Hindraf accord with Sabah, S’wak rights activists

The Hindu Rights Action Front (Hindraf) will have for company, activists from Sabah and Sarawak when it holds a briefing at the House of Commons in London in January 2010.

An accord was reached with activists from Malaysian Borneo, in Singapore yesterday afternoon, under the aegis of the International Civil Rights Movement (InCiRiM).

Hindraf chair P Waythamoorthy, (left) in a telephone call to Malaysiakini, disclosed that he also heads InCiRiM, registered in Britain as an advocacy group.

“We are happy to work with other marginalised groups in the country in our struggle for equal rights and human rights,” he said.

“It has been a longstanding sore point ,especially in Sabah and Sarawak, that we are speaking up for just a section of marginalised society.”

The Hindraf chairperson declined to name the activists from Sabah and Sarawak.

They caught up with Waythamoorthy after his meeting with Pakatan Rakyat coordinator Zaid Ibrahim on Monday in Singapore over its Common Policy Framework (CPF).

Malaysia agreement under question

Hindraf gave Zaid (right) a copy of its 18-Point Memorandum, which the Badawi government refused to accept, and briefed him on the history of the movement and its pending class action suit against the British and Malaysian governments in London.

“The only Malaysian Borneo group that I can mention publicly is the Common Interest Group (CIG) in Sabah headed by Dr Kitingan (Jeffery Gapari),” said Waythamoorthy.

He then sketched a broad outline of what rights activists in Malaysian Borneo were concerned about.

“In both Sabah and Sarawak, the concern is that the federal government has been in non-compliance with the 1963 Malaysia Agreement,” he said.

He pointed out that the situation had changed somewhat for the two states since the departure of Singapore from Malaysia in 1965.

“There should have been a review after it left but this was not done.

“Sabah and Sarawak agreed to the formation of Malaysia because of Singapore and with the republic’s exit from Malaysia, the federation no longer exists,” he said.

Waythamoorthy added that he was given to understand that the definition of federation in the present Malaysian Constitution no longer follows the Malaysia Agreement.

“Federation now means as it was in the old Federation of Malaya Constitution.”

The legal implications, according to Waythamoorthy, appear to be the Federation of Malaya re-emerging as the Federation of Malaysia with almost the same Constitution after Singapore’s exit.

In short, a Malaysia minus Singapore appears to suggest that Sabah and Sarawak joined the Federation and not help with its formation in 1963.

“This is the main reason why the Federal government refused to have anything to do with Malaysia Day for nearly half a century,” claimed Waythamoorthy. “Malaysia Day will now become a debating point in the country.”

First in a series of briefings

Waythamoorthy added that there were other concerns expressed by the rights activists from Malaysian Borneo.

These include the continuing influx of illegal immigrants into Sabah and their becoming citizens through the backdoor and/or otherwise padding the electoral rolls at the expense of indigenous groups.

In Sarawak, the main concern was the existing power structure which functions like a proxy of the ruling elite in Kuala Lumpur.

This has translated, among others, into the loss of native land to huge plantation companies including those from the Peninsula.

“I may be wrong but my reading is that the activists in Sabah and Sarawak are not very interested in Peninsula-Malaysia based political parties. They would prefer to be a neutral or balancing political force,” he said.

The House of Commons briefing is the first in a series that Hindraf has lined up for next year.

Other briefings, not all confirmed according to Waythamoorthy, include the US State Department, the United Nations and the European Parliament.

The latter meetings may include rights activists from Malaysian Borneo.

Waythamoorthy denied that his schedule next year amounts to a smear campaign against the country.

“It is not true. This is the kind of propaganda in the mainstream media which even claimed that Hindraf was a terrorist organisation,” he said.

“We are actually trying to rescue the country from the same small clique that has been holding the people to ransom since independence. We need change and reform.”

Asked how he planned to do it, Waythamoorthy said that it could be done “by raising the awareness level of the international community to what is actually going on in Malaysia”.

“In the globalised environment that we live in today, what happens in one country affects another,” he added.

“When a country does not give everyone a place in the sun, the political and security risks are heightened. This is a matter of concern to the international community.”

He claimed that the net result of present Malaysian government policies has resulted in poor international credit rating for the country and local companies with foreign investment drying up and dropping values in the stock market, in property prices and in demand for the ringgit.

“It’s only the petrodollars from Petronas that keeps the whole circus going at the moment,” charged Waythamoorthy.

CIG chair Jeffrey stressed that he did not want to issue a lengthy statement on the activists from Malaysian Borneo working with Hindraf through InCiRiM.

“Whatever the InCiRiM chairman (Waythamoorthy) has said so far in his statement is okay with me,” he said.

“I have no wish to add to that. All I can say is that CIG will be playing a very active role in the change and reform agenda in Sabah and Sarawak.”

Jeffrey said he had a productive meeting with Waythamoorthy who took some time off to also explain the history of Hindraf and the current status of its struggle.

The Story of Human Rights

This is not a story you or I want to hear.

Seetha, could not take the grief of her little brother Surendran’s death . Surendran was shot dead by the police on the 8th of November. In her grief she decided to take her life and those of her 4 children yesterday morning. At about 8.30 am she gave everyone Paraquat to drink, telling her children that they will be able to meet their Uncle if they all drank the medicine. All of them drank it. Their lives are now in limbo as I write this article. They are all in the ICU.

Can you imagine Seetha’s state of mind that she should make such a decision. Not only her life but all her little ones as well. Can you imagine?

It pains me even to think about the state of her mind as she was giving them all the poison. Can I ever imagine doing this myself – what would make me ever to do such a thing. You kill the people you love and take your own life when you feel it is totally the end of the road, that there is no more hope or purpose to living. Is this what Seetha had in her mind when she decided at that fateful moment?

I do not know enough to write about the exact circumstances. But some facts are undeniable. Attempted suicide here happened in a circumstance of relative poverty. Seetha’s husband is a lorry driver. Her father is a Security Guard. She was a housewife. This is so typical of the Indian poor , Security Guards and Lorry Drivers are all what they can get up to. Surendran was 24 years old like so many others of his age group who fall victims to crime.

How did Surendran get involved in crime – what took him there. For young Indian men who do not see much upward mobility in a life as a lorry driver or as a security guard(that is all that is available to them for their academic accomplishments in the Apartheid Malaysian system), crime seems to be an answer. Young as they are, they are oblivious or just plain unthinking about the incumbent risks and this is where they land up .

I cannot but conclude that this is really a crime committed against this family and against so many others like them , This story is not about Surendran’s crime or about Seetha’s attempted suicide but about the racist UMNO regime’s crime of causing the literal obliteration of Seetha’s family. You may accuse me of being mad, of being totally foolish to say this, to assign blame wily nily. Audacious as my blaming may be, give me an alternative esxplanation for this repeating pattern in these problems.

It is so blatantly clear to me that it is UMNO’s policy of continuing and total neglect of the Indian poor that leads the Indian poor to this end. They pay no attention to this problem. They are in total denial. They just do not care. They sentence these Indians to a life of deprivation and abandonment.

Why does the UMNO regime not acknowledge this line of reasoning and open up opportunities for the young Indians in this high risk group. There are thousands of development programs that the UMNO regime administers in the country – why do they not open them up and allow these young men into that mainstream.

My answer is plain and simple. It serves UMNO no purpose to do that. In fact the opposite effect serves them a better purpose. As more Indian young men go crime’s ways, they are all condemned one way or another to the dregs of Malaysian society to be finally disposed off like this. End of story for UMNO, no more problem. UMNO has divided up this country for that, the result being such tragedies.

Why does Seetha for her part see this as the end of the road? What is her background? How does she see this world? What is her state of knowledge? What is she looking at being a mother of 4 at the age of 31 and a wife to a lorry driver? Lorry driving is back breaking, long hours, away from home for long stretches, a low social status. What is the implication of all this to her? What does her brother mean to her? Is she not entitled to a luxury of some love for a little brother, no matter that he may be all wrapped up in crime now? I do not have answers to all these questions but having been through life myself I can venture some guesses. It comes back to the same answer. Seetha has been denied an even shot at life.

I hope Seetha and her little ones come through over the next few days. What this maens to the rest of us is that we have to wake up from our slumber and start asking some real hard questions. It is time that the likes of Seetha get what is their due.

Malaysia's 7th prime minister

Like millions of other Malaysians I was looking forward gleefully to witnessing a Pakatan Rakyat government installed in Putrajaya after 16 September 2008 - with Anwar Ibrahim as our sixth prime minister.

Sixth... or seventh... it doesn't matter. I remain convinced that Anwar has the necessary experience to steer the nation clear of some treacherous reefs looming ahead.

Some of my friends say they would rather see Zaid Ibrahim (right) as PM. I'm a great admirer of Zaid Ibrahim and have no problem seeing him become prime minister one of these days. For that matter, Nizar Jamaluddin has also been described as prime minister material - but before he stands a chance of being appointed to the nation's highest office, his political party will have to shed some of the theological deadwood it is currently burdened with.

In any case, so long as Anwar Ibrahim is in good health and willing to take on the responsibility, I would still prefer that the PM's job go to him. Not only does he have 16 years' experience under his belt as part of the Umno/BN regime under Mahathir, but he has also been initiated into the shadow side of power. Anwar has an intimate understanding of how precarious and illusory worldly power and status can be, having been at the receiving end of Mahathir's gross abuse of power back in 1998. I'm convinced that anyone who has survived such a nightmarish ordeal would have learned to cherish the true meaning of freedom and justice.

Nurul Izzah Anwar, a member of parliament at 28

Apart from Anwar's phenomenal charisma as an orator and political reformer, he is supported by the magnificent Wan Azizah whose compassion, dignity and strength stand her in excellent stead as a prime minister's wife the entire nation can wholeheartedly love and respect. Not only that, their beautiful daughter Nurul Izzah has proven her mettle as an articulate, intelligent and plucky leader and has all the qualities necessary to someday become Malaysia's first female PM. (Not that I'm in favor of political dynasties - but being born into a political family does provide a strong foundation for handling the stresses and strains of leadership.)

More than a year after Anwar's abortive 916 plan to take over the reins of government, the political situation is totally bogged down in sinister intrigue while outrageous shenanigans continue to be perpetrated with impunity by the Umno/BN regime under Mr Pink Lips (right) - the crime minister appointed by 190 Umno division chiefs - and endorsed by the Malay rulers and the Bumoid Kakistocracy aka the Corporate Umnoputra.

A few of my moneyed friends have expressed their reservations about having Anwar Ibrahim as PM. Some parrot Mahathir and Daim Zainuddin's heavy hints about Anwar's cozy ties with key agents of the New World Order cabal and their Zionist banker connections. They're wary of the fact that Anwar is respected by well-known Neocons like Paul Wolfovitz and has access to a global network of influential names in academia and the mass media. Unlike Najib, Anwar Ibrahim doesn't have to pay millions to some Jewish PR agency to have the international media paint a rosy image of him as a leader.

Umno apologists just don't get it. These so-called Zionist plutocrats - men like George Soros (left), the Rothschilds, and the Rockefellers - admire intelligence and statesmanship and, of course, they are constantly trying to recruit new blood into their ranks. If they have indeed been courting Anwar, it simply means they believe Anwar is well worth luring into their inner circles - just as they at one time invited the likes of Lee Kuan Yew and Mahathir Mohamad to participate in closed-doors Bilderberg conferences. In the geopolitical arena one has to acknowledge that power has been jealously guarded for countless centuries by a secretive elite via interlocking fraternities like the Freemasons, Knights of Malta, and the Rotarians. The heads of these fraternities are members of even more exclusive and secretive mystical orders with names like the Priory of Sion, the Bavarian Illuminati, and Ordo Templi Orientis.

Their deadly grip on power appears indomitable and absolute. But that's merely an illusion. Truth is, the cracks have become huge enough for new reality options to hatch from within these occult power centers.

David Mayer de Rothschild (born 25 August 1978), adventurer & environmentalist

As always their own descendants - the children and grandchildren of Evelyn Rothschild and David Rockefeller, for example, will break the family mold and mutate in ways unforeseen. Like a tower struck by lightning, the entire edifice of hereditary power and wealth will quickly crumble as the New World Order manifests as something its original planners would never in a million years have imagined possible.

As a brilliant and charming deputy prime minister cum finance minister, Anwar had apparently attracted the attention of these global powerbrokers. Perhaps he had been emboldened by their tacit support to make his power play against the recalcitrant Mahathir in mid-1997 - which triggered a vindictive and violent reaction from both Daim Zainuddin (right) and Mahathir who represented the vested interests of the Umnoputra elite that had burgeoned during Mahathir's 22-year premiership.

Those who had grown fat in the mid-1980s and early 1990s from Mahathir's largesse were naturally incensed by what they perceived as Anwar Ibrahim's impatience and impertinence. He had to be forcefully put down as an example to other would-be upstarts within the ranks of Umno. This explains the ferocity and sheer viciousness of their attack against Anwar in 1998.

Reformasi 1998, Indonesia (photo: Andrew Kaufman)

It was nothing less than a political crucifixion. Just as two thousand years ago the entrenched Jewish priesthood and the obese merchants in Palestine were terrified of the master Yeshua's populist message of reform and renewal - the feudal power establishment in Malaysia was severely rattled by the close proximity of the same groundswell of massive rebellion that swept Suharto and his dynasty from power right next door in Indonesia.

Reformasi 1998, Malaysia: Anwar calls for Mahathir's resignation

The Umno old guard isn't quite dead yet. Mahathir still growls as he paces in growing frustration, watching Umno warlords repeatedly shoot themselves in the foot and dig themselves deeper and deeper into their own graves. Quietly monitoring the political shifts since 8 March 2008 from his invisible vantage point, former finance minister Daim Zainuddin makes hardly a sound - but he has been busy behind the scenes, doing whatever he can and must to thwart Anwar's ambitions to become PM.

As for the Malay rulers, they have been compromised - particularly since the mid-1980s - by their immersion in entrepreneurial pursuits - an unhealthy trend that escalated following Mahathir's usurpation of their traditional authority. Few of them have any head for business, so they are largely dependent on a shadowy cadre of Umnoputra tycoons and the fly-by-night financial adventurers who serve as their advisors and proxies.

This is certainly an untenable and unwholesome situation. The royal houses must decide very soon whether to throw their lot in with the collapsing Umnoputra house of cards - or to discreetly extricate themselves from further involvement in the sordid world of business - a realm where their royal stature is susceptible to being irreversibly tarnished and brought into severe disrepute. They cannot carry on dabbling in business, getting entangled in constant conflicts of interest or risking legal action when their enterprises go bust - and yet expect the public to shut up and keep paying their royal allowances.

I was telling some friends recently that the political atmosphere during the Mahathir Era was horribly stifling, especially after 1986 when his power faced serious challenges. But, strangely, things feel even worse today - not necessarily because Najib is crueler and more ruthless than his cynical puppetmaster - but simply because the Internet can now reveal the full extent of Umno/BN's criminal mismanagement, complete with charts and tables and long lists of figures.


Thanks to the emergence in Cyberspace of loose cannon mavericks like Raja Petra Kamarudin - whose access to "official secrets" and whose ability to expose and destroy the rogue regime we call Umno/BN (along with all who stubbornly cling to their ill-gotten gains and their obscene privileges) should never be underestimated, those of us who genuinely love this country still have many options apart from migrating.


As RPK has so admirably shown by positioning himself out of harm's way and continuing to fire salvo after salvo at the fortress of the Wicked Queen, it's futile trying to scare bloggers into silence. You can haul up and question a few - but at what cost to your expensively tailored international image?

One of the perks of amassing a vast fortune is to be admired and applauded wherever you go. However, if your reputation sinks to the level of infamous rogues like Robert Mugabe, Augusto Pinochet, Ferdinand Marcos, Slobodan Milošević, General Than Shwe, Kim Jong-Il, Donald Rumsfeld and Dick Cheney... you'd probably be wishing you could have been half as talented as Michael Jackson instead... or twice as dead.


http://www.malaysia-today.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=28506:malaysias-7th-prime-minister&catid=16:from-around-the-blogs&Itemid=100132

DAY 2 – 25 MARCH 2003 (Part 1)

Ummi confesses to being the architect behind the Anwar sodomy allegation; a purely fabricated charge

During the earlier trial, it was revealed that the Special Branch tried to convince Anwar to “take action” but that Anwar refused, until pressed further by the Director who said it was “for the sake of national security” before Anwar agreed that action be taken.

THE CORRIDORS OF POWER

Raja Petra Kamarudin

In a new twist to the Anwar Saga, it was revealed that Ummi Hafilda Ali was the architect behind the accusation that Anwar had sodomised Azizan Abu Bakar. And, for this, she was disowned by her father just months before he died of a broken heart.

Christopher Fernando told the Kuala Lumpur Appeal Court that Said Awang, the Director of the Special Branch, went to meet Azmin Ali, Ummi’s brother, who was then Anwar’s Chief Private Secretary, to solicit his (Azmin’s) assistance to persuade Ummi to retract the allegation that Anwar had sodomised Azizan.

What is most interesting by this revelation is that:

1. Said Awang went to meet Azmin BEFORE he met Anwar. Therefore, the allegation that Anwar had abused his position by summoning the Special Branch, and that he asked them to force Ummi and Azizan to withdraw the sodomy allegation, is a fallacy. In fact, it was not Anwar who summoned Said Awang to see him, but the Special Branch Director who took the initiative to meet Anwar.

2. The idea to persuade Ummi and Azizan to retract the sodomy allegation came from the Special Branch and not Anwar. During the earlier trial, it was revealed that the Special Branch tried to convince Anwar to “take action” but that Anwar refused, until pressed further by the Director who said it was “for the sake of national security” before Anwar agreed that action be taken.

3. The Special Branch was fully aware that it was Ummi who was behind the sodomy allegation and that Azizan was merely the instrument to the whole thing. That was why they wanted Azmin, her brother, to try to persuade Ummi to retract the allegation.

This sheds light on the previous day’s proceedings where Fernando revealed that Azizan testified three times, under oath, that Anwar never sodomised him – an admission that took even the trial judge aback.

Fernando related how Said went to meet Azmin to request a meeting with Anwar Ibrahim. In the meeting with Azmin, Said asked him whether Ummi is his sister and Azmin confirmed so.

Said Awang then asked Azmin whether he was able to persuade his sister to withdraw the sodomy allegation against Anwar but Azmin replied that would be impossible as he no longer talked to his sister since the allegation surfaced.

The Special Branch was aware that Ummi was behind the accusation and was, in fact, the plotter of the whole thing. And, the period when this discussion with Azmin was going on, the Special Branch had not met Anwar yet.

Azmin then called the family together to discuss the issue. In all, three meetings were held that included Ummi herself.

Ummi at first denied she had written the letter to the Prime Minister accusing Anwar of sodomy. Azmin then advised his sister to steer clear of the conspiracy, and that was when she admitted this would be impossible to do as she had been promised money and contracts for her role and, in fact, money had already changed hands.

Ummi later confessed to her father her involvement in the conspiracy and that it was actually she who had written the letter to the Prime Minister. The father, a religious teacher, then disowned her and, soon after, died of a broken heart, never forgiving his daughter for what she had done.

It was clear, from the testimony in court, that Azizan’s letter to the Prime Minister had been written by Ummi. Ummi had confessed to this. Azizan, in turn, during the course of the trial, admitted that Anwar did not sodomise him.

However, when the defence tried to bring up this very crucial bit of evidence during the trial, the trial judge disallowed it. The judge refused to allow the letter to be admitted as evidence or to allow Ummi to be called to court to testify.

Ummi’s role in this whole thing was clear and indisputable. The fact the sodomy accusation against Anwar was false was apparent. Just before he died, Ummi’s father wrote an open letter to Harakah, an opposition newspaper, explaining the whole matter and, in no uncertain terms, accused his daughter of involvement in the conspiracy to frame Anwar and of being the person who wrote the letter to the Prime Minister.

Had the judge allowed this crucial bit of evidence to be admitted, argued Fernando, it would have changed the entire complexion of the case and the judge would have been hard-pressed to find Anwar guilty.

Attempt after attempt was made to frame Anwar of sexual misconduct charges; and Pak Lah is involved too

“There was an evil plot to secure a conviction through devious means,” said Christopher Fernando on the second day of Anwar’s appeal hearing in the Kuala Lumpur Appeal Court.

Fernando then told the court that attempt after attempt was made to frame Anwar on sexual misconduct charges.

One such case was Dr. Munawar Ahmad Anees, then one of Anwar’s speech writers, who was arrested and subjected to physical and mental torture to force him to admit he had a homosexual relationship with Anwar.

Fernando then took the court through the lengthy Affidavit signed by Dr Munawar on 7 November 1998 that detailed the experience he went through at the hands of the Malaysian police.

The torture he endured finally broke him and he admitted to the ‘crime’, which he later retracted in his Affidavit.

Fernando then brought the court’s attention back to the Manjeet Singh Dhillon matter that was raised in court yesterday to emphasis his point of yet another attempt to frame Anwar.

At this point, Fernando called upon the court to recommend a Royal Commission of Inquiry be established to investigate Manjit Singh Dhillon's serious allegation against Abdul Gani Patail and Azhar Mohamad as this is a most serious matter affecting the administration of justice and the rule of law.

"If they are found not to be involved in extorting fabricated evidence, then their names will be cleared," said Fernando. "It will be to their benefit."

"If they are involved, then they ought to be brought to justice. That is the only way to resolve this pressing problem and to restore public confidence."

Clearly there was a concerted effort to frame Anwar. But these attempts were not confined to Malaysia. It also extended to the shores of the US as well, argued Fernando. One case in point was an incident involving Jamal Abder Rahman.

“We are trying to show a pattern, how witnesses were approached to give fabricated evidence and these efforts extended beyond the shores of Malaysia to the US,” said Fernando.

Jamal is an American citizen of Arab descent who operates a limousine service in Washington DC and had a contract to provide limousine services to the Malaysian Embassy in Washington.

In September 1998, soon after Anwar’s dismissal and subsequent arrest, a Malaysian Diplomat, Mustapha Ong, asked Jamal to declare that he had procured women and young boys for Anwar.

MACC Operations Review Panel wants to study Lingam's case

(Bernama) - THE Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC)'s Operations Review Panel wants approval from the Attorney-General (AG) to study the Datuk V.K. Lingam video clip case.

Panel chairman, Tan Sri Dr. Hadenan Abdul Jalil, said he would write to the Attorney-General, Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail, that the case be refered to the panel.

"I will write to the A-G and ask that the case be refered to the panel. We also want to know what happened in the case.

"The panel will decide if the MACC needed to proceed with the case," he told reporters here today.

On Monday, Minister in the Prime Minister's Department, Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz, said no action would be taken against Lingam as he had not breached any specific law in lobbying the appointment of judges as shown in the video clip.

He said the government had looked into the matter from various aspects, including under the Sedition Act 1948, but found that there was no specific law under which he could be convicted for abuse of power on the issue of appointment of judges in the country.

Dr Hadenan said the panel played a role as a body to give an alternative opinion to the MACC and among its main roles was to determine that investigation is done transparently and to ensure that no case is closed at will.

"More that 96 cases were tabled to us from January till September for closing of case. We agreed that a portion of the cases could be closed but also felt that there were situations where we wanted some case re-opened and in the end the suspects were charged," he said.

He said the MACC needed to follow any proposal by the panel relating to a case including re-opening investigation.

However, Dr Hadenan said the panel, made up of seven persons, was not involved in the investigation process as it was not a part of the commission but represented the public.

He said the MACC's legal and prosecution division was handling 780 trial cases and 498 appeal cases and the commission only had about 30 deputy public prosecutors (DPPs) throughout the country.

He said the small number of DPPs compared to the large number of cases was a burden that could affect prosecutorial performance.

Tok Mat reveals Umno's conspiracy

In his book Tok Mat revealed that PM Hussein wanted to “bring down the PAS government in Kelantan”. “To ensure the success of the campaign I deployed 300 officers and staff of the Information ministry’s special unit.

By MOHSIN ABDULLAH, MySinchew

I suppose after all he had gone through as a top Umno politician and at 71, Tan Sri Mohamed Rahmat couldn’t be bothered if brickbats are thrown at him for his “expose” or “allegations” (as some might want to call it) in his book which hit book stores recently.

In the book entitled “Akhir Sebuah Iimpian” or The End of A Dream published by news portal The Malaysian Insider, Tok Mat as he is fondly known, wrote briefly his early years in UMNO and jottings of his involvement in the Mahathir era at length. And of course we are told of power struggle and crisis.

But the ones which to me, would raise many an eye brow would be his “revelations.” For example this. Tok Mat admitted that as Information minister in the Hussein Onn government he had instructed civil servants to help the BN topple the PAS led government in Kelantan in 1977.

In his book Tok Mat revealed that PM Hussein wanted to “bring down the PAS government in Kelantan”. “To ensure the success of the campaign I deployed 300 officers and staff of the Information ministry’s special unit. Their duty was to live among the kampong folks in Kelantan and obtain vital information as well as convince the Kelantanese that the time was right to hand over power to Umno and BN.”

Nothing surprisingly as many have always “known this all along”. Still here we have a former minister admitting to it openly. Tok Mat wrote again on the same tactic, this time used in Sabah against the PBS in the 1994 election. Tok Mat was then Information minister in Dr Mahathir’s cabinet.

He also revealed that Harun Idris wanted to be PM and quoted the late MB of Selangor as saying “ I’ve been MB for ages its time for me to move to Federal”, indicating that would be the first step of realising his premiership dream. The PM then was Hussein Onn who, said Tok Mat, despite his officer and a gentleman spirit was also a believer of kill-or-be-killed principle.

According to Tok Mat the PM went into action by demanding for Harun’s resignation citing the Selangor’s MB corruption case as reason. (Harun’s loyalists on the other hand believed the corruption charges in the first place were due to Harun’s ambition to be PM. But this “allegation” was not mentioned by Tok Mat). Said Tok Mat, Harun was relunctant to relinquish the post and gave trivial excuses.

Tok Mat wrote also on attempt to push Hussein out of office by embarrassing him. “A little known Umno man, Sulaiman Palestin challenged Hussein for the Umno presidency and although Hussein won, the president was embarrassed and hurt.”.

Hussein quit and handed the Umno presidency and PM post to his deputy Dr Mahathir. Tok Mat claimed later he asked Sulaiman who had asked him to contest against Hussein . Sulaiman, said Tok Mat, just smiled.

“After Hussein resigned and handed power to Dr Mahathir, Sulaiman was appointed Umno Information chief”, wrote Tok Mat.

The former Umno Sec Gen also denied he was an Anwar Ibrahim supporter and had a hand in ending the political career of Tun Ghafar Baba who was then the DPM.

Writing about Anwar’s famous’ media conference to announce his candidacy for the deputy president contest, Tok Mat said he did not know that Anwar would be making the announcement when he allowed him to use the Umno head quarters premises.

Almost all supreme council members were with Anwar that day giving the impression he had their backing to replace Ghaffar. Tok Mat pointed accusing fingers at the then Umno executive secretary for the entire episode.

Tok Mat admitted he served Dr Mahathir because I liked his style. So he gave his all. He never had regrets in supporting Dr Mahathir. But Tok Mat did not minced words to say that he is still angry and sad at the way Dr Mahathir dumped’ him after all he had done for him.

“I took all the blows for Dr. Mahathir when the rakyat was angry and hated him”, wrote Tok Mat . He summed up Dr Mahathir as a man who chucked people after milking them dry.

Tok Mat had nice words for current PM Najib Razak. As for Muhyiddin Yassin the present DPM, Tok Mat only mentioned his name twice. The first was a caption for a photograph of him, Anwar and Muhyiddin who he described as “Anwar’s strongman at that time”.

The second mention was when he wrote about land acquisition in Johor. “In Johor at that time, Muhyiddin Yassin was the MB who created many controversies in land acquisition matters”. He did not elaborate.

Whatever one’s take is, on the book and whether one is to rebut the things he said, it won’t matter. Like I said earlier, I think Tok Mat doesn’t give a damn.

Pakatan loses suit against Perak State Secretary

By Clara Chooi - The Malaysian Insider

IPOH, Nov 12 – The High Court here today struck out Pakatan Rakyat Speaker V. Sivakumar’s suit against Perak State Secretary Datuk Dr Abdul Rahman Hashim for abuse of power, which was filed ahead of the controversial Sept 2 assembly sitting in a hotel here.

The case was struck out in the chambers of Judicial Commissioner Tarmizi Abd Rahman today after Sivakumar filed his affidavit in reply to the one filed in response to his suit by Abdul Rahman on Oct 15.

Lawyer Cheang Lek Choy, who represented Sivakumar, said the suit was “struck out with costs” after he emerged from chambers with Sivakumar and state legal adviser Datuk Ahmad Kamal Md Shahid, who represented Abdul Rahman.

The Malaysian Insider understands that Tarmizi had said Sivakumar had no locus standi to file the suit, in view of the fact that he was no longer the state assembly’s Speaker, a post with which he had used when he filed his summons in chambers on Sept 1.

Sivakumar had filed the summons one day before the Sept 2 sitting, seeking an ex-parte injunction against Abdul Rahman. The injunction was to stop Abdul Rahman from “abusing his power” and preventing Pakatan Rakyat representatives from convening the sitting inside the state assembly hall at the State Secretariat.

At the time, however, Judicial Commissioner Tarmizi refused to grant the injunction without providing reason but agreed to hear the application on Oct 1.

Seeing as the objective of the application had obviously failed, the judicial commissioner’s decision to hear the application was obviously an academic exercise.

On Sept 2, the PR representatives were stopped from entering the State Secretariat as expected and were forced to hold their sitting at the Heritage Hotel instead.

During the tumult outside the administrative building before the sitting, three assemblymen were arrested, including Sitiawan assemblyman Datuk Ngeh Koo Ham, Malim Nawar assemblyman K. Keshvinder Singh and Simpang Pulai assemblyman Chan Ming Kai.

In Sivakumar’s affidavit in response today, he said that as, according to Abdul Rahman’s affidavit, the latter had no right to claim that he (Sivakumar) was no longer the legal Speaker of Perak.

“The defendant’s duty as a civil servant does not encompass interfering with matters of the state assembly,” he said.

Sivakumar added that the High Court’s decision over the sacking and the appointment of the Perak Speaker could not be used to defend Abdul Rahman’s action of blocking elected state representatives from entering the assembly hall to conduct their business.

“The defendant also does not have the jurisdiction to determine if I have the right to summon an assembly sitting. This matter is outside his jurisdiction as a state civil servant,” said Sivakumar.

Sivakumar also submitted along with his affidavit, photographic evidence portraying Abdul Rahman’s lack of impartiality.

“The pictures submitted with this affidavit show that he had wrongfully conspired with Umno politicians to stop us from entering the state assembly hall.

“He is seen in the pictures in a meeting with Umno lawyers,” said Sivakumar.

Nazri confirms MACC to probe double-tracking project

By Asrul Hadi Abdullah Sani - The Malaysian Insider

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 12 - The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) will investigate the double-tracking rail project that has resulted in more than RM1 billion in losses, Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz (picture) announced today.

The MACC investigations come after the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) announced last week it wanted to probe the RM6 billion double-tracking project when the Auditor-General's Report said poor project management led to the losses.

“MACC will investigate PAC‘s minutes. PAC is the parliament’s committee so certainly ... As I have said, MACC has informed me that they will investigate based on the allegations made by the PAC so there will be no dispute so don’t worry,” the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department told reporters in Parliament.

Nazri said that the MACC had assured him that they would pursue the PAC’s recommendations.

“The fact that it was tabled in the Parliament and there is no debate about it because the PAC is a extension of the Parliament and their decision is our decision,” he added.

Umno MPs also urged the MACC to probe Transport Minister Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat’s role in the project during the budget debate in Parliament on Monday.

According to the PAC report, former Transport Minister Tan Sri Chan Kong Choy admitted that the double-tracking project was “three times the size” of the Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ) scandal.

“No, it is not the biggest (project under the Ministry of Transport). Double-tracking project is much bigger. It is 12 almost 13 billion? It is three times the size of this project (PKFZ).

“We are talking only the northern, the southern part is almost four billion,” Chan said in his testimony recently to the PAC.

According to this year’s national audit report, the government may have to bear part of the RM1.14 billion loss in the 179km double-tracking rail contract between Rawang and Ipoh as the project was poorly managed.

The Rawang to Ipoh (southern) double-tracking and electrification project was completed in 2008 while the Ipoh to Padang Besar portion was proposed in 2002 as a continuation of the existing tracks.

In 2003, former Prime Minister Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi announced that the government had decided to postpone the project which drew heavy criticism from his predecessor Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

However, the project was revived when then Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak announced that the Cabinet Committee on Public Transport had decided to revive the shelved northern section double-tracking project in 2007.

The project was awarded to Gamuda Berhad and MMC Corporation Berhad.

The major stakeholders of Gamuda and MMC are Raja Datuk Seri Eleena Sultan Azlan Shah and Tan Sri Syed Mokhtar Al-Bukhary respectively.

PAS man claims hidden hands undermining Selangor govt

By Neville Spykerman - The Malaysian Insider

SHAH ALAM, Nov 12 - A PAS lawmaker alleged today that Federal Government agencies are meddling in the affairs of the Selangor Pakatan Rakyat (PR) administration in a probe he said which was putting unnecessary pressure on state civil servants.

Citing several documents obtained from state civil servants, Saari Sungib (picture) said the Prime Minister’s department and the National Security Council had been gathering information on the Selangor Select Committee on Competency, Accountability and Transparency (Selcat) before the recent Bagan Pinang by-election.

The Hulu Kelang assemblyman made the disclosure while speaking about the recent arrest of former Perlis Mufti Dr Asri Zainal Abidin, during debate on the state budget at the state assembly today.

He claimed “hidden hands” were at work in Asri’s arrest and that it was part of efforts to undermine the state government.

Saari produced questionnaires marked classified which was circulated to all District Officers (DOs), seeking their views on the recent public inquiry which was conducted by Selcat on the misuse of state allocations by Barisan Nasional (BN) lawmakers in the previous administration.

The DOs were also asked about Selcat’s powers, the process involved in the release of funds and what they thought about Selcat chairman Teng Chang Khim, who is also the Speaker.

The questionnaire also contained questions on PAS Commissioner Datuk Dr Hasan Ali, who had accused Teng of “bullying” civil servants during the public inquiry.

Saari said the document indicated that the information would go to the Prime Minister’s Department and National Security Council.

He said the questionnaire was putting unnecessary pressure on the DOs.

During the debate Saari also said the Selangor Islamic Department’s (Jais) were working contrary to the intentions of the state government which wanted to create a friendly environment for religious clerics and scholars, in reference to Dr Asri’s arrest for preaching without accreditation.

He pointed out that there were provisions in the Selangor Islamic Administration Enactment which exempted those with a proven track record and qualification from seeking accreditation.

MACC operations panel seeks to review Lingam case

By Shazwan Mustafa Kamal

PUTRAJAYA, Nov 12 — The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission operations review panel (PPO) said today it will seek the Attorney-General’s permission to review the V.K. Lingam case, bowing to public pressure and unhappiness over the government’s decision that “no further action” be taken over the judicial appointments scandal.

The chairman of the panel, Tan Sri Dr Hadenan Abdul Jalil, who is a former Auditor-General, told a press conference today that permission was being sought on grounds of public interest.

"I am thinking of writing a letter to the Attorney-General's office to ask for this case to be tabled to the PPO. We are interested to know what happened for the sake of public interest," said Hadenan.

He said that although looking into the Lingam case was not within the jurisdiction of the panel, public interest should be upheld and the panel has a right to give a second opinion regarding the matter.

The PPO was formed as part of the restructuring of ACA to become the MACC at the beginning of the year.

The panel consists of seven individuals who come from various professional backgrounds such as former government officials, corporate officers, academics, lawyers as well as auditors.

The Bar Council said yesterday it was disheartened by the government’s position in the Lingam controversy which it said had brought the Malaysian justice system into shameful disrepute.

Bar Council president Ragunath Kesavan said that he was appalled at the government’s stand that no wrongdoing could be established in the probe into the Lingam video clip incident.

When contacted by The Malaysian Insider today, Ragunath said that he was pleased with the MACC review panel’s suggestion

“I am pleased with the recent developments that have taken place. We hope that something positive will come out of this,” said the Bar Council president.

Lingam, a senior lawyer, had been secretly recorded on video engaged in a telephone conversation where he appears to be brokering senior judicial appointments.

The video first surfaced in 2007 and became a major campaign issue in Election 2008 for the opposition.

Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz sparked an uproar in Parliament on Monday when he said “judiciary fixer” Lingam had been let off the hook “because he had broken no law”.

Nazri also suggested that Lingam breached no laws as he might “have just acted to fix the appointment of judges as if he was brokering the appointment of senior judges to impress people”.

A royal commission had proposed that action be taken against Lingam and several others purportedly involved in the recording including former Chief Justices Tun Eusoff Chin and Tun Ahmad Fairuz Sheikh Abdul Halim, and tycoon Tan Sri Vincent Tan, a close friend of former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

Nazri revealed that investigations by the MACC on the figures named also found no conclusive evidence that there was any form of power abuse by any of them.

Pakatan Rakyat MPs had also recently presented an alleged key witness to back their claims that Lingam and Eusoff, who was then Chief Justice, had planned a New Zealand trip together.

They had hoped the alleged key witness, Lingam’s former secretary Jayanthi Naidu, would prove that the government was attempting to cover up the scandal which has raised suspicions about possible collusion.

However, Nazri denied Jayanthi was the witness that MACC was looking for.

Suicide bid by shootout suspect’s sister

By Neville Spykerman

SHAH ALAM, Nov 12 – Overcome with grief for her baby brother who was shot dead by police, R. Seetha poured weedkiller for herself and her four children in Klang this morning and told them to “drink it so you can see uncle”.

The 31-year-old mother and two of her children are now in the intensive care unit at the Tengku Ampuan Rahimah Hospital (HTAR) while the other two children are in the normal ward, relatives said.

They said Seetha was devastated by the death of her 24-year-old brother R. Surendren, who was among five men “high on the police wanted list” who were gunned down by police in Klang Utama on Sunday.

They claimed that at 8.30am today, Seetha poured weed killer into mugs and gave it to her children to drink with a straw before consuming it herself.

But her elder sister, who was at the house in Kampung Perepat, in Klang, entered the room and managed to pull the mug away before rushing them to a nearby government clinic, from where they taken in an ambulance to HTAR.

Seetha, along with her eldest daughter Darshini, nine, and her only son, Kugendran, are in critical care while her two other daughters Usharani, seven, and Navina, three, are in a normal ward.

She and her lorry driver husband M. Manimaran, who live in Gamencheh, Negri Sembilan, were in Klang, with their children, for the funeral.

Her father R. Rampathy, said Seetha, was very close to Surendren and had been distraught over his death.

“She had been crying each time she looked at Surendren’s picture,” he said, adding he never expected her to try to kill herself and her children.

He also disputed police claims that his son was a criminal.

“My son did not have a police report, had never been arrested or even set foot in a police station.”

The shooting and the attempted suicides is likely to direct more criticism against the police, who have come under fire for being “trigger-happy”, especially towards Indians.

Kapar MP S. Manikavasagam and the leader of the Human Right Party P. Uthayakuamar, who were both at the hospital, threatened to take to the streets should Seetha or any of her children die.

“We will bring their bodies to parliament if they die to drive home the point that the shootings of suspects should stop,” said Uthayakumar.

Manikavasagam said police should have arrested the suspects instead of gunning them down.

Court Affirms Citizenship Of Two Siblings

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 12 (Bernama) -- A father's 30-year-old wait to ensure his two children were Malaysian citizens was in the end worth it when the High Court here Thursday allowed his applcation.

Judge Datuk Lau Bee Lan, who handed down the decision in her chambers, said the children of M. Ramanoojom, 79, were citizens under Article 14(1)(b) of the Malaysian Federal Constitution.

Lau also ordered the children, son Thirupathi, 34, and daughter, Meena, 31, to make an official application for citizenship and the MyKad identity card at the Malaysian High Commission in India within three months.

In the originating summons by Ramanoojom in Sept 2007, the children named the Home Minister, the director-general of the National Registration Department, and the Government of Malaysia as defendants.

According to the affidavit, Ramanoojom, a Malaysian citizen, said he married N.Pushpam (an Indian citizen) in India on Sept 13, 1960 and both his children were born there.

He said he had made an application to have them brought to Malaysia in 1978 in Madras but failed until his wife died in 2005.

Ramanoojom, who was represented by lawyer M. Manoharan, when met outside the court said he was very happy with the decision and thankful it was achieved before he died.

He said both his children were in India and they desired to return to Malaysia.

Surin contractor Wabina warns complainants

By Anil Netto,

The main contractor for the controversial Surin hill-slope condominium project in Tanjung Bunga has responded to neighbouring residents who had written in to express their unhappiness about the construction work.

The management committee of the Straits Regency complex nearby had complained about nauseating fumes, noisy generators and construction work at night.

In a tersely worded letter dated 15 October, Wabina Construction and Engineering Sdn Bhd managing director Loh Geok Beng responded that the fumes from the generators were not poisonous and that the firm had abided by Penang Municipal Council guidelines. He added that the noise from the generators and excavators was “reasonable” and “expectable” considering the work being done.

The firm denied that it had carried out work beyond permissible hours and said it would seek the Council’s permission for extended hours to carry out internal work.

The letter, which was copied to the Council, ended with a request to the Straits Regency management committee not to “create difficulties” or else Wabina would not hesitate to hold them liable for any delay in work caused by their action.

Loh @ Ooi Gan is also deputy president of the Penang Chinese Chamber of Commerce (PCCC) and assistant liason officer/director of the Han Chiang School/College. He was one of the PCCC representatives in their 17 July closed-door meeting with the Chief Minister on housing industry-related issues.

The developer of the Surin project is GLM Property Development Sdn Bhd, a wholly owned subsidiary of Bolton Bhd.

According to Bolton’s 2009 Annual Report, Bolton’s major shareholders include Lee Choong Lim @ Lee Tin Fook/Hopaco Properties Ltd (24 per cent indirect interest) and Bolton executive chairman Mohamed Azman Yahya (19 per cent). Azman, the former Danaharta head, also sits on the board of Khazanah and other listed firms.

Democracy, Sarawak-style

This is what happens when you raise inconvenient issues in Sarawak.

From Bernama: DAP’s Chong barred from attending current state assembly sitting

Wong said Chong had made the remarks outside the assembly proceeding that “80 per cent of the development fund is controlled by one person, Minister of Finance” published in See Hua Daily News and “Sarawak budgetary allocation – 80 per cent at the disposal of one person, Minister of Finance” in Sin Chiew Jit Poh that would tarnish the image and affect public confidence in the assembly and the state Finance Minister.

He said Chong made the remarks to the media on the same day Chief Minister and state Finance Minister Tan Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud tabled the Supply (2010) Bill 2009.

Refuting Chong’s accusation, Wong said based on the normal procedure, the financial allocations would be divided among the different ministries and departments with the respective financial controlling officers handling the financial matters as required under the Financial Procedure Act 1957.

“From the Hansard of the proceeding on Nov 9, 2009, the Chief Minister and Finance Minister who is also the Member for Balingian, did not move a bill or motion on development expenditure whereby 80 per cent of the allocation would be controlled by one person, that is, himself as the Finance Minister,” he said.

Perhaps we should also ask who really benefits/profits from the Bakun, Murum and other dams, which are being built with public funds (whether directly or indirectly), at huge environmental and social cost.

Utusan Malaysia is the stupidest newspaper in the world – the proof

By Art Harun

I laughed my head off. The mee rebus which I had for lunch is now threatening to make its way upward and later, outward.

Many Malaysians have given up with the mainstream media. That is because their so called responsible journalism entails nothing more than the act of extreme spinning of facts and events to suit their political masters or their own not-so-hidden agenda.

I have ceased reading the local newspapers for a long long time. I have for example, berated against the NST for their treatment of the Bersih rally some time ago.

Despite all the lies, untruth and skewed reporting that these newspapers have been carrying all these while, the Prime Minister recently saw it fit to hail Utusan Malaysia for, among others, “being the voice of the people“.

Well, I now have proof that Utusan Malaysia is nothing more than a loyal servant of their political masters. I now have proof that Utusan Malaysia will not stop at almost anything in order to protect its political masters. For whatever is deemed necessary to protect its political masters, Utusan Malaysia would stoop as low as physic permits to do and execute. And that includes misrepresentations and even downright lying. It will even doctor photographs!

The thing is this. They are not even good at doing it!! To lie and misrepresent an event is something. But to do it in a really stupid way is another thing altogether. Do Utusan Malaysia think that all of us, Malaysians, are as stupid as themselves?

We are in a globalisation era. We are in the cyber era. We are not in the 60s or 70s anymore. Nowadays, stupidity is easily exposed.

What am I ranting and raving about? Well, I received an e mail from a friend of mine just now. It contained a picture of an event which took place on 9.11.2009. The same picture was published by many local newspapers while reporting the same event.

As the story goes, a man in his 70s was arrested for allegedly killing his wife. The following picture was published by Berita Harian:

This was in the Star:

And this was in Harian Metro:

Notice the blue umbrella? That umbrella has the Barisan Nasional emblem on it. Quite obviously, that umbrella was distributed by the Barisan Nasional during some kind of election as it has the “vote-BN” emblem on it.

Utusan Malaysia, thinking that the stupid masses of Malaysia might equate Barisan Nasional to a person arrested for an alleged murder because of that blue umbrella, quickly exercised its responsible journalistic discretion by DOCTORING the same photograph and published the same in its report as follows:

This is my proof that Utusan Malaysia is the stupidest newspaper in the whole world!

Liow Tells Chua To Give Up Deputy President Post Unconditionally

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 12 (Bernama) -- MCA vice-president Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai fired back at Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek Thursday to "surrender" the deputy president post and go for a fresh election in the ongoing party rift.

Dr Chua yesterday said he would consider giving his post to Liow if the latter asked for it.

"The deputy president position belongs to the party, it does not belong to any individual ... he cannot be giving it to me personally," Liow told a press conference before meeting about 500 Johor party members at Wisma MCA to garner support for the "MCA Integrity Restoring Task Force (MIRT)" campaign.

"What I want to say is that he should respect the 10/10 EGM decision and surrender the deputy president post unconditionally and go for a fresh election."

Liow was referring to the Oct 10 extraordinary general meeting where party president Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat lost the vote of confidence, while Dr Chua was reinstated as a member but not as deputy president following his sacking from the party in August.

Liow was then elected deputy president by the party's central committee (CC) but the Registrar of Societies (ROS) last week ruled that Dr Chua was still the deputy president.

Asked whether he was trying to revive his position as deputy president, Liow refuted it and reiterated that his main objective was for the party to hold fresh elections.

On the group which met him today, he said they were Johor party members from the Tanjung Piai and Pontian branches who arrived in 10 buses and several cars.

Liow said preparations for the Nov 28 EGM, called by 16 CC members, were ongoing with funds being raised.

MCA Youth chief Datuk Wee Ka Siong, who is among the 16, said Liow's supporters had so far collected RM15,622 and they needed RM48,000 to pay for the rental of Dewan San Choon at Wisma MCA for two days.

"Many of the central delegates are worried about their accommodation to attend the EGM but we will give them a safe place to stay," he said.

Also present at the press conference were CC members Wong Nai Chee, Datuk Wee Jeck Seng and Lee Wei Kiat.

Dr Chua, meanwhile, has challenged Liow not to contest in the event of a party election.

"He says a party position is not important, that I agree, so at this coming party election if there is any, I hope Liow Tiong Lai will not stand for any party position. If he does so, Chua Soi Lek is willing to follow," he said.

He dared Liow to announce at the Nov 28 EGM that party positions were unimportant to him and that he would not contest.

Dr Chua was speaking to reporters after chairing a closed-door meeting at the party headquarters to discuss the "greater unity plan" which was also attended by party vice-president Datuk Seri Dr Ng Yen Yen and CC member Senator Heng Seai Kie.

He said when he first wanted to call for an EGM following his sacking, Liow had questioned his motive, but he was now doing the same to get support from the grassroots for the Nov 28 EGM.

On Liow's request for him to give up his position unconditionally, Dr Chua said if Liow was not satisfied with the fact that he was still the deputy president, he should clarify it with the ROS and "not go around barking at the wrong horse".

MCA Leaders Reminded Prolonged Crisis Can Lead To Suspension

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 12 (Bernama) -- MCA leaders have been reminded that the prolonged leadership crisis can lead to the party's suspension, former secretary-general Datuk Seri Ong Ka Chuan said.

The Housing and Local Government Minister said MCA leaders should learn from what happened to Umno which had its registration suspended in 1988.

"Failure to find an amicable solution may affect the people's confidence in MCA. We have to be careful as MCA can face a technical problem like Umno.

"The problem started when the EGM (Oct 10) decision was not respected. This led to two deputy presidents. It can spin out of control and become a technical problem," he told a press conference at parliament lobby here Thursday.

Ong who is also Tapah MCA division chief said intervention by the Registrar of Societies (ROS) had tarnished the party's image and showed that MCA leaders were incapable of resolving the crisis.

He supported the central committee (CC) decision to hold another extraordinary general meeting (EGM) on Nov 28 as it would pave the way for new elections.

"Returning power to the 2,380 party delegates is the best way to resolve the crisis," he added.

Suing the mainstream media in Malaysia - Rocky's Bru

Do a Samy, Anwar! Anwar Ibrahim's RM100 million defamation suit against NSTP was in the news [read here]. I should say "padan muka" or serve you right to the NSTP, as the newspaper company is pursuing a suit against blogger Jeff Ooi and I in Jan 2007, but I shan't because, as I've said before, I am dead against politicians suing newspapers (just as I don't think newspapers should be suing anyone). Two wrongs don't make a right.

I hope DSAI will drop the suit. He knows how the media operate - he was the Umno media conductor once when he was the Deputy Prime Minister! - and he knows that the NSTP will publish his response, retort, reply, whatever [Article made me look disloyal and dishonest, Anwar tells court]. Why not use that avenue, instead? Don't muzzle the press with multi-million ringgit suits, please! Give us some latitude.

In this connection, I would like to congratulate Samy Vellu for dropping a defamation suit involving a Tamil newspaper that had published 11 articles calling him, among other things, "liar, thief and criminal", h e r e.

Raja Petra membuat pendedahan baru dalam isu Altantuya….

Semalam sekali lagi pemilik blog Malaysia Today membuat pendedahan besar. Beliau mendedahkan bagaimana P.I Balasubramaniam yang pernah membuat pengakuan bersumpah mengenai keterlibatan Perdana Menteri dan isterinya dalam kes pembunuhan Altantuya Shariibuu telah diugut, dibawa ke India dan dibayar RM 50,000 sebulan bagi memastikan kes tersebut ditutup. Klik disini untuk membaca pendedahan Raja Petra yang mesra dengan panggilan RPK.

RPK turut memuatkan salinan cek bagi menguatkan lagi pendedahannya.

Pendedahan ini sudah pasti akan menghidupkan kembali kes ini.

Sejauh manakah kebenarannya?

Selama mana isu ini akan terus hidup?

Kita tunggu dan lihat.

Courtesy of Malay-sian police. 3 Indian coffins in one family house.

Why RM 1 Billion in 2010 budget when five (5) Indian youths are shot dead in cold blood by summary execution by the Malay-sian police as a short cut measure. For the third day in a row only the Tamil newspapers in particular Tamil Nesan on 11/11/2009 at page 5 covered the human rights aspect of these Indian youths aged 24, 22, 21, 19 and most cruelly a juvenile aged 17.

Can you imagine three coffins of three brothers in one family house for their mother Vasanthi to grieve. Even in a sudden death in ordinary circumstances, the mother may take a life time to eventually get over her grief. But here three of Vasanthi’s sons are mudered by the Malay-sian UMNO police force in the most tragic manner ie shot dead in cold blood for merely being a suspect.

But the scores of corrupt policemen and policemen actually involved in crime are however not shot dead. Why?

Even in the 1980s’ Botak Chin the then most notorious criminal was captured alive, put to trial and only then sent to the gallows.

Even a criminal sentenced to death has to be treated with respect according to the rule of law. But the Malay-sian UMNO government allocates RM 1, 000 Million (1 Billion) to the Malay-sian police in the 2010 National budget! What to practice short cuts, lower down efficiency rates of the Malay-sian police, take the law into their hands and to give the police force the wrong signals that they are above the law and can get away with murder? And to shoot dead and kill especially Indian youths as a means to reduce the crime rate?

Perhaps we need the Army Chief to take over as the IGP to transform the police force (Note : there is a recent precedent of the Air Force Chief being made the Army Chief).

In the 52 years since Independence the efficiency, capability and competency of the police force has only gone to the drains.

We once again call for the sacking of the Inspector General of Police Musa Hassan and his Federal CID Chief Bakri Zinin.

P. Uthayakumar.

www.humanrightspartymalaysia.com

Zaid: Avoid BN’s Quick-fix Style

By Terence Netto

PAKATAN Rakyat’s Zaid Ibrahim is keen to listen to more opinions of leaders of marginalised groups to arrive at a comprehensive take on what needs to be done, after spending a few days mulling over the effects of a ground-breaking discussion he had with the Hindu Rights Action Front (Hindraf) chairman in Singapore earlier this week.

“A policy is an opinion harnessed to a programme to achieve some purpose,” averred the man tasked by PR to coordinate the Common Policy Framework on which the opposition is to campaign in the next general elections (GE13).

“Our purpose is to win GE13 based on a promise to adhere to a policy that is framed from the inputs we have collated from the spectrum of marginalised groups in Malaysia,” said Zaid, who leaves early next week to perform the Haj in Mecca, after which he will revert to more secular concerns.

“This doesn’t mean that PR should be tagged a coalition for the marginalised only,” he added.

“We are more than that. We are a coalition for all that is good for the future of our diverse nation. We will be the sum of our disparate parts. No one part should dictate to the whole but the whole should not leave out any part,” said Zaid, waxing lyrical on his take on the overall political situation in Malaysia.

“I would suggest that above all, we do not take the BN approach which is the dole-out-the-candy mentality,” he said.

“The BN’s approach is that when there is an election, they will dole out money to a Chinese school here, a Tamil school there,” he added.

“It’s the quick-fix approach that sees problems not as symptoms of a larger malaise but as nosebleeds to be stanched by the application of band aid,” he expatiated.

Zaid said that after years of the application of BN’s quick-fix mentality, the people are acclimatized to expect ad-hoc solutions to problems whose complexity defies easy and speedy resolution.

“Additionally, BN’s policy of fragmenting the electorate into separate ethnic blocs fosters the quick-fix mentality but does nothing to resolve the larger problems in, say, education or even in poverty alleviation,” remarked Zaid.

He said the cumulative effect of BN’s quick-fix approach has resulted in a miscellany of knee-jerk reaction solutions to a host of national problems.

“Pakatan has to avoid this trap of ad hockery,” he said, which is why Zaid is concerned, after listening to a presentation by Hindraf chairman P. Waythamoorthy earlier this week, to abjure the mindset that holds that any one community’s problems are susceptible to ethnicized solutions.

“We must look for holistic solutions, not ethnic ones. Otherwise the sense of the people of a common nation will be difficult to foster, and another half-century will pass to add to the fifty two that’s already lapsed without any abiding sense of national awareness prevailing in the population,” he said.

He said the current ferment in national politics caused by the emergence of a two-coalition system would come to naught if PR does not drive the flux of events and policy in the direction of a steadily cohering polity.

“Pakatan must be the solder that will glue our widely disparate parts, however improbably, together,” he summed up.

No doubt his upcoming pilgrimage will provide him with the concentration and serenity to help in that process.

Tidak akan hadir esok, tidak tahu menahu - Dr Asri

(Harakah Daily) - Bekas Mufti Perlis menyelar tindakan pihak JAIS yang menghebahkan kepada media bahawa akan di dakwa di mahkamah syariah esok sedangkan tiada sebarang surat rasmi atau makluman dokumen kepada beliau sendiri yang tidak tahu menahu pendakwaan tersebut.

"Sehingga kini saya tidak ada sesiapa yang menghubungi, hantar surat atau sebarang dokumen untuk meminta saya hadir di mahkamah syariah.

"Saya tidak akan hadir dan tidak boleh hadir kerana ianya tidak ikut prosedur yang betul. Kenapa dia hebahkan kepada media sedangkan mereka perlu maklumkan kepada saya terlebih dahulu.

"Saya sendiri tidak tahu menahu," katanya ringkas ketika menghubungi Harakahdailyt sebentar tadi.

Beliau yang kesal dengan sikap JAIS yang bertindak 'melangkaui' bidang kuasa dengan menjadi penghebah, penangkap, penguatkuasa, pendakwa dan penghukum dalam masa yang sama.

"Sikap dan tindakan melampau inilah yang menyebabkan orang hilang keyakinan terhadap kewibawaan pihak institusi agama seperti JAIS yang sewenang-wenangnya menggunakan kuasa mereka," katanya

Semalam, menurut laporan portal berita beliau dijangka didakwa di Mahkamah Syariah Gombak Timur Jumaat ini kerana memberi ceramah tanpa tauliah, kata Jabatan Agama Islam Selangor (Jais).

Bercakap kepada pemberita di Shah Alam, Penolong Pengarah Perhubungan Awam JAIS, Mohd Hidayat Abd Rani berkata kertas siasatan kes Dr Mohd Asri "hampir siap".

Menurutnya, pihak pendakwa kini sedang menyemak kertas siasatan tersebut sebelum mendakwa Dr Mohd Asri di mahkamah.

Mohd Hidayat berkata, JAIS akan juga mengemukakan permohonan kepada Mahkamah Syariah Gombak untuk memindahkan kes tersebut ke Mahkamah Syariah Shah Alam kerana ia dianggap kes 'berprofail tinggi'.

"Ia juga memudahkan kami menguruskan kes tersebut dari Shah Alam... selain itu, permohonan seumpama itu dibenarkan mengikut undang-undang," katanya.

Langkah terbaru Jais itu dijangka mencetuskan bantahan pelbagai pihak yang sebelum ini mengecam penangkapan bekas mufti Perlis itu ketika memberi ceramah di sebuah rumah di Taman Sri Ukay, Gombak pada 1 November lalu.

Ka Chuan blames MCA top 2 for crisis

By Syed Jaymal Zahiid

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 12 — After backing a Nov 28 EGM calling for fresh party polls, former MCA secretary-general Datuk Ong Ka Chuan stepped up his offensive today and blamed the leadership crisis on both president Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat and his deputy Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek.

He said both should respect the outcome of an earlier Oct 10 extraordinary general meeting (EGM) and walk away from their posts after a majority voted against them.

"By not accepting the outcome of the EGM and then requesting the Registrar of Societies (RoS) to interfere is clearly a shortcut route taken by the top two leaders to avoid the EGM's decision," said Ka Chuan, who had lost to Dr Chua for the deputy presidency in last year's party elections.

"They have the moral obligation to adopt the resolutions that were passed at the Oct 10 EGM," he said, referring to the resolutions that rejected Tee Keat's stay in power and the reinstatement of Dr Chua as deputy president.

He accused Tee Keat of lack of transparency, claiming that the party's central committee members were kept in the dark about the unity plan he had forged with Dr Chua which led to the committee thinking that the deputy presidency post was vacant.

Under Article 174 of the MCA constitution, the central committee has the power to appoint a deputy should the post be vacant. It had appointed Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai after the Oct 10 EGM but it was later rescinded when Tee Keat tabled his "Greater Unity Plan".

"So we have a situation where we have two deputy presidents. I fear that this may lead to the situation similar to when Umno was declared illegal by the courts," said Ka Chuan.

Ka Chuan, who is Tapah MCA division chief, reiterated he is not supporting any camp but wants to see the party steer out of its current quagmire and return to its purpose — to serve the Chinese community.

"I think the decision to hold another EGM and hold fresh polls is a wise one," he said when asked by reporters if he was calling for the two top leaders to step down.

His views are similar to others who say they want unity in the party but the leadership would need a fresh mandate after the current crisis.

"I have no problem with unity and peace in the party. We all want that. But they are using the unity plan to cover up the intended consequences of the outcome of the EGM," Ka Chuan said.

Hishammuddin: Demonisation of police main cause of high crime rate

Hishammuddin’s statement drew criticisms from the opposition. — File pic

By Shazwan Mustafa Kamal

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 12 — Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein blamed the country's high crime rate on the demonisation of institutions such as the police.

He said this in Parliament yesterday evening, immediately drawing stinging criticisms from members of the Opposition.

"Institutions such as the police force are made to be seen as irresponsible, as bad when they are also at the same time just trying to do their jobs. Besides PDRM, the delay in the various trials and judging process is also one of the factors for the escalation of the nation's crime rate," said Hishammuddin.

He said one of the ways to deal with the matter is to speed up the legal process.

He also identified four major states in the country as havens for criminal activities — Penang, Selangor, the Federal Territory and Johor. However, he said that the crime wave in Selangor and the Federal Territory has gone down drastically due to measures taken by the ministry as well as the police.

Among these measures are the increase in police presence and surveillance in 50 identified hot spots (crime-riddled areas). This has apparently been effective in minimising the number of criminal cases.

Petaling Jaya Utara MP Tony Pua hit out at this plan, saying that while crime in the hot spots had indeed decreased, the crime wave in the other "peaceful" areas in the country had in effect increased as police officers from these stations were relocated to help assist those in the hot spot areas.

The government also plans to install CCTV cameras in several areas..

"Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) plans to install an additional 100 CCTV cameras to the existing 82 units in Kuala Lumpur by the year 2010. A total of 496 units will be installed by the Local Government Ministry (JKT) in all the states in Peninsular Malaysia," stated the Home Minister.

The police will also be given RM90 million to upgrade facilities and police stations throughout the country.

DAP secretary-general Lim Kit Siang lashed out at Hishammuddin for failing to provide a complete sense of security to the public.

"In the Home Ministry website there is an online poll which states 90 per cent of visitors to the site do not feel safe at all with regards to the crime rate in Malaysia.

"No one wants to politicise people's safety. We need to admit that this country's crime problem is serious," said Lim.