Day: May 12, 2017

EC redelineation in Melaka halted pending judicial review

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Source: The Malay Mail Online

In a statement, electoral watchdog Bersih 2.0 welcomed the decision, but said the suspension should not be limited to the state. — Picture by Saw Siow Feng

KUALA LUMPUR, May 12 — The High Court today suspended the Election Commission’s (EC) electoral boundary redrawing in Melaka until the judicial review filed against the exercise there is completed.

High Court judge Datuk Vazeer Alam Mydin Meera then set June 14 for the judicial review.

Leave for the review was granted on May 3. The application was filed by seven voters represented by Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan.

In a statement, electoral watchdog Bersih 2.0 welcomed the decision, but said the suspension should not be limited to the state. Read more →

Dire need for stronger protection of Greater Ulu Muda Forests — 11 NGOs

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Source: The Malay Mail Online

MAY 12 — We the undersigned, are deeply concerned about ongoing poaching and extractive activities that have been detected in Ulu Muda forests. This is based on two news reports featured in The Star, titled “Ulu Muda wildlife under threat” on May 8, 2017 and “Fresh logging at Ulu Muda catchment” in The Star on April 14, 2017 plus information from the signage found close to the main road from Gubir to the Ulu Muda jetty.

The Ulu Muda Forest Reserve and surrounding forest reserves (referred to as the Greater Ulu Muda forests hereinafter), with a total area of more than 163,000 hectares is the water catchment area for three man-made dams namely Muda, Pedu and Ahning and forms the headwaters for the Muda and Kedah rivers. Read more →

Malaysia’s Deportation of 3 Turks Condemned

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Source: Benar News

U.S.-based preacher Fethullah Gulen is hanged in effigy in Ankara, Turkey, during a protest targeting a failed coup against the government of Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Aug. 2, 2016. Pic from AFP.

Three Turkish citizens who were in Malaysian custody for allegedly threatening national security have been deported to their home country because of suspected involvement with a cleric branded by Ankara as a terrorist leader, Malaysia’s police chief said Friday.

International rights groups and organizations Friday slammed the Malaysian decision to forcibly send the three back to Turkey, saying their lives would be in danger. The men’s relatives in Malaysia accused the authorities of failing to notify them about their loved ones’ expulsion in the middle of the night.

Inspector General of Police (IGP) Khalid Abu Bakar said Friday the three were expelled a day earlier because they allegedly belonged to a group labelled by Turkey as the Fethullah Terrorist Organization (FETO). Read more →

BERSIH 2.0 welcomes halt to Melaka redelineation — Bersih 2.0

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Statement dated 12 May 2017

The plaintiffs with their lawyers and supporters. Photo from Bersih 2.0.

BERSIH 2.0 welcomes the decision by the Melaka High Court to issue a stay order on the local inquiry proceedings for the revised redelineation proposal for the state by the Election Commission until the conclusion of the judicial review for the same case.

This is a highly significant development as redelineation remains one of the root causes of unfair elections. It is also not helped by a lack of transparency in the process, as revealed in the court challenge mounted by lawyer and social activist Haris Ibrahim to obtain information pertaining to the procedure, which unfortunately ended at the Federal Court this week in favour of the EC. Read more →

Hooray for the judiciary — Tunku Zain Al-‘Abidin

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Source: The Malay Mail Online

BY TUNKU ZAIN AL-‘ABIDIN

MAY 12 — On recent occasions where I’ve been asked to speak on our Federal Constitution, I have quoted five legal luminaries from our history: Tuanku Abdul Rahman, Tunku Abdul Rahman, Sultan Azlan Shah, Tun Mohamed Suffian and Raja Aziz Addruse.

Confusion sometimes arises from the first two, while non-legal audiences don’t know the last two. Hopefully one day all young Malaysians will be familiar with these names, and what they contributed in relation to the law. Read more →