Khir denies naming Teresa as being involved in Azan issue

Selangor opposition leader and former Menteri Besar and Datuk Seri Mohd Khir Toyo denied naming Kinrara assemblywoman Teresa Kok as the assemblywoman involved in the azan issue.

Mohd Khir claimed he had merely said that her office had acknowledged receiving a copy of the memorandum by the residents calling for the volume of the speakers at a mosque in Puchong to be reduced.

He claimed he never mentioned Kok’s name and that it was Utusan Malaysia which chose to report it the way it did.

The matter came up when Mohd Khir was debating on the state budget which was tabled by Menteri Besar Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim.

“She (Kok) knows that and that’s why she has sued Utusan and not me, because she knows I never mentioned her name,” he said.

The issue was brought up midway through Mohd Khir’s debate when Kampung Tunku assemblyman Lau Wen San accused the former of making wild and unfounded statements and allegations against the new state government just as he had against Kok.

Mohd Khir responded by saying that he had never named Kok. Kok then stood up to argue.

Kok: You twisted the facts that was then carried in Utusan Malaysia and this caused my arrest under the Internal Security Act. This action by YB Subgai Panjang (Mohd Khir) is not appropriate and very unbecoming and irresponsible of someone who had been a former Menteri Besar.Mohd Khir: I never mentioned your name but said that there were ‘parties’ involved in the matter. If Utusan wrote it that way- then that is Utusan. Let me explain that.
Kok: But you named me in your blog and another blog pembelamelayu.com picked up that piece. Following this, e-mails started circulating accusing me of being involved in the petition against the loud call to prayer by the mosques.

Mohd Khir then brought up the issue of Kok’s erection of signboards with road names written in Bahasa Malaysia, Chinese and Tamil in several areas in Kuala Lumpur to reflect the multiracial composition in the country and in protest against the Kuala Lumpur City Hall’s use of Jawi on the signboards.


Teresa Kok

Kok then stood up and said that she had already explained the issue and questioned why a matter that had happened in Kuala Lumpur was being brought up in Selangor.

“This I did after complaints from the residents in the area and this is a separate issue from the azan,” she said.

“Why are you mixing these issue up together and twisting the facts together with Utusan Malaysia?” she asked Mohd Khir.

Mohd Khir then said a journalist from Utusan Malaysia called him to ask about the memorandum asking the mosque in Puchong to reduce the volume of the loud speakers in their premises and that he had told him about the memorandum which carried a stamp of receipt by Kok’s office.

Kampung Tunku state assemblyman Lau Weng San then asked Mohd Khir if he was willing to retract the statement and apologise to Kok.

“What I said and meant in my response was that she had received the memorandum,” Mohd Khir replied.

Later when asked if he was misquoted by Utusan, Mohd Khir said: “I did not say the specific name (of the assemblywoman involved). What I said was that I received a copy of the memorandum that was also acknowledged (of receipt) by Teresa Kok’s office.”

It was stamp to acknowledge that Kok’s Kinrara office had received a copy of the memorandum, he said.

“That’s why I said Kinrara office that’s all,” Mohd Khir said.

“I don’t feel guilty, I’m speaking the fact,” he added.

In response, Kok said that she would be sending a letter of demand to Mohd Khir soon.

“It’s coming soon,” she said when asked if a lawsuit will be initiated against Mohd Khir.

Later during his debate, Ng Sue Lim (PR-Sekinchan) in wishing all Muslims Selamat Hari Raya Aidil Fitri also cited a printed copy of the allegations Mohd Khir had apparently made against Kok and pointed out the part where he accused Kok of supporting the petition.

"You accused her of supporting it here! Masyallah!" he exclaimed.

"I have been told that in Islam slander is is worse than murder, maybe the ustaz can clarify this," he added.(TheSun)

Click this link to read more!

Why attack Teresa Kok?

The attacks against Kok and the attempts to portray her as a Chinese chauvinist who is anti-Islam represent a crude attempt at undermining the credibility and viability of the opposition coalition, Pakatan Rakyat, as a viable multiracial alternative to BN.

TODAY

She has been vilified as a Chinese chauvinist and portrayed as anti-Muslim. She was detained one week under the Internal Security Act for allegedly stirring up religious sentiments. And last week, unknown assailants threw a Molotov cocktail into the compound of her family home in Kuala Lumpur.

But ask DAP Member of Parliament Teresa Kok why she has become the target of a smear campaign in recent months and she will probably be hard pressed for an answer.

And those who know her insist she is anything but a chauvinist or an enemy of Islam that her detractors claim she is.

When Kok was detained under the ISA, even Datuk Zaid Ibrahim, who quit the Cabinet as de facto Law Minister partly in protest against the use of the law, said of her: "I know Teresa personally and I cannot see her as anti-Islam."

While Zaid was the only Umno member who spoke out publicly, he was not the only one who viewed the recent ISA detentions of Kok and a female journalist, who was released after 18 hours, as unwarranted.

"Look, everyone who knows her (Kok) knows she is not a bigot or a chauvinist. This makes the government look bad," one MP from Umno said.

In fact, it was some of Kok's political opponents in Parliament — from the ruling Barisan Nasional — who met with government officials in private to plead for her release. Such is Kok's popularity that when she made her first public appearance at a press conference hours after her release on Sept 19, she received a standing ovation from reporters.

It is probable that Kok, who won her Seputeh parliamentary seat in Kuala Lumpur with a 36,492-vote majority — the biggest — in the March elections, could win with an even bigger margin if polls were held today.

To her supporters, she is a hero who has been wronged.

It was alleged that she had abused her position as an MP and a member of the Selangor state government to direct a mosque to reduce the volume of its public address system during prayer times because it was disturbing non-Muslims living nearby.

The allegation, made by former Selangor Menteri Besar Datuk Mohd Khir Toyo, and highlighted in the Umno-owned Utusan Malaysia newspaper, was found to be untrue. Even the mosque committee came out to publicly deny the allegation. Still, she was detained by the police.

The attacks have not stopped despite her release. Utusan Malaysia has made her, in her own words, a "cover girl" since her release. After she complained about the allegedly low quality of food served during her detention, comparing it to dog food, she has been chastised repeatedly in the newspaper.

Kok, known for her multiracial stand, has been determined more than ever to flaunt it since her arrest.

Following her release, she has been attending breaking-of-fast functions almost nightly during the just-ended fasting month of Ramadan.

But even that has become the subject of attacks by Utusan Malaysia.

Last week, Kok was criticised in the newspaper for "wearing a skirt to a mosque". The article appeared to suggest that she was wearing something outrageous and that her attire caused serious discomfort among Muslims present at the function.

However, facts suggested otherwise. Kok wore a long-sleeved dress which came down almost to her ankles. She also did not enter the mosque, remaining instead in its compound.

One of Kok's Malay-Muslim supporters said: "I don't understand why she is being targetted. She is usually so sensitive to the religious obligations of Muslims it is almost ridiculous. She usually takes great pains to tell me what I can or cannot eat when we are out that I find it hard to believe she would be anti-Islam."

Ultimately, the smear campaign could be attributed to the fact that Kok and a number of leaders from the Chinese-dominated DAP have taken pains to reach out to Malay-Muslim voters.

As a member of a party who is part of three state governments — along with its Malay partners in the Parti Keadilan Rakyat and Pas — DAP leaders like Kok have been reaching out more than ever, and successfully, to Malay voters.

This is undoubtedly a political threat to the ruling coalition led by Umno.

The attacks against Kok and the attempts to portray her as a Chinese chauvinist who is anti-Islam represent a crude attempt at undermining the credibility and viability of the opposition coalition, Pakatan Rakyat, as a viable multiracial alternative to BN.

But targetting Kok, known for her congeniality as much as anything else, may well backfire.

Excerpt from http://mt.m2day.org/2008/content/view/13398/84/

Click this link to read more!

Teresa challenges Utusan to sue her

"Bring it on!" was the response of Selangor executive councilor for investment, trade and industry Teresa Kok when asked about the call by certain non-governmental organisations (NGOs) for Malay daily Utusan Malaysia to sue her.

The NGOs said that Kok should be sued for making all kinds of allegations against the paper, thus putting its credibility on the line.

Questioned by reporters about this when met after the state executive council (exco) meeting, she said: "If they can find a case against me, then sue me!"

"But now they want to sue me based on what? Based on something I never did?" she asked.

Kok was arrested under the Internal Security Act (ISA) on Sept 12 because she was apparently considered as a potential threat to national security for inciting racial sentiments when she allegedly petitioned a mosque to reduce the volume for the azan (call to prayer). Kok who is also Seputeh parliamentarian and Kinrara assemblywoman had denied this happened and her non-involvement was later supported by the committee of the mosque involved. She was subsequently released on Sept 19.

Kok’s arrest and that relating to the use of the ISA was also discussed in the exco meeting where it was decided that the state will initiate legal action against Utusan Malaysia who published articles alleging Kok’s involvement in the petition by residents to reduce the volume of the azan, pending a response from the daily.

State excutive councilor (exco) for health, plantation workers, poverty and compassionate government Dr Xavier Jayakumar said the state will send a letter of demand to Utusan Malaysia via its lawyers Derek and Co asking them to retract the false allegations and apologise for the article published on Sept 10 in the column titled Cuit written by Zaini Hassan.

"If they fail to respond within seven days or give a satisfactory response then we will initiate a legal suit," he said. The letter will be sent to Utusan Malaysia within the week.

Kok said that she too will also be taking legal action against those responsible for her arrest including the daily.

Meanwhile, speaking on the state’s plans to amend laws and the Standing Orders to compel key witnesses to come forward when inquiries are held, Menteri Besar Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim said: "Checking on the use of public funds is not a waste of time and money."

Responding to criticisms against the plan which some quarters say is a toothless in dealing with the issue of mismanagement of funds, he said: "There are two principals we are running this state on that is - transparency and accountability."

These amendments will not only compel those in power to be more responsible, it will also be a step towards learning how we can fix our methods of making decisions, he added.

Abdul Khalid said by understanding the decisions made we can improve on the way we delegate our authority and subsequently monitor our performance and so forth.

Asked whether inquiries as held in the past will be a waste of time as although the persons involved are named, no action is taken, he said: "That’s what the Barisan Nasional government has said for 51 years."

"They have not seen us in action yet, so this is a start," Abdul Khalid said.

Kok who was also present at the press conference equated the inquiry to the Public Accounts Committee and Parliament Select Committee at the Dewan Rakyat level.

Abdul Khalid also announced that the state has allocated RM2 million to help people affected by storm which hit the Straits of Klang, Rantau Panjang, Tanjung Karang, Ampang, Sabak and Sungai Panjang.

State Exco for Welfare, Women Affairs, Science, Technology and Innovation Rodziah Ismail also said that the state is working together with the National disaster and relief management committee to face the onslaught of more bad weather expected until the end of this month as predicted by the Meteorological Department.

- TheSun

Click this link to read more!