Sob…sob…sob…I want to go home

This is what the Umno website, Malaysia Instinct, wrote. Okay, just to settle this matter once and for all, I shall be at the University College London (UCL), Gower Street, London at 1.00pm on Saturday, 2nd October 2010, to meet the Malaysian High Commissioner to Britain to talk to him about my return to Malaysia. After all, he will have to renew my expired Malaysian passport before I can travel back to Malaysia.

NO HOLDS BARRED

Raja Petra Kamarudin

PI Balasubramaniam, Ben Singh, Amarjit Singh and Raja Petra in London

Come Home Dad, RPK’s Son Pleads

(Malaysia Instinct) - Come Home Dad, RPK’s son pleads Raja Petra Kamarudin’s (RPK) son, Raja Azman is freed by the Magistrate Court today as the prosecutor failed to prove a prima facie of the case towards the accused. Raja Azman was charged for stealing a motorbike and breaking and entering a home in Shah Alam last year.

Raja Azman expressed his relief and thanked God for the court’s decision. “This could clear my father’s name,” he said. He could not be happier that justice is very much alive and well in Malaysia.

With that, Raja Azman quietly wishes for his father to come back home and face the court as a gentleman. He wants RPK to know that there is nothing to be afraid of if RPK is innocent and has been telling the truth.

The 34 year old, misses his father and would love to celebrate his freedom with a family. There is such an empty feeling that his father isn’t here to share the joy.

Raja Azman believes that his father is an honest guy and is never guilty of anything. With a good lawyer like Amarjit Singh, who managed to get him out, his father too will have a 100% chance of winning any case.

The court’s decision on his case has proven that the government of Malaysia doesn’t interfere with the process of justice even though Raja Azman is a son of a wanted man, a fugitive and a traitor of the country.

After a failed suicide attempt by swallowing a razor blade (which was supplied by the prison), Raja Azman has now come to his senses (since he is no longer being assaulted by the prison guards). He’s not going to make a fool of himself anymore.

It’s obvious that Raja Azman is very worried about RPK especially upon reading about his father’s most recent drinking ‘incident’. He could not imagine his father dozing off on a street like some homeless drunk guy.

Although his father denied the story, Raja Azman knows better. RPK has always been a drinker as much as his wife is a smoker. For Raja Azman, drinking is cool as long as you are not found ditched out on foreign alley like a scumbag.

RPK shouldn’t have taken BBC’s cancellation of his interview on Hardtalk too hard. It is just a bloody stupid program. RPK should enjoy life as he always taught him to, “enjoy!” That’s what RPK always tell him. “Learn to earn easy money, in any which way you can (like how most Umno Malays would do)!”

Raja Azman worships his father as the most learned, open-minded, liberal, devout Muslim in the world. Raja Azman sees his father as a true, cool Muslim with a very open mind about the subjects of drinking and sex.

That’s why RPK is loved by the liberal Malays, or the better Malays, as RPK referred them.

The ordinary, typical Malays are just plain stupid to understand my father, is the comment we usually get from Raja Azman whenever the topic of his father came out.

Raja Azman believes that his father is a man of wisdom, and has always been misunderstood by the less smart people like the ordinary Malays.

With such wisdom, RPK can never lose any challenge. RPK should take the challenge to show the world what a wise man he is by turning up in court and not run away like a coward.

Once again, Raja Azman urges his father to come back and face the court. No more hiding and writing from abroad (even though he is not really hiding but very visible). It’s time to prove the allegation he made towards Najib and Rosmah (not for the prosecution to prove his guilt as is normally done). Surely that wouldn’t be hard at all (even though that is not how the law is supposed to work).

Anwar’s sodomy case too, is a clear prove that there is nothing wrong with the justice system in Malaysia, or why or how else did the judge allows Karpal to drag the case for far too long already?

If the Malaysian court is such a kangaroo and biased, Raja Azman and Anwar would never have a chance at all (and not to forget Razak Baginda's acquittal of murder). But Raja Azman is free now (in spite of the two new charges they are going to slap him with), and RPK should take that chance too.

So, Dad, please come home…for me, pleads Raja Azman.

A-G's Chambers files appeal over Lingam video case

(Bernama) - The Attorney-General's Chambers has filed for leave to appeal the Court of Appeal's decision allowing senior lawyer Datuk V. K. Lingam and two former chief justices to challenge the findings of the Royal Commission of Inquiry on a controversial video clip allegedly linking the senior lawyer to the appointment of judges.

A senior federal counsel confirmed that the motion was filed at the Federal Court Registry Wednesday.

Lingam, when contacted Thursday, confirmed that a sealed copy of the application was served by hand to his law firm a day earlier.

In a 2-1 majority decision on Aug 24, the Court of Appeal held that the High Court, in dismissing the trio's leave application for a judicial review against the commission's findings, had applied the wrong test in interpreting the prima facie threshold to be passed under Order 53 Rules of the High Court 1980.

Lingam, Tun Ahmad Fairuz Sheikh Abdul Halim and Tun Mohd Eusoff Chin had appealed against the High Court's dismissal of their applications for leave for a judicial review to challenge the findings.

The court, besides awarding a total of RM30,000 as legal costs for the three appellants, also remitted the case to the High Court to hear its merit.

In a related development, the merit for leave for a judicial review will be heard on Sept 29 before High Court (Appellate and Special Powers) judge Justice Datuk Mohd Zawawi Salleh.

On Dec 12, 2008, the High Court ruled that the commission's findings were not reviewable on grounds that they were not a pronouncement of a decision and, thereby, did not affect the rights of the individuals or their obligations.

The five-member panel of commissioners, in their report, had found the video clip showing Lingam in a telephone conversation with Ahmad Fairuz over judicial appointments to be authentic.

The commission had also recommended that appropriate course of action be taken against six individuals, namely Lingam, Ahmad Fairuz, Mohd Eusoff, business tycoon Tan Sri Vincent Tan, Umno secretary-general Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor and former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, for misconduct.

It found that there was sufficient evidence to investigate the six men for offences under the Sedition Act, Official Secrets Act, Penal Code and the Legal Profession Act 1976.

Except for Dr Mahathir, the other five have filed for leave for a judicial review in an attempt to quash the inquiry's findings. However, Tan and Tengku Adnan withdrew their appeal early this year.

Err, is Wan Azizah making way for Azmin to be president of PKR?

By Haris Ibrahim,

Malaysiakini reports today that Azmin Ali has assured that ‘ PKR “newbie” Zaid Ibrahim is assured of a place in the party regardless of the outcome of the party elections this November’.

All the president's men? Photo borrowed from Mkini

“I have great respect for Zaid. He has strength that will help the party, and I believe that if I am accepted as deputy president, Zaid will get an important role to continue to help consolidate and prepare the party for the next general elections…”
Zaid will get an important role?
Isn’t that the president’s call?
Or the call of the Party supreme council?

Was Jenapala sacked or not? Let’s get to the truth once and for all

By Haris Ibrahim,

PKR Sec-Gen Saifudin Nasution held a press conference yesterday where he reiterated once again that deputy president aspirant Jenapala Perumal Subaan had been sacked from the party. Malaysiakini has the report HERE.
I was on the phone with Saifudin twice today.
In the first, I asked if he had confirmation of the letter that he had told me earlier had been sent to Jenapala to notify him of the latter’s sacking from the party.
What was the date of the letter and who signed it, I asked.
Saifudin confirmed that the letter was issued in February, 2009 and signed by the then Sec-Gen, Sallehuddin Hashim.
I drew Saifudin’s attention to Jenapala’s contention that he has never been served with a show cause notice. How?
Saifudin explained that he was not the Sec-Gen at the material time and that he cannot fully recall what happened then, but pointed out that some offences by party members may be of sufficient severity that a decision to  summarily dismiss, without an inquiry process, may be taken. This might be the case with Jenapala. He would have to check to verify if this was the case.
I sms’d my contact in PKR with this bit of information from Saifudin and requested a response. This is what I got by sms.
“How can any member be sacked without MPT approval? So check MPT’s minutes lah! All MPT members have semua minit for that year. Or just ask MPT members whether the issue of his sacking was ever discussed”
I just got off the phone with Saifudin.
Requested a copy of the letter that is said to have been signed by Sallehuddin notifying Jenapala of his sacking.
Saifudin said he was on his way to Kelantan and his staff are out of the office, but he would try to get a copy of the said letter to me by e-mail in the coming days.

The case of one ‘k’ too many

By Haris Ibrahim,

I called Zaid this morning to remonstrate with him for calling Syed Husin Ali ‘nyanyuk’ as reported in FreeMalaysiaToday yesterday.
Instead, I received a ‘Bahasa Malaysia for dummies’ lesson.
“Demi Allah, Haris, saya tak sebut pun perkataan nyanyuk. Saya kata mungin dia dah nyanyu”, Zaid protested.
I did not catch the difference between ‘nyanyuk’ and nyanyu’ at first, and told him in a rather irritated tone as such.
He responded with as much irritation and impatience in his tone.
“Nyanyu? You tak tahu perkataan nyanyu? Sekolah mana you pergi, Haris? Nyanyu tu maksud merepek”, Zaid explained, clearly exasperated.
I was in front of my computer then and asked him to spell the word.
“Nak check, ke? n-y-a-n-y-u”, Zaid spelt the word out for me.
I checked HERE and this is what I got.
Nyanyu : bercakap yg bukan-bukan, meraban, merepek
Damn, the word was there!
I thanked Zaid for furthering my education this morning
Are you not going to set this straight with FMT, I asked.
“As soon  as you get off the phone so I can call them. I can’t believe you have never heard of nyanyu, Haris” , Zaid said, obviously enjoying my embarrassment.
Zaid obviously called FMT soon after I ended the call. Their report clarifying this confusion arising from a ‘k’ that should never have been there can be read HERE.
Was it right to suggest that Syed Husin might be nyanyu, I asked, before ending my call.
“Haris, you know how much work I put into getting the Pakatan Common Policy Framework in place. You read Syed Husin’s interview in Merdeka Review where he said my input in that document was minimal. You know I was away in UK working on the draft. Was that fair, Haris?”, Zaid asked.
Zaid was right.
Syed Husin was being nyanyu in some of the things he had said in that interview.
And as someone said in a comment, don’t fault Zaid for calling a spade a spade.

First Ladies: Rosmah `Tidak Sopan’ Pada Permaisuri Agong

Dari Harakah

Tindakan isteri Perdana Menteri, Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor menganjurkan sidang kemuncak First Ladies pada 11 hingga 13 Oktober ini disifatkan sebagai ‘tidak sopan’ dan membelakangkan kedudukan Seri Paduka Baginda Raja

Permaisuri Agong.

Ahli Jawatankuasa Dewan Muslimat PAS Pusat, Aiman Athirah Al-Jundi berkata, Rosmah masih tidak mahu mengambil iktibar daripada teguran yang diterima selepas iklan berwarna dua halaman penuh memaparkan Rosmah

disiarkan di New York Times pada April lalu.

Ia adalah iklan ucapan tahniah kepada ‘Rosmah Mansor, Wanita Pertama Malaysia’ kerana menerima anugerah Keamanan dan Harmoni Antarabangsa 2010.

“Tindakan Rosmah ini satu tindakan yang sangat tidak bersopan. Setelah mendapat kritikan daripada banyak pihak selepas iklan itu, kita ingatkan dia belajar daripada kesilapan dan tahu meletakkan diri dia di mana,” kata Athirah ketika dihubungi Harakahdaily, hari ini.

Athirah yang merupakan Pengerusi Lajnah Penerangan dan Dakwah Dewan Muslimat PAS Pusat berkata, penggunaan istilah ‘wanita pertama’ itu juga ternyata bertentangan dengan Artikel 32, Perlembagaan Malaysia.

“Dalam artikel itu jelas menyebut bahawa ketua pertama negara ialah Seri Paduka Baginda Yang di-Pertuan Agong jadi secara automatik, wanita pertama mestilah Seri Paduka Baginda Raja Permaisuri Agong,” katanya lagi.

Tambahnya, penggunaan ‘wanita pertama’ setelah Najib memerintah negara menunjukkan ceteknya kesedaran beliau mengenai kepentingan menghormati Perlembagaan Negara.

“Negara kita mengamalkan konsep Raja Berpelembagaan, bukan negara republik yang mempunyai presiden. Memang tidak pernah wujud istilah wanita pertama di negara kita.

“Apabila Najib dan Rosmah muncul, mereka guna istilah ini dalam negara yang berkonsepkan Raja Berpelembagaan, ini menunjukkan kesedaran mereka yang sangat cetek dari sudut sejarah dan berpelembagaan,” katanya.

Sehubungan itu, beliau berkata, satu gerakan perlu diwujudkan bagi memberikan kesedaran kepada rakyat dan juga para pemimpin agar menghormati Perlembagaan Negara.

“Saya sebagai wanita muda Malaysia sangat terpanggil untuk menggerakkan kesedaran massa untuk menolak kebiadapan dan ketidaksopanan Rosmah yang membelakangi Raja Permaisuri Agong.

“Ini satu tindakan yang sangat derhaka dan rakyat mesti sedar dan menolak kepimpinan yang tidak menghormati keluhuran perlembagaan,” tegasnya.

Beliau turut mempersoal tindakan Rosmah yang seolah-olah cuba mencampuri peranan Kementerian Pembangunan Wanita, Keluarga dan Masyarakat.

“Dari satu sudut dia mempergunakan Sharizat. Isteri perdana menteri telah mempergunakan Menteri Pembangunan Wanita (Keluarga dan Masyarakat) untuk mengadakan satu program besar di negara kita dan akan menggunakan segala duit daripada hasil negara dan cukai yang dibayar oleh rakyat,” katanya.

Rosmah seperti yang dilaporkan berkata, sidang kemuncak itu akan membincangkan perancangan secara bersama dengan wanita-wanita pertama dunia mengenai agenda penting dalam memperkasakan kanak-kanak yang akan menjadi pemimpin masa hadapan.

Ianya Sidang Kemuncak ini akan diadakan selama tiga hari di Hotel Palace Of Golden Horses, di sini, dan bakal dihadiri lebih 20 Wanita Pertama dari seluruh dunia.

One Member One Vote – Parti Keadilan Rakyat Divisional Elections

PRESS RELEASE:
23rd Sept 2010

For the first time in Malaysian history, “one member one vote” party elections will give the more than 400,000 Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) party members a right to vote directly for their leaders.

PKR members will vote twice. The first time is in elections at the division level which will take place in conjunction with the divisional annual general meetings. And the second time in elections at the national level

This democratization of the party election process and broadening of participation at the grassroots level were made possible by amendments to the party constitution in 2009.

In the ongoing elections at the divisions level, an unprecedented 8,570 candidates are vying for positions at the division, women and youth wings. Of the 204 divisions eligible to conduct the annual general meeting (Mesyuarat Agung Tahunan Cabang) contests are taking place in 145 divisions.

Over the past weekend, divisional annual general meetings were held in 84 divisions with contests taking place in 67 divisions. Among the divisions’ that witnessed a very high voter turnout were Tuaran in Sabah and Tangga Batu in Malacca. This coming weekend a further 83 divisions will conduct their annual general meetings with contests set to take place in 60 divisions.

The task of supervising the conduct of elections at the division and national levels has been entrusted to the Jawatankuasa Pemilihan Pusat (JPP). JPP’s duties include monitoring the elections, ensuring free and fair elections, receiving and acting on complaints and objections.

To date, the JPP has received a total of 135 complaints and objections; 86 were related to candidacy, 17 relating to the electoral process and 32 relating to discipline. As an executive and monitoring body, JPP ensures that each and every complaint/objection will be considered in an impartial and serious manner.

The JPP is happy to note that over the first weekend, by and large the Keadilan Secretariat and volunteers conducted themselves professionally and voting, for the large part, took place in a smooth and orderly fashion.

The division level elections, which are currently happening, are taking place over 8 days between 17 September and 2 October 2010. The national level elections will take place over 8 days prior to the party’s annual general congress on 26 and 27 November.

Dr Molly Cheah
Chairperson
Jawatan Pemilihan Pusat (JPP)

A Free lunch for India's Children

(Asia Sentinel) The world's biggest free lunch program provides crucial nutrition across the country

In India, the old adage "there's no such thing as a free lunch" is just about dead, it seems, at least for millions of the teeming country's children. An ambitious initiative recently passed into law mandates that every child receive a free lunch every school day until they reach year 10.

It's lunchtime at the Jawahar Nagar Sindhi government school in Jaipur and the students are gathering in the dining hall. The menu: vegetables, rice, Indian bread, porridge and sweet rice. Before eating, the students thank God for the meal. One of them is a grade eight student named Lalita whose father works as a driver and struggles to support six children. She says she often misses breakfast as she has to leave for school early.

"The food is very good and I don't get such food at my home. I love eating this enjoyable lunch every day as it is very delicious," Lalita says.

Nor is Lalita alone. The lunch program has been dramatically successful and dramatically necessary. As many half of all Indian children under the age of 5 are believed to be malnourished. Meals such as those enjoyed by Lalita are being prepared for 150 million school children across the country. Following a landmark decision by the Supreme Court in 2001, state governments were ordered to provide free meals for all primary school children aged 10 and under. Last year the scheme was expanded to include children up to year 10.

Akshay Patra, an NGO, is running the program, probably the largest such school lunch program in the world. Chanchalapathi Dasa is the vice chairman of the group and believes the program is beneficial for several reasons.

"The program has encouraged the children to come to school and get nutritious food and do well in their education," Dasa said. "Our idea is that if we can feed children and provide them with nutritious food, that can be an encouragement for underprivileged families to send their children to school. As a result of good food, the educational practice becomes more productive and if the child gets educated, then they will break the cycle of poverty."

Dasa's group is currently providing food for 1.2 million children out of 19 kitchens. "The set-up is a large kitchen where we can cook food for 100,000 to 150,000 children at a time and transport the food to distant schools and feed them there," he says.

Teachers at the school say students now find it easier to concentrate and classrooms are getting crowded. Mahesh Kumar is an English teacher who welcomes the new initiative.

"Our registration has increased to a great extent and now our school is up to the secondary level and our enrolment is 350," Kumar said. "When I came here three years ago the enrollment was 150."

In many states, lunch has become a one-stop shop for children's health. Apart from the nutritional value of the cooked lunch, the children also get vitamin A, iron, folic acid and de-worming tablets. Iron and folic acid are especially important. According to a study in by the American Society for Nutritional Science, up to 70 percent of low-income adolescent girls in India suffered from anemia because blood lost during menstrual cycles meant iron wasn't being replaced. Children in the lunch program averaged weight gains of 3.3 kg more than those who were not in the program over five years and were significantly taller, according to a study by the Ministry of Human Resources Development. In addition, the study found, families are benefiting from the so-called "carry home effect," as children's nutritional knowledge grows and they take that knowledge home to their families.

Shakuntla's children are studying in the school and she too says the program is a big help to her family. "We can't cook such nutritious and costly food at home," she said. "We can't afford it. That's why my children eat less at home and more in school."

The mother of two, Lalit Kumar works in a grocery and says she has no time to cook a midday meal for her children: "Working parents are not able to come home and cook food for their children during lunch. The midday meal has solved our problem and now our children are eating and keeping healthy."

Back at the Jawahar Nagar Sindhi government school the bell tolls the end of the school day; no doubt the students will be back tomorrow. According to the Human Resources Development study, both attendance and class performance have improved: children want to come to school not only to eat but to learn.

This article was first broadcast on Asia Calling, a regional current affairs radio program produced by Indonesia's independent radio news agency KBR68H and broadcast in local languages in 10 countries across Asia. You can find more stories from Asia Calling at www.asiacalling.org.

Call on political parties from both sides of divide – BN and PR – and civil society to come forward to defend Hatta Wahari and NUJ to uphold professional ethics and integrity of Malaysian journalists

By Lim Kit Siang

Congratulations to Hatta Wahari the newly elected President of National Union of Journalists (NUJ) for bringing in fresh air with the courage of conviction to uphold journalistic professionalism and ethics.

Although Hatta is from Utusan Malaysia, he has drawn the line in the sand to uphold, defend and promote journalistic ethics and professionalism when he blamed Utusan Malaysia’s editors for the daily’s frequent run-ins with politicians.

Hatta, who is a senior journalist at Utusan, said the conflicts were between the daily’s chief editor Aziz Ishak, backed by senior editors, against the politicians from both BN and Pakatan Rakyat.

He said: “NUJ sees that it is unfair to fault Utusan Malaysia which includes journalists, photographers, graphic artists and other staff who don’t share the agenda (of the editors).

“They also do not have the authority to criticise the chief editor and the senior editors.

“NUJ is also of the opinion that the chief editor and senior editors of Utusan were not advocating media freedom but instead merely fulfilling the needs of their ‘political masters’.”

I am sure all the suffering journalists in the mainstream media, who have not been able to fully practise the ethics and professionalism of their craft, fully endorse the intrepid stand taken by Hatta, who deserves the support of political parties from both sides of the divide – Barisan Nasional and Pakatan Rakyat – as well as the civil society.

Hatta’s stand has attracted an immediate attack from Utusan Malaysia Veteran’s Club president Raja Ahmad Niza Raja Ismail who lambasted him for “going against the company”, calling on Hatta to resign from the company if the latter “insists on biting the hand that feeds him”.

I agree that there is no reason for Hata to resign from Utusan. Hatta has a higher duty not only to defend professional ethics and integrity of Malaysian journalists but also the interests and welfare of more than 1,000 staff working under in Utusan Malaysia to ensure that newspapers do not discredit and kill themselves by becoming “rubbish” papers.

At a time when the Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak is talking about a national transformation to take Malaysia to another stage of development, this transformation must include the restoration of the honour, ethics, high standards and integrity of the profession of journalism in Malaysia.

For this reason, I call on BN and PR – political parties from both sides of fence – and civil society to come forward to defend Hatta Wahari and NUJ to protect and uphold high standards, ethics and integrity of the journalistic profession which have become rare commodities in the mainstream media.

Raja Ahmad’s talk about not “biting the hand that feed him” reminds me of Utusan Malaysia’s sidelining of the RM1.3 trillion Economic Transformation Programme of the Najib administration which was announced by the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Idris Jala on Tuesday.

This was front-page headline in yesterday’s New Straits Times “RM1.3 tril investment roadmap”, Star “RM115 bil start – Seven projects under ETP to triple nation’s income” and Sun “No business for govt” but conspicuously absent from Utusan Malaysia’s front-page, as it was relegated to lesser importance in the inside pages.

Who is biting the “hand that feeds him”?

Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz asked Utusan Malaysia a most pertinent question as to who is the Utusan Malaysia’s boss if not Najib as Umno President.

Instead of asking Hatta to resign from Utusan Malaysia, Raja Ahmad should have asked the Utusan chief editor Aziz Ishak to leave Utusan if he is not prepared to accept Najib as Prime Minister and Umno President unless Aziz and the senior Utusan editors have hijacked Utusan Malaysia in an ongoing plot and conspiracy to unseat Najib both as Prime Minister and Umno President.

Indonesian Protest Can Affect Good Ties - Muhyiddin

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 23 (Bernama) -- Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin on Thursday condemned Indonesians for protesting in front of the Malaysian embassy in Jakarta Wednesday as it can affect good ties.

He said the Indonesians should not have protested as Malaysia has a legal system where those responsible for crimes like abuse could not escape punishment.

"Abuse victims will be protected. This is the Malaysian government assurance," he told reporters after representing the prime minister in opening the Asian Development Bank/Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development Anti-Corruption Initiative for Asia and the Pacific 10th Regional Seminar on "Criminalisation of Bribery" here.

Muhyiddin was commenting on the Indonesians protest outside the embassy and residence of ambassador Datuk Syed Munshe Afdzaruddin Syed Hassan against the abuse of a maid in Malaysia.

The People's Bastion for Democracy (Bendera) said it would stop Malaysians from shopping at Senayan City and ask them to leave Indonesia.

Maid Win Faidah,26, was physically and sexually abused by her employer for four months.

A couple had been detained by police on Sept 19 in connection with the case.

Muhyiddin said the government would implement the law so that those responsible would be charged in court.

"I don't endorse such things and condemn acts that can affect others."

He said Malaysia-Indonesia problems should be settled diplomatically to ensure continued good ties between both countries.

Ignorance the root of misunderstanding

The Sun 
by Husna Yusop

PUTRAJAYA (Sept 22, 2010): Islamophobia is a serious issue which is caused by lack of understanding and knowledge among believers of different religions in the world, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak said today.

"The root cause of all these misunderstanding, misapprehension and conflict is ignorance. Because, without understanding and knowledge, there can never be goodwill and understanding.

Najib said as such, the committee to promote understanding and harmony between the different religions in Malaysia, chaired by Datuk Ilani Isahak is an important mechanism to address this issue.

"The very fact that you appreciate one another means you have a strong basis to establish a strong nation called Malaysia," he said at a luncheon organised by the committee.

The luncheon was attended by representatives of various religions including the Allied Coordinating Committee of Islamic NGOs and Malaysian Consultative Council of Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Sikhism and Taoism.

Also present were leaders of the Christian Federation of Malaysia, Buddhist Association of Malaysia, Malaysia Hindu Sangam, Malaysia Gurdwara Council and Federation of Taoist Association Malaysia.

Najib said he was surprised that 26% of Americans believe US President Barack Obama is a Muslim, as revealed in a survey by Time magazine recently.

"This means there is a lot of ignorance in the world," he said, adding it is important to know the beauty of other people’s religion and the fundamental values of one's own religion.

He said in the Malaysian context, wise considerations must be taken to avoid controversy or tension which can lead to cracks or serious problems in the relationship between different races.

It is also necessary to deal with challenges such as in terms of the choice of religious terms to be used by people from different religions.

"The committee is a very important platform or mechanism because there are many things which we need to discuss heart to heart, in a muhibbah environment, within closed door and not openly.

"Because, if we were to make a statement in the open, it would be very difficult for us to change our stand without feeling a loss of face or embarrassed, as we have to compromise and all.

"And we don’t want others to add insult to the injury by commenting on the open statement that we have made, and the issue becomes heated further," he added.

He said in his capacity as the head of government, he welcomes any proposal or advice from the committee and will consider it accordingly.

Najib said the committee can also help the government by organising programmes which can involve all religions such as in handling teenagers, drug addicts or solving problems faced by the disabled.

He also said he will provide some allocations to the committee because unity and harmony are also important elements to be maintained, not only development and economic growth.

"We have a lot of examples where developed countries were destroyed because they could not tackle these issues. We do not want to become like Bosnia Herzegovina, Northern Ireland or other places.

"Because in this world there are many orang kepala tak betul (unreasonable people), even in developed countries, having an intention to burn the Holy Quran, that is kepala tak betul.

"Why? Because they cannot accept something good of other religions. Islam has its own good. Those who destructed the Twin Towers were not Muslims but a group of terrorists who have hijacked not only the plane, but also Islam," he added.

Najib added that Islam is against any kind of violence and does not allow the killing of civilians even during a war.

Missing tycoon's wife reveals phone conversations

Zaid: I called him nyanyu, not nyanyuk

By FMT Staff

PETALING JAYA: PKR supreme council member Zaid Ibrahim today denied calling outgoing party deputy president Syed Husin Ali “nyanyuk” (senile).
Zaid clarified that he used the word “nyanyu” (talking gibberish) and not “nyanyuk” as reported.

“I was on the phone with the reporter and was travelling in my car. Maybe the reporter misheard me but what I had said was that he (Syed Husin) must be 'nyanyu' and could have forgotten certain things for him to make such remarks in his Merdeka Review interview,” he told FMT.

“I did not call him senile,” he stressed.

Zaid, who is contesting for the deputy president's post, had come under fire from party leaders, including his rival Azmin Ali, over his remark about Syed Husin.

Syed Husin, in his interview with Merdeka Review, had said that Zaid was not a team player and indicated that he backed vice-president Azmin as his replacement

He had further said that Zaid's role in the formulation of the Pakatan Common Policy framework was minimal and that the former law minister did not attend many meetings.

Attacks have escalated

Meanwhile, Zaid said that he was forced to respond because he felt that his contributions to the party were being belittled.

He said that he was disappointed with the lies being perpertuated about him by party leaders and assured that he was loyal to the party.
“I’m fully in support of the party’s struggle,” he said.

Zaid initially said he was not taking part in the election, but announced a reversal in a blog posting on Sept 1 following what he said were relentless attacks against him by those who assumed that he was interested in offering himself as a candidate.

He told FMT that since that announcement, the attacks had escalated.

“This must stop. I wish to warn these leaders that they must stop ridiculing me and spreading lies about me just because I offered myself for a post,” he said.

He also said that his detractors should not assume that he would not respond by exposing matters that would shame them.

Makkal Sakthi chief rubbishes 'resignation' of 22 CC members

By B Nantha Kumar - Free Malaysia Today

KUALA LUMPUR: Embattled Malaysian Makkal Sakthi Party (MMSP) chief RS Thanendran today denied that 22 of 33 central committee members have resigned from the party.
"It's is utter rubbish," said Thanendran at a press confrence in Kuala Lumpur today.

He said the confusion over the issue arose from a recent press statement given by a rival faction leader who claimed that 22 members have resigned from the party.

The MMSP was split into three rival camps, each led by Thanendran, former deputy chief A Vathamoorthy and former sec-gen Kannan Ramasamy just few months after it was launched.

"As party president I sacked the membership of 14 of  the 22, who claimed to have resigned, on Jan 21 pursuant to clause 10 (1 ) of the MMSP constitution," said Thanendran.

"My question is, how can expelled party members resign when they have already been sacked from the party?" he asked.

"Thus far only one CC member, J Chandrasegaran, has sent in his resignation last month due to personal problems.”

Thanendran also slammed the move by Kannan to call for an AGM on Sept 25 and said it was just a political ploy to mislead members.

"Anyone can hold an AGM but it will be illegal if they use the party's name as they are not even the party members," he said.

No green light from RoS

Thanendran adviced members not to be confused, be misled or fall for the gimmicks of Kannan's faction and attend the AGM.

The press conference today was attended by several of the party's prominent figures who said that the RoS has not sanctioned the up coming AGM called for by Kannan and his team.

Thanendran said he met up with BN secretary general Tengku Adnan who denied giving consent for the AGM or having received an invitation to attend the AGM.

He said he will be making a police report today at the Dang Wang police station against Kannan and team for misleading members.

MMSP claims to have 35,000 members and Thanendran said that the party will hold its AGM in mid or late October.

"We are awaiting word from Prime Minister to confirm his attendance at the AGM," he said.

Meanwhile in another development, Sanjay Ramasamy, one of those sacked by Thanendran, said that the latter was also terminated as president of the party as per the MMSP consitution by CC member in January.

"Therefore, he too is no longer a member of MMSP. The media can refer to the RoS for confirmation of this," said Sanjay.

74 whales beached in northern New Zealand

As many as 74 pilot whales have beached themselves in northern New Zealand in the second mass stranding in the area in two months.

Rough seas and gusting winds are pushing the whales into rocks causing injuries that may force authorities to euthanize many of those that rescuers can get on the beach, said Patrick Whaley, operations manager for New Zealand’s Department of Conservation. Others are drowning in the surf along the remote beach in Spirits Bay.

“It’s heart-wrenching to have to see so many whales coming ashore and then drowning in the surf, without being able to reach them in time,” Whaley said.

Rescuers had managed to get eight of the whales above the high surf line and were planning to care for them on the beach overnight with hopes of returning them to the ocean in the morning, said Carolyn Smith, a Department of Conservation spokesperson.

At least 25 whales had died. Officials fear dozens of other whales may be in danger just offshore.

In August, 49 pilot whales died after stranding themselves on a beach at Karikari, also in New Zealand’s far north. Nine were saved during that stranding.

What’s behind the whale strandings remains a mystery. Theories include a herd behavior, where one animal gets in trouble and others follow, fleeing predators, beach formations that confuse the whales echo-location senses, or possible interference from human sonar.

Sosilawati murder: Remand extended for five suspects

KUALA LUMPUR: The remand of five of the eight suspects in the so-called Banting murders has been extended by a week from today.
Magistrate Ahmad Shakin Ismail allowed the extension of the remand on the five men, in their 20's and 30's, to enable the police continue with their investigation of the case.

Ahmad Shakin issued the order for extension of the remand at the Bukit Jalil temporary detention centre where all the suspects are being held.

This is the third time that the remand has been extended.

The remand period for the other three suspects, two of them lawyers, ends on Saturday.

The attorney-general yesterday returned the police investigation papers and advised the police to conduct further investigation on several aspects of the case.

The eight suspects were picked up in connection with the investigation into the disappearance of cosmetics millionaire Sosilawati Lawiya, 47, her driver Kamaruddin Shamsudin, 44, lawyer Ahmad Kamil Abdul Karim, 32, and CIMB Bank officer Noorhisham Mohammad, 38, after they had gone to Banting, Selangor, over a land deal on Aug 30.

Police found out that the four people had been killed, their bodies burnt and the ashes thrown into rivers in the vicinity of Ladang Gadong near Banting.

- Bernama

MCA man empathises with Umno’s Perkasa dilemma

Chua said MCA and Perkasa viewed one another as “extremists”. — file pic

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 23 — An MCA leader has spoken out in support of Umno in its apparent love-hate relationship with Perkasa, acknowledging that the Malay anchor of the Barisan Nasional coalition could ill-afford to entirely shun the controversial Malay rights group.

Labis MP Chua Tee Yong explained that as Perkasa was using Malay rights as its platform, Umno would be wrong to totally disregard them.

Chua, who sits in MCA’s presidential council where his father, Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek, is president, also slammed the media for continuing its publicity campaign for Perkasa.

“We have been talking too much about Perkasa. We have been giving them too much prominence. The media should stop this... there are so many other stories and exposes you can write on, so why do you keep harping on this?” he told The Malaysian Insider when contacted earlier this week.

He said that with the amount of publicity Perkasa was receiving, it almost looked as if the non-governmental organisation was like a huge party or a “third-force” in the political make-up of the country.

“All said and done, with all the big hoo-ha, Perkasa is just an NGO,” he said.

Chua acknowledged that Perkasa’s prominence in the political landscape could not be avoided, but urged the public to remember that the group was not a political party.

“Yes, some ministers have even challenged them to register as a party so that they can contest, but still, they are an NGO,” he said.

He noted that although the MCA and many other BN leaders disagreed with Perkasa’s method of pushing its agenda through, it would be wrong to deny the group its right to be heard.

“We may not agree with them, but if you look at it in the aspect that as a democratic country, they are entitled to their views,” he said.

Chua said that Umno had already expressed their views and their objectives, under the leadership of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, and should not be punished because of its alleged affiliation with Perkasa.

“Umno has expressed their stand. On MCA’s side, we are also clear that we do not like what Perkasa is doing. But... they are entitled to their views.

“It is difficult for Umno because, being a Malay party, they tend to get related to the Malay NGO, so it is wrong for them to totally disregard them,” he said.

When it was pointed out that although Perkasa was not a political entity, it still played a significant role in politics and its support base could likely sway of the public’s vote in the general election, Chua brushed off the notion.

“That is your view... that Perkasa has a large support base. We do not know that for sure, do we? But they are not a party and they do not go for votes so it is not fair to say that.

“What about the WWF (World Wildlife Foundation)... they too are an NGO. Should we say, then, that they have the support of all the people? We cannot assume.

“I maintain that we are giving Perkasa too much prominence... if they are a political party, for arguments’ sake, then maybe you have some bearing to say this,” he said.

Chua refused to elaborate on the matter, specifically when asked for his view on the apparent flip-flop in Umno’s stand in snubbing Perkasa.

“I think I am not really keen to comment further. It is not beneficial,” he said.

He added that although Perkasa’s views were oftentimes deemed as “extremist” in nature, the group thought the same of MCA’s struggles.

“They also view MCA as extremist. My point is that you are entitled to your point of view. I can read a paragraph and it can be interpreted in so many ways,” he said.

He pointed out that it was pointless to continue bickering over Perkasa for it did not benefit the people or the country.

“What for? We go on and do the things that we set out to do,” he said.

The Perkasa-Umno stand-off started recently when Umno secretary-general Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku noted that the party should distance itself from the group as any association with it would cause BN to lose votes in the next general election.

Several Umno leaders later joined in the anti-Perkasa chorus and agreed that it was time to openly renounce links with Perkasa. MCA leaders had then quickly jumped in to laud their colleague’s decision.

In an apparent about-turn, however, Najib last week said that Umno was not in conflict with any NGO.

Following the party president’s statement, Tengku Adnan immediately denied that he had ever asked party leaders to sever ties with Perkasa.

Missing tycoon: Wife offers recording of phone conversations

By Stephanie Sta Maria - Free Malaysia Today

KAPAR: The second wife of missing Indian tycoon A Muthuraja today revealed new evidence that could aid investigations into his disappearance here in Malaysia.

At a press conference here, S Usharani, 24, played two recordings of phone conversations between her and two Malaysians – a lawyer who is the main suspect in the murder of cosmetics millionaire Sosilawati Lawiya and a man claiming to be from Bukit Aman.

According to Usharani, she called the lawyer on Jan 28 when she failed to hear from her husband who had left for Malaysia to meet him 10 days before.

“My husband and the lawyer had plans to open a restaurant in Banting and I believe my husband had invested a large sum of money in the business already,” said Usharani, who maintained her composure throughout the press conference.

“The lawyer had asked him to come to Malaysia for further talks and we had no reason to suspect anything because it was a usual occurrence. He was a family friend and had also visited us in India numerous times. But my husband told me he was only going to be in Malaysia for one day.”

When she reached the lawyer, he told her that he was currently in Kathmandu and assured her that he would investigate her husband's whereabouts when he returned to Malaysia.

“By this time I was already suspicious and took it upon myself to lodge a report at the High Commission of India in Malaysia,” she said.

'He is still alive'

On Feb 2, she received a call from a man named Muru who claimed to be a policeman. He told her that her husband had been arrested on drug charges and offered to release him from custody for a sum of RM1 million. Usharani didn't record that call.

Ten days later, another man who identified himself as ASP Suresh from Bukit Aman, called Usharani to make the same demand. This time Usharani recorded the call.

“They said that they didn't want my husband, only the money,” Usharani recalled. “I made a second report at the High Commission to find out whether these claims were true, but I've not received any response since.”

Usharani, who lodged her first police report on Sept 8, will be turning over this new evidence to Bukit Aman tomorrow morning. While police have confirmed her husband's death, she believes “he is still alive”.

“I will not lose hope until the DNA evidence proves otherwise,” she said. “One of my husband's family members will come to Malaysia soon to provide the police with DNA and blood samples.”

“I believe he has been kidnapped and I beg those who are holding him to please release him because I have been frantic with worry for the past eight months.”

Usharani, who arrived in Malaysia yesterday morning, was accompanied by Kapar MP S Manikavasagam to lodge a second police report in Kuala Langat. She also visited the farm owned by the lawyers.

'Sorry, I don't trust Khalid'

Manikavasagam, meanwhile, lambasted the police over “shocking inaccuracies” in the first police report which stated Usharani's nationality as “Malaysian” and her race as “Malay”.

He also expressed disappointment towards the Selangor chief police officer Khalid Abu Bakar for warning him not to interfere in police investigations.

“We are not here to interfere,” he said. “In fact, we asked police permission to visit the site yesterday. I'm just helping Usharani and will leave the case in the lawyer's hands after this.”

However, Manikavasagam was adamant that the recordings will not be handed over to the Selangor police but Bukit Aman.

“I'm sorry but I don't trust Khalid,” he said. “So I will not be handing over any evidence to him or the Selangor police. Now it looks like I have a problem with two Khalids in Selangor.”

The other Khalid that Manikavasagam was referring to was Selangor Menteri Besar Khalid Ibrahim with whom he didn't see eye-to-eye during the recent sand mining scandal.

Anwar needs baptism of legitimacy

By Athi Shankar - Free Malaysia Today,

GEORGE TOWN: While everyone jostles for positions, Anwar Ibrahim stands alone as supremo without a mandate, contented with being the power behind his wife's throne, said a political scientist.

In view of this, Prof Sivamurugan Pandian said the opposition leader must contest for the PKR president post and legitimise his role.

Otherwise, he said, Anwar would be a politically unlawful leader and it would be unethical and morally wrong for him to continue as such.

“If he does not want to contest, then Anwar should declare to party members that he is not the PKR supremo,” he said, adding there were no provisions in the party constitution that recognise the title.

Calling on Anwar to walk the talk that PKR stood for reform, democracy and accountability, he said it was pertinent that the supremo obtained the members' mandate.

“Or the public should see him only as an ordinary member, who does not have the moral authority to be called supremo,” added the deputy dean of Universiti Sains Malaysia’s School of Social Sciences.

Undermining status of other leaders

Being an “illegitimate de facto leader”, Sivamurugan said Anwar’s participation in the decision making process with regards to policies and actions was politically unconstitutional and unconventional.

Even his media statements could be considered politically invalid, he added.

Furthermore, he said Anwar’s position as a non-mandated supremo would also severely undermine the status of other elected leaders, including his wife and president Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail.

The professor pointed out that PKR's acceptance of Anwar's “unconstitutional, unelected and undemocratic” position meant that the reformist party was subscribing to undemocratic priciples.

Sivamurugan also said that by refusing to contest and insisting on being the unelected force behind PKR, Anwar was suggesting that the president was only a ceremonial position.

Sudden change in political attitude

The academic also expressed surprise with the change in Anwar's political attitude within two years.

In 2008, he said, Anwar was in a rush to return as an elected representative to Parliament and forced his wife to vacate the Permatang Pauh seat to push for a by-election.

“Why is he not emulating his own example now? He should lead by example,” he added.

Wan Azizah has received some 70 divisional nominations as of yesterday to re-contest the president post in the coming party national polls to be held between October and November.

Anwar has received eight nominations but this was because he had announced his decision not to contest.

In 2007, Anwar, who had spent six years in prison, was named as PKR's de facto leader by the national congress.

Back then, he was advised not to contest for the president's post and avoid putting the party’s registration in jeopardy since he was still legally banned from holding any positions in a political party due to his conviction.

Commenting on this, Sivamurugan said the the congress' mandate was for the 2007-2010 term and not forever.

He said Anwar’s legal status was different now due to his elected public offices as Permatang Pauh MP and opposition leader.

“To end the argument, Anwar must get elected as president. Whether he gets elected opposed or unopposed is immaterial. The crucial issue is Anwar must get the members’ mandate,” he added.

No real transformation in ETP, says DAP

By Syed Jaymal Zahiid  Free Malaysia Today,

KUALA LUMPUR: The Najib administration's ambitious Economic Transformation Programme (ETP) is but a grandiose blueprint that has all but the necessary reforms needed to revitalise the flagging economy, DAP Klang MP and economist Charles Santiago said today.
Santiago said much of the modus operandi of the projects identified in the ETP were carbon copies of those under the Mahathir administration where the economy relied chiefly on pump-priming activities.

"What we are seeing under the ETP is a massive infrastructure roll-up for the next 10 years when we already have excessive property market hangover," he told FMT.

"Where is the transformation? There is no transformation of the economy or of such because the main drive to the ETP is exactly what (Dr) Mahathir (Mohamad) did when he was the prime minister," he added.
The ETP, through the 12 national key economic area labs, had identified 131 entry point projects to raise US$444 billion (RM1.4 trillion) of private money needed to transform the country into a high-income nation by 2020.

Santiago pointed out that most of the projects identified are infrastructural, such as the KL mass transit system, the high-speed rail system to Singapore and Penang and the construction of a huge oil storage facility next to Singapore.

Apart from the fact that it reflects the lack of innovation-driven market under the ETP, Santiago noted that scepticism pervades as to whether the private sector would respond.

"Where is the evidence to show that the private sector is going to take up the projects?" he asked. He said that for the past decade, the growth of domestic and foreign private investments in the country had merely seen a paltry 3% to 4% increase.

No institutional reform under ETP

The Performance Management and Delivery Unit (Pemandu) said it had identified investments worth RM1.4 trillion over 10 years, of which 60% would come from the private sector, 32% from
government-linked companies and 8% from the government.

Pemandu, led by former corporate captain and Minister in the Prime Minister Department Idris Jala, has also gone on a vigorous campaign to bridge the public-private gap, saying that the synthesis
between them is pivotal in pushing the economy forward.

But Santiago is not convinced of its feasibility unless the government recognises the need to cut down on the highly bloated civil service and red tapes, which have turned off many investors.

A recent World Economic Forum (WEF) report showed Malaysia's investment appeal dropping from 17 to 42. It cited the need for institutional reforms should Malaysia wish to see itself compete with its economically stronger neighbours like Indonesia and Thailand.

None of the initiatives under the ETP have incorporated the suggestions by the WEF report, said Santiago and this has become a stumbling block to Malaysia's economic growth.

Focus on developing talents

Santiago said Malaysia must focus more on developing human capital and strengthening the domestic market rather than relying heavily on foreign investments and technology, which is detrimental to the country's target for an innovation-driven economy.

"What we need is a proper reform of the education system where we can produce students with talents and build the economy on this," he said.

The Najib administration was forced to concede that it is losing local talents coupled with capital outflows and is striving to find ways to retain them.

However, observers, economists and opposition leaders alike, remain unconvinced of all the efforts made by the Najib administration so far to boost the economy.

S’wak Chinese unbowed by Taib’s threat

By Joe Fernandez - Free Malaysia Today

ANALYSIS The Sarawak United People’s Party (SUPP), in trouble with Chinese voters in particular since 2006, is being told that the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) will be able to form the next state government even without a single seat contribution from it. This is the message going out to the party from Sarawak Chief Minister Taib Mahmud who has to call state polls by the middle of next year.

Taib’s message is based on the fact that SUPP will be allocated as usual only 19 of the 71 state seats at stake. The party lost eight seats at the last outing in 2006. The Bumiputera-based Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) will take the lion’s share at 35, Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) nine and Sarawak Progressive Democratic Party (SPDP) eight.

The politically naïve BN minus SUPP theory is somehow expected to bring the party (SUPP) and Chinese voters, in Taib’s reckoning, to their senses. The implication is that the Chinese would have no representation in the state government, for the first time since independence, if SUPP is rejected at the polls.

The fact that the Chinese are not in the least perturbed by such arguments is being overlooked as not politically expedient. The Chinese, and Taib, know that it’s only a matter of time before others follow in their footsteps especially from among the better educated Bidayuh, Orang Ulu and the Malays.

The repercussions will be there especially for the PBB which has a vice-like grip on Sarawak. Already, even the Iban – plagued by low literacy levels -- are being threatened by PBB leaders “not to even think about deserting the ruling coalition”. It’s not surprising why no one in PBB thinks of threatening voters from the other better educated communities.

Chinese voters patently feel it’s pointless being represented in the state government if it means nothing for them in the end and the state, but only the ageing crop of self-serving leaders at the helm of SUPP and PBB. The younger leaders in SUPP are also up in arms against the lack of renewal, transition, change and reform within the party for many decades.

SUPP had a chance to renew its membership and leadership several times in the past to attract the younger Chinese in particular, but each time refused to do so. The unpopular George Chan, whose daughter is married to Taib’s son, continues to lead SUPP to its certain doom in an “all in the family” scenario.

The Chinese have also seen that they are losing out enormously, with Taib and his family, relatives and cronies having a finger in the economic pie everywhere in the state.

Ali Baba syndrome

Although they concede that they have been noted since the inception of the New Economic Policy (1970-1990) for the infamous Ali Baba syndrome – the Malay Ali selling government projects to the Chinese Baba for a quick commission – they worry that the corruption level in the state has now breached the stratosphere.

The economy, they point out rightly, is no longer about Ali Babaism which saw the Malay Ali getting anything between 5% and 15% commission for securing government projects for the Chinese business community (Baba). Instead, politicians in the ruling coalition are now awarding themselves, through nominees, government procurements and projects – under the guise of development – and selling them at twice, thrice or even up to 10 times what the Chinese Baba gets without paying out the usual 5% to 15% commission to the Malay Ali. The Chinese see this notorious “skim cepat kaya” (quick money scheme), fostered by PBB in general and Taib in particular, as being infinitely worse than any Ali Baba scam presided over in the past by SUPP.

The politically savvy and better educated urban Chinese voters know that government money is theirs as well, in fact most of it, and they are not going to allow the ruling coalition to continue to get away with raiding the public treasury at will.

There are many other social and economic issues confronting the Chinese community in Sarawak. However, the resolution of these issues hinges on the community subscribing to an agenda for change and reform in Sarawak after nearly half century of the same coalition in power. The immediate beneficiary, as in Sabah and Peninsular Malaysia, is likely to be Lim Kit Siang of the DAP. He has undoubtedly emerged as the undisputed leader of the Chinese in Malaysia.

The bottomline is that BN’s long years in power, in particular Taib’s, has seen the emergence of a political structure and system which has allowed gross abuse of power and unfettered access to public money to the detriment of the state. The Chinese feel that enough is enough as evident from the continuing debate in cyberspace.

Unlike the Bumiputera, the Dayak in particular, the Chinese are on their own in the urban areas of Sarawak and feel free from the dependency syndrome hoisted on the rest of the electorate by BN’s long years in power.

If anything, Taib’s subtle threats have made the Chinese in Sarawak more defiant than ever and it will be anybody’s guess whether SUPP can even retain its Bidayuh and other Dayak seats. The hope is that the party will be able to retain Opar, Bengoh, Simanggang and Engkilili. However, according to most analysts, both Opar and Bengoh are among the Bidayuh seats where the party is vulnerable to a great extent.

Black or grey

The remaining 15 seats are considered either “black” or “grey” areas as the Chinese make up the majority. Black areas are where the Chinese form 70% or more and grey areas are those with higher non-Chinese voters.

The eight seats considered black are Pending, Padungan, Batu Lintang, Kota Sentosa, Meradong, Bukit Assek, Kidurong and Repok.

The seven grey seats are Batu Kawa, Bawang Assan, Palawan, Dudong, Piasau, Senadin and Pujut.

If SUPP ends up winning only a couple of Dayak seats, that will be the final nail in the coffin for the party to claim to represent not only the Chinese but the Dayak as well. The other parties in the Sarawak BN, that is, PRS and SPDP, besides PBB, will lay claim to SUPP’s Dayak seats. The Chinese seats could be easily divided between PRS and SPDP which are both ostensibly multiracial but Dayak-based, but it’s unlikely that Taib will allow it.

SUPP Youth chief Sih Hua Tong sees a ray of hope if the party identifies candidates which can win at least some seats for it to enjoy continued representation in the state Cabinet and government.

So, the question of changing the leadership cannot be entertained now, according to him, but at the triennial delegates conference which should be held by the end of next year.

Members and leaders chaffing for change in the party and voters have heard such talk before.

Sistem pendidikan sedang dicabul. Malap masa depan anak Melayu!

Petang tadi saya berkesempatan minum dan makan roti canai dengan beberapa orang kawan yang bekerja sebagai guru. Mendengar daripada topik perbualan mereka, kisah dan cerita yang berlaku di dalam sistem pendidikan negara ini amat membimbangkan saya. Daripada markah lulus (passing mark) untuk subjek Sains dan Matematik yang diubah-ubah untuk mencapai target peratusan lulus sehinggalah kepada soalan UPSR yang bocor hampir setiap tahun.

Menurut seorang kawan saya ini, beberapa pelajar yang mendapat keputusan yang sangat cemerlang seperti mendapat "A" di dalam semua subjek di dalam peperiksaan UPSR mereka telah diterima masuk ke sekolah berasrama penuh, tetapi selepas beberapa bulan, mereka dinasihatkan supaya menukar ke sekolah biasa kerana didapati masih tidak menguasai asas pembacaan, penulisan dan pengiraan. Bayangkan, pelajar yang mendapat semua "A" dalam UPSR dinasihatkan keluar dari sekolah berasrama penuh kerana tahap sebenar mereka tidak menggambarkan keputusan UPSR mereka.

Menurut kawan-kawan guru ini, projek "menolong Melayu" (kononnya) ini bermula selepas pencapaian markah yang teruk di dalam subjek Sains dan Matematik di kalangan pelajar Melayu apabila pengajaran dalam bahasa Inggeris mula-mula diperkenalkan untuk kedua-dua subjek ini. Pada mulanya, langkah menurunkan markah lulus (passing mark) dilakukan hanya sebagai 'quick fix' sahaja kerana untuk mengelakkan kejutan dan menjaga air muka jabatan dan kementerian pendidikan. Tetapi amalan mengubah-mengubah markah lulus sudah menjadi budaya dan mula sebati di dalam sistem. Menurut kawan-kawan guru ini, mereka terkejut bagaimana ramai murid yang mereka mengajar setiap hari boleh mendapat "A" di dalam peperiksaan sebenar UPSR sedangkan markah kebiasaan yang diperolehi sepanjang ujian dan peperiksaan percubaan hanya sekitar 25% sahaja.

Menurut kawan-kawan guru, golongan atasan di dalam Jabatan Pendidikan amat menjaga "KPI" mereka yang berdasarkan kepada peratusan kelulusan dan juga peratusan mendapat "A". Lagi pun ini untuk "membantu Melayu", kata mereka.

Penyakit ini ditambah juga oleh satu barah yang lain, iaitu soalan peperiksaan UPSR yang bocor setiap tahun. Kebocoran kertas soalan UPSR inilah yang menghasilkan pelajar yang layak masuk ke sekolah berasrama penuh, tetapi masih terkial-kial untuk menulis dan membaca. Menurut kawan-kawan guru ini, 10 tahun yang lepas, mereka senang untuk meramalkan pelajar yang akan mendapat keputusan yang cemerlang atau yang gagal di dalam UPSR kerana keputusan peperiksaan sebenar juga lebih menyerupai keputusan ujian dan peperiksaan percubaan yang dilakukan oleh pihak sekolah. Tetapi pada hari ini, keputusan UPSR mengejutkan mereka. Pelajar yang tidak pernah lulus di dalam peperiksaan di sekolah sepanjang tahun tiba-tiba mendapat "A" di dalam UPSR.

Menurut kawan-kawan guru ini, kebiasaanya Terengganu ialah negeri di mana bermulanya soalan UPSR yang bocor. Ini kerana kertas peperiksaan UPSR akan tiba lebih awal di atas pulau-pulau yang mempunyai sekolah-sekolah. Saya tidak tahu samada polis juga bersubahat kerana kertas peperiksaan ini disimpan di balai polis.

Mampus lah kita macam ni...

When is Najib going to provide leadership and take a stand against Malaysians “whose heads are not right” who have caused unprecedented inter-racial and inter-religious strain?

By Lim Kit Siang,

Speaking at the Interfaith Relations Working Committee luncheon yesterday, the Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak said the world contained individuals whose heads were “not right”.

He was referring specifically to the recent threat by an American pastor to burn the Quran and the Sept 11 attacks on the World Trade Centre by terrorists who “hijacked Islam” and said such conflicts were caused by ignorance.

He said: “Without understanding and knowledge, there can never be goodwill and understanding. We need to know the beauty found in every religion.”

What Najib said yesterday is very correct but Malaysians are entitled to ask why he had not provided leadership to take a stand against those in Malaysia “whose heads are not right” in the past 18 months of his premiership resulting in the escalation of the rhetoric of racial bigotry and religious extremism despite his proclamation of “1Malaysia. People First. Performance Now” policy?

It is precisely because of the Prime Minister’s failure to take a stand against individuals “whose heads are not right” that there had been such inter-racial and inter-religious strain in the past 18 months, destroying his political honeymoon as new Prime Minister, undermining his credibility and derailing his key policies like the New Economic Model – a phenomenon never seen in the first 18 months of the previous five Prime Ministers, Tunku Abdul Rahman, Tun Razak, Tun Hussein, Tun Mahathir and Tun Abdullah.

Sadly, many of those “whose heads are not right” are also to be found in his Cabinet, which is why despite his 1Malaysia policy “to create a nation where every Malaysian perceives himself or herself as Malaysian first, and by race, religion, geographical region or socio-economic background second and where the principles of 1Malaysia are woven into the economic, political and social fabric of society”, only one Cabinet Minister – Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz – has so far the courage, conviction and gumption to declare that he is Malaysian first and Malay second.

Malaysians are very disappointed that in the past 72 hours, no other Cabinet Minister had emulated Nazri to publicly declare that he or she is Malaysian first, race second.

Isn’t this the best proof the Najib’s Cabinet is populated by too many individuals “whose heads are not right” who dare not declare being Malaysian first race second, thus making a total mockery of Najib’s 1Malaysia slogan and policy?

Who is the second Cabinet Minister to declare that he/she is Malaysian first and race second?

When will Najib’s Cabinet have a majority of Ministers who can publicly declare that they are Malaysian first and race second to demonstrate that his 1Malaysia policy is being taken seriously by his own Cabinet?

Teoh Beng Hock, Did You Commit Suicide?

by Richard Loh

I am truly sorry, Sdr. Teoh Beng Hock, that I have to ask you this question, Did You Commit Suicide? Everyone knows that this is really a stupid question to ask but am I wrong? No, I am not wrong because this is the way how our government, macc, pdrm and the judiciary taught us, to be stupid.

When your family met up with the prime minister, he made a promise that your mysterious death will be fully investigated and ensured that no stone will be left unturned. With this promise, the prime minister should called for a royal commission of inquiry which your family and the public had wanted, instead, he called for an inquest. Why did he reject the RCI, simply because the chances of getting the truth of your mysterious death is very high. For an inquest, they have the upper hand to protect the guilty (if any), manipulate and fabricate, anyway, anyhow they wanted.

On the onset, the government, PDRM, MACC and the judiciary had already made up their mind to see that your mysterious death be concluded as committing suicide, that is, you took your own life. I came to this conclusion by judging the way they presented the case, the investigation by PdRM, the judiciary allowing the DPP to ridicule witness and articulation of imaginary theories.

Your body was discovered at around 1:30pm but was kept in the dark for over four hours before making the announcement. A lot of things can be done, cleaning up, confide in each other what to say and many other rearrangement if required during the four hours.

One minister came out with his wise statement just hours later, “we do not know why he wanted to jump and not going home”. One of the first few indication to start and point towards a commit suicide verdict.

The MACC suddenly became very professional, claiming that you were not a suspect but only a witness without explaining why a witness required such long hours of questioning right through the early morning. MACC claimed that you were released but do not know why you wanted to stay back while your personal belongings were still kept by them. Indeed, we, the public finds it very puzzling the way MACC tried to distance themselves from your death.

The so called professional PDRM can only came to the conclusion of sudden death. If the pdrm were to really look deeper into it, my guess is that they should be able to find out whether you committed suicide or was it homicide.

We now come to the interesting part, the clowning of your inquest. Here, we can really see that no stone was left unturned to pursue for a commit suicide verdict.

Your mental stage and your family were questioned very thoroughly but not the MACC officials that were questioning you. Every effort to block Dr. Porntip from testifying to the extend of questioning her qualification and expertise being not recognised by our country.

You were even speculated to have strangled yourself first before you jumped to your death. We can see how desperate they are to protect someone, the murderer, the government, the MACC, the PDRM or even the judiciary?

The most shocking and unbelievable evidence surfaced after more than a year of your inquest, your suicide note. As I had said above, for an inquest they have the upper hand to spring surprises, they can magically turned a common simple note into a suicide note. The laughter does not end here, there are more when they can justified to present your suicide note as evidence based on google’s translation from your written Chinese note into English. They did not get an expert to translate nor authenticate the so called suicide note.

So, here we are, can anyone be surprised should the DPP in the ongoing inquest called for your lawyers to go and asked you whether you were murdered or that you committed suicide?

I am now ahead of the DPP stupidity to ask you this question first, Did You Commit Suicide?

http://ousel.blogspot.com/2010/09/teoh-beng-hock-did-you-commit-suicide.html

Really sad .............. Kelingggggg

(via email)
Please read urself n see how Malaysian Malays talk bad bout Malaysian Indians. I didn’t say that Datuk Pathmananthan is right or good person. But these Malays kutuk all Malaysian Indians as org tumpang, keling.. paria… org hitam, hati pun hitam.. its really sad… We need to improve our life style.. upgrade our status… we need proof it to them, who condemn us…  
This scenario one of proof that Malays really dun like us.. I Flag all the comment n report it…
 

On International Peace Day, HAF Calls for Communal Harmony in Ayodhya

New York, NY (September 21, 2010) - The Hindu American Foundation (HAF), in commemoration of the United Nation’s International Day of Peace, called for peaceful restraint and communal harmony on the eve of the highly anticipated Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Mosque verdict in India. A three judge panel of the Allahabad High Court in India is set to announce its verdict this week on the 60-year-old legal dispute over the title of a plot of land in the holy city of Ayodhya. The land in question is believed by many Hindus to be the site of an ancient temple and the birthplace of Lord Rama, one of the more popular avatars worshipped by Hindus and non-Hindus throughout South and Southeast Asia. Some reports indicate that the verdict will not bring an end to the dispute, as both sides have expressed their intent to appeal any verdict to the Supreme Court of India.

After excavations in 2003, the Archaeological Survey of India appeared to have concluded the existence of a Hindu temple pre-dating the mosque, although some, including Muslim groups, contested these findings. What is known is that the Babri Mosque, called the Masjid-i-Janmasthan or Mosque of the Birthplace until the 1940s, was constructed from 1526 -1528 under Zahiruddin Muhammad Babur, the first Mughal emperor of India. Many Hindus contend that the Babri Mosque is one of many such mosques to have been built atop sacred Hindu, Jain and Buddhist holy sites throughout South and Southeast Asia during the three centuries of Mughal rule. The Babri Mosque was torn down in 1992 after a hard-line Hindu political rally devolved into a riot. The destruction led to a violent aftermath which claimed thousands of lives of both Hindus and Muslims in India and also led to the retaliatory destruction of hundreds of Hindu temples throughout Pakistan and Bangladesh.

“Respect for sacred lands as well as respect for the religious sentiments attached to such spaces goes to the very heart of religious pluralism and harmonious coexistence,” said Mihir Meghani, co-founder and member of HAF’s Board of Directors. “It is our fervent hope that both Hindus and Muslims will exercise restraint no matter what the judgment and begin working towards reconciliation. While a court judgment may settle the legalities over land ownership, it will likely not win the hearts and minds of all those that hold this site to have deep religious and historical significance. Religious leaders can play a constructive role in an amicable resolution, taking into consideration that this site has served as a place of pilgrimage for millions of Hindus, Jains, Sikhs and Buddhists even while the mosque was still intact.”

The three issues before the High Court are whether a temple or Hindu religious structure pre-dated the Babri Mosque at that site; whether the fact that a mosque existed at the site from 1528 to the night of December 22-23, 1949, when murtis of Lord Ram, Lakshman and Sita were placed inside the shrine, gave Muslims ownership and whether the fact that a functional temple had existed at the site since 1949 gave Hindus ownership. The long-awaited verdict on September 24th may finally decide, subject to any appeals to the Supreme Court of India, which community has rights to the land, enabling them to freely construct a structure of their choice.

To date, the site remains heavily guarded by security forces due to lingering concerns over renewed tensions between Hindus and Muslims. Although the mosque destruction and riots occurred 11 years prior to the founding of HAF, the Foundation recognized that this remains an sensitive and political issue in India. HAF unequivocally condemned the violence and loss of life that occurred and urged both sides to resolve the vexing dispute through peaceful means.

HAF leaders also expressed caution over any renewed politicization of the issue. “The Ram Janmabhoomi trial is indeed important and emotive,” said Suhag Shukla, HAF’s Managing Director and Legal Counsel. “But it must be dealt with by India’s leadership in a way so as to not detract from the much needed focus on economic and social development throughout the country."

East Jerusalem clash turns deadly

A Palestinian has been killed after a Jewish settlement guard opened fire at a group of men in an Arab neighbourhood of East Jerusalem.

The incident occurred after clashes broke out between Jewish settlers and a number of local Palestinians in the Silwan neighbourhood, Al Jazeera's Dan Nolan reported from Jerusalem.

Israeli policemen fired rubber-coated bullets and teargas at stone-throwing Palestinian protesters after the shooting, leaving several Palestinians wounded.

"Early this morning a private security guard drove in his car when the road was blocked with garbage. Cans and stones were throne at him from an upper level by tens of people," Mickey Rosenfeld, an Israeli police spokesman, said.

"The security guard pulled his gun and shot dead a 32 year-old local citizen. The man who was killed is known to the police. His body was taken for examination. The security guard was arrested. The investigation is still in process," he said.

Silwan, a crowded Arab neighbourhood of roughly 45,000 Arabs, is one of the most volatile areas of East Jerusalem, which Israel occupied in 1967 and later annexed in a move not recognised by the international community.

Demolition plans

Plans to demolish Palestinian homes to make way for an archaeological park have triggered violent protests in the past.

The Jerusalem city council gave the green light in June for the controversial project which would be under the control of Elad, a group dedicated to expanding Jewish ownership in east Jerusalem.

Under the plan, 22 homes would be razed, while another 66 would be legalised.

The park is planned on what is believed to be the site of ancient Jerusalem during the reigns of the biblical kings David and Solomon.

Wednesday's shooting highlighted the challenges Israeli and Palestinian negotiators face in peace talks which resumed on September 2 after a 20-month hiatus.

The issue of settlements has been one of the thorniest in peace efforts.

The international community considers Israeli settlements in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, to be illegal.

The Palestinians want a freeze on all settlement construction but are also pushing for a renewal of a partial moratorium on settlement building that will end within days, even though the curbs do not cover east Jerusalem.

The Israeli government does not consider Jewish residents of East Jerusalem to be settlers as it views the whole of the Holy City as its "eternal and indivisible capital". - Al Jazeera

Nurul Izzah being probed for sedition

Don't insult the deputy president, Azmin tells Zaid

Sosilawati murder 3

HRP tells NRD to be non race and religious bias in eliminating Indian statelessness and freedom of religion.

(HRP Report dated 21/09/2010)
On 13/8/2010 our National Adviser Mr.N.Ganesan, P.Uthayakumar, W.Sambulingam, S.Thiagarajan and Manimaran had an official three (3) hour meeting with En Mohd Azmin bin Hassan, the Director of Births, Deaths and Adoptions and twelve (12) of his senior officers at their Putrajaya office. At this meeting we had emphasized on an Independent and non race and religious bias National Registration Department in eliminating statelessness and upholding the Constitutional Right to freedom of religion.

Having laid the groundwork we promised to come back with the real cases.
And today 21/9/10 we did just that. We brought to the National Registration Department (NRD) Headquarters in Putrajaya ten (10) Malaysian Indian victims from three different families of forced conversion or forced to Islam namely the families of Rajina a/p Krishnan ( whose name on the Identity Card is Rajina Bt Mohd Zaini @ Krishnan), Rani a/p Kandasamy ( whose name on the Birth Cerificate is Jamilah binti Abdul Kadir) and Banggarama a/p Subramaniam (whose name on the Identity Card is Siti Hasnah Vangarama binti Abdullah).

We arrived at the National Registration Department at about 9 a.m and were attended to by one Puan Azliza Binti Shaharudin the Timbalan Pengarah 1, Bahagian Kelahiran, Kematian & Anak Angkat .Upon perusal of the documents Pn Azliza Binti Shaharudin rejected the applications on the grounds that these three cases should be brought to the Syariah Court for the change of name and religion from Islam to Hindu and then to come back to apply for their Identity Cards and Birth Certificates with the Syariah Court Order.

We instead gave a briefing on the Constitutional, Legal and the United Nations(UN) International Covenant provisions to Puan Azlina and her officers as outlined hereinbelow in items No 1 to 6. She then called in Mr Nik Hassan Husin bin Nik Abdullah (Penolong Pegawai Pendaftaran Tinggi) to attend to the cases.

Another special officer Pn.Zabariah from Bahagian daftar lewat was assigned to attend to Rejina’s son case where he has no birth certificate since he was born. The National Registration Department office in Johor had at the birth of her son Tinesh (2) refused to include the name of his natural father Mahendran a/l Habimanan and his religion as
Hindu in his Birth Certificate.

Then another officer Rabiatul attended to Bangaramma’s two (2) children Hisyanthini and Kanagaraj to fill in the application forms to change their religious status to Hindu and include their father’s name Sockalingam a/l Suppiah into the birth certificates which column had been filled up with the words “Maklumat Tidak Diperolehi” (details not available).

We had questioned the said NRD Deputy Director how could this be when the natural father and mother had confirmed that Sockalingam is the natural father and that this is in contravention of Section 5 (1) (a) and (b) of the Registration of Births and Deaths Act 1975. (Note: the connotations can be so derogatory so as to cast imputations that the child could be an illegitimate child).
Upon completion, Banggarama and Rajina’s son’s application were forwarded to En.Nik Hassan bin Nik Abdullah for affirmation (oath).

Upon completion of Rejina’s son’s application, I was called aside with Mr Mohan to the meeting room by En.Nik Hassan to get feedback on the statelessness and the forced conversion to Islam cases we were handling. We raised several other issues on the stateless and forced religious status cases faced by Malaysian Indians. En Nik Hassan conceded that the JAKIM’s rule in handling the conversion case is cruel. He mentioned that they had meetings with Jakim and Jais personnell and with Majlis Raja-Raja Melayu and recently had discussed this matter but they are yet to come back with a solution since all the State Rulers will have to meet and discuss this matter to come to a solution.

Later, Rani was told by another officer En.Mohd Ashgar of the Birth Death and Adoption that the amendment in the Birth Certificates for her children could not be changed as the birth certificate is only issued once in their life time and it is to remain the history of their birth and the application to change the name and the status from Islam to hindu is rejected by virtue of Section 15(1) of the Registration Births and Deaths Act 1975. However they informed us that they could use Section 27(3) of the same Act to make corrections to the name and their religious status. Rani’s case was then handed over to the officer in charge of Identity Cards En.Zulkiflee (Penolong Pengarah Bahagian Kad pengenalan) and Puan Azliza to do the changes in the name and the status of their religion. Here we had submitted the six applications of:-

1. Rani-to change her name and religions status

2. Muniandy (Rani’s husband)- to change his name and the religious status (Mustapha Muniandy bin Abdullah)

3. Ganesan(son)-Name and Religious status (Abdul bin Mustapha Muniandy)

4. Chitra Devi (daughter)- to change Name and religion(Chitra devi binti Mustapha Muniandy)
Note: Chitra Devi was forced to stop school at 16 years of age as she was forced wear a tudung and attend Islamic religious classes. 

5. Nagendran (son) –Name and religious status (Hamzah bin Mustapha Muniandy)

6. Vijaya Letchumy (daughter) Hindu name but whose religious status in the NRD computer is Islam and cannot get registered to her Hindu husband Tamilarasan a/l M. Rajendran.



The National Registration Department officers told us that they would revert to us within two (2) months time.
It took the whole day lasting over 8 hours including the lunch break with seven (7) NRD officers working to complete this application process and we were the last persons to come out of the National Registration Department office building. But all in the spirit of the Hindraf struggle. Also with me were the HRP 4M officials ie Mano, Manimaran, Mohan and Maniam (Kapar). And next week we would be taking the second batch of ten (10) stateless Malaysian Indians.
S.Thiagarajan
Central Committee Member HRP
(019-3085944)

1) By virtue of Section 6 of the Registration of Births and Deaths (Special Provisions). Act 1975 “A Registrar (of Births) shall record such particulars as may be prescribed in a report book in the prescribed form concerning any birth or death given to him by any person qualified to do so.
Section 5 of the same Act outlines persons qualified to give Information.

1) The following persons shall be qualified to give information concerning a birth, that is to say:
(a) father of the child;
(b) mother of the child;
(c) the occupier of the house in which the child was, to the knowledge of the occupier, born;
(d) any person present at the birth;
(e) any person having charge of the child; and
(f) any other person having personal knowledge of birth.

2) Article 11 of the Federal Constitution (Freedom of religion) and 11(1) “Every person has the right to profess and practice his religion and to propogate it”.


3) The Federal Constitution is the highest law of the country and is above all other laws, with no disrespect including Islamic laws and are only subsidiary to the Federal Constitution.

4) Article 14 of the Federal Constitution read with Part II of the Second Schedule provides for citizenship by “operation of law” and “for every person born within the Federation of whose parents one at least is at the time of birth either a citizen or permanently resident in the Federation.

5) Article 7 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (which Malaysia ratified in 1995 provides) “The Child shall be registered immediately after birth and shall have the right from birth to a name, the right to acquire a nationality and as far as possible, the right to know and be cared for by his or her parents.

6) States parties shall ensure the implementation of these rights in accordance with their national law and their obligations under the relevant international instruments in this field, in particular where the child would otherwise be stateless.