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Teo’s stand on hudud against PM’s – Lorreto BorneoPost Online | Borneo , Malaysia, Sarawak Daily News » Sabah - New 2 Borneo

Teo’s stand on hudud against PM’s – Lorreto

Posted: 30 Apr 2014 11:25 AM PDT

KOTA KINABALU: LDP Karambunai chief Loretto S. Padua Jr has asked Minister of Special Tasks Datuk Teo Chee Kang to come clean about his stand on the hudud law.

Loretto also questioned the appropriateness of Teo remaining in the Barisan Nasional (BN) government as he claimed that the latter's stand on the hudud law is against the Prime Minister cum BN Chairman Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak's stand.

Is it tenable for Datuk Teo Chee Kang to remain in the BN's administration anymore as he has taken a stand against the Prime Minister on the hudud issue? This is the question that members of the public is asking, Loretto said in a statement here yesterday.

He was of the opinion that Teo should not be evading the issue by hiding 'under someone else's pants' as he owes the public an explanation on his stand on hudud.

"He has made it very clear that he objected to the proposed implementation of hudud in Kelantan. But doesn't it also mean that he will object to the implementation of hudud in the country if it is proposed.

"The Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, was reported on 24 April 2014 in Alor Star as saying that the Federal Government had never rejected the implementation of hudud. The Prime Minister was reported to have said that there are loopholes and shortcomings that need to be addressed before the law can be implemented in Malaysia," Loretto said.

According to him, the Prime Minister also said in his speech during the closing of Program Itjimak Pondok Malaysia 2014 at Dewan Seri Mentallon, Alor Star, that the law must be thoroughly studied and that both Muslim and non-Muslim-communities must be ready for its implementation.

"From the above, it is as clear as day about what is the intention of the Federal Government on hudud. Now Teo has made a strong stand against hudud in Kelantan, it is therefore reasonable to ask him to state his stand about the Federal Government's intention in not rejecting hudud to be implemented in the whole Country.

"I think he owes the people an explanation and a duty to state his case in the matter? Is he against the Federal Government's intention or not? Isn't it logical to put two and two together and conclude about the feeling of the Federal Government on hudud?

"It is therefore laughable for LDP deputy secretary general Ho Jia Lit to say that we should not wrongly interpret Prime Minister's statement as supporting hudud to be implemented in Kelantan. If the Prime Minister has said that the Federal Government does not reject hudud, doesn't that mean it is going to allow Kelantan to implement it?" Loretto said.

Loretto added that Ho had failed to understand the issue and failed to address it objectively and professionally.

He claimed that Ho is blinded by his animosity towards Liew and the latter did not realize that Liew had given his extensive view on hudud two weeks before and it was published widely by the media.

Ho must understand that the issue raised by Liew on hudud is a common issue that concerns every one of us, he said adding, "We must deal with it objectively and professionally and not be blinded by our prejudice. Sadly, Ho is unable to see the issue clearly as he is blinded by his prejudice.

Loretto was of the opinion that Ho had failed to understand that Liew's statement was not about the presidency of LDP.

"In fact, the leadership tussle in LDP is still subject to court of law and we should wait for the outcome of the court case to see who is the legitimate president of LDP. Meanwhile, Ho must act like a gentleman and a professional. He should not pick a bone and then talk insensibly. He should be practical and deal with issue hand on. And not be wishy-washy.

"Let's give an example on hudud, if he is charged with sexual offence with a Muslim colleague in his company, will he be subjected to the Syariah Court as the complainant is a Muslim? Or if he is a victim and the offender is a Muslim, will be subject to Syariah Court jurisdiction and give evidence there? If found guilty, how is the stoning punishment to be meted out to the guilty party in a Syariah law.

"The hudud law, if implemented, is a major overhaul to our existing criminal system. We already have the criminal courts of law to deal with all the penal offences that hudud will be dealing too.

"Our Criminal Courts are competent to deal with all offences and that all Malaysian who have committed offences and charged in court should only be subject to one and same system regardless of their beliefs in religions.

"To separate them from religious aspects is an upfront to our Constitution on equality and jurisdictions," he claimed.

Meanwhile two other BN Chinese based parties, MCA and Gerakan are also strongly objecting to the implementation of the hudud law. Leaders of the three parties recently made a joint press statement in Kuala Lumpur about their stand on the issue.

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Refrain from commercial hunting – Masidi

Posted: 30 Apr 2014 11:22 AM PDT

KOTA KINABALU: Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister, Datuk Seri Panglima Masidi Manjun has urged locals, particularly the hunting community, to refrain from commercial hunting as it could decimate wildlife, including the protected species.

Noting that the issue of not being allowed to hunt in forest reserve has been raised by those involved who have argued that their

community were traditional hunters, Masidi said the recent report of local hunters selling wildlife meat at the tamu ground in Nabawan, includes wild cat and the kirabas (fox).

"They are not hunting for themselves but for profit," he said after officiating at the Stakeholders Validation Workshop Imbak Canyon Conservation Area Strategic Management Plan 2014 – 2023 held at the Pacific Sutera here yesterday.

He stressed that the present generation cannot take everything for themselves and leave nothing for the future generation.

"We need to leave behind something for our future generation, and that requires us to be disciplined. But the problem is one plate is not enough, and even 10 plates are not enough. So in the end, we have nothing left for our future generation," he said.

"The law is there…yet we are considerate as to whether we would prosecute or otherwise, particularly if it was done for their own

consumption. But they are selling the meat," he lamented.

He said the tourism sector in Sabah would lose if all the animals were hunted and gone.

"The reason tourists come here is for the animals, because they don't have them there anymore," he said.

On the workshop, Masidi said that it brought together key contributors to the ICCA Strategic Management Plan 2014 – 2023 to reflect together on the issues that were discussed during the stakeholder consultation workshop and validate the same.

"The management plan will be used as a monitoring tool and a proposal for implementation and resource mobilization to ensure that Imbak

Canyon's resources continue to be efficiently managed and conserved," he said.

He also said that it was not easy to come up with a detailed and coherent document that reflects the competing agendas of so many

stakeholders and varying organizational interests in a cohesive and systematic manner as was reflected in the management plan.

"This workshop is a significant opportunity for all stakeholders to validate the contents of the ICCA Strategic Management Plan which

guides the development and conservation of Imbak Canyon for the next 10 years," he said.

In his speech, Masidi also commended the team spirit at the ICCA and the gathering of the local indigenous community leaders, heads and

representatives of government departments, agencies and institutions, private companies, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), researchers

and scientists.

At the same time, he also described conservation as an expensive undertaking in both time and resources.

Hence, long term funding was necessary to ensure that the programme outlined in the Imbak Canyon Strategic Management Plan continues to be implemented smoothly and without any impediments, he said.

He also commended Petronas who was currently Yayasan Sabah Group's main conservation partner in Imbak Canyon and biggest sponsor for

Yayasan Sabah Group's conservation initiatives.

Also present at the event were Petronas Sabah and Labuan regional chairman, Mohamed Firouz Asnan and Yayasan Sabah Group senior group

manager (Human Resource and Corporate Services), Rosmawati Lasuki.

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Car broken into as owner undergoes Muay Thai training

Posted: 30 Apr 2014 11:21 AM PDT

KENINGAU: A local youth from Kampung Ria here almost lost his Kelisa car when the vehicle's rear door side window was broken while he was undergoing Muay Thai martial arts training at the sports complex here.

According to the victim, the incident took place at about 8.40 pm at the parking lot in the complex compound on Tuesday.

As a result of the incident, he lost his driving license, identification card and RM170 cash kept in the vehicle.

The victim also suffered financially having to repair the damage to his vehicle.

A police report has been lodged at the District Police Headquarters after the incident.

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233 students nabbed over crime – CP

Posted: 30 Apr 2014 09:21 AM PDT

by Eton Gomes. Posted on May 1, 2014, Thursday

KOTA KINABALU: Police detained 233 students from both secondary and higher learning institutions in Sabah for involvement in 221 crime cases such as murder, rape, motorcycle theft, burglary and robbery last year.

"In the first three months this year, police detained 83 students for involvement in criminal activities around the state, said Sabah Police Commissioner Datuk Hamza Taib.

"This is a very serious crime situation involving students and police are taking this matter seriously.

"The younger generation are our future generation and we do not want them to head into the wrong path and get involved in any negative activities," Hamza said at a press conference after officiating at a Crime Prevention Campaign in Schools at KK High School in Kepayan here yesterday. Also present was Sabah Education director Datuk Jame Alip.

According to Hamza, a survey carried out by the police showed that some students got involved in criminal activities due to the influence of social media, environment, friends and family.

"The police will implement several strategies to fight crime in schools by having meetings with schools, the department, parents and during campaigns," he said, adding that State Deputy Police Commissioner Acting DCP Datuk Abdul Malek Hj Harun would lead the campaign.

Commenting on yesterday's event, Hamza said about 24 crime prevention notice boards were given to the Sabah Education Department to be distributed to schools around the state capital.

"These billboards will have all information on ways to stay away from negative activities and positive measures that should be taken by students.

"For the record, there are 189 schools that have Crime Prevention Club in their school's co-curriculum and we hope it will help students to better understand the negative impact of involvement in criminal activities," said Hamza.

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Guidelines on tourists’ safety to be drawn up

Posted: 30 Apr 2014 09:20 AM PDT

by Jenne Lajiun. Posted on May 1, 2014, Thursday

KOTA KINABALU: Tourism, Culture and Environment minister, Datuk Masidi Manjun will be sitting down with the Sabah Wildlife Department (SWD) and the State tourism players to formulate comprehensive guidelines that would benefit all.

Asked about the action his ministry would be taking against errant tourism operators for allowing their guests to go inland to search for wild pygmy elephants, Masidi said they were looking at relevant laws which would enable the government to prohibit tourism players from letting their guests go near the wildlife.

Unfortunately, he said, the guideline on the matter was not clear.

"Hence, we would be having a discussion with SWD and the industry players to formulate comprehensive guidelines that would be a win-win to all," he told reporters after launching the Stakeholder Validation Workshop Imbak Canyon Conservation Area Strategic Management Plan 2014-2023 held at the Pacific Sutera here yesterday.

Masidi also said that they were aiming at making the standard operating procedure (SOP) of the enforcement agencies clear.

At the same time, Masidi reminded tourism players in Sabah that it was dangerous to allow their guests to go inland to look for the elephants.

"Elephants are very dangerous," he said, adding that the fatal accident involving an Aussie tourist should serve as a reminder to all on the risks involved.

"Elephants can be violent. We need to understand that…they (tour operators) may go too far in order to make their guests happy but my advice to them is not to place them at risk," he said.

He urged tour guides to have the courage to tell their guests what they could do and what they are prohibited to do.

He also reminded tour operators that their licences might be revoked if they continued to operate irresponsibly.

Meanwhile, Masidi has yet to receive a report from SWD on the issue, which occurred at the Lower Kinabatangan last week.

In the report, photographs of tour operators including the so-called eco-tourist operators parking their boat along the Kinabatangan River and allowing their guests to disembark to view elephants in the wild.

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Four Syariah judges get appointment letter

Posted: 30 Apr 2014 09:19 AM PDT

KOTA KINABALU : Head of State Tun Haji Juhar Haji Mahiruddin presented the letters of appointment to three Syariah Appeal Court judges and a Syariah High Court judge in Sabah yesterday.

The Syariah Appeal Court judges are Dato' Haji Hussein Haji Harun, Datuk Haji Mohammad Haji Abdullah and Dato' Haji Yusuf Musa. The Syariah High Court judge is Arif Ahadin Arinen.

Juhar presented the appointment letters to the four judges during a courtesy call on him by a delegation from the Syariah Judiciary Department at the Istana Negeri here.

The delegation was led by the Syariah Judiciary Department Director cum Chief Judge of the Syariah Court Malaysia, Tan Sri Dr Ibrahim Lembut.

In an unrelated development, Juhar also received a courtesy call from the Malaysian Red Crescent Society Sabah led by its chairman Asirin Abdul Kadir.

Asirin said the courtesy call was to inform the Governor of the Red Crescent Society Sabah's fund-raising campaign through the sale of flags as well as the State-level World Red Cross Day celebration to be held in Ranau from June 11 to 14, this year.

According Asirin, the funds raised during the campaign would be distributed to communities in need through a volunteer programme of the Red Crescent Society.

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