Month: August 2011

Any Malaysian given three answers to the question: Who made the allegation that DAP wants to create a “little China” in Malaysia would invariably name Utusan Malaysia, Berita Harian and UMNO although not necessarily in the same order.

Nobody would have named the MCA let alone the MCA President, Datuk Seri Dr. Chua Soi Lek as it is so wild, absurd and irresponsible a charge no sane or reasonable person would make.

One could disagree with Chua Soi Lek to date but so far he has kept to certain standards in his public statements and speeches.

But Chua Soi Lek’s allegation in Kota Kinabalu yesterday that DAP wants to create a “little China” in Malaysia must rank as among the most despicable and dastardly of lies in Malaysian politics designed to help UMNO ultras to scare Malay voters. Continue reading “How unprincipled and low can you go, Chua Soi Lek, as MCA President?”

by R. Nadeswaran
The Sun
Posted 7 August 2011 – 07:43pm

READERS will remember that in the past, this columnist had refused to touch on race, religion and politics. Today, an intrepid step is being taken to address an issue which has tarnished the name of the country. The actions of a few have embarrassed all Malaysians, especially our leaders who exemplify moderation, tolerance and restraint. The many words of our founding fathers and their successors appear to have fallen on deaf ears. Instead, selfish individuals are defying the government in their zest to impose their own beliefs and values without any consideration whatsoever.

In May, I was sitting in the audience and applauded after the prime minister gave a resounding talk on Islam and moderation at Oxford. Quoting the Torah, the Bible and the Quran, he explained Malaysia’s success in embracing multi-cultures and multi-religions. Two weeks later, watching the royal wedding on television at a street party, I gladly pointed out to English friends the presence of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong and the Raja Permaisuri at Westminster Abbey. Continue reading “The world is watching”

by Bakri Musa
Chapter 9: Islam in Malay Life
Reform in Islam

There was a time when religion did not have any role in the Malaysian education system. Public schools were completely secular. There were some Christian missionary schools during colonial times, but they did not attract many Malay pupils. Malay parents were fearful that their children would be converted, a not unreasonable anxiety given the proselytizing fervor of those early missionaries. Following independence, religion was still kept out of the schools. There were Islamic schools but these were private, small, and mainly in rural areas. They catered exclusively to children of poor villagers. Their mission too was equally modest: teaching the basic rituals of Islam. Typically they were the one-teacher schools, the madrasah. Not much was expected and not much was delivered. I briefly attended one of them.

In light of the 9-11 attacks, there is much attention paid to the goings-on in these madrasah. They are less educational institutions and more indoctrination centers. They breed the kind of fanatical adherents to the faith – rigid and intolerant – that are the bane of so many Muslim societies. Continue reading “Islamization of Education”

— Sakmongkol AK47
The Malaysian Insider
Aug 07, 2011

AUG 7 — I am repeatedly asked about the identity of the Oracle. I shall have to decline the request to reveal his identity. The identity of the oracle is not important. It should remain anonymous for as long as it can be. Then I will be able to share information which is spoken candidly and in full candour.

I had a good laugh when someone suggested that the Oracle is Sanusi Junid. That someone commented I was lucky to be an intimate acquaintance of the illustrious Sanusi. That is not possible. Sanusi, as many of us know, has just survived a quite serious heart attack. The Oracle recounted the day Daim Zainuddin receiving a text message a few weeks ago informing him that Sanusi was critically ill.

Happily, he is doing well now. We wish him a speedy recovery. He is an estimable combatant and a worthy opponent. The Oracle told me, he and Daim rushed over to the hospital to see how Sanusi was faring. I am happy to be told by the Oracle that Sanusi is Sanusi, weakened but indomitable in his unrelenting criticisms on how Najib Razak is handling this country. Continue reading “A morning session with the Oracle of Syed Putera (Part 2)”

By Lisa J. Ariffin
The Malaysian Insider
Aug 07, 2011

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 7 — The weak US economy and last week’s downgrade of Malaysia’s credit ratings could prompt the Najib administration to call for snap polls as early as November, DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng said today.

He said the US debt crisis “will not only have impact on the economy but also the date of the next [general election]”.

“If the impact continues, we will see early elections as early as November because it is very important for the economy,” Lim told a press conference at the party headquarters here today.

“After Bersih, this seems more likely because of a contagion effect,” Lim added. Continue reading “Guan Eng: US economic woes could prompt snap polls”

by Richard Loh

Many NGOs, major Bodies fighting their Causes or institutions always claimed to be non partisan when making their calls for change towards their causes. This should be the way as we see it all around the globe but can it be followed in this nation whereby everything you do is one way or another tied to politics?

Non partisan: free from party affiliation
In political science, nonpartisan denotes an election, event, organization or person in which there is no formally declared association with a political party affiliation. wikipedia

Partisan: In politics, partisan literally means organized into political parties. The expression “partisan politics” usually refers to fervent, sometimes militant, support of a party, cause, faction, person, or idea. wikipedia

Once any party/parties are elected to form the government, elected representatives should shed their party partisanship and perform their government duties in a non partisan manner and served each and every rakyat irrespective of their political affiliation. Continue reading “Really ! Non Partisan in Malaysia Boleh?”

Terence Netto | Aug 6, 11 7:36pm
Malaysiakini

Catholic Bishop Dr Paul Tan Chee Ing said today he was not surprised that “hard upon accusations by Jais of Christians proselytising Muslims comes unsubstantiated print media stories seemingly validating those claims.”

“Need we be surprised?” asked the head of the Catholic Church in the Melaka-Johor diocese, who is concurrently president of the Catholic Bishops Conference of Malaysia.

“It’s depressing – this continuing trial of Malaysian Christians by innuendo and insinuation,” sighed the Jesuit-trained prelate in comments to Malaysiakini on the stories in today’s editions of the Berita Harian and Harian Metro that quote a couple of Muslims claiming that they have been targeted by Christian groups as potential converts. Continue reading “Bishop Paul decries vilification of Christians”

By Debra Chong
The Malaysian Insider
Aug 06, 2011

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 6 — Calling it yet another conspiracy plot, a PAS MP and a Catholic priest both spoke out today against the latest news linking church charity groups to covert conversions as a ploy to pit Muslims against Christians.

Kuala Selangor MP Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad suggested it was it was a political move calculated to claw back the support of Malay-Muslim voters ahead of the 13th general election, expected to be called by year-end.

Dzulkefly said it was a political move to win back the support of Malay-Muslim voters. — File pic“You see it now, they are full of plots,” the PAS central working committee (CWC) member told The Malaysian Insider in an immediate reaction to the allegations following a Selangor Islamic Religious Department (Jais) raid on the Damansara Utama Methodist Church (DUMC) in Petaling Jaya last Wednesday night. Continue reading “Christian charity conversion report a ‘conspiracy’, say PAS MP, priest”

By Clara Chooi and Debra Chong
The Malaysian Insider
Aug 07, 2011

PETALING JAYA, Aug 7 — The Selangor Islamic Religious Department (Jais) had likely acted within the law when it raided a church here, as a controversial enactment passed by a Barisan Nasional (BN) state government in 1988 allows action against non-Muslims.

Malaysian Bar Council chief Lim Chee Wee pointed out, however, their being empowered also meant the religious authorities can only act within the confines of the Islamic laws, highlighting that the words allegedly said to prove Christians were proselytising to Muslims at the event — “Quran” and “Pray” — did not fall within the religious enforcement’s context.

“Whilst Jais may have the legal power to enter the premises, it must do so on a proper legal basis that there has been an offence committed. From the presently available facts, there is no basis for its intrusion,” he told The Malaysian Insider in an email. Continue reading “1988 state law allows Jais to act against non-Muslims”

By Boo Su-Lyn
The Malaysian Insider
Aug 06, 2011

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 6 — Christian groups are calling for evidence behind two Malay dailies’ allegations that they are trying to convert Muslims through welfare aid.

Berita Harian and Harian Metro reported today that certain Christian organisations were hiding behind the guise of welfare aid by offering monthly cash allowances of at least RM1,000 to hard-hit Muslims and their families in an attempt to turn them into Christians.

The pro-Barisan Nasional newspapers’ allegations came after the Selangor Islamic Religious Department (Jais) and the police raided a multiracial dinner at the Damansara Utama Methodist Church in Petaling Jaya last Wednesday night, based on a report that the Christian-majority crowd was allegedly proselytising to Muslim guests.

“If you’re saying that Christians give RM5,000, now you convert, show the proof,” Council of Churches of Malaysia general secretary Rev Dr Hermen Shastri told The Malaysian Insider today. Continue reading “Christian groups demand proof of converting Muslims using aid”

The time has come for the MCA President Datuk Seri Chua Soi Lek and the four MCA Ministers to end being “dumb and deaf” and declare whether they agree with the Bar Council that the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) and MACC officers must be held responsible for Teoh Beng Hock’s (TBH) death at the MACC headquarters in Shah Alam on July 16, 2009.

The Bar Council submission to the TBH Royal Commission of Inquiry made public yesterday had recommended that five MACC officers be investigated under Section 304A of the Penal Code for culpable homicide not amounting to murder for the death of TBH, viz: former Selangor MACC deputy chief and “mastermind” of the massive and unlawful 33-men MACC operation which resulted in Beng Hock’s death, Hishamuddin Hashim; Selangor MACC investigations chief Hairul Ilham Hamzah; investigation officer Mohd Anuar Ismail, interrogation officer Mohd Ashraf Mohd Yunus and Klang MACC assistant enforcement officer Zulkerfly Aziz.

The five should also be investigated under Section 304A of the Penal Code for causing Teoh’s death by negligence. Continue reading “Time for CSL and MCA Ministers to declare whether they agree MACC and MACC officers must be held responsible for TBH’s death”

By Boo Su-Lyn
The Malaysian Insider
Aug 06, 2011

PUCHONG, Aug 6 — The MCA has no right to denounce the DAP over its purported silence on the state religious Islamic authorities’ raid on a church as the Chinese party has been powerless when non-Muslims’ rights are threatened, Teresa Kok said today.

The Selangor DAP chief pointed out that her party has expressed its “dissatisfaction” with the Selangor Islamic Religious Department’s (Jais) Wednesday late-night raid on Damansara Utama Methodist Church (DUMC).

“MCA is a party that is least qualified to talk about political courage,” Kok told reporters today.

“Umno has done so much nonsense against MCA and the non-Malay community, yet MCA still sticks as Umno’s partner,” added the Seputeh MP. Continue reading “DAP raps MCA for carping about church raid”

Kuek Ser Kuang Keng | Aug 5, 11 1:35pm
Malaysiakini

The National Registration Department (NRD)’s explanation of the ‘Mismah-gate’ is unacceptable as it fails to address the public’s concern, said Bersih 2.0 chief Ambiga Sreenevasan.

Therefore, she supported Pakatan Rakyat MPs’ call for an emergency parliamentary sitting this month in order to seek answers for the many questions the scandal’s raised.

“We haven’t actually had any meaningful answer… there has to be accountability on this issue,” Ambiga (left) told Malaysiakini during an interview yesterday.

“The answer that they have given us so far is really quite unacceptable.” Continue reading “Bersih: NRD’s Mismah-gate clarification unacceptable”

— Sakmongkol AK47
The Malaysian Insider
August 06, 2011

AUGUST 6 — Once again, I have the pleasure to share with readers, the current thoughts of the Oracle of Syed Putra.

To refresh the minds of readers, the Oracle is the alter ego of Tun Daim Zainudin. You can almost say what the Oracle says is what Tun Daim thinks. It seems now, whatever Tun Daim says is carefully analyzed. And Tun Daim is a dangerous seer. In 2008, he predicted the loss of BN in 5 states. The UMNO generals were up in arms. They vilified him, describing him with all sorts of disrespectful terms. Daim is a pensioner. Daim is out of touch. Daim is irrelevant. When the results came, what Daim predicted was generally true. So how does Daim see the future?

According to the Oracle, it’s a grim future for Umno and BN. the country has no leadership. Announcements were made continuously without understanding what were said. The PM reads the budget in parliament but when it comes to Q&A, Nor Yaakob does the answering. Some people prepare the text and PM who has no time to understand the context, will just read it. Continue reading “A morning session with The Oracle of Syed Putera”

By Clara Chooi
The Malaysian Insider
Aug 06, 2011

KUANG, Aug 6 — Umno is confident that Barisan Nasional (BN) will trounce Pakatan Rakyat (PR) in Selangor in the coming polls with a whopping 20-seat majority, allowing the pact to form a strong government in the frontline state.

Selangor Umno infomation chief Abdul Shukor Idrus told The Malaysian Insider that this time, BN will win in at least 38 of the state’s 56 seats, in comparison to the 20 it won in the 2008 election when PR captured the country’s wealthiest state.

He attributed BN’s pre-empted victories to a significant increase in Malay voter support from about 50 per cent in 2008 to an estimated 65 per cent, saying it was fuelled by a growing disenchantment with the current PR-led state administration and feverish ground work by Umno leaders humbled by their shocking losses in 2008.

“So although we cannot say that we are extremely comfortable yet, we are confident that we can win Selangor,” he said when met at his service centre here this week before the state Islamic affairs department triggered a controversy by raiding a Petaling Jaya church. Continue reading “Umno claims can win Selangor with big majority”

— Paul Krugman
The Malaysian Insider
Aug 06, 2011

AUGUST 6 — In case you had any doubts, Thursday’s more than 500-point plunge in the Dow Jones Industrial Average and the drop in interest rates to near-record lows confirmed it: The economy is not recovering, and Washington has been worrying about the wrong things.

It is not just that the threat of a double-dip recession has become very real. It is now impossible to deny the obvious, which is that we are currently not and have never been on the road to recovery.

For two years, officials at the Federal Reserve, international organisations and, sad to say, within the Obama administration have insisted that the economy was on the mend. Continue reading “The wrong worries”

Susan Loone | Aug 5, 11 4:30pm
Malaysiakini

The Pakatan Rakyat government in Penang continues to reveal “irregularities” in the supplementary electoral roll, claiming there was a sudden surge in more state seats in the first quarter of this year.

Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng said today that the surge in votes in certain areas within the three months has exceeded the increase of votes since 2008, or 33 months (two years and nine months).

He said he cannot help but be suspicious over the matter and blamed the Election Commission again for dabbling in “dirty” tricks in the voter registration process.

“Something is simply not right,” he told reporters at a press conference in Komtar today. Continue reading “More ‘irregularities’ found in electoral roll in Penang”

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”

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”

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”