MALAYSIAN CITIZENSHIP: One million met criteria

By S. Sundareson

Letters to the Editor

New Straits Times

I REFER to Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s article on the Chinese dilemma published in the New Straits Times on July 26 and 27.

  Dr Mahathir said: “Buoyed by the success of the Alliance party in the 1955 elections, the Tunku looked more kindly at the proposal of Sir Cheng Lock that citizenship should be based on jus soli (citizenship by being born in the country). The Tunku did not quite agree but he nevertheless decided to give one million citizenships to unqualified Chinese and Indians.”

  As a former  registrar of citizens, I wish to comment on Dr Mahathir’s views.

  The legislation that conferred citizenship on Malayans are  the Federation of Malaya Agreement, 1948,  State Nationality Enactment, 1952 of the various states and finally,  the Federal Constitution that came into force on Feb 1, 1948, Sept 15, 1952 and Aug 31, 1957 respectively.

  Persons born in Malaya before February 1948 were regarded as British Protected Persons under the British Nationality Act 1948.   Long  before 1955, thousands of Indians and Chinese (perhaps a million of them)   had  already become federal citizens by operation of law or by application under Clause 124 and  125  of the Federation of Malaya Agreement, 1948.

  Millions have also become subjects  by registration or naturalisation under the provisions of the State Nationality Enactment, 1952  of the various states.

  To acquire citizenship by application, registration or naturalisation under the provisions of the two legislation stated above, applicants had to comply with the  basic requirements, that is good character, intention to remain permanently in the federation, required period of residence in the federation,  elementary knowledge of Malay  and a declaration of undivided loyalty to the federation.

  Every application for citizenship  was  checked thoroughly, supporting documents like birth certificate, identity card and passport  verified and the applicant tested by the Language Board  before a certificate of citizenship  was granted. The applications are  kept to this day in the National Registration Department headquarters.

  The Merdeka Constitution came into force on Aug 31, 1957. Under  the provisions of Article 14(l) (a) all those who acquired citizenship under the  Federation of Malaya Agreement, 1948, by operation of law or otherwise and under the State Nationality Enactments, 1952,  became  citizens by operation of law of the newly independent federation.

  Besides that, Article 14 (1)(b) conferred citizenship by birth  on every person born within the federation on or after  Merdeka Day,  the principle of jus soli was at last adopted under the 1957 Constitution.

  However, to prevent  birds of passage from acquiring Malayan citizenship by birth, Article 14 (1)(b) was amended by the Constitution (Amendment) Act 1962 which came into force on  Oct 1, 1962. The effect of this amendment is that only those born in the federation on or after the date became a citizen by birth,  if at the time of birth at least one of the parents is a citizen or a permanent resident.

  Those  who  did not become citizens by operation of law under the 1957 Constitution can apply for registration as citizen under Article 15 as wives  or children of citizens. Those born in the federation can apply to be registered as citizens under Article 16 by complying with the requirements stipulated therein, that is,  production of birth certificate, good character, residential qualification,  elementary knowledge of the Malay language and a declaration of undivided loyalty to the king and the country.

  Those who were residents in the federation on Merdeka Day can apply to be registered as a citizen under Article 17 by  fulfilling the requirements stated therein, that is,  residential qualification,  elementary knowledge of  Malay.

  However, Article 17 was repealed on July 1, 1963.

  Thereafter, those who wanted to acquire Malaysian citizenship, had  to apply for naturalisation under Article 19. In addition to the normal conditions, the applicant has to have an adequate knowledge of the Malay language (including reading and writing if he was absent from the federation on  Merdeka Day). The granting of citizenship under Article 19, however,  is at the discretion of the Federal Government.

  Here again, every application was scrutinised, supporting documents verified   and the applicant tested by the Language Board before a certificate of citizenship was granted. The applications become permanent record and are  kept safely at the NRD  headquarters.

  From the above, it is clear that the basic constitutional requirements have been  complied with and the established procedure  rigidly  followed by the authorities  before  the granting of citizenship.

  In  the circumstances, it is inconceivable how  Tunku could have  given  one million citizenships to unqualified Chinese and Indians.

                This entry was posted on Thursday, 1 August 2013, 6:17 pm and is filed under
Mahathir
. You can follow any responses to this entry through
RSS 2.0
.


RoS should say so if the reason he wants DAP CEC re-election is because 753 DAP delegates had been denied their right to attend DAP congress last December so that the DAP can pin down and expose the lie

DAP and Malaysians are entitled to know the reasons why and under what powers the Registrar of Societies is directing the DAP to hold re-election of its Central Executive Committee (CEC), which was elected in the DAP Party Congress in Penang last December.

Is the Registrar of Societies (RoS) Director-General Datuk Abdul Rahman Othman directing the DAP to hold a re-election of its CEC because 753 DAP delegates had been denied their right to attend the DAP Congress in Penang last December, and if so, let him state it clearly so that the DAP can pin down and expose the lie.

For the past six months, the Umno/Barisan Nasional “war room” had invested vast resources, personnel and tens of millions of ringgit in a two-prong strategy to “demonise and destroy” DAP (the “DDD” campaign), namely spread the lie about the DAP funding the “Red Bean Army” with 3,000 cybertroopers and  a budget from RM100 million to RM1 billion in the past six years to character-assassinate Umno/BN leaders; and secondly, to keep alive  the canard about frauds in the DAP Congress CEC elections last December.

Both before and after the 13th general elections on May 5, 2013, there was a sustained campaign by UMNO/BN operatives for action by the RoS against the DAP, from demand for invalidation of the CEC polls to deregistration  of DAP on grounds of irregularities, improprieties and frauds in the CEC election last December.

One main ground for such demand is the allegation that 753 DAP delegates had not been notified of the DAP Congress last December as required by the party constitution and that  they had therefore been denied their right to attend the congress and vote for the CEC.

In fact, the “753” issue was also used to accuse the DAP of being anti-Indian on the ground that the overwhelming majority of the “753” delegates were Indians and this was why they were discriminated against and denied the right to attend the Congress and vote in the CEC elections.

Both allegations were downright lies. A 71 per cent delegate attendance of the Party Congress (quorum is 25 per cent of the entitled delegates) out of a total of 2,576 delegates is a high attendance record and it is most dishonest for anyone to allege that the absentee delegates are caused by a conspiracy not to give proper notification – for on this ground, the legality and legitimacy of conferences of every political party or society can be called into question.

In actual fact, the DAP had  co-operated with the Registrar  of Societies and provided proof that the prerequisite Congress notifications had been given to all the delegates as required by the party constitution, and Indian delegates who were absent were some 100 and not over 700 as made out by the Umno/BN propagandists/detractors.

The second lie which had featured prominently in the Umno/BN campaign alleging fraud in the DAP CEC elections last December is the wild allegation of phantom delegates, varying initially from 300 and later to the mythical of 547 “phantom” delegates – which is another downright falsehood.

Has the RoS Director-General given any credence to the downright lie of the alleged 547 “phantom delegates” at the DAP Congress in Penang in December?

If so, let the DAP know!

This is why DAP and Malaysians are entitled to know what were the reasons and the powers for the RoS Director-General to direct DAP to hold CEC re-election.

Minus these two lies, the RoS is left with the original computer glitch at the DAP Congress, where there was no mistake either in vote counting or tabulation but only in posting the results, leading to one candidate Vincent Wu wrongly announced as a successful candidate when it should be Zairil Khir Johari.

This mistake had been duly rectified. DAP had fully explained this honest mistake to the officials from the Registrar of Societies, furnishing all relevant documents and materials.

What then  is the basis for the RoS Director-General to direct a CEC re-election?

The RoS Director-General owes to the DAP in particular and the country in general an answer as to the grounds on which he is not satisfied with the clarifications which have been given by the DAP and the powers under which he is acting to direct a CEC re-election.

                This entry was posted on Thursday, 1 August 2013, 5:06 pm and is filed under
DAP
. You can follow any responses to this entry through
RSS 2.0
.


Shooting police into isolation

By
Frankie D’Cruz
 | July 31, 2013

The Malay Mail Online

JULY 31 — Amid the outpouring of widespread public spleen over public security, gun violence is running riot and fuelling the explosive tone of rising crime.

After a brutal stretch of 15 shootings since April – the  most high profile involving Monday’s assassination of  the founder of Arab Malaysia Bank Hussain Ahmad Najadi, you’d have expected the incidents to bring notice to an epidemic of gun crimes.

Sadly, the gun crisis hasn’t prodded the authorities to come together to contain the culture of violence and the easy availability of firearms in Malaysia.

Gun crime isn’t a new and distinct issue but the recent cases suggest that carrying of a firearm has become increasingly common place.

We speculate criminals get their guns from a neighbouring country. We theorise observable patterns to gun crime. What we know for sure is that gun crime is a sign of collapsed civil life.

We cringe when criminals rule the streets. We recoil when police officers are implicated in crime. We reel in sorrow when a whistleblower is taken out for anti-crime activism.

We then take the imperfect police-public relationship to a new level of antagonism – and the collective responsibility to fight crime takes a beating.

That’s when criminals add more firepower to their activities and their whingeing relatives swear by their ‘innocence’. in the meantime, the public suffers and remains at the mercy of criminals — and an ineffective security risk management system.

Following the execution of Najadi, the founder of Arab-Malaysian Development Bank, and the attempted murder of crime watchdog MyWatch chairman R. Sri Sanjeevan on Saturday – both in high people traffic areas – tolerance for public safety failure has dipped to an all-time low.

The usual arguments have begun while official response to gun violence has been unconvincing. The government doesn’t have a powerful ‘tool’ to check gun violence.

Failure to address gun  crimes has backfired, leaving the public helpless. That is one of one of the most pressing problems involving public security we face as a nation.

I repeat what I wrote at the height of custodial deaths recently: “I detest that we know there is a familiar outline to such misfortunes. I loathe that we can accurately forecast what comes next.

“I hate that we can precisely predict the stand of the authorities. I hate that after a tiresome period of fury, we have to say ‘nothing will change’.”

Clearly, that reeks of disregard for public safety. Still, expect the theatrics to go on for a while – because nothing will change.

Will the Sanjeevan shooting in which rogue cops have been implicated be the trigger for the setting up of the Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission (IPCMC)?

Putrajaya must be forced to recognise the huge damage inflicted on it by failing public security and that self-fulfilling rhetoric must be cast aside.

Senior police officers, privately furious over the recent shootings, tell me they believe unchecked gun violence signals a profound crisis for public security.

It is apparent that the police strategy to curb gun violence is lying in ruins and its notion that it enjoys public confidence in fighting crime somewhat overstated.

Recurring cases of serious crimes will further isolate the police and make it harder for them to win public support.

Whatever the future, the police force suddenly looks detached from society.

__

Multi-award winning journalist Frankie D’Cruz is editor of The Malay Mail. He can be reached at
[email protected]
 or Twitter @frankieDcruz.

                This entry was posted on Friday, 2 August 2013, 10:12 am and is filed under
Crime
,
Police
. You can follow any responses to this entry through
RSS 2.0
.


The Boris Yeltsin to Najib’s glasnost

– Sakmongkol AK47

The Malaysian Insider

August 01, 2013

Readers may be interested to read an abridged version of an interview I had with The Malaysian Insider, here.

I spoke freely about a number of issues. One of these includes the future of Malays and what Mahathir is doing to imperil the social structure in Malaysia by distorting the issues.

If I may expand. Najib will fail in his glasnost style of politics because he hasn’t got the ground troops in the support power structures. He has the institutions, the means which are given legislative muscle- but the people to implement his ideas are not there.

His world is full of tenured sycophants. Tenured in the sense that as far as these people get bits and pieces of economic and business entitlements- they sing like canary of Najib. In order to make his ideas take root, he needs the manpower with enough zeal, dedication, honesty and commitment to carry out the ideas.

Sadly, he has a modicum of talent and even then, the talented ones like KJ, Nurjazlan are viewed with suspicion and envy. Najib has got two chances – slim and none. Look at what happened to Gorbachev. Najib has old man Boris Yeltsin in the form of Dr Mahathir hovering around him. Old man Boris would very much like to put a Putin with enough aggression to control the politics. He is cultivating several- Muhyiddin, Shafie Apdal, and eventually the son. Yes, Mukhriz is now being trained to take over.

The Umno ground stands in opposition to Najib. What he has is, perception that is media created mostly that his policies are working. The Umno ground isn’t buying his Glasnost style. They want assertiveness and power talk. This is where, the man who can walk on water – Dr Mahathir – comes in.

What Dr Mahathir has done is to set the tone and the theme for the coming Umno elections. His message: – In order to check and balance the emergence of an assertive Chinese community, the next batch of Umno leaders must be the most Malay of Malays. They must be aggressive, strident and bellicose.

In other words, Umno must be ultra-Malay and its leaders ultra-Malay leaders. Mahathir wants the perkasafication of Umno which he sees as being emasculated under the weak leadership of Najib. Only Najib hasn’t seen this or if he knows about it, he has no capacity to counter Mahathir. It’s vintage Mahathir laying down the terms of Umno leadership. It’s actually and endorsement for those who can represent the truer Malay. If Muhyiddin is too thick to catch Mahathir’s drift, it will be his loss.

The Mahathir-type Umno leader immediately rules out PM Najib. For Najib is now seen to be too compromising. His 1Malaysia concept is subject to widespread ridicule overshadowed only by overwhelming routinised propaganda. His actions of spending and spending are regarded as useless by Mahathir.

Incidentally, Najib’s spendthrift way reconfirms what I have been saying about him – that the only way he knows to sort our problems is the way he has always used in holding the Pekan people mentally captive – pay his way through. Najib’s solution in securing loyalty and support is by way of Pekan-isation of the Malay mind. Pekan-ization has now entered into Umno’s political lexicon.

Najib is seen to be giving in to demands from the Indian and Chinese communities. The fact that MCA is no longer part of the administration is not relevant because Najib believes his benevolence transcends MCA. With or without MCA, Najib believes he can serve Chinese interests simply by a politics of accommodation. MIC appears to have placed their fish trap in a strategic passage. It has gained at MCA’s folly and expense.  It has more Indian reps in the administration than in all previous governments.

Whether the Chinese want to share or go on their own is not the issue. The more pertinent issue is whether Umno has leaders with sufficient assertiveness and fortitude to withstand the Chinese onslaught. They must come in to rescue Umno. It is the Umno Malay imperative to replace Najib now.

For all Mahathir cares, a resurgent Umno can work with DAP as long as Umno is accepted as elder brother. But a stronger Umno must emerge first and a stronger one does not need a Najib.

Dr Mahathir has written an article. It was titled “The Chinese Dilemma”. The Chinese it seems must decide whether to seize political power now that it has economic power. Dr Mahathir is also saying the Chinese are wrong in supporting DAP because unlike MCA, DAP does not want to share power.

The comparison is hardly correct. MCA does not share – it takes what it is allowed to chew. MCA is Umno’s Pekingese loyal to Umno and subservient.

MCA is a good boy because it is willing to share power by being the subordinate partner. Dr Mahathir ignores the fact that in Penang, the DAP shares power with its PR partners and in Selangor shares power with PKR and PAS. In Penang it shares power much in the same way as Umno shares power in Umno dominated states. And in Selangor DAP shares power much in the same way, MCA or Gerakan shares power in Umno dominated states.

The difference is, the power sharing is done on the basis of first among equals. With Umno, the power sharing basis is a master-servant structure.

That is the real cause for the rejection of MCA. The Chinese by and large see MCA as an ineffective instrument to represent Chinese needs.

DAP cannot rule Malaysia without partnering up and know this; without having Malay leaders in the forefront. And ruling Malaysia as in doing it alone is not on its radar screen. The DAP’s attractiveness lies in the cause it champions – things that are dear to Chinese within the given Malaysian social environment; a good government, good governance, far deal for Chinese etc. As for the rest, the Malays can have it except the Malays are now sophisticated enough in their thinking to value matters like good government, reduced corruption, absence of abuse of power, reject nepotism and cronyism-led economy etc.

That kind of Malay government can be accepted by all including DAP. – August 1, 2013

* SakmongkolAK47 is the nom de guerre of Datuk Mohd Ariff Sabri Abdul Aziz, the Raub MP.

                This entry was posted on Friday, 2 August 2013, 6:20 am and is filed under
Mahathir
,
Muhyiddin Yassin
,
Najib Razak
,
UMNO
. You can follow any responses to this entry through
RSS 2.0
.


Why my friend Chetz made that video

From Aneesa Alphonsus

FMT LETTER

August 1, 2013

Chetz Togom or Maznah Mohd Yusof is my best friend. Today, she’s being harassed, hounded and harangued for a video she made three years ago on how she spent that particular Hari Raya with her dogs. I was there when the video was shot and since TV stations are not taking the trouble to find out why she made that video, I’m going to tell them and all the others who are screaming for Chetz’s blood why she made that video.

It was late morning when she took her dogs for a walk. When she came home, Chetz cleaned herself, then she washed the dogs’ paws as she planned on bringing them into the house for some treats. When I asked her why she did it this way, she said, “No special reason, I just want people to know that having dogs isn’t a dirty thing. We clean them and we clean ourselves well.”

That was it. It has nothing to do with all the fuss about “ambik air sembahyang dengan anjing” (taking abolution with the dogs) that some irresponsible media quarters are harping on as are some bloggers who don’t know head or tail, pun not intended, about the situation.

Then there is the question of the takbir Raya. Chetz put it in the video because it reminds her of her late grandmother who raised her, plus the fact that it is significant to Hari Raya. What is the harm in that? How does this show disrespect to Islam?

I want to add that she has also been given a very hard time by certain individuals who berated her for being a Muslim who rescues and works with dogs. When she shares videos about noted Islamic teachers and scholars speaking about dogs being permissible in Islam, the retorts, among others, include. “ Why must you help dogs? Why can’t you help people?”

So now, Chetz has to help who they think she should? Anyone who knows Chetz will attest to how much respect she has for her faith and religion. She has battled inwardly with several of her choices in regards to helping dogs, and has been troubled numerous times because of this.

It takes courage to do this. It takes courage to go through something like this – to follow what your heart and conscience tells you, to the chagrin of people who react so unfairly to something they don’t care to find out more about.

Chetz is a good person and she has never, not once, said anything against her faith and religion. To think that a harmless video made over three years ago is being dredged up now, makes one wonder why? Why now?

And is the video so offensive that it warrants death threats? Who gives anyone the right to say, “I’m going to find a gun a shoot this person who made the video”? Is it really that severe?

Watch the video again and see for yourself if there is any intent to offend Islam. It saddens and disappoints me that with so many issues that should be brought to the fore, some quarters are choosing to make something out of nothing. This is what the mob mentality is about.

To journalists, news editors, bloggers, Facebook and other social media users, I ask of you, please use discernment and see if something really warrants such a harsh response.

What if it were you, or someone you loved, or someone who know who is being persecuted wrongly? Wouldn’t you wish they were given the proverbial fair trial before judgment? What happened to the being given the benefit of the doubt, or does this not apply when it comes to religion.

                This entry was posted on Friday, 2 August 2013, 6:08 am and is filed under
Islam
. You can follow any responses to this entry through
RSS 2.0
.


1MDB’s Japan move raises more eyebrows

Jonathan Rogers, IFR Chief Analyst

IFR 1995 3 August to 9 August 2013

IFR Asia

MALAYSIA’S 1MDB CERTAINLY knows how to pull off a surprise. The strategic development company has no shortage of critics, from Asia’s DCM bankers who have so far missed out on a share of its no-doubt lucrative debt market mandates, to ordinary Malaysians who bought into the opposition’s argument prior to May’s general election that 1MDB lacks transparency.

Previous surprises for the DCM community came in the form of two gargantuan private placements of US dollar bonds totalling US$4.75bn, a combined size that could normally only be achieved through the depth of liquidity available in the offshore public markets.

The size and the private placement approach raised eyebrows, but the fact that all of the business went to Goldman Sachs simply added to the bitterness quotient. Ignoring the fact that few international investment banks can deliver private placements in that size and – I believe it’s fair to say – no Malaysian investment bank can, it just didn’t seem fair play. Not to mention the hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue the US house is rumoured to have walked away with thanks to winning the business.

Last week 1MDB surprised again with an announcement it had signed a memorandum of understanding with the Japan Bank for International Cooperation to engage in discussions about the possibility of 1MDB bringing a JBIC-wrapped Samurai. The reaction to this news was more raised eyebrows, with a few Asia-based bankers pointing out that surely a government-owned entity in A3/A– rated Malaysia wouldn’t need a credit wrap to tap the Samurai market.

That’s not strictly true given the quirky nature of the Samurai investor base, something I have beefed on about before. If you’re after 10-year money in the Samurai market and you’re not a strong Double A rated US or European bank then you can forget about it, as Mexico found out when it approached investors with a 10-year tranche to complement its recent 3s/5s Samurai.

A COLD SHOULDER from investors resulted in the compromise of a six-year tranche being added as the long tenor part of the deal. Still, Mexico’s Baa1/BBB/BBB+ rating held potential buyers in the ultra ratings-sensitive Samurai market back. 1MDB’s last private placement came with an A– rating from S&P. Couldn’t the higher rating and government link propel it over the line in the Samurai market on a standalone basis at 10 years?

That might have been a chance worth taking, given the rarity value of Malaysian credit in the Samurai market, with state-owned oil and gas major Petronas having been the last Malaysian name to tap the Samurai market, way back in 1999.

But that chance was never on the cards. At 1MDB there seems to be a fundamental reluctance to tap the offshore public markets on a standalone basis. The US$1.75bn private placement from last year came with a guarantee from Abu Dhabi’s International Petroleum Investment Corp, while this year’s US$3bn placement was never publicly marketed. Add the JBIC plan and you would have to say that it has quite a penchant for the guarantee.

Perhaps I’m being a tad harsh, since a JBIC wrap is a tried-and-tested first step towards standalone issuance in the Samurai market, as Indonesia and Mexico have shown.

Interestingly, much as DCM originators have griped about the 1MDB Goldman carve-up, foreign investment banks whine about JBIC, which by internal statute grants execution business on its guaranteed yen deals to Japanese houses only. That cosy arrangement is yet another example of the perceived xenophobia that characterises Japan’s capital markets, along with the requirement that Samurai documentation be filed semi-annually in the Japanese language.

WHATEVER THE DEBATE about the soundness of 1MDB’s Samurai plan, there’s no doubting that it’s about more than just the issuance of a bond in Japan. Funds raised via a JBIC guarantee are typically retained in yen and are often used to fund the purchase of goods or services from Japanese companies.

And so when the Samurai MOU was signed in Kuala Lumpur during a Japanese state visit, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe offered his country’s expertise in high-speed rail, water treatment and medicine to the Malaysian government. So you’re 1MDB and you issue in Samurais and everybody wins.

Let’s hope that everybody includes the Malaysian taxpayer who indirectly will be funding the cost of the JBIC guarantee on 1MDB’s Samurai, should it emerge. And let’s hope that while 1MDB seems nowhere near bringing public market issuance in standalone format, that when it taps the Samurai market it does so at a competitive level versus the implied dollar funding level of the Single A Malaysia offshore curve.

That may go some way to silencing its capital markets critics for the time being. But the company needs adopt the funding mindset of Asia’s frequent issuers if it is to silence them in the long run.

                This entry was posted on Saturday, 3 August 2013, 12:25 pm and is filed under
Finance
. You can follow any responses to this entry through
RSS 2.0
.


Umno/BN journalism reached new “heights” when lies become truths and fiction transmuted into fact

Malaysian journalism in Umno/BN country has reached new international “heights” where lies become truths and fiction transmuted into fact.

The Umno-owned daily Utusan Malaysia gave an illustration of this “transformation” of Malaysian journalism yesterday when its official commentary “Bisik-Bisik” by Awang Selamat, which is the pseudonym of the Umno-Utusan propaganda/psy war command centre, launched another attack on the DAP for its response to the Registrar of Societies asking for reasons for the RoS’ decision to direct the holding of DAP Central Executive Committee (CEC) re-elections.

Awang Selamat commented:”Awang teringat desakan orang politik termasuk bekas orang DAP sendiri yang mahukan DAP mengadakan semula pemilihan CEC ekoran dakwaam berlaku penyelewengan dan manipulasi undi membabitkan 547 perwakilan.”

The lie of 547 phantom delegates at the Penang DAP Congress in Penang last December, with the even more ludicrous allegation that all the 547 ‘phantom’ DAP delegates came from Penang, is one of the despicable falsehoods concocted and conjured up by the Umno/BN psy-war journalists when there is no shred of evidence whatsoever, but which Umno/BN propagandists hope can be accepted as fact by gullible Malaysians by implementing the Goebble doctrine that if a lie is repeated a thousand times, it could become a fact.

DAP and Malaysians are entitled to know whether the lie about the so-called ‘547 phantom DAP delegates’ at the DAP Congress in Penang last December is one of the reasons why the Registrar of Societies Director-General has issued the directive to the DAP to hold CEC re-elections, and if not, what are the reasons for the RoS’ decision.

DAP is prepared to hold CEC re-elections if the RoS Director-General can give reasonable and acceptable reasons, but not based on the lies and falsehoods concocted by the Umno/BN Goebbels Psy-war Squad, especially its chapter in Utusan Malaysia.

                This entry was posted on Saturday, 3 August 2013, 9:56 am and is filed under
DAP
,
Media
,
UMNO
. You can follow any responses to this entry through
RSS 2.0
.


DAP National Legal Bureau should comb through the over 200 Utusan reports targetting and character-assassinating DAP since January to file multiple defamation suits against the Umno newspaper

The DAP National Legal Bureau headed by DAP MP for Puchong Gobind Singh Deo should comb through the over 200 Utusan Malaysia reports and articles targetting and character-assassinating DAP since January to file multiple defamation suits against the Umno newspaper.

In these reports and articles, Utusan Malaysia have ad nauseum repeated lies and falsehoods against the DAP and DAP leaders, particularly over the DAP Central Executive Committee (CEC) elections at the DAP National Congress in Penang last December, in utter disregard of the basic canons of journalism with regard to ethics, honesty and truth.

This campaign directed by the Umno/BN “war room” to demonise and destroy the DAP reached its peak in April just before the 13th General Elections, and although its tempo slowed down immediately after the general elections in May, its momentum was accelerated in June and July, culminating in the directive by the Registrar of Societies to the DAP on CEC re-elections.

Although the Registrar of Societies did not give any reasons to the DAP for its directive on CEC re-elections, two false allegations had been prominently canvassed in the Utusan media offensive in the past six months to justify any RoS invalidation of the CEC elections last December:

That 753 DAP delegates had not been notified of the DAP Congress and denied the right to vote for the new CEC.

That there were 547 phantom delegates, primarily from Penang, who voted at the DAP Congress last December.

It would be understandable if the RoS had directed re-election of the CEC if anyone of these two allegations ha.d been true,but both these allegations are downright lies.

The RoS Director-General Datuk Abdul Rahman Othman had publicly said early this year that he could only order for CEC re-elections if there was “concrete evidence” of discrepancies in the election process.

With the two wild and baseless “753” and “547” allegations proven to be downright lies, what other “concrete evidence” is there for the Registrar of Societies to justify his directive for CEC re-elections?

                This entry was posted on Sunday, 4 August 2013, 2:03 pm and is filed under
Court
,
DAP
,
Media
,
UMNO
. You can follow any responses to this entry through
RSS 2.0
.


Hari Raya Aidilfitri

By Allan CF Goh

Hari Raya Aidilfitri

To all our Muslim compatriots

Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri.

Ramadan is seeking Allah’s blessing,

From evils are the souls set free.

This day marks the end of fasting.

Ramadan tests men’s steadfastness

In accordance with God’s grace:

Full of forgiveness and fairness,

Purged of all the satanic trace.

There is the sincere sympathy,

For the poor, and their poverty;

In the heart is the empathy,

For all the deprived community.

Eid celebrates God’s good men,

Honestly just, with good forbearance;

Not those with the deceitful mane,

With nasty, vengeful intemperance.

Hari Raya Aidilfitri joyously unifies,

The togetherness of friends, families;

And most assiduously quantifies

All the best values with fine homilies.

Here is wishing you and everyone,

A happy and blessed Aidilfitri.

May this day realize all your wants,

And suffuse you with joy and glee!

Maaf zahir dan batin.

                This entry was posted on Sunday, 4 August 2013, 9:45 am and is filed under
General
. You can follow any responses to this entry through
RSS 2.0
.


“Father Augustus Chen” is a total figment of imagination of the Umno/BN “war-room psy-war” campaign against DAP

The statement yesterday by the Minister for Domestic Trade, Co-operatives and Consumerism and Umno MP for Kuala Pilah Hasan Malek quoting the fictitious figure “Father Augustus Chen” as authority for the decision by the Registrar of Societies director-general

Datuk Abdul Rahman Othman to direct DAP to hold re-elections for the DAP Central Executive Committee (CEC) has taken the Umno/BN conspiracy to invalidate the DAP CEC elections last December to the realm of the absolutely  bizarre.

This is because “Father Augustus Chen”, who allegedly wrote a booklet alleging irregularities in the DAP party elections last year, is a total figment of imagination of the Umno/BN “war-room psy-war” campaign against the DAP before and after the 13th General Elections.

The allegations of  DAP election irregularities by the fictitious “Father Augustus Chan” in his booklet is nothing more than a regurgitation of the many lies and baseless allegations which had been published in the some 400 anti-DAP reports and write-ups in the Umno/BN controlled media since January, particularly in Utusan Malaysia and New Straits Times.

However, the fact that this booklet by a fictitious character was given such a high profile in the Umno/BN controlled media, published in four languages in Bahasa Malaysia, English, Chinese and Tamil, and distributed in huge quantities for free and general distribution, point to a high-powered and well-funded source – Umno/BN “war-room psy-war” campaign to demonise and destroy the DAP (DDD).

I was at first perplexed why the booklet of lies by the fictitious “Father Augustus Chen” appeared last month as the 13th General Elections are over, but now I understand its appearance – to provide a semblance of  justification for Umno/BN and the RoS to act against the DAP.

Abdul Rahman has said that the Societies Act does not provide the need for the RoS to explain his decision to the public.

Surely RoS is not contending that he has the powers under the law to act unreasonably, and the best way to convince the Malaysian public that he has not abused his powers is to explain the reasons for his decision.

                This entry was posted on Monday, 5 August 2013, 12:45 pm and is filed under
DAP
,
UMNO
. You can follow any responses to this entry through
RSS 2.0
.


It’s Not About the Chinese, Syed Ali!

By Kee Thuan Chye

Yahoo

August 1, 2013

If Umno Cheras division chief Syed Ali Alhabshee thinks he’s reaching out to the Chinese by asking them to tell Umno why they did not support the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) at the 13th general election (GE13) and what they are unhappy about, he’s still missing the point. The rejection of BN at GE13 is not about the Chinese. It’s about governance.

Good governance and an end to corruption are among the things every caring and intelligent Malaysian wants. Why does he single out the Chinese?

True, many Chinese care about the country and therefore want it to do well, and they don’t think that under BN rule, it will, so they voted for a change of government. But then so did a few million others comprising Malays, Indians, Kadazans and Ibans who also care about the country and want a better government.

If Syed Ali can grasp this basic idea, he should instead be telling his own party’s leaders that they need to do much, much better to deserve being in government – in fact, to change. And change drastically. He should be telling them to stop playing the same old politics they are still playing, like exploiting the issues of race and religion to divide the people.

He should tell Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin to take back what he said on July 31 and even apologise for it: “Muslims do not insult the religion of non-Muslims such as Christianity and Hinduism. But non-Muslims are insulting our religion.” That’s the kind of inflammatory remark we can expect from an extremist, not from a deputy prime minister.

Yes, bloggers Alvin Tan and Vivian Lee did upset Muslims with their Ramadhan greeting over a bowl of Bak Kut Teh, but how could Muhyiddin discount Perkasa Vice-President Zulkifli Noordin’s belittling of Hinduism when he expressed scorn at Hindu gods, or Johor school principal Siti Inshah Mansor’s alleged remark in 2010 that the Indians looked like “dogs” when they wore their prayer strings?

It is distorted statements like Muhyiddin’s that polarise the people even more. And as the nation’s number two leader, Muhyiddin should have known better to keep his mouth shut instead of creating further tension on the issue. After all, what purpose does his statement serve? It only serves to revive anti-non-Muslim sentiments at a time when conciliatory measures are greatly needed.

But then we have seen many times before that this is how Umno leaders operate. It is also part and parcel of their desire to assert their supremacy over the populace, especially over those who don’t bend to them. Now, because Umno has won nine parliamentary seats more at GE13 compared to GE12, it is asserting itself even more. It is pandering to right-wing Malay-Muslim sentiments to consolidate the support from its ‘safe deposits’.

This is precisely the sort of thing that those who reject Umno-BN don’t want any more of. So whatever Syed Ali may say about Umno-BN wanting “the Chinese to be with us”, it is mere wishful thinking. If Umno-BN remains as it is and continues to behave the way it does, the Chinese and the others who voted against it will never trust it.

Syed Ali also says Prime Minister Najib Razak has done a lot for the Chinese and he therefore cannot understand why the community didn’t support Najib at GE13. But that’s not the point either.

It’s not about providing for a community – ANY community – but about providing what’s good and right for the country. It’s not about protecting the interests of Muslims or non-Muslims but about maintaining the rule of law and upholding fairness.

The prime minister must see to the needs of all citizens, regardless of race. So it is his duty to cater for the Chinese as much as he caters for the Malays, Indians, Kadazans, Ibans, etc.

The point is, has Najib done much, if anything, to bring about inclusiveness? Is the Government no longer discriminating against non-Malays in the civil service, the police, the armed forces, the universities, etc?

Has he been serious in addressing corruption? (Let’s not mention the “window dressing” he performed in co-opting former Transparency International Malaysia president Paul Low into his Cabinet.) What is the latest on the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission’s investigations into the alleged corruption of Sarawak Chief Minister Taib Mahmud?

Has Najib stopped the practice of cronyism? Are big projects still being handed out through negotiated contracts rather than open tenders? Will he institute reform as of now or will everything have to wait till after the Umno party elections in October so he can try to safeguard his position as Umno president and prime minister?

Syed Ali says Najib is a good prime minister. Does a good prime minister do things by halves? If we look at Najib’s four-year track record, we can see he has characteristically taken only half-measures to address needs and issues. He has not shown the courage to go all the way.

He repealed the Internal Security Act (ISA) – which, incidentally, Syed Ali disagrees with – but then he replaced it with the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act.

He announced last year that he would repeal the Sedition Act, but he also said he would replace it with the National Harmony Act. But now, a year later, no whiff of a draft has appeared. Lately, some of his Umno colleagues have been making noise about retaining the Sedition Act and Najib has been prompted to say that the replacement will retain the spirit and three main principles of the former act. This sounds like any change is going to be an illusion.

As for the other restrictive laws, Najib has not repealed the Printing Presses and Publications Act (PPPA) to free the mass media, or the Universities and University Colleges Act (UUCA) to liberate academia. He has only made a few amendments to them and therefore offered only half-appeasement.

He promised to reform Section 27 of the Police Act, which required police permits for public gatherings, but he brought in the Peaceful Assembly Act which still requires organisers of gatherings to notify the police 10 days ahead. That’s still like asking for a permit. What’s more, he sneaked in prohibitive measures like forbidding street protests and also forbidding gatherings from taking place near a long list of designated places, making the new law even more restrictive than the old one.

After GE13, when the people called for the Election Commission (EC) chairman and his deputy to be sacked and the body to be reconstituted to make it truly independent because it had shown bias towards the ruling party at the elections, he again met them only halfway. He announced that a special committee comprising members of Parliament from BN and the Opposition would be set up to oversee the EC to allay concerns about its partiality.

In view of all these things, if Syed Ali still says Najib is a good prime minister, then he is only a half-good one. And that is not good enough for the Chinese, Malays, Indians, Kadazans and Ibans who voted against his party and coalition.

This message should be quite clear now, and one hopes Syed Ali gets the point. If he still doesn’t and continues to ask the same dumb question, it will only confirm the belief that only a change of government will do. Anything other than that will only be a half-measure.

* Kee Thuan Chye is the author of the bestselling books No More Bullshit, Please, We’re All Malaysians and Ask for No Bullshit, Get Some More!

                This entry was posted on Monday, 5 August 2013, 11:30 pm and is filed under
Corruption
,
Elections
,
Good Governance
,
Muhyiddin Yassin
,
Najib Razak
,
UMNO
. You can follow any responses to this entry through
RSS 2.0
.


A guide to the Trans Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA)

 — Anas Alam Faizli

The Malay Mail Online

August 05, 2013

AUG 5 — Back in 2008, the Malaysian government concluded the signing of a US-Malaysia FTA with 58 red lines or “red stops”, which discontinued the two-year negotiation. Among leading protagonists was then Agriculture Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, who mentioned that he would not compromise the livelihood of local farmers. He was even quoted as saying “over my dead body” by some quarters. Khairy Jamaluddin even led a protest, citing that the FTA would take away Malaysia’s sovereignty, while patent protection would deny access to generic medicine. Question is, what has changed in the past five years? One thing for sure, it is definitely not the content of the FTA.

Why Trans Pacific?

We can imply that TPPA is called Trans Pacific because of the geographic locations of the countries taking part in the negotiations, and between whom the agreement aims to conclude among. TPPA is unique in the sense that it is open-ended agreement. Any country interested to join can join in as long as they agree with the concluded text and other countries agree to the entry.

Every country participating in the TPPA already has an existing FTA with America except Japan, New Zealand, Malaysia and Brunei. Japan and New Zealand are developed economies with very large trade sizes with other countries in the world, and Brunei is a resource-rich nation with a less significant trade size. That leaves Malaysia, which has most at stake as a developing nation and a new entrant to an FTA with America.

What does this mean? It means that for countries with existing FTAs with America, the TPPA will probably just result in minor additions to status quo. But for our small economy, the TPPA will entail a much bigger impact.

The first TPPA negotiation was held in March 2010 among eight countries, while Malaysia joined in December 2010, followed by Mexico and Canada in December 2012. Recently, Japan joined in at the Kota Kinabalu negotiation round.

The content of the TPPA’s texts is confidential and negotiations are held behind closed doors. What we have are five leaked chapters, namely Investment, Intellectual Property, Trade to Barrier and Regulatory Coherence. MITI reported that it has almost concluded 14 out of the 29 chapters.

Previous US FTAs have shown that they do not vary much from each, with an average variance of about less than 5 per cent. This clearly indicates standardisation on the part of the Americans and reluctance in entertaining non-conforming measures (termed as “exclusions”) at the negotiation table. It can thus be implied that one FTA will not be that much different from another. Other US FTAs with Singapore, South Korea and Chile serve as good guidance for us to know what to expect in the TPPA.

On Investment and Sovereignty

This is arguably the biggest chapter, which also has linkages to most of the other chapters. This chapter will restrict the policy space of governments through its “Investor-To-State Dispute Settlement” (ISDS) and the “State-to-state Dispute Settlement” (SSDS) clauses. TPPA in this case supposedly “strengthens” trans-national “corporate” justice (fairness and equity) — by providing ways for multinational corporations to trample over national legal systems through international arbitration tribunals comprising three judges; two international and one local.

What do fairness and equity here mean? Mainly, MNCs can expect no local condition or regulation changes affecting them once there reside in a partner country. For example, if Malaysia suddenly happens to find out that a certain ingredient in tobacco is harmful, and decides to ban it thereby affecting the profitability of a tobacco MNC, the MNC has the right to sue the government for potential profit loss for the remaining period of its permit in the country, with interest. Such was the case with Phillip Morris, when it sued the Australian government over a new law onto cigarette packaging. The same could happen if Malaysia decides to be more stringent with Lynas, for example, in the future.

To consider the extreme, we can even go to the extent of saying that legislators and Parliament will be essentially rendered redundant; their hands will be tied to enacting only new laws that will not affect MNCs’ profitability and business viability! We recall Mexico being sued for US$16 billion (RM51 billion) for disallowing removal of toxic waste harmful to its environment by an American corporation.

It is also widely known that developed nations like America and Japan are attempting the ISDS via the TPPA. ISDS is under a provision under the Investment Chapter which essentially will allow any corporation to take the Malaysian government to court for claims of damages or loss. It was not ratified previously under existing World Trade Organisation (WTO) agreements. We can only imply with no substantial certainty that these clauses were not ratified by WTO for its potential negative impacts on some signatory countries, but there is still reason to be cautious.

On Government Procurement and Petronas Vendor Development Programme

With this chapter, all government procurement including that of the GLCs and Petronas cannot have special conditions to help local contractors in any way deemed unfair to other corporations. There is a floor threshold for this ruling; deriving from previous US FTAs, we expect it to be around RM23 million and above which probably leaves room for only the small peripheral contracts for local companies. Meanwhile, the government procurement bill is sized at RM130 billion, or 25 per cent of the Malaysian GDP.

Empirical evidence has shown that 94 per cent of the American government procurement goes to American companies (Khor, 2008) and only 6 per cent goes to over 170 companies worldwide. Such limited potential gains from what is supposed to be opening our doors to America! It is in fact our floodgate that is being opened for America. What will happen to our local contractors? And what of all those local oil and gas contractors — can even our giants like Sapura Kencana and MMHE at their nascent stages survive the competitive onslaught from developed nations? Not to mention the smaller players? Even the Petronas Vendor Development Programme and licences will witness its death.

On SMEs and Agriculture

Among other things, The TPPA aims at trade liberalisation and tariff reduction, which may cause drastic loss of jobs in many sectors. A direct impact is downward pressure on workers’ wages, expanding even further the currently large income disparity gap. Mexico serves as a good reminder; following the signing of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) with Canada and the US, three million out of 10 million Mexicans lost their jobs.

Tariff reductions will adversely impact particularly agricultural products. Promoting efficiency and healthy competition, however noble, becomes unfair when more than 90 per cent of Malaysian companies in the agriculture sector are SMEs. They will face unfair competition from giant agricultural exporters from TPPA countries such as the US, Canada, and Japan, whose governments in the TPPA will not reduce huge subsidies to their farmers. A study by Unctad showed that subsidies reduce the price of American rice by 45 per cent below cost of production, soybean by 32 per cent and cotton by 52 per cent. A rough calculation indicates that their rice can flood the Malaysian market at as low as RM1.40/kg — what will happen to Bernas and, more importantly, local planters then?

On Intellectual Property — Medicine Patent and Copyright

The Big Pharmas will get medicine patents and obtain longer patents easily. This would also render generic medicines more difficult to, or delayed, access, such as medicines for cancer, HIV and other chronic illnesses. This will definitely affect our populace. For example, Herceptin which is used for cancer, currently costs RM8,000 per cycle and is used for 17 cycles. Treating a lung cancer patient costs an average of RM44,725 per year per patient. The chance of access to these medicines for those unable to afford these exorbitant prices becomes slimmer if generic medicines are prohibited due to an extra 20 years to patents where patent law is loosened.

Just as the TPPA’s intellectual property (IP) protection measures would make medical treatment more expensive for ordinary Malaysians, TPPA countries’ educational and research activities could also be harmed — and made more expensive — due to the more stringent copyright laws proposed. These include the “digital commons” such as the Internet-based resources. Current copyright law is proposed to be extended from 50 years to 120. That’s also 70 more years of limited accessibility to students and academia due to prohibitive prices of book and references.

On Tobacco Control and Public Health

Tobacco is not our average ordinary product — it kills at least 50 per cent of its consumers prematurely. Malaysia, along with all other TPP countries except the US, is party to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) which requires countries to regulate tobacco, reduce its use and withhold grant incentives to the tobacco industry. The FCTC is a binding international treaty and Malaysia has been a party; this entails the aligning of national policies with the goal of reduction in tobacco use and regulating the tobacco industry. Many provisions in various TPPA chapters contradict those in the FCTC. This alone is cause for concern considering the potential conflicts between the two in the future, and more importantly the general harm to public health of a more heavily tobacco-consuming society.

On Capital Control Capability

Another major consequence of the TPPA is restriction on our capability to enforce capital control. According to Reinhart & Roghoff (2009), periods of high international capital mobility have repeatedly produced international banking crises, not only as witnessed here at home and in the region in 1997, but also historically. When financial systems are adequately regulated, the scope for damaging financial cycles can be contained, or at least leave the economy less prone to such large cyclical swings as seen in today’s more liberalized environments. The idea is not to destruct efforts for a liberalized and efficient financial sector, nor to hinder Malaysia’s competitiveness in attracting foreign investments, but rather to cushion impacts of economic shocks to the most vulnerable Malaysian businesses and entrepreneurs. It is not archaic to take some heed from temporary capital controls measures we undertook during the Asian financial crisis. Even the IMF admits to the role that capital control played in expediting our recovery compared to that of Indonesia and Thailand.

The Trade and FDI Myth

Back to trade itself, it has always been expected that the main benefits of signing an FTA with the US will be reflected through higher gains in trade benefits. How is it then that even in the case of a relatively stronger economy such Singapore, trade deficit had only widened from US$1.4 billion in 2003, when they signed the agreement, to US$4.3 billion in 2004 and US$6.9 billion in 2006 to US$10.5 billion in 2012?! Furthermore, no evidence of increased long-term quality investments and FDI were found in bilateral trade agreements, according to a report by the United Nations on FTA impacts. While trade diversion is a valid concern, the loss of incomes and benefits from trade diversion as a result of opting out of TPPA, must be determinedly greater than the various losses and costs that the TPPA entails to the larger economy.

Protests around the world against US FTA

It is not uncommon for nations worldwide to protest against FTAs with America. In Guatemala, two died protesting, and the people of Guatemala brought the government to court, claiming that the FTA would go against at least 130 Acts in the Guatemalan constitution. In Ecuador, emergency had to be declared due to massive demonstrations. Chief negotiators in Thailand and Colombia also resigned from their positions in protest. In South Korea, a protestor burnt himself to death to show protest against an FTA that it had with the US, which only passed by Parliament after the ruling government effectively locked up the opposition.

Countries like Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay, Venezuela, South Africa, Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia and Swaziland had also previously engaged in negotiations with America for an FTA, but they were never signed.

In Malaysia, the Third World Network (TWN) and the Consumers Association of Penang (CAP) have been at the forefront of engaging with US-Malaysia FTA issues since 2008, and have continued to do so with the TPPA. Notable efforts have surfaced again lately in light of the TPPA negotiations and the leaked chapters. On June 6, 2013, MP Nurul Izzah Anwar issued a press statement questioning the secrecy of the TPPA negotiation and asked pertinent questions; whether Malaysia plans to trade its sovereignty for free trade. She continued to put pressure from Pakatan Rakyat which led to the setting up of a parliamentary caucus and more engagement from MITI.

Simultaneously, momentum continues to build up with NGOs such as Blindspot, MTEM, MAC, MTUC, GBM, IKRAM continuously engaging in forums and public awareness efforts. These efforts have no other aim than to make the public aware of the need for them to demand their engagement with the government in the negotiations. Other high-profile figures like Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad and Datuk Liow Tiong Lai also openly expressed opposition to the TPPA, further fuelling efforts for public to engage in the issue.

Badan Bertindak Bantah TPPA (The Coalition Act against TPPA)

Badan Bertindak Bantah TPPA is a coalition of 52 non-governmental organisations and seven coalition councils formed with the aim of raising the people’s awareness with regards to TPPA in a sincere effort to ensure Malaysia gets the best out of TPPA. Our view is that the TPPA is straddled between the hopes of a relatively small circle of multinational corporations, whose commercial interests stand to benefit the most from the proposals, and the fears of civil society organisations representing the people of all 12 TPPA countries. In fact, the TPPA is neither about fair trade nor even about free trade alone, since it seeks to lock in the monopolistic position of big corporations over their industries. It is about ensuring the protection and prioritisation of corporate interests above those of public welfare, safety and the socio-economic interests of less affluent economies than the obvious economic master here, which is America.

We note that America is assisted by a force of 1,000 that form a special advisory committee, mostly represented by industry experts. We demand the same here for Malaysia. A coveted UNDP study is hardly sufficient to ensure the public that our livelihoods and that of our future generations are not under threat here. Given the track record, Malaysia is not exactly a master at negotiations, having lost Block L and M, a skewed water agreement with Singapore, Batu Puteh island and many other international disputes. Negotiators from MITI alone cannot decide the fate of future generations of Malaysia.

Ultimately, the Badan Bertindak Bantah TPPA demands for the government of Malaysia to suspend or pull out its involvement in the TPPA negotiations unless and until an impartial and comprehensive cost-and-benefit-analysis and a comparative advantage study are carried out, disclosed and publicly debated by all stakeholders in Malaysia, that the texts are examined, scrutinised and assessed by Parliament to rectify the TPPA as negotiated is indeed in Malaysia’s favour and interests, that the concerns are seen to have been incorporated into Malaysia’s positions and proposals for the TPPA; and that a popular referendum is held to determine to what extent Malaysians are in support of their government signing and ratifying the TPPA.

We demand for the government to adopt a transparent stance in this and for the voices of the various stakeholders among the people of Malaysia to be considered in this negotiation round. Or else, pull out from TPPA negotiations in an absolute manner. A textbook outline of the benefits of free trade will not suffice; the TPPA may be a free trade agreement in form, but it is an imperialistic regulatory agreement in substance.

Attention and empathy is needed from civil society itself. Academics, industry experts, practitioners and even lay people who are concerned about the future of Malaysia must search, aim to understand research, speak out and write to contribute to current efforts to demanding the best out of our negotiations. Else, we really should be bidding our farewell to America and run for the door.

* Anas Alam Faizli, an oil and gas professional, is co-founder of Blindspot and Badan Bertindak Bantah TPPA and tweets at @aafaizli

                This entry was posted on Tuesday, 6 August 2013, 8:55 am and is filed under
Parliament
. You can follow any responses to this entry through
RSS 2.0
.


Fictitious “Father Augustus Chen” given seven days to surface and prove he is not a phantom – failing which would RoS reconsider his decision?

I have said that “Father Augustus Chen” whose booklet “The Equity Report (CEC Election Fraud)” is used as authority by Umno/BN leaders and the Registrar of Societies to invalidate the  DAP Central Executive Committee (CEC) elections last December is a fictitious figure and a total figment of imagination of the Umno/BN “war-room psy-war” campaign against the DAP before and after the 13th General Elections.

Today there is further confirmation that the lies and falsehoods about election irregularities in the DAP CEC elections last year has become fodder in the upcoming UMNO party elections when Utusan Malaysia reported that the  UMNO MP for Kuala Pilah and Minister for Domestic Trade, Co-operatives and Consumerism Datuk Hasan Malek has confirmed that he would be contesting for the UMNO Supreme Council elections in October this year.

It was Hasan Malek who over the weekend  quoted the fictitious figure “Father Augustus Chen” as authority for the decision by the Registrar of Societies director-general Datuk Abdul Rahman Othman directing the DAP to hold CEC re-election.

Two dubious records are set here –firstly, it is the  first time in the 56-year history of public law in Malaysia where Cabinet Ministers and public officials are depending on a fictitious character to justify their decision, and secondly, relying on  a scurrilous publication which is no different from a “poison pen letter” which is published against the law as it does not carry the required identity of the printer and publisher.

Yet this “poison-pen” booklet, published by a  fictitious character, was given high profile in the Umno-BN controlled media, after a lot of funds and resources were invested in it, with its publication in four languages in Bahasa Malaysia, English, Chinese and Tamil, and distributed in huge quantities for free and general distribution.

Are Cabinet Ministers like Hasan Malek and the Registar of Societies director-general prepared to vouch that “Father Augustus Chen” exists and is not a phantom created by the Umno-BN “war-room psy-war” campaign against the DAP?

Let us give the fictitious “Father Augustus Chen” seven days to surface and prove he is not a phantom – failing which,  would the Registrar of Societies  reconsider his decision on DAP CEC re-election?

I myself would not mind CEC re-election to be held as it would expose the lies and falsehoods about election irregularities and fraud in the CEC election last December, but an important principle of public law is involved here, that the Registrar of Societies must have valid and reasonable grounds before directing a political party to hold party re-elections.

UMNO, MCA, Gerakan and MIC will be holding party elections in the next few months.

Is the RoS claiming that he would have the power to direct UMNO, MCA, Gerakan and MIC to hold party re-elections based on complaints made to the RoS and never forwarded to the political party concerned, and without giving acceptable and reasonable grounds for ordering party elections?

                This entry was posted on Tuesday, 6 August 2013, 11:53 am and is filed under
DAP
,
Media
,
UMNO
. You can follow any responses to this entry through
RSS 2.0
.


Trapped in a vicious cycle

Mariam Mokhtar

Malaysiakini

Aug 5, 2013

“Malaysia is more dangerous than South Africa,” were the parting words of a retired couple who returned to Johannesburg after a failed attempt to live in Malaysia under the ‘Malaysia My Second Home’ (MM2H) programme. Friends of the couple said they had feared for their own and their family’s safety.

Unlike this South African couple, ordinary Malaysians are trapped in a vicious cycle of emboldened criminals, an inept police force and a government in denial.  Few have access to guns like the Tan Sri who recently shot dead a thief at a clinic in Kuala Lumpur.

Owning a gun is not what Malaysians desire. We want a police force which is committed to tackling crime and not being the lapdog of Umno Baru. Cabinet ministers deny that a state of lawlessness exists. They issue statements and are then trapped by their own spin.

Former home minister Hishammuddin Hussein, more noted for his incompetence than his achievements in office, had complete disregard for the concerns of the public. He ridiculed the rakyat after they complained about rising crime levels and told them that increased crime was only a “perception”.

In October 2012, the government’s efficiency-monitoring unit Pemandu released data which appeared contradictory. This prompted the DAP’s Tony Pua to request from the home minister, a detailed breakdown of statistics, according to categories of crime.

Hishammuddin said the statistics were not available: “…the ministry is of the view that it is not plausible to present the detailed statistics for each crime category according to the various districts in Selangor and all states…”

He knows that BN’s fabricated crime figures would be exposed if the statistics were released.

What would Hishammuddin and his family know about crime when they have 24-hour security and well-guarded properties? Many Umno-Baru politicians enjoy the trappings of high office which closely resemble an aristocratic life of pomp, pageantry and pampering.

In 2010, PKR’s Tian Chua revealed that the police had lost 36 semi-automatic pistols, 51 revolvers and two sub-machine guns since 2001. The loss also included 49 motorcycles, three cars, one van and one 4WD.

Were these items lost through carelessness or were they stolen? What steps have been taken to ensure that the mistakes are not repeated?

Three years ago, the MCA president Dr Chua Soi Lek allegedly called Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng a liar, when a Bernama report alleged that Lim had said that kidnappings were common in Johor.

Chua said: “If he really said that, then Lim Guan Eng is a liar….As I come from Johor itself, I say the statement is very unfair. The crime rate has gone down and Johor is almost all the time the country’s top investor destination.”

Today, Chua is trapped by his own words.

‘Political meddling’

The country has seen an unprecedented rise in gun crime, with six shootings recorded last week. Why did it take the murder of the Arab-Malaysian Development Bank founder Hussain Ahmad Najadi, to wake Umno Baru president Najib Abdul Razak from his hibernation?

Did Najib  address the nation because the high-profile murder of a foreigner would dent his image overseas? Was he afraid that his silence could be used against him in the Umno general assembly?

Najib said he was prepared to consider giving the police “whatever they required” to fight crime, provided these requests were reasonable and affordable.

Why the hypocrisy? His spirit is not willing and his flesh is even weaker. The police will never be given the independence they need to operate effectively. Umno-Baru finds the police useful for hounding opposition politicians, activists and dog trainers.

If Najib were sincere, he would push for the Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission (IPCMC). Deputy Home Minister Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar fears that, with the IPCMC, police personnel would end up being treated worse than criminals. Only an Umno Baru politician would be capable of making stupid remarks like that.

When the former police chief Musa Hassan exposed corruption in the police force, we were angry with him for waiting until he had left office before making the revelations.

Musa had also complained about political interference. So, has Najib stopped this political meddling? Has Najib even begun to investigate any of the points raised by Musa? Have any conclusions been drawn, or is Najib afraid of revealing a can of worms?

Musa’s allegations of the police being linked to criminal syndicates are not new. We heard about them over 20 years ago, but what has been done?

Last week, Inspector-General of Police Khalid Abu Bakar fumed over the Singaporean newspaper The New Paper’s headline, ‘Welcome to Malaysia where… death is cheap and staying alive costly’.

There is some truth in the claims of the article, although it omitted to mention that inflation has increased the cost of arranging contract killings. In the nineties, an Ipoh man claimed that hacking off a limb would cost RM200 and that taking someone’s life would cost RM400.

Why two reports?

Today, Ipohites who are victims of crime, are angry when told to make two police reports; the first brief report must be made at the police station which covers their area of residence or where the theft occurred, whilst the second detailed report is to be made with ‘Team A’ at the police headquarters, opposite the Ipoh railway station.

Why two reports? Have the police so much time on their hands, that they feel it necessary to waste the rakyat’s time and taxpayer’s money, too?

Victims of crime are already traumatised. Must they go through more agony, this time at the hands of the police? Not everyone can spare money for travel, or time off from work or their hospital bed, to make several reports.

There are many stories of police incompetence or delay in reaching the scene of the crime. Some victims claim that the police are either too lazy or incapable of taking any forensic evidence.

In one case, the victim whose car was a write-off after a drunk driver drove into him, was told by the police not to mention the drunkenness in his report. Why? Others allege that the police brow-beat the victims into making very brief police reports. Is this to save police time or reduce their work load?

Khalid accused the Singaporeans of being busybodies, whilst Utusan Malaysia went further and claimed that jealousy was a contributory factor in the controversial headline.

Instead of quibbling about newspaper headlines, Khalid should act to reduce the crime rate of Malaysia. He faces a difficult task because he will be trapped in a mire of corruption created by rogue policemen, a corrupt judiciary and corrupt Umno Baru politicians.

“Selamat Hari Raya to everyone. Maaf zahir dan batin. When you balik kampung, spread peace and goodwill, and tell everyone you can about the injustices of Umno Baru.”

MARIAM MOKHTAR is a non-conformist traditionalist from Perak, a bucket chemist and an armchair eco-warrior. In ‘real-speak’, this translates into that she comes from Ipoh, values change but respects culture, is a petroleum chemist and also an environmental pollution-control scientist.

                This entry was posted on Tuesday, 6 August 2013, 9:04 am and is filed under
Crime
,
Hishammuddin
,
Mariam Mokhtar
,
Najib Razak
,
Police
. You can follow any responses to this entry through
RSS 2.0
.


What the Chinese want and why we wouldn’t ‘balik’ China

Carol Ng

Free Malaysia Today

August 6, 2013

What do the Chinese want? It’s pretty amazing after 55 years in the same country that our leaders still have no clue to the answer to this question. And even more amazing is the demand for Chinese to go back to China, and in the meantime, Indians go back to India too. I’m not sure what makes them think China or India would take us ‘back’ in the first place. Both countries are so populated, the governments there would not only deport us, they might ask us to take some of their own citizens back with us while we’re at it.

This is my attempt to answer this apparently very elusive question. I apologise if my views don’t represent those of all Malaysian Chinese, but I believe that for most of us, going ‘back’ to China, even if we legally could, is nowhere on the list. I’m also about to highlight some negative perceptions about the Chinese, which I’m not afraid to point out being a Chinese well, as I believe it’s important to be able to acknowledge when your own people are doing something wrong and not be afraid to criticise it…. Something that quite a few people in this country seem to be unable to do and would rather ignore the wrong others are doing just because they are of the same race or religion.

China may be making a name for itself as a technological powerhouse, but the country is run by a dictatorship. There is no freedom of speech, and there are heavy restrictions on use of the internet, the press, freedom of religion, and freedom of assembly. There is a huge disparity between rich and poor in China, social injustices are high and people have become so indifferent to each other that people can walk pass an injured and dying toddler on the road and not be bothered to help. Basically, everything we don’t like about Malaysia, is a lot worse in China.

For my Indians friend, it’s pretty much a similar case in India. If we did leave the country, why go to a country where life would be more difficult? If we migrated anywhere, we’d rather go to Singapore, America, Australia, United Kingdom, which may not be perfect, but there is more equal opportunity, more freedom, higher pay and a good chance at a better livelihood. But for a lot of us, we’d rather stay in Malaysia, simply because most of our happy memories, friends and family are here. Plus the food here is just too good.

So if we don’t like China and we’d rather not run off to some developed country, why do we Chinese complain so much about Malaysia if it’s not that bad? I believe it can be summarised as follows:

*We want to show off how successful we are compared to others

    *We want to have pride in what we earn, not receive money for nothing

    *We want a secure future for our children

    *And even if our government doesn’t give us what we want, then at the very least,

    *We want to be left alone to do earn our livelihood and carry out our traditions and beliefs without others threatening our ways.

Every Chinese New Year, the typical Chinese parent will go round getting updates from family members asking what their kids are doing, then tell what their kids are doing, then compare which kid doing better in life. It’s annoying for the children, but it encourages competitiveness. Same goes for Malaysia. We know it is a good country. But when we see other countries that more economically stronger and richer, we know it could be a better country.

Malaysia is rich in natural resources, which when managed well, would help Malaysia develop quickly. Yet when we visit our tiny neighbour down south, we have to pay double the price for the same thing. Singapore’s GDP ranks among the top 5 in the world, but Malaysia is all the way above 55th rank. How can this be? We are losing face to our tiny neighbour! So we complain because we want to be better than them.

The Chinese like taking pride in telling people whatever we earned was through our own hard work. But if a Chinese is not working and just receiving money from elsewhere, we may think they are lucky, but not someone very respectable as they are not contributing to society. This is partly why the Chinese do not favour monetary handouts like BR1M. There is no pride in receiving money for doing no work. This is why we hate corruption so much as corrupted people are essentially getting money for nothing. It’s especially annoying when we know that money was earned through our own hard work to begin with.

In fact, China’s Chinese hate it so much that corrupted officials get the death sentence. The other reason is because monetary handouts are not a sustainable form of income as the money is used up quickly and there is no guarantee it will be continuous, so what’s happens when such handouts stop? It is not a long term benefit for us and for our future generations.  And for Chinese, ensuring a secure future for our children is very important. So much that some poor parents work all their life and stay frugal just to ensure their children get a good education and are successful in future.

So what would be better is to provide scholarships to our intelligent children.

You would never see the Chinese demands scholarships for poorly performing Chinese students to get scholarships, far as we are concerned, if you cannot study, you don’t deserve a scholarship. We only complain when a student has performed very well in his or her studies, but is still unable to get a scholarship in Malaysia just they are not of a certain race. Security for future generations also includes ensuring costs of living remains low. Which is why we always complain that costs of living, housing, transportation and practically everything is skyrocketing but our salaries are not. This is not a sustainable future for our children. Not for any Malaysian children, for that matter.

The Chinese also really like money. We like it so much that in some Western countries, while the local shops all shut at 5 or 6pm or locals are going on strike to demand improved labour rights, who are the ones still having shops open until late night? Those crazy Chinese. Similarly in Malaysia, even if we don’t get whatever rights we are supposed to get as a Malaysian citizen, we can still behave like how Chinese do in other countries where we are not citizens… just do our work or run our businesses quietly and carry out our traditions and beliefs and be ok with it.

But some people just can’t leave us alone even to do that. They want to burn our bibles, which we use to minister to our fellow Christians. And even for our Indian friends who also want to do their own thing quietly, they’re also not left alone by some jokers who had the gall to put the head of their most scared animal in front of a Hindu temple. Why? Because we are perceived as a major threat to their race. The Chinese make up 23% of the Malaysian population and Indians even less at 7%. How logical is it that we would be a threat to a race that makes up well over half the country’s population?

While some extremists are busy lodging reports and protesting about anything and everything that they perceive to be a threat to their race or religion, we just continue doing our work. Even when the blogger Papagomo made an incredibly scary suggestion to “rise, riot and kill all Chinese bastards in Malaysia, and slaughter them like slaughtering pigs.”, the most Chinese do is complain online or among each other, and then we back to doing our own thing.

We are so busy with our lives that the primary complainant, Jamilah Baharuddin,who lodged a report against the bigot Papagomo was ironically not even a Chinese! And instead of being appreciated, or at least left alone to focus on our work (which by the way, is how we improve the country’s economy), our beliefs are hijacked to demonstrate some misguided form of racial superiority, and we are told to go back to China. Which seems to show that some people are just way too free to do these kind of things instead of doing actual work and contributing something to the development of our country.

The reality is Chinese make up the largest ethnic population in the world population, 20% to be exact.  Together with Indians, who are also one of the largest, we could collectively take over the world but we want to. If anybody has rights to racial superiority, based on sheer numbers, the Chinese win hands down. But we don’t try to overthrow governments. We don’t proclaim supremacy over other races. We are perfectly ok spreading out all over the world and making ourselves minorities in other countries as long as there is freedom to practice our ways and good opportunity for economic success.

A lot of Malaysians have already left the country to find greener pastures elsewhere as they see better opportunity in other countries than here, which I personally find sad. As easy as it would be for me to leave too, I’d rather stay and continue to hope for Malaysia to truly become the racially harmonious and progressive country it proclaims itself to be instead of a divided people that have fallen to the tricks and lies of certain unscrupulous politicians.Wishing my Malay friends a Selamat Hari Raya and hope that this helps create a better understanding and respect between all races and religions.

                This entry was posted on Tuesday, 6 August 2013, 11:31 pm and is filed under
Corruption
,
Education
,
nation building
. You can follow any responses to this entry through
RSS 2.0
.


A time when Utusan Malaysia didn’t get away with everything…

The Malaysian Insider

August 07, 2013

In a book about his years in power, former prime minister Tun Abdullah Badawi makes a startling revelation about how he dealt with Utusan Malaysia, in stark contrast to how the strident newspaper is managed by its Umno backers now.

Abdullah was known for liberalising news media in an attempt to restore their credibility after the severe damage that mainstream media took under the Mahathir years, but Abdullah still kept a firm line on racial and religious issues.

Referring to his appointees, he said, “I did not interfere with their work as I believed that they had a professional job to do and I allowed them the space to do it. But when they abused the openness by playing up racial and religious issues, like when Utusan Malaysia did, then I would call them and warn them.”

He revealed that he made a phone call to the editor-in-chief of Utusan Malaysia and left him with a stark warning: the newspaper had crossed the boundary with an editorial that smacked of racism and he should expect no favours from Putrajaya if charged with sedition.

As it turned out, the police did not come a-calling and the editor escaped any sanction. But Abdullah said that phone call put the fear of God into the newspaperman and, after that, there were no more offensive articles from the Umno-owned paper.

Such control apparently no longer exists over the newspaper that has since lost a bunch of defamation cases to opposition members and has even been ticked off in the courtroom for not following journalistic standards.

In reply to a question from the editors of the book on how much control Umno has over Utusan Malaysia now, the former leader replied, “Now, I don’t think there’s any control anymore.”

Malaysian academic Professor James Chin – who edited the book with Dr Bridget Welsh – followed up, noting that these days it appears the Umno president says one thing and Utusan publishes something else the next day.

Abdullah responded, “That’s why I said I don’t think there’s any control anymore.”

When he was the PM, he gave the media more space, noting that he appointed Datuk Seri Kalimullah Hassan as the editor-in-chief of New Straits Times. With Kalimullah at the helm, the newspaper was critical of Umno and at times, of Abdullah’s leadership itself.

“Some of my Supreme Council members were unhappy with him and wanted me to remove him. But during his time, the newspapers within the group became profitable and sales increased. They had credibility,” said Abdullah, noting that sales at the NST had since dropped significantly.

It was the same situation at TV3, where the viewership of the primetime news programme grew under the stewardship of Datuk Kamarulzaman Zainal, Abdullah’s former press secretary.

Still, he noted that many in Umno were not pleased with the era of openness and blamed BN’s poor results in 2008 on Abdullah’s decision to allow more discourse on issues.

“The openness did not happen by chance. I wanted it that way. Unfortunately, my detractors – particularly those seeking to keep the old ways and who resisted the change – interpreted it as a sign of weakness,” he said in the book titled, “Awakening: The Abdullah Badawi Years in Malaysia”. – August 7, 2013.

                This entry was posted on Wednesday, 7 August 2013, 10:46 am and is filed under
Abdullah Ahmad Badawi
,
Media
,
UMNO
. You can follow any responses to this entry through
RSS 2.0
.


Fictitious “Father Augustus Chen” an evil genius who have packed some 100 lies and falsehoods in his 12-page DDD booklet

This is the second day of the week-long period I suggested to give the fictitious “Father Augustus Chen” who allegedly wrote the booklet “The Equity Report (CEC Election Fraud)” which is used by UMNO/BN leaders and the Registrar of Societies (RoS) as authority to invalidate the DAP Central Executive Committee (CEC) elections last December to surface and prove he is not a phantom.

I have been told that there is no person by the name of Father Augustus in Malaysia, let alone Father Augustus Chen. But let us give the purported “Father Augustus Chen” the benefit of the doubt for the next five days for him to surface and prove that he is not a phantom.

I for one would like to meet the purported “Father Augustus Chen” or the person camouflaging as “Father Augustus Chen” as he is quite a genius, although an evil genius, for I do not think it is easy to find another person who could pack so many lies and falsehoods into a 12-page booklet, with each page crammed and  brimming with lies and falsehoods.

There are easily some 100 lies and falsehoods in “Father Augustus Chen’s” DDD (Demonise/Destroy DAP) 12-page booklet, proving he is quite a “find” for the UMNO/BN “war-room psy-war” campaign against the DAP.

In the past seven months, three waves of public attacks were launched by the Umno/BN “war-room psy-war” campaign to demonise and destroy the DAP (DDD) over the DAP CEC elections last December.

In the first wave in January to March, the target of attack was on the computer glitch at the DAP CEC elections last December, which resulted in the incorrect posting and incorrect announcement of the election results. There was no mistake either in counting or tabulation of votes, let alone fraud.

The second wave of media attacks started in March and revolved around the false and baseless allegation that 753 of the 2,576  delegates who were absent at the DAP Congress had not been notified of the Congress as required by the DAP Constitution and denied the right to attend the Congress and to vote for the CEC. This was completely untrue.

When DAP explanations and clarifications shot down the first two allegations of election fraud and failure to provide notification to the 753 absent delegates of the congress, a third wave of media attacks was launched in early July – the outrageous and preposterous allegation of 547 “phantom” delegates who “illegally voted” in the CEC elections last December.

There is completely no basis or truth whatsoever in this third allegation, as illustrated by the fact that the RoS has not been able to find or produce a single “phantom” delegate to the DAP Congress in Penang last December.

In fact, DAP can prove from documentation that every delegate who voted in the DAP Congress in Penang last December is valid and legal delegate.

It is even alleged in this third wave of attacks that “547 phantom delegates” came mostly from Penang, which is utterly preposterous and outrageous when the total number of entitled delegates from Penang to the DAP Congress last December is 459, out of which 383 delegates from Penang attended.

The Registrar of Societies Director-General Datuk Abdul Rahman Othman’s directive for DAP CEC re-elections is not grounded on any acceptable or reasonable grounds. In fact, the RoS DG has not given any reason whatsoever!

There was no electoral fraud but only a computer glitch in the DAP CEC elections last December, and  there is no basis whatsoever in the other two allegations of 753 delegates not notified of the Congress and  the preposterous allegation of 547 “phantom delegates…mostly from Penang”.

In these circumstances, the RoS DG should meet with DAP officials to reconsider and retract his directive for DAP CEC re-elections

                This entry was posted on Wednesday, 7 August 2013, 1:18 pm and is filed under
DAP
,
UMNO
. You can follow any responses to this entry through
RSS 2.0
.


Let all Malaysians ponder the question: “Apa Lagi Malaysia Mau?”

I wish all Muslims in Malaysia Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri.

This is an auspicious occasion for non-Muslims in Malaysia to join their Muslim compatriots to commemorate a national celebration to underline a greater national unity, harmony and solidarity built over 56 years of Malaysian nationhood.

Recent events particularly in the past three months have given rise to valid and legitimate concerns about the success of Malaysian nation out of the diverse races, languages, religions, cultures and territories in the country in the sixth decade of Malaysian nationhood.

Immediately after the recent 13th general elections, Utusan Malaysia bannered a front-page headline: “Apa Lagi Cina Mau?”

This question should not have been asked, just as questions like “Apa Lagi Melayu Mau?”; “Apa Lagi Indian Mau?”, “Apa Lagi Kadazan Mau?” or “Apa Lagi Dayak Mau?”

It may be understandable for such questions to be asked in the first decade of nationhood, but something is very wrong when such questions are asked in the sixth decade of nationhood.

The right question to be asked should be: “Apa Lagi Malaysia Mau?”

And the answer would include good governance; successful battle against corruption in public life; public safety and low crime; economic justice, progress and prosperity for all and a world-class educational system from primary, secondary to university levels.

Something is very wrong in Malaysian nation-building with the recurrence of national controversies from jibes like “Balik Cina”, “Balik India” or even “Balik Indonesia”.

This is time for national reflection by all Malaysians who love this country and who have no intention to migrate to another country how to make Malaysia more united, harmonious, resilient, developed and prosperous for all Malaysians, regardless of race, religion or political affiliation.

Let all Malaysians ponder the question: “Apa Lagi Malaysia Mau?”

                This entry was posted on Wednesday, 7 August 2013, 3:39 pm and is filed under
Islam
,
nation building
. You can follow any responses to this entry through
RSS 2.0
.


A letter to Muslims on the celebration of ‘Eid ul-Fitri

– Pope Francis

The Malaysian Insider

August 07, 2013

To Muslims throughout the World,

It gives me great pleasure to greet you as you celebrate ‘Eid ul-Fitri, so concluding the month of Ramadan, dedicated mainly to fasting, prayer and almsgiving.

It is a tradition by now that, on this occasion, the Pontifical Council for Inter-religious Dialogue sends you a message of good wishes, together with a proposed theme for common reflection.

This year, the first of my Pontificate, I have decided to sign this traditional message myself and to send it to you, dear friends, as an expression of esteem and friendship for all Muslims, especially those who are religious leaders.

As you all know, when the Cardinals elected me as Bishop of Rome and Universal Pastor of the Catholic Church, I chose the name of “Francis”, a very famous saint who loved God and every human being deeply, to the point of being called “universal brother”. He loved, helped and served the needy, the sick and the poor; he also cared greatly for creation.

I am aware that family and social dimensions enjoy a particular prominence for Muslims during this period, and it is worth noting that there are certain parallels in each of these areas with Christian faith and practice.

This year, the theme on which I would like to reflect with you and with all who will read this message is one that concerns both Muslims and Christians: Promoting Mutual Respect through Education.

This year’s theme is intended to underline the importance of education in the way we understand each other, built upon the foundation of mutual respect.

“Respect” means an attitude of kindness towards people for whom we have consideration and esteem. “Mutual” means that this is not a one-way process, but something shared by both sides.

What we are called to respect in each person is, first of all, his life, his physical integrity, his dignity and the rights deriving from that dignity, his reputation, his property, his ethnic and cultural identity, his ideas and his political choices.

We are therefore called to think, speak and write respectfully of the other, not only in his presence, but always and everywhere, avoiding unfair criticism or defamation. Families, schools, religious teaching and all forms of media have a role to play in achieving this goal.

Turning to mutual respect in inter-religious relations, especially between Christians and Muslims, we are called to respect the religion of the other, its teachings, its symbols, its values. Particular respect is due to religious leaders and to places of worship. How painful are attacks on one or other of these!

It is clear that when we show respect for the religion of our neighbours or when we offer them our good wishes on the occasion of a religious celebration, we simply seek to share their joy without making reference to the content of their religious convictions.

Regarding the education of Muslim and Christian youth, we have to bring up our young people to think and speak respectfully of other religions and their followers, and to avoid ridiculìng or denigrating their convictions and practices.

We all know that mutual respect is fundamental in any human relationship, especially among people who profess religious beliefs. ln this way, sincere and lasting friendship can grow.

When I received the Diplomatic Corps accredited to the Holy See on 22 March 2013, I said: “It is not possible to establish true links with God, while ignoring other people. Hence, it is important to intensify dialogue among the various religions, and I am thinking particularly of dialogue with Islam.

“At the Mass marking the beginning of my ministry, I greatly appreciated the presence of so many civil and religious leaders from the Islamic world.”

With these words, I wish to emphasise once more the great importance of dialogue and cooperation among believers, in particular Christians and Muslims, and the need for it to be enhanced.

With these sentiments, I reiterate my hope that all Christians and Muslims may be true promoters of mutual respect and friendship, in particular through education.

Finally, I send you my prayerful good wishes, that your lives may glorify the Almighty and give joy to those around you.

Happy Feast to you all, from the Vatican. – August 7, 2013.

                This entry was posted on Thursday, 8 August 2013, 3:12 am and is filed under
Education
,
Religion
. You can follow any responses to this entry through
RSS 2.0
.