Tag: Malaysia

Malaysia Has More Religious Freedom Than US, Singapore, Christian Group Says

There is more freedom of religion in Malaysia compared to Singapore and the United States, both of which imposes stricter laws against various faiths, a prominent Christian preacher said today.

President of a new non-governmental organisation Christians for Peace and Harmony Malaysia (CPHM), Reverend Wong Kim Kong said that an individual preaching a different religion can be prosecuted in Singapore but not in Malaysia.

“In Singapore, if you preach other religions in a sermon, or you pray to a god made of wood, they’ll report to the police under the Singapore Religious Harmony Act, you’ll (be) prosecuted.

“In Malaysia, even if you talk bad about a different religion, not that we want to, they won’t disturb you,” he said during a press conference ahead of CPHM’s official launch.

He claimed Malaysians are also allowed to freely practice their religions at any location while Americans face difficulty even when wanting to pray.

“For the Christians, the Buddhist, the Hindus, you can build a shrine anywhere, you can open a church in any shop lot.

“You can even form a church without registration because the constitution allows you to practice your religion.

“Even in America, you can’t pray. So it just depends on which angle you look at,” he said.

He also noted that the debacle over the usage if the word Allah, an Arabic word that means god, in Bibles using Bahasa Malaysia has also been misinterpreted as an attempt to convert Muslims into Christianity, which it is not.

“I want to assure you that the accusation is actually not true. The church, as far as I know, never use the word Allah to preach the gospel,” he said.

“But the word Allah is used by our Bahasa Malaysia-speaking congregation to denote the god that they believe. So it’s not a tool for evangelism,” he added.

He further explained that the usage of the term was in no way an attempt to coerce others into Christianity.

“But I cannot deny the reality that sometimes overzealous Christians share the good news, every religion has this type of people, but by and large the Malaysian Christians are not extremists.

“We don’t coerce, some may out of enthusiasm, but generally they are peace-making,” he said.

This comes amid religious tensions silently brewing in Malaysia, with right-wing Muslim groups like Perkasa and the Ikatan Muslimin Malaysia (Isma) pitting themselves against various interfaith groups.

The country’s minority groups have repeatedly lashed out at the authorities’ allegedly nonchalant responses to remarks issued by Muslim fundamentalists against the sensitivities of the non-Muslims here, insisting that their inaction have only emboldened these groups and others into inciting more violence and hatred.

Earlier this year, influential UK paper Financial Times columnist David Pilling had written that growing religious intolerance in Asian countries could turn into a “disaster” for the region.

He cited Malaysia as an example of yet another country with “hardening ideology” but did not elaborate on the disaster this might cause.

Malaysia also made international headlines when it banned a Catholic Church publication from using the word “Allah”, which is deemed here as exclusive to Muslims, as well as the seizure of Malay and Iban medium Bibles from the Bible Society of Malaysia (BSM) last year.

In April this year, a group of Muslims protested against a church’s hanging of a cross on its facade, claiming the symbol was a threat to them and their religious beliefs.

Source: www.themalaymailonline.com

June 4, 2015
Negligence Suit Over Missing MH370 Settled Out Of Court

A negligence suit filed by two children of a passenger on board Malaysia Airlines (MAS) flight MH370 which disappeared on March 8 last year has been settled out of court.

The young plaintiffs, who filed the action through their mother, Ng Pearl Ming, had withdrawn the lawsuit, said Senior Federal Counsel Shahrin Saiful Nizam.

“The suit was struck out following a notice of discontinuance filed by the plaintiff’s lawyer,” he told reporters after emerging from the chambers of High Court judge Rosnaini Saub.

Shahrin said the family would not be allowed a file fresh suit, and that the judge had not ordered any costs.

Meanwhile, lawyer Dr Arunan Selvaraj, who represented the boys, said the matter had come an amicable settlement after the judge spoke with the mother, Ng.

“Having considered her rights and legal position, she has decided to accept the court compensation and move on with her life,” he said.

The terms of settlement are confidential.

The plaintiffs are the next-of-kin of passenger Jee Jing Hang. They filed the suit through legal firm Messrs Rusmah Arunan & Associates on November 1 at the Kuala Lumpur High Court registry.

MAS, the Department of Civil Aviation (DCA), the Immigration Department and the Royal Malaysian Air Force were named as defendants in the suit for negligence, and in the case of MAS, breach of contract.

In their statement of claim, the boys said their father, who was 41, had entered into an agreement with MAS for safe passage to Beijing when he paid the airfare.

They said MAS breached the agreement when the plane, which departed from Kuala Lumpur, failed to land safely in Beijing on March 8.

The Boeing-777 left the Kuala Lumpur International Airport at 12.41am on March 8 and disappeared from civilian radar about an hour later while over the South China Sea.

But the plane was declared lost in an accident on January 29 by DCA director-general Datuk Azharuddin Abdul Rahman, and the 239 passengers and crew on board deemed dead.

Lawyers well-versed in aviation law said then that Putrajaya’s declaration was an admission of liability and the airline had no defence, should suits be filed against it.

Press reports said the MAS management had offered to pay US$50,000 (RM180,000), which would be deducted from the final compensation.

According to the Montreal Convention – a multilateral treaty that governs international transportation of passengers and cargo – a maximum of US$175,000 can be offered in compensation by airlines.

Of the total number of passengers, 152 were Chinese citizens, including a group of 19 artists with six family members and four staff returning from a calligraphy exhibition of their work in Kuala Lumpur.

Thirty-eight passengers were Malaysians while the rest were from 13 other countries.

The aircraft has yet to be found, even after an extensive search in the southern Indian Ocean where it was believed to have gone down after veering off course. – June 2, 2015.

Source: www.themalaysianinsider.com

June 3, 2015
Singapore-Registered Fishing Vessel Detained In Malaysia

A Singapore-registered fishing vessel and its four crew members have been detained in Malaysia for alleged illegal fishing in its waters.

The Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority (AVA) on Thursday (May 28) confirmed the incident.

“We are aware that an AVA-licensed fishing vessel, SMF1195, has been detained by the Malaysian authorities,” an AVA spokesperson said, in response to queries from Channel 8 News.

“Singapore understands that the fishing vessel was in Singapore waters when it was first approached by the Malaysian authorities. Singapore has registered our concerns with Malaysia over this incident and is in contact with the Malaysian authorities.”

Channel 8 News understands that Singapore’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs is also investigating the incident.

The vessel’s owner, Lian Yak Fish Merchant, said the boat was about four nautical miles off Pedra Branca at 6am on Tuesday, when it was approached by a Malaysian patrol boat. The fishing vessel was later detained at Kota Tinggi in Johor.

Lian Yak Fish Merchant also said the three Malaysian officials had boarded the fishing vessel and told them to head towards Sedili in Kota Tinggi. “We arrived the next day, and the crew members were detained without bail,” the company said.

Lian Yak Fish Merchant added that the vessel was probably not in Malaysian waters, as it had been fishing in the area for more than 40 years, and even though it had misunderstandings previously, they were resolved.

“Our vessels are equipped with global positioning systems so their locations are clearly indicated. The crew wouldn’t enter Malaysian waters. They also recorded their position at that time, and they are very clear of where they are,” the company’s business development manager explained.

The four crew members are foreigners between the ages of 36 and 62, and they are slated to appear in court next Tuesday, the firm added.

Source: www.channelnewsasia.com

May 29, 2015
Under House Arrests On Fridays

For a religion that emphasises free will and no compulsion in believing, its authorities in Malaysia seem awfully insistent on proving the opposite.

In a week, starting June 1, Muslim men in the northern state of Kedah may now be liable for a fine not more than RM1,000 and jail not more than six months, or both for missing Friday prayers three weeks in a row.

The Section 13 that governs that offence was passed in the state’s latest Shariah Criminal Enactment amended last year. But of course, Kedah is not the sole state where such a law has been enacted.

The Federal Territories, for example, also criminalises skipping Friday prayers in Section 20 of its Shariah Criminal Enactment, with the exact penalty.

So do Perak in its Section 23, and Negri Sembilan in its Section 113, among others.

Back in February, Terengganu even mooted the idea of parading offenders in hearses as part of the penalty.

There is a reason why this law has failed to be enforced consistently, and surfaces in the media once every blue moon.

Friday prayers at the National Mosque in Kuala Lumpur. — Picture by Yusof Mat Isa

Most of the laws governing Friday prayers require a Muslim man to register at a mosque that represents a kariah, or a parish.

The crime is committed when the man fails to attend Friday prayers in that specific mosque at least once every three weeks, and should someone in that same parish lodge a complaint against that man, he can be charged.

I shall leave out the discussion on the justification behind the jurisprudence that decides on the seemingly arbitrary three-week threshold. The gaping hole here should be obvious: we no longer live in parishes.

The notion of parishes and tying a religious obligation to that concept has its roots in the archaic practices of tribal men who lived in desert communes, with little inter-city ties, what more global ones.

It might still be relevant to those who live in villages in rural Kedah or Terengganu, where men go to work and do their chores not far from their own homes, stuck in their parishes. But nowhere else.

For a start, it is a given that most Muslim men spend their Fridays at work far away from their parishes, where they take time off to perform the prayers. Some do not even have permanent workplaces, always on the go and often away from not only their parish, but their homes.

These men would go to the nearest mosques, which now handle hundreds and hundreds of faithful every Friday. To keep track of several men registered at the mosque among those adherent, where most of them would not even be from the same area and might even be from different states, is totally ridiculous.

Like I said, archaic tribal practices.

Since Kedah made its announcement, there has been suggestions made by some Muslims online on how to lighten the burden of these mosques in keeping track of its parishioners every Friday.

Among those is a system where Muslims can check in automatically using some sort of electronic system, similar to how employees clock in for work.

What a waste of money and resources, but above all, missing the forest for the trees.

For many, the solution is simple. Just never register with any mosque or parish, so there is no need for a “check in” every week.

Like many other annoyances and complexities regarding the practice of Islam in this country, the solution here seems to be to cut yourself off from other Muslims.

A parish is supposed to be a localised support system, where a Muslim can seek help and counsel, both religious and practical. It has many benefits, especially logistical support when it comes to grand gestures of religious rituals, such as marriage and death in the family.

By practising these sorts of restrictions, a parish is now reduced to mere “house arrest”, where you are forced to report in for fear of a fine and prison, which should never be confused with fear of God.

For many, prayers are meant for them to seek solace. The Quranic verses involving Friday prayers (62:9-11) seem to suggest that Muslims are obliged to drop everything to perform it, and then go about their business when the deed is done.

It is not rare to hear how tourists in other Muslim countries speak of the beauty of prayer when Muslims take a breather to greet their God, and continue when they are done like it was no big deal.

Many might agree: that is how religious obligations should be. As something that connects one to God, it should nonetheless not interfere with living.

But when such rituals become institutionalised, you get the nation grinding to a halt for three hours mid-day every Fridays, its roads choked, as many seek advantage of a religious practice to slack off on their jobs.

When Friday prayers have been turned into just a routine chore, criminalising giving it a miss does little to give any incentive for one to prostrate himself without compulsion.

Many Muslims insist that Islam is attractive because it does not seek to burden its adherents. As more and more Muslims nationwide take the role of moral police, and increasingly acting as God’s surrogate, the remark rings less and less true.

*This is the personal opinion of the columnist, Zurairi A R.

Source: www.themalaymailonline.com

May 29, 2015
Han Hui Hui: Malaysia Better Than Singapore, More Tolerant of Dissent

GEORGE TOWN, May 28 ― Malaysia is more tolerable of dissent compared to Singapore although Putrajaya barred entry to Hong Kong Umbrella Revolution activist Joshua Wong, Singaporean activist Han Hui Hui has said.

The 23-year-old, who is in Malaysia to give a series of talks on youth activism in remembrance of the bloody Tiananmen Square 1989 crackdown in China, said Singapore would not allow foreign speakers in for such talks.

“So speaking as a Singaporean, I feel Malaysia is still much better than Singapore because in Singapore, we are not allowed to invite foreigners to speak in the country unless they are going to praise the PAP government,” Han toldMalay Mail Online in an interview.

The youth activist pointed out that despite the deportation of Wong, who had planned to give the talks along with her in Malaysia, she was allowed to come here even though her event was not pro-government.

“In Singapore, even if you want to invite a Singaporean to speak, they want to know who it is before allowing the event,” Han said.

She said it was wrong and against human rights for Malaysia to expel Wong, but acknowledged the geopolitical ramifications surrounding the pro-democracy student leader’s presence here.

“It simply means China is a big power here and we can’t deny that,” she said.

Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar has described Wong as an “undesirable” person and said the activist was expelled Tuesday over concerns that the 18-year-old could risk Malaysia-China ties.

Wong is widely regarded as the impetus behind the 2014 mass protests in Hong Kong to demand the right to directly elect the head of the semi-autonomous administrative region. He was named amongTIME Magazine’s “Most Influential Teens of 2014”.

Han shared her experiences in organising “events”, albeit protests, in Singapore during her talk at the “Uprising of Youth and New Social Activism in Singapore and Hong Kong Forum” here Tuesday night.

“I wouldn’t call what I held in Singapore ‘protests’ but ‘events’ because we have not had any protests in the past 50 years and it is illegal,” she said.

Several street demonstrations have been organised in Malaysia, however, although the police have cracked down on mass rallies like the Bersih protests for free and fair elections. But some other rallies have been allowed to go on peacefully.

Han has been organising protests since 2013 over issues like the Singapore government’s alleged mishandling of the Central Provident Fund (CPF), which is the country’s retirement scheme, the education system and rising unemployment.

She, along with five others, was arrested in September last year for organising an illegal protest over the CPF issue and charged with causing a public nuisance.

Han told Malay Mail Online that her talks in Penang, Ipoh, Johor and Kuala Lumpur this week aimed to encourage millennials, or those born in the 1990s, to get involved in activism.

“We can’t be allowing those born in the 1950s, 1960s, 1970s to continue to plan policies. They can’t plan out an education system that will fit the times. Ultimately, it is the people who had went (sic) through the system now and will know whether it is good or bad,” she said.

Source: https://sg.news.yahoo.com

May 28, 2015