Sabah PKR undermined its own chief in PH election, says analyst

FMT:

 

Sabah PKR undermined

its own chief in PH

election, says analyst

Minderjeet Kaur

-31 Dec 2024, 07:30 AM

The nomination of Christina Liew instead of Mustapha Sakmud is seen as posing a threat to the state party’s leadership, and alienating Mustapha’s supporters.

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Christina Liew was nominated instead of Sabah PKR chief Mustapha Sakmud in the election for the Sabah PH chairman’s post.

PETALING JAYA: 

Sabah PKR appeared to have undermined its new chief Mustapha Sakmud by nominating Christina Liew instead in the election for the Sabah Pakatan Harapan chairman’s post earlier this month, says a political analyst.

Bilcher Bala of Universiti Malaysia Sabah questioned why Mustapha was not nominated when the matter was put to an internal vote. Bilcher said the nomination of Liew over Mustapha could undermine the internal leadership and alienate Mustapha’s supporters.

Liew was narrowly defeated by Upko president Ewon Benedick for the post she had held since 2017.

Bilcher said the preference for Liew gave the impression that Sabah PKR does not respect its own leadership changes. “This dissatisfaction could lead to internal strife, eroding confidence in PH’s ability to govern effectively with state assembly elections looming,” he told FMT.

Mustapha, the federal deputy higher education minister, was appointed as the new Sabah PKR chief in May. He replaced Sangkar Rasam, who had been urged to step down by 15 of 26 PKR division chiefs, including Liew.

Liew faced a similar predicament in December 2021 when 17 division heads called for her removal as Sabah PKR chief, citing the party’s declining influence in the state.

Loss of confidence

Ilham Centre’s Hisomuddin Bakar said Liew’s loss to Ewon reflected a loss of confidence in Liew among PH partners and their rejection of her leadership.

He said Ewon’s election showed that Upko and DAP were not in favour of Liew, while Amanah and PKR appeared split. Liew had failed to consolidate Sabah PH and unite the coalition, particularly during the 2020 state elections, he said.

“Her leadership is obsolete,” he said, urging her to step away from the struggle for the Sabah PH chairmanship. Liew has said discussions were being held with PKR’s national and state leaders on her possible return to the post.

Hisomuddin said “what the coalition really needs is a new formula to challenge the domination of the ‘Sabah for Sabahans’ slogan in the coming elections”, no matter who was chosen to head Sabah PH.

Who controls the South China Sea?

Who controls the South China Sea?


30 Dec 2024 • 10:00 AM MYT

TheRealNehruism
Writer. Seeker. Teacher

China's 9 dash line claim of the South China Sea ( Image credit: The National Interest )


An article I read about recently posted the answer to the question of who owns the South China Sea by saying that “it is complicated.”

In my view, it is not complicated, it is just contested.


I think that as it currently stands, it is the West that controls the South China Sea.


Of course, the West today doesn’t claim that they control the South China Sea , but the rules and regulation that governs the South China Sea - like the concepts of Exclusive Economic Zones or the rights of littoral states - are concepts that were created and established by by the West.


Also, the west is also the power that was responsible for creating most if not all of the littoral states of the South China Sea in the post-World War 2 era. All the countries that are involved in the territorial dispute in the South China Sea be it Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Vietnam are former colonies of the European colonial empires.


Through the institutions and systems that the West established in the littoral states of South China Sea, most of them being their former colonies, it was the West that was the defacto rulers of South China Seas in the 19th century.


If there is a dispute between the littoral states of the South China Sea over territories in the South China Sea, for example, the disputing states are expected to take their dispute to an institution that is controlled by the West, like the International Court of Justice in the Hague, Netherland, to settle it.

In the dispute for Batu Puteh between Malaysia and Singapore, for example, the matter was finally resolved in the ICJ.


If this dispute were to hypothetically happen in the 15th century, it might have likely been taken to the Beijing, not the Hague, to be resolved.


In the early 90s, after the collapse of the Soviet Union, the capitalist West – which is composed of America together with the former colonial powers of Europe – has emerged as the sole dominant superpower on the globe, and thus for the last 30 years, it can be said that it is the West that has been ruling the South China Sea, through its dominance as a global superpower and by proxy, through the influence it exerts on the systems and instutitions it has put in place it its former colonies that border the South China Seas.


It is precisely because it is the West that controls the South China Sea today, although it does not openly admit it, that The US, which has stitched together military alliances from Manila to Tokyo, has repeatedly vowed to defend its allies’ rights in the South China Sea.


The Americans might claim that they are only defending the South China Sea on behalf of their allies, but it is likely their control of the South China Sea that they are defending in the name of their allies.


Prior to the rise of the West and its precursor, the European Colonial power, it was likely China that controlled the South China Sea. The very name of the South China Sea itself is an indication that it is China that held dominion in the South China Sea. Other than that, that it was Chinese dynasties that installed new polities in the South China Sea in the 15th century, the Malacca Sultanate being one of them, is another indication that it was China that ruled the South China Sea in the 15th and 16th century, before the rise of the European Colonial power.


China however, had lost control of the South China Seas as it went into decline in tandem with the rise of the European Colonial Power. Like many of the nations that bordered the South China Sea, China also was subjugated by European colonial power by the 19th century.

Today however, China has risen back to prominence, after centuries of decline, and the now awakened dragon seems to be inclined to recover everything it has lost, including the control of the South China Sea.


The nine or ten dash line that China is using to claim most of the South China Sea is most likely based on the Chinese interpretation of its territorial right at a time when Medieval China was at its peak.


As to whether China has the right to assert its interpretation of its territorial right, well, the question can probably only be decisively answered by a contest of power.


The reason why the West is the one that has the right to interpret who has what territorial rights in the South China Sea today, is because the West is the incumbent global superpower and because the West had inherited the control of the South China Sea from its predecessor, the European Colonial Empire.


The reason the European Colonial Empire possessed the ability to control the South China Sea, is because it managed to stamp its imperium on the South China Sea by colonising almost of all the nations that bordered the South China Sea, and even subjugate the Qing dynasty, which was arguably the overlord of the South China Sea, until the advent of European Colonial power.


Going by that precedent, for China to wrest back the control of the South China Sea, it will have to assert its imperium on all or many of the states that border the South China Sea, and perhaps even defeat the West in a contest of power.


The world order, which is what is defining the status quo in the South China Sea region today, was written in the ashes of World War 2 by the victors of World War 2. To change the status quo, China will have to rewrite the world order by challenging the victors of World War 2, and it is the result of this contest that will decisively answer the question as to who rules the South China Sea.

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Did Netanyahu facilitate the October 7th attack?

Israeli PM Netanyahu to undergo prostate removal operation, as his court testimony is delayed

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will undergo surgery on Sunday to remove his prostate following a diagnosis of a urinary tract infection resulting from a benign prostate enlargement, his office announced on Saturday.

The prime minister is expected to be under full anesthesia during the surgery and remain hospitalized for several days at Hadassah Medical Center in Jerusalem, where the operation is set to take place, according to his attorney.

That same attorney, Amit Hadad, received approval on Sunday from the Attorney General’s Office to cancel Netanyahu’s scheduled testimony this week in his ongoing corruption trial.

Justice Minister Yariv Levin will serve as caretaker prime minister while Netanyahu is incapacitated, according to The Jerusalem Post. Defense Minister Israel Katz will chair the political-security cabinet.

"On Wednesday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu underwent an examination at Hadassah Hospital, where a urinary tract infection caused by benign prostatic hyperplasia was detected. Over the past few days, the prime minister has received antibiotic treatment, which successfully eradicated the infection," the Prime Minister's office announced on Saturday.

“Consequently, the prime minister will undergo a procedure tomorrow to remove the prostate. Full details will be provided later,” the statement said. "Despite this, Sunday's cabinet meeting will take place as planned."
– Just the News

Our Take: Hm. Let's see. What could be happening here?

Three weeks ago, the judges presiding over Netanyahu's criminal prosecution denied a request from his security cabinet to delay his testimony.

Reminder that these charges were originally filed in 2019. COVID delayed the trial, then a number of other excuses provided by Netanyahu, including a bold move to reorganize the entire judicial system so that Bibi's ruling party would be allowed to stack the Supreme Court with justices of his choosing.

Then October 7th happened – under Bibi's watch – and ever since Netanyahu has said that he has been too busy "defending Israel" as he invades three different foreign countries and launches airstrikes against a fourth (Iran). He also continues to provide aid to Ukraine against Russia following Israel's unprecedented decision to sell military equipment to Ukraine in March 2023.

I will remind everyone that the IDF waited SEVEN HOURS to mobilize a response to the attacks on October 7th. Anyone who thinks that was done in error probably also thinks that Joe Biden received 81 million real, lawful, American votes.

Do I think that Netanyahu facilitated the October 7th attack? Yes, I do.

Do I think that a guy who would sacrifice his own citizens in a false flag for personal gain would also fake having prostate cancer in order to delay a criminal proceeding against him? Absolutely.

Bibi is running out of tricks, and President Trump is the infinite player. I expect that heaven and earth will be moved in order to convince the President that America must immediately go to war with Iran, while Mossad tries to figure out a way to orchestrate a war with Egypt – the next logical target on Netanyahu's hit list. — GhostofBasedPatrickHenry 

PAS’s over-reaction to “Jingle Bells” proves it cannot govern Malaysia

PAS’s over-reaction to “Jingle Bells” proves it cannot govern Malaysia

By Corruption Watch





THE holiday season is magical! Except that the twinkling lights and the scent of warm baked desserts are spoilt by the sudden Christmas carols “Jingle Bells” and “We Wish You a Merry Christmas” which are a harbinger of doom, according to some members of PAS Youth.

Yes, you read that right: in 2024; these two cheerful songs about sleigh rides, snow and good tidings have been declared a threat to Islamic values by PAS Youth. Because who could possibly endure the horrors of Christmas carols, right?

In a full meltdown, PAS Youth’s vice-chief Muhammad Hanif Jamaluddin recently freaked out on Facebook to express his outrage over a Christmas carol performance at the Housing and Local Government Ministry’s office in Putrajaya.

Hanif Jamaluddin

on Wednesday

Seorang lagi pemimpin DAP tidak menghormati agama Islam!!

Menteri DAP Kementerian Pembangunan Kerajaan Tempatan (KPKT) secara terbuka mengadakan sambutan Hari Krismas di premis kerajaan dan melibatkan staf dikalangan umat Islam!!

Sebagai seorang menteri seharusnya beliau tahu dan faham bahawa umat Islam diHARAMkan untuk terlibat secara langsung dalam perayaan agama lain yang bertentangan dengan akidah Islam. ¹

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A few Muslim staff members were filmed on camera enjoying the carollers happily serenading them with the two secular holiday tunes, neither of which mention Jesus Christ, the Christian faith or anything religious.

According to Hanif this was an unforgivable violation of religious boundaries. After all, participating in a Christmas performance – even just as a passive observer – could only be described as a full-on crisis for one’s akidah (faith).

‘Wiping out cultural diversity’

Let’s break this down. Hanif is claiming that the very act of Muslims attending a Christmas carol performance is “haram” and is a challenge to their Islamic faith.

Forget that the carols were about snow and reindeer; to Jamaluddin, these melodies were surely secretly encoded with a conspiracy to convert Muslims to Christianity.

Even though the ministry never forced its Muslim staff to join the carolling event, a song about a sleigh ride through the snow is apparently just one note away from apostasy, according to some PAS officials.

As backdrop, Housing and Local Government Minister Nga Kor Ming had wanted to celebrate the “Madani” and multi-religious nature of Malaysia by hosting the jolly even. He went on to praise the efforts of his staff for making the best-decorated lobby in all the ministries.

For those keeping track, celebrating cultural diversity is now considered an act of religious war by PAS. After all, how dare a minister promote “Malaysia Truly Asia,” when a Christmas carol might offend someone’s sensitivities?

The irony here is hysterical. PAS, a party that declares itself to be the guardian of Islamic values, is now presenting itself as the decider of what songs Muslims can or cannot hear.

One can only wonder: Does the sound of a Christmas carol really pose such a threat to PAS? Should we start screening songs for potential haram content, just in case “Jingle Bells” and “We Wish You a Merry Christmas” secretly promote a Christian agenda? Maybe next PAS will declare “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” a vast conspiracy, as well.

Not qualified to rule Malaysia

As Melaka DAP Youth chief Cassel Krishnan pointed out, “Go to any public space in Malaysia in December, for example, a shopping mall, and we will naturally hear songs and see Christmas-themed decorations. Under PAS’s stance, should all this be banned?”

Sudah sangat jelas, kalau PAS diberikan kuasa, mereka akan cuba mengharamkan aktiviti-aktiviti beragama bukan Islam diamalkan di tempat awam.

KPKT tidak memaksa pegawai atau tetamu beragama Islam untuk "menyertai" secara aktif dalam acara Carolling. Tetapi pendirian PAS adalah "dihiburkan" pun tak boleh. Maksudnya orang beragama Islam tidak boleh mendengar apa-apa lagu atau melihat apa-apa acara bukan Islam?

Kalau kita ke mana-mana pasaraya di Malaysia pada bulan Disember, ki...

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What’s truly revealing here, however, is that PAS has showed that it will never to be able to govern Malaysia.

Bigoted UMNO extremists like its Youth chief Datuk Dr Muhamad Akmal Saleh are no better, but the terrified response from many PAS supporters to “Jingle Bells” uncovers a deep insecurity in their understanding of Malaysia.

If a simple Christmas carol can be considered an urgent matter of national concern, then perhaps PAS needs to re-think its priorities.

Malaysia is a country built on its diverse cultures and religions. There are far more pressing issues at hand, like the economy, healthcare and education. But why focus on the complex problems of governance when you can get outraged over festive holiday songs?

When Malaysians mocked PAS for their overreaction, PAS members whinged that they were only following fatwa guidelines.

But the reality is, if PAS continues to treat harmless cultural expressions like Christmas carols as existential threats which only highlight PAS’ on-going inability to govern in a modern society.

In the end, it’s not Christmas carols that are the problem – it’s extremism and close-mindedness that keeps Malaysia from fully progressing forward.

So, the next time PAS hears a happy holiday jingle, they might want to take a deep breath, stop crying for a moment, enjoy the festive cheer and remember that the world won’t end with a few notes of “jingle all the way”.

There are far more important things for PAS to worry about. Like, of course, running a country. – Dec 30, 2024



Corruption Watch is a reader of Focus Malaysia.

Scandal-riddled preacher PU Azman gets six years’ jail and caning for fourth sexual assault conviction against teen boys, sentences to run concurrently

 

Scandal-riddled preacher PU Azman gets six years’ jail and caning for fourth sexual assault conviction against teen boys, sentences to run concurrently



The Sessions Court in Shah Alam sentenced Azman Syah Alias (in white), the 43-year-old former celebrity Islamic preacher, to six years behind bars at Kajang Prison from December 30, 2024; but the actual jail time will be concurrent with his three earlier sentences. — Bernama pic

Monday, 30 Dec 2024 5:27 PM MYT


SHAH ALAM, Dec 30 — Former celebrity preacher Azman Syah Alias was sentenced to six years in prison and one stroke of the cane after pleading guilty in the Sessions Court today to an additional charge of committing physical sexual assault against a 17-year-old boy seven years ago.

Judge Rasyihah Ghazali ordered the 43-year-old, better known as PU Azman, to serve his sentence at Kajang Prison starting today.

Azman Syah is also mandated to undergo counseling during his incarceration and will remain under police supervision for two years following the completion of his sentence.

During the same proceedings, the court ruled that the second charge against the actor from the drama 7 Hari Mencintaiku Musim Ketiga would be taken into consideration under Section 171A of the Criminal Procedure Code.

The decision followed a notification from the prosecution that earlier this month the Attorney General’s Chambers (AGC) had accepted a representation submitted by Azman Syah’s defence team in October.


Azman Syah was accused of physical sexual assault of a 17-year-old teenager at a homestay in Jalan Kebun, from midnight to 2 am and 5.30 am on Sept 2017.

He was charged under Section 14(a) of the Sexual Offenses Against Children Act 2017 which provides for a maximum prison sentence of 20 years and caning, upon conviction.

Based on the facts of the case, Azman Syah is accused of touching the teenager’s body for sexual purposes after inviting the boy to spend the night at a homestay rented by him in Jalan Kebun.

However, the teenager, who is also the complainant, did not tell anyone about the incident for fear of not being believed.

In the appeal proceedings, Azman Syah’s lawyer, Fahmi Adilah, appealed for the minimum sentence on several factors including the fact that his client is currently serving a prison sentence in Kajang.

“The accused is a former celebrity preacher who had no prior criminal record or offences before his arrest. His guilty plea stems from remorse and regret.

“Since Sept 27, the accused has been serving his sentence and actively participating in religious programmes that benefit other inmates and prison staff, reflecting his repentance,” said Fahmi, assisted by lawyer Mohamad Zahid Ahmad

However, deputy public prosecutor (DPP) Rasyidah Murni Adzmi urged the court to impose a sentence that prioritises public interest and serves as a deterrent.

“Regardless of the mitigation presented, as a celebrity preacher, the accused’s actions were unacceptable, especially against children. The sentence should teach the accused a lesson and serve as a wake-up call to society,” she stated during the proceedings, which was also attended by DPP S. Ruthra Raj.

Earlier this month and in September of this year, Azman Syah was sentenced for multiple convictions of physical sexual assault.

On Dec 17, the Seremban Sessions Court sentenced him to seven years in prison and two strokes of the cane for four amended charges of physical sexual assault involving two teenage boys two years ago.

Judge Datin Surita Budin also ordered him to undergo counselling and remain under police supervision for two years after completing the sentence.

On Dec 6, the Klang Magistrates Court sentenced Azman Syah to 14 months in prison after he pleaded guilty to committing an obscene act against an 18-year-old boy two years ago.

On Sept 27, 2024, the Klang Sessions Court sentenced him to 24 years in prison and two strokes of the cane after finding him guilty of two charges of physical sexual assault of a 17-year-old boy.

Meanwhile, Mohamad Zahid, told reporters outside the court, that all the prison sentences imposed on his client are being served concurrently, starting from the date of sentencing. — Bernama

-- BERNAMATAGS: PU Azman, celebrity preacher, prison, caning, Shah Alam Sessions Court, physical sexual assault, teenager

Russia opposes Western peacekeepers in Ukraine

FMT:

 

Russia opposes Western

peacekeepers in Ukraine

AFP

-30 Dec 2024, 05:23 PM

Talk of stationing foreign troops in Ukraine to enforce any peace deal is circulating in Western capitals.

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Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov speaks to the media in Moscow on Thursday. (AP pic)

MOSCOW: 

Russia is against the deployment of Western peacekeeping troops to Ukraine as part of any settlement to end the nearly three-year conflict, foreign minister Sergei Lavrov has said.

Talk of the possible stationing of foreign troops in Ukraine to enforce any peace deal is circulating in Western capitals, with French President Emmanuel Macron and Poland’s Prime Minister Donald Tusk discussing the issue in a meeting in Warsaw this month.

In an interview published on Monday by the Russian foreign ministry, Lavrov told the state-run TASS news agency that Moscow opposed that idea as well as others being proposed by US President-elect Donald Trump.

“Of course, we are not satisfied with the proposals being voiced by representatives of the president-elect to postpone Ukrainian Nato membership for 20 years and to send to Ukraine a peacekeeping contingent of ‘British and European forces’,” Lavrov said.

The Kremlin had previously said it was “too early to talk about peacekeepers”.

Trump, who comes to power in three weeks, has claimed he can strike a peace deal in 24 hours and said he will use Washington’s multibillion-dollar financial and military support to Kyiv as leverage.

He has yet to propose a concrete plan but members of his team have floated various ideas, including the deployment of European troops to monitor any ceasefire along the 1,000km front line and a lengthy delay on Kyiv’s ambitions to join the Nato military alliance.

Both the Russian and Ukrainian presidents have ruled out direct talks with each other, and positions in Kyiv and Moscow appear far apart on what would be acceptable terms for a peace deal.

Russian President Vladimir Putin previously demanded that Ukraine withdraw its troops from four eastern and southern regions – Donetsk, Kherson, Lugansk and Zaporizhzhia – that Russia claims to have annexed, while Kyiv has repeatedly ruled out ceding territory to Moscow in exchange for peace.