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Key Highlights
A ‘minor’ conversion row
Media blamed for blackout
House arrest: Najib ropes in Anwar
A ‘minor’ conversion row
The spotlight has once again landed on the controversial issue of converting minors to Islam, triggering calls for an investigation.
This comes in the wake of a video in which religious preacher Firdaus Wong, who is no stranger to controversies, advises an individual on handling requests from teenagers wanting to embrace Islam.
Firdaus said the teenagers should be allowed to convert but this must not be registered or announced. He also shared how teenagers can practise their new faith discreetly.
However, Global Human Rights Federation (GHRF) president S Shashi Kumar said this disregarded the rights of parents to determine the religion of their children who are under the age of 18.
“The prevalence of unlawful conversions in Malaysia is a serious issue that needs to be addressed to protect the rights of minors and uphold ethical standards in religious conversions,” he added.
Sashi also claimed that numerous police reports have been lodged against Firdaus in the past but there has been no action.
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Media blamed for media blackout
When the e-hailing driver with disability, Ong Ing Keong, held a press conference to spill the beans on what transpired after his alleged assault at the hands of Johor Regent Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim’s escort, only a handful of media organisations reported it.
This led to questions if the government had issued a directive to media organisations not to report on the matter.
However, both Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil and his deputy Teo Nie Ching denied this.
According to Teo, it could be a case of “self-censorship”.
The deputy minister told Malaysiakini she had contacted editors from two media outlets and was informed that those were “internal decisions”.
Those that did report on the press conference were Malaysiakini, Sinar Harian, Sin Chew Daily, Nanyang Siang Pau, China Press, Guang Ming Daily, Kwong Wah Yit Poh, The Vibes, The Malaysian Insight, Scoop, and MalaysiaNow.
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House arrest: Najib ropes in Anwar
Former premier Najib Abdul Razak has cited his successor Anwar Ibrahim’s speech at a recent PKR special convention to strengthen his legal challenge to implement an alleged royal addendum allowing him to serve his remaining prison sentence under house arrest.
In an affidavit filed with the Kuala Lumpur High Court on May 25, he alleged that the PKR president’s speech on April 21 confirmed the existence of the purported supplementary royal decree.
He was referring to Anwar stating that the federal government will not question the authority of the former Yang di-Pertuan Agong to decide on the issue and that the latter has the final say as the Pardons Board chairperson.
In the affidavit, Najib cited a transcript of Anwar’s speech captured on video.
“The message in the video, assisted with the transcript and English translation, taken in a wholesome context, clearly indicates that the honourable prime minister’s speech addressed the subject matter of the addendum order,” he said.
The speech was almost three months after the main royal order, which halved Najib’s 12-year sentence was announced on Feb 2 by the secretariat of the Pardons Board.
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Views that matter
 | By P Gunasegaram |
 | By Seed Community for a Professional Parliament |
 | By Wong Chin Huat |
Other news that matter
Rights group Pusat Komas has decried the alleged eviction of the Bajau Laut community in Semporna, Sabah, and the destruction of their homes.
MCA Youth has called on MACC to investigate Asia Mobility Technologies Sdn Bhd (Asia Mobiliti), a company co-owned by Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh’s husband, which is involved in the DRT project.
The Election Commission has fixed July 6 for the Sungai Bakap by-election. Nomination of candidates will take place on June 22 while early voting is scheduled for July 2.
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