Will the true jihad please rise?

By Haris Ibrahim,

Jihad, unless I’m mistaken, means to ’struggle’.

The first struggle in Islam, as I understand it, is against one’s own self.

To overcome the ego, so that what is left is the fullest outpouring of the God-planted propensity in all of us to love.

YB Ibrahim Ali and his friends from Malay NGO Perkasa have a different take on jihad.

In the name of jihad, as reported in Staronline, they have decided to take up the defence of the ‘cow head’ protestors who were charged with sedition and unlawful assembly yesterday.

Quoting Ibrahim from that Staronline report : “We are not doing this as a publicity stunt or political mileage but for the sake of the Ummah (the community of believers) and to defend Allah’s religion,”“.

Is Allah’s religion under siege by the charging of these protestors, or were the antics of these protestors after Friday prayers almost two weeks ago an affront to the way of life ordained in Islam?

Was Islam vindicated by the charges preferred in the Shah Alam courts yesterday, or exalted by the the conduct of the six protestors who were charged with sedition yesterday?

Ibrahim and his friends plan to go on a donation drive to raise funds for the defence of the twelve charged.

Herein lies the real mischief of what Ibrahim and his friends plan to do and, it would seem, the long-term objective of the protest on 28th August.

In the course of the donation drive, they will seize the opportunity to work up the sentiments of the Malays with the same rhetoric that we saw on display at the protest when the head of the cow was mishandled.

Ibrahim has already given a hint of things to come when, as reported by Staronline, he is reported to have “criticised those in power, accusing them of being cowards for not protecting the religion”.

What they will portray to the average unsuspecting Malay / Muslim is that the acts of the six now charged with sedition was an act of jihad, in the struggle to defend Islam.

This is the furthest from the truth.

In this sense, the efforts of Ibrahim and his friends must be seen as a continuation of the hidden agenda of that protest and the several incidences that have occurred in Selangor in recent times.

PAS and others must rise now to put a stop to this lie.

Tok Guru Nik Aziz, much respected amonst the Muslim community, must be enlisted to counter this lie.

Jemaah Islamiah Malaysia (JIM) must forget about their signature campaign against Jeff Ooi. They have a bigger battle on their hands. They must go to the ground and tell the Muslims the truth about that ugly incident and the real agenda of the same and that of the effort of Ibrahim and his friends.

Pembela must do likewise.

Sujatha Suicide: Coroner To Deliver Finding In Sujatha Inquest On Sept 29

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 10 (Bernama) -- The coroner's court on Thursday fixed Sept 29 to deliver its finding in the inquest into the death of actress K. Sujatha allegedly of paraquat ingestion.

Coroner Mohd Faizi Che Abu fixed the date after hearing submissions.

Counsel Datuk K. Kumaraendran, representing Maika Holdings CEO S. Vell Paari, submitted that there was no third party involvement in Sujatha's death and that strong circumstantial evidence showed that she died due to paraquat ingestion.

Counsel Datuk K. Kumaraendran, representing Maika Holdings CEO S. Vell Paari, submitted that there was no third party involvement in Sujatha's death and that strong circumstantial evidence showed that she died due to paraquat ingestion.

He said the only verdict the court could arrive at based on the testimonies of the 24 deponents during the inquest was that Sujatha had committed suicide.

Kumaraendran said that though there was no direct evidence that Sujatha had committed suicide, the coroner could arrive at the conclusion based on circumstantial evidence that the actress had taken her own life by consuming the weed killer.

He said the only person who came close on the issue of "third party involvement" was Sujatha's employer, Vell Paari, whereby she had worked for him as a personal assistant.

"They had a close employer-employee relationship where he even bought her a condominium unit and used to bring her out for dinner, but that is not an issue before this court where the main task of this inquest is to find out the cause of her death.

"Even her brothers were aware of this relationship and Sujatha's father himself testified that there was no foul play in her daughter's death," he pointed out.

On the issue of why Sujatha was not rushed to the Kuala Lumpur Hospital (KLH), which was much closer compared to the Tengku Ampuan Rahimah Hospital (TARH) in Klang, Kumaraendran said Dr S. P. Saktiveloo of the Klang hospital was a cousin of Vell Paari and at that time both of them strongly believed that Sujatha could receive better treatment at that hospital.

He said Dr Saktiveloo had convinced Vell Paari that he could bypass the "red-tape" normally present in government hospitals.

"The issue here is not which hospital she was admitted to but the treatment she received, where she was treated by at least seven specialists at TARH," Kumaraendran said.

The inquest is to determine the cause of death of 28-year-old Sujatha at TARH on June 25, 2007, six days after being admitted for allegedly drinking weed killer.

On the issue of foul play, Kumaraendran submitted that Sujatha would have complained to other doctors who had treated her or friends who had visited her while being at the hospital for nearly five days.

"Sujatha had admitted to Vell Paari, Dr Saktiveloo and her brothers that she had unknowingly consumed the poison, where a bottle of paraquat was found in her room," contended Kumaraendran.

Moreover, medical findings by Dr Saktiveloo and other specialists were that Sujatha had suffered multiple organ failure consistent with paraquat poisoning, he stressed.

On the post-mortem issue, Kumaraendran said it was Sujatha's brother K. Surenthiran who had requested the hospital not to conduct the post-mortem since the cause of death had already been confirmed by the doctor who issued the death certificate and burial permit.

Meanwhile, co-counsel Datuk C. Vijaya Kumar said there was no iota of evidence that there was a third party at the condominium unit when Sujatha consumed the weed killer.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Geethan Ram Vincent, who is assisting the coroner in the inquest, submitted that the court should take into consideration several issues before arriving at the verdict.

He said Sujatha was confirmed to have died of paraquat ingestion. Vell Paari was her employer who had bought her a condominium worth RM420,000 besides supporting her two brothers in pursuing their tertiary education, he added.

Geethan Ram said Vell Paari was the first person to rush to the condominium to check on Sujatha's condition before he and Dr Saktiveloo decided to admit her at TARH which was 42 km away compared with KLH which was 3.5 km away.

"The testimony of Vell Paari and Dr Saktiveloo that Sujatha never disclosed to them why she took paraquat is difficult to believe," he said.

He said the court should also take into consideration that Vell Paari had issued a press statement that Sujatha passed away due to ovarian cancer.

Geethan Ram said it was highly improbable that Sujatha had unknowingly consumed paraquat since experts had testified that the weed killer had a pungent smell for someone to drink directly from the bottle.

He concluded his submission by informing the court that so far there had been no explanation or reason why Sujatha drank the weed killer.

MIC Elections 2009: Vote For The President's Men, Says Samy Vellu

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 10 (Bernama) -- With less than 48 hours to go before MIC goes to the polls, party president Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu has appealed to the delegates to vote for his hand-picked team to preserve stability and unity in the party.

Samy Vellu, who was returned unopposed as president for another term, said he was confident that the delegates would give priority to the party rather than individuals when casting their votes.

"The party must be our priority. The Indian community is our priority. As such, we must ensure that stability is maintained in the MIC," he told Bernama ahead of the two-day 63rd MIC general assembly to be opened by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak at the Putra World Trade Centre on Saturday.

He urged the 1,464 delegates to pick leaders who were "clean, trustworthy, responsible and hardworking with proven track records" to ensure that they could run the party "smoothly" with him.

The "Presidential Team 2009" comprises incumbent deputy president Datuk G. Palanivel, who is defending the post, and the threesome of Human Resources Minister Datuk Dr S. Subramaniam, Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk S.K. Devamany and Deputy Federal Territories Minister Datuk M. Saravanan, who are going for the three posts of vice-president.

Samy Vellu has also endorsed 27 of the 63 candidates battling for the 23 slots in the central working committee.

"This (Presidential Team) is not my team. It is their (delegates') team and there can only be one team in the MIC," said Samy Vellu, who regarded the team as part of the party's succession plan after his announced retirement in 2012.

"There must be understanding between the leaders and they must work as a team to rebuild the party. If the delegates make the wrong choice, it may destroy the prevailing unity within the party," he said.

Samy Vellu said the MIC must continue to be strengthened to serve the Indian community and face the next general election.

Party sources and observers expect Palanivel to have a 50- to 100-vote edge over his challengers, former deputy president Datuk S. Subramaniam and vice-president Datuk S. Sothinathan.

Samy Vellu admitted a few days ago that the tussle for the deputy presidency would be tough but predicted that Palanivel would poll between 650 and 700 votes to win.

"Palani has the block votes. The remainder of the votes would be spread out between the other two candidates. I do not expect an upset in this race," he had said.

In the fight for the posts of vice-president, the closest challenge to Samy Vellu's men is expected to come from Datuk K.S. Balakrishnan of Johor and former vice-president Datuk V.K.K. Teagarajan of Kuala Lumpur.

The other two candidates are P. Subramaniam, the former MIC Selangor youth chief, and P. Mariayee of Negeri Sembilan.

The central committee battle would be a tough, with Samy Vellu himself expecting two outsiders to make it through.

"Many grassroots leaders have openly declared that they would follow the president's list for deputy president and vice presidents but not for the CWC. This is where they want to use their own wisdom and vote accordingly without being told who they should vote for," said an observer, who declined to be named.

-- BERNAMA

*******
The Star

MIC polls: Samy Vellu unhappy over Dr M move

KUALA LUMPUR: MIC president Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu has levelled another accusation at his former deputy Datuk S. Subramaniam, saying the challenger for the MIC deputy presidency had disgraced the party by seeking the endorsement of former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

He said Subramaniam’s move to seek the help of Dr Mahathir was a “desperate act”, claiming that this had incurred the wrath of many branch and division leaders.

“How cheap and desperate can a man be?” he asked, referring to a report in the Tamil daily Makkal Osai which quoted Dr Mahathir as saying that MIC delegates should vote for Subramaniam.

“It appears that Subramaniam has lost his support in the MIC and has to seek outside help to prop up his support among the delegates. He has lost whatever credibility that was left in him,” Samy Vellu said in a statement.

He said that he was both extremely angry and sad that Subramaniam had allowed an outsider to meddle in the party’s affairs, especially during a crucial election for the MIC.

The party supremo pointed out that when Dr Mahathir was in power, he had said that the Barisan Nasional could not interfere in the internal affairs of a component party.

“But now he interferes in our party matters,” he said.

He said the MIC was holding its elections through the democratic process to allow delegates to pick their leaders and “is not facing any problems for outsiders to get involved.”

“I urge MIC delegates to condemn the actions by Subramaniam and his supporters in getting an outsider involved in our party matters.

“If we allow this to happen, in future, outsiders will continue to interfere in our affairs and we will lose our dignity and respect,” Samy Vellu said.

****

MIC ELECTION RUNUP: RM500m suit adds spice to polls

Submitted by pekwan on Thursday, September 10th, 2009

Businessman sues Vell Paari for implicating him in lawyer’s death

Frankie D'Cruz

Thursday, September 10th, 2009 The Malay Mail

T”S ON: Lawyer K. Saraswathy files the defamation suit against Vell Paari. With her is A. G. Thilagan, an associate of Thiagaraj

THE mega RM500 million defamation suit by millionaire businessman P. Thiagarajan against Maika Holdings chief executive officer S. Vell Paari brings into the open the much speculated death of a young woman lawyer.

The 55-year-old philanthropist, also known as OMS Thiagarajan, has accused Vell Paari, son of MIC chief Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu, of implicating him in the death of P. Selvarani, 29.

With two days to the party elections, many see this suit as another major action in the open and bitter battle between Samy Vellu and his arch rival Datuk S. Subramaniam.

Subramaniam, who is openly backed by Thiagarajan, is contesting the deputy presidency against Samy Vellu’s nominee, incumbent Datuk G. Palanivel.

And this is the second RM500 million suit filed by politicians in just over a week. Both suits involve the media as well.

Transport Minister Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat recently filed a staggering RM500 million suit against MP for Bintulu Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing for defaming him.

Ong, who is also MCA president, claimed that Tiong, the executive director of Kuala Dimensi Sdn Bhd, had issued a defamatory statement about giving him RM10 million, which was published in the Malaysiakini website.

Thiagarajan’s suit, filed at the Kuala Lumpur High Court registry yesterday, states that the plaintiff filed action after Vell Paari failed to retract his allegations that were made in the Tamil Nesan.

Apart from Vell Paari, who is the managing director of Tamil Nesan Sdn Bhd, the two other defendants are Tamil Nesan Sdn Bhd, the owner and publisher of the Tamil Nesan daily, and the editor-in-chief of the newspaper, K. Pathmanabhan.

Thiagarajan, who is also the Makkal Sakthi party adviser, is seeking aggravated and exemplary damages and an injunction to restrain Vell Paari or his agent from further making any defamatory statement against him on the issue.

He claimed that Vell Paari had written two “false” articles with bad intention in Tamil Nesan on Aug 2 and Aug 4 that portrayed him as a killer, liar, traitor to the community and a stooge of Subramaniam, among other things.

The accusations, he said, were aimed at damaging his name as a business and community leader and had put him in public scandal, odium and contempt.

The battle between both men was waged in the pages of the rival Tamil dailies — Samy Vellu’s Tamil Nesan and Subramaniam’s Makkal Osai.

Stories of political manipulation, sex, lies, betrayal of trust, and murder apparently caused the circulation of both dailies to increase dramatically.

There were stories about secret meetings at the PJ Hilton, the death of Selvarani who was a close friend of K. Sujatha, the woman romantically linked with Vell Paari, who died after drinking the weedkiller paraquat.

Selvarani died after falling from the 17th floor of her condominium on Jalan Klang Lama on June 24, 2007, a day before the death of model and actress Sujatha.

She was only 29 and was due to take up a posting with the United Nations the following week.

Police classified the case as “accidental fall”, but in his articles, Vell Paari speculated as to whether somebody could have pushed her.

Vell Paari alleged that Thiagarajan “cried” uncontrollably on hearing Selvarani had died and in the process dragged Kapar MP S. Manikavasagam into the controversy, alleging that the PKR MP had begged him to settle “some matters” he had with the police.

He also alleged that Thiagarajan had paid the wages of about RM5,000 a month for Selvarani, the lawyer who before her death was working at the legal firm owned by Hindraf founder P. Uthayakumar.

Thiagarajan alleged the articles meant that he had tried to shift the people’s attention from Selvarani’s death to Sujatha’s death that was played up in Makkal Osai.

Vell Paari also alleged that the Klang-based millionaire had secretly met him at the PJ Hilton and begged him to intervene with his father to “save” Subramaniam and “ditch” Palanivel.

Second defamation suit against Vell Paari

THE RM500 million suit is the second defamation suit in a month to be filed against Vell Paari, the son of Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu.

MIC deputy presidential hopeful Datuk S. Subramaniam had on Aug 20 obtained an interim ex-parte injunction from the High Court in Kuala Lumpur to restrain Vell Paari and two others from further publishing defamatory
articles against him.

The inter-parte hearing is scheduled for today.

On Aug 13, Subramaniam filed a RM100,000 defamation suit against Vell Paari, who is the managing director
of Tamil Nesan Sdn Bhd, the owner and publisher of the Tamil Nesan daily, and the editor-in-chief of the newspaper, K. Pathmanabhan.

In his statement of claim, Subramaniam said the defendants had falsely and maliciously written and published defamatory words against him in an article in the newspaper on Aug 4.

He said the article, among others, implied that he had acted against the interests of the MIC and Barisan Nasional in the 12th general election last year and that he had betrayed the party and the coalition.

THE MAIN PLAYERS

Who is Selvarani

• A lawyer who fell to her death from the 17th floor of a condominium on Jalan Klang Lama at 5am on June 24, 2007.
• She was found on the ground floor in her undergarments.
• Police classified the case as accidental fall.
• She died a day before the death of her good friend, model and actress K. Sujatha. She was due to take up a job with the United Nations.
• She worked for former ISA detainee and Hindraf founder P. Uthayakumar and fell to her death 15 days after quitting her job.
• Vell Paari is casting aspersions on OMS Thiagarajan over her death.
• “Did she fall accidentally or did someone throw her out from 17th floor?”, Vell Paari posed the question in an article.
• “An inquiry must be carried out to find out why and who are those behind the scene for her death”, he added.
• Vell Paari is married to popular Tamil singer Shaila Nair
• The inquest into Sujatha’s death is ongoing.

OMS Thiagarajan

• Klang businessman, 55, and a popular philanthropist in the Indian community.
• Financially supports numerous charities, Tamil schools and Tamil organisations.
• Has openly endorsed Datuk S Subramaniam for the MIC deputy presidency.
• Allegedly attacked by Vell Paari because he was openly using his money, influence and nationwide network to drum up support for Subramaniam.
• The architect in registering Makkal Sakhti Party at lightning speed, in less than a month.
• Makkal Sakthi party adviser and reportedly commands a good standing among the Indian community by running businesses and industries through the OMS group.

**********

MIC ELECTION RUNUP: Tide changing in the party

Submitted by pekwan on Thursday, September 10th, 2009

Subramaniam receives support from Samy Vellu’s die-hard supporters

Kharleez Zubin

Thursday, September 10th, 2009 08:16:00

BOOKLET LAUNCH: S. Subramaniam displays his booklet titled “Change” after a Press conference in Kuala Lumpur. On his right is his supporter A Govindarajoo who is contesting a CWC post.

MANY die-hard supporters of MIC president Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu have openly declared their support for
former deputy president Datuk S. Subramaniam who is in a three-cornered fight for the party’s number two
post.

Many delegates who had quietly met and conveyed their support for Subramaniam over the weeks, yesterday openly displayed their support by attending his media conference at the Royal Selangor Club.

When asked after the Press conference if it was a sign that the tide was changing in his favour, the Samy Vellu nemesis said: “I hope all this will be reflected in the ballot box.

“I see the sentiments among the delegates changing after the disciplinary committee made a decision to
issue me a show-cause letter for corroborating Datuk V. Govindaraj’s confession that he rigged votes in the 1977 elections for the deputy presidency,” said Subramaniam.

Several supporters of Samy Vellu who were seen at the media conference were Gopal Krishnan of Pandan,
S.P. Manivasagam of Hulu Langat and a close relative of Samy Vellu, a delegate from Malacca, Basil Karrupiah.

Manivasagam, who is contesting a CWC post, told Malay Mail that he was “disillussioned” with the party
leadership for nominating individuals who curry favour with the people in power.

“I am not scared or ashamed to be aligned to Subramaniam for I feel it is time to see real changes in the leadership,” he said.

He added that most of the delegates and contestants for the CWC posts who were dropped from the official
line-up were ganging up to support Subramaniam.

“What is the use of supporting the leadership when we are not counted after having given so much to the
party in terms of time and effort?”

The Press conference was called by Subramaniam in response to Samy Vellu’s announcement that the disciplinary committee would take action against him after the elections over his statements regarding vote rigging confessed to by MIC strongman Govindaraj.

Meanwhile, a group from the Indian community also expressed its open support for Subramaniam.

A representative of the group, led by businessman Datuk Vyran T. Raj, claimed that so far 765 delegates
had stated their support for Subramaniam.

The group called on Samy Vellu to resign from the post of MIC president before Sept 30.

“We feel there is a need to change the MIC leadership by replacing the leader. It’s true that he (Samy Vellu)
had contributed much (to the community), but times have changed,” he said.

It is sabotage, claims Subra

DATUK S. Subramaniam attacked his nemesis and MIC party president Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu for sabotaging his chances of winning the deputy presidency.

“This is a planned tactic and the announcement by the president bespeaks of intimidation directed at delegates
not to vote for me,” Subramanaiam told a packed Press conference at the Royal Selangor Club.

“How do you expect the delegates to react when he says that the disciplinary committee would take action
against me after the elections?” he asked, adding that Samy Vellu was sending a message to the delegates not to vote for him.

Reading further into the announcement, Subramaniam said the “open ended” statement was bound to create “confusion” among delegates.

Subra was responding to the MIC Central Working Committee decision on Tuesday to refer him to the
party’s disciplinary committee in relation to his statement in the Malay Mail about the party’s election held in 1977.

Samy Vellu, who is backing Datuk G. Palanivel against Subramaniam for the deputy presidency in the party elections on Sept 12, said that any further action by the disciplinary committee would only be after the elections.

Announcing this after chairing the CWC at the party headquarters in Jalan Ipoh, Samy Vellu said that Subramaniam’s statement, along with the statement made by former MIC strongman Datuk V. Govindaraj,
was aimed at “destroying the credibility of MIC’s elections” conducted all these years.

“How timely to make such an announcement when the elections is around the corner and I am a contestant in the elections. The motive is very clear. It is to intimidate delegates,” Subramaniam said while calling on the delegates to throw caution to the wind and stand up for the sake of the party and the Indian community and vote him in.

“Don’t be intimidated. I appeal to you this one time for the sake of the party and unity of the Indian community
not to be swayed by anything and vote for change.”

He said he would write to the party elections committee to put his frustrations across as it was not ethical to issue such a statement when it knows what it would do to his chances of winning.

“It is a clear attempt at undermining my chances of winning and I hope the elections committee would put
things right,” he said, while calling on the delegates not to be swayed by intimidating tactics or ponder over
how he would work with the president if he won the deputy post.

“I have no problem working with anybody in the party. It is the president who has to answer not me.”

Subramaniam also clarified a perception that he was too soft and and did not dare challenge Samy Vellu.

“People have called me a loser and a non-fighter for not taking on the president on many occasions. I tell
you I am not gutless nor a coward. On those occasions I was hesitant because the party was weak. I feared it
would further weaken the party. But now the party is being weakened by the leadership and I want to bring a
change.”

Muddying the cow-head protest

By Deborah Loh
thenutgraph.com

	"They should have listened to the residents first. It would not have come to this if they had a dialogue with them about the relocation."

HOME Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein, blaming Selangor's Pakatan Rakyat-led government for the 28 Aug 2009 cow-head protest against the relocation of a Hindu temple in Section 23, Shah Alam. Hishammuddin said this after meeting with the cow-head protesters in his office on 2 Sept 2009.

He also defended the protesters for expressing their dissatisfaction to the state government. But the state's attempt to hold a dialogue with affected residents three days later on 5 Sept was derailed by Malay Muslim residents who turned aggressive and resorted to name-calling and insulting the state leaders. (Source: Hishammuddin blames state for protest, New Straits Times, 3 Sept 2009)

	"And seeing the picture of them sitting next to the (home) minister (Hishammuddin Hussein) was indeed shocking."

Hindu Sangam adviser Datuk A Vaithilingam, refuting Hishammuddin's claim that Hindu Sangam and the Section 23, Shah Alam residents had met after the protest, and would be meeting again. Vaithilingam said the organisation was willing to meet with Section 23 residents, but not specifically with the protesters who had insulted Hinduism. (Source: Hindu Sangam ready to meet residents, not protesters, Malaysiakini, 4 Sept 2009)

	"The state government did not think... the cow's head was displayed because it is a 'stupid' animal, to show that the state government made a 'stupid' decision, and disrupted the peace of Section 23 residents. [It has] nothing to do with religious issues."

Former Selangor Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Khir Toyo at a press conference with Section 23 residents' association committee members by his side, on 4 Sept 2009. He said the protesters had no intention of belittling Hinduism, which holds the cow as sacred. (Source: Khir Toyo defends protesters over 'stupid' cow, Malaysiakini, 4 Sept 2009).

The next day, MIC Youth social and charity bureau head S Subramaniam lodged a police report against Mohd Khir for calling the cow "stupid" and said it showed his insensitivity towards other religions.

	"Where else in the country has a state government spent so much money for places of worship of other religions? ... BN and Umno have no objections to temples being built so long as they are in conducive sites."

Mohd Khir on his plan while he was Selangor menteri besar for a centralised religious enclave in Section 18 to relocate Hindu temples and Sikh gurdwaras throughout Shah Alam. The state government under his administration spent RM600,000 on infrastructure like paved roads and parking lots for devotees.

But while Umno leaders accuse the present PR state government of failing to consult with residents on the temple relocation, Mohd Khir admitted that his plan for the enclave was rejected by Hindus — this after spending all that money on infrastructure. Section 19 temple treasurer T Sugumaran said the enclave was a ludicrous idea and was done without consultation. (Source: Khir says his temple enclave would have prevented row, Malaysian Insider, 4 Sept 2009)

	"We can observe that the people are starting to question the decisions made by several opposition-led states and their credibility in handling certain local issues."

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak's answer to reporters' questions on the rowdiness of residents which disrupted the 5 Sept town hall dialogue, organised by the Selangor government, to discuss the temple relocation. (Source: People starting to question Pakatan's decisions, The Star, 7 Sept 2009)

	"The way to manage our differences is not by creating enclaves whereby Malaysians will be segregated and separated from one another, but through understanding and respect ... If the authorities accepted the objection to it by certain quarters, the social dynamics of Malaysian life would be affected and the consequence on national integration would be very serious indeed ... We must not subscribe to the view of thinking about Malaysians as majorities and minorities, and majorities versus minorities."

Excerpts from a 7 Sept 2009 press statement by the Malaysian Consultative Council of Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Sikhism and Taoism (MCCBCHST). The MCCBCHST noted that the contested site in Section 23 chosen by the state government to relocate the Section 19 temple complied with local government conditions, and was also over 300m away from housing areas, which was more than the 50m requirement. (Source: One rule for all, please, The Nut Graph, 8 Sept 2009)

Artists capture last impressions of Kg Buah Pala - Anil Netto

While many Penangites and other Malaysians fail to see anything of value in Kampung Buah Pala, 14 of Penang’s top artists felt otherwise. This morning, a downpour did not deter them from descending on the village to capture images of the village for posterity.

As the artists caressed their canvases with deft flicks of the brush, the thuds of ongoing demolition work broke the tranquility of the village – no doubt, music to the ears of the developer. A herd of cows grazed on a hillock behind while a couple ambled closer as their curiosity got the better of them.

Among the renown artists were Chong Hon Fatt, who runs an art gallery in George Town, and Ong Choon Hoo from Bukit Mertajam.

Hon Fatt said a journalist invited them to come and record impressions of the village, and he and his colleagues in the art fraternity jumped at the idea.

“It’s so nice, wonderful,” purred Choon Hoo, savouring the atmosphere. “I feel sad because it’s going to be destroyed. Actually, it should be preserved and protected as our history and culture. It’s full of culture and nature. When I went there, I felt it was totally different from the town area. It’s a very traditional place.”

Other professional artists who turned up included gallery owner Koay Soo Kau, Tan Lye Hoe, Lean Kim Lam, Choy Kim Hong, Lau Seong Leng, and Yeap Tho Seng.

Teoh inquest: Torture testimony ruled relevant (Update)

The Star

PETALING JAYA: The High Court here dismissed an application for a judicial review to stop a witness in the Teoh Beng Hock inquest from testifying.

The application was filed by Datuk Abdul Razak Muda, who is holding a watching brief for the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC), to stop T. Sivanesan from testifying in the inquest.

Sivanesan alleged he had been tortured by Selangor MACC officers in Plaza Masalam in September last year.

On Wednesday, coroner Azmil Muntapha Abas allowed Sivanesan to testify despite objections by Abdul Razak as he (Azmil) had earlier ruled on Tuesday that Sivanesan’s report was relevant to the case as his alleged torture took place at Plaza Masalam and the officers involved could be the same men who interrogated Teoh.

On Thursday PJ High Court judge Justice Yeoh Wee Siam ruled that there was nothing illegal, incorrect or improper with the coroner’s ruling and asked all parties to proceed with the inquest.

The inquest, being held at the Shah Alam Magistrates Court, however has been adjourned to 9am Friday.

Sivanesan’s testimony on Wednesday could have been expunged if the High Court had ruled that his evidence was not relevant.

Teoh, who was the political secretary to Selangor executive councilor Ean Yong Hian Wah, was summoned to the MACC office located on the 14th floor of Plaza Masalam here on July 15 to be questioned over the alleged irregular disbursement of state funds.

He was found dead at the building’s fifth floor service corridor the following day.

More Clues On MCA Turmoil Tomorrow

By Alan Ting

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 9 (Bernama) -- The turmoil in the MCA has taken a new twist after the government on Wednesday announced the formation of a super task force to oversee the scandal-ridden Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ).

The back-and-forth tussle over the Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) between the party leadership led by Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat and sacked deputy president Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek had stalled in the past few days over the proposed agenda.

The poser remains when Dr Chua's supporters said they would submit the much awaited list of at least 800 signatures required to petition for an EGM.

More will be revealed on Friday.

Dr Chua has called for a press conference in Petaling Jaya Friday morning, an hour earlier than the meeting of the MCA presidential council at the party headquarters which had expelled him on Aug 26 for tarnishing the party's image following his sex video scandal.

Political analysts said Dr Chua needed to capitalise on the sympathy factor without further delay in his last ditch attempt to be reinstated and move a vote of no-confidence against the party president.

"The delay will take the steam away and this will give Ong more time to build up the support. This would not be good for the other side," a party insider said.

But a Dr Chua hardcore supporter claimed the appointment of the PKFZ super task force to be headed by the Chief Secretary to the Government without Ong's inclusion was a blow to Ong's intention to bring the PKFZ issue into the EGM.

"This is something positive for us, his position in the government has been weakened," he insisted.

Ong had spoken widely of the PKFZ issue and even garnered support of the party central committee for his actions.

He had also written on his blog that the EGM would allow members to deliver a verdict on the MCA leadership's handling of the PKFZ issue in addition to the party's renewal and rejuvenation efforts and disciplinary cases.

While both factions had agreed to work toward a single EGM, a stalemate remains as one demanded the other to show their proposed resolutions first.

Party Secretary-General Datuk Wong Foon Meng has asked Dr Chua's campaigners to submit the list of signatures to be verified and also, to state their reasons for calling the EGM.

Ong, in the meantime, has kept his cards close to his chest even as he held a series of closed-door meetings with delegates in various states.

Interestingly, Ong had instructed Wong to call for the EGM under article 30.1 of the party constitution which gives him the advantage of setting the date although Wong had indicated that the EGM would be held by Sept 30.

"The holding of an EGM within 30 days applies under articles 30.2 and 30.3 of the constitution but not 30.1, even if he wants to convene the EGM next year, he can," an MCA legal expert told Bernama.

Wong, when contacted Thursday, said the EGM date had yet to be fixed amid speculations that that it might be held on Sept 27.

Sept 16 is the final day for Dr Chua to appeal but so far, he has remained tight-lipped whether he would do so.

Party members will be watching closely for signs from Friday's presidential council.

Another eagerly awaited event is the Sept 18 meeting of the central committee which wields considerable clout on decisions by the party.

Abdul Kayum... Aussie's broker for Bank Negara?

By Jeff Ooi,

Does the name Abdul Kayum Syed Ahmad ring a bell? How about Aksavest Sdn Bhd?

Or is this a re-enactment of the Pakistani Express that rocked Scomi in an alleged black-market link to nuclear arms brokers in 2004?

Friends in Australia alerted me to a story in two Fairfax-owned dailies today -- The Age and the Sydney Morning Herald -- that said Austrade, the Australian Federal Government's trade agency, had warned the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) about using a Kuala Lumpur arms broker to help win currency printing deals in Malaysia.

The Malaysian businessman was identified as Abdul Kayum Syed Ahmad, who is said to have been a broker for a Pakistani weapons operation suspected of playing a key role in that country's nuclear arms program.

According to The Age, an Austrade background check on Abdul Kayum was done in July 2007. Its findings prompted the Reserve Bank to audit all foreign agents used by two of its currency suppliers, Securency and Note Printing Australia (NPA).

By late 2007, the Reserve Bank had ordered NPA to sever ties with Abdul Kayum and its other overseas middlemen due to integrity concerns.

However, Securency is believed to have continued its association with Abdul Kayum for some time after NPA stopped dealing with him.

NPA is wholly owned by the Reserve Bank while Securency is a 50-50 partnership with a British private equity firm. Both companies are chaired by RBA assistant governor Bob Rankin.

The Age said the two Australian companies had won currency printing contracts in Malaysia in 1998 and 2004.

High-level political connections

Abdul Kayum's former business associates had told The Age that the man claimed to have high-level political connections in Malaysia that he could use to help strike deals for foreign companies.

Securency and NPA engaged Abdul Kayum in the late 1990s to lobby Malaysian government and banking officials to adopt the Australian-made polymer banknotes.

The Sydney-based daily also said Abdul Kayum was the second arms trader to be used as an agent by one or both of the mentioned RBA's currency firms.

The Age disclosed that Abdul Kayum's Kuala Lumpur investment company Aksavest is alleged to have received hundreds of thousands of dollars in commissions from Securency and NPA. Quote:

Sources aware of the RBA companies' dealings in Malaysia have told The Age that the commissions paid to Mr Ahmad were exceptionally high. They also said the deals with Malaysia's central bank could have been done without the involvement of a middleman.

Earlier last month, The Age exposed Securency's use of an arms dealer suspected of supplying guns to Latin American drug gangs as its agent in Paraguay.

RELATED STORIES:

• Agents for cash printer were sacked after audit
  THE company that prints Australia's money abruptly dismissed all its foreign agents in 2007 after a Reserve Bank of Australia audit raised probity fears.
• Auditors look into transactions by note printer
  THE Reserve Bank of Australia has called in external auditors to investigate multimillion-dollar transactions between its banknote-making subsidiary and foreign middlemen.
• Inquiry into banknote deals
  THE Australian Federal Police is launching a full-scale investigation into allegations that a Reserve Bank of Australia subsidiary engaged in improper business dealings overseas to win banknote deals.

Follow the money.

Subra pulls Dr M out of the hat, Samy vexed

With less than 48 hours to go before the MIC elections, deputy presidential hopeful S Subramaniam has pulled a rabbit out of the hat.

And this is no ordinary rabbit, it is the influential former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

On the front-page of Makkal Osai, a Tamil daily linked to Subramaniam, Mahathir was quoted as praising Subramaniam while attacking his ardent loyalist and MIC president S Samy Vellu.

Among others, he said the Indian community voted for the opposition in the last general election because of their anger towards Samy Vellu.

"He has been too long in the party and had never allowed any leader to grow in the party.

"He was always concentrating on exacting revenge on his political opponents," said Mahathir, who himself was accused of the same things during his 22-year tenure.

"If the Indian community wants to progress and go forward they should remove Samy Vellu," he added.

It is learnt that the interview was done about a month ago and while Mahathir spoke on numerous issues pertaining to the Indian community, the daily had kept the 'explosive parts' till now.

It is also learnt that the report had set off alarm bells in the MIC president's camp.

The report comes a day after Samy Vellu told Malaysiakini that outside forces including Umno should not interfere in MIC's affairs.

Samy Vellu: I feel sad and angry

In a statement later, the president questioned his former deputy Subramaniam's motives in seeking the help of other political party leaders to campaign for him.

He said Subramaniam has brought disgrace to the MIC by seeking the help of Mahathir who is also a former Umno president.

Describing the move as "deliberately bringing in outside interference", Samy Vellu said many MIC branch and division leaders and members called him expressing their disgust and anger at Subramaniam's "desperate attempt" to win.

"How cheap and desperate can a man be?" he asked.

"Subramaniam is so desperate that he had to seek the mandate from Mahathir to win in the party elections. He has brought shame to the MIC members and the party," he added.

From the president's viewpoint, Subramaniam appears to have lost his support in MIC and has to seek outside help.

He said by seeking the help of people outside MIC, Subramaniam has lost whatever credibility that was left in him.

"I am extremely angry and sad that he (Subramaniam) has allowed an outsider to meddle in our party affairs, especially in a crucial election for the MIC," he added.

Mahathir preached non-interference

Samy Vellu said even Mahathir had said that Barisan Nasional cannot interfere in the internal affairs of a component party when he referred to the problems in MCA.

"We are not even in any problems for outsiders to get involved. We are just having our elections through the democratic process to allow our delegates to pick their leaders," he said.

Samy Vellu said he was sad that Subramaniam and his cronies have made use of Mahathir for their own self-interest.

"I urge MIC delegates to vehemently condemn the actions by Subramaniam and his supporters in getting an outsider involved in our party matters.

"If we allow this to happen, in future, outsiders will continue to interfere in our affairs and we will lose our dignity and respect," he said.

He said MIC has resolved whatever problems through internal process as one family.

"We should not take our problems to an outsider because it is the same as betraying the MIC.

"What Subramanim did can never be accepted and I can only feel pity for him to seek the help of others outside the party and not rely on MIC delegates to make their choice," he added.

S'gor MIC: Take action against him

Mahathir's endorsement also drew flak from the MIC Selangor state liaison headed by incumbent deputy president G Palanivel.

In a statement, the committee lambasted Subramaniam for seeking the help of a leader from another political party.

"We demand Subramaniam to give an immediate clarification to the MIC members and delegates as to why he went against the principles adhered by all BN component parties which is not to interfere in the internal affairs of another component party.

"Subramaniam has disgraced our party and we want the MIC leadership to take action against him for tarnishing the image of MIC," read the two-page statement.

The committee - which held a press conference this afternoon - also claimed that the "so-called interview" with Mahathir was arranged by a person with ill-feelings towards the MIC president.

"We were informed that the meeting was not an interview but a courtesy call by that person and he brought the editor of Makkal Osai with him," it added.

Shah Alam MP dares Umno to punish members involved in cow head protest

By Neville Spykerman - The Malaysian Insider

SHAH ALAM, Sept 10 – PAS will not hesitate to take disciplinary actions against any of its members if it has proof they took part in the cow-head protest against the relocation of the Hindu temple on Aug 28.

Khalid Samad said the abuse of the severed cow head is clearly un-Islamic and those with evidence should give the names and identity card numbers of these alleged PAS members.

“We will take action if the allegations are true, but will Umno do the same?”

Unlike Umno, the Shah Alam MP said, no PAS leaders had endorsed and supported the cow head protestors.

He said former mentri besar Datuk Seri Khir Toyo has issued a challenged to him to prove that Umno was behind the cow head protest.

Khalid pointed out that Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Minister Datuk Noh Omar had visited residents in Section 23 in August and wanted to get an injunction to stop the relocation of the temple.

And, Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein had met the protesters just days after they held the protests.

“What other evidence does Dr Khir Toyo want?”

The cow head protest outside the state assembly resulted in widespread condemnation, not only because the animal is sacred to Hindu but because the protesters had marred the image of tolerant Malaysia.

The protest is also widely believed to have been politically motivated to damage the credibility of the Pakatan Rakyat (PR) state government.

Khalid said the Sri Maha Mariamman temple committee is scheduled to visit the proposed alternative site for the temple in to Section 23, on Monday.

The 150-year temple in Section 19 was once part of the Sungai Renggam Estate but today is in the middle of a Muslim majority housing estate.

The Selangor Development Corporation had developed the land surrounding the temple and the problem had persisted for over 25 years.

The Muslim residents of Section 23 had resisted an initial proposed site which they claimed was to near their home but said they have no objection to a second site further away.

Mystery ‘police’ after Sivanesan?

Sivanesan Tanggavelu attending the Teoh Beng Hock inquest yesterday. – Picture by Choo Choy May

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 10 – After being told to report to Jenjarom police station near Banting tonight, T. Sivanesan, who claimed anti-graft officers had assaulted him last year, went along with lawyer Gobind Singh Deo, only to find that no one there knew what was going on.

Sivanesan’s testimony at the Teoh Beng Hock inquest yesterday suggested Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) officers torture people during questioning.

Tonight, several persons came to his home in Jenjarom but he was not home at the time. It is unclear if these persons were policemen.

The DAP’s Lim Kit Siang had sent out tweet messages earlier saying persons he was told were policemen had gone to Sivanesan’s house to arrest him. Since he was out, they apparently left a message for him to report to the Jenjarom police station.

But when he arrived at the station with his lawyer Gobind, policemen there were unaware of any such request.

Earlier today, the MACC failed in its bid at the High Court in Petaling Jaya to remove Sivanesan’s damaging evidence that its men torture people during questioning.

The national anti-graft body had objected strongly to letting Sivanesan testify as a witness in the coroner’s court tasked to find out the cause of Teoh’s death.

Sivanesan told the coroner’s court yesterday that he had been badly beaten up by Selangor graft busters during interrogation at their office in Plaza Masalam, Shah Alam last year. He had to be hospitalised for four days.

Photographs detailing his injuries and a police report filed in September last year complaining about MACC brutality were admitted as evidence.

MACC’s legal director Datuk Abdul Razak Musa, who is holding a watching brief at Teoh’s inquest, insists that any evidence from Sivanesan, who is a suspect in a separate and ongoing investigation by the Selangor MACC, is “not relevant” to efforts to establish how Teoh died.

He maintained the same position in the High Court today but Judge Yeoh Wee Siam dismissed the MACC’s application to review and revise the ruling made by the coroner’s court. She also denied the national anti-graft body’s bid to postpone the inquest from continuing tomorrow, pending their appeal at the Court of Appeal in Putrajaya.

Keadilan Saidina Umar Al-Khattab terhadap rumah ibadah agama lain — Khalid Samad

SEPT 10 — Saya ingin mengambil kesempatan ini untuk mengemukakan sebuah kisah dari zaman pemerintahan Saidina Umar Al-Khattab (r.a) untuk tatapan dan renungan tuan-tuan sekalian. Melalui pendedahan ini, adalah diharap sebahagian dari ummat Islam yang tidak memahami konsep keadilan Islam terhadap agama lain, akan sedikit sebanyak dapat memikirkan kembali sikap dan pendirian mereka itu.

Kisah yang ingin dikemukakan adalah kisah Saidina Umar dan Kanisah (gereja) Al-Qiamah yang terletak di Quds. Kisah ini adalah petikan dari muka surat 114, kitab Itmam al-Wafa’ fi sirah al-Khulafa’, tulisan as-Syeikh Muhammad bin al-Afifi al-Banjuri, Darul Ibnu Hazim.

“Dan apabila masuknya Saidina Umar ke dalam kota, maka masuklah beliau ke dalam Kanisah (gereja) al-Qiamah, dan beliau duduk di ruang utama gereja tersebut . Setelah tiba waktu solat asar, maka berkata Saidina Umar kepada Patriach Kanisah tersebut, “Saya ingin mengerjakan solat.” Jawab Patriach: “Solat sahajalah di sini”.

Tetapi Umar menolak cadangan Patriach dan solat (di luar) di tangga yang berada di hadapan pintu gereja tersebut secara bersendirian. Selepas beliau menyelesaikan solat asar, beliau (masuk kembali lalu) berkata kepada Patriach al-Quds :

“Sekiranya saya mengerjakan solat tadi di dalam gereja tuan, saya merasa pasti bahawa ummat islam pada zaman akan datang akan menyatakan bahawa Saidina Umar mengerjakan solat di dalam gereja ini, maka kita boleh menukarkan gereja ini kepada masjid untuk melaksanakan solat di dalamnya”.

Kisah di atas menceritakan respon Saidinna Umar kepada cadangan Patriach supaya beliau solat di dalam gereja al-Qiamah. Respon Saidina Umar merupakan satu respon yang mengambil kira kepentingan golongan Nasrani dan Patriach sambil dalam masa yang sama melindungi Kanisah mereka.

Sehubungan dengan itu, sekiranya ummat Islam adalah peroboh kuil, gereja dan synagogue seperti yang didakwa oleh musuh-musuh Islam dan turut dipercayai oleh segolongan ummat Islam yang jahil, sudah pasti Saidina Umar akan bertindak sebaliknya. Maka amatlah malang sekiranya ummat Islam sendiri tidak memahami konsep keadilan yang dipertahankan oleh Islam sepertimana yang telah dizahirkan oleh Saidina Umar. Konsep keadilan ini meliputi berbagai perkara, termasuklah keadilan terhadap orang bukan Islam sendiri.

Khalifah-Khalifah Islam sebelum mengutus tentera Islam sentiasa berpesan supaya tidak dibunuh kanak-kanak, orang tua, orang yang berlindung ditempat-tempat peribadatan dan tidak diroboh rumah-rumah peribadatan mereka. Begitu juga, tidak dibunuh haiwan ternakan kecuali untuk dimakan dan tidak dimusnahkan tanam-tanaman dan menebang pokok-pokok tanpa alasan.

Keadilan yang sebeginilah yang melonjakkan ummat Islam ke kedudukan istimewa satu ketika dahulu! Bukan kekejaman dan bukan kezaliman.

Menurut kisah ini juga, maka adalah jelas bahawa Saidina Umar memasuki gereja dan berbincang dengan Patriach di dalamnya. Dengan itu, adalah diharapkan tiada pula dari golongan jahil yang akan menggelar Saidina Umar dengan gelaran “Umar Gereja” di atas sebab ini.

Saya sememangnya cukup hairan dengan sikap sebahagian dari ummat Islam dewasa ini. Mereka berhajat besar untuk memimpin dunia, tetapi tidak menzahirkan sikap yang memungkin cita-cita ini tercapai. Terlalu banyak yang disensitifkan sehinggakan tidak mungkin berbincang dan berunding dengan yang bukan Islam sama sekali. Manakan mungkin menjadi pemimpin dunia yang majoritinya bukan Islam, sekiranya kita sendiri tidak mampu untuk berinteraksi bersama mereka bagi membuktikan keadilan Islam itu sememangnya untuk semua. — khalidsamad.com

Mahathir's tirade: MIC Youth defends Samy

KUALA LUMPUR - MIC Youth is baffled with the statement by former Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad over his interview with Makkal Osai newspaper on the MIC elections.

The MIC had always given utmost respect to him as an elder statesman and also during his tenure as prime minister although he had not done anything constructive for the Indian community, its leader T Mohan said in a statement tonight.

Never worked against Dr M

“Dr Mahathir had only approved a low allocation for the rehabilitation of Tamil schools in the country despite several requests. The MIC had never complained or worked against him,” he said.

Referring to Mahathir's tirade against MIC president Samy Vellu in the interview, Mohan (left) said that Mahathir seems to be behind time and has forgotten the heaps of praises he showered on Samy when he officiated the MIC general assemblies as PM.

"Mahathir had repeatedly described Samy Vellu as a fighter for the Indian community and equivalent to four ministers in the Cabinet but today, he claimed that Samy Vellu has not done anything for the Indian community.

"Even when he issued a statement against Samy Vellu two days before the March general elections, Samy Vellu did not respond to them as he had utmost respect for Dr Mahathir," Mohan recalled.

Keep out of MIC affairs

The youth chief asked Mahathir to keep away from MIC internal politics and let party members decide on their leaders through their own democratic process.

"We urge Dr Mahathir to allow MIC to conduct their own business and not to interfere in our party affairs.

"We feel Samy Vellu is still the best leader for MIC and this has been proven by him winning unopposed as the president in April. The party has its own transition pland which should be allowed to take its own course," Mohan added.

Bolivian man acted alone in Mexico hijacking, official says

MEXICO CITY (CNN) -- A 44-year-old Bolivian drug addict and alcoholic who describes himself as a church minister was the sole person responsible for the brief hijacking Wednesday of a commercial jetliner, a Mexican official said.

Military personnel surround a hijacked Aeromexico jet after it landed Wednesday in Mexico City.

The suspect, Josmar Flores Pereira, told authorities he hijacked the Boeing 737 jet because the date -- September 9, 2009, or 9/9/9, and 666 reversed -- held some significance for him, said Genaro Garcia Luna, the secretary for public safety.

"He said that because of that divine reference, he wanted to alert Mexico City of an earthquake," Garcia told reporters.

Flanked by two police officers, the suspect -- wearing a white shirt and blue jeans -- was then paraded in front of the news media. Chewing gum, he smiled.

"Christ is coming soon," he told reporters before being escorted off. He said that he had attached colored lights to a can and that there had been no bomb.

The hijacker took control of Aeromexico Flight 576 as the jet flew from the resort town of Cancun, telling a flight attendant he was one of three hijackers, Garcia said.

He said a cardboard box he had contained a bomb, and threatened to blow it up if his demand to speak to President Felipe Calderon was not met, Garcia said.

Calderon was in the presidential hangar in the airport preparing to depart when the incident began, leading him to cancel his planned flight, CNN affiliate TV Azteca reported.

The hijacking apparently went unnoticed by many of those aboard the plane, which landed five minutes ahead of scheduled and was moved to a remote area of the airport. Passengers, clutching their hand luggage, walked from the plane and down a moveable stairway onto the tarmac, where they got into buses.

Pamela Cheatham, who said she was on the flight en route to Colorado, told CNN that nothing appeared amiss until the plane did not go directly to the terminal. Instead, the pilot announced that, for security purposes, the plane was gong to have to sit on the tarmac for a few minutes, she said.

"But when we saw the SWAT team and guys with the guns on both sides of the airline, we knew something was up," she said.

Moments later, the suspect and several other people were taken into custody, TV Azteca said. The package turned out not to contain explosives, the station said.

Garcia said the other people who were detained turned out not to be involved.

A U.S. law enforcement official familiar with the situation said preliminary information indicated there were 112 passengers aboard the plane, all from Mexico, the United States or France.

"The flight was very tranquil," said Marisa Lopez, a passenger who was seated in Row 24 with her baby.

She said the only thing that caught her attention was the large number of emergency vehicles that were lined up along the tarmac when they arrived, five minutes ahead of schedule.

"Really, it was all very peaceful," she said. "We saw nothing."

Others were more aware of what was going on.

"It was very difficult, but the pilot told us to remain calm," said another passenger, who added that many of the passengers were families returning from vacation in Cancun.

The woman said the hijacker never spoke to them during the 45 minutes they were held.

"We were scared," said another woman. "But it seemed like things got under control when we came down. We were immediately surrounded, when we landed, by federal police."

Flores' wife, speaking with CNN by telephone from their home in the southern Mexican city of Oaxaca, said her husband had been looking for a way to get his message about God to the news media.

"He never wanted to hurt anyone," said Elisa Melgar, 38, the mother of their three sons and his wife of 18 years. "As his wife, I support him," she said, adding her husband had not touched alcohol or drugs for the past 17 years. "He's a man who was transformed by the power of God."

A video posted on YouTube shows the suspect singing that God had saved him from a life of drug addiction.

Don't withdraw 'cow head' police report - Malaysiakini

'In the interest of justice, I hope the 'Indian brothers' will not withdraw their police reports. The truth has to be upheld.'

12 charged in court over cow-head protest

Chee Hoe Siew: "Indian brothers"? Wow! Suddenly so friendly now. Bear in mind that it is not just Indians you have offended, the group intended to start a racial riot using the incident and endanger the whole Selangor community.

Worse still the federal government is trying to fan the fire and try making use of MCMC to silence the messengers. Kudos to the state government for a job well done and Malaysiakini for not fearing to show the truth.

Gk: My position is that, if one wants to protest, protest in a civilised way and don't ever protest in the name of a religion. I believe no one religion teaches its followers to behave in such rude manner. Think before you act, that's the general rule everyone should have in mind.

Liew Chee-Kong: Now that the guys caught on video are charged for sedition, why was it that the honourable home minister said the presence of the people who brought the cow's head was a mystery? Any apologies?

Kee Thuan Chye: In the interest of justice, I hope the "Indian brothers" will not withdraw their police reports. The truth has to be upheld. Why withdraw? Because the residents have been so kind as to accept the new site for the temple's relocation?

They are so powerful that it is up to them to decide? If not for them, the Indians would not get their temple in section 23? Humbug! Arrogance should not be rewarded with grace or mercy.

Eugene: Withdraw the report if the matter is solved? Bah, are they stupid? They didn't even have an ounce of regret and even maintain their innocence! Everyone of them should be behind bars.

Myop101: How can a person withdraw a police report once it is lodged? By withdrawing it, that person would have wasted the resources of the state and abuse the justice process where precious resources are directed to trivial matters. I don't think the issue at hand is trivial and by all means, the police should continue their investigations.

Louis: They should charge them and get them convicted. No compromise. If they dared show off their despicable act, be a man to face the consequences. Let it be a lesson to all. Hope no unseen hands are pulling the strings for a lenient sentence.

Gen2: Look at the way the charges are framed. Bringing a cow's head, stepping on a cow's head. Both acts do not break any law by themselves. Nothing is mentioned about threatening bloodshed. So their lawyers can claim the charges are defective since no law is broken and so case thrown out.

Sudevan: This is part one of the 'sandiwara'. Just look at the charges: "The first two were charged with stepping on the cow's head, the third for bringing the animal's head, while the remaining three for both bringing and stepping the cow's head." Who cares about what they did to the cow's head? The whole issue here is the intention of their drama. This case will be thrown out in no time.

Ravindranath: I saw a kid in the protest. Shouldn't there be a endangerment charge included too? When Hindraf protested they threatened to have the kids taken away from their parents. Perhaps someone needs to lodge a police report on that charge.

Luk: Trust me. It is done for the sake of upcoming by-election to please the voters. The case will drag long enough to be forgotten after the by-election. What outcome do you expect when you have a home minister meeting and holding a press conference with the culprits? Don't we have enough past cases to tell us that this case will also get nowhere?

Rayfire: I don't know about the rest, but I have a strange feeling about this whole drama and the insistence of the MB on maintaining the relocation plan to Section 23. Will it be good in the long run?

Since we started on the wrong foot, will the devotees be able to peacefully perform their prayers or will this lead to more chaos? And now, 12 people charged in front of an Indian judge, a coincidence? I hope the authorities know what they are dealing with, because racial tension is not an easy thing to tackle.

RPK Speaks - Episode 1 - The Altantuya SD

RPK explains how his statutory declaration with regards to the murder of Altantuya intended for the Prosecutor's eyes only was published without his permission by those who looked to undermine its contents.

NO HOLDS BARRED

Raja Petra Kamarudin

The SD can be read online here: http://www.malaysia-today.net/2008/content/view/9050/84/

The video can also be watched on YOUTUBE here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f4yE5vv73DA

RPK renews attacks over Altantuya allegations on Youtube

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 10 — After absconding from his sedition and criminal defamation trials, fugitive blogger Raja Petra Kamarudin appears to have begun his own defence through the first in a series of video interviews of him on the Internet.

RPK has renewed his online offensive against Najib and Rosmah with a series of interviews on Youtube. — File picture by Choo Choy May

Hosted on Youtube, RPK, as he is popularly known, renewed his attacks against the police and the Attorney-General for deciding to prosecute him over allegations he made regarding the prime minister and his wife’s involvement in the murder of Altantuya Shaariibuu.

He also compared his case to the vigour shown in the investigation of alleged corruption by the Selangor Pakatan Rakyat (PR) government.

“The government raids the offices of a Selangor exco based just on Internet reports. Somebody publishes a story accusing an exco member of taking money and they raid the office.

“The source of the information and the allegation is anonymous but it is enough for government to spring into action,” he said in the short video clip of just over six minutes.

Speaking about his own troubles with the government, he pointed out that he did not make an anonymous declaration about the Altantuya murder, but signed a statutory declaration.

The allegations have been dismissed a number of times by Najib. Altantuya, a mistress of the PM’s former associate, was killed in late 2006, and her body blown to bits with explosives in a secondary jungle area just outside the city.

The former associate of Najib, Razak Baginda, was acquitted of conspiracy to murder. Two policemen were found guilty of the sensational crime.

Although he provided no concrete evidence, RPK’s allegations had fed roiling speculation surrounding the murder.

In his video interview posted today, RPK spoke of a conspiracy and selective prosecution by the authorities.

“I didn’t publish it on the Internet,” he said of his statutory declaration.

“I got my lawyers to send a copy to the prosecutors. They leaked it and it came out on an Umno website.”

He claimed that the police initiated investigation and charges against him based on what was published on an Umno website.

RPK asked why the government did not detain the owner of the website that published his statutory declaration, as he was not unknown.

“As soon as it came out on the website, the AG says he (RPK) has signed a false declaration. The next day the IGP says the cops will take action on the false declaration.

“How did the police and the AG know I made a false declaration when no investigation was launched to determine if the information is true or false?”

He claimed this showed selective prosecution.

It is unclear where the video interviews were recorded. RPK’s whereabouts remain a mystery.

Malaysian police are seeking the help of Interpol to apprehend him, suggesting the authorities believe he is overseas.

RPK went on the lam in April when he failed to turn up for his sedition trial. There is also a second warrant of arrest issued against him for failing to turn up for his criminal defamation trial in May.

Despite being a fugitive, RPK continues to taunt the authorities and remains a thorn in the side of the Najib administration.

RPK continues to write regularly on his Malaysia Today website, giving his take on political developments and criticising the police and the Barisan Nasional (BN) government.

According to a news report in May, police said they believed RPK was in Brisbane, Australia, together with his wife.

But in July, a Sessions Court was told that RPK was believed to be in the country and not in Australia as reported by the media.

Deputy public prosecutor Mohd Dusuki Mokhtar said police investigation revealed that RPK, 59, had never left the country.

Tee Keat calls super task force the ‘final lap’

By Lee Wei Lian - The Malaysian Insider

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 10 — Transport Minister Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat says that the new super task force announced yesterday is a continuation of the probe by his ministry into the troubled Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ) transhipment hub.

The super task force will be led by the chief secretary to government Tan Sri Mohd Sidek Hassan.

When asked if he will be involved in the super task force, Ong replied that his ministry officials would be part of it but declined to comment on whether his lack of involvement in the super task force was an attempt to de-politicise PKFZ.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, however, had yesterday said there was no attempt to minimise Ong’s role.

“The announcement of the super task force is a follow up to what was done before through the Port Klang Authority and the special task force. This is the final lap of the final exercise to help solve the problem,” Ong told reporters at a press conference after handing out festive gifts to the underprivileged at a school in his Pandan parliamentary constituency today.

He added that the report submitted by the special task force commissioned by his ministry will serve as a good reference to the super task force.

Asked to confirm news reports that former Transport Minister Datuk Seri Chan Kong Choy was named in the special task force report, Ong said he was “not interested” to clarify but said that he “had a good laugh” and that the news reports were a “gimmick” by certain individuals.

Penang set to become high-income economy

The state government in Penang is working towards making the state’s economy a high-income one. — Reuters pic

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 10 — The Penang state government said it is prepared to heed the advice of the World Economic Forum (WEF) to become a high income economy, even as Malaysia continues to lose its competitiveness.

Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng said Malaysia, too, needs to prepare itself to become knowledge-based, innovation-driven economy in order to maintain its competitive edge.

He was referring to a recent report by WEF that Malaysia’s global competitiveness ranking has dropped from 21 to 24.

“The Penang state government is adopting this advice by taking steps towards a high-income economy based on innovation, creativity and high value shifting our reliance based on low-cost labour to high technology and modern services sector dependent upon highly-paid and skilled workers,” Lim told Singapore investors at the launching of the Penang showcase in the republic, yesterday.

He added that a 200-acre Education Hub in Balik Pulau and the soon to be expanded Penang Skills Development Centre (PSDC), will serve as an incubator to develop knowledge, skills and human capital.

Lim said the state government is also committed to creating an efficient civil service and to ensure respect for the rule of law.

“Despite our lack of natural resources, I believe in the energy, expertise and entrepreneurship in the people of Penang to make this vision of an international city possible,” said Lim.

“We offer Singapore investors a unique choice to participate in Penang's effort of wealth creation based on opportunities for growth, social equity by economic expansion and social inclusiveness by treating people not as shades of colours but as human beings,” he added.

Will Najib’s super task force on PKFZ scandal be a super “cover-up” task force to try to “get the cat back into the bag”?

By Lim Kit Siang,

I am taken aback by the announcement by the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak of the Cabinet decision yesterday to set up a super task force, headed by Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Mohd Sidek Hassan, to investigate the Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ) scandal.

Why didn’t the Cabinet establish a Royal Commission of Inquiry into the RM12.5 billion PKFZ scandal to ensure a full inquiry and public accounting of the mother of all scandals – as the Gerakan President and KPI Minister, Tan Sri Dr. Koh Tsu Koon had belatedly given his support?

Unless convinced otherwise, I see the establishment of the so-called “super task force” into the PKFZ scandal as a major step backwards in public accountability and good governance, as it smacks of being a super “cover up” task force to get “the cat back into the bag” with specific reference to the RM12.5 billion PKFZ scandal.

What is the purpose of a super task force into the PKFZ scandal, which is to include the Attorney-General Tan Sri Gani Patail, the Treasury secretary-general Tan Sri Wan Abdul Aziz and representatives from Finance and Transport Ministries, after the the PKFZ scandal had ballooned from RM1.08 billion in 2002 to RM4.6 billion in 2006 and now set to become RM12.5 billion through three Transport Ministers and three Prime Ministers?

Will the super task force now make all other inquiries, whether by the Public Accounts Committee or the PricewaterhouseCoopers and various Port Klang Authority task forces subordinate and irrelevant?

After three years of persistent questioning inside and outside Parliament as well as the recent 108 questions of “three-queries-a-day” directed at the Transport Minister Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat, there have been some significant results in forcing into the public domain the gross and wide-ranging financial improprieties of the PKFZ “mother of all scandals” – although what has been made public is only the tip of an iceberg.

Will the super task force announced by Najib yesterday result in the PKFZ scandal again shrouded in secrecy and unaccountability?

Another query is why the Chief Secretary Sidek Hassan is now heading such an inquiry into the PKFZ scandal, and why he had failed to conduct such an inquiry earlier as this was resolved by the Cabinet in July 2007 when it decided on the RM4.6 billion bailout of PKFZ, including giving retrospective approval to the four illegal Letters of Support unlawfully given by the two previous Transport Ministers, Tun Dr. Ling Liong Sik and Tan Sri Chan Kong Choy which have landed the country in the RM12.5 billion PKFZ scandal.

There should be individual and collective Ministerial responsibility by the Cabinet members for the shocking decision yesterday to set up the so-called super task force, when the right course of action would be a Royal Commission of Inquiry to conduct a public and no-holds-barred investigation into the “mother of all scandals” in the nation’s history.

For a start, can Tsu Koon explain why he abandoned his support for a Royal Commission of Inquiry and instead accepted a super task force which might end up as a super “cover up” task force into the PKFZ scandal?

Time to be afraid

By Jacqueline Ann Surin
thenutgraph.com

Malaysians are being told to be afraid (© Marcelo Terraza / sxc.hu)

"BE afraid. Be very afraid." That, in essence, was what the protestors against a Hindu temple relocation in Shah Alam were saying. But they were not just saying it to their Hindu neighbours in Section 23, Shah Alam. They were also saying it to the Pakatan Rakyat Selangor government. In fact, they were saying it to all Malaysians.

How else can we explain their actions? First, on 28 Aug 2009, when they demonstrated with a severed cow head outside the Selangor state secretariat, promising bloodshed if a Hindu temple was relocated to their neighbourhood. And then on 5 Sept 2009, when they acted aggressively and threatened to rape and harm during what was meant to be a state government dialogue with the residents.

What's worse is that the Barisan Nasional leadership and the administration under Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak is doing little to address this threat of violence. Indeed, if Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein's actions are anything to go by, it would seem that the Umno vice-president actually supports the threat of violence by disgruntled Malay-Muslim Malaysians in their bid to get their way.

It's the violence, stupid

Yes, six of the cow-head protestors were charged with sedition on 9 Sept after much public outcry at the state's double standards when dealing with demonstrators. These six, together with another six men, were also charged with illegal assembly.

The Star quoted the Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Musa Hassan in a report on 8 Sept 2009 as saying the police was serious about taking action against protestors who offended the people of other faiths. But doing so does not address what the real problem is.

What is the real issue at hand? It is this — violence and the threat of violence should not be tolerated. Period. And it is incumbent on the state to ensure that people are protected from violence. That, unfortunately, isn't what the state is doing.

Hishamuddin

Hishammuddin's failing in defending the cow-head protestors in his office, mind you, was showing that he actually has a high tolerance for the threat of violence. Unfortunately, his actions also signal a particular tolerance for uncouth behaviour if it's by a Muslim-Malay Malaysian group towards non-Muslim, non-Malay Malaysians. We shouldn't be surprised, of course. He is, after all, the former Umno Youth chief who raised the keris twice at the Umno general assembly in upholding ketuanan Melayu.

My question is, why are the cow-head protestors and the violent residents at the 5 Sept town house meeting not being charged instead with assault under Section 351 of the Penal Code? Why charge them with sedition, which we all know, from numerous past cases, is arbitrary?

And by justifying the charge of sedition with terms like "offending other faiths" and "disrupting harmony" as was underscored by the 8 Sept Star news report, doesn't that demonstrate that any other act which is remotely seen as "offensive" to another faith would be open to charges of sedition as well?

For example, does this mean then, that if a Muslim-majority neighbourhood deems the sale of pork in a wet market as offensive, pork sellers can be charged with sedition? What about the use of "Allah" by non-Muslims? Can Christians be charged with sedition then for offending the sensibilities of some Muslims, most notably those in government who continue to uphold the ban on the use of the word by Christians?

Right to peaceful assembly, please

Police interfering with anti-ISA vigil, 13 Sept 2008
(pic by Danny Lim)

What else is the state doing by charging cow-head demonstrators with "illegal assembly"? It is signifying that it will not respect the right to assembly and protest. Of course, in this particular instance, it took the police and the Attorney-General's Chambers a while to be consistent in their actions with regard to different groups of protestors. But the issue isn't about protestors assembling against the state or any other entity. The issue is this: the state must uphold the right to assemble peacefully. It is when protestors turn violent or threaten violence that the state must act.

But this is definitely not what the BN-administered state is saying. Perchance, it's because it actually condones violence, especially against minority groups, but this time round could not be seen to be doing so because of the public outrage. And I'll definitely wager that by charging the protestors with "illegal assembly", the AG is ensuring that the government's hands are not tied when it wants to crack down on any future anti-Internal Security Act rallies.

What's more, instead of immediately showing no tolerance for the violence that was promised and the actions of the home minister in endorsing the protestors, our government is attempting to suppress video reports of both incidents. Why else would the Malaysian Communication and Multimedia Commission be harassing Malaysiakini to remove video reports about these two events from its site, and hence from public knowledge?

Be afraid

We should be afraid. Really. When an elected government shows such tolerance and so little adversity towards violence and the threat of violence, what assurances do citizens have? When the state will not act to punish those who act violently — including against the town hall mob who threatened sexual violence against an elected representative — what does it tell us about the administration we have in place? Worse, when the government of the day tries to censor the media from revealing its own folly, can we trust the people who are in power?

What's left for us to defend ourselves then? Do we need to be bigger bullies than the cow-head protestors and the mob at the town house meeting to ensure we get our way in our neighbourhood, state or country? Do we need to be in the majority so that we are much larger in numbers and can out-muscle and out-shout our way through, regardless of the legitimate interests of others?

It's beginning to feel that way all over again. Mind you, it's not the first time Malaysians have been made to feel threatened by the Muslim-Malay Malaysian majority in this country.

And if the state is not going to do anything about it, do we really still want this government running our country? As peace-loving citizens, what will we do to ensure that violence isn't the name of the game in Malaysia where the brashest, loudest and most threatening take over our nation?