Info leak ban shows insincerity in Putrajaya’s graft fight, Pakatan says

The Penal Code amendment prohibiting the leaking of government information showed that Putrajaya was not serious in combating corruption, Pakatan Rakyat (PR) lawmakers said today.

PKR’s Pandan MP Rafizi Ramli criticised the amendment, which was passed in Parliament yesterday, for promoting a “yes-man culture” in the civil service, pointing out that the law did not specifically protect leaks of information on corruption.

“What the amendment does is effectively creating a civil service who will not want to rock the boat because there is a heavy price to pay, even if he whistleblows on corruption,” Rafizi told The Malay Mail Online in a text message today from Mecca.

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Two Fonterra dairy products banned here, there may be more

Two New Zealand dairy products were slapped with an import ban after the items were suspected of being contaminated with bacteria that could cause botulism.

The Health Ministry announced import bans on Nutricia Karicare Stage 1 Infant Formula and Nutricia Karicare Stage Follow-on Formula, The New Straits Times reported.

The two products are manufactured by NZ dairy giant Fonterra Limited.

The company had recently announced that a dirty pipe at its plant in Hautapu, Waikato, could have led to the contamination of three batches of whey protein concentrate (WPC80).

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Danone Dumex recalls products

Danone Dumex Malaysia has initiated a precautionary recall of some batches of its products following concerns over a whey protein bacterial contamination that can cause botulism.

It said none of the products tested and sold in Malaysia was found with contamination but new information given by Fonterra on Saturday had indicated that some ingredients supplied to the company might be contaminated.

“For this reason, Danone Dumex has instigated a precautionary recall in Malaysia,” it said in a statement.

It released the batch numbers of the recalled products (see graphic) and said consumers should not feed the products to infants.



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New Zealand’s ‘clean’ green’ image hurt by milk scare

New Zealand has long marketed itself as “100 per cent pure”, but experts say that image is under threat amid fears of botulism contamination in its baby formula and other milk products.

The crisis gripping dairy giant Fonterra has implications for the entire country because of its importance to the economy and the damage being done to New Zealand’s brand in China, its fastest growing export market, said communications expert Chris Galloway.

“New Zealand’s image and that of Fonterra’s can’t be separated, they are intertwined,” Massey University’s Galloway told AFP. “Fonterra is our largest exporter and represents New Zealand in markets around the world.

“This crisis is a blow to our 100 per cent pure branding and the repercussions might take some time to play out.”

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The girls behind the Miss Malaysia World controversy

The four Muslim contestants who were disqualified from the Miss Malaysia World pageant have been subject to media scrutiny after their dropping due to the ruling that states Muslim girls are not allowed to compete in beauty pageants.

The Star Online spoke to three of the four girls who told us they joined the competition to give them a chance to show Malaysia who they are and why they are proud to be Malaysians.

The fourth finalist, Kathrina Ridzuan could not be contacted for an interview


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Jawi want a closer look at Muslim beauty contestants

The four Muslim Miss Malaysia-World finalists are being investigated by The Federal Territory Islamic Affairs Department (Jawi) as they are deemed to have insulted Islam.

Jawi director Datuk Che Mat Che Ali said its enforcement unit would look into the matter following a Malay daily’s report that the girls were bent on taking part in the beauty pageant despite an edict by the National Fatwa Council prohibiting it.

“If we find sufficient evidence for further investigation, they will be charged in the Syariah Court,” he said, according to The Star.

Those found guilty can be fined up to RM3,000, jailed up to two years, or both.

Che Mat noted that based on the report in the Malay daily, the participants had expressed their disappointment with the fatwa that was gazetted on Feb 8, 1996, under the Administration of Islamic Law (Federal Territories) 1993.

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Shisha ban should cover all Malaysians

The fatwa against shisha is noteworthy, although it could have been done done much earlier.

The edict creates a double standard in safeguarding the health of people

THERE is no doubt that the fatwa to ban the use of shisha is timely and welcomed. Shisha is no longer a novelty in Malaysia. It has become popular, especially among youngsters of both genders.

They perceive shisha as harmless, more for fun and kicks. This is always the case for habit-forming activities, ranging from the use of substances to electronic gadgets.

Hence, to act fast with utmost resolute is the name of the game. It will become an uphill battle once the habits become entrenched in us.

The fatwa against shisha is laudable, though it could have been done earlier.

The next step is to internalise the fact that addiction knows no boundaries: geographical, ethnicity and social status.

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Shisha ‘Haram’, says Perlis fatwa panel

Some believe that shisha should be banned nationwide on religious grounds as it is supposedly ‘more hazardous than cigarettes’



Popularity of substance among students prompts decision

KANGAR: THE Perlis Fatwa Committee yesterday issued an edict banning the sale and smoking of shisha (flavoured tobacco) in the state.

The ban may gather momentum as Perlis’ move to declare it haram (forbidden in Islam) has also received the support of Johor Islamic Religious Council adviser Datuk Noh Gadut, who called for a nationwide ban.

The Mufti of Perlis, Datuk Dr Juanda Jaya, said after an oath-taking ceremony of the state assemblymen here yesterday that the decision to declare the sale and smoking of shisha as haram was made at the Perlis Fatwa Committee’s meeting in Kota Kinabalu on Monday.

“We hope that the state government and the Kangar Municipal Council (MPK) will immediately enforce this ban as we are concerned that it will become an unhealthy trend in the long run.

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Don't take 'smoking is haram' fatwa lightly, Muslims told

Many Muslims in this country are still taking lightly the 'smoking is haram' fatwa, that was decided by the Muzakarah Committee of the National Fatwa Council for Islamic Religious Affairs in 1995.

Hence, Assistant Minister in the Chief Minister's Office (Islamic Affairs), Datuk Daud Abdul Rahman urged Muslims, especially in the state, to realise that smoking had been decreed as haram in line with Islamic teachings.

He said the edict (fatwa) issued by the national committee was agreed upon by the Sarawak Fatwa Council.

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Pua jumps into Jonker Walk issue, saying there’s a cover-up

Tony Pua has accused Tourism Minister Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz of "covering up" the Malacca state government's closure of Jonker Street.

The PJ Utara MP said that while Nazri had seemingly "appealed" to Malacca Chief Minister Datuk Idris Haron not to close down the popular tourist spot, he had also reached a "compromise' with Idris.

"Nazri claimed that the CM had ordered Jonker Street to be closed for four weeks to study the traffic flow.

"This is a compromise and it is unacceptable," Pua said.

He said that this was because idris himself had admitted the move was an act of retaliation against the non-Malay community in Malacca.

"I have with me a copy of the memo issued by the mayor of Malacca city council which instructed the full closure of the market, wih no mention of the so-called traffic study."

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Nurul Izzah entry ban lifted, say Sabah cops

Sabah police confirmed today that the state has lifted its ban on Nurul Izzah Anwar entering the east Malaysian state.

State police chief Deputy Comm Datuk Hamza Taib reportedly confirmed this with Astro Awani today but did not offer further information on why the ban was retracted.

The police chief also claimed that no other individuals apart from Nurul Izzah were placed on a travel blacklist, despite information found in leaked correspondence between Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman’s office and the state’s Immigration Department.

“As far as the police have mentioned, no other individuals were banned apart from Nurul. But even then, that ban has been retracted,” DCP Hamza told the station.

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Nurul Izzah rubbishes claims of planned Sabah protest

Federal lawmaker Nurul Izzah Anwar, barred from entering Sabah on Thursday, described allegations that PKR planned to have a demonstration at KDCA “as fabricated and utterly ridiculous”.

“The allegations are meant to tarnish my character and justify the unjustifiable deportation of BN dissenters,” she said in a brief message.

“I deplore the fact that the Sabah Barisan Nasional government is repeating such fabrication without an ounce of responsible fact-finding,” she added.

The Lembah Pantai MP and PKR vice president was responding to an article in Borneo Insider quoting sources that she was planning to head a PKR demonstration at the KDA during the state-wide Kaamatan.

Her denial comes soon after Penampang MP Darell Leiking said that the accusation is a “lie and rifled with speculation”.

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Health Ministry suspends import of Taiwanese starch products used in bubble tea

The Health Ministry has suspended the import of 11 Taiwanese starch-based products after Singaporean authorities discovered maleic acid in some tapioca pearls or balls used in the popular “bubble tea” drink.

Food Safety and Quality senior director Noraini Datuk Mohd Othman said the suspension was a precautionary measure after they received early media reports on the issue.

“The Ministry has found that there have been no tapioca balls or tapioca pearls from Taiwanese company Sunright Foods Corporation imported to Malaysia. We are waiting confirmation from the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office,” she said in a statement yesterday, adding that the ministry would continue to monitor imported products from Taiwan.

Singapore's Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority had found maleic acid in 11 starch-based products from Taiwan and has withdrawn them from the market.

It announced this shortly after the Sunright tapioca pearls had been recalled following Taiwan's Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) discovery of maleic acid in them.

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Copies of Opposition tabloids seized for violating permit

Some 3,000 copies of tabloids published by the Opposition parties have been seized in a nationwide operation for violating the printing permit.

Home Ministry officials have so far seized 1,408 copies of Suara Keadilan, 1,602 copies of Harakah and 70 copies of The Rocket.

The seizure was made on Wednesday and more copies are expected to be seized as it is an ongoing operation.

The Home Ministry in a statement said the seizure was made under Section 5 of the Printing Presses and Publications Act 1984 (Amendment) 2012 for breach of the print conditions.

One of the conditions is that the circulation of the publications is limited to (party) members only, added the statement.

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Chinese businessmen say boycott on community’s products “racist”, will hurt economy

The call by pro-Umno bloggers and Muslim groups for a boycott of Chinese businesses is racist and will harm the country’s economic growth, according to businessmen from the community.

Malaysia’s gross domestic product (GDP) expanded by 4.1 per cent in the first quarter of the year as a result of weaker exports and slower growth in public spending, compared to 4.7 per cent in the same quarter in 2012 and 6.4 per cent in the last quarter of 2012.

“How can you say boycott? Who loses? The government and Malaysia are the ones that will lose out,” Chen Kien Keong, chairman of the Tea Trade Association of Malaysia, told The Malaysian Insider yesterday.

“The priority now is the economy... so few people also pay income tax,” he added.

Only 10 per cent of the working population in the country pays income tax.

Khoo Kah Jin, president of the Kuala Lumpur and Selangor Car Dealers and Credit Companies Association, said the call for a boycott of consumer goods produced by Chinese companies was “racist”.

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Tian Chua says ‘ridiculous’ to be barred from Sabah for own safety

PKR vice-president Chua Tian Chang said today that being barred from entering Sabah for his own safety was akin to being detained under the Internal Security Act (ISA) for his own protection.Dr Moktar Ajam, secretary of the Sabah State Affairs and Research Office in the Chief Minister’s Department, as saying today that Chua (picture), better known as Tian Chua, was barred from entering the Borneo state for his own safety.

“It’s ridiculous, like putting people under ISA for their safety,” said Chua at a press conference at the PKR headquarters here.

'It is haram to support Pakatan' ?

Representatives of Islamic groups presenting their declaration that it is forbidden for Muslims to support the opposition yesterday after a three-day conference in Gurun, Kedah.


Ulama conference says opposition politicising Islamic issues

SUNGAI PETANI: A GROUP of ulama have issued a declaration that it is haram (forbidden) for Muslims to support the opposition.

Minda Pondok information chief Harun Yahya said the declaration was nothing political and urged the Muslim community to treat the matter as a threat against Islam.

"We are concerned with many Islamic-related issues which have been politicised by the opposition," he said at a conference of some 200 Islamic scholars from "pondok" schools, Islamic religious schools and Tahfiz Al-Quran schools nationwide.

Five DAP reps suspended by Malacca Speaker over MCA claims

Five DAP lawmakers were suspended six months by the state legislature today for staging a walkout yesterday in protest of the Speaker’s decision to allow media photographers in the chambers when a Barisan Nasional (BN) lawmaker accused Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng of an affair with a former aide.

Lim’s wife, Betty Chew, was among the five DAP assemblymen suspended for the walkout.

The Penang chief minister had earlier today denied the allegation while taking a swipe at his political rivals in the MCA by asserting that “Lim Guan Eng is not Chua Soi Lek.”

Lim’s barb was made in reference to MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek being forced to admit in 2008 that he had an extramarital affair after video recordings of his tryst were publicly leaked.

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Borders allowed to challenge Jawi's seizure of controversial book

Berjaya Books Sdn Bhd has been allowed to challenge the raid and search on its Borders bookstore and seizure of Irshad Manji's controversial book from the store by the Federal Territory Islamic Religious Department (Jawi) last month.

High Court (Appellate and Special Powers) judge Justice Rohana Yusuf held Monday that the application for leave by Berjaya Books, which owns Borders Bookstore, has merits.

The judge made the order after hearing submissions by parties in chambers.

The judge has also dismissed an objection raised by the Attorney-General's Chambers against the application for leave.

Speaking to reporters later, Berjaya Books lead counsel Rosli Dahlan said the judge ruled that the application for leave was not premature and that the civil court has jurisdiction to hear the matter.

Guan Eng defends banning Utusan in Penang, calls it ‘party organ’

Lim Guan Eng today defended Penang’s decision to ban Umno-owned Utusan Malaysia, calling it a “party organ” masquerading as a newspaper following criticism that the Pakatan Rakyat (PR) bloc does not guarantee media freedom.

On Wednesday, the Centre for Independent Journalism (CIJ) said in its report that a Pakatan Rakyat-led government was no guarantor of media freedom due to its banning of Utusan in Penang and Kelantan.

But the Penang chief minister insisted today that when it came to media freedom, newspapers must “walk the talk”.

“When you talk about newspapers, you have to be clear, are they newspapers or party organs? You cannot have party organs that masquerade as newspapers,” he told reporters at a press conference here.