Usage of word not an issue, says Anwar

The Star
Monday January 18, 2010

KUANTAN: The usage of the word “Allah” by Christians to refer to “God” should be allowed, Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said.

He said that the word had been used about 1,000 years ago by the Christians and this was not an issue.

“Our stand is similar to PAS that the word can be used by non-Muslims, but it should not be abused. The issue to address now is whether it may be abused and not its actual usage per se by those of the Christian faith,” he told reporters after opening the state PKR convention in Tan Jung Restaurant here yesterday.

MIC Youth: Register missing foreign workers

The Star
Monday January 18, 2010

KUALA LUMPUR: MIC Youth has asked the Government to come out with a clemency programme to register the missing foreigners working illegally in the country.

Youth chief T. Mohan said the Government could legalise them and allow them to be employed by local companies in need of workers.

“It would be pointless to deport them. We should think of ways to get them to come out, register and be legal workers in the country,” he said yesterday.

He said these illegal workers would not take up the offer if they were required to pay a hefty fine or leave the country.

“We feel a minimal fine and a condition to allow them to work legally in Malaysia for a three-year term would be an attractive incentive,” he said.

Mohan said the Government would also benefit from the levy imposed on the workers.

He was commenting on reports that there were nearly 40,000 Indian citizens missing in Malaysia after their tourist visas expired.

Mohan urged the Government to set up a special committee to identify the reasons for the high number of missing foreigners in the country and recommend appropriate measures to prevent a recurrence.

Nearly 40,000 Indian Nationals "Missing" In Malaysia - Najib

January 12, 2010 16:08 PM

PUTRAJAYA, Jan 12 (Bernama) -- A total of 39,046 Indian citizens are "missing" in Malaysia after their tourist visas expired and it is a worrying issue for the country, Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said.

The prime minister said they had gone missing from the Immigration Department's records, according to an estimate drawn up in June last year.

That was why the department was not keen on visa-on-arrival for Indians as the facility had been abused, especially by those from Chennai, he said.

"These people who came to Malaysia through the visa-on-arrival facility, could be back in India or be among people here...(maybe) working in the Indian restaurants.

"We just don't know where these people are now...probably still in Malaysia for economic reasons," he said in a interview with visiting Indian journalists at his office here Monday.

Najib indicated that he might take up the issue during his three-day official visit to India, beginning Jan 19.

The prime minister said Malaysia had been quite liberal in allowing priests and barbers from India to come and work in the country.

"We would like the Indian people to visit Malaysia as tourists. We have been quiet liberal. We want genuine ones. They are most welcome.

"We are willing to consider reintroducing the visa scheme for people coming from cities like Bangalore, Mumbai and Delhi but not from Chennai. The problem of overstaying is only from Chennai, he said.

Asked whether the government would hold any dialogue with the Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf), Najib said many people had realised that the group had "really exaggerated and manipulated the whole situation" of the ethnic Indian minority.

He said that most Indians in the country wanted the government to be sensitive to their needs and the government had been responsive.

"We have attended to a lot of the Indian problems and I don't see that Hindraf has been an important force in Malaysian politics," he said.

Asked on the move by the Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC) to appoint a special envoy for Jammu and Kashmir, Najib said any follow-up action would be possible only if India and Pakistan were agreeable.

"Malaysia feels that the issue should be settled through peaceful negotiations," he added.

-- BERNAMA

Record number of students in Chinese schools ( The Star)

Monday January 4, 2010
Compiled by ZULKIFLI ABD RAHMAN, LEE YUK PENG and A. RAMAN

THE number of students studying in the 61 Chinese independent schools throughout the country has reached unprecedented numbers.

Sin Chew Daily reported that 2,635 applications had to be turned down, even with student enrolment increased by 1,077.

Last year, student enrolment totalled 60,481. In 2008, the number was 58,212.

In Selangor and Kuala Lumpur, the Chinese independent schools resorted to only taking in “good students” due to their limited capacity.

Chung Hwa Independent School and Kuen Cheng Girls’ High School each turned down 400 students while Confucius Independent School had to reject 100 applications.

The daily reported that parents preferred to send their children to such schools although the fees were no longer cheap.

Their decision, the daily said, showed that parents had acknowledged the teaching system adopted by such schools.

Feedback from parents showed that they opted for Chinese independent schools due to the good discipline, dedicated teaching staff, the double system of sitting for SPM and the United Examination Cer­tificate (equivalent to SPM) and the recognition of United Examination Certificate by foreign universities.

The daily also reported that the Penang education department had adopted a new system which allowed Year 6 pupils to choose their own secondary school.

It also consented to vernacular secondary schools increasing their number of Form 1 and Remove classes.

These two measures had directly affected the student intake of Chinese independent schools in the state, it said.

Except for Jit Shin High School which maintained the size of its new students intake, three other Chinese independent schools in the state recorded a drop of 67 students.

Other News & Views is compiled from the vernacular newspapers (Bahasa Malaysia, Chinese and Tamil dailies). As such, stories are grouped according to the respective language/medium. Where a paragraph begins with a sub-heading, it denotes a separate news item.

Gereja dibenar guna kalimah Allah

(Utusan Malaysia 1/1/2010
Oleh SUWARNI MOKHTAR
pengarang@utusan.com.my

KUALA LUMPUR 31 Dis. – Gereja Katolik dibenarkan menggunakan perkataan Allah dalam penerbitan mingguannya, Herald - The Catholic Weekly setelah Mahkamah Tinggi berpendapat bahawa setiap individu mempunyai hak berperlembagaan untuk menggunakan perkataan Allah.

Hakim Mahkamah Tinggi (Bahagian Rayuan dan Kuasa-Kuasa Khas), Datuk Lau Bee Lan ketika membenarkan permohonan tersebut berkata, Gereja Katolik selaku pemohon mempunyai hak untuk berbuat demikian di bawah Perlembagaan Persekutuan.

Menurut beliau, Artikel 11(4) Perlembagaan Persekutuan menyebut bahawa menjadi satu kesalahan bagi seseorang bukan Islam untuk menggunakan perkataan Allah kepada umat Islam untuk menyebarkan agamanya.

Bagaimanapun, katanya, ia bukanlah satu kesalahan bagi bukan Islam menggunakan perkataan itu sesama mereka bagi tujuan agama mereka.

Hakim tersebut juga bersependapat dengan pemohon bahawa Artikel 3(1) Perlembagaan Persekutuan yang menyatakan Islam selaku agama rasmi tidak memberi kuasa atau membenarkan Menteri Dalam Negeri dan Kerajaan Malaysia menghalang gereja tersebut daripada menggunakan perkataan Allah.

Penggunaan perkataan Allah dalam penerbitan itu juga, menurut beliau, merupakan sebahagian daripada hak untuk bersuara sebagaimana termaktub dalam Perlembagaan.

Dalam penghakiman lisannya, hakim itu menyatakan, perintah larangan yang dikeluarkan menyatakan penggunaan perkataan tersebut boleh menimbulkan kekeliruan dan salah faham di kalangan umat Islam serta menggugat ketenteraman negara.

‘‘Pihak responden dalam hujahnya bagaimanapun tidak memberikan sebarang bukti bagaimana penggunaan perkataan Allah boleh mengganggu ketenteraman awam,’’ katanya.

Sehubungan itu, beliau menyatakan, keputusan Menteri Dalam Negeri melarang penerbitan mingguan itu menggunakan perkataan ‘Allah’ adalah salah di sisi undang-undang, batal dan tidak sah.

Hakim Bee Lan memutuskan demikian dalam semakan kehakiman oleh Gereja Katolik yang difailkan melalui Ketua Paderi, Tan Sri Murphy Pakiam dengan menamakan Kementerian Dalam Negeri dan Kerajaan Malaysia sebagai responden.

Gereja Katolik antara lain menuntut perisytiharan bahawa keputusan responden pada 7 Januari 2009 yang melarang penggunaan perkataan Allah dalam Herald-The Catholic Weekly adalah menyalahi undang-undang dan perkataan Allah bukan eksklusif untuk kegunaan agama Islam sahaja.

Sejurus keputusan itu diumumkan, Peguam Kanan Persekutuan, Datuk Kamaludin Md. Said meminta penjelasan sama ada ketetapan tersebut mempengaruhi permit penerbitan berkenaan bagi tempoh 1 Januari hingga 31 Disember 2010.

Ini kerana, katanya, permohonan itu dibuat berdasarkan larangan terhadap permit bertarikh 1 Januari hingga 31 Disember 2009.

Peguam Porres Royan yang mewakili gereja itu sebaliknya menyatakan keputusan telah pun dikeluarkan hari ini dan terpulang kepada pihak-pihak yang terlibat untuk mentafsirkannya.

Penghapus etnik Melayu Champa ke mahkamah jenayah perang

PHNOM PENH 16 Dis. - Mahkamah jenayah perang Kemboja yang disokong oleh Pertubuhan Bangsa-Bangsa Bersatu (PBB) buat kali pertama memfailkan tuduhan penghapusan kaum terhadap dua bekas pemimpin rejim Khmer Rouge.

Bekas pemimpin nombor dua rejim komunis itu, Nuon Chea dan bekas Menteri Luarnya, Ieng Sary didakwa berhubung tindakan Khmer Rouge membunuh rakyat Vietnam dan etnik Melayu Champa pada 1970-an, kata jurucakap tribunal tersebut, Lars Olsen hari ini.

"Minggu ini, Nuon Chea dan Ieng Sary dibawa menghadap hakim siasatan dan diberitahu mereka didakwa atas tuduhan melakukan pembunuhan kaum terhadap penduduk Islam Melayu Champa dan rakyat Vietnam," kata Olsen.

Mahkamah tersebut bulan lepas mengumumkan siasatannya mengenai pencerobohan gerila Khmer Rouge ke Vietnam serta pembunuhan masyarakat Melayu Champa oleh rejim yang berkuasa pada 1975-1979 itu.

Hujah akhir juga didengar bulan lepas, dalam perbicaraan pertama tribunal melibatkan ketua penjara Khmer Rouge, Kaing Guek Eav yang lebih dikenali sebagai Duch, yang didakwa atas tuduhan jenayah perang, jenayah terhadap kemanusiaan, penyeksaan dan pembunuhan.

Nuon Chea dan Ieng Sary masing-masing sudah pun didakwa atas tuduhan jenayah perang dan jenayah terhadap kemanusiaan.

Mereka ditahan di mahkamah itu sementara menantikan perbicaraan dalam kes kedua, bersama isteri Ieng Sary, bekas Menteri Hal-Ehwal Masyarakat, Ieng Thirith dan bekas Presiden, Khieu Samphan.

Khmer Rouge pimpinan Pol Pot yang meninggal dunia pada 1998 mengosongkan bandar-bandar di Kemboja dalam usaha untuk mewujudkan sebuah utopia komunis dan dalam proses itu menyebabkan dua juta orang maut akibat kebuluran, dipaksa bekerja terlalu teruk, penyeksaan dan pembunuhan.

Kini terdapat hampir 240,000 penduduk Melayu Champa di Kemboja, kebanyakannya di wilayah tengah, membentuk 1.6 peratus daripada penduduk di negara yang majoritinya beragama Buddha. - AFP

Daim in EPL

Saya membayangkan Kuala Lumpur sebagai ibu kota pertembungan bola sepak Eropah, Latin Amerika, Afrika serta Asia.

Kita jadualkan lawatan 16 pasukan ternama seluruh dunia setahun. Manchester City dimiliki jutawan Arab. Kita boleh pelawa mereka bermain di sini, mungkin tidak pada musim panas tahun depan kerana bintang ternama terlibat dalam Piala Dunia.

Mungkinkah seorang daripada kanak-anak yang kita lihat dalam National Little League (Liga Kebangsaan Kanak-kanak) melalui Astro akan membanggakan negara? Saya terpegun melihat kebolehan anak-anak ini. Maaf, saya tak ingat nama mereka. Tetapi ada seorang penyerang yang memakai jersi No 6 yang sudahpun menjaringkan lapan gol. Saya lihat dia ada naluri sebagai penyerang modern seumpama Rooney.

Saya terfikir apakah amalan pemakanan dia? Apakah beliau dibimbing cara mengambil makanan secara professional? Lionel Messi tidak sebesar mana, tetapi dia kental dan langsung tidak gerun pada pemain-pemain yang lebih besar.

Saya sudah melawat beberapa kelab ternama EPL dan terpesona melihat disiplin pemakanan mereka.

Apakah bahan bacaan anak muda yang memakai jersi No 6 itu? Saya tanya mengenai bahan bacaan kerana kita dapati pemain Sepanyol dan Perancis lebih berilmu dan faham persoalan falsafah.

Pembaca sekalian tentu sekali ada mengikuti interviu dengan bekas penyerang Manchester United dan Perancis, Eric Cantona. Bandingkan pula temubual dengan bintang-bintang EPL. Pemain kita harus bijak seperti Cantona.

Saya pernah diusik rakan yang bertanya: “Tun, tak berminatkah beli pasukan ternama EPL?”

Saya sudah 71 tahun. Biarlah mereka yang muda terlibat kerana pengurusan kewangan, jual beli, menyediakan program merchandising, tajaan dan program latihan pemain negara semuanya memerlukan tumpuan sepenuh masa.

Ada yang bertanya mengenai Newcastle United. Satu ketika dulu, memang ada pihak yang saya kenali meninjau kemungkinan ke arah sedemikian tetapi Newcastle kini bermain di Divisyen Satu. Jumlah gaji atau kos saraan pemain terlalu tinggi. Apa jadi sekiranya mereka cedera?

Kelab-kelab Perancis atau Belanda lebih menarik untuk diterokai, pada pandangan saya. Mereka tidak putus-putus menghasilkan bintang baru. Kelab-kelab Perancis dapat menarik minat pemain Afrika dari Franchophone, tanah bekas jajahan Perancis.

Saya sering berkunjung ke Afrika bagi tujuan bisnes. Mana saja ada kawasan lapang, kita lihat anak muda bermain bola. Skil mereka agak luar biasa, serta mereka bertubuh besar.