I really have a biff with Hindraff. This NGO for Hindu's right irks me to no end, not because I am a chauvinist but the lies they keep saying really is uncalled for. As I said earlier it is a Tamil question not all the Hindu's in Malaysia that have a problem but what can I say if they themselves elect leaders who are crooks. Here is a piece written by my former Prime Minister which to me hit the mark well(whether his motive is good ,(that is a different question).

The Racist Card

It is strange that whenever people like Param Cumaraswamy accuse others of being racist they end up by exposing the racist in them. For them you are racist only if you talk about Malays and their need to catch up with other races. If you talk of the imagined plight of other races in Malaysia, and make ridiculous statements that the Tamil Indians in Malaysia are facing “ethnic cleansing” when you know that no such thing is happening, it is not racist.

It is only in Malaysia that people of immigrant origins, so identified by their insistence on being linked race-wise with their countries of origin, are actually accepted as citizens.

In other countries including the much-admired democracies of the West, citizens are not linked to or classified by their countries of origin. They speak the national language habitually, go to schools where the national language is the medium of instruction and adopt the culture of the indigenous people, or at least the people who originally founded these countries (the indigenous people having been systematically wiped out).


But in Malaysia although the national language is the language of the indigenous people, many Malaysian citizens cannot speak the language, much less use it habitually in their homes and with fellow citizens. Whenever some foreigner speak Bahasa Malaysia to them, they would reply in English. Foreigners cannot understand why they seem to downgrade their national language. And yet these citizens question why there is, for practical purpose, no Bangsa Malaysia.

Schools using languages of the countries of origin are not only permitted but are actually financed by the Government. Try and find such schools in South East Asia or in the so-called liberal developed countries where they claim there is no racial discrimination. There are actually more Indians in the United Kingdom than in Malaysia. But there is not a single school where the teaching medium is in any of the Indian languages.

People like Param would not notice all these. Instead he sees the effort to bring up the indigenous people to the level of the non-indigenous people as racist. Arrogantly he seems to want the indigenous people become the deprived in their own country.

I admit that I spoke on “Ketuanan Melayu” in Johor. The Malay intellectuals have been talking about this for a long time. There was no suggestion about them being racist or that they should be detained under the Internal Security Act (ISA).

I spoke on this issue critically as I consider that claiming to be masters when you are not is ridiculous. How can the Malay driver driving a car belonging to someone else regard himself as the “Tuan” and the owner of the car as inferior to him? Actually it is the owner and his employer who is the “Tuan”.

In my speech my advise to the Malays is to acquire knowledge and skills and use them to enrich themselves for only then can they be regarded by their servants and employees as “Tuan”.

Is this seditious or near seditious? Is speaking about Malays and their needs seditious?

On the other hand let us consider the Hindraf memorandum to the British. Most people including Indians have not read it. To gain the support of the Tamil Indians, Hindraf demands that the British compensate every Tamil Indian in Malaysia one million pounds sterling (about RM 7 million). That should tempt even middle-class Indians. Surely Indian workers would fall for it.

The Hindraf memorandum also contains the following extracts which are obviously racist;
1) “Commonwealth ethnic Indian peace loving subjects in Malaysia persecuted by Government backed Islamic extremist violent armed terrorist who launched a pre-dawn violent armed attack and destroyed the Kg Jawa Mariamman Hindu temple at 4.00am this morning (15.11.07)”.

2) “Appeal for United Kingdom to move emergency United Nations Resolution condemning “Ethnic Cleansing” in Malaysia”.

I will not quote other highly inflammatory remarks found in the Hindraf memorandum. However I would like to mention the threat made by Hindraf in its conclusion;

“We fear that the peace loving Indian community of Tamil origin having been pushed to the corner and the persecution getting worse by the day may be forced into terrorism in a matter of time as what has happened to the Sri Lankan Tamils”.

Is Hindraf planning to make Malaysia a Southeast Asian Sri Lanka?

I don’t believe the majority of the Tamils in Malaysia would agree with the picture painted by Hindraf. Unfortunately, like the Malays, few of them read the actual memorandum. And so they support Hindraf blindly.

But if you read what I have quoted would you not conclude that Hindraf and Param Cumaraswamy, who objected to their detention under the ISA as racist especially as his desire to have me detained under the Act for telling the Malays to realise that they are not “Tuan” when they have to clean the shoes of others. If they want to be “Tuan”, then they must acquire the skills and knowledge to succeed in life. And when they succeed they would be highly regarded whether they are called “Tuan” or not.

It seems that according to Param Cumaraswamy talking about Malays is seditious.

Who is racist; Param Cumaraswamy or Dr Mahathir?

I am not going to call for his detention.

He should as a lawyer who understands the law, decide whether he is a racist and should be detained or not.

Well folks I am writing about Valentine's Day today, I must be crazy since Valentine Day has past therefore what i have to say is el passe but nevertheless it need to be said and put in writing. It has been lambasted by the Present Malay Ulamak (Clerics) that most Malays being idiotic as they are accept the argument without question. i do beg to differ.

What's wrong in celebrating Valentine's day? Tell me sincerely why can't we celebrate Valentine's Day? The argument put forth by these enlightened clerics is that the celebration celebrate a Christian holiday i.e. religious affair thus it is anathema for the Muslim to celebrate the same. Fine but is it really a Christian Holiday?

Basically it was celebrate during the Pagan time by the Romans and like any ancient society it is an agrarian society. And February 14th signals the coming of spring, the same with Ponggol by the the Indian Tamils, because it signify the planting seasons. So to celebrate the coming of spring which the Romans regard as the fertility period, a festival was created called Lupercalia which happen to honour their pagan God Lupercus on the 15th of each year.

And just like any ancient society it is just a celebration of the coming of the planting season in this case the spring. OK as time goes by the Roman culture decline, to be replace by the Christian Ideas thus culture of pagan time were Christianise making it palatable to the Masses. So in modern times Valentine day was attribute to Saint Valentine. And for the readers understanding they were three valentines who were canonise by the Pope the one whom I am concern with is Valentine of Roma who died in 270 AD which was where Valentine's day was attributed too.

By the way many Ulamak of Standing or Ulamak yang Muktabar or Muktabirrin regard Jesus or Isa as Muslim as Moses was and others. Because of this many Ulamak tend to believe that the followers of the Prophet Jesus was Muslim before the advent of Islam as also the followers of the Prophet David before the coming of Christ or followers of Moses before the coming of David. Given that scenario thus I can say Valentine is Muslim thus what is wrong to remember Saint Valentine. What? look Saint Valentine died in the year 270AD and Muhammad was born in 570 Ad and receive his prophet hood only in 610AD by that time I think St Valentine is just dust. Because given the analogy above he is a Muslim.

To insinuate that celebrating Valentine day is a christian holiday is debatable, as long the holiday is celebrated without any religious conotation I do not see a problem. Even then if I want to say a prayer to St Valentine why not? I admit the celebration of Valentine day with her crass commercialism is againts Islamic principle. That is wrong, but to celebrate your love ones is not. It is unislamic on the way it is being celebrated not the day itself. That is my belief, I myself treat the day as a treat for me to indulge in a little bit of romance and I think that is alright as long as I never forget my maker.

Romance in me is an idea especially a guy who love to chase or the art of chasing instead of getting the prey. I have never in my life got one although someone did fall in love with me but I never got one seriously. So Valentine day to me is a joy for me to celebrate unrequited love and I am happy about it. I wish cupid has struck someone but it is always I who was struck.

The pictures
a)A malay leader of a treacherous party supporting Hindraf


b)The Hooligans of the Indian Tamil rally for Hindraf



c)Whathisname in the middle with the rest of the Hindraf leaders






I was denied entry in posting my views in the local news portal Malaysia Today in the internet by the moderator Labisman. You see, there is no such thing as freedom of speech anywhere even here, in the so call freedom of expression. The editor somehow decide whether you are part of the team or not! Here is the article which made me riled up and you judge for yourself whether Malaysia Today is fair or not!

110 001 Background Paper By Mr. P. Waytha Moorthy

Posted by labisman

Tuesday, 05 February 2008

"AN ASSESSMENT OF THE HUMAN RIGHTS OF THE PEOPLE OF INDIAN ORIGIN IN MALAYSIA" THE DECEMBER, 2007 INDIAN LAW INSTITUTE, NEW DELHI - 110 001 BACKGROUND PAPER BY MR. P. WAYTHA MOORTHY PRESIDENT, HINDU RIGHTS ACTION FORCE (MALAYSIA) - PUBLISHED BY FEDERATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS ORGANISATIONS - OF INDIA FACT FILE OF THE VIOLATIONS OF THE HUMAN RIGHTS OF THE PEOPLE OF INDIAN ORIGIN IN MALAYSIA. 1. LOWEST PER CAPITA Studies have revealed that Indians have the lowest per capita income of only about RM 1000.00 per month when the national per capita income is projected at RM17,741 in the 2006 budget (The Star Online September30th 2005) This is about 98.3% below the national average. At the ground we are aware of many ethnic Indian families earning a meargeRM450.00 (USD 118.00) per month. 2. UNIVERSITY INTAKE University intake for Indians reduced from 20% in 1956 and by about 50% from the over 10% quota in 1970 to 5.2% in 2003. (Note: IF all MARA higher education institutes and overseas scholarships are taken into account the Indians would actually end up having only about 1% of intake into higher education institutions) In 2004 the supposed meritocracy system was introduced but it turned out to be "meritocracy without merits" Hundreds of especially poor ethnic minority Malaysian Indian students were deprived of their basic right to education. Matriculation courses for entry into public universities are almost exclusively for the majority Malay Muslim community. 3. MEDICAL SEATS Medical seats in the University of Malaya was reduced by 98% from 16seats in 2001 to only 1 seat in 2003. This in effect means that the almost 1.8 million Indians have to compete for just one (1) medical seat at this university. When they opted to study at affordable Universities overseas, the government in June 2005, in an effort to reduce the number of ethnic Malaysian Indian medical students studying overseas acted in the most hostile manner. The Crimea State medical university's medical degrees were derecognised for dubious and questionable reasons. In an effort to reduce the number of Indian medical doctors most other foreign medical universities with high ethnic Malaysian Indian student enrolment is currently having its status reviewed and is also expected to be derecognized. 4. TAMIL SCHOOLS 80% of the 523 Tamil schools (ethnic minority Malaysian Indian schools) are in dilapidated conditions with almost no sports, recreational, computer, library and other basic facilities accorded to National Schools and is still not made fully aided government schools when primary school education has been made compulsory by law. To the contrary, the prime minister announced a sum of RM1.8 billion for primary and secondary schools in the 2004 budget (NST 13/9/2003 at page 12 (Note: all the above are in breach of Article 8 (equality before the law and Article 12 (rights to education) of the Federal Constitution and the Education Act 1968. About 95% of these Tamil schools do not have kindergartens unlike 99% in national schools which have the same. 5. NO BUSINESS LICENCES / OPPORTUNITIES Meager or no business licenses permits, business, loans /opportunities /small businesses / commercial licenses for Malaysian Indians to run businesses resulting in less than 1% Indian participation in the country's economic wealth. (and that too believed to be largely held by one state sponsored Indian millionaire). 6. LABOUR CLASS Hopelessness, poverty and lack of opportunities leads to high Indian involvement in crime arising out of poverty. 70% of ethnic Malaysian Indians have degenerated into becoming laborers, Industrial Manual Group (IMG) workers, office boys, security guards, public toilet cleaners, general workers, road sweepers, beggars, squatters, criminals, gangsters etc, as a result of the nearly 50 years of direct discrimination by the UMNO controlled state / government. 7. ETHNIC MALAYSIAN INDIAN POOR Indians form sixty percent (60%) of urban squatters and forty-one (41%) of beggars (the economist 22/2/2003). About 70% of this community is in the poor and / or hardcore poor bracket but receives the least attention as they don't have much political clout and or draw funding locally and / or their plight not properly ventilated by the NGOs, Opposition parties and the Malaysian civil society locally and / or internationally. 8. POVERTY AMONG ESTATE WORKERS / URBAN LABOURERS Fifty-four 54%) of Malaysian Indians work as plantation or urban underpaid laborers. (Asiaweek 26/1/2002) 9. PATHETIC MONTHLY WAGES After 46 years of independence the State has capped the monthly salary of plantation workers at RM325.00 (USD85.00) per month and RM 350.00(USD92.00) per month for rubber tappers. 10. POOR STUDENTS RM200 million was allocated to assist poor students to continue with their education (NST 13/9/2003 at page 12) but it is doubtful if even1% of the ethnic minority Indians benefit from this allocation. 11. SQUATTERS Due to rapid development large plantations have been developed resulting in the plantation workers being displaced and forced to become squatters. Their squatter colonies are in turn demolished to make way for development with no or little alternative housing. Classical case of poverty leading to further poverty. 12. ORPHANS / OLD FOLKS The majority of orphanages and old folks homes are filled up with members of this ethnic minority Indian community as evidenced by local news report. This is yet another clear indicator of poverty. 13. TOKEN PARTICIPATION IN THE CIVIL SERVICE Discrimination in employment in the Civil Service sectors (Indian participation in the civil service reduced from about 40% in 1957 to about 2% in 2007. This remaining 2% of these Indians largely work in the clerical and industrial manual group (IMG) levels. Senior, Middle level and executive level civil service jobs are almost exclusively for the majority Malay Muslims. For promotions etc there is no equal opportunity but mired in racial discrimination.. This is contrary to article 8 (equality before the law) of the Federal Constitution. 14. DISCRIMINATION IN THE PRIVATE SECTOR The economy iscontrolled by the ethnic Chinese minority. The Government has "forced" the Chinese to "accept" average Malay (but not Indians Muslims) into the top levels of the business and corporate sectors. Only the cream of the ethnic minority Indians (about 1%) make it good in the private sector 15. NO SKILLS TRAINING Access to even the lowest level skills training Institutions are deprived for this community resulting in most of them remaining unemployed or unskilled workers. Even at the NTS Arumugam Pillai skills training Institute which was build on funds derived from the now dissolved of South Indian Labour Fund, not even a single ethnic Malaysian Indian student was admitted in the first intake. 16. HINDU TEMPLE DEMOLISHMENTS Malaysia is about the one and only country in the world where one Hindu temple / shrine is unlawfully broken down by the state authorities in every three weeks contravening article 11 (freedom of religion) of the Federal Constitution and Sections 295,296, 298A, 411of the Penal Code. The emergency ordinance (outdated by about 40years)is often used to legalise their actions. There have been reported cases of policemen torching temples, motolov cocktails thrown into temples by policemen and state authorities or they are simply burnt down or bulldozed down or forced to relocate next to sewerage tanks. 17. EMERGENCE OF A NEW ETHNIC MALAYSIAN INDIAN CRIMINAL CLASS. Over the last 25 years a new ethnic Malaysian Indian criminal clash as emerged as a result of the aforesaid years of direct discrimination, oppression and suppression. High incidences of crime, violence, slashings and killings largely among themselves take place even over the most mundane issues and / or is poverty related. 18. VICTIMISATION BY POLICE /STATE Studies have revealed that Indians form about 60% of suspects shot dead by the police including an 8-month pregnant Indian lady, 60 % of innocent people dying in police custody, 60% of suspects /detainees in police lockups and other detention centers. Latest update, Malay Mail, October 3rd 2005 at page 4, 4 ethnic Malaysian Indian men (mere suspects) were shot dead by the police in one day and in one incident. There was zero outcry from the "Malaysian civil society" as opposed to the London underground suspected bomber who was shot dead and getting worldwide attention and the Prime Minister of the UK apologizing despite being a country at war (Malay Mail, October 3rd, 2005 at page3) and "Senior cop to be charged" New Straits Times, October 9th 2005at page 29. 19. KG.MEDAN GENOCIDE The genocide by a state sponsored mysterious mob against the innocent and unarmed people of Kg Medan in 2001 left 100 over killed and / or seriously injured still remains a mystery. The Malaysian Human Rights Commission refused to hold an inquiry while the State refused to hold a royal commission of inquiry. The courts /Attorney General refused to hold Inquests into the deaths contrary to Article 5 of the Federal Constitution and section 339 of the Criminal Procedure Code. Worst still only USD526.00 to a maximum of USD6, 578 for some victims being permanently maimed and / or loss of life cases was awarded for the said victims though RM136.8 billion was approved for the 2006 budget(The Star Online, Friday, September 30th, 2005) 20. NO EFFECTIVE LEGAL AID Out of the aforesaid 60%suspected ethnic Indian criminals, almost 95%of them plead guilty when they may not necessarily be guilty. Most of the crimes they commit (if any) are poverty related. They cannot afford legal fees and neither is there an effective legal aid system.. They spend long prison sentences and come out of prisons to be more hardened criminals and potential terrorists. 21. MAJORITARIAN RULE THROUGH THE CIVIL SERVICE, POLICE AND ARMED FORCES .About 97% of the Civil Servants, police and armed forces personnel are form the majority Malay Muslims. This "force" is used to rule by "majoritarian might" at the expense and violations of fundamental Human Rights and victimization of this ethnic minority Malaysian Indians. 22. NO INDEPENDENT MEDIA The local print and electronic media gives this community the lowest priority though they suffer the most serious discrimination, victimisation and violations of human rights. The local media too plays to the gallery and almost often highlighting "majoritarian issues"/ issues which carries mileage. The International media prefers Iran, Africa, Katrina terrorist etc. 23. INDIAN PROFESSIONALS AND BUSINESSMEN UNABLE TO HELP VERY MUCH Unlike the economically powerful Chinese community who are able to help their lower middle income and poor directly or indirectly through their self sustaining community, the Indian professionals and businessmen are unable to help very much. 24. UNDOCUMENTED ETHINC MINORITY MALAYSIAN INDIANS Despite 48 years of Independence, there are thousands of ethnic minority Malaysian Indians left being undocumented, without birth certificates, identity cards, marriage certificates etc. This in effect precludes and excludes them from even the formal primary schooling structure what more obtaining licences to run a business or from securing employment. (c/f almost all aboriginal people in the remotest areas Malaysia are documented) 25. ABUSE OF WOMEN AND CHILDREN Everyday even ethnic minority Indian women and children are not spared. As part of interrogation by the police, an Indian lady was told to perform oral sex on another male detainee at the Rawang police station. Her husband was then brought in naked before her and her daughter. She was then told that her 18 year old daughter would be raped later that night. Another 14 year old ethnic minority Indian boy was arrested from his house and was told to do 150 push ups in police custody. When he stopped at 20 he was kicked with police boots which broke his leg. 26. THE MALAYSIAN HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION AND THE ROYAL COMMISSION ON THE POLICE REFUSE TO REPORT THE TRUTH The Malaysian Human Rights Commission and the Royal Commission on the Police have continuously refused to report even the most serious violations of human rights by the state against this community. For example the Kg. Medan genocide, shootings to death of suspects, some deaths in police custody and the gunpoint attack on a human rights lawyer. 27. INDEPENDENT JUDICIARY? The independence of the judiciary has been put to question in the aforesaid - Kampung Medan genocide for example (and many other public interest litigation) when the High Court struck out with costs a civil suit by a victim bring a class action against the Malaysian Human Rights Commission for failing to hold an Inquiry without even hearing the merits of the case which the victims believe is because all the victims were ethnic minority Malaysian Indians and the attacks are believed to be state sponsored. Most other such cases against the state authorities are dismissed in a similar fashion or at the end of the trial In the latest public interest litigation to stop the Hindu temple demolishments the UMNO Government has again applied to strikeout the suit without even wanting to reply to the very serious allegations in anticipation of striking out the said suit ab initio(T.K.O) 28. INDEPENDENT ATTORNEY GENERAL? The Attorney General has not been independent in many instances where he has acted partially in prosecuting lawyers / activists for defending the rights of this community and / or for failing to initiate Inquests into custodial deaths / deaths by police shootings of suspects and / or for failing to prosecute police criminals /authorities and / or for failing to act without fear or favour. 29. GOVERNMENT BODIES / INSTITUTIONS NOT INDEPENDENT Almost all government institutions including hospitals, police, chemistry registration department etc are biased and in favour of the government and have been known or engaged in "covers up" in favour of the authorities and against the people and in particular the ethnic minority Malaysian Indians. 30. LEAST ATTENTION BY THE OPPOSITION PARTIES NGOS' AND CIVIL SOCIETY. Because this community is politically, economically and internationally insignificant and where there is not much "mileage" to be made, and / or no local and / or international funding, even the opposition parties, NGOS' and the Malaysian civil society generally give this community the least attention and /or prefer to play to the gallery and / or the "majoritarian issues" and / or rather focus on where there is local or international "mileage" to be made. In short they too are generally "selective" in championing even the worst violated cases / issues and / or Human Rights issues. (Refer Latest Open Letter dated 5/9/2005 by 30 Malaysian NGOs campaigning for all issues concerning merely the majority community / internationally acclaiming issues except the most serious affecting the Malaysian Indians) 31. NO FUNDING FOR NON PRO-GOVERNMENT NGOS No funding is granted by the Government for almost all non pro- government NGO's with which they would be a million times more effective. 32. FEAR FACTOR This community as a result of the years of oppression and suppression and the factors herein above mentioned has turned out to be a fear riddled community. They are fearful to stand up for even the worst form of violations, victimization, discrimination and human rights abuses against them. The fatal factor is that they even get the least support from even NGOs, Opposition parties and the "Malaysian Civil Society". 33. ALARMING HIGHEST SUICIDE RATE AMONG INDIANS Having very little or no equal opportunities and/or no upward mobility opportunities the Indians end up having the highest suicide rate in the country because of primarily poverty or poverty related matters, (or and to a lesser extent) loss of loved ones for example, divorce, etc. Health Minister Datuk Chua Soi Lek stated ,"for Indians, 21.1persons for every 100,000 suicides, Chinese 8.6 persons for every100,000 suicides and for Malays 2.6 persons for every 100,000 suicides (Sadatul Nahir And Rosli, Utusan Malaysia 12/9/2005). ADVOCATE P. WAYTHA MOORTHYPRESIDENT, HINDU RIGHTS ACTION FORCE (MALAYSIA)

Ok down here is a correspondence I have with Labisman for your perusal

RE: I need to post my comment‏

From: labis man (labisman@yahoo.com)

Sent: Friday, February 08, 2008 12:30:15 PM

To: wan zaharizan (wzahari@hotmail.com)

Great writing.

wan zaharizan wrote:
Wow I have touch a raw nerve. Good. God owns everything but perhaps you are not a man of God so be it. You have your believe i have mine.
I do not hide my name but you do, at least i have balls but then most bloggers don't. They find it fit to post lies and poppycock tales but when confronted with the truth, they hide under the shell.
They claim a supporter of democracy and free speech but again when it comes to posting criticism they feel it is right to censored and filtered undesirables from giving their two cents worth.
They need to ask a person to introduce themselves for what? Is it not the same as Sukarno Suharto Mahathir and Lee Kuan Yew with the principle of guided democracy?
They print half truth and expect people like me to keep quiet? Hogwash, if you print facts or dubious facts I can keep quiet but when you decide to print wanynamoorth( what ever his name is) I need to digress. Where did he get the figure of the per capital income? Did you include the Punjabis, Sindhis, Gujeratis, Malayalees or even Ceylonese Tamil( Ananda Krishnan is one of them) who own properties in Pj Old Town or Just Tamil? Then dont say Hindu rights say Tamil rights lah!! I do emphatise with the Indian Communities, their share of the economic pie has gown down from 1.5% to 1% but jangan tipulah!!!! sangat no wonder the Malays populace are angry.
If this is the case let's butcher all the Tamils for people like me with facts and figures verified by a UN body are not given space to rebut stupidity and let thus the genocide continues for real this time!!! Allahuakbar Jihad fisabillilah!!!! are you an Indian lover or labis?, who are you? a Eunuch whose balls have been cut to shreds! I'm off flying for work it is a pity asking for introduction., I can write tales but you still don't know me!
Regards

---

Date: Tue, 5 Feb 2008 09:45:56 -0800
From: labisman@yahoo.com
Subject: RE: I need to post my comment
To: wzahari@hotmail.com

'fair' ?. What are you talking about!!. How could we even try to discuss about your comment when you have not been provided with an account yet?

If you care to read my previous email, you would see that I was telling you that, you have an arrogant way of asking.

You sounded as if you own everyone and everything. Stop and smell the air and you might learn something.

Regards

wan zaharizan wrote:

Hello

Why not? Everybody must have his say dont you think so? If my comment is 'bad' then I accept criticism but at least I am fair. Why cant you?

regards

---

Date: Tue, 5 Feb 2008 00:36:30 -0800
From: labisman@yahoo.com
Subject: Re: I need to post my comment
To: wzahari@hotmail.com

Dear Wan Zaharizan,

I could almost hear your scream with the 'kind' words you use in your 'application'. Do you think we should?

Regards

wan zaharizan wrote:

Hello

I need to post my comment and wish to be added in as a member. Dont you believe in free speech? if you do then let me be a member or are you afraid.? I am a Malay Chauvinist and will always be one, so let me have my say!

Regards

Wan

The picture above a) His Royal Higness The Sultan of Johore Sultan Iskandar b) His Royal Highness The late Sultan Idris of Perak

Recently the Chairman of an opposition party challenge the directive of the reigning Sultan of Perak interfearing with the administration of the state. As a question of fact and legality he might be right but nevertheless he was rude and uncouth. For that he should be rebuke but certainly it does not warrant to charge him under the seditious act.

It would not have happen if the the malays herself show more respect to the Sultan but since the constitutional crisis of 1983 this was not so. Please read below the articles

Karpal lacked political wisdom, says DAP’s Teng

Posted by kasee
Monday, 12 May 2008
By LOONG MENG YEE, The Star
KUALA LUMPUR: DAP chairman Karpal Singh has acted with a lack of political wisdom when he chose to publicly question the Perak Sultan over the royal jurisdiction of Islamic matters in the state.
“Karpal Singh may be right in law, but this is not merely a legal question, it involves politics. Therefore, I disagree with the approach taken to openly challenge the royal intervention,” said DAP central executive committee member and Selangor Speaker Teng Chang Khim.
Teng said he agreed, in terms of administration, that the Perak Mentri Besar had the authority over the transfer of state civil servants.
“But, the state Constitution provides that the Sultan is the head of the religion of Islam. This involves the question of Constitution and politics, it is not wise to raise issues like these, especially knowing Umno will pick on it and turn it into a racial issue,” said Teng.
It would have been more correct, said Teng, for Karpal Singh to have raised his opinion behind closed doors with the palace.
“The Sultan of Perak is a legal expert, to discuss the matter within four walls would have been fine,” said Teng.
DAP veteran Lim Kit Siang, when approached in Parliament for comment about Teng’s statement, declined to be interviewed.

Now here is another article

Sunday May 4, 2008

Mahathir vs the Malay Rulers

WIDE ANGLE

By HUZIR SULAIMAN
In the concluding instalment of the three-part series, Ruling the Rulers, our columnist looks at the outcome of Dr Mahathir’s 1983 standoff with the Sultans.

BY October 1983, Malaysians were becoming aware that a constitutional crisis was in full swing. The Constitution (Amendment) Bill 1983 had been passed by both houses of Parliament, but the King, under pressure from his fellow rulers, was refusing to give his Royal Assent to it.The bill would remove the need for the King to assent to legislation, and would similarly do away with the need for Sultans to assent to State laws. It would also take away the King's power to declare an Emergency and give it to the Prime Minister.

The Rulers publicly rejected these amendments after a meeting in Selangor on Nov 20, 1983. When the public became aware that a storm was brewing, Dr Mahathir’s administration initiated a propaganda war to put pressure on the Rulers.There took place a “series of illegal public rallies held by Umno in Alor Star, Bagan Datoh, Seremban, Batu Pahat, Malacca, for the Prime Minister with reports of officially inflated crowd figures?.” as Lim Kit Siang would later describe them in the Dewan Rakyat.These rallies, staged in order to generate sympathy for the Government’s cause, were illegal in the sense that police permits were neither sought nor granted.

Whether or not the crowd figures were inflated by the Umno-aligned media – it is true that they generally reported these events in positive terms – it is clear that the 1983 rallies were exciting evenings, with republican sentiments on everyone’s minds, if not exactly on their lips. One of the most arresting images in Rais Yatim’s Faces in the Corridor of Power is a photograph of two youths at one such rally. They are wearing T-shirts bearing Dr Mahathir’s picture and the words “DAULAT RAKYAT”.

Although the Prime Minister denied wanting to abolish the monarchy, at these rallies “the historical moment of unfolding Malay nationalism was relived as a continuing battle of Malay popular sovereignty against royal hegemony,” as Khoo Boo Teik writes in Paradoxes of Mahathirism.

At a rally in Alor Star on Nov 26, Dr Mahathir declared that “It was the rakyat who had protested against the Malayan Union after the Second World War; it was the rakyat who wanted a democratic system that would enable them to choose their own leaders. It was always the people who had fought for their destiny.”At the largest rally, in Batu Pahat, Dr Mahathir told the crowds, in a thinly veiled dig at hereditary rulers, “We weren’t born Ministers ? We’re up here because we were chosen by all of you.”

The propaganda war continued, with tales of royal extravagance and impropriety emerging. The Government leaked the fact that they were compiling dossiers on the Sultans. RTM announced they were preparing a year-long TV series on the Rulers and the Constitution.Yet pro-royal rallies took place too – especially in Kelantan and Terengganu, where Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah was rumoured to be responsible for them – and they drew large crowds, although they went unreported by the media.

Upping the ante, the Umno Youth executive council called for the Government to gazette the Constitution (Amendment) Bill without waiting for the King's assent, effectively daring the Rulers to challenge it in court. Dr Mahathir did not immediately adopt this strategy, but held this “nuclear option” in reserve while behind-the-scenes negotiations continued with the Rulers.Public opinion was divided over the issue. Rural Malays tended to support the Rulers; urban Malays, while not uncritical of Mahathir’s strategies and motives, were more ready to accept egalitarian ideas.As for the Chinese community, R.S. Milne and Diane K. Mauzy note in Malaysian Politics Under Mahathir that “One might have expected that, since the rulers and the Agung were symbols of ‘Malayness’ the Chinese would feel little loyalty to them. Paradoxically, they were quite pro-royalty, because they did not really trust Malay politicians. Indeed, they viewed the Agung and the rulers as protectors of their vital interests.”

There seemed to be no way out of the impasse except by compromise – which is what happened. The Rulers agreed to the Constitutional (Amendment) Bill 1983 on the condition that many of its provisions were modified or repealed immediately with the introduction of the Constitution (Amendment) Bill 1984.The new bill, passed in January 1984, meant that the King could now only delay a piece of non-money legislation for a month. It then had to be sent back to Parliament with his objections. If the King still opposed it in the form in which Parliament then passed it, he could only delay it for another month before it was gazetted as law.

The King could therefore only delay legislation for up to two months before it became the law of the land.But this principle was no longer extended to the State level: Sultans still needed to assent to State bills before they became law, which was an important symbolic victory. Most importantly for those who feared Dr Mahathir’s supposed plan to concentrate power in his own hands, the bill removed the proposed ability of the Prime Minister to declare an Emergency by himself, and restored it to the King.Nonetheless, Dr Mahathir saw himself as having won, declaring at a victory rally in Malacca that the feudal system had ended.

He had brought his theatrical, confrontational, unapologetically antagonistic style to a high-stakes arena and had, by some accounts at least, triumphed over the Malay Rulers.He quickly moved to consolidate his gains. Stories had been circulating that the head of the army, Jen Tan Sri Mohd Zain Hashim, was opposed to Mahathir’s approach and believed the armed force’s loyalty lay with the Rulers. Mohd Zain took early retirement. This was followed by a reorganisation of the army and some 500 other early retirements and dismissals.

When the independent-minded Sultan of Johor took over as Yang di-Pertuan Agong in 1984, some feared (and some hoped) that royal activism would reassert itself.As Roger Kershaw writes in Monarchy In South-East Asia: Faces of Tradition in Transition, “From the beginning, the Agong had made no secret of his contempt for Mahathir on the grounds of his mixed blood, calling him, to his face, ‘Mamak’ (a derogatory nickname for those of Indian Muslim ancestry). [?] But Dr Mahathir had proved more than a match for this difficult sovereign.

Having got the measure of the King’s essential vanity and exhibitionism, he prudently pandered to it, even to the extent of placing a more convenient Royal Malaysian Airforce helicopter at his permanent disposal?.”Through this and other measures, Dr Mahathir maintained good relations with the new King, enlisting him in his 1987 move against the judiciary, the effects of which are still felt today.The Prime Minister’s campaign continued.

He silenced the Rulers over the issue of the 1987 ISA detentions; staged a hostile debate on the monarchy in the 1990 Umno general assembly after the loss of Kelantan to PAS; removed the Rulers’ immunity to prosecution following the constitutional crisis of 1992-93; stripped away their flights, outriders, and special hospital wards; and in 1994, with little opposition, finally removed the need to obtain the Rulers’ assent for State laws.

Looking back, we can see how the bars of the yellow silk cage began to go up in 1983, closing in year after year.Should we find it surprising, then, that after 25 years the tigers within should want to break free? Can we not understand that the Rulers might want to regain what has been lost?And here is the hardest question of all: without giving up our democratic ideals, in a cynical and disloyal age, can we find a way to let our Rulers rule?

From the above article the fault lies with the Malays and UMNO for not respecting the malay rulers. Tun Mahathir has destroyed the Malay gentlemen but has introduce Melayu Baru who are uncooth and rude and who have forgotten the idea of bangsa and tanahair, where greed and wealth are their major preoccupation and sadly the Malay Gentlemen of the East as describe by Sir Frank is no more!

I do not know and understand what's wrong with JAKIM and the Malay Muslim mind. Enough of them being closeted but you must be able to do the right thing, although the right thing hurts. To hide under the skirt of the hukum syarak by saying the ruling does not exist is tantamount of going against the Prime Minister directive and the people's wish in this case the non muslim.

Let's read the article below and I will comment further
Converts need not inform family, say senior Jakim leaders


Posted by kasee
Tuesday, 29 April 2008
(The Star) PETALING JAYA: Senior Islamic leaders have rejected a proposal to require non-Muslims wishing to convert to Islam to inform their family before doing so.
Malaysian Islamic Development Department (Jakim) director-general Datuk Wan Mohamad Sheikh Abdul Aziz said this was decided at a recent conference in Seremban to streamline Syariah and civil laws.
The conference was attended by state legal advisors, muftis, syarie judges and Islamic department directors.
"Based on Syariah laws, there is no nas (quotations from the Quran to prove or settle a point) compelling a person wishing to convert to Islam to inform the family before doing so," Wan Mohamad said in a press statement yesterday.
The conference also decided that the need to inform loved ones should be left to the discretion of the person wishing to convert.
Wan Mohamad said present Syariah laws on conversion and related matters were sufficient and the present practices should be continued.
"Nevertheless, provisions for registration, custody and the education of converts need to be formulated in a more effective manner," he said.
Wan Mohamad added under the Syariah laws, the duties and responsibility of the convert towards his non-Muslim parents did not stop after the conversion.
"It is the unanimous conclusion of the conference members that the implementation of the proposal was unnecessary," said Wan Mohamad.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi had said the Government would introduce a regulation requiring non-Muslims wishing to convert to Islam to inform their family before doing so.
He said this would prevent problems of families disputing the conversion of their loved ones when they die.

Syariah law are base on the ideas of justice derive from the inspiration from the Quran as illuminated by the Sunnah and understood by the Ijma of the Ulamaks and the Qiyas. Ijtihad plays a big part in promugalating the laws of Syariah. Like laws it must be living, not a law that remain stagnated thus as time goes by new laws are promulgated base on the understanding of the above. Thus a living law is where the Syariah fail to achieve, now the laws are deem to be too rigid and thus suffocating. If Islam is to regain her lustre this need to be address sadly there is a lack of 'iktizam' or will by the educated class thus it leads to ideas which remain stupid. We must avoid hardship to others and we must at all times strive to be fair in our judgement.That is the pivotal role of any law be it Syariah or Secular. (I purposely avoid hadiths because hadiths the saying of the prophet is sometimes read verbatimly without understanding the historical perspective and climate when it was uttered. Thus Sunnah is better.) Promulgating procedural law is not against the Syariah and we should not hide suddenly behind human rights stating the fact that professing one's fatih and not divulging it to his family is his/her rights. To be fair, to profess any religion of your choice is a private matter but when it involve marriages i beg to differ. If it among children and parents thus the individual rights in not informing the family is understood but if he has a wife or husband professing his conversion is paramount for as Muslims we understand that the marriage is immediately annulled if the spouse does not convert.

Thus what JAKIM Director General state is full of ignorance. The Documents printed above are some injustice that have occurred when a spouse converted without telling his partner. when death occurs it hurts his family because of the tussle that arise. These incidents can be avoided if the Director General have the will to say the right thing and not uttered facts with prejudices.