BREAKING NEWS A surau at Kg Sabak Awor in Muar become the latest target of arson in the early hours of this morning.
This is confirmed by the Muar police chief ACP Mohd Nasir Ramli. According to him, the surau's curtain was found burnt while its windows had been smashed.
The latest arson attempt is the 14th attack on places of worship across Malaysia over the past week. To date, 11 churches, one Sikh temple and two mosques were hit.
The attacks came in the wake of a spate of fire-bombings against churches across the nation, triggered by the High Court's Dec 31 decision to lift a government ban on non-Muslims using 'Allah' as a translation for 'God'.
The ruling in favour of Catholic newspaper Herald, which argued for the right to use 'Allah' in its Malay-language section, was suspended last week pending an appeal, after the government argued that 'Allah' is exclusive to Malay Muslims.
DAP condemns attack
In an immediate response, DAP Secretary-General Lim Guan Eng condemned the attack.
He said that he was informed of the attempted arson of the surau by DAP Bentayan state assembly person, Gwee Tong Hiang.
“We do not know if the incident has any link with the current spat of destructive attempts on various places of worship, be they mosques, churches or gurdwara (Sikh temples), but it certainly creates more anxiety among peace-loving Malaysians.
"The DAP strongly condemns the destructive behaviour of the perpetrator of such irresponsible attacks who clearly intended to provoke suspicious among our multi-racial and multi-religious communities," said Lim in a statement.
The Penang chief minister urged the police to bring the perpetrators to justice and to prevent any further similar incident from happening.
IPOH, 2 Disember - Ramai yang keliru dengan slogan ‘1 Malaysia’ yang diwar-warkan oleh Perdana Menteri Dato Seri Najib sejak tujuh bulan yang lalu. Adakah ‘1 Malaysia’ akan membuka peluang kepada golongan bukan Melayu untuk maju dalam rancangan pembangunan negara? Atau pun ramai peniaga India dipinggirkan?
Para peniaga India hairan melihat sepanduk yang tertulis ‘Khas untuk bumiputera’ digantung di depan barisan kedai di Pasar Medan Jaya yang baru dibina di Jalan Ling Poon Swee, Ipoh.
Jikalau barisan kedai ini yang dibina oleh Mara hanya untuk bumiputera bagaimana dengan peniaga bangsa lain? Adakah Mara kepunyaan orang Melayu sahaja?
Malaysia mempunyai orang miskin daripada bangsa Melayu, Cina dan India. Sekiranya kedai yang dibina untuk perniagaan kecil hanya dikhaskan untuk orang Melayu adakah ia bererti orang lain tidak layak untuk berniaga.
Komen HRP: Kerajaan pimpinan UMNO harus merealisasikan slogan “1 Malaysia” dari semua aspek kepada semua kaum di Malaysia untuk menunjukkan keberkesananya daripada hanya mewar-warkannya tanpa sebarang tindakan susulan.
SHAH ALAM: Several turncoats and pro-Barisan Nasional elements in the Klang Municipal Council are setting the stage to discredit Selangor Menter Besar Abdul Khalid Ibrahim (picture) and topple him soon.
In their attempt to pull the rug under Khalid’s feet in his Kuala Selangor PKR division, 13 of the 16 elected division committee members resigned and his division deputy, Arshad Abu Bakar, claimed yesterday that they included the youth and wanita chiefs.
Quietly, the Klang Municipal Council also moved in to demolish the north Klang taxi stand early Wednesday morning even without endorsement from the Menteri Besar, while the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission has turned the pressure on Pakatan Rakyat elected representatives over minor graft reports.
At a press conference yesterday, Arshad told reporters that PKR’s Kuala Selangor division had lost confidence in Khalid’s leadership but Khalid dismissed Arshad’s claim and said the division had not been disbanded.
Khalid said their resignations were expected because they were originally Umno members who had joined PKR and were now jumping back to Umno.
“The claim of loss of confidence is nothing unusual,” Khalid said. “Perhaps the statement was written by Umno for him to read.”
Arshad claimed that the three remaining elected committee members in the PKR division were Khalid, Faridah Abdul Rahman and himself.
He said the 13 committee members and division youth chief Nazarudin Darmawan and Wanita head Fauziah Sulaiman resigned from their posts between November last year and last Monday.
Arshad claimed that Khalid had failed to lead the division, which had not had its committee meeting in 14 months and did not take the initiative to strengthen the party despite many cases of non-Malay members quitting the party.
After yesterday’s state executive council meeting, Khalid, however, said the status of the division remained unchanged as there was no meeting held to disband the division.
“The election to choose a new committee will be held in March. That is why some want to quit their posts,” he said, adding that it was better for those who were not in tune with the party to resign.
Khalid said there were only 100 PKR members in Kuala Selangor in early 2007 and the number had now increased to 3,000.
He said it was better for the pro-Umno members to leave now than wait until the next general election.
It would be easier for PKR to manage the party without those who were not interested in the concept of Pakatan Rakyat, he added.
Kapar MP and PKR supreme council member S. Manikavasagam said what happened in Kuala Selangor PKR division was a part of an effort to dislodge Khalid from the mentri besar’s post.
He said the demolition of the north Klang taxi stand on Wednesday was carried out by Klang Municipal Council workers quietly in the wee hours.
Manikavasagam said the local councils in the state were currently being used as catalysts to discredit the mentri besar and the Pakatan Rakyat state government.
PUTRAJAYA, Jan 21 — The Federal Court today overturned what it called the “blatant and obvious” mistake of the controversial 2000 Adorna Properties ruling which had resulted in victims of land fraud being unable to recover their property, in a decision that will bring relief to land owners left exposed to fraudulent transfers.
For the past ten years, a registered owner of a property who discovers that his title has been fraudulently transferred to someone else would indubitably learn that he had no legal recourse to reclaim his property.
The Federal Court changed all that today when it overturned a controversial 2000 ruling in the case of Adorna Properties vs Boonsom Boonyanit, which set the precedent for disputes over land ownership.
In the Adorna decision made by a three-man panel led by then Chief Justice Tun Eusoff Chin, the Federal Court ruled that a person who had obtained a title, whether fraudulently or not, had a legal claim to the property.
A five-man bench led by current Chief Justice Tun Zaki Azmi, however, unanimously ruled that the rightful owner of a property title can set aside the second man’s claim even after the title has been transferred to the latter, based on Section 340(2) of the National Land Code 1965, which states:
“The title or interest of any such person or body shall not be indefeasible -
“(a) in any case of fraud or misrepresentation to which the person or body, or any agent of the person or body, was a party or privy; or
“(b) where registration was obtained by forgery, or by means of an insufficient or void instrument; or
“(c) where the title or interest was unlawfully acquired by the person or body in the purported exercise of any power or authority conferred by any written law.”
“If it can be shown that the title was obtained by forgery or misrepresentation, then his claim can be defeated,” Zaki pointed out, referring to the doctrine of “immediate indefeasibility” which was the basis of the 2000 ruling.
He added that the second person does not have to prove he had taken part in the alleged fraud, after Chief Judge of Malaya Tan Sri Arifin Zakaria read out the decision.
In today’s decision, the Federal Court is seen to have righted a wrong perpetuated for the past decade.
Zaki noted that the “error committed by the Federal Court in Adorna is so blatant and obvious” and that it is “quite well-known that some unscrupulous people had taken advantage [of this] to transfer land to themselves.”
“I hope the land authorities will be extra careful when they register transfers of land,” Zaki stressed.
The landmark pronouncement was made following submissions last Oct 29 for Pahang landowner Tan Yin Hong, who was appealing against a Court of Appeal decision in 2009.
Tan’s case dates back to 1976, when the Pahang state government had “mysteriously” alienated and issued a land title for a 9-acre piece of land in Kuantan in his name.
In 1985, Tan received a letter from United Malayan Banking (now known as RHB) telling him to pay back RM300,000 as an outstanding loan given by the bank to a timber company.
Tan investigated and found out another person named Tan Sian San (not related) had in 1977 forged his signature and obtained “power of attorney” or a court document to acknowledge that Sian San was representing Tan Yin Hong.
In 1984, Sian San charged the land to RHB as security for a loan to Cini Timber Industries, and subsequently disappeared.
Tan sued the bank. In 2003, the High Court dismissed his application. The Court of Appeal upheld that decision.
But with today’s ruling, the Federal Court decided that the bank’s charges against Tan Yin Hong are no longer valid because of forgery.
“The charges held by the bank can be defeated,” Tan Yin Hong’s lawyer, T. Mura Raju explained to reporters.
The Federal Court also ordered RHB to pay RM75,000 in legal costs to Tan, who is still living in Kuantan.
KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 21 — A surau in Muar, Johor suffered damage to one window and curtains in a blaze early this morning but police are cautious in linking the incident to a spate of attacks on houses of worship over the controversial “Allah” ruling.
Muar OCPD Mohammed Nasir Ramli told The Malaysian Insider that pre-dawn blaze only damaged the curtains and a window of the Sirratulrahim Surau in Kampung Sabak Awor, Jalan Ismail in Muar.
“We are still investigating... we don’t know if it was attacked, we can’t say that. Let the police do its investigations first,” he said in a phone interview.
The Muar police chief said three youths from the area had discovered the damages at about 3am and reported it to the police.
Nine churches, one mosque, one surau, one Sikh temple and one convent school have been damaged by fire, paint or stones since Jan 8.
The attacks came in the wake of the Dec 31, 2009 High Court ruling that allowed Catholic weekly Herald to use the term “Allah” to describe the Christian God in their Bahasa Malaysia section. The government has appealed against the decision and obtained a stay of execution.
In a statement today, DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng condemned “the destructive behaviour of the perpetrator of such irresponsible attacks, who clearly intended to provoke suspicions among our multi-racial and multi-religious communities”.
“We urge the police to step up its investigation and monitoring mechanism to bring the perpetrators to justice, and to prevent any further similar incident from happening in order to safeguard our harmonious way of life,” the Penang chief minister said.
Najib inspects a guard of honour on his arrival in New Delhi. — Reuters pic
NEW DELHI, Jan 21 — Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak yesterday called for an early conclusion of a key economic pact between Malaysia and India, and said Kuala Lumpur was eyeing India’s “mind-boggling” infrastructure spending plans to help fuel growth in his own country.
Kuala Lumpur mooted a Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (Ceca) with New Delhi some months after Singapore and India signed a Ceca in June 2005 — the most ambitious agreement of its kind attempted by India until then.
But progress on the Malaysia-India Ceca has been slow due to political difficulties on both sides, Malaysian officials said.
Meanwhile, Asean and India clinched a free trade agreement (FTA) that came into effect three weeks ago. While Malaysia is one of the biggest beneficiaries of the FTA, Najib wants to do more to take bilateral trade beyond the current US$10 billion (RM34 billion) level.
“Our bilateral trade has been growing at an annual pace of 23 per cent over the past five years,” he told a luncheon meeting organised by industry chambers in New Delhi yesterday.
“It is time to take our collaboration to a higher level. The Ceca is vital for us to conclude and I would like to see it in place by the end of the year if possible.”
Najib, faced with flagging growth at home, is looking for new engines to boost economic expansion, and India’s US$1.2 trillion economy, which some expect to clock double-digit expansion next year, is a huge lure.
Malaysian infrastructure companies have completed 51 projects in India worth US$2.3 billion in recent years, and are currently handling contracts worth a similar sum. These range from airports to highways and parking facilities.
India has emerged as the nation with the largest infrastructure plans, Najib noted.
“It is mind-boggling when you think that India is planning to spend half a trillion dollars on infrastructure over the next five years,” he said. “Malaysian companies have a good track record in infrastructure and they tell me that the Indian government is a good paymaster.”
He also made a strong pitch for Indian companies to consider listing their shares on the Malaysian board and to tap its capital markets.
“Our capital market is broad-based and our regulatory framework meets international standards,” he said. “Our bond market is the third largest in Asia on a GDP-adjusted basis, after Japan and South Korea. The World Bank and International Finance Corp have all generated funding through our bond market.”
Earlier, Najib was given a ceremonial welcome in the forecourt of the magnificent presidential palace.
Eight Cabinet ministers, a deputy minister and five state chief ministers are part of his 220-plus strong delegation, described as one of the largest entourages taken overseas by a Malaysian leader.
Najib held formal talks with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and called on President Pratibha Patil and Vice-President Hamid Ansari. He also called on Congress Party chief Sonia Gandhi at her residence and will meet her son, second-time MP Rahul Gandhi, today.
His four-day trip ends tomorrow in Chennai, the capital of Tamil Nadu state, where he will address the Confederation of Indian Industry’s annual partnership summit.
The trip to Tamil Nadu is a calibrated political gesture from a government that has been criticised frequently in India, particularly in the southern Indian state, over its handling of issues relating to the Indian minority.
Malaysia has complained that more than 44,000 Indians had overstayed their visas but Najib pledged that he would work to ease the visa restrictions on Indian nationals that had been imposed as a result. — The Straits Times
In a move dismissed by his detractors as a publicity stunt with perhaps a calculated ulterior motive, former premier Mahathir Mohamad has accused the United States of staging the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Centre in New York in 2001.
By Wong Choon Mei, Harakah
“As usual, Dr Mahathir is trying to seeking international attention,” Tian Chua, PKR strategist, told Harakahdaily. “On the other hand, it might be a deliberate move, calculated to warn Prime Minister Najib Razak not to be too friendly with the US.”
“It is indeed a strange time to rehash this particular conspiracy theory. Frankly, this has been the talk since the attacks occurred in 2001. Why is Mahathir helping himself to this story after all these years is anyone’s guess but definitely, there must be elements of self-interest,” Dr Syed Azman, head of PAS international bureau, told Harakahdaily.
The 85-year Mahathir, who ruled Malaysia with a fist of iron from 1981 to 2003, was delivering a speech at the General Conference for the Support of Al-Quds (the Arabic name for Jerusalem), which is being held in Kuala Lumpur.
“In September 2001, the World Trade Centre was attacked allegedly by terrorists. I am not sure now that Muslim terrorists carried out these attacks. There is strong evidence that the attacks were staged. If they can make Avatar, they can make anything,” Mahathir said.
“Killing innocent people to provide an excuse for war is not new to the US but whether the real or staged 9/11 attacks have served the United States and Western countries well. They have an excuse to mount attacks on the Muslim world,” he added.
Who's hypocritical?
But political watchers point out that during his own 22-year rule, Mahathir did not hesitate to roll out the red carpet or to close an eye to big business dealings with Washington. The US is Malayisa’s top trading partner and has been so for decades.
“This is Dr M. He will just shoot off his mouth and accuse others of hypocrisy. He will lash out at the US and try to play hero to the Islamic world. But frankly, how much does the Islamic world acknowledge him,” said Syed Azman.
“While he screams at US injustice and blind support for the Zionist Israel, he still opens our doors wide to business ties. He still paid huge sums to lobbyists just so they can arrange a meeting with former president George W Bush. Is this consistent or is this sheer hypocrisy?
“PAS has always been critical of US foreign policy and favoritism towards Israel. We have never shifted our stand and are not afraid to condemn fairly and openly. We have made it clear that so long as the US does not change its attitude towards Israel, the Muslim world will never be comfortable with it.”
Time to let go
Mahathir also expressed disappointment in President Barack Obama, who celebrates his first year in office today. "I am disappointed with him. He has failed. He did not keep his word,” said the Malaysian leader, who was once described as a ‘recalcitrant’ by former Australian prime minister Paul Keating.
More recently, Mahathir has been the object of interest of another Australian – former Asian Wall Street Journal managing editor Barry Wain. In his book Malaysian Maverick, Wain accused Mahathir of squandering US$100 billion on corrupt and wasteful mega deals.
Despite retiring in 2003, Mahathir has not been shy to offer advice to his successors. Whilst insisting that he did not wish for any Cabinet position – such as the Minister Mentor post created for Singapore’s Lee Kuan Yew – he has been quick to take offense when his advice was not heeded.
His immediate successor Abdullah Badawi bore the brunt of his anger and ridicule. According to political watchers, Najib - who took over from Abdullah in 2009 - is now feeling the same sort of heat.
Like Abdullah, they believe the 56-year old Najib may also buckle under relentless pressure from Mahathir not to change the system or style of governance that he laid down during his two decades long tenure.
However, such adherence would certainly restrict the broad ranging reforms needed by Malaysia to stay in the global game. Mahathir, who commands the respect of the hardliners in their nationalist Umno party, still wields considerable influence in the government machinery. But many believe he has overstayed his welcome.
"His politics is the politics of yesteryears. The world has changed and he should let go gracefully," said Tian.
Najib (left) held a two-hour meeting with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. — Reuters pic
NEW DELHI, Jan 21 — India and Malaysia today witnessed a marked shift in relations with the signing of an extradition treaty, along with two other agreements.
Malaysia’s Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Anifah Aman and his Indian counterpart SM Krishnan signed the landmark document, which will help combat increasing cross-border crimes.
Both governments signed a draft treaty in 2002 and since then officials had been fine-tuning the document during their annual joint commission meetings between both countries.
Visiting Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak and his Indian counterpart Manmohan Singh also held a two-hour long meeting today in the capital, where top cabinet ministers from both sides were also present.
Besides the extradition treaty, two other agreements were also signed — a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on higher education and the Malaysia-India Capital Market Collaborative Agreement between Malaysia’s Securities Commission (SC) and Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI).
Malaysia’s Higher Education Minister Datuk Datuk Mohd Khaled Nordin and India’s Human Resources Development Minister Kapil Sibal inked the education agreement.
SC chairman Tan Sri Zarinah Anwar signed the document pertaining to the capital market while SEBI was represented by its chairman CB Bhave. — Bernama
House of lead plaintiff in landmark rainforest litigation demolished by Sarawak authorities in an arbitrary law enforcement action.
By Bruno Manser Fund
SUNGAI SEKABAI / SARAWAK, EAST MALAYSIA. In a dramatic twist to one of Malaysia’s most prominent legal conflicts between native communities and the government of the East Malaysian state of Sarawak on Borneo, a Sarawak Land and Survey enforcement team, with assistance from Malaysian army personnel and the police, have yesterday demolished 25 houses of an Iban native community at Sungai Sekabai near the town of Bintulu.
According to the Sarawak Indigenous Peoples’ network, TAHABAS, the law enforcement squad demolished about 25 houses with all the natives’ belongings inside without prior notice being given to the community. Most of the occupants were left without any place to live and their belongings were also intentionally destroyed by the enforcement team, writes TAHABAS, adding that the Iban natives were in shock over what had happened to their homes.
Among the victims of the arbitrary attack on the native community’s property is headman Nor anak Nyaway who gained international recognition for having won a land rights litigation against the Sarawak authorities. In a 2001 landmark court ruling, the High Court of Sabah and Sarawak acknowledged that the Iban community under Nor had native customary rights not only over their farmland but also over primary rainforests.
The current demolition of the Iban’s homes is apparently based on an eviction order issued by a local court. Sarawak lawyer Baru Bian, the legal representative of the Iban community, said the court order was granted on technical grounds only and not on merit and that it was under appeal.
Baru, who is also Sarawak chairman of Anwar Ibrahim’s Justice party, PKR, said the authorities’ action was “unacceptable” and “inhumane”. He also commented that the authorities should not be involved at this stage as it was a private land issue between the native community and a timber company. Baru said his law office was currently preparing a new lawsuit on the matter and would ask the court for an order of injunction and for compensation being given to the natives.
The Bruno Manser Fund condemns the Sarawak authorities’ arbitrary destruction of a native village and calls on the international community to pressure Malaysia to respect the hunman rights of Sarawak’s native population.
Khairy, after he was elected Umno Youth chief during party elections in March 2009
(Pic courtesy of theSun)
KHAIRY Jamaluddin wasn't the clear favourite when he was elected Umno Youth chief. A jeering crowd accused him of bribery after he trounced two other contenders in the party elections in March 2009.
But Khairy has emerged bolder and more centrist than his rivals, at least more than the public could have expected Datuk Mukhriz Mahathir and Datuk Seri Dr Mohamad Khir Toyo to be. In trying to straddle the middle ground, will Khairy lose Umno Youth? Or is his vision for the movement overshadowed by baggage from the past?
In part two of this e-mail interview on 7 Jan 2010, Khairy answers some of the criticisms against his leadership of Umno Youth.
TNG: Where is Pemuda today, almost a year after you were elected? Some members say there hasn't been much going on in terms of programmes and activities.
Khairy Jamaluddin: Pemuda remains active in its public pronouncements and activities, be it at national, state or divisional levels. I consistently make public remarks, and I have actively encouraged my deputy and the rest of my exco to speak out and do their bit in representing Pemuda.
In my maiden address as Pemuda leader, I set a number of KPIs (key performance indices) for the movement — among them, to increase party membership and ensure that our members register as voters. These will need some time.
Umno Youth has achieved some significant things in 2009 which set the tone under my leadership. Last year, we started a dialogue with Chinese [Malaysian] non-governmental organisations (NGOs), to which MCA Youth reciprocated by having a session with Malay [Malaysian] NGOs, and we opened a community complaints bureau centre to serve Malaysians in need. To me, events and initiatives which have a lasting positive impact on the community and country are far more gratifying than merely persisting with traditional programmes which may rein in the [Umno crowd] but yield less returns, especially in the current political context.
There have [also] been six by-elections which the Barisan Nasional (BN) contested in since my taking over as leader. So for significant parts of 2009, Umno Youth, and BN Youth for that matter, had been busy with campaign activities. But of course, these — like much of what I do these days — appear invisible to the mainstream media.
Pemuda has traditionally played the role of agitator. Do you envision a different role for Pemuda under your leadership?
I am not sure "agitator" does justice to the Malay word "pendesak", which I presume you were trying to translate from. In any case, I prefer Pemuda to become a "solution provider". Sometimes merely pressuring the government to do this or not do that can make you popular in the short term, but sooner or later people will ask, "What's your alternative?" Pemuda in the 21st century must rise above petty populism to become a movement that looks at an issue from all angles, and offers suggestions and solutions which it feels are best for the people.
How are you closing ranks after the three-way fight in the Youth chief election? Is that progressing well?
In a word, yes. There are [still] bound to be some wounds that take time to fully heal. But ultimately, everyone involved knows that we all belong to the same party, and that disunity will not work in anyone's favour. Most important is for all of us to make Umno more relevant to younger Malaysians and deliver the numbers come the 13th general election. The only way we are going to achieve this is by working together.
The Pemuda retreat in Janda Baik was said to be poorly attended. Why was that, and what does that tell you?
The ones who could not attend the retreat had various reasons. Commitment to other functions — some related to party work, and others to family — were chief among the reasons for their absence.
I don't wish to dwell on this matter, but it is perhaps telling of how Pemuda is held to a different standard of expectations, that journalists and writers so quickly speculate about Pemuda's state of affairs when the other two wings in Umno, which also held their retreats, faced similar problems.
It is not easy to get grown men [or women] to leave the comforts of home, family and other responsibilities and be grilled by army-trained facilitators for days. Nevertheless, it is a problem that we need to look at. A problem of commitment.
What challenges do you face as Pemuda chief nearly a year on?
(Looknarm / Wiki commons)Numerous. But I would say that my largest challenge is to convince the members of the shift in worldview which I outlined in my speech. I strongly believe that once this is achieved, half the battle to make Pemuda Umno relevant to contemporary requirements is won.
Do you feel that members still evaluate you as Pak Lah (former Prime Minister Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi)'s son-in-law, with all the baggage that carries? Or do they view you as a leader in your own right?
You'll have to ask them. But my feeling is that most people — Youth members or otherwise — have moved on. Pak Lah is no longer Umno president and prime minister of Malaysia, so all the controversies that came along with it have dissipated. I have never been one to rely on anybody's voice to form my own opinions; I see no reason for people to not see me as a leader with my own views, visions and styles.
Ultimately you were elected as Pemuda chief, but would you say that in the end you are a minority leader since your votes were less than half the total delegates?
It is customary to not win majority support in a three-way fight where all candidates have their own substantial following. Any one of us could have won with more votes or less than 304. The fact is that the victor becomes the leader of all 700,000-odd Umno Youth members. When [Datuk Seri] Najib [Razak] speaks as the prime minister of Malaysia, he does not only represent people who voted for the BN or the people of Pekan, does he? It is no different in my case.
Do you feel sidelined in Umno, in any way excluded from party decision-making?
No, I don't feel sidelined at all. I participate in the party's highest decision-making bodies — the supreme council, the political bureau and the management committee — and have never been prevented from expressing my views. I have regular meetings with the party president and deputy president to report on work that's being done and to get advice.
A division chief says that in the almost one year you've been elected, you've only made one round nationwide to all the divisions, and that's not enough. That without a cabinet post, you should have more freedom to touch base with the grassroots more. That your personal presence among the grassroots is important, but that this is a bit lacking. Your response?
Perhaps his perception is shaped by the lack of mainstream media coverage that I have been receiving. On the contrary, I have been busy attending functions and programmes every week all over the country. I have never stopped working, and I feel most comfortable being on the ground with my members.
I didn't win because I [was] the son-in-law of an outgoing PM, I won this post because of long-standing relationships with divisional and state Pemuda leaders. I built these relationships by going down to the ground, and I haven't stopped doing so.
Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad would have created an “international incident” between Malaysia and the United States if he is still Prime Minister with his post-Avatar view that the 911 attacks in the United States that killed nearly 3,000 was staged as an excuse” to mount attacks on the Muslim world”.
It is a reflection of Mahathir’s continuing “heft” in the Malaysian government although he had stepped down as Prime Minister more than five years ago and the corollary weakness of the Najib premiership that Mahathir could still cause enormous embarrassment to the country with such a conspiracy theory of the 911 terrorist attacks.
Why was Mahathir inspired to embrace the conspiracy theory that the 911 attacks in the United States was staged to fan a world-wide war of Islamophobila just because of the technical wizardry of James Camerons’ “Avatar”, when there had been many other Hollywood sci-fi blockbusters with landmark visual-effects (VFX) scenes even during his years as Prime Minister?
This reminds me of two episodes.
In his biography of the fifth Malaysian Prime Minister which is still awaiting clearance by the Home Ministry to get into the Malaysian bookshops, “Malaysian Maverick: Mahathir Mohamad in Turbulent Times”, former Asian Wall Street Journal correspondent Barry Wain wrote of the Mahathir characteristic in his “ability to work both sides of the street”, on the one hand his display of “a public antipathy on general principles at the Americans while his jungle was crawling with US troops quietly training for jungle warfare” from a secret military understanding with the US administration.
The other was the procurement of a special meeting between Mahathir and the incumbent US President Bush in the White House in February 2002 when the Malaysian Prime Minister visited the United States– at the cost of a RM4.6 million lobby effort involving the then Malaysian Ambassador to the United States.
Mahathir should weigh his words even in retirement and avoid undermining national interests with some of his idiosyncratic views.
KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 20 (Bernama) -- Information Communication and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Dr Rais Yatim has described the dissolution of the Kuala Selangor Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) division, led by Selangor Menteri Besar Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim, as a big slap to the party as the people in the area have lost confidence in the party.
Rais said based on democratic practice, Khalid should step down and acknowledge his failure in leading his own division.
"But whether the Selangor Menteri Besar is willing to do so is a matter of fact, and a matter of his personal stance. But to the rakyat (people), it is clear that he has no choice but to state that he has been defeated by his own components (division) and his party members and the local people," he told reporters after chairing his ministry's post-cabinet meeting at Angkasapuri, here on Wednesday.
Rais said the dissolution of the PKR division showed the change in attitude of the people around Kuala Selangor who no longer trusted the party.
The decision of the people in Kuala Selangor should be taken as an indicator by the PKR leaders who assumed that the people trusted them, he said.
He also congratulated the people of Kuala Selangor who had made a wise choice by rejecting political parties where their leadership were not sincere.
Today, the division's deputy head, Arshad Abu Bakar told reporters that 11 members of the Kuala Selangor PKR divisional committee, including the heads of its Youth and Wanita wings, had resigned as they had lost confidence in Abdul Khalid's leadership.
Arshad said the division had been disbanded as there were now only three leaders left namely himself, Khalid and another committee member, Faridah Abdul Rahman.
I refer to Chris Anthony’s letter “Ensure quality at 1Malaysia clinics” in Malaysiakini and couldn’t agree more.
It appears both the Consumers Association of Penang (CAP) Chairman, S. M. Idris and the current DG of Health are clearly consumed by politics rather then ethics. Idris in particular chooses conveniently to sing where the wind blows without an iota of decency nor morality. Whatever happened to his lofty ideals of doctors being properly qualified and trained before they are even allowed to touch patients? Not forgetting the fact that he was one of the prime movers that doctors in this country be leashed by the offensive Private Health Care Facilities Act that govern all clinics.
Perhaps his memory has failed him. Or perhaps he now sees himself championing the cause of the poor even though they only get to see Medical Assistants instead of doctors. Miraculously according to him Medical Assistants who used to help in private and estate clinics are “experienced and qualified” to see patients independently. A far cry from his usual “unqualified, unregistered practitioners”. He backs up his claims now quoting various examples such as nurse practitioners he conveniently has picked from other countries where it appears to be the practice.
Before Idris gives his stamp of approval for Medical Assistants to diagnose, investigate and treat patients independently, he should perhaps wake up to the fact that Nurse Practitioners in the US have nothing less then an MSc degree. Similarly Nurse Anesthetists in the US who are frequently compared with our GA (General Anesthetic) giving MAs in Sarawak are highly qualified Msc graduates after they have gained a Basic degree in nursing and years of experience. This applies to almost every other field including Nephrology, Cardiology, Perfusion, Rehab, etc. All these health professionals possess nothing short of a Diploma, a Basic degree and eventually an Msc degree. One writer even quoted perfusionists in this country numbering close to 30 who run heart lung machines for open heart surgery based only on their MA Diplomas. Not a single of them has a Diploma nor a degree in Perfusion.
It would be interesting to analyze the mortality and morbidity results as a result of mishaps arising from MAs backing up as technicians who are unqualified in their specialty fields. The MMA appears to have already published one such article. The same applies to our anesthetic MAs in Sarawak. In the field of trauma, EMTs (Emergency Room Technicians) are adept at resuscitating patients be it in trauma and cardiac arrest after stringent training standards and qualifications both in pre and post-hospital care. This is clearly not the case with our MAs, though it is no fault of theirs. Both Idris and Merican’s contention that they are qualified to do so are politically expedient. Unsuspecting patients could be misdiagnosed, overdosed or just plainly given the wrong medication for life threatening conditions. The government no doubt will have to bear ultimate responsibility – again with tax-payers money as evidenced in the numerous deaths that occurred at our “Skim Latihan Khidmat Negara”
We are not in an African situation where there are genuinely no doctors or a Zimbabwe situation where Mugabe actually bankrupted the Healthcare system leaving thousands to die of cholera and dysentery. This country has more then 25 medical schools, far more then Britain itself which has population more then twice ours. The primary problem in this country has always been maldistribution of medical practitioners and the Health Ministry’s, especially with this DG’s, continual confrontation of all private doctors who comprise more then half the doctors in this country is the essential cause for this state of affairs.
The CAP president must ponder why then should the cream of this country’s students plod through their PMRs, SPMs, strive through A levels, trudge through 5 years of Medical School, two years of housemanship, three years of compulsory service and on some occasions another 5 years of specialist training. The answer is obvious. It is to attain a level of competency so that Malaysians are better served in safe hands. But now these 1Malaysia clinics blow all that away don’t there?
By establishing a very political branding, 1Malaysia Clinic has brought to the healthcare door the bane of gutless politics. Mismanagement and poor accountability have been the keystones for the decline in healthcare provision in Malaysia. Leaking hospitals, non-functioning IT hospitals, hospitals without operating theaters and indeed in Sabah, not even a General Hospital!
Right from this DG’s recent bungling in the H1N1 debacle where he made all of Malaysia run to Sungai Buloh Hospital instead of first being properly screened by primary care/surveillance doctors as in most countries and in the process piling up a death toll 70 if not more Malaysians till the current dengue scourge, he now seems to have advised his ignorant political partners that it is OK although illegal to provide Medical Assistants and Staff Nurses to provide “simple” medical care to poor unsuspecting urbanites. Why is it not OK to just let doctors in numerous GP clinics in urban areas see them and subsidize their bills? Even a poor Bangla Deshi factory worker gets to see a doctor courtesy of his factory. Could it be because of the DG’s intolerable abhorrence for General Practitioners? What happened to his lofty rules where every GP should adhere to all those dim-witted regulations that he and his bungling team sod down the throats of Malaysian General Practitioners.
The current DG is an acute embarrassment to Malaysian Healthcare and has now made this country a laughing stock in the eyes of the world. Before he goes off to become Vice-Chancellor or some similar position in a medical school he helped approve , this DG must remember that there will be a price to pay for ultimately misleading this country and its leaders.
With the setting up of 1Malaysia Clinics, is the Ministry of Health implying that only Medical Assistants are good enough for our urban poor and not doctors? Is it because the urban population is poor and that Medical Assistants should suffice. Or have Medical Assistants now become now equivalent to doctors in general. If that be the case we don’t need 25 medical schools do we?
Both Idris and Merican’s pathetic attempts to rationalize a poorly thought out avenue for the provision of healthcare to our urban poor in a country that clearly has the financial resources to better its healthcare is not only bound to backfire but will in the end have patients themselves ultimately paying a heavy toll, sometimes with their own lives. When the sands of the political divide eventually settle, the players responsible for this debacle, Liow, Merican and Idris will eventually have to answer to the Malaysian public.
Two years ago yesterday, Goh Yan Peaw died after being detained at the Segamat police station lock-up for eleven days after his arrest. He was reportedly found unconscious in his detention cell and was taken to the hospital, where he died.
An inquest into Goh Yan Peaw’s death was scheduled to commence on 10 June 2008 but it is not clear what, if any, the outcome has been. All custodial deaths are required to be investigated by inquiries conducted pursuant to Chapter XXXII of the Criminal Procedure Code.
Every death in custody must be thoroughly and impartially investigated. Goh Yan Peaw’s death must not be relegated to a mere statistic.
Based on the Royal Malaysia Police’s statistics, 85 persons died in police custody between 2003 and 2007 alone.
We express our heartfelt condolences to Goh Yan Peaw’s family and friends on the anniversary of his death.
Just wanted to highlight to cases of abuse of police power from Suaram recently.
The first concerns the Emergency Ordinance – a lesser known cousin of the draconian ISA:
Suaram expresses disappointment and concern over the re-arrest of the three men under the Emergency Ordinance (Public Order and Crime Prevention) at Muar yesterday. The trio, M. Nandakumar (43), M. Thirugnanam (33) and K. Jayaraman (56), were charged with the murder of businessman Datuk M. Gunasegaran. They were released by the High Court yesterday after the prosecution dropped the charges. However, the police re-arrested three of them under the Emergency Ordinance (EO) once they stepped out of the court room.
This shows utter disrespect for the process of law and order. If the courts find nothing to charge these men with, how can the police be so sure they are the murderers?
If we are deciding people are guilty without proof that can hold up in court, we might as well go back to the feudal system right, where might is right?
Another case = the ridiculous arrest under the ISA of Cheng Lee Whee (who I think I heard speak at last year’s Suaram dinner) in Johor last year, who remains set to be charged in court :P Her crime?
Making a police report O_O
The case concerned a police siege (complete with anti-bomb squad :P ) on Kampung Baru Pelentong Tengah, a recap is below.
Kes Ahli Secretariat Suaram JB, Cheng Lee Whee yang didakwa dibawah Kanun Keseksaan Seksyen 182 akibat tindakan membuat laporan polis untuk mempertahankan hak-hak penduduk Kampung Baru Plentong Tengah (KBPT), telah ditangguhkan ke 25hb Januari tahun ini (Isnin) sementara Peguam Negara mempertimbangkan tuntutan untuk mengugurkan dakwaan ke atas Cheng Lee Whee.
Penangguhan tersebut adalah hasil tindakan penghantaran petisyen oleh 35 pertubuhan dan parti kepada Peguam Negara di Putrajaya pada 24hb November 2009 (Selasa) untuk menuntut supaya pendakwaan terhadap Cheng digugurkan. Sebanyak 35 pertubuhan dan lebih kurang 500 individu telah mengabsah (endorse) petisyen tersebut.
Timbalan Ketua Bahagian Pendakwaan Mohamad Hanafiah Zakaria (b/p Penguam Negara Malaysia) dalam surat kepada Suaram KL yang bertarikh 11hb Januari 2010 menyatakan bahawa Penguam Negara setuju untuk mengugurkan dakwaan terhadap Cheng Lee Whee. Namun demikian, Cheng dan penguam beliau Encik Hassan Karim masih belum menerima surat rasmi daripada pihak mahkamah yang mengesahkan pengguguran dakwaan ke atas Cheng Lee Whee.
What’s with these unfulfilled promises? >:( Are they going to go ahead with this ridiculous charge?
Cheng Lee Whee seorang aktivis Suaram Johor telah ditahan untuk siasatan di bawah Seksyen 28 ISA oleh Polis IPD Seri Alam atas arahan Ketua Polis Negeri Johor, Datuk Mohd. Mokhtar bin Hj.Mohd Shariff selama 19 jam pada 18 Oktober 2008. Beliau ditahan kerana membuat aduan di Portal Polis Kontinjen Johor (www.polisjohor.gov.my) tentang pengusiran paksa yang berlaku di Kampung Baru Pelentong Tengah (KBPT) pada 10.00 am 16hb Oktober 2008.
Ketua Polis Johor Baru , Mokhtar Shariff menegaskan perintah reman telah dikeluarkan kerana menyebarkan ‘laporan palsu’ kononnya polis telah menyalah gunakan kuasa dalam operasi perobohan sebuah kampung setinggan di Johor. 27 orang ditangkap kerana menghalang pelaksanaan perintah mahkamah bagi merobohkan rumah-rumah kosong di Kampung Baru Plentong Tengah.
Pada 16 Oktober 2008, jam 10.30 pagi, lebih 200 penduduk termasuk kanak-kanak mempertahankan rumah kediaman mereka di Kampung Baru Pelentong Tengah (KBPT) supaya tidak dirobohkan oleh pihak pemaju. Mereka membina benteng manusia dan duduk dengan aman tanpa sebarang senjata di pintu masuk kampung KBPT. Pihak polis menghantar 553 anggota polis yang terdiri daripada pelbagai unit, termasuk Pasukan Gerakan Am (PGA), Pasukan Simpanan Persekutuan (FRU) yang dilengkapi kereta air cannon, Unit Udara Polis, Unit Marin Polis, Unit Anjing Pengesan, unit Pemusnah Bom, serta helicopter untuk berhadapan dengan penduduk kampung yang hanya seramai 200 orang penduduk yang tiada sebarang senjata untuk “mengawal” keadaan bagi memastikan proses meroboh beberapa rumah kosong berjalan lancar. Ramai penduduk cedera dalam pengusiran paksa tersebut dan seorang ahli JKB pengsan.
(CNN) -- Controversial Dutch lawmaker Geert Wilders appeared in court Wednesday on charges of inciting discrimination and hatred that relate in part to his much-criticized film about Islam.
Wednesday's session at the Court of Amsterdam was a pre-trial hearing and a full trial was due to begin later this year. A court spokesman said the hearing was expected to last one day but could stretch into Thursday.
Wilders, who heads the Dutch Party for Freedom, said he has done nothing wrong. "I will fight," he promised in a statement Tuesday on the party's Web site.
Prosecutors initially decided not to pursue the case, saying in June 2008 that Wilders' statements were not liable to punishment, the Public Prosecutions Service said. They said that even though Wilders' comments were "defamatory and hurtful to a great number of Muslims," they fell within the limits of free speech.
The Court of Appeals disagreed with that decision and ordered that Wilders be prosecuted.
In addition to inciting discrimination and hatred, Wilders is also charged with offending a group of people, which relates to his comparison of Islam to Nazism.
"According to Wilders, the truth about Islam must be made known, even if it is painful and unpleasant for certain people," his statement on his party's site said.
The charges relate to comments Wilders made in a variety of media between 2006 and 2008. They include an October 2006 interview with the Dutch newspaper De Volkskrant in which he said he wanted to stop the "tsunami of Islamisation," and another in September 2007 with Radio Netherlands in which he said the Quran should be banned.
Wilders' film "Fitna," which he released online in March 2008 to international outcry, is also part of the charges against him. The film features disturbing images of terrorist acts superimposed over verses from the Quran in order to paint Islam as a threat to Western society.
After its release, the movie drew complaints from the European Union and the Organization of the Islamic Conference, as well as concern from the United States.
Wilders was denied entry into Britain in February 2009 when he flew there to screen the film.
Wednesday's pre-trial review does not cover the merits of the case, but will allow both sides to prepare for a hearing later in the year which will deal with the merits, the Public Prosecutions Service said.
If found guilty, Wilders faces up to two years in prison and a fine of up to €19,000 ($26,900) for each charge.
The police have detained eight people to facilitate investigations concerning the arson attack on the Metro Tabernacle Church in Kuala Lumpur.
Federal CID director Mohd Bakri Zinin told a press conference this afternoon that the arrests were made yesterday and this morning.
The first suspect was detained at a hospital in Kuala Lumpur when he sought treatment for burn marks on his chest and arm.
"This paved the way for the other arrests. The suspect is a 25-year- old working as a despatcher and was picked up yesterday at 3pm," said Bakri.
Subsequently, two brothers and their uncle were detained. The remainder were friends of the family group. Bakri said the suspects are aged between 21 and 26.
One of them also had burn injuries on his arm. They have all been remanded for seven days for further investigation.
"The suspects were arrested in the Klang Valley at various locations," said Bakri, adding that the last arrest was made at 7am today.
The case is being investigated under Section 436 of the Penal Code, which is causing 'mischief by fire or explosive substance with the intent to cause damage'.
Under the section, an offense is punishable with imprisonment of up to 20 years and a fine, if found guilty.
When asked if the eight detained are linked to the attacks on 10 other churches - which were pelted with Molotov cocktails, stones and paint - Bakri said that investigations are still in the early stages.
"We have yet to determine a connection with the other churches attacks or if they are linked with any organisations,” he said.
Bakri also told reporters that they have yet to establish the motives for the crimes. With the arrests, he said the police believe the case has been solved.
"We hope that there will be no more attacks. I'd like to thank the public for their cooperation in solving this case," he added.
The three-storey Metro Tabernacle church, part of the Assemblies of God movement, was set ablaze on Jan 8 in a firebombing that left its ground floor gutted.
If the list of demands by Hindraf to the Indian government is met, the scheduled meeting between foreign minister SM Krishna and Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak is expected to be a hot affair.
“Foreign minister SM Krishna was really moved by the ‘Malaysian Indian Minority & Human Rights Violations Annual Report 2009: Malaysia Truly Racist’ which was distributed during the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas international conference recently,” said Hindraf legal advisor P Uthayakumar.
As such, Uthayakumar (right) said Krishna would likely highlight the ‘human rights violations’ against Indian Malaysians to Najib during the latter’s maiden visit to the state starting today.
“We have also asked the Indian government to use diplomatic means to handle (the) issue,” he said.
Uthayakumar was optimistic about India’s intervention as the minister and a representative of an opposition party, Sushma Suvaraj, has also promised to look into the matter seriously and bring them to the attention of the Indian cabinet.
“Most of them were shocked (about) how Indians are being ill-treated and marginalised in Malaysia. This does not happen in other countries. Only in our country,” he said.
About 1500 copies of the annual report was distributed to delegates from 53 countries.
‘Trade sanctions proposed‘
Among the requests submitted to the Indian government were to persuade it to terminate all present and future Malaysian company projects in India especially by Plus, Gamuda, IJN, Scomi and other Umno-linked companies.
Uthayakumar said India would also be asked to stop buying Malaysian palm oil and to halt all its information technology professionals from working here.
Hindraf has also proposed to India to imposed trade sanctions on Malaysia until all the atrocities and injustices against Indian Malaysians end.
When asked about the negative implications that Malaysia may encounter due to the trade sanctions proposed, Uthayakumar said this is the only option left.
“People may suffer for awhile but this is the only option left for us as Najib has refused to address and resolve the problem,” he said.
Uthayakumar who is also the Human Rights Party secretary-general hopes that the Indian government would intervene and end the sufferings of marginalised Indians in Malaysia.
“Najib would know what to do during his official visit, but what concerns me the most are the human rights issues of Malaysia Indians,” he said when asked to comment on what would be the outcome of Najib’s maiden visit to India.
He said he would continue to fight for the rights of Indians even if he became a scapegoat or was again arrested by the ISA.
More than 1500 The Malaysian Indian Human Rights Violations Report 2009 was distributed at Parvasi to delegates from 53 Countries
Foreign Minister SM.Krishna
India Opposition Leader Madam Sushma Suwaraj
Mr.Hanumanta Rao- Member of Parliment
Former Opposition Leader Mr. Shri Lal Krisna Advani
NIBONG TEBAL, Jan. 20- Pemilik tanah yang sedang membina sebuah pasaraya meminta agar kuil hindu yang terletak di dalam kawasan tanahnya dialih ke tempat lain (Nanban 20/1/10) di muka surat 3). Malah pemilik tanah menunjukkan kawasan lain untuk pengalihan kuil tersebut. Namun ia didapati bukan kawasan yang dimikinya, malah kepunyaan kerajaan. Jadi pihak pentadbir kuil dan orang awam enggan mengalihkan kuil tersebut. Selepas perbincangan yang berterusan pemilik membenarkan mereka untuk mengekalkan kuil tersebut di tempat asal dengan syarat kuil tersebut dikecilkan. Pihak pentadbiran kuil memohon agar kuil Muniswarar didaftarkan kekal di sini supaya tidak timbul sebarang masalah di masa hadapan.
HRP: Sekali lagi Kerajaan DAP Pulau Pinang tidak memberikan penyelesaian tetap kepada masyarakat India. Seperti kampung Buah Pala, kuil ini, lain-lain kuil, kesemua 28 sekolah- sekolah Tamil dan kesemua tanah- tanah perkuburan hindu di Pulau Pinang akan dirobohkan secara bertahap- tahap oleh towkay Kapitan Lim Guan Eng dari DAP ini.Penganiayaan di bawah UMNO sekarang diteruskan oleh kerajaan negeri DAP di Pulau Pinang, PKR di Selangor dan PAS di Kedah.
KUALA LUMPUR, 20 Januari - Pelajar India yang tamat persekolahan rendah di sekolah Tamil dan meneruskan pelajaran di sekolah menengah didapati dimasukkan ke kelas belakang. Menurut Thuraiyappa, Ketua PIBG Sekolah Tamil Ampang, beliau mengetahui bahawa keadaan ini turut melibatkan pelajar yang mendapat ‘7A’ dalam UPSR. Keputusan mereka dalam mata pelajaran Bahasa Tamil dan juga kesusasteraan Bahasa Tamil diabaikan sewaktu pengagihan pelajar dilakukan. Jadi pelajar sekolah Tamil yang mendapat ‘7A’ tidak digabung dengan pelajar sekolah lain yang mendapat ‘7A’ malah mereka digabung dengan pelajar yang mendapat ‘5A’. Bagi pelajar yang mendapat ‘5A’ pula, mereka dimasukkan ke dalam kelas majoriti yang mendapat ‘3A’. Sekiranya keadaan ini berterusan, para ibu bapa akan melupakan hasrat untuk menghantar anak mereka ke sekolah Tamil. Jadi ia boleh menyebabkan kemerosotan dalam angka kemasukan pelajar di sekolah Tamil pada masa hadapan. Pihak sekolah menengah harus memberi perhatian yang sewajarnya terhadap pelajar dan Bahasa Tamil di sekolah menengah.
IPOH, 2 Disember - Ramai yang keliru dengan slogan ‘1 Malaysia’ yang diwar-warkan oleh Perdana Menteri Dato Seri Najib sejak tujuh bulan yang lalu. Adakah ‘1 Malaysia’ akan membuka peluang kepada golongan bukan Melayu untuk maju dalam rancangan pembangunan negara? Atau pun ramai peniaga India dipinggirkan?
Para peniaga India hairan melihat sepanduk yang tertulis ‘Khas untuk bumiputera’ digantung di depan barisan kedai di Pasar Medan Jaya yang baru dibina di Jalan Ling Poon Swee, Ipoh.
Jikalau barisan kedai ini yang dibina oleh Mara hanya untuk bumiputera bagaimana dengan peniaga bangsa lain? Adakah Mara kepunyaan orang Melayu sahaja?
Malaysia mempunyai orang miskin daripada bangsa Melayu, Cina dan India. Sekiranya kedai yang dibina untuk perniagaan kecil hanya dikhaskan untuk orang Melayu adakah ia bererti orang lain tidak layak untuk berniaga.
Komen HRP: Kerajaan pimpinan UMNO harus merealisasikan slogan “1 Malaysia” dari semua aspek kepada semua kaum di Malaysia untuk menunjukkan keberkesananya daripada hanya mewar-warkannya tanpa sebarang tindakan susulan.
UMNO led Welfare Ministry’s E- Kasih programme organized by the Indian Community Welfare and Entrepreneurs Mandore Association.
This couple’s 13 year old daughter could no longer bear to live in the one room shack that she had ran away from home saying that she’s only return home when there is proper place to stay. (The Star 20/1/10 at page M7).
This 13 year old daughter is probably abused and pregnant or a teenage mother. And the saga continues to the next generation with compliments to UMNO.
In the 2010 national budget RM 48 Million has been allocated for the Indian poor, RM 174 Million was allocated for senior citizens and the subsidy e-kasih cards by the Welfare Ministry (NST 24/11/09 at page 12).
But these Millions and the e-kasih cards does not reach the Indians! One Malaysia?
With no water, electricity and proper shelter at the Kg. Railway, Sentul. This is how UMNO rewards these Indian minority who and whose ancestors built the Railways in this country. (The Malay Mail 19/1/2010 at page 3).
The Tamil proverb of the barber who resorts to shaving his pussy when he is sitting idle aptly describes this Ipoh Barat DAP mandore.
We have no quarrel with this mandore or any other mandores from DAP, PKR, PAS or even MIC. Tuans and Towkays need mandore services to hoodwink the masses with peanuts.
But in the execution of their mandore duties for their Tuans and Towkays they keep barking up the wrong tree, i.e. Hindraf, P. Uthayakumar and P. Waytha Moorthy (MN 20/1/10 at page 18).
PKR, DAP and PAS has 82 MPs and 200 over State Assemblymen. Kachang lupakan kulit. This Ipoh Barat DAP mandore rode on the Hindraf wave which contributed to winning his seat in Ipoh Barat, and now for no reason at all whatsoever is attacking Hindraf which specifically did not promise even one cent from the British civil suit. This mandore and his sub mandores even asked to be seated on the main table during the Hindraf nationwide forums. He was happy in associating with Hindraf when he took a loud speaker and addressed the 25th November Hindraf Rally - the turning point in malaysian politics.
And now after nearly two years in power and not having secured land for all 523 Tamil schools, Hindu temples and crematoriums, he is now picking on Hindraf when we question their roles and contribution, so as to stay politically afloat. When the Pakatan state governments allocates lands for schools, temples and crematoriums, we will know that Pakatan representatives have truly evolved to become real leaders and not remain mandores.
HRP will continue to question the role and contributions of the Indian MPs and Aduns in Pakatan. The people have already given them the mandate in the GE 12 to allocate lands but to date we see no action! When they perform as expected - deliver the lands, then these ‘Mandore’ titles can be discarded with.
Fourth generations of Indian minority Railway workers traditional village to be wiped out soon.
Instead of preserving this centuries old Indian villages and in fact enhancing on it, this powerless MIC mandore is playing the 52 year old wayan kulit cakap kosong by once again empty promising 2,400 low cost houses for these poor under privileged and homeless Indian minority in Malaysia. This MIC mandore has been tasked and assigned as the punching bag for UMNO. (New Straits Times 20/1/2010 at page S2,Tamil Nesan 20/1/2010 at page 7,Starmetro 20/1/2010 at page M4,Makkal Osai 20/1/2010 at page 3).
This mandore does not have the power to secure Felda, Felcra, Risda, Fama, Agropolition and the scores of cattle and goat farming ten-acre land ownership schemes for Indians minorities. This is what the people want and not low cost houses! So he does this dikir barat which the mandores in PKR, DAP and PAS are fast catching up as the accompanying ensemble!
MUAR: The three men who were charged with the murder of businessman Datuk M. Gunasegaran were tentatively freed by the High Court yesterday. Their joy of being released, however, was short-lived as police nabbed all three as they stepped out of the court room and detained them under the Emergency Ordinance.
The three -- contract worker M. Nandakumar, 43, labourer M. Thirugnanam, 33, and civil servant K. Jayaraman, 56 -- were charged with the millionaire's death last year.
But when the case came up for trial at the High Court yesterday, deputy public prosecutor Azeezi Nordin told the court that the prosecution was dropping the charges.
Judicial commissioner Datuk Ahmadi Asnawi granted them a discharge not amounting to an acquittal. Counsel Liang Chong Beng appeared for Nandakumar and Jayaraman while Thirugnanam was not represented.
All three could have been sentenced to the gallows. Nandakumar and Thirugnanam were charged with murder while Jayaraman was charged with abetting the two. The offence was allegedly committed between 6.15am and 6.25am on Dec 12, 2008, in an alley behind the Oscar Photo Studio in Jalan Genuang, Segamat.
The victim, Gunasegaran, was shot and killed when he went out for his morning run. He suffered gunshot wounds to the head and abdomen.
Gunasegaran, popularly known as Datuk Itik, had celebrated his 49th birthday a day before he was murdered. He was popular among locals as he always gave to the needy.
Besides owning several pawnshops, he was also a licensed moneylender and had interests in the agricultural sector.
Police believed that Gunasegaran was killed over a business deal that went sour.
Gunasegaran's death made headlines as he was among those questioned in connection with the murder of former Tenggaroh assemblyman Datuk S. Krishnasamy who was shot in a lift at the State MIC heaquarters on Jan 11, 2008.
Gunasegaran was detained under the Emergency Ordinance and was later released without any charge.
They are not doing this with East- timor delegates but it is just piece of low class mentality that they want to show other. This country will appear as Pakistan , Sudan and Somalia one day.
Federal CID director Mohd Bakri Zinin told a press conference this afternoon that the arrests were made yesterday and this morning.
As such, Uthayakumar (right) said Krishna would likely highlight the ‘human rights violations’ against Indian Malaysians to Najib during the latter’s maiden visit to the state starting today.
