Shadow Policy Committee

The inconsistent claims made by Barisan Nasional (BN) on DAP’s relationship with PAS shows that the ruling coalition’s leaders were misleading, Lim Kit Siang said today. The DAP parliamentary leader said claims by Umno leaders that PAS was “under the thumb” of DAP contradicted MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek’s charge that DAP was a “stooge” of the Islamist party. “Who has lied? Najib and Muhyiddin or Chua Soi Lek?” Lim asked in a statement. “Umno and MCA leaders cannot all be telling the truth — as the DAP cannot be a stooge of PAS and PAS also a stooge of DAP [at the] same time. “Either Umno or MCA leaders have lied.” But Lim alleged it was more likely that all three — Umno president Datuk Seri Najib Razak, his second Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin and Dr Chua — were being devious. The Ipoh Timur MP said the trio were guilty of “perpetuating lies” to ensure their respective parties stood a chance in the next general election. He added that ordinary Malays stood to gain should Pakat...

By Melissa Chi Leaders from the Opposition have described the controversy surrounding Malay bibles and the use of “Allah” by Christians as just the tip of the iceberg in the erosion of non-Muslim rights. DAP publicity chief Tony Pua said the government did not seem to be picking specifically on Christians, but other religions other than Islam as well. “I think that the government has the same treatment to all religions, it’s just that the Christians are speaking up today. If you look at the school system, government departments, you can see mild forms of preferences or restrictions of religions increasing over the years. “It is already happening, it’s just that [followers of] other religions are not speaking up about it,” he said. He said for example there was a limit on the number of temples that can be built, and that if it was in a Malay majority area, no other places of worship could be built in the vicinity. The Malaysian Consultative Council of Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, S...

Penang Chief Minister and DAP Secretary-General Lim Guan Eng has challenged Penang UMNO's latest attack against him, in which it was alleged that several mosques had replaced the Agong's name with Lim's during the invocation at the end of the Friday khutbah (sermon). Lim however told UMNO to lodge a police report and furnish evidences. “If UMNO Pulau Pinang has evidence, please go ahead make a police report against the mosques," said an incensed Lim, adding that the state's Exco in charge of religious matters Malek Kassim had confirmed that the texts of the Friday sermons did not mention Lim. State UMNO chairman cum defence minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi had claimed that the use of Lim's name was detected a week ago at Friday sermons at mosques in Tasek Gelugor, Permatang Pauh and Jelutong. “No police report had been made so far but there was sufficient evidence pertaining to the matter,” Zahid claimed. Lim said it was "impossible" that the Imam would do...

By: Salina Abdul Jalil As a Muslim, I am tired of the now-regular statements coming from people like UMNO Youth and Perkasa decrying those they accused of questioning "Malay rights and status of Islam". Pray, since when has preferential treatment of a race ever been linked to Islam? These groups should do Muslims, including those Muslims who are not Malays and who believe in Islamic juctice, a big favour by not mentioning 'Malay rights' and 'Islam' in one breath. For this reason, I applaud the stance by PAS on helping all the poor regardless of their race because this is what Islam stands for. PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang could not make it clearer when he recently said the Bumi discount for property purchase should be extended to all poor. The Prophet Muhammad was not sent to us by Allah for Muslims only, but as Allah says in the Qur'an, he is a "rahmatun lil alamin", mercy to the world. He is sent for the whole mankind, and he lays down laws i...

Penang police have given assurances that the safety of places of religious worship in Penang are secure and under control. Penang state government is deeply concerned about press reports that places of religious worship in Penang has been targeted by terrorist militants with links to Al Qaeda and Jemaah Islamiah (JI). As Penang possesses the largest number of temples in Malaysia, it was reported in English papers that some of the prominent ones such as the internationally renowned Kek Lok Si Temple in Ayer Itam has been targeted by militants led by Indonesian Muslim cleric Abu Bakar Bashir. I had spoken to Penang CPO Dato Wira Ayub Yaakob and he said that there have been increased surveillance and patrols by the police in places of religious worship since reports surfaced last week, particularly around Kek Lok Si, Guan Yin Temple. More police personnel had also been sent to Penang, including a helicopter patrolling Penang. The helicopter will be on air until August 14 to ensure heighte...

Muslim terrorists attempted to set fire to the Good Shepherd Lutheran Church here, causing minor damage to the building, another Klang Valley Christian church attacked over two days. Church authorities said the building in Petaling Jaya Old Town was believed to be firebombed sometime between last night and this morning. “The fire-bomb missed a window and caused minor damage,” said Rev Dr Hermen Shastri, the general-secretary of the Council of Churches, Malaysia. When further reports and complaint were made to the police, the inspector-general of police Tan Sri Musa Hassan said that the police force were unable to provide full protection to the churches reasoning that their manpower were short. Tan Sri Musa's explanation was unreasonable given the fact that they had sufficient personnel in the force nationwide to curb the activities and peaceful protest organised by the Pakatan Rakyat component parties all these while. Are they telling us that politics of securing the positions of U...

PAS vice-president Datuk Mahfuz Omar (left) entered into the raging debate over Catholic weekly Herald’s use of the word ‘Allah’ in its Bahasa Malaysia edition, saying it was an attempt by Umno to divert the people’s attention from other pressing issues. The Pokok Sena MP said the heated discussion on the issue in the newspapers and online forums have distracted Malaysians from focusing on issues such as the stolen RMAF jet engines and the RM12.5 billion Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ) scandal. "We can see clearly, the print media which comes under the control of the Home Ministry, led by Umno vice-president Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein and the electronic media continue to take advantage of the issue,” Mahfuz said in a statement released here today. He also questioned why the Home Affairs Ministry did not appeal immediately against the High Court’s Dec 31 decision allowing the Herald to use the word ‘Allah’ to describe the Christian God. "I believe when the debate gets out of ...

The Penang Umno liaison committee headed by Datuk Ahmad Zahid Hamidi is now demanding the current Penang Barisan Nasional (BN) chairman (who is also the Gerakan president) Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon to vacate his BN position to pave way for an Umno leader to take over the said position. The Penang Umno reasoned that the current chair held by the Gerakan president could no longer command the state BN coordination committee effectively as the party had lost all its state assembly and parliamentary seats to PKR and DAP in the last general elections. Besides, the Penang Umno is also urging the BN supreme council to appoint the new chair of Penang BN from amongst Umno leaders as soon as possible to enable it to function effectively. The BN said they are being fair to their component parties all these while, but what we saw recently was Umno again took advantage by flexing their muscle against the already weakened Gerakan in Penang. Come on Gerakan! Are you going to continue staying in the BN f...