Malayur News: 10/04/08

Saturday, 4 October 2008

RPK’s sedition trial starts Monday, 6th October, 2008

You want to help give RPK a boost to his morale?

You want to be able to show him you care?

RPK will be brought to the Sessions Court, Petaling…

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Hindraf mahu saman Utusan RM1 juta

Athi Veeranggan | Oct 4, 08 7:20pm

Barisan Bertindak Hak Hindu (Hindraf) mahu menyaman Utusan Malaysia sebanyak RM1 juta berhubung laporan dan komentar mengenai badan tersebut yang disiarkan akhbar itu…

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Laporan polis terhadap Dr M

Oct 4, 08 6:50pm

Seorang jurujual mendakwa, tindakan mantan Perdana Menteri, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad - dulu dan sekarang - telah menyebabkan Malaysia mengalami masalah ekonomi.

Wee Fwen Szuh, 32,…

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UMNO’s cowardly media campaign against HINDRAF.

Sat, 04/10/2008 -

So visiting the PM on a Hari Raya (Eid) is a grave sin committed by HINDRAF. An act of betrayal and insult to the Islamic religion –…

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Sat, 04/10/2008 -

So visiting the PM on a Hari Raya (Eid) is a grave sin committed by HINDRAF. An act of betrayal and insult to the Islamic religion – the masterminds should be arrested under the ISA or prosecuted under the existing Laws - so say the Malay extremist and fundamentalists organisations. Cabinet Ministers claim HINDRAF was extreme in barging into the PM’s open house and presenting a memorandum. Their seditious criticisms’ were carried out by the none other than the UMNO controlled daily Utusan and TV3.

So it was a grave sin. I challenge these fools to obtain evidence from over 30 odd TV crews and pressmen (both local and International media) and the numerous Police Special Branch units who covered , recorded and filmed the entire episode to make public their recordings so that the whole world could see the foolishness and low mentality of Malaysian politicians and their UMNO coolies who stir up racial sentiments for their own political survival.

There is no doubt that whenever there are serious problems within UMNO, the best solution (idiotic though) is to stir racial tension among races. UMNO creates problems and misleads the public with the strength and might of their media.

Let us see the pictures below which our supporters recorded.

It is for you to judge whether HINDRAF presence at PM’S OPEN HOUSE IS as an INSULT TO ISLAM ?

This card is interpreted by the Cabinet Ministers as memorandum. I wonder if they know what they are talking about. The simplest greeting card prepared by a 6 year old with the help of adult to express the feeling of HINDRAF supporters to the PM-And this is interpreted as an insult to the Islamic faith???

“ Salam Aidilfitri
Semoga di hari mulia ini YAB akan diberkati rahmat Tuhan dan membebaskan semua tahanan ISA dan mendengar rintihan masyarakat India di bumi tercinta Malaysia. Maaf Zahir batin”

Download the RAYA PICTORIAL STORY.

Attachment	Size
Raya Pictorial story.pdf	4.15 MB
raya_photo_story.pdf	3.12 MB

Is Zaid quitting Umno? Not yet, he says

UPDATED

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 4 — Former de facto Law Minister Datuk Zaid Ibrahim says he is not quitting Umno just yet.

Zaid replied "not yet" in a text message…

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No conditions or No pressure on Hindraf 5 issue, says Samy Vellu

IPOH, Oct 4 — The MIC will not place any conditions or pressure on the government to free the five Hindraf leaders now in detention under the Internal Security Act,…

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Kayveas: Time for BN parties to merge

By Adib Zalkapli

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 4 – PPP president Datuk M. Kayveas (picture) today called for a merger of Barisan Nasional component parties, saying the time has come.

"If…

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Breaking News: Sheih dakwa PM terima RM200 juta dari isteri TPM

Abdul Aziz Mustafa, Harakah

Blogger yang baru-baru ini ditangkap di bawah Akta Hasutan, Sheih, sekali lagi membuat dakwaan menggemparkan apabila meminta Perdana Menteri, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi menafikan bahawa…

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Abdul Aziz Mustafa, Harakah

Blogger yang baru-baru ini ditangkap di bawah Akta Hasutan, Sheih, sekali lagi membuat dakwaan menggemparkan apabila meminta Perdana Menteri, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi menafikan bahawa beliau pernah menerima RM200 juta dari isteri Timbalan Perdana Menteri, Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor, sebahagian dari komisyen urus niaga kapal selam berjumlah RM500 juta yang didakwa diterima oleh Abdul Razak Baginda.

"Adalah satu langkah baik jika Abdullah menafikan beliau pernah menerima RM200 juta dari komisyen urus niaga kapal selam berjumlah setengah juta ringgit yang kita dakwa diterima oleh Razak Baginda.

"Sumber saya menyatakan Rosmah membayar Abdullah RM200 juta dari komisyen urus niaga kapal selam. Beliau (sumber itu) tidak menyatakan apa-apa mengenai Razak Baginda," dakwa beliau dalam blognya, kickdefella.wordpress.com

Sheih juga mendakwa penyiasat persendirian yang menghilangkan diri, P. Balasubramaniam, menerima RM5 juta dari Rosmah untuk menutup mulutnya.

"Saya diberitahu bahawa isteri (Datuk Seri) Najib (Tun Razak) menemui Bala di British Isle beberapa hari selepas penyiasat persendirian itu menghilangkan diri dan membayar Bala RM5 juta.

"Saya diberitahu bahawa Bala dan keluarganya sedang berusaha untuk mendapatkan kewarganegaraan India. Saya benar-benar berharap ini tidak benar dan Rosmah akan membuat kenyataan menafikannya," dakwa blogger itu.

Blogger itu juga mendakwa bahawa Najib pernah menulis surat kepada beberapa kedutaan asing meminta mereka memberikan visa masuk ke negara mereka.

"Saya diberitahu bahawa sebelum lawatan Najib ke beberapa negara Eropah, beliau menulis kepada kedutaan Perancis, Itali dan Pesuruhjaya Tinggi British meminta mereka memberikan visa masuk ke negara mereka dari Kuala Lumpur kepada Altantunya Shaariibuu.

"Najib sendiri sebagai Menteri Pertahanan (ketika itu) menandatangani surat tersebut. Pesuruhjaya Tinggi British menolak permohonan itu tetapi beberapa negara menerimanya.

"Beberapa diplomat Malaysia yang ketika itu berkhidmat di kedutaan Malaysia di salah sebuah negara tersebut mengesahkan bahawa mereka pernah melihat Altantuya di dalam rombongan Najib," dakwa Sheih lagi.

Pada 28 Jun 2007 lalu, Bernama melaporkan sepupu Altantuya, Burmaa Oyunchimeg memberitahu mahkamah tinggi Shah Alam bahawa beliau pernah melihat gambar Altantuya makan bersama Najib dan Razak Baginda.

Semasa disoal lanjut oleh peguam Karpal Singh, yang bertindak sebagai peguam pemerhati bagi keluarga Altantuya, Burmaa berkata, Altantuya telah menunjukkan kepadanya gambar Altantuya dan Abdul Razak dengan pegawai kerajaan Malaysia itu serta orang lain sedang menikmati jamuan pada satu meja bulat.

Beliau berkata, Altantuya menunjukkan gambar itu di Hong Kong selepas beliau (Altantuya) balik dari Perancis. (Burmaa bertemu dengan Altantuya di Hong Kong).

Karpal: "Boleh kamu terangkan gambar apa?"

Burmaa: "Ada satu gambar, saya fikir, Altantuya dengan Razak Baginda dan seorang pegawai kerajaan Malaysia dan orang lain sedang menikmati jamuan. Mereka duduk di meja bulat."

Karpal: "Kamu tahu siapa pegawai kerajaan itu?

Burmaa: "Najib Razak. Saya ingat nama Najib Razak kerana nama Razak itu sama (dengan Abdul Razak Baginda)."

Bagaimanapun, Burmaa tidak menunjukkan gambar itu kepada mahkamah.

Lebih buruk lagi, dalam akuan bersumpahnya 1 Julai lalu di hadapan Pesuruhjaya Sumpah di Jalan Tun Razak, Kuala Lumpur, Balasubramaniam pernah mendakwa Najib telah mengadakan hubungan seks dengan Altantuya dan beliau (Altantuya) sanggup mengadakan hubungan seks luar tabii.

Akuan bersumpah itu juga menyatakakan Najib mengarahkan Razak Baginda untuk menjaga Altantuya kerana beliau tidak mahu dia (Altantuya) menganggunya kerana beliau ialah Timbalan Perdana Menteri.

Sama dengan keterangan Burmaa di mahkamah, akuan bersumpah Balasubramaniam itu juga menyatakan Razak Baginda dan atau Altantuya ada memberitahu penyiasat persendirian itu bahawa Najib bersama-sama dengan Razak Baginda dan Altantuya telah berjumpa dan bersama-sama makan malam di Paris.

Bagaimanapun, Balasubramaniam menafikan apa sahaja akuan bersumpahnya yang berkaitan dengan Najib dan menghilangkan diri selepas penafian itu.

Karpal: No one should pressure Abdullah to quit

(The Star) KUALA LUMPUR: Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi should not be pressured to quit as Prime Minister despite his flaws, says DAP chairman Karpal Singh.

He said he preferred…

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Nasir: Melabel Parti Sosialis antiagama tidak benar

mSTAR

Selepas lima dekad negara merdeka, Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) iaitu parti terbaru didaftarkan, masih yakin bahawa Malaysia akan "menjadi negara sosialis" satu hari nanti.

Bagaimanapun Presidennya, Dr. Mohd. Nasir…

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mSTAR

Selepas lima dekad negara merdeka, Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) iaitu parti terbaru didaftarkan, masih yakin bahawa Malaysia akan "menjadi negara sosialis" satu hari nanti.

Bagaimanapun Presidennya, Dr. Mohd. Nasir Hashim tidak yakin ia akan menjadi kenyataan dalam satu waktu terdekat ini.

"Malaysia ini akan jadi sosialis tetapi ini tidak akan berlaku dalam lima tahun lagi tetapi kami akan usahakan sehingga rakyat sendiri mahu.

"Kalau tidak, kita mohon membuktikan kemampuan kita," kata beliau ketika ditemu bual mStar Online di sini baru-baru ini.

Sehubungan itu kata beliau, pihaknya mengusahakan penubuhan parti tersebut atas kehendak rakyat dan menunggu selama 10 tahun untuk didaftarkan.

"Kita membentuk sesuatu apabila rakyat mahu bentuk itu dibentuk bukan secara palsu orang ada parti, kita pun hendak ada parti. Maknanya ada kehendak... bukan kita paksa kehendak itu," katanya.

Pemimpin-pemimpin parti itu telah bertanding dalam pilihan raya umum ke-12 pada 8 Mac lalu.

Seorang daripada merupakan Ahli Parlimen dan seorang lagi Ahli Dewan Undangan Negeri iaitu Nasir sendiri.

Parti itu juga diperuntukkan lima kerusi dalam majlis kerajaan tempatan.

Dalam pilihan raya umum lalu mereka bertanding atas tiket pembangkang.

TEMU BUAL PENUH

Ikuti temu bual bersama Dr. Mohd Nasir Hashim, Presiden Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) yang memperolehi kelulusan pendafatran baru-baru ini. Nasir kini merupakan Ahli Dewan Undangan Negeri kerusi Kota Damansara, Subang.

Apa cerita di sebalik penubuhan Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM)?

NASIR: Ia bermula akhir 1989. Sebenarnya saya dulu dari Parti Sosialis Rakyat Malaysia (PSRM), dalam awal tahun 1990 di mana pada masa itu, kepimpinan PSRM mahu menggugurkan perkataan sosialis kerana guggurkan perkataan sosialis senang untuk urusan pilihan raya dan sebagainya. Maka mereka guggurkan nama sosialis.

Masa itu saya cuba mempertahankan. Sebelum itu saya ditahan bawa ISA, prinsip sosialis yang menyebabkan saya ditahan selama 15 bulan di Kamunting tetapi mereka sudah buat keputusan untuk menguggurkan nama sosialis, menjadi PRM (Parti Rakyat Malaysia) dan selepas itu dua pucuk pimpinan PRM bertanding dalam pilihan raya sebelum ini.

Saya cuba mempertahankan tetapi masa itu 'peperangan' antara sosialis dan komunis bercelaru di Eropah. Maka mereka pun rasa sosialis tidak penting lagi dan digugurkan dan saya cuba mempertahankan tetapi tidak berjaya. Oleh itu, saya tarik dirilah... itu pada 1990. Pada 1990, mereka telah membuat keputusan untuk menjadikan PSRM sebagai PRM, masa itu saya undur diri sebagai ahli dan dan Pengerusi Kuala Lumpur PSRM.

Selepas itu, saya bergerak sebagai NGO terlibat dalam Jawatankuasa Sokongan Peneroka Bandar. Kita aktif, kita bertemu dengan dua tiga NGO dan berbincang. Ini kerana kita rasa sosialisme itu penting dalam sistem kita ini kerana kami merasakan selagi ada penindasan selagi itulah ada sosialis. Penindasan ini dilakukan oleh kapitalisme. Kita berbincang sejak 1989, kita mohon untuk pendaftaran sebelum itu kita berbincang nak gunakan nama sosialis ke tidak. Kalau gunakan perkataan sosialis kita ada tidak berkaitan dengan komunisme. Kita sosialis bukan komunis, kita sosialis tetapi orang tidak faham. Oleh itu ada perbincangan hendak menggunakan nama sosialis ataupun tidak. Akhirnya, kita membuat keputusan bahawa kalau kita tidak menggunakan nama sosialisme, maka orang akan kata hendak memperjuangkan atas nama sosialis tetapi hendak menggunakan nama sosialis pun takut.

Halangan-halangan yang dilalui dalam usaha menubuhkan PSM?

NASIR: Terdapat juga banyak sosialis sebelum ini tetapi kita adalah aktivis mereka (kerajaan) tidak senang dan mereka enggan membenarkan pendaftaran parti kita. Bila parti tidak daftar, kita mohon kepada Kementerian Hal Ehwal Dalam Negeri, mereka pun tolak tanpa memberi alasan... jadi kami membawa kerajaan ke mahkamah. Ini merupakan kali pertama satu parti membawa kerajaan ke mahkamah kerana mereka tidak membenarkan pendaftaran parti kita dan katakan kita berniat jahat. Ini telah memakan masa selama 10 tahun.

Selama 10 tahun perjuangan untuk mendapatkan pendaftaran parti. Pada 19 Ogos kita telah mendapat lesen pendaftaran untuk parti kita. Walau bagaimanapun, selama 10 tahun ini kita bergerak seolah-olah parti kita yang telah mendapat pendaftaran. Kita ada pilihan raya, kita terlibat dalam pilihan raya, kita membuat demokrasi dan sebagainya. Jika hendak tunggu... maka tidak bolehlah, nanti kita tidak boleh bergerak dan lama-lama kita akan berkarat.

Dari awal sampai sekarang, orang terima PSM kerana kita buat kerja. Dalam proses kita melakukan kerja kita, kita berbincang bagaimana sistem yang kaya menindas orang yang miskin, bagaimana yang kaya mendapat sokongan kerajaan, orang politik, polis, pejabat tanah untuk mengasak. Jadi itulah pada yang dimaksudkan sosialisme, menentang penindasan dan cara untuk membalas penindasan tersebut dalam pelbagai bentuklah dan cara. Apa yang kita lakukan adalah analisis keadaan di mana rakyat ditindas dan bagaimana rakyat mengatasinya.

Akibat daripada itu, banyak kawasan yang berjaya kita membantu, mereka akan kibarkan bendera kami. Walaupun mereka tidak lagi menjadi ahli kerana kita tidak boleh mengadakan kempen untuk mendapatkan ahli kerana kita belum daftar.

Kita memang aktif dalam demokrasi dalam menentang peperangan, ISA dan sebagainya. Oleh itu, ramai ahli kita yang banyak dihantar ke penjara. Saya pun banyak kali ditahan. Tuduhan dan kutukan daripada polis tidak lekat pada kami, mereka tidak mengikuti peraturan tertentu dan ada yang menahan kami dengan cara yang tidak betul.

Walaupun menghadapi rintangan dalam 10 tahun ini, tetapi kami dihormati oleh pihak-pihak NGO, parti politik. PAS pun memanggil kami dalam ceramah-ceramah mereka walhal kami parti sosialis, maka isu yang mengatakan parti sosialis antiagama tidak timbul kerana mereka sudah nampak cara kita kerja. Kita melakukan kerja kita secara terang dan terbuka dan tidak akan sorok-menyorok.

Kami juga ada kejayaan dari segi perjuangan rakyat dalam pilihan raya ini kita ada seorang Ahli Parlimen, seorang Ahli Dewan Undangan Negeri (ADUN) dan tiga ahli majlis kerajaan tempatan. Ini merupakan perkara baik bagi sesebuah parti yang belum mendapat pendaftaran.

Apakah asas-asas yang membawa kepada kelahiran PSM?

NASIR: Asas kita senang saja. Kita tidak mahu orang ditindas... negara yang kaya kita mahu berkongsi dengan orang yang miskin kerana dalam negara kita sekarang, orang miskin sangat miskin dan orang yang kaya sangat kaya.

Bermaknanya kekayaan diagihkan supaya rakyat dapat rasa kekayaan itu. Jika negara itu kaya, sama-sama kita rasa kekayaan itu, kalau miskin sama-sama rasa. Kita juga mempersoalkan sistem kapitalisme, sistem yang ada ini memang sistem yang menindas dari penindasan inilah mereka dapat keuntungan. Negara kita berasas dengan sistem kapitalis dan ktia terikut-ikut sejak British lagi. Sikap kita masih kolonial. Cara kita berhubung dengan rakyat ada birokrasinya, penindasan berlaku.

Dulu British ada Malaya, sekarang pemimpin orang politik yang kaya menindas rakyat pula. Kita rasakan ini tidak adil kerana rakyat adalah pekerja dan mereka adalah tulang belakang kepada ekonomi negara tetapi kita tidak menghormati mereka. Hidup mereka semakin susah, ada kesatuan pun dicengkam oleh kerajaan. Yang kita dapat lihat yang menjadi tulang belakang ekonomi negara tidak dapat penghormatan kecuali pada 1 Mei iaitu Hari Pekerja... maka kerajaan akan puji. Akan tetapi, semua undang-undang buruh semua menekan, memihak kepada majikan. Ini bukan menolong orang yang miskin tetapi mengambil kesempatan ke atas mereka kerana mereka tidak dapat mempertahankan mereka sendiri. Pekerja bukan saja menjadi tulang belakang negara tetapi mereka juga mempunyai potensi untuk mempertikaikan sistem yang ada.

Kita mahu pemimpin takut kepada rakyat, sekarang tidak berlaku tetapi pilihan raya umum yang lepas telah membuktikan rakyat mempunyai kuasa. Pihak pembangkang terperanjat kerana menang dan Barisan Nasional terperanjat kerana kalah. Mereka tidak sangka perkara itu berlaku. Ini adalah kuasa rakyat. Kita hendak memperkukuhkan kuasa rakyat supaya suatu masa nanti rakyat dapat memilih pemimpin yang bagus, yang berkualiti, yang sentiasa berkhidmat untuk mereka.

Bagaimanapun pula dengan perjuangan PSM?

NASIR: Parti kita adalah untuk memperjuangkan nasib rakyat yang tertindas di mana kita katakan mereka adalah tulang belakang negara tetapi tidak memberikan penghormatan kepada mereka, mereka menjadi lebih susah kerana mereka tidak ada pembelaan. Kalau adapun orang yang membela untuk mereka, orang tersebut akan ditahan.

Ini hanya boleh dilakukan jika kita memperkukuhkan pengetahuan dan analisis kepada rakyat, mereka akan tahu dari segi keadaan politik mereka lebih memahami bagaimana hendak menganalisis keadaan dan mereka boleh membuat pilihan yang baik. Kalau tidak mereka akan terpengaruh dengan TV, surat akhbar dan kadangkala TV, surat akhbar pun ikut rentak kerajaan yang ada. Jika rakyat sudah faham, maka orang tidak boleh tipu mereka... pemimpin tidak boleh bermain ‘tai chi’ dengan mereka.

Kita mahu rakyat yang boleh memberi kritikan dan kita mahu rakyat boleh gulingkan kita seperti yang berlaku di pilihan raya lepas. Sifat memperkasakan rakyat sudah wujud, tugas kita adalah untuk mengkukuhkan lagi.

Kalau rakyat membuat demokrasi adalah OK, maka kita akan bincang dan tengok apa yang boleh kita buat. Mereka bersuara, itu hak mereka, hanya jangan merosakkan harta benda. Jadi kita kena kekalkan itu.

Kita cari jalan penyelesaian untuk membantu, kadangkala rakyat tidak tahu kehendak mereka sebab itulah kita kena bersama dengan rakyat selalu. Bermaknanya, kita berhubung dengan rakyat, mereka belajar sesuatu daripada kita dan kita pun belajar sesuatu daripada mereka. Bukan kita kata kita saja yang berilmu, tidak betul.

Kita kena jaga titik rujukan itu. Misal kata, saya orang nutrisi, saya pergi ke kampung saya tanya pasal protein, kalori, vitamin mana mereka tahu, mestilah mereka tidak tahu. Itu bukan bermakna orang kampung tidak pandai kalau bincang pasal menoreh getah, kita yang bodoh, mana kita tahu macam mana hendak toreh... bila hendak toreh, bila daunnya gugur, kalau hujan apa hendak buat.

Kalau kita hendak membantu mereka, kita kena faham hidup mereka, apa masalah mereka yang pada kita anggap remeh tetapi pada mereka penting. Budaya dia, agama dia, hubungan dia semua itu kita kena ambil kira baru kita faham macam mana kita hendak bersama dengan mereka. Kalau tidak dia ikut arahan sajalah... yang kita tidak ambil kira pengalaman dia.

Bayangkan dalam satu tempat walaupun mereka miskin mereka dapat hidup dengan anak-anak yang ramai, mereka tahu bagaimana hendak hidup. Kalau hantar orang bandar tinggal di kampung, mati dia. Bermakna mereka ada pengalaman, dia bukan bodoh, jadi kita kena belajar pengalaman mereka. Kita mahu rakyat menyertai dalam proses pembangunan, itu yang penting. Macam mana mereka sertai dalam pembangunan? Mereka kena faham, diajar, dalam perjuangan itu mereka tengok sendiri, dari situ dia boleh merasakan nilai mereka.

Rakyatlah adalah unsur yang paling penting. Bagi saya, rakyat melakukan kesilapan saya boleh tolak ansur tetapi polis, pemimpin dan golongan berpelajaran melakukan kesilapan saya tidak boleh maafkan. Rakyat mungkin tidak mempunyai ilmu yang mencukupi.

Kita hendak bergerak bersama dengan rakyat. Ikut rentak rakyat, jika tidak mereka tidak akan ikut arahan mereka akan mempertikaikan arahan dan mereka sendiri akan buat arahan dan kita bawa bincang kalau idea itu bagus kita kukuhkan. Jangan rasa malu untuk menyuarakan idea. Jangan kerana tidak mempunyai ilmu yang tinggi maka tidak berani menyuarakan. Bagi saya pelajaran bukan satu isu. Kadangkala orang yang berpelajaran tinggi, mereka bersikap hipokrasi, ada kepentingan.

Dalam pengalaman kami yang tidak berpelajaran tinggi jika diletak pada tempat yang betul mereka akan menjadi pemimpin yang luar biasa, mereka akan belajar. Yang berpelajaran tinggi biasanya mempunyai masalah kerana mereka mengimbang kedudukannya dan kepentingannya. Bagi yang tidak berpelajaran tinggi, mereka tidak ada kepentingan hati mereka adalah berkhidmat untuk rakyat.

Bagimana pul dengan misi dan visi PSM selepas mendapat pengesahan pendafatran?

NASIR: Peringkat pertama matlamat kami adalah untuk mempertikaikan penindasan. Selagi ada penindasan, selagi kita wujud. Kita dapat lihat sistem kapitalis yang ada pada hari ini adalah berunsur penindasan, daripada penindasanlah mereka dapat keuntungan, daripada keuntunganlah mereka dapat kuasa. Oleh itu, semua perkara yang berlaku adalah melibatkan penindasan dan penindasan ini dilakukan terhadap yang miskin.

Penindasan ini berlaku secara berterusan, di dalam negara tidak kira bandar ataupun luar bandar terdapat penindasan yang berlaku. Penindasan juga berlaku dalam keluarga, negara serta peringkat antarabangsa. Jika sesebuah negara berlaku penindasan maka pemimpinlah yang patut bertanggungjawab. Kita hendak rakyat yang berkuasa bukan pemimpin yang berkuasa di mana rakyat yang memerintah.

Sejauh mana masa depan PSM? selepas ini? Ke mana hendak tuju?

NASIR: Kalau boleh bantu selesaikan masalah yang ada... peringkat kedua kita hendak mendidik mereka untuk menjadikan mereka lebih memahami apa yang berlaku persekitaran. Kita mahu memberikan ilmu tentang politik tetapi mereka tidak semestinya perlu memasuki parti politik, jika mereka tidak mahu. Bagi mereka faham hubungan sehingga menyebabkan keadaan kita miskin kerana kemiskinan itu adalah hubungan yang menyebabkan mereka jadi miskin. Sistem kerajaan, politik kerajaan yang menyebabkan yang miskin menjadi lebih miskin. Miskin tidak diberi penghormatan kerana polisi tidak memihak kepada mereka. Undang-undang negara adalah untuk melindungi kepentingan orang yang kaya, tidak kepada orang miskin. Kita akan membawa agenda untuk kepentingan rakyat.

Apakah langkah-langkah yang akan diambil berkaitan dengan pelan perkembangan parti di seluruh negara?

NASIR: Setakat ini, kita dalam proses mendapatkan ahli iaitu mengadakan kempen di seluruh negara untuk mendapatkan lebih banyak keahlian tetapi ikut kemampuan kamilah. Memanglah hasrat kami suatu masa nanti Malaysia ini akan jadi sosialis tetapi ini tidak akan berlaku dalam lima tahun lagi tetapi kami akan usahakan hingga rakyat sendiri mahu. Kalau tidak, kita mohon membuktikan kemampuan kita.

Kita membentuk sesuatu apabila rakyat mahu bentuk itu dibentuk bukan secara palsu. Orang ada parti, kita pun hendak ada parti. Maknanya ada kehendak, bukan kita paksa kehendak itulah.

Boleh jelaskan tentang kelainan PSM sekarang dan dulu?

NASIR: Kelainannya adalah kita boleh kempen untuk mendapatkan ahli kerana yang lain kita sudah buat. Dulu kita tidak ada Ahli Parlimen, ADUN, ahli Majlis dan sekarang kita ada maka momentum parti kita sekarang adalah lebih tinggi dan dengan itu kita dapat rapatkan hubungan kita dengan rakyat lagi.

Ini bermakna rentak kita sekarang akan lain sedikit dan rakyat lebih berani dan terbuka untuk menerima mereka sebagai sosialis. Kita tiada masalah juga dengan PAS dan bagi Islam sosialis bukan satu masalah.

Jika kita rasakan apa yang kita buat adalah untuk kebaikan rakyat dan kita tidak ada kepentingan dari segi itu dan kita boleh teruskan. Untuk mendapat keyakinan rakyat terhadap parti, kita kena bertindak adil. Saya di Kota Damansara, Umno ke MIC ke kalau hendak bekerja maka saya tidak akan bertolak.

Kerelevanan PSM dalam era politik masa sekarang?

NASIR: Kalau PSM tidak relevan sudah lama PSM hancur. PAS dan BN juga menjemput kami ke ceramah-ceramah mereka.

Kemungkinan PSM bergabung dengan kesatuan-kesatuan sekerja?

NASIR: Kita rapat dengan kesatuan sekerja. Gabung, kita tidak tahu... banyak isu-isu yang selalu kita bincang dan merujuk kepada mereka. Kita juga akan mengkritik kesatuan-kesatuan jika mereka tidak melakukan kerja yang patut dilakukan. kemungkinan itu ada tetapi kita kena berbincang semasa sendiri hinggalah kita mempunyai frekuensi yang sama.

Adakah PSM akan menyertai Pakatan Rakyat?

NASIR: Kalau Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim berniat maka kita akan bincanglah. Kita akan ada pendirian yang tersendiri. Fasa kita senang sahaja, jika kamu memperjuangkan untuk rakyat, kita akan merupakan kawan baik dan setia pada kamu; jika kamu menindas rakyat, maka kami merupakan musuh kamu. Sebelum ini adalah berbincang sikit untuk menyertai Parti Keadilan Rakyat ataupun Pakatan Rakyat, itu kita tidak tahulah. Kami masih belum membincangkan lagi selepas PSM mendapat sijil pendaftaran. Lagipun cara serta gaya PSM adalah lebih berhampiran dengan Pakatan Rakyat berbanding dengan BN.

Kalau tidak menyertai dalam Pakatan Rakyat pun, kita akan masih bekerjasama dengan mereka. Kita akan melakukan program yang minimal contohnya program mengenai hak-hak asasi, mempertikaikan ISA, masalah pekerja, anti-peperangan dan sebagainya. Kita akan beri sokongan jika mereka mainkan isu perkauman kami akan menentang.

Sebelum ini, kita ada berbincang tetapi saya tidak mengambil secara serius kerana masa itu parti kita belum mendapat sijil pendaftaran parti lagi. Kami akan tunggu surat jemputan yang formal daripada beliau. Kita tidak tergesa-gesa untuk berbincang mengenai perkara itu kerana selama ini kami sudah biasa bergerak bebas.

What Bangsa Malaysia!

It has been a roller coaster ride for us Malaysian since March 8 2008. You know, I actually thought that we as Malaysian are growing out of racism and into…

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It has been a roller coaster ride for us Malaysian since March 8 2008. You know, I actually thought that we as Malaysian are growing out of racism and into creating one race which is Bangsa Malaysia.

But then, here I am today, disgusted not soo much because of what Sammy blogged but rather seeing the amount of support she seems to get. There are groups of bloggers here who believe that only a Malay can't utter racist comments whereas we are free to bash everyone else. The Malays can't call us pendatang but we can say anything we want and we must be able to get away with it. Only then is Malaysia supposedly free of racism.

Let me tell you a true story. A few weeks back, I spent a few days with my Malay friends in our beautiful Malaysian forest. I noticed something. These friends of mine were outright racist and thinks Teresa Kok and the journalist shouldn't have been released from ISA. I was surprised because they are very nice people. I just couldn't understand their logic so I kept quiet. Later that day during our conversation, my friend told all of us that the Chinese cannot be trusted and they need to be placed where they belong else they would lose their head and start bossing people around. At this point, I interrupted and told my friend that he is wrong because there are a lot of Chinese out there who are true Malaysians. They will live and die for this country. We just have to give them the chance to prove it. After all, all of us, despite the differences in our skin color, we are all humans. Well, I couldn't convince all of them but I was hoping that they will eventually get it.

Now coming back to the present, after reading all the comments from Malaysia -Today bloggers, I am begining to wonder whether my Malay friends were right all this while and I was the idiot who thinks the sky is always blue throughout the world.

Why? Because according to some Chinese bloggers here, Ahmad Ismail is racist whereas Sammy is a poor little girl who accidently got a jab of racism and lost her cool so we have to forgive her. There are some morons who think that the Indian
community at large is at fault because of the two thieves who stole Sammy's handset and Hindraf should do some soul searching before lodging the police report.

I have been cheated by authorised mercedes service centers which are owned by Chinese. So, according to these bloggers, the rational conclusion that I should arrive at is, all Chinese are thieves and cheaters because most service centers are owned by the Chinese.

I think we should forgive Ahmad Ismail too because all racist statements are just the same. There are no mild racist and hardcore racist. We should also forgive Najib, Ali Rustam, Khir Toyo and the list goes on. We should also forgive the Malays for supporting Ahmad Ismail and last but not least, my friends too for being racist. The funniest part is there are some bloggers out there who thinks we should forgive Sammy because she is nobody in the blogging world. If I apply the same logic, not many
people knew Ahmad Ismail in the political world before his controversial statement so we should forgive him too isn't ?

I guess as long as the skin color is the same, the Malays will support the malays, the Chinese will support the Chinese and the Indians will support the Indians. For once, I will not blame UMNO for being racist because we are equally racist. Next time the Umno guys tell you you don't deserve equal treatment, just shut your mouth because you would have done the same thing if you
were in his position.

You know, I really did think the idea of Bangsa Malaysia was not far fetched. Now I realise we still have a long way to go.

Kumar

Hindraf keterlaluan garbage!

After 51 years of Independence ... a large number of some 540 Tamil Schools in the country are substandard, dilapidated and they are not full government schools! ... whereas not…

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After 51 years of Independence ... a large number of some 540 Tamil Schools in the country are substandard, dilapidated and they are not full government schools! ... whereas not a single Sekolah Kebangsan out of the Thousands in the country is in that category!

Why? ... if not for dicrimination? ... over 51 years! ... poor standard schools lead to poor academic standards, poor skills leading to high unemployment, low paid jobs, ... leading to higher rate of crime, and very much higher proportion of Indians in the Detention Centers like Simpang Rengam! .... and far more deaths in POLICE Custody!!

he COMMUNITY is in a Social Crisis!! ... only the Government of the day can break this vicious cycle .... Are they to keep begging the Barisan Government for another 51 years, for serious, effective changes in government policies?

The Indian share of the Economic Cake has been shrinking relative to the other major Racial groups over the same period too! ... although the Indians made their fair share of the contribution in Nation Building, by toiling to build roads, open up the estates, build the railways etc ...

So is the HINDRAF demands "Keterlaluan" ... they have been very, very patiently waiting for 51 years!! ... and Samy Velu has been promising that "Delivery" and 'Liberation' for the last 29 years!!

HINDRAF has delivered memorandum after memorandum to the Prime Minister ... on issues relating to the INDIAN COMMUNITY .... whatever happened to all that?

Someone in Utusan has to learn HISTORY as it really is and not through smoked glasses of the NEP, DEB etc!!

Nathan
________________________________________

Hindraf keterlaluan
Oleh NOR ZAINAH NORDIN - Utusan Malaysia Online

KUALA LUMPUR 2 Okt. – Pertubuhan-pertubuhan bukan kerajaan (NGO) Melayu dan Islam mengutuk keras dan menyifatkan perbuatan sekumpulan penyokong Hindraf menimbulkan kekecohan pada majlis Rumah Terbuka Aidilfitri Perdana Menteri dan menteri-menteri Kabinet Islam sebagai keterlaluan, biadap dan menghina kesucian 1 Syawal.
Sambil membayangkan tindakan pertubuhan haram itu didalangi individu tertentu dengan tujuan menghancurkan perpaduan negara, mereka meminta kerajaan bertegas dan tidak melayan tekanan daripada kumpulan yang mengambil kesempatan atas kemurahan hati kerajaan.

Timbalan Presiden Gabungan Pelajar Melayu Semenanjung (GPMS), Syed Anuar Syed Mohamad berkata, perbuatan kumpulan berkenaan adalah menghina perayaan besar umat Islam, tidak bertamadun dan tidak bertanggungjawab.

Beliau mempersoalkan tujuan mereka menimbulkan kekecohan dalam suasana Perdana Menteri dan rakyat jelata meraikan 1 Syawal, seolah-olah cuba memberi gambaran negatif bahawa mereka langsung tidak mendapat peluang bertemu Perdana Menteri pada hari lain.

Katanya, insiden itu dikhuatiri didalangi pihak-pihak tertentu dengan mempergunakan suasana perayaan dan kehadiran wakil kedutaan asing untuk mengganggu serta memberi imej buruk kepada negara luar.

Beliau berkata, kejadian itu bukan menunjukkan perjuangan tulen tetapi mengambil kesempatan merosakkan imej negara selain memberi gambaran seolah-olah Malaysia tidak mengamalkan budaya tolak-ansur.

"GPMS meminta kerajaan supaya jangan melayan mereka kerana Hindraf bukan pertubuhan sah. Mereka patut dikenakan tindakan, tidak kisah ISA (Akta Keselamatan Dalam Negeri) atau undang-undang lain.

"Biar ia menjadi pengajaran. Tidak pernah berlaku insiden sebegini dalam sejarah 50 tahun kita merdeka. Ini perbuatan berani tidak bertempat dan dipengaruhi demonstrasi jalanan," katanya kepada Utusan Malaysia di sini hari ini.

Beliau mengulas perbuatan sekumpulan penyokong Hindraf menimbulkan kekecohan pada majlis Rumah Terbuka Hari Raya Aidilfitri Perdana Menteri dan anggota Kabinet beragama Islam di Pusat Dagangan Dunia Putra (PWTC) semalam.

Tanpa mempedulikan peraturan, mereka bertindak mendahului barisan pengunjung lain yang sudahpun beratur untuk memasuki dewan sejak pukul 10 pagi. Walaupun timbul kekecohan, mereka dibenarkan memasuki dewan atas semangat hari raya.

Menurut saksi, kumpulan itu mula memotong barisan orang ramai menjelang tengah hari untuk menyerahkan patung beruang dan kad hari raya yang mereka dakwa mengandungi 300 tandatangan bagi mendesak pembebasan pemimpin Hindraf yang ditahan di bawah ISA.

Sementara itu, The Star Online memetik kenyataan K. Shanti, isteri kepada Pengerusi Hindraf, P. Waythamoorthy bahawa isi kandungan kad raya yang diserahkan meminta Perdana Menteri membebaskan beberapa pemimpin Hindraf yang ditahan di bawah ISA.

"Mesej kami ialah kami mahukan hero-hero kami dibebaskan. Ini adalah rumah terbuka dan kami boleh datang, jika kami mahu. Semasa hari raya ini, kita sepatutnya bermaaf-maafan.

"Jadi, kami memaafkan dosa-dosa UMNO terhadap komuniti India. Kami hanya mahu tahanan Hindraf dibebaskan," kata Shanti.

Presiden Majlis Belia Malaysia (MBM), Datuk Shamsul Anuar Nasarah berkata, kumpulan itu mengambil peluang suasana rumah terbuka untuk menonjolkan isu yang sepatutnya boleh diselesaikan dengan cara lain.

Katanya, perbuatan itu tidak kena pada masanya iaitu ketika sambutan Aidilfitri bagi meraikan kemenangan umat Islam menjalani ibadat puasa dan merapatkan hubungan sesama rakyat.

"Mereka tidak menghormati orang Islam yang merayakan Aidilfitri," ujarnya.

Pengerusi Persatuan Pergerakan Perpaduan Islam Malaysia, Datuk Zulkifli Mohamad berkata, perbuatan penyokong Hindraf itu sepatutnya membuka mata rakyat tentang siapa sebenarnya kumpulan yang disokong oleh Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) dan Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim itu.

"Kita selalu memikirkan orang lain dan tidak mengambil kira perasaan sendiri. Mereka sudah melampau dan tidak prihatin kepada suasana 1 Syawal yang menjadi perayaan besar umat Islam," katanya.

Presiden Pertubuhan Pribumi Perkasa Negara (Pribumi Perkasa), Datuk Ibrahim Ali berkata, Hindraf adalah pertubuhan haram yang semakin mencabar undang-undang serta nampak bersedia menimbulkan kekecohan tanpa mengira tempat dan keadaan.

Katanya, Hindraf langsung tidak mempedulikan dan menghormati perayaan besar umat Islam menyambut 1 Syawal.
Timbalan Presiden MBM, Datuk Idris Haron pula menganggap Hindraf dan pihak yang mendalangi kumpulan itu sebagai pengkhianat kepada perpaduan kaum di Malaysia.

Beliau yang juga Presiden Majlis Gabungan Belia Melaka (MGBM) berkata, perbuatan mereka cuba menguji kesabaran orang Melayu dan kerajaan serta berniat mahu menghancurkan negara dan perpaduan yang dibina lebih 50 tahun lalu.

"Kita perlu siasat siapa dalang mereka dan beri peringatan keras supaya mereka tidak terus mencuba mencetuskan ketidakseimbangan sosial negara" tegasnya.

Presiden Gagasan Melayu Perak (GMP), Datuk Seri Mohd. Helmi Ismail pula berkata, perbuatan kira-kira 1,000 anggota kumpulan itu langsung tidak kena pada tempatnya dan keterlaluan kerana mengganggu majlis rasmi yang dianjurkan oleh pemimpin kanan negara.

Katanya, selain itu, tindakan kumpulan itu yang sering menggunakan kanak-kanak sebagai barisan hadapan setiap kali demonstrasi diadakan adalah tindakan pengecut.

Najib's "4th floor"?

A bad Se4uel. We have all heard of Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's "4th floor" operatives, of Kamal Khalid, Zaki Zahid, Vincent Lim and their links to Khairy Jamaluddin the son-in-law, Kamal…

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'Johan Jaaffar: Racial harmony has to begin with the young

Saturday, 04 October 2008

'Johan Jaaffar: Racial harmony has to begin with the young ©New Straits Times
by Johan Jaaffar

LET us be realistic: No amount of acts, laws and regulations can ensure better ties among our people.

Race…

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Saturday, 04 October 2008

'Johan Jaaffar: Racial harmony has to begin with the young ©New Straits Times
by Johan Jaaffar

LET us be realistic: No amount of acts, laws and regulations can ensure better ties among our people.

Race relations are about people, not punitive measures, sanctions or court rulings. It is all about how we accept, tolerate and live with each other.

Perhaps too much emphasis has been given to the role of politics and politicians in ensuring harmony among the races. Perhaps we are expecting too much from them. We are disappointed with them for playing the race card. We criticise the race-based politics that has redefined our existence as a nation. We all know how racial issues are being played up unashamedly by some, sometimes without even realising the consequences of those actions.

We ought to look at ourselves: we the people. We have to find a people's solution to the problem. We matter. We can decide the destiny of this beloved nation of ours. We can make the difference. Where politicians failed, we must take the initiative. Let's call it People's Initiative. We have to look beyond politics and politicians.

We have to admit that our people are drifting apart. We have been talking about it quite a lot of late. We even mooted the idea of a Race Relations Act. Again we are resorting to acts, laws and regulations. We must not fall into the trap of using laws and regulations to manage everything, more so race relations in this country.

Perhaps we should be asking ourselves why we drifted apart in the first place? Why were we more successful before? We pride ourselves as the poster boy in managing race relations among developing nations. We have done remarkably well actually. Our track record is commendable. It's just that we need to do more.

Things have taken a turn for the worse. Sensitive issues are being raised to fever pitch. The 2008 general election saw the rearing of the ugly head of racial politics.

We must heal the divided nation. We need everyone's contribution to make this place a harmonious one -- I don't mean the political definition of it, but the people's.

Let us look at the big picture. For one, we are segregated. Our children do not go to the same schools. That is one critical element to begin with.

We can argue about diversity and uniqueness, but in the end we miss the opportunity for our people to integrate from a very young age. They live in their own enclaves, with very little or no contact with others. Interactions are kept at a bare minimum.

The role of Bahasa Malaysia, the language that is supposed to bind us, is often taken for granted.

I have my own story to tell. I went to an English school in the 1960s. There were 24 of us in the class -- 16 Chinese, seven Malays and one Indian. It was the only English school within 40km of the nearest town. We were pioneers.

The village itself was a portrait of harmony. A row of Chinese shophouses had existed for as long as one can remember. The Chinese boys and girls went to Chinese schools while all my friends went to Malay schools.

But outside school, we were friends. Childhood in Sungai Balang Besar transcended race. Malay, Javanese and Chinese boys played together.

When the Chinese and Malay orchard owners found that their durians and rambutans were stolen, they knew the culprits were Chinese and Malay boys.

There was in fact the legend of Wak Samad, the gravedigger who saved Chinese families in my village when a parang-wielding mob rampaged through the area in the 1948 race riot in Parit Jawa. Led by one Pawang Salleh, they came from Batu Pahat.

When they reached my village, the remaining Chinese families were at the mercy of the mob. Wak Samad stood in front of the shops warning them that those people were his anak buah (wards).

The gravedigger's words carried a lot of weight. There was no untoward incident in the village. The story of Wak Samad is part of the local folklore remembered fondly by Chinese elders.

My father was a barber in the afternoon, a rubber tapper in the morning. He rented a small shop in the village. His neighbours were all Chinese shopkeepers who called him Jakpo Gunting (Jakpo the Barber). I spent lots of time with the shopkeepers' sons and daughters.

I remember my father told me the Chinese even bought pork discreetly by special delivery so as not to offend the Malays.

One of my best friends at school was one bubbly Chinese boy, Wong Chin Hock. The other boy, Jumadi was the son of a movie theatre owner in Semerah. We were so close that we called ourselves Panglima Tiga Serangkai (Three Warriors).

We parted ways after Form Three. But we made a promise -- every 10 years we were supposed to meet at a specific place, just for old times sake, regardless of what we do and who we are.

In 1978, 10 years after we made the promise, I went to the place that meant so much to us. I waited but they didn't turn up.

I was there again in 1988 and 1998, and I was alone. Early this year I did the same, and they were nowhere to be seen.

I met them a couple of times over the years. But I never reminded them of the childhood promise we made. Perhaps they have forgotten all about it. Perhaps I am being too nostalgic. But I wanted to keep my promise.

When I wrote a children's book entitled Tangan-tangan Kaku (published by Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka in 1974), I immortalised Chin Hock as one of the three major characters in the novel.

My encounters with the various races since my childhood days have helped me tremendously in understanding others. Malaysians need that. We must begin from a young age.

Harmony is not just about going to Hari Raya, Chinese New Year or Deepavali open house. It is not just about superficial encounters. It is a socialisation process that takes time, patience and lots of understanding.

'Guilty plea made with full knowledge' by Hindraf supporters'

Saturday, 04 October 2008
©*New Straits Times* KUALA LUMPUR: The 29 Hindu Rights Action Force supporters who pleaded guilty in the Sessions Court to taking part in an illegal…

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200 attend Abolish ISA vigil in Penang

Ordinary Malaysians scrawl their signatures on the Abolish ISA banner

The Bishop of Penang (left) was among those who showed up

Some 200 concerned individuals turned up tonight in front…

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Why Teresa Kok is the target

Kok, according to her supporters, is a hero who has been wronged.

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 4 — She has been villified as a Chinese chauvinist and portrayed as anti-Muslim. She…

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Kok, according to her supporters, is a hero who has been wronged.

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 4 — She has been villified as a Chinese chauvinist and portrayed as anti-Muslim. She was detained one week under the Internal Security Act for allegedly stirring up religious sentiments. And last week, unknown assailants threw a Molotov cocktail into the compound of her family home in Kuala Lumpur.

But ask DAP Member of Parliament Teresa Kok why she has become the target of a smear campaign in recent months and she will probably be hard pressed for an answer.

And those who know her insist she is anything but a chauvinist or an enemy of Islam that her detractors claim she is.

When Kok was detained under the ISA, even Datuk Zaid Ibrahim, who quit the Cabinet as de facto Law Minister partly in protest against the use of the law, said of her: "I know Teresa personally and I cannot see her as anti-Islam."

While Zaid was the only Umno member who spoke out publicly, he was not the only one who viewed the recent ISA detentions of Kok and a female journalist, who was released after 18 hours, as unwarranted.

"Look, everyone who knows her (Kok) knows she is not a bigot or a chauvinist. This makes the government look bad," one MP from Umno said.

In fact, it was some of Kok's political opponents in Parliament — from the ruling Barisan Nasional — who met with government officials in private to plead for her release. Such is Kok's popularity that when she made her first public appearance at a press conference hours after her release on Sept 19, she received a standing ovation from reporters.

It is probable that Kok, who won her Seputeh parliamentary seat in Kuala Lumpur with a 36,492-vote majority — the biggest — in the March elections, could win with an even bigger margin if polls were held today.

To her supporters, she is a hero who has been wronged.

It was alleged that she had abused her position as an MP and a member of the Selangor state government to direct a mosque to reduce the volume of its public address system during prayer times because it was disturbing non-Muslims living nearby.

The allegation, made by former Selangor Menteri Besar Datuk Mohd Khir Toyo, and highlighted in the Umno-owned Utusan Malaysia newspaper, was found to be untrue. Even the mosque committee came out to publicly deny the allegation. Still, she was detained by the police.

The attacks have not stopped despite her release. Utusan Malaysia has made her, in her own words, a "cover girl" since her release. After she complained about the allegedly low quality of food served during her detention, comparing it to dog food, she has been chastised repeatedly in the newspaper.

Kok, known for her multiracial stand, has been determined more than ever to flaunt it since her arrest.

Following her release, she has been attending breaking-of-fast functions almost nightly during the just-ended fasting month of Ramadan.

But even that has become the subject of attacks by Utusan Malaysia.

Last week, Kok was criticised in the newspaper for "wearing a skirt to a mosque". The article appeared to suggest that she was wearing something outrageous and that her attire caused serious discomfort among Muslims present at the function.

However, facts suggested otherwise. Kok wore a long-sleeved dress which came down almost to her ankles. She also did not enter the mosque, remaining instead in its compound.

One of Kok's Malay-Muslim supporters said: "I don't understand why she is being targetted. She is usually so sensitive to the religious obligations of Muslims it is almost ridiculous. She usually takes great pains to tell me what I can or cannot eat when we are out that I find it hard to believe she would be anti-Islam."

Ultimately, the smear campaign could be attributed to the fact that Kok and a number of leaders from the Chinese-dominated DAP have taken pains to reach out to Malay-Muslim voters.

As a member of a party who is part of three state governments — along with its Malay partners in the Parti Keadilan Rakyat and Pas — DAP leaders like Kok have been reaching out more than ever, and successfully, to Malay voters.

This is undoubtedly a political threat to the ruling coalition led by Umno.

The attacks against Kok and the attempts to portray her as a Chinese chauvinist who is anti-Islam represent a crude attempt at undermining the credibility and viability of the opposition coalition, Pakatan Rakyat, as a viable multiracial alternative to BN.

But targetting Kok, known for her congeniality as much as anything else, may well backfire. — Today(themalaysiainsider)

Zaid attacks race politics

Zaid says he joined the government for the wrong reasons.

By Leslie Lau

Consultant Editor

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 4 — Amid widespread speculation over his political future, Datuk Zaid Ibrahim…

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Zaid says he joined the government for the wrong reasons.

By Leslie Lau

Consultant Editor

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 4 — Amid widespread speculation over his political future, Datuk Zaid Ibrahim has criticised his own party Umno for contributing to race relations problems.

He also urged Umno to engender a more fair-minded administration, and lead the Malays towards having better race relations with non-Malays.

Speaking to the mass-circulation Chinese-language Sin Chew Daily in his most extensive interview since resigning as a member of the Cabinet recently, Zaid also called for more open debates over "sensitive issues”.

He also pointed out that the results of the March general election were a clear message from the people that they wanted change, but the government had failed to change.

The former minister in the Prime Minister's Department, who resigned in protest against recent Internal Security Act arrests, said he had joined the government for the wrong reasons.

"I became a minister for the wrong reason. That reason was reform, but I have failed.

"I thought they would no longer use the ISA. I thought the government would be more open to the rule of law and the constitution, but I was wrong."

There has been, in recent weeks, intense speculation over the political future of Zaid, but the Umno man did not address the issue in his interview with the Chinese-language daily.

But he was highly critical of the "culture of fear" in Malaysia, which he appeared to blame on Umno and the ruling Barisan Nasional coalition.

"When we face an issue we cannot discuss it, we cannot debate it. We only use fear or we take to the streets. That is not the way things are done in a mature society," he said.

He said the leadership style of "those with political power" had resulted in race relations being a sensitive issue even after 50 years of independence.

The former minister said race politics had been constantly used because it was easy to get support that way.

"Umno feels that it is a party needed by the Malays. Umno leaders keep telling the Malays that they are constantly in danger and therefore need Umno.

"They always feel that only they know what is good for the Malays."

He said there was no need for "real Malays" to feel any fear or insecurity.

The real question, he said, was that too many people did not understand or respect the historical fact that for the last 100 years, the Malays, Chinese and Indians have contributed to nation-building.

He said Malaysia's status today as the 19th largest trading nation in the world was due to the contributions of all races.

Zaid also felt that under today's circumstances, a "May 13" race riot is not likely to happen again.

"I am not afraid of the Chinese being smart, because I too am smart. We keep talking about the Chinese having more shops and how we should be worried. The fact is we should not be worried. We should think of how to catch up," he said.

He added that it was no longer necessary for "one party to represent one race" anymore. (themalaysiainsider)

Video: Hindraf commotion at govts Raya open house

Hindraf commotion at govts Raya open house. Click Here.

Bar's Press Statement: Judicial Appointments Commission must be founded on separation of powers and transparency

Contributed by Ambiga Sreenevasan
Friday, 03 October 2008
Response to Dato’ Seri Mohamed Nazri Abdul…

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Bar's Press Statement: Judicial Appointments Commission must be founded on separation of powers and transparency

Contributed by Ambiga Sreenevasan

Friday, 03 October 2008

Ambiga Sreenevasan Response to Dato’ Seri Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz’s interview on the Judicial Appointments Commission (JAC) in the New Straits Times on 3 October 2008

The Bar Council is pleased with the assurance by Dato’ Seri Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz that the agenda for judicial reform will progress and will be discussed with the Bar Council.

There are a few points that need clarification, however, and we believe the public must understand the rationale of the composition of the JAC proposed by the Malaysian Bar.

It must be appreciated that apart from the aim of taking the appointments and promotions of judges away from decision-making by one person in the Judiciary, it is also important to ensure that there is no Executive interference in the process. The other danger that must be addressed relates to the situations that emerged in the Lingam Tape Inquiry that certain groups or individuals could influence judicial appointments. The scope and operation of a JAC in Malaysia must be founded on the principle of separation of powers and greater transparency at all levels of the appointments process. The composition of the JAC must also reflect a fair representation of the various stakeholders in the judicial system.

The Malaysian Bar gave due consideration to all these factors in making its recommendations on the structure and composition of a JAC.

The proposal to include the Presidents of the Malaysian Bar and the Law Associations of Sabah and Sarawak is entirely in accordance with the Beijing Statement and the Latimer House Principles which are respected and authoritative guides in the Asia-Pacific and the Commonwealth, respectively, on issues relating to the administration of justice. Both these documents recommend or encourage the inclusion of the judiciary, the legal profession and civil society in the composition of the JAC.

Practising advocates and solicitors are well-placed to understand what is required and desired of a judge from the perspective of a practitioner and can give valuable input on the suitability of candidates for judicial appointment or promotion.

The Bar has always been known to speak without fear or favour and in the public interest. Our charter requires us to do so. The Bar’s inclusion on the JAC will ensure that the views of the legal profession and the public will be put forward fearlessly. Furthermore, the President of the Malaysian Bar has a fixed tenure of two years, thus ensuring a continuous change, which provides a further safeguard.

As for the argument that there is a “conflict of interest” if a lawyer were to sit on the JAC, we disagree. His Majesty’s judges are obliged to no one and are guided only by their oaths of office and their consciences. To suggest that they may be at all influenced by the presence of lawyers on the JAC, is a disservice to their independence and integrity. They are not beholden to any appointing authority, not even the Prime Minister who presently recommends their appointment.

On the JAC being only for judges who are to be newly appointed, we disagree with this proposal. Much of the unhappiness over the years has been over the utter abuse of the promotions process that is perceived to operate on patronage. It is imperative that both the appointments and the promotions processes are entrusted to the JAC.

It is the Bar’s view that a limited prerogative of the Prime Minister may be preserved in respect of the appointment and promotion of judges. There is little point in having a JAC if the Prime Minister is free to reject their recommendations in their entirety. We must remember that such an important body as the JAC must be carefully thought out and must be a model for all time.

Dato’ Ambiga Sreenevasan
President
Malaysian Bar

3 October 2008

BN should embrace, not reject, Hindraf

By Baradan Kuppusamy

OCT 3 — The arrival of over 100 Hindraf members and their children, all dressed in a sea of red, at the government's official Hari Raya open…

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By Baradan Kuppusamy

OCT 3 — The arrival of over 100 Hindraf members and their children, all dressed in a sea of red, at the government's official Hari Raya open house at the PWTC in Kuala Lumpur on Wednesday has upset the well-heeled.

Several ministers and NGO leaders are slamming the "intervention" as a rude and uncouth gate-crashing of a fine event.

They see the all-red participation as threatening.

Although the colour red is historically associated with upheavals and the upper classes see it as threatening and although Hindraf has acquired a radical tinge since the Nov 25, 2007 mass rally, the truth is otherwise.

"We went to celebrate Hari Raya with our leaders, to pay our respects and humbly submit a petition calling for the release of the Hindraf 5 and all other ISA detainees," said Hindraf national co-ordinator R.S. Thanenthiran.

"We did not threaten anybody... we love peace. We are a peace-loving movement," he told The Malaysian Insider.

By this "intervention" and other numerous similar events over the past year Hindraf and its supporters are really striving for inclusiveness, acceptance and recognition by the authorities as bona fide members of the diverse Malaysian family.

But unfortunately before and after Nov 25 what they have got thus far is exclusion, neglect and inequitable treatment by the government and the other classes.

Now they are being demonised as uncultured, disrespectful and even anti-Islam for trying to visit Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and give him a Hari Raya present — a teddy bear and a greeting card — and urge him to release the five Hindraf leaders in ISA detention since December 2007.

This trend is unhealthy and nothing could be far from the truth. There is an urgent need for understanding, compassion and acceptance by the authorities of Hindraf, its members and the deep-seated grievances that propel the movement.

Government leaders need to become more knowledgeable of Tamil society and the deep divisions within this minority in order to better understand the dynamics that gave birth to the Hindraf movement.

There is an urgent need to think out of the box and find ways to accommodate Hindraf in the larger Malaysian political landscape.

Home Minister Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar and Unity, Culture, Arts and Heritage Minister Datuk Shafie Apdal have done the government a disservice by criticising the movement.

Shafie, with his "unity and heritage" portfolio, should have known better about the history of the working class within the Tamil minority which at one time was the flesh and blood of the MIC but later moved away to populate the Indian Progressive Front led by the late Tan Sri M.G. Pandithan.

While Hindraf has middle-class Tamil leadership, its core support group is the same Tamil working class that once supported the MIC and IPF.

These are the same people who gave the BN-MIC victory after victory in the last 50 years and gave them one final victory in the Ijok by-election on April 28, 2007.

The BN should remember their unstinting support over the decades. The question is whether they got anything in return.

The Tamil working class virtually ended up in a state of destitution in a land of plenty.

During the boom years when the rubber and oil palm plantations were redeveloped into luxury homes, golf courses and new townships, Tamil families were uprooted and ended up as railway line squatters, in rumah panjangs and in cheap crowded flats.

Naturally many in the most marginalised of Malaysian communities would be heavily involved in crime and gangsterism in a proportion far larger than the size of their population.

The authorities need to understand why the Tamil working class now coalesces under the Hindraf banner.

The BN government remains in denial, still believing the MIC can deliver and can win back support.

The Tamil working class needs jobs, skills training and financial help. Above all they need acceptance and recognition as a marginalised people.

It is therefore unhealthy and defeatist to see Hindraf supporters as rude, uneducated or uncultured people who have gate-crashed a decent, respectable Hari Raya function.

It is improper to imply that Hindraf supporters by their dressing and persistence to meet Abdullah had sullied a decent national event.

Hindraf is seeking acceptance, recognition and friendship but since Nov 25 it has only seen rejection.

The best thing that Syed Hamid and Shafie can do for themselves and for the BN is to perhaps ask the Cabinet to free the Hindraf 5 and all other ISA detainees.

Freeing the Hindraf 5 would help heal the anger in the Indian community which sees their continued detention as an unjust and vindictive act.

Freedom should also be immediately followed up with a well thought out and consistent socio-economic and financial package managed by a special purpose government agency to help the Tamil working class.

This is not the time to fear the colour red.

Dear PM, Why you did that to us?

Dear All

The Malaysian media demonizes HINDRAF and is used as a tool to incite racial racial and religious hatred. last 2 days media coverage is evident. Spread the news…

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BN should embrace, not reject, Hindraf

Dear PM, Why you did that to us?

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Unruly scenes unfold in video clip

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