Day: November 24, 2015

Abolish the Mandatory Death Penalty and Restore Judicial Discretion in Sentencing – The Malaysian Bar, Advocates’ Association of Sarawak and Sabah Law Association

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Joint Press Release

capital punishmentThe Malaysian Bar, Advocates’ Association of Sarawak and Sabah Law Association are heartened by the reported remarks of the Attorney General, Tan Sri Dato’ Sri Haji Mohamed Apandi, that he will propose to the Cabinet that the mandatory death penalty for drug-related offences be abolished.  The three Bar associations of Malaysia also welcome Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department YB Puan Hajah Nancy Shukri’s reported statement that she hopes to table legislative amendments next year for such abolition.

There is great wisdom in leaving the decision on punishment for such offences to the discretion of the Judiciary.  With the abolition of the mandatory death penalty, the Judiciary will have the discretion to sentence a convicted person to either death or imprisonment.  However, concrete action on this issue is long overdue. Read more →

Excited about the Asean Economic Community? – Wan Saiful Wan Jan

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Source: The Star Online

BY WAN SAIFUL WAN JAN

Wan Saiful Wan Jan - The Star Online file pic

Wan Saiful Wan Jan – The Star Online file pic

ON Aug 8, 1967 the Foreign Ministers of Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand signed a document known as the Bangkok Declaration.

It marked the birth of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean).

The original membership of five countries eventually grew to 10, when Brunei, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam joined in subsequent years.

Right from the start the founding fathers of Asean declared that one of the purposes of the association is “to accelerate the economic growth, social progress and cultural development in the region through joint endeavours in the spirit of equality and partnership”. Read more →

Jahai tribe children are succumbing to a mysterious illness

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Source: The Star Online

EXCLUSIVE BY ELROI YEE AND SHANJEEV REDDY

The orang asli community, especially the children, need a voice to alert others on their plight.

The orang asli community, especially the children, need a voice to alert others on their plight.

BELUM: A mysterious illness is killing orang asli children from the Jahai tribe in the Sungai Kejar area of Perak’s Royal Belum State Park and the authorities are either unaware of it or believe that the orang asli are not reporting the deaths.

The tribe calls the disease serawan. It starts with white spots in the children’s mouths and kills within days after symptoms are seen.

The Star’s R.AGE team travelled deep into the state park to probe and film a documentary.

It found families among the Jahai who have been losing their children to the disease.

An eight-year-old girl, Malini, died the morning after the team arrived and R.AGE was allowed to record footage of the burial rituals.

“If not for serawan, she would still be here,” said Malini’s grandfather, Kurup, who said that countless others have died from serawan.

Bain, another man from the tribe, said the disease had killed five of his children, adding that he knew four others who had died from it this year. Read more →

596 flood victims still in evacuation centres

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Source: The SunDaily

KUALA SELANGOR: A total of 596 flood victims are still at six evacuation centres in the Kuala Selangor district since 10.30am today.

Kuala Selangor district officer Shamsul Shahril Badlisza Mohd Noor said 408, involving 75 families, were being accommodated at SK Parit Mahang.

The others are at the Kampung Bukit Kuching Community Hall (61 people), Kampung Bukit Cherakah Community Hall (35), Kampung Bukit Hijau Community Hall Hijau (34), Simpang Tiga Jeram mosque (29) and Tuan Mee Plantation (29), he told reporters here today. Read more →

Over 50,000 on standby for flood relief operation

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Source: The SunDaily

File picture shows an aerial view of houses and plantations being submerged in floodwaters in Pengkalan Chepa, near Kota Baru, Kelantan on December 28, 2014. — AFP pic

File picture shows an aerial view of houses and plantations being submerged in floodwaters in Pengkalan Chepa, near Kota Baru, Kelantan on December 28, 2014. — AFP pic

CYBERJAYA: A total of 50,112 relief personnel comprising those from the police, Fire and Rescue Department, Health Ministry and Malaysian Armed Forces, as well as 155,000 civil defence volunteers, will be deployed when floods hit the country with the onset of the north-east monsoon expected soon.

National Disaster Management Agency (APBN) director-general Datuk Zaitun Ab Samad said the agency will ensure that there are enough assets to be deployed at district level, with standard operating procedure to be implemented for relief efforts involving the relevant agencies.

“We are also integrating radio communication between the agencies expected to be involved so that we can disseminate the right information to the media and public promptly,” she said after visiting the National Disaster Command Centre (PKPB) in Pulau Meranti this afternoon.

Currently, she said, the agency has identified 5,112 relief centres with emergency stockpiles ready to be supplied from 565 forward-based stations, 56 mini depots and five main warehouses across the country. Read more →

2014 Auditor-General’s Report [Updated]

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Source: The Sundaily

Auditor-General's Report 2014 - pic taken from The Star Online

Auditor-General’s Report 2014 – pic taken from The Star Online

THE Third Series of the 2014 Auditor-General’s Report was tabled in Parliament today. A total of 268 recommendations covering programme, construction, maintenance, acquisition, revenue management and company management were submitted.

Take action over problematic RM200.7m hospital upgrading project
PETALING JAYA: The Auditor General (AG) has recommended that action be taken against a contractor and relevant government officers who were in charge of the RM200.7 million Sultanah Nora Ismail Hospital upgrading project. Read more here

AG Report: Foreign Ministry spent RM14.17m to renovate empty buildings in US
PETALING JAYA: The Foreign Ministry spent RM14.17 million to renovate two empty buildings meant for Malaysian representatives in Washington DC, the Auditor General (AG) Report 2014 series 3 found. Read more here Read more →

Jakim critic Tawfik Ismail faces sedition probe

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Source: The Malaysian Insider

Tawfik Ismail, son of former deputy prime minister Tun Dr Ismail Abdul Rahman, says recently Jakim is unconstitutional. He is now being investigated for sedition over the remark. – The Malaysian Insider file pic, November 24, 2015.

Police are investigating Tawfik Ismail, the son of former deputy prime minister Tun Dr Ismail Abdul Rahman, for sedition over his remarks that the Department of Islamic Development Malaysia (Jakim) should be abolished.

They initiated the probe after a police report was lodged in Shah Alam against Tawfik for the comments made in a The Malaysian Insider article on the Islamic agency, which is under the purview of the Prime Minister’s Department.

Tawfik, who is also a member of G25, the group of retired Malay top civil servants, is being investigated under Section 4(1)(b) of the Sedition Act 1948, which carries a maximum fine of RM5,000 or a maximum jail term of three years, or both, for first-time offenders.

Police yesterday recorded statements from a news editor and a reporter at The Malaysian Insider to assist in the investigations. Read more →