Monday, June 30, 2014

Wisma Putra confirms NZ sex assault suspect a Malaysian diplomat

Wisma Putra confirms NZ sex assault suspect a Malaysian diplomat

Wisma Putra has confirmed that a Malaysian diplomat is a suspect in a New Zealand sex assault case, saying he will stand trial if there is assurance of justice.
Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Anifah Aman (pic) told The Star yesterday that the accused was a Malaysian diplomat and that he had been recalled.
Anifah was also quoted by the English daily as saying that Wisma Putra was not “protecting” him and he had asked that police investigations in New Zealand be allowed to continue in the interest of justice.
“Just because he is a diplomat does not mean he gets off scot-free. Diplomatic immunity is not about having the licence to commit crime. I have spoken to our High Commissioner (in New Zealand),” he said.
On why the diplomat had been recalled, Anifah told The Star there could have been a misinterpretation of an email sent to Wisma Putra by the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
Anifah, who is scheduled to hold a press conference on the issue today, said the diplomat would be returned to Wellington only if he was assured of a fair trial and that his life was not in danger there.
New Zealand (NZ) revealed that it was pursuing the extradition of a diplomat who had been accused of "assault with intent to commit rape" in Wellington last month.
The diplomat, said to be in his 30s, was detained for having allegedly followed a 21-year-old woman to her house, then sexually assaulting her. He was also charged with burglary over the same incident.
But, the man “fled” New Zealand to return to his own country when he invoked diplomatic immunity after his arrest on May 9.
The identity of the diplomat and his nationality have not been revealed by the media in New Zealand after a judge there issued a suppression order on his details.
NZ Prime Minister John Keys told the media yesterday morning that his administration had demanded that the man's diplomatic immunity be waived but was rebuffed.
"It was our strong preference that this person be held to account in New Zealand, but this was refused by the sending country," Keys was quoted by the media, adding that he was given an assurance that the diplomat will be held accountable in his own country
Meanwhile, NZ foreign minister Murray McCully today warned that if the diplomat does not face the charges, it will affect relations between the country involved and New Zealand.
"It will have a bearing on how we deal with the country concerned," McCully told New Zealand daily The Dominion Post.
He was also quoted as saying that officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) had made clear New Zealand's wish that the diplomat, now back in his home country, would face justice. – July 1, 2014.
Some VIP or VIP's son is he?
Protecting sex offenders now!

Thursday, June 26, 2014

You burn the Bible. You burn the country.

bible003_300
(FMT) - You burn the Bible. You burn the country.
The Selangor Islamic Religious Council (Mais) has morphed into a very powerful force that fears no one in the country. Indeed, it has become a law unto itself, a law that it presumably derived from a divine source. It cares nothing for mere mortals like the Attorney-General or the Menteri Besar. Even the Prime Minister appears to cower in the corner lest Mais pronounces some frightening fatwas if he so much as nods his head approvingly in the direction of Christians.
Lately, Mais has been flexing its muscles over a simple issue: that the Malay and Iban language Bibles it seized in January must be returned to the Bible Society of Malaysia (BSM), which is the rightful owner of the holy books. The Attorney-General said so, for he could find nothing wrong with the sacred text. The Selangor government also concurred and directed Mais to hand over the Bibles. Both followed the rule of law. Both listened to the voice of sanity and reason.
But Mais thumbs its nose at them all. Its chairman is a bundle of hostility and arrogance. He stubbornly refused to give back the 321 Bibles to BSM. Its storm-troopers – the Selangor Islamic Religious Department (Jais) – that confiscated the books from the BSM premises also will not surrender them. Mais and Jais have become the twin terrors sworn to harass, hound, intimidate Christians wherever they are in Selangor. Despite what the Attorney-General has said in lucid terms, Mais wants to continue its crusade against the Bibles that contained the word Allah.
Let us see how God deals with such people!

Sarawak leaders rubbish Muhyiddin’s answer on ‘Anak Angkat’ project

Sarawak leaders rubbish Muhyiddin’s answer on ‘Anak Angkat’ project

- See more at: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/sarawak-leaders-rubbish-muhyiddins-answer-on-anak-angkat-project#sthash.R51W7MlU.dpuf

Bandar Kuching MP Chong Chieng Jen says Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin's written reply on the 'Anak Angkat' programme was not correct. – The Malaysian Insider pic, June 27, 2014.Sarawak politicians have ripped into Putrajaya’s explanation that the controversial "Anak Angkat" programme for Sarawak schools was a motivational programme, saying the education’s minister’s denial that it was a covert attempt to convert Christian students to Islam does not hold water.
DAP’s Bandar Kuching MP Chong Chieng Jen was livid at Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin’s response to a question he had posed in Parliament earlier this month.
“Motivational programme? That's a lie,” Chong said.
“If it was so noble a programme as the minister claimed, why was it suddenly terminated after an outcry by the students' parents?” he asked.
Following reports that parents of students in SMK Balai Ringin in the Serian district were up in arms over Islamisation elements in the programme conducted in May, Muhyiddin had told Chong in a written reply in Parliament that the programme was aimed at increasing the academic performance of students from poor families.
"The information received from the Sarawak education department showed that the programme held on May 3 this year involving 50 children was a motivational programme and contained no elements to convert the religion of the students involved," stated the reply to Chong's June 6 question.
Muhyiddin also said the school had since terminated the programme, which was sanctioned by the Rural and Regional Development ministry.
Rubbishing the minister’s answer, Chong said the termination showed there was a hidden agenda in the programme.
He said if Muhyiddin and the Sarawak education department believed the programme was in no way a guise to convert Christian rural students, they should have insisted that the programme be continued.
“Even the name of the programme, 'Anak Angkat' (adoption) carries a connotation,” he added.
He also questioned the ministry’s reason for sending a Muslim NGO to Sarawak's rural areas to “adopt students knowing full well they are non-Muslims”.
“Does the ministry lack non-Muslim officers and NGOs to send to these areas? Don't they know the background of these areas?” he asked.
The programme was run by an NGO called the Organisation of Graduates and Educational Institutions Malaysia, or better known as Haluan.
Chong said sending a Muslim NGO to carry out a programme laced with Islamic teachings was a clear attempt to indoctrinate the students.
He said such programmes and Muslim NGOs like Haluan were creating social disorder “in our harmonious Sarawak environment”.
Barisan Nasional's Balai Ringin assemblyman Snowdan Lawan also had reservations about Muhyiddin's explanation.
Snowdan said since the outcry over the programme, he was briefed by the deputy president of Haluan Prof Emeritus Datuk Dr Abu Azam Md Yassin.
"From how he explained it, it did sound like it was a motivational programme, and a good one at that.
"But from what I had gathered from the students and their parents, it looked like the programme's counsellors had taken it upon themselves to stray out of the module.
"They had gone out of topic by trying to go overboard with things Islam.
"It would be more appropriate for them to target the Muslim students rather than the Christian students.
"If Haluan was sincere in wanting to help motivate children from poor families in their studies and if they think their topics on Islam could help make the students better, then they should have targetted the Malay Muslim students in the area instead of the Iban students who are largely Christians," he said.
He pointed out there are between 1,000 to 2,000 Malay families in Balai Ringin who probably need help to motivate their children to do better in their studies.
"You don't send an Imam to preach in the church. Neither do you sent a priest to preach in the Hindu or Buddhist temples.
"NGOs who plan to work with students ought to be careful in what they do. Religion is a sensitive thing and these NGOs therefore ought to be very alert to such sensitivities," he said.
Sarawak Land Development Minister Tan Sri Dr James Masing had highlighted the issue on May 14 after parents of students complained about the programme.
The students had told their parents that two teachers selected them to attend the programme and told them it was a co-curricular activity, but added that they were asked questions on Islam.
The students also said that the programme facilitators were Muslims and the talks had religious elements.
In response to Muhyiddin's reply, Masing said he doubted if the education minister, who is also the deputy prime minister, had been told the whole truth.
“He was not there. Neither was I there.
“His reply to Chong was merely relying on what the Sarawak education department had given him.”
However, Masing said he had personally met some of the students who had been involved in the programme as well as their parents.
“What they had told me, they were not happy with the programme. They didn't like it that questions on Islam were asked and some Christians practices were questioned.
“What I was interested in when talking to them was their reaction. The reaction of the parents and the reaction of the children.
“They were clearly unhappy with the programme,” he said.
Masing said from the reactions he got, he gathered that “there were some attempts to convert the students”.
Following the complaints, the state's education department had been ordered by Minister in the Chief Minister's Office in charge of Islamic affairs in the state, Datuk Daud Abdul Rahman, to suspend the programme pending a review. – June 27, 2014.


Wednesday, June 25, 2014

PETRONAS PRESIDENT SPEAKS OUT FEARLESSLY

PETRONAS PRESIDENT SPEAKS OUT FEARLESSLY AMID RUMOURS HE IS UNDER PRESSURE TO LEAVE


Shamsul Azhar
(The Edge) – “In the Petroleum Development Act, it is very clear – oil and gas belong to all Malaysians. It doesn’t say oil and gas belong to the bumiputeras, it doesn’t say that”
Rumours are again rampant that Petroliam Nasional Bhd (Petronas)’s president and CEO Tan Sri Shamsul Azhar Abbas will leave his post, but this man at the helm says he will continue to defend professionalism and independence fearlessly, reported the Edge Weekly in its latest June 23-29 issue.
In an exclusive interview with the Edge Weekly, Shamsul said  he had to continue to fight for Petronas’ independence and guard the interest of the national oil company in the face of political pressure.
He will continue to adopt the open bidding method when dishing out oil and gas jobs to bring down cost for Petronas. He will not bow to political pressure to give jobs to unproven businessmen. He will not be held ransom by greedy well-connected contractors.
“It’s so difficult to do an honest day’s job. You spend a lot of time away from your true function (of running Petronas),” Shamsul lamented during the interview conducted last week.
“It’s not just people outside [who are making things difficult but] also people in the government – the bureaucrats. Bureaucratic interference makes things difficult,” he added.
In fact, things have been tough for Shamsul since he took the reins of Petronas from Tan Sri Hassan Marican in 2010, said the weekly financial paper of The Edge in its cover story on page 80-82.
Among the changes Shamsul has made that has irked the government is to cap the dividend paid to the federal government at 30% of Petronas’ net profit from 2013 onwards. This has also angered many in UMNO, who feel that Petronas should cough up more.
But Shamsul argued: “We need money to grow. If we remain static and all our production is depleting … in 13 years’ time we might as well close shop”.
Most of Shamsul’s woes stem from well-connected business owners who have lost out on lucrative jobs after open bidding became the preferred mode, compared with fixed allocation for local firms done previously.
Companies under Petronas’ vendor development programme are no pushovers either as they are usually politically linked. They are unhappy that Shamsul had clamped down on their request to be allocated jobs. Some are loading up their costs by as much as 48%, making exceptionally big margins.
“I’m a Malay too, I’m proud to be one … you think I don’t want to help my own people? Of course I want to help them, but in the proper way — not through handouts and spoon-feeding,” Shamsul told the Edge Weekly.
 Great to have a Malaysian with this type of attitude. Keep up the good work!
Don't these people have some pride - just want handouts and spoon-feeding, sickens us all!!!

Tuesday, June 24, 2014

Congrats to Allah’s soldiers

Congrats to Allah’s soldiers

June 24, 2014
Sabah and Sarawak Christians should celebrate too, for they can now see BN's true colours.
COMMENT
perkasaBy Yeo Bee Yin
This must be a happy time for those of you who think you have won a war for Allah.
First of all, I would like to congratulate Perkasa and other NGOs who have screamed, shouted, and threatened Malaysians who disagreed that Allah should be exclusive to Muslims. Congratulations! You have won your holy war. Go celebrate.
Second, I would like to congratulate the four judges who dismissed the Catholic church’s application for leave to appeal against a decision upholding the government ban against its use of “Allah” as a reference to God. If you made this judgement to protect your own religion, congratulations for sacrificing your professionalism.
Third, I would like to congratulate the Home Ministry, for it was you that filed an appeal against the High Court ruling that the Herald can call on Allah.
Fourth, I would like to congratulate Umno, for you have been successful in engineering the war over Allah to distract Malaysian Muslims from the rising cost of living, your corrupt practices and your inability to govern and lead. Oh, Umno, you are such a political genius.
Fifth, I would like to congratulate the Christians in Sabah and Sarawak, for you can now see the true colours of the organisation that you’ve so enthusiastically supported for the past 50 over years.
As for me, call me whatever, catch me if you like, charge me if you can, I will continue to believe and stand on the principle that everyone in this country is given by the Federal Constitution the liberty to practise his or her own religion and to express himself or herself. By the principle of natural justice and liberty, Allah should never be exclusive to any particular group of people.
To my fellow Malaysians who are Bahasa Malaysia speaking Christians, remember this: They may take “Allah” away from the Herald, but they can never take God away from your heart. Be strong and courageous, continue to love and pray for them who persecute you for they know not what they are doing.
God bless Malaysia.and deal with the troublemakers as their folly and evil deserves.
Yeo Bee Yin is the State Assemblywoman for Damansara Utama

Tuesday, June 17, 2014

‘There are no two legal systems’

‘There are no two legal systems’

 | June 17, 2014
All non-Muslim marriages are registered under civil law and any divorce or custody of the children must be decided by the High Court and not Syariah court.
M ManogaranPETALING JAYA: The Syariah court is not parallel to the civil legal system in this country because it only deals with certain aspects of Islamic law, Malaysia Tamil Sanggam chairman M Manogaran said today.
Manogaran, who is a lawyer, said the Syariah jurisdiction was subsidiary to the secular civil legal system and not equal.
“Syariah law caters for only certain aspects of Muslim issues.
“It now looks like we need to educate our Inspector-General of Police Khalid Abu Bakar on the law,” he said.
He added that Khalid’s stand that children be placed in welfare homes pending resolution of disputes between parents in conversion cases was borne out of ignorance of the law.
“It is an abdication from responsibility and dereliction of duty as the highest ranking police officer.
“By making a stand, the IGP has shown disregard for the welfare of children which is of paramount importance in custody cases.
“Only the court can decide to place a child in custody with a third party.
“In deciding custody, the court will have to consider the welfare of the child under the Laws Reform and Divorce Act 1976,” he added.
Manogaran said all non-Muslim marriages were registered under civil law and any divorce or custody of the children must be decided by the High Court and not Syariah court.
Federal Constitution and the Police Act 1967
“Under the Federal Constitution, the police force is a public service department subject to disciplinary proceedings against errant members, incuding the IGP.
“It is a dereliction of duty if the police do not execute warrants of the courts.
“The IGP has to carry out the duties as required under the Police Act and cannot give his opinion,” he added.
Manogaran said the IGP must now resign to safeguard the good name of the force.
“When it comes to Islam, there is a compromise on duties and responsibilities on the part of the IGP,” he said.

‘There are no two legal systems’

 | June 17, 2014
All non-Muslim marriages are registered under civil law and any divorce or custody of the children must be decided by the High Court and not Syariah court.
M ManogaranPETALING JAYA: The Syariah court is not parallel to the civil legal system in this country because it only deals with certain aspects of Islamic law, Malaysia Tamil Sanggam chairman M Manogaran said today.
Manogaran, who is a lawyer, said the Syariah jurisdiction was subsidiary to the secular civil legal system and not equal.
“Syariah law caters for only certain aspects of Muslim issues.
“It now looks like we need to educate our Inspector-General of Police Khalid Abu Bakar on the law,” he said.
He added that Khalid’s stand that children be placed in welfare homes pending resolution of disputes between parents in conversion cases was borne out of ignorance of the law.
“It is an abdication from responsibility and dereliction of duty as the highest ranking police officer.
“By making a stand, the IGP has shown disregard for the welfare of children which is of paramount importance in custody cases.
“Only the court can decide to place a child in custody with a third party.
“In deciding custody, the court will have to consider the welfare of the child under the Laws Reform and Divorce Act 1976,” he added.
Manogaran said all non-Muslim marriages were registered under civil law and any divorce or custody of the children must be decided by the High Court and not Syariah court.
Federal Constitution and the Police Act 1967
“Under the Federal Constitution, the police force is a public service department subject to disciplinary proceedings against errant members, incuding the IGP.
“It is a dereliction of duty if the police do not execute warrants of the courts.
“The IGP has to carry out the duties as required under the Police Act and cannot give his opinion,” he added.
Manogaran said the IGP must now resign to safeguard the good name of the force.
“When it comes to Islam, there is a compromise on duties and responsibilities on the part of the IGP,” he said.
 | June 17, 2014
All non-Muslim marriages are registered under civil law and any divorce or custody of the children must be decided by the High Court and not Syariah court.
M ManogaranPETALING JAYA: The Syariah court is not parallel to the civil legal system in this country because it only deals with certain aspects of Islamic law, Malaysia Tamil Sanggam chairman M Manogaran said today.
Manogaran, who is a lawyer, said the Syariah jurisdiction was subsidiary to the secular civil legal system and not equal.
“Syariah law caters for only certain aspects of Muslim issues.
“It now looks like we need to educate our Inspector-General of Police Khalid Abu Bakar on the law,” he said.
He added that Khalid’s stand that children be placed in welfare homes pending resolution of disputes between parents in conversion cases was borne out of ignorance of the law.
“It is an abdication from responsibility and dereliction of duty as the highest ranking police officer.
“By making a stand, the IGP has shown disregard for the welfare of children which is of paramount importance in custody cases.
“Only the court can decide to place a child in custody with a third party.
“In deciding custody, the court will have to consider the welfare of the child under the Laws Reform and Divorce Act 1976,” he added.
Manogaran said all non-Muslim marriages were registered under civil law and any divorce or custody of the children must be decided by the High Court and not Syariah court.
Federal Constitution and the Police Act 1967
“Under the Federal Constitution, the police force is a public service department subject to disciplinary proceedings against errant members, incuding the IGP.
“It is a dereliction of duty if the police do not execute warrants of the courts.
“The IGP has to carry out the duties as required under the Police Act and cannot give his opinion,” he added.
Manogaran said the IGP must now resign to safeguard the good name of the force.
“When it comes to Islam, there is a compromise on duties and responsibilities on the part of the IGP,” he said.
The IGP should now resign for dereliction of duty as he has made himself unfit for the office.
Who does he think he is???
a Judge?, a Cabinet minister?, an MP?, or all of these.
It is sickening to see so much of these nonsense happening in our land!!!
The Bible issue also.
Oh God cleanse our land of all these

Thursday, June 5, 2014

Failure to protect Tasik Chini

Failure to protect Tasik Chini – Josie M Fernandez

Tasik Chini is a microcosm of Malaysia where environmental governance has failed, despite many efforts by civil society and some bureaucrats to save the country’s only Unesco Biosphere Reserve.
- See more at: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/sideviews/article/failure-to-protect-tasik-chini-josie-m-fernandez#sthash.mhMu4ryS.dpuf


Tasik Chini is in the constituency of  Pekan, Pahang. Its member of parliament is Datuk Seri Najib Razak, the prime minister of Malaysia. Najib has made many efforts to stop the collapse of Tasik Chini, the home of the Jakun, Najib’s voters. 
He has provided funds to Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) to clean up the lake. But he has not been able to stop extractive industries like iron-ore mining, opening up of plantations and logging, close to the lake.     
Obviously, Malaysia is unable to protect Tasik Chini as a Unesco Biosphere Reserve. When this lake only one of two freshwater lakes in Malaysia was declared a Unesco Biosphere Reserve in May 2009, Malaysia agreed to pursue a programme of conservation, restoration, protection of the indigenous community living around the lake, the cultural assets and sustainable development.
Tasik Chini represents a microcosm of Malaysia where weak environmental governance, political control over natural resources and an economy still dependent on frontier development are hastening the collapse of the country’s ecosystems.
It does not matter who holds the political power in the states as both Barisan Nasional and Pakatan Rakyat-led states are extracting their last bastion of natural resources. Our lands, forests, rivers and lakes are being taken away for industrial development, logging, mining, plantations, dams and tourism in both BN and PR states.
Good environmental governance means transparency and accountability in decision-making processes by the government, addressing corruption in land matters, forestry and mining, in protecting the rights of indigenous communities and future generations. 
Malaysia is a signatory to the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People (UNDRIP). Articles 32 and 10, among others, assert the rights of the indigenous people to determine their own development or use of their lands and resources and that they should not be forcibly removed from their lands or territories without their free, prior and informed consent.
In the constituency of the prime minister, the UNDRIP agreements are not being implemented. What hope is there for indigenous communities elsewhere in the country?
Civil society too failed in Tasik Chini?
In the last 30 years , according to Nubi, a respected community leader and activist in Tasik Chini  many non-governmental organisations (NGOS) and academics have visited Tasik Chini, researched and published articles and documentaries as well as launched campaigns to save the lake and the indigenous community.
Adds Nubi: “Despite these efforts, the situation in Tasik Chini has worsened.”
Says Saripah also from Tasik Chini: “We are trapped. We turn left, we face oil palm plantations, we turn right, we face logging. We turn behind, we face mining. We turn to the lake, its dying... we are trapped without our land, forests and lake.”
Both interviews were recorded when Transparency International Malaysia and its Save Tasik Chini coalition partners joined the community at the lake on August 5, 2012 to launch the campaign.
At various consultations with the community since November 2011, the Orang Asal of Tasik Chini had proposed key measures to save the lake ecosystem. These inputs together with recommendations from civil society, including academics, were submitted in the form of a Memorandum to Save Tasik Chini to Najib on April 10, 2012.
On August 12, 2012 TI-M and its coalition partners launched the Save Tasik Chini campaign in Subang Jaya  to highlight the advanced stage of ecological damage to the lake. 
Between August 2012 and April 2013, the government engaged with TI-M, indigenous community leaders of Tasik Chini and its coalition partners to find various ways to save the lake from total collapse.
After GE13, Tasik Chini’s collapse accelerates
By all accounts, the decay of Tasik Chini has accelerated after the 13th general election. I visited Tasik Chini and met with the community a few months ago.
Mining, logging and plantations have increased. At a community meeting, Batin Awang Alok and others spoke of the prime minister’s visit to Tasik Chini a few weeks before GE13. Najib had urged the Pahang menteri besar to address the decay of Tasik Chini.
Community leaders added that TI-M had not continued with the Save Tasik Chini campaign activities with the indigenous community.
In preparation for this article, I called up the TI-M office to speak to the Forest Governance Project team on the progress at Tasik Chini. 
To my dismay, TI-M had not carried out activities in Tasik Chini with the community nor has it continued with the advocacy work with the prime minister or Pahang.
Worse, I was shocked to learn the contracts of staff and experts of the Forest Governance Project had not been renewed. The Save Tasik Chini campaign it seems has ended with no activities planned and the loss of a staff team that contributed significantly to the campaign.
Hope in Najib as Malaysia is Asean chair in 2015
The environment is a key area of the Road map for the Asean Community, 2015.  Malaysia is the chair for Asean in 2015.
Surely, Najib would not want a Save Tasik Chini campaign by Asean NGOs when Malaysia leads Asean.  Najib must act now to save Malaysia’s only Unesco Biosphere in his constituency of Pekan.
Najib must begin engaging with the right people – the indigenous community at Tasik Chini, individual experts who have no interests in positions in government, renowned experts involved in saving lakes with track record and more importantly, stop the impunity for the powerful. – June 5, 2014.
* Josie M Fernandez is an Asian Public Intellectual Fellow, an environmental and social activist. 
* This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insider.
- See more at: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/sideviews/article/failure-to-protect-tasik-chini-josie-m-fernandez#sthash.mhMu4ryS.dpuf

Najib can't even look afterand protect his own constituency. What a good laugh!!!

Nigeria: Christian lawyer receiving death threats for defending victims of Fulani attacks - Where are the Christian state leaders of the World to voice out for the BLOOD of their brethren!

  Nigeria: Christian lawyer in hiding after receiving death threats for defending victims of Fulani attacks Nigeria: Christian lawyer in hid...