang-says-report#sthash.J8kPqCNe.dpuf

Special unit to handle insults to Islam

(Bernama) – The Malaysian Islamic Development Department (Jakim) will work with the state Islamic religious departments (Jain) and the Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) to form a special unit to monitor insults to Islam.

Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Jamil Khir Baharom said the unit would focus on the new media.

“Jakim and Jain would convey any information concerning insults to Islam to the MCMC to stop it from being spread further.

“In 2013, a total of 38 websites which insulted Islam were blocked by MCMC,” he said in reply to an oral question from Mohd Fasiah Mohd Fakeh (BN-Sabak Bernam) in the Dewan Rakyat, Thursday.

Fasiah wanted to know what steps had been taken by the government to block seditious actions, and insults to Islam and Prophet Muhammad among non-Muslims, leading to tensions in society.

Asylum seekers pay RM3,500 for UNHCR cards in Malaysia!

UN body suspends all resettlement of refugees and launches a probe into fraudulent practices.

FMT

KUALA LUMPUR: An Al-Jazeera investigative report for its Asian current affairs programme, 101 East, has apparently discovered that the issuance of United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) cards in Malaysia, supposedly free, has degenerated into a racket.

The going rate, allegedly created by UNHCR officials who act as middlemen, is in the RM1,700 to RM3,500 range for each card.

These cards, according to senior presenter Steve Chao in a media update, are being sold to those who want to jump the queue.

Also, the queue jumpers included about 3,000 asylum seekers who allegedly used false identities to secure early interviews with UNHCR staff to determine their refugee status. “About 1,000 of them have since been resettled in countries like the US, Canada and Australia,” alleged Chao.

Chao’s exclusive, Malaysia’s Unwanted, aired on the Qatar-based news broadcaster’s channel on Astro.

Chao went undercover, posing as a priest, to check on the Immigration Department’s detention centre in Kuala Lumpur. This followed a tip-off from inside sources in UNHCR that the UN body, at one time, had suspended all resettlement of refugees and launched a probe into fraudulent practices.

UNHCR head Richard Towle, who confirmed the suspension and probe in a media update, added that “if a complaint is brought forward, it is investigated by an independent body out of Geneva”.

Malaysia on US watch list for ‘forced labour’

“It could be that a small and isolated group of companies did not fully comply with international labour requirements and practices.”

FMT

GEORGE TOWN: Malaysia risks being placed on a US watch list from December 1 for the export of electronic products following allegations that it uses forced labour in the electronic industry. The net effect of being placed on the watch list is that there would be restrictions on exports to the US.

The allegations on forced labour are contained in the Verite Report, funded by the US Labour Department. The report, released in September 2014, alleged that forced labour makes up 28 per cent of workers in the electronics industry in the country.

“The International Trade and Industry Ministry (Miti) and the Human Resources Ministry should work together to rebut the allegations published in the recent Verite report,” said Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng in an immediate reaction.

“The export of electronic products to Europe may also be affected, as Europe normally follows in the footsteps of the US.”

Lim alleged that there had been a delay in responding to the threat as Miti had passed the buck to the Human Resources Ministry. “Invest Penang has addressed some of the issues with the US authorities, but it was only a state body with limited powers.”

About half of Malaysia’s exports of electronic products are from Penang.

“It could be that a small and isolated group of companies did not fully comply with international labour requirements and practices,” said Heng Huck Lee, the chairman of the Association of Free Industrial Zone Penang Companies.

“The Malaysian authorities should act quickly against these companies and gather evidence and data to prove that the majority of the electronics companies are not engaging forced labour.”

Forced labour takes different forms, including debt bondage, trafficking and other forms of modern slavery. The victims are the most vulnerable: women and girls forced into prostitution, migrants trapped in debt bondage, and sweatshop or farm workers kept there by clearly illegal tactics and paid little or nothing.

All Malaysians should be concerned that Malaysia has shot up to the Top 50 countries under Global Terrorism Index when we should strive to be one of the 40 countries with no terrorism problems

By Lim Kit Siang Blog


Kiwanis Club of Skudai, like Kiwanis Clubs all over Malaysia, is to be commended for the noble motto to serve the children of the world.

All Malaysians, regardless of race, religion or region, must be united in a common Malaysian Dream to make the country a better place for our children where there is justice, freedom, unity, harmony and prosperity for all.

I have many differences with the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak but I agree with his call for the Global Movement of Moderates, which he has articulated in international forums including thrice in four years in his speeches to the United Nations General Assembly.

However, Najib seems to be waging a lose battle in his call for moderation to oust extremism in Malaysia.

I call on all Malaysians, regardless of race, religion or region, to fully endorse moderation and reject extremism in all aspects of their lives, for Malaysia must seek to be a model of multi-racial and multi-religious tolerance, harmony and understanding in an increasingly troubled world.

This has now become even more urgent with Malaysia shooting to the top 50 countries in the Global Terrorism Index 2014, rising from 91st in the 2012 Global Terrorism Index to 48th spot, when Malaysia should be one of the 40 countries in the world with no terrorism problems so as to show-case our multi-racial and multi-religious harmony, tolerance and understanding.

Recent years have seen racial and religious intolerance, hatred and extremism raising their ugly heads in the country, and this should be the concern of all Malaysians because such intolerance, hatred and extremism will spell a future of conflict and disaster for our children.

Malaysians of good sense and goodwill, who want the best for our children and our country, should not give room or opportunity for the extremists and merchants of hatred and intolerance to spread their evil teachings but should instead unite in pursuit of a common Malaysian Dream to make Malaysia a better model of multi-racial and multi-religious harmony and diversity through the path of moderation!

(Speech at the Kiwanis Club of Skudai’s 13th Grand Installation and Annual Charity Dinner at Restoran Pekin Sutera, Skudai on Thursday, 20th November 2014 at 8 pm)

Public caning a no-no, say former judges

Malay Mail
by IDA NADIRAH

PETALING JAYA, Nov 21 — Former judges said caning of young offenders in an open courtroom was unheard of during their days on the Bench.

Former Court of Appeal judge Datuk Shaikh Daud Ismail he had never come across or meted such punishments.

He also questioned why the Kuala Lumpur Sessions Court had called Mohamed Shaznee Jahn Mohamed Yasin, 19, and Redzohaan Abdullah, 20, who had been found guilty of gang robbery, as they had already been sentenced to 18 months and 24 months in jail, respectively.

Shaznee Jahn received seven strokes, and Redzohaan eight, in front of prison officers, a medical doctor, and those in the court gallery, including reporters.

“If they had been sentenced several months ago, what was the purpose of the duo returning to the courtroom?” Shaikh Daud asked.

“Why wasn’t the caning done in prison as the offenders were serving time?”

Shaikh Daud said there were numerous grey areas on why the caning was carried out within the court’s premises before a public audience.

“The court should have explained to the offenders if the caning was done as a replacement for their jail terms,” he said.

Retired Court of Appeal judge Datuk Low Hop Bing said the caning should have been carried out by the Prisons Department within the prison compound.

“It is unusual for it to take place inside the court and it was not proper for it to be done in public,” he said.

Low said even if the offenders had not appealed and were satisfied with the sentence, the caning should have been executed in prison itself.

A former High Court judge, who declined to be named, said he could not recall such occurrence taking place during his time.

He said if the High Court, which was higher in authority than the Sessions Court, suspected something amiss in this case, they could retrieve the case papers and rectify it.

“The High Court could inform the Sessions Court that what had taken place was not right,” he said.

Muhyiddin Wants Classical Literature Works Spread Using Multimedia, Digital Technology

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 21 (Bernama) -- Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin has called for Malay classical literature works to be spread wide and far using multimedia and digital technology.

The Deputy Prime Minister said this way, it would make these literature works more attractive and fresh.

He said it would also attract the interest of people of all ages and from all races to read and appreciate them.

"Getting to know and understanding these works will help in forming character that is truly Malaysian," he said at the prize-giving ceremony for the "Sastera Perdana Malaysia" awards organised by Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka (DBP) here, Friday night.

Also present were Deputy Education Minister Datuk Mary Yap Kain Ching, Education Ministry secretary-general Tan Sri Dr Madinah Mohamad and DBP director-general, Datuk Awang Sariyan.

Muhyiddin, who is also Education Minister, also said intellectual works in Bahasa Melayu should also be accorded the same recognition as "Hadiah Sastera Perdana Malaysia".

DBP's effort along this line for works in science and technology, for which he presented awards last month, was a good start, he said.

Apart from this, he said experts and men of letters in the Malay language also should be accorded due recognition.