Perak MB Sending Out Good Vibes: Perak State Is In Good Pair of Hands After All

From Malaysia-Today: Read Here full article or HERE in SinChew.com


Exclusive Interview with the Perak MB, Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin

MB's Mother Grows Up In Malay Family

Born in the year of Independence, Perak Menteri Besar Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin is a Malay of Chinese descent.

His late father is a Malay, while his 73-year-old mother is a Chinese.

"Don't I look like a Chinese?" he said while pointing to his own face.

He said his mother grew up in a Malay family, and therefore she doesn't know any Cantonese. Nevertheless, he explained that his father learned some Cantonese words as he mixed with Chinese when he was still alive.

He learned Cantonese while studying in Kampar because most of his classmates were Chinese. (Sin Chew Daily)

[Note: UMNO President and Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's maternal grandfather is Ha Su-chiang (also known as Hassan), a Chinese-Muslim who came from Sanya in Hainan (China) to Malaya in the mid 19th century and married a local woman of Malay descent. His paternal grandfather is Syeikh Abdullah Fahim. Sheikh Abdullah Fahim, also known as “Pak Him” was born in Mecca, Saudi Arabia in 1869. Sheikh Abdullah Fahim was a religious scholar and a nationalist. He was Penang's first mufti after Independence. ]

Ten Siblings Join Different Political Parties

Perak Menteri Besar Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin comes from a political family. Ten among thirteen of his siblings (two of which have passed away) involve themselves in politics. They join different political parties, such as PAS, PKR and UMNO. However, some of them are very active while some of them are only ordinary members.

Apart from Nizar who is the state secretary in Perak PAS, his late brother was also the first chairman for Perak PAS and had contested for the Ayer Kuning state seats in 1995 and 1999.

Nizar said two of his family members joined UMNO, and one of them is the senior assistant for a former UMNO exco member.

He also said that his mother used to support UMNO, but has voted for DAP in the past three elections.

Nizar Appreciates Sin Chew Forum

Perak Menteri Besar Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin appreciated the Sin Chew Daily held recently in Ipoh.

He said this gave him the opportunity to talk to the people during the forum on "What's Coming Next" held in Dewan Dou Mu 16 Mar.


Nizar turned up unexpectedly together with Taiping DAP MP Ngeh Koo Ming. Even though he spoke Mandarin, Cantonese, Hokkien, Bahasa Malaysia, English and Tamil only for about five minutes, but the public was pleasantly surprised .

No Hudud In Perak

Perak Menteri Besar Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin said he will not bring in issues like Islamic state and the implementation of hudud due to different racial and social structures in Perak.

He wishes to tell readers that Perak is different from other states of Malaysia in terms of racial and social structures, and culture. Perak must not be compared with Kedah, Penang, Selangor and Kelantan. Therefore, Perak people should not be worried about it.

He added that there are various religions and cultures in Perak.

" I always tell my friends that the Barisan Rakyat Government will be good to the people, religions, cultures, investors and business. This point must be made clear, " he said.

Regarding his attitude towards religions, he explained it with an Al-Quran's verse, which says: "There is no coercion in religion, you believe in your religion and live your own life. And I believe in my religion and live my own life."

Thus, he kept repeating the words: "Don't worry!"

He stressed that the new state government adopts collective decision making and leadership. It will handle issues involving Malays, Chinese, or Indians according to the collective decision of PKR, DAP and PAS.

"But we will still listen to others' advice such as independent politicians and scholars," he added.

No Change To Licences in Perak

Perak Menteri Besar Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin gave an assurance that as long as they don't violate any regulations and cause problems, the existing entertainment places, bars and lottery stations can be opened for business as usual, and would NOT be disturbed.

He pointed out that the licences and the permits issued by the local district governments will continue to be in effect. If the tranquility of a local community is disturbed, then the state government will review these licences when it expires.

However, he said he has found out that many cybercafes in Perak operate overtime, and many young people stay in the cybercafes for a long period. He said this phenomenon has created a bad atmosphere.

"These cybercafes have violated the law. If the law only allows them to open for business until 11pm, then they must close at 11pm. Young people under the age of 18 are not allowed to be in these cybercafes. All these regulations must be enforced strictly."

The Parties' Relationship Is Very Good

Perak Menteri Besar Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin said the relationship between PAS, DAP and PKR is as good as fraternal love.

He used a "family" as parable. "The brothers will fight for something occasionally. You punch me and I kick you. However, after all, they can still go home happily for dinner. We still love each other like what we did previously. We all have parents, and they are supporting us. When we have problems, we may leave them to the central leadership".

Assurance To Chinese Schools'

Perak Menteri Besar Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin said if the Chinese community applies for land allocations to build more Chinese schools, the state government will consider in accordance with the existing Education Act.

"If there is such a need in that place, the environment is suitable which is not risky, not within an industrial area and at the same time, the (federal) government has such a school building plan, then the state government will consider the application," he added.

Being asked whether the state government will allocate fixed subsidies for Chinese independent schools, Mohammad Nizar said he could not give a certain answer at the moment as (beside) Chinese independent schools, there are other private schools including Malay and Tamil schools in Perak.

He said even if the state government wishes to provide assistance, it must first understand its financial status and should not simply make any appropriation.

He appealed to philanthropists who are funding these private schools to keep providing help as this is a noble act.

"This does not mean that the state government will not help Chinese independent schools at all. The state government will study what kind of assistance can be provided to them, it is not necessarily in terms of money or materials, " said Mohammad Nizar.

He added that besides private schools, many public schools are not in good condition either. Thus, priority will be given to these public schools.

State Government Will Help Develop Chinese Temples

Old Chinese temples will not be destroyed and the state government will provide various assistance like building roads leading to the temples and improving drainage systems, said new Perak Menteri Besar Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin.

He said the Prophet teaches Muslims to help those who are in need. Thus, the state government is obligated to provide assistance.

"In Islam, we are definitely not allowed to discriminate against others on grounds of race, religion or status ," said the MB.

He told Sin Chew Daily during an exclusive interview that: "Take Chinese temples as an example, if the location of an old temple was approved by the government, then we are under obligation to see what kind of assistance we can provide, such as building road heading to the temples and improving the drainage systems. "

He confessed that the state government's ability is limited and therefore, the construction fees for some temples have to fall on the followers' contributions.

However, he said that if followers of these temples request for help in newer expansions or constructions, the state government will help as this is their right, the prerequisite is that the temple must comply with all relevant regulations.

On the destruction of Hindu temples, Mohammad Nizar said if the state government wish to destroy a 100-year-old Hindu temple, the state government must first obtain an unanimous consent including asking the views of local Indians.

He said similarly, if the Penang government destroy a 100-year-old mosque, it will surely arouse anger of the local Malay community.

Will Settle The Land Title Of New Villages

Perak Menteri Besar Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin the Perak Government will settle the land title problem of new villages and traditional Malay villages based on the existing land and housing policy. However, the state government will review the policy when necessary to ensure that the people will benefit from the policy.

He pointed out that they will not simply make any changes on the land title issue of the new villages and the traditional Malay villages under the existing land and housing policy. However, if the policy can't benefit the people in the future, then the state government will review and evaluate on the policy.

Under the existing system, the houses in new village can only extend their title from 30 years to 60 years. They can't get any land title of 99 years. Therefore, a lot of people hope that the new state government will extend the land title to 99 years.