Day: February 26, 2016

When state and religion were separate – Ahmad Mustapha Hassan

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Source: The Star Online

BY AHMAD MUSTAPHA HASSAN

opinion-clipart-k12118272During the early days of independence, faith was a private matter and the country experienced religious tolerance and ethnic understanding.

POLITICS has become a curse to this country. It is no longer a means to achieve good governance and reliable state management. It has been turned into a source of power to inflict evil on people.

Power has been misused to enrich those in high positions.

Independence has been turned into making the country socially and culturally backward.

Religion has become a source of amassing influence. The Malays were pushed into being servile, leading to a siege mentality.

Read more →

MCMC blocks alternate TMI website

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A notice from MCMC is displayed when Internet readers attempt to access The Malaysian Insider news portal that has been blocked.

Source: The Malay Mail Online

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 26 — Access to an alternative web address to The Malaysian Insider has been blocked by local Internet regulators over the same alleged violations that led them to ban the news portal’s main site yesterday.

Users of local Internet service providers who went to themalaysianoutsider.com this evening were greeted by the same takedown notice posted the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) that was displayed onthemalaysianinsider.com.

The notice states that the website is not accessible locally as it violates Malaysian laws. The MCMC yesterday blocked The Malaysian Insider for allegedly violating Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998.

The commission did not specify the offending article or articles that prompted the ban, but it is believed to be over report or reports by The Malaysian Insiderregarding an independent oversight panel of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission. Read more →

May 19 hearing of teacher’s bid for leave to appeal on children’s conversion

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Source: The Malay Mail Online

File picture shows M. Indira Gandhi at Court of Appeal, Putrajaya, December 30, 2015. ― Picture by Saw Siow Feng

File picture shows M. Indira Gandhi at Court of Appeal, Putrajaya, December 30, 2015. ― Picture by Saw Siow Feng

PUTRAJAYA, Feb 26 — The Federal Court has set May 19 to hear an application by kindergarten teacher M. Indira Gandhi for leave to appeal over the conversion of her three children to Islam.

The matter came up for case management today before Federal Court judge Datuk Zaharah Ibrahim and she fixed the hearing date.

Present at the case management proceedings today were Indira Gandhi’s counsel M. Kulasegaran and Aston Paiva; lawyer Hatim Musa for Indira Gandhi’s ex-husband Muhammad Riduan Abdullah; senior federal counsel Shamsul Bolhassan for the Education Ministry and the Government of Malaysia and also Perak state legal advisor Datuk Rohana Malik.

In a media statement, Kulasegaran said they had informed the court that they would like to request certain judges including Chief Justice Tun Arifin Zakaria and Court of Appeal President Tan Sri Md Raus Sharif to recuse themselves from hearing the leave-to-appeal application.

“We have also asked for a panel of judges who are multiracial, multi- religious as per the population of the country and, finally, it should be multi-gender based,” he said.

Indira Gandhi, 40, is seeking to appeal to the Federal Court against the Court of Appeal 2-1 majority verdict reinstating the conversion certificates of her three children.

Under the law, she must first obtain leave (permission) from the Federal Court before proceeding with her appeal to that court.

Eight legal questions have been framed for the Federal Court to consider. Read more →

CIJ urges vigilance over more censorship after TMI block

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Source: Malaysiakini

The people must be vigilant over the possibility of the government imposing further censorship after it blocked news portal The Malaysian Insider (TMI) yesterday, Centre for Independent Journalism (CIJ) cautions.

“Malaysians should be very concerned with the increased cases of Internet censorship by the government in recent months, signalling worse days ahead for freedom of expression and information in Malaysia.

“We ask that Internet users in Malaysia be vigilant of further restrictions online, as it can impact access to vital information and possibly even lead to increase in cost of accessing information and technology,” CIJ said in a statement yesterday. Read more →

Indira seeks to recuse CJ, judge from hearing conversion case

Elaine Lamb

Source: The Malaysian Outsider

M. Indira Gandhi is pictured at the Court of Appeal, Putrajaya, December 30, 2015. ― Picture by Saw Siow Feng

M. Indira Gandhi is pictured at the Court of Appeal, Putrajaya, December 30, 2015. ― Picture by Saw Siow Feng

M. Indira Gandhi is requesting Chief Justice Tun Arifin Zakaria and judge Tan Sri Raus Sharif to recuse themselves from hearing her case.

Kindergarten teacher M. Indira Gandhi, who is appealing to reverse the Courts of Appeal ruling on unilateral conversion of her minor children, has requested that Chief Justice Tun Arifin Zakaria and his number two Tan Sri Raus Sharif be excluded from hearing her case. Read more →