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KUALA LUMPUR: The Bar Council
has been given a final warning to
stop discussing the issue of the use
of the word “Allah” through a public
opinion survey on its website as the
action has incurred the wrath of
Muslims.
Minister in the Prime Minister’s
Department Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad
Zahid Hamidi said yesterday it was
an unwise move by the Bar Council
as such a sensitive Islamic issue, or
of any religion for that matter, should
not be put to debate or a public opin-
ion survey.
“If they continue to play up the is-
sue, the Muslims may rise and if they
do, the Bar should not be angry but be
willing to accept the consequences,”
he told reporters after officiating at a
ground-breaking ceremony for the
Federal Territory Islamic Religious
Council’s Sekolah Menengah Imtiaz
in Setiawangsa here.
“This is the final warning for the
Bar Council. Islamic religious mat-
Umno Youth should have NGO mindset: Mukhriz
KUALA LUMPUR: Umno Youth
chief candidate Datuk Mukhriz
Mahathir said the movement should
play the role and have the mindset
of a non-governmental organisation
(NGO) that champions only the in-
terests of the people.
To remain relevant, Umno Youth
should also have the voice of a pres-
sure group within the government
or during a face-off with the Opposi-
tion, he said in an interview with
Bernama.
Mukhriz said Umno Youth was
not supposed to be the government’s
official voice and it should dare to
express views through the party’s
Supreme Council pertaining to par-
ticular decisions of the government.
“To become like an NGO, we
have to play the role and have the
mindset of an NGO,” he said.
Mukhriz, 44, an Umno Youth
executive council member and
the MP for Jerlun, is involved in a
three-cornered fight for the move-
ment’s top post in this week’s party
elections.
The other contenders are present
vice chief Khairy Jamaluddin and
party Supreme Council member
Datuk Seri Dr Mohamad Khir Toyo.
Mukhkriz said that among the
challenges faced by the movement
was how to help Barisan Nasional
(BN) manage its success of govern-
ing the country over the past five
decades.
The failure to manage success
was one of the reasons why the peo-
Now it’s up to Umno delegates, says Mahathir
KUALA LUMPUR: Having wasted
two chances, it is now up to the Umno
delegates to rid the party of corrupt
leaders, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad
said yesterday.
First, he said, the divisions did not
do a very good job on this during the
nomination process for the party’s
report. Inset: The cover of the book.
BERNAMAPIX
Bar Council gets ‘final
warning’ on ‘Allah’ issue
ters come under the jurisdiction of
the Malay rulers and if they continue
to dispute the authority’s decision on
the issue (use of the word “Allah” in
non-Islamic religious publications), it
means they are disputing the power
of the rulers.”
Ahmad Zahid said all quarters,
expecially the Bar Council which
comprised legal professionals,
should realise that the issue had been
referred to the court for a decision
ple, particularly the younger genera-
tions, switched to the Opposition in
last year’s general election, he said.
Asked why he decided to vie for
the Umno Youth post instead of a
seat in the Supreme Council, he said:
“This election determines whether
Umno will live or die.
“In the next general election, there
will be about 1.5 million new young
voters. With the 51% popular votes
(garnered in the last election) we are
like an egg at the tip of a horn, and
also we have the votes from Sabah
and Sarawak.
“If (there is a) 1% swing, the
government will fall into the hands
of the Opposition.”
Mukhriz said the challenge to
be borne by the new Umno Youth
head was heavy, especially since the
party would be facing by-elections in
Bukit Gantang, Bukit Selambau and
Batang Ai in two weeks’ time.
“I wish to become the initiator
to problem solutions, not a trouble-
maker to Umno,” he said.
Asked about people’s perception
that he was in Tun Dr Mahathir
Mohamad’s shadow, Mukhriz said
he was proud of his father and was
unable to run away from the fact his
father was a former prime minister.
“I strongly hold to the principles
of the struggle. Everyone has his
own principles. My father, since he
was young, is known as a person
with principles and has always put
the party above family and personal
interests,” he said. – Bernama
elections to be held this week.
Second, Umno’s disciplinary
board also failed to arrest the scourge
of money politics in the party.
“Now, a third opportunity arises
and it is in the hands of the delegates
attending Umno’s general assembly
to rectify the situation, failing which
Khairy shows a copy of the police
and should therefore not become
polemic.
“The cabinet and Parliament, too,
had ruled that the issue should not
be put to discussion,” he said.
“After this, I hope no individual
or organisation will raise the issue
and we should accept the court’s
decision. States had also gazetted the
decision made by the Malay rulers
and this should be respected.”
Ahmad Zahid was also asked
Mahathir is greeted on arrival
at Kelab Kilat Tenaga Nasional
Berhad in Kuala Lumpur to
deliver a keynote address at the
Perkasa gathering.
the final chance will be with Datuk
Seri Najib Tun Razak (who will take
over as the Umno president and
prime minister after the assembly),”
he told reporters after delivering a
keynote address at a gathering of
Malay non-governmental organisa-
tions under Perkasa.
Khairy lodges police report
over book
KUALA LUMPUR: Umno Youth
deputy chief Khairy Jamaluddin lodged
a police report yesterday against the
author of a book which he claimed
had defamed him.
Khairy made the report at the
Brickfields police headquarters. He
arrived there with four others at
10.15am.
“The (release of the) book is a
deliberate attempt to undermine my
image and political career,” he told
reporters almost two hours later after
lodging the report.
theSun
about the invitation from Pahang
Umno liaison chief Datuk Seri Ad-
nan Yaakob to Paya Besar Umno
division head Datuk Ahmad Tajud-
din Sulaiman to swear in the State
Mosque to prove Ahmad Tajuddin’s
allegation that Adnan had interferred
in the Paya Besar divisional elections
last year.
He said the mosque should not
be used to settle political disputes.
– Bernama
BERNAMAPIX
“If Najib picks tainted leaders in
his cabinet, I think all hopes for Umno
to remain a strong party will be lost.”
In his address, Mahathir urged the
Malays to unite and make changes to
bring the community forward in the
interest of their future generations.
– Bernama
Khairy said he had not known the
author previously and that they had
first met in his office here on Feb 17.
The author asked for payment or
he would publish the book, he said,
adding that he declined to entertain
the author.
Khairy said the author claimed the
publication of the book was spon-
sored by Khairy’s political rivals.
“I have also learned that copies
of the book have been distributed to
several Umno delegates over the past
week,” he said. – Bernama
| MONDAY MARCH 23 2009
briefs
Ali Rustam puts
party first, says PM
KUWAIT CITY: The statements
made by Datuk Seri Mohd Ali Rustam
following the rejection of his appeal
to Umno’s Appeals Panel shows he
places the party first, said Datuk Seri
Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.
The Umno president said Mohd
Ali had also stated that he would
continue to serve Umno and up-
hold the good name of the party.
“To me, this is a positive attitude,”
the prime minister told Malaysian
journalists covering his official visit
to Kuwait yesterday in commenting
on the decision of the panel.
The panel had upheld Umno
disciplinary board’s decision
barring him from contesting the
Umno deputy president’s post
at the Umno elections this week
after finding him guilty of having
breached party ethics.
According to Abdullah, Mohd Ali
did not sulk over the decision but
in fact had stated that he would
continue with the party’s stuggle
to ensure it was even more suc-
cessful in future. – Bernama
Socso saddled with
RM9m bad debts
KUALA LUMPUR: The Social Se-
curity Organisation (Socso) is sad-
dled with over RM9 million in bad
debts because of unpaid study
loans, its chief executive officer,
K. Selvarajah, said yesterday.
He told Bernama Socso had
tried various means, including
legal action, to get the 415
errant borrowers to repay the
loans but to no avail.
Selvarajah said Socso would
publish the names of the borrow-
ers and their guarantors in the
newspapers and also inform the
Immigration Department to bar
them from leaving the country.
Priority for school
extension projects
PASIR PUTEH: The Education
Ministry will give priority to school
building extension projects yet to
be implemented when carrying
out projects with the RM2.4 billion
allocated to it under the economic
stimulus package.
The ministry’s secretary-gen-
eral, Tan Sri Dr Zulkurnain Awang,
said yesterday a major portion of
all the projects would begin to be
implemented in about two weeks.
He said the ministry would re-
port to the Economic Planning Unit
of the Prime Minister’s Department
and the chief secretary to the gov-
ernment on the progress of these
projects weekly.
The ministry has set up a
steering committee to ensure the
effective implementation of the
projects. Bernama
Abdullah to boost
Malaysia-Kuwait ties
KUWAIT CITY: Prime Minister
Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad
Badawi arrived yesterday to
begin an official visit to Kuwait.
Abdullah and his wife, Datin
Seri Jeanne Abdullah, were met
on arrival at Kuwait International
Airport by Kuwaiti government
representative Sheikh Dr Salem
Al-Jaber Al-Sabah.
They are accompanied by
Second Finance Minister Tan Sri
Nor Mohamed Yakcop, Minister
in the Prime Minister’s Depart-
ment Tan Sri Amirsham A. Aziz,
Deputy Foreign Minister Datuk
Abdul Rahim Bakri, Johor Mentri
Besar Datuk Abdul Ghani Oth-
man and other government and
business leaders. – Bernama