Guan Eng: 1 Malaysia ‘irrelevant’ if Umno supports Perkasa

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 21— Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng claimed today that the effort made by the Najib Administration to promote its 1 Malaysia slogan would be futile and…

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KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 21— Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng claimed today that the effort made by the Najib Administration to promote its 1 Malaysia slogan would be futile and “irrelevant” as long as Umno and Barisan Nasional (BN) continued to support Perkasa.

Lim (picture) said that recent statements made by top Umno leaders urging the party to continue co-operating with Perkasa and all Malay NGOs that champion Malay and Bumiputera rights “reinforced Umno’s role of backing Perkasa.”

“The statement by Tan Sri Adam Kadir, the President of the Organisation of Former Umno Elected Representatives (Penawar) urging UMNO to continue its co-operation with Perkasa and all Malay NGOs that champion Malay and Bumiputera rights as enshrined Federal constitution reinforces UMNO’s role of backing the racist Perkasa. 1 Malaysia and BN’s consensus spirit are irrelevant as long as UMNO and BN fully support the racist Perkasa,” said Lim in a statement today.

Yesterday Penawar urged Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor to apologise after the Umno secretary-general criticised Perkasa as racists, and followed Perkasa’s call in urging Umno to sack Tengku Adnan if he refused to apologise.

Today, Lim berated Perkasa for “claiming” to uphold Article 153 of the Federal Constitution as according to him, the Malay rights group only supported racist statements that were never sanctioned under the country’s constitution.

“How can Perkasa claim not to be racist and only fighting to uphold Article 153 of the Federal Constitution when they support racist statements that Chinese should go back to China and their women sell their bodies whereas Indians are beggars and dogs. I have checked and rechecked through Article 153 of the Federal Constitution and there is nothing stated in Article 153 that gives any one special rights to describe Chinese whose women sell their bodies and should go back to China, Indians as beggars or are dogs,” said Lim.

Umno appears to be divided on whether to associate or alienate the party for the controversial Malay rights group.

Several Umno leaders including Pulai MP Datuk Nur Jazlan Mohamed and Umno Youth Cheif Khairy Jamaluddin have claimed that the party was not bowing to Perkasa’s demands.

But other leaders like Umno deputy permanent chairman Datuk Mohamed Aziz have said that there was no need for Umno to distance itself from Perkasa, and that if there were Umno leaders who felt that way, it was their personal views and did not reflect the party’s stand.

“What is surprising however is that this support and the Perkasa mentality is prevalent even amongst all component parties of BN as explained by Tengku Adnan in The Malaysian Insider on Perkasa: ‘When we had a meeting with BN secretaries-general, we never talked even a little bit that we wanted to distance ourselves from anybody.’

“Clearly all the BN component parties like MCA are just playing a big “sandiwara” opposing Perkasa outside when inside meetings, they keep silent and submissively support UMNO’s pro-Perkasa position. BN component parties should explain why they keep silent inside BN meetings and dare not demand BN oppose Perkasa, yet talk big outside,” added Lim.

Datuk Seri Najib Razak said last Friday that Umno was not in conflict with any non-governmental organisations despite the recent move by party leaders to distance it from Perkasa.

Shortly after that, Tengku Adnan said that he had never asked party members to sever ties with Perkasa, denying an earlier statement where he was reported to have said that the country’s largest Malay party will not back Perkasa in the next general election and that the right-wing group was corroding the party’s non-Malay support.

Lim, who is also DAP secretary-general claimed that the Perkasa mentality in BN was “dangerous” as it had resulted in “public and open denigration of non-Malays”, in reference to the Kulai school principal who was accused of uttering racist remarks to students during a school program.

“Dehumanizing Malaysians with contemptuous language and hate is extremely dangerous. This is what Hitler and Pol Pot has done to pursue their political agenda by dehumanizing the minorities within their population.

“If Perkasa, supported by UMNO and BN, succeeds in dehumanizing Malaysians, it is but a small step from preaching and even justifying mass violence. That is why Malaysians must stand up for peace and respect by uniting against the racism and extremism of hate as embodied not only by Perkasa but also against those that support Perkasa,” added the DAP secretary-general.

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'Ban Tamil movies depicting excessive violence'

By Kisho Kumari - Free Malaysia Today

KUALA LUMPUR: "Don''t just censor but ban Tamil movies and dramas which depict excessive violence."
This is the impassioned call made by community…

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By Kisho Kumari - Free Malaysia Today

KUALA LUMPUR: "Don''t just censor but ban Tamil movies and dramas which depict excessive violence."
This is the impassioned call made by community leaders and academicians who are gravely concerned over the growing gangsterism among Indian youths in the country.

Malaysia Hindu Sangam president RS Mohan Shan said some Tamil movies were found to have ''coached'' youths on how to be involved in crime although it defied logic when it involved reality.

"While such scenes were merely for entertainment, some of our Indian youths are so engrossed with their screen heroes that they inadvertently, imitated them," he said here today.

According to Mohan, Chennai-based Tamil dramas shown over local television stations were also beginning to show negative elements like gangsterism as well, unlike in the past.

"(I find that) most scenes in a Tamil drama serial depict negative values... it is only towards the end of the story that positive values are shown... by which time, the damage is done," he said.

As compared to old movies which normally reflected on good and positive values, Mohan said that times had changed, with some top heroes taking on the role of the villain.

He urged the censorship board to monitor such movies as elements of gangsterism were detected nationwide.

In a local daily today, Information, Communication and Culture Minister Rais Yatim was reported as saying that he would bring up the issue of control over Tamil movies showcasing gangsterism, to the Cabinet tomorrow.

Echoing Mohan's views, senior lecturer S Supramani of Universiti Malaya's Faculty of Languages and Linguistics said the censorship board should "not let Tamil movies depicting violence to be screened to the public".

He said the number of movies with negative elements like gangsterism were growing due to the increasing demand from audiences.
Take the good values
Supramani believed that Indian film directors would change the concept in their storyline if the censorship board and public did not support such movies.

"If there is high demand from us, of course they (directors) will keep on producing movies with violent scenes, all the time," he said.

At the same time, he noted that Tamil movies and dramas showed positive, as well. Thus, the Indian community should only take the good values and leave out the bad.

However, Tamil Youth Bell Club president K Murali felt that there was minimal impact from Tamil movies, in as far as contributing towards the rise in gangsterism among Indians in the country.

"I am not denying its impact...but it''s not really heavy because there are still many Indian youths who do not imitate the actions, despite frequently watching such movies.

"It all depends on a particular person...whether he wants to take the good or bad values," he said.

Murali also urged Indian youths to get involved in social activities and non-governmental organisations for better job opportunities and rewarding lifestyles for the future.

- Bernama

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Malaysia unveils massive investment plans

By Royce Cheah - Free Malaysia Today

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia today unveiled ambitious plans to jumpstart its economy by mobilising hundreds of billions of dollars of private investment in the…

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By Royce Cheah - Free Malaysia Today

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia today unveiled ambitious plans to jumpstart its economy by mobilising hundreds of billions of dollars of private investment in the next decade.
The plans ranged from a new mass transit system to relieve congestion in Kuala Lumpur to building a huge oil storage facility next to neighbouring Singapore to form a regional oil products trading hub.

A government think-tank said it had identified investments worth US$444 billion (RM1.4 trillion) over 10 years, of which 60% would come from the private sector, 32% from government-linked
companies and 8% from the government.

The World Bank described the intent to boost investment and reforms so far as "conceptually right" but said more was needed.

Malaysia is competing for investment with other fast-growing countries in Southeast Asia and neighbouring Indonesia recently unveiled plans to boost infrastructure too.

"For Malaysia to sustain growth beyond a temporary growth acceleration, fundamental policy reforms will be absolutely critical. A second risk concerns the speed and extent of implementation," said Philip Schellekens, the bank's senior economist for Malaysia.

In the past 10 years, private companies invested just RM535 billion, according to official data and Malaysia's private investment rate of around 10% of gross domestic product (GDP) is among the lowest in Asia.

The government, which in 2009 ran its biggest budget deficit in 20 years as a percentage of GDP, contributes around half the investment in Malaysia. It wants to cut that dramatically and defended its new plan as realistic.

"I don't think the government would publish a document that thick if there is no political will. It's a risky strategy to expose yourself so publicly when you have no plan to do it," said Idris Jala, the Minister in the Prime Minister's Department in charge of drawing up the proposals.

Economists warned, however, that without a new policy framework to encourage investment the plans would be hard to realise.

"It will be difficult to achieve the private investment growth target set by the government if there are no additional tax incentives given to the focus sectors," said Gundy Cahyadi, regional economist at investment bank OCBC.

Move into services

The plan comes as Malaysia is seeking to boost domestic demand and the service sector. It also outlines the country's ambition to move into business outsourcing, although tackling Malaysia's racially divided education system will be a tough challenge.

The government think-tank said that in 2003 Malaysia had just 21,000 finance and accounting professionals that could be employed by multi-national corporations compared with 341,000 in India and 127,000 in the Philippines.

Malaysia has announced ambitious reform plans before but not all have been implemented.

The same government think-tank that formulated the investment plans also came up with ambitious aims to slash Malaysia's subsidy bill which costs government coffers 2% to 3% of GDP annually. The cuts were watered down after running into political opposition in the governing coalition and policy analysts are sceptical as to whether Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak can deliver on his reform pledges.

-Reuters

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Name leaders with underworld links, Kayveas told

By G Vinod - Free Malaysia Today,

KUALA LUMPUR: Two Indian politicians, from both sides of the fence, have urged PPP president M Kayveas to name the Indian leaders who…

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By G Vinod - Free Malaysia Today,

KUALA LUMPUR: Two Indian politicians, from both sides of the fence, have urged PPP president M Kayveas to name the Indian leaders who have links with gangsters.

MIC vice-president M Saravanan said Kayveas should " name and shame" these leaders as the blanket allegation that most Indian leaders had links with gangsters was unfair.

He said this when asked to comment on Kayveas' statement, published in a Malay daily yesterday, that several irresponsible Indian leaders were actually protecting gangsters in order to consolidate their political strength and protect their immoral activities.

The PPP chief also said that he was willing to cooperate with the police and provide information on these leaders.

“Kayveas should be specific in his allegation,” Saravanan told FMT.

Saravanan, who is also federal territories and urban well-being deputy minister, said the PPP chief should not make a general allegation against all Indian leaders.

“The blanket allegation will tarnish the image of all Indian leaders,” he added.

Meanwhile, PKR's Padang Serai MP N Gobalakrishnan also called on Kayveas to spill the beans.

“If he does not name them, then he is merely shooting in the air,” he told FMT.

Gobalakrishnan added that he was aware of police reports made against certain Indian leaders who were working with gangsters, namely from Indian based political parties within Barisan Nasional.

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'Proof sacking or I'll sue for defamation'

 
By Teoh El Sen - Free Malaysia Today

PETALING JAYA: PS Jenapala, the dark horse in the race for PKR's deputy presidency, has given party secretary-general Saifuddin Nasution Ismail…

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By Teoh El Sen - Free Malaysia Today

PETALING JAYA: PS Jenapala, the dark horse in the race for PKR's deputy presidency, has given party secretary-general Saifuddin Nasution Ismail 24 hours to provide proof of his sacking.
Failing which, the former deputy secretary-general warned that he would file a complaint with the Registrar of Societies or sue the party leaders for defamation.

"I am giving him 24 hours to provide documentary proof to back the claim that I was sacked in February 2009," said Jenapala, who quit his post in 2008 after he was declared a bankrupt.

He was responding to the party leadership's claim that he was not eligible to contest because he was sacked for criticising PKR and forming another political party.

Yesterday, Saifuddin had issued a statement that Jenapala cannot be nominated for any post as he was no longer a PKR member.

He also labelled Jenapala a "traitor" to the party's struggle since he had questioned and criticised the integrity of the party elections with "baseless accusations" and "lies".

Jenapala, who claims that his name was still on the membership list and that he had a member card to prove it, said that the party constitution states that a sacking must be endorsed by the supreme council.

"If at all I criticised the party or went against the party, they would have had to send me a show cause letter first. There should have been an investigation. There was no black and white at all.

“It's just that they are white and I am black," he added.

Jenapala urged Saifuddin to reveal when the supreme council had deliberated on his fate and to provide the date and time of the said meeting.

“I want to remind the secretary-general that I still have many influential friends in the party, and some of them sit in the supreme council," he said.

They have an axe to grind

Jenapal also accused the party leaders of having an axe to grind with him because he had the courage to call a spade a spade.

“You call yourself Parti Keadilan, but where is the justice Mr Nasution?" he asked, claiming that party leaders were attempting to divert attention from the issues he raised.

At a press conference yesterday, Jenapala claimed that party supremo Anwar Ibrahim and vice-president Azmin Ali were using underhand tactics to clinch the number two post.

Although Anwar has remained neutral on the surface, it is widely speculated that the PKR supremo wants his protege Azmin as the next deputy president.

Despite Jenapala's presence in the race, the real battle for number two is said to be between Azmin and PKR supreme council member Zaid Ibrahim.

He must exhaust all avenues

Meanwhile, PKR's Balik Pulau MP Yusmadi Yusoff, who heads the party poll watchdog "My Democracy Watch", said the protocol for a member to be sacked was for an incident or complaint to be forwarded to the disciplinary committee.

"The committee would then issue a show-cause letter to the member to clarify the matter. The committee would then investigate or call up the member for clarification and recommend action based on its findings.

"Then there is also the supreme council where you could appeal against your sacking. But if that procedure was not followed, then you should fight against it,” he said.

In Jenapala's case, Yusmadi said the former should exhaust all avenues - first by filing a complaint with the Elections Steering Committee chairperson Dr Molly Cheah, the disciplinary committee and supreme council.

“If all these fail, then we (My Democracy Watch) would help him if we find the complaint to be responsible," he added.

Jenapala joined PKR after being expelled from PPP as its Ipoh Barat branch chairman in 1998 for allegedly working against the party and undermining its objectives.

He claimed that he was the first batch to join PKR in 1998.

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Former hostage Betancourt's book to go on sale

Ingrid Betancourt returned from France to 

visit Colombia in July.

 

Paris, France (CNN) -- Former Colombian hostage Ingrid Betancourt tells the story of her six-year captivity in a book…

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Ingrid Betancourt returned from France to 

visit Colombia in July.

 

Paris, France (CNN) -- Former Colombian hostage Ingrid Betancourt tells the story of her six-year captivity in a book due to hit the shelves Tuesday.

Betancourt, a former presidential candidate in Colombia, was held for more than six years by Marxist rebels before the Colombian military rescued her and 14 others in 2008.

"Meme le Silence a une Fin," or "Even Silence Has an End," will go on sale around the world, the publishing house Gallimard said.

In June, Betancourt filed a suit, asking for about $7 million from the Colombian government for the years she spent as a hostage.

Betancourt and her family members say the government did not do enough to protect her.

Betancourt was freed in a high-profile helicopter rescue mission in July 2008. Colombian commandos posed as humanitarian aid workers to free the group, which included three U.S. military contractors and 11 Colombian police and military members.

In a memoir published last year, the U.S. military contractors rescued along with Betancourt painted an unflattering portrait of the dual citizen of France and Colombia, describing her as someone who hoarded belongings and let her temper flare during their time in the rebel camp.

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School for pregnant teens opens

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia's first school for pregnant teenagers welcomed its inaugural batch of students on Monday, defying criticism of the facility which is aimed at curbing an epidemic of "baby…

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KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia's first school for pregnant teenagers welcomed its inaugural batch of students on Monday, defying criticism of the facility which is aimed at curbing an epidemic of "baby dumping". Conservative commentators in Muslim-majority Malaysia have complained that Sekolah Harapan or "School of Hope", which opened last Friday, will only encourage premarital sex.

But state officials defended the school as a realistic way of tackling the rising number of abandoned infants who have been dumped, often dead or dying, on rubbish tips and in the streets.

Five girls aged between 16 and 17 were enrolled at the school yesterday, said school chairman Rahaman Karim, expressing confidence that the other 35 available spots would be filled as enquiries were continuing to come in.

"The parents of these five students read about the school before it opened," he said. "They took their daughter to visit the school over the weekend and register them."

"I met the five students today and they appeared to be coping very well," said the chairman, who opened the school's doors last Friday without a single student enrolled.

Rahaman said the five girls, four Malay Muslims and one ethnic Chinese, were all unmarried and would be staying at the hostel next to the school, which is located on a scenic hilltop outside the tourist town of Malacca.

They will be taught by an all-female staff who will offer normal classes as well as counselling and skill training to the girls.

They can remain in the school until after their delivery and confinement period, when they have to return to their normal schools.

Giving birth out of wedlock still carries a strong social stigma in Malaysia, a multicultural society including Muslim Malays as well as ethnic Chinese and Indian communities.

- AFP

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'Backdoor' victory: Mansor must thank Anwar

By Athi Shankar - Free Malaysia Today,

PERMATANG PAUH: Penang PKR chief Mansor Othman, who avoided a potential embarassment at the Permatang Pauh division polls, must be grateful to party…

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By Athi Shankar - Free Malaysia Today,

PERMATANG PAUH: Penang PKR chief Mansor Othman, who avoided a potential embarassment at the Permatang Pauh division polls, must be grateful to party supremo Anwar Ibrahim.

If not for the opposition leader and Permatang Pauh MP's timely intervention, the Penang deputy chief minister could be licking his wounds due to a defeat in the contest for division deputy chief.

The division is headed by Anwar's wife and PKR president Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail

As expected, Anwar denied pressuring Che Mat Hashim, the outgoing incumbent deputy chief, to withdraw his candidacy at the eleventh hour.

But many PKR members do not believe this.

“If not for Anwar, Che Mat would not have withdrawn,” they insisted.

Sunday's contest was described as a David and Goliath match-up between the high profile Mansor, also the Penanti assemblyman and Che Mat, who is known to locals as “Pak Tam”.

'Defeat would have been a slap in the face'
Mansor shifted his party membership to Permatang Pauh some three months ago to be closer with his constituents after relinquishing his chairman post in the Balik Pulau division.

Originally, the deputy chairman contest could have been a three-cornered fight when division secretary Roselai Muhamad joined the fray, only to withdraw later following strong persuasion by Anwar.

Though he started as the favourite due to his positions and closeness to Anwar, Mansor found it tough in this semi urban constituency as local sentiments against an “outsider” were strong.

But the much anticipated political battle turned out to be an anti-climax when Che Mat faxed his withdrawal letter to the party headquarters on Saturday night, citing deteriorating health condition as the reason.

Party insiders had predicted an upset win for Che Mat, 63.

Their argument gained ground when teacher Alias Said from Che Mat’s camp drew 127 votes to defeat nearest challenger from Mansor’s camp, incumbent Zainal Abidin Saad, who received 72 votes. Third contestant Ramli Bulat came in third with 20 votes.

Apart from this, all nominees from Mansor’s faction lost in the 15 elected-member committee contest, which were all won by Che Mat’s camp.

'Democracy sacrificed to safeguard a leader's ego'

Mansor, 60, could have lost his legitimacy as state party chief if he had lost in the contest and this would have rendered a blow to his amibition of becoming an elected vice-president.

Anwar did not want this fate to befall the man he had handpicked as deputy chief minister. A defeat for Mansor in Permatang Pauh would have been a slap in the face for Anwar.

However, several local pundits claimed that Mansor could take little pride in a “backdoor” victory orchestrated by Anwar.

Political commentator Amizudin Ahmat, known as Din Binjai to the folks here, urged Anwar to take note of Mansor’s “battered” political standing among the people of Permatang Pauh.

“The democratic process and people’s will have been sacrificed just to protect a leader’s ego,” summed up another local observer in his blog Anak Sungai Derhaka.

The division chief Wan Azizah, and incumbent youth chief Amir Ghazali, also the state PKR youth leader, have retained their respective positions unchallenged.

Sarina Hashim became the new women’s wing chief uncontested, replacing outgoing Khatijah Yahaya.

Results from other contests

Meanwhile, a state representative and two councillors lost, while a councillor triumphed in three other PKR divisional polls held on Sunday.

Bukit Tengah elected representative Ong Chin Wen lost to Abu Mansor Md Noor for the Batu Kawan deputy chairman post. The outgoing division youth chief Ong drew 120 votes against Mansor’s 142.

For the youth wing chief contest, Dr Rajen Naidu got 77 votes to defeat councillor in Seberang Perai Municipality (MPSP) Goh Choon Aik, who received 52 votes.

For the women’s wing chief post, Dr Joyce Lee Yueh Choo got 46 votes to see off incumbent Asmah Sultan, who garnered 33 votes.

Incumbent chairman Law Choo Liang, also a Pakatan Rakyat state government executive councillor and Bukit Tambun assemblyman, retained his post unopposed, while Naserruddin Abdullah was elected unopposed as the new vice-chairman.

In Kepala Batas, incumbent division chairman and MPSP councillor Zaini Awang lost to his close friend Abdul Latif Abdullah by only five votes. Zaini gained 88 votes against Latif’s 93.

For the deputy chairman post, challenger Ab Rahman Romli secured 89 votes to unseat incumbent Adnan Jamaluddin who got 74 votes, while in the heated vice-chairman battle, P Gunasekaran garnered 90 votes to see off Goon Weng Him by a single vote margin.

Mohd Azhar Che Saad won unchallenged the division youth chief post while there was no contest for the women wing chief post. The new leadership would appoint a women leader soon.

In the Bagan divsion, incumbent chairman and MPSP councillor Ahmad Farid Md Arshad received 69 votes to beat division secretary Mohd Mahzlan Md Ghani (29 votes) and Lim Yeong Li (15 votes).

For the youth chief post, Steven Tan Nee Aik secured 36 votes to defeat Ahmad Johaniff Mohd Majidin who got 11 votes.

For other positions, incumbents deputy chairman Abu Othman Abu Hassan and vice-chairman lawyer P Prabhakaran were returned unopposed, while Siti Hajar Abdul Hamid was elected unchallenged as the new women leader, replacing outgoing Rohaya Zakaria.

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Towards a high-income nation

By Fintan Ng, The Star

THE Economic Transformation Programme (ETP), through the identified projects and initiatives, will be key in transforming the country into a high-income nation with a gross…

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By Fintan Ng, The Star

THE Economic Transformation Programme (ETP), through the identified projects and initiatives, will be key in transforming the country into a high-income nation with a gross national income (GNI) per capita of above RM48,000 by 2020 from RM23,700 in the present.

GNI in 2020 would rise to just over RM1.7 trillion from RM660bil in 2009. Up to 31% of the GNI growth would be delivered by the EPPs plus a further 10% from multiplier effects.

Business opportunities could deliver an additional 33% while the remaining 26% of incremental growth is expected from other non National Key Economic Areas (NKEA).

The four largest NKEAs (oil, gas and energy, financial services, palm oil and wholesale and retail) are projected to generate 60% of the incremental GNI growth from the 11 NKEA sectors.

The incremental GNI growth from the initiatives in greater Kuala Lumpur would be calculated separately to avoid double-counting, as some of the income from the 11 NKEA sectors would be generated in the greater Kuala Lumpur area.

According to Datuk Seri Idris Jala, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department and CEO of Pemandu, this level of GNI per capita would correspond to that of a high-income economy as currently defined by the World Bank.

He said achieving high-income status by 2020 would require an annual real growth rate of about 6% in the next 10 years and also allow the country to achieve the targets set under Vision 2020.

He said the high-income target would be achieved in an inclusive way and specific attention would be paid to lifting the incomes of the bottom 40% of households, with a target of increasing the monthly mean income of this group to RM2,300 in 2015 as stated in the Tenth Malaysia Plan from RM1,440 in 2009.

“The Government will encourage employment-rich growth that creates 3.3 million new jobs, of which half will require diploma or vocational qualifications. The investments made in education and training will ensure that more Malaysians are able to participate in these new opportunities,” he said.

He said the nature of these new jobs would result in a shift towards middle and high-income salary brackets while greater Kuala Lumpur will be transformed into a world-class city.

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Never too late for an old parliamentary whore to learn new tricks

By Haris Ibrahim,

“…I will defend the government, just as I did in the past when Tun Mahathir and (then) Tun Abdullah (Ahmad Badawi) was the prime minister…“I want Awang…

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By Haris Ibrahim,

“…I will defend the government, just as I did in the past when Tun Mahathir and (then) Tun Abdullah (Ahmad Badawi) was the prime minister…“I want Awang to know that I am always sure who my boss is. It is not (DAP leader Lim) Kit Siang or (Opposition Leader) Anwar (Ibrahim), because they are not the prime minister of Malaysia, the chairperson of BN or president of Umno” – Nazri Aziz, reported in Malaysiakini. I did not call him a whore without good reason.
Puteri Reformasi, YB Nurul Izzah, saw through the shallowness of the politics of this sorry excuse for a minister and took time out to issue an open letter about who Nazri’s BOSS really is.
If Nazri can manage to drag himself away from his ass-kissing ways, and reflect on these wise words from  this young lady, who knows, he may yet reform.
The open letter is reproduced below.
_________________________________________________
‘…I want Awang to know that I am always sure who my boss is. It’s not (Lim) Kit Siang nor (Datuk Seri) Anwar (Ibrahim) because they are not prime minister of Malaysia, the chairman of BN or president of Umno.’ -Dato’ Seri Mohamed Nazri bin Tan Sri Abdul Aziz in his open letter to Awang Selamat.
Dato’ Seri Nazri’s open letter to Awang Selamat mentioned many things that caught my attention, which include: his courage in facing criticism by the opposition, his call for Utusan Malaysia to meet its KPI of increased readership and refraining from subverting the 1Malaysia concept by promoting Ibrahim Ali’s narrow racism, his claim of his ‘parliamentary civility’ that led to five opposition MP’s crossover and finally, his closing remark of being a Malaysian first and Malay next.
BUT the most significant was his definition of ‘Who’s the Boss?’, which in his case is the Prime Minister.
I believe that the Real Boss of our nation is the rakyat and the Federal Constitution.
If all members of the Malaysian cabinet under Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak subscribed to this same belief, then Malaysians in general will benefit from clearer (and firmer) policies, a more sustainable environment for better ethnic relations, and a country where the rights of the many are held high above the interests of the few. First and foremost to living this belief is the commitment to free media, which I urge the administration of Datuk Seri Najib to hold as sacred.
So UTUSAN MALAYSIA has to decide if Datuk Seri Najib, Datuk Ibrahim Ali or even Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad is their boss.
So where UTUSAN MALAYSIA is allowed to choose who their bosses are, the government can only choose to satisfy their only boss, which is the rakyat.
Therefore, I call upon Dato’ Seri Nazri and Awang Selamat to support the call for a Free Media, as a show of loyalty to the real boss of the nation.
Sincerely,
Nurul Izzah Anwar

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Tian Chua:Anwar Ibrahim Yang Sering Bersangka baik

Dari Merdeka Review

Menawan Putrajaya – satu misi yang mungkin terlalu mencabar untuk sebuah parti politik yang hanya berusia 11 tahun. Lebih-lebih lagi, parti ini mula dibebani dengan pelbagai masalah…

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Dari Merdeka Review

Menawan Putrajaya – satu misi yang mungkin terlalu mencabar untuk sebuah parti politik yang hanya berusia 11 tahun. Lebih-lebih lagi, parti ini mula dibebani dengan pelbagai masalah sebelum ia sempat menjejak langkahnya ke Putrajaya – perbezaan pendirian sehingga tercetusnya perbalahan terbuka,

arus “keluar parti” yang menderas, perebutan kuasa dalaman dan sebagainya.

Sementara Anwar Ibrahim menjulang harapan anggota parti dan penyokong di luar parti untuk merampas kuasa kerajaan persekutuan daripada regim Barisan Nasional (BN), Ketua Umum PKR ini juga tidak terelak daripada menjadi sasaran pertama yang dituding jari, apabila situasi parti menjadi

seolah-olah di luar kawalannya.

Bermula daripada pertikaian isu agama Islam yang dicungkil Zulkifli Noordin, disusuli pula pemimpin yang keluar parti seperti Zahrain Hashim, Salehuddin Hashim, Wee Choo Keong dan sebagainya; sehinggalah apa yang berlaku di

Selangor antara Azmin Ali dengan Khalid Ibrahim dalam Kongres Nasional Tahunan pada Mei 2010, PKR memberi persepsi yang semakin tercalar di khalayak ramai.

Dalam satu wawancara bersama MerdekaReview pada 11 Julai 2010, Tian

Chua, salah seorang “veteran” yang masih tinggal dalam PKR, memberi gambaran dari kaca matanya di sebalik “kekecohan” ini.

Kelemahan, juga keistimewaan Anwar

Zulkifli Noordin mencetuskan pertikaian sejak beliau merempuh forum bertemakan isu agama anjuran Majlis Peguam Malaysia pada Ogos 2008.

Namun demikian, isu ini dikendalikan secara “berhati-hati”, malah lebih tepat secara “senyap-senyap”, memandangkan seluruh tenaga PKR ditumpukan pada PRK Permatang Pauh, yang menyaksikan “kembalinya Anwar secara rasmi” ke dalam parlimen.

Anwar dituduh teragak-agak untuk mengenakan tindakan disiplin terhadap

bekas peguamnya yang menyarung jersi PKR untuk bertanding di Kulim Bandar Baru ketika PRU ke-12. PKR hanya memecat Zulkifli Noordin (gambar kanan) pada Mac 2010, setelah beliau membuat laporan polis terhadap Khalid Samad, ahli parlimen Shah Alam-PAS, berhubung isu penggunaan kalimah Allah.

“Adakah ini kelemahan, atau keistimewaan Anwar? Pada dasarnya Anwar seorang demokrat. Jadi beliau selalu menyimpan ‘sangka baik’ terhadap kritikan yang dilontarkan terhadapnya. ‘Dia kritik saya, ok-lah, sabarlah, saya bincang dengannya kemudian selesai’ (sikap Anwar).” Tian Chua membela Ketua Umumnya, sambil memberi contoh bagaimana Anwar mempertemukan Zulkifli Noordin dengan tokoh agama, Yusof Al-Qaradawi, untuk membincangkan isu penggunaan kalimah Allah.

Tian Chua berkata, ramai orang yang menganggap bahawa Anwar (gambar kiri) mempunyai kedudukan yang tidak tercabar dalam parti, tetapi pada hakikatnya, Anwar jarang menggunakan kewibawaan ini untuk menyelesaikan masalah. Sebaliknya beliau tetap dengan “sangka baiknya”, dan beliau tidak percaya, seandainya diberitahu, misalnya “Wee Choo Keong telah bertemu dengan pemimpin UMNO”.

“Semestinya ia (sikap Anwar ini) ada baik dan buruknya. Ini bermakna apabila berdepan dengan masalah, maka orang di sisi Anwar perlu memikirkan cara untuk mengurangkan bahaya dan ancaman masalah tersebut,” katanya.

Antara disiplin dengan perbezaan pandangan

Ketika mengulas siri kejadian yang berlaku, sehingga PKR dilihat “kecoh”, Tian Chua mengakui bahawa partinya masih dalam proses untuk mengimbangkan diri, antara “disiplin” dengan “ruang perbezaan pendapat”. “Adakah kami perlu mengetatkan disiplin ke satu tahap, di mana kesemua daripada kami mencapai muafakat, ‘tiada masalah’ (no problem), ataupun kami dibenarkan untuk mengakui bahawa kami mempunyai pendapat yang berbeza?”

Tian Chua (gambar kanan) menyedari bahawa “demokrasi yang membenarkan ruang perbezaan pendapat kadang-kala menimbulkan riuh-rendah yang membingitkan, sehingga rakyat hilang yakin terhadap parti”, tetapi menganggap situasi ini tidak semestinya sesuatu yang buruk seandainya PKR-Pakatan Rakyat telah mengambil alih kuasa kerajaan.

Lantaran daripada itu, Tian Chua menafikan tuduhan bahawa Anwar mempunyai kedudukan tertinggi yang tidak boleh dicabar dalam parti. “Jikalau semuanya diputuskan Anwar, maka kami tidak akan mempunyai katak, tidak ada riuh-rendah, tiada lagi orang yang kata ‘saya nak ikut halatuju ini dan ada pula yang mahu ikut halatuju itu di Selangor’.”

Bagaimanapun, Tian Chua mengakui kelemahan PKR yang selama ini beroperasi berdasarkan “idealisme”. Mekanisme ‘puji dan hukum’ (power of reward and punishment) dalam PKR masih lemah, dan perlu diperkasa untuk kepentingan jangka panjang parti, katanya.

Keluar parti: Pengaruh budaya UMNO?

Kebangkitan semula PKR selepas 8 Mac 2008 mungkin cukup memberangsangkan buat reformis yang lebih satu dekad bergelut dalam perjuangan ini. Namun, keghairahan ini surut tidak lama kemudian, lebih-lebih lagi selepas kegagalan rampasan kuasa pada 16 September 2008.

Ada yang menuduh bahawa arus keluar parti ini dibayangi “pengaruh budaya UMNO” yang masih kuat di kalangan anggota, malah pemimpin PKR. Tian Chua menyangkal analisa sedemikian, “padahal PAS mempunyai lebih ramai bekas anggota UMNO daripada PKR”.

Tian Chua meminjam istilah Marxisme, untuk menjelaskan bahawa kebangkitan sesebuah parti yang menganjurkan revolusi (perubahan) biasanya dimulakan dengan golongan “Lumpenproletariat”, iaitu mereka yang tidak memiliki apa-apa untuk dihilangkan (nothing to lose). Golongan pertengahan seperti peguam, ahli korporat biasanya hanya menyusul di belakang.

Menurut Tian Chua, PKR mempunyai ramai anggota seperti itu (golongan Lumpenproletariat), yang tidak semestinya bekas ahli UMNO. Bukan semua daripada mereka mempunyai “agenda reformasi” untuk dimainkan dalam otak. Jadi, apabila PKR memegang kuasa (kerajaan negeri), orang yang tidak mempunyai idealisme reformasi mula merungut.

“Sesetengah akan berkata, untuk 10 tahun saya berkorban, kini tibalah masa saya mengecapi kekayaan dan kemewahan.” Golongan ini akan meninggalkan PKR dengan penuh kekecewaan, apabila parti ini gagal memenuhi kemahuan mereka, jelas Tian Chua.

Golongan kedua pula, dilambung ke atas kerana ombak tsunami politik PRU ke-12, biarpun tidak masak dengan dasar mahupun selok-belok pentadbiran kerajaan negeri. Mereka menyedari bahawa diri mereka tidak layak untuk tempat itu, malah tidak mungkin dipilih semula untuk menyandang jawatan tersebut. Jadi, mereka memilih untuk meninggalkan PKR, memandangkan orang yang baru masuk PKR memiliki kelebihan daripada diri.

Tian Chua mengambil ahli parlimen Bayan Baru, Zahrain Hashim (gambar kiri) sebagai contoh untuk golongan ketiga, iaitu ahli korporat proksi UMNO. Golongan ini dipinggirkan semasa perbalahan dalam UMNO, kerana “tersilap” pilih sekta. Oleh itu, mereka pun menyertai PKR. Selepas PKR menguasai kerajaan negeri, maka mereka pun mendesak agar mereka dilantik sebagai pengarah syarikat tertentu, untuk mengembalikan kemegahan mereka seketika dahulu.

Selain tiga golongan di atas, Tian Chua menganggap suara berbeza yang muncul dalam parti disebabkan corak pimpinan yang berbeza. Tian Chua selanjutnya mengulas perbezaan yang timbul antara Menteri Besar Selangor, dengan Azmin Ali, Naib Presiden yang baru-baru mengambil alih jawatan Pengerusi Perhubungan Negeri Selangor dari Khalid Ibrahim.

Khalid vs Azmin

“Saya tidak boleh secara ringkasnya, melabelkan Khalid sebagai golongan progresif, dan Azmin sebagai golongan konservatif. Untuk saya, perbezaannya sebegini, langkah pembaharuan dalam sistem kakitangan awam dan korporat terlalu perlahan. Dasar parti gagal diterapkan sepenuhnya. Ini kerana kami terlalu beri muka kepada kakitangan kerajaan ini, dan kami terlalu ikut prosedur. Tapi prosedur ini ditetapkan UMNO. Tan Sri (Khalid) tidak mahu menyentuhnya pada kebanyakan masa,” kata Tian Chua.

Tian Chua menjelaskan, Khalid Ibrahim (gambar kanan) enggan mengubah model yang lama kerana khuatir menyinggung pegawai kerajaan ini. Inilah punca kekecewaan anggota parti. Bagaimanapun, Tian Chua menganggap niat Khalid mungkin baik, iaitu orang yang melaksanakan dasar bukan datang dari parti.

“Masalahnya apabila kami berdepan dengan tekanan, anda menyerahkan jawatan ini kepada ahli profesional dan pegawai kerajaan. Ia menyebabkan satu situasi tersekat (jam), dan menjadi rintangan kepada diri kita.” Tian Chua bersambung, maka orang dalam parti tertanya-tanya, “mengapa orang ini bekas penyokong BN, dan kini hanya dengan menukar topinya (sokong BN), dia masih memegang jawatan dalam kerajaan kami?”

“Caranya mengolah isu ini, atau penyampaiannya memberi gambaran seakan-akan dialah yang mahukan jawatan tersebut, tetapi pada hakikatnya bukan semestinya begitu,” jelas Tian Chua.

Tian Chua seterusnya memberi contoh masalah yang dihadapi Khalid Ibrahim, yang akhirnya menjurus kepada penyerahan jawatan Pengerusi Perhubungan Negeri Selangor kepada Azmin Ali.

“Dalam mesyuarat, seorang Ketua Cabang mengetengahkan masalahnya. Hutang bil air dan elektrik pejabat cabang telah tertunggak untuk tiga bulan, dan akan dipotong jika tidak dijelaskan. Khalid tidak mungkin memberi satu projek kepadanya, dan berkata ‘nah, kamu pergi selesaikan masalah ini’. Maka ketua cabang pun mencadangkan jamuan kutipan derma, dan meminta agar Tan Sri (Khalid) hadir.”

“Sudah tentu Tan Sri (Khalid) bosan dengan perkara remeh temeh ini, kerana beliau sebagai Menteri Besar nak uruskan hal pentadbiran negeri. Jadi, beliau akan mengambil sikap ‘jangan kamu bangkitkan isu ini kepada saya, kamu cakap dengan orang lain’… Masalahnya, Tan Sri ialah Pengerusi Perhubungan Negeri Selangor. Pemimpin akar umbi akan tertanya-tanya, siapa lagi yang harus selesaikan masalah bil bekalan air dan elektrik, kalau bukan beliau?”

Tian Chua (gambar kanan) menambah, “Ini masalah yang benar wujud, dan bukan soal Ketua Cabang tamakkan wang, merungut kerana tidak mendapat projek. Parti pada peringkat pusat kini memberi arahan, menggariskan matlamat pendaftaran pemilih pada 6000 orang setiap cabang. Tetapi ketua cabang berkata, bil air dan elektrik belum dijelaskan, saya gagal mencapai matlamat yang digariskan.”

Dalam situasi sedemikian, Tian Chua tidak menolak bahawa timbulnya rungutan daripada segelintir anggota parti, yang mahukan Khalid Ibrahim dijatuhkan, tetapi agak keterlaluan untuk dikatakan bahawa wujud satu komplot yang terancang agar Khalid digulingkan.

Tian Chua, yang mengakui dirinya bukan menyetujui Azmin Ali (gambar kiri) dalam semua isu, bagaimanapun sanggup membela Azmin Ali dalam isu ini. Pada tanggapan Tian Chua, adalah kurang adil untuk Azmin Ali apabila ditonjolkan dengan imej negatif dalam media.

Tian Chua, pemimpin yang sama taraf dari segi senioritinya dengan Azmin Ali, berkata “veteran” seperti mereka akan menerima arahan bos, Anwar untuk menyelesaikan masalah yang timbul, misalnya di Sabah. “Tetapi untuk sesetengah orang, kami akan dianggap sebagai ‘wakil dari pusat untuk campur tangan’ dalam isu tempatan, atau negeri,” katanya.

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Who is the second UMNO/BN Minister who dare to publicly declare that he/she is Malaysian first and race second in keeping with Najib’s 1Malaysia policy?

By Lim Kit Siang,

I am surprised that in the past 24 hours, the other Ministers have not rallied behind the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Nazri…

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By Lim Kit Siang,

I am surprised that in the past 24 hours, the other Ministers have not rallied behind the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz who had courageously declared that he is Malaysian first and Malay second.

Who is the second UMNO/Barisan Nasional Minister who dare to publicly declare that he/she is Malaysian first and race second in keeping with Najib’s 1Malaysia policy?

It has taken Nazri more than six months to respond to my challenge in Parliament in March this year to all Cabinet Ministers to declare that they are Malaysian first and race second.
Surely, Malaysians do not have to wait for another six months before another Minister plucks up sufficient courage to follow Nazri to declare that he/she is Malaysian first and race second.

I have given notice to ask the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak a specific question on the commitment and loyalty of Ministers and top civil servants to his 1Malaysia concept when Parliament reconvenes for the 2011 Budget meeting beginning on Oct. 11.

My question to Najib in the first week of the Parliamentary meeting next month read:

To ask the Prime Minister why the majority of Cabinet Ministers and top civil servants still do not accept the 1Malaysia concept of being Malaysian first and race second after 18 months, how he proposes to unite the entire administration under this concept.

It is precisely because Najib’s 1Malaysia concept has not found overwhelming support from his own Cabinet and government that there is so much back-stabbing, back-sliding, obstruction and even sabotage to the 1Malaysia policy from within the government.

A good illustration is the unequivocal statement by Najib just before National Day of zero tolerance for racism, but the Prime Minister’s writ does not seem to run in the Education Ministry which is under the charge of the Deputy Prime Minister, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, infamous for his “I am Malay first, Malaysian second” declaration.

As a result, more than three weeks have passed but no action has yet been taken to discipline and punish the two school principals, one from Johore and the other Kedah, who had made racist slurs against the students in their schools last month.

What is even more shocking, the school principal in Kedah has returned to his posting although the parents and the Malaysian public have been given to understand that he would be transferred away – as if nothing serious had happened, making a total mockery of Najib’s “zero tolerance for racism” declaration.

All eyes will be on the Cabinet meeting tomorrow – not only on whether the Cabinet would take a stand to ensure that the two school principals who had made racial slurs against their students in school should be severely punished as an example to all education officers, but whether the Cabinet would at long last give full endorsement to Najib’s 1Malaysia policy with every Cabinet Minister declaring support for the 1Malaysia policy to create a Malaysian nation where every Malaysian regards himself or herself as Malaysian first and race second.

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Forget About Solidarity With Pas, Says Zam

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 20 (Bernama) -- Former information minister Tan Sri Zainuddin Maidin said solidarity between Umno and Pas will not ensure the strength of the nation, instead the three…

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KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 20 (Bernama) -- Former information minister Tan Sri Zainuddin Maidin said solidarity between Umno and Pas will not ensure the strength of the nation, instead the three principal partners of the Barisan Nasional (BN) namely Umno, MCA and MIC must firmly and boldly restore their inherent strength through a new approach that will guarantee a bright future for the country.

"Umno should just forget the Malay unity through Pas which was based on racial and dogmatic religious lines and instead work together with its original partners in the BN to reject their respective racial sentiments," he said in an exclusive interview with umno-online.com.

Zainuddin, who is better known as Zam, said Umno, MCA, MIC and the other component parties should continue with the constructive engagement while sensitive issues should not be discussed openly because they would not restore party strength.

"On the other hand, they will widen the feeling of dissatisfaction when a demand cannot be met by the government immediately or if there is an obstacle," he said.

The former minister said the BN should also reflect the separation of identity from the groups who were out to look for strength through racial and religious sentiments which were outside the social formula and values which were built by the Alliance since the pre-independence days.

He said Umno and BN must be bold and firm in balancing their realistic wishes and not get carried away and be obsessed by the new democratisation to the extent that the threat from the real enemy was forgotten.

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Teenage rape: 'Have sex education in schools'

The New Straits Times 
by Masami Mustaza

KUALA LUMPUR: Parent-teacher groups are calling for the Education Ministry to buck up and make the decision in implementing sex education in…

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The New Straits Times 
by Masami Mustaza

KUALA LUMPUR: Parent-teacher groups are calling for the Education Ministry to buck up and make the decision in implementing sex education in schools across the country.

In August, Education Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin had responded positively to Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil’s suggestion to introduce Reproductive and Social Health Education (PKRS) as a core subject in the school curriculum.

Muhyiddin said it was a sound suggestion and that a technical committee comprising officers of the two ministries would meet to discuss the relevant issues, including the best formula to implement the subject if it was introduced in the school curriculum.

More than 300 Form Four students in five urban and rural schools in Kuala Lumpur, Selangor, Penang, Kelantan and Pahang had, in the last five years, undergone a pioneer programme called “I am in Control”.

The programme, formulated by the National Population and Family Development Board with the cooperation of the United Nations Population Fund and the Health Ministry, addressed the lack of information on the subject, and planned to inculcate a healthy lifestyle through information on sexual issues.

National Parent-Teacher Association Collaborative Council chairman Professor Datuk Mohamad Ali Hasan urged the Education Ministry to extend the pioneer project to all the s t at e s.

“This is an important measure in preventing a lot of negative issues among youths like abandoning babies, conducting unsafe abortions and the prevalence of sexually transmitted diseases,” he said.

“The ministry must also decide whether sex education will be taught as a stand-alone subject or as a subject matter extended in the existing curriculum subjects like biology, religion or moral. It must also provide proper resource materials for different age groups.” SMK Seri Hartamas parent-teacher association chairman Salmah Abu Bakar said if sex education was taught in schools, the teens would become more aware of what they could and could not d o.

She said she didn’t support the view by sex education opponents that it would encourage the teens to experiment with sex.

“It’s not like how it was in our time.

Now with the Internet, teens have access to sex materials with or without sex education in schools. There’s nothing to bar them from going on the Internet and some are so adventurous, they’ll try anything they see and not feel scared doing it.

“I’d rather they be taught in schools than for teens to have underage sex not knowing that it’s against the law. We cannot continue to pretend that nothing’s going to happen to our children and that they wo n ’t have sex.” Salmah’s opinion was echoed by Adillah Ahmad Nordin, the PTA chairman of St David’s High School in Malacca.

“The school is, in fact, the best place for us to reach out to the most number of teens on the education of sex. Like it or not, the Internet has made it possible for them to be exposed to negative materials from a young age and as a parent, I’d rather they get information from the right sources than from the Internet or their peers.” She said sex education should not only focus on prevention but cover all aspects, including health and moral issues. Teens should also learn about their rights when it comes to sex and k n ow when and how to say no.

“Parents cannot be so overly protective and feel that it’s too young for their kids to learn about sex. The other day, my son was reading the paper and asked me what li wat (sodomy) meant and why there were reports of babies getting dumped.

They will always be curious if you don’t explain to them.” “We want the government to allow sex education in all schools.” Yesterday, we reported that the number of rape cases involving teenage girls, especially those between the ages of 13 and 15, was on the rise.

According to police statistics, the number of teenagers between the ages of 13 and 15 being raped was 1,409 in 2007, 1,666 in 2008, and 1,767 last year.

Superintendent Ong Chin Lan of Bukit Aman’s sexual and child abuse investigation division (D11) was reported saying that teens wanted to experience and enjoy sex but many teenage boys were not aware that it was a criminal offence to have sex with an underage girl.

She said that many of the teens had sex on the first date with people they met on the Internet or friends of friends whom they communicated by text messages.

Ong also highlighted the importance of sex education, religious and moral studies.

Those who have sex with teens under 16 can be charged with statutory rape under Section 376 of the Penal Code. Those convicted can be jailed a minimum of five years or a maximum of 30 years, and caned.

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Suicide attack at Somali palace

 A suicide bomber has blown himself up at the gates of the presidential palace in the Somali capital Mogadishu in the latest attack by al Qaeda-linked rebels, police say.

The…

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 A suicide bomber has blown himself up at the gates of the presidential palace in the Somali capital Mogadishu in the latest attack by al Qaeda-linked rebels, police say.

The bomber, armed with an automatic rifle, tried to jump onto an armoured vehicle in a convoy of African Union (AU)peacekeepers driving into the palace grounds on Monday, said Osman Aden, a police spokesman.

When the AU troops fired at the bomber to stop him jumping onto the vehicle, he threw a grenade at them and then detonated his explosive device, Osman said.

The attacker has been identified as a former interior ministry security guard who had defected to al Shabaab, a rebel group linked to al Qaeda, he said.

"Fortunately only two of our soldiers were slightly wounded by shrapnel," he said. "The soldiers were on a small top building at the gate of the palace."

Al Shabaab has been fighting the fragile transitional government of President Sheikh Sharif Ahmed for three years and now controls much of Mogadishu and huge tracts of southern and central Somalia.

The rebels have stepped up their drive to topple the Western-backed administration, and earlier this month suicide bombers killed two African Union peacekeepers and a number of civilians at Mogadishu's airport.

Troubled history

Somalia has been plagued by anarchy since warlords ousted President Mohamed Siad Barre in 1991. Pirates are active in its coastal waters and have driven up shipping costs in the Gulf of Aden.

The rebels have used suicide bombers to devastating effect over the past two years, killing five government ministers and dozens of AU peacekeeping troops. Al Shabaab was also behind attacks in Uganda in July that killed at least 79 people.

The group has a number of foreign fighters in its ranks and has threatened neighbouring countries that it says support the Somali government.

The peacekeepers in Mogadishu have focused their manpower on shielding the president and guarding the seaport and airport from attacks.

Ahmed, a former opposition leader now seen by the insurgents as a Western puppet, is locked in a power struggle with Prime Minister Omar Abdirashid Sharmarke, who has been under intense pressure to step down in recent months.

The parliament has already voted once to oust Sharmarke, but the prime minister rejected the vote in May as unconstitutional and refused to resign.

Source: Agencies

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Teoh inquest: 'Goodbye' message in mystery note

Third petition filed against son's ascension

5,000 Indian youths detained without trial under Emergency Ordinance (E.O) per year for gangsterism. Root cause is denial of equal skills training and upward mobility jobs, licenses, business opportunities, bank loans, contracts and projects.

No.6, Jalan Abdullah, Off Jalan Bangsar, 59000 Kuala Lumpur. Tel : 03-2282 5241
Fax : 03-2282 5241 Fax: 03-2282 5245
Website: www.humanrightspartymalaysia.com E-mail: info@humanrightspartymalaysia.com

Your Reference :
In Reply :…

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No.6, Jalan Abdullah, Off Jalan Bangsar, 59000 Kuala Lumpur. Tel : 03-2282 5241
Fax : 03-2282 5241 Fax: 03-2282 5245
Website: www.humanrightspartymalaysia.com E-mail: info@humanrightspartymalaysia.com

Your Reference :
In Reply :
Date : 20^th September 2010


YAB. Dato Seri Najib Razak
Prime Minister of Malaysia,
Blok Utama Bangunan Perdana Putra,
Pusat Pentadbiran Kerajaan Persekutuan, Fax: 03-88883444
62502 Putrajaya E-Mail: najib@pmo.gov.my
Y.B Dato Seri Hishamuddin Hussein
Home Minister,
Aras 12 Block D 1,
Complex Kerajaan Fasa D,
Pusat Pentadbiran Kerajaan Persekutuan, Fax: 03-8888 4913
62546 Putrajaya. E-Mail: hishamuddin@moha.gov.my
Re: 5,000 Indian youths detained without trial under Emergency Ordinance (E.O) per year for gangsterism. Root cause is denial of equal skills training and upward mobility jobs, licenses, business opportunities, bank loans, contracts and projects.
The Utusan Malaysia today 20/9/10 at pages 1 and 6 calls on the Malay-sian police to curtail the Indian gangsterism problems in Malay-sia in the light of the Datuk Susilawati murder case. We are against all forms of crime and violence and call for the appropriate action and punishment including by members of the Malay-sian police force.
Addressing the Indian gangsterism problem must be tackled from the root and not from the tip by merely detaining without trial under the Emergency Ordinance (E.O) of up to an estimated 5,000 Indian youths per year nationwide as an expediency measure. (This estimated figure is based on the 300 Indian youths detained under the E.O within four months in the state of Selangor alone as reported in UM 20/9/10 at page 6).
No Indian youth would want to become a gangster if he was not denied equal educational opportunities by all the 523 Tamil schools not being made fully aided, not denied equal skills training including at Giat Mara Colleges, denied the ten acre Felda like land ownership schemes, equal Higher Education opportunities in the 20 public Universities including in critical courses like medicine, engineering, pharmacy, bio technology, actuarial science, Dentistry etc., local and overseas Universities government scholarships not denied by JPA, Khazanah, Petronas, Mara, 13 Yayasan Negeris, Yayasan TNB, Yayasan TN, scores of GLCs’ etc and PTPTN loans to also Indian students even to do medicine in local and overseas private Universities and also not denied business opportunities, licenses, permits and APs to do business and participate in contracts and projects. And not denied government and bank loans for these Indian youths to do business.
Even about ten years ago the then Chief Police officer of Kuala Lumpur Syed Abdul Rahman Syed Abd Kadir was reported to have said that proper granting of upward mobility jobs and business opportunities would keep Indians out of gangsterism activities. Like how the Chinese gangsters who were reigning supreme in the 1960s’ and 1970s’ but are not denied licenses, APs’ and opportunities in various businesses from the lowest rung ie Koay Teow sellers who earn an average of RM5,000.00 per month to VCD sellers, wholesale and retail businesses, supermarkets, hypermarkets, hotels and right up to multi million ringgit development and construction works and Projects.
But the ground reality is these Indian youths are denied even licenses to operate a scrap metal shop, car wash, food, flower and fruit stalls. And denied even garbage collection, security guard and car park contracts. Let alone being given the opportunities to run Petrol Stations, Ayamas outlets, Proton outlets and Proton service centre outlets, KFC, Mc Donald, low rental Highway R&R shops and Local Council stalls etc.
These are the real reasons arising out of UMNOs’ social engineering as to why these Indian youths get side tracked into gangsterism and violent crimes vis a vis the escalating crime rate vis a vis the emergence of the new Indian criminal underclass at disproportionate levels amongst the mere 8% Malaysian Indian community.
In the circumstances telling the UMNOs’ MIC mandores to divert the real issue by blaming Tamil movies, lack of parental care and guidance also by the Indian NGOs’ and Indian community and that even the Bangladeshis can earn a living in Malaysia (but gets to send home thousands of rupees) as is reported in UM 19/9/10 at 7 is a cheap racist and supremacist UMNO political gimmick.
Kindly therefore implement policies to solve the root causes of gangsterism and violent crimes by the aforesaid upward education and business mobility, education, jobs, loans and contracts opportunities.
Kindly revert to us accordingly.
Thank You.
Yours Faithfully,
______________
P.Uthayakumar
Secretary General (pro-tem)

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In this country, it is a curse to be a minority

From Anak Malaysia, via e-mail

The current arrangement of election and BN political concept circumscribes the democratic process by tacitly endorsing elite 'power-sharing' and denying the grassroots meaningful participation in…

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From Anak Malaysia, via e-mail

The current arrangement of election and BN political concept circumscribes the democratic process by tacitly endorsing elite 'power-sharing' and denying the grassroots meaningful participation in elections, and by extension, nation-building.

In reality, the non-Malays in BN are elected by Malay voters, having long been discredited by their own communities. Meaning the MIC and MCA is voted by the Malay voters, not by their own community, and later they're placed in the less important portfolios in the government.

The worst is, these non-Malay ministers are made to listen to their master Umno. They will never object even if the rights of the minority are compromised. An example is the president of MCA who recently said Umno is not racist...it is Perkasa which is racist.

It truth, both are the same. Chua Soi Lek tried to defend his master. In the past, when Umno tried to aggressively make constitutional amendments to favour the Malays, the MIC and MCA did not object.

And it has strengthened Malay dominanance, e.g. the 1988 amendment to empower the syariah court once for all denied the rights of the minority to get a fair trial on conversion cases.

If a brave one speaks out in favour of the minority, he will be immediately penalised as breaking the rank, or he will be forced to make a statement in reversal of the earlier statement... that is the magic power of the master Umno.

In the case of Hindraf/HRP, we are saying loud and clear that HRP candidates are solely selected by Indian voters or whoever supports us on the basis of our fight against racism.

The chosen candidates are bound to the voices of the voters, thus he will bring the real pressing issues of the Indian to the state and parliament level.

If the rights of the majority Indians in state or federal level are seriously compromised, HRP candidates will have the guts to pull out from the state in protest as a last resort, which in turn puts pressure on government to consider an amicable solution.

In this nation, the minority and powerless segment of the Rakyat often become the victim of oppression because decisions are always made from the view point the majority.

That is why the minority should be given protection...but the current system does not bother about the sufferings of minority Indians.

Kampung Buah Pala was demolished and Tanjung Tokong of Malays residents seem to be safe now. Why? Because the the adun and DCM did not push hard to retain Kampung Buah Pala. They compromised the interest of the minority Indians for the majority interest.

In this country it is a curse to be a minority, especially the Indians. Instead of giving them protection, they are often oppressed, be it at the state or federal government level for past 53 years.

It is very sad that in this country, when we cry against racism we are in turn accused of being racists, because the powers that be want to camouflage their wrongdoings, and their media can manipulate fair grievances into 'perkauman and keterlaluan'.

Hindraf/HRP's prime agenda is to fight racism and put the working class Indian into the national main stream development. I think time has ripe to push hard to equal rights, because governments around the world are trying stop racism.

In a complete reversal of events in recent days, we hear more painful words being spewed out, asking us 'to balik Cina or India'.

That shows how desperate the country in need for a campaign such as 'say no to racism'. Let's hope for a better Malaysia after this coming GE13.

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Sosilawati murder: Chemistry Department Needs More Time To Analyse DNA

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 20 (Bernama) -- DNA analyses to identify victims in criminal cases can be a painstaking process and need time to complete, Chemistry Department director-general N. Hithaya Jeevan…

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KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 20 (Bernama) -- DNA analyses to identify victims in criminal cases can be a painstaking process and need time to complete, Chemistry Department director-general N. Hithaya Jeevan said.

He said similar process also took place in analysing samples in the murders of cosmetics millionaire Datuk Sosilawati Lawiya and three others.

"We expect that the process can be completed in the near future. However, we cannot provide any time frame when we can hand over the results to the police.

"The time taken to complete the DNA profiling depends on the amount of samples available," he said told Bernama.

Sosilawati, 47, her driver Kamaruddin Shamsuddin, 44, lawyer Ahmad Kamil Abdul Karim, 32, and CIMB Bank officer Noorhisham Mohammad, 38, went missing on Aug 30 after they went to Banting in Selangor over a land deal.

Police found out that the four were killed, their bodies burnt and the ashes thrown into rivers near Ladang Gadong, Tanjung Sepat, near Banting.

Police forensic unit found bone fragments and hair samples believed to be connected with the murders and sent them to the Chemistry Department for analysis last week.

Hithaya Jeevan said the department previously handled difficult cases which took them sometime to complete, including the murder Mongolian woman Altantuya Shaariibuu and the murder of information technology analyst Canny Ong.

The department has a strength of six forensic experts.

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Cop says he does not know who wrote ‘mystery note’

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 20 — It could not be ascertained today in the coroner’s court if Teoh Beng Hock wrote the “mystery note” found after his death last year while…

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KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 20 — It could not be ascertained today in the coroner’s court if Teoh Beng Hock wrote the “mystery note” found after his death last year while a translation of its contents written in Chinese was also questioned by a lawyer representing the DAP political aide’s family.

A court interpreter had translated the note as saying “mereka ambil semua komputer saya. Maaf. Kenapa sangat menyusahkan? Saya dapat kelulusan YB. Saya sangat penat. Selamat Tinggal (They took all my computers. Sorry. Why are they being so difficult? I got the approval of YB. I am very tired. Goodbye).”

But Gobind Singh Deo, representing Teoh’s family, challenged the translation of some of the words written in Chinese, by pointing out to the interpreter that what she translated as “goodbye” could also mean “see you again”.

Under questioning from Gobind, police investigating officer ASP Ahmad Nazri Zainal, who had found the controversial note, also admitted to the court that he had not sent the note for any handwriting comparison.

Gobind and Selangor government lawyer Malik Imtiaz Sarwar had last month questioned the relevance of the new evidence in the form of the mystery note.

Teoh’s family had also expressed outrage with the Attorney-General’s Chambers for trying to tender as evidence the note purportedly penned by him before he was found dead under mysterious circumstances last year.

They said it was highly “suspicious” that Attorney-General Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail’s office would choose to bring up the evidence as the inquiry into Teoh’s death winds down, and 10 months after it was allegedly found.

They had expressed bewilderment as to why the A-G had not immediately sought their help after the note was allegedly found among Teoh’s belongings two months after his death.

Ahmad Nazri told the court today that he handed a notebook and a voucher — which he also discovered in Teoh’s bag — to the Chemistry Department as comparison handwriting samples with the controversial note.

“I don’t know to whom the book belonged to,” said Ahmad Nazri at the inquest today.

“It didn’t cross my mind,” he added when asked why he did not try to confirm the handwriting samples that were used as comparison.

Gobind asked Ahmad Nazri if his higher officers had instructed him to confirm the handwriting on the documents that were used to compare against the note.

“No, I was not. I was just ordered to get a sample handwriting,” said Ahmad Nazri.

“So you don’t know whose handwriting it is?” asked Gobind.

“No, I don’t,” replied the policeman.

He also admitted that he did not approach Teoh’s family to obtain handwriting samples.

Ahmad Nazri testified earlier that the deputy public prosecutor had informed him on October 7 last year that he would be called to testify and submit the case exhibits in the coroner’s court.

“So I checked Teoh’s bag and found a note in Chinese handwriting,” he said, adding that he had remembered a government psychiatrist telling him that there were usually notes left in suicide cases.

The investigating officer testified this morning that he listed down the note among other items in Teoh’s bag on July 17 last year after he found the bag the previous day at the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission’s (MACC) previous Selangor headquarters in Plaza Masalam, Shah Alam.

Ahmad Nazri said that he sent the note, which was written on a white A4 size paper, to the Chemistry Department on October 9 last year, along with a Visa Public Bank statement with Teoh’s name, 10 recorded investigation statements from the MACC, and a notebook with the words “Catatan Ringkas Pejabat Dewan Undangan Negeri Selangor Darul Ehsan” that had 18 written pages and one blank page. He also submitted a voucher with Chinese handwriting the following day.

Gobind told reporters after the inquest that the note should not have been tendered as evidence as the investigating officer had failed to verify the author of the documents which were used as a basis of comparison.

“This is shocking! Logically, that document ought not to be admitted,” said Gobind.

“The IO agreed that it was important, but no action was taken to confirm the comparison handwriting,” added the Puchong MP.

He also dismissed the need to examine the contents of the note.

“If we don’t know who wrote those documents, do we even need to go into the document?” said Gobind.

He added that he would discuss with Teoh’s family and Selangor government lawyer Malik to decide if they should make a submission that the note be thrown out from the court.

“We can make a submission that the document be excluded. I will discuss with the family first and Malik. If it (the submission) needs to be made, it will be made at the next sitting,” said Gobind.

Malik pointed out that the note could be viewed as a diversion in the inquest if it was found that Teoh did not write the note.

“If the note is excluded, if it is not Teoh Beng Hock’s... it could be seen as a form to divert,” said Malik.

Last month, Dr Pornthip ruled out suicide during her second testimony at the inquest although she declined to repeat her previous assertion that Teoh’s death was 80 per cent homicide.

She has also maintained that the DAP political aide had suffered pre-fall injuries and that he was probably unconscious before he fell.

Malik has pointed out that Teoh was possibly tortured before he died, citing the pathologist’s testimony that the large bruise on Teoh’s neck was caused by trauma or blunt force.

Dr Peter Vanezis, the British forensic pathologist brought in by the MACC to observe Teoh’s second post-mortem last year, had also said that Teoh could have suffered pre-fall injuries.

Teoh, who was the political secretary to Selangor state executive councillor Ean Yong Hian Wah of the DAP, was found dead on the fifth-floor podium of Plaza Masalam on July 16 last year after overnight interrogation by the MACC.

Teoh is suspected to have fallen from the 14th floor of Plaza Masalam, then the state headquarters of the MACC.

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Sosilawati murder: Investigation paper to be given to A-G tomorrow

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 20 — The police will submit the investigation paper on the brutal murder of  millionaire Datuk Sosilawati Lawiya and three other individuals to the Attorney-General tomorrow.

Federal…

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KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 20 — The police will submit the investigation paper on the brutal murder of  millionaire Datuk Sosilawati Lawiya and three other individuals to the Attorney-General tomorrow.

Federal police CID director Datuk Seri Mohd Bakri Zinin said a discussion would also be held with the Attorney-General to determine what needed to be done on the case.

“If the Attorney-General wants us to investigate further, there is a possibility that we will request for an extended remand order on all the suspects,” he told reporters at the CID open house at the PDRM College here tonight.

At the same time, the DNA report on all the four murder victims would be released next week at the latest, Bakri (picture) said.

“If possible, we want to know the result of the DNA report on all the four victims as soon as possible... however, we will wait, if not this week, possibly next week and we will submit together with the investigation paper,” he said.

Sosilawati, 47, her driver Kamaruddin Shamsuddin, 44, lawyer Ahmad Kamil Abdul Karim, 32, and CIMB Bank officer Noorhisham Mohammad, 38, went missing on August 30 after they went to Banting in Selangor over a land deal.

Police found out that the four were killed, their bodies burnt and the ashes thrown into rivers near Ladang Gadong, Tanjung Sepat, near Banting.

Meanwhile, Bakri confirmed that the death of the Aveer beauty product owner Sarina Jaafar in Permatang Pauh, Penang had nothing to do with the murder of Sosilawati and the three other individuals.

“The victim had health, family and business problems... her death has nothing to do with the murder of Sosilawati,” he said.

Sarina, 45, was found hanged in her bedroom in Taman Pauh Jaya, Bukit Mertajam, Penang at 8.30am on Saturday, and the media reported that the woman had informed a member of her family of her intention to hang herself.

She was also reported to have told her family about feeling depressed and sad over the death of Sosilawati. — Bernama

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Samy Vellu may quit soon, but not before killing two birds

By JK Jayan - Free Malaysia Today

COMMENT MIC is once again abuzz with speculation that its president of three decades S Samy Vellu would be vacating his post by…

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By JK Jayan - Free Malaysia Today

COMMENT MIC is once again abuzz with speculation that its president of three decades S Samy Vellu would be vacating his post by the end of the year and an announcement on this would be made on Dec 18. This is the date set for the launching of Samy Vellu's biography which is supposedly being penned by a prominent writer from Tamil Nadu.

It is said that Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak would be launching the book and it is here that Samy Vellu is expected to announce his retirement either on Dec 31 or Jan 15 next year.

A grand farewell dinner is also scheduled to be held on the same day and would be attended by MIC’s rank and file.

However, the president's recent moves has left many in MIC puzzled.

He has already announced the formation of 2,000 branches to strengthen the party in view of the forthcoming general election expected to take place within the next one to two years.

In his last public announcement about his retirement, he vehemently denied leaving soon, confirming once again that he would stick to his plan to step down in September 2011.

Over the last few days, he had been organising party meetings where all branch chairmen were summoned but there were no announcements regarding his retirement.

A snap presidential election?
These moves point to two possibilities: Either he is shoring up support among the faithful to continue remaining at the helm or he is preparing to hold a presidential election to elect the next leader.

The first possibility is a little far-fetched since it is clear that the Barisan Nasional would not want to face another general election with Samy Vellu helming MIC.

The second possibility is more likely since it is rumoured that ties between Samy Vellu and his annointed successor G Palanivel have become strained.

The branch chairmen, who would vote in the presidential election, could have been summoned in order for Samy Vellu to indicate that a different leader should be chosen.

MIC sources said that Samy Vellu’s decision to put a weak leader like Palanivel as number two was to ensure that the latter would always remain loyal, while the president exerted his power and consolidated his grip on the party and its valuable assets, namely MIED and Aimst University.

However, the outcome of the 2008 general election and the emergence of pressure groups like Gerakan Anti Samy Vellu (GAS) have thrown a spanner into the works.

Should Palanivel take over now, he might steer the party away from Samy Vellu in order to win back Indian support.

Friction over MIED suit

Sources revealed that Samy Vellu is also disappointed with Palanivel for hiring his own lawyers to defend him (Palanivel) in his capacity as MIED director in relation to the suit brought by former MIC Youth leader SA Vigneswaran against all the directors and trustees of MIED for allegedly mismanaging the trust corporation.

Another director KS Nijhar is also said to have indicated that he would employ his own lawyers.

This is despite Samy Vellu having stated his preference that MIED lawyers represent all the directors.
It is believed that Samy Vellu might be placed in an disadvantageous position if the directors filed separate defences and affidavits since most of the decisions concerning MIED were made by the president single-handedly.
Upset with such developments, sources said the president might consider bringing another, more loyal man, to sit as his heir apparent and the grapevine points at Human Resources Minister Dr S Subramaniam.

His Cabinet position and the fact that he is well-received by delegates across the board could see him clinch the the number two slot with relative ease.

Mission 'Kill Subra'
Apart from this, Samy Vellu is also said to be concerned that if he steps down now and let Palanivel become acting president, it could pave the way for his nemesis S Subramaniam's return.

The former deputy president might align himself with the anti-Samy Vellu and anti-Palanivel forces within MIC to come back to power again. This would not be easy, but it is not entirely impossible.

There is also a likelihood that Palanivel might extend an olive branch to Subramaniam and bring him back into the fold since the latter still commands strong support.

So Samy Vellu wants to his finish his political rival once and for all before stepping down, and one way to do this is to call for a presidential election while he is still in power so that he could ensure that Subramaniam never makes it as the next president.

By calling for a snap presidential election, Samy Vellu would kill two birds with one stone, vanquishing his arch rival and installing a leader of his choice.

There are differing views whether the MIC constitution allows for such a contest, and when the question was put forth to a lawyer aligned the president, he said: “The constitution is clear that a presidential poll can be held at any time three months before the expiry of the term of president.”

“The CWC (central working committee) will have to endorse the decision and I don’t see anyone including Palanivel of having the political muscle to assemble the majority of CWC members against Samy Vellu to overthrow such an endorsement.

“Almost 10 of them serve in the CWC because of their appointments by Samy Vellu. So it will not be difficult for Samy Vellu to get such an endorsement,” he added.

The lawyer also pointed out that once the CWC makes a decision, the Societies Act forbids any quarters from challenging it in court.

“So your only recourse is the Registrar of Societies who might not be able to find a favourable clause in the constitution not to call for a presidential election.

“Also remember, even if the registrar finds one, his decision can still be challenged by disgruntled parties in court and thus dragging the matter for months,” he said.

“This will give additional room for Samy Vellu to continue. Above all, the 4,000-odd MIC branch chairmen seem to be excited in favour of a presidential election since it will put the power back into their hands to elect a leader of their choice democratically.

“In the final count, it is all in the hands of Samy Vellu what he wants to do,” he added.

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Tough going for S'wak BN in four Bidayuh seats

By Joe Fernandez - Free Malaysia Today

ANALYSIS If the Sarawak state election were held today, it would be extremely tough going for the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) in four…

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By Joe Fernandez - Free Malaysia Today

ANALYSIS If the Sarawak state election were held today, it would be extremely tough going for the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) in four of the six Bidayuh majority seats, namely Kedup, Bengoh, Tasik Biru and Opar. This is the growing consensus on both sides of the political divide in the state. The tough verdict also follows the announcement by the opposition alliance, Pakatan Rakyat, that it will “take on the BN one-to-one in the Bidayuh seats”, if not all seats.

The two other Bidayuh seats, seen as safe BN seats at the moment, are Tarat and Tebedu which are both held by Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB).

Matters are not made any easier, in the four problem seats, by the incumbents expressing their wish to be fielded once again while others have indicated that they may also join the fray and, if so, may split the BN votes.

Tebedu state assemblyman, Micheal Manyin Anak Jamong, 65, opined in the local media recently that “the BN is likely to retain all six incumbents in Bidayuh seats”.

Manyin himself appears to have support in Tebedu but his party, PBB, feels that he will be too old for the next state election which must be held by the middle of next year.

Nevertheless, Dr Christopher Kiyui, who runs a private clinic in Bau, is tipped to replace him. Manyin is unlikely to go quietly as he holds the important post of state minister of infrastructure development and communications.

Christopher hails from Kampung Taie, near Tebedu, which has produced many prominent politicians like former state assembly speaker Robert Jacob Ridu; John David Nyauh, political secretary to the chief minister; and George Oscar, Manyin’s confidential secretary.

No spring chicken

In Kedup, which is held by PBB’s five-term assemblyman Federick Bayon Manggie, 67, at least three university-educated candidates have emerged as potential candidates, according to political analysts. These include Kedup PBB deputy chairman Martin Ben, lawyer Bernard Phillip and Dr Eric Marcel Munjan, a medical doctor. “PBB may want to replace Federick with Eric,” said a party insider. “However, this will depend very much on whether Federick is willing to make way for a new face.”

Eric, at 57, is no spring chicken. He was previously with the government and stood in the 1996 general election as an independent candidate for parliament. He came close to creating an upset.

Both Martin and Bernard, in their late 40s, stand an even chance if the preference is for a younger candidate. They have never been tried and tested in any election and are generally an unknown quantity among the voters. It will be a tough act for them filling Federick’s shoes and making up for his perceived shortcomings. Voters may not be willing to return the seat yet again to PBB after returning Federick for five terms, admit party insiders in Kedup.

Kedup is also a favourite with PKR with several “well-qualified” candidates eyeing the seat.

In Bengoh, the grassroots appear to be unhappy with incumbent Dr Belek Jerip Anak Susil, 53, from the troubled Sarawak United People’s Party (SUPP) which lost eight seats at the last state election in 2006. There are issues involving the lack of business opportunities, basic infrastructure, schools and other facilities. Jerik, it is said, seldom visits the constituency and instead is busy with his private clinic in Padawan town.

SUPP sources in Padawan are unanimous that Jerip must make way for a new face or the party risks losing the seat as well. This idea may not sit that well with Jerip who, at 53, still sees himself as relatively young in politics. His supporters may not take too kindly to him being eased out prematurely.

In Tasik Biru, incumbent Peter Nansian Anak Ngusie, 61, from the Sarawak Progressive Democratic Party (SPDP), has been accused of not respecting his party president William Mawon Ikom. He leads a five-member team of anti-Mawon state assemblymen and MPs within the SPDP. This has led to a considerable cooling of relations between both men, especially after he initiated talks with the Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) on a possible merger without any mandate.

One sore point with Nansian is the fact that the Bidayuh have been split up among three parties with five of the six seats going to non-Dayak parties.

Fallen out of favour

Analysts don’t see any possibility of Nansian being fielded again in Tasik Biru. Likewise, the three state assemblymen aligned with him in SPDP may get the boot as well. Already, it’s being whispered in the political grapevine that businessman Henry Harry Jinep will replace Nansian. The speculation began after Mawon indicated to the party faithful in Tasik Biru that “Nansian was ungrateful” after he had recommended a state assistant minister’s post for him. Nansian is assistant state minister for the environment.

In Opar, incumbent Ranum Anak Mina, 59, is still popular. The main complaint against him is that he’s with the wrong party, that is, SUPP which has fallen out of favour with the Bidayuh as well and not just the Chinese. Interestingly, many of the BN members in Opar are registered with the PBB.

In Tarat, there is as yet no potential candidate from PKR who can unseat incumbent Roland Sagah Wee Inn, 55, from PBB. Major (retired) Peter Runin from the Sarawak National Party (SNAP), a Pakatan member this time, may be tempted to stand in Tarat again. In that case, Roland would be foolish to ignore the possibility of an upset given the prevailing anti-government sentiment among the Bidayuh.

Bidayuh leaders in the past used to urge the community to vote for the ruling party, pointing out that they would be left out from the fruits of development by voting for the opposition. Such appeals would no longer work with a community which has grown cynical over the years with various promises made by the BN when the election comes.

Manyin himself has stressed the importance of the Bidayuh community “expressing its thanks to the BN by voting for it”. This is the kind of language that doesn’t appeal to an increasingly educated community which is producing many university graduates to rival the Melanau and Orang Ulu among the other Dayaks. The one other remaining Dayak community, the Iban, is the largest among them but suffers from low literacy levels.

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Dear Syed Akbar Ali

Yes, Syed, I agree with you that the Malays need help. But it is not the kind of help that you are thinking about. The help the Malays need is…

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Yes, Syed, I agree with you that the Malays need help. But it is not the kind of help that you are thinking about. The help the Malays need is to help them free their minds from outdated religious superstition and from the belief in folklore and myths, which they have accepted as the indisputable word of God.

NO HOLDS BARRED

Raja Petra Kamarudin

I have been following your latest two articles:

1. The One & Only Problem In Malaysia

2. Concluding "The One & Only Problem In Malaysia"

In fact, I have linked Malaysia Today to your first article, which I hope has resulted in some extra traffic for you.

Before I go into what I want to talk to you about, allow me to digress a bit. I am in the midst of reading two new books I just picked up last week. The graphics of the book jacket can be viewed below. I really need not stress that these two books are most controversial by any standards but I thought they may be of interest to you knowing that you are also a writer of controversial books and articles (plus you support controversial people like Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad).

I suppose in that sense that makes us almost like two peas in the same pod.

It’s been a long time since we sat down to discuss the issue of Islam, the Muslims and the Malays, which once used to take up hours of our time in debate and discussion. I must admit I miss those marathon sessions where we used to tear everything to pieces. Five hundred years ago you and I would have been burned alive at the stake as deviants, heretics, and apostates who have committed blasphemy.

Anyway, one man’s blasphemy is another man’s science discovery. Was not Galileo Galilei almost 400 years ago in 1616 condemned by the church because he believed that the earth revolved around the sun and not the other way around? Thereafter he spent ten years under house arrest until his death in 1642.

It was not until 31 October 1992 that Pope John Paul II expressed regret for how the Galileo affair was handled, and issued a declaration acknowledging the errors committed by the Catholic Church tribunal that judged the scientific positions of Galileo Galilei. However, it was not until another 16 years in March 2008 that the Vatican proposed to complete its rehabilitation of Galileo.

So you see, Syed, even one of the greatest scientists in history suffered religious persecution because of the ignorance and narrow-mindedness of the so-called people of the cloth or religionists. And that is why I suggested you read the two books below because a lot of myths and superstition in religions can be rebutted by science.

Some people view any attack on religious bigotry, superstitious and folklore as an attack on religion or an attack on God Himself. This has always been the modus operandi of those who are at a loss in defending their beliefs. When they lose a debate then they start throwing verbal abuse at you and label you with all sorts of things.

Dr Mahathir himself has argued some points regarding issues such as the authenticity of some of the Hadith. I personally heard Dr Mahathir say that the Hadith should be reviewed (not rejected) and only those that are suspect should be rejected. You have said almost the same thing and what happens? People start labelling you as anti-Hadith.

Why anti-Hadith? Why not pro-Quran? The word anti is negative while pro is positive. So they use anti to make you look negative rather than pro, which will make you look positive.

I know that many Muslims will argue that the Quran alone is not enough because many things are not mentioned in the Quran. Furthermore, they argue, we need the Hadith to explain the Quran because otherwise we would not understand the Quran.

Okay, there are many things wrong with this argument. First of all, only about 30% or so of the Quran is explained by the Hadith. If we need the Hadith to understand the Quran and if we would never be able to understand the Quran without the help of Hadith does this therefore mean we will never be able to understand 70% of the Quran since there are no Hadith to explain them?

Secondly, the Quran is supposed to be complete, according to the Muslim belief. But if it is only complete when read alongside the Hadith and would be lacking otherwise would this not rip to shreds the belief that the Quran is already complete?

I know that the Hadith argument can never be settled till the end of time. The fact that some accept 7,000 Hadith, others accept only 500, and others reject all the Hadith totally means that Muslims will always be divided on the matter. And the fact that originally there were about 700,000 Hadith and now have been reduced to 1% or 0.1% of the original tally means that close to 99% of the Hadith are classified as either false or suspect.

Anyway, my purpose today is not to discuss this matter although God only knows we have spent probably hundreds of hours discussing it in the past. What I want to address is your two recent articles.

As you and I both have already summarised, Malays and Islam just can’t be separated. They come in a package. Therefore, to reform the Malay mind, as many, even those in Umno, would like to see we must first address the religious understanding of the Malays.

Let me offer you one example. Most Malays would never eat pork. In fact, if you invite them for dinner and you have a roast suckling pig in the middle of the table they would get most offended.

However, if you have bottles of wine, beer, whisky, brandy, etc. on the table they would not mind. Just make sure there is no roast suckling pig. The liquor is okay. Many Malays would even join you for a drink. A bit of wine, a glass of beer, or a peg or two of hard liquor is not a problem. But please, no pork.

Why do Malays foam at the mouth and get extremely upset when you ‘show them no respect’ by serving pork? But why do they not show the same unhappiness when it comes to spirits? And why would they not allow a morsel of haram meat (even beef or chicken not ‘properly’ slaughtered) to touch their lips but have no problem downing gallons of beer, wine and whatnot?

So you see, the Malay mind is very complex and not easy to understand. And to qualify as Malay you must also be Muslim. A Christian Malay is not a Malay. So when race, culture and religion are one and the same then to change the Malay mind you must first change their mindset about Islam.

I really do not want to delve into all the various examples. We have been down that road before and whatever I may say would be just repeating myself. But then how best to describe Malays viz-a-viz the other races? Even Dr Mahathir lamented as to why the Malays can’t be more like the Chinese. And before the Hindraf people start accusing me of being a racist I had better mention the Indians as well.

I suppose we can sum it up as follows.

The Chinese do not stop to think about God too much. They just go out and make money and once a year during Chinese New Year they devote to God. That is why the Chinese are successful, economically at least.

The Indians appeal to God every day but God Samy Vellu just enriches himself, his friends and his family and ignores the Indian community. But the Indians do not appear to see that God helps those who help themselves. You can’t expect others to help you. If India maintained that same level of thinking as the Malaysian Indians then India would probably still be a British colony until today.

The Malays know that praying alone does not help (they need to help themselves) so they go out and steal all the money (help themselves to the taxpayers’ funds) and then fly off to Mekah to pray for forgiveness and then come home to enjoy their ill-gotten gains.

Basically, the Chinese look after themselves. The Indians want their hands to be held. And the Malays live by the principle that the ends justify the means just as long as you repent later and pray for forgiveness just before you die and leave this world. In fact, the closer to the point of death the better because repenting and asking for forgiveness too early in life would mean you run the risk of repeating your sins and therefore would have to go through the entire repentance process all over again.

Therefore, Syed, understanding the Malay mind, how do you honestly propose to, as you said, help the Malays? You lament that no one is talking about how to help the Malays. My question is: can the Malays be helped unless they change their mindset as to what is right and what is wrong?

That, Syed, is the crux to the whole matter. We need a mental revolution. We need a Muslim Martin Luther to nail his reform proposal to the door of the National Mosque in Kuala Lumpur. But when the Malays are embroiled in debates about whether ‘dirty’ Malaysian Chinese should be allowed into the mosque seeing that they are opposition supporters while the rule should not apply to Taiwanese Chinese since they are tourists do you really want to waste your time by attempting to engage the Malays?

Yes, Syed, I agree with you that the Malays need help. But it is not the kind of help that you are thinking about. The help the Malays need is to help them free their minds from outdated religious superstition and from the belief in folklore and myths, which they have accepted as the indisputable word of God.

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