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Tag: Barisan Nasional

  • Najib Razak: Although My Father Or Grandfather Isn’t From Kerala, I Am Known As The Father Of Indian Development

    Najib Razak: Although My Father Or Grandfather Isn’t From Kerala, I Am Known As The Father Of Indian Development

    In what may be another attempt to court ethnic minority voters, Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak has declared himself a champion of development for the Indian community. He highlighted that he insisted on appointing a senior civil servant to head the Customs Department, despite objections to the candidate’s ethnicity.

    Addressing the Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC) general assembly yesterday, the Prime Minister said: “Although my father or grandfather isn’t from Kerala, I am known as the father of Indian development.”

    It was a sarcastic broadside against his mentor turned critic Dr Mahathir Mohamad, who is now chairman of the opposition Pakatan Harapan coalition. The former premier’s lineage includes ancestors from the southern Indian state.

    Mr Najib told the 2,000 MIC delegates that the opposition is merely trying to confuse people by labelling Malaysia a failed state.

    “The question is, what have they (the opposition) done for the Indians compared with what BN (Barisan Nasional) has done, more so after I took over the leadership of the country from Abdullah Badawi,” he said.

    “With his (Mr Abdullah’s) permission, I initiated (a) Cabinet committee on Indian affairs to further develop the Indian community because I realised that without intervention and political will, Indians would be neglected, marginalised and left behind.” The MIC is a component party of the ruling BN coalition.

    Mr Najib said he also prioritised Indians in the selection of the new director-general of Customs. “I do not mind telling you, even the appointment of the new director-general of Customs was difficult. I received petitions not to pick an Indian for the post,” he recounted.

    “I said no, he (Mr T Subromaniam) deserves the post because he is the most senior. I stood my ground.”

    In March, Mr Subromaniam was appointed to head the department. His appointment came despite grassroots efforts to petition for the post to go to a Malay candidate.

    However, some Indian community leaders were sceptical about Mr Najib’s comments. “When he held many important posts in the government prior to becoming the prime minister, what has he done for the Indians? Basically nothing,” said Mr A Rajaretinam, president of Malaysian Indian group Rapat.

    The Premier is believed to have been wooing the Chinese and Indian minorities, fuelling speculation that the general election could be held later this year.

    In July, Mr Najib said the government will study a request from the Indian-Muslim community to be recognised as Bumiputera. Earlier this month, he said he wanted to see a “stronger Chinese representation in the BN government”.

     

    Source: http://www.todayonline.com

  • Kumpulan 25 Melayu Terkemuka – Pendapat Dr Zakir Naik Tiada Tempat Dalam Dunia Sekarang

    Kumpulan 25 Melayu Terkemuka – Pendapat Dr Zakir Naik Tiada Tempat Dalam Dunia Sekarang

    KUALA LUMPUR: Komen-komen negatif pendakwah yang penuh kontroversi, Dr Zakir Naik, terhadap agama lain boleh mencetuskan bahaya ke atas negara berbilang kaum dan sekular seperti Malaysia.

    Demikian menurut kumpulan bekas penjawat awam Melayu di Malaysia, dipanggil Kumpulan 25 Melayu Terkemuka (G25).

    Menerusi kenyataan media yang dikeluarkan minggu ini, G25 menambah pihaknya bimbang tentang sikap tolak ansur pihak berkuasa Malaysia terhadap sikap Dr Zakir Naik serta mempersoalkan status penduduk tetap yang diberikan kepadanya. Berikut ini kenyataan G25:

    G25 bimbang dengan sikap tolak ansur pihak berkuasa Malaysia terhadap komen-komen ekstrim yang dibuat oleh Dr Zakir Naik menerusi dakwahnya.

    Kami percaya dengan hak kebebasan bersuara namun apabila ia dibenarkan bagi orang-orang tertentu sementara pihak yang berlainan pendapat pula tidak diberikan kebebasan bersuara, itu bukanlah bentuk kebebasan bersuara untuk masyarakat kita yang berbilang budaya.

    Meskipun kami menghormati hak demokratik Dr Zakir Naik untuk menyuarakan pandangan beliau tentang Islam dan membandingkannya dengan agama lain dengan menukil beberapa kitab agama untuk memberikan gambaran pendapat beliau, Dr Zakir Naik seringkali mencetuskan kemarahan di kalangan masyarakat Muslim dan bukan Muslim disebabkan kebiasaannya memperolok-olokkan doktrin dan amalan agama lain.

    Beliau juga dikait rapat dengan pandangan ekstrim dan sikap tidak bertolak ansur terhadap hak kebebasan beragama. Oleh sebab itu beliau dilarang berdakwah di Britain, Kanada, Singapura, India dan Pakistan.

    Dr Zakir Naik gemar berbahas namun hanya dengan orang-orang beliau dan yayasan privetnya luluskan.

    Terdapat juga dakwaan yang menyatakan beliau tidak akan berbahas dengan para cendekiawan dari agama lain. Beliau mengelak perdebatan serius dengan para cendekiawan yang termuka di peringkat antarabangsa dengan meletakkan syaratnya sendiri.

    Dengan meletakkan syarat berbahas hanya dalam sekitaran yang menjadi pilihan beliau, Dr Zakir Naik jelas menunjukkan sikap pendakwah yang mahu diberikan sorakan gemuruh oleh hadirin supaya dapat menutup mulut lawannya.

    Kami juga bimbang komen-komen negatif Dr Zakir Naik terhadap agama lain akan membuat para ulama kita di Malaysia semakin berani mencontohi sikap tidak bertolak ansur beliau.

    Respons yang kami pantau dari kumpulan-kumpulan perbicangan menunjukkan golongan bukan Muslim berasa cemas dengan trend baru di mana para cendekiawan agama seolah-olah kebal dan boleh menyuarakan pendapat sesuka hati tanpa menimbangkan perasaan mereka yang dari agama lain.

    Sikap Dr Zakir Naik terhadap agama tiada tempat dalam dunia sekarang dan boleh mencetuskan bahaya sosial yang serius di negara yang berbilang kaum dan sekular seperti Malaysia.

    Ia juga membimbangkan apabila kami mendapat tahu Dr Zakir Naik dapat memperolehi status sebagai Penduduk Tetap dari Kementerian Ehwal Dalam Negeri tanpa diketahui oleh orang ramai sama ada beliau sudah memenuhi kriteria dan kelayakan ketat seperti yang dikenakan ke atas pemohon lain.

    Tentunya ratusan ribu kanak-kanak di Malaysia yang tidak mempunyai kerakyatan perlu mengetahuinya.

    Selain itu, jika pengecualian diberikan ke atas Dr Zakir Naik, maka penjelasannya perlu didedahkan.

    Akhirnya, pihak berkuasa Malaysia tidak sepatutnya dilihat sebagai memperjuangkan hak seseorang individu yang mempunyai reputasi sedemikian dan kami menggesa mereka supaya mengambil langkah berjaga-jaga.

    Sekiranya Malaysia digesa untuk bekerjasama dalam menangani pelampau agama yang berbahaya, kami menggalak supaya kerajaan melakukannya.

    Source: http://berita.mediacorp.sg

  • Malaysia’s Islamic Battle Takes A Heavenly Path

    Malaysia’s Islamic Battle Takes A Heavenly Path

    In the Islamists version of hell, that is the one in Malaysia, voting against the PAS is a vote to hell.

    This is part of the campaign to promote a united PAS-UMNO front in Malaysia, and the elite of the Islamist party are going national in their attacks against Muslims who are resistant to the idea.

    “It is important to unite PAS and UMNO in order to eliminate the DAP,” says a WhatsApp group message.

    The group – unknown since the name is not published on the posting in a pro-opposition Facebook page – changed its Icon to that of a PAS-UMNO hand shake.

    The message continue: “If you want to enter hell, you can vote DAP.”

    But if you wan to enter paradise.”Vote PAS”

    The message does not end there.

    It goes further into declaring – similar to an Islamic edict or Fatwa – that people who does not vote the PAS will be made ‘kafir harbi.”

    The threats are not new in Malaysia.

    On 23 June 2016, the Mufti of Pahang shocked Malaysians by stating that it is a sin for Muslims to support the Democratic Action Party (DAP), which he labelled as Kafir Harbi (infidels against whom war can be waged).

    The statement received mixed reactions from the Muslims: some voiced their support while many opposed it. For non-Muslims, it became a source of fear, given recent threats announced by the Malaysian Islamic State (IS) based in Syria, and the first bombing incident by IS in Malaysia.

    Following the overall rejection of the labeling by Muslim scholars and intellectuals who claimed that the label was invalid and unsuitable under contemporary circumstances, the Prime Minister’s Office announced that no Malaysians should be placed under the Kafir Harbi category.

    There is in Malaysia an unfortunate practice of using the term Kafir Harbi for political reasons, and for demonising certain opposition political parties and certain non-Muslim groups.

     

    Source: www.theindependent.sg

     

  • 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

  • Malaysia Minister: No Halal Certification For Products That Use “Haram” Names

    Malaysia Minister: No Halal Certification For Products That Use “Haram” Names

    KUALA LUMPUR, April 17 — Authorities will not issue halal certification for non-alcoholic “beer” or any product that uses “haram”-related names like ham or bacon, minister Datuk Seri Jamil Khir Baharom said today.

    National newswire Bernama quoted the minister in the Prime Minister’s Department as saying at the Dewan Negara that the use of the term “halal beer” went against the Manual Procedure for Malaysia Halal Certification (MPPHM) used by the Islamic Development Department (Jakim) and other state Islamic departments for halal certification.

    “In the manual, it’s clearly stated that products which use names or have names synonymous with non-halal products, or confusing terms like ‘ham’, ‘bak kut teh’, ‘bacon’, ‘beer’ and the like, cannot qualify for Malaysian halal certification.

    “Halal food or halal artificial food colouring also cannot use names or names synonymous with confusing terms that refer to non-halal food,” Jamil Khir said in response to Senator Khairiah Mohamed, who asked the government for a list of approved “halal beer” that is in the market, as well as conditions for selling “halal beer”.

    Jamil Khir also reportedly said some of those beverages have received halal certification from foreign private companies or halal certification bodies and that some did not use any halal logo on their products.

    “It must be stressed that Jakim and JAIN (state Islamic departments) are the authorities for Malaysian halal certification. Each application for Malaysian halal certification must follow the MPPHM or fatwa decisions and related rules used in Malaysian halal certification.

    “So, Jakim will ensure that these beverages do not misuse the Malaysian halal logo on their products,” he was quoted saying.

    US paper the Wall Street Journal reported in 2015 that Malaysia’s non-alcoholic beer market in 2013 was three million litres and was expected to grow to 3.6 million litres by 2016, a small figure compared to the 11.5 per cent sales in the Middle East and Africa.

    The report also said that fast food chain A&W switched to calling its root beer “RB” in 2013, in order to get the halal certification for all its outlets.

    The issue of halal certification surfaced last October after an executive with US pretzel chain Auntie Anne’s revealed that their application for halal certification had failed due to, among others, concerns over “pretzel dogs” on the menu.

    Some fast food restaurants in Malaysia use non-pork alternatives for ham and bacon, such as turkey ham and beef bacon. There are also vegetarian versions of “bak kut teh” (pork rib soup).

     

    Source: www.themalaymailonline.com