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Penang voters increase by 32,000 in three months

Susan Loone | Aug 4, 11 4:18pm
Malaysiakini

Following the allegations that over 1,500 permanent residents were allowed to be registered in the latest supplementary electoral roll, Penang Pakatan Rakyat today claimed that the state saw a sudden surge of 32,000 voters in just three months.

A staggering 1,400 postal votes were inserted into Batu Maung state constituency, currently held by state exco member Abdul Malik Kassim from PKR.

Between 2008 to 2010, the Malay-majority seat only saw an increase of 2,200 voters.

The influx of voters was revealed today during a press conference called by Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng, attended by Abdul Malik and Deputy Chief Minister Mansor Othman. Continue reading “Penang voters increase by 32,000 in three months”

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Kit Siang: Hasan Ali breaking ranks with Selangor

By Clara Chooi
The Malaysian Insider
Aug 05, 2011

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 5 — Lim Kit Siang today accused Selangor executive councillor Datuk Hasan Ali of breaking ranks with the state government, after the latter issued a statement conflicting with Mentri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim’s over Wednesday’s church raid.

The DAP party advisor said Hasan’s open defence of the Selangor Islamic Religious Department (Jais) should be viewed seriously, as it came immediately after Khalid expressed regret over the incident.

“What is a matter of concern and must be viewed seriously is the public defence of the Jais action by Hasan, issued shortly after Khalid’s statement expressing regret for the raid and asking Jais to submit a full report on the incident — as it is an act of breaking ranks in the Selangor state government,” he pointed out in a statement here.

Lim added that Khalid’s response had been “timely and appropriate” as the raid was “deplorable” and detrimental to efforts to build a more open, tolerant and harmonious plural Malaysia. Continue reading “Kit Siang: Hasan Ali breaking ranks with Selangor”

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Bursa firms shed RM26b amid global markets bloodbath

By Lee Wei Lian
The Malaysian Insider
Aug 05, 2011

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 5 — Today’s global market sell-off wiped an estimated RM26 billion from the KL stock exchange as investors took the cue from the regional meltdown following the rout on Wall Street yesterday.

Trader terminals were a sea of red today as losers vastly outnumbered gainers 934 to 60 while the broad-based Emas index shed 1.89 per cent to hit 10,478, a level not seen since May.

The benchmark FBMKLCI slipped 1.45 per cent to 1524, also its lowest level since May.

“If the Dow has another down day, things won’t look too good,” said Chris Eng, head of research at OSK Research. Continue reading “Bursa firms shed RM26b amid global markets bloodbath”

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The Jais raid

— Azrul Mohd Khalib
The Malaysian Insider
Aug 05, 2011

AUG 5 — The recent Selangor Religious Department (Jais) raid of the Harapan Komuniti event held at the Damanasara Utama Methodist Centre should be condemned by all Malaysians.

This dinner, which was organised to commemorate and honour the work of this non-profit organisation as well as its supporters and beneficiaries, is demonstrative of how we are united in a common concern and care for those living on the margins of society and who are less fortunate than us, regardless of their ethnicity and religion.

The high handed and overzealous manner in which the raid was conducted by the Jais officers over an unspecified complaint, and the disrespect shown towards the sanctity of a house of worship speaks volumes of the tendency towards the lack of respect for other religions, unaccountability and a culture of impunity.

Let us be clear: The embarrassing actions of the Jais officers appear to be the acts of a bully. It was bad enough that the so-called complaint was not substantiated, but the officers were not even able to produce a copy of the actual complaint. Continue reading “The Jais raid”

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Bungling Najib making opposition stronger

Syed Jaymal Zahiid | August 5, 2011
Free Malaysia Today

A former minister says the crackdown on the Bersih 2.0 rally had made the NGO into a giant and strengthened the opposition.

SERI KEMBANGAN: Former minister Abdul Kadir Sheikh Fadzir said Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak’s poor handling of the Bersih 2.0 rally had made the polls watchdog a potent force and strengthened public support for the opposition.

Kadir, a former tourism minister during the time of Dr Mahathir Mohamad, said Najib could have easily minimised the Bersih threat if he had engaged the NGO instead of resorting to force, which, he added, had boosted the group.

“The government had built it up to become a big giant,” he told FMT in a recent interview at his office here, agreeing with the opinions of various party leaders who believed it would have been better to engage the polls watchdog in discussions than resorting to repressive measures.

“I would have allowed the procession right from the beginning… then there will be no noise at all… Bersih would have had only two days of publicity,” said the Umno veteran who described Bersih’s demands for electoral reforms as valid. Continue reading “Bungling Najib making opposition stronger”

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Between fictitious and true unity

by Hafiz Noor Shams
The Malaysian Insider
Aug 05, 2011

AUG 5 — There is a strong emphasis on unity in Malaysia.

It is easy to rationalise why this is so. The country has been diverse from the very beginning of its modern history. Each group largely lives differently. While difference and diversity can be sources of strength, it is also a source of conflict.

Some believe that race relations nowadays are worse than they were in yesteryears, but the worst race riot of the country happened in Kuala Lumpur in May 1969. Another big race riot happened in Singapore in July 1964. Conflict between the races was part of the reason why Singapore was expelled from the federation in 1965.

Those conflicts have left behind a deep scar in Malaysian society, even as many Malaysians today never witnessed a race riot first-hand. These old fears are becoming irrelevant but it is still part of what describes our society. So entrenched is the fear of history repeating itself that many are mindful of the tiniest possibility of a race riot. Continue reading “Between fictitious and true unity”

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Hassan Ali’s public defence of JAIS gatecrashing of multiracial dinner at DUMC shortly after Khalid Ibrahim’s expression of regret an act of breaking ranks

The Selangor Islamic Religious Department (JAIS) gatecrashing of a multiracial dinner at the Damansara Utara Methodist Church on Wednesday night is most deplorable as it is most detrimental to efforts to build an open, tolerant and harmonious plural Malaysian society.

The Selangor Mentri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim’s swift response expressing regret for the raid and his assurance that the Selangor state government fully respects freedom of religion and rights of religious groups to manage their affairs and that “the state is always open to engagement and dialogue regarding the harmonious and mutually respectful coexistence of different religious communities, and appreciates the efforts of all who seek to build a more united society” is both timely and appropriate.

What is a matter of concern and must be viewed seriously is the public defence of the JAIS action by the State Executive Councillor Datuk Hassan Ali issued shortly after Khalid’s statement expressing regret for the raid and asking JAIS to submit a full report on the incident – as it is an act of breaking ranks in the Selangor state government.