Hindu temple to be rebuilt on a new site

Penang Port Sdn Bhd chairman Hilmi Yahaya ticks off CM Lim for blaming Umno-BN for the demolition of the 40-year-old house of worship.

GEORGE TOWN: Umno assemblyman Dr Hilmi Yahaya hit out at Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng for propagating politics of hatred over the demolition of a Hindu temple last month.

Teluk Bahang representative Hilmi said Lim has stirred the religious sensitivities of Hindus by blaming Umno and Barisan Nasional for the demolition.

He said Lim could have instead easily resolved the issue by engaging Penang port management, the Penang Port Sdn Bhd (PPSB).

“He attempted to create hatred among Hindus against Umno and BN when we are the innocent parties,” said Hilmi, also the PPSB chairman.

The 40-year-old temple located just outside the Prai Bulk Cargo Terminal (PBCT) was demolished in April.

PBCT general manager, Abdul Halim Abdul Kader apparently ordered the demolition citing the temple posed danger because it was located next to a chemical pipeline.

Hilmi maintained that PBCT management ordered the demolition with his knowledge.

However, Lim was quick to lay the blame on Umno and BN for the tearing down of the temple.

At the recent assembly sitting, Lim even warned that Hindu temples could be in danger if Umno was returned to power in Penang.

Irked by Lim’s comments, state opposition leader Azhar Ibrahim lodged a police report against the DAP secretary-general over his comments.

Malay supremacist organisation Perkasa also conducted mock Hindu funeral rites for Lim outside his residence, claiming that the chief minister was inciting racial and religious hatred.

PPSB has now identified several plots of land to rebuild the temple.

Hilmi said PPSB would rebuild the temple within the port area at a 1.5km distance from nearest chemical pipeline.

“It’s a temple issue and involves religious sensitivity. The chief minister should have been more responsible in his statements.

“He should not politicise everything for his own selfish ends,” said the normally mild-mannered Hilmi.

Nong Chik: Orang luar punca kecoh

Sepatutnya orang luar tak perlu terlibat langsung...ia isu tempatan tak payah libatkan orang luar, katanya.

KUALA LUMPUR: Menteri Wilayah Persekutuan dan Kesejahteraan Bandar Senator Datuk Raja Nong Chik Raja Zainal Abidin mendakwa kehadiran orang luar ke Lembah Pantai menjadi salah satu punca tercetusnya keganasan semasa ceramah PKR dan NGO 24 Mei lalu.

Katanya, semasa malam kejadian ramai orang luar yang ‘diimport’ masuk ke Lembah Pantai untuk melakukan provokasi dan menimbulkan suasana kecoh sehingga menimbulkan rasa tidak senang penduduk tempatan.

“Saya rasa kalau program libatkan orang tempatan tiada kekecohan akan berlaku.

“Bila bawak import ini yang selalu berlaku sebab ada cabar mncabar. Orang tempatan kalau ada cabar mencabar kita pun susah nak kawal kemarahan mereka,” katanya dalam sidang media selepas menghadiri Santai Pemimpin Bersama Pesara Lembah Pantai di sini hari ini.

Katanya, ini dibuktikan dalam kejadian pemindahan penduduk Flat PKNS Kampung Kerinchi April lalu apabila kehadiran orang luar termasuk wakil pelajar pro pembangkang Adam Adli cuba untuk menimbulkan provokasi.

Isu tempatan

“Sepatutnya orang luar tak perlu terlibat langsung…ia isu tempatan tak payah libatkan orang luar sebab orang dalam tiada pun yang agresif,” katanya.

Keadaan itu sekaligus menurut Raja Nong Chik jelas menunjukkan Pakatan Rakyat gagal mengawal emosi penyokongnya apabila berhadapan dengan keadaan sedemikian.

Ketua Umno Bahagian Lembah Pantai ini berkata, PKR sepatutnya mencontohi kumpulan Indraf yang mengadakan mogok lapar dan membuat himpunan di Brickfields sejak Sabtu lalu secara aman dan tertutup.

Beliau turut mencadangkan mana-mana pihak perlu memikirkan cara untuk membuat program dalam kawasan tertutup apabila berada di kawasan yang panas dan sensitif.

“Kalau buat ceramah secara tertutup, sekurang-kurangnya tak bagi kesan pada pihak berdekatan. Sama juga dengan Bersih, kalau dia buat di stadium tak akan menjejaskan suasana disekeliling,” katanya.

Walau bagaimanapun, beliau tetap kesal dengan kejadian terbabit sehingga membabitkan kecederaan penduduk tempatan dan menyerahkan kuasa kepada polis untuk menyiasat.

Beliau juga berkata pihaknya tidak akan teragak-agak untuk mengambil tindakan undang-undang sekiranya perkara ini dibiarkan berterusan dan dijadikan alasan untuk modal fitnah pembangkang.

Felda shares ‘reserved’ for Umno cronies

PKR claims that Umno cronies and Felda employees will receive more shares than settlers.
UPDATED

PETALING JAYA: PKR claimed today Putrajaya has earmarked more shares for rich Umno cronies than settlers in the planned controversial initial public offering (IPO) of Felda Global Ventures Holdings Sdn Bhd (FGVH).

Party investment and trade bureau chief Wong Chen said data gathered from Ministry of International Trade and Industries (MITI) showed 11.5% or 420 million shares have been allocated for “MITI approved bumiputera investors”.

Wong said these investors would likely be well-connected businessmen.

Shares allocated for settlers only stood at 2.5% or 91 million shares, almost 300 million less than those reserved for the said segment according to MITI’s investors prospectus published on its website.

It further stated that criteria for applicants under this segment is an individual investor must at least have RM3 million in assets while a company must be 100% bumiputera-owned with RM10 million in assets.

Shortchanged

“Who are these special bumiputeras that deserve 4.6 times larger allocation than all the settlers collectively? What have they ever done to help develop Felda?

“As such we demand that MITI produces a complete disclosure list of bumiputera investors and beneficial owners of this IPO,” Wong said in a press conference held at the the party’s headquarters here.

Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak said the IPO is expected to raise RM10.2 billion and will become the world’s second-largest this year and the third-largest on record for Malaysia.

Putrajaya is currently forging ahead with Felda’s controversial planned public listing despite criticism from some settlers and the opposition who claim that it will shortchange some 112,000 Felda settlers nationwide.

Najib has assured Felda settlers that the listing would yield profits, and has announced a RM1.69 billion windfall for all settlers and staff throughout the country, ahead of the FGVH listing.

Enriching the rich

But Wong said the way the shares are allocated “clearly shows that the PM is more interested in helping the rich”.

MITI’s FGHV prospectus indicated the shares reserved for Felda employees are still more than that slotted for the 112,635 settlers or 109 million shares or 3% of the total IPO.

“Why are settlers getting less shares than the 3,835 employees of Felda? Assuming a 100% take up rate, each settler will only get 810 shares whereas each employee of Felda will get 28,368 shares,” he said.

Wong said Najib must respect the spirit of Felda which is to help landless bumiputera poor and withdraw the allocation meant for rich bumiputeras.

“We also ask the employees allocation to be appropriately reduced in favour of settlers,” the PKR added.

MITI minister: Fair procedure

Later today, MITI minister Mustapa Mohamed, however, said the bumiputera shares allocation was a “normal procedure”.

He added that the list of bumiputera firms approved by his ministry was “nothing special and followed current regulations”.

This is to allow a fare spread of earnings from the IPO.

“A good chunk is reserved for settlers but the spread has to be there. Others must have the chance to earn from the shares,” he was reported as saying.

Kedah Umno does not want Mukhriz

Dr Mahathir is ignoring the signals from Umno warlords that his time to bulldoze and get what he wants is over.
COMMENT

The most noticeable deficiency in Umno now is the absence of voluntariness. Everyone must be paid to get work done.

Paying people to do work is introducing the mercenary culture into Umno and this stands in direct opposite to Malay culture of mutual self-help and voluntariness.

Umno is no longer compatible with Malays. Its championing a culture that has destroyed the building blocks of Malay culture.

And this culture was started by Dr Mahathir Mohamad in 1988. Mahathir has single-handedly destroyed Malay culture. He is not Malay in the first place.

We stupid Malays adopted him as our own and allowed ourselves to be mesmerized by his politics of development.

That development which took place over 22 years was borne on the shoulders of cronies and selected individuals who have become excessively rich with their own private jets, helicopters and immeasurable wealth while the rest of the Malays on whose backs these people rode, remained left behind as faceless digits.

Why do I continue talking about Umno? Because the knuckle-heads have ignored our previous explanation.

We must kick out Umno because the values it upholds are inimical and poisonous to Malay culture

Umno’s poisonous culture is building a low trust society which blocks further progress.

Genuine ability not important

Just look at Umno’s process of choosing leadership.

It adopts the ascriptive leadership norm – one chooses a leader on account of who he is in contrast to what he can do.

A case in point is Mukhriz Mahathir. He is touted as the next Kedah MB for no other reason other than him being son of Mahathir – Mukhriz anak lelaki Mahathir.

Who is Mukhriz other than being the son of Mahathir? Does being Mahathr’s son mean that he has inherited the leadership qualities of Mahathir?

What has Mahathir done in terms of achievements? Dishing out IPO (initial public offering) shares to selected individuals?

Ordinary Malays now cannot become leaders of Malaysia if they don’t have surnames like Abdul Razak, Mahathir or Hussein Onn.

It used to be if you are not from Oxford, you don’t have a future.

Now, if you are not a “bin Mahathir”, “bin Najib”, “bin Tun Razak” or “bin Hussein Onn”, you all don’t have a future.

Mahathir went over to Kedah recently and gathered Umno leaders in the state to ask them to give Mukhriz a state seat.

Not all Umno leaders went to meet the ex-party president, which led Mahathir the ever acerbic fellow to say – “it’s all right, I was not keen to meet them either.”

Don’t be complacent

He ignores the signals from Umno warlords, that his time to bulldoze and get what he wants is over. And that the party had opposed to idea of allowing Mukhriz to become the next MB from the beginning.

We Malays must now adopt new values – the achievement norms.

We measure and value leaders on account of what they can achieve.

And what they can achieve will depend on their abilities, educational levels, experience, dedication, single-mindedness in purpose.

As such we have a simple proposition. Can we bank our future on an organisation like Umno?

We owe it to the next generation who are now struggling to cope up with the increasing cost of living, who can’t find jobs because the country is mismanaged economically, or managed by sub-standard leaders.

We owe it to those who can’t afford a decent house because a house near where they work now cost RM700,000 per unit.

This coming election is for us to lose, NOT for Umno to win. We lose if we let our guards down and be complacent.

The writer is a former Umno state assemblyman but joined DAP earlier this year. He is a FMT columnist.

Hunger strike for Effingham Tamil School has created much public interest

Senator S. Ramakrishnan, 28/5/2012 Last Saturday a group of concerned individuals called reflex organized a hunger strike to pressure MIC to return the land allocated for Effingham Tamil School. This hunger strike has attracted public attention towards land stolen by MIC and created awareness of the plunders of other lands allocated to Tamil Schools but quietly alienated to MIC leaders. Today is the third day of this severe hunger strike without any kind of food and water. Seven persons started hunger strike but 2 gave up after 1 day and 5 persons continued to the third day(28/5/2012). The health of hunger strikers must be monitored closely now onwards. We want these activist to live and the battle another day and not die of hunger strike. makkal osai The housing developer who converted the former Effingham estate to housing project gave 6 acres of Tamil school land to Selangor state government. Since Pakatan Rakyat is the state government, REFLEX was able to obtain a copy of the letter dated 30th june 1999 where MIC applied to previous BN government asking for half of lot 28814 which was broken up into 2 lots. One was given to school and the other was issued to Dato Seri Samy Vellu holding as trustee for MIC.  In 2007 one member of the PIBG made a MACC report alleging the 3 acres immoral and unethical land scam by MIC. After the mass media reporting on this land grab, the land legal owner Samy Vellu transferred it to MIC.  Since then the public and PIBG have been campaigning for the return of the 3 acres land to the school. The school can have better sports facilities and extra classes with land returned. There is a government policy that if a primary school has more than 420 students, they are entitled to 5.4 acres of land. Dato G Palanivel and Dato M saravanan has responded by saying that as far as MIC is concerned the land has been given to them. They will not return it to the school. MIC has also siphoned off pieces of lands given to other Tamil Schools. In 2006 Bukit Raja Tamil School was given 5.4 acres of land. The then Selangor state exco Dato S.Sivalingam allotted 3 acres to School and 2.4 acres to private parties. Through the intervention of Dr Xavier Jayakumar, the current Pakatan Rakyat Exco the 2.4 acres of land was retrieved and given back to school. Similarly in Razak Tamil School Shah Alam out of 4 acres given to Tamil schools, only 2 acres given to school, in 1 acres there is petrol pump on it and another 1 acre no trace of what happened to it. In Selangor we can trace back the land allotted to Tamil schools. But how many of Tamil school land grabbed by MIC in other states, we don’t know? Since the start of hunger strike 3 days ago MIC president did not issue any statement. Why the silence Dato G. Palani? Do not hide behind UMNO and be indifferent. Indian community is watching you and MIC leaders? PKR president Datin seri wan Azizah has said that should PR go to Putrajaya, they will ensure the return of this piece of land to the school. But BN leaders have not issued any statement.

makkal osai

FMT

Five on hunger strike over school land Aneesa Alphonsus | May 27, 2012 They want MIC to return three acres of land originally given to SRJK (T) Effingham. KUALA LUMPUR: Five members of Return Effingham Land Action Team (Reflax) are staging a hunger strike to seek the return of three acres of land belonging to the Effingham Tamil School (SRJK (T) Effingham) in Bandar Utama here. The hunger strike commenced with seven participants at 8.20am yesterday at the water fountain in Brickfield’s Little India. Two hunger strike protesters dropped out at 6.30pm on Saturday and 12.30am on Sunday citing personal reasons. Reflax which has been holding candlelight vigils every Saturday night for the past 14 weeks said that the three out of six acres have been grabbed by the MIC, a component party in the Barisan National. PKR’s MP for Subang R Sivarasa said that MIC had initially planned to build their headquarters on the three acres, but as of May 3 this year claimed that it will now house a hostel for urban students from the estates. “All the other schools (allocated the land in the area) have kept their six acres – no one has tried to take it from them. But here, with the Tamil school, MIC is trying to grab the three acres for personal use,” said Sivarasa. Reflax chairman Manivanan Gowin added that after procuring the services of a land surveyor, they have since found out that the three acres is valued at an estimated RM52 million. “This is perhaps the main reason why MIC is being so stubborn about not letting go of the three acres. I hope that they will take this hunger strike seriously and return the three acres on humanitarian grounds. “This is a peaceful protest and if MIC fails to return the land in light of this hunger strike, then I don’t think they understand the Hindu concept of what it means and stands for,” said Manivaran. Last resort This hunger strike is seen as the  last resort to urge the return of the three acres land for the future expansion of the school. “When G Palanivel became MIC president in 2009, he kept mum about this issue which has been in existence since 2007. And now suddenly, there are plans for a hostel,” added Manivaran. “Here, we have five people who have volunteered their time, and lives for this cause. They are roughing it out with the hope that it will bring about the desired outcome. “They are determined to continue with this hardcore hunger strike without even drink, until the desired outcome is achieved,” he said. Dr Streram Sinnasamy who examined the 5 protesters today said they are doing well without any signs of fatigue after over 30 hours without food or drink. “The average person can go without water or food for about three days. After that, they will start to show signs of fatique, lethargy and dizziness. We had checked them before the hunger strike commenced and will perform daily checks to monitor their health,” he said.

FMT

MIC, PKR to work together to solve Effingham land issue Teoh El Sen  | May 28, 2012 Hunger strikers agree to drop the term "thief" to describe MIC while the party in turn would consider a proposal for the land to be given to the Effingham Tamil School. KUALA LUMPUR:  The Effingham Tamil School (SRJK(T) Effingham) land controversy finally looks set to be resolved following a compromise reached out between MIC and the PKR-backed Return Effingham Land Action Team (Reflax). The initiative was taken by MIC vice-president and Federal Territories and Urban Wellbeing Deputy Minister M Saravanan who visited five members of Reflax who had been in a hunger strike since Saturday morning seeking for the return of a three acre land for the school which they claimed had been taken by MIC. However after Saravanan’s visit to the hunger stikers, followed by a short discussion involving PKR’s R Sivarasa as well as MIC secretary-general S Murugessan, both Reflax and PKR agreed to stop calling MIC “thieves” who “stole” the said piece of land. The hunger strikers also agreed to replace their demand for MIC to “return the land” with a new one which will “seek for the land” for the school. In return, Saravanan agreed that he would bring up the group’s proposal to MIC’s highest leadership level, the central working committee, to consider the request for the land to be allocated for the school. However, Reflax, which has been holding candlelight vigils every Saturday night for the past 14 weeks, would continue to hold it’s hunger strike, which is now on it’s third day. Currently there are five people, out of an original seven, who are taking part in the hunger strike at the water fountain in Brickfield’s Little India. They said that they would continue with their hunger strike until MIC confirms that it would release the piece of land. Reflax and PKR had originally accused the MIC of stealing the land which was given for the school.

Malacca MIC refutes Hasan’s alleged misdeeds

By R.S.N. MURALI , The Star
murali@thestar.com.my

MALACCA: The state MIC has refuted allegations that Sungai Rambai assemblyman Datuk Hasan Abdul Rahman uttered a racial slur and urinated on a picture of Bersih co-chairman Datuk S. Ambiga and is willing to offer a Datukship recommendation to anyone who can provide proof.

Its chairman Datuk R. Perumal challenged those who accused Hasan of such an act during a high-tea programme in Merlimau on May 19 to step forward with evidence.

“I have known Hasan for a long time.

“He is vocal, but a modest and jovial person who would certainly not make such racial remarks.

“I believe such slander came about because Hasan is popular and some are afraid of his fame and trying to sabotage him so that he won’t be fielded as a candidate in the general election,” he said.

Perumal said he would arrange for anyone with proof to be bestowed the title, which has been allocated to the party, during the investiture ceremony in conjunction with the Mala­cca Governor’s birthday in October.

“We have no qualms in giving away the coveted title, which is traditionally allocated to the party and supposed to be only bestowed on individuals who have contributed immensely to the state or country.

“We just want the truth to be revealed.

“The SMSes alleging Hasan as a person of immoral character who uttered derogatory words against a member of the community were detrimental to Barisan Nasional,” he said in an interview.

In a front-page report in a vernacular daily on May 21, it was alleged that Hasan had kept his urine in a bottle before splashing it on a picture of Ambiga.

The report claimed that Hasan, who is also deputy exco for the Malacca Works and Public Amenities Committee, uttered racial remarks.

When contacted, Hasan, who is from Umno, said the opening of the drinking bottle was too small for him to “harvest” his urine.

“Why must some quarters slander me in such an uncouth manner?

“Are they envious of my popularity or just afraid of my boldness in highlighting shortcomings among certain civil servants in the state?” he said, denying the allegations.

The Scorpene scandal and the long arm of the law

Ahmad Zahid need not worry about spending his own money or that of the Malaysian Government. France would pick up the bill, merci beaucoup.
The Nut Graph
WHEN it comes to an issue like corruption, nations have long since accepted that it cannot be combated single-handedly.  A significant milestone in cooperation was when the General Assembly of the United Nations (UNGA) in New York passed the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC) on 31 Oct 2003. Shortly after, Malaysia signed the UNCAC on 9 Dec 2003.  The UNCAC came into force on 14 Dec 2005. We then ratified it on 24 Sept 2008.
As a party to the UNCAC, how well do our government ministers understand Malaysia’s obligations under this international treaty and local laws on international cooperation on criminal matters? Defence Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi’s recent snubbing of the inquiry by a French court into the Scorpene submarines scandal suggest ignorance, at the very least.

Scorpène Class Malaysian Navy submarine "Tun Razak" in the shipyard of Navantia-Cartagena (Spain) few days prior to its delivery. (© Outissnn | Wiki Commons)

How UNCAC works

Under the UNCAC, state parties agree to cooperate with one another in every aspect of the fight against corruption, including prevention, investigation, and the prosecution of offenders. State parties are bound to render specific forms of mutual legal assistance in gathering and transferring evidence for use in court and to extradite offenders. There is a provision whereby state parties that do not have extradition treaties with each other may use their common membership of the UNCAC as the basis for any extradition request. They are also required to undertake measures which will support the tracing, freezing, seizure and confiscation of the proceeds of corruption.

Another over-arching trend in the international fight against transboundary issues is universal jurisdiction. A country can bring to trial and prosecute in that country, those accused of having committed a crime in another country. An area relatively new to Malaysia, we are only beginning to adopt universal jurisdiction through recent amendments to Section 4 of the Penal Code. This expands the scope of extraterritorial offences to include damage to property belonging to, or operated, or controlled, not just by a Malaysian federal or state government, but also to a Malaysian company or individual located outside Malaysia. This addresses our lack of laws to prosecute offences such as the hijacking of a Malaysian privately-owned (but foreign-flagged) ship by Somali pirates in international waters.

Ignorance or lack of political will?

Zahid Hamidi (source: tabunghaji.gov.my)

Bearing this in mind, Ahmad Zahid’s response to the possibility of being subpoenaed to appear in a French court to answer questions about the Scorpene affair is surprising for a number of reasons. France is also a signatory to the UNCAC, having signed it on 9 Dec 2003, and ratifying it on 11 July 2005.

The investigation by the French courts into allegations of transboundary corruption in the purchase of two Scorpene submarines by Malaysia would be precisely the kind of issue that UNCAC and universal jurisdiction are intended to address. By ratifying the treaty, Malaysia has signified to the world our willingness to submit to an international framework of cooperation in this regard. The Defence Minister’s comments, then, seem totally out of line with our international obligations.

Ahmad Zahid reportedly said, “Why should I appear?  I am not a witness!  If I appear, who will pay for my expenses?  I don’t want to use my money and the government’s money.”

In so doing, he clearly revealed his lack of familiarity with the Mutual Assistance in Criminal Matters Act 2002.  Part II of this Act deals with requests to Malaysia by foreign governments. In particular, Section 27 of the Act deals with requests for attendance of a particular person in another country to give evidence or assist in a criminal matter there.  Malaysia’s Attorney-General can be requested by foreign authorities to arrange for the person to attend such proceedings. Section 19 specifically requires the Attorney-General to confirm that “allowances” and “arrangements for security and accommodation for the person” are to be made by the requesting foreign authorities.

So really, Ahmad Zahid need not worry about spending his own money or that of the Malaysian Government. France would pick up the bill, merci beaucoup.

Ahmad Zahid’s own ignorance aside, Malaysia’s attitude towards the Scorpene probe is also an issue of political will. Even though France is not a “prescribed foreign State” pursuant to Section 17 of the Act, Section 18 of the Act allows the Attorney-General to give special direction in writing for the Act to apply to that state. There is room for ad-hoc cooperation with France, if the Attorney-General recommends it and if the minister in charge of law agrees.

International perception

Malaysia could still refuse to entertain a request from France and would have grounds to do so in Section 20 of the Act.  These include:

• Section 20(1)(g): the facts constituting the offence to which the request relates does not indicate an offence of sufficient gravity;
• Section 20(1)(h): the thing requested for is of insufficient importance to the investigation or could reasonably be obtained by other means;
• Section 20(1)(i): the provision of the assistance would affect the sovereignty, security, public order or other essential public interest of Malaysia.

However, Malaysia should be cautious of how a refusal would be perceived by the international community in such a high-profile case. Care must be taken not to give a wrong impression.

Read more at: http://www.thenutgraph.com/scorpene-scandal-a-test-of-malaysia%E2%80%99s-commitment-to-fighting-corrup-2/

Youths say will not mortgage country’s future for sweet promises

“We, the youths, might break loose in certain issues but we are not that ignorant to be assumed by the opposition that we can be easily influenced by their empty promises. We can evaluate whether promises had been fulfilled or not, the impossible and the possible to be implemented,” said Aina who works in the private sector.

Bernama

The assumption that the young generation is inclined to the opposition pact as claimed by the Pakatan Rakyat is simply baseless propaganda say several young voters who will be voting in the coming general election for the first time.

They said the younger generation that represented 45 per cent of the total population in the country is standing firmly behind the current government, for the sake of continuity in development, solidity, unity, economic progress, peace and harmony of the nation.

“This is such a typical opposition... if they are not making any irrelevant fuss, they are not them. Using the April 28 rally that turned into a riot as a measurement is not an accurate analogy at them to use.

“Let’s say all the 25,000 in the rally were youths... and compare it with the Million Youth Gathering in Putrajaya. That alone is enough to prove that their claim is a baseless lie,” a university student who only wished to be known as Sera told Bernama.

She said the other obvious lie by the opposition was when its leader had claimed to capture Sarawak in the last Sarawak state election by winning a majority of the state assembly seats.

“The final election results not only showed that such claims were procrastination... the Barisan Nasional remained strong to form the state government, right? He (the opposition leader) on the other hand decided to go overseas,” she said.

Meanwhile, her housemate, a Kelantanese who only wished to be known as Aina, said his 68-year-old grandmother was still hoping for the RM100 senior citizen assistance per month as promised by the PAS-led government.

“We, the youths, might break loose in certain issues but we are not that ignorant to be assumed by the opposition that we can be easily influenced by their empty promises. We can evaluate whether promises had been fulfilled or not, the impossible and the possible to be implemented,” said Aina who works in the private sector.

Moreover, the opposition’s promise to abolish the PTPTN loan, even though a catchy one, would be impossible to be implemented because the RM42 billion is not only a huge amount, but also because the system of repayment for IPTA and IPTS loans cannot become obsolete.

“We had also thought of its logic. If it was to be abolished, it will be our generation which will need to pay a higher amount of tax just to sustain the cost of free higher education. It will become a major burden compared with the repayment of the PTPTN loan itself,” said Aina.

A student at a higher education institution in Shah Alam who only wished to be known as Masri said there should not be any political parties claiming they have majority support from the young generation, especially the new voters, as they are able to analyse the situation themselves and rationally.

“If we do not vote the party, we cannot go to heaven... this means that Nabi Muhammad and his companions were not able to go to heaven as well, as they had never voted for a party. I was disappointed when I went back to my hometown where such phrases were used by a speaker,” he said.

However, he said the government need to also rid itself of negative activities like corruption, mismanagement, wastage and misappropriation of funds.

“I had no doubts about who I want to support because whenever I browse the Internet, read the blogs or dig for information, I only come across moral issues of the opposition leaders like sodomy, prostitution even though such news is always denied,” he said.

Meanwhile, an employee of a supermarket who only wanted to be known as Soo Mey refused to accept the idea that youths are more inclined towards the opposition by measuring the involvement of youths in the April 28 rally at Dataran Merdeka.

“My family and I do not like such disturbances. I just do not understand why people say youths favour such situations. Only a few like to join such demonstrations. Millions of others don’t,” she said admitting that she did pray that the security in the country was maintained.

She also described Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak as sincere by implementing numerous programmes for the people, regardless of race or religion, like the distribution of RM500 BR1M and RM100 for all schoolchildren.

“We have already seen that this is a good government because they fulfilled all the promises, thus why are we trying to test another government. We have a good home now, do not demolish it just because someone else had promised to give a better or bigger house,” she said.

A random survey by Bernama had also revealed that youths want their voice and opinion to be heard.
Their level of awareness and political knowledge is good because students of today are well exposed to information through various mediums, including social media and the Internet and they do make wise judgments and will not mortgage their future.

Umno sengaja mahu timbulkan kekecohan

MARAN, 28 Mei: Ketua Umum PKR Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim meminta Umno belajar menghormati hak berpolitik dan demokrasi yang dibenarkan di negara ini dengan berhenti melakukan provokasi dan keganasan.

Berucap di hadapan kira-kira 5,000 orang di perkarangan pejabat PAS Maran di sini malam tadi, Ketua Pembangkang di parlimen itu berkata, kini wujud senario baru di mana pihak Umno atau sekutunya cuba menimbulkan ketegangan dalam setiap program Pakatan Rakyat (PR).

Katanya, kini seperti satu trend Umno sengaja mahu menimbulkan suasana kecoh sedangkan PR hanya menggunakan pentas ceramah bagi menjelaskan fitnah yang sudah ditabur melalui media rasmi kerajaan.

“Hormatilah budaya berpolitik dan prinsip berdemokrasi. Cuba fikir, kita sudah dihentam tiap-tiap malam dalam media yang dikawal kerajaan Umno, kita dibina dan dan dimaki hamun setiap hari, kenapa kita mahu memberi penjelasan di pentas seperti ini juga mahu diganggu? Kita minta Umno hormatilah adab berpolitik,” katanya.

Kurang 20 meter berhampiran ceramah tersebut, Umno turut mengadakan pesta karaoke Cina dengan menguatkan bunyi pembesar suara bagi tujuan mengganggu ceramah tersebut sehingga ke akhir.

Walau bagaimanapun, tiada sebarang kejadian buruk berlaku hasil kawalan ketat dan berdisiplin petugas-petugas Unit Amal.

Anwar turut menggesa Perdana Menteri Datuk Seri Najib Razak supaya mengajar dan mengawal Umno dan sekutu-sekutunya menghormati undang-undang.

“Seorang pemimpin mesti memelihara undang-undang. Bayangkan dalam ceramah-ceramah kami akhir-akhir ini kami diganggu termasuk dibaling telur dan botol, beberapa minggu lalu kereta saya dirosakkan.

“Datuk Ambiga seorang warganegara profesional boleh diganggu sesuka hati oleh penyokong Umno dan dibiarkan saja tanpa sebarang tindakan. Sebab itu jika Najib tak mampu lagi memelihara undang-undang dan keamanan baiklah turun daripada jawatan kerana gagal memimpin,” tegasnya.

Mengenai pilihan raya umum (PRU) akan datang, Anwar menjelaskan rakyat perlu melihat kehidupan pemimpin-pemimpin Pakatan jika mahu membuat keputusan untuk mengundi parti mana untuk memerintah.

Beliau berkata, dapat dilihat contohnya bagaimana Tuan Guru Nik Aziz yang sudah 22 rahun menjadi Menteri Besar Kelantan tetapi beliau tidak mengambil kesempatan mengumpul kekayaan berbanding pemimpin Umno yang lain.

Sementara itu Anwar berkata, PR memberi komitmen jika menang sahaja PRU, dalam masa 24 jam akan umum turunkan harga minyak kerana itulah punca meningkatnya harga barang dan kos perkhidmatan.

“Langkah seterusnya kita akan bincang dengan syarikat-syarikat IPP (pembekal jana kuasa swasta) supaya boleh turunkan harga kadar elektrik. Kita juga bertekad meletakkan gaji minimum RM1,100 sesuai dengan kos kehudupan semasa.

“Kita juga tegas menghapuskan hutang PTPTN kerana hasil minyak yang banyak sehingga RM80 bilion setahun. Itu belum termasuk keuntungan hasil sawit, getah balak dan lain-lain. Kita tengok Turki yg tiada hasil minyak boleh memberikan pendidikan percuma,” ujarnya.

Anwar menambah, beliau hairan bagaimana PM boleh mengatakan jika diberi pendidikan percuma negara boleh bankrap sedangkan ia cuma memerlukan RM5 bilion saja setahun.

Anwar dalam rangka lawatan sehari ke Parlimen Maran. Turt berceramah Timbalan Pesuruhjaya PAS Pahang Dr Hamzah Jaafar, Adun Tras Choong Siew Onn dan Yang Dipertua PAS Maran Tuan Guru Baqi Othman.

Mahathir jangan dijadikan contoh dan ikutan

Aspan Alias - The Malaysian Insider


28 MEI — Betulkah pandangan Dr Mahathir jika PR kalah dalam pilihanraya nanti negara akan huru-hara? Satu lagi yang menjadi persoalan ialah kata-kata Mahathir yang jika Umno kalah dan ditewaskan Melayu akan hilang kuasa politiknya? Kenapa Mahathir alih-alih terlalu sayang kepada Umno pula? Kenapa Mahathir alih-alih dan tidak semena-mena terlalu sayang kepada orang Melayu yang selama ini beliau pandang rendah? Persoalan-persoalan yang saya ajukan ini jangan di salah fahamkan.

Saya bertanya perkara ini, kerana orang Melayu telah hilang identiti asalnya oleh kerana Mahathir. Apabila Mahathir kembali bercakap pasal masa depan orang Melayu dan tentang ketakutannya kepada huru hara negara ini, ia amat bertentangan dengan apa yang beliau lakukan selama ini, terutamanya semasa menjadi Perdana Menteri selama 22 tahun dahulu. Segala yang beliau lakukan semasa sedang seronok berkuasa dahululah yang menjadi penyebab berlakunya apa yang berlaku pada hari ini.

Saya mempunyai keyakinan tinggi yang Mahathir sedang begitu panik dengan pergerakan perubahan yang sedang berlaku dalam minda rakyat termasuk minda orang Melayu. Yang pastinya Mahathir tidak mahu seboleh-bolehnya melihat Umno ciptaan beliau kecundang dihadapan mata beliau semasa beliau masih hidup ini. Kalau di nilai dari sudut mana pun, mahu tidak mahu Mahathir merupakan orang yang “accountable” terhadap kekeruhan politik negara kini.

Kecelaruan politik negara tidak akan menjadi begini buruk dalam sekelip mata dan tidak adil jika Mahathir dan konco-konconya meletakkan semua kesalahan kepada kelemahan Abdullah Ahmad Badawi sahaja. Malahan naiknya Abdullah Ahmad Badawi itu adalah kerana kesalahan Mahathir sendiri kerana Mahathir sememangnya mahukan Abdullah menjadi PM kerana beliau menyangkakan Abdullah boleh beliau pengaruhi dalam pentadbirannya.

Apabila Abdullah tidak mahu mendewakan beliau semasa menjadi PM maka Mahathir merasakan yang Abdullah telah mengecewakan beliau kerana tidak menurut kehendak dan kemahuan peribadinya. Maka Abdullahlah yang menjadi kain buruk dan tidak elok kepada Mahathir sampai kehari ini. Sememangnya Abdullah tidak mempunyai kelayakan untuk menjadi PM tetapi kehendak Mahathirlah yang menjadikan beliau (Abdullah) menjadi PM yang dianggap oleh Mahathir sendiri sebagai PM yang tidak berguna.

Mahathir begitu berjaya melaksanakan pemerintahan “pecah dan perintah” selama ini kerana dengan “pecah dan perintah” itu boleh menyematkan kuasa yang beliau genggam itu. Dengan pemerintahan secara ini beliau telah berjaya mendapatkan kehendak peribadi beliau, iaitu untuk menjadi kuat seorangan dan yang lain-lain di kelilingnya hanya kumpulan “yes men” yang menawarkan peranan untuk menjadi pahlawan untuk mempertahankan beliau (Mahathir)

Mahathir terlalu “obsess” untuk menjadi orang kuat berseorangan ini kerana beliau memerlukan pembodek-pembodek di sekeliling beliau untuk menjaga kehendaknya sehinggakan beliau seolah-olah menjadi maharaja yang dikelilingi oleh mereka yang buta hati tanpa memikirkan “consequence” perlakuan ini terhadap masa depan politik, rakyat dan negara.

Mahathir gagal untuk menjadi seorang “statesman” tetapi hanya sekadar seorang “warlord” politik semata-mata. Beliau tidak akan lagi berjaya untuk diakui sebagai negarawan sampai bila-bila. Kata-kata dan tindakan beliau membuktikan yang beliaulah yang dalam kegusaran jika PR memerintah seolah-olah beliau mempunyai “stake” yang begitu besar jika PR memerintah.

Kata-kata ugutan beliau itu samasekali tidak mempunyai kredibiliti dengan menuduh huru-raya yang akan berlaku jika PR kalah. Sebaliknya petanda awal menunjukkan Umnolah yang akan menghuru-harakan keadaan jika PR menang. Di mana-mana pihak PR mengadakan perhimpunan untuk berceramah khususnya yang dilakukan oleh PKR, samseng-samseng Umno mengganggu sehinggakan berlaku kecederaan kepada yang hadir seperti yang berlaku tiga hari yang lepas di Lembah Pantai.

Ceramah Anwar Ibrahim diganggu oleh samseng upahan Umno dengan membaling batu serta telor kearah penceramah dan yang hadir sehinggakan mencederakan beberapa orang yang berada di situ. Banyak pihak berpendapat yang Mahathir amat takut jika Anwar menjadi PM selepas pilihanraya yang akan datang kerana sebab-sebab yang semua pihak tahu.

Mahathir mahukan kepimpinan hari ini untuk terus memerintah walaupun beliau sendiri yang mengakui yang Umno itu sudah busuk sampai ke ususnya. Beliau jika mengakui yang tinggal dalam Umno hanyalah yang kurang pandai (bodoh) kerana yang pandai sudah masuk PAS, yang bijak menyertai PKR dan yang pintar menyertai DAP.

Itulah sebabnya Mahathir mahukan Umno masih memerintah kerana pada beliau yang tidak pandai (bodoh) sahaja boleh membela beliau sehingga ke akhir hayat beliau.

Kepada rakyat yang ramai-ramai yang telah mengambil keputusan untuk melakukan perubahan teruskan usaha itu dengan tata-cara yang baik. Sampai sahaja PRU undi sahaja mana-mana calon dalam PR kerana bak kata Mahathir yang pandai, yang bijak dan yang pintar sememangnya berada dalam Pakatan rakyat.

Mahathir amat takut PR akan mampu membuktikan pentadbiran negara yang lebih baik di bawah PR jika PR memerintah Putrajaya, kerana bukti yang akan ditunjukkan oleh PR itu akan membuatkan Umno baru ini tidak boleh bangun lagi sampai bila-bila.

Sampai ke hari ini Mahathir serta pemimpin Umno yang lain tidak mengeluarkan kenyataan tentang budaya samseng yang sedang berkembang dalam Umno pada masa ini.

Saudara, segala yang berlaku pada hari ini menunjukkan yang Umno itu memang sudah sampai kepenghujung hayatnya. Hanya rakyat terpaksa memilih diantara dua pilihan: untuk bersama dengan parti yang akan hilang kuasa atau dengan pihak yang mengambil alih dan akan melakukan segala usaha untuk membentuk kerajaan yang menghormati undang-undang, tidak rasuah, dan mempunyai aras “governance” yang tinggi serta beretika. Jika Pakatan Rakyat yang memerintah, sudah pasti budaya samseng akan tiada lagi dan sesiapa boleh berpolitik secara selamat dan aman damai.

Sementara menanti kejayaan itu, penyokong-penyokon PR jangan sekali-kali melatah. Gunakan pemikiran yang bernas dan jangan sekali-kali menggunakan “buku lima” atau pun batu-batu dan kekasaran terhadap mereka.

Seperti kita melayani orang yang hendak meninggal, kita mesti hormat kepada tubuh yang akan berpisah dengan nyawanya. Apabila tiada lagi orang itu, aman damailah hendaknya kita. tentu rakyat akan merasakan nikmat hidup dengan aman damai dibawah naungan kerajaan yang baru.

Kita buktikan yang pihak PR tidak melakukan apa yang Mahathir pernah lakukan dan itu pun sebabnya kita berjuang untuk menunjukan kelainan memerintah jika tidak menjadikan agenda peribadi sebagai perjuangan kita.

Formula kita mudah sahaja: jangan jadikan Mahathir sebagai contoh dan ikutan. Selamat kita, insyaallah. — aspanaliasnet.blogspot.com

New law refines Rela powers

The Star 
By P. ARUNA

THE powers of the People's Volunteer Corps (Rela) will be outlined in a new law which comes into effect next month. The new Act is aimed at preventing the abuse of power and impersonation of Rela members. Under the new law, which also sets the enrolment age for Rela members at 18 and limits their tenure to five years, they will no longer have the power to detain, arrest or carry firearms.

PETALING JAYA: A new law to refine the powers of the People's Volunteer Corps (Rela) comes into effect next month with strict measures to curb misuse of authority and impersonation of its members.

Under the Malaysia Volunteers Corps Bill 2012 passed in Parliament on April 20 and expected to be gazetted next month, Rela members would no longer have the power to make arrests or carry firearms.

Anyone found guilty of impersonating a Rela member can be jailed up to three years, fined a maximum of RM5,000 or both.

The law also requires those who are no longer members to return their uniforms and certificate of appointment within 14 days of leaving the corps.

Previously, it was not an offence for them to keep their uniforms even after resigning from the agency.

“Those who fail to return the uniforms and certificate after leaving can now be taken to court,” said Deputy Home Minister Datuk Lee Chee Leong, adding that the maximum penalty for doing so would also be a prison term of three years, a fine of RM5,000 or both.

The new law also limits the period of enrolment for Rela members to five years, after which, the status of membership has to be renewed by an authorised officer.

Those below the age of 18 would also have their membership revoked under the increased age requirement when the Malaysia Volunteers Corps Act 2012 comes into force from June 22. The existing enrolment age for Rela members is 16 for girls and 17 for boys.

As of March 31, the total number of volunteers in the corps stood at 2,924,065.

Lee said the new law was expected to curb crime cases involving the impersonation of Rela members.

In March last year, police arrested two men who robbed and raped a woman after claiming to be police officers.

Two of their accomplices, including a Rela member who had lent his handcuffs to the duo, were held.

In 2006, robbers masquerading as Rela members drove off with RM47mil worth of microchips from the air cargo complex in Penang.

MCA Public Complaints and Services Department head Datuk Seri Michael Chong, who is also an honorary Rela member, welcomed the move to limit the membership to five years saying it would facilitate the management of members.

However, he said making Rela members return their uniforms would not be effective in addressing impersonation.

“If people want to misuse the uniform, they can easily buy it at shops or even online,” he said yesterday.

Chong said there were numerous shops selling uniforms and paraphernalia of all enforcement agencies, complete with their rank.

“This can only be addressed through strict enforcement on the sale of these uniforms,” he said.

Malaysian Crime Prevention Foundation chairman Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye said there was no reason for former members to hold on to their uniforms.

“We don't want to see people who are no longer Rela members misusing the uniforms to carry out or enforce laws,” he said.

Rela director-general Datuk Mustafa Ibrahim said the Home Minister would be making an official announcement on the Bill and several other laws passed recently.

Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein had earlier said in Parliament that the Government had taken the public's views into consideration when drafting the Bill.

India Offers Scholarship Programme For Diaspora Children

KUALA LUMPUR, May 28 (Bernama) -- The Indian government today announced a special scholarship programme for the children of Persons of Indian Origin (PIOs) and Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) to pursue undergraduate, professional and general courses in India for the 2012-2013 academic year.

The Indian High Commission, here, in a statement said the scholarship programme offered 75 per cent of the institutional economic cost, which included tuition fee, hostel fee and other institutional charges or US$4,000 (RM12,489) per annum, whichever is less.

It is open for various disciplines of undergraduate courses such as engineering, architecture, technology, commerce, business administration, business management, computer applications, sciences, law and ayurvedam except medical-related courses.

The applicants should be aged 17 to 21, as on Oct 1, this year and with the family's total income not exceeding US$2,250 (RM7,052) per month.

Selection will be based on marks obtained by the candidates in the Sijil Tinggi Persekolahan Malaysia (STPM) or 'A' Levels or equivalent examination.

Applicants must score 60 per cent aggregate marks or equivalent grades at higher secondary level as recognised by the Association of Indian Universities, and must study the prescribed essential subjects at the qualifying examination level to pursue a particular course of study.

The application forms are available from the Indian High Commission, Education Wing, Level 28, Menara 1 Mont Kiara, 50480 Kuala Lumpur or can be downloaded from www.indianhighcommission.com.my/spdc.php, and further information can be accessed from www.edcilindia.co.in.

Applicants may send their forms to The Project Manager (SPDC), Placement and Secondment Division, Educational Consultants India Limited (Ed. CIL), Ed. CIL House, No. 18A, Sector-16A, NOIDA-201 301, Uttar Pradesh, India not later than June 10.

Felda Global listing: Transferring wealth to the rich?

Wong Chen has analysed the RM2.2bn of FGVH shares in the public sale and discovers that other groups will get 4.6 times more shares than the Felda settlers. Even Felda employees will receive more than the Felda settlers.
Peruntukan Saham FGVH: Tidak adil kepada peneroka; Tawaran hebat kepada pekerja dan Bumiputera kaya
Keadilan tidak sabar-sabar menanti pelancaran prospektus lengkap mengenai IPO FGVH oleh Perdana Menteri pada hari Khamis 31 Mei 2012. Datang Khamis ini, kami semua akan tahu berapa banyak saham Tan Sri Isa Samad akan dapat. Sebagai preview kepada hari Khamis ini dan untuk memulakan perbincangan tentang hal peruntukan saham, kami ingin mendedahkan beberapa analisa terbaru.

Dua belas hari yang lepas, Keadilan telah mendedahkan bahawa “durian runtuh” peneroka adalah cuma ​9% daripada jumlah keuntungan FELDA daripada IPO. Hari ini, kami membuat komen analisa tentang 2.2 bilion saham FGVH yang akan dijual. Pecahan peruntukan saham-saham tersebut adalah seperti berikut:

Awam	73 juta saham (2% daripada FGVH)
Pelabur institusi (KWSP, PNB, Tabung Haji, Louis Dreyfus)	1.5 bilion saham (41% daripada FGVH)
Pekerja FELDA	109 juta saham (3% daripada FGVH)
Peneroka FELDA	91 juta saham (2.5% daripada FGVH)
Pelabur Bumiputera yang diluluskan MITI	420 juta saham (11.5% daripada FGVH)

Peruntukan saham diatas menimbulkan dua soalan penting:

Soalan 1: Mengapa 112,635 peneroka mendapat saham yang kurang daripada 3,835 pekerja FELDA? Pada kadar 100% penerimaan, setiap peneroka hanya akan mendapat 810 saham seorang manakala kakitangan FELDA akan mendapatkan 28,368 saham seorang. Secara purata, seorang pekerja FELDA ditawarkan 35 kali ganda saham daripada seorang peneroka.
Soalan 2: Lebih menggemparkan adalah isu pelabur Bumiputera yang diluluskan oleh MITI dengan peruntukan sebanyak 420 juta saham. Siapakah mereka Bumiputera khas ini yang berhak menerima 4.6 kali ganda peruntukan daripada semua golongan peneroka? Pernahkah pelabur khas ini kerja bantu membangunkan FELDA? Kami tidak tahu identiti mereka tetapi melalui garis panduan rasmi MITI, untuk menjadi seorang pelabur Bumiputera khas yang diluluskan oleh MITI, anda perlulah dari golongan kaya raya. Garis panduan MITI mengatakan bahawa jika pelabur Bumiputera adalah seorang individu, beliau mestilah mempunyai sekurang-kurangnya aset sebanyak RM3 juta. Jika pelabur adalah sebuah syarikat (mesti dimiliki 100% Bumiputera), ianya mesti mempunyai aset bernilai RM10 juta.
Kami menuntut MITI mengeluarkan senarai lengkap pelabur Bumiputera kaya yang akan menerima saham FGVH ini. Kami menuntut senarai ini kerana peneroka mempunyai hak untuk tahu mengapa golongan Bumiputera yang kaya ini berhak berlipat kali ganda lebih saham daripada mereka.Oleh kerana IPO ini adalah isu kepentingan nasional, kami percaya bahawa orang ramai juga berhak nak tahu sama ada mana-mana pelabur Bumiputera yang kaya ini ada atau tidak kaitan dengan UMNO.
Saya ingin mengingati hadiran bahawa matlamat FELDA ditubuhkan adalah untuk membantu Bumiputera miskin yang tiada tanah. PM Najib juga ada mengumumkan bahawa IPO FGVH ini adalah satu tindakan bijak yang akan memberi manfaat besar kepada peneroka. Cara saham diperuntukkan jelas menunjukkan bahawa PM lebih berminat membantu golongan kaya. Kesimpulannya, kami mencabar PM Najib untuk menarik balik peruntukan saham untuk Bumiputera kaya dan berikan ianya kepada peneroka. Kami juga meminta peruntukan pekerja dikurangkan ke tahap sewajarnya memihak kepada kepentingan peneroka.
 WONG CHEN,  PENGERUSI BIRO PELABURAN DAN PERDAGANGAN – 28 MEI 2012

 FGVH Shares Allocation: Unfair to settlers; fantastic to employees and rich Bumiputeras    

Keadilan eagerly awaits the launching of the complete prospectus on the IPO of FGVH by the Prime Minister on Thursday 31^st May 2012. Come Thursday, we will all finally get to know how many shares Tan Sri Isa Samad will get. As a preview to Thursday and staying on the subject matter of shares allocation, we will like to expose to you the following disturbing facts.

Twelve days ago we exposed that settlers “durian runtuh” windfall represents a mere 9% of FELDA’s total gains from the IPO. Today, we will provide our comments on the 2.2 billion FGVH shares offered for sale. The breakdown of the shares allocation is as follows:

General public	73 million shares (2% of FGVH)
Institutional investors (EPF, PNB, Tabung Haji, Louis Dreyfus)	1.5 billion shares (41% of FGVH)
FELDA employees	109 million shares (3% of FGVH)
FELDA settlers	91 million shares (2.5% of FGVH)
MITI approved Bumiputera investors	420 million shares (11.5% of FGVH)

The manner the shares are allocated raises two important questions:
Question 1: Why are settlers (numbering 112,635) getting less shares than the 3,835 employees of FELDA? Assuming a 100% take up rate, each settler will only get 810 shares whereas each employee of FELDA will get 28,368 shares. This effectively means that an employee of FELDA is being offered 35 times more shares than a settler.
Question 2: More alarming is the MITI approved Bumiputera share allocation of 420 million shares. Who are these special Bumiputeras that deserve 4.6 times larger allocation than all the settlers collectively? What have they ever done to help develop FELDA? We do not know their identity but we know that under MITI’s official guideline, to be a Bumiputera investor approved by MITI, you must first be very rich. The guideline says that in order to qualify as a MITI approved Bumiputera investor, an individual must have at least RM3 million in assets. If the investor is a company (100% Bumiputera owned), it must have assets worth RM10 million. As such, we demand that MITI produces a complete disclosure list of the rich Bumiputera investors and beneficial owners of this IPO. We demand this list because the settlers have a right to know why these rich Bumiputeras are many many times more deserving than them. We demand to know how many rich Bumiputeras will be allocated shares compared to 112,635 settlers. Since this IPO is of great national importance, we believe that the public also deserves to know if any of these rich Bumiputeras investors are linked to UMNO.

Putting things in proper context, I would like to remind all that FELDA was set up to help the landless Bumiputera poor. In addition, the PM has announced that the FGVH IPO to be an exercise that will greatly benefit the settlers. The way the shares are allocated clearly shows that the PM is more interested in helping the rich. In conclusion, we urge PM Najib to withdraw the undeserving rich Bumiputera allocation and give it to the settlers. We also ask the employees allocation to be appropriately reduced in favour of settlers.

WONG CHEN,  CHAIRMAN, INVESTMENT & TRADE BUREAU     
28 MAY 2012

1,000 Indians voice support for Pakatan

Dutch teacher suspended over anti-Muslim tweets

The Dutch press reports that Fioritti College in Lisse has suspended a teacher named Anand Soekhoe and will not be renewing his contract, after he posted anti-Muslim comments on Twitter.

(Ahlul Bayt News Agency) - The Dutch press reports that Fioritti College in Lisse has suspended a teacher named Anand Soekhoe and will not be renewing his contract, after he posted anti-Muslim comments on Twitter.

In a series of Islamophobic tweets Soekhoe declared his support for Geert Wilders and the PVV, warned that anyone considering voting for leftists, liberals or Christian Democrats should think of their grandchildren ("Otherwise future generations will speak Arabic! And Islam will be the state religion), quoted the Hindu-supremacist Bharatiya Janata Party as saying "never trust Muslims", adding that the BJP was increasingly shown to be right, and concluded with the observation that "Islam is not a religion but barbaric backwardness".

Not unreasonably, the school board ruled that such public statements made it impossible for Soekhoe to continue teaching Muslim pupils.

The "counterjihadist" movement will no doubt adopt Soekhoe as another hero of free speech. Already PVV MP Harm Beertema has denounced the school board's decision on the grounds that "You can't sack him just because you think his opinion may be offensive to students".

Hagia Sofia: Thousands Pray For Istanbul Landmark To Become Mosque

* Hagia Sofia was church, then mosque

* Some religious Turks want ban on worship lifted

* Crowd estimated at more than 3,000

By Ayla Jean Yackley

ISTANBUL, May 26 (Reuters) - Thousands of devout Muslims prayed outside Turkey's historic Hagia Sophia museum on Saturday to protest a 1934 law that bars religious services at the former church and mosque.

Worshippers shouted, "Break the chains, let Hagia Sophia Mosque open," and "God is great" before kneeling in prayer as tourists looked on.

Turkey's secular laws prevent Muslims and Christians from formal worship within the 6th-century monument, the world's greatest cathedral for almost a millennium before invading Ottomans converted it into a mosque in the 15th century.

"Keeping Hagia Sophia Mosque closed is an insult to our mostly Muslim population of 75 million. It symbolises our ill-treatment by the West," Salih Turhan, head of the Anatolian Youth Association, which organised the event, told the crowd, whose male and female worshippers prayed separately according to Islamic custom.

The government has rejected requests from both Christians and Muslims to hold formal prayers at the site, historically and spiritually significant to adherents of both religions.

The rally's size and location signals more tolerance for religious expression under Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan, whose party traces its roots to a banned Islamist movement.

His government has also allowed Christian worship at sites that were off-limits for decades, as it seeks to bring human rights in line with the European Union, which it aims to join.

Turhan told Reuters his group staged the prayers ahead of celebrations next week marking the 559th anniversary of the Ottoman Sultan Mehmet's conquest of Byzantine Constantinople.

"As the grandchildren of Mehmet the Conqueror, seeking the re-opening Hagia Sophia as a mosque is our legitimate right," Turhan said in an interview.

Worshippers refrained from entering the museum, one of Turkey's most-visited tourist destinations and whose famous dome is considered a triumph of Byzantine architecture.

Most Turks appear satisfied with it remaining a museum as a kind of compromise between its conflicting historic roles.


OTTOMAN PAST

However, some devout Turks believe that barring worship at Hagia Sophia is an affront against Sultan Mehmet, who designated it as a mosque and who, like other Ottoman leaders, served as caliph to the Islamic world.

Under Erdogan, many Turks have come to embrace their imperial Ottoman past and question the more austere, Western-oriented reforms that followed the last sultan's overthrow in 1923.

The shift coincides with a stalled EU bid and declining expectations Turkey will ever join the mostly Christian bloc.

The government's active diplomatic engagement in the Middle East with lands that once belonged to the Ottoman empire has also prompted Turks to reexamine the NATO member's Western tilt.

Meanwhile, some Orthodox argue Hagia Sophia should be returned to its original state as a Christian basilica.

In 2010, 200 or so Greek American Orthodox aborted plans to pray at Hagia Sophia after the Turkish government threatened to block their entry into the country on security grounds.

The Ecumenical Patriarch, spiritual leader of the world's 250 million Orthodox, does not support efforts to revert its former dominion into a church.

"We want it to remain a museum in line with the Republic of Turkey's principles," said Father Dositheos Anagnostopulos, the patriarch's spokesman.

"If it were to become a mosque, Christians wouldn't be able to pray there, and if it became a church it would be chaos."

Only a few thousand Greek Orthodox faithful are left in Turkey, but the patriarch's seat remains in Istanbul, a vestige of the Byzantine Empire. (Editing by Jon Hemming)

Will Dr M & Co appear as witnesses?

Is Mahathir telling the world that his daughter Marina is naïve to be a pawn of Bersih 3.0 and Pakatan Rakyat to topple the Najib government by violence?
COMMENT

By Lim Kit Siang

Malaysians must thank former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir for furnishing the fifth evidence of the highest-level campaign to vilify and demonise Bersih 3.0 and Pakatan Rakyat and why the Hanif Omar “independent advisory panel” to investigate into Bersih 3.0 violence is totally unacceptable and should be scrapped altogether.

The four evidence were earlier provided by the Prime Minister, the Home Minister and two former Inspector-General of Police, viz:

• The wild and baseless allegation by the Prime Minister, Najib Tun Razak that Bersih 3.0 rally was coup attempt by the opposition to topple the government;
• 
  
• The instant public support for Najib’s coup allegation by former Inspector-General of Police, Hanif Omar who said he identified pro-communist individuals at Bersih 3.0 from demonstrations in the 1970s with futher allegation on the use of provocateurs and children in the Bersih 3.0 rally as tactics of the communists!
• 
  
• The equally instant public support for Najib’s coup allegation by another former Inspector-General of Police, Rahim Noor who went on to allege that Bersih 3.0 had used “Marxist” tactics as well as accusing the Opposition of wanting blood shed as it was not confident of taking over Putrajaya.
• 
  
• The allegation by Home Minister, Hishammuddin Hussein in an interview with Sunday Star on May 20 that “democracy was hijacked” on April 28.

Mahathir’s blog two days ago that the Bersih 3.0 rally was a “preparation” and “warm-up” by Pakatan for violent demonstrations to reject the results of the 13th general election should the opposition fail to win it is the fifth evidence of the highest-level campaign of vilification and demonization of Bersih 3.0 and Pakatan Rakyat.

However none of them have furnished one iota of evidence to substantiate their serious allegations in the past month.

Appear as witnesses at panel

What they have done is to collectively stack grounds to justify the case why the Hanif “independent advisory panel” should be scrapped altogether as nobody expects the Hanif panel to be able to independent, impartial and objective when there is the highest-level involvement in the campaign of vilification and demonisation of Bersih 3.0 and Pakatan Rakyat.

In fact, Hanif, together with Najib, Mahathir, Hishammuddin and Rahim Noor should be required to appear as star witnesses to substantiate their preposterous allegations before a truly independent and credible inquiry into what went wrong at Bersih 3.0 on April 28 as to cause the deplorable incidents of violence and brutality, regardless of whether the victims are police personnel, media representative or peaceful protesters.

If the five – Najib, Mahathir, Hishammuddin, Hanif and Rahim Noor – are unable to produce any evidence to substantiate their allegations against Bersih 3.0 and Pakatan Rakyat, then these five VVIPs should have the decency to publicly retract their preposterous allegations and tender public apologies.

In this connection, is Mahathir telling the world that his daughter Marina is naïve to be a pawn of Bersih 3.0 and Pakatan to topple the Najib government by violence?

Is he using the same brush to tar the 200,000 to 300,000 Malaysians regardless of race, religion, region, class, gender or age who had performed a supreme act of patriotism and national service in coming out peacefully on April 28 in support of a common national cause – a clean election and a clean Malaysia?

Mahathir should be commending Marina for her commendable public-spiritedness and patriotism in participating in both Bersih 3.0 on April 28 and Bersih 2.0 on July 9, 2011 instead of throwing brickbats as her and Malaysians who had rallied to the Bersih cause.

The writer is the Ipoh Timur MP and DAP senior leader.

PM condoning violence through silence, says Anwar

(Malaysiakini) Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim today said Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak has indirectly condoned the series of violent acts against Pakatan Rakyat ceramahs by failling to condemn these actions.

“My car (when it was attacked in Sembrong in February), were there any statements to say stop this or we will not tolerate this sort of violence? No. This means that they are actually condoning it.

“Is this being tolerated by Umno? Yes. Which means Najib as prime minister has abdicated his responsibility,” he said when asked by Malaysiakini after a Pakatan programme to register red IC holders in Klang this afternoon.

Since then, a series of violent acts targeting Pakatan ceramahs have followed, namely Gambang (Pahang), Merlimau (Malacca) and most recently in Lembah Pantai, Kuala Lumpur where two Pakatan supporters and an Umno supporter were allegedly injured.

Asked to comment about Umno’s accusation that he had provoked the fracas in Lembah Pantai during a dual ceramah on Thursday, Anwar quipped: “When my car (windscreen) was broken, I broke it myself, it could be that the elderly man who was injured knocked his own head, too.”
Yesterday, Lembah Pantai Umno Youth chief Mohamad Sazali Kamilan accused Anwar of causing the fracas when he described Umno as sial (damned) and celaka (cursed) despite an observation by Malaysiakini that he had only made the remarks after spotting Raja Ismail Raja Din bleeding from his head after being hit by a projectile.

‘Bottles already flying when I arrived’

“When I entered the ceramah, bottles were already being thrown (from the other side), it was already flying when (Lembah Pantai MP) Nurul Izzah was speaking, you could hear the sound (of the bottles) landing on the roof (of the stage).

“So when I saw what had happened to the pakcik, of course I was angry, and a little girl was crying at the back after that after she was injured in her arm... I was very angry, celaka (cursed) politics,” said Anwar, who is also PKR supremo.

The situation was reportedly tense as the two rival ceramahs were set up within metres of each other.

Anwar added that the incident was regrettable because despite the heavy police presence that night they did not move in quickly to stop the throwing of projectiles when it first began.

“If they see 10 to 15 police officers, they would not dare do that. So what’s wrong? Why aren’t they being professional when it comes to Umno hooligans?,” he said.

‘Police should investigate violence’

Asked to comment on Umno’s claim that one of its supporters, too, was injured, Anwar called on the police to investigate.

“If Pakatan supporters hurt others, we will not defend... Police should investigate, I will not defend, it depends on the outcome of the police investigation,” he said.

He added that Pakatan had submitted a notice to the police for the ceramah to be held.

“Who gave the notice to the police? We gave. I was in Pengerang (on Friday) and it was the same thing, we got the permit and they allowed another session just 50 metres away without a permit,” he said.

Despite Anwar’s Friday trip in Johor being dogged by harassment, the PKR adviser insisted that the party will continue with the party’s political activities in the state.

“This is the culture that they are breeding. I am still committed. I will go to Johor again in the next fortnight,” he said.

1,000 Indians voice support for Pakatan

(Malaysiakini) Hindraf splinter group Malaysian Indian Voice (MIV) today held their first Hindraf-inspired rally, dubbed Indian Rights Action Force (Indraf) 2.0 in Brickfields today, with more than 1,000 packing a hall to voice support for Pakatan Rakyat.

Entitled ‘Unity Road with Pakatan Rakyat to Putrajaya’, the rally was co-organised by a coalition of pro-Pakatan groups and individuals, such as National Indians Action Team (Niat) chairperson Thasleem Mohamed and Penang Deputy Chief Minister II P Ramasamy under a newly-setup Indraf protem committee.

Pakatan bigwigs graced the event, that is believed to be Pakatan’s own way of attempting to replicate Hindu rights group Hindraf’s mass mobilisation of the Indian community in 2007.
The event began at about 3pm with the singing of the national anthem, while the cheering crowd waved flags of the Pakatan parties.

They also displayed banners with their 10-point demands, which  among others read ‘Hindraf will never bury the voice of Indian unity’, ‘The government should plan and implement a comprehensive policy for retirees’, and 'The government should put in place relevant measures to preserve and develop Tamil schools, language and literature’.

The MIV leaders, many of whom are Pakatan members, heaped praises on the opposition pact in their speeches and repeatedly urged the attendees to support Pakatan.

MIV chairperson V Raidu (at podium), in his speech, commended Pakatan for successfully resolving a list of longstanding problems affecting the Indian community within four years of their administration in four states.

He also announced that the Selangor government has approved 120 sites for Indian temples.

“Let us be united to bring change and take over Putrajaya,” he said to a roar of applause.
In between relay of speeches by more than 10 speakers from Pakatan and MIV, some periods were devoted to the singing of a Tamil motivational song and the chanting of “Long live Pakatan”, “Long live Indraf”, “Long live MIV”.

Among the Pakatan leaders who attended the rally were opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim, PAS deputy president Mohamad Sabu, Penang Deputy Chief Minister II P Ramasamy, Puchong MP Gobind Singh Deo, Lembah Pantai MP Nurul Izzah Anwar and Selangor exco member Ronnie Liu.
'Gov't must provide appropriate affirmative aid'
R Kengandharan, who was an Internal Security Act detainee under Hindraf, noted that a rightful government must provide appropriate affirmative aid to an underprivileged group, but that was not the case with the BN government.

“If you have four children in a family and one is handicapped, then extra attention must be given to the handicapped one,” he said.

He added that the Indian community has “wasted 55 years” with MIC and the time has come to clamour for change.

Meanwhile, Mohamad, or fondly known as Mat Sabu, in his speech accused the government of stirring up racial sentiments again as the general election looms.

He said the demonisation of Bersih’s Malay supporters as backing a Hindu woman is a clear instance that shows Umno cannot abandon racial politics.

“But this is not a racial issues, this is about people’s rights. We will not waver but continue to strive to change the politics of this country,” he said.

The three-hour rally concluded with a round of cheers for Pakatan and a replay of the motivational song.

Non-Malay Muslim can be PM: Nik Aziz

MACHANG, May 26 (Bernama) -- The question of race need not be disputed for a person to become a prime minister provided he is a Muslim, said PAS Spiritual Leader Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat.

Nik Aziz said the leader must be from among Muslims because he would be heading the government and leading Muslims in the country.

"Okay to be non-Malay, so long as he is a Muslim. How to lead Muslims if he is not a Muslim? Will a democratic nation give the post to a communist?

"And in the same vein, will a Communist country accommodate a democratic leader? No such thing! A Communist country will be helmed by a Communist, a democratic country will be led by a democratic leader," he said.

"So, a Muslim nation must be led by a Muslim, regardless of race."

He said this to reporters after opening a Kelantan Pas Ulama Congress at the Labok Dewan Ulama Headquarters, here, today.

DAP chairman Karpal Singh, prior to this, was reported to have said that he would continue his fight to ensure a non-Malay could became a prime minister of the country on the basis that there was no law against it.

Malaysia’s Kelantan demands Islamic designs in Buddhist building

A controversy is brewing over the proposal for the construction of a Buddhist building here after the PAS-led state government ruled that new buildings should include Islamic designs to reflect the state capital’s status as an Islamic city.

State Local Government, Culture, Arts and Tourism committee chairman Takiyuddin Hassan said developers must incorporate some Islamic elements in their plans or the proposals would be rejected.

“We will ensure development will be based on Islamic principles and features,” he told a press conference here.

He claimed the ruling was well-accepted by the majority of developers, including non-Muslim developers.

“I do not see it as an issue or something that could cause religious tension, as it only involves architecture and design,” he said.

“They have accepted the new ruling well.”

Takiyuddin was commenting on an appeal by the Kelantan Buddhist Association for the state government to approve its building, to be constructed with Chinese features at Jl. Sultan Zainal Abidin here.

It is understood that the association had been told that its building design should have dome-shaped motifs, which have created a controversy in the Chinese media.

In an immediate reaction, Kota Baru MCA division chief Tan Ken Ten slammed the directive, which he said was an infringement of the rights of non-Muslims in the state.

“The ruling is an extreme attempt to impose one’s beliefs into other people’s culture or religious beliefs,” Tan said.

“The PAS government must be mindful that Malaysia is a multi-cultural and multi-religious society that respects the differences of each community. It should appreciate this diversity which makes this country unique,” Tan added.

State MCA Youth chief Gan Han Chuan said the Kelantan government was showing disrespect towards the non-Muslims with its new policy.

“With the new directive, PAS is trying to create discord by destroying the harmonious relations between the communities that had been built by the Barisan Nasional over the years,” he added.

“One can only wonder what type of archaic policies PAS will introduce if Pakatan Rakyat manages to take over the Federal Government,” Gan said.

Indian Kashmir, "unknown arsonists" set fire to a Catholic church

by Nirmala Carvalho

Main entrance burned, the rest preserved thanks to intervention of a security guard. Two assailants unknown. The pastor of Holy Family: "We are concerned, it is a premeditated attack." The President of the Global Council of Indian Christians (GCIC) calls for the intervention of chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir to protect the Christian community in the state.

Srinagar (AsiaNews) - An "planned" attack, with the clear goal of "scaring to death the Christian community. The chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir must act to ensure security for the faithful and places of worship", says Sajan George, president of the Global Council of Indian Christians (GCIC), reacting to AsiaNews to the arson attack on the Holy Family Catholic Church in Srinagar, two days ago. The main entrance was completely destroyed, but the timely intervention of a security guard prevented the fire from degenerating. Cameras captured two attacker who targeted the Church in the evening (20.30 hours the local, ed) their names are still unknown. All Christian communities in the valley of Kashmir have expressed solidarity with the Catholic Church.

The films show two men taking advantage of the temporary absence of the security guard. In those moments, the attackers threw petrol and other flammable material at the front door, then set it on fire. Fortunately, the guard came back in time to stop the fire to spreading: the entire building structure is made of wood.

Fr. Mathew Thomas, pastor of Holy Family, told AsiaNews: "What happened to us is very worrying. Watching the video, you understand that it is a premeditated attack, and that the two attackers were well aware of what happens in church. At the end of January, my bike was burnt, we have not found out why, nor who the culprits were. It was clear that even then, the goal was the church. On two other occasions, the Virgin has interceded for us. May She protect us and save us forever. "

"What happened - said the president of the GCIC - is not an isolated case. I think the persecution suffered by Rev. CM Khanna over baptising young Muslims, or the couple arrested while at the market. With these gestures, the Muslim community is trying to intimidate the Christian minority. But there are not even 400 Christians in Srinagar: I appeal to Omar Abdullah, chief minister, a Muslim who studied in Christian institutions. He must protect the entire population of Srinagar, including minorities. "

The chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir (the only Indian state with a Muslim majority, ed) attended Burn Hall School, a prestigious Catholic institution directed by Fr. Jim Borst, Dutch missionary, for years accused of proselytizing.

Uthayakumar: Give poor Indian students places in UiTM too

P. Uthayakumar

‘Rabully’ – a new term coined by P. Uthayakumar, the de facto leader of Hindraf simply means ‘Racist Bully’. Uthayakumar used this term in a letter dated 25 May 2012, which he sent to the Prime Minister and the Minister of Higher Education.

He was alluding to a report in Berita Harian dated 22 May 2012, with the heading “UITM tawar 10,000 tempat pelajar gagal ke IPT”, in which the government announced that some 10,000 below average Malay Muslim students will be offered places in UiTM.

Berita Hairan, 22 May 2012, page 2

If the government advocates 1Malaysia – why not offer 10,000 places to below average, poor Indian students too, he asked.

“Affirmative action, in any part of the world, should be catered to on a need basis and never on the majority or a ‘rabully’ basis.” He said, “Please don’t be a Rabully because ethnic Indians are only 8% and they are the most vulnerable community in the country.”

Uthayakumar also referred to Utusan Malaysia’s news report dated 22 May, titled ‘10,000 pelajar miskin (Melayu Islam) ditawar masuk UITM – bagi mengikuti Program Pra Diploma menerusi program Mengubah Destinasi Anak Bangsa (MDAB)’.

Utusan Malaysia, 25 May 2012, page 26

Picking on the term ‘Anak Bangsa’, he felt that this means  all ‘bangsa’ included, no segregation of races. Thus, he said, it is pertinent that, under the Prime Minister’s much touted 1Malaysia, out of the 200,000 places in UiTM, the government should also include at least 10,000 poor Indian students.

“Article 12 of the Federal Constitution specifically states that there shall be no discrimination in the intake of Institutions that is funded by the government.” He said, “We regret to point out that even 10% foreign Muslims are taken into UITM but never the fifth and sixth generation Malaysian born poor Indian.”

Most Malaysian Chinese, he said, can afford to send their children to private universities or colleges. This leaves the poor Indian segregated from the national mainstream higher education system.