Café owner stabbed, handcuffed bundled into the car boot and kidnapped by five policemen

Date : 12^th October 2009 FIRST REMINDER

Y.B Dato Seri Hishamuddin Hussein

Home Minister,

Aras 12 Block D 1,

Complex Kerajaan Fasa D, By Fax No: 03-8889 1613

Pusat Pentadbiran Kerajaan Persekutuan, By E-Mail :hishamuddin@moha.gov.my

62546 Putrajaya. By Post

Dear Sirs,

RE: Café owner stabbed, handcuffed bundled into the car boot and kidnapped by five policemen before

the very eyes of wife and four children. Inaction by Kajang police.

We act fo Madam Sheila Kaur A/P Banoor Singh and her family of No.50, Jalan Pahlawan, Bandar Mahkota Cheras, 56000 Selangor.

We refer to the above matter and to our earlier letter dated 02/09/09.

Our clilent instructs us that on 29/8/09 her husband Mr.Ravi Shanker A/L Ramasamy (40) was kidnapped, handcuffed, bundled into the car boot of a Proton Waja kidnapped and driven away by five Malay men who said they were policemen. When our client’s husband struggled to free himself, he was stabbed trice on the back and also his chest. To silence our client and her children who were screaming for help a parang was held on her neck. All this was were done before our clients and her four children’s very eyes in broad daylight in an open public place and in peaceful Malaysia which only a few years ago had prided period itself as about the safest countries in the world

Within about fifteen minutes our client had lodged a police report at the Kajang police station vide police report No 025410/09 dated 29/9/09. An All Points Bulletin was never immediately ordered to save our client’s husband. Our client had on their own accord traced the rented car company and provided the details of the drivers cum hirers and their particulars to the detectives for the Investigating Officer one Inspector Rina (019-611 3724)

In May 2009, our client was arrested and detained by the police for three days for unknown reasons and then released.

The police had early this year also inquired from Prabakaran (police poured hot water and badly scalded the victim case) about the whereabouts of our client.

Another police officer who identified himself as one Inspector Nalla (016-930 9455) had been to our client’s café and had also telephoned our client and informed our client that our client’s husband’s body is at one place and then says that it is at another place.

When our client telephoned the Investigating Officer Inspector Rina (019-6113 724), she merely said that she was still waiting for the feedback on the rented car details (which had already been given by our client to her detectives) and other lame excuses.

The assailants in their haste had knocked into a red proton car when reversing and their car bumper had fallen off. It was only three days later ie on 31/8/09 that the police had come and taken away the said bumper and the broken number plate chips of the red Proton. Our client believes that this red proton car was never investigated. Our client believes that even the nursey owners police statement has yet to be taken. Despite the telephone numbers of three of the suspects having been given to the police our client’s husband has yet to be released from captivity nor any arrest made thus far. Not satisfied, our client had asked to see the Officer in charge of the Police District (OCPD) of Kajang but was told that he was not available.

Our client is also dissatisfied with the excuses given by the said OCPD to our client’s upon his inquiries on 1/9/09 afternoon who had denied that the police had arrested our client and / or the police involvement in this kidnapping despite being highlighted to him of the facts that:-

1) Our clients police report implicates the police involvement

2) Handcuffs was used to arrest our client

3) A Proton Waja (usually used by the police) was used in this “operation”

4) A fifth suspected policeman was wearing a black jacket normally worn by policeman and was on a motorcycle (which is a known police modus operandi)

5) Inspector Nalla’s aforesaid involvement

6) Slow and / or no investigation and / or the obvious police inaction

7) No All Points Bulletin ordered at all

8) All other factors which are within the polilce knowledge known to the police

Article 5 of the Federal Constitution provides for the Right to life and Article 8 of the same provides for the equal protection under the law.

Our client now fears for the life and safety of her husband and wishes to register her disappointment at the lackadiastical attitude of the Kajang police despite it being five days today that our client had been arrested by the police but gone missing.

Our client suspects police involvement in this matter and demands the immediate release of her husband and also that the Home Ministry appoints a Special Committee to investigate this our client’s claim

Finally our client would hold the Inspector General of police responsible should anything happen to our client. This is just the tip of the iceberg of the state of alaming rise in especially violent crimes in the country. More alarming of is the direct and indirect suspected involvement many members of the police force in crime itself. In the interim, may we propose that the tenure of the present Inspector General of police is not extended when is term comes up for review this month. This would provide the impetus for fresh blood and a new beginning under the stewardship of your goodself as the new and legally trained current generation Home Minister.

Kindly revert to us accordingly

Thank you.

Your Faithfully,

__________________

Samy: We won't take victory for granted

MIC will not be over confident of the Indian community's support to Barisan Nasional in the Bagan Pinang by-election, said party president S Samy Vellu today.

According to the veteran politician, there is still much room for improvement.

"We should not take for granted that this winning streak would continue. We must really look after the needs of the Indians.

"Only then can we be assured of continued support for BN from the Indians," he said in a statement.

In view of this, Samy Vellu said after helping BN to secure 70 percent of the Indian votes in Sunday's by-election, MIC will now concentrate on fulfilling its pledges to the voters.

"It is time to carry out the work so that we (BN) will continue to have the trust of the Indian community," he added.

He convened a meeting of party leaders at the MIC headquarters here yesterday and gave them individual tasks to complete.

"We have identified several problems affecting the Indian community in Bagan Pinang and we must be able to resolve them with government intervention.

"Otherwise, we will be blamed for only seeking their votes and not doing anything for them," he said.

Different strategy deployed

Samy Vellu said MIC deployed a different strategy in wooing the Indian voters in Bagan Pinang and it proved to be successful.

"We had dealt with the Indian voters directly, communicating with them in their language and understanding their problems as they see it," he said.

The MIC supremo said the same strategy would be adopted in the next general election, "and hopefully, we can see a repeat of Bagan Pinang".

Meanwhile, MIC vice-president and Human Resources Minister Dr S Subramaniam said the party would re-mobilise its 3,600 branch chairpersons to ensure the needs of the Indians are taken care.

"We will do more and win back the Indian voters just like what we did in Bagan Pinang," he said.

Subramaniam said apart from the hard work of MIC leaders and members in Bagan Pinang, Indian voters were captivated by Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak's 1Malaysia concept.

2010 Budget Proposals By Human Rights Party Malaysia (13/10/2009)

Date : October 13^th 2009

Yang Amat Berhormat Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak,

Prime Minister of Malaysia,

Block Utama Bangunan Perdana Putra,

Pusat Pentadbiran Kerajaan Persekutuan, 62502 Putrajaya.

E-Mail : najib@pmo.gov.my

Fax : 03-8888 3444

Dated: October 13^th 2009

Re: 2010 Budget Proposals By Human Rights Party Malaysia (13/10/2009)

Dear Datuk Seri Najib,

We are a recently formed political party, the Human Rights Party Malaysia (HRP), which is pending registration.

We refer to your recent request to the Rakyat for proposals to be incorporated in the upcoming Budget for 2010 (The Sun 2/10/09 at page 12). Our humble proposals, not quantified monetarily due to lack of data and time constraints, are as follows:

1. Minimum Wage [1]

1. We propose that a minimum wage be set at RM 1,200 per month, and, RM 50 a day (RM 6.25 per hour) for piece rate or daily paid wage earners, for all Malaysian citizens, so as to uplift them from low wages and concomitant poverty. This will, in one sweep move the lowest paid workers’ family above the poverty line of RM 691 under the 9MP. The average minimum wage of RM 325 agreed for oil palm plantation workers from Jan 1 2001[2] gives those workers a real wage (in constant 2001 RM) of RM 258.55 in Jan 1 2010[3].

2. Repatriation of Illegal Foreign Workers & Cessation of Intake of Foreign Labour

2.1 Simultaneous to the above minimum wage for Malaysians, we propose that it be accompanied with the repatriation of 500,000 foreign workers[4], so as to create and augment employment opportunities for Malaysians.

2.2 The repatriation of foreign workers would largely be confined to the illegal workers who are estimated by sociologists to number 1.5 million[5] in the peninsula alone.

2.3 To ensure that the effect of the minimum wage increase is not diluted but enhanced, the repatriation of foreign workers must be simultaneous to setting of minimum wages for Malaysians.

2.4 To bring about a restructuring of Malaysian economy and society there should be a capping[6] of the intake of unskilled foreign labour so as to force automation and mechanisation of work to take place.

2.5 Once again this policy would be widespread and could only be a gain to all Malaysians, particularly the marginalised and impoverished bottom strata of Malaysian society.

3 Alienation of one million acres of land for the technologically advanced farming of high yielding grains,vegetables, fruits, livestock and aquaculture

3.1 As in previous schemes like Felda, Felcra, Fama, Risda, KEJORA, KEDA, KESEDAR, KETENGAH, Agropolitan etc., we propose that 1,000,000 acres of land be alienated to Malaysians of all races equitably, for the technologically advanced farming of high yielding grains,vegetables, fruits, livestock and aquaculture.

3.2 We rank 8^th, 11^th and 12^th respectively in terms of per capita import of corn, rice and wheat worldwide[7]; this is critical considering that global grain reserves are estimated at 40 days as of 2008.[8] This will also increase the existing agricultural land from 78,700 sq km to 82,746 sq km.

3.3 The purpose of this scheme is to be increasingly self sufficient in food supply,and if possible for export, as well as to restructure the economy so that no ethnicity is identified with any sector of the economy.

3.4 As previous schemes mostly benefited the Malay community, further entrenching them in agriculture, we propose this scheme be opened to larger and more equitable participation by all Malaysians, particularly the working class Indians, without prejudice.

4. Franchise Schemes

4.1 We propose that PNS should now extend its mission to provide total franchise solutions to all Malaysians. The time has come for Malaysians, especially working class Indians to be allowed in all the mainstream development programmes that are available.

4.2 We also propose that the licensing requirements under the Franchise Act 1998 be relaxed, together with the removal of race based requirements in submissions of Annual Reports for the Franchisors or the Master Franchise.

5. Establishment of an Anti Race Discrimination Commission and an Equal Opportunities Commission

5.1 We note that in the past many proposals and schemes did not filter down to the masses as intended, or were not implemented, or were not equitably distributed, or were hijacked by corrupt parties, and this was the bane of the NEP. As such we propose that an Anti Race Discrimination Commission and an Equal Opportunities Commission be established for the specific purpose of acting as a watchdog and ensuring government policy be implemented as intended, and be distributed equitably, specifically not excluding the working class Indians. This Commission should be similar to the Commission for Racial Equality and the Equality and Human Rights Commission[9] of the United Kingdom.

5.2 This Commissions would be set-up with powers to enforce what is already budgetary and government policy, including the following:

5.2.1 Enforcement of Minimum Wage in the private sector

5.2.2 Monitoring of Repatriation of Illegal Foreign Workers

5.2.3 Equitable distribution of land alienated for the purpose of agriculture, livestock and aquaculture (as in Para 3 above).

5.3 To show transparency and sincerity an official Prime Minister’s Circular should not only be issued but made public and specifically also forwarded to us for our follow up in the implementation thereto. This would prove the governments commitment and sincerity. After all Article 8 of the Federal Constitution provides for Equality before the law and equal protection before the law and Article 12 provides for no discrimination on the grounds of race and religion.

5.4 In addition, the Implementation and Coordination Unit (ICU JPM) must be made responsible for the implementation of the Prime Minister’s Circulars and the Budget as a whole, as well as provide monthly updates on their website (when it is up and running again) on the latest status of what has been achieved vis a vis the budget. An example of long overdue implementation will be, the yet to be seen allocation of RM 100 million[10] for the re-development of Tamil Schools announced in the last budget, of which not a single cent has filtered down, when the moneys could have been put to use immediately on a lesser number of schools if the initial allocation had been too small, as it has proven to be.

6. All Tamil Schools to be made fully aided

6.1 On this Budget Speech, an announcement should be made by the Prime Minister, reiterating an earlier government announcement, that with effect from Budget Oct 23 2009 all 523 Tamil Schools are to be fully aided government schools with equal budget, facilities, resources and teaching staff. Simultaneously, a policy should be introduced that Tamil and Chinese be taught in all National schools during regular school hours with effect from 1^st January 2010 onwards.

7. Micro-credit schemes and small business loans extended to non-bumiputras

7.1 We propose that micro-credit schemes such as the Tabung Ekonomi Kumpulan Usaha Niaga (TEKUN) be extended to all Malaysians regardless of race. Right now there is only token assistance to non Bumi small businessmen. A meaningful extension of the policy to favour all Malaysians would ensure the wide spreading and flourishing of small businesses and reduction of loan sharks (Ah Longs) and the attendant crimes.

7.2 Licenses must be issued to entrepreneurs in the scrap yard and recycling industries. It is inconceivable that businesses that play such an invaluable role in managing dwindling resources are persecuted because they are unable to obtain the necessary licenses.

8. Amanah Saham Scheme for Working Class Indians

8.1 The Indian Equity Stake in Malaysia has fallen to 1.1%. We propose that the Government take concrete steps to rectify this dismal state of affairs by launching a brand new Amanah Saham Scheme in Budget 2010 specifically for the Indian Working Class. This scheme is targeted for Indian Malaysians earning less than RM 1200 per month, but will be open to all Indian Malaysians earning less than RM 3000 per month.

8.2 The proposed Amanah Saham Scheme must be launched with an initial annual fund size of RM 2 Billion, and be structured with the availability of a Government backed loan scheme at a preferential interest rate of not more than 2.50% per annum (similar to yield of 3 year Malaysian Government Security). Current outstanding MGS issues stands at RM 229 Billion[11].

8.3 All other terms must be kept similar to that of Amanah Saham Wawasan 2020.

9. Reclassify the Plantation Sector from the Ministry of Plantation Industries and Commodities to the Rural and Regional Development Ministry

9.1 We propose this transference of the Plantation Sector from one ministry to another as the plantation population, are better served under the Rural Development Ministry, which are better able to care for the social needs of the rural population. Agencies like Felda, Felcra, Risda, etc., come under this Ministry, and are better able to meet the needs of the rural population, particularly as they get displaced when plantations are phased out. This is nothing more than a reclassification of departments from one Ministry to another.

10. Resettlement of Urban Poor into government Housing Schemes

10.1 Resettlement of all urban poor communities should be carried out on a programmed basis into well planned government housing schemes , rather than in an ad hoc manner, on the occasion of their eviction when private development occurs. This will avoid all the incumbent conflicts and abuses that are currently associated with private development on land occupied by these urban poor communities.

11. Legal aid for Criminal Cases

11.1 In order to serve justice to the poor, we propose a fully funded government legal aid fund for all criminal cases, as a fundamental right for all Malaysians earning RM5,000.00 and below per month. This proposal would be seen, as Malaysia taking the steps to ensure justice is served fairly and equitably. This should be modelled along the United Kingdom Legal Services Commission[12].

12. Conclusion

12.1 We request that working class Indians be brought into the National Mainstream Development of Malaysia, rather than on ad hoc race-based specific allocations that do not filter down. Kindly therefore provide and announce the necessary allocations for all our aforesaid proposals that benefit all Malaysians and cannot be faulted on any grounds.

12.2 We hope these proposals merit you kind consideration. We shall be pleased to provide further clarifications if necessary.

Yours sincerely,

_____________

Jeevindra Kumar Krishnan Sukumaran Apparu

(012- 3151178)

Protem Central Committee Members

Human Rights Party Malaysia

---

[1] http://www.epi.org/publications/entry/bp178/ Minimum Wage Trends : Understanding past and contemporary research

[2] http://www.treasury.gov.my/pdf/economy/er/0102/chapter7.pdf

[3] http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/weo/2009/01/……Adjusted for ~ Inflation, Average Consumer Prices Malaysia

[4] http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/world-news/malaysia-to-cut-foreign-labour-by-500000-lead_10051611.html

[5] http://migration.ucdavis.edu/mn/more.php?id=351_0_3_0

[6] http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1A1-D902OGQ80.html AP Worldstream | April 16, 2008

[7] http://www.nationmaster.com/red/country/my-malaysia/agr-agriculture&all=1

[8] www.energybulletin.net/node/24336 World grain reserves are at their lowest in 50 years and in the last 18 months…

[9] http://www.equalityhumanrights.com/

[10] http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2009/9/30/nation/4806410&sec=nation

[11] http://bondinfo.bnm.gov.my/portal/server.pt……..

[12] http://www.legalservices.gov.uk/

PR nothing for Indians

what Salahuddin said is exactly correct. Pr have done nothing for Indians. when Hindraf tells PR to do something PR didn’t do anything but went to find substitute of Hindraf. PR found VasanthaKumar and Ganapathy Rao as New Hindraf. What happen Now? Malaysian Indians only accept Waythamoorthy and Uthaya Kumar as their Leader for Hindraf. that’s why Thanenthiran go all over to claim that he have support of Waythamoorthy. It’s not yet late, consult hindraf on how to bring back Indian voters back to PR. Don’t behave arrogantly like that Kapitan Lim Guan Eng. We cannot afford to lose in next GE. Think about it, don’t just simply deny everything and sit idle. do something. it’s do or die.

One room home for Indian mother and her 10 kids

UMNO Prime Minister Najib Razak on 10/10/09 announces over 144,000 DBKL flats to be sold to Malay-sians as a gift. UMNO earlier announced a special loan scheme for the poor to be administered by Bank Simpanan Nasional and Bank Islam for those who do not have pay slips, proof of Income Tax payments etc. All these are political gimmicks and a mere show play and wayang kulit. But this poor Indian mother with ten children stays in one bedroom, and was never given the opportunity to buy one of these 144,000 over DBKL flats or any Welfare Department help. As usual it is not the UMNO led government, BSN or the Welfare Department who should be attending to this problem but are not doing so. UMNO assigns an lady Indian Mandore to show that Indian problems are being addressed by Indian “Entrepreneurs”. (Star Metro 9/10/09 at page M13). But this poor family is given peanuts ie the flat deposit of RM1,200.00, monthly rental of RM350.00 for the time being plus RM2,000.00 of sundry goods, furniture, kitchen utensils etc. What happens when this “mandore” stops her monthly RM350.00 rentals per month after her initial media publicity glitz ends?. This family will be back on the streets. This is the tip of the iceberg of the poor and the homeless Indians UMNO must give a permanent and meaningful solution to these critical Indian problem. UMNO must give this family the Felda like land schemes, the latest being the Agropolitan land scheme. This Indian mother with the help of her ten children (and the hundreds of thousands of other poor and deserving Indian families) can do farming, rear high yielding chicken, Jamnapri and Kalahari goats, Dober cows, aquaculture and at the same time take care of the 10 acre palm oil or rubber plantation agricultural land given to them and which she eventually will become the owner of this land in 20 years. This is the help UMNO would give almost all poor Malays but would deny almost all poor Indians these land ownership opportunities. But Prime Minister Najib would insists that he is the “father” of One Malaysia.

17 year old Indian Juvenile bashed up in police lock up for 51 days

17 year old Indian Juvenile bashed up in police lock up for 51 days. Yet again an Indian youth (17) was bashed up in UMNO’s police lock up at Seri Kembangan police station (refer Mingguan Malaysia 11/10/09). His mother Suga Devi had lodged a police report that her son was bashed up in the police station and had suffered a swallen face, bruised and bleeding nose and he had difficulty easing himself. As usual UMNO’s Selangor Chief Police Officer tries to do the usual police cover up by threatening that the police may take action against this mother who had lodged a police report against the police and when Malaysia Nanban daily had embarrassed the police when they had highlighted her story in their front page. Also for making the allegation of police crime in the police lock up against the police when the police station is supposed to be about the safest place in Malaysia. Luckily also for this youth, that the said Tamil daily (Malaysia Nanban 11/10/09 front page and 7/10/09 front page) had highlighted this youth’s plight. Of course no other media, PKR. DAP, PAS, NGO’s or the Malaysian civil society would bother as this youth is “merely” an Indian. No one questioned why this 17 year old Juvenile was detained for 51 days in a row when Section 117 of the Criminal Procedure Code allows only a maximum of 14 days. A jovinile should not be in the police lock up in the first place but in a home. Thank god this youth did not die in police custody like A. Kugan.

Over to you Zaid

PKR, DAP and PAS must be buried, and buried deep. But from the ashes of PKR, DAP and PAS must arise Pakatan Rakyat, the legendary phoenix rising from the ashes. The next election, whether it be another by-election or the next general election, must no longer be about PKR, DAP or PAS. It has to be about Pakatan Rakyat.

NO HOLDS BARRED

Raja Petra Kamarudin

Four days before Nomination Day, Datuk Zaid Ibrahim ‘disappeared’. And he was not due to ‘resurface’ until 11 October 2009, Polling Day in Bagan Pinang. I am not, however, at liberty to reveal what his mission was. This would of course be revealed in due time.

“Should you not be in Bagan Pinang?” asked my wife, Marina. “You should be giving ceramahs and campaigning in the by-election.”

“Ceramahs are not going to help us win this by-election,” replied Zaid. “It will take more than that.”

“The Chinese betting syndicate has predicted a 1,500 majority for Umno,” I told Zaid. “But the Indians tell me it is going to be the other way around.”

“Both are wrong,” he replied.

“You mean the majority is going to be narrower?”

“No, higher.”

“Oh. And who will win?”

“Umno, of course.”

“Can’t Pakatan Rakyat reduce the majority from the last election?”

“The majority is going to be double the last election. Expect a surprise. Pakatan Rakyat is going to get massacred in Bagan Pinang.”

My wife and I remained silent. It was certainly something that needs time to absorb.

“Double? You mean more than 4,000 votes?”

“Maybe even worse than that. Umno will field Isa. They have no choice. And Isa can win even if he stands as an independent candidate. So it will be more an Isa win rather than an Umno win. But Umno can still win even without Isa, unless there is an internal sabotage by Umno people. So with Isa the win is going to be even greater.”

“Why?”

That was all I could ask at that point.

“Why do you think Umno is going to win big?”

And Zaid went through the reasons as to why he feels Pakatan Rakyat is going to be taught a lesson this time around. What he had to say was actually not a far departure from what I too have been saying in the many articles I have written since the March 2008 general election. So I would merely be repeating what has already been said and we would be covering the same old ground. Suffice to say the problem with Pakatan Rakyat is a leadership problem, plus much more.

Pakatan Rakyat has a serious structural flaw. It still thinks and acts as if it is the opposition. No doubt it is the opposition in parliament and some of the states. But even in the states that it is already the government it still thinks and acts like the opposition.

Pakatan Rakyat has not yet come to grips with the fact that it is the government in some states, and key states at that. It can no longer speak as if it is still the opposition. It has to demonstrate that it is a government, and a better government to boot.

Pakatan Rakyat has not come to realisation that it is a government-in-waiting. And as a government-in-waiting it has to convince the people what it can do if and when it forms the federal government. When it was campaigning as the opposition it is well and fine to harp on the failings and shortcomings of the government. But now that it is already the government it is no longer enough to continue harping about all the mistakes and errors of the previous Barisan Nasional government.

Barisan Nasional is no longer the government. You are. People do not want to hear about what the previous government did. After all, the people have already kicked out the previous government because of what it did. People do not even want to hear about what you can do. Talk is cheap. People want to see what you are doing. And they have not seen it yet.

The proof of the pudding is in the eating, they would say in the US. What you say in ceramahs during by-elections is not what gives the voters confidence. The fact that the majority of the people who attend ceramahs are outsiders who are not even registered to vote in that constituency makes it worse. I said this way back in 1999 in my article in Harakah. Crowds do not translate to votes, in particular if the crowd that you attract at your ceramahs will not be voting there come Polling Day.

Unfortunately, it was not Pakatan Rakyat but PAS that contested yesterday’s by-election in Bagan Pinang. The voters are not prepared to accept PAS. Even if the candidate had been from PKR the voters would have rejected him or her, contrary to what many are saying that PKR would have stood a better chance than PAS.

Yes, the people are not interested in voting for PAS, PKR or DAP. They want to vote for Pakatan Rakyat. But Pakatan Rakyat was 'absent' in Bagan Pinang. So the people decided to vote for Barisan Nasional instead.

It is not about Barisan Nasional manipulating the postal votes. After all, how many postal votes were there? Even if 30% of the postal votes had gone to PAS like in the previous elections Barisan Nasional would still have won with a handsome majority.

It is also not about race. We can’t lament that the Malays are stupid for voting for a corrupted candidate. We also can’t blame the Indians and Chinese for swinging back to Barisan Nasional. It was across the board. PAS lost everywhere. It did not win a single UPU (unit peti undi or polling station). It lost all 18 UPUs. And its share of postal votes, which had traditionally been at least 30%, dropped drastically, which compounded the problem.

The opposition says that the young people did not come out to vote. Umno says it managed to win the votes of the young people. But there was a more than 80% voter turnout, a very high turnout indeed. So certainly many did come out to vote.

But never mind. The by-election is over and the people have spoken. It may actually be good that Pakatan Rakyat lost this by-election, and quite badly too. If they had won then they would remain complacent. They would never listen to reason. Better they lose now, in a by-election, when there is still time to do something about it, rather than they lose later, in the next general election, when it will be too late to do anything.

PKR, DAP and PAS must be buried, and buried deep. But from the ashes of PKR, DAP and PAS must arise Pakatan Rakyat, the legendary phoenix rising from the ashes. The next election, whether it be another by-election or the next general election, must no longer be about PKR, DAP or PAS. It has to be about Pakatan Rakyat.

And stop talking. As Zaid said, ceramahs will get us nowhere. It is not going to help us win elections. What will would be the confidence that the voters place in Pakatan Rakyat as a credible alternative to Barisan Nasional.

This, Pakatan Rakyat is unable to do. Hell, there is not even a Pakatan Rakyat to speak about in the true sense of the word.

Sad as it may be, Zaid was right. And he said all this even before Nomination Day on 3 October 2009 -- days before we even knew whom the candidates were going to be. The fact that what Zaid said was no different from what I myself had been saying for some time now appears to have escaped me. Maybe it was wishful thinking on my part. Maybe I was hoping that Zaid would be wrong and that the opposition would continue with its winning streak. Reality certainly eluded me over those ten days. Today, I have to grudgingly admit that Zaid was right and that I was delusional about the opposition being able to win the Bagan Pinang by-election.

Zaid, I concede defeat. It is over to you now. May you succeed in convincing the Pakatan Rakyat leaders that this is the beginning of the end unless they agree to address the core issues about what is fundamentally wrong with the so-called opposition coalition.

Most importantly, can you please convince PKR, DAP and PAS that the opposition coalition does not really exist other than in name only. And it will never exist until PKR, DAP and PAS are prepared to set aside their party interests in the interest of the coalition. Thus far, Pakatan Rakyat has failed to convince the voters that it is able to work as a coalition.

Remember, the voters did not vote FOR Pakatan Rakyat in the last general election. It voted AGAINST Barisan Nasional. And there is a big difference here. The voters have no love for Pakatan Rakyat. They just harbour hate for Barisan Nasional. Building your foundation on common hate rather than love is very dicey. It is not that the people want you. It is just that they do not want the other.

How, then, do your explain the opposition wins in the many by-elections since March last year? Well, most of those seats were already opposition seats. Pakatan Rakyat was merely defending its own seat. Even Kuala Terengganu, which was an Umno seat, had changed hands many times -- from Umno to Semangat 46 to Umno to PAS to Umno, and, now, back to PAS. So, Kuala Terengganu can’t really be regarded as an Umno stronghold. But when the opposition tries to grab a seat in an Umno stronghold that is another story altogether. You can no longer apply your defence strategy. You have to now go into attack mode. And this is what Pakatan Rakyat does not know how to do.

I can go on and on. But what I would say would merely be repeating what I had already said so many times. So let me stop here by repeating: let’s bury PKR, DAP and PAS. And let us see emerge in its place a true Pakatan Rakyat.

But for a true Pakatan Rakyat to be born there must be sacrifices made, many sacrifices. What PKR, DAP and PAS wants no longer matters. PKR, DAP and PAS have to forgo some of its wants. Needs must override wants. It is what Pakatan Rakyat has to do to convince the people that it is a true marriage born out of love that needs to prevail -- not a unity of hate, against Barisan Nasional.

Can PKR, DAP and PAS agree to this? If PKR, DAP and PAS are more important than Pakatan Rakyat then forget about the coalition and let each go their own way. Don’t lie to the voters that there is such a thing called a Pakatan Rakyat opposition coalition. Be honest with the people. Tell the people that you are offering them three separate and individual parties called PKR, DAP and PAS. And let the people decide if this is what they want. And if they do not then they will choose Barisan Nasional. Then, at least, as the Malays would say: puas hati.

The three scenarios for MCA

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 13 — The sniping has started in earnest. Allies are deserting each other. It is each man for himself as the Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA) comes to grips with the aftermath of Saturday’s EGM.

Party insiders tell the Malaysian Insider that there are three scenarios being explored or promoted by various factions in the party.

These are:

* Ong Tee Keat staying on as the president.

Tee Keat’s supporters in the party hierarchy and his allies in the media are urging him to stay tough and hold firm. Their main argument: the party constitution spells out clearly that party president can only be removed by two-thirds majority of the delegates.

Their main concern: if Tee Keat respects the wishes of the delegates and steps down, their days of basking in power will be over.

The main problem with reaching for the party constitution as a crutch is that Mr President said in the run-up to the EGM that it was all or nothing. Going back on his word now would further damage his credibility. In addition, he might end up helming a shell of a party and be starved of a cabinet position.

There is another greater danger for MCA if Tee Keat decides to stay on as president despite the no-confidence vote. His nemesis Chua Soi Lek could also rely on the party constitution and argue that he too can only be removed by two-thirds majority. The end result: a party on the verge of implosion.

* Fresh elections.

Neutrals and those affiliated to the Soi Lek/Ling Liong Sik camp believe that the only way forward for MCA is to start afresh — with new party elections. Their main argument: party delegates showed their maturity at the EGM and these voices of the grassroots must also be given the opportunity to elect new leaders across the board.

The Central Committee should not be trusted to make a sound decision on the future MCA leaders because they are seen as the president’s men. Ditto for the Presidential Council.

Some MCA insiders note that the call for fresh elections is strongest among supporters of Soi Lek, including Datuk Fong Chan Onn and Tan Chai Ho. Fresh elections will give those aligned to Soi Lek a fighting chance of snagging top positions in the party. Leaving their fate to the Central Committee or Presidential Council will be too risky.

* Let Liow Tiong Lai or Kong Chong Ha lead MCA.

Liow’s supporters say that MCA cannot afford another party election. The last party polls was held 11 months ago and resulted in a serious split between Tee Keat and Soi Lek. Saturday’s EGM was another contest which has deepened the fissures in the party.

Instead of settling the succession issue once and for all, fresh polls will further tear apart the MCA, reason supporters of Liow and Kong.

They believe that either one of these two should be appointed interim president of MCA and be allowed to carry out the critical task of healing the party.The critics point out that both these men are political lightweights and may end up as pawns. Worse yet, without a fresh mandate from the ground, they may be viewed as pushovers by Umno.

Best option: Fresh elections. The party has between now and the next general elections (scheduled for 2013) to close ranks. Yes, there will be factions and ill-feeling after elections but at least whoever wins can claim to have the support of the party.

With a mandate, that person will have the authority to reform MCA and chart a new path for this party which no longer can say that it has a strong connection with the Chinese community.

Anti-graft watchdog to hold EGM after PKFZ flap

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 13 — The Malaysian branch of Transparency International (TI-M) will hold an EGM soon to elect new office-bearers and resolve its leadership crisis, caused in part by investigations into the Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ) scandal.

The graft watchdog’s president Datuk Paul Low quit last week.

Low, who leads a task force investigating the PKFZ scandal, resigned over the Global Corruption Report 2009 (GCR 2009) which highlighted the case.

Low said he accepted full responsibility for releasing the GCR 2009 report, which TI-M said had garnered different interpretations and views including charges of conflict of interest.

Yesterday, the TI-M executive council met under acting president Datuk Mohamed Iqbal and agreed to hold an EGM.

“The exco has agreed to convene an Extraordinary General Meeting as soon as possible to address the issues and if necessary to step down, thus providing the opportunity for the members to elect a new exco,” he said in a statement this morning.

Low had been facing growing criticism for some time now.

Earlier this year, he was forced to openly quit as an MCA life member after his membership in the political party was made known publicly.

His appointment to the Port Klang Authority ad-hoc committee on governance led to accusations of a conflict of interest when he released the graft watchdog’s annual corruption report.

The final straw was the threat of a lawsuit against TI-M over the release of the report published by the international anti-graft watchdog based in Berlin, which is said to have highlighted the multi-billion Ringgit PKFZ scandal.

Low, who led the Port Klang Authority ad-hoc committee on governance, had been hauled up by some of his colleagues for failing to consult them on the report before its release.

Despite the criticisms, he has stood by TI’s analysis, which he described to be “an accurate assessment.”

Mohamed, the acting president, said today that the public statements and media coverage in recent weeks had resulted a number of allegations over, as well as aspersions cast on, the exemplary work of TI-M fighting corruption in this country.

“It is important to note that the GCR is an annual assessment of the state of corruption around the world with a yearly thematic focus, which in 2009 was devoted to the private sector.

“TI-Malaysia and the international secretariat of Transparency International based in Berlin confirm that the Malaysia country report is accurate,” he said.

Perak Assembly on Oct 28

By Clara Chooi - The Malaysian Insider

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 13 — The next “official” Perak assembly sitting will convene on October 28.

Pakatan Rakyat’s (PR) former senior state executive councillor Datuk Ngeh Koo Ham confirmed late last night that several state assemblymen had received their “notices to attend” the assembly from Barisan Nasional-endorsed Speaker Datuk R. Ganesan.

The notices, which had apparently reached them earlier yesterday evening, confirmed that the meeting would convene on Oct 28, as Ngeh had earlier alleged.

What remains to be seen now is PR’s next strategic move in this game of tug-of-war between them and the BN, which has been playing out for an exhausting nine months since February.

PR, however, has been less cryptic about their next planned step and is expected to attend the sitting, not by heeding Ganesan’s instructions but those of their own “Speaker”, Tronoh assemblyman V. Sivakumar.

When asked if the PR planned to attend the Oct 28 sitting, Ngeh said:

“We will follow instructions from Sivakumar and will not heed those of illegal Speaker Ganesan.”

This could mean Sivakumar may counter Ganesan’s “notice to attend” by issuing one of his own, with the same date and time, to allow the PR representatives into the assembly hall come Oct 28.

One PR assemblyman told The Malaysian Insider that it was clearly the “only way” to be physically present inside the state assembly hall, without conceding to the BN.

PR had earlier declared that they do not recognise Ganesan as the state’s legal Speaker and would therefore not abide by any of his instructions.

The state assemblyman said the main contention about the next hearing was that the PR representatives needed to find a way to get into the hall and stop whatever proceedings the BN had planned.

“This seems the best or only way (getting Sivakumar to send out his own notice). At least then they (BN) cannot say that we do not have the authority to be present inside. Unlike Sept 2, they cannot stop us from entering but it is up to us to say which notice we are adhering to,” he said.

On Sept 2, the Perak PR attempted to convene an assembly sitting but were barred from entering the State Secretariat by the police and government officials, forcing them to hold the sitting in a hotel.

The next state assembly sitting is a crucial one for the Perak government as the Mentri Besar is scheduled to propose and table the state’s Budget.

It is understood, however, that the PR, through its own “budget committee” also has a Budget of their own prepared.

Which government will get to table the Budget, however, is a separate matter altogether for in all probability, chaos could well prevent any proceeding from taking place.

“How can anything happen when we have two state governments in the hall and two Speakers?” said the state assemblyman.

Still, should either party push their Budgets through, it is clear that BN still has the majority vote with 31 lawmakers on their side and 28 for PR.

If the May 7 sitting is any indication, then Oct 28 could very well be a fruitless sitting; one where anarchy would reign within the walls of the state assembly hall once again.

Without tabling and passing the state’s Budget, Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abd Kadir would not be able to proceed with the state’s administration.

Meanwhile, BN’s senior executive councillor Datuk Hamidah Osman scoffed at PR’s plans to gatecrash the state assembly.

“And here I thought they simply would not even attend the sitting,” she joked when contacted recently.

Hamidah said that PR should quit with their nitpicking and start doing some work for a change.

“They just love to start fights. They always want to start trouble,” she said.

She added that the BN had no fear about PR’s proposed alternative budget for it was clear the latter coalition did not have enough representatives in the House to pass it.

“Who is going to authorise it? We have the majority,” she said.

When questioned about what would happen if the PR representatives caused enough trouble in the state assembly hall to prevent Zambry from even presenting BN’s budget, she laughed and coyly said:

“Well, we have our ways of passing the budget. Just like how we had our way of appointing our Speaker, we have our way of passing the budget.”

She added that the BN’s budget had scores of good announcements to benefit Perakians.

During the tumultuous May 7 sitting, BN’s Speaker Ganesan was appointed after Sivakumar was forcibly dragged from the Speaker’s chair.

In the fracas, DAP defector and assembly Deputy Speaker Hee Yit Foong took over proceedings and allowed the BN assemblymen to nominate, second and vote Ganesan into position.

BN parties at the crossroads

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 13 — Umno may still be celebrating its spectacular win in a by-election two days ago, but its triumph is not shared by many Malaysians.

While the party’s leaders hail the win as a trophy to carry into Umno’s annual assembly that begins today, some are less enthusiastic — even within the party. They believe there is still a strong anti-establishment feeling against the ruling party.

Umno had two days ago stopped a losing streak when it won a by-election in Bagan Pinang in Negri Sembilan. After losing seven out of eight by-elections held since last year’s general election, its candidate Tan Sri Isa Samad grabbed a landslide win against Parti Islam SeMalaysia’s Zulkefly Mohamad Omar.

The win raised Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s hopes that it would mark a point of rejuvenation for the party. “It looks like they (the people) have confidence and trust in the BN,” he said yesterday, referring to the Barisan Nasional coalition.

But the triumph is coloured by Isa’s tainted history: He was suspended for three years for buying votes in a party election in 2004.

“If Umno becomes very passionate about the win in one place while losing in other areas...if we lose (sight of) our responsibilities, I believe that in the coming general election, we will not achieve a good victory or we will not win,” former premier Tun Mahathir Mohamad was quoted as saying in a news website.

Gerakan politician Hsu Dar Ren said the anti-establishment feeling was still strong. He believes the fact that Umno fielded a tainted candidate would be used against it in the future.

What the by-election has changed, however, is the dynamics within the BN’s power-sharing arrangement. This is because Umno won the by-election without much help from its Chinese partner.

Isa won strong Indian support despite the community’s rejection of MIC, while MCA was struggling to cope after party delegates rejected its top two leaders three days ago.

Isa’s win clearly puts Umno in a decidedly stronger position in the coalition.

Some Umno warlords believe Umno’s path to victory does not have to be hand in hand with its non-Malay components, suggesting that the party allocate fewer Malay-majority seats to non-Malay parties to contest in the next election.

Kelantan prince, Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah, has also called for the resignation of MCA Cabinet ministers after the collapse of its leadership. Such calls will raise the pressure on Najib to go it alone, if necessary.

“The temptation for Najib to reach over the heads of the non-Malay component parties in Peninsular Malaysia will be hard to resist,” wrote political analyst Ong Kian Ming in a commentary. He noted that this had also happened after MCA lost badly in the 1969 general election.

Najib has already started to reach out directly to the minorities, observed political analyst Rita Sim. So far, however, there is no indication of how far Umno will push this strategy. The next general election is not due until 2013.

Taking this approach has its risks. Sim noted that Najib’s overtures worked with the Indians, because they are not self-sufficient in economic terms. The Chinese, on the other hand, remain sceptical, and may be harder to reach.

A recent poll by Merdeka Centre showed that 68 per cent of Indians approved of Najib’s leadership, and an equal proportion rejected the MIC. But the Chinese gave the lowest approval rating to the Premier. It could leave Malaysia even more polarised, Sim said. — The Straits Times

Has PKR lost the plot in East Malaysia?

By Haris Ibrahim

Late last year, in a move seen by many as boosting PKR’s prospects in the forthcoming state elections in Sarawak, Ngemah independent state assemblyperson Gabriel Adit, apparently with thousands of his supporters in tow, joined PKR.

A Malaysiakini report dated 13th November, 2008 quoted Adit as saying that “once he is officially in PKR, he will help his colleagues at state and national levels to build up the party’s grassroots where it counts most ahead of the state elections”.

At the PKR Congress on 29th November, last year, Adit was showcased as a key asset to the party making a siginificant headway in Sarawak at the next state elections.

In June, this year, the PKR Sarawak leadership underwent a revamp. A Malaysiakini report dated 3rd June, 2009 has it that this exercise was with a view to “strengthen the party in view of the upcoming state elections”

Mustaffa Kamil Ayub, who hails from Perak, Semenanjung, and who was appointed the new chief of PKR Sarawak in the state leadership revamp, acknowledged that “the initiatives taken by certain Dayak leaders to join PKR had opened the minds and eyes of their supporters so much so that they too have now joined the party”, that the “number of Dayaks in the party has increased significantly” and that “It is important, therefore, we give an emphasis to the participation of the Dayaks in the party”.

Adit was appointed a member of the state leadership council.

Last week, Malaysiakini reported that a new party called Pakatan Rakyat Malaysia would be launched in Sarawak in the next few days and that this new party would be helmed by Adit. In another report of the same date, Malaysiakini reported that when asked if he was behind this new party, Adit denied this and said “As of today, I am still a PKR member. But who knows (about) tomorrow?”.

Is PKR about to lose one who Anwar had categorised as a strong ally in Sarawak?

About the same time that the Sarawak PKR leadership was being revamped, the PKR leadership in Sabah underwent the same.

Azmin Ali, MP for Gombak, took over leadership of PKR Sabah from Anwar.

There was obviously some unhappiness with Azmin’s appointment, given his remarks just after his appointment and before he made his first trip to Sabah in this new capacity, reported in Malaysiakini, that “In Sabah PKR for example, we do have our differences as in any party, but they are not serious enough to cause a party split or prevent us from working together or with the other opposition parties”. Azmin then alluded to the appointment by Najib of Shafie Apdal, a Sabahan, as Kedah Umno and BN chief and then asked, “Does this mean that they don’t trust a Kedahan or someone from the peninsular?” and answered that question himself with “At the end of the day, when it comes to the general election, all PKR candidates in Sabah will be from the state itself. That’s what really counts”.

Last week, Malaysiakini reported that, on the night of 7th October, 16 out of a total number of 25 Sabah PKR division heads met, concurred that they had no confidence in Azmin’s leadership and communicated this to the party top leadership in KL.

More telling, that report has it that the 16 want Azmin removed from this post with immediate effect and have made it clear that “no one from outside Sabah should be appointed to head the PKR chapter in the state ever again”.

The PKR man who spoke to the Malaysiakini reporter had apparently said : “We don’t want these very imperial ketuanan Melayu (Malay political supremacy) types in Sabah. He’s ex-Umno and has not changed one bit since joining PKR”.

The 16 division chiefs have recommended to PKR HQ that Keningau division chief Jeffrey Kitingan be appointed as the new Sabah chief to replace Azmin.

I called my source in Kota Kinabalu last Thursday to find out what was going on.

That source put me in touch with two PKR Sabah individuals who are very much in the know.

One a Muslim, the other a Catholic. Both locals.

Both were initially reluctant to divulge anything, their concern being that I might disclose their identity or that I might not report anything adverse they might say of PKR or Anwar.

As to whether they could hold me to my word that I would not disclose their names under any circumstances whatsoever, I asked them to check back with the source that had hooked me up with them.

As to their other concern, I assured them that any statements of fact adverse of PKR or Anwar, substantiated with evidence, and in the interest of the rakyat that the same be made public, would be reported. Statements of opinion, if fair, and not amounting to a personal attack, would be treated similarly.

I assured them that I was neither a PKR or Anwar supporter. I was for the rakyat.

They checked with my source and came back to me on Friday with a lot to say.

I’ll share that with you in the next post.