Tricia Yeoh

Further thoughts on the Race Relations Act proposed by the home ministry in Malaysia recently, published in The Nut Graph.

Race relations: Acting and reacting

24 Sep 08 : 9.00AM

By Tricia Yeoh

AHMAD Ismail is now a familiar name: his remarks about the Chinese in Malaysia resulted in his three-year suspension from Umno politics. The arrest and subsequent release within 24 hours of Sin Chew Daily journalist Tan Hoon Cheng under the Internal Security Act (ISA) for accurately reporting Ahmad’s statement also sparked a nationwide outcry. It is within this context that a proposal was made by MCA Youth Chief Liow Tiong Lai for a Race Relations Act “to govern racial relations, encourage greater unity and avoid discrimination among races in the country.”

This proposal seems to have taken on a life of its own, leading to the cabinet’s approval to formulate the Act, as announced by home minister Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar. He said the home ministry and the ministry for unity, culture, arts and heritage will be working together to gather information to draft the Act.

The proposed Race Relations Act has elicited a range of responses, mainly positive, from those in government. Unity minister Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal said fundamentals of the Act were aimed at ensuring peace and harmony among the different races — the end goal of which is difficult to dispute.

To read more, click here.

See the way Utusan is spinning the story:

Teresa dakwa makanan diberi ‘lebih baik sedikit daripada makanan anjing’

22/09/2008 3:07pm

SHAH ALAM 22 Sept. – Ahli Parlimen Seputeh, Teresa Kok Suh Sim hari ini mendakwa makanan yang diberikan kepadanya ketika ditahan di bawah Akta Keselamatan Dalam Negeri (ISA) adalah `lebih baik sedikit daripada makanan anjing’.

Beliau menafikan pernah menyamakan makanan yang disediakan kepadanya ketika ditahan pada 12 hingga 19 September lalu ‘seperti makanan anjing’.

Beliau menyalahkan Utusan Malaysia yang didakwanya memutarbelitkan kenyataannya berhubung perkara itu.

Utusan Malaysia sebelum ini hanya memetik kenyataan Teresa mengenai perkara tersebut daripada laman web Malaysiakini. – Utusan.

The Blame Game begins. Utusan is now pointing the finger at Malaysiakini, saying that it first reported the issue on Teresa’s azan incident. It is trying to save itself.

I suppose it is also trying to score brownie points by playing up the fact that Teresa mentioned “dog food”. Since the saliva of dogs (or any fluids from a dog) is considered to be haram to a Muslim, it is deemed as being insensitive to the culture perhaps?

Who knows, these days…

Teresa Kok has been released from the ISA as at 1pm, says her lawyer S. N. Nair.

She should not have been detained in the first place.

What a sandiwara show Malaysia is.

In the Press Conference this afternoon, Dato Seri Anwar Ibrahim, leader of Opposition has called for the Prime Minister to convene an Emergency Parliament meeting to discuss the motion of no-confidence against his leadership. This should be done no later than Tuesday 23rd September 2008 – and in accordance with the Standing Order 11(3), which goes:

11(3)
If, during an adjournment of the House, it is represented to Tuan Yang di-Pertua by the Prime Minister that the public interest requires that the House should meet at an earlier date than that to which the House was adjourned, Tuan Yang di-Pertua shall give notice thereof forthwith and the House shall meet at the time stated in such notice. The business set down for that day shall be appointed by the Prime Minister and notice thereof shall be circulated not later than the time of meeting.

He said that it was impossible for the cross-over MPs to come out publicly because they would be harrassed, and they have themselves asked Anwar to only announce it at the right time, lest they are not granted special protection. He also said the ISA would not be used against him, since the PM has already said that there would not be any more ISA arrests…

Bob Kee wrote an excellent article, which I hope he won’t mind me reproducing here. But you can read the original here on his blog. This is with regards to the Role of the Agong in determining the leadership of the country.

Saya cukup hairan dengan pemimpin-pemimpin politik negara yang suka memperbodohkan rakyat. Dahlah pendidikan sivik dan kewarganegaraan kat Malaysia ni berada pada tahap yang serba kekurangan, kena pula pemimpin-pemimpin yang langsung tidak memainkan peranan sebagai negarawan yang bertanggungjawab.

Misalannya, perhatikan petikan-petikan di bawah daripada wawancara yang diberi oleh Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin semalam daripada beberapa sumber akhbar arus perdana :

Ketika ditanya pemberita berhubung dakwaan pembangkang yang menyebut Anwar mempunyai pilihan untuk bertemu dengan Yang di-Pertuan Agong sekiranya gagal mengadakan pertemuan dengan Perdana Menteri, beliau berkata, perkara itu tidak sepatutnya berlaku.”Jangan kaitkan Yang di-Pertuan Agong dalam hal ini. Seri Paduka Baginda adalah Ketua Negara dan tidak terlibat langsung dalam politik. Kita perlu menghormati institusi raja seperti yang termaktub dalam Perlembagaan Persekutuan,” ujarnya. (Sinar Harian, 18 Sept 2008)

Sebenarnya Perlembagaan Persekutuan meletakkan tanggungjawab melantik Perdana Menteri pada budi bicara Seri Paduka Baginda:

Perkara 40 (2)Yang di-Pertuan Agong boleh bertindak menurut budi bicaranya pada melaksanakan fungsi yang berikut, iaitu:

1. melantik seorang Perdana Menteri;
2. tidak memperkenankan permintaan bagi pembubaran Parlimen;
3. meminta diadakan mesyuarat Majlis Raja-Raja yang semata-mata berkenaan dengan keistimewaan, kedudukan, kemuliaan dan kebesaran Duli-Duli Yang Maha Mulia Raja-Raja, dan apa-apa tindakan pada mesyuarat itu,

dan dalam apa-apa hal lain yang disebut dalam Perlembagaan ini.

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