FMT News |  |
- Nazri bentang usul larangan kenyataan seksis esok
- ‘KO’ BN; Kerajaan bagi peluang PAS bertaubat
- ‘Political links behind inaction on 6P mess’
- KL shares end lower
- John dedicates Beijing show to Ai
- Taklimat kes Scorpene ke Singapura
- German press hails ‘racing God’ Vettel
- Apa amanat Najib kepada Umno?
- UN: Japan needs to ask people about nuclear fears
- Rights group urges no amnesty for Afghan Taliban
- ‘Miracle’ image draws thousands to church
- Sarawak defying court on NCR, says PKR
- Govt complicit in worker abuse, says Tenaganita
- Medvedev says ‘does not rule out’ Kremlin comeback
- Ambiga to Najib: Debate with Anwar
- West Ham’s Carroll hopes goals start to flow
- TAF wants govt to apologise
- Academic: Weaknesses in Ideas’ report
- Adun Umno: Selangor sekat usaha Syabas kurangkan NRW
- DAP likely to field Indian candidate for Labis
- Amalan LGBT dikesan menular ke bandar kecil
- Du Plessis scores ton as South Africa draw 2nd test
- Report: India’s Mahindra in bid for Aston Martin stake
- Sihanouk to be cremated on February 4:
- Asian markets mixed ahead of Greece meeting
- 14 reps pledge support for green motions
- No need for foreign observers, says Pak Lah
- Smoking ‘rots’ brain
- Dr M: I don’t know what’s wrong with Genneva
- PAS Youth needs to search its soul
- Nurul’s statement and the Kaum Tua mentality
- England humiliate India with 10 -wicket win
- M’sia remains top Asean exporting nation to Germany in first half 2012
- Share prices end morning session lower on lack of buying interest
- Harimau tumbang, salah siapa?
- Readers pick Anwar for PM
- ‘We are not that corrupt’
- The public voting for VIMA 2013 is now open
- Hubungan Gaza, Sri Lanka dan WIEF
- Serving needy communities via SEA
- Pakatan won’t let go of Sabah
- Dr M: No independence if Pakatan rules
- Finding warmth at cuddle workshops
- Dubai Plans New ‘City’, world’s largest mall
- QPR mulls signing Beckham
- Pua: BN incapable of change
- Can anyone crack the pigeon’s wartime code?
- US breaks US$1b for first time in online Black Friday shopping
- Circus owner found guilty of elephant cruelty
- Threat of US ‘fiscal cliff’ raises concern in market
| Nazri bentang usul larangan kenyataan seksis esok Posted: 26 Nov 2012 04:56 AM PST
Menteri di Jabatan Perdana Menteri Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Aziz berkata, perengaan 4 dalam Peraturan Mesyuarat 36 akan dipinda dengan memasukkan ayat ‘atau membuat perkataan yang seksis’ selepas perkataan ‘biadap’. Sekaligus menjadikan Peraturan Mesyuarat 36(4) berbunyi: “Adalah menjadi kesalahan bagi ahli-ahli Dewan yang menggunakan bahasa kurang sopan (biadap) atau membuat pernyataan yang seksis”. Nazri berkata dirinya akan membentangkan usul ini kira-kira 11.30 pagi untuk dibahas dan digulungkan, iaitu sebaik sahaja selesai sesi soal jawab dalam Dewan. Ditanya mengenai jenis perkataan yang boleh menggambarkan seksis, Nazri berkata keputusan itu terletak di tangan Speaker. “Speaker punya kuasa untuk untuk tentukan sama ada perkataan yang dilontarkan ahli Parlimen itu berbaur seksis. “Berdasarkan kajian, saya rasa hanya negara kita yang mempunyai peraturan ini demi menjaga kehormatan kaum wanita,” katanya. Sementara itu, Nazri berkata pihaknya masih meneliti kajian bagi cadangan memotong gaji menteri di. bawah Peraturan Mesyuarat 66 sebelum dibawa ke Dewan untuk diluluskan.      |
| ‘KO’ BN; Kerajaan bagi peluang PAS bertaubat Posted: 26 Nov 2012 04:40 AM PST
Sebaliknya memberi peluang kepada parti itu untuk bermuhasabah dan bertaubat, kata Timbalan Menteri di Jabatan Perdana Menteri Senator Datuk Dr Mashitah Ibrahim dalam Dewan Rakyat hari ini. “Inilah dakwah kerajaan…agama bukan sekadar perundangan tapi pendekatan membimbing ke arah akhlak yang baik supaya mereka sedar dan kembali kepada jalan sebenar,” katanya. Beliau berkata demikian ketika menjawab soalan tambahan Datuk Tajuddin Abdul Rahman (BN-Pasir Salak) yang mempersoalkan kerajaan yang masih berdiam diri terhadap PAS kerana bimbang tindakan tersebut cenderung kepada kesesatan. “Saya hairan kerana dalam al-Quran menyebut ‘jangan berpecah-belah’ tapi yang langgar tu siapa? “Siapa yang membawa perpecahan sampai mengatakan orang Melayu-Umno Islamnya sesat dan songsang? “Dakwa apa yang dibawa ni? Nampak jelas dan nyata…apa ni, kerajaan takut ke,” soal Tajuddin. Doa itu dibacakan anggota Dewan Ulama PAS Kelantan Nik Razi Nik Mat ketika memimpin solat hajat yang disertai kira-kira 30,000 penyokong parti di Stadium Sultan Muhammad IV, Kelantan sempena Muktamar PAS ke-58 pada 16 November lalu. Nik Razi yang juga adik kepada Mursyidul Am PAS Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat itu dalam doanya menyebut ‘Kuburkanlah Umno-BN’ dan ‘KO BN’.    |
| ‘Political links behind inaction on 6P mess’ Posted: 26 Nov 2012 02:17 AM PST
The migrant rights NGO’s executive director was commenting on the revelation that former Home Minister Mohd Radzi Sheikh Ahmad, is a director of a government-appointed agent which is being investigated by the police for several human trafficking related offences. “The presence of a former minister in a company that has been found to have committed so many alleged crimes speaks volumes. This is yet another reminder of how urgent and imperative it is that investigations into allegations of corruption and state complicity in fraud involving the 6P programme be carried out independently, and openly,” said Fernandez. “This tells you why there has been inaction. It is because of the strong political links to the regime and the government of the day. This is blatant fraud, but nothing is done,” she said.
“I find it strange that a lawmaker does not know what his responsibility is in a company,” she said. She alleged that Radzi, during his tenure as minister, was himself responsible for the victimisation of thousands of Bangladeshi workers. In 2006, the government lifted a 10-year freeze on the recruitment of Bangladeshi workers. Thousands were then recruited and cheated through an outsourcing process, said Irene. She said that the same “fraudulent” outsourcing companies were now given the opportunity to cheat again when they were appointed to act as agents under the 6P amnesty programme. “More than one year after the 6P was announced, thousands who have paid between RM3,000 to RM4,000 to these companies to be legalised remain undocumented. They are open to arrest, detention and whipping under the Immigration Act,” she said. Bogus employers Fernandez said that many migrants continue to be threatened and abused by these agents, who insist on obtaining fradulent work permits through “bogus employers”. Police and official reports have been lodged but nothing has come out of it. On Nov 23, FMT reported about Mohd Radzi’s directorship in SNT Universal Corporation, which is being investigated for exploiting about 200 foreign workers, mainly Bangladeshis. SNT had allegedly falsely claimed that it is able to register foreigners under the 6P programme and getting work permits for them, setting up dozens of bogus employment agencies, and assaulting job-seeking foreigners. The last allegation is based on CCTV recordings. According to the Companies Commission of Malaysia (CCM), Radzi became a director of SNT on May 17, 2011.
"I'm not involved in human trafficking," he said. "People ask me to become a director in all sorts of things. I have no connection with the company." Under the 6P programme, illegal foreign workers will either be legalised or deported without punishment. The six Ps represent the Malay words for registration, legalisation, amnesty, monitoring, enforcement and deportation. The government has appointed more than 300 companies to handle registration. Meanwhile, FMT spoke to several Bangladeshi workers who protested at the Bangladesh High Commission this morning against the 6P programme. Md Shipun alleged that SNT Universal Corporation not only verbally abused workers going through them to apply for work permits, but frequently resorted to violence. “Babul is no good. He just beats us. He has beaten more than 100 people. He goons hit my cousin and many of my friends. He and his people only know violence,” he said. “Babul” is the nick name of one of the directors of SNT Universal Corporation who is a Bangladeshi. It’s a mystery how his company was appointed as an agent.
Mohd Zakir Hosain, a Bangladeshi businessman now a permanent resident here, said that he had brought a group of his countrymen to be registered by SNT but everyone is now caught. “They trusted me, I feel bad. The Malaysian government, the Immigration Department and Home Ministry must solve these issues. If possible, allow them to find another employer.” Another Bangladeshi who applied for work permits under another 6P company said he too, was physically abused when he and a friend were cheated and confronted them.
“But then one year later I didn’t get anything, and when I went there with my receipts, the man just tore the papers in front of us.” “I tried to return home twice but they have kept my passport and refuse to return it. When I ask for it I was hit on my chest and shoulders. “They asked for more money. My father passed away three days ago, but I can’t return to pay my respects. I have nothing(no documents and no employment), what can I do now?”
Govt complicit in worker abuse, says Tenaganita Ex-minister Radzi a boss in ‘rogue’ 6P firm    |
| Posted: 26 Nov 2012 02:13 AM PST
As at 5.30pm, the benchmark FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) fell 6.44 points to 1,607.88, after opening 1.26 points higher at 1,615.58. The FBM KLCI moved between 11,607.66 and 1,616.04 throughout the day. A dealer said investors were bearish amid lack of buying support from the local funds on key index heavyweights. He said this could also put further downside pressure on the FBM KLCI this week. On a more positive tone, he said, the oversold technical conditions on blue chips could suggest that further weakness would likely spark a more significant technical rebound ahead of the month-end. Hiap Huat Holdings Bhd, an oil recycler company, made a strong debut on the ACE Market today with 60 per cent premium, or up 12 sen to 32 sen, from the offer price of 20 sen, with 15.06 million shares traded. Losers outpaced gainers by 447 to 225, while 313 counters were unchanged, 662 untraded and 26 others suspended. Volume fell to 964.23 million shares worth RM1.27 billion from one billion shares worth RM1.49 billion last Friday. The Finance Index went down 14.91 points to 14,949.76 and Industrial Index fell 43.47 points to 2,727.22. The Plantation Index, however, rose 21.62 points to 7,905.49. The FBM Ace Index declined 33.11 points to 4,220.74, FBM Emas Index eased 46.84 points to 10,972.4, FBMT100 lost 43.4 points to 10,814.92 and the FBM Mid 70 Index shed 48.96 points to 12,064.16. Among actives, Hiap Huat rose five sen to 25 sen, Metronic Global dropped 1.5 sen to 13.5 sen, Berjaya Corp and Karambunai slipped half sen each to 59.5 and 13.5 sen respectively and Scomi-LCSLS lost one sen to eight sen. Of the heavyweights, Maybank and Public Bank added four sen each to RM9.04 and RM15.44 respectively and Tenaga rose five sen to RM6.94. Sime Darby lost two sen to RM9.53 and CIMB went down 11 sen to RM7.58. Volume on the Main Market fell to 593 million units valued at RM1.19 billion from 771.87 million units valued at RM1.47 billion last Friday. Turnover on the ACE Market increased to 287.21 million shares worth RM72.8 million from 138.76 million shares worth RM16.40 million previously. Warrants fell 60.15 million units valued at RM3.17 million from 60.26 million units valued at RM3.03 million last week. Consumer products accounted for 51.6 million shares on the Main Market, industrial products 110.98 million, construction 30.14 million, trade and services 237.09 million, technology 17.04 million, infrastructure 18.29 million, finance 44.51 million, hotels 455,500, properties 62.03 million, plantations 11 million, mining 31,000, REITs 9.75 million and closed/fund 49,200. - Bernama    |
| John dedicates Beijing show to Ai Posted: 26 Nov 2012 01:38 AM PST  BEIJING: Pop-rock balladeer Elton John dedicated his Beijing show to Chinese dissident Ai Weiwei — a controversial move the artist said today was unlikely to make the nation’s cultural minders happy.After the Icelandic singer Bjork chanted “Tibet, Tibet” at a 2008 concert in Shanghai, authorities refused numerous Western acts permits to perform in China for years. Concert-goers said John told his audience of more than 12,000 people yesterday at the Wukesong arena, built to host the basketball tournament at the Beijing Olympics, that the show was dedicated to Ai. “I met him before the show, he didn’t say anything about it,” Ai told AFP. “When he did it, it was a big surprise.” The Ministry of Culture, he added, “are probably not too happy about this, but there is not much that they can do about it. He is a very popular singer who has a lot of influence”.
He disappeared into police custody for 81 days last year, drawing worldwide headlines and casting a spotlight on the government’s growing concern over social unrest, especially as “Arab spring” street protests rocked the Middle East. After being released he was convicted of tax evasion, fined US$2.4 million by the Beijing tax bureau and barred from leaving the country for one year. He has described such treatment as the government’s way of quelling his social activism and efforts to protest a wide range of alleged official abuse. It was unclear whether John’s public support for Ai would have consequences for other Western acts hoping to perform in China. At a 2008 concert in Shanghai, Bjork chanted “Tibet, Tibet” at the end of her song “Declare Independence”, in a public protest against China’s rule of the Himalayan region and open support for the Tibet independence movement. A number of Western acts were subsequently refused permits to perform in the country by China’s cultural minders. In Sunday’s show, John’s surprise dedication drew only a muted response from the crowd, said one audience member surnamed Wu, adding: “As far as the show, the crowd loved every minute of it.” John is scheduled to return to China next week to play a concert in Guangzhou following shows in South Korea, Malaysia and Hong Kong.—AFP    |
| Taklimat kes Scorpene ke Singapura Posted: 26 Nov 2012 01:35 AM PST
Taklimat akan bermula pada 11 pagi sehingga 2 petang esok dan dijangka akan dihadiri majoriti ahli Parlimen Pakatan Rakyat. Tambahan, taklimat yang sepatutnya dilakukan oleh dua peguam Perancis, William Bourdon dan Joseph Brohem terpaksa dibatalkan dan hanya diwakili peguam bersekutu mereka, Apoline Cagnatn. Cagnatn dikatakan sudah berlepas daripada Perancis pukul 3 petang tadi (waktu Malaysia) dan dijangka tiba di Singapura pada pukul 7 pagi esok. Speaker Dewan Rakyat Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia dalam responnya berkata, keputusan itu dibuat beradasarkan kuasa mutlaknya untuk menentukan, memberi kebenaran atau arahan bagi membolehkan seseorang masuk ke kawasan Parlimen. Menurut Pandikar, keputusan itu turut dilakukan kerana mendapat bantahan rasmi daripada Majlis Ahli Parlimen Barisan Nasional (BNBBC) demi menjaga kedaulatan dan nama baik institusi Parlimen supaya kekal terpelihara. “Kalau pun ada bukti baru yang perlu diperjelaskan kepada mana-mana pihak khasnya ahli Parlimen, pada hemat saya, ia masih juga berstatus tuduhan, bersifat fan berunsur politik yang bukan ‘bipartisan’. “Sehubungan itu, saya amat bersetuju dengan pendirian BNBBC jika agenda peribadi ini hendak diperjelaskan, bolehlah menggunakan ruang lain seperti ibu pejabat parti, pejabat Suaram atau lain-lain premis awam yang bersesuaian tanpa melibatkan institusi Parlimen Malaysia. “Keputusan muktamad ini juga sejajar dengan keputusan saya dalam Majlis Mesyuarat Dewan Rakyat pada 8 November 2012 mengenai ‘Isu Tambah Pandikar, setakat ini tiada sebarang permohonan rasmi yang diterimanya, sebaliknya hanya surat makluman mengenai hasrat untuk membawa tetamu undangan (peguam Perancis) masuk ke Parlimen. Pandikar berkata demikian dalam satu surat jawapan rasmi kepada pejabat Ketua Pembangkang Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim hari ini. Sementara itu, Ahli Parlimen Batu Tian Chua dalam sidang media berkata, William dan Joseph tidak dapat hadir kerana enggan mengambil risiko yang tinggi apabila Kementerian Dalam Negeri (KDN) tidak memberikan sebarang jaminan keselamatan kepada mereka. “KDN kata tertakluk kepada syarat-syarat imigrasi yang akan ditentukan Jabatan Imegresen…tugas mereka hanya nak masuk dan buat taklimat ringkas. Mereka tak berminat nak buat kecoh pun,” katanya. Sehubungan itu Tian Chua berkata pihaknya mengalu-alukan kehadiran ahli Parlimen BN termasuk ahli Senat ke Singapura esok dan berusaha untuk menyiarkan taklimat tersebut secara langsung termasuk melalui laman sosial Facebook. Sementara itu, Ahli Parlimen Subang R Sivarsa berkata keputusan Speaker itu merupakan langkah terbaru untuk mengurangkan ruang bagi rakyat menyuarakan pendapat dalam Parlimen. “Secara langsung menunjukkan adaperkara yang tak mahu didedahkan. Ada perkara yang mereka tak mahu rakyat tahu,” katanya.    |
| German press hails ‘racing God’ Vettel Posted: 26 Nov 2012 01:31 AM PST
Vettel’s triumph was plastered over most front pages in Germany, with mass circulation Bild screaming “Vettel madness”. “You are now a racing God … at 25, the youngest triple world champion of all time,” wrote the paper. The Sueddeutsche Zeitung compared Vettel to racing legends Juan Manuel Fangio and their own “Schumi”. “For Vettel, it’s the third in a row. In 62 years of Formula One, only two others have done that: Fangio and Schumacher. That shows what company Vettel is joining. “That at the age of 25 he is the youngest by some distance to achieve this shows what he can still do,” added the Sueddeutsche. Vettel also received congratulations from a wide range of Germany’s great and good, from Chancellor Angela Merkel to tennis star Boris Becker. “Like so often this season he showed fabulous strength of character and driving skill in Sao Paulo. Like millions of fans, I have been thrilled to see how he has fought back in the world championship after a difficult start,” said Merkel. Becker tweeted: “Vettel is the man. Wunderbar (wonderful).” But the German press did not forget their other hero, Michael Schumacher, who was first to congratulate Vettel after the tumultuous Brazilian Grand Prix. The Die Welt daily devoted an entire page to the seven-time world champion, headlined: “Well done and thank you.” “Thank you and goodbye,” wrote the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung in English. -AFP    |
| Posted: 26 Nov 2012 01:30 AM PST
Tirai perhimpunan dibuka dengan perasmian perhimpunan Pemuda, Wanita dan Puteri oleh Timbalan Presiden Umno, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin pada malam esok. Presiden Umno, Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak mahu BN menang besar dalam pilihan raya kali ini bagi menebus tsunami 2008 di mana parti itu tidak memiliki majoriti di Parlimen. Kekalahan besar itu merupakan yang pertama bagi BN dan sangat memalukan bagi sebuah parti yang sangat berpengalaman dan kaya. Bagaimanapun, tumpuan pasti lebih kepada amanat Najib pada majlis perasmian perhimpunan pada hari Khamis ini. Anak bekas Perdana Menteri kedua itu akan mengetuai pilihan raya umum yang pertama selepas mengambilalih jawatan dari Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi pada Mac 2009. Najib berulang kali meminta rakyat khususnya pengundi menolak pembangkang dan terus memberi mandat kepada BN. Menurutnya, rakyat perlu menolak pembangkang kerana ketidak sehaluan perjuangan PAS, PKR dan DAP, PKR terutamanya menurut Perdana Menteri memperjuangkan pendirian yang boleh disangsi termasuk kefahaman yang terlalu liberal dan pluralisme yang juga boleh menimbulkan banyak kontroversi. Parti utama orang Melayu Manakala fokus yang lain ialah beliau meminta anggota Umno mendedahkan bahawa PAS adalah sebuah parti politik yang berselindung di sebalik imej Islam. Perdana Menteri berhujah tujuannya ialah supaya Umno akan muncul sebagai parti yang utama dalam kalangan orang Melayu. "PAS perlu menggambarkan parti itu sebagai sebuah parti Islam. Tapi sama ada perbuatan itu (doa menghancurkan Umno dan Barisan Nasional, BN) adalah benar-benar menepati prinsip dan syariat Islam atau sebaliknya ia merupakan sebuah parti politik yang berselindung di sebalik imej Islam. Itu yang harus dibincang oleh parti Umno. "Kalau kita dapat mengetengahkan hujah-hujah yang bernas, maka kita boleh muncul sebagai parti yang utama di kalangan orang Melayu," katanya seperti dilapor Bernama Sejak 2008, pembangkang berusaha menawan Putrajaya dalam pilihanraya umum ke 13 ini. Malah serangan ke atas BN semakin dipertingkatkan sejak kebelakangan ini. Pakatan bergabung dengan NGO melancarkan pelbagai usaha termasuk himpunan Bersih semata-mata untuk mengajak rakyat menolak Najib dan BN. Isyarat untuk menebus tsunami telah menjadi pertunjuk dengan kemenangan besar BN dalam pilihan raya di Sarawak. Faktor Dr M Malah mantan Perdana Menteri, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad kembali menyokong BN dengan meminta rakyat memberi undi kepada kerajaan sedia ada. Walaupun ramalan dari individu dan pihak tertentu mengatakan Najib berdepan laluan sukar, BN tetap mempunyai kelebihan. Program mendekati rakyat dengan pelbagai janji hanya akan teruji di hari pengundian nanti. Cuma yang Najib lebih bimbang ialah terhadap sokongan di kalangan pengundi muda dan masyarakat Cina. Selain isu pilihan raya, perwakilan dijangka turut membahaskan mengenai pencapaian orang Melayu dalam ekonomi negara serta beberapa isu lain seperti kedaulatan agama Islam dan Ketuanan Melayu. Ketua Pemuda Umno, Khairy Jamaluddin juga mengakui betapa pentingnya perhimpunan ini. Kata ahli Parlimen Rembau itu, penting untuk digunakan sebagai peluang menaikkan semangat ahli dan jentera parti bagi menghadapi PRU akan datang. Ia bagi memastikan persiapan akhir dalam tempoh beberapa bulan sebelum PRU diadakan digunakan dengan baik. "Ia termasuk memastikan segala persiapan sama ada jentera, logistik dan hujah di kawasan masing-masing dapat dijalankan dengan mantap," katanya. Dalam pada itu, perhimpunan berkenaan juga menjadi peluang kepada Umno untuk menjelaskan kepada seluruh rakyat khasnya ahli parti dan perwakilan mengenai perbandingan di antara apa yang kerajaan dan BN tawarkan dengan janji yang ditabur pembangkang. "Kita perlu memberi keyakinan kepada rakyat yang kita sudah belajar daripada kesilapan lalu dan pada masa yang sama banyak perubahan sedang dilaksanakan di bawah program transformasi BN,” tambahnya lagi.    |
| UN: Japan needs to ask people about nuclear fears Posted: 26 Nov 2012 01:29 AM PST  TOKYO: Japan needs to do more to address fears over radiation in the area around Fukushima, a UN health expert said today, urging Tokyo to consult those affected by nuclear pollution.Anand Grover, UN Special Rapporteur on the right to health, told reporters the government needed to depend less on experts and give more information directly to people living with nuclear fears. “Everything should be done with the participation of communities,” he told reporters at the end of a 12-day tour of Japan that included Fukushima and Miyagi prefectures. The Fukushima crisis, where reactors went into meltdown after cooling systems were swamped by the tsunami of March 2011, was “a man-made disaster”, said Grover, echoing the Japanese parliament’s own finding. Grover said the failure of the government and plant operator Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO) to disclose key information on radiation limits had added to the confusion and hurt. The government’s initial threshold for evacuation of 20 millisieverts per year “conveyed the message that effective radiation doses up to 20 millisievert per year was safe”. He said the “inconsistency” between that limit and the 5-millisievert dose allowed around Chernobyl before mandatory resettlement in the wake of its nuclear catastrophe “created confusion among a significant number of the local population, who increasingly doubt government data and policy”. Asked about how to clear up the confusion and reassure people, he urged the government not to rely too much on specialists. “I personally think experts know only part of the situation. Communities must be involved,” he said. - AFP    |
| Rights group urges no amnesty for Afghan Taliban Posted: 26 Nov 2012 01:26 AM PST
The New York-based Human Rights Watch (HRW) said President Hamid Karzai’s Western-backed administration had pledged amnesty for the Taliban if they join a Kabul-backed peace scheme. “Providing immunity from prosecution for genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity, and other serious human rights abuses violates international law,” HRW said in a statement. “Future government talks with the Taliban should not hinge upon denying justice to victims of war crimes and other abuses,” said Brad Adams, the group’s Asia director. “Afghanistan’s civilians should not be forced to choose between justice and peace.” Citing recent comments by Karzai’s peace enjoy Salahuddin Rabbani, HRW said the administration had promised immunity to Taliban officials joining peace talks and that their names would be removed from UN sanctions lists. Rabbani this month negotiated the release of nine Taliban prisoners held in Pakistani jails in the hope of pushing negotiations forward. Karzai’s government has been desperately trying to broker a peaceful end to the insurgency, which has been led by the Taliban since they were ousted from power by a US-led invasion in 2001. The Taliban have publicly rejected Karzai’s call for peace, dismissing his government as a puppet of the United States. The militants also broke off exploratory contacts with the United States earlier this year after problems arose over their demand for the release of Taliban prisoners held at Guantanamo Bay. Human Rights Watch pointed out that in 2007 the Afghan parliament, dominated by mujahedin leaders who fought a Soviet occupation and then a civil war, granted themselves immunity from prosecution for human rights abuses. “Afghanistan has a troubling history of providing amnesty for war crimes,” the group said. - AFP    |
| ‘Miracle’ image draws thousands to church Posted: 26 Nov 2012 01:26 AM PST
The two window panes from the Sime Darby Medical Centre have been placed in a small hall adjacent to the Gothic-inspired church, where they rest against the wall upon a raised platform and will remain there indefinitely. During FMT's visit over the weekend, the entire church was full of Catholics attending service, while others trickled peacefully into the hall to either pray, snap photographs or merely gaze at the panels which are now within comfortable viewing distance. Outside, the car park was completely full, and many visitors were forced to park alongside the busy road opposite the church. Several Rela personnel were seen managing traffic, while church volunteers patrolled the grounds. One of the volunteers was Alfred Kandavanam, a retiree who told FMT that the image attracts some 600 people a day to the church, with crowds peaking to over 800 on the weekend. "Usually, nobody comes here except on Saturday and Sunday. But even on weekends, we have around 500 people. "But now the number has surpassed 800," he said, adding that he and the others had begun volunteering at the church to maintain the crowd since the panes’ transfer. He also estimated that 40% of the visitors over the week were non-Catholics, including Hindus, Buddhists and Muslims. Pure amazement
But he said they had not made any preparations should the Catholic church deem the image inauthentic. "We'll let the Good Lord take his course," he added. A church-goer who wished to be identified only as Henry, however, told FMT he had no doubt the image was an authentic apparition of the Virgin Mary. "I don't think it's necessary for the Catholic Church to authenticate the image because it is up to our own beliefs. "When I first saw the image at the hospital, it was smoky and unclear. But after a few days and more people prayed, the image of the Virgin Mary slowly emerged and all doubt was erased from my mind," added the teacher. Ever since it appeared, he had been commuting to the hospital, and now the church, twice a day just to see the image and pray. Truly a miracle
"Some people say that it is just paint stains but paint stains would not be able to depict the blue cloth around her, the shine enveloping her. "She looks exactly the same as a statue. If it were just paint stains, then how can they appear the same as the statue? It is truly a miracle," she said. What further fortified her convictions, said Mary, was the physical symptoms she experienced upon seeing the image for the first time at the Sime Darby Medical Centre. Gesturing towards her head and shoulders, she said: "When I saw it for the first time, I couldn't believe it; my whole body felt hot, really hot. It started from the top all the way to the bottom." Visitors can continue to view the image from 7am to 10pm daily.    |
| Sarawak defying court on NCR, says PKR Posted: 26 Nov 2012 01:23 AM PST
"Pulau gawau" translates as "communal forests" and "pemakai menua" as "territorial domains". Last Friday, the Assistant Minister of Entrepreneur Development, Naroden Majais, told the state assembly that these were not recognised as NCR land unless they were located in areas already defined as such land. Bian said Pakatan Rakyat would use the issue as a major campaign point for the coming general election. He said Naroden's statement meant that the state government did not recognise the decision of the High Court, the Court of Appeal and the Federal Court in NCR land cases. He said at least two court decisions had confirmed that pemakai menua and pulau galau were NCR land. "We will communicate with the people through Radio Free Sarawak, through the papers and social media to tell them that the government does not recognise the decision of the court," he said. "The only way out for us is to change the government."    |
| Govt complicit in worker abuse, says Tenaganita Posted: 26 Nov 2012 01:22 AM PST
Criticising the 6P programme of amnesty for illegal migrant workers, Tenaganita chief Irene Fernandez called it a fiasco that had caused hundreds of thousands of migrant workers to suffer ill treatment. She was speaking outside the Bangladesh High Commission, where about 100 Bangladeshis were protesting against being cheated under the 6P programme. Earlier today, Malaysia signed a memorandum of understanding with Bangladesh that marked the end of a ban on the South Asian country's workers that Putrajaya imposed in 2007. Human Resource Minister Datuk Dr S Subramaniam and Bangladesh's Minister for Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment signed the document at the Putrajaya International Convention Centre. Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein had earlier said that the agreement was also a means of combating human trafficking. Fernandez denounced the Bangladesh government for "wilfully entering into this agreement when thousands of their citizens continue to be exploited in Malaysia." She was surrounded by Bangladeshi nationals holding up banners alleging fraud under the 6P programme. They were under the watchful eyes of about 50 policemen. Some 1,000 migrant workers have filed complaints of fraud with Tenaganita and other local NGOs, including Selangor Anti-Human-Trafficking Council (Mapmas). The complaints name 55 government-approved 6P agencies. Bangladesh nationals are the second largest foreign work force registered in the 6P programme. They number about 400,000. Testimonies Fernandez estimated that at least half that number had been cheated by the agencies. She said her estimate was based on testimonies given to Tenaganita.
She asked: “What is the Malaysian government hiding? Who is it protecting, and how are they benefitting from these fraudulent practices? “The Malaysian authorities have had ample time to act on the numerous complaints filed and evidence received. "The Malaysian public now demands that the authorities answer for their inaction." Fernandez submitted to the embassy a memorandum addressed to Bangladesh's Minister of Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment. The memorandum demanded that the Bangladesh government ensure the following: i. Bangladeshis in Malaysia are immediately granted valid work permits; ii. The names of their employers are stated on the work permits; iii. That all 55 agencies involved in cheating migrants through the 6P programme be held accountable; v. The practice of using agents for the recruitment and placement of migrants be abolished; vi. The immediate enforcement of a migrant recruitment and placement policy that protects workers' rights and dignity; vii. That the Bangladesh High Commission in Malaysia be proactive in addressing complaints and that the labour attaché ensure the protection of rights and the representation of workers seeking redress. Realities Fernandez noted that the Malaysian government had lauded the 6P programme as a "goodwill gesture", but she said the realities had shown it to be otherwise. “The experiences of migrant workers and employers in the past 18 months demonstrate how seriously fraud, abuse and corruption have festered throughout this programme,” she said. “Whatever the stated objectives of the 6P programme may be, the Malaysian government cannot claim ignorance of the realities of what the 6P has become: a fiasco whereby migrant workers are cheated, abused and remain undocumented despite making substantial payments of between RM3,000 and RM4,000 per person to 6P agents approved by the Ministry of Home Affairs.” She said thousands of migrants continued to be swindled of their money and left in an undocumented status, open to arrest, detention, whipping and deportation. Also read: 'Political links behind inaction on 6P mess'    |
| Medvedev says ‘does not rule out’ Kremlin comeback Posted: 26 Nov 2012 01:18 AM PST  MOSCOW: Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said he is not ruling out a return to the Kremlin after his 2008-2012 single term as Russian head of state but was happy working as premier under his mentor Vladimir Putin.“If I have sufficient strength and health, if our people trust me in the future with such a position, then of course I do not rule such a turn of events,” Medvedev said in an interview with Agence France-Presse and Le Figaro when asked if he had the ambition for another Kremlin term. Medvedev, who on Monday embarks on a working visit to France, served as president after Putin stepped aside following the maximum two consecutive terms allowed by the constitution after his 2000-2008 stint. But Putin, 60, stayed on as a powerful prime minister and Medvedev, 47, never fully emerged from the shadow of his fellow Saint Petersburg native, an impression strongly reinforced when Putin returned to the Kremlin in May 2012. Medvedev, who in turn was then appointed prime minister in May, failed to bring about lasting change through a much-trumpeted modernisation programme in his one term as president. But in his interview with AFP, he revealed he had not lost his political ambition. “This (returning to the presidency) depends on a whole range of factors.” “Never say never, especially as I swam in that river once and this is a river that you can swim in twice,” he said. Russia will only go to the polls to vote for a president again in March 2018 and in the next half decade society is expected to see major change as the middle class grows and Internet use explodes. Putin has also not ruled out standing again. This year’s tightly choreographed job swap was criticised for being played out far from the public, and frustration over the return of Putin to the Kremlin fuelled the opposition protests that rocked Russia in the last year. Some of Medvedev’s supporters — who saw him as a possible champion of a refreshed, innovative and more pro-Western Russia — were hugely disappointed by his apparent surrender of the Kremlin back to Putin. But Medvedev played up the tight links between the two men, saying he would find it impossible to work under anyone else. “I would hardly have become prime minister under another president, I cannot imagine it at all,” he said “If there is someone you can work with comfortably as prime minister after being president it is just one person, Vladimir Putin.” However Medvedev has distanced himself from Putin on some issues, notably the case of feminist punk rockers Pussy Riot, two of whom have been sent to prison camps for performing a song against the Russian strongman in a church. Reaffirming his belief that they should be released, he said: “I think they have already tasted what prison is… So further punishment in the form of prison is not necessary. This is my personal position.” On the case of Russia’s best known prisoner, the former tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky, Medvedev said court decisions had to be respected but noted that the convict had never made a bid for clemency from the Kremlin. Medvedev admitted that his modernisation drive had so far fallen short but expressed hope there was still time to put his ideas into place. “It’s true that for the moment modernization has not turned into a national idea and there has been no kind of radical progress reached.” “We need to modernize the economy but can you do this in 2-3 years? Of course not.” - AFP    |
| Ambiga to Najib: Debate with Anwar Posted: 26 Nov 2012 01:10 AM PST
Now that Najib had indicated that the polls could be called even next month, she said the debate must be held as soon as possible. "It is absolutely necessary that a debate takes place. It will give Malaysians the opportunity to gauge which political coalition is best qualified to govern the nation," she told FMT. Noting that Najib was fond of talking about United States president Barack Obama, Ambiga urged the former to emulate the latter with regard to the practice of presidential debates in the US. "As far as Bersih is concerned, Najib ought to take a leaf out of his [Obama's] book and agree to the debate with Anwar," she said. She added that the debate could prove beneficial to both Barisan Nasional and Pakatan Rakyat as it would provide a platform to put their respective policies and manifestos to the test. Anwar had repeatedly challenged Najib to a public debate but the latter had refused, citing among others that political debates was not part of the Malaysian culture. Sharing her views on this, Ambiga said the prime minister’s refusal to engage in a verbal jousting match with the opposition leader spoke for itself. "When a leader refuses to debate, it means that he is not confident about his policies and manifesto, perhaps he can’t defend [BN's policies], only he can answer [why he refuses to debate]," she added. Ambiga said that Bersih would consider initiating a public petition to determine if Malaysians wished to see the two leaders debate on issues of national importance. It is understood that the BN camp was also concerned about Anwar’s renowned oratory skills and therefore pitting Najib against him in a televised debate would be political suicide. Meanwhile, Ambiga also took Najib to task for stating that the general election could be held next month during his address at the launch of the Himpunan Barisan 1Malaysia on Saturday. The Bersih leader was aghast that the prime minister continued to tease the nation with regard to the election date. "I find it very disconcerting and irresponsible. The prime minister should not toy with the citizens," she said, adding that Najib had placed the nation on election mode for years now. Najib had asked why the opposition leader had remained silent when Pakatan captured five states in the 2008 general election and dismissed the latter’s plea to Australia as shameless. "I am astounded that the prime minister thinks it is embarrassing," said Ambiga. "It is only embarrassing if there is something wrong with the electoral system," she stressed. Furthermore, she said that if the election was clean and fair, Putrajaya should not be concerned about the presence of foreign observers. Pointing out that Malaysia had participated as an observer in other elections, she asked: "Why do we participate in something which we do not believe in?" "I am very concerned when a government says it is strongly against international observers as it leads me to believe that the polls will not be clean and fair," she added. Ambiga also stressed that it was not up to the prime minister to decide on the matter of international observers as this was the prerogative of the Election Commission. "And the EC previously said it will consider this. If the EC wants to show its independence, it will take a different stand. Any EC worth its salt will have no problems with international observers," she said. Clarifying an earlier statement issued by Bersih, Ambiga said while the electoral watchdog was pleased with the EC for setting up a special unit to rid the voter roll of dubious entries, it would "We do not trust the EC, we suggest that representatives from each political party be in that unit. "It is not rocket science, we have enough qualified people who understand the process and can help in cleaning up the roll. The civil society has always offered to help," she added. Ambiga also recalled how EC chairman Abdul Aziz Mohd Yusof had in April described the Malaysian electoral roll as the cleanest in the world. "After so many quarters slogged akin to pushing a boulder uphill and presented evidence, now on the eve of the elections, the EC admits the existence of discrepancies. "So it seems that the public, who do not have the resources, must unearth the problems and only then, the EC will rectify them. In my opinion, this is just eyewash!" she said. Should PM Najib debate Anwar? What do you think? Take part in FMT Poll today.    |
| West Ham’s Carroll hopes goals start to flow Posted: 26 Nov 2012 01:02 AM PST
The last time Carroll, who is spending a season on loan from Liverpool, had found the net was for England at Euro 2012 in June but his last Premier League goal had come for the Reds in a win over Blackburn in April. The 23-year-old, who cost Liverpool $35 million, told West Ham’s television channel they had to put the Tottenham loss behind them and focus on Wednesday’s trip to Manchester United and Sunday’s home game against Chelsea. “It was about time, to be honest,” said Carroll of scoring his first goal for West Ham. “I’m just grateful to have got off the mark and hopefully there will be more to come this week. “I think I’ve put myself about and been involved in our goals in previous matches. I think I’ve been doing well so it was about time one went in. “It was a great ball in by Joey O’Brien and I just had to get up and head it across the keeper. That’s what I did and thankfully it went in.” Carroll knows that West Ham, eighth in the league table on 19 points, will have to raise their performance to get anything out of their trip to leaders Manchester United midweek. After hosting Chelsea on Sunday, West Ham will then have a home game against Carroll’s parent club Liverpool to look forward to. “We have got a tough week, obviously, with Manchester United and then Chelsea and Liverpool coming up. It’ll be tough so we just have to put this behind us now and focus on Wednesday. “Of course, the big games are what everyone looks forward to, but tonight was disappointing and we just have to put it behind us now and get ready for the Manchester United game. “This game is all gone now so we’re going to have to concentrate 100 percent on Wednesday, which is going to be another tough game.” -Reuters    |
| Posted: 26 Nov 2012 12:51 AM PST
Dubbed the "Tamilar Action Force" (TAF), the NGO today said Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak and the Foreign Ministry should apologise to the Malaysian Indian community for hurting their feelings by inviting Rajapaksa. Penang Deputy Chief Minister P Ramasamy, speaking at a press conference on behalf of TAF, said although Rajapaksa had declined to attended the forum, the Sri Lankan president should not have been invited to Malaysia in the first place. “Inviting him is already an insult to us. He has the credit of torturing and killing thousands of Tamils in Sri Lanka. His regime is responsible for a genocidal war against Tamil-speaking people in the north and east of Sri Lanka. At least 40,000 peoples were slaughtered in Sri Lanka civil war in 2008,” he said. Rajapaksa was due to visit Malaysia for three days from Dec 4-6 for the Eighth World Islamic Economic Forum organised by the World Islamic Education Foundation. Najib is the patron of the foundation. “It is clear that the Najib-led government had failed to take care of the feelings of Malaysian Indians. Thus, he should apologise to them,” said Ramasamy. Also present was Teluk Intan MP M Manogaran and several Pakatan Rakyat Indian leaders. TAF, on its part, is planning to submit a memorandum to Najib at Parliament tomorrow. Apart from Najib, it would also submit memorandums to Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim and Sri Lanka parliamentary caucus headed by Johari Abdul, the Sungai Petani MP. “The memorandum would also include a demand that the federal government move a motion against the Sri Lanka government,” Manogaran said at the same press conference. “I have moved a motion to debate on Sri Lanka war crimes in Parliament previously, but it was rejected by the speaker. I hope this time MIC lawmakers can move the motion, so everybody can support it,” he added. Meanwhile, TAF has invited Barisan Nasional-friendly Indian leaders to participate in it. “The motive of TAF is to ensure and safeguard the interests of Tamils worldwide. Currently, there are 16 members in the force. And we want to increase it to 26. Hence, the balance of 10 seats will be offered to MIC, IPF, PPP and Gerakan Indians,” said A Rajeretnam the WargaAman president. WargaAman is a coalition of several Malaysian Indian NGOs. He also said that the newly formed NGO is not aimed at getting publicity but to create awareness among Tamils.    |
| Academic: Weaknesses in Ideas’ report Posted: 26 Nov 2012 12:23 AM PST
Universiti Malaya lecturer, Edmund Terence Gomez, said this at the launch of the report titled, ‘Combating Corruption: Understanding Anti-Corruption Initiatives in Malaysia’. Also present at the launch were Transparency International’s representative Akhbar Satar and National University of Singapore lecturer Syed Farid Alatas. Gomez said while it was admirable that the report had researched historical documents on anti-corruption initiatives, it should have looked into the processes that led to corruption. “You cannot talk about corruption in Malaysia without looking at the political system and democratic practises. If you don’t get it right, the report would lose its integrity,” he said. Gomez added that the report should have included case studies in the report, such as the Scorpene submarine and the Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ). “How do you discuss corruption without touching on these cases? No point putting to much focus on perception alone,” he said. Without mincing his words, Gomez said that the BN goverment has problems dealing with corruption since the era of former prime minister, Dr Mahathir Mohamad. “If you look at our corruption cases, the majority are linked to the policies made by the government such as the Bank Bumiputra scandal and the UEM highway project,” said Gomez. Two types of corruption He also said out that there were two types of corruption prevailing in the world, namely developmental corruption and degenerative corruption. Explaining, Gomez said that development graft is when the country grows, graft increases alongside with it, which was the case for Malaysia. “Degenerative corruption is where funds distribution for development is not channeled to the said development. “For the latter, take for example Brunei and Sabah. People are asking why Brunei is so successful as compared to Sabah when they are side by side,” he said. Echoing Gomez’s sentiments, Farid said that the public perception on graft in Malaysia is bad as they reflect what people see in their daily lives. “Take for example, Malaysian roads. Till today, we have potholes even on a newly paved road because sub-standard materials are used at the expense of quality. Do the public get proper explanation for this?” he asked. He also lashed out at those who argue that people should not complain about corruption when there is growth, saying it does not make corruption right. “Let’s say a child is victim of incest but he or she grows up to be successful. Does that absolve the perpetrator of any wrong doing just because the child turned out well? Certainly not. “Not only corruption is illegal but it also a sin in all religions,” said Farid. Also read:    |
| Adun Umno: Selangor sekat usaha Syabas kurangkan NRW Posted: 26 Nov 2012 12:22 AM PST
Adun Permatang Sulaiman Abdul Razak berkata kerajaan negeri menyekat perbelanjaan modal ataupun Capital Expenditure (Capex) mengakibatkan syarikat konsesi air berkenaan tidak mampu melaksanakan kerja-kerja penyelenggaraan untuk mengurangkan kadar NRW. “Kerajaan negeri membekukan semua Capex yang mengkhususkan kepada kerja-kerja pemulihan paip NRW sejak 2009. Justeru, kerajaan negeri tidak boleh menyalahkan Syabas atas kegagalan mengurangkan NRW, tetapi sepatutnya ditanggung oleh kerajaan negeri sendiri,” katanya pada sidang akhbar di lobi Dewan Undangan Negeri Selangor (DUN) di sini, hari ini. Terdahulu, ketika menjawab pertanyaan Datuk Dr Karim Mansor (BN-Tanjung Sepat) pada persidangan DUN, Menteri Besar Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim berkata melalui perjanjian antara Syabas, kerajaan negeri dan kerajaan pusat, Syabas perlu mengurangkan kadar NRW kepada paras 27 peratus pada 2009, 19 peratus pada 2012, dan sebanyak 15 peratus pada 2015. “NRW yang dicapai pada 2012 ialah sebanyak 32.6 peratus. Apa yang jelas, Syabas tidak fokus kepada apa yang dipanggil ‘water resources management’,” katanya. Dewan turut menjadi tegang seketika apabila Abdul Khalid menuduh Sulaiman sebagai wakil Syabas ketika bangun untuk mendapatkan penjelasan mengenai isu NRW di Selangor. Bernama    |
| DAP likely to field Indian candidate for Labis Posted: 26 Nov 2012 12:19 AM PST
This is part of Pakatan Rakyat’s strategy in gaining more support from Indian voters in the state. Senator S Ramakrishnan has been shortlisted for Labis whereas for Segamat, a businessman from Johor Bharu is being favoured by the state leadership headed by Dr Boo Cheng Hau. Party insiders told FMT that the DAP leadership had endorsed 10 Indian candidates for the coming election compared with only eight in the last election. Ramakrishnan, 52, would be challenging incumbent Chua Tee Yong, the son of MCA president Dr Chua Soi Lek. The Taiping-born accountant had been attending several functions over the last few months in Labis and its surrounding areas as part of his efforts to introduce himself “unofficially” to the voters. When met recently, Ramakrishnan declined to confirm his candidency but admitted that he had been frequening Labis. “It is too early for me to say anything since the party leadership has not finalised the list yet,” he added. Several local DAP members in Labis and Cha’ah told FMT that the candidate’s race was not an issue as long as he or she could serve the constituents well and usher in development. “Look at towns like Muar and Batu Pahat, they have developed but Labis has remained the same for the last 30 years," said a retired headmaster, who declined to be named. The Labis parliamentry seat has two state seats (Tenang and Bekoh) with nearly 50 % of its voters being Chinese, followed by Malays 35% and Indians 15%. Meanwhile, DAP chairman Karpal Singh said the party had more or less decided to field an Indian candidate for the Labis seat. “For Segamat however with the high percentage of Chinese voters there, it’s better to field a Chinese candidate,” he added but declined to name the candidate. The state party leadership had also proposed to the central excutive committee (CEC) that at least two or three Indian candidates be allowed to contest for state assembly seats. In a related development, Segamat incumbent MP and MIC deputy president S Subramaniam would likely step aside for a new face from Umno to contest the seat. Local leaders had been speculating that Umno would swap the seat with MIC, and this would see Subramaniam contesting in Malacca or Negeri Sembilan.    |
| Amalan LGBT dikesan menular ke bandar kecil Posted: 26 Nov 2012 12:17 AM PST
Pakar motivasi dan kaunselor Hushim Salleh berkata turut membimbangkan ialah semua kaum terlibat dan turut membabitkan golongan terpelajar dan profesional. “Kita cukup bimbang dengan aktiviti LGBT sejak kebelakangan ini kerana kini ia sudah mula dikesan merebak di bandar-bandar kecil seperti Kuala Terengganu sendiri. “Ini kerana anak-anak dan masyarakat cukup mudah untuk melihat dan berkomunikasi dengan golongan ini melalui internet, facebook, twiter dan media elektronik lain,” katanya kepada pemberita selepas seminar Keibubapaan Menangani Isu LGBT anjuran Pejabat Daerah Kuala Terengganu di sini hari ini. Seminar yang dihadiri kira-kira 2,000 orang melibatkan 292 Jawatankuasa Kemajuan dan Keselamatan Kampung (JKKK) dirasmikan oleh Pengarah Biro Tata Negara Datuk Raja Arif Raja Ali. Hushim, pemilik Syarikat Hushim Motivational & Counseling Consultancy, berkata pada tahun ini lebih 1,000 pengamal LGBT telah datang berjumpa dengannya bagi mendapatkan nasihat dan tunjuk ajar untuk kembali ke pangkal jalan. Beliau berkata, berdasarkan kes-kes yang datang kepadanya, mereka yang terlibat dengan LGBT termasuk suami atau isteri orang. Katanya sehingga ini program seumpama itu telah dibuat sebanyak 15 siri di seluruh negara bermula di Putrajaya yang melibatkan seluruh komuniti Persatuan Ibu Bapa dan Guru (PIBG). Bernama    |
| Du Plessis scores ton as South Africa draw 2nd test Posted: 26 Nov 2012 12:13 AM PST
In an atmosphere of unrelenting tension, the 28-year-old Du Plessis was grit personified as he carried his bat for more than seven hours, compiling an unbeaten 110 and steering the Proteas to safety on a stifling day of heat at Adelaide Oval. Lionhearted paceman Peter Siddle captured two wickets in the last hour to leave South Africa wobbling at 240-8, but Du Plessis and Morne Morkel saw out the drama-filled final overs to leave the series tied at 0-0 after the drawn first test in Brisbane. The third and final test in the series starts in Perth on Friday. -Reuters    |
| Report: India’s Mahindra in bid for Aston Martin stake Posted: 25 Nov 2012 11:28 PM PST
“Mahindra has emerged as a frontrunner to become a strategic investor,” the Economic Times newspaper said, quoting an unnamed official with knowledge of the talks. “Discussions are still fluid. We are expecting the deal to get closed this week,” the report said. Aston Martin, made famous by its cars in James Bond movies, is owned by Kuwait-based finance firm Investment Dar, which bought it from Ford Motors for US$767 million in 2007. But analysts say the global economic slowdown has affected its sales. Mahindra is likely to pick up a 40% stake initially at a cost of US$190-US$320 million, but could raise its stake to 50% over the next four years, the report said. Mahindra officials were unavailable for comment. The other serious bidder, Investindustrial, bought a stake in Italian motorbike maker Ducati Motor in 2006. Aston Martin, which announced its entry into India in April 2011, expects to sell a quarter of its cars to Asian and Middle Eastern countries in the next five years, its sales director Bill Donnelly told reporters at that time. - AFP    |
| Sihanouk to be cremated on February 4: Posted: 25 Nov 2012 11:27 PM PST
The cremation will be preceded by a procession on February 1 that will see Sihanouk’s coffin carried from the royal palace in Phnom Penh to a funeral pyre in a nearby park, the premier said in a speech on national radio. “It will be a big ceremony,” Hun Sen said. More than a million mourners are expected to line the streets for the lavish procession, which will be broadcast live on television, government spokesman Khieu Kanharith told AFP. “After the procession, the body will stay at the (cremation) site for three days to give people a chance to pay their respects,” he said. A tall cremation pyre is already under construction near the royal residence. Sihanouk, who abdicated in 2004 after steering Cambodia through six decades marked by independence from France, civil war, the murderous Khmer Rouge regime and finally peace, died of a heart attack in Beijing on October 15. The death of the popular royal, who is currently lying in state at the palace, plunged his nation into deep mourning. Hundreds of thousands filled the capital’s boulevards when his body returned home from China last month. Out of respect for the late monarch, the government has cancelled this week’s Water Festival celebrations, an annual event that usually draws millions of visitors to the capital to enjoy dragon boat racing, fireworks and concerts. “It’s not appropriate when the royal body lies inside the royal palace for us to laugh happily outside the palace,” Hun Sen said. -AFP    |
| Asian markets mixed ahead of Greece meeting Posted: 25 Nov 2012 11:26 PM PST
Tokyo rose 0.24%, or 22.14 points, to 9,388.94, Sydney gained 0.25%, or 11.2 points, to close at 4,424.2 but Seoul ended 0.15%, or 2.82 points, lower at 1,908.51. In afternoon trade Shanghai was down 0.15% while Hong Kong slid 0.21%. Eurozone finance ministers were to meet later today for their third effort to agree on unlocking a 31.2-billion-euro (US$40.5-billion) slice of aid for Greece as it teeters on the verge of bankruptcy as nervous investors hope for positive news. French Finance Minister Pierre Moscovici yesterday offered some hope in the long-running saga to reach a deal for Athens, saying that ministers were “very close to a solution”. “I don’t know if there will be an agreement tomorrow. I know it is possible and I want one,” he said. The mixed Asian trade comes after US stocks rallied last Friday on signs that holiday retail sales were off to a good start, with Walmart calling it the “best ever” Black Friday, the traditional discount sales day that kicks off the holiday shopping season. That helped boost the Dow Jones Industrial Average by 1.35% to 13,009.68. Investors are also looking out for news of a compromise in Washington that will avert the so-called fiscal cliff of spending cuts and tax hikes, which will likely send the economy into recession if it comes into effect. Finding a new spending deal to replace the package, scheduled to come into effect on January 1, has been elusive in the bitterly-divided US Congress. “Certainly from our perspective, we are sceptical about whether there has really been any progress in discussions regarding the US fiscal cliff,” Angus Gluskie, managing director of White Funds Management in Sydney, told Dow Jones Newswires. On currency markets the euro lost ground after hitting a seven-month high on the yen. The single currency bought US$1.2957 and 106.68 yen from US$1.2973 and 106.90 yen in New York last Friday. The euro had climbed above 107 yen in earlier Asian trade today but the unit quickly fell. The dollar was also weaker at 82.31 yen against 82.40 yen in US trade. However, the yen has been under pressure recently on expectations the country’s central bank will unveil a new round of monetary easing next month. Oil markets were also affected by Greek debt fears and the US fiscal cliff, analysts said. New York’s main contract, West Texas Intermediate (WTI) for January delivery, was down 15 US cents to US$88.13 a barrel in the morning, and Brent North Sea crude also for January eased 26 US cents to US$111.12. “Having just enjoyed an unexpectedly strong week, global markets remain on a knife edge with uncertainty over Greece and the US taking centre stage again,” said Jason Hughes, head of premium client management at IG Markets Singapore. Gold was at US$1,749.06 at 0630 GMT compared with US$1,734.47 late Friday. In other markets, Wellington rose 3.69 points, or 0.09%, to 4,012.03, its highest close since January 2008. Contact Energy gained 1.38% to NZ$5.15 and Fisher & Paykel Healthcare was up 1.63% to NZ$2.50. Taipei was up 81.36 points, or 1.11%, at 7,407.37. Leading smartphone maker HTC added 4.58% to Tw$251.0 while Hon Hai Precision was 0.87% higher at Tw$92.8. - AFP    |
| 14 reps pledge support for green motions Posted: 25 Nov 2012 11:22 PM PST
The motions were earlier unanimously passed by some 200 people who gathered near the barricaded Dataran Merdeka at 9am for a session meant to be the final note to the 14-day event. The motions urged for an immediate scrap of the Lynas Advanced Materials Plants in Gebeng, Kuantan; suspension and review of all projects deemed harmful to the nation; and assurance that all future projects are in line with the Earth Charter. The elected representatives who took the pledge were all from the opposition, including Bukit Mertajam MP Chong Eng, Bukit Bendera MP Liew Chin Tong, Taiping MP Nga Kor Ming, Sungai Siput MP D Jeyakumar, Ipoh Timur MP Lim Kit Siang and Bukit Gajah MP Fong Po Kuan. Selayang MP William Leong, Kelana Jaya MP Loh Guo-Burne, Bukit Bintang MP Fong Kui Lun, Cheras MP Tan Kok Wai, Kota Melaka MP Sim Tong Hin, Pandamaran assemblyman Ronnie Liu, Komtar assemblyman Ng Wei Aik and Ayer Keroh assemblyman Khoo Poay Tiong also supported the motions. The one-hour session was conducted in a carnival-like atmosphere with many flying Malaysia flags and Himpunan Hijau flags.
"We are here, after walking 300km, and it is just three minutes from the parliament. The only thing we want is to have a dialogue with the government. But how could we not have a dialogue? "The current regime has no more interest in the people, they have given up on the people. "So we clearly want to say we also have given up on them, so we are looking for a government which is clean," he said. He said Himpunan Hijau would do everything they can to ensure the emergence of a new government in the coming months. PM misinformed On the 14 Pakatan MPs who supported the motion, Wong said the group would also "go all out" to make sure the MPs remain in their positions. "Yes, we will be with them, and we will make sure the people will be with them," he said. Meanwhile, Wong also rebuked Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak for his statement to Sin Chew Daily today that there was no scientific fact to prove that Lynas was hazardous, saying that the premier did not bother to find out the truth.
"Until today the prime minister is still totally misinformed and does not bother to know what is going on," he said. The environmentalist said it was "irrelevant" to submit memorandum to the government anymore because all the requests have fallen on deaf ears. On the sideline, Selangor exco Ronnie Liu has on behalf of the state awarded certificates to 28 marchers who completed the 300km route. Core members of the Green Walk group took a bus to return Kuantan at 11am, and the police removed barricades on Jalan Raja afterwards. Also read: Green Walk a death knell for MCA?    |
| No need for foreign observers, says Pak Lah Posted: 25 Nov 2012 11:10 PM PST
"No need for it. It’s a waste of time," said Abdullah, who served from 2003 till early 2009. The Kepala Batas MP said this at a press conference after the launch of Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs’ (Ideas) interim research report on Anti-Corruption Initiatives in Malaysia. Two weeks ago, Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim invited the Australian government to observe the upcoming general election, claiming the electoral list was marred with irregularities. The former deputy prime minister promptly received brickbats from the Election Commission and several Barisan Nasional leaders, who said that the electoral body has carried out many improvements to the voting system. Australian Foreign Minister Bob Carr had also turned down Anwar’s invitation, saying Australia would not interfere with Malaysia’s electoral system. On the upcoming Umno annual general assembly, Abdullah urged Umno members to show a united front and stop any infighting in the party. "I hope the assembly will focus on bringing positive changes to the party so that we will become a capable organisation with integrity," he said. "Umno is a party that has brought a lot of progress to the nation. It is important for us to reinvent ourselves at all times," he added.
He also said good governance was a key factor in eradicating graft in the country. "That’s why we should continue to improve the judicial system and promote reforms in our governance." However, he stopped short of saying the judiciary was not independent, stating that the judicial system has improved since 2008. "That was the time I initiated three important reforms in the country; namely, converting the Anti-Corruption Agency [ACA] into the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission [MACC], setting up the Judicial Appointment Commission (JAC) and establishing the Integrity Commission of Malaysia," said Abdullah. On why he did not give the MACC the power to prosecute, Abdullah said, "It was too drastic of a change. I’m a cautious man; from the feedback I got from government officials, they said MACC has improved a lot." Also read: 'Anwar is an attention seeker' Jemput pemerhati Australia, Umno, NGO, kecam Anwar Dr M: No independence if Pakatan rules    |
| Posted: 25 Nov 2012 11:04 PM PST
A study of 8,800 people over 50 showed high blood pressure and being overweight also seemed to affect the brain, but to a lesser extent. Scientists involved said people needed to be aware that lifestyles could damage the mind as well as the body. Their study was published in the journal Age and Ageing. Researchers at King’s were investigating links between the likelihood of a heart attack or stroke and the state of the brain. Data about the health and lifestyle of a group of over-50s was collected and brain tests, such as making participants learn new words or name as many animals as they could in a minute, were also performed. They were all tested again after four and then eight years. The results showed that the overall risk of a heart attack or stroke was “significantly associated with cognitive decline” with those at the highest risk showing the greatest decline. It also said there was a “consistent association” between smoking and lower scores in the tests. These results underline the importance of looking after your cardiovascular health from mid-life"
“We have identified a number of risk factors which could be associated with accelerated cognitive decline, all of which, could be modifiable.” He added: “We need to make people aware of the need to do some lifestyle changes because of the risk of cognitive decline.” The researchers do not know how such a decline could affect people going about their daily life. They are also unsure whether the early drop in brain function could lead to conditions such as dementia. “Cognitive decline as we age can develop into dementia, and unravelling the factors that are linked to this decline could be crucial for finding ways to prevent the condition. “These results underline the importance of looking after your cardiovascular health from mid-life.” The Alzheimer’s Society said: “We all know smoking, a high blood pressure, high cholesterol levels and a high BMI [Body Mass Index] is bad for our heart. This research adds to the huge amount of evidence that also suggests they can be bad for our head too. “One in three people over 65 will develop dementia but there are things people can do to reduce their risk. “Eating a balanced diet, maintaining a healthy weight, exercising regularly, getting your blood pressure and cholesterol checked and not smoking can all make a difference.”—AFP    |
| Dr M: I don’t know what’s wrong with Genneva Posted: 25 Nov 2012 11:02 PM PST
"I don't know what is wrong with the Genneva thing. They claim that they are not operating this [ponzi] scheme. "I think they should be investigated to find out exactly what they did that was wrong," said the former premier, who had also launched Genneva Malaysia on Dec 15, 2010. Last month, Bank Negara Malaysia had frozen Genneva Malaysia's accounts, cheques and other assets on suspicion of the company taking deposits illegally, money-laundering, tax evasion and misrepresenting itself as an investment firm, among others. But the crackdown raised the ire of thousands of clients and salesmen contracted to sell and buy back gold from Genneva Malaysia, and has reportedly put 300,000 livelihoods at stake. On Genneva's official Facebook page, clients complain of being on the edge of bankruptcy and are mulling staging protests outside the office of Genneva Malaysia, Bank Negara Malaysia and the Prime Minister's Office. One Facebook user by the name of Catherine Joe wrote: "2 months has passed… I am up to my toes making ends meet paying my due to the banks with mortgage, daily expenses, etc. "I hv (sic) always been a good pay master bit since the incident, I am at risk of declaring bankrupt. I am at the level of desperation… Would BN help us if we vote for them during PR13?" Mahathir today appeared to be aware of their plight, saying: "when you stop total transaction, people's money get locked up and they cannot make use of the money. They cannot even get the gold. "People deserve to have fair treatment," he stressed. When asked if Barisan Nasional expected a political fallout over the issue, Mahathir replied: "I don't know about backlash from the government, but I think we should be circumspect when taking decisions like that without fully appreciating the problem. "[Authorities] must investigate first." The longest serving prime minister also pointed out that there was no proper regulation as to gold trading in the country, and said that this should be rectified immediately. "We need some proper regulation in gold trading. This is very important because we need to keep gold. "We need to keep gold and buy gold because gold appreciates in time," he said.    |
| PAS Youth needs to search its soul Posted: 25 Nov 2012 10:47 PM PST
However, much of the self criticism was drowned out by the shrillness of attacks against the party organ, Harakah. This is a pity because what PAS Youth needs most of all is a little soul searching. For example, a delegate from Sarawak raised the valid issue of the wing's failure to highlight problems faced by people in his state. He acknowledged that youth chief Nasrudin Hassan Tantawi did mention Sabah and Sarawak in his opening speech, but only in a general way. "There was no real focus on the issue of the Sarawak people's victimisation by Barisan Nasional," he said. "The poverty rate in Sarawak is 5.3% and there is no water and electricity supply for the interior regions although the state's natural resources contribute enormously to the coffers of the Federal government." Perak delegate Nazri Din challenged the wing's central leadership to come up with a manifesto that suits the needs of youths. Need for a vision "Today we have half million voters in the Felda schemes and 20% of them are youths. The wing must explain to this new Felda generation what it can offer them." Negeri Sembilan delegate Mohd Zulkarnain Mohd Zaki questioned why there had been no update on the activities of the Youth Leadership Academy. "What is the current status of Akademi Kepimpinan Pemuda?" he asked. "We don't know whether it is fully utilised or not." He urged the central leadership to emulate its counterparts in the PKR and DAP youth wings and come up with a "PAS Youth leadership policy". Kelantan delegate Ahmad Marzuk Shaary urged the wing to identify youth figures that would be as prominent as those found in PKR and DAP. "We need to take this matter seriously so that PAS Youth can be a platform for youth leaders," he said. Charisma and creativity Some pro-PAS bloggers agree that PAS Youth is the weakest of Pakatan Rakyat youth wings. Indeed, the Islamic party's youth leaders are noticeably lacking in charisma and political creativity. Nasrudin himself, as well as his deputy, Nik Abduh Abdul Aziz, may be competent as Islamic scholars, but neither of them is notable for ideas that suit Malaysia's political culture. Many observers believe that PAS Youth will not progress in local politics as long as its leadership is dominated by the ulama group. In several states, the focus of activities is more religious than political. Thus we have PAS Youth leaders who seem to spend more time preaching and delivering lectures in the mosques than organising and carrying out political activities. This is a far cry from the days when the wing was led by such figures as Mohamad Sabu, Salahuddin Ayub and Mahfuz Omar. Thus there is no need to explain why Nasrudin, Nik Abduh and other youth leaders from PAS do not get much coverage either in Harakah or any other news publication. If PAS Youth wants more press coverage for its leaders, then it must encourage them to emulate, for instance, PKR's Rafizi Ramli, and take more interest in exposing political scandals and abuses by the ruling regime. An exception A senior PAS leader who spoke to FMT on condition of anonymity said there were plenty of newsy issues in his state but the youth chief there, an ulama, had failed to capitalise on them for political mileage. "I have to feed him with the information and push him to have press conferences to highlight the issues," he said. "I even have to ask my secretary to arrange for the press conferences. The coordination factor is so weak." Nevertheless, critics and even detractors would have to congratulate PAS Youth for its Unit Amal, the most well organised and the most effective security unit in Pakatan Rakyat.    |
| Nurul’s statement and the Kaum Tua mentality Posted: 25 Nov 2012 10:16 PM PST
The case of Nurul Izzah Anwar, the PKR vice president, making the statement that there is no compulsion in religion and that this should apply not only to non-Malays but to Malays as well is now commanding the public domain. Thanks to Utusan Malaysia and the Internet, the speed at which Nurul's statement spread was staggering. The very next day, it appeared as a front-page headline in the Malay daily but with a twist: it was reported that she had been 'suggesting' Malays could commit apostasy; or showing the way to do so. (Apostasy is considered the greatest sin in Malay reckoning.) To the Malay-Muslim, she has committed a grave offence for which she must be taken to task. I will try to identify what really is at issue by way of asking some pertinent and relevant questions. First question: Nurul quoted the Quranic edict that "there is no compulsion in religion". Is she right? The answer is yes, she is, as in Surah 2.256. Following question: Did she state that this edict should apply to Malays as well? Her words spoken at the Nov 3 forum held at the Full Gospel Tabernacle church in Subang Jaya, according to the transcript provided by Malaysiakini, were: "How can anyone really say, 'sorry, this only applies to non-Malays.' It has to apply equally." Her statement can be understood as meaning that the Article 11 constitutional provision on the freedom of religion must apply for Malays as well. Since nowhere in the Quran does it mention the Malay ethnicity, we should logically infer that Nurul's remark was a comment on Malaysian law rather than on Islamic jurisprudence. Next: why then did former PAS deputy president Nasharudin Mat Isa reportedly say that the Surah was not applicable to Malays? I do not wish to answer for him, but according to the reports it is because as a religious scholar he feels qualified to comment on such things while others are not. Sri Gading Member of Parliament Mohamad Aziz raised the Nurul issue in the House on Nov 7 saying" "Apa hukum dari segi syariat Islam atas kenyataan Ahli Parlimen Lembah Pantai yang menyatakan orang Melayu Islam bebas memilih agama yang diminati? Dalam erti kata lain, boleh keluar daripada agama Islam yakni murtad. Kenyataan ini seolah-olah meraikan orang Islam menjadi murtad." Translated into English, the MP had described Nurul's remark as more or less as a statement to celebrate Malay conversion because apostasy will now be permitted among Muslims. You might ask: Did she actually encourage apostasy for Muslims? The answer is no. Syariah augmented by civil laws In her reply to Mohamad Aziz, Mashitah Ibrahim – the Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister's Department in charge of Islamic affairs – said that under the law, anyone found guilty of mocking or maligning Islam could be sentenced to prison not exceeding two years, fined RM3,000 or both. If wielded, this piece of prohibitive legislation portends a conflict and tussle pitting a reformist and progressive Malay-Muslim mind such as Nurul Izzah's on the one hand, and the orthodox and conservative mind represented by Mashitah, Nasharudin, Mohamad Aziz and the rest of them on the other. This conflict is common enough in any religion and Islam is not spared. In Islam, this conflict stemmed from the tussle between Revelation and Reason, which I shall delve into immediately. For this discourse, I will refer to a scholarly work Crisis in the Muslim Mind by Dr Abdul Hamid Ahmad AbuSulayman who was a Rector of the International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM). In his 1993 book, the author explained the relationship between Revelation and Reason. Revelation in Islam decrees that all knowledge comes from God via His Revelations found in the Quran which is 'God's word'. Reason is Man's ability to rationalise by using his God-given intelligence and memory. Reason is God's way of making mankind understand Revelation. As Revelation is 'stored' in the Quran, mankind must use his reasoning ability to adhere to all of the edicts, rules and regulations inherent in this holy book. It is at this point that there appears a split in understanding between the orthodox and the progressive. To the orthodox, as the Quran is God's Words, its entire contents are to be the ultimate Truth. The Quran has to be adhered to without any hesitation, doubt, scepticism. To progressives the Quran might indeed be God's Words but mankind has been given intelligence by God. The Muslim can and should employ thought and rationality to everything, even to the Quran. Bow and obey An illustration taken from Islamic history might help you to understand the point. For this I will refer to the writing of Pervez Hoodbhoy's work, Islam and Science (1992) from where I take the case of Abu Yusuf Yaqub ibn Ishaq al-Kindi or better known as al-Kindi (801-873 CE) – a philosopher, mathematician, and musician during the Caliphate of Al-Mutawwakil in Baghdad. Al-Kindi pointed out that Surah 55.5 of the Quran states that the sun, moon, stars, mountains, trees and beasts 'bow themselves' before God. For the unsophisticated, this invokes an idea wherein all creation literally bends in prayer – a bowing tree, a bowing mountain (for example) bending in prayer. He had some doubt over this term in its literal sense. After a long mental search, al-Kindi interpreted that 'bow' could mean 'obey' – the mountains and trees and all other creations obeyed God's Words but did not bow in doing so. A point to note is that al-Kindi lived during the period when human civilisation was rudimentary and the literacy rate was low. The aristocratic class was all-powerful and feudalism was the norm. There was also an emergent clergy or ulama class of citizens, usually aligned with the aristocracy. In the event, al-Kindi's radical views had to be acceptable to the rulers and the ulama class. Apparently in this specific 'bowing' case, they did not agree and deemed his opinion a heresy. The reaction was swift to his heretic and dangerous beliefs. The Caliph had al-Kindi flogged in public and confiscated his library the 'Al-Kindiyah'. The old philosopher fell into depression and silence, and died a broken man. Revelation had won over Reason. God's Words (and by extension the Syariah) are an immutable set of rules which cannot be modified according to the times. Sure enough when the four Imams – Maliki (d.795 CE), Hanafi (d.767 CE), Shafii (d.820 CE), and Hanbali (d. 855 CE) – codified the Islamic jurisprudence that is applied right up to today, they were all under the influence of Revelation over Reason. "There were slight differences in weight they attached to various Quranic verses and degree of validity they assigned to various Prophetic traditions", says Hoodbhoy. Nonetheless their philosophies were otherwise uniform: Revelation over Reason. The orthodoxy and conservatism of Islam was later strengthened by the immensely influential Al-Ghazzali (d.1111 CE). Islamic commentators claim that by the end of the 11th century, all major problems of Islamic jurisprudence had been resolved between these Islamic schools. After that, all the doors for discourse or Ijtihad were slammed shut. Bolting the Gates of Ijtihad Let's pause a little over the points made in the last paragraph. Before the closing of Ijtihad, the flame of learning had burnt bright in Islamic civilisation. Scholars like al-Kindi, Ibn Sina, Omar Khayyam and many others were leading the known world in intellectual development and study. Modern day scholars and adherents of Islam will not miss the opportunity to remind the non-Muslim world of Muslim contributions to human knowledge and science. But after this glorious era, there was the ascendency of an ossified religiosity making it harder for secular pursuits to exist. It appeared that the closing of Ijtihad had also closed the minds of the Islamic civilisation. Partly because of this closed mind, the Muslim civilisation missed out in the subsequent human intellectual developments: the thoughts of Copernicus, Galileo, and Newton and a long list of illustrious names that had led to the explosion of science and scientific thinking; the growth of democracy, capitalism, the Industrial Revolution. It missed out from the burgeoning economic, social, political, intellectual and technological opportunities and advancements faced and undertaken by the universal human civilisation. When Islam was brought into this country (circa 1403 CE), it was this orthodox and conservative version that arrived. I have not come across of any record of any meaningful intellectual development from the Malay civilisation from this date. Malay intellectual discourse began in the early 20th century, as shown by recent Malay social history. During this time there appeared the tussle between the Kaum Tua and Kaum Muda. Farish Noor has written a concise and fairly authoritative account of these factions under an article titled Pre-Net Reformists in Malaysiakini (22 March 2001). According to Farish who is presently a senior fellow at the Nanyang Technological University in Singapore, the Kaum Tua comprised mainly the traditional ruling elite led by the royals and aristocrats of the Malay sultanates on the peninsula while the Kaum Muda were the modernist reformist Malay and Peranakan intelligentsia based in the more cosmopolitan centres on the West coast. Both groups were worried about the future development of the country and their collective fate under British rule. The royal families and aristocrats, Farish writes further, launched a number of initiatives that were aimed at protecting the interests of the local communities against the onslaught of British political and economic hegemony. One such effort was the Majlis Agama Kelantan (Kelantan Religious Council) that was formed in 1915. But the Majlis and many other bodies like it soon came under the leadership and patronage of Malay rulers who were more interested in protecting the interests of the traditional ruling elite than the Malay masses. Another source quoted the conflict between Kaum Muda and Kaum Tua as centring on the validity of Reason to verify religious matters (or Ijtihad) versus those who blindly followed the teachings of early scholars (or Taqlid), see Middle-East Journal of Scientific Research 7 (special issue of 'Diversity of Knowledge on Middle East': 07-13, 2011 © IDOSI Publications, 2011). The advocators of taqlid, Kaum Tua, rejected the use of reason in religion as they claimed that the practice conflicted with the Quran. The task of genuine social reform and political organisation therefore devolved instead to the new generation of Malay reformers and modernists who came to be known as Kaum Muda, writes Farish Noor. Kaum Muda had this modernist opposition towards blind imitation (taqlid) and their emphasis was on the dire need to use Reason. To them, instead of simply accepting the words and opinions of the religious scholars, Man is required to make use of Reason to distinguish between the valid and invalid opinions, or to reinterpret them. Those arguments are strikingly familiar and from this I can safely deduce that they refer to the tussle of Revelation over Reason in the Malay social context. In that pre-Internet era, the Kaum Muda was trying to disseminate the new mental order via newspapers, journals and magazines. One prominent personality, Syed Sheikh al-Hadi who hailed from Penang went over to Singapore and Malacca to open madrasahs or religious schools hoping to spread progressive Islam. The win goes to Kaum Tua From what I can gather, the inter-generational tussle was 'won' by the orthodox Kaum Tua, replicating the win by the clergy over al-Kindi in the early years of Islam as mentioned earlier. What could have caused this loss by the Kaum Muda? Again I would attribute it to the social environment surrounding the Malay community during the material time or to borrow Farish's label, the 'pre-Net' period. During that era, the country was under colonial British rule and the rural Malays were an agrarian society. Coupled with this were a low literacy level and the great influence of informal education which centred religion, Malay customs and local traditions. I remember Malay schools teaching students just the rudiments of reading and writing, basic arithmetic and some history and geography. There was this glaring absence of imparting to the students the ability to think and intellectualise – an endeavour which requires the ability to look for alternatives in the search for truth. There was no teaching them to be critical, innovative, creative, and imaginative. Without these abilities they had very little capacity to accept change. All this brings us back to the present 'post-Net' also known as the 'info-have' era. What do we have and where are we today? We have an independent Malaysia, a higher level of formal education and literacy, knowledge, the ability to analyse and an open mind that can roam far and wide. We have economic progress and a huge middle class. We are living in the 'info-have' era of the second decade of the 21st century. We have the potential and opportunity to give Reason precedence over Revelation. We have the opportunity to join the Reason-based post-modern universal human civilisation. And within this context, I feel that in addition to Nurul's answer to the question being spot-on, she is also a true champion of the progressive Kaum Muda of today. Her Kaum Tua detractors appeared inadequate in clear and independent thinking. Utusan Malaysia had to use the power of suggestion to smear the truth. Nasharudin had to add his own prejudice to corner Nurul by claiming that Surah 2.256 was not meant for Malays. Mashitah had to admit that Malaysian legislation prohibited missionaries to proselytize other religions to Muslims but our law failed to cover Nurul's situation. In their 'Revelationist' enthusiasm (or blindness) to 'protect' Islam, they had all been intellectually dishonest. Nurul Izzah seems to me to be a victim of the type of criticism levelled by the Kaum Tua mentality that overtly and habitually champions Revelation over Reason in any religious dispute. Capitalising on the orthodox and conservative Kaum Tua mindset, it is no surprise that her political enemies seem to be seizing the opportunity to dampen and destroy her promising political career. This article first appeared in CPI website.    |
| England humiliate India with 10 -wicket win Posted: 25 Nov 2012 10:11 PM PST
England bowlers did well to restrict India to 327 in the first innings, a score which was supposed to be a competitive one but captain Alastair Cook led from the front with a brilliant century, and Kevin Pietersen’s knock changed the momentum of the game and he was adjudged the Man of the Match for his superb 186. The spin duo of Graeme Swann and Panesar took 19 wickets among themselves. So, the rank turner demanded by Indian captain MS Dhoni went against him in the end. England openers Cook and Nick Compton knocked down the required 57 runs in 9.4 overs. In a new embarrassing low, the Indian second innings folded up at 142 runs in 44.1 overs with Gautam Gambhir being the top scorer with 65 and his was the last Indian wicket to fall. Apart from Gambhir, only R Ashwin (11) managed to get to double figures as the Indian batsmen collapsed in front of England spinners. The Indian second innings ended when umpire Tony Hill adjudged Gautam Gambhir out leg before wicket to Graeme Swann even though there was a thickish inside edge. Zaheer’s patience ran out as he went for a slog sweep to a flighted delivery but got a top edge, the ball went straight up in the air, Prior called for it and caught it near square leg. Swann struck in the second over of the day as he had Harbhajan Singh caught by Jonathan Trott at first slip. Harbhajan, who hit the first ball of the day from Monty Panesar for four, went on to the back foot to cut a delivery, but it bounced too much and he ended up getting an edge for Trott to complete the catch. The day’s play started with Gautam Gambhir and Harbhajan resuming the Indian second innings. On Day 3, riding on centuries from captain Alastair Cook and Kevin Pietersen, England finished at a healthy 413, a first-innings lead of 86 runs, and then reduced India to 117/7 by stumps. Cook laid the foundation with a superb 206-run stand with Pietersen, who absolutely demolished any blemishes against spin and played one of the best, if not the best, by a foreigner on Indian soil in a long time. The Indian top-order was ripped apart completely as Swann and Panesar taught India how to bowl on at the Wankhede wicket, with nine wickets between them in the first innings and seven in the second. -Agencies    |
| M’sia remains top Asean exporting nation to Germany in first half 2012 Posted: 25 Nov 2012 10:03 PM PST
Malaysia's exports dwindled by 14.9% to 2.704 billion euros in the first half of this year, down from 3.176 billion euros in the same period last year. Germany’s exports to Malaysia in the same period rose 17.2% to 2.458 billion euros, up from 2.096 billion euros in the Jan-June period 2011. Although Malaysia has traditionally maintained a surplus in the balance-of-trade account with Germany, the difference is being rapidly reduced, according to the data released by the Hamburg-based Asia-Pacific Business Council. The council is an apex organisation that promotes trade and business between Germany and Asia-Pacific. It is popularly known by its German acronym “OAV”. “The decline in Malaysia's exports is due to a number of factors, primarily it can be attributed to a cautious mood in Germany resulting from the ongoing Europe-wide crisis and a sluggish German economy. “The euro crisis has, of course, had an impact on general buying by importers but there is also this feeling of wait-and-watch before engaging in any heavy buying," explains Herbert Werner, a German management consultant based outside Cologne, and is familiar with Asia which he frequently visits. German experts feel that Malaysia should do some aggressive marketing in Germany and also encourage Malaysian companies, by extending financial aid, to participate in German trade fairs. The fairs, besides being good hard-selling venues, provide excellent visibility to Malaysian products and services. Indeed, the trade fairs have evolved into strong marketing tools, used by many Asian countries such as China, India, South Korea and Indonesia, which send large contingents of exhibitors to German fairs. While Malaysia continues to assert its position as Asean's leading exporting nation to Germany, second-ranking Singapore is also fast catching up. Singapore's exports rose slightly in the first half of 2012 to 2.423 billion euros, up 0.3% from 2.414 billion euros in the same period last year. Third-ranking Vietnam also continues to attract German corporate world with its cheap labour and large market. Many German businesses are using Vietnam as a “stepping stone” to the large 500 million-strong Asean market. - Bernama    |
| Share prices end morning session lower on lack of buying interest Posted: 25 Nov 2012 09:51 PM PST
At lunch break, the benchmark FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) was 2.34 points lower at 1,611.98, after opening at 1,613.82. A dealer said the absence of buying support from local funds on key index heavyweights could put further downside pressure for the KLCI this week. However, he said, the oversold technical conditions on blue chips could suggest that further weakness would likely spark a more significant technical rebound ahead of the month-end. On the score board, the Finance Index rose 11.26 points to 14,975.93, the Plantation Index inched up 0.41 of-a-point to 7,884.28, while the Industrial Index fell 24.95 points to 2,745.74. The FBM Emas Index fell 14.471 points to 11,004.77, the FBMT100 declined 12.83 points to 10,845.49 and the FBM Mid 70 Index slipped 0.601 points to 12,112.52, while the FBM Ace Index dwindled 25.38 points to 4,228.47. Losers led gainers by 319 to 188, with 286 counters unchanged, 854 untraded and 26 others suspended. Volume stood at 503.58 million shares worth RM434.01 million. Among actives, Hiap Huat rose nine sen to 29 sen, while Metronic global slipped half-a-sen to 14.5 sen and Berjaya Corp lost 1.5 sen to 58.5 sen. Karambunai and Ariantec Global were unchanged at 14 sen and 8.5 sen, respectively. On heavyweights, Maybank gained five sen to RM9.05, while Sime Darby lost three sen to RM9.52 and CIMB shed five sen to RM7.64. Petronas Chemicals and Axiata lost two sen each to RM6.18 and RM5.81, respectively. - Bernama    |
| Posted: 25 Nov 2012 09:47 PM PST
Kekalahan 0-3 kepada musuh ketat Singapura malam tadi menyebabkan skuad berada dalam laluan sukar untuk mempertahankan mahkota kejuaraan. Khamis ini negara akan berdepan Laos dan perlawanan terakhir ialah menentang Indonesia. Kedua-duanya bukan lawan yang mudah. Kini semua pihak baik di kalangan penguasa FAM dan penyokong – menyalahkan Datuk K Rajagopal – pengendali pasukan kepada kekalahan pasukan negara. Bola sepak adalah permainan berpasukan. Sepanyol memenangi Piala Dunia 2010 dan Eropah dua tahun kemudian bukan kerana Fernando Torres seorang. Malaysia menjuarai Piala Suzuki dan sukan SEA bukan Rajagopal seorang. Ini bermakna juga kekalahan ini bukan kerana beliau seorang diri. Pemain import yang `terbuang’ Keputusan FAM membawa pemain import ke liga Malaysia musim ini sedikit sebanyak membawa kepada kekalahan pasukan Rajagobal itu. Sebelum musim 2012, bola sepak negara telah berada dalam landasan benar. Memenangi tiga piala berturut-turut merupakan kejayaan luar biasa untuk pasukan negara. Kejayaan itu diperolehi ketika tidak ada pemain dalam liga Malaysia. Tetapi FAM mengubahnya kononnya supaya liga tempatan ini perlu penyertaan pemain asing seperti dilakukan liga negara-negara lain. Malangnya bola sepak negara adalah sebuah liga yang tidak kompetatif. Hanya pemain import yang `terbuang’ datang ke sini. Bekas jurulatih negara, B Sathianathan pernah menyifatkan liga Malaysia tidak membantu bola sepak negara. Mungkinkah Rajagopal akan mengeluarkan kenyataan serupa selepas ini? Sama-sama kita tunggu.    |
| Posted: 25 Nov 2012 09:16 PM PST
The question of Pakatan Rakyat’s Prime Minister candidate arose following suggestions from PAS Ulama Wing that the party’s president Abdul Hadi Awang be made the prime minister. The suggestion was made during PAS’ 58th meeting in Kelantan. Out of 7,269 who took part in week-long FMT poll, 72% or 5,246 vouched for Anwar. Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng who is also DAP secretary general clinched the second spot with 15% or 1,079 votes. Interestingly Hadi who had the Ulama wing’s backing had the least amount of support. He clinched the last spot with 292 votes, or just four percent. There were more votes for the fourth option – None Of The Above. Nine percent of FMT readers (652), chose not to vote for any of one the three leaders. The poll ran for a week from last Monday.    |
| Posted: 25 Nov 2012 09:13 PM PST
Present at the launch was former prime minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi. The report, titled Combating Corruption: Understanding Anti-Corruption Initiatives in Malaysia, said it was important for the public not to be influenced by perception alone when discussing corruption in Malaysia. “Although the Corruption Perception Index (CPI) implies that corruption level in the country is bad, our data suggests the situation is not as bleak as the CPI score. “Therefore, we need to be cautious and not throw blanket accusations denying the many good efforts initiated by the government to combat corruption,” the report said. However, the report indicated several weaknesses in government’s effort to battle corruption such as lack of a cohesive approach by government agencies, private sector and the civil society to curb graft. The report added the government had not effectively addressed the root cause of corruption and its agencies suffer from redundancy and lack of focus. “And that’s why the public does not believe that the government is serious in tackling corruption despite its attempts to do so,” the report said. Offering solution, the interim report urged the government to set up an inter-agency working committee at the federal level to help agencies to coordinate initiatives and strategies to tackle graft.
The report also said that the government should not ignore anti-corruption framework like the National Integrity Plan as it provides comprehensive long term framework in strengthening integrity and battling corruption. “We also find that the Nazir Shah Alam report on corruption, done is 1958, is worth revisiting. “Plus, the MACC should optimise it resources to improve detection and investigation capacity and allow the Integrity Institute of Malaysia (IIM) to focus on public education initiatives,”the report said. The report is funded by MACC’s NKRA Anti Corruption Unit, plus several local and foreign funders.    |
| The public voting for VIMA 2013 is now open Posted: 25 Nov 2012 08:52 PM PST
VIMA 2013 attracted more than 1,300 song submissions from musicians from Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia and Brunei. VIMA 2013 MUSIC AWARDS night will be held on Feb 24, 2012 at The View, G Tower Kuala Lumpur. The voting link can be found here. Public voting makes up 30% of the overall scores for each act. The remaining 60% will be determined by global judges and a further 10% from the social media presence of each musician. The main categories were dominated by musicians from Singapore namely Masia One, Shigga Shay and Sharliza Jelita, whose genre-defying style earned them nods in all the major categories of pop, rock,hip-hop and dance.
Even Grammy winner, Pharrell notched a nomination after collaborating with Masia One for the track, Errrybody VIMA has categories for all major genres and also includes special categories such as Best Chinese Song, Best College Act, Producer of The Year and Thank You For Existing Award (for the most creative and talented act). The Song Of The Year of the Year award will be announced on the awards night and the winner will be signed to a one song deal with Sony Music Malaysia. VIMA also honours individuals and organisations who have contributed to the development of the local and regional music industry on an annual basis through its VIMA HALL OF FAME award. The VIMA 2013 HALL OF FAME AWARD recipients are:
VIMA is organised by Bite Media and Saintz & Sinnerz, an international marketing and brand company specialising in social media,lifestyle and entertainment. VIMA is supported by TUNE Hotels (official hotel partner), De Lena Fashion Jewellery (Croatia), 8TV (official TV station), The Malay Mail (official newspaper), Heyday Streetwear (Singapore), Galaxtar.com, Hard Rock Hotel Penang,Rentak Sejuta, Indie TV Indonesia, Genesis Pro-Audio, Guitar Store,Sony Music Entertainment Malaysia, FMTnews.com, Seventh Tribe Studio (Kuching), MyTamilChannel, Year One Events & Talents, Distronesia (Indonesia), BAKED COOKIES,Rosiegraphie (official photographer) & Depanmonitor.com (Indonesia).    |
| Hubungan Gaza, Sri Lanka dan WIEF Posted: 25 Nov 2012 08:50 PM PST
Sebagai individu yang menentang sekeras-kerasnya segala bentuk penindasan, kezaliman, diskriminasi, ketidakadilan dan penipuan oleh mana-mana pihak, saya secara terbuka melihat isu di Gaza dan Sri Lanka sebagai "isu kemanusiaan" – bukan sebagai "isu Islam" dan "isu Tamil" seperti dilakukan pihak tertentu di Malaysia. Ramai yang sependapat dengan saya serta mengakui hakikat bahawa isu kemanusiaan di Sri Lanka kurang diberi pendedahan kepada masyarakat umum di negara ini. Itulah juga niat dan harapan saya, iaitu membuka mata seluruh rakyat Malaysia untuk mampu melihat isu kemanusiaan tanpa dipengaruhi sentimen etnik, kaum, agama dan mazhab. Bagaimanapun, beberapa individu mengirim mesej peribadi menerusi Facebook untuk membidas tindakan saya melakukan perbandingan antara isu di Gaza dengan isu di Sri Lanka. Menurut mereka, isu di Gaza memang perlu dilihat dari perspektif agama (Islam) kerana "di situlah kebanyakan Rasul kami diturunkan". Mereka sedar bahawa isu di Gaza dan Sri Lanka memang "isu kemanusiaan" serta mengaku bahawa isu di Gaza perlu lebih mendapat perhatian umat Islam di Malaysia. "Isu di Sri Lanka juga kurang mendapat perhatian orang India sendiri di Malaysia. Saya berpendapat bahawa tuan membangkitkan isu Sri Lanka kerana tuan kaum India. Akhirnya kita memang bertindak berdasarkan kaum dan agama," kata salah seorang daripada mereka.
Apa yang pasti dan turut diakui rata-rata pembaca makalah "Ada apa dengan Gaza dan Sri Lanka?" adalah perlulah isu kemanusiaan di Sri Lanka turut didedahkan kepada penduduk Malaysia supaya mereka dapat sama-sama melakukan apa yang termampu. Tak kenal, maka tak simpati. Dalam perkembangan berkaitan, pada 23 November 2012, Pemuda MIC menyerahkan memorandum kepada Timbalan Menteri Luar, A. Kohilan Pillay di Putrajaya sebagai sebagai membantah kedatangan Presiden Sri Lanka, Mahinda Rajapaksa bagi menghadiri Forum Ekonomi Islam Dunia (WIEF) kelapan di Johor Bharu pada 4-6 Disember ini. Bukan hanya kaum India membantah "Dia bertanggungjawab terhadap jenayah perang ke atas penduduk awam di Sri Lanka, khususnya pada tahun 2009," kata Ketua Pemuda MIC, T Mohan yang turut mengumumkan bahawa pihaknya bersama-sama beberapa NGO kaum India akan mengadakan demonstrasi di hadapan Kedutaan Sri Lanka pada 28 November 2012. Tindakan ini sebagai menzahirkan kemarahan, kekecewaan dan bantahan terhadap tindakan kerajaan dan tentera Sri Lanka yang diterbukti gagal memberi perlindungan ke atas orang awam – bukan hanya etnik Tamil dan penduduk beragama Hindu – semasa terlibat dalam pertempuran bersama kumpulan Harimau Pembebasan Tamil Eelam (LTTE). Rajapaksa dikatakan bertanggungjawab terhadap jenayah perang dan penghapisan etnik yang berlaku di negara itu. Pendirian kerajaan Sri Lanka pula adalah sebaliknya. "Tidak berlaku sebarang jenayah perang semasa tentera kerajaan menentang pemberontak LTTE. Mana-mana pihak yang mengatakan sebaliknya bolehlah mengemukakan bukti kepada polis dan mahkamah," kata Setiausaha Pertahanan Sri Lanka, Gotabhaya Rajapaksa pada Jun 2010. Dalam pada itu, walaupun LTTE berjaya dilumpuhkan tentera Sri Lanka pada Mei 2009, penyokong dan kumpulan pro-LTTE dipercayai masih aktif di beberapa negara seluruh dunia. Laporan di akhbar Sinar Harian (18 Jun 2010) menyebut bahawa sokongan dan kekuatan kumpulan yang memperjuangkan nasib penduduk Tamil yang tertindas di Sri Lanka kembali aktif setahun selepas pemimpin LTTE, V Prabakaran disahkan terbunuh. Apa yang berlaku di Sri Lanka ternyata adalah isu kemanusiaan dan jenayah perang. Itulah asas mengapa beberapa NGO kaum India di Malaysia membantah kedatangan Rajapaksa ke Malaysia. Kempen juga dilakukan menerusi Facebook di mana satu laman bernama "Police Report on Preventing Mahinda Rajapakse coming to Malaysia" dibuka bagi menyeru orang ramai membuat laporan polis bagi menghalang kedatangan presiden berkenaan. Harus dinyatakan bahawa bantahan dan desakan bukan hanya dilakukan oleh kaum India. Seperti yang sudah dinyatakan, isu di Sri Lanka – dan di Gaza – adalah isu kemanusiaan dan bukannya isu agama atau etnik semata-mata. Pada 23 November 2012, Penyelaras Solidariti Anak Muda Malaysia (SAMM) yang menggelarkan dirinya "che'GuBard" mengeluarkan kenyataan umum mendesak Barisan Nasional (BN) membatalkan jemputan ke atas Rajapaksa. Memorandum persefahaman dengan Coca-Cola "SAMM cukup rasa terhina dan malu sebagai warga Malaysia apabila mendapat tahu regim BN telah menjemput Mahinda Rajapaksa, seorang penjenayah perang yang telah terlibat dalam penghapusan etnik ke Malaysia. SAMM mendesak BN agar tidak memalukan negara dengan membenarkan penjenayah perang sekejam Rajapaksa memasuki negara ini. Jika BN masih berdegil untuk meneruskan jemputan itu, ia satu penghinaan terhadap kedaulatan rakyat dan negara ini dan tindakan pekak tidak langsung menghormati suara dan sensitiviti rakyat," kata kenyataan rasmi di blog. SAMM berpendirian bahawa sekiranya undangan kepada Rajapaksa tidak dibatalkan maka ia "membuktikan rejim BN tidak langsung menghormati atau memahami jalinan sejarah susur-galur saudara kita (kaum India) yang sama-sama membentuk Malaysia". Sementara Pemuda MIC dan NGO kaum India mengatur demonstrasi pada Rabu ini, SAMM pula khabarnya sedang menyusun strategi bagi menggerakkan abak-anak muda di seluruh negara "untuk berhimpun dan membantah kedatangan Living Hitler Mahinda Rajapaksa ke Malaysia". Menurut kenyataan umum itu, "orang ramai perlu faham isu ini bukan isu orang India semata, ia isu kemanusiaan dan kezaliman yang harus ditentang habis-habisan." Tentu sahaja ada beberapa kesalahan fakta pada kenyataan SAMM. Misalnya, WIEF bukan anjuran BN, tetapi anjuran Yayasan WIEF yang dipengerusikan bekas timbalan perdana menteri, Tun Musa Hitam. Bagaimanapun, forum berkenaan akan dirasmikan oleh Perdana Menteri, Datuk Seri Najib Razak selaku penaung Yayasan WIEF. Malah, Bernama pada 6 November 2012 melaporkan bahawa majlis makan malam gala untuk semua peserta (sekitar 1,500 perwakilan dari 50 negara dan lebih 70 penceramah antarabangsa) di Dataran Mahkota, Kota Iskandar akan dihoskan oleh Najib. Laporan itu juga memetik Setiausaha Agung WIEF, Tan Sri Ahmad Fuzi Abdul Razak sebagai berkata, "15 perkongsian telah dijalin pada tiga forum lepas (2009-2011), termasuk memorandum persefahaman antara Coca-Cola dan Yayasan WIEF untuk meningkatkan pembangunan sosio-ekonomi dalam dunia Islam." Terdahulu, laporan Bernama pada 4 Oktober 2012 memetik Musa Hitam sebagai berkata di London bahawa "perniagaan antarabangsa tidak seharusnya dihalang oleh perbezaan agama dan kepercayaan". Setahu saya, kempen yang giat dilakukan di Malaysia adalah supaya orang Islam memboikot semua barangan yang ada kaitan dengan Israel, termasuk McDonald's dan Coca-Cola. Nampaknya ada alasan kukuh untuk orang ramai turut berani menyelar Yayasan WIEF yang dipengerusikan Musa Hitam dan dinaungi Najib. Untuk rekod, kempen menghalang kedatangan Rajapaksa seperti digerakkan Pemuda MIC dan beberapa NGO tidak melibatkan tindakan memboikot sebarang produk dari Sri Lanka; sebaliknya secara khusus menekankan pada isu kemanusiaan, jenayah perang dan penghapusan etnik yang dilakukan pemimpin itu. Maka, anda boleh terus menikmati secawan teh Ceylon sambil menyatakan sokongan padu terhadap kempen mendesak Yayasan WIEF membatalkan undangan kepada Presiden Sri Lanka. Uthaya Sankar SB adalah penulis bebas dan perunding media. Beliau juga kolumnis di FMT sejak Januari 2011.    |
| Serving needy communities via SEA Posted: 25 Nov 2012 08:39 PM PST
Answering the call for help Her involvement intensified when in 2004, she received a frantic SOS e-mail seeking help for the Tsunami victims in Aceh. "Travelling through land to Aceh, I discovered my peace amidst all the chaos. It was then that I got the idea to partner-up with a local Indonesian non-governmental organisation (NGO) to implement capacity development programmes for victims of natural disasters and conflict," said Ellynita.
Social enterprise She elaborated, "I believe in empowering under-served communities be it through poverty alleviation programmes, education regeneration for children-at-risk and long-term social enterprises for disaster-hit or conflict-prone communities." This is what social enterprise is all about as it not only alleviates current sufferings but also paves the way for a brighter future.
SEA Malaysia Passionate about her calling Ellynita said, "We should take the time to learn more about the communities struggling out there – allow it to inspire us to learn to love. Let it be a constant reminder of the need for humility so that we can be of service to others." Working hard to make a difference in this world, SEA has embarked on various education and awareness programmes in tertiary institutions as well as a 10-month growth programme series called Changeweekends. An important element of this programme is to match social enterprises with relevant stakeholders such as government agencies, ecosystem partners and users. There is also the issue of policy advocacy with government agencies where SEA provides advice on developmental strategies for under-served communities. Looking to the future Ellynita says, "Now that we are laying the ground work, we need support for policy changes, sponsorships and volunteers to carry out our programmes. We also need to get the word out so that we can create more awareness about these communities and the concept of social enterprise." Achievement aplenty To her, nothing is more gratifying than developing others to achieve their own success and leaving the world a better place than when they entered it. Also read:    |
| Posted: 25 Nov 2012 08:32 PM PST
Pakatan-friendly groupings in Sabah, Angkatan Perubahan Sabah (APS) and Pakatan Perubahan Sabah (PPS) led by independent MPs Wilfred Bumburing and Lajim Ukin, are keen to take on the Barisan Nasional in Sabah in the 13th general election. "I can assure you Pakatan is here to fight for a better tomorrow for Sabah," said DAP adviser Lim Kit Siang during a fundraising dinner at Star City Convention centre on Saturday. He was responding to calls by the Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) and STAR Sabah leaders for Pakatan not to contest in Sabah and allow the former to take on the BN here. Lim’s blunt rejection of the call also short-circuits attempts by a local independent NGO, Demokrasi Sabah (Desah), to broker a deal for opposition parties to have a “one-on-one” fight with the BN and avoid a split in the votes that could give BN seats they would otherwise lose. Lim’s speech before several of Pakatan’s top leaders including PKR de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim, his deputy Azmin Ali, PAS deputy president Mat Sabu, DAP Sabah chief Jimmy Wong, Kota Kinabalu MP Hiew King Cheu, PAS Sabah Commissioner Aminuddin Aling and PKR Sabah chief Thamrin Jaini indicates no change in Pakatan’s election startegy. Lim also used the opportunity to challenge Prime Minister and BN chairman Najib Tun Razak, who is also Umno president, to declare “zero-tolerance” for corruption by using the Automated Enforcement System (AES) during the coming Umno general assembly this week. "I challenge him to declare corruption as Umno's number one enemy," said Lim, adding that if the AES for corruption was introduced, those with unusual amounts of wealth must be charged and brought to court. Najib must prove ‘best democracy’ claim The veteran DAP leader said if any person fails to prove in court that the wealth was not obtained by lawful means, he or she should then be arrested and their properties seized. Noting that Malaysia's ranking in terms of global transparency had plummeted, he said that if there was no improvement, China would soon overtake Malaysia in this aspect. Lim challenged Najib to prove that he really believed in 1Malaysia by fighting for Ketuanan Rakyat (people supremacy) rather than the Ketuanan Melayu (Malay supremacy).
"He must declare that if BN and Umno lose the election, they must in a gentlemanly manner move out from Putrajaya," Lim said in response to Najib's defiant statement that since the government was not “broken” therefore there was no need to change it. Lim, the MP for Ipoh Timur, reiterated Mat Sabu’s warning earlier that the BN was doing its best to break up the opposition and diminish its growing grassroots support across the nation. "But we will not fall into their trap and we are more united and stronger than ever," said Lim. Mat Sabu concurred with the widely-held notion that the opposition should work towards a one-on-one fight with the BN to stand any chance of winning more seats. He said PAS' struggle was not merely to become the government as trumpeted by the mainstream media. He said if this was true “it is better for PAS to join the BN and I will definitely become a minister”. People leaving BN The popular PAS leader noted that of late, Umno leaders were making statements that seemed to be wooing PAS to join the coalition and tear apart Pakatan. However, he said, Umno still did not seem to understand that the aspiration of PAS and Pakatan was to create good governance. He said that the BN was feeling so uncomfortable and out of touch that for the first time in Malaysia's history a prime minister was finding it so difficult to call for the election. "We have been waiting since November last year… this is the first time that the prime minister cannot find the date for the election. People are leaving them," he said. Anwar in his speech rallied the crowd by saying he had full confidence that the opposition would be able to march to Putrajaya this time. The main challenge, he said, was to fulfil all the pledges made to the people as “there is nothing worse for a man than when he fails to honour his promises". Anwar also stressed that in order to become a leader in Pakatan, one must be able to accept the paradigm shift promised to the people. “A democratic government must allow dissent… they may be right or wrong but you must never disallow them to speak up," he said. The PKR leader was on a tight schedule and was booked to speak at four political gatherings on the west coast of the state from Kudat in the north up to Bongawan down south.    |
| Dr M: No independence if Pakatan rules Posted: 25 Nov 2012 08:29 PM PST
“We have lost independence. If Pakatan [Rakyat] rules, that means there will be no independence. “We will always have to refer to America, Australia or other powers,” the former prime minister told reporters here. Mahathir, who remains an influential figure in Barisan Nasional, said Anwar had only one purpose in mind when he reportedly wrote to the Australian foreign minister for help in sending election monitors to Malaysia. “There was only one goal: If [Anwar] loses, he wants to demonstrate, to say there is fraud in the election system, that the government cheated and that’s why [Barisan Nasional] won. “That’s all. They want to create riots similar to the Arab countries so that they can bring down the government from outside the system of elections,” he said, referring to the Arab Spring. When one reporter told Mahathir that international observers were present during the 1999 general election, the former premier said: “We did not officially invite them." “But if they wish to come and observe, then go ahead,” he added. According to Bernama, Anwar had asked Senator Bob Carr to help ensure that the next general election was free of fraud and corruption. But Mahathir stressed today that if Pakatan’s claims of electoral fraud were true, the opposition pact would not have won five states in the 2008 general election. Anwar had also questioned the independence of the Election Commission and claimed that the opposition was being excluded from the media. But Carr said the Malaysian elections was a matter for the Malaysian people, and rejected the proposal of Australia sending election monitors to Malaysia. “It’s very hard for Australia to do anything about how they’re run, as hard as it would be for Malaysia or another government to have a say in how Australian elections are run. “We’re not the election authority in Malaysia,” he had said.    |
| Finding warmth at cuddle workshops Posted: 25 Nov 2012 08:27 PM PST  LONDON: The lilting beat of “Don’t Worry, Be Happy” sets the tone. Green and red scatter cushions fill the floor and nervous strangers sit around awkwardly, preparing to get up close and personal at a “cuddle workshop”.Organiser Anna Nathan announces the rules in a comforting voice. “You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do,” the 36-year-old tells the two dozen men and women sat round in a circle in a dance studio in north London. “Keep a layer of clothes on. Place your sexual energy to one side. No kissing.” Today’s students include a recently divorced 30-something “in need of a hug”, some long-term singletons, a young man who’s “very annoyed” with his girlfriend, and a retired man — who are all about to get to know each other much better. The room is cool, and apart from one or two people in T-shirts, the participants are all wrapped up warm. Exercise one: walk around in time to the music, clicking your fingers, and get to know people by briefly touching their fingers, shoulders, feet, ears and finally their hips. The first moves are hesitant, but laughter quickly erupts, breaking the tension.
“At some point, I was like: wait, I am just cuddling someone I just met,” said Bailey, a 20-year-old American student. “In any other place this would be weird. But because we are coming to a workshop, it’s fine.” She admitted to being surprised at finding such a class in London — “if I expected this type of thing to be anywhere, it’s in California, with some hippies.” For the final exercise, the small groups break up and everyone is asked to lie down together on the floor, where they touch and hold each other — while still respecting the rules. “I feel really relaxed. I likened it to taking ecstasy tablets. It reminds me of that experience,” confessed one euphoric cuddler, Grace. The workshop, which costs £29 (36 euros, US$46) for a session and takes place about twice a month on a Sunday afternoon, is not met with exclusively positive reactions. “Some guy had a really freshly laundered shirt, and I was like, ‘that’s nice, that’s so comforting’,” said Bailey. “But the next person, I was like ‘noooo, that’s not that comforting, you could have tried better, come on!’ And I was like: ‘Oh my God, I hope I don’t smell’.” Participants are advised beforehand to avoid wearing strong perfume or aftershave. The inevitable concern about such workshops is they might attract people wanting more than an innocent cuddle. But Nathan and Urquhart keep a watchful eye on the proceedings, and they insist they have only had to intervene a few times since the workshops started two years ago.
The aim of the workshop, similar to the cuddle parties that have taken off in the United States, is to provide some comfort in a society where social interaction increasingly takes place via telephone or a computer screen. Returning to the outside world is a jolt, but the organisers soften the blow by arranging for those who want to have dinner together nearby. “If I had to go straight to the street and public transport, I would feel kind of cold and alone,” said Andrew, a single man aged 42 with 10 workshops under his belt. “I want to hug everybody I see, if they are going my way or not.” Dinner also offers participants a chance to arrange to meet people they have met at the workshop for more cuddles — this time perhaps with no rules.—AFP    |
| Dubai Plans New ‘City’, world’s largest mall Posted: 25 Nov 2012 08:18 PM PST
The ruler of the Gulf desert city state, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum, announced the plan for a “new city within Dubai,” according to an official statement, naming it after himself. No cost was stated for “Mohammed bin Rashid City,” to be carried out by his Dubai Holding and the publicly-listed Emaar Properties, which developed many of Dubai’s prestigious projects, including Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest tower. The plan also features new residential areas, although the emirate continues to have a surplus of units built during a five-year bubble which burst in 2009. The “Mall of the World” will have a capacity of 80 million visitors a year to become the “largest in the world,” said the statement, while its park will be “30% bigger than Hyde Park of London". The mall will be connected to a family entertainment center to be developed in cooperation with Universal Studios International that will be the largest in the region, aiming to attract six million visitors a year. The emirate already has countless malls and hotels, including the Dubai Mall, touted as the world’s largest shopping, leisure and entertainment destination, with 62 million visitors this year. “The current facilities available in Dubai need to be scaled up in line with the future ambitions for the city,” Sheikh Mohammed said in the statement. Dubai’s tourism is growing by 13% a year, according to the statement, with hotel occupancy hitting 82% in 2011 while hotel revenues grew 22% last year, exceeding 16 billion dirhams (US$4.4 billion). The emirate rocked global financial markets in autumn 2009 over its debt crisis, but Dubai has restructured the mountain of debt owed by its corporations, and its economy has returned to growth after contracting in 2009. - AFP    |
| Posted: 25 Nov 2012 08:17 PM PST
Redknapp was appointed QPR manager on Saturday morning, a day after the sacking of Mark Hughes, and later watched from the stands at Old Trafford as his new side lost 3-1 to Manchester United. QPR’s shortage of funds means Redknapp may not be able to sign new players in the January transfer window, but he has suggested he could make a move for Beckham. The former England captain will leave the Los Angeles Galaxy after their MLS Cup final clash with Houston Dynamo next Saturday. He spent time training under Redknapp at Tottenham Hotspur in January last year, after a proposed loan move from the Galaxy fell through. “I’m sure he could still play in the Premier League,” Redknapp told BBC Radio Five Live on Sunday. “He is a top player and a fantastic person. We had him at Tottenham training and he was amazing around the place, absolute class. “I haven’t discussed it with the chairman (Tony Fernandes) at the moment so we’d have to look at that but David could still certainly be a great asset to anybody, showing people how to train, how to look after yourself. “His professionalism is second to none.” -Agencies    |
| Posted: 25 Nov 2012 08:14 PM PST
"The prime minister claims BN is ‘ready to change’, but where is the change when he continues to support corrupt practices of the past when state lands are given to BN component parties at dirt cheap prices," Pua said in a statement today. "It has been exposed that BN component parties secured at least 24 pieces of valuable land from the state government while it was in power from 2000 to 2008. These pieces of land were 'sold' for a mere RM1 per square feet when in fact they are estimated to be worth RM200 million," he said. Pua added that BN component parties in Selangor have been quick to defend the land-grab despite the obvious corruption, abuse of power and conflict of interests involved. "Selangor Umno information chief Abdul Shukor Idrus argued that there is nothing wrong with giving the land to Umno as it is a form of reward for the contributions made by Umno in fighting for independence and developing this country," he said. Pua believed that this shows how BN leaders not only do not understand what is corruption and abuse of power, they are completely shameless even after being caught red-handed. "Ordinary Malaysians know that political parties have no right to benefit themselves at the expense of the rakyat when they are in power, or it will be a clear breach of trust. "The prime minister continues to plead to Malaysians to give BN a chance because ‘…BN is not a party that is inflexible. We are ready to change’, and has asked Malaysians, ‘why fix it when it is not broken?’” Pua said that the very fact that BN leaders continue to defend their corrupt actions of the past proves that BN is not only "broken" but is also unable to "change". "Hence if the BN gets re-elected as the state government of Selangor, then Malaysians will be assured that state government assets will continue to be raped and pillaged by Umno, MCA, Gerakan and MIC under the prime minister's leadership," he said.    |
| Can anyone crack the pigeon’s wartime code? Posted: 25 Nov 2012 08:09 PM PST
The bird was found by a man in Surrey, southern England while he was cleaning out a disused fireplace at his home earlier this month. The message, a series of 27 groups of five letters each, was inside a red canister attached to the pigeon’s leg bone and has stumped code-breakers from Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ), Britain’s main electronic intelligence-gathering agency. “Without access to the relevant codebooks and details of any additional encryption used, it will remain impossible to decrypt,” a GCHQ spokesman said. The message is consistent with the use of code books to translate messages which were then encrypted, according to GCHQ, one of Britain’s three intelligence agencies. However without knowing who the sender, “Sjt W Stot”, is or the intended destination, given as “X02″, it is extremely difficult to decipher the code, GCHQ said.
A spokesman for GCHQ said it was “disappointing” that the message brought back by a “brave” carrier pigeon cannot be read. He added: “It is a tribute to the skills of the wartime code-makers that, despite working under severe pressure, they devised a code that was undecipherable both then and now.” The Curator of the Pigeon Museum at Bletchley Park, north of London, Britain’s main code-breaking centre during World War Two, is also trying to trace the identity numbers of the pigeon found in the message, according to GCHQ. Pigeons were used extensively in the war to carry vital information to Britain from mainland Europe. Flying at speeds of up to 80 km per hour, they can travel distances of up to 1,000 km but were vulnerable to hungry hawks and bored soldiers who used to take pot-shots at them as they flew overhead.—Reuters    |
| US breaks US$1b for first time in online Black Friday shopping Posted: 25 Nov 2012 08:08 PM PST
The four-day Thanksgiving holiday weekend is the kickoff to the US holiday shopping season, and Black Friday has long been considered the critical day that turns retailers’ books from red to black. Consumer spending makes up more than two thirds of US economic activity. So the short but busiest consumer sales season has a huge importance to the US economy for the whole year. This year, online shoppers spent a grand total of $1.042 billion last Friday, surpassing last year’s Black Friday haul by 26 percent, according to the consulting firm Comscore. Another study by IMB Benchmark Digital Analytics saw an increase of 21 percent in Internet sales, with a surge in orders of mobile devices and tablet computers, in particular. But the new record might be short-lived. Coming next is “CyberMonday,” the day Americans go back to work and online retailers launch heavy promotions to reel in more shoppers. “According to norms we’ve observed over the past three years,” retail analyst ShopperTrak said, the Monday after Thanksgiving “should be the heaviest online shopping day of the season with sales approaching US$1.5 billion or even higher.” Across the four-day weekend, US shoppers spent US$59.1 billion dollars, a jump of 13% over the previous year, the National Retail Federation announced. “It’s phenomenal,” NRF director Mathew Shay told reporters at a press conference, saying the numbers bode well for the holiday season despite the still-struggling economy. American consumers spent an average of US$423 this weekend, compared with US$398 last year, the group reported. However, the NRF did not revise its prediction for the US holiday shopping season as a whole, keeping it at a 4.1% increase year on year, arguing that consumers remain cautious about the economy. The looming threat of the “fiscal cliff,” which could send taxes soaring if Republicans and Democrats do not reach a compromise on reducing the deficit before the end of the year, also had the retailers worried. And despite the good numbers overall, sales at brick-and-mortar locations were sluggish on “Black Friday:” in-store traffic increased by 3.5% last Friday with more than 307 million visitors, but total sales actually went down compared to the previous year by 1.8%, according to ShopperTrak. Some of the biggest numbers went to the stores that opened early on the Thanksgiving holiday itself – a growing trend, especially among large chain stores, that is turning the traditionally family-based holiday into a commercial event. “Opening on Thanksgiving was a big win,” the NRF’s Shay said, noting that 35 million people went shopping, a 40 percent surge over the previous year. Comscore also noted a jump in online Thanksgiving day sales, up 32% over 2011, with US$633 million in sales, though the IMB Benchmark Digital Analytics survey saw a more modest gain of 17.4%. But ShopperTrak noted that the Thanksgiving day shopping may have undercut spending usually meant for Friday, without increasing the overall numbers. - AFP    |
| Circus owner found guilty of elephant cruelty Posted: 25 Nov 2012 08:02 PM PST
Bobby Roberts, 69, was convicted of three counts of causing unnecessary suffering to an animal. Northampton Crown Court heard that Anne, an arthritic, 58-year-old elephant was kept tethered to the ground by one front leg and one back leg at all times. Roberts failed to give Anne her arthritis medicine and to prevent a handler from repeatedly beating the animal. Roberts told the court he would never have condoned the beatings. Secret film of the beatings taken by rights group Animal Defenders International (ADI) formed a key part of the prosecution case. Roberts’s wife Moira, 75, was cleared of the same three charges following a five-day trial. Both she and her husband had denied the charges. The Press Association reported that District Judge David Chinnery told Bobby Roberts he recognized that he had not directly inflicted the suffering, adding that he had cared for animals “for the greater part of your 70 years without criticism from any quarter. “No cruelty was administered by your own hand. The chaining I regard as serious but the real cruelty it seems to me was inflicted by your groom, a man whom you had entrusted with the care of Anne, behind your back and without your knowledge.”
“Today should serve as a warning that those who mistreat animals can expect to face prosecution,” it said. But ADI was disappointed with the sentence. “Despite the considerable suffering caused to Anne the elephant, the sentencing meted out to Mr Roberts is derisory and provides no faith that the Animal Welfare Act can protect animals in circuses,” ADI Chief Executive Jan Creamer said in a statement. In April 2011, as a result of the secret filming, Anne was taken away from the Super Circus in Polebrook, Northamptonshire owned by Roberts, and re-homed at a safari park. She was born in the wild in Sri Lanka in 1954, the ADI website said. In 2001 her offspring Janie and Beverly died suddenly, leaving Anne alone, the website added.—Reuters    |
| Threat of US ‘fiscal cliff’ raises concern in market Posted: 25 Nov 2012 07:58 PM PST
Capital Dynamics Asset Management Sdn Bhd managing director Tan Teng Boo said the week could see a possible rebound but this trend is not expected to carry on into the following months. Tan said he expected the benchmark index, the FBM KLCI, to drop below the 1,600-point mark during the week due to an absence of positive leads. "The local market is currently oversold. This week, there could be a rebound based on this but the trend over the next few months is downwards and the index is expected to fall below 1,600 points. No new positive leads are foreseen in this period," said Tan. The looming threat of tax increases, spending cuts and budget deficit for the US has and will continue to lead investors to take money off the table until more positive indicators appear, said an analyst. "The investors are basically worried about the fiscal cliff in the US, so we'll see a lot of profit-taking during the week and the market will continue to fall," said Fundsupermart. com analyst Yeoh Mei Kei. Yeoh said the support levels for the FBM KLCI should remain around the 1,600 mark, unless individual corporate results move the market either way. "It is the reporting season, which could be a catalyst for market activity. Some companies may come out with better-than- expected results while others may not fare so well," Yeoh told The Malaysian Reserve last Friday. Yeoh said investors looking for a safe place to park their money while waiting for better weather could decide to invest in telecommunication companies, while semiconductor companies continue to struggle with what has not been a good year overall. This content is provided by FMT content partner The Malaysian Reserve.    |
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