29 August 2009
Press statement by MCA NGO Liaison Bureau chairman & Central Committee member Datuk Ti Lian Ker on the placing of a cow’s head at the Selangor state secretariat building
It is with the deepest regret that I write to condemn all forms of extremism. The recent act of displaying a cow head and holding the Government to ransom is an act of treason and seditious in nature.
I call upon all political parties to dissociate themselves from such a barbaric act and to condemn this despicable act in the spirit of our coming Independence Day celebration.
This act of provocation is an insensitivity of the highest order and absolutely abhorable. No responsible citizen should support or justify such acts which tantamount to a war cry in a peaceful and peace loving country like ours.
Has our civil society deteriorated to an extent that we must provoke the sacred beliefs of our brethrens? We must be mindful that all forms of extremism begets extremism! Malaysia is a multi-racial society practising tolerance and moderation. All religions preach tolerance and respect for each other.
Religious freedom is enshrined in our Federal Constitution. We have laws and order governing our religious practices. Nobody should challenge or undermine the due process of the law. There are no laws or regulations by racial or religious sentiments or by numbers based on racial composition of an area.
The barbaric mob act of displaying the head of a cow and threatening bloodshed is a felony and the authorities must act immediately to uphold the spirit of rule of law and to stop further trespass in total disregard or disrespect of the law.
Datuk Ti Lian Ker
Chairman
MCA NGO Liaison Bureau
Monday, August 31, 2009
Thursday, August 27, 2009
SEMINAR “THE ROLE OF NGOS IN PROMOTING DIALOGUE ACROSS VALUES & CULTURE
MCA NGO Bureau Activity
18 – 19 September 2009
"Street demonstrations are everywhere". Conflicts, clashes between tradition and modernity as well as between moderation and extremism, the voices of reasn and harmony seenm to be marginalised. Negative stereotypes and politics of fear and suspicion tend to deepen divides, making friendship difficult to sustain across ethnic lines. Having said these, NGOs have the potential to address some of these issues especially in the context of dialogue towards greater understanding of different cultures and values.
The 2-day event was officially opened by YB Senator Tuan Murugiah A/L Thopasamy, Deputy Minister of the PM's Department. He shared his personal encounter of ethnic divides in most recent events taken place. Malaysians are encouraged to instil '1-Malaysia' especially among the younger generation.
Objective of the seminar:-
1) To educate & promote dialogue as a means to manage issues and conflicts;
2) To bring together NGOs and organisations to share experiences and work on dialogue across cultures;
3) To build a network of NGOs for more effective dialogue across cultures and values;
4) To link with international initiatives to promote dialogue as a culture of peace.
There were 5 sessions altogether:-
1) The Role of NGOs in Promoting Dialogue: Understanding Dialogue
2) The Role of NGOs in Promoting Dialogue: Sharing successful experiences
3) The Role of NGOs in Promoting Dialogue: Challenges & Issues
4) The Role of NGOs in Promoting Dialogue: The relevance of the Earth
5) The Role of NGOs in Promoting Dialogue: Dialogue for Building of Bridges of Understanding
Anti-Human Trafficking Act 2007 to be amended to overcome weaknesses
Extracted from
http://www.theedgemalaysia.com/political-news/148140-anti-human-trafficking-act-2007-to-be-amended-to-overcome-weaknesses.html
Written by Bernama
Wednesday, 26 August 2009 21:14
KUALA LUMPUR: The Human Rights Commission (Suhakam) is proposing to the Attorney-General's Chambers to focus on enhancing the expertise of the police on several matters related to the trafficking of humans.
Suhakam commissioner Datuk Dr Raj Abdul Karim said two weaknesses in the police identified by the commission were in identifying victims and in the repatriation of victims.
Raj said these had to be improved urgently to eradicate cases of human trafficking in the country as well as ensuring that victims were not treated as offenders.
"We need to look back to the Anti-Human Trafficking Act in Malaysia because there are some loop holes and there are some areas that we need to strengthen," Raj said.
She added that it is important to have a good screening and identification system in order to differentiate, during a raid on certain entertainment outlets, whether those detained should be considered as victim of human trafficking or were voluntary.
Raj said this to reporters at a news conference at the National Human Rights Institute (NHRI)'s Asean Protocol Development Workshop on the Trafficking of Women and Children here today.
Raj stressed that training to enhance related skills need not be limited to police personnel but should also involve other enforcement agencies like Customs, Immigration, maritime agencies and also Rela.
"Members of enforcement agencies need to know the way to treat a victim, never to treat them as offenders. They should be more careful in asking questions and managing victims.
"Such training is very important. They must not be angry, if you are angry and fierce no one will give answers and cooperation or useful information. As such the police need to be properly trained and provide good protection," she said.
Raj said Suhakam also wanted the Anti-Human Trafficking Act 2007 to be tidied up to ensure the process of repatriation was orderly.
"This is because the sending back process is not proper as there is no physical and mental preparation," she clarified.
"Besides that the existing act only allows a victim holding centre to be managed by the government but we want non-governmental organisations to also run them," Raj added.
Right now Malaysia has only three holding centre, two in Kuala Lumpur and one in Sabah.
The Anti-Human Trafficking Act 2007 is presently being reviewed by the AG's Chambers to make some changes to it.
Asked about the conclusion of the two-day workshop, Raj said representatives of the NHRIs from Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines and Thailand unanimously voiced their desire to step up efforts to handle the issue of trafficking in women and children collectively by disseminating information to the public. — Bernama
http://www.theedgemalaysia.com/political-news/148140-anti-human-trafficking-act-2007-to-be-amended-to-overcome-weaknesses.html
Written by Bernama
Wednesday, 26 August 2009 21:14
KUALA LUMPUR: The Human Rights Commission (Suhakam) is proposing to the Attorney-General's Chambers to focus on enhancing the expertise of the police on several matters related to the trafficking of humans.
Suhakam commissioner Datuk Dr Raj Abdul Karim said two weaknesses in the police identified by the commission were in identifying victims and in the repatriation of victims.
Raj said these had to be improved urgently to eradicate cases of human trafficking in the country as well as ensuring that victims were not treated as offenders.
"We need to look back to the Anti-Human Trafficking Act in Malaysia because there are some loop holes and there are some areas that we need to strengthen," Raj said.
She added that it is important to have a good screening and identification system in order to differentiate, during a raid on certain entertainment outlets, whether those detained should be considered as victim of human trafficking or were voluntary.
Raj said this to reporters at a news conference at the National Human Rights Institute (NHRI)'s Asean Protocol Development Workshop on the Trafficking of Women and Children here today.
Raj stressed that training to enhance related skills need not be limited to police personnel but should also involve other enforcement agencies like Customs, Immigration, maritime agencies and also Rela.
"Members of enforcement agencies need to know the way to treat a victim, never to treat them as offenders. They should be more careful in asking questions and managing victims.
"Such training is very important. They must not be angry, if you are angry and fierce no one will give answers and cooperation or useful information. As such the police need to be properly trained and provide good protection," she said.
Raj said Suhakam also wanted the Anti-Human Trafficking Act 2007 to be tidied up to ensure the process of repatriation was orderly.
"This is because the sending back process is not proper as there is no physical and mental preparation," she clarified.
"Besides that the existing act only allows a victim holding centre to be managed by the government but we want non-governmental organisations to also run them," Raj added.
Right now Malaysia has only three holding centre, two in Kuala Lumpur and one in Sabah.
The Anti-Human Trafficking Act 2007 is presently being reviewed by the AG's Chambers to make some changes to it.
Asked about the conclusion of the two-day workshop, Raj said representatives of the NHRIs from Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines and Thailand unanimously voiced their desire to step up efforts to handle the issue of trafficking in women and children collectively by disseminating information to the public. — Bernama
Friday, August 21, 2009
Support effort to tell full PKFZ story
Extracted from http:
//www.sun2surf.com/article.cfm?id=37100
TRANSPORT Minister Datuk Seri Ong Tee Kiat seems to be besieged by all kinds of problems simply because he refuses to succumb to the “tidak apa” attitude so often adopted with relative ease by others when challenged. Furthermore, he wants to live up to his reputation as a straight talker, a reformer and a fighter.
He could have just laid back and savoured his election to MCA’s presidency and his appointment to a top cabinet post. Of course what he does in his party is of little concern to most Malaysians but how he leads a ministry with such a huge budget and so much on its plate is of much concern to all the people of this country especially when it is saddled with a multi-billion ringgit scandal of the Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ) – probably proving to be the most expensive debacle ever.
He could have relegated it to the bottom of his priorities as the scandal happened during his predecessors’ watch but he decided that the rakyat must know about the billions that were spent and the billions more that may have to be spent to rehabilitate the zone. To him the government and the ministry he leads owed them that. And so he sanctioned several independent investigations, one of them by PricewaterhouseCoopers, into the badly managed project. The results highlighted the poor level of oversight and governance and numerous conflicts of interest in PKFZ’s development. That was the beginning of the problems for him.
There were moments when it seemed he would be overwhelmed by them. The onslaughts against him have not stopped and may look like they are meant to distract him from his ministry’s current priority of getting to the bottom of the scandal. It is for a cause like this that everyone from those in the cabinet to the poor taxpayers must rally behind the man who is leading the charge.
In the past Malaysians had been shocked by a number of public scandals. But after some days or even weeks of front-page treatment by major newspapers they subsequently were relegated to the inside pages and eventually just faded away. They resurface occasionally in reports on preliminary findings of a task force or special committee. But by that time Malaysians had already lost interest in whatever had happened even though it was their money that was involved. Even though the culprits were exposed – the public had known about them long before the findings were announced – reactions were mostly muted.
But the PKFZ scandal just refuses to die or fade away. Malaysians should, therefore, support the efforts to keep it that way until they know the full story of the PKFZ.
//www.sun2surf.com/article.cfm?id=37100
TRANSPORT Minister Datuk Seri Ong Tee Kiat seems to be besieged by all kinds of problems simply because he refuses to succumb to the “tidak apa” attitude so often adopted with relative ease by others when challenged. Furthermore, he wants to live up to his reputation as a straight talker, a reformer and a fighter.
He could have just laid back and savoured his election to MCA’s presidency and his appointment to a top cabinet post. Of course what he does in his party is of little concern to most Malaysians but how he leads a ministry with such a huge budget and so much on its plate is of much concern to all the people of this country especially when it is saddled with a multi-billion ringgit scandal of the Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ) – probably proving to be the most expensive debacle ever.
He could have relegated it to the bottom of his priorities as the scandal happened during his predecessors’ watch but he decided that the rakyat must know about the billions that were spent and the billions more that may have to be spent to rehabilitate the zone. To him the government and the ministry he leads owed them that. And so he sanctioned several independent investigations, one of them by PricewaterhouseCoopers, into the badly managed project. The results highlighted the poor level of oversight and governance and numerous conflicts of interest in PKFZ’s development. That was the beginning of the problems for him.
There were moments when it seemed he would be overwhelmed by them. The onslaughts against him have not stopped and may look like they are meant to distract him from his ministry’s current priority of getting to the bottom of the scandal. It is for a cause like this that everyone from those in the cabinet to the poor taxpayers must rally behind the man who is leading the charge.
In the past Malaysians had been shocked by a number of public scandals. But after some days or even weeks of front-page treatment by major newspapers they subsequently were relegated to the inside pages and eventually just faded away. They resurface occasionally in reports on preliminary findings of a task force or special committee. But by that time Malaysians had already lost interest in whatever had happened even though it was their money that was involved. Even though the culprits were exposed – the public had known about them long before the findings were announced – reactions were mostly muted.
But the PKFZ scandal just refuses to die or fade away. Malaysians should, therefore, support the efforts to keep it that way until they know the full story of the PKFZ.
Friday, August 7, 2009
Rule by law, not sentiments
Extracted from The Star
Friday August 7, 2009
PETALING JAYA: PAS cannot extend the provisions of the Syariah Enactment and impose it on non-Muslims, said MCA non-governmental organisation liaison bureau chairman and central committee member Datuk Ti Lian Ker.
“We are ruled by law and not sentiments based on race or religion,” he said, adding that PAS was effectively extending Syariah laws on non-Muslims under the pretext of Muslim sentiments.
He referred to recent calls by Selangor PAS exco member Datuk Dr Hassan Ali that a blanket ban be imposed on the sale of beer by convenience stores in Muslim-majority areas.
Ti also referred to Dr Hassan’s argument that non-Muslims could easily buy their beer from the many shops outside Muslim-majority areas as arrogant and non-tolerant of the rights of non-Muslims as provided for by law.
He added that Dr Hassan’s argument discarded the existence of DAP as a political partner.
“The Syariah Enactment is enforceable only on Muslims. Non-Muslims have their civil and criminal laws and it is clearly provided that non-Muslims can buy and sell beer without any restrictions or licences,” he said in a press statement yesterday.
He added that as PAS could not respect an express provision of the law, “how can we ever trust PAS to rule the nation and be fair to the non-Muslims? How can DAP falsely assure the community into voting for PAS?”
“The rule of the majority must be with due respect to the minority. The continuous insistence by PAS that the minority give in and sacrifice our rights and liberties in the name of respect to the majority is tantamount to bullying,” he said.
He added that PAS cannot rule the country based on the sentiments or emotions of a few aggressive intolerant leaders who are out to be heroes in their communities.
“What if this Muslim neighbourhood decides to chase out non-Muslims from the neighbourhood one day? What about the right, liberties and sentiments and feelings of non-Muslims?”
Ti said Selangor exco member Ronnie Liu should advise his Pakatan partners (PAS leaders) to concentrate on their dakwah activities and not impose additional restrictions or prohibitions on others.
Friday August 7, 2009
PETALING JAYA: PAS cannot extend the provisions of the Syariah Enactment and impose it on non-Muslims, said MCA non-governmental organisation liaison bureau chairman and central committee member Datuk Ti Lian Ker.
“We are ruled by law and not sentiments based on race or religion,” he said, adding that PAS was effectively extending Syariah laws on non-Muslims under the pretext of Muslim sentiments.
He referred to recent calls by Selangor PAS exco member Datuk Dr Hassan Ali that a blanket ban be imposed on the sale of beer by convenience stores in Muslim-majority areas.
Ti also referred to Dr Hassan’s argument that non-Muslims could easily buy their beer from the many shops outside Muslim-majority areas as arrogant and non-tolerant of the rights of non-Muslims as provided for by law.
He added that Dr Hassan’s argument discarded the existence of DAP as a political partner.
“The Syariah Enactment is enforceable only on Muslims. Non-Muslims have their civil and criminal laws and it is clearly provided that non-Muslims can buy and sell beer without any restrictions or licences,” he said in a press statement yesterday.
He added that as PAS could not respect an express provision of the law, “how can we ever trust PAS to rule the nation and be fair to the non-Muslims? How can DAP falsely assure the community into voting for PAS?”
“The rule of the majority must be with due respect to the minority. The continuous insistence by PAS that the minority give in and sacrifice our rights and liberties in the name of respect to the majority is tantamount to bullying,” he said.
He added that PAS cannot rule the country based on the sentiments or emotions of a few aggressive intolerant leaders who are out to be heroes in their communities.
“What if this Muslim neighbourhood decides to chase out non-Muslims from the neighbourhood one day? What about the right, liberties and sentiments and feelings of non-Muslims?”
Ti said Selangor exco member Ronnie Liu should advise his Pakatan partners (PAS leaders) to concentrate on their dakwah activities and not impose additional restrictions or prohibitions on others.
MCA slams PAS for infringing rights of non-Muslims
Extracted from The Sun
PETALING JAYA (Aug 6, 2009): MCA today hit out at PAS’s outcry and use of "Muslim sentiments" on the "brewing beer conflict" in the Pakatan Rakyat-ruled Selangor and for infringing on the rights of non-Muslims.
Its central committee member and non-governmental organisation liaison bureau chairman Datuk Ti Lian Ker said in a statement yesterday Selangor PAS’s proposed guidelines regulating beer sales be made in tandem with the Syariah Enactment (Selangor) 1995 is "flawed and bad in law".
In calling for a blanket ban on beer sales in Muslim-majority areas, he said: "PAS is effectively extending syariah laws onto non-Muslims on the pretext of Muslim sentiments.
"We are ruled by law and not sentiments based on race or religion. PAS cannot in effect extend the provisions of the Muslim enactment and impose it on non-Muslims," said Ti.
Referring to the civil law for non-Muslims, he said it clearly allows non-Muslims to buy and sell beer in cans and bottles without any restrictions or licence.
"If PAS cannot respect an express provision of the law, how can we ever trust PAS to rule the nation and be fair to non-Muslims? How can DAP falsely assure the community into voting for PAS?" asked Ti.
He said enforcement officers cannot act based on the sentiments of a Muslim-dominated neighbourhood.
He also slammed Selangor executive councillor Datuk Dr Hasan Ali for his statement on Tuesday asking non-Muslims to travel outside Muslim majority areas to buy beer and blamed Barisan Nasional for failure of such implementation.
"PAS, as usual, is one up against Umno when it comes to showing their arrogance and non-tolerance in absolute disrespect of the rights of non-Muslims rights as provided by the law," said Ti.
He said Hasan’s arguments that non-Muslims have to drive further away to buy beer "is retarded and discards the existence of DAP as a political partner".
"(Selangor executive councillor) Ronnie Liu should advise Pakatan Rakyat (PR) partners, PAS leaders, to concentrate on the dakwah activities and not impose prohibitions and penalties on non-Muslims," he said.
On Tuesday, Hasan had urged Selangor Mentri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim to impose the beer ban in Muslim-majority areas in Selangor and called for Liu’s portfolio be reviewed after accusing him of "interfering" in local council enforcements on the sale of beer .
The controversy had resulted in a gag order by Khalid on all the state excos until today when he will announce a solution for the problem.
DAP adviser Lim Kit Siang, when contacted, said he would issue a statement later on the matter.
PETALING JAYA (Aug 6, 2009): MCA today hit out at PAS’s outcry and use of "Muslim sentiments" on the "brewing beer conflict" in the Pakatan Rakyat-ruled Selangor and for infringing on the rights of non-Muslims.
Its central committee member and non-governmental organisation liaison bureau chairman Datuk Ti Lian Ker said in a statement yesterday Selangor PAS’s proposed guidelines regulating beer sales be made in tandem with the Syariah Enactment (Selangor) 1995 is "flawed and bad in law".
In calling for a blanket ban on beer sales in Muslim-majority areas, he said: "PAS is effectively extending syariah laws onto non-Muslims on the pretext of Muslim sentiments.
"We are ruled by law and not sentiments based on race or religion. PAS cannot in effect extend the provisions of the Muslim enactment and impose it on non-Muslims," said Ti.
Referring to the civil law for non-Muslims, he said it clearly allows non-Muslims to buy and sell beer in cans and bottles without any restrictions or licence.
"If PAS cannot respect an express provision of the law, how can we ever trust PAS to rule the nation and be fair to non-Muslims? How can DAP falsely assure the community into voting for PAS?" asked Ti.
He said enforcement officers cannot act based on the sentiments of a Muslim-dominated neighbourhood.
He also slammed Selangor executive councillor Datuk Dr Hasan Ali for his statement on Tuesday asking non-Muslims to travel outside Muslim majority areas to buy beer and blamed Barisan Nasional for failure of such implementation.
"PAS, as usual, is one up against Umno when it comes to showing their arrogance and non-tolerance in absolute disrespect of the rights of non-Muslims rights as provided by the law," said Ti.
He said Hasan’s arguments that non-Muslims have to drive further away to buy beer "is retarded and discards the existence of DAP as a political partner".
"(Selangor executive councillor) Ronnie Liu should advise Pakatan Rakyat (PR) partners, PAS leaders, to concentrate on the dakwah activities and not impose prohibitions and penalties on non-Muslims," he said.
On Tuesday, Hasan had urged Selangor Mentri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim to impose the beer ban in Muslim-majority areas in Selangor and called for Liu’s portfolio be reviewed after accusing him of "interfering" in local council enforcements on the sale of beer .
The controversy had resulted in a gag order by Khalid on all the state excos until today when he will announce a solution for the problem.
DAP adviser Lim Kit Siang, when contacted, said he would issue a statement later on the matter.
Beer raid conflicts with federal laws
Extracted from Malaysian Mirror
Wednesday, 05 August 2009 18:13
PETALING JAYA - MCA central committee member Ti Lian Ker said the confiscation of beer in cans and bottles by the Shah Alam City Council is an ultra vires act and ought not to be condoned by the DAP exco member, Ronnie Liu, who is in charge of local government in Selangor.
Ti said there must be consistency in the implementation of the laws and the local authority cannot overrule an express provision of the law at their personal whims and fancies.
Under federal laws, the Excise Act allows beer in bottles and cans to be sold freely and no licence is required.
Therefore, Ti said , the local authorities cannot override the federal laws by confiscating beers sold in bottles or cans in any retail outlets on flimsy or racial grounds.
“We cannot allow our laws or implementation thereof to be coloured by race whereby there are different set of laws based on the geography or demography of the local residents. Malaysia is a plural country and the legislations must be uniform.
Do not infringe upon federal laws
“The federal laws have taken into considerations the diverse culture and the plurality of the nation. No local government can disregard or infringe upon the federal laws that expressly outline the rights and liberties of our plural society,” said Ti.
He added that the sundry and retail shops in Malay kampungs have been selling can and bottle beer for ages as a matter of right and as provided by federal laws. There should be no discrimination on 7-Eleven or any other shops selling can and bottle drinks legally.
There is no legal provision that says that 24-hour outlets cannot sell can or bottle beer. There is no law that prohibits any such sales in a Malay majority area.
Ti said that since there are personal laws that forbid Muslims from purchasing these drinks, therefore enforcement should be against the Muslim wrongdoers and not on the retailers.
Wednesday, 05 August 2009 18:13
PETALING JAYA - MCA central committee member Ti Lian Ker said the confiscation of beer in cans and bottles by the Shah Alam City Council is an ultra vires act and ought not to be condoned by the DAP exco member, Ronnie Liu, who is in charge of local government in Selangor.
Ti said there must be consistency in the implementation of the laws and the local authority cannot overrule an express provision of the law at their personal whims and fancies.
Under federal laws, the Excise Act allows beer in bottles and cans to be sold freely and no licence is required.
Therefore, Ti said , the local authorities cannot override the federal laws by confiscating beers sold in bottles or cans in any retail outlets on flimsy or racial grounds.
“We cannot allow our laws or implementation thereof to be coloured by race whereby there are different set of laws based on the geography or demography of the local residents. Malaysia is a plural country and the legislations must be uniform.
Do not infringe upon federal laws
“The federal laws have taken into considerations the diverse culture and the plurality of the nation. No local government can disregard or infringe upon the federal laws that expressly outline the rights and liberties of our plural society,” said Ti.
He added that the sundry and retail shops in Malay kampungs have been selling can and bottle beer for ages as a matter of right and as provided by federal laws. There should be no discrimination on 7-Eleven or any other shops selling can and bottle drinks legally.
There is no legal provision that says that 24-hour outlets cannot sell can or bottle beer. There is no law that prohibits any such sales in a Malay majority area.
Ti said that since there are personal laws that forbid Muslims from purchasing these drinks, therefore enforcement should be against the Muslim wrongdoers and not on the retailers.
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