HINDRAF – 3 events on November 25th 2009 to commemorate HINDRAF’s Neo Democratic Revolution.

HINDRAF – 3 events on November 25th 2009 to commemorate HINDRAF’s

Neo Democratic Revolution.

It has been two years since the Neo Democratic Revolution and uprising of the Malaysian Indians against the marginalized and systematic discrimination against them by the UMNO led Government.

HINDRAF would be organizing three events to commemorate the people’s Neo Democratic Revolution initiated by HINDRAF against the totalitarian government led by the UMNO.

Event No 1 -

A gathering of 18 HINDRAF supporters in front of KLCC between 9.00am- 4.00pm to observe a hunger strike representing the 18 point demands that was submitted to the UMNO led government in uplifting the Malaysian Indian community that has been systematically marginalized and discriminated by the government for the last 52 years.

Event No 2 –

HINDRAF chairman’s daughter, W. Vaishnavi will be attending the Prime Minister’s Department in Putra Jaya to hand over a letter from HINDRAF Chairman detailing the current and immediate problems of the Malaysian Indians in regards to the discrimination that they face in socio development backwardness of the Malaysian Indian society within the sphere of Malaysian community in regards to education, economics, business, police abuses, freedom of religious practice and other continued suppression on Article 5, 8, 10 & 13 of the constitution against the public more particularly against the Malaysian Indians.

Event No 3 :

Nationwide prayers at more than 100 locations to light 18 ghee lamps to signify the 18 Point Demands submitted by Hindraf to the then Prime Minister that is yet to be fulfilled. A complete list of temples holding such prayers would be available for viewing on our website on the 25th November 2009.

A separate mega Ruthra yagam/fire ritual would be held on 29th November 2009 at Agora Veerabathrar Sanggili Karuppar Temple 17 ½ Mile Kg.Benggali Rawang Selangor.

It is a common cause for all Malaysian if fairness and equality is what we pursue to enhance our community’s agenda against the repressive government led by UMNO and its voiceless and spineless coalition for the betterment of the society.

Hindraf warns the Royal Malaysian Police not to interfere, disrupt and/or sabotage these peaceful gatherings which are organised in accordance to our basic rights enshrined under Article 10 of the Federal Constitution and which is very meaningful and significant to Malaysian Indians.

Thank you

R.Shan

Internal Relations Coordinator

HINDRAF

New York

+1 646 6378600

Indian teen twin girls born handicapped. No Welfare help from UMNO. (Malaysia Nanban 16/11/2009 at page 15)

Indian teen twin girls born handicapped. No Welfare help from UMNO. (Malaysia Nanban 16/11/2009 at page 15)

Twins Sharmila (13) and Shalini (13) are both born handicapped. They are unable to walk or move about on their own. They move about on their wheelchair says their father Letchumanan who was in tears Letchumanan when relating their plight. He only earns RM 500.00 per month as a palm oil estate worker. Their mother Shanthi is suffering from diabetes. This family like hundreds of thousands of other Indian have been denied the UMNO controlled Malay-sian government’s state welfare assistance even though UMNO has allocated RM 40 Million for programmes including providing Welfare assistance and house rental payments in the 2010 national budget. (NST 24/10/2009 at page 10).

The E-kasih cards for those earning below the poverty level set at RM 687.00 per month is unknown to this twins (or most of the two Indians in Malaysia), let alone they having been issued the said cards or actually benefiting from the same in the first place. They are rejected “ab initio” ( from the very beginning) even at the counter level or given so much run around that they are forced to give up.

But this sort of direct, ruthless and blatant discrimination is only possible in the UMNO Malay-sian Prime Minister Najib Razak’s One Malaysia.

P. Uthayakumar

www.humanrightspartymalaysia.com

Almost zero Indian traders out of 1, 500 at Pudu Market.

Almost zero Indian traders out of 1, 500 at Pudu Market.

(Chinese) Hawkers and Petty Traders Association and Bumiputera Traders Associations’ Presidents Tan Ker Chiang and Abdullah Mohamad said “they did not want hawkers to sub let their stalls to third parties”. (Refer The Star metro 16/11/2009 at page M 9)

Note: By sub letting these stalls at this Pudu market, scores of other markets and food stalls, even at the lucrative highway rest area food shops, restaurants and tid bit stalls, pasar malam, pasar tani and roadside stalls, the poor and working class Indians have been denied hundreds of thousands all of these petty trading opportunities.

The UMNO controlled Malaysians government intends these working class Indians to take up and/or remain unskilled and to do menial jobs, and unskilled like security guards, lorry drivers, taxi drivers, toilet cleaners, general workers and unskilled workers.

This working class Indians would not be given the training, licences loans and opportunities to do business (as is given to almost all the deserving Malay muslims) with the view for them (the Indians) to gain upward mobility opportunities and to be part and parcel of the national mainstream development of Malaysia.

So never mind if the Malay and Chinese traders sub-let their stalls to foreigners. It is “merely the Indians who would lose out” after all. So UMNO does not care! So why should it matter to UMNO!

Note: Action taken to weed out these foreign petty traders is a rare occasion. There are hundreds of thousands of other such foreign “businessmen” in Malaysia who have actually taken up the jobs petty trading and business opportunities from especially the working class Indians.

P. Uthayakumar

www.humanrightspartymalaysia.com

PR MPs, WHAT IS YOUR BASIS FOR ACTION - RACE OR SERIOUSNESS OF THE ISSUE

Concerned Senior Citizen,
Penang

Dear YB,YBs,

SUB:EMERGENCY MOTION IN PARLIAMENT FOR POLICE SHOOTINGS

Good Day to you all.
I refer to my letters of the 15th and 17th of November, 2009, requesting of all of you Honorable Pakatan MPs the following, in the current sitting of the parliament:
1) To pass an emergency motion calling for an immediate moratorium on all police killings, whether encounter killings or killings in Police custody.
2) In that same motion to include a call for setting up of a Royal Commission of Inquiry much like the one set up for Teoh Beng Hock’s case to investigate all these extrajudicial killings of suspected criminals, during the tenure of current IGP Musa Hassan.
3) In that same motion to also call for the prosecution of the police who are responsible for the killings, because it is non prosecution of such police personnel responsible for the killing that results in a continuation of the killing.
4) In the unfortunate event of the Speaker disallowing the motion, to stage a collective walkout from the Parliament.
As we understand, a motion to hold a public inquiry into the shooting was raised by MP for Ipoh Barat YB M. Kula Segaran. Deputy Speaker Datuk Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaffar ruled the motion met two of the three criteria of being definite and of public importance, but it was not “urgent” as police investigations were ongoing. So, in effect this motion saw no light of day. And the PR lawmakers just left it at that, and did not stage a walkout to emphasise the seriousness of the continuing transgression of the PDRM onto the rights of citizens.
I have the following feedback and comments back to you MPs about this episode of the emergency motion:
1) First, I would like to thank YB Kula Segaran for having raised the motion - however watered down it was.
2) The motion falls way short of what was needed in the circumstance of usurpation of State Power by one arm of the Government. The motion should have been to set up a Royal Commission of Inquiry into the whole saga of Police Killings. Is there not sufficient evidence or enough seriousness in the matter to suggest that. Both the PR lawmakers and the BN lawmakers rushed and set up a Royal Commission of Inquiry for Teoh Beng Hock’s death. (May his soul Rest in Peace.). What you did was right, then. That was needed. Why not the same urgency and same emphasis here.
3) This motion should have been introduced by either YB Anwar Ibrahim the Leader of PR or by YB Lim Kit Siang one of the senior most Parlimentarian and the defacto leader of the DAP or by YB Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang being the leader of the Opposition in Parliament because of the seriousness of the matter. Instead YB Kula Segaran raised it, suggesting the matter is not serious enough to warrant top leadership attention.
4) Further, letting it be raised by YB Kula Segaran only reinforces the paradigm that PR is no different in their approach to dealing with such issues than BN. Why does an Indian MP have to raise this matter? Is it because all the other PR MPs about 65 others - were not available or there were not enough of them? My conclusion is that because those killed were the Indian poor, in the sectarian and class conscious PR mindset, an Indian MP is the right person to take this up.
5) Is summary killing by the Police of citizens, not really a national issue or do you all consider it to be just an ethnic issue, as in this case? It is our opinion that this issue is really a national issue - the usurpation of State power by and the rampage of the PDRM. Only it is showing itself up in this form. So what about “PAS FOR ALL”, What about “ MALAYSIAN MALAYSIA” – is that all just for the votes and do they not really mean anything more? Are you all saying all these killings and the problem of crime are really ethnic issues and not national issues?
6) There is a major divergence between your utterances and your actions in this matter. UMNO always used to and still sends in their Mandores, whenever the issue involved the Indian poor. This had the effect of taking away the true significance of the matter. That suited the UMNO Government well. But DAP and PKR have been saying you are a multiracial party. What does that mean. Having more Indian MPs in your line up, is that it? Is that what you mean? As we understand multiracialism - issues are studied on the basis of the seriousness to the nation as a whole, not on the basis of which ethnic group it afflicts. If you take a step back and do some comparison between these extrajudicial Police killings and the death of Teoh Beng Hock at the MACC, and the way you all have responded in both cases, maybe you will be able to see this episode as we see all of this.
7) Be that as it may, When the motion was disallowed why did the PR lawmakers not stage a walkout? That was a wonderful opportunity to have repaired your eroding position with us, the Rakyat. Yet you all could not see the opportunity there. From where I stand, this gesture comes with very little cost. So, if you fail ultimately to unseat BN, I must say you have to blame it on yourselves and on all these lost opportunities.
As I had mentioned in my previous two letters to all of you who form the the PR coalition, that you need to distinguish yourselves from the UMNO led and bankrupt BN government. But you continue to fail. As far as the marginalized Indians go there is still no difference. Also, I had said that it is time you all provided some leadership to the Indian poor. Here too I must say, there is very little leadership being shown for the Rakyat at the lowest rungs in Malaysian society. Public opinion is now swinging away from PR. The most significant swing has been from the Indian constituency. I understand that 70% of the Indians polled come from the lower rungs of the Indian constituency. That means the most significant swing away from PR has been from the marginalized Indian groups. They were the ones that swung significantly away from the BN in the last general elections and swung to PR.
One thing is for sure, without the Indian poor votes, PR will never make it to the seat of Federal Power. You decide how, serious you are about getting to Putrajaya.

We want you to be there, but not like this.

You have not risen to the challenge on this occasion, I am sorry.
Thank You.
Yours Sincerely
Signed
N.Naragan

Trouble in Iskandar

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 20 — All is not well in Iskandar Malaysia, the country's showpiece economic corridor project.

Two chief executive officers of the Iskandar Regional Development Authority (IRDA) have not lasted two years on the job and there are now rumblings over the slow pace of progress from Middle East investors.

Apart from that, the relationship between some of the main players — the Johor Civil Service (JCS), Khazanah Nasional, Iskandar Investment Board (IIB) — leaves much to be desired.

Unwilling for the situation to unravel further, Johor Mentri Besar Datuk Abdul Ghani Othman is signalling his intention to Putrajaya for the state government to take more control of the mammoth project billed as Malaysia's Shenzen to the developed Singapore across the Johor Straits.

He wants IRDA to come directly under the purview of the state government, and rely less on instructions from Khazanah Nasional, the federal sovereign wealth fund tasked with developing the economic zone named after the state Ruler.

Harun will leave in January. — Picture courtesy of World Economic Forum

The IRDA board is now jointly chaired by the Prime Minister and the MB but The Malaysian Insider understands that the Johor MB could be assigned full chairmanship, giving him control of the regional authority.

Ghani has already started exerting his authority, much to the chagrin of the top brass in Khazanah Nasional. Late last month, he demanded the resignation of the incumbent CEO Harun Johari.

Officials at Khazanah Nasional wanted Harun to be given six more months on the job but last week, the IRDA board quickly accepted Harun's resignation. He will leave in January 2010 for IRDA to have another fresh start.

Harun, an ex-Shell stalwart, was hand-picked by Khazanah Nasional for the top position. He quickly brought in several of his former Shell colleagues to fill senior executive positions, and the organisation ballooned to over 150 staff under his charge.

His critics charged that he lacked charisma but his supporters argued that he is a process-driven individual who was effective behind the scenes. Harun replaced Datuk Ikmal Hijaz, the former Pos Malaysia CEO.

The latter was also hand-picked by Khazanah Nasional to drive IRDA and make it a world-class, one-stop centre for investors.

After being appointed, Ikmal also surrounded himself with several former colleagues from Pos Malaysia or the now defunct Renong Group, in which he oversaw the construction of the Gelang Patah crossing and massive land acquisition in Nusajaya.

The Malaysian Insider has learnt the new CEO of IRDA is Ismail Ibrahim. He is currently director of the National Physical Planning Division under the Urban and Rural Planning Department.

The Muar-born career public servant, who is a British-trained town planner, was among the pioneers assembled by Khazanah Nasional back in 2006 to draw up the Comprehensive Development Plan for the south Johor Economic Region (now known as Iskandar).

He later served as senior vice-president (Planning & Compliance) and became Johor's Federal Commissioner, but quit suddenly to return to the Housing and Local Government Ministry.

Ghani wants an overhaul of the top management of IRDA. — Bernama pic

Ghani has already told Ismail that he expects an overhaul of the top management of IRDA, wanting him to rid the authority of deadwood.

At least four senior personnel are expected to be removed.

The JCS — a body whose support is necessary if any project is to take off in the southern state — has welcomed the appointment of Ismail.

Relations between the JCS and Khazanah Nasional have been uneasy since the inception of the project in 2006, with Johor civil servants complaining of being sidelined from the decision-making process. They have resented the fact that important decisions regarding Iskandar were being made in Kuala Lumpur.

The shortcomings in IRDA, and to a lesser extend IIB, come at a time when several of the Middle East investors are exhibiting signs of restlessness at the pace of the project.

Government officials told The Malaysian Insider that Khazanah Nasional was forced to buy back some land in Node 1 of Iskandar which it sold to a consortium of Middle East investors. This happened after some disagreement over responsibilities and obligations.

Cleric’s case a test for moderate Malaysia

By Farish A. Noor

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 20 — The syariah authorities in Selangor have charged the former mufti of Perlis, Dr Asri Zainul Abidin, with preaching Islam without a permit to do so.

For Malaysia-watchers worldwide, this case will be seen as a litmus test for the country, the Najib administration, and the government and syariah authorities of Selangor (now under the control of the opposition Pakatan Rakyat). The outcome of the case will also tell us where Islam is headed in a country that has often been cast as an exemplary model of normative Islam at work. But is it really?

Asri's “crime” was to preach Islam without an official permit. But in the past few weeks, the man himself has been vilified by his critics and accused of being — among other things — a Wahhabi Muslim as well.

Those who have followed Asri's career would have seen in him an inclination towards rational debate and objective discourse above all else. During the recent controversies that raged over the question of whether yoga was permissible for Muslims, for instance, he noted that the fatwa against it did not make sense. His speeches have been peppered with constant reminders to Muslims to think and behave in a rational manner, and not to be blind in matters of faith.

Is this, then, the root cause of the anxiety over the man and his ideas? Asri's critics have labelled him as arrogant and confrontational. But those who have leapt to his defence — including prominent politicians from both sides of the ideological divide — have argued that his polemics have been directed mainly at outdated traditional practices that have for too long been mistakenly assumed to be Islamic.

In this respect, Asri (picture) can perhaps be likened to the kaum muda (younger generation) of Muslim progressive intellectuals of the 1920s and 1930s — who likewise challenged the authority of traditional scholars, whom they regarded as being out of touch with the times. Then, as is the case now, any critique of the traditional status quo was seen as an attack on Islam per se, and progressives were likewise called “Wahhabis”. At the heart of the matter is the question of who has the right to speak on Islam and matters Islamic. Islam does not have a clergy or priestly class. Men like Asri emphasise the role of individual reason in the search for faith.

Right after he was charged by the Selangor religious court, Asri said: “This will not stop me from delivering the message... They think this is a small matter; they think they can just stop people from teaching but, for me, this case is very significant.”

Clearly, the man is prepared to go to court to defend the right of Muslims to think for themselves and to ask serious questions about Islam, rather than to blindly believe whatever their teachers tell them.

But perhaps this too is the reason Asri is loathed by so many in the religious establishment, and why he has been seen as a threat by some. Whatever the facts of the case may be, it remains true that Asri is a unique individual in the contemporary Malaysian context: an ulama who is at ease dealing with the real issues of society, and whose appeal transcends ethnic and religious barriers. He has even been seen as a moderate voice among the country's non-Muslims.

The outcome of the case will tell us too where Malaysia is headed today, at a time when both the ruling Barisan Nasional coalition and Pakatan Rakyat are desperately trying to carve out a new image and identity for Malaysia as a multicultural and multi-confessional nation.

Will the “new Malaysia” dreamt of by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak or the opposition have a place for rational Muslim intellectuals like Asri? Or will he be sacrificed for the sake of realpolitik?

Either way, it is Malaysia and Malaysians who will live with the consequences. — The Straits Times

Only 5.7 Per Cent Of Year Six Students Skilled At Problem Solving

PUTRAJAYA, Nov 19 (Bernama) — The education ministry’s first Aptitude Test for Year Six students during their UPSR exams has shown that only 5.7 per cent (29,084 students) out of 509,885 pupils are skilled at problem solving and decision making, and only 34.34 per cent (175,101) in skilled thinking.

Education Director-General Tan Sri Alimuddin Mohd Dom This said today that this indicated that the children needed more training on problem-solving and decision-making.

Speaking at a press conference here on Thursday, he explained that the Aptitude Test was divided into two dimensions, namely Skilled Thinking and Problem Solving and Decision-Making .

Alimuddin said a student’s aptitude level was then categorised from Band One (lowest skilled) to Band Four (highest skilled).

The test results have found that when it comes to problem solving and decision making, the majority of Year Six students which is 47.71 per cent (243,258 students) remained in Band Two, followed by 28.24 per cent (143,971 students) in Band Three and 18.35 per cent (93,572 students) in Band One.

On the other hand, the majority of Skilled Thinking students lies in Band Three at 41.04 per cent (209,244 students), followed by 20.71 per cent (105,580 students) in Band Two and 3.91 per cent (19,960) in Band One.

The test also categorised a student’s interest into Academic, Technical and Vocational, Arts, Sports and Culture and Society, ranking them from One (primary interest) to Five (least interest).

There is a 39.31 per cent high tendency of candidates towards the academic, followed by technical and vocational (29.25 per cent), arts (19.26 per cent), culture and social (9.72 per cent) and sport (2.57 per cent).

Hishammuddin’s incompetence

By Jacqueline Ann Surin
thenutgraph.com

HERE'S what I want to know: why was Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein appointed to the cabinet, and why is he still a minister despite an appalling track record of saying and doing the wrong things?

Hishammuddin's statements as Home Minister since he was sworn into Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak's administration in April 2009, betray either how clueless or disrespectful he is about human rights, democratic principles and gender equality.

Examples abound. Most notably:

Hishammuddin may as well have said this...(all pics of Hishammuddin courtesy of theSun)

Hishammuddin famously said he was "thankful" that no "serious incidents" occurred in Perak on 7 May 2009 despite police action in arresting scores of people, including elected representatives, and the unlawful imprisonment of Perak Speaker V Sivakumar.

...and this...

He also famously declared that lawyers were not above the law in justifying the arrest of five legal aid lawyers who were trying to represent their clients who had been arrested at the Brickfields police station on the night of 7 May 2009. It wasn't just the Bar Council who was outraged, even the MCA was appalled at the arrest of lawyers who were merely doing their job. But Hishammuddin still found it fit to defend such police action.

...also this...

Of course, the starkest example of the kind of minister Hishammuddin is was demonstrated when he not only welcomed the Shah Alam cow-head protestors, he also defended them. With Hishammuddin's powerful and public legitimisation of bigotry and the threat of violence against Hindus in Malaysia, I reckon that Hishammuddin's behaviour was far more shameful than the protestors'. After all, his is a public office paid for by all tax-paying Malaysians to protect the nation's, and not some thugs', interest.

...and this...

Hishammuddin also became the butt of ridicule when on 12 Nov 2009 he defended the police yet again despite the country's high crime rate.

...and this.

And most recently, Hishammuddin demonstrated a total lack of gender awareness when he declared that Section 498 of the Penal Code was here to stay. His statement in Parliament also reminds us that actually, Hishammuddin, a lawyer by training, has no understanding of Malaysia's commitments under international law. In this case, it would be the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women or Cedaw, which Malaysia signed in 1995.

Incompetent

What do these gaffes by Hishammuddin tell us? Clearly, he's an incompetent minister who seems intent on defending the police force for their disregard of human rights and for their inefficiencies.

What has been done about the Penan issue in Sarawak?
(pic courtesy of Sofiyah Israa @ Flickr)

After all, the Home Ministry's mission statement, according to its website, is the "administration of internal security matters in ensuring peace and wellbeing of the people". How can a minister entrusted with this defend police incompetence and the threat of violence by non-state actors such as the cow-head protestors?

Also, what is Hishammuddin doing about the sheer incompetence of the Sarawak police force? Why has no action been taken against the police in Sarawak for its sloppy investigations into the rape of Penan girls and women despite a government task force report finding evidence of the rapes? Already, the Sarawak Women for Women Society (SWWS) has reported yet another rape in a primary school in the interiors of Sarawak where a teacher is a suspect.

As SWWS points out: "... the lesson for society to learn is that rape happens in the interior and will continue to happen until people who commit this crime know they are going to be found out and held to account for their actions."

Shaitaan defends his demons against Hishamuddin's accusations
(source: ribut di kuala lumpur)

But with Hishammuddin so busy defending the police force for its incompetence and lack of respect for human rights and democratic principles, will those who threaten the "peace and wellbeing of the people" ever be taken to task?

I'd be curious to know what Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) will eventually be put in place for the Home Ministry. And if these KPIs are drawn up intelligently and fairly, I'll be willing to wager that Hishammuddin is more likely to fail in meeting his KPIs than succeed.

Cabinet appointments

Even so, will Hishammuddin be retained? That would really be a measure of whether Najib is serious about meeting his own KPIs as the nation's chief executive officer.

See, the problem with Hishammuddin being a minister isn't who he is per se. The problem with Hishammuddin is that the selection process of cabinet ministers is governed by political patronage.

On 13 Nov 2009, theSun ran a translation of the Chinese language press reports that quoted Najib as squashing rumours about an impending cabinet reshuffle involving MCA leaders. The Chinese press had speculated that MCA president Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat would ask for vice-president Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai to be removed as Health Minister because of the fighting between both men.

Najib and Hishammuddin are cousins
(file pic)We all know that such a scenario is entirely possible. After all, by convention, the leaders of the main Barisan Nasional component parties have always been given cabinet positions.

In Hishammuddin's case, it would not be surprising if he was appointed to a powerful cabinet portfolio because he is Umno vice-president. Not only that, he is also Najib's cousin and the son of a former prime minister, Tun Hussein Onn.

This begs the question: who merits being appointed to cabinet positions in this country? Surely, if we are to achieve all the development goals that our prime ministers have been so fond of announcing, what we need are appointments based on meritocracy. Not political patronage nor family ties nor positions within a party.

For all intents and purposes, Hishammuddin should step down for his dismal and embarrassing performance as minister. And if he doesn't have the integrity to do so, he should be sacked. Neither is likely to happen, of course. But I would be happy to be proven wrong.

Anwar Dan Nik Aziz Tersenarai Antara 500 Tokoh Muslim Paling Berpengaruh Dunia

Dari Khairul Hidayat

The Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Center untuk pertama kalinya menerbitkan buku “The 500 Most Influential Muslims In The World” tahun 2009.

Para tokoh Muslim dari seluruh dunia yang terpilih masuk dalam daftar itu adalah kalangan Muslim yang dianggap memiliki kemampuan untuk mempengaruhi keadaan kemanusian dan mampu membawa perubahan dalam kehidupan ramai orang.

“500 Muslim Paling Berpengaruh di Dunia” sepanjang tahun 2009 itu, dibahagi dalam 15 katagori, antara lain katagori ulama, politik, cendekiawan, perempuan, pemuda, ilmu dan teknologi, media sampai katagori muslim radikal.

Nama tokoh Islam dari Malaysia yang tersenarai ialah Mursyidul Am PAS, TG Nik Abd Aziz Nik Mat yang menduduki tangga ke 42 dari keseluruhan 500 Muslim Yang Berpengaruh.

Tokoh Muslim dunia lainnya yang masuk dalam daftar 50 tokoh peringkat teratas dimulai dengan, Raja Saudi, Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud; pemimpin spritual Iran, Syed Ali Khamenei; PM Turki Recep Tayyib Erdogan; Imam Besar Masjid Al-Azhar dan Pimpinan Universitas Al-Azhar, Kairo, Dr Muhammad Sayyid Tantawi; Syaikh Yusuf Al-Qaradawi; Pimpinan Ikhwanul Muslimin Mesir Syaikh Mohammad Mahdi Akef, Sekjen Hizbullah, Syed Hassan Nasrallah dan Pimpinan Hamas, Khaleed Mishal.

Nama Anwar Ibrahim turut disenaraikan di dalam lis 450 “Honourable Mention” di dalam pencapaian di bidang masing-masing dan diantara tokoh Islam yang signifikan di dalam dunia. Nama Anwar Ibrahim tersenarai di bidang politik berserta dengan nama Tun Dr Mahathir Mohammad tetapi nama Mahathir tidak disenaraikan di dalam “Honorable Mention”.

Dari kalangan cendekiawan, daripada Malaysia yang tersenarai ialah Prof Emeritus Dato Osman Bakar, Timbalan Naib Chancellor, Universiti Malaya dan Professor Undang-undang Universiti Islam Antarabangsa, Prof. Dr. Mohammad Hashim Kamali.

Mohideen Abdul Kadir, Naib Presiden Persatuan Pengguna Pulau Pinang di dalam kategori Pembangunan sementara Kumpulan Raihan turut tersenarai di dalam katagori Seni dan Budaya.

Dua orang pemimpin SIS yang kerap menimbulkan kontroversi dan pendokong Islam liberal di kalangan feminis, Sharifah Aljeffri dan Zaynah Anwar juga disenaraikan.

Dalam pengantar buku yang diterbitkan untuk membantu dan membuka wawasan tentang pengaruh umat Islam di dunia saat ini dan beragamnya kelompok-kelompok Islam yang ada di seluruh dunia.

Penyusunan buku ini melibatkan pengamat dunia Islam yang namanya sudah dikenal secara meluas di dunia antarabangsa, Profesor John Esposito dan Profesor Ibrahim Kalin sebagai editor utama.

Malaysia To Step Up Muslim Tours In China

From Choi Wen Fei

KUNMING, Nov 20 (Bernama) -- Malaysia will step up the promotion of Muslim tour packages, including Ramadan attractions, for the Chinese market, said Tourism Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ng Yen Yen.

"The number of Chinese Muslim tourists to Malaysia in year 2003 was 50,000 and the figure has gone up to 94,000 people last year. With the high volume of Chinese tourists, I believe that promoting Islamic tourism among Chinise Muslims has great potential," she said at a dialogue Thursday with Muslim leaders and tour operators in her 12-day working trip to China.

Ng said the packages could incorporate visits to mosques and promotions during the Ramadan month such as halal food stalls and hotel buffets during the period.

"Malaysia has Islamic banking and is a halal food hub which could be advantageous in promoting Islamic tourism. Besides that, Chinese Muslim travel agents could also bring their customers to attend exhibition on halal products organised in Malaysia," she added.

Ng also encouraged Chinese Muslim tour operators to look into the potential of Malaysian Muslim tourists to China apart from travelling to the Middle East.

For example, she said, Malaysian Muslims could take holidays in southwestern Yunnan province, to enjoy the four seasons of the year.

Amee, a Chinese tour operator who attended the dialogue with Dr Ng, said the 20 million Muslim population in China was a strong potential market and tour operators here had been working together with Tourism Malaysia in recent years.

He said religious travel, education travel, family holidays and the "Malaysia My Second Home" programme were the main draws.

Dr Ng also led a delegation to the opening of the 11th China International Travel Mart (CITM) on Thursday attended by 94 countries and visited the Malaysian pavilion and exhibitors.

With Chinese arrivals to Malaysia totalling 835,000 in October, she hoped that the target of one million Chinese tourists could be achieved this year.

Dr Ng also attended the inaugural China-Asean Tourism Cooperation Forum and called on Shao Qiwei, China National Tourism Administration chairman.

She spoke of the need for a task force to look into China-Asean tourism cooperation and to discuss measures for government agencies and the private sector.

"We need to sit down to look at packages and inter-border discussion about issues in the immigration process. I hope that during the meeting of the tourism ministers from China-Asean, which will be held in January next year in Brunei, we can focus on the discussion regarding this matter," she said during her meeting with Shao.

She said that apart from promoting travel, her ministry was looking into developing investments in the tourism in dustry by working with Malaysia's International Trade and Industry Ministry.

Shao supported Dr Ng's views on greater China-Asean tourism cooperation and the need for tourism ministers in the region to work closely on developing the regional tourism industry, with the China-Asean free trade agreement to be in place next year.

Comments and protest about Killing Indians by police and Madam Seetha's death

Khun Pana aka johanssm said...

She did it out of rage , disbelieve and frustration .She have the full rights to think that her brother is innocent .Now she is gone, dont blame her .

In my opinion the polis are trigger happy . Not just in this case but in a lot of cases.

The procedure is to fire warning shot and challenge the suspect to surrender .
Further shots are normally aimed to the legs and hip.
Even in dangerous situation when the polis have no options but to shoot to kill, the body will NOT be full with leads.

Example: A young doctor was shot dead in a parking lot by the polis years ago.
A man armed with just a tin can was also shot dead.
The polis shot dead a lot of amok insane people too.
There were cases of gunning down all suspects but the suspects dont have firearms but with a machete.

It is not about shooting and targeting the Indians.
It is all about not taking in any suspects alive and to claim success in solving cases .
All robberies that cant be solve will be link to the dead men.
But surprisingly the polis never gun down any Mat rempits.
The polis however did shot 2 men therefore wounding them in Batu Burok while staging a peaceful protest.

And if some of you said that 2 polis was shot dead 2 years ago during a drug raid...well, they deserves it !
3-4 off duty polis went out to "raid" a drug den .It was not a raid but to get protection money.
Just last week , 2 polis fired 2 shots when both of them failed to rob a China Doll In Jalan Pudu.

Maybe the only polis hero is the chinese inspector whom got hit in both legs during a real gun fight.

So, it is not about killing the Indians. But we have trigger happy cops and they think they are above the law.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Anonymous said...

while i totally abhor the wanton shooting and the act of shoot to kill by any law enforcer i am of the opinion that the act of suicide and the forcing on the children to drink weed killer are equally as wrong. The life of any child should never be at the mercy of any parent. Therefore, one should not categorize these two incidents as one and i deem that the suicide act as an isolate incident.

___________________________________________________________________

My positive and/or negative comments in relation to Indians been killed by police is ONLY one,. Lets change the government. Dont trust on this 1 Malaysia slogan or worships. Lets us vote for Pakatan government in next GE. Say NO to BN.

Thank you.

Regards.

TK
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Nisha:-
What kinda opinion you want?It is so abvious that they are destroying our community.....and yet we still send our children to their schools....look at chinese.....they send all their children to chinese school and they are saving their community but our Indian are killing each other.Because of these few thing they fight, they was caught and beaten up in the lock up and was killed.What happen if the Malays do that will they also do the same thing to them?Will they shot them to death?There are so many Malays are rapping and killing their own flesh blood,what happen to them?Jailed,rotan,and got released at last.But for our poor Indians were killed.How are we gonna survive if we don't support our own community?There is no point that we fight for our rights and ask them to build Tamil Schools since very few are sending theirs children to Tamil School.All those are sending to Tamil schools are those in the estate because not enought money...those in good status are sending their children to other schools.The reason is Tamil school have not enought facilities.....how are we gonna have better schools since all are not supporting?How are we gonna argue for our rights?I'll guarantee that in another 5 years they will start to destroy our schools as well and no more Indian in Malaysia.Every matter that are goin on now starts from this simple matter.Please think about this.And please share this with other Tamizhans also.....Valgha Tamizh....
___________________________________________________________________
Satish,

Saya Adalah Ketua Bagi Parti Hindu Right Action Force (HINDRAF) HINDRAF BOLEH MELAYU MUSUH HINDRAF

___________________________________________________________________
RAZ Rajan
I JUST CAN'T IMAGINE WHY ONLY INDIAN ARE KILLING.. WHY HUMAN RIGHT COMMISSION NOT TAKE ANY ACTION..??

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Mathavan:-
It is sad to see Indian youths being shot dead by police. Shoot to dead is not a way of solving the crime cases. We have to see the root cause for this matter. During the land in Sepang taken for KLIA development the residents there, mostly Malays, were compensated handsomely. But, when it come to Putrajaya development, the residents there, mostly Indians, just been chased away, and the government of the day just don’t even bothered o help them to accommodate or negotiate with the developer to get this people any good compensation. This is just one example, there are so many cases happened in last 50 years. All went unnoticed because nobody cares for the Indian community. When these people, from estates, being left stranded in towns they are tend to do anything to find a shelter for their family, food for their children, and a job to continue living. This is the start for all the ill of the society. If the government cannot tackle this kind of root problem, then we can expect more Indians being killed by the government authority.
___________________________________________________________________
Shanmugam
இந்தியர்களை கொன்று குவிக்கின்றனர் இந்த கொடுங்கோல் அரசாங்கமான அம்னோ . இதை தட்டி கேட்பதே எங்கள் நோக்கம் என்று கூறுகின்றனர் ஹிண்டராப் தரப்பினர். இவர்கள் நோக்கம் புனிதமானது என்பதே உண்மை. இதை யாராலும் மறுக்க முடியாது . சீதாவின் குடும்பத்தாருக்கு நடந்தது மிகப் பெரும் கொடுமை . இவர் தன் நான்கு பிள்ளைகளுக்கும் விஷம் கொடுத்து தானும் தன் உயிரை மாய்த்துக்கொள்ள முயன்றது, இவர் துயர் தாளமுடியாததுதான் காரணம். இதற்கு காரணம் காவல் துறையினரே. இதை மறுத்து காவல் துறையினர் பிரிந்து வாழும் சீதாவின் கணவரை கைது செய்து புண்படுத்துவது என்ன வேடிக்கை. இன்று சீதா இவ்வுலகில் இல்லை. இவர் பட்ட துன்பம் இன்னொரு இந்தியருக்கு வரவே கூடாது.
_________________________________________________________________
Sivaa Prakash Subramaniam
no point of we just keep on talking. if can ask our indian policeman to kill any of malay man in custody. then we see wat happens. are they going to keep that matter silent or it become big issue.
_________________________________________________________________

Nisha Durgee They are killing our young generations.....they are destroying us......what happen to d justice....if we let them continue to do this our comunity will just gone like that....we need to do something to stop all this nonsence.....

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P.Selvamalar from Port Kelang expresses her feelings on Seetha's suicide following the 5 Indians shot dead by Malaysian police. " We need HINDRAF...."

See video below-

Converted to Islam at 7 in welfare home - Malaysiakini

A mother of two claims that she was unwittingly converted to Islam by state religious authorities as a child while at a welfare home in Kepala Batas, Penang.

S Banggarma, whose Muslim name is Siti Hasnah Vangarama Abdullah, said she discovered this when seeking to register her marriage in 2000.

According to the housewife, she was converted to Islam in 1989, when she was seven years old.

Banggarama has sought the help of PKR Kedah Youth deputy chief and lawyer Gooi Hsiao Leung and the party's Kedah Indian affairs bureau deputy chief R Kumaraguru Naidu.

Prior to getting married to her fisherman husband S Sockalingam, the 27-year-old woman said she had to obtain her MyKad from the National Registration Department (NRD) in Ipoh.

Her marriage took place in Tanjung Piandang, Perak.

Banggarma had apparently fled from the Rumah Kanak-Kanak Taman Bakti when she was 16 together with several inmates without taking any of her identity documents.

"I was shocked when the NRD officers told me that I'm a Muslim convert by the name of Siti Hasnah. I was issued a MyKad with that name," she told a press conference at Gooi's office in Georgetown this afternoon.

She said due to her Muslim name, she could not register her marriage to Sockalingam, which was conducted according to Hindu rites. She was also unable to register her husband's name as the father in her children's birth certificates.

Birth cert states 'Hindu'

According to Banggarma, after being told about her conversion, she went back to the welfare home to retrieve her identity documents.

At the home, an officer handed over her birth certificate which stipulated that she was a born Hindu on Aug 13, 1982.

The certificate revealed that she was born in Keratong, Pahang to plantation worker B Subramaniam and Latchumy Ramadu.

The welfare home officer also handed over a certificate disclosing her conversion in 1989.

She was apparently converted to Islam before a religious officer representing the state Islamic council and department. The document showed her signature 'Hasnah' on the left side bottom corner.

However, Banggarma could not recall the incident and claimed that she was living as a Hindu while she was at the welfare home.

"I have always been a practicing Hindu," she told reporters.

However, she admitted that she had attended Islamic prayer sessions with other inmates. "I supposed I just followed the crowd," she said.

Due to the conversion, Banggarma had difficulties in registering the birth of her two children - Kanagaraj, eight, and Hisyanthini, two – until last year.

"I finally managed to obtain birth certificates for my Hindu children through legal help. I also tried to change my name back to my original Hindu name in my MyKad twice. But my attempts were unsuccessful," she said.

Islamic authorities to investigate

Meanwhile, Gooi said he would bring up the issue with the state Islamic authorities to find a solution to end her Banggarma's predicament.

"We would take the matter to court if we have to," he said.

Gooi also chided the officers who converted Banggarma for being "irresponsible" and the welfare home for neglecting its duty.

"A welfare home's primary objective is to take care of the children, not convert them. Only an irresponsible person would have converted a seven-year-old," he said.

Contacted later, Penang Islamic Religious Affairs Council president Shabudin Yahaya said he would push for an investigation into the case.

"It happened a long time ago. We have to check our past records. It would take time," he said.

State executive councillor in charge of Islamic affairs Abdul Malik Kassim however declined to comment on the case since it was a legal issue.

'My husband and kids are all I have'

During the press conference, Banggarma also revealed that she was brought to the welfare home together with two of her elder brothers and a younger sister.

"I was apparently found sleeping with my siblings on the roadside in Kepala Batas when the welfare officers took us to the home," she recalled.

However, once they were enrolled into the welfare home, the siblings were separated and she never met them again.

Banggarma said her mother died when she was very young and her father had abandoned her and her siblings soon after.

She said her father had visited her at the welfare home only once when she 13.

Banggarma added that she had three more older siblings who went missing before she was placed in the welfare home.

"My husband and my children are all I have. They are the world to me," she said.

Protest held at MCA HQ against Ong's unity plan

High Court: MACC's night interrogation illegal

Anwar Ibrahim: Mufti uproar. 5 indians shot dead by police, no uproar. Suicide by sister of victim.

Anwar Ibrahim: Mufti uproar. 5 indians shot dead by police, no uproar. Suicide by sister of victim.

Uproar over charging of ex (Perlis) mufti (The Star 19/11/2009 at page N26) Rightly so, but this PKR Paramount leader and Opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim did not raise nor create an uproar or walk out of Parliament in protest of the five Indian youths including a 17 year old juvenile being shot dead in a shoot to kill policy his sister commited suicide in her sorrow and her four children given poison to die. Even in a grave tragedy like this especially the non Indian P.R. MPs’ and leaders not care.

It is because of this kind of sidelining of the critical Indian problems this case being the latest in thousands of others and also by the other PKR, DAP and PAS leaders and their 82 Opposition Members of Parliament that has led to this critical state of problems having befallen on the Malaysian Indians today not by commission but by their omission.

Pray tell us of one incident in the 52 year old history of Malaysia where five Malays or Chinese were shot dead by the police in one transaction and followed by a suicide by one lady and her four children still fighting for their lives. Remember the kind of attention just one Teoh Beng Hock rightly got.

The writing on the wall is very clear that is we have to fight our own battle. While UMNO oppresses the Indians, PKR, DAP and PAS merely and only want the Indian votes. Not the Indian problems. No way as is evidenced by this latest tragedy.

P. Uthayakumar

Shoot-out victim’s sister dies, children recovering (NST 19/09/2009 at page 12)

Royal Commission on Police Shooting dead mere Indian suspects.

Media Statement ( 19/11/2009)

Re: Royal Commission on Police Shooting dead mere Indian suspects.

The passing away of R.Seetha (33) yesterday (18/11/2009) after having consumed paraquat shortly after five Indian youths including her brother and a 17 year juvenile were shot dead by the police marks a new height in the police shoot to kill of especially mere Indian suspects saga.

It is in Malaysia a trite law and also an internationally practiced law that a man is presumed innocent until proven guilty. This is entrenched in Article 5 of the Federal Constitution ( Right to life ) and read with Section 15 (3) of the Criminal Procedure Code ( no right to cause death when arresting).This highly and alarmingly accelerating Malay-sian police shooting dead policy of in particular the working class Indians is unacceptable by any standards.

The Malaysian public’s wish in the RM 1 Billion allocation in the 2010 National Budget for the Royal Malaysian Police Force could not have been for the police to summarily execute in particular Malaysian Indians under their shoot to kill policy. The due process of law is for proper police investigations, arrest, prosecution, court finding one guilty, accused exhausting all his higher court appeals, his royal pardon being rejected and then and only then he being sent to jail or the gallows ( if so decided by the courts). The Malaysian Police cannot singularly assume the roles of Judge, Jury, Prosecutor, Enforcement and Executioner.

We are of the view that also because the Opposition Leader Dato Seri Anuar Ibrahim, DAP Supremo Lim Kit Siang and PAS President Hadi Awang and all PKR, DAP and PASnon Indian leaders and the 82 M.P’s of PKR,DAPand PAS thereto also not submitting an Emergency Motion in Parliament (which is now in session) and in the State Assemblies of Kedah, Penang and Selangor ( as done for the Perlis mufti) They also all took a lackadiastiacal attitude and had not pushed and/or campaigned at all for the said Royal Commission of Enquiry as was done in the case of Teoh Beng Hock after which a Royal Commission of enquiry was in fact announced by the Prime Minister himself within five (5) days of Teoh’s death. This omissions has also contributed in resulting in these Malay-sian police shoot to kill policy of in particular against the Malaysian Indians and which is accelerating with impunity. This is disappointing as unlike UNMO,MCA and MIC, PKR, DAP and PAS claim to be “multi-racial” parties.

As a follow up, we would on the Second Anniversary of the 25^th November 2007 Hindraf peacefully rally would on 25/11/2009 present this our formal written request to Prime Minister Badawi at Putrajaya for a Royal Commission of Enquiry to be instituted forthwith with the view to put a stop to this police shot to kill policy.

Vide our memorandum titled “A TRIGGER HAPPY ROYAL MALAYSIAN POLICE FORCE “and dated 13/10/2002 to the than Prime Minister we have recorded 1.3 persons (Malaysians) being shot dead per week by the Malaysian Police. However this figure has alarmingly accelerated to one Malaysian Indian being shot dead every day for the period 8/11/2009 to 13/11/2009. ( see front page of the memorandum below ). Further 90% of these police shot dead local victims are Indians when they only form 7.5% of the Malaysian population.

We are naturally concerned.

Thank You.

Your Faithfully,

________________________

P.Uthayakumar.

Secretary General (pro-tem)

Part 5: I just want the harassment to end

Bala reveals that to date he was paid RM750,000 but the harassment continues and he feels more like a prisoner. He says he has come out of the closet so that the harassment can end and he can lead a normal life again. He just wants his life back.

THE CORRIDORS OF POWER

Raja Petra Kamarudin

Q 69. How long had you known ASP Suresh before this incident?

A. I have known him for about 10 years. I met him when he was a senior Investigation Officer at the IPK Kuala Lumpur. I was a private investigator then. ASP Suresh used to ask me to assist him in obtaining fast traces and details on mobile phones as I had contacts in the phone companies and was able to get the information required faster than the police who had to go through official channels.

At one stage I was working for ASP Suresh as a bouncer at his pub in Jalan Imbi.

He had been suspended from his duties as a police officer sometime in 2006 as he was being investigated for corruption by the ACA.

Q 70. Had you met Deepak before this incident?

A. No. But I had done some PI work for his brother Dinesh in the past. I knew Deepak was Dinesh’s brother.

Q 71. You have said that you met a Malay VIP Datuk outside the Volkswagen showroom at The Curve on the night of July 3rd 2008. Who was this gentleman?

A. He was Datuk Nazim Razak, the younger brother of Najib. He was there with his pregnant wife. Although I did not speak to her, I recognised her as being a TV personality. I think she was the host on the ‘Nona’ programme.

Deepak was the one who brought them there to meet me.

That is why ASP Suresh did not want us to meet in a place where there would have been a CCTV camera.

Q 72. When you were in the Hilton Hotel at KL Sentral with Deepak, Dinesh and ASP and after you had signed the 2nd statutory declaration, was there anything said to you which you consider to be significant?

A. Yes there were two things which Deepak told me.

He informed me that Rosmah was very happy with me for retracting my 1st statutory declaration and wanted to have breakfast with me.

When I enquired from Deepak how long I was expected to leave the country for, he informed me it would be until Najib became the next Prime Minister and that I could return after that.

Q 73. When did you contact your lawyer Americk Sidhu?

A. I called him in the middle of July 2009. I was still in India then. I wanted to arrange a meeting with him to inform him what had happened to me and to apologise for all the trouble I had caused. Americk was in the UK when I called him so we arranged to meet in Kuala Lumpur when he returned at the beginning of August.

Q 74. Did you meet him?

A. Yes. We met in early August. At the meeting were two other senior lawyers who Americk had arranged to be present. I told them everything that had happened to me from the time I left Americk’s office in the evening of the 3rd July 2008.

Q 75. Did you realise that this meeting had been secretly videoed?

A. I did not realise I was being filmed. I was however subsequently informed that a recording had been made and this video is safekeeping. I understand this was done to protect me in the event something untoward happened to me again.

Q 76. How did you manage to survive financially all the time you were away?

A. Deepak arranged intermittent payments to be made to me. Some payments were made to my wife directly into her account with the EON Bank in KL.

Other payments were made to ASP Suresh who then arranged payment to me directly or through a friend of mine in Malaysia.

I have copies of some of the cheques issued by Deepak Jaikishan and from his company Carpet Raya Sdn Bhd.

I also have copies of my wife’s bank statements showing the deposits which were made.

I also have copies of my HSBC account in Chennai.

Q 77. How much money did you receive from Deepak from the time you left Malaysia in July 2008 till now?

A. All together approximately RM750,000.00.

Q 78. Do you have any money left?

A. Yes, I have invested approximately RM250,000.00 for my future as I am not sure what will happen to me.

I also spent some money on renovations to my house in Rawang as my wife and youngest child were there. These renovations were in respect of the security of my home only.

The rest of the money was spent on renting accommodation in Chennai, paying for my children’s schooling and for daily expenses.

Q 79. Didn’t Deepak promise you RM5 million?

A. The negotiations were all conducted by ASP Suresh at the Bak Kut Teh stall in Rawang on the night of the 3rd July 2008. I was not involved in these negotiations as I was not concerned about money but the safety of my family.

I have subsequently come to realise that ASP Suresh had a vested interest in all this as I know he has received about the same amount of money from Deepak as I have. His job was to keep me under control. This is why he is annoyed with me for not following his instructions because his income from Deepak would be affected.

Q 80. Why did you wait so long before revealing all this?

A. When I was at the Hilton Hotel at KL Sentral, I had asked Deepak how long I would have to stay out of the country. He told me it would have to be until Najib became the Prime Minister.

I could not return to Malaysia before February 2009 as one Kumar had my passport in his possession in India for 5 months.

I only got my passport back after I complained to Deepak when he visited me in India with ASP Suresh. Deepak called his brother Rajesh to find out what had happened to my passport and within 2 days Kumar asked me to pick it up from him.

I was at this time in India illegally as my visa had expired on the 5th September 2008.

In order to get my visa extended I had to seek assistance from my wife’s uncle the exco member who managed to get it extended for 1 year. Only after this was I able to travel back to Malaysia.

Q 81. What happened when you arrived back in Malaysia in February 2009?

A. When I landed in KL, I called Dinesh to inform him I was back in Malaysia. I was summoned to Deepaks office in Sungai Besi at 11.45 pm the same night and was told in no uncertain terms to leave the country immediately, but I stayed a little longer as I wanted to be with my children and my wife. They didn’t know I had not left immediately.

Q 82. Why did you come back to Malaysia in April 2009?

A. Just to see my wife and children. This time I did not tell anyone I was back and so I was not harassed.

Q 83. Why have you now decided to reveal everything?

A. Because I want to stop all harassments and so that I can return to my normal life.

Q 84. Were the contents of your 1st statutory declaration true?

A. Yes.

Q 85. Were you forced to sign the 1st statutory declaration under duress?

A. Absolutely not. (See the video here: Was PI intimidated or induced?)

Q 86. Were you forced to sign the 2nd statutory declaration under duress?

A. Yes, because I was fearful for the safety of my family and I did not read the contents of the 2nd statutory declaration before I was asked to sign it.

Part 1: The mystery unveiled

Part 2: Bala’s prison without bars

Part 3: The Malaysian police catch up with Bala

Part 4: Bala finds his life turned upside down

************************************

Police track missing PI, record his statement

KUALA LUMPUR, July 9, 2008 (Bernama) -- Police have tracked private investigator P. Balasubramaniam's whereabout and recorded his statement in connection with his statutory declarations as well as his disappearance from the country.

Bukit Aman CID Chief Datuk Mohd Bakri Zinin said Balasubramaniam, who was reported missing since Friday, was currenty abroad and a team of police officers had been dispatched there to record his statement.

He declined to reveal which country Balasubramaniam was currently in.

"We have sent several officers there to record his statement. He is still abroad," he told Bernama when contacted.

Mohd Bakri said the police got hold of Balasubramaniam whereabout following information provided by the authorities there.

He also declined to say when was it that the police came to know of Balasubramaniam's whereabout.

"There is not need to know when. The important thing is our officers are already there to record his statement," he said.

Mohd Bakri also said the police needed some time to investigate the matter.

"Give us rooms to carry out the investigations without having to put up with unnecessary pressure," he said, adding that the police would investigate the matter in a transparent and professional manner.

Balasubramaniam made headlines a week ago when he came up with a statutory declaration, alleging Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak's involvement with Mongolian Altantuya Shaariibuu.

Balasubramaniam however issued another statutory declaration on July 3 to retract all statements he made against Najib in the earlier declaration dated July 1.

71 Cases Of Posting False, Lewed And Islam-Bashing Contents On Internet Under Probe

(Bernama) -- The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission is investigating 71 cases of Internet abuse by disseminating false and lewed contents and contents that insult Islam.

Information Communication and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Dr Rais Yatim said out of the 71, eight had been acted upon under the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998 for defaming others.

"One had pleaded guilty and fined RM10,000 and the court also imposed certain conditions on the accused, while seven are awaiting trial," he said in reply to a question from Matulidi Jusoh (BN-Dungun) in the Dewan Rakyat Thursday.

Rais said seven people, including one who had fled to avoid action, were involved in disseminating contents that ridiculed Islam and the MCMC was tracing the one who fled.

He disclosed that the ministry had also taken action under Section 263 of the Act against seven websites which insulted Islam, namely www.syurga-islam.blogspot.com, www.faithfreedom.org, manatuhanallah.wordpress.com, adibahahmed.blogspot.com, surind.blogspot.com, tokbatinsenoi.blogspot.com and www.malaysia-today.net/.

Rais said besides charging the offenders under the law, Section 263 of the Act also allowed the MCMC and the other authorities to give written notice to the Internet service provider to take appropriate action to prevent such an offence.

To a supplementary question from Hamim Samuri (BN-Ledang) on the effectiveness of the broadband centres, he said to date, 85 centres were in operation nationwide and another 89 were being set up and expected to be completed by the year end.

"By the middle of next year, the broadband penetration will be awesome with the speed of 4mbps increased to 10mbps, while some broadband centres will attain the speed of at least 4mbps," he said.

Malaysia's corruption ranking dips, again

Among all ASEAN countries, only Malaysia's and Thailand's rankings dipped. But Thailand had fallen only four places while Malaysia had fallen nine places. Meanwhile, Indonesia achieved greatest improvement among ASEAN countries as it rose to 111 from 126 last year.

By LIM SUE GOAN/ Translated by SOONG PHUI JEE/ Sin Chew Daily

According to a recent poll, Najib's approval rating remains at 60%. It is indeed a good news. However, there are also two bad news: 74% of people are dissatisfied with the government's performance in fighting corruption and abuse of power; and Malaysia's corruption ranking had fallen to 56, from 47 last year.

Malaysia was ranked 23 in 1995 and today, it fell to the lowest ranking over the past 15 years. It had sounded an alarm for the country's anti-corruption and foreign investment attraction. It also brought two unusual messages: Why is Malaysia one of the two ASEAN countries going backward? How could the ranking fall even the government has been calling to fight corruption, upgraded the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission and listed anti-corruption as one of the Key Performance Indicator (KPI) areas?

Among all ASEAN countries, only Malaysia's and Thailand's rankings dipped. But Thailand had fallen only four places while Malaysia had fallen nine places. Meanwhile, Indonesia achieved greatest improvement among ASEAN countries as it rose to 111 from 126 last year. Competitions among countries are just like sailing against the current, you will soon be surpassed if you are falling behind while others are going forward.

It does not limited only to anti graft, but other areas like economy, national competitiveness, education, people's quality, as well as human and social development are facing the same predicament. South Korea was not doing as good as Malaysia before but now, it is doing much better than us. Indonesia, Vietnam and Philippines are working hard to rise but Malaysia is going backward. Sooner or after, it will be surpassed by laggard countries and become a non-mainstream country.

Besides, how could the ranking fall even after they have “done so many” and put in so much of manpower and resources? The most crucial factor is, they are lack of political commitments. More and more cases are left unsettled while those cases brought to court ended up in loss. As time passes, foreigners have a negative view, they will see anti-corruption slogans as political tricks that meant only to win votes.

Yes, MACC is doing its work, including carrying out the investigation on V.K Lingam's video clip case and the Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ) scandal. But what is the progress after they have opened the files?

The police always announce the crime detection rate but MACC dares not to announce its detection and successful prosecution rates. It's investigations seem too mysterious and this has greatly reduced its credibility.

The government has no political commitment to MACC, causing the commission to act so evasively with the mentality of turning big issues into small problems. For example, the commission's Deputy Commissioner Datuk Abu Kassim Mohammed revealed earlier in a media briefing that the commission had provided advice for the poisoning incident in 2007 and it had as well provided suggestions for the wasteful spending issue involving a National Youth Skills Development Institute (IKBN). MACC is meant to fight corruption instead of providing advice. How is it going to fight corruption if it is not able even to understand the point?

Another absurdity is, MACC had arrested 605 people alleged to have been involved in graft but only 46% of them were civil servants. It reflected that the awareness levels of civil servants have increased. Everyone knows that the public sector is facing a serious corruption problem but MACC actually came out with such an idiotic conclusion.

Perhaps there is an advantage to have such a low ranking as it will be easier to rise next year. The problem is, can Malaysia do it?