pywong
18th November 2008, 03:59 AM
http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2008/11/17/nation/20081117200311&sec=nation
Anwar: Pakatan deal to ensure no erosion of Malay rights
By DHARMENDER SINGH Monday November 17, 2008
SHAH ALAM: Malays in the five Pakatan Rakyat held states have been told not
to fear that their rights would be eroded as the three parties in the
coalition have signed an agreement to uphold the rights enshrined in the
Federal Constitution.
Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) adviser Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said he, DAP
adviser Lim Kit Siang and PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang had
signed the agreement on Sept 8 as proof that all three parties would uphold
Malay rights.
The agreement, he said, clearly stated that the coalition would uphold the
principles in the Constitution and protect the rights of bumiputras and
uphold the status of Islam as the official religion, Bahasa Malaysia as the
national language as well as uphold the status and rights of the Sultans.
"We signed an agreement that cannot be changed by any party so there is no
truth to claims that Pakatan Rakyat will take away the rights due to
pressure from members within the coalition," he said during a briefing for
religious school teachers in the state that was organised by the Selangor
Islamic Religious Department (Jais) here on Monday.
The four-paragraph letter agreed by the three parties also said that the
Opposition leaders rejected narrow-minded race-based politics as it would
disrupt the unity and harmony of the community.
Anwar said the people, especially teachers in religious schools, should not
fear that Pakatan Rakyat state governments would no longer look at
developing Islamic studies in the five states.
He said the people should not be taken in by false accusations hurled at the
Pakatan Rakyat states as the governments were working to improve religious
education and needed the cooperation of the teachers to implement new
programmes.
He also claimed that it was difficult for the state governments to explain
such issues to the people as the media would not report accurately the
explanations given by Pakatan Rakyat.
He said he had asked the Pakatan Rakyat state governments to be more careful
when issues arose and to take the necessary steps to solve the problems so
that the media did not have a chance to play up the issues.
Asked if his statement only applied to the mainstream media, Anwar said all
media practitioners, including those owned by the Opposition, needed to
follow proper journalistic ethics.
Anwar: Pakatan deal to ensure no erosion of Malay rights
By DHARMENDER SINGH Monday November 17, 2008
SHAH ALAM: Malays in the five Pakatan Rakyat held states have been told not
to fear that their rights would be eroded as the three parties in the
coalition have signed an agreement to uphold the rights enshrined in the
Federal Constitution.
Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) adviser Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said he, DAP
adviser Lim Kit Siang and PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang had
signed the agreement on Sept 8 as proof that all three parties would uphold
Malay rights.
The agreement, he said, clearly stated that the coalition would uphold the
principles in the Constitution and protect the rights of bumiputras and
uphold the status of Islam as the official religion, Bahasa Malaysia as the
national language as well as uphold the status and rights of the Sultans.
"We signed an agreement that cannot be changed by any party so there is no
truth to claims that Pakatan Rakyat will take away the rights due to
pressure from members within the coalition," he said during a briefing for
religious school teachers in the state that was organised by the Selangor
Islamic Religious Department (Jais) here on Monday.
The four-paragraph letter agreed by the three parties also said that the
Opposition leaders rejected narrow-minded race-based politics as it would
disrupt the unity and harmony of the community.
Anwar said the people, especially teachers in religious schools, should not
fear that Pakatan Rakyat state governments would no longer look at
developing Islamic studies in the five states.
He said the people should not be taken in by false accusations hurled at the
Pakatan Rakyat states as the governments were working to improve religious
education and needed the cooperation of the teachers to implement new
programmes.
He also claimed that it was difficult for the state governments to explain
such issues to the people as the media would not report accurately the
explanations given by Pakatan Rakyat.
He said he had asked the Pakatan Rakyat state governments to be more careful
when issues arose and to take the necessary steps to solve the problems so
that the media did not have a chance to play up the issues.
Asked if his statement only applied to the mainstream media, Anwar said all
media practitioners, including those owned by the Opposition, needed to
follow proper journalistic ethics.