Saturday, October 31, 2020

Goodbye Sean, Rest in Peace



A great actor I admire very much

Former James Bond actor Sean Connery dies aged 90


Rais Yatim accused of tweeting seditious message

Malaysiakini:



Liu's aide reports Rais for sedition

A police report has been lodged against Dewan Negara president Rais Yatim over an allegedly seditious tweet.

The report was lodged by Rahman Mohamad Saleh, an aide to Sungai Pelek lawmaker Ronnie Liu, who accused Rais of questioning the decree and wisdom of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong and the Council of Rulers.

Rahman also urged the police to investigate Rais's message to the attorney-general.

"I hope that (the police) will investigate and take action against the author of the tweet and the owner of the Twitter account in accordance with the Sedition Act 1948 and Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998," Rahman said.

On Oct 26, Rais tweeted his appreciation for the Agong's recent decree for everyone to put aside their differences and help the government's effort to deal with the Covid-19 pandemic.

However, he also alleged that part of the Agong's decree had "violated" Article 40(1A) which states that the Agong has to act on the advice of the executive.

"Why didn't the attorney-general (advise His Majesty) that there is a mandatory requirement under Article 40 that has been cast aside?

"Isn't this the core of constitutional monarchy?" asked Rais.

Baik sekali hebahan nasihat Tuanku
YDA ini. Cuma satu perkara amat penting dari segi Per 40(1A) Perlembagaan telah tercabul. Kenapa Peguam Negara tidak menimbulkan bahawa peruntukan mandatori Per 40 telah dketepikan? Ini kan tonggak Raja Berperlembagaan? pic.twitter.com/gT3Hy8Nfd9— RAISYATIM (@DrRaisYatim) October 26, 2020

Although Rais didn't make it clear, it was likely that he was referring to the Agong's decision to not accede to the executive's request for a proclamation of emergency.

While Putrajaya has not made clear its reasons for such a proclamation, some government officials have stated that it was solely to prevent Parliament from convening next month and limit political activities.

Budget 2021 will be tabled on Nov 6, and the first round of voting on the bill will be held on Nov 17.

Incidentally, Liu was called for questioning by the police on Wednesday for four hours over his Facebook post regarding ongoing street protests in Bangkok.


Najib’s support for Anwar: No permanent foes in politics

MM Online (extracts):

Najib’s support for Anwar: No permanent foes in politics, it's all strategy for survival, say analysts


Universiti Sains Malaysia's Prof Sivamurugan Pandian said Najib’s proposal has already somehow affected Anwar’s relationship with his DAP allies.

He said the Port Dickson MP is a strategist who has made unlikely parties into allies in the past.

He recalled how Anwar who was leading the now-defunct Pakatan Rakyat, got DAP to work alongside Islamist party PAS.

“This is because they have been consistent about not working with Umno. In fact, some leaders questioned why Anwar wants to work with Umno.



“But Anwar himself is a strategist who managed to bring DAP and PKR to work with PAS and later with Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia. Although Najib knows many will not accept his suggestion which was rejected by Datuk Seri Hishamuddin Hussein and Khairy Jamaluddin earlier, he still brought it to the drawing board,” he said.

Anwar had on September 23 claimed that he had enough support from MPs in the Dewan Rakyat to form a new government, although he did not disclose who these MPs were at the time.

Anwar subsequently had an audience with the Yang di-Pertuan Agong on October 13 to discuss the matter, details of which he has also declined to reveal to the public.

Universiti Putra Malaysia's Prof Jayum A. Jawan also concurred that the move by Najib is a strategy, adding that it is a mere matter of offers and counteroffers between individuals and political parties.

“This is to strike out a coalition, due to the political instability resulting from a lack of an absolute majority or dominance by any single party.

“This possible changing in the coalition will dominate Malaysian politics till the next general election,” he told Malay Mail.

Universiti Teknologi Malaysia's Prof Mazlan Ali said co-operation between PKR and Umno can possibly work out.

“I see Anwar as someone who is pragmatic, who can adapt to any situation that arises. So when Najib makes this offer, it is something to be deeply considered by Umno's leadership.

“This is especially when they are reviewing whether to still be a part of PN and its attendant benefits as part of the government. However, the long-term survival of Umno is under threat, so long as they remain a part of PN,” he said.

The recent Sabah state election is a good indicator of this, Mazlan said. He explained that it clearly demonstrated that Umno and Bersatu are rivals for the same constituents and segments of the population.

“Umno lost power in Sabah to Bersatu, so it is not altogether impossible that they could end up losing power in the peninsula as well someday. So now, they are considering other alternatives.

“PKR's primary appeal is due to it being a predominantly urban-based party, which is safe since there is no conflict or as little as possible for Umno, whose main base of support is the Malay heartland,” he said.

As for DAP, Mazlan said the party has once claimed it is willing to work with anyone for the sake of the country. In the event of a PKR-Umno co-operation, he believes they will support Anwar in forming the new government but take no part in it themselves.

“In my view, DAP tends to stick to their guns and be firm in their principles, so they will not co-operate with Umno but continue to support PKR.

“This is not the first time DAP has displayed political flexibility. In 1987, at the height of the spat between Dr Mahathir and Tan Sri Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah, DAP gave some measure of support to Razaleigh's Parti Melayu Semangat 46,” he said.

Similarly, Mazlan does not believe that Anwar will simply abandon DAP, and vice-versa, due to old ties.

“Admittedly, if PKR chooses to co-operate with Umno, there will be a backlash. But it is likely that should Anwar become prime minister, he will implement reforms which over time will bring more support than what was lost, in addition to further support from other parties,” he said.


Friday, October 30, 2020

PAS scared of losing positions in government

Malaysiakini:


So PAS is okay with ousting 'His Majesty's govt' in February?

YOURSAY | 'PAS should accept other people doing the same as they did.'

PAS calls for 'His Majesty's government' to unite

IndigoTrout2522: Much of today’s problems would not have happened if then prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad had responsibly kept his promise to follow the mandate in GE14.

Instead, he resigned and tried to remain as PM with the absolute power to select any MPs, regardless of parties, he wanted to serve in his cabinet. When his plot failed, he lost power and position. He was just too selfish and power-greedy.

Secondly, if Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin had agreed to a vote of confidence in Parliament soon after he assumed the position, we would not be having this instability, uncertainty and chaos. Are power and position so important to these politicians?

Now, opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim is accused of trying to restore the GE14 mandate in the midst of a pandemic. What about Muhyiddin? Did he, Azmin Ali and their allies care about the pandemic when it was beginning to spread in February/March?

The situation now is so muddy. Umno, PAS, Bersatu and PKR are all trying to get the upper hand. The end loser is the rakyat, but unfortunately, this situation needs to be resolved for the country to move forward.

One other final point is that Malaysia has a constitutional monarchy, not an absolute monarchy. The yang di-Pertuan Agong has to follow the Constitution. Even if Anwar has the majority, Muhyiddin does not have to resign until he loses a vote of no-confidence in Parliament.

Of course, with a slim majority of only three, the government would not be stable or functional. Hopefully, these leaders can come to a consensus.

Sayonara MY: The bad blood between Umno and Bersatu has gone too far for them to reconcile. Very soon, PAS will also be in Umno’s bad books.

The way it’s going, there will never be peace among these parties. It’s only a matter of time they will break up. While all these tugs-of-war are going on, the rakyat are the ones who will suffer.

GPS is the only one that can save the day. If they align themselves to Pakatan Harapan, at least a proper government can be formed to run the country till the next election. Then the mandate goes back to the people.

Heron: If the present government had taken, considering the circumstances of its ascension to power, a vote of confidence motion at its first inaugural secession of Parliament, the prevailing disquiet concerning its present status would not arise.

It was quite beholden, some think, on Muhyiddin to have effected a timely vote. He disappointed many. As it is often said, “let no man trust in blind prosperity”.

Omar Iz: PAS secretary-general Takiyuddin Hassan makes it sound as if his party has many seats. They don’t. They are part of a coalition of losers and those who jumped ship for God-knows-what reason.

Collectively, they have, at best, a three-member majority in Parliament; and, they are shaky from conception.

Here's the thing. One could ruin a coalition through deceit, but could deception be the tie that binds? Nope! Let's wake up to this reality.

Coward: Takiyuddin can only say entrusted by the king because he knows he cannot say entrusted by the electorate because he does not have it. So, was he saying the electorate didn't count? That's a bankrupt argument.

Here, you see a sleight of hand and an attempt to play the royalty card. Anwar's move, even if he ultimately fails to achieve his aim, has been successful in making clear the divisions within the ruling coalition.

Apanakdikato: Well, Takiyuddin, this country belongs to the rakyat, not to any particular person of your liking.

Tell us, Takiyuddin, which part of the Constitution says that the law does not apply equally to PAS, such that an ordinary citizen who breaches the movement control order (MCO) rules goes to jail, but the same does not apply to PAS politicians?

Tell us, Takiyuddin, which part of the Constitution allows PAS politicians to belittle people of other faiths and race, and get away with it?

Tell us, Takiyuddin, which part of the Constitution says that only people coming from your own religious group can lead the country, even when they are incompetent and corrupt to the core?

By the way, why are PAS leaders so fond of buying luxury cars and goods made by Christian countries? PAS is nothing more than a parasite party full of hypocrites.




Audi Q7 RM600,000
Toyota Vellfire RM400,000 

Newday: Takiyuddin, we do not have peace and harmony when there is one rule for politicians and the rest of us actually have to obey the law.

You elevate yourselves above us and make heroes out of your own when they broke the law. You prefer a system where elections do not happen. Democracy and you do not mix.

Every day, that tenuous federal floor rug is inching closer to being pulled out from under you and your power-mad cohorts. May the rug be completely yanked out.

Capo: Indeed, the Harapan government was also entrusted by the previous Agong to form "His Majesty's government"

Why is it all right to collapse "His Majesty's government” in February this year but not now? Malaysia practices constitutional monarchy, meaning we have a Parliament.

If a sitting PM loses majority support in Parliament, it’s the duty of the Agong to appoint a new prime minister. Plain and simple. Get a taste of your own medicine.

Léon Moch: Every government formed is “His Majesty's government”, including the Harapan government PAS helped topple.

So, if PAS felt it was fine to topple His Majesty's government a few months ago, then PAS should accept other people doing the same as they did.

BrownRabbit6629: When Harapan was in power, PAS did not talk about unity but instead resorted to race and religion to create hatred among the rakyat.

After they conspired and brought down the previous government via the backdoor, the same leaders now talk about unity.

Obviously, these PAS leaders, after gaining positions, are too worried to lose them should a new government be formed.


Sarawak government determined & reckless to hold state elections?

FMT:

Sarawak’s Green Hill cluster highly infectious, warns minister


Sarawak minister Dr Sim Kui Hian says tests among cases in the Green Hill cluster have shown a high virus load which spreads faster and easier. (Bernama pic)

KUCHING: Sarawak Local Government and Housing Minister Dr Sim Kui Hian today said the strain of the Covid-19 virus linked to the Green Hill cluster in the state seemed highly infectious.

In a statement, he said those infected had started showing symptoms on the third to fifth day instead of the 10th day onward as in previous cases.

Sim, who trained as a cardiologist, said laboratory studies had shown the virus load (amount) was high.

“The higher virus load means it will spread faster and easier,” he said. “So, there are a lot of infected young patients from the cluster, showing symptoms on the third to fifth day.


Dr Sim Kui Hian

“Most of them (in the Green Hill cluster) had gone for their Covid-19 swab test at private hospitals and clinics instead of waiting for our health officers to come to them.”

He advised the people to do their second swab test if the first result was negative.

“If the first test is negative, it does not mean you have not been infected as the incubation period for the virus is 14 days.

“The Sarawak government’s policy is different from that in Peninsular Malaysia,” he said.

Meanwhile, Sarawak Disaster Management Committee chairman Douglas Uggah Embas said there was no travel restriction to and out of Kuching for now despite the district having been classified as a red zone.

However, he advised people not to visit Kuching if they had no urgent reason to do so.

He said the Green Hill cluster, involving people and close contacts in and around Kuching, was quite worrying, and urged everyone to stay vigilant and to avoid crowded places.

To date, there are 21 positive cases linked to the cluster, including the index case – an online businessman who tested positive at a private hospital on Oct 26.

+++ Meanwhile +++


No way to avoid holding state election, Sarawak minister says


Sarawak minister Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah says the EC and health ministry must come up with stricter SOPs when the state election takes place

KUCHING: A state minister says the surge in Covid-19 cases in Sabah after the polls there should not be cited as a reason for Sarawak to put off its election.

Tourism minister and PBB vice-president Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah said the high number of illegal immigrants in Sabah, and local residents staying in highly populated communes were among the factors contributing to the spread of Covid-19 in that state.

He said the Election Commission (EC) did not come up with stringent SOPs for the campaign period as well as nomination and polling days after the dissolution of the Sabah assembly.

“Various political parties went on with campaign activities and stricter SOPs were not imposed, which led to the spike in the number of cases after the polls,” Karim told FMT.

“We acknowledge the concern of health director-general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah, who has advised against holding any election for now in view of the pandemic, but the scenario in Sarawak is different.

”Besides, we must hold the state election by June, unless an emergency is declared, which is unlikely to happen.”

Therefore, he said, there was no way for Sarawak to avoid holding its state election as the current term of the state assembly would expire in a few months’ time.

Asked if the state government would consider waiting for all the districts to be categorised as Covid-19 green zones before dissolving the assembly, Karim said: “No one can foresee what is going to happen next, whether there is a hike or drop in the number of Covid-19 cases in the state.”

He said the state government would monitor the situation and call for an election when it was “safer and appropriate even if Covid-19 is still around”.

“Otherwise, the state assembly will be dissolved automatically, regardless of whether Sarawak is a red zone or green zone.”

Karim said the EC and health ministry must come up with stricter SOPs to prevent Covid-19 from spreading during the state election without curtailing the rights of citizens to vote.


Macau Scam: Senior Malaysian Police Officer "sponsored" by Criminal Syndicate on overseas trip

Utara Daily:

Macau Scam : Pegawai kanan polis ditaja sindiket melancong ke luar negara?



Polis sedang menjalankan siasatan berhubung dakwaan mengenai pegawai kanan yang dikatakan melancong ke luar negara ditaja oleh sindiket jenayah termasuk Macau Scam.

Pengarah Jabatan Integriti dan Pematuhan Standard (JIPS) Bukit Aman Datuk Zamri Yahya berkata, siasatan akan dilakukan bagi mendapatkan bukti sekiranya pihak terbabit ada membuat lawatan ke luar negara seperti diperkatakan.

“Pada masa sama, siasatan juga akan menjurus kepada siapa pihak yang menaja lawatan mereka ke luar negara itu.

“Jika mereka pergi dengan perbelanjaan sendiri, maka perlu berikan bukti-bukti berkaitan. Jika ditaja oleh sindiket, maka ia adalah satu kesalahan dan akan dikenakan tindakan tatatertib,” katanya ketika dihubungi, hari ini.

Beliau berkata demikian bagi mengulas dakwaan gambar pegawai kanan polis melancong yang dikatakan ditaja oleh sindiket Macau Scam yang tular di media sosial, baru-baru ini.

Terdahulu, Harian Metro melaporkan dua anggota polis yang ditahan mengikut Akta Pencegahan Jenayah (POCA) 1959 kerana dipercayai membantu melindungi kegiatan ‘cuci duit’ oleh sindiket Macau Scam dan judi dalam talian berpangkalan di China, akan dikenakan perintah tahan kerja.

Untuk rekod, suspek utama kes penggubahan wang haram berkenaan Addy Kanna serta dua anggota polis terbabit kini ditahan mengikut POCA bagi membantu siasatan.

Seorang lagi suspek utama yang sebelum ini menjadi buruan polis selepas meloloskan diri, Goh Leong Yeong @ Alvin ditahan di sebuah pusat peranginan di Pahang, awal pagi kelmarin.

Berita penuh : HMetro


Polis eff-ing around, wasting taxpayers' money

Malaysiakini:



Arrest of Ronnie Liu is 'pelik' to say the least

by Stephen Ng


I find the arrest of Sungai Pelek state assemblyperson Ronnie Liu very "pelik" (strange), especially when the statement he made had hardly anything to do with sedition or possibly causing people to hate the Yang di-Pertuan Agong.

I urge Inspector-General of Police Abdul Hamid Bador to restore public confidence in the police force and ensure that such actions are not taken without due consideration to public scrutiny of actions undertaken by its senior officers.

In fact, the Criminal Investigation Department chief, Huzir Mohamed should focus on more serious crimes and put efforts to address the issue of Macau scams, which are becoming more rampant and affecting unsuspecting ordinary citizens.

A friend told me that one of his friends had lost a big sum of money to such a scam, but nothing could be done despite the man intimidating the poor victim.

Just less than 48 hours ago, I received another such phone call claiming that I had over RM10,000 in unpaid taxes. In a number of other incidents, it was over an alleged accident which killed a boy somewhere in Kedah in a hit-and-run accident, and a warrant of arrest had been issued against me. Another phone call came from a so-called officer of the Malaysia Anti-Corruption Commission, saying that I was being investigated under the Anti-Money Laundering Act (AMLA). These are the kind of scams that I would like the Criminal Investigation Department and the Royal Malaysian Police to focus its attention on.

The news of the arrest of a man who was allegedly involved in the Macau scam and online gambling syndicates is laudable; however, I am sure there are many others who are involved in the scam here locally.

Many of us have probably heard of friends being scammed from time to time. It is time for Huzir and his team to put more efforts to go after the entire syndicate, instead of wasting police man-hours on calling former deputy prime minister, Anwar Ibrahim recently and Liu yesterday for questioning.



Liu's post reads like any newspaper headline, "Now in Bangkok. They are saying No to the King". Anyone who reads this Facebook post would understand what Liu meant when he merely said that, in Bangkok, the people of Thailand are expressing their unhappiness with their king.

Going by a news report, even Germany's Foreign Minister, Heiko Maas said that his country "would always oppose having guests in our country who run their state affairs from here".

This has nothing to do with the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, who is the constitutional monarch of Malaysia, and His Majesty was in the thick of things when Anwar went to see him, and later when Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yasin wanted to enforce an emergency rule.

I hope our police force knows that they are not serving the Thai king, but the Yang di-Pertuan Agong and their roles to fight crime should not be confused with civilian or political affairs in the country.

Frankly, I do not see how and why Liu should be arrested or even questioned at all over a simple statement that he made. If he could be arrested, all newspapers that carry similar titles should be investigated as well.

Instead, it is only fair that whoever lodged the police report should now be hauled up for further investigation, as we would like to know if the complainant had lodged a false police report against a fellow citizen and a
 member of the Selangor State Assembly.


tangkap ADUN pandai, tangkap penculik buat bodeh dan ta'tahu




Unidentified plainclothes "police" & their MCO "enforcement"

Malaysiakini:



Man claims wrongly fined RM1,000 after ignoring plainclothes officer's 'hints'

Teoh was out on a grocery run at Setapak Sentral on the evening of Oct 23. He had his mask on properly and had scanned the MySejahtera QR code with his phone before going inside a shop.

That's when four men, who claimed to be plainclothes police officers, approached him.

"I asked them what is going on? One of the officers accused me of wearing my mask lower than my nose.

"Another officer said they had a photo of me as evidence. But when I asked if I could see it, they just ignored me," he told Malaysiakini.

The 32-year-old, who declined to give his full name, claimed the officers refused to show their police identification when asked for it.

Instead, one of the officers repeatedly said, "Okay, we are about to issue summons now," as though hinting at something else.

After a few more "hints", Teoh was slapped with a RM1,000 fine for not wearing a mask properly - as required under Covid-19 enforcement SOPs.

He said he wasn't the only one to be approached and fined by the group.

Teoh is one of several individuals who have fallen victim to unclear SOPs and enforcement standards - which some believe opens the door for potential abuses of power.

Teoh has filed two police reports at the Setapak and Gombak district police headquarters, and with their help, obtained CCTV footage which he said proves his innocence.

However, the RM1,000 fine still hangs over his head.



Newspaper distributor Chow Tuck Choy was also slapped with a RM1,000 fine recently - which he also claimed was meted out unfairly.

The 50-year-old was issued a summons by the police for not checking-in on MySejahtera when he delivered newspapers to a coffee shop in Kuala Lumpur.

He believed scanning the QR code was not necessary for delivery workers making quick stops - and said the SOP on the matter was not clear to him.

"What I understood was that those who dine-in need to register, but I am a newspaper distributor.

“When I send the newspapers to the coffee shop, I can't just throw it outside. Some stall owners ask me to take it in.

"I thought I was just going in for one or two minutes, I am not there to eat or drink. The government's SOP is not very clear,” he told Malaysiakini.

He said he tried to talk his way out of the summons but only ended up getting the coffee shop owner fined too.

Chow, Teoh, and four others were earlier at a press conference held by Kepong MP Lim Lip Eng. They wanted to bring to light what the lawmaker believed to be uneven treatment by authorities towards regular citizens.

Lim said part of the problem was that the enforcement criteria or procedures were not clearly prescribed.

"We are a country under the rule of law, but we should also deal with it humanely.

“If it is necessary to enforce the law at this strict level, I would like to question whether the police officers and health department officials scan the QR code when they got into venues for inspection?"



"Is this a double standard? If a minister can skip the 14-day quarantine after coming back from a foreign country without being punished by law, why should we strictly fine a normal citizen who sells newspapers for a living?" asked Lim (photo).

He was referring to Plantations and Commodities Minister Khairuddin Aman Razali, whose case of breaching quarantine was dropped, allegedly because he was not issued a form ordering him to undergo home quarantine.

Lim said Inspector-General of Police Abdul Hamid Bador should set clear enforcement standards and procedures to prevent misconduct or abuse of power at the lower level of the police force.

“I do not rule out that there are some rotten apples in the barrel, who make use of the RM1,000 summons rule to threaten the public and ask for bribes" he added.

Lim has collected copies of what he claimed are unreasonable summons, which he will send to the IGP and ask for an internal probe on whether there was any abuse of power involved when the fines were issued.

"I suggest that police investigate whether the officers who signed those summons had issued a lot of fines on the same day.

“If yes, there is a big problem with their behavior. Why aren’t other officers issuing as many fines as them?”


Najib: Take away Dr Mahathir’s social media account before more damage is done

MM Online:

Najib: Take away Dr Mahathir’s social media account before more damage is done


Pekan MP Datuk Seri Najib Razak says ‘someone’ should take away all Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s social media accounts before he does more damage. — Picture by Ahmad Zamzahuri

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 30 — Former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak has called for calm following public controversy over one of Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad's tweets on Muslims and France.

Also speaking on Twitter, the Pekan MP said the world “should calm down” and read Dr Mahathir's statement in its full context.

“I am sure he did not mean exactly what he said. And even if he did, it is his personal opinion not Malaysia's,” he said.

However Najib also took a dig at the Langkawi MP, adding that “someone” should take away all his social media accounts before he does more damage.

Dr Mahathir's tweet, in which he said that Muslims have a right to be angry and to kill millions of French people for the massacres of the past, was part of a series of tweets in response to the attack in a cathedral in Nice, France, yesterday which saw three people knifed to death and several others injured.

He was speaking about how Muslims also deserve to be angry and a boycott against France will not even suffice.

The controversial tweet was followed by another in which the 95-year old former prime minister said that by and large Muslims have not applied the “eye for an eye” law, and that neither should the French but instead teach their people to respect other people’s feelings.

The tweet was initially marked for “glorifying violence” but was left online, with Twitter citing its policy on keeping tweets of public interest. Subsequently the tweet was completely removed for violating its rules.

Prior to the series of tweets, Dr Mahathir wrote on his blog chedet.cc in which he suggested that Muslims have the right to punish the French for their alleged wrongs committed against them.

His series of tweets has since drawn condemnation both domestically and from abroad, particularly from Australian diplomats and the country's prime minister Scott Morrison.

The attack in Nice comes while France is still reeling from the beheading earlier this month of French middle school teacher Samuel Paty by a man of Chechen origin.

Since Paty’s killing, French officials — backed by many ordinary citizens — have re-asserted the right to display the cartoons, and the images have been widely displayed at marches in solidarity with the killed teacher.

That has prompted an outpouring of anger in parts of the Muslim world, with some governments accusing French leader Emmanuel Macron of pursuing an anti-Islam agenda.


Mahathir excoriated by his "favourite" foreign country, Australia

MM Online:

Dr Mahathir lambasted by Aussie PM, diplomats for controversial tweet on Muslims and France


Yesterday Dr Mahathir posted a series of tweets addressing the attack in France, in which he said Muslims also deserve to be angry and a boycott against the republic will not even suffice. ― Picture by Yusof Mat Isa

kt notes: In truth, this Racist Hypocrite doesn't give a shit about others (Muslims or Christians or etc etc etc). He's wickedly exploiting the tragedy in France to marshal support for his Pejuang Party and thus for his son's political future - what an eff-ing evil old man

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 30 — The controversial tweet by former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad concerning the attack on a cathedral in Nice, France, has since drawn condemnation from Australian figures and leaders.

Sydney Morning Herald reported former Australian ambassador to France Brendan Berne referring to the 95-year old ex-prime minister as a “pious hypocrite”.

“As Australians, we know very well that this is a man who likes to provoke. He is a bigot without principles, except those of attacking the Western world,” he wrote in French.

Berne recently ended his three-year tenure in Paris on October 16, and has since resettled in Nice. It is understood that he was at the Notre-Dame Basilica less than 24 hours before it was attacked yesterday.

Similarly High Commissioner of Australia to Malaysia Andrew Goledzinowski said he found Dr Mahathir's remarks deeply disturbing.

“I know that he has not, and would not, advocated actual violence. But in the current climate, words can have consequences,” he said on Twitter.

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison also slammed Dr Mahathir for his remarks, calling them absurd and abhorrent.

“The only thing that should be said today is to completely condemn those attacks. The only response is to be utterly, utterly devastated.

“This was the most callous and cowardly and vicious act of barbarism by a terrorist, and should be condemned in the strongest possible way,” he said during an interview with Sydney-based radio station 2GB today morning.

Morrison later tweeted that Australia's hearts go out to the French people who are dealing with so much during Covid-19, and that they condemn all acts of terrorism and stand united against such vile acts.

Yesterday Dr Mahathir posted a series of tweets addressing the attack, which saw three people knifed to death and several others injured, in which he said Muslims also deserve to be angry and a boycott against the republic will not even suffice.

The tweet that drew condemnation wrote, “Muslims have a right to be angry and to kill millions of French people for the massacres of the past.”

It was followed by, “But by and large the Muslims have not applied the 'eye for an eye' law. Muslims do not. The French should not. Instead the French should teach their people to respect other people’s feelings.”

The tweet was initially marked for “glorifying violence” but was left online, with Twitter citing its policy on keeping tweets of public interest. Subsequently the tweet was completely removed for violating its rules.

Prior to the series of tweets, Dr Mahathir wrote on his blog chedet.cc in which he suggested that Muslims have the right to punish the French for their alleged wrongs committed against them.

The attack in Nice comes while France is still reeling from the beheading earlier this month of French middle school teacher Samuel Paty by a man of Chechen origin.

Since Paty’s killing, French officials — backed by many ordinary citizens — have re-asserted the right to display the cartoons, and the images have been widely displayed at marches in solidarity with the killed teacher.

That has prompted an outpouring of anger in parts of the Muslim world, with some governments accusing French leader Emmanuel Macron of pursuing an anti-Islam agenda.


Thursday, October 29, 2020

Mahathir: “Muslims have a right to be angry and to kill millions of French people for the massacres of the past”

MM Online:

Twitter marks Dr Mahathir’s ‘punish French’ post as ‘glorifying violence’ following backlash


Earlier, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad published a blog post suggesting that Muslims ‘have the right to punish’ the French for their alleged wrongs committed against the community, amid escalating violence in France. ― Picture by Yusof Mat Isa

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 29 — Social media platform Twitter has marked a controversial tweet by Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad today as “glorifying violence”, following backlash over his remark against Muslims and France.

However, the tweet, part of a thread taken from his latest blog post, has been kept intact so far.

“This Tweet violated the Twitter Rules about glorifying violence. However, Twitter has determined that it may be in the public’s interest for the Tweet to remain accessible,” said a notice on the tweet.

On Twitter’s guidelines and policies page, it said it recognises that sometimes it may be in the public interest to allow people to view tweets that would otherwise be taken down.

“We consider content to be in the public interest if it directly contributes to understanding or discussion of a matter of public concern,” said Twitter.

“At present, we limit exceptions to one critical type of public-interest content — Tweets from elected and government officials — given the significant public interest in knowing and being able to discuss their actions and statements.”


A screenshot of the controversial tweet by Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad today. — Picture from social media

Prior to the action, the tweet saying “Muslims have a right to be angry and to kill millions of French people for the massacres of the past.” had received thousands of replies and retweets worldwide, many condemning it.

The remarks were part of a paragraph where Dr Mahathir continued with: “But by and large the Muslims have not applied the ‘eye for an eye’ law. Muslims don’t. The French shouldn’t. Instead the French should teach their people to respect other people’s feelings.”

Earlier, Dr Mahathir published a blog post suggesting that Muslims “have the right to punish” the French for their alleged wrongs committed against the community, amid escalating violence in France.

Posted just a few hours after a knife attack outside Nice, France that killed three people and injured others, the former prime minister said Muslims also deserve to be angry and a boycott against the republic will not even suffice.

Dr Mahathir’s post came as a knife-wielding attacker shouting “Allahu Akbar” beheaded a woman and killed two other people in a suspected terrorist attack at a church in the French city of Nice today.

The attack comes while France is still reeling from the beheading earlier this month of French middle school teacher Samuel Paty by a man of Chechen origin.

Since Paty’s killing, French officials — backed by many ordinary citizens — have re-asserted the right to display the cartoons, and the images have been widely displayed at marches in solidarity with the killed teacher.

That has prompted an outpouring of anger in parts of the Muslim world, with some governments accusing French leader Emmanuel Macron of pursuing an anti-Islam agenda.


DAP arrogantly tok-kok, again and again

Malaysiakini:



What new operating system is Harapan offering?

by S Thayaparan

“Democracy must be something more than two wolves and a sheep voting on what to have for dinner.”

- US author James Bovard

What the recently failed half-past-six emergency declaration has demonstrated is that the Malay political establishment is in total disarray. The fact that Muhyiddin Yassin loyalists - from the diverse political parties that make up PN or whatever it is called - are calling for ceasefire and cooperation indicates that the gang from the Sheraton Move are in trouble. This means Malaysia is in trouble.


All over the world, political systems and institutions are going through the wringer because what this Covid-19 pandemic is doing is ruthlessly pointing out the flaws in systems of governance. This could have been a time of reset and a reshaping of priorities, but here in Malaysia, we continue to meander and have become numb to the antics of the political class.

DAP senator Liew Chin Tong thinks that Malaysia needs a new operating system (OS), but what he considers a new reality that requires a new OS – a divided electorate, coalition building and bipartisanship – are merely baseline features of messy democracies all over the world.

The real issue here in Malaysia is that we have never got over our original sin of race and religion. The fact that the two biggest parties, in terms of representation and voter share, cannot find common ground because both sides use race and religion (in their own ways) to gin up their respective base, indicates that this country will never move forward.

Rickety dink Malay uber alles formations will attempt to control the political narrative for the near future until Malaysia slips into a truly theocratic state.

I despise it when the partisans talk about “principles” as a means to circumvent the realpolitik discourse and castigate personalities when there is ample evidence that “principles” were never an issue when it came to chasing political power in this country. 



Some folks clutch their pearls when they hear about PKR president Anwar Ibrahim possibly working with former prime minister Najib Abdul Razak and I roll my eyes because the electorate certainly had no problems voting in alleged kleptocrats and serial abusers of public trusts for decades.

Maybe Anwar and his newfound buddies can come up with some sort of truth and reconciliation tribunal, where all the kleptos can return monies stolen and make some sort of religious mea culpa. Then political operatives can breathe a sigh of relief because stealing money from public coffers, dismantling public institutions, race-baiting, and jailing opponents are things that the rakyat can and have got behind.

Racial and religious issues that divide the country are systemic. The same goes for corruption. It is pointless targeting individuals, although it has political advantages. The opposition, at least the non-Malay opposition, has claimed that the issues are systemic, and the major part of the problem is race-based political hegemony that seeks to sustain such systems.

What I want to know – and maybe you do too – is how does the non-Malay uber alles crowd not spook the Malays? Does stating clearly that the opposition is a secular and egalitarian opposition make the situation better or worse? Or is it better doubling or sometimes tripling religious funds, mucking about in religious spaces of the majority in demonstrations of kumbaya, do more damage?

Liew has publicly admitted that Pakatan Harapan and, I suppose, the DAP, did everything that Muhyiddin wanted or needed. The DAP played by the rules – unfair though it may have been – and let down its base when it came to various hot button issues, and yet this was not enough for the gang from Sheraton and even Malay power structures in Harapan.

Remember how Harapan had all these select committees, which turned out to be impotent bodies waiting for the old maverick to tell them what their purview was? Or how about all those supposed bipartisan initiatives that never materialised?

These are not “gotcha” questions. I really want to know. Forget all these fancy talks about principles and new operating systems. I used to be one of those people who thought that the DAP and PKR would be hewing the secular and egalitarian line as best as possible when it came to differentiating themselves from the political and social contract of BN regimes.

Since we have never really had that and no one in the political apparatus of Harapan is interested in such things, how does Harapan move forward? All these legacy coalitions, which are actually a facsimile of the BN formula, have caused too many problems for the DAP and multiracial parties. Lim Guan Eng’s statement that the DAP is willing to work with anyone on the issue of loan moratorium extension is a good start



Which is why someone as smart as Tony Pua should not be making statements that a Najib-backed government can go to hell. If a government goes to hell, so do the people it is supposed to govern. Not to mention, it makes it difficult to work with demonised political operatives for a utilitarian good.



This is why Umno demonising the DAP has always been a dumb political play, because you are essentially demonising a large section of the voting public whom you need to support policies that benefit the greatest number.

Harapan (specifically the DAP) has to figure out how to get out of its 'damned if we do and damned if we don’t' cycle of their own making.

Small steps like a willingness to work with anyone on specific issues is perhaps the way out of this mess.


S THAYAPARAN is Commander (Rtd) of the Royal Malaysian Navy. A retired barrister-at-law, he hopes young people will assume the mantle of leadership – if there is to be any hope for this country



Mahathir scheming AGAIN for his "Unity Government", minus of course the DAP

Malaysiakini:



Dr M met Ku Li and others on ‘unity government’ proposal - source

Former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad has held discussions with several political leaders on the idea of forming a unity government, according to a source in Mahathir's office.

The source confirmed that Mahathir had met Gua Musang MP Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah on Monday, Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Religious Affairs) Zulkifli Mohamad Al-Bakri on Tuesday, and Amanah president Mohamad Sabu yesterday.

“The discussions were towards forming a unity government,” the source told Malaysiakini today.

All three meetings were held at Mahathir’s residence in Seri Kembangan, Selangor.

Asked about DAP’s absence in the meetings, the source replied, “those in the photos are who have come so far".

The source added that their "doors were still open” to anyone who wished to discuss the matter with Mahathir.



Earlier, the Facebook page of Mahathir’s fan club "Kelab Che Det" posted photos of the meetings between the Langkawi MP and the others.

It said in a post that, as the country was being “tested”, a unity government is the best solution to the impasse.



“Political parties need to be set aside for now, and instead only national interests should be prioritised. It also upholds the Yang di-Pertuan Agong’s call to stop politicking.

“If a unity government is formed, it is hoped that it not only protects the interests and welfare of the multiracial Malaysian citizenry, but also bring focus on efforts to revive the increasingly challenging national economy that has been affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, political turmoil, and uncertain global economic climate,” it said.

This comes as Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin faces challenges to his power from within and outside his ruling Perikatan Nasional coalition.

In addition, he needs to push through his Budget 2021 proposal that is expected to be tabled on Nov 6 despite his slim majority in the august House, in order to show he still has the confidence of a majority of MPs to continue as prime minister.

Muhyiddin’s attempt to seek a proclamation of emergency had been rejected, but he also gained some breathing room when the Yang di-Pertuan Agong called for politicians to stop politicking and focus efforts on tackling the Covid-19 pandemic.

The king has also advised all MPs to support the upcoming budget proposal.


Muhyiddin's inner cabal

Malaysian Dateline:



Siapakah C5 di belakang kerajaan PN?

Siapakah pemimpin kerajaan Perikatan Nasional (PN) yang dikenali sebagai C5, yang selama ini merancang pelbagai tindakan bagi pihak kerajaan.

Inilah persoalan yang timbul selepas ahli Majlis Tertinggi Umno, Datuk Dr Mohd Puad Zarkashi dalam tulisan di facebook beliau memaklumkan kewujudan mereka.

Puad menyebut C5 ketika mendedahkan siapakah dalang di belakang portal berita yang baru wujud yang sentiasa menyerang Umno dan Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

“Dikatakan Azmin Ali adalah pay master kepada portal ini. Apakah Hamzah juga terlibat. Ada yang kata C5 terlibat.

“Bagaimana C5 terlibat. Mudah je. Bocorkan maklumat dalaman. Pusing fakta dan timbulkan provokasi. Macam ada konspirasi terancang sejak 20 September,” tulis Puad, bekas Ketua Pengarah Jasa, badan propaganda kerajaan Barisan Nasional sebelum ini.

Siapakah C5?

“Bukan Citroen C5. Bukan juga Chevrolet Corvete C5 bro. Bukan juga Samsung Galaxy C5. Ini kumpulan perancang strategi paling atas dalam kerajaan PN,” kata satu sumber kepada Malaysia Dateline.

Ada yang berkata, C5 ini wujud sejak lebih sebulan lalu lagi ketika kerajaan PN mula bercelaru manakala ada juga yang berkata ia wujud sebelum kerajaan PN terbentuk lagi.

“C5 ini gabungan 5 pemimpin Bersatu, Umno dan Pas yang berperanan untuk wujudkan MN Plus dan berketuakan Muhyiddin,” kata satu sumber menerangkan siapakah C5.

Menurut sumber lain, C5 adalah lima pemimpin yang menjadi perancang kepada kerajaan PN ketika perdana menteri Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin sibuk dan tidak upaya untuk menjalankan semuanya kerana faktor kesihatan.

“C5 ni adalah tonggak dan perancang strategi untuk kerajaan PN. Mereka adalah Azmin Ali, Hamzah Zainuddin, Takiyuddin Hassan, Fazilah Yusof dan Hishamuddin Hussein,” kata sumber itu.





Malaysian Nons blinded by Hatred of Religion


Yesterday I posted 
Anwar Ibrahim correctly chided France’s Macron on 'Freedom of Expression', which was about the sad tragedy of a French teacher, Monsieur Samuel Paty, who was decapitated by a crazy Chechen terrorist because he considered Paty had blasphemed against his prophet for showing his class caricatures of Prophet Muhammad in various obscene scenarios as training aid to his teaching of 'freedom of expression'.

Naturally French President Emmanuel Macron was livid with rage over the horrendous crime but alas, according to TRTWorld, Macron went about ... amplifying ad nauseam a crude Islamophobic discourse that creates the impression that France is at the risk of losing its identity and future to alleged Islamist forces.

The gruesome murder of a 47-year-old history teacher, Samuel Paty, gave Macron the perfect opportunity to use this strategy. Macron stated that “he was killed because the Islamists want our future. They know that with quiet heroes like him, they will never have it.”

Regardless of how some circumstances surrounding the crime remain to be elucidated, Macron chose to double down on the anti-Islam discourse. He swiftly singled out an entire religion and proposed a bill that proposes policing this religion under the guise of national security.

In political reality, Macron was attempting to exploit anti-Muslim bigotry to bolster his own political ratings.


His low approval ratings and his fear of not being re-elected had led him to adopt such a drastic anti-Muslim campaign which he hoped would make him popular again and distract French voters to overlook the nation's current problems - sounds familiar?

News report tells us that in September 2020, an IPSOS opinion poll revealed that the French population has a pessimistic view of France under the Macron presidency – 78% of respondents said that France was in decline and 27% of them said that such a decline is irreversible.

When asked about the three main issues preoccupying them individually, the interviewees chose the Covid-19 pandemic, the declining purchasing power, and the future of the social security system, respectively.

The report says the French government has badly handled all three areas. Macron failed to take the necessary decisions to protect the country during the initial stages of the pandemic. His government committed borderline criminal negligence by telling the French people that wearing masks was not necessary.

Such a bungled response, combined with Macron’s ill-conceived economic policies, led France into recession mode after witnessing its worst-ever growth slump. Moreover, it is no secret Macron has been trying hard to shake France’s social security in favour of neoliberal agendas. However, following several strikes, he was obliged to reverse course. Against this backdrop, Macron became the least popular French President ever.

That explains Macron's deliberate anti-Islamic campaign which resulted in the Islamic World including our own Anwar Ibrahim (
coincidentally a close matey of Recep Tayyip Erdogen) chiding Macron, saying "Freedom of speech is an essential value of Islam and the Muslim world does not need any more lectures about its significance, least of all from those who suffer from Islamophobia."

Of course Anwar has to say that for three reasons, to wit, (1) as a Muslim he was motivated to defend his religion against a cynical Islamophobe, and (2) he has an Islamic obligation to support his matey Erdogen, and (3) his own domestic credentials could do with a bit of Islamic burnishing, not the least for his supporters.


Be that as it was, many commentators at my blog here sadly missed the points I made in my posting Anwar Ibrahim correctly chided France’s Macron on 'Freedom of Expression'.

No one at no time accused the French (and especially the Germans under Angela Merkel) of less-than-benevolent treatment of Arabic and North African refugees. That was not the thrust of my post because I am and many others as well are very respectful of European benevolence towards refugees. 

My point was about the 'deliberate' choice of some in Europe to purposely provoke, rile and abuse Muslim feelings on a virtually non-negotiable highly sensitive topic. To make the issue smacked of hypocrisy and double standards, those culprits dare not touch (and in the same breath, even staunchly and stoutly defend) the sensitivities of the Jews.

I showed examples of obvious overt outrageous European hypocrisy and double standards, especially at the Charlie Hebdo office, where its management sacked those who touched on Jews (or alleged anti-Semitism). I also showed its management possessed pro-Israeli affinity.

But a couple of my visitors (eg. TS) failed to read that (or deliberately ignored those examples), and predictably railed against Muslim ingratitude to European benevolence, and (wakakaka, TS) even managed to drag his political bête noire, the MCA (Malaysian Chinese Association) into alleged disrepute, wakakaka again.

While we lament Samuel Paty's horrific death and condemn his perpetrator, as I mentioned, couldn't Teacher (late) Samuel Paty teach that (subject of 'Freedom of Expression'), showing how Charlie Hebdo's director the (late) Stephane Charbonnier abused the 'Freedom of Expression' of its cartoonist Siné (Maurice Sinet) by sacking him when he refused then to publish an apology to the (obviously powerful) bridal couple, or how David Irving was jailed in Austria for merely questioning the number of Jews killed in the Holocaust, etc etc.

Why must Monsieur Paty used the fabricated disrespectful caricatures of a religious prophet as his training aid?

Wasn't his actions deliberate, and considered sinister?

But I am aware that there exists amongst non-Muslims a hatred (or at least dislike) of all things Islamic in Malaysia because of the history of local Muslims behaving badly and arrogantly towards, as well as bullying and browbeating local non-Muslims, thus engendering in the nons an anti-Islamic and pro-Israeli mentality a la 'The enemy of my enemy is my friend'.

I also recall an old but erstwhile matey's saying that non-Malaysians should really examine-compare the racist mentality of Israelis with that of UMNO, wakakaka, for they are both the very same, ethnic ketuanan racism (thanks Helen for that memory).

To wit, the Malaysian nons are like the Palestinians, whilst the Ketuanan people are both from the 'Chosen Ones'. Think about that when you railed against Palestinians and bodek the Israelis.

So for my visitors, especially TS (wakakaka), if you have any self respect for honesty and integrity, please ask: Why must Samuel Paty picked obscene disrespectful caricatures of Prophet Muhammad (swt) to teach 'Freedom of Expression' when he had several dozens alternatives, eg. the unjust sacking of cartoonist Siné (Maurice Sinet) and journalist Mona Chollet by the very hypocritical Charlie Hebdo, self-claimed paragon of 'Freedom of Expression' when its management couldn't even practise what it atrociously and brazenly claims to preach.

The No-Further-Action (NFA) cases

MM Online (22 Oct 20):

Rescind NFA on Khairuddin’s case, review PH-era cases, says Najib


Najib Razak says many consider the decision on Khairuddin Aman Razali’s failure to undergo quarantine as unfair and a double standard

PETALING JAYA: Former prime minister Najib Razak has called on the government to bring a minister to court for flouting Covid-19 SOPs after police said no further action (NFA) would be taken against him for not undergoing home quarantine upon returning from Turkey in July.

Najib said the classification of NFA on cases made during Pakatan Harapan’s rule should also be reviewed.

The Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) and Bukit Aman CID chief Huzir Mohamed yesterday said the decision not to take further action against Plantation Industries and Commodities Minister Khairuddin Aman Razali was made because he had not been issued the form to undergo quarantine upon returning to the country.

“As I have suggested before, the Perikatan Nasional (PN) government should rescind the NFA and continue its charges against the PAS minister as many consider it to be unfair and a double standard.

“Don’t gift Pakatan Harapan with free political capital. Let the judge decide,” said Najib in a Facebook post today.

He was responding to a news report in which DAP veteran Lim Kit Siang tied Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi’s move to reaffirm his party’s support for PN with the decision not to prosecute Khairuddin.



don't want to resign as pledged so WTF can you do 


“The PN government should also rescind the NFA during PH’s time and continue with the court charges for Bank Negara Malaysia’s RM33 billion foreign exchange scandal and the (alleged) embezzlement of RM1.5 billion of Air Sabah funds by Shafie Apdal.

“That’s only fair. The NFAs for these three cases should be rescinded,” Najib said.

Yesterday, the AGC said Khairuddin was not issued a home surveillance order by the health ministry officer at the airport.

In July 2018, then de facto law minister Liew Vui Keong told parliament Warisan president Shafie had been cleared of the alleged misappropriation of RM1.5 billion in funds for rural projects and the case classified as NFA.

On the BNM Forex scandal, said to involve over RM30 billion, Liew said the case had been classified as NFA because of a lack of evidence and as the police report made by the committee of the royal commission of inquiry on the matter had been withdrawn.

***

KT summarises the NFA cases as:

(1) Quarantine-Violation by PAS Minister Khairuddin Amin Razali,

(2) Alleged embezzlement of RM1.5 billion from Sabah Air funds by Shafie Apdal, and

(3) Bank Negara Malaysia’s RM33 billion foreign exchange scandal during then-PM Mahathir's administration.