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Qatar would not oppose winter World Cup, official says Posted: 14 Nov 2011 07:47 AM PST DOHA, Nov 14 – Qatar would obey a FIFA order to host a winter World Cup but no discussions have taken place on switching the 2022 soccer tournament from the summer, a top bid official said today. "Currently our plans are to host the World Cup during the summer," Hassan al-Thawadi, general-secretary of Qatar 2022 Supreme Committee, told a conference in Doha. "If FIFA, the international football community, ask for Qatar to host the World Cup in the winter then we won't be fighting the football community. As of yet, no such discussions have been put in place." Qatar, where summer temperatures top 45 degrees Celsius, was the surprise winner of a December FIFA vote to choose the 2022 host country. The Gulf state says it will build solar-powered, air-conditioned stadiums to overcome the sweltering heat, although the technology remains unproven in a full-size stadium. A winter World Cup would come mid-season in Europe and the continent's leagues are likely to fiercely resist such a move. Whatever the timing, Thawadi estimates 800,000 foreign fans will visit Qatar during the tournament. "This World Cup will bridge a gap between East and West," said Thawadi (picture), predicting the tournament would accelerate the growth of the country's private sector. State-controlled companies dominate the Doha stock exchange and Qatar's vast wealth is based on liquefied natural gas exports. POLITICAL TURMOIL Since the FIFA vote, the long-standing leaders of Egypt, Libya and Algeria have been ousted, more than 3,500 people have been killed in Syria during eight months of unrest and Bahrain's Sunni rulers have conducted a deadly crackdown on its Shia majority. With 11 years until Qatar hosts the World Cup, the Middle East's political landscape could change dramatically, but Thawadi played down concerns. "We've seen economic turmoil throughout the world, we've seen riots in England, we've seen significant issues occur in the EU," he said. "The world is changing. We have recognised that in our bid... you have to be ready with contingency plans, but in the end tsunamis happen, flooding happens, earthquakes happen, economic turmoil and political turmoil happen. Does that mean the world is going to stand still? No, it should always continue." This month, Doha's Al Sadd won the Asian Champions League, defeating South Korea's Jeonbuk Motors on penalties, and Thawadi was bullish on Qatar's soccer prospects. "Our goal is to qualify (for the World Cup) before 2022," he said. "By 2022 we will have a very good team. "You will see Qatari players in La Liga and the Premier League. Also, you will find young players from Europe looking to come to the Middle East to play in our leagues here." – Reuters Full content generated by Get Full RSS.

England flanker Worsley retires because of neck injury Posted: 14 Nov 2011 04:23 AM PST England's Joe Worsley (C) scores a try against France during their Six Nations rugby match at Twickenham Stadium in London in this file photo of March 15, 2009. Worsley has been forced to quit rugby because of a neck injury after a career which included 78 caps for England. – Reuters pic LONDON, Nov 14 – Joe Worsley has been forced to quit rugby because of a neck injury after a career which included 78 caps for England and more than 300 appearances for his club side Wasps. The tough-tackling flanker, who made his England debut at the 1999 World Cup, announced his decision on the Wasps website (http://www.wasps.co.uk) today. "Last season I suffered an injury to my neck that has effectively ended my career," he said. "Since March I have been following medical and rehab advice but it didn't help, and restarting contact work during the England World Cup camp made it obvious that I could not continue." The 34-year-old, who throughout his career filled various roles in the back row, was part of England's triumphant World Cup squad in 2003 and also played in the tournament four years later. The highlight of which was a try-saving tap tackle in the semi-final win against France. "It is such sad news when any player has to retire prematurely and I am very sorry to learn that Joe's injury has meant his playing days have ended," Rugby Players Association (RPA) chief executive Damian Hopley said in a statement. "Joe was a fantastic professional and leaves behind tremendous memories of an exceptional career which saw him lift every major trophy in English, European and international rugby." – Reuters Full content generated by Get Full RSS.

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Meryl Streep promotes Thatcher biopic in London Posted: 14 Nov 2011 06:23 AM PST Actress Meryl Streep unveils a poster for her new film 'The Iron Lady' opposite the Houses of Parliament in central London November 14, 2011. The film is based on the life of former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. – Reuters pic LONDON, Nov 14 – Actress Meryl Streep unveiled a poster in London today promoting her upcoming big-screen portrayal of former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, which one early review described as "magnificent". When details of the screenplay became public over a year ago, Thatcher's children were quoted in the press as being "appalled" at the concept. Questions were also raised as to whether an American actress should play one of the towering figures of British politics. "The Iron Lady", which hits British cinemas on Jan. 6, depicts an ageing Thatcher looking back on the highs and lows of her career and the personal price she paid for power. Streep attended the photocall against the backdrop of the Houses of Parliament, and was joined by the movie's director Phyllida Lloyd, who also worked with Streep on the hit musical "Mamma Mia!" The Iron Lady is likely to be a major media talking point over the coming weeks in Britain, where former conservative leader Thatcher is still a divisive figure both revered and reviled by the public. Streep, a two-time Oscar winner and one of Hollywood's most respected actresses, told the Daily Mail newspaper that playing Thatcher was the biggest role of her career. "It took a lot out of me, but it was a privilege to play her, it really was," the 62-year-old was quoted as saying. "It was one of those rare, rare films where I was grateful to be an actor and grateful for the privilege of being able to look at a life deeply with empathy." Streep added that while she did not agree with many of Thatcher's policies, "I feel she believed in them and that they came from an honest conviction." The right-leaning newspaper's showbusiness correspondent Baz Bamigboye called Streep's portrayal "magnificent". "It's a performance of towering proportions that sets a new benchmark for acting, a searing interpretation that looks at the big forces that shaped Mrs T's life," he wrote, using a common shortened form for Thatcher's name. – Reuters Full content generated by Get Full RSS.

James Bond watch with bullet deflector up for auction Posted: 14 Nov 2011 02:56 AM PST British actor Roger Moore stands beside an Aston Martin car during a 'James Bond photocall'. – AFP pic GENEVA, Nov 14 – A James Bond Rolex watch complete with a buzz saw and a hyper-intensified magnetic field to deflect bullets will come up for auction in Geneva today, said Christie's. "The watch is unique. It is the watch that Syd Cain – the famous engineer... had modified for the film Live and Let Die," said Aurel Bacs, Christie's international director for watches. Estimated to fetch between €170,000 (RM730,706) and €340,000 (RM1.46 million), the stainless steel watch worn by Roger Moore who played 007 in the film boasts several gadgets. Among them is a buzz saw, which was created by cutting the bezel's edges into sharp teeth and modified in order to allow it to rise to maximum height before spinning. In the film, Bond used the saw to cut through a rope and escape with Solitaire – played by Jane Seymour – just before the villain could feed them to the sharks. As for the magnetic feature which was meant to deflect bullets, Bond had another use for it. "Bond had used it to unzip Miss Caruso's dress in the beginning of the film," said Bacs. – AFP Full content generated by Get Full RSS.

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Singapore family books US$1m Virgin space flight Posted: 14 Nov 2011 06:40 AM PST SINGAPORE, Nov 14 — A Singaporean businessman, his wife and two children have paid US$1 million (RM3.13 million) to become the first Asian family to fly together on space-tourism airline Virgin Galactic, the company announced today. "I had lunch yesterday with a guy who got in touch with us in Singapore, and over lunch he signed his contract for not just a seat, but for a whole flight," Virgin Galactic commercial director Stephen Attenborough said. Speaking at an international media and marketing conference in Singapore, Attenborough said the customer handed over a cheque for US$1 million and asked to remain anonymous because "apparently he hasn't told his wife yet." The Singaporean family will be the first Asian family to fly together on space-tourism airline Virgin Galactic. — AFP/Relaxnews pic "So he is going to become, or he and his family will become, the first family from Asia to become astronauts together," Attenborough said. The US-based firm, part of British tycoon Richard Branson's Virgin conglomerate, has sold bookings since 2005 at US$200,000 per seat even though it has not yet set a firm timetable for space flights to be launched from New Mexico. Branson announced in late 2004 that the firm would launch the world's first space tourism flights in two to three years but after delays, the target has now been moved to 2013. Attenborough told AFP in an interview that the Singaporean businessman chartered one exclusive flight for his family on the six-seat aircraft SpaceShipTwo. The SpaceshipTwo, with two pilots, is designed to be launched by a transport plane called White KnightTwo and will be guided by a rocket motor before gliding back to Earth. "They should be flying in the first year of commercial operations. They'll be within the first thousand human beings to have ever gone to space, or they should be," Attenborough said. He said nine out of nearly 500 tickets sold worldwide had been bought by customers in Singapore, which has one of Asia's highest concentrations of millionaires. Families from other countries such as Canada, the United States and Britain have also bought tickets, Attenborough said. "About 35 to 40 per cent are from the United States, 15 per cent from the UK ... I think there are 46 countries now represented in total and for many of those countries, the people will be the first astronaut for that country," he said. Customers from the Asia-Pacific region now account for "approximately 15 per cent" of ticket sales despite a ban on Virgin Galactic selling seats in China, the region's biggest economy. "The space vehicle is US technology and they fall under a set of regulations in the US which means that there are some countries where at the moment we're not permitted to sell tickets," he explained. "I think Asia is a huge opportunity for us, absolutely. Just the interest we've had from Singapore, which is a fairly small part of Asia, I've been extremely impressed," he said. "We have seen an increasing amount of interest from this part of the world and hopefully that will translate into lots of future astronauts." In anticipation of burgeoning future demand for space tourism, Attenborough said Virgin Galactic had already ordered more spacecraft. Attenborough said the company expected to take three years to recoup its investments, which he estimated at US$300 million to US$400 million, with one flight a week when commercial operations begin. If everything goes smoothly, "we would hope to be flying people to space by 2013," he said. — AFP/Relaxnews Full content generated by Get Full RSS.

Chinese executioner says job not ‘complicated’ Posted: 14 Nov 2011 06:14 AM PST BEIJING, Nov 14 — Hu Xiao says his job as one of China's executioners is usually not very complicated, except for the time when a prisoner he was about to kill stood up and ran towards his loaded rifle. The rare glimpse into the ranks of China's executioners appeared in the Beijing Evening News newspaper today. Hu, a veteran judicial police officer, described the routine of shooting dead prisoners convicted of murder and other capital crimes in China, which rights groups say carries out more judicial killings each year than anywhere else in the world. "In fact, it's not as complicated as outsiders think. We all use rifles, stand about four metres from the condemned prisoner with a barrel one metre-long, take aim, press the trigger, and that's that," Hu told the newspaper. Most prisoners taken for execution are so terrified they collapse on the ground and cannot stand, Hu said. The exception was an ex-soldier convicted of homicide, he said. "At the time of execution, the criminals kneel on the ground, but this former soldier actually stood up and ran forward. The result was a moving target that was taken down," said Hu, himself a former soldier who has worked as a police officer for 19 years. "These people all deserved what they got for their crimes." China does not publish statistics of the number of people it executes. But human rights organisations, including Amnesty International, have said it executes more prisoners than any other country — thousands in 2010, according to Amnesty. The United States executed 46 people, nearly all by lethal injections, in 2010, said Amnesty. China has been moving towards using more lethal injections, which are less prone to mishaps than guns, but Hu spoke only of his routine of shooting convicted prisoners. When he first took the job of judicial police officer, Hu told the newspaper, older officers made him watch two executions and inspect the fresh corpses. Then it was time for Hu to do it himself, and the newspaper said he was not nervous. "Yet the second time he was carrying out the task he did become nervous. Not because he was afraid, but out of fear of not shooting straight and becoming a laughing stock among his colleagues," said the report. Younger police officers take longer to become used to executions, said Hu. "For the older judicial police, carrying out executions became a routine task long ago," said the report. — Reuters Full content generated by Get Full RSS.

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MB Terengganu minta polis siasat dakwaan dia khalwat Posted: 14 Nov 2011 03:01 AM PST KUALA LUMPUR, 14 Nov – Menteri Besar Terengganu, Datuk Seri Ahmad Said hari ini membuat laporan polis berhubung fitnah kononnya beliau ditangkap khalwat. Laporan itu dibuat oleh Setiausaha Politik beliau, Wan Ahmad Nizam Wan Hakim di ibu pejabat polis daerah Kuala Terengganu kira-kira 3.35 petang. "Saya diarah untuk membuat laporan polis berhubung fitnah itu, dan bersama ini saya serahkan bahan cetak fitnah tersebut (kepada polis) bagi membantu siasatan," kata Wan Ahmad Nizam dipetik Bernama. Wan Ahmad berkata pihaknya meminta polis menjalankan siasatan dan mengambil tindakan yang sewajarnya ke atas individu yang melakukan perbuatan memfitnah itu. Minggu lalu, Menteri Besar Terengganu berkata mahu mengambil tindakan undang-undang terhadap beberapa penulis blog yang dikatakan memfitnah beliau ditangkap khalwat di sebuah hotel lima bintang di sini beberapa bulan lalu. Katanya, fitnah itu memberi tekanan emosi ke atas keluarga beliau. Ahmad berkata cerita beliau ditangkap khalwat itu diketahuinya sejak tiga bulan lalu, namun hanya mendiamkan diri kerana menganggap ia asam garam orang politik yang perlu berhadapan dengan pelbagai cabaran termasuk ditohmah. "Saya sedih dan dukacita apabila blog hari ini memfitnah saya secara membabi buta," kata beliau. Ahmad dilantik sebagai menteri besar Terengganu pada Mac 2008. Full content generated by Get Full RSS.

MAS-AirAsia: MP Umno dakwa Azman, Tony tipu rakyat Posted: 14 Nov 2011 01:55 AM PST KUALA LUMPUR, 14 Nov – Beberapa ahli Parlimen Umno hari ini menuduh Tan Sri Azman Mokhtar dan Tan Sri Tony Fernandes telah menipu rakyat dalam urusan perjanjian saham melibatkan Malaysia Airlines (MAS) dan AirAsia Ogos lalu. Ahli Parlimen Kinabatangan Datuk Bung Mohtar Radin (gambar) mahu Azman, ketua eksekutif Khazanah disoal siasat ekoran keputusan agensi pelaburan kerajaan memutuskan untuk menukar 20.5 peratus saham dalam MAS bagi mengambil 10 peratus saham dalam AirAsia. "Suruhanjaya Pencegahan Rasuah Malaysia (SPRM) harus memanggil Tan Sri Azman... kesemua mereka... jika ada  penyelewengan, humban mereka ke dalam penjara," kata Timbalan Pengerusi BN-BBC ini di Dewan Rakyat hari ini. "Bagaimana Khazanah boleh diperbodohkan, macam mana boleh jadi bodoh, diperdayakan oleh Tony Fernandes. Jika saya berada dalam kedudukan, saya akan letak jawatan daripada menyusahkan orang lain," katanya lagi. "Kemungkinan mereka bukan bodoh. Kemungkinan mereka mendapat keuntungan besar dengan mengaut wang rakyat," kata beliau dengan kedudukan Tune Air, milik Ketua Pegawai Eksekutif AirAsia, kini memiliki satu perlima pegangan dalam MAS. Ahli Parlimen Sri Gading Mohamad Aziz juga mendakwa AirAsia dengan jelas menipu publik dan "sekarang cuba untuk menipu MAS." "Jika orang macam ini (Fernandes) menguasai kita, astaghfirullah," katanya ketika membahaskan Bajet 2012. Bung Mohtar juga berkata bahawa kerajaan tidak harus takut dengan Fernandes. "Apa sahaja beliau mahu, kita beri. Beliau mahu kenakan caj tambahan bagi lebihan (muatan) bagasi dan hisap darah rakyat miskin. "Sekarang saya dengar beliau ada rancangan untuk mengambil alih keseluruhan penerbangan dalam negeri dan MAS hanya akan ada penerbangan antarabangsa," kata beliau sambil menambah, "jika kita beri yang ini kepada beliau, negara akan rosak. Ia tanda berakhirnya dunia bagi kita," kata beliau lagi. Katanya, jika kerajaan tidak boleh memberi jawapan yang memuaskan, bermakna "pegawai-pegawai kerajaan bersubahat dengan AirAsia dan ada kepentingan peribadi." Perjanjian pertukaran saham antara MAS-AirAsia berhadapan dengan kecaman daripada ahli-ahli politik dan kesatuan sekerja syarikat penerbangan kebangsaan itu. Full content generated by Get Full RSS.

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Babu juga bisa menulis Posted: 13 Nov 2011 04:10 PM PST 14 NOV — Pembekuan yang dikenakan oleh kerajaan Indonesia sejak 26 Jun 2009 terhadap penghantaran pembantu rumah (Tenaga Kerja Wanita, TKW) ke Malaysia akan ditarik balik pada 1 Disember 2011. Demikian diumumkan Presiden Indonesia, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono selepas mengadakan rundingan tahunan kelapan bersama Perdana Menteri Malaysia, Datuk Seri Najib Razak di Lombok pada 20 Oktober lalu. Sementara itu, pada 18-19 November ini, kedua-dua negara dijadual mengadakan rundingan di Bali bagi menetapkan pelbagai terma berhubung pengambilan TKW. Buku 'Singa Bauhinia' membuktikan pembantu rumah juga boleh menulis. Bernama pada 21 Oktober lalu memetik Menteri Sumber Manusia, Datuk Seri Dr S. Subramaniam sebagai berkata bahawa TKW antara lain perlu dibayar gaji tambahan sekiranya mereka diminta bekerja pada hari cuti rehat mereka. Dalam pada itu, khabarnya terdapat sekitar 170,000 TKW di Singapura pada masa ini, tetapi lebih separuh daripada jumlah itu tidak diperuntukkan hak cuti rehat. Saya mendapat maklumat ini daripada trivia yang dipaparkan di dinding akaun Facebook milik Nessa Kartika, atau nama sebenarnya Anissa Hanifa. Peluang untuk bertemu Nessa muncul sewaktu kami sama-sama diundang ke Ubud Writers & Readers Festival di Bali pada 5-9 Oktober lalu. Ibu berumur 28 tahun ini tidak malu untuk mengaku dirinya seorang TKW. Malah, pada blognya di www.nessakartika.blogspot.com, dia mencatatkan dengan berani: "Babu Juga Bisa Menulis". Dalam Bahasa Jawa, "babu" merujuk kepada wanita yang bekerja sebagai pembantu rumah. Namun, istilah itu juga boleh membawa makna "bapa", "encik", "adik lelaki", "kerani", "tuan", "datuk" dan banyak lagi mengikut konteks bahasa, budaya dan zaman. Anissa Hanifa @ Nessa Kartika. Atau, menurut Nessa sendiri, babu adalah "orang upahan" dalam bahasa paling kasar. Saya begitu terkesan mendengar perkongsian pengalamannya pada sesi bertajuk "Under the Rug" di Left Bank Lounge, Ubud pada 8 Oktober lalu. Nessa pernah bekerja sebagai TKW di Hong Kong — di mana dia turut menjadi mangsa gangguan seksual oleh majikan — sebelum bekerja di Singapura. Segala pengalaman diri serta apa yang pernah dilihat atau didengar daripada rakan-rakan TKW dan Buruh Migran Indonesia (BMI) di Hong Kong dan Singapura dijadikan asas untuk digarap menjadi fiksyen. Wanita yang berasal dari Wonosobo, Jawa Tengah ini bekerjasama dengan seorang lagi TKW di Hong Kong, Karin Maulana, untuk menghasilkan kumpulan cerpen berjudul "Singa Bauhinia" (Hong Kong: 2011). Dalam kesibukan bekerja sebagai pembantu rumah bagi sebuah keluarga di Choa Chu Kang, Singapura, Nessa menggunakan masa terluang untuk menulis. "Saya amat bertuah kerana majikan membenarkan saya menggunakan komputer dan akses Internet di rumah mereka," kata wanita itu yang boleh bercakap dialek Mandarin, Kantonis dan Hokkien. Kisah kelahiran buku "Singa Bauhinia" turut mendapat perhatian dan publisiti meluas di pelbagai media di Singapura, Hong Kong dan Indonesia. Media di Indonesia dan Singapura memuji keberanian Nessa dan Karin. Akhbar Straits Times (Singapura) pada 22 Februari lalu melaporkan bahawa Nessa yang bekerja di Singapura berkomunikasi bersama Karin di Hong Kong menerusi e-mel dan Facebook untuk menyiapkan buku berkenaan yang memuatkan 14 buah cerpen. Nessa ternyata mahu mengubah persepsi bahawa golongan TKW adalah wanita yang "bodoh" dan tidak tahu "bersuara" walaupun diperlakukan sesuka hati oleh majikan. Cerpen-cerpen dalam "Singa Bauhinia" terbukti mampu merakamkan pengalaman sebenar TKW yang diceritakan pula menerusi sudut pandangan serta menggunakan "suara" mereka sendiri. "Saya dan Karin memulakan projek buku ini sewaktu dunia baru sahaja dikejutkan kes TKW bernama Sumiati Salam Mustapa yang dilaporkan ditikam, dibelasah dan dibakar oleh majikannya di Arab Saudi," kata Nessa di akhbar Jakarta Post pada 1 April lalu. (Belum diambil kira pelbagai kes besar melibatkan majikan dan pembantu rumah yang dilaporkan — atau tidak dilaporkan — di Malaysia.) Walaupun cerpen-cerpen di dalam "Singa Bauhinia" menggunakan Bahasa Indonesia, saya yakin bahawa pembaca di Malaysia tidak akan menghadapi sebarang masalah untuk memahaminya. Apatah lagi ramai juga generasi muda pelbagai kaum di Malaysia pada realiti memang diasuh dan dibesarkan sejak lahir oleh TKW ("kakak") dari Indonesia! Bercakap mengenai hakikat ini, saya teringat akan pandangan yang dikemukakan oleh Nessa, Jaladara dan Rida Firtia semasa sesi "Under the Rug" di Ubud. Harapan dan impian mereka adalah bahawa anak-anak di Singapura, Malaysia, Hong Kong dan negara-negara lain yang diasuh dan dibesarkan oleh TKW akan lebih memahami golongan itu dari segi psikologi dan kemanusiaan. "Saya harap apabila anak-anak ini nanti sudah besar, berkeluarga dan punyai babu di rumah, mereka tahu melayan TKW dengan sedikit perikemanusiaan," kata Nessa dengan suara sebak. Harapan yang diluahkannya itu turut mengundang air mata ahli panel yang lain serta menyentuh perasaan para hadirin yang terdiri daripada kelompok penulis dan peminat sastera antarabangsa. Mungkin sahaja pengalaman TKW di Singapura dan Hong Kong seperti yang diceritakan menerusi "Singa Bauhinia" tidak sama dengan keadaan serta realiti di Malaysia. Ulang: Mungkin. Dalam cerpen "Keinginan" karya Nessa, diceritakan kisah Hana yang pergi ke Hong Kong sebagai TKW. Digambarkan rasa rindu kepada anak-anak kecil yang terpaksa ditinggalkan di kampung bagi tempoh beberapa tahun. Tidak sekadar itu, Hana juga menjadi mangsa apabila majikan mengalami kerugian dalam perniagaan atau menghadapi masalah peribadi. Selama 15 bulan bekerja di Hong Kong, watak Hana berasa takut dan trauma berikutan gangguan seksual serta menjadi mangsa rogol oleh majikan. Berbeza pula dengan cerpen "Love Is Not Impossible" di mana Dave, seorang pemuda, jatuh cinta pada Evin, TKW yang bekerja di rumah bapanya. Cerpen "Kupu-kupu Puncak Beton" menceritakan mengenai watak Novi yang sudah hampir empat tahun bekerja sebagai TKW di Singapura. Suatu hari, dia bertemu Rana, seorang lelaki Bangladesh yang meminta Novi melayan nafsunya sebagai ganti untuk mendapatkan sebuah telefon bimbit percuma. Seterusnya, cerpen "Cinta Singa Bauhinia" berkisar tentang Lia yang kecewa berikutan kekasihnya, Gun, berkahwin dengan wanita lain. Lalu, ketika menjadi TKW di Hong Kong, Lia menjalin hubungan bersama seorang tomboy bernama Retno. Pengakhiran cerita ini pasti membuatkan ramai menepuk dahi. Menerusi cerpen "Hanya Aku dan Bintang", Nessa mengangkat kisah Eva yang lari dari rumah bersama kekasihnya, Bintang. Jaladara bersama buku 'Surat Berdarah untuk Presiden'. Mereka melarikan diri dari Jawa dan cuba memulakan hidup baru di Bandung. Apa yang menjadi masalah adalah bahawa mereka belum bernikah secara sah. Kehidupan menjadi lebih rumit apabila Bintang kemalangan dan Eva terpaksa bekerja di kelab malam. Buku ini turut disertakan komen pembaca yang terdiri daripada beberapa penulis Indonesia serta beberapa BMI dan TKW yang bekerja di Hong Kong, Korea dan Singapura. Sebuah lagi buku yang secara khusus merakamkan catatan pengalaman sebenar BMI dan TKW di Hong Kong berjudul "Surat Berdarah untuk Presiden" (2010). Para TKW antara lain mendedahkan bagaimana mereka tidak lagi dianggap atau dilayan sebagai warga Indonesia sebaik sahaja mereka memperoleh permit untuk menjadi BMI. Buku "Singa Bauhinia" dan "Surat Berdarah untuk Presiden" khabarnya sudah diserahkan ke pejabat Presiden Indonesia tetapi tiada apa-apa maklum balas diterima. Dalam pada itu, apa yang saya harapkan adalah supaya majikan di Malaysia membaca kedua-dua buku ini untuk memahami jiwa TKW yang sudah/bakal diambil bekerja sebagai pembantu rumah. Saya akui bahawa "harapan" ini adalah terlalu tinggi dan hampir mustahil untuk menjadi kenyataan di negara bertuah ini. Mungkin lebih mudah untuk "mengharapkan" kerajaan memberi kerakyatan kepada pendatang asing tanpa izin (PATI) berbanding mengimpikan rakyat Malaysia membaca buku cerita mengenai BMI dan TKW. Maka, saya memutuskan untuk meletakkan harapan yang lebih diterima akal rasional: Semoga para BMI dan TKW di Malaysia membaca kedua-dua buku ini dan seterusnya mendapat semangat untuk turut menulis fiksyen berdasarkan pengalaman diri. * The views expressed here are the personal opinion of the columnist. Full content generated by Get Full RSS.

Anak haram? Posted: 13 Nov 2011 03:35 PM PST NOV 14 — Anak luar nikah. Bastard. Illegitimate child. Child born out of wedlock. These are unpleasant terms used to describe a difficult situation. Imagine if your child were labelled with any of the above, and you would have some understanding of the anguish and despair experienced by quite a few Muslim parents in Malaysia when registering their newborn children with the National Registration Department (NRD).  Imagine being overjoyed at the birth of a first-born daughter only to find out that your husband's name will not be on her birth certificate or MyKid identity card. Instead, in its place will be the words "tiada maklumat" and her having a "binti Abdullah" to her name.  A few years later when your daughter is at primary school, her friends and even teachers will wonder why her name is "binti Abdullah" when the father's name is Zulkifli. As it is common knowledge that children born out of wedlock are "binti Abdullah," your daughter will experience the name calling and jeering of "kamu anak haram, anak luar nikah" (You are an illegitimate child, born out of wedlock!)" Kids can be quite cruel sometimes. Fast forward 20 years into the future. Your daughter is about to get married and the solemnisation ceremony needs a wali (categorised as a guardian or representative of the bride). Traditionally the father or brother (if the father has died) has the duty of representing the bride during this ceremony. Imagine, despite the fact that she is your biological daughter, and your husband is her father who has been part of her entire life up to that point, and who is physically present at the ceremony... he will be denied the role of the wali.  Ten minutes of registering a child, a mindless compliance to unnecessary and pointless punitive measures, and a lifetime of pain, trauma, despair and frustration. When this issue came to light in 2008 through a doctor's letter to the editor of an online news portal, I remember the massive debate which erupted on the Internet back then. Things haven't changed it seems. Who knew that the time you spend with the NRD clerk at the newborn registration desk could determine how your son or daughter would be viewed for at least the early part of their lives? Who knew that a civil servant's level of familiarity (or not) with the NRD's rules can determine whether your child will be able to carry the father's name or have a "bin or binti Abdullah" instead? Who gave the clerk these rights and powers to decide?  Section 13 under the Registration of Births and Deaths Act 1957 (Act 299) indicates that the registrar cannot write the name of the father for an illegitimate child in the birth certificate except upon the joint request of the mother and the person claiming to be the father. Both individuals are required to sign a joint registration as specified under the provisions of this Act.  I understand and accept that when the father is nowhere to be found and doesn't take responsibility, the "bin" or "binti Abdullah" becomes applicable. What I don't understand is when both proud parents are present, they are then denied the right to register the husband as the father of the child on the account of a NRD clerk's counting his or her fingers backwards and determining whether you had sex on the night of the marriage or before that.  What's worse is that on the appeal of such cases (such as premature birth) the burden of proof falls upon you as the mother and father to provide the certification from medical officers and decisions from Islamic religious councils. Even then you might have to resort to a court order to force the NRD to change something that could have been avoided in the first place!  Though the ruling from the National Fatwa Council was much earlier in 1981, the then director-general of the NRD issued an internal circular on this matter dated July 6, 2007. The circular stated that the NRD should be on the "look out" for illegitimate Malay children and that they be labelled accordingly, "bin Abdullah" or "binti Abdullah."  I ask this question: other than satisfying a bean counter's curiosity of how many children are born out of wedlock in this country, what is the benefit of this exercise? I believe that the NRD is in error to act as it has on this issue. Let's get this straight. The job of the NRD is to register people. To register births and deaths. It is not to deliver judgment on whether adultery has been committed. The NRD is not an extension of the religious department. The Registration of Births and Deaths Act does not state any role of the fatwa council or the religious department in the registration of infants. There is law and there is bad law. There are rules and there are also misguided rules. But this enters the realm of cruelty and the lack of compassion. Compassion, it seems, is in short supply. It seems that we dedicate and spend more time and energy morally policing and judging others. A birth certificate that has "tiada maklumat" or "tidak berkenaan" in place of a father's name is a dead giveaway and signals the start of the stigma and discrimination which will be faced by the child for at least the first two decades of his or her life. I believe that this practice is in violation of Section 13 of the Registration of Births and Deaths Act and Article 8 of the 1989 Convention on the Rights of the Child.  For the sake of the many parents and, most importantly, children, who are in this situation the victims, I hope that the NRD reconsiders its position on this issue and restore to these children their rightful identities. * The views expressed here are the personal opinion of the columnist. Full content generated by Get Full RSS.

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