Tag: Malaysia

Implications Of The Pakatan Rakyat Split

Malaysia’s three-party opposition alliance Pakatan Rakyat (PR) has split up over a series of policy disputes, including calls for the implementation of the Islamic penal code, or hudud, in Kelantan.

The Democratic Action Party (DAP) announced on Tuesday (June 16) that the alliance was dead, blaming it on Parti Islam SeMalaysia (PAS). But more significantly, the collapse left the third component party – Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) – in a potentially dire situation.

Here’s what you should know about the break up of PR and what may happen next:

What is Pakatan Rakyat?

The opposition bloc was formed in April 2008, uniting opposition parties that had long been pushed around by the governing Umno-led Barisan Nasional (BN). Experts said PR was always a fragile alliance, given that it brought together bedfellows who were opposed ideologically, particularly the Islamist PAS and the secular DAP.

The bloc won 52 per cent of the popular vote in the 2013 elections, tapping into growing resentment of Umno’s rule and corruption scandals. It failed to take power due to Umno gerrymandering, but its stunning performance under leader Anwar Ibrahim – jailed earlier this year on sodomy charges widely seen as trumped up by the government – had raised the possibility of a historic change of power in Malaysia.

The PR currently controls three states: Kelantan (PAS-led), Penang (DAP-led) and Selangor (PKR-led). The DAP holds 37 of 222 seats in Malaysia’s parliament, the PKR 29, and PAS 21.

What happened?

When PAS saw its share of seats shrink in the 2013 election, it started to reassert its Islamic agenda and push for hudud in Kelantan state. Its president Abdul Hadi Awang was criticised for pushing a bill on hudud without consulting his opposition partners. This led to the DAP announcing in March that it would no longer work with the PAS leader.

The rift worsened this month after the PAS leadership was captured by conservatives and the party accepted a motion by its conservative ulama (clerics) wing to sever ties with the DAP.

In response, DAP’s Secretary-General Lim Guan Eng said in a statement on Tuesday (June 16) that the PR no longer exist. Mr Lim, who is also Penang’s Chief Minister, said it was the PAS president’s unilateral decision to push for hudud and his party’s decision to sever ties with DAP that led to the PR’s collapse. He added that the DAP would continue to work with PKR and other parties that want to end BN’s rule “to reshape and realign Malaysian politics with the aim of winning Putrajaya for the people”.

Dismissing the DAP’s statement, PAS Youth chief Nik Mohamad Abduh Nik Abdul Aziz said the opposition alliance was still intact. “DAP’s decision will not dissolve the coalition,” he stressed.

PKR president Wan Azizah Wan Ismail said on Wednesday (June 17) that PKR will not cut its ties with the DAP and PAS, blaming neither but chiding both for precipitating a crisis. “PR no longer functions formally,” she said in a statement, emphasising that PKR would continue to support the DAP-led Penang state government and the PAS-led Kelantan state government.

What are the implications?

Analysts are divided over how Umno and the ruling BN, as well as Prime Minister Najib Razak could benefit from the break up of the PR.

“Opposition in disarray is certainly helpful for Najib’s survival. He is now actively courting Sabah and Sarawak for support even within Umno and BN. As long as he can convince the party he can still deliver, the party members will stick with him. Corruption is not a cardinal sin for Umno leaders. Mahathir had his own shares of financial scandals but he ruled for 23 years. Najib, and certainly Rosmah, see no reason why they can’t learn from Mahathir,” said Penang Institute fellow Wong Chin Huat, referring to former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad and wife of Mr Najib, Rosmah Mansor.

But analyst Tan Seng Keat from the Merdeka Centre for Opinion Research said the impact is difficult to predict. Umno and its coalition are racked by infighting of their own, as concerns over the economy and damaging financial scandals have further raised the possibility of defeat in the next polls, due by 2018.

On the opposition side, the DAP has asked PAS representatives to resign from their posts in the Penang state government and its agencies. PAS does not hold any influence in the state assembly as it has only one lawmaker while DAP dominates the 40-seat state legislature with 29 assemblymen.

PAS, on the other hand, controls the Kelantan state assembly with 32 out of 45 seats. DAP has no representatives while PKR has only one.

PKR, however, could find itself in potentially dire straits. It cannot sustain a majority in the 57-seat Selangor state assembly without the support of both PAS and DAP. The party had wanted to mediate between the two feuding partners but DAP turned down its offer.

PAS strategist Zuhdi Marzuki has called for the formation of a new political pact involving only Malay-Muslim parties, similar to one that PAS joined and was led by Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah in the 1990s. It was disbanded after Tengku Razaleigh rejoined Umno in 1996.

“Now it is up to PKR which leads Selangor to decide whether it wants to continue with a coalition with PAS in PR or not,” Dr Zuhdi said. “If PKR also withdraws from PR, then it is not impossible that the Selangor state government will become shaky.”

What could happen next?

The opposition parties and even the ruling BN may seek new realignments, including:

A new opposition pact

Analaysts believe the DAP and PKR will try to link up with a new partner to form a new opposition pact before the next general election because this remains their only realistic path to defeating BN. Along with PAS, PR has 87 seats in Parliament against BN’s 134. A possible partner is a new party mooted by PasMa, a PAS splinter group formed last year. Following the conservative sweep in PAS’ party elections earlier this month and the collapse of PR, PasMa said it was in discussion with several leaders and parties to set up a new moderate Islamic party that could cooperate with both PKR and DAP.

“It is back to square one until they find a replacement vehicle for PAS. May or may not be PasMa. PR needs a party for Islamists and rural areas, something PKR is not good at,” said Professor James Chin, director of the Asia Institute at the University of Tasmania.

PAS and Umno coalition

The possibility of a unity government of PAS and Umno – the key, Malay-based party in BN – has been talked about since before the 2013 General Election. With the conservatives now dominating PAS, it is increasingly likely that the two parties may be tempted to work together.

However, it is unclear if Umno is willing to risk breaking up its own multiracial coalition to embrace the Islamist PAS. Although Umno supported the PAS-run Kelantan government’s plans to adopt hudud in March this year, Mr Najib has yet to make his stand on hudud.

“It is most unlikely that Umno will accept PAS in a Malay/Muslim-only unity government as this will mean the effective breakup of the Barisan as a multiracial, multi-religious coalition,” said Centre for Policy Initiatives director Lim Teck Ghee.

However, Mr Wong, the Penang Institute fellow, said Umno might compromise, allowing PAS safe seats in Kelantan and Terengganu in the next general election.

“What will likely happen is a covert pact between the two, with PAS attacking DAP, PKR and the PAS pragmatists if they leave the party.

“Since it is in the interest of Umno to keep PAS floating, Umno will not put up a full fight in some seats in Kelantan and Terengganu so that PAS will survive with 10 seats or so. A complete collapse of hardliners within PAS will drive the Islamist voters to the splinter party, PKR or even DAP.”

Source: www.straitstimes.com

June 20, 2015
Malaysia’s Transport Agency Says CEO Misquoted On High-Speed Rail

The Malaysian transport agency said that it was misquoted in media reports that it wanted the proposed high-speed railway to end in Johor Baru rather than in Jurong East in Singapore.

Instead, it actually prefers to have the Singapore-Kuala Lumpur line end in Singapore’s central business district, said Malaysia’s Land Public Transport Commision (SPAD) chief executive Mohamad Nur Ismal Kamal in a press release late last night.

Earlier on Friday, Singapore’s Transport Ministry had issued a strongly worded statement to say that it was surprised that the SPAD had stated in media reports that it wanted the HSR to end in Johor rather than in Singapore.

Mr Mohamad Nur had said in a The Edge Malaysia on Monday that “we would prefer to terminate the line at the existing CIQ (customs, immigration and quarantine) complex. However, Singapore wants it to terminate in Jurong East and understandably so.”

The MOT said that terminating the HSR in Johor would undermine the objectives of the link.

“Our understanding is that Malaysia views the commercial premise of the KL-Singapore HSR project, and with which we agree, as being based on a direct connection between the two city centres.

“Terminating the HSR in Johor Baru will not achieve this objective,” it said.

In a statement released in response to media queries, MOT reiterated that last year, Malaysia had chosen its terminus to be in Bandar Malaysia.

But late on Friday, the SPAD chief said that he was “regrettably misquoted” in the report.

“We would have preferred to terminate the line at the CBD area. This will be closer to Orchard Road than Jurong East. However this is a joint project for the benefit of both countries and hence there has to be give and take,” he said.

Last month, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and his Malaysian counterpart Najib Razak announced that Singapore’s terminus would be in Jurong East after their annual retreat.

MOT said both countries are also in discussions over the HSR’s commercial and operating models.

Singapore has proposed that the domestic transit HSR service, which will stop at the six stations in between Singapore and KL, be operated separately from the express non-stop HSR services between KL and Singapore, MOT said. This will give Malaysia autonomy over the domestic transit services to serve its domestic needs, it added.

Source: www.straitstimes.com

June 20, 2015
Malaysian Students Participate In IS During Semester Breaks

MACHANG: The authorities did not rule out any possibilities of Malaysian students in the Middle East participating in the militant group, Islamic State (IS) in Syria during their semester breaks.

Bukit Aman Special Branch Counter Terrorism Division, Assistant Director, Datuk Ayub Khan Mydin Pitchay said, it is difficult to monitor the activities of students outside the country especially those who are not registered with the Malaysian Embassy there.

“There are only some of our students abroad who are registered with our embassy. This group is easy to be monitored by us.

“Others who are not registered took the trouble to go on their own. This group is beyond our control. We do not have any ability to control them.

“Maybe they utilise the semester breaks to participate in the militant group operations in Syria,” Ayub Khan said when met after the safety and threat of the IS group talk in UiTM Machang campus Monday.

He added that similar modus operandi is employed by Malaysian students in Pakistan, taking advantage of the university’s semester breaks to participate in the activities of Al-Qaeda in Afghanistan.

Touching on the threats of IS in Malaysia, Ayub Khan said that for now, his team is actively monitoring the group to ensure that the threat is combated and does not become widespread among the public.

However, he did not rule out the increasing severity of threats by the global militant IS group and more stringent controls are needed to prevent the people of this country from being influenced by these extremist groups’ doctrines.

Currently, 11 Malaysians known to be advocating the militant group’s cause have been confirmed killed in Syria and Iraq. It was reported that five were killed in war while another six died as suicide bombers.

Source: http://english.astroawani.com

June 20, 2015
Islamic Justice Only Works If All Agree To It, Claims Top Shariah Judge

KUALA LUMPUR, June 18 — If anyone were to ask Dr Na’im Mokhtar, he would state in no uncertain terms that he has absolute faith in Islamic law to deliver justice.

And one would expect no less in the conviction of a man who just took over as Selangor’s Chief Judge of the Shariah courts last November.

A fellow of the Harvard Law School, Na’im insists that Shariah — or the principles of justice laid out in the Quran and the sunnah — are immutable.

“Judging with justice is Shariah,” he said in a recent interview with Malay Mail Online.

But for someone trained as both a civil and Shariah lawyer, Na’im admits that getting everyone to agree with his position, and that of other practitioners of Islamic jurisprudence, is easier said than done.

Na’im lamented that many who are in a position to explain the merits of Shariah and how it would benefit society as a whole, and not just Muslims, choose to lock themselves away in their ivory towers, content in their own belief that they are right.

“I look for more engagement with non-Muslims.

“Shariah law and the courts have been misunderstood, but this (engagement) cannot be done unless the judges and (Shariah court) officers engage the non-Muslims on the functions of the Shariah courts and how it would better suit justice for Muslims and non-Muslims alike,” he said.

Using divorce proceedings as an example, Na’im stressed that Shariah court judges are not limited to only one Fiqh or school of thought to come to a decision, despite Malaysia’s brand of Islam largely adopting the Shafie interpretation of the faith.

He noted that practically every piece of Shariah legislation in the country stipulates that judges can look to any of the four schools of Islamic jurisprudence — Shafie, Hanafi, Hambali or Maliki — for guidance.

“It’s good, in that I can choose the best opinion… if I am confronted by a certain issue, if I can find a ruling in Hanafi that suits justice, then I have that option.

“Under the Shafie school, a marriage ends by pronouncement of talak (a form of divorce under Islamic law), regardless of whether the wife was beaten up or not provided financial support.

“But to the Maliki and Hanafi (schools), if a wife is beaten up or her property had been misappropriated, those are valid grounds for the wife to seek divorce,” he said.

Na’im, who speaks with quiet confidence and a steady gaze, stressed that the lack of engagement is, however, not limited to non-Muslims.

He said it is an issue even among Muslims as to how they should conduct themselves — especially among those living on the fringes of society — a situation that is not helped by the lack of effort by officials to reach out and help the faithful understand their responsibilities.

This was the reason behind Na’im’s mobile court, to bring their services straight to the Muslim Orang Asli communities of Selangor and help validate their marriages which were otherwise solemnised by native customs.

He pointed out that the situation is complicated because marriage through local customs in the said communities — who in these cases are Muslim and have been for generations — is not recognised by the Shariah courts.

And because the marriage is not valid in the eyes of the Shariah courts, their children are deemed illegitimate and a daughter of such a union is required to seek “permission” from the courts to get married as her parents are not considered legal guardians.

“I don’t know the reason, but they (Orang Asli) just don’t want to leave their villages and go to the religious departments to solemnise their marriages. And if we were to insist that they come, they will not come.

“But do they mind marrying without following Islamic requirements No, because they follow their own customs even though they call themselves Muslims.

“The objective of this whole exercise is to preserve the sanctity of nikah(pronouncement of marriage),” Na’im said.

For all his good intentions, Na’im stressed that there is little he can do alone without institutional support towards convincing the Malaysian public that Shariah law is the best choice for all.

Though he declined to weigh in on the ongoing hudud debate, he said what is more important is for everyone in the institution of the Shariah courts to reach out to their critics and skeptics alike and disprove the notion that Shariah is regressive.

“Once that is done or the negative perception is removed, then we can begin to build trust from there.

“If we don’t engage (the public), (the perception) will remain negative forever and any effort to upgrade the status of the Shariah court will be futile,” Na’im said.

Source: www.themalaymailonline.com

June 18, 2015
Tunku Idris Reminds Malaysia Of Agreement

As his brother, Johor Crown Prince Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim, came under fire from a federal minister, younger brother Tunku Idris posted an eyebrow-raising image on Instagram.

The image was purportedly that of Johor’s agreement to becoming part of the Federation of Tanah Melayu.

The Sunday posting – which was removed today without explanation – came after Tourism and Culture Minister Nazri Abdul Aziz warned Tunku Ismail not to meddle in politics or risk being “whacked”.

The image posted by Tunku Idris stated that the late Sultan Abu Bakar inked the ‘Perjanjian Setia’ in 1885 between the Johor government and British government.

“At the time Johor was known as the independent and sovereign state of Johor.

”

In 1946, the Johor government agreed to sign the Perjanjian Persekutuan with the Persekutuan Tanah Melayu, by imposing several conditions, including Islam as the official religion of the state, the land in Johor being the absolute right of the Johor government and cannot be disturbed without the agreement of the Johor government, the Askar Timbalan Setia Negeri cannot be disbanded, as well as the power of the Johor government being in the hands of the sultan.

“If any of the conditions are violated, Johor will be out of Malaysia [sic].”

There was no title or caption with regard to the 28-year-old prince’s posting, but other Instagram users touched on the issue of secession.

Some of the comments ranged from agreeing to Johor quitting the Federation, while others urged the young prince to keep calm.

Yesterday, some 2,000 Johoreans staged a rally outside the Istana Bukit Serene in support of the royal family and called for Nazri’s resignation.

The minister, however, has refused to back down.

Source: www.malaysiakini.com

June 18, 2015