Three to challenge EO

The Star
By SHAILA KOSHY

KUALA LUMPUR: Three young men detained under the Emergency Ordinance (EO) for suspected vehicle theft will be asking the court to compel the Cabinet to advise the King to revoke the 1969 law, in a test case to challenge the long-standing EO.

Muhamad Arif Abu Samah, 19, Mohamed Ramadan Mohamed Ali, 22, and Mohamed Rafe Mohamed Ali, 20, who spent almost two months in detention are now restricted to three different states.

On May 13, their solicitor, K. Shanmuga, wrote to the Prime Minister and the Cabinet requesting that they advise the King to revoke the 1969 Proclamation and EO.

When there was no reply, a second letter was sent yesterday restating the request but also gave notice of intention to seek judicial review of the restriction order on the detainees and for a mandamus order to compel Cabinet to advise the King to end the Emergency.

In the May 13 letter, Shanmuga argued that the Cabinet wanted to continue a state of emergency for convenience.

He quoted de facto law minister Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz who told the Dewan Rakyat on March 16 the 1969 Proclamation would be maintained because:

> Otherwise, laws made while the Proclamation is in effect will cease to be effective based on Article 150(7) of the Federal Constitution, causing difficulties in controlling crime and public order; and

> The King may need to enact new laws when Parliament is not in session to manage issues related to terrorism, as well as national security and public order which are not covered by current laws.

Shanmuga said the men contended that if the Government has bona fide intention of controlling crime, new and specific laws should be enacted instead of using old ones whose purposes have expired.

Edmund Bon, who is on the legal team, said the men had been detained on March 8 following a raid on their parents' homes.

“They said they were punched and beaten with metal bars and wires while in custody and forced to sign blank documents.

“On March 18, they were detained under the EO for 60 days. That was the first time their parents were told of their whereabouts.”

Their family visited them on March 21, but they only met their lawyers on May 4, said Bon.

PSD scholarships: Perkasa wants 67% for bumis

Mayor tells builder to stop all work in PJ

The decision comes after residents threatened with eviction complain to the Selangor government.

VIDEO INSIDE

SHAH ALAM: Petaling Jaya City Hall (MBPJ) will today order real estate developer Peter Brickworks Sdn Bhd to stop work on all its projects within the city.

This was the promise that Selangor exco Ronnie Liu and Petaling Jaya mayor Roslan Sakiman gave to residents of PJS 1, whom Peter Brickworks has threatened to evict because it is building a condominium complex there.

Fifty of the residents went to the Selangor state government office at 9 this morning and submitted a memorandum complaining about the eviction notice. Their representative, M Sugumaran, subsequently had an hour-long meeting with Liu and Roslan. Sungai Siput MP Dr Michael Jeyakumar, a prominent social activist, was also at the meeting.

The decision to issue the stop-work order was announced at a press conference after the meeting.
Sugumaran said Peter Brickworks issued eviction notices to two residents on May 23, asking them to move out by May 23. This was despite promising the residents on April 22 that it would not do so until it had discussed the issue with them, he added.

The 27 families living in PJS 1 have been dealing with Peter Brickworks since 2003, when it asked them to move out of Kampung Pinang, Kampung Petaling Tin and Kampung Muniandy with a promise that it would build low-cost flats for them. However, it has not been able to build the flats because residents at the proposed site, which is close to PJS 1, have obtained a court injunction against eviction.

Sugumaran said Liu telephoned someone at Peter Brickworks during this morning’s meeting to persuade the company to retract the eviction notices and have a discussion with PJS 1 residents.

“However, they refused to budge,” he said. “Then after some deliberation, Roslan said he would issue a stop-work order by the end of the day.”

He added that Liu also promised to hold a meeting between the residents, the developer and the Selangor exco for housing, building management and squatters, Iskandar Abdul Samad, once the latter returns from overseas.
 

Jeyakumar said the residents were still in danger of getting their homes demolished because other authorities might ignore the mayor’s stop-work order.

“We will lodge a police report against the developer later today,” he said. “We will tell the police that a stop-work order will be issued against the developer so that they will not assist them on Monday.”

Perkasa demands 67pc Bumi quota for PSD scholarships

Ibrahim said Bumiputeras must be “prioritised in all allocations”. — file pic

PUTRAJAYA, May 27 — Perkasa demanded today that the government set a 67 per cent quota for Bumiputeras in Public Service Department (PSD) scholarships to reflect their ratio in the population. “Seeing that the Barisan Nasional (BN) government, which is the ruling coalition, came into power because of majority support from the Malays and Sabah and Sarawak Bumiputeras, and also based on the federal constitution, this group must be prioritised in all allocations, including JPA scholarships,” Perkasa chief Datuk Ibrahim Ali told reporters today, referring to the PSD using its Malay acronym.

“The quota now (for Bumiputeras) is 55 per cent,” he said, after emerging from a discussion with PSD director-general Datuk Seri Abu Bakar Haji Abdullah here today.

The president of the Malay rights group pointed out that the Bumiputera share of PSD’s 1,500 overseas scholarships had fallen from 90 per cent in 2007 to 55 per cent in 2008, and has stayed there since.
Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Aziz previously said the government had allocated 1,500 overseas scholarships to top students, but only 300 of the total were given based entirely on merit to students scoring straight 9A+.

The remaining 1,200 overseas grants, he said, were distributed according to those qualified within four categories — Sabah Bumiputeras (five per cent), Sarawak Bumiputeras (five per cent), social composition or the population’s racial composition (60 per cent) and socially handicapped (10 per cent).

Nazri also said PSD had an allocation of 2,500 local scholarships and reiterated that in tandem with the prime minister’s pledge last year, all SPM students who scored straight 8A+ and above were guaranteed a place in either local or foreign institutions. Today, Ibrahim accused MCA and MIC today of exploiting the PSD scholarship wrangling for political mileage.

“When they fight for their race, they want to score political points,” said the Pasir Mas MP.
The Barisan Nasional (BN) parties have said the PSD ignored Cabinet directives by giving out scholarships to students who scored below those who passed with distinctions.

Ibrahim stressed that scholarships were a “special right” of the Malays, enshrined under Article 153 of the federal constitution.

Under Article 153, the special position of the Malays is to be safeguarded through the reservation of, among others, scholarships.

The Independent lawmaker also defended PSD from allegations of power abuse.
He said Abu Bakar informed his that students did not receive scholarships for their desired courses because they had not applied for those courses at the relevant universities.
“JPA proved to us there is no abuse,” said Ibrahim.

‘Anwar lacked Dr M’s clout in tackling Islam’

A leaked 1997 diplomatic cable shows that the US had backed Dr Mahathir's version of moderate Islam but felt that Anwar was too soft to handle the religious conservatives.

UPDATED

KUALA LUMPUR: The US embassy here had given its tacit approval to Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s hardline approach against Muslim conservatives in Malaysia as it was in line with the “US interests and values”, revealed a leaked US confidential cable from 1997.
However, the US diplomats were highly concerned if Mahathir’s successor as prime minister could cope with the growing Muslim conservatism.
They were specifically worried if Anwar Ibrahim, who was Mahathir’s deputy at that time, had the “political position or the desire to take on Muslim conservatism as vigorously as Mahathir has done”.
“Moreover, Anwar, if he does become the next PM, will not have Mahathir’s almost unquestioned authority. Thus, for political reasons he may be reluctant to take strong stands that upset the vocal religious constituency,” they added.
And they concluded that in the long run, the “growing proportion of Malays in Malaysia’s ethnic mix will probably lead inexorably to the further Islamisation of Malaysian society”.
The details were revealed in a cable sent by the then US ambassador in Malaysia John R Malott to the US State Department in Washington on Dec 23, 1997.
The confidential cable was leaked by whistleblower site WikiLeaks exclusively to FMT today.
The year 1997 was a critical year for Malaysia as Mahathir was facing a major financial crisis. He was also facing problems with haze and the country’s zealous religious officials, added the cable.
Mahathir takes charge
The cable said several incidents involving “zealous Islamic authorities” have angered Mahathir during this period. They include:

• a proposal by a unit within the education ministry to introduce compulsory Islamic civilization studies for all students. This proposal was then broadened to become Asian civilization following protests and Mahathir’s intervention.

• the arrest of three Malay women by the Selangor religious authorities for taking part in a beauty contest.

• an open warning by the Sarawak religious authorities against Muslim men from taking part in a bodybuilding competition.

Following the messy beauty contest incident, Mahathir had then announced that by early 1998, the government would unify syariah laws at the federal level, thus sharply curbing the autonomy of local religious authorities.
“Theoretically, the government’s plan for standardisation of syariah law will require the agreement of the states’ ruling sultans, but such constitutional niceties have rarely delayed the PM before.
“The ‘unification’ of syariah law early next year is already a fait accompli and conservative clerics know it, but don’t like it,” added the cable.
The cable further stated that Mahathir then in his keynote address at the Umno meeting in September 1997 had called on Malays to reject extremism and noted the results of sectarian violence in Bosnia and the Middle East.
The confidential cable added that Mahathir also criticised Muslims who put more stock in outward appearances (such as traditional clothes and beards for men and headscarves for women) than in leading a moral lie.
“Such a speech might sound sensible enough to Western ears, but by all accounts it was a disaster with the largely Malay audience, including Deputy PM Anwar, sporting traditional dress and goatees and most of the women, including Anwar’s wife, wearing headscarves,” it stated.
It added that Mahathir’s “attack” on “extremist” Islam soon saw a fiery reaction from conservative Muslims, including the Selangor mufti who had apparently labelled the prime minister as an apostate.
“Reportedly, Friday sermons at many mosques have included both oblique and direct criticism of the government. The police confirmed publicly that anonymous ‘poison pen’ literature criticising the PM is circulating at mosques,” added the US cable.
The Selangor mufti, who had denied ever calling Mahathir an apostate, was replaced by the state religious authorities on the grounds that the state needed a mufti whose views “were acceptable to all” and that a replacement was needed due to the mufti’s advanced age.
This prompted the US embassy to point out that the age reasoning was curious as “the PM himself has repeatedly stated that he will not step down, though he is one year older than the mufti”.
Anwar will lack authority
The US cable stated that Mahathir’s moves to modernise Islam made even the moderates feel anxious over the tone and direction taken by the prime minister.
However, the top US diplomat felt that Mahathir “consistently advocates a moderate Islam squarely in line with US interests and values”.
“The PM, for better or worse, is not afraid to take on anyone, including conservative Islamic groups that generally have negative views toward the US.
“Mahathir is also important as a voice of moderation within the international Islamic community,” added the secret cable.
The cable then went on to describe how Anwar, labelled as Mahathir’s “good conscience”, “has not proven he has either the political standing or the desire to take on conservative Islam”.
US diplomats based here also felt that Anwar who started off as a Muslim activist seemed loath to confront his former Muslim associates.
“Anwar’s reaction to the beauty pageant incident, which happened while the PM was out of the country and Anwar was in charge, was much less vigorous.”
The US cable said that “Anwar, if he replaces Mahathir, will not have his predecessor’s almost unquestioned authority”.
“Thus, for political reasons he may be reluctant to take strong stands that upset the vocal religious constituency,” added US diplomats.
The author of the cable is unknown although it was sent to Washington by Malott, who remains a firm Anwar loyalist following his sacking as the deputy prime minister in 1998.
Worried non-Malays

The US cable also predicted that in the long run, Malaysian demographic will probably dictate an increased role for Islam in Malaysia.
It noted that many Malays seem to be reacting by turning back to their Islamic roots – at least in external forms of observance.
“For instance, over the past decade noticeably more Malay women now wear headscarves. This Islamic resurgence, even in its mild Malaysian form, worries Malaysia’s non-Malay communities,” the cable added.
The confidential cable concluded by stating that, given political uncertainties, “it is not clear whether Mahathir’s successor (whether Anwar or someone else) will have sufficient authority to make sure differences do not get out of hand”.
“We expect, therefore, Islamic issues to become more prominent in the coming years.”
Mahathir was eventually replaced by Abdullah Ahmad Badawi who introduced Islam Hadhari, which created more confusion among both Malays and non-Malays alike. It only resulted in government agencies picking up Islamic agenda to mollify the premier.
When present Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak took over in 2008, he moved away from the Islam Hadhari concept, and replaced it with 1Malaysia unity ideology.
However, race relations in the country continue to remain tense, especially in recent years following a hardline attitude shown by the government against other religions. This is not helped by actions undertaken by Malay right-wing groups such Pembela and Perkasa.

Police under probe over stolen cars

Bukit Aman is investigating several police officers for their alleged link with a syndicate specialising in re-selling stolen vehicles.

PETALING JAYA: Bukit Aman police are investigating several of their own men over an alleged link with a syndicate selling stolen cars, sources said today.

The officers are being investigated for allegedly handing over stolen cars which have been recovered by police, to the syndicate instead of returning them to their rightful owners.

These stolen cars would then be re-conditioned and resold to unsuspecting second-hand car dealers or private owners.

It is also alleged that the syndicate has contacts in the Road Transport Department who would ensure the “re-conditioned” cars would not be blacklisted.

A source said that the syndicate’s cover was blown open last year when investigators from an insurance company was preparing to reimburse a victim of a car theft. They had tracked down the stolen car which had been re-conditioned.

“The insurance agency then found out that there were many cases where these stolen cars are on the road or being sold, and lodged a police report,” the source said.

Bukit Aman then swung to action and has been confiscating these “second-hand” cars since early this year.
The source also said that more light was shed on the syndicate when police conducted a highly publicised raid at a warehouse at Taman Wahyu, Kepong, in July last year. There they uncovered a “mini zoo” of illegally traded wildlife.

In the raid, police also recovered 42 stolen vehicles worth about RM1 million. Two men were arrested.
Police had said then that the syndicate members would disguise themselves as insurance agents specialising in stealing impounded cars.

Disciplinary unit
When contacted, Bukit Aman CID director Mohd Bakri Zinin said today he could only reveal more details on Monday after a briefing from his men.

Bakri said he had received several calls since the case was highlighted by DAP’s Segambut MP Lim Lip Eng in a press conference earlier today.

Lim, who lodged a report at the Sentul police district headquarters, claimed that over 60 cars have been confiscated by Bukit Aman’s disciplinary division. It is believed that the syndicate has been operating for at least two years.

Lim claimed that the fact that the disciplinary unit was looking into the case showed that police are investigating their own men.

“The only role of the (disciplinary) unit is to investigate police wrongdoings. Under normal circumstances, stolen car cases are under a different department,” he told FMT.

Lim said he has been receiving more than 15 complaints from used-car dealers from Selayang, Serdang, and Kepong since December last year.

“The latest complaint – from Setiawan, Perak – prompted me to lodge the report today because we now have documents to prove that the police may be involved in foul play,” he said.

He said that another owner was robbed of his Mercedes C200 Compressor on March 13, 2009, and had lodged a police report and made an insurance claim.

“An undated letter from an Inspector Saiful Irwan Abdul Hamid from the CID department in Ampang Jaya district police headquarters stated that the car was found and returned to the owner, but he never got back his car,” said Lim.


Chassis number

A senior officer from Ampang Jaya confirmed that there was an officer by the same name.
Instead, a second-hand car dealer, Pang Koo Tak, from Setiawan had bought the same car but it had been refitted with a different registration number.

“However, Pang was shocked when the car was confiscated on Jan 19 this year by a police officer named Razlam Ab Hamid from the Bukit Aman disciplinary department. He was told the chassis number was the same as that of the stolen vehicle,” said Lim.

Pang then approached Lim to help get back the car as he was still servicing the car loan.
Lim questioned if RTD and Puspakom were involved as the departments had cleared the car given by the syndicate for inspection.

He said many of the used-car dealers who came to him told him that they had checked with all the relevant departments, including the police, RTD and insurance companies and found that the cars were not blacklisted.

Lim said that as a result, car buyers, used-car sellers and insurance companies are suffering.
Meanwhile, MCA Public Services and Complaints Department head Michael Chong said he has also received similar complaints.

PSD scholarship is for first degree study

Not everybody will get to study overseas, says Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak.

KUALA LUMPUR: Public Service Department (PSD) scholarships which are given to students obtaining 8A+ are for first degree studies either at home or abroad, Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak said.

Top scorers who were offered to undergo matriculation and diploma courses would be given scholarships when they further their studies at the first degree level, the prime minister said.

“We can’t promise that everybody will get to study overseas,” he told a news conference after chairing the Umno supreme council meeting at Menara Dato Onn, here today.

“This is what the people sometimes misunderstand… they think that when they take diploma or matriculation, they will no longer be given PSD scholarships.

“This is not true,” he said when asked to comment on claims of irregularities in the award of scholarships by the PSD.

There will be 4,000 scholarships to be given to those who obtained at least 9A. Of the total, 1,500 will be for study abroad and the rest for study in the country.

The prime minister said he had asked Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Nazri Aziz to discuss the issue with the PSD and other Barisan Nasional (BN) component parties.

Najib was also asked on the proposal by the Election Commission (EC) to ban mobile phones at vote tallying centres to prevent leakage of unofficial results.

Najib, who is Umno president, said: “I think it’s better for the EC to think this over; the EC is the election authority and it’s an independent body.”

EC chairman Abdul Aziz Mohd Yusof was reported to have said this week that the EC was considering banning the use of mobile phone in such centres or requiring owners to sign sworn declarations against any broadcast of unofficial election results.

Abdul Aziz said counting of votes might also be held much later even if there were polling centres being closed much earlier to prevent unofficial election results from being leaked out.
- Bernama

Tampil pelaku mirip Anwar, Rolls Royce jadi habuan

Tawaran itu dibuat oleh Pengerusi Parti Kesejahteraan Tanah Air (Kita) Kedah, Zamil Ibrahim.

PETALING JAYA: Orang ramai ditawarkan sebuah kereta mewah jenis Rolls Royce jika dapat membawa seorang yang mirip Ketua Pembangkang Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim yang kononnya didakwa sebagai  pelaku klip video seks.

Tawaran itu dibuat oleh Pengerusi Parti Kesejahteraan Tanah Air (Kita) Kedah, Zamil Ibrahim memandangkan Anwar sebelum ini menafikan bahawa dirinya adalah pelaku dalam klip video berkenaan.

Bagaimanapun menurut Zamil tawaran itu akan berakhir 10 Jun depan dan tiga orang panel khas akan dijemput untuk membuat penilaian bagi mengesahkan pelaku itu.

Zamil berkata tiga penel termasuklah ahli perniagaan Datuk Shazryl Eskay Abdullah, Presiden Kita Datuk Zaid Ibrahim dan bekas Ketua Angkatan Muda Keadilan yang juga Senator Dewan Negara Ezam Mohd Nor.
Menurut Zamil, ketiga-tiga panel itu akan dijemput untuk mengesahkan entiti pelaku itu memandangkan mereka merupakan kenalan rapat Anwar.

“Anwar beri kenyataan bahawa pelaku dalam video seks itu bukan dia, muka hanya mirip saya. Anwar sendiri bermati-matian menafikan bahawa dia adalah pelakunya.

“Siapa yang mirip dia kalau pelaku itu adalah dia? Maka parti Kita Kedah nak tamatkan sandiwara Anwar…..dia tidak mahu mengaku sedangkan polis sudah kata video adalah tulen. Tapi Anwar tetap dengan sandiwaranya dengan buat laporan polis yang palsu.

Zamil menjelaskan beliau bertindak sedemikian untuk menamatkan kontroversi yang masih berpanjangan mengenai ‘siapa’ pelaku dalam video seks tersebut.

Beliau turut mencabar Anwar mahupun penyokong setia PKR untuk menampilkan pelaku yang mirip dengan pemimpin pembangkang itu.

“Saya cabar Anwar agar bercakap benar mengenai hal ini. Janganlah sentiasa berbohong sepanjang hidupnya. Hanya penyokong beliau yang masih tidak buka mata sedangkan hakikatnya rakyat sudah bosan dengan perlakuan peribadi Anwar ini.

“Maka saya tawarkan kereta Rolls Rocyce milik saya kepada mana-mana individu yang dapat menampilkan pelaku yang mirip seperti Anwar.

“Saya jemput penyokong-penyokong setia PKR serta Anwar sendiri untuk tampilkan pelaku dalam video seks itu sebagai bukti kepada penafiannya,” katanya kepada FMT.

‘Win-win deal’: Vigneswaran reveals why

The MIED suit has been settled, and the critics rained accusations on him. But the former MIC Youth chief says he did what was best for the education arm.

KUALA LUMPUR: Former MIC Youth chief SA Vigneswaran who initiated the RM100 million suit against MIED chairman S Samy Vellu and seven other trustees has defended his decision to opt for a “win-win formula”.

Vigneswaran said he decided to look into the matter seriously immediately after the Federal Court on April 5 granted leave to Samy Vellu and the trustees to appeal against the June 14 decision of the Kuala Lumpur High Court to grant leave to him (Vigneswaran) to name the MIC education arm as the plaintiff.

“If I lose at the Federal Court, the entire case at the High Court will be thrown out and nothing will come out from the effort that went in for more than a year,” he told FMT.

He said when his legal team was offered the “win-win formula” to settle the dispute out of court, Vigneswaran said he decided to accept it even if it meant giving up on some of his earlier demands.
“This settlement is not like any other settlement, where one goes to court and withdraws the suit. It only can be withdrawn with leave of court and that is what happened. We gave the reason for the withdrawal at the same court which granted us leave to intiate this action (the suit),” he added.

He explained that it meant that the court found the terms reasonable and in the interest of MIED.
Among the settlements recorded at the High Court yesterday were:

• MIED board agrees to let Vigneswaran sit on the board as an observer for a year;
• MIED shall implement one-year order to stop blacklisting MIED students to enable them to repay their loan and the interest to be fixed at 4%;
• repayment of loans to start from the date of their employment or six months after their graduation;
• MIED board to stop a scheduled procedure for study loan approvals;
• to appoint Deloitte Corporate Solutions Sdn Bhd as the management consultants/management accountants for MIED ; and
• full disclosure of major transactions and matters relating to MIED at board meetings.

‘Critics can say what they want’

On the issue of backdoor deals including the speculation that he was “bought over”, Vigneswaran said if he had wanted to do that he would have done it when Samy Vellu brought him back into the party last October.
“They can make whatever allegations against me over this, my conscience is clear. The critics should bear in mind that Vigneswaran is not the only member of MIED but Vigneswaran was the only member who did something about it,” he said.

Since the day he initiated the suit, Vigeswaran said he had consistently stated that it was not to seek revenge but to ensure that MIED was managed properly.

“The crux of the matter is simple. There were some wrongdoings and weaknesses in MIED and I succeded in exposing them and now I have been given the chance to be observer in the board for a year to ensure such things do not recur,” he said.

He said there were occasions where employees of MIED “hijacked” money and this should not happen again.
Vigneswaran also said with the terms of settlement, there would be more transparency. “The board’s decisions in future will be collective and no more unilateral decisions,” he added.

MIED filed the summons after the High Court on June 14 last year allowed Vigneswaran’s application to name MIED as the plaintiff in its proposed suit against the chairman and trustees.

The ex-MIC Youth chief had sought the court’s permission to initiate the suit under Section 181A of the Companies Act 1965.

This section requires a company seeking to be a plaintiff in a suit to first get the court’s permission.
In the suit filed on July 5, last year, he named Samy Vellu, G Palanivel, M Mahalingam, Dr T Marimuthu, SK Ampikaipakam, Karnail Singh Nijhar, K Kumaran and G Vadiveloo and audit firm Kumpulan Naga.

‘Attack on Shi’ites a diversion tactic’

Islamic authorities and the Malay mainstream media have joined forces to attack the Shi'ite community, a leader said.

PETALING JAYA: Raids conducted against the Shi’ite Islamic community are nothing more than a distraction from the bigger picture, a local organisation said.

Ar-Ridha director Mohd Kamilzuhairi Abdul Aziz said that the Selangor Islamic Department (JAIS) had more pressing concerns than harrassing Shi’ite believers.
“JAIS’ actions are seen as an effort to shift public opinion from the increasing social problems that it is unable to overcome,” he said in a press statement.

Kamilzuhairi claimed that there were over 250,000 babies born out of wedlock; a number that was on the rise.

“JAIS also has to curb the widespread use of alcohol,” he said, adding that Malaysians were some of the heaviest drinkers in the world.

He said that JAIS should have had its hands full tackling social problems, but was wasting its time attacking the Shi’ite community.

He also warned that persecution by the state went against resolutions drafted by the Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC) which supported the Shi’ite school of thought.

On May 24, a group of JAIS officials and police officers gatecrashed a Gombak celebration organised by the Shi’ite community.

Although given official permission with assurances that it was not a religious Shi’ite event, the authorities were nevertheless relentless.

Four Shi’ite community leaders were also arrested.
Kamilzuhairi also took a swipe at the Malay mainstream media for their negative portrayal of the Shi’ite community.

He said that Berita Harian, Kosmo and Utusan Malaysia had labelled Shi’ite beliefs as “deviant teachings” or as “serious threats”.

These included a May 25 Kosmo headline that read: “Deviant groups practise contract marriage”; a message Kamilzuhairi described as slander.

A vote against Barisan Nasional is a vote against…….

Barisan Nasional has still not learnt its lesson. Racism no longer works. Okay, maybe a few small-brained people are still gullible enough. But that group is getting smaller and smaller. Malaysians are becoming more internet-savvy and are no longer ‘frogs under a coconut shell’ like in the past. There is an expiry date on racism and that expiry date is getting closer.
NO HOLDS BARRED

Raja Petra Kamarudin
MCA sticks to its 'no govt posts' call if party performs poorly in polls
(The Star) - The MCA will stick to its 'no government posts at all levels' call, if the party performs poorly in the next general election, said president Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek.
He said some quarters in the Chinese community had expressed their worries that they would have nowhere to go for help if MCA was not in the Government.
"We are not so fickle-minded. MCA has the integrity, courage and political morality to keep its words.”
"If you still need us in the Government, you have to support us," he told a press conference here Thursday after a dialogue session with Chinese guilds and associations.
Dr Chua, backed by the party's presidential council, had recently called for MCA to give up government posts if the Chinese community did not support its candidates in the general election.

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

Disgruntled members urged to return to Umno
(Bernama) - Umno members who feel marginalised or hurt by the party should rise above such feelings and return to the party's fold to help with the ongoing political and government transformation process.
Party vice-president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said their contributions were needed to support prime minister and Umno president Najib Abdul Razak's push to turn Malaysia into a developed nation of high income.
He said Najib's approach was different from the ones taken by previous leaders and, for this reason, party members who felt marginalised, unwanted or hurt should return to the party.
The same goes for members who had previously been suspended from Umno or even those who had joined the opposition, he told reporters after opening the Alor Setar Umno divisional meeting in Alor Setar today.
"Others may have felt disappointed over not being chosen as election candidates.
"A study conducted following our experience in Perak in the 2008 general election which saw Umno losing seven seats showed that this was 100 per cent due to dissatisfaction among Umno members. Some had even sabotaged the party," he said.
Ahmad Zahid, who is defence minister, said experience would show that a decision made when a person was angry, sad or under pressure would not be an accurate one.
He recalled his own experience of being an Umno Youth chief without any government post.
"In Umno, we need to have resilience and competitiveness. We can already see changes among those who have opened up their minds," he said.
He said it was impossible for the government to achieve its goals without political supremacy and support from all Malaysians.
"Umno members must lead the way in casting aside feelings of hurt and dissatisfation," he added.

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

Can you see the game they are playing?
The Chinese Barisan Nasional leaders are telling the Chinese community that if they do not vote MCA then they are not going to have any Chinese representatives in the government.
The Malay Barisan Nasional leaders are telling the Malays that if the Malays do not want to become slaves and second-class citizens in their own country then all Malays must unite under Umno.
The Indian Barisan Nasional leaders are telling the Indian community that…actually I don’t know what the hell MIC is telling the Indian community because I don’t speak Tamil.
Anyway, it’s all about race. And they are even using religious leaders or ustaz and imams to spread the message of hate through sermons and talks. (See here: http://www.malaysia-today.net/component/content/article/58-video/40691-ustaz-kazim-elias-kutuk-cina-india-berita-hairan-online-).
And this is not an isolated case mind you. It is happening all over the country, even in the Kamunting Detention Centre (and I should know since I have been there).
In fact, one of the allegations against me, which resulted in my detention, is that I had insulted Islam. And the ‘proof’ that was used against me was my article about the mosques spreading hate sermons.
Barisan Nasional has still not learnt its lesson. Racism no longer works. Okay, maybe a few small-brained people are still gullible enough. But that group is getting smaller and smaller. Malaysians are becoming more internet-savvy and are no longer ‘frogs under a coconut shell’ like in the past. There is an expiry date on racism and that expiry date is getting closer.
When next you go out to vote just remember that:
A vote against Barisan Nasional is a vote against racism.
A vote against Barisan Nasional is a vote against religious extremism and manipulation.
A vote against Barisan Nasional is a vote against sacrilege against Islam and the abuse of Islam for political gains.
A vote against Barisan Nasional is a vote against corruption, mismanagement and abuse of power.
A vote against Barisan Nasional is a vote against persecution and discrimination.
A vote against Barisan Nasional is a vote against gambling the future of our children and grandchildren.
A vote against Barisan Nasional is a vote against corrupt and lying politicians.
A vote against Barisan Nasional is a vote against distortion of the truth and manipulation of the media.
A vote against Barisan Nasional is a vote against the violation of the Federal Constitution of Malaysia.
A vote against Barisan Nasional is a vote against a manipulated and non-independent judiciary.
A vote against Barisan Nasional is a vote against the use of all the instruments of government to stifle dissent and opposition.
A vote against Barisan Nasional is a vote against a fraudulent, unfair and unclean election.
A vote against Barisan Nasional is a vote against the stifling of a civil society.
A vote against Barisan Nasional is a vote against…well, why not you fill in this last one, which I sure many of you are capable of.

Skandal Scorpene: Peguam Perancis Akan Tiba Ke Malaysia

Dari Keadilan Daily

Peguam Perancis yang mewakili Suara Rakyat Malaysia (SUARAM) dijangka tiba ke Kuala Lumpur lewat Jun atau Julai untuk memberi taklimat mengenai perkembangan terbaru skandal pembelian dua kapal selam Scorpene.

Suaram mewakili rakyat Malaysia memfailkan aduan terhadap DCNS pada Disember 2009, di mahkamah Paris kerana aktiviti rasuah dalam urusan pembelian berkenaan.

Suaram juga mengesyaki wang sogokan berjumlah ratusan juta di sebalik transaksi berkenaan, yang butirannya cuba disembunyikan pentadbiran Perdana Menteri, Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.

Menurut laporan Malaysia Chronicles, peguam berkenaan akan memberi taklimat kepada warga Malaysia di beberapa tempat.

Namun tidak dapat dipastikan samada peguam Joseph Brehem yang tiba ke sini April tahun lalu akan turut hadir.

Akhbar Suara Keadilan baru-baru ini mendedahkan dua lagi bayaran komisen berjumlah RM32.5 juta, selain RM493 juta yang didedah lebih awal dalam proses pembelian dua kapal selam Scorpene.

Dua komisen itu terbongkar selepas pihak berkuasa Perancis memperoleh dokumen hasil serbuan ke atas DNCS, syarikat yang membina dan menjual kapal selam kepada negara ketiga termasuk Malaysia.

Sebelum ini, sebuah laman web Perancis, Rue89 mendedahkan, syarikat Perancis, Armaris tidak pernah membayar Perimekar RM493 juta, sebaliknya dibayar kerajaan Malaysia sendiri.

Perimekar Sdn Bhd adalah syarikat milik isteri Abdul Razak Baginda, Mazlinda Makhzan. Abdul Razak merupakan kenalan rapat Najib yang terlepas dari kes pembunuhan kejam warga Monggolia, Altantuya Shaariibuu pada 2006.

Perjanjian pembelian dua kapal selam Scorpene bernilai berbillion dollar itu dimeterai Najib ketika menjadi Menteri Pertahanan pada 2002.

Pada April tahun lalu, seorang ahli perundangan Perancis, Joseph Breham memfail aduan di mahkamah Perancis berhubung skandal pembelian dua kapal selam Scorpene kepada kerajaan Malaysia.

Pengarah Urusetia Suaram, Cynthia Gibrael turut mendedahkan dua tiket penerbangan yang disahkan atas nama Abdul Razak dan Altantuya, ke Malta, sebenarnya melibatkan seorang lagi individu ketiga.

“Siasatan mendapati Gifen- sebuah subsyarikat kepada DCNS berpengkalan di Malta, berperanan sebagai pembuat bayaran. Mereka jumpa bayaran e-tiket melibatkan Razak baginda, Altantuya dan seorang lagi,” kata Cynthia.

BN Not Worried About Facing Separate Elections - Najib

KUALA LUMPUR, May 27 (Bernama) -- Barisan Nasional (BN) is not worried over the possibility of facing a separate election should the opposition-held states refuse to dissolve their state assemblies, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said.

"We cannot determine what they can do; we can only determine what we can do.

"So, I'm not worried about what they will do because I cannot control their actions. I will only give serious consideration to things that I can do," he told a media conference after chairing the Umno Supreme Council meeting at the party's headquarters Friday.

Najib said that under the Federal Constitution, state governments could advise the sultan or the Yang Dipertua Negeri whether or not to dissolve their state assemblies.

DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng had previously said that states under the opposition pact would not dissolve their state assemblies if the federal government was to dissolve parliament this year.

Talk: Filming the marginalised

The guest speakers this Saturday are Anjali Monteiro and KP Jayasankar, Professors at the Centre for Media and Cultural Studies, Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai. Both of them are involved in media production, teaching, and research.

Their presentation explores the treacherous and slippery terrain that documentary filmmakers (as well as researchers and activists) have to negotiate in speaking of/for/with the marginalised. Apart from the ethics and politics of representation, there is also the vexed issue of using the image as evidence. Using excerpts from films, the presentation will discuss these issues, hoping in the process to share some insights and dilemmas that are thrown up in any encounter between public intellectuals and the marginalised.
About the speakers:
Anjali Monteiro and KP Jayasankar have jointly won 21 national and international awards for their films, including the Prix Futura Berlin 1995 Asia Prize for Identity and Best Documentary Award at the Three Continents International Festival of Documentaries, Venezuela. Their work has also been screened widely, at film festivals, on Indian and overseas television networks and at universitites and institutions across the world. They are both recipients of the Howard Thomas Memorial Fellowship in Media Studies, and have been attached to Goldsmith’s College, London, and the University of Western Sydney.
Date: 28 May 2011 (Saturday)
Time: 10.00am – 1.00pm
Venue: University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus KL Teaching Centre, Level 2, Chulan Tower, Jalan Conlay, Kuala Lumpur.
For further information and registration, kindly contact Ms Agnes Irene Selvaragi at Agnes.Selvaragi@nottingham.edu.my or Mr Ng Eng Kiat at EngKiat.Ng@nottingham.edu.my