Stateless in Malaysia - the poor suffer most

(Malaysiakini) Fifteen year old Citra Dorai was born in a prison in Alor Setar and her knowledge about the circumstances surrounding her birth is rather vague.

She has been illiterate all her life as she does not have a birth certificate or an identity card which makes it impossible for her to register for any school.

Her mother died recently and her father has left her and two other siblings in the care of an aunt, and Citra (left) is totally uncertain of her future.

"I want to be like everyone else, to go to school, and to have something to do in the future," she said, teary-eyed.

Citra, is among 40-odd stateless persons who turned up at the Human Rights Party's office in Perai today, to fill in their national registration forms.

More than 20 children, with ages ranging from two to 15 years, were accompanied by their equally stateless parents, to try and reverse their situation by registering their plight.

The effort is part of the HRP's national campaign to assist stateless persons, as most of them come from the Indian community.

Citra is also part of the 150,000 Malaysians who were born and bred in the country but who continues to suffer as stateless persons for various reasons ranging from not having parents' with citizenship to refusal to follow suit when a spouse or parent converts to Islam.

Disappointing meet

On Aug 13, HRP leaders met with NRD officers in Putrajaya, but came home feeling disappointed that the officers gave the impression that the problem was not as serious as they had made it out to be, said the party's national advisor N. Ganesan.

"But we have proven our point, in just a month, without even a campaign, only word by mouth, we have managed to gather some 40 stateless people in this office," he said.

"We want the NRD to take ownership of this problem and try to resolve this issue; it cannot deny that this is a big problem," Ganesan (right) added.

Ganesan, a lawyer by profession, reiterated that what has been constitutionally guaranteed has been systematically and procedurally denied to the poor and vulnerable.

"This has contributed further to their marginalisation and continuing dispossession from mainstream Malaysia," he added.

Meanwhile, the NRD has responded to the allegations by stating that the mobile registration program known as MyDaftar has been travelling to several Tamil schools and Indian estates to register undocumented children this year.

Its public relations officer Janisiah Mohd Noor stated in an email reply, that for cases of mixed marriage sans conversion, the matter should be referred to the appropriate religious department for more clarification.

She also stressed that the parents must be in legal wedlock to be registered as the child's parent.

Janisiah claimed that the main reason for this statelessness plaguing the poor Malaysian Indians is due to their ignorance of law, unregistered marriages, and domestic problems.

Ganesan said the forms provided by the NRD was complicated that even an educated, un-marginalised middle class person would find a daunting task to fill in all their particulars.

"Please be reminded that these people with the stateless problems are from the working class; everyday they go to the NRD and are rejected due to incomplete forms, they lose a day's wage," he said.

"They have to return again and again before they get their forms rights and for many of these working class people, they simply cannot afford the time, so they let things continue to hang," he added.

UMNO Education Minister Muhyiddin Yasin’s racial discrimination of burnt down Kulai Besar Tamil school and all 523 Tamil schools in Malaysia.

This afternoon at about 2.00pm a group of 100 students and parents of the Kulai Besar Tamil school ,Johor and HRP supporters by prior written appointment with the Education Minister Muhyiddin Yassin came to see him at Parliament house to present a memorandom on the burnt down and dilapidated state of the Kulai Besar Tamil school and almost all of the 523 Tamil schools in One Malay-sia.

This apprixiamtly 100 year old Tamil school which unlike almost all

the Malay and Chinese schools was never rebuilt in the 53 years of Malaysia’s Independence. This school was partly burnt down and is still endangering the lives of the 1299 pupils studying therein.

But the racist and religious supremacist UMNO Education Minister does not care as it only concerns the poor and politically powerless Indians . And neither has the 82 MP’s and top leaders form PKR,DAP and PAS including their 11 Indian mandore MPs lend voice to the Indian poor.

As usual UMNO sent in their Indian mandore policeman to create an Indian versus Indian fight situation as per UMNO’s 53 year old strategy. But HRP did bite the bait and completely ignored these Indian police mandores.

At the press conference HRP Information Chief S.Jayathas expressed disappointment that the Education Minister or his representative had refused to be present and does not care about the plight of the 523 tamil school in Malaysia.This is also in contravention of Article 12 of the Federal Constitution (no discrimination in education) and the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child which is entitled to compulsory free education.Jayathas asked why does this only happen to tamil Schools in Malaysia? Jayathas also announced HRP and HINDRAF’S call for all 523 Tamil Schools in Malaysia to be made fully financially aided government schools with equal status, facilities and teaching staff like any other malay muslim school after having granted all these Tamil schools land and they be gazette accordingly.

HRP Central Committee Member Mahesan of Johor Bahru whose daughter also studies at this school said that pupils are forced to study in “khemah Kenduri”and Shipping Cabins.causing school children to get wet in the rain and falling sick and being on medical leave and studying under punishing conditions. He also asked why temporary classrooms have not been built despite it being over three months now.

As this UMNO Education Minister or his representative refused to be present despite HRP’s written letter . S.Jayathas , Johor based HRP Central Committee member Mahesan and a group of the Kulai Besar Tamil school pupils laid their memorandum down at the enterance to Parliament, sang the Hindraf trademark song Tholvi Nelai Yena Ninaithaal and shouts of Hindraf Valga,manitha urimai valga and then dispersed peacefully .

UMNO thinks it can ignore HRP but we warn UMNO that it was these kinds of even smaller protests that eventually led to the 100,000 Hindraf Rally on 25th November 2007.Slowly but surely Hindraf & HRP is picking up steam to wipe out UMNO in the 2012/2013 general election.

The official memorandum will be sent to Putrajaya for the Wednesday cabinet meeting on 8/9/10.

The protestors then dropped by to the HRP HQ in Bangsar for a one hour briefing by P.Uthayakumar on the next course of action.

A consensus was derieved to get all 523 Tamil schools especially those with similar problems to gather peacefully outside the UMNO Prime Minister Najib Razak ‘s office in Putrajaya on the 25th of November 2010 if this Kulai Besar Tamil school problem and that of all the other 523 are not attended to and all the 523 Tamil schools are not being made fully aided.

S.Thiagarajan.

Sabah, Sarawak to change history soon, Anwar predicts

Anwar is increasingly confident of how the Borneo electorate feel about government change.

KELANA JAYA, Sept 5 — Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim claimed tonight that Pakatan Rakyat (PR) had successfully worked its magic in the Barisan Nasional (BN) fortresses of Sabah and Sarawak, and predicts that the two East Malaysian states would lead the charge in changing the country's history.

Speaking to a small but highly-charged crowd at the Pesta Borneo programme in the PKNS Sports Complex, the PR de facto leader explained that he was reassured of this when he visited Limbang and Lawas in Sarawak last week.

“Now, I am absolutely confident that the history of Malaysia will change because of the people of Sabah and Sarawak.

“We have had our independence for more than 50 years and now, we will change... change for justice, for human rights, for respect. You will determine the history of Malaysia,” he said.

His words were met with thunderous applause from the crowd of East Malaysian youths, one of whom even stood up on his chair to lead the crowd to louder cheers.

“Malaysia is a land of justice. Men and women here were born free. So we must be able to accept and respect each of our differences and honour the constitutional guarantee of freedom and justice for all Malaysians,” he said.

Anwar noted that during his trip last week, his observation of the people in Sarawak showed him that East Malaysians badly yearned for change.

“There is a very encouraging trend now in Sabah and Sarawak. There is a greater awareness there... contrary to the media interpretation.

“There are people there who actually want change and justice and they want to defend their rights to their land. If this is the trend, then Sabah and Sarawak will determine the future of the nation,” he said.

Anwar urged the youths to ensure that they counted themselves in the equation, pointing out that they would be the ones responsible for the nation's future.

“So please... be counted. We have a responsibility. We fight not because we harbour grudges, not because we want to steal the land of others but because we want the rights to our own.

“We do not steal the rights of others but we fight for our own. This is a very important beginning and we will persevere until we see a united, just Malaysia,” he said.

Anwar's romantic words worked wonders in the crowd and although small in numbers, their cheers filled the hall like they were thousands.

Outside the function later, Anwar said he was confident the PR had done its job well and right in Sabah and Sarawak.

“I am very confident that we will do very well (in the Sarawak elections). We are working the ground and I see all.. the Dayaks, the Malays, Chinese, everyone working hard together,” he said.

He noted that PR's preparations for the impending Sarawak polls were on track and announced that a major function would be held this September 15 in Sabah. - The Malaysian Insider

Karpal: Enact Race Relations Act

By Athi Shankar - Free Malaysia Today

GEORGE TOWN: The DAP has demanded the federal government to take immediate steps to legislate the long pending Race Relations Act to curb growing racism in the country. Citing the recent racial slurs uttered by high-ranking public officers as syndromes of disharmony, DAP national chairman Karpal Singh warned that the situation could become chaotic and lead to violence if the government does not initiate steps to curb it.

He recalled that Rural and Regional Development Minister Shafie Apdal, when in charge of Unity, Culture, Arts and Heritage portfolio, had announced a few years ago that the government would legislate the Race Relations Act.

He chided the government for failing to pursue the matter further.

The veteran politician now wants the government to issue directives to the Attorney-General Chambers to immediately draft the bill pertaining to the Act.

He said the bill should be tabled at Parliament, preferably in the next session, to enable the government to obtain public feedback, including the opinions of both Barisan Nasional and Pakatan Rakyat MPs, to refine and strengthen the proposed Act.

He added that the proposed Act should be a comprehensive, punitive and deterrent legal mechanism against all types of offences related to racism and utterance of racist remarks, which, sadly, have become the order of the day.

“When government officers utter racial slurs on a routine basis, it is a serious matter. The need for a Race Relations Act has become urgent,” the two-term Bukit Gelugor MP told reporters in his office today.

He was commenting on recent racial slurs uttered by two headmistresses in Kulai, Johor, and Bukit Selambau, Kedah, respectively against non-Malay pupils.

Pre-planned plot

Press reports today exposed another incident in Kuala Lumpur where an ethnic Malay police inspector told off a local elderly ethnic Chinese snatch theft victim to “go back to China” because she could not speak in Bahasa Malaysia.
Given the similarities in the racial remarks, Karpal hoped that it was not a pre-planned plot by the National Civic Bureau (Biro Tata Negara).

Calling on the A-G's Chambers to prosecute “racist” officers, he expressed reservation that mere suspension and transfer would not be effective to deter future racist statements.

Karpal said Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak should put into practice his “zero tolerance to racism” agenda by legislating the proposed Act soon.

He said Najib should also be partly blamed for the growing trend of racial slurs by government officers because “he let his former aide Nasir Safar go scott-free after making racist attacks on ethnic Malaysian Indians and Chinese early this year”.

Nasir had allegedly said that ethnic Indians were beggars while ethnic Chinese were whores.

Karpal said the proposed Race Relations Act should never protect anyone from prosecution, “no matter how high the person's position is”.

On controversial rapper Wee Meng Chee, or popularly known as Namewee, Karpal said the rapper should be spared prosecution under the Sedition Act 1948 or any other draconian law.

Namewee is under investigation for producing an allegedly seditious video recently.

The rapper first ran into trouble with the authorities with his controversial “Negaraku” video clip in 2007.

“Namewee was only reacting to current trend of racial slurs being uttered by government officers.

"If Namewee were to be charged under the Sedition Act, the government officers too should be charged under the same Act,” Karpal said.

Gerakan rocked by growing disillusion

By Hawkeye

GEORGE TOWN: The political temperature in the Pearl of the Orient is expected to heat up in the coming weeks as Penang Gerakan is now believed to be facing a state leadership crisis. With PKR and DAP holding their respective party elections in the coming months while Umno prepares for its annual general assembly next month, Gerakan has suddenly now also generated public interest following a stunning announcement by its state chairman Dr Teng Hock Nan.
On Saturday, Teng unexpectedly revealed that there is a group out to oust him.

Gerakan was once considered the political mainstay in Penang, having ruled the state since 1969.

The party, formed by the late Dr Syed Hussin Alatas, is mostly a Penang and Perak-based party judging from the election of its leaders from both states.

The current president is Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Dr Koh Tsu Koon, a former long-serving Penang chief minister while the secretary-general is Teng Chang Yeow, the younger brother of Teng Chang Khim, who is the Selangor DAP state legislative assembly speaker.

Chang Yeow is said to be a dark horse in the present dispute over who should best lead Penang Gerakan now.
Since its thumping loss in the 2008 general election, Penang Gerakan is "wandering in the dark" as it comes to terms with its role as an opposition without any electoral seats here.

Teng, a veteran and considered chief minister material, caught many by surprise when he revealed the existence of the group, said to originate from the Bayan Baru division, which enjoys support in most other divisions.

"I am ready to call for an extraordinary general meeting if there is proof that party members in Penang want me out," said the doctor, who is also a Gerakan vice-president.

"I may have antagonised many members after being in politics for many years," a sombre Teng told a press conference.

Shadowy group

It is learnt that some Gerakan leaders are speculating that Umno may be behind this shadowy group as it is urging its Barisan Nasional coalition partner to make changes to its perceived weak leadership ahead of the next general election.

Penang is considered one of the country's most developed states, similar to Selangor.

Gerakan is now at a crossroads, said its former vice-president Huan Cheng Guan, who quit the party last year and join a new entity called Parti Cinta Malaysia (PCM).

Huan said Gerakan may have all but abandoned its plan to recapture Penang as the Chinese sentiment is still with the DAP.

The party is now focused on other states such as Sabah, hence the move to oust Teng, Huan said.

It is also learnt that PCM is quietly trying to recruit disgruntled and disillusioned Gerakan members, whose rank is said to be growing by the day as Gerakan grapples with the new political reality in the country.

Chaos at Bukit Gelugor PKR nominations

By Athi Shankar - Free Malaysia Today

GEORGE TOWN: Chaotic scenes marred Bukit Gelugor PKR division nomination day yesterday when a group of members arrived late to submit their candidature forms. The nomination process was held between 10am and 4pm at Taman Tun Sardon market complex in Gelugor.

The nomination hall door was already closed when the group, allegedly led by the division treasurer Francis Xavier, arrived at the venue to submit nomination papers after 4pm.

Upon seeing the hall door closed, they allegedly kicked, banged and attempted to forcibly opened it, while calling on the returning officer to open the door.

However, the returning officer was unperturbed and stuck to the rules, keeping the door closed.

When the hall door was re-opened about 30 minutes later, the errant members, believed to be associated with the division chairman S Raveentharan, confronted the returning officer to accept their forms.

But the returning officer refused to do so, pointing out that the nomination lengthy six-hour period was over.

However, when Raveentharan, also the Batu Uban assemblyman, called on the PKR national headquarters for clarification, an unidentified official directed the returning officer to receive the forms and submit them to Kuala Lumpur office.

It is learnt that the official told the returning officer that the PKR national election bureau would make the final decision on the controversial issue.

A close fight

Earlier Raveentharan had submitted his nomination papers, together with seven other candidates' forms, at 3.50pm.

Raveentharan, also the party national deputy secretary-general, would defend his post at the division polls scheduled on Sunday Oct 3.

He will face off former Barisan Nasional assemblyman Lim Boo Chang, who joined PKR after the March 2008 general election.

A lawyer by profession, Lim, formerly a Gerakan, then a MCA elected representative, submitted his papers early.

Predicted to be a close fight, the Raveentharan versus Lim contest would be among major battles for divisional supremacy in Penang.

Chaos and fracas were not something new in the division..

During its annual general meeting (AGM) on Sunday Machr 28, tempers flared and a chair was flung forcing the meeting to be postponed.

The AGM will now be held together with the division elections at Taman Tun Sardon market complex.

State PKR secretary Abdul Halim Hussain admitted that he had heard about the incident and said the state leadership would investigate the controversial incident in Bukit Gelugor.

He said he would talk to the returning officer about the incident.He reminded party members to strictly observed the party's election rules and regulations.

“As far as the state is concerned, no nomination papers should be submitted nor accepted after 4pm.

“The shameful incident undermined our efforts to ensure a smooth, proper, free and fair electoral process,” Abdul Halim told FMT, not ruling out of a possible disciplinary on the alleged troublemakers.

Elsewhere smooth

Abdul Halim, who is the state assembly speaker, meanwhile will face businessman Mohd Shukri Ishak for the Balik Pulau division chairman post.

Both submitted their nomination papers in time at the division office in Kongsi, Balik Pulau town yesterday.

The position has been vacant since former chairman Mansor Othman transferred his membership to Permatang Pauh division, headed by party president Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail.

Deputy Chief Minister 1 Mansor shifted to be closer with his constituents in his Penanti assembly seat.

Both Abdul Halim and Mohd Shukri are currently Balik Pulau division vice-chairmen.

Abdul Halim said he was offering himself for the position to provide a strong leadership and strengthen PKR's position in Balik Pulau parliamentary, which has traditionally been an Umno stronghold.

In Bayan Baru division, which is sandwiched between Bukit Gelugor and Balik Pulau divisions, Pantai Jerejak assemblyman Sim Tze Tzin will square off with former MIC Bayan Baru division leader M Nyanasegaran for the chairman post.

Like Lim, Nyanasegaran joined PKR after the last general election.

Unlike Bukit Gelugor, the nomination proceeding in Balik Pulau and Bayan Baru took place smoothly. Balik Pulau and Bayan Baru polls are scheduled on Sat Sept 25.

Given to their official state positions, Abdul Halim, Raveentharan and Sim all start as favourites in what are expected to be closely fought contests.

Tackling racism in Malaysia

By Sakmongkol AK47,

For the past few days I have written several articles about racism in Malaysia. my objective is to see the extent of racism in our country. My report is, racism is extensive and it exists openly and subtly. We see things in our respective race-blinkered lenses. Every Malaysian has his quotient of ethnicity. We have to learn to live with this fact. We can't purge our Malay-ness, our Chinese-ness or our Indian-ness that are in us.

But as long as our racism is not allowed to forcefully prevail onto another race's domain, it is all right. Or as long as it's not reflected in our daily interactions with people of other race, that is ok.

Which leads me to this conclusion. If we were to rely on human voluntariness to expel racism, we are bound to fail. I now believe that we require explicit laws which outlaw racism. We have to simply outlaw policies, rules, regulations that promote racism and discrimination. We have to outlaw all political parties that adopt race, religion or culture as their political foundations from competing in general elections. Only political parties that reflect the proportional racial mix of this country are allowed to participate in general elections.

Hence Barisan Nasional cannot contest in elections unless its candidates are 60% Malays, 30% Chinese and 10% Indians and others. Barisan Rakyat cannot contest in general elections unless its candidates are similarly arranged. This way ensures inclusiveness of all Malaysian races. Maybe, this can start Malaysia on the road to a two-party system.

Racism becomes a problem when its translated out into the open as a social policy. Rules, regulations and policies that seek to discriminate others on the basis of their racial background skin colour, religion, culture and language are racism. When you see a sign board that says dogs and Chinese are not allowed here- that is racism because it discriminates the Chinese on account of his ethnicity. If Christopher Wan didn't make it to IGP because he is Chinese that is discrimination.

If I were to view Chinese as devilishly cunning, skilled, powerful and therefore evil, I am being a racist. If I were to see Malays and others as subhuman, beastly, and inclined to immoral acts, I am also being racist in my attitude. My focus is either someone is evil or inferior because of his racial background. Hence the Chinese is evil because he is greedy, wants everything, our wealth, our women, our children. The Malays are evil because they are lazy, violent and are interested in stealing our women. We adopt these views to justify our treatment of these people.

We justify excluding Chinese from political power because they are inherently evil, cunning, manipulative, greedy etc. we justify excluding Malays because they are lazy, incompetent, less humanlike, etc.

Racism is simply unqualified hatred of one race on another based on skin colour, language, religion, physical appearance and so forth. Racism takes place when one race views another as genetically inferior and having less human attributes. Hence when someone says, Malays are inherently lazy because of genetic reasons and because of that not qualified to participate in commerce, be senior executives and so forth, that is racism. When someone says, the other is a lazy bump and hasn't got good work ethics because he is Malay that is racism. When someone says, TNB is tiu na bu because the workers there are mostly Malays, that is racism.

The basis for such hatred and anger or the only reason explaining the loathing is another person's racial background, skin colour, culture and religion.

There is open and subtle racism. Among Malays, their racism is easily discernible as it is commonly held, that the institutions before us are all embodiment of Malay racism. By institutions, I mean and define them to be public institutions. A restrictive definition makes the concept, operational. This allows us to exclude having to discuss a wider field. As Malays dominate in public institutions, whatever actions these institutions take, are taken as representing the latent racism of Malays that operate at personal levels.

When siti Inshah Mansor abused non Malays because of their ethnic background, that is racism. But what if Siti Inshah Mansor was verbally abusive because the students were vandals or were gangster-like, can she be classified as racist? Her choice of words were unfortunate but were her actions prompted by the students' different racial background?

The other races are racist too. In non public institutions, discrimination against the Malays is widely practised. This is subtle racism. The capable Malay is often bypassed in terms of promotion in Chinese owned companies. Malays are suited to PR work only, arranging end of year dinner parties, soliciting GROs for the boss, ordering RM 3000 a bowl shark's fin soup for the taikor, organizing sporting activities etc. The technical stuff?- that's off limits.

Accessibility to supply sources is often restrictive to Malay businessmen. The retailing and wholesale businesses are practically off limits to Malays. Having dominance in these areas, surrendering accessibility is almost unheard of.

In other words, business policies define Malays as inferior people and therefore discriminated against.
The irony is racism in non public institutions is often disguised behind the concept of meritocracy, suitability, capabilities, efficiency and so forth. Hence its often bandied around, that because of commercial dictates we want Mandarin or Cantonese speaking candidates. Oh, the Malays are disqualified because they don't have good work ethics. Come on- very often the work requirement in the relevant fields does not require a qualification in rocket science.

TNB is lambasted and verbally abused and assaulted not because its manned by Malays but because it is inefficient. See how clever the racism is disguised under the concept of efficiency.
Because the test is to look at the non Malays who are chosen to perform the tasks which are said to require meritocratic qualifications. A Chinese is equally inept at speaking and writing in English, he is equally lazy, equally mediocre in certain areas but because, the shots are made by non Malay bosses, the Chinese will get the job.

While the racism of the Malay appeared to be an accepted fact, mere mention of the possibility that a Chinese can be a racist too, unearth vehement protests. To me, the Chinese is equally capable of self denial as do the Malays. So don't come down on us with all those patronizing clichés of what gives…your caliber is skin deep and so forth. Spare us the nausea please. Perhaps its your own racism that prevents you from acknowledging your own prejudices.

Hence we come to the sobering realization that racism is alive and pervasive in our society.
Have anyone given a thought as to why the majority of maid abuse cases involved Chinese families against Indonesian maids? Could it be that the Indonesian maids are looked upon as the Malay species and therefore subhuman and inferior? They are fit to eat with dogs, eat leftovers etc. And that all the cruelty and abuses imposed on them are but vengeance by the Chinese on Malays to compensate for their own perceived racist victimization?

When Namewe asks didn't you read, who made Malaysia rich can be translated into we Malays owe the Chinese a living. That is precisely the basis of the behavior which Namewee exhibited when he hurled all the abusive and expletives on the TNB workers in Muar. Banana sucking Malays are just peons, security guards whose primary function is to slave it out so that people like Namewee will not experience blackouts. Malays are fit to be jagas, security guards policemen and soldiers ensuring this country is safe so that people like Namewee can make this country rich. What gave people like Namewee the right to speak in such arrogant manner to salary earning workers?

Because you banana sucking Malays owe us a living, we have the right to speak to you, to speak down on you in whatever way we desire. We can tiu kau or tiu nia bu you and there is nothing you can do about it. Would Namewee behaved the same way, if the TNB officers were Chinese?
How does one manage all the negative ethnicity and prevent them from being the catalyst of open racial war?

We have tried to do it through economics. It has failed. Or rather the policy or the economic model with which we thought could save the situation has failed. When the NEP was created, its overriding aim was national unity. It was to be achieved through (a) eradication of poverty(b) wealth distribution or rather wealth creating resources distribution.

It didn't work because the implementation of the policy was flawed. I am not going to advance another economic model in its place as I don't have one shelf-ready. Maybe the New Eccomic Model which the PM swears by, can work. We don't know because we haven't seen the model yet other than some noises coming from labs sanctioned by a special driving school.

But if that policy or elements of that policy can cause so much divisiveness and animosity , they must be abandoned and replaced. It is illogical to keep pushing for the adoption of such policies or elements of such policies.

Equally too, if the present un-interfered economic system or elements of the system cause so much enmity and bitterness, they too must be modified.

Surat Ketua Penerangan Keadilan Membantah Rencana Joe Fernandez

Dear Editors,
I am writing to complain about Joe Fernandez’s report “S’wak PKR tells Anwar to settle Sabah crisis swiftly” on 3 September where he has unfairly and without justification exaggerated the impact of the case of the 12 Sabahans’ suspension for registering Parti Cinta Sabah on Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) in Sarawak..
In the report, he has misquoted Baru Bian, PKR Sarawak Chief several times (misquoted sections are underlined below).

“We told Anwar frankly that the issue of the 12 Sabah PKR leaders facing disciplinary action is affecting morale and preparation in Sarawak,” said state PKR chief Baru Bian (right). “He must be bold and decisive. This issue had been settled. Suddenly, it flared up again and caught us all by surprise.”

“These are small places and yet the turnout was something that Anwar himself did not expect,” he said.

“When asked about the chances (for the opposition coalition) in Sarawak, (Anwar) told them that he was an incurable optimist,” he said.

“PKR national vice-president Jeffrey Kitingan (left) from Sabah has been instrumental in building up the party in Sarawak,” he said.

He completely agreed with Chua Jui Meng, who accompanied Anwar (right), that “there should be no witch-hunt as agreed under the Dec 13 formula”.

“According to Anwar, some new evidence had surfaced that necessitated the taking of the pending disciplinary action against the Sabah 12,” said Bian. “He doesn’t see the new evidence as covered by the peace plan.”

“Anwar stressed on the new evidence and thinks that the disciplinary process should have been allowed to run its course,” said Bian, who is a practising lawyer.
“Instead, there was a pre-emptive rush to judgment on the appeal process. Some media reported that only three leaders would be suspended and the others let off with warning letters.”

“The final verdict, whatever its form, cannot logically be announced before the appeal process had been completed,” he said.

Anwar was also anxious to assure the gathering in Kuching that he “was not anti-Christian as painted by some of the media in the wake of the disciplinary action against the promoters of PCS”.

“We must give Anwar the benefit of the doubt in the conduct of the disciplinary and appeal process,” said Bian.

“It shouldn’t be long before we can bring this unfortunate episode to a close.”

Being a party man, he said, he “draws a firm line against washing dirty linen in public”.
We find the reporting totally unacceptable and done in mala fide as there seemed to be an agenda to paint PKR and especially Anwar in a bad light and as an anti-Christian.
We reiterate that the 12 Sabahans were suspended because they registered a new party – an act which is a serious breach of party rules and has nothing to do with the fact that some of them are Christians or Kadazan Dusuns. Baru Bian was of course dismayed over the report and has written to Steven Gan on this issue. We also reproduce Baru Bian’s sms to Joe Fernandez over the recent article:

Friend,
You have not kept your words. You not only put words into my mouth but “quoted” me all the way in your article which were not quite accurate. I am afraid, I cannot trust you any more.Very disappointed!
BBian
Nor is this the first time that Joe Fernandez has written in such a manner on PKR and Anwar. In fact, this seemed to be a constant recurrence as can be seen in the following articles (there are more) which also contain similar flaws, misquotations and negative slants.
“3 Sabah PKR leaders suspended, 9 warned”, August 30, 2010
This was not even a decision taken at the PKR Central Committee Meeting. Instead, the decision was to accept the recommendation of the disciplinary committee to suspend the 12 – to take effect from 4 January 2010 till 3 January 2011. The Party has also indicated that they can appeal on the decision and the appeal will heard as soon as possible so that those who have been nominated may be able to participate in the party elections. This is contrary to what has been reported.
“Sabah a daunting challenge for Anwar”, August 29, 2010
The whole story claiming that Anwar was snubbed due to the Party action against the 12 Sabahans was completely untrue and based on unkind interpretations of what actually happened e.g. he was said to not received any visitors from the time he checked into the hotel till the time he went to the state council meeting when in fact he only had an hour to rest before going to the said meeting; that there was a low turnout of 300 people when in fact the hall in the hotel was packed; and the assumption that the ceramah in Sepanggar was cancelled as a reaction to the suspension when in fact, it was cancelled due to the inability to obtain a police permit. Further the whole article was littered with very negative phrases which was not justifiable on the facts,  such as “put up with the indignity”, “sheepishly”, “mock politeness”, “console Anwar”, “snub on Anwar” etc.
“Jeffrey tells Anwar to stay away from Sabah”, August 27, 2010
The sms from Jeffery to Anwar was taken out of context and misrepresented as a whole to give the impression that Jeffrey told Anwar to stay away from Sabah and that he would not be welcomed at the moment. This is misleading as the sms from Jeffrey merely advised Anwar to reconsider the visit and it was not a warning or a strong message as portrayed. Furthermore, the visit was scheduled by the entire Sabah PKR leadership and Jeffrey’s sms was not a collective decision.
Whilst we respect and appreciate the work of Malaysiakini that has contributed to independent journalism, freedom of the press and information, we unfortunately have to reject the type of journalism that is practiced by Joe Fernandez. We have thus instructed our PKR leaders not to deal with him anymore and we would appreciate if you could assign other journalists to cover PKR issues.
Once again, we are disappointed that Malaysiakini seems to have fallen below the standards required when it comes to reporting on PKR. We sincerely hope that Malaysiakini does not fall into the ongoing trend that have affected several online media and blogs that thrive on exaggeration or creating PKR scandals when there is none, and quoting unnamed or insider sources when party leaders are available for comments or to provide  alternative explanations.
Thank you.
Yours faithfully,
Latheefa Koya
PKR Information Chief

Call for return of civility, reason and rationality in public discourse and an end to any form of racial or religious slurs in public domain particularly on the social media and Internet

By Lim Kit Siang,

The rise and frequency of instances of racial and religious slurs in the public domain particularly on the social media and the Internet must be a matter of grave concern to all Malaysians.

All right-thinking Malaysians regardless of political affiliation should join hands to call and work for a return of civility, reason and rationality in public discourse and an end to any form of racial or religious slurs particularly on the social media and Internet.

The quality of Malaysian public discourse must not be degraded and sullied by lies and falsehoods, racial bigotry and religious intolerance which can only undermine and subvert the very fabric of Malaysian society.

The Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak has called for speedier action by the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) against those who post racial or religious slurs and misuse the social networking websites.

MCMC can be assured of public support for any strict action against abuses of the Internet as putting up content with racial and religious slurs which could spark off tension in our country.

The MCMC must, however, jealously protect its credibility and legitimacy by never losing public confidence in its independence, integrity and professionalism as a key institution to protect the national interests and not to be the tool of any sectional or partisan political interests or even the government-of-the-day.

Beng Hock is not forgotten

By Anil Netto,

Some 300 people packed a hall in Penang this afternoon for a Malaysians for Beng Hock forum organised by civil society groups.


Pictured above is Nora Murat, executive director of Amnesty International Malaysia. She challenged the government to declare Malaysia a torture-free nation – Photo by Anil
Aliran president P Ramakrishnan called for the Beng Hock inquest to be disbanded with a royal commission of inquiry set up in its place.
“If you want real change, then change the government,” he asserted, at which the crowd erupted in thunderous applause.
The other speakers were Beng Hock’s sister, Teoh Lee Lan (via recorded video) and Toh Kin Woon.  The forum, moderated by Ng Eng Kiat of Suaram, was held at a hall in the Han Chiang School.

Pornthip-Razak verbal joust video a hit online

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 5 — Similar to the 2007 Datuk V.K.Lingam “correct, correct, correct” video, a new recording has been making cyberspace waves since its debut — showcasing MACC prosecution chief Datuk Abdul Razak Musa and Thai pathologist Dr Pornthip Rojanasunand.

During the forensic expert’s second testimony for the Teoh Beng Hock inquest on August 18, Pornthip made the headlines for famously asserting “I work for the rights of the dead” and followed-up by asking Abdul Razak on whether he was indeed a lawyer.

With that story appearing relentlessly on newspapers, online sites and television, the public waited with bated breath for its online release.

The three-hour long 805MB video clip was however only uploaded on the Attorney-General Chambers website more than a week after the lively proceedings, after much public pressure.

Now, the video clips can be found across cyberspace, with thousands clamouring for it.

Already this latest blockbuster has received thousands of hits online and may likely go down Malaysia’s history as one of the most laughable displays of the Malaysian civil service at its worst.

On broadcast site Youtube.com, the clip was divided into eight parts, labelled under the title “Malaysia’s funniest and tragic court video”.

The first clip, which is 10 minutes long, has attracted 138,782 views and almost 500 comments as of this afternoon. The remaining seven clips attracted between 30,000 and 60,000 views each.

On her own the experienced Dr Pornthip is quite a character to have, made rich by her trademark rockstar look and impressive resume.

But paired alongside Abdul Razak, in his penguin suit and feeble attempts to speak English, it is no wonder the video has caused such a stir.

Comments on the site centre zero-in on Abdul Razak’s poor English and his “illogical line of questioning”. One person even suggested that the video be used in law schools to show “how to fail your law exam”.

Indeed, what was meant to be a cross-examination session turned instead into courtroom comedy with Dr Pornthip successfully outwitting her co-star Abdul Razak with her calm confidence and unfettered testimony.

Despite Abdul Razak’s relentless attacks on her professional qualifications, Dr Pornthip held her own and even succeeded, several times, to trigger applause from the packed court gallery with her quips.

At one point, Dr Pornthip scolds Abdul Razak for his attempt to discredit her graduating university, Mahidol University, by pointing out that Malaysia’s medical laws did not recognise it.

“I think the quality of the work does not depend on the certificate (from the university). You cannot look down on Asian experts,” she said.

She then pointed out that Mahidol University was one of Asia’s top five universities.

Abdul Razak scrambled with a comeback of his own when the gallery erupted in mocking laughter and said: “Either top one or top two, its nevermind but we have the law. We have the law – the medical act. So that’s why you are not allowed to conduct the second post-portem. Because you are not qualified.”

His reply only triggered sniggers from the audience.

Perhaps one of the most memorable comebacks made by the expert was when she reminded the court of her role in the case, which was not to side with any particular party but to carry out her duties as a forensic expert.

“You have to understand. I work for the rights of the dead, not for the Selangor, or for the Malaysian or for the Thailand governments. So in this case, I try to find whether I can help from the evidence... without the benefit from anyone,” she said.

Her statement was followed by a round of rousing applause from the gallery and already, the line has been repeatedly used as a quotable quote by many bloggers and politicians.

Perhaps buoyed by the apparent support she had from the watching crowd, Dr Pornthip later even dared to question Abdul Razak’s own credibility as a lawyer.

When discussing the fracture found on Teoh’s head, Abdul Razak pointed out that he had spent three days to read through Dr Pornthip’s autopsy report.

Giggles were heard in the audience and defence lawyer Gobind Singh Deo was heard muttering that his opponent needed a few months to study the report.

When Abdul Razak asked Dr Pornthip what type of weapon could have caused the injury, she flippantly said, “I have question, whether you are a lawyer or not?”.

The laughter that erupted was deafening.

“Maybe I’m younger than you but I already serve 24 years as a lawyer,” said Abdul Razak, in reply.

Yet another scene in the video that has become much talked about is when Abdul Razak suggested that the political aide Teoh had strangled himself then jumped out the window.

Abdul Razak, in pointing out that no other doctor had found evidence of strangulation, asked if Teoh had strangled himself.

Gobind leapt to respond to this and asked Abdul Razak how a person could do such a thing.

“You can,” Abdul Razak claimed.

“Can you show us how you...,” Gobind replied.

“Like this...,” said Abdul Razak and while using both hands, one in front and the other at the back, grabbed his own neck and demonstrated to the courtroom just how a person could strangle himself.

DAP Socialist Youth chief Anthony Loke described Abdul Razak’s suggestion as the “joke of the century”.

“It is really a big joke. I laughed and laughed when I heard it and now, everyone is laughing,” he said, noting that Abdul Razak would find it hard to live down this sore point in his career.

Now, added the Rasa MP, the story has become a hot topic for Pakatan Rakyat leaders in their ceramah speeches.

“The audience loves the story. They laugh and laugh whenever we tell the story that Teoh could have strangled himself then jumped off the window sill,” he said.

He added that another stupid assertion Abdul Razak had made was when he asked Dr Pornthip whether she’s ever jumped out of a window.

“It is stupid. Are you saying that when you get a pathologist to testify in a rape trial, you are going to ask her if she has been raped before? Because if she has not been raped before then she would not be able to tell if the person had been raped?” said Loke.

Loke noted that the video would likely mark a black spot in MACC’s (Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission) professional integrity.

“It just reflects badly on the level of competency of our MACC people,” he said.

PKR chief strategist Chua Tian Chang said he was more embarrassed by the video clip then amused, pointing out that it was a clear reflection of the farce that the whole inquest had become.

“I do not even need to speak about it... everyone else already is, on Facebook, on Twitter, everyone is talking about it and they are laughing. And now the video is online... so the whole world can laugh at us. This is a total embarrassment... it shows the mindset and mentality and quality of the MACC lawyer,” he said.

He agreed that like the Lingam video, this new clip would likely become an object of entertainment for the Malaysian public.

Indeed, if one were to mention to any politically savvy Malaysian the line “correct, correct, correct” meant, they would likely laugh and repeat those famous words themselves.

In fact, the video, which shows Lingam allegedly brokering the appointments of top judges over the phone, is still used by many opposition leaders as anecdotes to punctuate their political speeches.

Chances are also that the same person who knows the “correct, correct, correct” line would likely also be able to describe MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek’s physical attributes and what his partner had worn when they were caught on camera at the hotel room in Johor in 2007.

They would also likely have seen Namewee’s latest “Nah!” clip or his old “Negarakuku” production and may have also once admittedly made jokes once about PKR’s Elizabeth Wong, after her private photos were exposed to the public.

“Well what can I say, we seem to be getting a hang of producing things like this for public consumption. Its all a big farce,” Chua said. - The Malaysian Insider

'Namewee is a uniting factor'

By Malaysian Mirror
COMMENT If Namewee (Wee Meng Chee) is prosecuted for his music-video, then two mixed messages are being sent out by the government: The first is that the authorities practise double-standards. The second is that it was only because of Namewee's 'intervention' that the government sat up and took racism seriously.
On Wednesday, it was reported that the rapper was being investigated by the police for sedition. Various ministers and a menteri besar also want Namewee punished for his controversial video.
In the first place, Namewee made this clip because of the government's slow response to tackle effectively the latest racist incident. It appears that we are now united, against racism.
Far from being seditious or racist, Namewee has done the job of the government in exposing all that is 'ugly' about us.
Just over two weeks ago, the Johore school headmistress featured in Namewee's clip made serious, humiliating and crude remarks to non-Malay students in her school.
The prime minister, who coined the term 1Malaysia, took two weeks to make any comment regarding this issue. In the meantime, the damage became magnified.
Finally, Najib said that when it came to racism, he wanted 'zero-tolerance' and a 'swift response' to people who made racial slurs.
It appears that the prime minister has fallen at the first hurdle. There was not a quick, speedy response, as promised. It took him a very slow two weeks before issuing a statement.
For another, why has the police investigation been allowed to drag?
But let us imagine that for one moment, it was a non-Malay school head who had uttered derogatory remarks about her Malay pupils and told them to 'pergi balik bawah tempurung' (return to your place beneath your coconut shell) or that the tudung worn by the girls was only to cover-up their 'bad hair-do'.
Wisdom and tolerance
I need not mention how the Malay community, egged on by the Ketuanan Melayu clowns, would react by picketing, protesting and practically foaming at the mouth.
If anything, the Johore school incident proved that the non-Malay community has shown extreme restraint and should be commended for their wisdom and tolerance.
The shame is that few Malays voiced their objections to the disgusting remarks of the Malay school-heads (both in Johore and Kedah). Where are the voices of condemnation for these racist rants? Are they afraid of pilloried by members of their own community? Or have they no principles? And lack a conscience?
Namewee is reacting to the slow response of the government to tackle racism. Hence, it is the government who has failed the Malaysian public. It is Namewee who conveyed the important message to Malaysians, in an entertaining way via his Youtube clip, that 'racism sucks'.
To date, what is the progress into the school-head investigation? How long does it take to get eye-witness statements?
People forget that Namewee is a rapper. He produces videos and music videos. Rap music may glorify violence, misogyny, drug abuse and homophobia. Profanity and vulgar language are common.
Like it or not, rap or hip hop, is the language of the young these days. With rap, he has managed to engage with the young, to 'say 'no' to racism'. Any parent of a teenager will know what I am talking about. The songs teenagers listen to these days, often colour the air-waves blue.
One can only imagine Namewee's rage at the slow official response to tackle racism.
It is the same fury that overcomes us when we are lectured by our political masters to do, think and talk '1Malaysia' but then discover to our shock, that some ministers do not practise it.
Admittedly, Namewee is simply expressing his anger and frustration in creativity and music, just like Eminem or Jay-Z.
It is highly unlikely that our aging ministers will understand nor appreciate rap music.
Namewee is the perfect entertainer and has sound business acumen. Sometimes, to shock may even sell more records. He has gained increased publicity for himself being enterprising.
Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin adopted a different spin on Namewee's questions: "You tak baca? Siapa buat Malaysia kaya?" (Don't you know? Who made Malaysia prosperous?). Khairy assumed that Namewee suggested the 'Malays played a minor role in Malaysia's economic growth'.
Khairy is possibly wrong and as far as can be ascertained, Namewee wasn't alluding to anything.
Namewee posed an open-ended question. However, political personalities are already scoring brownie points by insinuating various things.
Namewee was wrong to be abusive – even I would balk short at such behaviour. But Namewee speaks for all those who suffered that day in school and for the people in Malaysia who care.
Maybe if the authorities had been swift in their response, Namewee would not have had the reason to come up with this clip.
The more potent danger
Actually, Namewee has done the job of the government much better that the government itself. It has given prominence to racism issues in a creative way and made us take a stand against racism. If not for his Youtube, clip, would we have taken as much attention? The problem is that the authorities have 'lost it'.
When Dr Chua Soi Lek criticised Namewee and said, "Freedom of expression should come with responsibility to consider sensitivities towards other races and religions", he forgot that it was the two school principals who ignored sensitivities and caused a furore.
And instead of the school principals being censured, it is Namewee who is allegedly being charged with sedition. Namewee's clip was crude and coarse, but not racist.
This young disgruntled Malaysia's response to racism has been blown into something of a racial firestorm. That is the more potent danger.
It seems that when you scratch beneath the surface, 1Malaysia is unraveling faster than a knitted jumper. One person condemns an irresponsible racist head, and the so called defenders of the race, react like beasts unleashed, and all for the wrong reasons.
Namewee has talent. He engages with the young via his rap music and lyrics. He should be nominated for a role in the Ministry for Information, Communications, Cul­ture and Arts, to promote racial unity and other Malaysian issues.
Far from creating disharmony, Namewee has united us against racism. He at least has the courage to tackle racism in his own entertaining way.
* The views expressed here are those of the writer and do not necessarily represent the views of Malaysian Mirror and/or its associates.

PKFZ: The next 'big fish' after Hari Raya and to come from Umno

Malaysia Chronicle

Speculation has intensified that after Hari Raya the next ‘big fish’ will be hauled up for RM12.5 billion Port Klang Free Zone financial debacle, and this time it is learnt it will be someone senior from Umno.

Former Transport minister Ling Liong Sik was the first prominent political leader to have been arrested over PKFZ. Charges were pressed against him on July 30 for misleading the Cabinet on the project's land valuations. He has pleaded not guilty.

In the days that followed Ling's arrest, there were high expectations that Prime Minister Najib Razak would follow through with a long overdue promise to weed out corruption. But more than a month has passed and no one other than Ling has been brought in.

Ling Liong Sik's arrest shocked the nation

As a result, Najib’s already thinning credibility took further blows. He was accused of making decisions to manipulate the political situation at both Umno and BN to his advantage, rather than attempting to solve the endemic corruption in the country.

The Chinese community also saw in Ling’s arrest a stepping stone for Najib to placate the Umno grassroots while he went after several key leaders in the party that he regarded as obstacles to his career.

But Umno watchers deny the allegations and said the PM had to bide his time because the investigators were not ready.

“He may also have pulled back because he felt the timing was not to his advantage. He is extremely cautious but after Hari Raya, he will make his next move. It will be someone very senior in Umno even though he may not be so active in the party anymore. There will be a few others but it may not be all in one go,” a reliable source told Malaysia Chronicle.

Chan Kong Choy

Mat Tyson or Chan or Tiong

Names that have been bandied around include former Selangor mentri besar Muhammad Muhammad Taib, another former Transport minister Chan Kong Choy and Bintulu MP Tiong King Sing, whose firm Kuala Dimensi was the turnkey contractor which racked up the project's massive cost overruns.

Muhd Taib aka Mat Tyson

PKFZ is an ambitious integrated port development mooted during the Mahathir Mohamad administration. It took off in the early 2000s and Abdullah Badawi continued the project after Mahathir retired in 2003.

The scandal has been described as a true Malaysian power play of conflict of interests, weak project management and bad governance at the highest levels - all the way up to Mahathir and Badawi.

Tiong King Sing

Among the personalities named in an external auditor's report are two former transport ministers Tun Dr Ling Liong Sik (1986-2003) and Tan Sri Chan Kong Choy (2003-March 2008), former Minister of Housing and Local Government Tan Sri Dr Ting Chew Peh, who was also Port Klang Authority chairman (2000-2004), former Serdang Member of Parliament Datuk Yap Pian Hon who was Port Klang Aurhority chairman (2004-2007), Alor Setar Member of Parliament Datuk Wira Chor Chee Heung, who was Port Klang Authority chairman (2007-2008), former UMNO treasurer Datuk Seri Azim Mohd Zabidi, the first woman general manager of Port Klang Authority Datin Paduka O.C.Phang and the project "executor" Bintulu Member of Parliament Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing.