A reminder on the original term of "Allah". One thing for sure, Allah is an imported term to Malaysia.
The danger of paranoia — Gwynne Dyer
JAN 12 — In the late 1980s, when I was in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia, a friend suggested that I drive out into the desert near Jubail to see the oldest extant Christian church in the world. And there it was, surrounded by a chain-link fence to keep casual visitors and foreign archaeologists out. Experts who saw the site before it was closed said that the church was built by Nestorian Christians, and was probably used from the 4th to the 9th century.
Its existence embarrassed the Saudi government, which prefers to believe that Arabia went straight from paganism to Islam. But it confirmed the assumption of most historians that Christianity was flourishing in the Arabian Peninsula in the centuries before the rise of Islam. So what did these Arabic-speaking Christians call God? “Allah”, of course.
I mention this because the High Court has struck down a three-year-old ban on non-Muslims using the word “Allah” when they speak of God in the Malay language. The decision was followed by firebomb attacks on three Christian churches in Kuala Lumpur last Thursday night. And last Friday, protesters at mosques in Kuala Lumpur carried placards reading “Allah is only for us”.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak has condemned the attacks on the churches, but the Malaysian government is appealing against the High Court decision, and in the meantime, the ruling has been suspended.
“We...have the right to use the word ‘Allah’,” said Reverend Lawrence Andrew, the editor of the Herald, the newspaper of the Catholic Church in Malaysia, whose use of the word in its Malay-language edition triggered the crisis. Parliamentary opposition leader Lim Kit Siang simply observed that “the term ‘Allah” was used to refer to God by Arabic-speaking Christians before Arabic-speaking Muslims existed’.
Of course it was. Arabic-speaking Christians predate the rise of Islam by 300 years, and what else were they going to call God? The word “Allah” is a contraction of the Arabic definite article al- and the noun ilah, which means God. In parts of ancient Arabia, it once referred to the creator-god (who was not the only god), but for a very long time it has meant the One God.
This Arabic word was imported into the Malay language by converts to Islam, which arrived in the region several centuries before Christianity. Ethnic Malays are Muslim, but there are numerous Malay speakers, especially in north Borneo, who are Christian and not ethnically Malay. They also use the word “Allah” for God.
What’s the harm in that? Why are Malaysia’s Muslims so paranoid? The real paranoia, alas, is ethnic.
Malaysia is an ethnic time-bomb that has turned itself into a peaceful and prosperous country by a huge effort of will. The original population was mostly Malay, but under British rule huge numbers of Indian and Chinese immigrants were imported to work in the mines and plantations. By independence, Malays were only 60 per cent of the population, and much poorer than the more recent arrivals. They resented the past, the present and the probable future.
After several bouts of anti-Chinese and anti-Indian rioting, the country arrived at its current, highly successful compromise. The Malays dominate politics, but the Chinese and the Indians thrive in trade and commerce — and most people understand that they are ultimately in the same boat, which is called Malaysia.
The state spends a lot of money to raise the living standards of the Malays, and gives them preference for university places and government jobs. They have not done badly out of this deal, but nevertheless they feel perpetually insecure. Since they are all Muslims, while few other Malaysians are, they also feel their religion is under threat. Some respond by being aggressively intolerant of minorities.
Not all Malays behave this way. Major Muslim organisations, including the Islamic political party Parti Islam SeMalaysia (PAS), have agreed that the other “Abrahamic religions” — Christianity and Judaism — may call their God Allah in Malay. But the situation is getting ugly, and it is high time for the government to stop playing along with the extremists.
It should take a lesson from the early Muslims of Arabia. Both the archaeological and the textual evidence suggest that most Arabs in northern Arabia and along the Gulf coast had already been Christian for several centuries when Islam first appeared in the 7th century. They were swiftly conquered by Muslim armies, but they were not forcibly converted.
As in all early Islamic empires, Christians had to pay higher taxes, but they were allowed to keep their property and practise their religion. It is highly improbable that they were forced to change the word they used for God. They did gradually convert to Islam, but the last Christian churches in the region probably survived into the early 9th century.
The Christians, Hindus, animists and others who make up 40 per cent of Malaysia’s population pay higher taxes, in the sense that they subsidise the poorer Malay-Muslim majority. Few of them will ever convert to Islam, but they are not its enemy either. Malaysia has achieved a fragile but workable compromise that gives its people a good life. It should not endanger it so frivolously. — The Straits Times
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This post keep track on the chronology of threats to Malaysian Churches (and temples) beginning 2010 due to the dispute on the usage of "Allah" in a christian publication. Although Christians and Muslims in Malaysia enjoyed a harmonious relationship, there were “immature minds” out to cause havoc. Burning places of worship of others is wrong, not only in the eyes of the law but also in Islam. The spat of arson attacks on Malaysian churches could affect the business sector as foreigners might not want to invest in Malaysia. Attack tally so far: Churches: 9, Schools: 1, Temples: 1
Attack #11 - The St Elizabeth Catholic church in Kota Kecil, Johor near here was splashed with red paint early Thursday morning.
Attack #10 - A glass window of the entrance door of the Sikh Temple in Sentul (Jalan Haji Salleh) here was found cracked late Jan 12, 2009 by a barrage of stones, making it the first non-Christian house of worship hit since the controversial landmark “Allah” ruling.
Attack #9 - The entrance door of the Sidang Injil Borneo church in Seremban 2 was partially burnt in an arson attempt early Monday (11/01/2010), said Negri Sembilan Deputy CPO Datuk Abd Manan Mohd Hassan. It is the eighth church to be affected in the past three days.
Attack #8 - Kes terbaru turut membabitkan insiden vandalisme di Gereja Good Sheperd dekat Lutong Bazaar, kirakira 10km dari Miri, Sarawak, dua daripada tingkap kacanya pecah selepas dibaling bata hari ini (10/01/2010). UPDATES: The police claimed it is the work of teenage delinquents.
Attack #7 - The fourth attempted arson attack, at about 1am on Friday (08/01/2010), scarred the outside wall of the Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Jalan Othman, Petaling Jaya.
Attack #6 - The staircase leading to the All Saints' Church at Jalan Taming Sari, Taiping was slightly burned.
Attack #5 - Molotov cocktail thrown into the SMK Convent school along Jalan Convent, Taiping failed to explode.
Attack #4 - In Malacca, it was the Malacca Baptist Church in Durian Daun. Black paint was splashed on the outer wall of Malacca Baptist Church.
Attack #3 - On Jan 08, 2010, the Assumption Church in Jalan Templer, Petaling Jaya come under arson attack.
Attack #2 - On Jan 08, 2010 the Life Chapel Church in Section 17, also in Petaling Jaya come under attempted arson attack. A Molotov cocktail was found at the porch of Life Chapel Church at 8.30am.
Attack #1 - On Jan 08, 2010, the Metro Tabernacle Church in Desa Melawati was damaged after a group of youths threw flammable materials into the ground floor of the church located in a shoplot. No one was injured in the incident as the church was empty at that time.
Photo gallery on the attack to Malaysian churches
Attack on Good Shepherd Lutheran Church
Attack on Metro Tabernacle Churchmalaysia ~ If you like this informative post, please subscribe to my full RSS Feed
A letter from A Rahman, a muslim reader of MalaysiaKini on the current issue of "Allah". A Rahman feels that the protests over 'Allah' ruling is embarrassing to him and other fellow moderate Muslims in Malaysia.
I refer to the Malaysiakini report Home Ministry applies for stay on 'Allah' ruling.
I fail to understand the logic of some of my fellow Muslims protesting in Penang and the federal government's (our prime minister, the Prime Minister's Department, the home minister and home ministry) stand to appeal over the High Court's decision over this issue. Why should Muslims get 'heated up' ?
The reasons given were:
1. As quoted by Syed Hassan Syed Ali, secretary-general of Malay rights group Pribumi Perkasa: 'We fear that the court victory will mean that Christian missionaries will now use the word, confusing (the identity of) Muslims and undermining religious harmony.' This is the 'confusion theory' that has been given as a reason. There is also a claim by the federal government that it will threaten national security.
2. Due to this 'confusion', it seems we Muslims are not able to distinguish between the 'Allah' of the Christians or that of the Muslims.
Now, when we debate this matter, it has to be done with a sound mind and a clear understanding of whether the ban on the term 'Allah' was done fairly to us Muslims and non-Muslims alike. Consider the facts :
1. The word 'Allah' has been used by pre-Islamic Arabs for God. There is evidence that the word 'Allah' existed before the birth of Muhammad (PBUH) for thousands of years. It is probably the oldest name man used to call God. Prophet Muhammad's father's name was Abdullah (The slave of Allah). This name was common among the Arab pagans and Jews. Abdullah bin Salam was one of the first Jews to convert to Islam in Medina.
2. We know for a fact that the Arabic Christians still use the term 'Allah' for their God. The word Allah is used in all Arabic translations of the Bible.
3. Our Sarawak and Sabah non-Muslim indigenous people have been using the word 'Allah' for God since the 1800s. I have seen, via the Internet, an 1818 version of the Christian bible, with the words 'Allah'. I am not sure of its origins though but it makes use of the word 'Allah'.
4. Other religions too do make mention of 'Allah' as their God.
a. 'Allah' in Sikhismis one of the names by which Gurunanak Sahib refers to God.
b. 'Allah' in Hinduism
i. 'Allah' in Rigveda Book 2 Hymn 1 Verse 2. Even in the Rigveda which is the most sacred scripture of the Hindus, one of the attributes given to God Almighty in Book No 2 Hymn No 1 verse II, is 'Ila' which if pronounced properly is the same as 'Allah'.
ii. Allo Upanishad. Amongst the various Upanishads, one is named as 'Allo' Upanishad in which God is referred to as 'Allah' several times.
5. I remember too that in the Quran, it states that the Christians do call their God as 'Allah', This in Al-Qur'an 5:72-73.
I am not an Islamic scholar but claiming that the use of the word 'Allah' would confuse us Muslims is really rubbish and to go beyond to claim that it will threaten national security is preposterous. Are we so weak in our faith that we cannot differentiate and we would turn apostates easily just because of the works of some Christian missionaries using this word?
Do Muslims in Sabah and Sarawak get confused? Come on, this is an insult to us Muslims. Are we saying we do not have depth in our faith that we can simply convert out of Islam just because of this? Does our Islamic faith carry such teachings? Is this more of the work of Man rather than of Allah?
We do not need Islamic scholars to tell us this. True Muslims do not need the government and self-proclaimed champions such as these Muslim groups to protest on our behalf. Their very act of claiming to protect our faith shows how shallow-minded these people are - both the protesters and the government.
They seem to capitalise on the political aspect of the situation rather than championing for the true cause of Islam. I'm not sure whether these protestors themselves understand the logic of why they are protesting. This is embarrassing us Muslims - not protecting our Islamic interests.
I shared this news with a few of my old Muslim friends overseas in Egypt, Iraq, Iran, Indonesia and Jordan via e-mail. They could not even believe me when I told them that the Malaysian government bans the use of this word and that some Islamic groups protested in support. They thought I was joking!
We should observe fair administration due to the fact that many of our ministers and department heads are Muslims. We should have treated the non-Muslims fairly as well. The government has confiscated 15,000 Malay bibles of the indigenous people of Sabah and Sarawak even though the word 'Allah' has been in use since 1800s.
This news has been published throughout the world. We impose and claim exclusiveness on the word 'Allah' when such as act is not even found in our Islamic faith while our Holy Quran even says that Christians do, in fact, use the word 'Allah'. Is this how Muslim leaders act? Is this called fairness to the peoples of other faiths?
You know what is the talk of the town now? That the court of appeal will override the high court decision. This is already expected by the man-on-the-street. So predictable that many of my non-Muslim friends are betting on the odds that it will be overturned. This makes our court of appeal a 'kangaroo court'. Is this how the people should think of our government - of which the majority of leaders are Muslims ?
We talk so much about this '1Malaysia' and 'People First' (Rakyat di Dahulukan). Looks like this is just more empty talk. We are back to square one as far as the man on the street is concerned . The Muslim leaders in the government and some self-proclaimed 'champions of Islam' are the ones giving Islam a bad name, sad to say.
All I am saying is let us put this issue to rest with the high court's decision and let us move on as Malaysians. If this issue of using the word 'Allah' by any other religion is not prohibited by any our Islamic teachings as spelled out in the Holy Quran and the Hadith, then what is the fuss by some misinformed Muslims?
Further appeals and counter-appeals would do more damage to the nation's reputation in the eyes of the international community and to the unity of the various races of different creed within Malaysia. To the prime minister and the home minister, shouldn't the government act like true and just Muslim leaders and spend more time rectifying the economic situation rather than appealing over this issue?malaysia ~ If you like this informative post, please subscribe to my full RSS Feed
James Dawos Mamit, MP of Mambong Sarawak has been appointed Deputy Tourism Minister in place of Datuk Seri Sulaiman Abdul Rahman Taib who had resigned from the post.
”The appointment takes effect on the date Yang Berhormat (Dr James) takes the Oath of Office and Loyalty as well as the Oath of Secrecy before Seri Paduka Baginda Yang Di-Pertuan Agong on Wednesday, Jan 13 at 3pm at Istana Terenggganu, Kuala Lumpur,” the statement said.
Sulaiman, the eldest son of Sarawak Chief Minister Tan Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud, 41, resigned as Deputy Tourism Minister on Dec 14 citing personal reasons following the death of his mother, Puan Sri Laila Taib, about six months earlier.
Recommended reading:
* Sulaiman Taib resign to be become the next CM of Sarawakmalaysia ~ If you like this informative post, please subscribe to my full RSS Feed
Good to circulate this once in a while to remind people how the country has been damaged by Dr M, UMNO and his cronies. The corruption of Mahathir: by George Soros - published by Bangkok Post
George Soros is not only one of the best investors in the world but very well informed too. He has spelt clearly what Malaysians have known all the while. Malaysia with all the riches in raw materials should have a stronger currency but what started one for one equivalent with S'pore 30 yrs ago now has lost out to S'pore currency by 2.3 times. Now Malaysians know why ........ Soros has explained in very great detail..... Of course one cannot get to read this in the main media in Malaysia .
Malaysian taxpayers and voters were made to pay for his visionary expenses enriching selected vendors along the way all paid by taxpayer or rakyat's money. The corruption of Mahathir: SOROS' REPLY TO MAHATHIR.
I have always said Dr Mahathir is a menace to his own people. Now only you can see the effects of his foolishness when the ringgit has halved its value overnight and your economy goes kaput.
Single handedly you have caused hardship to millions of your own people. You have built useless mega projects at tremendous cost to the country.
The telecoms tower in Kuala Lumpur and the highest building in the world show how stupid you are. Not only does it cause massive traffic jam, it has totally no purpose. If you need high ground for telecoms antennae a nearby mountain is there for free. This tower has no purpose from the ground up to 300 metres. The satellites make this totally unnecessary.
A fool and his money are soon parted. The only thing is you are the fool and the money belongs to Malaysians. You make 20% in every project, you have real estate in Japan and billions of shares corruptly acquired.
Your 3 sons are worth 8 billion US$. Where do they get this money? Of course, corruption.
You are known as the Marcos of Malaysia, having enriched yourself to the tune of billions.
You dare to shed crocodile tears during UMNO delegates meeting about the ills of corruption.
Yet you are the most corrupt of all the prime ministers before you. A thief is crying thief and hopes people look the other way. Who dares to say anything when the chief is caught with his hands in the candy jar?
You said wisdom is not the monopoly of the West. So is foolishness. You have more foolishness than most people would believe. Billions are used to build two high rise Petronas buildings that benefit nobody. They now stand tall, a symbol of stupidity and irresponsibility. Instead they just add on to traffic jams..
What is this reclamation of 10 islands off Kedah? Totally absurd and stupid. Of course your benefit is 20%.
And the bridge across from Malacca to Sumatra across international waters? Why not build a bridge to the moon? I am sure you still can get your 20%. You called me a Moron. How can a Moron make so much money. By allowing short selling and borrowing millions of shares from your banks we fund managers made millions out of your
inexperience and poor regulations.
You lose all Malaysians' money, therefore you are the Moron.. Now you know too late and start crying over spilt milk.
In Australia you are known as the recalcitrant ego maniac; in UK the corrupt bastard because of your stupid purchase of our movie studio and the 290 million ringgit Lotus racing car plant and the shady Pergau dam loans from the UK. They are useless to us and you still want to buy them.
What about buying British reject submarines through your agent, of course. The agent/ broker is designed to make millions out of the Malaysian government..
Your purchase of our battleships is at least 50% more than others are paying. Your purchase of 9 hospitals from UK lock, stock and barrel does not support your local architects or your industry and the British send you obsolete medical equipment. The design is atrocious, one end to the other is half a kilometer and there is no CT-scan, an absolute necessity.
In the UK your face appears in no less than 17 newspapers as a corrupt dictator. In Malaysia you are known as the (IBM) International Big Mouth. In Japan they call you the 'smallest one' (brain size).
In Pacific islands, the Santa Claus (giving advice left and right). In south America they call you the parrot (he talks a lot but does not know what it is about). In Manila the living Marcos.
In Malaysia they are spending millions to lure tourists and you talk rubbish scaring every foreigner away. When he is dumb he is doubted a fool, when he opens his mouth it removes all doubt."
While I agree the West does not have the monopoly to wisdom, your actions are not the wisest either. Your EAEC has totally no support even in Asean. Your South-South dialogue meets with the same fate and what is this I hear of the Bridge from Peninsula Malaysia to Sumatra covering 20 miles across International shipping lane?
How crazy can one get? Even the Japanese don't have the money.
This world's stupidity seems to be concentrated in one man's mind - yours.
The multimedia super corridor - MSC -. Well in USA its Most Stupid Concept because we Americans, would have thought of it light years before. Even if it makes money, we can copy this concept can't we?
Why do you want to spend your hard-earned money doing questionable projects? It will be like the Bakun project. Abandoned fund wasted and another white elephant. I always say politicians should not be involved in business. Your ministers are also businessmen and almost every official is enriching himself. Look at Rafidah Aziz, selling thousands of Approved Permits (APs) for cars each worth 20-30 thousand Malaysian dollars. Why not your government sell them and make the money? She has acquired millions of shares meant for bumis for free before she agrees to list them.
Look at your Selangor Chief Minister collecting millions for approving high rise buildings from businessman. He is worth a few billions. Unfortunately he was caught with a few million pocket money in Australia. Every Chief minister is awarding useless projects to his cronies then collecting secret pay offs on the side. The Land Development Boards and the Economic Development Boards are used to bail out any loses suffered by politicians. The profits they keep, the loses they force the Government bodies to absorb. How can your poor ever close the gap when every good deal is snatched by your politicians? How can your country get out of poverty if all the billions of corruption money is taken out of the country?
Look at the Sarawak Chief Minister selling billions worth of timber concessions under the table; selling every piece of state land to businessmen without tender; using his own companies to obtain lucrative government contracts; selling approval signatures for a fee 'you pay I approve'. He has 8 billion US stashed overseas. Thousands of acres of land are given to one or two companies while thousands of poor people still live in cardboard makeshift homes; have no water and shit into the river.
Thousands of acres of land are sold to companies for plantations while the natives do not have even one acre to their name. He is selling sand near the beaches to one company for earth filling and then ask the government to spend millions to protect the coastline when erosion occurs.
He lost 300 million of the Sarawak government money trying to make computer chips. He has built a port in Northern Sarawak town in water so shallow it needs dredging every year. The Prime Minister built highways without tender, your cronies get the deal and the price double. Your Langkawi airport runway was built double the cost by your own company, Ekran.
The Malaysian nation has lost at least 30 billions during your last 10 years of corrupt rule. One billion lost from the purchase of phantom Skyhawk war planes nobody has ever seen (are they still in the Nevada desert, USA?).
3 billion lost from the London tin scandal (you thought you could corner the London tin market without knowing the Americans have a stockpile! Stupidity at its best.
6 billion Perwaja steel mill where nobody even knows where the money goes, 3 billion bank Bumiputra scandal when George Tan bribed all the bank officials to lend him the money.
6 billion forex lost by Bank Negara (the fool and his money are soon parted) and 6 billion to build three of the world's tallest buildings (built by Japanese and Koreans and furniture imported from France - not Malaysia) and 1 billion lost from purchase of British warships including fees paid to the broker and under the table..
Add the 10 billion you stole and 5 billion taken by Ministers.
In the 1997 the World Journalists meeting voted Dr Mahathir the Prime Minister of the Decade. It sounded strange to everybody until it was revealed those who voted against are threatened by IRD officers and with losing their jobs. In New York the United Nations 1997 meeting, the most corrupt Prime Minister of the decade is President Suharto and second Dr Mahathir (Actually Dr Mahathir should take first place but bribed the Indonesians to take honour of Number One.
There are Fifty thousand of your university students not given places in Malaysia but are good enough for places overseas resulting in billions of dollars lost. The British and the Australians are thinking how stupid. Your best students are sent overseas raising their standards while as in most countries the best are kept in local universities and the rejects sent overseas..A university student in Hong Kong is much more prestigious than any Australian counterpart.
You have been colonised by the British so long you cannot even educate your own people. Look at Hong Kong or Singapore, less than 5% study overseas. All the money saved. Your country could save billions if every student overseas is recalled to a local university, and at the same time raising your own standards.
Your people are still without shoes, without land to farm, without homes, bathing in rivers shitting in holes in the ground, without water and electricity. Your cities are concrete jungles without greenery and open spaces. Your KL is jammed with traffic.
Yet you still keep on building high rises. You should come down from the clouds and stop daydreaming and firmly plant your feet in the ground.
Your schools are cramped 500 students to an acre and thousands of acres are given free to some politicians who leave them idle.
Your parks are being taken by politicians to build shophouses and every cabinet minister is a land-grabbing businessman who builds roads only to their cronies' land.
The Malaysians' Prayer, "Ya Allah, we thank you for your gifts of timber, oil and grain. But then the devil sent us corrupt Mahathir without a Brain and look we are back to square one again. So just take Dr Mahathir back to Hell And we will be alive and well."
In China people have been shot for embezzling one thousand dollars. With 8 billion you have stolen, therefore you would be shot 80 thousand times. Now you are leading an anti-corruption campaign. We all know what you should do. Look yourself in the mirror. You see the crooked you. Then use your left hand and handcuff your right hand.
You have put the opposition leader and his son in jail when they said in parliament you are the richest PM in the world. And his colleague Mr Karpal Singh too for 2 years.
So I get a reward or bribe if I now say you are the poorest PM in this world? Your 3 sons are sitting on the board of directors of more than 200 companies. They must have been educated in Harvard school of business and obtained distinctions? Or is it "you don't know me, you don't do business in Malaysia" law that applies. Billions of ringgit of Employee's Provident Fund and public Petronas funds are used to bail out your sons who make losses investing in every venture you thought you could make money. How unethical and corrupt. Every one of your politicians is sitting on the board of tens of companies making thousands without any effort, lending their VIP names to borrow millions from local banks without collateral..
Now these have become non- performing loans. Now you want 20 million Malaysians to sacrifice for the folly of ONE man? Why not the fool resign and admit he wasted and took most of the money. I could teach you how to put your economy on track but first you must apologize to the Malaysian people.malaysia ~ If you like this informative post, please subscribe to my full RSS Feed
THE year 2009 has been a breathless one of political upheaval for Malaysia and The Nut Graph offers its take on 10 highlights of 2009.
Eight by-elections. The year opened with the Kuala Terengganu by-election, followed by Bukit Gantang, Bukit Selambau and Batang Ai simultaneously. Of these four, the Pakatan Rakyat (PR) won all except Batang Ai in Sarawak, proving that East Malaysia still remains the Barisan Nasional (BN)'s "fixed deposit" despite growing discontent about local corruption, marginalisation and abuse of native customary rights.
The PR won predictably in Penanti, thanks partly to a BN boycott, and in Permatang Pasir, thanks to a defective BN candidate. But PAS's slim win in rural Manik Urai was a reminder of how effective the BN's unabashed use development promises could still be. In Bagan Pinang, the BN won through a popular but "tainted" candidate to ensure a win at all cost, even sacrificing its own credibility.
The Perak coup. It took three disgruntled elected representatives switching allegiance for the BN to wrest the state government from the PR. But Perakians had little say in the takeover, which was sanctioned by the palace and upheld by the courts.
The fall of Perak spawned a constitutional crisis and numerous lawsuits on landmark issues. Perak has come to epitomise the worst excesses of raw power, through the use of the civil service, police, and the judiciary, to prevent fresh elections. A poll has shown that 74% of people surveyed want a re-election, a demand the BN has consistently ignored.
The sixth prime minister. Datuk Seri Najib Razak took office on 3 April and was well received by the public in his first 100 days. Notably, those who were satisfied were mostly Malay and Indian Malaysians. The Indian Malaysians were probably soothed by Najib's quick moves to release Hindraf detainees, allow speedy registration of the new Malaysian Makkal Sakti Party, and increase allocations for Tamil schools.
On the economy, Najib liberalised aspects of the New Economic Policy, revived plans for a goods and services tax, and ambitiously charted 6% annual growth until 2020. He's made 1Malaysia his administration's tagline, which, despite criticism, is generally accepted as a broad ideal for racial unity.
To boot, Najib toned down the rhetoric of Malay supremacy and told Umno at the party general assembly to be "champions of the rakyat". There are promises of more reform, which include disclosures on political funding. Najib's continuing challenge is to walk the talk, despite his own party.
But civil society has given Najib an "F" for his human rights track record. Freedom of expression, the right to dissent, deaths in custody, detention without trial, and stalled police reform are among the KPIs on democracy he has yet to fulfil. Read also The RAHMAN Factor
Teoh Beng Hock and the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC). Found dead outside the Selangor MACC headquarters, the young DAP aide had been interrogated overnight, despite being a witness, and despite the Police Lock-up Rules. Whether Teoh fell or was pushed off the building is the subject of an ongoing inquest which was stalled by a second autopsy. Demands for a Royal Commission of Inquiry have been rejected until after the findings of the inquest.
Teoh's death demolished the MACC's credibility, months after being formed through a revamp of the Anti-Corruption Agency and an act of Parliament. Following a suit, the High Court ruled that interrogations could only take place during office hours, but this has been overturned by the Court of Appeal. Denying any pressure, MACC chief Datuk Seri Ahmad Said Hamdan went into retirement five months early.
The Port Klang Free Zone scandal. Its cost overruns presently amount to RM7.5 billion, involving government loans. With interest, it could rise further to RM12 billion. But who is going to pay? So far, a former engineer, project architect, and two former Port Klang Authority officials have been charged. But what about former cabinet members or ministry officials who flouted Treasury guidelines and misled their colleagues? How far back does this scandal go, and will those in authority then face justice? At the heart of the scandal lies a crisis of public governance. Whether the full can of worms is opened will speak of the government's commitment to fight corruption.
The MCA leadership crisis. President Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat may have used the PKFZ scandal to shore up his credentials as a clean and righteous leader, but was that really the point in the MCA's war of personalities? Once enemies, Ong and his deputy president Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek are now team-mates in fending off vice-president Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai, Youth chief Datuk Wee Ka Siong and Wanita head Datuk Paduka Chew Mei Fun. The game now is self-preservation, hence the disagreement over the timing of fresh party elections. It is doubtful if the outcome will have much of an impact on Chinese Malaysians who are largely supportive of the opposition.
PAS-Umno unity talks. It was opposed by PAS's own grassroots but naturally welcomed by Umno. In the end, was the unity talks idea just chest-thumping by president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang and deputy Nasharuddin Mat Isa? If not political cooperation, was it to strengthen the position of Islam and Malay nationalism? Or did it reflect the leaders' insecurity over PAS's second-fiddle position in the PR? PAS may have solidified its commitment to the PR through the recent Common Policy Framework, but that is no guarantee the idea of PAS and Umno joining hands will not be suggested again.
Kartika's whipping sentence. Not the first woman to be sentenced to caning under syariah for drinking beer, Kartika Sari Dewi Shukarno was, however, the first to plead guilty. She made international headlines for Malaysia, and highlighted contradictions between civil and syariah law. But her sentence has yet to be carried out. Kartika's story illustrates Malaysia's continuing tension in straddling both the Islamic and secular forms of governance.
Women and the law. Two little-known laws involving marriage were brought to the fore this year. Indonesian model Manohara Odelia Pinot was issued a perintah kembali taat by the Syariah Court upon application by her Kelantanese prince husband. Her failure to return would result in her being branded "nusyuz" or disloyal and rebellious.
In civil law, Section 498 of the Penal Code allows a husband to prosecute another man for enticing his wife. This is what the husband of TV personality Daphne Iking decided to do. The argument for these laws is that they are meant to protect a marriage. But if that is so, why do such laws not cut both ways? Isn't a man nusyuz if he abuses his wife? Doesn't a wife have a part in being "enticed" by another man? Don't wives in an abusive or loveless marriage have the right to make their own decisions?
In contrast, laws to protect women failed to work in the case of Penan women and girls. Despite reports and testimonies of rape and sexual abuse collected by a government taskforce, police said they didn't have enough evidence and could not take further action.
These three examples demonstrate that the laws of Malaysia do not necessarily protect women or ensure their equality.
World rankings. Downgrades for Malaysia were recorded for 2009 in several indices. Transparency International's 2009 Corruption Perception Index saw Malaysia slide from 47th to 56th place out of 180 countries. The placing was the lowest ever in recent years of steady decline.
Malaysia was also downgraded from the Tier 2 Watchlist to the Tier 3 blacklist on the Trafficking in Persons 2009 report. It said Malaysia had become a destination, and, to some extent, a source and transit point for human trafficking.
In Reporters Without Borders' Press Freedom Index, Malaysia slipped slightly from 132 to 131 this year, a status-quo verdict indicating a lack of progress. In the Global Gender Gap Report 2009, Malaysian women were worse off in 2009 at 101th place, compared with 96 in 2008, 92 in 2007, and 72 in 2006.malaysia ~ If you like this informative post, please subscribe to my full RSS Feed
Datin Paduka O.C. Phang, former Port Klang Authority (PKA) general manager (she is also one of the alleged PKZ scandal masterminds) claimed trial at the Klang Sessions Court Thursday to three counts of Criminal Breach of Trust amounting to RM254mil over the PKFZ scandal.
She was granted bail of RM350,000 and her passport will be impounded only from Jan 12 to facilitate her travel to the United States.
Kuala Dimensi Chief Operations Officer Stephen Abok and Bernard Tan from BTA Architect were jointly charged for two counts of cheating.
Sessions Court Judge Yong Zarida Sazali granted Abok a RM200,000 bail with one surety.
Tan was charged with another 24 counts of cheating amounting to RM120mil and he claimed trial. He posted bail of RM250,000 with one surety.
The court fixed Feb 4 for mention of both their cases.
Attorney-General Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail when contacted earlier had said his chambers would issue a statement later Thursday on the matter.
It is learnt the police and the Malaysia Anti-Corruption Commission had conducted a joint investigation into the PKFZ scandal that resulted in them being arrested early Thursday.
They were picked up by a team of police officers from the federal Commercial Crime Department from their residences in Petaling Jaya and here after months of investigations.
PKA chairman Datuk Lee Hwa Beng has lodged a police report in August alleging possible fraud amounting to RM1.6bil.
Transport Minister Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat, had on June 10 set up a special team headed by Lee that also comprised Skrine partner Lim Chee Wee and PricewaterhouseCoopers Advisory Services’ managing director Chin Kwai Fatt, and senior executive director Lim San Peen.
The task force found possibility of fraud, including overcharging and unsubstantiated claims of more than RM1.6bil by the turnkey contractor Kuala Dimensi Sdn Bhd.
Among the irregularities discovered by the task force were fraudulent claims on electrical infrastructure worth RM55.8mil which had yet to be carried out on the site and an alleged “over-priced” hotel, for which Kuala Dimensi had claimed to have cost RM69.6mil compared to the quantity surveyor’s valuation of RM44.7mil.
PricewaterhouseCoopers Advisory Services (PwC), which was commissioned by the PKA to look into the PKFZ project, estimated that based on current projections of revenue and costs, including interests, the project could eventually cost up to RM12.45bil.
Related posts:
* RM500mil defamation suit against Tiong King Sing set on Dec 14
* PKA sues Kuala Dimensi over millions in interest
* PKFZ scandal mastermindsmalaysia ~ If you like this informative post, please subscribe to my full RSS Feed
It is confirmed that Datuk Seri Sulaiman Abdul Rahman Abdul Taib wishes to resign as Deputy Tourism Minister, however, Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak did not say if his resignation has been accepted. Najib declined to say when Sulaiman had tendered his resignation but said the decision to quit was for personal reasons. However, there has been talk that Sulaiman was unhappy with his post. Or maybe he quits because he is under investigation by the MACC. The most likely reason why Sulaiman quit is to return to Sarawak to become the next CM.
The Prime Minister said he would consult the views of Sarawak Barisan Nasional chairman Tan Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud on the issue before making any decision.
"He has stated his interest to relinquish his position as deputy minister but I have yet to consult the Sarawak Barisan chairman, so just wait," he told reporters after chairing the Umno Supreme Council meeting here Friday night.
It is learnt that Sulaiman, who is Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu Youth vice-president and the son of the Sarawak Chief Minister, tendered his resignation letter last month citing poor health as the reason.
Among the reasons cited for Sulaiman’s resignation was his personal dissatisfaction with the perceived bad treatment towards leaders from Sabah and Sarawak by the Federal Government.
Apparently, the Kota Samarahan MP was dissatisfied having to serve as deputy minister in an "unimportant ministry".
He was also said to be particularly miffed at having to serve under the previous and current ministers, Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said and Datin Seri Dr Ng Yen Yen respectively. Read also UMNO ladies overspent rakyat money
Friends said he did not get along with both Azalina and Dr Ng and had complained that he was never given any substantial responsibility.
There is also speculation that Sulaiman, a former RHB Bank chairman, was also unhappy that former MAS chief Datuk Seri Idris Jala was appointed to the Cabinet over him and other Sarawak and Sabah MPs.
Deputy Dewan Rakyat Speaker Datuk Dr Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar said as far as the Parliament was concerned, Sulaiman was still a deputy minister.
To date, the Dewan Rakyat had yet to receive any formal resignation letter from Sulaiman.
"He was in Parliament last week and sat in his deputy minister’s chair," he said.
He said it would be the Prime Minister’s prerogative to inform the Dewan Rakyat of any resignation of a Federal Cabinet member to enable his chair to be rearranged and redesignated during sittings.
Attempts to contact Sulaiman, who is believed to be overseas through his mobile phones, proved futile.
He also did not attend a dinner that he was scheduled to host for a visiting Sarawak delegation from the Farmers Development Council of the Batang Lupar and Bandar Kuching parliamentary constituencies in Kuala Lumpur on Wednesday.malaysia ~ If you like this informative post, please subscribe to my full RSS Feed
