Archive - 11 September 2002

DAP chairperson Lim Kit Siang has given the Education Ministry a dressing down for what he termed as the "most outrageous and scandalous answer in the history of Parliament" regarding the need to teach Science and Mathematics in English.

The Federal Court's ruling that the detention of the five reformasi activists under the Internal Security Act was unlawful has left the government wondering where it went wrong. De facto Law Minister Dr Rais Yatim says a postmortem will be conducted to determine this.

Umno and PAS MPs had a field day recalling each other's acts of violence in by-elections on the second day of debate on the proposed amendments to the 1954 Election Offences Act that are designed to instill better discipline during elections.

Former Sabah chief minister Yong Teck Lee must vacate his parliamentary and state seats since the Federal Court has dismissed his appeal to overturn a ruling which found him guilty of committing an election offence, says Dewan Rakyat Speaker Mohamed Zahir Ismail.

The United States embassy in Malaysia went through an uneventful day on the first anniversary of the Sept 11 attacks amid anticipation of trouble following a high security alert it issued yesterday.

Domestic violence can be contained, and perhaps eliminated, if the public are aware of their obligations and if complainants realise that help is available. A fresh public campaign gets a much-needed boost from front-line personnel like the police and social workers.

Datuk Yong Teck Lee hilang kelayakan sebagai Ahli Dewan Undangan Negeri Likas dan Ahli Parlimen Gaya, berikutan kegagalannya mendapatkan kebenaran Mahkamah Persekutuan untuk merayu keputusan mahkamah yang mendapatinya bersalah melakukan amalan rasuah dalam pilihanraya negeri 1999.

Despite the Federal Court ruling that five reformasi leaders had been detained unlawfully under the Internal Security Act, no release was secured for those still under detention. Aliran joins opposition leaders in criticising the ruling as making little sense.

Thirty minutes of horror and a year's worth of soul-searching have not brought the United States any closer to dealing rationally with terrorism. There are fears that its reactions may spark wider repercussions.

Sebagai seorang Perdana Menteri yang akan berundur, Datuk Seri Dr Mahathir Mohamad tidak harus terburu-buru membuat perubahan drastik terhadap dasar sistem pendidikan negara kita. Sebaliknya, penulis Lee Ban Chen menyarankan penubuhan sebuah jawatankuasa bebas untuk mengkaji semula sistem pendidikan negara tanpa campurtangan politik.

The Dewan Rakyat has rejected Opposition Leader Abdul Hadi Awang's motion to debate on the fate of five reformasi activists held under the Internal Security Act. The disappointed PAS leader criticises the continued detention of the five as a violation of democratic principles.

The recent chaotic deportation of illegal workers from Malaysia led to reportedly dismal conditions faced by deportees. Reports of Filipina children dying and the rape of a teenager, allegedly by a Malaysian policeman, galvanised a nation into action to protect their fellow citizens abroad.

Hundreds of workers whose offices are in the Petronas Twin Towers decided to stay home today on the first anniversary of the Sept 11 terror attacks. One employee said almost half the staff took 'emergency leave' while a security officer said visitors will be thoroughly screened.

Philippine Defence Secretary Angelo Reyes will visit Malaysia tomorrow in a bid to ensure that bilateral relations are not adversely affected by the row over accusations that Filipino deportees were ill-treated.

The tragic event a year ago paved the way for US, and its military, to gain a foothold in Asia. Despite assurances that the American presence is only for the short term, US support for the authoritarian regimes, economic and military largesse and construction of near-permanent bases in Central Asian states, seem to suggest otherwise.