Naturalised citizenship a must for stateless M'sians

(Malaysiakini) Stateless Malaysians - those without birth certificates or blue MYcards - are not foreigners, so they should not need to apply for citizenship, said PKR.

Saying this after a protest at Klang National Registration Department (NRD) office today, PKR vice president N Surendran called on the participants to reject application forms distributed to them.

"The NRD insisted on issuing citizenship application forms to us, to which we responded: This is not right! These people are not foreigners, although the government treats them as such."

He was referring to the fact that the federal government treats such stateless individuals as foreigners under articles 16 and 19 of the constitution, though born in the country.

"They were born here, they have lived here all their lives, and should be subject to article 14. They should be allowed to become naturalised citizens of the country," he said.

About 100 people, including stateless Indians, attended a PKR-led protest at the NRD office in Jalan Kapar, Klang at 10.30am today over the plight of stateless Malaysians.

Roots here, still not citizens

Joining Surendran were Lawyers for Liberty's (LFL) Latheefah Koya, Kapar MP S Manikavasagam, Klang MP Charles Santiago and PKR supreme council member Tan Yee Kiew.

They objected to the government's refusal to issue blue MyKads to the stateless from the surrounding areas, many living in this country for countless number of years, but not granted citizenship.

NRD officers responded by distributing citizenship forms to those present and an argument between the officers and Surendran (in white shirt) broke out, with the latter reminding the former that the stateless need not apply for what is rightfully theirs.

PKR publicity director Nik Nazmi said the that the protest was to highlight the issue that citizens of the country could not be denied citizenship, adding that naturalising them was a federal issue.

"The bottom line is this. Do not deny Malaysians their statehood. Not a single citizen should be excluded from their rights.

"Without a blue Mykad, these people have no access to university education - they have limited access to healthcare, jobs. They live in the twilight zone," he said.

PKR, in collaboration with the Selangor government and Mysel (centre to help to acquire birth certificates and citizenship), had previously gathered the names of stateless Indians and sent the list to the JPN for consideration, but received little response.

"All assets that can be used should be used. Administrative inertia is no excuse, because the government should be proactive. Any government with political will be able to overcome these problems - this cannot continue", he said.

Victory of ‘Tarun Hindu’ (Hindu Youth Force) over Jihadi Islamists in Jharkhand.

Hindu Warriors – The Picture is only for reference.

Fearless Hindu Warriors defeated Jihadi Islamist in Jharkhand.

Archana Das | Dhanbad| 4th July, 2012 :: In the first week of June, 2012 a jihad was committed on the Hindus of the village Keska (Govindpur Tehsil in Dhanbad District in Jharkhand State in Bharat – India) by the Muslims of the nearby village Sahar pura. The women of the village Keska take bath in the village pond. A group of Muslim youths were regularly coming and sitting on the bank of the pond and were taunting and teasing the women in the bathing time. Being informed by the girls a group of young Hindus entreated the Muslim boys not to come to the pond and tease the girls. The Muslims had jihad in their mind. Their motive was to show their own superiority and demean the Hindus. They said Hindus have never been able to protect their sisters and mothers. Muslims have always enjoyed them. We will come and sit here again in the evening. Protect your women if you can. The Muslims came in the evening in a big number prepared with lathis and swords. Hindu boys had no option but to take on them.

One Hindu boy told that I thought that I should rather die than tolerating such insult. I went there thinking that I will be killed. The number of the Hindus were less. They were not prepared nor organised. But they had a drive in their mind. They had a moral courage because they did no wrong to anybody but were defending the modesty of their women folk. They jumped on to them with Jay Shri Ram in their gallant voice.

There was a ruckus, a Muslim boy striked hard with a lathi to the hand of a Hindu boy. The Hindu boy fell on the ground. The Muslim boy was going to finish him to complete his jihad. But another Hindu boy came immediately to rescue the attacked Hindu boy. He snatched the lathi from the Muslim boy and striked back the Muslim boy thrice on his head while shouting Jay Shri Ram. The boy told me that I do not know who gave me that courage and strength at that time. The muslim boy fell in a pool of blood. Sensing the seriousness of the situation the Muslims intruders left the place carrying the injured with them. When the boy was in Ranchi Medical College, the Muslim perpetrators threatened the Hindus by saying that if the Muslim boy dies, we will finish the Keska village. The Muslim boy died after 7 days, but no Muslim turned out to take revenge. The matter did not end there as the real oppression upon the Hindus started thereafter. The police became paranoiac, fell behind the Hindu boys like rabid dog. The village Keska is now turned deserted as nearly all the Hindu youths compelled to flee for avoiding the police harassments. Seven boys have been arrested amongst whom four boys are minors. The four minor boys have got bail by now. Other three boys are behind the bars. The 10 sadhaks (devout practitioner for self sacrifice) of Tarun Hindu lead by President Dr N M Das visited the village for the second time on 4. 7. 2012 to boost morale into the hearts of the demoralized Hindus. It came to their knowledge that police is trying to extract money from the Hindus for protecting them from Muslims.

Most of the political parties visited the nearby Muslim village and assured them that none of them will be booked for the case. As a result no Muslim has been booked so far. The MP of the region belongs to BJP. He has not done anything for the protection of Hindus or arresting of the Muslims, the real perpetrators. In the meeting Dr N M Das said that the incidence is not a sporadic incident, but it is a part of planned jihad. These are the activities they perform in the state of Dar-ul-Harab. These are the ongoing steps for the Dar-ul-Islam. We should fight it out with the skin of our teeth. In the meeting it was decided that a mammoth Hindu rally will be held on 8th July Sunday in the Keska Village to expose the police and the netas (leaders) and to force the police to arrest the Muslims who created the violence at first.

There is no dearth of Hindu oppression in a Hindu majority country. Hindus have to fight out it themselves. Hindu Rashtra is the real solution to all these oppression.

Courtesy: Tarun Hindu.

Emirati father tortured Wudeema and Meera to exorcise jinn from their bodies

Dubai: An Emirati father brutally tortured his eight-year-old daughter to death and injured her seven-year-old sister because he wanted to exorcise jinn from their bodies, Gulf News learnt yesterday.

The 29-year-old father, Hamad S., thought jinn possessed his daughters so he tortured them more because he was provoked every time the girls laughed when he beat them, said a police lieutenant during prosecution questioning. Prosecutors charged Hamad and his 27-year-old Emirati girlfriend, Al Onoud A., with illegally grounding the two daughters in a flat and torturing eight-year-old Wudeema to death and injuring seven-year-old Meera. The latter sustained 10 per cent permanent disability.

Gulf News obtained a copy of the charges, in which the lieutenant cited Hamad alleging that he used excessive beating and torturing to exorcise the jinn from his daughters’ bodies.

Hamad and Al Onoud entered their pleas before the Dubai Court of First Instance on Wednesday.

“I did not torture Wudeema to death. I took Meera to Rashid Hospital to treat her broken arm… I didn’t torture her. I did not confine them, but I used to take them out,” Hamad told Presiding Judge Maher Salama Al Mahdi yesterday.

Al Onoud surprised the crammed court when she contended: “Hamad did not do anything to the girls. I beat and tortured them with hot water, electric wire, an iron… I electrocuted them with the taser gun.”

Senior Chief Prosecutor Mohammad Ali Rustom, Head of Family and Juveniles Prosecution, asked the court to implement a capital punishment against the suspects. The couple was also accused of hiding Wudeema’s body by burying it without obtaining proper permission.

“I was present with Hamad when he buried Wudeema,” claimed Al Onoud, who is believed to be pregnant.

Hamad admitted that he buried his dead daughter in Al Badayer area in Sharjah.

Concerning the charge of torturing Meera and causing her a permanent disability, Hamad maintained: “The Taser gun was not working. I didn’t torture her.”

The father asked the court to get a copy of the medical report from Rashid Hospital to prove that he took Meera for treatment when her arm was fractured.

Following Wednesday’s hearing, the mother was heard shouting at Al Onoud: “You will go to hell and be tortured there.”

Two lawyers will be appointed to defend the suspects and prosecution witnesses will testify when the court reconvenes on Wednesday.

Umno's young ulama back hudud law for Johor

The young ulama secretariat of Umno has declared its support for the proposal to implement hudud law in Johor on all races.

Its chairperson Fathul Bari Mat Jahaya, told Sinar Harian that the secretariat's working committee had decided in a meeting to send an official letter on this to the Johor Umno in two or three days.

The letter will express its unanimous support for Umno's Kemelah assemblyperson Ayub Rahmat (right) who raised the proposal during the Johor state assembly sitting on June 20, said Fathul.

It will also give views and suggestions on how hudud law can be implemented in the southern state.

"If all the resolutions, views and suggestions are accepted, we would be willing to involve ourselves to help facilitate the process of implementing hudud in Johor," he was quoted as saying.

However he stressed that the ulama secretariat has no power to make any decision on the matter.

Contacted by Malaysiakini last week, Ayub said he wanted to see Johor to be the first state to implement "true hudud", which he said differed from PAS' version of the religious law.

The critical difference with PAS's hudud that has been legislated in Kelantan, he said, was that there would be no discrimination as it would cover all races in Johor.

Following that, PAS spiritual leader Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat (left) welcomed the proposal and congratulated Umno.

However, Ayub's statement was immediately blasted by MCA president Dr Chua Soi Lek, who said Ayub was "out of his mind".

Ayub later took a step back, saying that the issue should be discussed behind closed doors as it would create confusion within Malaysian society.

Confusion over matriculation seats for Indian students

Two NGOs want a clarification on matriculation seat allocation for Indian students after promises of extra seats by the Prime Minister and his deputy.

PETALING JAYA: It is anybody’s guess just how many matriculation seats are reserved for Indians. The latest count says that they will be given an extra 1,555 seats in addition to last years’ allocation of 539 seats.

But two Indian NGOs – National Indian Action Team (Niat) and Malaysian Indian Education Transformation Association (Mieta) – said Indian students should not be treated like puppets on a string.

They want the Education Ministry to clear the air on how many matriculation seats are available for Indian students

“We want the ministry’s clarification. Don’t play with children’s education. Politicians from across the divide aren’t supposed to be knocking around children’s education.

“Let educationists deal with it professionally,” said Niat president Thasleem Mohamed Ibrahim at a press conference in Putrajaya after handing over a memorandum to the Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister’s office.

The uncertainty on the number of seats first surfaced when Najib Tun Razak announced an additional 1,000 seats for Indian students at a Ponggal festival in February.

Last year only 539 matriculation seats were offered to Indians students.

Minister in Prime Minister’s Department Senator G Palanivel announced that 1,500 matriculation seats would be filled by Indian students.

And to add more confusion, Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin, who is also Education Minister, made a one-off offer of 557 seats on Monday.

In the memorandum, Niat and Mieta raised several issues. The two NGOs wanted to know whether 1,555 seats would also be offered in the future.

They also wanted a clarification on the one-off offer made by Muhyiddin. The two NGOs also wanted to know the government’s policy on matriculation.

“What are the total number of seats?What is the government’s policy for Indian students’ matriculation enrolment?”, the NGOs queried in the memorandum.

The matriculation intake starts in May, June and July.

‘War grade barbed wire used at Bersih rally’

An army veteran tells Suhakam it is not the kind that should be used to keep the general public at bay.
UPDATED

KUALA LUMPUR: Some of the barbed wire used to cordon off Dataran Merdeka during the April 28 Bersih 3.0 rally is normally only used in instances of high conflict and not against the general public, according to an army veteran.

Khairul Anuar Pawanchik, who is retired from the armed forces, said the barbed wire, known as razor blade barbed concertina wire, should not have been used at Dataran Merdeka.

He was testifying at the Suhakam public inquiry into human rights abuses during the rally.

“The army usually uses them for defence against the enemy,” he said. “It is used to delay or slow down the enemy. It is not supposed to be used against the public or on the road.

“It is usually used in war zones and at prison walls. I think it should not have been used at all.”

Khairul, 60, said he saw a Chinese man with a bleeding ear during the rally at about 6pm during the rally, where he was a Red Crescent volunteer.

He said he passed by Dataran Merdeka after the rally had ended and verified that war zone barbed wire was used.

According to him, the wire looks deceptively soft but is actually hard and is made of substance similar to the kind used to make equipment for minor surgeries.

Khairul said he believed that the Chinese man’s injury was caused by the barbed wire because of the manner in which the ear was wounded.

He added that he observed that normal barbed wires were used as well on April 28, particularly at the junction of Jalan Raja Laut.

“Usually if you do use barbed wire, you widen the base and increase the height of the barrier so that it does not injure the people and at the same time it protects the people on the other side. That is better. That is safe.

“The razor concertina wire and the normal barbed wire are two different things.”

Concerned over public safety

Khairul, who serves as a communication and reserve officer in the Red Crescent Society, said he was not against the police but was concerned over public safety.

Even an experienced officer would have to wear two layers of gloves to handle the wires, he added.

Khairul, who retired from the army in 1999, said his point of view was speaking from the point of view of a soldier, not a policeman’s, adding that he had no knowledge of the police’s standard operation procedures.

Khairul also told the hearing that the procedure of using tear gas should be re-examined.

“I have read accounts of people being hit in the face and chest by the tear gas,” he said. “One should pay attention to the velocity. It should be fired at a 45-degree angle from the hip.

“I am not saying that the police fired straight into the crowd on purpose. It may be by accident. That even happens in the army. When you are in a rush, you don’t quite pay attention to the angle.”

He added that a proper procedure on how the police should disperse a riot should be included in the Majis Keselamatan Malaysia’s handbook.

Khairul also described his experience with a rowdy crowd at about 4pm at Medan Mara. It was rumoured during the rally that an injured policeman was being treated in the building.

He said the crowd of around 200 people gathered there chanting “Bunuh polis! Polis jahat (Kill the police! They are evil)” and he said a few words to calm them down. The crowd finally dispersed, and one participant hugged him as a gesture of thanks, he added.

He said he did not see the injured police officer himself.

Khairul suggested that police include the Red Cresent Society in planning for crowd-control in future as they could provide valuable insights.

Today was the first day of the hearing. It is conducted by commissioners Mahmood Zuhdi Majid, Khaw Lake Tee and Detta Samen (photo, above). The same panel recently concluded an inquiry into the Bersih 2 rally, which happened on July 7 last year.

Bersih, the Bar Council and the Royal Malaysian Police Force are observers at the hearing. The panel heard from three witnesses during the five-hour session. Its next hearing is on July 11.

Curious observer harassed

Another witness, Baharuddin Hashim, 53, told the panel the police harassed him even though he was just a

curious observer.

“I was hiding at Masjid Jamek and saw the police chasing some protesters after 6pm,” he said. “The protesters managed to run away and then the police caught me and some others instead.

“I was walking from Sogo to Masjid Jamek around 2 to 3pm and the situation was almost carnival like.”

He also said police should have given the protesters more time to obey their instruction to disperse.

“They told us to disperse but they did not give us enough time to disperse. At Masjid Jamek, many people were trapped because the station was shut. People could not move so easily.”

He added: “To me, both the organisers and the police learnt nothing from the previous rally.”

Uncle Seekers nabbed over comments on royalty

(The Star) - Paranormal practitioner Syed Abdullah Hussein Al-Attas or better known as Uncle Seekers was arrested at the Senawang Tol Plaza at around 9.45pm on Wednesday.
It is believed that Syed Abdullah was arrested following his provocative, instigative and spiteful comments relating to the Johor royalty on his blog uncleseekers.blogspot.com.
Several reports have been lodged against Syed Abdullah relating to the comments.
State deputy police chief Senior Asst Comm Datuk Ismail Yatim when contacted said that police would make a statement soon.

Siasatan OSA Oleh PDRM: Keselamatan Rakyat Lebih Utama Dari Kekuasaan UMNO/BN

Saya memandang berat tingkah laku pimpinan Polis Diraja Malaysia (PDRM) yang nampaknya lebih mementingkan kekuasaan UMNO/BN berbanding keselamatan rakyat.

Tindakan PDRM yang menolak mentah-mentah dari menyiasat campur tangan Dato’ Seri Najib Tun Razak dalam anugerah kontrak kerja-kerja pembinaan tambahan LRT laluan Ampang (LRT) tetapi cepat-cepat menubuhkan pasukan khas kononnya menyiasat kebocoran maklumat sulit negara apabila dokumen tender mula diketahui umum, mengesahkan persepsi kebanyakan rakyat bahawa pimpinan PDRM meletakkan kepentingan UMNO/BN mengatasi segala-galanya.

Kenyataan Dato’ Seri Bakri Zinin semalam mengesahkan dua perkara:

1. Bahawa dokumen-dokumen Kementerian Kewangan termasuk minit yang ditandatangani oleh Dato’ Seri Najib Tun Razak dan dokumen lain berkaitan tender tersebut adalah benar dan asli;

2. Bahawa Dato’ Seri Najib Tun Razak bimbang skandal ini bakal menggugat kedudukan beliau apabila maklumat mengenainya tersebar luas.

Saya kesal dengan kenyataan Dato’ Seri Bakri Zinin kononnya kebocoran maklumat sebegini menjejaskan keselamatan dan kepentingan negara.

Apakah beliau tidak memahami bahaya kepada jutaan orang awam yang sedang dan bakal menggunakan sistem LRT laluan Ampang sekiranya sebuah syarikat yang langsung tidak ada pengalaman di dalam sistem LRT dianugerahkan kontrak ini?

Adakah beliau sendiri berani menaiki LRT sistem laluan Ampang saban hari ke tempat kerja sekiranya beliau sedar bahawa seluruh kerja-kerja pembinaan dikendalikan oleh sebuah syarikat yang hanya berpengalaman mengilang meter air?

Paling dikesali, pimpinan PDRM tidak pula bergegas mahu menyiasat kebocoran maklumat pertahanan negara apabila dokumen sulit mengenai strategi dan kekuatan pertahanan negara dijual kepada syarikat asing, seperti yang didedahkan di Mahkamah Perancis baru-baru ini.

Jelas sekali, kepimpinan PDRM berbeza pendapat dengan rakyat Malaysia mengenai makna sebenar “kepentingan awam”.

Saya sedar tanggungjawab yang perlu kami galas dan risiko yang perlu dihadapi. Nyawa jutaan rakyat Malaysia yang menggunakan sistem LRT laluan Ampang adalah terlalu berharga dan perlu dipertahankan sehinggalah kontraktor yang layak dan berkemahiran dilantik bagi projek ini.

Sebarang usaha untuk menakut-nakutkan saya dan rakan-rakan dari terus membongkar skandal ini adalah sia-sia.

Saya akan meneruskan siri pendedahan seterusnya pada hari Isnin 9 Julai 2012 seperti biasa. Malah, mulai minggu depan kami akan mula turun ke stesen-stesen LRT untuk mengedarkan risalah maklumat dan melancarkan kempen “Utamakan Keselamatan Rakyat” di seluruh LRT laluan Ampang.

MOHD RAFIZI RAMLI
PENGARAH STRATEGI KEADILAN

Dr M, you are wrong

Azrul Mohd Khalib - The Malaysian Insider


I was quite disappointed to read of Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s prediction that the upcoming general election would be more focussed on race and ethnic issues than ever before.

I think you are wrong, Dr M. Speaking as a product of your policies and far-sightedness in the creation of a Vision 2020 generation, I am happy to inform you, Dr M, that you have actually wildly succeeded in pushing us towards the formation of a more united, integrated and mature democratic Malaysian society (remember the Vision 2020 concept document?).

Through the programmes put in place under your leadership, the opportunities for education and learning provided by your administration, and through the shared experiences, heartache and pain that we have had over the past three decades, you have much to be responsible for the current state of affairs which resulted in the evolution of our people.

And the evolution is a good one. When you look at the young people today below the age of 35, there is much to be proud of. We used to gripe about how apathetic Malaysians in general were about the state of the country, how they often took for granted that which they are able to benefit from, and did not really want to participate in the political process. Well, things, as you well know, certainly have changed.

Though we are not quite there yet, we are getting ready to leave racial identity politics behind. We see the possibility of a new Malaysia. One that concentrates on addressing the real issues affecting Malaysians such as alleviating poverty and economic hardship, reducing unemployment, addressing corruption, improving livelihoods and preventing crime. Whether you are Melayu, Cina, India or lain-lain, it just doesn’t mean much to people any more. Everyone is in the same boat and we need to work together.

We should be wary and turn away from these guys who scream, shout abuse, and threaten violence in order to get their way. These are the people who claim to be the champions of speaking out and defending the rights and privileges of their race yet are the same ones who are still robbing these same communities and the rakyat blind for themselves and their families.

They do this while securing sweetheart deals and line their pockets with public funds. They distract us from the bread-and-butter issues by abusing and misusing religion to promote bigoted and racist agendas against those of other ethnicities and religions.

These are the ones who are obsessed in continuously speaking about race and are racist themselves, who jump at shadows, yell “traitor” and point to others at every single turn, offer luxury cars to encourage the intimidation of others, threaten physical harm and insist on maintaining the status quo for the benefit of the privileged few.

Look around you, Dr M. Does it sound familiar to you? If all you hear is race, it is because you surround yourself or are surrounded by people who are terrified of positive change and are only looking out for their own selfish interests. Maybe it’s time to find a new group of friends.

Meanwhile, we are moving on.

There has never been a more proud moment for Malaysians to be Malaysian. We have progressed far from my parents’ generation of “siapalah kita” to the current one who answer back “kita adalah rakyat Malaysia.” We are experiencing an empowered sense of shared destiny and a common vision.

If you had been at the rally on July 9 last year and the many rallies organised around the nation this year, particularly the one on April 28 at Dataran Merdeka, you would realise that this generation is neither an apathetic one nor are they troublemakers.

If you had been there standing and sitting with us and seen the peoples of Malaysia from all walks of life reflected in the faces of those gathered there that day in solidarity, you would realise that this is a group of people who care and love their country and who want to see a better Malaysia. You would have been proud of us.

When you see people standing in solidarity and unified together for no other reason than that they care about an issue of mutual and common concern which affects all Malaysians, are you not proud that we have looked beyond race?

Isn’t this what we sought to be and do? Are we forever going to be chained by the divisions created and cast by our former colonial masters? We cannot afford to be forever mired in racial identity politics

Today, to talk about race is to be selfish, narrow minded and to lack vision. A leader of today’s Malaysia must rise above race and communal politics. To remain relevant, the ruling coalition must learn to adapt and to accept the dawning reality that the old rules are increasingly fading into obscurity. It must reinvent itself or risk being obsolete, as some political parties are already finding out the hard way.

We need to move beyond the dinosaurs of the past who are fossilised and only know of the importance of race and their own selfish concerns.

We are moving on.

This will be Malaysia’s proudest moment when we take the first tentative and courageous steps towards a future where the divisive race-based politics will be increasingly less of a factor.

Perhaps the coming elections will be about race. It will be the beginning of how race ceases to become the unifying factor for people of this country. It will be the starting point when Malaysians saw something greater themselves and reached deep down and found courage in striking out into the undiscovered country and leaving the baggage of race in the dustbin of history.

Lawyers cry foul over 'guilty until proven innocent'

Malay Mail
by T.K. Letchumy Tamboo

LAWYERS are crying foul over the recent amendments to the Evidence Act particularly a provision which allows owners of Wi-Fi accounts to be held liable if a derogatory statement is published through their network.

Lawyer Art Harun told The Malay Mail that the provision, provided through the insertion of Section 114A into the Act which was recently bulldozed through both houses of Parliament in its last meeting without debate, is unfair.

He also said the biggest losers following the amendments are coffee shop and restaurant owners who provide free Wi-Fi in their outlets to attract more customers.

"If you are a restaurant owner who provides free Wi-Fi and a person walks into your restaurant and uses the Wi-Fi services to post a comment that is deemed illegal, you would be held responsible for the act. That is unfair.

"If these coffee shop owners were to understand the law better, they would stop providing free Wi-Fi altogether."

Section 114A, which explains presumption of fact in publication, states that a person whose name, photograph or pseudonym appears on any publication depicting himself as the owner, host, administrator, editor or sub-editor, or who in any manner facilitates to publish or re-publish the publication is presumed to have published or republished the contents of the publication unless the contrary is proved.

It also states that a person who is registered with a network service provider as a subscriber of a network service on which any publication originates from, is presumed to be the person who published or re-published the publication unless the contrary is proved.

Furthermore, it states that any person who has in his custody or control any computer on which any publication originates from is presumed to have published or re-published the content of the publication unless the contrary is proved.

Art Harun said the amendments had also shifted the burden of proof from the prosecution to the accused in that the accused has to prove that he is not guilty.

"With the amendments to the Evidence Act, it reverses the burden. For example if someone posted a wrongful comment in my blog, I will have the burden to prove that I am not guilty of it because the presumption under the new law is that I was the maker of the statement."

Another lawyer Datuk Jahaberdeen Mohamed Yunoos said the amendments to the Evidence Act is bound to be a failure because it appears as if little thought was put into it.

"The amendment goes against the principle of innocent until proven guilty.

"It places an unfair presumption on account holders forgetting that technology is so complex and things like hacking can happen easily. Even the Pentagon was hacked, what more an online account," he said.

Criminal lawyer Salim Bashir also said the amendments contradict the principle that one is presumed innocent until proven guilty.

"With the amendment, it is now guilty until proven innocent.

"The burden of truth always rests with the prosecution. The lawmakers should have consulted all stakeholders such as the Bar Council, Attorney General and the police before amending it because it affects the public at large."

Form Six To Be Rebranded To Raise Image, Says Muhyiddin

By Ahmad Fuad Yahya

YOGYAKARTA, July 5 (Bernama) -- Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said Form Six education would undergo rebranding to raise its image by being in tune with pre-university education like at the matriculation colleges and science foundation centres.

The deputy prime minister said among the measures to be taken would be to separate the Sixth Form students from the normal schools and placing them in special studies centres.

"We are thinking of bringing together the Form Six students but wearing a different uniform, and having a different time-table for lessons and different teachers in a slightly different category (from the normal schools)," he told Malaysian journalists, here, Thursday.

Muhyiddin, who is also Education Minister, is here since yesterday to attend the Asean Education Ministers Meeting and related meetings which ended today.

He said in realising the proposal, Form Six students needed to be placed together in special centres as they were now scattered about throughout the country, studying in one or two classrooms in certain schools.

This year, there are 83,000 Form Six students and 26,000 matriculation students nationwide.

He said the move to separate Form Six students from the other students of normal day schools was also in line with their position as pre-university students.

Currently, the general view of Form Six is that it is a continuation from Form Five, whereas Form Six students are in a different category and more mature in their thinking.

Muhyiddin said rebranding was needed to show that Form Six was actually pre-university education that was comparative to the ministry's matriculation colleges and science foundation centres of the local public universities.

Public perception today is that matriculation college education is better than Form Six while the entry qualifications into public universities are the same for Form Six students.

Muhyiddin said the public should not see matriculation as being better than Form Six as there had been times when Form Six students performed more brilliantly than matriculation students.

Therefore, those who passed the SPM exam should also view Form Six as one of the best choices for pre-university education, he said.

Muhyiddin also said that changes to Form Six education started this year by introducing a three-semester system but comparatively, matriculation students finished their studies six months earlier.

Asked whether Form Six would be shortened by six months to make the study duration the same with matriculation, he said the ministry would study it.

Muhyiddin today left for Bali to continue his six-day visit to Indonesia since July 3 in enhancing bilateral relations and cooperation in various fields between Malaysia and Indonesia.

The deputy prime minister also took the opportunity to hold a discussion with Indonesia's Vice-President Boediono on bilateral issues between the two countries, especially on labour, maritime border problems and culture.

-- BERNAMA

Largest Big Pharma fraud in US history

Why isn’t this headline news? GlaxoSmithKline will have to cough up US$3bn to settle misdemeanour criminal charges in the largest case of healthcare fraud in US history.
The Guardian reported:

GSK targeted the antidepressant Paxil at patients under age 18 when it was approved only for adults, and promoted the drug Wellbutrin for uses it was not approved for, including weight loss and treatment of sexual dysfunction, according to a US justice department investigation.

and in a yet another case:

In a third case, GSK failed to give the US Food and Drug Administration safety data about its diabetes drug Avandia, in violation of US law, prosecutors said.

One law for BN, another for the rest

By P Dev Anand Pillai

Many have come to the defence of S Ambiga the former president of the Malaysian Bar and the current co-chair of Bersih but the core issue still remains unanswered.

Is Ambiga getting the brickbats and the question raised in Parliament by a BN backbencher that shouldn't she be hanged for committing "treason" against the King because she is an Indian Malaysian?

The BN backbencher who has been a veteran of sorts seems to show the world the real side of what Umno politics is all about.

When push comes to shove, Umno can't debate its way to victory, it instead uses threats to subdue the enemy and continue to keep the people in a state of denial.

This state of denial will then be passed on from generation to generation making each generation much more dependent than the one previous.

When they can't debate and convince an enlightened society, they change the law.

Now it is incumbent on the author of the email or comment in the net to say that he is innocent as opposed to being innocent until proven guilty.

Changing the law is a breeze for these people because they command a majority in Parliament.

The question now will be, who allowed such a situation to arise in the first place? The answer is very clear, it is us, the people of this nation.

We just voted, voted and voted in the BN till they got so bold and big in head that only they can rule this country.

Laws are consistently changed to suit the needs of a desperate regime whose cover is now totally blown away for all to see.

They talk about hanging Ambiga but never open their mouths about the PAS leadership who were by her side leading the coalition for free and elections.

Hanif panel visits Bersih 3.0 rally site

Aurukun: Mining for a future

One determined aboriginal woman fights for her destitute community's share in Australia's mining profits.

Aurukun in Queensland is one of Australia's most remote aboriginal communities. It is also considered one of the most destitute and dysfunctional. Unemployment hovers at around 80 per cent and the local school is one of the worst-performing in Queensland. Tribal violence is part of everyday life and there are around 100 government agencies for a population of only 1,200.

Gina is an aboriginal businesswoman from Aurukun and like her mother before her, she is not after hand-outs or hand-ups from the welfare system. She wants to make a meaningful difference in her community - the Wik people - by providing skills and economic opportunities for them.

"I believe in my people like they believed in me. I believe that we can have change, have a better life for our children. I don't want my daughter and her children to suffer from what we've suffered here. The social fabric of my community has deteriorated over the last 30 to 40 years and it will continue to deteriorate if we don't do something now .... We need to get onto it now, because we're burying people all the time, our people are dying," Gina says.

She is fighting for a seat at the table with the big companies that are making a fortune from bauxite mines on tribal lands. It is a long and sometimes lonely journey and Gina's work is constantly interrupted by the desperate realities of aboriginal life.

As she battles on, trying to get a group of young men prepared for training in the mines of far away western Australia, she witnesses the fall-out from the heritage of Australia's appalling aboriginal policies.

The ever-present alcohol, locally known as 'grog', the daily violence and the emotionally charged issue of aboriginal child protection are no side-show to Gina's work - they are the very reason she is passionately determined to build an economic base in Aurukun. And, small step by small step, she is getting there.

This Witness film gives us a rare insight into aboriginal life from the perspective of an empowered and determined community woman who is trying to make a real difference.

Turkish government ordered 2007 torture and murder of Christian publishers

On April 18, 2007, Muslims tortured and murdered three employees of the Zirve Publishing House, a Bible publishing house. "Who ordered the murder of Christians?," by Orhan Kemal Cengiz for Today's Zaman, July 3 (thanks to Twostellas):

I was telling you the story of İlker Çınar who was employed by the National Strategies and Operations Department of Turkey (TUSHAD), which is an undercover unit of the military, like JİTEM, which also has strong connections with TUSHAD.

Çınar penetrated the Christian community and gathered a lot of information, while he was pretending to be a missionary. He became a church leader, and upon receiving another order, he became “Muslim” again and launched a campaign against missionaries across the country.

From the second indictment of the Malatya massacre we also learnt that he was also ordered to work with the Malatya gendarmerie against missionaries. From the statements of Çınar, who is now a confessor trying to receive immunity in exchange for the information he gave, we understand that Malatya was one of the centers from which psychological warfare against missionaries and Christians was being lead.

Çınar gave quite a detailed account of how both the Malatya gendarmerie conducted this psychological warfare and how they paved the way for the Malatya massacre. Çınar told us that he traveled to Malatya many times to join these “workshops.” In these workshops they produced many documents to be used for disinformation against missionaries. For example, some of these documents “prove” that missionaries are connected to the Kurdistan Worker’s Party (PKK), whereas some “show” some links between them and the CIA. In fact, from 2005-2007 there were a lot of these kinds of rumors circulating in Turkey.

What is also amazing to see is how much the Malatya gendarmerie spent on this “job.” Çınar said that he was given TL 100,000 (approximately equivalent to $55,000). Whenever he came to Malatya he stayed at the most luxurious hotel, and all his daily expenses were paid. Apparently, the Malatya gendarmerie spent a lot of money to monitor missionaries and to prepare black propaganda about them. Çınar was only one of the persons they worked with.

While he was visiting Malatya for these workshops, he also witnessed preparations for another “operation.” Çınar was not directly a part of this so-called operation, but through his frequent contacts with the gendarmerie, he became familiar with some details. In one of the meetings he saw that the gendarmerie commander took out large photos of Necati Aydın, Tilman Geske and Uğur Yücel, who were killed on April 18, 2007. The gendarmerie commander had allegedly stated that a strong “message” was going to be sent to all missionaries across the country through the ones in Malatya.

Çınar once witnessed Mehmet Ülger, gendarmerie commander, leave their meeting to talk to Varol Bülent Aral, who is now being tried in the Malatya massacre case for his role as an instigator. Çınar once witnessed Ülger praising Emre Günaydın, prime suspect in the massacre, for his bravery and said that he was ready for his “task.” Çınar found out that one of the workers at the Zirve Publishing House, in which the massacre was carried out, Hüseyin Yelki, was actually working for the gendarmerie as an informant. Immediately after the murders, theology professor Ruhi Abat, who was receiving a salary from the gendarmerie for his anti-missionary work, told Çınar on the phone, “We asked them to strike, but they went and killed them.” Abat is a close friend of Emre Günaydın’s father.

There are so many other details that basically show that the Malatya massacre was directly planned by the Malatya gendarmerie, apparently under direct orders by TUSHAD.

‘Probe Scorpene-linked firms, not us’

Authorities should investigate companies such as Terasasi and Perimekar, not Suaram.

PETALING JAYA: Authorities should investigate companies linked to the Scorpene submarine scandal instead of Suaram, said its director Kua Kia Soong.

“They should investigate companies such as Terasasi and Perimekar not Suaram,” said Kua at a press conference today.

He added that the information disclosed by the French judiciary on the Scorpene deal was sufficient for Malaysian authorities to take action against the suspects.

Kua said this in response to Companies Commission of Malaysia’s (CCM) attempt to raid the Suaram premises yesterday afternoon.

It was aborted when the warrant was found to be flawed. CCM was supposed to have returned this morning to the Suaram office this morning but no one turned up.

“It is an anti-climax because they did not come,” said Kua who also denounced the raid as a form of harassment.

“Whistle blowers are supposed to be protected, not harassed and intimidated,” he said.

The attempted raid followed complaints from the NGO Jaringan Melayu Malaysia. It’s president Azwanddin Hamzah said that Suaram was registered as a company and not as an NGO.

Azwanddin also revealed that Suaram had raked in a revenue of RM497,137 in 2009 and RM411,226 in 2010.

Responding to this, Suaram chairman K Arumugam stressed that Suaram is a non-profit organisation. “Our promoters don’t receive monetary rewards.”

Suaram staff secretariat member Wong Kar Fai also denounced the allegation by JMM that Suaram was profit based.

“Profit doesn’t exist. It is a political attack on the integrity of Suaram. The monies are for our operating cost. Our only profit is that Malaysians are aware of their human rights,” said Wong.

Arumugam, meanwhile, explained that the amount revealed by JMM were derived from donations and grants from private organisations and the public.

“We have programmes and campaigns and it is all reflected in the accounts,” said Arumugam.

‘Suaram is impartial’

Kua, meanwhile, cast doubts as to whether yesterday’s raid was motivated by JMM.


“We don’t need to respond to JMM. We don’t know whether the CCM is responding to this type of mobocracy,” said Kua.

Questions were also raised about Suaram’s registration with CCM instead of the Registrar of Societies (ROS).

“If we can get immediate registration with the ROS, then why not?” Kua said, adding that registration with the ROS was done selectively.

On another note, Kua denied that Suaram was aligned to Pakatan Rakyat.

“Suaram is impartial. We level criticisms at Penang, Selangor, Kelantan equally when there is injustice,” Kua said.

Fear of arrest forces woman to stay home

T Kamala Devi is not a wanted criminal. The 49-year-old woman does not possess a MyKad and this has caused her much problems.

PETALING JAYA: For years, T Kamala Devi, who hails from Sungai Siput in Perak, hardly left her house due to the fear of being arrested for not possessing a MyKad.

Kamala’s case was unique as her application for a valid Mykad had been hampered for over 30 years due to her Indian-born mother’s legal entry permit to Malaysia issued in 1963 having gone missing.

The second of five children, Kamala was born in India and migrated to Malaysia in 1963 when she was a one year old toddler together with her mother Kaveri Ammah and older brother T Subramaniam who was five then. They entered the country with a valid entry permit.

Married to a Malaysian, her mother was issued a red IC given to permanent residents and later she managed to convert this to a blue MyKad. Even Subramaniahttp://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=8395343379988861687#editor/target=post;postID=6064738563101825822m who has since passed away held a blue MyKad. He applied for his identity card using his mother’s legal entry permit.

Kamala however found herself in quandary when her mother’s permit went missing. Her numerous attempts to apply for a valid identification card since the late 1970s proved futile.

Mother is bewildered

Speaking to FMT, her mother said: “We have gone to every extent to prove that she is my daughter and we engaged a lawyer to assist us with this matter.

“We also spent RM1,500 on a biological test with the Chemistry Department to show scientific proof,” she added, expressing bewilderment as to why the authorities still emphasised on the missing entry permit.

Clutching a bag full of documents, she said: “I have an identity card, her brother who was not born here has an identity card. So what is the problem?”

Kaveri lamented that the money spent in pursuit of an identity card could have been used for her daughter’s future instead.

“I could have used that money for her wedding,” she said, adding that Kamala was still single because potential suitors were concerned about her not having a Mykad.

Life wasted due to red tapes


Sungai Siput MP Dr Micheal Jeyakumar, who had taken up the case, told FMT that this was unlike other cases of stateless persons.

The Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) leader explained that in some cases, the parents might have been too apathetic to register their children.

“Due to substance abuse, living in isolated areas or even in some cases the parents may not be proficient in the Malay language and can’t follow the Malay spoken by [the National Registration Department] staff, so the parents give up.

“But in Kamala’s case, it is bureaucratic red tape that hinders her from getting a MyKad.

“The NRD acknowledged the existence of the entry permit because both the brother and mother registered using the same document. They issued identification cards to them. So why can’t they do the same for Kamala?

“Imagine, her whole life has been wasted due to a solvable bureaucratic problem,” he said.

Kamala had to drop out after a year in primary school due to family commitments. She was currently unemployed.

She told FMT that despite living in Malaysia all these years, she had never gone out for sight-seeing.

“There is a fear when I leave the house. What if the police or other authorities catch me? So I just stay home. But I am tired of this,” she said.

Hindraf re-files suit to highlight plight of Indians

Its supremo P Waytha Moorthy is suing the British government for abandoning the Indians when Malaya gained independence in 1957.

LONDON Hindraf supremo P Waytha Moorthy has re-filed a lawsuit at the Royal Courts of Justice here, on July 2, to sue the British government for abandoning the Indians when Malaya gained independence in 1957.

The original lawsuit was filed in 2007 on the 50th anniversary of Malaysia’s independence.

The exiled lawyer said, “This case is about restoring the lost dignity of the Malaysian Indians, who were brought into Malaya, as indentured labourers, by the British.

“Many of our forefathers did not know what they were getting into. They were illiterate, poor and vulnerable. Inhumane methods were sometimes used to transport people to Malaya, where the British had promised a new life in ‘paradise’. Children were kidnapped. Village heads were cheated or bribed, into sending men to the ships. False promises of pilgrimage were also made”.

During his self-imposed exile, Waytha Moorthy has compiled historical documents and traversed the globe, to garner support, for his cause.

“I do not wish to embarrass the Malaysian and British governments with the documentary proof that I have gathered. The collusion and intention to deny the other minority communities their fundamental rights were obvious.

“By the time Malaya achieved independence, up to three generations of Indians had been settled in the plantations. The children who were born in Malaya knew nothing about India. They considered Malaya, their only home. When Malaya was granted independence, the British conveniently forgot about their original promise to the Indians.”

Explaining the reasons for his lawsuit, he said: “My action is to bring attention to the world that we are a permanently colonised community. When India achieved independence, the country and its people were free. In Malaysia, the country and the Malays were free but we the Indians remain colonised by the neo-colonialist – the Malay ultras.”

Historical wrongs

The lawsuit is expected to be lengthy, possibly taking three to five years, with complex legal and constitutional questions to be raised.

Waytha Moorthy said that Hindraf “does not have the locus standi to take this action,” and added, “This is my initiative on behalf of descendants of indentured labourers.”

Hindraf, the NGO which is striving for equal rights for Malaysian Indians, is banned in Malaysia. Despite a warrant of arrest for him, Waytha Moorthy has resolved to return to Malaysia in the near future, to continue his struggle. In his absence, a legal team has been engaged, to continue his case, in England.

“It is time to correct historical wrongs. An independent commission should be formed, to review fundamental rights provisions in the constitution, and make amendments. There is no point blaming previous politicians,” he said.

In May 2012, the Royal Courts of Justice saw another landmark Malaysian case when the remaining survivors of the Batang Kali massacre of 1948 successfully held a hearing for the British government to hold an inquest into the unlawful killings.

Surrounded by his supporters outside court, Waytha Moorthy said: “By filing the case, I hope the world would recognise the entrenched apartheid-like provisions in the constitution. These racist provisions should be dismantled. Also, Britain should apologise for its colonial wrongs committed against the Indian community.”

One well-wisher said, “As we speak, many Malaysians of Indian origin are stateless, and deprived of any rights. They have no access to education, health care, housing or any of the services which you and I take for granted. They are forgotten by society. Their futures are bleak.

“To further their own agendas, politicians from both sides of the divide, will use and abuse, the marginalised Indians. So when will our leaders provide long-erm solutions for the Indians? At the very least, Waytha Moorthy’s actions will have created awareness and drawn attention to the plight of the Indians.”

Protesters denounce police’s BN bias

The demonstration at Bukit Aman was sparked by the recent attack on Guan Eng and the threat on Ambiga’s life.

KUALA LUMPUR: About 40 people demonstrated outside the Bukit Aman police headquarters today, alleging that the force applied a double standard in enforcing the law when the offences are tied to political issues..

The protest was sparked by two recent incidents—the physical attack on Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng by demonstrators affiliated with Perkasa and an Umno MP’s call for Bersih leader S Ambiga to be hanged.

Today’s demonstrators were led by the NGO WargaAMAN, whose secretary, S Barathidashan, told FMT afterwards that the police had lost credibility with a large section of the public.

“People are fed up with the police for always pretending to be in the dark when offences are committed by BN leaders or members or supporters,” he said.

He accused the force of dereliction of duty in its failure to take action against Lim’s attackers and the Umno MP who wanted to go after Ambiga’s neck, Mohamad Aziz of Sri Gading.

He said it was such negligence that had encouraged anonymous death threats against Ambiga.

“We have lodged police reports all over the country against Mohamad over his racist remarks, but there has been no action from the police,” he said.

Barathidashan claimed that the protest in Bukit Aman was successful despite the low turnout because the participants were able to voice out their dissatisfaction against the police.

Among the protesters was Teluk Intan MP M Manoharan of DAP. Several NGOs sent their representatives, Barathidashan said.

Be brave, Karpal tells Najib

He commends the PM for working hard for votes and advises him to hurry up in calling for the polls.

KUALA LUMPUR: The longer the 13th general election is delayed, the greater the possibility that Barisan Nasional will lose, according to DAP chairman Karpal Singh’s assessment of the political situation.

Speaking to FMT today, Karpal gave credit to Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak for “practically living on the road” in campaigning for votes but urged him to be “courageous and decisive” in calling for the election.

He said Najib could not afford to wait much longer because the BN machinery might soon burn out from all the hard work.

But he gave Najib’s wisdom the benefit of the doubt and predicted that he would announce the election date soon.

“The amount of campaigning he’s been doing for the last few months clearly indicates that the polls are around the corner, and he might go for it even before Budget Day on Sept 28,” he said.

The opposition strongman expressed doubt that Najib could make a major vote-catching announcement in the budget, saying he had already exhausted the government coffers with his “goodies”.

“There’s not much left to offer further to the voters in the forthcoming budget and it’s likely for him to go for the polls even before the end of September.”

Another indicator of an imminent announcement of the polls date, according to Karpal, is the currently escalating attacks on the Penang and Selangor state governments by the mainstream media.

He also noted that the Election Commission had been preparing for the election at full swing in the past few months.

He said Najib could not afford to wait much longer because he had used too much money and other public resources in his campaign. Furthermore, he added, the national economy was already in bad shape and likely to get worse.

“We in Pakatan can afford to wait it out, but he can’t.”

UMNO has revealed its true character yet again

Senator S. Ramakrishnan, 4/7/2012

PM Najib has been going around the country meeting Indian community asking them to have NAMBIKAI (trust) on him. But Najib’s complete silence after Sri Gading MP’s remark on Datuk Ambiga, has made MIC president to assure the NAMBIKAI of PM Najib is sincere. MIC president has to come out to reassure the Indian community that MIC does not endorse Sri Gading MP’s treason call to hang Datuk Ambiga. But Datuk Palanivel, why the PM who wants NAMBIKAI from Indians did not reprimand the Sri Gading MP for his vengeful remark on Datuk Ambiga? More insulting is the Sri Gading MP’s reluctant apology to please the Dewan Rakyat speaker. If PM Najib is silent and tolerate such an uncouth remark from an UMNO MP, how can the Indians have NAMBIKAI on PM, UMNO and MIC?

If asking for a free and fair election by a harmless Indian woman is such a treason charge for UMNO to call for hanging, can Malaysians ever trust (Nambikai) them. It only shows that UMNO is a racist, hate Indians and will stoop very low to punish anyone asking for fairness and justice. Political parties working with UMNO pretending all is fine are useless and spineless. The talk of Indians returning back to BN is to appease UMNO and to impress that they are still needed to win back Indians for UMNO. They are misleading UMNO to believe in their own lies.

UMNO goons started to show their true colour way back in 2009 by dragging a cow head to protest against shifting of temple in shah Alam. No PAS leader has ever done anything like that. It is only UMNO that has been calling non Malays by names, introduced the INTERLOK book to systematically derogate Indians and feels insulted when a Non Malay calls for free and fair elections. In any other country Datuk Ambiga will be a heroine. But in Malaysia UMNO cannot accept any Non Malay to be a hero or heroine. Can such a political party lead this country in future? The whole world is marching forward leaving behind racism, nepotism and corruption behind but UMNO cherishes all these evil qualities. By their acts and deeds UMNO is becoming irrelevant and losing the plot to lead this blessed nation.

UMNO is caught and wrapped up by their lies and propaganda. UMNO leaders don’t love their party but the power and wealth they inherit by being in the party. The same with other component parties too. Money is the glue that stitches and binds them together. UMNO/BN leaders will mudsling and hug each other as long as there is honey and penny. They will be the first to desert the party when the honey and penny dries up.

After 55 years in power, they have become very arrogant, violent and out of touch with the ground reality. Even Malays are deserting UMNO by the days. Malays too find UMNO loyalist intoxicated with power are abusive. Little do UMNO realize that the ground is shifting down and under? UMNO/BN will not be able to survive the 13th GE. So when will our PM call for election?

Senator S. Ramakrishnan, 4/7/2012

Timbuktu tomb destroyers pulverise Islam’s history

Over the last three days, Islamists of the Ansar Dine rebel group which in April seized Mali’s north along with Tuareg separatists destroyed at least eight Timbuktu mausoleums and several tombs, centuries-old shrines reflecting the local Sufi version of Islam in what is known as the “City of 333 Saints”.

(Reuters) - TIMBUKTU: The al Qaeda-linked Islamist fighters who have used pick-axes, shovels and hammers to shatter earthen tombs and shrines of local saints in Mali’s fabled desert city of Timbuktu say they are defending the purity of their faith against idol worship.

But historians say their campaign of destruction in the UNESCO-listed city is pulverising part of the history of Islam in Africa, which includes a centuries-old message of tolerance.

“They are striking at the heart of what Timbuktu stands for … Mali and the world are losing a lot,” said Souleymane Bachir Diagne, a professor at New York’s Columbia University and an expert on Islamic philosophy in Africa.

Over the last three days, Islamists of the Ansar Dine rebel group which in April seized Mali’s north along with Tuareg separatists destroyed at least eight Timbuktu mausoleums and several tombs, centuries-old shrines reflecting the local Sufi version of Islam in what is known as the “City of 333 Saints”.

For centuries in Timbuktu, an ancient Saharan trading depot for salt, gold and slaves which developed into a famous seat of Islamic learning and survived occupations by Tuareg, Bambara, Moroccan and French invaders, local people have worshipped at the shrines, seeking the intercession of the holy individuals.

This kind of popular Sufi tradition of worship is anathema to Islamists like the Ansar Dine fighters – Defenders of the Faith – who adhere to Salafism, which is linked to the Wahhabi puritanical branch of Sunni Islam found in Saudi Arabia.

“A Salafi would say that creating a culture of saints is akin to idol-worshipping,” Diagne said. Unlike Christianity, where the clergy formally confers sainthood, the veneration of “saints” in various, non-Wahhabi, strands of Islam largely arises from popular reverence for pious historical figures.

Rejecting a wave of outrage inside and outside Mali against the shrine destructions, an Ansar Dine spokesman in Timbuktu, Sanda Ould Boumama, defiantly told French radio RFI at the weekend that the actions were in line with the group’s aim of installing sharia Islamic law across all of divided Mali.

“Human beings cannot be elevated higher than God … When the Prophet entered Mecca, he said that all the mausoleums should be destroyed. And that’s what we’re repeating,” Boumama said.

In what she called a “cry from the heart” for world help to halt the destruction, Malian Culture Minister Diallo Fadima Toure told a UNESCO World Heritage Committee meeting in St. Petersburg on Sunday that Ansar Dine’s depredations had “nothing to do with Islam, a religion of peace and tolerance”.

“Are we just going to let this go and stand and watch? Today this is happening in Mali, tomorrow where will it be?”.

Crime against history

Experts are comparing the Timbuktu tomb destructions to similar attacks against Sufi shrines by hardline Salafists in Egypt and Libya in the past year. The attacks also recall al Qaeda attacks on Shi’ite shrines in Iraq in the past decade and the 2001 dynamiting by the Taliban of two 6th-century statues of Buddha carved into a cliff in Bamiyan in central Afghanistan.

“It’s against everybody and everything,” said University of Cape Town Professor Shamil Jeppie, an expert on Timbuktu who co-edited with Diagne a 2008 study, “The Meanings of Timbuktu”, on the city’s priceless archaeology and ancient manuscripts.

Mali’s government in the capital Bamako about 1,000 km (600 miles) south has condemned the attacks, but is powerless to halt them after its army was routed by rebels in April. It is still struggling to bolster a return to civilian rule after a March 22 coup that emboldened the rebel uprising further north.

Some believe the tomb-wrecking onslaught by Ansar Dine, which is led by Tuareg chieftain turned Salafist Iyad Ag Ghali, may have been directly triggered by UNESCO’s decision on Thursday to accept the Mali government’s urgent request to put Timbuktu on a list of endangered World Heritage sites.

“That is meaningless to Ansar Dine; what is UNESCO to them?” said Jeppie. Just as northern Nigerian Islamist militants are carrying out bloody bombings and shootings under the name Boko Haram (which broadly means “Western education is sinful”), so Ansar Dine’s fighters may see UNESCO as an emblem of Western heresy.

“They are not scholars; they are foot soldiers,” added Jeppie, adding they were probably unaware that Timbuktu, which was an alluring mirage of exoticism and remoteness for 19th-century European explorers, represented multiple and varied layers of Islamic tradition deposited like sand over centuries.

Its long history had tracked the turbulent rise and fall of the great African empires of Ghana, Mali and Songhai.

“Timbuktu was sacked many times before,” said Jeppie.

“But we have had no events of destruction of monuments, mosques and tombs. It never happened before.”

The UNESCO ambassadors meeting in St. Petersburg yesterday joined Malian Culture Minister Toure in appealing to global governments and organisations and “all people of goodwill” to act to prevent the prevent the destruction of the Timbuktu monuments by “vandals”.

“We consider this action to be a crime against history,” the appeal said.

UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee called on the agency’s director general, Irina Bokova, who has already roundly condemned the Timbuktu damage, to create a special fund to help Mali preserve its cultural patrimony from attack. It asked UNESCO members and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to provide financial resources for this fund.

Purity over popularity?

Just as gold-hungry 19th-century European travellers who first cast eyes on Timbuktu were disappointed to find, not glittering minarets and palaces, but a desert-rimmed cluster of dun-coloured homes and mosques, so some observers might view the city’s mausoleums and tombs as modest when compared with the architectural opulence of, say, Rome or Athens or Damascus.

The rectangular local mausoleums mimic the desert earthen architecture of the city’s still imposing and renowned Sankore, Sidi Yahya and Djingarei-ber mosques, the latter Timbuktu’s oldest, built in mud-brick and wood in 1325.

“They are mud structures, nothing fancy at all,” said Columbia University’s Diagne – and so the more easily reduced to dust by the pick-axes and shovels of the Ansar Dine combatants.

But rather than visual splendour, it is what the tombs represent for Africa’s history, and especially the history of Islam in Africa, than concerns historians and scholars.

They make the point that relatively few physical vestiges remain of the great Sahelian empire states that flourished and then died out centuries ago, and the damage inflicted in Timbuktu will reduce that archaeological heritage further.

They are scratching their heads as to why Ansar Dine and its well-armed allies, who hijacked a separatist uprising by local Tuareg MNLA rebels following the March coup in the Malian capital Bamako, would risk offending local sensibilities by destroying revered shrines in occupied cities like Timbuktu.

“They are more worried about purity than about being unpopular”, is the explanation Diagne offers.

Scholars are also fretting about the fate of tens of thousands of ancient and brittle manuscripts, some from the 13th century, housed in libraries and private collections in Timbuktu. Academics say these prove Africa had a written history at least as old as the European Renaissance.

Days after the rebels took Timbuktu, local academics, librarians and citizens were hiding away the manuscripts to stop them being damaged or looted.

Jeppie said researchers had since fled the city. Some collectors had smuggled their rarest documents out to Bamako.

Diagne said the biggest fear was that historic manuscripts and artefacts would become the object of looting and trafficking for profit – just another trading commodity in the trackless Sahara, where trafficking in drugs, arms and migrants has replaced the old caravans of slaves, salt and gold.

He found it deeply ironic that the Ansar Dine tomb destroyers, who said they were upholding the name of Islam, were ignoring and denying through their acts the rich layered history and geographical spread of this great global religion.

Noting the role Sufi believers played in spreading Islam beyond its Arabian heartland, Diagne said: “If it had not been for the Sufi orders, Islam would have been a local religion.”

ABU’s message to the people of Sabah : Kuburkan UMNO / BN, kembalikan Sabah, Sarawak dan Malaya balik kepada rakyat Posted on July 4, 2012 3

Anwar mulls 'retirement' if Pakatan loses GE13

PKR de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim said he is likely to retire from politics if Pakatan Rakyat does not take over in the next general election.

In an interview with Financial Times published yesterday, the man touted as the prime minister-in-waiting said that he may “return to teaching” if Pakatan tanks at the polls.

“We present our manifesto, our policies, and of course, if I get a mandate, I continue, otherwise I think I'll go back to teaching,” he was quoted as saying.

The London-based newspaper also quoted Anwar as admitting that the 13th general election will “probably” be his last shot at becoming prime minister.

All the same, the daily which is circulated internationally noted that Anwar, 65, appears “tired” for someone who is looking at his best shot to govern the country.

Anwar had previously been reported to have said that he is confident that the next general election will see a change of government.

Enough with the conspiracy theories

Dr Kamal Amzan - The Malaysian Insider

JULY 4 — Some say DAP is an ally of the PAP. Even if it is true, so what?

Yes, I am aware that PAP championed Malaysian Malaysia back in the 1960s, and was blamed for Singapore’s expulsion from the Federation of Malaysia. I also understand the politically correct term now is not Malaysian Malaysia, but instead a totally different, not straightforward meaning, not fully embraced concept of 1 Malaysia.

I am also very well aware that PAP led a Chinese-majority republic as opposed to an Umno-led majority Malay Malaysia.

Now, why is that a problem to us? Why did one newspaper dedicated its last weekly column to painting a racist picture of PAP, also insinuating a repeat of August 1965 in Penang?

Okay, first let us assume that PAP is racist and DAP is also racist by association, but which political party here isn’t? 1 Malaysia Barisan Nasional or the Muslim-Malay majority PAS who is bent on implementing hudud? Or perhaps MCA, MIC?

Who is the one supporting Perkasa and Pekida?

One BN minister even said that they are not ready for non-racial politics even if Malaysians are. Who is the pot calling the kettle black now?

So what if PAP and DAP are racist?

Leaders from PAP have visited Penang and have established cordial economic and social ties with the current state leaders. To be frank, I would want Malaysia to emulate Singapore, Australia, Japan, and Korea when developing the country instead of constantly comparing this country to Indonesia, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.

Singapore has one of the highest per capita incomes in the world, with first-class infrastructure and an economy that is very resilient to the global climate. They are home to world-class universities, such as Nanyang Technology University and National University of Singapore that produces top notch graduates, who are sought after even before they graduate.

So why the egoistic stance towards PAP? And secondly, to insinuate that Penang may leave the federation of Malaysia because of the good relationship between PAP and DAP is just plain stupid.

We have witnessed our leaders shake hands with George Bush, Tony Blair and even Bashar Assad of Syria. Just because we maintain good working relationships with their leaders, does it mean we will bomb the innocent and fabricate evidence to support one war? Does maintaining a good working relationship with foreign powers spell a traitorous end on our part?

If no, then why such connection between PAP and DAP? But let me play the devil’s advocate and assume that it’s true. Don’t we have a Federal Constitution that will never allow a repetition of August 9,1965? Even back then, wasn’t it our Parliament that voted 126–0 in favour of a Constitutional amendment expelling Singapore from the federation?

Those with evidence and proof to suggest such a treasonous act should step forward and lodge a report so that these leaders can be put to trial and punished before the court of law.

Otherwise, enough with conspiracy theories and let’s get back to developing the country.

I read recently that the Chinese have succeeded in docking a spacecraft to another in orbit. Sometimes I wonder if the average school-going child out there even knows what a spacecraft or an orbit is, while our leaders bicker about who is more Malay/Chinese/Indian.

'Ensure laws are enforced'

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia has more than enough laws to deal with serial criminals.

Universiti Malaya Law Faculty lecturer Datin Nor Aini Abdullah said a new law to punish serial criminals, therefore, was not needed.

Nor Aini, whose area of expertise include criminal law, said "what is more important is to ensure that the current laws are effectively enforced.

"The punishment under the Penal Code is more than enough for serial offenders.

"The courts have the jurisdiction to impose harsher sentence on such offenders."

She was commenting on the calls for the government to implement a habitual offender law, also known as the "three strikes law".

The media, she said, should play their part to inform the public that Malaysia had ample laws to deal with habitual offenders.

Malaysia Crime Prevention Foundation vice-chairman Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye said the existing laws should be fully enforced.

Najib Hails Taxi Drivers As Nation's Image Ambassadors

PUTRAJAYA, July 4 (Bernama) -- Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak today hailed taxi drivers as an important group which can portray a good image of the country.

He said they could form in the public, particularly foreign tourists, a perception of the country they visited.

The perception, either good or otherwise, was formed when these people used taxis and interacted with the drivers, he said when launching the Tourism Taxi Ambassador Programme, which saw almost 2,000 taxis at Dataran Putra, here.

Najib said that when tourists received satisfactory service, they would feel they were in a country of friendly people prepared to do their best to raise the nation's image.

The prime minister also said that the close to RM35 million in incentives for taxi drivers under the Teksi Rakyat 1Malaysia (TR1Ma) announced recently was preliminary assistance because the government was striving to provide a new development model for the taxi industry.

Najib said the new model would enable the government to better handle the welfare of taxi drivers.

The Tourism Taxi Ambassador Programme, which was started in March, is initially targeted at taxi drivers in the Klang Valley, and is intended to inculcate in them ethical values.

The selected taxi drivers would have to undergo a six-month course which would also incorporate information on Malaysia and the National Tourism Policy.

It is targeted that 4,000 taxi drivers would be appointed as the tourism ambassadors, and up to last month 2,315 taxi drivers had been selected to undergo the course.

Samy Vellu surfaces in Bangladesh over controversial RM9bn bridge

Hello, hello, hello, our intrepid Samy Vellu has surfaced in Bangladesh this time over a controversial RM9.1bn bridge project.

The Padma Bridge is supposed to be a two-level 6.2km long steel truss bridge that will have a four-lane highway on the upper level and a single track railway on the lower level. (Why didn’t we have rail links on our Penang bridges?) It will also have 15km of approach roads.

According to a report in the Daily Star of Bangladesh on 28 June, the Malaysian government will invest around Tk3bn for the construction of the Padma Bridge under an arrangement in a final draft proposal. Construction work will take three years and it will operate the bridge for 37 years before handing over the bridge to the Bangladesh government, the report said, citing sources. This was the proposal reportedly placed before Bangladesh Communications Minister Obaidul Quader by “Malaysian Prime Minister’s Special Envoy for infrastructure affairs for South Asia” Samy Vellu.

Days earlier, the Bangladesh government had rejected compromise conditions imposed by the World Bank following corruption probes on the US$2.9bn (RM9.1bn) bridge project.

In September 2011, the World Bank suspended its funding for the project after committing US$1.2bn in credit for the project. (The other financiers were ADB, IDB and JICA.) The World Bank submitted two reports on the corruption allegations, the second based on the findings of a Canadian government probe into graft allegations over the appointment of a bridge supervising consultant.

In a letter to the Bangladesh PM in early June, the World Bank listed several key conditions/suggestions for the funding:
- form a high-power team to probe allegations of corruption in the bridge project.
- appoint an independent body to monitor the implementation of the project and make recommendations.
- do not allow those linked to the corruption allegations to be part of the project implementation.
- allow co-financiers to be actively involved in the procurement process for the bridge.
- increase the capacity of the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) in the long-term.

The World Bank also wanted to be kept informed of the progress of the investigation.

On 29 June, the World Bank finally cancelled its $1.2bn financing for the project, pointing out that it had “credible evidence corroborated by a variety of sources which points to a high-level corruption conspiracy among Bangladeshi government officials”. This was reported by the Independent of Bangladesh.

On Tuesday, 3 July, Bangladesh Finance Minister AMA Muhith felt compelled to provide a lengthy explanation of the government’s version of events in Parliament. See his statement in the Daily Star. “The statement of the World Bank is not acceptable and the allegation that Bangladesh Government did not take appropriate action against corruption is also not correct,” he said.

“We prequalified five bidders and sent our recommendation to the World Bank in March, 2011. Without raising any objection against these firms they repeatedly advised us to prequalify a Chinese company named X. This advice was not accepted by our evaluation team comprised of specialists. The Bridge Division informed after an inquiry that X never applied for reconsideration and its Bangladeshi partner named Y resorted to fraudulent practice in this connection. This scheming firm established an office in China and applied for reconsideration in the name of X. On coming to know this, X informed in writing that they are not interested in this project. At the same time, they severed partnership with Y. The owner of Y is right now absconding. The World Bank went on repeatedly recommending X without examining properly the objection raised by X.”

The finance minister said the problem with the World Bank conditions was that “we were forced to admit the corruption allegations before they were substantiated. Therefore, we did not accede to their proposal and resorted to other means to dispel their concerns. Their second proposal was redundant as the ACC (the anti-corruption agency) formed their investigation team much earlier. Their third proposal is in contravention with the existing laws of the ACC which is independent and is not bound to be guided by the dictates of any foreign agency.”

For good measure, Muhith slammed the World Bank: “I consider that the statement of the WB has humiliated the whole country and the allegation labelled against us is not well founded. It is also not true that the Government of Bangladesh has not taken any appropriate action to avert corruption. I think we have considered courteously all the recommendations of the WB going well beyond our routine procedures.”

So now, enter the corruption-free Malaysians?!

Samy Vellu needs to brief Malaysians about what exactly is going on and who exactly will provide the financing for the project. Why go into such a project given the controversial background?

The larger question is, does Bangladesh really need a RM9bn bridge when there is so much poverty in the country?

Who or which company is ultimately going to profit the most?

Follow the money trail and see who benefits and who usually pays in projects like this:

Where is the money coming from?
Loans from (international?) financiers or government agencies. What do they get in return? Interest income.

Where does the money go?

Giant (foreign?) construction firms, often from the same country that provides the financing.
Design firms
Steel and concrete firms
Road builders
Consultants
Toll concessionaires
Shareholders of these firms (including rent-seekers)
(Corrupt?) intermediaries (‘commissions’, ‘success fees’, ‘consultants’ fees’)

Who foots the bill in the end?
Ordinary citizens – through taxes and/or tolls

Thanks to blog reader Loke for the tip off.

Bernasib baik tak ke tali gantung

KALAICHELVI diiring keluar daripada Mahkahmah

IPOH: Seorang wanita terlepas hukuman gantung sampai mati kerana menyebabkan kematian seorang lelaki

yang menceroboh rumahnya sebelum cuba menidurinya yang ketika itu sedang mengandung tahun lalu, selepas pertuduhan terhadapnya ditukar daripada Seksyen 302 Kanun Keseksaan (KK) kepada Seksyen 304A KK.

Dengan penukaran tuduhan itu, S Kalaichelvi, 24, yang mengaku salah secara cuai menyebabkan kematian lelaki berkenaan, dijatuhi hukuman penjara maksimum dua tahun oleh Mahkamah Tinggi di sini, semalam.


Hakim Datuk Zainal Adzam Abd Ghani membuat keputusan itu selepas Kalaichelvi membuat pengakuan itu terhadap tuduhan pilihan mengikut Seksyen 304A KK kerana menyebabkan kematian M Kumaran, 30, menggunakan sebilah parang dan batang besi di rumah bernombor 124 Jalan Bistari 7, Taman Bistari, Ayer Tawar, Manjung pada kira-kira jam 3 pagi hingga 3.30 pagi, 7 Januari 2010.

Tuduhan asal dihadapi Kalaichelvi bersama suaminya, G Kalipar, 26, adalah mengikut Seksyen 302 KK, namun semalam, pihak pendakwa menukar tuduhan terhadap suri rumah itu kepada Seksyen 304A KK.


Tuduhan terhadap Kalipar yang sebelum ini bekerja sebagai pemandu feri pula digugurkan tetapi dia kemudian didakwa atas kesalahan melupuskan bukti mengikut Seksyen 201 KK di Mahkamah Majistret Manjung.


Zainal Adzam berkata, Kalaichelvi sepatutnya berdepan tuduhan lebih berat kerana fakta kes menunjukkan kesalahan dilakukan amat kejam, namun pihak pendakwa meringankan tuduhan.

“Dalam kes ini turut menunjukkan ada usaha membawa mayat dan membuangnya. Oleh itu, hukuman yang patut dikenakan terhadap tertuduh adalah dua tahun penjara (hukuman penjara maksimum) dari tarikh tertuduh ditahan,” katanya ketika membuat keputusan itu.


Pasangan itu ditahan tiga hari selepas kejadian iaitu pada 10 Januari selepas mereka menyerah diri di Balai Polis Sitiawan.

Terdahulu, peguam tertuduh, Charan Singh meminta mahkamah meringankan hukuman berdasarkan beberapa fakta iaitu tertuduh menyerah diri selain kesalahan dilakukan semata-mata bagi melindungi dirinya selepas Kumaran menceroboh masuk rumah tertuduh dan kemudian enggan keluar walaupun tertuduh mencurah serbuk kari ke muka dan memukulnya dengan batang besi sebelum menggunakan parang.


Bagaimanapun, Timbalan Pendakwa Raya, Nur Laila Mohamed Nazil memohon mahkamah mengenakan hukuman setimpal berdasarkan kecederaan berganda di kelapa si mati akibat tetakan bertubi-tubi oleh tertuduh.


Mengikut fakta kes, Kalaichelvi dan Kumaran yang mengenali antara satu sama lain, saling berhubung melalui telefon pada hari kejadian sebelum Kumaran memecah masuk rumah itu melalui pintu belakang pada kira-kira jam 3 pagi dan meminta tertuduh melakukan hubungan intim bersamanya dengan menarik baju dan rambut tertuduh memasuki bilik tidur.


Tertuduh sempat mencurah serbuk kari ke mata Kumaran sebelum mengambil sebatang besi di dapur lalu memukulnya bertubi-tubi di kepala mangsa. Apabila Kumaran merampas batang besi itu, tertuduh mencapai parang lalu menetak mangsa beberapa kali menyebabkannya berundur dan jatuh di ruang tamu.


Kira-kira sejam kemudian, tertuduh bersama suaminya membungkus mangsa dan membuangnya ke dalam air di kawasan pembetong di tepi Jalan Lekir, Sitiawan.

Artikel ini disiarkan pada : 2011/06/04 (hmetro.com.my)