HOW ABOUT A NATIONAL AWARD FOR THE KISSING COUPLE ?

Govt wants non-Muslims tried by Islamic court in Aceh
Source

The government insisted Tuesday that Muslims and non-Muslims alike in Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam should be tried by the planned Islamic Court in the predominantly Muslim province.
State Secretary Yusril Ihza Mahendra told the special committee deliberating a bill on the province's administration that non-Muslims accused of committing ordinary crimes, such as theft and adultery, would be tried under the sharia-inspired bylaws (qanun).
Yusril, responding the proposal of several legislators who wanted non-Muslims to be given the freedom to choose under which law they would be tried, said it would only create legal uncertainty.
"Should such freedom be given, non-Muslims will certainly choose to be tried under the Criminal Code because it carries more lenient punishment," Yusril told the hearing, held to discuss the authority of the planned Islamic Court, also known as Mahkamah Sharia.
Yusril said that in the case of adultery, non-Muslims who committed adultery with Muslims would undoubtedly opt for trial by the Criminal Code because it was more lenient than the stoning or other forms of corporal punishment stipulated under Islamic Law.
A number of factions, such as the Christian-based Prosperous Peace Party (PDS) and the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), have proposed that non-Muslims be given the freedom to choose under which law they would be tried for ordinary crimes.
Yusril said later in the hearing that non-Muslims could be exempted for trial by the Islamic Court only in cases related to domestic matters, such as distribution of wealth as well as business and monetary issues.

The government of Indonesian now wants all non Muslim to be tried by Shar'ia laws in Acheh. This Islamist agenda may be on a slow train in Malaysia, nevertheless it is still on track and chugging along to its final destination - "The Station of Shar'ia Law for All" . Meanwhile, Malaysians continue to be complacent about the inch by inch surrender of our constitutional rights to the once shadowy but now powerful and visible proponents of Shar'ia law in Malaysia.
And as in all communities there will be "Judases" within, lurking, waiting for an opportunity to gladly sell their brethren for the biblical 30 pieces of silver, or for more lucrative contracts from the powers that are. Nevertheless, there will always be courageous people who will continue to stand up and be counted in the jihad against these Malaysian Taliban's.
Amongst the very few who have shown great selfless courage of standing up and not wavering despite being negatively tagged as “the now estranged couple” with “the indecent behaviour” are Ooi Kean Thong and Siow Ai Wei.
The "warong kopi" would like to propose that they be nominated for next year Maulidur Rasul Award* - for they have indeed displayed the hallmark of uncommon courage and have shown selfless sacrifice by defending Malaysians of their constitutional rights on fundamental liberties . This is despite the setbacks in their relationship , the snide and disparaging remarks that they have faced.

* The Maulidur Rasul Award or the Prophet Muhammad birthday celebration award are given to people who sacrifice themselves for a greater good without expectation of any reward.

Former couple must defend case
Source

Local authorities have the power to enact bylaws to curb disorderly behaviour in areas under their jurisdiction, the Federal Court ruled
However, the apex court said the magistrate's court hearing such complaints would have to determine whether hugging and kissing constitute indecent behaviour.
As such, estrange couple Ooi Kean Thong and Siow Ai Wei will now have to defend their case - which made headline in 2003 - at the magistrate's court.
The bench held that the Federal Territory park bylaw was not ultra vires Article 5 of the federal Constitution, which guaranteed liberty of the person,

THE SHAMEFUL MALAYSIAN MUSLIM SILENCE ON DARFUR.

"There are people like you in Darfur

The Community Leader
Suliman Hassid is the 87-year-old chief of a once-thriving Darfurian village called Shiga Karo. Compared to other villages, Hassid’s was lucky: a ring of hills surrounding it made ground attacks by Janjaweed raiders difficult. But Sudanese government planes still bombed Shiga Karo repeatedly last year, killing six residents and driving most of the rest to flee. Now, the only people remaining for Hassid to lead are the hundreds of refugee women and children camped at the nearby river, slowly starving. “Where are they supposed to go?” asks Hassid. “They don't have the means to go to Chad, and they don’t want to run to the camps of a government that is killing them.” (“Once-Prosperous Sudanese Scavenge to Survive,” The Boston Globe)
The Laborer
When the Janjaweed attacked Hamid Maraja Hassan’s village, the farmer told his family to flee as he rounded up the goats and cattle that were their only valuable possessions. His 23 year old son, however, tried to come back to help him — Hassan found him after the attack, dying from a gunshot wound. After another month of Janjaweed assaults and a 25-mile trek, the family settled with thousands of other displaced Darfurians in a camp full of tiny shelters — many lacking even plastic sheeting to keep off rain. Hassan, undeterred, sought out work digging latrines and helping in local shops to earn food for his family. But when other family members wonder what will become of them, Hassan says, “I have to tell them, ‘I don't know.’ It is not in our power to know.” (“How Did Darfur Happen?” New York Times Magazine)
The Religious Leader
“The government wants to kill all African people, Muslim or not Muslim,” says Imam Abdullah of the village of Jalanga Kudumi. Though both Darfurians and their Sudanese Arab assailants hail mostly from Islamic backgrounds, government forces and Janjaweed have burned scores of Darfurian mosques to the ground and killed worshippers inside. In a village near Abdullah’s, raiders entered a mosque, desecrated its Korans, then murdered its imam and other clergy. “We do not know why the government burns our mosques and kills our imams,” says Abdullah. “Our Islam is good. We pray all the time. We read the Koran all the time. … They are not good Muslims,” he concludes. ("The shameful Muslim silence on Dafur- ThedailyStar-Lebanon)
The Teacher
Armani Tinjany used to teach agriculture in a Darfur high school. She had a university degree and was an important member of her community. Since the genocide began, however, Sudanese Arab attackers have been destroying schools and arresting educators — they seek to wipe out not only black Darfurians, but the generations of Darfuri cultural heritage that are passed on through education. Tinjany was forced to abandon her home and flee to Chad, but she didn’t give up. Hand-washing laundry earned her enough money to open a school in her refugee camp. Last summer, however, even that was lost when the rainy season came. Armani prepared to start again, but refugee life has left her weak, malnourished, and without hope that she will ever return to Darfur to teach. (“Targeting the Teachers of Darfur,” The Washington Post)
The Businessman
Moussa Safi was once one of the most prosperous men in Furawiyah, a village that was itself one of the most prosperous in Darfur. His entrepreneurship had brought him a large, comfortable home and substantial savings. But in February 2004 Sudanese government planes bombed his village, and Sudanese troops and Janjaweed rampaged through, killing villagers because they were black and robbing them because they were wealthy. Now there is nothing left of Safi’s home and savings but ashes. “As a Muslim, I was taught to treat people with respect and honesty. That was also important to me as a businessman,” Safi says. “The Janjaweed are also Muslims, but what they teach us is that Islam is for Arabs, not for blacks.” (“Once-Prosperous Sudanese Scavenge to Survive,” The Boston Globe)

What a bunch of hypocrites Malaysians have turned out to be.
When Sunni Muslims of Caucasian descent were killed in a far distant place called Bosnia, Malaysia called for air strikes against Serbian targets. When the war to liberate Iraqi Shites and the Kurds began , NGO’s and political parties in Malaysia came together and marched in their tens of thousands to support a Sunni Arab tyrant. When Sunni black Africans in Darfur are murdered in thousands upon thousands by Sunni Arabs, the proponents of Malaysia global peace continue to see no evil and to hear no evil.
Could it be that Malaysians both Muslims and non Muslims view black Africans with the same racist eyes as these murderous Sudanese Arabs or is it due to economic interest - Petronas with its largest overseas investment in Sudan - that we choose to remain quiet?
Then we are the Janjeweed who squeeze the trigger of the rifle at a fleeing mother with her child.

Links :


Eyewitness To Genocide


Committee On Conscience
Darfur Genocide In the News

CalSTRS to sell stocks with Sudan links
Source
The share price of MISC Bhd came under pressure….. following a Bloomberg report that the California State Teachers' Retirement System (CalSTRS), the second largest US pension fund, plans to sell stocks of companies with business in Sudan.
Among the big-cap stocks that fund managers invest in, MISC stood out as directly having business operations in Sudan.
MISC has a joint venture in the transport sector in Sudan. Ironically, the venture was intended to provide transport, with humanitarian interests, for the United Nations World Food Programme there.
Besides that, MISC has a joint venture with Sudan Shipping Line.
Politicians in California have also called, for instance, for CalPERS (California Public Employees' Retirement System), the largest US pension fund, to take similar steps. They want the funds to join their protest against human rights abuses in Darfur, Sudan. The scheme is the largest teachers' retirement fund in the United States, with more than 775,900 members and assets of over US$129bil…….

VIVA REAL DEMOCRACY! VIVA MALAYSIA!

"....While oppressive authoritarian rule and corruption must be avoided, firm and strong Governments must be allowed to govern and to develop their countries. The idea that a country is not democratic unless disruptive forces are allowed to threaten peace and stability must be rejected. The essence of democracy should be Government by representatives elected by a majority of the people. Liberalism which permits the individual or minority rights to negate the rights of the majority need not be regarded as an essential part of democracy...." Mahathir Mohamad - Oct 28th 2000 - HongKong
Source

Tsk! Tsk! Tsk! What a difference two and a half years make. THE promoter of authoritian rule in Malaysia has become a major disruptive force and a constant pain to the government. Now that MM has changed his political belief in authoritarian rule to that of liberalism, he will need a platform to promote this new found agenda.
The folks at the warong kopi would like to suggest that there is no better platform to accommodate his new enlightenment then that of KeadilianRayat. It espouses freedom of conscience, speech, movement, public assembly and association for all - something that MM now preach. The party racial composition and political power structure are reflective of the BN and with the grand prize thrown in - A democratic chance (No minimum nomination needed) to replace Anwar Ibrahim as the party adviser and to put his personal "pain in the rear" to real political oblivion. Viva real democracy! Viva Malaysia!

Dr M: " ... therefore they can do anything they like?"
Source
PUTRAJAYA: Former premier Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad today (April 17, 2006) said he will continue to give his views and opinions on issues that affected the country although he was only a private citizen now.Asked if he was going back on his assurance not to interfere on retirement, Mahathir replied: "They think because I gave the assurance I will not interfere after I retire, therefore they can do anything they like?"
He said he may have given that assurance, but he would speak up if he thinks things are not done right as in the case of the decision not to proceed with the bridge project to Singapore.
"I just want to be an ordinary citizen and give my views as an ordinary citizen. It is up to the government to think whatever they want about what I have to say. You can't say I can't voice my opinion."
Mahathir added that people should not be suppressed of information, news and their right to voice their views, including his proposal about the referendum on the bridge to replace the causeway.

EASTER...........DEATH IS NOT THE END.

EASTER .... ... who cares? What difference does it make? All the difference between heaven and hell, that's all. Because He died, was buried and three days later rose again, that guarantees that we believers will also rise. Death is not the end. It's the beginning of eternal life in heaven or eternal misery in hell. This is the hope of the earth, so we can sing with certainty,

"Hallelujah, We Shall Rise."
Source

WE SHALL RISE.

In the resurrection morning, When the trump of God shall sound,
We shall rise, we shall rise! Then the saints will come rejoicing.
And no tears will e'er be found, We shall rise, we shall rise.

We shall rise! Hallelujah! Amen! We shall rise!
In the resurrection morning when death's prison bars are broken,
We shall rise, Hallelujah, we shall rise!

In the resurrection morning, What a meeting it will be,
We shall rise, we shall rise! When our fathers and our mothers,
And our loved ones we shall see, We shall rise, we shall rise.

In the resurrection morning, Blessed tho it is to me,
We shall rise, we shall rise! I shall see my blessed Saviour,
Who so freely died for me, We shall rise, we shall rise.

In the resurrection morning, We shall meet Him in the air,
We shall rise, we shall rise! And be carried up to glory,
To our home so bright and fair, We shall rise, we shall rise.

EACH EXTRA CENTIMETER MAKES ALL THE DIFFERENCE

Foreign Minister: Bridge debate going overboard -- Source

KUALA LUMPUR: Cut down on the debates, Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar told MPs and other parties who have voiced their concern about the delay to build the new bridge across the Johor straits.
"The less we debate openly about the matter, the easier the topics can be finalised, including the technical details," he added.
In the meantime, Malaysia was going ahead with a RM620mil so-called "scenic bridge" that would go only halfway across the channel. It is scheduled to be completed in 36 months and will start operations by April 1, 2009.
Syed Hamid reiterated that the Government would not stop the construction of the new bridge and neither would it end its negotiations with Singapore.

The country is in deep waters when a Minister of the government can kill off debates by insisting that “The less we debate openly about the matter ("The Scenic Bridge" aka "The Bridge to Nowhere") the easier the topics can be finalised”
He sounds eerily like Mahathir Mohamad when told, that Article 121(1A) of the apartheid Islamic Family Law was amended in 1988 during his administration, the Minister Mentor retorted, “Yes…during my time there was no protest…nothing, so I supposed, I got away with it”
It looks like his Sifu taught him well “Tolerate no protest, brook no opposition”

Interestingly the US of A is also embroiled with their pork barrel “Bridge to Nowhere”. The approximately 2.7 km long bridge connecting Gravina Island to Ketchikan on the Revilla Island in Alaska will span 2 channels. The bridge itself will cost RM825 million, or an average of RM305 million a kilometre in ice cold Alaska. Our 1.4 km bridge will cost RM620 million or RM442 million per kilometre. It is a universal understanding that each extra centimeter makes all the difference to the wallet.

Battle Over ‘Bridge to Nowhere’ Continues -- Source

After it received $223 million as a special “earmark” project in last year’s highway and transportation bill, the bridge between Gravina Island and Ketchikan in Southeast Alaska was called “The Bridge to Nowhere.”
Critics pointed out that Gravina only had approximately 50 residents, while Ketchikan had approximately 8,000. Connecting them with a bridge would cost a total of $315 million.
They also declared that this special bridge was only included in last year’s highway and transportation bill because it was sponsored by Rep. Don Young, R-AK, a dominant figure in transportation funding, because he is chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.
Now the question is: “What are the plans for the Bridge to Nowhere; when will it be built?”
No one seems to know for sure.
Young isn’t commenting. His press office referred all calls to the transportation committee’s communications director, who did not return repeated phone requests for information.

ETHNICITY + CREED = TRUE MALAYSIANS ??

No quick fix to bridge the racial divide
Link : NST

" Racial polarisation is not new in our universities, manifesting itself in almost every facet of campus life.
Study groups are invariably mono-ethnic; students are averse to sharing hostel rooms with those of other races, and inter-racial social interaction is rare.
In a survey on ethnic relations among UUM students last year, all ethnic groups showed a distinct inclination to interact among their own race
They are also more likely to pick those of their own race as room-mates and help them in whatever way they can.
It did not help that polarisation takes root long before many first set foot into universities; the country’s diverse system of national, national-type and religious schools sets students apart at an early age……."

This article from the NST talks about fixing racial divides and how Malaysians are caught in the never ending loop of racial polarization. This (Main Stream Media) MSM has also pointed out that racial stereotyping invariably starts at an early age and changing this mindset will take more than time. It will take tremendous effort on the part of each Malaysian and the political will of the government to do this.


True Malaysians give their views on unity
Link : NST

" Reza Faisal,28, Ismel Azian Abu Bakar, 33 and Shemei Chong Abdul Aziz, 26, can claim to be more Malaysian than most.
Simply because they are of mixed parentage.
Reza’s father is Indian and his mother of Malay and Nyonya Chinese parentage.
Ismel Azian’s father is Malay and her mother is Chinese, while Shemei Chong’s father is Chinese and her mother Malay.
All three say being of mixed parentage has helped them feel Malaysian in every sense of the word and to better understand people of all races...."

This NST write-up was published below the above article – on an interview with 3 Malaysians of mixed parentage - which this MSM has claimed to be more Malaysian than most other people. There is one with an Indian father and a Malay mother, the second with a Malay father and Chinese mother and the third, a Chinese father and a Malay mother.
Ausoooooo! Now it is crystal clear! – to better understand people of different races and to be defined as more than a true Malaysian - one of our parent must have two common denominators present - a) Malay bloodline and b) Muslim.
So that makes 51% of population in Malaysia who are less then true blue.

Ariff : Malay reps not united
The Star – 27th March

" The Malay voice has drowned in the state assembly because the community is not united. Seberang Jaya assemblymen Ariff Shah Omar Shah said it was disheartening to note that some Malay assemblymen did not support Malay issues brought up during state assembly meetings….he called for non government organizations to actively bring up issues plaguing the Malays. “We hope the NGO’s will not keep mum as well. We now have to work together with NGO’s so that the voice of the Malays is heard”...."

Strangely, this YB from Penang – although possessing the two important all denominators of what it takes to be the NST defined, “True Malaysian” he seems to be less than true blue. He is officially known as a state assemblyman of N10- Seberang Jaya elected to the Penang State Assembly by Malaysians but he speaks as a representative of an ethnic group in Penang. Incidentally, the next election must be held by 2009.