'High Chaparral': Mexican standoff between Hindraf, DAP, developer - Malaysiakini

A furious Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf) will hold simultaneous rallies in front of all DAP headquarters across the country tomorrow evening.

MCPX

The rallies are to protest against the Penang government's ineptness and failure to declare the 'Tamil High Chaparral' Kampung Buah Pala in Bukit Gelugor, George Town as a living cultural heritage.

The movement will mobilise some 10,000 of Hindraf activists across the country to demonstrate outside Komtar, which houses the Penang state government office, and the party offices in Ipoh, Damansara, Seremban, Johor Bahru and Malacca.

The demonstration, scheduled at 4pm, will underline Hindraf's seriousness to force the state government to protect the minority communities' interests, rights and benefits in Penang.

The rally is also expected to highlight the state government's ineptness in resolving other issues related to Tamil schools, employment, business opportunities and housing allocations.

However, the Kampung Buah Pala quandary, currently a major controversy in the state, will feature prominently in the mammoth rally.

The rallies, the first by Hindraf against a Pakatan Rakyat ally, is a blow to Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng's government, which had positioned itself as a people's government based on competency, accountability and transparency.

Confirming this, London-based Hindraf leader P Waytha Moorthy said Hindraf was fed up with Lim's apathy to the villagers' predicament.

Enough is enough

"We have tolerated enough with the DAP government's inaction at resolving outstanding issues," he said.

Social activists from various groups are expected to join the rally.

Also tomorrow morning, Waytha Moorthy's seven-year-old daughter, Vwaishhnnavi will hand over an appeal note to the Chief Minister asking for his help to save Kampung Buah Pala.

Tomorrow's rally is set to pave the stage for a series of Hindraf-led protest against the state government.

On Wednesday, another group of Hindraf supporters led by S Jayathas is expected hold a rally outside Komtar.

Hindraf's Penang island coordinator K Kalayselvam recalled that the perceived marginalisation of the Indian community was a dominant issue during the last general election.

However, over the past 15 months, he said the DAP government had yet to produce a blueprint to tackle constructively problems pertaining to the community.

"It's time to give the DAP a wake up call. It must protect Kampung Buah Pala, the only Tamil urban village left in Penang today," said Kalayselvam.

Hindraf advisor K Maran said Hindraf campaigned against Barisan Nasional because the Indian community wanted a better caring government to help them.

However, he slammed the DAP government for not showing any difference from the previous one.

"If the DAP government cannot protect a village of 300 people from the rich, then our support for Pakatan is meaningless," he said.

Kampung Buah Pala is known among locals as 'Tamil High Chaparral' because of its population of cowherds, livestock and Tamil traditional cultural features.

The villagers face forced eviction from their village, which they and their ancestors have stayed for nearly 200 years.

Mexican standoff

The city police have informed the villagers that the developer, Nusmetro Venture (P) Sdn Bhd had obtained a court's writ of possession to seize the village, demolish homes and flatten the site to construct a lucrative mega housing project -named the Oasis.

Hindraf leader P Uthayakumar and his supporters are expected to join the villagers on Thursday in what can be described as a 'Mexican standoff' between the developer's demolition team and the residents of 'High Chaparral'.

Hindraf advisor N Naragan criticised Lim for his so-called personal crusade, including having a debate with former Chief Minister Dr Koh Tsu Koon to eliminate corruption and malpractices in the previous administration.

However, he chided Lim for being a hypocrite by being a lame duck on the Kampung Buah Pala issue when it was clear the village land deal were tainted with fraud.

He said Lim must now prove his sincerity by stepping in and prevent the demolition on grounds that there was malpractice in the whole deal.

Whether or not the DAP government intervenes, Hindraf will go ahead with its rallies tomorrow and on Wednesday.

It also plans to organise more rallies against Lim's government until the controversy is resolved.

"The state government has already incurred our wrath. We will show our rage," said Maran.

What is there to be proud of?

So, does it really matter whether Lady Diana became a Muslim before she died? Would Islam benefit if Prince Charles or the Queen herself became a Muslim? Does this really enhance the image of Islam, as most Muslims believe it would?

NO HOLDS BARRED

Raja Petra Kamarudin

There are many who are pleased with the revelation brought on by the death of Michael Jackson. This is of course the revelation that he may have converted to Islam. These happy people were also pleased that Cassius Clay became a Muslim (and is now called Muhammad Ali) and in most likelihood Princes Diana and astronaut Neil Armstrong did as well -- although I don’t think these personalities concerned actually publicly said so.

Why is it so important to Muslims that these superstars converted to Islam? So they died as Muslims. Or maybe they never became Muslims and died as Jews or Christians or whatever. Does it really matter one way or another what religion they professed before they died? What is it to us anyway? Would it not be their business more than ours?

I suppose to some this would be very meaningful. To know that extremely important people like Michael Jackson, Muhammad Ali, Princes Diana and Neil Armstrong may have all become Muslims gives us that feeling of winning. This proves that we were right all along. And everyone likes to feel that he or she was right and enjoy the satisfaction of being able to say, “I told you so!”

Would it mean anything to Muslims if one million poor and starving Africans converted to Islam? Probably not and we really don’t care if it were 100 million poor and starving Africans who had converted. It is not the numbers that count. We don’t care about quantity. We are concerned about the ‘quality’ of the converts.

One million or even 100 million poor and starving Africans converting to Islam is not something to be proud of. But if Prince Charles, heir to the British throne, was to become a Muslim then that is cause to celebrate with the slaughter of 100 camels and 300 sheep. That proves beyond any shadow of doubt that Islam is the correct religion and it further proves that I was right all along in subscribing to Islam. Hey, even Prince Charles agrees with me and Prince Charles is no ordinary human being.

This ‘we won’ and ‘we were right all along’ is not only a Muslim obsession but also an obsession of all religions. So before you take this as a cue to start your Islam-bashing please note that the word ‘Islam’ can be replaced with the word ‘Christianity’, ‘Hinduism’ or whatever. No religion is exempted from this ‘competitive spirit’ and the obsession to ‘prove itself’ by the converts it attracts -- and the higher the profile of the convert the higher your win and the stronger your message of being ‘right’.

Instead of harping on the number of new converts you are able to attract and the high profile or high quality of these converts, I would rather focus on the high quality of your existing practitioners and ask whether they are doing justice to the religion they are supposed to be professing. What does it matter if Queen Elizabeth herself converted to Islam if the rest of the five million or so Muslims in Britain leave much to be desired as far as their conduct is concerned.

Why are properties in non-white areas in Britain lower than in an all-white area? Well, basically this is because in a non-white area the crime rate is very high. Even your car insurance is higher if you live and park your car in these ‘black’ areas -- especially if you don’t own a garage and park your car on the street.

Granted, not all the non-whites are Muslims. Some are Christians, Hindus, or whatever. Nevertheless, if that particular Briton happens to be a Muslim rather than a Jew, Christian or Hindu, you can safely bet that that person would be non-white rather than white. So, while not all non-whites are Muslims, most Muslims are non-white. And the crime rate is higher in non-white areas (as it is in ‘white’ council areas).

So, does it really matter whether Lady Diana became a Muslim before she died? Would Islam benefit if Prince Charles or the Queen herself became a Muslim? Does this really enhance the image of Islam, as most Muslims believe it would? What would really enhance the image of Islam would be if property in non-white areas are exactly the same price as property in the white areas and your car insurance is not loaded because you live and park your car in a non-white area.

If Michael Jackson really did die a Muslim then well and fine. Good for him. It does not do anything for me anyway. The same as far as Lady Di is concerned and for the rest of the British Royal Family as well. The fact that these high profile people became Muslims does not add value to Islam. What would add value to Islam would be when you buy a car in Britain and you don’t end up paying double the insurance premium because you live in a high-crime rate ‘Muslim’ neighbourhood’ or that your home is cheaper in value because all your neighbours are non-white Muslims.

Now that would make me real proud indeed.

Conference Of Rulers wants to get views of religious councils first

KUALA LUMPUR, June 29 – The 217th (special) meeting of the Conference of Rulers, which was held Istana Negara here today, has decided to get the views of the respective state religious councils first before arriving at a decision on the matter of conversion of minors to Islam.

As such, the Conference of Rulers decided to defer its decision on proposed amendments to state enactments on the matter, said a statement issued by the Keeper of the Rulers' Seal.

The meeting which lasted over two hours was chaired Raja Perlis Tuanku Syed Sirajuddin Jamalullail. Yang di-Pertuan Agong Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin also attended the meeting.

All the sultans and the Yang Dipertuas Negeri attended the meeting except the sultans of Kelantan, Pahang and Perak.

Kelantan was represented by the Regent, Tengku Muhammad Faris Petra Sultan Ismail Petra, Pahang by the Tengku Mahkota, Tengku Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah, and Perak by the Regent, Raja Dr Nazrin Shah Sultan Azlan Shah Terengganu was represented by the President of the Regency Advisory Council, Tengku Seri Panglima Raja Tengku Baderulzaman Sultan Mahmud.

The Yang di-Pertuan Agong is the Sultan of Terengganu.

On April 22, the Cabinet made a decision that minors could remain in the religion of their parents at the time of their marriage, even if their mother or father later converted to another religion.

The Cabinet was of the view that conversionS could not be used as an excuse to automatically dissolve a marriage or to get custody of children.

It also agreed that any individual wishing to change religion should first settle any outstanding issues with his or her spouse, to avoid innocent parties, especially children becoming victims.

Matters concerning Islam come under state jurisdiction in the federation. The Rulers are the head of Islam in their respective states. – Bernama

Barisan MP attacks government Bill on enforcement oversight

By Shannon Teoh - The Malaysian Insider

KUALA LUMPUR, June 29 – The government’s reform bill on enforcement agencies came under friendly fire today from a senior backbencher who called on all MPs to study the bill clause by clause instead of working according to the political divide.

Barisan Nasional’s (BN) backbenchers deputy chief Datuk Bung Mokhtar attacked the Enforcement Agency Integrity Commission (Siap) Bill, the last in former Prime Minister Tun Abdullah Badawi’s reform package, saying that it could not guarantee that the 21 enforcement agencies, including the police, customs and immigration would be free from corruption.

Calling it a “waste of time and money,” he said that the added layer of checks by such a commission would only cause “difficulties” to the public as most enforcement officers were doing their jobs with integrity.

“Even with this commission, we cannot say for sure if crime will go up or down,” he said, referring to Pakatan Rakyat’s (PR) repeated call for a stronger commission to probe the police.

“Siap should be an investigative body and not just a complaints department. If all it does is forward complaints to the Public Prosecutor, then it will just be delayed like other cases,” the Kinabatangan MP added.

But when pressed by opposition MPs if this meant he supported their stand that the body would not have sufficient power to operate, Bung evaded the question, insisting instead, that he was simply stating that he would not support a law that had no benefit to the public.

Abdullah’s reform package, which includes the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission and Judicial Appointments Commission have come under heavy but expected criticism from the opposition.

However, today’s attack by Bung reflected the unhappiness of BN MPs at what is perceived to be a capitulation to Pakatan Rakyat and a restriction on the status quo in the country where business and politics mix freely.

While the backbenchers may join the opposition in punching holes in Siap, it is still unlikely that they are ready to cross the floor when the bill comes to a vote.

URGENT EVENTS LINED UP TO PROTECT KG BUAH PALA BY HINDRAF

30th June 2009. 10.00 am Penang Chief Ministers Office Komtar Building

Vwaishhnnavi Waytha Moorthy would be presenting an urgent appeal to the Penang Chief Minister to intervene and protect the poor and defenceless Indian Families in Kg. Buah Pala.

Vwaishhnnavi represents the future generation and is taking the bold step to HUMBLY APPEAL to the DAP that they should not destroy and be part of the destruction of the heritage which is very meaningful to the Malaysian Indians.

30th June 2009 4.00PM Demonstration by HINDRAF supporters and Kg.Buah Pala Residents

Venue: Penang Chief Ministers Office Bangunan Komtar Penang

At least one thousand people are expected to demonstrate to show their support, solidarity and condemn the DAP led Government which is bullying the residents of Kg.Buah Pala.

LET US UNITE TO CONDEMN THE DAP THE INDIAN VOTERS.

30th JUNE 2009 4.00 pm Simultaneous Massive protests in the States of Negeri Sembilan, Selangor and Perak.

Massive protests are planned at the DAP National headquarters in Damansara by Selangor HINDRAF supporters and and at the respective State DAP Headquarters in Negeri Sembilan and Perak by our state supporters .

1st July 2009 6Pm Penang Chief Ministers Office

Burning of Lim Guan Eng's Effigy led by S.Jayathas HINDRAF Co-ordinator. This may be called off unless and until we receive a firm committment from the Chief Minister that the Kg.Buah Pala would not be destroyed on the 2nd July as planned.

In any other part of the civilised world, political parties and civil societies would scramble to protect a heritage but Malaysia being MALAYSIA BOLEH would abandon the rights of the minority especially when it involves Indians.

When HINDRAF rises to protect these defenceless people we are accused of being extreme and racist by the Government and now by the DAP which claims to represent a democratic society.

HINDRAF WISHES TO WARN THE DAP THAT WE WOULD NOT SIT IDLE AND WATCH YOU OPPRESSING THE PEOPLE WHO HAVE VOTED YOU. DO NOT UNDERESTIMATE US. MORE ACTIONS ARE PLANNED IF THE RIGHTS OF THE PEOPLE ARE RAPED

Ong Tee Keat has won the right to get into Guinness Book of Records twice, the second time for being the first MCA President in 60 years to be on the

By Lim Kit Siang,

My three questions (No.91 to No. 93) on the 31st day in the current series) to Transport Minister Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat on the RM12.5 billion Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ) scandal today are:

Question No. 1 – In response to my challenge to him yesterday to five public debates on the RM12.5 billion PKFZ scandal in Kuala Lumpur, Ipoh, Penang, Malacca and Johore Baru, where he could be assisted by the two former Transport Ministers, Tun Dr. Ling Liong Sik and Datuk Seri Chan Kong Choy as well as MCA leaders who had served as Port Klang Authority (PKA) Chairman, Tan Sri Ting Chew Peh, Datuk Yap Pian Hon and Datuk Seri Chor Chee Heung, Ong responded that I was not qualified to debate with him.

What arrogance and “high-and-mighty” attitude after becoming a “small Minister”! What would he not do if he becomes a slightly “bigger” Minister?

A day after the release of the PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) report on the PKFZ scandal on May 28, 2009 the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak publicly directed Ong to reply to all questions about the PKFZ scandal. Has Ong forgotten the Prime Minister’s public directive, and if not, is he avoiding the 90 questions I have asked in the past 30 “three questions a day” as well as afraid of a public debate on the PKFZ scandal?

Ong has accused me of telling endless lies about the PKFZ scandal. If so, isn’t a five-venue public debate the best place to publicly nail all the lies I have been telling about the PKFZ scandal, instead of running away from such a debate challenge?

In fact, Ong should counter-challenge me to a 12-venue public debate on the PKFZ scandal to fully exploit the opportunity to prove to all and sundry the alleged litany of lies I have been telling about the PKFZ scandal. Let me tell Ong that he if dares to challenge me to a 12-venue debate (say including Seremban, Kuantan, Kuala Terengganu, Kota Baru, Alor Star, Kuching, Kota Kinabalu), I would accept without hesitation.

Why is Ong running away from such a public debate series to “nail the liar”, when it is the liar who should be running away from any public debate and here Ong is doing running – all the way to Paris!

Can Ong answer this question. This is my first question today.

Question No. 2 – Ong has won the right to get into the Guinnness Book of Records for a second time. Yesterday, I said Ong qualifies to get into the Guinness Book of Records in becoming the first Cabinet Minister not only in Malaysian parliamentary history but in the history of Commonwealth Parliaments, to accuse an Opposition MP for not telling the whole truth about the Cabinet meetings and decisions about a major financial scandal. What is shocking is that Ong could come out with such utter nonsense that an Opposition MP should know everything about what happened in the Cabinet over the PKFZ scandal!

Ong has won the right to get into the Guinness Book of Records for a second time, as the first MCA President to be “on the run” from Parliament and from the country (Malaysians will never forget that he ran away to France, purportedly for the Paris Air Show, so that he need not appear on the first day of the June meeting of Parliament to give a satisfactory accounting for the RM12.5 billion PKFZ scandal). Of course, he was not the first MCA leader and Minister to be “on the run” to avoid ministerial accountability and responsibility. Former Transport Minister, Datuk Seri Chan Kong Choy did the same thing, to be “on the run”, in November 2007 – all the way to the United Kingdom – to avoid Ministerial accountability and responsibility to Parliament, but he was only MCA Deputy President.

Can Ong explain why he is setting such a dubious and shameful record for a MCA President – first time in 60 years – and Malaysian Cabinet Minister to be “on the run” from Parliament and outside on the RM12.5 billion PKFZ scandal?

Question No. 3 – I am still waiting for Ong’s answer whether he agrees with my proposition: that Pakatan Rakyat MPs support his motion, submitted through his proxy Tebrau MP Teng Boon Soon to refer me to the Committee of Privileges for misleading Parliament on the PKFZ scandal about Cabinet meetings and decisions on the PKFZ with the quid pro quo that Barisan Nasional MPs submit my motion to refer Ong to the Committee of Privileges last Wednesday.

I am giving Ong 48 hours to say yes or no, and not to continue to run from my questions, which he had been doing for my 90 questions in the past 30 days.

Murder of former Tenggaroh Assemblyman and Johore MIC leader Datuk S.Krishnasamy

Lim Kit Siang, June 29 2009 -- This is the email from Raj Kumar Krishnansamy on the murder of his father Datuk S. Krishnasamy, former Tenggaroh assemblyman and Johore MIC leader Datuk S. Krishnasamy on 11th January 2008, (with various names deleted).

I want to ask what SIAP could do with such a complaint as it is likely to be utterly helpless and powerless to do anything, unlike the Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission (IPCMC) as proposed by the Royal Police Commission as the key of the 125 recommendations to create a Malaysian police service which is efficient, professional, incorruptible and world-class.

R.K. Krishnasamy’s email on the murder of his father Datuk S.Krishnasamy reads:

Below is a synopsis of the case since Jan 11, 2008.

My father was the state Deputy MIC Chairman. A week before his murder, there was a lot of newspaper articles(Malaysia Nanban) that my father is planning to challenge the current Chairman, Datuk KS Balakrishnan and become the next state chairman. Datuk KS Balakrishnan’s son is Pannir Selvam. He was appointed by Datuk Bala to be the state MIC youth deputy chief. This was a move that my father objected as his son did not have the right character for the position. Both father and son could not go along with my father.

My father went into the lift after lunch at abt 2.20pm. He received a call while he was in the restaurant,then he left the restaurant to the office. Who called him, still a mystery till today as police do not want to reveal it.

Upon arrival, he went into the lift. It was in the lift that he was shot.

We do not know who shot him as the security guard was sent to the next building. Why the next building? The guard was sent to give something to Datuk Bala’s personal secretary. The one who sent the guard was [deleted]. She is also the MIC office clerk and Datuk Bala’s “close friend” for 20 years. She specifically told the guard to sent the letter and buy food for her at 2.20pm. Lunch time was at 12noon, why sent him at 2.20pm. The police does not want to answer to this. Why use the guard to sent a letter to Datuk Bala’s secretary when Datuk Bala would be in the office at 2.30pm, the police do not want talk about it.

Surprisingly, the gunman knew the MIC building very well. Who brought him in there? How did he know about a meeting that is only known to bahagian leaders only? Police does not want to reveal.

She was arrested under remand for 2 weeks and surprisingly, she could afford to hire the best defense lawyer[deleted] along with 8 other lawyers to defend her from the police. Who paid for the 9 lawyers remain a mystery as police do not want to reveal it. Why the “big shot” paid for the 9 lawyers? Why did she send the security guard off at that time, police do not want to answer it. The police has been tight-lipped from day one.

My sister and her husband went to JB police station every week to ask about the case. But during one of her trip there, she was followed by 3 indian guys in a 4 wheel drive. They would park outside her apmt and ask worund the neighbours about my brother in law. The guys were caught in the security CCTV camera and a report was launched with Johor police. But surprisingly, after the CD and report, no action was taken. Who are the 3 guys, why were they harassing my sister and her family, why are the police so quiet about the 3 guys till today?

Then the guy from Kluang, [deleted] a MIC leader was arrested. He was having some problem with my father before and a very close friend to Pannir and Datuk Bala. However, he was released after 2 weeks. This guy, after being released, bragged to his friends in Kluang, how the police was scared of him and how powerful he is in Johor. When we asked police about this, the only answer that we got is that they will look at it again.Till this day, there is no answer from the police.

Then Pannir got arrested under remand and after his remand, he got arrested under EO. Within a few hours of his arrest under EO, he was released middle of the night. But when we called police, they told us “No Comments”. That was when all the other suspects were released and the police told us that they lost the case. They will wait till any new evidence comes in.

The police has never told us anything about the progress of the case. Everytime we meet the police, it must bad news like the fingerprints were not usable, but they do not tell us why. The bullet could not help at all, i do not why as well.

The prime suspect [deleted] was recently appointed MBJB as a city councillor.

Orang asli take demands to Parliament

By Zedeck Siew
thenutgraph.com

KUALA LUMPUR, 29 June 2009: Representatives from an indigenous community have submitted a memorandum to Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) parliamentarians to protest the Pahang government's refusal to gazette traditional Orang Asli lands.

The memorandum today also protested the state government's go-ahead for estate owners to open plantations on traditional Orang Asli lands.

"It is our intention to defend the traditions and culture of our community," said Yusri Ahon, deputy secretary of Kg Orang Asli Sg Mai, Jerantut.

Yusri said that a Pahang state executive council meeting in 1997 had decided that all lands occupied by the indigenous communities should be converted to federal reserve land under Section 7(1) of the Orang Asli Act 1954.

Under the same law, the state government also refused to gazette lands occupied by the Orang Asli, he added.

"We are indigenous peoples, but it is as if we are renting land owned by the government," Yusri said.

He added that some of the land lost to the Orang Asli community under the Pahang government's policy included ancestral burial grounds.

"These losses (of land) have also resulted in our community's forsaking of traditional practices such as the planting of padi huma (hill paddy)," Yusri said.

The Orang Asli currently claim some 127,706 ha of land on Peninsular Malaysia. Under a new land policy mooted by then-Rural and Regional Development Minister Tan Sri Muhammad Muhammad Taib in November 2008, the peninsula's indigenous peoples stand to lose up to 69,698 ha of land.

At a press conference in Parliament today, PKR Member of Parliament (MP) for Kuantan, Fuziah Salleh, said that she would do everything in her power to deliver the memorandum to the Barisan Nasional-led Pahang government.

Why only briefing for Muslim MPs?

By Zedeck Siew
thenutgraph.com

KUALA LUMPUR, 29 June 2009: The government has been criticised for organising a briefing on three laws related to conversion and religion for Muslim Members of Parliament (MPs) only.

Anwar (File pic) "These are very important pieces of legislation. It must be well understood and debated by Muslim and non-Muslim MPs," Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said today.

"To invite only Muslim MPs prior to tabling [them] in Parliament, then get both Muslim and non-Muslim to debate it is odd, to me," Anwar said.

Anwar was referring to a briefing called by Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Jamil Khir Baharom, who is in charge of religion, which was originally slated for 6pm today.

Attorney General Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail was meant to brief Muslim MPs on the amendments to the Islamic Family Law (Federal Territories) Act 1984, the Law Reform (Marriage and Divorce) Act 1976, and the Administration of Islamic Law (Federal Territories) Act 1993.

The meeting was, however, cancelled at the last minute.

Anwar stressed that it was important for all sides of the debate to be heard. "We want to hear from both Muslim and non-Muslim non-governmental organisations, Islamic scholars, and all relevant parties."

Amendments to these laws followed renewed controversy over unilateral conversions of minors into Islam, particularly in the case of M Indira Gandhi. These amendments are, among others, meant to accommodate the cabinet decision on such unilateral conversions.

Nazri Aziz On 16 June 2009, de facto Law Minister Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz was quoted as saying that the proposed amendments touched on "the dissolution of marriage, right to custody of children, maintenance of children and wife, and division of matrimonial assets".

It was also reported that the Rulers' Council would debate the proposed amendments of these laws today. The rulers are officially the guardians of Islam in their respective states.

Nazri told reporters in Parliament today that the briefing for Muslim MPs was cancelled because of everyone's busy schedules.

He said the briefing would be held at a later date, but did not provide further details.

High Chaparral: Deputy CM Mansor to meet developers

By Anil Netto,

Deputy Chief Minister Mansor Othman is to meet the Oasis developers tomorrow to discuss the crisis faced by High Chaparral villagers facing eviction, according to a media source.

He expressed some optimism that the developers could be persuaded not to file the writ of eviction on the residents just yet. The residents want their village to be preserved as a cultural and heritage area.

Mansor’s meeting with the developers will thrust the new Deputy CM into the spotlight and provide a stern test of his mettle under pressure.

Meanwhile, one of the High Chaparral villagers will file an application at the Penang High Court tomorrow for a stay to set aside the Federal Court decision on grounds they want a re-trial using a different case-line.

The latest developments come amidst Hindraf’s plans to hold demonstrations outside DAP offices across the country. SMS messages have been flying around.

Penang DAP reps, however, are spreading the message that the villagers need to distinguish between their friends and their adversaries and act accordingly. They point out that the mess was largely created under the previous BN administration.

Penang government sacks PKR councillor over boycott

The New Straits Times
By : Lee Keng Fatt and Adie Suri Zulkefli

GEORGE TOWN, Mon: THE DAP-led state government’s sacking of Parti Keadilan Rakyat councillor Johari Kassim from the Seberang Prai Municipal Council has set the stage for a showdown between the two parties in Penang.
Johari, with the backing of the state PKR leadership, has vowed to defy the termination order and attend a scheduled council meeting today.

“I was appointed by PKR to be a councillor, not by the DAP or the state government,” he said.

Johari said he would be attending the council meeting today as he has not been officially notified of the termination order.

“I have got the invitation from MPSP to attend the council meeting and I will attend it as usual.
“We will see what happens after that,” he said.

Johari said state PKR chairman Datuk Zahrain Hashim had assured him during a meeting last Saturday that PKR would not give in to any attempt to remove him from the post.

His defiance was backed by Zahrain, who made it clear that the party maintained its stand that Johari should not be sacked from the council.

“We have always maintained that stand. You have to ask the chief minister why he proceeded with the sacking despite us putting forth our stand,” he said.

Zahrain said he was informed of the state government’s decision by deputy chief minister I Dr Mansor Othman yesterday.

Zahrain, who is also Bayan Baru member of parliament, said he had conveyed the matter to the party’s central leadership.

“We are certainly not happy with it,” he said, adding that the party had also sent a letter to Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng stating its stand on the matter.

State Local Government and Traffic Management Committee chairman Chow Kon Yeow yesterday announced that the Penang state executive council had decided to revoke Johari’s councillorship.

Chow said the state exco had unanimously agreed to remove Johari during its weekly meeting last Friday and Johari could not appeal the decision.

On June 4, Johari led eight MPSP PKR councillors in boycotting the swearing in of former North Seberang Prai district officer Mokhtar Mohd Jait as council president.

Johari claimed that the position had been reserved for a PKR member and the state government had no business appointing anyone else to the post.

His action led DAP leaders, including Lim’s chief of staff Ooi Chuan Aun and political secretary Ng Wei Aik, to call for his resignation on grounds of insubordination.

Apa Masalah Umno-BN ‘Bakul Sampahkan’ IPCMC?

Seawal jam 9.00 pagi saya tiba di “Istana Keadilan” Putrajaya bagi mendengar rayuan berhubung pemindahan kes dari Mahkamah Sesyen ke Mahkamah Tinggi. Apakan daya kes ditangguh lagi keesokkan harinya. Terpaksalah berulang-alik dari Parlimen ke Putrajaya. Apatah lagi sesi Dewan Rakyat kali ini akan tamat pada 2hb Julai 2009 dan saya merasakan perlu untuk menyertai perbahasan rang undang-undang yang bakal dibentangkan kelak.

Alhamdulillah hari ini saya berkesempatan menyertai perbahasan rang undang-undang Suruhanjaya Integriti Agensi Perlaksanaan(SIAP). Saya ulangi kekecewaan ramai dari ahli parlimen kerana kegagalan kerajaan meneliti serta menuruti saranan IPCMC. Sungguhpun saya mengakui hasrat kerajaan untuk melebarkan peranan suruhanjaya ini kepada sejumlah 27 agensi lainnya. Latar asal dari rang undang-undang SIAP perlu diberi perhatian sewajarnya. Pokok pangkalnya adalah terhakisnya keyakinan rakyat terhadap institusi polis.

Sekiranya asas ini diabaikan, permasalahan sebenar tidak akan selesai. Integriti agensi kerajaan terutamanya pasukan polis tercalar teruk akibat salah guna kuasa segelintir pucuk pimpinannya tatkala mereka di bawah tetap berdedikasi mencurah bakti kepada masyarakat. Ketiadaan fasal berkaitan bidangkuasa siasatan hanya menyebabkan kewujudan suruhanjaya tersebut seumpama melepaskan batok di tangga.

Yang lebih mengejutkan saranan IPCMC ditolak kononnya adalah untuk melindungi ramai anggota polis yang majoritinya orang Melayu. Membingungkan sekali alasan sebegini, sedangkan yang terlibat melanggar jalur hukum merupakan pucuk pimpinan polis. Berselindung di sebalik alasan kaum merupakan alasan dangkal yang cuba memperbodohkan rakyat.

Oleh kerana itu saya menekankan tiadanya iltizam politik pada pihak pimpinan Umno-BN untuk benar-benar memastikan perubahan terlaksana. Tidak hairanlah usaha kerajaan ini seakan fatamorgana yang cuba mengelirukan mata rakyat. Inshaallah dengan usaha dan doa, pastinya yang hak akan mengatasi yang batil.

ANWAR IBRAHIM

Himpunan Perdana Pakatan Rakyat

Pakatan Rakyat akan mengadakan Himpunan Perdana di Stadium MPPJ Kelana Jaya malam esok. Berikut adalah butiran acara tersebut:

Tempat: Stadium MPPJ Kelana Jaya

Tarikh: Hari Selasa, 30hb Jun 2009

Masa: 8.30 malam

Pejabat Dato’ Seri Anwar Ibrahim

Debate Can't Solve Issues, Says Najib

PUTRAJAYA, June 29 (Bernama) -- Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said issues relating to the future of Muslims and the country would not be solved through a debate as suggested by Pas general adviser Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat.

He said he did not see the benefits to be obtained through the debate.

The best way was to have sincere discussions, not a debate, he added.

Besides, he said, he found many quarters had disapproved of the debate suggestion.

"But before we can have a discussion, we should not condemn the other side.

"If we have humiliated and condemn the other side it means we are not looking for a consensus. Consensus is very important for the future of Muslims and the country," he told reporters here Monday.

Najib was commenting on Nik Aziz's call for a public debate between them to end the political stir between Pas and Umno.

Yesterday, Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi advised Pas and Umno to resolve their quarrel through discussions and not through open debates while Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad said a debate with Pas would be a waste of time.

Asked on the hostility showed by a number of Pas leaders to the unity talks, Najib said: "Actually Pas is split." There were people in Pas who wanted to sit down and those who vehemently opposed to it, he said.

"So, we will see what is going to happen. It is up to Pas. Umno has stated our position, in other words we are open about discussing with Pas.

"But it is up to Pas to decide what they want to do. The ball is in their court," he said.

Why the 3 bills have not been table into Parliament?

By Kula's voize
For quite some time over the last few years many families had to under go a lot of pain and uncertainty when it is found a bit too late one of the family member is found to have converted to Islam. No one objects to conversion per se. But the problem starts when only upon death the remaining members of the deceased find out about the conversion. By that time, it is too late and resorting to civil courts delivers little or no help at all.

Worse still are, cases involving minor children of families. The most recent is the case of Indira Gandhi 35 a mother of 3 children. The youngest child is only 14 months old and the mother was still breast feeding her child. But when the marriage was breaking up the father of the children embraced Islam and he converted his 3 children too. The father “kidnapped” the 14 months old child and in the process bit up his wife Indria Gandhi.

The Syariah (muslim) court gave custody of the children to the father. The civil court was of little help but recorded an interim consent order as regards the 2 elder children and as regards the youngest the custody lays with the father.

Many non-muslims know that the civil courts take along time to settle matrimonial matters. In the process some for personal reasons find a easier way out to embrace Islam and complicate the whole issue.

On the 16th of May I raised on my adjournment speech that the cabinet direct on “conversion case” is both ineffective and useless. The cabinet direct was supposedly to bring about a permanent settlement in case of conversion.

When this matter was raised, the de facto Minister of Law YB Dato Seri Nazri replied that the government will present 3 bills to Parliament for all the laws on conversion to be consistent so that innocent parties who are not converted will be accorded protection.

We have only 3 more days for Parliament to sit and to date the bills have not been tabled. This delay are unacceptable more so when Nazri acknowledge that the draft was ready way back in 2007.
I will raise this non tabling of the bills at the earliest opportunity in Parliament. Even if the bill are tabled at such a late hour we are all denied from getting inputs from our constituents by reason of constrain of time.
My adjournment speech and reply can be read here :http://www.parlimen.gov.my.my/hindex/pdf/DR-16062009.pdf

Fauzi calon PAS Manek Urai

Anwar: BN will play dirty in Manek Urai

Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim is confident that PAS will retain the Manek Urai state seat on July 14 by-election despite an 'active smear campaign' by Barisan Nasional (BN).

Anwar, who is head of the opposition Pakatan Rakyat alliance, said BN has resorted to discrediting Kelantan Menteri Besar and PAS spiritual adviser Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat, in order to court voters.

"Such a smear campaign (against Nik Aziz) is not necessary but I expect it to increase during the by-election," said Anwar today.

"This means that BN feels threatened by Nik Aziz."

Yesterday BN named Umno's Kuala Krai Youth chief Tuan Aziz Tuan Mat, 39, as its candidate against PAS' Kuala Krai division treasurer Mohd Fauzi Abdullah in the by-election.

The by-election ihas been called following the sudden death of Ismail Yaakob, who was a five-term PAS elected representative for the seat.

Anwar was talking to reporters in Putrajaya where his appeal against the transfer of his sodomy case was to have been heard this morning. However the matter has been adjourned to tomorrow.

Anwar is appealing against the decision to transfer his sodomy case from the Sessisons Court to the High Court. The matter will be heard at the High Court on July 8.

No Stranger to Royal Shenanigans

If Muhyuddin and Nazri could not say anything sensible, they should just shut up. There is no need to embarrass the country. Come to think of it, that is good advice for all our leaders. I wonder if Nazri and Muhyuddin have a daughter; how they would feel if she were to be abused by her husband. The ministers’ utterances were at best boorish; at worse, reprehensible.

THE CORRIDORS OF POWER

M. Bakri Musa

“Apologies – at the very least – are called for.” So began an editorial, “Feast of Lies,” that appeared in the New Straits Times on April 27, 2009. Its pontificating tone continues, “… scandalous allegations are leapt on and gnawed to the bone without even a perfunctory attempt at verification, ….”

What triggered the righteous indignation of the paper’s editorial writers was the alternative media’s widespread reporting of the shenanigans of the Kelantan royal family. Today, thanks to a brave Malaysian, Kadar Shah Sulaiman, and the professionalism of Singapore’s police personnel, the Kelantan Prince’s estranged wife, Manohara, is now free. As the world now knows, her nine-month royal marriage was anything but a fairy tale, at least according to Manohara, which is what matters.

While her husband may be a prince, she discovered too late that he was of the Neanderthal variety. Perhaps her kiss was not powerful enough; the frog still remains in him.

I would have thought that the folks at The New Straits Times, of all people, would not be strangers to royal mischief. All they have to do is review their archives of the late 1980s and early 1990s.

What prompted the sanctimonious editorial was the appearance of the young royal couple at a wedding reception in Kota Baru where they were (or at least she was) seen smiling happily. Any editor who could have been so easily hoodwinked by a “photo op,” well, he or she could also be easily swayed by a mere phone call from someone powerful. So much for being “hardnosed” journalists!

However, this commentary is not on the credibility (or the lack thereof) of The NST. I need not add anything on that matter; the paper’s declining circulation is proof enough of the current sorry state of this once proud publication.

Instead, I cannot help but wonder what would have happened had Manohara tried her escape not from a Singapore hotel but one in KL. Three points worth pondering; the first two relate to the professionalism of Singapore’s public service, in this particular case, its Police Force. The third concerns the humanity of one Malaysian who tipped Manohara’s family that the Prince and his wife would be in Singapore and thus was instrumental in her escape.

First, the Singapore police rightly pointed out to the Prince and his hangers-on that they risk being jailed for interfering with police work or obstructing Manohara’s movements. Second was the revealing comment of that taxi driver to the effect that Manohara and her family had nothing to fear from the Singapore police. That such a compliment would come from a taxi driver reflects the integrity of the republic’s police.

Had the Manohara episode happened in Kuala Lumpur, our Chief of Police would be kissing the Raja Temonggong’s hand and asking for forgiveness for “interfering” with royal affairs. The Chief would also probably give Manohara some fatherly “advice” to return to her husband and be a “good” and “obedient” wife.

Alas, we see this blind royal genuflection even among the highest echelon of our leadership. Despite the horrifying details related by Manohara, Deputy Prime Minister Muhyuddin saw fit to comment that the Malaysian government does not want to get involved. “I think this is more of a personal matter,” he was reported to have said. “We should not be dragged into this situation so we want to just leave it as it is,” he continued.

Muhyuddin as Deputy Prime Minister ought to know that once a crime is committed, or alleged to have been committed, then that is no longer a private matter. The state must have an interest in that. That is our Deputy Prime Minister for you. He had so quickly forgotten that he was sworn to uphold the laws of the country. A crime is a crime regardless of who had committed it. And spousal abuse is a crime.

Then there is Nazri Aziz, Minister in the Prime Minister’ office; he is still waiting for a formal complaint! Obviously he did not read his party’s paper, the NST! Poor Aziz would wait till it snows in Malaysia if he were to think that Manohara would trust our institutions well enough to lodge a police report here! This monkey of a minister just refuses to see anything until it is pointed out to him. It did not occur to his thick skull that he should be the one to direct the police to investigate. If nothing else, to protect the integrity of the palace if indeed Manohara were fabricating her allegations.

If Muhyuddin and Nazri could not say anything sensible, they should just shut up. There is no need to embarrass the country. Come to think of it, that is good advice for all our leaders. I wonder if Nazri and Muhyuddin have a daughter; how they would feel if she were to be abused by her husband. The ministers’ utterances were at best boorish; at worse, reprehensible.

Second is the reputation of Singapore’s police in the eyes of the island’s taxi drivers. “… [T]he police would definitely protect us regardless of who we were, whether we were foreigners or locals, whether we were rich or poor,” one driver told Manohara’s family. I wonder what our taxi drivers think of our own police force if we were to engage them in candid conversations.

Here would be some realistic samples. “The last time those bastards stopped me they demanded no less than RM200!” Another: “That huge mansion on the hill, that’s the police chief’s second house!” These supposed comments are not figments of my florid imagination. Witness what happened to former Deputy Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim at the hands of the Police Chief. Anwar was even cockier and more certain of his power than Muhyuddin could ever hope to be. Yet that did not protect Anwar.

The scary part of that ugly Anwar incident was not the rogue Chief of Police rather that the assault occurred in front of at least two senior officers. They did not see fit to restrain their brute lawless chief; they also chose to remain silent when the subsequent controversy erupted. They witnessed a major felony being committed and chose not to stop or report it. They were guilty of being accomplices to a major crime as well as obstructing justice. Yet those two officers still serve His Majesty’s Government. That is the Royal Malaysian Police.

It is tempting to condemn Malaysians generally, as many are wont to, for the abject performances of our leaders and institutions. It is after all difficult to separate leaders and institutions from the people.

Seen in this light, the exemplary performance of Kadar Shah Sulaiman, UMNO’s Muar branch chief, deserves much praise and wider recognition. Clearly he saw his duty to a suffering fellow human greater than that to a sultan or sultan’s family. Kadar is truly a modern-day Hang Jebat; he makes us all proud.

The shenanigans of Malay royals are not news. As for the credibility and reputation of our mainstream media editors, now that would be news when they showed any! Currently their reputation may only be slightly less soiled than that of the sultans. Our leaders and institutions are not much better. Given such a milieu it is easy to be pessimistic. Yet amidst such gloom we can occasionally be pleasantly surprised. Kadar Shah Sulaiman’s action assured us that there still exists some humanity among Malaysians. It also shows that one brave soul can indeed make a difference.

As for our editors in the mainstream media, do not expect a mea culpa any time soon; they still delude themselves into thinking that they are doing a swell job. They do not bother with “even a perfunctory attempt at verification.”

Now Kit Siang calls Khairy a ‘rabid racist’

Lim today hit back at Khairy for calling him a ‘rabid racist’.

By Neville Spykerman - The Malaysian Insider

KUALA LUMPUR, June 29 — DAP’s Lim Kit Siang today hit back at Khairy Jamaluddin for calling him a “borderline racist” by pointing out that even former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad was opposed to the aborted Umno-PAS unity talks.

“I think Khairy wanted to call Dr Mahathir a ‘borderline racist’ but dare not do so, and is using this way to hit out at the former prime minister,” said Lim in his latest blog posting.

He added that Dr Mahathir had repeated his opposition to any Umno-PAS Malay unity government talks at the Pandan Umno division motivational course on Saturday.

On Saturday, Umno Youth chief Khairy defended the aborted unity talks between Umno and PAS, and called Lim a “borderline racist” for his criticism.

Khairy had said that Lim's accusation that the proposed dialogue between Umno and PAS was against the concept of 1 Malaysia shockingly implied that Malay-Muslim unity was not good for the country.

Last week, Lim challenged what he felt was the absurdity of Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s call for Malay and Muslim unity, and mocked the prime minister by asking if Umno would give the nod to Chinese unity talks or similar discourse for other communities as well.

Pakatan Rakyat (PR) leaders have already rejected Umno’s unity government proposal and proclaimed all issues surrounding the fiasco, which brought the fledgling opposition coalition to the brink of collapse, resolved.

But the Umno president, in asking PAS not to reject a proposal which he said would be beneficial to Malay Muslims, had appeared to play the religion and race card.

In his blog posting, Lim said Khairy’s allegation was laughable as the Umno Youth chief had made an uncalled-for attack on the Indian community during a live telecast at the Umno General Assembly in November 2007 and because of his infamous outburst about the alleged marginalisation of the Malays in Penang.

“So long as Khairy can continue to play with impunity his role as a rabid racist, the prime minister’s 1Malaysia concept as a unifying force for all Malaysians regardless of race will remain suspect.”

Meanwhile Lim said he was also taking the fresh promise of merit-based national scholarships with a “heavy pinch of salt”.

Najib had on Saturday night announced a new category of Public Service Department (PSD) scholarships which will start from next year.

“The scholarships based purely on merit and regardless of race are welcomed,” said Lim.

But heis sceptical because of repeated disappointments with previous promises of “meritocracy” by the Barisan Nasional (BN) government.

Firstly, he said six years ago, Malaysians were promised a system of “meritocracy” in the annual intake of university students but this proved to be a “fraudulent” meritocracy.

There continues to be two incomparable university entrance examinations, the world-class two-year Sijil Tinggi Pelajaran Malaysia (STPM) and the inferior one-year matriculation course, he said.

Lim said if the government really wanted to stop the fall in standards in public universities, only the best lecturers and students must be recruited.

He said the first step was to have one common university entrance examination along with a programme of positive affirmation to ensure those from a socio-economically backward background get special assistance to get into universities but based on need and not race.

Secondly, he said the government gave assurances last year that 20 per cent or 400 out of the 2,000 PSD scholarships for foreign universities this year would be allocated solely on merit.

Lim said this has turned out to be an empty promise as many SPM top scorers with 11 to 16As denied were denied these scholarships.

He said any scepticism about the new PSD scholarship would be understandable because of the absence of a genuine 1 Malaysia mindset where all Malaysians regardless of race get equal treatment.

Racist jibe: Pakatan leaders say it is rich coming from Khairy

By Neville Spykerman - The Malaysian Insider

KUALA LUMPUR, June 29 — Pakatan Rakyat (PR) leaders have scoffed at Khairy Jamaluddin and urged him to look at himself and his own party before calling anyone else a racist.

The Umno Youth chief described DAP’s Lim Kit Siang as a “borderline racist” in a blog entry on Saturday.

He slammed the Ipoh Timur MP for describing the aborted unity talks between PAS and Umno as being against the concept of 1 Malaysia.

According to Khairy, this shockingly implied that Malay-Muslim unity was not good for the country.

However, PJ Utara MP Tony Pua said Umno and its youth chief should first denounce the concept of "Ketuanan Melayu" before calling anyone else racist.

He said unlike Umno, the DAP is not calling for Chinese or Indian unity but Malaysian unity.

“We fight for ‘Ketuanan Rakyat’ or people’s supremacy.” he said.

DAP’s Charles Santiago, in defending his party’s stalwart, said Lim was speaking out against Malay political hegemony or dominance in a multiracial Malaysia.

“Khairy is just trying to score brownie points among the Malays by hitting out at Lim.”

The Klang MP said Umno itself was a race-based party with a 100 per cent Malay membership and to accuse Lim as racist made no sense.

Datuk Kamaruddin Jaafar said the Umno Youth chief, who supported his predecessor's move to raise the keris during party’s general assembly, should not be calling anyone else a racist.

The PAS Tumpat MP added that Umno was never sincere about talks for Malay or even national unity.

“He is just trying to arouse Malay racial sentiment by writing what he did (in his blog)” he said, adding that no one was biting.

DAP’s Teresa Kok said Khairy should first tell the people if Malay unity was more important than national unity which is the message that Lim was trying to get across.

Her sentiments were shared by PKR’s Saifuddin Nasution who added no party was more racist than Umno.

He said this is proven at each general assembly where delegates use it as a platform to hit out at other races.

Saifuddin described the unity talks issue as a matter of convenience and a desperate measure on the part of Umno to prolong its own survival.

Petronas governance

There are reports of a supposed tussle of wills between the Prime Minister and the Board of Petronas over his choice of a non-executive, independent director for the Board. I find the way this discussion is being framed in the press and on the blogs a little puzzling.

(Click here for the full article at The Malaysian Insider)

Below is a archival footage of an interview with a youthful chairman of Petronas

In part 1 I explain the vision governing its formation, the obstacles we faced, and the amendment of the Petroleum Development Act to suit our vision.

“We don’t want to be mere tax collectors. We want to be involved from A to Z in the management and development of our oil resources.”

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Who was Mohan Singh?

By Deborah Loh
thenutgraph.com

Mohan, seen here on a production set (All pics courtesy of Baldi Kaur, J Belvikohr and Jaswant Kaur)

PETALING JAYA, 29 June 2009: In life, Mohan Singh a/l Janot Singh worked behind the scenes as an art director for films and television commercials.

In death, he is centre stage in a legal battle between Islamic authorities who claim he died a Muslim, and his family who claims he was Sikh till the end.

Mohan worked on many films, including popular ones like the local horror movie Susuk. He also worked on Hollywood productions that were shot in Malaysia namely, Anna and the King and Entrapment, and Bollywood hit Don.

One of the last films he worked on before his death was Yasmin Ahmad's Talentime.

Mohan, 41, was the only boy in a family of five children, and had three sisters before him — Baldi Kaur, J Belvikohr and Jaswant Kaur. The sisters and their stepfather, Nagamuthu Punnusamy, are the applicants in a judicial review of the Sungai Buloh Hospital's refusal to release Mohan's body to them because of a counter-claim to his body by the Selangor Islamic Council (Mais).

The Shah Alam High Court is currently hearing arguments on jurisdiction as to whether the judicial review should be heard in the civil or syariah court.

"We are a very close-knit family. He's the only boy, younger than all of us, our baby. How can we let go of our baby brother just like that?" said older sister Jaswant.

Anxious to cremate

The sisters, their stepfather, and their aunt who only wanted to be known as Eleena, agreed to talk to The Nut Graph about Mohan after a session at the Shah Alam High Court on 24 June.

The family is anxious to cremate Mohan. Sikh rites demand that the body be cremated within 24 hours of a person's death, and that prayers be said for the deceased's soul after 16 days, said Jaswant.

"It is more than a month already," she said. Mohan died of a heart attack in his Damansara Damai apartment on 25 May 2009. His body was found at 1am on that date.

"We need to cremate him and then scatter his ashes in the river. Then he is really gone for us. Now he is lying in the freezer and we cannot do anything. A part of us is lying there with him and we can't do anything about it," said Baldi.

At work, on location

Unable to grieve

The family has visited Mohan in the Sungai Buloh Hospital mortuary three times since his death. Eleena said that was the least they could do, since they have no body to grieve over.

"It smells. He is deteriorating. We've asked the hospital to put more effort into ensuring that they preserve the body," said Baldi.

Jaswant said the hospital is keeping Mohan's body in the non-Muslim section of the mortuary. She cannot understand how Mais can still claim her brother's body if it's being kept in the non-Muslim section.

"We wouldn't mind that he is buried like a Muslim if he really had a Muslim wife and kids, and had to convert because he married a Muslim," Eleena said. But she insisted that there was no Muslim wife or kids, not that the family knew of in any case.

In court, the family is contending that Mohan was not a Muslim at the time of his death because he married a non-Muslim woman in 1997, after his alleged conversion in 1992.

Mohan's lawyer Rajesh Kumar has submitted that the marriage certificate and the birth certificate of Mohan's daughter born in 2000 bore his Punjabi name, and Sikhism as his religion. Mohan and his wife separated in 2002.

Disbelief

The family said Mohan never told them about his conversion. He had prayed with them at the gurdwara and observed Sikh festivals. According to the submissions in court, Mohan also performed Sikh rites for his mother when she died in 2005.

Mohan's family are still in disbelief and wonder why Mais did not intervene when Mohan married the non-Muslim woman and when he made a new MyKad last October.

"When he was getting married, they put up his photo for display at the jabatan (National Registration Department) for three weeks for objections to the marriage to be made. How come Mais never said anything then?" said Eleena.

With daughter Sharon Simran Kaur from his 1997 marriage Mohan's stepfather Nagamuthu said Mohan lost his MyKad last October when his wallet was stolen.

"He made a new one with his own name, Mohan Singh a/l Janot Singh, and no 'Islam' on the card. Why didn't Mais say anything?" Nagamuthu said.

The family said they also doubt the authenticity of Mohan's signature on the conversion certificate used by Mais to lay claim to the body.

"We compared it with his signature for his other documents and it doesn't look the same," Nagamuthu claimed.

The sisters said they feel guilty about not being able to accord Mohan his last rites. They are frustrated that "strangers" are adamant about claiming his body based on a "piece of paper", the conversion certificate.

"For them, it's just about winning the case. Do they even know who Mohan was?" Baldi said.

Tamil-Brahmi script found in village

T.S. Subramanian, The Hindu, June 29 2009

Pointer to how writing followed commerce in Tamil country

— PHOTOS: S. JAMES AND K. RAJAN

FINDS: The cist-burial with two chambers, port-hole, ring-stand, a four-legged jar and pots at Porunthal; the ring-stand with Tamil-Brahmi inscription; decorated carnelian beads.

CHENNAI: A largely intact piece of pottery with a significant inscription in Tamil-Brahmi and the symbol of a gem or bead was found this week from a burial site at Porunthal village on the foothills of the Western Ghats.

Epigraphists have deciphered the three Tamil-Brahmi letters on the ring-stand as “vayra,” which means diamond. The deep-set cist-burial, which has two compartments made of granite slabs, was found to have skeletal remains. A pair of stirrups lay next to the ring-stand.

K. Rajan, Head of the Department of History, Pondicherry University, who directed the excavation, about 12 km from Palani in Tamil Nadu, called the discovery of Tamil-Brahmi script “very important” because it had been found in a remote village and goes to show that literacy had spread to even far-flung villages during the early Christian era. On palaeographical grounds, the script could be dated between the first century B.C. and the first century A.D., he said.

The cist-burial also yielded thousands of tiny, beautiful beads of different varieties such as carnelian, steatite, quartz and agate, four-legged jars, vases, bowls, plates, iron arrow-heads and so on.

Excavation at a site 2 km away yielded thousands of beads and the remnants of the furnace where the beads were possibly made. Terracotta figurines of a humped bull and a man, and a square copper coin of the Tamil Sangam Age, were also found.

Trade route link

Iravatham Mahadevan, a scholar in the Tamil-Brahmi and Indus scripts, described it as “a great discovery” because it established that writing followed commerce. Porunthal lay close to a major, ancient trade route from Madurai, capital of the Pandya country, to Chera country in present-day Kerala. He said the script could be read as “vayra.”

The symbol that followed the three Tamil-Brahmi letters showed an etched gem and bead, with a thread coming out of the bead. According to Mr. Mahadevan, the script could be dated to the first century A.D. The grave belonged to a royal personage. Mr. Mahadevan said the site called for greater exploration and more allocation of funds from the Central Institute of Classical Tamil.

Graffiti marks?

Opinion is, however, divided on whether the three letters are in Tamil-Brahmi or they are graffiti marks. Dr. Rajan quoted Y. Subbarayalu, Head of the Department of Indology, the French Institute of Pondicherry, and epigraphist S. Rajagopal as saying they were graffiti marks. However, V. Vedachalam, retired senior epigraphist, Tamil Nadu Archaeology Department, and S. Rajavelu, senior epigraphist, Archaeological Survey of India, agreed with Mr. Mahadevan that it was Tamil-Brahmi. Dr. Vedachalam said the symbol of the bead had been found on every pot found in the cist-burial.

The cist is at the centre of a circle of boulders. It has two chambers, one in the northern direction and the other in the southern direction. The dividing slab has a port-hole. Both chambers yielded four-legged jars and pottery. The ring-stand, with the carved script on its surface, was placed at the centre of the northern chamber. Around the ring-stand were 22 beautiful, etched carnelian beads; inside were five more beads.

This grave alone yielded 7,500 beads made of steatite, carnelian, quartz and agate. “These are the largest number of beads collected from any grave in Tamil Nadu,” Dr. Rajan said. Porunthal was an important bead-making centre. Another important find was 2 kg of well-preserved paddy inside a four-legged jar.

Dr. Rajan added: “The occurrence of paddy in a 2000-year old grave reflects the agricultural potential of the period. The richness of the grave goods, the size of the chamber, the high level of rituals performed, the finding of the script, paddy and the stirrups point to the importance of the man who was buried there.”

Students from four universities including Mangalore, Sri Venkateswara (Tirupati), Tamil (Thanjavur) and Pondicherry conducted the excavations in both places.

Anwar: Scrap use of English for Science and Maths

The Star

PETALING JAYA: Scrap the policy of teaching Science and Mathe-matics in English and bring back Bahasa Melayu as the medium of instruction in the education system, said Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

He also called for the return of Bahasa Melayu’s status as the supreme language, which includes using it as the medium to teach Science and Maths in national schools and also strengthening its usage in Chinese and Tamil schools.

“This issue has become a controversy for far too long.

“We consider this policy a betrayal of Bahasa Melayu as our official language,” he told a press conference yesterday.

Anwar, however, conceded that it was important to master English and agreed that there should be constructive steps taken to improve the usage and understanding of the language.

“But how we do it should be decided by educationists and with consideration towards the national education policy.

“This includes not forcing our children to pass English as a compulsory subject in the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) as this will result in many students, especially in rural areas, to fail,” added Anwar.

On another matter, Anwar questioned Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak’s sincerity when announcing the government’s plan to introduce a new category of Public Service Department (PSD) scholarships which would be based purely on merit.

“The last time when I suggested the plan, I was called a Chinese agent and a traitor to the Malays,” he said.

Anwar also lauded PAS spiritual leader Datuk Nik Aziz Nik Mat’s proposal to have a debate with Najib.

He said an open debate would be the best way to clear up the accusations against the Kelantan Mentri Besar.

Scholarships: Najib copies & plagarises Pakatan (but what is this ‘new category only’ really?), Muhyiddin threatens fighting to the last drop of blood

Nathaniel Tan

Tsk, tsk - Najib isn’t able to come up with a single original idea of his own. Desperate to reclaim even an inch of the miles of non-Malay ground that he has lost, he resorts to adopting Pakatan policies.

Don’t take my word for it, check out PKR’s 2008 Manifesto, especially the section on education. Some quotes:

Furthermore, scholarships for overseas studies must be increased and guaranteed for students who attain a certain standard of achievement in their examinations. This will allow Malaysia’s best and brightest to reach their maximum potential and pave the way for them to bring back cutting edge skills and experience back into the country.

and

KeADILan’s vision for better education will:

1. Ensure universal access to high quality education by making school from kindergarten to university is completely free of charge for all Malaysians.

2. Guarantee government scholarships for students with a minimum of 4 A’s in their STPM and who are admitted into top international universities. Special attention will be given to poor families and students from rural areas.

Copycat.

Worse yet, he isn’t *really* making scholarships merit based, as the spin doctors would have you believe. Observe carefully:

A new category of Public Service Department (PSD) scholarships will be introduced next year based purely on merit, regardless of race.

New category?! What the heck is that?

So, the government will award merit-based scholarships to….. five people? I like how there is absolutely no elaboration on this vague ‘new category.’

The likely truth of the matter - and how Najib is gonna sell this quietly to his dwindling Umno faithful - is that the main body of scholarships will be given out in exactly the same manner as all things NEP: on the basis of race, and to selected cronies at the expense of the poor.

Why do we need a ‘new category?’ Does it not merely perpetuate the division of society (one system for sejenis, another system for jenis-jenis yang lain?) - that same root of all barriers to unity in this country?

This of course, is entirely consistent. Look what Muhyiddin had to say on the exact same day to offset any backlash:

Umno will fight to the last drop of blood to protect Malay rights, the status of the Malay Rulers, Bahasa Malaysia and Islam.

I will fight to defend these too, but really, is it a coincidence that Umno chose to use such martial and violent analogies on that day? To the last drop indeed :P

And how merit based will it really be anyway?

Najib: “We will announce it next year and with the plan to limit the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia to 10 subjects, we expect to see a more level playing field,”

“So the best of the best and the creme de la creme will get aid for higher studies.”

Oh really? And how will you determine that?

I agree with YB Lim who said that maybe 20 SPM subjects is too much. But is say, 15 subjects, really too much? Or is this whole subject cap designed so that differentiating between 10A students can be done on a more ’subjective’ (read: discretionary) basis?

Once again, this subject cap gimmick not only prevents people from learning as much as they can and want too, it also is merely to save the government the embarrassment of not funding the real top scorers (and God alone knows why they haven’t, all these years).

So, while Najib plagarises Pakatan’s ideas, he’s obviously secretly evading any true change of heart. Are you gonna let him have his cake and eat it?

I think it’s obvious we would *never* see such changes if not for the electoral gains of 2008. The question now is whether we convert those gains to meaningful change in GE13, or whether we put up with these half-hearted, spin-doctored, con-jobs measures

*

The Star is so funny:

The new merit-based category of Public Service Department (PSD) scholarships from next year has received overwhelming support from various quarters.

Various eh? Let’s look at the list of people quoted in the article, who do we see? MCA, MCA again, MIC, MIC again, Umno, Lee Lam Thye.

:|

I also enjoyed Anwar’s comments:

“The PKR policy has been in favour of aid to the deserving and the underprivileged irrespective of race. Now the BN wants to hijack our agenda. When we announced our agenda, I was derided as a Chinese agent, even a Jewish conspirator, among other things,” he chuckled.

“I wonder what they are going to call Najib now that he appears to be taking a leaf of our book,” said Anwar.

Michael Jackson tops album chart

Number Ones last topped the UK album chart in 2003

Michael Jackson has topped the UK album chart and made six new entries in the singles top 40, six years after his last number one.

Greatest hits album Number Ones rocketed from 121 to the top spot after a surge in sales since the superstar's death on Thursday.

The same album earned Jackson his last number one when first released in 2003.

Four of his other hit albums also made a reappearance in the top 20, the Official Charts Company said.

Thriller, still the biggest-selling album of all time, raced from 179 to number seven, King of Pop reached 14, Off The Wall got to 17 and The Essential Michael Jackson came in at number 20.

A total of 11 Michael Jackson or Jackson Five albums featured in the top 200.

In the singles chart, 43 out of the top 200 singles feature the singer, with Jackson hits accounting for all but one of the new entries in the top 40.

Overall, Michael Jackson accounted for over 300,000 record sales across singles and albums in just two days this week.

World domination

Music retailers said that although demand for Jackson's singles had been high since his death, his extensive back catalogue meant that no one song stood out in sales and he was narrowly denied a posthumous entry in the top 10.

Stores have seen a surge in sales of Jackson's albums

Man in the Mirror re-entered the charts at number 11, nearly 20 years after its original release, while Billie Jean got to 25, Smooth Criminal to 28, Beat It reached 30 and Earth Song reached 38.

Jackson's return to the charts overshadowed electro-pop newcomer La Roux's new entry at number one in the singles chart with Bulletproof.

Kasabian also suffered and was knocked off the number one spot in the albums chart with West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum.

Gennaro Castaldo, of music retailer HMV, told the BBC the estimated demand for Jackson albums was now 80 times greater than the day before he died.

"Once we had the announcement of his death people came into our stores and we had large crowds.

"Fortunately we had a lot of stock because we had been preparing for the O2 concerts, but sadly we didn't expect to sell them for this reason."

'Larger in death'

Jackson's albums have dominated sales at music retailers and download sites across the world since his death. Earlier on Sunday his songs topped Apple's iTunes download charts in every country except Japan.

MICHAEL JACKSON 1958-2009 Full name: Michael Joseph Jackson Born: August 29, 1958, Gary, Indiana, US Also known as: The King of Pop, Wacko Jacko Biggest hits: I Want You Back, Don't Stop Til You Get Enough, Billie Jean, Bad, Black or White, Earth Song Sold:750 million albums Earned:$700 million (estimated)

The star died after suffering a cardiac arrest at his Los Angeles home on Thursday.

Police investigating the death said they had carried out an "extensive interview" with his doctor, Conrad Murray, who was with the singer at the time.

A spokeswoman for Dr Murray insisted he was not a suspect in the case and the Los Angeles Police Department said they did not intend to speak to him again.

Jackson's family are said to be seeking a second autopsy because they still have questions about his death.

The Los Angeles County Coroner's office said there was no evidence of foul play after an autopsy on Friday, but gave no cause of death.

It said the results of toxicology tests could take weeks to come back.

Speaking in an interview with Fox News, Michael Jackson's father, Joe Jackson, said he doubted that stress over the star's upcoming residency at London's O2 Arena was a factor in his death.

He added he thought his son was going to be larger in death than he was in life, but wished he was around to see the public outpouring of affection since he died.

DAP wants Umno to stop sending sending mixed signals on race and quotas

By Neville Spykerman - The Malaysian Insider

KUALA LUMPUR, June 28- The DAP backs Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s reform plans but is concerned with the administration’s mixed signals on Malay rights.

Tony Pua, the party’s national publicity secretary, pointed out that while the prime minister spoke last night about removing quotas and merit-based national scholarships his deputy had promised on the same day that “Umno would fight to the last drop of blood to protect Malay rights”.

He said that although the DAP welcomes Najib’s announcement in Putrajaya last night, Barisan Nasional (BN) should stop the policy of divide and rule among Malaysians of all races.

During the dinner hosted by the MCA and the Associated Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (ACCCIM), Najib acknowledged that the quota system was flawed and did not benefit Bumiputeras.

Datuk Seri Muhyiddin Yassin was present at the same dinner but according to Pua, he had stirred up Malay racial sentiments in his speech earlier in Pagoh, Johor.

“Taken together with the Prime Minister’s own persistence in Malay-Muslim unity talks with PAS, it raises the question as to whether BN is continuing the policy of “singing a different song to a different racial audience”.

He said this flies in the face of the 1 Malaysia concept being preached by Najib.

Pua said that Umno continues to place Malay unity and Malay rights above all else under its “Ketuanan Melayu” banner while all other BN component parties and ethnic groups are subjugated to its authority.

However, he said the DAP was willing to fully support the prime minister to remove the inefficient and ineffective quota system and replace it with a policy which promotes meritocracy in all sectors including education and the economy.

The policy on meritocracy should be complemented with an affirmative

action policy based on needs and not race.

“We would fully support all efforts to improve the economic livelihood of all poor Bumiputeras and Malaysians.”

He agreed with the PM that the quota system under the New Economic Policy (NEP) has failed the Bumiputeras.

The NEP promotes a rent-seeking culture, cronyism and corruption while benefiting only those who are politically connected, he said.

“We call on the Prime Minister to put his words into action by delivering a ministerial statement in Parliament to call for the removal of the quota-based NEP.”

Mahathir: "... macam makan babi"

Hindraf warns Penang gov't over 'High Chaparral' - Malaysiakini

The Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf) today called on the Penang Pakatan Rakyat government to end the predicament of some 300 ‘Tamil High Chaparral’ Kampung Buah Pala residents.

MCPX

Or else the influential movement would withdraw support for the coalition in future electoral battles, warned its London-based leader, P Waythamoorthy.

He urged Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng to heed to the call made by villagers and civil societies to gazette the ‘Tamil High Chaparral’ as a living cultural heritage urban village.

According to Waythamoorthy, the DAP-led state government should not push Indian Malaysians to a corner, like what Barisan Nasional had done all these years.

“Otherwise, Pakatan Rakyat and Penang government would face Hindraf’s wrath in the next election,” he told Malaysiakini today.

Waythamoorthy slammed Lim’s administration of not fulfilling its responsibilities to end the impasse and for its unwillingness to resolve the villagers’ quandary.

He chided the state government for not showing any interest to preserve the last remaining Indian traditional village in Penang.

“It’s a clear attitude of arrogance ... forgetting the plight of the poor and defenceless after winning the general election.

“The DAP-dominated state government has betrayed the people’s trust. It has failed to protect the weak and the marginalised,” said Waythamoorthy.

He said Hindraf could not comprehend the state government’s nonchalant attitude on the issue, especially when the state government had acknowledged existence of possible wrongdoing in the village land deals.

The Penang government has set up an investigating team headed by Deputy Chief Minister 1 Mansor Othman to probe into the land deals.

Waythamoorthy smacked the Pakatan coalition of falsely portraying itself as champions of justice, fairness and equality when the villagers’ unresolved dilemma proved that the Penang government had failed to “walk its talk.”

“What’s happening in Penang is pathetic. The state government has deliberately refused to exercise its executive powers to protect the village as a heritage,” said the self-exiled human rights leader, who plans to return Malaysia by next month.

Land taken over by BN state gov’t

The current residents and their ancestors have lived in Kampung Buah Pala in Bukit Gelugor, for nearly 200 years, which originally was a housing trust under the Housing Trust Act of 1950.

The original owner of the once coconut plantation area, David Brown, had gifted the land to the current villagers' forefathers.

However, after independence, the Barisan Nasional state government took over the village as the land trustee and collected temporary occupational licence (TOL) rents until 2005.

In that year, the land office alienated the land to the state government before it was subsequently sold for some RM3.21 million to a civil servants cooperative society, the Koperasi Pegawai Kanan Kerajaan Pulau Pinang.

The cooperative has subsequently engaged Nusmetro Venture (P) Sdn Bhd to develop a lucrative housing project, the Oasis.

Early this month, the village residents' association lodged a report to the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission alleging fraud in the land alienation and transfer carried out by the northeast district land office.

The villagers now face eviction on July 2 after their appeal to annul the land deals and stop the Oasis project was dismissed by the Federal Court.

Waythamoorthy said Hindraf would hold DAP and its allies accountable for their inaction.

He said Hindraf faced difficulties in explaining to the Indian masses on the deliberate inaction of the state government to exercise the powers conferred upon it by National Land Code and Land Acquisition Act.

The Hindraf chief rebuked claims that the Kampung Buah Pala residents were arrogant for not accepting the compensation initially proposed by the developer.

He said the villagers have only asked for the authorities to protect their constitutional rights to live in their ancestral village.

“Is this too much to ask from a state government which portrays itself as a people’s government?” asked Waythamoorthy.

Waythamoorthy’s elder brother, P Uthayakumar, who is legal advisor to Hindraf, paid a visit to the embattled village early this month. (photo)