‘Bold’ Ambiga vs ‘disappointing’ Shahrizat

The women's minister is among the many condemning voices of the Bersih rally and its architect. But it is Shahrizat who has failed to meet the people's expectations.

COMMENT

It is said that adversity brings out the true reflection of a character. How so true, as seen from the diverse reactions to the “walk for democracy” to be held by election watchdog Bersih 2.0.

The number of police reports against the July 9 rally are mounting, as are the dissenting voices condemning the walk and the face behind it, that of Ambiga Sreenevasan, who heads Bersih 2.0, a Coalition for Free and Fair Elections.

Liberating the electoral system from the many years of abuse and manipulation is no easy task and this, Ambiga knows fully well.

However, for those with hidden agendas, the rally is everything but “welcomed” while the person behind it, Ambiga, formerly president of the Malaysian Bar Council and recipient of the United States’ 2009 Secretary of State’s Award for International Women of Courage Awards, is anything but patriotic.

One such condemning voice comes from Shahrizat Jalil, the Women, Family and Community Development Minister who joined Wee Choo Keong (Wangsa Maju MP) in accusing Ambiga of harbouring political ambitions.

Belittling the rally, Shahrizat, who is also Umno Wanita chief, said the July 9 event is politically motivated and a Trojan horse of the opposition, referring to the Pakatan Rakyat coalition of PKR, DAP and PAS.

“I am disappointed with Ambiga’s leadership. I had high expectations of her in keeping the people united. I am very sad because she is trying to incite street rallies. She knows we have laws and must go through civilised ways to seek redress.

“I agree with Wee who said Ambiga should join a political party if she harbours political ambitions. She can join a political party or form her own,” Shahrizat said.

The minister added that Bersih is not a non-governmental organisation but a vehicle used by the opposition to cause street riots.

She claimed that Bersih 2.0 was trying to do a “Tahrir Square” in Malaysia, instigating people to revolt against the Barisan Nasional government. (Tahrir Square in Cairo made news when in January this year over 50,000 protesters gathered and demanded the resignation of president Hosni Mubarak.)

“It is the opposition’s way of using Bersih since the former cannot secure a win in the coming general election,” Shahrizat said.

According to the minister, feedback showed that the people was against street rallies.

“We urge the police to maintain peace and harmony in the country. In Malaysia, we have laws to deal with pressing issues. The people are supporting Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak and this is causing the opposition to feel threatened,” Shahrizat said.

Shahrizat vs Ambiga

So much said, Shahrizat makes for a better press relation officer instead of a people’s minister. Unlike Ambiga who has no inclination to become the messiah of the people, Shahrizat, however, will do whatever it takes to earn brownie points from her political masters.

If she feels Ambiga’s decision to proceed with the rally has let her down, Shahrizat must remember that she as the representative of women has for a long time now been disappointing the women in their fight for justice.

For instance, Shahrizat showed little interest in helping the Penan girls and women who for many years have been crying out for help against the rapes committed by timber loggers.

Shahrizat was just as indifferent when in 2008, former Cabinet minister Jamaluddin Jarjis was reported to have sexually molested a restaurant worker. She again was nonchalant when the Labour Department director-general ridiculed the proposed Sexual Harassment Act.

Shahrizat was again silent when it was reported that her male colleague, Rais Yatim, who is Information, Communications and Culture Minister, had allegedly raped his domestic worker.

Shahrizat was also quiet when Besant Singh, a National Service trainee, cried foul after he found his hair snipped while at the training camp in Sungai Bakap in Penang early this year.

What did Shahrizat do to help alleviate the difficulties faced by 19-year-old Tan Hui Linn who is legally blind in her right eye after both she and her mother were splashed with acid by Tan’s father?

Despite her ordeal, Tan, a student of SMK Convent Datuk Keramat, Penang, scored 9As and 1B in her 2010 Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia examination. Tan’s mother died soon after the attack due to massive burns on her body.

Has Shahrizat offered any assistance to victims of snatch thefts who are badly injured in a struggle with the assailants? What about the victims who lost their lives to snatch thieves – what has Shahrizat’s ministry done for their families, to lessen their suffering?

Again, why was Shahrizat quiet when a female politician, Nurul Izzah Anwar, in May this year received a text message threatening to kidnap her three-year-old daughter? The threat was to get Nurul, who is also PKR vice-president, to back down from supporting her father and Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim.

(Shahrizat was the MP for Lembah Pantai for 13 years before losing it to youngster Nurul who made her debut in the 2008 general election.)

Recently, a letter to the editor highlighted the pathetic treatment meted out by the one-stop crisis centres to assist rape survivors. Shahrizat is still quiet.

Where is Shahrizat while 41 families from the Ladang Bukit Jalil estate struggle to keep the roof over their heads intact after City Hall ordered them out, citing the excuse that the 26-acre land they once called home will be turned into a burial ground?

Shahrizat fails people’s expectations

It is not Ambiga but Sharizat that is being payed by the taxpayers to look into their woes. And thus far, Shahrizat has failed the people.

Shahrizat’s unwillingness to speak against injustices suffered by the people by virtue of her being their minister is proof that she plays her cards very carefully.

That being the case, just what are the issues that this minister finds worth highlighting?
While Shahrizat is having sleepless nights, Ambiga is unflappable, determined to carry on with the walk, albeit facing a death threat.

Dissenting voices like Shahrizat’s know fully well that a clean electoral process will jeopardise their chances at the polls, hence the repetitive objections towards the July 9 walk.

Politician first, woman second

It was the very Shahrizat who once remarked to the women’s groups that “she is a politician first and woman later”. Little wonder then that she had no qualms making personal attacks on Ambiga, who has the people’s right to a free and fair election at heart.

Still, it is utterly frustrating that the women’s minister herself has decided to speak up against the move to clean up the electoral system. In the process, Shahrizat has unwittingly undermined the efforts of a fellow woman at bringing about the desperate changes needed to the system.

Condemning both the rally and Ambiga has placed Shahrizat in the same boat as those male chauvinists who think little of women’s emancipation. Shahrizat’s sexist mentality speaks volumes of her unwillingness to take a firm stand against all forms of discrimination against women.

It is no hidden secret that Shahrizat is planning for a long stay in politics. However, disparaging a fellow woman committed to changing the electoral system has only dented Shahrizat’s image as a woman’s minister.
And lest Shahrizat forgets, it was the very same Ambiga who made Malaysia proud when in 2009 she was among the eight award recipients feted by United States first lady Michelle Obama and US secretary of state Hillary Clinton for championing women’s rights.

Clearly, it is not Ambiga but Shahrizat who has disappointed the people.

Exorbitant prices at Indian eateries

While the government is not in favour of increase in food prices, Indian eateries in the Klang Valley are charging customers exorbitant rates and are getting away with it.

KUALA LUMPUR: Fancy paying RM4.50 for a thosai, RM4 for a glass of iced Milo and warm water or RM4.50 for a plate of instant noodles?

The prices quoted above are not the price of food of the future but what is being charged by Indian restaurants in the Klang Valley now.

FMT, working on a public complaint on the prices of food at Indian eateries, did its own survey and found that the prices at these restaurants had skyrocketed and were well above the normal rates.

Last week, a businessman, who did not want to be named, complained of an Indian restaurant in Serdang, Selangor, charging exorbitant rates and which prompted FMT to check the average prices of food at Indian eateries.

He claimed he was charged RM6.50 for a ghee thosai and hot lime juice by a famous restaurant in Sri Serdang.

“Normally, I pay about RM3.50 for the same meal in other restaurants… food prices especially at Indian restaurants are not controlled. Rampant charges are imposed by those wanting massive profits,” he said.

While that might be the case in Serdang, a chicken puff and a glass of Milo in Brickfields, better known as Little India, cost RM5.70 although the same two items cost only RM2.50 at an Indian Muslim restaurant.
The restaurant owner, when approached over the high price, said that the chicken puff amounted to RM2.80 while the Milo was RM2.90.

Asked why the prices were high, he said this was because of the sugar and gas price hike recently.
He also defended the price saying that his restaurant was air-conditioned, thus the high price.

High rental the reason

Another restaurant in Damansara was found to be charging customers RM4.50 for a plate of instant noodle. For the record, the price of a packet of instant noodle is only 90 sen.

The restaurant owner, when approached, came up with another excuse for the high pricing, saying that it was because he had to pay high rental charges.

Another check at another Indian restaurant in Petaling Jaya revealed that an iced Milo and warm water can set a person back by RM4. The iced Milo is RM3.50 while it is 50 sen for the warm water.

The Malaysian Consumer Advisory Association president M Varatharajoo, when contacted, said the high prices imposed by Indian eateries was a long-standing problem which the government had failed to solve.
“Almost everyday, we get complaints from consumers on the high prices imposed by Indian restaurants. But there is no proper solution or enforcement by the government in settling the issue,” he told FMT.

He said the increase in sugar and fuel prices was being used by restaurant operators to defend the high food and drinks prices.

“Every time the petrol price goes up the government says it will not affect prices of food. But, on the other hand, restaurant operators say the hike in food prices is because of fuel price increase. When prices of food increase the authorities turn a blind eye,” he added.

Varatharajoo suggested that the government set up a national committee to monitor food prices at restaurants, especially Indian-owned eateries.

Bersih 2.0: Tembelang Najib Pecah

Malaysiakini
Oleh Wira Arjuna
“Saya menekankan supaya rakyat didahulukan kerana dalam sistem demokrasi berparlimen, suara rakyat adalah suara keramat.”
Itu intipati ucapan Perdana Menteri Datuk Seri Najib Razak beberapa bulan selepas dinobatkan sebagai Perdana Menteri pada tahun 2009.
Dalam sekelip mata di bawah teraju beliau, Malaysia kembali ke era negara polis yang mewarnai pemerintahan Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
Hanya kerana berlainan pendapat dengan pemerintah, maka suara 63 Pertubuhan Bukan Kerajaan (NGO) cuba dibisukan, manakala ruang bersuara untuk parti pembangkang disempitkan lagi.
Rakyat yang memakai kemeja T dengan membawa logo BERSIH ditangkap, malah bendera Malaysia yang dibawa mereka untuk diedarkan kepada orang ramai juga dirampas.
Ratusan ribu rakyat yang mahu turun menzahirkan keperluan untuk sistem pilihan raya diperbaiki supaya lebih adil dan telus, akan menghadapi serangan polis bersenjatakan belantan dan pancutan air berkimia pada 9 Julai.
Segala aktiviti penganjur BERSIH dan pemimpin-pemimpin politik yang menyokong gerakan itu diibaratkan oleh polis dan media arus perdana sebagai memudaratkan keselamatan negara.
Malah BERSIH, menurut Umno-BN, akan memberi kesan teruk kepada ekonomi Malaysia jika tidak dibendung.
Tembelang pecah
Polis di seluruh negara digerakkan untuk menahan sesiapa sahaja yang memakai baju T dengan logo BERSIH dan merampas apa sahaja yang mengandungi logo itu.
Akhirnya tembelang Najib “pecah”.
Janji-janji untuk mengamalkan keterbukaan dan menjadikan rakyat sebagai paksi kepada segala tindakan beliau hanya kenyataan politik yang kosong.
Sebaliknya beliau menunjukkan kecederungan menggunakan insitusi polis untuk meluntur malah memadamkan sebarang bantahan rakyat secara terbuka. Dasar ini kerap dilakukan di zaman Dr Mahathir dan kini berulang di era Najib.
Justeru polis mula bertindak keras untuk membatalkan BERSIH.
Tidak ada negara yang mendokong demokrasi mempunyai pasukan polis yang menangkap orang hanya kerana pakaian mereka tidak seiring dengan pemikiran kerajaan.
Apakah undang-undang rimba berdaulat kembali apabila polis boleh menyerbu dan menyita sekretariat BERSIH tanpa waran semata-mata untuk merampas baju T dan risalah BERSIH?
Di sebalik semua tindakan polis terhadap penganjur dan penyokong BERSIH, apakah salah dengan tuntutan perhimpunan itu?
Suruhanjaya Hak Asasi Manusia Malaysia, Suhakam, sendiri tidak mempunyai sebarang bantahan terhadap perhimpunan aman BERSIH, namun dukacita kerana pendapat badan ini tidak mendapat perhatian kerajaan.
Ini kerana tuntutan asas BERSIH adalah supaya sistem pilihan raya diperbaiki khususnya ketelusan undi pos di samping pembersihan daftar pengundi.
Sebuah pilihan raya yang adil dan telus akan memberi kelebihan kepada mana-mana parti yang menang pada pilihan raya umum akan datang untuk mendabik dada kerana meraih kejayaan yang “bersih” dan tidak mencurigakan.
Amat berpengetahuan
Tidak ada sesiapa boleh menafikan bahawa pada setiap pilihan raya, BN akan bermula dengan kelebihan yang begitu besar berasaskan kawalan penuh terhadap media arus perdana negara ini dan sumber kewangan negara serta kemudahan awam.
Contohnya Utusan Malaysia, TV3, NTV7, TV9, New Straits Timesdan Berita Harian dikawal oleh Umno manakala The Star dikuasai MCA.
Ini tidak termasuk RTMdan Bernama yang diletak terus di bawah Kementerian Penerangan, Komunikkasi dan Kebudayaan.
Kelebihan ini umumnya diterima oleh Pembangkang dan Pertubuhan Bukan Kerajaan sebagai realiti politik negara, contohnya tidak mungkin Umno menyerahkan haknya untuk menentukan siapa Ketua Pengarang Utusan Malaysia mahupun Berita Harian.
Justeru tuntutan utama NGO berkenaan menerusi BERSIH ialah supaya SPR mengatasi masalah-masalah ketelusan undi pos, penghapusan pengundi hantu dan pembersihan daftar pengundi.
Justeru inisiatif 63 Pertubuhan Bukan Kerajaan ini harus disokong, bukan sahaja oleh Pembangkang tetapi juga oleh BN, yakni Najib sendiri.
Najib ingin mencanang Malaysia sebagai sebuah negara dinamis di bawah dasar-dasar beliau yang pro-aktif dan berpaksi rakyat.
Beliau seorang yang amat berpengetahuan luas, menjelajah di seluruh dunia dan tentunya peka bahawa hak berkumpul secara aman adalah prinsip asas demokrasi.
Jika benar beliau mendokong prinsip itu, kenapa bertindak begitu zalim terhadap penganjur BERSIH?
Tutup sebelah mata
Jika Najib menyokong prinsip asas demokrasi, beliau sepatutnya turun bersama rakyat, tak kira sama ada mereka penyokongnya mahupun pembangkang , demi menzahirkan komitmennya kepada sebuah pilihan raya yang telus dan adil.
Kehadiran beliau bersama rakyat, wakil masyarakat madani dan pemimpin pembangkang pada perhimpunan BERSIH sudah tentu menjadi pemangkin untuk Suruhanjaya Pilihan Raya melakukan penambahbaikan kepada sistem pemilihan yang sedia ada.
“Kalau kita sebagai pemimpin turun bersama rakyat tanpa protokol, tanpa hamparan permaidani merah, tanpa bunga manggar, tanpa sambutan, duduk dengan rakyat, minum dan ambil kira serta ambil berat masalah rakyat, rakyat akan tetap bersama kita dan rakyat akan tetap memberi kuasa.”
Itu ucapan Najib pada satu majlis di Sabah tidak lama dahulu. Jika beliau mendokong kenyataannya itu, sudah tentu Perdana Menteri tidak bermasalah menyokong BERSIH.
Sebaliknya Najib memilih untuk merestui tindakan polis menangkap dan memenjarakan mereka yang menuntut pilihan raya bersih dan adil.
Beliau juga menutup sebelah mata dengan provokasi PERKASA dan Pemuda Umno menganjurkan siri demostrasi pada hari yang sama, semata-mata untuk mencetuskan keadaan tegang dan memberi alasan kepada polis untuk bertindak liar.
Sayang – peluang Malaysia melangkah ke depan untuk menyubur dan mematangkan proses demokrasi negara disambut dengan tindakan pemerintah yang begitu keras dan jauh daripada bersih.

Stop Bersih crackdown, Bar Council tells Putrajaya

The Malaysian Insider 
by Debra Chong

KUALA LUMPUR, June 29 – The Bar Council demanded today that the Najib administration stop its pre-emptive strikes against possible supporters of electoral reform group Bersih 2.0 ten days before its planned rally in the capital.

Council president Lim Chee Wee said he was alarmed by Putrajaya’s “wanton, unjustified and wholly disproportionate crackdown” this week on freedom of movement, speech and assembly, including nabbing individuals on flimsy excuses such as the clothes they were wearing.

“Most alarming has been the arrest and remand for seven days of a group of individuals (including two juveniles in their teens) in Penang, who are now being investigated under section 122 of the Penal Code for allegedly ‘waging war against the Yang Di-Pertuan Agong,’” he highlighted.

“The unreasonable and unwarranted use of this provision, which provides for potentially severe penalties, and the length of the detention period reflect the government’s determination to clamp down on the citizenry’s right to express their viewpoints peaceably and to intimidate anyone wishing to exercise that right,” he added.

Under the law, whoever tries to “collect men, arms or ammunition, or otherwise prepares to wage war ... against the Yang Di-Pertuan Agong or any of the Rulers or Yang di-Pertua Negeri or abets the waging or the preparation of such war, shall be punished with imprisonment for life or imprisonment for a term not exceeding twenty years, and shall also be liable to fine”.

The lawyer repeated the Bar Council’s call to the police to allow the demonstrators to continue their campaigning for their July 9 rallies in peace and to also help them to keep the public order and peace.

'Kepala Batas residents' heckle PSM supporters

 

Sri Lanka police investigate attack on teenage girls for watching pornography

Colombo, June 29: Sri Lankan police are reportedly investigating an assault on two girls for allegedly watching pornography in eastern Sri Lanka last week.

A group of men had allegedly beaten up the 17-year-olds after they came out of an internet cafe in the Muslim dominated town of Kattankudi, near Batticaloa, the BBC reports.

The case raised concern about the rise of radical Islam in that area.

The father of one of the girls said they were accused of watching pornography, which the girls vehemently denied.

My child has physically recovered from injuries. But she is mentally shattered," he said. 

He also alleged that they were forcefully taken to a local house and beaten up, before taking them to a local Islamic office.

"After that, an announcement was made from a mosque using loudspeakers that two girls who were caught doing wrongful things are now in the office complex," the father said, adding that a large crowd gathered there and some started to denounce the girls following the announcement.

He claimed that the police finally intervened and took the girls to hospital for treatment.

Meanwhile, local mosque authorities denied making any announcement, saying the girls were kept in the office and "interrogated", but were not ill-treated.


Copyright Asian News International/DailyIndia.com  

Netherlands: "One dog less" -- Young Muslims jeer and mock at Christian funerals, pound hearse with their fists

IGP says cops to arrest those with pro-Bersih ‘shoes, cars, buses’

The IGP revealed today that 101 people have been arrested over the last four days. — file pic

 

KUALA LUMPUR, June 29 — The police will not only arrest those sporting Bersih T-shirts but may also take action against anyone using any medium to promote the illegal rally, the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) has said.

“Not just T-shirts but shoes, cars, buses. If these are the tools used to encourage people to gather (illegally), this amounts to sedition,” Tan Sri Ismail Omar told reporters at Bukit Aman police headquarters here today.

Earlier today, Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein declared T-shirts bearing messages in support of Bersih illegal as they were related to an illegal assembly.

He, however, did not specify the legal provision that the garments were deemed to have breached.
Ismail explained that it was the duty of the police as the “protectors of society” to safeguard public order and national security, which he said would be in jeopardy if the Bersih 2.0 rally were allowed to take place.

“Based on PDRM (Royal Malaysian Police) intelligence ... if this rally is held, tension, chaos, the destruction of property, injury and even loss of life may occur,” he said.

“PDRM will not allow any individual or certain parties to do anything that could trigger chaos and anarchy.”

He added that the police have received information that foreign elements were poised to exploit the chaos that would “very likely” result from the rally but declined to reveal their identity or if they were working with opposition parties.

Ismail also warned Bersih organisers and supporters not to take advantage of his civil treatment of them so far to continue “inciting” the public to take part in the illegal rally.

“I am still being civil at this point but don’t force me to go to the next stage,” he said.
“Just watch ... There have been arrests but you will see further action if anyone still dares to break the law.”

Ismail revealed today that a total of 1,830 police reports were lodged between June 6 and June 28, while 101 people have been arrested over the last four days, 45 of whom are still in custody.

He said the police will take further action when necessary against those detained, in accordance with the procedures and laws of the nation.

Bersih under attack: Office raided, staff detained

Selangor police chief Tun Hisan Tun Hamzah says the raid was conducted following a tip off that there were illegal activities taking place in the premise.

PETALING JAYA:  The police today raided the Bersih secretariat here and seized several items as the authorities increased the pressure on the movement to call off its mass rally on July 9.

They have also taken away seven staff members for questioning.

PKR supreme council member Latheefa Koya told reporters that the police came at about 11am and had threatened to force their way into the Bersih secretariat. Bersih shares the single storey residential house with another NGO, Empower.

“When the staff enquired the police whether they had a warrant, the police refused to answer and threatened to break down the gate.

“That’s when one of the staff opened the gate for them,” said Latheefa. Also present were Lawyers for Liberty advisor Eric Paulsen and coordinator Fadiah Nadwa Fikri.

Latheefa was not at the venue when the police arrived and only reached the place at about 1pm.

Staff members questioned

The police also questioned seven staff members under the Police Act and the Printing Presses and Publications Act.

Latheefa added that the staff members had their MyKads seized and were not allowed to leave the office.

She added that an officer known as ACP Rosli had said that the staff members will be investigated in the Bersih office for now.

If need be, they will then be taken for questioning at the Petaling Jaya police headquarters, she said.
At 3.20pm, the staff members – five women and two men – were led by the police into a police truck.
The police also took away seven plastic bags filled with seized items, six boxes, four banners and posters into the truck.

Those detained were Lau Shu Shi, Temme Lee Wei Wei, Eruthayamary Sinappan, Mohamad Ikhsan Samat, Normila Noordin, Deepa Nair Balakrishnan and Ang Hiok Gai.

There was a short commotion at the scene when Hindraf Makkal Sakthi national coordinator K Balakrishnan protested against the arrest of the stafff members.

“How can you arrest ladies without having lady officers present?” shouted Balakrishnan. Deepa Nair is Balakrishnan’s daughter.

Illegal activities

Selangor police chief Tun Hisan Tun Hamzah, when contacted, said the raid was conducted following a tip off that there were illegal activities taking place in the premise.

“So we monitored the place and found the allegation was true,” said Tun Hisan.

The police chief said his officers had seized hundreds of Bersih T-shirts and other Bersih apparels from the office.

“Bersih is also an illegal body as it is not registered under the Societies Act. So we will refer to Registrar of Societies on this case as well,”said Tun Hisan.

In a press conference later, a lawyer from the KL Bar Legal Aid Bureau, Honey Tan said the staff members were being taken to Petaling Jaya IPD for questioning.

“The police even took items not related to Bersih,” she said.

Earlier the police barred reporters from entering the premises during the raid. An officer even took contact numbers and details from reporters present.

Also present was Bersih steering committee member Haris Ibrahim.

‘Malaysia making mockery of human rights’

Malaysia sits in the UN Human Rights Council. But Klang MP Charles Santiago says the country should be stripped of its membership, with all the violations happening now.

PETALING JAYA: Malaysia is a member of the UN Human Rights Council and its main purpose is addressing human rights violations.

But judging from the blatant abuse of human rights here over the last two weeks, Malaysia’s very presence in the council is likely to be questioned.

The Human Rights Council was created by the UN General Assembly on March 15, 2006, aimed mainly at addressing human rights violations and make recommendations on them.

Malaysia was re-elected to the UN Human Rights Council on June 19, 2008. It will serve a three- year term which ends in 2013.

Klang MP Charles Santiago says the Barisan Nasional (BN) government does not care for human rights in the country and the UN should strip Malaysia of its membership of the Human Rights Council.
Santiago said the government should stop making a mockery of the council.

“It’s time the government stopped pretending that it cares about human rights in the country. Arbitrary arrests, inhumane treatment of detainees and silencing of legitimate dissent are not marks of a democratic nation,” he said.

The clampdown on the Bersih’s planned “Walk for Democracy” on July 9 has been intensifying. This morning, 14 people including DAP Jalong assemblywoman Leong Mee Meng and PKR Teja assemblyman Chang Lih Kang were taken in by police in Sungai Siput for promoting the rally.

In the afternoon, police raided the office of Bersih office in Petaling Jaya. Selangor police chief Tun Hisan Tun Hamzah said the raid was conducted following a tip-off that there were illegal activities taking place in the premises.

He also said that his officers had seized hundreds of Bersih T-shirts and other Bersih apparels from the office.

Government’s high-handedness

Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein today said that it was illegal to wear the yellow Bersih 2.0 T-shirts as it was associated with illegal activities.

To date, about 100 people have been caught for wearing the T-shirts. Bersih has said that it will not apply for a permit for its rally because the government had already warned that it will not issue any permits.

Over the weekend, the police arrested 30 Parti Socialis Malaysia (PSM) members, including Sungai Siput MP, Dr Michael Jeyakumar Devaraj, in Penang and they have been remanded for a week to be investigated for illegal assembly and waging war against the king.

PSM has clarified that the arrests were not related to Bersih but linked to its own campaign, “Udahla Tu… Bersarala” (Enough already – retire now).

Bersih chairman S Ambiga, national laureate A Samad Said, Perkasa chief Ibrahim Ali and an Umno Youth representative were quizzed on Monday.

Yesterday, PKR vice-president Nurrul Izzah, Subang MP R Sivarasa, and lawyers N Surendran and Fadiah Nadwa Fitri (from legal aid organisation Lawyers for Liberty) were also summoned to give their statements at the Dang Wangi police station.

Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim was also questioned by the police yesterday.

A few more leaders such as Bersih steering committee member Maria Chin Abdullah and DAP Seputeh MP Teresa Kok are scheduled to give their statements today.

Santiago said that all these developments demonstrates the government’s high-handedness and disregard for human rights in the country.

Anak Mamak disrupts press meet, rains abuses

Meanwhile the Penang High Court will decide tomorrow on the application for a judicial revision on their seven-day remand by 30 PSM detainees.

UPDATED

GEORGE TOWN: Several members from the unregistered Suara Anak-Anak Mamak Pulau Pinang disrupted a Bersih-related press conference and hurled abuses against members of a coalition of civil society here today.

Led by its chief Mohamed Ghani Abd Jiman, they hurled abuses against the civil society coalition members, including former state executive councillor Toh Kin Woon.

While Toh was speaking to reporters near the state police headquarters this afternoon, the group, among others, shouted “Go back to your country if you want to complain”, “Don’t eat shit eat rice”, “You seem old and about to die, go home” and “We are here to protect the law and order, and sovereignty of the country”.

Earlier, Toh led some 10 civil society members to submit a memorandum to state police chief Ayub Yaakob. The memorandum was received by Ayub’s representative ASP M Selvi.

Although Ghani and his gang were hurling abuses against Toh and the others in front of the police headquarters, police personnel just watched the commotion for most of the time.

George Town police chief ACP Gan Kong Meng, who was present, later intervened and told both Ghani and Toh as well as the rest to leave the place.

As Toh proceeded to continue his press conference outside the nearby Mydin Supermarket, Ghani and his gang again hurled abuses.

Earlier, Ghani and his group scared off a Bersih 2.0 female activist while she was distributing copies of the memorandum to newsmen. The female activist hurriedly left the place fearing for her safety.

This is the second time within 12 hours that rowdy groups had disrupted a Bersih gathering.

Last night, PSM members faced a similar situation with a huge group of rowdy youths outside the northern Seberang Perai police headquarters.

PSM submits memorandum

This morning, PSM secretary-general S Arutchelvan led a party delegation to hand over a separate memorandum to the state police chief.

Both memorandums touched on the detention of 30 PSM activists on Saturday while they were travelling in a tour bus along the North-South Expressway.

The memorandums contained complaints of poor condition of police lock-ups, harassment of detainees, lack of water supply and medical treatment.

The memorandums also called on the police to release the detainees at least on police bail.

Remand ruling tomorrow

Meanwhile, the Penang High Court will decide tomorrow on the application for a judicial revision on their seven-day remand by 30 PSM detainees, including Sungai Siput MP Dr Michael Jeyakumar Devaraj.

The PSM detainees want the court to release them immediately from the current remand from June 26 to July 2.

Judge Zamani Abdul Rahim said he would deliver his decision at 11am tomorrow. Today he heard arguments from both lawyers for the detainees and the prosecution in a packed courtroom for two hours starting at 2.30pm.

At least 100 people also gathered outside the court room to support the PSM detainees.
The detainees applied for the revision on the grounds that the police did not have sufficient material evidence to investigate them under Section 122 of the Penal Code with allegedly waging a war against the King.

“Even the Agong would laugh if told that old ladies were detained in suspicion of waging war against him,” defence lawyer CV Prabakaran told the judge.

Utusan dangerous and silly, says PSM

Arutchelvan denounces the paper as a national security threat and describes its reporting as “bullshit”.

TAIPING:  Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM), currently a favourite target of Utusan Malaysia’s stridently pro-Umno reporting, has hit back with a denunciation of the daily as both dangerous and silly.

“It is the real threat to national security and its reporting is bullshit,” said PSM secretary-general S Arutchelvan.

Referring to an article that appeared in Utusan yesterday, he said the paper made the “illogical and comical” inference that a communist and an agent for the American right wing would work together to topple the Malaysian government.

The Utusan report, which carried the headline “National security threatened”, mentioned the arrest of Filipino Romeo Castillo, 56, and South Korean Min Young Song, 24, and quoted an unnamed source as saying that the two were out to “create chaos in the country.

The two were arrested in Ledang, Johor, together with PSM members who were distributing leaflets as part of a national campaign that the party says is aimed at creating voter awareness.

They were at the event only as observers, Arutchelvan said.

Castillo is deputy secretary of the Party of the Labour Masses and PSM had invited him to participate in its national congress early this month and for a month-long working visit. Song is an intern with the May 18 Foundation, a South Korean human rights organisation. She is in Malaysia for a stint with the National Institute for Democracy and Electoral Integrity.

Arutchelvan lodged a police report against Utusan in Kepala Batas yesterday, alleging that the paper had threatened national security through false claims.

Police raid office of NGO involved in Bersih rally

The Star
by STEVEN DANIEL

PETALING JAYA: Police raided the office of a non-governmental organisation (NGO) here Wednesday for alleged involvement in the Opposition-initiated Bersih rally planned for July 9.

The NGO, named Empower, is said to be one of the secretariat committee members for Bersih.

Seven staff members and volunteers were taken in for questioning.

More than a dozen policemen arrived at the single-storey house located along Jalan 4/48e around noon and demanded to enter the premises.

"They did not provide any search warrant and warned they would break open the gates if they (the occupants) did not open the door," said, said PKR leader and lawyer Lateefa Koya when met at the scene.

She said the raid was led by a police officer who proceeded to inspect all the rooms of the building.

"The police seized several items, including some leaflets and paraphernalia that was meant for the Bersih rally," she said, adding that she had not received the list of items seized.

Meanwhile, Selangor police chief Datuk Tun Hisan when contacted confirmed the raid.

"We received information that the premises was conducting illegal activities.

"Upon monitoring the location, our intelligence proved right and a team raided the premises," he said.

He said police found hundreds of Bersih T-shirts, logos and emblems during the raid.

He added that police were investigating the matter under Section 50(3) of the Organisation Act as the premises was not registered.

PSM remand: Court to deliver decision tomorrow

Penang High Court Judge Datuk Zamani Abdul Rahim is hearing an urgent application for a revision of the seven-day remand order on 30 detained PSM activists.
 
The application was submitted by Legal Aid Centre lawyers yesterday.

The detainees are represented by a seven-member legal team led by senior criminal lawyer Dato C V Prabhakaran. Others in the team are Ranjit Singh Dhillon, Agatha Foo, Karen Lai, Parthiban, Sukhindarpal Singh and Ravi Chandran.

The courtroom is packed with around a hundred people, and extra chairs had to be brought in. Others are unable to get into the room. Lawyers are raising questions about whether the actual evidence found supported the need for a long remand period.

This morning, about 10 activists arrived at the Police Contingent Headquarters along Penang Road to submit a joint NGO memorandum to the CPO expressing concern about the poor treatment of detainees. A policewoman accepted the memo on behalf of the CPO who was said to be engaged elsewhere.

While the activists were giving a press conference outside the station, another group of 10 men – an activist said he recognised some of them them from a ‘pro-ISA’ group at an earlier gathering – approached and confronted the activists. The activists moved on and continued their press conference at a nearby location.

Meanwhile, social reform movement Aliran issued a a statement last night.

Unruly mob has its way at police station

Families of detained PSM members go through a harrowing experience as pleas for help to diffuse the situation is ignored by officers.

KEPALA BATAS: A group of unruly youths caused panic among families of detained PSM members at the northern Seberang Perai (SPU) district police headquarters last night.

PSM secretary-general S Arutchelvan led about 40 family members of the 30 detained PSM activists to lodge a second round of police reports at the station at 8.30pm.

As the family members were lodging their reports at a mobile police booth outside the headquarters, a group of unruly youths, started to mushroom at the place.

The boisterous group began to intimidate the family members and walked menacingly towards PSM supporters gathered outside the police station.

Several of youths barged their way through the PSM group and entered the police station. Sensing trouble, Arutchelvan sought police help to provide protection to his people.

However, instead of providing protection, he said a police officer told the PSM members to leave the area first.

“If you all disperse, they will disperse,” the officer allegedly told Arutchelvan and several others.

Fortunately for the PSM members, a small group of Pakatan Rakyat local leaders, led by mainland councillor Johari Kassim from PKR arrived at the scene.

They quickly whisked away the PSM supporters into a tour bus and took them to the PAS local base in Pongsu Seribu.

The group of youths then began dispersing from the area, and the PSM supporters later spent the night at the PAS base.

Families of the PSM members arrested last Saturday evening at the Sungai Dua toll plaza of the North-South Expressway arrived at the district headquarters at 11am.

‘Police conniving with local thugs’

They lodged their police reports after they were not allowed to visit the detainees, among whom were Sungai Siput MP Dr D Micheal Jeyakumar.

Jeyakumar, PSM deputy chief M Saraswathy and a bus driver known only as Selvam are currently warded at the Penang Hospital to seek treatment for health problems.

All the detainees are being investigated for allegedly ‘waging war’ against the King.

Arutchelvan said that PSM members were not involved in any illegal gathering when they arrived here in the morning from Sungai Siput in a tour bus.

“We came here to visit our family members who have been detained. We only started to lodge reports when our requests to see them was turned down,” he said.

Arutchelvan said police officers told him to submit a formal request to Penang police chief Ayub Yaakob to obtain permission to visit the detainees.

Meanwhile, Hindraf Makkal Sakthi advisor N Ganesan, who was at the scene, said it was clear that the police were conniving with local thugs to chase away the PSM members.

“The police made no attempt to disperse the thugs who gathered illegally in the area. The situation was really tense and the thugs looked mean,” he said.

Arutchelvan was among the 28 people arrested in Tangkak, Johor, during the southern leg of the Bersih campaign yesterday. They were all released some hours later.

The PSM leaders and members were on a nationwide roadshow to woo people to join the planned mammoth Bersih rally on July 9 in KL demanding for free and fair elections.

Ibrahim Ali: Bersih rally meant to rescue Anwar

Minimum wages now, not policies

While a significant number of workers suffer due to poor wages, the government continues to be pro-employer in its approach.

COMMENT

By Syed Shahrir Syed Mohamud

It was a sad day for workers and unions in Malaysia when Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak at the Malaysian Trade Union Congress (MTUC) dinner on June 14 made no firm commitment on the promotion and protection of workers’ rights.

As for the minimum wage issue, his response was that this matter is to be referred to the National Wage Consultative Council. There was also no positive response on the issues of retirement age of 60, increasing maternity leave to 90 days for all workers, and the Cost of Living Allowance (COLA).

Workers in Malaysia are still a very low priority of the current Umno-led Barisan Nasional government that has ruled since independence in 1957. Pleas of workers and their families for decent wages continue to be ignored by a government that has been shown to be pro-employer and pro-business, which, by its actions and omissions, seems to be more interested in maintaining the supply of lowly paid, “problem-free” and “easily used and disposable” workers especially for private sector companies.

Workers’ demand and plea for a basic minimum living wage law that will ensure that workers and their families will be able to live decent lives as human beings continue to be ignored by this government, which has at the same time been very fast in increasing the cost of living. This government has allowed increase in the cost of electricity, water, postal services, phone charges, toll charges, petrol and generally the cost of living.

The introduction of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) saw an overall rise of cost of almost all goods and services. Continuous subsidy removals have also resulted in the increase of prices of basic goods and amenities needed by all persons to sustain life. All these measures that resulted in an increase in the cost of living of workers and their families have been done speedily and systematically, but at the same time this government has not ensured increase in wages, and has been systematically removing the right to secure employment until retirement age.

New workers today are being allowed by the government to be employed as short-term contract workers, and sadly even once permanent workers are made to leave through various schemes, like voluntary separation schemes (VSS) and then re-employed as short-term contract workers. Then, the government has expressed the intention of wanting to deny these now contract workers the right to go to court and claim for reinstatement when they are wrongfully dismissed by employers, but the trade unions and civil society opposed this and the government has yet to make this law.

Now, another disturbing trend is that the government is allowing some companies to avoid employment relationships, and their duties and obligations to the workers who work in their factories, plantations and workplaces. It is doing this by a new illegal entity called outsourcing agents, who are actually contractors for labour that supply workers to principals, and this clearly is not allowed in our Employment Act 1955. The law applies to all, including the government, and action is demanded that injustice and violation of law are aggressively ended.

Workers living below poverty line

On minimum wage, Malaysia always had the Wages Councils Act 1947, which gave the government the means and mechanisms to stipulate minimum wages for workers but, alas, it seems that only four categories of workers have been covered by orders made under this Act, that is, in 1967, 1970, 1972 and 1977. They are catering and hotel workers, shop assistants, cinema workers, and Penang stevedores and cargo handlers respectively. For example, the 1970 order on shop assistants provides that the minimum remuneration for a worker ranges from RM170 to RM250, depending on the age of the worker, location and whether full-time or apprentice.

Now, rather than immediately setting and implementing a minimum wage for all workers in Malaysia, or coming out with a minimum wage law, the BN government is telling us that it is tabling a new Bill called the National Wage Consultative Council Act, and the fear is that this will just be as ineffective as the previous law, and all workers will not enjoy basic minimum wages for some time yet, if at all.

The government can immediately set the basic minimum living wages for workers now, subject to later adjustment. A few months ago, the government set the minimum wages for security guards at RM700 per month, which came into effect at the end of January 2011, and as such, the government also can and should immediately set a floor minimum wage for all workers now. It is proposed that this be at least RM900 and it become effective on July 1, 2011. Further adjustments and annual periodic reviews can be done later but at least workers will get sufficient wages now for themselves and their families when cost of living is already so high.

It is sad that the new president of MTUC, Khalid Atan, saw it fit to shower praises on our prime minister, and pledged that MTUC will be working closely with this government that has a history of being anti-worker and pro-employer. MTUC, trade unions and workers’ groups must always place as priority the fight for workers’ rights and welfare, and not try to curry favour with politicians and the government of the day.

It is also distressing that MTUC has allowed the event to become an Umno event, in particular when Umno Youth used it to launch its workers complaints (aduan pekerja) website. It would have been much better if the money was just donated to MTUC to have its own independent website.

Workers and their unions have been calling for minimum wage for a long time, and this demand intensified in the last six years but, alas, the current government’s response has to date been empty promises only save for the 100,000 plus security guards that got something.

Let us not forget that a study on wages initiated by the Human Resources Ministry has revealed that almost 34% of about 1.3 million workers earn less than RM700 a month, below the poverty line of RM720 per month. And in June 2011, our prime minister is not talking about workers getting minimum wages soon but only that “…he hoped a minimum wage policy can be implemented by year-end…”
Workers demand minimum wages today – not just a policy by end of the year.

Syed Sharir Syed Mohamud is the former Malaysian Trade Union Congress president.

Judges who don't know local laws well

The New Straits Times

GEORGE TOWN: Constitutional law expert Shad Saleem Faruqi has expressed shock that a person can be called to the Bar or be appointed as judge without studying local laws.

Shad Saleem said the current practice enabled one to be called or appointed without undergoing a "bridging course" or studying the Malaysian Constitution. 

"Almost 90 per cent of all superior court judges and most of the senior members of the Bar are trained abroad.

"They are not familiar with Malaysian constitutional jurisprudence and often evade constitutional issues," Shad Saleem said yesterday at the International Conference on Decolonising Universities, jointly organised by Universiti Sains Malaysia and Citizens International.

He was speaking on "Western Intellectual Imperialism in Malaysian Legal Education" on the second day of the three-day conference, which began on Monday.

He noted that the country's judges often quoted from the unwritten English constitution and reject the ones from countries like India on constitutional law matters.

On a related matter, he said legal education, apart from being just a study of rules and procedures, must also involve service to the society.

Among the ways he proposed were: redesigning the curriculum to provide for mandatory faculty and student involvement in legal aid and advice clinics; a clinical legal education course involving field work to examine how the law actually works in society; and the formulating and conducting of tailor-made, short-term courses for targeted groups.

Political Scientists And Sociologists Say Street Politics Can Cause Riots

By Mohd Hisham Abdul Rafar and Ahmad Shukran Shaharudin

KUALA LUMPUR, June 29 (Bernama) -- Sociologists and political scientists are worried that the illegal assembly planned for July 9 can set off a chaotic situation especially with the manipulation of third parties.

"The organisers might say the assembly will be peaceful, but one individual is all it takes to cause mob behaviour," said social scientist Prof Dr Ahmad Atory Hussain of Universiti Sains Malaysia.

"If the assembly is to go ahead, there may be disturbances, clashes between communities or among the Malays because of political differences," he said.

If the assembly were to be big, the chance of disturbances would be greater, he added.

Ahmad Atory also did not rule out the possibility of third party manipulation.

A Universiti Teknologi Mara political science lecturer in Dungun, Che Hamdan Mohd Razali, doubted the organiser was motivated by love of democracy.

"I see the assembly is meant to provoke. It is also to build up anti-government sentiment among voters for the coming general election," he said.

He said the assembly could only cause hardship to the people, particularly stall keepers and traders.

A senior lecturer at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Abd Ghapa Harun, said the organisers should be held responsible for anything disastrous that happened at the assembly.

Hunt for the 'Burka Bandit': Man armed with knife and umbrella dressed as Muslim woman to rob travel agents

A man who holds up travel agents with a knife while dressed as a woman in a burka has been caught on CCTV.

The man, who travels from shop to shop taking 'substantial' amounts of money, was filmed twice in Dunstable, Bedfordshire.

Dressed head-to-toe in the Muslim women's outfit, he first threatened two women with a knife on a raid at First Choice travel agents.

The man dressed in a burka as a disguise as he stole 'substantial amounts' of money

The thief dubbed the 'Burka Bandit' was caught on this CCTV film in August 2009 as he robbed Thomson Travel in Luton, Bedfordshire 

He was also seen carrying an umbrella but it is unknown if this was another form of disguise or if he used it to threaten his victims.

He forced them into a back room where he demanded cash from the safe.

The first incident happened in July 2009 and the second in May last year but these images were released last week as part of the Crimewatch Roadshow which is currently touring the country.

 

More...

• 'Criminals' aged just 3: Children responsible for hidden crimewave, including rape and vandalism... and there's nothing police can do

The second robbery happened at a branch of Thompsons where he threatened a member of staff and a customer, again with a knife.

As with the first robbery, which took place just around the corner from the second, he took the women into a back office and escaped with cash from a safe.

Detective Sergeant Terry David from Bedfordshire police said: 'Witnesses are sure [it was a man] because of the voice, build and mannerisms.'

He added it was difficult for police because officers can't go around lifting people's burkas.

'It is a very concentious issue,' he said. 'A contentious disguise and we think he is deliberately choosing that disguise because of that.

'He could quite possibly strike again.'

During the second armed robbery there was a customer in the travel agents at the time

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2008641/Hunt-burka-raider-Man-dressed-Muslim-woman-caught-CCTV-robbing-travel-agencies.html#ixzz1QbUtIDi7

Mickey Mouse's Beard, Minnie's Veil Enrage Egypt's Muslims

Islamic hardliners in Egypt are calling for the severed tongue of a Christian telecom mogul who posted a Muslim-ized Mickey Minnie Mouse online.

Nasguib Sawiris, founder of Mobinil and a prominent promoter of a secular Egypt, tweeted an apology for an online cartoon that showed Mickey Mouse with a beard and Minnie Mouse in a face veil.

"I apologize for those who don't take this as a joke; I just thought it was a funny picture; no disrespect meant. I am sorry," he tweeted.

But hardliners started Facebook groups attacking Sawiris, and others have filed lawsuits accusing him of religious contempt, according to The Associated Press.

"If you are really a Muslim, and you love your religion, boycott his projects," said a message from a Facebook group called We are Joking Sawiris. "We have to cut out the tongue of any person who attacks our religion."

Another Facebook group calls itself "We Hate You Mickey Sawiris."

Sawiris launched a political party calling for the separation of mosque and state after the fall of former President Hosni Mubarak in February.

Sectarian violence between the majority Muslims and the minority coptic Christians has plagued the country since the revolution began.

Wayang Kulit” in Grander 1Malaysia style

HRP, Naragan,
 

The following is a summary of a report on a so-called roundtable conference on the future of Tamil Schools from the FMT website on the 27th of June 2011. The report starts with a grand: “In a historic roundtable conference, BN and Pakatan leaders joined hands to chart the future of Tamil schools.” The stated purpose: “discussions were held to set up a steering committee to chart a blueprint for the future of Tamil schools in the country.” 

Present at the conference were SK Devamany, M Saravanan, DAP stalwart Lim Kit Siang, Kulasegaran, P Ramasamy, M Manoharan , S Manikavasagam, Charles Santiago , R Sivarasah , Dr Xavier Jeyakumar, A Sivaneson, P Guna, Daljit Singh Dalliwal and S Ramakrishnan.

Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Mohd Nazri Abdul Aziz, 

chaired the conference. It is learnt that the steering committee would be made up of 18, there would be six members from BN, six from Pakatan and the rest from Tamil Foundation and other NGOs.

Now look at the report like this.

This is the making of a “Wayang Kulit” in grander 1Malaysia style. This amounts to the politicans fine tuning their approaches. Before only the MIC used to engage in this sort of deceptive wayang kulit. Now, in the last 3 years the Pakatan Indian reps have begun to play the same game – you see this regularly in mock cheques and computers given away in the Tamil newspapers. Yesterday 

both these groups have taken this wayang kulit thing one stage further – in 1Malaysia style and these two groups are getting together for a joint wayang. This is 1Malaysia after all isn’t it. History suggests that this is what is happening. If I am wrong, then they have to show that I am wrong now. And further as if to legitimize this wayang , they pull in a few Indian NGO reps to give it an appearance of a non-partisan effort.

For 54 years the UMNO regime has been using their accomplice MIC in the grand game of deceit of the Indian people. The Malay elite harbour an implicit desire to kill off the vernacular schools, but are blocked by the provisions in the Federal Constitution. To circumvent this, they adopt – and this is unstated private but explicit policy, an ambivalent attitude in public and a clear non-allocation of resources in private. They have been doing this with full collusion of the MIC accomplices.

.Article 12 reads:

Rights in respect of education

12. (1) Without prejudice to the generality of Article 8, there shall be no discrimination against any citizen on the grounds only of religion, race, descent or place of birth—

(a) in the administration of any educational institution maintained by a public authority, and, in particular, the admission of pupils or students or the payment of fees;

or

(b) in providing out of the funds of a public authority financial aid for the maintenance or education of

pupils or students in any educational institution (whether or not maintained by a public authority and whether within or outside the Federation). This is their way of killing off a part of the education system continued from the colonial times and which was institutionalized in the Federal Constitution.

Here is the reality. 

The amounts spent annually on education is about 20% of a RM210 billion budget – works out to about RM 40 billion. The expenditure for just the MARA education system, not to mention everything else that occurs in the education arena, just this one – 42 MRSMs with a student population of 12,400 , with each such school costing anywhere from RM 50 -120 million to construct, 209 Giat MARA schools with a budgetary allocation of RM550 million in just the 10th Malaysia plan period alone, Institute Kemahiran MARA which has put out over 200,000 Malay students, MARA UiTM University with 4 satellite campuses, 12 branch campuses, 9 city campuses and 19 affiliated colleges with an enrollment of 120,000 students and 15,000 staff, and all the other MARA schemes for the last 54 years. How much do you think the expenditure on all of that may be. No clear stats are available for me to quote accurately. But I think easily that would be 30 to 50% of the RM40 billion annually.

If all of that was for 60 odd percent of the majority community of the country, how much should have been allocated to the Indians who constitute 7.4% of the population this year, given the provision in the Federal Constitution Article 12 – on equal treatment . Of course this statistics again is not available. You and I can venture guesses. My guess is that it is less than 0.1 % of all of this RM40 billion. Even the stated amounts of RM 100 million for each of the last 3 years – statement by Devamoney in this conference (which amount I think is just eyewash anyway – but this is what he stated) works out to a bare 0.25%. Like with all their allocation pronouncements for the Indian community, this is most likely a significant exaggeration.

See how serious the problem really is. A community starved of their rightful allocations for at least two generations. This has gone on unchecked for 54 years, just because of this kind of complicity and deception. It is this problem that these reps must really correct. They must get their fundamentals right first.

In light of this seriousness of the problem it is extremely frivolous on the part of these lawmakers to continue with this wayang nonsense – they want to set up a steering committee now, and for what – to do a blueprint – what nonsense. If they are really working for the good of the Indian community, they should all get together now and go to their tuans and towkays and ask for the rightful allocations, now!

We do not need another generation to lose out on something so fundamental as education. See the deleterious effects of this policy in just one aspect of the result– the increasing number of criminals among Indian youth, one in two youths that are in prison are Indians. These reps need to see what they are really dealing with.

If they do indeed represent the Indian people as they all project themselves to , then they have to start becoming effective in whatever they are doing. Without a doubt in my mind this is what they must all do, they should all get together now and go to their tuans and towkays and ask for the rightful allocations, now!. Otherwise I can only take it that they project themselves as representatives of Indians for no other reason than to make an income out of it for themselves. They are all today powerless because of the choices they all have made.They have chosen to make a personal career and a good income out of the miseries of the Indian poor. 

If these reps are serious they should act where it matters. All the BN run states and the Pakatan run states should immediately and before the next elections alienate 5 acres of land to at least 10% of the schools in the country – about 50 of the schools to establish their bona fide intent. These representatives should show bona fide intention this way first while any blueprint or anything else in the form of a robust plan is drawn up.

If these reps are serious they should start there where they do have some authority, in the States where they are in the Exco lineup of the State. We do not need a blue print to start real activity, if that is the true intention it is only a matter of a will. This is well known, so, what is required now is action. Just allocate the land needed – 5 acres each, instead of doing as P.Ramasamy did a few months ago,when he told the people of Ladang Batu Kawan when they asked him for additional 3 acres of land to make their school a 5 acres school, that they and whoever was speaking up for them – in this case, Hindraf, should come up with the additional RM 3 million for the land for the school, as land was not cheap in Penang. This is exactly the kind of thing Samy Vellu has been saying all these 50 odd years as he played Tango with UMNO.

If your true intention is to undo a terrible injustice, then start where you must and can – do not mislead with wayangs. Enough of all that nonsense – we are all so sick and tired.

Go back to your PKR, DAP and UMNO tuans and towkays and just say it to them. Get the ball rolling. Do not form anymore committees – we need to see some action. Pakatan reps , understand this, you should have started on this at the beginning of your respective tenures in 2008 and not at the end of it in 2011. BN reps you should have started all of this 54 years ago. 

Naragan

Dutch ban religious slaughtering of animals

Muslims slaughter bulls during the Eid-al-Adha festival in Lahore December 9, 2008. The Dutch parliament voted June 28, 2011 to ban ritual slaughter of animals, a move strongly opposed by the country’s Muslim and Jewish minorities. – Reuters pic

AMSTERDAM, June 28 – The Dutch parliament voted today to ban ritual slaughter of animals, a move strongly opposed by the country’s Muslim and Jewish minorities, but left a loophole that could let traditional butchery continue.


The bill by the small Animal Rights Party, the first such group in Europe to win seats in a national parliament, passed the lower house of parliament and must be approved by the upper house before becoming law.

It stipulates that livestock must be stunned before being slaughtered, contrary to the Muslim halal and Jewish kosher laws that require animals to be fully conscious.

“This way of killing causes unnecessary pain to animals. Religious freedom cannot be unlimited,” Marianne Thieme, head of Animal Rights Party, said before the vote.

“For us religious freedom stops where human or animal suffering begins.”

In a rare show of unity, the Netherlands’ Muslim and Jewish communities – about 1 million and 40,000 respectively in a total population of 16 million – have condemned the proposed ban as a violation of their religious freedom.

European Union regulations require animals to be stunned before slaughter but allow exceptions for ritual slaughter.

Sweden, Luxembourg and non-EU members Norway and Switzerland ban ritual slaughter. – Reuters

Groups call for Sexual Harassment Act

KUALA LUMPUR, June 28 — Trade union groups today objected to sexual harassment provisions being included in a section of the Employment Act rather than translating them to a stand-alone legislation.

The groups, which are part of an umbrella body called “Malaysians for Decent Living Wage”, also rejected several other amendments to the Act, tabled in Parliament last week.

Speaking to reporters here, Friends of Women president Irene Xavier said according to the sexual harassment section of the Act, women earning more than RM2,000 were excluded.

Additionally, she said, the act lacks a workable definition of “sexual harassment”.


“There is no comprehensive definition of sexual harassment. This one lacks it so it will be difficult for anyone to lodge a complaint,” she said.

Klang MP Charles Santiago (picture) also complained about the inclusion of the words “for labour” in the definition of “contractors” in Section 2 of the Act, saying that it would only create “job insecurity” for workers.

“This amendment has serious implications on workers... the employment pattern in Malaysia will change and it will create job insecurity because you will see contract jobs becoming more popular than regular jobs.

“When this happens, outsourcing becomes popular, as opposed to regular jobs. When you join a company, you typically stay for a long time but now, you work on contract for one, two or three years and you are entitled to minimal benefits and lower salaries,” he said.

Malaysian Trades Union Congress (MTUC) former president Syed Shahir Mohamad Jalil also pointed to the proposed amendment to Section 19(2) of the Employment Act which he said would allow employers to delay overtime wages by more than a month.

According to the amendment, an employer would have to pay his employees for work done on a rest day, gazetted public holiday and overtime “not later than the last day of the next wage period”.

“So if I work overtime in June, I might have to wait until the end of July to get paid because the employer is granted leeway to do so,” he said.

He pointed out that many low-income workers relied heavily on their overtime wages to support their families.

“But if employers can delay it to the following wage period, it would affect their daily expenses,” he said.

Detained MP rushed to hospital

Reports allege mental torture and other forms of ill-treatment of PSM campaigners arrested last Saturday.

TAIPING: Sungai Siput MP Dr D Jeyakumar and two others have suffered health problems while in police detention and are warded at the Penang General Hospital.

Meanwhile, five reports have been lodged with the Penang police headquarters alleging that personnel at the headquarters subjected the three and others arrested last Saturday to mental torture and other forms of ill treatment.

The other two in hospital are Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) deputy chief M Sarasvathy and a bus driver known only as Selvam.

They were among 30 people arrested while distributing anti-Barisan Nasional leaflets as part of a three-day information campaign in the northern part of the peninsula. Police accused them of waging war against the King and trying to revive communist ideology.

Apparently Jeyakumar, who has a heart ailment, did not get his medication on time and had suffered chest pains while Sarasvathy was dehydrated for lack of drinking water. Selvam’s condition is not known. No visitors are allowed in their ward.

Of the 30 arrested on Saturday, seven are detained at the Penang police headquarters, 21 in Kepala Batas and two at the Sungai Dua police station in Butterworth.

There is also a report about ill-treatment in the Kepala Batas police lockup.

In one of the reports at the Penang police headquarters, Jeyakumar’s sister D Prema said she gave her brother his medication late yestyerday afternoon, but that police had failed to give him his next dose on time.

Jeyakumar’s wife,  R Mohana Rani, reported that police turned down her request to give him his medication at 9.30 this morning, agreeing to administer it to him themselves only at noon.

Another of the reports alleged mental torture through solitary confinement in an attempt to extract confessions.

In another report, lawyer Rowena Nair said he was denied access to his clients.
The report in Kepala Batas was lodged by PSM central committee member V Panneer Selvam. He alleged that:

• Detainee G Pakiai Letchumy was punched and spat at in the face by police personnel.

• Detainees were told to drink from the toilet bowls to quench their thirst

• A diabetic detainee who asked for mineral water to wash down her medicine was instead given syrup.

• Detainee P Jothi was kicked by police personnel.

• The lockup toilets had no water supply.

• Fourteen detainees were kept in a lockup meant for six.

‘Perkasa stands for peace’

Ibrahim Ali has declared that Perkasa's role on July 9 is to uphold democracy in the country.

KUALA LUMPUR: Perkasa chief, Ibrahim Ali, today emphasised that Perkasa’s planned ground presence during the Bersih rally on July 9 was a reflection of its stand for peace and democracy in the country.

Two weeks ago, Ibrahim announced the formation of a new umbrella coalition called NGO-NGO Prihatin Keamanan Negara or Gerak Aman to counter the rally which he has accused of being a rescue mission of Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim.

“Do not blame Perkasa if any chaos erupts on that day,” he warned during a press conference this evening. “I have already said that I would call off our gathering if Bersih calls off the rally. We are a group that is pro-peace. I’m only reacting to Bersih and its political agenda to overthrow the government.”

“So I hope the police on that day can differentiate between Perkasa and Bersih. The difference is our intention to uphold peace in the country. Is that a crime?”

Ibrahim explained that Perkasa and Gerak Aman had been giving speeches in 22 locations so far during which its members were briefed not to tout any weapons or engage in provocative behaviour on July 9.

Asked if he could guarantee that Perkasa members would abide by these directives, he shot back, “Can Bersih give the same guarantee? It is a big crowd and we have done our part in advising our members to behave in a peaceful manner. We are not there to demonstrate. We are there to uphold peace.”

While he declined to reveal the anticipated number of Perkasa members who would show up on that day, he sneered at an online news report that put the number at 500.

“The Malaysian Insider said that there wouldn’t be more than 500 but we shall wait and see,” he said. “Perkasa people are brave people. We are willing to face any consequences. We don’t ‘baling batu, sembunyi tangan’ (throw a stone and hide our hands).”

The last remark was directed at social activist, Hishammudin Rais, whose name appeared today on Utusan’s published list of Bersih working committee members.

“I knew Hishammudin way back then,” Ibrahim said. “After causing chaos during the Baling demonstration in 1974, he fled the country while I was arrested under the Internal Security Act (ISA). He smeared the country’s name but he returned home with Anwar’s help and no action has been taken against him since.”
Hishammudin, however, told FMT that he is not part of Bersih’s working committee but a mere organiser at one of the coalition’s events.

‘I’m a journalist too’

The press conference also saw a heated Ibrahim lashing out at the journalists from the alternative media for allegedly manipulating his statements and misrepresenting Perkasa.

“I’m a Mass Communications graduate and I’m a journalist too,” he said. “I was at the School of Freedom in Germany for three months in early 1974 and I was taught how to be a responsible journalist.”

Ibrahim was questioned yesterday by police for allegedly threatening the Chinese to “stock up on food” because “anything can happen during the rally”.

Implying that his words were taken out of context, he insisted that his statement was only advice and not a threat. But the incident has remained a sore point with him.

Ibrahim also said that the news portal had grossly underestimated the size of the crowd when Gerak Aman was launched that day, and had failed to notice the presence of Chinese and Indians there.

“The reporter who said there were only 500 people at the launch must have been blind,” he said sarcastically. “And the Chinese even took pictures with me. This is why I said they should stay home.

Because they are not interested in this sort of issue. The Chinese and Indians are only concerned about business.”

“The only Chinese who will be at the rally will probably be DAP since they are also Bersih anchors. And since a majority of Bersih consists of PAS members, what you will have on that day is PAS Malay meeting Perkasa Malay.”

Ibrahim also warned the online media to ensure that it broadcast the entire footage of the Bersih rally and not an edited version of “people shouting at me”.

When grilled by another online journalist on his earlier statements, the visibly annoyed Ibrahim told her, “If you want to stay in a safe country you better stop talking like this.”

WikiLeaks dedah duta AS ragui penjelasan KL

(Buletin Online) - Duta Amerika Syarikat ke Malaysia memaklumkan kepada pemerintahnya awal tahun lalu bahawa pegawai-pegawai kedutaan meragui penjelasan pentadbiran Perdana Menteri Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak mengenai kecurian enjin jet pejuang F-5 milik TUDM pada 2008, demikian menurut maklumat yang didedahkan oleh WikiLeaks.


Dokumen yang ditandatangani oleh Duta James Keith itu berkata kedutaannya berkongsi 'kesangsian' yang diluahkan oleh satu siri komen media dalam talian mengenai pendirian Putrajaya bahawa enjin jet itu dicuri oleh dua individu berpangkat rendah dan pihak di peringkat tinggi tidak terlibat sama sekali.

'Kami berkongsi beberapa kesangsian yang dilahirkan oleh blog-blog mengenai kes kerajaan dan penjelasan siapa di sebalik kecurian enjin,' kata dokumen tersebut.

'Dalam (proses) penyelarasan dengan pihak Washington, Post terus menekankan untuk mendapatkan laporan lengkap bagaimana kecurian itu berlaku dan penempatan muktamad enjin-enjin (jet pejuang), serta untuk mengingatkan GOM (kerajaan Malaysia) tentang keseriusan isu itu dan keperluan mengambil tindakan pembetulan,' kata kabel yang disiarkan oleh laman blog Malaysia Today, semalam, dan ditukil oleh laman berita The Malaysian Insider pada hari yang sama.

Difahamkan, 'Post' merujuk kepada seorang pegawai politik Amerika yang mempunyai pejabat di kedutaan di Kuala Lumpur.

Mahkamah Sesyen sedang mendengar kes Sarjan N. Tharmendran dari Tentera Udara Diraja Malaysia (TUDM) dan ahli perniagaan, K. Rajandran Prasad, yang menghadapi pertuduhan bersubahat mencuri dan melupuskan enjin pesawat milik TUDM itu.

Pada 6 Januari tahun lalu, Tharmendran, 42 tahun, tidak mengaku salah terhadap tuduhan bersubahat dengan Laskar Udara Mohamad Shukri Mohamad Yusop, mencuri dua enjin pesawat F5 jenis J85-21 di Bangunan Material Processing Shed Matra 1, Pangkalan Udara TUDM Sungai Besi, di sini, pada 30 April 2008.

Rajandran, 38 tahun, pengarah sebuah syarikat pembekalan, pula tidak mengaku salah terhadap tuduhan dengan sengaja menghapuskan dua enjin TUDM itu di alamat 49 Jalan TS 6/6 Taman Industri Subang pada 30 April 2008.

Kededua enjin itu dibeli pada 1972 dengan harga RM303,570 ($123,644), dan bukannya RM50 juta seperti dilaporkan pada awalnya.