Why was the monstrous and pernicious National Security Council Bill passed like “a thief in the night” in a late-night session on the last sitting of the 25-day Parliamentary meeting without any prior notice to the major stakeholders in the land?
Posted by Kit in Constitution, Human Rights, Najib Razak on Monday, 7 December 2015, 10:26 am
Both the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak and the Deputy Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid owe Parliament and the nation a full and satisfactory explanation as to why the monstrous and pernicious National Security Council (NSC) Bill was passed like “a thief in the night” in a late-night session on the last sitting of the 25-day Parliamentary meeting without any prior notice to the major stakeholders in the land?
Najib’s kitchen Cabinet of trusted Ministers and top government officers and advisers must be congratulated for pulling off one of the most remarkable feats in Malaysian government history, keeping the monstrous and pernicious NSC Bill completely under wraps without any one knowing about it, and even the snooping journalists with the most trained noses to sniff out the goings-on in the corridors of powers, have been completely bamboozled this time.
But this adds to the mystery – why was the NSC Bill kept under such tight lock-and-key that when it was first tabled in Parliament for first reading on Tuesday, 1st December 2015, it did not attract widespread attention and alert that it was such a monstrous and pernicious bill which not only usurped the powers of Yang di Pertuan Agong, the Cabinet and the powers of autonomy of the Sarawak and Sabah state, but would set the country off on the long dark road to a dictatorship? Read the rest of this entry »
So you think sexist jokes are funny?
Syerleena Abdul Rashid
The Malaysian Insider
4 December 2015
Jokes are meant to make us laugh. Plain and simple, right?
By definition, a joke is made up of words within a particular and “well-defined narrative structure” designed to make people crack a smile and express some level of amusement.
Jokes can be simple or even complex. It can be a story, a one-liner, a pun, slapstick or utter nonsense. However, there are jokes that have the opposite effect; some jokes are tasteless, crude, offensive and lewd. These are the type of jokes that joke tellers ought to think twice before articulating. Read the rest of this entry »
3 reasons you should be worried about the National Security Council Bill
Posted by Kit in Constitution, Human Rights, Parliament on Monday, 7 December 2015, 6:39 am
Julia Yeow
The Malaysian Insider
6 December 2015
Just before the stroke of midnight last Thursday, December 3, Parliament passed the National Security Council Bill that nobody, not even the hawk-eyed opposition or the wide network of civil society groups, had any premonition of before it was tabled a mere two days earlier.
All peace-loving Malaysians regardless of your political affiliations, or even if you really couldn’t give two teh tariks for politics, have good reason to be concerned when this security law comes into force.
The manner in which it was bulldozed in Parliament, the ease with which it was passed and the ramifications of the vast executive powers it confers to members of the National Security Council (NSC) have left little to the imagination as to the sinister undertones of this Bill. Read the rest of this entry »
Islam in a Constitutional Democracy
Posted by Kit in Constitution, Islam on Monday, 7 December 2015, 6:25 am
— G25 Forum
Malay Mail Online
December 6, 2015
DECEMBER 6 — We, members of G25, at the conclusion of the Forum on Islam in a Constitutional Democracy at PAUM in Kuala Lumpur on December 5 and 6, 2015, agree on the following statement of reaffirmation:
Having discussed the role of Islam in a Constitutional Democracy under four themes namely;
i) The Federal Constitution and Shariah Law.
ii) Issues of Conflict between Shariah law and Civil law, and impact on the Federal /State division of powers in Malaysia’s legal system.
iii) Islamisation and its Consequences.
iv) Islam and Politics.:
Reaffirming our commitment to upholding the Federal Constitution as the Supreme Law of the Nation;
Reaffirming our commitment to upholding the Rukun Negara which articulates the principles and goals that should guide the Nation;
Reaffirming our belief that political stability and economic progress in a multi-ethnic, multi-cultural and multi-religious nation like Malaysia can only be achieved when there is racial harmony, tolerance, understanding and co-operation amongst the various communities; Read the rest of this entry »
Paris and California Shootings: What Are Muslims Teaching Their Children?
Prof Dr. Mohamad Tajuddin Mohamad Rasdi
7th Dec 2015
In the wake of the horrific events in Paris and California the so called ‘middle ground’ Muslims are quick to denounce them as the work of an ‘extreme’ faction. Well, I have got news for the world. In my thesis, it is these so called ‘middle ground’ Muslims that ultimately give birth to these extremist factions they fear so much.
Perhaps many are in disagreement and in shock to my statement. I will elucidate.
Firstly, what do I mean by ‘middle ground Muslims’? Read the rest of this entry »
Pandikar is not enhancing public respect for the Speakership or the institution of Parliament with his tantrum and threat through the BNBBC to pursue a vendetta to blackball DAP MPs for Segambut and Tanjong
Posted by Kit in Parliament on Sunday, 6 December 2015, 1:41 pm
Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia is not enhancing public respect for the Speakership or the institution of Parliament with his latest tantrum and threat through the BN Backbencher’s Club (BNBBC) to pursue a vendetta with DAP Members of Parliament, Lim Lip Eng (Segambut) and Ng Wei Aik (Tanjong) by blackballing them from speaking in Parliament.
Pandikar challenged the two DAP MPs to resign if parliamentary reforms were implemented in the early sessions next year.
“I want them to resign or clear their seats if the first phase of the reforms are done early next year in the Parliament session.
“If they do not resign, even if they stand up a hundred times to speak or debate, I will not invite them to speak under Standing Order 35.
“They will not get my respect as a speaker”.
Challenge to Deputy Prime Minister-cum-Home Minister Zahid Hamidi to public debate on the National Security Council Bill as it paves the way for a dictatorship and does not safeguard public and national security
Posted by Kit in Constitution, Parliament, Zahid on Sunday, 6 December 2015, 7:15 am
Deputy Prime Minister-cum-Home Minister, Datuk Seri Zahid Hamidi has denied that the National Security Council (NSC) Bill which was passed in indecent haste by Dewan Rakyat 107 to 74 votes in a late-night sitting on Thursday had any political motive or gave absolute power to the Prime Minister.
Zahid claimed that the NSC bill was to strengthen enforcement in comprehensively looking after the security of the people in the country and the full executive power is not with the Prime Minister but with the National Security Council as had been done before with Poca and Pota, namely, the crime prevention law and terrorism prevention law.
He further claims that overall, the NSC Bill is aimed at safeguarding public and national security.
I challenge all these claims by Zahid and I further challenge Zahid to a public debate on the NSC Bill as it paves the way for a dictatorship and does not safeguard public and national security.
The public debate could be held in Kuching, Kota Kinabalu, Kuala Lumpur, Penang or Johor Baru and I leave it to Zahid to decide on anyone or even at all of these five venues. Read the rest of this entry »
What is the use of having seven Ministers and 25 Members of Parliament from Sarawak Barisan Nasional if they cannot even defend the basic rights for Sarawak autonomy which faced the greatest threat since formation of Malaysia in the form of the National Security Council Bill
Posted by Kit in Constitution, Najib Razak, Parliament on Saturday, 5 December 2015, 12:14 pm
The seven Ministers and 25 Members of Parliament from Sarawak Barisan Nasional would have made a great difference and stopped the National Security Council Bill – the greatest threat to the basic rights of Sarawak autonomy since the formation of Malaysia 52 years ago – in its tracks if they had spoken out against the Bill.
The National Security Council Bill is the most monstrous piece of legislation that I have seen since my election to Parliament 46 years ago in 1969, for it would confer the Prime Minister with dictatorial powers, and in areas which are declared as “security areas”, the Prime Minister’s National Security Council would be able to do whatever it deems necessary (which is completely unheard-of in modern democratic governance) but also confers immunity for whatever violations and atrocities against human rights, even involving deaths, committed under the auspices of the National Security Council.
This is because the National Security Council Bill specifically provides that there would be no accountability whatsoever (everything will be protected under the Official Secrets Act) and there is even no need for post mortems in cases of mysterious deaths in security areas. Read the rest of this entry »
Senate should veto the National Security Council Bill as it is a quadruple power grab at the expense of Yang di Pertuan Agong, the Cabinet and the autonomy powers Sarawak and Sabah and refer it back to Dewan Rakyat after full national consultative process
Posted by Kit in Constitution, Najib Razak, Parliament, Sabah, Sarawak on Saturday, 5 December 2015, 8:15 am
The Senate should veto the National Security Council Bill which was rammed through the Dewan Rakyat in indecent haste in a late-night sitting last night, which was sprung as a total surprise on the nation as Members of Parliament on both sides of the House and the civil society did not have any clue beforehand that the government was preparing to enact such a monstrous legislation which is no less than a quadruple power grab at the expense of the Yang di Pertuan Agong, the Cabinet and the autonomy powers of Sarawak and Sabah.
The National Security Council Bill was surreptitiously presented for first reading on Tuesday on Dec. 1, and even without any briefing for Barisan Nasional MPs especially from Sarawak and Sabah, the second and third readings of this monstrous Bill was rushed through Parliament yesterday, with BN MPs particularly from Sarawak and Sabah voting for it blindly like robots although they did not fully understand its far-reaching implications, including undermining the very autonomy powers of Sarawak and Sabah which have become the burning issues in these two states.
In fact, I do not believe that the 37 Ministers of the Cabinet could have discussed, debated or understood the National Security Council Bill before it was presented to Parliament for a shot-gun passage, for no self-respecting Cabinet would have agreed to such power-grab by the Prime Minister, who is in fact setting himself up as a dictator who need not pay heed to what is already a very supine and servile Cabinet! Read the rest of this entry »
Why the NSC Bill should scare the living daylights out of you
Posted by Kit in Law & Order, Parliament on Saturday, 5 December 2015, 6:56 am
Khairie Hisyam Aliman
Malay Mail Online
Thursday December 3, 2015
DECEMBER 3 ― On Tuesday, minister Datuk Seri Dr Shahidan Kassim dropped a bombshell by way of the National Security Bill 2015 ― furore immediately erupted over the allegedly excessive powers this Bill seeks to confer to a sitting prime minister if it is passed into law.
But what are these powers exactly and what implications do they bring to us? On Wednesday, a copy of the Bill became available for download on the Parliament website, so I indulged my curiosity (because I have an unnatural reading preference).
In simple terms, the Bill seeks to set up a National Security Council with eight members, namely the sitting prime minister as chairman; the deputy prime minister as deputy chairman; the ministers in charge of defence, home affairs and communication/multimedia respectively; the chief secretary to the government; the chief of the armed forces; and the Inspector General of Police.
The council’s powers under the Bill can be summarised into two broad areas: to control and co-ordinate government entities on operations concerning national security as well as to issue directives to any government entity on matters concerning national security.
But that’s where the problem begins, because…. Read the rest of this entry »
Parliament inflicted three black eyes on itself in one day – quite a feat!
Posted by Kit in Corruption, Financial Scandals, Human Rights, Najib Razak, Parliament on Friday, 4 December 2015, 11:59 am
It’s quite a feat – Parliament inflicted three black eyes on itself in one day!
Yesterday was one of the darkest days in the history of the 56-year Parliament in Malaysia, for in one day, it scaled a new height of shame and dishonour with a trio of disgraceful parliamentary episodes, viz:
• The “cop-out” in the three-minute Ministerial statement by the Deputy Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Zahid Hamidi dismissing some 90 parliamentary questions about Najib’s RM2.6 billion and RM50 billion 1MDB twin mega scandals in the 25-day budget parliamentary meeting;
• The petty and spiteful persecution of PKR Vice Chairman and MP for Lembah Pantai, Nurul Izzah Anwar virtually convicting her of disloyalty and treason to Malaysia, and referring her to the Parliamentary Committee of Privileges under terms of reference which can only allow the Committee to propose the “commensurate” penalties to be meted out to her; and
• What has been fittingly described by a former Malaysian ambassador as “the final step in the Zimbabweisation of Malaysia”.
It is to the eternal shame of Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia that so many shameful and disgraceful records could be set by the Malaysian Parliament in one day under his Speakership! Read the rest of this entry »
Pakatan Harapan should work on an active plan and strategy to win the mandate to be the government in six states as well as the Federal government in Putrajaya in 14GE
Posted by Kit in Corruption, Najib Razak, Pakatan Harapan, Pakatan Rakyat, Parliament on Friday, 4 December 2015, 8:01 am
I am awed by the 146-table dinner organized by Triang DAP Branch in conjunction with “Solidarity with Lim Kit Siang & Mana RM2.6 billion?” nation-wide campaign tonight, which is not only the biggest-ever dinner organized by Triang DAP Branch but also the biggest-ever dinner in the history of Triang.
My six-month suspension from Parliament should be the cause of a new national awareness of the need to achieve two fundamental changes in Malaysia – the urgency to have a new Parliament where Members of Parliament are not prevented or persecuted for voicing out the innermost concerns of the people of Malaysia; and secondly, for an end to the rampant corruption, abuses of power and violation of the principles of accountability, transparency and good democratic governance illustrated by the growing list of political, economic, good governance and nation building scandals plaguing the country.
Public anger and protests against an irresponsible and unaccountable government resulting in scandals like Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s RM2.6 billion and RM50 billion 1MDB twin mega scandals are not just confined to Opposition ranks of DAP, PKR and Parti Amanah Negara leaders, members and supporters.
I believe patriotic, right-thinking and justice-loving members of UMNO and Barisan Nasional parties, whether in Peninsular Malaysia, Sarawak or Sabah, also cannot agree, accept or tolerate Najib’s twin mega scandals or the host of economic, political, good governance and nation-building injustices surfacing in the country. Read the rest of this entry »
China’s generous 1MDB bid seen reaping it big returns
Posted by Kit in Finance, Najib Razak on Friday, 4 December 2015, 7:55 am
Praveen Menon & Anshuman Daga
Reuters
Malaysiakini
3 Dec 2015
A generous winning bid from a state-owned Chinese firm for a scandal-ridden Malaysian fund’s power assets will help Beijing find favour as it seeks more deals in the country and to extend its influence in South-East Asia, financial and diplomatic sources say.
China’s South-East Asia push is widely seen as having come at a perfect time for embattled Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak, who chairs the advisory board of state fund 1MDB and has been grappling with international probes and public outrage over allegations of graft at the fund.
The US$2.3 billion offer from China General Nuclear Corp, a surprise winner in the bidding, and its assumption of US$1.8 billion in 1MDB debt will result in Chinese firms having pole positions as key rail, port and road projects come up for grabs, sources said. Read the rest of this entry »
Zahid’s three-minute statement on Najib’s RM2.6 billion donation in his personal banking accounts the greatest cop-out in Parliament in nation’s history
Posted by Kit in Corruption, Financial Scandals, Najib Razak, Parliament on Thursday, 3 December 2015, 4:15 pm
Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Zahid Hamidi’s three-minute statement on Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s RM2.6 billion donation in his personal banking accounts is the greatest cop-out in Parliament in the nation’s history.
What happened in Parliament this morning will go down in the Malaysian parliamentary annals as another disgraceful episode as to why parliamentary reform is urgently needed – but meaningful parliamentary reforms cannot come from “sweet words” from the Speaker’s Chair but only from restoration of the doctrine of separation of powers among the Executive, Legislature and the Judiciary.
Parliament was made to commit a most cowardly and unchilvarous act today – to blow up the Nurul-Jacel photograph incident in the hope of covering up Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s RM2.6 billion “donation” scandal.
Clearly, the UMNO/BN Government needed desperately to distract attention from Najib’s RM2.6 billion “donation” scandal, especially as national and international attention had been building up for weeks to expect the Prime Minister to give a full and satisfactory accounting of his RM2.6 billion “donation” scandal today, the last day of the 25-day six-week parliamentary budget meeting.
What better distraction for Najib’s RM2.6 billion “donation” scandal than the furore over the outrageous motion to convict the PKR Vice President and MP for Lembah Pantai, Nurul Izzah Anwar, of the heinous charge of breach of oath as an MP “to bear true faith and allegiance to Malaysia” and to “preserve, protect and defend the Constitution” and to refer her to the Parliamentary Committee of Privileges for the penalties to be meted out. Read the rest of this entry »
Azalina would have committed hara-kiri or seppuku in Parliament today if she upholds the bushido code of honour above life
Posted by Kit in Corruption, Financial Scandals, Najib Razak, Parliament on Thursday, 3 December 2015, 9:30 am
Datuk Azalina Othman Said would have committed hara-kiri or seppuku in Parliament today if she upholds the bushido code of honour above life.
This is because the Order Paper in the last sitting of Parliament today – ending the 25-day six-week parliamentary budget meeting – proves that Azalina had been caught out committing the unparliamentary and dishonourable act of telling outright lies as Minister responsible for Parliamentary Affairs.
On the very first day of the current meeting of Parliament on Oct. 19, Azalina evaded the questions by DAP Members of Parliament, Lim Guan Eng (Bagan) and Lim Lip Eng (Segambut), and said in written reply that the government would answer questions about the RM2.6 billion “donation” received by Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak and other related questions during the current meeting of Parliament.
However, Azalina said the exact date for this would be determined later.
Guan Eng had asked Najib on the source of the RM2.6 billion donation, how was it spent and how much balance is left; who the money was spent on, if taxes were paid and if there was a formal declaration.
Lip Eng’s question with regard to the donation and the missing US$1 billion payment to International Petroleum Investment Co. (IPIC) also received the same reply.
Then, in an act of great “benevolence” and “magnanimity”, Azalina told the media on Nov. 5 that the Prime Minister or a Minister will explain on the last day of the parliamentary meeting on Dec. 3 on the controversial RM2.6 billion donation that went into Najib’s personal bank accounts. Read the rest of this entry »
The new National Security Council Bill should be withdrawn from debate tomorrow to allow MPs and civil society adequate time to study its far-reaching implications on civil liberties
Posted by Kit in Parliament on Wednesday, 2 December 2015, 3:16 pm
The new National Security Council (NSC) Bill should be withdrawn from debate and passage tomorrow and deferred until Parliament next month to allow Members of Parliament and the civil society adequate time to study its far-reaching implications on human rights and democratic freedoms in Malaysia.
The 33-page Bill, in both Bahasa Malaysia and English, was only presented in Dewan Rakyat for first reading and it is really ridiculous and outrageous to rush through the second and third readings for the Bill tomorrow, without giving MPs and the civil society the opportunity to study its far-reaching implications on human rights and democratic freedoms in the country.
Members of Parliament may not be required to understand the real implications of the law, as their only requirement is to vote in support of any bill which the government tables in Parliament, but it is an insult to the intelligence of Pakatan Harapan Members of Parliament and discerning members of the public to expect them to behave like unthinking and obedient robots or digits to give blank cheque support to whatever is decided by the Cabinet.
In fact, I believe the majority of the Ministers may not even understand the far-reaching implications of the National Security Bill although they all nodded in agreement when the Bill presented for Cabinet consent by the relevant Ministry and department concerned. Read the rest of this entry »
Hasan Arifin should let Dr. Tan Seng Giaw head PAC probe into 1MDB as he is too keen to demonstrate his “cari makan” characteristics
Posted by Kit in Corruption, Financial Scandals, Najib Razak, Parliament on Wednesday, 2 December 2015, 1:36 pm
Datuk Hasan Arifin is too keen to demonstrate his “cari makan” characteristics to be a suitable Public Accounts Committee (PAC) Chairman heading the PAC probe into Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s 1MDB scandal.
He should make way for the Deputy PAC Chairman Dr. Tan Seng Giaw to head the PAC inquiry into the 1MDB scandal so that the PAC inquiry would not be sullied by his “cari makan” propensities.
Hasan exhibited such a “cari makan” propensity yesterday when he jumped the gun and declared that he was “satisfied” with the testimony given by the 1MDB CEO Arul Kanda Kandasamy to the PAC, although Arul had not completed his testimony nor did Hasan had the authority of the PAC to declare publicly that the PAC was satisfied with Arul’s testimony. Read the rest of this entry »
My six-month suspension from Parliament a most symbolic way to mark my 50 years in politics in pursuit of the Malaysian Dream
Posted by Kit in Malaysian Dream, Politics on Wednesday, 2 December 2015, 8:02 am
Fifty years ago, I started my involvement in Malaysian politics and my current six-month suspension from Parliament in a most symbolic way marked my half-century of political work and patriotism where I dedicated virtually my whole life to the pursuit of the Malaysian Dream of an united, inclusive, progressive, just and prosperous Malaysia for all Malaysians, regardless of race, religion, language, culture, region, politics or class.
My six-month suspension from Parliament is a salutary reminder that the pursuit of the Malaysian Dream is not a completed journey but very much a work-in-progress, that it is not a smooth-sailing venture but requires courage, commitment and vision to overcome the trials and tribulations of an upstream, against-the-current struggle to build a better Malaysia for all Malaysians, where good governance and justice is the order of the day and an end to the ever-lengthening list of political and economic scandals suffocating the country. Read the rest of this entry »
Malaysia Vainly Seeks to Keep Lid on Scandal
Posted by Kit in Crime, Law & Order, Najib Razak, Police on Wednesday, 2 December 2015, 7:07 am
By John Berthelsen
Asia Sentinel
November 30, 2015
Latest involves attempt to intimidate prominent KL lawyer
The lengths Malaysian authorities are willing to go in the effort to keep a lid on continuing financial scandals involving Najib Razak and his wife, Rosmah Mansor, has taken a new turn with a threat to arrest a prominent lawyer for assisting a US businessman in making a sworn statement on his brother’s reported involvement into the stalled probe.
Police are demanding that Americk Sidhu, who assisted in writing the sworn statement by Atlanta-based businessman Charles Morais of his murdered brother’s reported involvement in the stalled Najib investigation, come in for questioning. Khalid Abu Bakar, Malaysia’s Inspector-General of Police, told local media on Nov. 30 that “we are giving Americk two days to step forward and have his statement recorded.”
On Nov. 26, Morais read a sworn statement to a press conference in Kuala Lumpur that his brother Anthony Kevin Morais, a Malaysian deputy prosecutor whose body was found in a cement-filled oil drum that had been dumped in a river, had said he was assisting in the investigation of Najib and his wife, Rosmah Mansor, before he disappeared. Morais said he had also received a USB drive from his dead brother, to be kept for safekeeping. But he gave no details about what was on the USB drive. Almost immediately after holding the press conference, Charles Morais left the country to go back to the US. Read the rest of this entry »
US, Malaysia and the War Against the Islamic State
Posted by Kit in Islamic state on Tuesday, 1 December 2015, 7:05 pm
By Prashanth Parameswaran
Diplomat
November 25, 2015
An inside look at ongoing cooperation between Washington and Kuala Lumpur.
It has happened quickly and quietly. But over the past few months, Malaysia has cemented itself as one of the key American partners in the ongoing war on the Islamic State.
This is not a natural or easy position for the Muslim-majority nation to take. U.S. and Malaysian counterterrorism approaches differ in some significant ways, and aspects of American foreign policy in the Middle East – including lingering memories of wars in Iraq and Afghanistan following the September 11 attacks – remain deeply unpopular in Malaysia.
But Kuala Lumpur’s current commitment, which was highlighted recently during U.S. President Barack Obama’s visit to the country for the latest round of Asian summitry, reflects the seriousness of the Islamic State threat both generally and for Malaysia in particular. Read the rest of this entry »
