PAS’s problems not as trivial as Hadi thinks, says former veep
Posted by Kit in Pakatan Rakyat, PAS on Tuesday, 14 April 2015, 9:29 am
BY THE MALAYSIAN INSIDER
14 April 2015
Former PAS vice-president Ahmad Awang, who received three nominations to take on Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang for the top party post, has dismissed the president’s claim that the disagreements within the Islamist party were a “small” issue.
He said if the problems were not resolved, the party could be heading for destruction, adding that contrary to Hadi’s belief, the party was currently facing a bigger crisis than before.
“The president said it is a small thing. But from what I am seeing, the situation is really bad, and if left unchecked, it could destroy the party,” said Ahmad, who was also the former Perak PAS commissioner. Read the rest of this entry »
Repression in Malaysia – Disconnect
Posted by Kit in Anwar Ibrahim, Financial Scandals, Human Rights, Islam, Najib Razak on Tuesday, 14 April 2015, 8:34 am
Economist
Apr 11th 2015
A thuggish government is playing racial politics. Najib Razak should be dressed down
MALAYSIA’S prime minister, Najib Razak, paints his country as a model of moderate Islam —a multicultural democracy and a beacon of tolerance. He has spoken of scrapping oppressive British-era laws and nurturing a creative economy. Meanwhile, his spin-doctors explain that their liberal master is the man to vanquish the reactionary forces in his political party, UMNO, which has never been out of power and which is prone to cronyism and political thuggery. Barack Obama, for one, buys this story. He is the first American president since 1966 to have visited Malaysia. And late last year in Hawaii he enjoyed a round on the golf links with Mr Najib. The two men are said to click. The White House gushes about a “growing and warming relationship” between America and Malaysia. Read the rest of this entry »
Undi bukan Islam tidak penting?
A Shukur Harun
The Malaysian Insider
14 April 2015
Ramai yang berkongsi kerunsingan dan menyertai kebimbangan bekas pemimpin PAS, Ustaz Haji Ahmad Awang apabila beliau berkata, “ramai yang sedih melihat gelagat beberapa pimpinan PAS yang menunjukkan sikap tidak menghargai dan bersyukur atas kewujudan Pakatan Rakyat. Sama ada mereka mempunyai wawasan masa depan politik yang begitu terbantut atau agenda tersendiri yang masih belum didedahkan hanya Allah yang mengentahui.”
Menurut Ahmad Awang, kata-kata seperti “PAS mampu bersendirian”, “Putrajaya bukan matlamat kami”, “Sokongan bukan Islam tidak penting” dan sebagainya adalah sangat bercanggah dengan wawasan pimpinan terdahulu.
Ungkapan seperti ini bermunculan ketika tercetusnya krisis berat dalam PAS sendiri sekarang ini, lebih-lebih lagi menjelang Muktamar Tahunan PAS bulan Jun depan.
Menurut pendapat saya, pandangan PAS mampu bersendirian sementara sokongan bukan Melayu tidak penting adalah kata-kata yang menggambarkan betapa naifnya bacaan politik mereka ini, yang sama sekali tidak berasaskan realiti politik yang ada. Read the rest of this entry »
Hadi is propounding a political creed where the end justifies the means which seems to be at odds with the essence of Islam on the universal values of justice and trust (adil dan amanah)
Posted by Kit in Islam, Pakatan Rakyat, PAS, UMNO on Sunday, 12 April 2015, 4:14 pm
I am shocked at the justification by the PAS President Datuk Seri Hadi Awang for violating the Pakatan Rakyat (PR) Leadership Council decision on Feb. 8, 2015 that any amendment to the 1995 Kelantan Syariah Criminal Enactment and any private member’s bill in Parliament on hudud implementation should first be presented at the PR Leadership Council.
Both these consensus decisions of the PR Leadership Council meeting of Feb. 8, which was attended by Hadi personally, were violated as the 2015 Kelantan Syariah Criminal Enactment and Hadi’s private member’s bill motion in Parliament were never presented first to the PR Leadership Council.
From Hadi’s justification, he is in fact propounding a political creed where the end justifies the means which seems to be at odds with the essence of Islam on the universal values of justice and trust (adil dan amanah).
Read the rest of this entry »
Malaysia facing not only crisis of identity but crisis of survival for first time since formation of federation in 1963
Malaysia is facing not only a crisis of identity but a crisis of survival for the first time since the formation of the Malaysian federation in 1963.
The month of April has not been a good month for Malaysia, starting with the GST implementation on April 1, which has caused hardships all-round to Malaysians, regardless of race, religion or region; followed by a week of infamy when Parliament “stopped the clock” twice in four days to rush through the passage of the Prevention of Terrorism Act and the Sedition Amendment Act, both of which attracted universal international condemnation for Malaysia becoming the human rights “black hole” as well as opening the Pandora’s Box of undemocratic, arbitrary and repressive powers and laws.
But looming in the background, there was an even bigger crisis – the crisis of survival for Malaysia as it is intimately concerned with the question as to whether the Malaysian federation, as conceived by the Malaysia Agreement 1963, could survive and flourish or whether it would perish and fail. Read the rest of this entry »
Najib forewarned that the UMNO “UG” conspirators should not be allowed to continue to play with fire as it could lead not only to the disintegration of Pakatan Rakyat, but also Barisan Nasional and even the Malaysian Federation
Posted by Kit in Najib Razak, nation building, Pakatan Rakyat, PAS, Sabah, Sarawak, UMNO on Saturday, 11 April 2015, 9:16 am
The month-long Parliamentary meeting starting on March 9 and adjourning in the early hours of April 10 has gravely undermined and damaged both the political coalitions in the country, the Barisan Nasional and Pakatan Rakyat.
It has been said that truth is stranger than fiction.
While the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak may rejoice that the “hudud” plot of the UMNO’s “UG” conspirators has succeeded in causing grave damage to Pakatan Rakyat, he should rue its threat not only to Barisan Nasional but the Malaysian federation as well.
Najib had not realised that the “hudud” weapon of UMNO “UG” plotters’ is a double-edged sword, which could not only damage the unity and solidarity of Pakatan Rakyat with its success to entice PAS support with purported UMNO endorsement for PAS Kelantan State Government hudud implementation, it also threatens the unity and even survival of Barisan Nasional and the Malaysian Federation as well.
In fact, the “hudud” plot of the UMNO “UG” conspirators has the potential not only to destroy both coalitions, Barisan Nasional and Pakatan Rakyat, but also the nation or bring about a realignment of political forces in the country.
The warning signals are clear for all who have eyes to see.
Read the rest of this entry »
Umno playing politics with hudud push, Saifuddin tells students in Australia
by Shaun Tan
Malay Mail Online
April 10, 2015
KUALA LUMPUR, April 10 — Support for hudud exists only on the fringes despite the high-profile coverage on the controversy over the Islamic penal law in Malaysia, said Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah.
Speaking during a summit organised by the Malaysian Students Council of Australia (MASCA) in Brisbane, Australia yesterday, the Umno leader also said his party’s apparent support for hudud was “just politics”.
“Hudud isn’t mainstream. The mainstream is moderation and democracy,” he said.
During discussions on the topic, he said while the Quran uses the word “hudud” 14 times, none of the mentions involves a fixed punishment, but instead appears in relation to marriage, divorce and kindness to orphans. Read the rest of this entry »
Is the 1MDB a tragedy or a farce?
Posted by Kit in Financial Scandals, Najib Razak on Friday, 10 April 2015, 4:21 pm
The Edge
Rakyat Times
10th April 2015
The Malaysian Government’s ambitious investment experiment, 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB), has turned into a political and financial minefield for Prime Minister Najib Razak and his ministers.
In recent months, the debt-laden sovereign wealth fund has made domestic and international headlines with explosive allegations of corruption, widespread mismanagement of public funds, serious political misbehaviour and opaque corporate dealings.
The relentless attacks on 1MDB – which have included public disclosures of confidential e-mail trails highlighting opaque transactions for highly dubious investments – have not only come from the country’s feisty opposition, but also former premier Mahathir Mohamad, who in recent days has publicly called for Najib’s resignation.
“Najib is facing too many scandals, and there are no answers,” Dr. Mahathir told reporters last week, adding that if the country’s dominant party, the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), which – as the main partner in the Barisan Nasional (National Front) coalition – has helmed Malaysia since independence in 1957, wants to remain in power, then “I think they must change the prime minister”.
Writing Najib’s political obituary, however, may be a little premature, say several senior UMNO officials aligned to the UMNO president and prime minister. Read the rest of this entry »
Royal Commission of Inquiry into Altantuya’s murder and conduct of various authorities in the case is the only way to salvage the credibility and repute of Najib and his premiership from the Mongolian albatross
Posted by Kit in Crime, Najib Razak, Police on Friday, 10 April 2015, 3:02 pm
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib has again denied any involvement in the 2006 murder of the Mongolian woman Altantuya Shaariibuu in a pre-reorded interview with TV3 yesterday.
This follows former Prime Minister Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad joining the increasing chorus asking who have given the two former police commandos, Azila Hadri and Sirul Azhar Umar the order to kill Altantuya.
On the murder of the Mongolian, Najib said he had sworn three times, including in a mosque in Permatang Pauh in 2008 that he did not know Altantuya and that he was not involved whether directly or indirectly.
Former Prime Minister Tun Abdullah has also surfaced to Najib’s defence, stressing that police has cleared Najib of any involvement in Altantuya’s murder.
Abdullah said he was briefed about the case during his tenure and appeared convinced about the investigation’s outcome.
As Najib has reiterated that he did not know Altantuya and was not involved directly or indirectly in the Mongolian’s murder, why is Najib so resistant to the proposal for full inquiry as to the motive of Altantuya’s murder, and in particular, who had given the orders to the two ex-police commandos to kill the Mongolian and blow up her body with military explosives? Read the rest of this entry »
U.N. Rights Chief Criticizes Malaysian Antiterror Measure
Posted by Kit in Human Rights on Friday, 10 April 2015, 11:13 am
by Nick Cumming-Bruce
New York Times
APRIL 9, 2015
GENEVA — The United Nations human rights chief on Thursday joined in criticism of the Malaysian government’s planned legislation on sedition and the prevention of terrorism, warning that both bills threatened to severely curtail freedom of opinion and expression and breach the country’s international obligations.
The government’s move to restore powers of indefinite detention without trial and without safeguards against abuse was among “serious shortcomings” in the Prevention of Terrorism Act, the United Nations high commissioner for human rights, Zeid Ra’ad al-Hussein, said in a statement.
The Malaysian authorities abolished indefinite detention powers in 2012 after years of criticism from human rights bodies, but the new measure allows the police to detain suspects for up to two years, renewable indefinitely, without trial or any form of judicial review. Read the rest of this entry »
After G25, prominent Sabahans tell Putrajaya to fight extremism
The Malaysian Insider
9 April 2015
Following in the footsteps of the 25 prominent Malays dubbed G25, a group of 47 Sabahans have sent an open letter to Putrajaya urging an end to extremism in the country, The Star reported today.
The group from Sabah raised concerns about Islamisation, attempts to convert natives of the state, polarisation, growing intolerance and federal government bodies asserting authority beyond their powers.
They said in their letter that “extreme and misguided actions in the name of Islamisation and religious intolerance is nothing but a threat to our national peace and stability”. Read the rest of this entry »
Tempers in Parliament as Putrajaya pushes through 4 bills late night
Posted by Kit in Parliament on Thursday, 9 April 2015, 8:51 am
by Elizabeth Zachariah
The Malaysian Insider
9 April 2015
Tempers flared at the Parliament tonight as opposition lawmakers attempted to end the meeting at 11.30pm as the government tried to push through four more bills.
Puchong MP Gobind Singh Deo led the opposition charge and demanded sitting be suspended as Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Wahid Omar attempted to wrap up the debate on the Malaysian Aviation Commission Bill 2015.
“It is not fair to debate four more bills tonight. And we finish at 4am. Tomorrow we have a very important Bill to discuss,” the DAP lawmaker said, referring to the amendments to the Sedition Act which is due for debate at tomorrow’s sitting.
“What is the urgency here? We cannot do it. We cannot debate it. We are not giving justice to the people.” Read the rest of this entry »
Why do we still need the Sedition Act?
Posted by Kit in 1Malaysia, Constitution, Sabah, Sarawak on Thursday, 9 April 2015, 8:45 am
by Boo Su-Lyn
Malay Mail Online
April 9, 2015
APRIL 9 — We are just five years away from our goal of becoming a developed nation by 2020.
Yet,in this day and age, we still have a law dating back from the colonial times guarding our speech and worse, the government is attempting to enhance punishments under the Sedition Act 1948.
People convicted of seditious speech can be imprisoned for up to 20 years under the proposed Sedition Act amendments, with a minimum jail term set at three years. No bail is allowed either.
Speech deemed to be seditious under the Sedition (Amendment) Bill 2015 involve issues of race and religion, secession, the rulers, and Bumiputera privileges, among others.
These are matters crucial to our democracy that Malaysians are prohibited from discussing freely.
The revised Sedition Act outlaws exciting “ill will, hostility or hatred” on grounds of race and religion, but such terms are extremely vague. Read the rest of this entry »
Kelantan’s hudud breaks basis of secular Malaysia, Sarawak churches say
Posted by Kit in Constitution, Islam, Sabah, Sarawak on Thursday, 9 April 2015, 8:34 am
The Malay Mail Online
April 8, 2015
KUALA LUMPUR, April 8 — Kelantan’s hudud enactment violates the secular foundation upon which Malaya, Sabah and Sarawak had formed Malaysia, Sarawak churches said today.
The Kuching Ministers’ Fellowship (KMF), a network of church pastors and leaders in Sarawak, joined the Sabah Council of Churches in criticising the passing of the Kelantan Shariah Criminal Code II Enactment 1993 (amendment 2015) last month in the east coast state run by Islamist party PAS.
“The recently-passed Kelantan hudud enactment is in direct contradiction to the aspirations of founding fathers of our nation to keep Malaysia a secular state as evidenced in several historical documents that explicitly state this,” KMF chairman Pastor Daron Tan said in a statement.
“The introduction of hudud law is a fundamental breach and deviation from the expressed commitment to complete religious freedom, a key term underpinning the Malaysia Agreement signed in July 1963 between Sarawak, Sabah and Malaya,” he added. Read the rest of this entry »
In Sedition Act changes, detractors fear clampdown on calls for Borneo autonomy
Posted by Kit in Constitution, Sabah, Sarawak on Thursday, 9 April 2015, 8:29 am
by Boo Su-Lyn
The Malay Mail Online
April 9, 2015
KUALA LUMPUR, Apr 9 — Critics of Putrajaya’s proposed amendments to the Sedition Act 1948 claim the changes would not only criminalise calls for Sabah and Sarawak’s secession from Malaysia but may also be abused to punish those seeking more rights for the east Malaysian states.
Once the revisions to the Act are approved and gazetted by both houses of Parliament, analysts and lawmakers alike fear that authorities may choose to interpret any demand for greater autonomy in east Malaysia as prompting secession.
Universiti Malaysia Sabah senior anthropology lecturer Dr Paul Porodong stressed that it should not be considered secession for east Malaysians to call for a review of the Malaysia Agreement 1963 — the treaty upon which Malaysian federation was founded — press for greater state autonomy, or to demand more oil royalties.
“My worry is they’ll lump everything into secession and silence the voice of the people,” Porodong told Malay Mail Online. Read the rest of this entry »
Renegotiate Federal Constitution if Kelantan must have hudud
— Civil Society Organisations of Sabah and Sarawak
The Malay Mail Online
April 8, 2015
APRIL 8 — We — Civil Society Organisations of Sabah and Sarawak — hereby call for a thorough renegotiation of the Federal Constitution if Kelantan insists to enforce its Shariah Criminal Code II (1993) 2015.
We solemnly hold the following positions:
1. In forming Malaysia with Malaya and Singapore in 1963, Sabah and Sarawak signed up for a secular federation, not a theocratic one where any religious criminal justice system may be in force in any part of the Federation.
2. Religious freedom was amongst the top demands of Sabah and Sarawak in the Malaysia negotiations which produced the Inter-Governmental Committee Report and eventually the 1963 Malaysia Agreement. Sabah and Sarawak would not have been part of Malaysia if Shariah criminal law was an item in the negotiation.
3. Secular justice system on crimes as a federal jurisdiction is part of the entire constitutional package embodied in the Ninth Schedule of the Federal Constitution. Any fundamental change to this packaged deal requires a thorough renegotiation of the Federal Constitution. Read the rest of this entry »
An open letter to Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
By J.D. Lovrenciear
Free Malaysia Today
April 5, 2015
COMMENT
In thirty-odd years of writing (over 10,000 pieces in the media), I have never once written in the first person. But today, inspired by your open admissions and determined manifestations of recent weeks, I appeal to you, Sir, to put a stop to the reality of the day, i.e. that Malaysians are walking in shame in the eyes of the world community of professionals, honourable investors, and within the revered hallways of academia.
Tun, never has a nation in recent times had its citizens walk in such shame as is happening in Malaysia.
The unstoppable reports of corruption, extravagance, inept leadership, wastage and profiteering at the expense of nationhood, systemic attacks and compromises on our institutions of nationhood and the horrendous crime against Altantuya – all of these and many more that you are cognizant of have eroded the dignity, honour and reputation of this nation.
Yes, there is no perfect nation. But when Malaysians are forced to bow their heads and walk with so much shame, what do we do? Read the rest of this entry »
Sedition Act revisions worst ever attack on free speech, lawyers say
Posted by Kit in Human Rights, Parliament on Wednesday, 8 April 2015, 11:50 am
by Boo Su-Lyn
The Malay Mail Online
April 8, 2015
Amendments to the Sedition Act 1948 that allow people to be jailed up to 20 years for their remarks is an attempt to stifle all dissent, according to lawyers who dubbed these the “most serious” attack on freedom of speech Malaysia has ever seen.
Civil liberties lawyer Syahredzan Johan also questioned the denial of bail for suspects charged with sedition offences that cause bodily injury or property damage, saying that while prosecutors may try to justify this, it should be the courts’ discretion to decide.
“This Bill makes for a chilling read,” Syahredzan told Malay Mail Online.
“I would say that it’s the most serious assault on freedom of speech and expression that we have seen in this country,” the lawyer added.
Under the Sedition (Amendments) Bill 2015 that was tabled in Parliament yesterday, those who cause bodily harm or property damage with their sedition crimes will now face jail terms of between five and 20 years. Those convicted of general sedition crimes face imprisonment of between three and seven years. Read the rest of this entry »
Putrajaya has no respect for judiciary, says Ambiga after Sedition Act changes
Posted by Kit in Human Rights, Parliament on Wednesday, 8 April 2015, 11:11 am
Elizabeth Zachariah
The Malaysian Insider
8 April 2015
The people need to understand how little respect Putrajaya has for the country’s judiciary, said former Bar Council president Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan, after the government yesterday tabled amendments to the Sedition Act, which will also include refusing bail to those charged under the colonial-era law.
She said Putrajaya did not seem to care that the constitutionality of the act was being challenged in the court by academic Dr Azmi Sharom and as such, any amendments to it was “absolutely appalling”.
Azmi was charged under Section 4(1)(b) and Section 4(1)(c) of the Act over his comments in a news article titled “Take Perak crisis route for speedy end to Selangor impasse, Pakatan told”.
Azmi then filed an application, saying that Section 4 was unconstitutional and violated Article 10 of the Federal Constitution, which guarantees freedom of speech. The case was referred to the Federal Court.
“The Sedition Act is being challenged by Azmi with the argument that it is unconstitutional and is, therefore, null and void,” she said in a forum titled “What is a moderate Malaysia for Malaysians?” in the capital city of Kuala Lumpur last night.
“And what does the government do before the decision by the court? They put in amendments. They don’t care what our federal courts have to say about the Sedition Act. To me, this is absolutely appalling.”
Ambiga, who is the patron of people’s movement Negara-ku, said Putrajaya had not discussed the amendments with any stakeholders, including civil society and the opposition, before tabling the amendments which were “extreme”. Read the rest of this entry »
Security must not come at the price of liberty, Suhakam tells Putrajaya
Posted by Kit in Human Rights on Wednesday, 8 April 2015, 9:07 am
The Malay Mail Online
April 8, 2015
The government’s duty to ensure the country’s safety does not negate its responsibility to uphold citizens’ rights and the rule of law, the Human Rights Commission (Suhakam) said in criticising Putrajaya’s decision to revive detention without trial.
While expressing support for government efforts to combat the risk of terrorism, the commission insisted that laws such as the Prevention of Terrorism Bill 2015 (Pota) must still be consistent with local and international human rights standards.
“Although the government has an obligation to ensure that the constitutional rights of its citizens are protected by taking positive measures to counter threats of terrorism and extremism, the Commission reiterates that such measures must not pose disproportionate challenges to fundamental human rights and the rule of law, and jeopardise the principles of democracy,” Tan Sri Hasmy Agam, the chair of Suhakam, said in a statement yesterday. Read the rest of this entry »
