MY VIEWS: Administration of the Religion of Islam (Federal Territories) Bill 2013

The subject of religion is a sensitive issue. For each and all, their religion is a way of life, a guide to good living and a believe that they hold dear to.

As such, Malaysia is a known liberal country where many religions are practiced and followed by all walks of life, with no harassment or restrictions. However, issues such as the recent right to choose the religion of a child keeps being a lingering torn in the flesh.

The "parent/parents" saga has drawn widespread attention, On a lighter note, parent/parents would probably yearn to ever gain this much of an attention from their children. 

With regards to this issue,many ideas,view have been exchanged albeit controvesially.

My take is that, it does not take a single parent to decide the future of a child. A bright future for a child is often a norm when both the parent take a hand in hand approach to their child's life. It is important that both the parent are happy, satisfied and content with the religion that their child is to adhere to for rest of his life.

In Mahabaratha, the Pandavas devotion to Kunti Devi, their mother is exampalery. Ramayana meanwhile shows the Lord Rama fulfilling his dad's word and going into exile.

The aforementioned scriptures show that both parent have equal importance. In Hinduism, it is known that these scriptures were written to indicate purpose in life and the role of each being. The wordings of the act seems to indicate that one parent has an upper hand over the other, which I presume is contradictory to teachings of all religion.

The government understands the complexity of the issue and will take into account the sentiments of all stakeholders before making a decision. The bill is in its early stages and from my understanding its a translation difference between the English and Malay language versions of the bill that is the cause of concern. While the English version clearly states the need for both parents to consent to conversion of a child the Malay language version states that either parent can make the decision for a child under 18 years of age. I'm sure this matter can be solved amicably and even the honorable Deputy Prime Minister YAB Tan Sri Muhiyiddin Yassin  has agreed that amendments would be made if the situation warrants it.

I personally hope that suitable amendments are made to ensure that when it comes to a choice of religion for a child, it has to be a collective decision and not a unilateral one.

TERIMA KASIH, நன்றி, THANK YOU, 谢谢.

Saya ingin mengambil kesempatan ini untuk mengucapkan tahniah kepada Kerajaan Barisan Nasional dan khususnya YAB Dato' Seri Mohd. Najib Tun Abdul Razak kerana berjaya membentuk Kerajaan Barisan Nasional dan mengurus negara yang kita cintai untuk lima tahun akan datang.

Jutaan TERIMA KASIH kepada semua rakyat Malaysia yang mengundi Barisan Nasional dan terus meletakkan kepercayaan anda terhadap kami. Terima kasih kepada semua yang telah menunaikan tanggungjawab anda untuk mengundi dalam Pilihan Raya Umum ke-13. Saya juga ingin merakamkan penghargaan saya kepada semua yang terlibat dalam memastikan proses pilihan raya yang cekap dan lancar.

Akhir sekali, saya amat terharu dengan kepercayaan yang diberikan kepada saya oleh pengundi-pengundi yang saya hormati di Hulu Selangor. Saya berjanji untuk memberi perkhidmatan yang terbaik untuk masyarakat dan akan terus mengambil semua maklum balas yang membina untuk memastikan masa depan yang lebih baik untuk kita semua.

I wish to take this opportunity to congratulate the Barisan Nasional Government and in particular Dato' Seri Najib Tun Abdul Razak for successfully forming the Barisan Nasional Government and manage our beloved country for the next five years.

A big THANK YOU to all Malaysians who voted for Barisan Nasional and continued to put your trust in us.  Thank you to all who had fulfilled your responsibility to vote in the 13th General Election.  And my appreciation and acknowledgement to all those involved in ensuring we had an efficient and smooth election process.

Finally, I am humbled by the faith and trust given to me by my dear voters in Hulu Selangor.  I promise to do my best for the community and will continue to take all constructive feedback to ensure a better future for all of us.

TERIMA KASIH THANK YOU

Saya ingin mengucapkan ribuan terima kasih kepada Yang Amat Berhormat Perdana Menteri, Yang Berhormat Dato' Seri Presiden Parti MIC, pemimpin-pemimpin parti dan semua sahabat2 saya di P94 Parlimen Hulu Selangor kerana memberi peluang kepada saya untuk berkhidmat kepada sahabat-sahabat kawasan Hulu Selangor. Sepanjang tiga tahun kebelakangan ini, saya telah bekerja keras bersama sama rakyat Hulu Selangor dan ramai rakan rakan saya juga telah menyokong dan membantu dalam menjaga kebajikan penduduk di kawasan ini. Saya akan meneruskan usaha gigih dan berikrar akan menjalankan tanggungjawab yang diamanahkan dengan baik.

I wish thank the Prime Minister, party President, leaders of the party and all my friends in P94 Hulu Selangor for their trust & faith in me & for giving me the opportunity to serve the people of Hulu Selangor. I have worked very hard the last 3 years with the community in Hulu Selangor & have many friends there who support me & have the well being of the people in their heart. I will continue to work hard & promise to do my best with the responsibility given to me. 

PKamalanathan

FREE EDUCATION

Education is the most valuable asset in one’s life. In my opinion no cost is too high when it comes to education. After all, education leads to the birth of innovation and gives rise to a society that is intellectual and enlightened.

Free education refers to education that is funded through taxation or charitable organizations rather than tuition fees. Malaysian government has been and is still providing free education from primary to secondary school. The government also bears 90 per cent of the cost of tertiary education.

Malaysians should appreciate and be thankful for what the government has done so far. It has made education accessible to all. The government is still providing free education for Primary 1 up to Form 6 whereby parents are no longer required to pay for their child’s school fees. Moreover, text books are also provided free and examination fees have been abolished.

In the year 2012, our Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak made an announcement of free education for the first time in Malaysia’s history. The policy was lauded by the nation. Year One students who enrolled in 2012 were excluded from paying the school fees.

About 5.3 million primary and secondary students benefitted across the country through this free education policy last year. In addition to this, students also enjoyed RM100 that was given to them to assist them in preparing for the new school term.

Before this policy was introduced, the school fee for a primary and secondary students was RM 24.50 and RM33.50 respectively. The fee was for co-curriculum activities, Malaysian Schools Sports Council fees and internal examination papers.

Recently, RM50.2 billion was allocated in the 2012 Budget for the education sector along with an additional RM1.9 billion for further development. For the year 2013, an amount of RM12.1bil is allocated for higher education.  The government acknowledges that education is the key for growth and prosperity of the nation. To support this agenda, a huge share of the country’s annual budget is allocated for education.   This includes allocation for new schools, repair and maintenance of existing infrastructures, equipment, upgrading of teaching and learning materials.


Students who missed the opportunity to secure JPA scholarship for tertiary education can still enjoy full scholarship since PTPTN is willing to convert loans into scholarship for first class honor students. Many First Class Honors achievers have benefited from this decision made by the government to recognize and reward high achievers.  However, there are many more who are ignorant of this privilege.


There were cases of some high achievers who were not considered for this privilege due to financial policy changes in the country in 2008 and 2009. When this matter was brought up in parliament, it received the personal attention of the Prime Minister and the Deputy Prime Minister who is also the Education Minister. The Prime Minister then announced in June 2012 to write-off loans of those who achieved first class honor regardless of the year of graduation. This proves that the government is sincere in encouraging high quality graduates instead of churning out high quantity of graduates.

Up to 31 December 2012, a total of 15,390 PTPTN applicants who obtained First Class Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent and who requested for exemption of their education financing were successful in writing-off  their PTPTN loans. This cost the government a total sum of RM432.83 million.  Out of the above written-off loans, 8,761 borrowers were made  up of loans approved based on the previous policy in 2005 (loan approval before July 1, 2005) involving a totalamount of RM253.93 million.  Another 5,368 borrowers was made  up of loans based on the policyin 2010 (borrowers who are graduating from January 1, 2010) amounting to RM146.02 million.
In addition to the scholarships and loans, public university fee is also subsidized up to 95 per cent and students' accommodation at public universities is also subsidized by the government. The cost of accommodation for a polytechnic student is only RM0-30 a day while in public universities, the highest charge for accommodation is RM4 a day.

Education is funded through taxation in many countries. Malaysians will have to pay higher income tax in order for the government to consider providing free education to all.

For example, the cost of education in Germany is funded by its high income tax, with rates of between 0 to 45 per cent. In Malaysia, the income tax rate is 0 to 26 per cent, where many Malaysian are exempted from paying income tax.
Many graduates, parents and public commented that it is disheartening to see so many Malaysian youths in debts as soon as they walk out of universities and colleges. The question we should ask is why they not putting enough hard work during the period in university to get better results to enjoy free scholarship from the government? The government has announced that they will write-off loans of students who obtain first class honors.

We can all still aspire to implement free education in the long term and I am sure this is something the government will seriously look into.  However, this can only be implemented when it is viable and the time is appropriate.  The Prime Minister is committed to provide access to affordable and quality education to all Malaysians, irrespective of their socio-economic background

VIEWS FROM A CONCERNED CITIZEN

I would like to thank a concerned citizen who send me this email, I would now like to share the email I received with you, enjoy reading it........

On March 27, 1998, during the tensed clash between the Hindus and Muslims in Kg. Rawa, then Deputy Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim threatened to stop all Hindu temples in Penang from ringing the bells.

Late 2012 saw a Hindu altar in a home in Sepang being destroyed by the Sepang Municipal Council which sparked an outcry among Indians in Malaysia.

Now, another incident follows at the century old Sri Maha Mariamman temple in Bangi Lama. And this time around, for ringing the temple bell and conducting religious activities after 6.30pm. The management did not only receive a warning notice but also a compound which carries a maximum of RM 1000 fine on January 8.

This is what Hindus in Selangor get in return for voting in Pakatan Rakyat in 2008. Being deceived with promises ranging from no more temple demolishment in Pakatan-ruled states to cash handouts to temples, the Selangor government has lost control of its machinery that places of worship of Indians have become their latest toy to play with.

When the Bangi temple chairman took this issue to the press, the Kajang Municipal Council backed down and withdrew the compound notice, and few days later they withdrew the warning notice. The MPKj and the Selangor PR government have failed to realize that toying with religious issue is equivalent to playing with fire, if it backfires, it could cause the destruction of an entire nation.

The Hindus living in Bangi Lama area are deeply suspicious of the motive for this notice. Their temple is on a hilltop surrounded by plantations and no complaints have been made by local residents. Does this mean you can discriminate the Hindus’ believe and get away with it?

Selangor EXCO Xavier Jayakumar, in a late response accused that the Public Complaints Bureau under the Prime Minister’s Department, or commonly known as BPA, was the one which instructed the municipal council to go ahead with the summons and compounds to the temple. It seems like the dentist-turned-politician Xavier did not do a proper homework before making his statement.

The BPA does not have any power to instruct any municipal or district councils to issue summons and compounds. Xavier must have thought that he can smartly divert the blame-game but he must not forget the blunder he did with the Sepang home-shrine issue and how contradicting his statements were.

The Indians in Selangor as well all over Malaysia MUST now realize and differentiate between the promises made by the Pakatan Rakyat leaders and the actual delivery of those promises.

In most instances, the promises made by Anwar Ibrahim and his gang remain promises and they will continue to remain so. Making a promise is easy, but fulfilling it can be the opposite, but for Pakatan Rakyat, it doesn’t matter. As long as the rakyat buys their stories and promises, and Anwar becomes the Prime Minister, who cares about fulfilling promises made. So, it is time for the Indians to weigh their options carefully. Who will protect them and who will make use of them, they should know it better!

PROPOSED AMMENDMENTS TO THE MACC

Firstly my take on the new proposals by parliamentary special committee is that it is in line with the vision of the prime minister of having a transparent and clean Government.

Amendments to the section 23 will put a full stop to nepotism and favouratism as the officer cannot sit in the approval board if a relative or kin of his has applied for the tender, as such tenders will be given to the most deserving party rather than the most influential party.

The most attractive part of the new MACC proposal is the amendments to the section 36 as the MACC can initiate its own investigations by empowering them with such laws it will give the MACC a much needed shot in the arm with regards to fighting graft, initiating an investigation will give them powers to question the suspected parties without having to count on public reports as such the macc can keep a hawks eye on everyone 

Other reforms such as cooling off periods for civil servants are highly commendable as it will clearly indicate that the prime minister wants civil and public servants to be with goverment for service and care for the rakyat and not in service to secure a better living or making high profile connections as such i strongly pray that the amendments are passed as i believe this laws will be the pinnacle to the success of the transformation programme initiated by the prime minister.

BAWANI KS & SYARIFAH ZOHRA

Salam sejahtera and Salam 1 Malaysia to one and all,
I am writing this press statement in relation to the events that transpired at Universiti Utara Malaysia during a forum held there recently. The video recording of Syarifah Zohra, President of  Suara Wanita 1Malaysia dissing Bawani KS, a student of the aforementioned University has received barrages and criticisms and the video itself has gone viral in the cyber world.

First and foremost, I would like to commend the actions of  Netizens, most importantly “mahasiswas” and “mahasiswis” who have been vocal in support of their fellow student. Such actions clearly indicate that students in these years have evolved in their critical thinking and are exercising their right to freedom of speech as embedded in the Constitution of Malaysia. Opinions and constructive criticisms are essential elements needed in producing a successful nation. Above all, it is solemnly clear via the thread of views in the internet that the Government's initiatives to enhance the laws with regards to the involvement of students in politics is bearing fruit.

I will not enter into a debate on who is right or wrong.  In context of the forum, I respect both their views.  However, it is my personal opinion that Syarifah Zohra could have used much restrain in managing the situation even if she had very strong objections to the views being presented.

My colleagues in Barisan Nasional, YB Khairy Jamaluddin and YB Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah, have taken initiatives to contact the student and have rightly distanced Barisan Nasional from the views expressed by Syarifah Zohra. Mr. Vellpaari from MIC’s  CWC had also given a statement to clarify that not all organizations bearing the symbol of 1Malaysia represent the views of Barisan Nasional.

This incident has clearly indicated the importance of evaluating and selecting appropriate personnel with proven track record and experience to manage hostile and unexpected situations, should it arise in the course of a forum or debate.  Personally, I support such forums and debates as it is the cornerstone of a progressive nation.

MY THOUGHTS ON KL 112 or HKR 112

It is bad enough that we have rebels without a cause, but these are rebels without a clue. We should do our best to assist the helpless but the clueless are beyond help.

Demo-crazy Political Party 'Pakatan Rakyat' creates anarchy for all. People will see. People can see. Creating ruckus and public disorder in Kuala Lumpur to attract world media.

We give them the Stadium, but they still want to hog the roads and create problems for the silent majority. Let's rejeect Pakatan Rakyat, let's reject anarchy.

Let's embrace Barisan Nasional and embrace Peace.

Sudah cukup buruk di Malaysia, kita mempunyai pemberontak tanpa sebab, tetapi apa yang lebih teruk yang sedang berlaku hari ini di Malaysia adalah kita kini mempunyai pemberontak tanpa petunjuk.

Kita harus melakukan apa sahaja yang terbaik untuk membantu mereka yang tidak berdaya tetapi mereka yang keliru dengan konsep tiada apa yang boleh kita lakukan untuk membantu mereka.

Pada pendapat saya, Parti Politik 'Pakatan Rakyat' yang gila berdemonstrasi mewujudkan keadaan anarki kepada Rakyat Malaysia. Berjuta rakyat Malaysia akan melihat dan boleh melihat bahawa tindakan Parti Politik 'Pakatan Rakyat' mewujudkan kekacauan dan gangguan awam di Kuala Lumpur semata-mata untuk menarik perhatian media dunia.

Kerajaan secara ikhlas memberi mereka mengunakan Stadium, tetapi mereka masih mahu berdemonstrasi di jalan raya dan mewujudkan masalah kepada segolongan besar Rakyat Malaysia yang inginkan keamanan.

Marilah kita bersama-sama menolak Parti Politik 'Pakatan Rakyat', menolak sistem anarki yang mereka cuba menghayati.

Marilah kita bersama-sama menghayati Barisan Nasional dan menghayati Keamanan melalui Kerajaan pimpinan Barisan Nasional.

MY NEW YEAR WISH #MYAZAM2013

A good day and salam 1 Malaysia to all Malaysians.

Firstly, I would like to wish one and all a wonderful and prosperous year ahead in 2013. I really hope that you all have had the desired success in 2012. If you have not acquired it, I wish you all the best in pursuing it in 2013, as success never deserts those who strive and work hard.

The year 2012 has been an eventful year for me. As the Member of Parliament of Hulu Selangor, I have done all that is within my capacity as an elected representative to ensure the well being of my constituents. I solemnly pledge more of the same in the coming year in any capacity.

I also owe a very big thank you to the Honorable Prime Minister YAB Dato Seri Mohd. Najib Tun Razak and my party president YB Senator Dato Seri G Palanivel and former MIC President YB Dato Seri S Samy Vellu for giving me the trust, courage and most importantly a platform to serve the rakyat. I wish them and to all my friends  a very Happy New Year as well.

If there was to be personal wishes and ambitions on my part for this coming New Year, it is for Malaysia to continue being a peaceful nation and the people continue to benefit and enjoy the prosperity they have experienced for the last 55 years from a caring and responsible government. 

I call upon the people of Malaysia to support the transformation that is being implemented by the government with the sole purpose to improve the standard of living of all Malaysians.

It is also my wish is also to see Malaysia continue to prosper in all fields with the present Barisan Nasional government. The Barisan Nasional government is committed and have put in place long term plans for our future and the future of our children. We as a nation have enjoyed the fruits of this government and I am sure we want the same for our children and the following generations. 

Let us all love our country and the leaders who have administered this nation since independence.

Lastly, I hope that politicians and leaders from all political divide engage in progressive debates with regards to policies. It pains me to see leaders resorting to gutter politics and slander in order to gain votes. I have been personally affected by this with regards to the Batu Caves Condominium issue. 

It would be easier to build a better Malaysia if political agendas took a backseat in order to build a better Malaysia. I also have read a few New Year wishes from my friends in the Opposition in online portals and it saddens me to see that all of them have taken the opportunity to slam Barisan Nasional rather being sincere with their wishes.

I wish you all a Happy New Year again. May God be with all Malaysians.

Thank you.

MERRY CHRISTMAS & A HAPPY NEW YEAR

Personally, 2012 has been a very busy year for me with many pleasant achievements and service to society.  It came along with many challenges too but the experience and knowledge gained over the year was priceless.

To all my Christian friends, Merry Christmas to you and all your loved ones.  To the people of Malaysia, a Blessed New Year to you and may the year be a blessing to you and your family.

My wish for the New Year is for Malaysia to continue being a peaceful nation and the people continue to benefit & enjoy the prosperity they have experienced for the last 55 years from a caring & responsible government. I call upon the people of Malaysia to support the changes that is being implemented by the government with the sole purpose to improve the standard of living of all Malaysians.