The World That I See - My View

Seals: They were allowed to "perform" in the NO MAN ZONE that the police created during the last Permatang Pauh by-election? How will this be translated when the world see this in a Muslim country? They are insulting the nation.

ALOR STAR: Pakatan Rakyat’s “Permatang Pauh to Putrajaya” campaign slogan for the Permatang Pauh by-election has triggered a possible crossover in Kedah, said Kedah Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Azizan Abdul Razak. He said several Barisan Nasional assemblymen had “hinted” through SMSes that they may be interested in joining Pakatan Rakyat. “From the way the messages were written, I can read what is on their minds,” he said, adding that some of the messages were sent directly by the assemblymen and others via third parties. Azizan acknowledged that he was aware of Barisan's attempts to “snatch” some of the Pakatan Rakyat assemblymen. For Barisan to regain control of the state, at least five assemblymen need to cross over. Currently, Barisan holds 14 of the 36 state seats. Selangor Mentri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim said Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's victory in the by-election showed that people wanted change irrespective of race, colour or religion. “We are moving on a new mindset where

PETALING JAYA: All 21 Internet Service Providers (ISPs) in the country have been ordered by the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) to block the controversial Malaysia Today website, an industry source revealed. The notices were sent out on Tuesday in accordance with Section 263 of the Communications and Multimedia Act. “This means that MCMC is allowed to block any particular website which has committed acts that contravene the local laws of the country, for example, sedition,” the source said. Meanwhile, Malaysia Today editor Raja Petra Kamaruddin lashed out against the blocking of the online portal, saying it was a breach of the Multimedia Super Corridor (MSC) charter. Under the MSC Malaysia 10-Point Bill of Guarantees, it is stated that as part of its commitment to ensuring the success of MSC Status companies, the Government promised to “ensure no Internet censorship”. “The Government has clearly broken its own promise,” said Raja Petra yesterday. Asked whether

A comment that has to be noticed from http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/88654 Dr SK : To all of you who voted for BN, your man Arif and none of the BN big guns or supporters had the grace to attend the announcement of the results of the Permatang Pauh by-election. ‘Thank you’ for voting for them. It goes to show how typically ungrateful Arif and BN are. They do not care at all about how you feel - deserted in their defeat, they care only about winning. Once again, Arif’s and BN's disappearance exemplifies exactly what is so despicable about BN.

5 ‘phantom’ buses stopped, MP and sons arrested August 26th, 2008 Kuek Ser Kuang Keng & Athi Veeranggan Aug 26, 08 (Malaysiakini) Three buses - one of which was filled with passengers - have been escorted to a police station in Permatang Pauh after PKR supporters believe they were used to ferry phantom voters. The three buses and the passengers are now at the Seberang Jaya police station while PKR leader N Gobalakrishnan, who is also Padang Serai parliamentarian, lodges a police report on his party’s suspicions. And at about 5.30pm, two more buses suspected of carrying phantom voters, were escorted into the police station. Gobalakrishnan told Malaysiakini that he was informed of six buses allegedly carrying phantom voters would be coming into Permatang Pauh. Upon a quick inspection, PKR supporters found two empty buses at 2pm parked along the Butterworth-Kulim Expressway, under the watch of some police personnel. The PKR supporters were then told by the police officers that the bus

On Lim vs Koh: Lively debate on land scam Alfred Ho: I wish to take this golden opportunity to commend both Lim Guan Eng and his personal assistant for their bravery in not giving in to the death threats that they have received as a result of the numerous land scams recently unearthed. The death threats made on these two honourable gentlemen are most despicable, and the police should take this matter very seriously by proceeding with investigations immediately so that the perpetrators can be brought to justice and made to face the full force of the law. From my observations, the death threats are the work of high-ranking officials from the former ruling administration. They and are now feeling the heat and have every reason to fear the retribution that is slowly but surely coming their way. I wish to urge Lim Guan Eng and his administration to expose the corruption that has been practised by former government officials without fear or favour. May the full force of the law be brought up

On DNA Bill tabled for second reading Oppressed: Something smells fishy. Everything having to do with the tabling of the bill smells fishy. Since the start of Anwar's unjustified sodomy charge, the DNA issue has been highly suspicious and, I believe, politically-motivated. The opposition parties - including the Bar Council and related civil society groups with the necessary authority - should stand together to forcefully reject this obvious violation of the rule of law. If the bill is successfully passed, the police and BN-led government will have a field day, putting every person deemed ‘suspicious' - or rather, persons who dare to question BN's administration - away. Obviously, the first victim would be Anwar Ibrahim. How could we have ever let our judicial system fall into such rot? Why do we allow characters like Syed Hamid Albar to call the shots in treating the people of Malaysia like mice locked in laboratory cages? Please stand to denounce the bill. Don't let it

KUALA LUMPUR (Aug 26, 2008) : Home Minister Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar tabled the Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA) Identification Bill 2008 for second reading in the Dewan Rakyat today despite protests by opposition MPs. Fong Po Kuan (DAP-Batu Gajah) led the protests when she asked Deputy Speaker Datuk Ronald Kiandee why the government was being hasty in tabling the bill when the Universities and University Colleges (Amendment) Act was supposed to be tabled first. “The UUCA Act was given to the MPs in July but the DNA Bill was only tabled for first reading last week on Aug 18. Is this made with mala fide intentions? Is the government having any side motive to this? “We need time to discuss the Bill and make consultations. The Bar Council also wants to give its input,” she said, in asking for an explanation on the reason for Bill being brought forward and given priority. Kiandee however said it was nothing against the law as the Standing Order gives the government the right to give priority

KUALA LUMPUR (Aug 26, 2008) : The much-talked-about DNA Identification Bill 2008 is being debated in Parliament for second reading. The following are the key points in the Bill: » The Act defines "non-intimate sample" and "intimate sample". The former covers samples of hair (other than pubic hair), a nail or from under a nail, a swab taken from any part of a person’s body other than a part from which a swab taken would be an intimate sample or saliva The latter means a sample of blood, semen or any other tissue or fluid taken from a person’s body, urine or pubic hair or a swab taken from any part of a person’s genitals (including pubic hair) or from a person’s body orifice other than the mouth » Provides for the setting up of a Forensic DNA Databank Malaysia which will keep and maintain indices for the purpose of human identification in relation to forensic investigation. » Prescribes procedures for taking, storing, disposing of DNA samples and removal of DNA profil

These are the final results of the Permatang Pauh by-election PARTI KEADILAN RAKYAT: 31,195 BARISAN NASIONAL: 15,524 MAJORITY:15,671 VOTER TURN-OUT: 81% http://mt.harapanmalaysia.com/2008/content/view/11828/84/ seals: I saw in TV they were asking "What is the message that the people are trying to deliver in the by-election"? And suggested post-mortem. Hello.....the message was delivered in PRU-12 and BN had post mortem too. And in short time this by-election. What message they expect more and what post mortem? I only see BN fail to deliver and I guess that they fail to put this as a point in the post mortem, just blame others never look at the self. If BN really change then the voters/people will accept BN, or else face more disappointments... See you in Parliamen DSAI .... do your job we are with you.

Malaysia's PM backs Anwar accuser after mosque 'stunt' Malaysia's premier has backed the young man accusing opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim of sodomy, after the man visited a mosque to swear to his claims in an act criticised as a political stunt. Anwar has said the allegations made by Mohamad Saiful Bukhari Azlan, a 23-year-old former aide, have been engineered by the government to prevent him from seizing power after landmark March elections. Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi hit out at criticism of Mohamad Saiful after he was photographed last week at a city mosque, swearing on the Koran that he was telling the truth. "According to Islam, an individual seeking justice should be respected, even though it may be a personal issue," the premier said, according to the New Straits Times Monday. "There are those who question his method and whether he is following the right procedure but in his heart he must have a clear intention," Abdullah said. &quo

Women, family and development minister Ng Yen Yen distributed RM200 to about 200 senior citizens above the age of 60 in Seberang Jaya today. She did it at the Persatuan Bomba Sukarela Permatang Pauh from 2-4pm. It may look like it was kind of charity aid for senior citizens especially women, but people questioned the timing. The receivers had too register their names with the welfare department with their identity cards. And if one could justify the timing, then why did Yen Yen tell the participations in Hokkien: “ow jit, ay hiao cho” (direct translation=you know what to do on the day after tomorrow”). How come? That’s like buying votes, isn’t it? Can Yen Yen justify that it is not? I am willing to listen. By the way, I think she was quite ‘embarassed’ when she asked the crowd at the beginning of her talk “lu but wah woh?” (Do you know me?). I heard no one responded. Taken from http://sloone.wordpress.com/2008/08/24/blatant-corruption-in-permatang-pauh/ Read more @ MAFREL’s and Elizab

BUTTERWORTH: A total of 949 names have gone missing from the gazetted list of the Permatang Pauh parliamentary constituency electoral roll used in the March 8 general election, Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) has charged. The names were nowhere to be found on the updated list issued by the Election Commission, PKR election committee deputy director Fuziah Salleh claimed. She said most of the missing names were those of the party's supporters. However, she said 868 of the names were still in the June 19 electoral roll which was gazetted but not in the July 31 roll. She said 83 voters were also found to have similar addresses, adding that the party believed they were “phantom voters.” Fuziah said the EC should not use the July 31 electoral roll, which has 58,459 registered voters, as it was only an updated version which had not been gazetted. PKR information chief Tian Chua said the party had obtained a note with the names of 200 voters who had been paid between RM100 and RM150 to vote a

BUKIT MERTAJAM: The imam who “witnessed” Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan swear on the Quran recently has urged the public to stop blaming him, saying that he was not a part of any conspiracy. Ramlang Porigi who spoke for just five minutes during a ceramah at Padang Ibu, Permatang Pauh late last night, said he had no part in organising the entire swearing on the Quran episode, adding that he was only asked by his superiors to be present. Mohd Saiful had sworn on the Quran in the Federal Territory mosque on Aug 15 that he was sodomised by PKR adviser Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim. Ramlang said normally, swearing on the Quran was carried out by two disputing parties after all legal avenues had been exhausted. http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2008/8/25/nation/22165681&sec=nation seals: if this is a religious matter and Saiful has taken oath in Mosque, why not the case is taken at a Shariyah Court as Anwar said?

KUALA LUMPUR: Former Transparency International (TI) Malaysia chairman Tunku Aziz Tunku Ibrahim is the latest recruit for DAP and was appointed the party’s vice-chairman. A beaming DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng made the announcement about the party’s line-up at the two-day national congress yesterday. He said Karpal Singh would remain as chairman while Dr Tan Seng Giaw would be retained as deputy chairman. Tunku Aziz is joined by Member of Parliament for Ipoh Barat M. Kulasegaran, Penang state chairman Chow Kon Yeow, Seputeh MP Teresa Kok, and Sarawak’s Bandar Kuching MP Chong Chieng Jen as vice-chairmen. However, there was no mention of party adviser Lim Kit Siang in the line-up although he was formerly the central policy and strategic planning commission chairman. The deputy secretary-generals are Prof P. Ramasamy, Chong Eng and Ngeh Koo Ham while Fong Kui Lun retains the treasurer’s post. Cheras MP Tan Kok Wai retains the national organising secretary post. Newcomer Tony Pua ta

BUTTERWORTH: The police should free the Hindraf supporters who were arrested for participating in illegal assembly outside a Hindu temple on Saturday. Gerakan acting president Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon said he had made a request to Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak and the police to release the detainees, if they did not have previous criminal records. Dr Koh made the call when speaking to reporters at Kampung Bagan Serai yesterday. “It was an emotionally-charged situation but since they were not violent, we feel that they should be released,” he said. Nine people, including Hindraf co-ordinator R.S. Thanenthiran, were arrested outside the temple in Jalan Todak, Seberang Jaya, around 6pm when they refused to disperse after being ordered to do so by the police. Thanenthiran and six other Hindraf supporters have been remanded until today to facilitate the police investigation. Police released two women yesterday. Both were earlier arrested with the men for the offence. Centr

PERMATANG PAUH: Arif admits to paying "spies" to collect information Giam Say Khoon SEBERANG PERAI (Aug 22, 2008): Barisan Nasional candidate for the Permatang Pauh by-election Datuk Arif Shah Omar Shah today admitted to paying local residents to help gather information and gauge voter sentiments, saying that this should not be taken to mean vote buying. Without disclosing how many people were recruited for this purpose, he said the money was paid not only to BN campaign workers but also to some residents to act as "spies", although they are not told who they were working for. "We pay them for going to the ground and gathering information for us. Some of them (voters) do not even know that they are 'working' for BN simply because we never tell them that they are getting information for us. This is how our machinery works," he said when met at his house. "With additional money to 'operate', our spies can go the coffeeshops to talk to th

By WANI MUTHIAH KLANG: More cases of teachers picking on Indian students here have emerged. Several parents of children attending a primary school here have lodged police reports since November last year alleging that five teachers in the school had physically and verbally abused Indian students. R. Sathasnam, 52, said he and another parent had complained to the school’s administration repeatedly but the abuses continued. He alleged that these five teachers regularly hit the students and told them to transfer out of the school, as they (the teachers) were “fed-up of seeing their faces”. “One of the teachers called some Indian students derogatory names ,” alleged Sathasnam. He alleged that many Indian students were slapped, kicked, punched and caned by these teachers for misdemeanours such as talking while lining-up to enter the classroom. “My 10-year-old son was lifted-up by the ears by a male teacher and slapped and kicked for talking before entering the classroom after recess in Febr

More than 120 temple representatives present at a meeting organized by Malaysia Hindu Sangam at the Dewan Tan Sri K R Soma, KL yesterday were shocked that their temples and 2 existing Hindu Crematoriams were not identified at the master Plan of City of Kuala Lumpur by 2020. What is of great concern to the community leaders is whether there is a plan to erase off hundreds of Hindu Temples and 2 crematoriams at Jalan Loke Yew and Sentul by the year 2020. There was a feeling of disappointment and disgust when they were briefed on the Master Plan. They were informed that they have to send their note of protest using the appropriate DBKL Form by 30th August 2008. About 100 forms were distributed at the meeting. Briefings were made by MHS President Datuk A.Vaithilingam, IT Consultant Mr. Chin Meng Sun, MHS Temples Advisor Ir Ariathavaratnam, MHS Temples Affairs Committee Chairman Mr. G.gunaraj and Bukit Jalil Social worker Mr. Thiagarajan. All those who are not able to obtain the DBKL Master

Perak Gerakan mulls calling for party to leave BN By Humayun Kabir IPOH (Aug 17, 2008): Fed-up with racial and religious sentiments played up by certain Barisan Nasional component parties for their own political millage, Perak Gerakan is contemplating calling for the party to leave the coalition. The majority of the 378 Gerakan delegates who attended the party state delegates meeting today, expressed disgust at the fanning of racial and religious issues which is causing much anxiety and concern among Malaysians at large. "Racial and religious sentiments have been fanned by a few component parties for the past five months since March 8, causing much uneasiness and fear among Malaysians as to the path the country is heading to," said Perak Gerakan chairman Datuk Chang Ko Youn. "Most of the delegates at today’s party meeting expressed their wish that Gerakan pull out of BN as they are unhappy over the fanning of sensitive issues that would bring disunity among fellow Malays

JAIS raids pub, in high handed manner by Charles Ramendran newsd esk@thesundaily.com KUALA LUMPUR (aug 17, 2008) : A band manager is crying foul over the high-handed and rude manner in which the Selangor Religious Affairs department (Jais) raided a five-star hotel pub in Glenmarie, Shah Alam early yesterday. K.Selvaraj, the manager of eight-piece veteran pop band NRG who were performing at The Pub at the Holiday Inn Glenmarie, said about 15 Jais personnel who arrived in several cars and vans barged into the place at about 1am and began yelling at everyone about their presence. He said the patrons, staff and band members were ordered by the Jais men to hand over their identity cards, and about an hour later the non-Muslims on the premises were released. “Several foreigners who were guests of the hotel were visibly upset and asked why such a thing occurred and why they, as non-Muslims, were held for almost an hour when all they wanted to do was to unwind by having a drink,” Selva said.He

GEORGE TOWN: Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng's message to Permatang Pauh voters is simple – “choose one, get one free”. “Anwar Ibrahim will not only represent the constituency if chosen as an MP but also has a shot in leading the country by becoming the next prime minister.” Lim said Barisan Nasional's candidate Datuk Arif Shah Omar Shah would still serve the area even if he lost as he was already Seberang Jaya assemblyman. He called on his Pakatan Rakyat counterparts not to underestimate Arif Shah as the latter “must be Umno's best candidate” since he was chosen from several hopefuls including Permatang Pauh Umno division chief Datuk Abdul Jalil Abdul Majid and other key leaders. “I urge Pakatan to work hard and not underestimate our opponent. It won’t be an easy battle,” he said at a press conference after opening the Air Itam Teambuilding Centre (AITC) at the Air Itam Dam yesterday. Lim described Arif Shah as a “good man” but whose party had problems. Penang PKR’s informatio

Blame the politicians for protesters’ conduct THE conduct of protesters outside the Bar Council building and the few of them who were escorted into the auditorium by the police last Saturday, resulting in the disruption of a forum, puts Malaysia’s political maturity behind 20-30 years. The protesters could not have been so bold and confident if not for the earlier media statements of some politicians calling on the council to call off the forum or do it behind closed doors because of the subject’s "sensitive nature". The home minister was even reported to have said that the council should bear the consequences if it went on with the forum. One would have expected these same politicians, in this day and time, to prevail upon the extremist groups for tolerance and understanding. Religious tolerance can be nurtured only by dialogue and understanding. Politicians should take the lead and be seen to be encouraging such dialogue in the process of educating the citizenry. After 51 y

Students’ rally had police permit by Charles Ramendran mailto:Ramendrannewsdesk@thesundaily.com SHAH ALAM: The UiTM students who held a rally on Tuesday to condemn Selangor Mentri Besar Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim for proposing that the university open up 10% of its student intake to non-bumiputras had a police permit for the gathering. Selangor police chief DCP Datuk Khalid Abu Bakar said the students had applied for a permit with Shah Alam police a day before the protest and, after evaluating the application, the permit was approved. He said the approval came with terms and conditions, such as the rally should only be held during off-peak hours and the participants should abide by all police orders. Asked how the permit was approved within hours after it was applied for when there was a requirement for it to be submitted several days earlier, Khalid said: “That is true but we had to use discretion and see if the gathering could cause any disruptions to the daily routine in the area

PETALING JAYA: The Centre for Independent Journalism (CIJ) and Writers Alliance for Media Independence (Wami) have condemned calls to use the Internal Security Act (ISA) and Sedition Act against the Bar Council for organising the “Conversion to Islam” forum last Saturday. The forum was aborted shortly after it started because of pressure from a group of about 500 protesters. Wami chairman Wong Chin Huat said CIJ and Wami are dismayed by the response of the government and leading political parties for not only taking no part in assuaging the confl agration of their constituencies, but actually allowing key leaders to infl ame the anger of the protesters by calling for such draconian sanctions. On Monday, Utusan Malaysia quoted Umno vice-president Datuk Seri Mohd Ali Rustam as calling for Bar members to be detained under the ISA, which allows for indefinite detention without trial, while PAS Youth chief Salahuddin Ayub wanted the SeditionAct invoked on the organisers of the forum. Member

PETALING JAYA (Aug 13, 2008) : DAP chairman Karpal Singh today defended Selangor Mentri Besar Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim's proposal that 10% of new student intake in Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) be reserved for non-bumiputra and foreign students. "The suggestion is one which should be welcomed by all. The time has come for all institutes of higher learning to be open to all Malaysians.There is no question of Abdul Khalid betraying the Malay race," said Karpal who condemned public opposition to Abdul Khalid's suggestion. "I am somewhat taken aback by the unwarranted remarks by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi on this suggestion. When he became Prime minister, Abdullah is on record for saying he was the Prime Minister for all Malaysians," said Karpal. "The country should not practice apartheid in any form. I cannot understand why after 51 years of independence, considerations of race are still the order of the day," said Karpal,

By A. LETCHUMANAN KUALA LUMPUR: MIC president Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu has expressed surprise that the teacher who had hurled racist slurs at the Indian community has been transferred to a better school. “I don’t know whether it is an appreciation to the teacher for the derogatory words," he said. The 35-year-old history teacher had admitted to using racial slurs and verbally abusing her students after two students had lodged police reports, sparking protests from parents and community members at the school last week. She apologised and was transferred to another school, reportedly one closer to her home. Samy Vellu said that he would be writing to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi to point out that people like this were responsible for chasing away many supporters from Barisan Nasional. “I feel the Education Ministry should be more sensitive to matters like this, where a whole community was insulted by a teacher, who is a government servant,” he said when contacte

NGOs continue to slam forum protesters by Tim Leonard mailto:Leonardnewsdesk@thesundaily.com PETALING JAYA ( Aug 12, 2008) : The "mob" which forcibly disrupted a forum organised by the Bar Council last Saturday were branded as "terrorists" by Sisters In Islam (SIS) and strongly condemned by other non-governmental organisations (NGOs). SIS programme manager Norhayati Kaprawi said violent acts of placing Molotov bombs in the Bar building and throwing similar bombs into a house formerly owned by Bar chairman Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan, severely tarnished the image of Islam and was "tantamount to terrorism". Norhayati said in a statement today SIS believes it is the right of any Malaysian to discuss serious and pressing issues affecting them. "The cases of Shamala and Subashini are issues that affect non-Muslim spouses and they have the right to discuss ways and means to solve any problems that might arise in terms of custody, inheritance or alimony. SIS st

10-year-old boy alleges 10 hours of torture by cops by Humayun Kabir newsdesk@thesundaily.com IPOH (Aug 12, 2008) : A 10-year-old school has alleged that Kampar police tortured him for about 10 hours last Wednesday after he was accused of committing theft by his teacher. N. Logeswaran’s father Nagarajan, 51, lodged a police report last Friday on behalf of his son who accused the police of subjecting him to physical torture and trauma. Nagarajan said his son was handcuffed to his back and police choked him, hung him upside down during interrogation. Logeswaran was also threatened and terrorised with a parang and a gun held by policemen if he did not admit stealing the teacher's belongings. His legs were also bound and had his head banged against the wall, resulting in large swell on the back of his head. He also alleged police attempted to burn his private parts with a lighted plastic covering but his son managed to wriggle away and the burning plastic drippings burned his right foo

Bar Council: Speed up marriage act amendments By FLORENCE A.SAMY KUALA LUMPUR: The amendments to the Law Reform (Marriage and Divorce) Act 1976 must be sped up to resolve conflicts and clarify procedures on conversion. Bar council chairman Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan said it was necessary to push for the amendments to resolve conflicts in civil marriages where conversion took place. "I attended a close-door discussion, chaired by the Attorney-General, on the amendments to the Act about a year ago but have not heard or attended meetings since then," she told reporters on Monday after attending the Bar Council's seminar on Sedition Laws -- Impact on Freedom of Speech in Contemporary Society. Various non-governmental organisations had called for an amendment to the Act, including requiring those who converted to Islam to abide by civil law in terms of maintenance, custody and matrimonial property. Gerakan acting president Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon has urged the joint committee of

KUCHING: From next month, mobile phone users in Kuala Lumpur will benefit from the "Mobile Number Portability (MNP)" system which allows them to switch service providers while retaining their numbers. Energy, Water and Communications Minister Datuk Shaziman Abu Mansor said users in the rest of the country would enjoy this benefit from October.Telecommunication companies are allowed to charge a maximum of RM25 for the service. Hong Kong, the United Kingdom, the United States, Europe, Australia, South Korea and Taiwan are among countries which have implemented this system. Shaziman said the government intended to enhance mobile phone coverage from the present 92 per cent to 97 per cent by the end of 2010 through the "Time 3" programme. Felda and Felcra sites, Orang Asli settlements, federal roads and new tourist spots will be covered.Shaziman said through the "Time 3" programme, 1,250 telecommunication towers would be built in two phases. Work on the first p

Bar Council pledges to press on by Tan Yi Liang newsdesk@thesundaily.com KUALA LUMPUR (Aug 11, 2008) : The Bar Council said today it will not be cowed by last Saturday's demonstration in protest against its forum on conversion to Islam and will continue to speak up on the legal aspects of the issue. Its vice-president, Ragunath Kesevan, stressed that the council's interest is in discussing and helping to resolve the conflict of laws and it had, at no point, challenged the validity of Islam in Malaysia or questioned Article 121 (1)(A) of the Federal Constitution, as alleged by certain quarters. "We have to speak to the stakeholders (in this issue). We cannot drop the issue just because of pressure," he told a press conference at the council office here. On Saturday's forum, which was cut short because of the rowdy protest by some 500 people, Ragunath said the forum was merely discussing the conflict of laws on matrimonial matters. "We have reiterated, many tim

300 protest Bar's 'conversion' forum Fiery speeches against forum Rival groups unified in protest Final scenes of anti forum protest http://www.youtube.com/user/malaysiakini

Najib: Forum disruption expected Maria J. Dass and Husna Yusop KUALA LUMPUR (Aug 10, 2008): Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak said today the disruption of the Bar Council's open forum on conversion to Islam was "expected" and blamed the council for being "stubborn" in not listening to advice from the authorities. Commenting on Saturday's forum which had to be ended prematurely due to a noisy protest by about 500 people outside the venue in Lebuh Pasar Besar here, Najib said: "We expected this to happen and we had already told them that holding an open forum on this issue would invoke this sort of reaction from some groups, but they were stubborn." "We live in a multiracial country and we have been able to live peacefully so far because we have been tolerant, respectful of the sensitivities of all races and by adhering to the tenets of the Federal Constitution. "If we dispute these basic ideals, it will definitely evoke re

Suhakam urges PM to amend civil laws to resolve conflicts By Husna Yusop KUALA LUMPUR (Aug 10, 2008): Former Suhakam commissioner Dr Mehrun Siraj has urged Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi to amend the civil laws to resolve the conflicts between a Muslim convert and a non-converting spouse. She said the lawyers had previously proposed that a section of the Law Reform (Marriage and Divorce) Act 1976 be amended, but to date, nothing has been done about it. "I want to throw a challenge to the Prime Minister. Amend the law to show you are sincere about resolving the issue. And don’t dolak dalik (be wishy washy) and pretend there are all kinds of reasons you can’t do it. "If you really want to resolve the issue, amend the constitution," she said after the abrupt end of the Bar Council’s forum titled "Conversion to Islam: Article 121(1a) of the Federal Constitution: Subashini and Shamala Revisited" on Saturday. The International Islamic University Mala

Himanshu Bhatt and Husna Yusop GEORGE TOWN (Aug 10, 2008): Gerakan acting president Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon has called on the federal government to urgently convene a meeting of the joint committee of civil and syariah lawyers to discuss and recommend proper procedures related to marriages between Muslims and non-Muslims, and issues such as conversion, custody of children and burial ritual after death. He said the committee, which was formed to work out solutions following several controversies related to Muslim converts after death and after breakdown of marriages, should be reconvened. "It is urgent to reconvene this committee which, I am told, has not met for quite some time," Koh said in a statement today. "Such issues and procedures, if left unresolved without good mutual understanding, will continue to haunt the multi-religious society of Malaysia," he said. "There will be controversy and even conflicts over family matters related to religious conversion.