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  • Damanhuri Abas: The Malay Reserved President Is A Done Deal

    Damanhuri Abas: The Malay Reserved President Is A Done Deal

    The Malay Reserved President is a done deal no matter how much Dr Tan Cheng Bock try to argue for an Open Election. He will be admired for his tenacity and resolve to truly serve the people he love. So what can Singaporean hope for after Dr Tan Cheng Bock?

    Looking at the rank and file in Government, they are still mostly dominated by career civil servants from the uniformed or non-uniformed services. This reality undermines the Government’s claim that pegging Ministers salary to that of top private sector senior management will lead to more coming forward to join politics and becoming Ministers.

    In fact since the Government calibrated the salary of Ministers to be on par to that of private sector senior management, we have not seen any ground-breaking move that is worth mentioning. The truth is, if one has attained senior management position in business it is most unlikely that a political career is anywhere in his or her radar. Instead it is those who don’t see financial prospect in the private sector that will grab a chance of making big bucks as politician. It is definitely rare and extremely far between to expect anyone who is earning a handsome annual pay comfortably in the private sector to be so driven by a calling to serve the people.

    Singaporean yearns for that truly fresh face to rejuvenate their hopes and dreams amidst the gloom of a Machiavellian driven politically sterile landscape dominated by the powerful elite and their avarice. For now, such a one is imperceptible in both the near and far vista of our political horizon.

     

    Rilek1Corner

    Source: Damanhuri Bin Abas

  • Malaysia Youth & Sports Minister: Bumiputra University Quotas Insult Malays

    Malaysia Youth & Sports Minister: Bumiputra University Quotas Insult Malays

    KUALA LUMPUR: Youth and Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin said Malays should view the quota system for entry into local universities as “insulting”.

    “These quotas and all that, some of it is in Article 153 in the constitution. I have been telling my Malay community, I said, ‘You know, one day, you should actually aspire, even before 2050, aspire to be in the university without quota’,” the Umno Youth leader told a dialogue on the National Transformation Plan 2050 with Indian youths at the Putra World Trade Center here today.

    “We should start seeing this quota (system) as something that is a bit insulting, that we need quota to get somewhere.”

    His comments came after a participant said he hoped that the quota system for Bumiputeras in the country would one day be removed.

    “Just as there is a perception of discrimination amongst other communities, we also feel that maybe we are not that good, because other communities are saying that, ‘Hey you are here only because of the quota’.

    “I want the Malay community to complete on a level playing field. That’s my aspiration,” said Khairy.

    The dialogue session was organised by MIC Youth as well as several Indian youth NGOs.

     

     

    Source: www.freemalaysiatoday.com

  • Sultanah Johor: Show Equal Respect To Non-Muslim

    Sultanah Johor: Show Equal Respect To Non-Muslim

    PETALING JAYA: Muslims must show the same respect to their fellow Malaysians of other faiths, as given to them, says Permaisuri of Johor Raja Zarith Sofia Almarhum Sultan Idris Shah.

    In a Facebook posting, she said Muslims in Malaysia are very lucky because they do not know what it is like to be part of a minority group.

    “Those of us who have studied or lived abroad know what it feels like to be a minority, and we learn to adapt. At the same time, we see the kindness and the acceptance of those who are Christians, Jews, or of other faiths, when we are in their countries.

    “I remember seeing photos of Zaharah Othman, the NST London correspondent, at a church, wearing her hijab. And she’s also told me how she was offered to perform her prayers in churches,” she said.

    She also shared how her eldest son Tunku Mahkota Tunku Ismail, when he was leaving India after ending his service with the Indian army, was taken to the army mosque by his fellow officers.

    “They were Hindus but they covered their heads with their handkerchiefs, and took their shoes off.

    “We Muslims must show the same respect to our fellow Malaysians,” she said.

     

    Source: www.thestar.com.my

  • Suspect In Borussia Dortmund Team Bus Attack Wanted To Profit From Stocks

    Suspect In Borussia Dortmund Team Bus Attack Wanted To Profit From Stocks

    Police commandos on Friday arrested a German-Russian suspect, 28-year-old Sergej W, behind a bomb attack on Borussia Dortmund’s team bus, prosecutors said, indicating the motive was financial and not terror-related.

    “The accused is suspected of having carried out the attack on the team bus of Borussia Dortmund on April 11,” prosecutors said.

    He is charged with attempted murder, setting off explosions and causing serious physical injury.”

    He was staying in the same hotel as the team, had a view of the scene where the attack was to be staged and had bought so-called put options on the team’s shares on the day of the incident, they said.

    These 15,000 options could have been sold at a pre-determined price by June 17, with a sharp fall in the share price promising a high profit.“A significant drop in the price could have been expected if, as a result of the attack, players had been seriously injured or even killed,” the prosecutors said.

    Sergej. W had allegedly taken out a loan on April 3 to pay for the put options and bought them online from the IP address of the Hotel L’Arrivee, where the team was staying.

    He had reserved the room in mid-March for the periods April 9-13 and 16-20 – coinciding with the team’s two scheduled matches against Monaco, though it was not yet clear at the time which one would be held in Dortmund.

    He hoped to earn as much as 3.9 million euros ($4.2 million), the Bild newspaper reported.

    The team’s share price has fallen by about 5.5 percent on the Deutsche Boerse since the attack and closed at 5.36 euros on Thursday.

     

    Citing unnamed investigators, Bild said police believed the suspect was capable of building a remotely-triggered bomb, having won an educational award in electronics and engineering in 2005.

    Three purported claims of responsibility stating a radical Islamist motive were found at the scene, on paper bearing no fingerprints, prosecutors said.

    But Islamic studies scholars voiced “considerable doubts” about their authenticity, they said.

    An Iraqi man was taken into custody over a suspected Islamist link but was later cleared of involvement in the attack.

    Similarly, a purported claim stating a far-right motive sent to German media bore “contradictions and inconsistencies”, prosecutors said, adding that there was “no indication that it was sent by the perpetrator”.

     

    Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere labelled the arrest “a great success” and said that, if confirmed, “this would be a particularly repugnant motive”.

    Federal prosecutors scheduled a press conference for 1030 GMT on the investigation, which has involved several hundred police officers.

     

    Source: www.tnp.sg

  • Female Supporters Of Ahok Fear For Their Lives As Islamists Claim It’s Halal To Gang-Rape Them

    Female Supporters Of Ahok Fear For Their Lives As Islamists Claim It’s Halal To Gang-Rape Them

    The conflicts related to the racially and religiously charged gubernatorial election in Jakarta have hit a new low when a supporter of the Islamic Defenders Front (FPI) claimed in a Facebook comment that it is Halal to gang rape female Ahok supporters.

    “Those who support Ahok are idiots and immoral.. it is halal to spill their blood and it is also halal if women are gang raped,” he stated in his comment.


    Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama, the Christian and ethnically Chinese governor of Jakarta who is currently contesting to be re-elected, had earned a lot of praise for his exceptional commitment for clean government and against corruption.

    According to FPI, however, it is not permissible in Islam that a non-Muslim governs a city mostly inhabited by Muslims.

    After black campaigns, violent protests and threats coming from Ahok’s opponents, the level of extremism has now crossed the line for many Indonesians.

    Ita Fadia Nadya, a member of Indonesian Women Against Violence, said that her group filed a police report against the Facebook user for hate speech, as defined by Article 156 of the Criminal Code Procedure Law (KUHP), Jakarta Globe reported.

    “We want to raise concerns about the safety of women in general. We aren’t talking about the upcoming gubernatorial election in Jakarta; our focus is purely on safety,” she told reporters at the Jakarta Police headquarters.

    According to her, the threat is especially harmful for women and compromises their safety.

    The FPI supporter with the Facebook username Dwi Ardika’s distasteful comment also reminded many Indonesians about the gang rapes that occurred during the anti-Chinese riots in 1998.

    “Before the massive gang rapes that occurred in 1998, there were sentiments and threats expressed [similar to this Facebook post].

    “In that period, there was no social media. Instead, threats were disseminated through posters targeting drivers of taxis and other forms of public transportation. We don’t want to see the actions of that year being repeated,” she said.

    The Jakarta riots in May 1998 saw 1,000 people killed and 87 women, mostly of Chinese descent, raped by rioters and rape squads, allegedly led by the army.

     

    Source: www.malaysiandigest.com