A Black Phase in the History of West Bengal. The nasty repression upon Hindu Organisations and Hindu Leaders by TMC Government.

Worsening West Bengal due the limitless appeasement of Muslims at the cost of Hindu oppression…

Upananda Brahmachari| Kolkata | 15 March 2013:: Sri Tapan kumar Ghosh, one of the Founders and President of Hindu Samhati (A prime state level Hindu Organisation in West Bengal) was arrested on 14-03-2013 morning and was produced in Bankshall Court by Kolkata Police in afternoon. As the actual case caused in S 24 Pgs (Kultali PS), he was placed into transit remand accordingly. Subsequently, he was produced at Baruipur ACJM Court on 15-03-2013. Unfortunately, the bail has not been granted and next date for hearing is fixed on 28-03-13 for Kultali PS Case No. 71/2013. Advocate Samir Pal, Advocate Shantanu Singh, S G Das, Legal Advisor HS, Swarup Dutta, HRA and others were present in Baruipur ACJM Court. The legal cell of Hindu Samhati is contemplating to move Judges Court, Alipore as the case has no material for the charge under 307 IPC. No heavy injury report could be produced by the state. The other charges against Shri Ghosh are 147/148/149/332/333/353/427/152/153/109/186/507/186 I.P.C.

It is really a Black Phase in the History of Bengal. A nasty repression is rolling over the common Hindus by various means by the pay-loader of West Bengal State Police under the specific instruction of WB CM, Mamtaz Banu Arjee. All Hindu Rights for Social Demands/Programmes/Organisations are totally under a TMC (Total Muslim Congress) oppression and grossly violated. The Bail plea for Hindu Samhati President was rejected in the afternoon. Now the Basanti Police Station came all on a sudden this evening at 5 Bhuban Dhar Lane, Kolkata – 700 012 to arrest (read ‘abduct’) Sri Bikarna Naskar, one state leader of Hindu Samhati. As per latest news, Bikarna is under 3rd Degree torture by a Police Inspector named Shaidul. DID YOU WANT THIS ISLAMIC CHANGE IN BENGAL? PROTEST. PROTEST. PROTEST. Write wall to free HS Leaders. Organise protest rally, give written deputation everywhere.

Though Sri Tapan Ghosh’s confinement is connected with Jalaberia Protest over Canning Violence upon Hindus, it is not clear about the arrest of Sri Bikarna Naskar by Basanti Police troop in civil dress.

It is reported that the police is trying to give some arms cases to Bikarna to book him for a long time, so that he cannot proceed for his normal Hindu organizational work.

The Police action upon the Hindu activists are all time high in West Bengal. Just on 07 March 2013, the Hindu Existence Forum arranged the bail of Five HS activists under Usthi PS from Diamond Harbour Criminal Court (Usthi PS Case No 40/13). Sri Tapan Kumar Biswas, Ld Advocate pleaded successfully to arrange the bails for 1) Bablu Ghosh (S/O Sushil), 2) Goutam Mondal (S/O Joydev), 3) Probir Naskar (S/O Jatin), 4) Dilip Naskar (S/O Panchanan) and 5) Pratap Hazra (S/O Judhisthir Hazra). Sri Pratap Hazra is a prominent dist. level leader of Hindu Samhati of South 24 Parganas, a Islamist prone southern district of West Bengal. The bail for Pratap and others was granted on the condition of attendence to Local PS, thrice in a week, until further order. The Charges were framed u/s 147/148/149/295A/323/325/379/506 and 392 IPC. But, the Advocates of Hindu Existence Forum moved for this case very tactically and arranged the bail in a record shortest time.

Now, it has been confirmed that Sri Saurav Shasmal, one of the prominent whole timer of Hindu Samhati was arrested from Kakdwip (South 24 Pgs) on Thursday and sent to Diamond Harbour Jail on Friday (15-03-2012) with another HS activist. Sasmals were arrested when they were conducting a protest meeting at Kakdwip with a demand to free Tapan Ghosh immediately. IPC 153/153A/295A etc. have been mentioned in the FIR, as being stated. (This para is updated on 17-03-2013).

The situation of West Bengal is speedily worsening due the limitless appeasement of Muslims at the cost of Hindu oppression.

HINDU EXISTENCE RED ALERT: A RED ALERT TO ALL HINDU ORGs AND ALL ITS HINDU LEADERS. PLZ DONT MOVE ALONE. KEEP THE PROVISIONS FOR SELF DEFENSE. PLZ ORGANIZE SHORT TRAINING CAMPS FOR SELF DEFENSE, MARTIAL ARTS AND HUMAN RIGHTS, LEGAL AIDS & RTI PROGRAMMES. WITHOUT APPROPRIATE TRAINING, HINDU ORGs ARE BASELESS. THE TOTAL HINDU SAMAJ IS FACING THESE TYPES OF HAZARDS DUE TO LACK OF SUFFICIENT TRAINING & PROPER VISION OF LEADERSHIP.
1. Vishwa Hindu Parishad of America Requests Governor of West Bengal to Ensure Safety and Immediate Release of Hindu Samhati Volunteers. (L)
2. An NRI’s appeal to the Governor of West Bengal, Shri MK Narayanan. (R)

  

Source of the letter of Mr S K Pal: HS Website.

Demonstration by Hindusthan Nirman Dal in Delhi on 15-03-2013 to Release Tapan Ghosh, President, Hindu Samhati and to protest the rampant Muslim appeasement in West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh.

  

   

Muslims concerned after pork DNA found in Halal school meals

Muslim leaders in east London have expressed concern after the discovery of pork DNA in Halal sausages served in a primary school in Westminster

In a statement released last week the East London Mosque and London Muslim Centre, based in Whitechapel Road, said they were “deeply concerned” by the findings.

Under Islamic law, Muslims are forbidden from eating pork.

“As consumption of pork or meat that has not been slaughtered in accordance with their faith is strictly prohibited, there will be serious issues of concern and mistrust between Muslim parents and schools across London”, the statement read.

“We hope a resolution can be sought quickly and effectively as possible.”

The statement continued by emphasizing the need for a “rigorous and transparent” investigation.

Halal meat is served in schools across Tower Hamlets.

A spokesperson for the borough’s council said it had investigated the meat served in its schools to ensure it is free from horse meat or pork.

He added: “We will continue to closely monitor the situation and take whatever action is necessary to ensure that the food served in our schools is the best it can be.”

Child Rape in Indonesia a 'National Emergency'

Indah Kristina, a working mother with a 5-year-old daughter, is deeply concerned about the string of

media reports on sexual abuse of children in Indonesia over the past few months.

“I’m scared to think that it could have been my child. I don’t even want to take my eyes off of her because I noticed many victims were raped or sexually abused by people they knew and trusted,” the 31-year-old event organizer told the
Jakarta Globe.

However, as a single mother, Indah must work and leave her daughter in the care of teachers or a nanny from time to time. Indah said she started giving her young daughter lessons about her own body in very simple ways that she could easily understand.

“I can’t watch her 24 hours a day, so I told her that not everybody can touch her private parts. My daughter also knows she’s not allowed to let any man enter her room without supervision,” she said.

In the past few months, Indonesia has been rocked by shocking cases of children being sexually abused.

In January, an 11-year-old girl fell into coma for six days and later died of infection. Doctors confirmed she had been sexually abused and contracted sexually transmitted diseases from her rapist.

It was later learned that the girl was raped several times by her own father.

In late February, the family of a 5-year-old boy filed a report to the police after he was allegedly sodomized by his neighbors, a police officer and a construction worker.

The boy was severely traumatized, and medical examination revealed he had been sexually abused.

Shortly after the case went public, the family had to evacuate after being intimidated by neighbors who did not believe the boy’s claim and thought the family was trying to stir up trouble.

“We have already declared 2013 as a year of national emergency over child sexual abuse. This is totally unacceptable,” said Arist Merdeka Sirait, chairman of the National Commission for Child Protection (Komnas PA), a nongovernmental organization advocating children’s issues.

Arist said there had been a worrying escalation in the number of child sex abuse cases. In 2010, Komnas PA received 2,046 reports of violence against children, 42 percent of which were sexual.

In 2012, the figure had risen to 2,637 cases, 62 percent of them sexual abuse.

“Remember this is just the tip of the iceberg, many more cases go unreported,” Arist added.

Maria Advianti, secretary of the Indonesian Commission on Child Protection (KPAI), said the most worrying part was that most rape or sexual abuses were committed by family members.

“In such cases, the probability of the victim filing a report is even lower.”

Maria said rape committed by family members usually went unreported because the family could not bear the shame if it was publicly known.

“We have heard cases where daughters were raped by their own fathers for years, in such cases where it would be impossible for the mothers to be totally ignorant, she said.

“I believe the mothers knew but were too afraid to say anything out of shame, or because the fathers were the bread-winner, and if the fathers went to jail the family would not have any means to survive.”

Community’s role

“We need to change society’s mindset. People must know that there is nothing private when it comes to rape or domestic violence,” Arist said.

“The neighborhood has a shared responsibility to be aware of what’s happening in their surroundings, and if the neighbor knows something but doesn’t say anything about it because they believe it’s none of their business then they too must be held accountable.”

Gregorius Pandu Setiawan, a prominent psychiatrist and former director of mental health at the Ministry of Health, echoed that sentiment, saying communities must be alert all the time.

“Children are the easiest prey for sexual predators because they are completely powerless against adults, physically and psychologically, not to mention most abuses come with a threat, so terrified children do not say anything. It’s society’s job to notice if something is wrong,” he said.

Pandu said that in urban areas there was a growing trend of people gradually stopping to care about what’s going on in their surroundings.

“It has happened in a densely populated city like Jakarta: with so many stress triggers in their life, people simply do not care about what’s going on,” he said.

Arist said children would continue to be victimized by sexual predators as long as Indonesians did not perceive sex abuse as a serious crime.

“Sadly it has been deeply ingrained in our permissive society that women and children are sex objects, and we need to re-educate our people so that nobody should be subjected to such atrocities. We need to speak up,” he said.

In late 2012, a 14-year-old student in Depok was expelled from her school after she was kidnapped and raped by a man she met online.

The growing use of the Internet and social media in Indonesia has also played a role in the escalating number of cases of sexual abuse against children.

Last week, a 15-year-old junior high school student was raped by several men after she agreed to meet someone she befriended on Facebook.

“In the social media era, even 10-year-olds have started using Facebook or Twitter. Parents must take control before it’s too late,” Arist warned.

“Internet use is inevitable in this age, and we can’t stop our children from using it, but we can teach them how to use the Internet healthily.”

Arist said many children spend excessive amounts of time in front of computers or gadgets because their family was dysfunctional and did not provide them with security or a sense of protection. He said unhappy children would resort to the Internet to seek attention and could easily fall prey to seduction by strangers.

“Many of those children who agreed to meet their captors were loners who did not get the affection they wanted from their family. Strengthening family values and spending more quality time with our children might change this, he added.

Maria proposed that parents monitor what their children were doing on the Internet carefully.

“Don’t give them limited access to the Internet but assist and guide them. Parents must also check what the children have been browsing,” she said.

Tougher laws, or better enforcement?

Arist said the growing prevalence of child sexual abuse indicated a failure in the Indonesian legal system.

“Clearly our current law isn’t working, it doesn’t provide any deterrent for the perpetrator,” he said.

Under the 2002 Law on Child Protection, anyone who has intercourse with a minor can face up to 15 years in prison and a maximum fine of Rp 60 million ($6,200).

“We need to revise the law; the minimum punishment for child sex abuse should be at least 15 years while the maximum sanction should be a life sentence,” Arist said.

“There should be additional punishments if the perpetrators were the parents, teachers, or police officers of the children, and supposed to protect them.”

But Maria said Indonesia did not need to revise the law, just make sure law enforcement was upheld.

“I think the current law is sufficient, it’s the enforcement that concerns me; many times prosecutors only demand seven to eight years for the perpetrators, so they could walk free in a few years,” she said.

University of Indonesia criminologist Erlangga Masdiana said harsher punishments alone would not be enough to reduce the rate of sexual violence in Indonesia.

“The problem is much more complex than that. There’s the demoralization problem and the poverty issue [for example]. The government must address these issues individually, and we need to strengthen our fading spiritual values, be it religion or anything else,” he said.

For victims of sexual abuse, serious counseling sessions are needed to help their psychological recovery.

Maria said there were several counseling or trauma centers run by the government or private organizations that provided assistance to rape victims.

“But the number is nowhere near enough compared to the number of children being victimized by sexual predators, that’s why we need to empower our society so everyone can take part in healing traumatized children,” she said.

Pandu added that victims of sex abuse must be handled very carefully to properly heal their trauma, with the counseling done in a very private and safe environment.

“It really angers me to see children who have been sexually victimized interviewed on TV with their faces covered by a mask, it’s really dangerous for their mental health,” he said.

Pandu said it was very unlikely for victims to forget what happened, but with proper care their pain could be eased.

“The counselors must have the capacity to handle these vulnerable children, and all of society must ensure they can return to a safe environment without any stigma and without any worry that the horrible experience could happen again,” he said.

Uthaya wants to be a PAS candidate

HRP secretary-general P Uthayakumar says he is willing to stand as a PAS candidate in the general election.

PETALING JAYA: Human Rights Party Malaysia leader P Uthayakumar wants to contest in the Kota Raja parliament seat under the PAS banner but all his attempts to meet PAS leaders so far have been futile.

Uthayakumar, who is HRP’s pro-tem secretary-general, is basing his hope on a meeting with PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang early last year.

“Early last year, we met Abdul Hadi Awang at the PAS headquarters with six other MPs in attendance.

“They said that they will field non-Muslims to stand as PAS candidates in the general election. As such, I am prepared to stand as a PAS candidate,” said Uthayakumar.

According to Uthayakumar, unless he is told to back out, he would still want to contest under PAS.

“If they don’t want me to contest under their ticket, they have to explain to me why I don’t deserve to stand as their candidate,” he said.

He however admitted that all attempts to meet with PAS representatives have been futile.

“We want to meet up but whether it is about meeting to ask for seats or to talk about the Indian poor, we have met a stone wall.

“If they do not want to meet up then I would be forced to contest as an independent,” he said.

Relying on Indian voters

When asked as to why he wanted to contest in Kota Raja, he said the decision went hand in hand with his party’s focus on Indian issues.

“The Kota Raja constituency has the highest number of Indian voters, at 29%.

“The constituency is very unique as the Indian community is the majority in the area and there are no army camps and orang asli voters, and we know that the army and orang asli folk are the bulk voters for the BN.

“Therefore, I believe that all these factors will work in my favour,” he said.

He also confirmed that groundwork has been done, saying: “We have been actively involved in groundwork since February and we have opened our operation room in Sri Andalas on March 2.

“Other than the Indian voters, we also hope to convince the Chinese voters. As for the Malay votes, I think it’s going to be split in half.

“Regardless, we are going to go ahead, and I will be contesting in the Kota Raja constituency in the general election,” Uthayakumar reiterated.

Kota Raja is held by PAS’s Dr Siti Mariah Mahmud who won the seat from MIC in 2008. She is slated to defend the seat in the coming general election.

Previously she told FMT that Uthayakumar’s decision to contest in Kota Raja would split the Indian votes in favour of Barisan Nasional.

As for BN, their candidate for the seat is likely to be SA Vigneswaran from MIC who lost to Siti Mariah in 2008 by a majority of 20,751 votes.

PSM confident of capturing Semenyih

PSM candidate for Semenyih S Arutchelvan speaks of his achievements and future plans for the constituency.
INTERVIEW

PETALING JAYA: Parti Sosialis Malaysia’s S Arutchelvan is a familiar face in Semenyih, Selangor.

Despite contesting the seat in 2008 and losing to Umno’s Johan Abdul Aziz, Arutchelvan never gave up working for the rakyat in the area, especially since he was appointed as the Zone 18 councillor in the nearby Kajang Municipal Council (MPKJ).

The PSM secretary-general recently announced that he will be recontesting the Semenyih seat and had unveiled his personal “report card” for his work at the state constituency since the last general election.

In an interview with FMT recently, Arutchelvan spoke on his past achievements, future plans for Semenyih and his chances of capturing the seat.

FMT: What are the major problems in Semenyih and what is PSM doing to ease them?

Arutchelvan: One of the biggest challenges in Semenyih is the low cost flats – they are in deplorable conditions. This is because those who live there are burdened with three types of payments : quit rent, land tax and maintenance fee.

The majority of them are not owners and are only renting the flats, that’s why they choose not to pay maintenance fee. Our (PSM) committee has managed to convince the Selangor state government to reduce their assessment tax by 25% and MPKJ (Kajang City Council) has agreed to takeover drainage and grasskeeping duties.

Another major problem in Semenyih is the traffic. One of the main points in the PSM manifesto is to get the MRT line extended from Kajang to Semenyih and to Beranang. The solution is not more cars, but more public transportation.

We will also schedule a meeting with Lekas (of Kajang-Seremban highway) to reduce toll prices or (convince) the Selangor state government to take over the highway.

Following numerous complaints of vandalism in public parks and playgrounds, we launched a “neighbourhood watch” campaign whereby we put up banners with my phone number and numbers of city councillors and contractors.

Residents are encouraged to call up the contractors directly to lodge their complaints. The residents are paying taxes and we want the contractors to be accountable to the local people.

FMT: What do you think your chances are of capturing Semenyih?

Arutchelvan: I think my chances are very good. In 2008, we lost by 1,100 votes which is politically a small margin. In this election, the voters of Semenyih have increased from 28,000 to 41,000, so there is a 13,000-voter increase. These new voters are concentrated in the urban parts of Semenyih (Arutchelvan then explains that in 2008 he had lost in Malay rural areas).

I also find the people are not as hostile as they were before. They are much more receptive and have been giving us a more positive response. Just last week I went to Kampung Pasir with the ABU (Asalkan Bukan Umno) team, and the reception was quite good, there was no problems. Therefore I think my chances this time around is quite good.

Cops threatened to harm me, says MP

M Manogaran says an officer ordered him to stop his ceramah or face attack by baton-wielding riot police.

TELUK INTAN: Police threatened to harm Teluk Intan MP M Manogaran last night in a bid to stop a ceramah where he was scheduled to speak, the DAP politician alleged today.

He said a police officer rudely told him not to set foot on the field where the ceramah was scheduled and instructed riot police to attack if he were to disobey.

More than a dozen members of the Federal Reserve Unit were at the scene, armed with batons.

Manogaran did not identify the officer.

He said the venue, close to the HSBC office in Teluk Intan, was the alternative the police had suggested after disagreeing with the one the organisers had originally picked, which was the scene of a disrupted ceramah two weeks ago.

In the previous incident, a group of men carrying Barisan Nasional flags moved into the crowd with taunting remarks and threatening gestures. The arrival of police failed to diffuse the situation, forcing the organisers to call off the event, which would have also featured Manogaran.

“Last night, police came up to me and told me to call off the ceramah, saying it was a threat to security and public order,” Manogaran said.

“Umno had a similar function earlier yesterday. Why wasn’t that programme seen as a threat? There was no real evidence to say that we are a security threat.”

The ceramah, originally scheduled for 7.30 pm, was delayed by two hours and was eventually held in front of DAP’s Bandar Baru office.

Bugis mahu taraf bumiputera

Masalah yang dihadapi ialah bagaimana hendak membezakan antara orang Bugis yang telah lama menetap di Sabah dengan yang baru datang?

PETALING JAYA: Rakyat Sabah mahu kerajaan berhati-hati sebelum memberi taraf bumiputera kepada kaum Bugis yang sangat ramai di kawasan Tawau dan sekitanya, kata seorang aktivis masyarakat, Nadroid Sabian.

Beliau mendakwa orang Bugis mahukan statusnya kerana mahu mendapat keistimewaan sebagai pribumi.

“Ini yang mereka inginkan…mereka sedang berusaha untuk mendapatkan taraf tersebut.

“Mungkin orang Bugis yang telah lama berada di Sabah boleh dipertimbangkan tetapi bagaimana yang baru datang?” katanya beliau lagi.

Orang Bugis yang datang ke Sabah merupakan komuniti yang berasar dari Sulawesi, Indonesia.

Bagaimanapun, menurut mereka dalam keadaan sekarang seperti pencerobohan pengganas Sulu, sangat wajar kerajaan membuat tapisan sebelum memberikan mereka taraf bumiputera.

Kaum Bugis di Tawau banyak menjalankan aktviti perniagaan secara kecil-kecilan.

“Masalah yang dihadapi ialah bagaimana hendak membezakan antara orang Bugis yang telah lama menetap di Sabah dengan yang baru datang?

“Adakah pihak berkuasa menjalankan pemeriksaan untuk memastikan mereka mempunyai kad pengenalan atau pasport yang sah,” tanya beliau lagi.

Ku Li’s aide warns BN not to field former foes

He says the anger among displaced candidates could lead to sabotage.

KOTA BARU: An aide to Umno veteran Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah has raised the spectre of Barisan Nasional sponsoring former opposition figures as election candidates friendly to the ruling coalition.

Many pundits expect BN to use these candidates as vote splitters in constituencies where support for the opposition is strong, but Lukman Mohamad Ghani suggested that some of them might be fielded as BN-friendly candidates in straight fights against Pakatan Rakyat.

He warned that the tactic might backfire through sabotage by BN hopefuls who would be displaced by these candidates.

He was referring to such personalities as Perkasa president Ibrahim Ali and former PKR activists Ezam Mohd Noor, Zulkifli Noordin and N Gobalakrishnan. The list might also include former Gerakan vice president Huan Cheng Guan, who now leads Parti Cinta Malaysia, he added.

Lukman said he doubted that any argument about the winning qualities of these candidates or any appeal for the closing of ranks would have any effect against the anger of disappointed would-be candidates and their supporters.

“We have to look at seniority and loyalty as among the assets of candidates,” he said. “How would you feel if BN were to place an outsider to contest in the area you have been servicing in BN’s name?”

Speaking about his boss, Lukman said the Gua Musang MP had indicated his desire to defend his seat for BN.

“It is up to Umno to decide if it wants his services,” he said.

Lukman would not confirm or deny a rumour that Pakatan had offered Tengku Razaleigh the prime minister’s post in the event that the opposition bloc scrapes through with a thin victory.

He said it would be up to the winning party to decide whether Tengku Razaleigh could still play a leading role in nation building.

PR Manifesto: Sustainable?

The Pakatan Rakyat manifesto

Gan Pei Ling, The Nut Graph

THE Pakatan Rakyat (PR) released its manifesto amid much fanfare at its national convention on 25 February 2013. The coalition promises to raise Malaysian household incomes to at least RM4,000 a month, increase the minimum wage to RM1,100 and create one million jobs should it come into power.
On the environmental front, the federal opposition pledges to halt the Lynas rare earth refinery’s operations in Gebeng, Pahang, review a multibillion petrochemical project in Pengerang, Johor, and the mega dams in Sarawak. It targets to reduce traffic congestion in the Klang Valley and other major cities by 50% during its first term via investments in public transport. Furthermore, it says it will reform existing logging laws and activities.
Granted, the manifesto is an improvement from Buku Jingga, the common policy platform the PR unveiled in 2010, which neglected the environment and indigenous rights entirely. But it remains lacking in many areas. What else does the PR need to consider to demonstrate they are able to plan for the future and provide sustainable development if voted into power?
Food security
The PR laid out several measures to reform our economy but completely ignored the agriculture sector in its manifesto. This is problematic as Malaysia has become a net importer of food. The country spent some RM221.8 billion on food imports in the past decade.
We have chosen to specialise in cash crops such as oil palm and rubber at the expense of food crops, according to Professor Dr Fatimah Mohd Arshad from Universiti Putra Malaysia. Nearly 84% of our agricultural land is used for export crops, with oil palm taking the lion’s share of 63.4% in 2005, she pointed out in an article, Global Food Prices: Implication for Food Security in Malaysia, co-written with Anna Awad Abdel Hameed.

Professor Dr Fatimah Mohd Arshad (Source: crrc.org.my)

Meanwhile, federal allocation for agriculture plunged from 17% of the annual budget in 1990 to 5.8% in 2005, Fatimah and Anna Awad highlighted in their piece published in the Journal of Consumer Research and Resource Centre in 2009. And while the federal government dished out generous cash subsidies to paddy farmers, it left other food sectors out in the cold to develop with minimal support.
With supermarkets easily available around town, living in the city creates an illusion that food supply remains abundant. But the rate of global population growth has long surpassed the rate of agricultural production, Fatimah and Anna Awad noted.  Global food prices will continue to rise as an unpredictable climate further reduces crop yields. Low-income households, who spend the bulk of their income on food, are the most vulnerable to food price hikes.
What will the PR do to reform our agricultural sector and feed Malaysia’s growing population, which is approaching 30 million people, with nutritious, affordable food? What steps will it take to encourage organic farming and sustainable fishing practices? How much will it invest in agricultural research and development? These are just some of the questions the PR needs to deal with.
Renewable energy
Another important sector neglected by the PR in its manifesto is the power industry. Aside from a pledge to scrap independent power producers’ gas subsidies and divert it to lower electricity tariffs, the coalition makes no further mention of the energy sector.
Despite it being a necessity in modern life, some Malaysians, particularly indigenous people and communities living in remote areas, still do not have access to electricity. What will the PR to do ensure every citizen enjoys reliable, affordable power supply?

Datuk Seri Peter Chin (Source: peterchin.my)

Malaysia is expected to become a net oil importer in two years, according to current Energy, Green Technology and Water Minister Datuk Seri Peter Chin. Our country relies largely on gas and coal for power. An overdependence on fossil fuel has resulted in renewable energy sources taking a back seat, the minister conceded in 2012.
In the face of depleting local gas resources, what will the PR do to ensure Malaysia’s energy supply? Will it import more coal? Will it consider nuclear as an option? How much will it invest in renewable energy sources such as solar, biomass or other options?
In addition, the level of Malaysia’s energy consumption versus productivity remains low compared to countries like Singapore and Japan. What innovative measures will the PR implement to cut wastage?
Meaningful public participation
The PR also needs to assure the public that it will hold genuine public consultations before approving major projects. Decades of local governments approving “development” projects without taking into account the existing capacity of roads, drains and other infrastructure has resulted in traffic congestion and flash floods becoming the norm. Coupled with the lack of green spaces, the quality of life in most cities is deteriorating.
Proper public consultation and provision of information will help towards gauging the potential environmental and social impact of a proposed project. It is thus surprising that the PR’s manifesto is silent on the abolition of the Official Secrets Act and the enactment of a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). Some PR politicians said the manifesto should be read together with the Buku Jingga, which does mention freedom of information. But wasn’t the manifesto built on the Buku Jingga? How is it that the FOIA was excluded?

READ MORE HERE

Police suggest setting up crime prevention bodies in Tamil schools

(Bernama) - Police have suggested setting up crime prevention associations in Tamil primary schools in the state to enhance student awareness of crime prevention methods.

Selangor police deputy chief Datuk A. Thaiveegan (pix) said the move could educate students against breaking the law, as well as instilling discipline among them.

"Focus should be given to Year Five and Year Six pupils as they are preparing to enter secondary schools," he added.

Thaiveegan was speaking to reporters Monday after officiating a patriotic quiz contest among Tamil primary school pupils organised by the Malaysian Indian Visionary Association at a school in Kapar, near here. 

The myth of the two-party system

Malaysian politics has been at a crossroads since the 2008 general election. Politicians have engaged in a life-and-death confrontation while the people were forced to take sides of either to support the BN or Pakatan Rakyat. They are not allowed to be neutral or impartial.
 
Lim Sue Goan, Sin Chew 

The general election is approaching and all kinds of dirty political means have been used to achieve personal political aims.
The past two weeks have been filled with political violence. The disturbances at PKR dinners in Perak, Malacca and Penang indicate the deterioration of political culture.
On March 8, the fifth anniversary of the 2008 political tsunami, father of Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan suddenly claimed that Pakatan Rakyat leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim was a victim of a political conspiracy in the whole sodomy affair, before making an announcement of joining the PKR on March 11.
Screenshots of a sex video clip allegedly featuring the opposition leader and a man were then spread across the Internet on March 14 and the video clip is expected to be released soon. I think that everyone believes that the two events could not be a coincidence.
Malaysian politics has been at a crossroads since the 2008 general election. Politicians have engaged in a life-and-death confrontation while the people were forced to take sides of either to support the BN or Pakatan Rakyat. They are not allowed to be neutral or impartial.
To win the election, one after another muckraking game has been staged. Words like sodomy, anal sex and oral sex can always be found on newspapers, affecting children’s morality.
The political climate of loyal support has turned the people’s thinking radical. Political violence can be found in both real life and the online world, penetrating every corner of the society.
Political fanaticism has reduced the people’s ability to judge while affecting their views on the freedom of the press.
Initially, the people wanted the two-party system to make the country a better place but due to political myth, the two-party system has become a system of supporting a particular political party.
The two-party system should be a political concept that helps to improve the country’s political system, with the ultimate goal of reforming the country’s system, improving governance and making the country financially sound through checks and balances.
If we narrowly position the two-party system as supporting a political party, we will then be hostile to those with different views and even prejudice against them in political discussions.
The political confrontation between the two coalitions has shifted the focus. Today, the system has not been changed while the debt continues to increase. Fanatical supporters must also bear the responsibility.
Members of the public should support all political ideas that can bring the country a positive change, regardless of whether the ideas are from the BN or Pakatan Rakyat.
I support Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s removal of the 30 per cent Bumiputera quota on new shareholding, the abolition and amendment of demonic laws, as well as electoral reforms.
I also agree with the Pakatan Rakyat’s open tender and the idea of making state assembly members’ properties public and abolishing the New Economic Policy (NEP).
I do not agree with money distribution measures, which are not cost-effective. Only by changing the economic structure, the people’s incomes can be improved and root of the problem can be resolved.
I support the two-party system with the hope that those in power will be restricted through checks and balances. We must determine who has the ability to bring changes to the country and curb corruption, instead of blindly support without caring about the weaknesses of leaders.
We must also assess which management approach is able to reduce debt and consolidate the country’s financial situation, instead of supporting the one that can distribute more money.
Today’s irrational politics originates from the wrong interpretation of two-party system. Fanatic supporters have caused the ruling and alternative coalitions to take the wrong directions. It is a misfortune for the country.

Malaysia Faces Capital Flight, Falling Trade Surplus

Our Correspondent

More things for voters to worry about
As the Malaysian election draw near, two worrying aspects of the country's economy are very much in evidence. They are just pointers but significant ones to a bumpy future.

This may seem a surprise to outsiders who are rightly impressed with the strength of the nation's external position - RM139 billion (US$44.36 billion) in foreign exchange reserves and a record of huge annual current account surpluses dating back to 1998. Monetary policy is restrained and inflation is low.

But signs of concern are not just to be found in data but in anecdotes of behavior. One such anecdote that recently came to light courtesy of a Vanity Fair magazine article on London property is that Malaysians have now joined the ranks of Russian oligarchs, Nigerian oil plunderers and the latest generation of Gulf sheiks in paying astronomical prices for houses and apartments in the classiest parts of London. It may be an indication that some of the country's richest citizens are voting with their money if not their feet in advance of what appears to be a very tight election.

According to estate agency Jones Lang & Wootton last year Malaysian buyers accounted for 17 percent of all buyers of new top-of-the-line central London dwellings. In other words almost as many Malaysian are buying as Britons, who accounted for only 19 percent of this market. Identifiable Malaysians figure as buyers of One Hyde Park, the most expensive new building in London overlooking Hyde Park and others probably lie behind the various anonymous offshore companies which figure as owners of most of the owners of apartments ranging in price from US$12 million to US$50 million.

It is hard to imagine that these are safe investments compared with Malaysia, given that the market is thin, the properties are often left unoccupied and that further price gains must rely on yet more flood tides of easily gotten wealth. Such floods have always been associated with commodity booms or banker banquets. London property has long been a destination for flight capital and bankers absurd bonuses, one.

But what does the Malaysian role now tell us about flight capital from an outwardly stable nation? And about the prospects for the commodity price boom of the past 10 years not coming to an unpleasant end?

That takes us away from London anecdote to actual data out of Malaysia itself. January saw Malaysia's trade surplus sink to RM3.3 billion, less than half that of the same month a year ago. Of course one should not read much into one month's figures but a downward trend evident in 2012 looks to be gaining momentum. Then total exports rose only 0.9 percent while imports rose 5.9 percent and the overall surplus fell from RM 124 billion to RM94 billion.

The worrying aspect is not imports, which need to be rising if capital spending is doing so but the trend in exports prices. Palm oil was down 27 percent, gas down 6 percent and rubber down 19 percent. These may have further to fall and continue the reversal of the huge terms of trade gains made over the previous decade.

Of itself this need not be a worry but for the other aspects of the external account. The services account has always been in the red and is no particular cause for concern. Tourism is strong and the Islamic financial sector too. The RM64 billion deficits last on combined services, transfers and investment income is growing but should be quite manageable even if the trade surplus slides further.

There are more worrying issues given the likelihood that gas and palm oil prices at least are looking at a sustained downturn as new projects come on stream globally and China's demand for resources slows as the economy shifts emphasis.

One is that direct investment outflow is now almost twice foreign direct investment - RM51 billion against RM29. Some of this is doubtless one-off as Petronas has invested heavily in foreign oil and gas projects as its own profits have boomed and Malaysian banks have been buying overseas, especially in Indonesia. But there must be questions about the likely rates of return on much of this capital.

An even bigger question is how much has been squandered in lesser known ventures, particularly by politically connected and government linked- companies with scant accountability to shareholders. Some too is likely to be flight non-Malay flight capital preferring expensive but seemingly secure assets in Australia, the US or even London to the higher returns which ought to be available in younger, faster growing Malaysia.

Recorded portfolio investment still shows a plus - inflow of RM59 billion against outflow of RM36 billion in 2012. But the country has failed to regain the favor it once had with foreign fund managers and despite its growth record and strong currency the Malaysian stock market has lagged well behind most in developing Asia and emerging market generally. The main reason given, that local individual investors are bigger players than in many other markets. is that confidence in both short-term political stability and the longer term prospects for non-bumiputras is weak.

There is nothing new about the latter which is also reflected in the "errors and omissions" in balance of payments data. This is invariably a large negative number – RMB 33 billion in 2012. Again, on its own, it is not a sign of any particular worry.

Concern then focuses not on any one factor but the convergence of negative factors. The foreign exchange position is so strong for now that it would take a Black Swan event to create any sense of crisis in the foreseeable future. But the ability of the government to sustain economic growth with large budget deficits would certainly be threatened at a time when rural incomes and palm oil and gas profits were reducing both under pressure.

Malaysia is moving from a position where it could afford massive capital outflow, perhaps even welcome it as reducing domestic inflationary pressures, to one where outflow becomes a self-reinforcing problem of the interaction of politics and economic. As it is Malaysia's strength over recent years has been more due to the commodity cycle than to the investment in people and industries that can get it out of the "middle income trap" to high income status. The money has been there but not the other inputs.

For sure Malaysia remains an attractive investment opportunity given its good infrastructure and wage and other costs which are competitive given its level of skills and facilities. But so long as its own people prefer to look overseas for political reasons the nation's promise cannot be fulfilled.

Sosilawati trial: Bar Council received complaint about lawyer

The Sun Daily
by Tan Yi Liang

SHAH ALAM (March 15, 2013): The Bar Council received a complaint about a lawyer who represented mechanic K.Sarawanan at the Teluk Datok Magistrate's Court in 2010, the High Court heard today.

Bar Council Director of Complaints Tomis anak Peter Samat testified at the Datuk Sosilawati Lawiya murder trial that Sarawanan's father, N.Kandasamy had lodged a report against the law firm owned by Roslie Sulle.

To further questions from defence counsel Manjeet Singh Dhillon, Tomis said the complaint against Messrs' Sulle & Co was lodged in 2010.

She added that the Disciplinary Board found prima facie merit in the complaint and sent a show-cause letter to the law firm in the same year.

Tomis said that while a Disciplinary Committee of two lawyers and one layperson was set up two years ago, up to today, the Committee has yet to convene.

Sulle was one of three lawyers who represented Sarawanan when he and odd-job worker U.Suresh, 30, were charged for disposing evidence linked to the murders of Sosilawati and three others in 2010.

The two other lawyers are M. Puravalen and Muhammad Naguib Abdul Malik.

Both Sarawanan and Suresh are currently serving 20-year jail sentences after pleading guilty to the charges on Oct 15, 2010

However in his testimony on Thursday, Kandasamy claimed Sarawanan was tricked by Sulle into pleading guilty when he was charged at the Teluk Datok Magistrates Court.

He had told the court that Sulle had promised to ensure that Sarawanan would walk free, but told Sarawanan to nod to everything that was said to him when he was charged in court.

Sarawanan had pleaded guilty to burning the bodies of Sosilawati and three others.

Former lawyer N. Pathmanabhan, 43, and farmhands T. Thilaiyalagan, 21, R. Matan, 22, and R. Kathavarayan, 34, are currently on trial for the murders of Sosilawati and three others.

The three are bank officer Noorhisham Mohamad, 38, lawyer Ahmad Kamil Abdul Karim, 32, and driver Kamaruddin Shamsuddin, 44.

Pathmanaban , Thilayalagan, Matan and Khatavarayan allagedy committed the murders at Ladang Gadong, Lot 2001, Jalan Tanjong Layang in Tanjong Sepat, Banting, between 8.30pm and 9.45pm on Aug 30, 2010.

During further testimony this morning, Bar Council Membership Department officer C. Gayathry said Sulle and Naguib were no longer practicing lawyers.

Gayathry said Naguib had sent a letter of cessation in 2012 while Sulle did not renew his Annual Practicing Certificate for 2013.

Meanwhile, the last witness today – Hakem Arabi & Co dispatch rider S. Baskaran testified that he was told to "mampus" or get lost when he served a subpoena on a police officer on Thursday.

To questions from defence counsel Gurbachan Singh, Baskaran said he was told this by Assistant Comissioner of Police Abdul Aziz Zakaria, who was served a subpoena to attend court today.

Baskaran testified that Abdul Aziz said to him "You can get lost. If a warrant is to be issued, a warrant can be issued."

He added that Abdul Aziz refused to sign the subpoena, adding that Abdul Aziz said he would not attend court as he had other appointments.

During today's proceeding, High Court Judge Datuk Akhtar Tahir directed that an arrest warrant be issued and executed if Abdul Aziz did not appear in court by 11am.

However trial was subsequently adjourned to Monday, after Deputy Public Prosecutor Ishak Mohd Yusoff told Akhtar in chambers that Abdul Aziz was unable to be present in court, as he had a doctor's appointment at the National Heart Institute.

Jelajah MerdekaRakyat Kuala Lipis Pahang

24-Day Countdown to 13GE – Malaysians deserve a Cabinet and a Government which is not a laughing stock of the world because of the frequency of stupid statements and foolish acts by Ministers

I believe we are entering the final week when the 12th Parliament will at last be dissolved to pave the way for the holding of the long-awaited and much-postponed 13th General Elections next month.

This explains why UMNO/Barisan Nasional leaders are getting more and more panicky, with some even making hysterical statements, under the intense pressure of the impending 13GE, which cannot be postponed much further after the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak had put the country on an election campaign footing for close to four long years and breaching the five-year natural life of Parliament – and now just a week ahead of the automatic dissolution of the Negri Sembilan State Assembly on March 26!

Najib has said he wants Malaysia to become the world’s best democracy. Then Najib and Umno/BN leaders must first learn to accept Lesson One of the most basic prerequisites of a functioning normal democracy, i.e. to accept that their power in government is not a divine right but a trust granted by the people once every four or five years to be withdrawn or renewed in every general elections.

Up to now Najib and all the Umno/BN leaders have been conspicuously silent on what would be very routine and matter-of-fact in developed democracies all over the world – that they will submit to the verdict of the electorate in the impending general elections and if they lose the mandate to continue as the Federal government for the first time in 56 years, they would peacefully and democratically ensure a peaceful transition of power from Barisan Nasional to Pakatan Rakyat and they would all serve the role of a loyal Opposition in Parliament as the DAP had done in the past 47 years since the formation of DAP in 1966.

Are the Umno/BN leaders, including Najib, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin and Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hashim prepared to declare what would be so common-place and matter-of-fact in mature democracies – that they would respect the choice of the Malaysian electorate in the impending 13GE, including the mandate for a new Pakatan Rakyat Government and Prime Minister after 13GE?

There are examples galore of the stupid statements and foolish acts by Umno/BN leaders in recent days, all the way to the Prime Minister.

For instance, last Friday, Najib waxed eloquent in Tanah Merah, Kelantan about the “seven major sins” of the Opposition, which are lies and falsehoods in blatant violation of the Transparency International-Malaysia “Election Integrity Pledge” which he signed with such fanfare last month.

For instance, it is a downright lie for Najib to allege that the Kelantan PAS government had granted 10,000 acres (4,000 hectares) of land to two DAP Perak leaders, Datuk Ngeh Koo Ham and Nga Kor Ming, clearing the jungle in Lojing with the rhetorical question: “They give land to the DAP leaders but do the Kelantan people get any?”

This is downright unethical and irresponsible, a violation of the Election Integrity Pledge which Najib signed so solemnly last month, as the Prime Minister know better than anybody else that the 10,000 acres of land in Lojing were alienated by the Kelantan State Government to a company 13 years ago in 2,000, even before Ngeh and Nga were elected as MPs and State Assemblymen in the 2008 general elections.

If we want to dwell on the “major sins of Najib”, I don’t think seven would be adequate, even 7 times 7 would not be able to recount Najib’s “major sins” – may be, it will need to be 7 times 7 times 7!

Does Najib want the run-up to the 13GE be a competition as whether the Barisan Nasional or Pakatan Rakyat leaders have a longer list of “major sins”?

I am prepared to accommodate Najib, provided he says “yes”!

Today, Deputy Minister and UMNO Youth Deputy Chief, Razali Ibrahim, provided another example of stupid statements from Umno/BN leaders when he alleged that the “DAP’s ambition” to contest 15 out of 26 Parliamentary seats in Johore in the 13GE is proof of its domineering attitude in Pakatan Rakyat over its partners PAS and PKR.

I never said DAP wanted to contest in 15 Parliamentary seats in Johore. What I said is that Pakatan Rakyat comprising DAP, PKR and PAS must target 15 parliamentary seats with the objective of winning over one-third of the 26 parliamentary seats in the state, i.e. over nine or preferably twelve and above parliamentary seats to provide the necessary numbers for PR to succeed in the journey to Putrajaya.

I am not surprised that Umno/BN Ministers and deputy Ministers have proved to be “favourites” in making stupid statements and responsible for foolish acts.

This is one reason why there should be UBAH in the 13GE as there should be better calibre and more principled people in Cabinet as Malaysians deserve a Cabinet and a Government which is not a laughing stock of the world because of the frequency of stupid statements and foolish acts by Ministers.

BN Confident Of Winning 13th General Election - Muhyiddin

PUTRAJAYA, March 18 (Bernama) -- Despite facing a strong challenge, Barisan Nasional (BN) under the leadership of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak will win the 13th general election and continue to rule the country.

Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said this confidence is based on meticulous preparation by BN component parties after losing two-thirds majority in parliament in 12th general election.

He said BN component parties were injected with teamwork spirit and together with non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and voluntary bodies work hard to ensure that BN captures states lost to the opposition.

"The situation has generally improved. Numerous experts, think tanks and analysts said BN will win. They must have the facts and reasons for this.

"We expect to defend our seats but want to reinforce our position in focus areas," he said at 13th general election dialogue for Federal Territory, organised by Federal Territory Mubarak, Federal Territory Umno Veterans and Federal Territory Senior Retirees Umno Club.

The reformation and transformation implemented by the government to guarantee the future of the people and country have been recognised and accepted by the people.

Muhyiddin said as a visionary leader, Najib realised that a comprehensive and holistic reform involving all levels of society must be implemented to defend government policies and development achieved since independence.

"We want to defend this as we have created a country that is peaceful, safe and progressive for a long time. It is not easy to compare other countries which have achieved success and excellence such as Malaysia."

Muhyiddin who is also BN and Umno number two wants, BN leaders and members at all levels to give strong support to party candidates.

Recognising the strength of the opposition, BN will field winnable candidates but support from members is needed to avoid problems that could threaten the chance to win.

"The most important thing for us is that when a decision has been made (by the Prime Minister), leaders at division level should accept the candidates and not create problems to improve their chances of winning," he added.

No electoral pact with BN, says Waythamoorthy

INTERVIEW If the prime minister invites Hindraf, though he has not done so till today, it will submit the Hindraf blueprint for his endorsement.

“There are, however, several key differences between our expectations for a response from BN than from Pakatan. For BN to meet our expectations, it will have to come a very long way from where it stands today.

That will mean significant, positive changes in the BN's basic policies. I will inform the people of these developments and make a final decision with my supporters of what position to take in this election, given these developments,” Hindraf chief P Waythamoorthy told Malaysiakini in an exclusive interview during his hunger strike, which began a week ago.

The interview continues:

What is the real purpose of your hunger strike?

Waythamoorthy: We want our rights, our dignity. None is available. The government has cheated the Indians, though it continues to say that the Indians have all their rights.

We have been living in indignity for 57 years, without equal rights and opportunities. The real purpose of my hunger strike is to mount pressure on the government and the government-in-waiting to bring about a political change.

What is holding Pakatan back from giving you a final reply?

We don’t know. They said they agreed with the blueprint that we submitted in principle and intimated to us there would be a need for some minor changes, adjustments in language and terminology. We told them to tell us what they really wanted.

At the first meeting that we had with Anwar Ibrahim on Nov 1 (2012), I put it to him that we can deliver Indian votes and campaign for him. We can marshal the services of 2,000 volunteers at no cost to him.

In return for these services, we proposed that Pakatan should allocate seven parliamentary and 10 state seats to Hindraf to contest in the general election. This request, we made it clear, was open to further negotiations.

But we laid a precondition to our request for seats - without endorsing the blueprint, we will not accept any seat.

Anwar Ibrahim suggested that we meet with the Pakatan election strategists. We did. We explained to them, with statistics, how we can bring out every one of the 50 percent of the undecided Indian voters to their satisfaction.

We made it very clear to them that they should not take the Indian voters for granted. We repeated this to every leader of Pakatan and we also told them, “If you don’t want our assistance we will go our way.” Their “silence” was the only visible answer we got from them.

But they did say something. That is, they were looking forward for some “electoral cooperation” from Hindraf.

What would have been your reaction if Pakatan had rejected your request for seats, but endorsed your blueprint?

If Pakatan had told us that they would endorse our blueprint, but there would be no seat allocation, we would have agreed with this. We would then tell the Indian voters to vote for Pakatan. But, there would be no “electoral pact”. It means that we will not send our forces to the ground to campaign for them.

The public should take note that to-date, none of the top leaders of PAS, DAP and PKR had rejected Hindraf’s request for seat allocations, nor did they complain about it. It is the lower-ranking Indian leaders within Pakatan who are complaining.

What will you do if the prime minister invites you?

From the day of my return, I have been clear and consistent in my proposal to have the 57-year-old Indian problems solved. My proposal is the same to both the government and the government-in-waiting.

If the prime minister invites me, I will submit to him the same blueprint that I had submitted to Pakatan and ask for his endorsement of it. For them to meet our expectations, they will have to come a long way from where they stand today. That will mean significant changes in their basic policies.

This will not be easy at all. But if after all that, they do endorse the blueprint to our satisfaction, then this will be a revolution of sorts we would have created for all Malaysians. I will inform the people of these developments and I will call for an urgent national convention of our supporters to decide on the possibility of supporting BN.

Why do you want seats held or contested by MIC and not that of Umno or other components of BN? 

We want a regime change through an electoral pact with Pakatan for resolving the Indian problems. We want to oust MIC because that party has been with BN. BN has been the cause of the marginalisation of the Indians.

Actually, MIC, throughout the 57 years of BN rule, has immensely contributed to the marginalisation of the Indians by colluding with BN. In this way we do not ask for incumbent Pakatan seats but would work with Pakatan to eliminate MIC completely.

Of Hindraf’s six specific proposals, namely, 1) 800,000 internally displaced estate workers; 2) 350,000 stateless people; 3) The denial of adequate and equal educational opportunities; 4) Unequal employment and business opportunities; 5) The impunity of the Royal Malaysian Police (PDRM); and 6) The standards of human rights practice.

Pakatan chief Anwar Ibrahim had offered to include five points in his party’s manifesto, namely, a) Resolving the ‘long-standing issue of stateless people’ in Malaysia, without excluding Indians, in the first 100 days of Pakatan’s administration; b) Technical training and job opportunities for school leavers, stressing the major beneficiaries to be the Indian community; c) Ensuring all Tamil schools will be fully funded, and their infrastructure comparable to the national educational standards; d) A government National Housing Board to build affordable homes that includes focus on helping build freehold homes for ex-estate workers around the country; and e) The setting up of the Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission (IPCMC).

What more do you expect from Pakatan, especially when there is nothing from the BN?

Briefly, the offer said to have been made by Anwar Ibrahim does not in any way truly reflect Hindraf’s blueprint for resolving the Indian problems permanently. The six blueprint proposals actually break out into 23 specific interventions and plans. Out of these, Anwar has picked to address only five.

What we seek, and this is key, is that the interventions must be comprehensive and permanent for them to have the effect of correcting the socio-economic problems of these people.

Anwar has not addressed the primary issue of 800,000 displaced estate workers who were displaced and disenfranchised without alternative land and houses for settlement, alternative job opportunity training/skills, specific economic programmes tailored as result of state-induced displacement.

Our blueprint lays out specific economic programmes like Felda. There is also a budget worked out by us which amounts to RM4.5 billion per annum, which is 1.8 percent of the national budget.

On the issue of statelessness, one has to appreciate that the Indians face problems because they could not prove their birth. We proposed a statutory declaration by two Malaysian citizens confirming their birth in Malaysia as sufficient to resolve their problem. We do not trust vague promises; we want a firm procedure laid out.

In all of these ways, Anwar’s proposal does not meet even a fraction of our proposals. There is no reference to our sixth proposal which is to ratify two UN covenants - one on civil and political rights and the other on elimination of racial discrimination. For a coalition that struts its democratic credentials, this omission is ominous.

In addition, that there must be an endorsement of our blueprint by way of an agreement, still remains unanswered. We want Pakatan to sign an agreement with Hindraf that upon forming the government, it will implement the terms of the agreement.

What will you do if both the BN and the Pakatan ignore you and your blueprint?

We have a number of options, one of which is to advise the Indians not to cast their votes. Of course, either one party will be elected to power. But, we can be sure that it will not be a strong government, and will compel them to engage Hindraf in the next election.

At that point, they will realise the importance of winning the Indian votes and will, in all likelihood, strike a deal with us. Look at Selangor, the Ijok by-election in which Khalid Ibrahim lost to the BN candidate. But in the 2008 general election, with the swing caused by Hindraf tsunami, the Indians in that constituency supported Khalid and he won.

We have also been persuaded by many supporters to go for three-corner contests. We will decide on this option at the appropriate time.

You had said previously, during the Hindraf rally, that politicians are akin to fireflies. What are you doing with them now?

I agree that all those activities that I have been talking about are political activities.

Parliament is not a monopoly of the politicians. It is a house of the people, where all segments of the people are represented. Though not a political party Hindraf is a movement to bring about political change. Therefore, we intend to go to Parliament as the “people’s movement” and we have the right to do it.

We have qualified and capable people. We have proved our commitments in various ways, for example, Hindraf had organised campaigns against violations of human rights in the UN, the US Congress, the European, UK, Holland and Belgium parliaments, India, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and Human Rights Defendants.

In Malaysia, we are at  the forefront of the various campaigns against human rights violations concerning the Indians and institutionalised racism.

I have said previously that politicians are like fireflies. They glow, but you get no fire from them.

Politicians do not have a track record of resolving issues concerning the people. They ride on the issues to gain political mileage.

They know the issues raised by Hindraf. They chanted “Makkal sakthi” and “Long live Hindraf” to solve the issues. They did all these because they wanted to gain mileage. They used the issues to ride to political power. But they failed even to make an attempt to solve the issues of Indians. They glow, but produce no fire! That is my view of politicians.

In addition to the seats asked for, was there any proposal for a Ministry of Minority Affairs headed by Hindraf?

The request for a Ministry of Minority Affairs and our offer to head the ministry are clearly an integral part of our proposals. The ministry proposal is premised on a theory of development for all marginalised minority communities in Malaysia.

Our blueprint makes specific provision for other minorities, including Orang Asal, natives of Sabah and Sarawak, the physically challenged, etc. This theory postulates that to correct specific weaknesses in the economy the efforts must be focused and targeted.

For this to be done, there must be adequate financial and other resource allocations and adequate allocation of authority to those responsible for implementation.

Taking a macro approach to allocations of funds and resources to generalised weaknesses in the economy and then hoping for the trickle down of the allocations to correct a specific, sticky and multifaceted problem deep within the economy is an approach that is inconsistent with the reality of a leaky and self-interest driven implementation bureaucracy.

That is what the BN government has been doing all these years through their five-year development plans. Unless there is this paradigm change, the desired corrections will be a pie in the sky.

As far as the leadership of this ministry is concerned, we believe it is best handled by those most motivated to bring about these changes. Hindraf is well-positioned, both from the point of motivation as well as from the point of capability, to address the various challenges along the way.

The Umno racist bureaucracy is waiting down the hall to kill any effort like this and they will be there every step of the way. Tenacity and high levels of motivation are absolutely necessary to fight them and see the programme through. Hindraf is offering to take this challenge. We seek to head this ministry for one term only and thereafter it should  be headed by any one of the other minority communities.

You have described BN and Pakatan as “puppets”. Why do you then seek collaboration/partnership with them as it will make you an integral part of the puppets to serve the interests of the “puppet masters”?

When we say puppets, what we mean is these entities do not have independent policy power. They have to submit to the dictates of the elites. Given that and the fact that the elite see no strategic interest in our blueprint proposals, it is a sure non-starter if the blueprint implementation is left entirely to them.

Hindraf represents the working-class Indians and will fight to break the stranglehold of the elite over such people orientated efforts.

And if the price for Pakatan getting to Putrajaya is to incorporate some elements of the working class into their stable, then they have to take us on.

That is why we ask for the dedicated ministry with necessary budgetary allocations, authority and resources upfront itself. This way, we will come out of the grips of the elite somewhat. We only want to do this to serve the interest of the working poor, and to do this outside the grips of the puppet masters.

Will Hindraf seek to become the Indian wing of the Pakatan as MIC is the leading Indian wing of the BN?

Hindraf exists today only because of the inherent ethnic inequalities entrenched in our system. We represent the worst victims of this bias. Will this bias go away in the foreseeable future? The answer is clearly “no”. Will it go away in the long run?

Quite likely, because the movement for such change has begun and is gathering momentum. In the meantime we have a period of transition. During this transition all segments in our present ethnocentric society need to be robustly represented in the political process.

Yes, you can look at us representing the poor Indians during this transition period in an alliance as equal partners against the conservative forces.

The present multiracial memberships of DAP and PKR are no substitute for this, as the true hold on power lies where the numbers are. Indians are outnumbered in every case and have no effective representation power.

We saw it clearly in the recent Manifesto Rakyat fiasco. When equality and social justice become fundamental values in our system, and rule based on ethnicity is eliminated, there will be no more need for Hindraf and Hindraf will just wither away.

---

JIWI KATHAIAH is a member of the Malaysiakini team.

53 days on, Sugumar's last rites still can't be done

53 days C Sugumar, who allegedly died in police custody 53 days ago, has yet to have his last rites because his family is facing political pressure pressure to prevent their pathologist of choice – Thailand's Dr Pornthip Rojanasunand - from conducting a second autopsy.

The family of the deceased is now placed in a difficult position between choosing to complete the necessary Hindu rituals for the youngest son or wait in the hope of receiving closure from a second autopsy that is no where in sight, said family lawyer N Surendran.

Surendran said according to Hindu practices, special ceremonies were needed on the 16th and 30th day from when the body is cremated.

But until now, they cannot do it because the second autopsy still cannot be conducted and the remains is still in Hospital Sedang's morgue, said Surendran.

"On Friday, Sugumar's family already went to the Prime Minister's Office to present a letter of demand for the premier (Najib Abdul Razak) to withdraw the ban on Pornthip so the second autopsy can be conducted.

"We will wait another 48 hours for an answer or else we will be forced to make a larger peaceful gathering to press the family's demands," he told Malaysiakini.

Pornthip had initially accepted the request for her services but it later retracted on advise from the Thai government.
Turmeric powder

She was previously engaged by the Selangor government for her expertise in the controversial death of DAP political aide Teoh Beng Hock who was found dead on July 15, 2009, on the fifth floor of the Malaysian Anti Corruption Commission (MACC) headquarters in Shah Alam after plunging from the 14th floor.

It was later revealed that the Thai Ministry of Justice had in an internal report expressed concern that her involvement may court the displeasure of the Malaysian government.

In the ministry's internal report sighted by Malaysiakini, it stated: "In the case of Mr Sugumar’s death, which happened in Selangor - a state governed by the opposition - the Malaysian government may again worry that Dr Pornthip’s action, her interviews or any of her statements may be exploited by the opposition, which will impact negatively on the government at a time when the general election is approaching".

Najib has dismissed claims that the Malaysian government was blocking Pornthip from providing her services to Sugumar's family as a "fairy tale".

Sugumar was on Jan 23 found dead in handcuffs with his face covered in turmeric powder after being detained by police.

The first autopsy which was conducted at Hospital Serdang concluded that Sugumar died of a heart attack - a conclusion rejected by his family.

‘Video recording of explicit act not Umno’s work’

Umno Information Chief Ahmad Maslan urges the people to watch the video and make their own judgement.

MALACCA: Umno has denied the party is involved with a video grab showing explicit act resembling a political figure with a male partner.

Information chief Ahmad Maslan said the opposition will certainly blame Umno but the party had never arranged such perverse act in a hotel room.

“The opposition thinks everything is the work of Umno including the intrusion of Lahad Datu. We don’t have the time to put cameras in hotel rooms,” he told reporters after opening a briefing for information speakers here today.

He said this when commenting on a video grab showing two men involved in explicit act, including hugs and kisses, on the blog rajagoyang360.blogspot.com.

The Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department said the people could judge who was the political figure shown in the video recording.

“Don’t dismiss without watching the video. Watch it and then make your own judgement,” he added.

Meanwhile, Ahmad called on the Umno and Barisan Nasional machinery to have confidence that the party could win two-thirds majority in 13th general election.

The confidence was based on the success of programmes and policies implemented by the government under the leadership of Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak.

He said the opposition did not have any strength and had failed to fufill promises made to the people other than having leaders who were involved with various scandals.

Yesterday, Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim lashed out at Umno’s “political gimmick” in producing a video clip involving a man resembling him.

“I have already said that I deny it. This is a disgusting political gimmick executed by Umno,” he said, adding that he has asked his lawyers to handle the possibility of taking legal action against the bloggers who uploaded the series of 14 black-and-white photos.

Help us win S’gor, Najib tells Indians

The Selangor BN chief pledges to establish a Little India in Selangor and allow residential shrines.

KLANG: Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak today pledged to establish a ‘Little India’ in Klang and permit Hindu altars in private residentials should Indians help Barisan Nasional to recapture Selangor in the upcoming polls.

Rolling out a string of goodies at a MIC-organised rally in Meru today, Najib also took a swipe at the Pakatan Rakyat-led state government for allegedly demolishing seven Hindu temples in their five-year rule.

“The difference between Pakatan and BN is, we gave huge allocations to the Hindu houses of worship, whereas they had destructed seven temples, including an altar built in a private house in Sepang.

“We would like to ask them, under what reason and authority do they have to demolish a private altar?” he asked, in reference to the demolition done by Sepang Municipal Council last November.

Najib, who recently named himself as the Selangor BN chief, also pledged to turn Jalan Tengku Kelana into a Little India resembling Brickfields if BN wins back the state. Jalan Tengku Kelana is, as it is, unofficially known as Little India for its Indian businesses here.

“I would also resolve the Bukit Jalil Estate issue,” he said, referring to the land tussle between a federal agency and the former estate workers who had been occupying the land.

The 41 families are demanding for compensations and a plot of land in exchange for them to vacate their houses, but the demands have not been heeded so far.

Najib also announced that Indian students would be allowed to take a maximum 12 subjects, including Tamil language and Tamil literature, in Sijil Pelajaran Malaysian (SPM), as opposed to the previously announced 10.

Najib’s many promises to the Indian community today can be seen as a last ditch efforts to shore up Indian support for BN before a crucial general election which is imminent.

‘We fulfill our promises’

Besides promising future plans, the premier also boasted about his government aids to the community since 2009, including RM540 million allocations to Tamil schools, 5,000 identification cards to stateless Indians, RM150 million microcredit scheme and RM30 million Tekun loans.

Najib said the BN achievements were in stark contrast to Pakatan which promised to maintain all non-Muslims houses of worship in Selangor and preserve Kampung Buah Pala in Penang but failed to fulfill them.

“Selangor Menteri Besar Khalid (Ibrahim) even claimed that a manifesto is not a promise. If that is the case, then what is the worth of a manifesto?

“In BN, it always promise fulfilled. In Pakatan, it always empty promise,” he said.

He also said Pakatan has lied to the Indian community again when they justified that their latest election manifesto did not mention about Indian welfare because the manifesto transcended racial boundaries.

“This is a lie. The real reason is because they are taking Indian support for granted,” he said.

The MIC-organised rally started at noon and attracted some 40,000 people to SMK Meru.

The rally was touted to be the second show of strength for MIC, after the party successfully drew close to 100,000 Indians to its “Unity Ponggal” festival at Dataran Merdeka last month.

Ganesan: Pakatan not taking Hindraf seriously

The dilemma of PI Bala's lawyer

During the Bar Council annual general meeting yesterday, lawyer Americk Sidhu dropped a bombshell that could well shake Malaysia's corridors of power.

Americk was debating a motion on setting up an independent committee to investigate the author of P Balasubramaniam's infamous second statutory declaration.

He claimed that he had met the author, lawyer Cecil Abraham, who told him that he had done so on the instruction of then deputy premier Najib Abdul Razak.

Efforts has been made to contact Cecil since Deepak Jaikishan first made the allegation. In January, Malaysiakini had a chance encounter with Cecil, but he refused to address the allegation.

The full text of Americk's speech follows:

1. Whenever I have had to make a decision in the past, I have always been guided by a very simple principle enshrined in the phrase “do the right thing”.

2. Yesterday afternoon I lost my friend and my client.

3. P Balasubramaniam was probably the bravest man I have ever had the privilege of being acquainted with and it has been an honour serving him over the last 5 years.

4. I have spent the last 20 hours or so in complete mental torment because I have information I am obliged not to reveal.

5. The situation has now changed dramatically.

6. I have tried applying the “do the right thing” principle to the situation I am now faced with but I find that this is diametrically opposed to what I thought I understood.

7. I am about to sacrifice my integrity and my honour, but I believe this must be done to preserve the integrity and the honour of those who are no longer here to defend themselves and because I think it is the right thing to do.

8. I am about to break an understanding I said I wouldn’t.

9. I am about to relinquish on a promise I solemnly made.

10. I am about to breach the sacrosanct confidentiality rule.

11. But I know this has to be done or I will not be able to live with myself.

12. I know this has to be done as a mark of respect for the sacrifices made by Bala, who fought so hard and suffered so much only because he believed what he was doing was right.

13. A little more than two weeks ago I was paid a visit by Tan Sri Cecil Abraham. This meeting was brokered by another lawyer and who was also present with us.

14. Tan Sri Cecil Abraham confessed to me that he did indeed draft the infamous 2nd SD without the instructions of my client and he apologised for doing so.

15. He informed me that he had been instructed to do this by Najib Tun Razak.

16. I accepted his apology and assured him his admission would remain between us.

17. I informed Bala of this and he agreed to keep it between ourselves.

18. I have now broken that promise I solemnly made and I am not proud of myself.

19. I do this in memory of a great Malaysian. A man who stood fast in the face of adversity and at great personal sacrifice.

20. A man who I am sure, would probably still be alive today had he not spent the last 5 years permanently glued to a computer screen trying to find out all he could on the happenings in his motherland, from a faraway place he and his family were unceremoniously banished to.

21. I can only take solace in the fact that he will finally be laid to rest in the homeland he loved and in the presence of those he cared for.

22. Bala, this is the very least I can do for you.

23. May your soul rest in eternal peace. Amen.

Americk Sidhu
March 16, 2013

Hindraf Chief: I don't know what else to do