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Them versus us

Mustafa Sharif
The Malaysian Insider
May 14, 2011

MAY 14 — There has been too much focus on Anwar Ibrahim’s fitness to lead the country; whether Raja Petra Kamaruddin has sold out his ideals for ringgit Malaysia; and what exactly Zaid Ibrahim stands for.

All this is just a distraction from a couple of questions at hand, which are: do Malaysians have to depend on others to transform and save this country? And who exactly is the adversary?

The simple answer is that you and I have to step out of our comfort zones, galvanise family and friends and make a difference at the ballot box.

This is about us versus them. I define us as ordinary Malaysians who have had enough of corruption, abuses of power, intimidation, religious persecution, mediocrity, divide and rule, the discredit of the judiciary, police and other institutions, the blatant flaunting of wealth and power by incumbents, and the incompetence and spineless national media. Continue reading “Them versus us”

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Thousands rally for Syrian dead

Al Jazeera
14 May 2011

More than 8,000 people attend funeral of protester who was killed by security forces in restive city of Homs.

More than 8,000 people are attending the funeral in Homs of one of three protesters killed by Syrian security forces in the restive city, an eyewitness told Al Jazeera.

Mourners for Fouad al-Rajoub, who was killed on Friday, gathered near Bab al-Dreib and began making their way through the city chanting for an end to the siege on Homs, Baniyas and Deraa, the major flashpoints in the uprising.

The eyewitness said that due to the size of the procession the military had removed and relocated some of the checkpoints it had established throughout the city since mass anti-regime protests erupted there last month.

“Everything is peaceful now but we will be passing government buildings and I fear the snipers will open fire on us,” he said. Continue reading “Thousands rally for Syrian dead”

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10 Days in May (9)

Tweets @limkitsiang:-

Hishammuddin shld retract/apologise 4baseless “some basis” assertion re: Utusan Christian Msia bogey. Is he prepared 2resign if no “basis”?

Is Hisham prepared 2rely on 1 2 dubious individuals 2jeopardise wellbeing welfare 29 million Msians n credibility of Najib’s 1Msia concept?

World watching. Utusan’s seditious Christian Msia bogey put on trial Najib Hishammuddin.More entire BN Cabinet/leadership as CSL led by nose

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DAP claims member forced to back Christian Malaysia report

By Clara Chooi
May 14, 2011 | The Malaysian Insider

KUALA LUMPUR, May 14 — The DAP claimed today one of its members had likely been coerced into lodging a report against the party in support of Utusan Malaysia’s Christian conspiracy article.

Jelutong MP Jeff Ooi, who was implicated in the Malay daily’s allegations last Saturday, told a press conference here that the member, Mohamed Razali Abdul Rahman, could have been forced to lodge the report as the paper has not one single testimony made in its favour to date.

He complained that since Mohamed Razali’s report yesterday, the latter could not be reached over the phone.

“We have tried to contact him but he has not been answering his calls,” Ooi (left) said.

He added that it is now one man’s word against at least 40 others, including eight pastors and at least 13 DAP leaders and members, all of whom had attended the event in Penang where Utusan Malaysia claimed the conspiracy had taken place.

The group, he explained, had been summoned to give statements to the police over the week. Continue reading “DAP claims member forced to back Christian Malaysia report”

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Malaysian human capital outflow

By Michael Lee
May 14, 2011 | The Malaysian Insider

MAY 14 — Once, on the way to the airport in the cold dead of night, I had a heated discussion with an acquaintance of my father from the US about having a life outside of Malaysia.

I was in my teens then, fresh from the Malaysian public education system and was a staunch supporter of our government’s policies. The man who initiated the discussion, on the other hand, was a successful overseas Malaysian himself and was going on about the many merits of leaving Malaysia for a better life abroad. He himself had left Malaysia decades ago after getting his degree and has since found success in an auto-parts business he founded.

Throughout the drive, he cherry picked on the rampant corruption and injustices, particularly against non-Bumiputeras, like us, deep set in the Malaysian social, economic and political system.

While I believed most of what he said to be true, it was not something I haven’t heard before.

Again and again, my defence was that Malaysia was young in being independent compared with the US and needed more time to mature before the inequalities and inefficiencies fade away. The conversation ended in, what I believe, a stalemate, with his detailed reasoning unable to pierce the wall that was my youthful optimism. This took place about 18 years ago. Continue reading “Malaysian human capital outflow”

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Egypt: Suzanne Mubarak detained in corruption probe

13 May 2011 | BBC

The wife of ousted Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak has been detained for 15 days pending further investigations into corruption allegations.

The 70-year-old was later moved to an intensive care unit in Sharm el-Sheikh hospital after suffering what officials said was a suspected heart attack.

Mr Mubarak stepped down in February after weeks of protests.

He and Mrs Mubarak have been questioned over allegations of “illegal acquisition of wealth”.

Mr Mubarak, who held power for 30 years, is currently receiving treatment Sharm el-Sheikh hospital while under arrest.

Mohammed Fathallah, the head of the hospital, said Mrs Mubarak had suffered a “suspected heart attack and a sharp increase in blood pressure” after she was told she would be detained. He added she would be kept in the intensive care unit, under observation, for 24 hours. Continue reading “Egypt: Suzanne Mubarak detained in corruption probe”

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‘Emotionally mature’ leaders put Najib to shame

by Jeswan Kaur
May 14, 2011 | Free Malaysia Today

COMMENT: ‘Rakyat diutamakan’ or people first tagline parroted by current prime minister Najib Razak is an out and out lie.

If the people are indeed Najib’s priority, he would stop discriminating one race from the other.

The Umno-owned Malay daily, Utusan Malaysia has once again stirred the hornet’s nest through its May 7 article alluding that Christianity would soon oust Islam as the official religion of this country.

Needless to say the report, which Utusan lifted from postings by bloggers, heated up the already tense racial-relationship between Malaysians of different faiths.

And what does Prime Minister Najib do? He continues playing politics, asking the Malays to give their undivided loyalty to Umno so that the party is able to continue its lordship over Malaysia.

That done, he demands a pledge from local leaders of Christianity that they will respect Islam as Malaysia’s official religion.

The leaders were also made to give an undertaking that they will never challenge the provision enshrined in the Federal Constitution. Continue reading “‘Emotionally mature’ leaders put Najib to shame”

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Christian conspiracy: Special branch link suspected

By Aidila Razak
May 14, 11 | MalaysiaKini

DAP-Jelutong MP Jeff Ooi suspects possible coercion of the DAP member, who filed a police report on the alleged ‘Christian conspiracy’ yesterday just after the ministry had said there was “some basis” to the allegations.

Speaking to reporters in Kuala Lumpur today, Ooi said they believe that the man, DAP Bukit Tumba branch committee member Mohamed Razali Abdul Rahman, may have been convinced to do so by his relative who is a special branch police officer who monitors political activities in the Jelutong area.

“We were told Mohamed Razali and this officer are relatives, and that it was this officer who was instrumental in helping Utusan Malaysia get the story. I hope the police can start to look into this angle and make a fair and just investigation into the case.

“We don’t know his motive or intention for filing his police report some five days after we filed our police report denying the allegations made in Utusan,” he said.

Ooi added that Mohamed Razali had accompanied Ooi when the MP lodged his police report on May 8, showing a press photograph of the two together at the station. Continue reading “Christian conspiracy: Special branch link suspected”

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Police quiz 8 pastors over ‘Christian conspiracy’

By Aidila Razak
May 14, 11 | MalaysiaKini

Police have quizzed eight pastors who were present at the gathering in Penang that Utusan Malaysia had alleged to have hatched a so-called ‘conspiracy’ to make Christianity the official religion.

According to Jelutong MP Jeff Ooi, the pastors were called up in the week following his police report on May 8 denying the Malay daily’s claims.

Speaking to reporters in Kuala Lumpur, Ooi who was present at the dinner last weekend where the ‘plot’ was supposedly hatched, said that the police’s questions to the pastors suggests confusion of the authorities over the manner of Christian worship with the taking of a pledge.

“The pastors were commonly asked questions of the same theme,” said Ooi.

“They were asked if there was a conspiracy to install a Christian prime minister and if there was a pledge taken to make Christianity the official religion of the country. They (the pastors) categorically denied this.

“They were also asked if they raised their hands during their prayers, as commonly practiced among Christians, and if they had raised their left or right hand, and how high they raised it,” he said. Continue reading “Police quiz 8 pastors over ‘Christian conspiracy’”

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Church leaders take one step forward, two steps back

By Terence Netto
May 14, 11 | MalaysiaKini

COMMENT “Two steps forward, one step backward’ was a staple of communist strategy where cagey negotiators make two hard-to-meet demands and then retract one to show they are flexible and reasonable.

Christian church leaders who met Prime Minister Najib Razak on Thursday over reports in Utusan Malaysia of an alleged Christian plot to dethrone Islam as the country’s official religion, were inveigled into a reversal of this negotiating strategy: they took two steps backward and as a sop, were conceded one step forward.

‘Backward’ here is not intended as a description of the nature of the two assurances they gave the PM – that they will respect the status of Islam as the official religion and they will continue to cooperate in fostering interreligious harmony in the country.

Instead, the word is used to describe the concessions Church leaders had to make when there was no substantive reason to suspect them of disrespecting Islam’s special status and being only dubiously for interreligious concord.

In return for the two steps backwards, Church leaders, upset over rabble rousing reports in Utusan, had the meager satisfaction of knowing that the Home Ministry had reprimanded the paper’s editor for irresponsible reporting. Ditto, one step forward for the Church leaders. Continue reading “Church leaders take one step forward, two steps back”

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Wan Azizah defends Anwar, says video slander ‘worse than murder’

By Boo Su-Lyn
May 14, 2011 | The Malaysian Insider

SHAH ALAM, May 14 — Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail hit out at those who say the main actor in a sex video circulating through Malaysia is her husband Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, calling it slander that is “worse than murder”.

The PKR president defended her husband at a ceramah here last night after police said they will reveal the identities of those seen in the sex video only if they are required to do so by law.

“The man in the video is not my husband,” Dr Wan Azizah (picture) told a crowd of Malays at a village here last night.

“If I don’t recognise (him), who else can do so? If an accident happens (to him) at night, I’ll be the one to recognise him,” she said.

Businessman Datuk Shazryl Eskay Abdullah performed the sumpah laknat oath last month by swearing in God’s name that Anwar is the man featured in the controversial sex video.

Shazryl took the oath on behalf of the “Datuk T” trio behind the sex scandal, who comprises him, former Malacca Chief Minister Tan Sri Abdul Rahim Thamby Chik and Perkasa treasurer-general Datuk Shuib Lazim. Continue reading “Wan Azizah defends Anwar, says video slander ‘worse than murder’”

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Bar Council says unconstitutional for Islamic laws to skip legislative approval

By Boo Su-Lyn
May 14, 2011 | The Malaysian Insider

KUALA LUMPUR, May 14 — The Bar Council has dismissed a call by Muslim lawyers for Islamic laws to be legislated solely by the Malay Rulers instead of Parliament, saying it is unconstitutional.

Bar Council president Lim Chee Wee said all laws have to be passed by elected members of Parliament and the respective state assemblies as Malaysia is a constitutional democracy.

“This is a fundamental and basic structure of the federal constitution,” Lim (picture) told The Malaysian Insider via e-mail last night.

“Such fundamental and basic structure cannot be bypassed,” he stressed.

He said the Malaysia Muslim Lawyers Association’s (PPMM) proposed memorandum to the government contradicted the legislative process and the federal constitution.

He also pointed out that matters pertaining to Islamic law are enacted by the state legislative assembly, except for the Federal Territories of Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya which are under the purview of Parliament. Continue reading “Bar Council says unconstitutional for Islamic laws to skip legislative approval”

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May 13: A Recollection

By Adrian Ng
LoyarBurok
13 May, 2011

Reflections of the incidents of May 13, 42 years ago, and how Malaysia has grown since then.

Mom was 16. They lived at Cheras Batu 2 1/2 squatters, near the legendary field which produced Mokhtar Dahari, and near Cochrane Road School, where DBKL has now built a hall along Jalan Loke Yew. Grandpa decided not to open his stall at Central Market that day. The situation was tense from what was being heard in KL due to the massive win of the Democratic Action Party. Rumours were spreading that the Malays were going to attack the Chinese. Everyone was terrified.

Grandpa and grandma quickly packed up some food, just in case they needed to make a run and gathered everyone. They all sat quietly waiting as far back as possible in the tiny little wooden house, at the back of the kitchen. Grandpa took a radio to the kitchen, to listen to any news on what was happening outside.

No one dared venture outside. Continue reading “May 13: A Recollection”

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Things will get worse

Ali Kadir
The Malaysian Insider
May 13, 2011

MAY 13 — Every time Hishammuddin Hussein opens his mouth, I am reminded of two pieces of wisdom which Malaysians should take on board.

Number 1: The apple does fall some way from the tree. His father, Hussein Onn was a man of integrity, fairness and intelligence, Unfortunately for us, Hishammuddin is not his father’s son in any of those categories. Far, far from it.

Number 2: Evil happens when good men do nothing. At best, he is of average competency with a penchant for grandstanding and stock answer rhetoric.

But if Malaysians do not take matters into our hands through our participation in the voting system, he could end up as our leader!

I know it is a frightening thought but look at the paucity of leadership in Umno. Its either him, Shafie Apdal, Mukhriz Mahathir or some other average person.

And if it is Hishammuddin , just think of how bad Malaysia has become and multiply it by a few times. Continue reading “Things will get worse”

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10 Days in May (8)

Tweets @limkitsiang:-

Utusan Malaysia headlines: Hishammuddin “Isu Kristian: Ada kebenaran”.”Saya tahu apa yg sebenar berlaku” – Ahli DAP Mohd Razali Abdul Rahman

Hisham (nose-drag CSL) is single-handedly re-igniting Utusan Christian Msia bogey which Najib tried 2put 2rest though most one-sidedly.

What remedy when it is Home Minister who play politics n pose greatest threat 2national harmony security w irresponsible stmts actions?

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Is Najib swaying to ‘psychic’ Daim?

Mohd Ariff Sabri Aziz | May 12, 2011
Free Malaysia Today

Umno president Najib Tun Razak’s call for unity within Umno takes off from former finance minister Daim Zainuddin’s interview with Utusan Malaysia.

COMMENT

When former national economic adviser and ex-finance minister Daim Zainuddin said Barisan Nasional (BN) would lose five states in the 2008 general election, everyone laughed at him.

Former Selangor menteri besar Khir Toyo, whom Daim had actually identified to be the MB, were among the many who said the dimunitive Daim was out of touch, a pensioner and a has-been.

Daim was slapped with all kinds of other unpleasant “epitaphs” after his political demise. But when the results of the 12th general election in 2008 came around, people quickly realised how precise Daim had been.

Now when Daim speaks, Malaysia pays attention. Probably if he sneezes, Malaysia catches a cold. Continue reading “Is Najib swaying to ‘psychic’ Daim?”

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What I have said about Christians and Muslims worshipping the same God/Allah is confirmed by the Quran!

By N H Chan

Introduction: why I decided to write on why the Deity Allah is not owned by Muslims only

I wrote the series of articles on Allah to put forward the Christians’ point of view on why they are entitled to use the word Allah in their Malay language Bibles. I felt it was unfair for the people in power to use governmental clout to prevent Christians from calling their God Allah. And when these myopic politicians started to desecrate the Christians’ Holy Book that became the catalyst which really drove me to write so as to inform the public that it is not anyone’s right to claim ownership of an Arabic word which was in use by the Jews and the Arabs since the time of Abraham and his descendants, or even much earlier i.e. from the time of the descendants of Shem the eldest of the three sons of Noah who were regarded as the ethnic group of peoples known as the Semites or Shemites who spoke a Semitic language. And Arabic and Hebrew are two Semitic languages. The Arabic word Allah meaning “The God” had been used by God’s people for thousands of years before Jesus was born and before Mohammad’s Call, the legendary revelation of Allah in 611 AD.

But then there are certain people who think that to mention that Christians worship the same God as Muslims do is sacrilege

It looks like there are some Malay Muslims, and some other people of unknown faiths, who maintain that it is heresy to say in my articles that Christians worship the same God as Muslims do. They say Muslims worship only one God and that is Allah but Christians worship three persons called the trinity.

But do these misinformed Muslims know what they are talking about when the word “trinity” is not found in the Bible? Can they tell us why they say that Christians worship three persons when this is not even mentioned in the Bible? Or are these people just paying lip service to keep up with the Joneses to upstage the Christians’ faith without knowing the reason why they are doing that? Continue reading “What I have said about Christians and Muslims worshipping the same God/Allah is confirmed by the Quran!”

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Malaysian. Chinese. Totally Foreign.

By Lisa Ng
LoyarBurok

13 May, 2011

Is it racialism that causes Malaysian Chinese to be cliquish? Or is it just bad faith? Let’s explore the reasons why some Malaysian Chinese youth can’t integrate into society and why abolishing vernacular schools may be just a blind shot at solving a growing problem.

Eu Jienn’s story

Chong Eu Jienn is 15. He lives in Kepong, KL. He speaks fluently in Mandarin. If you ever get lost in Kepong and bump into him, please do not ask for directions in English. He will not know how to respond to you. If you switch next to Bahasa Malaysia, he might be able to bring up a broken explanation consisting of recognisable words like “sana” or “depan” but the rest might be in Mandarin so you’d better know a bit of the language yourself if you want to understand what he is telling you.

Eu Jienn is a product of the vernacular schooling system. His parents decided long ago that their children would be educated in a Chinese Independent School. Firstly, China was quickly becoming an important economic power. Secondly, friends with children in National schools were lamenting about the quality of teachers in such schools. Thirdly, Eu Jienn’s parents came from very strict family backgrounds – discipline was top priority for them and Chinese schools were renowned for discipline. Fourthly, Eu Jienn’s parents were DAP supporters. His grandparents were aligned to BN due to the presence of MCA which was felt to represent the Chinese voice in government. But the loyalty ceased as the political landscape shifted with Mahathir, in favour of the Malays. Besides, what was so important about English or Bahasa Malaysia anyway? If Eu Jienn performed well academically, he could get a good job in Singapore or China. Singapore, for one thing, was close enough to stay in touch with their eldest son. Singapore was also kind to the Chinese. And, yes, in Singapore, people spoke Mandarin.

You could hardly blame Eu Jienn’s parents for such a narrow view. For them, vernacular schools were the best bet to ensure a future of better opportunities for their children. They must have known how important English was as it is still the lingua franca of the business and working world. And yet they somehow chose to ignore this point in shaping their son’s future. Continue reading “Malaysian. Chinese. Totally Foreign.”