Kohilan: Waytha playing his role as deputy minister

Amidst calls by fellow cabinet members for Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department P Waythamoorthy to step down, the latter has found support in Gerakan vice-president A Kohilan Pillay who called on the senator to “shouder on”.

Kohilan (left) said that Waythamoorthy was only “playing his role” as deputy minister when he “voiced his concern” over the police shooting of five Indian suspected gang members in Sungai Nibong, Penang last week.

“Waythamoorthy was only playing his role as the deputy minister in the Prime Minister’s Department tasked with the responsibility to uplift the Indian community.

“It is understandable and reasonable for him to stand up defending the Indian community and to a greater scope the whole society on the grounds of universal human rights against any forms of social injustice and violence” he wrote in a statement today, saying such a move must not be frowned upon.

As such, Kohilan said there was no need for ministers such as Home Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, to “jump the gun” against constructive criticism “ well-meant to help and improve the enforcement by the police and local security”.

“It is hugely important for government leaders to be more open to criticism. Waythamoorthy should soldier on and not to compromise on any unreasonable demands to quit the cabinet simply out of their unwillingness to accept criticism,” said Kohilan.

Aside Ahmad Zahid (right), Youth and Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin, and Defence Minister Hishammuddin Hussein had all called for Waythamoorthy’s resignation if he can’t stand in line with the government.

This was followed by Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak himself, who told the senator to “toe the government line” as the latter is a member of the government.

Waythamoorthy was leading the Indian rights NGO Persatuan Hindraf Malay when he was handpicked by Najib as a senator.

IGP: Politicians in gangs? Never heard of it

Najib: Waytha should toe government line

Sex workers forced to leave brothel

The ravaged Madaripur Brothel in the district town’s Puranabazar area after several hundred Islamist activists ransacked and looted it yesterday in an attempt to free Madaripur of prostitutes. The attack left around 500 sex workers of the 250-year-old brothel homeless. Photo: Star

A brothel in Madaripur town was attacked allegedly by Islamist activists and nearly 500 sex workers were forced out of it yesterday.

Several hundred activists of Islahe Qoum Parishad stormed the brothel at Puranbazar around 11:00am. They beat up at least 30 women who did not want to leave what they call home for generations, said Mamata Rani, president of Bandhobi Nari Sangha, an organisation of sex workers.
The attackers ransacked the 250-year-old brothel and looted valuables, she alleged.

The attack was made despite a July 22 High Court ruling, in which the home ministry and police were asked not to harass residents of the brothel and to allow the sex workers to continue with their occupation for a year.

Responding to a petition by the rights organisation Ain O Salish Kendra, the court also ordered removal of the signboards hung on the four gates of the brothel, which prohibited clients of the sex workers from entering the brothel from sunset to sunrise.

Police fired several blank shots to bring the situation under control yesterday. In their presence, the inmates left the brothel.

Asked why police did not ensure their protection in the red-light quarter, Madaripur Superintendent of Police Khandoker Faridul Islam said, “The brothel is not authorised by the government.”
The sex workers had rented several houses there, and despite the owners’ repeated requests to leave, they continued to stay, he added.

The SP also said the owners yesterday morning went to that place along with some “respected” people of the neighbourhood and urged the residents to move out. But the sex workers brandished kitchen knives to scare them away. As the news spread, several hundred people flocked to the spot and began hurling brickbats at the sex workers.

However, Moulana Sharif Mujibul Haque, president of Madaripur Islahe Qoum Parishad, said activists of the organisation had made the attack.

“The Parishad has long been campaigning for a Madaripur free of prostitutes. Though the shipping minister [who is from the district] promised their rehabilitation, none of the sex workers moved out. This angered people and that is why they have dislodged them,” said Moulana Sharif.

The Islamist group staged a series of angry demonstrations in recent months and demanded the authorities dismantle the brothel, saying it was corrupting young men in the town.
Some sex workers, seeking anonymity, said that despite assurances of rehabilitation, nothing had been done as yet.

Yesterday’s incident, they added, was aimed at paving the way for influential locals to grab the valuable land.

Meanwhile, at a press conference organised by Sex-workers’ Network at the Jatiya Press Club in the capital, speakers demanded punishment to those who had attacked and driven out the inmates of the brothel in Madaripur.

“The land on which the brothel stands is quite precious since it is located in the heart of the town. Seventy-five percent of the land was either purchased or inherited by the sex workers. Since May this year, Islamist organisations under the influence of political leaders made several attempts to force the sex workers out,” said Joya Sikhder, president of the organisation.

In a press release, the National Human Rights Commission condemned the incident, saying it was deeply concerned over the security and rehabilitation of the evicted sex workers.

‘I don’t’: Man kills cousin for refusing to marry him

Sumaira had shared her fears with her parents and wanted to shift to the university hostel temporarily. PHOTO: FILE 

MULTAN:A man has been accused of killing his cousin for turning down his marriage proposal.

 

Muhammad Abdur Rehman said his daughter Sumaira was studying Botany at Bahauddin Zakaria University. He said she was living with her maternal family in Mumtazabad colony in Multan.
He said her cousin, 26-year-old Muhammad Asif, had sent a marriage proposal for Sumaira through his parents last week. He said his daughter did not want to marry Muhammad Asif because she felt that they were not compatible due to his extreme religious views.

He said after she turned down his proposal, Asif threatened Sumaira for one week.
He said Sumaira shared her fears with her parents and wanted to shift to the university hostel temporarily.

He said they could not afford the hostel fee and advised her to continue living with her maternal family.

He said on Tuesday afternoon, she returned home from the university and met Asif at the door of the house. He asked her to change her mind. When she refused, he shot her six times. She died on the spot.

Witnesses detained Asif and beat him before handing him over to the police.
Published in The Express Tribune, August 29^th, 2013.

Police take artwork over alleged religious insult

Police have taken a piece from the M50 Selamat Hari Malaysia art exhibition as part of its investigation into an alleged religious insult by artist Anurendra Jegadeva.

The piece 'I is for Idiot', part of the 'ABC For The Middle-Age Middle Classes' body of work, was taken this afternoon from the Publika Mall where it is being displayed.

Curators have taken down the rest of Anurendra's work, that was showing at the mall's throrughfare, for safekeeping.
It is understood that a police report was lodged yesterday against the piece for an alleged insult to Islam, as it included Arabic words commonly used in Islamic prayer, which mean 'In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful'.
Anurendra has not been detained but he may be called in to give a statement to police on the matter tomorrow. 
The artist is expected to release a statement on the matter soon.

The work features a chimpanzee in a helmet and jacket riding a bicycle while in the background is a military pilot and the words “Mission Accomplished”.

Under the bicycle is a flag with red and white stripes, skull and crossbones and stars, and the Arabic words printed in mirror image.

NGO sees multi-layer of insults

However, Islamic NGO Muafakat which lodged the report, perceived the flag as the Malaysian flag and that the chimpanzee as a depiction of Islam or Muslims. 

In his blog, Muafakat secretary-general A Karim Omar said that the work “appears to say that Islam is for idiots”.

He added that the Arabic words printed in mirror image “clearly show that the artist’s ill-intentions” as the works ‘J is for Jesus’ and ‘K is for Krishna’ “did not have any elements of insults”.

He said that police are investigating the matter under Section 298A of the Penal Code which deals with insults to religion.

The M50 Selamat Hari Malaysia show features 50 Malaysian artists, touching on a broad range of subjects including thorny issues of corruption and poor governance.

It is co-organised by Balai Seni Visual Negara, MapKL@Publika and the Ministry of Culture and Tourism. 
Earlier, landscape artist Ng Sek San’s work Malaysian Spring which was adopted by pro-Pakatan Rakyat individuals in the lead-up to the 13th general election was not allowed to be part of the M50 show.

As a compromise, his work is showing at the mall’s Art Row, next to the M50 exhibition along with two other artists.

Madras Cafe still under review

The Film Censorship Board has not received any protest memorandum against the Hindi Movie, Madras Cafe, which depicts India's involvement in Sri Lanka's conflict with LTTE.

PETALING JAYA: Film Censorship Board is still reviewing the Hindi movie Madras Cafe and has not received any protest memorandum to ban the film.

Film Censorship Board chairman Raja Azhar Raja Abdul Manaf said there were applications from the cinemas to screen the movie.

The movie depicts the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Elam (LTTE) as a terrorist organisation and this has raised the ire of Tamil Nadu state in India and other countries.

The movie is banned in Tamil Nadu.

On Monday, a coalition of Tamil non-governmental organisations in Malaysia opposed the screening of the movie.

Tamil Progressive Team chief MA Kalaimughilan accused Bollywood actor John Abraham, who is a co-producer of the movie, of making a film with advice from Sri Lanka government.

“We have sent our objections to the Home Ministry,” he said.

However, Raja Azhar said the censorship board did not receive any protest memorandum against the movie.

The movie, starring Abraham is a story about India’s involvement in Sri Lanka’s conflict with LTTE.

Abraham plays the role of a Research Analysis Wing (RAW) agent, an Indian equivalent of Britain’s MI-6.

Maths, Science grades classified as secret?

In 2003 the Trends International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMMS) ranked Malaysia as 10th out of 46 countries for Mathematics, now we are 36th.

KUCHING: A baffled opposition here has questioned Education Ministry’s need to classify students’ SPM grades in Mathematics and Science subjects under the Official Secrets Act (OSA).

Sarawak DAP chief Chong Chieng Jen had written to the ministry seeking a breakdown of the grades for General Mathematics, Additional Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry and English Language for the years 2006-2012 and was told that the information was “secret”

“I cannot understand why Mathemaics and Science grades are classified under the Official Secrets Act (OSA). How can revealing the grades jeopardise national security?” he asked.

Chong told a press conference here that he wanted the statistics after observing obvious drops in Science and Mathematics standards among Malaysian students in recent years.

Chong said he was disappointed and surprised when he received a reply from an officer from the Education Ministry three weeks ago following his request.

It a short reply, the ministry said: “According to the Education Act 1996, Part II, Section 4(b), producing examination papers, preparing examination materials, and ensuring the safety and confidentiality of the examination papers and materials including marks obtained by the candidates are confidential and is under the Malaysia Official Secrets Act”.

Chong has however denied the existence of such a law. He claimed the lawnet.com.my portal had no mention of such a regulation.

“It had nothing to do with examination results at all,” said Chong who provided copies of the ministry letter and the relevant Education Act subsection to the reporters.

Chong said he has since forwarded his written questions to the Education Minister Muhyiddin Yassin for the upcoming Parliament sitting.

Chong said he based his parliamentary question on Malaysia’s sudden drop in standing within the Trends International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMMS).

Additional Maths passmark is 20?


TIMSS is an international assessment of Mathematics and Science knowledge of students aging 9-10 and 13-14 worldwide.

He said standard for Malaysian students in Mathematics and Science had noticeably dropped since 1997.

Malaysia is currently ranked 36th in Mathematics and 32nd in Science among 45 participating countries for the eight graders’ ranking.

In 2007 Malaysia was ranked 20th out of 49 countries for Mathematics, while it was 21st in Science.

He said that in the 2003 TIMSS ranking, Malaysia was ranked 10th out of 46 countries.

Chong said he had heard rumours in connection with the ‘secrecy’ relating to the SPM grades.

“There are suspicions that the current passing marks for Additional Maths in SPM are as low as 20.

“I’ve asked about what is actually the passing mark for the subject, but I could not get it. It ought to be disclosed.

“This is shocking. The (Education) minister should give a written statement publicly on this issue alone,” opined Chong.

He however disagreed with the suggestion that the drops in Mathematics and Science standard among Malaysian students were indications that the country’s education system was a failure.

“But it defies logic to be so secretive about the examination grades,” Chong said.

How to become a gang member?

 

Bold move: Some gang members gesturing in this photo on Facebook.

Secret societies are open to all. You don't need an A or a good looking face to join. Just like other societies in schools, secret societies welcome new members, have organised cadres and are active in promoting their activities.

Tay Tian Yan, Sin Chew Daily

In Malaysia, almost everyone has the opportunity to join secret society without difficulty.

If you are a young man, you will have 50% more chance.

Secret societies are open to all. You don't need an A or a good looking face to join.

Just like other societies in schools, secret societies welcome new members, have organised cadres and are active in promoting their activities.

Hong Men, Wah Kee, 04, 36, and Satu Hati are fighting for new members with Scouts, St. John Ambulance, Chinese Society, and Tamil Society.

For some students, secret societies are more attractive than uniformed groups. It is so hard to be a uniformed group member as they would have to march under the hot sun; learn tying knots and first aid; memorise all the rules and go around to raise fund.

It is more relaxing to join secret societies. All you need is to make a vicious face and give orders.

As for fundraising, there is no need to beg. Just ask, "you want to give or not?" After deducting the part for the boss, you can even keep the rest.

Moreover, it is so cool to be a gang member. It can even meet the desire for power, peer fear, and admiration from the opposite sex.

There are also admiration from the society.

Hong Kong-based comic Oriental Heroes demonstrated secret societies as a world of justice. Slashing, burning, kidnapping are necessary means while blood and violence are heroic acts.

Ten-year-old children have already agreed with these behaviours and joining secret societies became their great ambition.

A Better Tomorrow, Young and Dangerous and Infernal Affairs have become classics in the Chinese movie industry. Misbehaviours are covered by brotherhood love while violence are shown more effective than the rule of law.

Fifteen-year-old teenagers are so excited after watching these movies and immediately, they join a secret society so that they can be heroes, too.

Schools attended by Indian young people, their living environment and cultural ecologies are having even higher exposure to secret societies compared to the Chinese.

Please think, how have we actually educated our children and what kind of environment has been provided to them?

Under such an environment, there is no need to teach them. From input to output, it would be as easy as a straight line for secret societies to get members.

Therefore, the headline of this article should instead be "How to avoid becoming gang member".

It is much more difficult to answer this question.

First of all, never ever send your children to secret society preparatory schools. Please do whatever possible to avoid schools with signs of existence of secret societies.

Secondly, search and destroy all gang-themed comics, movie DVDs and books. Please do not hesitate even to smash your 52-inch television if you have to.

Thirdly, track the whereabouts of your children and understand what they are thinking. Develop their ideas of right and wrong and instil the rule of law concept of civilisation to lead them towards a bright future, and help them get the courage and confidence to overcome setbacks and keep pursuing their goals.

Lastly, if all the above methods fail, you can arrange a trip to visit the Simpang Renggam Jail, so that they can see the fate of gangsters. It might bring a shocking and preventive effect.

Are we breeding bigotry at home?

The people in this story happen to be Chinese and Christian. Which serves as a reminder, at a time when we are rolling our eyes at the ignorance and intolerance of Muslim authorities, that no one has a monopoly on bigotry.

Deborah Loh, fz.com
WITH the government and religious authorities taking an increasingly hard line on race and religion, you can be forgiven if you feel that there is little to celebrate this Merdeka Day and Malaysia Day.

That said, it's time Malaysians stop allowing those in power to define what "unity" (read: conformity), "respect" (read: Sedition Act) and "tolerance" (read: acquiesce to the feelings of one race and religion) mean.

It's time more Malaysians take things into their own hands, where they can and with what influence they have, to mitigate the bigotry that is poisoning the nation's soul.

What do I mean? Here's a story to explain:

I recently helped a friend take a class of young teens on a photography trip to different houses of worship. The group of one dozen kids were all urban, Chinese and Christian. The idea was to familiarise them with religions other than their own, besides learning some photography basics.

The kids, aged 11, 12 and 13, were accompanied by four adults who acted as teachers and chaperones. We meandered around the Petaling Street area. We walked to Masjid Jamek but found it closed to tourists due to renovations. We then went to the Taoist temple and the Sri Mahamariamman Hindu temple on Jalan Tun H S Lee.

For some of the teens, it was to be their first time in a house of worship of another faith, having been born into Christian families and being raised in an almost-wholly Christian environment all their young lives.

As we approached the two temples, some of the teens began a discussion on how "scary" they thought temples were.

"Those statues freak me out," a girl declared.

"The Hindu gods are all half-naked. It's disturbing!" a boy commented.

"My mum says we shouldn't go to such places because there are evil spirits!" shrieked the same girl.

"Do we really have to go inside?" the boy said plaintively.

"Yes, that's the plan for this trip," I said.

"Then I'm gonna delete all the photos of the temples after this!" he announced.

Read more at: http://www.fz.com/content/are-we-breeding-bigotry-home#ixzz2dK50dAHk 

Blame Najib, not Waytha

By Sonia Ramachandran

SHAH ALAM: Blame Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak instead of getting upset with Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department senator P Waythamoorthy.

This is the opinion of political scientist Dr Wong Chin Huat when asked about the recent call by Defence Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein, Home Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and Youth and Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin for Waythamoorthy to step down if he still wants to act as a representative of a non-governmental organisation.

The ministers made the call when they accused Waythamoorthy of not valuing collective responsibility in the government when he questioned the “execution-style” shooting by the police of five alleged Indian gang members in Penang.

But Waythamoorthy is digging in and is not about to toe the government line, saying that he joined the Najib administration precisely to “solve these complex problems in appropriate ways”.

Although Wong agreed that under the principle of collective government responsibility Waythamoorthy had crossed the line, he questioned Najib’s rationale in bringing him (Waythamoorthy) into the government.

“Now that Waythamoorthy has joined the government, he would have expected human rights to be more respected and for Indians not to be gunned down so easily.

“Has Waythamoorthy got that impression? Then that person who would have sold that expectation to him is the prime minister. Where is the prime minister? Why are the ministers and the deputy minister fighting?

“Waythamoorthy should be blamed at most for his naivety. The person who should actually be blamed is Najib,” said Wong.

On whether Waythamoorthy should leave the government, the outspoken Wong said: “I think Waythamoorthy should hold Najib responsible and ask him what happened to the deal struck between them.

“He should ask Najib why he was brought into the government? He must hold him accountable before he walks out. If he just leaves, he will look like a newbie in politics.”

In April this year, Waythamoorthy, the Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf) leader, had signed a memorandum of understanding with the Barisan Nasional government to improve the economic condition of the Indian community.

After the general election, he was appointed a senator and handpicked by Najib as a deputy minister in the Prime Minister’s Department in charge of Indian affairs.

Social scientist Datuk Dr Denison Jayasooria, however, feels that Waythamoorthy’s concern (over the shooting incident) was wrongly perceived.

“He is not obstructing or interfering with police work but has raised concerns over the shooting, the circumstances and the explanation provided. This is something the community and political leaders must do without fear or favour,” said Denison.

He agreed that there were different channels to raise questions once a person held a federal post but stressed that there was no harm in raising public concern over issues of public importance.

“The matter was not about questioning a cabinet decision but was an expression of concern on the way the shooting was carried out and the explanation given,” said Denison.

He said that the decision on whether Waythamoorthy should stay or go should be the prerogative of the prime minister as it was the latter who appointed him.

Uproot the core of gangsterism

Secret societies are backed by influential people in Malaysia, says NGO.

KUALA LUMPUR: The police are barking up the wrong tree on issues to curtail gangsterism, says a newly formed crime watch NGO today.

V Ravindran, the pro-term committee member of Malaysia Community Crime Care Association (MCCCA) recommends that the enforcement departments should instead look into prevention of crime rather than the gangsters themselves.

MCCCA is headed by the former inspector general of police Musa Hassan.

“Gangsterism is like a tree. Thus, the police should cut the ‘taproot’ of the tree. But, currently they are cutting only the twigs,” he told FMT.

He further added that shooting or arresting hundreds of gangsters is only a temporary measure. Such actions will not end gangsterism in Malaysia.

“There is no point arresting these small timers, also known as ‘runners’ or ‘semut’, who merely took instructions from their respective leaders,” said Ravindran.

“There are many more out there who are economically deprived ready to replace these ‘runners’”.

Secret societies

According to Ravindran, secret societies have been around since the 1850s.

“There are over hundreds of secret societies or gangs in Malaysia, comprising of all races; including natives of Sabah and Sarawak. Even foreigners have their gangs,” he said.

He added that several societies are well organised with their own flag, anthem, logo and in-house rules.

“Leaders of these secret societies are well connected with politicians, police and business people. These warlords are well respected in their community,” said Ravindran.

“Some of them even carried datukship titles. They are willing to spend millions of ringgit to recruit young members into the societies.”

“If the police are really interested in gangsterism prevention, they should first go after these people,” he added.

Ravindran believes that arresting the warlords is a better option in preventing gangsterism than going after the small timers.

Nevertheless, Ravindran admits that the police do find difficulties going after the big guns.

“Too much politicking on the issue of gangsterism by both BN and the opposition has hampered police efforts at times.”

He said the BN leaders have used the police for their personal agenda while Pakatan has been too critical on the enforcement agency.

“I’m not against criticism, but it should be constructive instead of destructive,” said Ravindran.

“It would be more helpful to police when politicians come out with suggestions instead of criticism and instructions,” he added.

DPM's silence blamed for 'rising racism' at Seri Pristana

Education Minister Muhyiddin Yassin's complete silence on the "bullying" at SK Seri Pristana is to be blamed for the exodus of non-Muslim pupils from the school, said DAP.

"It is worrying too that this whole problem may soon become a racial problem as the students who have been picked on and bullied happen to come from one race.

"There is no doubt that the person who must be held responsible for not nipping the bullying problem in the bud is the education minister.

"It is baffling and unbelievable that Muhyiddin could remain silent and do nothing till this day," said DAP vice-chairperson Teresa Kok (left) in a statement today.

As of Tuesday 10 pupils have asked to be transferred out of the controversial Sungai Buloh school following the arrest of V Kumancan, a father of a pupil at the school.

The school rose to infamy during the Ramadan period for allegedly making its non-Muslim students have their meals in a makeshift canteen in a shower room.

Kok asked what was to become of the upcoming education blueprint in light of the minister's inability to tackle the Seri Pristana situation, echoing former minister Zaid Ibrahim's sentiments.
Kok said that the matter requires the immediate attention of the cabinet, and also said that the police deserve to be criticised for questioning the school pupils.

“How could the police be so unprofessional and insensitive not to understand how primary school children will react to being ‘interviewed’ by police?” she asked.

“The police’s explanation that the pupils were ‘interviewed’ and ‘not questioned’ is weak and unacceptable,” she added.

She also urged the police to apologise over their actions, while asking authorities to provide counselling for the children who were affected by the incident.

SK Seri Pristana incident 'only a small problem'

The SK Seri Pristana incident where students were made to eat in changing rooms was only a “small problem” compared to other schools that have done well in integrating its students, said Deputy Education Minister II P Kamalanathan.

“We have as of yesterday’s count 10,094 schools in this country. We have 90 to 95 percent of schools that have done very well on national integration.

“Here we have one school; one person, who did not follow the policy. We should not say that the entire schooling system is like that,” he said.

He added that the Education Ministry’s disciplinary division is investigating the school’s headmaster, Mohd Nasir Mohd Nor, over numerous complaints lodged against him over the incident, but he has yet to be briefed on its outcome.

Kamalanathan was speaking at a forum themed ‘Education as a leveller or divider?’ in Kuala Lumpur today, where the moderator, Noor Azimah Abd Rahim, asked him to comment on the issue.

[More to follow]

Toe the line, Najib tells Waytha

 

Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak today said Senator P Waythamoorthy should toe the government line as the latter is a member of the government.

"As a member of the government, you must be toe the line, you must have one voice," he said curtly during a press conference at his office in Putrajaya.

Najib's statement comes in the wake of three of his cabinet ministers urging Waythamoorthy's resignation after the latter released statements questioning police action.

Waythamoorthy was handpicked by Najib to be appointed as a deputy minister in the Prime Minister's Department.

Previously, Home Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, Youth and Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin, and Defence Minister Hishammuddin Hussein had all asked Waythamoorthy to resign from his position if he can’t toe the government line.

The urgings came after Waythamoorthy openly questioned the police’s conduct in shooting dead five suspected gangsters, all of Indian descent, in Sungai Nibong, Penang last week.

Waythamoorthy leads the Indian rights NGO Persatuan Hindraf Malaysia after returning from exile in the United Kingdom late last year.

He went on a hunger strike for either BN or Pakatan Rakyat to sign Hindraf’s blueprint prior to the May 5 general election, and Najib finally agreed to sign the blueprint in April this year.

Following a public signing ceremony for the blueprint, Waythamoorthy (right) instructed Hindraf and its followers to campaign for BN in the May 5 general election, where BN won, though without a two-thirds majority.

After the election, Waythamoorthy was appointed a senator and subsequently appointed as a deputy minister in the Prime Minister’s Department by Najib, meant to oversee Indian welfare issues.

Waythamoorthy previously vowed to step down if he is unable to fulfill his goals of being in the government - which is to improve the welfare of Indians.

Home Ministry declares war on 49 outlawed gangs

The Home Ministry today declared war on 49 gangs as unlawful under the Societies Act 1966, setting the stage for a possible clampdown.

The list includes some of the most active gangs concentrated in Kuala Lumpur and Johor, said the ministry in a statement today.

"The home minister declared 49 secret societies around the country as organisations that have contravened Section 5(1) of the Societies Act 1966 on August 28.

"These secret societies ... carry out activities that threaten the country's peace, such as drug syndicates, extortion, inter-gang confrontations, cause trouble and murder using firearms or sharp objects such as machetes, knives, nails and others," read the statement.

Among the actions that the ministry can take is seizure of the organisations' accounts and assets to be wound up by the Insolvency Department.

According to Bernama, he secret societies identified are:

- Gang 04 which is active in Kedah, Penang, Johor and Kuala Lumpur.

- Gang 08 which is active in Kuala Lumpur,  Selangor, Penang, Perak, Johor, Negeri Sembilan and Malacca.

- Double 7 which is active in the peninsula.

- Tige Line which is active in 20 areas in Kuala Lumpur, Selangor, Kedah and Perak.

- Gang 30 which is active in the peninsula.

- Gang 38 which is active in 14 areas in Kepong, Jinjang and Setapak in the Kuala Lumpur and in Johor Baharu, Johor).

- Gang 24 (in six areas in Selangor, Kuala Lumpur, Penang, Perak and Johor).

- Gang 18 (in eight areas in Selangor, Kuala Lumpur, Perak and Johor).

- Gang 36 (Perak, Malacca, Negeri Sembilan, Selangor and Kuala Lumpur).

Other secret societies identified in the peninsula are Gee Ah Eng, Loh Kuan, Tiang Yee Tong, Gang 21, Ang Soon Thong, Wah Kee, Sio Sam Ong, PNEH, Hong Hong San, Hai San, Sin Ang Bin, New Cell 20, Jit It Hai, Sio Koon Tong, Gee Lam Kor, Gee Leng Hor, Geng 35, Geng 303 and Geng Satu Hati.

In Sabah, the secret societies identified are ATAP, Hung Ann, Sui Yuk, Otai and Borneo Red EMP.

In Sarawak, they are Ah Ngau, Batu Tiga, Ah Feng, Batu 10, Sibu T, Ah Seng, Ah Chin, Lee Lung, Lo Han, Sg Merab, Sg Badut, Ting Ching Lee, Tua Cak Lee, Teksi Station, Pintu Merah and Krokop.

With the announcement, Abdul Rahim said no person would be allowed to register the secret societies as an organisation.

Ministry: GST a must, not an option

 

Implementing the Goods and Services Tax (GST) nationwide is a must, not an option, says Finance Ministry secretary-general Mohd Irwan Siregar Abdullah.

Describing this as the ultimate objective of taking care of the country, he said the ministry would try its best to include the plan in the upcoming October Budget to tackle the fiscal deficit.

Irwan (left) revealed that there would be some sort of rebate for individuals and small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to ensure that the GST did not burden the people.

“We (the ministry) have identified a list of zero-rated items like basic necessities such as rice and milk powder,” he said.

Mohd Irwan said 14 months were needed for implementation should the GST plan be approved, and the taxes would be charged by 2015 nationwide.

“It’s a whole package. We look at the corporate sector, personal income tax and so on... nobody will be left out,” he added.

“More details will be announced next Monday after the fiscal committee meeting,” he said during a question-and-answer session at a briefing on the Economic Transformation Plan (ETP) at the Securities Commission today.

When later pressed for the proposed percentage of the GST during a press conference, Mohd Irwan refused to reveal the number.

Asked if the government would proceed with the subsidy rationalisation move, Mohd Irwan said this would be done "gradually".

He said the government had pledged to ensure the cut from subsidies would not impact the public.

Stating an example, Mohd Irwan said some people do not deserve to be subsidised, such as those owning five cars.

He added that rationalised subsidy enabled the government to have better savings, which could be allocated towards public aid.

"More details will be revealed after the fiscal committee," he said.

Vell Paari: Quizzing of pupils must be raised in cabinet

 

MIC director of strategy S Vell Paari has said that the police’s conduct in questioning SK Sri Pristana pupils recently must be raised in the cabinet as there is “no justification” for the authorities' conduct.

“I, for one, do not believe that there could be any justification for such a shameful act,” he said in a statement today.

However, Vell Paari (left) said that the matter must be raised in the cabinet as something has to be done about the incident.

“To come out and say that ‘it was not proper’ is not sufficient. Action must be taken so that such incidents would not recur in future,” he said.

Vell Paari said that he would be bringing the parents of the children who were questioned by the police to the Prime Minister’s Department to meet Minister Paul Low next week.

“We are talking about children, not criminals,” Vell Paari said.

Yesterday, Sungai Buloh district police chief Junaidi Bujang admitted that police had questioned the pupils over the shower room canteen controversy that erupted at the school late last month, though he claimed that police did not “harass” the children.

However, he had earlier denied interviewing the school pupils.

OCPD: Yes, we 'talked' to the kids but didn't harass them

‘Stop scaring the kids, parents’

MCA calls for the authorities to ensure an environment free from harassment and discrimination in all schools.

PETALING JAYA: MCA Publicity Bureau chairman Heng Seai Kie has today expressed her regret over the incident where police personnel allegedly questioned non-Muslim pupils of SK Seri Pristana without the permission and in the absence of their parents.

The MCA deputy national organising secretary had also voiced her disappointment as more and more parents are requesting for their children to be transferred to another school due to the bullying, which also involved the teachers, that is allegedly ongoing at SK Seri Pristana, in Sungai Buloh.

“What signal are the headmaster, teachers and PIBG of SK Seri Pristana sending to the would-be pupils and public (with the alleged bullying) following the press conference by the parents of the affected pupils.

“It appears that innocent children have been driven out of the school because they are facing harassment from the same people whom their parents entrusted them with,” she said in a statement today.

“Please protect, nurture and provide the pupils of all schools with an environment that is free from harassment and discrimination. Only then, it is a safe and condusive for learning,” she said.

Heng adding that the school authorities were abusing their powers if they did the alleged act to punish the pupils after a parent posted pictures on social media of the school converting a changing room as a temporary canteen during Ramadan, which went viral and drew flak from the public.

Also, Bukit Aman has to probe the matter allegedly involving its men as there are laws that protect minors, she said.

“The parents have every right to be concerned over the incident where an unidentified man accompanied by the headmaster took photos of their children without the parents’ permission,” she said.

Heng strongly urged the Sungai Buloh police chief to investigate the matter, and also the Education Ministry to probe and take action against the headmaster.

She also questioned the police on the outcome of their investigation on the death and kidnap threat against the parent who posted the pictures on Facebook, Guneswari Kelly, and her daughter.

“Surely the OCPD does not want to be overwhelmed with allegations of practising double standard and being lackadisical despite receiving a death threat report,” she said.

“It is time to put an end to this entire situation before it jeopardises our national unity. All related authorities such as the Education Ministry and the police have to take serious measures to end all of these nonsense,” she said.

Sungai Buloh police chief Superintendent Junaidi Bujang yesterday denied the allegation that police questioned the children without their parents being present, while parents insisted that such an act had taken place.

BN leaders come to Waytha’s defence

But, they say the deputy minister must check his facts before making any future statements.

PETALING JAYA: There is no need for deputy minister in the Prime Minister’s Department P Waythamoorthy to quit his government post over his remarks on the police killing of suspected criminals in Penang last week.

Several non-Umno BN leaders believed there was “no reason” for Waythamoorthy to resign despite calls to do so by Home Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, Defence Minister Hishammuddin Hussein and Deputy Home Minister Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaffar.

“The only mistake he made was that he should’ve asked for a proper investigation over the matter before accusing the police of not following procedures when firing at those gangsters,” Kedah Gerakan Youth Chief Tan Keng Liang told FMT.

“I don’t think there is a need to step down. Why should he step down?” he asked.

“He should have checked his facts first before making accusations,” he reiterated.

Labis MP Chua Tee Yong said the progressing political scenario should enable Cabinet ministers to “state their stand” on an issue.

“However, he must also acknowledge collective responsibility. It is important that he makes statements after getting the facts,” he said.

Asked if Waythamoorthy should step down from his ministerial post, Chua said there was “no need to”.

“If he said it is based on the sentiments of the public, then it is not correct. But if he is highlighting a relevant issue, then it should be investigated,” he said.

Tan said there was no pertinent need for Waythamoorthy to resign as “people are bound to make errors in life and become emotional in a matter”.

“It’s a learning curve for him (Waythamoorthy) as a new deputy minister to check before barging at the police or some others in future,” he said.

“I don’t think there is a need for him to resign at this state. There is just no reason to.”

Umno man echoes leaders’ call

However, Cheras Umno division chief Syed Ali Alhabshee maintained that Waythamoorthy should step down from his post for speaking out against the police over the shootings.

“As a Cabinet minister, he should be open minded, not relate the issue to a certain race,” he said.

“This is not an issue of Indians getting shot at, but of law and the action of the police to combat crime. Why is Waythamoorthy acting like he is blaming the police?” he asked.

“If he cannot differentiate his role and responsibility as Hindraf (Hindu Rights Action Force) chairman and a Cabinet minister, then he should resign immediately.”

Gangsterism numbers have ministry scrambling for solution

Youth and Sports Ministry to organise a seminar soon in search of moves to curb ethnic Indian involvement in gangsterism.

PETALING JAYA: The alarming figure that 71 percent of gang members are Indians, has sent the Youth and Sports Ministry scrambling to come up with ways to arrest the numbers and eradicate the problem.

The ministry will be organising a national special forum soon which participants will comprise non-governmental organisations, political parties and government agencies.

During the special forum, the presenters and participants will discuss on the issues in a bid to come up with a short- and long-term solution to the social problem.

“Youth and Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin will give a keynote address at the special forum. We want to gather ideas on how to curb this problem on the short-term and long-term basis. For a start, let’s get all the proposals,” Youth and Sports deputy minister M Saravanan said today.

Speaking to FMT, the MIC vice-president said although there were many views on how to curb the problem, it must be put in perspective.

“Tackling this problem is not going to be an overnight affair. It takes the right strategy. As immediate measure, we must look at rehabilitation. We also need to concentrate on employment. This is where there government can come in.

“On the long term, we need to put in place a system for youth once they leave Form Five. We also need to educate children on gangsterism and its dangers as early as when they are in primary schools. I am aware that there are various views,” he said.

Saravanan hoped that the government and especially Khairy and Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak would pay personal attention to this problem, which threatens the safety of the people.

Police taking stern action

The social menace caused by Indian youth has become a national concern over the last few months with the police vowing stern action. Five men, suspected to be hardcore criminals, were shot dead in Penang earlier this month with weapons found on them.

This incident sparked a furore among the family members of the five, which the family members alleged that the suspects were asleep when they were ambushed and shot by the police in the wee hours of the morning when they could have been arrested instead.

Last week, police criminal investigations department head Hadi Ho Abdullah revealed that 71 percent of triad members were Indian with the Chinese and Malays trailing far behind. The Inspector General of Police Khalid Abu Bakar has warned that the authorities will not hesitate to use firearms when tackling the problem.

The police have also started an operation dubbed, Ops Cantas to curb gangsterism and the number of those arrested is rising steadily, running into the hundreds. The police has also said the special operation does not have a life span.

He said the government should not only depend on the police to combat this problem but also solicit the help of the community.

Saravanan said a holistic effort was needed including holding talks with those involved in gang-led activities.

“We must also have a mechanism for those who want to repent and mend their ways. These should be handled by the police. The community too, has a big role to play. Lets hope that this seminar would be for better things to come,” Saravanan added.

MIC senator: Policies matter more than merging parties

Government policies are what will ultimately decide the Indian Malaysian community's support for the BN, not the merger of their political parties, says MIC's senator Jaspal Singh.

"The problem is beyond merger. Getting the support of the community depends on policies and a combination of many other things.

"Delivering on promises of the government to ensure that Indians no longer feel marginalised is more important than a merger," Jaspal (left), who is also MIC treasurer, told Malaysiakini today.

While acknowledging that a merger of Indian-based parties may give the community a stronger voice, he said the BN had to look beyond mergers, for this would not necessarily garner wider support for the ruling coalition.

Jaspal said this in response to BN secretary-general Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor's call to Indian-based parties aligned with the BN to merge in order to consolidate the ruling coalition's support base.

Tengku Adnan also called on the MIC to reflect if it was doing something wrong that Indians would resort to creating so many political parties.

‘MIC is improving'
However, Jaspal denied that MIC was to be blamed for the large number of Indian-based political parties in the country.

"I think after the 2008 (political) tsunami, there were many new political parties, not only Indian parties. It happened across the board as the needs of the people have become complex.

"More traditional parties, like the MIC, Umno and MCA, are not attractive to some people because these parties are not able to change quickly to meet the needs of the people," he said.

However, since then the MIC has been doing a good job and the smaller parties are the ones that are now doing "soul searching".

Jaspal said even though BN only garnered 48 percent of the votes from the Indian Malaysian community in the 13th general election, it should not be viewed solely from a racial lens.

"In the non-urban areas, we got more than 48 percent of the Indian vote but the urban support is not along racial lines and here the voters did not support the government.

"So we cannot blame any one particular community," Jaspal added.

Unlike the other component parties of the BN, MIC managed to arrest its continued slide in GE13 by increasing its parliamentary seats from three to four.

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Parent: OCPD's denial of student questioning a lie

A parent whose child goes to SK Seri Pristana has refuted Sungai Buloh OCPD Junaidi Bujang’s denial that police did not interrogate pupils while at school over the makeshift shower room canteen case.

The marketing executive, who only wished to be known as Raj, 39, claimed his 9-year-old daughter was questioned by police officers twice within the school compound, between July and August.

"She (his daughter) was so scared after being questioned by the police and she cried, not wanting to go to school anymore.

"The OCPD is telling a big lie," the father alleged, adding that 10 parents also complained that their children were “harassed” by police.

"How can they (police) talk to our children without our presence?" he questioned.

Raj said this during a joint press conference with other parents, non-governmental organisations and Subang MP R Sivarasa today.

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'Waytha will not be pushed out by ministers'

Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister's Department P Waythamoorthy will not be pushed out of the government by cabinet ministers bent on seeing him go, says Persatuan Hindraf Malaysia adviser N Ganesan.

"Waytha is not going to resign because of his cause. He is going to continue to try to materialise the memorandum of understanding (that Waythamnoorthy signed with the BN just before the 13th general election of May 5).

"That is what he is in government for. We consider these (calls by the ministers that he quits) as just incidents along the way," Ganesan (left) told Malaysiakini.

He added that Waythamoorthy, who was a founding member of the Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf), remained steadfast that the ministers who were critical of him should instead work with him on the problems faced by Indian Malaysians.

Home Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, Defence Minister Hishammuddin Hussein and Youth and Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin Abu Bakar, have called on Waythamoorthy to step down for criticising the police in their handling of five gang- members who were shot dead in Penang.

Waythamoorthy joined the government after he entered into a pre-election pact with the BN, under which the coalition agreed to implement Hindraf's five-year blueprint to uplift the Indian Malaysian community.
Ganesan said the only thing that would make Waythamoorthy resign would be if he failed to push the government into implementing the blueprint.

In a statement issued later, Ganesan called on Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak to expedite implementation of the blueprint.

He lamented that the unit headed by Waythamoorthy in the Prime Minister's Department has yet to be named; neither has its charter been publicly confirmed.

"Najib must expedite work on blueprint'

The government's expert steering committee, which is to propose specific plans for income opportunities, housing and skills training for displaced estate workers, has yet to be identified, Ganesan said.

Furthermore, he said, the unit's infrastructure had yet to be purchased and its budget allocation has not been deliberated, let alone the planning for next year's budget.

"The process seems to be painfully slow. It is ironical that, on the one hand we have this situation with regard to crime being addressed in a hurried manner with these shootings and arrests, and which do not assure sustainability anyway.

"On the other hand, we have a plan that promises to be a sure and sustainable remedy and which will have long-term positive effects that is being effectively delayed," Ganesan said.

He pointed out that the large involvement of Indian Malaysian youths in gangsterism was due to their displacement from their traditional abode in the estates.

He called on Najib to implement the blueprint with the similar rigour that the government now has in combating crime.
"The current lacklustre and half-hearted approach is not going to win the hearts and minds of the affected Indian estate workers whose expectations are sky high because of the public promises during the recently-concluded general election.

"If Najib fails to keep his promises, he is looking at the imminent resignation of Waythamoorthy from government and we believe this will permanently shift the Indian voter completely away from BN on a long-term basis," he said.

Ganesan added that a report card on the status of the implementation of the blueprint would be prepared next month to update the Indian Malaysian community on its progress.

Court: Sirul could have been framed for Altantuya murder

Hindu Rights violated in Ayodhya. Mulla Mulayam Singh regime returns in Imam Akhilesh Govt in UP. While anti Hindu cops counter VHP’s ‘guerrilla’ strategy to curb parikrama, VHP plans protests across country after foiled Ayodhya yatra.

Muslims can block the roads and street all over India in every Friday for Namaz, but Hindus cannot continue 84 kosi parikrama in Ayodhya, the ancient city of Lord Rama! 

  

News Flash [25.08.2013] Hindu Existence News Alert::  

1. VHP Leader Ashok Ji Singhal arrested and detained at Lucknow Airport at about 10 am. Police is unable to take away him from the airport as 10000 VHP supporters still surrounded by them and raising slogans to allow Shri Singhal to proceed towardsAyodhya. 2. Earlier in the morning, the respected Saints have offered Puja to Sarjuji to start 84 Kosi Parikrama in Ayodhya. 3. An anti Hindu and oppressive Akhilesh Yadav Govt. of Uttar Pradesh, has already arrested senior VHP leaders like Dr Pravin Togadia,  Dr Ram Vilas Vedanti and other 500 VHP activists, while Mahanta Nritya Gopal Das Ji &  Swami Chinmayanand are kept under house arrest. 4. Police and paramilitary forces are torturing the saints and pilgrims to attend the Ayodhya yatra. 5. No can can stop 84 kosi parikrama and Nationwide agitation will start from Monday – VHP. 6. Hundreds of VHP supporters have been brutally assaulted outside Lucknow Airport by UP (Akhilesh Yadav) Govt.  7. Shri Ashok Singhal ji is being taken out in an unidentified place. Who will take care? Oh Hindu! Protest, Protest and Protest. 8. Dogvijay Singh of Congress described the 84 Kosi Parikrama is a fixed match between SP (Samajwadi Party, actually Namazwadi Party) and VHP (Vishwa Hindu Parishad), as the VHP leaders met Mulayam Singh and Akhilesh Singh (CM, UP) to give intimation about the parikrama in  a very formal manner to get the administrative co-operation. 9. A reluctant father and son duo of Samajwadi leadership conveyed an apathy to such programmes by VHP. 10. The notorious Azam Khan, a cabinet minister in UP Govt retaliated vehemently to oppose such meeting of CM with Hindu orgs and demanded to stop 84 kosi Ayodhya Parikrama. 11. Mulayam and Akhilesh repressed all Hindu sentiment to appease Muslim fundamental power (read vote bank) and put a ban upon Ayodhya Parikrama violating the religious rights of Hindus. 12. When Muslims are allowed to offer Namaz on Friday on streets and roads by blocking in every city and metropolises, then why the Ayodhya Parikrama is being restricted by the anti Hindu SP-BSP-Congress joint conspiracy whether it is conducted in Sept or April.

WHO HAVE GIVEN THE POWER TO THE POLITICAL PARTIES LIKE SP-BSP-CONGRESS TO DECIDE THE SCHEDULE AND WAY OF HINDU FESTIVALS, CELEBRATIONS AND DHARMIK PROGRAMMES ? THIS IS TOO MUCH. HINDU BROTHERS STRENGTHEN YOUR ARMS TO FIGHT WITH SUCH ENEMIES OF HINDUS & HINDU RASHTRA. ~ Upananda Brahmachari, Editor, Hindu Existence.

Al-Qaeda’s Indecent Proposal to Widows

Al-Qaeda leaders called on widows of their slain militants to participate in Jihad al-Nikah and offer themselves to their militants who are fighting in Syria. 

(Ahlul Bayt News Agency) - Governor of al-Khalis in Iraq’s Diyala Province, Oudai Al Khadran, was quoted by al-Sumeria news that "Intelligence cells commissioned with monitoring al-Qaeda’s activities within Diyala’s borders have reported that the highly-ranked officials in the organization urged the widows of the commanders and members to abide by the sexual Jihad Fatwa".

"This Fatwa allows al-Qaeda’s women to have sexual intercourse with members of the organization to lift their morale," he said.

"The attempt to implement the Sexual Jihad Fatwa issued by clergymen that support the armed groups in Syria proves that such laws are transnational. This also points out that al-Qaeda’s course of action in Syria or in any other country is closely related to the events that are taking place in Iraq," he added.

"Al Qaeda’s Fatwas issued in the previous years by crooked clergymen have done harm to Islam," Khadran said.

He further stressed the importance of "standing up to these jurists and fighting extremist tendencies that blemish the humanitarian values of Islam".

The sexual Jihad Fatwa made its first appearance in Syria a few months ago and it allowed for armed members to have sexual intercourse with women for a determined period of time as per a momentary contract that loses effect after a few hours.

This will allow other men to sign a similar contract and women to sleep with more than one man per day.

The call has been followed with several cases of rapes and sexual assaults on women and girls in Syria who fall victim to extremist al-Qaeda militants.

The insurgency in Syria which is going on with US strong support is showing vicious incidents of human rights violations, almost all ignored by the western and regional allies of Washington.

The fact that al-Qaeda and other extremist groups are gaining more attention in Syria has mounted worries among Muslim clerics and prominent figures who are concerned by the impressions left on the image of Islam world by the unacceptable acts of extremism done in the name of Islam.

Court: Sirul could have been framed for Altantuya murder

While the Court of Appeal last Friday detailed the non-calling of Najib Abdul Razak's aide-de-camp DSP Musa Safri as a factor in acquitting the two Special Action Unit officers, the written judgment also states that the second accused, Sirul Azhar Umar, could have been framed.

Sirul Azhar in his testimony from the dock had described how he had been made "a scapegoat" by the police, to be sacrificed in order to protect their plans.

In the written judgment released today, Court of Appeal judge Tengku Maimum Tuan Mat described why it was unsafe to accept the evidence from the police officers who went to Sirul Azhar's Kota Damansara home.

"There is thus a conflicting and inconclusive account of events as regards the discovery of the black jacket and (Altantuya Shaariibuu's jewellery). There is also no conclusive account of what exactly was said by Sirul as regards the jacket.

Justice Tengku Maimum said according to one of the police witnesses, ASP Zulkarnain Hassan, Sirul Azhar had told him he kept the items (jewellery) in the jacket, but the testimony of another officer did not disclose any such statement being made.

The judge said Sirul Azhar had contended that one of the police officers, who said the jewellery was kept in the black jacket, had asked the accused (Sirul Azhar) to hold the jacket for the purpose of him being photographed with it, twice.

"The same officer took out some items from inside the same jacket and placed them on the bed before forcing him (Sirul Azhar) to point, by his finger, at all those items again for his pictures to be taken.

"The second appellant is thus saying that the police had planted the jewellery in his house. Relevant to this issue is the fact that the keys to the house were in the possession of the police prior to the search for the black jacket from inside the unlocked cupboard in Sirul's unlocked room," Justice Tengku Maimum said.
Chief Inspector Azilah Hadri and Sirul Azhar were discharged and acquitted last Friday, after the Court  of Appeal ruled there were serious misdirections by the court.

The appellate court also contrasted the evidence of Zulkarnain and the other officer who were in Sirul Azhar’s house and noted conflicting and inconclusive accounts of events with regard to the discovery of the black jacket and jewellery.

Justice Tengku Maimun said the trial-within-a-trial version conducted to determine this supported Sirul Azhar’s version that it was Zulkarnain who had directed him to show the items.

Conflicting police reports

The court also noted that Zulkarnain had interviewed Sirul Azhar prior to going to his house but what puzzled the court was why Zulkarnain had his own particulars wrong when lodging the police report on the interrogation.

“This is followed by another police report tendered by Sirul Azhar’s defence, purportedly by Zulkarnain with his name spelt wrongly, along with his date of birth wrongly stated and his rank as Chief Inspector (and not ASP).”

The two police reports had different versions and this, the court found, led to discrepancies.

Similarly, with the evidence on Azilah purportedly leading them to the crime scene in Puncak Alam, the court found it was unsafe to accept the testimonies of the police witnesses.

This follows the contradictory account where one police officer claimed Azilah had shown the crime scene where Altantuya was blown up, and the place where she was first shot.

However, another officer contradicted the testimony, claiming Azilah had shown the place where Altantuya was first shot. In addition, an officer claimed he had informed his superior officer about the crime scene discovery by calling him on the handphone. However, the superior said he had not received such a call from his subordinate.

“We find there is a non-direction by the learned trial judge in failing to evaluate the evidence before admitting the police statements (testimonies),” ruled Justice Tengku Maimun.

Blood-stained slippers planted?

Similarly with the blood-stained slippers found in Sirul Azhar’s car, the court said the accused left his car keys with one Sergeant Rosli as the accused was on overseas assignment, in Pakistan.

“Sergeant Rosli had testified that he had not seen the (blood-stained) slippers when he started Sirul Azhar’s car twice. What was important that Sergeant Rosli had also testified that one DSP Mohd Khairi Khairuddin had asked for Sirul’s car keys for some unknown reason and Khairi handed the keys back to him three days later,” he said.

The court noted that Khairi was not called by the prosecution to testify and hence there was no evidence as to what happened in the car while it was under that officer’s custody.

Non-calling of Musa Safri

Attorney-general Abdul Gani Patail had defended the non-calling of Musa as irrelevant.

Justice Tengku Maimun said the court could not accept the prosecution’s logic on the non-calling of Musa, as political analyst Abdul Razak Baginda was jointly tried with Azilah and Sirul Azhar from the outset and it was the prosecution’s case that Abdul Razak had conspired with the two policemen to commit murder.

“Hence it is incumbent upon the prosecution to adduce all available, relevant evidence against the third  accused. The affidavit by Abdul Razak, which has been taken by the learned trial judge to be part of the prosecution’s evidence, contains  prejudicial matters against the appellants and it tends to suggest the guilt of the appellants.

“In fact, since Abdul Razak was acquitted and discharged with no appeal lodged by the prosecution, it appears that whatever the appellants did in committing the crime was entirely on their own accord.”

Justice Tengku Maimun said it must not be overlooked that “this ugly and horrendous episode” started with Abdul Razak’s request to Musa, before the two accused came into the picture.

“The evidence established that the appellants’ task was to patrol Abdul Razak’s house and their presence on Oct 19, 2006, was upon the request for such assistance from the political analyst to Azilah.

“The trial judge is bound to view the whole of the evidence objectively and from all angles in finding whether the evidence or the  facts point to the irresistible inference and conclusion that both the appellants committed this crime or whether there are some other reasonably possible explanation of those facts.

“Now that the task of patrolling the house had ended with murder, we agree with Sirul Azhar’s lawyers  that only Musa can confirm the scope of the request,” the judge ruled.

The court in its judgment found that circumstantial evidence was insufficient and not strong enough to sustain the finding of guilt.

“We are conscious that a heinous crime has been committed but where the guilt of the appellants had not been satisfactorily proved, we are constrained to give the benefit of the doubt to the appellants,” she said in ending the 47-page judgment.

Kesilapan besar pendakwa kes Altantuya menyebabkan dua polis bebas

Azilah Hadri dan Sirul Azhar Umar, yang bebas dari pertuduhan membunuh Altantuya, Jumaat lalu.

Timbalan Superintendan Polis (DSP) Musa Safri yang tidak dipanggil oleh pihak pendakwaan adalah kunci untuk membongkar kes pembunuhan model Mongolia Altantuya Shaariibuu, menurut laporan penghakiman 47 muka surat yang dikeluarkan hari ini.

Laporan itu juga mendedahkan kegagalan hakim perbicaraan menimbang notis alibi sebagai punca kepada pembebasan dua komando polis, ketua inspektor Azilah Hadri dan bekas korperal Sirul Azhar Umar pada Jumaat lalu.

Kedua-dua tertuduh sebelum ini disabitkan dengan kes pembunuhan Altantuya pada 19 Oktober 2006.

Laporan penghakiman oleh salah seorang hakim, Datuk Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat juga menekankan wujud percanggahan dalam afidavit oleh penganalisis politik, Abdul Razak Baginda dengan keterangan Sirul di mahkamah berkaitan pembabitan Musa dalam kes itu.

"Ia tidak boleh terlepas pandang episod buruk dan dasyat ini bermula dengan permintaan Razak kepada Musa sebelum pembabitan Azilah dan Sirul.

"Bukti yang diperoleh menunjukkan tugas Azilah dan Sirul adalah meronda sekitar rumah Razak dan kehadiran mereka di sana pada malam itu atas permintaan Razak kepada Azilah," tulis Tengku Maimun dalam penghakimannya.

Hanya Musa akan membongkar semua ini, katanya.

Dalam pembebasan Azilah, Mahkamah Rayuan mendapati hakim perbicaraan Datuk Mohd Zaki Md Yassin gagal menimbang notis alibi yang menunjukkan Azilah tidak mungkin boleh berada di dua lokasi pada suatu masa ketika malam pembunuhan Altantuya.

Mahkamah Rayuan berkata, rekod panggilan oleh syarikat telekomunikasi yang diberikan pendakwa raya bertujuan untuk mengenalpasti pergerakan Azilah pada hari pembunuhan Altantuya.

Berdasarkan kepada bukti yang diberikan itu, Azilah berada di Pekan Subang pada 10.15 malam dan di Kampung Melayu Subang pada 10.19 malam.

Bagaimanapun, diari balai Bukit Aman menunjukkan Azilah berada di sana mengutip senjatanya, Glock EAH 387 dan dua kelopak peluru pada jam 10.18 malam.

Beliau kemudiaan beredar ke Putrajaya dalam tugasan mengiringi Timbalan Perdana Menteri, Datuk Seri Najib Razak.

Pegawai penyiasat dalam pembunuhan Altantuya, ASP Tonny Lunggan memberi keterangan dalam perbicaraan mengenai kebenaran diari itu dan ketepatannya.

Namun, Mahkamah Rayuan berhujah meragui ketepatan rekod panggilan telefon berkenaan.

"Hakim perbicaraan sepatutnya menfokuskan kepada dua bentuk bukti berbeza dan kegagalan bertindak sedemikian menyebabkannya tersalah arah. Setelah meneliti alasan penghakiman, kami tidak mendapati hakim perbicaraan dalam penghakimannya menimbangkan sama ada diari stesen dan bukti Azilah berada di Wangsa Maju dan di Bukit Aman pada waktu kejadian menunjukkan alasan beliau tidak boleh ataupun tidak mungkin berada di Puncak Alam.

"Dalam keadaan ini, hakim itu tersalah arah dirinya dengan cara bukan arahan gagal untuk mempertimbangkan bukti," katanya, merujuk kepada kegagalan hakim untuk mempertimbangkan pembelaan alibi.

Tengku Maimun berkata rekod panggilan dan jangkauan liputan adalah bukti penting untuk menyabitkan kehadiran Azilah di tempat kejadian.

"Ia adalah penting agar perbicaraan belajar untuk memfokuskan fikirannya terhadap cabaran bukti yang dibangkitkan oleh pasukan pembelaaan dan membuat penemuan sama ada sebenarnya berlaku satu perubahan atau penyalahgunaan data dan sama ada kesahihan data itu dipersoalkan atau sebaliknya," kata beliau.

"Malangnya, hakim gagal untuk melakukan ini, yang tanggungannya berat menjadikan ia tidak selamat untuk bergantung kepada bukti tersebut."

Mahkamah juga berkata hakim perbicaraan sewajarnya membuat pencarian terhadap hubungan antara bahan letupan dengan dua bekas anggota polis dan kegagalan memfokuskan dirinya terhadap hubungkait yang hilang mengakibatkan satu lagi tersalah arah berlaku.

"Kita tidak boleh mengatakan jika tribunal secara munasabah mengarahkan mungkin mensabitkan perayu berasaskan bukti yang ada. Mahkamah dibawah telah mengabaikan dan terlepas pandang fakta-fakta penting dan bukti yang memihak kepada perayu menyebabkan keadilan salah dilaksanakan dan sangat serius," katanya.

"Kesan terkumpul bukan arahan menunjukkan sabitan itu tidak selamat. Kami sedar bahawa jenayah kejam telah dilakukan tetapi jika perayu bersalah tidak dibuktikan dengan memuaskan, kami terpaksa memberi manfaat keraguan kepada perayu.

"Kami sebulat suara meluluskan kedua-dua rayuan. Sabitan dan hukuman oleh Mahkamah Tinggi diketepikan, perayu sewajarnya dilepaskan dan dibebaskan." – 26 Ogos, 2013.

Snatch thieves are cops!

Despite lodging a police report on the matter on July 3, B Saravanan claims that the police have yet to take action against the errant police officers.

PETALING JAYA: A lorry driver lodged a police report last month claiming that one of the snatch thieves he caught red handed was none other than a police officer.

In the report lodged at the Petaling Jaya district police headquarters on July 3, B Saravanan, 27, said that he was going out to lunch outside his office at Taman Mayang Jaya on that day, when he saw two men on a motorcycle trying to snatch a gold necklace from a foreign national.

“It was about 12 pm. I was going for lunch when I saw the thieves on a Yamaha LC bike attempting to snatch a necklace from an Indonesian lady.

“I immediately drove to the scene and rammed my car on their motorcycle, causing the duo to fall on the street,” said Saravanan.

He said that he got down from his car to face the thieves, getting into a scuffle with them. Unfortunately, the perpetrators overwhelmed him and even manage to snatch his gold chain.

Adding that he tried his level best to apprehend them, Saravanan decided to back off as one started throwing stones at his car while the other threatened him with a knife.

Saravanan subsequently called up the police, who later arrived at the area to take pictures of the crime scene.

Suspects turn out to be policemen


“At 1pm, one Corporal Zamrus called me up to Kelana Jaya police station, asking my assistance to identify the thieves, which I did about three hours later.

“I managed to identify both men during the identification parade. To my shock, Zamrus told me that one of the suspects was a police officer,” alleged Saravanan in the report.

When contacted today Saravanan said that both suspects were indeed police officers. Saravanan further claimed that the investigating officer, known as Inspector Hasbullah, tried to talk him out of lodging a police report.

“I saw them both walking in and out of the Kelana Jaya police station together. So when I got to know that the suspects were officers from the same station, I decided to lodge the report at the PJ police headquarters instead,” said Saravanan.

He added that he was called to the Kelana Jaya police station for a second time on July 19 for another identification parade.

“I identified them again but after that I received no information from the Kelana Jaya police station on the status of the investigation,” said Saravanan.

However FMT learned today evening that Saravanan has been asked to be present at the Kelana Jaya police station to give a statement later tonight.

No comment from district chief

A police source meanwhile told FMT that he has yet to receive any updates regarding the status of the two police officers.

“I am not sure if they have been transferred to another desk or department or they have been suspended from the force. They are attached to a different police station thus I did not get any updates regarding their status,” the source said.

Meanwhile, Petaling Jaya district police chief, Arjunaidi Mohamed when contacted refused to comment on the matter.

“You have to check with the Selangor police headquarters. I can’t comment on this,” he said briefly.

NIAT defends Waytha against quit call

“And why hasn't Najib spoken up?” asks the group's chairman.

PETALING JAYA: The National Indian Action Team (NIAT) today defended Hindraf leader P Waythamoorthy against criticism for his comments on last week’s police killing of five suspected criminals.

Commenting on recent statements by Home Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and Defence Minister Hishammuddin Hussein, NIAT chairman Thasleem Mohamed Ibrahim said: “They have no locus standi to tell Waythamoorthy to quit his job because it is the Prime Minister’s prerogative.”

Thasleem also remarked that Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak had the obligation to make public his views on the issue.

“The question now is, why is Najib being silent?”

Last week, Zahid ticked off Waythamoorthy for demanding an explanation from the police for the Penang killing. He said the deputy minister in the Prime Minister’s Department was speaking like a Hindraf leader instead of a government official.

Hishammuddin was quoted by Bernama today as saying he agreed with Zahid that Waythamoorthy should resign.

“Indeed, I thoroughly agree with Ahmad Zahid,” Hishammuddin reportedly said. “What he said was 101% correct. As a member of the Cabinet, we cannot place our self-interest over our collective interest.”

Thasleem called for maturity among politicians, especially members of the Najib administration. He said they should welcome differences of opinion among themselves.

“Being in the government does not mean you cannot voice out the sentiments of the people,” he said.

Referring to killing of the five alleged guns for hire, Thasleem called it “a racially profiled shooting” and a case of “treating the symptom instead of the disease”.

He congratulated Waythamoorthy for questioning the propriety of the shooting. “It is good and I stand by him,” he said.

Two other Indian NGOs also commented on the issue today.

Blame MIC

Warga Aman urged the government to rehabilitate gangsters instead of killing them off.

“Indian criminal offenders should be given a thorough rehabilitation and the system should ensure that they lead a normal life after they have been released from prison,” said the group’s secretary-general, S Barathidasan.

“We do have a rehabilitation system in place to treat hardcore criminals, but why do we still have repeat criminal offenders?”

Tamilar Action Force (TAF) member and PKR Puchong division chief S Murali said MIC was partly to blame for gangsterism among Indian youths.

As a member of the ruling coalition, MIC had failed to address the issue, he alleged.

He said many Indian students who could not make the grade in school saw gangsterism as a way of making a living.

“Imagine a poor and jobless Indian youth being offered RM1,000 to commit a crime on someone’s behalf,” he said. “It’s big money to him. He might not think twice.”

Murali urged the police to go after the criminal syndicate bosses instead of “wiping out small fishes” in their bid to curb crime.

MIC vice president and Perak state assembly speaker SK Devamany has meanwhile urged Waythamoorthy, Zahid and Hishammuddin to talk out their differences.

“They are cabinet colleagues and their contradicting statements can create a negative perception on Najib’s administration,” he said.

Police report against racist FB postings

wo Indian NGOs want the authorities to haul up one Hanum Hizan for her racist remarks on the Indians and Chinese.

KUALA LUMPUR: Two NGOs, the Tamilar Action Force (TAF) and WargaAMAN, lodged a police report against one Hanum Hizan for posting derogatory comments over a news report in FMT yesterday.

TAF assistant secretary R Kannan said the comments posted by Hanum Hizan under a report headlined, ’71% gang members Indian because of racial profiling’ belittled the Indians and the Chinese.

“She also insulted the way Hindus perform their rituals at the Ganges in India,” said Kannan, who was accompanied by WargaAMAN sec-gen S Barathidasan and PKR Puchong division leader S Murali.

“We are very disturbed and angry over her comments. We want the police to take action,” added Kannan after lodging the report at 1.45pmat the Jalan Travers police station off Jalan Bangsar.
Hanum Hizan’s comments labeled the Indians as “kurang ajar pendatang”, and called them “pigs”. She also said that “150,000 illegal in the country should be pushed out of the sea before it is causing more trouble”.

Engaging other commentators who chided her, she hit back at them: “Low you are very dumb. The White American, The Australian and NZ will laugh at you. By the way Chinese has taken over from the white Australian and Sydney. I can smell trouble is coming if decide to migrate please dont go there.”

One FMT commentator, Contest Chris, reported her profile to the Malaysian Communication and Multimedia Commission (MCMC).

Meanwhile FMT has barred Hanum Hizan from posting comments in the news portal.