Bali Boost: WTO Lives, Snatched From Jaws of Defeat

All Say ‘Aye’

Bali agreement, with many promises, is a start, but leadership and reform are required

It would be churlish not to congratulate the WTO and especially Roberto Azevêdo, its dynamic director-general, for successfully passing a “Bali package” at the Indonesian resort well past the 11th hour on 7 December.
The WTO Doha Round, launched in the Qatari capital in 2001, a few weeks after 9/11, had become a synonym of failure: failure of the WTO and failure to move forward an inclusive agenda of globalization. It was expected by many, including this author, that the ninth ministerial conference would follow the pattern.

Instead Bali succeeded, at least in the sense that unlike previous ministerial conferences it did not collapse. The question is whether, as some exuberantly declare, the Doha Development Agenda has been brought back to life or, as others fear, the state of suspended animation has been extended by temporarily rebooting the life-support machine.

The trading system put in place after World War II with the establishment in 1947 of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, or GATT, contributed enormously to bringing peace and prosperity to the nations of the North Atlantic. This was when the world was divided in three: the first world consisting of rich market-oriented economies; a second world of state-led central-command economies; and a third world collection of basically poor countries, many of which – including Brazil, Argentina, Indonesia and India – were practicing import-substitution industrialization policies.
Thus the GATT was essentially an elite club of OECD countries, with Canada, the US, the EU and Japan, what was referred to as the “quad” calling the shots. This was fine because other countries were not interested. After the last GATT Uruguay Round in 1994, the institution was reformed and recreated the following year into the World Trade Organization.

The first director-general, the late Renato Ruggiero, referred to the WTO as the first true institution of this new phase of globalization. As the Soviet empire, hence the second world, imploded and major market-oriented reforms occurred in third world countries, the world gradually unified into one global integrated market economy with only a handful like North Korea opting out.

Ruggiero warned early on: “we have gone from a divided world to an integrated world; and an integrated world is much more difficult to manage.” And so, that has proved to be the case.
In 1995, the WTO counted some 90 member states; at Bali there were 160. But apart from the membership increase, all has not developed smoothly. The 1999 WTO ministerial meeting in Seattle descended into total fiasco. Then Director-General Mike Moore expressed the prophetic fear that the WTO would become the “League of Nations” of the 21st century world economy – impotent and irrelevant.

In 2001, China was admitted and the ministerial meeting was held in Doha. Developing countries from the South wanted a piece of the global trade action, but in areas where they had comparative advantage: in essence agriculture, raw materials and labor intensive goods, precisely areas where the quad had maintained high tariffs, subsidies, quotas, exclusions and other forms of trade distortions that were especially discriminatory against developing countries.

The South clamored for a level playing field, something they would not be granted because of lobbies and vested interests in the countries of the North.

Nevertheless in Doha, in great part because of the brief and ethereal moment of global solidarity in the wake of 9/11, not only was a new round launched, but it was called the Doha Development Agenda, or DDA, thus understood by countries of the South as development-oriented, aimed at eliminating discriminatory trade distortions.

The spirit of global cooperation and development orientation disappeared before the ink was dry. At the 2003 WTO ministerial in Cancún, talks collapsed for a variety of reasons, but largely because of Washington’s refusal to cut massive subsidies allocated to its powerful cotton lobby, thereby undermining more cost-efficient producers from developing countries, especially Africa’s “cotton four” – Benin, Burkina Faso, Chad and Mali.

In the decade since Cancún attempts to restore the DDA have failed. While the North-South divide remains, other issues complicate the global trade picture, two of which stand out: The first is the absolutely amazing, unexpected rise of China as a global trade superpower. Another is that technology has made production of goods and services in the form of global value chains highly dispersed in a totally new paradigm.

The DDA was launched at a time when these transformations had not yet occurred. Negotiations were fought on yesterday’s battlefields. The world had changed immensely while Doha was a constant.

Unable to adjust, lead or compromise, and thereby frustrated by no longer being able to dictate the global trade agenda, the established powers opted to play in regional trade deals and then in another more exclusive trade sandbox – in the form of what’s been called the “trade mega-deals.”
There are two especially big ones: TTIP, the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership, composed of the US and EU, and The Transpacific Partnership, composed of a dozen Pacific countries, led by the United States. Both exclude the new emerging trading powers – China, Brazil, India, South Africa – along with the poor countries, especially those from southern and central Asia and Africa.

The intention of these mega-deals is not only to liberalize trade among members, but also, perhaps especially, to write new trade rules for the 21st century.

So in the space of not much more than a decade, the world transformed from a three-part division to an attempt at integration is back to a new two-part divide with the essentially rich “in” countries, and the “outs” – emerging, developing and poor countries – with the former being rule-makers and the latter rule-abiders.

There is no guarantee that these mega-deals will see the light of day. But there’s been a trend in recent years from global trade integration to fragmentation. Of course, trends need not be irreversible. Will Bali be seen as a reversal of these trends of global fragmentation in favor of greater global integration? One must hope, but a closer look at the Bali package suggests it is unlikely.

Much of the Bali package is rhetoric, not yet translated into implementable concrete reality. More fundamentally, it remains to be seen whether the spirit of global cooperation, the setting aside of narrow national interests in favor of improving the global commons, will prevail sufficiently to generate post-Bali momentum. Bali is Doha-lite. One reason for its “success” is the view among US trade officials that none of the provisions are likely to require approval of Congress, in these days an almost-certain graveyard for trade deals, perhaps even for TPP and TTIP.

Optimists celebrate that, thanks to Bali, trade multilateralism lives to see another day. The fear was that a Bali failure would not only have put a last nail in the Doha coffin, but would also have hastened the demise of the already fragile rules-based multilateral trade regime. It is a victory of sorts, but perhaps dangerously so of the pyrrhic variety.

The tattered global trade fabric is in desperate need of radical reform. Mindsets, the culture of 21st century globalization, must change and implement radical reforms to adapt to the new realities and thereby seize the opportunities for a more equitable, inclusive and sustainable globalization.
So Bali is not the end nor, to paraphrase Winston Churchill, is it the beginning of the end, but one must hope perhaps the end of a long, tortuous beginning. Great effort, leadership and vision are required to build solid foundations for a 21st century trade regime.

(Jean-Pierre Lehmann is emeritus professor, IMD; visiting professor, Hong Kong University and NIIT University (Neemrana, Rajasthan, India); and founder of The Evian Group. Copyright © 2013 The Whitney and Betty MacMillan Center for International and Area Studies at Yale.)

Schools should be decentralised, says World Bank

Autonomy in schools will allow the resident learning centres to accommodate local needs and allow ownership by teachers, administrators, parents and students.

by Azli Jamil

PETALING JAYA: Malaysia needs to decentralise its schools, provide feedback to parents on performance and find quality teachers as a crucial step in its race to become a high income nation, according to the World Bank’s Economic Monitor report on High-Performing Education released yesterday.

The report said Malaysia’s education system, which is among the most centralised in the world, makes it difficult to adapt to rapidly changing needs and circumstances.

“Autonomy allows for greater responsiveness to local needs as well as stronger ownership of performance by teachers, administrators, parents and students,” said World Bank country director for Malaysia Ulrich Zachau.

“Schools must have more freedom to hire and fire and also to manage its own budget allocations and curriculum.”

He said autonomy must come with accountability where parents must be more involved in demanding performance from the schools as the parents’ feedback loops and bottom-up pressure are important drivers of systemic improvements.

The quality of teachers is the third priority and is a cause of concern where the key is to recruit and retain the best teachers.

Zachau said 46% of principals noted that lack of qualified teaching staff as constraint and the Minister of Education has admitted that some candidates enrolling at teacher training institutions did not meet minimum requirements of academic achievement at the secondary level.

Nevertheless, Zachau noted that there is a need to look at benchmarking the school leadership as that is a key area too in ensuring the success of Malaysia’s education aspirations.

With regard to the nation’s dismal performance at the Programme for International Student Assessment survey results released last week, Zachau said that if the comparison is made using the scores of the top 5% of Malaysian students, it would place them at par with the average level for scores for China and South Korea.

Nonetheless, out of the 65 countries participating in the survey, the overall ranking for Malaysia for 2012 remains at 52 for Mathematics, 53 for Science and 59 for Reading.

Earlier, in his speech, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Abdul Wahid Omar said the planning for the 11th Malaysia Plan is underway with the output expected to come in mid 2015. “We want to avoid over planning and focus on implementation,” said Wahid.

The Plan is premised upon six major thrusts; harnessing talent, re-engineering economic growth, strengthening growth enablers, enhancing inclusivity, improving wellbeing and maintaining environmental and resources management.

“It is the last phase of our development plan towards achieving a high-income nation,” said Wahid.

Wahid noted that the issues of school autonomy and greater stakeholder participation in the school system has been recognised in the Malaysian Education Blueprint 2013-2025 launched last month.

“Steps have and will be taken to address these proposals,” said Wahid.

Don't Do Anything That Can Cause Mistrust Among Communities, Selangor Sultan Advises People

KLANG, Dec 11 (Bernama) -- The Sultan of Selangor, Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah today reminded the state's multiracial and multireligious society not to do anything that could cause mistrust among them.

The Sultan said each individual in the state should respect the freedom of others to practise their own religion and not touch on sensitive issues, which could arouse anger and create undesirable situations.

"I wish for the development in Selangor to continue into the times of our future generations.

"Therefore, all communities in Selangor must play their role in maintaining development in the state by not creating disharmony and mistrust of each other," the Sultan said at a tea reception with the rakyat at Padang Mahkota, Istana Alam Shah, here, Wednesday, in conjunction with his 68th birthday celebration.

In this regard, he also reminded the country's intellectuals to understand sensitive issues and not make statements that could hurt people's feelings to the extent of causing disharmony. The Sultan also urged the people to explore and venture into new things that could make Selangor even more developed and outstanding in Malaysia.

"Let's not allow Selangor's development to be stagnant. But Selangor cannot develop further if its multiracial people are not united and cooperative as one team," he said.

The Sultan also wants the people to assist and cooperate with the police in combating crime in the state.

Police eager for PCA amendments to be gazetted

'Kidnapping' case: Minor returned to ‘parents who gave her away’

The couple allegedly told the deliverer of the baby, Dr Tahir Mehmood, that they could not keep the child as it would bring shame to their families knowing that she had been conceived out of wedlock. PHOTO: FILE 

LAHORE: A baby girl born just four months after her parents’ wedding and then allegedly given away to protect the couple’s reputation was returned to her parents on Tuesday.

 

The parents, Naeem and Sana, wed on October 28, 2012, and some four months later, a baby was delivered at Rana Welfare Hospital Foundation in Shahdara Town, according to a police investigation.

The couple allegedly told the deliverer of the baby, Dr Tahir Mehmood, that they could not keep the child as it would bring shame to their families knowing that she had been conceived out of wedlock. They told him he could either kill the baby or keep her himself, according to the investigation.

A midwife named Razia Bibi who worked at the hospital, with Dr Mehmood’s permission, then reportedly took the baby to Naseem Hospital, located at Jora Pul near Chungi Amr Sidhu, where she gave the baby to a Dr Rana Sohail Azam.

Dr Azam then allegedly sold the baby to a man named Nadeem for Rs115,000. He gave the child to a relative named Amir Touqeer who had no children and lived in Denmark.

According to the police investigation, upon learning that the child had been sold and they had not received a cent, Naeem filed a complaint with Shahdara Town police alleging that Dr Mehmood, Dr Azam and midwives Razia Bibi and Yasmeen Bibi had abducted her. A case was registered under Section 363 (kidnapping) of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC).

Both doctors obtained pre-arrest bail, while both midwives were thrown in jail. Nadeem was also arrested and presented before the court. He testified that he had not abducted the baby, but paid Rs115,000 for her. He pledged to recover the baby and hand her over to her parents by December 10.
On Tuesday, the baby, brought back from Denmark, was handed over to the parents.

A police source said that the couple had reached a compromise with the accused and would withdraw the kidnapping complaint. The source said that Dr Azam had paid the couple Rs200,000 to drop the case.
Court staffers said that the complainant had told the court that a compromise was being negotiated. The settlement would be brought up at the next hearing of the case on December 11 (today).
Published in The Express Tribune, December 11^th, 2013.

Analysts shred Perkasa’s warning of Christian tsunami

A Christian tsunami at the next general election? Not likely, say political analysts, who pooh-poohed Malay rights group Perkasa for turning the country’s religious minority into a bogeyman.

Analysts said if the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) Government was sensitive to the needs of Christians, it need not worry about any threat to the survival of Malays and Islam in the country.

A bigger concern was the impact of the “Allah” ruling, said political analyst Khoo Kay Peng, adding that it touched on Christian sensitivities, especially since there was worldwide condemnation over the ruling.

"Christianity is practised by only 9% of the Malaysian population. The only electoral threat could come from Sabah and Sarawak. If the BN-led government is sensitive to the needs of Christians, there should not be any threat," he said.

Last Saturday, Perkasa's Datuk Zulkifli Noordin (pic) highlighted seven threats to the survival of Malay-Islam in Malaysia and warned that the 14th General Election may turn out to be a "Christian tsunami" if the threats were ignored.

He had also listed Pakatan Rakyat, Singapore, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and liberal Malays as threats.

According to Zulkifli, the Catholic church’s move to drag the “Allah” issue to court was provocative and had insulted Muslims.

Political scientist Dr Jayum A Jawan from Universiti Putra Malaysia also dismissed Zulkifli’s warning, saying the Perkasa leader was just looking for a bogeyman.

"I don’t think anyone is trying to convert anybody. This is about faith and beliefs. People either embrace Islam or embrace Christianity, there is no conversion going on.

“They are making these allegations and spreading this talk for reasons best known to themselves."

Universiti Malaysia Sarawak political analyst Dr Arnold Puyok agreed, saying: "If there is any threat of proselytising, Perkasa must provide proof of its allegations.

"They are playing with fire by saying such things and the authorities must prevent them from doing so in the name of national security and harmony."

Khoo said civil society and Muslim intellectuals should reprimand Zulkilfi and tear to shreds his baseless assumptions.

He said, however, the prime minister should not join the fray. It was best for “for the PM to stay away from folks like Zulkifli Noordin”.

Jayum agreed, saying: “Asking the PM to rein in Perkasa would be giving them prominence and I don't think we should give them any attention."

Puyok, the other hand, said Datuk Seri Najib Razak should act quickly and boldly, at least by reminding Perkasa to stop making baseless allegations.

"It looks like Perkasa is more potent than Najib's global movement of moderates. Najib should use all the support and powers he has to promote the latter," he said.

On police inaction against people like Zulkifli, Khoo said the police served the ruling party more closely than the public.

“If the regime instructs the police to act against these perpetrators, it is likely that it will do so.

"But is the regime calling for any action against Zulkifli and his seditious statements?” he asked.

Puyok added that the real threat to Muslims was Perkasa trying to instil fear in them that they were losing their racial and religious identity, when, in fact, they were not.

"The status of Islam and the rights of the Malays are safeguarded by the Federal Constitution, so what threats are Perkasa talking about?"

He urged the police to act against Perkasa if their allegations were unfounded.

Jayum agreed, noting that Perkasa's accusations ran contrary to the prime minister's efforts to foster unity.

“The Malays, Chinese and Indians have had good relations all this while and when Sabah and Sarawak joined Malaysia, it became a more plural society. This is a historical fact that cannot be disputed."

He added that it was unfortunate that the NGO had a narrow view, with many Malays disagreeing with Perkasa.

"Perkasa lacks confidence. Malays today are highly confident, professional and want to reach out to others.

"Perkasa, on the other hand, appears like a relic," Jayum said.
Khoo said while Zulkifli could exercise his freedom of speech, he should not galvanise society to think like him.

"His talk will only impact on unity efforts if Umno and its president endorse Zulkifli's position.

"And if Umno endorses his candidacy again at the next elections, then the party deserves to lose more middle-ground votes."

Both Khoo and Puyok urged the media not to give Perkasa too must space.

"Instead of reporting everything Perkasa says, the media should focus more on efforts by the Government, NGOs or other parties to foster unity and nationhood,” said Puyok.

Khoo agreed, saying the media should stop reporting nonsense.

"Their editorials should condemn such statements, too," he said. – December 11, 2013.

Look into saving animals affected by the floods

By S.Param

It is heartening to note that the government together with the media and several NGOs are doing whatever necessary to help out those affected in the going flood episodes. The decision by the government to set up so many flood relief centres with adequate food, clean water and other essential items to the affected flood victims is laudable.

The army, police, Fire and Rescue Department and all other relevant government and private agencies’ personnel should be commended for their highly organised, committed and dedicated services to the flood affected population during these difficult times.

The recent decision by the health authorities to set up several special healthcare centres to cater for flood victims is timely. This will ensure the flood victims gets immediate medical care for any flood-related ailment or injuries. More importantly, it will help detect and prevent any outbreak of infectious water-borne diseases before it spiral out to be an epidemic.

In any natural disaster, be it flooding, earthquake, tsunami, etc, it is natural for us to give high priority in saving human lives and attending to their sufferings. However, humanity does not revolve around saving human lives and alleviating their sufferings alone. Humanity encompasses everything related to taking care of human sufferings, etc, and it goes beyond that.

We also need to consider wherever practical during natural disasters of this nature to see how best we can help save the hundreds of pets, livestock and other animals that are equally affected in the floods.

These poor animals which are living in our midst and have been part and parcel of our environment and nature ought to given due consideration as soon as we have effectively taken care of our fellow men.

I appeal to the Agriculture Ministry, as well as the veterinary authorities and animal welfare NGOs, to look into ways and means to save and alleviate the suffering of pets (cats, rabbits, dogs, etc) and other animals caught in these floods.

Ideally, veterinary authorities equipped with the knowledge, equipment and facilities should immediately set up animal treatment and rescue centres in the affected areas. If there is a need, the authorities can seek the help of volunteers from the animal welfare organisations in the country.

Injured and dead animals in the badly flood-hit areas may pose a threat to public health if they are not treated or the dead animal carcasses are not removed in time.

 It must be pointed out that the spread of the notorious leptospirosis infection (an animal-borne disease) has been reported to spike during and after major floods in South-East Asia, according to many scientific studies.

The causative agent of leptospira is contagious in moist environment. Although rats and other rodents play an important role in the spread of the infection, there are a wide range of other mammals including dogs, deer, rabbits, cattle, buffaloes, sheep, and pigs that have been reported to also carry and transmit leptospirosis. Imagine if these animals that are killed in the floods are left to rot in the flood waters!

According to meteorological predictions, it appears that the worst is not over yet and we must be prepared for more flooding episodes in the lowland areas in many parts of the country.

IGP: Up to Surendran if he wants to join police ops

It is up to PKR Padang Serai parliamentarian N Surendran to decide if he still wants to take up the invitation to join the police operation, said inspector-general of police Khalid Abu Bakar.

There is no way the police have any way to guarantee Surendran’s safety, he told a press conference today when attending Best Police Station award.

“The police can’t even ensure their own safety when  they’re facing a dangerous situation, how can I give a (safety) assurance?” he said.

“I can’t even guarantee my staff’s safety. That’s why from an early stage, I already said he needed to sign the indemnity letter,” he said.

“It’s up to him,” he responded when asked if the invitation was still on.
Surendran had been a frequent critic of the police abuses, particularly on issues of custodial deaths and police shootings.

The most notable incident revolved around the police shooting of five men in Penang in August.
Based on Home Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi's comments during a subsequent televised interview, Surendran alleged that the minister had admitted to the shooting being premeditated.

Following this, Khalid invited Surendran to join the police in an operation. Although he had accepted the invitation, Surendran had refused to sign an indemnity letter which absolves the police of any responsibility should any mishap occurs.

Isma: Human rights must be based on Islam

Ikatan Muslimin Malaysia (Isma) has urged the federal government to interpret human rights values based on Islamic values because Muslims form the majority in Malaysia.
In a press release today, Isma deputy president Aminuddin Yahaya listed out the organisation's six demands, which among others urged the federal government not to ratify six international human rights treaties.
These include the Convention on Elimination of All Forms Of Discrimination Against Women (Cedaw), International Convention on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), which includes freedom of religion, and the Convention On The Rights Of Child (CRC).

Isma said these pacts were a sinister bid to make the country a completely free state with no limits on freedom. This would jeopardise racial harmony in Malaysia and also violate its sovereignty, it said.

“As a Muslim country where the majority of the people are Muslims, then all forms of freedom as defined in human rights must be accompanied by the principles of Islam,” said Isma’s deputy president Aminuddin Yahaya in a recent statement.

Isma said instead, Malaysia should look to follow the more conservative standards set by the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in the Cairo Declaration of 1990 and the Declaration of Human Rights by the Association of South-East Asian Nations (Asean) last year.

In the statement, Aminuddin also once again blasted Comango, a coalition of 54 human rights NGOs, which it alleges carries a sinister agenda.

Comango has said that Isma was out to slander the NGO, which intended to present the true picture of Malaysian civil society instead of the whitewashed government version at the  Universal Periodical Review (UPR) process in October.

Kohilan: KL temple rejected options

Committee members of the Hindu temple at Jalan Raja Chulan turned down options presented to them following several meetings, says former deputy foreign minister Kohilan Pillay.

PETALING JAYA: Former deputy foreign minister Kohilan Pillay revealed that committee members of the KL Hindu temple demolished last month were given an offer early last year.

“Several mediation and negotiation meetings were held between the developer Hap Seng Land and the Sri Muneswarar Kaliyamman temple committee members, between February and March last year,” said Kohilan

“I was approached by Hindu groups asking me to mediate and in the interest of resolving the issue, I took on the job bona fide.”

Speaking to FMT, Kohilan said three meetings were held between the Hap Seng Land representative and the temple committee.

Also present during the meetings was MIC Federal Territory deputy chief Chandrasekhar Suppiah.

During the second meeting, the Hap Seng Land representative handed a RM50,000 cheque to the temple committee chairman as a token, to beautify the temple.

“I can confirm that the cheque was passed to the temple chairman because I was there and witnessed the handing over,” added Kohilan.

During the third negotiation meeting, two options were suggested.

“Option one is to re-build the existing temple but the size will be smaller with a five foot set back.

“The second option is that the developer is willing to give one acre of land in Puchong for the relocation of the temple with a fully built meditation centre and a low cost house for the temple priest,” said Kohilan.

However, the temple committee turned down the options due to differences of agreement within the committee members which is claimed to be made up of ‘family members’ and the temple building chairman.

“If this matter continues to be unsettled then it will create more problems.

“The temple committee chairman had then turned back and said to me, let them come and demolish the temple,” added Kohilan.

Talks failed


Kohilan said that the temple committee was not interested in the suggestions tabled and was adamant that they were not willing to compromise any of the land and wanted a temple built on the original perimeters.

“Earlier this year, Hap Seng Land asked me to re-negotiate with the temple committee, but the temple committee took a court order injunction instead,” he said.

It is being speculated that the temple committee is now requesting for the rebuilding of a two storey temple this time around.

Situated in the heart of Kuala Lumpur’s golden triangle business hub and believed to have originally been built in 1911, the temple is deemed to be on DBKL’s reserve land for ‘road expansion, pedestrian pathways or drainage’.

Hap Seng Land is developing a 30-storey office building on an adjacent plot and can only get a Certificate of Fitness (CF) if it builds a walkway in line with DBKL requirements.

Last month, around 300 DBKL enforcement officers and police personnel demolished the temple without proper notice.

The temple had been issued an eviction notice on June 13, ordering it to vacate the premises before June 26. The eviction order was issued so that a developer could build a multi-storey building.

The Pakatan leaders were vocal in support of the issue until Padang Serai MP N Surendran was booted out from the parliament session where he tried to get parliament to discuss the temple’s dilemma. He now faces six months suspension from parliament .

Seven file petition to nullify MIC polls

Seven MIC leaders have filed a petition to declare the MIC elections null and void.

PETALING JAYA: Seven MIC leaders, who failed in their bid to win seats in the central working committee (CWC), have filed a petition seeking to declare the polls null and void.

In the petition to the party’s election committee and MIC president G Palanivel on Dec 6, they said the polls must be held again due to discrepancies in the election held last week in Malacca.

The seven leaders are R Mutharasu, S Kannan, P Vijian, M Pushpanathan and former CWC members Madhu Marimuthu, SP Manivasagam and S Ananthan.

They said results of the CWC election was announced on Nov 30, while that of the vice-presidential race was only announced the next day after four recounts.

“This is a serious anomaly as both elections were conducted simultaneously and therefore results should have been announced at the same time,” Madhu Marimuthu told FMT.

He said since each delegate was given two ballot papers and the election committee should have ensured that the number of ballots cast for CWC was the same as that of the vice-president race to ensure a fair election.

He added that several discrepancies in the counting process became apparent only after the vice-president polls results were announced.

“At that time the CWC candidates or their agents did not have the opportunity to raise objections. We were not present during the counting process. The number of votes cast for both the vice-presidential and CWC elections should have been the same. But sadly it is not,” he added.

Madhu Marimuthu also said the room where the votes were counted was not spacious enough and the 88 CWC candidates and their agents could not monitor the counting closely.

He also questioned the one-hour break given to election officials involved in the tabulation of results while counting was in process.

“The candidates were also not allowed to keep an eye on the ballot boxes which was under the custody of the election committee.

This has given rise to doubts whether the ballot papers were tampered with.

“The total votes cast in the CWC election does not tally compared with that of the vice- president race. Why do the numbers differ.

The same number of delegates voted in both the elections but now the numbers differ,” he added.

A copy of the petition was also dispatched to the Registrar of Societies (ROS) for investigations.

“We want the election committee to immediately hand over custody of the ballot papers to the ROS to investigate the allegations and conduct an inquiry,” said Madhu Marimuthu.

Old woman challenged to a fight

Thugs disrupted a meeting of Indian NGOs and abused women, claims alleged victim.

GEORGE TOWN: Trespassers at a closed-door forum last month verbally abused a group of women and challenged one of them to a fist fight, according to the alleged victims.

“We really felt degraded and feared for our safety,” said one of the women, S Jothee, as she related the incident during a press conference today.

She was referring to a meeting of NGOs on Nov 30 which discussed issues pertaining to Hindu burial grounds in Penang.

Jothee did not identify the alleged intruders or say how many were in the group, referring to them as “thugs” who appeared drunk.

She said they disrupted the proceedings several times and became dangerously volatile when the forum proposed that a petition be sent to Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng to complain about faulty crematorium incinerators in Batu Lanchang.

She said a group of women tried to calm them down when they were beating up a person attending the meeting, whom she did not identify.

“One thug used foul language and told one elderly woman to step outside to fight with him,” she said. “The woman was old enough to be his mother.

“Another thug was yelling and using insulting words against us.

“We could smell strong alcohol from both of them and, judging from their unruly behaviour, we believe they were drunk.”

Sothee demanded a public apology from the alleged intruders.

The forum organisers—the Coalition of Indian NGOs and Concerned Citizens Penang—last week lodged a police report on the incident.

Last Friday, a group of men held a press conference saying they were innocent of any wrongdoing at the Nov 30 meeting.

The forum was resumed last Saturday and no untoward incident happened.

Follow the rules, IGP tells PR MPs

The Inspector General of Police told Pakatan Rakyat leaders to follow the rules at the planned gathering to hand over a memorandum to the Kuala Lumpur City Hall on Dec 16.

KUALA LUMPUR: Inspector General of Police, Khalid Abu Bakar this evening lambasted Batu MP, Tian Chua for refusing to follow guidelines of the Peaceful Assembly Act for a planned protest against quit rent hike proposed by the Kuala Lumpur City Hall, on December 16.

The senior top cop said rules and laws have been provided to ensure smoothness of the assembly and that the police were ready to assist the protesters by manning traffic in the area.

“There are laws why can’t they just follow it. We are here to help them and to help everyone else,” he said.

He added that the police might take precautionary measures to prevent any unnecessary incidents on that day.

“We would take action to prevent unwanted incidents. I urged them to apply for a permit and follow the rules.”

“This is to ensure that everyone else is happy. We could take care of the traffic and so forth,” he said.

This morning, Batu MP Tian Chua told FMT that there was no need for Pakatan Rakyat to submit an application under the Peaceful Assembly Act (PAC) for their rally at Dataran DBKL next week.

Speaking to FMT he said that it is only a submission of the objection letters to the rate hike.

When told the gathering has been described as a “rally” by various quarters including the police, Chua said: “They can describe is as anything they want”

Yesterday Khalid had urged the leaders in Pakatan Rakyat that his men would assist them in their Dec 16 rally against the Kuala Lumpur assessment rate hike as long as they abide by guidelines given in the Peaceful Assembly Act (PAC).

Last week, opposition MP’s representing Kuala Lumpur constituencies told the press they planned to rally at Dataran DBKL on Dec 16.

This came after DBKL (Kuala Lumpur City Hall) had sent out a notice to property owners informing them of the impending rise in assessment rates. In some cases, the hike would be as high 1,000%.

The MPs called for a lower increase, saying 10% to 15% would be reasonable.

The DBKL had set Dec 17 as the deadline for objections.

Malaysia among countries faring worst in faith-based discrimination, says global study

But this year's more comprehensive study showed six more, bringing the full list to Afghanistan, Iran, Malaysia, Maldives, Mauritania, Nigeria, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, United Arab Emirates and Yemen.

Reuters

In 13 countries around the world, all of them Muslim, people who openly espouse atheism or reject the official state religion of Islam face execution under the law, according to a detailed study issued today.

And beyond the Islamic nations, even some of the West's apparently most democratic governments at best discriminate against citizens who have no belief in a god and at worst can jail them for offences dubbed blasphemy, it said.

The study, The Freethought Report 2013, was issued by the International Humanist and Ethical Union (IHEU), a global body uniting atheists, agnostics and other religious skeptics, to mark United Nations' Human Rights Day on Tuesday.

"This report shows that the overwhelming majority of countries fail to respect the rights of atheists and freethinkers although they have signed U.N agreements to treat all citizens equally," said IHEU President Sonja Eggerickx.

The study covered all 192 member states in the world body and involved lawyers and human rights experts looking at statute books, court records and media accounts to establish the global situation.

A first survey of 60 countries last year showed just seven where death, often by public beheading, is the punishment for either blasphemy or apostasy - renouncing belief or switching to another religion which is also protected under U.N. accords.

But this year's more comprehensive study showed six more, bringing the full list to Afghanistan, Iran, Malaysia, Maldives, Mauritania, Nigeria, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, United Arab Emirates and Yemen.

In others, like India in a recent case involving a leading critic of religion, humanists say police are often reluctant or unwilling to investigate murders of atheists carried out by religious fundamentalists.

Across the world, the report said, "there are laws that deny atheists' right to exist, revoke their citizenship, restrict their right to marry, obstruct their access to public education, prevent them working for the state..."

Criticism of religious faith or even academic study of the origins of religions is frequently treated as a crime and can be equated to the capital offence of blasphemy, it asserted.

EU states

The IHEU, which has member bodies in some 50 countries and supporters in many more where such organisations are banned, said there was systematic or severe discrimination against atheists across the 27-nation European Union.

The situation was severe in Austria, Denmark, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Malta and Poland where blasphemy laws allow for jail sentences up to three years on charges of offending a religion or believers.

In these and all other EU countries, with the exception of the Netherlands and Belgium which the report classed as "free and equal," there was systemic discrimination across society favouring religions and religious believers.

In the United States, it said, although the situation was "mostly satisfactory" in terms of legal respect for atheists' rights, there were a range of laws and practices "that equate being religious with being American."

In Latin America and the Caribbean, atheists faced systemic discrimination in most countries except Brazil, where the situation was "mostly satisfactory," and Jamaica and Uruguay which the report judged as "free and equal."
Across Africa, atheists faced severe or systemic violations of their rights to freedom of conscience but also grave violations in several countries, including Egypt, Libya and Morocco, and nominally Christian Zimbabwe and Eritrea.

What our leaders can learn from Mandela

When Nelson Mandela died last Thursday, some Malaysian political leaders paid him tribute and expressed their admiration for what he stood for.

Prime Minister Najib Razak, who recently bought back preventive detention, tweeted, “Mandela lives on in the spirit of every human that believes in democracy and freedom.”

Former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad, the champion of Perkasa, Ketuanan Melayu (Malay Supremacy) and the New Economic Policy (NEP), called Mandela a great leader dedicated to the cause of social justice.

Kedah Mentri Besar Mukhriz Mahathir, who in September said he would not entertain any requests for allocations from Chinese schools in Kedah, called Mandela “a true international patriot” for having suffered for the freedom movement against Apartheid.

Wanita Umno chief Shahrizat Abdul Jalil, who last year raised the threat of another May 13, extolled his message of unity and called him a “role model for all of the world”.

Weighed against what these people have said, done and been perceived to believe, the tributes sounded hollow – hypocritical, even. It makes one wonder if they truly understand the meaning of Mandela’s legacy.

For them to do so, they need to be more aware of what he stood and fought for throughout his life. And when they have become aware, it will not be enough until they apply what they have learned to governing Malaysia.

First, they need to learn that Mandela served – in the best sense of the word – his country. To do good for it without seeking any reward, financial gains or power, for his own sake.

He fought for his people’s freedom, fought against Apartheid, paid the price of being imprisoned for 27 long years, and became South Africa’s first black president in democratic elections. Did he amass great wealth along the way? Did he use the system to enrich himself and his family? Did he think of winning for himself and his party so that they could remain in power?

What he said at a lecture in Singapore in 1997 is instructive: “When we came out and set up negotiations, we discussed our approach very, very carefully, as the leadership of the African National Congress. And we adopted certain principles. Firstly, that in these negotiations, neither the congress, which is now in power, nor the enemy – the policy of Apartheid – none should win. But South Africa as a whole should win.”

He thought of his country first. He thought of his country winning. Our leaders, however, seem to think of themselves winning, and their party winning. When our government does something, it seems to consider first whether this will benefit the ruling party rather than if it will benefit the rakyat. Consider, for example, the doling-out of BR1M. Even now, the ruling party’s leaders are looking ahead to winning the next general election.

It was also quite revealing that at the Umno general assembly last week, a delegate said that if every 8th century Hindu temple ruin in Kedah were to be gazetted, his party would lose constituencies because the ruins were located all over. Rather than be concerned with preserving ancient treasures, he showed that his priority was winning electoral seats.

Second, Mandela kept to his principles of fighting against racial discrimination. And he promoted reconciliation – to bring the races in South Africa together, instead of sowing hatred and bitterness between them. He let the whites continue to control the economy and big business. In so doing, he has been criticised for not having done enough to improve the economic lot of his fellow black South Africans. But if he had instituted laws to favour the blacks, he would have practised Apartheid, and that would have been morally wrong. It takes someone who has felt the evil of racial discrimination to avoid resorting to it.

He let the whites run businesses because they were adept and experienced at doing it. If he had decreed that this be taken over by the blacks, who were inexperienced, South Africa’s economy would have suffered. Instead, with things continuing as they were, the country has annually achieved robust growth rates of 6, 7 or 8 per cent.

In the same lecture he gave in Singapore, Mandela said, “It is because of the talented people, both within the ranks of the liberation movement as well as in the ranks of the oppressor, that we have been able to bring about this transformation. We sincerely but fully believe that there are good men and women in all communities in our country – amongst Africans, coloureds, Indians and whites – and that the duty of the leadership is to create an environment in which those good men and women can exercise their talents. It is the combination of these factors that has made us progress in South Africa.”

Compare this with Malaysia, which has driven away at least 2 million of its talents and is now experiencing financial difficulties – because of the NEP, Ketuanan Melayu and Bumiputra economic empowerment. In short, Apartheid, Malaysian-style.

Sadly, however, Mandela’s experience is lost on Umno, the biggest ruling party in the country. At its general assembly, its high priest, Najib, actually told the congregation that Umno fought the “same cause” as Mandela did. Oh, how could he have said that and not looked like a fool? And how could he have discredited Mandela by comparing the great man’s cause to Umno’s?

Umno has been practising divide-and-rule for the longest time – the very opposite of reconciliation. Mahathir is still saying things to divide the races. He calls Mandela “my dear friend”, the leader he most admires, but he has not learned the crucial things from him: racial equality and reconciliation.

Neither has he learned from Mandela not to crave power. The latter served as president for only one term, from 1994 to 1999, and then gracefully stepped down.

Perhaps we the rakyat should learn from this and agitate our leaders to conceive of a new system that allows our prime minister to serve a limited number of terms.

Too long at the top can corrupt a person and teach them ways to amass absolute power. And since, as people say, power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely, we should prevent it from happening. We have already seen the damaging consequences of having a prime minister rule for 22 years; this should be reason and motivation enough to nip another Mahathir in the bud.

Finally, a sobering thought for all of us to ponder. Mandela was in prison for 27 years, but despite the length of his incarceration, he came out of it not as a bitter man seeking revenge and spewing hatred against his oppressors. He instead sought peace, reconciliation, and unification. It may well be that he found his epiphany while in prison. If that’s the case, perhaps our leaders need to serve time in prison, too. This is so that they may realise a thing or two to help them govern later – with fairness, justice and wisdom.

* Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to MSN Malaysia

* Kee Thuan Chye is the author of the new book The Elections Bullshit , now available in bookstores.

Malaysia urged to ratify human rights treaties urgently

The Star

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia should ratify the remaining six of nine core international human rights treaties as soon as possible and not be left behind, a discussion heard.

The country has only ratified three of the nine treaties since 1995, namely the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women, the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

Malaysia underwent the second United Nations’ Universal Periodic Review on Oct 24 where 80 of the 249 recommendations from member countries called for it to ratify the treaties as well as other conventions. Of the 80, 25% were recommendations from OIC states.

Malaysia will undergo its third UPR, a global review by its UN peers, in 2018.

Panellist and Human Rights Movement (Proham) secretary-general Datuk Dr Denison Jayasooria said human rights was for the good of all, adding that the argument that the country was not ready or laws needed to be amended should not be used as reasons.

“Ratifying the convention is committing to making those changes. One does not need to be perfect before signing.

“Malaysia has done well in other areas but we cannot go on not ratifying the treaties. It is embarrassing to be behind other countries in Asean and OIC which have ratified more treaties than us,” Dr Denison said at the discussion entitled ‘Human rights priorities for Malaysia beyond 2013 UPR to 2018’ organised by Proham and the Global Movement of Moderates (GMM).

The discussion was held in conjunction with Human Rights Day Tuesday.

Dr Denison suggested implementing a national human rights action plan; strengthening the Human Rights Commission (Suhakam), including debating its reports in Parliament; and having firmer dialogue with civil society.

GMM chief executive officer Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah, who moderated the session, said the six major conventions, which included against racial discrimination; economic, social and cultural rights and torture, should be ratified by 2018 “if not earlier.”

“It puts us among the bottom 10 if we do not ratify more treaties. We are now ranked 187 out of 195 UN countries.

"Most countries have ratified four or more even in OIC nations,” said Saifuddin, adding that there should be more engagement between the stake holders and the Government.

“We have to take cognisance that not everyone will agree on everything on human rights, even if we do not agree, we should refrain from discriminating or demonising.”

Asian Strategy and Leadership Institute (Asli) chief executive officer Tan Sri Dr Michael Yeoh said Malaysia must play a bigger role in championing human rights on the international stage as well as take cognisance internally.

“We need to enhance human rights, strengthen Suhakam and give it enforcement powers as well as establish a human rights council at the highest level,” he said.

As chairman of Asean in 2015, he said, Malaysia could play an important role in making human rights a more prominent agenda within the nations.

Najib To Attend 40th Asean-Japan Commemorative Summit In Tokyo

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 11 (Bernama) -- Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak is to make a working visit to Tokyo from Thursday to Sunday in conjunction with the summit marking the 40th anniversary of Asean-Japan dialogue relations.

He will be accompanied by his wife, Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor, said a Foreign Ministry statement.

International Trade and Industry Minister Datuk Seri Mustapa Mohamed, Deputy Foreign Minister Datuk Hamzah Zainuddin and officials from the ministry and relevant government agencies would also be in the delegation, it said.

The statement said the leaders of the 10 Asean nations and Japan were expected to re-emphasise at the summit on Saturday their close and long-standing relations besides signing three documents that outline programmes and activities to strengthen their relations.

These documents are the Vision Statement of Asean-Japan Friendship and Cooperation, its Implementation Plan, and the Joint Statement of the Asean-Japan Summit.

Their Majesties Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko of Japan are scheduled to mark the occasion by hosting an afternoon tea reception on Friday at the Imperial Palace.

Najib and Rosmah are also scheduled to attend a dinner hosted by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe of Japan and his wife, Akie Abe.

The statement said the summit will begin with a photography session. This will be followed a welcome speech by Abe and remarks by the Asean leaders.

Najib, who is also the finance minister, is scheduled to have bilateral talks with Abe, after which they will hold a joint news conference.

"The prime minister (Najib) is also scheduled to deliver a keynote address and open the 32nd conference of the Malaysia-Japan Economic Association (Majeca) and the Japan-Malaysia Economic Association (Jameca)," the statement said.

Top officers of Nikkei Inc, Sumitomo Corporation, Sekisui Chemical, Mitsui & Co. Ltd, Kawasaki Heavy Industry Ltd and Toshiba Corp are scheduled to call on Najib, it said.

Najib is also scheduled to meet Malaysian students in Japan and launch the Tokyo branch of 1Malaysia for Youth (1M4U), which is expected to draw an attendance of more than 150 students.

Najib and Rosmah are scheduled to return to Kuala Lumpur on Sunday.

Najib's son tours flood relief centres

Secularism and Indian Constitution !

1. Definition of the word ‘secularism’

Meaning of the word ‘Dharmanirapekshata (secularism)’ as per dictionary is something related to  incidents happening in this world that is materialistic, not auspicious, non-religious, contemporary, anti-Dharma, ordinary, doubtful towards religious truths or against education related to religion. Under the concept of ‘Dharmanirapekshata’, there is no connection with religion; it is only related to materialistic world.

2. Characteristics of Dharma

The following characteristics are generally included in the definition of Dharma
a. Anthropomorphic (with physical body) existence of God
b. Existence of soul after death
c. Existence of world different from Gross world
d. Concept of liberation
e. Moral or spiritual rules or methods indicated to attain liberation
f. Group of loyal followers
g. Acceptance of truth which is beyond intellect
h. Faith in whatever own people / relatives say
i. Related rituals
It is not that these characteristics are all encompassing and exhaustive.

3. Success of secular regime depends upon inter-related relations of different religious groups with each other and especially their perspective on other religions

4. Islam and secularism

4.A. Maulana Azad, who wrote commentary on Quran, felt that only Muslims can attain liberation and other persons have no such right
‘Tarjuman-Al-Quran’, a book written by Maulana Azad is considered as commentary on Quran; but Maulana did not believe in other religions as form of one religious truth. He had stated in a letter written to his friend that faith only in one God and abidance by Quran would help in attaining liberation. Farukhi has written an analytic essay on the commentary of Maulana Azad wherein he has deduced that according to Maulana, only Muslims can attain liberation and others have no right to attain liberation. It shows the kind of internal faith Maulana had.
4.B. Carrying out changes in personal laws under Islamic jurisprudence as per the time, is considered as against Islam
The same views are expressed in Islamic jurisprudence. Shri. M. H. Baig has accepted that under Islamic jurisprudence, the laws in Quran cannot be changed and it is not possible to carry out improvements in personal laws i.e. they consider it as anti-Islam to carry out improvement in personal laws. (It shows intolerance of Muslims towards other religions which is against the principles of secularism and national integrity. – Editor, Dainik Sanatan Prabhat)

5. Christianity and secularism

5.A. Jesus Christ says that liberation can be attained only by following him : Christians believe that only Christianity knows the path of liberation. Jesus Christ has clearly said that liberation can be attained only by following him. Such God is envious.

6. Intolerance towards other religions is against secularism

If there is internal faith that ‘my religion is only true and superior’ and if there is intolerance towards other religions, it becomes difficult to examine opinions of others leading to creation of unavoidable conflicts which is not in favour of secularism.

7. Religion and Indian Constitution

7.A. Under 42nd amendment of Indian Constitution, secularism has been added and under 25th article, every citizen has freedom to follow any religion : In the objectives of Indian Constitution, secularism was included through 42nd amendment. There is no definition of the word secularism given under Constitution and under article 25, every citizen has freedom to follow any religion; but it is controlled freedom.
7.B. Extension of freedom to follow religion : Social order, morality, health and fundamental rights put restrictions on freedom to follow any Dharma. Barring which, every citizens has rights to use his diligence, abide by his Dharma, propagate his Dharma etc.
7.C. Under the definition of Hindu, Sikh, Jain and Buddhist religions have been included.

8. Verdicts passed by Supreme Court contrary to principles of secularism !

8.A. Few verdicts given by the Supreme Court and action or inaction of the State/ Central Govt. is contrary to the principles of secularism
Few decisions of Supreme Court and action/ inaction of State/ Central Government in few cases seem contrary to the principles of secularism and which are encouraging generation of sentiments against national integrity. It has also been observed that when a decision taken by Court is based on secularism, the Government makes it ineffective owing to political opportunism. Same thing has happened in case of Shahabano.
8.B. Supreme Court justifies students from Kerala refusing to sing national song
8.B.1. ‘If there is no faith or order regarding national song or he is against it, he cannot be forced to sing national song’, was the opinion given by Supreme Court by misconstruing meaning of article 25 (1) without thinking in objective manner : By justifying action of few students from Kerala of not singing national song, Supreme Court has passed a judgment which is against national integrity. Those students had refused to sing national song on religious background; therefore, they were asked to leave the school. Kerala High Court supported sending away such students as it is in accordance with the Constitution. Supreme Court, however, passed a verdict that if someone has no faith or order against having faith in national song, he cannot be forced to do so. It appears that the above decision was not taken objectively by inferring the meaning of article 25 (1) of the Constitution.    
8.B. 2. Not singing national song is religious right of Muslims and this freedom has been conferred on them through Indian Constitution
If freedom to follow any religion is going to be construed in this manner, it will be difficult to have secularism and national integrity together: If religious faith against national integrity or order is considered to be as per the Constitution, it can destroy both secularism and power. Supreme Court has pleaded that the students did not sing national song as they were not permitted to sing it as per their religion which means singing national song is a part of their religious rights and it is conferred by Indian Constitution. If such meaning is going to be interpreted of religious freedom, there will be no secularism and national integrity.
With the same logic, insulting national flag or killing of General Arun Vaidya and Smt. Indira Gandhi would be justified under law.
8.C. Materialistic and religious fields were not taken into consideration while passing the above verdict; therefore, it can help fanaticism and powers against national integrity
In the above decision, materialistic and religious fields were not taken into consideration, therefore, it seems that fanaticism and powers against national integrity will be encouraged. It also creates a doubt whether Indian Constitution is against majority population.

9. Government’s decisions found to be contrary to treat all religions equally; therefore, in the name of religion, many fanatic political powers are continuously encouraged to carry out their activities

Government’s decisions are also found to be contrary to the standpoint of Government of treating all religions equally; therefore, many fanatic political powers are continuously encouraged to carry out their activities; e.g. although it is not against Quran to take out procession with playing music by a mosque and even if there is opposition, it cannot be upheld as per the freedom conferred by the Constitution. There is no such restriction in other Muslim countries; but owing to Government’s inaction and selfish political interests, Hindus have to always face insult and restrictions are imposed on their freedom to follow religion conferred by the Constitution or they are deprived of their right to follow their Dharma; however, no action is taken against trouble-makers which is very unfortunate. The way such incident is against Hindus’ right to follow their Dharma as conferred by the Constitution, it is also contrary to the principles of secularism.
-Dr. L. G. Chincholkar (Ref.: ‘Pradnyalok’, February 1999)
(The above article was published in ‘Pradnyalok’ magazine 12 years back; but it is still very apt even today ! - Editor, Dainik Sanatan Prabhat)
(Supreme Court took a decision in support of not singing national song without studying the incident objectively; whereas in Shahabano case, owing to political opportunism, Supreme Court’s decision was discarded by the Government. In both the cases, decisions were taken contrary to the principles of secularism and so much freedom has been given to Muslims to follow their religion with political support that the freedom has got converted into fanaticism. Restrictions imposed upon Hindus during their festivals, brutal attacks on Hindus by fanatics and police machinery that does not take cognizance of the same; besides oppressive laws against Hindus not only narrow down their freedom to follow Dharma but also put curb on Hindus’ fundamental rights. Secularism, that is demoralising Hindus and Hinduttva, should be removed and laws need to be made for treating all religions equally and strengthening national integrity by establishing Hindu Rashtra. Hindus need to unite and fight against this so also join the mission of establishment of Hindu Rashtra ! – Editor, Dainik Sanatan Prabhat)

Kazakh 'Bridenapping' Caught On Video

 Ah, romance -- the kicking, the hair-pulling, the slapping, the shouts from in-laws that "this marriage is going to happen!"

These are the memories of a Kazakh "bridenapping" that can be shared with everyone now that a video of a one-sided courtship has made it to Facebook.

Shot in the dark of night, the video sheds light on a nomadic tradition that is rarely seen in the open.

At first, the shaky camera reveals only the occasional blurry image, providing no reasons for the piercing cries of a woman, the barking dogs, and the giggles and harried conversations taking place in the background.

But then, an unseen male gives a clear directive: "Make sure she puts her right foot forward when she is stepping into the home for the first time." Doing so, superstition holds, ensures a happy and prosperous family life.

Once under the light, a young woman in a red dress gets her first look at her abductors, and future family members. "Don't hold me! Why are you holding me? Why are you talking to me like this? I want to leave," she says. "What are you talking about? I will leave. Why? Why?"

 Her efforts to flee futile, she is ushered kicking and screaming out of the kitchen, through a dark hallway, past a prepared dinner table, and into a back room.

There a group of men and women of various ages take turns trying to force upon her a white scarf -- the traditional symbol of an accepted marriage proposal.

When the offer is demonstratively refused, the group employs various methods to change her mind. She is pushed and pulled, slapped, screamed at, and gets in a hair-pulling wrestling match with one of the younger women in the group.

"That is it! This [marriage] is going to happen!" shouts one woman. "We are going to make you wear this white scarf anyway."

"Why are placing obstacles in the way of your own bright future?" a male voice asks. "You should be ashamed of yourself!" scolds another, while a woman warns: "Don't make us upset."

"No, no, no!" the young woman insists. "I'm not going to sit, I won't stay in this house. I'll leave. Let me go!"

But her pleas fall on deaf ears: "No one is letting you out from this house."

'Abducted In Broad Daylight'

This video was posted on the Facebook page of Kairat Kozhabekov, who wrote that he recorded the scene on his mobile phone in the Maktaaralsk district of Southern Kazakhstan Oblast.

The post provided only a vague clue as to when it was recorded, announcing that the girl eventually agreed to the marriage and has since given birth to a son.

Kozhabekov wrote on Facebook that bride kidnapping is a widespread phenomenon in his native southern Kazakhstan, but as the video was shared, outrage followed.

"Disgrace! This is a violation of human rights," wrote Kazakh Facebook user Bakhytzhan Duysenov. "You can't play with someone's life like this," commented Kazakh blogger Ansa Mustafa.

The blogger recalled that two of her female friends were kidnapped and forced to marry, but both marriages ended in divorce. "One of the girls was 19 years old when three men abducted her in broad daylight, forced her into a car, and took her to the prospective groom's house," Mustafa wrote.

"Like the scene depicted in the video, my friend also resisted and cried for help. But the mother of the 'groom' put bread and a white scarf before the girl and laid down on the floor to obstruct the girl's way. 'You will be very unhappy all your life if you walk over these three sacred things,'" the woman told her.

The girl relented, and her spouse turned out to be an alcoholic who had no chance of finding a mate otherwise, Mustafa concluded.

Illegal But Unpunished

In the wake of the video's posting, some have called for all the men and women involved in the kidnapping to be brought to justice. But it is highly unusual in Kazakhstan for victims to turn to the authorities for help.

That helps keep bridenapping in the dark, with little known about it other than that it takes place.

The tradition dates back centuries, although it customarily took place with the bride's consent. Today's nonconsensual bridenappings often involve single men who could not otherwise find a wife.

In many cases, complete strangers are targeted, and the groom gains the benefit of avoiding the costly wedding parties and expensive gifts associated with conventional weddings.

Like any other kidnapping, bridenapping is a criminal offense in Kazakhstan and is punishable by up to seven years in prison, says Almaty-based lawyer Nura Tynyskyzy. While local tradition may recognize unions forged by kidnapping, the lawyer says, they are not valid in the eyes of the law.

"Kazakhstan's family and marriage law stipulates that marriage is a voluntary union," Tynyskyzy says. "If one of the parties don't want to make such union, the marriage is considered illegal."


For Video : Click here

Written by Farangis Najibullah, based on reporting by RFE/RL's Kazakh Service correspondent Maqpal Mukanqyzy

Lembah Bujang must be listed as Unesco world heritage site, DAP tells Putrajaya

Candi No. 11 in Lembah Bujang was destroyed recently

 

DAP has urged Putrajaya to take "immediate steps" to list Lembah Bujang as a Unesco World Heritage Site to preserve the remaining ancient structures and artefacts.

Its secretary-general, Lim Guan Eng, said the "sheer negligence" and "failure of heritage management" by the Kedah government had caused the loss of a candi in the valley.

"It is a black mark for Malaysia when it fails to safeguard historical treasures for future generations.

"Saving ancient monuments like those in Lembah Bujang is a solemn duty imposed on federal and state governments," he said in a statement today.

The Penang chief minister also expressed bafflement over Kedah's proposal to relocate scattered structures from the site, which spans an area of 200 square kilometres, to a single site.

"This is out of character as most archaeological excavations are done in situ, except when certain items, such as vases or clay figurines, are taken away and displayed in a museum.”

Kedah Menteri Besar Datuk Mukhriz Mahathir had previously said that it would be more practical to assemble the structures in one location because the ruins and remnants from one of Southeast Asia's oldest civilisations were scattered “too far and wide”.

“I want Kedahans to be rest assured that our heritage as the oldest civilisation in the whole of Malaysia will be celebrated,” he was quoted as saying yesterday.

Lim, however, today criticised the proposal, pointing out that the relocation would destroy the value of the artefacts.

"To move or remove them from the original site would risk the danger of detracting, diminishing and even devaluing the historical significance of the site which is 2,000 years old.”

He also urged Mukhriz to give a full account of what had happened to the 1200-year-old Sri Vijayan Hindu temple, also known as Candi No. 11, in the Sungai Batu area of Lembah Bujang.

Archaeologist Datuk V Nadarajan recently revealed that Candi No. 11 was recently cleared to make way for a housing project, sparking a public outrcy.

Lim said the Merbok Land Office should have monitored and notified the developer of the existence of the historical structure and spared it from destruction.

"Not only was this not done, the developer was also given the green-light to proceed with clearing works at the site," added Lim. – December 9, 2013.

Suaram questions gov't claim on preventive detention

Six people are still being detained without trial at the Kamunting camp in Perak, although the Internal Security Act was abolished last year, said human rights NGO Suaram.

"(Yet, the government’s) Universal Periodical Review Report (in August, to the UN Human Rights Council had) claimed that the practice of preventive detention (has) effectively ended,” Suaram executive director Nalini Elumalai (right) said today.

“In practice, preventive detention continues ..."

The six detainees are said to be linked to Islamist group Darul Islam. They comprise Malaysians Muhammad Adnan Umar, Adzmi Pindatun, Mohd Nazri Dollah and Bakar Baba; and foreigners Muadz Hakim (Philippines) and Darto Bandu (Indonesia).

Suaram cited Human Right Commission sources as saying that they may be freed when their two-year detention order expires on Jan 6 next year.

However, Suaram said there is no guarantee that the government will not pursue action against them under other laws that provide for preventive detention.

These include the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act (Sosma) which was passed in June  last year; the amended Prevention of Crime Act passed in October this year; and the Dangerous Drugs (Special Preventive Measures) Act 1985.

Nalini noted that Sosma had been used in February this year against Yazid Sufaat (left), Halimah Hussein and Hilmi Hafim. They were arrested on Feb 8 for alleged links to terrorists in Syria, but were released on May 20.

"I think the most challenging part for civil society ... is the problem of accountability by the police," Nalini said at a press conference to launch the 2013 Suaram overview and report on the status of human rights in Malaysia.

The report outlined three key challenges related to the police:

1.  Many regulations with regard to the standard operating procedure (SOP) of the police have been placed under the Official Secrets Act.

2. The internal disciplinary system to deal with police misconduct lacks transparency and impartiality; there is also lack of clarity as to how complaints are investigated and acted upon.

3. Criminal offences tantamount to human rights violations are not addressed in a transparent and systematic manner to hold the authorities accountable.

Gov’t gets ‘F’ for human rights

Based on detention without trial and human rights violations by the police, Suaram has given the government an ‘F’ for its human rights record this year.

Its joint monitoring efforts with the Abolish ISA Movement showed that there were 23 ISA detainees at the Kamunting detention camp last year - of whom 17 were freed earlier this year.

Suaram recorded 12 cases of death in police custody (up to June), while it cited a Home Ministry parliamentary reply that the police had shot dead 124 people from 2009 up to August.

Also highlighted were irregularities during the 13th general election, including the inability of Suhakam to monitor the polls process on May 5.

This was because, similar to 2010, there was 39-day gap between the end of tenure and appointment of new commissioners, with the period falling between nomination and  election day.

"For the first 22 of the 39 days without commissioners, a total of 79 cases were lodged. The commission could not act on these, as the enabling law clearly stipulates that only commssioners can decide if an inquiry is necessary," Suaram said.

Suaram's chairperson K Arumugam said that it is becoming more difficult to point out the government's faults because of its growing intolerance especially after GE13.

Resorting to the analogy of a football match to illustrate his point, he said: “Despite our monitoring, we are not in a position to show a red card and say 'Get out of the field!'

“Actually, we get the red card and are told ‘Please get out of the system... you are too much for us, we can't handle you’."

Apart from releasing its report , Suaram singled out three activist groups for mention in "saying no to corporations and businesses which are taking away their rights". 

They are the action groups working against the Kaiduan Dam in Sabah; the Pengerang petrochemicals project in Johor; and the Taman Permata Dengkil Residents Committee who were relocated to unsafe low-cost flats in Dengkil 14 years ago to make way for the construction of Putrajaya.

'Without Umno, Malays would be more civilised'

Malays would be "more civilised beings" if Umno does not exist.

Former Umno member Zaid Ibrahim delivered this view in a stinging riposte to party president Najib Abdul Razak’s remarks during the annual assembly over the weekend.

Najib had told Malays to reflect on where they would be without the party.

In his blog-post today, Zaid (left) said that, without the party, "Malays would accept the plurality and the diversity of the country".

"The short answer is that the Malays will still be Malays without Umno. There may not be as many instant Malay millionaires and billionaires but under any party in power that practises good and fair policies, the Malays would be all right," he said.

He said that Malays have lost the art of being "hospitable and accommodating" to foreigners and immigrants.

"They (Malays) accepted diversity long before our nationhood came to being. They were able to absorb the best in the qualities of others and that’s why Malay kingdoms were built with success. But these progressive Malay values have now been wiped out," he noted.

Zaid also trained his guns on the Umno assembly in general, calling it an assembly of "demagogues".

"The Umno president can protest and say Umno is not a racist party, but it is. It’s no different from other parties with fascist ideas," he said.

Speeches by delegates over the four-day assembly were "no different" than the tune of extremist parties in France, Greece and Holland.

"Umno delegates, however, are one up from their counterparts in Europe since they are able to demand goodies from the government," he said.

Zaid said that, while the issue of religion had been ramped up, pertinent national issues such as economy and education were not discussed by leaders and delegates.

"Very little was heard about the economy ... There was no discussion of the education issues that have plagued this country for many years now," he said.

"It was the same old Umno, playing cheap and dangerous politics to seed fear amongst the people.”

'Significance devalued if Bujang Valley ruins moved'

MP SPEAKS DAP is surprised at the Kedah state government's proposal to relocate significant structures from the ancient Lembah Bujang civilisation that's scattered over a 200km square area, to a single site.

This is out of character as most archaeological excavations of an entire civilisation are done ‘in-situ', except when certain items such as vases or clay figurines are taken away for display in a museum.

Kedah Mentri Besar Mukhriz Mahathir (right) said it would be more practical to assemble the structures in one location, as the ruins and remnants from the oldest civilisation in the region were scattered "too far and wide".

But to move or remove them from the original site would risk the danger of detracting, diminishing and even devaluing the unique historical significance of the site chosen by the original inhabitants 2,000 years ago, that is known internationally as the Bujang Valley civilisation.

Let the experts decide whether this approach is sound and proper.

Mukhriz said that he wanted Kedahans to rest assured that Kedah's heritage as the oldest civilisation in the whole of Malaysia will be celebrated.

However there should be full accountability from Mukhriz for the tragic end of a pre-historic 1200 years-old Sri Vijayan Hindu temple (known as Candi No. 11) in the Sungei Batu area of Bujang Valley.
Richest archaeological site
Boasting a sprawling area of hundreds of acres, Bujang Valley is arguably Malaysia's richest archaeological site and world-renowned for the preserved cultural remains of ancient Buddhism and Hinduism as well as representing the beginning of early Malay civilisation.

What is now left of the Candi's immense historical value and significance, given its birth between the 11th and 13th century, is a piece of cleared land for a housing project.

The temple's disappearance was discovered and brought to public attention by Bujang Valley Study Circle chairman V Nadarajan and recently confirmed by Penang's Deputy Chief Minister II, P Ramasamy (centre in photo), who had earlier researched on the Chola presence in Bujang Valley.

Such destruction could have been avoided if the Merbok Land Office had monitored and notified the developer of the existence of this historical structure.

Not only was this not done, the developer was also given the greenlight to proceed with clearance of the site.

The sheer negligence and failure of heritage management by the Kedah state government has resulted in a senseless loss of heritage.

It is a black mark for Malaysia that fails to safeguard historical treasures for future generations when saving ancient historical monuments like those in Bujang Valley is a solemn duty imposed on the federal and state government.

The federal government must stop operating by remote control from air-conditioned offices in Putrajaya.

Instead funds should be given to set up heritage offices in states with rich archaeological sites such as Penang, Kedah and Malacca.

The Kedah state government should use this unfortunate episode to galvanise its efforts to draft out an archaeological heritage management plan to preserve their remaining historical structures and artefacts in the Bujang Valley.

I would suggest that the federal government take immediate steps to list Bujang Valley as a Unesco heritage site.

---

LIM GUAN ENG is the Penang chief minister, secretary-general of DAP and Bagan MP. The views expressed in this article are his own.

'Najib wrong, Umno more like Mandela's foe'

The world is mourning the demise of an iconic figure who had risked his life and spent more than two decades in prison for struggling against a racist regime.

In Malaysia, a grieving Umno president Najib Abdul Razak has equated his party's struggle to the battle Mandela had fought to end apartheid in South Africa.

Commenting on this, a bewildered PKR vice-president N Surendran said it was nothing short of "shameless" for the Umno president to make such a comparison.

He pointed out that Najib has his facts mixed up since Umno's struggle more accurately mirrors that of the white National Party that had enforced racial segregation in South Africa.

"Where do I even begin?" asked Surendran, struggling to contain his laughter.

"I am actually surprised that Najib made the comparison. It does not do him or Umno any favours. On the contrary, it exposes the massive weaknesses in Umno's position.

"We all know about Mandela's struggles. In fact, Mandela himself said that his greatest work had been the fight against racism," he told Malaysiakini yesterday.

'Najib's most ridiculous statement'

In contrast to that, Surendran (below, centre) said Umno, especially since the era of its former president Dr Mahathir Mohamad, "has been all about racism, pure and simple."

According to the PKR leader, Umno practices a form of "calculated racism", which is intended to be used as a front to enrich party leaders, their cronies and selected businessmen.

"Comparing this to Mandela's struggle is the most ridiculous statement Najib has ever made.

"And the mockery of it is you have delegate after delegate (at the Umno assembly) talking about Malay supremacy... how does this accord with what Mandela stood for?

"I would call this a complete insult and desecration of Mandela's beliefs. This is not what Mandela risked his life and liberty for," he said.

The irony, Surendran said, is Najib has opened up a clear parallel between Umno and the white supremacist National Party that governed during the apartheid era.

"The crux of it is... Umno's struggle is the same as the apartheid party... Najib got it upside down.. Umno is more like the opponent of Mandela," he added.

Surendran also noted that the last two general elections showed that Malaysians are no longer interested in Umno and BN's racial struggle.

"They want a united Malaysia and that is why multiracial parties are so successful," he added.

'Anwar more like Mandela'

Responding to a question, Surendran agreed that if a Mandela parallel is to be drawn with Malaysian political figures, then the best candidate is opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim.

"Anwar was the first major political Malay leader who broke down the racial barrier and created a political coming together of all races.

"For the first time, in Anwar, we had a Malay politician of national standing, who repeatedly said "do not look at the colour of people's skins, but look at their needs".

"This has been the essence of Anwar's message over the years," he said.
          
Surendran said this message has been successful on the political front, with regard to breaking down the racial stranglehold of Umno and BN.

"In that context, Anwar's struggle parallels Nelson Mandela's (right) fight to end racial politics.

"Another parallel is that Anwar has also repeatedly said there will be no witch-hunt should Pakatan Rakyat form the federal government.

 "There will be a truth and reconciliation commission similar to South Africa. This struggle is not about exacting revenge or vendettas, but to rescue the nation," he said.

Like Mandela, Anwar too was incarcerated for what the latter claimed were trumped up charges in a political conspiracy to end his political career.

However, the government has denied this.

‘Umno must get serious on human rights’

Umno leaders should stop playing the racial card and take a serious approach in addressing human rights issues, says Suaram.

KUALA LUMPUR: Umno leaders should discard racial issues as showcased in their general assembly last week and focus on resolving human rights issues, says Suaram director Kua Kia Soong.

Speaking to the media after the Suaram Human Rights Awards 2013 presentation, he added that some Umno leaders have praised the late Nelson Mandela as a great freedom fighter and anti-apartheid movement activist, but in Malaysia for instance when it comes to enrollment of non-Malay students into University Institute Technology MARA (UiTM), they (non-Malays) are not allowed to do so, this shows apartheid ideology is practised by Umno.

“This shows a contradiction in the praises and double-standard being practised by the Umno leaders,” said Kia Soong

On another subject, former Suaram executive director Cynthia Gabriel in reference to the Scorpene case, said that it (the case) is not dead yet and French lawmakers are still investigating.

“We took a stand back, to be quiet in respecting the French law and not exposing (details) openly to the public.

“But I can assure you that the investigation is still on-going and even the investigators have found a trail to Hong Kong.

“We hope in couple of months, the investigation will be concluded,” said Cynthia.

Before the start of the presentation event, K Arumugam, Suaram co-chairperson in his welcome speech, urged the government to look into reports and recommendations highlighted by the human rights group.

He added that from last year, the human rights group have urged the government to seriously look into the dire state of human rights issues, but the government is not concerned with the situation and Suaram’s recommendations have ‘fallen on deaf ears’.

New areas of concern

In today’s event, Suaram unveiled the 2013 Overview Report on the Civil and Political situation in Malaysia.

Among notable human rights issues highlighted are detention without trial which states that Malaysia’s August 2013 Universal Periodic Review (UPR) report which claims that with the repeal of the Internal Security Act (ISA) in 2011, the government continues to use a different Security Offences and Special Measures (SOSMA) and Prevention of Crime Act 2012.

Suaram recorded 12 cases of deaths while in police custody and a total of 124 persons shot dead by the police from 2009 to August this year.

In the report, they stated that press freedom continues to decline in world rankings with Malaysia placed at an all time low position of 145 out of 179 countries, the country’s worst showing since 2002.

At least 26 people were charged under the Peaceful Assembly Act (PAA) 2012 during the post election rallies and 33 others were charged under the Penal Code for unlawful assembly and rioting.

Another key human rights issue highlighted is the 103 United Nation member states at Malaysia’s second UPR that highlighted the fact that previous recommendations made during the 2009 UPR were still not met.

New areas of concern are emerging such as Malaysia’s poor ratification record on core international human rights treaties; restrictions of freedom of expression and peaceful assembly and the preventive detention of criminal suspects for long periods of time without charge or access to a judge.

The Human Rights Award 2013 were won by joint winners Kaiduan dam task force from Sabah and the Taman Permata Dengkil activist group.

The Kaiduan Taskforce that was formed in 2009 to protest the construction of a dam in Kaiduan that is slowly edging past proposal stage.

The other co-winners, a group who fought for their housing woes, became a highlight when some of the flat dwellers ended up living in tents, camped outside their flats for 72 days.