Sunday, January 31, 2010

Istana Negara on a Monday morn

Updated, 2 Feb:

Panglima Mahkota Wilayah. Sorry for the late update. Pak Lah and I were less than 3 feet away from each other at one point during the 4-hour ceremony yesterday morning but there was no chance for any exchange whatsoever.

Bernama's report from yesterday:
Three media organisation heads, namely the Director-General of Broadcasting, Datuk Ibrahim Yahaya, Malay Mail editor-in-chief Ahirudin Attan, who is better known as the blogger Rocky Bru and is also protem president of the Alliance of Bloggers (All-Blogs), and Harian Metro group editor Mustapa Omar are among the 27 recipients of the Panglima Mahkota Wilayah (PMW) which carries the title "Datuk".
Picture courtesy of NSTP.


Original article:
The last time I was invited to the Istana Negara was in Nov 2001 to receive the Kesatria Mangku Negara from the King. I was the Editor of Business Times and Acting Editor of the Malay Mail then. Blogging wasn't in the vocab.

Tomorrow morning, in the same old black Baju Melayu, I'll be making my way to the Balairong Seri once again, this time for the Istiadat Menghadap dan Istiadat Pengurniaan Darjah Kebesaran, Bintang dan Pingat Wilayah Persekutuan.

Updates later, after the news Embargo. In advance, Thank You from the bottom of my heart for the well-wishes.

"Dictator, a chauvinist and communist-minded"

Losing it? If Zahrain Mohd Hashim the PKR Member of Parliament did utter those words to describe the Chief Minister of DAP's Penang, I can only say that either Zahrain has lost his marbles or Lim Guan Eng has lost control.

Either way, Guan Eng can't sit still. He can't leave it to someone like Chow Kon Yeow, his own party's state chairman, to do the defending for him (Frustration could be reasons for Zahrain's outburst) or his own dad to put the pressure on PKR and PAS (Pakatan Rakyat - What next?). He can't lodge a police report against Zahrain (lodging police report against fellow MP is a form of intimidation, says Zaid Ibrahim, here) and surely, surely he can't be thinking of suing the former Penang PKR state chairman for defamation!

But he needs to act fast. The other side is having a field day!

Friday, January 29, 2010

Police report against Selangor MB

Poor Foundation. The war between the Yayasan Basmi Kemiskinan and the Selangor Menteri Besar intensifies with a police report lodged this morning against Khalid Ibrahim by the NGO.

On Wednesday, Khalid announced that he was declassifying documents pertaining to YBK to enable his state government to prepare a detailed report on the state government's contributions towards YBK. The MB did not say when the report will be completed. I'm sure we are very interested to know how much Khalid's government has given to the Foundation to justify it's wish to take over its running.

Meanwhile, YBK officials were in Melaka yesterday to visit a site the Melaka government is offering for their proposed UiTM campus. The campus was originally meant for Serdang in Selangor but Khalid stopped the project because YBK wouldn't make him chairman of the foundation.

The Malay Mail has the story here.

Thursday, January 28, 2010

Apalah, Mas?

Angry Customer. Sedutan blog Op Ed membaham Malaysia Airlines:
Lebih memalukan untuk MAS ialah kira-kira 10 minit selepas kecoh dan hingar-bingar ni, seorang kakitangan SIA dari Singapura (saya kenal suara dan telo orang Cina Singapore!) membuat announcement dari PA system (lebih kurang): 'To all SIA customers, please go to Gate 4, my staff will give you hotel vouchers. Your flight tomorrow has been rescheduled to 2pm. We have ground staff directing you where to go. Please give us about an hour to arrange for buses to take you to a hotel for the night.'

Terdengar beberapa mat salleh dalam kumpulan MAS dan juga penumpang India berkata: 'That's SIA for you'. 'Singapore, efficient as usual'.
Geram aku dengan bongok MAS ni!
Ini bukan kali pertama - dah dua minggu kabus delay flight.
Apa rancangan kamu? Mana ground staff kanan? Bodoh betul.
Notice this also: SIA tak panggil penumpang mereka 'passengers'. Mereka digelar 'customers'.
Maknanya: You are our customers, we will take good care of you.
What's up, MAS?

Baca Saya dah pulang - Marah dengan MAS, KLIA

Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Reckless in Wall Street

By Anwar Ibrahim
"The recent arson attacks exemplify what's wrong with the way Malaysia regards its non-Muslim citizens. The attacks were provoked by a controversy over the use of the word "Allah" by Malaysia's Christian community ... Since then, an already tense situation boiled over, largely due to incitement by a few reckless politicians, the mainstream media and a handful of nongovernmental organizations linked by membership and leadership to the United Malays National Organization, the ruling party." - Muslims have no monopoly over "Allah"
By Najib Razak wants the world to know about us:
"Many Malaysians have been appalled by the irresponsible and dangerous finger-pointing of a few politicians who put personal political interests before Malaysia's national interest. They try to score political points by hammering on sensitive issues. My government chooses a different path. We will reach out to all parts of Malaysian society in the coming days to foster open dialogue and work to resolve sensitive issues together." - Finding Unity in Malaysia's Diversity
Dangerous finger pointing, reckless politicians. Do read the two articles, which were published by the WSJ on Jan 25, and compare the messages that the writers are trying to convey to the world.

In his article Muslims have no monopoly over "Allah", Anwar started off with:
"Malaysia has once again resurfaced in international headlines for the wrong reasons. Over the last two weeks, arsonists and vandals attacked 10 places of worship, including Christian churches and Sikh temples."
My question when I read this was: Why no mention of attacks on suraus/mosques? The logicial answer is, perhaps Anwar had written the WSJ article before the alcohol bottle incident in Sarawak on Jan 16. That is quite a while ago. Anwar's webmasters should update his WSJ article on his blog and do it quickly so people won't accuse him of misrepresenting the facts. Add the pig heads incident, too, so as to give the full picture.

The PM, on the other hand, writes about Muslim groups volunteering to safeguard churches in their towns. Muslim social activists writing petitions to oppose these senseless acts of vandalism, and Muslim civic groups standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Christians, Hindus and Buddhists to ensure that all people can freely worship as they wish.
"Christian and civic leaders have urged calm and interfaith dialogue; they are fully aware that those who perpetrated these acts do not represent the Muslim majority in Malaysia."
Anwar does not waste the opportunity given by WSJ to attack his former party and the man who stands in the way of his political ambitions.

"Malaysia's international reputation has taken a beating since Prime Minister Najib Razak was sworn in last year. Despite his efforts to promote national unity, news about the caning of a young Muslim woman charged with drinking, the mutilation of a cow head in protest of the construction of a Hindu temple, ill treatment of Muslim converts who revert to their earlier faith and even the outlawing of the practice of yoga by Muslims have many at home and abroad wondering which direction Malaysia is headed under Mr. Najib's leadership. There are already misgivings about governance, human rights, the rule of law and rampant corruption; Malaysia dropped 10 spots on Transparency International's 2009 Corruption Perception Index, our worst showing in over 15 years. The vision of Malaysia as a peaceful and stable location for investment, tourism and migration is now in peril."
Najib made no reference to Anwar at all in his WSJ article. At first I thought the PM's reference to "finger-pointing politicians who put personal political interests before Malaysia's national interest" was a jab at Anwar but then I realise that it describes quite a few politicians I know of in BN and in Pakatan.

Do read Pasquale's Rebuttal, here.

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Ah, YB Zul Nordin!

Riding MP riles again! Even though we've never met, The Riding MP has been on my blogroll since before March 2008. After stopping the Bar Council's "conversion forum" in August that year, YB Zul has been dogged by one controversy after another. He is an honest politician to some, an idiot to others. Either way, he's a pain in the ass.

On the front page of The Malay Mail today, this is what he wants everyone to remember: "I don't bow to Anwar, PKR or anyone ...".

Is this guy for real? Well, he has already lodged a police report against another Pakatan Rakyat MP. See the Star's "PKR Tension" here. And just last Nov, that slugfest with Sivarasa, remember?

Zul is that last thing Anwar, who is facing a monumental court battle in Feb, needs right now.

Monday, January 25, 2010

Anti-palm oil and Marks & Spencer

Ah, Apple Warrior! A new kid on the blog, maybe, but Ghaz is a seasoned PR man and one of the pioneer TV3 newsreaders in the Eighties.

His first posting - on Marks & Spencer's anti-palm oil campaign - is worthy of a newspaper front page. Wonder what Marks & Spencer (Malaysia) has to say about it.

Read applewarrior88's posting here.

Middle-fingering Middle Malaysia

From Zhou dynasty to multi-racial Malaysia. If you are looking for solid counter-arguments re DAP's Middle Malaysia concept, your search should end with Shamsul Akmar's commentary Middling Value in 'Middle Malaysia' in the New Straits Times today.
"DAP'S new remedy for the nation -- Middle Malaysia, sounds quite ancient and feudal -- very much like the Zhou Dynasty's Middle Kingdom.

"Even if the Middle Kingdom is attached to that which is Egyptian, it is still very feudal, a period when rulers were divine and a law unto themselves. But for most Malaysians, surely Middle Malaysia will echo that of the Chinese Middle Kingdom and not that of the Egyptian.

"As it is, it has already been pointed out in the blogosphere that DAP's departure from Malaysian Malaysia to Middle Malaysia is an attempt to beguile the Malays who had rejected the former as a subtle chauvinist agenda."

Read more here.
Of if you'd rather Barking Magpie's rendition: DAP = Middle Malaysia = Middle Kingdom = Chinese Domination!

Sunday, January 24, 2010

Ibrahim, the new Sultan of Johor

Sultan Ibrahim Ismail ibni almarhum Sultan Iskandar. It's a tall order to fill the shoes of the father, the almarhum Sultan Iskandar ibni almarhum Sultan Ismail who died on Friday at the age of 77, but Tunku Ibrahim, 51, has what it takes to be a great ruler from Malaysia's oldest istana.

I am not a Johorean myself - I was born without a raja in Melaka and grew up in Singapore where we had no sultan (only a Masjid Sultan) - but the little that I know of Ibrahim when he was the Tunku Mahkota Johor - I dare say that Johoreans now have another Raja berjiwa Rakyat. Sultan Ibrahim loves adventures, has a great sense of humor and, most of all, genuinely cares for the well-being of Johoreans, joit just the Melayu Johor but the bukan Melayu as well.
The Sultan is Dead. Long Live the Sultan.
Raja adil raja dijunjung. Raja zalim raja disanggah.
p.s. Ada orang sanggah apa saja yang tak konsisten dengan ideologi dan prinsip mereka. Macam blogger aduka taruna yang buat posting kurang sopan kat sini. Lepas tu dia pohon ampun maaf dengan semua rakyat Malaysia terutamanya orang Johor kerana keterlanjurannya. Ni mesti sahabat handai consultant KRA yang tulis untuk Malaysian Insider tu.

A-Duka, diorang dah buat polis report here. Berani buat berani tanggung beb, pegangan orang Melayu tak kira kat Singapura atau kat Kelantan ...

Thursday, January 21, 2010

So who sold AirAsia to the foreigners?

Moola (no relations to the Air Asia X chairman) has the story H E R E.

Brazilian USD5 billion samba in Perak (or Return of Tajudin Ramli?)

Who gets the credit? Vale SA of Brazil plans to invest up to US$5 billion on a massive distribution centre in Perak. That's great. But PKR and BN's upmanship on who gets the credit could force Vale to pack their bags and go. That would be a shame, for a nation suffering record unemployment.

By the way, the company that is selling the land to Vale SA is Harta Makmur. It is 54 per cent owned by KYM Holdings Bhd, Bursa Malaysia record shows. Harta Makmur is a company that has long-standing links with Tajudin Ramli, the forgotten tycoon, while KYM is owned by KY Lim, a banker with longer standing ties with TR.

So who are the lucky 46 pct owners of Harta Makmur?

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Three "rajas" among 8 arrested

The Malay Mail story here.
Police arrest 8 in connection with church arson. Three of them have names starting with "Raja", that much I was told (Raja as in Raja Petra Kamaruddin, not Rajasekaran). Let's hope the cops get all of them, including whoever were behind the gurdwara and mosque attacks of the past week.

Talk about cops, a newspaper wanted my comments as interim president of the All-Blogs on the statement made yesterday by Abu Seman, the deputy Home Minister, of "rogue" bloggers who have been posting articles just to tarnish the image of the Royal Malaysian Police.

I told the newspaper that there aren't many of such bloggers, and most of them are probably inspired or sponsored by their political masters. Indeed, more politicians have made more damning remarks about our cops than these so-called rogue bloggers, so Abu Seman should stop worrying about us bloggers and take his fellow politicians to task.

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Ah, Masrenny and Asmawati!

updated 20 Jan, 7pm:
Bernama - Malaysia should continue to provide assistance
Dr M praised Bernama TV's 4 journos for their part in the Viva Palestina. BRTV was the only media from Malaysia that took part in the 3-week international convoy. Malaysia was the only country from Asia that participated.

Click H E R E for some pics of the Viva Palestina convoy-ers from Malaysia.


Original article:
B for Brave. These Brtv or Bernama TV journalists were part of a Viva Palestina international humanitarian aid convoy to Gaza. The two newscasters, along with two other BRtv colleagues, were the only Malaysian media in the convoy.

And who was it that said Bernama TV should stick to "food, fashion and beauty"?

* Four Perdana Leadership Foundation (PLF) staff were also on the convoy, which saw 450 people from various countries took part. One of them, who also dodged bullets in Baghdad, wrote a scathing piece To Muslims, Egypt has lost its moral ground. If you're not invited to lunch with them at the Perdana Leadership Foundation tomorrow, read what Masrenny and Asmawati had to go through during the 3-week convoy here.

Monday, January 18, 2010

Another politician kaki sue

Wee Ka Siong to sue the Star. Wee, a deputy minister, wants to sue the Star. Last week he also threatened to sue Bernama TV. Both over the remarks made by the same man, Phang, with regards to Wee and the PKFZ fiasco.

Read the NST report today, Page 6, here.

The lawsuit threat against Bernama TV is over its Jan 7 Hello Malaysia program featuring Robert Phang. It was a rare occasion where a local tv station had the gumption to debate the subject of graft openly and "live".

Wee should request Bernama TV have another go at the subject, featuring him. No need to sue anyone. And give an interview to the Star, the Sun of NST. Or Malay Mail, if he wishes.

If The Star wishes to play Wee's silly game, it can well decide to sue Wee over his remarks in the NST that "I know it wasn't the reporter's fault. Someone higher up had edited the story to make it seem like I am hiding something." That, to me, is a malicious statement.

For that matter, the Star could sue NST for publishing Wee's statement accusing "someone higher up" in the Star making up a story about Wee!

Come on, Wee. Leave the suing of newspapers to Anwar, Theresa, and that Menteri Besar from Perak who's suing Suara Keadilan. Politicians are not people without avenues for recourse or right to reply.

Sunday, January 17, 2010

SatD's Trinity, Part 2 and 3


SatD's Gems. And if you haven't read The Problem of Meaning, Abdullah Paderi and the Pangkor Treaty by the blogger SatD, which has created a raging debate with some 150 comments, you have some catching up to do. SatD has turned it into a trilogy (but has spared Munshi, Haris and Farish this time):-
Part 2: To the stupid ahbeng called anonie
&
Part 3: Poni Alak Petara: Unravelling the linguistic origin of Borneo's Allah
Note: Once again, I'm closing my comment section so that readers can go to SatD to leave comments and continue with the raging debate on the topic.

Mosque attacked. While we're on this topic, did you hear about the mosque that was attacked yesterday in Sarawak? Did you hear anyone condemning it? No? Why not? Do you wonder?

If you ask me, tak payah condemn lah. When you condemn, you may make the mistake of blaming others. (Like the blogger who wrote "the Christians will not retaliate" after the first church arson. Retaliate against whom? How do you retaliate when you don't know who were behind the church arson in the first place?).

I don't believe Christians are responsible for the attack. I believe it is an un-Christian thing to attack a mosque as it is un-Islamic to attack a church or, for that matter, a mosque or a gurdwara. Whoever threw that bottle of rum into the mosque in Sarawak are sick people. Just like the sickos behind the church arson and gurdwara attacks.

Read the AP story here, the Singapore Straits Times here.

Former MB wanted to be YBK boss, too!

Khalid wasn't the only one who wanted it. Abu Hassan Omar tried to take over the Yayasan Basmi Kemiskinan years before Khalid Ibrahim's awkward attempt to become the BOSS of the foundation that's sitting on valuable landbank and a RM300 million project. I'm not sure what YBK had at that time that turned Abu Hassan on but the 12th Selangor chief minister [1997-2000] was firmly told by the state legal advisers to stand down.

By the way, to the two Anons who left comments (NOT published) on my previous posting that Selangor's biggest GLC Kumpulan Darul Ehsan Berhad has been late in paying the salaries of its employees, I've checked with my source who said that your claims are "utter rubbish".

Thursday, January 14, 2010

SatD's trinity









I wanted to take a break from the Allah issue, seeing that it's going back to the court soon but I simply can't resist this one by SatD, in which he takes on Munshi Abdullah, Haris Ibrahim, and Farish Noor all in one go. The blogger's latest posting is entitled The problem of Meaning, Abdullah Paderi and the Pangkor Treaty. The research that goes into his arguments is impressive, almost divine, so be prepared to open up your mind wide.

Munshi won't be responding to SatD's salvos, though.

NOTICE: I have disabled the comment section for this posting. If you wish to leave comments, click HERE. SatD, I'm sure, will be too happy to explain his post.

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

MACC to probe Selangor MB for demanding top post in foundation


Corruption Involved? An major update on chairmanship-for-project scandal involving Khalid Ibrahim, the Menteri Besar of Selangor, and the Yayasan Basmi Kemiskinan, an anti-poverty foundation. I blogged about it here [Is that Blackmail, Tan Sri?] last week based on an exclusive by The Malay Mail.

Today's front page of The Malay Mail, MACC joins the post-for-project fray, here.

Monday, January 11, 2010

Will Gopal Sri Ram's RM87 million judgment stand in Federal Court today?

updated, Tues:


From the Star, here.

Original Article:
UEM vs Genisys, this morning at the Palace of Justice, Putrajaya. RM87 million is helluvaload of taxpayers' money.

Which is why it's in the taxpayer's interest to know whether the Federal Court today would uphold or throw out a decision by a Court of Appeal led by Gopal Sri Ram which in July 2008 not only reversed a High Court decision in favor of UEM but also ordered the Malaysian GLC to pay its former Singapore partner a sinful sum of RM87 million.
"Clearly, there are people who believe that the outcome of the UEM-Genisys feud ought to be highlighted because it could have broad implications. They may be right, and it’s not just about the money."
Read Errol Oh's commentary in the Star yesterday, here.


Updates later...

Sunday, January 10, 2010

Kit Siang's right! Umno, esp Najib and Hisham, did fail to address the Allah issue properly

Updated, after midnight: Don't Blame the Government by Bujai:
"For the first time ever, I would like to defer from what Rockybru wrote today ... "
Read more here.

Original article:

Here's how they can now deal with the issue properly. I read Kit Siang's posting with the longest heading "Call on Malaysians - including religious bodies, political parties, NGOs - not to take part in demonstrations over the "Allah" controversy to avoid the trap of irresponsible political desperadoes out to exploit, manipulate the politicize the issue", h e r e, where he reproduced an SMS purportedly sent to him which read “UMNO, esp Najib & Hishammuddin must bear full responsibility for d churches burning incidents since they failed to address d Allah issue properly, allowing people to demonstrate, thus causing it to escalate & spin out of proportion” and I must say that while Kit Siang made Kit Siang look like a fool by blaming Friday's demonstrations for the church arson (because everybody knows the church arson came before the demonstration and not the other way round), he was nevertheless right about one thing: Umno, Najib and Hishammuddin did fail to address the Allah issue properly.

They should not have allowed the matter to be dealt with by the courts. Go ahead, Zambry can join the likes of Anwar Ibrahim, Theresa Kok, and other politicians and sue Suara Keadilan for defamation in court, or you can have a field day with the sodomy case later this month.

BUT the Allah issue is an issue affecting Islam the official religion of this country, and such matters come under the purview of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong.

The King has called for calm and mutual respect, and has made his views on the Allah issue known. He said:
"To ensure peace and harmony among the followers of different religions, the meaning and reference to "Allah" in the general context should conform to the description fixed by Islam because this practice has all this while been accepted by Malaysians of other faiths."
I will not attempt to interpret the Tuanku's opinion and I don't think Najib, Kit Siang, or anyone else should.

For peace and harmony, this is a matter only the Council of Rulers can deliberate and decide. Najib's job is to advise the Agong on this matter, for sake of peace and harmony. Whatever the Council of Rulers decide on the matter, I'm sure Malaysians of all faiths will akur.

Christians and Muslims have lived, worked, and played together in Malaysia for years and years without untoward incident. Umno, esp Najib and Hishammuddin, must do this properly so we can co-exist forever in bliss and I think even Kit Siang will agree with me on that.

Read also:

1. Wong Chun Wai's On the Beat, Douse the fire of Madness. A court decision should not be the end of all matters. Consensus could still be reached if the right initiatives and comprises are taken. The challenge to our politicial leaders, Wong writes, is to have the courage to do what is right for Malaysia and not just try to say the right things.

2. Oh Muslims! Oh Christians! What is wrong with us? by Anas Zubedy who asks Muslims to understand some of the frustrations of the Christians in matters related to their faith, eg the never-ending wait for approval to build a new church.

3. Islam: Hak dan Tanggung-jawab Raja-Raja Melayu, in which A.Kadir Jasin says "sudah sampai masanya bagi setiap orang Islam, sama ada sebagai individu, persatuan, pasukan atau kumpulan, merayu dan mendesak Yang di-Pertuan Agong serta Raja-Raja Melayu agar campur tangan".

Saturday, January 09, 2010

The King calls for calm

"To ensure peace and harmony among the followers of different religions, the meaning and reference to "Allah" in the general context should conform to the description fixed by Islam because this practice has all this while been accepted by Malaysians of other faiths." - The Yang di-Pertuan Agong Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin


General January 08, 2010 23:01 PM
King Reminds People To Remain Calm, Respect Houses Of Worship


KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 8 (Bernama) -- Yang di-Pertuan Agong Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin wants all Malaysians to remain calm in the wake of the High Court decision on the use of the word "Allah" and respect houses of worship irrespective of religion.

In a statement issued by Istana Negara today, Tuanku Mizan said he very much hoped that the spirit of unity and mutual respect which formed the backbone of the nation's strength would at all times be safeguarded.

His Majesty said he was expressing this hope in view of the government taking the necessary follow-up steps following the court decision and all quarters respecting the sanctity and position of Islam as the official religion of the federation.

"To ensure peace and harmony among the followers of different religions, the meaning and reference to "Allah" in the general context should conform to the description fixed by Islam because this practice has all this while been accepted by Malaysians of other faiths," said Tuanku Mizan.

On Dec 31, the High Court had ruled that the Roman Catholic Church in Malaysia could use the word "Allah" in its weekly publication, Herald.

On Wednesday, the same High Court allowed a stay of execution on the use of the word following and agreement between the Home Ministry and the church in the national interest.

Three churches around Kuala Lumpur, the Metro Tabernacle Church in Desa Melawati; the Assumption Church and the Life Chapel in Petaling Jaya were subjected to attacks last night and early today.

-- BERNAMA

So gullible, mo!

Pls remove rosaries and all religious articles from your cars now. They are smashing cars with christian articles. Started all over bangsar... Protest going on now in pj n shah alam.
You may have gotten this or an SMS similar to this earlier today. Well, if you believe the SMS, you'd probably fall for the one that says you have an uncle in Nigeria who looked just like you and who just died while eating in the loo, leaving you -- masyallah! - USD10,000,000 in his will ....

In the first place, "they" in this country have never gone around smashing cars, with or without christian articles.

Bacalah juga,
Jangan Mudah Tuduh Orang Islam Bakar Gereja oleh Pahit Manis
Bengong Nate Otok Kecik oleh SatD
Salam Perpaduan/Keamanan/Kesejahteraan oleh Zaidel
Jangan Gugat Keharmonian Negara oleh Tiger
It's too much! by Jailani Haron
The Irrational, the Opportunistic, the Idiotic, and the Nasty among us by Nuraina A. Samad

Lain hulu lain parang ...



How, or why, the Bible was translated into Bahasa Melayu. This is a new one from the blog Anwar Ibrahim Dot Com that thrives in digging up ghosts from DSAI's past. This one is of Anwar Ibrahim in 1984 when he was the Agriculture Minister. I still remember how he told us reporters not to call him YB, just Saudara Anwar would do. Those were the days, man. Check out that shirt!

In the context of today's controversy surrounding the High Court ruling allowing the use of "allah" by Catholics in Malaysia, this brief footage is enlightening. Anwar speaks of why the translation of the Bible into the Malay language (bahasa Melayu) was so important to Stamford Raffles that it became the first task the colonial master assigned to Abdullah Munshi.

Just a little history lesson, that's all. And proof that we all can change. For better or for worse.
Anwar Ibrahim:

"... Dari segi rumpun Melayu .... kekuatan Bumiputera rapat dengan Islam, rapat, sejak awal tidak boleh nafikan. Penjajah bila bertapak target nya adalah mempastikan ada dikalangan orang2 Melayu dan Bumiputera menjadi orang Kristian supaya dengan cara ini mereka boleh split rank and file orang2 Melayu di Semenanjung dan Bumiputera di Sabah dan Sarawak.

"Sebab itu penterjemahan kitab injil ke Bahasa Malaysia ialah langkah pertama yang Raffles mintak Abdullah Munshi lakukan: salah satu perkara pertama ialah terjemahkan kitab Injil kepada Bahasa Malaysia atau Bahasa Melayu pada masa itu .. Kerana mesti dapatkan sekolompok orang Melayu menjadi Kristian.

"Mereka gagal, tapi concentration dan effort di Sabah dan Sarawak terlalu kuat."
updated: Compare with Anwar's posting on 8 Jan 2010 Jangan Bermuka-muka Pertahan Islam.

Friday, January 08, 2010

The Allah issue: Churches torched in Malaysia

PM condemns agents provocateurs. Najib Razak has condemned those behind two incidents of church arson in the last 12 hours or so. Hisham the Home Minister is holding a press conference right now. I'm glad the Prime Minsiter has come out quickly and hard on the subject, and I hope the cops are on top of this. Politicians, this is the time to get your people to calm down, and if even that you can't do please shut the duck up.

We know the people behind the attacks are taking advantage of the "allah" controversy to split us up further. We just don't know who these agents provocateurs are.

Meantime, remember: Malaysia is not Egypt. And this is not Switzerland.
We don't want to be Nigeria, Kenya, or Iraq.

The Malay Mail will carry footages of Hisham's press conference on-line at www.mmail.com.my in a while. We are rushing today's hard copy Edition to include the latest on this matter. All pics here courtesy of The Malay Mail.





Thursday, January 07, 2010

Khalid: Yes, I wanted to be the YBK BOSS


But (again I have to ask), wasn't that BLACKMAIL, Tan Sri? Those who accused The Malay Mail of fabrication and a la RPK spin with its cover yesterday (pic), quietly go to one corner and read below the Press release issued by the Selangor Menteri Besar today in response to our report yesterday.

Khalid admits he wanted the Chair.

He said it's for the sake of transparency. The state government gave YBK the land and he wanted to make sure the foundation is run efficiently, no hanky-panky, etc.

But isn't his job as MB to run the state, not an NGO?
Did his government give YBK the land?
Was there NO transparency in the way YBK was run?
Was the YBK not acting "responsibly" before?

The Paper That Cares ran an FAQ on the Serendah scandal today, which even answers some questions asked in this blog by my commenters: Q&A: What you need to know about the UiTM campus controversy. It also has this story today:


Now, the press release, in full.

[And just so you know, the YBK is calling for a press conference tomorrow morning].

For minutes of the meeting where Khalid's demand to be YBK Boss was made, go H E R E.

KENYATAAN MEDIA

7 JANUARI 2010

PENGLIBATAN KERAJAAN NEGERI DALAM YBK AKAN JAMIN KETELUSAN


SHAH ALAM : Keputusan Kerajaan Negeri Selangor untuk mengambil bahagian dalam operasi Yayasan Basmi Kemiskinan (YBK) adalah untuk memastikan ketelusan dan kebertanggungjawaban dalam mengurus tadbir sumber negeri yang diserahkan kepada yayasan tersebut.

Majlis Mesyuarat Kerajaan Negeri telah membuat keputusan pada 20 Oktober lalu untuk melantik dua wakil daripada kerajaan negeri supaya duduk di dalam Lembaga Pengarah YBK dan berpendapat Dato’ Menteri Besar perlu dilantik sebagai pengerusi YBK dan sementara Exco Selangor yang memegang portfolio kebajikan dilantik sebagai anggota lembaga.

Keputusan ini diambil kerana kerajaan negeri khuatir dengan masalah ketelusan dalam memastikan sumber kewangan yayasan itu diurus tadbir dengan baik dan memberi manafaat kepada golongan miskin di Selangor. Sumber kewangan ini termasuk 448 ekar tanah di Serendah.

Memandangkan kerajaan negeri telah memberi tapak tanah yang nilainya berjuta ringgit kepada yayasan tersebut, kami perlu memastikan orang miskin di Selangor mendapat faedah daripada penggunaan tanah tersebut. Ini bukan keputusan bermotif politik, tetapi satu langkah untuk memastikan sumber negeri diuruskan dengan telus dan bertanggungjawaban,” kata Menteri Besar Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim.

Khalid berkata kerajaan negeri boleh mengambil bahagian dalam entiti bukan kerajaan yang menerima dana kerajaan. “Ini bukan konsep baru. Persatuan Bola Sepak Selangor juga bukan satu entity kerajaan tapi ianya dipengerusikan oleh Menteri Besar juga menerima dana kerajaan.”

Tambah Khalid lagi, pembabitan kerajaan negeri tidak akan mengganggu program membasmi kemiskinan di Selangor yang dijalankan oleh yayasan tersebut. “Melalui kerjasama semua pihak, kami akan bertambah baik dan akan wujud ‘check and balance’. Malah dengan pembabitan Kerajaan Negeri, kami boleh memberi lebih banyak sumber kepada yayasan itu,” kata Menteri Besar.

Kerajaan negeri berharap isu ini tidak akan dipolitikan lagi kerana keputusan telahpun dibuat atas dasar kepentingan rakyat Selangor.

SEKRETARIAT AKHBAR

PEJABAT DATO’ MENTERI BESAR SELANGOR


--
Salam Sejahtera.


Disertakan disini lampiran kenyataan media yang dikeluarkan oleh Sekretariat Akhbar Pejabat Dato' Menteri Besar Selangor. Jika ada sebarang pertanyaan sila hubungi Setiausaha Akhbar Arfa'eza A. Aziz di talian 03-5544 7452. Terima kasih.

Harap Maklum


Wednesday, January 06, 2010

Is that BLACKMAIL, Tan Sri MB?


Project to fight poverty halted because developer won't make Khalid its chairman. In other words, The Malay Mail's front page today accuses Khalid Ibrahim, the Menteri Besar of Selangor, of blackmail: if the Yayasan Basmi Kemiskinan does not make him its new chairman, it must stop work on the RM300 million project to build a university campus for some 5,000 students. That's so damning. Khalid will be damned if the accusation is true.

For the newspaper, it's published-and-be-damned even if it has the proof to back its claims against Khalid. Read the story online h e r e.

The developer or concessionaire YBK (foundation to eradicate poverty) is 20 years old. It's a non-governmental organisation, which is why it is not chaired by a politician. Its job is to undertake economic/development programs to benefit the poor. According to The Malay Mail, the Serendah project would bring in over RM1 billion in revenue for the Foundation over the next 20 years.

Why does Khalid demand to be Chairman of YBK? Is it because of the project (RM300 mil), the revenue, or YBK's landbank? The MB needs to speak up quickly, and convincingly.

Tuesday, January 05, 2010

A brief diversion, Bursa hits trillion mark

Trillion thriller. Looks like the good old days, feels like the good old days, but is it the good old days?


A brief reflection on minarets in Switzerland and Indians in Oz


The Malays, I'm proud to say, aren't like the Swiss. And will never be like them, I hope. Read the latest on the fate of a minor religion in Switzerland - When the Swiss voted to ban minarets, this man built one.

And despite our differences, we resolve them or find ways to live with them. And each other. In Australia right now, another round of racial tensions after an Indian youth was stabbed to death. Read here.

Pas' Hadi says OK to non-Muslims using "Allah"

Update: So who is spinning here? by Sinatra Z, comparing differing reports from the same source by the Malaysian Insider, Malaysiakini and MStar.

Zakhir Mohamad explains why Pas needs the diversion in "Pas terdesak ..."


Original article:

So why is his Spiritual leader saying something else? Going by the statements made by some of our ulamas, the Malay-Muslims of Malaysia are one confused lot. Or they are one race that will do anything i n politics.

Pas president Hadi Awang says his party is OK with the Catholics using Allah to refer to their God. He appears to caution these non-Muslims that they abuse/misuse that right at their own peril BUT his point is that Allah can be used by non-Muslims.

The same Harakah, however, had quoted Nik Aziz, or Tok Guru the Spiritual Leader of Pas, as saying something else here:

Excerpts:

“Setiausaha Politik Menteri Besar, Anual Bakri Harun berkata, wartawan silap memahami apa yang disebut Menteri Besar kerana perkataan Allah hanya boleh digunakan bagi mereka yang telah menerima Islam.

“Bagi memahami konteks yang disebut Menteri Besar dengan lebih jelas kita kena memahami maksud surah Al Ikhlas iaitu Katakanlah (ya Muhammad), Dialah Allah yang Maha Esa, Allah yang dituju (meminta hajat). Dia tiada beranak dan tiada pula diperanakkan. Dan tidak ada satu pun yang menyerupaiNya.

Oleh itu jelaslah nama Allah hanya wajar digunakan bagi mereka yang telah beriman dan tidak boleh menyalahi sifat 99 namaNya,” kata beliau di sini.”

Yang mana satu nak ikut?

Get the whole analysis and context from On Da Street h e r e.

Pic of The Malay Mail front page yesterday.

Monday, January 04, 2010

3-in-1 allah, etc., Bloggers against Blasphemies

Updated 5pm:-
4/1 Home Ministry files appeal at Court of Appeal against the High Court decision that allows Catholic weekly, Herald, to use the word 'Allah'/STAR

Original posting ...

A campaign, in the name of Allah. Inevitably, a group of bloggers has stared a campaign, Bloggers against Blasphemies, in response to the High Court ruling allowing the use of "Allah". Blogger SatD, who is initiating the BaB campaign, worries that the judgment would test the collective consciousness of the Malay-Muslim majority of the Malaysian population. "At what price", he asks.
"... here's the thing about Collective Consciousness.......it defines what is acceptable and what is not in a society.....if killing a person or raping a child is considered acceptable and does not offend the collective consciousness of the society..then it is not a crime to do so.....in that particular society...and the law which governs us is also based on the Collective Consciousness Value System......."
Read SatD's call to back this campaign, h e r e. He attaches his posting with the blistering "... a 500-yr old itch?" arguments by Apo, who's hoping that his piece will help the PM's Dept and the Home Ministry in their appeal against the High Court decision.

pic, today's headlines of the PM calling for calm.

Also, read Anas Zubedy's "Allah, the Bible, Christians and Muslims" here to understand why even the more open-minded Muslims can be offended by the High Court judgement:

'Failing to do so will create mistrust because the correct term for God in Malay is Tuhan.The Muslims will question your consistency and sincerity.

Because the real issue here is Trust. Not the technicality of the term Allah, Tuhan, Elohim, Elah etc.'

More related postings:

Bujai: May "ALLAH" bless Augustine Paul

Friday, January 01, 2010

NO headquarters at PWTC



Updated 2 Jan 20ten: Crime blogger Shamsul Abas of ondscene.my (viewers discretion advised!) sent me more pics this morning, which show more neglect at the Umno headquarters. The blogger took this one from the Sentul police station on 27 Dec 2009.


Original posting:
Nasib baik bukan PWTC yang ghaib! Hamba Allah-Islam (bukan Allah-Katholik) yang hantar gambar ni pagi tadi bersyukur yang amat sebab yang hilang bukan bangunan Umno tapi dua huruf saja.

Maklumlah, kalau enjin jet pun boleh hilang ....