PETALING JAYA: The G25 group is watching the current state of politics with concern and believes that reforms are essential for creating a high level of confidence on the governance of the country. "While it is normal in vibrant democratic systems for there to be leadership changes from time to time, these should not cause anxieties and tensions, especially in the business community," said G25 in a statement. "If we have strong institutions to provide confidence that whatever changes may happen at the political level, the government and the administration will continue to function as usual and that the rule of law will not be affected. "Strong institutions play an important role in pro

PETALING JAYA: Politicians and moderates are firm that the Kelantan state government’s proposal of using fields and stadiums as venues for public caning for offenders under the Syariah law cannot be allowed to happen. Former Court of Appeal Judge Datuk Mohd Hishamudin Yunus said that under Prison Regulations 2000 caning must be done in prisons. He said as there were no Syariah prison or Syariah prison officers, such proposal if implemented, has to rely on prison officers who were federal officers, governed by federal law namely prison regulations. “And under regulation 132, caning must be done in prison and not in public. “So I don’t think the proposal to implement caning in public can be ca

The SPM results are out and as usual, the media’s focus is on the students who obtained straight As. This is rightly so as they deserve the limelight for all the discipline, hard work and effort put in. My heartiest congratulations to the high achievers and all the brave students. It is not easy to outsmart the examiners! On the other end of the spectrum, it can be crushingly painful for both the students and their parents if expectations were not met, and to consider the next step to take going forward. Statistics indicate that only one in four students proceed to this crucial next step while the rest need to secure a decent job, more often than not one requiring low skills and therefore lo

MARCH 19 — One of the greatest insults to women is to say that rape is a result of their being “provocatively” or “sexily” dressed. In this way, the heinous and deplorable crime of rape is blamed on the victim. In Malaysia, such views are trafficked not just by ignorant lay people but also some Muslim religious leaders who have been known to make incredible claims about the relationship between rape and a woman’s attire. For example, it was recently reported that a Friday sermon distributed to mosques by the Federal Territories Islamic Department (Jawi), blamed social ills on the failure of women to conceal their intimate body parts (aurat). Such women were likened to uncovered dishes which

DESPITE the ghost of 1MDB lingering in the background and the bad politics surrounding it, the news on the economy is encouraging. The ringgit is now one of Asia’s best performing currencies, benefitting from the stronger oil prices, implementation of the GST and the growing dynamism of domestic economic activities in driving GDP growth. With Europe and Japan adopting easy monetary policies to spur their domestic recovery, driving down yields in their home markets, foreign funds are turning to emerging economies in pursuit of better returns. Malaysia is also seeing foreign funds returning to our economy, keeping our stock market relatively resilient to the global uncertainties and helping ou

PETALING JAYA: Muslims should have the freedom to think and discuss without being called “deviants”, says former law minister Datuk Zaid Ibrahim. He said Muslims in the country should be allowed to develop their potential like others. “That’s why they do not develop their potential, because they are prohibited from exercising their basic rights like thinking for themselves,” he said. He added that “the thinking ones are called deviants”. Zaid was responding to a recent statement by Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department in charge of Islamic affairs Datuk Seri Jamil Khir Baharom, who said the Government was monitoring “liberal Muslim deviants” as part of its “crackdown” on liberal Muslim

BFM interview (podcast)

ISTANBUL — I recently spent a few days in Malaysia, where I was promoting the publication of the Malay edition of my book, “Islam Without Extremes: A Muslim Case for Liberty.” The publisher, a progressive Muslim organization called the Islamic Renaissance Front, had set up several talks for me in Kuala Lumpur. As any author would be, I was happy to learn that the team was enthusiastic about my book and had been getting good feedback from audiences and readers. But I was troubled by something else that I suspect many Muslim authors have experienced: My publisher was worried about censorship. The risk, I was told, was that the Department of Islamic Development, a government body that “was form

TODAY would have been the 137th birthday of Dr Wu Lien-Teh (pix, centre). Born in Penang in 1879, he was truly one of the greatest public health specialists and legends of the last century. Among his many distinctive achievements are the following. He set up the Anti-Opium Society in Malaysia and fought against colonial racism, and succeeded in both. He was the “Plague Fighter” who saved China from a devastating pneumonic plague a century ago. He started the China Medical Association, now the largest in the world, and wrote the classic The History of Chinese Medicine (1932). He was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Medicine in the mid-30s, the first Malaysian ever to be nominated for this pre

PETALING JAYA: The Citizen’s Declaration tabled by former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad today has received the support of G25, a group of retired senior Malay civil servants. Its spokesperson, Noor Farida Ariffin told FMT that while the group does not wish to speak on the call to have Prime Minister Najib Razak ousted, it applauded Dr Mahathir’s insistence on the need for a reform. This is especially so given the fact that nearly all of the country’s public institutions had been compromised due to the lack of proper checks and balances in place which she said, is the best guarantee against abuse of power. “Too much power is concentrated in the hands of the prime minister. The Attorney-General’

It has been quite a week for all of us affiliated with The Malaysian Insider. The outpouring of support from the public only amplified the debate on our freedom of expression and access to information. It appears that Malaysians collectively need to stand up for our rights, to be empowered by information and be allowed critical thought process rather than continue to be infantilised by the powers that be. Further, the decision to block a whole website over one article seems an over exaggeration. The impact is an oppressive silencing of many diverse Malaysian voices that is allowed a platform through this portal. We are now forced to be outsiders, yet our concerns and voices remain Malaysian.

Titah DYMM Sultan Nazrin di Majlis Anugerah Bisnes Utusan KUALA LUMPUR: Kegagalan memerangi dan membanteras rasuah secara serius dan berkesan dibimbangi mampu melumpuhkan negara. Demikian titah Sultan Perak Sultan Nazrin Muizzudin Shah sambil menyeru agar rasuah di negara ini ditangani dengan tegas oleh pelbagai agensi bertanggungjawab, tanpa gentar dan pilih kasih. “Rasuah merupakan barah yang dikatakan sedang merebak dalam batang tubuh negara; rasuah bagaikan anai-anai yang sedang membusut besar dan semakin mereputkan tonggak-tonggak utama negara. Masakan pokok semakin bergoyang, jika tiada angin yang meniupnya. “Kegagalan memerangi dan kegagalan membanteras rasuah secara serius, secara be