PAS: forsake lipstick to avoid rape

Forsake lipstick ‘to avoid rape’ | World news | The Guardian

Women in a northern Malaysian city ruled by conservative Islamists are being urged by the city’s authorities to forsake bright lipstick and noisy high-heels “to preserve their dignity and avoid rape”.

Pamphlets have been distributed recommending that Muslim women shun heavy makeup and loud shoes. The municipal officials in Kota Bharu, capital of Kelantan state, which is run by the Pan-Malaysian Islamic party, stressed that the code was merely advice for women who wish to follow the “Islamic way”.

The party’s brand of Islam – mocked by Malaysian liberals as “Taliban lite” – has already decreed that supermarkets must have separate checkout lines for men and women. Couples caught sitting too close together on park benches are hunted down by the city’s moral enforcers and fined up to £285 in the city’s sharia courts.

A directive on dress a decade ago decreed that Muslim women must wear non-transparent headscarves that cover the chest, along with loose-fitting, long-sleeved blouses. There are fines of up to £75 and as many as 20 women are punished for breaking the rule every month.

Azman Mohamad Daham, a spokesman for the municipality, said: “Our minimum guideline is they must wear headscarves.” The goal of the modesty drive was to prevent rape and safeguard the women’s dignity, he said.

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Malaysia deputy leader denounces blogger’s claims of Mongolian slaying link as ‘garbage’

Malaysia deputy leader denounces blogger’s claims of Mongolian slaying link as ‘garbage’ – International Herald Tribune

Malaysia’s No. 2 leader accused a well-known blogger Wednesday of inventing “fabrication and total garbage” by claiming that the politician’s wife had a role in the gruesome slaying of a Mongolian woman.

Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak has come under intense public scrutiny after Raja Petra Raja Kamaruddin signed a sworn statement claiming he has information linking Najib’s wife, Rosmah Mansor, to the 2006 killing of Altantuya Shaariibuu, a 28-year-old freelance interpreter.

Najib denounced the claim as “lies, fabrication and total garbage,” and accused Raja Petra of making a “desperate and pathetic attempt to discredit and taint my political image.”

Raja Petra has authored articles in recent months also linking Najib to Shaariibuu’s death. Najib and Rosmah have both previously denied any hand in Shaariibuu’s killing.

Raja Petra was charged with sedition in May for one of those articles, but pleaded innocent. That trial is scheduled to start in October.

Najib’s comments came a day after Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi — who has identified Najib as his eventual successor — defended his deputy’s and his wife’s innocence and warned of legal action against Raja Petra.

Najib said he welcomed police investigations into Raja Petra’s claim, adding that his wife had already given a statement to the police. He did not elaborate.

Political analyst Abdul Razak Baginda, a close associate of Najib, is charged with abetting Shaariibuu’s slaying. Two policemen are accused of killing her and destroying her body with explosives in a jungle clearing outside Kuala Lumpur. They have been on trial since June 2007.

Abdul Razak has confessed in court to having an eight-month affair with Shaariibuu.

The prosecution contends Abdul Razak had her killed because she pestered him for money after he ended their affair. They say he used his connections to get the policemen to carry out the killing and to obtain the military-grade explosives that were used to destroy her body.

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Najib denies link with Mongolian’s murder

AFP: Malaysian deputy PM denies link with Mongolian’s murder

Malaysia’s deputy prime minister Najib Razak on Wednesday denied any links with the 2006 murder of a Mongolian woman and said the allegations were an attempt to tarnish his political career.

“I have no other conclusion except than it is a desperate and pathetic attempt to discredit my political image. I can’t see any other reason,” he told reporters.

“Everything that is claimed and written are total lies and fabricated, and it is total garbage,” he said.

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Understanding ’special position’ of Malays

The New Straits Times Online…….

Written records of the inter-party discussions of the Alliance leaders indicate that the Constitutional provisions on the “special position” were understood more as a protective measure for the Malay community which was then socio-economically disadvantaged.

Significantly, in their oral submission to the Reid Commission, the Alliance leaders requested the insertion of a Constitutional provision for the review of the “special position” of the Malays 15 years after independence.

Though subsequently removed, this implies that the Alliance leaders themselves did not intend the provision to be a permanent feature of independent Malaya.

This perspective is also clearly articulated in the recent biography of the late Tun Dr Ismail Abdul Rahman, who even expressed his belief that, “as more and more Malays became educated and gained self-confidence, they themselves would do away with this ’special position’ because in itself this ’special position’ is a slur on the ability of the Malays and only to be tolerated because it is necessary as a temporary measure to ensure their survival in the modern competitive world”.

Yet, why has it come to be interpreted as a symbol of Malay hegemony and a permanent, even defining, feature of the Malaysian nation?

We have the familiar story of the racial riots of May 13 1969, which subsequently led to the imposition of a prohibition on the questioning of a number of Constitutional provisions including Article 153.

Meantime, the NEP was formally launched, setting clear objectives to be achieved within two decades, such as attaining a more balanced ethnic distribution of occupational engagement and for Malay share in the ownership of business to reach 30 per cent by 1990.

While some argue that the NEP officially ended in 1990, many of its wide-ranging economic and educational policies, including the popularly euphemised “quota system”, remain in place till today in all but name.

Over the decades, the comprehensive affirmative action programmes have transformed the socio-economic status of the Malay community as a social group, even though many poor Malays may not have benefited from it.

Nonetheless, it was not successful in uplifting the overall socio-economic conditions of natives in Sabah and Sarawak and the Orang Asli in Peninsular Malaysia (who are intriguingly not mentioned explicitly as being included within the provisions of the “special position”), as well as the poor in other communities.

More insidiously, the initial socio-economic justifications for these measures have over time shifted to the argument of “indigenous entitlement” or right. It is only when affirmative action came to be viewed as a form of “indigenous entitlement” that the call for reforms or abolition of the NEP has been interpreted as a challenge to ketuanan Melayu.

Does a revamp of the NEP necessarily entail the amendment of Article 153 of the Federal Constitution?

Article 153 addresses the issues of reservation of quotas in respect of scholarships and other educational facilities or training privileges, positions in the federal public service and the granting of permits or licences for the operation of any trade or business for Malays and the natives of Sabah and Sarawak.

Nonetheless, figures for the quota are not specified, but are left to the discretion of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong as he deems “reasonable”. In addition, clause 1 of the Article entrusts to the Yang di-Pertuan Agong the responsibility to also safeguard the “legitimate interests of other communities” in the same breath as safeguarding the special position of the Malays and natives in Sabah and Sarawak.

Notable is the fact that five out of the 12 clauses of Article 153 set out to limit the scope of its application.

They provide that the Constitutional provisions with respect to the special position should not deprive or restrict other communities of their legitimate interests and continued enjoyment of the same public office, rights, grants, facilities or privileges which might reasonably be expected in the ordinary course of events.

It could be argued that in order to respect the Constitutional spirit, the translation of this so-called “special position” into practical measures by the policy-makers should judiciously ensure that they are perceived as “reasonable”, equitable and just by society as a whole.

The original spirit of the NEP, as defined by its twin objectives of the restructuring of society and the eradication of poverty regardless of race, abides by this same sense of fair play and social justice.

While Article 153 does provide the Constitutional basis for affirmative action in favour of the Malays and natives in Sabah and Sarawak, there is no ground to suggest that doing away with the NEP necessarily requires the amendment or repeal of Article 153.

While we cannot stop politicians with vested interests from linking up the NEP and Article 153 with the concept of ketuanan Melayu, we should at least be able to evaluate their discourse for what it is worth.

And it is apparent from a study of Article 153 of the Federal Constitution that such a linkage has no real basis whatsoever.

Raja Aziz Addruse is a former Bar Council president and former president of the National Human Rights Society (Hakam). Helen Ting is a research fellow at the Institute of Malaysian and International Studies (Ikmas), Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia

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Malaysian city bans lipstick for Muslim women

Malaysian city bans lipstick for Muslim women – CNN.com

Authorities in a northern Malaysian city have forbidden Muslim women from wearing bright lipstick and noisy high-heeled shoes, saying the directive is intended to prevent sexual assaults and “illicit sex.”
Kota Baru already has a directive calling for Muslim women to wear non-transparent headscarves.

Kota Baru already has a directive calling for Muslim women to wear non-transparent headscarves.

The national news agency, Bernama, said the directive was issued by the municipal council of Kota Baru and is aimed toward Muslim women working in restaurants and other businesses in the city. It said the ban will safeguard the morals and dignity of the women as well as thwart rape.

“It states that Muslim women are forbidden to wear thick make-up, like bright colored lipstick and high-heeled shoes that gave a tapping sound,” the news agency said.

“For those who insist on wearing high heel shoes, they can do so but with rubber heels.”

Kota Baru already has a directive calling for Muslim women to wear non-transparent headscarves that cover the chest, long-sleeved and loose blouses and socks.

Anyone not following the regulations can be fined up to 500 ringgit ($153), Bernama said.

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REHDA: Millionaires should not be entitled to housing discount

Signs of distress in the market

“Bumiputra quota should not exceed 30%, based on sales regardless of the units being sold to bumiputras were the identified lots or not. Bumiputra discount should be capped at 5% and only applicable for houses priced at RM250,000 and below, excluding low-cost and low-medium cost houses,” said Ng.

Ng said it was unfair for someone who could afford a multi-million ringgit property to enjoy a bumiputra discount that differed from state to state (7% discount for Selangor, 15% for Johor and 10% for other states).

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NEP was bastardised to benefit select few

NEP was bastardised to benefit select few

theedgedaily.com

The New Economic Policy (NEP) could have probably ended in 1990 if it was implemented properly, said CIMB group chief executive Datuk Nazir Razak.

Lamenting that the NEP had been “bastardised” to benefit a select few through negotiated tenders, Nazir said the policy had to be prolonged because it was not properly implemented.

He said that he could not understand why privileges such as construction jobs could not be given to bumiputera contractors through a competitive bid.

“The government should have created competition among bumiputeras through a ‘preferential open tender’ system under the NEP,” said Nazir.

“If a certain portion of the jobs are to be given to bumiputera (contractors), I can’t understand why they cannot do preferential open tender limited to bumiputeras,” he said during Transparency International Malaysia’s (TI-M) CEO Forum entitled Transparency in Motion, which is jointly organised by TI-M and The Edge here yesterday.

“If we have implemented it properly, the NEP could have been over in 1990.”

Nazir was elaborating on an answer given by the Special Taskforce to Facilitate Business (Pemudah) co-chairman Tan Sri Yong Poh Kon who said there would be more opportunities for corruption if the government had a complicated layer of red tape.

In Malaysia, the matter was further complicated by the “NEP layer” and the government had to peel these layers one by one to prevent corruption, Yong said in response to question from an audience on whether the government actually had the political will to fight corruption.

On another question if CIMB Group had a racial bias in its recruitment process, Nazir said everything in the company was based on merits except for a training programme at entry level that is for bumiputeras only. “If they make the cut after one year, they will be absorbed,” he said of the trainees.

…

Nazir also said there was a need to give more freedom to the mainstream media to help them regain their credibility as part of the efforts to fight corruption.

“We cannot control (the press) anymore because it will give more credibility to the blogs,” he said, citing examples of Indonesians who were not so bothered with what posted on the Internet since their mainstream media was free.

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Umno’s so called Malaysia biggest asset, Mat Rempit rob and terrorize

Mat Rempit rev up nuisance with wild-west style robberies

The Mat Rempits have “revved” up their nuisance level from street racing to robbery.

Police have detained 21 youths of a gang who terrorised their victims by forcing them to drive to a secluded spot and robbing them.

Sentul OCPD Asst Comm Ahmad Sofian Md Yassin said the victims were intimidated and helpless by the large of number of youths on motorcycles.

The youths, all males who called themselves “Double 77” and “Mat Rempit Town”, were nabbed from their homes in Gombak and Seremban in separate operations since June 11.

Eleven motorcycles, 26 handphones and a gold chain were seized from the youths.

He said the youths were involved in at least 30 cases in Sentul and elsewhere in Klang Valley since early this year.

“They would spend the money on modifying their motorcycles,” he said.

“They would first gather at hawker stalls and cybercafes and than would ride around and pick their victims randomly and trail them between midnight and 5am,” he added.

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Selangor cancels Utusan Malaysia subscription for unfair reporting and stoking racial flames

Selangor cancels Utusan subscription

When contacted, Nik Nazmi said that the decision to end the subscription of the publications was done due to the “unfair reporting and its choice to play the racial card.”

“Based on certain news articles, the Selangor Government found that the newspaper had chosen to play the racial card and it did not practice balanced reporting.

“This approach is certainly putting the people and state government at logger heads and it is not healthy,” he said.

Nik Nazmi also added that there was no gag order issued to the heads of departments on news releases to the Utusan media.

A check at a few local authorities revealed that the administration unit had cancelled the advertisement contracts and informed newsvendors to stop the delivery of Utusan publications.

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Affirmative action: What went wrong

Welcome to Sun2Surf

ONE reason for the scepticism surrounding the affirmative action policy is its very label. The policy’s perceived racial bias is exacerbated by the constant reference to bumiputra or Malay rights by politicians from all sides. The fact that it addresses the needs of other underprivileged communities and ethnic groups is lost in the discourse of racial politics.

The noble objectives of the policy formulated by our founding fathers to honour Article 153 of the Federal Cons-titution affirms the special position of Malays (kedudukan istimewa orang Melayu dan bumiputra mana-mana negeri Borneo) while recognising the rightful interests of other ethnic groups (kepentingan kaum-kaum lain).

Lately, the rhetoric of Malay rights and political dominance (ketuanan Melayu) and the ugly emergence of racist sentiments among political parties has contaminated a balanced and honest approach to the nation’s multiracial predicament.

The Constitution is clear in specifying that Malays and other bumiputra groups be given a fair allocation of government positions, scholarships and other aid in education and training as well as permits or licences in trade and business. It does not specify the allocations for other ethnic groups but Article 153 (9) states that in reserving opportunities for Malays and bumiputras, Parliament does not have the right to jeopardise (menyekat) business or trade, presumably for the other communities.

While the spirit of the Constitution is indeed fair and its objectives noble, that is to correct the unequal and inequitable distribution of opportunities and wealth among the country’s citizenry, its interpretation has been skewed along the way by political lobbying.

At the implementation level of affirmative action programmes, it must be admitted that the predominance of Malays in the government and government agencies has resulted in a biased slicing and apportioning of the country’s educational and economic cakes.

Government policy in helping underprivileged groups is seen to be biased because a predominantly Malay government is doling out aid and opportunities to underprivileged rural groups, the maj-ority of whom are Malays. In the US, for instance, affirmative action is applauded because a white government is providing aid to its marginalised non-white population, including native Americans.

It can be said that effective lobbying by Malay political groups has managed to put the interests of their community above the others. The corollary to this is that non-Malay political lobbies have not been quite so successful in championing the causes of their respective groups.

It is time political discourse in Malaysia takes on less of a racial undertone and political parties argue out their positions rationally and objectively. It’s time the racial card is replaced by a trump card which is unspecific as to its colour and specifications. Affirmative action must revert to its original name and spirit.

Halimah Mohd Said

Kuala Lumpur