Category: News

Malaysia Johor Seeks To Revive Croooked Bridge Project To Link Singapore-Chief Minister

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© Nikkei Markets

KUALA LUMPUR (Oct 16) — Malaysia’s southern Johor state seeks to revive a so-called crooked bridge project to link Singapore, its Chief Minister Osman Sapian said Tuesday. 

The project, first proposed by then Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad in 2003, was junked by his successor Abdullah Badawi. Now, after the nonagenarian Mahathir wrested power in a shock May electoral outcome, talks of reviving the project has gathered pace.

“We will try to build a third bridge,” Osman said. “During a meeting with the Prime Minister last month, he quite agreed.”

Osman’s comments were in response to a query whether Johor is lobbying for federal funding for major development projects ahead of the national budget announcement due on Nov 2. 

– By Gan Pei Ling
– Edited By Abhrajit Gangopadhyay

Malaysia’s Works Ministry Lacks Funds To Maintain Federal Roads-Minister Bian

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© Nikkei Markets

KUALA LUMPUR (Oct 09) — Malaysia’s works ministry lacks funds to maintain the federal roads as budget allocations typically sharply lagged requirements, the minister said Tuesday.

The lack of funds have resulted in a 30% backlog of the maintenance work, Baru Bian said at an investor conference in Kuala Lumpur.

“Every year we get less than 50% of the budget we need,” Bian said. While the annual budget requirement is 2 billion ringgit, allocated sums have ranged between 600 million ringgit and 800 million ringgit, Bian said.

He said the funds are needed to maintain 19,950 km of federal roads and highways.

– By Gan Pei Ling
– Edited By Abhrajit Gangopadhyay

Malaysia’s Data Protection Laws To Be At Par With Global Standard-Minister Deo

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© Nikkei Markets

KUALA LUMPUR (Oct 04) — Malaysia’s data protection laws must be at par with global standard, the federal communications and multimedia minister said Thursday.

“We need to put in place a system to ensure data breaches don’t happen, and find ways to stop a breach immediately before it gets out of hand,” Gobind Singh Deo said at a digital advertising conference. “We have to reinvent departments that work with these regulations.”

His comments were in response to queries on when Malaysia would update its data protection laws to prevent breaches, and to be on par with the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation enforced in May. 

– By Gan Pei Ling
– Edited By Abhrajit Gangopadhyay

We don’t know 1MDB but cost of living bites us, says housewife

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by Gan Pei Ling, 27 Jan 2018 © The Malaysian Insight

RISING goods prices have hit semi-rural households hard, Amanah Bentong chief and former school principal Norhaizan Abu Hassan told the Pakatan Harapan state convention in Pahang today.

“As a housewife, we control and manage all household expenses, we are like the internal minister at home.

“We may not understand the 1MDB scandal fully and its long chronology but increasing petrol price, GST (goods and services tax) have made everything more expensive,” said the 59-year-old mother of five in Kuantan.

The former principal at SMK Tembangau, Triang said homemakers in semi-rural areas in Pahang are struggling to make ends meet as prices of rice, flour, cooking oil, sugar and other basic food items have increased since Barisan Nasional gradually removed their subsidies in 2010.

“Before this, I could buy 10kg of 3A rice for RM18, now it’s RM28.

“If before we can buy 5kg of cooking oil for RM13.50, now it’s RM23,” she said.

Norhaizan added she has received a lot of complaints from housewives in areas like Chemomoi, a Felda estate about an hour from Bentong town.

“Many of them are upset. They tell me they don’t know whether they should continue to support BN.

“A lot of housewives who sell nasi lemak or goreng pisang to supplement their household income are complaining they are not making money anymore.

“What they earn is just enough for them to cover their living costs, they cannot save for the future and their children,” Norhaizan told The Malaysian Insight on the sidelines of the convention.

She hopes Pakatan Harapan can return the subsidies on basic food items to relieve the people’s financial burden, especially for poor families.

“Please make sure basic food items are sold at stable and reasonable prices.”

Norhaizan spoke during a morning session allocated for representatives from various segments of society in Pahang to air their views and grouses at the PH state convention.

Other representatives include from the Orang Asli, varsity students, environmental NGOs and Felda.

Orang Asli still marginalised after six decades of BN rule in Pahang

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by Gan Pei Ling, 27 Jan 2018 © The Malaysian Insight

ORANG Asli still lack recognition for their customary land rights and access to basic infrastructure such as electricity, roads and water till today, representatives said at the Pakatan Harapan convention in Pahang today.

“We know the Malaysian government can rob our land in future. We are afraid our children may not have homes to take shelter in and lands to feed themselves,” said Singgol Oleh, 43, from Kampung Tual, Pos Sinderut, Kuala Lipis.

“We are afraid future generations of Semai people will be forgotten because of the lost of our ancestral land. This has to change.”

He told the 200-odd audience that their ancestral lands around Cameron Highlands have been gazetted as permanent forest reserve.

“This means that the land belongs to the Malaysian government. It also means we have lost our customary land, and our identity as natives is threatened,” he said.

Pos Sinderut is home to some 14 Orang Asli villages with about 1,200 people.

Singgol said he hopes a new government will return the Orang Asli their customary land.

Zainal Kaptar, 36, from another village in Pos Sinderut, said the lack of electricity supply in makes it difficult for their children to study at night.

“We often hear that Malaysia is becoming an advanced country, with skyscrapers, luxury hotels, highways… do you know that a lot of us still live without electricity?” said Zainal.

He added that when it rains, some villages are totally cut off from the outside world as the roads are destroyed by landslides.

“There is a stark difference between the infrastructure given to the Orang Asli compared to other races. Why does this difference exist? Aren’t we Malaysians too?” said Zainal.

Norhadi Nordin, 25, also from Pos Sinderut said many Orang Asli children want to further their studies but lack the opportunity.

“There is only one primary school in Pos Sinderut. Some pupils still don’t know how to read, write or calculate properly after six years of education.

“Whose fault is it? Whose responsibility is it to teach the children in schools? Our village chiefs have spoken to the school a few times but our appeals fell on deaf ears,” he told The Malaysian Insight at the side of the convention.

Norhadi added that it is still difficult for Orang Asli youth to get a place in vocational colleges.

“We hope the future Malaysian government can take education for Orang Asli seriously,” he said.

Self-censorship among non-Muslims ‘unhealthy’, say academics

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by Gan Pei Ling, 13 Jan 2018 © The Malaysian Insight

A GROWING culture of self-censorship among non-Muslims in Malaysia to avoid offending subjective Muslim sensitivity is unhealthy, said social scientists.

“It has become ingrained in non-Muslims to respect Muslim sensitivity, but what is sensitive is often subjective,” Universiti Sains Malaysia political scientist Azmil Tayeb told The Malaysian Insight today.

He was commenting on the practice of non-Muslim business owners to avoid the depiction of dogs, animals considered unclean by Muslims, in shopping malls and stores as Chinese Malaysians prepare to usher in the Year of the Dog on February 16.

“It’s definitely not healthy. It’s ridiculous. The tolerance is one way. This is due to years of intimidation (from some authorities). It’s overboard.

“Because non-Muslims have been told so many times not to offend, they think this is the best way to be safe than sorry,” said the expert on Islamic politics in Southeast Asia.

Malaysian Chinese Muslim Association president Taufiq Yap Yun Hin said personally, he does not feel offended by canine images but he can understand other Muslims may not feel the same.

Wary of public backlash, businesses in Malaysia have often been careful not to offend Muslim sensitivities.

Earlier this month, the Giant Hypermarket courted controversy from netizens for selling a T-shirt of the 12 zodiac animals, but the dog and pig images were replaced with characters spelling out the animals’ names.

In October 2016, pretzel chain Auntie Anne’s was asked to rename its “Pretzel Dog” to “Pretzel Sausage” by the Malaysia Islamic Development Department (Jakim).

The same year, a half-man, half-pig character in the Chinese New Year blockbuster Monkey King 2 was removed from its original posters. The film distributor, Golden Screen Cinemas, said it modified the poster on its own initiative.

The book launch was jointly organised by independent book distributor Gerakbudaya and Institute of Malaysian & International Studies (Ikmas), Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia.

In conjunction with the launch a panel discussion was held.

Azmil, Taufiq and International Islamic University Malaysia Islamic expert Maszlee Malik were part of the discussion panel on a book on Chinese Muslim cultures in Indonesia authored by Ikmas research fellow Hew Wai Weng.

Ikmas Associate Professor Helen Ting moderated the discussion.

Maszlee said the cultural dominance of Malay Muslims in Malaysia has prompted many Chinese Muslim converts to feel the need to assert their Chinese identity.

“A lot of them find Malay supremacy disturbing… The moment they become Muslims, they feel they have to show that they are still Chinese. I bet Taufiq never went around wearing a traditional Chinese shirt before he became a Muslim,” he quipped.

Maszlee added that he has observed Chinese converts here finding various ways to retain their ethnic culture, including learning Mandarin.

He said Malaysians need to respect and appreciate, and not just tolerate the cultural and religious diversity in the country and around the world.

For instance, he said Chinese Muslims in northern Thailand see themselves as distinct from the Muslims in Bangkok, southern Thailand and mainland China.

“The word tolerance is very dirty. It means you could dislike something or someone but you tolerate it. In your heart, there is still disgruntlement. That’s not the way forward.

“We must not neglect the basic essence of humanity, which is mutual respect. If you don’t respect others, people won’t respect you,” he said.