Gaddafi killed as last stronghold falls

SIRTE (Libya): Muammar Gaddafi was killed today as Libyas new leaders declared they had overrun the last bastion of his long rule, sparking wild celebrations that eight months of war may finally be over.

Details of the death near Sirte of the fallen strongman were hazy but it was announced by several officials of the National Transitional Council (NTC) and backed up by a photograph of a bloodied face ringed by familiar, Gaddafi-style curly hair.

He was killed in an attack by the fighters. There is footage of that, the NTCs information minister, Mahmoud Shammam, told Reuters.

Western powers, who have backed the rebellion which took the capital Tripoli two months ago, said they were still checking.

Nato said its aircraft fired on a convoy near Sirte earlier, but would not confirm reports that Gaddafi had been a passenger.

Several NTC fighters in Sirte said they had seen Gaddafi shot dead, though their accounts varied.

A video circulating among NTC fighters in Sirte showed mobile phone footage of what appeared to be Gaddafis bloodied corpse.

In the grainy images, a large number of NTC fighters are seen yelling in chaotic scenes around a khaki-clad body which has blood oozing from the face and neck.

The body is then dragged off by the fighters and loaded in the back of a pick-up truck.

With a final declaration of the countrys liberation from 42 years of one-man rule apparently imminent, and crowds firing in the air and dancing in the streets of Tripoli and Benghazi, Libyan television said NTC chairman Mustafa Abdel Jalil was about to address the nation.

Arab Spring

The two months since the fall of Tripoli have tested the nerves of the motley alliance of anti-Gaddafi forces and their Western and Arab backers, who had begun to question the ability of the NTC forces to root out diehard Gaddafi loyalists in Sirte and a couple of other towns.

Officials said some of Gaddafis entourage had been killed in the same incident, while his son Motassim and other aides were takenprisoner. Another son, Saif long the heir-apparent was believed by the NTC to be still at large, possibly in the immense southern deserts of the Libyan Sahara.

The death of Gaddafi himself became perhaps the most dramatic development since the Arab Spring revolts that have unseated rulers in neighbouring Tunisia and Egypt and threaten the grip on power of the leaders of Syria and Yemen.

He (Gaddafi) was also hit in his head, NTC official Abdel Majid Mlegta told Reuters. There was a lot of firing against his group and he died.

Mlegta told Reuters earlier that Gaddafi, who was in his late 60s, was captured and wounded in both legs at dawn today as he tried to flee in a convoy which Nato warplanes attacked. He said he had been taken away by an ambulance.

An NTC fighter in Sirte said he had seen Gaddafi shot after he was cornered and captured in a tunnel near a roadway.

The capture of Sirte means Libyas ruling NTC should now begin the task of forging a new democratic system which it had said it would get under way after the city, Gaddafis hometownrebuilt as a showpiece for his rule, had fallen.

As potentially vast revenues from oil and gas begin to roll in again, Libyas six million people, scattered in towns spread across wide deserts, face a major t! ask in o rganising a new system of government that can allocate resources across long-competing tribal, ethnic and regional divisions.

Gaddafi, wanted by the International Criminal Court on charges of ordering the killing of civilians, was toppled by rebel forces on Aug 23, a week short of the 42nd anniversary of the military coup which brought him to power in 1969.

NTC fighters hoisted the red, black and green national flag above a large utilities building in the centre of a newly-captured Sirte neighbourhood and celebratory gunfire broke out among their ecstatic and relieved comrades.

Hundreds of NTC troops had surrounded the Mediterranean coastal town for weeks in a chaotic struggle that killed and wounded scores of the besieging forces and an unknown number ofdefenders.

Foreign Woman Hurt In Police Raid

A reader alerted me to the news of this foreign national who was bullied by the authorities: Woman: I was hurt in raid

As usual, this goes to show that the police have free reign to do as they please. They evidently violated procedure when:

1. The police were not in uniform
2. The police did not state the reason of the arrest to the suspect as is stipulated in the procedure
3. The police acted violently
4. The police did not give medical attention to the injuries sustained

In my opinion, everything falls neatly and squarely into the lap of this Chinese national. She was wrongly treated -- pure and simple.

However, I see something wrong in this.

Why did the husband pay RM2,000 to have his wife released? Was it legal? Or was it under-the-counter as usual?

Then I see a purpose for these illegal raids. They are to help these policemen make money from bribes.

Bar: Probe possible judges misconduct

PETALING JAYA: The Bar Council has called for a thorough investigation into possible misconduct of two judges.

The duo were Justice Abdul Malik Ishak, who was accused of plagiarism, and Justice Chan Jit Li, who recently delivered a judgment on DAP leader Karpal Singhs accident case.

In Chans case, Bar Council president Lim Chee Wee questioned her reported conduct of hugging Karpal right after delivering a judgment in his favour awarding over RM2 million in compensation for an accident.

Recent media articles that reported Chan as having hugged Karpal the plaintiff to whom she had just awarded over RM2 million in compensation are troubling, said Lim.

He said the judge had reportedly remarked that she knew the plaintiff personally.

(This) raises the question of whether the judge should have recused herself from hearing the matter. Such actions give rise to the perception, in the public mind, that the judge may have a relationship with the plaintiff that influenced her judgment in the case before her, which erodes public confidence in the justice system, he added.

On Oct 8, bank manager Lau Yee Fuat, 49, was ordered by Sessions Court Judge Chan to pay damages to Karpal over an accident six years ago which left him confined to a wheelchair.

Chan awarded Karpal, who is the MP of Bukit Gelugor, RM380,000 in general damages and nearly RM1.64 milLION in special damages, with interest and costs.

In her judgment, Chan had said she was mindful to neither under nor overcompensate the plaintiff as she knew him personally.

This (the case) has been very difficult for all of us, she had said, before reportedly walking over to Karpal to give him a hug after proceedings.

In the case of current Court of Appeal judge Abdul Malik, who has been accused of plagiarising a judgment by a Singapore judge in 2000, Lim said the Bar Council was concerned over the lack of closure with regard to the case.

It is in the public interest that the authorities disclose the past investigation and, if it was inadequate, look into the allegation anew, he said.

Lim said failure to acknowledge the source of work presented, if not ones own, was tantamount to plagiarism, a misconduct that must not go unpunished if it is proven to have occurred.

Such behaviour would violate the Judges Code of Ethics 2009, where, for example, section 6(1) states that a judge shall act at all times in a manner that promotes integrity and impartiality of the judiciary, he said.

Lim added that Section 7(8) of the Code provides that a judge shall not conduct himself in a manner which is not befitting of a judge or which brings or is calculated to bring disrepute to his office as a judge.

Proper judicial conduct must be observed at all times, and judges must always maintain high standards of personal and judicial conduct and behave in a manner that preserves the dignity of their position, he said.

On Oct 4, 60 Pakatan Rakyat MPs led by Karpal had pushed for a motion to censure Abdul Malik for the alleged offence he committed as a High Court judge in early 2000.

Abdul Malik was at the time accused of plagiarising a judgment by the-then Singapore High Court judge GP Selvam.

Video ridiculing Pakistan is YouTube hit

ISLAMABAD: A Pakistani music video ridiculing the powerful military, inflation and systemic violence has gone viral on the Internet, racking up more than 85,000 hits days after being posted on YouTube.

Produced by little-known pop group Beygairat Brigade, or Shameless Brigade, it mocks the raft of political leaders many Pakistanis despair over but breaks ground in daring to lampoon army chief of staff General Ashfaq Kayani.

Considered Pakistans most powerful man, Kayani is rarely the butt of public mirth in a country where the military is feared and revered in equal measures.

But for three singers from Lahore, Pakistans cultural capital near the border with India, there were no holds barred.

With such hullabaloo about the extension, the chief has gone into hibernation, they croon, referring to his three-year extension in the job and apparent refusal of US demands for tougher action on Taliban and Al-Qaeda militants.

The song criticises the outcry of popular support for the policeman who shot dead liberal politician Salman Taseer.

It refers also to cleric Abdul Aziz, who fled a government siege on the radical Red Mosque in Islamabad in 2007, as the mullah who escaped in a veil and says Pakistans late Nobel prize winner Abdus Salam is a forgotten tale.

Salam won the Nobel prize for Physics in 1979 with Sheldon Glashow and Steven Weinberg, but has been largely disowned by Pakistanis who bitterly oppose the minority Ahmadi sect to which he belongs.

The pop band take on former prime minister Nawaz Sharif and his brother Shahbaz, ridiculing their baldness, and assails cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan and the powerful chief justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry.

Calling the song Aalu Anday the egg and potato dish cooked in Pakistani homes when meat is not available the lyrics also poke fun at the rising cost of lentils in a country torn apart by attacks and natural disasters.

The singers hold up different placards in the video, one of which say! s This v ideo is sponsored by the Zionists.

At the end, the lead singer appears with a poster saying: If you want a bullet through my head, like this video.

YouTube watchers can click on a like icon to show their approval for the video, which can be viewed atwww.youtube.com/watch?v=ZEpnwCPgH7g

- AFP

Murtad Dan Bandar Oxford

MURTAD DAN BANDAR OXFORD
Prof Madya Dr Mohd Asri Zainul Abidin
(sertai facebook DrMAZA.com dan twitter realDrMAZA)

Saya menganggap Bandar Oxford ini jauh lebih indah dari kebanyakan bandar lain di UK dan Eropah, termasuk London. Bahkan tiada bandar yang seumpamanya di dunia muslim kita. Ia sebuah bandar ilmu. Kebanyakan mereka yang sibuk berjalan pantas di jalan-jalan Oxford ini ialah pelajar, pengajar dan pengkaji.

Lebih empat puluh kolej ilmu bersejarah lagi berprestij di bandar ini. Penuh sejarah, penuh sumbangan melahirkan tokoh-tokoh besar. Bandar ini penuh dengan aktiviti ilmu di sana-sini setiap hari; seminar, diskusi, forum dan pelbagai. Dalam pelbagai perkara dan bidang, yang mungkin sebahagiannya terlarang dalam negara kita disebabkan unsur kejaisan kita. Amat rugi jika ada sesiapa yang datang ke sini tetapi tidak mengambil peduli tentang aktiviti ilmu yang pesat.

Dari bangunan-bangunan bersejarah yang memenuhi bandar ini, kita dapat tahu bahawa di sini asalnya tempat pengajian Kristian. Sejak kurun ke-12, Oxford berkembang menjadi bandar ilmu. Ini terutama selepas tahun 1167 apabila Henry II melarang pelajar Inggeris melawat universiti di Paris. Pada kurun ke-13 bandar ini mula pesat dengan para penuntut ilmu. Antara tahun 1249 dan 1280 diasaskan universiti kolej yang tertua di sini; Merton dan Balliol. Ertinya bandar ini telah berkembang menjadi bandar ilmu sejak 800 tahun yang lalu.

Dalam tempoh yang panjang itu, Oxford melalui pelbagai sejarah. Agama Kristian yang menjadi teras pegangan dan pembinaan pusat pengajian di sini telah terbabit dalam pelbagai konflik politik dan agama. Permusuhan dan pembunuhan berlaku dengan dahsyat sepanjang tersebut. Sehingga amalan kristianiti pun luntur di sini.

Dibakar Hidup-Hidup

Latimer, Ridley and Foxe burning.

Saya tinggal bersendirian di Broad Street. Di hadapan kediaman saya, di atas jalan ada tanda yang dibuat mengenang shuhada Oxford atau Oxford Martyrs yang dibakar hidup-hidup. Tomas Cranmer, Nicholas Ridley dan Hugh Latimer. Mereka semua merupakan tiga orang paderi dan ilmuwan Kristian yang hebat pada kurun yang ke-16. Mereka telah mengkritik ajaran-ajaran Kristian yang dibawa oleh gereja Katholik yang dianggap tiada asas dalil yang sah dalam Bible. Terpengaruh dengan Martin Luther pengasas Protestan, mereka juga telah menulis pelbagai buku mengkritik amalan dan penghayatan agama yang diamalkan oleh pihak gereja Katholik. Seperti Luther, mereka berusaha agar agama Kristian tiada menjadi agama eksklusif untuk para paderi sahaja. Mereka menulis dan membahaskan pelbagai isu dalam ajaran Katholik yang mereka anggap tidak berasas.

Walaupun mereka berkelulusan tinggi dari pusat-pusat pengajian theology, diangkat memegang pelbagai kedudukan tinggi dalam ranking gereja seperti archbishop dan bishop, namun atas sikap anti-pembaharuan dan enggan mendengar pandangan lain yang berbeza, pihak mahkamah agama Katholik telah menghukum mereka sebagai heresy (murtad) dan derhaka (treason) kepada Queen. Mereka dibakar hidup-hidup di khalayak ramai di Oxford pada tahun 1555 dan 1556.

Penulis di tempat bekas tokoh-tokoh pembaharuan Kristian dibakar hidup-hidup.

Sebenarnya, dalam sejarah gereja Katholik, begitu ramai yang dibakar oleh pihak gereja atas tuduhan murtad dan derhaka. Pihak gereja akan menggunakan nama Tuhan dan istana atas tuduh! an murta d dan derhaka untuk menghukum para penentang mereka. Pihak Katholik juga ada privy council atau badan rahsia yang boleh menjadi kata putus. Pihak istana dalam usaha menjaga kepentingan dan kuasa mereka, maka akur atas segala tuduhan dan keputusan yang dibuat oleh pihak gereja terhadap musuh-musuh mereka. Golongan pembaharuan dalam Kristian terpaksa melalui pengorbanan yang terlalu hebat. Hukuman yang selalu mereka pakai kepada orang murtad ialah dibakar hidup-hidup cara pembakaran yang menyakitkan dan kejam.

Benarkah Murtad?

Persoalannya, benarkah murtad, ataupun murtad itu hanya menurut ukuran mereka yang jumud dan mempunyai kepentingan sendiri?! Semua tokoh-tokoh yang dibakar hidup-hidup itu tetap memanggil Tuhan sehingga ke akhir hayat. Cumanya, mereka enggan mengakui beberapa kepercayaan dan amalan Katholik yang mereka anggap tidak bersumberkan Bible.

Pihak penentang pembaharuan sering menggunakan nama Jesus dan istana. Padahal mereka bukan mempertahankan istana atau Jesus, mereka mempertahankan kedudukan istimewa mereka sebagai golongan agama. Mereka menentang usaha pembaharuan menterjemahkan Bible yang berbahasa Latin ke dalam bahasa Inggeris. Mereka bimbang orang lain dapat menilai dan menembusi maklumat agama yang akhir menyebabkan mereka dipersoalkan.

Dikenang

Hari ini Oxford terus wujud. Namun, mereka yang dibakar dan dituduh murtad itu dikenang sebagai wira dan syahid oleh generasi kemudian. Demikianlah penilaian terhadap fakta sejarah selalu berubah dengan berubahnya cara fikir manusia. Wira boleh menjadi derhaka, derhaka pula boleh juga menjadi wira. Seseorang yang dihukum pada suatu masa, mungkin dihargai pada masa yang lain. Kemungkinan juga seseorang yang dihargai kini, akan dihukum pada masa yang akan datang. Sebab itu setiap kita hendaklah berpegang kepada asas-asas kebenaran yang disepakati oleh ad-din dan manusia sejagat. Bukan berpegang kepada sesuatu yang bersifat politik dan isu sema! ta.

< p>Walaupun begitu dahsyat dan kejam pihak gereja Katholik berusaha mengekang pembaharuan, namun hari ini segala yang mereka takuti telah pun menjelma dalam rupa yang lebih ganas. Mereka cuba menentang kritikan terhadap amalan mereka, hari ini di Barat, bukan sekadar amalan mereka, bahkan Tuhan pun dinafikan kewujudannya.

Pada era 1880, ahli falsafah Jerman Friedrich Nietzche telah mengistiharkan bahawa God was dead (Tuhan telah mati). Walaupun 120 tahun kemudian agama terus hidup di dunia ini dan Tuhan terus dipuja, namun golongan atheist dan agnostic turut berkembang.

Usaha menolak kewujudan Tuhan terus berjalan dan mendapat sambutan yang besar di seluruh dunia. Richard Dawkins umpamanya, pada 2007 menerbitkan buku God Delusion atau Penipuan Tuhan, buku yang menggambarkan bahawa tiada siapa yang boleh memberikan gambaran lengkap tentang agama yang sebenar. Tulisannya ini menggalakkan golongan anti-agama dan bukunya mendapat sambutan yang hebat. Di Oxford yang dipenuhi dengan gereja dan segala kesan sejarah perkembangan Kristian, turut menjualnya.

Tuduh Murtad

Menjadi masalah besar apabila nama Tuhan sering digunakan untuk kepentingan kuasa dan diri sendiri. Orang lain dihukum atas nama Tuhan, padahal Tuhan kesalahan itu tidak membabitkan ajaran Tuhan. Akhirnya, Tuhan disalah ertikan dan agama dibenci. Di Oxford, walaupun bangunan dan bayangan gereja mengelilinginya, amalan kehidupan agama sudah tipis. Pengajian dijalankan tanpa berkait lagi dengan nama Tuhan melainkan sedikit. Ataupun, Tuhan itu difahami dalam pelbagai versi yang tersendiri.

Menuduh orang murtad sebenarnya memerlukan penelitian dan bukti yang kukuh tanpa kepentingan dan fanatik. Menghalang orang lain memberikan pandangan dan pendapat atas nama Tuhan adalah perbuatan yang menjauhkan manusia dari agama. Itu bukan usaha menguatkan agama.

Islam adalah agama dialog dan hujah. Ia bukan agama perhimpunan untuk membantah orang lain bersuara. Itu pe! rbuatan gereja yang telah menghasilkan natijah yang buruk dan melahirkan sikap anti-agama. Menjerit di jalanan kerana kononnya ada orang murtad adalah tindakan yang tidak bijak. Padahal Allah telah memberikan panduan agar Islam ditegakkan atas hujah dan dialog. Firman Allah (maksudnya):

Serulah ke jalan Tuhanmu (wahai Muhammad) dengan hikmah dan mauizah hasanah (nasihat yang baik), dan berbahaslah dengan mereka dengan cara yang lebih baik; sesungguhnya Tuhanmu Dia lah jua yang lebih mengetahui siapa yang sesat dari jalanNya, dan Dia lah jua yang lebih mengetahui akan orang-orang yang mendapat hidayah petunjuk (Surah al-Nahl: 125).

Menuduh orang lain murtad juga secara semberono hanya mengulangi apa yang dilakukan oleh gereja Katholik. Natijahnya, lenyap kekuatan istana yang dipergunakan dan lenyap juga keyakinan manusia kepada agama itu sendiri. Apakah kita ingin mengulanginya?

Bar: Probe possible judges misconduct

PETALING JAYA: The Bar Council has called for a thorough investigation into possible misconduct of two judges.

The duo were Justice Abdul Malik Ishak, who was accused of plagiarism, and Justice Chan Jit Li, who recently delivered a judgment on DAP leader Karpal Singhs accident case.

In Chans case, Bar Council president Lim Chee Wee questioned her reported conduct of hugging Karpal right after delivering a judgment in his favour awarding over RM2 million in compensation for an accident.

Recent media articles that reported Chan as having hugged Karpal the plaintiff to whom she had just awarded over RM2 million in compensation are troubling, said Lim.

He said the judge had reportedly remarked that she knew the plaintiff personally.

(This) raises the question of whether the judge should have recused herself from hearing the matter. Such actions give rise to the perception, in the public mind, that the judge may have a relationship with the plaintiff that influenced her judgment in the case before her, which erodes public confidence in the justice system, he added.

On Oct 8, bank manager Lau Yee Fuat, 49, was ordered by Sessions Court Judge Chan to pay damages to Karpal over an accident six years ago which left him confined to a wheelchair.

Chan awarded Karpal, who is the MP of Bukit Gelugor, RM380,000 in general damages and nearly RM1.64 milLION in special damages, with interest and costs.

In her judgment, Chan had said she was mindful to neither under nor overcompensate the plaintiff as she knew him personally.

This (the case) has been very difficult for all of us, she had said, before reportedly walking over to Karpal to give him a hug after proceedings.

In the case of current Court of Appeal judge Abdul Malik, who has been accused of plagiarising a judgment by a Singapore judge in 2000, Lim said the Bar Council was concerned over the lack of closure with regard to the case.

It is in the public interest that the authorities disclose the past investigation and, if it was inadequate, look into the allegation anew, he said.

Lim said failure to acknowledge the source of work presented, if not ones own, was tantamount to plagiarism, a misconduct that must not go unpunished if it is proven to have occurred.

Such behaviour would violate the Judges Code of Ethics 2009, where, for example, section 6(1) states that a judge shall act at all times in a manner that promotes integrity and impartiality of the judiciary, he said.

Lim added that Section 7(8) of the Code provides that a judge shall not conduct himself in a manner which is not befitting of a judge or which brings or is calculated to bring disrepute to his office as a judge.

Proper judicial conduct must be observed at all times, and judges must always maintain high standards of personal and judicial conduct and behave in a manner that preserves the dignity of their position, he said.

On Oct 4, 60 Pakatan Rakyat MPs led by Karpal had pushed for a motion to censure Abdul Malik for the alleged offence he committed as a High Court judge in early 2000.

Abdul Malik was at the time accused of plagiarising a judgment by the-then Singapore High Court judge GP Selvam.

Is the government misleading the public on revival of abandon housing projects?

In the 2010 budget speech, the Malaysian Finance Minister announced that the government is making a one-time allocation of RM 200 mill to revive 41 low and medium cost housing projects. There has been no information forth coming on the actual number of houses to be revived or the success of the revival schemes. Assuming that RM50K is being allocated per house than the government intention is to revive 4000 units of houses.

During the recent budget 2011, the Finance Minister again announced that part from this, through the Abandoned Housing Rehabilitation Program, the Government successfully rehabilitated and obtained the Certificate of Fitness (CF) for 82 projects involving more than 15,000 units. The Government will continue this noble effort with an allocation of RM63 million in 2012 to rehabilitate 1,270 abandoned houses.

Based on the above statement it appears that the government spends about RM13, 333.33 per unit of house in 2011. This is an impossible rehabilitation cost under the current material and labor cost environment. Not to mention the appointed reviving contractor has to make money out of this portion. If each contractor makes 20% profit then the actual available money for project revival is just tipping RM10K per unit.

For the records, the MHLG publish an annual report that covers its activities. Comparing the 2010 report against the 2009, the statistics shows that the numbers of abandon projects increased from 148 projects to 161 projects i.e. 8.8% increase. If we compare the actual number of abandon houses it shows that the number of abandon houses increase from 49,913 to 50,605 units i.e. an increase by 692 units. So where is this 15,000 houses which has been revived by the government with its RM200 mill allocation in budget 2010?

Reliable source from within MHLG says that the RM63 mill announced is not additional allocation but is part of unutilized portion of RM200 mill from the previous year budget. As the Chairman of VICTIMS Malaysia (Abandon Building Own! ers Mala ysia) I call upon the government to come clean with the people. A responsible government must show that the RM200 mill was well spend and actually went into reviving projects and as it does not matched the figures announced and publish statistics. Where did the money actually went to?

Dr. Mohamed Rafick Khan bin Abdul Rahman

President

Abandon Building Owners Malaysia (VICTIMS Malaysia)

MCA and hudud: Part 1

Stanley Koh | October 18, 2011 Free Malaysia Today

The party cant hold a candle to DAP when it comes to principled opposition to Islamic state ambitions.

COMMENT

Two questions arise from MCAs recent call on DAP to abandon the Pakatan Rakyat coalition because PAS is pushing for hudud punishments and, ultimately, an Islamic state.

First: Why did former MCA president Dr Ling Liong Sik fail to protest when former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad declared Malaysia an Islamic state in 2001?

MCA Youth chief Wee Ka Siongs recent defence of Lings silence does not hold water. He said Mahathirs declaration did not include a threat to change the Federal Constitution. Neither has Pakatan said it would change the constitution to suit PASs ambition.

Second: Since MCA is questioning DAPs commitment to principles, what has happened to its own principles in the face of Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassins recent remark that Malaysia was merely not ready for hudud?

Muhyiddins statement seemed to suggest that Umno, like PAS, longs to turn Malaysia into an Islamic state.

If PASs insistence on pushing for hudud is a methodological tactic, then what should we call Umnos long-term process of Islamisation?

When it comes to opposing hudud and other proposals that could lead to the establishment of an Islamic state, MCAs track record is dismal. It does not come anywhere near DAPs standards of consistency in commitment to principles.

It was on Sept 29, 2001, that Dr Mahathir claimed Islamic-state status for Malaysia.

Umno wishes to state loudly that Malaysia is an Islamic country, he said in his address at Gerakans 30th national conference. This is based on the opinion of ulamas who have clarified what constitutes as Islamic country.

If Malaysia is not an Islamic country because it does not implement the hudud, then there are no Is! lamic co untries in the world.

Kelantan Menteri Besar and PAS spiritual leader Nik Aziz Nik Mat responded immediately and furiously. You can talk all you want, he said. You can declare a piece of wood to be gold or a wheelbarrow to be a Mercedes, but in reality nothing has changed.

According to Nik Aziz, his partys definition of an Islamic country meant a nation governed according to the tenets of the Quran and Hadith. Malaysia was still a secular state, he said. If the present Malaysia is already an Islamic state, then what do you call the state ruled by the Prophet and his companions?

DAP, like PAS, was shocked by Mahathirs declaration. It called for an urgent parliamentary debate on the subject.

MCAs forum and Lings remarks

On Oct 20, 2001, at the request of several members of the Inter-Religious Council, MCA organised a closed-door forum on the issue.

Among the participants were Dr Hamid Othman (the Prime Ministers Department Religious Adviser), Shad Saleem Faruqi of Universiti Teknologi Mara, Zainah Anwar of Sisters in Islam and several representatives of the Inter-Religious Council.

Ling chaired the session. In his opening remarks, he said: No one can claim monopoly of knowledge, because the frontier of knowledge keeps on expanding. This seminar is an opportunity to explore, discover and learn.

There are many questions in mind. Is Umno correct in declaring Malaysia an Islamic country? Or an Islamic nation? Or an Islamic state? Or a Negara Islam? Have the Umno ulamas been correct in defining or in getting the right definition that Malaysia is qualified to be, like the OIC says, not just an Islamic state, but a shining example of a Muslim state?

The following are unedited transcripts from tape recordings of some of Dr Lings remarks:

Wed like to know what are the criteria for these definitions. Wed like to know are all Islamic countries the same? Is there a single model? What are the basic criteria that would qualify a nation to be de! fined as an Islamic nation?

When the PM explained to the BN and the Cabinet about Umnos position on Malaysia being declared to be qualified as an Islamic state, he also made this very liberal comment: While Umno feels ulamas feel and the people who know this religion feel Malaysia qualifies just as OIC who declared Malaysia or recognizes Malaysia an Islamic state, there is also this pertinent and relevant point of view that Malaysia is not a theocratic state. And that point of view, if you want to call Malaysia a secular state, its still correct. Because we do not call ourselves a theocratic state, we can still call ourselves a secular state.

We want to ask ourselves. Can we call a country by two or three different namesan Islamic state, a secular state?

My simplistic thinking if we look at a rose, being English educated, I would call it a rose. But other Chinese-educated call it mei gui in Mandarin. A Malay friend will call it bunga mawar. And roja in Tamil.

Yet, it is still a rose. So can we call Malaysia an Islamic state, a secular state and so on and so forth?

Similarly, an apple. It is round, has seeds, crunchy. It has a stalk, but some people call it apple, some call it ping gor.

Politically, Umnos definition as Mahathir described it, the status quo, describes the present state of Malaysia which derives from the same supreme law of the land, the Malaysian Constitution, which will not change, which has not changed as far as the religious descriptions there, which will never change.

Some may ask how do we ensure that his thoughts, his thinking will not change? That the other implications will not change? How do we ensure this? Are there any international conventions we can subscribe to? Are there other instruments we can subscribe to so that other safeguards that the whole world watches over this status quo?

Academic exercise

It was clear that Dr Ling was merely engaging in an academic exercise. The forum had no serious political in! puts.

In closing his address, the MCA president said: We hope in seminars like this, we can learn, we can discover and we can disseminate.

Knowledge has three componentsthe generation of knowledge, the dissemination of knowledge and application of knowledge. Today, we are trying to generate for ourselves sufficient knowledge so that we can disseminate correctly to society.

In a subsequent article, we shall examine what Dr Mahathir actually said, what Hamid Othman conveyed at the forum and how the other participants responded.

Most importantly, we will examine the policy stand taken by Ling on behalf of his party.

Stanley Koh is the former head of MCAs research unit. He is now a FMT columnist.

This entry was posted on Thursday, 20 October 2011, 7:27 pm and is filed under DAP, Islam, Islamic state, MCA, PAS, UMNO. You can follow any responses to this entry through RSS 2.0.

Bar: Probe possible judges misconduct

PETALING JAYA: The Bar Council has called for a thorough investigation into possible misconduct of two judges.

The duo were Justice Abdul Malik Ishak, who was accused of plagiarism, and Justice Chan Jit Li, who recently delivered a judgment on DAP leader Karpal Singhs accident case.

In Chans case, Bar Council president Lim Chee Wee questioned her reported conduct of hugging Karpal right after delivering a judgment in his favour awarding over RM2 million in compensation for an accident.

Recent media articles that reported Chan as having hugged Karpal the plaintiff to whom she had just awarded over RM2 million in compensation are troubling, said Lim.

He said the judge had reportedly remarked that she knew the plaintiff personally.

(This) raises the question of whether the judge should have recused herself from hearing the matter. Such actions give rise to the perception, in the public mind, that the judge may have a relationship with the plaintiff that influenced her judgment in the case before her, which erodes public confidence in the justice system, he added.

On Oct 8, bank manager Lau Yee Fuat, 49, was ordered by Sessions Court Judge Chan to pay damages to Karpal over an accident six years ago which left him confined to a wheelchair.

Chan awarded Karpal, who is the MP of Bukit Gelugor, RM380,000 in general damages and nearly RM1.64 milLION in special damages, with interest and costs.

In her judgment, Chan had said she was mindful to neither under nor overcompensate the plaintiff as she knew him personally.

This (the case) has been very difficult for all of us, she had said, before reportedly walking over to Karpal to give him a hug after proceedings.

In the case of current Court of Appeal judge Abdul Malik, who has been accused of plagiarising a judgment by a Singapore judge in 2000, Lim said the Bar Council was concerned over the lack of closure with regard to the case.

It is in the public interest that the authorities disclose the past investigation and, if it was inadequate, look into the allegation anew, he said.

Lim said failure to acknowledge the source of work presented, if not ones own, was tantamount to plagiarism, a misconduct that must not go unpunished if it is proven to have occurred.

Such behaviour would violate the Judges Code of Ethics 2009, where, for example, section 6(1) states that a judge shall act at all times in a manner that promotes integrity and impartiality of the judiciary, he said.

Lim added that Section 7(8) of the Code provides that a judge shall not conduct himself in a manner which is not befitting of a judge or which brings or is calculated to bring disrepute to his office as a judge.

Proper judicial conduct must be observed at all times, and judges must always maintain high standards of personal and judicial conduct and behave in a manner that preserves the dignity of their position, he said.

On Oct 4, 60 Pakatan Rakyat MPs led by Karpal had pushed for a motion to censure Abdul Malik for the alleged offence he committed as a High Court judge in early 2000.

Abdul Malik was at the time accused of plagiarising a judgment by the-then Singapore High Court judge GP Selvam.

The scurrilous and vicious allegation against Penang chief minister Lim Guan Engs 16 year old son circulating on the internet requires a through police investigation

Bar: Probe possible judges misconduct

PETALING JAYA: The Bar Council has called for a thorough investigation into possible misconduct of two judges.

The duo were Justice Abdul Malik Ishak, who was accused of plagiarism, and Justice Chan Jit Li, who recently delivered a judgment on DAP leader Karpal Singhs accident case.

In Chans case, Bar Council president Lim Chee Wee questioned her reported conduct of hugging Karpal right after delivering a judgment in his favour awarding over RM2 million in compensation for an accident.

Recent media articles that reported Chan as having hugged Karpal the plaintiff to whom she had just awarded over RM2 million in compensation are troubling, said Lim.

He said the judge had reportedly remarked that she knew the plaintiff personally.

(This) raises the question of whether the judge should have recused herself from hearing the matter. Such actions give rise to the perception, in the public mind, that the judge may have a relationship with the plaintiff that influenced her judgment in the case before her, which erodes public confidence in the justice system, he added.

On Oct 8, bank manager Lau Yee Fuat, 49, was ordered by Sessions Court Judge Chan to pay damages to Karpal over an accident six years ago which left him confined to a wheelchair.

Chan awarded Karpal, who is the MP of Bukit Gelugor, RM380,000 in general damages and nearly RM1.64 milLION in special damages, with interest and costs.

In her judgment, Chan had said she was mindful to neither under nor overcompensate the plaintiff as she knew him personally.

This (the case) has been very difficult for all of us, she had said, before reportedly walking over to Karpal to give him a hug after proceedings.

In the case of current Court of Appeal judge Abdul Malik, who has been accused of plagiarising a judgment by a Singapore judge in 2000, Lim said the Bar Council was concerned over the lack of closure with regard to the case.

It is in the public interest that the authorities disclose the past investigation and, if it was inadequate, look into the allegation anew, he said.

Lim said failure to acknowledge the source of work presented, if not ones own, was tantamount to plagiarism, a misconduct that must not go unpunished if it is proven to have occurred.

Such behaviour would violate the Judges Code of Ethics 2009, where, for example, section 6(1) states that a judge shall act at all times in a manner that promotes integrity and impartiality of the judiciary, he said.

Lim added that Section 7(8) of the Code provides that a judge shall not conduct himself in a manner which is not befitting of a judge or which brings or is calculated to bring disrepute to his office as a judge.

Proper judicial conduct must be observed at all times, and judges must always maintain high standards of personal and judicial conduct and behave in a manner that preserves the dignity of their position, he said.

On Oct 4, 60 Pakatan Rakyat MPs led by Karpal had pushed for a motion to censure Abdul Malik for the alleged offence he committed as a High Court judge in early 2000.

Abdul Malik was at the time accused of plagiarising a judgment by the-then Singapore High Court judge GP Selvam.

Man U cheerleader Najib ready for big clash

PETALING JAYA: Come Sunday, Manchester United No 1 fan Najib Tun Razak will be cheering his club when it meets rival Manchester City in the English Premier League clash.

And joining the prime minister in the stadium will be hundreds of Malaysian Red Devils invited to watch the match at his official residence at Seri Perdana.

However, only limited seats are available and they are all fully booked.

Thanks for the overwhelming response! Unfortunately (I) cant accommodate all who registered. Space is only for a few hundred, Najib wrote on his website today.

Najib had issued an invitation to Malaysian fans to watch the football match at his residence at Putrajaya, which kicks off at 8pm.

Those interested were supposed to sign up on his website by 5pm today.

Five months ago, Najib and his wife Rosmah Mansor watched the UEFA Champions League final match between Barcelona and Manchester United at Putrajaya Square with 10,000 fans.

But some parties have blown the whistle on Najib and gave him the red card for committing a foul using the pitch to woo young voters.

Aziz Bari terima surat tunjuk sebab dari UIA...

Universiti Islam Antarabangsa Malaysia (UIAM) telah mengeluarkan surat tunjuk sebab kepada pensyarah undang-undangnya Profesor Abdul Aziz Bari, yang baru-baru ini mengundang kontroversi berhubung kenyataan mengenai perlembagaan dan Raja-Raja Melayu.

Menurut sumber, Abdul Aziz diberikan surat tunjuk sebab itu petang tadi.

Tidak jelas mengenai kandungan surat itu kerana pakar perlembagaan itu tidak dapat dihubungi.

Malaysiakini juga belum dapat mengesahkan perkara itu dengan pihak universiti kerana ketika berita ini ditulis, waktu pejabat telah berakhir.

Abdul Aziz kini disiasat mengikut Akta Hasutan berikutan laporan Senator Ezam Mohd Nor pada 13 Oktober lalu.

Difahamkan sekurang-kurangnya lima laporan polis dibuat berhubung perkara yang sama.

Sementara itu, Malaysiakini terus dikunjungi oleh pihak berkuasa berhubung kenyataan Abdul Aziz yang disiarkan oleh portal berita berkenaan.

Malaysiakini terus disiasat

Suruhanjaya Komunikasi dan Multimedia Malaysia (SKMM) yang menyoal siasat wartawan Malaysiakini pada Isnin lalu, sekali lagi datang dengan dua pegawai yang sama bagi mendapatkan butiran lanjut daripada kakitangan lain.

Editor berita, Wee Yu Meng disoal selama sejam dan diminta mengesahkan bahawa Abdul Aziz mengirimkan emelnya kepada portal berita berkenaan dan sejauh mana ketepatan berita yang disiarkan.

Selain SKMM, Malaysiakini hari ini juga disiasat oleh pihak polis berhubung isu yang sama.

Pegawai penyiasat dari ibu pejabat p! olis dae rah Shah Alam, ASP Effandi Main merakamkan kenyataan daripada Wee selama satu jam setengah.

Beliau disoal sejauh mana dirinya mengenali Abdul Aziz dan berhubung kredibiliti pensyarah kanan undang-undang itu.

Pihak polis juga meminta dibekalkan salinan emel kenyataan yang dibuat oleh Abdul Aziz tetapi Wee berkata salinan yang dimilikinya telah dipadamkan setelah berita itu dimuat-naik.

Abdul Aziz dipercayai disiasat mengikut Akta Hasutan.

Beliau pada 11 Oktober lalu berkata tindakan Sultan Selangor campurtangan dalam isu pemeriksaan gereja Methodist di Petaling Jaya pada 3 Ogos lalu, bukan tindakan lazim.

Selaras ajaran Islam

Menurutnya, sebagai ketua agama Islam negeri, baginda mempunyai hak untuk campurtangan tetapi ia perlu dijalankan selaras dengan ajaran Islam.

Selepas dikritik pelbagai pihak, Abdul Aziz sehari kemudian menjelaskan bahawa Akta Hasutan 1948 memperuntukkan bahawa tidak menjadi kesalahan mengkritik Raja-Raja Melayu asalkan mereka tidak menuntut pemansuhan institusi itu.

Tidak puas hati dengan kenyataan itu, Ezam dan beberapa aktivis NGO tampil membuat laporan serentak dengan mendakwa Aziz berlaku biadap dan derhaka kepada institusi raja Melayu.

Sultan sebelum itu bertitah bahawa baginda amat tersinggung dengan usaha pihak tertentu yang cuba melemahkan kepercayaan dan akidah orang Islam di Selangor.

Titah baginda, cubaan memesongkan akidah umat Islam itu berjaya dibuktikan hasil siasatan Jabatan Agama Islam Selangor (JAIS) tetapi ia tidak mencukupi untuk diambil tindakan undang-undang.

source:malaysiakini

Comments by...

Jedi_Who: Public institutions are being corrupted by the government. Bullying and destroying anyone who doesn't agree with their ideology is just as bad as communism. Today it is Aziz Bari, tomorrow it might be one of us.

Kgen: There is something very wrong with this country. Even if you speak the truth on the law and the constitution, you can get charged with sedition but racists like Perkasa chief Ibrahim Ali can spew all kinds of racial venom with no fear.

Not Confused: To pillory an academician like Abdul Aziz, who is a senior law lecturer, for venturing a legal opinion is so ridiculous it beggars belief. Once again, the Islamic authorities in this country are so running scared of their own shadows that they will lash out in every direction when someone delivers a view that does not coincide with their own. This is puerile nonsense and its about time these authorities' accepted that everyone is entitled to their opinion and under the constitution, is entitled to express that opinion, providing it is not defamatory or in some other way illegal. Abdul Aziz's opinion is based on his legal knowledge and expertise. End of story.

Dood: Show cause? Has the university administration gone retard? Aziz spoke in his capacity as an expert on constitutional matters. He also did so in a neutral and objective manner. Why is the university pandering to extremists such as senator Ezam Mohd Nor and others in the Umno-BN gang?

cheers.

Blogger2 UMNO Buat Fitnah "Overtime" Untuk Tutup Penyelewengan Pilihanraya

Semua isu2 fitnah yang ditimbulkan UMNO setakat ini seperti:

1.0 Serbuan Gereja DUMC
2.0 Lantik PM Kristian di Penang
3.0 Penggunaan nama Allah oleh org Kristian
4.0 Kuil Hindu di Seksyen 23 Shah Alam
5.0 Anak Lim Guan Eng meraba perempuan
6.0 HIMPUN, yang menjadi kuda tunggangan UMporNO
7.0 Video2 blue Rahim Thamby Chik
8.0 Fitnah Liwat 2 ke atas Anwar

dan berbagai2 fitnah lain berbentuk seks dan tuduhan rambang.

Semuanya akan dipam dan dinaikkan kekerapan sehingga PRU nanti kerana tidak mahu rakyat tumpu pada isu yang sebenarnya:

Pemberian IC dan hak mengundi kepada Indon, Bangla, Myanmar dan Filipine

Make, pemimpin2 PAS dan Pakatan Rakyat seharusnya jangan melayan fitnah2 ini. Bagi Tulang Besi kesilapan telah dilakukan oleh:

1.0 Lim Guan Eng kerana melayan berita sampah berkaitan anaknya
2.0 Anwar Ibrahim melayan video2 blue Rahim Thamby Chik
3.0 Mat Sabu melayan serangan berkaitan sejarah Malaysia

dsbnya. Seharusnya, isu2 yg sumber dari blog2 sampah UMNO ini TIDAK BOLEH DILAYAN DAN DIBERI MASA RESPON.

Juga Pakatan Rakyat sudah wajib memboikot wartawan2 dari akhbar2 sampah UMNO kerana wartawan2 ini bekerjasama dengan blogger2 sampah UMNO untuk mempromosi fitnah2 mereka.

Akhirnya, isu sebenar, yakni isu bangla boleh mengundi terus senyap.

Syabas kepada Anwar Ibrahim kerana sudah tidak lagi memberi layanan kepada video2 blue yg datang dari blog2 UMNO. Mengikut maklumat yang Tulang Besi dapat pun tak sampai 20% rakyat Malaysia yang percaya video2 tersebut.

Hanya karat2 dan daki2 UMNO sahaja yang mempercayai isu2 tersebut.

Blogger2 UMNO ini menghina Islam. Kalau mereka beragama Islam, mereka tidak akan terus menerus menyebarkan fitnah seperti yang ada sekarang.

Buat apa kita buang masa melayan mereka2 yang menghina agama Islam seperti yg dilakukan blogger2 UMNO ini.

Jangan layan dan jangan kesah. ! Blogger2 ini sedari mula sudah tahu kesah yg mereka bawa ini adalah fitnah yang amat besar dan dahsyat.

TUMPU ISU YANG SEBENAR: ISU HAK MENGUNDI KEPADA WARGA ASING.

Tulang Besi

RIM could face lawsuits for BlackBerry woes

By Moira Herbst

NEW YORK: Law firms in the United States and Canada are exploring possible consumer lawsuits against Research In Motion Ltd for last weeks BlackBerry outages, which for three days crippled e-mail and messaging for tens of millions of users around the world.

Consumer lawyers say they are looking at whether customers have common claims against the BlackBerry manufacturer and might be able to band together in a single lawsuit.

While the outage did not rise to the level of seriousness comparable to a dangerous medication or tainted food, it inconvenienced and angered customers.

Frustrated BlackBerry users, turning to blogs, message boards, Twitter and Facebook, complained about losing important e-mails and missing meetings last week.

Law firms are considering breach-of-contract or consumer-fraud claims, attorneys said.

A breach-of-contract claim could argue the company failed in its obligations to provide service and could include carriers for BlackBerry service as additional defendants, said attorneys exploring litigation against RIM.

A consumer-fraud claim could focus on whether customers were misled about the reliability of RIMs networks.

But consumers could face hurdles to winning big damages. It will likely be difficult to prove damages beyond loss of service and varying state laws make the chances of bringing a nationwide consumer-fraud class action remote.

Still, some customers may push forward.

Boost for small law firm

Here, you just have the loss of (BlackBerry) use, so tons of class-action firms are not running to the courthouse steps, said Jay Edelson, a partner with! the law firm Edelson McGuire in Chicago, who represents plaintiffs.

But there are definitely consumers motivated to lend their names to the case to make sure these problems dont happen again in the future.

Because consumers can hire lawyers on a contingency basis, they would not have to fund the litigation, an added incentive, he said. Winning a class action case for BlackBerry users, in turn, would raise the profile of a small or medium-sized law firm.

A US Supreme Court consumer class-action ruling in April, in a case known as Concepcion vs AT&T, could also limit any BlackBerry outage lawsuits. The decision made it more difficult for consumers to sue if a contract they signed with a company demands that disputes be settled through arbitration on an individual basis.

One of the major battles in any lawsuit against RIM will be whether the claims against RIM are subject to the arbitration clauses, said Jonathan Tycko, a partner with Tycko & Zavareei in Washington who brings consumer class actions. If they are, then that could make it quite difficult to bring a class action.

Still, lawyers are investigating whether plaintiffs could band together and what claims they could file.

We may end up pursuing consumer-protection statute class-action cases in one or more states, said Mark Baumkel, a partner with law firm Baumkel & Associates in Bingham Farms, Michigan. (But) given the very short time of the disruptions in service, the damages for consumers in each state may not add up to huge amounts of money.

RIM did not respond to messages seeking comment on potential lawsuits.

Hard to prove actual damage

Law firms in Canada, where RIM is headquartered, are also considering lawsuits, said Paul Battaglia, managing director of Toronto-based Trilogy Class Actions, a consulting firm that connects consumers with class-action attorneys.

Battaglia said his firm is in discussions with other law firms about potential lead plainti! ffs.

Last weeks problems began with a failure in RIMs European data centre and spread across the world before it began to recover on Thursday.

BlackBerry devices have experienced similar, but more short-lived outages each year since 2007. The system failures came as RIM struggles to hold on to market share for BlackBerry smart phones, as more customers opt for Apple Incs iPhone and Google Incs Android.

So far, RIM has not offered to compensate customers for the outages. The company said on Monday it would offer subscribers access to premium apps as an expression of appreciation for their patience during the recent service disruptions. The apps will be available for four weeks and are worth more than US$100 per customer, RIM said.

The offer did not satisfy investors. RIMs stock sank 6 percent on Monday following the news.

If RIM were to pay back all affected customers and service carriers for the days of service lost, the cost to the company could be between US$15 million and US$26 million, BMO Capital Markets analyst Tim Long said in a research note.

If consumers go to court, legal experts say it would be tough to win damages beyond compensation for loss of service.

It would be very hard to prove actual damages from a failure of access to a smart phone, said David Logan, dean of Roger Williams University School of Law and an expert in mass tort litigation. After all, for almost everybody there are alternative ways to communicate in a pinch.

Edelson said consumer lawsuits are more likely to succeed in changing RIMs practices than recovering large economic damages. He said his firm received dozens of calls from BlackBerry users and he will decide whether to bring a lawsuit by the end of the week.

Based on the investigation weve done, it looks like this is something RIM could have prevented, said Edelson. They have not come clean about why the outage occurred or what new steps they have in place to prevent similar interruptions in the future.

-Reuters

PPSMI turning into a major thorn in BNs side

GEORGE TOWN: One issue remains contentious for Barisan Nasional (BN) as it heads into what pundits here believe to be the last leg of preparations for the 13th general election.

The issue is whether the teaching of Science and Mathematics in English (PPSMI) be made an option in national-type primary and secondary schools throughout the nation.

Pundits are hedging bets that the election could be held anytime from next month until the first quarter of next year, and say the issue needs to be resolved urgently.

In 2009, Deputy Prime Minister and Education Minister Muhyiddin Yassin announced the abolishment of the PPSMI effective next year.

He also declared that Chinese and Tamil vernacular schools could use their respective mother tongues for the instruction of the two subjects.

He introduced a scheme called MBMMBI (Upholding the Malay Language, Strengthening the English Language) which calls for a balanced approach, meaning that students need to master both Malay and English, so that neither lingua franca would be compromised.

It is shaping up to be a watershed moment for both BN and its rival Pakatan Rakyat as the issue is troubling thousands of parents whose children are in national-type schools.

On the one hand is the pressure on BN to reconsider its decision on the abolishment, particularly in national schools while on the other, Pakatan has yet to formally make a stand on the issue.

A lobbist group called Parent Action Group for Education Malaysia (PAGE) was formed last year to champion the right for their children to be taught Science and Mathematics in English.

There is widespread support for it based on the level of their online chatter through social networking sites such as Faceb! ook.

Penang PAGE coordinator Rowena Yam, however, said parents are fearful that the issue would become too politicised, especially after the electoral outcome of 2008.

PAGE is apolitical and bold, as the group managed to submit a memorandum to Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak on the issue last January.

Younger generation the causalties

With three months to go before 2012 arrives, would Najibs administration make an about-turn on PPSMI and would Pakatan speak with one voice on the issue?

Yam said PAGE cannot afford to wait, thus another signature campaign will take place this Sunday at the Speakers Square where its representatives would try to sway public opinion about PPSMI.

Yam believes national schools are the best platform to uphold the 1Malaysia virtues, but that English should be the medium of instruction for knowledge-driven subjects such as Science.

She said educational policies should not be amended too often as the casualities would be the younger generation.

She added that the freedom to choose ultimately lay with the parents and their child over how best to acquire knowledge. They cannot be forced to study Science and Maths in Malay.

It is learnt that Najib is mulling relaxing the regulations against the use of English as a medium of instruction for Science and Mathematics in schools but there is a catch.

There are objections from some academicians, who say that English must be absorbed well first by the students and teachers, before it is used to teach Science and Mathematics.

An overall consensus is unlikely anytime soon and this issue is turning out to be one of the most difficult for Najib since his tenure as prime minister began.

Whatever the federal government decides, it is likely to be politicised, especially when both Pakatan and BN are sparing no punches to cancel each other out in the next election.

As Malaysians soak up the effects of the socialist-laced Budget 2012, the upper middle-c! lass mus t be wondering if their kids can have a bright future in a nation bogged by excessive politicking including whether it is wise to learn Science and Mathematics in English.

Also read:

Not ready to uphold BM, strengthen English

A right to learn Science and Maths in English

Chua, arrogantly shameless and unethical

FMT LETTER

From Jackson Ng, via e-mail

I READ with disgust the MCAs mouthpiece (The Star) report quoting its master, Dr Chua Soi Lek, as saying that gutter politics is the norm today. How arrogantly shameless and unethical can a politician be? Chua must be the pits.

In so saying, is he propagating gutter politics, condoning and justifying the use of such unethical means? How low can a MCA president go to boot lick political goons like Umno? Chua is a total disgrace and a shame to the Chinese.

As he tries to justify the use of gutter politics against Lim Guan Engs son, he is, at the same time, ignoring the basic rule of upholding the truth. Chua says he was also a victim of gutter politics when he was nabbed committing adultery.

He also claims that many BN politicians were also victims of gutter politics, inflicted by Pakatan Rakyat (PR). Lets not forget that many of such gutter politics are the work of internal forces.
However, in Guan Engs case, there appears to be no truth in the allegations that his son molested a schoolmate.

The school head has already confirmed that there was no such molest and the postings in the pro-Umno blogs had also used a picture of a foreign girl as the victim. In this case, there is no truth whatsoever in the allegations.

It was lies used against a political opponent but lies that haunt an innocent schoolboy who did nothing. He was just born to a politician named Lim Guan Eng. However, in Chuas DVD unnatural sex expose, the incident was real. He cheated on his wife and only has himself to blame.

How his sexual exploits were exposed, whether it was ethical or unethical is debatable and is another matter. Of course there are some who say it is a private matter and the use of spy camera is unethical.

However, I beg to differ when it is a morality issue concerning a man who claims to represent a community. There is nothing private about the behaviour of a MCA presiden! t. Witho ut doubt, I for one will not trust an adulterer to lead me or my community.

If he can cheat on his wife and family, do you think you can trust him to represent your interest?

Like what I had written before, forgiving Chuas sin is one thing. Accepting him as a leader is another.

Perangi rasuah: Adakah Pakatan boleh diharapkan?

Bukanlah sesuatu yang asing atau pelik apabila wujud tanggapan sesetengah penyokong kerajaan Barisan Nasional (BN) sendiri bahawa kerajaan yang mereka sokong itu telah dijangkiti wabak rasuah yang maha kronik.

Bagaimanapun bagi mereka ini, isu rasuah bukanlah suatu penghalang untuk mereka terus memberikan sokongan kepada parti itu di atas kepercayaan tiada parti lain yang mampu menerajui negara ini sebaik BN.

Kebanyakan di antara mereka ini berpendapat, amalan penyelewengan secara berpada-pada (asalkan tidak tamak) itu boleh diterima sebagai upah penat lebih-lebih lagi ketika proses melaksanakan projek pembangunan untuk rakyat.

Jesteru itu, pada tanggapan golongan ini, samada baik atau buruk BN, inilah sahaja pilihan yang ada dan untuk mengalihkan sokongan kepada pilihan lain adalah sesuatu yang mustahil.

Umumnya, kebanyakan golongan yang dianggap sebagai penyokong tegar BN ini terdiri daripada pengundi senior dan juga pengundi-pengundi di luar bandar.

Bagi penyokong Pakatan Rakyat (PR) pula, tentulah tidak berasa sangsi lagi bahawa kerajaan BN yang ada sememangnya semakin tenat dimamah sel barah rasuah dan tidak mampu diselamatkan lagi.

Lazimnya, mereka ini dapat memahami dengan baik bahawa isu rasuah ini bukan sekadar berputar sekitar melanggar undang-undang negara, soal moral dan etika si pelaku sahaja, malah lebih jauh lagi ialah malapetaka terhadap ekonomi negara dan rakyat.

Bagi mereka, satu-satunya jalan yang ada ialah dengan menukar parti peneraju kerajaan yang sedia ada dalam pilihan raya yang dijangkakan bakal diadakan pada tahun hadapan.

Namun begitu, adakah jaminan bahawa satu-satunya pilihan yang ada iaitu PR, bersih dari gejala rasuah seperti yang didakwa sedang berlaku ! sekarang .

Jawapannya tentulah tiada sesiapa yang mampu memberikan jaminan bahawa PR bersih dari gejala rasuah sekiranya mereka berjaya menubuhkan kerajaan, walau Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim sekalipun.

Golongan kapitalis

Golongan kapitalis yang sebelum 2008 begitu dingin dengan pemimpin parti pembangkang, hari ini sudah mula cuba merapati pemimpin-pemimpin PR, lebih-lebih lagi di negeri yang dikuasai PR.

Melalui usaha berterusan golongan kapitalis ini, mampukah tembok pertahanan diri bakal pemimpin-pemimpin kerajaan ini bertahan atau turut runtuh sama seperti pemimpin-pemimpin dalam kerajaan sebelumnya? Sama sekali tidak mustahil.

Apatah lagi bagi mereka tiada mempunyai daya ketahanan melawan godaan umpama pesakit Aids yang tidak mempunyai ketahanan melawan penyakit, tentulah lagi mudah tergoda.

Terutama sekali bagi politikus-politikus yang dahulunya berasal dari sebahagian jaringan sistem korup yang kini kononnya mereka perangi.

Meskipun sehingga hari ini masih belum ada mana-mana pemimpin-pemimpin kerajaan di negeri yang diterajui PR didakwa atas tuduhan rasuah, ia masih belum menjamin mereka ini bersih seratus peratus dari penyelewengan.

Kecuali kes dua bekas Exco Kerajaan PR Negeri Perak yang terpalit dengan dakwaan rasuah seks tiga tahun lalu yang menyebabkan kerajaan yang dipilih rakyat negeri itu menerusi pilihan raya tumbang begitu sahaja.

Namun begitu secara umum kes yang berkait rapat dengan krisis perlembagaan negeri itu akhirnya lebih banyak mempertontonkan permainan kotor BN untuk mengembalikan kuasa mereka di negeri itu.

Akhirnya kes tersebut tidak banyak menggugat kepercayaan golongan yang bersedia mengundi PR ini bahawa dengan mewujudkan kerajaan baru dalam penggal akan datang sekurang-kurangnya ia lebih boleh diharapkan untuk memerangi rasuah.

Tambah pula, walaupun usia kerajaan negeri PR dikatakan masih mentah namun Laporan Ketua Audit Negara membuktikan kemampuan mereka mengurus kewangan negeri jauh le! bih baik berbanding negeri di bawah BN.

Anggapan sikap tidak mesra penguatkuasa seperti polis dan Suruhanjaya Pencegahan Rasuah Malaysia terhadap bakal pemimpin kerajaan ini akan berterusan berbanding layanan mesra terhadap BN juga menambah keyakinan mereka untuk memberi undi kepada PR.

Lebih memburukkan imej BN apabila adanya pendedahan bahawa kerajaan BN di peringkat pusat yang masih di takuk lama dengan mengamalkan pembaziran dan penyelewengan demi mengekalkan gaya mewah mereka khasnya PM sendiri dan isteri.

Maka bagi golongan yang bersedia memberikan undi kepada PR ini, percaya seperti mana negara yang lebih demokratik dan masyarakatnya lebih liberal, mereka juga mempunyai keberanian yang sama untuk menukar kerajaan walaupun cuma sepenggal.

Bagi mereka, walaupun mereka akur bahawa tiada jaminan seratus peratus pilihan mereka iaitu PR bebas dari rasuah, namun jauh lebih boleh diharapkan berbanding BN yang ada sekarang.

PPSMI turning into a major torn in BNs side

GEORGE TOWN: One issue remains contentious for Barisan Nasional (BN) as it heads into what pundits here believe to be the last leg of preparations for the 13th general election.

The issue is whether the teaching of Science and Mathematics in English (PPSMI) be made an option in national-type primary and secondary schools throughout the nation.

Pundits are hedging bets that the election could be held anytime from next month until the first quarter of next year, and say the issue needs to be resolved urgently.

In 2009, Deputy Prime Minister and Education Minister Muhyiddin Yassin announced the abolishment of the PPSMI effective next year.

He also declared that Chinese and Tamil vernacular schools could use their respective mother tongues for the instruction of the two subjects.

He introduced a scheme called MBMMBI (Upholding the Malay Language, Strengthening the English Language) which calls for a balanced approach, meaning that students need to master both Malay and English, so that neither lingua franca would be compromised.

It is shaping up to be a watershed moment for both BN and its rival Pakatan Rakyat as the issue is troubling thousands of parents whose children are in national-type schools.

On the one hand is the pressure on BN to reconsider its decision on the abolishment, particularly in national schools while on the other, Pakatan has yet to formally make a stand on the issue.

A lobbist group called Parent Action Group for Education Malaysia (PAGE) was formed last year to champion the right for their children to be taught Science and Mathematics in English.

There is widespread support for it based on the level of their online chatter through social networking sites such as Faceb! ook.

Penang PAGE coordinator Rowena Yam, however, said parents are fearful that the issue would become too politicised, especially after the electoral outcome of 2008.

PAGE is apolitical and bold, as the group managed to submit a memorandum to Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak on the issue last January.

Younger generation the causalties

With three months to go before 2012 arrives, would Najibs administration make an about-turn on PPSMI and would Pakatan speak with one voice on the issue?

Yam said PAGE cannot afford to wait, thus another signature campaign will take place this Sunday at the Speakers Square where its representatives would try to sway public opinion about PPSMI.

Yam believes national schools are the best platform to uphold the 1Malaysia virtues, but that English should be the medium of instruction for knowledge-driven subjects such as Science.

She said educational policies should not be amended too often as the casualities would be the younger generation.

She added that the freedom to choose ultimately lay with the parents and their child over how best to acquire knowledge. They cannot be forced to study Science and Maths in Malay.

It is learnt that Najib is mulling relaxing the regulations against the use of English as a medium of instruction for Science and Mathematics in schools but there is a catch.

There are objections from some academicians, who say that English must be absorbed well first by the students and teachers, before it is used to teach Science and Mathematics.

An overall consensus is unlikely anytime soon and this issue is turning out to be one of the most difficult for Najib since his tenure as prime minister began.

Whatever the federal government decides, it is likely to be politicised, especially when both Pakatan and BN are sparing no punches to cancel each other out in the next election.

As Malaysians soak up the effects of the socialist-laced Budget 2012, the upper middle-c! lass mus t be wondering if their kids can have a bright future in a nation bogged by excessive politicking including whether it is wise to learn Science and Mathematics in English.

Also read:

Not ready to uphold BM, strengthen English

A right to learn Science and Maths in English

Wake up, Malaysians

Ali Kadir
The Malaysian Insider
Oct 19, 2011

OCT 19 I find it incredulous that so much angst and disbelief has been exhibited by Opposition politicians, pundits and readers of news portals, including The Malaysian Insider, over the lies that Lim Guan Engs son had behaved inappropriately towards a girl in his school and the matter was hushed up.

This is Umno. Should any of us be surprised with politicians from that party?

It has been my point for a while that the only hope for Umno is for the party to lose it all at the next polls, and do a major overhaul while in the wilderness, find new leaders, rediscover a moral core and come back.

The party is tired, bankrupt of ideas or people of integrity. It is a fallacy to believe that the second line of politicians such as Khairy or that Kota Belud MP will be any different from the corrupt batch of ministers and MPs who sad to say are leaders of Malaysia.

They have been cut from the same cloth as the likes of Ibrahim Ali and only know about patronage politics and benefiting from the government largesse of contracts.

At a time when the world economy is slumping and every responsible government is thinking about doing its best to prepare its country for a soft landing, Umno has been doing the only thing it knows what to do indulge in lies.

No one believes Najib Razaks growth estimates of 5 and 6 per cent next year, not even the MIER or banks.

But in Parliament, it is business as usual as Umno/BN MPs have been in denial mode (I dont believe 99 per cent of them even know what they are talking about when they speak about the economy).

So my advice to Lim Guan Eng and the rest of his supporters is stop wasting time by reacting with shock and indignation at the tactics being employed by your opponents. Leopards cant change their stripes, nor devils change th! eir ways .

The last line is a message that all of us Malaysians should keep in our hearts and ponder.

This entry was posted on Thursday, 20 October 2011, 8:36 am and is filed under Lim Guan Eng, Politics, UMNO. You can follow any responses to this entry through RSS 2.0.

New line-up tailored to suit Taibs agenda

By Awang Abdillah

The results of the April 16, 2011 state election have forced Chief Minister Taib Mahmud to reset his political power game to maintain the Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatus (PBB) in particular the Bumiputera wing of PBB grip on the state government to ensure his succession plan works.

After a long wait of more than five months, Taib had on Sept 28, 2011 unveiled his new Cabinet line-up.

He claimed the new line-up would enable the government to get closer to the people at the grassroots level and that the three senior ministers would be able to groom new leaders.

In essence the new line-up is very carefully tailored to suit Taibs personal agenda.

Why have only one deputy chief minister (DCM)? Prior to the April 16 polls, the state cabinet had two DCMs.

But this time Sarawak United Peoples Party (SUPP) was not offered the DCM slot because the party had failed miserably in the election, losing 13 out of 19 seats contested.

By right, the post of the other vacant DCM should be filled by another component party that had won the most seats after PBB. That party would be James Masings Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS).

PRS retained seven of the eight seats it contested. It lost its Pelagus seat to independent George Lagong.

Appeasing Masing, Mawan

However should PRS get the second DCM post, this will spell big trouble for Taib.

He would then have to tackle two potential candidates from the Pesaka wing of PBB and PR both of whom are vying for the CMs post.

To appease PRS, Masing is promoted to senior minister, which means that Taib has to tackle only one DCM aspirant and this would be in the person of Alfred Jabu Numpang from PBBs Pe! saka win g in order to execute his hidden agenda.

For whom is the other DCM post reserved for and why the need for three senior ministers?

The trio Jabu (who is also deputy PBB president) , Masing and Sarawak Progressive Democratic Party (SPDP) president Willliam Mawan have their own plans.

The trio are applying pressure to block Taibs succession plan which has made the latter to cave in.

Hence to appease all parties, Taib decided that the Pesaka component retains the one and only DCM post. He then went on to create a senior ministers post each for PRS,SPDP and SUPP.

These posts are only senior in name but in terms of duties and responsibilities, there is little change.

Hence, there is no administrative justification except the political agenda to appease these parties and their presidents.

Taibs strategy

Meanwhile, we wonder why there is no Malay senior minister or DCM.

Obviously this would be the last appointment Taib would do or else it would invite a rebellion from within his own party, PBB.

Furthermore, to continue the family dynasty rule, a member of his family has to climb through the PBB ladder.

At this stage if he promotes a Malay from the Bumiputera wing of PBB to the post of a senior minister, it will raise suspicion and create tension among the leaders of the component parties.

Hence, no Malay PBB minister is promoted to senior minister yet.

Obviously the strategy at this stage is to please PRS , SPDP and SUPP for different reasons.

Who then is the de facto DCM?

The minister in the new line-up who has been given important and critical portfolios similar to that of the chief minister himself is none other than Awang Tengah Ali Hassan. Awang Tengah has also been given the task of breaking up SPDP.

He has been tasked with roping in the five SPDP rebels (four assemblymen and one parliamentarian) and align them with PBBs Bumiputera wing.

He has also been tasked with keeping ! the six SUPP assemblymen (two Chinese and four Dayaks) under PBB control.

As a temporary measure, the four SPDP turncoat assemblymen Peter Nansian (Tasik Biru), Sylvester Entri (Marudi), Rosey Yunus (Berkenu) and Paulus Gumbang (Batu Danau) would anchor themselves as independents

Awang Tengah strengthening position

With the four SPDP and six SUPP assemblymen pledging loyalty to PBB, Taib is in a very strong position to make another change in a future Cabinet line-up favouring the Bumiputera wing of the PBB.

The new formula would include the 26 seats of the Bumiputera wing of PBB, plus the 10 seats from SPDP and SUPP.

Combined they will deliver to Taib 36 seats, a number sufficient to maintain a simple majority government, should there be any rebellion from the Pesaka wing, PRS and SPDP to protest a new cabinet revamp in the future.

With the support from the four traitors who would disown SPDP and eventually join PBB and the six SUPP state assemblymen, Awang Tengah will be in a strong position to bypass the three senior ministers and even the current DCM and eventually claim the post of the chief minister.

This is likely to happen before the next state election.

By then the state government would likely also to have appointed a new head of state who definitely would be a staunch henchman of Taib to ensure the latters plan works.

Once all this is set in place, only then will former state forestry director Len Talif Salleh, who is also related to Taib, make his move.

He will make his move by following closely and monitoring Awang Tengah. Len Taliff is tipped to be the future DCM .

The issue is all about retaining political power in the hands of Taibs family members by using henchmen, comrades and politicians who have no principles and morals.

Sarawak is still a one-man show

Why are there so many assistant ministers?

The appointment of many assistant ministers from all par! ties and races is designed to prop up the political power of PBB.

So many assistant ministers are appointed to take care of similar portfolios resulting in overcrowding of ministries with overlapping responsibilities.

In essence, there is little distribution of power among the component BN parties.

In reality, political power in Sarawak is still a one-man show.

The appointment of these assistant ministers is to ensure further that all component parties will continue to pledge their loyalty to Taib and hence would not disrupt his succession plan.

Consequently, despite the Pesaka component being given the only DCM post, the presidents of PRS and SPDP as senior ministers would form a minority voice in the government.

SUPP being a small party has to toe the line in Taibs game plan. The recent threat by the SPDP 5 to form a new party is just a gimmick with lame excuses.

They will definitely join PBB via the independent route. However, this time around it is not as simple as it looks.

History has taught us that greed has its price. Let us watch and see whether Taib can make a political hop, step and jump.

Awang Abdillah is a Kuching-based activist.

Gobala accuses PKR of threatening seven MPs - star.com.my

Gobala accuses PKR of threatening seven MPs

KUALA LUMPUR: Former PKR MP N. Gobalakrishnan (Independent Padang Serai) is alleging that seven Pakatan Rakyat MPs received threats that they would each be accused of receiving a few million ringgit in bribes if they left the Opposition.

He said he was accused of buying a new car when he left the PKR in January.

I bought the car using the Approved Permit (AP) that every MP gets, he told a press conference at the Parliament lobby yesterday.

Meanwhile, Gobalakrishnan caused a stir when he was seen shouting at PKR assemblyman Sim Tze Tzin who was entering the lobby.

Jangan biar dia masuk! (Dont let him enter!) he told the Parliament security officers at the entrance.

Gobalakrishnan claimed that Sim had approached him outside the MPs lounge and told him not to talk bad about Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

Sim also said I was ungrateful to PKR after they helped to post bail for my court case in Penang, he said.

Gobalakrishnan was in Penang to appeal against his conviction for obstructing a police officer during Thaipusam nine years ago.

Earlier, during the Budget 2011 debate in the Dewan Rakyat, Gobalakrishnan accused an Opposition MP of siphoning millions of ringgit in the past.

Pengikut Syiah fail saman terhadap Utusan dan Jais

KUALA LUMPUR: Seorang pengikut Syiah yang ditangkap dalam satu serbuan pada Disember tahun lepas, memfailkan saman terhadap sebuah akhbar, bekas pengarah Jabatan Agama Islam Selangor (Jais) dan Jais atas dakwaan menerbitkan kenyataan fitnah berhubung serbuan itu.

Mohd Kamilzuhairi Abd Aziz, dalam saman itu menamakan penerbit dan pencetak akhbar harian Utusan Malaysia dan akhbar Mingguan Malaysia, Utusan Melayu (Malaysia) Berhad, bekas pengarah Jais Datuk Muhammad Khusrin Munawi dan Jais sebagai defendan.

Saman itu difailkan di Mahkamah Tinggi pada 16 Jun lepas. Media memperoleh salinan pernyataan tuntutan itu hari ini.

Terdahulu, Hakim Datuk V.T. Singham ketika kes itu disebut di hadapannya hari ini, membenarkan permohonan Mohd Kamilzuhairi yang diwakili peguam Mohamed Hanipa Maidin bagi meminda tarikh artikel itu diterbitkan daripada 16 Dis, 2010 kepada 17 Dis, 2010.

Hakim Singham juga menetapkan 31 Okt ini bagi membuat keputusan terhadap permohonan Muhammad Khusrin dan Jais untuk membatalkan saman itu.

Beliau juga menetapkan 20 dan 21 Feb tahun depan bagi perbicaraan kes itu, tertakluk kepada keputusan untuk membatalkan saman itu.

Kenyataan fitnah

Mohd Kamilzuhairi dalam pernyataan tuntutannya mendakwa Muhammad Khusrin pada 16 Dis tahun lepas, telah mengeluarkan kenyataan fitnah terhadapnya dan kenyataan itu telah diterbitkan di akhbar Utusan Malaysia bertarikh 17 Dis tahun lepas.

Beliau mendakwa kenyataan itu secara langsung atau tidak langsung merujuk kepadanya walaupun namanya tidak disebut. Markas Syiah

Mohd Kamilzuhairi berkata kata-kata dalam kenyataan itu dibuat selepas serbuan JAIS ke atas markas Syiah, di Taman Sr! i Gombak , Batu Caves pada 15 Disember tahun lepas, yang boleh membawa maksud beliau adalah pengikut ajaran Syiah yang mengkafirkan umat Islam lain dan beliau adalah seorang pengikut ajaran Syiah yang lebih berbahaya daripada ajaran sesat.

Beliau mendakwa kenyataan itu diterbitkan bagi mensensasikan berita dan melariskan penjualan akhbar tanpa mengambil berat reputasi, maruah dan harga dirinya.

Beliau memohon ganti rugi am, teladan, kos dan lain-lain relif yang difikirkan sesuai oleh mahkamah.

Utusan Melayu dalam pernyataan pembelaan menafikan artikel itu mengandungi sebarang unsur fitnah manakala Muhammad Khusrin dan Jais dalam pernyataan pembelaan menegaskan kenyataan yang diterbitkan oleh bekas pengarah Jais itu tidak pada bila-bila masa menyebut nama plaintif (Mohd Kamilzuhairi).

The LoyarBurok Movie Review: The Thing

The Thing is a prequel/remake of The Thing. Confused? Maybe the studio and filmmakers were, too. Is it just a soulless copy like the alien monster it features?

We are what we eat, as the saying goes. You could say it goes for what we watch, too.

Growing up, I consumed movies with a ferocious appetite. Absolutely anything and everything was fodder. I was even exposed to things a child my age really should not have. One particularly formative experience was John Carpenters 1982 horror classic The Thing. As karma and two sadistic older brothers would have it, I was conned into watching the film (a tragic tale of gullibility I will spare you of). Needless to say, it scared the living crap outta me.

Once my poor little mind had recovered from the intense trauma of seeing nightmarish alien monsters pervert the human body into unspeakable new configurations I was hooked. I wanted to taste even more of this visceral reaction that only horror can generate. As a kid, I could neither put my finger on it, nor could I articulate it, but instinctively I understood that Film is an artform of the emotions. We are most alive when we feel. And boy, did I feel alive after watching the movie.

Thats why The Thing holds a special place in my heart. Its largely responsible for making me the film geek I am today. Its also my all-time favourite horror movie simply because it is brilliant. The seminal work of a director at the height of his powers as a storyteller and craftsman. Any film that follows in its footsteps has a lot to live up to. Sadly, the new film by director Matthijs van Heijningen, Jr. barely lives up to it. If you are indeed what you eat, then it seems 2011s The Thing has been weaned on a diet of tired, stupid monster m! ovie ste reotypes. Its intentions are good and the filmmakers clearly wanted to honour the original, but things got seriously messed up on the way to the big screen.

Theres a reason why I began this review on a personal note. The measure of this films worth will depend on what the viewer brings into the viewing. If you have zero (or vague) prior knowledge of The Thing, then your takeout will almost certainly be different from someone who is familiar with it. To a certain extent, that holds true for most films with a pre-existing history, like say, superhero movies. Watching X-Men: First Class, Joe Publics enjoyment of it might be a little better than that of a fanboy, who might bitch about ultimately unimportant details like Havok being in the wrong timeline. At the end of the day, the film still works on a fundamental level.

Its different here. With The Thing, not knowing how the alien creature is supposed to behave and operate will stand you in much better stead. Because as a fan, knowing what I know, the prequel is one infuriating exercise in getting the basics utterly wrong. This is not even about going into a movie with expectations. This is about the filmmakers betraying the spirit of a character. Despite being a chameleon by nature, the Thing is still very much a character in its own right, with rules of its biology and behavior clearly established in Carpenters film.

The Thing is an alien shape-shifter that takes on the form of its victims, right down to the cellular level. It is not a terribly fast or powerful creature, so it hides in plain sight until it has its prey alone in close quarters. Then it attacks. The Thing does not like open confrontation. But once it has been found out, its instinct for self-preservation takes over just like any other an! imal. Ev en then, its not very hard to kill. Ive always liked this aspect of the alien. By making it vulnerable and afraid, Carpenter gave the creature a degree of believability that transcended the usual far-fetched nonsense the genre was prone to. The Thing simply wanted to survive, and it was just about smart enough to do so.

First-time director van Heijningen completely ignores all that, in favour of a monster that very carelessly and noisily rampages around like Godzilla. One that is apparently unconcerned about being spotted or attacked. If van Heijningen was consciously going for a B-Movie tone, he sure misjudged the material. Im not suggesting theres no fun to be had in a monster movie. Just not at the expense of the monster. And not in a way that panders to the attention-deficit Multiplex generation, who must have over-the-top action coupled with loud noises in order to be entertained. This is not the Thing I remember. At all.

As if one fatal flaw wasnt enough, fans will find that this film is a blatant copy of the original. Universal Pictures billed this as a prequel, and on the surface, it kind of functions as one. The 82 picture (itself a loose remake of the 1951 Howard Hawks film) tells of how an American scientific outpost in the Antarctic is infiltrated by the alien. They learn that it all began at a Norwegian base, and this movie tells the story of what happened there. The tricky thing about prequels is that you already know how its going to end. So the goal is to tell a compelling story that can stand alone on its own merits, while being consistent with known events.

No such luck here. For all intents and purposes, this is a straight-up remake. Except for the beginning, it has the same story structure, and the same beats. Even the titles are id! entical! I suspect this was an intentional move on the studios part, to draw on the name recognition of Carpenters film. Although it bombed at the box office upon release, it has now become one of the most revered works of sci-fi horror. Universal failed to understand what made it so revered in the first place.

While Carpenter was by no means shy about the blood and gore, he also knew how to employ restraint. Using the concept of a hidden enemy, he dialed up the sense of paranoia and distrust. The tension of not seeing and not knowing was actually Carpenters most powerful special effect. Here, van Heijningen tries to do the same, but it just rings hollow. The problem lies in the sameness of the Norwegian cast. None of them are given any proper characterisation, so its hard to tell them apart, let alone empathise with them. Only the two leads, played by Mary Elizabeth Winstead and Joel Edgerton, are written with any personality. In the original, although Kurt Russell was the star, every other character was distinct. To be fair, screenwriter Eric Heisserer (reworking Ronald D. Moores reputedly superior script) has tried to inject some newness here and there, like a climax set inside the alien ship. But even that is botched when it ends up in clichd territory.

Alright, what if youve never watched the Carpenter original or have forgotten how it goes? Well, if you watch this as the thinly-disguised remake the studio always intended it to be, then chances are youll enjoy it. In fact, if I were to judge it purely as a remake, Id be a lot more forgiving. This is a strange and somewhat unprecedented situation for any film critic to be in. To evaluate the same work based on two separate sets of considerations.

So, if I were to disregard the prequels pedigree, then I dar! e say th is is a decent film. Quite good even, in some ways. The cinematography is crisp, the production values are strong, and van Heijningens direction is fairly focused. The most surprising success is the much-hated use of CGI. During production of The Thing, word got out that the practical make-up effects had been replaced by computer animation. Fans cried foul, as the originals effects by make-up guru Rob Bottin were revolutionary, and still hold up 30 years later. Apart from a silly-looking monster during the finale, the CGI is generally impressive. Itll never trump what Bottin did, but thats due to the design of the creatures rather than the execution of them. The new Thing designs arent anywhere as crazily inventive as the detached-heads-spouting-spider-legs from the 82 film. Still, taken as a whole, the bodily mutations on show here are horrific enough to draw wide-eyed gasps from an audience.

Also, van Heijningen has a good grasp of pacing, letting the early scenes take a little more time to unfold, then gradually speeding the story up to create more urgency. It helps to have two capable performers in Winstead and Edgerton, who imbue their respective characters with the necessary amount of fear and gritty determination. Winsteads Kate Lloyd is supposed to be a bookish paleontologist, but shes obviously modeled after a certain take-charge heroine from the Alien franchise. Which isnt a bad thing per se, since it gives us someone likable to root for. Edgerton has the thankless job of playing Kurt Russells helicopter pilot role, yet he somehow manages to make the role his own. Ill put that down to the Aussie actors quiet star quality. Of the supporting players, Eric Christian Olsen and Ulrich Thomsen give fine, if unremarkable performances.

Where both newcomers! and fan s might converge in opinion is the prequels distinct feeling of familiarity. Where Carpenters film was immediately fresh and unique, this one feels by the numbers, predictable. In the last 3 decades, a lot has happened in the world of science-fiction and horror. In order to be deemed worthy, the prequel needed to either reinvent the genre, or at least put a new spin on old conventions. Instead, its content to trade on past glories. Yet it doesnt even manage to do that properly. To me, its biggest sin is in failing to be true to its central character.

For a movie thats about perfect imitations, The Thing is certainly not The Thing. It strikes me as a film with a confused identity. It wants to improve upon the original, yet cant help being a shameless copy. Or to use a Thing metaphor, the prequel copied the originals features, but left out the heart and brain.

You might very well find it satisfying, but personally, this just leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

For more movie reviews checkthis out.

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Tags: Body Horror, Horror, Joel Edgerton, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Matthijs van Heijnin! gen Jr, Remake, Science Fiction, The Thing prequel

Storyteller by trade and dreamer by nature, Wai has been deeply nuts about the celluloid world since the first time he discovered he could watch a story instead of reading it. But he likes writing about it. Wai goes by a single name because he likes to avoid any Imperial entanglements (a.k.a. conflict of interest with the powers that be for those of you who dont speak Star Wars) in his employment. Plus, cool people use one-word names. He has just set up a movie website, the first of its kind in Malaysia, in an effort to foster greater filmic knowledge for the rakyat. Check out www.electroshadow.com

Posted on 20 October 2011. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0.

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