New evidence of indentured Indians' mass graves in Suriname

Reuters

Pic for representation purpose only

Indian indentured workers were taken to Suriname as agricultural labour to work on the sugarcane plantations during colonial times

New Delhi: As the Suriname government granted permission in early January to researchers to begin operations to discover the forgotten mass graves of Indian indentured workers killed in police firing in 1902 in the tiny South American nation, where nearly 40 percent of its people are of Indian extraction, new evidence has emerged that could give significant pointers to the location of the graves.

Late last year, Benjamin Mitrasingh, an archaeologist in Suriname, had proposed to use modern technology and aerial surveys to locate the graves of Indian indentured workers killed 110 years ago in Marienburg. The 1902 massacre took place at Marienburg factory and sugarcane plantation when angry agricultural workers protesting against low wages were fired upon by Dutch colonial forces. About 24 workers were killed and their bodies dumped in unmarked mass graves.

As Mitrasingh waited for government permission to commence his investigation, researchers in the Netherlands - Suriname, a country of a little over 500,00 people, gained independence from the Dutch in 1975 - working in the archives located a map that could give indications to the site where the mass graves were located. Sandew Hira and historian Radhinder Bhagwanbali have done considerable research on the subject of Indian immigrants in Suriname.

Bhagwanbhali had been researching on the subject of resistance on the plantations against the indentured labour system. "During his research, Bhagwanbali went into the archives and studied the reports of the Dutch military regarding the uprisings by the workers. He found this map in the military files," Hira said in an email interview with IANS. A copy of the map was sent to Mitrasingh, he added.

Bhagwanbali is the author of three books on migration and the indenture system in Suriname. Hira has been working on creating a database of all Indian indentured labourers who arrived in Suriname. He has put together a list of all those Indian workers killed in the Mariengburg massacre with their names and details about their home villages in India from immigration sources. Hira is keen to get some recognition in India for those who died in the Marienburg uprising.

'I have written a letter to the Indian government with the names, village addresses of those killed in the uprising so that they get recognition in their homeland. I am still awaiting a response from the Indian government', he added. Hira's list was sent to the ministry for overseas Indian affairs in July 2012.

However, Mitrasingh is not very hopeful of getting any real evidence from Bhagwanbali's map. 'It is not an actual military map which gives coordinates and specific locations of the graves,' he said. The map discovered by Radhinder Bhagwanbali looks like a rough sketch that depicts the rail tracks, the roads and other topographical features of the area.

After securing the government's go-ahead, Mitrasingh has been assured full support by the district commissioner, the surveyor's office and the Marienburg coordinator for his investigations. The surveyor's office will provide a detailed map of the disused rail system at Marienburg. According to media reports, a local businessman has offered the use of his company helicopter for an aerial survey of the area.

There were about 10 major incidents of workers protests by Indian indentured labour in Suriname between 1873 and 1902 and the Marienburg agitation was among the largest.

Indian indentured workers were taken to Suriname as agricultural labour to work on the sugarcane plantations during colonial times. Suriname was first colonized by the British, and captured by the Dutch in 1667. .Conditions on the plantations were miserable with overwork, poor living conditions and low wages.

The Mareinburg estate and sugar factory was the biggest business enterprise in Suriname at one time. In 1902, Dutch security forces fired on the protesting workers, killing 24, whose bodies were dumped in unidentified mass graves. According to local belief in the region, the bodies were transported on the train that brought the sugarcane to the sugar mill and buried in large pit near the rail tracks.

The plans to locate the mass graves at Marienburg have evoked a good deal of interest in Suriname. An unsuccessful attempt was made in 1983-84 when drilling was undertaken at one site. In 2006 a monument was unveiled to commemorate the workers uprising.

As polls loom, Putrajaya lifts Hindraf ban

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 26 — Putrajaya has finally lifted its over four-year ban on the Hindu Rights Action

The letter to Hindraf chief P Waythamoorthy.

Force (Hindraf), the organisation responsible for the massive 2007 protest march that was seen as a major factor that swung Indian voters to the opposition in Election 2008.

In a letter addressed to Hindraf chief P Waythamoorthy yesterday, the Registrar of Societies (RoS) informed the organisation that it was the Home Minister who had made the decision, after reconsidering the its appeal.

"Please be informed that the Home Minister, after reconsidering your appeal, has agreed to rescind the Section 5 order under the Societies Act 1966 issued on October 14, 2008, which had gazetted the Hindu Rights Action Force as an illegal organisation," said the letter which was signed by one Dasmond Das Michael Das of the RoS.

Waythamoorthy, who is believed to be abroad at the moment, forwarded a scanned copy of the letter and emailed it to several media organisations this evening.

The lifting of the ban comes at a most strategic time; on the eve of Thaipusam, a very significant festival to the the Hindus who form the majority of the country's Indian community; and even more notable is that in just months, the country will head for federal polls, which is seen as likely to be the most toughest electoral battle yet for the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN).

It has been over five years since the group of nearly 30,000 Indians led by Hindraf marched into the capital city to protest what they had claimed were "unfair" policies of the BN government.

But since then, many political leaders and observers have said that Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, his repeated attempts to appear more inclusive and his administration's purportedly conciliatory policies appear to be recapturing the support of the country's minority group.

BN has also regained Indian votes in several of the 16 by-elections since Election 2008 where the country's estimated three million Indians form a sizeable minority.

Since Election 2008, the then outlawed Hindraf movement that organised the November 25, 2007 march has also split up, with some leaders favouring the BN government while others either continue with Pakatan Rakyat (PR) parties or have grown disenchanted with both coalitions.

It was also Najib who had strategically agreed to free a few of the "Hindraf Five" who were taken in by the authorities under the now-repealed Internal Security Act (ISA).

In fact, several Indian leaders in BN's MIC believe that in the party's tussle for the Indian vote in the coming polls, the most important element to recapture lost support from the community would be Najib himself.

The Indian vote is seen as crucial to determine BN's future in the country as the next general election is expected to be a neck-and-neck race between the ruling coalition and the fledgling PR pact.

Observers have claimed that Najib and BN leaders have lost confidence in the MIC's ability to score the Indian vote, resulting in efforts by the prime minister to engage directly with the community, who form nearly 1.8 million out of the 28 million population in Malaysia. Some 800,000 are registered voters.

Just recently, Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz announced in Parliament that Najib was ready to hold a dialogue with Hindraf to discuss the community's key concerns.

But in an interview with The Malaysian Insider in December last year, MIC secretary-general Datuk S. Murugesan noted there was nothing wrong with relying on the "Najib factor" to boost Indian support, adding that humility has been important in wooing support back into BN's fold

"We have a good PM (prime minister)... what's wrong with that?" he said.

"It is only to be expected. All this while, people have been saying - why hasn't the government done this or done that... and the face of the government is the PM.

"So if they think we have a good leader with good heart, good ears and a sound mind at the helm, they will support us.

"So... yes, Najib is an important factor and I've got no issues with that," he added.

Gov't lifts four-year ban on Hindraf

More than four years after being outlawed and branded as an illegal organisation, government has lifted its ban on the Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf).

Hindraf chief P Waythamoorthy in a text message said this was made known to the movement in a letter dated yesterday from the Home Ministry.

However, he is unavailable for further comment as he is presently in the United Kingdom.


Hindraf was outlawed on Oct 14, 2008 by then Home Minister Syed Hamid Albar under the administration of Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

The government had then described Hindraf as a threat to public order, security and sovereignty of the country as well as the prevailing racial harmony if left unchecked.


Hindraf had earned the ire of the government after it mobilised more than 30,000 people onto the streets of Kuala Lumpur on Nov 25, 2007 in a bid to highlight the marginalisation of Indian Malaysians.


The movement is credited for contributing to the March 8, 2008 electoral setback for BN which saw Indian support for the ruling coalition dramatically reduced.


The BN lost its customary two-thirds majority in Parliament since its creation in 1973.

Some two weeks after the 2007 rally, five Hindraf leaders were detained under the Internal Security Act for two years.

However, Waythamoorthy was out of the country and he eventually spent five years in exile before returning home last August.

No reason given on why ban lifted

The Jan 25 letter which stated the lifting of the ban on Hindraf was issued by the Registar of Societies and it was sent to Waythamoorthy's law office in Negeri Sembilan.

It read: "Please be informed that the home minister, after reconsidering your appeals, have agreed to cancel Order Section 5 of the Societies Act 1966 dated Oct 14, 2008 which declared Hindraf an illegal organisation."

It did not provide any reasons for the decision. The letter was signed by ROS' Societies Management Division’s Dasmon Das Michael Das.

According to Section 5 of the Societies Act 1966, a minister has absolute discretion to declare unlawful any society which in his opinion is being used for purposes that is prejudicial or incompatible with the interest and security of Malaysia, public order or morality.

In an immediate reaction, Hindraf advisor N Ganesan (right) said the letter which was received today came as a surprise.

"This was very sudden and so near to Thaipusam. We will need to discuss this first before we can issue a formal response," he said.

He added that this will be done after Thaipusam tomorrow as the Hindraf leadership is spread across the country to celebrate the Hindu festival.

Waythamoorty who returned from exile in United Kingdom on Aug 1 last year had offered an olive branch to both BN and Pakatan Rakyat to discuss the plight of the Indian poor.

Although the movement eventually held talks with Pakatan, negotiations with BN did not materialise as it had set a pre-condition for the government to first lift the ban on Hindraf.

'Drop cases against Hindraf activists'

Meanwhile, Hindraf lawyer M Manoharan said the lifting of the ban comes ahead of a March 5 hearing at the Federal Court where Hindraf is seeking to be registered as a legal organisation.

"Now that the ban is lifted, we want the Federal Court to agree to Hindraf's registration. I would also advise Hindraf to seek damages from the government because the ban has caused a lot of hardship to our activists.

"The government should apologise and pay substantial amount of compensation to the Indian community," he said.

When contacted, P Uthayakumar (left), lawyer for the 54 activists in four cases at the Kuala Lumpur, Seremban, Ipoh and Selayang magistrates court said the Attorney-General’s Chambers should now drop the cases against them.

"In the spirit of the lifting of the ban, it is only fair for these cases against them to be withdrawn. It has been a long case and even one of the 54 had passed away two months ago," he said.

The 54 Hindraf activists who were charged for being members of an illegal organisation after they participated in Hindraf's anti-Interlok rally in 2011.

Second M'sian in Algeria hostage crisis confirmed dead

The second Malaysian reported missing in the Algerian hostage crisis at the gas facility complex in In Amenas, Algeria, has been confirmed dead, according to Wisma Putra.

The Foreign Ministry said in a statement today that Tan Ping Wee was identified by the forensic team through his dental records as well as confirmation of his tattoo by his family.

Following the confirmation, Wisma Putra had immediately notified members of Tan's family, said the statement.

The Malaysian Embassy in Algiers and the JGC Corp are in the midst of arranging for the remains of Tan Ping Wee and Chong Chung Ngen, who was identified earlier, to be flown home as soon as possible.

Wisma Putra had earlier said that three of the five Malaysians working at the gas facility complex in In Amenas, Patrick Purait Awang, Lau Seek Chiang and K Ravi were safe.
130 gas facility staff taken hostage
Chiang and Ravi have since returned home while Patrick had voluntarily decided to remain in Algeria to assist in the search for his colleague.

During the incident which took place last week, a militant group held 130 Amenas OGPC staff from various countries, including five Malaysians.

The action was believed to be in retaliation against the Algerian government for allowing French fighter jets into its airspace to quell Muslim militants in Mali.
According to preliminary estimates by the Algerian authorities, 37 foreign hostages and 29 kidnappers died in the Islamist attack against the gas field and in the military operation that followed.
The hostage-takers were also demanding the release of Islamist prisoners.
Meanwhile, Deputy Foreign Minister Senator A Kohilan Pillay said the two bodies are expected to arrive in Malaysia by Monday, if all the necessary documentation and forensic process was cleared.

"We are waiting for a few procedures to go through and once completed the remains of the two will arrive in about two days," he told Bernama when contacted.

- Bernama

Putrajaya Hindu temple for tourists or devotees?

I view the media statement attributed to former MIC president S Samy Vellu on the construction of the new Sri Alayam temple in Presint 20, Putrajaya with deep concern.

A cursory look at the artist's impression of the temple suggests a very Northern Indian temple design.

The RM10 million temple to be built with public funds aims to be a major tourist attraction, although the temp|e's promoters would like us to believe that it would serve many Hindu worshippers in the area.

l am also saddened by this development because Putrajaya and Cyberjaya were carved out of several estates in the area, resulting in many Hindus having to resettle in non-conducìve environments far away from the place where they and their children had lived for decades.

Many of the estate temples, all of them constructed according to the format of the temples in Southern India, had to make way for development.

Samy Vellu is rubbing salt to the wound now. Basically, genuine worship had to give way to 'development' and in its place emerges a plastic tourist attraction for a temple.

The loud message is economics determines your right to worship in the temple of your choice!

Samy Vellu and his cohorts should focus on the many real challenges facing Hindus in this country like the lack of religious teachers, well trained temple priests and the difficulty posed by the immigration authorities in sourcing these skills from India.

Instead, he chooses to add one more white elephant in Putrajaya in the form of a temple for tourists.

---

M MANOHARAN is Kota Alam Shah assemblyperson.

Sugumar's family wants prompt second autopsy

Unconvinced that 39-year-old Sugumar Chelliah had mysteriously dropped dead of a heart attack after being pursued by the police, his family is determined on a second autopsy to get to the truth.

When contacted, one of the family’s lawyers Latheefa Koya (right) said the family hopes to get the second autopsy done as soon as possible.

"We are definitely arranging a second post-mortem. We are looking for another hospital and a pathologist  who will be willing to do it. We are not sure when ... hopefully today," she said.

Latheefa added that the family was unconvinced with the first post-mortem by Serdang Hospital as the institution had a history of falsifying the post-mortem report as in the death-in-custody case of A Kugan.

In Sugumar's case, Serdang Hospital’s post-mortem concluded he died as a result of a blockage in heart and that no other injuries were found on his body.

Witnesses, however, claim that Sugumar, a security guard, was pursued by four police officers for damaging pubic property, and was subsequently handcuffed, his face smeared with turmeric powder  and  beaten to death  in which a mob joined in at Taman Pekaka, Hulu Langat.

Police cite witnesses denying beatings

In a report today, pro-government daily Utusan Malaysia quoted Selangor CID chief SAC Mohd Adnan Abdullah as saying that they had taken the statements of 11 witnesses, 10 of whom claimed that the alleged beating by the police did not take place.

"One more witness was a victim who had his head knocked by the suspect (Sugumar)," Utusan quoted Mohd Adnan saying.

In response, Latheefa pointed out there were at least three witnesses who had observed the incident but the police have yet to record their statements.

Asked if they will voluntarily come forward to the police, Latheefa said, "With this kind of pressure, I am not sure if they are willing to go on their own. But we will try to get their cooperation."

She also criticised the police for declaring their personnel innocence even before a thorough investigation has been conducted.

"It looks very biased, we can't rely on such an investigation. We demand that the inspector-general of police prepare an independent team instead of repeating that they (police) are innocent," she said.

‘Police foil report lodging’

She disputed the police’s explanation of Sugumar's death, pointing out they have yet to explain the traces of turmeric powder found on the victim’s face, allegedly smeared by one of their personnel.

Latheefa added that the family yesterday attempted to lodge a police report on the matter at the Kajang district police headquarters, but their efforts were frustrated.

"The police made an issue out of it, limiting the number of the people who could go into the police station, and the OCPD did not want to cooperate.

"It was probably because the officers involved are from the same district, but the family will lodge a police report soon at another location," she said.

Bibles of any language still a Bible, Perkasa told

Human rights lawyer Siti Zabedah Kasim has rubbished Perkasa's series of police reports against her for allegedly slandering Perkasa president Ibrahim Ali over his bible-burning remarks.

"It doesn't matter if it is a Malay Bible, an English Bible, a Kadazan Bible or a Tamil Bible, the issue is he incited the burning of bibles," she told Malaysiakini when contacted today.

She was responding to Negeri Sembilan Perkasa chief Mohd Noor Nordin who was quoted in Utusan Malaysia today saying that the human rights lawyer had distorted Ibrahim's (right) statement.

"The truth is, our Perkasa president only said that Malay language bibles that use the word 'Allah' or is in Jawi should be burnt, he did not instruct all bibles to be burnt as a whole," said Mohd Noor in the Utusan report.

Perkasa yesterday lodged counter reports nationwide - in Kuala Lumpur, Negeri Sembilan, Kelantan, Penang, Selangor and Perak - against Siti Zabedah as a tit-for-tat after she lodged a police report on Jan 23 against Ibrahim Ali on the matter.

'Act of intimidation'

Siti Zabedah (right) described the barrage of counter reports as an act of intimidation.

"I don't know the exact reason why they are doing this, but maybe they want to intimidate others from lodging more police reports against them," she said.

She also pointed out that she was only representing the 12 people who had collectively lodged the police report against Ibrahim, yet Perkasa is targeting her in particular.

"They (Perkasa) can file as many police reports as they want. I leave it to the police to investigate," she said.

DAP chairperson Karpal Singh also lodged a similar police report on Jan 22 but has so far not receive any retaliation from Perkasa.

He had lodged the police report after attorney-general Gani Patail said Ibrahim would not be prosecuted unless the burning of bibles actually takes place.

Police have since recorded Ibrahim’s statement on Jan 24, and the Pasir Mas MP has defended his remark claiming that he did not intend to offend Christians.

Perkasa is one of many groups that have opposed non-Muslims' use of the term 'Allah' in the Malay translation of the bible, even though the Kuala Lumpur High Court in 2010 ruled in the latter's favour.

The government has since appealed the court's decision and the appeal is still pending, three years on.

Mother: Dead boy is my William

Goh Ying Ying identified the body of a boy found in Port Klang yesterday as her son.
UPDATED

PETALING JAYA: The mother of six-year-old William Yau confirmed that the body of a boy found in Port Klang yesterday is her son.

Berita Harian reported that Goh Ying Ying identified Yau based on the shorts and underwear worn by the corpse, which appeared to be the same as the last clothes worn by the boy.

However, Subang Jaya district police chief Yahaya Ramli said he would wait for the DNA test to be concluded before confirming the matter.

On Jan 16, Yau went missing after his parents left him and his siblings in the car to purchase a washing machine at Putra Heights.

It was said that he went looking for his parents after his younger sister started crying in the car.

Yesterday, police found the body of boy at Sungai Sireh and sent it to the Klang Hospital for identification.

Yau’s disappearance had generated widespread media coverage, with the public also lending a hand in locating his whereabouts.

However, Nottingham University communication professor Zaharom Nain did not blame the media exposure.

He instead questioned the police’s role in solving the case.

“What measures have the police taken? The Nur line is full of rubbish,” he said, referring to the hotline managed by the Women, Family and Community Development Ministry with the cooperation of the police.

The line was established after the kidnapping and murder of six-year-old Nurin Jazlin Jazimin in 2007.

“The moment the identity of the missing boy was known everyone tried to help,” he said.

He added that the kidnappers probably panicked over the publicity that Yau had received because kidnapping was an offence punishable by death.

Photo courtesy of the NSTP.

Perkasa buat laporan terhadap peguam

Siti Zabedah pada 23 Januari lalu telah membuat laporan polis terhadap Ibrahim mengatakan Ahli Parlimen Pasir Mas itu menyentuh Bible dalam semua bahasa termasuk bahasa Melayu.

KUALA LUMPUR: Pertubuhan Pribumi Perkasa (Perkasa) hari ini membuat laporan polis terhadap peguam hak asasi manusia, Siti Zabedah Kasim kerana membuat laporan palsu mengenai kenyataan Presidennya Datuk Ibrahim Ali berhubung isu bakar kitab Bible.

Laporan dibuat Naib Ketua Wira Perkasa Nurul Izham Nurul Anuar di Ibu Pejabat Polis Daerah Dang Wangi di sini petang tadi.

Nurul Izham dalam laporannya berkata, Siti Zabedah pada 23 Januari lalu telah membuat laporan polis terhadap Ibrahim mengatakan Ahli Parlimen Pasir Mas itu menyentuh Bible dalam semua bahasa termasuk kitab berbahasa Melayu, seperti yang dirujuknya dalam laporan berita FreeMalaysiaToday (FMT).

“Saya percaya Zabedah Kasim merujuk kepada laporan media sahaja tanpa mengetahui apa yang sebenarnya diperkatakan oleh Datuk Ibrahim semasa sidang media di Pulau Pinang pada 19 Januari lalu,” katanya dalam laporan polis tersebut.

Menurut Nurul Izham, beliau telah menghubungi Ibrahim tentang kesahihan dakwaan tersebut namun dinafikan Ibrahim dan mempertahankan “Bible Bahasa Melayu yang terdapat perkataan Allah dan tulisan jawi” itu adalah jelas.

“Ibrahim Ali tak pernah menyebut Bible semua bahasa termasuk edisi Melayu, dengan itu saya berpendapat laporan polis tersebut adalah tidak betanggungjawab dan satu penganiayaan terahadap Ibrahim dan boleh dianggap sebagai satu fitnah terhadap beliau,” katanya.

Sehubungan itu beliau berharap polis dapat menyiasat hal ini dan bertindak terhada Siti Zabedah mengikut undang-undang yang ada supaya menjadi pengajaran kepada masyarakat agar tidak sewenang-wenangnya membuat laporan polis yang boleh menganiaya pihak lain.

Sementara itu, orang ramai diminta supaya tidak mempercayai khabar angin kononnya ada acara membakar Bible versi bahasa Melayu di Pulau Pinang.

Ketua Polis Negeri Datuk Abdul Rahim Hanafi semalam dilaporkan berkata, berikutan isu itu polis menerima laporan seorang paderi menemui risalah bertulis ‘jom bakar…pesta bakar Bible Melayu demi masa depan cucu kita’ yang diletak di dalam peti surat di sebuah gereja 20 Jan lepas.

“Kita minta jangan ada pihak yang percaya dan mensensasikan isu ini kerana ia boleh mengugat ketenteraman awam dan mengundang perpecahan masyarakat,” katanya dipetik Bernama.

Katanya, isu itu disiasat mengikut Seksyen 298 Kanun Keseksaan kerana dengan sengaja menyebut perkataan berniat melukakan perasaan agama seseorang yang memperuntukkan hukuman penjara maksimum setahun atau denda atau kedua-duanya sekali.

IGP: Don’t make fun of religious, racial issues

According to Ismail Omar, several individuals have been called up for investigation.

KUALA LUMPUR: Inspector-General of Police Ismail Omar has reminded the people not to make fun of sensitive religious or racial issues for it could inflame anger or cause resentment.

He said as this could be detrimental to unity and racial harmony, all quarters should respect the country’s legal system and inculcate high moral values.

“We have been living in unity for a long time, why should we raise sensitive issues related to religion and so forth.

“Today we received a report about the purported Malay-language Bible-burning event at the Bagan Luar Butterworth municipal council field…

“We have called up several individuals for investigations,” he told reporters after the police monthly assembly and the conferment of ranks here today.

He was commenting on a report that the police had received a report from a priest that he found a flyer, printed by a group calling itself Pasukan Bertindak Anti Bible Bahasa Melayu (Anti-Malay Bible Action Force), urging Muslims to attend a Malay-language Bible burning “festival”.

At the function, two members of the Brickfields police district headquarters patrol unit, Corporal R Subramaniam, 52, and Corporal Nor Azlan Abu Bakar, 41, were promoted to sergeant for their for their gallantry in fighting a bunch of robbers on Sept 26 last year.

Both of them were injured in the shootout.

-Bernama

Hindraf: Lift ban on ‘Viswaroopam’

Tanjung Golden Village and Lotus Five Star Sdn Bhd suspends the screening of Kamal Hassan's movie pending further notice.

PETALING JAYA: South Indian actor Kamal Hassan’s magnum opus, Vishwaroopam has been removed from local cinemas pending further notice.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, a staff from Tanjung Golden Village (TGV) cinema confirmed the movie was removed as of noon today.

“Yes, the movie was removed as of noon due to some issues,” said the staff. She claimed oblivious on the reasons behind the suspension.

Yesterday, the Tamil superstar’s mega-budget movie was banned in the state of Tamil Nadu for 15 days, on grounds that the movie offends the sensitivities of Muslims.

However, the movie was screened last night and this morning in Malaysian cinemas before it was taken out.

It was reported Penang Muslims League urged the National Film Development Corporation (Finas) to review the screening of the movie for censorship or suspension due to its content.

Lotus Five Star Sdn Bhd, the local distributor of Vishwaroopam, had also confirmed suspension of the movie at all its cinemas nationwide.

According to Film Censorship Board’s Control and Enforcement Division secretary, Razak Derahman, the film was suspended on the orders of Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein.

According to the official, the Malaysian Indian Muslim Youth Movement on Wednesday sent a memorandum opposing the screening of the movie.

“The group cited religious sensitivities so the film will be sent back to Film Censorship Board,” he said.

Meanwhile, a FMT check at the Lotus cinema in Petaling Jaya, revealed disappointed and angry movie goers.

Some had come in groups to enjoy the long awaited movie by the famous actor.

“We tried buying tickets…but we couldn’t as the movie was banned and the notice at the counter confirmed our disappointment,” said a movie buff and Kamal Hassan fan who preferred to remain anonymous.

He said the authorities must be consistent in their action as the movie premiere yesterday was allowed.

“One day they allow, then they say it is sensitive. I thought all movies shown in the country goes through the Censorship Board and the Home Ministry. How come this one escaped? Or is it an after thought on the part of the authorities?,” he added.

A poster of the movie at the entrance had a notice which read: “Strictly children under 18 not allowed.”

Another, brief circular at the ticketing counter revealed that the Home Ministry has banned the movie based on complaints by certain quarters that the show’s content was insensitive to Muslims.

Waytha under fire for silence over temples

A MIC Youth leader has also questioned Hindraf’s plans to ‘take down another Indian' via contesting in MIC allocated seats.

SHAH ALAM: Hindraf pioneer P Waythamoorthy has come under fire for his deafening silence over the Selangor government’s handling of two temple issues in the state recently.

Accusing Waythamoorthy of “pretending to be in the dark” over the issue, Selangor MIC Youth chief M Shanker Raj Ayanger said the Hindraf man’s silence showed that he was an opportunist.

“While the Malaysian Indian community is upset that the Selangor government through the Sepang Municipal Council barged into a house and broke a shrine there recently, Waythamoorthy has kept mum on the matter.

“Would he have done the same if the Selangor government was run by the Barisan Nasional?

“It is surprising to note that Hindraf, which claimed to safeguard Indian rights, has remained silent on the two temple issues involving the Pakatan Rakyat government” he said.

He was referring to the recent case where the enforcement officers from the Sepang Municipal Council demolished a private shrine built within the compound of a house.

As soon as the issue subsided, the Kajang Municipal Council issued summons and fines to the Sri Mahamariamman Temple in Kajang, for excessive noise during prayer sessions.

The council has since rescinded the summons and compounds.

“It looks like Waythamoorthy has deliberately overlooked these two incidents.

“There were also reports that seven temples have been demolished in Selangor after Pakatan’s rule began in 2008 but Hindraf has disregarded the issue.

“It seems quite clear Hindraf only makes noise if it is the BN.

“But if Pakatan does anything, it is silent. When you fight for the community, you must be fair and just. You must fight even if the opponent is your friend.

“You are fighting for the people. But now it looks like Hindraf is only there to criticise the BN and nothing else,” he told FMT.

MIC not afraid of Hindraf

Shanker Raj also criticised Hindraf’s bid to contest MIC seats at the forthcoming 13th general election.

Waythamoorthy himself was reported to be keen on contesting against MIC president G Palanivel, in whichever seat Palanivel wanted.

“What happened to Waythamoorthy’s previous statements when he claimed that Hindraf’s enemy is not MIC but Umno?

“Are they going to kill another Indian and say it is for the betterment of the Malaysian Indian community?” he asked.

He said MIC will not fear any challenge from Hindraf leaders at the general election.

“This provides us with a golden opportunity to prove our mettle and also to show that the majority of the Indian community had lost faith in Hindraf,” said Shanker Raj.

He alleged that Waythamoorthy had become a tool for Pakatan to further his own political aspiration.

‘Stateless Indians were told to go to Sabah’

Niat chairman Thasleem Mohamed Ibrahim has made a startling revelation saying that the late deputy home minister Megat Junid Megat Ayub had asked stateless Indian to go to Sabah to obtain proper documentation.

PETALING JAYA: National Indian Action Team (Niat) and Jihad for Justice chairman Thasleem Mohamed Ibrahim has claimed that the late deputy home minister Megat Junid Megat Ayub had asked him to refer cases of Indians, without proper documentation, to go to Sabah if they wanted proper papers.

He said whenever he discussed the issue of stateless Indians with Megat Junid, the latter would refer to cases in Sabah.

“I’m speaking out because [former prime minister) Dr Mahathir Mohamad raised the issue of Tunku Abdul Rahman granting citizenship to one million people in the Peninsula before independence.

“I would never have spoken about this otherwise, as Megat is no longer with us. He was my school senior, and often during our conversations, I would bring up the issue of stateless Indians,” he said.

Thasleem said on numerous occasions between 1994 to 1996, whenever he told Megat Jubid that a lot of Indians have been living here for many years without citizenship, his immediate reaction would be: “Don’t waste time, go to Sabah.”

“I was quite suspicious on why he continued to mention Sabah but he repeated this on two to three occasions, claiming that if cases were to be dealt here, some of the stateless people may have to pay up to RM50,000 for their application to be approved,” he said.

“The citizenship should be given to them. These people were born here, they were not smuggled here.

“We just want the government to solve this issue once and for all,” said Thasleem.

Jihad for Justice is a new organisation, established a month ago, and 5,000 people have indicated their support.

Bawani: Forget video, focus on crucial issues

The law student says she wants the closure since the public has been made aware about students' freedom of expression in local universities.

KUALA LUMPUR: KS Bawani, the law student who became an overnight sensation, wants a closure to the infamous “listen, listen, listen” video which propelled her into stardom.

“I want this to end. I don’t want to talk about the video anymore.

“The public is now aware because it shows the reality of students in campuses,” she told a press conference at the Kuala Lumpur Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall today.

The Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM) student and Suara Wanita 1Malaysia president Sharifah Zohra Jabeen Syed Shah Miskin have been in the limelight after the video went viral on social networking site, Facebook.

In the 24-minute video, Sharifah Zohra is seen berating Bawani when the latter argued in favour of free education during a forum that took place in UUM in December.

Due to public pressure, Sharifah Zohra forgave Bawani and apologised to the university, students and the public.

Since then there had been many calls by student groups for Sharifah Zohra to debate with Bawani.

One student group, Solidariti Anak Muda Malaysia, even organised a forum last week which had constitutional law expert Aziz Bari as a fellow panellist. However, Sharifah Zohra skipped the forum.

Meanwhile, Bawani said that the focus should be on other crucial issues.

“It [the video] has overshadowed other important issues such as minimum wage, death-in custody,” added the Oppressed People’s Network (Jerit) and Community Development Centre activist.

Our Malaysia of the 70s

With the state of racial and religious things entire in our beloved Malaysia today - rumours of a festival of Bible-burning, continuing humiliation of the Malaysian Indians especially, the death of critical sensibility in our public universities, the devastating revelations of the ‘Sabah IC-gate’ plot, the issue of ‘stateless Indians’ and the criminalisation of children not able to be schooled because they were born ‘stateless’ and a host of other issues Malaysian-ly unbecoming.

I have decided to travel down the path of nostalgia. I am quite sure many of you reading this column would agree that the late sixties and early seventies presented a good frame of reference of what it means to be Malaysian and what ‘national identity’ could be about. Names upon names came back to me as I conjure fond memories.

There was a certain kind of magic, innocence, and sincerity to foster a Malaysian identity, back then. It didn’t matter what race you were one could love to one’s heart’s content folks like these: P Ramlee, AR Tompel, Aziz Sattar, Saloma, Siput Sarawak, Ayappan, Lim Goh Poh, Andre Goh, Kartina Dahari, Orchid Abdullah, soccer players like V Arumugam the ‘Spider Man’, Soh Chin Aun ‘The Towkay’, Shaharuddin Abdullah the cool guy, Mokhtar Dahari ‘Super Mokh’, Santokh Singh, and many other great names that helped make Malaysian Malaysia proud.

One could laugh at the comedian-ventriloquist Jamali Shadat’s jokes, remember names such a V Sambanthan, Khir Johari, the great statesman Dr Ismail Abdul Rahman, Tan Siew Sin, Temenggung Jugah (the man with a really cool haircut I so wanted one... ), Aishah Ghani, and of course the reluctant but down-to-earth and benevolent multiculturalist-statesman Tunku Abdul Rahman (right) with his famous uncontrollable blurting of Malay curse words and his philosophy of “oil and water can never mix”. A simple, yet profound life was back then...

Those were the days before today... when hell is breaking loose. What happened to the ethos of that genre, I wonder.

Growing up in the early 70s, different words to describe reality, practices, and possibilities were dancing happily around me.

Perhaps those street names tune us to calmness... Jalan/Lorong Aman, Sentosa, Bahagia, Rahmat, Syukur, Ne’mat, and Merdeka...

All these shaped the child’s mind, such as that of mine growing up with a fascination of names, as if living is about being taught names and being able to “read the self and the word” in order to be liberated.

There were also words related to spirituality; words such as ‘sembah-Hyang’, marhaban, berzanji, kenduri, berkhatan, and bersugi gigi...

There were also cool words related to Malay magic such as jampi serapah, tangkal, kemenyan, dukun, pawang, and of course the “mambang laut-mambang darat-mambang udara” trinity/trio”...

Smooth-sailing seventies

Back in the day of the smooth-sailing seventies people were happy wearing what ought to be simple fashion and accessories... kebaya, baju kurong (not a straitjacket mind you), baju Melayu Telok Blangah, terompah, selipar chapal, selipar Jepun... manik koran, and all kinds of Malay, Chinese, and Indian ‘bling bling’ to adorn oneself with cultural niceties

Growing up in the kampong, I was not attuned to hearing totally foreign words, imported from elsewhere to denote and connote the self, spirituality, and salvation, and “saving the soul of others”; words such as solat, dakwah, ushrah, tarbiyyah jihad, muzakarah, jubah, serban, hijab, purdah, burqah, niqab, Arqam, tabligh, Ayatollah, muktamaar, buah tamar, or even Daulah Islamiyah...

Not that I knew or had even heard of... until the beginning of the eighties when these words like Karl Marx would became technologies of the “body, mind, and spirit” that changed the social relations of production and the ideological landscape of the country and the consciousness of a segment of Malay people...

And  I never heard anyone wanting to burn the Bible nor shout “Allahu Akbar” (God is great) when scoring goals in a friendly kampong football match.

And the beauty of living back in the day was how the self was constructed out of the early introduction to pluralism/ multiculturalism such that in me, every time the Chinese spirit of Bruce Lee possesses me, I could just go out and beat up my best friend Fook Shiang for example. We could then walk to town and overdose on the Indian food tosei and capati. Along the way we would stop by breezy Lido beach to grab a bite of the Javanesse soul food tauhu (tofu) sumbat.

Next, we could stop by at our teacher’s house and listen to his stories of Malay spiritual powers and magic called ‘Ilmu Budi Suci’ where the energy within possibly called the ‘chi’ can be harnessed so that one could kick like Bruce Lee without even touching your enemy!

Then, back in the day, we could go home after that to watch Joe Bugner got punched out into outer space by the ‘Black Superman’ named Muhammad Ali. I could still remember the words of the announcer ... “Annnddd in thissss corneerrr... weighing 220 pounds... from Louisville Kentucky... the undisputed world champion... Moooo hammaaaad... Aaaa Liiii... Aaaa Liiiii... Aaaa Liiii..." to the sounds of the audience gone berserk.

I could go on and one with this nostalgic; a trip down memory lane of the seventies especially, just by recalling words and words that were synonymous with a world that was about to enter globalisation but was dealing with a strange brew of modernisation and uneven development - a Malaysia before Mahathirism.

That was true multiculturalism without any strand of today’s idiocy. That was our Malaysia with a lot of sense and sensibility.

---

DR AZLY RAHMAN, who was born in Singapore and grew up in Johor Baru, holds a Columbia University (New York) doctorate in International Education Development and Master’s degrees in the fields of Education, International Affairs, Peace Studies and Communication. He has taught more than 40 courses in six different departments and has written more than 300 analyses on Malaysia. His teaching experience spans Malaysia and the United States, over a wide range of subjects from elementary to graduate education. He currently resides in the United States.

Police: Man not beaten to death

The New Straits Times

KAJANG: Police yesterday denied allegations that they beat a man to death on Wednesday night, here.

District police chief Assistant Commissioner Ab Rashid Ab Wahab said a five-hour autopsy revealed that C. Sugumaran had died of a heart attack.

"Post-mortem results showed that the man had no other injuries on his body and his death has been classified as sudden death.

"He was not beaten up by the police or members of the public as it was claimed," Rashid said, adding that police also did not throw tumeric powder on him as had been alleged on certain news portals.

He said the police had nothing to hide and would apply for an inquest to be held to look into the 39-year-old's death.

It was learnt that Sugumaran had a history of mental illness and his condition was known among the residents of Taman Sri Nanding, Hulu Langat.

On Wednesday, police responded to a call from a resident there who said that a man was running amok and destroying public property in the area at 6.30pm.

When they arrived at the housing estate, they found Sugumaran walking in the middle of the road while carrying a metal rod.

"Three policemen then followed him for about 2km and saw him destroying pots and roadside stalls with the rod. While he was being handcuffed, he was aggressive."

Rashid added that the officers found Sugumaran suddenly unconscious when transferring him into a police vehicle.

He said a medical assistant was summoned and Sugumaran was pronounced dead at the scene at 8.30pm.