Tuesday 10 September 2013
Communal riot in Muzaffarnagar took twenty six lives injuring one thirty four. United Hindus must choose the way of ‘best defense’.
Six including a Hindu journalist killed in clashes in Muzaffarnagar, curfew clamped. Situation worsened after the attack upon the participants of Maha Panchayat.
Hindu Existence News Bureau with
input from PTI & Agencies | Muzaffarnagar (Uttar Pradesh) | 7 Sept
2013 (updated upto 9th Sept):: Twenty six people, a journalist
and a photographer among them, were killed and 134 others injured on
Saturday and subsequent days during fresh clashes between members of two
communities in Muzaffarnagar, where an incident of violence 10 days ago
has kept communal tensions simmering.
Rajesh Verma, an IBN7 journalist, was
critically wounded when some unidentified men in a mob fired
indiscriminately in Khalapar area. He succumbed during treatment.
The photographer, Israr, hired by the
police, was beaten to death in Sekeda village by a group of people
returning from a meeting held in Naglabadhod. The meeting was held in
defiance of prohibitory orders, for seeking withdrawal of the cases
registered against those accused of August 27 Kawal violence.
It is told that two Hindus are died in
the violence while four Muslims are died, while the chance of more
casualties cannot be ignored in the face of spreading violence.
Saturday’s violence started when a group
of people going to attend a meeting of Maha Panchayat at Naglabadhod
clashed with the members of another community in Shahpur village en
route. About six people were injured in the clash. A few of them reached
the meeting venue and told the people about the attack.
Violence broke out again in the Kawal
area when members of a community returning from a Maha Panchayat meeting
in Naglabadhod clashed with members of another community.
The incident comes shortly after Home
Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde said that incidents of communal violence
have increased in the country and cautioned all States to remain alert
and foil any attempt to disturb peace ahead of the general elections.
“Communal violence incidents have increased since last year. While 410
incidents occurred in the country last year, this year, till now, 451
incidents have taken place,” he told reporters in New Delhi.
The tension initially brewed up when
three persons were killed on August 27 over a dispute which has now
culminated into a communal rift between two communities.
The village had witnessed a horrific
series of events after two girls, returning back home with their kin
Gaurav from college, were allegedly molested by a local resident
Shahnawaz. Gaurav first tried to oppose Shahnawaz’s act but finally
decided to go home silently.
After sometime, Gaurav returned with his
friend on bike and allegedly attacked Shahnawaz with sharp weapon.
Meanwhile, hearing Shahnawaz’s cries, his neighbours rushed to his
rescue. They nabbed the two youths and beat them mercilessly to death.
When Shahnawaz was taken to hospital, he was also declared dead by the
doctors.
After the three deaths, tension prevailed in the area and incidences of violence have denied to end.
During the fresh violence, a photographer
named Israr was beaten to death in Sekeda village by a group of people
returning from a meeting, police sources said.
Shinde said all States have been alerted
in view of recent incidents and he has personally called up Uttar
Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav on Saturday and discussed the
subject.
In a related incident, five persons were
injured when members of two communities pelted stones at each other in
Basiakla village. In Ilmanspur village, a mob set afire a vehicle.
Security had been tightened in view of Naglabadhod meeting and prohibitory orders imposed in the area, police said.
Several people had participated in the
first meeting held in the aftermath of Kawal violence despite a ban
imposed by the district authorities.
The police also booked several
politicians for making inflammatory speeches in the area. These included
three Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) leaders – an MP and two MLAs from
Muzaffarnagar – and one Bharatiya Janata Party MLA from Meerut.
Actually, the Maha Panchayat of
Jaats, Gujjar and Rajputs have came closer through such Maha panchayat
cutting the political edge only to fight against the attack upon their
agriculture, women, temples, farms and business by fanatic people
bearing Arabic names. Consequently, united Hindu forces resolved to
fight unitedly against anti Hindu elements with a process of ‘best
defense’.
See updates here: Army called in after communal violence kills nine in UP’s Muzaffarnagar, curfew imposed: TOI.
Sorry. Muslims are the major victims. They should restrain their animosity with Hindus. Muzaffarnagar violence toll reaches 21, Army men fired at…. : TOI.
Bad News. Muzaffarnagar violence: Schools to remain shut in neighbouring Meerut on Monday: DNA.
A False Report by Topix. 70% victims are minority. Minority should make a good relation with majority. 300 Hindus killed by Muslims in fresh violence.
Muzaffarnagar live: Toll climbs to 26, BJP leaders to be arrested : First Post.
UP adminstration is hwll bent to arrest BJP people, not to resist Communal Riot: FIRs against 4 BJP MLAs as Muzaffarnagar toll touches 28: The Hindu.
Please say your people not to start a violence or hatred to others. Muzaffarnagar riots: Muslim clerics condemn violence, appeal for peace: DNA.
Caring all own goose: Muzaffarnagar riots: Who said what? TOI.
Situation worsening: Muzaffarnagar: Toll climbs to 31; PM speaks to UP CM : TOI.
Meanwhile,
crime branch on Saturday arrested ex-Jansath block head, Virender
Singh, for an alleged provocative speech during the last meeting on
August 31.
Singh is cousin of Shashank Shekhar
Singh, who was former Uttar Pradesh Cabinet Secretary in the previous
Mayawati Government in the State.
According to DSP JR Joshi, the ex-block
head was arrested for allegedly participating in an “unauthorised
meeting” while prohibitory orders were in force in the area.
But, there is a huge repercussion as the
non Hindus are usually allowed to hold their meeting without any
permission and even perform Namaz putting public inconveniences like
road block etc., while the Hindus are discriminated rampantly.
DGP Deo Raj Nagar said the Government has formed a Special Task Force to investigate the Kawal incident.
“Some elements are trying to create
communal tension in the region. The STF will be helpful to normalise the
situation. No one would be allowed to breach peace in the area,” he
said.
As per latest report, there is a chance to outbreak the situation in a wider range if not controlled properly.
Hindu Existence Forum urges all concerned to maintain peace and harmony with their best effort.
SOME UNTOLD STORY, UNSEEN PICTURES OF MUZAFFARNAGAR RIOT.
Taliban to Sushmita Banerjee: Why did you write nasty things?
Banerjee's bullet-riddled body, with some of the hair ripped off her head, was found on Thursday morning.
The militants who barged into the Afghan home of Indian author Sushmita Banerjee and later shot her asked her why she wrote nasty things about them, the victim's in-laws told her Kolkata-based relatives on Saturday.
The slain author's younger brother Gopal Banerjee said her body was buried on Thursday morning as per Islamic traditions in Sharan city of Afghanistan's Paktika province.
"I managed to talk to my sisters in-law in Afghanistan over phone today (Saturday) around 2.30 pm.. I spoke to her husband Jaanbaz Khan and one of his cousins over Jaanbaz's mobile," Gopal Banerjee said.
"Since Thursday, I had been repeatedly trying Jaanbaz's number. But it was unreachable. Today, I finally managed to establish contact with him," said Banerjee, saying his brother-in-law sounded shaken by the experience, and "very upset".
"He seemed very upset at what has befallen him. I could hardly talk to him. But I had detailed conversation with his cousin, who said the killers were Taliban militants," Banerjee said.
"The cousin told me that when the killers barged into the house, they started beating her. They were saying, "Why have you written all these nasty things about us?"
Sushmita Banerjee defied her family to marry Afghan businessman Jaanbaz Khan, with whom she fell in love in Kolkata. She stayed for years with him in Afghanistan, before coming back to India. In 1998, she wrote the bestselling memoir "Kabuliwalar Bangali Bou" (A Kabuliwala's Bengali Wife), offering a vivid description of the suffering of women under the Taliban.
She also described her daring escape from the clutches of militants in the book, which made her a household name in Bengal.
Gopal Banerjee said: "The cousin told me that the militants tied up Sushmita's in-laws when they started protesting. They later abducted her".
Banerjee's bullet-riddled body, with some of the hair ripped off her head, was found on Thursday morning.
"The body was buried the same day according to their customs," said Gopal Banerjee, adding that Jaanbaz had no plans at present of coming to India.
The militants who barged into the Afghan home of Indian author Sushmita Banerjee and later shot her asked her why she wrote nasty things about them, the victim's in-laws told her Kolkata-based relatives on Saturday.The slain author's younger brother Gopal Banerjee said her body was buried on Thursday morning as per Islamic traditions in Sharan city of Afghanistan's Paktika province.
"I managed to talk to my sisters in-law in Afghanistan over phone today (Saturday) around 2.30 pm.. I spoke to her husband Jaanbaz Khan and one of his cousins over Jaanbaz's mobile," Gopal Banerjee said.
"Since Thursday, I had been repeatedly trying Jaanbaz's number. But it was unreachable. Today, I finally managed to establish contact with him," said Banerjee, saying his brother-in-law sounded shaken by the experience, and "very upset".
"He seemed very upset at what has befallen him. I could hardly talk to him. But I had detailed conversation with his cousin, who said the killers were Taliban militants," Banerjee said.
"The cousin told me that when the killers barged into the house, they started beating her. They were saying, "Why have you written all these nasty things about us?"
Sushmita Banerjee defied her family to marry Afghan businessman Jaanbaz Khan, with whom she fell in love in Kolkata. She stayed for years with him in Afghanistan, before coming back to India. In 1998, she wrote the bestselling memoir "Kabuliwalar Bangali Bou" (A Kabuliwala's Bengali Wife), offering a vivid description of the suffering of women under the Taliban.
She also described her daring escape from the clutches of militants in the book, which made her a household name in Bengal.
Gopal Banerjee said: "The cousin told me that the militants tied up Sushmita's in-laws when they started protesting. They later abducted her".
Banerjee's bullet-riddled body, with some of the hair ripped off her head, was found on Thursday morning.
"The body was buried the same day according to their customs," said Gopal Banerjee, adding that Jaanbaz had no plans at present of coming to India.
Sectarian riots spread in north India, 31 dead
MUZAFFARNAGAR, India — Security forces have been ordered to shoot rioters on sight, as sectarian violence spread in northern India on Monday despite an army-enforced curfew imposed after deadly weekend clashes broke out between Hindus and Muslims.Gunfire and street battles that erupted Saturday in villages around Muzaffarnagar in Uttar Pradesh state have killed at least 31 people and left many more wounded or missing, police said. Both sides have blamed the other for starting the violence.
Police had arrested 200 people by Monday evening. Soldiers deployed to the region have been given orders to shoot rioters on sight, state government official Kamal Saxena said.
Still, the violence spread to the neighboring districts of Shamli and Meerut. A state of alert has been declared for Uttar Pradesh, the scene of some of India's worst communal violence when a Hindu mob razed a 16th century mosque in Ayodhya in 1992.
Hundreds of people, some packed into bullock carts, tried to flee areas where their community represents a minority. One family trying to leave Kuttba village on Sunday was beaten with metal rods and wooden sticks when caught between fighting factions.
"The whole village was very tense. I wanted to send my family to a safer place," said Munavar, 24, who uses only one name, as his wife, 8-month-old daughter and 6-year-old niece lay on hospital beds nearby wearing bloody clothes and gauze bandages over their heads.
The violence began Saturday night after a meeting of thousands of Hindu farmers called for justice in the Aug. 27 killing of three young men from Kawal village. Officials said some farmers delivered hate-filled speeches against Muslims.
Clashes with Muslims broke out after the meeting, with many using guns, swords, stones or knives, senior police officer Arun Kumar said.
One 26-year-old farmer, Anuvesh Baliyan, said he and others were attacked in Purvalian village as they were returning home on a tractor from the meeting. He said a mob wielding metal rods and swords surrounded the tractor and began beating them.
"We hid in a field for a full night until troops arrived the next day," he said at Muzaffarnagar's hospital, where he was being treated for sword wounds to his head and leg.
In the village of Mirapur Padav, 50-year-old Salma Liaquat said she was sitting in her open-sided hut Monday morning when four men came out of the forest, shot her in the leg with a pistol and ran away. She and her neighbors, nervous about the rising tension, had asked police to patrol the area.
"We kept calling the police because we were scared," neighbor Shahid Ansari said. "But they didn't come until after the attack."
Hindu and Muslim patients were being kept in separate rooms at the hospital in Muzaffarnagar, about 125 kilometers (78 miles) north of New Delhi.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh expressed grief and shock over the deaths, while the central government warned that communal violence was expected to escalate further in the run-up to next year's national elections. Already this year, 451 incidents have been reported, compared with 410 for all of 2012, Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde said.
As local politicians on all sides accused one another of inciting the latest violence in Uttar Pradesh, the state barred people including politicians from visiting riot-affected areas.
The state's opposition blamed the government for failing to maintain law and order, while the state's top elected official accused opposition parties of inciting the violence to undermine his administration.
"The violence is a political conspiracy to defame and destabilize my government," Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav said.
Shops and schools were closed Monday in and around Muzaffarnagar. Soldiers were searching homes for weapons. Some 5,000 paramilitary officers joined the troops and thousands of local police on patrol.
Authorities stopped all newspaper deliveries and TV broadcasts in the area, but incendiary rumors spread by mobile phones and social media were still fueling the violence and making it difficult for soldiers to restore calm, state police inspector Ashish Gupta said.
The neighboring mountain state of Uttarakhand was also on alert.
Associated Press writer Biswajeet Banerjee reported from Lucknow, India.
Read more here: http://www.kansas.com/2013/09/09/2989864/sectarian-riots-spread-in-north.html#storylink=cpy
Nixed - fresh probe into Altantuya murder
"No,
if there's no necessity, why should we open up a new investigation?"
Khalid said at a press conference in Kuala Lumpur today."Everybody should respect the findings of the court."
Khalid also noted that the Attorney-General’s Chambers has filed an appeal at the Federal Court and that all parties will have to be patient until the end of the judicial process.
"If any party is not satisfied (with the decision), he has the avenue to appeal. Please wait, the court process has not finished yet," he added.
On Aug 23, the Court of Appeal had acquitted two Special Action Unit officers - Chief Inspector Azilah Hadri and Corporal Sirul Azhar Umar - of killing Altantuya and blowing up her body with C4 explosives in 2009.
The court ruled that there had been serious misdirections by the Shah Alam High Court judge who heard the case.
This included the failure to call of police officer Musa Safri, who had allegedly told political analyst Abdul Razak Baginda that he would send someone to assist him in dealing with Altantuya, who had turned up outside his house.
Abdul Razak himself was freed of a charge of abetting in the murder without his defence being called.
After 30 years, S Letchumy, 70, is a citizen
Besides Letchumy, 70, who hails from Tanjung Sepat, Selangor, her two daughters K Mala, 35, and K Sarojini, 33, also received their citizenship certificates from the NRD.
The three said they have all these years been denied citizenship by the government. As a result, they named the NRD director-general, the Home Ministry and the government as respondents in their judicial review case filed on Dec 10, 2012.
Their application is based on Article 14 of the federal constitution on the acquisition of citizenship.
Their lawyer, Latheefa Koya (left), who is a co-founder of Lawyers for Liberty, accompanied them to Putrajaya today to collect their citizenship papers."Letchumy spent the last 30 years going in and out of NRD but to no avail. Finally, they have managed to get their citizenship.
"Her daughters could not get married and have been denied every right as an ordinary Malaysian. These include healthcare, schooling and also Employees Provident Fund benefits," Latheefa said.
She said the NRD informed the court on Aug 19 that it intended to resolve the matter.
Letchumy, Mala and Sarojini were given the forms to receive the certificate of confirmation of citizenship by operation of law last Friday and they received their citizenship papers today.
"Subsequently, after getting their citizenship, they applied for the MyKad. They will get their MyKad soon," Latheefa said, adding that the matter suddenly moved super fast and she thanked the authorities for this.
The judicial review issue, she said, has been fixed for Sept 18 for the parties to report to the court on the developments.
According to Latheefa, there are possibly thousands in the Indian community, especially in the rural areas, who have been denied citizenship.
"These people are being discriminated," she said, adding that the NRD "should reach out to the rural areas, as it has the capacity to move in to give such services".
‘Check on Jakim’s handling of Allah issue’
Christian coalition urges Putrajaya to do so in fear that calls by groups to defend from supposedly being insulted and threatened could breed social unrest.
PETALING JAYA: The Christian Federation of Malaysia (CFM) today urged Putrajaya to check on the Department of Islamic Development (Jakim) and its handling of the controversial “Allah” issue, a day before the hearing of the appeal filed by the government against the High Court’s decision to allow The Herald newspaper to use the word, “Allah.”
“Let not Jakim be the only voice purporting to speak on behalf of the government of Malaysia, which it said represents Malaysians of different faiths and ethnicities,” CFM chairman Dr Eu Hong Seng said in a press statement.
Eu said the federation was concerned that the calls by the various groups to defend Islam from supposedly being insulted and threatened could be a catalyst to trigger public disorder.
In particular, CFM referred to a television programme in which accusations were made about so-called Christian plots to convert Muslims.
Eu also noted that the official Friday sermon (khutbah) written by Jakim and delivered on Sept 6, 2013, which called for “action” (tindakan) in defence of Islam by Muslims over the use of the word “Allah” for God by Christians, and that such defence was a “holy struggle” (perjuangan suci).
“In the light of that, the CFM relentlessly called upon the Malaysian government, which represents all Malaysians to ensure, uphold and protect freedom of religion in Malaysia,” he said, adding that the demand for “action” by some Muslims is “incendiary and alarming to ordinary Malaysians.”
According to Eu, a cursory examination of these accusations and statements clearly showed that the groups were emotional and alleged without factual basis but worst of all, he added, there appears to be no action or statement whatsoever from the government to stop the spread of such calls.
Eu pointed out that the word “Allah” to refer to God has been in use for hundreds of years in translations of and from the Bible in the Middle East and North Africa, and that Christians in those regions freely used the word “Allah” without complaints of confusion.
“Only in Malaysia when Christians use of the word “Allah” to refer to God is a problem for the Muslims,” he said.
“Bumiputera Christians, who only have Bahasa Malaysia as their common language for worship and prayer, have long used the Bahasa Malaysia Bible containing the word “Allah” for God without any uproar, resistance or objection. Why now?” he asked.
Judicial review
Since about 60% of the 2.6 million Christians in Malaysia used the word, “Allah” from the time they embraced the religion, the repeated accusations that the use of the word as part of a Christian conspiracy to convert Muslims did not hold water.
“This has been going on for centuries without any problems and we have lived in relative peace and harmony until recently,” he said.
“Such irresponsible accusations must stop. This is blatant scaremongering and provoking of religious tensions,” he said, while inviting all Muslims to “reflect, understand and appreciate the context of how, when and why Christians use the word, ‘Allah.’”
“In dealing with the use of the word “Allah” as with other inter-religious issues, there is a need for the truth instead of purely emotional rhetoric or use of base insults, or talk of plots and alleged conversions.”
On Feb 16, 2010, the church filed for a judicial review of the Home Ministry’s decision to prohibit the use of the word, “Allah” in The Herald publication.
Available in four languages, the publication has been using the word, “Allah” to refer to “God, in its Malay-language publication for Christians in Sabah and Sarawak.
On Dec 31, 2009, the High Court declared that the Home Ministry’s decision to prohibit The Herald from using the word, “Allah,” was illegal.
However, the government was adamant that the word, “Allah,” was exclusively Muslims.
The government then applied for the case to be referred to the Court of Appeal.
PETALING JAYA: The Christian Federation of Malaysia (CFM) today urged Putrajaya to check on the Department of Islamic Development (Jakim) and its handling of the controversial “Allah” issue, a day before the hearing of the appeal filed by the government against the High Court’s decision to allow The Herald newspaper to use the word, “Allah.”“Let not Jakim be the only voice purporting to speak on behalf of the government of Malaysia, which it said represents Malaysians of different faiths and ethnicities,” CFM chairman Dr Eu Hong Seng said in a press statement.
Eu said the federation was concerned that the calls by the various groups to defend Islam from supposedly being insulted and threatened could be a catalyst to trigger public disorder.
In particular, CFM referred to a television programme in which accusations were made about so-called Christian plots to convert Muslims.
Eu also noted that the official Friday sermon (khutbah) written by Jakim and delivered on Sept 6, 2013, which called for “action” (tindakan) in defence of Islam by Muslims over the use of the word “Allah” for God by Christians, and that such defence was a “holy struggle” (perjuangan suci).
“In the light of that, the CFM relentlessly called upon the Malaysian government, which represents all Malaysians to ensure, uphold and protect freedom of religion in Malaysia,” he said, adding that the demand for “action” by some Muslims is “incendiary and alarming to ordinary Malaysians.”
According to Eu, a cursory examination of these accusations and statements clearly showed that the groups were emotional and alleged without factual basis but worst of all, he added, there appears to be no action or statement whatsoever from the government to stop the spread of such calls.
Eu pointed out that the word “Allah” to refer to God has been in use for hundreds of years in translations of and from the Bible in the Middle East and North Africa, and that Christians in those regions freely used the word “Allah” without complaints of confusion.
“Only in Malaysia when Christians use of the word “Allah” to refer to God is a problem for the Muslims,” he said.
“Bumiputera Christians, who only have Bahasa Malaysia as their common language for worship and prayer, have long used the Bahasa Malaysia Bible containing the word “Allah” for God without any uproar, resistance or objection. Why now?” he asked.
Judicial review
Since about 60% of the 2.6 million Christians in Malaysia used the word, “Allah” from the time they embraced the religion, the repeated accusations that the use of the word as part of a Christian conspiracy to convert Muslims did not hold water.
“This has been going on for centuries without any problems and we have lived in relative peace and harmony until recently,” he said.
“Such irresponsible accusations must stop. This is blatant scaremongering and provoking of religious tensions,” he said, while inviting all Muslims to “reflect, understand and appreciate the context of how, when and why Christians use the word, ‘Allah.’”
“In dealing with the use of the word “Allah” as with other inter-religious issues, there is a need for the truth instead of purely emotional rhetoric or use of base insults, or talk of plots and alleged conversions.”
On Feb 16, 2010, the church filed for a judicial review of the Home Ministry’s decision to prohibit the use of the word, “Allah” in The Herald publication.
Available in four languages, the publication has been using the word, “Allah” to refer to “God, in its Malay-language publication for Christians in Sabah and Sarawak.
On Dec 31, 2009, the High Court declared that the Home Ministry’s decision to prohibit The Herald from using the word, “Allah,” was illegal.
However, the government was adamant that the word, “Allah,” was exclusively Muslims.
The government then applied for the case to be referred to the Court of Appeal.
I’m no proxy to anyone, says Baljit
Gerakan delegates must not love Chang Yeow less, but to love the party more.
GEORGE TOWN: Baljit Singh today vehemently denied that he was a proxy planted by Dr Teng Hock Nan to challenge Teng Chang Yeow for the Penang Gerakan chairman’s post.
He insisted that he was contesting on his own free will as members desired an internal change. He also said that he has the backing of a young enthusiastic team for he has no political baggage.
Baljit said it was him, as courtesy, who informed out-going state party chairman Dr Teng on his decision to contest against Chang Yeow.
“Dr Teng did not ask me to stand. I told him that I’m standing for the post.
“I’m proxy of no one. I belong to no one. I belong to Gerakan,” Baljit, the state Gerakan Legal and Human Rights Bureau chief, told a press conference.
Also present at the media meet to lend support were party state vice-chairmen Lim Boon Han and Ng Siew Lai, secretary Lim Boon Ben, division heads Tan King Chee of Bagan and Teow Jit Meng of Kepala Batas and Dr Thor Teong Gee.
If elected in coming Sunday’s polls as the state chairman, Baljit pledged to strengthen the party unity at all levels; and reposition Gerakan back as a multiracial party.
He further emphasised to shed its image as a Chinese chauvinist party and transform it as an effective and efficient opposition outfit to defend the rights of Penangites.
He also said that Gerakan must represent the voices of the people without fear or favour towards anyone.
Gerakan needs young leaders
He also plans to recruit and train young members into true Gerakan citizens while engaging the veterans to play a pivotal role in guiding them.
He said only a young leader without political baggage can provide an effective check and balance to the state government and speak without fear or favour on public issues like housing, corruption, high-density and high-end developments in the state.
He said those with baggage cannot be an effective opposition in the state because rivals can hit back to shut them up.
“The young leaders dare to exercise their rights and tick off wrongs; including likes of Perkasa. We dare to tell them ‘shut up and sit down’”, said Baljit.
Baljit insisted that he would not hesitate to speak out against Umno and Barisan Nasional to safeguard public interests.
Baljit has his gang
Baljit’s face-off against party secretary-general Chang Yeow has been labelled as a David vs Goliath situation.
The perception gained strength when Baljit received only one nomination as compared to Chang Yeow who obtained 14 to contest the said position.
But an unperturbed Baljit said nominations would mean nothing during the Sept 15 polls when 399 delegates cast their votes.
He said he just wanted one nomination because he did not want to show his “gang of supporters.”
On his absence during yesterday’s nomination, Baljit said he was away to Kuala Lumpur to attend a relative’s wedding.
Baljit also denied having any rift with Chang Yeow; adding that he does not see any disadvantage for not being an ethnic Chinese.
He said Gerakan delegates were matured enough not to fall into the racial trap, and that only a low class mentality politician would play racial cards.
“I believe Teng Chang Yeow will also not play racial cards,” he said.
He called on Gerakan delegates not to love Chang Yeow less, but to love the party more.
“The welfare and interests of Gerakan is paramount,” Baljit told newsmen.
Gerakan was wiped out in Penang in the last two general elections, after ruling the state for 39 years.
GEORGE TOWN: Baljit Singh today vehemently denied that he was a proxy planted by Dr Teng Hock Nan to challenge Teng Chang Yeow for the Penang Gerakan chairman’s post.He insisted that he was contesting on his own free will as members desired an internal change. He also said that he has the backing of a young enthusiastic team for he has no political baggage.
Baljit said it was him, as courtesy, who informed out-going state party chairman Dr Teng on his decision to contest against Chang Yeow.
“Dr Teng did not ask me to stand. I told him that I’m standing for the post.
“I’m proxy of no one. I belong to no one. I belong to Gerakan,” Baljit, the state Gerakan Legal and Human Rights Bureau chief, told a press conference.
Also present at the media meet to lend support were party state vice-chairmen Lim Boon Han and Ng Siew Lai, secretary Lim Boon Ben, division heads Tan King Chee of Bagan and Teow Jit Meng of Kepala Batas and Dr Thor Teong Gee.
If elected in coming Sunday’s polls as the state chairman, Baljit pledged to strengthen the party unity at all levels; and reposition Gerakan back as a multiracial party.
He further emphasised to shed its image as a Chinese chauvinist party and transform it as an effective and efficient opposition outfit to defend the rights of Penangites.
He also said that Gerakan must represent the voices of the people without fear or favour towards anyone.
Gerakan needs young leaders
He also plans to recruit and train young members into true Gerakan citizens while engaging the veterans to play a pivotal role in guiding them.
He said only a young leader without political baggage can provide an effective check and balance to the state government and speak without fear or favour on public issues like housing, corruption, high-density and high-end developments in the state.
He said those with baggage cannot be an effective opposition in the state because rivals can hit back to shut them up.
“The young leaders dare to exercise their rights and tick off wrongs; including likes of Perkasa. We dare to tell them ‘shut up and sit down’”, said Baljit.
Baljit insisted that he would not hesitate to speak out against Umno and Barisan Nasional to safeguard public interests.
Baljit has his gang
Baljit’s face-off against party secretary-general Chang Yeow has been labelled as a David vs Goliath situation.
The perception gained strength when Baljit received only one nomination as compared to Chang Yeow who obtained 14 to contest the said position.
But an unperturbed Baljit said nominations would mean nothing during the Sept 15 polls when 399 delegates cast their votes.
He said he just wanted one nomination because he did not want to show his “gang of supporters.”
On his absence during yesterday’s nomination, Baljit said he was away to Kuala Lumpur to attend a relative’s wedding.
Baljit also denied having any rift with Chang Yeow; adding that he does not see any disadvantage for not being an ethnic Chinese.
He said Gerakan delegates were matured enough not to fall into the racial trap, and that only a low class mentality politician would play racial cards.
“I believe Teng Chang Yeow will also not play racial cards,” he said.
He called on Gerakan delegates not to love Chang Yeow less, but to love the party more.
“The welfare and interests of Gerakan is paramount,” Baljit told newsmen.
Gerakan was wiped out in Penang in the last two general elections, after ruling the state for 39 years.
Canteen farce: Let’s move on, says official
Selangor Education Department director claims that the SK Seri Pristina issue has been resolved after a meeting with the parents and teachers today.
PETALING JAYA: The Selangor State Education Department director Mahmud Karim has given an undertaking that non-Malay students at SK Seri Pristina would not be bullied or mistreated following a fallout between the school administration and several parents after a canteen fiasco.
The undertaking was given to the representatives of several parents who had attended an hour long close-door meeting this morning at the school involving the school headmaster, Mahmud and parents.
The director had called for the meeting with all parties to resolve the issue of non-Muslim pupils being made to eat in the changing room during Ramadan, and the allegation of teachers and pupils picking on the pupils of one ethnicity after a parent posted pictures of the pupils in the changing room on Facebook, which drew public outcry.
According to a parent who attended the meeting this morning, Mahmud had personally called all the teachers and advised them not to mistreat the students as it gave a bad image to the school and the education system.
“We welcome complaints if the teachers were to misbehave again,” the parent quoted Mahmud as telling at the meeting.
The parent also said that Mahmud had urged the parents to move on, claiming that the issue had been resolved and assured the parents that such an issue would not recur.
“The teachers have been instructed to act professionally to ensure that there is fair treatment of all pupils while focusing on delivering quality education,” said the parent.
Other parents at the meeting meanwhile told FMT that they were pleased with the outcome of the meeting and took the Mahmud’s word that the problem would not happen again.
After the changing room pictures went viral in July, parents had alleged that their children were constantly mistreated by teachers and targetted by their schoolmates, pressuring them to transfer their children to another school.
A parent is also facing charges for allegedly threatening the school headmaster.
PETALING JAYA: The Selangor State Education Department director Mahmud Karim has given an undertaking that non-Malay students at SK Seri Pristina would not be bullied or mistreated following a fallout between the school administration and several parents after a canteen fiasco.The undertaking was given to the representatives of several parents who had attended an hour long close-door meeting this morning at the school involving the school headmaster, Mahmud and parents.
The director had called for the meeting with all parties to resolve the issue of non-Muslim pupils being made to eat in the changing room during Ramadan, and the allegation of teachers and pupils picking on the pupils of one ethnicity after a parent posted pictures of the pupils in the changing room on Facebook, which drew public outcry.
According to a parent who attended the meeting this morning, Mahmud had personally called all the teachers and advised them not to mistreat the students as it gave a bad image to the school and the education system.
“We welcome complaints if the teachers were to misbehave again,” the parent quoted Mahmud as telling at the meeting.
The parent also said that Mahmud had urged the parents to move on, claiming that the issue had been resolved and assured the parents that such an issue would not recur.
“The teachers have been instructed to act professionally to ensure that there is fair treatment of all pupils while focusing on delivering quality education,” said the parent.
Other parents at the meeting meanwhile told FMT that they were pleased with the outcome of the meeting and took the Mahmud’s word that the problem would not happen again.
After the changing room pictures went viral in July, parents had alleged that their children were constantly mistreated by teachers and targetted by their schoolmates, pressuring them to transfer their children to another school.
A parent is also facing charges for allegedly threatening the school headmaster.
Temple demolition: PKR-MIC hit out at Tengku Adnan
While PKR demands Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak to sack the FT minister, MIC Youth warns Tengku Adnan that temple demolition would affect Indian support for BN.
PETALING JAYA: PKR vice president N Surendran today criticised Federal Territories Minister Tengku Adnan Mansor for claiming that the Sri Muneeswarar Kaliamman Temple in Jalan P Ramlee is a mere shrine and not a temple.
“I am shocked at the contemptuous manner in which Tengku Adnan referred to the 101-year-old temple,” he said.
The temple is embroiled in a dispute with the KL City Hall (DBKL) and a developer over the land it is sited on now. The land in the heart of the city has been earmarked for development, with the temple being forced to move out.
Earlier today, Tengku Adnan was reported as saying that the Sri Muneeswarar Kaliamman temple was a mere shrine and not a temple. He also said that holy place will only be identified as a “shrine” and would not be given the entire land which it currently sits on.
The Putrajaya MP also warned MIC Youth not to politicise the issue for their own political mileage.
Training his guns against the minister, Surendran said that Tengku Adnan should not conveniently categorise the holy place a mere shrine when the latter was not an expert in Hindu religious buildings.
He also said that even if the place was a shrine, the area was still a sacred centre for Hindus.
“And Tengku Adnan’s claim that only an illegal canteen was demolished (last week) is also false. Three shrines within the temple area were smashed, and the deities forcibly and sacrilegiously removed by plainclothes DBKL personnel,” said Surendran.
The Padang Serai MP called upon Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak to sack Tengku Adnan from his post for insulting the Hindus.
“We also demand that the ongoing construction works on the temple land be stopped immediately, and the seized land be returned to the temple management,” added Surendran.
On related matter, MIC Youth secretary C Sivaraajh defended the party’s stand on the matter, saying it was their duty to voice out against temple demolitions.
“We don’t gain any political mileage from this as alleged by Tengku Adnan. We were angry when the DBKL officers entered the temple with their boots and smoked cigarettes in the temple compound,” he said.
Sivaraajh also reminded the government that Barisan Nasional lost its popularity among Indians in 2008 general election due to the Padang Jawa temple demolition fiasco in 2007.
“We don’t want this to happen again or else the Indian community will lose confidence on BN,” he said.
MIC Youth chief T Mohan resonated Sivaraajh’s sentiment, saying that since it involved the Indian community, the MIC would not bow to Tengku Adnan’s threat.
“We will go all out to settle the temple problem and will not allow Tengku Adnan’s statement to cower us,” Mohan said.
PETALING JAYA: PKR vice president N Surendran today criticised Federal Territories Minister Tengku Adnan Mansor for claiming that the Sri Muneeswarar Kaliamman Temple in Jalan P Ramlee is a mere shrine and not a temple.“I am shocked at the contemptuous manner in which Tengku Adnan referred to the 101-year-old temple,” he said.
The temple is embroiled in a dispute with the KL City Hall (DBKL) and a developer over the land it is sited on now. The land in the heart of the city has been earmarked for development, with the temple being forced to move out.
Earlier today, Tengku Adnan was reported as saying that the Sri Muneeswarar Kaliamman temple was a mere shrine and not a temple. He also said that holy place will only be identified as a “shrine” and would not be given the entire land which it currently sits on.
The Putrajaya MP also warned MIC Youth not to politicise the issue for their own political mileage.
Training his guns against the minister, Surendran said that Tengku Adnan should not conveniently categorise the holy place a mere shrine when the latter was not an expert in Hindu religious buildings.
He also said that even if the place was a shrine, the area was still a sacred centre for Hindus.
“And Tengku Adnan’s claim that only an illegal canteen was demolished (last week) is also false. Three shrines within the temple area were smashed, and the deities forcibly and sacrilegiously removed by plainclothes DBKL personnel,” said Surendran.The Padang Serai MP called upon Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak to sack Tengku Adnan from his post for insulting the Hindus.
“We also demand that the ongoing construction works on the temple land be stopped immediately, and the seized land be returned to the temple management,” added Surendran.
On related matter, MIC Youth secretary C Sivaraajh defended the party’s stand on the matter, saying it was their duty to voice out against temple demolitions.
“We don’t gain any political mileage from this as alleged by Tengku Adnan. We were angry when the DBKL officers entered the temple with their boots and smoked cigarettes in the temple compound,” he said.
Sivaraajh also reminded the government that Barisan Nasional lost its popularity among Indians in 2008 general election due to the Padang Jawa temple demolition fiasco in 2007.
“We don’t want this to happen again or else the Indian community will lose confidence on BN,” he said.
MIC Youth chief T Mohan resonated Sivaraajh’s sentiment, saying that since it involved the Indian community, the MIC would not bow to Tengku Adnan’s threat.
“We will go all out to settle the temple problem and will not allow Tengku Adnan’s statement to cower us,” Mohan said.
KL CID chief: Gangsters’ names not from us
Kuala Lumpur police says names of top gangsters revealed by the media two days ago were not released by the police.
UPDATED
KUALA LUMPUR: The police did not release names of any gang leaders contrary to media reports two days ago, Kuala Lumpur Criminal Investigations Department (CID) chief Ku Chin Wah clarified today.
He said this when asked to comment on a list of about 40 people who were named as gang leaders, by the media on Saturday. The reports which had quoted sources said the list was released by Bukit Aman.
“I don’t know about that (the list). It is not from us,” Chin Wah told FMT at the Kuala Lumpur police contingent headquarters today.
Ku is the second high ranking police officer to deny that such a list was released by the police. Late last week Bukit Aman vice, gambling and secret societies (D7) principal assistant director Abdul Jalil Hassan said he was unaware of such a list or its source.
The media had reported that police were after the named gang leaders as part of Ops Cantas Khas to eliminate gangsterism.
Among those whose identities were made public as allegedly top gangsters were Tiram Sasi (Johor), Sungai Way Sugu (KL), Prai Bala (Penang), Langkap Sasi (Perak) from Gang 04; Indren (Penang), Dark (KL), Siva Guru (KL) from Gang 08; Cendol Kanna (KL), Devan (leader of the gang in KL and who is also a millionaire drug trafficker) and Kajang Kalai (Kajang) from Gang 36.
S Kalaiarasu, a MIC youth exco who was identified as Kajang Kalai, has already denied the allegation that he is involved in secret societies, and is planning to sue the Home Ministry over the claim.
34 gangsters held
Meanwhile, city police chief Mohamad Salleh said todate the authorities have arrested 502 people under the special operation to nab gangsters.
“Since the launch of Ops Cantas, we checked on 10,126 individuals and 5,764 vehicles. A total of 502 people have been arrested for various crimes,” he said.
He said off those arrested, 34 were detained for being suspected members of secret societies.
“Of the 34, 29 are Indians and the balance five are Malays from the ages of 20 and 40 years old,” said Mohamad.
If found guilty they can be imprisoned for not more than five years or fined a maximum of RM15,000 under section 52 of the Societies Act 1966.
Mohmad also said the KL police conducted a special joint ops with 130 General Operations Force personnel over the weekend and detained 53 people.
Of these six Indians and a Malay were detained for being suspected members of secret societies.
UPDATED
KUALA LUMPUR: The police did not release names of any gang leaders contrary to media reports two days ago, Kuala Lumpur Criminal Investigations Department (CID) chief Ku Chin Wah clarified today.He said this when asked to comment on a list of about 40 people who were named as gang leaders, by the media on Saturday. The reports which had quoted sources said the list was released by Bukit Aman.
“I don’t know about that (the list). It is not from us,” Chin Wah told FMT at the Kuala Lumpur police contingent headquarters today.
Ku is the second high ranking police officer to deny that such a list was released by the police. Late last week Bukit Aman vice, gambling and secret societies (D7) principal assistant director Abdul Jalil Hassan said he was unaware of such a list or its source.
The media had reported that police were after the named gang leaders as part of Ops Cantas Khas to eliminate gangsterism.
Among those whose identities were made public as allegedly top gangsters were Tiram Sasi (Johor), Sungai Way Sugu (KL), Prai Bala (Penang), Langkap Sasi (Perak) from Gang 04; Indren (Penang), Dark (KL), Siva Guru (KL) from Gang 08; Cendol Kanna (KL), Devan (leader of the gang in KL and who is also a millionaire drug trafficker) and Kajang Kalai (Kajang) from Gang 36.
S Kalaiarasu, a MIC youth exco who was identified as Kajang Kalai, has already denied the allegation that he is involved in secret societies, and is planning to sue the Home Ministry over the claim.
34 gangsters held
Meanwhile, city police chief Mohamad Salleh said todate the authorities have arrested 502 people under the special operation to nab gangsters.
“Since the launch of Ops Cantas, we checked on 10,126 individuals and 5,764 vehicles. A total of 502 people have been arrested for various crimes,” he said.
He said off those arrested, 34 were detained for being suspected members of secret societies.
“Of the 34, 29 are Indians and the balance five are Malays from the ages of 20 and 40 years old,” said Mohamad.
If found guilty they can be imprisoned for not more than five years or fined a maximum of RM15,000 under section 52 of the Societies Act 1966.
Mohmad also said the KL police conducted a special joint ops with 130 General Operations Force personnel over the weekend and detained 53 people.
Of these six Indians and a Malay were detained for being suspected members of secret societies.
'Umno leaders afraid of debating with me'
“These guys (Umno leaders) are afraid of debating with me,” he said.
He described dialogues between the government and the opposition as “normal” and “healthy”. “In what kind of democratic country where the government is not allowed to engage with the opposition?” he asked.
Anwar firmly denied that the dialogue was aimed at forming a unity government as feared by some Umno leaders.
“This showed that they (Umno leaders) did not read my Merdeka message. I asked for a discussion in four crucial issues, including poor economic performance, increase in crime rate, corruption, and religious and racial tensions,” he said.
Tiger of Jelutong
Anwar, who is also PKR de facto leader, had in his Merdeka message on Aug 30 mooted an open dialogue with BN.
He
said that although Pakatan Rakyat won on popular vote in the last
general election, he was open to discussing with the government on key
issues for the sake of the future of the country.Anwar was speaking to journalists after attending the launch of a new book on DAP national chairperson Karpal Singh, ‘Karpal Singh: Tiger of Jelutong’, in Kuala Lumpur today. The book is written by New Zealand journalist Tim Donoghue.
When asked about Youth and Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin’s urging for Pakatan to name its shadow cabinet, Anwar sidestepped the question.
“I advise him (Khairy) to focus on his ministerial work,” he said.
‘Do the right thing’ when questioning minors, Bar Council tells cops
The Malaysian Insider
by V. ANBALAGAN
by V. ANBALAGAN
Questioning
a child in a police investigation is not a "mechanical exercise" but
requires tact and the knowledge that the minor understands the reason
for the interview, said the Bar Council.
Stepping
into the SK Seri Pristana issue where police had questioned several
pupils, Bar Council chairman Christopher Leong (pic) pointed out that
although there was nothing in the law to suggest that police cannot
question a minor, police still had an obligation to "do the right
thing".
And
that, said Leong, was the obligation to inform the parents or guardian
and ensure that they are present during the interview session.
He
pointed out that the Criminal Procedure Code allowed a person
questioned by police the right to refuse to answer questions that may
incriminate him.
"Police must inform an adult of this right and this also applies to children," Leong said in a statement.
"This legal duty imposed on the police is not a mere mechanical exercise," he added.
The
Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam), in taking a tougher
stand, urged the government to study procedures used by other countries
when it came to questioning of minors by the police.
"We
recommend the government study good practices from elsewhere and to
consider developing appropriate legislation to that effect," said
Suhakam in a statement.
Both
the Bar Council and Suhakam were responding to Inspector-General of
Police Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar who had stated that there was no
necessity to obtain the consent of parents when they questioned the SK
Seri Pristana pupils.
Police had quizzed several pupils over the eating in the shower room controversy.
Khalid further added there was nothing in the law that states that the consent of parents must be obtained.
Leong agreed with Khalid on the legal position.
He
said except for the provisions in the Child Act 2001 pertaining to the
arrest of a child or the removal of a child to a safe place, there were
no provisions in the law which referred to an obligation by the police
to inform the parents when questioning a child.
In
the present case, however, Leong questioned whether the police officers
who interviewed the children were trained to deal with children so that
they would not be traumatised.
Leong
pointed out that the issue in the Seri Pristana controversy was the
fact that children were told to eat in the shower room.
"It appears that the authorities are missing the woods for the trees in this whole affair," he added.
Following
the eating in the shower room issue, at least 18 police reports were
lodged against the school and the headmaster while four reports were
lodged by the school against several parents.
Police then obtained approval from the headmaster to interview six pupils for 30 minutes in one of the classrooms.
The parents were aghast. They claimed that their children were traumatised after being interviewed by the police.
Suhakam
also questioned the failure of the school authorities to inform the
parents that the police had wanted to question their children.
Its
acting chairman, Datuk Khaw Lake Tee, said in a statement the school
should be more responsible when it came to the pupils under their care
to ensure such an incident does not recur.
"The
United Nations Guidelines on Justice in Matters involving Child Victims
and Witnesses of Crime also flags the need to delicately handle child
victims and witnesses of crime," Khaw pointed out.
Khaw
urged the police and schools to continue to uphold, at all times, the
best interests of children, so that there would not be any repeat of the
incident at Seri Pristana. - September 7, 2013.
The best (acting) prime minister
No one will dispute the filial piety and devotion shown by Tawfik,
the eldest son of Dr Ismail Abdul Rahman, who was once called “The man
who saved Malaysia.” Dr Ismail died in office, in his capacity as acting
prime minister, effectively the best prime minister we have had.
Dr Ismail (right)
was remembered for his non-ethnic approach to issues and his concern
about racial polarisation. He had a strong work ethic, was a strict but
fair man who adhered strictly to rules. He despised incompetence and
lateness. He was feared and respected. He refused to grant favours even
to relatives and close friends. He was highly principled and enjoyed
debating.
He avoided conflict of interest and the British High Commissioner said in despatches, “Ismail was a man of formidable reputation for integrity and talent in all communities.”
Tawfik has sullied his father’s memory by aligning himself with the present, undistinguished Umno Baru politicians by suggesting that the controversial film, Tanda Putera be made into a mini-series.
Tawfik noted that many facts in the book, The Reluctant Politician by Dr Ooi Kee Beng, were excluded from the film and reasoned that this was why people had called Tanda Putera a piece of propaganda. It would be more judicious to say that many people consider the film propaganda because fictional scenes were inserted, to influence thinking and undermine people’s understanding of what really happened.
It was stated in the book, that Tan Siew Sin (left),
who was the MCA president in 1969, pulled MCA out of the government,
after being severely criticised by Umno members for his party’s poor
performance in the election. The present MCA president, Chua Soi Lek,
did something similar after GE13 this year.
Unaware of the MCA withdrawal, Dr Ismail later called Tan “irresponsible and childish” for letting down the Malays and Chinese who had voted for the MCA. In letters to his friend Robert Kuok and the chairperson of Guthrie, Eric Griffith-Jones, Ismail had tried, unsuccessfully, to persuade Tan to revoke his decision because the action by the MCA had initiated the riot.
As the book explains, Ismail had warned Tan of further polarisation and that the MCA withdrawal would play into the hands of both Malay and Chinese extremists.
Interestingly, the book also claims that Mahathir Mohamad, who had lost his seat to a PMIP (the precursor of PAS) candidate, had advocated that the MCA be excluded from the government. Ismail had also warned of “extreme racialists in the ruling party who were making a desperate bid to topple the leadership”.
Perhaps it would be fair to say that there were no riots after GE13 in 2013 because the rakyat has wised up to Umno Baru’s tricks, which are designed to create ethnic clashes. Multiracial Malaysia has been tested by the cow-head incident, the Allah issue, butt dances and cooking of beef burgers outside Ambiga’s house, the pig’s heads in the suraus, the forced child conversions and the seditious Utusan Malaysia articles.
The rakyat act with restraint whilst the government does little to diffuse the tension. There has been no repeat of May 13 because the government cannot pull the wool over the rakyat’s eyes any more, unlike in 1969 when the riots were a distraction, to mask the internal power struggles within the old Umno party.
Tawfik said that the opposition parties, DAP, PAS and Gerakan had “plied on politics of polarisation” in 1969. Could he explain why Umno Baru is dividing the rakyat in 2013 and not learnt its lesson from history?
Why did Tawfik say there was no need to find out who was responsible for the riots?
Isn’t Tawfik interested in learning the truth? Surely, the people who were responsible should be punished, if they are still alive. At the very least, the people who suffered deserve an apology.
An RCI is about finding the truth
Strangely, Tawfik said that no one would be happy with the outcome of a royal commission of inquiry (RCI) if one were set up.
An RCI is not about placating people. It is about finding the truth.
Tawfik tried to justify the reasons for not having the RCI by asking who would lead the investigation? He wondered where to look for the evidence? As in any RCI, a panel of responsible and trusted people would be chosen, then terms of reference will be set.
Has
Tawfik heard of primary and secondary sources, which are used to
evaluate a historical event? These could be in the form of letters,
diaries, news report, foreign despatches, intelligence reports, internal
memos, eyewitness accounts, hospital and mortuary records, doctors and
nurses’ testimonies, reports from the police, Special Branch and the
armed forces, autobiographies, film reels. These are important sources
to interpret a past event.
Tawfik’s justification of the historical inaccuracy which the producer allowed, because of a shortage of time, is disgraceful. His father would have found the slipshod approach quite unacceptable.
Other facts from the book would have been damaging to this government and to former PM Mahathir Mohamad. Some of the more interesting ones are:-
Ismail advised Tunku not to hand over power to the military. He said, “Once you do that, you won’t get it back.”
Robert Kuok asked Ismail who had suffered most in the riots, and Ismail replied, “Of course, the Chinese.”
Ismail had wanted Hanif Omar (left),
the police chief assigned to the National Operations Council (NOC),
formed after May 13, to arrest the then-Selangor menteri besar, Harun
Idris, “for murder”. Hanif persuaded Ismail to investigate the claims
first. In the end, Harun was not arrested.
Wahab Majid of Bernama wrote that Abdul Razak toyed with the idea of “benevolent dictatorship” but was discouraged by Ismail who pushed for a return to parliamentary democracy.
In 1969, the Singapore High Commissioner, Maurice Baker, said that Ismail was strict and decisive, that he would arrest anyone who caused trouble, irrespective of race.
General Ibrahim Ismail, the chief executive officer (CEO) of the NOC, also said that Dr Ismail’s direct manner and uncompromising stance helped restore law and order, whilst Tengku Ahmad Rithauddeen, an under-secretary in the Defence Ministry, recalled Ismail declaring that he would arrest his own mother, if she had done something illegal.
Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah claimed that Ismail had wanted Mahathir expelled from Umno and stopped two attempts to readmit him to the party.
To gain an objective portrayal, Tanda Putera
should have shown Ismail’s preference for Dom Perignon because his
taste buds were destroyed by medication; he hated the term “bumiputera”
and had stipulated a time limit on the NEP; Ismail had said that the
special position of the Malays was a handicap to them and according to
Tengku Razaleigh, the Chinese did not have confidence in Razak, but they
trusted Ismail.
The book revealed that after May 13, Ismail was deputy PM and involved in an important piece of legislation, the Emergency (Essential Powers) Ordinance No 22. Under this ruling, the Anti-Corruption Agency (ACA) had the authority to freeze or forfeit “ill-gotten” assets of public officials and politicians.
Ismail said that as the country was ruled by the NOC, there was no functioning parliament, and corrupt practices were not exposed. He pushed this new ordinance through because Malaysian politicians refused to resign even after being caught perpetrating unconstitutional acts.
Ismail knew that with the new ordinance, corrupt individuals would be treated as criminals. The act resulted in the removal of the Perak and Trengganu chief ministers, for corruption.
One hopes that the film did say that Ismail once told his Danish counterpart, that “we want to create a United Malaysia of Malays, Chinese Indians etc, just as the United States is a fusion of many different elements.”
MARIAM MOKHTAR is a defender of the truth, the admiral-general of the Green Bean Army and president of the Perak Liberation Organisation (PLO).
Dr Ismail (right)
was remembered for his non-ethnic approach to issues and his concern
about racial polarisation. He had a strong work ethic, was a strict but
fair man who adhered strictly to rules. He despised incompetence and
lateness. He was feared and respected. He refused to grant favours even
to relatives and close friends. He was highly principled and enjoyed
debating. He avoided conflict of interest and the British High Commissioner said in despatches, “Ismail was a man of formidable reputation for integrity and talent in all communities.”
Tawfik has sullied his father’s memory by aligning himself with the present, undistinguished Umno Baru politicians by suggesting that the controversial film, Tanda Putera be made into a mini-series.
Tawfik noted that many facts in the book, The Reluctant Politician by Dr Ooi Kee Beng, were excluded from the film and reasoned that this was why people had called Tanda Putera a piece of propaganda. It would be more judicious to say that many people consider the film propaganda because fictional scenes were inserted, to influence thinking and undermine people’s understanding of what really happened.
It was stated in the book, that Tan Siew Sin (left),
who was the MCA president in 1969, pulled MCA out of the government,
after being severely criticised by Umno members for his party’s poor
performance in the election. The present MCA president, Chua Soi Lek,
did something similar after GE13 this year.Unaware of the MCA withdrawal, Dr Ismail later called Tan “irresponsible and childish” for letting down the Malays and Chinese who had voted for the MCA. In letters to his friend Robert Kuok and the chairperson of Guthrie, Eric Griffith-Jones, Ismail had tried, unsuccessfully, to persuade Tan to revoke his decision because the action by the MCA had initiated the riot.
As the book explains, Ismail had warned Tan of further polarisation and that the MCA withdrawal would play into the hands of both Malay and Chinese extremists.
Interestingly, the book also claims that Mahathir Mohamad, who had lost his seat to a PMIP (the precursor of PAS) candidate, had advocated that the MCA be excluded from the government. Ismail had also warned of “extreme racialists in the ruling party who were making a desperate bid to topple the leadership”.
Perhaps it would be fair to say that there were no riots after GE13 in 2013 because the rakyat has wised up to Umno Baru’s tricks, which are designed to create ethnic clashes. Multiracial Malaysia has been tested by the cow-head incident, the Allah issue, butt dances and cooking of beef burgers outside Ambiga’s house, the pig’s heads in the suraus, the forced child conversions and the seditious Utusan Malaysia articles.
The rakyat act with restraint whilst the government does little to diffuse the tension. There has been no repeat of May 13 because the government cannot pull the wool over the rakyat’s eyes any more, unlike in 1969 when the riots were a distraction, to mask the internal power struggles within the old Umno party.
Tawfik said that the opposition parties, DAP, PAS and Gerakan had “plied on politics of polarisation” in 1969. Could he explain why Umno Baru is dividing the rakyat in 2013 and not learnt its lesson from history?
Why did Tawfik say there was no need to find out who was responsible for the riots?
Isn’t Tawfik interested in learning the truth? Surely, the people who were responsible should be punished, if they are still alive. At the very least, the people who suffered deserve an apology.
An RCI is about finding the truth
Strangely, Tawfik said that no one would be happy with the outcome of a royal commission of inquiry (RCI) if one were set up.
An RCI is not about placating people. It is about finding the truth.
Tawfik tried to justify the reasons for not having the RCI by asking who would lead the investigation? He wondered where to look for the evidence? As in any RCI, a panel of responsible and trusted people would be chosen, then terms of reference will be set.
Has
Tawfik heard of primary and secondary sources, which are used to
evaluate a historical event? These could be in the form of letters,
diaries, news report, foreign despatches, intelligence reports, internal
memos, eyewitness accounts, hospital and mortuary records, doctors and
nurses’ testimonies, reports from the police, Special Branch and the
armed forces, autobiographies, film reels. These are important sources
to interpret a past event.Tawfik’s justification of the historical inaccuracy which the producer allowed, because of a shortage of time, is disgraceful. His father would have found the slipshod approach quite unacceptable.
Other facts from the book would have been damaging to this government and to former PM Mahathir Mohamad. Some of the more interesting ones are:-
Ismail advised Tunku not to hand over power to the military. He said, “Once you do that, you won’t get it back.”
Robert Kuok asked Ismail who had suffered most in the riots, and Ismail replied, “Of course, the Chinese.”
Ismail had wanted Hanif Omar (left),
the police chief assigned to the National Operations Council (NOC),
formed after May 13, to arrest the then-Selangor menteri besar, Harun
Idris, “for murder”. Hanif persuaded Ismail to investigate the claims
first. In the end, Harun was not arrested.Wahab Majid of Bernama wrote that Abdul Razak toyed with the idea of “benevolent dictatorship” but was discouraged by Ismail who pushed for a return to parliamentary democracy.
In 1969, the Singapore High Commissioner, Maurice Baker, said that Ismail was strict and decisive, that he would arrest anyone who caused trouble, irrespective of race.
General Ibrahim Ismail, the chief executive officer (CEO) of the NOC, also said that Dr Ismail’s direct manner and uncompromising stance helped restore law and order, whilst Tengku Ahmad Rithauddeen, an under-secretary in the Defence Ministry, recalled Ismail declaring that he would arrest his own mother, if she had done something illegal.
Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah claimed that Ismail had wanted Mahathir expelled from Umno and stopped two attempts to readmit him to the party.
To gain an objective portrayal, Tanda Putera
should have shown Ismail’s preference for Dom Perignon because his
taste buds were destroyed by medication; he hated the term “bumiputera”
and had stipulated a time limit on the NEP; Ismail had said that the
special position of the Malays was a handicap to them and according to
Tengku Razaleigh, the Chinese did not have confidence in Razak, but they
trusted Ismail.The book revealed that after May 13, Ismail was deputy PM and involved in an important piece of legislation, the Emergency (Essential Powers) Ordinance No 22. Under this ruling, the Anti-Corruption Agency (ACA) had the authority to freeze or forfeit “ill-gotten” assets of public officials and politicians.
Ismail said that as the country was ruled by the NOC, there was no functioning parliament, and corrupt practices were not exposed. He pushed this new ordinance through because Malaysian politicians refused to resign even after being caught perpetrating unconstitutional acts.
Ismail knew that with the new ordinance, corrupt individuals would be treated as criminals. The act resulted in the removal of the Perak and Trengganu chief ministers, for corruption.
One hopes that the film did say that Ismail once told his Danish counterpart, that “we want to create a United Malaysia of Malays, Chinese Indians etc, just as the United States is a fusion of many different elements.”
MARIAM MOKHTAR is a defender of the truth, the admiral-general of the Green Bean Army and president of the Perak Liberation Organisation (PLO).
Malaysia Invites UK Investment In High-Tech, High Value-Added, Knowledge-Based, Skills-Intensive Industries
From Abdul Aziz Harun
LONDON, Sept 9 (Bernama) -- Malaysia welcomes more investments from the United Kingdom, particularly in new growth areas in high technology, high value-added, knowledge-based and skills-intensive industries which provide high income jobs.
Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said Malaysia now emphasised on talents, creativity and innovation, which would not be possible without inflow of new foreign direct investments.
He said Malaysia was adopting the ecosystem approach in promoting investments into the country, the approach which acknowledged that business models were continuously evolving and sophisticated business solutions often entailed a more complex and dynamic relationship of a wide range of activities.
"Given the strong level of the UK technological expertise and innovative culture, we believe there are many opportunities for investments by the UK companies, especially in a number of key sectors in which the UK is known to have already excelled, such as the aerospace industry, bio-manufacturing and pharmaceuticals, chemicals and the energy and environmental technologies," said Muhyiddin, who is here on a five-day working to the UK, when addressing the roundtable meeting with the UK captains of industries organised by the Malaysian High Commission office in the UK on Monday.
Officials from 24 UK companies attended the meeting, which Muhyiddin said was aimed to brief them on the opportunities, challenges and support available in Malaysia.
Also present were the Malaysian High Commissioner to the UK, Datuk Seri Zakaria Sulong, the UK Minister of State for Trade and Investment, Lord Stephen Green, and senior officials from companies such as the BAE Systems, BRE Global Ltd, Commonwealth Business School, HSBC, JCB and MATRADIS.
Muhyiddin said he was optimisted that the meeting would be able to strengthen the ongoing efforts to enhance business cross flows between the two countries, build upon the existing strong partnership and explore new areas of cooperation.
He said Malaysia was confident that its economy would remain resilient, underpinned by the comfortable level of reserves, strong domestic consumption, low unemployment rate and healthy inflows of foreign direct investments.
"The Malaysian economy expanded by 4.3 per cent in the second quarter of 2013 albeit moderate global growth. The overall growth performance was driven by resilient domestic demand, which cushioned the negative impact of the weak external environment," he said.
He said Malaysia's growth formula was premised upon a strong and effective partnership between the public and private sectors, with the government facilitating businesses by ensuring that procedures and regulations promote a business-friendly environment.
He pointed out that this partnership had made Malaysia cost-competitive and contributed to its ability to continue to attract foreign direct investments.
"To move the country forward, we have charted a very clear road map based on the strategies of the New Economic Model (NEM) and the Economic Transformation Programme (ETP) that will enable us to achieve our target of becoming a high-income nation by 2020," he said.
Muhyiddin said last year UK was Malaysia s 18th largest trading partner and the total trade stood at US$4.42 billion while the total trade for January-June period was US$2.29 billion.
He said the UK was ranked the 8th largest foreign investor in the manufacturing sector in Malaysia, with investments amounting to more than US$2 billion, and the major sectors of UK investments are in the chemical and chemical products, petrochemicals, electrical and electronics and non-metallic mineral products.
"We are proud to be the host for many of the prominent UK companies. Among the notable UK companies operating in Malaysia are Shell, Dyson Manufacturing, Tioxide, British Petroleum, Xyratex, Glaxo Smithkline and Ethylene, which have made substantial investments in Malaysia.
"We are excited to note that British Telecoms has recently expanded its operations in Malaysia by establishing its global shared facility, employing more than 600 high knowledge workers, he added.
Muhyiddin said the government was also increasingly liberalizing its services sector as this would be a key driver for growth; and services industries, adding that Malaysia was emerging as a strong leader, including in regional establishments, tourism, health services, Islamic finance, research and development activities, education, logistics and business services.
These can be avenues for enhancing bilateral investments further, he said.
Urging the UK companies to explore some of the opportunities highlighted, he said to date the government had liberalised 45 services sub-sectors which include tourism services, healthcare, education, business services and professional services.
He also said Malaysia was actively involved as the negotiating member of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) Agreement, a free trade area initiative involving New Zealand, Chile, Singapore, Brunei, Australia, Malaysia, Mexico, Peru, the United States, Vietnam, Canada and Japan.
"We have successfully conducted the 19th round of negotiations held on August 22nd and 30th, 2013 in Brunei. The TPP will provide business opportunities for UK companies to a seamless market with preferential access to a larger population regionally and globally, he said.
Muhyiddin ended his speech with an assurance that the Malaysian Government would continue to pursue pro-business, prudent and pragmatic policies in order to ensure Malaysia s investment climate remained attractive for businessmen to not only conduct their normal business activities but also expand and diversify their existing operations.
LONDON, Sept 9 (Bernama) -- Malaysia welcomes more investments from the United Kingdom, particularly in new growth areas in high technology, high value-added, knowledge-based and skills-intensive industries which provide high income jobs.
Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said Malaysia now emphasised on talents, creativity and innovation, which would not be possible without inflow of new foreign direct investments.
He said Malaysia was adopting the ecosystem approach in promoting investments into the country, the approach which acknowledged that business models were continuously evolving and sophisticated business solutions often entailed a more complex and dynamic relationship of a wide range of activities.
"Given the strong level of the UK technological expertise and innovative culture, we believe there are many opportunities for investments by the UK companies, especially in a number of key sectors in which the UK is known to have already excelled, such as the aerospace industry, bio-manufacturing and pharmaceuticals, chemicals and the energy and environmental technologies," said Muhyiddin, who is here on a five-day working to the UK, when addressing the roundtable meeting with the UK captains of industries organised by the Malaysian High Commission office in the UK on Monday.
Officials from 24 UK companies attended the meeting, which Muhyiddin said was aimed to brief them on the opportunities, challenges and support available in Malaysia.
Also present were the Malaysian High Commissioner to the UK, Datuk Seri Zakaria Sulong, the UK Minister of State for Trade and Investment, Lord Stephen Green, and senior officials from companies such as the BAE Systems, BRE Global Ltd, Commonwealth Business School, HSBC, JCB and MATRADIS.
Muhyiddin said he was optimisted that the meeting would be able to strengthen the ongoing efforts to enhance business cross flows between the two countries, build upon the existing strong partnership and explore new areas of cooperation.
He said Malaysia was confident that its economy would remain resilient, underpinned by the comfortable level of reserves, strong domestic consumption, low unemployment rate and healthy inflows of foreign direct investments.
"The Malaysian economy expanded by 4.3 per cent in the second quarter of 2013 albeit moderate global growth. The overall growth performance was driven by resilient domestic demand, which cushioned the negative impact of the weak external environment," he said.
He said Malaysia's growth formula was premised upon a strong and effective partnership between the public and private sectors, with the government facilitating businesses by ensuring that procedures and regulations promote a business-friendly environment.
He pointed out that this partnership had made Malaysia cost-competitive and contributed to its ability to continue to attract foreign direct investments.
"To move the country forward, we have charted a very clear road map based on the strategies of the New Economic Model (NEM) and the Economic Transformation Programme (ETP) that will enable us to achieve our target of becoming a high-income nation by 2020," he said.
Muhyiddin said last year UK was Malaysia s 18th largest trading partner and the total trade stood at US$4.42 billion while the total trade for January-June period was US$2.29 billion.
He said the UK was ranked the 8th largest foreign investor in the manufacturing sector in Malaysia, with investments amounting to more than US$2 billion, and the major sectors of UK investments are in the chemical and chemical products, petrochemicals, electrical and electronics and non-metallic mineral products.
"We are proud to be the host for many of the prominent UK companies. Among the notable UK companies operating in Malaysia are Shell, Dyson Manufacturing, Tioxide, British Petroleum, Xyratex, Glaxo Smithkline and Ethylene, which have made substantial investments in Malaysia.
"We are excited to note that British Telecoms has recently expanded its operations in Malaysia by establishing its global shared facility, employing more than 600 high knowledge workers, he added.
Muhyiddin said the government was also increasingly liberalizing its services sector as this would be a key driver for growth; and services industries, adding that Malaysia was emerging as a strong leader, including in regional establishments, tourism, health services, Islamic finance, research and development activities, education, logistics and business services.
These can be avenues for enhancing bilateral investments further, he said.
Urging the UK companies to explore some of the opportunities highlighted, he said to date the government had liberalised 45 services sub-sectors which include tourism services, healthcare, education, business services and professional services.
He also said Malaysia was actively involved as the negotiating member of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) Agreement, a free trade area initiative involving New Zealand, Chile, Singapore, Brunei, Australia, Malaysia, Mexico, Peru, the United States, Vietnam, Canada and Japan.
"We have successfully conducted the 19th round of negotiations held on August 22nd and 30th, 2013 in Brunei. The TPP will provide business opportunities for UK companies to a seamless market with preferential access to a larger population regionally and globally, he said.
Muhyiddin ended his speech with an assurance that the Malaysian Government would continue to pursue pro-business, prudent and pragmatic policies in order to ensure Malaysia s investment climate remained attractive for businessmen to not only conduct their normal business activities but also expand and diversify their existing operations.
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