IPOH 4 Mei - Pemimpin UMNO di Perak hari ini kesal dengan perbuatan Pengerusi DAP, Karpal Singh dan Pengerusi DAP negeri, Datuk Ngeh Koo Ham yang mencabar titah Sultan Perak dengan mengeluarkan kenyataan bahawa sultan tidak berhak melantik semula pegawai kerajaan termasuk di Jabatan Agama Islam Perak (JAIP).
Ahli Dewan Undangan Negeri kawasan Manong, Datuk Ramly Zahary berkata, pandangan itu tidak benar kerana telah wujud konvensyen antara kerajaan negeri dan istana membabitkan pentadbiran agama Islam di Perak.
''Pihak istana berhak menentukan arah tuju peraturan agama Islam negeri berlandaskan konvensyen itu," katanya di sini hari ini.
Beliau berkata demikian ketika diminta mengulas laporan akhbar berbahasa Inggeris yang memetik Karpal Singh sebagai berkata, sebarang kenyataan yang dibuat oleh Sultan Perak perlu mendapat nasihat daripada pegawai undang-undang dan sultan tidak berhak untuk memecat atau menukar mana-mana pegawai kerajaan termasuk di JAIP.
Kelmarin, Sultan Perak, Sultan Azlan menitahkan pertukaran serta-merta yang diarahkan oleh Menteri Besar Perak, Datuk Seri Ir. Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin terhadap Pengarah JAIP, Datuk Jamry Sury ditarik balik.
Istana Perak menyifatkan perbuatan Mohammad Nizar menukar Jamry Selasa lalu telah membelakangkan kedudukan Sultan Perak sebagai ketua agama Islam dan Raja Muda Perak selaku Yang Dipertua Majlis Agama Islam dan Adat Istiadat Melayu Perak (MAIAMP).
Sementara itu Menteri Di Jabatan Perdana Menteri, Datuk Seri Dr. Ahmad Zahid Hamidi mendesak anugerah Darjah Paduka Mahkota Perak (DPMP) yang diterima oleh Koo Ham ditarik balik memandangkan sikap kurang ajar pemimpin DAP itu mencabar titah Tuanku Sultan Azlan Shah.
[More at http://www.utusan.com.my/utusan/info.asp?y=2008&dt=0505&pub=Utusan_Malaysia&sec=Politik&pg=po_02.htm]
Sunday, May 4, 2008
Pemimpin UMNO kesal Karpal, Koo Ham cabar titah Sultan Perak - Utusan
Perak DAP Chairman Shows True Colour Of DAP, Says Ahmad Zahid - Bernama
KUALA LUMPUR, May 4 (Bernama) -- The statement made by the Perak State Executive Councillor, Datuk Ngeh Koo Ham, who is also Perak DAP chairman, Saturday showed the true colour of the DAP, said Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.
He said Ngeh's statement that the state government would take action against any senior state government officers who tried to sabotage the policies of the state government under Pakatan Rakyat implied as though Ngeh was protesting the order of the Sultan of Perak, Sultan Azlan Shah, which reinstated Datuk Jamry Suri as Director of the Perak Islamic Religious Department (JAIP).
"It's as though he is protesting the order of His Royal Highness who reinstated Datuk Jamry as JAIP Director," he told Bernama Sunday night.
He was commenting on press reports which quoted Ngeh as saying that the Perak state government would issue `show cause' letters to senior officers of the state government who were alleged to have tried to sabotage the policies of the state government under Pakatan Rakyat.
The media Saturday reported that Perak Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin would seek an audience with the Sultan of Perak to apologise for the sudden transfer of Jamry as the JAIP Director.
Jamry, who assumed the post of JAIP Director since 2004, was ordered transferred to the State Secretariat as a Special Functions Officer by Mohammad Nizar on April 29 as he was alleged to be uncooperative.
[More at http://www.bernama.com/bernama/v3/news.php?id=330725]
Bunga Tanjong's Dissolution, Donation To Bakti Deemed Ultra Vires - Bernama
PENANG, May 4 (Bernama) -- The Penang government regards the action of the Pertubuhan Bunga Tanjong (PBT) office-bearers to dissolve the association and to donate its funds to Bakti (Association of Wives of Ministers and Deputy Ministers) as ultra vires to its constitution and against the law.
Political secretary of the Chief Minister, Ng Wei Aik, said it was unethical for the PBT (Association of Wives of Penang Elected Representatives) management to dissolve the association or make decisions on it as they no longer qualified to lead it or be its ordinary members.
In his letter to PBT president, Puan Sri Chui Kah Peng, and faxed to the press here, he demanded that Chui clarify whether three-fifths of its 45 members had, on March 9, the right to make the decision to dissolve PBT and to hand over RM350,000 of its funds amounting to RM590,665, to Bakti as they had lost the right to be PBT members under its constitution.
According to the PBT constitution, membership is restricted to the wives of Penang assemblymen and parliamentarians, except from the opposition.
"There is no mention of wives of BN assemblymen and MPs and the association's registered address is the Chief Minister's Office, 28th Floor, Komtar," Ng pointed out.
"Therefore, accordingly, PBT should be led by and comprise the wives of the elected representatives of the new state government."
[More at http://www.bernama.com/bernama/v3/news.php?id=330720]
Malaysia angers women with travel-restriction idea - Reuters
KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - Malaysian women's groups reacted with outrage on Sunday to a government proposal to impose restrictions on women planning to travel overseas on their own.
The mainly Muslim country is considering requiring women to obtain the written consent of their families or employers before being allowed to travel alone outside the country, state news agency Bernama said on Saturday, quoting the foreign minister.
"It is totally ridiculous and it's a totally regressive proposal with regards to women's right to movement," said Norhayati Kaprawi, spokeswoman for Sisters in Islam.
The National Council for Women's Organisations called it unfair. "This is an infringement of our rights," council deputy president Faridah Khalid told the New Sunday Times.
The foreign and home ministries came up with the idea in response to a string of cases where women traveling alone were used by international drug syndicates to smuggle drugs across borders, Bernama said, quoting Foreign Minister Rais Yatim.
Bernama portrayed the proposal as an anti-crime measure rather than a religiously inspired idea and said it aimed to ensure that a woman's family would "monitor her departure and serve as a preventive measure against being duped".
[More at http://www.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUSKLR16054520080504]
Nazri: Be mindful of status, stature of Rulers - The Star
KUALA KANGSAR: Datuk Seri Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin should exercise greater care in carrying out his duties as the Perak menteri besar, especially in matters pertaining to Islam and Malay customs.
Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Nazri Abdul Aziz reminded Mohammad Nizar and top officials in all state governments, that they should be mindful of the status of the Malay Rulers.
"Many people think the Malay Rulers are merely ceremonial figures and have no say in the administration of the state. The truth is, the Rulers have a special position in the power-sharing equation in the states.
"Even the British had exercised their power on all administrative matters except those touching on Islam and Malay customs. These two areas come directly under the purview of the Malay Rulers," he said after closing a village health camp at Kampung Sauk here yesterday.
"We have continued the practice after we attained independence. In matters relating to Islam and Malay customs, the state governments, under the leadership of the menteris besar, must obtain approval from the Rulers," said Nazri.
Therefore, he said, when a menteri besar failed to consult the Ruler, the Ruler had the right to point out the wrong and issue direction to correct the situation.
He said Sultan of Perak Sultan Azlan Shah acted rightly by instructing Nizar to withdraw the transfer order and reinstate Jamry as the director of the Perak state Religious Department. Jamry is also secretary of the Perak Islamic Affairs and Malay Customs Council.
[More at http://www.nst.com.my/Sunday/National/2230998/Article/index_html]
Travellers impressed to see Lim flying economy class - The Star
PENANG: Some things have not changed with Lim Guan Eng, although he is now the Penang Chief Minister.
And among that is his penchant for economy class air travel.
As the chief executive of Penang, Lim is entitled to a business class seat but he is having none of it.
As travellers queued to get into the airplane, many are surprised to see Lim standing in line with them, just like in the days before the DAP wrested Penang from the Barisan Nasional in the March general election.
Among those who were surprised to see the Penang CM in economy class were songbird Ning Baizura and her manager Vernon Kedit Jolly, who were at KL International Airport last Wednesday.
Jolly was so moved that he wrote about it on his blog, which spurned off reactions among other bloggers.
[More at http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2008/5/4/nation/21148152&sec=nation]
Opposition: Free media vital for democracy to flourish - The Star
PETALING JAYA: The enactment of a Freedom of Information Act and the repeal of the Printing Presses and Publications Act (PPPA) is necessary for democracy to flourish in Malaysia, Opposition leaders said.
In marking World Press Freedom Day yesterday, Opposition parties called on the Government to establish a free media environment.
Parti Keadilan Rakyat president Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail said having a free media was important and that it was the Government’s muzzling of the mainstream media during the last general election that led to the flourishing of cyber warriors.
“The Prime Minster himself admitted the effect the cyber-warriors had but unfortunately did not take note of it.
“Investigations by the authorities on a blogger and a columnist of The Sun on the eve of World Press Freedom Day also shows that the Government failed to understand what the masses want,” Dr Wan Azizah said.
DAP secretary-general and Penang Chief Minister, Lim Guan Eng, said the PPPA requirement for publishers and printers to apply for fresh permits annually had prevented free and independent journalism.
[More at http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2008/5/4/nation/21148194&sec=nation]
Rice bowl state runs out of grain - The Star
ALOR STAR: Subsidised local rice is said to be no longer available in the state and the Government has directed an investigation into the matter.
Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister Datuk Shahrir Samad, who called on the Control of Padi and Rice Division to do so, said he wanted to know why such rice was no longer available.
“I have asked the division (which comes under the Agriculture and Agrobased Industry Ministry) to check.
“On matters concerning rice, the Consumer Affairs Ministry's enforcement unit can only assist the division,” he said when contacted yesterday.
He said this when responding to complaints from Kedah consumers and traders that they could no longer get the local (ST) super grade rice.
ST, which contains 15% broken grains, is the cheapest rice available. The controlled price of the ST grade rice is between RM16.50 and RM17.50 for a 10kg packet.
[More at http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2008/5/4/nation/21147824&sec=nation]
Non-bumi quota in residential schools won’t be increased - The Star
KUALA PILAH: There is no need to increase the enrolment of non-bumiputra students in government residential schools, said Education Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein.
He said it was difficult to produce a formula that could please everyone and that the present arrangement would remain.
“If we talk about residential schools, then people will start talking about the exclusivity of the religious schools and the SJKC and SJKT schools.
“I, for one, am happy with the diversity as this is our strength ... we should celebrate this diversity,” he said after visiting SM Sains Tuanku Ja’afar near here.
Hishammuddin was asked if more non-bumiputras should be allowed to study in residential schools which normally did better that normal schools in the academic field.
Of the country’s 54 residential schools, only the Mara Junior Colleges reserved 10% of its seats for non-bumiputra students.
[More at http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2008/5/4/nation/21148269&sec=nation]
