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Friday, 1 March 2013

PI Bala: Razak regretted not paying Altantuya

Political analyst Abdul Razak Baginda apparently regretted not paying the US$500,000 in "commission" due to slain Mongolian Altantuya Shaaribuu, claimed former private investigator P Balasubramaniam.
He recounted Razak as allegedly saying this just prior to his arrest in 2006.

Balasubramaniam, employed by Razak then, was giving a blow-by-blow account of the circumstances surrounding Altantuya's death during his first public appearance last night after fleeing the country nearly five years ago.

Habdul razak baginda pc 201108 06e said he was leaving the office of a lawyer identified as Puravelan, with Razak, in a lift at that time.
Newspapers were already speculating then about Razak (left) being arrested soon, and the lawyer was busy preparing his client for such an eventuality.

Upon hearing this, the private investigator supposedly told Razak, "Boss, look here. What was my advice to you? Police report. You should have done the police report."

Went against advice

Balasubramaniam explained that Razak had engaged him to keep Altantuya at bay, but the private eye advised him to lodge a police report instead.

However, Razak purportedly declined to do so because "a VVIP was involved," who was later revealed to be then defence minister and now Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak.

Altantuya was said to be demanding US$500,000 (RM1,550,750) and three air tickets to Mongolia from Razak at the time, supposedly as "fees" for her role in mediating the Scorpene submarine deal.

Balasubramaniam said Razak did end up being arrested on Nov 7, the day the conversation took place, just 30 minutes upon reaching his office at Bangunan Getah Asli, Kuala Lumpur after the meeting.

azlanHe was eventually charged and acquitted of allegedly abetting in Altantuya's murder, while two police Special Action Unit (UTK) officers were sentenced to death for allegedly shooting Altantuya and blasting her remains with military-grade explosives.

Some 1,000 people crammed Kuala Lumpur and Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall's main hall last night to hear first-hand what Balasubramaniam had to say on the Mongolian's killing.

New revelations were few and far in between while Balasubramaniam often stumbled to find the right words and had to rely on a Powerpoint slide he had prepared since his return to recall some of the events.

Exposures entrance crowd

Nevertheless, the audience remained glued to their seats - or the floor if they couldn't find one - for nearly two hours until around 11.30pm as Balasubramaniam painstakingly went through the events.

This included what had transpired between him and Razak from their introduction until the arrest, the circumstances surrounding his first statutory declaration implicating Najib in the murder and a second statutory declaration made under duress to retract it, and further attempts to bribe him to slander opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim.

NONEThe audience appeared to be engaged by Balasubramaniam's version of the events, clapping and cheering at key points of his talk or whenever a prominent personality's name, like Najib, cropped up.
They also booed at a video of Najib denying any involvement in the incident that was screened as part of the prelude to the talk.

Other speakers included Suaram secretariat member Cynthia Gabriel and cartoonist Zulkiflee SM Anwar Ulhaque, better known as Zunar.

During the talk, Balasubramaniam mentioned that he was alone with the commissioner of oaths during the second statutory declaration.

When event moderator Badrul Hisham Shaharin asked him about a lawyer supposedly involved in preparing the document, Balasubramaniam said he only knew of this through ‘hearsay' via businessperson Deepak Jaikishan, who had persuaded him to make the declaration.
NONE"If you ask me, I don't know. I only heard the hearsay info because Deepak had already mentioned that it was Cecil Abraham (left)," he said, drawing cheers from the crowd.

He said his lawyer Americk Sidhu and human rights activist Haris Ibrahim had pressured the Bar Council to look into the allegation and its president Lim Chee Wee had asked him to give a statement.

"If everything goes right, Cecil Abraham's cover will be blown," he said.
When approached by Malaysiakini last month, Cecil had refused to comment on the allegations. Malaysiakini is currently seeking Razak Baginda’s comments on the matter.

Uthaya: Manifesto overlooked Hindraf's 18-point demand

Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf) de facto leader P Uthayakumar has slammed Pakatan Rakyat's manifesto for overlooking its 18-point demand to assist the Indian community.

He said that while Pakatan supremo Anwar Ibrahim has offered to fix an omission in the manifesto by adding in Kelantan, Terengganu and Pahang's oil royalty, Hindraf's demands did not receive the same treatment.

Uthayakumar, who is also the Human Rights Party pro-tem secretary-general, questioned whether the manifesto transcends racial boundaries as Anwar had claimed on Tuesday.

NONE"There are zero provisions in the manifesto to undo these 56 years of ongoing Umno racism-cum-injustices victimising the most vulnerable community in Malaysia, like the Indian poor.

"(Although) Pakatan shouted ubah (change), the manifesto does not include undoing these injustices," Uthayakumar said in a statement today.

To illustrate his point, Uthayakumar described the condition of a 61-year-old Indian Malaysian woman named Pushpagantha, who is suffering from several diseases and had approached Hindraf for help yesterday.

"The Tabung Ekonomi Kumpulan Usaha Niaga (Tekun Nasional) and Amanah Ikhtiar Malaysia (AIM) government loans do not reach the Indian poor like Pushpagantha.

"Neither are they in Pakatan’s manifesto," he said, adding that the woman had asked for land for agricultural purposes.

Yesterday, Hindraf chairperson P Waythamoorthy expressed "extreme disappointment" with the manifesto, saying that it has neglected the interests of the Indian Malaysian community.

He also lamented the fact that Pakatan has not endorsed Hindraf’s five-year blueprint, which he said offers a "permanent, practical and comprehensive" solution to the problem of marginalised Indians for a "mere" RM4.5 billion a year.

Islamic Violence erupted in Bangladesh. Jamaat men attacked Hindus in Noakhali. 32 killed after death sentence given to War Crime Sayedee.

Noakhali-pic-banglaprotestdec18pic1bangladesh-tuesday-clashe

Dindgadoba- Rajshahi 









At least 23 killed including Hindu minorities by Muslim fundamentalists in protests in Bangladesh over Islamist’s death sentence.

Jamaatis wreak havoc over Hindu minorities in Bangladesh after announcing death sentence to Delawar Hossain Sayedee.

The Enemy of Humanity.Dhaka | BD News Agency | Feb 28 2013 :: Islamic Bangladesh is again on Jihadi fire. Bangladesh was put on the boil today as at least 32 people, including three policemen, were killed and scores injured in violence after a death sentence was handed down to a top leader of the fundamentalist Jamaat-e-Islami for “crimes against humanity” during the 1971 liberation war. Hindu Minorities were then being targeted in NoaKhali, Satkhira and almost all over Bangladesh, out of a bare outburst of Islamic communalism. The same repetition is now being observed in Noakhali and Chattagram in present situation after Sayeede’s death verdict.

After Jamaat executive council member Delwar Hossain Sayedee was awarded death sentence for 1971 war crimes, the attacks there were carried out from a Jamaat procession protesting the verdict. The violence followed the verdict of the special Bangladeshi tribunal that handed down death penalty to Delwar Hossain Sayedee, vice-president of the party, amid a nationwide shutdown called by Jamaat-e-Islami (JI).

“He (Delwar Hossain Sayedee) will be hanged by neck till he is dead,” pronounced chairman of the three-judge International Crimes Tribunal Justice ATM Fazle Kabir.

Right after the verdict, leaders and activists of Jamaat and its student affiliate Islami Chhatra Shibir took out the procession at Begumganj’s Rajganj Bazar.

Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) of Begumganj circle Mahbub Alam Khan said attacks were carried out from that procession and the Hindu temples at Rajganj Bazar, Thakur Barhi and Bainnabarhi areas were vandalised. Reports of molestation of Hindu girls are also hooked up in the widespread news.

The attackers also set the residences of Bhuiyan and Banik families on fire, leaving six people injured.

ASP Khan said additional police forces were deployed later.

Meanwhile, activists of Jamaat supporters clashed with police in Noakhali town following the verdict. Shibir activists detonated several crude bombs at that time.

Acting SP Mahbub Rashid said the Shibir men also vandalised 12 buses and torched four more at the Al-Amin Bus Depot at Dattar Haat.

He said police fired at least a hundred rounds from the shotguns to take control of the situation. – See more at:

At least 23 people were killed as the activists of Jamaat-e-Islami and its student wing Islami Chhatra Shibir went on the rampage across the country after Sayedee’s verdict,the Daily Star reported.

The victims included the cops, activists of Jamaat, Shibir, Juba League and common people.

Of the deceased, six people, including three policemen, were killed in Gaibandha, four in Thakurgaon, three in Satkhira, two each in Rangpur, Noakhali and Sirajganj while one each in Dinajpur, Natore, Cox’s Bazar and Chapainawabganj.

In Gaibandha after the verdict several thousand supporters of the Islamic party attacked a police outpost in Sundarganj upazila.

They beat three policemen to death and set fire to the outpost. In response, police opened fire, leaving three people killed.

In Thakurgaon about 1,500 Jamaat-Shibir men took out a procession after the verdict and attacked shops and houses of Awami League men and the Hindu community.

Noakhali+pic+DSC01854
Noakhali- Begumganj
Police and Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) teams rushed there and fired blank shots and tear shells to disperse the attackers.

Encircling the police, the marauding Jamaat-Shibir men started to throw brick-bats and, at one stage, closed in to fight them. Police opened fire to escape, leaving one dead on the spot and about eight to 10 injured.

A 13-year-old Shibir supporter, was later found lying dead, bullet-hit, inside a shop. Two other persons were declared dead at the Thakurgaon Sadar Hospital, police said.

At least two people were killed and 57 others injured during clashes between the activists of JI-Shibir and the police in the northwestern district of Rangpur.

The deceased were Shibir activists.

In Noakhali after the pronouncement of the verdict, Jamaat and Shibir activists set fire to a temple and houses of Hindu community.

Two people were killed as the activists clashed with law enforcers at different points in Noakhali.

In Dinajpur, a Shibir man was killed and two sustained bullet wounds when the BGB men opened fire on activists of JI and Shibir.

Three people in Satkhira, two in Sirajganj and one each in Cox’s Bazar and Chapainawabganj, were killed in violence following the verdict.

An Awami League activist was hacked to death in Natore district.

Banskhali, Chattagram.
Banshkhali- Chattagram
JI activists also attacked police camps at different places.

Authorities earlier called out paramilitary BGB along with the police and elite anti-crime Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) to maintain law and order.

The verdict came as a security blanket covered the capital Dhaka and other major cities after JI called a nationwide shutdown coinciding with the date of the judgement, while thousands of youngsters enforced a street vigil demanding the capital punishment for the war criminals.

Following the verdict, thousands of youngsters celebrated beating drums and chanting slogans in the capital and several other major cities where transport plied in large numbers and offices and businesses remained open defying the JI strike call.

“Hang the war criminals, ban Jamaat-Shibir,” they shouted parading the city streets.

No clash was reported in Dhaka though witnesses said JI activists tried to make visible their presence on the street exploding homemade bombs and staging street marches at places but fled the scenes as police chased them with rubber bullets and tear gas canisters.

Source News & Pic.s: BD News | Daily Star | Outlook | AFP | Reuters | Agencies.

Protest over 'gay hate' Islamic cleric's vist to university


Campaigners have hit out at the University of Reading for allowing a 'gay hate' Islamic preacher to address students.

Abu Usamah at-Thahabi is due to give a speech to the university's Muslim Society as part of its Discover Islam Week on Thursday night.

Anti-extremist group Student Rights has condemned the meeting and called on the university to review its decision to allow the controversial cleric on campus.

Protestors claim he has been caught making homophobic remarks including referring to gay people as "perverted, dirty, filthy dogs who should be murdered".

The Muslim cleric is also being accused of sexual harassment at the Birmingham mosque where he preaches.

According to Birmingham's Sunday Mercury, Mr At Thahabi, who is an imam at the Green Lane mosque in Sparkbrook is named in a website which claims to expose “sexual deviant preachers who prey on our Muslim sisters.”

The site alleges that it has been contacted by at least two female victims of the US-born convert.

The University of Reading has refused to give in to the demands insisting that it was committed to upholding both the right to free speech and lawful protest.

Collapsed Cyberjaya flyover was closed for repairs, say PKNS, Works Ministry


A view of the collapsed flyover in Cyberjaya. PKNS and the Works Ministry say the collapsed flyover has been closed for repairs. – Photo by Choo Choy May

CYBERJAYA, Feb 28 – The flyover near the Selangor Science Park 2 (SSP2) here that collapsed today was closed for repair works since last November, the Selangor State Development Corporation (PKNS) said today.

PKNS general manager Othman Omar said that the flyover, which was originally built by PKNS but has been handed over to highway operator PLUS Malaysia Berhad, was closed to repair a road that had begun to sink beneath it. However, PLUS has denied the flyover was handed to it, saying it is still under the purview of PKNS.

Othman said that both PKNS and PLUS began investigations last December after noticing damage to the flyover from excavation works.
“Before we could finish the investigation, the flyover has collapsed,” Othman told reporters here.

Minister of Works Datuk Seri Shaziman Abu Mansor said in a statement today that the flyover and the road below it were closed since December 7 last year, and will remain closed until December 31 this year, depending on the speed of repair works.

“On December 7, I visited the bridge after I was informed by the Malaysian Highway Authority (LLM) that there was movements on one of the pillars at the Science Park 2 tiered interchange that connects to Putrajaya and Cyberjaya,” said Shaziman.

Shaziman’s statement was confirmed by PKNS’ deputy general manager Abdul Ghani Hashim, who said that four pillars on the Cyberjaya side suffered from structural problems.

According to PKNS, the peaty land in the area caused the road underneath to sink, causing PLUS to hire a third party to run repair works.

PKNS insisted that the flyover was in perfect condition when it was handed over to PLUS, but it was not designed to withstand deep excavation underneath which has caused structural disturbance.

Othman today promised that works to rebuild the flyover will be started as soon as possible, with clean-up expected to take three weeks, and construction another eight months.

“We don’t want this to be a war of pointing fingers ... We want to take pro-active measures, we will fix this first. Hopefully along the way we will resolve this issue,” he said.

The flyover collapsed around 12.30pm today and appeared to have been broken into two pieces, in the latest incident involving public works projects in the country.

PKNS confirmed that no one was hurt in the incident.

The flyover, which was closed last November, is an exit from the Elite Highway (KM P2.4) towards SSP2. The Lingkaran Putrajaya stretch managed by PLUS towards Putrajaya runs below it.

Works on the RM7 million flyover by contractor BNI Construction started on October 2007, and it was completed on November 2009. Four developers – PKNS, Utuh Aspirasi Sdn Bhd, Taraf Unggul Sdn Bhd, and Semai Ria Sdn Bhd – shared the cost for its construction.

Surendran to make election debut

The PKR vice-president confirms that he will be contesting for the parliamentary seat of Padang Serai in Kedah.
VIDEO INSIDE

KUALA LUMPUR: He started out as a human rights activist and then made the transition to politics. Now, PKR vice-president N Surendran has his guns trained on a parliamentary seat for his election debut.

The lawyer, a familiar face at the forefront of numerous human rights abuse cases, would be contesting in the Padang Serai constituency in Kedah, now held by N Gobalakrishnan.

Gobalakrishnan, who quit PKR following differences with the leadership, is still hoping that he would be allowed to contest the seat without hindrance from Barisan Nasional.

In an exclusive interview with FMT, Surendran said: “Yes, I would be contesting the Padang Serai seat. I have worked in elections since 1999; however, this would be the first time I would be standing as a candidate.”

“It is quite a challenge and at the same time it is exciting, but the main goal is to garner enough seats in order to take control of the federal government.

“There is a need to change this country; to rule this country the way it ought to be done,” he added.

Commenting on the speculation that many PKR MPs would be replaced in the coming election, he said that seat deliberations are still ongoing.

“It is an open secret that certainly some may be dropped and there may be new candidates but most would be able to accept the central leadership’s decision.

“There are many ways for them to contribute especially after the takeover of Putrajaya, which we are reasonably confident of, because there’s a lot of work to be done,” he added.

Surendran said that there is a place for everyone in PKR, in the efforts to clean up this country. “We need to end corruption, we also need to clean up the administration,” he added.

With regard to Padang Serai, Surendran said that he had been working on the ground there for sometime.

“I was assigned to contest in Padang Serai by the party leadership which, of course, I immediately accepted.

“I started working in Padang Serai sometime back to send Pakatan’s message down to the people, to explain the changes that we wish to bring,” he added.

No separate list of Indian candidates

Surendran revealed that among the many problems in Padang Serai, it was the poverty rate that alarmed him.

“There’s a lot of problems in Padang Serai, there are many poor people and there’s definitely a lot of work to be done because the poverty rate there is quite shocking. The federal government has not done enough to tackle poverty,” he added.

Asked whether there is a separate list of PKR Indian candidates, he replied that there is none.

“There is no separate list of PKR Indian candidates in the general election. Candidates are being chosen on the basis of requirements of the constituencies, capability, capacity, track record and potential contribution to a new Pakatan government.

“The primary consideration would be the ability of the candidate to bring change to this country and to serve the people of this country,” he added.

Surendran stressed that for a clean and corrupt-free nation, candidates must have the ideas and initiatives to put Malaysia on the right path.

Last week, Gobalakrishnan told FMT said that he will defend his seat as an independent candidate with BN’s support, adding that he had urged BN not to contest against him.

“I definitely stand a better chance than an MCA (BN) candidate,” he told FMT. “Nobody has shown more interest in the wellbeing of the people there than I have.”

Gobalakrishnan quit PKR in early 2011 after receiving a show-cause letter over his attacks against the party leadership.
- See more at: http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2013/02/28/padang-serai-surendrans-election-debut/#sthash.IpL7WZK8.dpuf

PI Bala: A lot of hot air but no 'bomb'


(Yahoo News) - “Bala! Bala!” The crowd cheered as private investigator P Balasubramaniam walked with his hands raised into a packed hall at the Kuala Lumpur and Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall (KLSCAH). And thus the night began with an air of anticipation – that something "big" will be revealed.

Hundreds of people poured into the hall last night while others watched on a screen provided outside despite the rain yesterday evening.

Close to 1,000 people from all walks of life -- from a young man with skinny jeans and eyeliner to elderly grandfather wearing a kopiah -- anxiously waited for the main event.

The night began like a concert with opening acts to warm up the audience. Controversial political cartoonist Zulkiflee Anwar Ulhaque or Zunar and Suaram director Cynthia Gabriel took to the stage to fire up the crowd and set the backdrop for Bala’s "revelations".

After more than an hour, Bala finally took the stage and sat with Solidariti Anak Muda Malaysia (SAMM) chief Badrul Hisham Shaharin, who was the moderator.

Bala, who had just returned home on Sunday, Feb 24, after being in hiding since 2008, was now centre stage, looking visibly nervous. He started his two-hour-long "talk" by recounting how he met Abdul Razak Baginda to the day he issued his second statutory declaration (SD).

Bala, the key witness in the Altantuya Shaariibuu murder trial, had linked the then deputy prime minister Najib Razak to the murder in his first SD. However, he retracted the passage regarding Najib in the second SD the next day. - See more at: http://fz.com/content/pi-bala-back-arrives-klia-heros-welcome

Bala was the key witness in the Altantuya Shaariibuu murder trial, and he had linked the then deputy prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak to the murder in his first SD. However, he retracted the passage regarding Najib in a second SD the next day.

Bala stumbled on his words, constantly referring to PowerPoint slides to help remember the events, and it went on for so long that he even took a toilet break. “I am very sorry. I haven’t been in the country for so many years so I hope you will have patience with me,” he apologised to the crowd.

Although Bala repeated and revealed nothing new, the audience were at the edge of their seats, glued to his words. The crowd cheered and jeered every time Bala mentioned the names of the prime minister and his wife.

Bala also gave his version of what happened when he met businessman Deepak Jaikishan after he issued his first SD.

“We went to one Chinese shop in Rawang and he (Deepak) was asking what do you get by doing that SD one? Then suddenly I received a call from my wife that she getting harassed by two Malay men outside the house... He (Deepak) said 'don’t worry. If you can prepare this SD then everything will be solved'.

Bala also claimed that he had allegedly met Datuk Nazim Razak at The Curve and that Nazim had threatened Bala's family because of the first SD.

Badrul later promised that last night was the first of many public forums that SAMM planned to organise with Bala nationwide, promising to drop more “bombs” in Kelantan, Johor and Sabah.

Bala declined to speak to reporters.

Opposition Pact's Manifesto Is Like An Old Newspaper, Says Mohd Zin

SHAH ALAM, Feb 28 (Bernama) -- The manifestos of the opposition pact comprising PAS, Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) and DAP are like the old newspapers because they are merely repeating the pledges that have yet to be fulfilled, said Selangor Barisan Nasional (BN) coordinator Datuk Seri Mohd Zin Mohamed.

He said the pledges were promises that had never been fulfilled such as the free education although the opposition pact had been in power for almost five years in Selangor.

"Looking at the manifesto in Selangor alone, I feel they have only realised about 15 per cent of all the sweet promises made. In fact, Menteri Besar Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim had boldly said that the manifesto is not a pledge," he said at a media conference, here Thursday.

Mohd Zin said the manifesto of the oppositiion pact announced recently clearly involved high costs and it was doubtful whether they could afford to implement them.

He said that on the whole, the manifesto made by the opposition pact was merely an election pledge to fish for votes.

He said that among the pledges made by the opposition pact such as the purported intention to eliminate monopoly by creating the Anti-Monopoly Commission, actually should be implemented in Selangor first especially in the sand mining industry.

"The sand mining industry worth billions of ringgit is monopolised only by one company, namely, Kumpulan Semesta Sdn Bhd. Shouldn't the sand mining tender be opened so that that the revenue derived would be more transparent and could generate the state's economy?" he said.

Meanwhile, Mohd Zin said he was prepared to debate with anyone on the BN and Pakatan Rakyat manifestos in Selangor.

Thursday, 28 February 2013

Siapa Arah Bunuh Altantuya?









Muslim Brotherhood Islamists Surround Christian Church in Attempt to Stop Construction

A group of Islamists surround the Abu Maqar Church in Shubra al-Kheima on Monday in an attempt to stop construction on the church's annex, claiming that the building is not licensed, said sources from the Qalyubiya security department.

Security forces were deployed to the area to convince the group to step down and allow work to resume, the sources claimed.

Ramsis al-Deiry, a member of the Shubra al-Kheima archbishopric's Millet Council, said group of Salafis and members affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood surrounded the building and prevented workers from resuming construction.

Hindraf: Pakatan manifesto a big letdown

Election pledges completely ignores Indians and even Anwar’s pledge to resolve the 350,000 stateless Indians issue within 100 days is not mentioned, says Waythamoorthy

GEORGE TOWN: Pakatan Rakyat election manifesto has sidelined, isolated and marginalised the already much maligned ethnic Indian community, charged Hindraf Makkal Sakti today.

Its supremo, P Waythamoorthy, accused Pakatan of completely ignoring the needs and interests of the Indian community in its election pledges.

He summed up Pakatan’s so-called people’s manifesto as one that has disappointed Indian Malaysians and does not value the community’s support or needs.

“In one stroke, the manifesto has said so many things that disappointed us. It is deeply distressing, not so much by what it says, but by what it does not say.

“It failed to even acknowledge, let alone recognise, the community’s longstanding woes,” the Hindraf chairman said in a statement.

In recent talks with Pakatan leaders, especially PKR, he said they failed to take note that Hindraf had been diligently working with them to bring solutions for these serious problems.

When questioned on this, PKR de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim said that Pakatan’s manifesto transcends racial groups as well as subgroups including the Indian community.

“If this was the case, how does Anwar justify specific pledges to the Malays, Chinese, Orang Asals, Sabah and Sarawakians, the ex-armed forces and Felda settlers in the manifesto?

“The provisions there do not seem to transcend racial groups and subgroups,” said Waythamoorthy.

“Enough has been said of Pakatan moving away from racial politics but that is more a statement of its intent than the frame for its policies.

“Pakatan has been using this once too often as a cover to ignore the problems of the Indian poor and marginalised.

“That should leave anyone with a strong liberal and democratic conscience, disturbed,” added Waythamoorthy.

He said that it was time to address the Indian problem permanently, to eliminate its root cause – the institutional discrimination – and bring back the almost 1.3 million poor and working class Indians into the mainstream of economic development.

He cited an independent study from the Centre for Policy Studies concluded in 2000 that 600,000 estate workers have been forcibly displaced in the country.

Pakatan taking the same path

He added that Hindraf estimated the figure had reached at 800,000 now.

“This massive forced displacement is a direct result of state development programmes operating in the milieu of institutional racism,” said Waythamoorthy.

By ignoring the problem with the “transcends race argument” and the acceptance of serious violation of human rights, he accused Pakatan of taking the same Umno-led BN path.

He pinpointed that Anwar’s pledge to resolve the 350,000 stateless Malaysian Indians issue within 100 days “found no mention in the manifesto”.

In its various meetings and communications, he said Hindraf had stressed to Anwar and Pakatan allies the need for a targeted and pointed programme to address this serious accumulated problem arising from all the human rights violations of the past 56 years.

He said Hindraf’s proposals were stipulated in its five-year blueprint for the Indian community submitted to all Pakatan parties – PKR, DAP and PAS.

He said the blueprint sought to address issues of institutional discrimination and equal rights of land procurement for economic purposes, equal business opportunities which included business loans, permits and educational opportunities.

He said the annual budget required to fully implement the blueprint was a mere RM4.5 billion or 1.8% of the 2013 annual national budget.

This sum, he insisted, was a reinvestment on human capital to stimulate progress and development in lives of marginalised people.

“Our proposed solutions are permanent, practical and comprehensive. Pakatan confirmed verbally that it was in principle agreeable with the blueprint,” said Waythamoorthy.

He noted that Pakatan not only failed to give a single pledge in its manifesto to address any of the Indian problems, but it also did not formally endorse the blueprint.

Even though Hindraf recognised that it was Pakatan’s prerogative, he said the movement was more concerned with “loss of a historic opportunity to get the process of change rolling”.

Kingmakers sidelined

Meanwhile, Malaysian Indian Progressive Association (Mipas) secretary-general S Bharatidasan asked why Indians were left out in Pakatan’s latest manifesto.

“Remember that we are kingmakers in several seats and a majority of us supported Pakatan in the 2008 general election,” he said.

Bharatidasan demanded the opposition pact prepare specific allocations and programmes for Indians, as the community is still lagging in many fields.

“We also demand Indians be given seven ministers and eight deputy ministers’ posts should Pakatan form the next federal government,” said Bharatidasan.
- See more at: http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2013/02/27/hindraf-pakatan-manifesto-a-big-letdown/#sthash.NFQctR41.dpuf

Go to the moon, Vell Paari tells Perkasa

Responding to Perkasa's stinging criticism, the MIC leader says that it is them and not him who is the real liability to BN.

KUALA LUMPUR: Malay extremist group Perkasa has launched a scathing attack against MIC leader S Vell Paari and defended academic Ridhuan Tee Abdullah over his controversial article.

In an online news report, the movement’s secretary-general Syed Hassan Syed Ali described the MIC strategy director as a publicity hound attempting to reverse his sinking political fortunes.

Calling Vell Paari a liability to Barisan Nasional, he said Indian community leaders close to Perkasa had advised the MIC leadership to ignore Vell Paari because his voice was no longer important.

Responding to the criticism, the MIC leader said that he was willing to sponsor mirrors for the members of Perkasa.

“It is obvious that they have not looked at themselves in a mirror. These imbeciles label me a burden to BN when Perkasa was responsible for alienating non-Malay votes with their racism.

“So I hope with these mirrors, they could take a good look at themselves before pointing their stained fingers at others.

“It also seems that my voice was important enough to draw a reaction from Perkasa,” he told FMT.

Furthermore, Vell Paari said unlike Perkasa president Ibrahim Ali, who hopped from BN to the opposition, and then back again, he continued to remain with the ruling coalition.

“Their leader is a frog, who would never turn into a handsome prince no matter how many times you kiss him and these people have the audacity to talk about me. I find that amusing,” he added.

Barking for the right reasons

As for him being a publicity hound, Vell Paari quipped that he was glad to be compared to an animal that was considered grateful.

The MIC leader added that at least he was in the news for barking in defence of preserving this nation’s multiracialism unlike Perkasa which was in the news for being rabid, and therefore should be put to sleep.

“Once again, with the mirrors I am willing to present Perkasa, they could at least stand before them and ask, ‘mirror, mirror on the wall, who is the biggest threat to BN of them all’,” he added.

Commenting on Syed Hassan’s remark that Indian leaders close to Perkasa had advised MIC’s top brass to ignore him, Vell Paari said he was shocked that the movement’s leaders had Indian friends.

“And if there are Indian community leaders willing to be close to such bigots, it is their voices which must be ignored, not mine.

“I love my country more than I love the party that I belong to. So I would not stop criticising those who threaten my nation with their venom,” he stressed.

Does Perkasa represent the Malays?

Vell Paari also took Syed Hassan to task for claiming that the former’s views did not represent the sentiments of the Indian community.

“This is the problem with those who only read certain newspapers and live in a cocoon.

“It is Perkasa’s views that do not represent the feelings of the ‘true’ Malays as illustrated by the handful of supporters who turned up for their so-called counter protest against Bersih.

“We could even ask the Malays in PAS and PKR if Perkasa represented their voice,” he added.

Quizzed on Perkasa’s defence of Ridhuan’s article, saying that there were some elements of truth in it, Vell Paari said that statement alone proved the mindset of the movement’s leaders.

“These people are criticising me for criticising a racist. Perkasa and people like Ridhuan belong on the moon and not in a multi-racial nation like Malaysia,” he said.

On Syed Hasan’s warning that Vell Paari and opposition Indian leaders should refrain from making threats and hurtful remarks, the MIC leader said the Perkasa secretary-general should advise his president first.

“Ibrahim Ali called for the burning of Bibles. I am asking for action to be taken against a racist. So in what warped logic, am I the greater threat?” he asked.

“Ridhuan stands accused of plagiarising and being a fraud. Is this the type of people Perkasa wishes to defend? That speaks volumes about Perkasa, doesn’t it?” he added.

The MIC leader also clarified that he was not demanding an apology from Ridhuan but rather wanted him sacked for his insensitive remarks.
- See more at: http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2013/02/27/go-to-the-moon-vell-paari-tells-perkasa/#sthash.Qy0h2I8d.dpuf

Kayveas: Is Palani powerless or just ignorant?

The PPP chief, while telling MIC to stay out of their spat with Nanban, questions the party chief's credibility in standing up for the Indian community.

PETALING JAYA: People’s Progressive Party (PPP) president, M Kayveas, condemned MIC’s support of Malaysia Nanban over its humiliating statements against the Indian community.

The Tamil daily, in an article on Feb 20, opined that the Indian community could be won over with “free food and tasty mutton”, and that PPP was prone to doing that to rake in votes.

The article questioned if such a move by PPP, which is a Barisan Nasional component party, would favour the ruling coalition in attracting the Indian community’s votes.

Angered by the article, party members and Kayveas were reported to have ambushed the daily’s headquarters in Jalan Ipoh, seeking clarification.

Kayveas, in denying the news reports, said: “First of all, we didn’t ‘ambush’ the daily. We were in fact invited to the Nanban office by the director Ahmad Mydin Sikandar Batcha.

“He wanted to show us proof that what was written was indeed true. They promised a public apology the next day but instead now claim that we had ambushed them.”

‘Why should I apologise?’

Kayveas also said that a number of MIC men were present, claiming to be “security” personnel when he and other PPP members visited the Nanban office.

“Why does MIC need to send ‘security’ [personnel] for Nanban? They have nothing to do with this. Police officers were already deployed and they helped settle the issue before we left,” he said.

Kayveas also said that MIC Youth chief T Mohan and strategy director S Vell Paari have told him to apologise to Nanban for his actions.

“Why should I apologise to them? What did we do to harm them? Why are they not standing up for the Indian community? What is their motive really?” he asked.

When asked if he had contacted the MIC president G Palanivel with regard to this issue, he said: “I only received a reply from Palanivel saying ‘you are free to do your part’.”

“This clearly means that he isn’t going to do anything about this. Is he powerless or is he just being plain ignorant?” he said.

Kayveas assured that PPP will continue to fight for Indians and suggested that it was best for MIC to stay out of this matter as “I know how to handle this issue amicably”.
- See more at: http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2013/02/27/kayveas-is-palani-powerless-or-just-ignorant/#sthash.5A42um12.dpuf

Ramasamy: BN behind rallies backing me

The idea is to cause a split in DAP, says the Penang deputy chief minister.

PETALING JAYA: Penang deputy chief minister P Ramasamy today accused Barisan Nasional of masterminding protests that ostensibly championed him as a victim of alleged manipulation of DAP election results.

Commenting on a report appearing in FMT yesterday, he said it was wrong to call them “pro-Ramasamy rallies” because they were held not out of concern for his political career but to cause a split in DAP.

The participants were not even DAP members, he added.

“There was one protest held in Perai by members of the Indian Progressive Front (IPF) and another by anti-Pakatan people in Georgetown,” he said. “They definitely have no love for me.”

He said he was certain that the protests were organised by elements in BN.

Yesterday, a group of DAP grassroots members called on the party to investigate demonstrations that depicted Ramasamy’s defeat in last December’s central executive committee (CEC) election as a defeat to the Indian community.

The group, who included Penang DAP Indian Bureau secretary S Sukumar and Bagan Luar branch chairman G Asoghan, asked the party to identify the mastermind of the protests and remove them from DAP.

Speaking on the behalf of the group, Asoghan said many grassroots leaders and members were astonished by the protests and the press statements issued about them.

The polls were marred by a glitch that was attributed to miscalculations on Microsoft Excel spreadsheets. Ramasamy was subsequently co-opted into the CEC.

Ramasamy told FMT he had never complained about the results. “I was the first to accept the CEC election results,” he said.
- See more at: http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2013/02/27/ramasamy-bn-behind-rallies-backing-me/#sthash.JnvYSBCY.dpuf

India's Political Despair


Narendra Modi: Can he cure the paralysis?
Narendra Modi: Can he cure the paralysis?
Congress-led coalition, paralyzed with corruption and inefficiency, remains a roadblock for change
There is an overwhelming sense of disconnect among the citizens of India for the upcoming 2014 general election. Not even the current €560 million VVIP (very very important persons) helicopter procurement scandal, which has ensnared retired Air Chief Marshal SP Tyagi, a former chief of the Indian Air Force, and his relatives, has disturbed the ennui in the populace.

India's shrill TV news anchors line up politicians, retired judges and social activists every night with exaggerated outrage to debate abuse of power, corruption and even murder but nothing changes.

Despite the campaign of reformer Anna Hazae, which drew millions of protesters last year, ther appears little shame among the political class. About a third of sitting members of parliament have serious criminal cases pending against them. Long misused and abused by politicians, the lowly-paid police are demoralized and cynical. The courts carry a backlog of cases that take forever to be heard. Citizens have lost faith in the institutions of the state. The world's greatest democracy is dysfunctional and no one seems to care anymore -- least of all the electorate.

India is a nation without leadership. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has long given up any pretense of vision or mission for the country. He is waiting to be released from his thankless burden next year. He would have gone earlier if the party had a credible replacement. True power remains behind the curtain with Congress president Sonia Gandhi and her coterie of confidants.

Another Italian job
Opposition politicians were quick to bray 'Italian connection' when the luxury helicopter scandal broke -- a hark back to the Bofors scam of the 1980s which also involved an Italian arms dealer, Ottavio Quattrocchi and the Nehru-Gandhi family. That probe faded inconclusively, like probes into so many other scams, after the initial furore.

The Bofors scandal cost Rajiv Gandhi his clean image and got the Congress routed in the 1989 general election although the New Delhi High Court quashed charges of bribery against Rajiv and others in early 2004. Congress was returned to office in the mid-2004 general election.

Prosecution in Italy led to the arrest this February of Guiseppe Orsi, CEO and chairman of Finmeccanica, the Italian company behind the Augusta-Westland helicopter deal. Kickbacks of €51 million (US$68 million) to senior politicians in Italy and India along with former Air Force Chief Tyagi and his three cousins, surfaced during the trial. For comparison, the Bofors kickbacks to politicians and defence officials amounted to US$12m.

The easy access which the Italian arms dealers had to the Ministry of Defense and military chiefs, reinforces the suspicion that the Congress high command ghosts lurk somewhere in the background. Elections cost a lot of money and ruling parties in the Third World routinely hack defensce procurement and infrastructure contracts to siphon off taxpayer funds. Individuals in the pipeline get rewarded to front for politicians, facilitate the theft and keep their mouths shut.

Three highly placed men intimately involved in the copter deal are beyond the arm of the law by virtue of their lofty constitutional positions: Pranab Mukherjee was Minister of Finance in 2005 when the contract was approved; Bharat Vir Wangchoo was director of the Special Protection Group set up after the assassination of Indira Gandhi and MK Narayanan was National Security Advisor. Pranab is now President of India, Vir Wangchoo is Governor of Goa and MK Narayanan is Governor of West Bengal. All three are protected by legal immunity.

Congress loses support but no swing to BJP
One would normally expect disgust with the ruling party to swing votes to the opposition. The India Today-Nielsen 'Mood of the Nation' poll of Jan 2013 projected a -7.7 percent% swing away from the Congress-led, United Progressive Alliance (UPA) coalition. But poll responses indicate that will translate to only a paltry +1.6 percent gain for the opposition National Democratic Alliance (NDA) led by the Hindu fundamentalist-backed Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

The reality in Indian politics since 1989 is that no single party can command enough seats in parliament to form a majority government. The 2004 general election saw the UPA gain majority by cobbling formal and informal alliances with smaller regional parties.

The bulk of the swing away (+6.6 percent) from the UPA, according to the pollsters, will benefit the smaller regional parties fixated on local issues far from the center in Delhi. Both the Congress and the BJP have presence in the north but are weak in the southern and eastern states.

The increasing reliance for parliamentary support on a mixed bag of regional parties - few of whichm ideologically align with either the Congress or the BJP, contributes to policy paralysis at the center. The smaller parties enjoy disproportionate leverage in horse-trading for ministerial posts without the experience or administrative competence to discharge their duties.

The legacy of the despotic leadership and paranoia of Indira Gandhi in the late 1970s keeps a capable crop of Congress leaders in Delhi while lesser mortals head states. Indira believed in keeping her rivals close where she could watch them. The BJP has a surprisingly strong set of chief ministers in their states. The BJP's best talent is not at party HQ in Delhi.

BJP ambivalent about next prime minister
While the Congress has only itself to blame for wasting its mandate, the BJP is in disarray over its leadership. The chief minister of Gujarat, Narendra Modi, having just won a resounding third term, is the best candidate for the prime ministership in a BJP-led coalition in 2014.

However the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the Hindu-nationalist movement which dictates political policy to the BJP, seems ambivalent. Modi's economic management in Gujarat and his modernist leadership are winning him political points across the country. He is less dependent on RSS patronage than most other BJP politicians. That discomforts the RSS.

To the rest of the country Modi comes across as a capable manager who gets the basics right while other chief ministers flounder. He runs a disciplined civil administration and has consistently delivered economic growth above the national average. To digital natives who would figure significantly in the 2014 election, Modi is a politician who understands their culture and uses social networking platforms to connect with them.

Modi's major black mark that he has great difficulty removing is his role in the horror of the 2002 Gujarat Hindu-Muslim riots. Many in the country believe he allowed the massacre of Muslims by looking the other way.

The Indian middle class is far more comfortable with a secular India than a narrowly Hindu one. They embrace meritocracy and open opportunities without the baggage of caste divisions and feudal social entitlements. Their instincts are to support secular parties and politicians. It is a polity for Congress to lose, which they effectively have done.

(Cyril Pereira [ cyrilper@gmail.com] is a regular contributor to Asia Sentinel.)

Mahathir Saya Pun Maafkan, Tapi Tidak Bermakna Dia Boleh Buat Apa Dia Suka


43-Days to 13GE – Has Transparency International Malaysia provisions to delete and disqualify signatories to its Election Integrity Pledge who blatantly violate its four principles in the run-up to the 13GE?

By Lim Kit Siang,
 
The Pahang Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Adnan Yaakob has followed in the footsteps of the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak and the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz to criticise Pakatan Rakyat leaders for their reluctance to sign the Transparency International-Malaysia’s (TIM) Election Integrity Pledge which was signed with such fanfare by the Prime Minister last Wednesday.

Adnan repeated the “old chestnut” that Pakatan Rakyat leaders are reluctant to sign the TIM Election Integrity Pledge because they have something to hide and that they are still doubtful whether the opposition coalition could responsibly run the country if they come to power.

Speaking at the opening of a meeting of the Pahang branch of the Malaysian Trades Union Congress in Kuantan on Sunday, Adnan said : “In future, if they abuse their powers, then the opposition leaders will give the excuse that they did not sign the integrity pledge to escape.”

I am shocked at such nonsensical argument spouted by a Mentri Besar, completely ignoring the laws of the land, religious teachings and ethics against corruption and abuses of power.

Is Adnan seriously suggesting that all the Barisan Nasional leaders, whether at the national or state levels, whether Prime Minister, Deputy Prime Minister, Ministers, Mentri-Mentri Besar, Chief Ministers and State Excos can claim entitlement to corrupt practices and abuses of power solely on the excuse that they had not yet signed the TI Election Integrity Pledge?

It is these lame excuses of UMNO/BN leaders which have raised questions and concerns whether the TIM Election Integrity Pact is meaningful or whether it is being used to “whitewash” all the corruption and abuses of power which have been committed by UMNO/BN leaders whether at the national or state levels in the past.

Even officials of the Election Commission (EC), which should be an independent, professional and credible body to conduct free and fair elections in the country, have joined the bandwagon to echo UMNO/BN leaders’ criticisms of Pakatan Rakyat on the TIM Election Integrity Pact.

The Deputy Chairman of Election Commission, Wan Ahmad Wan Omar, hit out at Pakatan Rakyat by declaring that it is “a shame” that opposition party leaders are shying away from signing TIM’s Election Integrity Pledge.

The real shame is the Election Commission’s failure to understand it is only confirming its subservience and subordination to the ruling coalition of UMNO/BN to the extent of echoing UMNO/BN criticisms against PR, when the Election Commission should stay above the fray to conscientiously carry out its constitutional duty to conduct free and fair elections in the country.

If Wan Ahmad wants to dabble in politics, he should resign from the Election Commission and contest the 13GE as a BN candidate instead of continuing to undermine the independence and integrity of the Malaysian electoral process by being a subservient agent of Umno/BN.

Wan Ahmad said it is incumbent on candidates contesting in the general election to sign the pledge as the people desired representatives not merely to profess to have integrity but to practise it as well.

He said he believed the people would feel more assured in their choice if the candidates had no qualms about signing the pledge, as what Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak had done.

Although I must say that Wan Ahmad has given more sensible arguments than Adnan Yaakob to present the case for candidates signing the TIM Election Integrity Pledge, his remarks reek of hypocrisy and dishonesty as the Election Commission has never taken a stand against the rampant corruption of money politics by UMNO/BN in previous general elections.

I have qualms about signing the TIM Election Integrity Pledge precisely because of the Prime Minister’s cynical signature without showing any signs that he is serious and fully committed to its principles, and the abject and disgraceful role of Election Commission in the past in ensuring a clean, ethical, free and fair elections in the country.

TIM’s Election Integrity Pledge stipulates four principles for all signatories to observe in the 13th general elections, viz:

• Truth, integrity, ethical conduct and accountability, including not accepting or giving bribes or being involved in corrupt practices in any way;

• Upholding and giving priority to the interests of the rakyat as a whole;

• Good governance and transparency; and

• Compliance with all the applicable laws and regulations of Malaysia.

Has TIM any mechanism to receive and investigate public complaints that signatories have violated the four principles enshrined in the Election Integrity Pledge – even in the run-up to the 13GE?

Are there any provisions for TIM to delete and disqualify signatories to its Election Integrity Pledge who blatantly violate its four principles in the run-up to the 13GE?

For instance, within days of signing the Election Integrity Pledge, the Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak has violated his commitment to conduct a clean and ethical election campaign, when he declared in Kuala Terengganu on Saturday that “a vote for DAP is a vote for the oppression of Muslims” – a most unethical and shameless incitement of racial and religious hatred which is also totally against Najib’s signature 1Malaysia policy.

Will TIM communicate with Najib that the Prime Minister has violated the Election Integrity Pledge which he had signed last Wednesday to conduct a clean and ethical election campaign?

Will TIM ask the Prime Minister to withdraw and apologise for the irresponsible and unethical statement which is not only baseless and irresponsible but a most shameful example of incitement of racial and religious hatred and conflict?

If Najib is not prepared to withdraw and apologise for his unethical remark, will TIM delete Najib’s signature from its roster of signatories and disqualify him as eligible to be a signatory because of his blatant disregard of the four principles laid down in the TIM Election Integrity Pledge?

85-year-old coffeeshop serves its last meal on Thursday

ImageThe Star
Story and photos by VINCENT TAN


Popular coffee shop Sin Seng Nam will close shop tomorrow, after 85 years of being in business.

Located along Medan Pasar or the old “Market Square” in Kuala Lumpur, the coffeeshop has been operating from a three-storey pre-war building, which until recently was owned by the descendants of Loke Yew.

Sin Seng Nam is a beautiful example of architecture of the Malaysian pre-war kopitiam, with its high ceilings and swinging wooden windows, which make the place airy.

The building is over 100 years old, having been built in 1906. The Hainanese kopitiam has been very much a part of the building’s history and added to the old world charm that its surrounding area once had.

The nearby shophouses are still standing and in need of a fresh coat of paint.

But it is a far cry from the business and financial district it once was, with the premises now run by foreign workers. In fact, the area near the clock tower has been made into a pedestrian-only area.

Sin Seng Nam serves as the last reminder of Medan Pasar as it once was.

“My father, Choong Yoo Ying and his two brothers started the kopitiam in 1928 when Medan Pasar was still one of the main roads in Kuala Lumpur,” said second-generation owner Choong Ah See, 62.

Adorning the walls of the kopitiam are old prints, which includes photos of Medan Pasar with and without the small clock tower built in 1937 to commemorate George V’s coronation and pre-war vehicles lining the pre-war shophouses.

Choong took over from his father in the mid-1980s after he passed away and his uncles retired. He has been busy running the shop while his business partners manage the kitchen.

Choong’s sister Siew Yong, 70, operates the popular chicken rice stall, which not only sells roasted and steamed chicken during weekdays, but also fish and chicken curries on selected days.

Work starts at 5am, when Choong comes in to start the fires for his charcoal-fuelled grill and boil water for drinks.

Then his brother-in-law Wong Ah Toy, 78, and nephew Tan Loong, 36, come in at 11am to prepare for the lunch crowd.

Back in the old days when the superior courts were located in the Sultan Abdul Samad building, it was a favourite haunt among lawyers.

They used to sit there enjoying cups of coffee and discussing their cases.

Even till now, some lawyers still come to Sin Seng Nam as some law firms are located in the area and the Bar Council building is right opposite the coffeeshop.

“The lawyers used to walk here from the old courthouses in their robes. And during the trial of Mona Fandey and other popular cases, many journalists covering the cases frequent the shop for meals,” said Choong.

The kopitiam was also a regular meeting place for politicians such as Lim Kit Siang and Karpal Singh, as well as corporate figures such as Tan Sri Francis Yeoh and his brother Datuk Mark Yeoh.

Mark fondly remembers Sin Seng Nam as his favourite lunch place when he was a chambering law student attending court at the Sultan Abdul Samad building.

“I am sad that it is closing as it has been a part of my life for the last 30 years. I liked their fried meehoon for breakfast and chicken rice for lunch, but we had to be there by noon or it was sold out,” said Mark.

He added that Sin Seng Nam was an institution, but hoped it that Choong and his nephew Tan could re-open a similar establishment somewhere else.

Even now, the kopitiam is still a hive of activity, especially during lunch hour.

Staff from nearby banks come here for the chicken rice, Hailam noodles and chicken chop.

Choong said the wooden cash counter was there from his father’s time, as was the wooden cabinet and stool. The cash counter and cabinet will be sold to Heritage House.

“It is not easy running a restaurant. Maybe now I can take a rest and spend more time with my family,” said Choong, who has a son and daughter.

“I was also lucky that the Loke family did not raise the rent too much over the years. Nowadays, the rent in this area can cost five figures,” he said.

In response to whether it will be difficult leaving the business, he said: “I have mixed feelings.”

Opposition Manifesto Like Alice In Wonderland Fantasy, Says Shahrizat

SEREMBAN, Feb 27 (Bernama) -- The opposition's manifesto for the upcoming 13th general election is like the "Alice in Wonderland" children's fantasy story as it contains dream promises that are impossible to come true.

Wanita Umno chief Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil said the promises in the manifesto were lies and mere political gimmick to fish for votes in the elections.

"When I looked at the manifesto carefully, I shook my head in disbelief as it is an over-the-top political gimmick that is irresponsible and I think, the worst ever dished out by the opposition.

"Wanita (Umno) has been going to the ground, visiting one house after another and the feedback is that the public too find the election manifesto unbelievable," she said after visiting and handing out aid to injured construction worker Wong Kok Leong at his house in Taman Bunga Blossom, here, Wednesday.

Shahrizat was asked to comment on the Pakatan Rakyat election manifesto announced by the loose opposition pact of PAS, DAP and PKR on Monday.

She said while the manifesto if implemented could cause the country to go bankrupt, it also seemed to have very little concern for the people's welfare as there was no mention of how they could help the less fortunate.

Shahrizat, who is former women, family and community development minister, also expressed sadness and regret over PAS spiritual leader Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat and president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang's insulting statements on the giving of the aid, Bantuan Rakyat 1Malaysia (BR1M), and its recipients.

"Their statements do not reflect the party's struggle as an Islamic party although they had before harped about establishing a welfare state.

"So, what is their actual welfare concept and struggle if they cannot help the poor and low-income group?" she said.

During the visit, Shahrizat who is the National Welfare Foundation's board of trustees chairman, handed over RM2,000 and daily essentials to Wong to lessen his family's burden after he stopped work following an accident at the workplace last December.

Wong, 48, who has a wife and two school-going children, broke his pelvic bone in the accident and the injury has also affected his urinary tract.

Where will Pakatan find RM46bn to fulfil its promises?

Pakatan Rakyat has come up with a statement to show where it will get the money to finance its campaign promises.

Pakatan estimates that its promises will cost RM46bn to implement. This RM46bn includes a RM12bn reduction in oil revenue as a result of raising oil royalty payments (to oil-producing states) to 20 per cent from the present 5 per cent. Toll abolition will cost RM6bn. The plan to abolish study loans, provide free education and raise teachers’ allowances will cost a further RM8bn. An injection of RM5bn will also be made into the affordable housing programme.

Where will this RM46bn come from? Pakatan claims it is able to save 24 per cent of the Selangor state government’s expenditure by wiping out leakages and corruption and reviewing expenditure priorities. If this performance (24 per cent saving) is extrapolated to the federal operating and development expenditure totalling RM206bn, Pakatan claims that it will be able to save RM50bn. This, I believe, is eminently possible given the staggering corruption, wastage, cronyism, patronage and rent-seeking we have seen.

Other revenue will come from a reduction of subsidies to IPPs and the reallocation of the huge sum presently allocated to the Prime Minister’s Department to more pressing expenditure priorities.

My note: Tolls need not be completely abolished. They can be used to invest in public transport. That should provide a few additional billion ringgit.

Also, additional allocations need to be made to lift the government’s public health care spending to 6 per cent of GDP from the present meagre 2 per cent – though no doubt the government can also save plenty by re-nationalising drug procurement and health care support services. Of course, care must also be taken to retain skilled staff in the public health care system.

Wednesday, 27 February 2013

Hindraf 'very disappointed' with Pakatan manifesto


Hindraf has expressed “extreme disappointment” with Pakatan Rakyat’s manifesto, saying that it has neglected the interests of the Indian Malaysian community.

“Our disappointment is deep and distressing - caused not so much by what it says, but by what it does not say.

“Pakatan has chosen to completely ignore the needs and interests of the Indian community in the country in its election pledges and, in that one stroke, has said so many things,” said chairperson P Waythamoorthy in a press statement today.

azlanPKR de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim had previously rebutted similar complaints about the manifesto by saying that its promisestranscend racial boundaries.

However, Waythamoorthy pointed out that the manifesto makes promises specific to the Malays, Chinese Malaysians, Orang Asli communities, armed forces veterans, and Felda settlers.

“The provisions there do not seem to transcend racial groups and subgroups. Enough has been said of Pakatan moving away from racial politics, but that is more a statement of their intent than the frame for their policies.

“They have been using this once too often as a cover to ignore the problems of the Indian poor and marginalised,” he said.
Waythamoorthy also lamented that Pakatan has not endorsed Hindraf’s five-year blueprint, which he said offers a “permanent, practical and comprehensive” solution to the problem of marginalised Indians for a “mere” RM4.5 billion a year.

“This sum should be seen as a reinvestment on human capital which would bring about progress and development in the lives of these marginalised people,” he said.

This was despite numerous meetings with Anwar and Pakatan leaders, during which verbal agreement was expressed ‘in principle’ with the demands in the document.

While acknowledging that it is Pakatan’s prerogative whether or not to endorse the blueprint, Waythamoorthy said: “What we are more concerned about is the loss of a historic opportunity to actually get the process of change rolling, if it continues in this vein.”

Indian M'sians are nobody's 'fixed deposit'

ADUN SPEAKS We live in interesting and monumental times. Not a day goes by without some prediction on the outcome of the 13th general election.
As widely acknowledged, premier Najib Abdul Rahman has lost much ground with his dithering and flip-flop actions. He had started out in 2009 with great promise and bravado, telling his audience of the BN’s determination to reverse the losses of 2008.

He would be extremely happy if he scrapes through with a win if elections are called now.

In his desperation, Najib has ‘bought’ every vote he can garner. Some of his latest antics border on the ridiculous.

NONEBeating drums, speaking in Mandarin on radio and wearing a red traditional Chinese costume to convey Chinese New Year greetings, as well as wearning the traditional Indian jippa and exhorting Indian Malaysian voters to have nambikei (trust) in him are most recent examples.

If only someone would give him a good knock on his head and remind him of his job specs as prime minister!

It is not his job to generate ‘likes’ by shaking hands and handing out goodies, as if he were Santa Claus.

At the top of his priorities should be to ensure that the country is managed efficiently, so that citizens enjoy a rising standard of living and in a safe, just and secure environment.

But I digress.

The BN believes that the Indian vote is there for the taking. This was true in the past, particularly, pre-2008. However, the present is a different story. The Indian electorate has wised up.

indian stateless people rally in putrajaya najib bannerDespite the claims by MIC, IPF and the PPP that the Indian vote is showing strong signs of returning to the BN fold, it is increasingly clear that the community is weary and feels let down by these parties.

Take, for example, the recent outburst by Vel Paari, MIC strategy director and son of former party president S Samy Vellu, that the MIC is just too intimidated by Umno to speak up for the community.

This is a more accurate description of the pathetic state of the BN parties claiming to represent Indian Malaysians.
Fallacy packaged as strategy

So, why the deception that Indian Malaysians have returned to the BN fold?

It is a fallacy packaged as a strategy to create a herd mentality in BN’s favour. Such a move is also aimed at undecided voters that their lot is better served if they vote for the eventual winner.

It also attempts to convince the ‘not so well informed ones’ that Najib must be doing a good job for so many Indian Malaysians to view BN favourably. It would be the case of a self-fulfilled prophecy.

Personally, I have faith in Indian Malaysian  voters - that they will exercise their vote judiciously in GE13. 
NONEThose who I meet regularly say that they can see the dramatic change that has been wrought by the Pakatan Rakyat-led governments in Penang and Selangor.

They are no longer easily fooled. They want to be convinced that election pledges have a realistic chance of being implemented.

Mere slogans and acronyms that are hardly matched by realities on the ground are being viewed with scorn and derision and, I believe, will be ultimately rejected by the rakyat.

Najib must be told that Indian Malaysians will not support BN based on sweet promises and pledges.

They must see real and meaningful changes that can undo the wrongs of the past and bring genuine prosperity, opportunities and quality into their lives.

M MANOHARAN is the DAP’s Kota Alam Shah assemblyperson.

Anwar: Indians not left out of manifesto

Anwar Ibrahim said the Pakatan Rakyat manifesto transcends racial groups as well as various subgroups including the Indian community, which is not neglected.

Giving the examples of schools, the PKR de facto leader said all Chinese and Tamil schools as well as missionary schools would be assisted.

“It is not directed at a particular community. This is an assurance that every citizen - Malay, Chinese, Indian, Kadazan or Dayak - is accorded the respect and given the attention.

azlan“I met leaders of the Indian community last night in Hulu Selangor and generally, they are very receptive as education is a major problem, issues of marginalisation of the community and crime had been raised. However, these issues are addressed in our national thrust in the Pakatan Rakyat policy which is not addressed to the subgroups,” he said.

“This is the manifesto of the rakyat where we address issues of rising prices, commodities, lodging, good governance and support for all types of schools.”

He emphasised this is not a BN manifesto as the Pakatan manifesto transcends racial boundaries.

Anwar had been asked why there were no specific policies addressed to the Indian community in the Pakatan manifesto.
‘Lahad Datu shows weak enforcement’

On the issue of the incursion in Lahad Datu, Anwar said the federal government has been extremely soft in dealing with this and it is compromising the people’s security in Sabah.

He said Sabah joined Malaysia with the expectation that there will be security.

NONE“The premise of legitimacy of any government is to protect the security of the country. I can understand there have been negotiations but the authorities have been exceedingly soft on the militant activity.

“I have received a lot of calls from friends in Lahad Datu and they express a lot of concern why the government is taking so long. There is no clear position or tough stance taken and this is certainly a cause for concern,” he said in commenting on the incursion by 30 armed Filipinos there since Feb 9.

Earlier, Anwar announced that an International Conference on Malaysia’s 13th general elections would be held on March 4 and 5, where he said there are serious concerns over the integrity of the election process as highlighted in the reports of the parliamentary select committee on electoral reforms.

“The conference will be held even if Parliament is dissolved and it will see the participation of a Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, the speaker, members of Parliament, non-governmental organisations like Bersih, and the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission chief commissioner Abu Kassim Mohamed.”

There will also be international speakers from Brazil, Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines, India and Australia.

Asked whether there is a possibility the international participants being deported as had happened to Australian lawmaker Nick Xenophon, Anwar said there is no guarantee under this semi-authoritarian regime.

“We hope this will not happen and the speaker has agreed to give his cooperation in participating in the conference,” he said.

Anwar also questioned the BN’s sincerity in signing the integrity pledge as some of those who signed have questionable integrity following allegations of corruption, and other scandals like the Port Klang Free Zone, Scorpene submarine and the National Feedlot Corporation.

Anwar: Pakatan's choice for PM is non-issue


Wanted by Interpol, Iran’s Ex-Intelligence Minister To Run For President

Former Iranian Intelligence Minister Ali Fallahian seems to be in favor of dropping the country's nuclear program and improving ties with the United States.
Former Iranian Intelligence Minister Ali Fallahian seems to be in favor of dropping the country's nuclear program and improving ties with the United States.

One of the most feared figures of Iran’s Islamic establishment has announced his candidacy in the country's June 14 presidential vote.

Ali Fallahian, a member of Iran’s Assembly of Experts who served as intelligence minister under former President Hashemi Rafsanjani, has been accused of involvement in the killings of Iranian dissidents and is on Interpol’s wanted list for alleged participation in the 1995 bombing of a Jewish center in Buenos Aires that killed 85 people.

He announced his candidacy on February 19 in Birjand. “People’s requests to me have reached a threshold; my candidacy in the presidential vote is definite,” Fallahian said.

Fallahian, who ran unsuccessfully for president in 2001, said his campaign slogan will be “Advanced Islamic Country,” and that stabilizing prices and fighting inflation will be among his priorities.

READ NEXT: Who Will Be Iran's Next President?

Fallahian seemed to suggest that if he were elected he would halt Iran's controversial uranium-enrichment program. "Enough of nuclear. We don't want nuclear enrichment, we have already mastered its knowledge," he said.

He also appeared to suggest that he would seek improved ties with the United States. "Given the many offers made by the Americans at different occasions, and the U.S. need for Iran’s support to create stability in the region -- including in Afghanistan, Iraq, Tunisia, and Egypt -- I see a bright horizon for the ties between Iran and the U.S," he said during his announcement.

But Interpol would like to see Fallahian in custody. And he is the second Iranian official on Interpol's wanted list to announce presidential aspirations.

The other is Mohsen Rezai, secretary of Iran’s Expediency Council and a former commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC). Rezai said on February 19 that he will officially announce his candidacy in the coming days.

Like Fallahian, Rezai is suspected of playing a role in the Buenos Aires Jewish center bombing.

Associated With Several Murders

For many Iranians, Fallahian’s name is closely associated with several murders and disappearances of Iranian intellectuals while he was serving as intelligence minister from 1989 to 1997.

Rights groups and a German court have linked the 68-year-old to several such murders, both inside and outside the country, and he has also been implicated in the 1992 assassinations of three Iranian Kurdish opposition leaders.

After Fallahian left office his senior deputy, Said Emami, and several other Intelligence Ministry officials were arrested for the murders of four dissidents in 1998 and 1999. Emami subsequently died in prison and the authorities described his death as a suicide.

Fallahian finished sixth in the 2001 presidential election that kept reformist Mohammad Khatami in power. He received 0.2 percent of the vote.

Some observers have suggested that the cleric knew he didn’t have a chance of winning and only ran to try and clear his name.

In his bestselling book, “Dungeon of Ghosts,” Iranian journalist Akbar Ganji connected the series of dissident murders to leading figures, including former President Rafsanjani and Fallahian, who was identified as "The Master Key."

In a recent interview with the "Tejarat Weekly," Fallahian told a reporter he didn’t want to be asked about things that happened while he was intelligence minister. "I want to become president, ask me economic questions," he said.

Oxford exploitation trial: Man 'prepared girl for gang rape'

Court sketch of defendants
The nine men, from Berkshire and Oxfordshire, are accused of 
sexually exploiting six girls, aged between 11 and 15

 


A teenager has told the Old Bailey a man carried out a brutal sexual assault to "prepare" her to be gang-raped.

The girl, who was 12 at the time, said Mohammed Karrar used sex toys and numbing cream used by dentists during the incident at an Oxford flat.

Sobbing during her evidence, she said five or six men then came to the flat and all raped her on the kitchen table.

Mr Karrar is one of nine men who deny a total of 51 offences including rape and trafficking from 2004 to 2012.

The latest witness was asked if the attack had caused discomfort and uttered the word "much" in reply, before breaking down in tears.

She said the men who attacked her drank alcohol and took drugs before taking it in turns to rape her.
Men 'swarmed around'

"I just wanted it to stop," she said.

But she told the court the men produced a gag to stop her cries.

She also said Mr Karrar and his brother Bassam took her to sex parties in Wycombe where groups of men would "swarm around" her.

As many as 10 men would come to the parties, she said, playing out sexual fantasies including handcuffing her, horse whipping her and dripping hot wax on her.

"Forgive me," she said. "I feel stupid.

"At the time I thought he (Mohammed Karrar) loved me."

The trial is now expected to last until May. .

The defendants, all in custody, are:

  • Kamar Jamil, 27, formerly of Aldrich Road, Oxford
  • Akhtar Dogar, 32, of Tawney Street, Oxford; and his brother Anjum Dogar, 30, of Tawney Street, Oxford
  • Assad Hussain, 32, of Ashurst Way, Oxford
  • Mohammed Karrar, 38, of Kames Close, Oxford; and his brother Bassam Karrar, 33, of Hundred Acres Close, Oxford
  • Mohammed Hussain, 24, of Horspath Road, Oxford
  • Zeeshan Ahmed, 27, of Palmer Road, Oxford
  • Bilal Ahmed, 26, of Suffolk Road, Maidenhead