Hindraf reminds PM of allocation promise

 

Persatuan Hindraf Malaysia has reminded Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak to include the agreed allocation for the implementation of the organisation's memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the BN, in the National Budget 2014.

Its Penang chairperson Kalay Selvam Kalay (right) said nothing has been done by the BN government since the MOU was signed in April except allowing the setting up of a unit in the Prime Minister’s Department, which is yet to be named.

"As the national budget 2014 planning cycle has begun, we remind the BN government, especially Najib to include the agreed allocation for the implementation of the Hindraf-BN MOU in this next year's budget," he said.

He said in a statement that the group’s proposal for an organisational structure to carry out the implementation of the MOU has been rejected because it is too elaborate.

"The establishment of the expert steering committee (ESC), proposed by Hindraf, has also been delayed. In total, 31 of the 32 areas of the MOU remain untouched," he told Malaysiakini.

"The questions raised about the delays in implementing the MOU has only been met with silence by the prime minister," he added.

Kalay said that the PM’s Department must at once approve the organisational structure and allow the establishment of the ESC as proposed by Persatuan Hindraf Malaysia to enable the MOU to start running.

"Unless the ESC gets to work very soon, it is likely that the budget input for the implementation plan may be in jeopardy," Kalay said.

Cannot swing back Indian votes

Kalay urged Najib, who initiated the signing of the MOU two weeks before the May 5 general elections, to look back at his promises laid down in the MOU.

"It is crucial for BN to allocate the agreed budget for the Hindraf-BN MOU in the 2014 national budget as failure to do so would indicate that BN has broken its promises," he said.

"Once that happens, neither Persatuan Hindraf Malaysia nor (Deputy) Minister in the Prime Minister Department P Waythamoorthy (left) can ever swing back the Indian votes en bloc to BN in the next general election.

In the May elections, the association had agreed to support the BN to help the coalition win back a two-thirds majority in order to get its MOU implemented to uplift the status of the Indian community in the country.

In return, Waythamoorthy was appointed a deputy minister by Najib after the polls to look into the plight of the Indian community.

"BN may have failed the Indians once, but it can’t afford another similar shortcoming in today’s crucial changing political landscape," he said.

Kenyan intelligence warned of Al-Shabaab threat before mall attack

Nairobi, Kenya (CNN) -- A number of Kenya's Cabinet members and defense officials were warned about the possibility that the terror group Al-Shabaab was planning to carry out a Westgate-style attack a year before gunman stormed the Nairobi mall, according to several police and intelligence sources.

The warnings were made by the country's National Intelligence Service as part of regular situational reports given to cabinet members, the inspector general of police, members of the National Security Advisory Council and military intelligence.

CNN has seen an electronic version of those reports, which contain an extensive list of terror threats from several regions across Kenya over an extended period, but they also specify Al-Shabaab posed a threat to several targets, including Westgate Shopping Mall.

The news about the intelligence warnings come amid revelations that the mall favored by Westerners and tourists was long-considered a possible terror target.

CNN has also learned that the Westgate mall attackers tortured some of the hostages.

Military doctors said militants severed hands, cut off noses and, in some cases, hanged hostages. CNN has seen photographic evidence of one dead victim with a hand amputated.

Inquiry begins

Members of Parliament are expected Monday to begin grilling intelligence bosses, including the head of the National Intelligence Service, over the apparent intelligence failures.

The news of the intelligence warnings follow the September 21 terror attack at Westgate that resulted in a four-day standoff that left at least 67 people dead and parts of the shopping center destroyed. Dozens are still unaccounted for, possibly buried beneath the rubble.

The attackers claimed to be members of the Somali-based Al-Shabaab.

Al-Shabaab itself made statements claiming responsibility, including saying on Twitter that it sent the gunmen in retaliation for Kenya's involvement in an African Union military effort against the group, which is al Qaeda's proxy in Somalia.

Kenyan forces killed five terrorists, and 11 others are in custody over possible links to the attacks, President Uhuru Kenyatta has said.

Immense work remains

But an immense amount of work remains to learn how Al-Shabaab, a terror group thought to be badly bruised by recent losses in its Somalian homeland, was able to pull off such a well-coordinated and brazen attack.

Last year, the Kenyan military was part of a peacekeeping force that defeated Al-Shabaab forces to liberate the key Somali port of Kismayo.

Since Kenya launched attacks against Al-Shabaab in Somalia in 2011, the group has hurled grenades at Kenyan churches, bus stops and other public places.

It was the deadliest terror attack in Kenya since al Qaeda blew up the U.S. Embassy there in 1998, killing 213 people.

Terrorism experts say the attack bears eerie similarities to the 2008 siege of a hotel in Mumbai, India -- another upscale target with Western appeal. Lashkar-e-Taiba, a Pakistani terrorist group that attacked the hotel for more than three days, killing 166 people.

ROS bashed at 'high-turnout' DAP re-election

Electoral fraud tribunal defends legitimacy after EC, Attorney-General backlash

Nigeria College Attacked: At Least 40 Killed

Suspected Islamist militants reportedly fire on students in Nigeria as they storm a dormitory and set classrooms ablaze.

Members of Boko Haram pictured in February

At least 40 people have been killed after suspected Islamist gunmen fired on students as they slept at a college in northeast Nigeria.

The attackers reportedly stormed a dormitory and set fire to classrooms in the assault which happened about 1am local time on Sunday in the town of Gujba in Yobe state.

Nigeria's military is blaming militants from the Boko Haram insurgent group for the atrocity at the College of Agriculture.

A source told the AFP news agency that 40 bodies had been brought to hospital.

College provost Molima Idi Mato said security forces were still recovering bodies so he could not give an exact number of dead but said up to 50 had been killed.

He also said about 1,000 students had fled the scene.

The college is about 25 miles from the scene of similar school attacks around Damaturu town.

There were no security forces stationed at the college despite government assurances, said Mr Mato.

Two weeks ago, state commission for education Mohammmed Lamin urged all schools to reopen and promising protection by soldiers and police.

Most schools in the area closed after militants killed 29 pupils and a teacher, burning some alive in their hostels at Mamudo outside Damaturu on July 6.

Northeast Nigeria is in a military state of emergency following an Islamic uprising by Boko Haram militants who have killed more than 1,700 people since 2010 in their quest for an Islamic state.

Yobe has seen a series of brutal attacks targeting students in recent months, all blamed on the group.

The name Boko Haram means "Western education is forbidden" and the group has repeatedly attacked schools, universities and colleges during its four-year insurgency.

The military has described the spate of recent attacks as a sign of desperation by the Islamists, claiming they only have the capacity to hit soft targets.

An offensive launched against Boko Haram in mid-May has decimated the group and scattered their fighters across remote parts of the northeast, the defence ministry has said.

Boko Haram has said it is fighting to create an Islamic state in Nigeria's mainly Muslim north, but the group is believed to be made up of different factions with varying aims.

This case is a typical child abuse and teacher's misbehavior.

From Facebook,

 

Kajang (Thursday 26th September 2013), An Indian student was asked for his note book by a Malay Muslim teacher But then the kid forgot to bring his note book. The teacher got mad at the boy and hit the boy with her shoe. The 11 years old boy got hurt feel ashamed. The parents of the boy made a police report against the teacher.

On Friday the school headmaster instructed the parents to retract the report. The Head master also threaten them by saying the school will file a suit against the parents. The same day Police officers called the boy for an interrogation. The mother who followed the son was told to stay outside of room and the police interrogate the 11 years old kid like a criminal. The police threatened the boy by saying that they will put him in the lock up. This is typical child abuse. How can a police officer act in such a manner with a victim? Is it what they call as 1Malaysia?

As normal a MIC leader went in the mater and had a dialogue with the teacher and Headmaster, finally the case was almost close. Till now the parents were not informed about their discussion. This country is practicing a naked racism. We been reading Malay teachers abusing and bullying Indian students. In all cases the teachers will ask for forgiveness and the case will be closed.

UMNO led government treating Indians like a piece of shit in this country. Indians please forward this message to your friends and make it viral. Let us teach the school authority, PDRM and UMNO led government a lesson.

Activist Haris Ibrahim to apply again for Australian visa after being rejected due to sedition case

Lawyer and activist Haris Ibrahim (pic), who was barred from entering Australia last week due to his
impending sedition trial here, will soon submit a new application for a visa.

“I met the authorities from the high commission on Friday afternoon and I will be making a fresh application for a visa soon,” he told The Malaysian Insider.

Haris, who had returned from overseas last week, said he did not want to go into details of why his visa application had been rejected, except that the reason was stated in a notice along with the rejected application.

Last week, Haris said in a blog posting that he had sent an email to the high commission requesting a meeting to lay to rest any concerns the Australian government might have about his visit to the country.

Australia refused to issue an entry visa to Haris last week, scuttling his plans to tour the country and meet academics and supporters.

It is believed the Australia officials considered him a "high risk" because the country does not have an extradition treaty with Malaysia, according to a Global Bersih source in Melbourne.

The Sydney Morning Herald had reported that Murray Hunter, an academic at the University of Malaysia Perlis, had said the decision to ban Haris showed that the Australian government did not want to rock the boat with Kuala Lumpur.

Haris, PKR vice-president Tian Chua, former Umno member Tamrin Ghafar and activist Safwan Anag were charged with sedition for allegedly uttering words that have the tendency to call on Malaysians to change the government by unlawful means during a May 13 forum at the Kuala Lumpur and Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall.

All four pleaded not guilty. Haris’s trial is scheduled to take place early next year. – September 29, 2013.

Najib on Islam’s greatest threat

The PM tells the United Nations General Assembly says Muslims must concentrate on building a common agenda for peace and prosperity.

UNITED NATIONS: Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak pleaded Saturday for Muslims to unite against extremism, warning that sectarian violence risked tearing the Islamic world apart.

“I believe the greatest threat to Muslims today comes not from the outside world, but from within,” he told the UN General Assembly.

Najib voiced outrage at violence between the Sunni and Shiite sects in Syria, Iraq and Pakistan, noting that nearly 5,000 Muslims died in conflict in the three countries in the holy month of Ramadan.

“It is time to end the killing and concentrate instead on building a common agenda for peace and prosperity,” he said.

“I believe that peace-loving Muslims — the overwhelming majority of Muslims — should unite against the extremists who use our religion as an excuse to commit violence.”

“Our task is to reclaim our faith by articulating clearly the true nature of Islam — the religion of peace, of moderation, of tolerance,” he added.

He commented that that a “battle [is] being waged for the future of Islam.”

“By reaffirming our commitment to moderation – and solving the political problems that drive instability – we can seize back the centre ground. We can marginalise the extremists. And we can advance an agenda for peace, harmony and justice”.

The prime minister went on to say:

“It should come as no surprise that there is no scriptural basis for the atrocities being committed in the name of Islam.

“Our task is to reclaim our faith, by articulating clearly the true nature of Islam: the religion of peace, of moderation, of tolerance. We should speak this message clearly, so that all may hear it; and stand firm against the minority who use Islam to further violent and unjust ends.

“We can reclaim our religion, choosing harmony and acceptance over division and conflict. And we can broadcast a vision of Islam as it is understood by Muslims around the world: as a religion of peace, tolerance, and moderation.”

Najib said he was committed to “mutual respect and inclusivity” in Malaysia, which is more than 60 percent Muslim ethnic Malay with sizable Chinese and Indian minorities.

Malaysia is generally known for its moderate form of Islam, although conservatives have occasionally banned concerts by Western artists and tensions have risen over custody of children whose religion is disputed.

Najib’s choice of subject at the world body marks a shift in tone from former Malaysian prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad, who was known for his strident denunciations of the West during his 1981-2003 tenure.

US President Barack Obama, who has been seeking greater ties with Southeast Asia, will travel to Malaysia next month on the first visit by a US leader to the country since 1966.

Deliver your pledges to Indians, Najib told

BN may have failed the Indians once, but it can’t afford another failure in today’s rapidly changing political landscape.

GEORGE TOWN: Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak must deliver on his pledges to the long suffering ethnic Indian community, vis-à-vis the Hindraf’s Indian Blueprint, in the forthcoming national Budget 2014, said Hindraf’s Penang chairman K Kalayselvam.

He urged Najib to stop his prolonged delay to deliver on promises made by Barisan Nasional in the memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed with Hindraf just before the last May general election.

He said the MoU was signed to implement a five-year Indian Blueprint for a comprehensive development of the marginalised Indian community in the country.

He called on Najib to deliver his promises to Indians as how he had announced to deliver a new RM31 billion bumiputera economic empowerment agenda on Sept 14.

“The Prime Minister shall include the agreed allocation in the budget to implement the Indian Blueprint,” Kalayselvam said in a press statement here today.

He reminded Najib that implementation of Indian Blueprint had already been delayed by 163 days since the signing of the MoU on April 18 and 145 days since May 5 general election.

Except for allowing the setting up of a unit in the Prime Minister’s Department (PMD), which is yet to be named anyway, he said 31 of the 32 areas outlined in blueprint remained untouched.

He said Hindraf’s proposal for an organisational structure to implement the blueprint had been rejected as “too elaborate”, while efforts to set up an expert steering committee (ESC) had been delayed.

Worse still, Najib response to questions on the prolonged delays has been a “defeaning silence.”

He called on PMD, among others, to approve immediately the promised organisational structure to establish an expert steering committee (ESC) to kick-start the Indian Blueprint.

He cautioned that any delay in getting the ESC running would jeopardise the budget input for
blueprint implementation and would add another 365 days lost.

“Adding to the already lost 163 days since signing of the MoU, it would be a total 528 days lost,” noted Kalayselvam.

Walk your talk

He recalled that Najib keynote address during the “historical” MoU signing stressed that BN under his leadership would walk its talk on deliverance of all promises to all Malaysians.

In his own words, Najib has then said, “The very fact that Hindraf has made this historic and strategic decision to become a new partner of Barisan Nasional speaks volumes of the kind of change and transformation that Barisan Nasional under my leadership is able to deliver for all Malaysians… I apologise for the shortcomings of the Barisan Nasional government….including… as Mr Waytha Moorthy said, lapses in our delivery for the Indian community.”

Kalayselvam said that Hindraf appreciated Najib’s boldness to admit BN federal government failure to uplift the living standard of Indian poor in the country.

During the general election campaign, he recalled that critics had argued that BN would not honour the MoU and deliver the Indian Blueprint after the general election.

Thus, he warned that Najib had to deliver the Indian Blueprint, failing which lay ethnic Indians trust on BN would be lost forever.

If that happened, he said even Hindraf can never ever win back Indian support en bloc to BN in the next general election.

“BN may have failed the Indians once, but it can’t afford another failure in today’s rapidly changing political landscape.

“Thus, Hindraf now hopes that regardless of the delays, the BN government will deliver the Indian Blueprint hereafter,” said Kalayselvam.

Dr M: Use Quran to mould students

We have to go back to the teachings of the Quran to educate the young generation to be successful, says Mahathir.

KUALA LUMPUR: Islamic-based schools in the country also play an important role in moulding a student’s personality, said former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

He said to realise this, teachers at the school should make the Quran as their main reference in disseminating knowledge to their students since the early stage.

“We have to go back to the teachings of the Quran to educate the young generation to be successful.

“If we ignore the Quran and do not understand its content, it can cause us to deviate from the true teachings,” he said in his speech at a dinner yesterday in conjunction with the 15th anniversary of the Malaysian International Islamic School here.

Also present were International Islamic University Malaysia (UIAM) Rais Yatim and its rector, Zaleha Kamaruddin.

Bernama

Court complaint lands Uthayakumar in death row

Instead of getting better treatment after complaining to the courts, Hindraf de facto leader P Uthayakumar is now being treated worse in Kajang Prison, claims Hindraf.

"After attending court on Sept 24, 2013, P Uthayakumar is now being further punished by now being hauled to the death row chambers," said RN Rajah, the deputy secretary of Hindraf that is aligned with Uthayakumar.

He said that Uthayakumar is now denied his plastic chair initially given to him to ease his suffering from a prolapsed disc.

"His legs have began to swell again," he said in a press statement today.

Uthayakumar (right), who is diabetic, on Tuesday had complained of ill-treatment during a case management at the Kuala Lumpur High Court of his appeal against his sedition sentence passed in June.

The court's registrar Nooraini Yusof had then said that she would write to the prison authorities to look into Uthayakumar's medical needs.

"Uthayakumar is now put in a 10 feet by 10 feet cell with a two feet by 10 feet squatting toilet and bath area without even a separating partition for bathroom privacy.

"He is being detained with 5 others like sardines," said Rajah, adding that the the other prisoners had full view of Uthayakumar naked when taking a shower or easing himself.

"Why this level of indignity on P. Uthayakumar, Malaysia's only political prisoner in jail?" he asked, likening the conditions to a "Nazi concentration camp".

Marriage between Muslim and non-Muslim illegal, says Jakim

(Bernama) - Any marriage between a Muslim and a non-Muslim is disallowed and is not recognized in this country and action can be taken by the state Islamic religious authorities, said Malaysian Islamic Development Department (Jakim) director-general Datuk Othman Mustapha.

He said Islamic family laws state no Muslim man can marry a non-Muslim woman and no Muslim woman can marry a non-Muslim man.

“A marriage between spouses of different religions is completed prohibited and against the principle of beliefs of the Shafie sect (Ahli Sunnah Wal Jamaah) in Malaysia,” he said in a statement here today.

He was commenting on a Universiti Malaya study on the issue of liberalism in Muslim marriages with non-Muslim spouses not having to convert from their religions.

Two days ago, Universiti Malaya Academy of Islamic Studies, Department of Akidah and Islamic Thought Associate Prof Dr Khadijah Hambali told religious authorities in the country to carry out specific measures to curb the phenomenon.

Malaysia most corrupt report — proof that Najib and Low have failed, says opposition

Corruption has become endemic in Malaysia, say opposition politicians in response to a report just
released by Ernst & Young which ranked Malaysia as among the most corrupt nations in Asia.

They are also not surprised at Malaysia's ranking, saying this was evidence of the failure of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak and his minister Datuk Paul Low (pic).

Low, the former president of Transparency International-Malaysia, was recruited by Najib as a minister in the Prime Minister's Department after the 13th general election to aid the government's efforts to combat corruption.

"This is like a slap on Paul Low's face, especially since he recently insisted he was not merely an accessory in the government," said DAP’s Bukit Mertajam MP, Steven Sim.

He added that all the talk of fighting corruption was rhetoric.

The report, titled Asia-Pacific Fraud Survey Report Series 2013, said Malaysia, along with China, had the highest levels of bribery and corruption found anywhere in the world.

It also listed Malaysia as among the countries most likely to take shortcuts to meet targets when economic times are tough.

Bukit Bendera MP Zairil Khir Johari (pic) agreed with Sim and felt that the report was proof that corruption had become endemic in Malaysia.

Saying that the findings were "hardly surprising", Zairil added that the report was consistent with past surveys such as the Global Financial Integrity report, which named Malaysia as one of the countries with the highest amount of illicit capital flight.

"This will definitely hamper not only our ability to attract investment, but it also means that there are real structural issues that inhibit economic efficiency.

"Corruption means money is wasted, and this contributes to our deteriorating financial position, in light of mounting public debt and increasing deficit," he warned.

Zairil cautioned that if the menace was not addressed, the consequences would be severe.

He noted that, currently, the negative outlook rating by Fitch was a clear indication that something was amiss, adding that if the country's sovereign credit rating was downgraded, it would result in higher costs of borrowing, thus impacting the entire country.

In July, global ratings agency Fitch Ratings revised Malaysia's sovereign credit rating outlook from stable to negative as the possibility of addressing public finance weaknesses had deteriorated after GE13.

"The solution in fighting corruption is down to political will. It requires no infrastructure investment as it is nothing radical," said Zairil.

He added that this included making the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission truly independent, as the current scenario was that only the small fish were caught while the major perpetrators escaped.

"For example, until today, no one has been convicted for the Port Klang Free Zone fiasco, when it entailed RM12 billion of public funds. The National Feedlot Corporation scandal is another case in point," said Zairil. - September 27, 2013.

Dr M backs tough PCA laws

The country needs that kind of harsh law as the people are not that developed or educated to appreciate it, says former prime minister.
UPDATED

PETALING JAYA: Former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad said the country needs harsh laws like those proposed under the amendments to the Prevention of Crime Act (PCA) 2013, saying it will be good for the people.

“This country for the time being will need that kind of harsh law. You see what happened when you remove the law,” said Mahathir, referring to the rise in crime rate recently.

The amendments to PCA, which was tabled in Parliament on Wednesday and to be debated on Monday, was roundly condemned by human rights lawyers and activists who called it the return of the infamous Internal Security Act (ISA).

PKR supreme council member Latheefa Koya even described the PCA amendments, which allows for detention without trial for up to two years, as “ISA 2.0”.

Mahathir said the PCA amendments were needed because “people are not that developed or educated to appreciate the law”.

“The law is for the good of the people. If you abuse the law then you have to pay the price,” he said.

On Wednesday, DAP chairman Karpal Singh said at the parliament lobby that he found the Bill – if passed would allow detention without trial and denying a detainee to right to a judicial review – absurd as it would grant a three-men board the discretion to detain a suspect, provided with evidence.

Karpal was commenting on proposed sections 7B and 7C of the Bill which provided that the board can detain a person who has committed two or more serious offences without trial, if an inquiry report informed that there was sufficient evidence.

Another section of the Bill also provided that a suspect would not able to file for a judicial review as the board’s decision cannot be challenged in court.

Following the tabling of the amendments on Wednesday, Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak has come under fire for reneging his promised reforms while abolishing preventive laws such as the Internal Security Act (ISA) and the Emergency Ordinance before the general election.

Najib had said that removing the detention without trial laws were part of his reformation programme.

Government ministers had defended the proposed PCA amendments as necessary to curb the high level of gangsterism and criminal activities.

Too many universities

On a different note, Mahathir then commented on international consultancy firm McKinsey & Co which was paid RM20 million in consultancy fees to draft the National Education Blueprint 2013-2025.

“Even I can become a local expert, too, but they did not appoint me,” he said sarcastically.

Commenting on the nation’s poor university rankings, he said: “This is due to the hastiness in establishing universities. In turn, we lack professors and lecturers.

“Although they are qualified, they lack something, somewhere,” he said, alluding to the standard of educators.

The three stars: Chin Peng, Najib and Dr M

If communism is so bad, why does the Malaysian government entertain China, whilst demonising the CPM and mistreating Malaysians of Chinese origin?
COMMENT

It is communism which bonds the late secretary-general of the Communist Party of Malaya (CPM) Chin Peng, former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad and Umno Baru president, Najib Tun Razak.

Members of CPM cadres wear a jungle green uniform complete with a cap sporting a badge of three red stars. These three stars signify the three main races in Malaysia – Chinese, Indian and Malay, much like Najib’s ‘1Malaysia’.

Chin Peng preached communist ideology, but the Malaya he envisioned was a country where the races were equal, unlike the Ketuanan Melayu concept of the Umno Baru elite, where Malays reign supreme.

Over the last few days, Malaysians have found a reason to rejoice. Former prime minister, Mahathir has recovered from a bout of amnesia, which marred his performance at the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Project IC, in Kota Kinabalu.

Last week, during a press conference, at the International Youth Centre in Cheras, Mahathir reminded Malaysians that Chin Peng wanted to make Malaysia a communist state.

Amazingly, Mahathir remembered Chin Peng, but it is hardly surprising that he was critical of the communist leader. He is keen to deflect criticism as a prime minister who does not honour agreements.

Both Mahathir and Najib are conscious of their public image. Neither men like being known as untrustworthy. The timing is critical as Mahathir has an election to manage, in which he will back his favourite contender; his son, Mukhriz.

Mahathir tried to project the image of a government that was magnanimous and would help rehabilitate former communist guerrillas. When the 1989 Hadyai treaty was signed, guerrillas voluntarily surrendered and their arms and stockpiles of weapons were destroyed.

However, Chin Peng was barred from entering Malaysia and when he died, his ashes are also prevented from being interred at his family grave near Lumut, for fear that a memorial to honour Sitiawan’s former son would be built.

Mahathir had no intention of honouring the peace treaty. His word is as good as Najib’s “Janji di tepati”.

Mahathir criticised Chin Peng for his communist ideology, but failed to note that Malaysia has become a closet dictatorship, in which the sons of past prime ministers, are groomed, in exactly the same manner as the North Korean communist dynasty.

At least, in a communist state, the financial and social status of peasants is elevated to that of the middle classes, and the upper classes are brought down to the financial and social status of the middle classes.

Everyone is made (almost) equal. In communism, production is controlled by the state and the state owns everything.

In Malaysia’s dictatorship, most of the wealth is in the hands of Umno Baru politicians, their cronies and the government controlled GLCs. In Sabah and Sarawak, the wealth from these oil and timber rich states is inaccessible to the ordinary folk.

The communist threat

Chin Peng may have wanted a communist state but in 2001, it was Mahathir who declared Malaysia an Islamic state. He tried to convince Malays that the Islam preached by Umno Baru was more acceptable than PAS’s brand of conservative Islam. He erased Tunku Abdul Rahman’s secular vision of Malaysia.

If Malaysia was democratic, as Mahathir claims, the rakyat would have been able to throw off the yoke of oppression in GE13, when 51% of the electorate, voted for the Opposition. Yet, the nation is still saddled with the oppressive regime of Umno Baru.

After World War II, countries were rebuilding and Malaya’s riches from rubber and tin, were needed to fund the reconstruction of Britain. In war-scarred Malaya, factories were rebuilt, estates started producing and mines resumed operations. The output was twice what it had been before the war but workers wages were still depressed.

Food was in short supply and the suffering of the people was compounded by the discovery that Japanese war-currency was useless. Malayans were destitute.

Chin Peng’s efforts to obtain better conditions and wages for the workers were futile. He encouraged strikes which turned nasty. His excuse was that he was fighting for the people. At least, he did not commit treason by giving ICs and citizenship to illegal foreigners.

Some people might wonder what Malaysia would be like as a communist state, and make comparisons with the People’s Republic of China’s (PRC).

The economic output of the PRC helps keep the economies of many countries alive. PRC nationals form the highest numbers of tourists to many destinations around the world. Singapore is attracting PRC nationals to work and live on the island, to the detriment of its own citizens. The rate of millionaires and billionaires being formed in PRC is high.

If communism is so bad, why does the Malaysian government entertain the PRC, whilst demonising the CPM and mistreating Malaysians of Chinese origin?

Malaysian schoolchildren are not taught that British forces funded, trained and supplied arms to Chin Peng during World War Two. The combined effort was to liberate the country from the Japanese aggressors. A few years after WWII, the communists waged war on the British because the CPM wanted to free Malaysia from British colonial rule.

Chin Peng’s role in the struggle for independence is not recognised. He is not even mentioned for helping to speed up the process of attainment of Merdeka, although Tunku Abdul Rahman acknowledged that his meeting with Chin Peng, in Baling in 1955, led straight to Merdeka.

Mahathir and this government find it convenient to use “the communist threat” to intimidate Malaysians, but only when it suits them.

Despotic dictatorship

When Najib felt threatened by Bersih’s call for free and fair elections, former IGP Hanif Omar supported Najib’s allegations of a coup attempt and said that he recognised communists inciting violence, from the video footage of the Bersih 3 march.

In the PRC, corrupt officials are swiftly investigated, and if found guilty, are executed with a bullet in the back of the neck. The family is charged for this bullet.

In Mahathir’s Malaysia, corrupt officials don’t believe they have done anything wrong, abuse taxpayers’ monies for personal gain, spirit millions of ringgits out of the country and any investigation against them, dies an early death.

Despite criticising Chin Peng for being a communist who would oppress the people of Malaya, it is Mahathir who reneged on deals and acted in a thoroughly undemocratic manner.

He allegedly used bribery, blackmail and corruption, to maintain his stranglehold on power, whilst oppressing the rakyat with a despotic dictatorship, which masquerades as a democracy.

Mariam Mokhtar is a FMT columnist.

In a league of banana republics

The retrogressive PCA Bill has put us in a position where people run the risk of being detained without trial and where our society will never be at peace with itself.
COMMENT

By Kua Kia Soong

The amendments to the Prevention of Crime Act (PCA) which allows detention without trial is symptomatic of a failed transformation programme by the Najib government to bring the country into the league of nations that follow the rule of law.

No other country that espouses adherence to democracy and human rights uses detention without trial laws to tackle crime.

The reasons why this situation has come about and why the government has been helpless in implementing the Independent Police Complaints & Misconduct Commission (IPCMC) perhaps point to more sinister factors involving skeletons in government leaders’ cupboards.

And the reason why organised crime has become so intractable in recent years points to rotten apples in the police barrel.

We have had some hints of that recently. You will remember that after he retired, the former IGP Musa Hassan had revealed political influences on the police force to release certain individuals. This IGP’s former aide de camp, Noor Azizul Rahim in turn retaliated by accusing Musa of wrongdoings and silencing critics.

I can’t think of any other reasons for the impunity enjoyed by the police despite the annual human rights violations relating to detentions without trial, deaths in police custody and deaths through police shootings. After all, the IPCMC was one of the recommendations by the Royal Commission on the Police in 2005.

Suaram’s Human Rights Report 2012 show that deaths in police custody and deaths through police shootings continue unabated: Deaths in police custody cases show 7 in 2010, 25 in 2011 and 9 in 2012; deaths through police shooting cases show 18 in 2010, 25 in 2011 and 37 in 2012.

Between 2000 and 2012, there were in total 209 deaths in police custody cases; between 2007 and 2012, there were 298 deaths through police shootings.

Tackling the problem of crime

The government and the police with the assistance of the mainstream media have recently made a big play of the proliferation of gangs and gangsters inflicted crimes in the country, blaming it on the repeal of the Emergency Ordinance (EO) which was intended for emergency purposes to save the life of a nation.

Unfortunately, the EO was a convenient way for the police to rope in anyone they didn’t like. This included respected members of parliament like Dr Jeyakumar Devaraj, the MP for Sungai Siput, who was detained without trial with five other PSM leaders in 2011 as well as suspected thiefs and illegal lottery runners.

The government, police and the mainstream press have not asked the pertinent question: how did cities such as Hong Kong, Singapore and others tackle their triad problems without relying on detention without trial?

We have a Societies Act that is obsessed with cracking down on any organisation that is not pro-BN and that is why Suaram chose to register under the Registrar of Companies.

In places like Hong Kong, their Societies Ordinance and an Organized & Serious Crimes Ordinance have been specifically enacted to tackle the triad problem. The former outlaws triads in Hong Kong and imposes stiff prison terms and penalties for any person convicted of professing or claiming to be an office bearer or managing or assisting in the management of a triad.

Hong Kong also established an Independent Commission against Corruption in 1974. The agency targeted brazen corruption within police ranks linked with triads, provided heavier penalties for organized crime activities and authorized the courts to confiscate the proceeds of such crimes.

Hong Kong, as a British Colony, had the reputation of being one of the most corrupt cities in the world with a cosy association between law enforcement agencies and organized crime syndicates.

Nearly all types of organized crimes, vice, gambling and drugs, were protected. Within three years, they had smashed all corruption syndicates in the government and prosecuted 247 government officers, including 143 police officers.

Their success has been attributed to: (i) having an independent anti-corruption agency, free from any interference in conducting their investigation; (ii) strong financial support; (iii) having wide investigative powers, empowered to investigate all crimes which are connected with corruption but with an elaborate check and balance system to prevent abuse of such wide power; (iv) being highly professional in investigations, including video recording of all interviews of suspects; (v) a strategy that includes prevention and education.

Although Hong Kong is not totally free of violent crime, it is a comparatively safe place to live in. Comparable communities in developed Asia, like Japan, Korea and Singapore, also have markedly lower crime rates than most Western societies. (South China Morning Post, Feb 22, 2013)

Failure to solve poverty

Social dislocation, inequality and poverty are known factors in crime.

The destruction of the rubber plantation communities, growing inequality and marginalisation through racial discrimination has driven many into crime.

Poverty and crime are clearly feeding on each other, and the government has to make this a priority in its professed transformation plan.

They should not be indulging in their usual wasteful exploits of spying on dissidents, harassing NGOs, detaining dissidents without trial, breaking up peaceful assemblies and such distractions from the serious work of tackling organised crime.

This retrogressive PCA Bill has put us in the league of banana republics in which people run the risk of being detained without trial and where our society will never be at peace with itself.

Kua Kia Soong is Suaram’s advisor.

‘No S’wak tribe burns down own homes’

Meanwhile the Murum natives have mounted two more roadblocks in a bid to stop ongoing construction works in the hydroelectric dam project.

KUCHING: A lawyer aiding the affected Penans in Murum has rebutted claims by the Sarawak Energy Berhad (SEB) that burning down abandoned longhouses in Long Wat was part of the local community’s “recycling” culture.

“We Penans indeed dismantle our old longhouses when we move to new ones, and recycle all the materials. But we never burned them down, “ said Abun Sui Anyit.

He further added: “The burning of the longhouse in Long Wat was most likely done by the sub-contractors for the clearing and dismantling works there.

“How can people accuse us of burning the longhouse when that is against our own customs?”

Speaking to FMT here following SEB’s widely reported justification for allegedly burning down longhouses in Murum following the impoundment of the dam, Abun said “no tribe in Sarawak practiced burning their own house”.

“No tribe or ethnic group in Sarawak practices the abominable culture of burning their very own longhouses!

“Even when they move to a new longhouse, the old longhouse would be respectfully stripped of its timber for recycling purposes. Nothing goes to waste and nothing is destroyed by fire.

“For the authorities to suggest that the Penans burned their own longhouse is a complete and utter fabrication!” he said.

Abun said the Penans condemned the use of burning methods used by SEB’s sub-contractors to clear the area.

Seven longhouse villages are involved in SEB’s relocation program under its Resettlement Action Plan (RAP) for the natives affected by the Murum Hydroelectric Project.

“Let the incident in Long Wat be the last one. We do not want the same thing to happen in the other (old) longhouses. Let we Penans ourselves dismantle them and recycle the materials ourselves,” said him.

More blockades

Meanwhile, Abun also told FMT that the Murum natives had mounted two new blockades in their effort to stop the ongoing construction works in the hydroelectric dam project.

“I was informed this morning that there are now two additional blockades on the road towards the dam project. There are more people there now, not only Penans but also Kenyah from the longhouses not yet relocated.

“So altogether, there are three blockades now in three separate places. They want to make sure that the (construction) works won’t proceed, and to make sure the government and SEB will come over and talk with them, listen to them and heed to their demands,” said Abun.

On Monday, SEB expressed its concern about the ‘irresponsible act of spreading lies and the attempts to create panic among the public by certain NGOs in relation to the Murum HEP’.

The statement also mentioned the presence of Penan representatives from the affected Murum area with whom SEB said they are currently in discussion with on a range of matters including faster relocation to the new longhouses and compensation packages.

New ISA-like law a shame to nation

The introduction of new laws resonating on the same frequency of the much hated ISA irk former detainees.

PETALING JAYA: Two former ISA detainees today lashed out at the government for ‘re-introducing ‘ an ISA-like law back into the country.

Suaram advisor Dr Kua Kia Soong and veteran political activist Hishamuddin Rais, who both served prison sentence in the Kamunting detention camp, expressed their anguish by describing the move as ‘shameful’.

Talking to FMT, Kua defined the government’s decision as the most shameful day for the nation and lack of political will from the Home Ministry.

“It is a shameful day for all of us. We needed a barbaric act just to solve our crime problems, which to me is totally unacceptable,”

“Developed countries solved their crime problems with integrity and proper methods but we, instead of learning from them, imposed an act which is clearly an abuse of human rights.

Kua who is also an academician said that the move to re-introduce ISA-like law has vividly showed that the vision for national progress uttered by Barisan Nasional’s government is failing.

“The government has to rely on this kind of act; it shows that the national progress is a failure,”

“If other countries like Hong Kong can have an independent anti corruption commission to investigate criminal offense cases, why can’t we do the same?”

“Why do we need to rely on anti-human rights law,” he said.

Slick Najib

Meanwhile, Hishamuddin Rais said that Najib Razak’s absence in parliament showed how slick he is in resolving national issues.

“He is not in parliament when the law was presented thus opposition party members could not pose questions to him,”

“I do hope that foreign journalists in New York, where he is right now, can ask him what happened to his transformation program,” said the renowned activist.

Hishamuddin stressed that the new law will receive negative backlash from the rakyat as they had called for a more transparent system prior to the general election.

“The rakyat will oppose this new law, that is for sure,” he said.

'Anti-Hindu' ASI renamed the Shankaracharya Hill to Takht-e-Suleiman

Shankaracharya Temple, Srinagar

According to this Tribune news report, the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has summarily renamed the Shankaracharya Hill to Takht-e-Suleiman overlooking the Dal Lake in Srinagar.  If this was not enough, the ASI has also presented a distorted version of the history of the Shankaracharya Hill on the tourist information plaque, a move which has justifiably outraged the Kashmiri Pandits. From that news report:
        “It is a matter of great concern that ASI has given the name Takht-e-Suleiman (Throne of Solomon) to it, replacing the earlier plaque. How have they come to this conclusion warrants an answer,” said Predhuman K Joseph Dhar, an expert on ancient Kashmir history. He said recently a European historian visited the place and expressed surprise over information provided to the people.
Of course, there is no question that this move is politically motivated because it has no basis in history.  One wonders what is the connection between Suleiman/Solmon and Adi Shankara.
Even a layman in India knows that Adi Shankara travelled in all four directions in India and established Mutts in prominent places in each direction. That apart, he consecrated several other major and minor temples and other places of worship like in Kanchipuram in Tamil Nadu, Kollur in Karnataka, and in Sharada in Pak-occupied Kashmir.
Kashmir indeed has a hoary history as one of the finest centres of learning in the world. In its heydays, it attracted scholars and philosophers from all parts of India. In the annals of the Hindu tradition, Kashmir was almost synonymous with “Sharada Desha” or “Sharada Peetha” or the Pedestal of Goddess Sharada (or Saraswati, the Goddess of Learning). A conclusive evidence of this exalted status of Kashmir can best be gleaned from the famous verse in praise of Saraswathi as

Namaste Sharada Devi Kashmirapuravasini ||
I bow to you, Goddess Sharada,
the One who Resides in the Kashmira country ||

This verse is so commonplace recited and heard by millions of Hindus daily across the world that hardly anybody gives a second thought at the rich historical heritage that’s embedded in it. And the credit for establishing Kashmir as the Sharada Peetha, to make it part of the nation’s cultural and spiritual DNA goes to Adi Shankara.
And it is this hoary heritage that the ASI has sought to destroy unceremoniously by renaming the Hill after some Suleiman based on a spurious history. Needless, in the process, real history has been made an unfortunate victim. From the same report,
    “While the plaque informs the people that the roof of the temple was constructed by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in 1644 AD, there is no mention of King Gopadhari, who constructed the temple, King Lalitaditya, who renovated it several hundred years before the arrival of Islam in the 13th century, and Dogra rulers, who placed the lingam of Lord Shiva, which was destroyed at the orders of Jehangir’s wife Noor Jehan,” said Dhar
As for the spurious history,
     Talking about the name Takht-e-Suleiman, New York-based historian and author of “Jesus in Kashmir- The Lost Tomb’, Suzanne Olsson, said at one time Kashmir was controlled by Jews and Suleiman referred to Solomon, King of Israel and one of the greatest Jewish rulers, known for his wisdom and riches. “In ancient times, there was a considerable influence of Hebrew people in Kashmir. Several places have names similar to Jewish places. But historically, it is referred to as Shankaracharya Hill,” Olsson said.
One wonders whether Suzanne Olsson even understands how she contradicts her own assertion. If Jews had indeed controlled Kashmir, why don’t we have a single piece of evidence to show for it? And second, she doesn’t quite explain why despite the Jewish control, the Hill was revered and renowned as the Shankaracharya Hill? And why doesn’t Rajatarangini, the most definitive account of Kashmir’s history mention the presence–let alone control–of Jews even once? And why haven’t the galaxy of scholars and litterateurs from Kashmir–Kalhana, Abhinavagupta, Anandavardhana, Kshemendra, et al–mention Jewish influence? The truth is the Suzanne Olsson happens to be the latest purveyor of the phony theory that Jesus visited/lived in Kashmir. Two definitive sources are sufficient to puncture Suzanne Olsson’s motivated claim about Jesus in Kashmir. The first is by the redoubtable Koenraad Elst, and the second by a Buddhist monk and scholar named Shravasti Dhammika who takes a close look into various Suzanne Olssonsesque myths about Jesus’ visit and stay in India.
All kinds of scholars making all kinds of fantastic assertions have existed since time immemorial. However, it is regrettable that the ASI, a body of the Government of India, chose to put out one such fantastic claim as the official history of a place based purely on political consideration. This does disservice not just to Hindus but to the nation’s precious heritage as a whole. More importantly, it is a dangerous portent. As we’ve seen in the case of the St. Thomas Church of Mylapore how an existing Hindu place of worship was appropriated by Christian missionaries through deceit and declared as one of the sites of Christian piety.
Given this, what is the guarantee that the “Takht-e-Suleiman” will not become a dargah or mosque some time in the near or distant future and thereby erase another living place of Hindu heritage permanently?

Why jailed human rights leader can’t make appeal – he has to wait for a judge

Human rights leader P. Uthayakumar (pic), who was jailed four months ago for sedition, has become a victim of justice delayed.

He is unable to appeal against his conviction and sentence because the trial judge has yet to write the grounds of judgment.

His lawyer, M. Manoharan, said Uthayakumar's appeal in the High Court will not be heard unless sessions judge Ahmad Zamzani Mohd Zain provides the written grounds.

"A trial judge is supposed to prepare the grounds of judgment within eight weeks once a notice of appeal is filed," he said.

Uthayakumar filed his notice of appeal on June 6, a day after the 30-month jail sentence was meted out to him.

Manoharan said he had written on three occasions to the judge's secretary, urging that the written judgment be expedited but never received a reply.

"My client is languishing in jail, and he is not well. The sessions judge must provide the written judgment as soon as possible," he told The Malaysian Insider.

Uthayakumar was found guilty on June 5 of publishing seditious remarks on the Police Watch website over a letter to former British prime minister Gordon Brown in 2007.

The former Internal Security Act (ISA) detainee was sentenced just hours after younger brother and activist P. Waythamoorthy was appointed senator and deputy minister in Datuk Seri Najib Razak's administration following the May 5 general election.

Uthayakumar had refused to put up a defence or mitigate before the sessions judge, claiming that it was in protest of how Indians in Malaysia were treated.

He also did not seek bail pending his appeal.

On Tuesday, he was taken from the Kajang prison to attend a case management hearing before Kuala Lumpur High Court deputy registrar Nourani Yusuf. However, the case management was adjourned to October 24 because there was no judgment.

"This is the second time a case management was held for the appeal. We hope the judgment will be ready for us to proceed further," Manoharan said.

Lawyers who appeared for Uthayakumar also brought to attention his medical condition and the court allowed treatment for diabetes and a back injury.

About 20 supporters were present at the court. Uthayakumar smiled broadly as he entered the registrar's room, raising his fist to his supporters.

He was allowed to speak with his mother, G. Kalaivani, and wife S. Indra Devi.

Meanwhile Rajpal Singh, who co-chairs the Bar Council's criminal committee, said Uthayakumar’s lawyers should have brought the matter to the attention of the director of the Kuala Lumpur Courts.

"We will also raise the issue of trial judges who are late in providing judgments," he said when contacted. – September 27, 2013.

Man gunned down in car near house of slain gang member

Not the real picture.

JOHOR BARU: About a dozen people who had gathered in the house of a slain gang 04 member to chant prayers were shocked when a friend who had come to attend the prayers was gunned down about 10 metres from the house.

The incident occurred at about 8.25pm when the victim, K. Anand, 29, from Kedah had come to the house of D. Selvam, 35, known as "Teratai Boy Johor" who was shot dead in Malacca on Sept 12.

It is learnt that the victim, a businessman, together with another man had come for the 16th day prayers when two men on a motorcycle came up to their car in Jalan Teratai 32 in Taman Johor Jaya before firing at least four shots.

It is learnt that the victim, who was the driver, died on the spot while the friend managed to escape.

Sources said that the car was parked in an alley about five to 10 metres away from Selvam's house.

About a dozen people who had gathered for the prayers immediately rushed to the car soon after hearing gunshots.

Anand does not have a criminal record.

Sri Alam OCPD Supt Roslan Zainuddin when contacted confirmed the case but declined to elaborate on investigations.

On Sept 12, Teratai Boy, who had 10 criminal records against him was shot dead by police along with another man in Cheng Malacca.

Selvam was involved in criminal cases in Malacca, Negri Sembilan, Kedah and Penang in the past two years.

Meanwhile Anand's uncle who only wanted to be known as Rajan said that the victim was supposed to get married in two months time.

Don't go to the Dr M dark side, Hindraf warns Najib

Persatuan Hindraf Malaysia, once an enemy but now an ally of the administration, has expressed concern about Najib Abdul Razak regressing into "the dark era of Mahathirism".

Urging the prime minister to be sensitive to the writings on the wall, its national adviser N Ganesan registered the movement's protest over amendments proposed to the Prevention of Crime Act.
  
"Hindraf views seriously the attempt to bring back the Internal Security Act in another form... and believes this is a desperate move by the ruling elite to cover up the inefficiency of the police and to maintain its grip on power.

"What is really happening is re-instituting the draconian ISA," he added in a statement.
“Najib portrayed a liberal approach in 2009 when he took office in the face of growing opposition to the then-government but is now reverting to the dark era of Mahathirism in the name of maintaining peace and security,” Ganesan said.

He  pointed out that there are enough laws in the country to protect the citizens, and that it is the police force that needs to be revamped.

“Corruption and loss of integrity are the main problems of the police and the government should acknowledge this instead of giving them (police) more draconian powers,” he said.

Labelling it an “elite play”, Ganesan noted that the problem of crime is not going to go away, but only “dissent will be muzzled”.

“Hindraf urges the government to remove these unjust, immoral and draconian provisions in the next readings of the bill and retain only those provisions that will serve the people for the maintenance of security,” he added
Persatuan Hindraf Malaysia chairperson P Waythamoorthy (left in photo) is a Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, and his criticism of the police conduct in the past has led to urgings for him to resign from several top Umno leaders including Home Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.

Najib himself had curtly warned Waythamoorthy in the past that the latter must toe the government line as he is part of the administration.

Bekas MB Kedah Azizan Razak meninggal dunia

Umno not becoming stupid, say party leaders

Umno lawmakers do not accept former premier and ex-Umno president Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad's rebuke that Umno leaders who remain too long in their positions will leave behind members who are more stupid than them.

The party's Youth wing deputy chief Datuk Razali Ibrahim said while anyone is free to air their views, it was not right to call long-serving Umno leaders stupid.

".... but don't say Umno members are stupid. Umno members are smart and can work," he told The Malaysian Insider today when asked if Dr Mahathir's sting will be taken as a cue to improve the party.

Razali likened Dr Mahathir's remarks to a "mother-in-law and daughter-in-law snub" (sindir anak menantu), which means remarks made among relations are not something to take offence over.

"This is just the art of politics and we should take it at face value... this is the flavour of the month since Umno is going to have its party polls," he added.

Deputy Foreign Minister Datuk Hamzah Zainuddin questioned the definition of the term "long-serving" used by Dr Mahathir.

"When you say too long there must be a period. What is the period? He was the prime minister for more than 20 years, is that too long? Or is over 30 years considered long?" he asked when met at the Parliament.

Hamzah said the question should be put to Dr Mahathir as he was the one who used the term "too long".

"The most important thing is, when someone is capable of leading, they should be given a chance.

"The period of time does not matter, it's the credibility of the leader that is important," he added.

Hamzah said he was not running for a Supreme Council seat as he felt it necessary to focus on his ministry, instead.

"But others will feel that the party needs them more than anything."

Malacca Puteri Umno chief Mas Ermieyati Samsudin said it was not right for Dr Mahathir to use the word "stupid" as it was very harsh towards Umno leaders.

"We need to join forces to help make Umno more relevant by working with both senior and young leaders."

"Tun M... we love him but I am shocked that he said such a thing," she said. - September 26, 2013.

Speaker flays Surendran for cheap publicity

Parliament speaker nails Surendran for having personal interest in a motion being brought before the question and answer session.

KUALA LUMPUR: Dewan Rakyat Speaker Pandikar Amin Mulia mocked that Padang Serai MP N Surendran might have wanted to promote himself due to personal interest in bringing up a petition in the House on Tuesday.

Surendran’s aggression in pushing the petition to be debated before the question and answer session sparked an argument between him and Pandikar that eventually led to his expulsion from the House.

The petition was made on behalf of the family of custodial death victim P Karuna Nithi and Surendran is representing them as their legal counsel.

Surendran insists that it is the rightful procedure for the House to hear a petition before the Q&A session, and further criticised Pandikar as being a dictator for throwing him out.

Commenting on the remarks, Pandikar said one must take into account that Surendran might have some “financial interests” in bring up the petition.

“In my opinion, he is doing it because of personal agenda to get media coverage and to be a hero.

“He wants to show the family that he is brave, he dares to go against the speaker until he got thrown out of the House. This might have been his agenda,” he told a media conference today.

Pandikar then repeated his yesterday’s statement that it is not the duty of a speaker to discuss a petition that infringes the jurisdiction of the government.

Surendran’s petition was to ask for the inquest on Karuna Nithi to be scrapped since the post-mortem report revealed that the latter suffered 49 injury marks while in police custody.

Pandikar said since there is still a channel to identify the cause of his death, there is no necessity for parliament to discuss the subject.

“In certain countries like India, petition is only raised in parliament if there is no other remedy available,” he said.

A crowded race for MIC deputy’s post?

Deputy president’s chair may see stiff competition as party leaders dive deeper into troubled waters in MIC.

PETALING JAYA: The race for the MIC’s deputy president’s post seems unsettled with two leaders being “pushed to fight” the incumbent Dr S Subramaniam, who is also Health Minister.

This is despite a peace deal brokered by Najib Tun Razak involving the party’s top four leaders — president G Palanivel, his deputy Dr Subramaniam, vice-presidents M Saravanan and SK Devamany — two months ago.

The deal was to ensure both president and deputy president stayed in power without contest. While Palanivel secured his position uncontested at the presidential nomination last month, the same can’t be said for Subramaniam.

The deal stipulates that Palanivel stay in power until 2016, allowing Subramaniam to takeover and lead the party into the next general election expected in 2017 or 2018.

The largest Indian-based party in the country held its presidential polls last month, which Palanivel won uncontested. Election for other top party positions — deputy president, three vice-presidents and 23 central working committee members — is slated coming November.

Subramaniam, party sources say, earned the wrath of grassroots’ leaders for agreeing to the peace deal as they feel he would have won if he had taken on Palanivel for the presidency.

Now, they have turned their backs on Subramaniam and are asking leaders to take-on the deputy president.

Topping the list is former vice-president S Sothinathan, who contested and lost the deputy president’s race during last party polls in 2009. Sothinathan, once the blue eye boy of former party supremo S Samy Vellu, is now scouting the ground for support.

“He is contemplating to go for either the deputy president’s post or the vice-presidency. He is meeting grassroots leaders to gauge support. He has also been meeting fellow leaders for their feedback,” said a party source.

During the last MIC election, Sothinathan contested for the deputy president post but lost to Palanivel, in a three-cornered contest which included the other S Subramaniam, who was the deputy president since 1981.

Palanivel garnered 629 votes; Subramaniam got 547 votes, while Sothinathan obtained 280 votes. This loss got Sothinathan into ‘cold storage’ by Samy Vellu, who retired in 2010.

Palanivel gave Sothinathan a lifeline recently by appointing him to the party’s central working committee replacing MIC strategic director S Vell Paari.

The move was seen as a tacit approval by Palanivel for Sothinathan to contest any top post he wanted.

Tainted with Maika scandal

However, there is a glitch here. Sothinathan has a baggage with allegation that he and Samy Vellu hijacked nine million Telekom shares in 1992 meant for the Indian community.

Both the leaders were investigated and cleared of any wrongdoing by the then Anti-Corruption Agency. The issue gripped the Indian community for nearly a decade and is still occasionally raised by opposition MPs.

The government originally gave 10 million shares to Maika Holdings, MIC’s investment arm, but later said it was a mistake and offered Maika one million and diverted the remaining nine million to three companies linked to Samy Vellu.

Samy Vellu explained that the three companies sold the shares and proceeds were channeled to MIC-owned Tafe College; an explanation that is still disputed. Sothinathan was director in one of the three companies.

If he contests and wins the deputy president’s race, then this issue would be highlighted by his critics and opposition MPs. It is also ironic that the issue had been broached by MIC treasurer general, Senator Jaspal Singh a few months ago.

Jaspal is linked to Palanivel and is expected to fight for one of the three vice-president’s post in the November polls.

The other candidate said to be ‘pushed’ for deputy president is Saravanan, who is now Youth and Sports deputy minister.

Party sources reveal that a group of division leaders are planning to convince the 45-year-old firebrand to fight for the party number two post.

They feel Saravanan is a better choice to take over from Palanivel after 2016 as “he has a touch with the grassroots and is people friendly.”

However, they admitted that they still have yet to meet Saravanan over this matter.

“At the moment, we are discussing with several CWC members over this plan. Soon we would arrange a meeting with Saravanan,” said a source.

Other sources also revealed that Saravanan and Sothinathan had a meeting earlier this week to decideon who should take on Subramaniam.

MIC in dire need to revamp

The group also claims that the party had become weak and was struggling to win back Indian support.

In the May general election, MIC was defeated in 19 seats — five parliament and 14 state seats — out of the 28 seats it contested under the Barisan Nasional banner.

“Now, we have five years before the next general election to revamp the party. So, the party needs to take some drastic measures to save it and remain relevant in the 14th general-election” said a division leader who declined to be named.

“To be honest, only Palanivel and Subramaniam benefited from the Najib-brokered deal, not the party. By avoiding a challenge from Subramaniam for top post, Palanivel can enjoy his perks for the next three years while Subramaniam will become new president without any major challenge in 2016,” he added.

Although the election is more than a month away, party leaders are arming their arsenal for the coming battle.

Police report against Health Minister

Alumni lodges police report against the Health Ministry for giving inaccurate information in parliament on the Ukraine medical school issue.

PETALING JAYA: The Health Ministry was alleged to have given inaccurate information in parliament when it claimed in its written reply that Ukraine medical school CSMU had failed to submit an appeal to the Malaysian Medical Council (MMC) on its derecognition by the council.

The reply was to Ipoh Barat member of parliament M Kulesegaran’s questions on the progress of the reinstatement of CSMU as a recognised university for medical studies.

This led to CSMU alumni Dr Mohd Amin Mohd Ismail lodging a police report in Taiping in bid to compel the police to investigate the Health Minister Dr S Subramaniam and MMC.

He also questioned on why the ministry accepted the MMC report after its audit visit to the university in October last year since MMC was being probed by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC).

On Monday, deputy Health Minister Dr Hilmi Yahya had confirmed that his ministry did not recognise the undergraduate medical programme offered by CSMU as the university had failed to meet the accreditation criteria.

Malacca PKR vice chairman G Rajendran claimed that CSMU’s chancellor AA Babanin had on July 30, sent an official letter to Subramaniam, requesting him to review and reconsider the derecognition of CSMU.

Rajendran had also insisted that the medical school had until today not received a feedback on the de-recognition.

Act amendment acknowledgement of cops’ incompetency

Suaram director claimed that preventive detention has been abused over the years and calls to the police to own up to their inefficacy.

KUALA LUMPUR: The proposed amendments to the Prevention of Crime Act, which include allowing detention without trial was an admittance of police incompetence, according to local human rights organisation Suaram.

“It is blatant acknowledgement of police incompetency. No countries use preventive detention without trial to resolve crime,” said Suaram director Kua Kia Soong during a question and answer session after the launch of Suaram’s 2012 Human Rights Report 2012: Civil and Political Rights at the Kuala Lumpur Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall this morning.

He was responding to a question on the proposed amendments to the Prevention of Crime Act, which Home Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi tabled in Parliament, yesterday.

Ahmad Zahid announced that provisions allowing detention without trial was included in the proposed amendment to stump the rising crime rate in the country while dismissing allegations that it was draconian.

Despite that, Kua maintained his stand and called for the police to own up to their incompetency given the escalating crime rate and corruption involving their top officials.

“The police should be looking at prevention of crime and not preventive detention without trial. It is an absolute disgrace” he added.

Kua also briefed the audience on how preventive detention laws first came about – it was introduced to stump the communist insurgents. However, the authorities abused the law by using it to detain Labour Party activists in the 1960s, politicians, unionists and religious activists during Ops Lalang in the 1980s and soon, the alleged criminals.

Bar Council’s human rights co-chairman and Bersih steering committee member Andrew Khoo, meanwhile, said the Minister in Prime Minister’s Department Nancy Shukri had told the Bar Council on Sept 18 that “the public need not worry about preventive detention laws, and that the move was due to the government’s concern of the rising crime rate.”

“Attorney-General Abdul Gani Patail has on Aug 24 said at a forum on crime prevention that the nation does not need a preventive detention legislation as the police are competent.

“He cited the notorious Botak Chin case in the 1980s where the criminal was caught, prosecuted and executed without the use of preventive detention laws,” Khoo said.

Meanwhile, in response to a question on plans to form an internal investigative body to probe police misconduct, Suaram coordinator R Thevarajan dismissed it as an eye wash.

“It is an internal investigative body similar to Bukit Aman’s disciplinary board. There would be no transparency even though its members would comprise those who are not from the police force,” he said.

During the report presentation earlier, Suaram’s executive director E Nalini informed that the government persistently harassed Suaram, with six government agencies hurling at them unfounded allegations such as being a front for foreign agents and money laundering activities.

Two of the six agencies included Companies Commission of Malaysia, and Registrar of Societies.

There are no 1.4 mil Bangla workers here

Human Resource minister informs parliament that the number was that of the Bangladeshi workers overseas registered in their home country.

KUALA LUMPUR: Human Resource Minister Richard Riot had refuted in parliament today the allegation that there were 1.4 million Bangladeshi workers in the country.

He rebutted the allegation in a written statement that the 1.4 million was the number of Bangladeshi working overseas registered in their home country.

The statement – which was issued in response to the oral questions raised by Paya Besar MP Abdul Manan Ismail in parliament – also stated that the oil palm sector was in need of 10,000 workers.

A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between Malaysia and Bangladesh in 2012 where the bringing in of workers was done through Government-to-Government (G2G) engagement.

As of Sept 23, the Human Resource Ministry said 8,703 Bangladeshi applicants had been vetted by the police and immigration officers in which, 75 had been found with criminal record.

Through the G2G engagement, 10 plantation companies had applied for the hiring of 13,000 Bangladeshi and only three companies received approval to do so thus far. They were Sime Darby Plantations with 200 workers, UP Plantations – 262, and Kulim Plantations – 683.

Other plantation companies request were rejected for not fulfilling the minimum wage criteria and failure to provide proper lodging for the workers.

Meanwhile, The Star reported on Aug 22 that 1.4 million Bangladeshi workers were scheduled to be recruited in stages from early next year and would be issued special identity cards (IC).

Home Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said the ICs would be equipped with Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) and biometric technology to prevent Bangladeshi workers from switching jobs frequently.

A question of security or insecurity

While it is true that security is a constant issue, I wonder if the real reason behind it is that feeling of uncertainty or a lack of confidence and anxiety about ourselves.

Musings by Marina Mahathir, The Star
SINCE we are all worried about security these days, I decided to look up the meaning of “insecurity”.

Besides the feeling of being constantly in danger or under threat, insecurity also means “a feeling of uncertainty, or a lack of confidence and anxiety about yourself”.

While we worry daily about the many crimes being committed in our neighbourhoods with no real solution in sight, sometimes I wonder if we have a security crisis or an insecurity crisis.

While it is true that security is a constant issue, I wonder if the real reason behind it is that feeling of uncertainty or a lack of confidence and anxiety about ourselves.

These feelings of security and insecurity are of course related.

On the one hand, the very people who should make us feel secure are in fact making us insecure.

How certain do we feel about our future when we see hesitant and sometimes absent leadership at times when we most need it?

How can we not feel anxious when the leadership is silent on the things that matter to the citizenry?

As a citizen, I want a decent life for my family, my fellow citizens and myself. This, anyone would think, is quite basic and common to everyone.

I want to be able to have a roof over my head, education for my kids, the opportunity to earn a decent living and affordable healthcare when I need it.

When a human being is unable to have these basics, then they start to feel that most normal of human instincts, insecurity.

If enough people feel that way, then that’s a recipe for instability and mass insecurity.

It is not possible for any country to be stable if many of its people feel hungry or deprived of the most essential ingredients to lead a normal life.

Countries rise and fall based on these simple facts. Once inequalities start to spread, then it is only normal that insecurity, in the sense of danger, follows.

I was talking to a friend who has been working abroad a lot about a situation that he found very stark since he’s been back.

There are people who seem to be caught in a quagmire of debt that they simply cannot get out of.

The vicious cycle of inability to access what a person needs which leads to overuse of credit, which leads to an inability to pay, which then leads to getting loans at high interest rates from unscrupulous persons, seems never ending.

It leads to insecurity not just for the original borrower but also for all those within his or her family circle.

Recently, two leading religious figures have spoken about this terrible crisis that many face, of easy credit and crushing debt.

The former Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, warned that the ease at which money, in its virtual form, not in exchange for actual goods and services, is available has led to much misery among people.

Most recently, Pope Francis talked about the same thing, how the pursuit of money for its own sake has brought with it “a culture where the weakest in society suffer the most” and often, those on the fringes “fall away”, including the elderly, who he said were victims of a “hidden euthanasia” caused by “neglect of those no longer considered productive”.

I have yet to hear the Muslim equivalent of this, of concern for a global system that is increasing insecurity of people everywhere.

Instead, I hear a different insecurity, of one where there are constant so-called moral attacks, usually by imagined assailants. Where limited interpretations of religion are to be enforced because otherwise the religion will disappear, despite evidence to the contrary.

In some ways, these self-appointed guardians of religion have reason to worry.

Every action of theirs is self-defeating. For every cruelty they inflict on those who are weak, they lose more adherents.

For every injustice they perpetuate, there are people who leave disgusted. For every justification they give to inequality, people baulk and root for equality.

When we look at the most unstable countries in the world, inevitably they are also the ones with masses of poor people.

Economic injustice breeds problems not just within countries, but externally as well.

It leads to mass migration of people to look for work, and sometimes it brings violence.

It thus makes sense to prioritise dealing with such injustice.

Instead, we see our leaders behaving like people anxious about protecting their own comforts rather than anyone else’s.

This they do by distracting us from real issues, by telling us that some small groups of people, even dead ones, are a threat, by refusing to let some people speak or even be seen in our media.

So I have to ask: Who’s the insecure one?

The views expressed are entirely the writer’s own.

Analysis: How to tackle slavery in Asia

A global disgrace

It isn't going to be easy by any means
There was a time when slavery was synonymous with shackles, whips, cramped ships and white plantation owners. Today the face of bonded labor and forced migration is a lot more disparate. In Asia, it could be the teenage bride from Myanmar, smuggled across the border by a Chinese wedding broker; the 29-year-old Cambodian whose passport was confiscated and is forced to work on a Thai fishing boat; or a 10-year-old Bangladeshi boy born into bonded labor.
Whatever it looks like, there's no doubt slavery in its contemporary manifestation not only exists, but thrives in every continent and almost every country.
According to the International Labor Organization (ILO), an estimated 21 million men, women and children are in forced labor around the world. Of those, 90 percent are in the private economy, exploited by individuals or enterprises. Most (68 percent) are forced to do manual labor in manufacturing, construction or agriculture, or as domestic workers. Around 22 percent work in the commercial sex industry.
Asian problem
Asia has by far the biggest share of slavery. The ILO estimates 11.7 million - 56 percent of those in bonded or forced labor - are in the Asia-Pacific region. By way of comparison, the next worst region is Africa, with 18 percent. The numbers are shocking, but they're not new, experts note.
In the last few decades the move to eradicate slavery has shifted into public consciousness and helped drive parts of the global development agenda. Countries where the problem is most prevalent have signed international agreements promising to work with humanitarian agencies and activists to tackle the issue.
International criminal networks responsible for trafficking people are better monitored and more frequently intercepted now than in the past, while corporations and consumers are more aware of the potential impact of encouraging cheap abusive labor, thanks in part to several high profile investigations in the international media.
For many governmental agencies and crime watchdogs working to eradicate slavery, there's genuine reason to be optimistic. Yet there's also a feeling among activists and those on the ground with firsthand experience of the trauma and abuse trafficked and enslaved people experience every day that still more could be done.
Dangerous perception
"There is a dangerous perception in the development community that if we address common issues [like poverty] you'll automatically eradicate slavery," Adrian McQuade, director of the London-based organization, Anti-Slavery International, told IRIN.
The group has for a long time lobbied governments and put pressure on global institutions and enterprises to end slavery, but McQuade says their focus has increasingly shifted to the international development community. He says not only are they failing to do enough to end modern slavery, they could also actually be making the problem worse.
"Unless you consistently address the issue of excluded groups, not just on grounds of gender but ethnic and religious groups too, then there is a very real risk that an intervention by a development agency will worsen the position of the excluded group, leaving them more vulnerable to exploitation and slavery," he said.
Research has consistently shown that those most vulnerable to being trafficked or forced to work under threat of punishment are almost always from marginal communities that are often left out of mainstream development programs or are last to benefit from them, McQuade noted.
While gender discrimination has for a long time been a priority in the humanitarian world, other prejudices against racial or religious minorities are dealt with far less efficiently. In many cases it is easier for development agencies to work with, or distribute their help through, majority communities or dominant family groups, who use their position of influence to politically and culturally exclude others. "If every development project was forced to consider what will be the impact of this on slavery, we'd begin to deal with this issue in a more holistic way," McQuade said.
In Asia the problem is often particularly acute in border areas or along migration corridors where several communities compete for resources and are vying for the attention of development groups.
Lisa Rende Taylor is an anthropologist and independent expert on trafficking and bonded labor patterns in Southeast Asia, who until recently worked for the UN Inter-agency Project on Human Trafficking (UNIAP). In her role as chief technical advisor she oversaw studies on the economics of trafficking women for sex work in Thailand, and on children sold by their parents to work as beggars.
She left UNIAP partly because she felt frustrated that more resources were not being put into supporting frontline workers in areas where trafficking happens. "At a top level there are people who want to do their job, there are regional co-ordination meetings and country workshops… but when you go onto the ground and meet actual people running reception centers or safe houses there are barely resources getting to these people."
Smarter programming
Like McQuade, Rende Taylor says there's a misconception that general poverty relief will deal with the issue of slavery and trafficking, and backs a much more targeted development approach.
"Programming could be a lot smarter," she says, citing an example in northern Thailand, where her research showed that girls trafficked into the commercial sex industry were easily the most educated in their villages.
Most were exploited because of high expectations by their families for a return on their education investment. The girls felt they had to provide and so went to Bangkok, the capital, where they fell into abusive sex or domestic work.
The intervention to stop trafficking in this area of northern Thailand was setting up mushroom farms to give poor families work. The girls being trafficked had no interest in working on the farms and were unlikely to benefit from the program. Rende Taylor says a better understanding of the reasons people are trafficked is not hard to come by, but research of this kind is still not being prioritized by governments and the UN.
Many frontline NGOs agree. Seri Thongmak is executive director of the Pattanarak Foundation, which helps migrant workers from Myanmar trapped in forced labor in Thailand. He commends the work done at a high level to tighten anti-slavery legislation, but says what's really needed is more funds to help his charity and others educate vulnerable communities about the reality of working abroad, and the risks of forced labor.
"Protection is not making a billboard, it is interacting with the community," he says. "It is difficult to access financial support to work on education and protection [because] a lot of anti-human trafficking projects focus on international conferences and emergency relief."
Many in the UN agree more could be done to improve funding at grassroots level, but argue this will only be effective if there is a joined-up approach to catching and prosecuting those benefiting from cheap or free labor.
"Capitalized economies have turned humans into walking commodities, and wherever you find a need for cheap labor or a demand for increased supply, you will find people being exploited," said Martin Reeve, regional advisor on human trafficking in Asia at the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). Before working on anti-trafficking in Asia, Reeve worked in the British police force and he says many of the problems developing countries have in implementing anti-slavery legislation exist in the developed world too.
"No jurisdiction in the world could honestly say they have ‘got it [under control'] in terms of human trafficking," he said.
More than one approach
Among other aspects, UNODC focuses on helping to build the capacity of law enforcement agencies, and to move from reactive to intelligence-led policing. This strengthens the argument that research, both in the anthropological sense and the criminal investigation sense, will improve efficiency and effectiveness.
"Intelligence-led policing allows us to peel back the layers of the onion to get to the very heart of the issue and prosecute the big guys - not just the ones who are visible," Reeve says.
He advises that caution needs to be exercised in the way anti-slavery organizations and activists publicize their activity. Campaign language and imagery is often very emotive and designed to shock people into action, but the issue is almost always more complicated than activists make it, and there's a danger over-simplification or exaggerating the numbers or facts could lead to apathy.
"When the issue isn't dealt with soberly you run the risk of de-sensitizing people," Reeve says. "We need to use numbers and language with care, and make sure people understand there isn't just one approach or solution."
(IRIN is a service of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. This report does not necessarily reflect the UN's views)