Rabu, 28 Mei 2014

The Malaysian Insider :: Food

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McDonald’s Brazil releases special World Cup sandwiches

Posted: 28 May 2014 05:34 PM PDT

May 29, 2014

The McUSA for the World Cup. – AFP/Relaxnews pic, May 29, 2014.The McUSA for the World Cup. – AFP/Relaxnews pic, May 29, 2014.If the US were a burger, it would surely be made with a double patty of Angus beef, barbecue sauce, bacon and cheddar. That's according to McDonald's Brazil, which has created seven team sandwiches for the World Cup.

Only available across Brazil, the limited-edition sandwiches have been created for fans of Argentina, Brazil, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the USA, all former World Cup champions or favourites this year.

The sandwiches will be offered on a specific day of the week. Predictably, McBrazil kicks off the week and is Sunday's sandwich of the day, while the McUSA terminates the week.

French fans nostalgic for home, meanwhile, are being offered what McDonald's Brazil believes to be the quintessentially French burger that's heavy on the cheese: a crispy chicken patty, melted cream cheese with herbs, grated Parmesan, emmental, tomato and lettuce on sesame bun.

Here are the sandwiches:

Sunday: McBrazil, made with Angus beef, mayonnaise, special Brazilian vinaigrette, lettuce and emmental cheese

Monday: McSpain, made with crispy chicken, olive oil mayonnaise, bacon spicy cheese, tomato and lettuce

Tuesday: McGermany, made with rib meat, German mustard sauce, red onion, pickles and bacon spicy cheese

Wednesday: McFrance, made with crispy chicken, melted cream cheese, grated parmesan cheese, lettuce, tomato and emmental cheese

Thursday: McItaly, made with Polpettone meat, with tomato sauce, grated parmesan cheese and pepperoni

Friday: McArgentina, made with Angus beef, with chimichurri mayonnaise, lettuce, tomato, bacon and cheddar

Saturday: McUSA, made with Angus beef, with barbecue sauce, crispy onions, pickles, lettuce, bacon and cheddar cheese

See them all: http://mcdonalds.com.br/favoritos/#favorito-mcbrasil. – AFP/Relaxnews, May 29, 2014.

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The Malaysian Insider :: Sports

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Special Olympics Unified World Cup to improve perception of special children

Posted: 28 May 2014 07:10 AM PDT

May 28, 2014

The 2014 Special Olympics Unified World Cup which will be held in the country in November will provide an opportunity to improve perception about the remarkable abilities and competitive spirit of special athletes.

Raja Puan Besar of Perak Tuanku Raja Zara Salim said the event which involves 25 countries around the world, will open windows for more activities to be held in the future to improve the quality of life for people with intellectual disabilities.

"This event, I believe, will leave behind a legacy of respect for athletes and people with intellectual disabilities, and build a re-energized advocacy platform that serves to make real changes in society through improved policies
like early intervention," she said, when unveiling the logo for the inaugural tournament at the Royal Selangor Club, here, today.

Her speech was read out by Tunku Muinuddin Putra Tunku Ahmad Nerang, the grandson of Malaysia's first Prime Minister, the late Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Al-Haj.

Raja Zara Salim, who is also the grand niece of Tunku Abdul Rahman, thanked the organiser, the Special Olympics of Malaysia (SOM) for naming the tournament's trophy after the latter.

She called upon all Malaysians to come and support the tournament by attending a match, sponsoring an athlete and following the SOM Facebook page.

"I also call upon all Ministries, companies and NGO's to be part of this historical event and promote Malaysia and showcase our talent," Raja Zara Salim added.

Some 25 countries will be competing in the 12-day tournament starting on November 2, at seven states nationwide, namely Kuala Lumpur, Selangor, Kedah, Perak, Penang, Sabah and Sarawak.

The countries are United States, Jamaica, Costa Rica, Honduras, Paraguay, Uruguay, Peru, Ecuador, Brazil, South Africa, Cote d'Ivoire, Tanzania, Libya, Serbia, Romania, Slovakia, France, Poland, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, China, Thailand, Bangladesh and Malaysia the host nation. – Bernama, May 28, 2014.

Car crash shocks Germany’s World Cup squad

Posted: 28 May 2014 07:00 AM PDT

May 28, 2014

Two cars that were involved in an accident are seen in St. Martin, northern Italy. Two people were injured in an accident at a Mercedes event which took place at Germany's national soccer team's training camp. – Reuters pic, May 28, 2014.Two cars that were involved in an accident are seen in St. Martin, northern Italy. Two people were injured in an accident at a Mercedes event which took place at Germany's national soccer team's training camp. – Reuters pic, May 28, 2014.Germany's World Cup squad were 'shocked' after two people were left hospitalised following a car accident involving two of their players, team manager Oliver Bierhoff said Wednesday

"It was a big shock when the news came through, especially for the two players involved," said Bierhoff as Schalke 04's Julian Draxler and Benedikt Hoewedes were passengers in separate cars during filming for Mercedes, one of the DFB's sponsors, when the crash happened.

The accident at Germany's pre-World Cup training camp in northern Italy on Tuesday left a course steward in hospital and a German bystander in a serious condition.

The bystander was airlifted to hospital, while the course steward, named only as Michael K., is also being treated after he too, was hit by the car driven by 19-year-old professional touring car driver Pascal Wehrlein.

SID, an AFP subsidiary, reported on Wednesday that the 63-year-old bystander is out of immediate danger.

Schalke centre-back Hoewedes was Wehrlein's passenger in the Mercedes involved in the accident.

"Of course, the situation was a shock for me," Hoewedes told the German Football Association (DFB) website.

"The images will stay in my head for a long time.

"Physically, I'm fine. I could train in the afternoon after it happened. We were using seatbelts.

"The question is more: how are those injured doing? My thoughts are with them and their families. I hope they get better soon."

Hoewedes revealed that he had helped emergency services at the scene.

"I didn't do anything which anyone else wouldn't have done," he said.

"To want to help in a situation like that is obvious."

Formula One driver Nico Rosberg, who was driving the other Mercedes car at the time of the crash, wrote on Twitter: "The accident shocked me, my thoughts are with both victims," while Wehrlein is said to be upset by the incident.

Bierhoff said both players had spoken to the team psychologist before training on Tuesday night, while he visited both victims in hospital, along with Rosberg and Wehrlein.

In an interview with the Hamburger Morgenpost, course steward Michael K. described how he spotted the bystander, thought to be a holiday-maker looking for an autograph from the German footballers, on the closed Alpine course.

"He wanted to take a picture and get an autograph," he said, having suffered back, leg and elbow injuries in the impact.

"He wasn't on the road, but was right next to it, a few metres in front of the barrier.

"I shouted to him loudly. I wanted to pull him back, but didn't get to him in time.

"If it had taken two seconds longer, I would have been directly hit and I could have been killed."

Mercedes spokeswoman Claudia Merzbach said the event on the twisting roads was not a race and all video footage taken from within the cars has been handed over to police.

Both the DFB and Mercedes are in close contact with the families of both the victims and local police chief Johann Ramoser insisted there were no safety issues with the Alpine course: "The track was safe. That I can guarantee."

The DFB cancelled a scheduled practice match between Joachim Loew's World Cup squad and Germany's Under-20 side on Tuesday evening.

The DFB are holding their 10-day training camp in the north Italian Alps which concludes on Saturday before their first World Cup match in Group G against Portugal in Salvador on June 16. – AFP, May 28, 2014.

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The Malaysian Insider :: Showbiz

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Original cast members to return for ‘X-Men: Apocalypse’

Posted: 27 May 2014 09:04 PM PDT

May 28, 2014

Some of the stars of the first "X-Men" movie franchise, launched in 2000, are expected to appear alongside the "First Class" cast in the next film in the reboot, which is due in theatres in 2016.

Simon Kinberg, the producer and screenwriter behind the new trilogy, revealed new details about the next movie in an interview with The Daily Beast. While he had indicated last December that the third movie in the new franchise would star only the younger actors, the box-office success of "X-Men: Days of Future Past," which combines the old and new casts, seems to have led to a change in plans.

When asked by The Daily Beast about "X-Men: Apocalypse," Kinberg said "It will focus primarily on the First Class cast, but it will certainly have some of the original cast involved, too."

The comment leaves fans with hopes of seeing James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender return in the roles of Professor X and Magneto, and possibly Hugh Jackman, who would be returning for his eighth film as Wolverine. It remains to be seen which of the original "X-Men" cast members will return. – AFP/Relaxnews, May 28, 2014.

Original cast members to return for ‘X-Men: Apocalypse’

Posted: 27 May 2014 09:04 PM PDT

May 28, 2014

Some of the stars of the first "X-Men" movie franchise, launched in 2000, are expected to appear alongside the "First Class" cast in the next film in the reboot, which is due in theatres in 2016.

Simon Kinberg, the producer and screenwriter behind the new trilogy, revealed new details about the next movie in an interview with The Daily Beast. While he had indicated last December that the third movie in the new franchise would star only the younger actors, the box-office success of "X-Men: Days of Future Past," which combines the old and new casts, seems to have led to a change in plans.

When asked by The Daily Beast about "X-Men: Apocalypse," Kinberg said "It will focus primarily on the First Class cast, but it will certainly have some of the original cast involved, too."

The comment leaves fans with hopes of seeing James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender return in the roles of Professor X and Magneto, and possibly Hugh Jackman, who would be returning for his eighth film as Wolverine. It remains to be seen which of the original "X-Men" cast members will return. – AFP/Relaxnews, May 28, 2014.

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The Malaysian Insider :: Features

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Tank Man, the Tiananmen protester icon

Posted: 27 May 2014 05:47 PM PDT

May 28, 2014

Unforgettably powerful, the photograph of Tank Man has been endlessly reproduced, despite being censored at home by China's ruling Communist Party. – AP pic, May 28, 2014. Unforgettably powerful, the photograph of Tank Man has been endlessly reproduced, despite being censored at home by China's ruling Communist Party. – AP pic, May 28, 2014. He is world famous, and at the same time anonymous. The man who stood alone blocking a column of tanks at Tiananmen Square endures as a symbol of peaceful protest and defiance 25 years later.

It was just before noon on June 5, 1989. Wearing a white shirt, carrying a shopping bag in each hand, he strode out a day after Chinese troops killed hundreds of pro-democracy protesters in the heart of Beijing.

In the middle of the wide avenue running north of Tiananmen Square – by now empty of the students who had dreamed of democracy – he stopped, facing the first of a column of tanks and armoured vehicles stretching far down the road.

Captured on camera, "Tank Man" has become one of the defining images of the 20th century.

Unforgettably powerful, his photograph has been endlessly reproduced, despite being censored at home by China's ruling Communist Party.

His identity and fate are unknown.

The first tank repeatedly tried to move around him. Each time, he stepped back into its path.

"I felt he was saying: 'I won't let you pass, back off – we're prepared to die here,'" said Hu Jia, a prominent dissident in Beijing.

"What he did symbolises the spirit of young people at that time."

The protester climbed onto the vehicle to engage in a conversation with one of the tank crew, as gunshots crackled in the air.

Climbing down, he stood to one side, gesticulating for the column to go back down the road.

But when the lead tank tried to speed past him, he dashed back into position to stop it again.

Eventually, he was pulled away by two men. By some accounts they were security agents; others said they were worried onlookers.

Flustered leader

The stand-off lasted only minutes. But Tank Man's calm and courage have earned him a place in history – his mystique reinforced by his disappearance, probably at the hands of the security forces.

For a quarter of a century, theories have swirled about him, but few facts have emerged.

Some identified him as Wang Weilin, a name that has never been confirmed. Nor has that of the tank driver who refused to crush him.

Like many others, Hu Jia tried to find out who the protester was – and even asked a friend in the military to try to track down the soldier at the wheel – but without success.

From Chinese authorities, there has been nothing but a wall of silence.

A year after the crackdown, American TV journalist Barbara Walters confronted Jiang Zemin, by then number one in the Communist Party, with a photograph of Tank Man.

"Do you have any idea what happened to this young man?" she asked.

A flustered Jiang stressed that the tanks had not run the man over. He declined to confirm the man's fate beyond saying that he did not believe he had been killed.

'Unknown Soldier'

Several photographers captured Tank Man's lone figure on film that day.

However, it was Jeff Widener of the Associated Press news agency whose shot became the most widespread, nominated for a Pulitzer Prize and now regarded as one of the most recognisable photographs of all time.

Taken from the balcony of his room at the Beijing Hotel, it was splashed across the front pages of newspapers the world over – except, of course, in China.

Since 1989, it has been recycled countless times – by rights groups denouncing repression, in advertising campaigns, and by satirists.

A parody version appeared in "The Simpsons", with Homer Simpson refusing to budge before a column of taxis.

But in China, the image remains largely unrecognised, heavily censored by Communist authorities.

Hu Jia, for instance, did not see it until several years after it became world-famous.

"Not many people owned cameras in those days, so the image is incredibly valuable," said Hu.

Last year, a satirical version of the shot – with giant yellow rubber ducks replacing the tanks – went viral online.

China responded by banning the phrase "big yellow duck" from Internet searches.

Widener, now 57, confesses that he developed a "love-hate relationship" with his photo in the years that followed, as it overshadowed all of his later work.

"I think about Tank Man from time to time and wonder what happened to him," Widener, who now lives in the German city of Hamburg, told AFP.

"Perhaps it is better we never know who he is," he added. "It's a bit like the 'Unknown Soldier'. He will always remind us of the importance of freedom and democracy and our rights for human dignity."

Hu agrees. "Maybe he was killed, maybe he was thrown in prison, maybe he went abroad, but it doesn't matter any more," he said.

"I believe we are all Tank Men. If we confront the system, Tank Man lives on." – AFP, May 28, 2014.

Tank Man, the Tiananmen protester icon

Posted: 27 May 2014 05:47 PM PDT

May 28, 2014

Unforgettably powerful, the photograph of Tank Man has been endlessly reproduced, despite being censored at home by China's ruling Communist Party. – AP pic, May 28, 2014. Unforgettably powerful, the photograph of Tank Man has been endlessly reproduced, despite being censored at home by China's ruling Communist Party. – AP pic, May 28, 2014. He is world famous, and at the same time anonymous. The man who stood alone blocking a column of tanks at Tiananmen Square endures as a symbol of peaceful protest and defiance 25 years later.

It was just before noon on June 5, 1989. Wearing a white shirt, carrying a shopping bag in each hand, he strode out a day after Chinese troops killed hundreds of pro-democracy protesters in the heart of Beijing.

In the middle of the wide avenue running north of Tiananmen Square – by now empty of the students who had dreamed of democracy – he stopped, facing the first of a column of tanks and armoured vehicles stretching far down the road.

Captured on camera, "Tank Man" has become one of the defining images of the 20th century.

Unforgettably powerful, his photograph has been endlessly reproduced, despite being censored at home by China's ruling Communist Party.

His identity and fate are unknown.

The first tank repeatedly tried to move around him. Each time, he stepped back into its path.

"I felt he was saying: 'I won't let you pass, back off – we're prepared to die here,'" said Hu Jia, a prominent dissident in Beijing.

"What he did symbolises the spirit of young people at that time."

The protester climbed onto the vehicle to engage in a conversation with one of the tank crew, as gunshots crackled in the air.

Climbing down, he stood to one side, gesticulating for the column to go back down the road.

But when the lead tank tried to speed past him, he dashed back into position to stop it again.

Eventually, he was pulled away by two men. By some accounts they were security agents; others said they were worried onlookers.

Flustered leader

The stand-off lasted only minutes. But Tank Man's calm and courage have earned him a place in history – his mystique reinforced by his disappearance, probably at the hands of the security forces.

For a quarter of a century, theories have swirled about him, but few facts have emerged.

Some identified him as Wang Weilin, a name that has never been confirmed. Nor has that of the tank driver who refused to crush him.

Like many others, Hu Jia tried to find out who the protester was – and even asked a friend in the military to try to track down the soldier at the wheel – but without success.

From Chinese authorities, there has been nothing but a wall of silence.

A year after the crackdown, American TV journalist Barbara Walters confronted Jiang Zemin, by then number one in the Communist Party, with a photograph of Tank Man.

"Do you have any idea what happened to this young man?" she asked.

A flustered Jiang stressed that the tanks had not run the man over. He declined to confirm the man's fate beyond saying that he did not believe he had been killed.

'Unknown Soldier'

Several photographers captured Tank Man's lone figure on film that day.

However, it was Jeff Widener of the Associated Press news agency whose shot became the most widespread, nominated for a Pulitzer Prize and now regarded as one of the most recognisable photographs of all time.

Taken from the balcony of his room at the Beijing Hotel, it was splashed across the front pages of newspapers the world over – except, of course, in China.

Since 1989, it has been recycled countless times – by rights groups denouncing repression, in advertising campaigns, and by satirists.

A parody version appeared in "The Simpsons", with Homer Simpson refusing to budge before a column of taxis.

But in China, the image remains largely unrecognised, heavily censored by Communist authorities.

Hu Jia, for instance, did not see it until several years after it became world-famous.

"Not many people owned cameras in those days, so the image is incredibly valuable," said Hu.

Last year, a satirical version of the shot – with giant yellow rubber ducks replacing the tanks – went viral online.

China responded by banning the phrase "big yellow duck" from Internet searches.

Widener, now 57, confesses that he developed a "love-hate relationship" with his photo in the years that followed, as it overshadowed all of his later work.

"I think about Tank Man from time to time and wonder what happened to him," Widener, who now lives in the German city of Hamburg, told AFP.

"Perhaps it is better we never know who he is," he added. "It's a bit like the 'Unknown Soldier'. He will always remind us of the importance of freedom and democracy and our rights for human dignity."

Hu agrees. "Maybe he was killed, maybe he was thrown in prison, maybe he went abroad, but it doesn't matter any more," he said.

"I believe we are all Tank Men. If we confront the system, Tank Man lives on." – AFP, May 28, 2014.

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The Malaysian Insider :: Books

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US author, poet Maya Angelou dies at 86

Posted: 28 May 2014 09:00 AM PDT

May 29, 2014

Maya Angelou receives a Medal of Freedom from US President Barack Obama at the White House in Washington in this February 15, 2011 file photo. US author and poet Maya Angelou has died at age 86 in North Carolina. – Reuters pic, May 28, 2014.Maya Angelou receives a Medal of Freedom from US President Barack Obama at the White House in Washington in this February 15, 2011 file photo. US author and poet Maya Angelou has died at age 86 in North Carolina. – Reuters pic, May 28, 2014.American author and poet Maya Angelou, best known for her groundbreaking autobiography 'I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings,' has died at age 86 in North Carolina, her publisher confirmed on Wednesday.

The prolific African-American writer penned more than 30 books, won numerous awards, and was honoured last year by the National Book Awards for her service to the literary community.

"Dr. Angelou has passed in Winston-Salem," said Sally Marvin, of Random House.

No other details were immediately available.

Angelou provided eloquent commentary on race, gender and living life to its fullest in poems and memoirs. Her latest work 'Mom & Me & Mom,' about her mother and grandmother and what they taught her, was released last year.

"She was beyond simply being a writer of autobiography and poetry. She transcended the idea of writing and using writing as a transcendence medium to further the individual," Harold Augenbraum, the executive director of the National Book Foundation, told Reuters.

"She was an extraordinary symbol in the United States of what can accomplished using the arts," he added.

Wake Forest University also mourned the loss of Angelou.

"Dr. Angelou was a national treasure whose life and teachings inspired millions around the world, including countless students, faculty, and staff at Wake Forest, where she served as Reynolds Professor of American Studies since 1982," the university said in a statement.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with Dr. Angelou's family and friends during this difficult time."

It added that details about a campus memorial service will be announced at a later date.

'I Know Why the Cage Bird Sings,' a coming-of-age story in a hostile society in the American South in the 1930s and '40s that deals with racism and rape, is considered an American classic.

In addition to her many books, she was a Grammy winner for three spoken-word albums.

She had a home in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, where she was a professor of American studies at Wake Forest University. – Reuters, March 28, 2014.

Sri Lankan-born author wins more book awards

Posted: 27 May 2014 09:50 PM PDT

May 28, 2014

Multi-award-winning Sri Lankan-born author Michelle de Kretser has picked up another A$60,000 (RM178,506) in prize money for her latest novel "Questions Of Travel."

It has been named Book of the Year at the New South Wales (NSW) Premier's Literary Awards, as well as winning the Christina Stead Prize for Fiction and sharing the Multicultural Award. The novel also won last year's Miles Franklin Literary Award and the Prime Minister's Award for Fiction.

The author is delighted with her win. "Well it's always a thrill each time and it's always a surprise too, because you're up against a different set of books and I never imagine it's going to be me," Sydney-based de Kretser told ABC News.

"Questions Of Travel" is about the intersecting lives of an Australian woman who looks for meaning in foreign cultures and a Sri Lankan man forced to flee to Australia after his wife and child are killed in political violence.

The judges of the NSW Premier's Awards praised the novel's mastery of language, imagery and detail, along with the resonance and power of the story.

De Kretser attributes her success to striking a chord with readers. 

"Australians are big travellers, travelling as a tourist, which many Australians are very familiar with; migration as travel, again that applies to a huge number of people in the community; and of course the travel of asylum seekers, which is such a vital political issue," she said.

De Kretser drew on her own experiences backpacking and living overseas to inform her characters in Questions Of Travel. Her migration from Sri Lanka when she was a teenager was also important.

"Of course my interest in Sri Lanka stems from the fact that I spent the first 14 years of my life there, and my interest in global lives and the way that individuals' lives are shaped by their historical moment," she said. – Bernama, May 28, 2014.

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The Malaysian Insider :: Bahasa

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Pertahan undi PRU13 cukup untuk Dyana menang, kata PAS

Posted: 28 May 2014 02:54 AM PDT

OLEH HASBULLAH AWANG CHIK
May 28, 2014

PAS hari ini melihat bantuannya untuk membantu kemenangan calon DAP bagi Pilihan Raya Kecil (PRK) Teluk Intan, Dyana Sofya Mohd Daud cukup sekadar mempertahankan jumlah undi yang diperoleh dalam pilihan raya umum lalu.

Ketua Penerangan PAS, Datuk Mahfuz Omar (gambar) berkata generasi muda lebih cenderung menerima pencalonan Dyana Sofya dalam DAP berbanding mereka yang lebih berusia memerlukan sedikit masa.  

"Strategi kami adalah mempertahankan undi yang diperoleh semasa pilihan raya umum lalu mencukupi bagi menjamin kemenangan Dyana.

"Apa yang kita temui, penerimaan generasi baru baik terhadap Dyana. Saya tidak bimbang untuk mengubah persepsi kerana ia tidak boleh diubah dalam jangka masa pendek," katanya dalam majlis ramah mesra media di Teluk Intan hari ini.

Ketua Parlimen DAP Lim Kit Siang pada minggu lalu melihat DAP sebagai "underdog" dalam PRK Teluk Intan dengan mensasarkan pencapaian 40%.

Namun, pada sidang media semalam, Lim berkata peratusan itu meningkat kepada 60% dan percaya akan melonjak menjelang tempoh akhir berkempen. – 28 Mei, 2014.

MENYUSUL LAGI

Dewan Negara Perak bakal lantik Sultan baru

Posted: 28 May 2014 02:44 AM PDT

OLEH V ANBALAGAN, PENOLONG PENGARANG BERITA
May 28, 2014

Satu persidangan khas Dewan Negara Perak bakal diadakan bagi melantik penganti Sultan Azlan Shah yang mangkat kira-kira jam 1.30 petang tadi.

Menurut Pengarang Adat Pusaka, Raja Raja dan Orang Besar-Besar Negeri Perak Darul Ridzuan, Adib Vincent Tung Abdullah, pertemuan itu akan diadakan di Istana Iskandariah Kuala Kangsar.

Ahli Dewan Negara terdiri daripada Sultan, Raja Muda, Raja di Hilir, Raja Kechil Besar, Orang Besar Empat (4), Orang Besar Lapan (8), menteri besar dan mufti.

Ia turut mempunyai 11 lagi orang lama dan bukan Islam menganggotai Dewan Negara.

Adib berkata Bendahara (antara paling kanan dalam Orang Besar Empat) akan mempengerusikan sidang itu.

Beliau berkata mengikut Artikel 6 Perlembagaan Negeri, pilihan pertama yang akan dilantik menjadi Sultan adalah di antara Raja Muda dan Raja di Hilir.

Katanya, Dewan Negara juga boleh memilih mana-mana empat Raja-Raja Bergelar.

Keempat Raja-Raja bergelar adalah Raja Kechil Besar, Raja Kechil Sulong, Raja Kechil Tengah and Raja Kechil Bongsu dan dua kedudukan terkini adalah kosong.

Ketika ini, Raja Nazrin Shah adalah Raja Muda dan Raja Di Hilir pula adalah Raja Jaafar Raja Muza.

Kedua calon ini akan meninggalkan bilik mesyuarat supaya ahli lain boleh membuat keputusan.

Adib berkata Bendahara akan mengumumkan pelantikan Sultan baru selepas beliau menerima pelantikan.

Tugas seterusnya bagi Dewan Negara adalah menguruskan upacara pengebumian. – 28 Mei, 2014.

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The Malaysian Insider :: Opinion

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Dari Bukit Gelugor ke Teluk Intan

Posted: 27 May 2014 07:54 PM PDT

May 28, 2014

Mujahid Yusof Rawa is MP for Parit Buntar and PAS National Unity Committee chairman.

Calon kita

PAS telah melantik saya sebagai pengarah operasi pilihan raya kecil Bukit Gelugor dalam mesyuaratnya pada bulan awal Mei untuk menerajui jentera pilihan raya PAS.

Saya menerimanya apatah lagi sebagai yang dipertua PAS Bukit Gelugor dan anak tempatan Bukit Gelugor perasaan ingin berkhidmat merangsang saya untuk menerimanya.

Apalah sangat PRK Bukit Gelugor untuk PAS kerana ia hanya bertindak sebagai kumpulan sokongan sahaja kepada gerak kerja utama yang diterajui oleh DAP Pulau Pinang.

Walaupun demikian saya meletakkan gerak kerja PAS seolah-olah PAS yang bertanding manakala pesuruhjaya PAS Pulau Pinang yang juga timbalan presiden PAS mengeluarkan kenyataan awal bahawa "calon PAS" yang bertanding dalam PRK Bukit Gelugor dan beliau hanya memakai lambang roket sahaja.

Kenyataan itu mempunyai makna yang mendalam kerana ia adalah deklarasi sokongan penuh PAS kepada calon DAP iaitu Ramkarpal Singh.

Kenyataan itu mempengaruhi gerak kerja kami dan saya menyampaikan hasrat itu beberapa kali dalam mesyuarat operasi jentera pilihan raya.

Masa yang tepat

PRK Bukit Gelugor diadakan atas kematian penyandangnya Karpal Singh yang maut dalam kemalangan. Beliau memenangi dengan majoriti besar hampir 42 ribu dalam pilihan raya umum yang lepas.

Entah apa hikmahnya PRK kali ini datang dalam suasana PAS dan DAP bertegang leher buat sekian kalinya tentang isu hudud yang muncul semula setelah agak lama menyepi.

Ia pada satu tahap telah meretakkan hubungan Pakatan Rakyat yang selama ini terbina atas persefahaman Common Policy Framework (CPF) yang ditandatangani pada tahun 2009 di Shah Alam.

Menyedari situasi ini pengarahan supaya jentera PAS keluar semaksima tenaga membantu calon DAP diharapkan dapat meredakan keadaan.

Begitulah jentera kami didorong untuk bekerja demi PR dan memberi gambaran yang meyakinkan bahawa isu hudud di Kelantan tidak akan menjejaskan hubungan ini. 

Teluk Intan pula

Dalam kesibukan menyediakan tapak bekerja bagi Bukit Gelugor, satu lagi PRK terpaksa dijalankan atas kematian penyandang dari DAP juga iaitu di Parlimen Teluk Intan.

Di atas kepentingan strategi, kerana PAS mempunyai satu Dun di bawah Parlimen Teluk Intan yang dimenanginya pada PRU 2008 dan kemudian kalah pada PRU 2013, Jabatan Pilihan Raya PAS Pusat memutuskan untuk membahagikan petugasnya dari seluruh negara antara PRK Bukit Gelugor dan Teluk Intan.

Dengan strategi itu saya sebagai pengarah operasi PRK Bukit Gelugor hanya menerima empat buah negeri untuk bertugas di Bukit Gelugor iaitu Kedah, Perlis, Terengganu dan Kelantan.

Lagipun kerja kami lebih tertumpu kepada empat daerah mengundi yang majoritinya adalah pengundi Melayu yang terdiri daripada 11 ribu pengundi.

PRK Bukit Gelugor bermula seminggu lebih awal dari Teluk Intan dan saya berbangga kerana pada malam penamaan calon Tuan Guru Datuk Seri presiden PAS sudi hadir untuk melancarkan  pusat operasi jentera PAS di Sungai Gelugor dan keesokannya bersama pimpinan DAP yang lain mengiringi calon Ramkarpal pada hari penamaan calon.

Presiden PAS kelihatan sungguh bertenaga pada pagi 12 Mei itu dan menunjukkan semangat "comrade-in-arms" pada calon DAP.

Catatan di Bukit Gelugor

Bagi saya, PRK ini penting untuk PR kerana kita boleh membuat satu kayu pengukur kepada keberkesanan dasar kerajaan negeri Pulau Pinang khususnya kepada pengundi Melayu.

Penting untuk PAS menilai sejauh mana strategi mendapat sokongan Melayu dalam kerangka Pakatan Rakyat kerana inilah yang menjadi batu penghalang untuk PR menguasai pengundi Melayu.

Apakah isu "DAP anti-Melayu" benar-benar termakan oleh pengundi Melayu atau ianya senjata tumpul Umno?

Secara peribadi saya melihat momokan ke atas DAP tidak banyak mempengaruhi ke atas rakyat biasa kerana mengambil sampel Sungai Gelugor sebagai satu daerah mengundi yang majoritinya 80% Melayu, bendera DAP boleh dilihat dipasang merata tempat malah kempen ziarah perdana yang kami lancarkan di situ mendapat sambutan dan tiada insiden memaki hamun DAP berlaku.

Keberadaan DAP dalam ceramah PAS di kawasan Melayu bukan lagi satu babak yang dilihat pelik malah pengundi Melayu keluar mendengar walaupun sesetengahnya berada di sebalik tembok yang gelap.

Kempen ceramah PAS pula terus mengasak politik perkauman yang dimainkan oleh Umno khususnya kebiadapan kelompok Pemuda Umno merempuh dan menceroboh tempat persidangan Dewan Undangan Negeri dan membuat onar di dalamnya.

Alasan bahawa Adun Seri Delima YB Rayers mengungkapkan kata "Pemuda Umno celaka" dengan merujuk kepada perhimpunan di Kepala Batas tempoh hari tidak mewajarkan pencerobohan itu.

Ia melambangkan politik samseng dan tidak bertamadun. Saya menegaskan bahawa jika R.N.S. Rayers mengungkap demikian  dalam ucapannya di Dewan maka Adun Umno yang mendengarnya mesti membantah dan mematahkan hujah YB Rayers.

Apakah YB Umno terlalu lemah sehingga gagal memainkan peranan berhujah tetapi sebaliknya "menjemput" para samseng untuk menceroboh Dewan? 

Bergegas ke Seremban

Aktiviti saya di Bukit Gelugor terganggu seketika kerana temujanji saya yang lebih awal telah dipersetujui untuk saya menghadiri forum hudud di Seremban anjuran NGO Ikram dan Gabungan Persatuan Cina.

Terlanjur ke Seremban, saya mengambil kesempatan untuk menziarahi Gereja Visitation di tengah bandar Seremban untuk bertemu dengan Father Gregory Chan bagi mendapat penjelasan lanjut kejadian samun yang berlaku di hadapan pintu utama gereja tempoh hari.

Kejadian itu menyebabkan dua biarawati cedera dan salah seorang daripadanya meninggal setelah koma beberapa hari.

Saya telah mengeluarkan kenyataan keras sebelumnya dengan mengutuk kes samun dan ragut itu ke atas biarawati warga emas di tempat ibadat.

Ia boleh sahaja berlaku ke atas mana-mana rumah ibadat lain termasuk masjid dan tokong-tokong. Kehadiran saya ke situ bagi saya menyampaikan mesej bahawa setiap rumah ibadat mesti dipelihara kesuciannya dan dihormati dan perompak dan peragut harus memahaminya.

Saya juga  menziarahi biarawati yang koma di hospital dan sempat meminta pihak Kementerian Kesihatan mengirimkan ahli neutrologi untuk mengesahkan laporan kecederaan yang dialami.

Saya berasa sedih kerana keesokannya dalam kesibukan berkempen saya dimaklumkan bahawa biarawati itu telah meninggal dunia.

Selesai program di Seremban, kereta saya meluncur laju balik ke utara.

Dyana Sofya

Aura apakah Dyana Sofya bawa kita tidak tahu tetapi namanya menggegarkan politik tanah air apabila langkah berani DAP meletakkan calon gadis muda Melayu yang sempurna segala sifat Melayunya.

Beraninya langkah ini mengirimkan satu gelombang kejutan kepada parti politik berasaskan perkauman. Dyana pula seorang graduan UiTM yang dikatakan kuat doktrin kemelayuannya tetapi sedia menjadi calon DAP yang pada doktrin kemelayuan menganggap DAP sebagai parti chauvanis Cina yang pekat kecinaannya.

Bagaimana Dyana sanggup menjadi peluru maut ini? Ia mungkin peluru maut kepada Umno, MCA dan Gerakan kerana ia mencabar asas kewujudan parti-parti ini manakala bagi politik baru yang diterajui oleh Pakatan, Dyana adalah mutiara yang menyinari harapan baru di mana parti politik tidak dicam melalui etniknya tetapi melalui dasar yang diperjuangkan dan siapa sahaja rakyat Malaysia yang yakin dengan dasar ini boleh menyertainya.

Saya pernah mengharapkan lebih ramai calon muda Cina dan India menjadi calon PAS di masa hadapan untuk tujuan memecah tembok perkauman tetapi saya tidak menduga DAP melakukannya dengan pantas pada PRK Teluk Intan dengan meletakkan calon Melayu.

Menang atau kalahnya, DAP adalah isu kedua tetapi langkahnya menengahkan calon muda Melayu daripada kaum Hawa yang bernama Dyana memberikan politik Malaysia satu makna baru.

Ia bukan soal Dyana ada tarikan pada keterampilannya a tetapi jauh daripada itu Dyana lambang kepada usaha memecahkan tembok perkauman dalam membina politik baru merentas kaum dan saya yakin pengundi di Teluk Intan bersedia melakukannya dengan memenangkan Dyana. 

Harimau muda berehat

Saya bersama Mat Sabu hadir di Dewan Sri Pinang pada malam pengisytiharaan keputusan PRK Bukit Gelugor pada 25 Mei 2014 lepas.

Ramkarpal menang bergaya walaupun peratus keluar mengundi agak rendah, kami dari PAS berada di situ untuk meraikan kememenangan "calon kita" dan ingin menyampaikan mesej bahawa PR akan kekal berperanan sebagai satu wadah perubahan.

Hudud sama sekali tidak mematahkan semangat kesepakatan PR sepertimana yang ditegaskan oleh presiden PAS bahawa PR tetap keutamaan PAS.

Inilah keunikan PR bahawa perbezaan ideologi bukan penghalang tetapi alasan untuk membentuk wajah baru politik lebih kuat tarikannya buat PR.

Sehingga artikel ini ditulis, saya masih belum berkesempatan untuk menemui mutiara terbaru Pakatan Rakyat di Teluk Intan bagi membantunya, tetapi setelah "harimau muda" Bukit Gelugor berada di "belukar"nya seketika, bolehlah saya meninggalkannya untuk beraksi di Teluk Intan pula.

Saya dedikasi pantun ini sebagai penutup catatan saya setakat ini.

Dari Kedah sampai ke Kelantan

Usah dikau gundah gulana

Dari Bukit Gelugor ke Teluk Intan

Hamba merantau mencari Dyana. – 28 Mei, 2014.

* Ini adalah pendapat peribadi penulis dan tidak semestinya mewakili pandangan The Malaysian Insider.

It’s halal, no question about it

Posted: 27 May 2014 03:51 PM PDT

May 28, 2014

Abdar Rahman Koya is at the end of his thirties, and considers himself to have all the qualities of an ordinary Malaysian, a practising Muslim, and an incorrigible cynic.

I had my usual tiff with my wife the other day and this time, it was not about who left the kid's nappy on the bathroom floor. The subject is philosophical yet it had to do with the tummy.

We were invited by a non-Muslim friend to a birthday party. I always look forward to parties, because we will have plenty of hands to look after the twins, so that we can finally eat in peace. We were probably the only Muslim family. Yet, it was kind of her to assure us that the food catered on that day was halal.

That verbal assurance is good enough for me, but not my wife and understandably so, since this friend of ours does not have many Muslim friends.

Having been told who the caterer was, she called them to get reassurance that the food was halal and queried whether wine was used for the steak.

I told her that what she had done violates a basic principle of halal and haram (the lawful and the prohibited) in Islamic jurisprudence, and that is not to investigate when something is already known and accepted as halal.

By doing so, we risk creating doubts about the food we eat. And doubts are one of the main enemies in Islamic jurisprudence, the source of many evils and anti-social behaviour among Muslims.

One of the principles of halal and haram is that one should not pry into the origins of something which has been commonly accepted as halal. The same principle applies to many other things. When a host shows us the qiblah (the direction Muslims turn to during prayer) in his house, we do not click the compass app on our smartphone just to make sure.

Similarly, it is taken for granted that everybody performing the pilgrimage in Mecca and Medina is Muslim, or that a woman praying in the mosque is not menstruating.

It is on this same principle that I am not that excited when the halalness of a certain food or product is disproved through DNA tests. It opens up a Pandora's box, in that doubts will emerge for all the food being mass produced and sold in the shops.

Although official halal watchdogs like Jakim have a duty to ensure a product is halal, since it is they who bear the responsibility as suggested by the phrase "ditanggung halal", using DNA technology makes a mockery of the principles of halal and haram, as well as Islam's claim as a religion choosing ease over hardship.

It is just a reflection of the quaint Islamicity practised in the country. The Muslim public in Malaysia are easily worked up over issues such as this, thanks again, as I have always stated in the past, to the way Islam is taught in this country.

If such an obsession with the halalness of the food was shown in political and economic principles, well-meaning Muslims in this country would not have to contend with so much ridicule because of the doings of the Muslim leaders and the salaried defenders of faith.

Already, since the discovery of pork DNA in two Cadbury chocolate products, we suddenly hear hitherto-muted Muslim voices coming to the fore. One wonders where these Muslim voices were when unIslamic racist DNA was bared for all to see through the loud mouths of Isma and Perkasa, parading loudly their ignorance in the name of Islam. 

One group wants to initiate a class-action suit against Cadbury, while another calls for a boycott of all Cadbury products. If only the same zeal was shown by Muslims against tobacco companies, billions of ringgit from Muslim households would be saved, not to mention the saving of billions of ringgit in public money to fight cancer and other diseases connected to smoking.

Similarly, toilets in mosques and other institutions operating under the Islamic banner would be a far cry from their present filthy non-halal state, if only these groups were able to see halalness beyond pork in food.

It is thus comical when not long ago, the restaurant at Ikea, the Swedish furniture warehouse in Bandar Utama, had to undertake a major public relation exercise by carrying out a "purification session" of their cutlery, after claims that the meatballs they served might not be halal.

The fact is that such an act is not something instructed by the Quran or the Hadith. A Muslim can eat from any plate, even it was used to serve pork. Imam Nawawi, the 12th-century Islamic scholar whose writings form a major part of the Shafii school of thought, which is followed by Muslims in this country, said a simple wash suffices, and there is no need to do the silly act of purifying the plate seven times, as many have been led to believe.

In Islam, being doubtful is considered a disease, which is why the Quran, in a short chapter frequently used in prayers, teaches a Muslim to pray that he or she is protected from being doubtful about things.

Doubtfulness leads one away from moderation. It has led many Muslims to overdo things, thinking that their Islamicity is at stake. It is why some Muslim women cover their faces and without remorse spend big amounts of money on thick garb, when the dressing requirement in Islam is supposed to be about modesty.

It is also why many Muslims in Malaysia spend so much time performing the ablution, that act of washing one's face, hands and feet before the prayer, forgetting that the act is not meant to physically cleanse one's body, but just a symbolic gesture to imitate the Prophet's practice, and which requires a little amount of water, or no water at all!

Mr Doubt is also behind the Malaysian-Muslim obsession with halal food, which for some reason has come to be all about shunning pork, and little else. It can even be used as a convenient weapon to play with the Muslim sentiments.

It has been done before, when a Muslim consumer group not long ago spread false messages about lard being used in High-5 breads, or when it endorsed an Arabic sounding toothpaste brand and tried to create doubts about other toothpaste brands through patronising holy verse-quoting radio advertisements.

With widespread ignorance, all it takes is to cry "pig" to create panic among the unquestioning Muslim consumers, who are not well educated about the philosophy of Islam's dietary laws.

The Quran more than once tells us that God has subjected to mankind "whatever is in the heavens and what is on earth". The prohibited in Islam is prohibitive in number and has been explicitly stated. The rest is lawful, because the general principle is that all things are permissible.

Yet, our Islamic authorities seem to be working based on the premise that all things are prohibited unless it is explicitly stated to be halal. And so we see products with halal logos on their labels, when the Quranic way would require that only non-halal products are identified.

There will be no end once we start classifying things as halal. What guarantee is there that the water we drink, from pipes which span hundreds of kilometres before they reach our homes, is halal? God forbid that a DNA test finds pork in our water!

Meanwhile, at the birthday party at the friend's house, I and my wife left all our doubts and acted like any good hungry Muslim should: filling up our stomachs to our heart's content and being thankful to God for His blessings! – May 28, 2014.

* This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insider.

Kredit: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com
 

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