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Don’t ever use religion to justify caning women

Syerleena Abdul Rashid
The Malaysian Insider
30 January 2015

So apparently, there are some men who think that it is completely acceptable to cane women as a measure to reprimand her of her duties as a woman.

Most Malaysians are aware that we live in a patriarchal society, a system that favours men and disregards the significance of the opposite gender.

Understandably, certain ancient religious scriptures may highlight verses that may come across as permitting a husband to “strike lightly”.

A few days ago, a local daily reported that an influential individual expressed his thoughts on the matter. “Husbands are allowed to hit their wives for the purpose of teaching without the intention to hurt them or disgrace them. This method, however, should be the last resort after all other methods fail, including reprimanding her and sleeping separately,” he said. Continue reading “Don’t ever use religion to justify caning women”

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DAP to call for an all-party Parliamentary Committee to inquire into all unresolved public interest questions on the Altantunya Murder Case when Parliament reconvenes on March 9

DAP will call for an all-party Parliamentary Committee to inquire into all unresolved public interest questions on the Altantunya Murder Case when Parliament reconvenes on March 9.

The latest news is that Corporal Sirul Azhar Umar has refused to return to Malaysia from Australia to face the gallows.

Sirul, the ex-elite force police commando who, together with Chief Inspector Azila Hadri, had been sentenced to death for the 2006 murder of Mongolian model Altantuya Shaariibu, is now detained at Sydney’s Villawood immigration centre.

Nobody is surprised that Sirul, who had belonged to an elite police squad, the Special Action Unit (UTK), has refused to come back, as he is clearly nursing a great sense of grievance and injustice for his dastardly deed of murdering a defenceless Mongolian woman as he must have believed at the time he was performing the highest act of “loyalty” in the interest of the state, and now to be condemned as a “rogue policeman” and having to face the gallows without any “protection” from his “patrons” for his act of “loyalty”. Continue reading “DAP to call for an all-party Parliamentary Committee to inquire into all unresolved public interest questions on the Altantunya Murder Case when Parliament reconvenes on March 9”

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Pakatan Rakyat viewed from within and without

by Elizabeth Zachariah and Melati A. Jalil
The Malaysian Insider
31 January 2015

Despite public spats over core issues of ideology, such as hudud or the Islamic penal code, and basic democratic rights, such as voting for local councils, Pakatan Rakyat (PR) leaders are optimistic the opposition coalition will survive its worst bout of discord since it wowed voters in the 2008 general election.

Differences between the coalition’s member parties – PKR, DAP and PAS, with the Islamist party appearing the most dissonant – are now at their most obvious since bubbling to the surface last year over the Kajang Move to force a by-election in the hopes of installing a new Selangor menteri besar.

At the PAS general assembly last year, conservative delegates of the Islamist party openly displayed animosity towards the PR pact over PAS’s less-than-dominant position in the coalition.

And notably, the PR leadership or presidential council have not met for more than six months. Prior to that, PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang was reported as being absent from earlier meetings for more than a year.

Is PR still a functioning coalition?

Politicians from its three component parties note the challenges but remain confident, while cautioning their top leaders to to discuss and settle differences behind closed doors instead of airing them publicly.

Civil society activists, however, were more critical, with lawyer and Negara-ku patron Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan noting that PR’s credibility was at stake with all the in-fighting and that PAS should “do the honourable thing” by leaving the coalition if it felt the partnership was not working for them. Continue reading “Pakatan Rakyat viewed from within and without”

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Response to Razak Baginda’s interview

– Americk Sidhu
The Malaysian Insider
31 January 2015

Rogue police may possibly kill. That has been proved with the convictions of Azilah and Sirul. But the young lady killed in this case was not under remand. So why draw the analogy with the number of deaths in police custody? This does not make sense.

Razak Baginda says he is now willing to speak “from a legal point” as the criminal case involving Azilah and Sirul is over. He fails to explain why he chose to call a press conference shortly after his acquittal in November 2008. See this link.

The criminal case was still in progress then, sans his presence of course.

Why does Razak Baginda keep insisting this case has been politicised and at the same time refers to it as “just another straightforward murder case”? He doesn’t explain why he thinks it is “political”. How has this case been used against Najib? He doesn’t explain.

No one has accused Najib of being involved in this murder. Is this a Freudian slip on his part? Does he know more about this whole sordid affair than he is letting on? Continue reading “Response to Razak Baginda’s interview”

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Withdraw lost in accident pronouncement, MH370 kin tell Putrajaya

by Pathma Subramaniam and Mayuri Mei Lin
Malay Mail Online
January 31, 2015 06:47 am

SUBANG JAYA, Jan 30 — The families of the crew and passengers of Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 demanded tonight the federal government rescind its public declaration that all 239 people on board the missing plane have died in an accident.

Frustrated that the families were not first consulted before the announcement was made by the Department of Civil Aviation’s yesterday, they demanded any declaration be withheld until the search is officially concluded.

“It would be a better idea for them to withdraw the declaration given that the search has not been concluded,” said Grace Subathirai, the daughter of Anne Daisy, one of the passengers.

Some 10 representatives of families of the crew and passengers on the ill-fated flight present at a late-night news conference here said the DCA’s announcement yesterday was a shock.

“It hasn’t been a year, the search isn’t complete… I and every other person, who had friend or family member or loved on board… will hold on to hope because it is not humanly possible to accept that the people you love the most in this world are gone without a shred of proof,” said Grace.

“We don’t want their condolences. We want evidence… we expected the government to care just a little bit more,” she said, holding back tears. Continue reading “Withdraw lost in accident pronouncement, MH370 kin tell Putrajaya”