Media Event : Hindraf to stop UMNO govt demolishing Segambut Aman Hindu temple on15/3/12 @ 9.00 a.m.

             No 6B, Jalan Abdullah,
                                                                                                                                                       Off Jalan Bangsar,
                                                                                                                                                       59000, Kuala Lumpur
                                                                                                                                                       Tel: 03-22825241/03-22825622 Fax:03-22825245
Your Reference:
In Reply :
Date : 15/3/2012

Media Event 15/3/2012 (Thursday)

Re: 1) Hindraf to stop UMNO govt demolishing Segambut Aman Hindu temple  tomorrow 15/3/12 @ 9.00 a.m.


Date : 15/3/2012 (Thursday)
Time : 9.00 a.m.
Venue: Segambut Aman Hindu temple (Opposite Hong Leong Bank, Jalan Segambut Lama)

Note: Hindraf National Youth Chief S. Thiagarajan (019-3085944) would lead some 100 supporters in stopping this criminal act of hindu temple demolishment.

Saaran : 012-2560618
Siva Setapak: 017-6781335

Thank you.
Yours faithfully,

___________
S. Jayathas
Information Chief Hindraf
012-6362287

 

No reason to pardon BN

If voters are going to be softhearted and fall for Najib's sob-story of an apology, then the nation is doomed.
COMMENT

The recent public apology by Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak does merit a bit of attention from the rakyat but only to see how well he is performing as an actor. It is nothing but merely a ploy to hoodwink the rakyat into voting for Barisan Nasional (BN) time and time again.

Here are several reasons why Najib and BN should never be pardoned: dirty voter registration rolls, Perak, Lynas, Imam Hoslan Hussin and Frusis Lebi.

The first is in regard to the voter rolls wherein opposition Pakatan Rakyat MPs have detected at least 230,000 dubious voters.

The following is a breakdown of the tremendous increase in the percentage of voters in Selangor in various parliamentary and state seats:

1. Sungai Besar 19.95% (Umno)

2. Hulu Selangor 25.14% (MIC)

3. Kuala Selangor 20.39%

4. Selayang 18.86%

5. Pandan 18.18% (MCA)

6. Hulu Langat 23.95%

7. Serdang 22.63%

8. Puchong 24.94%

9. PJ Selatan 5.64%

10. PJ Utara 7.76%

11. Subang 35.02%

12. Shah Alam 19.87%

13. Kota Raja 29.51%

14. Kuala Langat 23.62%

15. Sepang 24.64% (Umno)

With the exception of Sungai Besar, Hulu Selangor, Pandan and Sepang, the rest are Pakatan seats.

It is obvious that the Election Commission (EC) is working in cahoots with the National Registration Department (NRD) to steal Selangor for Najib and BN. This is unforgivable!

Besides the above, there were no deaths recorded in the last quarter of last year.

There were also many cases of voters staying under the same roof:

1. 51 to 100 voters staying under the same address – 1,259 cases.

2. 21 to 50 voters staying under the same address – 3,254 cases.

3. 11 to 20 voters staying under the same address – 6,002 cases.

From 2008 till last year, there has not been much increase in new housing estates so the increase in the number of voters is highly irregular.

Terengganu, which was won by PAS in 1999, was recaptured by BN in 2004 due to voter-roll manipulation executed in the same manner as shown above. From 1999 to 2004, there was an overall increase of 17.18% in the number of voters whereas the increase in population was only 1.53%. However, at that time the public were not so politically aware and there was no hue and cry about the fall of Terengganu to BN.

Najib is wasting the rakyat’s time

Next issue is Perak. Why didn’t Najib apologise for the illegal, undemocratic and diabolical power-grab which was masterminded by him?

This columnist still remembers the smirk on his face as he hosted the press conference flanked by the three political frogs from Pakatan.

The third issue is Lynas Advanced Materials Plant (LAMP). No apologies are needed for this matter. No excuses are necessary and none is warranted. Just shut down Lynas. Najib is wasting the rakyat’s time and insulting the rakyat’s intelligence where this issue is concerned.

The fourth issue pertains to the bullying of underdogs. The one-year jail term for Imam Hosni who threw his slippers at the judges is too excessive. Although contempt of court should not be condoned, the sentence meted out to him makes a mockery of the judiciary when you compare it with former Selangor menteri besar Khir Toyo’s one-year jail term. Enough said.

Another case of an underdog being bullied is Frusis Lebi of Sarawak who was denied his RM300 welfare aid for the disabled because he put up a flag of one of Pakatan Rakyat’s component parties outside his house during last year’s Sarawak state election. Anyway, the flag was promptly torn down by BN supporters.

Najib’s apology is an insincere one. But for such a convincing performance he surely deserves an Oscar for Best Actor. Nevertheless, many rural folk will be taken in and a good number of the urban folk, too, going by the maturity and thinking ability of Malaysian voters.

One has to realise that the longer BN stays in power, the longer still will Malaysians be the world’s laughing stock due to the stupidity of its voters.

An English daily on Feb 16, 2012, reported Najib’s evasive answer when he was questioned on whether the RM500 cash aid will be given next year. This was what he said, “We will see. When the time comes, we will announce it.” Bingo! Without consulting any oracles, this columnist dares to predict that the RM500 cash aid will certainly not be given next year if the general election is held this year.

All along Najib and his BN government treat the rakyat as fools. BN leaders always say that Pakatan has failed to keep its promises. Well, let us make a list of unfulfilled promises of both BN and Pakatan and you can be sure that BN’s list will take up enough reams of paper to go around the globe nine times. Why nine? Simply because nine is the number of eternity.

If Malaysian voters are going to be softhearted and fall for Najib’s sob-story of an apology, then Malaysia is doomed.We must not be taken for a ride anymore. By the way, what is that RM410,000 invoice for his daughter’s engagement banquet all about?

Selena Tay is a FMT columnist

Condemn Syrian crackdown, govt told

Malaysia has neither condemned nor voiced its support for the bloody Syrian crackdown. But a group of NGOs demand that the government makes a stand.

KUALA LUMPUR: A group of NGOs is pleading with the government to take a stand against Syria’s bloody crackdown in the country’s currently ongoing uprising.

Gathering under the “Save Syria Coalition” umbrella, 27 NGOs here have asked the Malaysian government to condemn Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s role in putting down the uprising.

They demanded that Malaysia bring its ambassador back from the conflict-ridden country.

The coalition’s secretariat, led by Naim Jusri, also asked that Malaysia pass an emergency motion condemning Syria’s actions and call for an end to the killing there.

“We heavily condemn the cruel and inhuman acts by Bashar al-Assad’s regime on the Syrian people.

“Their cruelty has been further highlighted by the looting of belongings, the killing of religious scholars, massacres, rape and molesting of women, banning women from wearing the hijab as well as oppressing both the young and the elderly,” he told reporters at the Parliament lobby.

He said this after presenting the group’s memorandum to MPs this morning, including to Foreign Minister Anifah Aman.

It is estimated that as many as 8,500 people have been killed since the uprising began, along with a possible 39,000 wounded. The Save Syria Coalition also claimed that more than 180,000 people have been detained by the regime.

Although the Syrian Uprising has been raging since mid-March last year (as part of the Arab Spring), Malaysia has neither condemned nor supported Bashar’s actions in Syria.

Earlier today, Balik Pulau MP (PKR) Yusmadi Yussof and Parit Buntar MP (PAS) Mujahid Yusof Rawa expressed disappointment that Malaysia has not done anything with regard to Syria.

‘We need your help’

Jawdat Khatib -a Syrian national- who accompanied Naim to Parliament today said that the situation in his country is dire.

“The situation right now in Syria is very, very bad. We really need your help and support. Our people in Syria are being killed everyday, women and children are being killed everyday. Massacres are happening in Syria,” he said.

Jawdat appealed to Malaysia for help, adding that the country has a reputation for aiding in humanitarian crises.

The Save Syria Coalition also said that it will hold a peaceful assembly that will march from Masjid Tabung Haji to the Syrian Embassy this Friday at 2:45 pm.

Najib to review MAS-AirAsia swap deal

A MAS employees union official said this may lead to the tie-up being scrapped because of MAS' record losses.

KUALA LUMPUR: Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak has promised to review a share-swap deal between Malaysia Airline (MAS) and AirAsia, a MAS employees union official said on Wednesday, signalling a tie-up may be scrapped after MAS posted record losses.

The 20,000 strong union MASEU is opposed to the US$364 million deal that has brought AirAsia founder Tony Fernandes and his brand of aggressive cost cutting into the MAS boardroom, which they say resembles a take-over by the budget carrier.

Senior officials from the two airlines were not immediately available for comment. A government spokesman confirmed that union officials had met the prime minister but he declined to comment on details of the meeting.

The deal, formulated by Najib, was to help both carriers compete effectively against competitors like Tiger Airways and Singapore Airlines once the Southeast Asian open sky policy comes into effect in 2015.

MASEU officials met Najib in February to protest against the deal that would lead to restructuring MAS into short-haul and long-haul operations and could lead to job cuts, said MASEU secretary general Abdul Malek Ariff.

That month, MAS reported its worst ever losses of RM2.5 billion ($823.86 million) for 2011, eight months after the share swap deal was signed in August, shocking analysts who expected the restructuring to limit losses.

Failing to placate the union could turn into a political hot potato for Najib as MAS operations are centered in Selangor, an important industrial state Najib wants to wrest back from the opposition in elections that could be held within months.

“The prime minister has promised to look into the matter but we’ve heard nothing from him,” Abdul Malek told Reuters, adding the government was losing the support of union members.

“Sentiment among the unions used to be 50:50 for the government and the opposition. Now after this, 90 percent will opt for the opposition,” he said.

Under the deal announced in August, Tune Air, which is controlled by AirAsia’s Fernandes and Kamarudin Meranun, would take a 20.5 percent stake in MAS and two board seats.

In exchange, state investment arm Khazanah Nasional, the majority shareholder in MAS, would hold 10 percent in AirAsia.

CIMB is the adviser for both companies on the deal, which is almost completed with the exchange of warrants ongoing, said a banking source.

Khazanah also declined to comment. A government spokesman said MASEU officials met the prime minister “some time back” but declined to comment further.

Worst ever financial year

Analysts say the new structure was supposed to help MAS, which has had a tumultuous history stretching back to 1997, when unprofitable routes pushed it into the red.

It notched its worst ever financial year in 2011 because of surging fuel costs and one-off provisions for impairment of aircraft, excess capacity and redelivery of aircraft.

In total, the provisions stood at RM1.1 billion for the fourth quarter alone. Following the losses, MAS said it would do fundraising to strengthen its balance sheet.

In contrast, AirAsia has posted profits over the last four quarters, tapping strong demand for air travel in Southeast Asia. It is also planning IPOs in Bangkok and Indonesia to expand in the region where carriers like Lion Air and JetStar are seeking to dominate.

Analysts said at the moment there was no meaningful partnership between AirAsia and MAS, except for the joint procurement of jet fuel cargoes.

“They are welcome to unwind the deal. But what’s key is, would this save MAS? Would previously terminated routes be restated?,” said Ahmad Maghfur Usman, a transport analyst with OSK Investment Bank.

“Definitely, AirAsia benefits in the near term because of the route cuts. It is tough to say what exactly benefits MAS because the detail of the collaboration has yet to be announced. But over the longer term, through shared resources, both carriers will benefit.”

- Reuters

Eurofighter Typhoon for Malaysia?

BAE Systems, a UK-based defence company, hopes to sell the world's most advanced multi-role combat aircraft to Malaysia.

KUALA LUMPUR: The UK-based global defence and security company, BAE Systems, hopes to supply its Eurofighter Typhoon, the world’s most advanced multi-role combat aircraft, to Malaysia.

BAE Systems South East Asia managing director John Brosnan said the company had submitted its proposal to the Defence Ministry, and discussed with local industrial partners on collaboration.

“We have the best aircraft and industrial package to go with it,” he told reporters at a briefing on the company’s Malaysia Industrial Participation here today.

On the contract value, Brosnan said it was too early to ascertain the price as this depends on the number of aircraft, as well as the support level required by Malaysia.

“Once the government has evaluated the initial phase, it will issue the detailed specifications, including the support level, and we can then put in the pricing,” he added.

BAE Systems has a 30-year presence in Malaysia and has been supporting the operations of the Royal Malaysian Air Force Hawk trainers while preparing pilots to fly frontline aircraft.

The company reported sales of US$30.7 billion last year and has customers in more than 100 countries.

-Bernama

EC will use different coloured indelible inks

The Election Commission chief says this is to prevent any possibilty of double voting.

KOTA KINABALU: Election Commission chairman Abdul Aziz Mohd Yusof said the EC would use indelible inks of different colours for the advance and ordinary voters to prevent any possibility of double voting.

“We will definitely use ink that stays longer for the advance voters. The public won’t know the colour or the type of bottles for the ink until a day before the voting process,” he said.

He also said the 242,294 postal voters, comprising 94,613 police and 147,681 armed forces personnel, will become advance voters by default in the coming polls.

This follows the implementation of a new regulation, which will be enforced for the first time during in the 13th general election.

“Postal voting has caused much controversy as though the process was not transparent. We’ve discussed this with the Parliamentary Select Committee on Electoral Reform, and it was agreed that an advance voting system be introduced in the election.

“The advance voting process is similar to normal voting process in that it won’t use envelopes or bags; the only difference is the time and day of polling, which may be two or three days before the actual polling day,” he said after opening a special briefing to returning officers and district police chiefs, here today.

The advance voting will allow members of the armed forces and police, and their spouses, to cast their votes early so that they do not need to do so on actual polling day, allowing them to carry out their duties as usual.

“Under the new regulation, those who qualified as postal voters can become advance voters. However, security personnel who are required to work on nomination day or polling day, especially those stationed at the borders, can be considered to cast their votes via the post.

“They can apply to do so by filling up Form 1. The approving authority is the returning officers of their respective polling centres,” he said.

Meanwhile, Sabah Deputy Commissioner of Police Tan Kok Liang said 8,000 personnel would be deployed throughout the state to maintain order during the election.

Police would also take proactive measures to ensure all personnel would be able to discharge their responsibility as advance voters, he said.

-Bernama

Malaysia and the Global Rare Earth Squabble

Lynas protesters

Opposition, Barisan tangle over rare earth plant as global confrontation looms
If all things were equal, Malaysia should be rubbing its figurative hands together in glee over a major confrontation that is beginning to play itself out between China and the west over China’s limitations on rare earth exports.

China warned the US, the European and Union Tuesday that they were risking a backlash over challenges at the World Trade Organization over China’s export restrictions on the 17 rare-earth minerals that are a critical ingredient for products ranging from the iPhone to intercontinental ballistic missiles.

Other nations have largely ceased production of the rare earth minerals because of the detrimental effect mining and processing them has had on the environment. China has belatedly caught up with western sentiment after realizing that substandard mining practices have resulted in environmental catastrophes and has cut back on production, driving prices through the roof.

That ought to leave Malaysia, where an Australian company is seeking to open what is described as the world’s biggest rare earths processing plant, in a commanding position. Lynas Malaysia last month received a temporary license to operate the facility, which has been under construction for the last year.

Lynas’s plan is to mine the minerals at Mount Weld, a site 100 km east of Freemantle, Australia, ship them to Malaysia and process them in the plant in Gebing, near the city of Kuantan in the state of Pahang. From there the extracted rare earth materials are to be shipped to Japan, Europe and the United States, which are all crying out for the materials in the wake of China’s action.

But the plan, backed by the government, has come under implacable resistance from Malaysia’s three-party Pakatan Rakyat opposition, which it regards as a potent campaign issue, whatever the merits. The attempt to stop the plant from opening has become one of the biggest issues between the Barisan Nasional, or ruling national coalition, and the opposition in an election that is expected to get underway soon, perhaps in May or June, according to insiders in the United Malays National Organization.

Because of the emotive nature of the environmental issues, and because the atmosphere is becoming heated over the election, it is guaranteed not to go away. Critics want the government to halt its construction and direct the Atomic Energy Licensing Board (AELB) to reverse a decision to grant Lynas a temporary operating license for a two-year trial run. One rally in Kuantan, 50 km from the plant, saw a turnout of 15,000 protesters, called the largest and most diverse environmental protest in Malaysian history.

In addition to becoming a prime election issue, the plant is also crucial to Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak’s aspirations to transform the country into a high-income and developed nation by 2020. Crucial to that plan is to drive up foreign direct investment, which has stagnated badly. Although inward FDI climbed to US$10.86 billion in 2011, with a particularly steep rise in investment in services, outward FDI in 2010 surged to $13.2 billion, according to the Asian Development Bank’s Asian Development Outlook 2011: South-South Economic Links. No figure for 2011 is yet available. Unfortunately, much of the FDI that has appeared is in Sarawak and Sabah, primarily in investment in extractive industries rather than industrialization or manufacturing. A public protest that would shut the plant would not be a welcome signal to other multinationals contemplating investment in the country.

The opposition to the plant has taken on wider characteristics in Malaysia’s often-fraught political atmosphere. For instance, it has become entangled with the country’s “Peaceful Assembly Bill,” passed by the Dewan Rakyat, or parliament last November. Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak held up the bill as one of several reforms of the country’s colonial era restrictions on the right of assembly and other issues.

However, the Malaysian Bar Council complained that the new law is actually more restrictive than the previous law because it prohibits street protests, the organization of assemblies by those under the age of 21 and the participation of youths below the age of 15, and the imposition of a flock of new restrictions on organizers.

Protesters have linked the two issues together, holding a series of marches and rallies across the country, including one in Penang across the country and well to the north in late February, in which violence flared as pro-government factions attacked anti-Lynas activists, throwing stones and other missiles and shouting abuse.

The protesters have been given an emotive issue in the form of a mid-1980s rare earth processing facility developed in 1985 by Mitsubishi Chemical at Bukit Merah n northern Perak state near the city of Ipoh that turned into an environmental disaster. The facility was closed in 1992 amid allegations that it was causing widespread groundwater and other environmental contamination and was responsible for deaths from leukemia as well as birth defects in children living nearby.

The Bukit Merah site, 20 years later, remains one of Asia’s largest radioactive waste cleanup sites despite the fact that Mitsubishi has owned up to the pollution and poured an estimated US$100 million into the cleanup.

Pictures purportedly of dying individuals and deformed babies have been given wide circulation both on the Internet and by other means throughout the country.

Lynas has so far met stringent requirements both on the part of the government and the International Atomic Energy Agency although protesters say the company still doesn’t have a credible waste and water management plan and that radioactive materials could leach into both the groundwater, as they did at Bukit Merah, as well as into the South China Sea.

Last week Malaysia’s International Trade and Industry Minister Mustapa Mohamed, in a joint statement with Pahang Chief Minister Adnan Yaakob in Kuantan, said the government has “ordered Lynas to guarantee and plan the provision of a permanent waste disposal facility far from human population as recommended by the International Atomic Energy Agency. Failing that, Lynas has already expressed willingness to take the residue out of Malaysia."

Lynas said the most radioactive element, thorium, in its raw state from Mount Weld, is 50 times lower than that in Bukit Merah. Lynas also said waste products with low levels of thorium could be converted into safe byproducts such as cement aggregate for road construction.

"In practical terms, at these levels, exposure to radiation is less than taking a flight on a commercial airline or using a mobile phone," the company said in a statement. It also said it was prepared to place a bond with the government to ensure safe management of any remaining residue once the plant stops operations, but didn't give details.

In the meantime, does Malaysia risk missing the boat? The Wall Street Journal/Asia Wednesday quoted an analyst from Technology Metals Research as saying more than 419 rare-earth projects have got underway in 26 countries as the price has skyrocketed and the controversy has mushroomed.

Group: Court should have been merciful to shoe-throwing imam

The Sun Daily

by TAN YI LIANG

PETALING JAYA: The Federal Court panel which sentenced imam Hoslan Husin to a year’s jail for throwing his shoes at them should have been tempered by mercy.

Lawyers for Liberty campaign director Fadiah Nadwa Fikri told theSun yesterday that the sentence handed down on the 46-year-old father of seven was excessive and unnecessary. 

“We feel the sentence is disproportionate, considering that the imam was emotional on the day of the offence as his appeal was thrown out based on a technicality,” she said, adding that the court failed to consider Hoslan’s apology for his emotional outburst.

She said that previous contempt sentences have only been for a few days jail, saying that the court should 

have been proportionate in the punishment meted down.

“A year is outrageous. Nobody condones throwing a shoe at a judge, but the power of the court cannot be exercised in an extreme manner. 

“In this case they could have just reprimanded him,” said Fadiah.

Hoslan was sentenced to a year in jail on March 8 for contempt of court by a panel comprising Chief Judge of Malaya Tan Sri Zulkefli Ahmad Makinudin and Federal Court Justices Datuk Suryadi Halim Omar and Datin Paduka Zaleha Zahari.

Hoslan threw his shoes at this three-member bench on Feb 22 during proceedings between 10.15am and 10.30am after the panel dismissed his application to hear his appeal.

Asked about laws behind contempt of court, Fadiah said the sentencing powers for contempt were very wide and left at the discretion of the judge, who should hand down a sentence at the moment of the offence.

“The power of a judge when it comes to contempt is very wide. They can set any duration they like, it is an incidental power of the court and this is why democratic societies are moving away from relying on this power,” she said.

Fadiah said that courts were moving away from jail sentences for contempt in more democratic   societies and allowing criticism of the judiciary.

Malaysia, Russia To Sign Visa-free Agreement This Year

By Nurulhuda Che Das

KUALA LUMPUR, March 14 (Bernama) -- Russia is looking at introducing visa-free travel for Malaysians to the federation, reciprocating such facility extended to Russian visitors to Malaysia, said Russian envoy Lyudmilla G. Vorobyeva.

The Russian ambassador to Malaysia said that the agreement for visa-free travel is being finalised and hoped that the agreement would be signed this year.

"For Russians we don't need the visa to come to Malaysia for 30 days, in our system we cannot grant the same thing to our partner (Malaysia), we need to have a visa-free agreement and we are working on this kind of agreement so that Malaysian nationals can go to Russia without any visa for 30 days," said the 47-year-old envoy, who took up her posting here in August 2010.

She hoped the visa-free travel would further enhance the tourism and economic relations between both countries.

"My impression is that people here are very interested in going to Russia, everyone knows about St Petersburg and Moscow and many people are visiting this major tourist destination," Vorobyeva told Bernama during her visit to the news agency here Wednesday.

"There are a lot of potential and interesting places to visit in the Asian part of Russia, with a lot of eco-tourism, national parks, historical and cultural places," she said.

On education, Vorobyeva hoped to see more Malaysians studying in Russia since the quality of education there was very good, while the cost was quite affordable compared to the western countries.

She said there were some 3,000 Malaysian students in Russia, taking courses such as medicine, while there were only some 150 Russian students in Malaysia taking up mostly Islamic studies.

Vorobyeva said that she had been discussing with vice-chancellors of various universities in Malaysia to do some exchange programmes with Russian universities.

"There are a number of students in Russia who are studying Malay language and are specialising in Malay studies, and I would like to share a success of one of the students who won second place for the international category in the International Malay Language Oratory Contest for the Prime Minister's Trophy last week," she added.

Vorobyeva also hoped more Russian universities would take part in the education fairs held in Malaysia in a move to promote and expose the courses they are offering besides medicine, such as in the field of aviation and technical.

"Russia has a lot more than just medical studies to offer. We have also very good schools for fundamental scientific studies, economic and engineering," she said.

She said the Russian government also provides scholarships for Asean countries, however, Malaysians have not taken up these scholarships.

Pakistani Woman Charged with ‘Blasphemy’ for Refusing Islam

Relatives who became Muslims try to force her to renounce Christian faith.

FORT ABBAS, Pakistan, March 12 (CDN) — A young mother has been falsely accused of “blaspheming” Muhammad, the prophet of Islam, because she rebuffed attempts by relatives who had converted to Islam to force her to renounce her Christian faith, family members said.

Police in Khichiwala, Bahawalnagar district, in Punjab Province, charged 26-year-old Shamim Bibi, mother of a 5-month-old girl and resident of the village Chak No. 170/7R Colony, in the Fort Abbas area, under Section 295-C of Pakistan’s “blasphemy” statutes after neighbors accused her of uttering remarks against Muhammad. She was arrested on Feb. 28.

Speaking ill of Muhammad in Pakistan is punishable by life imprisonment or death under Pakistan’s internationally condemned blasphemy laws.

The young woman’s brother, Ilyas Masih, and her brother-in-law, Shahbaz Masih, told Compass that she had been wrongly accused because she had resisted pressure to convert to Islam four days before her arrest.

“Nazeeran, sister of Shamim’s husband Bashir Masih, and her nephew Nadeem and niece Bella accepted Islam on Feb. 24 and called on her to do the same,” Masih said. “She refused, telling them that she was satisfied with Christianity and did not want to convert.”

He said the newly-converted Muslims persisted in trying to force her to convert, but she resisted.

“Shamim told them that she had complete faith in a living God, and that there was no reason for her to start ‘worshiping graves,’” Masih said.

That remark was not the one deemed “blasphemous.” Rather, on Feb. 27 her neighbors accused her of making derogatory remarks – as yet unknown – on a separate occasion about Muhammad while in her courtyard.

Ansar Ali Shah, a local prayer leader in Chak 170/7R Colony, claimed that Shamim Bibi’s neighbors, Hamad Ahmed Hashmi and Abdul Qayyum, told him and other Muslims that they had heard the Christian woman making derogatory remarks about Muhammad in her courtyard, according to the First Information Report (FIR No. 30/12) registered by the Khichiwala police station. But there is no indication in the FIR of what, exactly, Shamim Bibi was alleged to have said.


As word of the allegation spread, a large crowd of villagers besieged her house and demanded “severe punishment for the infidel,” claiming she had hurt their religious sentiments, sources said.

Shahbaz Masih, her brother-in-law, told Compass that Qayyum, one of the two men named in the FIR as witnesses, has denied hearing anything from Shamim Bibi that supports the charge.

“Qayyum told police that he wasn’t even present in his house at the time of the alleged incident and had come to know about it from Hamad, the other witness,” Shahbaz Masih said.

Hamad Ahmed Hashmi, a motorized-rickshaw driver, also was not present at his house at 3 p.m., the time of the alleged remark, Shahbaz Masih said, based on information gathered from Shamim Bibi’s neighborhood.

“Hamad transports schoolchildren and could not have been in his house at the time of the incident, as it was just after school closing hours,” he said.

Bahawalnagar Superintendent of Police Investigation Irfan Ullah acknowledged that one of the two witnesses had admitted to not being present at the alleged “crime” scene at the time of the alleged remark.

“Qayyum told us that he hadn’t witnessed the incident and his name had been included in the FIR by the locals, but still that does not prove that Shamim did not commit blasphemy,” Ullah told Compass by phone. “The other witness is standing by his claim, and she has produced nothing so far which can prove her innocence.”

He vehemently denied that police had caved in to pressure from local Muslims and had registered a case in undue haste.

“I visited the village twice, and so far nothing has come up that suggests that the people have accused Shamim wrongly,” Ullah said. “We registered a case against her on the directions of the district police officer.”

Bahawalnagar District Police Officer Salman Ali Khan could not be reached for comment.

Shamim Bibi’s family and her infant daughter, meantime, may have to wait for a long time for her return. While no one has been executed for blasphemy in Pakistan, most are freed on appeal after suffering for years under appalling prison conditions.

Vigilantes have killed at least 10 people accused of blasphemy, rights groups estimate.

Section 295-C of Pakistan’s blasphemy law states: “Whoever by words, either spoken or written or by visible representation, or by any imputation, innuendo, or insinuation, directly or indirectly, defiles the sacred name of the Holy Prophet Mohammed (PBUH) shall be punished with death, or imprisonment for life, and shall also be liable to fine.”

Dewan kecoh, Najib elak jawab soalan SBPA

Estate workers want Sime Darby to settle woes

The families claimed the GLC had neglected their welfare after it sold part of the estate land to a private company.

SHAH ALAM: Some 46 families of Subang Estate want Sime Darby Plantations to look into their welfare as the government-linked company (GLC) seems to have washed its hands off them.

Speaking at a press conference on behalf of the workers, Dr Nasir Hashim, the Kota Damansara assemblyman, called on Sime Derby, the owner of the estate, Selangor state executive council member Dr Xavier Jeyakumar and the National Union Plantation Workers (NUPW) to assist in solving the workers’ grievances.

Nasir, who is also Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) president, said Sime Derby had neglected the workers when it sold part of the estate land (45 hectares) to a private company.

“It is unfair because currently there are 46 families still staying at the estate… in fact, 19 of them are still working here while the remainder have retired from Sime Darby.

“Sime Darby is responsible for these workers although it has sold the land to NPO Builders Sdn Bhd,” he said.

He added that although Sime Darby claimed to have sold off the land, there was no evidence of the sale.

“If a party wants to sell any estate land, it must obtain a letter of authorisation from the Estate Land Board, which is under the purview of the state government.

“Until today we have not been provided with this letter. So, technically, Sime Darby is still the owner of the land and it is its duty to solve problems faced by the workers,” he added.

A former Subang estate worker, identified as Ganeshan, said Sime Darby had demolished several old estate quarters when some former workers had moved out.

“After the management demolished the houses, it failed to remove the rubbles and this causes heavy flooding.”

He also said the workers also have to bear with dirty water from their taps and deplorable conditions of the old estate houses.

“We need an immediate solution from Sime Darby to clean up the estate,” he added.

Ganeshan said if Sime Darby wanted to sell the land, then the company should provide low-cost houses to the workers for free.

“We do not want money from them. We are want low-cost houses for free,” he said.

Bribery charge: 11 cops transferred

The 11, including five officers, had allegedly solicited bribe from a businessman after the latter and his friends were caught for driving under the influence of alcohol.

KUALA LUMPUR: Five police officers, including a DSP, were transferred out from the city traffic police department with immediate effect over an alleged bribery case.

Six other rank and file personnel from the same police station also suffered a similar fate.

A senior police officer told FMT that the 11 were transferred either to the General Operations Force (GOF) or Federal Reserve Unit (FRU).

It is learnt that the transfer order was issued following an internal investigation over a police report lodged by a businessman recently.

The businessman alleged that he and several of his friends in three cars were stopped at a roadblock and ordered to take a breathalyser test.

“When the test confirmed positive, one of the police personnel ‘offered’ to settle the matter in return for cash,” added the source.

After being forced to pay the “bribe”, the businessman had contacted a high ranking officer in Bukit Aman and informed him about the incident.

A special task force investigated the complaint and recommended that all those involved in the roadblock operation be transferred out.

However, City traffic chief ACP Rosli Mohd Noor confirmed that 11 of his men had been shifted out, but claimed that it was “normal transfers”.

“No truth in those allegations. It (the transfers) were for ‘mobility’, to switch the men from an old place to a newer one,” he said.

He added that the officers had been given new positions in various other departments in the Klang Valley including Bukit Aman and other divisions.

The latest disciplinary action comes in the wake of another police officer, with the rank of Supt, being placed in “cold storage” at the Police Training College in Cheras after a masseuse had allegedly accused him of sexual harassment.

The officer was well-known as a “crime buster” and his last posting was as district police chief in Negeri Sembilan.

When contacted, Negeri Sembilan police chief Osman Salleh dismissed the allegation as “mere rumours” and claimed that it was a routine transfer.

Appeal filed against Ramasamy verdict

RSN Rayer and A Tanasekharan submitted a joint appeal against the not-guilty verdict delivered by DAP's disciplinary committee yesterday.

GEORGE TOWN: An appeal has been filed against the DAP decision to clear the party’s deputy secretary-general, P Ramasamy, of all charges of breach of internal discipline.

State assemblymen RSN Rayer of Seri Delima and A Tanasekharan of Bagan Dalam submitted a joint appeal today against the not-guilty verdict that the party’s disciplinary committee delivered yesterday.

“We have filed an appeal against the decision by the disciplinary board to clear Ramasamy from the charges of organising a disgraceful demonstration against Karpal Singh, and also the charges of breaching a gag order,” the assemblymen said in a brief written statement to the press.

The party’s central executive committee is expected to deliberate on the petition soon.

Ramasamy was charged with organising a demonstration against party chairman Karpal, Rayer and Tanasekharan before the Penang DAP convention last Dec 11.

The charge of breaching a gag order was related to a Dec 23 article in The Star.

Ramasamy has filed a RM10 million suit against the daily and the reporter who wrote the article, which he said was defamatory.

The disciplinary committee began its investigation after receiving complaints from Tanasekharan, Rayer and 31 other members. A three-member panel headed by Tan Kok Wai held an inquiry on the allegations at party headquarters in Kuala Lumpur on Feb 16. Fifteen party members testified against Ramasamy.

In announcing the verdict yesterday, Tan, who is the MP for Cheras, said Ramasamy was not behind the demonstration against Karpal.

“The committee holds that Ramasamy did not commit any disciplinary wrongdoing,” he said, adding that the demonstration was carried out by non-DAP members.

Shahrizat not big enough a scapegoat to save BN: NFC still a 'weapon of mass destruction'

What is now the RM250 million NFC debacle was once part of a grand plan by the Agriculture ministry to make Malaysia self-sufficient in food, which was a good and feasible plan and could have been very successful. But unfortunately, it was hijacked by UMNO and turned into a money-making scheme for its elite leaders.
The same goes with the New Economic Policy and whatever that the nation's planners have so far come up with for the government to implement so as to benefit the country. All have either been hijacked by UMNO or passed on to its BN partners. It is for the reason that while the UMO led government loudly proclaims 'progress', what the citizens really feel is 'regress'.
With self-sufficiency in food, Malaysia would be able to save billions in the long term and even be a net food exporter. If the NEP had been implemented properly and diligently, the goals would have been achieved by now and the policy abolished. Malaysia could have been a success story for the rest of the world to emulate.
Unfortunately, UMNO spoiled everything. How? Well, they meddled, shortchanged, cheated, siphoned out and stole everything that they could put their hands on. It is not for nothing that UMNO is described as a pirate ship. So those thieves in Somali, watch out - UMNO Mari!
Classic example of an UMNO money-making scheme
The NFC mess is a classic example of an UMNO  money-making scheme at its slickest - until of course internal infighting made the rival factions in UMNO turn against and spill the beans on each other. From the UMNO president, deputy president all the way down to the top guns in the youth and Wanita wings, they all willingly supported Shahrizat Jalil - the Women's minister and head of the Women's wing - as her family dug a huge hole for themselves with the National Feedlot Centre cattle breeding project.
So it is not surprising that Shahrizat got very angry when her UMNO colleagues later turned their backs on her and her family. After betraying her, they forced her and her family to step out and take on the full blame. Remember, someone leaked out those secret details to the PKR, some in UMNO claim it came from Prime Minister Najib Razak's camp but in the end he had to beat a hasty retreat because the scandal got completely out of hand.
Then as if to show their gratitude, the duplicitous UMNO elite rushed out one by one to publicly thank her for her 'sacrifice' and her 'magnanimous' spirit in accepting responsibility and not tarring them in the process!
But if Shahrizat is smart, she should repent sincerely and fully. She should also blow the whistle on the other elite for their thievery. After all, she has gone on several Umrahs (trips to Mecca) in the past few stressful months alone and she should know very well that corruption is illegal and a sin in the eyes of God and Islam.
Tried to fight back
For a while, Shahrizat tried to fight back. Her famous giveaway comment that 'which BN leader has no problem' was meant to keep the wolves and fickle friends at bay. But in the end, it was just too much for the UMNO elite to handle. Loyalty has never been a quality they are known for anyway. It has always been money that was their common denominator. And when Najib, who is also the UMNO president, found his own 'transactions' in NFC being exposed, that's when he finally started to move in on Shahrizat.
Being a trained lawyer, the Women's minister must have made sure that the paper trail did not lead to her and her name is not in any of the documents. But the paper trail against her husband and three children is just too great for the usual UMNO runaround tricks to work here - not with the 13th general election looming and Najib facing the risk of another public tarring if his Kazakhstan connections in the NFC are exposed.
Remember, Najib has pitched to the UMNO warlords that BN can only win based on his popularity alone because the individual components like MCA, Gerakan, MIC and UMNO itself have all lost their credibility with the people. This is why he must protect himself at all costs - so as to protect them! That the UMNO-BN can fall for it and agree is a sign of how desperate the once-mighty coalition has become!
Crocodiles pit
One may wonder, why Salleh Ismail, the NFC chief and Shahrizat's husband, did not engage a real full-fledged professional team to manage the project. Critics point out that such a move would have defeated their purpose. Managing the project by himself, helped by his own family, made the alleged plundering easier.
The NFC at the end of the day was just another UMNO money-making vehicle. Stealing is always the main agenda in UMNO projects and these include Proton, Malaysian Airlines, Port Klang Free Zone, Tenaga, Telekom, the Independent Power Producers and so on. For the past 5 decades, plundering has become what UMNO does best. It has become a well-honed art, with the UMNO elite also assuming a new skill -  shielding, deflecting and protecting their colleagues who slipped up.
But for those who could not be saved - like the Shahrizats - these ruthless businessmen had no compunction in mercilessly withdrawing their support. Such is life in a crocodiles pit.
Najib's hand in NFC flushed out
It is not surprising that Najib has said very little on the NFC case as the last bit of spicy NFC news involved the purchase of a RM1.7million luxury apartment in Kazakhstan. His daughter married into a powerful political family there and he is believed to have sanctioned a memorandum of understanding between NFC and a Kazakh party when he visited the nation on an official trip in June last year.
Firstly, such a deal is illegal as the NFC is not authorized to invest overseas. Secondly, why did Najib, who is also the Finance minister close an eye? Did he or his Kazakh friends get something out of it? No doubt, whatever 'goodie' Najib may have picked up in Kazakhstan would pale in comparison with the commission that he was accused of corruptly getting from the Scorpene submarines bought in 2002, but Najib is facing the battle of his life.
Najib knows he has to win GE-13 and does not need any more negative publicity. On the contrary, he needs to make himself out to be a hero and this is what he is now trying to fool Malaysians into thinking. That he is a corruption fighter, while poor Shahrizat is to be pitied and forgiven because she was 'sabotaged' by the Opposition.
Yes, Shahrizat faces seeing her husband and children being jailed. To the tender-hearted in UMNO, many of whom are rural housewives, this may be enough to make them take off their aprons and march to the ballot boxes and vote for the BN. But will it also fool the urban and educated members in UMNO? Certainly, the ruse won't cut it with the other Malaysians.
New political dilemma - UMNO's inability to tackle corruption
So, for now, Najib reckons he has done enough to save UMNO and to pacify voters. He hopes that such a move will also take the wind out from the sails of PKR and its strategy director, Rafizi Ramli, who has been at the forefront of the barrage of revelations made against the Shahrizats.
But here, Najib may have got it wrong. Whether Salleh is found guilty and jailed or not is by now secondary. The most important thing as far as Malaysians are concerned, is how Najib and the government cleans up the NFC mess.
The manner in which the Shahrizats bought condos and a supermarket in Singapore and their sale of a Singapore-incorporated firm has blown the whistle on how the UMNO elite have been siphoning national money overseas. Malaysians are now hungry for more juicy tidbits. They want to know how it was done and what will Najib do to make sure that the money is recovered.
This of course puts Najib in a new political dilemma. If he begins to clean up the government and UMNO, he can expect to face immediate resistance from other factions including from Mahathir Mohamad, the former premier who ruled Malaysia and UMNO for 22 years. Given that Najib has his own huge 'baggage' to carry, this is one task that he could never achieve - and that is to weed out corruption. In fact, no UMNO leader could, even if he had no baggage at all.
Those who have baggage in UMNO outnumber those who are clean and they will make sure that all attempts to 'reform' Malaysia are frustrated. This is the situation and this is why when former premier Abdullah Badawi was asked what were the main issues facing Malayia in a recent Bloomberg interview, Badawi only dared to mention race and religion.
Weapon of Mass Destruction
So, no - neither UMNO or Najib is safe yet. Shahrizat is a good scapegoat but not a big enough scapegoat to absorb all of the UMNO-BN's misdeeds. Furthermore, the backlash from the Shahrizats and the other UMNO factions to Najib's latest handling of the NFC - charging Salleh for CBT - have yet to be seen.
Malaysia's Cowgate debacle remains the “weapon of mass destruction” for the PKR and Pakatan Rakyat to use to defeat the corrupt UMNO-BN in GE-13.
Malaysia Chronicle

RM500 buys…

The Malaysian Insider


MARCH 13 — It is not surprising that PM Najib Razak says that the government will give cash to Malaysians if revenue goes up. He has found out that his disbursement of RM500 has been a success. Nothing it seems keeps Malaysians happy than some lucre in the pocket.
Najib knows this and if it means emptying the coffers to win the election he will do it. The PM a great believer in deal-making knows that RM500 will…

•persuade many Malaysians to have amnesia and forget the catalogue of flip-flops and mistakes from Najib who has inherited mantle of flip-flop king from Abdullah Badawi.
•make Malaysians forget about the string of corruption issues and dodgy deals from the development of land near Martrade (Naza TTDI) to the rm9 billion patrol boats to the super sweetheart West Coast Highway deal (60 year toll concession) to the RM2.2 billion Kidex highway.
•help Malaysians forget about how the power and might of the state was brought to bear on ordinary citizens who were marching for clean elections.
•lull Malaysians into complacency that they forget that Indonesians, Bangladeshis and other foreigners are being “allowed” to vote.
•convince Malaysians that Najib is a decent chap, despite allegations that the powerful and connected and people from his inner circle are making much hay while the sun shines. Forget about the RM24 million ring and the shopping trips.
•get Malaysians to focus on material wellbeing instead of focusing on fighting evil and injustice.
•persuade Malaysians that the government is really prihatin and has the welfare of Malaysians at heart, instead of asking why the national debt has reached unheard of levels and pondering about a government which has to buy its way to power.
•hope that Malaysians forget that everything about this government is about announcements and launches and where consultants are paid mega bucks to recycle ideas as Government Transformation.

Yes, the government hopes that the occasional RM500 will be like a drug to Malaysians and they want us hooked for life.

Kenyataan Akhbar: Pindaan Kaedah-Kaedah Mahkamah Yang Baru Untuk Komen Dan Maklumbalas Dari Peguam Dan Masyarakat Umum

PEJABAT KETUA HAKIM NEGARA

MAHKAMAH PERSEKUTUAN MALAYSIA

ISTANA KEHAKIMAN

PUTRAJAYA

 

SIARAN AKHBAR

PINDAAN KAEDAH-KAEDAH MAHKAMAH YANG BARU UNTUK KOMEN DAN MAKLUMBALAS DARI PEGUAM DAN MASYARAKAT UMUM

 

Adalah dimaklumkan bahawa Jawatankuasa Kaedah-Kaedah yang ditubuhkan di bawah seksyen 17 Akta Mahkamah Kehakiman 1964 dan seksyen 3 Akta Kaedah Mahkamah Rendah 1955 yang dipengerusikan oleh YAA Ketua Hakim Negara telah membuat pindaan terhadap Kaedah-Kaedah Mahkamah Tinggi 1980 (Rules of the High Court 1980) dan juga Kaedah-Kaedah Mahkamah Rendah 1980 (Subordinate Courts Rules 1980) untuk digabungkan supaya menjadi satu kaedah yang terpakai untuk Mahkamah Tinggi dan Mahkamah Rendah iaitu Kaedah-Kaedah Mahkamah 2012 (Rules of  Court 2012). Tujuan Kaedah-Kaedah Mahkamah 2012 ini dibuat adalah untuk memudahkan dan menyeragamkan prosidur kes sivil di Mahkamah serta meningkatkan mutu penyampaian sistem keadilan di Malaysia.

Draf Kaedah tersebut telah dimuat turun di dalam laman sesawang seperti berikut untuk komen dan maklum balas daripada pengamal undang-undang dan juga orang ramai dalam masa satu (1) bulan iaitu pada atau sebelum 11 April 2012:

                        www.kehakiman.gov.my

                        www.agc.gov.my

                        www.malaysianbar.org.my

                        www.sabahbar.org.my

                        http://sarawak-advocates.org.my/

Komen, cadangan dan maklum balas boleh terus diemelkan kepada cj@kehakiman.gov.my atau difaks ke nombor 03-8880 3507 atau diposkan ke alamat Pejabat Ketua Hakim Negara, Aras 5, Istana Kehakiman, Presint 3, 62506 Putrajaya.

 

Disediakan oleh,

 

CHE WAN ZAIDI BIN CHE WAN IBRAHIM

Pegawai Khas I kepada

YAA Ketua Hakim Negara