Archive for category 1Malaysia
Malaysian. Chinese. Totally Foreign.
Posted by Kit in 1Malaysia, Articles, Education, nation building on Saturday, 14 May 2011
By Lisa Ng
LoyarBurok
13 May, 2011
Is it racialism that causes Malaysian Chinese to be cliquish? Or is it just bad faith? Let’s explore the reasons why some Malaysian Chinese youth can’t integrate into society and why abolishing vernacular schools may be just a blind shot at solving a growing problem.
Eu Jienn’s story
Chong Eu Jienn is 15. He lives in Kepong, KL. He speaks fluently in Mandarin. If you ever get lost in Kepong and bump into him, please do not ask for directions in English. He will not know how to respond to you. If you switch next to Bahasa Malaysia, he might be able to bring up a broken explanation consisting of recognisable words like “sana” or “depan” but the rest might be in Mandarin so you’d better know a bit of the language yourself if you want to understand what he is telling you.
Eu Jienn is a product of the vernacular schooling system. His parents decided long ago that their children would be educated in a Chinese Independent School. Firstly, China was quickly becoming an important economic power. Secondly, friends with children in National schools were lamenting about the quality of teachers in such schools. Thirdly, Eu Jienn’s parents came from very strict family backgrounds – discipline was top priority for them and Chinese schools were renowned for discipline. Fourthly, Eu Jienn’s parents were DAP supporters. His grandparents were aligned to BN due to the presence of MCA which was felt to represent the Chinese voice in government. But the loyalty ceased as the political landscape shifted with Mahathir, in favour of the Malays. Besides, what was so important about English or Bahasa Malaysia anyway? If Eu Jienn performed well academically, he could get a good job in Singapore or China. Singapore, for one thing, was close enough to stay in touch with their eldest son. Singapore was also kind to the Chinese. And, yes, in Singapore, people spoke Mandarin.
You could hardly blame Eu Jienn’s parents for such a narrow view. For them, vernacular schools were the best bet to ensure a future of better opportunities for their children. They must have known how important English was as it is still the lingua franca of the business and working world. And yet they somehow chose to ignore this point in shaping their son’s future. Read the rest of this entry »
‘Christian leaders led to their slaughter’
RK Anand | May 13, 2011
Free Malaysia Today
Bishop Paul Tan says he is displeased and disgusted with the outcome of the meeting between PM and Christian leaders over the Utusan row. He calls the entire episode an Umno orchestration.
KUALA LUMPUR: Without mincing his words, a Catholic bishop criticised his fellow Christian leaders for allowing themselves to be used by the government to “please the other side”.
Instead of telling Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak the truth, Bishop Paul Tan of the Malacca-Johor diocese said the Christian leaders had become like “sheep being led to their slaughter.”
Commenting on the news reports on the meeting between Najib and the Christian leaders, led by the Malaysian Christian Federation (MCF) chairman Bishop Ng Moon Hing yesterday, Tan told FMT that he was extremely disappointed with the outcome.
“I was not at the meeting, so I don’t know what transpired and whether the newspapers reported the entire discussion. But if the news reports are true, then I am displeased and disgusted,” he said.
The luncheon meeting was held amid the raging controversy surrounding a Utusan Malaysia report which alleged that a Christian coup was in the making, with Christian leaders and DAP colluding to undermine the position of Islam. Read the rest of this entry »
Hisham: ‘Some basis’ to Utusan’s report
Posted by Kit in 1Malaysia, Islam, nation building on Friday, 13 May 2011
By S Pathmawathy
May 13, 11 | Malaysiakini
Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein says there is “some basis” to Utusan Malaysia’s report on is a conspiracy to make Christianity the official religion of the country and install a Christian prime minister.
Hishammuddin said this in view of new evidence provided in a police report lodged in Penang today.
It is believed that he was referring to a police report this morning by Mohamed Razali Abdul Rahman, a DAP member, who attended the function mentioned in the report.
Yesterday, the ministry issued Utusan a letter of reprimand over its front page article on May 7 titled ‘Kristian Agama Rasmi?’ (Christianity the official religion?).
The letter was handed to Utusan’s editor-in-chief Aziz Ishak yesterday, when he was called to the Home Ministry to give an exaplanation on the report.
Hishammuddin (right) said Aziz’s explanation was similar to the police report lodged today.
“He (Aziz) was saying that there is some truth to what is reported, and today I was informed that there is a police report (lodged) that there is some basis to (the Utusan report),” Hishammuddin told reporters at the launch of drug rehabilitation centre in Chow Kit, Kuala Lumpur. Read the rest of this entry »
Don: Mere warning shows Najib not serious
Tarani Palani | May 13, 2011
Free Malaysia Today
PETALING JAYA: If Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak is really serious about his 1Malaysia brainchild, he should have fired the Utusan Malaysia’s editors from the first day he took office, says Professor Abdul Aziz Bari.
He also took Najib to task for the lack of leadership over the Christian Malaysia issue, saying that Najib should have issued an apology to the Christian community for his lack of action.
“Najib should have apologised to them (the Christian leaders) for failing to take stern action like removing Utusan’s chief editor or editors. This is not the first time Utusan has come up with controversial issues like the 1Melayu, 1Bumi movement. It has been making a mockery of 1Malaysia,” Abdul Aziz, the International Islamic University law professor, told FMT.
Read the rest of this entry »
Najib’s Animal Farm
Posted by Kit in 1Malaysia, Islam, nation building on Friday, 13 May 2011
By David Martin
May 13, 2011 | MalaysianInsider
I read George Orwell’s Animal Farm when I was helping my brother out with his university assignment back when I was in secondary school.
The story seemed a bit nonsensical to me back then. Talking animals who revolted against their masters. Pigs taking over as the leaders of the farm. A pig named Napoleon, no less.
Then again, when you grew up in the Mahathir era, the rakyat were more gullible back then weren’t they? With the advent of technology in the 21st century, it’s harder to keep a lid on the truth.
I woke up early this morning to read on The Malaysian Insider that Utusan Malaysia was merely given a warning for publishing unsubstantiated news (read: lies) for its front page headline by the all-powerful Home Ministry.
My mind is cast back to several years back when the oldest newspaper in Sarawak, The Sarawak Tribune had its printing permit taken away merely for publishing a photo of a man looking at the infamous prophet’s cartoon. That was deemed serious enough for a suspension which ultimately led to the demise of the daily.
A couple of years back, the same ministry decided to stir things up a bit by hauling up the Catholic weekly, Herald, for using the word “Allah” in the publication. Their reason was a flimsy one at best, that the word was exclusive to Islam despite its widespread use worldwide by Christians predating even the formation of Malaysia. Read the rest of this entry »
PM-Christian meet confounds more than clarifies
Posted by Kit in 1Malaysia, Islam, nation building on Friday, 13 May 2011
By Terence Netto
May 13, 11 | Malaysiakini
One headline ‘Christian leaders pledge to respect Islam’s status‘ was intimation enough about what went on at yesterday’s meeting between Christian leaders and Prime Minister Najib Razak.
Ostensibly called to sooth ruffled Christian feathers over allegedly inflammatory reports in Utusan Malaysia, the meeting, as some had feared, did not just fail to come to grips with the underlying issue; it confounded it, if Najib’s remarks to the media afterwards were a guide.
The PM said he was encouraged by two undertakings given by the Christian leaders he met: one, that they will respect the status of Islam as the official religion of this country; and two, that they will cooperate in nurturing peace and harmony among the various faiths.
By implication, these undertakings had to be rendered because there have been doubts about the track record of Christians in respect of the two matters.
Two chapters of our very recent history ought to be noted for perspective.
Early last year, when the ‘Allah’ issue was rife, a series of arson attacks on churches occurred without stirring Christians to high dudgeon: they knew agent provocateurs were at work and that an adverse reaction would only aggravate matters. Read the rest of this entry »
What rubbish is this, Najib?
Jacob Sinnathamby
The Malaysian Insider
May 12, 2011
MAY 12 — Let me understand this correctly. Some discredited blogger put out something incredible about Christian pastors wanting to take over Malaysia and that fountain of all rubbish, Utusan Malaysia, published it.
There is no evidence that any such plan is in the works, and yet today, at the so-called fruitful meeting between Najib Razak and church leaders, the church leaders had to give the when-it-suits-him leader of all Malaysians an assurance that Christians respected the position of Islam in the country and had no desire to dispute it.
How wonderful. The rascals who stirred up this rubbish have not been taken to task but the “victims” have been asked to give some undertaking not to misbehave.
This is akin to your house being robbed and your family harmed but having the police sympathise with the robbers. Read the rest of this entry »
Lim: Konflik agama, kaum gagalkan konsep 1Malaysia
Posted by Kit in 1Malaysia, Najib Razak, UMNO on Thursday, 12 May 2011
By Fazy Sahir | May 12, 2011
Free Malaysia Today
PETALING JAYA: Penasihat DAP Lim Kit Siang berkata konsep 1Malaysia yang sering dicanangkan oleh para pemimpin Umno-Barisan
Nasional (BN) mula tercemar apabila timbul konflik keagamaan dan ketegangan kaum sejak kebelakangan ini.
“Para pemimpin Umno-BN bertanggungjawab di atas kegagalan konsep itu yang diperkenalkan Perdana Menteri (Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak) sejak mentadbir negara ini mulai April 2009,” katanya ketika dihubungi FMT.
Sambil merujuk kepada fitnah berterusan yang dilemparkan ke atas DAP sejak akhir-akhir ini, Lim berkata Umno-BN kini kian terdesak untuk mengembali dan mengukuh kuasa mereka.
Read the rest of this entry »
Up and around, here and there
Sakmongkol AK47
The Malaysian Insider
May 11, 2011
MAY 11 — Umno and its mathematics.
I was “bad” at math when I said out of 10, 11 do not believe. I almost believe that I was terrible at math until I scanned the mainstreams papers screaming that DAP wants a Christian PM and Christianity to be made an official religion.
I know, the trappings of power have made some people soft. What I didn’t realise as quickly as I should have is they have made some people soft in the head.
We have 222 parliamentary seats for grabs. DAP contests, at most, 40. Assuming they win all the 40 parliamentary seats, perhaps Umno mathematicians can tell me how, with 40 seats, DAP or anyone else can form a national government? You have 82 seats and even you can’t form a national government.
Malays number 17-18 million. They form 60 over per cent of the population. Even if DAP marshals the entirety of the Chinese support, can 20 per cent of the population outnumber the 60 over per cent? Perhaps the Umno mathematicians can enlighten me.
Next we have the screamer who says “hidup Melayu”. There is no way we will allow DAP to take over the country. If that makes you happy, please scream some more. We can’t argue much against such emotions and illogic.
But PAS is also Malay. So “hidup Melayu” can also mean “hidup PAS” in as much as it can also mean Umno. Umno people have this self-conceited idea, borne from uncontested arrogance perhaps, that Umno is Malay and Malay is Umno. Read the rest of this entry »
Najib not being fair
Posted by Kit in 1Malaysia, Media, Najib Razak, nation building, Religion, UMNO on Thursday, 12 May 2011
by Lucius Goon
The Malaysian Insider
May 11, 2011
MAY 11 — How much more humiliation and many more indignities should non-Muslims/non-Malays have to suffer at the hands of the government?
It seems there is no limit. Remember the cow head protests by Umno supporters in Shah Alam and how Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein placated and even sympathised with them?
Heck, he even blamed the Hindus and the Selangor state government for their temerity in wanting to build a temple near a mosque. Talk about consoling the inciters and lecturing the victims.
And now Najib Razak, the PM of all Malaysians is doing the same. Imagine he supposedly calmed down Muslim leaders in the wake of a false report by Muslim bloggers and a Malay newspaper.
The aggrieved party here are Christians and Malaysians who are sick and tired of the divide and rule by Umno and its sycophants.
And yet, here is the prime minister silent on the insidious role played by his party’s bloggers and Utusan Malaysia. Read the rest of this entry »
10 days in May (2) (Updated)
Posted by Kit in 1Malaysia, Media, Najib Razak, UMNO on Wednesday, 11 May 2011
Tweets @limkitsiang :-
Najib’s response? Lunch! Not even dinner? Not serious enuf,Mr PM! http://bit.ly/lweDoc PM 2meet church leaders amid Christian Msia row (TMI)
Q is not lunch/dinner but what Najib doing 2penalise/stop Utusan rampage 2undermine race/religious relations n scare off foreign investors
Will Najib come clean tmr n admit Utusan committed heinous anti-national act n explain Umno role as UMNO PolBiro sets weekly Utusan agenda?
Pleasure mine. So refreshing 2hear ppl’s voice “@debslym. thanks 4publishing my post “What this pendatang thinks” ..so humbled honoured”
Read the rest of this entry »
10 days in May (updated)
Tweets @limkitsiang :-
10 days in May – 5 days when my dominant left eye went blind/5 days initial recovery after vitrectomy ops. But also 10 “black” days 4Msia
10 days when reputation of leaders crashed/causes destroyed. Eg: Fullpage advert 65th UMNO ann but 1 logo no more 1Msia but 1Melayu. Y?
Is Najib PM of 1Msia or 1Melayu? Is Hisham Home Minister 4Msia or UMNO? 1Msia N H never suffered greater damage 2credibility these 10 days
Christian Msia conspiracy? How ludicrous! Height of irresponsibility not just Utusan but Utusan’s boss- UMNO ie Najib/Hisham who must answer
Read the rest of this entry »
‘Who is running the country?’
Posted by Kit in 1Malaysia, nation building, Sarawak on Wednesday, 11 May 2011
FMT Staff
May 10, 2011
A retired colonel from Malaysian Armed Forces is upset that a government policy regarding children of mixed mariages in Sarawak has not been implemented.
KUCHING: A storm is brewing over the non-implementation of a government directive regarding the “Bumiputera” status of children from mixed marriages in Sarawak.
An irate father, Suhirtharatnam Kularatnam, a former retired colonel in the Malaysian Armed Forces, is demanding to know “who is running the country” when government policies are not carried out.
“Why is the government directive acknowledging the children of mixed marriages in Sarawak as Bumiputeras not being implemented? Who is running this country? Is it the prime minister or is there someone else?” he asked.
Suhirtharatnam’s daughter, Teresa Clare, who scored 10As in last year’s Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia, was not given a seat in the matriculation programme because she was not considered a “Bumiputera”.
Teresa’s mother Pauline is an Iban and the daughter of former Land and Mineral Resources Minister Francis Umpau. Read the rest of this entry »
Sound the siren, beat the war drum, Najib tells Umno
Posted by Kit in 1Malaysia, Najib Razak, UMNO on Wednesday, 11 May 2011
Free Malaysia Today
May 10, 2011
KUALA LUMPUR: Umno president Najib Tun Razak has called on all Umno members to intensify efforts in preparing the party for the 13th general election.
“Sound the siren, beat the war drums and heat up the engines. Do not ever allow lies, falsehood and any attempt at fooling the people, to succeed.
“Remember that past deeds will just remain in the annals of history if we fail in this big test. Umno must continue to be strong and relevant in order to chart new achievements for the sake of religion, society and nation,” he said in his message in conjunction with Umno’s 65th anniversary celebration tomorrow. Read the rest of this entry »
Prove your mettle, MCLM tells Najib
Posted by Kit in 1Malaysia, Media, Najib Razak, Religion on Tuesday, 10 May 2011
By Tashny Sukumaran | May 10, 2011
Free Malaysia Today
KUALA LUMPUR: Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak must prove his mettle as the “leader of 1Malaysia” by speaking out against Utusan Malaysia over its Christian plot report.
In making the call, Malaysian Civil Liberties Movement (MCLM) president Haris Ibrahim also wondered why the authorities were slow in acting against the Umno-owned newspaper.
“Why has there been no action against Utusan under the Sedition Act?
“Is the Umno-led BN government complicit in this attempt to sow racial and religious discord or else powerless to act against an emerging group of fascists?” he asked in a statement.
Read the rest of this entry »
Malaysia: Transforming to Vision 2020
By Khalid Noorshah
Globalia Magazine
Malaysia is fortifying her resolve to achieve her ideal, Wawasan 2020 or Vision 2020 within the nine years left, to be a self sufficient industrialised nation encompassing all aspects of life from economic prosperity, social well being, world class education standards and facilities, political stability as well as psychological well being. Prime Minister Dato’ Sri Najib Tun Razak showed that, since taking office in April 2009, he was focused in making Vision 2020 a reality within the timeline. He was well aware that he needs to improve the government to be more effective and at the same time he needed the people to be united as one to face the challenges of a new Malaysia.
In his maiden speech, he announced the One Malaysia (1Malaysia) concept tagged with a slogan People First Performance Now by calling on the Cabinet, government agencies and civil servants to more strongly emphasize ethnic harmony, national unity and efficient governance and attached with it the values of perseverance, a culture of excellence, acceptance, loyalty, education, humility, integrity and meritocracy. Immediately after assuming office, Najib introduced a series of Key Performance Indicators (KPI) in order to measure and improve efficiency and quality of government services and its delivery as well as realising the 1Malaysia concept. The KPI provides a mechanism for evaluation of ministers and other government agencies including performance reviews carried out every six months. Najib identified six major policy areas in which the KPI will play an especially important role in improving the effectiveness of the Malaysian government. Read the rest of this entry »
BN to blame for any attack against Christians, says DAP
Posted by Kit in 1Malaysia, Najib Razak, Religion, UMNO on Monday, 9 May 2011
By Clara Chooi May 09, 2011
The Malaysian Insider
KUALA LUMPUR, May 9 — The DAP warned Barisan Nasional (BN) today that it will have to bear responsibility for any undesirable consequences that may befall the Christian community resulting from its endorsement of Utusan Malaysia’s Christian Malaysia reports.
DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng said the ruling pact has deliberately refused to punish the Umno-owned daily for propagating its “hate campaign of lies” against the Christian community.
“By failing to stop the Umno-owned Utusan Malaysia from continuing this hate campaign of lies, the BN government is inciting hate against the minority Christian community.
“DAP expresses grave concern that this hate campaign against Christians by Utusan Malaysia may not just stop at verbal attacks.
“The BN government has to bear full responsibility for any undesirable consequences on the Christian community in Malaysia based on Utusan’s hate campaign of lies,” Lim (picture) said in a statement today.
Read the rest of this entry »
Church mulls legal action against Utusan for false reporting
Posted by Kit in 1Malaysia, DAP, nation building, Religion on Sunday, 8 May 2011
By Debra Chong
The Malaysian Insider
May 08, 2011
GEORGE TOWN, May 8 — Bishop Antony Selvanayagam (left) said Utusan Malaysia lied about the Penang Catholic Church’s role in an alleged plot to make Malaysia Christian, adding he will consult a lawyer to discuss legal options against the Umno newspaper.
The cleric said neither he nor the Catholic Church were aware of any Christian meeting taking place in Penang as reported by the Malay newspaper, which also said yesterday the meeting was to discuss changing the country’s highest law to put a Christian in place of a Muslim as prime minister.
“That report is not true. No such conference took place in any Catholic church or facility here. As bishop, I would know,” he told The Malaysian Insider when contacted last night.
“That is false reporting,” Selvanayagam said, adding that neither Utusan nor any other person, apart from The Malaysian Insider, had contacted him to verify the report before its publication or since.
Asked if he planned to take action against Utusan Malaysia, he said, “Immediately, I would not be able to say. I would need to consult the Catholic Church and my legal advisor.” Read the rest of this entry »
Utusan wants to set 1 Malaysia on fire, decries Lim
By Susan Loone
May 7, 2011
Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng has expressed outrage over a front-page report today headlined ‘Malaysia Negara Kristian?’ (Malaysia a Christian state?) in Umno-owned Utusan Malaysia.
Lim turned his guns on the Malay daily for the false report which was based on a couple of pro-Umno blogs and accused Utusan of planning to “set 1Malaysia on fire” by playing up racial and religious sentiments.
According to Lim, the newspaper was playing a dangerous game by front-paging an article without verifying the allegations featured in anonymous blogs such as Bigdog.com and Marahku.com.
“Utusan wants to set 1Malaysia on fire… it is the most evil (jahat) and dangerous element in our country right now,” decried an angry Lim at a press conference in Penang today.
“I have asked my party leaders to lodge a police report on the matter. How can a lie be on the front page of a newspaper?” Read the rest of this entry »
-
You are currently browsing the archives for the 1Malaysia category.
