Tag: Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO)

NGOs Want Government to Use Modern Laws

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SHAH ALAM, August 22: The government has been urged to use more modern and progressive laws, and to respect basic human rights to curb violent crime in this country, stressed the Lawyers for Liberty (LFL) NGO.

According to the Co-Founder of LFL, Eric Paulsen, the human rights and law modernisation group does not agree with the government’s decision to use the Prevention of Crime Act (PCA) 1959, which allows the police to detain a suspect up to 72 days without trial.

We find such a long period of detention excessive and unnecessary and is effectively detention without trial,” said the NGO’s cofounder Eric Paulsen.

He also urged for the government to emulate the laws in the United Kingdom to handle organised crime by the collaboration of various bodies and agencies to identify and control criminals.

“The Serious Organised Crimes Agency (SOCA) was created to handle organised crime in a more effective and modern way,” said Paulsen.

SOCA involves the cooperation of the police, customs, immigration and other authorities to gather information on organised crime groups and identify the financial assets of the group including property, businesses and bank accounts.

He said that the modern way to resolve it is way better than the PCA 1959, which is seen as ‘unacceptable’ because it is vulnerable to abuse.

“The magistrate will merely ‘rubber stamp’ the police application for remand.

“Consequently, these long remands have led to serious abuse of power including extortion, assault, torture and deaths in custody. We find this totally unacceptable,” he said.

“Umno Has Even Tried to Ban PAS” – Idris Ahmad

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SHAH ALAM, August 19: The attempt by the Egyptian interim government which took power to ban the Muslim Brotherhood party which won the elections in the country has previously been done by Umno against the Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS) in this country.

PAS leader, Ustaz Idris Ahmad said that during Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s era, Umno tried their best to ban the use of the word ‘Islam; in organisations, including for PAS.

“But Umno’s evil effort failed because the Council of Rulers rejected Umno and Dr Mahathir’s efforts,” said the Member of Parliament for Bukit Gantang.

According to Idris, the riot tragedy which is taking place in Egypt may not happen in Malaysia if PAS and Pakatan Rakyat rule the country.

“The scenario of overthrowing the Egyptian President, Dr Morsi by the country’s military is quite unlikely to happen in this country because Malaysia has a relatively unique government system.

“The system of constitutional democracy in this country, with the King, is part of a democratic system that will prevent such things.

“In terms of a military overthrowing this country like that is greedy, the violent ways which is happening in Egypt will probably not happen,” he said when contacted.

He said this when asked if PAS managed to govern Malaysia, will the scenario happening in Egypt happen in this country.

He said that the violence of the Egyptian Army did not fit in the context of this country in many ways.

He added that what could happen would be like the change of government in Perak by ‘jumping parties’.

In the meantime, Idris hopes that Malaysia will make a stand regarding the tragedy which is happening in Egypt.

“We also call on all Islamic organisations to have strong character and stay steadfast, and we are confident that we will win eventually,” he said.

Entertainment, PKLN ‘Brainwashing’ BN’s Tactic to Avoid Young Voters from Supporting Pakatan

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SHAH ALAM, August 17: The outrageous entertainment factor and the ‘brainwashing’ tactic carried out through the role of the National Service Training Centre (PKLN) are among the reasons some young Malay voters are reluctant to support Pakatan Rakyat (PR).

The Chairman of Orange 13, Fariz Musa, said many young voters are among the product of PKLN used by Umno-BN to spread propaganda and slander against Pakatan.

Describing it as one of the causes of the increase in percentage of young voters supporting the ruling party, he said that the same propaganda is being disseminated through various government programmes.

“It is used as a tool to disseminate propaganda and negative perception towards Pakatan,” he told TVSelangor and did not rule out the possibility that giving out the 1Malaysia People’s Aid (BR1M) is another factor.

He said this when asked to comment on the results of a study conducted by Merdeka Center stating that first-time young Malay voters support Umno-BN.

According to the study, young people will become a larger group of voters in the next voting process compared to the two thirds, or 64.7 percent, of young voters registered this year.

PKR Srikandi Chief, Siti Aishah Shaik Ismail instead blames the local media for bribing the young people with extreme entertainment to avoid them from supporting Pakatan.

”However, she believed that the weakness in the GE-13, specifically related to the support from the young Malay people, will be overcome in the next election when certain mechanisms are carried out.

“We will give a new pattern to find a formula to captivate young voters,” she said when contacted by TVSelangor.

Over 400 People Join the Protest Against the Brutality of the Egyptian Regime in Shah Alam

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SHAH ALAM, August 16: Over 400 people peacefully gathered at the compound of the Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah Mosque in Shah Alam today to condemn the killings by the Egyptian military regime against thousands of their own people.

The assembly was joined by the Executive Councillor in charge of Islamic Affairs, Sallehin Mukhyi, the Selangor PAS Commissioner, Dr Abdul Rani Osman, as well as several activists and student leaders.

In his speech, Sallehin condemned the violence and tragedy of the genocide of supporters of former President, Dr Mohamed Morsi.

“We strongly condemn the brutal murder by the soldiers against the people of Egypt who were not armed, but killed in such a way,” said the Selangor PAS Second Deputy Commissioner.

The protest organised by the Pas Youth Commission Malaysia (DPPM) was also held simultaneously in state mosques across the country after the Friday prayers.

As of now, the media has reported nearly 3,000 killed and over 10,000 injured when the security forces stormed the camps of the supporters of former President, Mohamed Morsi, at Rabaa al-Adawiya and Al-Nahda in Egypt.

LZS: Able to Receive Zakat Despite Having ‘Expensive Furniture’

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SHAH ALAM, Aug 7: The Selangor Zakat Board (LZS) does not take into account the size and the beauty of the house of a recipient as long as it is only inherited by the recipient.

The Selangor Zakat Board (LZS) Head of the Communication Sector, Norajun Ainun said that some people assume that a beautiful house or expensive furniture can influence the outcome of assistance received.

“Actually, LZS does not care if the house looks beautiful or not, whether there is an Astro dish or not, or if a recipient earns thousands, but if they have a lot of commitments, meet the Kifaya, then they will be eligible to receive assistance.

“I will tell the Gombak LZS to send officers to the home of Ms. Norbaya to be enumerated. By the impression I received, she is eligible. Whatever the case, we will wait for the report of the census officials first,” she said.

He was commenting of a TVSelangor report about the fate of Norbaya Ahmad, 63, who has been suffering from breast cancer for 13 years but inherited the home left by her late husband several years ago.

In fact, Norbaya does not receive any other income except a monthly assistance of RM300 from the Selangor Social Welfare Department (SWD) and also supports her 83-year-old mother.

Her house she resides in and the furniture belongs to her mother and what was left behind by her late husband.

In relation to that, Norbaya asked Muslims to not be confused with the eligibility limit for a person to receive assistance from LZS.

Umno Uses Shoot-to-Kill Cases to Reinstate the Emergency Ordinance

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SHAH ALAM, August 6: The desperation to reinstate the Emergency Ordinance (EO) has prompted Umno-BN to use evil tricks even if the people are exposed to danger, said PKR Vice-President, N Surendran.

Referring to firearm murder cases in public locations piling up, he describes Umno-BN’s actions of fishing in murky waters as irresponsible and if purely out of political interests.

“We have big and serious issues involving the safety and lives of people, instead, Umno-BN wants to take the opportunity to reinstate the law for detention without trial.

“Umno-BN does not care for the safety of the people, so much so that they are willing to take advantage of this issue to restore the EO so that it can be used against the opposition,” he said.

Shoot-to-Kill cases which have been occurring frequently lately, whether it involve high profile individuals or the public, has caused people from all walks of life to fear for their safety.

Among the cases that received attention is the attempted murder of the Chairman of MyWatch, R Sri Sanjeevan, followed by the murder of the founder of Arab-Malaysian Bank, Hussain Ahmad Najadi, 7, on 29 July.

Recently, a rubber tapper, Amirul Tajo Nasir, 40, was shot to death in Kampung Telosan, Pasir Puteh in Kelantan early yesterday morning.

In the midst of the situation, the Home Affairs Minister, Datuk Seri Zahid Hamidi raised the proposal to enact a new law with the excuse of preventing firearm murders.

He reportedly said that about 90 percent of such crimes are carried out by former detainees of the EO before it was repealed to gain support ahead of the 13th General Election.

Surendran said, Pakatan Rakyat consistently maintained the view that crime in this country should be addressed through provisions of existing laws, not through detention without trial.

“The excuse given by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MOHA) that crime is difficult to be handled without the EO is a trivial and senseless reason.

“While other countries such as the United Kingdom (UK) are able to deal with crime even without emergency laws such as in Malaysia,” he said.

Selangor Requires 30% of Council Members to be Women at every Local Authority

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SHAH ALAM, July 24: The State Government requires for 30 percent of every Local Authority Council Members to be women.

It is one of the required criteria in the selection of Council Members for Local Authorities which will begin on 1 January, 2014.

In addition, the Executive Councillor for Local Government, Studies and Research, Datuk Teng Chang Khim said that Council Members’ length of service cannot exceed four years or two consecutive terms.

He said, among the minimum requirements is that Council Members must be aged 21 and above, has the Malaysian Certificate of Education (SPM) as the minimum academic qualification, and had lived at least five years in areas under the respective local authorities.

The quota distribution needs to have 75 percent of the members to be candidates from a political party, while 25 percent should be candidates from Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs).

“NGO candidates should be from registered NGOs and the name must be proposed by the respective organisation,” he said in a press conference after the Exco meeting at the Selangor State Government Secretariat Building.

ABCD Approach for Rural Development

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SHAH ALAM, July 8: A detailed plan for the development of rural areas and improving the income of rural communities will be presented in the Selangor Budget 2014 this November.

Chief Minister, Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim said that the State Government is using the ABCD (Asset Based Community Development) approach for the framework for rural development.

Currently, the State Economic Planning Unit is conducting workshops for village chiefs and chiefs of traditional villages to get feedback and to identify the assets in their community which can be developed.

The State Government will provide appropriate infrastructure in rural areas to achieve the objectives of the development.

“We will invite experts from countries such as Chile and Bangladesh to share their experiences,” he said in his speech at the Selangor State Assembly sitting.

He said this when answering about the ‘Go Rural’ proposal brought up by the Assemblyman of Kampung Tuanku, Lau Weng San.

The motion urges the State Government to plan the short term and long term development to develop the infrastructure and economy in rural areas.

Previously, Abdul Khalid announces that the second term of the Selangor Pakatan Rakyat administration will be focused on the development of rural areas so that rural communities will experience life equal to that of urban communities.

State Government Will Not Compromise on the Issue of Eatery Cleanliness

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SEMENYIH, July 6: The Selangor Government will not compromise with food traders who fail to comply with hygiene guidelines for their respective premises.

Among the measures taken includes directing vendors who fail to comply with the food hygiene guidelines as stated in Section 11 of the Food Act 1983 will be closed for two weeks as directed to the 17 vendors in Section 2, Shah Alam recently.

The decision was made on May 4, after being examined and evaluated by the 75 enforcement officers of the department and found that the environment and food provided at the premises is capable to harm the health of consumers, especially students from the Mara University of Technology (UiTM) who stay in the area.

“We will not compromise with consumer safety, even more so for students who have to go out to get food and the food they are eating is not healthy. So, we do not want such things to happen.

“MBSA is very strict in this regard and this is only temporary. Usually, the Shah Alam City Council (MBSA) will close (the shops) and the vendors will have to make repairs according to the prescribed conditions, and when it is okay, then they can reopen,” said Dr Daroyah.

In addition, according to Dr Daroyah, the Local Authorities in Selangor will also be given the freedom to implement the conditions that are supposed to be imposed on vendors to improve the hygiene of the food premises in Selangor.

GE-13 Fraud: Establish Royal Commission to Subpoena TV3, Utusan

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SHAH ALAM, July 1: Assemblyman for Bukit Damansara, Azmin Modh Ali today said in the Selangor State Assembly (DNS) session that according to the Inquiry Act 1950, the State Government has the power to set up a Royal Commission of Inquiry which has the same power of the Federal Government.

Thus, Azmin urged the State Government to take steps to establish the Royal Commission of Inquiry to investigate the corruption and fraud that occurred in Selangor during the 13th General Election (GE-13) process.

“This is because election fraud is a matter of public interest and this is provided for under the Act.

“In accordance to Section 2(1)(d) of the Commission of Inquiry Act 1950 which empowers a commission of inquiry to carry out investigations is in the benefit of public welfare,” said Azmin.

According to Azmin, Section 21 of the Commission of Inquiry Act also provides protection to witnesses ready to testify, including officials of the Public Service and also the EC.

According to him, the commission also gives legal authority to issue subpoenas against any individual that will help in investigations, including the Chairman or the Deputy Chairman of the EC and a warrant of arrest may be issued if the involved party defaults.

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“The commission may also issue subpoenas to the media like Utusan Malaysia and TV3 which was fully used by Umno to display slanderous news and lies against the State Government such as the issue of waste, clean water and also Merakyatkan Ekonomi Selangor (MES, also loosely translated as the People’s Economy) programmes,” he added.

Azmi added that the commission will function to find answers through sworn testimonies from witnesses who can assist in a comprehensive investigation on the issue of corruption and fraud in the electoral process in order to protect public interest and state sovereignty.

“I call upon the people of Selangor, especially voters to be ready to come forward as witnesses in the proceeding by the Royal Commission of Inquiry by submitting strong statement and evidence because they would be guaranteed protection under the law.

“Selangor should lead the effort to clean up the electoral system in Malaysia,” he added.

Selangor Consistent in Helping in the Palestinian Struggle

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SHAH ALAM, July 1: The citizens and the Selangor State Government has continued to give moral and material support to the struggle of the Palestinians.

Islamic Affairs Exco, Sallehen Mukhyi said that the Selangor Government will be the earth and shelter for people oppressed by the Israeli Zionist regime’s cruelty.

“I feel confident with the rise of Islam in Selangor and the meeting, leaning as well as studies to produce a community that will provide support to the Muslims in Palestine and around the world.

“The Shah Alam Independence Square has witnessed the support towards the rise of Muslims in liberating the Palestinian land from the Zionist regime’s cruelty,” he said.

He said this in front of 1,000 people during the Community Liberation Munajat Ceremony which was held here at the Shah Alam Independence Square.

Sallehen said, he was confident that the struggle of Muslims in Palestine will gain victory in the near future.

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“We hope that the hearts and minds of the people of Selangor will continue to be with Muslim communities everywhere and we are ready to assemble at any time.

“And we are ready to help those who are oppressed anywhere,” he said.

In the event, which was also attended by the PAS President, Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang as the Council Member for the Al-Quds Trust holder also led the prayers and Munajat for the liberation of the community.

In his speech, he urged for the 3 billion of Muslims to have the strength to return to the true teachings of Islam by carrying out all its teachings.

He added that only by being with Islam, the land of Palestine and the Muslim world can be liberated and to not be influenced by the struggle based on nationalism which is championed by colonist to disunite Muslims.

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“Let us not lose the cause. The struggle for Muslims to liberate Palestine is the core to unite all Muslims,” stressed hadi.

Also in attendance was the son of As-Syahid Ahmad Yasin, Abdal Ghani A.I Yasin and brother of As-Syahid Dr Nizar A.M Rayyan, Abdal Altif A.M Rayyan.

SELESA Enactment, A Selangor State Assembly Reform Agenda

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SHAH ALAM, June 21: The combination of the new Speaker and her Deputy, Hannah Yeoh and Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad, are optimistic that the Selangor State Assembly Service Assembly Enactment (SELESA) will be successfully realised in this second term.

Hannah said that the implementation of the Bill is among the reformation agendas which are expected to bring about change and to improve the quality of the Selangor State Assembly (DNS) sessions.

“We expect when the enactment is approved, we will provide more facilities to the DNS session.

“This includes providing more assistance to Assemblymen for them to carry out research better before an issue is debated.

“This will definitely make the quality of the debate better, hence benefiting the people,” said Hannah who is also the Subang Jaya Assemblywoman.

She said this in a press conference at the Annex Building of the State Secretariat Building soon after the Oath Swearing Ceremony this morning.

Nik Nazmi, who was also present at the press conference, explained that the SELESA enactment is important to be implemented so that an independent and professional administration team under the direction of the Speaker can be created.

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The enactment will divide the government power into three parts; the executive power under the Chief Minister, the judiciary body under the power of the Federal Government and state laws, and the legislative power to be fully under the DNS.

“When the DNS is free from the influence of the executive, monitoring and reviews of the administration can be carried out comprehensively without any restrictions and excessive bureaucracy,” said Nik Nazmi.

He added that the Bill is not a new practice because before it was abolished in 1992, the Parliament also had the Parliamentary Service Act which managed daily operations and financial management of the House of Representatives with interference from the executive.

The SELESA enactment was first drafted in 2009, and is now being studied in detail by the State Government Exco line-up as well as Selangor legal advisors.