EUROPE AND NORTH AMERICA

1. Ever since the Europeans and this includes the Americans, lost to the Eastern countries in the manufactured goods markets, they have switched to the financial market. Through the many products they created in this market they seem to be able to grow and maintain their wealth and prosperity as shown by such indices as the GDP and Per Capita income.

2. But the business is spurious. The financial market is basically about gambling. Ever since America decided that the market should regulate itself, that there should be less Government, all kinds of unacceptable practices have been allowed. Short selling expanded from shares to commodities to currencies, Banks lend more money than they have and allowed highly leveraged borrowings by hedge funds and currency traders. They indulge in sub-prime loans, securing these imprudent lending by mortgaging and insurance.

3. In real business the costs in the European countries are unduly high because of high salaries and wages for workers’ pensions, bonuses, short working hours, long paid holidays, unemployment and other social benefits. The standard of living may be high but European products cannot compete with the products of the East in world markets.

4. The currency trading today, for example is said to be worth four trillion dollars a day, equal to the total productivity of Germany in one year. Whereas producing goods and services by Germany spins off all kinds of supporting and other businesses as well as millions of jobs, currency trading spins off no businesses nor create any real jobs. All the dealing involves only the entry of figures in bank books. The earnings are real enough and can contribute to GDP and Per Capita growth. But the picture of economic growth indicated by these indices is false as the wealth belongs to a very small percentage of the population.

5. The sums involved are however huge, running into hundreds of billions and even trillions of dollars. When the bottom fell out, the losses are equally huge, sufficient to bankrupt even the biggest banks. Even countries can go bankrupt.

6. When you lose money, you become poor. Countries are the same. When they lose money or they borrow beyond their means and cannot pay, they become poor.

7. The problem is an unwillingness to admit that they, the Europeans, the Americans, the icons of the free market and economic prosperity are now poor. As a result all the manoeuvres so far are aimed at staying rich, at maintaining a lifestyle that is untenable.

8. The only real way out is to accept a lifestyle that is associated with lower incomes. But the people are demanding to live the rich life they were used to before. The austerity programs are rejected with demonstrations and strikes. And these simply aggravate the situation.

9. If wages and salaries as well as bonuses and other perks are lowered, then the production of goods and services by the workers would cost less. The goods will be able to compete again in the markets against those of the East. Real businesses would then be able to be resuscitated.

10. At the same time the financial market should be curbed. Operations out of tax havens should not be allowed and all accounts must be submitted to the authorities. Currencies should be pegged to a new independent trading currency based on a specific amount of gold or other precious metal. The fluctuation in value would be minimal, making doing business less uncertain.

11. With the lower cost of production there will be no necessity to outsource in Asia. The industries of Europe would be revived and contribute towards overcoming unemployment and early settlement of debts. Real wealth would be generated.

12. The Europeans also spend far too much on weapons. Research, development and upgrading swallow up huge amounts of money. As the weapons become more sophisticated the costs go up sky high. Where before a fighter plane would cost a million dollars, now they cost 50 to 100 million dollars.

13. Yet these weapons are quite useless in fighting the guerrilla wars they are likely to face. And they dare not have wars with countries with the same military capacities because it would be ruinous for everybody and would probably spell the end of the world.

14. Their military budget contributes to the wastage of funds as the likelihood is that the weapons would never be used for the purpose they are developed, certainly not on the scale they are being prepared for.

15. Everything points towards a new Bretton Woods. The world’s economy has become much more liked and integrated that a new set of monetary, financial and banking system needs to be negotiated and devised, taking into consideration the views and problems of the poor countries as well. There should be no thoughts about hegemony; military, political or economic.

Death in police custody – A Kugan (Taipan, USJ police station lock-up; 20 Jan 2009)

Three years ago on 20 Jan 2009, 22-year-old A Kugan reportedly died in the Taipan, USJ police station lock-up five days after he had been arrested.

The death occurred in highly suspicious circumstances that raise very alarming questions about the treatment of detainees in police custody and the methods of interrogation used.  Photographs and video footage of the deceased individual that were available in the public domain revealed what appeared to be shockingly severe, inexplicable injuries on his body, which appear to be consistent with physical restraint and torture. 

Despite the requirement that all custodial deaths be investigated by inquiries conducted pursuant to Chapter XXXII of the Criminal Procedure Code, it does not appear that an inquest has been conducted into A Kugan’s death.  

On 28 Jan 2011, the Sessions Court found police constable V Navindran not guilty of causing injuries to A Kugan during the latter’s detention. The decision was made without calling V Navindran to defend himself. However, this decision was overturned at the High Court on 20 Jan 2012, and V Navindran was ordered to enter his defence on two alternative charges of causing hurt to A Kugan.

Earlier, on 14 Jan 2012, N. Indra, the mother of A Kugan had filed a suit against the police and the government for more than RM100 million in damages over his death. She is seeking damages over misfeasance of public office, false imprisonment, negligence, assault and battery, and breach of statutory duties on the part of the defendants. In the suit, Deputy Inspector General of Police Dato’ Sri Khalid Abu Bakar, who was Selangor police chief at the time of the incident, is named as the first defendant, while the second defendant is police constable V Navindran. 

Every death in custody must be thoroughly and impartially investigated.  A Kugan’s death must not be relegated to a mere statistic.

 

Based on statistics disclosed by the Ministry of Home Affairs, 156 persons died in police custody from the year 2000 until February 2011.

We express our heartfelt condolences to A Kugan’s family and friends on this anniversary of his death.

Four years ago today, Goh Yan Peaw died after being detained at the Segamat police station lock-up for eleven days after his arrest. He was reportedly found unconscious in his detention cell and was taken to the hospital, where he died. An inquest into Goh Yan Peaw’s death was scheduled to commence on 10 June 2008. However, it is not clear what the outcome has been. All custodial deaths are required to be investigated by inquiries conducted pursuant to Chapter XXXII of the Criminal Procedure Code. Every death in custody must be thoroughly and impartially investigated. Goh Yan Peaw’s death must not be relegated to a mere statistic. Based on statistics disclosed by the Ministry of Home Affairs, 156 persons died in police custody from the year 2000 until February 2011. We express our heartfelt condolences to Goh Yan Peaw’s family and friends on the anniversary of his death.

Four years ago today, Goh Yan Peaw died after being detained at the Segamat police station lock-up for eleven days after his arrest. He was reportedly found unconscious in his detention cell and was taken to the hospital, where he died.

An inquest into Goh Yan Peaw’s death was scheduled to commence on 10 June 2008. However, it is not clear what the outcome has been. All custodial deaths are required to be investigated by inquiries conducted pursuant to Chapter XXXII of the Criminal Procedure Code.

Every death in custody must be thoroughly and impartially investigated. Goh Yan Peaw’s death must not be relegated to a mere statistic.

Based on statistics disclosed by the Ministry of Home Affairs, 156 persons died in police custody from the year 2000 until February 2011.

We express our heartfelt condolences to Goh Yan Peaw’s family and friends on the anniversary of his death.

Palanivel Appointed Lead Minister For Socio-economic Development Of Indian Community

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 22 (Bernama) -- Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak on Sunday announced that Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk G. Palanivel has been appointed as the lead minister for the socio-economic development of the Indian community in the country.

The announcement on the appointment of Palanivel, who is also MIC president, was made by Najib at the Malaysia Tamil Schools Community's annual gathering held at Sekolah Jenis Kebangsaan (SJK) Tamil Kinrara here.

Najib said the community should build a vision centred on "nambikei" which is belief in Tamil to bring it forward.

"If we are guided by the principles and philosophy of 'nambikei' and if we have 'nambikei' among us, there is nothing that we cannot achieve and no problem that cannot be solved.

"I am hoping that this 'nambikei', which is a common platform in the Barisan Nasional (BN) leadership, will bring returns that we all can be proud of," he said.

Najib added that the government was committed to the future growth of (SJK) Tamil schools, thereby the future of the Indian community in the country and that from 2009 till last year, the government had allocated RM340 million for physical and infrastructure development for Tamil schools across the nation.

He said, in terms of management and administration, the government had invested about RM2 billion for Tamil schools since 2009.

"In the 2012 Budget, I had announced an additional allocation of RM100 million for upgrading Tamil schools and for their physical and infrastructure development.

"The expenditure list is being prepared and I hope the sum will be spent well so as to truly benefit the schools concerned," he said.

He said the government was also cooperating on the matter on other funding groups like the "Community Chest", a welfare fund which contributed RM5 million to Tamil schools last year alone.

He said he hoped government-linked companies (GLCs) and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) would also contribute towards education development in the country including for Tamil schools.

"The government has also allocated RM3 million to Community Builders Foundation (CBF) whose chairman is the MIC preisdent. Through this NGO, we have helped more than 4,000 Tamil school students throughout the country who were weak in their studies but today have overcome the problem because of the intervention of the CBF.

"I have also helped the Sri Murugan Centre to produce outstanding students," he said, adding that as a result of the efforts, the performance of students at Tamil schools was on the uptrend, showing a 47 per cent increase in the number of students who scored 7As in the Ujian Penilaian Sekolah Rendah (UPSR) examination between 2009 and 2011.

He added that last year, the number of Tamil school students passing all subjects in the UPSR reached a new record at 53 per cent and was confident that the percentage would improve in the future.

Umno harus ambil tanggungjawab ; serangan bersifat perkauman terhadap program ABU

Kenyataan Rasmi

22 Januari 2012

SAMM MENGUTUK SERANGAN GANAS BERSIFAT PERKAUMAN.

Asalkan Bukan Umno (ABU) ialah sentimen rakyat yang ingin melihat penyatuan perbagai 'force' dalam usaha menumbangkan Umno ke arah menyelamatkan negara. Ini penting kerana melihat kehancuran negara yang disebabkan Umno iaitu sebuah parti yang dicipta penjajah untuk mewarisi negara ini semakin tidak terbendung.

Sentimen ABU ini ialah sentimen rakyat namun baru - baru ini beberapa organisasi pertubuhan bukan kerajaan dengan kerjasama beberapa parti politik telah bergabung untuk memberi nafas baru kepada sentimen ini menjadi kempen kesedaran peringkat nasional. Pada 15 Disember lepas ABU telah dilancarkan di Taman Melewar, Gombak dengan menyaksikan pentas perasmian dikongsi oleh ahli politik, aktivis masyarakat, peniaga kecil, kontraktor, wakil orang asal, pekerja kilang dan wakil-wakil perbagai segmentasi masyarakat hadir menyampaikan ucapan.

Selepas itu program berteraskan ABU berterusan dalam perbagai pendekatan dalam skala kecil dan besar. Antaranya ialah pelancaran ABU Pulau Pinang pada 18 Januari 2012 di Permatang Damar Laut yang menyaksikan bukan sahaja lebih 1500 kehadiran dalam kawasan yang dikenali kubu Umno sebelum ini tetapi turut menyaksikan pengistiharan keluar beramai - ramai ahli Umno yang diketuai oleh bekas ketua cawangan Umno kawasan tersebut. Bukan itu sahaja pengedaran risalah ABU serta kemeja ABU mula menjadi trend anak muda.

Mungkin melihat kejayaan dan penerimaan makin meningkat maka Umno menjadi gusar.

Minggu lepas sekali lagi ABU menjadi perhatian apabila Hindraf secara rasmi menyatakan pendirian bersama dengan ABU. Hindraf berjanji akan bersama dengan sekutu - sekutu yang bersama sentimen ABU malah koordinator Kebangsaan hindraf w.Sambulinggam menyatakan hasrat ingin bersama PR bagi mengalahkan Umno/Bn dalam PRU akan datang.

Serentak dengan itu Hindraf mengusakan beberapa pentas program ABU di beberapa tempat.

Pada 21 Januari 2012 jam 9.00 mlm telah disusun program Ceramah Umum ABU yang menampilkan Hj. Mohd Sabu (Timbalan Presiden PAS), Peguam Haris Ibrahim (SABM), cheGuBard (SAMM) dan Sambulinggam (Hindraf) di Dewan MBSA seksyen 30, Jalan Kebun,Shah Alam.

Kira - kira 8.45 malam, orang ramai memasuki dewan, kebetulan dengan waktu Isya yang lewat maka kehadiran awal ialah majoriti bukan Islam. Kira - kira 9.00 mlm semua penceramah sampai dan mula duduk diatas pentas. Serentak dengan itu datang kira - kira 20 orang pemuda menjerit perbagai cacian dan makian yang dilihat secara sengaja ditujukan kepada hadirin India. Malah ada yang membawa masuk motorsikal ke dalam dewan. Mereka bersenjatakan topi keledar dan kayu terus memukul beberapa tetamu yang hadir. Peralatan P.A dan projektor juga ada dirosakkan. Beberapa orang cedera, namun mereka tidak mahu ke hospital kecuali seorang pemuda berbangsa India terpaksa dikejarkan ke hospital kerana hampir pengsan dipukul.

Di luar dewan pula sebahagian dari kumpulan ini dengan senjata telah mengugut dengan menjerit kepada peniaga yang datang berniaga kerana program tersebut agar menutup perniagaan. Ada gerai yang menjual makanan ringan mengalamai kerugian apabila gerainya disepak dan barang makanan yang dijualnya berterabur di tanah.

Petugas dengan beberapa hadirin yang kebutulan ada yang baru datang berjaya menenangkan keadaan. Kumpulan pemuda - pemuda tersebut berundur ke seberang jalan mengadap dewan. Ketika kira kira 4-5 orang ganggota polis datang, jumlahnya mereka bertambah ramai begitu juga penyokong dan hadirin yang ingin hadir bersama ceramah ABU. Keadaan mula tegang, polis dilihat tidak mampu berbuat apa-apa.

Kira - kira jam 10.00 mlm penganjur memutuskan untuk menangguhkan program tersebut kerana bimbang soal keselamatan dan mengelakkan insiden tidak diingini berlaku.

Jelas serangan tersebut ditujukan kepada hadirin bukan Melayu khususnya India, dalam taklimat sebelum bersurai cheGuBard meminta agar kawan - kawan Melayu agar dapat memastikan kawan-kawan berbangsa India dapat di iring ke kenderaan dan selamat keluar dari kawasan kerana di keliling dewan pemuda - pemuda ada yang bersenjata bertambah ramai menjerit jerit ugutan perkauman.

Ada orang tempatan yang mengenai penyerang tersebut dengan orang kuat Umno, malah dari pakaian (ada berlogo Umno), aksi dan jeritan mereka yang menghalau orang India keluar kerana ini kawasan Melayu kubu Umno jelas menunjukkan serangan tersebut harus dipertanggungjawabkan kepada Umno. Mereka sedang mencipta pergaduhan kaum, mujur yang hadir tenang dan bertindak bijak.

Kejadian malam tadi membuktikan sikap sebenar Umno dan hipokrasi kempen 1 Malaysia. Adakah orang India sudah tidak selamat berada dikawasan ramai penyokong Umno ? satu lagi paku telah diketuk untuk menyiapkan keranda Umno menjelang PRU akan datang.

Umno harus dipertanggungjawabkan dalam kejadian serangan fizikal, ganas dan bersifat perkauman ini. PDRM dituntut bertindak profesional gambar rakaman semua tersedia dan diserahkan bersama dengan laporan yang dibuat penganjur.

Kejadian ini sama sekali tidak melemahkan. Malah semua rakyat dijemput untuk hadir ke

Pelancaran ABU Negeri Sembilan

28 Januari 2012, 9.00 malam

Taman Seremban Selatan.

Sekian

che'GuBard
Solidariti Anak Muda Malaysia

22 Jan 2012

2.08 pagi

What happened in Jalan Kebun last night

A group of stick-wielding youths on motorbikes gate-crashed an Anything But Umno(Abu)-Hindraf forum in Klang last night and disrupted the event.
 
Check out this Free Malaysia Today video.

Now, you might not agree with Hindraf’s politics (and I have reservations about its political approach and some of its claims), but this kind of disruption is unacceptable.

From the video, it seems clear who the aggressors are.

There’s simply no excuse for this kind of loutish behaviour nor should it be allowed to creep into our political culture.

Cow slaughtered inside Kerala temple compound

Tension prevailed on Wednesday in Perumbavoor, a satellite town of Kochi city, and surrounding areas following the sacrilegious act of slaughtering a pregnant cow inside the compound of the famous Sree Dharma Sastha temple there by three persons belonging to the Muslim community late Tuesday afternoon.

Three taluks of Ernakulam district – Muvattupuzha, Kunnathunadu and Kothamangalam – observed a dawn-to-dusk shutdown on Wednesday as per a call given by Hindu organizations and Sangh Pariwar outfits to protest against the gruesome slaughter of the pregnant cow by slitting the throat.

The shutdown affected normal life in all the three taluks. Incidents of mild stone-pelting were reported from some places. The police had on Tuesday itself taken three persons – Muhammad (49), his son Anas (23) and Razid (18) – into custody in connection with the cow-slaughter. One person managed to flee the scene.

The police registered cases against the three Muslims under Section 120b (criminal conspiracy) and 153 A (inciting enmity between groups) of the IPC, police sources said. Investigations were on to find out if they deliberately wanted to create trouble, they added.

A member of the Sree Dharma Sastha temple committee expressed suspicion that the slaughter was perhaps not meant for meat but to stir up tension. “If they wanted the cow for meat they could have simply stolen it. That they committed the heinous act right in front of the temple has only one explanation – their intention was perhaps to create trouble,” he said.

As per police reports, Perumbavoor and the surrounding areas have witnessed a rise in Islamist operations recently. The place is just 25 km away from Muvattupuzha, where activists of Islamist organization Popular Front of India had cut off the right hand of a college professor on July 4, 2010 alleging that he had blasphemed Prophet Muhammad through a test paper for students.

The sacrilegious act of cow-slaughter took place late Tuesday afternoon after the three Muslims reached the temple compound pretending that they wanted to give medicine to the cow which had developed some health problems two days ago. The cow had wandered into the temple area about two weeks ago.

The three men then put up a screen in the temple compound (to conceal the slaughter from the people) with plastic sheets brought from a nearby building and slit the throat of the cow after one of them, a Moulvi from a nearby village, said the prayers which was mandatory as per customs of the community.

As news of the outrageous act spread, thousands of Hindus including activists of Sangh Pariwar outfits rushed to the temple and blocked the evil-doers from escaping. The arrival of some members of the Muslim community to justify the slaughter caused escalation in tension. One of those arrested was from among those who came to justify the act, said protestors.

The protesting devotees and local residents refused to allow the police to take away the evil-doers and the carcass of the cow, leading to tension that lasted for several hours. Though a team of police officials tried to calm the people down but the efforts did not succeed.

As the people refused to move away from the area even late in the evening, personnel of the Rapid Action Force and Quick Reaction Team were deployed. The police removed the carcass and the three persons from the scene after carrying out a lathi-large. Four police vehicles were damaged.

Devotees, temple committee members and activists of various Hindu organizations and Sangh Pariwar outfits held protest demonstrations in the temple area and the Perumbavoor town later. Tension escalated in the town as another demonstration was held by those who wanted to justify the slaughter.

An all-party meeting convened by the Ernakulam District Collector on Wednesday evening decided to hold a peace rally in Perumbavoor town on Thursday morning. The parties that took part in the meeting also came to an understanding that nobody would make provocative statements in connection with the incident.

Seven PSC proposals accepted for 13th GE

The EC has agreed to implement seven out of 10 proposals, while the remaining three are still being studied.

KUANTAN: The Election Commission (EC) has agreed to implement seven out of 10 proposals presented by the Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) in the coming 13th general election, said EC chairman Abdul Aziz Mohd Yusof.

The remainder three which involved non-resident voters, absentee voters abroad and changing of registration areas were still being studied, he said.

“The seven proposals which would be implemented for the 13th general election are the use of indelible ink; early voting by police and armed forces and their spouses; extending the electoral roll display from seven to 14 days; abolishing the objection process and withdrawal period for candidates; cleaning up of the electoral roll; and strengthening the EC,” he added.

Aziz was speaking to reporters after a briefing to managers and assistant managers in preparation for the 13th general election, here today.

He said the committee, which was formed August last year has completed its nationwide public hearing sessions on Jan 13 in Johor Bahru.

“We understand that the committee’s final report would be presented in Parliament during the March sitting,” he added.

In relation to the cleaning up of the electoral roll, he said the EC has given a list of 12.4 million registered voters to MIMOS Berhad, for action early this month.

“We’ve given them a deadline but hope it can be completed before the PSC report is presented in Parliament in March,” he said.

Commenting on concerns that certain parties would still be dissatisfied with the implementation of the proposals, he said they could always put forward their suggestions to the EC through various mediums including letters.

On another note, he informed that the EC had terminated the services of 24 Assistant Registrars, while another 67 were issued warnings for various inefficiencies.

- Bernama

Nizar: Malays are back with us

Perak's former menteri besar says that PAS is gradually reeling in the Malay votes there.


KUALA LUMPUR: Malay majority areas in Perak have been fierce battlegrounds for Barisan Nasional and Pakatan Rakyat for the past three years.

With most of the 24 marginal state seats located in these areas the Malay electorate’s support is vital for the opposition coalition to reclaim the government that it lost in February 2009.

Pakatan suffered not only an excruciating handing back of the state to BN but also a sharp blow to the reputation of its menteri besar, Nizar Jamaluddin, who was scorned as a “DAP puppet” and a “traitor” to the Perak sultan for refusing a royal order to vacate his post.

Pakatan scrambled to get back on its feet but a year later Nizar admitted that both he and the coalition were unable to enter remote Malay areas where they most needed to set the record straight.

At the time Pakatan gauged that its popularity among rural Malay voters had dipped 7-8 % from the 40% it had enjoyed in the previous general election.

In February last year, PAS state treasurer Abdul Rahim Ariff was quoted in a Wikileaks report as saying that if elections were held there and then, Malay votes would split evenly between Umno and PAS unlike in March 2008 when there was a clear swing of Malay votes towards PAS and PKR.

Tide is changing again

But the tide appeared to be changing yet again. In an interview with FMT last week, Nizar said that PAS’ steady groundwork was paying off with Malay electorate support flowing back in its direction.

The Bukit Gantang MP and his party had finally broken the seal on the doors into Felda and Felcra where they were going all out to keep it open.

“There is a taskforce within PAS and PKR focusing solely on Felda issues and working closely with the Felda central committee,” Nizar said.

“We’ve been working on six Felda sites so far and are slowly inching deeper into the region. And what we’ve found is that the objection towards PAS isn’t as strong as before.”

Three elements lie behind this shift. The first is the relationship PAS had forged with the second generation of Felda settlers who were currently living outside their settlement and exposed to news sources beyond the mainstream spectrum.

“These youth are those who are bringing back our messages to their parents and convincing them to take a different point of view,” Nizar said.

The second element is the redemption of PAS and Nizar’s image through the re-telling of the coup d’etat through Pakatan’s eyes.

“Umno’s justification was that I represented a Chinese government and it would retain a Malay one,” Nizar stated. “Remote Malay village communities agreed and condoned Umno’s actions.”

“Over time they forgot about it but we have been reminding them through VCDs, flyers and ceramahs. And when we explained it in their language they began to understand. So this issue would continue to be the prime agenda of all our ceramahs.”

NFC scandal is a bonus

The third element is a bonus delivered by BN through the recent NFC scandal with which many Felda settlers could comprehend and identify. And this, Nizar stated, “tremendously boosted” Malay support for PAS.

He nevertheless warned his compatriots against basking in overconfidence particularly when BN’s top guns were making frequent descents upon the state.

“(Prime minister) Najib (Tun Razak) has been spending a lot of time in Perak and (Deputy Prime Minister) Muhyiddin (Yassin) is there twice a month,” he said.

“Four federal ministers were transferred to Perak last month where they gathered 12,000 civil servants for a ceramah in Kuala Kangsar. There is money being thrown around but I believe that the people would take it without giving their votes in return.”

Nizar added that PAS had also learned from its past mistake of neglecting to assure the Malays that their interests wouldn’t be upstaged by those of the non-Malays.

The Malays community forms 54% of Perak’s electorate with the Chinese at 32% and Indians at 13%.

PAS’ provision of new hectares of land to Chinese communities, schools and associations was understandably met with unhappiness by the Malays who felt that their rights and privileges were being usurped by their new government. This further convinced them that only Umno was able to protect their interests.

“At the time we only had Barisan Alternatif and we built a state government based on which party won the most seats,” Nizar explained. “And since DAP won 18 seats most of the cabinet members represented the party.”

“But we now have an understanding within Pakatan of the importance of a balanced government. We have felt the negative implications of not showing a fair distribution among the communities and will now work on creating a balance based on racial composition.”

Probe Kadir’s vote buying claim, MACC told

“Who gave him money?” DAP man asks in anti-corruption report

SEREMBAN: The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) has been asked to investigate former tourism minister Abdul Kadir Sheikh Fadzir following his admission that he was involved in Barisan Nasional’s attempts to bribe voters.

The MP for Seremban, DAP’s John Fernandez, in a report lodged with the commission today, also urged it to investigate others who might have been involved.

Recent news reports quoted Kadir as saying that he used to receive “lump sums of money” during election campaigns to buy votes for BN in a strategy code-named “bomb”.

“I want MACC to investigate Kadir and find out who gave him the money,” Fernandez told reporters.

“He is a former cabinet minister, former Umno supreme council member and is still an Umno member. His statement as per reported clearly gives indications there is rampant vote buying by Umno and BN during elections.

“I also want MACC to investigate others involved and find out whether there has been any infringement of the current law. MACC should charge the relevant persons in court,” he said.

Another DAP man, Senawang state assemblyman P Gunasekaran, meanwhile questioned the MACC’s seriousness in investigating a report lodged some time ago against Negeri Sembilan Menteri Besar Mohamad Hasan.

“What happened to the report on allegations that Mohamad Hasan transferred RM10 million out of the country?” he asked, adding that MACC seemed to be dilly dallying in investigating BN figures.

“There are no feedbacks or updates after we lodge our reports. When we call them, the classic response is to say that MACC is still investigating or that the case has been sent to MACC headquarters in Putrajaya for further action,” he said.

Will Prosecutors Appeal Anwar Verdict?

Saiful wants to appeal

The complaining witness faces some sticky questions
By Jan. 25 – the day after the end of the Lunar New Year holiday, Malaysia’s attorney general, Abdul Gani Patail, must decide whether to appeal the not-guilty verdict in opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim’s Sodomy II case.

Unlike many western democracies, Malaysia allows the prosecution the right of appeal against a not-guilty verdict. Anwar was declared not guilty on Jan. 9 by High Court Judge Mohamad Zabidin Diah, who said that “the court cannot be 100 percent certain” that the DNA evidence against Anwar was not contaminated.

The political temperature has been rising in Malaysia ever since the announcement of the not-guilty verdict, with a steady stream of announcements in the mainstream press demanding that the prosecution appeal. The United Malays National Organization, the leading political party in the ruling Barisan Nasional coalition, has reaped the reward of considerable sympathetic publicity, alleging that justice has been denied for Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan, the star witness against Anwar.

Saiful’s father, Azlan Mohd Lazim, held an emotional press conference demanding that: “For the sake of my son, I plead to the AG to file an appeal.” The prosecution team, led by Solicitor General Mohd Yusof Zainal Abiden, has also demanded that the case be appealed. Saiful himself, a baby-faced 26-year-old, has asked that the case be appealed as well.

Leading the charge to ask for an appeal is said to be a group of UMNO hardliners reportedly led by the Deputy Prime Minister, Muhyiddin Yassin despite the fact that Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak has claimed that the acquittal underscores Malaysia’s commitment to the premier’s extensive reform agenda.

Abdul Gani, as attorney general, has the sole discretion to grant the appeal and the matter doesn’t rest with either Saiful or UMNO. If the prosecution goes ahead with Saiful’s demand for an appeal of the case against Anwar, however, it brings back a difficult question that prosecutors have ignored since the onset of the case in June of 2008, when Saiful lodged a report claiming he had been sodomized by the opposition leader.

From the start, the prosecution has alleged that the reported contact between Saiful and Anwar was consensual. In court during the trial, which began in February of 2010, Saiful acknowledged that he had gone to Anwar’s condominium on the day the offense was said to have taken place with a tube of lubricant in his pocket, a clear indication that he knew what he was getting into. Anwar has said that he was meeting in the condo with a group of economists at the time, and while a CCTV camera picked up Saiful’s image in the lift, the former aide never entered the condo.

In any case, Saiful has never been charged by the prosecution for participation in an act of unnatural sex, as it is called in Malaysia. One lawyer in Kuala Lumpur, in an interview, compared the case to that of Anwar’s first sodomy trial in 1998, in which Munawar Anees, Anwar's former speechwriter, was sentenced to six months in prison on the same charge. It was alleged that Munawar took an overnight flight from the United Kingdom to Malaysia to be sodomized by Anwar, then turned around and got on a plane and flew back to the UK. Anwar served six years in prison in that case, which was universally condemned by human rights organization across the world as hopelessly rigged by the government to end his political career.

Both Munawar and another alleged participant in sex with Anwar later recanted their confessions, alleging they had been tortured into pleading guilty. Munawar’s appeal was rejected, however. Anwar was ultimately freed on appeal in September of 2004.

“When (Saiful) has committed the same act that Anwar has been charged with, why has he not been charged?” the lawyer asked. “Dr Munawar, who was basically a Saiful, was dragged into court and sentenced for six months’ jail for being the sodomee and not the sodomist. In this case the sodomist is charged with the same complaint, and the sodomee has got off. That is the situation.”

If Saiful is insisting that he wants to appeal the charge, the lawyer said, “the prosecution should begin initiating a charge against him as well. It is the prosecuting office that acts to protect the members of the public. I would like to see Saiful charged. He is part and parcel of this whole crime. One party cannot commit this crime alone. It takes two to commit the crime.”

Prime Minister Najib has reaped considerable praise for his statement that the government had nothing to do with Zabidin’s decision and that the case had been handled by the judge on its merits. During the trial itself, witnesses testified that Saiful had delayed for 104 hours in providing a DNA sample of Anwar’s alleged sperm.

Brian McDonald, a molecular geneticist, pointed out that no sperm after ejaculation could have survived 56 hours in Saiful’s rectum – during which he said he had neither gone to the bathroom nor eaten – and another 48 hours unguarded in an unlocked safe in the office of the investigating officer prior to being handed over to the chemical laboratory for analysis. It was this concern that led Judge Zabidin to say it was impossible to be 100 percent certain that the DNA hadn’t been contaminated.

If Zabidin’s assessment is correct, as he pointed out that leaves Saiful’s testimony as the sole link to a judgment against the opposition leader. But Saiful has never been arrested nor charged with consensual sex. Nonetheless, he continues to demand to be a complaining witness.

Ethics – an asset to justice

The Star 
by M. Veera Pandiyan

Getting judges to publicly declare their assets is a significant step towards improving the integrity of our judiciary and changing the perception of the bench.

DARE to declare! That seems to be the slogan of the moment, in the wake of the move by Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng and his state executive council to declare their assets publicly last week.

Based on the list of properties, investments and cars along with the loans taken, Penang is being run by a motley crew of wealthy and not-so-rich politicians.

Lim owns two shop lots in Malacca, worth RM435,000 and RM530,000 respectively and has taken RM650,000 in loans to pay for them.

He has RM298,785 in fixed deposits, with more than RM53,000 in earned interests besides investments in Amanah Mutual Bhd and Public Mutual Fund.

But there were no clues about the assets of the spouses and relatives, though. When asked about this, the CM was reported to have replied that the pledge was only for the assets of its leaders to be disclosed.

In the case of Selangor, the declaration of assets by the Mentri Besar and exco members in 2009 was basically in the form of their current earnings in salaries and allowances.

They decided not to include assets owned before the exco members held office, on the grounds of not being able to assure security for them or their family members.

Excos disclosed their assets privately to the MB’s office. The information, however, can be released for legitimate reasons, subject to conditions set and approved by the Special Select Committee on Competence, Accountability and Transparency or Selcat.

For political parties, Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) holds the record for being the first to deliver the promise of declaring the assets of its elected and appointed representatives.

Since 2008, it has made public statutory declarations about what they own.

PSM’s sole MP, Michael Jeyakumar Devaraj – who unseated MIC supremo Datuk S. Samy Vellu in Sungei Siput – has been quoted as saying: “Once you become an assemblyman or MP, you must reveal the assets of yourself, your wife and your immediate family every year.”

An increasing number of countries have adopted similar ethics and even have anti-corruption laws requiring public officials to declare their assets and income, in addition to that of their spouses and dependant children.

In the US, for instance, the main law governing this is the Ethics in Government Act of 1978.

Based on last year’s declaration, President Barack Obama has assets worth at least US$4mil (RM12.48mil).

The amount includes book royalties, retirement funds, US Treasury bills and notes and other holdings.

In Malaysia, would all elected representatives from both sides of the political divide agree to be subject to such scrutiny?

As it is, many of our YBs are seen to be extremely well-heeled. They always claim to champion the cause of the rakyat but live in mansions worth millions and lead luxurious lifestyles.

Of course, they can always declare that they were already rich before being elected or appointed.

So, instead of waiting until they are elected, why not make it mandatory for all nominated candidates for Parliament and state seats to disclose their wealth and means of income and those of their immediate family?

Perhaps one way to ensure this is through compulsion – by an Act of Parliament.

One wonders if there would still be many people clamouring to be elected representatives or appointed representatives under such rules.

But we are at least making progress when it comes to the judiciary.

Chief Justice Tan Sri Arifin Zakaria has made a laudable move towards getting judges to declare their assets.

It is indeed a significant step towards improving transparency and integrity of our judiciary and changing the current public perception of the bench.

“I’m sure all of you have nothing to fear, so we have to work together with the MACC on this matter,” the CJ said at the judges’ conference last week.

The MACC has since set up a task force to identify the process under the civil service for the implementation.

The CJ has also told judges to maintain the independence of the judiciary and not to put up with any interference, including from their spouses, when making their decisions.

According to Transparency International’s Bribe Payers Index of 2008, the judiciary was perceived by surveyed business executives to be one of the most corrupt institutions in the country.

Business executives surveyed by the World Economic Forum Global competitiveness Report 2010-2011 identified the judicial system as being under enough influence of members of government, certain individuals and companies to constitute a competitive disadvantage.

They also found the efficiency of the legal framework for private companies to settle disputes and challenge government actions and/or regulations as another disadvantage.

The CJ’s move to boost the integrity of the judiciary is noteworthy in view of such negative perceptions.

The country cannot afford to have a judiciary perceived to be ethically compromised. It would be a millstone around the neck of any anti-corruption strategy.

As such, it needs the full support and cooperation of the people, members of the Bar, the Attorney-General’s Chambers and more so from the political leaders.

> Associate Editor M. Veera Pandiyan likes to share these wise words of Gandhi: “There is a higher court than courts of justice and that is the court of conscience. It supercedes all other courts.”

Police Detain Student Who Threatens PM On Facebook

ALOR SETAR, Jan 19 (Bernama) -- A female student, in Kuala Muda district, was detained for writing a statement with lewd and threatening undertones against Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.

The student, 20, was detained after police received a report at about 10pm about her writings on facebook which contained obscenities and threat on the life of Najib.

State police chief Datuk Ahmad Ibrahim said police detected the owner of the facebook account, a student from a private institution of higher learning, after an investigation, and had detained her at 9am.

"We have been to her university, and from the university authorities, we have called the student, to have her statement taken on the matter," he told reporters here, tonight.

He said the police also seized a handphone and a laptop computer belonging to the student who is in second year at the university.

"We also called the parents of the student to help in investigation," Ahmad said.

He said, as the student was still in her week of examination, police had released her to enable her to sit for the examination.

"We will call several individuals to given information on the matter. We will also call the student again at any time if there is a need to do so," he said.

He said the police would investigate the case in detail and would always monitor the student.

"We have opened an investigation paper under Section 506 of the Penal Code," he said.

Umno tunjuk dangkal dalam spin isu cheGuBard hina masyarakat India

Di atas ialah keratan paparan yang mengandungi akaun twitter che'GuBard yang disiarkan dalam beberapa laman pro Bn. Kononya menurut mereka che'GuBard menghina kaum India dengan mengatakan masyarakat india kaum tani sebagai kasta rendah.

Kesian melihat kesungguhan blogger pro Bn yang bersungguh membuat 'spinning' dengan setiap apa juga yang diperolehi mereka. Namun mereka tidak sedar bahawa usaha mereka ini menunjukkan secara tidak lansung kedangkalan hujah dan ilmu.

Apa yang saya sebut tidak ada kena mengena dengan kasta tetapi teori sistem kelas yang digunakan pakai dalam banyak tulisan / tesis dalam mengupas atau menggambarkan kelas masyarakat.

Soekanto (1993) dalam ‘Kamus Sosiologi’ dalam mengupas prasangka kelas secara jelas merujuk beberapa kali menyebut kelas bawahan sebagai rakyat tertindas dan kelas atasan sebagai elit yang dekat dengan kekuasaan. Teori Sosiologi yang dicetus Karl Marx yang kemudian dikupas dalam banyak tulisan turut merujuk kelas bawah sebagai kelas pekerja dan kelas atas ialah kelas pemodal atau penindas. Malah dalam silibus tajuk Konsep Hubungan Etnik yang terpakai di banyak IPT tempatan turut merujuk 'kelas bawahan' sebagai kelas masyarakat pekerja dan miskin.

Merujuk semula kepada twitter ucapan selamat Ponggal yang ditulis che'GuBard tidak ada salahnya. Apabila che'GuBard mengajak semua yang merayakan ponggal mengambil kesempatan semangat kaum tani untuk penyatuan 'kelas bawah' bangkit melawan penindasan sistem ekonomi yang kaya semakin kaya yang menindas sekarang ini.

Persoalanya benarkah juak - juak Bn ini begitu bersemangat dalam kononya memperjuangkan perpaduan kaum atau melawan penghinaan mana - mana kaum. Di Negeri Sembilan sendiri dua kali dalam dua sidang berbeza seorang adun Bn yang sama jelas membangkitkan penghinaan kepada masyarakat India dengan mencarut menyebut alat sulit wanita dalam bahasa Tamil. Kejadian ini berlaku apabila YB Ravi (Port Dickson) bangun membangkitkan permasalahan masyarakat khususnya orang India termasuk janji PRU yang tidak ditunaikan, berang dengan fakta yang dibangkitkan oleh YB Ravi seorang adun Umno bangun dan mencarut dalam bahasa tamil secara sengaja untuk menghina. Malah institusi dewan pula menghina seluruh rakyat negeri ini dengan gagal mengambil tindakan terhadap dua kali tindakan kurang ajar Adun tersebut. Tetapi pada ketika mana juak - juak yang bising dengan memusing belit mengenai twitt che'GuBard ???

India gives Mahathir a lesson on true democracy

Last month, Dr Mahathir gave a speech in India which stirred one Indian activist to retort in an open letter to the doctor, titled ‘Dr M, in India we have bad roads but true democracy’ by Siddharthya Swapan Roy .

The author is a freelance writer and activist based in Maharashtra. The article is reproduced below in full:

---

Dear Dr Mahathir,

A couple of days back I woke up to newspaper reports which quoted you as saying that India’s democracy is a hindrance to its development and, if we did away with the nuisance of democracy, we will become developed.

Well, sir, it is heartening to see your concern about India’s future, especially now that our own elected government has orphaned us. To read that someone from the outside cares about our development sounds so very nice.

But you see, sir, your (apparently) good intentions notwithstanding, your advice to Indians is, well how should I put it… ill-advised.

I’m not really sure if you know much about the history of our nation. Don’t get me wrong.

Going by facts like the general absence of news from Malaysian newspapers; the absence of anything but song and dance in your electronic media; the absence of bookstores that sell knowledgeable books (for example, ones from which you can learn about history and not how to get rich in six steps); the abundance of malls and the stark absence of libraries; the abundance of coaching centres that can make masseurs, air hostesses and a host of quick-fix technicians and the relative absence of centres of higher learning especially in the social sciences; and, above all, the fact that this insanely consumerist and hedonist Malaysia was made under your tutelage, makes me doubt your knowledge of the history of India or any nation for that matter.

So allow me to apprise you of the story of our independence.

We won independence from colonial rulers waging a long and tortuous battle. A battle that sought to replace a discriminatory, unjust and violent regime that had enslaved huge populations with one which was based on the principles of liberty, equality and fraternity.

India was home then, as is now and as will always be, to an immense diversity of people who spoke different tongues, prayed to different Gods, wore different clothes and had different political beliefs. These diverse people said to each other that – we, despite our differences, will strive to live and flourish together and make a sovereign nation which will be democratic, socialist and secular.

We did not anywhere say that we want to be Malaysia or for that matter China or the US.

In India, no one is above the law

We want to become a nation with a system that treats all its citizens as equal unlike your country that officially accords special rights to Malay Muslims calling them first-class citizens while relegating thousands of people of Tamil, Chinese and other ethnic origins.

Despite the fact that they have known no other land than Malaysia as their own, you denigrate them with the tag of being second-class citizens.

We try to work towards having a system wherein a person will grow according to his merit and hard work earning what she or he has rightfully earned.

You may be surprised to know that here in India making cartels based on identity, even if under the name of a holy cow called “Bumipuetra” or son of the soil is looked down upon by most of us.

Here, promoting the selective interests of one’s self or that of his kin is called corruption and nepotism and not, as you call it, development.

We are in fact fighting tooth and nail to arrest the scourge of corruption and (you’ll be shocked to know) get the guilty punished.

Here in India no one is above the law and many a times powerful public figures go to jail for being corrupt or subverting the law.

Now that we are at it, sir, I’m sure it would be interesting to know what the minorities of your country have to say – especially the jailed and beaten ones – about the development-democracy debate.

In fact, sir, your idea of development is largely at odds with many of us here.

Development is no substitute for values

What you did to the tropical forests and water bodies of Malaysia (that is, raze vast acres of them into oblivion to make way for big-buck oil palm plantations and piggeries and so on) would cause huge outrage among many of us who are looking for sustainable development.

We are yet to be unanimously convinced that making cemented roads – however broad, lining them with buildings, even if glass-covered and glossy, and putting cars on them, however fast – is a substitute for our valued bio-diversity.

Many of us are very convinced that displacing huge populations of native people for useless things like racing tracks is a blot on the word “development”.

There are many of us who find it a shameful and cruel hypocrisy that while your country has abundant and openly advertised sex tourism, it still whips women for being licentious!

Thanks to the culture of reading here, many of us know of your penchant for cruelty in your personal career.

A career during which you enacted despotic and violent acts at times in the name (your contorted version of) Islam and at times in the name of security and national interest.

We could recount how you rose to power annihilating huge numbers of your opponents and stayed there for over two decades, continuing your devious rule using tactics and schemes which are far beyond Machiavelli.

Many of us know about your vile Internal Security Act, which you used to crush political opposition – jailing them and putting in place a frail and near-sham democracy and placing the entire nation under a one-man rule of Umno for over two decades.

You will note that I have used words like “most of us”, “many of us” and have tried to stay away from absolute claims.

Misconstrued understanding of ‘development’

Besides the age-old Indian practice of accommodating different opinions, it is meant to recognise that there are people in this country, too, who think like you and will have applauded you for saying what you did.

They, too, think that roads are all that important and not the humans who walk on them or the ones who sleep beside them.

They have misconstrued the word development as development of personal wealth and that this “development” is a holy cow and everything including the rights and lives of fellow humans is of lesser priority.

Their money power helps them buy a lot of print space and electronic bandwidth so they may appear like the majority, but thankfully the truth is they aren’t.

The majority of us recognise and are willing to admit – and even discuss at length – that there are problems in our nation – including bad roads.

But they’ll quickly add that we intend to solve those not by lessening democracy but by increasing it.

- Siddharthya Swapan Roy

---

The above article was sent to me by a friend. The article depicts the true Malaysian scenario. To start off check out the prevailing mentality of a section of our community. ‘Cerai Isteri kerana longgar’ - this was headline news in a local newspaper recently.The paper knows what thrills people. In other cultures, this would have made people vomit knowing there are more important matters at hand for the papers to report.

Its very regrettable to know thousands of our children leave school without being able to speak a word in English - a vital international medium for educational, social and economic growth. No grand transformation program can work without English.

An ocean of knowledge is available in English. Regard it like a computer. Without it there is no progress. Even whatever progress is made is aided by the presence of English in key areas such as the Registrar of  Companies and the legal system.

For heaven sake realise that when you cannot guarantee the next meal for a child, at least give him the tools for survival. The vast population of school leavers and university graduates are stupid by international standards. Don’t play with the future of the children.
They know nothing. As elders, we have the responsibility to provide for them in this competitive world. 

World Bank warns of 'very difficult year'

The US economy will continue to suffer, the World Bank estimates, but not as much as poor countries [GALLO/GETTY] 

 Bi-annual report slashes growth projections and predicts a downturn in 2012 that "no country and no region will escape".
 The World Bank has warned the international community to brace for slow growth and economic challenges in 2012 stemming partly from Europe's debt woes.

The bank substantially cut its forecasts for growth in both developed and poorer nations in its twice-yearly report, issued late on Tuesday.

"Europe appears to have entered recession, and growth in several major developing countries [Brazil, India and to a
lesser extent Russia, South Africa and Turkey] has slowed," the bank said as it updated forecasts made last June.

It predicted the global economy will expand by 2.5 per cent in 2012 and by 3.1 per cent in 2013, well behind the 3.6 per cent growth for each year that the bank had projected in June.

The US economy will also suffer from slower global growth, the report said, though not by as much as developing countries.

"The world is very different than it was six months ago," said Andrew Burns, head of the bank's global economics team and lead author of the report. "This is going to be a very difficult year."

Sobering assessment

The report noted two major reasons for the projected global slowdown: Europe's debt crisis has worsened and several big developing countries have taken steps to prevent growth from overheating and fueling inflation.

Developing countries' economies will continue to out pace those of richer, developed countries, but the World Bank also
lowered its forecasts for growth in these countries to 5.4 per cent in 2012 and six per cent in 2013.

That was down from previous estimates of 6.2 per cent and 6.3 per cent respectively for growth in developing countries.

"The downturn in Europe and weaker growth in developing countries raises the risk that the two developments reinforce
one another, resulting in an even weaker outcome," it said.

It also cited failure so far to resolve high debts and deficits in Japan and the US and slow growth in other high-income countries, and cautioned those could trigger sudden shocks.

On top of that, political tensions in the Middle East and North Africa could disrupt oil supplies and add another blow to
global prospects, the World Bank said in a sobering assessment of the challenges facing the economy.

'Global crisis'

It said that while Europe was moving toward a long-term solution to its debt problems, markets remain skittish.

"While contained for the moment, the risk of a much broader freezing up of capital markets and a global crisis similar in
magnitude to the Lehman crisis remains," the World Bank said, referring to the US investment bank that went bankrupt in 2008 and helped intensify a global financial crisis.

Against that backdrop, it said developing countries were even more vulnerable than they were in 2008 because they could
find themselves facing reduced capital flows and softer trade.

In addition, many developing countries have weaker finances and would not be able to respond to a new crisis as vigorously.

The World Bank pointed out that since last August risk aversion to Europe has shot up and "changed the game" for
developing countries that have seen their borrowing costs escalate sharply and the flow of capital to them decrease.

"No country and no region will escape the consequences of a serious downturn," the World Bank said, adding that now was the time for developing countries to plan how to soften the impact of a potential deep crisis.

Tortured Afghan child bride slowly recovering

KABUL — The Afghan child bride who was tortured in an attempt to force her into prostitution is slowly recovering but is still hardly able to speak, a nurse told AFP during a visit to the girl's bedside Thursday.

Afghan child bride Sahar Gul, 15, lies in a bed as she recovers at the Wazir Akbar Khan hospital in Kabul today (AFP, Shah Marai)

Sahar Gul, 15, who was burned and beaten and had her fingernails pulled out was found last month in the basement of her husband's house in northeastern Baghlan province, where she had been locked in a toilet for six months.

"Since the past few days, Gul can walk very slowly, she can eat and talk in a frail voice," said nurse Latifa Mirzad at the Wazir Akbar Khan hospital, as the bruised and battered girl looked on silently.

"She is hardly able to speak of her ordeal but sometimes she says in a weak voice 'my father in-law and mother-in law have beaten me'."

Gul's case was taken directly to President Hamid Karzai by a delegation from the Afghan Women's Network on Wednesday.

"The president assured his full support to strictly punish the perpetrators of the crime against Sahar Gul so that nobody can commit such a crime in the future," said the network's Lema Anwari.

Karzai pledged in a statement after the delegation's visit to take action against the "cowardly" perpetrators of violence against women.

The president said that he always took measures as soon as he heard about cases of violence against women, and would continue to take the issue seriously so that the culprits were brought to justice.

According to figures in an Oxfam report in October, 87 percent of Afghan women report having experienced physical, sexual or psychological violence or forced marriage.

The Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission logged 1,026 cases of violence against women in the second quarter of 2011 compared with 2,700 cases for the whole of 2010.

Uniting Malays Not Over (Umno)

Many decades have passed since the inception of Umno but the organisation has failed dismally to unite Malays in Malaysia under its umbrella.
COMMENT

Umno, the acronym for United Malays National Organisation, despite being in existence for decades, has failed miserably to unite Malays under its banner. Therefore, it should perhaps re-define Umno as Uniting Malays Not Over.

All was well upon the inception of Umno by Jaffar Onn and the fight against the British that led to Merdeka. Umno was also well under Tunku Abdul Rahman’s leadership. But the changes that led to Umno losing favour with the Malay populace can be traced back to as early as the 70s.

Umno has since then become a fractious and divisive organisation which even led to its de-registration and the setting up of a new Umno during the era of the Mahathir administration. But the fact that a Malay organisation, claiming to represent the bulk of the Malay population, does not even have a Malay equivalent in naming itself speaks of the muddled politics the party has been engaging in until now.

Aside from the fact that Umno uses an English expression in describing itself, it is ironic that it doesn’t see the need to emphasise the importance of the English language among Malays, but personally most Umno leaders seem to favour an English education for their children.

While for the largely Malay masses, Umno champions and stresses the use of the Malay language – that it is a unifying language and therefore must be safeguarded to guarantee the future of the Malays – yet, in reality, the children of Umno leaders are generally packed off to obtain the best possible education in the English language.

It is primarily this and other forms of double standard practised by Umno leaders that have caused Malays to seek political affinity with PKR and PAS. While the Malays usually tend to hold on to traditional values and value the role of Umno in Malaysia, they now view the party as having strayed from the basis of which it was formulated.

While Malays value very much the contribution of Umno to their well-being, this is now a thing of the past, as the loss of interest in Umno now is due to the self-seeking attitudes of most Umno leaders and members.

Malays no longer see Umno as a party that champions the struggle of the Malays. In the new millennium, Malays have begun to realise that the winds of change have taken place at Umno, especially since the departure of Mahathir.

Precarious position

While during the reign of the Mahathir regime the rot had started to set in, the wily politician was able to still appease and appeal to the Malays. But the unity among the Malays started to crumble with the sacking of Anwar Ibrahim as deputy prime minister and the subsequent establishment of PKR.

Enter PAS which began to capitalise on the disappointment of the Malays with Umno and seized the opportunity to make gains, even presenting itself as a viable option to non-Malays. The interest in these two parties caught on among the Malays and led to the political tsunami that almost ousted the ruling Barisan Nasional from power in 2008.

In realising that Malay grassroots support has shifted to PKR and PAS, Umno tried to restore confidence among Malays by removing Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and hoped that the replacement prime minister will be able to curry greater favour with the large Malay voter base.

While urban Malays seem to be the bulk of Umno supporters today, the party is in a precarious position and has so far found no solution to being able to unite Malays under its umbrella. Umno’s loss of grassroots Malay support has gladly been absorbed by PKR and PAS.

As it stands, Malays as a race are more fragmented and, politically, their allegiance is currently skewered three-ways among PAS, PKR and Umno. The reality of Malays being divided and being ruled by a tripartite leadership does not augur well for Umno but is again welcome news for PKR and PAS.

The Najib-led Umno has strived hard to become the preferred political party of choice for Malays. But in doing so, the initiatives used and employed have made Malays even more wary and suspicious of the overtures made by Umno.

While it is conceded that Umno still has a large membership base, the steady numbers of Malays who are beginning to see a better future by hedging with PKR and PAS is becoming apparent. Even DAP has been holding the olive branch to Malays and making progress in recruiting Malay members.

What has gone wrong with Umno, once holding formidable sway over the Malay population of Malaysia? The steady rise of economic prosperity in which large numbers of Malays have not been able to savour much is the root cause of Malay disenchantment as they witness only pockets of Malays emerging super rich.

Elite Malay group

This creation of an elite Malay grouping spawned by Umno and the great schism it has created with the rest of the Malays have become noticeable and evident and the root of bitterness.

The fact that while the economy grew, and while even the other major races fared better, Malays largely feel they have been betrayed by Umno for not spreading the wealth over a wider base of the Malay population.

This grievance has caused the once-favoured Umno to be no longer the champion of the Malay struggle. The gauntlet seems to have fallen on PKR and PAS to restore parity and the equitable distribution of wealth.

Malay voters see the roles played by PKR and PAS leaders as consistent with their call to bring about reforms, while Umno is being viewed as mere slogan chanters who do not practise what they preach.

This dichotomy between creed and deed, this lack of evidence that Umno is sincere but displays the façade that it cares for the well-being of Malays is really a feeble attempt by Umno to secure the support of the Malay base.

But Malays have become quietly smarter and wiser and are aware of the bag of tricks of Umno politicians and need no direction or guidance as to what their role should be in seeing a better Malaysia. In the 13th general election it should not come as a surprise to most people (except maybe Umno) that the actual transformation that really takes place is the Malays themselves showing the exit door to Umno.

When that happens, perhaps Umno’s slogan of “Dulu, Kini & Selamanya” (Before, Now and Forever) should be changed to “Dulu, Kini & Tak Lama Lagi” (Before, Now and Not for long).

Christopher Fernandez has been teaching and writing throughout Asia since 1984.

Film-makers upset over Indian festival

PETALING JAYA: A group of Malaysian Indian film industry players are unhappy that the Malaysian Indian Film Festival (MIFF), organised by MIC Youth, was held in India last week.

The group, led by producer K Murali, claimed that holding the Malaysian Indian Film Festival in Chennai was akin to “blowing our own trumpet” and that it did not benefit the local Indian movie industry.

The MIC Youth organised a three-day movie festival last week where 10 local Indian movies selected by the National Film Development Corporation of Malaysia (Finas) were screened in Chennai. An award presentation ceremony was the climax of the festival.

“The festival would be better if it was held in Malaysia. Our film industry is very small compared to India. Indians there are not interested in our movies,” he said at a press conference here, today.

“So, what is the point of holding such a festival in India? Instead, we should send our young actors or technical people over to India on how to produce better movies. From what I heard, the 10 movies brought there were not watched by Indians but MIC members who were in India to attend the Pravasi Bharathiya Divas conference (an Indian diaspora forum).

Also present the press conference were K Loganathan (actor), K Gandhiban (actor and director), V Manivannan (actor) and S Mohan Rao (actor).

While the group slammed the MIC Youth, Murali said he would arrange a meeting with MIC president G Palanivel to find ways to stimulate the local Indian movie industry.

Gandhiban, meanwhile, said the industry players were in the dark over the criteria used to select movies for the festival.

“We want to know on what basis were these movies selected… what are the criteria,” he added.

The group aimed their harshest words for the festival’s organising committee chief P Vijay.

“According to Vijay all the 10 movies were selected by Finas and he also gave an assurance that next year my films also will be selected to be screened at the festival.

“If it’s true the movies were selected by Finas, then how come Vijay can give assurance that next year my films will be selected for the festival?” Ghandhiban asked.

Real culprit

He said Vijay, who is the MIC Youth’s arts and cultural bureau chief, should be sacked from the party.

“He is the real culprit behind the video piracy in Malaysia and MIC should not give position to someone who spoiled the local music industry,” alleged Ghandiban, better known as Ben-G.

The group also questioned how a movie produced by Vijay won two awards, when he was the organising committee head.

Meanwhile, when contacted, MIC Youth chief T Mohan said the the wing wanted to hold the film festival in India with the aim of exposing the local movie industry to Indians.

“I am surprised that these people do not understand our intention to hold the film festival there. It would enable our movies to have a wider reach. We have quality actors and technicians. But, since our industry is too small, we are facing tough challenges to bring our movies to the international level,” he said.

“India is the best place to promote our movies to enable us to move forward. I would regard the festival as a success. Some Indian producers are keen to work with our actors and technical people.

“This is a good thing. Even, a few distributors from India are interested to distribute our local movie named ‘Appalam’. So, this is the way to promote our films,” he said, adding that he spent money from his own pocket for the festival.

Maid claims she was treated like a slave

The maid claims that she had no off days and worked from dawn till next morning and often went hungry.

MELBOURNE: A Cambodian maid has revealed that she was treated like a slave by her employer in Kuala Lumpur, according to a report in “The Age” newspaper today.

Apparently a one-metre snake “ended” Orn Eak’s two-year ordeal when it entered her employer’s apartment, and her services were subsequently terminated.

(Serpents, or nagas, play a particularly important role in Cambodian mythology.)

“When the snake crawled into my employer’s apartment she blamed me and kicked me out,” Orn Eak, 28, told the newspaper’s Southeast Asia correspondent Lindsay Murdoch.

“I got the blame for everything, including the death of my employer’s elderly mother.”

Single with a five-year-old son, Orn Eak said she went to Malaysia to work because her mother was struggling to survive in their village in Kompong Thom province.

Orn Eak claimed she had no days off and worked from dawn into the early hours of the next morning, caring for her employer’s disabled mother. She said she was often beaten and went hungry.

The mistreatment worsened after the old woman died in hospital.

Last October, Cambodia imposed a temporary ban on sending domestic workers to Malaysia following numerous complaints of abuse. The order was signed by Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen following “some negative information” about the working environment of Cambodian maids in Malaysia.

Orn Eak’s mother, Ee Tha, 55, told “The Age” that she received only two payments in almost two years from her daughter’s employer totalling US$270 (about RM840). The employer deducted Orn Eak’s flight ticket home from her salary, which was supposed to be US$180 a month.

When Orn Eak arrived back in Phnom Penh in November, a woman picked her up at the airport and took her to the employment agency.

“I told the story about the snake to a director. Five men came into the room and beat me. They pushed my head onto a glass door and kicked me on the ground,” she said.

Ee Tha, who was asked to come to Phnom Penh to take her daughter home, said: “When I saw that my daughter’s face and body were cut and bruised, my heart dropped.”

After Ee Tha refused to leave the employment agency’s office with her daughter until she was given the money she was owed, a director finally handed over US$1,200 (about RM3,740) – that meant Orn Eak earned only US$1,470 (about RM4,580) for nearly two years’ work.

Social workers have verified her claims of abuse, the newspaper said.

- Bernama

Hindraf and ABU vs Umno

The two movements have decided to join hands in a bid to end the rule of Umno and Barisan Nasional.

KUALA LUMPUR: The Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf) will join hands with the Anything But Umno (ABU) movement in a bid to end Umno’s rule.

Speaking to reporters today, Hindraf national coordinator W Sambulingam said the government must be changed.

“Umno or Barisan Nasional which has been the governing party for the last 54 years has left the nation in a deplorable condition. We have to vote BN out,” he added.

Sambulingam said Hindraf and ABU would initially hold nationwide ceramah against Umno.

During the first phase, he said, 11 ceramah will be held in Kedah, Penang, Perak, Selangor, Negri Sembilan and Johor.

“Our first ceramah will take place in Jalan Kebun in Klang on Jan 21,” he added.

Promiment lawyer and ABU coordinator Haris Ibrahim, who was also present at the press conference, welcomed Hindraf’s decision to join ABU.

He also invited other like-minded NGOs and individuals to join in the fight.

“We are pro-rakyat. So whoever feels that they are pro-rakyat can unite with us,” he said.

ABU was formed last year, and the movement focused on four major issues – the Lynas plant, price

hikes, racist politics and unjust laws.

National identity is not a race

Said Zahari

NEW year, new you? Not if you’re national identity in Malaysia, it would seem. We ended last year with disputes over Article 153 provisions for bumiputera special privileges and began this one with discussions of a Race Relations Bill, hurtfully racialised statements, ethnocentric election strategising and accusations of religious subversion.
Said Zahari’s 1969 poem comes to mind: “Once again / Colour, race, religion and language/ Become sharp blades/ To use in the carnage.”
Here’s an idealistic wish for 2012: that public debate in Malaysia will stop treating our collective identity as a communitarian competition. I’m not arguing for a colour-blind society — colours are pretty. And with whatever credibility I retain after that last clause, I’ll argue that beauty is not relative. Strength need not come from comparison. Wealth may be limited, but we have enough to share.
Identity constructs
I refuse to believe that I am a minority in these beliefs. I may represent a minority religion and language within a minority race, but I grew up with comfortably multicultural social circles in national schools and never felt outnumbered until I left Malaysia for school.
This is not to suggest that those with less diverse backgrounds or stronger ethnic consciousnesses are any more or less Malaysian than I am. Our nation’s name honours our roots in Sanskrit-influenced maritime sultanates alongside our modern transoceanic federation. We don’t deserve the title “Malaysian” unless we value all the ways of being differently Malaysian.
Not that this is easy. Not least because identity is both historic and immediate, demanding generosity and rigour to avoid either trivialising or romanticising the past.

Syed Hussein Alatas, 1969 (Wiki Commons)

Like all national histories, ours is richly messy. I’m still in the process of learning about the mess, most recently through some brilliant books. Syed Hussein Alatas‘ The Myth of the Lazy Native (1977) taught me about the colonial origins of the ethnic stereotypes that continue to haunt us. T.N. Harper‘s The End of Empire and the Making of Malaya (1999) animated in meticulous detail the Emergency-era trauma and intergroup independence agreements caricatured in Penilaian Menengah Rendah (PMR) history textbooks.
A book I want to read next is Charles Hirschman‘s Ethnic and Social Stratification in Peninsular Malaysia (1975). Hirschman’s work on the evolution of Malaysia’s ethnic definitions was cited in Farish Noor‘s 2008 paper on the development of racial politics in Malaysia. Even a brief sample of this research tempts me to cynicism: thinking constructively about ethnicity becomes a struggle when it turns out that many of our ethnic perceptions were constructed by political opportunists, whether colonial or local.

(© lusi | sxc.hu)

A confused conversation
No wonder we haven’t figured out how to talk about ourselves. I’m no legal scholar, but it doesn’t take an expert to notice that the Constitution sometimes denotes Malaysia’s sub-communities as “ras, keturunan atau tempat lahir” and sometimes “kaum”, all of which have varying linguistic and ideological foundations.
Official forms today are more likely to ask for your particular “bangsa”, despite the fact that the term “kebangsaan” includes all of us. It’s not unlike the tension between calling our national language either “Bahasa Melayu” or “Bahasa Malaysia”.
This is another difficulty of affirming different Malaysian identities: some of our identities are founded on mutually irreconcilable claims. Some of these claims are primarily conceptual — for example, the friction between our Islamic heritage and our other missionary religions. Other conflicting claims involve policy problems. Affirmative action remains an open question.
Diversity in national identity
Thankfully, unity can coexist with disagreement. Understanding and respecting other perspectives does not require identical standpoints. I would like to think that a wider range of views can facilitate navigation of the unavoidably public but deeply personal territory of national and cultural identity.
My personal appreciation of the symbolic precedent of Malays in Malaysia has been informed by my appreciation of the symbolic precedent of Israel in Christianity. To some, that statement may be sacrilegious; to others, laughable. To yet others, the parallel will be recognisable but uninspiring — I’d felt similarly about a professor’s assurance that Arabic grammar was like geometry.
This array of possible reactions diminishes neither the fact that many have suffered injustice for and against Malay and Israeli sovereignty, nor my right to call myself Malaysian and Christian. But it does make exposing my identity a risk.
National unity is replete with such risks. Choosing to identify a group as large and heterogeneous as a nation is an act of reckless trust, especially in a country that offers a spectrum of smaller and thus safer identifications.

Norhayati Kaprawi

But I am encouraged in this trust by other Malaysians’ audacious expressions of nationality. Last July, thousands of netizens of all races claimed Anne Ooi as their Aunty Bersih. This past Christmas, Norhayati Kaprawi and Harakah Daily editors were among those who publicly advocated for interfaith amity.
In The Spectre of Comparisons (1998), Benedict Anderson notes that Malaysia “arose out of the last large British imperial garage sale”. I love garage sales. There’s an energetic authenticity that comes from face-to-face negotiations amid variously used treasures and trash. I would pick the exasperating but fascinating mess of our garage sale — precipitated as it was by conflict on many fronts — over the centralised gimmicks and careless labelling of a Kedai Rakyat 1Malaysia any day.
Here’s to us.

Why did they free Anwar?

P. Ramakrishnan - The Malaysian Insider

JAN 18 — Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s acquittal and discharge could not have earned the judiciary any brownie points. Neither did the trial judge, Justice Datuk Zabidin Mohd Diah, come across as someone capable of blazing a new trail in proactive justice.

In fact, the court proceedings only disappointed Malaysians the way the judge denied the defence the many crucial notes they were entitled to, dismissed their right to question the prime minister and his wife by granting their application not to appear as witnesses, and refused to recuse himself as the presiding judge by dismissing Anwar’s application that he was biased in the proceedings.

He even strengthened this belief by concluding at the end of the prosecution case that Saiful was a “truthful and credible witness” without even hearing the defence side of the case. The bias was so blatant and so obvious.

Who can forget the doctor who testified under oath at the trial? He wilfully refused to refer to his notes in a deliberate attempt to deny the defence his notes.

In spite of Karpal Singh coaxing him to refer to the notes while testifying, he stubbornly refused to look at his notes. The question arises, why would he want to deny the defence access to his notes? Was he coached not to refer to his notes? What was in those notes that would have been helpful in Anwar’s defence that they desperately wanted to hide?

Again, the way Anwar’s DNA was obtained was questionable and unethical. In spite of Anwar having assured the police that he would turn up at the police station to give his statement, he was waylaid, arrested and taken to the police station as if he was a common criminal. And they unnecessarily kept him overnight to obtain his DNA surreptitiously. Indeed that was how they obtained his DNA.

Anwar’s objection to the admission of his DNA was initially allowed because it was obtained by trickery. But later the judge allowed the DNA as an exhibit following the prosecution’s appeal.

So when the judge acquitted Anwar at the end of the trial, his decision was a clear contradiction to the way the case had progressed and proceeded. Going strictly by the court proceedings, Anwar should have been convicted. There were no two ways about it. The court decision took everyone by surprise.

The entire proceedings went against Anwar thus allowing an injustice to prevail. It created the unmistakable impression that the court was colluding with the executive to put away Anwar for good.

Widespread anger

So why was Anwar freed?

While the prosecution went all out to obtain a conviction, the powers-that-be could not ignore the sentiment on the ground. There was wide-spread anger and frustration among a wide-ranging spectrum of the population.

I was on my way to keep an appointment at the General Hospital in Penang on January 9, when I was informed of the outcome, moments after the judge had delivered his verdict to acquit and discharge Anwar. I met so many people at the hospital, the majority of whom were Malays and who were total strangers. When I told them that Anwar was freed, all of them without an exception praised God and were openly very happy.

I called my friend in Kuala Lumpur and related my experience with these people. I was told that this euphoria was not confined to Penang only but was felt everywhere in KL and elsewhere in the country.

With this kind of sympathy and support for Anwar, a guilty verdict and a prison sentence would have outraged all these people. The backlash arising out of this injustice would have punished the Barisan Nasional mercilessly in the 13th General Election.

Political motive?

According to many observers, it was a political decision to go after Anwar with this trumped up charge as he was seen as a threat to the BN’s continued domination of Malaysian politics. Now it was also a political decision to free him in order to mollify the public anger against the BN.

But if this was their strategy for the time being, will they allow Anwar the freedom to roam around the country, galvanising the people and spreading the wings of Pakatan all over Malaysia?

It is very likely that they would want to appeal this verdict and knowing the trend of the judiciary — you win round one and lose round two — the appeal would be allowed. In this way they can keep Anwar tied down with the court cases and continue to harass him giving him little rope to campaign effectively.

But this raises a serious issue. Who will decide if the prosecution should appeal? Following the norm, that decision is with the Attorney General, Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail. But would that be fair to Anwar?

In the first sodomy trial, Manjit Singh who was representing Nallakaruppan revealed that Gani Patail had asked Nallakaruppan to incriminate Anwar offering a plea bargain. This incident should disqualify Gani Patail from deciding on the question of appeal. Apparently there would be a case of conflict of interest.

But the best decision is for the executive and the judiciary to accept the decision of the High Court and bring a closure to this unhappy event. There would be no justification for wasting countless hours of the court and unnecessarily incurring huge further costs in pursuing this case.

If the A-G proceeds with the appeal, the inevitable conclusion would be that it is a case of political vendetta against Anwar, plain and simple. It would debunk the claim made by some that the verdict showed the judiciary is independent. It would only establish the fact that nothing has changed in the judiciary. The rot has permeated beyond repair and redemption.

Hope only lies in a change of government for a better Malaysia and a better future for Malaysians. — aliran.com