Money politics in the event of regime change - By Tracia Yeoh

COMMENT The New Economic Policy (NEP) was used by the government in the 80s and 90s to benefit bumiputera companies and business people, in the name of assisting the Malay community.

Ironically enough, these companies would not be restricted to bumiputera ones alone; even non-Malay entrepreneurs who were successfully able to "buy-in" to the system would also be rewarded.

Simultaneously, then-prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad was on a roll to internationalise the Malaysian economy. This he carried out by embarking on mega-projects.

Large government-linked companies (GLCs) would then engage in joint-ventures with the government and international firms in these mega projects (e.g. North-South Highway, Hicom, Perwaja Steel, Malaysian Shipping Corporation, Putrajaya, the Kuala Lumpur International Airport, Kuala Lumpur City Centre, Cyberjaya, etc).

In order for these large projects to be funded, the government relied on a significant amount of contributions from the national oil company, Petronas, as well as funding from corporate entities.

Political party financing

Given this backdrop of the post-colonial political formation and economic nationalism, the persistence of government to recognise wealth expansion of the Malay community, and desire to place Malaysia on a global growth map, it was only natural that the government and the private sector enjoyed a close relationship.

Mahathir said that "the presence of (influential) Malays on various boards' means... they are able to impart ... know-how to new ventures launched by Malays".

However, the dominance of Umno within the BN federal government, combined with the nexus of business and politics, has been corrosive.

Umno traditionally relied on membership fees and donations from private individuals, as documented in Transparency International-Malaysia's (TI-M) new book ‘Reforming political financing in Malaysia', launched in May 2010.

Umno grew to rely more upon its investments and business interests through ownership of corporations and shares. Early Umno members consisted of teachers and the civil service, but the majority is now made up of entrepreneurs and corporate figures.

Former Umno treasurer Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah recounted how he was tasked with finding investments for Umno and acknowledged a covert political fund existed.
Barry Wain in his book claimed this fund was worth RM88.6 million in 1984. Mahathir told TI-M that he handed his successor RM1.4 billion worth of property, shares and cash.

Meanwhile, The Star newspaper contributes RM50 to RM60 million to MCA annually, and TI-M estimated MCA's current assets to be RM2 billion.

TI-M's research concluded that Pakatan Rakyat's coalition parties still depend on grassroots support, raising funds through a combination of membership fees, fundraising dinners, donations, publications and forums. In addition, DAP's elected representatives contribute a portion of their salaries and allowance to the party fund.

TI-M's report stated clearly that business people or wealthy individuals with vested interests are eager to give money to politicians in return for securing business favours, strengthening the argument that there exists a powerful nexus between politics and corrupt money.

Clearly, there is a need to break from this culture and norm of relying upon large business conglomerates to support political parties.

It is well-known that companies are obliged to sponsor events such as party elections, and state and national election campaigns. The danger of not addressing this very real problem is that no matter which political coalition comes into power, it is inevitable that the political leaders have to succumb to the demands of corporate interests.

Unless a better system exists in which political financing takes place through a more transparent and well-regulated process, this culture is bound to continue.

Can a new government change this?

The existing system (or lack thereof) of political financing has brought to fruition a culture of dependency upon the large business players. If there were to be a possible regime change, would the new government be able to circumvent such a system?

Political financing reform is key to ensuring that any government in place is not held ransom by private sector interests.

The Pakatan Rakyat shadow Budget has outlined its clear position that it would break up monopolies and oligopolies in Malaysia should it come into power. Its goal is also to "free all government-linked companies (GLCs) from political interference" and that they would operate based on commercial priorities.

Pakatan's list of monopolies to be either restructured or completely dismantled includes the business of Malaysia's most powerful tycoons. Would the move to dismantle them succeed, first on the count of the resistance from the tycoons, and second on the count of their very convenient use as financial sponsors?

In the case of regime change, Malaysians must be cognisant that this deeply-embedded web between business and politics will not be easy to disentangle.

Even within the first 100 days, should the Pakatan government make initial efforts at change, it may not result in immediate improved outcomes.

For instance, a task force would have to spend copious amounts of time examining the hundreds of lucrative contracts between government and private companies, separating the legitimate from the dubious ones.

Next, by virtue of the fact they have a contractual agreement; it will be extremely difficult to break these contracts immediately.

Doing so would either mean penalties have to be paid, or multiple court cases would ensue between the corporations and government. This is the experience that the Pakatan state governments of Penang and Selangor faced when they came into power.

Second, selected existing civil servants who have already built their careers on these relationships would very much operate according to the existing mindset. Whether or not the same cronies are involved, the method of dealing with contracts and public procurement will be dealt with in much the same manner by them.

For there to be a distinctive change in the way politics is run, and to push for a more transparent and corrupt-free democracy, steps must be taken to deal with the current political government-business nexus.

For the business world to be kept at arms length and independent from the political players, new laws and regulations that emphasise transparency and good governance must be considered.

Although close relationships between the two will always exist, these regulations will help mitigate the negative effects resulting from this. The inclusion of the public's intense scrutiny through transparency measures will allow the public to participate in the process of examining the political parties that claim to represent them.

Malaysians must be aware of the current systemic flaws. In doing so, they would recognise that change takes time to set in.

It is absolutely crucial that a new government must seek to strictly regulate and enforce political financing, even if it is to its own political detriment. This would be necessary for the long-term strengthening of democratic institutions. The voting public must push for these changes to take place.

In the final analysis, dependency of politics on the private sector must be removed if we are to encourage a new way of being and doing government.

Yesterday: Part 1 - How MCA barons finance Umno in Malaya

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 TRICIA YEOH works in market research and is former research officer to the Selangor Chief Minister. She continues to write and comment on Malaysian policy matters. Her book, "States of Reform: Governing Selangor and Penang", will be published later this year. This article first appeared in New Mandala.

How MCA barons financed Umno in Malaya - By Tracia Yeoh

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 TRICIA YEOH works in market research and is former research officer to the Selangor Chief Minister. She continues to write and comment on Malaysian policy matters. Her book, "States of Reform: Governing Selangor and Penang", will be published later this year. This article first appeared in New Mandala.

COMMENT The intricate nexus between the worlds of business and politics has been an age-old tradition in Malaysia.

Crony capitalism, a term to describe the intertwined relationship among business, politicians and the state, where individuals in the private sector benefit by obtaining licences, concessions, government subsidies, other forms of protection from governments and appointments to key state-owned enterprises through their close relationship with politicians and bureaucrats.

The main questions to ask in the event of a regime change are: Will it really ever be possible to extricate one from the other, given the context where this is an assumed norm? Second, how would a new government go about making these drastic changes?

There has been recognition of this problem by political players from both sides of the divide.

The Pakatan Rakyat shadow Budget admits, for example, that "Pakatan will face resistance from cronies that desire to perpetuate patronage and rent-seeking" when it begins to attempt open tenders and a more transparent procurement policy.

Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak also announced that a new initiative under the Government Transformation Programme (GTP) would regulate financing for all political parties, where all funding must be channelled to an official party account.

He said that "a proper receipt record" would "prevent corruption and misappropriation on a grassroots' level..."

The CEO of Pemandu (the Performance Management & Delivery Unit under the Prime Minister's Department), Idris Jala (left), stated that a first tier of internal control would be developed with a checklist of recommended actions for political parties to undertake to avoid the abuse of funding.

A second tier of external control would require that "all federal and state government entities and statutory authorities cannot include any party member who is an office bearer on their tender board", amongst others.

The academic literature on the business-politics nexus (known as rent-seeking) has been examined closely from various angles by numerous academicians. These researches suggest mixed outcomes.

Nevertheless, the research recognises that the business circle exerts strong influence over the political players as do the political players over business, often times resulting in sub-optimal use of national resource such as diverting scarce resources away from productive use (to the awarding of white elephant projects, poor quality works, constant costs over-run and when the corporation selected fails to deliver, the government is expected to bail out these companies using public funds).

The lack of stringent laws and regulations - and the enforcement thereof - has led to the present predicament in which political parties are ultimately subjected to the demands of powerful corporate interests.

But it is nevertheless a symbiotic relationship. This has become a norm in Malaysian politics.

The solution seems clear - ensure there is only well-governed arms-length relationship between business and politics. But is this really possible as the historical roots runs deep originating from Malaya's post-colonial transition and BN's economic nationalism?

Post-colonial politics and business

As Malaya was in its final years of colonial rule under the British, political alliances were taking shape between the Malays and the Chinese. The Chinese towkay (community and business leaders) entered politics through their party MCA's alliance with Umno in the 1950s.

Both parties co-operated during the Kuala Lumpur elections of February 1952 because the "Selangor branch of Umno lacked sufficient funds to fight the election".

Consequently, the MCA bore the bulk of the election expenses for the MCA-Umno coalition up to the federal elections of 1955. MCA funds also helped to secure the Alliance's electoral victory in the first elections for a fully-elected assembly in August 1959.

Chinese tycoons of the day therefore financed Umno in its earliest beginnings, and a reciprocal relationship was hence born.

The Chinese leaders would benefit from such a relationship by being appointed to key positions from where economic policy could be made: HS Lee as the first finance minister, and Tan Siew Sin (left) as the commerce and industry minister, in particular.

Quite apart from these governmental positions, members of the business elite would also receive commercial favours for their loyalty to the Alliance. Lee received a banking licence to establish the Development & Commercial Bank in 1966 and Tan became the chairman of plantation giant Sime Darby in 1977.

They were adept and capable businessmen, and earned their positions based on their performance - so it is difficult to say this was a direct result of their political relationships.

However, this blurring of boundaries between politics and business would set the stage for political parties to continue to receive funding from not just Chinese tycoons, but all tycoons regardless of race.

Hence, even private sector players who were not part of the political infrastructure would require close connections with government figures to develop their businesses. Robert Kuok and Nik Kamil - the latter of whose success inspired young Malay entrepreneurs to embrace the ‘jadi ahli politik untuk buat duit' (become politician to make money) motto - are such examples.

The crony capitalism trend persisted also in Sabah and Sarawak, where similarly Chinese big businesses were more than willing to work with Malay-Muslim political power for economic and social gain.

Khoo Siak Chiew, a leading logging baron, who helmed the Sabah Chinese Association (SCA) and eventually became a minister following Sabah's incorporation into Malaysia, is an example.

Things have not quite changed since the 1960s. What has changed is that where in the past, contracts, tenders or appointments were made based on ability and expertise, with political connection being the added advantage, today it is mostly about political connection and ethnicity.

Government makes decisions not because they are the most competitive or capable but for other reasons. As such, political acumen has been an essential skill for individuals to possess, without necessarily having equal entrepreneurial or technical expertise.

It is unsurprising that the historical post-colonial Malaya, and the way in which political parties began, formed the very foundation of the current-day Umno's modus operandi, and that of its coalition partners.

By being members of political parties in government, one increases the chances of one's networking pool, especially to decision-makers within government.

Tomorrow: Part 2 - Money politics in event of a regime change

The civil suit against French naval defence giant DCNS filed by human rights group Suaram for allegedly paying kickbacks to top Malaysian officials is gaining momentum.

On Thursday, Suaram' lawyers in France, informed the NGO that they had obtained access to court papers related to the case involving the RM77.3 billion purchase of two scorpene submarines.

Suaram director Cynthia Gabriel (left) said that the lawyers would be able to study the documents and advice the NGO accordingly on the course of action to adopt.

"However, we cannot display the documents. We can access it, study it and make references to it, but we cannot publicise it according to French law," she told Malaysiakini.

"This is indeed a big challenge for us but we are pleased that the case is taking form and moving in the right direction and momentum," she added.

Two already judges appointed
Gabriel was referring to Suaram's two-year wait for the case to finally open in court, after the latter filed it in 2009.

Two weeks ago, Suaram had announced that two judges had been appointed to oversee the case in France - Roger Le Loire and Serge Tournaire - which meant that the case would finally be scheduled for open court hearing.

The court documents include further details of the commissions paid out, travel invoices and other payments made in the course of the procurement process of the subs.

Mongolian national Altantuya Shaariibuu (right) gruesome murder in 2006, although not directly tied to the complaint filed, is said to be intricately linked with the alleged payments and kickbacks made.

The two subs were purchased by the Malaysian government when Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak was defence minister, the latter has denied any involvement in the scandal.

Perimekar, an obscure company linked to Najib's close ally - Abdul Razak Baginda - was paid 114 million euros, or RM570 million, for acting as a go-between in the controversial deal.

Abdul Razak and two of Najib's bodyguards were charged with murdering the Mongolian; he was acquitted without his defence being called.

Bodyguards' appeal in August
The other two were found guilty and sentenced to death but are appealing their conviction which will be heard in court in August.

The government has justified that the huge payment made to Perimekar was for its "coordination and support" services.

Defence minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi (left) has agreed to testify in court should he be called to do so.

Meanwhile, Gabriel said one of Suaram's lawyers in France - William Bourdon or Joseph Brehem - may make a trip to Malaysia to explain in further detail the development of the case.

"We need to discuss what kind of information can be released and what should be kept until later," she added.

"However, we need to study the situation first. If they can't make it here, we (Suaram) will meet them at another location to be decided later," she stressed.

Bourdon was deported from the Kuala Lumpur International Airport last year, after attending a fund-raising dinner in Penang.

Walk the talk, PM, says interfaith group

By Shannon Teoh

Mar 31, 2012

 

KUALA LUMPUR, March 31 — The Malaysian Consultative Council of Buddhism, Christianity,

 

Hinduism, Sikhism and Taoism (MCCBCHST) has called on Datuk Seri Najib Razak to practice what he preaches after Johor education and religious authorities decided to carry on with today’s seminar for religious schoolteachers on “the threat of Christianisation.”

The interfaith group said in a statement that the prime minister’s 1Malaysia concept for unity and moderation is in “disarray” following news that the Barisan Nasional (BN) administration in Johor will only drop the reference to Christianity in the seminar’s theme but not change its content.

“We implore you to walk your talk. Be the leader of a responsible government that practises what it preaches. Your concept of 1 Malaysia and your call for moderation is all in disarray,” the council said.

News of the seminar’s theme earlier this week drew swift condemnation from non-Muslims, who expressed shock and dismay over the characterisation of Christians in the title.

But Muslim NGOs insisted that the government was duty-bound to address the “threat of Christianisation,” which they repeatedly profess to be real despite the absence of firm evidence.

In response, Johor dropped specific mention of the “Christian threat” from the seminar originally themed “Pemantapan Aqidah, Bahaya Liberalisme dan Pluralism Serta Ancaman Kristianisasi Terhadap Umat Islam. Apa Peranan Guru?” (Strengthening the Faith, the Dangers of Liberalism and Pluralism and the Threat of Christianity towards Muslims. What is the Role of Teachers?).

“The seminar aims to strengthen the faith of Muslims and it does not need to be politicised by any party that claims it (seminar) is a threat to other religions,” Datuk Maulizan Bujang, the state executive councillor for education, was quoted by Bernama Online.

But Johor Mufti Department officials have said that while the title of the seminar, which requires attendance of about 300 teachers, will be changed, the contents and structure will remain unaltered.

“The seminar is part of the right of Muslims to defend the faith of its practitioners from any action which may lead to apostasy. It is our responsibility,” Bernama Online cited an unnamed official as saying.

MCCBCHST added that the seminar has put efforts to increase unity “meaningless.”

“We are shocked that the only voice of the government heard on this matter is that of the minister responsible for Islamic affairs, who is condoning the seminar.

“The irony of the matter is that the same minister serves as one of the advisers to the cabinet committee on the promotion of understanding and harmony among the religions.

Christians form 9.2 per cent of Malaysia’s 28.3 million-strong population.

In recent years, the Christian and Muslim religious communities have been engaged in a tug-of-war over the word “Allah”, with the latter group arguing that its use should be exclusive to them on the grounds that Islam is monotheistic and the word “Allah” denotes the Muslim god.

Christians, however, have argued that “Allah” is an Arabic word that has been used by those of other religious beliefs, including the Jews, in reference to God in many other parts of the world, notably in Arab nations and Indonesia.

Conservative Muslim groups have also accused Christians of attempting to convert Malays, resulting in heightened tension between followers of the two religions.

Ex-minister Daim tak diam

By Josh Hong

Former finance minister Daim Zainuddin recently expressed his displeasure that the finance portfolio is in the hands of Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak.

He is right, and no one should know better than Daim. It would not be exaggerating to call him an economic czar who for seven years was the finance minister during the Mahathir administration.

He also oversaw a crucial period during which the frenzy of privatization produced a country in which the rich and the selective few were becoming unashamedly privileged at the expense of the masses.

When Dr Mahathir Mohamad (left) became prime minister in 1981, Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah had been guarding the national coffers for five years.
He would continue in the role until Mahathir deemed it necessary to remove him in 1984 and thwart an imminent leadership challenge.

Having a potential rival with his own fiefdom was already nightmarish enough. Razaleigh was not only an aristocrat well respected by a large segment of Malay society, he also commanded a huge following within Umno.

Worse, his control of the finance ministry could pose serious hindrance to Mahathir who had by then been showing signs of concentrating executive powers in the prime minister’s department.

Hailing from Kedah - Mahathir’s home state - and a high-fyling lawyer with extensive business networks, Daim was best suited to fill the void left by Razaleigh.

More critically for Mahathir, Daim shared the same vision of expanding the so-called economic pie while at the same time enriching himself further, minus political ambitions.

Serving as Umno’s treasurer at the same time, Daim was among the least likely to be involved in any plot to topple Mahathir, unlike Razaleigh.

Indeed, when Team B led by Razaleigh (right) and Musa Hitam mounted the most decisive leadership challenge against Mahathir in April 1987, Daim duly repaid Mahathir by backing his patron.

In the following years, Daim was not only (in)famous for leading Malaysia through a severest recession onto rapid recovery, his business empire also grew by leaps and bounds.

Mahathir often remarks caustically that he appears to be in the habit of choosing a wrong person. He may be right.
But he could not have found a better finance minister in Daim, who was so interested in making money but uninterested in creating a powerbase within Umno.

He would take care of the money while Mahathir would do all the politicking.

Love of wealth is contagious

Daim’s love of money is legendary, and he makes no secret of it. In 'Daim yang Diam: Sebuah Bigrafi', he shows no qualms about boasting that he could make millions on a lucky day just by sitting in the chair, and he loved to make money.

In fact, it was Daim who turned the Economic Planning Unit into a full-power agency in implementing the privatization policy.

Tenders for government projects became things of the past, while contracts were awarded in opacity, to the benefit of both Daim and Mahathir, and many other Umno-putras - Halim Saad, Tajudin Ramli, Wan Azmi, etc - but also trusted non-bumi tycoons such as Vincent Tan, the late Lim Goh Tong and Ananda Krishnan.

Lucrative deals also kept Samy Vellu and Ling Liong Sik so happy that they failed thoroughly to look after the very constituencies that they were supposed to take care of.

One must not be fooled by the latest list of the richest in Malaysia. Daim’s stealth wealth - spread across the world - can easily top that of many.

Can one think of any respectable country whose finance minister left the job a billionaire? I can only think of Daim.
On Anwar Ibrahim’s (left) watch, Malaysia became known as one of the Asian Tigers that could soon join the developed world.
Anwar was even lauded as the best finance minister by Euromoney, to the chagrin of Mahathir of course.

The man who once led tens of thousands of Malay youths to take to the streets to protest against rural poverty back in the 1970s was now a changed man, who impressed his audiences around the world with rhetoric of moderation, economic liberalisation and civilisational dialogue, again to the barely concealed dismay of his boss back home.

There is no secret that Mahathir missed Daim’s economic ‘acumen’ and ‘loyalty’ so immensely that he eventually brought him back as economic adviser to check against Anwar following the financial crisis of 1997-98.

But there is one thing that differentiates Daim and Anwar. Although both are arguably equally well-versed in economic issues, the former en-massed great wealth during his tenure, while the latter remained a relatively humble minister by Malaysian standards.

Mahathir would not have been compelled to resort to gutter politics and dirty tricks to keep Anwar behind bars had his deputy been allowed himself to be corrupted.

Mahathir must have searched high and low for even an iota of evidence to implicate Anwar as a corrupt minister, but found it wanting.

As far as Mahathir is concerned, it cannot be more miserably frustrating whenever he fails to cast aspersions on his enemies with charges of corruption. Mahathir is utterly helpless when confronted with men and women of integrity.

Political fortunes on the rise

Little wonder that he remains bitter about Anwar to this very day. I may not fully agree with all the policies that Anwar introduced when his political fortunes were on the rise, but he must be given the credit where it is due.

The financial crisis however exposed to Mahathir the cruel reality that under a proper Westminister parliamentary system, the prime minister’s powers can easily be curtailed by the treasurer.

Anwar sealed his own fate when he refused to bail out Mahathir’s cronies and sons. After sacking Anwar, Mahathir assumed the functions of home affairs and finance.

Although he later relinquished the home affairs portfolio to Abdullah Badawi (right), he continued to serve simultaneously as finance minister until ‘retirement’.

Mahathir was unique in Malaysian politics as a ‘conviction politician’, although his conviction later turned out to be extremely costly and damaging for the country as a whole.

Paradoxically, he was not particularly fond in creating new structures and mechanisms, but proved rather adept at demolishing the existing ones, undermining checks and balances as exercised by a powerful finance minister being a case in point.

And this negative precedent set by Mahathir is adhered to by both Abdullah and Najib for a very simple reason that the largesse to be dished out to party faithful in order to stay in power has grown too large to be left to someone else, especially after the deeply divisive split over the Anwar incident.

Already shaky, Najib would be in a much more vulnerable position had he appointed, let’s say, Muhyddin Yassin as finance minister. It would be disastrous for him personally, but also catastrophic nationally.

In hindsight, it is of paramount importance that a new government restore the tradition of checks and balances by decoupling the functions of the prime minister’s department and the treasury.

Daim is, like anyone else, entitled to his freedom of speech. But a typical Umno elite who has been living off the backs of the people, I am afraid he is shorn of the moral authority to talk on the issue.

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JOSH HONG studied politics at London Metropolitan University and the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London. A keen watcher of domestic and international politics, he longs for a day when Malaysians will learn and master the art of self-mockery, and enjoy life to the full in spite of politicians.

Dropping 'Christian threat' not enough, says CFM

Christian Federation of Malaysia (CFM) today described the Johor Education Department's move in dropping 'Christianisation threat' from the title of a seminar for teachers as insufficient to make amends.

"We take umbrage at the clumsy attempt in wording the theme of the seminar as such.

"Even though there has now been an attempt to re-name the title of the seminar, the intent of the seminar has been clearly exposed for all to see," CFM chairperson bishop Ng Moon Hing (right) said in a press statement today.
The event, organised by the Johor Education Department in co-operation with the Johor Mufti Office, was initially entitled 'Strengthening the Faith, the Dangers of Liberalism and Pluralism and the Threat of Christianisation towards Muslims: What is the Role of Teachers?'.

Despite the words 'Christianisation threat' being dropped as a result of an uproar from Christian groups, Ng said this was insufficient because no change was made to the contents of the programme.

This development, Ng said, was contrary to the Global Movement of Moderates advocated by Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak and Deputy Prime Minister and Education Minister Muhyiddin Yassin's role in launching the World Inter-faith week last month.

'Going against gov't, sowing hatred'

"Yet just over a month later, in the education minister's home state, tax-payers money is being used to pay for, and civil servants are being asked to attend, a seminar that seeks to sow disunity and discord among school-teachers and, through their influence, amongst our school-going children."

Government departments must not be seen to be working and should not be allowed to work at cross-purposes to the government's aims by instilling hatred and ill-will between religious communities, said Ng.

"Such contradictory objectives will only serve to divide the nation rather than unite it," he added.

Ng urged the government to take immediate action on state elements working against the government that attempts to paint Christians as enemies of Muslims.

"We call on all Malaysians to join us in prayer and action to embrace moderation and reject the extremism exhibited by the organisers of the seminar and all those who defend it," he said.

Students to take to the streets against PTPTN

The student group Solidariti Mahasiswa Malaysia (SMM) will hold a rally on April 14 to demand the immediate abolition of the National Higher Education Fund Corporation (PTPTN) loans, a scheme that is said to be a burden to university undergraduates.

Speaking at a press conference in Kuala Lumpur today, SMM chairperson Mohd Safwan Anang said they target to attract 5,000 students and youths to attend the rally, to be held at Dataran Merdeka in the heart of Kuala Lumpur.

“We want the government to abolish PTPTN immediately, failing which the students will vote en masse for somebody else who can do it,” he said.
Mohd Safwan was upset with the recent statement of Higher Education Minister Khaled Nordin, who said such abolition is not viable as it burdens the government and curtails students’ competitiveness.

“Our country’s tax revenues were RM169 billion last year. Under this year’s Budget, RM50.1 billion was allocated for the education sector, but only RM12.1 billion was designated for public universities.

“On the other hand, we see the total amount of loans approved by PTPTN was only RM6.1 billion, so in what sense can the government say they can’t afford to scrap it?” he said.

Malaysia Reformist Student Club (Karisma) secretary-general Mohd Hafizuddin Abdul Mukti noted that Sri Lanka and Mauritius have adopted a free education policy, alongside European countries such as Norway, Sweden and Scotland.

“Malaysia, as a country with rich natural resources such as petroleum and timber, has no excuse in not granting free education. 

“Furthermore, Mauritius has started providing free transportation to its university students since 2005,” he said.
'An indebted generation'

The group argued that the PTPTN scheme produces an indebted generation where students are compelled to bear the heavy loan repayments of up to RM50,000 or more upon their graduation.

It is not helped by the fact that a fresh graduate only gets a salary of RM2,000 a month, which they claimed is insufficient for the scheme’s installments, expenditures for himself or herself and contributions to parents.

“Education should be the responsibility of government, not a tool for capitalists to make money,” Mohd Safwan said.

The group also called on the government to remove the names of some 132,000 people who were blacklisted by PTPTN so that the individual’s freedom of movement would not be curtailed.

The rally is supported by the Malaysia Free Education Movement, Malaysian Islamic Students National Association and Parti Sosialis Malaysia.

Pua: Will NFC's RM250mil loan be recovered?

The federal government has been urged to recover its RM250 million soft loan from the National Feedlot Corporation (NFC) now that a new implementor of the national feedlot project is being sought.

DAP publicity chief Tony Pua said that should the government fail to do so, it would send the message that it is condoning cronyism and patronage.

The NFC is ran by the family of outgoing Women, Family and Community Development Minister Shahrizat Abdul Jalil, who is under fire for the many scandals related to the company.

Documents have surfaced to show that NFC had used the soft loan in order to finance investments in properties and other areas that were not related to cattle-rearing.

NFC's boss Mohamad Salleh Ismail, Shahrizat's husband, is now facing charges for criminal breach of trust and violating the Companies Act 1965 over NFC's operations.

Pua argued that should the RM250 million loan not be recovered, all the actions taken against Salleh and Shahrizat's exit from cabinet would come to naught.

“Should both prime minister and agriculture minister fail to take immediate and all necessary steps to such effect, all other pronouncements about making good the national feedlot project will be a public relations, damage-control exercise and mere political rhetoric.

“In fact, their reluctance and failure to come down hard on parties who outrageously abuse public funds proves their bias and support for Shahrizat, at the expense of taxpayers,” he stressed.

Has the contract been terminated?

Meanwhile, Pua also questioned if the federal government had terminated its contract with NFC, in view that it will be calling for a tender to seek a company that will take over the feedlot project.
Pua said the existing implementation agreement was signed on March 8, 2010.

Another issue which the government must account for is whether this agreement was signed despite an order from the Finance Ministry to halt the project in May 2009 until a cost-benefit analysis was carried out.

“Regardless, now that (Agriculture and Agro-based Industries Minister) Noh has announced the request for new bids, does it mean that a cost-benefit study has been indeed carried out and the project’s viability has been approved by the Finance Ministry?” he asked.

In Parliament, MPs trade barbs over apostasy claims

KUALA LUMPUR, March 29 — The Dewan Rakyat descended into name-calling and insults today after lawmakers began arguing during a debate on the issue of Muslim apostasy.

Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Jamil Khir Baharom, when winding up debates on the royal address, had earlier told the House that the government was closely monitoring claims of apostasy in the country.

He said existing laws were sufficient to deal with the issue, saying additional enactments would be added if required.

Rising to interject, Zulkifli Noordin (IND - Kulim-Bandar Baharu) claimed of videos allegedly in the possession of former Selangor executive councillor Datuk Hasan Ali that purportedly show Christian priests converting Muslims out of Islam.

“So what is Jakim’s (Islamic Religious Department) stand on this, with this proof that Hasan has?
“Will Jakim call Hasan to present this proof and take proactive steps to prevent this from recurring?” the former PKR lawmaker asked.

This prompted Dr Siti Mariah Mahmud (PAS-Kota Raja) to say that issues of proselytisation were not new, and that these were being used by certain leaders to create friction among the different religions.
“Why do we need to frighten others about this threat by other religions? We do not have to politicise this,” she said, adding that there are sufficient laws in the country to deal with apostasy.

Zulkifli then stood to say, “The problem is, perhaps when the incident happened, Kota Raja was still wearing Pampers (diapers).”

His remark sparked anger from the floor and MPs from the opposition bench demanded the lawmaker retract his statement.

“How can you tolerate this kind of nonsense?” one lawmaker shouted to Deputy Speaker Datuk Ronald Kiandee, who was presiding at the time.

Those in support of Zulkifli began yelling in response, accusing the opposition bench of being traitors to their religion.

“You sold your God, even Allah you sold! Traitor!” some shouted.

Zuraida Kamaruddin (PKR-Ampang) then raised a point of order to demand the Deputy Speaker order Zulkifli to retract his remarks, which she labelled as “disrespectful”.

Refusing to sit despite repeated orders from Kiandee, Zulkifli also attempted to raise a point of order, accusing Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad (PAS-Kuala Selangor) of calling him a “devil” and “satan”.

“I would like to raise a point of order as well. I want Kuala Selangor to state in the open what he said... using the words devil and satan. Retract it. Not brave enough?” he charged.

Attempting to defuse the situation, Kiandee then ordered Zulkifli to retract his initial remarks and for Dzulkefly to explain his.

Zulkifli relented and Dzulkefly reasoned that he had merely asked the former not to behave like a “devil” or “satan”.

“There are no devils or satan here,” Kiandee said.

MACC accuses AG's Chambers of refusing to charge cases

The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission investigates all allegations of corruption made to it, but it is the Attorney-General's Chambers that refuses to file in court some of the cases the MACC deems valid.

"Come, show me which case has not been investigated by MACC. There is not even one case that we did not investigate," its deputy commissioner (operations) Mohd Shukri Abdull (left) told a forum in Shah Alam today.

"The problem is, many people want the cases to be charged in court, but if you ask me on this issue, you are asking the wrong person.

"To us, there are valid cases (to be charged in court), but to the deputy public prosecutor, there is no case to answer, so what can we do?" Shukri told the participants, who responded with loud cries of lawan (fight).

Giving the audience a dry smile, Shukri replied: "How to fight? MACC has no (prosecution) power."

The articulate senior officer who has 27 years of combatting graft behind him, was trying his best to convince the excited audience that MACC was free from political interference and doing its best to haul up corrupt politicians to face the music.

The cheers and applause from the floor suggested that his explanation was well received by the hundreds at the forum titled "Political Bribery: Reality or Perception", organised by Malay daily Sinar Harian.

"If my officers and I were to act according to our hearts, we would arrest all! But we can't, because the charges must be based on evidence, not sentiment," Shukri said, attracting another round of applause from the floor.
The other three speakers at the forum were PKR strategy director Rafizi Ramli (right), BN’s Kota Belud MP Abdul Rahman Dahlan and political analyst Chandra Muzaffar.
The forum's moderator was International Islamic University of Malaysia lecturer Maslee Malik.

Responding to Shukri’s ‘complaint’ Rafizi quickly came to his defence.

“MACC has no prosecution power.
"If you want to blame, don’t blame Shukri but blame Abdul Rahman because he is the member of special parliamentary committee on anti-corruption,” said Rafizi.
And Shukri who was sitting beside him immediately extended his hand and shook with Rafizi, sending the audience into fits of guffaws.

Rafizi then took potshots at Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak’s earlier promise that MACC will be given more power should BN retain two-thirds parliamentary majority in the next general election.

“If I were the prime minister, no need to amend the constitution just replace the attorney-general with someone who can work with the MACC,” he suggested.

Abdul Rahman (right) then criticised Rafizi for not respecting the principle of separation of powers, pointing out that should the MACC be given both the power to investigate and prosecute, it would create another problem.

Rafizi quickly corrected Abdul Rahman that he was suggesting to change the AG, not to give MACC prosecution power, but Abdul Rahman claimed that it was the stance of Pakatan Rakyat representative in the parliamentary committee.

Earlier, Shukri also stressed that his officers in the commission, though having different political inclinations are very professional when it comes to carrying out their duties.

“I have to be very transparent here. My dad and mum are green colour, but people don’t know what colour I am, even my parents don’t know, that is my right.

“When it comes to investigation, I’m professional, I’m colour-blind,” he added.

Interfaith group wants heads to roll over ‘inflammatory’ seminar

By Shazwan Mustafa Kamal

March 29, 2012

KUALA LUMPUR, March 29 — The government must explain why it is allowing a “highly inflammatory” seminar on the “threat of Christianisation” to be held this weekend, the Malaysian Consultative Council of Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Sikhism and Taoism (MCCBCHST) has said.

Religious teachers from national schools in Johor will attend an officially-sanctioned seminar this Saturday focusing on the “threat of Christianisation”. The seminar has sparked outrage among Christians.

The seminar, organised by the Johor Education Department and the Johor Mufti Department, is themed “Pemantapan Aqidah, Bahaya Liberalisme dan Pluralism Serta Ancaman Kristianisasi Terhadap Umat Islam. Apa Peranan Guru?” (Strengthening the Faith, the Dangers of Liberalism and Pluralism and the Threat of Christianity towards Muslims. What is the Role of Teachers?).

Two religious teachers from each of the 55 national schools across Johor are required to attend.
“How can the government agree to something which will affect different sensitivities?



















“Is this the policy of the Education Ministry? Who has sanctioned this? Highly inflammatory, uncalled for, someone must be held responsible,” MCCBCHST honorary deputy treasurer-general Reverend Dr Hermen Shastri (picture) told The Malaysian Insider.

He said the council will hold a meeting tomorrow to discuss the matter, and will come up with a more thorough response then.

“On behalf of the Council of Churches of Malaysia (CCM) as well, we are extremely disappointed with the government for allowing this to happen,” said Shastri, who is also CCM secretary-general.

“What if we said Islam was a threat towards Malaysians, we can also ask... what happens then?” said the reverend.

A copy of a letter about the seminar from the Johor Education Department to national schools appears on its website.

Hasimah Abdul Hamid, supervisor for the Islamic Education Unit of the Johor Baru Education Office, declined to comment on the programme’s stance towards the apparent threat of Christianity against Muslims.
“The purpose of this programme is of course to strengthen the faith of Muslims,” she told The Malaysian Insider.

“But I can’t say anything about the title, because it was provided by the organisers.”

But the Malaysian Ulama Association (PUM) said yesterday the Johor government should not be apologetic for organising a seminar on the “threat of Christianisation” as it is an “Islamic” administration and has a duty to do so.

“We need to have these kind of seminars,” PUM president Datuk Sheikh Abdul Halim Abdul Kadir told The Malaysian Insider.

“I do not accept the excuse that Christians will be upset or hurt because of this seminar... the problem of Christianisation has been around for a long while, it is real.

“Therefore, any authority or government which is Islamic has a right to do this. You need to educate teachers, especially the young ones who are unaware of this problem.”

Christians form 9.2 per cent of Malaysia’s 28.3 million population.

In recent years, the Christian and Muslim religious communities have been engaged in a tug of war over the word “Allah”, with Muslims arguing that its use should be exclusive to them on the grounds that Islam is monotheistic and the word “Allah” denotes the Muslim God.

Christians have argued that “Allah” is an Arabic word that has been used by those of other religious beliefs, including the Jews, in reference to God in many other parts of the world, notably in Arab nations and Indonesia.

A number of conservative Muslim groups have also accused Christians of attempting to convert Malays, resulting in heightened tension between followers of the two religions.

'Probe PM's son for share price manipulation'

The Securities Commission (SC) has been urged to investigate Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak’s second son Nazifuddin for share price manipulation.

In a statement today, DAP publicity secretary Tony Pua (left) said Nazifuddin’s recent involvement in two companies whose share prices greatly fluctuated is highly suspicious.

In the first case, Harvest Court Industries Bhd’s share prices shot up by 2,575 percent after Nazifuddin joined its board of directors late last year, only to crash after he quit a month later.

The latest case involves ACE market listed company Supercomnet Technologies Bhd, which saw share prices rise 362 percent after the company announced that Nazifuddin was given an option to acquire 18.66 percent of its shares.

Supercomnet’s share prices collapsed two days later after the company announced that Nazifuddin had rejected the share offer.

Pua, who sold a successful Singapore listed-company in 2007 before turning to politics, said the rise and fall of Supercomnet’s share price smacks of massive manipulation.

“(It is) outright negligence on the part of both the existing shareholders and Nazifuddin (right) in ensuring material information is made available to investors on a timely basis.

“Nazifuddin’s downright bizarre U-turn on the acceptance of the ‘option to purchase’ 18.66 percent of the company, only to reject it within 48 hours is clearly suspicious and must be immediately investigated,” he said.

Pua argued that the SC must now probe Nazifuddin and other parties without fear or favour over these two incidents because the Malaysian stock market has been brought to disrepute.

“The question must be asked as to who made tonnes of money from the entire exercise - by buying up the shares before the option agreement was announced on Monday evening and subsequently selling the shares before the rejection of the offer was announced on Tuesday morning,” said Pua.

PEMBELA says ‘Christian threat’ seminar a ‘guaranteed’ Muslim right

KUALA LUMPUR, March 29 — Non-Muslims should not question a planned seminar on “the threat of Christianisation” to Islam as the Federal Constitution empowered Muslims to organise such events, a conservative pressure group asserted today.

The Muslim Organisations in Defence of Islam (PEMBELA) defended the event jointly organised by the Johor state education and mufti departments, saying that opposition towards the event meant questioning guaranteed Muslim rights.
“There is a trend to question the efforts to strengthen the faith of Muslims, and this is ignorance towards the special rights of Muslims enshrined in the Federal Constitution.

“Efforts like this seminar are guaranteed rights under Article 11(4) of the constitution... the powers under this [Article] puts Islam at its proper place, as the religion of this country,” PEMBELA secretary-general Abdul Karim Omar told reporters.

“This is a position that cannot be questioned by anyone,” he said.

Article 11(4) of the Federal Constitution simply states that “state law and... federal law may control or restrict the propagation of any religious doctrine or belief among persons professing the religion of Islam.”
Abdul Karim stressed that as the seminar was only meant for Muslim teachers and did not involve non-Muslims, “there was no need to get upset” over the matter.

“[Participation at] the seminar is by special invitation... it focuses on intra-religious matters of Muslims, it’s about challenges faced by Muslims,” he said.

Abdul Karim said there was no need for the Malaysian Consultative Council of Buddhism, Hinduism, Sikhism and Taoism (MCCBCHST) to get involved in the matter, reiterating that the seminar was “exclusively” for Muslims.

“PEMBELA wants the irresponsible remarks made by several parties withdrawn immediately, and for the Johor state education department and the mufti state department to receive due respect for their noble efforts in upholding the faith of Muslims,” added Abdul Karim.

The seminar themed “Pemantapan Aqidah, Bahaya Liberalisme dan Pluralism Serta Ancaman Kristianisasi Terhadap Umat Islam. Apa Peranan Guru?” (Strengthening the Faith, the Dangers of Liberalism and Pluralism and the Threat of Christianity towards Muslims. What is the Role of Teachers?), requires the attendance of two religious teachers from each of the 55 national schools across Johor.

The Johor Mufti and Education departments have come under fire for endorsing the unproven claim that Christians are threatening the Islamic faith.

De facto Islamic affairs minister Datuk Seri Jamil Khir Baharom has defended the controversial seminar, saying that it was needed to safeguard the interests of Muslims.

The Johor Mufti Department has said its seminar on Saturday is to ensure young Muslims are not influenced by “the threat of Christianisation.”

The officer in charge of the seminar told The Malaysian Insider yesterday the department was jointly organising the event with the state education authorities because they “fear young Muslims will be confused and not understand” when faced with attempts to convert them.

“Even if there is no threat, we must be careful so that the faith of Muslims will not be influenced,” the official, who declined to be named, said when asked if he had proof of proselytising by Christians.

Chrisanne Chin, Council of Churches of Malaysia (CCM) Youth Moderator, expressed shocked and in disbelief over the seminar, saying yesterday “why is there a perceived threat? Do they have to create this sense of fear?”

Chin, who is also an executive council member of CCM, stressed that while she was not against religious teacher training programmes, one such as this would put pressure on the teachers to spread religious tension and fear among unsuspecting pupils.

The Cabinet’s interfaith panel head Datuk Azman Amin Hassan said the “provocatively-titled” seminar flies in the face of the government’s school-level interfaith harmony week launched last month by Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.

He added that while “it is fine to improve your faith”, such seminars “will cause the [non-Muslim] community to feel uncomfortable.”

Azman also said in a text message that he has informed the federal government’s “education director-general for immediate action.”

Pakatan Rakyat (PR)’s de facto leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim yesterday labelled the seminar as “a disgusting political manoeuvre to use religion to frighten the people”.

But the Malaysian Ulama Association (PUM) and Malay rights organisation Perkasa supported the seminar as necessary, insisting that the threat of proselytism is real.

The Johor Mufti Department officer also said that as part of their responsibilities to Muslims, similar seminars have been held to “educate (Muslim) youths and rural folks so there would be no misconception when these issues arise.”

Christians form 9.2 per cent of Malaysia’s 28.3 million-strong population.

In recent years, the Christian and Muslim religious communities have been engaged in a tug-of-war over the word “Allah”, with the latter group arguing that its use should be exclusive to them on the grounds that Islam is monotheistic and the word “Allah” denotes the Muslim God.

Christians, however, have argued that “Allah” is an Arabic word that has been used by those of other religious beliefs, including the Jews, in reference to God in many other parts of the world, notably in Arab nations and Indonesia.

Conservative Muslim groups have also accused Christians of attempting to convert Malays, resulting in heightened tension between followers of the two religions.

Education Dept surveying voter status of teachers

The Selangor Education Department has sent out an internal memo asking for a report on the "voter registration status of teachers", says DAP Serdang MP Teo Nie Ching.

At a press conference in the Parliament lobby today, Teo displayed the memo signed by the department's academic management section head Hasnul Hadi Abdullah Sani and addressed to all deputy district education officers.

A form requiring the officers to list the number of teachers in each school and the total number registered as voters as well as their parliamentary and state constituencies was attached together with the memo dated March 22.

"According to a teacher, this is the first time such a survey is being conducted," said Teo.

Upon completion of the exercise, the officers in charge are required to send the forms to the Education Department's Technical and Vocational Unit, she said.

"This makes some teachers feel intimidated. We are concerned that the government is trying to convey the message to the teachers that they are being watched," Teo said.
She urged the Education Ministry to explain the rationale of having to collect the data from teachers.

“This is because it has nothing to do with education, or their teaching skills or whether they are good teachers,” Teo added.

Teachers seminar theme stirs paranoia, decries Bishop Paul Tan

Catholic Bishop Dr Paul Tan Chee Ing expressed fears that an education seminar in Johor on the threat of Christianisation of Muslims would stir paranoia and resentment towards Christians.

Themed ‘Strengthening the Faith, the Dangers of Liberalism and Pluralism and the Threat of Christianity towards Muslims. What is the role of Teachers?’ the seminar this weekend for religious teachers from 55 national schools in the state has provoked concerns for and against it.

Some Muslim bodies hold that there is nothing amiss with the theme while Christian and interfaith groups have aired their misgivings.

The head of the Catholic Church in the Melaka-Johor diocese, Bishop Paul Tan, weighed in on the side of the detractors.

“The way the theme of the seminar is phrased, it would take a lecturer of the most delicate detachment to avoid stirring paranoia and resentment towards Christians,” offered the prelate.

“Given that religious demagogues have sprouted here and there speaking without tendering proof that Christianisation of Muslims has occurred, is it advisable to load a seminar theme the way it’s done in this case?” asked the  bishop.      

“When you allow religious hustlers to go around making claims without substantive proof that Christianisation of Muslims has occurred, I suppose you will wind up with a situation where the gulf between the imagined and the actual is so wide that it is not possible to be objective anymore.”

Authorities sit on their hands

Bishop Paul Tan said he was stupefied at the neutrality of the powers-that-be before “religious demagogues who go around saying things and making inflammatory claims that are simply not true.”

“What are we to make of this neutrality that allows people to stir paranoia and create fear with impunity?” he asked.

Bishop Paul Tan pleaded that the time has come for moderates of every religion in the country to speak up against the purveyors of paranoia and resentment.

“When religious demagogues are let loose, religious moderates must hold together to thwart them,” said the prelate.

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Anwar: Christian threat is Umno propaganda

Pakatan Rakyat condemned the latest move to instil fear of the threat of Christianisation in the country, blaming it as tactic by Umno to “frighten” the Muslim Malay majority.

“I want to state, the all mighty in Malaysia is Umno - Umno is in charge of religion, Umno is in charge of the finances - so if the allegations (of attempt to spread Christianity) is true, that means it is Umno that failed to strengthened the faith of the Muslims,” said opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim.

“What I can confirm is that this is nothing other than a disgusting political manoeuvre to use religion to frighten the people,” Anwar (left) said.

Speaking at a press conference at Parliament today, Anwar pointed out that if a movement exists to threaten the faith of the Muslims, then there are adequate legal measures that can be taken for transgressing the law.

He was responding to a letter on a seminar organised by the Johor Education Department the coming Saturday titled ‘Pemantapan Aqidah, Bahaya Liberalisme dan Pluralism Serta Ancaman Kristianisasi Terhadap Umat Islam. Apa Peranan Guru?’

(Strengthening Faith, Dangers of Liberalism and Pluralism and the threat of Christianity towards Muslims. What is the Role of Teachers?).

The letter addressed to primary and secondary schools heads in the Johor Baru district, required two religious teachers from 55 schools in the district to attend the seminar.

Drawing similarities to past claims of proselytisation of Muslims, Anwar said that the relevant authorities have failed to furnish evidence.

Last year, the Selangor Islamic Department gatecrashed an event organised by Harapan Komuniti at the Damansara Utama Methodist Church’s (DUMC) Dream Centre based on a tip-off alleging proselytisation among attendees.

Jais found 12 Muslims among the crowd but the organiser had denied any allegations of trying to proselytise Muslims, stressing that it was a fundraising dinner for the HIV support group.

Prior to that a controversy broke after several DAP leaders were accused of hatching a plot with pastors to establish Christianity as the country’s official religion.

Not proper to ‘politicise religion’

PAS vice-president Husam Musa, who was also at the leadership council meeting, reminded the government that it is not proper to “politicise religion”.

"If we are truly concerned, we would provide more for missionary work, heighten awareness and correct faith. We would stop corruption and mismanagement,” said Anwar, adding that such seminars would only create tension between faiths.

"We will advise Muslims in the country to be wary on this issue. As Pakatan (and) as Muslims (we) will continue to adhere to Islamic principles (and) maintain excellent rapport and working relationship,” he said.

DAP’s parliamentary leader Lim Kit Siang  (right in photo) said the seminar is at odds with Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak’s call for "moderates of the world to unite against extremists".

"This is creating suspicion and distrust among the religions.

"The Christian leaders have called for proof because they made it clear about their sensitivities and the need to maintain religious harmony,” said Lim.

Such programmes will only “lead to greater racial polarisation”, he said, urging for quick measures to be taken to resolve the issue.

Deputy minister, education exco say unaware of ‘Christian threat’ seminar

KUALA LUMPUR, March 28 — Ruling lawmakers in charge of education at state and federal levels have said they are unaware of Saturday’s seminar in Johor to discuss the role of teachers in addressing the “threat of Christianisation”, but added they would look into the matter.

They told The Malaysian Insider today they would “check first before commenting further” when asked if the event organised by the Johor Mufti and Education Departments, which requires the attendance of two teachers from each of the 55 schools across the state, was approved by their administrations.

“I have no knowledge that officers in the education department are doing this. Maybe it is because there is additional allocation under the Johor Islamic Religious Council.

“I need to get more information but efforts to strengthen the faith is normal,” Johor executive councillor Datuk Mauzilan Bujang said.

Deputy Education Minister Datuk Wee Ka Siong also said he was not aware of the seminar themed “Pemantapan Aqidah, Bahaya Liberalisme dan Pluralism Serta Ancaman Kristianisasi Terhadap Umat Islam. Apa Peranan Guru?” (Strengthening the Faith, the Dangers of Liberalism and Pluralism and the Threat of Christianity towards Muslims. What is the Role of Teachers?).

“I do not know. I do not want to comment until I know the details,” the MP from Ayer Hitam, Johor, said when asked if such events were common.

The two state departments have come under fire for endorsing the claim that Christians are a threat to the Islamic faith.

The Council of Churches of Malaysia (CCM) told The Malaysian Insider yesterday it was “shocked and in disbelief” over “the fact... the state department is lending support to this thinking that there is a threat against Islam.”

The Cabinet’s Special Committee to Promote Inter-religious Understanding and Harmony also said it will act against the “provocative” seminar.

Pakatan Rakyat (PR) leaders also demanded the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) explain what they call “a disgusting political manoeuvre”.

But Muslim NGOs have defended the seminar, saying the government is “duty-bound” to act on Christian threats.

Christians form 9.2 per cent of Malaysia’s 28.3 million population.

In recent years, the Christian and Muslim religious communities have been engaged in a tug of war over the word “Allah”, with Muslims arguing that its use should be exclusive to them on the grounds that Islam is monotheistic and the word “Allah” denotes the Muslim God.

Christians have argued that “Allah” is an Arabic word that has been used by those of other religious beliefs, including the Jews, in reference to God in many other parts of the world, notably in Arab nations and Indonesia.

Conservative Muslim groups have also accused Christians of attempting to convert Malays, resulting in heightened tension between followers of the two religions.

Was Lee the assailant? Wee keeps 'em guessing

Deputy Education Minister Wee Ka Siong has refused to confirm or deny whether his purported assailant is Lee Siak Taa, a senior citizen who was photographed with his hand just centimetres away from Wee’s face.

Lee lodged a police report today to deny that he had tried to punch Wee. He claimed that he was merely showing Wee the thumbs-down.

Met at the Parliament lobby today, Wee was repeatedly asked if Lee was indeed the assailant he was referring to.

“Have I ever said it was this man?” Wee said three times. “Since the incident happened, have I ever said that this man tried to punch me?”

Wee had alleged that someone had attempted to punch him during the Chinese education rally on Sunday organised by Dong Zong.

Following this, pictures depicting Lee gesturing at Wee during the rally began circulating widely on the Internet.

Lee, a 65-year-old retired carpenter, today lodged a police report to deny that had he had tried to punch Wee and that he was giving him the thumbs-down.

‘I will tell all to cops’

Wee stressed that he he could remember the features of the alleged assailant but will only reveal more to the police.

He said that his bodyguard and others will be able to provide the police with a detailed account of what happened, which need not be reported.

“I don’t need the media to write every word about such things. There is no meaning in doing so. Let the police probe this professionally.

“Everything is still fresh in my memory. I will tell the police many more exciting things. The press can take a break... If I tell you everything, it could fill up two or three pages (of news reports).

“Can problems facing Chinese education be faced in this way?” he said.

‘I did not say I was punched’

Wee also stressed that he has never said that he was “punched”, but instead explained that someone had formed a fist and tried to punch him.

He said that although the punch had not landed, he did feel a touch on the cheek.

He claimed that it was the Chinese press which explicitly stated that he was “assaulted” and that the press had every right to interpret what he said.

Also, he repeated three times that he did not state that he was “assaulted” when he called a press conference after the rally.

“I remember the statement that I made. (I said) somebody tried to punch me but only touched my face,” said Wee.

Wee was repeatedly asked during the press conference whether he had claimed that he was being punched.

‘Was he wearing party colours?’

Quizzed about whether he had once said that the alleged assailant was wearing party colours, Wee refused to provide a direct answer.

“I will give all the details to the police on how I noticed this person... I know. I have not forgotten. I know where he is from.

“You will ask if the person was bearing a party logo. I know. So I will be very careful,” said Wee.

He said that he will explain to the police why he believed the person was involved with a political party.

Meanwhile, Wee said that he will not take up Lee’s challenge to partake in a ritual which involves sacrificing a cockerel.

“If you cut off a cockerel’s head, is there a scientific or religious reason to it? Your religion is not necessarily mine.

“Secondly, I’m the deputy education minister. Should I accept challenges from just anyone?” asked Wee.

'Assailant' dares Wee to sacrifice rooster

A senior citizen, who believes he is being accused of having tried to assault Deputy Education Minister Wee Ka Siong, has denied any violent conduct on his part during last Sunday's Chinese education rally.

Lee Siak Taa, 60, today lodged a police report on the matter, to explain that he was merely giving Wee the thumbs-down gesture and did not assault the minister.

The senior citizen is also challenging Wee to take part in a cockerel sacrificing ritual in order to prove that he is not lying.

Contacted today, Dong Zong deputy president Chow Siew Hong said Lee had met his organisation’s officials this morning to explain himself.

Dong Zong officials later accompanied Lee to a nearby police station to lodge a report. His statement was later recorded.

Met later, Lee admits to scolding and heckling Wee over his failures and sticking his arm out to give the minister a thumbs-down.

‘Did not raise fist’

However, Lee was adamant that he never raised a clenched fist, as claimed by Wee.

“After lodging the police report, Lee challenged Wee to slay a cockerel at the Sin Sze Si Ya Temple (near Central Market) together with him for Wee to swear and prove his innocence,” said Lee.

The sacrificing of a white cockerel by two parties in front of the deity’s altar is a tradition used to prove innocence. Devotees believe that harm will befall those who lie during this ritual.

Lee is a retiree who was brought to the rally by a friend, but ended up being photographed within close proximity to Wee when the deputy minister was wading through a hostile crowd.

Wee was photographed touching his left cheek after the close brush with Lee. The minister later claimed he was assaulted by someone who raised a clenched fist.

Despite police claiming that Wee was not assaulted, the deputy minister insists that he did feel a touch and could clearly identify the would-be assailant.

However, Wee said he would not lodge a police report because he forgives the attacker and would prefer to let the matter rest.

Villagers threaten to rise up against govt

Sabah villagers in Tempasuk fear they will be displaced to make way for an agropolitan project.

KOTA BELUD: Dusun villagers in Tempasuk near here threaten to rise up against the government to stop any attempts to evict them for a development project.
They remain apprehensive over what they see as a land-grab and their displacement for a purported agropolitan development project just a few months after a near showdown with the authorities.

Kampungs Bungaliu and Bubuk are the target areas for the project and recent visits by “official” groups complete with police escorts have stirred anxieties again.

The villagers have since erected fences around the lands they claim as theirs.

In a joint statement yesterday with Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) leader, Peter Marajin, village head Antonis Angkup warned the authorities not to underestimate the natives’ determination to prevent the takeover of their NCR land for the 3,000-acre project.

Angkup has already had one run-in with Tempasuk assemblyman, Musbah Jamli, a strong political ally of Chief Minister Musa Aman, who summoned him to his office after he heard of the protests by the villagers.
Survey works were held up for a while but appear to have resumed.

“We relented and removed the fences recently so that the government vehicles, including the police escorts, could enter the areas.

“This time the natives relented but they will not allow this to continue. We shall fight for our rights until the whole world knows that there is a government which bulldozes projects and displaces the natives,” they said in their joint statement here.

The villagers, mostly Dusun Tindals, do not want a confrontation with the government, but they will rise to fight any attempt to evict them to make way for the agropolitan development project, they said.

“How could they plan to take away our native customary rights (NCR) land already planted with rubber trees and then replant it with rubber trees?” Angkup asked.

‘Rubber is not food’

The villagers said their suspicions were aroused when outsiders again started coming to their kampungs, claiming they were from the Forestry Department.

According to the villagers, the groups carried certain gadgets and left behind plastic markers at various points in the areas.

“We don’t know what they were doing but we are aware that the government tends to ignore the natives when it comes to projects and NCR lands.

“Our message is simple: Listen to the people and their aspirations. Engage us as stakeholders of any public projects. Please don’t treat us as merely the receiving-end of just any of your development ideas.

“Some of these ill-conceived projects are a waste of public money and time and have brought misery to the people,” Angkup said.

Hundreds of villagers from the two affected kampungs are determined to stop any survey of the land planted with rubber trees and cash crops, including hill paddy.

According to their estimate, of the 3,000 acres identified for the agropolitan development project in Tempasuk, 800 acres are in nearby Rosok Kanibungan, while the remaining 2,200 acres would be carved out from the Bungaliu and Bubuk NCR areas.

Angkup claimed that he has been warned by the district office not to object to the proposed federal government-funded project to make Kota Belud a major food producer.

“The villagers don’t quite know what is on the authority’s mind when they say ‘food producer’. They also heard the government plans to plant rubber trees there. Surely rubber trees are not a staple food,” Marajin added.

Tribunal on AG: Ball at PM’s foot — Kim Quek

March 28, 2012

 

How would the world see Malaysia’s rule of law when its Prime Minister steadfastly refuses to take action despite overwhelming evidence of alleged criminal collusion among the country’s top three law enforcers, namely, the Attorney General, immediate past Inspector General of Police and the Anti-Corruption Agency?
Since the former Commercial Crime Investigation Department (CCID) Director Ramli Yusuff launched the accusation of breach of law with comprehensive details against Attorney General Gani Patail and his cohorts former IGP Musa Hassan and the then ACA (now known as the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission or MACC) in Ramli’s birthday dinner speech on Feb 29, pressure has been relentlessly mounting with additional evidence and additional accusers for AG Gani to be submitted to a tribunal investigation. (Under Malaysia’s constitution, the AG can only be removed from office through a tribunal, just like a judge).

When Prime Minister Najib Razak was finally confronted with the issue of a tribunal to investigate AG Gani on Mar 24, he gave a curt answer “No”, saying that this is only a claim — an allegation which has to be substantiated. He said a tribunal could only be set up if there is sufficient evidence.

Many were, of course, astounded by Najib’s claim of poor evidence, when incriminating facts had been pouring in and piling up, all pointing irresistibly to the multiple misconduct of the AG, as well as his collusion with the former IGP and ACA to illegally fix up Ramli Yusuff and his officers.

Collusion with underworld

Ramli Yusuff’s legal and judicial ordeal began in 2007 when he stepped on the toe of then IGP Musa Hassan. On orders from then Deputy Minister of Internal Security Johari Baharum, then CCID chief Ramli and his officers investigated an underworld syndicate in Johor resulting in the arrest and banishment of vice kingpin Goh Cheng Poh, also known as Tengku Goh. This arrest had angered IGP Musa, as he and Tengku Goh were pals, with Musa having helped Goh to build up his gambling empire while Musa was serving in Johor as the state’s police chief – as indicated in the evidence uncovered during investigation by Ramli’s officers.

Then, a rescue operation was put in place to extricate Goh from his banishment, with AG Gani and ACA playing key roles.  Gani and Musa are allies, their partnership going back to the late nineties when both played lead roles in the infamous trial dubbed Anwar sodomy I, where Gani was the lead prosecutor and Musa the police investigating officer.

Evidence given by Ramli and sworn statements obtained by news portal Malaysiakini indicate that Gani and ACA colluded to obtain “top secret” investigation files from Ramli, through which ACA hunted down the informers that led to Tengku Goh’s arrest. These informers were then “turned over” by ACA officers so as to reverse their previous statements. These new statements were then used to secure the release of Tengku Goh from restricted residence as well as to charge Ramli’s six officers in court for allegedly “fabricating evidence” to incriminate Goh.

(These “turned over” informers subsequently made sworn statements describing how they were “turned over” by ACA, and these documents came to the possession of Malaysiakini, which then published a series of reports in its website over the past three weeks.)

Ramly himself was charged with a series of alleged offences by ACA and the AG. And even Ramli’s lawyer Rosli Dahlan was subjected to the same treatment.

Trumped up charges

That all these accusations were nothing but trumped up charges is evident from the fact that all of them were thrown out by the courts without the defence of any of the accused being called.

In the case of Ramli, the many charges against him took him through sessions court, high court and court of appeal, where he was invariably acquitted and discharged by all the nine different judges.

Significantly during these Ramli trials, Musa Hassan was declared an unreliable witness by a Session Court Judge in Sabah hearing the case of Ramli’s alleged abuse of power; while ACA was also reprimanded in the Kuala High Court, which upheld Ramli’s acquittal, for having relied solely on the word of an underground figure to charge Ramli for failing to declare his assets.

As for Ramli’s six officers who were charged and subsequently acquitted, all of them have been reinstated and promoted, for which Ramli openly thanked current IGP Ismail Omar (who graced Ramli’s birthday dinner together with other senior police officers) “for recognising that they have been victimised and for giving them back their dignity and honour”.

These trials of frivolous charges, together with incriminating evidence that includes various affidavits, are damning facts that speak for themselves. They render credence to Ramli’s accusation of Gani, Musa and ACA colluding to tamper with witnesses, fabricate evidence, circumvent police investigation and obstruct justice.

More dirt on AG

Piling the pressure on the Prime Minister to set up the tribunal is another former senior police officer, former Head of Kuala Lumpur Criminal Investigation Department (CID) Mat Zain Ibrahim, who raised the issue of Anwar’s “black eye” incident where he alleged that both Gani and Musa had fabricated evidence – during Anwar’s previous ordeal in the late nineties.  Upping the ante, he even warned the Prime Minister Najib Razak of his culpability to “criminal misconduct”, if he should choose to ignore or hide the evidence of fabrication of evidence over the “black eye” incident that he had briefed and passed on to Najib on 19 Feb 2009.

Mat Zain should have intimate knowledge of the facts surrounding the “black eye” incident, as he was then the officer investigating the case that led to a royal commission of inquiry and the eventual conviction of then IGP Abdul Rahim Noor for grievously beating Anwar Ibrahim up.

Mat Zain brushed aside an earlier ACA investigation that exonerated Gani and Musa of the “fabricating” allegation as a “whitewash”, explaining in details why he thought so.

He said he would give “no holds barred” evidence in a tribunal that would conclusively nail Gani and Musa, who Mat Zain said “have no defence”.

On the issue of “black eye” incident, Ramli Yusuff also said he is prepared to give evidence on this issue as well as on the alleged collusion between Gani and former MAS chairman Tajudin Ramli if there is a tribunal on Gani, since he was personally involved in both cases while he was in the police force.

Pall of fear in police force

Apart from Ramli and Mat Zain, several serving police officers have approached Malaysiakini, volunteering to give evidence of misconduct by Gani and Musa, and stressing that their testimonies will go beyond the duo’s alleged collusion with the underworld kingpin. There is one proviso though, that is, a tribunal must be set up.

The rationale of their proviso is simple. They are fearful of vindictive reprisal from the all powerful attorney general who exclusively has the discretional power to charge or not to charge any individual.  These officers explain that despite a change of IGP, the pall of fear of a wayward AG still hangs over the police force, adversely affecting their conscientious discharge of duty.

There is no doubt that the continuance of service of such a scandal ridden AG who alone wields the power of prosecution in this country is an unacceptable scourge to the nation. No prime minister should tolerate such a calamitous and shameful status quo, especially one who prides himself as the “transformational” prime minister. And he alone can remedy the situation by ordering a tribunal.

The ball is now at the Prime Minister’s foot.

Government duty-bound to act on ‘Christian threats’, says ulama council

Is this the kind of government we Christians should vote for? - 1Christians

KUALA LUMPUR, March 28 — The Johor government should not be apologetic for organising a seminar on the “threat of Christianisation” as it is an “Islamic” administration and has a duty to do so, says the Malaysian Ulama Association (PUM).

Religious teachers from national schools in Johor will attend an officially sanctioned seminar this Saturday focusing on the “threat of Christianisation”. The seminar has sparked outrage among Christians.

The seminar, organised by the Johor Education Department and the Johor Mufti Department, is themed “Pemantapan Aqidah, Bahaya Liberalisme dan Pluralism Serta Ancaman Kristianisasi Terhadap Umat Islam. Apa Peranan Guru?” (Strengthening the Faith, the Dangers of Liberalism and Pluralism and the Threat of Christianity towards Muslims. What is the Role of Teachers?).

Two religious teachers from 55 national schools across Johor are required to attend.

“We need to have these kind of seminars,” PUM president Datuk Sheikh Abdul Halim Abdul Kadir told The Malaysian Insider.

“I do not accept the excuse that Christians will be upset or hurt because of this seminar... the problem of Christianisation has been around for a long while, it is real.

“Therefore, any authority or government which is Islamic has a right to do this. You need to educate teachers, especially the young ones who are unaware of this problem.”

Abdul Halim said it was a “known fact” that Christian missionaries had been “aggressively” trying to convert Muslims out of Islam for years, and that they were just doing their “job”.

“Christian missionaries have been stronger than some Muslims. This is what they do, what is demanded of them.

“We, as Muslims, have to fortify ourselves, and as of late this has happened. Many Muslims are now fighting against Christianisation.”

Asked for proof of the claims of “Christianisation”, Abdul Halim said it was happening “directly and indirectly”.

“Proof has been there all awhile... television shows, models, clothing, all these have indirect effects, purposes. We know this.

“As Muslims, we must do our part. The work cannot be done by one person, so if the government does this, support,” he said.

A copy of a letter about the seminar from the Johor Education Department to national schools appears on its website.

Hasimah Abdul Hamid, supervisor for the Islamic Education Unit of the Johor Bahru Education Office, declined to comment on the programme’s stance towards the apparent threat of Christianity against Muslims.

“The purpose of this programme is of course to strengthen the faith of Muslims,” she told The Malaysian Insider.

“But I can’t say anything about the title, because it was provided by the organisers.”

Christians form 9.2 per cent of Malaysia’s 28.3 million population.

In recent years, the Christian and Muslim religious communities have been engaged in a tug of war over the word “Allah”, with Muslims arguing that its use should be exclusive to them on the grounds that Islam is monotheistic and the word “Allah” denotes the Muslim God.

Christians have argued that “Allah” is an Arabic word that has been used by those of other religious beliefs, including the Jews, in reference to God in many other parts of the world, notably in Arab nations and Indonesia.

A number of conservative Muslim groups have also accused Christians of attempting to convert Malays, resulting in heightened tension between followers of the two religions.

PM covering up scandal with new NFC bids, says PKR

KUALA LUMPUR, March 28 — PKR accused Putrajaya today of trying to cover up the RM250 million National Feedlot Centre (NFC) scandal by inviting bids to run the national cattle farming project, and holds the prime minister directly responsible for the controversy.

PKR strategic director Rafizi Ramli (picture) said the main issue in the scandal was Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s own involvement in the matter, when he had allowed a RM250 million federal project to be given to National Feedlot Corporation (NFCorp), a company which had no experience and was owned by Datuk Seri Shahrizat Jalil’s husband and family.

“This reflects the carelessness on the prime minister’s part which led to a possibility of misappropriation (of the loan) as well as criminal breach of trust.

“This has not been answered, and yet the PM wants to invite new bids...this shows his intention to cover up his mistakes for awarding the contract to an undeserving party,” said Rafizi in a statement today.

The PKR leader pointed out two announcements made by the government regarding the case which has not been done:

• the government has not explained why NFCorp was allowed to still conduct its daily business when
  Najib had called for the company’s assets to be frozen

• the government has yet to announce details regarding the “independent” audit to be carried out on
  NFCorp.

“Till today, the scope of audit, the auditor responsible and when it will be made presented to Parliament is not known.

“I am concerned that the audit is being done so that the wrongdoings can be identified and evidence of it will be destroyed,” said Rafizi.

He said PKR is not left with no choice but to continue their weekly exposes of the NFC scandal, which will begin “next week”.

Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Minister Datuk Seri Noh Omar said yesterday Putrajaya will invite bids to take over the National Feedlot Centre (NFC) from the National Feedlot Corporation (NFCorp), whose chairman is facing charges for misusing part of a RM250 million soft loan for the project.

He said the proposal to invite other companies to carry on the project had been announced by PM Najib previously and his deputy, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin had been asked to ensure that the project was continued.

NFC hit the headlines when the Auditor-General reported it had missed its targets while the project managers, NFCorp chairman Datuk Seri Dr Mohamed Salleh Ismail was alleged to have misused the government allocation of RM250 million for the cattle rearing project.

On March 12, Dr Mohamed Salleh, the husband of Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil, pleaded not guilty at the Sessions Court here to two counts of criminal breach of trust involving RM49.7 million with regard to the purchase of two condominium units and two other charges under the Companies Act.