ABU hanya jerat untuk rakyat

Empire Strikes Back

Asalkan Bukan Umno, gerakan rakyat untuk membebaskan Malaysia daripada cengkaman Umno. Bunyinya seperti satu perjuangan yang sangat murni, tetapi persoalannya, adakah matlamat yang cuba dicapai oleh ABU menghalalkan caranya?

Ini bermakna mereka sanggup bekerjasama dan bersekongkol bersama musuh Umno, Pakatan Rakyat demi menjatuhkan apa yang menurut mereka adalah rejim yang telah banyak merompak kekayaan negara.

Persoalannya, mengapa hanya Umno atau BN yang dilabel sebagai penyebab dan penyumbang kepada korupsi, penyalahgunaan kuasa serta masalah perkauman di negara ini? Dalam Pakatan Rakyat sendiri ada mengamalkan korupsi – walau dalam skala kecil, korupsi tetap korupsi. Lihat sahaja di Pulau Pinang dan Selangor. Pemberian tender yang tidak telus, kronisme yang berleluasa, penyelewengan dana, semuanya cukup. Jika bercakap mengenai sikap perkauman, lihat saja bagaimana DAP dengan lantangnya memperjuangkan ketuanan Cina.

Sedar atau tidak, budaya Umno, ya, budaya Umno yang sering dikritik dan dijadikan bahan berpolitik Pakatan Rakyat, hidup segar dalam pakatan pembangkang terutama sekali PKR. Rata-rata ahli PKR adalah serpihan dari Umno dan budaya ini kekal dalam jiwa mereka. Contoh paling nyata adalah cara kerja Anwar dan konco-konconya di Selangor. Bukankah apa yang berlaku di dalam PKNS mempunyai modus operandi yang sama? Sebab yang sama? Merompak kekayaan negeri Selangor!

Adakah Haris Ibrahim dan ABU memilih untuk membutakan mata dan memekakkan telinga bila masalah yang datang adalah dari pihak pembangkang? Menggambarkan Umno umpama kanser yang harus dibuang, adakah ABU sedar virus yang kian menular dan menebal di dalam Pakatan Rakyat?

Sampai bila ABU mahu terus menjerit meyakinkan umum bahawa ianya betul untuk berdiri menyokong ‘perompak’, ‘penyamun’, peliwat, penipu, pembohong, individu lalang, talam dua muka dan sebagainya, dan seterusnya, asal saja mereka ini bukan dari Umno?

Adakah ABU juga cuba menyampaikan mesej bahawa sekiranya seseorang itu melakukan sebarang kesalahan seperti korupsi dan menyeleweng duit rakyat seperti Muhammad Muhammad Taib ketika bersama Umno satu ketika dulu, kesilapan mereka telah tertebus dan layak berdiri sebagai hero bagi ‘menyelamatkan’ rakyat asalkan mereka meninggalkan Umno dan bekerja bersama pembangkang.

Jika yang demikian perjuangan ABU, maka akhirnya hanya akan wujud ‘Umno Baru’ (yang lebih) Baru. Penjenamaan semula dengan isi kandungan yang lebih menjijikkan dari yang asal.

Mengapa ABU membiarkan rakyat terus ditipu dan dipersendakan oleh pembangkang yang sudah terang tidak serius memperjuangkan nasib rakyat malah sibuk menaikkan diri, harta dan kekuasaan mereka? Adakah ABU hanya mahu mendorong rakyat melepaskan diri mereka dari mulut harimau dan masuk ke mulut buaya?

Adakah wajar menggantikan syaitan besar dengan syaitan yang lebih kecil? Apa akan jadi bila mana syaitan kecil itu membesar? Adakah Haris Ibrahim dan ABU akan berani memikul tanggungjawab sepenuhnya atas apa yang mereka perjuangkan?

Waytha betrayed Indians, says Makkal Sakti - FMT

'He didn't understand his job and refused to work with the system.'

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia Makkal Sakti Party (MMSP) has accused Hindraf chairman P Waythamoorthy of betraying Malaysian Indians by refusing to work within the Barisan Nasional system to improve the socio-economic status of the community.

Speaking at a press conference at PWTC today, MMSP president RS Thanenthiran said the former deputy minister had wasted a “golden opportunity” given by Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak for him to pursue the Hindraf cause.

He said Waythamoorthy’s short stint in the Prime Minister’s Department was marked by his failure to understand his responsibilities and his adamant refusal to work with the system.

“He failed to understand his portfolio capacity and should have found ways to use the existing internal mechanism within the government system to solve Indian issues,” Thanenthiran said.

“His adamant character not to work along with the system has resulted in his exit.”
He said Waythamoorthy was not proactive in pursuing the interests of Indians. “He never once called other Indian political parties for discussion.”

He also questioned the rationale behind the Hindraf leader’s request for a budget of RM750 million for his department.

Thanethiran ticked off Waythamoorthy for asking Najib to resign, saying the statement was uncalled for.

He heaped praise on Najib, calling him a saviour of the Indian community. “There’s no better prime minister than him,” he said.

“Najib appointing Waythamoorthy into his administration was not a popular choice and he received much criticism for for doing so.

“This shows that Najib was caring for the Indians and had faith in him, but Waythamoorthy has failed.”

MMSP was formed in May 2009. According to Thanenthiran, it has nearly 100,000 members.

Najib’s NRP is a recipe to abdicate his responsibility as Prime Minister in a plural society but still clinging to the perks of office

By Lim Kit Siang,

I was excited when I learned that the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak has today a blog post entitled “A national reconciliation update”, as I thought it would signal an end to the nine-month hiatus of government after the 13th general elections, with a Prime Minister who seems to be rudderless, leadershipless and directionless especially on the important agenda of nation-building and national unity.

I could not believe my eyes when I read Najib’s blog-post, because it does not inspire hope that there is going to be a new purposeful leadership to end the government drift in the past nine months with an inclusive vision of nation-building, but a recipe for Najib to abdicate his responsibility as Prime Minsiter in a plural society but still clinging to the perks of office!

What was Najib’s answer to the worst racial and religious polarisation in post-13GE compared to any other time in the nation’s 56-year history and which led the National Unity Consultative Council (NUCC) to warn only last week that the Najib administration’s failure to act swiftly when dealing with racial and religiously sensitive incidents could lead to “serious consequences”?

The NUCC said in a statement that Putrajaya must move quickly as rising religious tensions could eventually hamper efforts to promote national unity.

It urged the Najib government “to uphold the rule of law and to actively promote national unity by taking prompt action against incendiary statements and actions which are provocative and can lead to conflict and tension with serious consequences affecting peace, harmony and national unity”.

What is Najib’s response to the NUCC call and the general expectation of the Malaysian citizenry that the government would be pro-active and even pre-emptive in taking measures to slap down and halt the increasing incidents of the incitement of racial and religious hatred and tensions through the spread of lies and falsehoods, to pit race against race and religion and religion, even if it would set the multi-racial, multi-lingual, multi-religious and multi-cultural nation in flames?

Instead of the promise of pro-active and pre-emptive action to save the country by giving no room or space for the evil and nefarious designs of the merchants and vendors of hate and violence, all that Najib is suggesting is that Malaysians should just ignore the demands of the instigators and extremists, i.e. “Don’t give them the air time or the publicity”.

I could not think of a more inane, useless or irresponsible plan to save the country from the sinister and nefarious forces out to pit race against race and religion against religion and to create racial chaos and religious conflagration, especially when it is the UMNO and BN-controlled printed, electronic and social media which gave precious oxygen to such instigators by sensationalising their extremist demands– in particular Utusan Malaysia and the UMNO/BN controlled electronic media of radio and television.

Will Najib immediately issue a directive to Utusan Malaysia and all Umno/BN-controlled printed, electronic and social media to stop giving oxygen to these instigators and extremists by denying them the “publicity they crave”?

If Najib is not prepared to issue such a directive, is he not condoning the instigators and extremists in their dastardly act of trying to pit race against race and religion against religion through the incessant incitement of racial and religious hatred and tensions with lies and falsehoods?

The least I had expected is an announcement by the Prime Minister serving a final warning to all and sundry that the government and all the forces at its command, including the police and the Attorney-General’s chambers, would be deployed to ensure that peace, harmony, progress and prosperity of all Malaysians would not be jeopardised or destroyed by the evil designs of a treacherous few who want to create racial chaos and religious conflagration through incessant incitement of racial and religious hatred and tensions with lies and falsehoods.

But Najib lacks such political will, commitment, leadership and vision to save Malaysia from the instigators and extremists set on creating racial chaos and religious conflagration through the ceaseless incitement of racial and religious hatred and tensions with lies and falsehoods.

All he is asking Malaysians is to “destroy” the instigators and extremists “by having faith in yourself and your fellow Malaysians”.

No talk that the full weight of the law would be brought to bear on anyone who preaches hate seeking to pit race against race and religion against religion to cause racial chaos and religious conflagration!

If this is all Najib could prescribe to ensure peace, harmony, progress and prosperity for all Malaysians, then he should not be Prime Minister as his proper vocation would be a Good Samaritan preaching from street to street and village to village to all mankind to do good and avoid harm to others!

Why the sudden compassion by Najib for the instigators and extremists who are out to set the plural Malaysian nation aflame?

And what is the use of the police, the Attorney-General’s Chambers and other national institutions if these instigators and extremists are suddenly to be given the powers of “immunity and impunity” to break the laws of the country and tear the country asunder?

Najib also blogs about the mysterious National Reconciliation Plan (NRP), which apparently, had been conceived in the greatest secrecy “after months of quiet work…now almost ready to implement our plan of action”.

Najib said: “The NRP will aim to encourage an environment that is conducive and promotes national reconciliation through unity and consensus across the country. What we want to do is to help inspire the rakyat to respect and reconnect with one another so as to make Malaysia a better home for all of us.”

It is certainly presumptuous on the part of a government elected on a minority vote of 47% of the electorate to work quietly and in secrecy to conceive a National Reconciliation Plan without consultation and input from the Pakatan Rakyat, which has secured a majority of 51% of the national vote.

Up to now, Pakatan Rakyat had never been consulted on the NRP and our olive branch of a Barisan Nasional-Pakatan Rakyat Leadership Summit on National Reconciliation and National Unity still await an official response from the Prime Minister and the BN leadership.

Furthermore, is this NRP which seems to be in the advanced stage of completion if not already completed, a totally different animal from the National Unity Blueprint (NUB) which is being prepared by the National Unity Consultative Council (NUCC) which has given itself a two-year deadline!

If the NRP is a different creature from the NUB, it raises questions firstly, what is the purpose of NUCC preparing a NUB when the government has almost a NRP in place; and secondly, whether it would cost taxpayers RM10 million or RM20 million like the Malaysian National Education Blueprint which the government paid RM20 million to foreign consultants to draft.

It is sad and shocking that after five years as Prime Minister, Najib does not seem the know that the deadly challenge posed by those who want to destroy the very fabric of Malaysian society through incessant incitement of racial and religious hatred and tensions is not “Don’t give extremists publicity”, but “Don’t give extremists any quarter” so as to stamp out all those who ceaselessly incite racial and religious hatred with lies and falsehoods to create racial chaos and religious conflagration.

When will Najib perform his duty and responsibility to the Malaysian nation and people as the sixth Prime Minister of the country?

(Media Statement in Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday, 25th February 2014)

Dutch space firm responds to fatwa against living on Mars

The General Authority of Islamic Affairs and Endowment in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) had issued an fatwa (Islamic ruling) prohibiting Muslims from volunteering to live the rest of their lives on Mars.

World Bulletin / News Desk

Mars One, a Dutch company that is planning to create a permanent human settlement on the planet Mars in 2023, has responded to criticisms in a religious ruling offered by Muslim scholars forbidding Muslims from participating in the project.

The General Authority of Islamic Affairs and Endowment in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) had issued an fatwa (Islamic ruling) prohibiting Muslims from volunteering to live the rest of their lives on Mars.

“Such a one-way journey poses a real risk to life, and that can never be justified in Islam,” the committee said, adding “There is a possibility that an individual who travels to planet Mars may not be able to remain alive there, and is more vulnerable to death.”

However, Mars One replied to this quoting a verse from the Qur'an in a statement to the Telegraph: “The verse from the Quran ['and among His Signs is the creation of the heavens and the earth, and the variations in your languages and your colors: verily in that are Signs for those who know (Quran 30: 22)'] encourages Muslims to go out and see the signs of God’s creation in the 'heavens and the earth'.”

Saying that the Muslim world has a rich tradition of exploration, Mars One gave the example of the Moroccan Muslim traveler Ibn Battuta “who from 1325 to 1355 travelled 73,000 miles, visiting the equivalent of 44 modern countries.”

“Space exploration, just like Earth exploration, will come with risks and rewards. It may seem extremely dangerous to send humans to Mars today, but the humans will be preceded by at least eight cargo missions,” the organization said.

“Robotic unmanned vehicles will prepare the habitable settlement. Water and a breathable atmosphere will be produced inside the habitat and the settlement will be operational for two years, even before the first crew leaves Earth.

“If we may be so bold: the General Authority of Islamic Affairs and Endowment (GAIAE) should not analyze the risk as they perceive it today. The GAIAE should assess the potential risk for humans as if an unmanned habitable outpost is ready and waiting on Mars. Any progress requires taking risks, but in this case the reward is "the next giant leap for mankind". That reward is certainly worth the risks involved in this mission.”

It added: “Mars One respectfully requests GAIAE to cancel the Fatwa and make the greatest Rihla, or journey, of all times open for Muslims, too.

“They can be the first Muslims to witness the signs of God’s creation in heaven, drawing upon the rich culture of travel and exploration of early Islam.

Many Muslims including some 500 Saudi Arabians and other Arabs are reported to be among the thousands of volunteer applicants worldwide to participate in the Dutch-sponsored one-way trip to the Red Planet, according to UAE's Khaleej Times, after the $6 billion project was announced in April 2013.

19 Islamic words banned for non-Muslims in Brunei

newsdesk@thesundaily.com

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN (Feb 23, 2014): The Brunei government will ban the use of 19 Islamic words, including "Allah" and "masjid", by non-Muslims, according to the Brunei Times today.

The ban will take effect from April, the paper said.

Under the Syariah Penal Code Order, these words cannot be used with respect to other religions.

They are azan; baitullah; Al Quran; Allah; fatwa; Firman Allah; hadith; haji; hukum syara'; ilahi; Ka'bah; kalimah al syahadah; kiblat; masjid; imam; mufti; mu'min; solat; and wali.

The Brunei Times quoted Hardifadhillah Mohd Salleh, a senior syariah legal officer of the Islamic Legal Unit as telling staff of the Industry and Primary Resources Ministry on key parts of the order during a briefing.

He also said certain provisions of the order also apply to non-Muslims, such as zina (adultery) with a Muslim partner, drinking alcohol in a public place, and khalwat (close proximity) with a Muslim partner.

If convicted, the penalty is a fine of up to B$4,000 and/or one year in prison.

For adultery between a married Muslim and a married non-Muslim, both parties can be punished by stoning to death if the offence is proven by confession, or the testimony of four eye-witnesses.

The paper quoted Hardifadhillah as saying that any person who instigates any Muslim man or woman to divorce, or neglect their duties towards their partner can be fined up to B$4,000 and/or jailed for a year.

"Additionally, any Muslim parent who surrenders his child into the care of a non-Muslim can be fined up to B$20,000 and/or jailed for up to five years," he was quoted as saying.

Brunei will enforce the Syariah Penal Code Order in three phases.

Muslim group questions motive of Christian missionaries in giving out Bahasa leaflets in Subang Jaya

 

A copy of the Bahasa Malaysia Bible. It was reported that a parent-teacher association head in Penang had caught three men handing out Bibles titled 'Kenalilah al-Kitab' at a school. – The Malaysian Insider pic, February 24, 2014.

 

Muslim group Ikatan Muslimin Malaysia (Isma) has claimed that Christian missionaries are going around Subang Jaya and spreading their faith using leaflets written in Bahasa Malaysia.

The leaflets, titled "Semua penderitaan akan berakhir tidak lama lagi" (All sufferings will end soon), talked about how the people's lives are similar to what has been predicted in the Bible.

"Besides that, the leaflets also questioned who deserved to rule and whose leadership is the best. There were also questions on whether human beings could live more happily if God does not rule over them and why God didn't destroy Adam and Eve and create another pair of humans," Isma said in a statement today.

According to Isma, based on the information in a blog (akarimomar.wordpress.com), volunteers monitoring the USJ Subang Jaya, area had detained a foreign couple, believed to be from the United States, and a Chinese man.

"According to the volunteers, the Christian group was seen giving out the leaflets but had deceived them by saying it was only given to Chinese and Indians.

"However, when questioned about their intentions in handing out the Bahasa Malaysia leaflets to Chinese and Indians, and also if they could speak Bahasa Malaysia, the missionaries couldn't answer," Isma said.

Similar allegations were also highlighted in Penang after Bahasa Malaysia daily Sinar Harian reported that Sekolah Menengah Haji Zainal Abidin parent-teacher association (PTA) chairman Nor Amin Ahmad's had claimed that he had caught three men handing out Bibles at another school in the area.

Nor Amin was quoted to have said that the Bibles were titled “Kenalilah al-Kitab (Know the Bible)” and contained the words “Sebuah panorama Firman Allah dalam 366 bacaan dan renungan harian” (The Word of God in 366 daily readings and reflections), adding that there have been acts of proselytisation among the students themselves.

State religious exco Datuk Abdul Malik Kassim, however, revealed that the allegations were found to be false after the department conducted its investigations.

He said the allegations were brought on by "extremists" who wanted to create tension among the various races in the country.

"Extremists, including racial and religious extremists have no place in any society. It has to be curbed before the seed grows and affects the whole nation," he had said.

MP to table Bill to bar abuse of affirmative action

PSM's Sungai Siput MP Dr Jeyakumar Devaraj will table a Private Member's Bill on social inclusion in the next Dewan Rakyat sitting to prevent affirmative action abuse, including through political ties.

Termed the 'Social Inclusion Bill 2014', the Bill has been submitted to the parliament secretariat this morning for tabling in the sitting which commences March 10.

The Bill is supported by DAP's Serdang MP Ong Kian Ming (left). However, he stressed that this is in his capacity as a MP, and that he is not representing DAP's stand on the matter.

Addressing media on the matter today, he said that this is needed to create “checks and balance” and ensure that marginalised groups are receiving the benefits of affirmative action.

“In Malaysia, there is a tendency for institutionalised racism (where) certain groups are not recognised by the system.

“There is also a tendency for people who are not poor to benefit from affirmative action...based on political affiliations.

“The new Act will help provide a check-and-balance to ensure this aid goes to the group that deserves it,” he told reporters in a livestream of the press conference provided by Rakyat Times.

The preamble of the Bill states that its aim is to develop a “socially inclusive” society and to break inter-generational poverty cycles and yawning disparities.

“A socially inclusive society is one where the basic needs of all members of that society are met, so as to enable them to live in dignity,” it reads.

'Social Inclusion Commission'

Central to the Bill - which began its drafting and public consultation process in August 2012 by NGOs Saya Anak Bangsa Malaysia and National Human Rights Society (Hakam) - is the formation of a Social Inclusion Commission.

The commission will develop social inclusion policies, identify marginalised individuals and their needs, as well as develop action plans to address the following:

• Reduce real poverty;
• Reduce income inequality;
• Eradicate institutionalised discrimination; and
• Built the capacity of marginalised communities.

The commission will also be tasked to prescribe “models of intervention” and monitor the implementation of social inclusion plans.

The Bill proposes that the commission have powers to conduct inquiries and surveys, along with being able to intervene in government agencies to ensure each plans are implemented in each parliamentary constitutency.

It will also have access to a special fund set up for the such purposes.

The Bill proposes that the commission is fully answerable to Parliament, with members appointed by the Agong among those recommended by a bipartisan parliamentary select committee headed by Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim.

Meanwhile, Ong said he is backing the Bill due to the “transparent” process it proposes and the commission's powers, accontability to Parliament, and its bipartisan nature.

“Other commissions like the Human Rights Commission are doing a good job to the best of their abilities, but their powers are limited.

“A minister has a lot of discretion of whether to reject or implement (a policy recommendation),” he told reporters.

He said the Bill is consistent with Pakatan Rakyat's 2013 general election manifesto for needs-based affirmative action.

However, DAP, PAS, and PKR have not explicitly expressed support for the Bill. The Bill was included in the PSM and Parti Rakyat Malaysia election manifesto.

Waytha: I have hit the wall

Though Hindraf has been failed by BN, Waythamoorthy says he will persist its agenda and move forward.

PETALING JAYA: Hindraf chairman P Waythamoorthy will continue to engage other strategies and alternatives to ensure the success of the Hindraf blueprint.

In an interview with FMT, Waythamoorthy said the blueprint is not dead but rather not honoured, and calls the document as a great significance to give permanent solution to the poor and underclass Indians.

Last April, the five year blue print in a form of an MOU was signed between Hindraf and Barisan Nasional(BN) to move the poor and displaced Indians in Malaysia into the mainstream of national development.

The Hindraf blueprint covers proposals for intervention in four major areas, namely uplifting displaced estate workers, addressing statelessness among the Malaysian Indian poor, increasing educational opportunities from pre-school to university, increasing employment and business opportunities.

It also outlines a dedicated new unit in the Prime Minister’s Department to be established to carry out the programmes for the four major areas.

Upon resigning from all government positions due to his frustration with Najib Tun Razak’s lack of political will to honour the MOU, Waythamoorthy says he will now go back to his grassroots supporters to meet and explain to them his predicament.

He will be holding a series of meetings in various states with Hindraf members around the nation starting with Selangor and Johor. Other states will follow suit in due time.

“I will explain to the people what actually transpired and it’s our priority at the moment.

“The people also know what we are doing and they ought to understand what transpired during my days in the prime Minister’s office,” said Waythamoorthy.

On another note, Waythamoorthy agrees that MIC has failed the Indians in the country but he still puts the blame entirely on the BN government as a whole.

“Although they have failed the Indian community, I will not place the entire blame on MIC as they have a major role to play, every other Indian knows this.

“How much they have failed us, I don’t have to exert, and beyond that I think the government of the day is responsible towards its citizens.

“In this case the Prime Minister is for all, the Home Minister and Education minister is for all. It is the duty of all these ministers to take care of the citizens, but together they failed the Indian community,” added Waythamoorthy.

Warga asing kena bayar kos sebenar perubatan, kata Subramaniam

Dengan pelaksanaan langkah tersebut, kerajaan mampu menjimatkan sehingga RM100 juta setahun

PUTRAJAYA: Warga asing bakal dikenakan bayaran kos perubatan sebenar di klinik dan hospital kerajaan tidak lama lagi, kata Menteri Kesihatan Datuk Seri Dr S.Subramaniam.

Beliau berkata pada masa ini warga asing termasuk pekerja dan pelajar yang mendapatkan rawatan di klinik dan hospital kerajaan menikmati subsidi perubatan antara 30 hingga 40 peratus.

“Dengan pelaksanaan langkah tersebut, kerajaan mampu menjimatkan sehingga RM100 juta setahun yang wang itu boleh digunakan untuk meningkatkan lagi mutu perkhidmatan kesihatan dan perubatan di negara ini,” katanya pada sidang media selepas menghadiri perhimpuan bulanan kementerian itu di sini hari ini.

Beliau berkata kementerian sedang memuktamadkan kos tersebut sebelum dikuatkuasakan.

Beliau turut melancarkan logo rasmi kementerian dengan moto ‘Kami Sedia Membantu’ yang akan diguna pakai bagi jabatan, institusi, unit dan agensi kesihatan selain urusan surat menyurat dan portal kementerian.

Dr Subramaniam berkata di beberapa negara Eropah seperti United Kingdom, warga asing perlu memiliki polisi perubatan sendiri yang jika tidak mereka terpaksa menanggung segala kos perubatannya.

Beliau berkata oleh itu rakyat perlu menghargai perkhidmatan kesihatan kerajaan yang memberikan subsidi kepada mereka sehingga 98 peratus.

Sementara itu beliau berkata kerajaan memperuntukkan RM1.9 bilion tahun ini bagi pembangunan hospital dan klinik di seluruh negara merangkumi kos pembinaan blok tambahan baharu dan kerja-kerja menaik taraf.

“Kita cuba menyelesaikan seberapa banyak masalah yang dihadapi oleh hospital. Kita menerima hakikat bahawa kebanyakan hospital perlu di naik taraf dan ia tidak boleh dilakukan sekali gus tetapi secara berperingkat,” katanya.

- Bernama

PAS perlu tangani isu Melayu dan Felda jika mahu ke Putrajaya

Antara dakyah untuk menakut-nakutkan orang Melayu ialah, jika Pakatan Rakyat membentuk kerajaan, hak orang Melayu akan terhakis.

KUALA PILAH :PAS perlu menangani isu-isu yang melibatkan orang Islam, Melayu dan masyarakat Felda jika PAS mahu ke Putrajaya pada Pilihan Raya Umum ke-14 nanti.

Bercakap dalam Konvensyen PAS Negeri Sembilan di Hotel Melang Inn, Kuala Pilah kelmarin, Pesuruhjaya PAS Negeri Sembilan Mohd Taufek Abdul Ghani berkata isu-isu yang membelenggu orang Melayu dan masyarakat Felda perlu ditangani dan diurus secara professional dengan memperkasakan Lajnah Penerangan, Jabatan Penyelidikan dan Strategik PAS Negeri Sembilan supaya rakyat khususnya orang Melayu dapat difahamkan dan akhirnya mengundi PAS dan Pakatan Rakyat.

“Walau macam mana sekali pun, PAS harus menembusi kubu kuat Umno di kawasan majoriti Melayu khususnya Felda, kampung tradisi dan kawasan luar bandar jika berhasrat membentuk Kerajaan Pakatan Rakyat Negeri Sembilan dan seterusnya menuju ke Putrajaya (Kerajaan Pusat).

“Antara dakyah yang paling popular dimainkan oleh Umno untuk menakut-nakutkan orang Melayu ialah, jika Pakatan Rakyat membentuk kerajaan, maka orang Cina akan menjadi Perdana Menteri, seterusnya hak orang Melayu akan terhakis.

“Walaubagaimanapun sokongan rakyat bukan Islam khususnya pengundi Cina juga perlu dikekalkan bahkan harus ditingkatkan melalui penubuhan Dewan Himpunan Penyokong PAS (DHPP) di peringkat kawasan dan menerusi kerjasama Pakatan Rakyat iaitu DAP dan PKR dalam program-program yang dianjurkan.

“Berhubung dengan sokongan pengundi India, satu kajian dan tindakan oleh DHPP, Lajnah Perpaduan Nasional, Lajnah Penerangan dan Jabatan Pilihanraya akan kita segera laksanakan,” kata Mohd Taufek.

Sementara itu dalam sessi perbahasan, perwakilan PAS Jelebu, Khairul Azidi meminta PAS Negeri Sembilan melipatgandakan usaha di kawasan Felda kerana sokongan kepada Umno di kawasan Felda sangat kuat.

“Kita buat program penerangan ‘Jelajah Oren’ dan kita mengetengahkan isu-isu peneroka Felda seperti hutang tanam semula peneroka yang sangat tinggi dan beberapa lagi isu membabitkan peneroka termasuk isu saham Koperasi Permodalan Felda.

“Tetapi kita dihalang daripada masuk ke kawasan Felda sehingga ada ahli kita dicederakan dan cermin kenderaan pacuan empat roda kita dipecahkan.

“Oleh itu sesuatu harus dilakukan untuk menarik sokongan peneroka Felda dan Generasi kedua serta ketiga untuk menyokong kita,” katanya.

‘Anwar a brother to church, not politician’

Malaysiakini

Deflecting claims that it carried out a “political activity,” the Holy Family Church (HFC) in Kajang said today that it invited by-election candidate Anwar Ibrahim to its church last Sunday for the sake of inter-faith harmony and not to win him more voters.

HFC’s parish priest George Harrison said the unusual initiative originated from a church member and he allowed it only because it was consistent with the church’s mission to boost  ties between Christians and Muslims in the country.

“I have been talking to people about building bridges with our Muslim brothers and sisters and so the event was allowed because a parishioner proposed it,” he told Malaysiakini.

“It was not meant to back any political party,” he added.

Harrison said the event, attended by some 1,200 people was organised by a church member from the Centre for Reform, Democracy and Social Initiatives, who rented a multi-purpose hall.

He added that although it took place after the Sunday church service, it was not in the main church building and the event was open to all.

During the event, Anwar spoke at length about the needed brotherhood among multiple races and religions, quoting from both the Quran and the Bible.

Harrison said he too dropped by for the talk on Sunday but not to cheer the PKR leader on.
“I have told my people – that we must listen well to all and then make your own discernment and decision (on the by-election) – even BN’s view and all.

“This is my message all along – I have said nothing to side anybody and to Anwar, I have only said : ‘This is my brother, welcome,’ ” he added.

The 40-year old priest asserted that as a citizen, he too had a right to host a famous personality, and noted that it was the first time he and Anwar had met.

Asked to answer to Perkasa vice-president Zulkifli Noordin’s suggestion that the church also allow Umno or NGOs like  Perkasa or Isma to hold talks at the church after Sunday prayers, Harrison hesitated.

“If this happens now, it will be very political. Remember, I am not the one organising it,” he said, adding that the church facilities were usually reserved only for its members to use for wedding and community events.

Muhyiddin – stop bellyache, just issue a directive cancelling all punitive actions against Nor Izzat and all other teachers for criticising SBA

By Lim Kit Siang,

I advise the Deputy Prime Minister and Education Minister, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin to stop belly-ache and just to issue a directive to revoke all punitive actions against Suara Guru Masyarakat Malaysia (SGMM) chief Mohd Nor Izzat Mohd Johari and all other teachers for criticising the student-based assessment (SBA) system.

What is Muhyiddin hoping to achieve by denying that he was involved in transferring Nor Izzat who had spearheaded a protest against the SBA system within 24 hours from Jerantut to a rural school in Pahang last week?

Let me tell Muhyiddin that Malaysians are not interested whether the transfer order came from the district education office or otherwise, but that as Education Minister he must take full and personal responsibility for punitive actions taken against Nor Izzat and all teachers who had criticised the SBA – and that his first duty now is to countermand all the punitive actions which had been issued not only against Nor Izzat but all other teachers who had been penalised for the courage of their convictions in speaking out against the disastrous implementation of SBA.

Will Muhyiddin next say that the suspension of the SBA did not come him and he should not be queried on the subject?
Actually, Muhyiddin should hold himself responsible for the SBA mess and give a full accounting why he had allowed the educational system to deteriorate to such a dismal state.

Teachers and school administrators who found it hard to cope with the SBA to track students’ performances, had fallen back on examinations.

This has led to a situation where many schools have two systems. On the surface is the SBA, which is done to please officials in Putrajaya, but beneath there is the old annual examination system.

The examination system is being implemented by individual schools without the knowledge of Putrajaya but the schools are using it to track students’ performances.

The use of the two system was causing a lot of strain on teachers and school officials – which is indeed an extraordinary “transformation” of the education system, from bad to worse and not from better to best!
Why did Muhyiddin take so long to wake up to the SBM disaster, resulting in the “shame-faced” back-door suspension of the SBA yesterday?

Developed, Developing World Must Join Hands For Successful Coalitions - Najib

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 24 (Bernama) -- Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said the most effective coalitions in the future will be those which involve both the developed and developing world.

In this regard, he said, Malaysia must be deft and nimble in building and participating in coalitions, seeking out those which shared its concerns.

He said there was also a need at the same time to exercise leadership within the shared platforms which were needed to tackle multilateral problems.

"A stronger foreign policy establishment here in Malaysia, which brings together think-tanks, academic chairs and foundations will strengthen our hand when it comes to building coalitions for change," Najib said in his keynote address when opening the 8th Heads of Mission Conference, here today.

Najib noted that Malaysia must react to the transformations around it with a transformation of its own, including having a foreign policy that would see the country through to 2020 when this country achieved a developed nation status, and beyond.

To this end, Najib said Malaysia must embrace its position as one of the region's Middle Powers, which he described as states which rarely acted alone, but had a significant, systematic impact in a small group or through international institutions.

"Come 2020, Malaysia will be a developed country with far-flung and expanding interests. The international community, as well as our own public, will expect that we assume our share of the burden of responsibility and leadership.

"As a Middle Power, that means playing a greater part in Asia, and helping Asia play a greater part in the world," he said at the event which was attended by, among others, Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Anifah Aman and his deputy, Datuk Hamzah Zainuddin.

Najib said this meant Malaysia was continuing its commitment to Asean which groups 10 Southeast Asian countries.

"We swim or sink with our region. If we don't have an influential voice here, we won't have an influential voice anywhere," he stressed.

Najib said Malaysia must, therefore, devote adequate resources to strengthening its bilateral relations with neighbours and continue to value Asean as the fulcrum of peace, prosperity and stability in the region.

"Even as we undertake to do more, we must concentrate resources on initiatives that will generate the best returns, leading in areas that concern us the most, not aiming to be everything to everyone," the prime minister said.

He said Kuala Lumpur must sharpen the way it conceived and executed the cooperation and assistance programmes it provided at the bilateral, regional and multilateral levels.

"And we must assess the impact of such programmes more systematically to ensure they are effective and efficient," he said.

In the speech, Najib noted that the factors which shaped Malaysia's diplomacy -- its dependence on trade, strategic location and demographic change -- were in turn shaped by external trends.

"And here the grounds beneath our feet are shifting as old assumptions are being overturned and new ones emerging.

"These global and regional trends ask that we adapt our diplomacy to fit the pressures and opportunities of a new century," he added.

RM35mil for Indians 'news to me' says Waytha - Malaysiakini

 

 Former deputy minister P Waythamoorthy said the RM35 million allocated to resolve the Taman Permata flats issue in Dengkil is “news” to him, as this was never cropped up in his discussions with the prime minister on the matter.

While welcoming the allocation he, however, stressed that this is only one of many issues that his NGO, Persatuan Hindraf Malaysia, sought to resolve.

“Dengkil is not the only thing. There is also the Bukit Jalil estate and so many estates left in the country, where people need to be resettled properly and houses built for them properly.

“Settling one problem alone will not settle the entire Indian community’s problems. We have a very long list, because we have been overlooked for over 50 years,” he told a press conference today.

He was asked to comment on Housing and Local Government Minister Abdul Rahman Dahlan’s statement yesterday, defending Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak.

Abdul Rahman (left) said that Najib gave his ministry RM35 million to resolve the issue after Waythamoorthy had urged the prime minister to take action, so it is not true that Najib had not been paying  heed to Indian issues.

The Taman Permata flat residents were originally estate workers, but temporarily resettled there to make way for the construction of Putrajaya, pending new low-cost terrace houses for them.

Tents as homes for months

The houses never materialised andwhen cracks appeared in the flats, they were forced treat tents as homes  for months.

The residents said in a Facebook post last month that they had received word from the Ministry of Housing and Local Government that the federal government will build new houses for them.

PHM believes that there are some 800,000 displaced estate workers nationwide without proper access to jobs and infrastructure, when the estates they had worked in - sometimes for generations - vanished to make way for development.

Among others, Waythamoorthy had said a week after being sworn in as senator last year, that he had asked Najib to allocate  him a budget for the remainder of the year and the following year, to set up a new unit under Prime Minister’s Department to implement Hindraf’s plans, and an expert steering committee to conduct studies.

This was tabled as part of his proposals of his first 100 days in office.

However, he said he only managed to receive verbal commitments from Najib meeting, after meeting, and little else.

He also gave the prime minister a list of 19 issues that needed to be urgently addressed namely a number of Tamil schools, Indian temples and settlements, deaths in custody, unrecognised doctors, forced conversions, and religious disputes.

Between him and his two secretaries, he was only able to resolve a small number of the 709 complaints made to him, he said.

“By the end of October, I realised nothing was moving. I did not see  political will on the part of the prime minister. I could only hear  his commitments, but beyond that I could not see anything moving.

“Not with him, not with the other ministers, not with other ministries and government agencies,” he said.

He then wrote a letter to the prime minister, giving him a month to come up with a plan to fulfil his promises failing which he would resign. He then went on unpaid leave from November onwards.

On the 3rd week of November, he was called to a meeting with Najib.

Since there was no allocation for Waythamoorthy’s unit under the Prime Minister’s Department under the 2014 Budget, he said, Najib promised to set aside RM750 million  from his own budget and money from unused allocations in other ministries.

Again there was no further progress.

“As I have said earlier, the civil servants were not cooperative and I had no choice. I had to report to the PHM Central Executive Committee (CEC) and I told them I do not have any more confidence that will be able to perform as a deputy minister with the purpose of delivering on  the promises made to the Indian community,” he said.

Yes boss culture made vivid

After this, he said, the CEC arrived at the unanimous decision that PHM should leave the government.

When asked to comment on criticisms from his former colleagues that he was not a ‘team player’, Waythamoorthy said he did not join the cabinet to be part of a team, but to implement Hindraf’s blueprint.

“I don’t understand what they mean by ‘team player’. I think that they are so used to being in power, so used to seeing Indian ministers who claim to represent the community in the cabinet for a very long period of time.

“So they are used to, ‘Ya, tuan. Boleh, tuan. Jangan takut, tuan. Orang India semua sokong, tuan. (Yes sir. Can, sir. Don’t worry, sir. The Indians are all supportive, sir.)’

“They are so used to that kind of language, but they are not used to our language. Our language is different, our language is ‘human rights’, ‘dignity’, and ‘fulfilling promises’,” he added.

Perkasa to form NUCC alternative for national unity

FOR "CLAIMING TO BE AN APOSTATE,SAYING ALLAH DID NOT EXIST AND RIDICULING PROPHET MOHAMMAD"POLICE REPORT FILED AGAINST FACEBOOK PAGE "APOSTATE IN THE EAST COAST"(MALAYSIA)

Kelab Anak Muda Indera Mahkota (KAMI) today lodged a police report against a Facebook (FB) account, claimed to have insulted Allah, Prophet Muhammad and Islam.

Its chairman Muhammad Faiz Hashim said the FB account, known as "Murtad in Pantai Timur" (Apostate in the East Coast), also claimed to be an apostate and was rude by stating that Allah did not exist and also ridiculed Prophet Muhammad.

"The existence of this account was realised on Feb 17 and its contents tend to insult Islam and Islamic clothing, besides condemning those who cover up.

"KAMI, being against anti-Islamic misdeeds, feels challenged, angered and disturbed by the existence of this FB account as it insults Islam, besides inciting others to be apostates."

Muhammad Faiz, who is also Indera Mahkota Umno Youth chief, said this to reporters after making the report at the Indera Mahkota police station, here.

He said most of status uploaded onto the FB account were provocative in nature towards Muslims and using the East Coast dialect in the postings.

Muhammad Faiz wants the authorities to take immediate action against the offending FB account owner.

READ MORE 

http://www.mysinchew.com/node/95949?tid=4

Anger as extremist cleric is given a podium to preach at London university... despite history of hate speech against Jews and gays

An extremist Muslim who has claimed Jews are descended from 'apes and pigs', called gays 'criminals' and has made controversial comments about domestic violence has given a talk at a London university.

Haitham al-Haddad spoke to students on Islamic finance at the School of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London.

He has outraged moderate Muslims who are critical of him for teaching young Muslims that men and women should be segregated.

Read more ; http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2563170/Anger-extremist-cleric-given-podium-preach-London-university-despite-history-hate-speech-against-women-gays.html

Parents’ group wants school-based assessment to be put on hold

PAGE, a parents’ action group, has joined other critics of the school-based assessment system in urging the Education Ministry to put the system on hold. – The Malaysian Insider pic, February 20, 2014.
 Another education pressure group has added their voice to calls that the Education Ministry put on hold the much maligned SBA, the three-year-old school-based assessment system that does away with annual exams.

Parent Action Group for Education Malaysia (PAGE), a pro-English education group, has said that SBA or school-based assessment was poorly implemented even though its aims were good.

PAGE honorary secretary Tunku Munawirah Putra said the SBA’s rushed implementation has burdened teachers while parents themselves are sceptical of how student performance is assessed.

“The PBS system is a total system overhaul compared with all the other numerous changes that we have had so far.

“Yet, it is done rather hurriedly and without proper supervision. There are too many uncertainties with SBA,” Munawirah said in a statement today.

The SBA, which was introduced in 2011 at the Primary One level and in 2012 at the From One level, was aimed at replacing the old system of assessing students’ understanding of subjects via mid-term and annual exams.

It is part of the government’s efforts to produce more well-rounded students instead of those who purely excel in academics.

There are no annual exams under SBA. Each day, teachers grade pupils on a subject based on a six-band spectrum starting from band one understand” (the lowest) to band six “exemplary” (the highest).

The data has to be entered each day into a centralised computer system.

Teachers have said that the vagueness in the grading system has prevented them from accurately evaluating whether a student actually understands the material taught to them.

Munawirah referred to this and said that such a system could cause inconsistent marking among teachers not used to such a system.

“PBS requires that teachers evaluate each student individually. This can cause inconsistent marking.

“Teacher evaluation is subjective and varies among different teachers and schools.”

Another common complaint was that teachers are burdened with extra work as the process of entering SBA data every day was tedious and frustrating.

Network congestion is common in the computer system, leading many to wake up at odd hours of the day, when traffic was slow, to enter their data.

“(Teachers) should be focused on one thing, which is teaching our children. Any other chores that take away their classroom and lesson preparation time will not benefit our children,” she said.

Opposition to the SBA has led to teachers’ group Suara Guru-Masyarakat Malaysia (SGMM) or Teacher-Community Voices Malaysia to plan a rally this Saturday at the Education Ministry.

The SGMM, which is said to represent teachers, wants the system abolished.

Its spokesperson Mohd Nor Izzat Mohd Johari said earlier this month that the ministry had three years to repair weaknesses in the system, but did not appear to be improving the SBA and instead was covering up its weaknesses.

“The minister’s (Datuk Seri Idris Jusoh) call to have a dialogue is hypocritical. If he wants to meet and talk to us, then come on February 22,” said Nor Izzat, referring to the protest date.

Besides the SGMM, the National Union of Teaching Professions, which has 180,000 members, has also urged that the SBA be abolished.

The National Union of the Teaching Profession said the SBA was alien to the education culture of Malaysian students who liked having their progress measured in the As, Bs and Cs of annual exams. – February 20, 2014.

Dua kali Najib dimalukan

Bukan sahaja beliau meletakkan jawatan malah Pengerusi Hindraf itu mendesak Najib berundur.
ANALYSIS

PETALING JAYA: Dua kali Perdana Menteri, Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak dimalukan. Kali pertama pada bulan November lalu apabila Ustaz Elias Kazim menolak perlantikan ahli majlis tertinggi Umno sedangkan Umno sudah membuat pengumuman rasmi mengenai perlantikan tersebut.

Kali kedua, minggu lepas apabila Timbalan Menteri di Jabatan Perdana Menteri, P. Waythamoorthy meletakkan jawatan kerana kegagalan Najib memenuhi janji-janji dengan Barisan Bertindak Hak-hak Hindu (Hindraf).

Bukan sahaja beliau meletakkan jawatan malah Pengerusi Hindraf itu mendesak Najib berundur. Menteri Belia dan Sukan, Khairy Jamaluddin merupakan menteri yang pertama mempertahankan Najib.

Menurut beliau, Waythamoorthy sebaliknya perlu menyalahkan dirinya sendiri kerana gagal bekerja sebagai satu pasukan dan tidak efektif dalam membawa perjuangannya ketika diberi peluang menganggotai Kabinet.

Khairy yang juga Ketua Pemuda Umno mendedahkan, bekas Timbalan Menteri di Jabatan Perdana Menteri itu bertindak menuntut kesemua bajet kerajaan melibatkan masyarakat India untuk diletakkan di bawah kawalannya.

“Waythamoorthy ingin mengawal semua transaksi kewangan dan membelakangi kementerian-kementerian dan agensi kerajaan. Kerajaan tidak beroperasi sebegini. Apabila beliau tidak mendapat perkara tersebut, beliau berhenti dan menyalahkan Perdana Menteri,” katanya dalam akaun Twitternya semalam.

Hari ini Menteri Pertahanan, Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein menyifatkan desakan Wathyamoorthy itu sebagai biadab dan melampaui batas.

Katanya, sikap Waythamoorthy yang cuba menyalahkan kerajaan khususnya Perdana Menteri pada hakikatnya, merupakan permainan politik beliau untuk menutup sikapnya yang mementingkan diri.

Naib Presiden Umno itu berkata tindakan beliau selaku Timbalan Menteri yang menuntut agar semua bajet kerajaan untuk masyarakat India diletakkan di bawah kawalannya mencerminkan sikap tamak dan tidak ikhlas beliau dalam memperjuangkan nasib kaum India secara holistik, seperti yang dilaung-laungkan sebelum ini.

Menurut Timbalan Presiden MIC, Datuk Seri Dr. S. Subramaniam ,P. Waythamoorthy hanya bergerak sendiri tanpa merujuk kepada MIC berhubung permasalahan kaum India sepanjang menjawat jawatan sebagai Timbalan Menteri di Jabatan Perdana Menteri.

Beliau yang juga Menteri Kesihatan berkata, jika betul Waythamoorthy ingin memperjuangkan isu-isu masyarakat India di negara ini, beliau seharusnya berusaha mendapatkan maklumat daripada MIC.

Kata beliau, sikap pemimpin Hindraf itu menggambarkan beliau seolah-olah bergerak secara peribadi dan bukan mewakili keseluruhan pemimpin masyarakat India di negara ini.

“Beliau tidak gunakan peluang yang diberikan untuk membantu masyrakat India, beliau hanya bergerak secara peribadi tanpa mengambil kira pandangan pihak lain, perlu diingat segala prosedur kerajaan kena diambil kira,” katanya dalam sidang akhbar semalam.

Bagi Ketua Penerangan PPP, Datuk A. Chandrakumanan pula, P. Waythamoorthy diminta mencermin dirinya sendiri sebelum menuding jari terhadap Perdana Menteri, kononnya gagal menaik taraf kaum India.

Beliau mendakwa, Waythamoorthy sebenarnya telah mengkhianati amanah terhadap kaum minoriti itu kerana lebih mementingkan agenda peribadi beliau.

“Siapa dia untuk mengeluarkan kenyataan agar Perdana Menteri perlu meletak jawatan? Dulu dia gunakan alasan yang sama dan membuat demonstrasi. Kemudian ‘melarikan diri’ dan hidup mewah di London.

“Kemudian dia kembali lagi, diberi pula jawatan Timbalan Menteri dan Senator. Waythamoorthy menggunakan alasan sama kononnya masyarakat India terbiar hanya kerana permintaan kewangan tidak dipenuhi, saya minta dia cermin diri dulu,” katanya dalam satu kenyataan.

Nampaknya isu peletakan jawatan Warthamoorthy akan menjadi isu yang panas seminggu dua ini. Siapa yang bersalah dalam soal ini? Adakah Najib penipu seperti kata Warthamoorthy atau adakah beliau tidak faham bahawa beliau bukan Menteri di Jabatan Perdana Menteri?

Beliau adalah sekadar timbalan menteri. Apa yang timbalan menteri boleh buat? Bukannya beliau seorang menteri penuh seperti Khairy atau Hishammuddin yang ada kuasa eksekutif untuk mengawal bajet kementerian. Meletakkan semua bajet yang ada di kementerian masing -masing semata-mata untuk membantu kaum India memanglah tidak lojik.

Contohnya, pinjaman TEKUN terletak di kementerian lain, maka sudah tentu bajet itu tidak dapat dipindahkan di bawah kawalan Waythamoorthy. Begitu juga peruntukan sekolah tamil terletak di bawah Kementerian Pelajaran. Takkan peruntukan itu hendak dipindah ke Jabatan Perdana Menteri.

Tambahan pula takkan Najib mahu membelakangkan MIC kerana MIC dianggap parti yang mewakili orang India di Malaysia. Seperti kata Dr Subramaniam, Waythamoorthy sepatutnya merujuk kepada MIC untuk mendapat maklumat mengenai bantuan kerajaan kepada orang India.

Dari dahulu ramai yang berkata langkah Najib melantik beliau sebagai timbalan menteri memang satu tindakan yang silap kerana Najib mengiktiraf Hindraf sedangkan pertubuhan itu tidak berdaftar dengan ROS. Sudah tentu tindakan Najib itu menyinggung MIC yang begitu lama setia dalam Barisan Nasional.

Oleh itu biarlah Waythamoorthy berada di luar kerajaan. Kalau beliau rasa Hindraf itu kuat, maka biarlah Hindraf mencabar MIC dalam PRU ke 14 nanti. Biar masyarakat India menentukan siapa yang patut mewakili mereka, sama ada MIC atau Hindraf?

Petisyen pilihan raya: Tapah kekal milik BN

Mahkamah pilihan raya sekali lagi menolak petisyen yang difail calon PKR untuk membatalkan keputusan pilihan raya umum kawasan Parlimen Tapah

IPOH: Barisan Nasional (BN) mengekalkan kemenangan bagi kawasan Parlimen Tapah selepas Mahkamah Pilihan Raya di sini sekali lagi menolak petisyen yang difailkan calon PKR untuk membatalkan keputusan pilihan raya umum ke-13 (PRU13) bagi kawasan itu dengan kos.

Hakim Abdul Rahman Sebli yang membuat keputusan itu berkata petisyen yang dikemukakan K Vasantha Kumar mempunyai kecacatan dan fakta yang diperjelaskan adalah tidak sempurna.

Dalam penghakimannya, Abdul Rahman berkata pempetisyen mendakwa bahawa berlaku sogokan ketika PRU13, namun tidak dinyatakan secara terperinci siapa yang melakukannya.

Petisyen itu juga tidak menyentuh mengenai keputusan pilihan raya dengan tidak memperjelaskan secara terperinci bagaimana kekalahan itu berlaku, katanya.

Dengan itu, mahkamah memutuskan responden pertama iaitu Datuk M. Saravanan daripada BN dipilih sebagai anggota Parlimen Tapah dengan sewajarnya.

Abdul Rahman juga memerintahkan pempetisyen membayar RM50,000 kepada Saravanan dan RM30,000 masing-masing kepada responden kedua iaitu Pegawai Pengurus Bahagian Pilihan Raya Parlimen Tapah Razali Bakar dan responden ketiga Suruhanjaya Pilihan Raya (SPR).

Peguam Abu Bakar As Sidiq mengetuai barisan peguam Saravanan dan Peguam Kanan Persekutuan Alice Loke serta Khairul Nizam Abu Bakar mewakili Razali dan SPR.

Pada 23 Dis lepas, Mahkamah Persekutuan memutuskan petisyen pilihan raya bagi kerusi Parlimen Tapah diremit semula ke Mahkamah Pilihan Raya untuk mendengar merit kes selepas membenarkan rayuan petisyen pilihan raya yang difailkan pembangkang.

Saravanan menewaskan Vasantha, dua calon Bebas Ridzuan Bani dan Shaharuzzaman Bistamam dengan majoriti 7,927 undi bagi kerusi Parlimen Tapah.

- Bernama

Jeffrey: Najib must go, Ku Li best replacement

Waythamoorthy's call for Najib to quit as PM gets support from Binkor assemblyman Jeffrey Kitingan.

KOTA KINABALU: Many in Sabah and Sarawak will not shed any tears if Najib Tun Razak quits as Prime Minister, claims STAR Sabah chief Jeffrey Kitingan.

Backing the call by Hindraf Makkal Sakthi chief P Waythamoorthy for Najib to quit, Kitingan described the prime minister as the worst leader in the history of the Federation of Malaysia.

“No one can do any worse after him. His recent faux pas on kangkung tells all. Najib is no leader. In fact, he’s a dangerous person since he only thinks of his own survival. It’s not even politics.

“A leader is one who solves problems, not creates them,” said the outspoken Sabah politician who is also the Bingkor assemblyman.

Kitingan recalled Najib thundering not so long ago: “Kita mesti mempertahankan kalimah Allah untuk kaum Muslim.” (We must defend the word ‘Allah’ for the Muslims).

“How can such a person pretend to be a prime minister for All? The warped sense of logic is telling,” stated Kitingan in a statement here.

He said another indication of Najib’s lack of credibility as a leader is his flip-flopping position on the Hindraf-Barisan Nasional MOU, the use of the word Allah by non-Muslims and indecision on the call to review the compliance of the Malaysia Agreement 1963.

Kitingan also took Najib to task for being silent on the plight of the flood victims in Sabah.

“While Sabah is going through the worst flood in living memory, we have yet to hear from the Prime Minister and Petronas on any form of relief for the flood victims. This is tantamount to a crime against humanity.

Calling his administration “the Malayan Government in Putrajaya” he pointed out how most of the revenue of Sabah and Sarawak was taken away and left the people of the two states among the poorest in the federation.

“If Najib visits the flood victims in Sabah, Umno’s so-called deposit state along with Sarawak, the sky will fall down,” he said sarcastically.

“Star Sabah urges Najib to think of the country, and not just himself, and make way before he does further damage to the economy, race relations and the integrity of the federation before Sabah and Sarawak rethink their position in it after over 50 years of neo-colonialism.”

Is RCI report being doctored?

If Najib refuses to make way, he said the Umno Supreme Council could meet and sack him as the party president and put in an alternative.

“Under the circumstances, Star Sabah can think of no better candidate than Tengku Razaleigh in Umno to be prime minister,” he said.

He reminded that the Gua Musang MP would have become prime minister in 1987 had the High Court discounted the votes from the 30 illegal branches which went to incumbent Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

“Had this been done, the history of the federation would have been very much different.

“Tengku Razaleigh would have held, for one, the long-delayed Review of the compliance of the Malaysia Agreement 1963,” said Kitingan.

“The lackluster Najib premiership is a historical opportunity for the Umno Supreme Council to rectify a grievous wrong-doing done by the Court to Tengku Razaleigh and draft him in as the prime minister to finish Najib’s term, before he (Razaleigh) becomes too old for the job, and keep him on for another term if the BN can survive the 14th General Election in 2018.

“If the Umno Supreme Council wants to be sympathetic to Najib, they can pack him off to Mongolia as Ambassador. That would be poetic justice indeed,” he added.

Touching on the long delay in the release of the report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) on illegal immigrants in Sabah, Kitingan said that unless the original report is now being doctored and sanitised by Putrajaya there was no why it had not been released.

“It’s unlikely that the report, if at all released, will mention the thousands of illegal immigrants on the electoral rolls with MyKads which they are not entitled to hold under the law and the Constitution,” he said.

In the Chinese Press: Waytha denied a RM4.5b allocation?

(fz.com) – Former Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department P. Waythamoorthy resigned from the post because he was denied a whopping RM4.5 billion of annual allocation, Sin Chew Daily reported today, quoting a government source.

The source said the Hindraf leader had demanded the government to set up an Indian community unit with 531 personnel and an annual allocation of RM70 million to cover the salaries and operation fees.

In addition, he also asked for an annual allocation of RM4.5 billion for the Indian community.

However, the source explained, the government could not approve such a huge amount of allocation without a practical proposal.

“He wanted to enroll staff, however, he does not have any experience in promoting community enhancement program,” the source said.

Apart from that, the source also alleged that Waythamoorthy wanted to take full charge of the proposed Indian community unit besides making a request that 300 vacancies out of the total (531) be filled by Hindraf members.

The daily was also told that Waythamoorthy had carped about the selection of the committee members of the Expert Steering Committee (ESC) that Hindraf and the government had agreed to set up.

The committee was meant to oversee the implementation of the programmes listed in the memorandum of understanding (MoU) between Hindraf and the government.

Yet, after finalising the list of candidates, Waythamoorthy has failed to submit Hindraf’s list of representatives and forced the first meeting of the ESC to be postponed to the next day.

Nevertheless, the meeting did not take place in the end as he had called it off at the last minute unilaterally, the source alleged further.

As such, the source believed Waythamoorthy had tendered his resignation due to his unfulfilled demands.

“When the government refused to implement the programmes under the MoU unprofessionally, and unable to allocate fundings without a check and balance mechanism, Waythamoorthy resigned.”

As rich get richer, Mokhzani breaks into billionaires’ top 10

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 20 — Datuk Mokhzani Mahathir, the son of former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, has finally joined the ranks of the country’s top 10 richest people as the nation’s magnates continue to widen the gap with the rest of Malaysia.

According to a new list of Malaysia’s 40 richest tycoons released by the Malaysian Business magazine, the SapuraKencana Petroleum mogul added another RM1.59 billion to his coffers over the last year to raise his estimated wealth to RM4.22 billion — good enough for ninth place on the list.

In 2012, Mokhzani had emerged with about 15 per cent of SapuraKencana after his Kencana Petroluem Bhd merged with SapuraCrest Petroleum Bhd. He later disposed of 90 million shares at for an estimated RM387 million.

Mokhzani relinquished his executive positions in SapuraKencana late last year and instead remains only as a non-executive director.

The two richest Malaysians remain “sugar king” Tan Sri Robert Kuok (RM54 billion) and T. Ananda Krishnan (RM33 billion) by a wide margin, with the telecommunications and entertainment tycoon nearly twice as rich as third-placed Tan Sri Teh Hong Pow of Public Bank fame.

Tan Sri Syed Mokhtar al-Bukhary was fifth richest with RM11 billion, while AmBank chairman Tan Sri Azman Hashim capped off the top 10.

Berjaya’s Tan Sri Vincent Tan foray into the English Premier League with Cardiff City also appears to be taking a toll on his bank balance, with the gaming magnate managing only 20th spot with his RM1.9 billion.

“One interesting fact is that since 2002, 81 tycoons have joined the 40 Richest Malaysians list and out of that, 15 have managed to remain on it continuously,” the magazine said in an accompanying release.

It added that there were now two more local billionaires, bringing the number to 33, while the combined wealth of the top 40 richest Malaysians weighed in at RM217.8 billion or some 11 per cent better than they had been in the previous year.

According to a previous list released by Forbes last year, Mokhzani was the 15th wealthiest person in Malaysia. Forbes also differed on Vincent Tan’s net worth, listing him as the tenth richest man in the country.

Forbes is due to release an updated list next month.

Malaysian Business began tracking the worth of Malaysia’s wealthiest people in 2002.

More useful and urgent for IGP Khalid to form a special division to stamp out reckless incitement of racial and religious animosities and hatred to cause racial and religious strife than to set up a department on SOP compliance

By Lim Kit Siang

On Monday, the Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar announced that the Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM) is to set up a new department, to be known as the Integrity and Standard Compliance Department, to improve Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) compliance, including disciplinary procedures for police personnel.

The new department is expected to be fully operational in two months and would be led by a director with the rank of commissioner.

Khalid said the setting up of the department has been approved in principle and the police are in the midst of discussing with the Public Services Department on the recruitment of staff.

He said that with the department in place, the police hoped to improve the SOP compliance in all aspects of assignment, including disciplinary procedures for police personnel. Prior to this, disciplinary matters and procedures for police personnel were managed by the Management Department.

The proposed new Integrity and Standard Compliance Department has been subjected to severe, valid and pertinent criticism by the chief of the anti-crime group, MyWatch, R. Sanjeevan, who said the new department would only result in overlapping duties and a further waste of public funds for the hiring of new staff or the promotion of existing officers, when what the PDRM needs is not a new department to check its officers on SOP compliance but a total revamp of its existing set-up to improve crime-fighting efforts.

Sanjeevan contends that all matters involving police integrity and procedure compliance can be handled by PDRM’s existing Management Department, which already handles disciplinary breaches.

As a result, the proposed new Integrity and Standard Compliance Department will only benefit a few people within the PDRM where they’ll be given promotions but end result remains zero.

I fully support Sanjeevan’s contention that it is the PDRM’s Criminal Investigation Department (CID) that needs the most attention as at present, only 18 per cent of the 112,583-strong police force is tasked to fight crime as CID officers.

A bulk of the police force ― over 50 per cent ― are desk-bound officers designated to doing office work like clerical and administrative duties, while 34 per cent are tasked to internal security and public order.

That is to say, for every 1 police officer in the CID fighting crime, there are about 5 police officers who are doing office work.

There can be no disagreement from the overwhemjing majority of Malaysians, for instance, that the top priority police must to fight crime and to maintain the peace and harmony in the country.

It is more useful and urgent, for instance, for IGP Khalid to form a special division to stamp out reckless incitement of racial and religious animosities and hatred to cause racial and religious disharmony and strife than to set up a department on SOP compliance.

One reason why Malaysia’s racial and religious peace and harmony has become a matter of grave concern is the failure of the police in the past nine months to carry out their priority duties to keep a firm check on reckless and irresponsible elements in the country seeking to undermine the fabric of Malaysian society through incessant incitement of racial and religious animosities, hatred, conflict and tension.

It has reached a stage where the National Unity Consultative Council (NUCC) has called on the authorities to “act swiftly” when dealing with racial and religious sensitive incidents, warning that inaction could lead to “serious consequences” and that rising religious tensions could eventually hamper efforts to promote national unity.

NUCC said: “The NUCC urges the government to uphold the rule of law and to actively promote national unity by taking prompt action against incendiary statements and actions which are provocative and can lead to conflict and tension with serious consequences affecting peace, harmony and national unity.”

One of the major government players which had abdicated its responsibility to “act swiftly” when dealing with racial and religious sensitive incidents resulting in the country faced with “serious consequences” is undoubtedly the police, headed by Khalid Abu Bakar as the IGP in the past nine months.

When will Khalid live up to his duties as IGP for all Malaysians and not just for UMNO or Barisan Nasional?

Court throws out polls petitions against Zahid

The New Straits Times

KUALA LUMPUR: Home Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi retained his Bagan Datoh constituency when the Election Court yesterday dismissed election petitions by PKR candidate Madhi Hasan and voter Azmi Sulaiman.

Judge Datuk Hasnah Mohammed Hashim ruled that the court agreed with the preliminary objection raised by Zahid that the petitioners' allegations of electoral corruption against him were not supported by sufficient facts.

"There cannot be mere conjecture. The petitioners must be able to state the facts (supporting the allegations) clearly."

Hasnah cited the example of Madhi failing to prove that there was a nexus between Zahid and one R. Supramaniam, who allegedly gave RM100 and five bags of rice to influence a Bagan Datoh voter named Mustofa Saifudin.

In prior proceedings, Madhi had argued that the illegal practice by Supramaniam, who he alleged was Zahid's agent, took place on April 19 last year, a day before nomination day.

On Azmi's allegation that Zahid gave money and rice to 24,000 Barisan Nasional party workers to ensure his electoral victory, Hasnah said Azmi had failed to identify any of the party workers involved.

After Hasnah dismissed both petitions, she ordered Madhi and Azmi to each pay RM25,000 in costs to Zahid.

Madhi said he would discuss with his lawyer on whether to file an appeal.

Malaysia Willing To Provide Expertise In Developing Rubber Estates In Cambodia - Muhyiddin

From Mohd Yusof Saari

PHNOM PENH, Feb 20 (Bernama) -- Malaysia is prepared to share its expertise with Cambodia to develop the rubber plantation sector and padi processing in that country, said Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.

The Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister said that as a country with fertile land and extensive padi plantation, Cambodia hoped to seek Malaysia's expertise in these fields and the request had been made by Cambodia's Prime Minister, Hun Sen himself.

"There is strong interest here for us to participate in the rubber plantation as they have suitable agricultural areas with fertile land for us to develop.

"Cambodia too has extensive padi land with production exceeding five million tons annually, but they don't have the capacity to process them because of the lack of rice mills," he said at a media conference on the first day of his three-day official visit to Cambodia at his hotel, here today.

Earlier, Muhyiddin made a courtesy call on Hun Sen at his office at the Peace Palace, Russian Boulevard here, followed by a meeting with Cambodia's Minister of Education, Youth and Sports, Dr Hang Chuon.

The Deputy Prime Minister said he had informed Hun Sen that several parties including the Federal Land Consolidation & Rehabilitation Authority (Felcra), which has vast experience in the industry, had expressed its interest to explore the rubber industry in Cambodia.

In padi processing, he said Padiberas Nasional Berhad (Bernas) had also initiated measures to hold discussions with the relevant parties to explore the market and set up rice processing mills and other by-products in that country.

Muhyiddin said the lack of factories, warehouses and packing facilities had resulted in Cambodia losing about three million tons of processed rice because a major portion of the padi harvested had been sold without being processed.

He said the meeting had also opened up business opportunities to industry players such as electric power generation, infrastructure and highway construction which had received special attention from the Cambodian government.

"I notice that the potentials for trade, investment and cooperation in various fields in Cambodia is very encouraging, and what is even more encouraging, Prime Minister Hun Sen himself is very keen to establish cooperation with us," he said.

Meanwhile, during bilateral discussions between the Education Ministry and Dr Hang, Muhyiddin also represented Malaysia in signing the memorandum of understanding (MoU) on cooperation in the field of higher education between the two countries.

Commenting on the MoU, Muhyiddin said it would enable a wider work scope to be drawn up beginning with pre-school right up to higher education and thus boosting further the quality and standard of education in both countries.

The Deputy Prime Minister said among the types of cooperation that could be explored were teacher training, curriculum development, inter-university research, and providing places for technical training for Cambodian students in Malaysia.

He said efforts too were being taken to implement credit transfers between public institutions of higher learning (IPTA) in Malaysia and Cambodia.

"In terms of education, Prime Minister Hun Sen wants us to train more (Cambodian students) besides giving accreditation and credit transfers for certain courses carried out in their universities here," he added.

Najib Looking Forward To Open Second Penang Bridge

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 19 (Bernama) -- Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak is looking forward to the opening of the Second Penang Bridge which is scheduled for early next month.

"Plans for the Second Penang Bridge was first unveiled in 2006. I am looking forward to opening it to the public next month," he said in his latest tweet Wednesday.

The 24-km bridge - of which 17km is above the sea and seven kilometres over land - was designed with environmental sustainability in mind and links Batu Kawan on the mainland to Batu Maung on the island.

Once opened, it is expected to reduce congestion on the existing Penang Bridge by 25 per cent.

The RM4.5-billion bridge, a Federal government project, is the longest in Southeast Asia and is expected to be able to handle 100,000 vehicles daily.

The bridge was originally planned for completion on Nov 8 last year and to be opened to the public by the end of November, but was postponed to this year.

Pregnant teenager alleging gang-rape charged with adultery in Sudan

A pregnant teenager who says she was gang-raped has been charged with adultery in Sudan, and faces a possible sentence of death by stoning. The country's judiciary has received millions of pounds in aid from the UK.

The 18-year-old Ethiopian, who is nine months pregnant, is being held in a police cell and until recently was sleeping on a bare concrete floor without a mattress or suitable food or clothing, according to the Strategic Initiative for Women in the Horn of Africa (SIHA) network.

SIHA accused Sudan of discriminating against the alleged victim because she is both a woman and a migrant, and demanded her immediate release or transfer to hospital.

The young divorcee claims that last August, when she was about three months pregnant, she was lured to an empty property in the capital, Khartoum, and violently gang-raped by seven men. She reported the incident to a police officer at the time, but he decided against pursuing an investigation because of the Eid holiday. He was initially charged with negligence, but this was dropped on Tuesday.

According to SIHA, the attack was filmed by one of the men on his phone and circulated on social media six months later, leading to the arrest of both the alleged perpetrators and victim. The case came to court earlier this month. Five men, understood to be between 18 to 22, are accused of adultery; a sixth, who says he did not have sex with the woman, is accused of gross indecency.

The woman is charged with adultery, although she denied the charges and is pleading not guilty on the basis that the sexual act was against her will. Her attempt to make a complaint of rape has been denied on the technicality that she is under investigation on other charges and she should have complained at the time of the incident. Her request for bail has been denied by the attorney general.

"The intention to place culpability on the part of the victim is of great concern and seeks to deflect and reduce accountability of the perpetrators, but more disturbing is that the charge of adultery carries with it the potential sentence of death by stoning if found guilty," SIHA said.

Although rarely carried out, SIHA noted, the sentence of stoning for adultery has been handed down twice in recent years, against two women, Intisar Sharif and Laila Jamool, in 2012. Following appeals in both cases, the sentences were overturned.

The Sudanese government has been criticised for the mistreatment and marginalisation of foreign nationals, with Ethiopians often a target of xenophobia. SIHA said the Sudanese media has sought to undermine the alleged rape victim by falsely claiming that she has HIV and stating that she is a prostitute. "There have even been cynical attempts to falsely claim that the men were accidently prescribed hallucinogenic drugs by a chemist beforehand."

Hala Alkarib, regional director of the SIHA network, said: "Impunity and silence on crimes of sexual violence committed against IDPs [internally displaced persons], migrants and impoverished women in Sudan has been a pattern for years.

"This case brings to light the obstacles in bringing complaints of rape, let alone negotiating the legal system through to prosecution. There is an urgent need for article 149 of the criminal code referring to rape to be reformed to protect victims and pursue justice."

She added: "Successful prosecution of rape is the exception as opposed to the norm and most certainly does not reflect the level of incidence. Instead victims face the risk that they will instead be prosecuted for adultery, being re-vicitmised by the judicial system, and threatened with the ultimate sentence of death by stoning."

The case is likely to raise questions over Britain's donor support for the justice system in Sudan. A Department for International Development (DfID) document says it will provide up to £20.6m over the period March 2010 to March 2014 to fund a "safety and access to justice programme" in Sudan and South Sudan.

The programme is intended to support rule of law partners to "improve the daily experience of people requiring access to security and justice through infrastructure development and by strengthening the institutions' ability to respond effectively and efficiently to the requirements of social peace and tranquillity".

But the support to Sudan was cut off last month, earlier than planned. A DfID spokesman said on Tuesday: "We condemn absolutely all human rights abuses and stoning is an abhorrent practice. DfID recently ended its support to the Sudanese judiciary in light of the deteriorating operating environment and our deep concerns about human rights abuses."

Last year a Somali woman who alleged she was raped was sentenced to a year in jail. She was later acquitted after a worldwide outcry.