Building a harmonious Malaysia

by Pastor Lam Kee Hing

The Malaysian Insider

February 28, 2014

I am a 60-year-old Malaysian who works as a church pastor. I went through the May 13 tragedy as a teenager and can still recall the terror we went through huddled in fear in our homes as we heard news of people being killed and shops being burnt. My prayer is that our beloved nation will never ever have to go through a similar tragedy.

It seems clear to me that there are a group of people who are determined to create fear and chaos in our country for their own devilish agenda. The actions we have witnessed since 2009 point to a concerted effort by these deranged groups of people who are doing their best to create a wedge between the races and religious groups. All the actions and words have a racial and religious twist to it.

The only way to fight these people is for ordinary Malaysians to speak up and rise up against all forms of racial and religious extremism. We must take back the public space and not let this small minority’s views and actions cow us and intimidate us. We need to respond with calmness and firmness, not react with anger and descend to their level or fall into their traps.

We need to show and express mutual respect and help to one another as Malaysians, not as one race to another. We must learn to celebrate our differences and diversity, and promote unity in diversity. We need to avoid the temptation to label each other in racial or religious boxes and to discourage uniformity.

It is so alarming to see and hear seditious words and actions uttered and done publicly, and yet to see the lack of action and seriousness on the part of the relevant authorities to take firm action.

It is even scary to hear some people in authority justifying the unwarranted actions of some of these people.

It is now the responsibility of every peace-loving Malaysian to do our part to promote real muhibbah and do our part individually and collectively as families, religious groups, NGOs, civic groups, etc., to build bridges of trust and respect through words and acts of kindness; and respect and appreciation for each other in our daily lives, in our neighbourhoods and our work places.

The growing darkness in our nation can be overcome when each of us become a candle of peace and light other candles around us. I have always believed in these wise words which I read somewhere: “Do not curse the darkness but light a candle”

May God Almighty watch over our beloved and beautiful Malaysia and guide each one of us to become lighted candles that will gradually dispel the darkness that the misguided, evil-minded, small minority is seeking to foist on this nation. – February 28, 2014.

                This entry was posted on Saturday, 1 March 2014, 6:30 am and is filed under
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Fighting those who are fanning hatred in Malaysia

by Ramon Navaratnam

The Malaysian Insider

February 26, 2014

“Dear fellow Malaysians,

Like most Malaysians , I am deeply disturbed by the serious developments that have been unfolding in our beloved country Malaysia in recent times.

It is depressing to read mass media reports on the increasing number of “hate incidents” occurring all over our country.

I ask myself constantly, what is happening and why are these extremists, who commit these hate crimes, doing so and worse still, why are they getting away with it?

Why has the government and the police not come down hard on these destructive elements?

Why are those who are brazenly and unashamedly preaching and practising hate on racial and religious grounds not being publicly reprimanded and/or brought to book immediately?

The authorities are relatively “silent” and are causing great uncertainty, unrest and  disharmony  among the  people by  their relative slow, if sometimes ineffective, response.

There is now growing speculation among the public that  some parts of  government  may  even be  quietly   helping to stoke   hate and   social and religious   unrest behind the scenes.

This is serious and can lead to grave implications  for our  country and all our people now and in the future.

We  have all contributed to build up our beautiful and blessed country and all can be lost almost  overnight.

This no exaggeration as this can more easily happen in a uniquely complicated multiracial and multi-religious society such as ours.

I myself believe that most Malaysians are mature and patriotic and loyal enough to resist  violence of any kind from all quarters.

However, I also believe that  we cannot  take peace and national unity for granted.

We must  fight the extremists or be overcome by them as history elsewhere  has  shown so clearly for all to see.

But some seem blind!

We must act  immediately to stop all irresponsible and destructive and male fide individuals and  groups  from creating  and cultivating hate, dissension and  disunity.

As a simple but proud and patriotic citizen, I appeal to the government and the powers that be to take  severe  and speedy action  against all those  who defy our precious constitution, the Rukun Negara.

We all need  to re-dedicate ourselves, especially our leaders, to basic human and genuine religious values that strongly cry out to promote  peace, national unity and love and goodwill for all god’s children.

We all hope and pray that the government will take lead, with god’s guidance, to maintain and sustain the peace, wellbeing and national unity in our dear Malaysia.”  – February 26, 2014.

* Tan Sri Ramon Navaratnam is the chairman Asli’s Centre for Public Policy Studies.

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Let us  pay tribute to three unsung heroes who dare to stand up for inter-religious harmony, clean elections and  a better education system  – Azrul Mohd Khalib, Major Zaidi Ahmad and Mohd Nor Izzah

Let us pay tribute to ordinary Malaysians who are  the country’s unsung heroes who dare to stand up for a better Malaysia whether in terms of  a better education system, clean elections or inter-religious harmony, for they are the salt of the earth who will ensure that Malaysia will achieve her greatness instead of becoming a failed state.

Mohd Nor Izzat Mohd Johari, the head of Suara Guru Masyarakat Malaysia (SGMM), who is facing mean, petty and punitive persecution from the “Little Napoleons” in the Education Ministry with the Education Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin too “busy” to intervene, is one such unsung hero in Malaysia.

What is Nor Izzat’s crime? None, instead he had rendered great national service in spearheading the protest against the woes of the badly-planned and poorly-conceived student-based assessment (SBA) system. He should be rewarded for his positive contribution in  forcing the Education Ministry to suspend the SBA instead of being subject to mean and petty punitive actions.

Another unsung Malaysian hero is Royal Malaysian Air Force pilot Major Zaidi Ahmad who should be rewarded instead of being penalised for speaking up about the indelible ink fiasco in the recent 13th General Elections and is now awaiting court-martial for his great  service as a patriot  to the country.

Nor Izzat wants to have a better education system for our teachers and children. Major Zaidi wants the country to have a clean election system which Malaysians can stand tall in the world.

A third unsung hero Malaysians should pay tribute to is social activist Azrul Mohd Khalib who led a Malaysians for Malaysia group to spearhead a “Walk for Peace” movement among ordinary Malaysians  who care about the country to push for national healing in the face of the worst racial and religious polarization in the nation’s 56-year history.

It all started on Sunday, January 5 this year outside Our Lady of Lourdes Church in Klang where the nearly 1,000 Catholics who turned up for Sunday mass had expected an angry mob of Muslims protesting against the possible use of the word ‘Allah’ but instead met a group of progressive Muslims bearing flowers to express solidarity and preparedness to defend the Church from the planned protest.

Among the progressive Muslims who turned up was social activist Datin Paduka Marina Mahathir.

This was followed by a “Walk for Peace” at the Kuala Lumpur City Centre (KLCC) park on Sunday, January 26 in the face of rising inter-religious and inter-ethnic tensions.

Dressed in purple – the colour that signifies religious tolerance – a group of Malaysians led by Azrul handed out flowers, candies and bookmarks in the hope of promoting diversity in Malaysia.

Azrul said the ‘Allah’ issue, allegations of conversion and propagation of Muslims were all threatening to tear apart the fabric of Malaysia’s multi-cultural community.

He said: “The individuals who are currently speaking on these issues are not promoting national unity and solidarity in the country.

“Instead, they are promoting hate and distrust, and pushing the various ethnic groups into their respective communities.

“We must reject this hatred, we believe in a pluralistic society, one which is united regardless of different creed, religion and race.”

Next was the peace walk in Penang on Sunday, February 23, organized by a housewife and a choreographer/activist, involving some 50 Malaysians, who carried purple balloons, carnations and roses, who walked from one house of worship to another in Penang,  to reject racial and religious extremism surging in the country.

The group’s mission to promote inter-religious tolerance came some 12 hours after a mosque in Cheruk Tok Kun on mainland Penang was defiled with a slab of meat believed to be pork, which was thrown at one of its entrances.

Azrul is driven by a need to have an “alternative voice” in the “current monologue” produced by extremist groups who had sown the seeds of bigotry, hatred and violence.

He said: “We want to be one of the voices that speak about moderation. And speaking about it and having dialogues are great but it is equally important to show the people what moderation looks like.

“Malaysians need to be able to see other Malaysians standing up for each other in order to move forward as a country.”

The group, made up of people from different faiths and backgrounds, prides itself on being inclusive, in contrast to what extremist groups espouse The next programme  is scheduled to be  Klang tomorrow, followed  by Ipoh a week later.

I fully agree with the editor of The Malaysian Insider, Jahabar Sadiq who in his article
“For some, it is the pursuit of destroying Malaysia”
, to launch off a series for its readers to share their hopes and fears about the nation after half-a-century of nationhood and whether ordinary Malaysians can save the country from those who want to destroy multi-racial and multi-religious Malaysia, wrote:

“Yet, the baiting continues unabated and some people appear to want this country to go up in smoke. They have tried many ways in the recent past, encouraged by the lethargic response to their deeds.

“The question is: will Malaysians continue to hold the line or explode with anger that would lead to unpleasant circumstances akin to the race riots of May 1969.

“Or can they turn the other cheek and let the authorities catch up and put the culprits behind bars? And can the government of the day ensure there is still peace and harmony in Malaysia?”

This is why moderates in Malaysia, whether Barisan Nasional or Pakatan Rakyat or outside these two political coalitions, must unite and isolate extremists and traitors of the country who want to foment racial chaos and religious conflagration through incessant incitement of racial and religious hatred, conflict and tension.

The silent majority must not pay heed to Najib’s  ridiculous and even atrocious advice to “ignore” the instigators and extremists but  must become  an articulate majority to support a nation-wide  “Love Malaysia, Save Malaysia” campaign to rescue the country from the nefarious and treacherous designs of a small group of anti-Malaysian elements who want to pit race against race and religion against religion to set the country aflame!

                This entry was posted on Saturday, 1 March 2014, 2:05 pm and is filed under
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MCA Worse Off for EGM Flip-flop

By Kee Thuan Chye

malaysia.msn.com

28th Feb 2014

The MCA has traded whatever dignity it has left for nothing but a trifle.

In an extraordinary general meeting (EGM) held last October, its delegates voted against revoking a party resolution that barred members from accepting Cabinet positions. But only four months later, in another EGM held last Sunday, the earlier decision was reversed.

At first, no to Cabinet posts, and now, yes. This is a classic example of flip-flopping. The disease is indeed infectious, running from the head of Barisan Nasional (BN) down to the coalition’s partner. Call it leadership by example.

It’s interesting to note that in the October EGM, of the 2,188 delegates who voted, 50 per cent (1,090) said no to Cabinet positions while 49 per (1,080) cent said yes.

This time around, of the 1,982 delegates who voted, an overwhelming 99.5 per cent (1,973) said yes. Four abstained, and only five said no. Almost 900 had changed their minds since last October.

Apart from exhibiting inconsistency, the delegates showed they bent like feudal serfs to the will of their lord. Four months ago, Chua Soi Lek was the lord, but now it’s Liow Tiong Lai. And Liow has been an advocate of accepting Cabinet positions. Right after he became the party’s president last December, he declared that the move to return to the Cabinet would be foremost on his main agenda. So now the delegates are responding to their master’s wish.

Indeed, the outcome of the new EGM also makes Liow look like he himself is coveting a ministerial post. He must greatly miss it after having been Health Minister until the last general election (GE13).

He tries to rationalise it by saying that a lot of issues affecting the Chinese need to be raised at the Cabinet level in order to be resolved quickly. But this doesn’t hold water. Even the Chinese don’t believe it. At GE13, they rejected the MCA precisely because as part of the Government, it had failed to get issues resolved. Many Chinese even feel the MCA has actually lost its relevance.

Even now, in the nine months after GE13 with no MCA representation in the Cabinet, business has been going on as usual. A couple of MCA ministers in the Government would have made no difference whatsoever.

The reason for this is clear: Umno’s dominance in the Government is overwhelming, and therefore any claim made by the MCA or the MIC or any other BN component parties that they can resolve whatever issues they may raise is mostly illusory. In common parlance, such a claim is simply syiok sendiri.

Given the inherent ineffectuality of MCA ministers, it looks all the more apparent that the push for reversal of its Cabinet stand is motivated mainly by the desire of individuals to become ministers, and also the desire of intra-party parasites to get favours from the ministerial connections.

But for all that has transpired and the price paid for it in the loss of the delegates’ consistency, word has it that the MCA might not get what it is hankering after, i.e. three minister and four deputy minister openings.

The position of Transport Minister is assured, because this has been reserved for the party since after GE13, with Hishammuddin Hussein currently operating in an acting capacity. But other than that, it depends on how much of a juggling act Prime Minister Najib Razak is willing to perform.

The MCA is reportedly also hoping to get the Urban Wellbeing, Housing and Local Government Ministry because it covers Chinese New Villages. If it does, this will amount to a mere small picking anyway, especially compared to what the party used to command during its better days, when the highly important Finance Ministry was one of its portfolios. Well, that was a few decades ago; these days, there’s no chance whatsoever for the MCA to get that portfolio back. It has been reserved for Umno since the time of Mahathir Mohamad. You can bet it’s not going to change.

So it looks like the MCA will be asking for scraps, the kind of thing beggars do. But then, with its track record having deteriorated so much, what can it possibly expect? At GE13, it managed to win only seven parliamentary seats, down from the 15 it won at GE12 and the 31 at GE11. This means that at the last two general elections, it performed poorer each time by 50 per cent.

The party had four ministers and seven deputy ministers in government prior to GE13. Now if the outcome of its request to return to the Cabinet falls short of expectations, it will certainly lose face. Liow too could lose the confidence of his own party members.

The MIC, which won fewer parliamentary seats at GE13 (only four), now has two ministers and two deputy ministers. If the MCA doesn’t get more than the MIC, where would Liow run for cover?

He might take comfort in the fact that it was his predecessor, Chua, who made the horrific mistake of threatening the Chinese before GE13 by declaring that the MCA would turn down Cabinet positions if it lost badly. But, more important than anything else, he needs to recognise that the Chinese no longer have much faith in the MCA any more. That’s why they were not bothered by Chua’s threat.

This being so, MCA’s getting back into government will not help it regain Chinese support. Neither will it improve the party’s overall position. In fact, now that it has reneged from its earlier stand, its position will be worse. It will be perceived as a party without scruples, a party that does not keep its word.

The upcoming Kajang by-election, scheduled for March 23, is going to be a test – although in a microcosm – of how much regard the Chinese still have for the MCA. The constituency has 41 per cent of voters who are Chinese. But chances are many of them will not vote for the BN candidate, Chew Mei Fun. This is because by and large, the Chinese cannot accept a party that still cavorts with the “devil” that they consider corrupt, deceitful and racially divisive.

That Chew agreed to be a guinea pig or barometer of Chinese support or sacrificial lamb – whatever you want to call it – so soon after having made a comeback in the MCA and getting elected its vice-president shows that she is either courageous or thick-skinned or not too smart. Or that she is merely trying her luck.

In that sense, perhaps she reflects her party’s dilemma. When you have already lost so much, why not just try anything? After all, what more could you possibly lose?

* Kee Thuan Chye is the author of the book The Elections Bullshit, available in bookstores.

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Mokhzani Mahathir’s low position on wealthiest Malaysians’ list

 – Koon Yew Yin

The Malaysian Insider

February 28, 2014

Every few days or so, Dr Mahathir Mohamad, our former Prime Minister, comes out with a new story lamenting the loss of Malay and Muslim power, and complaining how it is in fact  the non-Malays or non-Muslims who are the ones that are really running the country.

There are many variants of this argument that he comes out with, such as that the DAP is running the show in Pakatan; or that PKR and PAS leaders have sold out to the DAP; or that the Christians have an ulterior motive in raising the Allah issue and are to be blamed for the rise in tension and resentment in the country.

In his latest skirmish with Muslim orthodox groups in his blog over his support of Kassim Ahmad who has been critical of the ulama class and its over-reliance on the Hadiths, Dr Mahathir has seen it fit to claim that the result of the ongoing schism in the Muslim world between those who are called ulama and the non-ulama is that “therefore Muslims have become weak and they have to beg for support from non-Muslims”.

Why must he bring the non-Muslims into this latest controversy if not to stoke more fear and distrust among Muslim of their non-Muslim brothers and sisters.  This was no spur of the moment, slip of the tongue or foot in the mouth accident. It was carefully crafted and meant to share with his Malay and Muslim audience at his blog, as well as for reproduction in the other media to “enlighten” the Muslims.

It seems so typical of Dr Mahathir to introduce his brand of racist or religiously bigoted thinking and argument into every controversy in the country, whether or not he is directly involved in it and regardless of whether there is any need or justification.  “Pathetic” is the word that some would prefer to use to explain his behavior and conduct. I prefer to use the words “mischievous” and “evil”.

Weathiest Malaysians – Why is Datuk Mokhzani so far down the list?

While Dr Mahathir is conspicuous for what he selects to focus his attack on, he is also unmistakable in what he deliberately chooses to ignore. Take for instance the list of the richest Malaysians of which two separate lists have recently appeared.

The first list is compiled by Malaysian Business and the second list by Forbes. In both lists. Datuk Mokhzani Mahathir, the son of the former prime minister has joined the ranks of the country’s richest men or billionaires.

According to the Malaysian Business magazine, the SapuraKencana Petroleum mogul added another RM1.59 billion to his coffers over the last year to raise his estimated wealth to RM4.22 billion — good enough for ninth place on the list.

Forbes also includes Mokhzani in its list but only at number 15, with a total fortune of US1. 2 billion.

According to Forbes, Mokhzani has broken into the billionaire’s club (calculated in US dollars, and not our cheap Malaysian ringgit) because of the 22% rise in his oil shares in his oil and gas stocks.

Dr. Mahathir has so far made no comment on the lists and the people who have made it, including his son. Perhaps our docile and politically correct reporters are too afraid of the repercussions to ask him questions about his son’s meteoric rise in the wealthiest Malaysians list.

But not all our reporters are that bad. I think the braver ones among them are probably afraid that if they asked him questions about it, all they may get is another round of diversionary, evasive and sarcastic comments about how Mokhzani would have been able to come out much higher up the list – say at number 3 or 4 – if not for the “Chinamen” or Indians who have made it difficult for his son to rise higher and more quickly.

That answer would have no leg to stand on. But it should please the anti-non-Malay audience that Dr. Mahathir is so fixated on to salvage his reputation. – February 28, 2014.

                This entry was posted on Saturday, 1 March 2014, 6:02 am and is filed under
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Will  Muhyiddin support the  National Reconciliation Plan (NRP) and will he now declare that he is “Malaysian first, Malay second”?

Five things happened in the 28 days between Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s first announcement of a National Reconciliation Plan (NRP) after the Cabinet meeting of January 29 and his blog-post on Feb. 25 on “A national reconciliation update” which raise serious questions whether the Najib premiership   is really serious about national reconciliation, national unity and national consensus.

These five incidents are:

1.	Although Najib’s post-Cabinet announcement of an NRP on Jan 29 was in response to Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s offer of an olive branch on Jan 26 to Barisan Nasional on behalf of Pakatan Rakyat for a “national consensus” to end the voices of hate and to move the nation forward, nothing was  done in the past 30 days to convene a summit meeting of BN-PR leaders on “national reconciliation”.

2.	Najib conspicuously turned his back on the world-wide celebration of “World Interfaith Harmony  Week 2014” (Feb. 3 – 9) not participating in any function to mark the occasion, although on the first day of the World Interfaith Harmony Week last year, he set the pace on the observance of the global interfaith harmony week and visited the places of worship of the nation’s five main religions in Kuala Lumpur.

3.	The Feb. 6 “chicken and slap” demonstration by self-styled “Council of Islamic NGOs”  offering a reward of RM500 (later raised to RM1,200 and then RM2,000) to anyone who slapped DAP National Vice Chairperson and MP for Seputeh Teresa Kok followed by the “chicken-slaughtering and blood-smearing” of the images of DAP and Pakatan Rakyat leaders – in the process committing a slew of offences including criminal intimidation, sedition, incitement of violence against a woman, incitement of violence against an MP and incitement of another May 13 riots.  Up to now, the police have not acted against the “Council of Islamic NGOs” protestors for a battery of criminal offences.

4.	Resignation of  P Waythamoorthy as Deputy Minister on Feb 10 for Najib’s “betrayal in historical terms to the entire Indian people” in not fulfilling the promises he made in the MOU the BN signed with Persatuan Hindraf Malaysia (PHB) before the 13GE, clearly a message that Najib will not honour his commitment to provide a fair deal to minority communities.  This is a great blow to any serious talk of “national reconciliation”.

5.	The vicious, malevolent and hate-filled reactions to the proposal by the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, Tan Sri Joseph Kurup on Feb. 22 for the omission of the “race” category in all official forms in the country as a major step towards creating a single national identity – like the vitriolic article by Utusan Malaysia (official UMNO newspaper) editor Datuk Zaini Hassan warning that Joseph Kurup’s suggestion was the first step to convince Malays to surrender their bumiputera status and other privileges afforded to the community.

Nobody can missed the fact that in the past 10 months after the 13th General Elections last May, Najib had virtually forgotten or abandoned his 1Malaysia Policy which he promulgated when he first became Prime Minister in April 2009.

It is sad but true that never before had a laudable policy like Najib’s 1Malaysia Policy, with the objective “to make Malaysia more vibrant, more productive and more competitive – and ultimately a greater nation: a nation where, it is hoped, every Malaysian perceives himself or herself as Malaysian first, and by race, religion, geographical region or socio-economic background second and where the principles of 1Malaysia are woven into the economic, political and social fabric of society”, had been met with such dismal failure.

Former Prime Minister Tun Mahathir has gone on public record that Malaysia has never seen worse racial and religious polarization than during Najib’s 1Malaysia policy.

Is this true and if so, why?

Will Najib’s National Reconciliation Plan (NRP) be a repudiation of his 1Malaysia Policy, or will it be a reiteration in the form of a second edition of 1Malaysia Policy, a form of  1Malaysia2.0?

If it is the former, Najib NRP is condemned to failure.

Will it be the latter?  If so, to be credible with any hope of success,Najib must first get his Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin to declare his support of the NRP by declaring that he, Muhyiddin,  is now “Malaysian first, Malay second”!

Is Muhyiddin prepared to do this?

If not, how meaningful can NRP be?

                This entry was posted on Saturday, 1 March 2014, 11:13 am and is filed under
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Interfaith harmony in shambles as government agencies stoke the fire

Ahmad Mustapha Hassan

The Ant Daily

28/02/2014

OUTSPOKEN:
 As Malaysia marches into the unchartered waters of the future, I have good reason to be less optimistic about the country. Day in and day out, groups with neo-fascist agenda keep creating problems to disunite the people. Even government agencies have jumped on the bandwagon to add more fire to this unholy movement.

Jakim, the department entrusted with Islamic development, blames all quarters about the perceived threat to Islam. The latest rumbling accuses the Christians and the Jews of undermining Islam. This is a fantasy which only the illiterate and the confused can create. But then Jakim has not been very constructive in its actions since its inception in 1991. It only gropes around to justify its existence by creating fear among the Malaysian Muslims.

This story about the Christians and the Jews undermining Islam is an archaic one that has been overused and misused.

Jakim’s strategy is to portray all and sundry as being the enemies of Islam. It never tries to strengthen the religious beliefs of the Muslims. Its actions therefore are very negative in nature.

It has not done anything to strengthen interfaith harmony. Instead, it is destroying the goodwill that had been built up in the past. Never in the history of the country had fingers been pointed that Islam was facing threats from other religious groups.

Even during the colonial period when schools were run by Christian missionaries, no attempts were ever made to put doubts into the minds of Muslim school children about their faith.

They learned about Christianity but there was no agenda to convert them. And all of those former students of these mission schools remain ardent Muslims.

But now suddenly, in the imagination of Jakim, Christians are trying to proselytise the Muslims and as such Christianity has become a threat to Islam. Now it has gone further by saying that the Jews are also undermining Islam.

The Arab Muslims have not come out with such accusations.

There are millions of topics that Jakim can delve into to come out with very sensible sermons that will help the people and the country to face a better future.

As long as the Muslims lack the knowledge to move forward, especially in science and technology, the more likely they would be left behind by all the other religious communities. The Jews moved on and most inventions today are their creations and the Muslims are happily using them.

Even in the field of medicine, most of the discoveries were made by the Jews. Muslims should try to match their achievements rather than blaming them for everything that the Muslims face.

Just look at the number of Jews winning the Nobel prize. And instead of trying to compete positively, Jakim simply lamented and blamed them for the pathetic condition of the Muslims in relation to knowledge, as well as scientific, technological and academic achievements.

As long as Jakim only spews hatred, the Muslims will forever remain backward.

Let me quote some very important roles that Jakim is supposed to play and they include:

• To build well-established Islamic thinking amongst the people (ummah) based on the beliefs of the Ahlus Sunnah Wal-Jamaah

• To lead research efforts on current issues in the field of faith (Aqidah), Islamic law, astronomy and finance (muamalat) at the national, regional and international levels

The goals of achieving the above will come to zero if only hatred is emphasised and all other productive fields are neglected.

At a recent gathering, a federal minister emphasised the need to strengthen harmony among the people and yet a government agency is doing the very opposite.

Now Jakim too supports the decision that the word Allah is only meant for Muslims. Be a true Islamic institution! Be honest and be truthful for Allah has never been the exclusive possession of the Muslims.

Stop pushing the Malaysian Muslims especially the Malay/Muslims into the darkness of religious illiteracy. They will just become the victims of manipulations by the evil Umno Baru.

If the government is really sincere in promoting interfaith and ethnic harmony, then the government will have to act realistically and demand that all its agencies act to achieve that goal. Words must be matched by actions.

It was most heartening therefore to witness an event organised by a very responsible individual, Ally Hazran Hashim, who led a group of Muslims in visiting parishioners and Father George Harrison at the Church of Holy Family in Kajang recently. They handed out oranges, goodies and flowers to the parishioners.

He had this to say about his gesture. “I am practising what my religion taught me. Islam is peace. I believe if you do things with good faith, people will see it in good light. We are creating love.” Bravo and well said, Ally!

Jakim should take a leaf from what this honorable Muslim had done.

Ahmad Mustapha Hassan is a former press secretary to second Prime Minister Tun Abdul Razak Hussein and the writer of the book, “The Unmaking of Malaysia”.

                This entry was posted on Sunday, 2 March 2014, 9:03 am and is filed under
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Unity is only a dream

by Kevin Soo

The Malaysian Insider

March 02, 2014

So goes the narrative: We are an example of how a multiracial country can flourish. We find our strength in diversity. We are all Malaysians (or, at least, those from an older generation tell us stories about how race did not matter when they were children).

I ask myself daily how true this is. Do we simply happen to be citizens of the same state, or is there anything that truly binds us into a collective? Is national unity a reality that we are defending, or are we simply hoping that if we repeat it enough the narrative will turn into reality?

We tell each other and ourselves these stories, as if they are the truth, while extremism and discord are only aberrations caused by a vocal minority. “True Malaysians reject that,” we say. But on what basis do we lay claim to be true Malaysians? We need to at least consider possibility that our stories are becoming increasingly fictional for the real Malaysian.

There will always be moderates and those who reject the division – no one denies that good Malaysians will always step up with a sane voice. But let’s face it: we’re preaching to the choir here. The majority of people with online access and who will spend time reading letters to the editor like these in publications like TMI are already convinced.

The problem is not with seeds of disunity being sown amongst moderates, but with the widening gap between the moderates and everyone else. In political terms, this is the voting split across the rural-urban divide. In intellectual terms, this is the divide between those who have access to and seek out alternative media versus those who rely on state-owned media.

By and large, that’s what is shaping the reality of Malaysia, independent of the stories we tell. Malaysia can be a united nation if its citizens are made that way by the state – that was the noble purpose of nation-building policies of old (and at least the stated intention of 1Malaysia, which has become nothing more than an ironic gimmick).

The state can also, if it chooses, put in place policies that will put an end to a sense of collective destiny. Just think of what a few years of bad education policies can do to a whole generation of young Malaysians. It will produce an increasing number of people who are prone to (and in fact will be receptive to, or at least tolerant of) the provocations of disunity from extremists.

And therein lies the problem: what the state is able to accomplish in the hearts and minds of Malaysians who do not have the means to alternative ideas and the ability to question the economic, social and political realities they inhabit.

So the story we tell ourselves: that true Malaysians reject disunity and extremism, may just be a story. The real Malaysian may lie outside our narrative, exclusively within the state’s sphere of influence, unaware of a reality outside of that.

I doubt anyone wants to read something with no hope, but if the dream of unity is only a dream, then I think we need to wake up before pouring energy and creativity into restoring it by attacking it in a way that confronts the reality (rather than trying to convince ourselves of a reality we prefer).

Think about what our commiserating in our usual spheres accomplishes (on Facebook, alternative media, etc). It only serves to retell the story we have heard so many times. If this continues while the rest of Malaysia never gets to hear it, we’re passengers on the Titanic who keep praising its decor while ignoring the fact that it’s sinking.

The “ordinary Malaysian” cannot save this ship if the majority are taking part in a different narrative. The fate of this ship is determined by the spread of information and education. Until the state lives up to its call by reforming education and increasing internet penetration while reducing its vice-like grip on the mainstream media (which would take years, if it ever happened), only the privileged few will even know how to incorporate the unity narrative into their stories.

I’m hoping the truth is not as bleak as I think it is, and if I’m wrong I hope people will point it out and wake me up from the impending nightmare. But if we’re the delusional ones, then I’d rather we wake up and realise that unity is a sinking ship. – March 2, 2014.

                This entry was posted on Sunday, 2 March 2014, 9:17 am and is filed under
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Utusan Malaysia guilty of “Thief Shouting Thief” reeking of  hypocrisy and  to distract attention from their incessant incitement of racial and religious hatred through lies and falsehoods with “immunity and impunity”

“Thief shouting thief” is what I immediately thought of when I saw the Awang Selamat column in  Mingguan Malaysia today entitled “Pihak berkuasa kita!”, as it not only reeks of hypocrisy but clearly had the ignoble objective of distracting attention from their incessant incitement of racial and religious hatred through lies and falsehoods with “immunity and impunity” to pit race against race and religion against religion in Malaysia.

Awang Selamat, the collective pen name of the Utusan editors, today made the preposterous and outrageous claims that government agencies were “strengthening” extremist  cells in the country by letting the opposition DAP and its alleged “Red Bean Army” (RBA) run free.

The authorities were also attacked  for practising double standards for failing to haul up and prosecute DAP leaders or members of the RBA the party purportedly runs for allegedly insulting the Malays, Islam, security forces, civil servants, and the country.

Awang claimed: “In Malaysia, if you want to insult and flare up extremism, join DAP. As the most racist party, DAP has a grand licence to do extreme provocation.

“Strangely, the authorities uses different standards against DAP. If others do as they did then the action would be swift and sometimes could be seen as overly pro-active.”

It is indeed most shocking to read such garbage in Utusan which had an illustrious past but is now a  most infamous present-day example of what constitutes a total disgrace to the noble profession of journalism.

The DAP is completely innocent of the wild, reckless and outrageous allegations made against us by Utusan, as it is Utusan which is guilty of the incessant incitement of racial and religious animosities and hatred, and the beneficiary of double standards and selective prosecution of the police and the Attorney-General’s Chambers.

If DAP leaders had made five  per cent of the incessant incitement of racial and religious animosities and hatred to pit race against race and religion against religion, DAP leaders would be going in and out courts and jail with no time for anything else.

But the Utusan editors and writers have special immunity and impunity for their irresponsible and provocative reports and articles.

 Can the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak, the Inspector-General of Police, Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar and the Attorney-General Tan Sri Abdul Ghani Patail explain why the Utusan editors and writers have such “immunity and impunity” for repeatedly breaking laws of the land with their incessant incitement of racial and religious animosities and hatred?

Utusan can only make baseless allegations that DAP is anti-Malay, anti-Islam and anti-Rulers, but up to now, Utusan has not been able even to point out in a single instance how DAP National Vice Chairperson and MP for Seputeh Teresa Kok’ “Onederful Malaysia CNY 2014” video is anti-Malay, anti-Islam and anti-Rulers!

I have said that Teresa Kok will withdraw and apologise for the video if anyone can point out that the video is anti-Malay, anti-Islam and anti-Rulers. Can Utusan do so? This of course reflects most adversely on Utusan’s honesty and journalistic ethics.

When Awang alleged that DAP has “grand licence to do extreme provocation”, he knows that nobody will believe him.  But the Utusan editors have a special message for the authorities – that they want the Utusan’s “grand licence to do extreme provocation” to remain intact and untouched!

This is in fact the greatest test of credibility for the Prime Minister and the Barisan Nasional government – how they can continue to allow Utusan to have the “grand licence” to incessantly incite racial and religious hatred in the country to pit race against race and religion against religion.

Is Najib Prime Minister for all Malaysians and the BN government a government for all Malaysians?

I will deal with the other wild lies and allegations by Awang Selamat tomorrow.

(Media Statement in Kuala Lumpur on Sunday, 2nd March 2014)

                This entry was posted on Sunday, 2 March 2014, 10:40 pm and is filed under
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Imperative that PR and component parties  demonstrate an unprecedented unity,  resolve and commitment to score a historic victory in Kajang by-election especially as UMNO/BN plotting to sabotage Anwar’s candidature on March 11

This morning I was in Kajang together with the PKR National Vice Chairman MP Nurul Izzah and the PAS election director MP Dr. Hatta Ramli to launch the DAP operations centre for the Kajang by-election on March 23.

It is imperative that Pakatan Rakyat and the component parties, whether PKR, PAS or DAP demonstrate an unprecedented unity, resolve and commitment to score a resounding and historic victory in Kajang by-election for two reasons:

·       *Firstly, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim is the Pakatan Rakyat candidate for the Kajang by-election, which must be fought as an important PR milestone  to Putrajaya in the 14th General Elections which must be held by 2018 but which could be held in 2016 or 2017; and

·       *Secondly, there is a serious UMNO/BN plot afoot to sabotage Anwar’s candidature for the Kajang by-election on March 11.

This is why I spoke up three days ago  with the reminder that “A House divided cannot stand” and that Anwar’s real enemies in Kajang by-election are not independents, MCA or even UMNO, but PR/PKR internal feuds and infighting.

I am glad that my reminder has been taken in good spirits by all concerned.

I appreciate better than anyone else that infighting is normal part of political parties, but in the face of a major test for the entire cause in the service of the people and country, such internal feuds should be kept to a minimum or even put aside until after the major test is won and over.

The resounding and historic victory which PR and the component parties must aim for in the Kajang by-election must be the securing of an even bigger majority for Anwar than won by the PKR in the 2013 general elections, but this is going to be a tall order  as the voter turn-out in the Kajang state assembly seat  in the May 5, 2013 general elections was a historic high of 88 per cent, with the PKR candidate Lee Chin Cheh winning with a 6,824-vote majority.

This is the tall order and common challenge which PR and all the three component parties must rise to the occasion and  accept without hesitation.

As far as the DAP is concerned, we are committed to getting every possible vote out  in Kajang to vote for Anwar on March 23 – for the people of Kajang must speak up for the 30 million Malaysians, regardless of race, religion or region that they are solidly behind  Anwar and Pakatan Rakyat for change in Malaysia to ensure that there is peace, harmony, justice, freedom, good governance, progress and prosperity for every Malaysian!

(Speech at the DAP Appreciation Dinner for Veteran Penang DAP members of over 30 years held at Star View Restaurant, Penang on Sunday, 2nd February 2014 at 9 pm)

                This entry was posted on Monday, 3 March 2014, 2:51 pm and is filed under
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Utusan’s revival of the discredited fairy tale of DAP-funded Red Bean Army of 3,000 cybertroopers is a desperate bid by UMNO cyber mercenaries not to  be excluded from the  UMNO cyberwar funding  running into hundreds of millions of ringgit

Yesterday, in the first part of my commentary on Awang Selamat’s column “Pihak berkuasa kita!” in Mingguan Malaysia of Sunday, 2nd March 2014, I said my first immediate thought on reading the column was that it was a classic case of “Thief shouting thief”.

This is because the column by Awang Selamat,  the collective pen name of the Utusan editors, not only reeked of hypocrisy but clearly had the ignoble objective of distracting attention from their incessant incitement of racial and religious hatred through lies and falsehoods with “immunity and impunity” to pit race against race and religion against religion in Malaysia.

Awang revived the allegation that the DAP is funding the so-called Red Bean Army (RBA) of 3,000 cybertroopers with a budget of RM100 million to RM1 billion in the past six years and attacked the authorities for practising double standards in  giving the DAP and the RBA “the grand licence to do extreme provocation” especially through the Red Bean Army of 3,000 cybertroopers “insulting the Malays, Islam, security forces, civil servants and the country”.

The question I want to raise today is why the Utusan editors have suddenly revived the discredited the fairy tale of DAP-funded Red Bean Army (RBA) of 3,000 cybertroopers when it had dropped the subject like a ton of hot bricks for the past six months?

The last time Utusan Malaysia editors went into an overdrive on the fairly tale about the DAP funding the Red Bean Army of 3,000 cybertroopers with a budget of RM100 million to RM1 billion in the past six years to  attack and defame Barisan Nasional leaders were in May and June last year, when they even alleged that the RBA had two operational centres, one in  Hotel Concorde in Kuala Lumpur and the other based in Komtar in Penang.

As I said at the time, these were all modern fairy tales completely without one iota of truth in them.

According to the Utusan fairy tales, the modus operandi of the DAP-funded Red Bean Army cybertroopers is to attack any politician, businessman or entertainer who are seen as pro-BN via facebook, tweet, YouTube in order to arouse racial hatred of Chinese voters against them.

As I said on June 27, 2013, “until a few days ago when I came across the Utusan Malaysia series of write-ups on the so-called ‘Red Bean Army’, I have not heard of the term before”.  I stand by what I said in June last year.

When Utusan continued with its barrage of lies and falsehoods on the DAP-funded RBA, which caused me to call Utusan as a “lies-paper” and not “newspaper”, I led a team of DAP MPs which included Bandar Kuching MP Chong Chieng Jen, Petaling Jaya Utara MP Tony Pua and Bukit Bintang MP Fong Kui Loon, accompanied by the media, to make a 10 pm-visit to  Concorde Hotel on July 4 last year.

We found Concorde Hotel – which was supposed to be one the two operational centres of the billion-ringgit Red Bean Army –  crawling with UMNO leaders and operatives but no Red Bean Army. We found something even more shocking  – that the exorbitant ice-kachang in Concorde Hotel had no red beans at all!

As a result, the Utusan’s fairy tale of DAP-funded RBA became a national standing joke and it died a natural death for next six months –   and even Utusan Malaysia dared not touch the subject – until it was revived by Utusan Malaysia a few days ago, culminating in Awang’s “Thief shouting thief” column yesterday.

What is the cause of the Utusan’s desperate revival of the utterly-discredited fairly tale of the DAP-funded RBA of 3,000 cybertroopers with a budget of RM108 million to RM1 billion in the past six years?

I said in July last year that the reason for the “fatal obsession” to the fairy tale of the DAP-funded RBA is related to a secret agenda reaching high into UMNO corridors of power to justify an allocation of RM350 million in the next five years to fight the  fictitious and non-existent DAP-funded  RBA.

The latest Utusan revival of the RBA fairy-tale is again caused by lucre or money –as it is clearly a desperate bid by UMNO mercenaries not to be excluded from the  UMNO cyberwar funding running into hundreds of millions of ringgit.

UMNO cyber mercenaries, including those who have received a  lucrative stream of payments as puppets of the Utusan RBA fairy-tale, are now fighting a last-ditch battle not to be excluded from the UMNO cyber slush funds, as they are regarded as too obsolete to fight the UMNO cyberwar by a new group of IT-savvy “geniuses”.

There is now a new Umno/BN cyberwar battle plan, which will be spearheaded by  a group of young IT-savvy “generals” who will provide the information and prepare the offensive and defensive tactics of the new Umno/BN cyberwar.

In this new scheme of things, there will be little room and role for  the erstwhile UMNO mercenaries, particularly those who have waxed rich beating the fictitious DAP-funded RBA war-drums, and this is the backdrop as to why Utusan editors, who have always regarded themselves as the patron of the Umno cyber-mercenaries, is fighting a desperate last-ditch battle to remain relevant in the Umno/BN cyber battle plans by reviving the discredited DAP-funded RBA fairy tale.

I don’t think it is easy to find in the field of journalism all over the world another case like Utusan Malaysia which had fallen so low from its pinnacle as a once highly-respected newspaper of truth,  honesty and principles to become a “lies-paper” purveying falsehoods, deceit and chicanery.

No self-respecting Malaysian journalist can feel any pride in what Utusan is doing in the name of journalism today.

(Media Statement in Kuala Lumpur on Monday, 3rd March 2014)

                This entry was posted on Monday, 3 March 2014, 9:44 am and is filed under
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Yes, Ally Hazran Hashim and Siti Kassim are among  the unsung heroes and heroines of Malaysia and I welcome the public to pinpoint and identity more “unsung heroes” out to save Malaysia from the  voices and forces of hate, bigotry and intolerance

On Saturday (1st March) I issued a statement calling on Malaysians to pay tribute to ordinary Malaysians who are  the country’s unsung heroes who dare to stand up for a better Malaysia whether in terms of  a better education system, clean elections or inter-religious harmony, for they are the salt of the earth who will ensure that Malaysia will achieve her greatness instead of becoming a failed state.

I named three persons, viz:

·       *Mohd Nor Izzat Mohd Johari, the head of Suara Guru Masyarakat Malaysia (SGMM), who is facing mean, petty and punitive persecution although he had  rendered great national service in spearheading the protest against the woes of the badly-planned and poorly-conceived student-based assessment (SBA) system; and

·       *Royal Malaysian Air Force pilot Major Zaidi Ahmad who is facing court martial  for his patriotic duty of speaking up about the indelible ink fiasco in the recent 13th General Elections; and

·       *Azrul Mohd Khalib, social activist,  who led a Malaysians for Malaysia group to spearhead a “Walk for Peace” movement among ordinary Malaysians  who care about the country to push for national healing in the face of the worst racial and religious polarization in the nation’s 56-year history.

On my Facebook on the statement, Linda Chong wrote:

“Mr Lim Kit Siang, I think U have left out Ally Hazran Hashim in his role in meeting up with fellow christians in a Kajang church lately…please check this up.”

I checked up and I agree with Linda that Ally Hazran Hashim qualify to be among the unsung heroes who are making unusual efforts to help make a better Malaysia.

A Star article dated Feb. 9, 2014, entitled “Moderate Muslims fight back for multifaith Malaysia” by Hariati Azizan chronicled Ally’s great deed and is commendable reading by all Malaysians who want a better Malaysia.

This is from the Star article:

In the spirit of the World Interfaith Harmony Week, some Malaysians are seeking to promote diversity, peace and understanding.

WHILE some irresponsible groups have been swamping churches with banners and messages of hate, training consultant Ally Hazran Hashim, 47, decided to rally some friends to gather at his hometown church, the Holy Family Church in Kajang, with flowers, oranges and messages of love last Sunday.

This small act of compassion and harmony is exactly what the country needs amid the religious and racial tension that remains unabated.

“It was basically to show the Christians in Kajang that not all Muslims are against them. I also wanted to create awareness for all Muslims that such acts of love sharing will bring respect to our faith, Islam. Islam means peace and we represent the true Muslim believers who want peace, love and unity among all Malaysians regardless of race and religion.”

Like many, Ally is disheartened by the actions of certain groups who have been fanning racial tension in the country.

“It has prompted me to do something that will bring the focus back to unity. I really believe Malaysia as a multiracial community loves peace. It is only a few who are creating or being used to create disharmony.”

Driven by his dream of unity, Ally wasted no time in meeting Father George Harrison about organising the “Love & Peace Offering”. As soon as Father Harrison agreed, he posted a shout-out on Facebook.

“I was touched by the response I got. Some people from Kuala Lumpur and Petaling Jaya also gave their support and said they would join me.

“I was amazed with more than 15,000 likes from other FB members and groups, and well-wishes from many Muslims from all over Malaysia. I even got a message from Datin Paduka Marina Mahathir who couldn’t join us in Kajang as she was in London during that time. That was a real motivation for me to go forward with the event.”

To his delight, he adds, a group from a Hindu temple also said they were interested in joining him.

Ally admits he has been a moderate Muslim from young.

“My personal conviction and my upbringing was always to respect other religions, and as my mother used to say: ‘Never condemn others because it is as if you are condemning your Creator himself.’ That is what I have always believed in and hold on to till today,” he says.

Fear of reproach and criticism did not enter his mind even once.

“I only wanted to go back to the basics and remind people that God created us all as human beings and the purpose of the Creator is to see everyone living peacefully, loving one another, sharing and understanding and respecting each other.

“Anyway, when God is with me, why should I be afraid of human beings? I am sharing peace, which is Islam’s true meaning, with people of other faiths. I don’t see anything wrong in preaching our faith through a simple gesture of a love offering. Let this be a sign for those who are against the true teaching to repent and understand what Islam really means.”

Still, although he believes moderation is the right path to take (“Moderation always wins … Islam speaks of moderation,” he says), Ally feels there are times when a strong stand is needed to maintain peace.

“This is where I feel the authorities have failed, because they have not taken stern action against those who try to provoke and create unrest among races in Malaysia.

“The extremists must be brought to the court of law so that it will deter others from creating chaos and putting fear among peace-loving Malaysians.”

Ally says he has lodged various police reports against Man Namblast and Mohd Hidayat who insulted Thaipusam on Facebook, the petrol bombing at Penang’s St Assumption Church, and also the May 13 demonstration by some Malay NGOs in Seberang Prai.

“I hope action will be taken against them. I have also written to our top leaders and the religious leaders to ask them to put a stop to this racial and religious instigation.”

With some friends, the human behavioural physiologist who runs a training consultancy firm in Kajang is working to organise more interfaith gatherings, beginning with a visit to a few places of worship in Brickfields on Feb 23.

“My humble wish is that everyone will start the ball rolling in their own states too.”

His mega plan, however, is to organise a gathering of all faiths in Kajang soon, he says.

“Kajang can be the starting point of unity and peace sharing among Malaysians of all religions… let the Kajang candle light up Malaysian unity. Watch my Facebook space under the name Ally Hashim Hazran and join us.”

The label “moderate Muslim” makes her uncomfortable but lawyer Siti Kasim did not have to think hard about which side she is on when it comes to “extremist” Muslims.

“I have been following closely the development on the way our country is moving towards the ‘Talibanisation’ way of life. The issue of the banned words generally and the usage of the Allah word specifically is the icing on the cake. I can see the situation getting from bad to worse,” says Siti, who was one of the people who organised the visit to the Our Lady of Lourdes Church in Klang last month to help defuse the brewing religious tension in the country.

Very much a believer that her faith is between her and God, Siti says the attitude and behaviour of the noisy “extreme” groups riled her up so much that she was determined to make her stand on the issue.

“I feel my country has been hijacked by extremists who have a very narrow view of what Islam is. I feel these people are insulting me and other Malays, as if we don’t have our own brain to think.

“These so-called defenders of Islam and Malay rights act as if they are representing Islam and all Malays. Every time I read the news, my heart rate goes up another notch.”

When she talked to her friends, she realised they felt the same way. “We felt we must do something. So we agreed to go to the Klang church to show solidarity with our Christians friends. I wanted to get other friends to join me, so I set up an event page on Facebook and sent invitations to everyone on my Friends’ list.

My other friends had the same idea and they started to use the event page to get their own friends on board, and it just went viral from there.”

The response was astounding and 30 people turned up at the church to give out flowers to the congregation as a peace offering.

“I was surprised! We just wanted to be there to show to our Christian friends that there are other Muslims who disagreed with what was going on. We also wanted to tell these so-called Muslim NGOs that they do not speak on the behalf of all Malays and not to take us for granted,” she shares.

Siti Kasim is known for her strong voice in the human rights circle – she once chastised Lembah Pantai MP Nurul Izzah Anwar for backing down from her comment that freedom of religion is a human right for all – and this is seen in her frank words on the matter.

“The authorities seem to be endorsing these extreme groups. It seems like no one from any political divide is willing to risk their political career to do what is right. No one is willing to come forward officially to condemn their behaviour.”

Siti also says she is a strong proponent for a secular state.

“The state should be neutral. This neutrality is what is meant by secularism. It is a political principle where a secular state may be supported by religious believers and be the home of widespread religious belief.

“To me, secularism is the best guarantee for a multifaith situation. Religion will flourish under secularism. No one would be able to use religion as a political tool.”

When asked if she was worried about backlash or being reproached for her stand, Siti says, “Worried? In all honesty, I am not. I am more worried and angry at the way our country is going. I really don’t care if anyone criticises me or calls me names as I have been called a murtad many times over. I am not afraid of them as they are not God. I am only answerable to God.”

Siti calls on those who are concerned about Malaysia’s slide towards intolerance to come out and speak up.

“Show the authorities that the silent majority is no longer going to be silent. If the politicians aren’t able to do their job, we are no longer going to be quiet. More and more people are beginning to realise there is no reason to be in fear anymore. We do not have to go into battles to win the war, but speak up and stand up we must.”

Siti shares that she and her friends are not planning visits to other churches but will support other solidarity initiatives in other towns and states.

Last week, she went to support Ally’s unity initiative in Kajang.

“He contacted me to go and support him there. So I went with a few other friends. I hope there will be others, especially more Malays, who will organise the same.”

What Siti is planning is to get people out to Putrajaya on March 5 for the Leave Hearing (for the Allah case) at the Federal Court.

“I hope to show the public and the authorities that there are citizens including Malays who do not support the banning of the word Allah.”

Back to her issue of her discomfort at being called a moderate Muslim, Siti has this to say: “A Muslim is a Muslim. There are no two ways about it. The question is, which version of Islam I believe. I believe in universal goodness and compassion.

“My stand on interfaith issues is very simple. Respect. If we want other religions to respect ours, we must give the same courtesy to them too.”

From the Star report, we have uncovered another unsung heroine, lawyer Siti Kassim.

I welcome more inputs from Malaysians to pinpoint and identity  the unsung heroes who are doing their patriotic duty to build a better Malaysia and not to allow the voices and forces of hate, bigotry and intolerance to destroy our multi-racial and multi-religious Malaysia.

(Media Statement in Kuala Lumpur on Monday, 3rd March 2014)

                This entry was posted on Monday, 3 March 2014, 3:45 pm and is filed under
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Are the Police and MCMC investigating and taking any action against cyber lies  and falsehoods  about Muslims being converted to Christianity calculated to incite racial and religious animosity and hatred in country?

Are the police and the Malaysian Multimedia and Communications Commission (MCMC )investigating and taking any action against the lies on the Internet about Muslims being converted to Christianity calculated to incite racial and religious animosity and hatred in the country, in the larger plot to pit race against race and religion against religion in Malaysia?

It is recently reported that a photo of a women’s rights activist, Yu Ren Chung  and several others attending a government function has been circulating in cyberspace as ‘proof’ of the country’s Muslims being converted to Christianity.

The photo circulating in blogs since 2012 shows him among with a group seated on wooden benches, many of them women wearing headscarves.

In actual fact, the  photo was  taken at the International Institute of Islamic Thought and Civilisation’s (Istac) main hall in Bukit Tunku, Kuala Lumpur, and not at a church as alleged by the blogs.

The event was hosted by the National Population and Family Development Board (LPPKN) on Feb 29, 2012 to discuss the National Family Policy, and was attended primarily by civil servants as well as a small number of NGO representatives.

However, Malaysian and Indonesian blogs have used the photo claiming it shows Muslims who had just been baptised, with some blaming DAP and PAS for the issue.

It is most shocking that Istac has become a church.

But what is most reprehensible and deplorable are  the devious and wicked designs of irresponsible elements in our midst  who are prepared to go to any lengths to incite racial and religious animosities and hatred in the country to pit race against race and religion against religion to set the country aflame.

An example must be made of these irresponsible and despicable people and actions out to destroy the peace and harmony of plural Malaysia.

Are the police and the MCMC taking pro-active actions to hunt down the perpetrators of such foul and despicable deeds to pit race against race and religion against religion to send a strong warning that the guardians of law and order will not stand idle at such provocative and anti-national actions calculated to cause mischief and disharmony in plural Malaysia but will strike strong and hard against such anti-Malaysia and treasonous activities.

DAP MPs will be demanding in the forthcoming Parliament reconvening next week what action the authorities have taken against such cyber lies and falsehoods calculated to sow discord and disharmony in our multi-racial and multi-religious nation.

                This entry was posted on Tuesday, 4 March 2014, 7:59 am and is filed under
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IGP Khalid and AG Gani must explain why they have abdicated from their responsibility to uphold the rule of law and preserve the peace in Malaysia in allowing Perkasa to break laws and commit breaches of peace outside Federal Court

It has been reported that the 500-odd people mobilised by Perkasa outside the Federal Court in Putrajaya this morning hearing the appeal on the use of the term ‘Allah’ turned unruly and threw objects at the front-door of the Palace of Justice, with many trying to breach the police barrier and enter the court building.

This is the report from The Malaysian Insider by Jennifer Gomez entitled
“Perkasa supporters upset by church lawyers, try to get into courthouse”
:

“The crowd outside the Palace of Justice in Putrajaya turned unruly just before the Federal Court stood down with many trying to breach the police barrier and enter the court building.

“Shouting and screaming, some members in the crowd threw a microphone and water bottle at the glass door entrance to the building.

“The crowd was 4m from the main door as police stood guard.

“Perkasa president Datuk Ibrahim Ali said that the crowd advanced towards the main glass door of the Palace of Justice as they had got word that Catholic Church lawyers questioned why the use of the word ‘Allah’ by Christians was being made an issue now when it had been in use in the weekly Herald for 14 years prior to 2009.

“’The supporters heard that this was the submission made by the Catholic Church lawyer, so they got upset.’ He added that no one had instructed them to advance.”

Ahmad Fadli KC of
Malaysiakini
 filed the following report
“Angry crowd tries to barge into court”
:

“A fracas erupted outside the Palace of Justice in Putrajaya today, where members from various Malay rights NGOs had gathered for the appeal hearing on the use of the term ‘Allah’.

“About 11:15am, members of the crowd, who demanded that ‘Allah’ be exclusive only to Muslims in Malaysia, tried to push through policemen guarding the entrance to enter the court lobby.

“The crowd chanted ‘La ila ha Illalah (There is no God except Allah)’ and marched in solidarity to pressure the policemen.”

Imagine what would have happened if it was not Perkasa, but some Catholic organisation which had mobilised the 500-odd supporters outside the Federal Court this morning which had “turned unruly”, “shouting and screaming, some members in the crowd threw a microphone and water bottle at the glass door entrance to the building”; “tried to push through policemen guarding the entrance to enter the court lobby”  allegedly in protest for being offended by submissions made by the Muslim lawyers demanding that ‘Allah’ be the exclusive term only to Muslims in Malaysia?

Would there be police arrests of the Catholic organisers and supporters of the gathering, including being charged for offences under the Penal Code for offences against the public tranquillity such as Section 141 for trying to “overawe by criminal force or show of criminal force” the judiciary from the lawful exercise of its public duties?

Or what would have happened if there had been two groups, one mobilised by Perkasa and the other mobilised by some Catholic organisers, outside the Federal Court, and  both had  turned ugly and unruly this morning?

The police and Attorney-General’s Chambers  should explain why the double-standards in not upholding the law to prosecute Perkasa leaders and supporters for offences against public tranquility in seeking to overawe the judiciary outside the Federal Court this morning?

Very irresponsible and even reckless statements were made at the Perkasa gathering outside the Federal Court this morning, which continued the pattern of incessant incitement of racial and religious animosities and hatred in recent months in utter disregard of the law and the national objective to promote inter-racial and inter-religious peace, harmony and goodwill in Malaysia.

Are the police and the Attorney-General’s Chambers going to continue their stance of the traditional three monkeys, of having eyes that see not, ears that hear not and mouths that speak not?

At a time when the country is facing the unprecedented threat to inter-racial and inter-religious peace and harmony caused by incessant incitement of racial and religious animosities and hatred calculated to cause racial chaos and religious conflagration, the government agencies and institutions responsible for upholding the rule of law and keeping the peace and harmony in the country cannot continue to abdicate from their responsibilities.

Malaysians have a right to expect the Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar and the Attorney-General Tan Sri Gani Patail to speak up and explain they have continued to be remiss in their oaths of office to uphold the rule of law and to preserve the peace and harmony of the diverse races and religions in the country.

                This entry was posted on Wednesday, 5 March 2014, 7:20 pm and is filed under
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Killing of police corporal  and wounding of another in Klang by illegals mark a new phase of Malaysian security situation – not only ordinary Malaysians but even police do not feel safe in their own country

DAP joins all Malaysians to condemn the killing of Police Corporal Raja Aizam Raja Mohd and the wounding of Cpl Mohd Aidil Mustafa by illegal foreigners in Klang early yesterday.

The killers should be brought to justice and punished with the full weight of the law brought to bear on the murderers.

DAP also sends the deepest condolences to the bereaved family and pray for swift recovery for Corpoal Mohd Aidil who has been warded at the Tengku Ampuan Rahimah Hospital in Klang with slash wounds to the head.

The killing of one police corporal and the wounding of another by illegal foreigners mark a new phase of the Malaysian security situation – not only ordinary Malaysians but even police do not feel safe in their own country!

A 100-strong crowd who attended the forum, “Time to Reform the Police Force”, at the Selangor-Kuala Lumpur Chinese Assembly Hall in Kuala Lumpur yesterday, agreed that the majority of Malaysians no longer felt safe, whether they lived in urban or rural areas.

But the security situation  is actually even worse – when the police themselves do not feel safe while carrying out their ordinary duties to keep country and the population free from the fear of crime and safe from crime.

Why have the security situation in the country reached such a deplorable pass, caused by the police and the authorities closing their eyes for a long time to the exploding population of illegal foreigners who seem to be operating  “a country within the country and  a law within the Malaysian law” – creating a volcano awaiting eruption with grave and immense consequences to all Malaysians in the country!

I fully agree with a panellist at the forum, the Women’s Aid Organisation (WAO) executive director Ivy Josiah, who was a member of the Royal Police Commission formed by former Prime Minister, Tun Abdullah in 2004 to make recommendations to transform the Malaysian police into an efficient, professional world-class police service to accomplish three objectives: to keep crime low, to have zero-tolerance for corruption in the police service and to protect and promote human rights of Malaysians.

The Dzaiddin Royal Police Commission of Inquiry, of which she was a member, had made over 100 recommendation,  the most important of which  was the formation of the Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission (IPCMC), but ten years after the RCI,  public confidence in the efficiency, integrity and professionalism of the police have reached an all-time low and is now never lower in the nation’s police history of over half a century of independent nationhood!

Josiah suggested the formation of a  parliamentary select committee which will travel around the country, listening to the rakyat’s various complaints against the police.

She said: “A parliamentary select committee should be set up and travel around the country, listening to the rakyat’s various complaints against the police.

“Perhaps if the public begins naming and shaming errant policemen, this will force Putrajaya to start listening and paying attention to the weaknesses within the force.”

Will the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak, the Home Minister, Datuk Seri Zahid Hamidi and the Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar support the establishment of such a Parliamentary Select Committee on Police and People’s Safety in the forthcoming Parliament beginning next week?

Will the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department in charge of parliamentary affairs, Datuk Seri Shahidan Kassim, raise  this subject at  the Cabinet meeting on Wednesday?

I will send a note to Shahidan before the Wednesday Cabinet meeting urging him to get the Cabinet green-light for the formation of a Parliamentary Select Committee on Police and the People’s Safety.

I call on all MPs whether in Pakatan Rakyat or Barisan Nasional to support the establishment of such a Parliamentary Select Committee  to ensure that Malaysians have a reformed police force whose top-most priority is to ensure that Malaysians, tourists, investors – and equally important – the policemen and women themselves are safe in their own country from criminals and illegal foreigners so that the tragedy of the killing of a corporal and the wounding of another would be the last official police casualties in such circumstances  to keep the country and Malaysians safe.

(Media Statement in Kuala Lumpur on Wednesday, March 5, 2014)

                This entry was posted on Wednesday, 5 March 2014, 3:20 pm and is filed under
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Applauding Khairy’s suggestion to revise BTN

— Dyana Sofya Mohd Daud

The Malay Mail Online

March 6, 2014

MARCH 6 ― In The Malay Mail dated 5 March, Umno minister Khairy Jamaluddin has suggested a revision of the country’s National Civics Bureau (BTN) training courses, saying undergraduates should be treated like adults and not taught to be blind supporters of the government.

I, myself have never been to any of BTN courses. However, a few years back, a friend of mine who was working for a government agency and was dating a lovely Chinese lady received a directive from his superior to attend a BTN course.

Upon returning from the course held somewhere in the state of Pahang, we went for our weekly coffee session and he shared with me his experience about the course he attended. He mentioned,

“The course made me racist. I feel that the other races are not thankful enough for being in Malaysia. We should show them that we are the boss and they better respect it.”

I was shocked.

This came from a person who I knew since I was ten, had zero racist streak in him and I must highlight that he professed his love to his (then) Chinese girlfriend every day (and night, almost).

My other friend who was with us was not surprised because he heard the same thing from his other friends who attended one or more of those courses. Apparently, BTN is known for brainwashing the participants by masquerading as an agency tasked to instil patriotism and train Malaysia future leaders.

The closest one I had to BTN was when I was in secondary school, a substitute teacher for Sejarah put the map of Malaysia on my classroom’s whiteboard, and told the whole class that the Malays sacrificed Tanah Melayu for Malaysia. He said that our nation was supposed to be land of the Malays, but we tolerated and accepted ‘them’ and changed the name of our beloved land from Tanah Melayu to Malaya and later, Malaysia.

(Yes, this was years before ISMA came out with a ‘scientific study’ claiming the existence of Malay genetic could be traced back to 30,000-40,00 years earlier compared to the Chinese and the Indians.)

Honestly, at that time, I bought it. There was a sense of pride came rushing over me and for a good week or two, I looked at my non-Malay friends differently, in a not so good way. Thinking that I was above them. Fortunately, I got over it when I had to go to them for help with my Mathematics exercise (or was it to chat about the latest high school drama that was happening that week?)

Back to BTN. Are these allegations true? If they were, the time, energy, funds (paid by the taxpayers) and efforts that are being used to inflict hate and further causing racial and religion polarisation should be properly channelled to encourage patriotism, inspire unity, and promote toleration and togetherness among Malaysians.

The suggestion by our Youth and Sports Minister to revise BTN training courses and encourage critical thinking skills should be welcomed. I too agree with the Rembau MP when he said that youths should not blindly support the government but should be able to decide for themselves if the government deserves such backing.

I was also under the impression that KJ admitted BTN has a must-have-syllabus on giving thanks and being grateful to the government.

BTN should be a delightful course to educate the participants about our beloved country, to remind them of our colourful history, to make patriotism cool and to show how proud we are to be Malaysians.

Instead of shoving one-sided information to our students, similar revision or reform should be applied to our current education system as well, say by removing the political element in our already too far politicised education system? Well, that is another story.

* Dyana Sofya Mohd Daud is a political secretary to MP of Gelang Patah, YB Lim Kit Siang.

                This entry was posted on Thursday, 6 March 2014, 11:32 pm and is filed under
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Call for a high-powered squad comprising MCMC, Police and representatives from BN and PR, to clean up social media of incessant incitement of racial and religious animosities and hatred through lies and falsehoods to set Malaysia  aflame

The latest criminal harassment and intimidation of DAP National Vice Chairperson and MP for Seputeh Teresa Kok for her “Onederful Malaysia CNY 2014” video must be condemned in the strongest possible terms.

The police should act under Section 124A of the Penal Code which provides for up to seven-year jail sentence for the offence by  anyone who “attempts to overawe by means of criminal force” a Member of Parliament from exercising her lawful powers.

Last night, Utusan Malaysia had, around midnight, sent an SMS alert stating “Seputeh MP Teresa Kok was slapped by an unknown man after a ceramah at Taman Permatang Pauh at 11.30 pm”.

However, the Umno-owned daily soon issued a correction stating that Kok had not been slapped but was instead “handed” a rotten egg by a man, which later broke when they shook hands.

The incident occurred after Kok had explained her video “Onederful Malaysia CNY 2014” to about a crowd of 300 at Taman Permatang Pauh in Penang, that it was not anti-Malay, anti-Islam, anti-Rulers or anti-security forces,  when a man in his 30s approached her as she was sitting down.

The man  wanted to shake Kok’s hand. When Kok extended her hand and shook his, she realised that he held an egg in his palm which broke, soiling her hand and a little spilled on her clothes.

I welcome two recent developments showing that the police and authorities are beginning to take a more serious and responsible attitude towards the spate of hate crime and the incessant incitement of racial and religious animosities and hatred calculated to cause disharmony and mayhem in our plural society, whether through racial chaos or religious conflagration.

The first is the police recommendation that criminal intimidation charges be preferred against the two men who offered a cash bounty for anyone who successfully photographed themselves slapping Teresa Kok, although police investigation papers  have been returned by the Attorney-General’s Chambers to the police  for further refinement.

This was disclosed by the Kuala Lumpur CID chief Senior Asst Comm Gan Kong Meng, who said the police will resubmit the papers to the AG’s Chambers soon.

Pakatan Rakyat MPs will be demanding an explanation in Parliament next week on whether the AG’s Chambers have acted to prosecute the self-styled “Council of Islamic NGOs” who committed a slew of offences in their Feb. 6 “slap and chicken” demonstration in Kuala Lumpur, not only offering a cash bounty for anyone who slap Teresa Kok, but also “chicken-slaughtering and blood-smearing” on pictures of  DAP and Pakatan leaders, sedition and incitement to create another May 13 racial riot.

The other incident is the confirmation by the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) that it has launched a joint investigation with the police on a Kedah blog for spreading false claims of Muslim apostasy – clearly calculated to incite racial and religious animosities, ill-will and hatred and cause inter-racial and inter-religious disharmony and mayhem.

Last week, women’s rights activist Yu Ren Chung complained that the Kedah blog had in March 2012 spread false news of apostasy based on a two-year-old photograph featuring him and several Muslim women sitting on wooden benches that appeared to resemble church pews.

On Yu’s website, he claimed the picture was originally taken on February 29, 2012 at an event to discuss the National Family Policy organised by government agency National Population and Family Development Board (LPPKN).

The advocacy officer with the Women’s Aid Organisation (WAO) stressed that the venue was not in a church but at the International Institute of Islamic Thought and Civilization (Istac) here.

The Kedah blog also defamed the woman in the picture, Zaiton Ismail, an activist with Islam Ikram Malaysia causing embarrassment to her and her family with the false news that she had converted to Christianity.

Ikram has  condemned the “irresponsibility” of doctoring the picture to spread the news of the alleged conversion and demanded an apology from the Kedah blogger for the “despicable act”.

Prof Madya Dr Roohaida Othman, the head of Ikram’s women’s wing,  reminded the blogger that so sinful was slander in the eyes of Allah that it is considered worse than the killing of innocents.

Parliament expects prompt and speedy action by the MCMC and the police against the cyberliars who have been allowed for too long to perpetrate their  irresponsible, dangerous and treacherous activities on the social media to incessantly incite racial and religious animosities, ill-will and hatred, posing  a grave threat to the peace, harmony and very survival of Malaysia as a multi-racial and multi-religious nation.

In fact, the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak should present a White Paper to Parliament next week to detail what the government has done to save Malaysia from the plots and machinations of these anti-national and treacherous elements who misused and abused the social media and the Internet to incessantly incite racial and religious animosities and hatred with lies and falsehoods.

I have just become a victim of the latest devious misuse and abuse of social media to escalate the incitement of racial and religious animosities and hatred in plural Malaysia.

Last night I twittered:

“Umno cyberliars are getting very desperate n devising new ways to paint DAP as anti-Malay anti-Islam anti-Rulers. Work of cowards n traitors”.

This was after an Umno cybertrooper accused me of an anti-Islam quotation which I had never made. The quotation was framed as a Pakatan Rakyat publicity quote, carrying not only the party symbols of the three PR parties of DAP, PKR and PAS, but also the DAP’s “Ubah” logo.

Bearing my photograph, the anti-Islam quotation allegedly coming from me states:

“I PERSONALLY THINK THAT MALAYSIA WILL NOT BE ABLE TO REACH ITS FULL POTENTIAL AS A DEVELOPED COUNTRY DUE TO THE LIMITATIONS OF ISLAM. NOW IS THE TIME FOR US TO REMOVE ALL THE BARRIERS BY CHANGING THE CURRENT GOVERNMENT AND THE CONSTITUTION. INI KALILAH!”

This short social media quote, purportedly originating from me, is a downright lie, as I had never made such a statement. It is part of a grand conspiracy to paint the DAP and DAP leaders as anti-Malay, anti-Islam and anti-Rulers – which Teresa Kok’s “Onderful Malaysia CNY 2014” is accused of, although not a single person has been able to come forward to point out one single instance of the video being anti-Malay, anti-Islam and anti-Rulers despite being public invitation to do so for over a month!

When will the authorities stop the merchants and vendors of hate speech, especially on the social media, from their  dastardly deeds of incessant incitement of racial and religious animosities, ill-will and hatred to pit race against race and religion against religion?

If there are Pakatan Rakyat elements who are involved in such reckless and irresponsible incitement of racial and religious hatred through lies and falsehoods, I  full agree that the full weight of the law should be brought to bear upon them.

Will the Prime Minister, the Cabinet and the Barisan Nasional leadership also  agree that the full weight of the law should be brought to bear against any BN cybertrooper for incitement of racial and religious hatred through lies and falsehoods?

Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s recent advice to “ignore” the instigators and  extremists is a most irresponsibl response when the government and the country should give no quarter to wipe out the instigators and extremists!

To break the back of the plague of the problem of incessant incitement of racial and religious hatred through lies and falsehoods on the social media, I call for the formation of a high-powered squad to clean up the social media of incessant incitement of racial and religious animosities and hatred through lies and falsehoods to set Malaysia  aflame.

To have credibility and to ensure that actions will be taken against all anti-national and traitorous elements who want to set the country aflame with their incessant incitement of racial and religious animosities, ill-will and hatred, regardless of their sources of origin, such a high-powered squad should comprise representatives from the MCMC, the Police, as well as representatives from the Barisan Nasional and Pakatan Rakyat!

(Media Statement in Kuala Lumpur on Thursday,6th March 2014)

                This entry was posted on Thursday, 6 March 2014, 8:54 am and is filed under
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Dare  Muhyiddin make a Ministerial statement in Parliament next week to explain why  Singapore can get two universities for four consecutive years into the  THE Top 100 Universities World Reputation Rankings and THE World University Rankings for Top 400 but not a single one from Malaysia?

For many years, it  is a heart-breaking event for Malaysians whenever there is a publication of world university rankings, for it is not to find out how well Malaysian universities compare with the best in the world but how badly Malaysian universities fared in international university comparisons and benchmarkings.

The release today of the 2014  Times Higher Education (THE) World Reputation Rankings for the Top 100 Universities is no different. In fact, it is worse.

For four consecutive years, Malaysia has been excluded from both the THE World Reputation Rankings and the THE World University Rankings for Top 400, with not a single Malaysian university able to make the grade in both rankings.

Singapore National University (SNU) achieved the best World Reputation Rankings in the four-year THE series, ranked No. 34 in 2011, 40 in 2012, 29 in 2013 and 21 in 2014. SNU is only behind two other Asian universities the 2014 World Reputation Rankings – University of Tokyo and Kyoto University in 11th and 19th ranking respectively.

Other Asian universities following closely behind SNU in the THE World Reputation Rankings 2014 are Seoul National University (No. 26), Tsinghua University (No. 36), Peking University (No. 41), University of Hong Kong (No. 43), Osaka University (No. 50), Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST), Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), National Taiwan University and Tokyo Institute of Technology (No. 51-60), Tohoku University (No. 61-70), Chinese University of Hong Kong, Yonsei University (No.81-90) and Nanyang Technological University (No. 91-100).

What must be very mortifying to Malaysians who in the past had prided in having University of Malaya in the fifties and sixties as one of the world-ranking universities comparable in academic excellence with universities like the Universities  of Hong Kong, Melbourne and Sydney now finding Malaysian universities not only trailing far behind their previous peers, including Universities of Singapore, Hong Kong, Melbourne and Sydney, but being overtaken by universities which Malaysians had never heard before.

For example, the Middle East Technical University of Turkey and the University of Sao Paulo of Brazil have consistently been ranked in the THE Top 100 Universities World Reputation Rankings for the past three years from 2012 – 2014, which put Malaysian universities to shame!

It was nine years ago during the University of Malaya’s centennial celebrations in June 2005 that the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak, then Deputy Prime Minister, who threw  the challenge to University of Malaya to raise its 89th position in 2004 among the world’s top 200 universities in the Times Higher Education Supplement (THES) World Universities Ranking to 50 by the year 2020.

The year 2020 is only six years away, but in the nine years since Najib’s challenge for a Malaysian university to be ranked among the world’s Top 50 universities, the reverse process university decline and regression had set in – and there is not a single university ranked in both the THE Top 100 Universities  World Reputation Rankings and the THE World University Rankings for Top 400 in the past four years.

The first step for Malaysian university reform and transformation to ensure that Malaysian universities can regain world-class academic standards and standing  is that our Education Minister must dare to ask publicly as well as to offer a proper answer as to why Malaysian universities have regressed so poorly when compared to our peers in excellence in the fifties and sixties?

Dare  Muhyiddin make a Ministerial statement in Parliament next week to explain why  Singapore can get two universities for four consecutive years into the  THE Top 100 Universities World Reputation Rankings and THE World University Rankings for Top 400 but not a single one from Malaysia and what university reform measures he has in mind?

                This entry was posted on Thursday, 6 March 2014, 5:50 pm and is filed under
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Anwar’s body can be jailed but the spirit and soul of the Pakatan Rakyat for a new Malaysia of freedom, justice, good governance and prosperity for all Malaysians cannot be imprisoned

This 5th Pakatan Rakyat Convention is to be an ordinary annual convention. But it has become a historic one.

This is because this PR Convention in Shah Alam must send out a clear and unmistakable  message to the powers-that-be that they can jail the body of Anwar Ibrahim but they cannot imprison the spirit and soul of Pakatan Rakyat for a new Malaysia of freedom, justice, good governance and prosperity for all Malaysians!

Selangor Speaker Hannah Yeoh could not have put it better when she said in her speech this morning that when the powers-that-be first  persecuted and imprisoned Anwar Ibrahim after sacking him from Umno 16 years ago, Anwar was a leader of the Malays.

Today, in the second-round of persecution and imprisonment of Anwar Ibrahim, Anwar has become the leader of Malaysians.

This is the measure of the transformation that Anwar has wrought  in the past 16 years (compared to the fake “transformations” of the Najib administration), and there can be no better outcome of  today’s convention than for all Pakatan Rakyat leaders, members and supporters, whether PKR, PAS or DAP to resolve to follow Anwar’s example to become Malaysians fighting for the welfare and interests of all Malaysians.

Sixteen years ago, when Anwar was first imprisoned, the idea of UMNO and Barisan Nasional being toppled was completely unthinkable and impossible.

Today, when they want to imprison Anwar for the second time, the possibility  of UMNO and BN losing power is unavoidable and unpreventable!

I want to ask the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak why he is so afraid of Anwar Ibrahim?

Yesterday, Najib said he is prepared to put the nation’s long-term interests before his short-term popularity.

In December, a Merdeka Centre poll disclosed that Najib’s popularity rating has taken the lowest dip since becoming Prime Minister in April 2009, declining to 52% in December 2013 from 62% in August.

In those four months at the end of last year, Najib’s popularity rating fell by seven per cent from 73% to 66% among the Malays, plunged by  19% from 76% to 57% among the Indians and crashed by 15% from 36% to 21% among the Chinese.

If a popularity poll for the Prime Minister is taken after Anwar’s 5-year jail conviction yesterday, his approval rating would have nose-dived further among all Malaysians, whether Malays, Chinese or Indians.

Malaysia has returned to the nightmare of the depredations of the independence, impartiality and integrity of the judiciary – the dark days of a compromised judiciary in the late eighties and nineties.

When Tan Sri Dzaiddin was appointed the new Chief Justice of the Federal Court in December 2000, there were high expectations that Malaysia would start the difficult but important task to restore public confidence in the independence, impartiality and integrity of the judiciary, but during his term of office of less than three years, he could only stop the rot in the judiciary but was unable to launch wide-ranging judicial reforms to restore public confidence in the judiciary.

What happened yesterday ending in the five-year jail conviction of Anwar was a day of infamy  for the system of justice and the judiciary, bringing back the nightmare of the judiciary of disrepute of the late eighties and nineties.

Najib has failed in his own test of being “prepared to put the nation’s long-term interest before his short-term popularity”, or he would not have allowed the nightmare of the judiciary of disrepute of the eighties and nineties to come back to haunt Malaysians.

He also would not be talking about “decades” before his anti-corruption efforts could bear fruit – as he is in effect ruling out any effective anti-corruption results  during his tenure as Prime Minister.

In China, the anti-corruption drive under the leadership of the Chinese President Xi Jinping is probing and re-opening the corruption scandals  in the construction of the world’s biggest dam,  the US$60 billion Three Gorges dam, going back more than two decades to 1992 when work on the dam first started.

Is Najib prepared to re-open the corruption scandals in Malaysia in the past two decades, covering premiership not only of his predecessor, Tun Abdullah but  also of Tun Mahathir  as well?  Is Najib prepared to open the files covering the past two decades in the battle against corruption?

(Speech [Part 1]  at the 5th Pakatan Rakyat Convention at Setia City Convention Centre, Shah Alam on Saturday, 8th March 2014 at 4.30 pm)

                This entry was posted on Saturday, 8 March 2014, 8:59 pm and is filed under
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