False Flags - Western Governments Operation.

Alex Jones' latest film covers in detail the proven history of Western governments sponsored terrorism, and focuses on the 7/7 London bombings and 9/11.

Hindus, Christians Defend Jamaat-ud-Dawa

Hundreds of Hindus and Christians demonstrated in Hyderabad in solidarity with Jamaat-ud-Dawa. (IOL photo)

By Aamir Latif, IOL Correspondent | Courtesy Islamonline

ISLAMABAD — Pakistani Hindu and Christian minorities are angered by the government's crackdown on the Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JD), crediting the charity with helping the country's poor and needy irrespective of religion or cast.

"I would say, this is not a ban on Jamaat-ud-Dawa, but it is against the poor people of Pakistan, who were being assisted by the charity," Kamran Michael, a Christian sanitary worker from the northeastern city of Lahore, told IslamOnline.net.

Hundreds of members of Pakistan's Hindu and Christian minorities demonstrated in the southern city of Hyderabad on Tuesday, December 16, in solidarity with the JD.

The Muslim charity was banned by both Islamabad and the UN Security Council last week over alleged links with Lashkar-e-Taiba (LT), the outlawed group India blames for the bloody Mumbai attacks.

Along with the ban, Pakistan closed down hundreds of JD-run schools, hospitals and clinics across the country, where services are provided to the poor free of charge.

"The government has failed to provide us health and education facilities. Now, they have banned those who had been providing us these facilities," Michael said.

"Let’s see what will the government do? But I have little hopes."

For Naresh Kumar, a Hindu farmer in the historic town of Hala, the ban and the crackdown are unjustifiable.

"My family was being provided with monthly ration (food) and free medical treatment for my children and parents by the JD for months," said Kumar.

"I am a poor laborer. I could not afford that, if the JD would not be able to help me."

Headquartered some 30 kilometers north of Lahore, JD has established itself as one of biggest charity organizations in the South Asian Muslim country, where 34 percent of the total population is living below poverty line.

Heroes

Hindus and Christians said the Muslim charity helped them on the basis of humanity not religion. (IOL photo)

Minority groups hailed the Muslim charity as a champion for humanity rather than a terrorist organization.

"They helped us on the basis of humanity," says Michael, one of hundreds of Christians who had been benefiting from the JD charity works in Lahore, the capital of the populous Punjab province.

"A ban on such organizations means a ban on humanity."

The charity is popular in many parts of Pakistan, especially those hit by natural disasters, where it played a major role in providing help to victims.

The Christian worker affirmed that the charity offered his community help irrespective of their religious affiliation or social standing.

"They never asked me or any other Hindu or Christian about our religion or cast."

Christians are the largest minority in this South Asian Muslim country, making around 3 percent of a total population of 170 million.

Most Christians belong to the low-income bracket and work in low-key jobs.

Naresh, the Hindu farmer, can't see how a group doing so much help to religious minorities can be branded a terrorist organization.

"There are a number of big Hindu businessmen here, but they never cared about us because we belong to schedule cast. The JD people never asked us about such kind of things."

Hindus are the second largest religious minority in Muslim Pakistan, constituting 2 percent of the populace.

Most of them are based in southern Sindh, the second most populous province, where they work as farm workers.

"They helped us just because they treat us like human beings," maintains Naresh.

"I think those who respect humanity cannot be terrorists."

Exclusive interview with Tan Sri Dr Yahya Awang

NO TO PRIVATIZATION

Economics (Capitalism) - 101: The Myth of Scarcity

Perhaps the single most devastating myth on earth. . .
Is that of scarcity . . .

Not enough food.
Not enough land.
Not enough water.
Not enough oil.
Not enough love . . .
Not enough of ANYTHING that's needed for everyone on earth to thrive and survive.

And of course I would be remiss not to include the MOTHER OF ALL MYTHS - that there is NOT ENOUGH MONEY to go around.

NOTHING can be further from the truth.

But, most people lack the knowledge or imagination to see through the LIES.

The problem is that this mega myth of scarcity is a self-fulfilling prophecy that destroys our lives.

Those who embrace it invariably panic and, in a mad rush, chase after every resource they can lay their hands on, before it's all taken.

The strong, the crafty, and those who get there first, hoard large swathes of resources - PILE IT HIGH AND SIT ON IT - while the weak, the honest, and the young are left struggling just to survive.

And so we end up with EXTREME imbalances reflected both in society and in our environment and in the process we destroy what matters most - our human relations.

This is madness.

A madness that is driven by GREED - rapacious, relentless, insatiable GREED - coupled with unremitting selfishness and a thorough lack of imagination on the part of those who are neither selfish nor greedy.

The irony of this tragedy is that while people eagerly embrace the myth of scarcity with respect to everything which in reality is or could be abundant if we use our imagination, they ignore the one thing that is actually running out for humanity - TIME.

Wakeup people and wake your friends, your family and your neighbors, because time is running out.

Sooner than you realize, greed and selfishness will consume us all and leave nothing but a scorched planet as a testament to how badly we f**ked up.

courtesy : wakeupfromyourslumber

Anwar wants more power for the MACC

Anwar : AG has unfettered powers that has to be 
curbed.

By Debra Chong

UPDATED

 

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 15 - While Pakatan Rakyat today welcomed the Prime Minister's new Bill to fight corruption in Malaysia, it is resisting the federal government's effort to make it a law until certain changes are made to give more power to the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC).

The Opposition Leader wants the MACC to be given full discretion to charge in court those who have been investigated and found to have strong proof of corruption against them directly, instead of giving that power to the Attorney General's Chambers, as is done now.

Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim told Parliament that the issue at stake is the integrity, authority, and qualification of the Attorney General (AG) and the judiciary.

He claimed that the AG held too much power, to the point that he could decide if a case would be taken to court or simply closed.

Quoting a famous veteran lawyer Raja Aziz Addruse, Anwar noted that it was not a must for the AG to report to the Prime Minister, Cabinet or Parliament, not even "for the failure of a number of high-profile prosecutions, which commenced with much fanfare but ended up being a waste of funds."

"There is a need to limit the powers of the Attorney General because he acts as the chief legal advisor to the government and also as the chief prosecutor," Anwar stressed.
The 63-year-old, who spent six years in jail on corruption charges, has repeatedly accused the current AG Tan Sri Gani Patail of abusing his authority in sending him to prison.

"Reform cannot be carried out without first solving the problem of the large amount of power held by the AG," the Permatang Pauh MP said.

The solution, he suggests, is for MACC to have two separate arms: one to investigate and the other to charge in court those who have been investigated.

Among a laundry list of other changes, Anwar said the appointment of the MACC chief must be made more transparent.

He suggests that it be done based on the recommendation of a Special Parliamentary Committee on the MACC instead of by the Yang Di-Pertuan Agong on the advice of the Prime Minister.

Anwar also wants the terms for informants under Sections 27 and 28 to be reviewed, claiming that heavy punishments would stop people from blowing the whistle on corrupt persons in future

themalaysianinsider.

Further -- JAC & MACC

The Sabah Justice of Peace Council said that appointment procedure of judges in the Judicial Appointments Commission (JAC) Bill is contrary to the Federal Constitution.

Council honorary secretary Datuk Lawrence Thien Shin Hing said the new procedure would be a departure from the present model and in direct conflict with Article 122B of the Constitution. . . [read more ]

Thien said the government under the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission Bill had seen fit to make the Anti-Corruption Agency an independent body with its own commission and funding but made no similar provision in the JAC Bill. He hoped the government and members of parliament would give due respect to the issues raised when the bills were debated.

> > > >

DAP supports the Bills on the Malaysian Commission on Anti-Corruption (MCAC) and Judicial Appointments Commission (JAC) in principle, but will withhold full endorsement until these are amended, said party secretary-general Lim Guan Eng.

Judicial Appointments Commission (JAC) – The debate

Retired Court of Appeal judge - Datuk Shaikh Daud Ismail.

Retired Chief Justice Tun Abdul Hamid Mohamad.

Bar Council President Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan.

The government officials familiar with the JAC Bill shed some more light on the provisions of the Bill (Bernama).

Problems Areas:
1. Power concentrated in the hands of the Prime Minister (PM).
2. JAC Report goes to the PM
3. JAC Report should go directly to the KING
4. JAC members - the KING should have the power to hire and fire(The PM can advice).
5. The Bill is not clear on the promotion of judges but focuses instead on their Initial appointment.

1 to 5 above will stop JAC being more transparent and there would be independence of the judiciary.

The officials familiar with the JAC said the eminent persons must be appointed by the PM or else it could be ultra vires to the Constitution which confers on the PM prerogative over judicial recommendations to the Council of Rulers.

However, in making these appointments, the PM must consult with many stakeholders including the Bar Council of Malaysia and other relevant bodies as stated in Section 5(1). The officials said that this provision explicitly shows good faith and fair intentions to appoint the eminent persons, who must be very accomplished and widely respected in order to give credibility to the JAC. Politicians, ex-politicians and ex-members of the Executive are not exempt from such qualities, for example, former Deputy Prime Minister Tun Musa Hitam.

6. The appointments of the Chief Justice and president of the Appeals Court is concerned - problems would arise as among members of the commission, all the Judges will have to abstain from participating in the proceedings for they have interest, it might be very difficult to meet the minimum quorum.
7. It also means when it comes to appointing the CJ, the meeting will only be attended by a federal court judge and four non-judges who are appointed by the Prime Minister.

Section 13(5) of the JAC Bill states that "if the quorum of seven is not present due to members being disqualified (e.g. for being a candidate under consideration), then the quorum shall not be less than five."

8. The primary purpose and indeed the whole raison d'etre of such a commission must be to ensure the separation of powers between the Judicial, Executive and Legislative branches of government.

JAC - independence characteristics.

Firstly, is the character and conduct of its members, four of whom are the nation's top judges and five of whom are eminent persons which are appointed by the PM after consultation with several stakeholders including the Bar Council of Malaysia as stated in Section 5(1).

Its independence also lies on the basis of its selections -- a clear and transparent criteria which includes integrity, competence, experience, good moral character, decisiveness, ability to make timely judgments, good legal writing skills, industriousness, ability to manage cases well, and physical and mental health, as stated in Section 23(2) of the Bill.

The officials said that above all, the short title as well as an entire provision, namely Section 2, of the JAC Bill, explicitly mentioned the need for the PM to uphold the independence of the judiciary and these provisions clearly showed the spirit of the Bill vis-a-vis judicial independence within the boundaries of the Federal Constitution.

Referring to suggestions that the JAC Bill does not make the judicial appointments more transparent, the officials said, the candidates can only be considered if they fulfilled a clear list of criteria, which included the aspects mentioned as stated in Section 23(2) of the Bill.

9. Once it is passed, the power of the Executive over the judicial appointment process will have the force of law.

The "power of the executive" has always had the force of law i.e. Article 122B of the Federal Constitution where the PM recommends judicial appointments to the Yang Di-Pertuan Agong and the Conference of Rulers.

10. The Bar Council's contention that the PM would have unfettered powers to amend the provisions of the Act in the first two years and that it was an unusual provision that would take the power of legislating away from Parliament, the officials said the PM may, to remove difficulties or anomalies, make modifications to the Act as stated in Section 37(1).

Section 37(1): This is a general and usual provision, put in several legislation establishing new public entities, to provide flexibility in rectifying problems of administrative implementation, for example, the number of meetings that must be held, period of notification and so on. It is not intended to give 'unfettered powers' to change the substantive provisions of the Act.

11. The decisions of JAC do not appear to be binding on its members

In fact, the JAC only facilitates making this power more structured and transparent. All countries, including developed countries, have executive involvement in the judicial appointments process,

Good Points:

1. The JAC the right to form consultative committees to help it carry out its duties.

2. The positive aspects of the Bill were that it sought to establish more consultations and it included all the four judicial office holders in the entire appointment process.
3. Ultimately, JAC must be a process that is completely independent. This move could constitute the country's first step in reforming the judicial process while the final goal of a full-fledged JAC

“The success or failure of the commission would depend entirely on the human factor. You can have the best of laws but if they were no right people interpreting them, then they would fall flat," former High Court Judge Datuk Syed Ahmad Idid.

Missing Points:

1. A committee to discuss complaints filed by the public on the conduct of judges, is needed.

On allegations that the JAC does not have the role of receiving and investigating complaints from public on the conduct of judges, the officials said that is not the function of the JAC as it only selects names for judicial appointments.

Receiving and investigating complaints on the conduct of judges lies with the Anti-Corruption Agency (on corruption-related complaints) and the judiciary (on disciplinary-related complaints),

Abdullah’s reform Bills criticised

MPs described the Bills as hype and half-measures that will not make a substantial difference.

. . . to set up a Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission. . . . the Bills are an attempt to seek a compromise that will please neither the reformists nor those in the BN. While the Attorney-General's consent is still required for prosecutions,

“all hype that looks more like the same thing”. . . .a truly independent commission would have staff separate from the general civil service, and independent funding.
. . . the oversight committee comprising MPs should be set up under parliamentary rules to reflect the strength of the respective political parties in the House.

“It seems to be just another statutory board arrangement. Will MPs debate its report? If not, what's the use?”

The Bill on the Judicial Appointments Commission . . . proposes setting up a nine-man panel to make recommendations for appointments of judges to the High Court and above.
The commission, which will include four “eminent persons”, will recommend names but the PM has the final say. This was a compromise, after Umno objected to a whittling down of the PM's powers. . . [more]

Are you eligible to put those crosses on the ballot paper?

Actually, not all the 11 million registered voters came out to vote. As what happened in the 11 general elections before the 8 March 2008 general election, only about 70% of the registered voters came out to vote. The balance 30% stayed home, as they had done since two years before Merdeka in 1955 when we had our first (municipal) elections (the first general election was in 1959). And 12 general elections have shown that only 70% of the registered voters bother to vote. The other 30% do not care who rules Malaysia.

Then we had the 5 million eligible voters who did not even bother to register as voters. So only half the 16 million or so eligible voters actually cast their vote. 8 million Malaysians voted on 8 March 2008 and 8 million more either did not vote or did not register to vote. Half the ‘eligible’ Malaysians sought change. The other half were not concerned what happens to this country. That is the reality of the situation.

And the opposition got only 50% of the votes (which means votes from 25% of the eligible voters). But the 50% that the ruling coalition garnered (which also means votes from 25% of the eligible voters) helped them form the government in all but five states plus they managed to form the federal government with slightly under the two-thirds majority that it hoped it would get. But it still managed to form the federal government, nevertheless, with just half the votes.    .     .   

walking on thin ice

Kuala Terengganu By Election Announcement.

The Election Commission (EC) today announced that the Kuala Terengganu by-election will be held on Saturday, Jan 17, with nomination day fixed on Tuesday, Jan 6.

Al-Jazeera Interview - Malaysia DPM

PKR CONGRESS SPEECHES