Pedestrian bridge collapses in Bangsar, two feared dead

A pedestrian bridge under construction near Mid Valley Megamall on Jalan Kampung Haji Abdullah Hukum has collapsed, killing at least two people.

According to The Star Online, four others were injured in the incident which happened around 3.30pm.

Kuala Lumpur Fire and Rescue Department chief operations officer Samsol Maarif Saibani said the department was alerted about the incident at 3.33pm.

Fire and rescue personnel from the Pantai, Hang Tuah and Seputeh fire stations have been dispatched to the scene.

The bridge was supposed to link KL Eco City, which is also under construction, to The Gardens shopping centre.

It is part of a planned construction to integrate the Abdullah Hukum LRT and the soon-to-be completed Eco City KTM, with both KL Eco City and The Gardens and Mid Valley shopping complex.

Meanwhile, newswire Bernama uploaded a video depicting construction workers crowding around what looked like a police vehicle.

Some were holding on to the truck and weeping.

"Construction workers weep over their friend who perished when a building structure collapsed on Jalan Bangsar," Bernama reported on Twitter.

[Video] Beberapa pekerja pembinaan meratapi seorang rakan mereka yg terkorban dalam kejadian struktur bangunan runtuh di Jalan Bangsar itu pic.twitter.com/f8NSN4so0R

Wanita Umno delegate questions non-Malay bosses in GLCs

UMNO AGM A Wanita Umno delegate today questioned why non-Malays are appointed in top positions in government-linked firms.

"I urge the leadership to pay more attention to the appointments in GLCs. For example, developer SP Setia Bhd.

"Everyone knows the majority stake is held by PNB (Permodalan Nasional Bhd) so why is the CEO and the GM (general manager) in Penang ethnic Chinese?

"What's happening now is that other races are holding top positions and this means contractors, consultants and lawyers appointed are all from their race," Bagan delegate Hamidah Arshad said during the annual general assembly debate in PWTC today.

Hamidah also alleged that no Malay contractors are appointed by GLCs.

Meanwhile, the Malay Mail Online reported Pasir Putih Wanita chief Zurina Ripin urged the government to allocate 30 percent of government contracts for food products to the women's wing.

"We want 30 percent of government contracts. There are plenty of ministries so what is wrong if we get 30 percent of the food (supply or manufacturing) contracts," she reportedly said during the debates on the wing's economic motion.

"Is it difficult to give the 30 percent? We are in power. Just give it to the (Malay) women entreprenuers out there," she reportedly said.

She added the government must consider this if it is serious about gender equality, the news portal reported.

The 30 percent contracts demand was part of the wing's economic motion, unanimously passed today.

Stop fooling the public, Puteri Umno delegate tells govt

Don't say the economy is fine when the public can see many are losing their jobs, Norsarfinaz Mohd Aznam says.

A Puteri Umno delegate has delivered a harsh message to the government, asking the leaders to stop sugarcoating the truth about the country’s economy.

Norsarfinaz Mohd Azman, a delegate from Pahang Puteri Umno, said the government should also stop underestimating the intelligence of youths today.

“Don’t tell us the economy is fine when we can see our friends losing their jobs and the prices of household items go up.

“We have a high level of intellect,” she said when debating the motion on religion at the Puteri Umno assembly in Putra World Trade Center here today.

Present to hear her speech was Umno acting deputy president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.

Norsarfinaz, who is also Jerantut Puteri division chief, told Zahid to listen to her plea for the government to stop shielding the public from the truth and instead bring awareness to them so they may act accordingly.

She also asked for the public to be given a chance to help solve the problem.

“We know Malaysia is not the only country facing financial difficulties. It’s a problem that is affecting the whole world.

“So be frank with us and let us work with the government to address this issue.”

Norsarfinaz then said, in a sarcastic tone, that while the government can advise the public to save costs by travelling within the country instead of overseas, it should at least ensure these destinations are appealing enough.

“For example, if we want to go for vacation, maybe we could go to Pahang. After all, next year is Visit Pahang Year.

“But if we were to go there, make sure the forests are not cleared.

“Ensure the bauxite problem is settled so that it wouldn’t be as thick as our foundation (a make-up item used to cover facial flaws).

“And the rivers shouldn’t look like ‘teh tarik’.”

PKR MP Rafizi Ramli had yesterday alleged that deforestation activities had been going on all around Pahang. He warned the government to immediately address the issue or he would leak the information “one area at a time”.

Damaging temple statues: Medical grad freed

Psychiatrist confirms that accused suffers from bipolar disorder and did not know he was committing an offence at the time.

A medical graduate charged with damaging statues of Hindu deities at the Sree Muneeswaran Amman Kovil Temple here last April was acquitted after he was found to be mentally unsound when committing the act.

Sessions Court Judge Ikmal Hishan Mohd Tajuddin, in his judgment, said it was clearly proven that the accused Fathi Munzir Nadzri, 29, committed the offence, but a psychiatrist confirmed that he was suffering from “Bipolar Affective Disorder with Psychotic Features Manic Phase”.

“Yes, he did it, but on the balance of probabilities, he was found to have done it while he was in an unstable state of mind and did not know that he was committing an offence.

“As such, the accused is acquitted under Section 347 of the Criminal Procedure Code with a warning according to (Act 593) Section 348 Criminal Procedure Code for the safe custody of person acquitted,” the judge said.

The court also acquitted and discharged Fathi Munzir on the charge of possessing a machete on the same date and place.

“On the possession of the machete, several doubts were raised, including the testimony of the main witness who said he saw the accused carrying something like a rod and not a machete, and that the seized weapon was not checked for fingerprints,” he said.

Fathi Munzir was charged with causing damage to the statues at the temple located in front of Angsana Mall shopping centre and being in possession of a machete about 5pm on April 24.

On the charge of damaging the statues under Section 295 of the Penal Code, Fathi Munzir could have been sentenced up to two years, a fine, or both, upon conviction.

For possessing the machete, the accused was charged under Section 6(1) of the Corrosive and Explosive Substances and Offensive Weapons Act 1958, which provides a maximum of 10 years’ jail and whipping, upon conviction.

On April 29, the court ordered Fathi Munzir to undergo an examination and treatment for a month at Hospital Bahagia.

The prosecution was conducted by deputy public prosecutor Fadhli Ab Wahab while the accused was represented by Tun Mohamad Ammar Aziz.

Where is Umno’s sense of conscience?

It was interesting to read that the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) has now detained another government officer with millions in his bank account. The account has since been frozen. This is the same MACC that cleared Malaysian Official 1 (MO1) of nearly RM2.6 billion in his account. Not only that but one amongst those responsible for clearing him from the Attorney-General’s Chambers is now the chief commissioner of MACC.

I suppose different rules apply depending on your status and position. It is this type of behaviour that promotes cynicism amongst many about the seriousness with which corruption is tackled in the nation. The appointment was a further insult to MACC. Mr Chief Commissioner, if you are sincere and halal, than take on MO1 and show your sense of commitment.

As chairperson of the Business Ethics Institute of Malaysia (BEIM) I sat on the board of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Academy. The appointment was from the chief secretary of the government and this was an honour for BEIM. Having however lost confidence in the seriousness with which the issue of corruption was being addressed by the government, I resigned as to continue would be to condone what was going on.

It was only appropriate that someone from within MACC should have been promoted to the position.

Daily we hear news and accounts internationally relating to the 1MDB fiasco. A number of international banks have been closed and evidence given in the on-going case in Singapore just shocks one as to the scale of the fraud and exploitation. Yet in Malaysia neither has any board member, the adviser and others mentioned as MO2, MO3 and other officials been called to account.

The US Department of Justice (DOJ) has very clearly enumerated in its 166-page report evidence relating to wide-scale money-laundering of money belonging to the nation.

While people in power and position can use their status to protect themselves as in this case, what disappoints me is that no one in the establishment sees any wrong. So many good people who know and understand the situation just keep quiet. One minister who stepped down had the guts to raise questions, as was the former deputy president and another vice-president of Umno.

A senior journalist resigned from the New Straits Times because he could not continue under the present circumstances.

Why do many more people not make a stand on issues so important and critical to the nation’s well being? To continue in silence is to condone and the time will come when they will themselves realise that they have sold their souls under the guise of loyalty to an individual. Surely there are higher loyalties as to one’s nation, the constitution, one’s conscience and to God. As is often said, “It is enough for good people to remain silent for evil to triumph.”

In today’s individualistic world is it all about ‘I’, ‘Me’, ‘Myself’ first and then everything else thereafter. It is amazing that Umno party members do not even realise that they are now participating in the early demise of their party. What is a party without a conscience and a purpose beyond ethnicity? If this is what they choose to remain then the end is not too far.

You may be a graduate from Oxford or Melbourne University or for that matter from any university, yet what is the value of your degree and qualifications if you continue to condone what is so blatantly wrong. Nearly a million people came out under Bersih 4 and 5 and made a statement. If the authorities continue to close their eyes to reality then they will be in for a shock.

Are our elections ‘halal’?

Further what is the point of winning elections and losing the popular vote? How can such individuals and parties continue with gerrymandering to win power? In a country where there is so much consciousness about things being ‘halal’, are our elections ‘halal’ if such practices are condoned? Just as justice used selectively is justice denied, similarly Islam applied selectively is unfair to what Islam represents. We need to call the bluff of such Muslims.

The same goes for all believers whatever be their faith. Is your belief a mere garment for you to wear and remove as appropriate? Or does your belief embody you with moral standards and values, principles and convictions which help engender an enlightened conscience that gives clarity to the issues that challenge us today? Beliefs if they do not inspire an inner transformation or fresh realisations are mere platitudes to impress others.

Lasting change ultimately comes from within. Neither ‘hudud’ nor an increase in punishment in terms of whipping, lashing or cutting hands will change an individual. There may be an element of fear but lasting change comes from the impact good role models and mentors provide.

It has to be learning from within. Otherwise it projects cruelty and a lack of compassion in today’s context. Punishments cannot replace good role models and PAS must address this singular failure for all their talk and preaching.

As is said, “Man’s capacity for justice makes democracy possible but man’s capacity of injustice makes democracy necessary.” When this is not even practiced within Umno as a party and office-holders can be dismissed with impunity, it all shows up for the lack of practice and substance. Such are the individuals who speak about moderation and democracy in our country.

So much gain is linked to being associated with the party leader. The cronies who sing songs in his praise are honoured with promotions. Others are just silent and through their silence condone what is being done. In the end whether a Marcos or a Suharto, Estrada or Mobutu, the time will come when such self-enriching leaders meet their end. These kleptocrats survive because many keep them alive blinded by their own self-interest and the ‘I Me Mine’ syndrome.

What say you Paul Low, the Integrity Minister?

When a leader is ready to sacrifice the nation and its ideals, his party and its conscience then the day is nigh when the end is a matter of time. So great is the scandal and so international is its outreach that the 1MDB debacle will swallow many in its last chapter. Then there will be many who will regret not standing up for their faith, convictions, their party and the nation.

Where is Umno’s sense of conscience?

Only one parent’s consent needed for child’s religious conversion, Federal Court told

The consent of one parent is sufficient for a child to be converted to another religion, the Federal Court heard today in a high-profile dispute on the validity of three Hindu children's unilateral conversion to Islam.

Senior federal counsel Arik Sanusi Yeop Johari, who acted for the Malaysian government, cited four dictionaries and the Federal Constitution's treatment of the word “parent” to back his argument that the consent of both parents were not required.

“In all these four dictionaries, the ordinary meaning of the word parent without 's' has been defined to mean 'a father or a mother,” Arik Sanusi, who is also the director of the Shariah section in the Attorney-General's Chambers, told the court.

He referred to the Concise Oxford English Dictionary, the Osborn's Concise Law Dictionary, the Reader's Digest Great Dictionary of the English Language and Shorter Oxford English Dictionary, saying: “Based on the above references, we submit 'parent' in its singular form means father or mother, 'parent' in its plural form means father and mother.”

He was presenting his arguments at the Federal Court's hearing of Hindu mother M. Indira Gandhi's challenge of the validity of her Muslim convert ex-spouse Muhammad Riduan Abdullah's unilateral conversion of their children to Islam.

Arik Sanusi agreed that Article 160 of the Federal Constitution read together with section 2(95) of the Eleventh Schedule ― which states that “words in the singular include the plural” and “words in the plural include the singular” ― meant that words could be interpreted either way.

But he insisted that the Federal Constitution distinguishes between the words “parent” and “parents”, highlighting two separate provisions there.

He noted the Federal Constitution's Article 12(4) says a “parent or guardian” shall decide the religion of those aged below 18 years old, while Part I and Part II of the constitution's second schedule regarding Malaysian citizenship used the word “parents”.

Arik Sanusi also cited the Federal Court's 2008 decision in the case of Subashini Rajasingam v Saravanan Thangathoray, which he said decided that the word “parent” is singular and that the Muslim convert father's unilateral conversion of his child is valid and in accordance with Article 12(4).

When asked how his argument that the consent of one parent alone for child conversion could be consistent with the Indira's lawyers' contention that the Guardianship of Infants Act meant the wishes of both parents should be considered, Arik Sanusi said the Federal Constitution should be referred to as it is the supreme law and pointed to Subashini's case.

“So on this point, since the word parent has been interpreted by the Federal Court to be singular, we should not rely on interpretation in other legislation. That's the purpose of Article 4 (of the Federal Constitution) where the Constitution is supreme,” he said.

K. Shanmuga, who represented Indira, argued however that all laws should be read harmoniously ― including Guardianship of Infants Act, the interpretation rule under the Federal Constitution's Eleventh Schedule, the Constitution's Article 12(4), Articles 5, 8 and 11 which among others guarantees equality and bars gender discrimination.

“We read all that against the backdrop of the Guardianship of Infants Act, it leads to the conclusion that both parents must consent unless they have been stripped of their guardianship rights,” he said.

Summing up the arguments for Indira, Shanmuga said the civil courts have jurisdiction to hear the challenge against the validity of the Perak religious authorities' conversion certificates and that the conversions must have complied with a Perak Islamic state law's requirements.

“And if both parents are alive, as long as there's no order under Guardianship of Infants Act or Law Reform (Marriage and Divorce) Act stripping my client of her guardianship rights, as long as her guardianship rights are intact under Guardianship of Infants Act; then her consent is necessary before the certificates can be issued,” he said.

Fahri Azzat, another lawyer for Indira, said that interpreting “parent” to be the singular form only would lead to “absurdity” and an environment of “anxiety and tension” with no peace in the family.

He highlighted the High Court judgment in Indira's conversion challenge which said that such interpretation would lead to a never-ending chain of a parent unilaterally converting a child, before the other parent unilaterally converts the same child to another religion.

Indira's lawyer Aston Paiva also noted that her three children had not uttered the Muslim affirmation of faith and that there was no consent in writing from Muhammad Riduan for their conversion ― both which are required under the Administration of the Religion of Islam (Perak) Enactment 2004.

Indira is appealing against Muhammad Riduan’s covert conversion in 2009 of their three children — then aged 12 years old, 11 years old, and 11 months old — without their knowledge and without Indira’s consent.

Chief Judge of the High Court of Malaya Tan Sri Zulkefli Ahmad Makinudin, who chaired the five-man panel, said the decision will be delivered along with the full grounds of the judgment at a later date.

The other judges on the Federal Court panel are Chief Judge of the High Court of Sabah and Sarawak Tan Sri Richard Malanjum, Tan Sri Abu Samah Nordin, Tan Sri Ramly Ali and Tan Sri Zainun Ali.

In her legal challenge against the children’s unilateral conversion, Indira had named the Perak Islamic Religious Department (JAIPk) director, the Registrar of Muallaf, the Perak state government, the Education Ministry, the government of Malaysia and Indira’s ex-husband K. Pathmanathan as respondents.

Indira’s appeal is against the Court of Appeal’s 2-1 ruling last December, in which it said only the Shariah courts have the jurisdiction to decide on the validity of a person’s conversion.

The Court of Appeal had set aside the Ipoh High Court’s 2013 judgement, which found that the three children had not been validly converted to Islam and declared their conversion certificates null and void.

Indira’s eldest daughter Tevi Darsiny and son Karan Dinish are now aged 19 and 18 respectively, while the third child Prasana Diksa now aged eight is with Muhammad Riduan who had snatched her shortly before unilaterally converting the trio in 2009.

Timeline of key events in the Ipoh child custody tussle

Ambiga seeks access to Maria before Tuesday's hearing

Bersih chairperson Maria Chin Abdullah's lawyer Ambiga Sreenevasan is urging police to allow access to her client before Tuesday's habeas corpus hearing.

Ambiga said Maria's lawyer and family members have not been allowed to see her since last Sunday.

"Please give us access to Maria for instructions on legal matters before her case on Tuesday.

"Have been trying to no avail," she said in a tweet to inspector-general of police Khalid Abu Bakar.

She added that an official request has also been sent.

Maria is held under the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act, which allows detention without trial for 28 days.

She was arrested on Nov 18, the eve of the mammoth Bersih 5 rally which attracted at least 40,000 people in Kuala Lumpur, to demand clean elections and clean government.

Her family said they have not received any information on Maria and do not know her whereabouts.

It is believed that she is held at the Batu police camp in Kuala Lumpur, where the now defunct Internal Security Act detainees were once held before they are moved to the Kamunting Detention Centre in Perak.

Human Rights Commission (Suhakam) visited her last week and said she was held in solitary confinement in a windowless cell, which only has a woooden bed with no mattress and access to cold water for washing.

Her family said the light is constantly on in her cell, disrupting her sleep.

Police said they nabbed her over documents found in the raid at the Bersih office, connected to American billionaire George Soros-linked Open Society Foundations.

Bersih refutes this, saying that there was no such document seized during the raid, according to the list of items seized provided by police.

The bigger danger of hudud to Non-Muslims.

I've highlighted some potential indirect consequences of hudud to non-Muslims in my previous post. Now this is a bigger one.

Implementation of hudud opens a question as to whether the country is a secular or an Islamic country in practice. Why is this dangerous? Because it may pave the way to bigger and crazier things to happen such as how we officially treat non-Muslims.

In a typical Islamic country under Islamic administration, the non-Muslims are divided into a few categories:

1) Kafir harbi fi'lan: These are non-Muslims that are physically hostile (waging war) against Islamic countries.

It's a requirement for Muslims to kill them (as announced by Pahang Mufti recently). Killing kafir harbi fi'lan will not result in any punishment for the Muslim killer under hudud/qisas law.

2) Kafir harbi hukman: These are non-Muslims that do not have any privilege of protection in an Islamic country and they are not waging war against an Islamic country.

Killing kafir harbi hukman doesn't bring death punishment to a Muslim but only half of a diyya (compensation to the family). This was backed by a Hadith, where Abu Juhaifa reported: "The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, judged that a believer should not be killed for killing a disbeliever." Sahih Bukhari 6517 in context of kafir harbi hukman.

3) Kafir muahid and dzimmi: They are non-Muslims who have protection agreement with an Islamic administration. Muahids are not citizens of the Islamic country but have peace agreements. Dzimmis are citizens and pay jizyahs (a form of tax or protection money).

It is haram to kill these types of non-Muslims. Many Hadiths protecting them. Also backed by Quran 9:29 "Fight those who believe not in Allah nor the Last Day, nor hold that forbidden which hath been forbidden by Allah and His Messenger, nor acknowledge the religion of Truth, (even if they are) of the People of the Book, until they pay the Jizya with willing submission, and feel themselves subdued."

Oh wait, dzimmis are bound under hudud laws 🙂 jeng jeng jeng!!

PAS are just saying their hudud won't apply to non-Muslims to get the bill passed by the parliament. In history, hudud applies to all. Look at Acheh.

4) Kafir musta'min: Non-Muslim tourists with permission to be in the country. In modern world, Non-Muslims with Visa to be in the country. These Non-Muslims are protected until they become a harbi, even a harbi hukman.. let's say stupid Australians wearing our flags on their arses and being seen as a threat to peace?

In practical, most non-Muslims in Malaysia will be classified as dzimmis (you pay taxes). What if you don't? You become a hukman; can be killed but Muslim killer will have to compensate your family with half a diyya. What if you raise up voices against certain Islamic bodies? Will you be considered as harbi fi'lan? (Pahang Mufti already did) So basically, you're dead.

This is why it's important for Malaysia to remain secular in administration. Letting hudud bill to pass will open bigger Pandora's box.

If it looks like Islamic country, sounds like Islamic country, tastes like Islamic country... stop paving the way for this to happen.

To my Muslim friends, do we really want this for our non-Muslim friends? Why do we have to create hell on earth in our selfish pursuit of heaven?

#rejectunfairness

Share this so more non-Muslims will know and more Muslims to see the bigger perspectives.

ISIS thugs slice crucified victim's throat open in chilling 'how to execute a disbeliever' instruction video

• Man in Boehringer Ingelheim pharmaceuticals top is murdered on film
• Sickening video is called an 'Explanation of How to Slaughter Disbelievers'
• ISIS militants walk prospective terrorists through the best ways to kill
• A Kurdish soldier is also blown up in the 14-minute propaganda video

A sickening new tutorial video from ISIS has urged Muslims to take revenge on disbelievers in the US, Britain and France.

The 14-minute instructional clip is entitled an 'Explanation of How to Slaughter Disbelievers' features a balaclava-clad terrorists showing the best way to kill those who do not support Islamic State.

A man's throat is severed by a militant with a kitchen knife and Kurdish soldier is blown up by a hand-made bomb in the graphic propaganda footage.

The video makes reference to attacks in Germany, Finland, Russia, the United States, France, and Britain and pays homage to terrorists who have carried out massacres in Europe.

A French-speaking ISIS militant called Abu Sulayman al-Firansi appears first on screen, saying: 'We must fight them.

'Even with the most basic equipment, they have kept crusaders sleepless and worried by fighting for ISIS.'

He then calls on Muslims in France to kill in the name of Allah.

Standing in the background tied as if he was being crucified is an unidentified man wearing a Boehringer Ingelheim pharmaceutical top.

The terrorist uses him as a dummy before handing a knife to a second ISIS fighter who slices his wrist and throat before gutting him in a gruesome murder.

The sick killing is followed by a tutorial of how to kill someone face-to-face or by approaching them from behind.

An English-speaking terrorist labelled Abu Muhammad al-Muhajir then appears on screen to deliver a ranting message in a call to arms.

It cuts to a man in a kitchen with explosives, hinting ISIS were making bombs in their homes, before a captured Kurdish fighter is slaughtered.

Abd Isma'il Muhammad ash-Shaykh, 23, from Raqqa tells of his capture by ISIS before he is filmed running through the desert as bullets are fired at his feet.

After dodging the shells, he is blown up and his dismembered body strewn across the sand.

MailOnline has contacted German company Boehringer Ingelheim, which also has a base in Berkshire, but nobody was immediately available for comment.

Malaysia: Babies for Sale

IGP: Malaysia not hub for selling babies

KUALA LUMPUR: Bukit Aman has refuted allegations by Al-Jazeera that Malaysia is a hub for the sale of babies.

Inspector General of Police Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar said the 25-minute documentary by the media nework, which aired on Nov 25, portrays Malaysia as a booming hub for sales of babies, with syndicates working together with civil servants.

"The documentary also claims that the syndicate involved a network of traffickers, doctors and government officials allegedly involved in the trafficking of babies.

"We do not deny that there are cases of babies for sale in the country, but it was not as simple as portrayed in the documentary and we are constantly monitoring these illicit activities," he said in a statement Saturday.

He added that efforts have been redoubled with the establishment of the Anti Trafficking in Persons and Smuggling of Migrants Unit (D7C) in 2008 and the Sexual, Women and Child Investigation Division (D11 ).

"In 2010, we managed to arrest six involved in the sale of babies including a doctor, three nurses, the child of a doctor and a civil servant.

"In 2014 we managed to cripple a syndicate operation out of Pedas, Negri Sembilan, with the arrest of a man and woman and rescue of three women, three teenage boys and an infant.

"Last year we managed to rescue 17 women, four teenage girls and three babies in a case in Gombak with the arrest of three women," he said adding that in two cases in 2016 three men and a woman were arrested while a baby was rescued.

Khalid said the police was taking stern action and was working closely with the relevant ministries and government agencies to curb any cases of exploitation towards women and children.

"Police will conduct investigations based on the allegations made in the documentary to ensure necessary follow up actions are taken.

"The community must also play its part by not encouraging such activities which do not follow the law.

"Encouraging such activities also gives room for the exploitation of children to occur," he said.

Muslim preacher Zakir Naik allegedly offered M'sian citizenship, says report

PETALING JAYA: Controversial Muslim scholar Dr Zakir Naik (pic) has been given a Malaysian citizenship, according to an article published in the Hindustan Times

Naik, who has preached and conducted programmes in Malaysia before, was also alleged by the report to be currently hiding here after his Islamic Research Foundation (IRF) was recently banned by Indian authorities.

He is also under investigation by India’s National Investigation Agency (NIA), who are closely monitoring his whereabouts and have reportedly prevented his family members from leaving the country.

The report quoted one of Naik’s representatives as confirming the development, saying that the Malaysian citizenship was offered as a package deal to the Muslim preacher when he was awarded the Tokoh Ma’al Hijrah title back in 2013.

“It is the state policy of Malaysia to offer citizenship to the awardees of the highest civilian honour of their land. Naik is now a Malaysian citizen too,” the Hindustan Times quoted the unnamed representative as saying.

The report also alleged that Naik, a renowned televangelist, was holed up in Malaysia as a tactic to avoid the NIA investigations.

He was earlier suspected by authorities of being either in Thailand or Africa.

On Friday, Naik issued a statement criticising the move to ban his IRF organisation and the subsequent case against him.

He stressed that he had always advocated peace and condemned violence of any form during his public speeches.

A separate report published by the Hindustan Times quoted him as saying that the probe against him would have been a non-issue if government investigators had done “a thorough job”.

“I expected professional investigators from government agencies to do a thorough job. Had they done so, this issue would have been a no-brainer, a non-issue.

“But I guess that was not the plan. The plan was to ban, not investigate,” he said in the statement.

NIA officials had in recent days conducted raids at 20 commercial and residential properties reportedly belonging to Naik, and had seized several official documents.

Among others, the documents showed that the IRF had purportedly given an Rs80,000 (RM5200) scholarship to Abu Anas, a Rajasthan native who was arrested in January while he was allegedly planning to go to Syria to fight for the Islamic State.

Malaysian authorities could not be immediately reached for comment on the alleged citizenship offered to Naik.

White House petitioned to reveal MO1's identity

Some 10,000 people have signed an official online petition to the White House seeking details on 'Malaysian Official 1 (MO1)' that was named in a civil forfeiture suit initiated by the US Depart of Justice (DOJ).

The petition said that the court documents had claimed that US$681 million had been illegally transferred to the personal bank accounts belonging to MO1 and yet there has been no investigations in Malaysia.

"(Prime Minister) Najib Abdul Razak has continuously denied he was MO1. To end this infamous kleptocracy, we Malaysians want to know who MO1 is," read the petition.

The petition was filed through the 'We the People' page on the White House website.

If a petition receives 100,000 signatures within 30 days of filing, which was on Nov 24, the White House has to issue an official response.

The suit in question was filed against the proceeds of "The Wolf of Wall Street" motion picture, which was allegedly funded through monies that originated from 1MDB.

It was initiated by the DOJ's Kleptocracy Asset Recovery Initiative, which described this case as its biggest ever.

Among other allegations, the court documents claimed that 1MDB was supposed to use its funds for the benefit of Malaysians.

Instead, the money was diverted by fund officials and their associates to purchase yachts, hotels, jet plans, artwork by Vincent Van Gogh and Claude Money, pay gambling debts and to fund "The Wolf of Wall Street".

According to the FBI's International Corruption Unit and the US Internal Revenue Service's Criminal Investigative Division, at least US$1 billion traceable to the conspiracy was laundered through the US and used to purchase assets there.

To Malaysians, the most significant claim was that US$731 million in 1MDB funds was transferred to the bank accounts of MO1.

MO1 was mentioned 36 times in the DOJ document, while Najib's associate Jho Low and his stepson Riza Aziz were both explicitly mentioned.

Coincidentally, Najib had once admitted that he had received about RM2.6 billion from Middle Eastern "donors" and denied that it had anything to do with 1MDB.

Najib has also claimed the DOJ's lawsuit does not involve him in any way.

Will Muslim politicians succumb to Jamal’s ‘fatwa’?

Red-shirt leader Jamal Md Yunos’s condemnation of Muslim politicians who do not support Hadi’s hudud bill as “devils” sounds very much like a ‘fatwa’.

Some people have been using Islam as a weapon against non-Muslims, politicians and others, (although the Prophet did not mean it to be used as such), and Jamal is now using it against Muslim politicians who have different views from that of Hadi and similar-minded persons. It is like condemning them to hell.

Will Muslim politicians be intimidated by Jamal calling them devils?

This reminds me of an incident in the mid 80s when the then-Kedah menteri besar, who was guest of honour at a function, was upon arrival taken to the waiting room and persuaded to dress up as a cowboy, complete with sombrero, and enter the hall with a blazing gun. He was greeted by shouts of “Montoya”.

‘Montoya’ became such a catchy word and wherever the MB went, he was called “Montoya,” especially by children. He wasn’t able to take this taunting for long and soon gave up his post.

“Devils”. That’s what Jamal has labelled Muslim politicians who don’t support Hadi’s hudud bill. He is, whether he remembers ‘Montoya’ or not, doing a similar thing. He wants the pak-turut Muslims to start sneering at their leaders who do not support hudud with the hope that this will make them ‘repent’ and support hudud, as they will not say “I will rather resign or be kicked out than support Hadi’s hudud” as the spoils of office are too good to sacrifice.

The Sun on Nov 25, 2016 carried a picture of children carrying placards stating ‘Saya Muslim, Saya Sokong RUU 355'. What do these young children know about hudud, or how much about Islam itself? Is this kind of practice actually allowed in Islam - using innocent children to further the cause of politicians?

These children are merely following orders, merely showing ‘respect’ to their teachers or elders, without being able to appreciate what it is all about, whether it is good or bad.

Will Muslims politicians who do not support Hadi’s hudud become psychologically broken if they should begin to be called “devils” by Muslim voters in their constituencies or will they stand by their conscience and educate their constituents about the hypocricy behind Hadi’s hudud?

Will they tell their constituents that research done by Muslim scholars has shown that Ireland, a Roman Catholic country, was found to be the most Islamic compared to Middle Eastern hudud practicing Islamic countries where crime has not gone down?

Jamal is pitting these politicians against religious authorities such as the ulama and muftis who are all for Hadi’s hudud. How will they face up to these authorities if their own knowledge of Islam is no match to that of the authorities’?

The Muslim politicians who have in the past declared that they will not support Hadi’s hudud for some reason or other should show us they are people of honour by staying steadfast to their declared stand. Jamal has no divine authority to turn them into ‘devils’, or to compel them to support Hadi’s hudud.

All Muslim politicians should not be taken in by the baseless blanket explanation that existing punishments under the Islamic laws are not effective in deterring crimes and therefore RUU 355 is necessary.

School discipline has gone down

Crime has gone up because school discipline over the past 40 over years has gone down and down to such a level that in some schools teachers are afraid of their pupils. Isn’t this the most absurd situation, where adults cannot control children, allowing the children to acquire devilish behaviour and become criminals in adult life?

Hadi and his ilk should instead look seriously into the causes of school indiscipline and take measures to bring back the standard of discipline that existed in the 50s and 60s.

Can Hadi tell us whether it is not better to give young children a few strokes of a small, light cane and change their behaviour for the better (kalau hendak meluntur buluh, biarlah dari rebungnya) than to allow indiscipline to grow and turn into crime in adult life and then give them 100 lashes, 30 years’ jail, chop off their hands or even stone them to death?

The answer to rising crime is not hudud but bringing back strict discipline into our schools to create future adults of a much better character than the adults of today.

Has Hadi got the mettle, the will and the knowledge about child character development to take this challenge if he is genuine about making our future society a better one with minimal crime?

When Islam is used as weapon against non-Muslim politicians

Anyone who says he knows God's intention is showing a lot of very human ego.”

- Michael Crichton

PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang’s rejoinder to non-Muslim politicians “not to act like Ahok in Jakarta," is just more evidence that this religious cult masquerading as a political party, like Umno, is using a weaponised Islam to threaten, intimidate and harass non-Muslims in this country. It is further evidence that a weakened prime minister has no choice but to play political chicken with this cult that means to turn Malaysia into another failed Islamic state.

Hadi does not tell us exactly what Ahok had done but the implication being he (Ahok) either insulted Islam or interfered in Islam resulting in outrage and retaliation by pious Muslims against interlopers of their sacred text.

I however think it is extremely important to understand what Ahok did that has resulted in a veiled threat by a Muslim Malaysian politician. As reported in the Jakarta Post, Ahok, repeated “a verse from the Quran that is used by some Muslim groups to oppose his election as governor. The governor said he meant to criticise the use of religion in politics, but some Muslims took his words as an insult to their holy book.”

You read that right. Ahok cavalierly mocked a verse from the Quran that some Muslims had used to attack him on the campaign trail. Therefore, it is not as if he mocked the Quran randomly or out of context, he was critical of a verse that some Muslims used to justify their bigotry towards his candidacy.

Apropos everything, the Jakarta Post reported on Wednesday “that Jakarta police named Buni Yani a suspect on Wednesday evening for allegedly uploading edited footage that defamed non-active Jakarta Governor Basuki ‘Ahok’ Tjahaja Purnama - as the incumbent gubernatorial candidate's comments in the video were purportedly blasphemous - and caused nationwide uproar, particularly through mass demonstrations.

“‘We have found sufficient evidence to build a case and name him a suspect,’ Jakarta police spokesperson Sr Comr Awi Setiyono said. Awi said Buni's video post had ignited hatred and animosity among the public.”

In other words, this manufactured controversy was ignited by the machinations of religious zealots in an effort to cause instability by using religion as a means to incite hatred and animosity. If this is not applicable to the numerous religious provocations in this country, I do not know what is.

What exactly is this propaganda meant to achieve? Solidarity amongst the Muslim polity? In another piece, I highlighted the fact that, “Veteran journalist A Kadir Jasin has admitted that the propaganda that he disseminated during his time destroyed the Malay polity.”

This time of course because Umno is in such a weak position, Hadi has been given permission by the Umno state to use its weaponised Islam against non-Muslim politicians. Why? Remember what Hadi said about the current Umno prime minister - “Najib is only human and not a saint, and humans make mistakes, but the act of attacking and bombarding the prime minister with unfounded allegations is uncalled for.”

And really is this not the way of some Muslims who use their holy book to threaten, intimidate and vilify their non-Muslims citizens or political opponents? Have not Malay/Muslim politicians or preachers used verses from the Quran to attack political parties or their supporters here in Malaysia?

Don’t interfere but…

Remember the Pahang mufti who allegedly advocated the murder of the enemies of Islam, I certainly do - “Then we have the Pahang mufti declaring ‘Not DAP only. Whoever is ‘kafir’ (infidel) and against Islam’ and therefore an enemy of Islam [the implication being] who can be killed. Here is a state mufti advocating the murder of non-Muslims and the Umno state remains silent. How exactly is this different from the threats of IS?

Or remember when those reported invaded and mocked another faith and all the then-attorney-general said was, “The actions of the two reporters may have hurt the feelings of the people but I was satisfied that they did not intend to offend anyone. It was an act of sheer ignorance. Therefore, in view of the circumstances at that particular time and in the interest of justice, peace and harmony, I decided not to press any charges against them.”

And therein lies the rub. Hadi has publicly stated that he believes religion and politics should not be put in separate corners. Then why is it he attacks those who would defend themselves by pointing out the fallacies in his preferred religious tomb? The answer to that is simple of course.

As I wrote in ‘Behind Hadi Awang’s Islamic state’ - “Hadi’s rejoinder that only ‘Islam has to be the leader and ruler, those who are not of Islam must be followers (pak turut)’ is the kind of bigoted rhetoric that characterises mainstream Malay politics and is the overt ideology that maintains the system of privileges and systemic inequalities that impedes any sort of egalitarians goals in this country.”

To Hadi and his kind of Muslims, religious subservience and political oppression are the only available avenues for non-Muslims. We cannot question their holy book, while they can question ours. We cannot defend ourselves against their religion when they use their religion to attack us all the time.

We are constantly told not to interfere in the affairs of Muslims even though these issues affect us as Malaysians. Hadi and most Muslims politicians in this country will never sign a document that pledges that non-Muslims will not be affected by Islamic law. They will never moot such legislation. They will never debate such legislation and they will most probably use the security apparatus of the system to crack down on such speech or proposals.

Think about it. The constitution guarantees free speech and freedom of worship but the reality is those freedoms have been chipped away for decades. While on the surface we have those rights, slowly but surely, the supremacy of Islam - not as some sort of state religion but as a means of control - have sublimated the intent of the constitution.

While Hadi uses Islam as a mean of control and propaganda, the rest of us including those Muslims who disagree with Hadi, are not allowed to use the religion in our defence or counter attack. When you play with fire you will get burned and this is not a lesson for the non-Muslims but rather for Umno, who thinks that it has a handle on Islam but the reality is that it is spinning out of control.

---

S THAYAPARAN is Commander (Rtd) of the Royal Malaysian Navy.

Johor crown prince scoffs at '1Malaysia', moots 'Bangsa Johor' schools

Johor crown prince Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim has criticised Putrajaya's "1Malaysia" slogan, questioning whether it really promotes unity as claimed.

"I hope in the near future... the Johor government will introduce an education module for Johoreans. We'll make Bangsa Johor.

"Malaysia has it too - 1Malaysia. But answer me, where is 1Malaysia?

"You have Indian schools, you have Chinese schools, you have Malay schools. From young, you tell them not to be united.

"Then when they grow up, you tell them to be united?" he said in a dialogue session which was later uploaded on the Johor Southern Tigers Facebook page.

Tunku Ismail said he envisioned a different direction for Johor's education system.

"In future, there will not be Indian, Chinese or Malay schools in Johor... There will only be Bangsa Johor schools.

"From a young age, we'll teach them how to be united, how to respect each other's religion and how to respect other races," he said.

However, he said religious schools would be retained for the purposes of the religion.

"You need to educate young Johoreans. They must know Johor's history. They must know the strengths of Johor and why the federal government needs us," he said.

Tunku Ismail went on to suggest that Johor should emulate the assertiveness of Sarawak.

"Look at Sarawak, Sarawak is smart, Sarawak is united. That is why when Sarawak rants something, the (federal) government has to listen.

"If there is no Sarawak, they would be gone. If there is no Johor, they would also be gone.

"This is the important part, when you (Johoreans) are united, the Johor government has more power and can speak up. It can do anything and they (the federal government) is forced to listen because they need our support," he said.

Demolish Langkawi’s eagle statue? Kedah to consult fatwa council

Kedah deputy mufti Sheikh Marwazi Dziyauddin said the state would consult the fatwa council if there are calls to demolish the famed eagle statue at Langkawi’s Eagle Square.

He said this when asked to respond to Perak deputy mufti Zamri Hashim who was reported by Berita Harian as saying that the construction of such a statue was “haram” and should be demolished.

“We have not looked into the matter, but if there are such calls, then we will discuss it formally.

“For now, the (Kedah) mufti has not said anything and it’s an old issue.

“We will hold discussions with the fatwa council and then advise the local councils accordingly,” Marwazi told Malaysiakini.

Marwazi said the Kedah Islamic authorities was not consulted when the eagle statue was constructed in 1996.

“It’s true that in terms of Islamic law, everyone knows it is haram, but it has already been built.

“Now, if it is to be demolished, there has to be negotiations and it cannot be revealed to the public as the story may turn into something else,” he said.

The Eagle Square, or Dataran Helang, in the Kuah town centre is a popular tourist destination and is widely seen as a symbol of Langkawi.

A municipal council in neighbouring Perak had reportedly sought advice from the state mufti office over the possibility of constructing an eagle statue.

Perak deputy mufti Zamri did not reveal which municipal council it was, but in a commentary in Berita Harian yesterday warned that it was forbidden to construct a statue of a living creature.

He said to do so would be a “big sin” in Islam.

This religious opinion had since put a spotlight on Langkawi in Kedah, which is famous for its eagle statue.

Interfaith body lauds Nazri's assurance on end to unilateral conversion

The Malaysian Consultative Council of Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Sikhism and Taoism (MCCBCHST) has welcomed Tourism and Culture Minister Nazri Aziz’s statement that amendments to the Law Reform (Marriage and divorce) Act 1976 will do away with unilateral conversions.

"The MCCBCHST’s consistent stand has been that to ensure justice and to abide by the constitution, there can be no unilateral conversion of minors.

"That is, both parties to the marriage must consent before a minor can be converted to another religion," said its vice-president Jagir Singh in a statement.

This, the group said, is consistent with the cabinet's April 2009 decision that requires both parents to give consent before a child of a civil marriage can be converted to another religion.

Yesterday, Nazri told a news portal that the LRA amendments will eventually do away with the thorny issue of unilateral conversion.

Jagir noted this is the first time since 2009 that a minister has stated that the earlier cabinet decision will be adhered to.

He related that MCCBCHST lawyers previously faced deadlocks in meetings with the Attorney-General's Chambers in 2010, 2012 and 2014, where the proposed amendments to the Law Reform (Marriage and Divorce) 1976 (LRA) still allowed for the unilateral conversion of a minor.

"MCCBCHST could not agree to such unilateral conversion being allowed," he stressed.

Long wait for justice

Jagir mentioned two cases, that of non-Muslim spouses Indira Gandhi and S Deepa, whose husbands converted to Islam, which have been fought through the courts for the last seven years.

In Deepa's case, the contention was over the matter of the dissolution of marriage and child custody under a civil marriage when one spouse converts to Islam.

Indira's case meanwhile concerns unilateral conversion of children conceived under a civil marriage.

Jagir said in Deepa’s case, the court had delivered judgement in January that “the civil court had the exclusive jurisdiction to grant decrees of divorce of a civil marriage under the LRA and to make all other ancillary orders".

The Federal Court had further stated it would be an abuse of the process for the spouse who has converted to Islam to file for dissolution of the marriage and for custody of the children in the syariah courts.

Jagir posited that with the decision in Deepa’s case, the only thorny issue left was whether a single parent could convert a child without the other parent’s consent.

The courts meanwhile have to decide in Indira’s appeal to the Federal Court on the status of her children's conversion by her convert husband.

The case, Jagir said, will be heard on Nov 15, although he hoped Nazri's announcement may render the matter academic, if indeed what the minister has said is passed into law.

End to loophole hoped

MCCBCHST expressed its confidence that if the unilateral conversion loophole is closed off, then there would be no more cases like Indira and Deepa in the future.

Indira's and Deepa's cases are landmarks in the fight by MCCBCHST and those who are seeking to ensure that unilateral conversions will not take place to the detriment of the non-Muslim spouse, who at present find they have no locus standi to challenge any arising legal decision in the syariah courts.

This is because some Muslim converts from a civil marriage have used the loophole of unilaterally converting their children to Islam, and then proceeded to file motions of custody in the syariah courts where their non-Muslim spouses do not have the standing for legal representation.

Two charged with plotting terror attacks in JB

The two men are accused of plotting an attack on a temple and nightclubs in Johor between June 27 and July 2.

BATU PAHAT: Two men were produced today in the Batu Pahat Magistrate’s Court on charges of plotting an attack on a temple and nightclubs in Johor Bahru between June 27 and July 2.

Md Saifuddin Muji, 28, and Jasanizam Rosni, 33, were accused of committing the offence at an unnumbered house in Taman Waja, Parit Raja, Batu Pahat, with the intention of carrying out the attacks together.

They were charged under Section 130JD of the Penal Code, read together with Section 34 of the Penal Code, which carries a maximum jail term of seven years and a fine upon conviction.

Meanwhile, Mohd Sanusi Satar, 31, was charged with intentionally refraining from disclosing information on the offence.

He allegedly committed the offence at No 5, Jalan Manis 1/3, Taman Manis, Parit Raja, Batu Pahat, between July 1 and Aug 8.

He was charged with committing the offence under Section 130M of the Penal Code which carries a jail term not exceeding seven years, or a fine, or both if convicted.

Meanwhile, Md Saifuddin also faced a charge of possessing on Aug 11, a black flag with Jawi inscriptions associated with the Daesh (Islamic State) militant group.

He was alleged to have committed the offence under Section 130JB(1)(a) of the Penal Code, and upon conviction, would be liable to imprisonment for up to seven years and a fine, as well as have the material seized.

No plea was recorded for all the three charges.

Magistrate Mohd Zulhilmi Ibrahim fixed Sept 28 for mention of the cases.

Earlier today, Md Saifuddin pleaded guilty to possessing an M67 grenade at No 108, Kampung Parit Gantung, Sri Merlung, Rengit, near here, on Aug 11.

He was accused under Section 8 of the Firearms (Increased Penalties) Act 1971, which carries a jail term not exceeding 14 years and at least six strokes of the cane upon conviction.

For this charge, Mohd Zulhilmi set Sept 8 for mention.

The cases were brought forward by DPP Muhammad Fadzlan Mohd Noor. The three accused were unrepresented.

Be a man, sue me, Muhyiddin challenges Najib

Former deputy prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin has dared his former boss Najib Abdul Razak to sue him, if allegations about the premier's corruption are not true.

This is in regard to accusations that Najib had swindled public money through 1MDB, causing much national hardship.

"I challenge Najib to deny this. Answer these accusations yourself.

"Do not use running dogs like (your press secretary) Tengku Sariffuddin (Tengku Ahmad) and others to answer for you and shield you.

"Be a man. I challenge Najib to sue me if what I say is untrue," Muhyiddin said in a statement today.

He said this when responding to Tengku Sariffuddin, who had said the former was making claims that Najib had RM4 billion in his accounts to distract from an alleged affair.

Najib has denied misusing public funds, dismissing them as part of a plot to topple him.

Attorney-general Mohamed Apandi Ali had also cleared the prime minister of any criminal misconduct in the 1MDB scandal.

However, Muhyiddin said Najib's alleged corruption was shown in the US Department of Justice's (DOJ) lawsuits on the embezzlement of 1MDB funds.

"The corrupt high-ranking official in the Malaysian government identified by DOJ as 'Malaysian Official 1' is none other than PM Najib Razak. PM Najib Razak is MO1 who had schemed with Jho Low and Riza Aziz to plunder 1MDB of the billions that have been lost."

Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Abdul Rahman Dahlan had confirmed with the BBC that Najib is MO1.

The DOJ in its legal lawsuits claimed that MO1 had received US$731 million allegedly stolen from 1MDB funds.

Rahman, however, said Najib was not part of the DOJ's suit to seize back more than US$1 billion in assets purchased with monies allegedly siphoned from 1MDB.

He also said there was no need for Najib to step down.

'Cops need not wait for report to check lock-up conditions'

The Home Ministry must probe claims of deplorable lock-up conditions by rapper Namewee, instead of issue a bare denial, said Puchong MP Gobind Singh Deo.

Police had dismissed the caim and demanded Namewee lodge a police report so it can be investigated, if he insists it is true.

However, Gobind said there is no need for police to wait for a report to be lodged before it conducts an internal probe.

Further, if a report is required the police can lodge one themselves if they indeed are earnest in investigating the matter, he said.

"We are talking about detenions here. A complaint has been made, and a very serious one indeed.

"The police shouldn’t merely respond with a challenge for a police report to be lodged. That cannot be enough," he said in a statement.

He said Home Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi should also act swiftly on the matter on "humanitarian grounds".

'May die in custody'

Namewee, or his full name Wee Meng Chee, was held for four days last week, after being arrested for his controversial music video Oh My God, is in poor condition.

On his release, he took to Facebook to reveal the allegedly deplorable conditions of the lock-up, and expressed fear that the 15 Myanmar detainees also held there may die while in custody.

"I encountered about 15 illegal immigrants from Myanmar, who had spent more than 30 days in detention.

"They were locked in a poor condition small room with nobody to bail them out. They were stuck there because their employers had fled with their identifications," Wee said in an Aug 27 posting, which was later taken down.

Wee said he suspected the Myanmar detainees suffered from tuberculosis and they were unable to tell the police this because of language problems.

He also claimed that the detainees may not be able to receive help as the hospital may not take in foreigners with no identification papers.

'Police warned me not to talk'

"Police warned me not to talk about the lock-up, but sorry, they may die inside one by one if I don't speak up," he said.

Penang police chief Abdul Ghafar Rajab denied Namewee’s allegations, saying that there is a standard operating procedure (SOP) to adhere to and detainees who are sick or unwell will be sent to the hospital.

“If he is sincere, then please lodge a police report so we can open an investigation.

“However, if the allegations are found to be untrue, we will investigate them as a false report,” Ghafar was quoted as saying by English daily The Star today.

The police arrested the 31-year-old rapper following multiple police reports lodged in George Town on July 30 over Namewee's music video titled Oh My God. He was detained on Aug 21.

The police reports complained that the music video had used the word "Allah" in a disrespectful manner and portrayed Muslims as terrorists.

The reports also took issue with the portrayal of Muslims gambling and the use of the 'azan' (call for prayer) in the music video.

Indian principal jailed for 17 years over deadly school meal

The children, aged four to 12, fell ill within minutes of eating the lunch of lentils, potatoes and rice at their primary school in the poverty-stricken village of Dharmasati Gandaman on July 16, 2013.

NEW DELHI: An Indian court Monday sentenced a school principal to 17 years in jail over the death of 23 pupils who were served a free meal laced with pesticide, a prosecutor said.

The head of the government-run school was found guilty last week of culpable homicide for the 2013 tragedy. In all, nearly 50 children consumed the poisonous lunch in Saran district in the eastern state of Bihar.

“Meena Devi was sentenced to ten years for culpable homicide and seven years for attempt to commit culpable homicide,” public prosecutor Sameer Mishra told AFP.

Devi was also fined 375,000 rupees ($5,500), with much of the money intended for the families of 24 injured children.

Prosecutors said they were satisfied with Monday’s ruling but would challenge the court’s acquittal of her husband Arjun Rai for lack of evidence.

Rai allegedly supplied the pesticide-laced oil used to cook the meal.

Investigators told the court Rai had stored the pesticide alongside the cooking oil, and supplied the contaminated oil to the school.
He had secured the contract for school supplies from his wife without following any guidelines, investigators said.

The children, aged four to 12, fell ill within minutes of eating the lunch of lentils, potatoes and rice at their primary school in the poverty-stricken village of Dharmasati Gandaman on July 16, 2013.

“We were hoping both of them would be jailed but the court let her husband off,” Madav Ram, father of a 12-year child, who died, told AFP.

The disaster prompted the government to improve food safety in schools. Children often suffer food poisoning due to poor hygiene in kitchens and occasionally sub-standard food.

Free lunches have since 2001 been offered to some 120 million schoolchildren throughout India, in the world’s largest school meal programme.

Educators see the scheme as a way to stop children dropping out of school, in a country where almost half of all young children are undernourished.

Carpet dealer Deepak gets Santamil Selvi's suit struck off

Carpet dealer Deepak Jaikishian was today successful in striking out the RM1.9 million suit filed by A Santamil Selvi over the five-year exile in India of her husband, the late P Balasubramaniam (Bala), and her family's exile after a statutory declaration made by Bala.

This comes with the Federal Court allowing Deepak's appeal that the matter need not heard in the High Court.

A five-member bench led by Chief Judge of Malaya Justice Zulkefli Ahmad Makinudin allowed Deepak's appeal and made no order on costs.

The other judges were Federal Court judges Justice Zainun Ali, Justice Abu Samah Nordin, Justice Ramly Ali and Justice Balia Yusof Wahi.

Out of the three questions posed before the court, it only answered one: it gave a negative reply to the question on whether the filing of a single notice of appeal in respect of eight separate distinct interlocutory applications is in compliance with the procedural rules as set out in the Rules of the Court of Appeal 1995.

In other words, although there are nine separate defendants, a notice of appeal had to be filed on each of them.

This decision puts an end to Santamil Selvi's suit. She had previously filed an appeal over the striking out of her suit against prime minister Najib Abdul Razak, his wife Rosmah Mansor and six others that was struck out.

While the proceedings were going on today, a registrar told the panel that Deepak (photo) had discharged his counsel, Muhammad Shafee Abdullah, last Friday and would be appearing for today's proceeding himself.

However, Shafee, who was present in court, clarified to the bench that he has been re-appointed.

Lawyer Americk Sidhu appeared for Santamil Selvi.
First statutory declaration

Santamil and her three children had in 2014 filed an RM1.9 million suit for damages against the Deepak and the seven others on grounds of a conspiracy to put them into exile.

The seven others named are Najib, Rosmah, Najib's siblings Ahmad Johari and Nazim, senior lawyer Cecil Abraham, lawyer M Arulampalam and commissioner of oaths Zainal Abidin Muhayat.

Their exile, Santamil and her family claimed, was caused by Balasubramaniam's first statutory declaration, made sometime in July 2008, in which the late private investigator states that Najib knew the murdered Mongolian translator, Altantuya Shaariibuu.

The private investigator then retracted the first SD the very next day and signed a second one, after which he and his family disappeared.

The High Court struck out the suit by Selvi and her children against all the eight but in the Court of Appeal, Deepak claimed that the lawyer who appeared for him at the High Court did not represent him and he subsequently conceded to allowing the hearing of Santamil’s suit against him.

As a result of this, Santamil's suit against Deepak still stood as the businessman had earlier on Oct 2, last year, recorded the consent order, after he conceded on allowing the hearing of the suit against him.

Deepak, however, withdrew what he conceded, resulting in a hearing and a decision by the Court of Appeal to reinstate the suit and order the matter to go on trial at this High Court.
This has resulted in today's appeal.

Muhyiddin: RM1bil already in PM's account before 'Arab donation'

Former deputy prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin claimed close to RM1 billion was already in Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak's personal bank account even before the widely reported RM2.6 billion came in.

Najib had claimed the US$681 million which he received in March 2013, widely referred to as the RM2.6 billion based on the exchange rate when it was first publicised in July last year, was a donation from a member of the Arab royal family.

Muhyiddin said he learnt about the deposits prior to the purported 'Arab donation' from then attorney-general Abdul Gani Patail, who had shared the information with him.

"The former attorney-general did mention - before he suffered the same fate as me by being sacked - there was already almost RM1 billion in Najib's account before that (RM2.6 billion controversy).

"So in total, it was around RM4 billion in the prime minister's account. Can you believe it?" he told a ceramah in Ketereh, Kelantan yesterday.

A video recording of the ceramah was uploaded on Gerakan Harapan Baru TV and KiniTV.

Muhyiddin said he almost passed out after he looked at the figures in Najib's personal bank account.

"The attorney-general at that time... he showed me - I almost fainted looking at that much money in Najib's account.

"I felt like fainting but luckily I didn't," he said.

Muhyiddin's claim appear to corroborate a report by Australia-based ABC News in March which put the peak figure in Najib's bank account at US$1.051 billion (RM4.202 billion) based on bank statements.

According to the report, prior to RM2.6 billion deposit from Tanore Finance, Najib also received US$120 million from Blackstone Asia Real Estate Partner Ltd (BVI), US$80 million from Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Finance and US$75 million from Prince Faisal bin Turkey bin Bandar Alsaud.

The US Department of Justice (DOJ) also highlighted deposits not mentioned or disclosed in the ABC News report, including an additional US$10 million on Feb 23, 2011 and another US$10 million on June 13, 2011 from Prince Faisal, referred to as "PetroSaudi co-founder".

An additional US$5 million on Oct 30, 2012 and US$25 million on Nov 19, 2012 also came in from Blackstone Asia Real Estate Partner Ltd (BVI), according to the DOJ.

This put the total sum prior to the RM2.6 billion deposit at US$325 million, or just under RM1 billion based on the exchange rate in 2011 and 2012.

The DOJ claimed the deposits from Tanore Finance, Blackstone Asia Real Estate Partner Ltd and the PetroSaudi co-founder originated from 1MDB.

The DOJ, claimed more than US$3.5 billion was allegedly misappropriated from 1MDB, largely focused on the money trail that passed through the US financial system.

Najib had denied wrongdoing and said he had never taken public funds for personal gain.

Attorney-general Mohamed Apandi Ali had also cleared the prime minister of wrongdoing.

Muhyiddin was removed as deputy prime minister in July last year, the same month when the RM2.6 billion deposit came to light.

Muhyiddin claimed he was removed after confronting Najib about the deposits.

His sacking coincided with the removal of then attorney-general Abdul Gani Patail.

Malaysiakini has sent a query to the Prime Minister's Office over the matter.

MIC hopes LRA amendments will end disputes

KUALA LUMPUR: MIC president Datuk Seri Dr S. Subramaniam hopes that the amendments to the Law Reform (Marriage and Divorce) Act 1976 will put to rest the disputes and conflicts between civil and Syariah laws and overlapping jurisdiction on interfaith child custody.

“We have been vigorously voicing these issues for many years and we are happy to see the fruits of our efforts. I have raised this matter at Cabinet meetings on several occasions and have personally met the Attorney-General and presented our views and suggestions to resolve this matter,” he said in a statement.

Dr. Subramaniam, who is also the Health Minister and part of a five-member committee to look into the interfaith custody issue, said he was pleased that the amendments will be tabled in Parliament in October and finally resolve this problem.

“We will request a briefing from the Attorney-General’s Chambers on these amendments and will put forward appropriate views if necessary to ensure a solution,” he said.

On Thursday, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said divorce matters that involved civil marriages must be settled in a civil court even if one of the spouses converts to Islam, under legal reforms to be tabled in Parl­i­­a­­­­­­­m­ent in October.

In announcing changes to the Law Reform (Marriage and Divorce) Act 1976 (LRA), he said: “Any vacuum or overlap in existing laws can be resolved once changes are made to the Act.”

Malaysian Consultative Council Of Buddhism, Christianity, Hin­duism, Sikhism and Taoism secretary-general Prematilaka Seriseni said the Government’s proposal still did not address the problem of unilateral conversion of children.

He said the amendments were nothing new and only “mouths” the February 2016 Federal Court decision on the S. Deepa-versus-Izwan Abdullah custody battle where it was determined that the Syariah court had no jurisdiction over the dissolution of marriages even if one spouse had converted to Islam.

Amid all the legal inconsistencies, Prematilaka urged Najib to clear the air on the Government’s ban on unilateral conversions.

“The PM needs to follow his own Cabinet decision in 2009 and address this problem. We need to stop any parent from converting their children without consent of the other,” he said.

Meanwhile, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, Datuk Seri Jamil Khir Baharom welcomed Najib’s amendment proposals, claiming it would put to rest disputes that may arise when one spouse converts to Islam.