Wednesday, 16 September 2009

Saudara Lim, maybe I can help reply to your question

“The government must punish all those lawbreakers, only then can it regain the public’s confidence. In the past, the public did not see those who abused their power getting punished, resulting in more abuses of power. As such, it (making the PKFZ audit report public) is a good start,” said Tun Daim Zainuddin.

NO HOLDS BARRED

Raja Petra Kamarudin

It is a great disappointment that the MCA Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) is not being used for a united MCA call for a Royal Commission of Inquiry into the RM12.5 billion Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ) scandal to bring to book all MCA, Umno and Barisan Nasional leaders implicated in the “mother of all scandals”.

When former Finance Minister Tun Daim Zainuddin could say that the PKFZ fiasco provides the Barisan Nasional government the best opportunity to fulfill its promise of cracking down on corruption, abuse of power and mismanagement, why are MCA, Umno and other Barisan Nasional component parties dragging their feet when they should be acting decisively to identity and punish the wrongdoers, without fear or favour and regardless of their present or past position or status?

Daim speaks with great authority, knowledge and experience when he said:

(READ MORE HERE: Daim: PKFZ fiasco provides best opportunity)

Daim cannot be more right as witnessed the five-fold multiplication of the first major financial scandal in the Mahathir premiership some three decades ago – the RM2.5 billion Bumiputra Malaysia Finance (BMF) scandal – to the present RM12.5 billion PKFZ scandal!

The Cabinet decision last week to set up a super task force, headed by Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Mohd Sidek Hassan, to take over all investigations into the PKFZ scandal is not a demonstration of political will to get to the bottom of the “mother of all scandals” but the opposite.

I see it as a major step backwards in public accountability and good governance, as it smacks of being a super “cover up” task force for the PKFZ scandal.

What is needed is a Royal Commission of Inquiry to conduct a comprehensive and no-holds-barred investigation into the “mother of all scandals” including relevant Ministerial and Cabinet aspects of the scandal instead of trying to sweep the whole issue back under the carpet.

In the first place, is Mohd Sidek the most appropriate person to head the super task force on the PKFZ scandal?

Before Mohd Sidek takes up this appointment, he should explain to the Malaysian public why he had failed in the past two years to carry out the Cabinet decision in July 2007 when it resolved on the RM4.6 billion bailout of PKFZ, including giving retrospective approval to the four illegal Letters of Support unlawfully given by the two previous Transport Ministers, Tun Dr. Ling Liong Sik and Tan Sri Chan Kong Choy, that the Chief Secretary should conduct an inquiry as to how the four Letters of Support could have issued unlawfully and to take the necessary disciplinary actions against the culprits who have now landed the country with a RM12.5 billion PKFZ scandal.

Did Mohd Sidek carry out such an inquiry as not a single culprit had been identified, let alone penalised for the unlawful issue of the four Letters of Support in the past two years?

Clearly, Mohd Sidek had not carried out the Cabinet instruction or there would not be today a merry-go-round of multiple investigations into the PKFZ scandal, but all without the necessary sweeping powers to get to the bottom of the scandal.

Can Mohd Sidek succeed where he had failed in the past two years?

This is why the MCA, as the party which is most implicated in the PKFA scandal as so many MCA top leaders were involved whether as Transport Minister or Port Klang Authority Chairman, should take a stand to ensure that there should be no further cover-up of the PKFZ scandal and its EGM should, among other things, demonstrate the undivided support of the MCA delegates for a Royal Commission of Inquiry to bring to book all MCA, Umno and BN leaders implicated in the PKFZ “mother of all scandals”.

Lim Kit Siang, 15 September 2009

Tony Fernandes takes 1 Malaysia into Formula One

A model of the new 1 Malaysia team car unveiled today in Putrajaya. - Reuters pic

LONDON, Sept 15 — Formula One’s governing body today named Lotus as the 13th team for the 2010 championship. The new outfit will be led by Tony Fernandes of Malaysia, it was announced here.

In Kuala Lumpur, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak also confirmed the news and said the team will be known as the 1 Malaysia Formula One team, although Reuters quotes the FIA as calling the new outfit the Lotus F1 team.

According to Reuters, the new team is a partnership between the Malaysian government and a consortium of Malaysian entrepreneurs.

The FIA said the team principal will be leading Malaysian entrepreneur Tony Fernandes. The 45-year-old set up Asian budget airline Air Asia and, with a net worth of US$220 million (RM770.57 million), is Malaysia’s 15th richest man, according to Forbes Malaysia 2009 rich list.

Investors in the new team are Air Asia co-founders Datuk Kamarudin Meranun and Fernandes as well as SM Nasarudin SM Nasimuddin of Naza.

Technical director Mike Gascoyne has more than 20 years of experience in Formula One having previously performed the same role for the Force India, Toyota, Renault and Jordan Formula One teams.

As part of its application to compete in the 2010 championship, the Lotus team agreed an engine supply deal with Cosworth.

The team will initially be based in Norfolk, some 10 miles from the Lotus Cars factory in Eastern England.

The team’s future design, manufacturing and technical centre will be purpose built at Malaysia’s Sepang International Circuit, the FIA statement said.

1Malaysia is Najib’s platform for uniting Malaysians irrespective of ethnicity and creating a performance based culture.

The concept has gotten mixed reviews as some have praised its objectives while others have criticised its vagueness, which Najib says is deliberate.

The Malaysian government has gone on overdrive to promote 1Malaysia via billboards and song competitions.

Najib declined to disclose the amount that the public-private initiative will cost.

He added however that the government’s investment will be via proton.

Lotus, one of the most successful and glorious names from Formula One’s past, will return next year replacing BMW-Sauber as the 13th entry on the starting grid.

The governing International Automobile Federation (FIA) said in a statement that, after due diligence and an intensive selection process, it had chosen Lotus.

“The cars will be made in Malaysia, by Malaysians,” the Malaysian government said in a separate statement.

The vacancy arose after BMW announced that they were withdrawing at the end of the season, following a path already trodden by Japan’s Honda.

The FIA said BMW-Sauber, who are still seeking a buyer, had been given a reserve slot to fill any vacancy that might occur between now and the start of the 2010 championship.

“The team will announce its two drivers by October 31, 2009. Currently six local and international drivers have been selected,” the Malaysian government said.

Three teams had been on the FIA shortlist for the 13th slot: Lotus, a BMW-Sauber entry to be renamed under eventual new ownership and Spain’s Epsilon Euskadi.

The original Lotus won seven Formula One constructors’ titles and six drivers’ crowns between 1963 and 1978 under the inspirational leadership of the late Colin Chapman, one of the most innovative engineers in the sport.

Chapman died of a heart attack in 1982 and the company slid into administration in 1994 after giving the late Brazilian Ayrton Senna his first victory in 1985.

British great Jim Clark spent his entire F1 career with Lotus, winning two titles. The team’s other champions include compatriot Graham Hill, Brazilian Emerson Fittipaldi and American Mario Andretti.

In 1970 the team’s Austrian driver Jochen Rindt became the sport’s only posthumous champion.

The right to the Lotus F1 name was acquired by David Hunt, brother of the 1976 champion James, while the British-based car company was bought by Malaysian state-owned Proton.

Guan Eng: Najib tougher to beat, compared to Badawi

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 15 — Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng has conceded that Datuk Seri Najib Razak will be more difficult to displace as prime minister as he has proven to be a more effective political leader than his predecessor, Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

In an interview with the Financial Times of London published today, Lim, who is already setting his sights on the next general election, said: “There is a chance (of the opposition winning a parliamentary majority), but it is not going to be easy. It is probably harder under Najib than under Abdullah. I think Najib can get things done better than Abdullah.”

The report, written by its Singapore correspondent, Kevin Brown, said the comments of Lim, who is also secretary-general of the Democratic Action Party (DAP), were in contrast with the aggressive rhetoric of Opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, who had suggested that the Barisan Nasional-led federal government could be forced out before the next election by defections from its parliamentary ranks. Pakatan Rakyat has 83 seats in the 222-seat Dewan Rakyat and needs to win 29 more parliamentary seats to take power.

The report said that Najib, since taking over as prime minister in April this year, had been reaching out to woo voters by being more encompassing in his policies for all ethnic groups, speaking out against corruption, freeing political prisoners and focusing campaigning resources on winnable seats.

To drive home the point, the report said Najib recently announced an inquiry into the Port Klang Free Zone, a port development project alleged to be plagued by cost overruns.

Recently, CLSA Asia-Pacific Markets, an independent brokerage and investment group headquartered in Hong Kong, said Najib had covered good ground since taking office with a number of positive and impressive policies and actions.

They include liberalising the New Economic Policy, ensuring greater transparency, speeding up the award of government infrastructure projects and improving ties with Singapore to draw more foreign direct investments into Iskandar Malaysia, a development region in Johor twice the size of Singapore.

Labelling Najib’s positive economic and social reforms as “Najibnomics”, given his economics background, it said they were aimed at stimulating the local economy, attracting foreign investments and foreign talent, reducing bureaucracy, tackling crime and corruption, effecting greater accountability and promoting national unity (through the 1Malaysia concept).

With his background on industrial economics from the University of Nottingham, CLSA said, Najib had been quick to effect various fiscal, government and structural reforms. — Bernama

The Dalang behind the Wayang — Dr Farish A. Noor

SEPT 15 — Countries do not behave in a hostile manner against other countries for no apparent reason; and they do not engage in hate campaigns without someone orchestrating them. The downturn in Malaysian-Indonesian relations today has taken place over a series of related incidents, many of which were sparked by news reports of ill-treatment and abuse of Indonesian workers at the hands of Malaysians.

Needless to say, the fact that Malaysia’s own record when it comes to the treatment of foreigners is appalling has given substance to much of the hate-mongering that is taking place in Indonesia today.

But at the same time we need to understand the current goings-on in Indonesia from a more nuanced and detailed perspective, and to identify who are the real actors and agents behind the rise of the newly-minted self-appointed militias and vigilante groups such as the Benteng Demokrasi Rakyat (Bendera) that are currently on the prowl in Jakarta and other cities, looking for Malaysians to ‘sweep’ out of their country.

Let us remember that this year Indonesia witnessed the re-election of President Bambang Susilo Yudhoyono (SBY), and the victory of his Partai Demokrat (PD). SBY’s victory comes as an unprecedented and welcomed surprise for the other countries of Southeast Asia, as it demonstrated the maturity of the Indonesian electorate and the development of perhaps the biggest real democracy in the Asean region.

The growth of democracy in Indonesia can only be good news for the rest of Asean, and for the region’s pro-democracy movements as well.

Yet as soon as the results were announced, dissenting voices could be heard from SBY’s competitors and other political parties such as the PDI-P under the leadership of Megawati Sukarnoputri. Since then, the heated discussions about the election results and procedures have continued unabated.

It is widely known in Indonesia that SBY and the PD’s victory has been contested from the start till now. Furthermore there are those who wish to use every opportunity to weaken his stand and to discredit him both domestically and internationally. Even during the election campaign, SBY was attacked by Megawati and the PDI-P for not doing enough to protect Indonesian workers in Malaysia and other countries; and SBY was painted as being too ‘soft’ on Malaysia. These are the very same allegations being made against him by the right-wing militias and vigilantes today.

So who are the ones who have been at the forefront of this campaign to demonise Malaysia and discredit SBY and the PD at the same time? Well, for a start, one has to look at the role of the Indonesian media, which happens to be the freest in Asean at the moment. Responsible newspapers and magazines such as the Jakarta Post, Tempo and Republika have been giving objective coverage of the issue, and different voices have been heard in their editorials, giving a balanced coverage of the Malaysia-Indonesia spat.

However one private TV channel — Metro TV — has been at the front of the campaign to highlight the issue, and it was Metro TV “that first blew up the story of the Pendet dance ad used by the Malaysian tourist agency”, according to veteran journalist Yoebal Rasyid. “For me, this is an instance where the TV station was using the issue to give the impression that SBY is weak”. It should be noted that the man behind Metro TV is Surya Paloh, a prominent member of the Golkar Party and who had once put himself forward for the post of President of Indonesia. Paloh is also known as one of the more vocal critics of SBY, and his hugely popular Metro TV remains his most powerful assent in the political landscape of Indonesia today.

Its is also interesting to note that the anti-Malaysian demonstrations have taken on the historically loaded semiotics of the Konfrontasi between Indonesia and Malaysia in the early 1960s. “There are Sukarnoist elements behind the rhetoric”, notes Prof Bambang Setiaji, rector of Muhamadiyah University Surakarta (UMS), who also notes that the dominant theme of the vigilante groups is the “defence of a united Indonesia”, harking back to the nationalist rhetoric of the Sukarno era.

So what seems to be happening at the moment is the conjunction of a range of unconnected but related agendas on the part of a myriad of actors and agents: “Islamic Youth groups that were formerly close to Golkar have also joined in the anti-Malaysian campaign; the PDI of Megawati is cashing in on the issue to rekindle the faded nostalgia of Sukarno, Megawati’s father; and local preman gangsters and thugs are jumping on the bandwagon just to make some quick money too”, noted another prominent Indonesian journalist.

But perhaps the saddest aspect of this latest wayang in Indonesia politics is that SBY and the PD-led government are not the only victims, but more so the people of Indonesia and the image of the country. As Dr Yusron Razak of the Sharif Hidayatullah Islamic University of Jakarta ‘as a result of this, now all Indonesians look bad, and Indonesia’s image is that of an unstable society’. In the days and weeks to come President Yudhoyono will have to bite the bullet and take the militias head-on to demonstrate that it is he, and not them, who was elected to serve as the President of the country.

But in the meantime the dalangs behind the wayang to discredit SBY will also be doing their best to destroy him reputation and image, and that of Indonesia’s too. — www.othermalaysia.org

Dr Farish A Noor is senior fellow at the S Rajaratnam School of International Studies, NTU, Singapore and affiliated professor at Universitas Muhamadiyah Surakarta, Indonesia. This article was originally titled The Dalang Behind The Wayang: Identifying the Actors and Agents behind the anti-Malaysian Demos in Indonesia and first appeared in www.othermalaysia.org

Lim Guan Eng, Chinese gangsters & UMNO police force gang up to demolish Kg.Buah Pala

Lim Guan Eng, Chinese gangsters & UMNO police force gang up to demolish Kg.Buah Pala the last Indian haritage village in Penang. See Photo’s of this atrocities. Anwar Ibrahim, Lim Kit Siang & Hadi Awang watch quitely as the victims are merely Indians. Welldone DAP, PKR & PAS.

No Birth Certificate & IC, Indian girl disallowed into school & can’t sit for SPM

Statement (No 19) by P. Uthayakumar to the Government of Malaysia for which we expect a reply:

Juana an Indian girl was told to leave school and was also stopped from sitting for her SPM exams because the UMNO controlled Malaysia government deliberately and maliciously in pursuit of their racist and religious extremist policies refused to issue her her due Birth Certificate and Identity Card. The BC and IC should have been given to her as of right as per Article 14 of the Federal Constitution- Citizenship by operation of law, the following persons are citizens by operation of law :- for every person born on or after Malaysia Day. Juana’s parents Gabriel Johnson,55 & Mariah Nathan,50 (The Star 15/09/09 at page N20) were denied their BC and IC. And now Juana face the same problem. And so will Juana’s children and most likely even her generations to come. After an appeal by an NGO Juana has been allowed to sit for her SPM exams but only as an exception. The Indians are now expected to be grateful to UMNO for this. And The Star newsreport like almost all other UMNO controlled print and electronic media gives the impression that all her problems all and all the problems of the Indians have been solved. Juana will next not be allowed to sit her STPM enter a public University or get a study loan or scholarship. Juana’s is not an isolated case. This is only the tip of the iceberg. 150,000 other Indians cannot open a bank account, cannot buy a motorcycle, car or cannot even get married legally because they have unlawfully and unconstitutionally been denied their B.C and I.C. PAS, PKR & DAP does not care either for these working class Indians as they are merely Indians with no political power or economic clout. The Indian Political empowerment strategy is the only way forward.

« Lim Guan Eng, Chinese gangsters & UMNO police force gang up to demolish Kg.Buah Pala the last Indian haritage village in Penang. See Photo’s of this atrocities. Anwar Ibrahim, Lim Kit Siang & Hadi Awang watch quitely as the victims are merely Indians. Welldone DAP, PKR & PAS.

Chief Secretary should explain why he had failed in past two years to carry out Cabinet mandate to identify and punish culprits responsible for the un

By Lim Kit Siang,

Daim speaks with great authority, knowledge and experience when he said:

“The government must punish all those lawbreakers, only then can it regain the public’s confidence.

“In the past, the public did not see those who abused their power getting punished, resulting in more abuses of power. As such, it (making the PKFZ audit report public) is a good start”.

I see it as a major step backwards in public accountability and good governance, as it smacks of being a super “cover up” task force for the PKFZ scandal.

In the first place, is Mohd Sidek the most appropriate person to head the super task force on the PKFZ scandal?

Did Mohd Sidek carry out such an inquiry as not a single culprit had been identified, let alone penalised for the unlawful issue of the four Letters of Support in the past two years?

Can Mohd Sidek succeed where he had failed in the past two years?

Garland of Slippers and Shoe Throwing

The guy who threw a shoe at former US President George Bush has been released from Iraqi prison today and many Iraqis consider him to be a hero. M. Sugumaran, the Paya Besar MIC division delegate, who suggested putting ‘garland of slippers’ for Mahathir’s portrait at the recently concluded MIC AGM seems to be not so fortunate like the Iraqi guy. Voices condemnation of his mere suggestion, not in action like the Iraqi guy, is keep increasing even after being suspended from the party.

Will UMNO and others condemn the Iraqi man in the same manner?

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

Bush 'shoe thrower' unrepentant after jail release

BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) Sept 2009 -- The Iraqi man who threw his shoes at then-U.S. President George W. Bush last year was unapologetic for his act of protest after his release Tuesday.

Muntadhar al-Zaidi speaks to reporters shorlty after his release from an Iraqi jail.

"I got my chance and I didn't miss it," said Muntadhar al-Zaidi, speaking to reporters shortly after he was freed from jail.

"I am not a hero and I admit that," he said. "I am a person with a stance. I saw my country burning."

Al-Zaidi, who was serving a one-year sentence after the jail-throwing incident on December 14, was given a "conditional discharge."

Under Iraqi law, a "conditional discharge" allows for the release of a prisoner after he serves three-quarters of his sentence, on good behavior.

Soon afterward, the 30-year-old journalist was led into the studios of his employer, Al-Baghdadia TV, where he spoke to reporters wearing a sash in the colors of the Iraqi national flag around his shoulders.

Al-Zaidi said he was compelled to act after witnessing what the U.S. invasion had wrought on his country: orphans, widows, refugees.

Al-Zaidi, who was serving a one-year sentence after the jail-throwing incident on December 14, was given a "conditional discharge."

Under Iraqi law, a "conditional discharge" allows for the release of a prisoner after he serves three-quarters of his sentence, on good behavior.

Al-Zaidi said he was compelled to act after witnessing what the U.S. invasion had wrought on his country: orphans, widows, refugees.

That chance came at a December 14 news conference when al-Zaidi threw both his shoes at Bush and called him a "dog" -- two of the worst insults in the Middle East. Bush ducked the shoes and was not hurt.

During his remarks, al-Zaidi offered one apology: to fellow journalists who perceived his act as unprofessionalism. Was a jail sentence too harsh a punishment?

"Professionalism does not preclude nationalism," he said.

Al-Zaidi was sentenced to jail for "assaulting a foreign head of state on an official visit to Iraq."

His original three-year sentence was reduced to a single year by an appellate court in April.

The journalist's family and supporters had waited for two days outside the Baghdad jail where he was held, initially hoping he would be freed on Monday, but procedural delays kept that from happening.

Last week, al-Zaidi's family prepared for his release, plastering the walls of their modest Baghdad home with his posters.

"We are happy, like any detainee's family would be happy for the release of its son after the bitter time he spent in jail," brother Dhirgham al-Zaidi said.

He said the family had received many phone calls from supporters across the country who planned to travel to Baghdad and welcome al-Zaidi after his release.

Though many Iraqis hold Bush in low esteem, opinions were mixed in Iraq following the incident. Some viewed al-Zaidi as a hero, with thousands taking to the streets, calling for his release; others said his act went against Arab traditions of honoring guests.

Al-Zaidi's brothers said they had been offered many gifts and financial rewards, though they had rejected them.

*******

"MIC should have taken action immediately, not only after the brouhaha and only after it looked like Samy Vellu needed to engage in damage control. The action that MIC has just taken is too little, too late. The damage has already been done. MIC must learn how to agree to disagree with proper etiquette and protocol.

MIC has demonstrated biadap (insolence). Suspending the member who committed the offence many days later is too little, too late".

- Raja Petra Kamarudin, malaysiantoday.net

MIC Elections 2009: Muhyiddin Wants Samy Vellu To Take Action

PUTRAJAYA, Sept 15 (Bernama) -- Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin wants MIC president Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu to take action against the MIC delegate who had suggested placing a 'garland of slippers' on the portrait of former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

He said this was because the suggestion was considered to be disrespectful to the leader, and 'the faster action is taken, the better'.

"This is because we don't want relations between us (Umno) and the BN (Barisan Nasional) component parties to be strained.

"It is important at this stage that we strengthen solidarity, how we can strengthen further the Barisan Nasional and help each other. And if there is such a view, the party concerned must act to avoid tension," Muhyiddin said after chairing a meeting between the Higher Education Ministry and the Malaysian Islamic Development Department (Jakim) on the direction of the religious stream, here on Tuesday.

He said this when asked to comment on the suggestion made by a delegate at the MIC general assembly following the statement by the former prime minister which was claimed to be interfering in the internal affairs of the MIC.

Muhyiddin said the suggestion was certainly rude and disrespectful to the leader.

Asked on Samy Vellu's statement that the Indians were upset with the BN and not him, Muhyiddin said: "I don't think that is quiet correct, but of course he has his own right to speak the way he spoke."

"You say that it is not a rejection of the MIC but a rejection of the BN. The MIC is very much of component of the BN, and the BN is a bigger party comprising all the component parties."

Muhyiddin said the fact was that there were indications that many Malaysians, including the Indian community, had expressed their observation that there were weaknesses within the MIC.

"I'm not going to go into detail on this. What is important at this moment, as was mentioned by (Prime Minister) Datuk Seri Najib (Tun Razak) when he officiated the MIC delegates conference is for the party to regain the lost ground, the loss of confidence and trust," he said.

-- BERNAMA

Fiva ISA detainees released: Hishammuddin

PUTRAJAYA, 15 Sept 2009: Five more Internal Security Act (ISA) detainees, all members of Jemaah Islamiah Malaysia, were released this afternoon, Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein said today. They were Abdullah Daud, Mat Sah Mohd Satray, Ahmad Kamil Md Hanapiah, Mohd Nasir Ismail @ Hassan, and Muhammad Amir Md Hanapiah.

Hishammuddin said with the release, there were now nine people still under detention, comprising four Malaysian nationals. The rest were foreigners from Bangladesh, Pakistan, Thailand, Singapore and Indonesia.

"Their release today was to give them an opportunity to celebrate Aidilfitri with their respective families and has nothing to do with the by-election for the Bagan Pinang state seat," he told reporters.

Furthermore, Hishammuddin said the five were released because they had shown positive response to rehabilitation during their detention and were no longer considered a threat to national security.

Earlier, Hishammuddin had a meeting with representatives of the Malaysian Human Rights Commission (Suhakam) and the Syarie and Muslim Lawyers Association on the amendments to the ISA.

On the meeting, Hishammuddin said he was satisfied as the feedback received from parties concerned was not based on emotion but was instead concrete and rational and appreciated the threats faced by the government.

"But they want to see efforts taken at improving the mechanism so that the act is not abused, or seen to be having the potential for being abused," he said.

Among others, the discussion touched on the transparency of the ISA, the duration of detention, and treatment accorded to the detainees. — Bernama

Penan girls and women were sexually violated

By Ding Jo-Ann
thenutgraph.com

Shadowy interior of a Penan home (Pics courtesy of Sofiyah Israa @ Flickr)

PETALING JAYA, 9 Sept 2009: Nearly a year after, a government task force report has confirmed that Penan women and children in Sarawak were raped and sexually abused by timber workers.

The report by the national task force set up in October last year also found troubling incidents of children as young as 10 years old being sexually abused by the timber companies' truck drivers when they took the children to school.

The task force reported that students were "frequently molested" by the truck drivers.

"In one account, the truck driver molested a 14-year-old's breasts on the journey to school," the report, written in Malay, said.

It said that in another incident, a girl was taken away by the truck driver after the boys were told to get down from the vehicle. Other girls in the truck managed to escape, but were unable to help that one girl get down in time.

In yet another instance, a girl was riding, together with her father, in a timber truck to go to Long Bangan to apply for her identity card. "Halfway through the journey, the passengers were told to alight, but the driver hung on to Mary (not her real name) and sped off. He then stopped the truck, dragged her to a bush by the side of the road and tried to molest her.

"Her father and the other passengers ran after the truck after realising that Mary had been apprehended, and managed to catch up with them and stop any further abuse," the report said.

An interviewee told the task force she had been raped by the timber company's truck driver on her way to a neighbouring longhouse, in addition to being raped when she was 12 outside the school compound by an unidentified man.

"She recalled that the government used to provide vehicles to take them home from school during the term breaks. However, this had been discontinued, so they had to rely on the timber companies as the only means of transportation," the report noted.

In the absence of any viable alternatives such as proper tarred roads or school buses, Penan children who live in the interior are entirely reliant on the timber companies for transport as some of their schools are located four to six hours away by truck.

The report was prepared mostly from interviews conducted by ministry officials and other representatives, including women's groups, in November 2008 when they visited the Penan community in Sarawak. The task force was set up to investigate the allegations of rape and sexual abuse of Penan women and girls in the Baram district.

Surprising release

After close to a year of not wanting to make the report public, the Women, Family and Community Development Ministry released a copy of the report to Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) Wanita chief Zuraida Kamaruddin on 8 Sept.

"After months of unanswered calls and letters to the minister, I went to see the minister (Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil) yesterday and was informed by her staff that I could collect the report," Zuraida told The Nut Graph over the phone.

The report was subsequently made available to The Nut Graph via e-mail.

No explanation was given by the ministry as to why the report could not be made public initially. The ministry has also yet to explain why it took so long to make the report available to the public despite numerous calls to do so in the interest of public accountability.

Penan woman

Bigger picture

Apart from documenting the individual instances of rape and sexual abuse, the task force also found that the Penan were especially vulnerable because of their low socioeconomic status and lack of access to government and healthcare services.

The factors that cause the community's vulnerability include overdependence on timber companies for transportation and other services, poverty, and the remoteness of their villages.

The report also cited the Penan's distrust of the authorities, and their low self-esteem as a result of prejudices against them.

"All these factors — sexual violations, not having ICs, health problems, dropping out of schools — are closely related to imbalanced development. The lack of roads and public transportation causes the Penan difficulties in engaging with the outside world, including government agencies.

"In order to ensure more balanced development, the involvement of the Penan in matters that affect their lives must be increased," the report said.

The report also made several specific proposals to address sexual abuse, including raising awareness within the Penan community on personal safety, violence towards women, and sex education.

"Teachers in Penan schools would also need to be educated to be sensitive to the specific needs and difficulties faced by the community," the report said.

The task force also proposed for "trusted vehicle drivers" and a pupil management assistant to accompany the Penan children back to their villages. No specific proposals were mooted on how to make it easier for those who have been raped and sexually abused in the Penan community to report such incidents.

Despite the task force's findings, it remains to be seen whether any of the offenders will be charged and brought to justice for the sexual abuse perpetrated on the Penan women and children. Although several police reports have been made, it is unclear whether the police will be investigating the matter.

Penang boleh! Public road dug up, blocked - Anil Netto

The entrance to Jalan Kaki Bukit was today dug up, blocking access to Kampung Buah Pala from the Bukit Gelugor side and inconveniencing the public.

Staking a claim – Photo by Penang Media

Jalan Kaki Bukit links Bukit Gelugor to Jalan Yeap Chor Ee.

How is it possible that a public road could be blocked? Who is responsible for this? Is this another indication that anything goes in Penang?

Don’t tell me that this public road now belongs to the developer!

What do the state government and the municipal council have to say? Let’s have some CAT here.

Tanjung Tokong villagers oppose project - Anil Netto

Kampung Tanjung Tokong residents are opposing a RM1 billion “mixed development” project managed by Uda Holdings that could affect their 200-year-old settlement.

Photo courtesy of Wartawan Rasmi Laman Reformasi

This project is clearly a legacy of BN rule, but how will the Pakatan administration handle it?

According to the residents association chairman, Mohd Salleh Yahaya, the village once had over 500 houses. Some of these households were relocated to the Tanjung Tokong flats before the project stalled in the 1990s – only to be revived now.

The kampung was down to 310 houses. Later, 45 households were resettled in transit housing not far from Island Plaza after being convinced by Uda promises.

The remaining 265 or so houses will be affected in phases by the Uda project.

So far, 60 of the 310 households have received a compensation offer of a flat measuring 800-850 sq ft.

“Uda does not want to engage in direct negotiations with the village committee but instead prefers to negotiate with the local Umno and a friendly village group,” lamented Salleh, when contacted.

Classic developer’s divide-and-rule tactics.

“Cikgu Salleh”, as he is better known, had turned up to express solidarity with the Buah Pala villagers during one of the demolition attempts.

Like the Buah Pala villagers, these villagers just want to protect and preserve their traditional settlement, which is home to over a thousand families.

Judging the Judges: CJ means business or business as usual?

Loyar Burok (Used by permission)
Wong Fook Meng
September 15, 2009

This post is reproduced from here

Chief Justice Tan Sri Zaki Azmi seems to be initiating bold reforms and is raising the bar for our judiciary. According to media reports, he had even asked two High Court Judges to leave for being grossly inefficient. He is sending a clear and unmistakable signal: he means business.

Lawyers have noted that there are obvious improvements in the court system since Tan Sri Zaki took over the helm of the judiciary. Judicial officers are more prompt in disposing cases, court staff are more friendly and responsive, and the general work ethic of the court has improved.

Perhaps, after so many years of lagging behind in terms of having a world class judiciary, we are finally making some progress. Every positive step that we are taking should be celebrated.

Having said that, we must remember that we still have a long road ahead of us.

To begin with, there must be some serious cracks in the judicial appointment and promotion system which allows two “grossly inefficient” High Court Judges to hold such high office in our nation’s judicial hierarchy.

High Court Judges wield enormous powers and their decisions have far-reaching implications on the day-to-day life of Malaysians. In some cases, they even hold the power of life or death for accused persons. Entire fortunes of both companies and individuals hang in the balance as High Court Judges apply the law to the factual matrix of each case. As such, we must have people of the highest intellectual capacity, those with a rigorous work ethic and of unquestionable integrity sitting on the Bench.

Former Prime Minister Tun Abdullah Badawi left, as one of his administration’s, legacy the Judicial Appointments Commission. While the Commission boasts of eminent current and former judicial personalities, what is obviously missing is representation from the legal profession and civil society.

Compare our judicial appointment process with that of the United States. President Obama recently nominated Sonia Sotomayor to replace Justice Souter on the United States Supreme Court. However, before Justice Sotomayor could ascend to the Bench, she was subjected to intense and rigorous questioning before the Senate Judiciary Committee. She was grilled on issues ranging from her poorly chosen words in public speeches to her judicial temperament on the Bench before being confirmed as a Supreme Court Justice. The function of a Senate confirmation hearing is to ensure that a Supreme Court Justice is highly-qualified and of irreproachable integrity, suitable for the eminent office that he or she holds.

If we truly aspire to have a world class judiciary with world class judges, perhaps the appointment of our High Court Judges, Court of Appeal Judges and Federal Court Judges should include a (public?) hearing before the Judicial Appointment Commission. Nominees for the various positions should be tested on their mastery of the law, personal integrity and professional accomplishments and contribution to the legal profession.

They must be able to stand up to the most robust of scrutiny. And, the hearings should be carried out live, telecast, for all to see the quality of the nominees. The hearings should also involve representatives from the legal profession and civil society who may pose questions to the nominees. This will ensure that all the stakeholders of our judiciary are involved in the appointment process of judges.

Judges are the pillars of our judicial system and the ordinary people of Malaysia deserve only the most qualified people to sit on the Bench. We certainly need to weed out the “grossly inefficient” and Tan Sri Zaki’s bold initiative to ask the two errant High Court Judges to leave is a move in the right direction. However, we must continuously up the ante and strive for excellence.

Certainly, clearing the threshold of “grossly inefficient” is just passing the minimum standard. To have a world class judiciary, our judges must be meet the “maximum evaluation” test. For that to happen, the appointment of our judges must involve the various stakeholders.

Surely, if judges are going to sit in judgment of others for their entire professional tenure, the rakyat have the “right to first refusal”, and judge whether the nominees are, in the first place, qualified to sit as judges.

Majlis Peluncuran Buku “Anwar on Trial – In the Face of Injustice”

Suasana di Hotel de Palma petang semalam hening, menghimpunkan aktivis reformasi, penggerak lembaga kemasyarakatan dan barisan peguam saya sejak 1998.

Ikhtiar Pawancheek menyingkap semula secara teliti episod ngeri dan getir ketika itu amat menarik sekali. Beliau menukil dari adegan mahkamah, telatah hakim, dan suasana persekitaran serta reaksi masyarakat antarabangsa.

Pastinya catatan tersebut berharga sebagai dokumen sejarah dan lebih bererti sebagai pengajaran agar kezaliman dan kemusnahan badan kehakiman tidak berulang.

YM Raja Aziz Addruse petah mendedahkan krisis kehakiman 1988 dan keyakinan beliau sejak awal pengendalian kes saya pada 1998 bahawa sang penguasa sudah membuat ketetapan menghukum.

Sekali lagi – tahniah kpd Pawancheek, penerbit Gerakbudaya dan rakan-rakan. Keluarga Allahyarham Aris Chris Fernando juga bersama menyerikan majlis.

ANWAR IBRAHIM

———-

The Rule of Law and Judicial Independence

Speech by Dato’ Seri Anwar Ibrahim at the launching of “Anwar on Trial – In the Face of Injustice” by Pawancheek Marican in Kuala Lumpur on 14th September, 2009 at the De Palma Hotel, Ampang

Today I would like to share with you some thoughts about a subject which I believe is close to our hearts. Not just to politicians, lawyers or social workers but to every member of society. It is so close that without it the very foundation of a free and democratic society crumbles. It is called the rule of law.

According to F.A. Hayek, this means that government in all its actions is bound by rules fixed and announced beforehand which make it possible to foresee with fair certainty how the authority will use its coercive powers in given circumstances, and to plan one’s individual affair on the basis of this knowledge. That definition is indeed a powerful formulation of the concept but I would hasten to add a major rider to it, which is, that the coercive powers referred to must be predicated on the basis that the laws in the first place must meet the criterion of justness. Hence the rule of law means the exercise of publicly justifiable power. I emphasise the phrase ‘publicly justifiable power’ because not every law that comes out of Parliament is publicly justifiable. In other words, the rule of law requires the application of moral standards to legislative output. And this is because every individual possesses rights founded on justice which are inviolable. The positivity of law is not sufficient to establish its lawfulness. If laws are unjust then the rule of law itself is in jeopardy.

Congrats Kak Laila!! Husband finally released from ISA

by Nathaniel Tan

I just wanted to share the joy of Kak Laila, who I understand will soon be welcoming her long-time ISA detainee husband home :)

Details to come :)

Tuesday, 15 September 2009

MIC Should Make An Open Apology To Dr Mahathir, Says Mukhriz

PETALING JAYA, Sept 15 (Bernama) -- MIC should make an open apology to Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad and all the people hurt over the "slippers garland" issue," said the former prime minister's son Datuk Mukhriz.

Although MIC had taken action to suspend the membership of the delegate who hurled the insult against Dr Mahathir at the party's just-concluded annual general assembly, Mukhriz, who is also Deputy International Trade and Industry Minister and Member of Parliament for Jerlun, said this was not enough to pacify things.

"It's not only Tun (Dr Mahathir) who is hurt by the remarks," he said when breaking fast with members of the media at Restoran Khadijah's Kitchen in Jalan Bukit here today.

Mukhriz said only an open apology would prove MIC's sincerity in wanting to maintain good ties among Barisan Nasional component parties and that something like this should not have happened because it was hurtful to many.

He said this when asked to comment on MIC's decision to suspend the membership of the delegate concerned pending a full inquiry for suggesting a garland of slippers be hung around a potrait of Dr Mahathir.

Earlier, in KUALA LUMPUR, Mukhriz had said MIC members did not share the sentiments of the delegate who had made the "garland of slippers" suggestion for Dr Mahathir.

He said he had received quite a number of messages on the short-message service (sms) and calls from friends in MIC on the matter.

"They assured me that they do not share the sentiments of the person who had made the comment in the (MIC) assembly and that it does not represent the majority.

"So, I hope this is true and we can move forward," he had told reporters after officiating a seminar entitled "Opportunites from AFTA and Regional FTAs", organised by Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation.

He said that it was unfortunate that his father's statements had brought about some emotional reaction from one of the MIC members.

Mukhriz said Dr Mahathir had only asked MIC to undergo changes as demanded by the people who wanted a fresh new look in the party.

"He (Dr Mahathir) himself after helming UMNO and the Barisan Nasional (BN) for 22 years felt that he should not wait until he was thrown out before retiring," said Mukhriz.

Other component parties within the BN, like Umno, were undergoing changes and MIC was no exception, he said, adding that the BN had only about two and a half years to change before the next general election.

"We are always looking at MIC as a major partner in BN representing the Indian community. Therefore, we hope that the changes demanded by the people will be carried out by MIC," he said. Meanwhile, Wanita Umno has also demanded that the delegate concerned apologise to Dr Mahathir and people of Malaysia for passing such remarks.

Its head Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil said the remarks were unacceptable and did not fit into Malaysian culture.

Shahrizat, who is also Women, Family and Community Development Minister, said she welcomed the party's action in suspending the membership of the delegate pending a full inquiry but the wing insisted that the person meets Dr Mahathir to apologise.

"If we look at the true Indian culture, they will kiss the feet of their elders. In this respect, Dr Mahathir is a father figure in this country," she added.

Kampung Buah Pala debate continues - Malaysiakini

'In the heat of any election campaign, be very careful of what you say and promise. If you can't deliver, it will come back to haunt you.'

Fresh round of Buah Pala demolition

Geronimo: Whatever promises made by the DAP prior to the 2008 election, they would have thought that it was a simple matter then. All they knew was that Koh Tsu Koon have signed off the land and it would be easy to either acquire it back or rescind the sales.

It was only after the takeover of the state administration that they realised that it was not that easy. Lim Guan Eng is a decent person and I believe he did all he could to resolve the matter but the forces were just against him. Anyway, it is a learning point for Lim. In the heat of any election campaign, be very careful of what you say and promise. If you can't deliver, it will come back to haunt you.

Suhaimi Said: This is just a case where the former BN state government had disposed of the land to a cooperative at a low price. The cooperative appointed a developer to develop the land, by then residents had exhausted all legal channels.

Kengan: What heritage value does Kg Buah Pala have? I've asked many times but nobody can answer me. There is nothing unique about their wooden and zinc shacks. No noteworthy architectural features unlike pre-war shophouses. They are unsightly structures that you can find all over rural Malaysia. The excuse of heritage value to preserve this squatter colony is very thin.

Tg Tokong residents who have stayed even longer than Kampung Buah Pala residents are only offered a RM45,000 apartment to make way for development. Kampung Buah Pala residents are offered a double-storey terrace house but apparently this is not enough for some.

Let's be realistic. The villagers have no land title, they have lost the court case so staying put is not an option.

Sdc: Two wrongs do not make a right. Yes, BN sold the land and DAP finalised the sale. There is no consideration for the residents of the land for 200 years to whom a righteous government would have alienated the land and sell it off.

Wira: MIC, where is the promised RM3.2 million? If there were 32 families, each of them could take home RM10 000 or a nice apartment in Butterworth. Maybe the money wasn't there in the first place or already used up in the MIC elections concluded recently.

Dingy: The residents are between the devil and the deep blue sea. BN is the devil while Pakatan Rakyat is the deep blue sea. They are in a lose-lose situation. The fact is in Penang, the Chinese play the important role in election. Ask them: should the state government take out hundreds of millions to save Kampung Buah Pala at the expense of the rest? Why didn't MIC, as promised, take out RM3.2 million and give it to the people there? It's still not too late, Samy Vellu!

Bagan Pinang residents will vote on Oct 11

Toyo: The EC must give us a transparent accountability of the postal vote. Where did such a big number suddenly appear from?

Rocky: Looks like voting is on a Sunday. Maybe it is an Umno area or perhaps Umno supporters are the ones not turning out for voting on working days? I hope no one brings a live cow to the nomination.
P Dev Anand Pillai: Well, we can only hope that the Indians in Bagan Pinang do not disappoint. With the new 'dream team' at the helm in MIC, the Indians will once again be carried away with the hope and rhetoric that their beloved MIC is the party where their future lies with.

Jakarta beri jaminan pelajar Malaysia selamat

Samy Vellu's Malay dilemma

By Baradan Kuppusamy - The Malaysian Insider

Datuk Seri S. Samuy Vellu holding up his vote towards the media before casting it during the recent election for the post of Vice President at the MIC general assmbly in PWTC on Septemeber 12, 2009 - Bernama

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 15 — Flushed from a major victory, Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu is now twitching like a beached fish under Umno's glare over an emotional outburst by a MIC delegate who had wanted to garland Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad with slippers for criticising the party president.

Umno leaders and Malay organisations have taken umbrage over the remark and have demanded a personal apology from Samy Vellu.

It is now a dilemma for the veteran Indian leader who is caught between appeasing the former prime minister and Umno or staying firm with the anti-Mahathir grandstanding he himself had created.Samy Vellu has offered to sack the offending delegate, believed to be from Selangor hoping the storm would blow over. But that offer conflicts with comments made by other MIC leaders responding to the Malay demand for a personal apology.

The president's son, Vel Paari, who is also a MIC Youth wing co-coordinator, has tried justify the anti-Mahatihr invective by saying the delegates were worked up by Dr Mahathir's criticism of his father.

MIC Youth chief T. Mohan added his two cents in a statement carried prominently in the Samy Vellu-owned Tamil Nesan asking Umno to take disciplinary action against Dr Mahathir for “interfering” in the internal affairs of the party. By all accounts, Samy Vellu appears to want to settle the prickly issue of Dr Mahathir by sacking the delegate but is reluctant to offer a personal apology to keep is “tough and afraid of anyone” image among his diehard supporters.

Dr Mahathir was seen as an “interfering enemy” by Samy Vellu and his camp ever since the former prime minister told the Makkal Osai, a Tamil daily owned by losing deputy presidential candidate Datuk S. Subramaniam’s supporters, that the long-serving party president was destructive, had failed the Indian community and was the reason they abandoned the Barisan Nasional for the Pakatan Rakyat in Election 2008.

Dr Mahathir, who spoke to the vernacular newspaper in the run-up to the Sept 12 MIC election, had also urged party delegates to elect good leaders like Subramaniam.
Once a close ally of Dr Mahathir, Samy Vellu worked quickly and hard to head off the impact of the statement on delegates by using his Tamil Nesan newspaper to attack the former leader as a person unfit to advise the MIC because he had disposed off his own deputies.

He also attacked Subramaniam as “disgraceful” for bowing to Dr Mahathir and using him to get votes in the MIC. “Shame!” was the one-word headline of the Tamil Nesan newspaper on the eve of the poll to reflect Samy Vellu's opinion of Subramaniam, who was once his deputy.

After the president's men swept through the party polls last Saturday despite criticisms from Dr Mahathir and Umno-held newspapers, MIC delegates on Sunday criticised the former prime minister in what was seen as an organised manner with Datuk A. Muneandy from Ampang wanting to pass a resolution condemning Dr Mahathir for interference. But Samy Vellu interjected to say such a resolution was unnecessary adding Dr Mahathir, although interfering in MIC affairs, should be respected because he had brought the country to great heights.

However other delegates keep coming back to the subject and the “garland of slippers” speech was made when Samy Vellu was not in the party assembly ironically held in Umno's Putra World Trade Centre.

Incensed with the attacks, Dr Mahathir renewed his criticisms of Samy Vellu in his blog - although not naming him - saying “there are politician who think if they as party president then they can win in the general election.” “So they try to win by sacking members opposed to them using money to buy support or use their power to threaten or offer any promises to win support,” said the Umno veteran who was prime minister for 22 years.

He noted that they can win through this means but will lose support among the people because the people would notice their abuses.

Whipping judge hands out 2nd caning for drinking

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 15 – The Syariah court judge who sentenced Kartika Sari Dewi Shukarno to be caned for drinking beer has served up a similar punishment on an Indonesian man for consuming alcohol, a newspaper reported on Tuesday.

The New Straits Times said that Nazarudin Kamaruddin, 46, had become the first person to be caned for consuming alcohol in Pahang state in central Malaysia.

Judge Abdul Rahman Mohd Yunos triggered criticism from rights groups and concerns over the growing influence of tough Islamic punishments in Malaysia when he sentenced Kartika, a 32-year-old mother of two, to caning for consuming beer.

“The sentence meted out to him (Nazarudin) is not meant as punishment but to serve as a lesson,” Rahman said, according to the paper.

Kartika’s case is being reviewed by an Islamic appeals court judge and her caning could be carried out once the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan is over.

Pahang is the home state of Malaysia’s prime minister, Najib Razak, who has pledged to modernise the economy of this country of 27 million people and to win new foreign investment. – Reuters

The Star muzzles the truth about kampung Buah Pala

The Star muzzles the truth

I was shocked to see the way the The Star had treated the destruction of Kampung Buah Pala yesterday. Outright and blatant violation of Human Rights was occurring here in a large and ugly way, right in our midst and what does THE Star Report. Nothing at all in today’s copy. THIS IS AN OBVIOUS BLACKOUT. In this 21st century, every where you are hearing shouts of democracy and change, but here in our modern WIMAX city of Penang, what do you get, Bulldozers razing the houses of the poor and defenceless, trampling on our fundamental rights.- continuing to treat the Indians as coolies and rubbish. And nothing reported by the largest selling English daily in the country. Yes, and that makes my blood boil.

Why does the Star take this line. This is clearly an orchestrated position. They have blacked out the incident totally – go and see for yourself and they think they are smart. Compare with the reports in Malaysiakini. Why is this happening?

The answer in my mind is simple and plain – what these treacherous DAP guys have been saying about media manipulation by Utusan and the NST is exactly what they are doing with The Star – where they have some influence, and they put tremendous pressure of biased reporting on the online media that dares to publish the contrary truth.

DAP further has thrown in its lot with the Developer community. They are fast becoming the Chinese version of UMNO. We need a people sensitive government, not a heartless and insensitive repeat of what we have been trying very hard to change. DAP just does not have the DNA for sensitivity. They only now know greed and power. The Star is fast becoming an active participant in DAPs play and they have to be exposed and they have to punished. The Indians may not account for a large portion of their revenues, but they account for a sizeable portion of their readership.

For a start, I suggest we stop buying The Star. They must be punished by reducing their reach which they so boast about. If they do not publish the truth with all its nuances, they are no better than the NST. The Star has become the Chinese version of the NST. We can switch back to NST or to the SUN – not much lost. This may look somewhat of a kneejerk response – it is, but it is maybe what may be needed to for these goons and their media lackeys to stop the bullying of the minority Indian community, thinking what can you do – with your piddly 7.4%? It is time we find independent ways.

Ong Tee Keat Not Viagra Chua Should Join The Opposition / RC Updates

By Sheih Kickdefella,

Do not be romantically swayed by the youthful grandpa Chua Soi Lek. The opposition should pray for the MCA President, Ong Tee Keat to be removed as MCA Party President in the MCA coming EGM and Chua Soi Lek will not just be reinstated by promoted to the position as President.

With Soi Lek as President, the older generation of Malaysians will be glad to know that they still have someone who has proven to be the ambassador of ‘performer’ high on the BN hierarchy, furthermore, Malaysians might have another chance to be exposed to another round of volume of DVD consisting lurid visuals of grandpa’s performance.

Meanwhile, the fly for free Tee Keat will have more time to spare to go around town talking and explaining about the Port Klang Free Area scandal. PKFZ is something that UMNO wants to sweep under the carpet. PKFZ project has by far looks like another cash cow for BN. PKFZ contractors was where the went to in order to squeeze political funds for their respective parties.

It will be very interesting to see Ong Tee Keat joining his buddy, Chua Jui Meng in PKR.

RC2009 Updates

RM6,600 has been spent so far. Due to the rise in good prices and lack of stocks amongst wholesalers, we have decided to give cash instead of goods like the last two years.

Two session has been organized with the first session held in Kubang Kerian on last Saturday afternoon. During the first session, RM3000 were given directly to 30 families amongst the poor and needy in within the Kubang Kerian vicinity. The programme was led by YB Sallahuddin Ayub, MP for Kubang Kerian who help to give away the cash.

The second session was held last night at Ar Raudhah in Kota Bharu. RM3,600 we given to 50 orphans and 22 foreign students from China and Cambodia who are studying in KIAS. It was held during the breaking fast programme handled by Tabung Amanah Tok Kenali. Sdr Khir, the Director of Tok Kenali helped to give away the cash.

Penans – Last of our Mohicans?

By Hussein Hamid

In September 2008 The Bruno Manser Fund (BMF) media release said in essence that:

“Penan women from the Middle Baram area of Sarawak are launching a cry of alarm to the international community over cases of sexual abuse by logging company workers in the East Malaysian state’s rainforests.

The Penan are accusing workers from Interhill and Samling, two Malaysian logging companies, of harassing and raping Penan women, including schoolgirls. They come on an almost weekly basis, but the situation is worst during the school holidays when they know the students are in the villages.

In other cases, school transports operated by company vehicles had been arranged in such a way that schoolgirls had to stay overnight at a logging camp, where they were abused.

Complaints by the Penan to those in charge of the logging camps and to the Police have so far had no effect.The Bruno Manser Fund is asking the Malaysian government to start a formal enquiry into these serious criminal offences. In particular, the government is being asked to ensure that the victims are protected and that the harassment of Penan women by company workers is brought to an end immediately”.

On 8th October 2008 cabinet set up the Jawatankuasa Bertindak Peringkat Kebangsaan untuk Menyiasat Dakwaan Penderaan Seksual on Wanita Penan – to investigate the Sexual Abuse of Penan Women and Girls as contained in The Bruno Manser Fund media release of September 2008.

Here are some of the cases of those sexual abuses that came to the attention of the Jawatankuasa pertaining to the sexual abuse of the Penan Women and Schoolgirls.

AGE GROUP: FROM AS YOUNG AS 10 ONWARDS.

Case One:
Age 17 years old. Rape at 12 while walking outside the school compound during school holidays. Not surprisingly at that age she was not able to identify her attacker. She was raped once again by a worker from the logging company while getting a lift from the company’s vehicle from her village at Long Kawi to her school at Long Lama. When she realized that she was pregnant she stopped school and married a fellow Penan.
Case Two:
First raped in 2005 by a worker from the logging camp of Inter Hill. She knew him when her Family got a lift back to the village after sending her sister to school. (Walking to school would have taken two days.) He entered her house at night and raped her in her room. She gave birth to a daughter. Second rape was in 2007. The same guy again entered her house at night when she was by herself and the result was another daughter in February 2008. She did not make a Police Report as she was not able to read or write. This same guy claimed her as his wife – but she refused to accept him as he had two other wives – one of which was a Penan.
Case Three:
She knew of two Penan girls – one age 15 and another 20 that had had sexual relationship with two logging workers while getting lifts to leave their village area. This became the talk of the village and both these girls eventually married Penan men and left the village in 2008.
Case Four:
A student age 14 of Sekolah Menegah at Long Sam whose breasts were fondle while getting lifts to school by the driver of the logging camp vehicle. This is a normal occurrence and the girls reported it to their parent but not to the school authorities. They were worried that the school would accuse them of lying and finding an excuse of not coming to school and then be caning them. There were claims that members in uniform were also involved in these sexual abuses but the girls were not able to substantiate these claims.
Case Five:
She said that she was regularly abused during lifts to school in the vehicles belonging to the logging company. They were even attempts at rape by these drivers. At the age of 10 she and four other girls’ students, while on the way to school in the company lorry, was almost raped by the driver. They managed to free themselves but were injured and did not attend school on that day.

In another instance she said that the Lorry Driver asked the male students to disembark. They did so and managed to get all the other girl student out except for one girl. The driver drove off with her and to date no one has asked her what happened that day.

At the age of 13 she was introduced to an Iban man who was a logger while visiting her mother in Miri. She was abducted by him and raped. A police report was made. The Police found her at Kem Kilometer 10 with the man and they were brought to Balai Polis Bakong, Beluru and then to the Miri Polis station. She stopped schooling after this incident.

Next she got involved with another logger who plies her with cigarettes and alcohol. Other workers from the logging camps often joined them with their Penan girlfriends to party at their boss house. This relationship lasted two years until he lost interest in her. She then got involved with another logger with whom she had a child out of wedlock. She stopped seeing him after his wife beg her to stop the relationship.

She then met a businessman who came to buy rattan and gaharu. He gave money and food to her family. She had a child out of wedlock with him now aged two. He soon met a Penan girl and tire of her.
Case Six:
She was almost raped while on her trip with her Father and Family to apply for her ID Card at Long Bangan, Baram. In the middle of the journey the driver stopped the vehicle and asked her family and the other passenger to disembark while holding on to her hand. Then he sped of with her. She struggled and he had to stop the vehicle. Then he dragged her into the bush but by that time her Family and the other passengers caught up with them and he did not have the time to do anything.
Case Seven:
She was aged 17 and had just given premature birth at Hospital Miri. The baby survived. She was said to have had relations with a logger but she denied this – however she was shaken and almost cried while denying that it had ever happened.

These are the cases investigated at length by the Jawatankuasa. It is a fact that the workers from the logging camp repeatedly took advantage of the very people who depended on them for transport, food and money. The Penans were taken advantage off by workers of these logging companies that resulted in the abuse of their women and girls.

To take advantage of girls from the age of 10 onwards is despicable and deserved to be punished severely.

The biggest problem in Sarawak is that loggers and government are one and the same,” said William W. Bevis, an American academic. Sarawak’s chief minister, Abdul Taib Mahmud, also serves as the forestry minister, grants logging concessions and approves environmental impact statements. Wong, the environment minister, personally holds a large concession and pioneered hill logging with bulldozers.

Malaysia is one of the worlds if not the world’s largest supplier of tropical wood.

Therein lies the Penan problem. How will the Ministry of Women, Family and Community development plead the case of the Penan women and girls against the might of the Sarawak State Government – against Sarawak Chief Minister Abdul Taib Mahmud unless international condemnation of these bastardly acts are forthcoming. We know that the Federal Government will be reluctant to act against Taib. The result of the last election when Sarawak made the difference to Barisan continued stay in power is good enough reason for Najib not to do anything. But our condemnation and international pressure will make a difference. So please my friends think of what we can do. Demonstrate, write letters to anybody who can make a difference locally and internationally, hold aloft slogans supporting the Penans….anything to make this shame done by the logging companies and the others to the Penan known first in Malaysia and then the world. In a multiracial country such as ours it is how we look after our minority that will be the mark of our ability to respect and live with each other well. We should not fail the Penans.

Power, politicians and brutalit

By Dr Farish A Noor
thenutgraph.com

Montage of cowheads with a bloody smear on it
(Cow head image source: sabceducation.co.za)

FOR a region that prides itself for its so-called Asian values, we in Southeast Asia don't seem to practise what we preach. We talk about how the region's peoples are peace-loving, but we forget — and we continue to erase and forget — the historical fact that Southeast Asia has been one of the world's most violent parts.

It was here that the Khmer Rouge murdered hundreds of thousands of people in their bid to take Cambodia back to Year Zero. It was here that hundreds of thousands of alleged communists were massacred in the anti-Indonesian Communist Party (PKI) purges in the 1960s. It was here that the Vietnam War was fought with napalm and chemical weapons.

So where, pray tell, was the peace in the region?

Of late, tempers have flared again in Malaysia and Indonesia for the wrong and most absurd of reasons. Indonesian vigilantes now claim that they will unilaterally invade Malaysia with samurai swords and ninja-throwing darts. How will this invading force land on Malaysia's shores? Fly over via Air Asia?

And in Malaysia, a dispute over the building of a Hindu temple in a predominantly Malay-Muslim neighbourhood led a group of nobodies to parade with a severed cow's head in hand. What an apt reminder that this is the month of Ramadan when Muslims are supposed to exercise moral and emotional self-restraint and composure. These are brutish times indeed.

Power of the media

Should we be surprised by any of this? The historian will remind you of the facts of our bloody and violent history and tell you that in relative terms, we seem to be slightly more civilised than before. It would be surprising, to say the least, if the region witnessed another round of bloody genocide akin to that by the Khmer Rouge.

Photos of genocide victims of the Khmer Rouge regime
(Source: Wiki commons)

Yet this does not, and should not, be a cause for celebration for us. The tempering of tempers in the region has less to do with a Southeast Asian community that has matured and renounced our ancestors' violent ways. Rather, it has more to do with economic and geopolitical realities, which dictate that states can no longer massacre their own populations and get away with it. The global media is there to see to it that mass killings, pogroms and the systematic demonisation of communities will not be carried out in full public view. The only thing that seems to hold back this tide of unreconstructed primordial violence is the fear of the loss of international recognition and much-needed foreign capital investment.

But if and when the international media is not looking, the thugs and gangsters who infest our political landscape will come out of the woodwork and do their dirty business. The cow-head protest in Shah Alam was a relatively small incident that, despite making international headlines, did not stay there for long. Likewise, the vigilantes in Jakarta who are sweeping the streets of the city of Malaysians probably realise that they, too, being insignificant themselves, will get their 15 minutes of fame and then be forgotten.

Power, politics and brutality

But more worrying is the convoluted relationship between power, politics and politicians, and the culture of brutality that we have cultivated here for too long.

Today we hear politicians in Malaysia and Indonesia harp on about civil behaviour and good relations between neighbours. But have we forgotten that some of these politicians have themselves led demonstrations where the clarion call to kill their political opponents were uttered? Have we forgotten that these were the very same bloody words that were shouted aloud in public at the demonstrations orchestrated during the Perak state assembly crisis not too long ago?

And have we forgotten that the very same politicians today who speak of peace and love were also present at rallies where communitarian-minded chauvinists bandied slogans like "This keris will drink Chinese blood?" Are these the same politicians who now want to talk about peace and love among human beings?

While on the subject of nasty politicians and brutish politics, let us be fair and note that practically all the major political parties in Malaysia have resorted to the same dirty and violent tactics in the past. It was, after all, the leaders of PAS who once claimed that Muslims should "sow the seeds of hatred" against liberals and secular-minded Malaysians. PAS has also accused intellectuals and activists of blasphemy at the drop of a hat, aided and abetted by their allies in Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR). Indeed, the only two parties in the peninsula I can think of that have never taken the path of violent communitarian politics are Parti Sosialis Malaysia and Gerakan, which is not saying much.

As long as the culture of politics in Malaysia and the rest of Southeast Asia remains one that equates power and authority with state violence, be it real or threatened, then we will probably never see the end of brutish politics in our part of the world.

Southeast Asians tend to adopt a dismissive view of the West. And there are far too many right-wing ethno-nationalist leaders in our part of the world who cannot evolve any further than to continue in their nasty polemics against anything and everything Western.

But let us ask ourselves this simple question, and answer it honestly if we can: Can anyone of us imagine a British politician standing on stage with a weapon in hand? Can anyone imagine a demonstration in Europe against a mosque or a Hindu temple where a pig's or cow's head is dragged out into the streets?

Can we imagine those involved not being arrested on the spot? Can anyone imagine a press conference in any European city where a politician is publicly threatened with rape — and the police do nothing? Perchance, therein lies the difference between us Asians and the so-called secular, decadent, materialistic West.

Long before we stand on our high horse and preach Asian values to the world, perhaps we need to look at the hypocritical state of our own primordial, emotional and brutish politics first; and disentangle its fatal associations with power, authority and violence. Our politics remains brutish and violent, and all the cosmetic make- overs with skyscrapers and shopping malls are not going to change that soon, unless we reject the association between violence and governance once and for all.