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Makkal Osai under fire for insulting picture of Jesus and PM disappointed

August 24th, 2007
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I'm sure most would have known about this issue already, and the zealousness of MIC and MCCBCHST to condemn fiercely. MIC Youth even had time to prepare a four-page memorandum. Kudos to them 🙂
 
This is one of the few moments where MIC can get some coverage in the papers. The Star, NST and The Sun (all reproduced below) all carried news on comments by various parties. Two of them accepted the apology – Council of Churces and Archbishop of KL.
 
Our PM also mentioned his dissapointment today in Star :
 

Do not mock any religion or its teachings as these are sensitive issues, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi has reminded all Malaysians. "Do not do things which may offend the believers of other religions … this is not good,” he said. … “This can make the Christians unhappy. Muslims too cannot tolerate such things.” 

 
and he took task Makkal Osai in the NST :
 

Abdullah, who also heads the Internal Security Ministry, said publishers had a professional and moral duty to be more sensitive towards religious beliefs and issues. Abdullah was clearly upset over the matter, saying the blunder should not have occurred in a multi-religious society like Malaysia’s.

"I am sure the Christians, as we Muslims, cannot accept this," he said. "Do not do anything to upset religious followers," he said.

The prime minister did not say whether action would be taken against Makkal Osai. But he stressed that the government had always reminded publishers to treat religious matters with caution.

 
 
Worst may yet come, since drawing of prophet's images/caricatures are forbidden in Islam.  This applies to all their prophets, including Nabi Isa (Jesus) (from what I understand).. Hope there's no complaint from UMNO or some other muslim persons/organisations or Makkal Osai may find themselves in hot soup.

Anyway, I suppose the burning question among most Indians is where was MIC/MCCBCHST when all those conversion, illegal kidnapping and separation, and otehr religious issues were happening? Conveniently missing?

 

THE STAR: source

Tamil daily says sorry over Jesus pic

KUALA LUMPUR: A Tamil daily has apologised for using a picture of Jesus Christ, downloaded from the Internet, to highlight the sayings of great sages and leaders. Makkal Osai expressed regret for using the picture to depict the sayings under “Today’s Thoughts” on the top left hand corner of the front page on Tuesday. “We apologise for the grave mistake. We also want to apologise if we have hurt anyone’s feelings,” the paper said in page two. On the front page on Tuesday, the daily printed a picture of Jesus Christ holding a cigarette in one hand and a canned drink (which looked like beer) in the other with the quote: “If a person repents his mistakes, heaven awaits him.”  

Meanwhile, the Malaysian Consultative Council of Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism and Sikhism has urged the authorities to take action against the paper for hurting the feelings of the Christian community in the country. Its president Datuk A. Vaithilingam said the Home Affairs Ministry should investigate Makkal Osai and take necessary action against those responsible for publishing the “shameful” picture.  

In Putrajaya, the MIC Youth handed over a four-page memorandum on the matter to Ravin Ponniah, special officer (policy) to the Prime Minister, at the premier’s office. A police report has also been lodged.

NST: source

Uproar over picture of Jesus holding beer

KUALA LUMPUR: A police report was lodged yesterday against a Tamil newspaper for publishing a front-page picture of Jesus Christ holding a cigarette in one hand and a can of beer in the other. The report, lodged by a Puchong MIC member at the Tun H.S. Lee police station, alleged that the picture was a "threat to national harmony".

Makkal Osai, a Tamil daily, printed the picture in its Tuesday’s edition with a caption quoting Christ as saying: "If someone repents for his mistakes, then heaven awaits them." The daily apologised for the publication, but the MIC is not letting the matter rest. Deputy president Datuk G. Palanivel urged the Internal Security Ministry to act against the newspaper for hurting the feelings of Christians in the country.

The MIC Youth submitted a four-page memorandum to the prime minister’s office asking the government to revoke Makkal Osai’s publication permit.

The Malaysian Consultative Council of Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism and Sikhism (MCCBCHS) also called for action against the newspaper. MCCBCHS president Datuk A. Vaithilingam expressed surprise that the newspaper could commit such a grave mistake.

The Archbishop of Kuala Lumpur, Datuk Murphy Pakiam, said the picture of the sacred heart of Jesus depicts his burning love for all people. "It is very sacred to Catholics. As such, this caricature of Jesus is a desecration and therefore hurtful to the religious sentiments of Catholics," Pakiam said. Pakiam said he had received an explanation and apology from Makkal Osai and he was satisfied with it and considered the matter closed.

Meanwhile, Makkal Osai general manager S. M. Periasamy said the offending picture published on its front page was "a mistake". "We admit that we made a mistake by publishing the picture. This was not intentionally done. We would never want to hurt the feelings of Christians in this country. We really regret this," he said. He explained that the paper carried daily quotes from great world leaders on its front page. The quote for that day was from Jesus Christ, and the picture accompanying the words was sourced from the Internet.

The Sun: source

MCCBCHS wants action against Tamil daily for Jesus Christ pic
PUTRAJAYA (Aug 22, 2007): The Malaysian Consultative Council of Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism and Sikhism (MCCBCHS) wants the authorities to investigate a Tamil newspaper which published on its front page a picture of Jesus Christ holding a cigarette in one hand and what looks like a beer can in the other.

Its president Datuk A. Vaithilingam wants the Internal Ministry to act against those responsible for the publication of the picture. Makkal Osai, a Tamil daily, printed the picture on yesterday with a caption quoting Jesus Christ roughly as saying "if someone repents for his mistakes, then heaven awaits them". The daily apologised today for the publication. "Firstly, I'm surprised as to how they could make that mistake … it is a grave mistake. Newspapers should avoid publishing this kind of pictures as it causes hurt to people of that religion," Vaithilingam said.

The Evangelical Lutheran Church of Malaysia took a harder stance calling for a ban on Makkal Osai, saying that a precedent had been set. "When two newspapers published a caricature of Prophet Muhammad wearing a bomb-shaped turban early last year, the government took immediate action banning the two newspapers. Now we have this and they, too, should be served the same punishment as a lesson to others," Bishop Julious Paul said. He said the newspaper's apology was not enough as the publication of the picture "looked deliberate and unacceptable". Terming the publication of the picture as mischievous, he also wanted the newspaper to publish an apology in all the major newspapers, Malaysia's national news agency Bernama reported today.

MIC deputy president Datuk G. Palanivel wanted the ministry to act against the paper "to drive home a clear message as religion is something which cannot be made fun of".

MIC Youth submitted a four-page memorandum to the Prime Minister's office asking the government to revoke Makkal Osai's publication permit. Puchong MIC member Peter Sinnappan, 37, lodged a police report at the Tun H.S. Lee police station in Kuala Lumpur this afternoon.

Archbishop of Kuala Lumpur Datuk Murphy Pakiam said the picture of the sacred heart of Jesus was very sacred to Catholics as it depicts the heart of Jesus burning with love and tenderness for all people. He said the Makkal Osai picture is a desecration and, therefore, hurtful to the religious sentiments of Catholics. "It is certainly in bad taste for the editor of Makkal Osai to publish such a picture, although the message in the accompanying words is an attempt to call repentant sinners to hope and salvation," he said in a statement here.

Council of Churches Malaysia secretary-general Rev Herman Shastli said they accepted the Tamil daily's public apology and consider the case closed.

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biggest asset for Indians are temples says Datuk Subra

August 24th, 2007
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i think temple managements are also starting to realise this. those located in housing areas or near townships/schools tend to organise many events like yoga classes, religious classes/talks, cultural competitions, seminars etc. The involvement of local residents, PTAs etc can help improve the use of temples.
 
Use temples to bring change, Indians told

TEMPLES should not only be places of worship but also where the community gathers and effects changes. By organising various religious and cultural activities, temples can bring change to the community, reported Tamil Nesan . 

MIC secretary-general and Housing and Local Government Ministry parliamentary secretary Datuk Dr. S. Subramaniam said this when attending the Thirumurai recital contest organised by the Asahan Hindu Youth Organisation at the Asahan Tamil School hall on Wednesday. 

He said the biggest asset for Indians in the country were the temples.

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Samy says Indians are doing well

August 24th, 2007
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i'm not sure if "Malaysian Indians have shed their rubber tapper image for one of a community comprising the educated and urbanised" as claimed. Perhaps about 20 % fit the bill, while the rest may be either educated (another 20%) or urbanised (another 30%), or neither (the balance). Remember that 63% of malaysian are as said to be living in urban areas according to latest statistics. Anyway, being urbanised does not mean life is a bed of roses. Instead it will be a nightmare trying to live on a salary of RM800 in a town as compared in a kampung or estate surrounding.
 
Now, lets look a a bigger picture. nearly every country in the world reports healthy progress in terms of education, living standards etc, except for those ravaged by war or severe famine etc. The question is, are we on par with the rest? if not, why is it so? our fault – being lazy, complain but not intiative, begging for help; or the systems fault – discrimination, prohibitive policies, lack of opportunities etc. ?
 
And why keep harping on being rubber tappers? It is those jobs that helped the country and the descendents to prosper.
 
For MIC to gain back its name, it has to furnish statistics on all fields concerned to dispel or counter HINDRAF's claims. These statistics have to be back by its sources so that an independent body can choose to investigate if neccessary.
 
While I agree that not 3000 people attended the gathering as claim by HINDRAF, i am certain it is not 600 as claimed by Samy. I think it was more to about 1200 – 1600 people, as i counted the rows of people during the walk past the roundabout.
 
Also, even if the PM was there, would the people who gathered would have been entertained personally?
 
Its good that statistics on number of temples were furnished,(wonder what is the source of these figures). We have to assume that these are licensed temples. 24,000 temple for a population of 1.44 million (i assume 80% of indians are hindus) is about one temple for every 60 hindu. Quite a big number, but religion being a personal issue, a tree can also be a temple in hinduism.
 
I saw the speech  which he gave at the HYO's assembly which was attended by about 200 people (from i saw on TV3 news). He asked if Indians are backwards, would they be sitting there in the hall and listening to him. Those who attended are educated and doing well, which he imply represents indians in malaysia.
 
 
Indians today are ‘doing well’

By : June Ramli

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian Indians have shed their rubber tapper image for one of a community comprising the educated and urbanised.

MIC president Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu said this was the outcome of better educational facilities and jobs provided by the government over the past 50 years.

"Those who say the Indians are backwards are mad," he said during the Hindu Youth Organisation’s annual general assembly at the Shree Lakshmi Narayan Temple in Jalan Kasipillay yesterday.

The works minister said that if Indians were 50 years behind other communities, many would still be working as rubber tappers.

"But that is not the case. Today, all Indians are educ-ated with some doing very well."
Samy Vellu chided the opposition for sending a memorandum of protest to the Prime Minister’s office recently, alleging that the Indians had generally been ignored.

He lambasted them for claiming that 3,000 people had gathered at the Prime Minister’s office.

"First of all, there were only 600 people and not 3,000.

"And the best part is that they chose to protest on the day that the prime minister was away in Brunei on a working visit."

On the rationale behind the demolishing of several Hindu temples, Samy Vellu said this was done as they had not received approval from the authorities.

"As they have been built near drains and next to roads, these structures will definitely be brought down as they have not received approval from the authorities."

He said the number of temples had mushroomed from 17,600 in 1979 to 24,000 this year.

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Samy taking down notes at MCA assembly

August 20th, 2007
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MCA Annual General Assembly: Samy Vellu turns reporter

source

 
Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu waves his notepad to Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.
Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu waves his notepad to Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

KUALA LUMPUR: MIC president Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu turned reporter today when he was seen taking down notes as MCA president Datuk Seri Ong Kah Ting delivered his welcoming address at the 54th MCA annual general assembly.

As Ong raised several issues concerning the Malaysian Chinese community, including asking the government to open up more opportunities for the Chinese community, Samy Vellu jotted down notes.

Samy Vellu’s note-taking did not go unnoticed by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, who is also Barisan Nasional chairman.

Abdullah said: "I have never seen Samy Vellu taking down notes (on Ong’s speech) so furiously. How many pages have you written?" said Abdullah, drawing laughter from the audience.

Samy Vellu acknowledged Abdullah by waving his notepad from the floor.

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MCA outlines four principles for continuous cooperation in Barisan Nasional

August 19th, 2007
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BERNAMA
source
KUALA LUMPUR, Sun.:
 

MCA, the second-largest component party in Barisan Nasional (BN), today outlined four key principles for the party’s continuous cooperation in the BN and to retain the concept of power-sharing.

At the 54th MCA general assembly opened by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi at Wisma MCA here, MCA President Datuk Seri Ong Ka Ting said the four principles need to be practised if the present BN model is to remain for another 50 years.

He said the first principle is for all component parties to hold strongly to the virtues of sincerity, honesty, mutual respect and fairness in protecting the rights of all races at all times. This means that BN component parties need to reject racial and religious extremism.

Ong said that under the second principle, MCA wants all BN component parties to uphold the spirit of the social contract and the Federal Constitution to guarantee the rights of the various races in the country.

The third principle calls for the component parties to earnestly practise a healthy political philosophy and culture by promoting the culture of integrity so that the people will have more confidence in supporting the BN.
He said a healthy political culture with integrity has to be practised at all levels in the government and only then, the BN will remain strong for another 50 years.

And under the fourth principle, Ong said, the leadership of all component parties have to have the wisdom and vision, and be progressive, innovative and competitive, and able to work as a team to develop the country by overcoming the challenges of globalisation in the era of high technology.

He said that 50 years ago, the first prime minister Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Alhaj laid the foundation for cooperation among parties to gain independence and today, MCA reaffirmed its full support to stand on a similar platform for cooperation to lead the country face the challenges in the next 50 years.

Ong said Abdullah’s moderation, fairness and leadership qualities have given MCA the trust to work with him in the interest of future generations.

MCA will also continue to fully support efforts by the prime minister in fighting corruption and enhancing integrity of the public sector and general public, he said.

He said that MCA itself is striving to promote the culture of integrity within the party, so that its leaders carry out their tasks honestly and efficiently and are clean and trustworthy and directly prevent the practise of unhealthy political cultures.

Ong also said that MCA views seriously the rise in crime cases which has become a hot topic of conversation among the people.

The MCA president said criminal cases like murder, rape, robbery and snatch-theft have constantly made headlines in the local media and this has made the people to be concerned and affected the country’s image in the eyes of investors and foreign tourists.

“Most of the criminals are drug addicts, unemployed, illegal immigrants, secret society members, those who are desperate because of debts and so on,” he said.

Ong said the government should address the problem by taking firmer action including imposing heavier penalties on offenders and tightening the controls on illegal immigrants and drug addicts.

He also stressed the need for Government-Linked Companies (GLCs) to play a role of giving a portion of contracts to non-Bumiputera companies which can generate various economic activities to benefit the Bumiputeras.

“Any effort by the government to restructure the society should be based on a principle of not affecting the existing equity rights or forcing any quarters to give up part of the equity which they obtain over a long period of hard work,” he said.

He said the authorities, when imposing guidelines on investments and businesses, should be sensitive and careful so as not to adversely affect the confidence of investors, both foreign and domestic.

“Circulars which can restrict business opportunities of any quarters are not appropriate because they are against the concept of the Barisan Nasional government which always safeguards the interests of all races,” he said.

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