Umno treats MIC like 'indentured labourers', MIPP quips
The Malaysian Indian People's Party (MIPP) came to PAS' defence today, after the Islamist party was blamed for non-Malays rejecting Perikatan Nasional during the Ayer Kuning polls in Perak.
This followed Umno supreme council member Puad Zarkashi's claim that PAS, with its purported Islamic state narrative, is hindering PN's efforts towards meaningful alliances with non-Malay parties.
In a statement, MIPP president SP Punithan slammed Puad for...
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New Straits Times
3 hours ago
- New Straits Times
I paid for haj trip using my own savings, says Nurul Izzah
KUALA LUMPUR: Nurul Izzah Anwar has clarified that her pilgrimage to Makkah was self-funded. In a Facebook post, the PKR deputy president and former Permatang Pauh member of parliament, who is currently performing the haj, said all travel arrangements, including accommodation and transportation, were organised by licensed travel agency Mimm Travel. She said that she and her husband, Yin Shao Loong, flew on a commercial flight and paid for the trip using their personal savings. "Praise be to Allah, my husband and I were granted the opportunity to perform the haj as guests of Allah SWT through a mujamalah (courtesy) visa. "There was no private jet, as falsely alleged. "Our journey was like that of millions of other pilgrims." Nurul Izzah also expressed concern over the slanderous content. She said if something untrue is spread, it must be corrected. "In our differing views and political struggles, let us not turn acts of worship into material for slander or accusation. "Let us all focus on goodwill and prayers for one another and hope that Muslims will be granted the opportunity to perform the haj with ease and sincerity." Nurul Izzah also shared that while in Madinah, she and her husband attended a religious session with prominent Islamic scholars including Sheikh Dr Omar Suleiman, Dr Tahir Wyatt, and Ustaz Dr Mohd Amirul Hassan Ahmaf Tajuddin – an experience she described as deeply moving.
Borneo Post
4 hours ago
- Borneo Post
Clarity sought on 'Sabah native' definition to protect indigenous rights
Henrynus Amin KOTA KINABALU (June 8): Parti Kerjasama Anak Negeri (Anak Negeri) has called for a clearer definition or a more precise list of 'Sabah native' races, similar to what exists for Sarawak, in order to bring clarity and remove any doubt and ambiguity. This call aims to remove existing ambiguities and protect the rights and heritage of genuine indigenous communities in Sabah. Anak Negeri President Datuk Henrynus @ Rinus Amin also wants to add a clause no native certificates are valid without an 'appropriate declaration made by Sabah Native Court.' Henrynus said he also wants a clause that specifically states if evidence emerges that a citizenship and/or a native certificate was obtained fraudulently, the issuing authority (such as the Native Court in Sabah) has the legal basis to revoke it, and those involved in the fraud may face further legal repercussions. Anak Negeri is championing the rights of genuine native communities to protect their ancestral land from encroachment by individuals it deems 'bogus natives.' There's an urgent need to resolve this issue because foreigners, who are reportedly posing as Malaysian citizens and natives with fraudulently obtained identity cards, are illegally occupying native or customary land across Sabah 'We're getting troubling reports about customary native land being occupied by newcomers with dubious identity in several districts of Sabah, including Ranau, Keningau, Sook, Nabawan, Tongod, Beluran, Pitas, Sipitang, Lahad Datu and Kalabakan. 'These reports indicate that newcomers with questionable citizenship are allegedly purchasing or occupying these lands and creating new settlements,' said Henrynus in a statement on Sunday. He also expressed concerns about shifting demographics resulting from the existence of new land owners in Sabah claiming to be natives. He said there are allegations that thousands of acres of land have been granted to 'dubious natives' (individuals of questionable native status) in several districts of Sabah. These individuals are reportedly establishing new settlements and villages, and then registering as voters, which critics argue is fundamentally altering the political demographics of these areas. Claims have been highlighted that as many as 500,000 individuals in Sabah may have obtained Malaysian identity cards (MyKad) through questionable means. This issue is particularly concerning given the reported shifts in ethnic demographics. Currently, the Kadazandusun population now stands at only 19% of the total, and the Bajau at 14%. In contrast, the Malay population, which was previously negligible, has reportedly surged to 9%. The question being raised is the origin of this new Malay population. If they are not from Peninsular Malaysia, the conclusion drawn is that they are individuals from neighboring Indonesia who are allegedly masquerading as Malays to obtain identity cards and subsequently claim rights to native land, said Henrynus. The party is also particularly concerned about coastal squatter settlements near major towns, which it alleges are populated by individuals of questionable citizenship claiming native status and seeking state recognition for their villages. Henrynus said in Sabah, the primary enactment that defines 'natives of Sabah' is the Interpretation (Definition of Native) Ordinance 1952 (Sabah Cap 64). Unlike Sarawak, which lists specific indigenous races, he said the Federal Constitution for Sabah refers to 'a person of a race indigenous to Sabah,' again deferring to the Interpretation (Definition of Native) Ordinance 1952. He said the status of Kadazandusun, Murut and Sungai or collectively Momogun is not clearly defined in Interpretation (Definition of Native) Ordinance 1952. 'This lack of a precise list casts doubt on the validity and relevance of the existing definition,' said Henrynus who launched Parti Anak Negeri Village Committee at Kampung Kinaundusan (N36 Kundasang) Ranau recently. But amendment to the definition of 'native' in Sabah has been a long-standing and complex issue which no state government was willing to take on. He said the issue was deemed not a priority and thus relegated to the political backyard by the current state administration. He said he is not sure what is being done by the GRS State Government, but questioned why Kadazandusun assemblymen from Star, PBS, and UPKO who were outspoken on the issue during election, are seen as largely oblivious to the facts, and remain muted after the election. 'Have they forgotten their roots?' he asked. The Interpretation (Definition of Native) Ordinance 1952 provides a legal framework for who is considered a native in Sabah. There are several criteria, including: 1. Persons both of whose parents are or were members of a people indigenous to Sabah. 2. Persons ordinarily resident in Sabah and live as a member of a native community, with at least one parent or ancestor being a native within the meaning of the first point. 3. Persons ordinarily resident in Sabah who are members of certain other indigenous peoples (e.g., from Sarawak, Brunei, Indonesia, or the Sulu group of islands in the Philippine Archipelago) and have lived as and been a member of a native community for a continuous period, among other requirements.
New Straits Times
4 hours ago
- New Straits Times
US travel ban deepens despair for Afghans awaiting visas
MEHRIA had been losing hope of getting a visa to emigrate to the United States but her spirits were crushed when President Donald Trump raised yet another hurdle by banning travel for Afghans. Trump had already disrupted refugee pathways after he returned to power in January but a sweeping new travel ban on 12 countries, including Afghanistan, will go into effect on Monday. The ban changes little for most Afghans who already faced steep barriers to travel abroad, but many who had hung their hopes on a new life in the United States felt it was yet another betrayal. "Trump's recent decisions have trapped not only me but thousands of families in uncertainty, hopelessness and thousands of other disasters," Mehria, a 23-year-old woman who gave only one name, said from Pakistan, where she has been waiting since applying for a US refugee visa in 2022. "We gave up thousands of hopes and our entire lives and came here on a promise from America, but today we are suffering one hell after another," she told AFP. The United States has not had a working embassy in Afghanistan since the Taliban ousted the foreign-backed government in 2021, forcing Afghans to apply for visas in third countries. The Taliban's return followed the drawdown of US and Nato troops who had ousted them two decades earlier in response to the September 11, 2001, attacks. The Taliban government has since imposed a strict view of Islamic law and severe restrictions on women, including bans on some education and work. Hundreds of thousands of Afghans have applied for visas to settle in the United States, either as refugees or under the Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) programme reserved for those who aided the US government during its war against the Taliban. Afghans with SIV visas and asylum cases will not be affected by Trump's new order but family reunification pathways are threatened, the Afghan-American Foundation said in a statement condemning the ban. Some 12,000 people are awaiting reunification with family members already living in the United States, according to Shawn VanDiver, the president of the AfghanEvac non-profit group. "These are not 'border issues'. These are legal, vetted, documented reunifications," he wrote on social media platform X. "Without exemptions, families are stranded." Refugee pathways and relocation processes for resettling Afghans had already been upset by previous Trump orders, suddenly leaving many Afghans primed to travel to the United States in limbo. The Trump administration revoked legal protections temporarily shielding Afghans from deportation in May, citing an improved security situation in Afghanistan. "We feel abandoned by the United States, with whom we once worked and cooperated," said Zainab Haidari, another Afghan woman who has been waiting in Pakistan for a refugee visa. "Despite promises of protection and refuge we are now caught in a hopeless situation, between the risk of death from the Taliban and the pressure and threat of deportation in Pakistan," said Haidari, 27, who worked with the United States in Kabul during the war but applied for a refugee visa. Afghans fled in droves during decades of conflict, but the chaotic withdrawal of US-led troops from Kabul saw a new wave clamouring to escape Taliban government curbs and fears of reprisal for working with Washington. Pakistan and Iran have meanwhile ramped up deportation campaigns to expel Afghans who have crossed their borders. The Taliban authorities have not responded to multiple requests for comment on the new travel ban but have said they are keen to have good relations with every country now that they are in power – including the United States. Visa options for Afghans are already severely limited by carrying the weakest passport globally, according to the Henley Passport Index. However, travel to the United States is far from the minds of many Afghans who struggle to make ends meet in one of the world's poorest countries, where food insecurity is rife. "We don't even have bread, why are you asking me about travelling to America?" said one Afghan man in Kabul. Sahar, a 29-year-old economics graduate who has struggled to find work amid sky-high unemployment, said the new rules will not have any impact on most Afghans. "When there are thousands of serious issues in Afghanistan, this won't change anything," she told AFP. "Those who could afford to travel and apply for the visa will find another way or to go somewhere else instead of the US."
