Anwar: Racism, not Christians, is the threat

Anwar (left) greets a participant at his talk in London yesterday. — Picture by Danny Lim

By Shannon Teoh (Malaysian Insider)

LONDON, March 19 — Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has slammed as “ridiculous” the idea that Muslims in Malaysia were under threat from Christians, and instead accused Umno of sanctioning racism.

“In this Allah issue, the idea that Muslims are under threat from Christians is ridiculous to say the least,” he said at a press conference, after his talk at the London School of Economics here yesterday.

“They are playing with fire,” he said and added that the prime minister’s 1 Malaysia slogan, based on a united Malaysia, was not consistent with what was happening on the ground.

“Malaysia is not a Muslim state, or... well, I’m not sure now,” he joked. “But it is not secular either because there is not a total separation of religion and state.”

He explained that while countries like the United States are seen as secular, they were in fact built on religious principles.

Earlier in his talk, which saw hundreds being turned away, he accused Umno of simply feigning interest in Islamic values.

“What Umno has done is not about Islamic issues at all. If you find a committed Muslim, you can argue with him, but in Umno, they don’t even want to understand what Islam is about.

“It is just political expediency and a crude blend of politics. It is distasteful, the way they abuse the Chinese,” he added, in seeming reference to a recent racist statement by Datuk Nasir Safar, made when he was still an aide to the prime minister.

“There should be freedom not just for an ex-deputy prime minister,” he said in reference to the overturning of his sodomy conviction in 2004, “but all Malaysians.”

Anwar went on to explain that the basic issue was one of governance, and added that the strength of Islam in South East Asia was in its inclusivity and moderate position, which took into consideration the interests of other religions.

“The moment Syariah courts can compel non-Muslims, it transgresses fundamentals of the Constitution. It becomes contentious when you deny the rights of non-Muslims or use obscure Syariah interpretation to impose on non-Muslims.

“We need to educate Umno leaders,” said the former deputy president of the Malay party, drawing laughs from the 400-strong audience of mostly Malaysian students at the talk.

Comments by Dayak Sarawak, March 20, 2010

@yearofsnake One cannot be converted to Christianity. One, on his or her own conscience and FREE WILL choose to become a Christian. "Conversion ceremony" is not enough or necessary. Even though many Christians are born into Christian families, they need to affirm their faith on their own FREE WILL.

Other Christians are supposed to show good examples and live respectable lives that others may turn to God.

St. Matthew advised, "Let your good works so shine before men that they may see and glorify your Father who is in heaven". This makes life for a Christian very challenging. Christians are supposed to turn the other cheek when provoked with violence. Also a man who says he loves God but hates his brother is a liar as how could he love God that he has not seen but hates his brother that he has seen. In some way, we can view Christianity as about self-regulation for good. As such it has to be self-conversion.

Now if the Muslim Malays are turning away from Islam due to the wrath, greed, sloth, pride, lust, envy, and gluttony of UMNO; hardly "Good Light" KPI. Who is to be blamed? Certainly not the Christians.

So I agree with Saudara Anwar.

Sabah could have been far better if …

The following is an open Letter to Alfred Jabu Anak Numpang, Deputy Chief Minister of Sarawak on the rights of Sabah & Sarawak written by Daniel John Jambun reproduced from the e-mail I received.

"We want to call on Sarawak Deputy Chief Minister Alfred Jabu Anak Numpang to prove that he's a 'somebody' as he implies by briefing the people on his track record in defending the rights of Sabah & Sarawak under the 1963 Malaysia Agreement.

We challenge Jabu to an open debate on the issues raised by Cigma during the briefing to members of the House of Commons in London on Mar 9.

Jabu is turning a blind eye to the serious plight of Malaysians in Sabah.

Or, is it more likely that he is actually ignorant about the horrendous problems faced by Sabahans, for example, because he had not been to Sabah often enough.

Cigma’s memorandum titled “Shattered Hopes and Broken Dreams” detailed Sabah’s expectations upon independence as was promised by Tunku Abdul Rahman and under the Malaysia Agreement, the Intergovernmental Committee Report and the 20 Points, the issue of state security and threats to national sovereignty through ‘reverse takeover’ arising from the influx of illegal immigrants, poverty, unfair sharing of oil revenue, lack of fair benefits from land alienation to Felda and Felcra, and other socio-economic problems as a result of the unjust distribution of wealth and opportunities for Sabah from the national economic cake.

Over the past 50 years, “various modifications and adjustments” to the M’sia Agreement have eroded the rights and privileges of Sabahans. Forty-six years after independence, Sabah is now the poorest state despite its abundant natural resources.

Whatever good we had received from Malaysia, is all totally negated by the fact that we are not secure as a state, and that the federal government had reaped a huge economic harvest from Sabah and returned so little to us.

Since the takeover of Umno/BN in Sabah in 1994, Sabah had been plundered to the point of becoming the poorest state in Malaysia. We are in such dire straits with a very uncertain future, so what is the point of praising the government?

Jabu surely knows that Sarawak had no better deal in Malaysia than Sabah.

He must not think Sabah is in the same position as Sarawak which still has some of its original rights intact.

Even Umno daren’t enter Sarawak. But we in Sabah are in a much more different situation. We are under a state government which is under the directive of Kuala Lumpur.

Brunei which opted out of Malaysia, and Singapore which later left the federation, are in a much better economic position regionally and globally. In fact, with all the rich natural resources that we have, Sabah should be richer than Brunei.

We reiterate that we are ready for an open debate on these issues with Jabu anytime at any venue of Jabu’s choice. Let the people judge who is a "nobody in his own country."

At the moment, the consensus of public opinion is that Jabu is a proxy & stooge of the ruling elite in Kuala Lumpur & hence a traitor to our people.

There is nothing wrong in Cigma (Common Interest Group M'sia) calling for the re-activation of the Inter-Governmental Committee on the M'sia Agreement. The IGC was meant to be a permanent institution to monitor the M'sia Agreement.

Jabu must explain why the IGC has fallen into inactivity & disuse over the years.

We call upon the M’sian Federal Gov't and the gov'ts of Sabah, S'wak, S'pore & the United Kingdom of Great Britain & Northern Ireland to return to the IGC as soon as possible, failing which we will relentlessly pursue the matter further in various international forums.

We appeal that the gov'ts of Indonesia & the Philippines be accorded observer status at the IGC.

The presence of Indonesia will ensure that the re-colonisation of Sabah & S'wak by Malaya, after the departure of the British, is reversed. The late President Sukarno of Indonesia did warn against re-colonisation when he launched his policy of konfrantasi (confrontation) & ganjang M'sia (hang M'sia) in 1963.

The presence of the Philippines will ensure that we can bring the so-called Sabah claim to a closure.

Following the successful briefing at the House of Commons in London on Mar 9, we intend to pursue the introduction of an EDM (Early Day Motion) on the M'sia Agreement in the British Parliament as soon as the forthcoming UK General Elections are over.”

Daniel John Jambun

Deputy Chairman

Common Interest Group Malaysia (Cigma)

Kota Kinabalu 19, Mar 2010

Related articles.

Shattered Hopes and Broken Dreams

Trails of Broken Promises

Jeffrey Seeks Talks with PM on 20 Points

Lim Kit Siang Visit to Donggongon.

This Sunday, 21^st March, the DAP Parliament Leader Lim Kit Siang will hold the walk about in Donggongon town and the Tamu ground. Later he will adjourn to the statue of the late Peter Mojuntin in Donggongon Square to place a wreath for the remembrance of the Golden Son of the Kadazan. A lunch function is prepared in his honor in Kg. Inobong, Penampang.

Last Friday, 12^th March, the Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin had held his walk-about in Donggongon town and Tamu ground accompanied by the Sabah Chief Minister including the local leaders like MP for Penampang, YB Tan Sri Bernard Dompok; Assemblyman for Moyog YB Donald Peter Mojuntin; Assemblyman for Kepayan YB Edward Khoo and other local dignitaries.

After visiting the Tamu ground, they adjourned to a breakfast with the Rakyat at Maimunah Restaurant which is a stone’s throw (about 100 yards) from the imposing 15 feet high bronze statue of the Golden Son of the Kadazan located in the middle of Donggongon town.

The bronze statue of the late Datuk Peter Joinod Mojuntin in the middle of Donggongon Town.

Since the DPM was already in the heartland of Penampang and was within the vicinity of the late Peter Mojuntin Memorial Square, I was surprised why the organizers did not include the visit to the monument as a mark of respect to the Golden Son of the Kadazan.

A picture paints a thousand words.

Regrettably, YB Donald Peter Mojuntin, the son of the late Datuk Peter Joinod Mojuntin, did not even have the courtesy to invite the DPM by just walking him over to the Square as a show of respect to his (Donald’s) late father. A brief visit to see the bronze Statue, albeit no prior ceremony arrangement, would have been a monumental opportunity for the Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia to pay his respect to the Golden Son of the Kadazan who was known to have fiercely fought for the Kadazan rights in particular.

Have the organizers missed this important itinerary of the DPM’s visit to the Penampang heartland?

Such rare visit to Peter Mojuntin Memorial Square by DPM himself would have been seen by the Kadazan community as magnanimous.

And here is the irony - the DAP Parliament Leader Lim Kit Siang accompanied by Sabah DAP team with the two DAP MP Teo Nee Cieng and Lim Lip Eng are coming to Donggongon Town but with a difference – to visit Peter Mojuntin Memorial Square and pay respect to the Golden Son of the Kadazan by laying a wreath in remembrance of this great Kadazan leader.

Jeffrey seeks talks with PM on new 20-point deal

By Joseph Bingkasan

KOTA KINABALU: Maverick politician Jeffrey Kitingan wants to renegotiate the Malaysia Agreement, the founding document of federation, and is seeking a meeting with the Prime Minister to do so.

He hopes to strike a renewed agreement on the rights of Sabah and Sarawak as members of the Malaysian federation.

He said the two states were in an advantageous position because the federal administration depended on the bloc of MPs from the two states to remain in power. (There are 56 parliamentary seats for the two states out of a total of 222 in the Dewan Rakyat; all but four are held by Barisan Nasional members.)

"Sabah and Sarawak control the Parliament. We control the government. Without Sabah and Sarawak, the present government would have collapsed," he said, in a reference to the crucial importance of the Barisan Nasional's eastern seats underpinning the party's current 61-seat majority in the Dewan Rakyat.

Dewan Rakyat	222
Barisan Nasional	138
Pakatan Rakyat	77
Majority	61
Independents	7
Balance of power
Sabah	25 (BN 22 Ind 2 DAP 1)
Sarawak	31 (BN 30 DAP 1)

"We can capitalise on this situation and actually bring the federal government to the table and negotiate a new deal, a renewed Malaysia Agreement, a renewed 20 Points,” he said.

However, he would need the backing of Sabah's BN leaders to make such a meeting happen.

"If they don't use this opportunity to capitalise on the advantage, that means our leaders are not interested in solving Sabah's problems and are only interested in money."

Earlier this month, Jeffrey, who is PKR's chief for Sabah and Sarawak, led a delegation from the so-called Common Interest Group of Malaysia on a visit to London where they met members of the British Parliament to present the East Malaysian states' grievances over the Malaysia Agreement, to which Britain was a signatory.

"We consider the British government still responsible for our welfare, our interests and our rights in the Federation of Malaysia as Britain was the one which had handed us to the federation," he said when announcing the visit last month.

READ MORE HERE AT FMT.

“Sabahans have been warned that their marginalisation will become irreversible unless they retake control of their destiny from the ruling elite in Putrajaya’, Jeffrey said at the public forum organised by a group of citizens calling themselves “Saya Anak Bangsa Malaysia”.

READ MORE HERE at FMT: Change or be forever on the margin, Sabahans told

Now what? (Updated)

At the Dewan Rakyat on Wednesday, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s ex-right hand man Mohd Zahrain blasted the opposition leader for all his lies, about how some Pakatan Rakyat's Members of Parliament went to Taiwan to woo their BN counterparts, about how Anwar claimed victory for his Sept 16 'took over of Putrajaya' and how they were cheated on so many things.

They were forced to believe that the Yang di-Pertuan Agong has consented Anwar as the sixth Prime Minister of Malaysia, the lie that managed to suck all PR MPs to believe that their plan has worked well enough.

Read Utusan Online here for more details.

Even Anwar lied to them that the Chief of Armed Forces was throwing his full support for him to be installed as the new PM.

Anwar Ibrahim walked out of the Dewan Rakyat in protest of the maiden speech of Bayan Baru MP Mohd Zahrain Hashim as an Independent member.

What next?

Trails of Broken promises

The British Members of Parliament have expressed their sympathies and concerns over the way Sarawakians and Sabahans have been treated in Malaysia after they have heard allegations and complaints from Sabah and Sarawak delegations.

“They are going to look into our allegations and complaints,” said Nicholas Bawin, leader of Sarawak delegation.

“I will look into the allegations and bring them to a higher level,”Sharma, who is the Labour MP for Ealing, told Bawin and Daniel John Jambun of Sabah.

“When Sabah and Sarawak agreed to set up Malaysia, they joined as equal partners with Malaya. However, due to constitutional amendment made to Article 1(2) of the Federal Constitution, the position of Sabah and Sarawak has been relegated to a mere one of the 13 States of Malaysia,” Bawin added.

Referring to Borneonisation of the civil service, he said that the reverse process of domination by Malayan officers has taken place. Almost all top civil service are dominated by Malayan officers down to the rank and file.

Bawin alleged: “The quota for the employment of natives in the service no longer applies in view of the flooding of civil service with Malayan officers as well as preference only to certain tribal groups.

“The giving of scholarships and educational grants are also very discriminatory. Children of native people are not given their dues when it comes to the award of scholarship and educational grants.

Those are strong statements made by Dr. Nicholas Bawin at the House of Commons, London on 9^th March. Read them all HERE at THE BROKEN SHIELD.

SUHAKAM is now being blamed for not exerting its role in view of Malaysia’s dipping ratings on human rights policing in the country. READ HERE.

Shattered Hopes and Broken Dreams

L-R, Dr, Nicholas Bawin of Sarawak, P. Waythayamoorty, Chairman Hindraf movement, Labour party MP, Virenda Sharma, and Daniel John Jambun of Sabah.

A Memorandum on the Fate of Sabah in the Malaysian Federation Presented by DANIEL JOHN JAMBUN, Esq, at the House of Commons, London, the United Kingdom on March 9, 2010.

“For decades now, we the people of Sabah, have been haunted by ghosts of history dating back to August 31, 1963, the day we gained independence from Great Britain. Malaysia was conceptualised and constituted with the best of promises, endearing in us hopes and dreams for a greater future. It is with sadness that I stand here to witness that what had transpired since September 16, 1963 had been a series of events that had led us to the present situation in which we can justly proclaim to be a situation of shattered hopes and broken dreams!”

READ THE ENTIRE SPEECH BY DANIEL JOHN JAMBUN HERE

Change the shirt

COMMENT By Phlip Rodrigues

After nearly 50 years in Malaysia, Sabah is not a story that has a happy ring to it. It is still a backward state; in fact, it remains one of the poorest in the country. The gulf that separates the “land below the wind” from the peninsula is as wide and deep as the South China Sea.

Let's take a walk down history lane. In the early years, politics over there had a laid-back quality. After the northern Bornean state joined Malaysia in 1963, Sabah was ruled by a succession of parties -- the United National Kadazan Organisation (1963-64); the Sabah Chinese Association (1965-67); United Sabah National Organisation (1967-75), which continued to hold power until 1976; and the shortlived reign of Berjaya (44 days). Then a new leader named Datuk Harris Salleh helmed Berjaya and went on to govern the state from 1976 to 1985.

It was during Harris' watch that politics took a turbulent turn and Sabah was never the same again. Harris grew increasingly autocratic and arrogant and thought the sky would not fall on him. But one man in his ruling party had had enough of his antics. The rebel: Datuk Seri Joseph Pairin Kitingan.

READ MORE HERE

Mr. Lee Kuan Yew: On Malaysian Malaysia

Fortunately for Lee Kuan Yew he did not make the judgmental error of making Singapore stay within Melayusia. He withdrew Singapore out! And I do not believe an iota on what was said that Singapore was booted out of Melayusia as claimed by leaders in Tanah Melayu. Bollocks!

Sabah could have done better if it had done same. And it's too bloody late for Sabah to make the exit now since so many Bajaus, Kadazans, Dusuns, Muruts, Bruneis, Bisayas, Sinos have become Malays and unfortunately, they appear to be more Malays than the Melayus of the West.

I have not taken into consideration the Filipinos, the Bugis, the Timorese, the Pakistanis who each have been 'given' the most doubtful MyKad to give to us the impression that they are Sabahans, thus Malaysians. These groups of people tend to show that they are more Sabahans than the Sabahans!

Need I say more to show my disgust? Are you not?

Idrus al-Haj.

You might have already read Mr. Lee Kuan Yew’s speech at the 4^th Anniversary Celebrations of Delta Community Centre on Sunday, 30^th May, 1995, but for those who haven’t had a chance yet, the following has been reproduced for your history lesson … and ponder on it. - LINUNDUS

REPORT OF MR. LEE KUAN YEW'S SPEECH AT THE 4TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATIONS OF DELTA COMMUNITY CENTRE ON SUNDAY, 30TH MAY, 1965.

The Singapore Prime Minister, Mr. Lee Kuan Yew, has declared that Singapore had never agreed to Malay rule when she joined Malaysia. What she had agreed to was Malaysian rule. He stressed that talks that the people of Singapore were not accustomed to Malay rule like the people of Kelantan and Trengganu were "all bunkum". He added, "Somebody is making a grave error of judgment if he thinks the people agreed to Malay rule in joining Malaysia."

Mr. Lee said the Malaysian constitution spelt out a democratic rule by representatives of the people by adult franchise. This meant one man one vote, and Malaysia ruled by Malaysians. Mr. Lee said that any talk of Malay rule was foolish and reckless because that was the surest way to bring about a great deal of unhappiness in Malaysia.

In his speech, Mr. Lee also explained why it was better to decide now and not wait till five or ten years' time whether there is going to be a Malaysian Malaysia. He stressed that if Malays were daily exhorted to unite on the basis of race and not nation, in five years' time it would be very difficult to change the thinking on the ground. Mr. Lee noted that the UMNO Secretary-General, Dato Syed Ja'afar Albar, had said in Parliament that there was no harm in calling on the Chinese to unite. Mr. Lee described Dato Syed Ja'afar Albar as "a man who does not spend his time calculating the significance of what he is doing. "Dato Syed Ja'afar Albar knew that the Chinese would never unite under the MCA. But if the Chinese who comprised 42 per cent of the population in Malaysia unite under a virile party, there would be real trouble for the country.

Describing such talk as foolish, Mr. Lee said, "This is the sort of thing we fought against in Singapore from 1959 to 1963. You know that the Barisan Sosialis used to go round and work people up on the basis of race. There is no future that way".

Mr. Lee went on to say that the present internal and international situations favoured an immediate decision on whether there is going to be a Malaysian Malaysia.

He said, "Another reason why it is necessary to decide now, not later on, is because it is easier for us, if they do not want a Malaysian Malaysia, to make a alternative arrangements, some other way. The Agreement in the Constitution must lead to a Malaysian nation, a Malaysian Malaysia, and if they want to stop it, they must use unconstitutional methods to stop it. So I say, if they want to do that, do it now. It will be easier for us to make other alternative arrangements. If that is what they want, we have got other ideas of looking after ourselves."

Mr. Lee said he did not want to talk too much about the alternative constitutional arrangements. One of these arrangements could be the getting together of all those states which want a Malaysian Malaysia. He said he could think of three states which would get together on this basis. They are Singapore, Sabah and Sarawak. Other possible states are Malacca and Penang. He said even the Sultan of Johore would not want his state to join Indonesia as suggested by the UMNO organ, Merdeka. Mr. Lee said he read from the newspapers that the Secretary-General of UMNO came from Celebes, born and bred there, and came to Singapore before the war. Mr. Lee added: "Maybe he wants to rejoin the Celebes, but I am sure the Sultan of Johore does not want to join Celebes, because it means joining Java and Indonesia."

Another point which Mr. Lee made on the necessity to decide now whether there is going to be a Malaysian Malaysia is that 61 per cent of the people in the country could not become Malays. However they could become Malaysians, loyal to Malaysia and accept the concept of Malaysian Malaysia.

Mr. Lee stressed that Malaysia does not have the capacity and not enough guns to govern the country by force -- with 80,000 square miles in Sabah and Sarawak, one-and-a-half times the size of Malaya, and with 1,000 miles of ocean in between. Mr. Lee reaffirmed, "The best way of all is to stick to the Constitution for a Malaysian Malaysia, honour and accommodate each other, make adjustments, live happily in a multi-racial society where everybody in an equal Malaysian citizen, regardless of race, language and religion."

Earlier, Mr. Lee said he was very proud to see what a tremendous transformation the Delta constituency had gone through since the big fire in 1961. Mr. Lee said, "From the ashes of that fire, we are building a new community. And this is a forerunner of what is possible in the rest of Singapore, and indeed in the rest of Malaysia, if we are prepared to be forebearing with each other to build a Malaysian Malaysia -- a Malaysia in which all Malaysians, regardless of race, language and religion share equally in the opportunities of life."

PRESS SECTION,

MINISTRY OF CULTURE.

MAY 31, 1965.

Jeffrey Kitingan to form new party?

By Joseph Bingkasan

KINABALU: After being side-lined by Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) from the party’s Sabah liaison committee, Datuk Dr Jeffrey Kitingan is mulling to proceed with his plans to form a new Sabah-based political party.

Sources said Jeffrey is considering to submit his application to the Registrar of Societies to register his party – One Nation Party (Parti Satu Negara, Paati Iso Pogun) or join a Sabah-based opposition party.

Among Jeffrey’s senior aides in preparing for the formation of the new party are former Sabah PKR deputy chief Daniel John Jambun and Mozes Iking, a lawyer who contested and lost to Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) president Datuk Seri Joseph Pairin Kitingan in Tambunan in the last general elections.

READ MORE HERE