Tag: malaysians

Parents Of Malaysian Students In Singapore Considering Options Due To Higher Costs

JOHOR BARU – Thousands of parents whose children are schooling in Singapore will have to fork out more, not just because of the weakening ringgit, but also due to the increase in school fees beginning next year.

Many of them are now scouting for local private or international schools as the school fees and transportation cost have now come up to almost RM2,000 per child per month.

More than 10,000 children from Johor brave predawn and afternoon traffic jams at the Causeway to attend school in Singapore.

They are picked up at designated areas around the city by about 4.30am to 5am so that they can make it in time for school which starts at 7.10am.

Housewife V. Meena, 47, whose two children are studying in the island republic, said it would now cost her an additional S$120 (RM360) for both her children.

“One of my sons is in primary and another in secondary school there,” she said, adding that her younger child’s new fees would be S$370 (RM1,110), S$20 (RM60) more while fees for her elder child would be S$550 (RM1,650), an increase of S$100 (RM300).

Meena said she would have to look at other options such as putting them in local private or international schools.

“Whatever I do, I need to think about them as surely they will miss their schoolmates whom they are close to,” she said.

Lawyer L.M. Looi, 46, said he too was looking at other options for his son who is in Primary 5 in Singapore.

“It is not just the increase in school fees next year, but the cost of transportation has also gone up to almost RM900 per month this year,” he said.

Gregory Lui, 47, said that his son would be going to secondary school and the S$100 increase to S$550 per month would be a burden.

“When my son started in Primary One, we were paying about S$125 per month. The fees seem to be always increasing,” he said.

Lui is also considering Malaysian private or international schools in the state.

Another parent who wanted to be known as Mrs Chang, 39, said she would have to bear with the increase as it was too late to take out her 11-year-old son.

“My 13-year-old son, who was initially there, opted to come back to Malaysia as he was unable to cope with the stress of studying there. He is now studying in an international school here,” she said, adding that she pays about RM1,300 per month for his school fees.

Singapore’s Ministry of Education in a statement on Tuesday announced that it would be revising the school fees for students who are Permanent Residents (PRs) and international students (IS) in government and government-aided schools from January 2016.

The increase is part of its periodic review of school fees and to further differentiate fees by citizenship.

Fees will increase by between S$20 (RM60)and S$60 (RM180) per month for PR students and by between S$20 and S$150 (RM450) per month for IS.

School fees for Singapore citizens remain unchanged – it is free at primary level, S$5 (RM15) for secondary level and S$6 (RM18) for pre-university level.

Source: http://news.asiaone.com

October 3, 2015
Malaysians In ISIS Trained To Become Snipers And Suicide Bombers

KUALA LUMPUR (THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK) – Malaysians recruited by the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) terror group in Syria are moving up the ladder in terrorism – they’re leaving their janitorial posts to become snipers and suicide bombers in Iraq.

Previously cleaners and guards at the camps, Malaysians who fell for the ISIS promise of a false “jihad” are now being trained to become snipers and suicide bombers with the specific goal of regaining the group’s grip on Iraq.

Malaysia’s Special Branch Counter-Terrorism Division head Ayub Khan said the terror group now counted on some Malaysians to carry out its special ops missions all over Iraq.

“The presence of the ISIS in Syria is quite solid but the group is losing control over Iraq as many territories have fallen back to Iraqi government forces.

“Our intelligence show that they are relying more on Malaysians now to carry out strike missions against several key structures in Iraq,” he told The Star on Wednesday (Sept 30).

Senior Asst Comm (SAC) Ayub said the Malaysian militants were plucked from the Khatibah Nusantara cell in Syria to join the special ops squads.

“The Khatibah Nusantara consists of Malaysian and Indonesian ISIS fighters. They band together as their language and interests are similar,” he said.

This new development came to light following the deaths of three Malaysians in Iraq, believed to be on special ops missions, he said.

One of them was Zid Saharani Mohamed Esa, 43, who died in a clash with Iraqi forces in Bayji, Iraq, on Aug 29.

“We believe he was one of the snipers assigned to take out targets at a Iraqi government structure in Bayji.

“Zid, also known as Abu Hoor, went to Syria in July last year. He went to Bangkok and took a flight to Turkey before securing safe passage to Syria by land.

“Prior to this, he was involved with Kumpulan Mujahidin Malaysia and was detained under the ISA (Internal Security Act) in 2002,” he said.

SAC Ayub said the two others killed were Muhamad Syazani Mohd Salim, 28, and Fadzly Ariff Zainal Ariff, 31.

Muhamad Syazani, known as Abu Aydan, was also killed in Bayji in a skirmish with Iraqi forces on Sept 18 and was believed to be part of an ISIS infantry trained to fulfil a specific mission objective.

“He went to Syria on Sept 23 via Istanbul along with his older brother Muhamad Syazwan,” said SAC Ayub.

Fadzly Ariff Zainal Ariff died on Sept 26 after driving a truck filled with seven tonnes of explosives towards a bridge in Buhayrat, located in Fallujah.

“The attack also killed a group of Iraqi soldiers.

“Our intelligence indicates that Fadzly Ariff, known as Abu Ubaidah, had attempted suicide bombings twice but failed as his explosives malfunctioned the previous times,” said SAC Ayub, adding that the former burger seller went to Syria on Oct 11, 2013.

SAC Ayub said Fadzly Ariff’s mother Azizah Md Yusof was detained under the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act on April 28 last year for giving support to ISIS, and subsequently charged on May 23 the same year.

The latest deaths bring the number of Malaysians killed in Syria and Iraq to 14.

“As with some deaths involving Malaysians in both countries, it was hard to get a DNA sample to completely verify and identify the militants involved,” he said, adding that they relied on their intelligence gathering network.

He said the police had identified 69 Malaysians with ISIS in Syria.

“Previously, there were militants who joined other terror groups like Jabhat al-Nusra, Al-Qaeda’s official affiliate in Syria.

“However, this trend has stopped as all of them have joined ISIS,” he said.

While the official figure was 69, SAC Ayub said the actual number of Malaysians in Syria could be about 100, including children.

Source: www.thestraitstimes.com

October 1, 2015
Thousands Turn Up At Bersih Rally To Demand Reignation Of Najib Razak

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — Tens of thousands of Malaysians wearing yellow T-shirts and blowing horns defiantly held a major rally in the capital Saturday to demand the resignation of embattled Prime Minister Najib Razak.

The crowds were undeterred by a heavy police presence after authorities declared the rally illegal, blocked the organizer’s website and banned yellow attire and the logo of Bersih, the coalition for clean and fair elections that’s behind the weekend rallies.

Former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad added momentum to the rally when he made a surprise brief appearance in the city late Saturday with his wife to loud cheers from the crowd, and telling protestors to “carry on.”

Najib has been fighting for political survival after leaked documents in July showed he received some $700 million in his private accounts from entities linked to indebted state fund 1MDB. He later said the money was a donation from the Middle East, fired his critical deputy and four other Cabinet members as well as the attorney general investigating him.

Protesters in yellow Bersih T-shirts and headbands converged at five locations and marched to areas surrounding the landmark Independence Square, where celebrations to mark Malaysia’s 58th National Day will be held Monday. Police estimated Saturday’s crowd at 25,000 while Bersih says 200,000 participated at its peak.

The crowd thinned in the evening, though some protesters pitched tents on the streets to camp overnight. The rally was scheduled to last until midnight Sunday.

Supporters of pro-democracy group “Bersih” (Clean) pose for photographer before the start …

Scores of police sealed off roads leading to the square, which authorities have said is off-limits to protesters. Previous two Bersih rallies, in 2011 and 2012, were dispersed by police using tear gas and water cannons.

Some activists carried canvas bags with the words “My Prime Minister Embarrasses Me.” Some held placards saying “We will not be silenced,” while others chanted “Bersih” and waved Malaysian flags.

In one area near the square, a comedian entertaining the crowd poked fun at Najib. Dressed up as an Arab, he pretended to hand over a multi-billion-ringgit check as a donation to a rally participant.

“Stop treating us like fools, Mr. prime minister,” said businessman Tony Wong. “We deserve to know the truth about 1MDB. Where has the money gone to?”

Najib slammed the protesters for tarnishing Malaysia’s image.

A woman participant shows the support for the rally of pro-democracy group “Bersih”

“Those who wear this yellow attire … they want to discredit our good name, scribble black coal on Malaysia’s face to the outside world,” he was quoted as saying by national news agency Bernama.

A nation of 30 million, Malaysia is predominantly Malay Muslim with significant Chinese and Indian minorities. Its ambitions to rise from a middle income to a developed nation this decade have been stymied by slow-paced reforms and Najib’s increasing authoritarianism.

1MDB, set up by Najib in 2009 to develop new industries, has accumulated 42 billion ringgit ($10.1 billion) in debt after its energy ventures abroad faltered. Concerns over the political scandal partly contributed to the Malaysian currency plunging to a 17-year low earlier this month.

Support for Najib’s National Front has eroded in the last two general elections. It won in 2013, but lost the popular vote for the first time to an opposition alliance.

Mahathir, who stepped down in 2003 after 22 years in power, has been quoted as saying earlier that people’s power is needed because the legal system has been violated.

Apart from Najib’s resignation, the demands being sought are institutional reforms that will make the government more transparent and accountable.

Worried that authorities may jam communications, more than 41,000 Malaysians have downloaded FireChat — the smartphone application that allows users nearby to communicate with each other when the Internet is down and which powered last year’s Hong Kong’s pro-democracy protests, said developer Open Garden.

Deputy Home Minister Nur Jazlan Mohamed has warned police will take action if the rally turns violent or protesters break the law. He has said that protesters should show their unhappiness with the government at the ballot box, not in the streets.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com

August 30, 2015
Malaysian Education Minister Criticised For Blaming Christians

Newly-minted Education Minister Mahdzir Khalid has landed himself in hot water less than a month after assuming his position when he claimed the corruption allegations made by whistleblower portal Sarawak Report was an attempt by Christians and Jews to split Muslims.

The Council of Churches today said it was deeply concerned by what it said was an unfair statement.

“First of all, it is wrong to link us Christians with the Jews. Its highly misleading to even associate us with the Jews and worse still, to propose that we are in any way trying to split the Malays or any other group,” said Council of Churches secretary-general Hermen Shastri in a press statement today.

Shastri said such remarks coming from a minister have caused much anxiety in the Christian community and moderate Malaysians.

“He should be promoting national harmony and unity, instead of spewing ill-will and polarisation in our country,” he said.

“We therefore urge the minister to clarify his detrimental and divisive remarks and better still to apologise for making those obnoxious comments.

“He should not make false allegations as it is harmful and can be regarded as undermining national unity,” said Shastri.

Mahdzir, who is Umno supreme council member, had made the controversial remarks at the opening of Hulu Langat Umno division meeting last Sunday.

Jews, Christians to blame

In his speech, he claimed Sarawak Report, which had reported claims of misappropriation in state-owned 1MDB and the RM2.6 billion deposited into the prime minister’s personal bank accounts, was part of a Christian and Jewish conspiracy to split Muslims.

“The Jews and the Christians have pledged that as long as there is the moon and the stars, as long as the end of the world is not here yet, they will decide that Muhammad’s followers will be confused and split among themselves. This is the pledge of the Jews and Christians.

“And today, those who do things to us are not only from within the country, but from outside the country like Sarawak Report, which does not operate from Kuching,” he reportedly said.

Mahdzir was made a minister in a cabinet reshuffle last month, taking over the portfolio from former deputy prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin, who was removed from the cabinet for criticising Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak’s handling of 1MDB.

Muhyiddin later revealed he had also confronted Najib about the RM2.6 billion deposited into the latter’s personal bank accounts prior to his ouster.

Najib claimed the money was a political donation and was not corruption.

Source: www.malaysiakini.com

August 12, 2015
Most Malay Malaysians Identify Themselves As “Muslims First”

KUALA LUMPUR — Most Malay Malaysians identify themselves as “Muslims first” rather than Malaysians or Malays first, independent pollster Merdeka Centre said yesterday, amid rising religious conservatism in the country.

The centre’s executive director Ibrahim Suffian said its recent survey had found 60 per cent of Malays seeing themselves as being Muslim first, as opposed to 27 per cent who had identified themselves as Malaysians and only 6 per cent as Malays.

In contrast, only 3 per cent of Chinese and 16 per cent of Indians said they identified themselves by their religion, based on the survey, which he said would be published on Sept 5.

“Most Malaysians see themselves as Malaysians first, with the exception of the dominant group, Malays,” Mr Ibrahim told a discussion on the politics of race in Malaysia yesterday, organised by the Global Movement of Moderates.“Malays are increasingly identify themselves as Muslims first.”

He added that fewer Malays were identifying themselves by their ethnicity compared with 10 years ago, despite Barisan Nasional’s (BN) reliance on race to woo voters.

In 2005, 11 per cent of Malays polled by Merdeka Centre said they saw themselves as Malays first. This has now dropped to 6 per cent, said Mr Ibrahim.

Meanwhile, most Chinese (58 per cent) and Indians (63 per cent) saw themselves as Malaysians first, while 24 per cent Chinese and 11 per cent Indians identified themselves by their ethnicity, based on the latest survey.

“Future campaigning based on race will have a tough time convincing the electorate,” Mr Ibrahim said.

He added that Malaysia’s 2013 general election results already suggested Malaysians did not respond to race baiting. “If you look overall, BN still lost 4 per cent of the popular vote, so I think there’s a limit to how much racial rhetoric can be used.

“Maybe as many as 40 per cent of Malays don’t respond to Malay markers. They are more concerned with issues of good governance and what the government can do for them.”

He said Malay voter support for ruling party United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) improved only by 2 per cent during the last election, and that support figures were markedly lower among young Malay voters.

Meanwhile, opposition party Parti Islam Se-Malaysia (PAS) gained 1.2 per cent more of the popular vote because of support from non-Malays, he added. “Malay support for PAS declined marginally by 1.3 per cent, mostly from (the states of) Perlis and Kedah,” he said. “This means its partnership with the Democratic Action Party did not substantially subtract support in locations such as Perak, Selangor or Johor.”

Source: www.themalaysianinsider.com

August 12, 2015