48 underage couples apply to get married in Selangor

SHAH ALAM: Forty-eight underage Muslim couples requested to be married in Selangor during the first 10 months of this year.

Menteri Besar Amirudin Shari said out of the total, only 34 applications were approved.

These figures were only for Muslim couples as registration of non-Muslim marriages comes under the purview of the National Registration Department, he said at the state assembly sitting here today.

Amirudin (PKR-Sungai Tua) said this when responding to a question from Elizabeth Wong (PKR-Bukit Lanjan) who wanted to know the number of applications and approvals for underage marriages involving Muslim couples since the beginning of the year.

He also said the state had not received any applications for underage marriage involving Muslims after amendments to the Islamic Family Enactment (State of Selangor) Enactment 2003 (Amendment 2018) were passed.

“We are still using the previous enactment as the new law will only come into effect from January 2019,” he said.

On Sept 5, the Selangor assembly passed the amendment which, among others, increases the minimum marriage age limit for Muslims from 16 to 18.

Amirudin, when presenting the motion, had said that under the amendment, those under the age of 18 had to obtain permission from a shariah court judge in Selangor.

Prior to the amendment, Section 8 of the Islamic Family Enactment (State of Selangor) 2003 stipulated that the minimum age of marriage for Muslim men was 18 and for Muslim women 16.

Selangor was the first state to amend the law regarding the minimum age limit of Muslim marriages, following the controversy sparked by an 11-year-old girl’s marriage to a 41-year-old man in southern Thailand earlier this year. - FMT

Right-wing Hindu politician makes startling claims over Seafield temple fracas

Arjun Sampath hands over his protest memorandum at the Malaysian consulate in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. (Twitter pic)

PETALING JAYA: A right-wing Hindu politician from India has made startling claims over Monday’s violence at the Sri Maha Mariamman Temple in Subang Jaya, saying the temple had been “flattened” while women and children were brutally murdered.

“In an attempt by those warmongers to slit the throats of women and children, their necks and napes were heavily mutilated,” Arjun Sampath, who heads the Hindu People’s Party, a Hindu extremist party, said in a letter to the Malaysian consulate-general in Tamil Nadu two days ago.

“The constabularies were gawping these phenemonons. Without taking any action against these assailants, they endorsed the occurences.

“All these were aired via social media which shook the heart of millions of Hindu Tamils across the globe,” he said.

His statement in English is littered with the use of strong expressions such as “Islamist fascists”, “bloodthirsty”, “savaged xenophobes”, “barbarities”, “illiberal Islamist chauvinists” and “villainous”, among others.

Urging the Malaysian government to “judicially wallop” those behind the temple violence, Arjun also urged Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to condemn the “slothful reaction” of Putrajaya over the issue.

He also made references to Dr Zakir Naik, the Indian preacher who now lives in Malaysia, and said Malaysia was “rapidly getting Islamised” to threaten “communities other than Muslims”.

Arjun further claimed that youths who defended the temple were confronted by assailants who “shattered off the heads”.

Early Monday, a mob attacked the temple in Seafield, amid resistance from some devotees to relocate the 40-year-old structure based on a consent judgment in 2014.

This was followed by violent protests a day later, which saw a fireman being attacked and several vehicles set on fire. The fireman’s condition has since improved, while police say the situation near the temple was back to normal.

The temple was to be relocated on Nov 22 as part of a win-win solution involving the developer One City, the Selangor state government and two claimants to the temple management, K Chellapa and M Nagaraju.

Nagaraju later made an about-turn, and gathered several Hindu activists to protest the relocation plan.

Meanwhile, FMT has contacted S Ramaji, who is behind the Save Seafield Maha Mariamman Temple, as well as Wisma Putra. -FMT

Look towards Sarawak for unity

Sarawak is known as the land of unity for all Sarawakians live together as one united and collective multiracial society. As Sarawak is still part of the Malaysian Federation, its unity and togetherness in diversity cannot afford being tarnished by what has had transpired across the South China Sea.

The development of events in the Federation of Malaya is regretful as each of us is a true-blue Malaysian who pledges our his and her future, commitment and loyalty to Malaysia.

We ought to treat each Malaysian as our father, mother, brother or sister. That must be the core value for us in this “New Malaysia” as it taught us to treat everyone equally with all-encompassing tolerance, without differentiation and prejudice, to put the people’s interests above our self-interests as if we are of the same family, ethnicity and identity.

The 18-point Agreement which contains conditions laid out by Sarawak before it agreed to form Malaysia with the Federation of Malaya is a reminder that it is an equal partner with the Federation of Malaya.

The feelings of Sarawakians should not be overlooked as Sarawak has no kingship, no official religion and Dayaks and Christians are the majority in Malaysian Borneo. In Sarawak, all people be they Christians, Muslims or Buddhists often sit together in coffee shops to enjoy their food. They come together and leave together as Sarawakians and Malaysians.

In this moment, even if the federal government has recently abandoned its plan to ratify the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (Icerd), the Sarawak government should publicly support the ratification of Icerd with a clear statement to this effect.

Public lectures and dialogues should be organised across Malaysia by the Sarawak government so that the public, especially the younger generation, will be aware of and look up to Sarawak’s success in multiculturalism.

Sarawak’s food and cultural festivals such as the Gawai Dayak festival should also be held every year in the Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore to display Sarawak’s unique model of harmony in the region of Southeast Asia and to promote cultural heritage and diversity while promoting tourism.

Now is the time for us to create new shared values in the “New Malaysia” that are based on the appreciation of Malaysia’s unique cultural heritage, equality, tolerance and human dignity and inculcate those values through education in schools.

All members of the government and every parliamentarian shoulders this great duty and responsibility to come up with the necessary initiatives to push for new shared values for a greater “New Malaysia” and all of us should support and be part of this change. - Mkini

Can Icerd undo xenophobic barriers?

It seems the country is divided on whether Malaysia should sign the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (Icerd). So, I would do what I usually do first – open up a web browser, Google it, read a Wikipedia page and subsequently the links attached.

And this is what I found.

I find it ironic because this convention historically was introduced to contain anti-Semitism. Just looking at our current prime minister, it is quite the irony.

While Lim Kit Siang is right in saying there are Muslim countries who have signed the Icerd, he omitted to mention that many of them do not bother recognising the need to refer disputes on racial discrimination to the International Court of Justice.

Of course, it is also interesting to note that the Icerd was used by the Romani people – also known as gipsies – against both Slovakia and Serbia and Montenegro for restrictions on freedom of movement and residence and access to public spaces.

Meanwhile, the convention has also been signed by nations who do not see it implying any obligations beyond the limits of their existing constitutions.

So now, I have a few questions which seem to be asked to the legal sector. Let us start with the biggest one in the room. If Malaysia does sign the Icerd, will the government then guarantee the privileges (not rights) of the Malays as per the Federal Constitution?

Considering how this government could not even keep its promise of splitting up the attorney-general and public prosecutor roles per their manifesto, it is clear that anything requiring two-thirds of Parliament support will not happen any time soon.

Thus, the Malaysian Malays should not have such a concern. However, there are a few more everyday issues in Malaysia that need to be considered. What about things that are not guaranteed in the constitution and offered to the bumiputera community?

Are these going to be reconsidered, and opened to become for all Malaysians?

There is nothing specifically in the constitution guaranteeing a bumiputera discount on housing, or even a bumiputera priority in business contracts or even bank loans. Under Article 153, it does, however, put the right to a bumiputera quota for the civil service and in universities, colleges – pretty much everything after the SPM is in the hands of the king.

It is, of course, up to the king to decide what is a “reasonable” proportion of “scholarships, exhibitions and other similar educational or training privileges or special facilities given or accorded by the Federal Government” to be put aside for the bumiputera, as per the article.

That being said, I see the Icerd with another point of interest especially since I live in a rented property in a condominium complex and have seen some racially tainted shenanigans going about.

For example, if the government does sign the Icerd, what action will they take against property owners who discriminate against Africans in Malaysia? What legal recourse is the government thinking against this form of racial discrimination?

Can the same action be taken against immigration officers who decide to detain migrant workers, marking it a hate crime?

Also, can the Bangladeshis, the Africans, the Nepalese and even Indonesians here file hate speech reports against the authorities or even the daily angry customer or delivery boy who jeers at them with racial slurs at cash registers, in a fresh market or even at apartment security gates?

Similarly, since employment will be seen as needing to be racially equal, will there be further checks and requirements placed on listed companies to show their racial equality in their corporate structures?

Could people in the same company, on the same corporate level, with the same years of experience, proving they have had the same score in annual KPI reviews and yet earning different salaries, subsequently take their complaint to the authorities that the company was racially biased?

I am not so much concerned about the case for race and religious rights and will leave that for the king and the sultans to act on.

I am more concerned, however, towards the everyday actions taken for granted, where we see people mock migrant workers, miss a promotion in corporate structures over race, even unto foreigners who cannot rent a property or get a Grab car based on their skin tone.

The signing of Icerd will, in fact, police all of these under Articles 2, 3, 5 and 6 of the convention. In fact, should anyone bring up how a proposed rail line will bring in “foreigners into their township”, it will also be against the convention.

For myself, if signing the Icerd guarantees that everyone including migrants and Malaysians are treated with respect - that there will be legal recourse for them against discrimination based on race against companies, e-hailing car drivers and their app owners, listed companies who promote along racial lines, members of the police, the immigration department, and even teachers and lecturers who use racially tinged mockery for a laugh, then more power to it. -Mkini

A stubborn and ill-advised FT minister

It’s a wonder no eggs were thrown at the new Federal Territories Minister minister during the TTDI town hall meeting on Nov 23.

Perhaps many were too shocked or have yet to digest the fact that the government for whom they threw all their weight behind and supported for a change against corruption would appoint an FT minister who would betray their collective wishes, well-being, and hard work in protecting Taman Rimba and their neighbourhood.

The town hall meeting ended with a way forward by setting up a joint working committee with Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL), Yayasan Wilayah Persekutuan (YWP), the TTDI Residents Association (RA) and the longhouses RAs.

But the minister was then later quoted as saying: “I hope they will be open to discussions and not be stubborn about wanting me to cancel the project.’’

Is the new FT minister of the opinion that KL residents are just “stubborn” middle-class people with small issues that he could solve in a simplistic manner at our expense? Maybe #SaveTamanRimbaKiara movement is not interesting enough an issue for him like the Harapan Coin.

Khalid Samad needs to be reminded that he is dealing with ordinary residents who pay taxes and his decisions affect the way we live and the spaces where we make our homes.

If Khalid is disinterested in his job as the FT minister, the Pakatan Harapan government must have him replaced with someone competent and answerable to KL voters before things get worse.

For sure, new ministers must be given a chance to govern and to fix all that’s broken. People will be patient so long as you show the will and some level of competency to do the right thing.

In the case of the new FT minister, how is he even proud to announce to the residents that he is the first to gazette the KL city plan (as though it is an achievement) when he gazetted a version of the plan without consultation with local residents?

A version of the plan with mixed development for our Taman Rimba? This is a complete betrayal to the residents’ long and difficult fight against development to save the park.

Scaling down the development is not the solution – does he honestly think developers don't expect people to protest and that scaling down as part of a so-called negotiation would not be part of their plan? A “scaled down” development would be a victory on the developer's part, cause destruction to the park and lead to a complete loss of trust and faith in the Harapan government.

Arguments against Khalid’s reasons for not scrapping project have been presented clearly by local planning experts that can be found here and here.

Nothing short of cancelling the project planned for Taman Rimba would be acceptable; a strong message must be sent to developers that local residents must always be consulted and meaningfully engaged before a development project is approved; that was never the way things worked and clearly not how the new FT minister works too.

If the Harapan government allows a developer that has been associated with individuals on corruption charges to get away with going through with this project, you will not convince your voters of your sincerity and will lend fire to your detractor’s claim that Harapan is “no different” than the previous regime, and worse, you will betray your supporters. And if this minister is allowed to betray our voters who fought so hard, what does it mean to the rest of KL voters and beyond?

So please replace Khalid with someone competent and answerable to KL voters who genuinely engages and understands the issue with the will to find a real solution.

One who won’t be “stubborn” in not cancelling the unnecessary project at Taman Rimba. Otherwise, expect to lose parliamentary seats in KL in the next general election. #pecatkhalid -Mkini

Shafie: Federal gov’t can refund Sabah in staggered payments

Sabah Chief Minister Mohd Shafie Apdal hopes the federal government’s delay in refunding the 40 percent revenue collected from the state is only temporary.

He said although Sabah had a right to the refund based on the Malaysia Act 1963 (MA63), the federal government could pay it back in stages due to its financial constraints.

“We are aware of the situation. But we also realise that although there are financial constraints at the federal level, we (Sabah) still have (the responsibility) to pay our debts.

“So, I hope that even if the whole amount (40 percent) cannot be settled, at least make staggered payments to us,” he told reporters after witnessing the Sabah Loan Corporation make its dividend payment to the state government today.

The corporation, which handed over dividend and interest worth RM7 million and RM844,447 respectively to the state government, also paid RM100,041.77 as zakat (tithes) to the Sabah Zakat Centre.

Shafie was commenting on the recent statement by Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng that the federal government was facing financial difficulties and had to delay refunding the 40 percent revenue collected from Sabah.

Shafie, who is also the Sabah Finance Minister, said the state would have to be realistic and not be too pushy in demanding for the refund as it would put the country in a difficult position.

“We always adopt a prudent approach in management, not only from the financial aspect. We also practise kinship as a nation. Even in the formation of Malaysia we held discussions. So, discussions must always be held or we will have problems later. If there is trouble at the federal level, it will be just as bad here,” he said.

As such, Shafie said there was a need to strengthen cooperation between the federal and state governments to jointly develop Sabah and prosper its people.

As for the Sarawak government’s stand that several issues were not negotiable under MA63, including immigration matters, Shafie said Sabah already had a platform at the federal level where it could voice out its opinions on matters related to the agreement.

“We have held talks at the federal level. A date has been fixed for the meeting to be called by Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad. It’s better that we discuss in within (the committee) than outside. That’s the best way to do it,” he said.

– Bernama

Blogger acquitted of posting 'fake' image of Najib

After having his case stretch over two years and handled by four Ampang Sessions Court judges, a blogger has had his charge of putting up an offensive post bearing the image of the former prime minister, dropped.

He was acquitted after the Attorney-General’s Chambers agreed to representation by his counsel.

This was informed by Deputy Public Prosecutor Goh Ai Rene to Sessions Court judge Suzana Hussin today.

Abdul Muhaimin Mohd Muhayeddin, 27, was charged on May 18, 2016, with making an offensive Facebook post at his Pangsapuri Ampang Mewah apartment, at 9:45am on Oct 22, 2015. He was arrested with doctored images of Najib.

He had claimed trial to the charge under Section 233 (1) (a) of the Communications and Multimedia Act (CMA) whereby he had denied creating the images, and claimed to only share them.

His lawyer, Syed Iskandar Syed Jaffar Al Mahdzar, told Malaysiakinithat three witnesses including the complainant, who is an Umno Bandar Tun Razak member, testified.

The lawyer said during the trial, the complainant was caught lying when he wrongly named the investigating officer, and was caught lying about his occupation when he was actually unemployed.

Syed Iskandar said he had written a letter of representation last year to then attorney-general Mohamed Apandi Ali but this was rejected.

After the change of government, he had written another letter of representation.

Syed Iskandar further commented that Najib's purported fake image is less important owing that Najib had been arrested and is facing multiple serious charges.

He also said that it was stated that the intention of Parliament passing the CMA Act, was to regulate telephone companies and not individuals.

Abdul Muhaimin, who was elated with being acquitted, said now the tables had been turned against Najib. Now that the former leader is facing charges, Abdul Muhaimin said: "now the whole world knows that you are the real criminal, and not me, an ordinary citizen”. -Mkini