Five Groups of People during Ramadan

Ramadan is the month of fasting, standing, generosity, self-evaluation, patience and the Qur’aan. Indeed there are many groups and paths regarding the month of Ramadan. Let’s see which group we belong to.

The first group:
is a group that sees Ramadan as a time of restrictions and preventions; a time of prohibitions from desires and lust. They do not comprehend the benefits of Ramadan. You will find them lazy and tired. They fast with great difficulties while continuing in backbiting, lying and other sins. They see the fast as nothing more than an obstacle in front of their desires.

As for the second group:
it is a group that sees the month of amadan as a month of food and drink. Most of their time is consumed going and coming from the grocery store purchasing food for themselves, families and guests. Ramadan doesn’t increase them except in appetite. We know that consuming lots of foods will cause fatigue and laziness. The worst thing that the sons of Adam can fill is their stomachs. In addition, some from amongst them actually gain weight in Ramadan.

As for the third group:
they know nothing of Ramadan except that it is obligatory. Neither the days nor the nights are spent in worship rather they might not even perform the five daily prayers. They awaken with Allah’s displeasure and sleep with Allah’s displeasure.

As for the fourth group:
it is a group who does not know Allah except and until the month of Ramadan. They attend the Jumu’ah prayer, frequent the Masjid and the women wear the hijaab for the duration of Ramadan. And when the month is over all of those good deeds come to end, that is until the next Ramadan.

As for the fifth group:
this group is a group who can not wait for the arrival of Ramadan. And when it comes they roll up their sleeves even more and they work as hard as they can. This month rejuvenates and strengthens them.

Evaluate yourself. Which group do you belong to?

Why Shouldn’t Former Ministers Get Jobs in the Private Sector? Let’s Ask Anwar

One of the biggest challenges for Governments everywhere is to stay connected with evolving society and industry. Our very own Federal Government needs expertise from the corporate sector and likewise, companies, organisations and NGOs can benefit from those who have in the past had their hands on the levers of government.

This is precisely why Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak included figures like Maybank CEO Wahid Omar in his new cabinet as a minister without portfolio along with Transparency International Malaysia chief Paul Low. They have the power to energise Government with their vast experience.

The wisdom of this strategy would be self-evident to most, except Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim who has Tuesday launched a withering attack not on these eminent figures, but on those who have been forced to make way for the new ideas and outside experience Najib knew was so necessary at GE13.

Anwar has cobbled together a list of outgoing Government figures he believes don't deserve a job after their time in politics and therefore have nothing to contribute. For example he has targeted de-selected MCA MP Ng Yen Yen, who has been made chairperson of the Malaysian Tourism Promotion Board. This, says Anwar, is pure cronyism, pure and simple.

Except it isn't. Yen Yen was former tourism minister who has much to contribute to the board, given her key brief while in Government boosting tourism numbers.

But that hasn't stopped Anwar.

"How much of the taxpayers' money is being spent on rewarding them? How much of a burden has been put on the rakyat, and how many people are Umno rewarding?" he asked at a press conference.

Also in his sights are former information, communications and culture minister Rais Yatim, who is now president of the International Islamic University Malaysia (UIA). This is a man who received his PhD from the prestigious King's College London in 1994. Do you think he might be qualified for such a university job? Anwar doesn't think so.

And what of Former Johor Menteri Besar Abdul Ghani Othman, who contested and lost the Gelang Patah parliamentary seat to DAP's Lim Kit Siang. After 20 years in politics a large plantation company might think him suitable to lead them – which is exactly what Sime Darby has done.

Given the allegations that have been levelled at Anwar in the past you might be surprised that he even dares to use the word "crony". But he has in this overhyped press conference that reminded us of Anwar at his emotive worst.

At GE13, 33 per cent of the Barisan Nasional candidates for parliamentary seats were new faces as were 49 per cent of its candidates for the state assembly seats. This means there were quite a few former MPs and assemblymen re-entering the workforce after the election. Most of them have experience that is valuable for Malaysia and – if we are to have a healthy exchange of ideas within society between the community, government and business – we need this two-way flow.

Everyone can see this, except Anwar.

The Virtues of Ramadhan

Ramadhan is one of the twelve Arabic months. It is a month which is venerated in the Islamic religion, and it is distinguished from the other months by a number of characteristics and virtues, including the following:

1 – Allah has made fasting this month the third pillar of Islam, as He says (interpretation of the meaning):
“The month of Ramadan in which was revealed the Qur’aan, a guidance for mankind and clear proofs for the guidance and the criterion (between right and wrong). So whoever of you sights (the crescent on the first night of) the month (of Ramadan i.e. is present at his home), he must observe Sawm (fasts) that month…”
[al-Baqarah 2:185]
and it was narrated in al-Saheehayn (al-Bukhaari, 8; Muslim, 16) from the hadeeth of Ibn ‘Umar that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “Islam is built on five (pillars): the testimony that there is no god except Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah; establishing prayer; fasting Ramadaan; and Hajj to the House (the Ka’bah) ; paying zakaah;.”
2 – Allah revealed the Qur’aan in this month, as He says in the verse quoted above (interpretation of the meaning):
“The month of Ramadan in which was revealed the Qur’aan, a guidance for mankind and clear proofs for the guidance and the criterion (between right and wrong)…”
[al-Baqarah 2:185]
And Allah says (interpretation of the meaning):
“Verily, We have sent it (this Qur’aan) down in the Night of Al-Qadr (Decree).”
[al-Qadr 97:1]
3 – Allah has made Laylat al-Qadr in this month, which is better than a thousand months, as Allah says (interpretation of the meaning):
“Verily, We have sent it (this Qur’aan) down in the Night of Al-Qadr (Decree).
And what will make you know what the Night of Al-Qadr (Decree) is?
The Night of Al-Qadr (Decree) is better than a thousand months (i.e. worshipping Allah in that night is better than worshipping Him a thousand months, i.e. 83 years and 4 months).
Therein descend the angels and the Rooh [Jibreel (Gabriel)] by Allah’s Permission with all Decrees,
(All that night), there is peace (and goodness from Allah to His believing slaves) until the appearance of dawn”
[al-Qadar 97:1-5]
“We sent it (this Qur’aan) down on a blessed night [(i.e. the Night of Al-Qadr) in the month of Ramadan — the 9th month of the Islamic calendar]. Verily, We are ever warning [mankind that Our Torment will reach those who disbelieve in Our Oneness of Lordship and in Our Oneness of worship]”
[al-Dukhaan 44:3]
Allah has blessed Ramadaan with Laylat al-Qadr. Explaining the great status of this blessed night, Soorat al-Qadr was revealed, and there are many haadeeth which also speak of that, such as the hadeeth of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) who said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “There has come to you Ramadaan, a blessed month which Allah has enjoined you to fast, during which the gates of heaven are opened and the gates of Hell are closed, and the rebellious devils are chained up. In it there is a night which is better than a thousand months, and whoever is deprived of its goodness is indeed deprived.”
Narrated by al-Nasaa’i, 2106; Ahmad, 8769. classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Targheeb, 999.
And Abu Hurrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “Whoever spends Laylat al-Qadr in prayer out of faith and in the hope of reward, will be forgiven his previous sins.” Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 1910; Muslim, 760.
4 – Allah has made fasting Ramadaan and spending its nights in prayer out of faith and in the hope of reward a means of forgiveness of sins, as was proven in al-Saheehayn (al-Bukhaari, 2014; Muslim, 760) from the hadeeth of Abu Hurayrah according to which the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “Whoever fasts Ramadaan out of faith and in the hope of reward, his previous sins will be forgiven.” And al-Bukhaari (2008) and Muslim (174) also narrated from Abu Hurayrah that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever spends the nights of Ramadaan in prayer out of faith and in the hope of reward, his previous sins will be forgiven.”
The Muslims are unanimously agreed that it is Sunnah to pray qiyaam at night in Ramadaan. Al-Nawawi said that what is meant by praying qiyaam in Ramadaan is to pray Taraweeh, i.e., one achieves what is meant by qiyaam by praying Taraaweeh.
5 – In this month, Allah opens the gates of Paradise and closes the gates of Hell, and chains up the devils, as is stated in al-Saheehayn (al-Bukhaari, 1898; Muslim, 1079), from the hadeeth of Abu Hurayrah who said that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “When Ramadaan comes, the gates of Paradise are opened and the gates of Hell are closed, and the devils are chained up.”
6 – Every night Allah has people whom He redeems from the Fire. Imam Ahmad (5/256) narrated from the hadeeth of Abu Umaamah that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “At every breaking of the fast, Allah has people whom He redeems.” Al-Mundhiri said: there is nothing wrong with its isnaad; and it was classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Targheeb, 987.
Al-Bazzaar (Kashf 962) narrated that Abu Sa’eed said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “Allah has people whom He redeems every day and night – i.e., in Ramadaan – and every Muslim every day and night has a prayer that is answered.”
7 – Fasting Ramadaan is a means of expiation for the sins committed since the previous Ramadaan, so long as one avoids major sins. It was proven in Saheeh Muslim (233) that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “The five daily prayers, from one Jumu’ah to the next and from one Ramadaan to the next are expiation for (sins committed) in between, so long as you avoid major sins.”
8 – Fasting in Ramadaan is equivalent to fasting ten months, as is indicated by the hadeeth in Saheeh Muslim (1164) narrated from Abu Ayyoob al-Ansaari: “Whoever fasts Ramadaan then follows it with six days of Shawwaal, it will be like fasting for a lifetime.” Ahmad (21906) narrated that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “Whoever fasts Ramadaan, a month is like ten months, and fasting six days after al-Fitr will complete the year.”
9 – Whoever prays qiyaam in Ramadaan with the imam until he finishes, it will be recorded for him that he spent the whole night in prayer, because of the report narrated by Abu Dawood (1370) and others from the hadeeth of Abu Dharr (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “Whoever prays qiyaam with the imam until he finishes, it will be recorded for him that he spent the whole night in prayer.” Classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Salaat al-Taraaweeh, p. 15
10 – ‘Umrah in Ramadaan is equivalent to Hajj. Al-Bukhaari (1782) and Muslim (1256) narrated that Ibn ‘Abbaas said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said to a woman among the Ansaar, “What kept you from doing Hajj with us?” She said, “We only had two camels that we used for bringing water.” So her husband and son had gone for Hajj on one camel, and he left the other for them to use for bringing water.” He said, “When Ramadaan comes, go for ‘Umrah, for ‘Umrah in Ramadaan is equivalent to Hajj.” According to a report narrated by Muslim, “… is equivalent to doing Hajj with me.”
11 – It is Sunnah to observe i’tikaaf (retreat for the purpose of worship) in Ramadaan, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) always did that, as it was narrated in the hadeeth of ‘Aa’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) used to spend the last ten days of Ramadaan in i’tikaaf until he passed away, then his wives observed i’tikaaf after him.” Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 1922; Muslim, 1172.
12 – It is mustahabb in the sense of being strongly recommended in Ramadaan to study the Qur’aan together and to read it a great deal. You may study the Qur’aan together by reciting it to someone else and by having someone else recite it to you. The evidence that this is mustahabb is the fact that Jibreel used to meet the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) every night in Ramadaan and study the Qur’aan with him. Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 6; Muslim, 2308.
Reading Qur’aaan is mustahabb in general, but more so in Ramadaan.
13 – It is mustahabb in Ramadaan to offer iftaar to those who are fasting, because of the hadeeth of Zayd ibn Khaalid al-Juhani (may Allah be pleased with him) who said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “Whoever gives iftaar to one who is fasting will have a reward like his, without that detracting from the fasting person’s reward in the slightest.” Narrated by al-Tirmidhi, 807; Ibn Maajah, 1746; classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Tirmidhi, 647. see question no: ( 12598 )
And Allah knows best.

Raja Nazrin: Introduce nationhood subject to curb misdeeds such as insulting King

Raja Nazrin said arresting, charging and sentencing the offenders would not solve the problem compared to teaching the fundamentals about nationhood

KUALA LUMPUR: The Regent of Perak, Raja Dr Nazrin Shah wants the subject of nationhood introduced quickly in educational institutions to teach the young about the Federal Constitution, besides curbing such misdeeds as insulting the Yang di-Pertuan Agong.
He said the subject should not only be taught in schools but also in the colleges and other training institutions.
Raja Nazrin said arresting, charging and sentencing the offenders would not solve the problem compared to teaching the fundamentals about nationhood starting from the school classroom and instilling "loyalty to the king and country".
 "If we believe in such an approach, we will need more investigation officers and prosecuting officers, and more courts be establshed."
Raja Nazrin was speaking at the Malaysian Armed Forces 2013 Lecture titled "Post-13th General Election: Solidarity and National Unity" on Monday.
He said for national solidarity and unity to exist, besides public order and political stability, the other components necessary were upholding the supremacy of the constitution and rule of law.
 "The laws should not be implemented selectively. If the laws and justice are compromised by money and political pressure, the poor and weak will suffer."
On the mainstream media versus alternative media, Raja Nazrin said the mainstream media must take appropriate steps to attract more readers, besides being the link between the government and the people.
He said data showed that in Malaysia, with a population of 29 million, there were 3.7 million Internet users in 2000 and the figure rose to 17.7 million in 2012.

New Multi-Billion Ringgit Development for Iskandar

With so many of them underway at the moment, it almost seems easy for yet another multi-billion ringgit investment story to slip under the headlines.

But projects like the mammoth Medini Empire development in Iskandar deserve to be shouted from the rooftops.

The deal will see Iskandar Investment Bhd (IIB) pair up with Mammoth Empire Holdings Sdn Bhd to create a 9.62-hectare commercial space with a gross development value of RM4 billion.

"Medini Empire will consist of office towers, hotels, serviced apartments, loft offices, retail space, convention centre, concert hall, lifestyle cinema and specialist retail shops," said IIB CEO Datuk Syed Mohamed Syed Ibrahim this week.

With construction due to begin in 2015 and finish by 2018, it is pegged to become a major benefit to the estimated 1.35 million people that will be living in Iskandar by 2025 – some 66 per cent of them making up the local workforce.

Mammoth Group Executive Director Datuk Danny Cheah Joi Yong was optimistic for the future of the region given its current growth trajectory.

"We see growth opportunities and are committed to further invest in Iskandar Malaysia to realise our vision of creating property developments that gratify the lifestyle demands of today," he said.

"We believe this joint-venture will strengthen our commitment towards achieving our vision and we are very certain that our investment will be rewarded in time to come."

The latest cash injection will add to the dizzying RM111 billion worth of investment that has poured into Iskandar since its inception, cementing its place as a regional success story.

Investors, as the tentative display just prior to GE13 showed, do not put their money where their mouth is if there is any uncertainty - much less on such a large scale.

The continued run of high profile developments both in Malaysia and with Malaysian interests abroad (such as Battersea) is testament to the confidence that Barisan Nasional and in particular Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak bestow.

Such confidence in this day and age is hard earned and should not be taken for granted.

Some Brief Advices Pertaining to Ramadan

Ramadan is on our door step, Al-Hamdulillah! May Allah accept our worship, protect us from His disobedience and engulf us with His mercy, Ameen. I would like to share a few reminders with you:

1) Prepare for this blessed month from now – if you haven’t already done so. Sort things out and manage your time carefully. Make a timetable, if possible. It is good to make a to-do list (Qur’an, tahajjud, salawat, dhikr, dua, charity) and to-not-do list (watching TV, smoking, backbiting, slandering, hurting feelings, arguing, etc).

2) Ramadan is a month of Taqwa. ‘Taqwa’ refers to being mindful that we will be answerable to God concerning all that we do, say and write. Although fasting, tarawih and other acts of worship are important; the most important thing is to avoid sins – especially those related to the rights of creation (huquq al-ibad). Quarrelling, arguing, backbiting, swearing, slandering, obscenity and other similar acts must be avoided at all costs. It is better to sleep all day (doing only the fard acts) and avoid sins than worship Allah accompanied with sins! The Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him & give him peace) said, “[A true] fast is not to [merely] avoid food and drink; it is to avoid sinful and obscene acts.” (Ibn Hibban)

3) Please take extra care in guarding yourself from the sins of the tongue. Backbiting (ghiba) and other such sins must be avoided. The great Tabi’i, Imam Abu ‘l-Aliya said, “A fasting person remains in a state of worship even if he remains sleeping on his bed, as long as he does not backbite.”

4) A hungry man is an angry man! As such, control your anger. Why wash away all the rewards of fasting by doing something foolish, especially near the end when tempers can really flare up! Avoid arguments and fights over parking, in the Masjid or kitchen at Iftar time, and do not unnecessarily scold children. Remember, Ramadan is a month of mercy; and if we want Allah’s mercy, we need to show mercy to others.

5) Ramadan has a special connection with reciting the book of Allah. Spend as much time as possible in recitation. Focus more on quality than quantity, meaning recite slowly with reflection and understanding. Imam Malik would stop teaching Hadith (and other sacred sciences) in Ramadan, and focus on reciting Qur’an.

6) It is highly important not to disturb others during Ramadan. Whilst attending the Masjid, remember the neighbors may be sleeping and have to wake up early for work. Do not disturb others or park your cars as you wish - thinking that we have a God-given right to do as we wish!

7) It is Islamically wrong to come for prayers at the Masjid with bad body/mouth odor. The Prophet (peace be upon him) condemned it emphatically saying, “He who has eaten garlic or onion [or anything else with a strong smell] should keep away from us or our mosques.” (Bukhari) As such, ensure to brush your teeth, clean your mouth and apply some fragrance (for men)! It is wrong to harm others with bad body or mouth odor. This is especially important at Maghrib (after Iftar, when you might have just consumed something) and Tarawih. Don’t burp whilst in Salat, and don't smoke just before entering the Masjid!

The Government Engages the Rakyat and NGOs on Key Reforms

There can be no doubt that the Government is serious about building consensus in the wake of GE13, and listening to the rakyat is the cornerstone of that strategy.

It has been announced that the Home Ministry and Attorney-General's Chambers will meet with NGOs and community leaders for feedback on the proposed special preventive law to replace the repealed Emergency Ordinance (EO).

Speaking of the need for the law Sunday, Home Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said: "We were pressured to abolish the Internal Security Act (ISA) and EO. Look at what happened after that, the crime rate increased and organised and petty criminals came out of the woodwork."

So a law is needed to replace the EO, and the consultative process will ensure not only that the new law is acceptable to the rakyat but in turn, these NGOs understand the need for the law.

This is the right way to include the community in such a legislative process. The wrong way was that of so-called human rights group Suaram last week, which shrieked about the new law being a "ploy" despite admitting it hasn't seen the draft legislation. Considering the Pakatan-friendly group contains more than its fair share of lawyers, one would have hoped they would instinctively ensure they were properly briefed before airing their views. This was not the case.

On Friday, there was even more tangible proof that the Government is not only prepared to listen, but to back down when it needs to. The Government shelved the legislative changes that would have allowed a minor's conversion to Islam with just one parent's approval – a proposal that proved to be hugely contentious with the Chinese in particular.

The decision was made by Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, who said: "We also want to give time to the government and all parties to review the bill holistically and will only re-table the bill once we achieve a consensus."

And even more evidence of this open approach has come with the news that the Government will meet manufacturers, wholesalers, and importers to find ways of controlling the prices of essential goods.

"We want to strengthen networking with the industry players," said Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism Minister Datuk Hasan Malek when he announced the initiative.

"We want to get a commitment from them to work with the Government to help control the increase in prices of goods."

Once again, the Government believes engaging with the key players in the industry will be more effective than dictating price controls from above.

What is happening in Malaysian politics is a federal Government doing what it said it would do at GE13 – getting on with the job of running the country and seeking reconciliation – not just with other political parties, but also with NGOs and community leaders.

It's a far more constructive way of moving forward than refusing to accept the outcome of GE13 and promising to hold more disruptive rallies.

Zahid Hamidi: Abolition of Sedition Act may lead to dispute of Federal Constitution

The abolition of the Sedition Act 1948 may lead to the dispute of four core aspects enshrined in the Federal Constitution, said Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.

According to Zahid, the four core aspects are the special rights of Malays, the status of Malay rulers, the status of Islam as the Federal religion and the status of Bahasa Melayu as the national language.

The Home Minister said he wanted the Act retained so that these will not be questioned.
“The Cabinet cannot decide to abolish (the Act) but (it can propose) to amend.

“If the Sedition Act is abolished wholly, (people) will have the rights to touch on these four areas although these are enshrined in the Constitution.

“I will not compromise if there are parties who want to touch on any of these four main aspects of the Constitution.

“Those who do, must be charged under the existing Sedition Act 1964,” said Dr Ahmad Zahid on Sunday after launching the commemoration of the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking here.

Pak Lah admitted to hospital for inflammation in leg

Former Prime Minister Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi,74, has been admitted to the National Heart Institute (IJN) to seek treatment for his inflamed left leg, said his assistant special officer Teoh Ai Hua.

He said that Abdullah, fondly known as Pak Lah, was in stable condition and was admitted on Monday to treat cellulitis, an inflammation of connective tissue.

“After a full medical check-up by his doctors, he was advised to undergo treatment and is now resting,” he told The Star, when contacted, Saturday.

He also noted that Abdullah, who promotes the concept of Islam Hadari as a model for development in Malaysia, was not admitted to the IJN for any other ailment.
“In terms of health, he is recovering well and he was admitted to the IJN because his physicians are all there,” he said.

Meanwhile, Federal Territories Minister Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor said that he had spoken to Abdullah and was informed that he was not feeling well.
“I spoke to Pak Lah on the phone (and) he is in IJN. Not feeling well (and) pray for him to get well soon,” he tweeted.

Tunku Aziz Says Loyalty to His Country Caused DAP Rift

Proving to be something of a thorn in the side for the Democratic Action Party, the party's former Vice-Chairman said this week that it was his loyalty to his country that saw him fall out with DAP elders.

Speaking to John Teo of the New Straits Times, Tunku Abdul Aziz Ibrahim was keen to set the record straight on his exit from the Pakatan component party in May 2012 following "irreconcilable differences."

He made it clear that the notion that he was against public demonstrations for clean and fair elections (a rumour he suggested was being incorrectly spread by certain parties to damage his reputation) was simply not true.

Tunku Aziz made it clear to Teo that there is a valid place for political discourse and demonstration in a modern and democratic Malaysia – but he would never endorse the breaking of laws to do so.

Recently, his former colleague and DAP National Chairman Karpal Singh threatened the former vice-president with yet another of the Opposition's ubiquitous lawsuits – something Tunku Aziz handled with aplomb.

"I am awaiting with great anticipation for Karpal to take me to court if he wishes to do so," Tunku Aziz said after Karpal called for him to stop embarrassing DAP with revelations of party failings.

"When I joined DAP, I did not sell away my soul. I have no obligation to them to protect any actions which I deem as a threat to peace and security."

It is something that DAP's more vocal online supporters (perhaps the mysterious Red Bean Army?) seem to have forgotten, with comments and written attacks against him becoming more venomous by the day.

These have recently taken a more disturbing turn. Last month, Tunku Aziz filed a police report after receiving a phone-call in which someone apparently made a threat on his life.

"I've been threatened with legal action before but this is a totally new threat. I fear for my life and the safety of my family," he said after filing the report at the district police headquarters.

"The person who called had a male voice. The conversation was very short. I asked him who he was and he said 'I kill you' and hung up."

Tunku Aziz said he believed the threat was politically motivated, based on the criticism against his former party.

As much as the DAP and its more hard-core supporters may wish that the former President of Transparency International (Malaysia) would disappear, he clearly has no intention of being bullied into the background.

EXPECT FIERCE AND WILD CAMPAIGN IN KUALA BESUT

Kuala Besut, slightly more than 100km from Kuala Terengganu, will be a hive of activities once the Election Commission (EC) announce the date for nomination and polling at its meeting tomorrow.

A somewhat sleepy but not hollow area of about 50km sq, the state constituency is a flatland of tobacco and padi fields with half of the area lies along the sea-side, fronting the popular Pulau Perhentian, an island known to the world for its natural corals.

Majority of the 17,000-odd voters here are farmers while the remaining are fishermen, small fishing industry such as producing keropok and some in tourism sector – the few hotels including Pulau Perhentian.

The nearest township is about 30km which is Jerteh but the locals do not mind going to Pasir Putih in Kelantan which borders Kelantan and Terengganu and the distance is quite the same to Jerteh.

In fact, Kuala Besut is nearer to Kota Baru in Kelantan than Kuala Terengganu where the time taken from Kotas Baru to Kuala Besut is just about an hour compared to Kuala Terengganu to Kuala Besut where it takes about two hours.

There two main islands that Kuala Besut folks are proud of which are Pulau Perhentian Besar and the other is Pulau Perhentian Kecil where the first one houses tourists facilities and accommodations while the second one is where locals live which also has a school for the islanders.

Kuala Besut or Terengganu as a whole has been a religious breeding ground since the 50s, alongside its border Kelantan and Kedah on the West Coast given the poverty situation of the people there.
However, when development began under the federal government of Barisan Nasional (BN), the mindset of the people changed accordingly and began the simultaneous development of religion and economy.

For the locals, the ‘feud’ between PAS and Umno is nothing new as the whole state has been the arena for the two political divide to ‘fight’ for influence since the 50s.
PAS and Umno – both Islamic-based and Malay-based but differences in approach – have been at odds despite being together for just five years in the 70s.

PAS is a splinter of Umno and now has grown to be the second largest Islam-Malay-based party as it pursue its goal of trying to set up an Islamic state and implement the Hudud laws.

The party had won Terengganu once for one term in 1999 until 2004 and the upcoming Kuala Besut by-election is one golden chance for the party to be ‘on-par’ – meaning to give the ruling state Barisan Nasional (BN) a kind of fear and recognition of the party’s influence and strength in the state.
The party had given the state BN a good ‘fight and fright’ by losing just two seats in the 13th general election two months ago but for Kuala Besut, the party may not find it smooth sailing.

Already punters and political observers and people on the street as far as Kuala Lumpur predict that BN would retain the seat except no one has predicted the majority.

Whatever the views and opinions are, the upcoming by-election is expected to be fierce and wild if the political history of the constituency is taken into consideration.

Anwar cancelled his lawsuit. What went wrong?‏

Anwar Ibrahim had cancelled his lawsuit against the Deputy Foreign Minister Datuk Hamzah Zainuddin for accusing the opposition leader of trying to seduce his wife in an incident during which Anwar Ibrahim was still an UMNO member.

As usual when there is a case against Anwar Ibrahim, the fact of the case is shrouded with uncertainties and act as an excuse to confuse the public.

However, in this case, we are convinced that Anwar Ibrahim is guilt as a secret term was made between Anwar Ibrahim and Hamzah.

We would like to point out that, since it was filed in 2008, Anwar Ibrahim actually try to hold his lawsuit that he filed himself, up till he was fined by the court RM 3000.00 for delaying the case up till March 2011.

Other than that, in 2010, the court threw out Anwar’s application to cancel Hamzah defence statement. We need to know, what did Hamzah told the court about Anwar Ibrahim.

If Anwar is innocent, he had already gone to the media on why he pulled back the lawsuit. Similar to the lawsuit that Anwar Ibrahim made against Tan Sri Musa Hassa (ex-IGP).

However, when there is a SPECIAL clause in Anwar’s closed deals, what is Anwar’s reason to take back the suit and what did Hamzah really say to the court must be known by the people of Malaysia.
Is it involve transferring a large amount of money so the case would be settled out of court and with that Hamzah will not disclose any details about Anwar and his wife.

We have to remember that Anwar is the Pharaoh of Lawsuits and Hamzah is not dumb enough to   stir a hornet’s nest. We believe this is just a way for Anwar to escape from being exposed and the lawsuits are actually a diversion so that his follower would not find out.

We all should have understand by now, that Anwar’s supporter are bent on lawsuits and claims made by their “fearless” leader. For them, if Anwar sued someone, than he is courageous and innocent. It there is no law suit then it is not true.

Anwar is not promoting democracy, but he is promoting idiocracy for his idiot supporters.

 

Anwar and Wikileaks exposure

1. Claims: “This information went viral on the Internet. And when I read this, I wondered where this money comes from”, Liang Teck Meng said when debating the motion of thanks on the royal address.

A statement like this is very volatile in nature because the public would easily swallow it up since it has been mentioned by a prominent figure.


2. Findings: Such a statement without substantial proof shows how gullible BN’s MP Liang Teck Meng is towards information retrieved from blogs and the social media. There is no evidence from WikiLeaks that suggests that Anwar has stashed RM 332 million in 20 offshore bank accounts. Liang was also brave enough to name countries such as United States, China, Singapore and Israel.

Let’s take a look at WikiLeaks (refer to picture)


There is no information on Anwar’s “bank accounts”

Anwar was fast in rebutting Liang statement by claiming that these allegations had first appeared on Pro-UMNO blogs, whom apparently insinuated that their information was retrieved from WikiLeaks. (refer to picture)

“In fact there are no such reference being made in any WikiLeaks entry on Malaysia,” he told the Dewan Rakyat yesterday.

3. These are examples of accounts, which have been extracted from a blog, which is clearly PRO-UMNO. The writer includes detailed information, which can be rather convincing to the public. In Malaysia bad news spreads quickly as wildfire. We urge the public to step out of their line of thought that our opposition leader swindled and stashed billions of Ringgit during his reign as deputy Prime Minister. The deluge of wrongful information can cause an eruption of protests, unnecessary protests.


We are not saying that Anwar’s hands are clean when it comes to financial matters, but the public should not come to a conclusion if there’s no substantial proof backing it up.

Peculiarly, some of these banks do not exist. We are no experts on banking but our dear friend Google would suggest that our blogger has failed to do his homework before fabricating the list. What a shame.

As a conclusion we believe that this information was made up to cause confusion among the public. Liang should do more research before making such a claim. A person holding such a position should take the initiative to question the information rather than believing it just because it can be used against the Opposition Party.

Why Sarawak CM Taib Mahmud is untouchable

Sarawak Chief Minister Tan Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud remains untouchable.

No amount of external pressure to dent his image will make him step down from the post he has been holding since 1981.

As long as Taib continues to deliver the seats for Barisan Nasional and strengthen the state and national financial coffers through investments, the longest-serving Chief Minister in the country is unshakable.

This is what a former high-ranking state cabinet minister told The Star Online.

He said the opposition and human rights activists could throw all sorts of accusations of corruption and abuse of power against Taib but these alone would not force him to quit.

"In the past, Taib has faced many opponents who tried to end his career as the Chief Minister of Sarawak.

"He has taken them on and survived.

"He had also faced severe internal struggles from very strong figureheads within the ruling government during the Ming Court incident and survived.

"Taib had delivered at every single state and parliamentary elections for the Barisan.

"He has a political track record unmatched by any other state government leader in the country in terms of being able to deliver the seats for the BN at the parliamentary level.

"It is an undeniable fact that BN at the national level owes it to Taib that the BN is still able to retain power at the federal level after the 12th and 13th general elections.

"As far as the economic world is concerned, Taib has managed to turn Sarawak into a preferred destination for many heavy industries.

"He is a very business-savvy leader, one who makes key decisions on business dealings with swift and precise judgement.

"Because of the prevailing political and business climate in the state and country, Taib is very much a leader who will decide his own destiny," said the long-time associate of Taib.

The Opposition, in particular the DAP, had continued to accuse Taib in the on-going Parliament sitting in Kuala Lumpur of irregularities in land transactions and other allegations of corrupt practices.

The MACC had also said that it is forming a special task force to probe allegations against Taib as alleged in the Global Witness videos.

When asked about the allegations, former deputy Chief Minister Tan Sri Dr George Chan Hong Nam said the allegations thrown at Taib would not jeopardise investors' confidence in Sarawak.

Dr Chan, a former State Industrial Development Minister, said investors would always invest in Sarawak which provides a business-friendly climate in terms of political security, sound government policies, abundant human resources, social peace and stability and adequate raw materials.

"Sarawak has all these assets. Taib had over the years managed to put in place all these vital ingredients for the state.

"And of course, in every state and parliamentary elections, he had delivered the goods for the BN, so in the political sense, Taib had also proven his track-record.

"Under these circumstances, I think that no matter what the Opposition say about Taib, they will not be able to force him to step down," said Dr Chan who is a former president of the Sarawak United People's Party (SUPP).

Parliament: Simpang Renggam MP Liang firm on Anwar's overseas accounts

Simpang Renggam MP Liang Teck Meng, who revealed that Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has 20 offshore accounts, stands firm on his claims against the Opposition Leader.

He told the Dewan Rakyat the information on the Permatang Pauh's offshore accounts, of which nine are allegedly in the Israel National Bank, were available on the Internet.

Liang said he had raised the matter in the House because it involves national security, claiming there were signs of attempts by foreign powers to interfere in the country's politics.

"I want the government to investigate the matter. This is an important and serious issue as it involves the sovereignty of the country.

"I will only apologise if investigations by authorities conclude that there are no outside attempts to interfere.

"But if there is proof (of this), the culprit must be punished for being a traitor to the country," he said.

On Tuesday, Liang had claimed that Anwar has some 20 offshore bank accounts with amounts of more than US$66mil (RM209mil) and S$49mil (RM123mil).

Anwar has refuted the allegation, saying that no such information was available in Wikileaks.

The Opposition leader has asked Liang to explain his allegations or repeat it outside the House so that he could sue the Barisan Nasional lawmaker.

RELIGION EXPECTED TO BE MAIN ISSUE IN KUALA BESUT BY-ELECTION

PAS is expected to go alone in the Kuala Besut state seat by-election in Terengganu given the sensitivities involved among the voters if DAP and Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) are involved.

Besut voters who are considered religious and parochial are not expected to welcome DAP leaders and campaigners as several sensitive issues raised before the 13th general election that sparked verbal have some way or another ‘slighted’ them.

For Kuala Besut voters, religion is the core issue that matters while development – economic and physical – is relative, in that the ruling party is expected to provide as responsibility.

Terengganu in general and Besut in particular has been the centre of Islamic development, besides Kelantan, where pondoks or religious schools are part of the structure and life of the people.

Despite the differences in Islamic opinions between the followers of PAS and Umno in the state to the extent that each they have separate suraus and even prayed separately at one time in the 80s, they are together in defending the religion from outside interferences or from non-Muslims.

They are possessive when come to Islam and whatever differences in interpretations are their problems and no outsiders should interfere.

With such background, DAP is not and in this case, probably not welcome at all in the campaign and PAS, given that its president Abdul Hadi Awang considers Terengganu, particularly Besut his turf, will not want outside interferences in particular DAP.

In fact, Abdul Hadi, whose bastion is Rusila in Marang, some 100km away from Besut had in fact given out his edict that purportedly described Umno as an infidel in a kampong in Besut in 1982.

Thus religion is expected to be the main issue PAS will play up in its campaign besides the factionism in Umno, taking advantage of the ‘cold war’ between Mentri Besar Ahmad Said and Besut division chief who is now Education Minister 11 Idris Jusoh.

PAS is expected to exploit the ‘cold war’ issue to its maximum as the party tries to split Umno votes although observers say BN would still retain the seat.

Umno, which has always respected ulamaks from Besut and Kedah, is expected to downplay religious issues and it embark on the more ‘down-to-earth’ issue that involves bread and butter – the daily life issues.

Economic development is expected to take the centre stage in Umno’s campaign as one of the many issues that had Ahmad ‘in trouble’ with the locals and Besut Umno is cronyism which sidelined development in Besut.

With Idris leading the charge under Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin, Ahmad is expected to take a back seat so that voters will not be ‘slighted’ with his presence.

In short, the by-election is expected to be ‘close-door’ affair between Besut Umno and PAS with religion as the main issue.

 

Wawasan Tower Protest, Supporting the Chinese Association.

We all know that, Kuala Lumpur is packed with skyscrapers and big buildings. In the same time, there are so many countries in the world are building bigger and taller structure. We have already passed our time of great architecture for example the building of the PETRONAS Twin Tower in 1995.

The only thing that made PETRONAS Tower one of the memorable buildings in the world is that the structures were twins.

Thus, we do not see how the Wawasan Tower that was proposed by Najib’s administration will give an impact to the fast paced architecture world. We understand that many countries are building higher structure so that it can be associated with the image of the country. The fact of the matter is, it have to be taller that it’s entire predecessor.

The proposed Wawasan Tower is only 600 meters, 228 meters shorter than the tallest building in the world the Burj Khalifah (828 meters) in Abu Dhabi. It maybe becomes the tallest building in Malaysia after it is done but what impact can it make? We have to enter the architectural race with other nation and not with ourseleves.

We understand why some of the Chinese business association protest on the idea of Menara Wawasan. They believe that it will harm the ecosystem of Kuala Lumpur. A lot of countries in this world are trying to stop the building of tall structures and giving more attention to the environment, our country under Najib seems to take a step back by building the pathetic Wawasan Tower.

We should not forget that the lands in Kuala Lumpur are actually restructured mining lands that is full of sand and is unstable. It requires expensive technology and engineering skills during the Petronas Twin Tower project in 1995. How many ringgit of the people’s money that we have to use to build this Wawasan Tower if all the technologies are used to erect the building?

In 1995, the country was able to fund the Petronas Twin Tower mega project because the nation’s economy are booming and the Gross Domestic Product are more than 8% and this was retained for 5 consecutive years. Compared with the current economic achievement now, we are not able to achieve such heights and the highest is 6%. Do not ever forget that, Anwar Ibrahim is the Minister of Finance at that particular time.

The Pakatan Rakyat supports fully the protest from the Chinese Business Association on the building of the Wawasan Tower; it is because the government needs to think of the damage on the environment that it will also affect the real estate business, restricting the Chinese hawker business and so much more. The fact of the matter is, Malaysian do not want another tall building that will not give any benefits to them.

In conclusion, the only way the that the Wawasan Tower would be acceptable to Malaysian is it must be build higher than the Burj Khlifa or be made a twin tower similar to the Petronas tower. The Pakatan Rakyat, using their respected seat in the parliament to help the Chinese association to ensure that the project will not be materialized – using all means necessary.

This is crucial for the Pakatan Rakyat, and if the government do not budge, a demonstration will be held to build a human shield in order to stop the construction of this building.

This is our commitment. This is our country.

Anwar Accused of Stashing RM332m in Secret Bank Accounts

The Dewan Rakyat has been rocked by claims that Opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim stashed away RM332 million in bank accounts in four different countries, including Israel.

It was made by BN MP Liang Teck Meng who claimed Wikileaks to be the source of allegation that Anwar secreted US$66 million (RM209 million) and SGD$49 million (RM123 million) in 20 different banks in the United States, China, Singapore and yes, Israel.

"This information went viral on the internet. And when I read this, I wonder where this money comes from," Teck Meng told the house to jeers from the Pakatan benches.

He said the amounts were linked to the account details that included names, passport numbers and the transaction history.

This is not the first time there have been rumblings about how Anwar allegedly squirreled away money during his time as finance minister in the 1990s. Last year there were reports of former Bank Negara assistant governor Datuk Abdul Murad Khalid's statutory declaration alleging proxy bank accounts that contained RM3 billion held on behalf of Anwar.

And in 2012, the writer 'Jonathan Smith' alleged that he knew the details of how these funds supposedly "washed across five continents." Smith said Anwar used "a complex web of Malaysian and foreign accountants, financial advisers, tax lawyers, brokers, and other financial professionals to not only comply with, but to cleverly exploit loopholes in and shelter, a sprawling financial empire."

The claim of an Israel account will prove especially troubling for Anwar given his endorsement of the Jewish nation. Last year he told the Wall Street Journal that he supported "all efforts to protect the security of the state of Israel" – a state Malaysia has never recognised. Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak responded at the start of 2013 by visiting Gaza to show his support for the Palestinian people.

Teck Meng's allegations have drawn immediate fire from the Opposition benches, with

PKR MP Tian Chua demanding Teck Meng provide immediate proof of his claims regardless of the fact they are sourced from Wikileaks, whose founder Julian Assange Anwar once considered to be a loyal ally.

DAP's Jeff Ooi Chuan Aun chimed in threatening to refer Teck Meng to the Rights and Privilege Committee if his claims are shown to have been made under parliamentary privilege without substantiation.

However, it is not clear that Pakatan wish to re-open this matter. A probe of Anwar's finances before a Parliamentary committee or the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission, regardless of the outcome, would steal a great deal of the Opposition pact's faltering momentum.

In the meantime, Anwar needs to say something in public. At the very least, he must deny these very serious allegations.

The 700 million extra fund: What is the motives behind Azmin’s tantrum?

The feud between the Mentri Besar of Selangor, Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim and Bukit Antarabangsa State Rep Azmin Ali is stale news. We are sure that everyone in PKR knows about this story.

This is all because Azmin’s failure to obtain the Menteri Besar post and he was forced to accept Khalid Ibrahim as the Menteri Besar of Selangor. We don’t want to elaborate more on this situation because we know that it would be just another melancholic drama by these two head honcho of the Pakatan Rakyat.

Whatever happens, things like this should be left alone, and it should not be brought into the state assembly hall as it does not affect the people of Selangor at all.

All of us knows that according to the consensual rule of the house, a PR state rep must always support and vote for anything that is stated by the Selangor state government. The state asks for the hall to pass an allocation of RM 700 million but it was queried by Azmin Ali. This particular incident happens yesterday at the State Legislative Meeting.

Azmin was blasting Khalid Ibrahim like there is no tomorrow, everything that came out from the mouth of Khalid Ibrahim was shot down by a much better point and substance by Azmin. This is democracy so to speak but can’t Azmin just play along and ask Khalid Ibrahim in private on the issue at hand?

We are sure that the 12 BN state rep are laughing their hearts out during the verbal catfight between Khalid and Azmin.

Action like this will weaken the state government. As a supporter of the “new hope for the rakyat” we all know that we managed to capture Selangor not because we are strong, but we are clever enough to switch our voters in certain location. We used the Chinese as our pawn in order to defeat the Barisan Nasional.

The fact of the matter is, there are a lot of seat that PAS and PKR won are in danger in the upcoming 14th general election if nothing is done now.

And these open fights between party members cannot help the Pakatan Rakyat at all.

What we afraid of is that the verbal sparring session yesterday are only the tip of the ice berg. It starts with the leader first and later the supporters and party members will join in. We have to remember that most of the state rep for PKR in Selangor is Azmin’s men.

 

The By-Election Test that Pakatan Rakyat is Failing

Pakatan Rakyat has had an easy ride since GE13. Aside from the question as to whether to support Anwar's laboured quest to overturn the result – which was not backed by the leadership of the other Pakatan parties – there have been few issues to test the unity of this coalition.

But now a by-election over a single state constituency in Terengganu is set to remind us the PKR-DAP-PAS axis remains an unworkable fudge. It couldn't win the war and it might well struggle to survive the peace with all three parties in place.

Anwar's one-time golden boy and PKR deputy president Azmin Ali has publicly endorsed the idea of PKR fielding the Pakatan candidate in the seat – an idea which came as a surprise to PAS which thinks it owns the seat and fielded the unsuccessful candidate at GE13. The seat was retained by Dr A Rahman Mokhtar who has since passed away, triggering the by-election which is set to cause so much trouble for the Opposition.

But seeing a turf war on the horizon PKR election director Haniza Mohd Talha has Monday tried to smooth over the impending rift by portraying it not as a PKR versus PAS issue, but a battle of the sexes issue.

She said she is in favour of a female candidate to contest the seat because "candidate selection is critical to Pakatan Rakyat's hope of wresting the seat from Barisan Nasional". She didn't name that candidate, but since she is from PKR and PAS isn't big on women in power, the conclusion is obvious. This is despite her steadfast denial that PKR is out to pilfer PAS' seat.

But no sooner had she uttered her soothing words than Terengganu PAS State commissioner Abdul Wahid Endut put his foot down on behalf of the Islamist party – not in response to the candidate issue, but the DAP's leftfield suggestion that Pakatan Rakyat should boycott the entire contest. Pakatan Rakyat truly is the coalition where everyone says what they want, when they want.

"There is no issue on boycotting it, as we do not want to give Barisan Nasional (BN) an easy task in winning back the seat, this is our chance," he said in response to the comments by Lim Guan Eng.

This is more than a symbolic battle. As The Choice reported Monday, a Pakatan win could "theoretically tip the state's narrow balance of power into a hung assembly."

But it is also important as a reminder that Pakatan Rakyat hasn't changed since GE13. It is still the same every-party-for-itself rabble that it was before the election. And still Anwar fails to impose any authority on the three parties he allegedly presides over, instead using the past seven weeks to criss-cross the nation bleating about the GE13 while the first post-election test of unity rears its head.

PAS IGNORING DAPS’S BOYCOTT CALL FOR KUALA BESUT BY-ELECTION

The situation now looks as if PAS is undergoing a ‘stress test’ as the party contemplates between following DAP’s call to boycott the Kuala Besut state seat by-election or to participate.

Following DAP’s call means PAS admits the party does not recognize and acknowledge the 13th general election result and if the party boycott the by-election, that simply means the party is subservient to DAP.
And if the party boycotts the by-election, its members who are now feeling uneasy with the ‘marriage of convenience’ with DAP and PKR will know or the party leaders will reveal that they are playing ‘second fiddle’ to DAP and Party Keadilan Rakyat (PKR).

The party leaders have openly admitted that the party recognised and acknowledged the 13th general election result and therefore, they had decided not to participate in the Black 505 rally that PKR de facto chief Anwar Ibrahim has been organizing all over the country.

Although PAS secretary-general Mustapha Ali said the party would decide in the meeting with Pakatan Rakyat (PR) presidential council, the ground seems to go the other way.
The party is just one seat away to give the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) a draw or ‘hung assembly’ and two seats away of being the ruling party.

PAS leaders is said to have decided to contest the seat and the party is adamant it would try hard to win even though it is acknowledged that it is not an easy task.
Kuala Besut has been an Umno stronghold and PAS has yet to make any breakthrough which explains the majority of more than 2,000 votes despite the BN scrapped through with just two seats majority in the state in the 13th general election.

PAS is actually not in a dilemma with DAP’s call not to contest as the party has been ‘ignoring’ and ‘not acknowledging’ DAP on several issues since before the 13th general election.
In fact, PAS does not even recognize Anwar to be the Prime Minister if PR is to win the general election as reflected in the party leaders’ statement such as Mustapha himself when he said the post should not be talked about until the general election was over.

And when the general election was over, the party distances itself from DAP and PKR and the relationship gets wider when the party spiritual leader Nik Aziz Nik Mat stepped down as Kelantan Mentri Besar.
With Nik Aziz out of the mainstream politics and policy making decision due to health reason, the party fundamentalist veterans began sidelining Nik Aziz’s men such as Husam Musa and few others who they (the funbdamentalists) see as Anwar’s men.

Given such scenario, it is very unlikely that PAS will stay out of the by-election and probably the party would want the by-election to be just a PAS affair rather than PR’s affair.

EPF has no investment links with Israel

The Employees Provident Fund (EPF) has no links with Israel or the manufacturing of weapons of war, Parliament was told.

Deputy Finance Minister Datuk Ahmad Maslan said the EPF also did not invest in gambling and liquor, in line with its investment policy and ethical mandate.

 "In principle, the EPF does not separate investment based on the religion and race of members.

"The annual distribution of dividend is based on cumulative income from Islamic and conventional investment instruments.

 "However, we have proper guidelines and investment policies to fulfil the ethical mandate in which the EPF will not invest in sectors which are clearly haram and wrong, such as gambling, liquor, manufacturing and sale of weapons of war and has no links with Israel."

He was replying to Datuk Ahmad Fauzi Zahari (BN-Setiawangsa) on the types of investments managed by the EPF.

EPF's total investments for Q1 2013 was RM536.7 billion of which about 60 percent was in fixed income instruments in line with the risk and return profile.

On EPF Islamic investments, Ahmad said up to March, 38 percent of EPF total investment was based on syariah.

It was always expanding investment in syariah compliant instruments in line with the growth of investment assets based on regulations under the EPF Act 1991.

Answering a supplementary question from Nasrudin Hassan (PAS-Temerloh) on EPF investments abroad, Ahmad said the maximum value of overseas investments should not exceed 23 percent.

 "So far, EPF total overseas investments are at 18 percent. This means that the other 82 percent are investments in the country," he added.

Besut By-Election: PAS and PKR considers DAP as senile.

The Kuala Besut by-election carries a big meaning for both Barisan Nasional and Pakatan Rakyat. This is because the seat is currently 17-15 advantage to BN. Even though BN has the upper hand through the speaker seat, if PAS win the election, then both parties will have the same amount of seats.

 

This situation is surely what the people want, as they want to see UMNO-PAS share their power in harmony. Sadly, DAP is trying very hard to destroy this unity.

 

Lim Guan Eng made a statement asking PAS to boycott the by-election. It is different for PKR that is eagerly waiting for this by-election. Some of the PKR leaders said that they want their candidate to replace PAS.

 

Guan Eng excuse of asking PAS to back down is that the SPR is not transparent and the indelible ink system should be revised. Because there are no guarantees that the integrity of the by-election process in Besut, they believe that the result will be questioned.

 

However, Guan Eng excuse shows the hypocrisy of the DAP as he also took oath after receiving the result of the 13^th General Election that is organized by the SPR and using the same indelible ink system.

 

PAS and PKR will never boycott any election regardless of the system used in the election. Their livelihood depends on election and it is crucial for them to fight for each and every seat without any hesitation.

 

Because of that PKR did not comment on any of DAP’s suggestion, meanwhile PAS stated that the suggestion were not discussed in the Pakatan Rakyat.

 

For PAS and PKR, DAP seems to be senile as to suggest such things. DAP are not involved in Kuala Besut as it is a majority Malay area. If the majority of the area is Chinese, then DAP would not have made the same suggestion.

 

Guan Eng and his DAP minions has truly shown their true colours. They are selfish and hypocrites. If PAS and PKR is willing to live and die for the election, then DAP’s live and die only for the benefits of the Chinese.

Malays in the DAP wants PAS to become a socialist!

Rocketkini reported that on 26 June, a forum titled “Islam, Socialist, Liberals and where is PAS?” has been organized by Free Public Forum (FPF) in the Kuala Lumpur and Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall. Unfortunately, the pro-opposition paper did not say anything specific about the panels and those who attended the forum.

Only some of the panels names were stated in the official report, this includes DAP Parliament Office Relation Officer Mr. Al-Mustaqeem Mohmod Radhi. It states that Mustaqeem was adversely affected by the Memali incident and it brought him to study in a religious school. He also said that it connected him with PAS.

It is weird as Mustaqeem did not become the member of PAS but choose to become a member of the Democratic Action Party.

Mustaqeem states that whether PAS is liberal or socialist is not the problem because political parties are open to all ideology. He gave an example that the DAP are more socialistic compared to the PKR, and PAS also has its socialistic nature through their legendary leader Burhanuddin Al-Helmy.

However, Mustaqeem added that PAS will still stay strong if they were to focus on fundamental issue such as the people’s rights and should not stick with it traditional ways.

What can be understand by the statement of Mustaqeem, is that the DAP urged PAS to open up to socialist and liberal ideology.

For Mustaqeem, ‘Islam’ are only known as an ideology or as a traditional understanding that cannot be accepted in this modern times.

As a Muslim, it is unacceptable for us to comprehend such statement.
Islam is a religion and it is practice as a way of life. It is not an ideology that is created by mortals. It is not just a set of laws. The way of life in Islam means that it is based on certain rules to ensure a perfect life. Islam gave us a mission in life so that we will not be astray
 Socialist and liberalist ideologies are against Islamic teachings and beliefs.

In Islam, total solidarity with socialist ideologies is not fair and it goes against human nature as all of us are different in some way or another. How can those who work hard and those who are lazy get the same amount of salary? In a socialist system, a person cannot express themselves. For example in the DAP, no one is allowed to voice out their opinion, and if they do, they will be threatened, sabotage, sued or sacked from the party.

Then there is the Liberalist, or also known as the seed of the western civilization.
The liberalist are opening a window of destruction of the community and family institution by promoting the “ultimate freedom” as one of the rights of a human being. Meanwhile, Islam has given guidelines regarding any issues to ensure everything must be done according to a certain rule and regulation. We all know that PKR is fighting for the rights of Muslims to convert and LGBT.

Because of that, Mustaqeem urged PAS to open up their minds to liberalist and socialist is the same as Lee Kwan Yew’s call for Muslim to “loosen up their religion”.
This is not a shocker as PAP and DAP are considered as cousins.  Thus, the facts remains that the product of a PAS religious school has the same tone as Lee Kwan Yew, truly baffles our minds.

Is it because Mustaqeem thought and view are built up by the lessons that they got from his religious school?

Do PAS understand and agree to loosen up their Islamic values to remain relevant?
We urged that PAS will respond with this issue, so that the people will understand PAS stands regarding PAS’s friendship with the socialist and liberalist.

Indelible Ink: Anwar made a false police report.

After being mocked and ridicule even by his own supporters because no Police report was made regarding the 13^th General Election, finally, on 27^th of May 2013, Anwar Ibrahim lodge a report. However, in his report, Anwar did not say anything about SPR’s (election commission) misconduct, whether it is double voting, and restriction from voting, phantom voters or additional ballot boxes after the infamous “blackout” situation.

 

The only “misconduct” or “lies” made by SPR is only the issue on the permanent ink that they say is not permanent.

 

He was escorted by Wan Azizah and made the police report at 12:30 in the afternoon. The report was made at the Tropicana police station near Kuala Lumpur. In his statement, Anwar Ibrahim said that “I vote at 9:30 in the morning, at Kubang Semang, Permatang Pauh constituency. I washed my finger which was dipped with the indelible ink at 5 pm on the same day, and I found out that the ink has disappeared”.

 

However, the latest development regarding Anwar’s meeting with the former Vice President of Indonesia, Jusuf Kalla after the election, where Jusuf Kalla ask about the ink that was still visible on Anwar’s finger.

Jusuf Kalla said to Anwar “You said that the ink was gone, look at your finger, it is still there”.

 

It seems that Anwar is lying again. How come he can make a police report saying that the ink was gone, whereas Jusuf Kalla can still see it after a few days? Did Anwar accuse Jusuf Kalla of lying to save himself?

In the same meeting, Jusuf Kalla is questioning Anwar’s sanity because of his stubbornness to become the Prime Minister. He said that “Are you crazy! You only won 89 parliamentary seat, Najib won 133 seats, it is impossible for you to become the Prime Minister!”.

 

He added that, “If you are in in Indonesia, yes you can be the President of Indonesia because you won the popular vote, but Malaysia uses the partisan approach”.

 

He also blasted Anwar regarding the phantom voter’s fiasco, “You said a lot of Bangladeshi workers voted, this is ridiculous, and can’t Malaysian differentiate Bangladeshi with locals from the way they talk and their culture”.

 

Actually, we here are sick and tired of giving an arrays of logical explanation to Anwar’s supporters regarding the same thing. And it seems like Jusuf Kalla also are using the same points that we are using to save our fellow Malaysian from the insanity of Anwar Ibrahim. It is clear that anyone who is sane would be able to think about the statements, and only a crazy person would push on to believe the unbelievable.

Then it is not that surprising that Jusuf Kalla pictured Anwar as a person who is “living in an imaginary world”.

 

We are sure that Anwar Ibrahim is not able to make a police report regarding the phantom voters and ‘Blackout’ because both of these issues do not exist. Thus, the only chance to spread chaos is with the indelible ink issue.

 

Now, it has been proven that, even with the indelible ink issue Anwar Ibrahim has made a false report. In conclusion, we can depend on Anwar Ibrahim with one thing and one thing only; if it’s Anwar, it has to be a lie.

Barisan Nasional will still be in power even if PAS won the state seat of Kuala Besut, Terengganu:

Barisan Nasional will still be in power even if PAS won the state seat of Kuala Besut, Terengganu:

Analysis

-          In an impossible situation (maybe not), PAS won the DUN Kuala Besut seat from BN a by-election will be held.

-          If that were to happen, the state seat of Terengganu for BN and PR is 16 to 16.

-          In that particular situation, the state laws dictates that the decision making vote will be at the hands of the House Speaker (already chosen among BN state representative).

-          This means, UMNO will still be in power, even if PAS won the Kuala Besut by election.

-          The state legislative assembly will be on hold if both sides of the elected representative are the same number and this can only happen if it is before the oath taking ceremony.

-          It is stated as such, when both sides have the same amount of seat, the Speaker shall be appointed by anonymous vote and the person who gets the highest amount of votes shall be appointed as the house speaker.

-          Looking at the current situation, the Speaker for Terengganu State Legislative Assembly is Datuk Zubir Embong, the BN candidate who lost the seat in the Kuala Terengganu Parliament.

-          The house would not be on hold as all of the representatives have already taken their oath and the speaker has already been appointed before any seats were considered vacant.

-          Professor Dr Aziz Bari’s states that IF PAS were to win in Kuala Besut, the Sultan of Terengganu may have a say on which party can be the government. This can only happen when the speaker is not yet appointed.

-          Now, the speaker has already been appointed and if in the aftermath of this by-election the same amount of seats for both parties is achieved the Speaker shall have the deciding vote. Logically, the speaker was appointed among UMNO leaders, and as the one who have the deciding vote, he is inclined to give it to Barisan Nasional.

-          If BN were able to retain its seat in Kuala Besut (BN will retain it), the state seat will be 18 Barisan Nasional and 15 opposition – the difference of 3 seats.

-          It is impossible for PAS to take away 2,424 majority votes that was won previously by Barisan Nasional.

-          There are no clues if the opposition will start to meddle on sensitive issue to sway the 2000 votes to them.

-          The opposition can only dream of taking the Kuala Besut constituency as it is an impossible task to achieve.

Can PAS take over Terengganu?

At the time this article was written, we believe that the deceased Datuk Dr A Rahman Mokhtar, who was once a respectable man during his tenure as the ADUN of Kuala Besut for two consecutive terms were already forgotten by all.

He was considered as the pillar of the community. However, he has become a part of Malaysian history and only his family members are missing him.

The whole nation are talking about the by election that will be held in anytime now. The vacant seat must be filled. The most intense by election for the sake of the Terengganu people will be held soon.

In the last 13^th General Election, the state government was won by Barisan Nasional with only two seats. BN won 17 seats and the opposition 15 seats.

If the opposition win the Kuala Besut by election, it would be 16 BN and 16 oppositions.

Rumour has it that, the opposition is confident to win back Terengganu, a state that they won before the 11^th General Election in 2004. For them, this by-election is a win all or lose all for the state of Terengganu.

According to Law Professor Dr Aziz Bari, if PAS win back Terengganu will give power to the Sultan of Terengganu, to elect a new government or to retain the old one which was won in 2013. It solely depends on the Sultan’s will.

Many regard Aziz’s statement as half-true. The situation that Aziz’s see is only before the Speaker has been appointed. The problem with the state legislative assembly now is that the Speaker has already been appointed by the house and apparently the current speaker has the deciding vote. (This is according to the laws of the state of Terengganu.

The reason why Aziz is telling half –truth and half-lie stories are not that hard to guess. Making false statement is the opposition game ever since. The glamorized law professor seems to send a subliminal message that it is a sure win for the opposition in Terengganu.

Aziz Bari’s opinion on the matter is obsolete and cannot be applied as the speaker of the house has already been appointed. Even the state government with all the exco’s are functioning.

So, do PAS have what it takes to take back Terengganu if they put their candidate in one of the most intense political drama in the aftermath of the 13^th General Election? The answer is NO!

Shahrizat makes a stand

Wanita Umno’s popular yet controversial leader Datuk Seri Shahrizat Jalil’s decision to defend her post has gone down well with her supporters but has drawn mixed reaction from the rest of the party.

LAST year was Datuk Seri Shahrizat Jalil’s annus horribilis. It was a horrible year where almost everything in her life came crashing down around her – her political career, her personal image and her family’s standing in society.

At times, she felt like she was “floating alone in the ocean”.

The worst of the storm has passed but life for her will never really be the same again after the way the cattle farm scandal or the NFC issue, as it is known, engulfed her family and rocked the Government.
Her younger son’s wedding last week was one of the happy episodes for the family. Her son married a breathtaking beauty from Kazakhstan and the family hosted two wedding receptions – one at a posh hotel and a more rakyat-style gathering at the PWTC for Shahrizat’s vast Umno network.

Her two other children who spoke during the reception said the family had gone through “interesting times”. It was an apt tongue-in-cheek reference to the Chinese phrase for trouble and turbulence.
But Shahrizat is preparing to restart her political career.

The former minister told a Wanita exco meeting earlier this month that she would be defending her Wanita Umno leader post or as she put it, she would be going in “sehelai sepinggang” (with just the clothes on her back). It was her way of saying that she is entering the race with no government position to leverage on.

She said she had informed Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak. She did add that the Umno president had been non-committal about it.

Most of the Wanita exco members were aware of her plans. In fact, some of them had urged her to go for it. They also understood that it would be controversial. While it would be quite easy for her to win, it could be difficult for her to convince the party why she wants to stay on.

A few days ago, Shahrizat confirmed her intention to The Star. At around the same time, former Puteri Umno chief Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said also said that she is interested in the post.
These are still early days and more may join the fray. But the reality is that suitable contenders are hard to come by despite the wing having more than a million members.

Shahrizat’s former deputy Datuk Kamilia Ibrahim would have been a natural contender but she is now persona non grata after being sacked for contesting as an Independent in the general election.
Shahrizat’s supporters have been very diligent behind the scenes in preparing the ground. For instance, an insider said a group of them had gone to see Najib after the general election to plead for him not to appoint any of the Wanita MPs as ministers.

Their reasoning was it would be read as an endorsement by the president for the top Wanita post. That, said the insider, was the reason why the two women Cabinet posts are from Sarawak’s PBB.
The four winning MPs from the Wanita wing, Datuk Halimah Saddique, Datuk Rosnah Rashid Shirlin, Datuk Azizah Mohd Dun and Datuk Noriah Kasnon, ended up as deputy ministers.

This, despite the fact that Halimah is a senior figure having served as a Johor exco member whereas Azizah had scored an important goal for Umno in Sabah. She defeated Datuk Lajim Ukin and stopped him from advancing PKR’s cause in the state.

It was a smart tactical move for Shahrizat to fight on a more level playing field.
Shahrizat has turned out to be quite a political animal. Beneath all that feminine charm and allure is a very shrewd politician.

Recently, she made what many saw as a pre-emptive strike against her predecessor Tan Sri Rafidah Aziz whom she toppled after a bitter contest in 2009.
She took the unusual step of issuing a press statement to criticise Rafidah, who is chairman of AirAsia X, for not defending Utusan Malaysia when the airline’s CEO Azran Osman Rani criticised the paper for racial reporting.

Shahrizat was trying to drive home the point that Utusan Malaysia is the voice of the Malays and in not defending Utusan, Rafidah had not rallied to the Malay cause.

Bad blood
Rafidah is still a respected voice in the wing and it was probably Shahrizat’s way of diluting the senior woman’s influence ahead of the polls.
There is a lot of bad blood between the two ladies and some claimed that Rafidah will support anyone who takes on Shahrizat. But Rafidah does not dance to anybody’s tune and she will support who she wants.

Most people in Umno, including the men, think that Azalina will be able to give Shahrizat a good fight but, at this point in time, few see her beating Shahrizat.
Azalina is intelligent, energetic and has real ideas. She built Puteri Umno from zero into a brand name and made it into a force to reckon with. Her wing was so effective that it sent PAS scrambling to set up a copy cat version of it.

People of her generation understand how the Malay political landscape is shifting. It is already evident in the cities and big towns and soon it will spread to the rural areas. Her generation understand that Umno has to adapt to survive.

Anyone who has spoken to her will know she has real opinions and makes relevant comments.
Azalina’s problem is she does not have the Wanita network or track record. She will be seen as a parachute candidate and her tomboy image from the past does not help.

“The Wanita ladies like the makcik type. Rafidah was a tigress in her work as a minister but she is just another makcik when she meets the ladies. I remember her powdering her nose with a cheap compact that the kampung ladies use,” said Terengganu Umno politician Datuk Wan Albakri Mohd Nor.

But during the recent Parliament meeting, many noticed that the Johor Umno circle has begun to rally for Azalina. They were responsible for making her the new chairman of the Women’s Caucus in Parliament.

“Shahrizat is very popular, she has done a lot for women. It is unfair to punish her for her husband’s business decisions. I have been in those shoes, I got blamed for what my husband did. I will support her for another term,” said Segambut Wanita head Ruhani Abdul Rahman who is a well-known figure in the film-making world.

Bukit Bintang Wanita chief Senator Mariany Mohd Yit said it would be a mistake for anyone to underestimate Shahrizat’s power base in Wanita.
Anyone who takes her on would be fighting as an underdog.

Earlier on, some of the ladies had gone around claiming that the Umno president did not wish to see a contest for the Wanita leadership. The rumour was quashed following an official party announcement that all posts will be open to contest.

Shahrizat said she is defending her title to send a signal to women that they must be resilient and not give up when confronted by challenges.
“It is not about posts or position, my cause has always been women and welfare. I have tears in my heart all the time but if I give up and walk away, it would send the wrong message to my supporters because they came out for me through thick and thin,” Shahrizat said.

Her women supporters see her as a victim and among the Malays, the kesian or compassion thing can be quite a powerful factor. They feel she took the stray bullet, she has paid the price and that it is time to go back to the delegates.

But some of the men in Umno view the contest as an attempt to vindicate herself after the way her name was dragged through the mud over the NFC affair. They think she is trying to clear her name.
A number of the men in Umno also think she is a liability and should bow out gracefully given the way the NFC issue cost them votes among the urban electorate. Their opinion is that the women may love her and want her to lead, but it will not help the image of Umno among those outside the party.
“If she wins, she will have the opposition on our back. We are fighting a perception war,” said an Umno official.

A Wanita politician who was campaigning in Pokok Sena, Kedah, said she did not know whether to laugh or cry when she saw a cow grazing under a tree with a poster of Shahrizat plastered between its ears.
“It was an issue even in the rural states,” said the politician.
Shahrizat is not making any assumption despite the clear support that she enjoys. The new party election system makes things a little harder to predict. In the past, the wing’s leadership was decided by only about 1,000 delegates.

This time around, some 100,000 Wanita members will be eligible to vote for who they want to lead the wing that is known as the backbone of Umno.

They will determine the destiny of Wanita Umno and the fate of their popular yet controversial Wanita chief Shahrizat.