KUALA LUMPUR: A question on national integration veered dangerously into a heated exchange on Malay rights in Parliament on Wednesday after DAP veteran Lim Kit Siang (DAP - Ipoh Timor) commented on the lack of a festive mood in the run-up to Merdeka.
Deputy Unity, Culture, Arts and Heritage Minister Datuk Teng Boon Soon had told Datuk Mohd Jidin Shafee (BN - Setiu) that the national integration programme had been successful when Lim stood up for a supplementary question.
Pointing to the lack of a "festive atmosphere" 11 days before Merdeka, he asked if this could be due to recent talks about "Malay supremacy and rights" by certain parties in the country, particularly Umno Youth.
"Doesn't this show that efforts to achieve national integration have failed?" he asked.
In reply, Teng said everybody should work towards national unity, especially politicians who must take care not to instigate any group.
As Lim tried to field another query, this brought the backbenchers' wrath on him - including from Datuk Tajuddin Abdul Rahman (BN - Pasir Salak) and Datuk Lilah Yassin (BN - Jempol).
"Don't always challenge the bumiputra all the time!" shouted Tajuddin while Lilah was heard telling Lim that "this is not China."
Speaker Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia later brought the situation under control, who commented "how could the people be expected to unite like this?"
Coincidentally, the next question, which was fielded by Minister in Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Nazri Abdul Aziz, was on achieving national integration despite the existing bumiputra policies.
Later, Minister in Prime Minister's Department Tan Sri Amirsham A. Aziz told Datuk Seri Ong Ka Ting (BN - Pulai) that as at July this year 22 companies had had their operating licences with Petronas suspended for not adhering to certain conditions.
"Eleven of these companies are owned by bumiputras," he said.
Deputy Human Resources Minister Datuk Noraini Ahmad also told William Leong Jee Keen (PKR - Selayang) that as at June this year, 47,910 graduates had registered to find jobs under the ministry's electronic labour exchange.
"Out of this, 41,813 are Malay graduates, 1,403 Chinese and the rest Indians. Most Chinese and Indians however prefer to use job recruitment services from the private sector," she said.
By SIM LEOI LEOI
SAPP
Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan is Barisan Nasional's spokesman in Permatang Pauh
TROUBLED: Mr Saiful.
AS CAMPAIGNING for Permatang Pauh by-election entered its third day yesterday, the Quran-swearing issue remained a talking point.
TROUBLED: Mr Saiful.
The Barisan Nasional camp has come out in support of Mr Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan's decision to swear on the Quran. Others on the opposing camp are calling it an unnecessary move that is politically-motivated, even un-Islamic.
Deputy Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak was the latest to join the fray when he said that Mr Saiful's actions would convince BN supporters and fence-sitters.
He also called on Mr Anwar to give his DNA and blood samples to prove his innocence against the sodomy charge levelled at him by his former personal aide.
Though he noted these charges are a personal issue between the two, he accused Mr Anwar of manipulating it for sympathy votes, reported The Star. He urged voters: 'Your duty is to elect someone to represent and work for you, not to save Anwar.'
The Edge quoted him as saying that MrAnwar could win an Oscar for his antics over the last few years.
It quoted Mr Najib as saying: 'Everything that he has said, including that there were attempts to kill him, has been without basis or proof. He even invited himself to the Turkish embassy.
'His latest accusation is that the sodomy case against him is a political conspiracy.
'But it was he who chose a personal assistant (Mr Saiful) who was jambu (good looking), not us, it was he who interviewed and hired him, and it was Mr Saiful who accused him, not the BN. What political conspiracy is he talking about?'
Others who have backed Mr Saiful's move of swearing on the Quran include PM Abdullah Badawi and Education Minister Hishammuddin Hussein. Former Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohd outrightly called on Mr Anwar to swear his innocence on the holy book.
Utusan Malaysia quoted religious scholars and religious officials such as the Mufti of Kedah as saying that this was an Islamic move and represented the most serious form of oath. Mr Saiful's father, Mr Alan Mohd Lazim, also called on Mr Anwar to do the same.
Despite these calls, Mr Anwar said he will not do it.
He had earlier called the act a 'mockery of the holy book'. Said Mr Anwar: 'If you respect the law and the dignity of a man, do not use the Quran for political mileage.'
The medical reports, he said, have proven his innocence. Others have denounced the act as un-Islamic.
Said former Indonesia president Abdurrahman Wahid: 'There is no such thing as swearing on the Quran in Islam. Just open the books on Islam.'
He added that it was enough for both Mr Anwar and his accuser to take an oath in the Syariah court.
Meantime, Mr Anwar's accuser has denied that his move was politically-motivated.
M'sian election briefs
Wedding stops during campaign
WEDDING functions have become the latest must-do in the Permatang Pauh candidates' campaign strategy.
BN's Datuk Arif Shah had 10 wedding invitations while Mr Anwar, PKR's candidate, had six, reported TheNew Straits Times.
Both candidates took advantage of the wedding functions to garner support for their campaigns.
Datuk Arif Shah was accompanied by Gerakan secretary-general Datuk Seri Chia Kwang Chye while Mr Anwar attended his with his wife, PKR president Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail.
They were seen spending several minutes with their hosts and moving on to other locations.
He survives on two hours of sleep every night
DATUK Arif Shah Omar Shah has been surviving on two hours of sleep every night since his candidacy for Permatang Pauh was announced last Saturday.
The affable 52-year-old told Berita Harian: 'I just have about two hours of sleep nightly.
'The rest of the time, I sneak in a five-minute nap while travelling from one campaign stop to another.'
The BN candidate also confessed to popping more vitamin pills now.
Appearing unconcerned by his lack of sleep, he made light of it, saying: 'Early (Sunday) morning, my wife woke me at 5am. I asked her why she woke this old man up so very early, but then I realised it was for the morning prayers.'
He has set his sight on beating Permatang Pauh's '10-year curse', referring to the period - from 1999 - which Mr Anwar's wife, Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, has held the electoral seat there.
Is candidate's brother a bankrupt?
HIS brother is a bankrupt.
An SMS making the rounds in Malaysia alleges Umno candidate Arif Shah Omar Shah's brother is involved in a shipping scandal and has since been made a bankrupt.
Mr Arif Shah said in response to the SMS: 'I have no comment because I am not involved in their business.'
Mr Arif Shah said he has no direct involvement in any of his family members' businesses and has never sat on any of their boards as a director.
He argued the SMS campaign was merely a campaign to attack him using his brother's connection.
Nevertheless, he said was ready to explain the matter further in a press conference soon.
Chosen because of close ties with Najib?
MR Arif Shah denied he was chosen as the candidate due to his brother, Mr Amin Shah's, close ties with Deputy Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak, who is also Umno deputy president.
'Most of the corporate (figures) in Malaysia are somehow having a good relationship with the leadership of the day.
'Maybe at the time, he (Amin Shah) has to kowtow (to certain leader) and thus having a good relationship (with the leaders),' he said.
Zubaidah Nazeer
The Electric New paper
20/08/08
Repression before reform in Malaysia
KUALA LUMPUR - A series of tough measures in recent weeks has raised fears of a major crackdown on tolerance and dissent as rival political forces battle for state power in a society made fragile by economic uncertainties and decades of autocratic rule. The growing repression has added to the political intensity of a mounting opposition movement bidding to topple the ruling government by next month.
An influential Catholic newsletter now faces official closure over its editorial policies, an inter-ethnic forum on religious freedom was recently forcibly disrupted, a popular book on Islam by a respected Malaysian academic has been banned and a senior judge has ordered a prominent blogger to reveal his sources as
A Catholic journal, The Herald, faces closure because it planned to publish political commentaries and other current affairs issues that the authorities say are outside the religious scope of its publishing license. Church leaders, who are already facing the authorities in court over various issues, including the right to import bibles in the Malay language and the right to use Allah, the Arabic word for God, in their prayers, have appealed to be allowed to publish The Herald freely.
The same week state authorities banned a new book on Islam titled Muslim Women and Challenge of Islamic Extremism written by respected Malaysian academic Norani Othman. The move has sparked outrage among Muslim feminists and civil rights activists and raised hard new questions about the government's professed commitment to freedom of expression.
In early August, an inter-faith forum organized by the Malaysian Bar Council on the plight of certain families who had converted to Islam was forcibly disrupted by Muslim fundamentalists while police authorities did nothing to protect the forum's right to free assembly and speech.
The same month a senior judge ordered a prominent blogger, Raja Petra Kamarudin, to reveal not only his sources for three postings on his wildly popular Malaysia Today website, but also the identities of hundreds of individuals who left behind comments on his postings critical of the government.
"Taken together there is a growing climate of fear and intolerance," said Yap Swee Seng, executive director of Suaram, a leading human rights organization. "Tolerance for dissent and freedom of media is narrowing. What little media freedom existed is now under severe threat," he said.
Lawyers and civil rights activists say that this string of events points to an official assault on media freedom, freedom of expression, and religious freedoms. They fear the recent oppression signals the beginning of the end of a more liberal atmosphere ushered in after the 2004 general election, which saw Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi win a huge mandate on a pro-reform ticket.
General elections held in March of this year saw his United Malays Nasional Organization (UMNO)-led government lose control over five of the federation's 13 state governments to the opposition. Many UMNO supporters now fear lawmaker defections to opposition de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim's camp.
Reform threat
Anwar - who is now contesting a highly anticipated August 26 by-election to return to parliament after an absence of 10 years - has vowed to topple the government by September 16 and once in power initiate a wide raft of democratic and economic reforms. They include proposals to an overhaul of the judiciary, liberalization of the media and dissolution of the New Economic Policy, which currently gives favor to ethnic Malays over Chinese and Indians.
His bid to power has been complicated by recent sodomy charges, which the Attorney General formally lodged against Anwar earlier this month. Anwar has denied the charges, which he has characterized as a political conspiracy led by the prime minister's office to derail his reform movement.
Meanwhile, the hardening of attitudes and the recent moves to curb dissent are likewise seen as an attempt to strengthen the ruling political establishment dominated by UMNO, which has ruled without interruption since independence was achieved in 1957.
"They [UMNO] are weak while the opposition is gaining ground. The series of repressive measures must be seen in that light as an attempt to curb freedom and defend the political status quo," said a prominent lawyer who declined to be identified for fear of government reprisals.
He said the recent court order against the popular Malaysia Today website has had a negative impact on the vibrant blogging community, which in recent years has given Malaysian readers an alternative view of politics and society than that offered by the state-controlled mainstream media.
"The court order to reveal sources and identity of commentators is having a chilling effect on bloggers," the lawyer said. "They are worried that multi-million dollar sedition or defamation suits may follow."
The Writer's Alliance for Media Independence and the Center for Independent Journalism has expressed alarm at the recent series of hard-line measures, including the banning of the book on Islam.
"If the authorities find the book to be false or misleading, then they should put up a case through rebutting it," the organizations said in a joint statement. "The government must have the courage to engage in public debate and win the battle for public opinion."
"Banning books is an act of cowardice," they said, urging the repeal of the Printing Presses and Publications Act gives authorities the legal discretion to ban books and publications deemed as a threat to security and stability.
They urged Muslim non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to step forward to defend freedom and campaign to stop the banning of books while pushing the government to show accountability, transparency and openness when reviewing books on Islam. Over 30 civil rights NGOs recently signed a joint petition condemning the increasing repression and intolerance of dissent and calling on Malaysians to rise and defend freedom to show the authorities their concern.
"We should not tolerate or condone extreme acts aimed at curbing legitimate public discussion," said Ramon Navaratnam, one of the signatories and chairman of the Malaysian chapter of Transparency International. "We must uphold the right of Malaysians to exercise their freedom to dissent and even to engage in peaceful demonstration in defense of their concerns," he said.
(Inter Press Service with additions by Asia Times Online.)
Baradan Kuppusamy
Asia Times Online
20/08/08
An influential Catholic newsletter now faces official closure over its editorial policies, an inter-ethnic forum on religious freedom was recently forcibly disrupted, a popular book on Islam by a respected Malaysian academic has been banned and a senior judge has ordered a prominent blogger to reveal his sources as
A Catholic journal, The Herald, faces closure because it planned to publish political commentaries and other current affairs issues that the authorities say are outside the religious scope of its publishing license. Church leaders, who are already facing the authorities in court over various issues, including the right to import bibles in the Malay language and the right to use Allah, the Arabic word for God, in their prayers, have appealed to be allowed to publish The Herald freely.
The same week state authorities banned a new book on Islam titled Muslim Women and Challenge of Islamic Extremism written by respected Malaysian academic Norani Othman. The move has sparked outrage among Muslim feminists and civil rights activists and raised hard new questions about the government's professed commitment to freedom of expression.
In early August, an inter-faith forum organized by the Malaysian Bar Council on the plight of certain families who had converted to Islam was forcibly disrupted by Muslim fundamentalists while police authorities did nothing to protect the forum's right to free assembly and speech.
The same month a senior judge ordered a prominent blogger, Raja Petra Kamarudin, to reveal not only his sources for three postings on his wildly popular Malaysia Today website, but also the identities of hundreds of individuals who left behind comments on his postings critical of the government.
"Taken together there is a growing climate of fear and intolerance," said Yap Swee Seng, executive director of Suaram, a leading human rights organization. "Tolerance for dissent and freedom of media is narrowing. What little media freedom existed is now under severe threat," he said.
Lawyers and civil rights activists say that this string of events points to an official assault on media freedom, freedom of expression, and religious freedoms. They fear the recent oppression signals the beginning of the end of a more liberal atmosphere ushered in after the 2004 general election, which saw Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi win a huge mandate on a pro-reform ticket.
General elections held in March of this year saw his United Malays Nasional Organization (UMNO)-led government lose control over five of the federation's 13 state governments to the opposition. Many UMNO supporters now fear lawmaker defections to opposition de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim's camp.
Reform threat
Anwar - who is now contesting a highly anticipated August 26 by-election to return to parliament after an absence of 10 years - has vowed to topple the government by September 16 and once in power initiate a wide raft of democratic and economic reforms. They include proposals to an overhaul of the judiciary, liberalization of the media and dissolution of the New Economic Policy, which currently gives favor to ethnic Malays over Chinese and Indians.
His bid to power has been complicated by recent sodomy charges, which the Attorney General formally lodged against Anwar earlier this month. Anwar has denied the charges, which he has characterized as a political conspiracy led by the prime minister's office to derail his reform movement.
Meanwhile, the hardening of attitudes and the recent moves to curb dissent are likewise seen as an attempt to strengthen the ruling political establishment dominated by UMNO, which has ruled without interruption since independence was achieved in 1957.
"They [UMNO] are weak while the opposition is gaining ground. The series of repressive measures must be seen in that light as an attempt to curb freedom and defend the political status quo," said a prominent lawyer who declined to be identified for fear of government reprisals.
He said the recent court order against the popular Malaysia Today website has had a negative impact on the vibrant blogging community, which in recent years has given Malaysian readers an alternative view of politics and society than that offered by the state-controlled mainstream media.
"The court order to reveal sources and identity of commentators is having a chilling effect on bloggers," the lawyer said. "They are worried that multi-million dollar sedition or defamation suits may follow."
The Writer's Alliance for Media Independence and the Center for Independent Journalism has expressed alarm at the recent series of hard-line measures, including the banning of the book on Islam.
"If the authorities find the book to be false or misleading, then they should put up a case through rebutting it," the organizations said in a joint statement. "The government must have the courage to engage in public debate and win the battle for public opinion."
"Banning books is an act of cowardice," they said, urging the repeal of the Printing Presses and Publications Act gives authorities the legal discretion to ban books and publications deemed as a threat to security and stability.
They urged Muslim non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to step forward to defend freedom and campaign to stop the banning of books while pushing the government to show accountability, transparency and openness when reviewing books on Islam. Over 30 civil rights NGOs recently signed a joint petition condemning the increasing repression and intolerance of dissent and calling on Malaysians to rise and defend freedom to show the authorities their concern.
"We should not tolerate or condone extreme acts aimed at curbing legitimate public discussion," said Ramon Navaratnam, one of the signatories and chairman of the Malaysian chapter of Transparency International. "We must uphold the right of Malaysians to exercise their freedom to dissent and even to engage in peaceful demonstration in defense of their concerns," he said.
(Inter Press Service with additions by Asia Times Online.)
Baradan Kuppusamy
Asia Times Online
20/08/08
Anwar's Second Sex Case Puts Malaysia Courts on Trial
Aug. 20 (Bloomberg) -- The first time Anwar Ibrahim, Malaysia's former deputy prime minister, was accused of illegal sex with a man, the court proceedings so dismayed a Universiti Malaya law lecturer that he told his students to throw away their textbooks.
``What's admissible is irrelevant, what's relevant is not admissible,'' retired High Court Judge Shaik Daud Ismail said he told his class after the trial that convicted Anwar started in 1998.
A decade later, with Anwar facing similar charges, Shaik Daud, 72, says Malaysia's judiciary still needs reform.
``The system is crooked,'' said Shaik Daud, who calls himself politically independent.
Anwar, 61, served six years in prison before his conviction was overturned in 2004. Now leader of the opposition, he says the new case was fabricated to stop him from ousting the ruling coalition that banished him the last time he was accused. Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak, Anwar's rival to succeed Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, denies that.
Lashing back, Anwar last month helped publicize a private investigator's accusation that Najib had an affair with a 28- year-old Mongolian interpreter before she was murdered. Najib, 55, denied ever meeting her. The investigator retracted the claim a day later.
The counter-allegations are testing a judicial system that even Abdullah has said some Malaysians see as corrupt.
`Liable to Manipulation'
``The system is liable to manipulation,'' says Abdul Aziz Bari, an International Islamic University Malaysia law professor who isn't aligned with any political party. ``I am not sure whether it is good enough to handle all this.''
Malaysia's chief justice, Abdul Hamid Mohamad, declined to be interviewed for this story.
Anwar pleaded not guilty on Aug. 7 to having sex with a 23- year-old man who worked for him. He's accused under a law barring sodomy, defined as ``carnal intercourse against the order of nature.'' Violators face up to 20 years in prison.
Free on bail, Anwar plans to win a seat in an Aug. 26 parliamentary by-election and then persuade enough ruling- coalition lawmakers to join his opposition to oust Abdullah. In March elections, opposition gains left the ruling coalition with its smallest majority since independence from Britain in 1957.
In Malaysia, King Mizan Zainal Abidin appoints judges on the advice of the prime minister. Judges, not juries, deliver verdicts after hearing evidence from prosecutors and the defense.
Dismissed Judge
The judiciary lost credibility in 1988 when then-King Sultan Iskandar Ismail dismissed Salleh Abas, Malaysia's chief judge, on instructions from a tribunal set up by Mahathir Mohamad, prime minister at the time.
Mahathir denied involvement in the decision, which followed a High Court ruling that his party was illegal because some regional branches weren't properly registered.
In another 1988 move that critics say compromised independence, the government changed the constitution to allow federal law, rather than the constitution itself, to determine the reach of judicial power.
The amendment ``disturbs the concept of the separation of powers,'' the International Bar Association and other lawyers' groups said in a 2000 report. ``It tends to make the judiciary an arm of the legislature, an instrument of the executive.''
The handling of the Anwar sodomy case raised further doubts. As deputy leader from 1993 to 1998, he and Mahathir had clashed over the Asian financial crisis.
`Deja Vu'
As that rivalry heated up, Anwar was accused of sodomy with a man. Anwar successfully argued on appeal that the trial judge disregarded exculpatory evidence: A prosecution witness changed the alleged offense's date. A policeman said Anwar's DNA could have been ``planted'' on a mattress. The chemist who testified he found the DNA said he destroyed it.
The case was ``embarrassing'' and ``did a lot more damage to Malaysia's judicial-system image than it did to Anwar,'' says Robert Broadfoot, managing director of Hong Kong-based Political and Economic Risk Consultancy Ltd. ``There's the suspicion of political influence. Is this deja vu all over again?'' he added, referring to the new case.
As opposition leader, Anwar criticizes the system. Last year, he released a secretly filmed video showing a lawyer claiming to know about future judicial appointments during a phone call with a judge.
`Chronic' Backlog
A royal inquiry found that the 2001 recording suggested an ``insidious movement'' to influence appointments. Abdullah, 68, in March responded by appointing Senator Zaid Ibrahim to push through reforms. The 1988 ``crisis'' still ``haunts us,'' Abdullah said in April, promising a new commission to vet judge candidates.
``The legal sector has been neglected,'' said Zaid, a former lawyer. Judges are paid too little and face a ``chronic'' case backlog.
There are 903,000 outstanding cases in Malaysia, state news service Bernama said June 3. Malaysia's chief justice, Abdul Hamid, earns 424,314 ringgit ($127,441) a year, including perks, according to the Malaysian Bar Council. In the U.S., Chief Justice John Roberts will be paid $217,400 this year.
Abdullah's vetting commission probably won't start work until 2009, and how much authority will rest with the premier remains undecided, Zaid said.
``I question whether the prime minister should be given the sole prerogative'' on picking judges, said Gobind Singh, a defense lawyer who is also an opposition lawmaker. ``That allows for an ultimately biased judiciary.''
Any legal shakeup should include the police, said Tunku Abdul Aziz, a member of a 2004 royal inquiry into Malaysia's police.
In 1998, Anwar was beaten by Malaysia's police chief, Abdul Rahim Noor, who was sentenced to two months in prison for the attack. Malaysia has yet to create an independent police complaints commission, the inquiry's main recommendation.
``We discovered that every level of the police service was tainted by corruption,'' Abdul Aziz said.
By Angus Whitley
Bloomberg
Lavigne 'too sexy' for Malaysia, Islamists say
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) -- Malaysia's Islamic opposition party has urged the government to cancel a concert by Avril Lavigne, saying the Canadian singer's on-stage moves are "too sexy," an official said Monday.
Avril Lavigne sings at a concert in New Jersey in March 2008.
Lavigne, a Grammy-nominated rock singer who burst to fame with her 2002 debut album "Let's Go," plans to start her monthlong Asia tour with a performance in Kuala Lumpur on August 29.
The youth wing of the Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party said Lavigne's concert would promote wrong values ahead of Malaysia's August 31 independence day.
"It is considered too sexy for us. ... It's not good for viewers in Malaysia," said Kamarulzaman Mohamed, a party official. "We don't want our people, our teenagers, influenced by their performance. We want clean artists, artists that are good role models."
Kamarulzaman said he sent a protest letter to the Culture, Arts and Heritage Ministry and the Kuala Lumpur mayor last week, calling for the concert to be canceled.
An official from the Culture Ministry's department that vets all foreign artists said the government has not given permission for the concert yet. The department is to meet Tuesday to decide on the organizer's application, which was received last week.
The official declined to be named because she is not authorized to make public statements.
A spokesman for the concert's organizer, Galaxy Group, denied that Lavigne's show had any "negative elements."
The spokesman, who declined to be named citing protocol, said his company was confident of receiving the permit as feedback from authorities so far had been "very positive."
Malaysia requires all performers to wear clothes without obscene or drug-related images and be covered from chest to knees. They must also refrain from jumping, shouting, hugging and kissing on stage.
Still, members of PAS and other conservative Muslims often protest Western and even Malaysian music shows that they deem to be inappropriate.
Last year, pop singer Gwen Stefani made what she called "a major sacrifice" by donning clothes that revealed little skin at a performance here.
Also last year, Christina Aguilera skipped Malaysia during an Asian tour that included neighboring Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines, while R&B superstar Beyonce scratched a planned concert here, moving it to Indonesia.
A Pussycat Dolls concert in 2006 was fined 10,000 ringgit (US $2,857) after the U.S. girl group was accused of flouting decency regulations.
CNN
20/08/08
Avril Lavigne sings at a concert in New Jersey in March 2008.
Lavigne, a Grammy-nominated rock singer who burst to fame with her 2002 debut album "Let's Go," plans to start her monthlong Asia tour with a performance in Kuala Lumpur on August 29.
The youth wing of the Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party said Lavigne's concert would promote wrong values ahead of Malaysia's August 31 independence day.
"It is considered too sexy for us. ... It's not good for viewers in Malaysia," said Kamarulzaman Mohamed, a party official. "We don't want our people, our teenagers, influenced by their performance. We want clean artists, artists that are good role models."
Kamarulzaman said he sent a protest letter to the Culture, Arts and Heritage Ministry and the Kuala Lumpur mayor last week, calling for the concert to be canceled.
An official from the Culture Ministry's department that vets all foreign artists said the government has not given permission for the concert yet. The department is to meet Tuesday to decide on the organizer's application, which was received last week.
The official declined to be named because she is not authorized to make public statements.
A spokesman for the concert's organizer, Galaxy Group, denied that Lavigne's show had any "negative elements."
The spokesman, who declined to be named citing protocol, said his company was confident of receiving the permit as feedback from authorities so far had been "very positive."
Malaysia requires all performers to wear clothes without obscene or drug-related images and be covered from chest to knees. They must also refrain from jumping, shouting, hugging and kissing on stage.
Still, members of PAS and other conservative Muslims often protest Western and even Malaysian music shows that they deem to be inappropriate.
Last year, pop singer Gwen Stefani made what she called "a major sacrifice" by donning clothes that revealed little skin at a performance here.
Also last year, Christina Aguilera skipped Malaysia during an Asian tour that included neighboring Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines, while R&B superstar Beyonce scratched a planned concert here, moving it to Indonesia.
A Pussycat Dolls concert in 2006 was fined 10,000 ringgit (US $2,857) after the U.S. girl group was accused of flouting decency regulations.
CNN
20/08/08
Malaysia cancels 'too sexy' Avril Lavigne concert
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — Malaysia on Tuesday canceled a concert by Canadian rock singer Avril Lavigne, saying it may taint the Muslim-majority country's independence day celebrations after the Islamic opposition slammed her show as being "too sexy."
The Arts, Culture and Heritage Ministry said it had decided not to permit Lavigne's show because it was unsuitable to Malaysian culture and could not be held on Aug. 29, two days ahead of independence day.
"It is not timely. It's not in the good spirit of our National Day. If we go ahead with the concert, it is contrary to what we are preparing for," said Shukran Ibrahim, a senior official from the culture ministry's department that vets all foreign artists.
The decision came after the youth wing of a fundamentalist opposition party, the Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party, called for the show's cancellation.
Kamarulzaman Mohamed, a party youth official, told The Associated Press on Monday that Lavigne's show was "considered too sexy for us" and would promote the wrong values just before independence day.
FIND MORE STORIES IN: Muslim Asia Indonesia Kuala Lumpur Beyonce Christina Aguilera Avril Lavigne Muslim-majority Pussycat Dolls Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party National Day Heritage Ministry
"We don't want our people, our teenagers, influenced by their performance. We want clean artists, artists that are good role models," he said.
Lavigne, who became famous with her 2002 debut album Let's Go, had planned to launch her month-long Asia tour in Kuala Lumpur.
The show's promoter, Galaxy Group, can request a new date for the concert, which will be considered by the ministry, Shukran said. Galaxy officials couldn't be immediately reached for comment.
Galaxy began advertising the Grammy-nominated rock singer's concert this month even though it had yet to obtain a government permit, which is mandatory for all foreign music shows. It said Monday about half the concert tickets had been sold.
Last year, R&B singer Beyonce moved her show from Malaysia to Indonesia, and Christina Aguilera skipped the country on an Asian tour after a controversy erupted over a dress code for foreign artists.
Malaysia requires all performers to wear clothes without obscene or drug-related images and be covered from the chest to the knees. They must also refrain from jumping, shouting, hugging and kissing on stage.
Still, members of PAS and other conservative Muslims often protest against Western and even Malaysian music shows that they deem to be inappropriate.
The local organizer of a Pussycat Dolls concert in 2006 was fined 10,000 ringgit (US$2,857) after the U.S. girl group was accused of flouting decency regulations.
By Julia Zappei, Associated Press
USA Today
20/08/08
Barisan Nasional is using Lee Chong Wei to fish Chinese votes in Permatang Pauh
It will be great pity if this national status is diminished by making him a “fodder” in the Permatang Pauh by-election – as indicated by the New Straits Times Dewan Dispatches article “Lee Chong Wei becomes Permatang Pauh fodder”.
For Indians, Scrap metal license
For Malays, "HIDUP MELAU & ISLAM, yes UiTM
What else you have Barisan Nasional, out of bright ideas to fish voters or none of BN members can think of any other alternative ideas such as racial integration.
What happened to Barisan Nasional?
Why has it become so racial biased?
Why is it championing for one race?
What happened to MCA, MIC, Gerakan, PPP and other component parties, why have they become pimps to UMNO's prostitution?
malaysian chinese
via email
For Indians, Scrap metal license
For Malays, "HIDUP MELAU & ISLAM, yes UiTM
What else you have Barisan Nasional, out of bright ideas to fish voters or none of BN members can think of any other alternative ideas such as racial integration.
What happened to Barisan Nasional?
Why has it become so racial biased?
Why is it championing for one race?
What happened to MCA, MIC, Gerakan, PPP and other component parties, why have they become pimps to UMNO's prostitution?
malaysian chinese
via email
Permatang Pauh voters gearing up for Aug 26 by-election
PERMATANG PAUH, Penang : Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim has formally flagged off his by-election campaign in Permatang Pauh with "Merdeka" or "Independence" as the chosen theme.
This comes as he urged voters to put him on the road to Putrajaya by ensuring his safe return to parliament on August 26.
With one week to go before Polling Day, Permatang Pauh's nearly 59,000 registered voters are warming up to a highly-charged campaign between the ruling Barisan Nasional coalition and the opposition Pakatan Rakyat.
Despite having a clear upper hand, Mr Anwar is leaving no stone unturned - holding public forums till the wee hours of the morning to win the hearts and minds of voters.
He is taking his campaign to every corner of Permatang Pauh - urging voters to send him to parliament, a prerequisite in his bid to become Malaysia's prime minister.
Mr Anwar said: "From Permatang Pauh, we head straight to Putrajaya. Today I seize power, tomorrow I will lower the fuel price to two ringgit."
Opposition strategist Jeff Ooi said there is no room for complacency, as the by-election results will be closely scrutinised as a litmus test of support for both sides.
He said: "Our major concern right now is the swing votes, and we would like to lock in all the Chinese, the non-Malay votes, and I do accept the fact that for the time being, Malay votes are split in the middle... it's disheartening if the majority is anything less than 13,398."
In the March general election, Mr Anwar's wife, Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, won by a handsome majority.
One person commented: "Polling Day falls on a Tuesday, and it's not a public holiday, so voter turnout will be affected. If the turnout is low, this will inevitably affect the winning margin."
Many Anwar supporters see the former deputy prime minister as their only hope for change.
One supporter said: "We will do our utmost best to support Anwar and make sure that Malaysia will change."
Another supporter commented: "We want (to see) Anwar on August 31 on stage, standing at Dataran Merdeka (Independence Square), Dataran Putrajaya (Putrajaya Square)... celebrat(ing) the merdeka days."
While the majority of the Chinese and Indian voters - who make up about 30 per cent of the electorate - are firmly behind Mr Anwar, the Malay votes are split down the middle.
Still many do fancy the idea of perhaps having the first Prime Minister that hailed from Permatang Pauh, by first sending Mr Anwar to parliament, then to Putrajaya.
CNA/ms
Melissa Goh
Channel NewsAsia
20/08/08
This comes as he urged voters to put him on the road to Putrajaya by ensuring his safe return to parliament on August 26.
With one week to go before Polling Day, Permatang Pauh's nearly 59,000 registered voters are warming up to a highly-charged campaign between the ruling Barisan Nasional coalition and the opposition Pakatan Rakyat.
Despite having a clear upper hand, Mr Anwar is leaving no stone unturned - holding public forums till the wee hours of the morning to win the hearts and minds of voters.
He is taking his campaign to every corner of Permatang Pauh - urging voters to send him to parliament, a prerequisite in his bid to become Malaysia's prime minister.
Mr Anwar said: "From Permatang Pauh, we head straight to Putrajaya. Today I seize power, tomorrow I will lower the fuel price to two ringgit."
Opposition strategist Jeff Ooi said there is no room for complacency, as the by-election results will be closely scrutinised as a litmus test of support for both sides.
He said: "Our major concern right now is the swing votes, and we would like to lock in all the Chinese, the non-Malay votes, and I do accept the fact that for the time being, Malay votes are split in the middle... it's disheartening if the majority is anything less than 13,398."
In the March general election, Mr Anwar's wife, Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, won by a handsome majority.
One person commented: "Polling Day falls on a Tuesday, and it's not a public holiday, so voter turnout will be affected. If the turnout is low, this will inevitably affect the winning margin."
Many Anwar supporters see the former deputy prime minister as their only hope for change.
One supporter said: "We will do our utmost best to support Anwar and make sure that Malaysia will change."
Another supporter commented: "We want (to see) Anwar on August 31 on stage, standing at Dataran Merdeka (Independence Square), Dataran Putrajaya (Putrajaya Square)... celebrat(ing) the merdeka days."
While the majority of the Chinese and Indian voters - who make up about 30 per cent of the electorate - are firmly behind Mr Anwar, the Malay votes are split down the middle.
Still many do fancy the idea of perhaps having the first Prime Minister that hailed from Permatang Pauh, by first sending Mr Anwar to parliament, then to Putrajaya.
CNA/ms
Melissa Goh
Channel NewsAsia
20/08/08
UMNO is an evil to racial unity
Fists tremble. Daggers are brandished. Party delegates thunder, "Long live the Malays." The very predictability of the chest-thumping is what UMNO members use to rationalize it: "Although some sides were a bit extreme, fhen comes along the week-long United Malays National Organization (UMNO), at which Muslim Malay party leaders warn the country's minority Chinese and Indians that questioning the special status of Islam and Malays in society will be met with violent doom.
The Islamic and racist zeal was unmistakably more incessant and explicit. Remarks by Hasnoor Hussein, an UMNO delegate from Malacca in 2006, were typical: "UMNO is willing to risk lives and bathe in blood to defend the race and religion. Don't play with fire. If the [other races] mess with our rights, we will mess with theirs."
What troubles many Malaysians about UMNO's lack of restraint is that it comes at a time when the country appears more racially polarized than it's been in decades. Malaysia's mix of ethnic Malays, Indians and Chinese has long been resentful of each other and willfully segregate themselves. Those resentments exploded into full-blown race riots in 1969, when ethnic Malays attacked and killed scores of ethnic Chinese.
These days, some 90% of Chinese students attend private Mandarin-language schools. Meanwhile, most Malays attend public schools and most Indians Tamil-language institutions of learning. The government initiated a public service program to improve race relations by choosing 18-year-olds to participate in a military style camp. That scheme has been dogged by reports of race-related infighting, however.
In the face of a creeping Islamization, non-Malays and social activists have recently pressured Malaysia's UMNO leadership to grant equal rights to all of the country's citizens regardless of race or religion - as is guaranteed under the federal constitution.
Started in 1971, the so-called New Economic Policy (NEP) was originally intended to last 20 years but has since been extended indefinitely. That's because, according to the government, its target of 30% Malay ownership of the country's total corporate equity still has not been achieved. According to official statistics, that percentage now hovers around 18%. Yet a study conducted by an independent academic last month contested that figure by claiming that ethnic Malay total equity ownership could already be as high as 45%.
The push for more democracy in authoritarian Malaysia leaves its ethnic Chinese and Indian minority groups particularly vulnerable - a fact reflected in the racial bashing during UMNO's assembly. At the same time, UMNO's preoccupation with racial politics raises growing doubts about its ability to lead the country forward faced with the challenge of China's economic emergence. The party leadership has openly acknowledged the need for Malaysia to change course if it is to remain competitive with its fast-rising neighbors.
The country's leadership must take much of the blame. UMNO has clung to old solutions, such as the NEP, to fix new problems. Put another way, UMNO, which has ruled Malaysia for fifty-plus decades through a coalition of other race-based parties, has become bitter, cynical and defensive - a party that is emphasizing preservation at the expense of progress.
Even younger UMNO members, once portrayed as idealistic, urbane and liberal, have quickly come to resemble the party's conservative old guard. And now they often represent the front edge of the party's increasing racist angst. For instance, Abdullah's Oxford-educated son-in-law, Khairy Jamaluddin, who is coincidentally the deputy chief of UMNO's youth wing, warned that Chinese political groups would try to take advantage of any split inside UMNO.
When pressured to apologize, according to media reports, the 31-year-old said, "What is there to apologize for? ... I am only defending my race." At the annual assembly, meanwhile, UMNO youth chief Hishammudin Hussein urged the government to reject proposals for an inter-faith commission intended to foster better understanding among Malaysia's various religious groups.
He brandished a Malay dagger, known locally as a keris, when speaking. Some delegates, it seemed, urged him to go further. "Datuk Hisham has unsheathed his keris, waved his keris, kissed his keris. We want to ask Datuk Hisham, when is he going to use it?" said UMNO Perlis delegate Hashim Suboh but soon after the defeat in the General Election, and one of the main cause is brandishing the keris, he appologised.
This year's assembly could mark a dangerous turning point for a country that not long ago was often applauded internationally as a model moderate Islamic nation for its seeming religious tolerance and clear economic achievements. Nowadays, it's altogether unclear if a racially charged UMNO can even manage to maintain short-term social and political stability.
The Islamic and racist zeal was unmistakably more incessant and explicit. Remarks by Hasnoor Hussein, an UMNO delegate from Malacca in 2006, were typical: "UMNO is willing to risk lives and bathe in blood to defend the race and religion. Don't play with fire. If the [other races] mess with our rights, we will mess with theirs."
What troubles many Malaysians about UMNO's lack of restraint is that it comes at a time when the country appears more racially polarized than it's been in decades. Malaysia's mix of ethnic Malays, Indians and Chinese has long been resentful of each other and willfully segregate themselves. Those resentments exploded into full-blown race riots in 1969, when ethnic Malays attacked and killed scores of ethnic Chinese.
These days, some 90% of Chinese students attend private Mandarin-language schools. Meanwhile, most Malays attend public schools and most Indians Tamil-language institutions of learning. The government initiated a public service program to improve race relations by choosing 18-year-olds to participate in a military style camp. That scheme has been dogged by reports of race-related infighting, however.
In the face of a creeping Islamization, non-Malays and social activists have recently pressured Malaysia's UMNO leadership to grant equal rights to all of the country's citizens regardless of race or religion - as is guaranteed under the federal constitution.
Started in 1971, the so-called New Economic Policy (NEP) was originally intended to last 20 years but has since been extended indefinitely. That's because, according to the government, its target of 30% Malay ownership of the country's total corporate equity still has not been achieved. According to official statistics, that percentage now hovers around 18%. Yet a study conducted by an independent academic last month contested that figure by claiming that ethnic Malay total equity ownership could already be as high as 45%.
The push for more democracy in authoritarian Malaysia leaves its ethnic Chinese and Indian minority groups particularly vulnerable - a fact reflected in the racial bashing during UMNO's assembly. At the same time, UMNO's preoccupation with racial politics raises growing doubts about its ability to lead the country forward faced with the challenge of China's economic emergence. The party leadership has openly acknowledged the need for Malaysia to change course if it is to remain competitive with its fast-rising neighbors.
The country's leadership must take much of the blame. UMNO has clung to old solutions, such as the NEP, to fix new problems. Put another way, UMNO, which has ruled Malaysia for fifty-plus decades through a coalition of other race-based parties, has become bitter, cynical and defensive - a party that is emphasizing preservation at the expense of progress.
Even younger UMNO members, once portrayed as idealistic, urbane and liberal, have quickly come to resemble the party's conservative old guard. And now they often represent the front edge of the party's increasing racist angst. For instance, Abdullah's Oxford-educated son-in-law, Khairy Jamaluddin, who is coincidentally the deputy chief of UMNO's youth wing, warned that Chinese political groups would try to take advantage of any split inside UMNO.
When pressured to apologize, according to media reports, the 31-year-old said, "What is there to apologize for? ... I am only defending my race." At the annual assembly, meanwhile, UMNO youth chief Hishammudin Hussein urged the government to reject proposals for an inter-faith commission intended to foster better understanding among Malaysia's various religious groups.
He brandished a Malay dagger, known locally as a keris, when speaking. Some delegates, it seemed, urged him to go further. "Datuk Hisham has unsheathed his keris, waved his keris, kissed his keris. We want to ask Datuk Hisham, when is he going to use it?" said UMNO Perlis delegate Hashim Suboh but soon after the defeat in the General Election, and one of the main cause is brandishing the keris, he appologised.
This year's assembly could mark a dangerous turning point for a country that not long ago was often applauded internationally as a model moderate Islamic nation for its seeming religious tolerance and clear economic achievements. Nowadays, it's altogether unclear if a racially charged UMNO can even manage to maintain short-term social and political stability.
Through the racist eyes of Najib...
Why does Najib see Malaysians in terms of ethnic groups - Malays, Indians, Chinese, Eurasians (including Pak Lah's wife), Mongolians, Sri Lankans, etc....
Why can't he just see them all as Malaysians....
Why can't he just see them all as people of Permatang Pauh...
Deputy Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak made a plea to the Chinese and Indian communities in Permatang Pauh - come back to the Barisan Nasional's fold.
MCPXHe told them to reject the opposition and vote for Umno's Arif Shah Omar Shah in the Aug 26 by-election. - Malaysiakini, 19/8/2008, Najib wants Indians, Chinese to back BN
This is one the reasons why I would reject Najib and the BN - they do not see people as Human Beings, God's creation, Malaysians....
After 50 years in power, finally Najib admits the governments failure with regard to the Indian community - by that formation special cabinet committee was formed to look after the well-being of the Indian community. (Will there be special communities for the Orang Asli, the Ceylonese, the Sri Lankans, the Thais, the Eurasians, the Baba communities, the Chettys, the Mamak and/or the Kaka communities, the Hokkien communtity, ...for if there is none then again minority groups are being discriminated against....and until they form an Action Force and go to the street in protest, they will be marginalized....)
Talking specifically about the Indian community, Najib, also the deputy BN chairperson, said that a special cabinet committee was formed to look after the well-being of the Indian community who had long complained of being marginalised by the Umno-led BN government.
He also said that the government was doing much to increase the educational opportunities of the Indian community.
He was reported in Bernama as saying that vocational and skills training courses were conducted for those living in the estates.
And specifically for the Indian voters in Permatang Pauh - numbering some 3,500 voters - Najib said the government has agreed to approve scrap metal collector's licence for them.
He also announced aid for three Tamil primary schools and six Chinese primary schools.- Malaysiakini, 19/8/2008, Najib wants Indians, Chinese to back BN
And Najib's solutions are pathetic :-
- SCRAP METAL COLLECTOR'S LICENCE
- vocational and skills training courses for those living in the estates (Hello...not all Indians live in estates,...and you really should go to the estates and you will find that the ethnic composition of estates have changed so much...)
- Tamil schools (you have to realize that there are other Indians - Malayalees, Telugus, Gujeratis, Punjabis, Sinds, Goanese, etc in Malaysia - not just Tamils (and there are many Tamils who do not read and write Tamil let alone attend Tamil schools...
Really, Najib should be silent - he is so insulting when he speaks in the manner...
One thing that Najib is not at all addressing is the question of the Temples that the government allowed to be demolished - will it be re-build for the communities?
One thing that Najib is not at all addressing is when will he be releasing Uthayakumar and the 4 others, who did awaken minority Indians to stand up and demand an end to discrimination and other rights abuse...
SCRAP metal license and some donations to some Tamil schools is really not the way of addressing the problem...
And, in fact all communities will be happy if you just started treating Malaysians as Malaysians - irrespective of their ethnicity, religion, cultural background, economic background, political affliations, etc - just treat us all EQUALY as human persons...as creatures of God. Help them who are poor and underpriviledge. Distribute wealth and opportunities equitably...
Just appeal to the people of Permatang Pauh for their support......
Charles Hector
Why can't he just see them all as Malaysians....
Why can't he just see them all as people of Permatang Pauh...
Deputy Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak made a plea to the Chinese and Indian communities in Permatang Pauh - come back to the Barisan Nasional's fold.
MCPXHe told them to reject the opposition and vote for Umno's Arif Shah Omar Shah in the Aug 26 by-election. - Malaysiakini, 19/8/2008, Najib wants Indians, Chinese to back BN
This is one the reasons why I would reject Najib and the BN - they do not see people as Human Beings, God's creation, Malaysians....
After 50 years in power, finally Najib admits the governments failure with regard to the Indian community - by that formation special cabinet committee was formed to look after the well-being of the Indian community. (Will there be special communities for the Orang Asli, the Ceylonese, the Sri Lankans, the Thais, the Eurasians, the Baba communities, the Chettys, the Mamak and/or the Kaka communities, the Hokkien communtity, ...for if there is none then again minority groups are being discriminated against....and until they form an Action Force and go to the street in protest, they will be marginalized....)
Talking specifically about the Indian community, Najib, also the deputy BN chairperson, said that a special cabinet committee was formed to look after the well-being of the Indian community who had long complained of being marginalised by the Umno-led BN government.
He also said that the government was doing much to increase the educational opportunities of the Indian community.
He was reported in Bernama as saying that vocational and skills training courses were conducted for those living in the estates.
And specifically for the Indian voters in Permatang Pauh - numbering some 3,500 voters - Najib said the government has agreed to approve scrap metal collector's licence for them.
He also announced aid for three Tamil primary schools and six Chinese primary schools.- Malaysiakini, 19/8/2008, Najib wants Indians, Chinese to back BN
And Najib's solutions are pathetic :-
- SCRAP METAL COLLECTOR'S LICENCE
- vocational and skills training courses for those living in the estates (Hello...not all Indians live in estates,...and you really should go to the estates and you will find that the ethnic composition of estates have changed so much...)
- Tamil schools (you have to realize that there are other Indians - Malayalees, Telugus, Gujeratis, Punjabis, Sinds, Goanese, etc in Malaysia - not just Tamils (and there are many Tamils who do not read and write Tamil let alone attend Tamil schools...
Really, Najib should be silent - he is so insulting when he speaks in the manner...
One thing that Najib is not at all addressing is the question of the Temples that the government allowed to be demolished - will it be re-build for the communities?
One thing that Najib is not at all addressing is when will he be releasing Uthayakumar and the 4 others, who did awaken minority Indians to stand up and demand an end to discrimination and other rights abuse...
SCRAP metal license and some donations to some Tamil schools is really not the way of addressing the problem...
And, in fact all communities will be happy if you just started treating Malaysians as Malaysians - irrespective of their ethnicity, religion, cultural background, economic background, political affliations, etc - just treat us all EQUALY as human persons...as creatures of God. Help them who are poor and underpriviledge. Distribute wealth and opportunities equitably...
Just appeal to the people of Permatang Pauh for their support......
Charles Hector
Anwar to Ezam : Huh?
SEBERANG PRAI: Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim questioned his former aide Ezam Mohd Noor’s intention in claiming that Anwar had been keeping the six boxes of government documents allegedly related to corrupt practices of high-ranking government officers and ministers.
“After saying 10 years ago that he was in possession (of the documents), now during the Permatang Pauh by-election he said he has surrendered them to me. Do you take him seriously?” Anwar said during a visit to Seberang Jaya market yesterday.
Ezam, the former PKR Youth chief who has rejoined Umno, said at a ceramah on Saturday night that he had passed the documents to Anwar and challenged his former boss to make public the documents.
On another claim by Ezam that Anwar had handed out projects worth RM1 billion each to 15 bumiputera companies when he was deputy premier and finance minister, Anwar said Ezam should identify the beneficiaries of the projects and report the matter to relevant authorities.
“He is desperate to get the attention of Umno leaders, so I am not going to entertain him,” Anwar said.
On Gerakan leader and former Penang assemblyman Datuk Dr Toh Kin Woon’s support for him in the upcoming by-election, Anwar said Toh was one of a few principled leaders in Barisan Nasional (BN).
He said Toh’s statement was a good sign that BN leaders were also giving their support to PKR.
Toh, a Gerakan central committee member, reportedly said on his visit to PKR’s election operation room on Sunday that he was not supporting PKR the party but the cause.
PKR information chief Tian Chua said the party practised an open-door policy and would welcome all parties onto its platform. Chua said Gerakan’s causes were similar to PKR’s but the party could not perform well under the BN framework. With a racist election campaign being waged by Umno now, it would be surprising if other BN component parties would campaign vigorously for the coalition, he told a press conference. “In this by-election, Umno still uses the polarisation tactic of different rhetorics for different communities,” he said.
Chua reiterated the party’s stance that it would not condone any form of violence in the election campaign.
PKR strategy director Saifuddin Nasution said at the press conference that it was BN which resorted to violence in past election campaigns.
He said despite several isolated incidents, the PKR was satisfied with the discipline of its party workers thus far.
Anwar Ibrahim Club
“After saying 10 years ago that he was in possession (of the documents), now during the Permatang Pauh by-election he said he has surrendered them to me. Do you take him seriously?” Anwar said during a visit to Seberang Jaya market yesterday.
Ezam, the former PKR Youth chief who has rejoined Umno, said at a ceramah on Saturday night that he had passed the documents to Anwar and challenged his former boss to make public the documents.
On another claim by Ezam that Anwar had handed out projects worth RM1 billion each to 15 bumiputera companies when he was deputy premier and finance minister, Anwar said Ezam should identify the beneficiaries of the projects and report the matter to relevant authorities.
“He is desperate to get the attention of Umno leaders, so I am not going to entertain him,” Anwar said.
On Gerakan leader and former Penang assemblyman Datuk Dr Toh Kin Woon’s support for him in the upcoming by-election, Anwar said Toh was one of a few principled leaders in Barisan Nasional (BN).
He said Toh’s statement was a good sign that BN leaders were also giving their support to PKR.
Toh, a Gerakan central committee member, reportedly said on his visit to PKR’s election operation room on Sunday that he was not supporting PKR the party but the cause.
PKR information chief Tian Chua said the party practised an open-door policy and would welcome all parties onto its platform. Chua said Gerakan’s causes were similar to PKR’s but the party could not perform well under the BN framework. With a racist election campaign being waged by Umno now, it would be surprising if other BN component parties would campaign vigorously for the coalition, he told a press conference. “In this by-election, Umno still uses the polarisation tactic of different rhetorics for different communities,” he said.
Chua reiterated the party’s stance that it would not condone any form of violence in the election campaign.
PKR strategy director Saifuddin Nasution said at the press conference that it was BN which resorted to violence in past election campaigns.
He said despite several isolated incidents, the PKR was satisfied with the discipline of its party workers thus far.
Anwar Ibrahim Club
Merdekakan Rakyat! (malay language)
“Merdeka! Merdeka! Merdeka!”
Itulah slogan yang akan kita laungkan dan itulah semangat yang akan kita dakapi, bukan dibataskan untuk kempen di Permatang Pauh semata-mata, bahkan buat mendasari kemahuan kepada perubahan.
Pagi tadi di Sunway Carnival saya bersama-sama pimpinan parti telah melancarkan tema kempen di Permatang Pauh: “Merdeka dari Penindasan dan Kezaliman”. Inilah saatnya kita merebut makna kemerdekaan agar ianya benar-benar memerdekakan rakyat dan negara ini dari minda terpasung dan ketidakmatangan yang ditempa sendiri.
Sudah 51 tahun kita merdeka akan tetapi negara kita yang tercinta ini maseh lagi terjajah. Penjajahan mutakhir ini bukannya datang dari kuasa kolonial akan tetapi dari dari pemerintah yang tidak meletakkan kepedulian atas nasib rakyat di tanah air sendiri.
Projek berbilion ringgit dicanang untuk mengaburi rakyat, kononnya atas nama pembangunan. Akan tetapi bila dikuak semboyan projek mega, di sebaliknya adalah korupsi dan kronisme. Penguasa hanya bernafsu untuk mengkayakan beberapa kerat kroni serta elit yang rapat sahaja. Rakyat dibiar papa kedana!
ANWAR IBRAHIM
Itulah slogan yang akan kita laungkan dan itulah semangat yang akan kita dakapi, bukan dibataskan untuk kempen di Permatang Pauh semata-mata, bahkan buat mendasari kemahuan kepada perubahan.
Pagi tadi di Sunway Carnival saya bersama-sama pimpinan parti telah melancarkan tema kempen di Permatang Pauh: “Merdeka dari Penindasan dan Kezaliman”. Inilah saatnya kita merebut makna kemerdekaan agar ianya benar-benar memerdekakan rakyat dan negara ini dari minda terpasung dan ketidakmatangan yang ditempa sendiri.
Sudah 51 tahun kita merdeka akan tetapi negara kita yang tercinta ini maseh lagi terjajah. Penjajahan mutakhir ini bukannya datang dari kuasa kolonial akan tetapi dari dari pemerintah yang tidak meletakkan kepedulian atas nasib rakyat di tanah air sendiri.
Projek berbilion ringgit dicanang untuk mengaburi rakyat, kononnya atas nama pembangunan. Akan tetapi bila dikuak semboyan projek mega, di sebaliknya adalah korupsi dan kronisme. Penguasa hanya bernafsu untuk mengkayakan beberapa kerat kroni serta elit yang rapat sahaja. Rakyat dibiar papa kedana!
ANWAR IBRAHIM
Malaysian police boost security for Permatang Pauh by-election
PENANG, Malaysia : Malaysian police said on Tuesday they are sending 1,500 more officers to secure the electorate where opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim is running for parliament in a heated campaign.
Huge crowds turned out to support Anwar on Saturday when he formally nominated to contest the August 26 ballot in Permatang Pauh, in his northern home state of Penang.
Both Anwar's Keadilan party and the ruling coalition accused each others' supporters of heckling and shouting obscenities on nomination day, and two photographers were beaten.
Deputy police chief Ismail Omar said an extra 1,500 personnel would be drafted in to bolster the 3,000 officers already deployed in the constituency to maintain peace and security.
"We need the reinforcements because several incidents happened on nomination day," he told reporters. "With the additional personnel we can handle the situation come polling day."
Home Minister Syed Hamid Albar said action would be taken against those committing violence during the campaign.
"It is good to show support for one's political party but when violence, aggression and obscene language are used, it is not good for the country," he was quoted as saying in The Star newspaper.
The two photographers were attacked by a group wearing Keadilan shirts, but party officials have said they may have been provocateurs planted by political opponents and that they were investigating the incident.
Anwar, a former deputy premier sacked in 1998 and jailed on sodomy and corruption charges, is aiming to return to parliament in the latest step of his bid to oust the government after March elections handed his opposition alliance an unprecedented five states and a third of parliamentary seats.
The by-election is also seen as a test of his popularity after a 23-year-old former aide, Saiful Bukhari Azlan, accused him of sodomy.
Anwar, who is the favourite to win the vote, has rejected the new allegations as a government plot and said the coalition was using "dirty tricks" to damage his chances in the by-election.
The outcome of the March polls has significantly weakened the administration of Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, who has agreed to hand over power to his deputy by mid-2010.
AFP/de
ChannelNewsAsia
20/08/08
Huge crowds turned out to support Anwar on Saturday when he formally nominated to contest the August 26 ballot in Permatang Pauh, in his northern home state of Penang.
Both Anwar's Keadilan party and the ruling coalition accused each others' supporters of heckling and shouting obscenities on nomination day, and two photographers were beaten.
Deputy police chief Ismail Omar said an extra 1,500 personnel would be drafted in to bolster the 3,000 officers already deployed in the constituency to maintain peace and security.
"We need the reinforcements because several incidents happened on nomination day," he told reporters. "With the additional personnel we can handle the situation come polling day."
Home Minister Syed Hamid Albar said action would be taken against those committing violence during the campaign.
"It is good to show support for one's political party but when violence, aggression and obscene language are used, it is not good for the country," he was quoted as saying in The Star newspaper.
The two photographers were attacked by a group wearing Keadilan shirts, but party officials have said they may have been provocateurs planted by political opponents and that they were investigating the incident.
Anwar, a former deputy premier sacked in 1998 and jailed on sodomy and corruption charges, is aiming to return to parliament in the latest step of his bid to oust the government after March elections handed his opposition alliance an unprecedented five states and a third of parliamentary seats.
The by-election is also seen as a test of his popularity after a 23-year-old former aide, Saiful Bukhari Azlan, accused him of sodomy.
Anwar, who is the favourite to win the vote, has rejected the new allegations as a government plot and said the coalition was using "dirty tricks" to damage his chances in the by-election.
The outcome of the March polls has significantly weakened the administration of Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, who has agreed to hand over power to his deputy by mid-2010.
AFP/de
ChannelNewsAsia
20/08/08
PERMATANG PAUH: Jeffrey claims 13 Sabah MPs ti join PR if Anwar wins by-election
BUKIT MERTAJAM, (Aug 19, 2008) : Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) vice-president Datuk Dr Jeffrey Kitingan has claimed that 13 Sabah members of parliament will cross over to the Pakatan Rakyat (PR) if PKR advisor Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim wins the Permatang Pauh by-election next Tuesday.
He also claimed that the 13 MPs had met with him and expressed their support for Anwar.
"We speak the truth. I am talking about the 13 MPs who will join Pakatan Rakyat after Anwar wins this (Permatang Pauh) by-election ... they are just waiting (to cross over)," he told reporters after delivering a talk in Jalan Berapit here last night.
Jeffrey said two of the MPs were from the Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) and the rest from Umno.
The PR needs at least 30 more MPs to be able to form the federal government. Sabah has 24 Barisan Nasional (BN) MPs.
Anwar is involved in a three-corner fight for the Permatang Pauh seat, vacated on July 31 by his wife and PKR president Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail to enable Anwar become an MP. The BN has fielded Seberang Jaya state assemblyman Datuk Arif Shah Omar Shah. The third candidate is Hanafi Mamat of Angkatan Keadilan Insan Malaysia (Akim).
BERNAMA
source: The Sun
Home Ministry warnings to Herald against constitution
PETALING JAYA (Aug19, 2008): The Home Ministry’s warning and "show cause" letters to curtail The Herald goes against the Federal Constitution, Catholic Lawyers’ Society (CLS) Kuala Lumpur president Mabel Sabastian said yesterday.
She claimed the warnings and letters deprive the right to freely practice one’s religion, the general freedom of speech and expression and the right of a religious group to manage its own affairs.
Mabel said the ministry's intention in trying to control the content of the Catholic weekly, accusing it of being 'politically inclined and touched on Islamic issues', is against Article 3 (1), Article 10 (1) (a) and Article 11 (3) (a) of the constitution.
"Such controls would deprive the Catholic community of current information and education relating to their faith and such an act by the authorities is tantamount to a curtailment of religious freedom," she said in a statement.
"The interpretation of what constitutes religious matters should be left to the leaders and adherents of the faith in question," she said, adding that the Home Ministry is not in a position to dictate to Catholics or proponents of any other faith, the scope of their religion.
The CLS called on the Home Ministry to withdraw its warning and "show cause" letters and maintain the Herald’s publishing permit.
Home Minister Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar had earlier said that the Herald should restrict its articles to matter pertaining to religion only, stating that "it supposed to touch on matters pertaining to questions on rituals, adherence to God, followers and anything related to your divine mission."
Mabel said that it was significant the minister referred to matters pertaining to the adherence to God, followers and anything related to the divine mission.
"The Catholic Church teaches that it is the duty of Christians to contribute along with the civil authorities to the good of the society in a spirit of truth, justice, solidarity and freedom," she said, adding that the contribution to society is rooted in love.
"This love manifests itself in social and political charity. Social charity is to seek the good of all people not only as individuals but as a larger, social community," she added.
She said as such, it is necessary to organise and structure society so that no member is left in need and structuring society requires the application of political charity.
CLS feels that Herald's reporting was in line with the Catholic church' teachings on social and political charity and Catholic’s mission as an adherent of the faith, she added.
Karen Arukesamy
The Sun
19/08/08
She claimed the warnings and letters deprive the right to freely practice one’s religion, the general freedom of speech and expression and the right of a religious group to manage its own affairs.
Mabel said the ministry's intention in trying to control the content of the Catholic weekly, accusing it of being 'politically inclined and touched on Islamic issues', is against Article 3 (1), Article 10 (1) (a) and Article 11 (3) (a) of the constitution.
"Such controls would deprive the Catholic community of current information and education relating to their faith and such an act by the authorities is tantamount to a curtailment of religious freedom," she said in a statement.
"The interpretation of what constitutes religious matters should be left to the leaders and adherents of the faith in question," she said, adding that the Home Ministry is not in a position to dictate to Catholics or proponents of any other faith, the scope of their religion.
The CLS called on the Home Ministry to withdraw its warning and "show cause" letters and maintain the Herald’s publishing permit.
Home Minister Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar had earlier said that the Herald should restrict its articles to matter pertaining to religion only, stating that "it supposed to touch on matters pertaining to questions on rituals, adherence to God, followers and anything related to your divine mission."
Mabel said that it was significant the minister referred to matters pertaining to the adherence to God, followers and anything related to the divine mission.
"The Catholic Church teaches that it is the duty of Christians to contribute along with the civil authorities to the good of the society in a spirit of truth, justice, solidarity and freedom," she said, adding that the contribution to society is rooted in love.
"This love manifests itself in social and political charity. Social charity is to seek the good of all people not only as individuals but as a larger, social community," she added.
She said as such, it is necessary to organise and structure society so that no member is left in need and structuring society requires the application of political charity.
CLS feels that Herald's reporting was in line with the Catholic church' teachings on social and political charity and Catholic’s mission as an adherent of the faith, she added.
Karen Arukesamy
The Sun
19/08/08
Anwar Ibrahim - Great Leader of Malaysia
This nation needs to be rid of the racist, divide and rule politics of BN. UMNO will not change, and the other component parties have shown themselves to be helplessly subservient to UMNO.
You and your party leaders, together with the leaders of DAP, have been taking policy positions or making policy statements that, by far and large, seem to be in line with the aspirations of the people.
I say ’seem’ because much still remains to be seen.
I had actually wanted to say all the Pakatan leaders but, truly, PAS has been giving us some serious concerns of late.
The second and the third factors are, in truth, ‘gut’ reactions.
Raja Petra wrote a series to remind us of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into your ‘black eye’ beating at the hands of the former IGP.
My eyes teared when I read your testimony about the beating you received and the day after, the condition you were in, and the refusal by the police to afford you treatment.
Yes, I still think you owe the nation an apology for your 16 years in the Mahathir administration.
We, too, as a nation, though, owe you and your family an apology, for all that you and your family have been through these last 10 years.
I am sorry.
Then, on 5th August, I heard you deliver your ceramah in Bentong, Pahang.
I have attended many of your ceramah but, quite frankly, this was the first time that I heard you speak with humility, particularly your appeal to any who might feel inclined to go to Permatang Pauh to help in your election campaign.
What particularly touched me and my family who were present, something that has also got the mention of G. Krishnan in his blog today, was when you said :
‘Anak Melayu, anak kita, anak Cina anak kita, anak India, pun anak kita. Mengapa harus kita bezakan?”
Succinctly, you had articulated that which I have felt for such a long, long time and which, without more, sums up the spirit of anak Bangsa Malaysia that I hope one day will be definitive of us as a people of this nation.
It is this last matter that I have mentioned, irrational as it may seem to many, that has most moved me to ‘take a chance’.
A word of advice.
Don’t make the mistakes of Pak Lah.
You have made us many pledges and promises.
I quote you from the Malaysiakini report mentioned above :
“But how do you run a government and affect changes, move forward - we need a new Malaysian awareness, we need unity of all races, we need a new vibrant economy, we need to reform the judiciary and bring back confidence in a more professional police force - if you get yourself engrossed with the past?…If it (involves) 2,000 acres and two billion ringgit - it’s just not my right to forgive, they have to return the money. But otherwise, we cannot afford to drag the entire country back to the past.”
Keep your promises to us.
Where we can recover the nation’s wealth that has been stolen, we must.
You must not do favours for anyone from the past by interfering with our law enforcement authorities.
Restore what is rightfully due to the rakyat.
On Black 14, I heard you use the phrase ‘Ketuanan Rakyat’ for the first time.
Do not waver from this.
End race politics.
End the politicisation of Islam.
You must be brave enough to tell the Malays that this country belongs to all the anak-anak Bangsa Malaysia, to remind the Malays again and again that UMNO’s ketuanan Melayu is unIslamic and has been their evil tool to enrich themselves and divide this nation.
Do this, and be assured of the strongest support from the majority of anak-anak Bangsa Malaysia who, by far and large, are decent people.
In the run-up to the 12th GE, the rakyat launched an aspirational document called the ‘People’s Declaration’.
All the Pakatan parties, including yours, indorsed this document.
We took your indorsement seriously and for that reason went all out to work to get the votes for the Barisan Rakyat parties at the last general election.
We will hold you to that indorsement.
A final reminder.
The rakyat today are not like that of 16 years ago.
We understand national issues better, we are better informed, and we have a greater sense of commitment to the ideals of justice and equality.
And we have a newly found self-belief to pursue these ideals and to pursue change.
Understand and remember that we are no longer afraid.
We fully understand today that governance of this nation was intended to be in the hands of the people, and that when you and your party leaders offer to govern, it is with a view to serve us.
Therefore, understand and remember that it is we, the rakyat, who govern through those who have taken oath to serve us.
It is only by abiding by that oath that you might honourably be called a leader of men.
Any less and you would have proven yourself to be no better than those whom you now endeavour to displace.
In the run-up to polling day on the 26th, my friends and I will be in Permatang Pauh to help you in any way we can.
By God’s Grace, you will soon be returned to Parliament. May He also continue to bestow you with wisdom and courage to discharge you duties faithfully.
Anwar Ibrahim Club
You and your party leaders, together with the leaders of DAP, have been taking policy positions or making policy statements that, by far and large, seem to be in line with the aspirations of the people.
I say ’seem’ because much still remains to be seen.
I had actually wanted to say all the Pakatan leaders but, truly, PAS has been giving us some serious concerns of late.
The second and the third factors are, in truth, ‘gut’ reactions.
Raja Petra wrote a series to remind us of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into your ‘black eye’ beating at the hands of the former IGP.
My eyes teared when I read your testimony about the beating you received and the day after, the condition you were in, and the refusal by the police to afford you treatment.
Yes, I still think you owe the nation an apology for your 16 years in the Mahathir administration.
We, too, as a nation, though, owe you and your family an apology, for all that you and your family have been through these last 10 years.
I am sorry.
Then, on 5th August, I heard you deliver your ceramah in Bentong, Pahang.
I have attended many of your ceramah but, quite frankly, this was the first time that I heard you speak with humility, particularly your appeal to any who might feel inclined to go to Permatang Pauh to help in your election campaign.
What particularly touched me and my family who were present, something that has also got the mention of G. Krishnan in his blog today, was when you said :
‘Anak Melayu, anak kita, anak Cina anak kita, anak India, pun anak kita. Mengapa harus kita bezakan?”
Succinctly, you had articulated that which I have felt for such a long, long time and which, without more, sums up the spirit of anak Bangsa Malaysia that I hope one day will be definitive of us as a people of this nation.
It is this last matter that I have mentioned, irrational as it may seem to many, that has most moved me to ‘take a chance’.
A word of advice.
Don’t make the mistakes of Pak Lah.
You have made us many pledges and promises.
I quote you from the Malaysiakini report mentioned above :
“But how do you run a government and affect changes, move forward - we need a new Malaysian awareness, we need unity of all races, we need a new vibrant economy, we need to reform the judiciary and bring back confidence in a more professional police force - if you get yourself engrossed with the past?…If it (involves) 2,000 acres and two billion ringgit - it’s just not my right to forgive, they have to return the money. But otherwise, we cannot afford to drag the entire country back to the past.”
Keep your promises to us.
Where we can recover the nation’s wealth that has been stolen, we must.
You must not do favours for anyone from the past by interfering with our law enforcement authorities.
Restore what is rightfully due to the rakyat.
On Black 14, I heard you use the phrase ‘Ketuanan Rakyat’ for the first time.
Do not waver from this.
End race politics.
End the politicisation of Islam.
You must be brave enough to tell the Malays that this country belongs to all the anak-anak Bangsa Malaysia, to remind the Malays again and again that UMNO’s ketuanan Melayu is unIslamic and has been their evil tool to enrich themselves and divide this nation.
Do this, and be assured of the strongest support from the majority of anak-anak Bangsa Malaysia who, by far and large, are decent people.
In the run-up to the 12th GE, the rakyat launched an aspirational document called the ‘People’s Declaration’.
All the Pakatan parties, including yours, indorsed this document.
We took your indorsement seriously and for that reason went all out to work to get the votes for the Barisan Rakyat parties at the last general election.
We will hold you to that indorsement.
A final reminder.
The rakyat today are not like that of 16 years ago.
We understand national issues better, we are better informed, and we have a greater sense of commitment to the ideals of justice and equality.
And we have a newly found self-belief to pursue these ideals and to pursue change.
Understand and remember that we are no longer afraid.
We fully understand today that governance of this nation was intended to be in the hands of the people, and that when you and your party leaders offer to govern, it is with a view to serve us.
Therefore, understand and remember that it is we, the rakyat, who govern through those who have taken oath to serve us.
It is only by abiding by that oath that you might honourably be called a leader of men.
Any less and you would have proven yourself to be no better than those whom you now endeavour to displace.
In the run-up to polling day on the 26th, my friends and I will be in Permatang Pauh to help you in any way we can.
By God’s Grace, you will soon be returned to Parliament. May He also continue to bestow you with wisdom and courage to discharge you duties faithfully.
Anwar Ibrahim Club
The Bar Council is not and has never 'anti' any religion
The Bar Council believes in the right of every person to profess and practise the religion of their choice.
The Bar is a multi-racial organisation comprising members of various backgrounds and faiths. The history of the Bar will show that the Bar Council has championed many diverse and sometimes unpopular causes, without fear or favour and regardless of racial or religious origin, with its sole motivation being that of upholding the rule of law. This is evidenced by, among other things, the numerous legal aid cases that we undertake yearly for the needy regardless of race, colour or creed, including for all those held under the ISA.
The Bar has never been, is not and will never be “anti” any religion as this runs counter to our core values.
The Bar Council believes in the rule of law, fundamental freedoms and international human rights norms. None of these values run counter to any religious tenets. In fact, they accord fully with them.
In April this year, the Prime Minister was reported in the press to have said at the National Islamic Council meeting that there ought to be rulings making it mandatory for individuals wishing to convert to Islam, to inform their family members of their intention to do so. The same suggestion as well as others were made today by SUHAKAM in a public statement. There are also views reported to have been expressed by IKIM that the syariah courts should not have jurisdiction over the civil marriage or its dissolution. These views are in the public domain. To date, no provisions have been enacted to resolve these matters.
Meanwhile, some of the court’s decisions have shown inconsistency in their approach to this question of the jurisdictional conflict.
Affected families therefore continue to be caught between the jurisdictional divide and their pleas for a remedy or solution remain unanswered.
The Bar Council forum planned on 9 August 2008 was meant to address precisely these issues which are in the public domain. It was meant to discuss the issues of conflict of laws facing these families and to consider what means were available to resolve the conflict. It was meant as a forum to hear the voices that are unheard.
The programme initially included an ex-Syariah Court Judge (currently a Syarie prosecutor from Jabatan Agama Islam Wilayah Persekutuan) and a speaker from IKIM, both of whom withdrew shortly before the date of the forum. If one had only looked at the programme and the speakers invited and had heeded our various explanations and statements issued prior to the forum, it would have been apparent that those labelling the forum anti-Islam were plainly wrong.
Regrettably, the disproportionate responses to the Bar Council’s forum may now discourage those who have genuine grievances from speaking up. We have little to be proud of if the voices of those who cry for help are drowned out by those who speak more loudly.
There are those who would have us believe that the Malaysian public is not ready for such dialogue. We believe otherwise. We believe that the Malaysian public is ready, simply because Malaysians will not sit by and tolerate the suffering of others without trying to find a solution.
Dato’ Ambiga Sreenevasan
President
Malaysian Bar
19 August 2008
The Bar is a multi-racial organisation comprising members of various backgrounds and faiths. The history of the Bar will show that the Bar Council has championed many diverse and sometimes unpopular causes, without fear or favour and regardless of racial or religious origin, with its sole motivation being that of upholding the rule of law. This is evidenced by, among other things, the numerous legal aid cases that we undertake yearly for the needy regardless of race, colour or creed, including for all those held under the ISA.
The Bar has never been, is not and will never be “anti” any religion as this runs counter to our core values.
The Bar Council believes in the rule of law, fundamental freedoms and international human rights norms. None of these values run counter to any religious tenets. In fact, they accord fully with them.
In April this year, the Prime Minister was reported in the press to have said at the National Islamic Council meeting that there ought to be rulings making it mandatory for individuals wishing to convert to Islam, to inform their family members of their intention to do so. The same suggestion as well as others were made today by SUHAKAM in a public statement. There are also views reported to have been expressed by IKIM that the syariah courts should not have jurisdiction over the civil marriage or its dissolution. These views are in the public domain. To date, no provisions have been enacted to resolve these matters.
Meanwhile, some of the court’s decisions have shown inconsistency in their approach to this question of the jurisdictional conflict.
Affected families therefore continue to be caught between the jurisdictional divide and their pleas for a remedy or solution remain unanswered.
The Bar Council forum planned on 9 August 2008 was meant to address precisely these issues which are in the public domain. It was meant to discuss the issues of conflict of laws facing these families and to consider what means were available to resolve the conflict. It was meant as a forum to hear the voices that are unheard.
The programme initially included an ex-Syariah Court Judge (currently a Syarie prosecutor from Jabatan Agama Islam Wilayah Persekutuan) and a speaker from IKIM, both of whom withdrew shortly before the date of the forum. If one had only looked at the programme and the speakers invited and had heeded our various explanations and statements issued prior to the forum, it would have been apparent that those labelling the forum anti-Islam were plainly wrong.
Regrettably, the disproportionate responses to the Bar Council’s forum may now discourage those who have genuine grievances from speaking up. We have little to be proud of if the voices of those who cry for help are drowned out by those who speak more loudly.
There are those who would have us believe that the Malaysian public is not ready for such dialogue. We believe otherwise. We believe that the Malaysian public is ready, simply because Malaysians will not sit by and tolerate the suffering of others without trying to find a solution.
Dato’ Ambiga Sreenevasan
President
Malaysian Bar
19 August 2008
Tidak wajar sumpah Saiful dipolitik
Persatuan Ulamak Malaysia Pulau Pinang (PUMPP) menegaskan bahawa isu sumpah (mubahalah) yang telah dilafazkan oleh Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan berhubung pertuduhan liwat oleh Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim terhadapnya, tidak wajar dipolitikkan.
“Tidak wajar mempolitikkan isu sebegini dan pihak-pihak tertentu yang menggunakan nama Islam dan Syariah untuk kepentingan tertentu, harus berhenti sama sekali dari berbuat demikian,” kata Yang Dipertua PUMPP, Dr Wan Salim Wan Mohd Nor.
Sebaliknya, kata beliau, PUMPP menyarankan agar isu itu diselesaikan mengikut peraturan dan syariat Islam sepertimana yang digariskan dalam undang-undang Syariah Islam jika benar pihak terbabit ikhlas mahu menyelesaikannya mengikut lunas-lunas Islam.
Dalam satu kenyataan hari ini, beliau berkata, bersumpah dengan memegang al-Quran tidak ada dalam tradisi dan syariat Islam dan tidak wajar dicampuradukkan dalam sumpah yang dilakukan itu.
“PUM PP juga menyatakan bahawa pendakwa (Saiful) tidak ada keperluan untuk melafazkan sumpah, memandangkan beliau adalah di pihak yang membuat pertuduhan.
“Dalam syariat Islam, kes ini diklasifikasikan sebagai kes Hudud (dalam bab zina) dan pendakwa wajar membawa bukti mengikut syarak bahawa perlakuan liwat berlaku dan perkara ini akan dibicarakan di mahkamah selaras kaedah feqah “al bayyinah alal mudda’i wal yaminu ala man ankara” - pihak pendakwa perlu mengemukakan bukti (4 orang saksi) manakala yang menafikan dikehendaki bersumpah,” katanya
Pada asasnya, tegas beliau, Islam meletakkan peraturan yang jelas bagi memungkinkan keadilan dicapai melalui proses kehakiman dan pembuktian terlebih dahulu, sebelum sebarang sumpah dilafazkan.
Proses pembuktian
Oleh itu, kata Dr Wan Salim, sumpah sebegini tidak wajar dilaksanakan sebelum proses kehakiman diselesaikan.
“Perkara yang berlaku ini akan memberi kesan buruk, antara lain, kepada perlaksanaan sistem kehakiman Syariah di Malaysia apabila pada masa akan datang, pelbagai pihak boleh menggunakan ini sebagai “precedent” bagi mendahulukan sumpah, terutama dalam kes li’an sebelum proses kehakiman dapat dilakukan.
“Proses pembuktian dan pengadilan akan diketepikan dan pihak yang bersalah boleh memilih untuk menggunakan sumpah (yang tidak memerlukan pembuktian) bagi menyelamatkan diri dari penghukuman,” katanya lagi.
Oleh itu, katanya, PUMPP menyeru semua pihak agar tidak menggunakan nama Islam dan syariah tanpa mengikuti peraturan syariah yang sebenarnya bagi tujuan politik “Machiavelli” mahupun kepentingan peribadi.
“PUMPP juga menyeru agar beberapa ulamak dan agamawan untuk merujuk dan menerima pandangan ulamak dan pakar lain, sebelum membuat apa-apa kenyataan yang bakal memburukkan keadaan dan tidak memungkinkan proses keadilan dan penghakiman dapat dilaksanakan dengan sempurna di negara ini.
“Dalam hal ini dan apa juga masalah, semua pihak digesa untuk merujuk kepada prinsip ta’awun seperti mana yang ditekan oleh al-Quran,” tambahnya.
Pada 15 Ogos lalu, Saifful mengangkat sumpah mengikut syariat Islam untuk membuktikan kebenaran dakwaan dirinya diliwat di Masjid Wilayah Persekutuan, Jalan Duta.
Majlis itu disaksikan beberapa pegawai masjid berkenaan dan ahli keluarga Mohd Saiful serta pegawai dari Jabatan Agama Islam Wilayah Persekutuan (Jawi).
Antara yang hadir ialah Pengarah Jawi, Datuk Che Mat Che Ali.
Dalam satu sidang akhbar di sebuah hotel kemudiannya, Saiful mendakwa beliau diliwat secara paksa oleh penasihat PKR itu di kondominium mewah di Damansara.
Anwar Ibrahim Blog
malaysiakini
“Tidak wajar mempolitikkan isu sebegini dan pihak-pihak tertentu yang menggunakan nama Islam dan Syariah untuk kepentingan tertentu, harus berhenti sama sekali dari berbuat demikian,” kata Yang Dipertua PUMPP, Dr Wan Salim Wan Mohd Nor.
Sebaliknya, kata beliau, PUMPP menyarankan agar isu itu diselesaikan mengikut peraturan dan syariat Islam sepertimana yang digariskan dalam undang-undang Syariah Islam jika benar pihak terbabit ikhlas mahu menyelesaikannya mengikut lunas-lunas Islam.
Dalam satu kenyataan hari ini, beliau berkata, bersumpah dengan memegang al-Quran tidak ada dalam tradisi dan syariat Islam dan tidak wajar dicampuradukkan dalam sumpah yang dilakukan itu.
“PUM PP juga menyatakan bahawa pendakwa (Saiful) tidak ada keperluan untuk melafazkan sumpah, memandangkan beliau adalah di pihak yang membuat pertuduhan.
“Dalam syariat Islam, kes ini diklasifikasikan sebagai kes Hudud (dalam bab zina) dan pendakwa wajar membawa bukti mengikut syarak bahawa perlakuan liwat berlaku dan perkara ini akan dibicarakan di mahkamah selaras kaedah feqah “al bayyinah alal mudda’i wal yaminu ala man ankara” - pihak pendakwa perlu mengemukakan bukti (4 orang saksi) manakala yang menafikan dikehendaki bersumpah,” katanya
Pada asasnya, tegas beliau, Islam meletakkan peraturan yang jelas bagi memungkinkan keadilan dicapai melalui proses kehakiman dan pembuktian terlebih dahulu, sebelum sebarang sumpah dilafazkan.
Proses pembuktian
Oleh itu, kata Dr Wan Salim, sumpah sebegini tidak wajar dilaksanakan sebelum proses kehakiman diselesaikan.
“Perkara yang berlaku ini akan memberi kesan buruk, antara lain, kepada perlaksanaan sistem kehakiman Syariah di Malaysia apabila pada masa akan datang, pelbagai pihak boleh menggunakan ini sebagai “precedent” bagi mendahulukan sumpah, terutama dalam kes li’an sebelum proses kehakiman dapat dilakukan.
“Proses pembuktian dan pengadilan akan diketepikan dan pihak yang bersalah boleh memilih untuk menggunakan sumpah (yang tidak memerlukan pembuktian) bagi menyelamatkan diri dari penghukuman,” katanya lagi.
Oleh itu, katanya, PUMPP menyeru semua pihak agar tidak menggunakan nama Islam dan syariah tanpa mengikuti peraturan syariah yang sebenarnya bagi tujuan politik “Machiavelli” mahupun kepentingan peribadi.
“PUMPP juga menyeru agar beberapa ulamak dan agamawan untuk merujuk dan menerima pandangan ulamak dan pakar lain, sebelum membuat apa-apa kenyataan yang bakal memburukkan keadaan dan tidak memungkinkan proses keadilan dan penghakiman dapat dilaksanakan dengan sempurna di negara ini.
“Dalam hal ini dan apa juga masalah, semua pihak digesa untuk merujuk kepada prinsip ta’awun seperti mana yang ditekan oleh al-Quran,” tambahnya.
Pada 15 Ogos lalu, Saifful mengangkat sumpah mengikut syariat Islam untuk membuktikan kebenaran dakwaan dirinya diliwat di Masjid Wilayah Persekutuan, Jalan Duta.
Majlis itu disaksikan beberapa pegawai masjid berkenaan dan ahli keluarga Mohd Saiful serta pegawai dari Jabatan Agama Islam Wilayah Persekutuan (Jawi).
Antara yang hadir ialah Pengarah Jawi, Datuk Che Mat Che Ali.
Dalam satu sidang akhbar di sebuah hotel kemudiannya, Saiful mendakwa beliau diliwat secara paksa oleh penasihat PKR itu di kondominium mewah di Damansara.
Anwar Ibrahim Blog
malaysiakini
Anwar Sodomy II - internationalising Malaysia’s Misrule of Law?
I had wanted to ask the Foreign Minister, Datuk Dr. Rais Yatim the following supplementary question in Parliament this morning:
“Are you aware that by taking Anwar’s Sodomy II selective prosecution to the United Nations by way of a letter of protest to the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon at American interference in Malaysian domestic affairs as well as organising a series of ‘information sessions’ overseas, you are only internationalising Malaysia’s ‘misrule of law’ which you had so eloquently and devastatingly criticised in your book ‘Freedom under Executive Power’, exposing the nation to greater mockery in the global arena as we will only be able to depend on rogue states like Myanmar, Zimbabwe and Sudan for sympathy and support for the following reasons:
(i) deterioration of the rule of law in the past decade since the publication of the book, as evident from disturbing developments in the system of justice in the country, such as
(a) the selective prosecution of Anwar on Sodomy II under Section 377B of the Penal Code on consensual sodomy when the complainant Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan had alleged that he had been raped, which should have come under Section 377C on sodomy rape;
(b) why Saiful was not similarly charged under Section 377B on consensual sodomy;
and
© the insistence by the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi that Anwar should also swear on the Quran like Saiful, making Malaysia an international laughing stock as to whether we have a Prime Minister who understands and upholds the system of justice in the country;
(ii) grave loss of national and international confidence in the independence, impartiality, integrity and quality of the system of justice when material witnesses like private investigator Bala Subramaniam on the Mongolian Altantunya Shaariibuu murder trial and the Pusrawi Hospital doctor Dr. Mohamed Osman Abdul Hamid had “disappeared” together with family members after making two contradictory statutory declarations within 24 hours in the former and after penning medical notes on his first examination of Saiful in the latter;
(iii) grave international concerns of a conspiracy against Anwar Ibrahim in the Sodomy II charge, which has been expressed not only by Western leaders but also by Islamic leaders like former Indonesian President and head of the largest Indonesian Islamic organisation Nahdlatul Ulama with 40 million members, Gus Dur, yesterday.”
Unfortunately this multi-barrelled supplementary question to Rais was not asked as I did not get the chance to pose it during the exchange on the first question this morning on the measures the government was taking to tackle “foreign meddling in the sovereignty of laws of the country”.
However, as these questions continue to be uppermost in the minds of right-thinking, justice-loving and patriotic Malaysians, is the Abdullah government capable of answering them?
If so, I call on the Prime Minister or even Rais to make a Ministerial statement to answer all these questions before next Tuesday – the polling day for Permatang Pauh by-election.
Lim Kit Siang
19/08/08
“Are you aware that by taking Anwar’s Sodomy II selective prosecution to the United Nations by way of a letter of protest to the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon at American interference in Malaysian domestic affairs as well as organising a series of ‘information sessions’ overseas, you are only internationalising Malaysia’s ‘misrule of law’ which you had so eloquently and devastatingly criticised in your book ‘Freedom under Executive Power’, exposing the nation to greater mockery in the global arena as we will only be able to depend on rogue states like Myanmar, Zimbabwe and Sudan for sympathy and support for the following reasons:
(i) deterioration of the rule of law in the past decade since the publication of the book, as evident from disturbing developments in the system of justice in the country, such as
(a) the selective prosecution of Anwar on Sodomy II under Section 377B of the Penal Code on consensual sodomy when the complainant Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan had alleged that he had been raped, which should have come under Section 377C on sodomy rape;
(b) why Saiful was not similarly charged under Section 377B on consensual sodomy;
and
© the insistence by the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi that Anwar should also swear on the Quran like Saiful, making Malaysia an international laughing stock as to whether we have a Prime Minister who understands and upholds the system of justice in the country;
(ii) grave loss of national and international confidence in the independence, impartiality, integrity and quality of the system of justice when material witnesses like private investigator Bala Subramaniam on the Mongolian Altantunya Shaariibuu murder trial and the Pusrawi Hospital doctor Dr. Mohamed Osman Abdul Hamid had “disappeared” together with family members after making two contradictory statutory declarations within 24 hours in the former and after penning medical notes on his first examination of Saiful in the latter;
(iii) grave international concerns of a conspiracy against Anwar Ibrahim in the Sodomy II charge, which has been expressed not only by Western leaders but also by Islamic leaders like former Indonesian President and head of the largest Indonesian Islamic organisation Nahdlatul Ulama with 40 million members, Gus Dur, yesterday.”
Unfortunately this multi-barrelled supplementary question to Rais was not asked as I did not get the chance to pose it during the exchange on the first question this morning on the measures the government was taking to tackle “foreign meddling in the sovereignty of laws of the country”.
However, as these questions continue to be uppermost in the minds of right-thinking, justice-loving and patriotic Malaysians, is the Abdullah government capable of answering them?
If so, I call on the Prime Minister or even Rais to make a Ministerial statement to answer all these questions before next Tuesday – the polling day for Permatang Pauh by-election.
Lim Kit Siang
19/08/08
Malaysia denies targeting Anwar with new DNA bill
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia is planning to force criminal suspects to give DNA samples, but denied it is targeting opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim who refused to give a sample after his arrest on sodomy charges.
Anwar, a former deputy premier until being sacked in 1998 and jailed on sodomy and corruption charges, has rejected the new allegations as a government plot and says he fears a DNA sample could be manipulated.
"It is not politically motivated and has nothing to do with Anwar. The government has been working on this bill since 2001," Home Minister Syed Hamid Albar reportedly said after introducing the bill in parliament on Monday.
"It is ridiculous to attribute it to political motives," he said, according to the New Straits Times daily.
Syed Hamid said the legislation would enable police to record and store the DNA of every person charged in court or arrested on suspicion of a criminal offence.
"There is no law at present on this. What we are doing is introducing a law to regulate and govern the taking of DNA," he said.
"I don't think they (the opposition) should attribute a sinister motive to it. If there is a case in court and you are not guilty, why should you worry about this bill?"
Anwar was jailed for six years on sodomy and corruption charges, but the sodomy counts were overturned by the nation's highest court in 2004.
He has rejected the latest allegations made by Mohamad Saiful Bukhari Azlan, a 23-year-old former aide, as a government conspiracy to prevent him from seizing power after landmark March elections.
Opposition lawmaker Gobind Singh Deo, who is also a prominent lawyer, said the new bill could not be used to force Anwar to give a sample as it could not be applied retroactively.
After March elections that handed the opposition a third of parliamentary seats, Anwar has said he is poised to seize power with the help of government defectors.
Opposition lawmaker Lim Kit Siang criticised the introduction of the bill and noted it coincided with Anwar's bid to return to parliament in a by-election on August 26, the Star newspaper reported.
- AFP/yb
Channel NewsAsia
19/08/08
Anwar, a former deputy premier until being sacked in 1998 and jailed on sodomy and corruption charges, has rejected the new allegations as a government plot and says he fears a DNA sample could be manipulated.
"It is not politically motivated and has nothing to do with Anwar. The government has been working on this bill since 2001," Home Minister Syed Hamid Albar reportedly said after introducing the bill in parliament on Monday.
"It is ridiculous to attribute it to political motives," he said, according to the New Straits Times daily.
Syed Hamid said the legislation would enable police to record and store the DNA of every person charged in court or arrested on suspicion of a criminal offence.
"There is no law at present on this. What we are doing is introducing a law to regulate and govern the taking of DNA," he said.
"I don't think they (the opposition) should attribute a sinister motive to it. If there is a case in court and you are not guilty, why should you worry about this bill?"
Anwar was jailed for six years on sodomy and corruption charges, but the sodomy counts were overturned by the nation's highest court in 2004.
He has rejected the latest allegations made by Mohamad Saiful Bukhari Azlan, a 23-year-old former aide, as a government conspiracy to prevent him from seizing power after landmark March elections.
Opposition lawmaker Gobind Singh Deo, who is also a prominent lawyer, said the new bill could not be used to force Anwar to give a sample as it could not be applied retroactively.
After March elections that handed the opposition a third of parliamentary seats, Anwar has said he is poised to seize power with the help of government defectors.
Opposition lawmaker Lim Kit Siang criticised the introduction of the bill and noted it coincided with Anwar's bid to return to parliament in a by-election on August 26, the Star newspaper reported.
- AFP/yb
Channel NewsAsia
19/08/08
Bar Council: We are not anti-Islam
KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 19 — The Bar Council, which has come under attack for organising a forum on conversion and Islam 10 days ago, emphatically denied PKR MP Zulkifli Nordin’s accusation that it is anti-Islam.
Zulkifli, who was one of the leaders in the rowdy protest against the forum that day, told the press yesterday that he was considering proposing a motion in Parliament to sanction the Bar Council for its anti-Islam stand.
“He was a former council member, you know. And everyone knows our stance. Our more than 50-year history will attest to the fact that we are a multi-racial, multi-religious organisation consisting of members from all religions,” said Bar Council president Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan.
She went on to say that his description of events that took place that day was not accurate. “What I would say is, the film is on YouTube... what took place... and it speaks volumes for itself. There are also many witnesses. You can ask any one of them.
“As far as the motion is concerned, of course he is free to say what he wants, but nothing could be further from the truth. We believe in the freedom of all to practise their religious beliefs and we are the last to be anti any religion.
“Nothing said in the forum can be remotely called anti-Islamic. In fact, half the participants were Muslim. What Dr Mehrun Siraj said will attest to this and shows you there was nothing un-Islamic about that forum. People like her will definitely not sit in a forum like that if it’s going to be anti-Islam.
“The forum was essentially to discuss the jurisdictional conflict between the syariah court and the civil court. The other thing to note is that it has been reported that Pas wants to dialogue with us and we are ready to do that.”
A past president of the Bar Council, Datuk Kuthubul Zaman Bukhari, reaffirmed Ambiga’s position about where the council stands on matters relating to all religions, not just Islam.
“The Bar Council has never been anti-Islam. I was president of the Bar Council for two years, I’ve been a member of the Bar Council for the last 14 years and I am still a council member now, and for sure, being a Muslim, I can consider myself a staunch Muslim as well. The Bar Council has never taken any stand that is anti-Islam. The Bar Council has never taken any position against any racial, religious, ideology and so on. The Bar Council is free from all this,” he said.
“I take issue with the fact that he says the Bar Council did not seek representatives from Islam, I think he’s wrong and the facts speak for themselves. There should be an ex-syariah judge there, someone from Ikim as well, or at least, they wanted to come but subsequently pulled out.
“I totally disagree with the stand taken by Zulkifli. Everybody knows what the Bar Council is about.”
Meanwhile, Lim Chee Wee, the Bar Council secretary whom Zulkifli said had invited him into the auditorium to verify that the forum had indeed ended, had a very different account of what happened that day.
“Ambiga had actually consented to invite him up to discuss whether the session should end early or continue. So Ambiga actually invited him into the building to have that discussion with her.
“Downstairs, essentially what happened was, he basically told us, if we didn’t stop the meeting at 10 o’clock, he would invite the more hostile and aggressive of the demonstrators to storm the building. That was how he put it.
“So, under those circumstances, we had no choice but to invite four representatives to go upstairs to witness and confirm that the forum would end at 10 o’clock. We were under threat of people storming the forum. That’s Number One.
“Number Two... you saw their behaviour when they were in the auditorium. You saw the way they didn’t sit down, they stood in front of all the speakers and they started shouting, coming close to 10 o’clock or thereabouts, to ask us to close the forum. And then there was the unpleasant exchange of things between Muslim and Muslim. He shouted at Mehrun.
“And the one thing I hope you can say in The Malaysian Insider is this: nobody, nobody can actually quote any speaker at the forum for criticising Islam, who challenged the position of Islam in our Federal Constitution, who challenged Article 121(i). Nobody was critical of any religion.
“What people spoke about was the effect of a spouse or parent who converted and then they were left abandoned.”
He said the Bar Council was particularly concerned that some of the newspapers played up the perception that the council was anti-Islam. “The Pas Research Centre and Dr Mehrun Siraj herself said we should have an open dialogue so as to educate Muslims and non-Muslims.”
Debra Chong
The Malaysian Insider
Zulkifli, who was one of the leaders in the rowdy protest against the forum that day, told the press yesterday that he was considering proposing a motion in Parliament to sanction the Bar Council for its anti-Islam stand.
“He was a former council member, you know. And everyone knows our stance. Our more than 50-year history will attest to the fact that we are a multi-racial, multi-religious organisation consisting of members from all religions,” said Bar Council president Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan.
She went on to say that his description of events that took place that day was not accurate. “What I would say is, the film is on YouTube... what took place... and it speaks volumes for itself. There are also many witnesses. You can ask any one of them.
“As far as the motion is concerned, of course he is free to say what he wants, but nothing could be further from the truth. We believe in the freedom of all to practise their religious beliefs and we are the last to be anti any religion.
“Nothing said in the forum can be remotely called anti-Islamic. In fact, half the participants were Muslim. What Dr Mehrun Siraj said will attest to this and shows you there was nothing un-Islamic about that forum. People like her will definitely not sit in a forum like that if it’s going to be anti-Islam.
“The forum was essentially to discuss the jurisdictional conflict between the syariah court and the civil court. The other thing to note is that it has been reported that Pas wants to dialogue with us and we are ready to do that.”
A past president of the Bar Council, Datuk Kuthubul Zaman Bukhari, reaffirmed Ambiga’s position about where the council stands on matters relating to all religions, not just Islam.
“The Bar Council has never been anti-Islam. I was president of the Bar Council for two years, I’ve been a member of the Bar Council for the last 14 years and I am still a council member now, and for sure, being a Muslim, I can consider myself a staunch Muslim as well. The Bar Council has never taken any stand that is anti-Islam. The Bar Council has never taken any position against any racial, religious, ideology and so on. The Bar Council is free from all this,” he said.
“I take issue with the fact that he says the Bar Council did not seek representatives from Islam, I think he’s wrong and the facts speak for themselves. There should be an ex-syariah judge there, someone from Ikim as well, or at least, they wanted to come but subsequently pulled out.
“I totally disagree with the stand taken by Zulkifli. Everybody knows what the Bar Council is about.”
Meanwhile, Lim Chee Wee, the Bar Council secretary whom Zulkifli said had invited him into the auditorium to verify that the forum had indeed ended, had a very different account of what happened that day.
“Ambiga had actually consented to invite him up to discuss whether the session should end early or continue. So Ambiga actually invited him into the building to have that discussion with her.
“Downstairs, essentially what happened was, he basically told us, if we didn’t stop the meeting at 10 o’clock, he would invite the more hostile and aggressive of the demonstrators to storm the building. That was how he put it.
“So, under those circumstances, we had no choice but to invite four representatives to go upstairs to witness and confirm that the forum would end at 10 o’clock. We were under threat of people storming the forum. That’s Number One.
“Number Two... you saw their behaviour when they were in the auditorium. You saw the way they didn’t sit down, they stood in front of all the speakers and they started shouting, coming close to 10 o’clock or thereabouts, to ask us to close the forum. And then there was the unpleasant exchange of things between Muslim and Muslim. He shouted at Mehrun.
“And the one thing I hope you can say in The Malaysian Insider is this: nobody, nobody can actually quote any speaker at the forum for criticising Islam, who challenged the position of Islam in our Federal Constitution, who challenged Article 121(i). Nobody was critical of any religion.
“What people spoke about was the effect of a spouse or parent who converted and then they were left abandoned.”
He said the Bar Council was particularly concerned that some of the newspapers played up the perception that the council was anti-Islam. “The Pas Research Centre and Dr Mehrun Siraj herself said we should have an open dialogue so as to educate Muslims and non-Muslims.”
Debra Chong
The Malaysian Insider
Anwar questions Ezam’s intentions
SEBERANG PRAI: Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim questioned his former aide Ezam Mohd Noor’s intention in claiming that Anwar had been keeping the six boxes of government documents allegedly related to corrupt practices of high-ranking government officers and ministers.
"After saying 10 years ago that he was in possession (of the documents), now during the Permatang Pauh by-election he said he has surrendered them to me. Do you take him seriously?" Anwar said during a visit to Seberang Jaya market yesterday.
Ezam, the former PKR Youth chief who has rejoined Umno, said at a ceramah on Saturday night that he had passed the documents to Anwar and challenged his former boss to make public the documents.
On another claim by Ezam that Anwar had handed out projects worth RM1 billion each to 15 bumiputera companies when he was deputy premier and finance minister, Anwar said Ezam should identify the beneficiaries of the projects and report the matter to relevant authorities.
"He is desperate to get the attention of Umno leaders, so I am not going to entertain him," Anwar said.
On Gerakan leader and former Penang assemblyman Datuk Dr Toh Kin Woon’s support for him in the upcoming by-election, Anwar said Toh was one of a few principled leaders in Barisan Nasional (BN).
He said Toh’s statement was a good sign that BN leaders were also giving their support to PKR.
Toh, a Gerakan central committee member, reportedly said on his visit to PKR’s election operation room on Sunday that he was not supporting PKR the party but the cause.
PKR information chief Tian Chua said the party practised an open-door policy and would welcome all parties onto its platform. Chua said Gerakan’s causes were similar to PKR’s but the party could not perform well under the BN framework. With a racist election campaign being waged by Umno now, it would be surprising if other BN component parties would campaign vigorously for the coalition, he told a press conference. "In this by-election, Umno still uses the polarisation tactic of different rhetorics for different communities," he said.
Chua reiterated the party’s stance that it would not condone any form of violence in the election campaign.
PKR strategy director Saifuddin Nasution said at the press conference that it was BN which resorted to violence in past election campaigns.
He said despite several isolated incidents, the PKR was satisfied with the discipline of its party workers thus far.
Pauline Puah
The Edge
19/08/08
"After saying 10 years ago that he was in possession (of the documents), now during the Permatang Pauh by-election he said he has surrendered them to me. Do you take him seriously?" Anwar said during a visit to Seberang Jaya market yesterday.
Ezam, the former PKR Youth chief who has rejoined Umno, said at a ceramah on Saturday night that he had passed the documents to Anwar and challenged his former boss to make public the documents.
On another claim by Ezam that Anwar had handed out projects worth RM1 billion each to 15 bumiputera companies when he was deputy premier and finance minister, Anwar said Ezam should identify the beneficiaries of the projects and report the matter to relevant authorities.
"He is desperate to get the attention of Umno leaders, so I am not going to entertain him," Anwar said.
On Gerakan leader and former Penang assemblyman Datuk Dr Toh Kin Woon’s support for him in the upcoming by-election, Anwar said Toh was one of a few principled leaders in Barisan Nasional (BN).
He said Toh’s statement was a good sign that BN leaders were also giving their support to PKR.
Toh, a Gerakan central committee member, reportedly said on his visit to PKR’s election operation room on Sunday that he was not supporting PKR the party but the cause.
PKR information chief Tian Chua said the party practised an open-door policy and would welcome all parties onto its platform. Chua said Gerakan’s causes were similar to PKR’s but the party could not perform well under the BN framework. With a racist election campaign being waged by Umno now, it would be surprising if other BN component parties would campaign vigorously for the coalition, he told a press conference. "In this by-election, Umno still uses the polarisation tactic of different rhetorics for different communities," he said.
Chua reiterated the party’s stance that it would not condone any form of violence in the election campaign.
PKR strategy director Saifuddin Nasution said at the press conference that it was BN which resorted to violence in past election campaigns.
He said despite several isolated incidents, the PKR was satisfied with the discipline of its party workers thus far.
Pauline Puah
The Edge
19/08/08
Gerakan somersault and Tsu Koon in sackcloth
After dropping a bombshell proposing that Gerakan quit the Barisan Nasional as UMNO had not learnt from the lessons of the March 8 “political tsunami” in continuing with its racist and communal politicking, Gerakan Wanita chief and deputy information minister Datuk Tan Lian Ho has done a somersault.
She was front-page Chinese newspaper headline banner news yesterday but within hours, she backtracked and clarified that the “quit BN’ call was not he
She was front-page Chinese newspaper headline banner news yesterday but within hours, she backtracked and clarified that the “quit BN’ call was not he