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Tuesday, 7 December 2010

Police beat me up, says Aminulrasyid's friend

Azamuddin Omar, the star witness in the Aminulrasyid shooting trial, today claimed that he was assaulted by police officers during the incident when his childhood friend was killed by a bullet to the head.

He said after their white Proton Iswara crashed into a wall, he tumbled out of the car window on the passenger side and fell into a ditch.

"I was confused at the time. I was thinking should I surrender or should I run away. Then I felt a few police officers grab me and drag me up onto the road," he said during the examination-in-chief by deputy public prosecutor Idham Abdul Ghani at the Shah Alam Sessions Court.

NONE"I decided to continue lying on the road and surrender. Then a police officer kicked me in the head and they started hitting me. I think there were two or three police officers."

Azamuddin (left) said however that he managed to flee his captors and ran as fast as his legs could carry him.

"I think two of them started chasing me, but I think a third was getting ready to shoot me because I heard him tell me to stop on the count of three.

"I don't know if he was going to shoot me, because just as he was going to reach 'three', another police car pulled up behind me and blocked his view," he said of his escape.

'I thought Aminulrasyid was joking'

Prior to his alleged assault by the police officers, Azamuddin said he estimated that they had let loose a hail of at least 12 bullets as two police squad cars chased down the car driven by Aminulrasyid.
NONEAnd it was on the last bend before they hit the wall when Azamuddin saw Aminulrasyid (right) slumped on the steering wheel.
"I thought he was playing a joke, so I shook him to get him to stop fooling around.
"That's when his head fell into my lap and I noticed there was a hole on the back of his head.
"I think there was blood in the hole," he told the Shah Alam Sessions court.
Earlier, Azamuddin described in detail how his night out with Aminulrasyid started as merely a rare outing amongst friends as the former's father almost never gave him permission to go out at night.
He said the chaos started when they decided to take a shortcut from Section 11 to Section 7, where they had intended to help a friend of a friend, fix a flat motorcycle tyre.
Panic on top of panic
It was during the shortcut that their fatal misadventure began, when Aminulrasyid, who was driving his sister's car, accidentally grazed a parked car near the Ali Corner restaurant in Section 7.
Azamuddin said the fender bender spooked Aminulrasyid, who refused to get out of the car and decided to simply go straight home and return the car to this sister.
NONEHowever, when Aminulrasyid saw a bunch of motorcycles trailing them, he panicked and started speeding up.
The situation only got worse when they realised later in the chase that one of the motorcyclists had fallen down, prompting Aminulrasyid to floor the accelerator and run a few red lights, said Azamuddin.
It was along this stretch that their car sped past one of the two squad cars that was involved in their three-car chase, ending in Aminulrasyid's death.
Korporal Jenain Subi (left), 48, is charged with culpable homicide for allegedly killing Aminulrasyid between 1.10am and 2am on April 26.
He faces a fine and a maximum of 30 years in jail if found guilty.
The trial resumes on Wednesday morning, with the prosecution expected to continue its probe into Azamuddin's testimony.

14-year-old girl's marriage triggers reform calls

KUALA LUMPUR: The marriage of a 14-year-old Muslim girl in a mass wedding triggered calls for reform, and restraint by religious courts empowered to approve underage unions.

Schoolgirl Siti Maryam Mahmod wed 23-year-old schoolteacher Abdul Manan Othman on Saturday in a celebration at a major mosque, after being given permission in a syariah court.

Activist group Sisters in Islam (SIS) condemned the marriage and said that some 16,000 Malaysian girls aged below 15 were married, citing figures released by a senior government official.

"No marriage of a minor child can be deemed acceptable," spokeswoman Yasmin Masidi said in a statement.

"We deplore statements by... government officials and religious authorities giving tacit approval to the practice or passing off responsibility to the syariah court to determine its 'permissibility'."

Malaysian Muslims below the age of 16 who want to get married must obtain the permission of the religious courts to do so.

Muslim Malays make up about 60 per cent of the country's 28 million population and on certain issues, including family law, they are subject to Islamic justice which operates in parallel with the civil legal system.

Women, Family and Community Development minister Shahrizat Abdul Jalil also raised concern over the practice, which she said the government did not condone.

"As far as I know, she's got the consent of the (syariah) court. But I implore the courts to be cautious," she said of Siti Maryan's marriage, according to the Star daily.

"As far as the government is concerned, a wedding does not make a marriage."

Ivy Josiah, executive director of leading activist group Women's Aid Organisation, has said that laws which allow underage marriage must be repealed by Malaysia, a conservative and mainly Muslim country.

"We need to remedy the flaws in the law. There are exceptions in the law. These exceptions should be removed. The government can no longer turn a blind eye," Josiah told AFP.

- AFP

Najib should not throw stones from glass house

By Joe Fernandez - Free Malaysia Today

COMMENT Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak was for some strange reason distracted by Pakatan Rakyat at a rare Barisan Nasional Convention on Sunday. He was particularly distracted by de facto PKR chief Anwar Ibrahim. It seemed for one moment that the tables had been turned and Najib was rehearsing his future role as Opposition Leader.

If anyone expected anything substantial from BN and Najib, they would have been terribly disappointed. The convention virtually degenerated into name-calling and derogatory remarks, punctuated by nervous laughter, directed against the opposition.

The thrust of the Najib attack against the opposition was that it was made up of traitors who were evil, despicable, certaintly anti-national, and would do anything to gain power.

Besides, the opposition apparently did not practise what it preached and openly indulged in nepotism, according to Najib, the son of a former prime minister and nephew of his father’s successor, and who has appointed a first cousin as a senior Cabinet minister and a brother as the head of the biggest banking group in the country.

Evil was the most loaded word hurled at the opposition by the ruling coalition which has been in power since independence in 1957 in Peninsular Malaysia and shows no signs of willingly allowing for a peaceful transition of power.

Evil can best be defined as a lack of empathy (feeling) for others. This is a characteristic of sub-humans whose nine centres of intelligence in the brain were less developed and in particular that part dealing with feelings, emotions, sympathy, love, charity, mercy, forgiveness and so many other noble attributes that separate man from the beast.

In that sense, it cannot be said that Umno has not indulged in beastly behaviour for the better part of the last half century and more in power.

Key Umno leaders, it is widely believed, were involved in fomenting the searing Sino-Malay race riots of May 13, 1969 after the opposition made unexpected gains at the general election three days earlier on May 10. Najib’s father, Abdul Razak Hussein, was the prime beneficiary when he became prime minister after what was nothing less than a coup d’ etat against then prime minister Tunku Abdul Rahman. This was the unkindest cut of all.

Crying out for justice

Those involved in the May 13 riots are yet to be brought to justice and some of them are allegedly still walking around free as birds. They have blood on their hands and if they had even the slightest tinge of conscience they would confess before they meet their Maker. The souls of the deceased are crying out from limbo for justice and final closure.

Umno was willing to do anything in 1969, including perpetrating evil deeds, to remain in power. Umno’s willingness to do anything to remain in power extended across the South China Sea to Sabah where the party has been instrumental in placing illegal immigrants on the electoral rolls with MyKads issued without the consent and approval of the state government and via the backdoor. The issue has been well-documented in the 1999 Likas election case, Internal Security Act (ISA) arrests, and PhD studies, among others.

The non-Muslim native majority in Sabah and Sarawak have also been systematically suppressed, oppressed and disenfranchised since 1963 by proxies of the ruling elite. Leaders like Stephen Kalong Ningkan, Donald Stephens and Joseph Pairin Kitingan were hounded out of existence by Umno.

When Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) crushed the ruling Berjaya Party in 1985, Sabah witnessed one week of rioting by illegal immigrants hired by the sore losers. Kuala Lumpur looked the other way and only caved in when it looked like that those behind the riots were not going to intimidate PBS into submission.

The year 1994 in Sabah was almost a repeat of 1985. One month later after it won an unprecedented fourth term in office, the PBS state government was toppled by Umno-linked moneybags from Sarawak and Labuan. Talk about being willing to do anything to be in power!

Then, there’s the shameful episode in Perak where the Pakatan state government was hijacked by Umno. The State Legislative Assembly Speaker was even wrestled to the ground by hired thugs from the police force in plain clothes, dragged out and locked up in a store room while an imposter took his place.

Elsewhere, we are still haunted by the C4 killing of the Mongolian model Altantuya. We are no wiser today as to why the Mongolian woman was killed in such a cruel manner. This is the very personification of evil. The Altantuya killing, it must be stressed, hangs like the Sword of Damocles over Najib’s head.

It is written that “he that is without sin... let him first cast a stone...” Yet we have the spectacle of Najib casting stones at the opposition when no one is sure that he is not without sin. Those who live in glass houses should not throw stones at others. In Malay, it can be said: “Jangan meludah ke langit.” (Don’t spit skywards.)

The list of evil deeds perpetrated by Umno can circle the globe many times and still not be complete.

Guise of development

Barry Wain’s “The Malaysian Maverick” documents how Umno has been systematically plundering the public treasury under the guise of development and driving the nation further and further into public debt.

Umno has distorted and deviated from the unwritten social contract, the Federal Constitution (the only social contract) and distorted and deviated in the implementation of the New Economic Policy (1970-1990).

Money aside, deaths in police custody continue amidst rampant acts of police brutality and shootings, temple demolitions, vernacular and mission schools neglected by the authorities until they leak buckets, the right to study one’s own language denied, the Syariah Court let loose on non-Muslims, and the right to build non-Muslim places of worship and statues denied.

In Shah Alam, it was many decades before an Umno state government under the son of a Javanese immigrant relented on the way to court and allowed the construction of a Catholic Church, the one and only in the Selangor state capital. Even then, the church had to be sited in an industrial estate. Furthermore, it was not allowed to look like a Church from the outside, in fact it had to end up looking like the factories in the area, and was not allowed to display a cross outside. All this can only be the work of sick and evil men possessed by any number of demons.

Najib and BN can only continue to be in a state of denial at their peril. In the event that the opposition alliance seizes the reins of power in Putrajaya, many Umno and BN leaders will be counting the bars sooner rather than later.

It’s best for the ruling coalition to focus on what they can do to redeem themselves in the eyes of the people. They should not waste their breath and mountains of froth and foam on the opposition who are here to stay because that’s what the people want.

DAP tells Taib to heed Najib's advice


By Joseph Tawie - Free Malaysia Today

KUCHING: Sarawak’s Chief Minister Abdul Taib Mahmud should listen to the advice of Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak and discard the “four ailments”, namely delusion, amnesia, inertia and arrogance, if Barisan Nasional wants to continue to weild its iron-tight power in the state.

DAP treasurer Violet Yong said the 'four ailments' were as rampant in the Taib administration and was turning the people against BN.

“There are enough examples for delusionary acts by the state government. The construction of the 12 dams is an example of delusion and the arrogance of the state government.

“The dams are irresponsible and unnecessary. By constructing the dams, Taib is going against the people’s desire. He does not care about the sufferings as a result of them being displaced.

“He thinks he is the government and that he has the power to do what he likes,” said Yong, who is the state assemblywoman for Pending.

She said that if the state BN government is a people-friendly administration, then it should stop building the dams.

“The government is yet to resolve the issue of displaced people from the Bakun dam development. These affected people should have been settled first.

"The government should have come up with a proper scheme in order to improve their livelihood and their income level.

"But they have not done this. They have allowed the people to suffer. Look at the natives at Sungai Asap, and how they have suffered as a result of the Bakun dam,” she said.

Yong said Taib had forgotten the primary thrust of the 1Malaysia concept which was ‘people first, performance now’.

She said as far as the BN government in Sarawak was concerned it was "people last and pockets first.”

Land grabs

She said another sore point with the people was BN's arrogance in grabbing native customary rights land belonging to the people.

"Taib must listen to Najib’s advice, otherwise what Najib is saying would be just another slogan in order to hoodwink the people," she said.

Yong was responding to Najib's advice to BN component parties to rid themselves of the “four ailments” before the people’s love for the BN turned into hatred, hope into anger, and support towards opposition.

Touching on the withdrawal of fuel and sugar subsidies, she sarcastically said it was "BN's gift to the people" for giving them victories in the two recent by-elections.

“This is a gift by the BN government. This is the price you have to pay for supporting BN,” she said.

Yong believed the recent price hike in the raw materials was unreasonable and one that will have a great impact on the poor people. Sarawak is the fourth poorest state in Malaysia.

“It is unreasonable, because the government has not come out with a balance policy which will help the lower income group to meet the price hike,” she added.

MIC's new lineup: Old boys wearing new hats

By R Kengadharan

COMMENT Can the change in leadership restore lost grounds and confidence? Will the change in leadership propel changes within MIC?

What is in store for the MIC is yet to be seen. The future is uncertain.

However, it must be noted that the mere changes in leadership alone will not cause the regaining of support from the people. The leadership must possess the ability to comprehend and address critical issues and completely must stop and/or refrain from making rhetoric statements and remarks.

The people must be given utter priority at all times. The old fashioned administration must be discarded.

The new leadership must be capable and must begin to lay the foundations establishing a reputation for competence which are the necessary pre-requisites in re-writing the journey of MIC.

MIC being the only pulse of the indian community today is a serious misconception. While it is undeniable that MIC once championed the cause of the Indian community but not anymore.

Today, our political landscape has changed and almost all political parties have become voter-friendly and responsive to the general public needs.

To ensure sustainability and continuity in politics it is imperative for every political party to work in the best interest of the people.

Whatever plans MIC may have in store for its members and the Indian community in general, it must be followed diligently for supporters and members cannot anymore be hypnotised by any political party including the MIC and there is no room for arrogance.

If they are keen to gain popular mandate then they must be responsible and responsive in politics and proceed on the premise of community not individualism.

They must deliver on pledges and possess principles and values. They must embrace critics and not fear or shy away from them.

While politics is on everyone's mind today, any victory at the 13th general election is not going to be easy. But with total accountability, transparency, sincerity, good faith, newer ideas and proper strategy it will ensure the overwhelming victory of any political party regardless of their political ideology.

It is cardinal that such political parties who are keen to serve the people and state must reach out to the people and win their hearts and not their anger, hate and frustration.

In the case of the new boys we hope to see the change.

R Kengadharan is a former ISA detainee who was nabbed for his role in Hindraf.

The exclusive club syndrome


Religion since time immemorial has been used by those at the top of the religious hierarchy to imprison the minds of the populace. And those who question them suffer persecution.

NO HOLDS BARRED

Raja Petra Kamarudin

Many of my Muslim friends are no longer my friends because of what they regard as my deviant views of Islam. Of course, to most Muslims, ‘deviant’ means any view that you have which differs from theirs. As long as you do not also believe in what they believe then you are a deviant.

In the old days, those who thought that the world was round rather than flat were deviants because the majority believed that the world was flat. And the church was extremely uncompromising towards those perceived as deviants.

Years back I said that racism is haram and frowned upon by Islam. The response from many was: which Islamic university did I attend to be able to talk like that? Can I even speak Arabic, they asked.

That is an old trick they used in medieval times as well to deny the population their own understanding of religion. Only those who spoke Latin could interpret religion. It became a sort of exclusive club. The fact that Jesus spoke Aramaic and not Latin failed to grab their attention.

Christianity has since progressed beyond that. But Islam is still suffering from what Christianity suffered more than 1,000 years ago. Islamic critical thinking is not tolerated because the interpretation of Islam is the monopoly of this exclusive club where membership is denied to those without the right credentials.

And Raja Petra Kamarudin does not possess these right credentials: thus one of the reasons of my ISA detention in 2008.

But what have I said that the people with the right credentials have not also said? I said that racism is haram and that the Prophet Muhammad himself said so in his last sermon in Arafah.

Today, the ex-Mufti of Perlis and the spiritual adviser of PAS have both said the same thing. But I get detained without trial for saying what those with the right credentials have also said.

I said that Jihad is not a war where suicide bombers kill innocent women and children but your personal struggle (or war) against greed, lust (lust for power included), pride (which also breeds racism: pride of your race), ego, vanity, jealousy, etc.

Now, many of those with the right credentials are saying the same thing.

I said that Hijrah is not just about the Prophet migrating from Mekah to Medina but more about you ‘migrating’ from the old you to the new you -- basically transforming or reforming yourself.

New Year’s Day 2011 will soon up be upon us. If you make your New Year’s Resolution to stop smoking, stop visiting massage parlours, stop cheating on your income tax, stop beating your wife, stop raping your daughter, stop siphoning money from your company’s petty cash box, stop taking commission from contractors, stop awarding contracts to your family and friends, and whatnot, that is Hijrah -- you Hijrah from a life of sin to a life of repentance.

Now Bernama, the government-owned propaganda agency, also says the same thing. But then the man quoted by Bernama is someone with the right credentials while I am not.

Religion since time immemorial has been used by those at the top of the religious hierarchy to imprison the minds of the populace. And those who question them suffer persecution.

This has not changed over thousands of years. It is comforting to know though that what I have been saying for years and which resulted in me being branded a deviant is now being said by those with the proper credentials to speak.

Some may call me an Atheist. Some call me an Agnostic. Some may even call me anti-religion. Rest assured it is not for man to decide what I am and am not. That is the exclusive domain of God to decide what His creations are or are not.

*********************************************

Hijrah: Time for Muslims to Reflect on Al-Quran

BERNAMA

The Maal Hijrah, which is also called Awal Muharram, is an important day for Muslims not only to commemorate the hijrah (migration) of the Prophet Muhammad from Mecca to Medina but also to reflect on their inner self and deeds.

The Hijrah that occurred 1432 years ago is still relevant in its essence today that goes beyond the physical migration, the migration from ignorance to englightment through the Al Quran.

Every year the Maal Hijrah is celebrated by recalling the historic migration that is also the cornerstone of Islam.

The Essence of Hijrah

According to the Institute of Islamic Understanding Malaysia's (Ikim) Director General Datuk Nik Mustapha Nik Hassan, Hijrah is more than the physical migration from Mecca to Medina.

“Prophet Muhammad's Hijrah from Mecca to Medina is not just a change of place but a change in the system and values of a society based on the teachings of Al Quran that emphasises on truth, fairness and compassion.”

“So the meaning of Hijrah is all encompassing. Unfortunately, our society today view Hijrah literally on the context of physical migration that does not give the actual picture of this remarkable event,” he explained.

He hoped that the Muslims would see the Hijrah beyond the physical migration and dwell deep into the lessons that they can learn from Prophet Muhammad's Hijrah.

The Virtues of Hijrah

According to Nik Mustapha, Prophet Muhammad's Hijrah helped to create a highly civilised society anchored on iktikad (belief) and syahadah (attestation) of the faith and Allah Almighty.

The Prophet Muhammad wanted to establish a new bastion for Islam and restructure the society in Medina into a highly civilised society based on Al-Quran.

Based on the divine revelation in surah Al-Anbiya:107 that literally means

"We have sent you out of mercy from us towards the whole world," the Prophet Muhammad took on the role as Allah's messenger in establishing an Islamic administration through the Medina Charter.

“The ingenuity and skills of the Prophet Muhammad during Hijrah should be emulated. The way the Prophet won back Mecca through the Hudaibiah Treaty without going to war. The way the Prophet united the people by asking them to seek the truth, fairness and compassion through the Al-Quran.

Hijrah in the Present Day Context

The lessons to be learnt by Muslims today is how Prophet Muhammad brilliantly established the faith in the society then.

The other virtue will be how Prophet Muhammad planned his rule to strengthen Islam and the Muslims in Madinah. One of the good examples is that he turned the Nabawi mosque into a place of worship and congregation for Muslims.

According to Nik Mustapha, the mosque during Prophet Muhammad's time were the centres for human activities in matters relating to this world and hereafter, unlike in Malaysia today where the mosque activities is limited to religious affairs only.

He also called upon Muslims to absorb the Al-Quran in them.

“Parents have to capitalise on this opportunity to emphasise on the teachings of the Al-Quran that advocates truth, fairness and compassion. This is the spirit that we have to comprehend in our lives.

The same goes to an organisation, each leader must work to instill these three elements in implementing the universal values of Islam.

He pointed out the essence of Hijrah not only calls for the change within oneself for the better, but also to emulate the ways how Prophet Muhammad planned and administered a system based on divine revelation for the mankind.

Top 10 facts from the PDRM fatal shootings statistics (2000 – 2009)

By Lawyers for Liberty

1. Lowest number of deaths: 5 (2001);

2. Second lowest number of deaths: 9 (2000);

3. Highest number of deaths: 88 (2009);

4. Second highest number of deaths: 82 (2008);
5. Total number of deaths from 2000 to 2009: 279 victims;

6. The increase from the lowest number of deaths at 5 (2001) to 88 (2009) is 17-fold;

7. Fatality percentages/numbers according to race/nationality: Indonesians: 40.5% (113 deaths); Indians: 21.8% (61 deaths); Chinese: 18.6% (52 deaths); and Malays: 15% (42 deaths);

8. So Uthayakumar was right to say that Indians are disproportionate victims of fatal police shootings;

9. The number of deaths without proper identification: 80 victims;
10. A Liberian UNHCR registered refugee/ asylum seeker was killed in 2008, and classified under “Negro”!

Isu Ketuanan Melayu: Jangan Lari Dari Persoalan Rekod Pembelaan Rakyat Terbanyak

Saya merujuk kepada pelbagai kenyataan yang dibuat berkenaan isu
ketuanan rakyat, terutamanya dari kalangan pimpinan Umno.

Pertamanya, saya mengucapkan tahniah kepada pimpinan Umno, PERKASA dan
kaum-kerabat mereka yang tidak pernah gagal mengingatkan rakyat
Malaysia bahaya politik perkauman sempit. Dalam satu minggu yanglepas, segala usaha pentadbiran Dato’ Seri Najib Tun Razak melalui
kempen 1Malaysia yang menelan belanja puluhan juta ringgit menggunakan
wang rakyat; hancur musnah apabila pimpinan-pimpinan Umno dan PERKASA
menunjukkan kembali wajah sebenar mereka. Tidak kira berapa banyak
wang yang dibayar kepada perunding antarabangsa sekalipun, budaya
perkauman sempit yang dibawa oleh Umno dan Barisan Nasional tidak akanhilang kerana ia sudah menjadi sebahagian daripada darah daging
mereka.

Pun begitu, saya melahirkan rasa kesal kerana Umno dan PERKASA tidak
mahu berdepan dengan gagasan yang dibawa oleh KEADILAN dalam Kongres
Nasional Ke-7 baru-baru ini. Gagasan tersebut, seperti yangdisampaikan oleh Presiden parti Dato’ Seri Dr Wan Azizah Ismail,
menyentuh mengenai mekanisme terbaik untuk membela orang Melayu.
Persoalan yang dilontarkan oleh Dato’ Seri Dr Wan Azizah adalah mudah;
iaitu kaedah bagaimana yang boleh menjamin kelangsungan dan darjat
orang Melayu yang akan dihormati dan bermaruah, dalam kerangka
masyarakat pelbagai kaum yang ada di Malaysia dan arus globalisasi
yang deras meninggalkan kita?

Kaedah sedia ada dibawa oleh Umno – iaitu mengabui mata rakyat
mengenai hak mereka (melalui Umno) untuk terus berkuasa tidak kira
prestasi mereka dan kebajikan rakyat keseluruhannya, terutamanya nasib
orang Melayu. Konsep “Ketuanan Melayu” yang dilaungkan secara terbuka
dan dibisikkan secara senyap ini oleh BTN dan agensi-agensi lain,
menakut-nakutkan orang Melayu bahawa perubahan kerajaan kepada pakatan
politik yang lain akan menyebabkan orang Melayu hilang kuasa. Apabilaorang Melayu hilang kuasa, maka nasib orang Melayu akan terjejas dan
akan tertindas.

Sebab itu, saya menganggap bahawa tindakan Umno dan PERKASA mengheretinstitusi Raja-Raja Melayu dengan mentaklikkan “Ketuanan Melayu”
sebagai “Ketuanan Sultan” adalah satu tindakan yang bacul di pihak
Umno dan PERKASA. Mereka tidak mampu berdepan dengan persoalan penting
membicarakan kaedah terbaik membela orang Melayu terbanyak seperti
yang ditimbulkan KEADILAN, lalu mereka cuba menggunakan institusi Raja-Raja Melayu. Tindakan seperti inilah sebenarnya yang menghina
institusi Raja-Raja Melayu kerana ia tidak menghormati kedudukan
Raja-Raja Melayu yang memayungi seluruh rakyat jelata tidak mengira
kaum, agama dan pegangan politik.

Namun, tindakan Umno dan PERKASA itu bukanlah perkara baru. Rekod
mereka mencalarkan kedudukan institusi Raja-Raja Melayu di mata rakyat
sudah diketahui umum. Krisis-krisis perlembagaan yang melemahkan
institusi Raja-Raja Melayu dalam tahun 1983 dan 1993 dicetuskan oleh
Umno. Lebih malang, dalam kedua-dua siri krisis perlembagaan yang
disusun oleh Umno itu, berlaku serangan-serangan yang bertujuan
mengaibkan Raja-Raja Melayu dalam akhbar-akhbar dan media milik
mereka. Ada beza yang besar diantara cakap-cakap seorang dua rakyat
jelata yang dituduh mempersoalkan kedudukan Raja-Raja Melayu, dengan
satu gerakan tersusun yang dilaksanakan secara besar-besaran oleh
sebuah parti politik yang mengaku mempertahankan Ketuanan Melayu.

Saya beri amaran supaya Umno dan PERKASA jangan lagi cuba memfitnah
KEADILAN dan Pakatan Rakyat dalam perkara ini. Dasar Bersama Pakatan
Rakyat yang diluluskan pada 19 Disember 2009, secara jelas
mempertahankan kedudukan istimewa orang Melayu dan Bumiputra dan
institusi raja berpelembagaan.

Ini dinyatakan dalam Fasal 1 Perkara a(i) “Pakatan Rakyat akan
mempertahankan Perlembagaan Persekutuan, Islam sebagai agama bagi
Persekutuan dan agama-agama lain boleh diamalkan dengan aman dan damai
di mana-mana di negara ini serta melindungi kedudukan istimewa orang
Melayu dan anak negeri mana-mana antara Negeri Sabah dan Sarawak serta
kepentingan sah kaum-kaum lain sejajar dengan Perkara 153”; dan Fasal
1 Perkara a(ii) “Pakatan Rakyat akan mempertahankan peranan dan
tanggungjawab institusi raja berpelembagaan”.

Makanya, KEADILAN ingin membawa kembali polemik “Ketuanan Melayu” ini
kepada perkara dasar yang diulas oleh Dato’ Seri Dr Wan Azizah Ismail
– iaitu wacana kaedah terbaik untuk melahirkan anak bangsa Melayu yang
beriman, boleh berdikari, berprinsip dan berdaya juang supaya mereka
kekal bermaruah dalam kerangka masyarakat pelbagai kaum di negara ini
dan arus globalisasi mutakhir.

Apakah kaedah Umno yang memperkecilkan kebolehan anak Melayu, dengan
menakut-nakutkan mereka dan menimbulkan rasa curiga terhadap semua
yang bukan Melayu, akan berjaya melahirkan anak bangsa Melayu yang
bermaruah?

Apakah “Ketuanan Melayu” yang berpaksikan kepada sistem kroni dan
mendokong rasuah dengan menghamburkan kekayaan negara kepada beberapa
kroni rapat Umno (tanpa mengira kaum) akan melahirkan golongan peniaga
Melayu yang berdaya maju? Apakah budaya rasuah yang berleluasa di
dalam Umno akan menjamin kedudukan istimewa orang Melayu tidak akan
dijual suatu hari nanti?

Apakah anak bangsa Melayu yang membesar dengan perasaan curiga akan
dapat mengambil pendekatan positif menunggang arus globalisasi untuk
menjadi pemimpin antarabangsa?

Persoalan yang dibawa oleh KEADILAN adalah persoalan jatidiri dan
kaedah terbaik membina jatidiri tersebut. Kaedah “Ketuanan Melayu”
yang dibawa oleh Umno dan PERKASA bukan sahaja terbukti gagal membina
jatidiri orang Melayu, malah menyebabkan kebajikan rakyat terbanyak
(terutamanya golongan berpendapatan rendah yang majoritinya orang
Melayu) terabai.

Sehingga kini, selepas 3 dekad “Ketuanan Melayu”, 75% dari bilangan
keluarga yang pendapatan isi rumahnya di bawah RM2,000 adalah orang
Melayu. Golongan ini jugalah yang dikategorikan sebagai golongan 40%
paling miskin di Malaysia, seperti yang dihuraikan Perdana Menteri
sendiri dalam Rancangan Malaysia Ke-10.

Selepas 3 dekad “Ketuanan Melayu”, rakyat terbanyak juga yang
dibebankan dengan pemotongan subsidi sedangkan subsidi korporat
sebanyak RM19 bilion setahun (dalam bentuk subsidi gas kepada penjana
bebas) tidak disentuh. Umno dan PERKASA tidak melahirkan sedikit
keluhan pun apabila bantuan kepada rakyat termiskin, yang rata-ratanya
orang Melayu ditarik setiap enam bulan untuk menampung perbelanjaan
boros kerajaan membayar perunding antarabangsa, sedangkan tidak ada
satu mekanisme pun diperkenalkan untuk menyalurkan kembali
rasionalisasi subsidi kepada golongan termiskin ini.

Justeru, KEADILAN yakin bahawa polemik “Ketuanan Melayu” ini adalah
benteng terakhir Umno dan PERKASA yang kian rapuh dan ditolak rakyat.
Demi melahirkan Malaysia yang majmuk, mengamalkan toleransi dan
berdaya saing, KEADILAN akan konsisten membawa gagasan Ketuanan Rakyat
melalui bangsa yang bermaruah – kerana kami yakin gagasan ini tidak
dapat dijawab oleh Umno dan PERKASA.

YB SAIFUDDIN NASUTION ISMAIL
SETIAUSAHA AGONG KEADILAN

A better place for their children, not Malaysia

The Malaysian Insider

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 7 — First-class education system, a corruption-free government, zero tolerance on racism and the basic skill to communicate properly are all on one Malaysian’s mind when he chooses to work in Australia.

Anthony Leong, 30, an application support programmer, said he is considering giving up his Malaysian citizenship and live in Australia permanently, for the sake of his future family.

He said he had become frustrated at the corrupted system, the quality of local university graduates and the red tape he had to go through to apply for welfare support for his 70-year-old disabled aunt, among other things.

He is now a permanent resident in Australia, working for the Queensland Department of Employment, Economic Development and Innovation, and is considering applying to be an Australian citizen once he has convinced his father and sister to move with him.

Low purchasing power, racism, political instability, low income, race-based policies, crime rates and non-dual citizenship laws are seen as some of the reasons that have kept a lot of Malaysian talents anywhere but here, 300,000 annually to be exact.

Another Malaysian who had also chosen to be Down Under felt unappreciated in Malaysia.

“I am a Malaysian who loves my country but I do not feel loved. Why then should I stay?” Wesley Wong, 25, a software developer in Australia, told The Malaysian Insider.

His deep sense of frustration was echoed by many who are working abroad.

“The country should learn that all Malaysians love their country. Any Malaysian who does not feel appreciated in their own country will definitely find elsewhere to go because they realise that their future is bleak,” he said in an e-mail interview.

Leigh Howard, South Asia director for Talent2 International Limited, told The Malaysian Insider that approximately 300,000 Malaysians leave the country for better education, work and business prospects, quoting figures released by the government.

“That would compare with a figure of 80,000 for a country such as Australia which has a similar size population and workforce,” he said.

He added that Malaysia is lacking talents in the services sector, technology, banking, as well as in oil and gas.

Brian Fernandez, 40, a headhunter for senior and middle management positions for the last decade at Talent Search International, said those talents are lost to Singapore, all over Europe and the Middle East.

“Setting up Talent Corp is a nice blah blah but it’s not real,” he said, dismissing the initiative launched yesterday.

The prime minister announced at its launch yesterday that foreigners and Malaysians living abroad can soon apply for a new resident pass that will allow them to live and work in Malaysia for up to 10 years at a time.

Although he had earlier said that Talent Corporation, which was established under the Prime Minister’s Department, will spearhead initiatives to attract the estimated 700,000 skilled Malaysians currently working abroad, the prime minister did not mention the ambitious figure at the launch.

Instead, Najib announced a new policy to retain and attract talent to Malaysia.

He said the resident pass will be made available to highly-skilled expatriates seeking to continue working and living in Malaysia as well as Malaysians residing overseas.

Unlike an employment pass, he said the resident pass has the advantage of not being tied to an employer and it can be issued for a longer period.

Najib, also the finance minister, said the pass will also be available to those originally from Malaysia as well as their offspring who no longer hold Malaysian citizenship.

Following the announcements, however, he did not specify how the new body will reach out to those “highly-skilled talents”.

Fernandez was sceptical about how the new initiative will pan out, even before the launch yesterday.
“Malaysia is very good with plans, but when it comes to execution, it’s a different story,” he said.

The Malaysian Insider had reported that Singapore had trumped Malaysia in the brain gain stakes, according to a recent Gallup poll which saw the island-state beat some 150 countries to come out as the most favoured destination in the world for educated migrants.

Fernandez cited his family as “a classic case” as one of his sisters is working for the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland and another in Singapore.

Fernandez, who has a university degree and a small child, had also left for Singapore in his late 30s, said that he was “one of thousands who had left Malaysia in the last two years.”

He said Malaysia had lost a lot of talents in technology because the skill is very transferable and that “Singapore is a good example of a vacuum cleaner, sucking talents out of Malaysia.”

He added that Malaysians in the banking and financial industry, especially accountants, are being offered better salaries and benefits abroad, whom he said, usually stay on in the country and do not return.

Fernandez used the biotech industry in Malaysia as an example of the many sectors which need to improve, to gain talents.

“Singapore went through that as well. They had a 10-year plan, bought global talents from the UK, the US, there were a lot of PhD students. They grew the talent pool and now they have more than 1,000 PhD holders,” he said.

He credited the government for its efforts and said that at least Malaysia is headed in the right direction as he noticed that talents are being paid better in recent years and that senior management salaries had gone up in government agencies as well as government-linked companies.

SOLUTIONS FOR THE PHENOMENON

Howard said that even though there is an incentive package for repatriating Malaysians which includes tax exemption for importing a car and leeway for their children to enter international schools, “however more could be done.”

Under the Human Resources Ministry’s “Return of Experts Programme”, an approved returnee is entitled to bring back two cars tax-free, as well as the applicant’s accumulated income, also tax-free.

However, this is hardly an incentive as in Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries which do not have approved permits (AP) or prohibitive taxes on imported cars.
Howard said the solution to this brain drain phenomenon is twofold.

“In a broader sense, the same types of economic and social conditions which attract quality immigration will assist with repatriation, (for example) there needs to be material improvements in education, career and working life.

“At the same time, there are some very specific initiatives that would target and attract Malaysians to return home. All of them involve a considerably more detailed and proactive approach,” he said.

He suggested the government follow the footsteps of large multinational companies in the private sector that invest heavily in their employee value proposition (EVP) and review specifically at this target group.

He also said the level of outreach needs to be highly proactive as policies and standard incentive programmes can only go so far.

“(The government) needs to adopt a less passive and highly rigorous approach to identification, communication, and interaction with this pool of people. It’s not impossible to map out and identify Malaysians living overseas, it just involves work. Following up from this, the type of engagement programme needs to be sophisticated enough to have a long-term impact on repatriation numbers. Whether it’s accelerated resettlement, incentive programmes or fundamental changes to the Malaysian economy … will also play a role,” he said.

“It may not come as a surprise that the private sector is already undertaking its own efforts to identify and repatriate Malaysians into mission critical roles within their organisations,” he said.
Fernandez said some of the ways to stop Malaysian talents from leaving are to have better physical security, better policing and opportunities, adding that “it’s not always about the money”.

“A trickle will be a flood. If there are opportunities, people will come back,” he said optimistically.

Currently, he said there is a net outflow rather than inflow of talents and warned that it will get worse next year.

However, Fernandez said that losing Malaysians might not be the end of the prime minister’s vision for the country to be a high-income and a developed nation by 2020.
“If we are losing Malaysians and can’t get them back, then hire foreigners. It’s not easy for a foreigner to get work permit here and that’s a mistake. It should be more difficult for unskilled workers,” he said.

In the National Economic Advisory Council (NEAC) report on the New Economic Model (NEM), it says that the numbers of expatriates have fallen from nearly 90,000 in 2000 to nearly half of that by 2008.
The net result is a “shortage of dynamic talent to push Malaysia into higher added value activities”.

“We are competing globally, so we need to look globally. It’s not a zero-sum game, it is not that if you bring in a foreigner, it’s at the expense of a local,” he said, adding that bringing in international talents can spur more job opportunities.

MALAYSIA IS NOT ALONE

Howard was quick to add that Malaysia is not alone in the brain drain phenomenon, and that every country experiences immigration and emigration flows, which constantly affects the calibre of the workforce.

“What you need to do is examine is the brain exchange, (for example) that you ensure the skills entering the country are at least the same or ideally superior than those exiting. Malaysia’s challenge is that our emigrants are more skilled than our immigrants (and our general population),” he said.

Howard stressed that the government should improve on the selection, settlement and integration of skilled immigrants to help boost the quality of the workforce in Malaysia. He said that not only do skilled immigrants provide a higher calibre workforce through their own efforts, but they also indirectly improve the skills and knowledge of those around them.

The report by the NEAC on the NEM laments that “we are not developing talent and what we do have are leaving”.

The report says that currently, some 350,000 Malaysians are working abroad, with over half of them having tertiary education.

This leaves more than 80 per cent of the workforce with SPM-level qualification, and their wages are being continually suppressed by the vast availability of foreign workers and other barriers like subsidies and price controls.

According to the World Bank, Malaysians residing overseas numbered only 9,576 in 1960 while the world’s total registered migration was 382,912 per nation. By 2005, the world’s registered migration increased to an average of 919,302 per nation, an increase of 2.4 times. However, Malaysia’s emigration numbers rose to 1,489,168, an almost 100-fold increase over the 45-year period.

Many first world countries have schemes to attract talents from all over the world. The closest example is Singapore, which has employer-sponsored (Scheme 1) working visas, which are issued within three working days on receipt of application. And under its Scheme 4, top-notch professionals are “purposely” sought from all over the world and attracted to reside in Singapore.

Jonathan Monteiro, 28, a headhunter, described this phenomenon as a chicken or egg situation, where because of the lack of talents in Malaysia in certain industries, investors hesitate to invest, hence the limited pool of Malaysian talents will opt to leave the country for better opportunities, mostly to where the said companies invested in.

Monteiro said most Malaysians are tempted to work abroad because salaries offered are more attractive.

For example, he said, certain jobs in Qatar pay Malaysians about 85 per cent more than what they do here. Monteiro said he is considering moving to Qatar next year to be in the human resources industry.

“When you come back, you’ll definitely need to take a salary cut,” he said, adding that no one he knows was working in a company in Malaysia that could match their salaries abroad.

He said, however, that some of them will eventually return to Malaysia, “simply because it is home.”

RETAIN AND RECRUIT TALENTS

Lyvian Loh, 27, a market analyst in the US, said among other things, health insurance is very affordable, there is freedom of speech and it has a less stressful lifestyle.

She said there is also “lesser expectations of entertaining your superiors to get a better positions or to get promoted”, the pay is relevant to your degree or ability, and that the purchasing power is higher there than in Malaysia.

“It is definitely a problem for the country but is a benefit for the particular individual. If a country doesn’t appreciate the talents and qualifications in their own country, the individual may as well go to a better place where people appreciate them while giving them a better life,” she said of the brain drain phenomenon.

Jesse Lee, 30, a senior accountant in the US, said following completion of her degree at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Indiana, she had only wanted to stay on for a few years to learn the culture and the working lifestyle there, but had since changed her mind.

“Gradually, I fell in love with the people, environment and the surroundings here. Not only there’s the higher salary, you get the freedom you don’t have back home. You know, here’s just like what Alicia Keys described in her song — if you can make it here, you can make it everywhere, concrete jungle is where the dreams are made of, there’s nothing you can’t do.

“It gives you hope. You know as long as you work hard, you will achieve what you dreamed of. But there’s a huge trade off for working abroad. You don’t get to see your families and friends often,” she said.

Asked what the solutions might be, she said the government should “walk the talk.”

“1 Malaysia isn’t just a slogan. The government should really put in effort to unite the people and create a ‘home’ for us. Fix the corruption and reduce crimes,” she said.

Wong had similar initial plans as Lee and had also changed his course.

“I had wanted to return to Malaysia to help my family business when I was studying for my bachelor’s but some time in 2007/2008 but I changed my mind and decided to stay in Australia. This was because I saw no future in Malaysia with the current system in place. My parents had advised me to stay in Australia as well,” he said.

Wong called for open tenders for projects, lower crime rates and that the government should do away with race-based policies and emphasise on meritocracy instead.

“The brain drain phenomenon has been a problem since many years ago. Many Malaysians have realised that you will never get anywhere if you don’t pull the right strings. This has spurred many Malaysians to leave the country in search of greener pastures where they can be appreciated.
Malaysia has been stuck in the middle-income trap for many years and will still be for many years to come because the level of education there is appalling.

“Malaysia can’t continue on with its manufacturing sectors because many other countries can do the same thing for a cheaper price but yet Malaysia continues to churn out many sub-par graduates with poor language skills. As it goes, Malaysia won’t move on to the next stage after manufacturing, which is to start designing and inventing products because of the lack of talent in the country,” he said.

Among other things that Malaysians working abroad complain about are the rampant racism which they felt is more tolerated in Malaysia compared to where they are, having to choose only one citizenship and oppressive laws such as the Internal Security Act.

Don't Destroy Unity Just To Please A Few - Agong

PUTRAJAYA, Dec 7 (Bernama) -- Yang di-Pertuan Agong Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin called on Malaysians not to destroy the prevailing unity in the country just to fulfil the demands of a few extreme and greedy, selfish individuals.

"The nation's development plans will be hampered if the prevailing unity and harmony is not protected," the King said in conjunction with the national-level Ma'al Hijrah 1432 celebration at the Putrajaya International Convention Centre, here, Sunday.

Tuanku Mizan said the country would be exposed to regression and destruction if the people were always suspicious of and fighting with each other.

"The people are jointly responsible for ensuring continued peace and prosperity in the country to be inherited by future generations."

The King said to achieve the desired level of unity was not easy, hence all parties must play their role and prove their sincerity in achieving that goal.

Tuanku Mizan said all the different races must understand and respect each other and have a give-and-take attitude for the sake of peace and harmony.

"As for the Muslims, they should help build the ummah and beloved country based on faith and solidarity. And learn from the Hijrah incident with realisation and resignation."

On the Hijrah incident (flight of Prophet Muhammad from Mecca to Medina), the King said it brought positive change and transformation to the attitudes and way of life of the Muslims, as well as showed the need for sacrifice and diligence to achieve success in this world and the hereafter.

"Muslims need to emulate the Muhajirin and Ansar who were willing to sacrifice their own interests for Islam.

"All these lessons will be lost in the annals of history if we continue to be lax and are only proud of the glory achieved by the ummah of yore while we ourselves have not changed to achieve success."

The King hoped Malaysians would continue to work at maintaining racial unity and for Muslims to imbibe this year's Ma'al Hijrah theme, "1Malaysia, 1Ummah".

Tuanku Mizan also suggested that all quarters, especially government agencies and the private sector, enhance programmes that promoted religious values to produce human capital with a high level of integrity.

Chin Peng had right to be heard, says Bar Council

The Malaysian Insider
By Debra Chong

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 6 — Chin Peng should have been allowed his day in court, the Bar Council said in an immediate response today after the Federal Court struck out the former communist leader’s bid to sue Putrajaya for breach of a peace treaty.

The top court’s ruling has effectively put an end to the 86-year-old’s last-ditch bid to clear his name and reopen the way for him to return home after more than 21 years.

“The court should not have struck off his application on a technicality.

“Let him bring his witnesses and ventilate everything in the High Court so we will know what the terms and story was behind the Agreement,” Bar Council president Ragunath Kesavan told The Malaysian Insider when contacted this afternoon.

He added that the top court’s decision had negatively impacted Malaysia’s justice system from the human rights perspective and an individual’s access to justice.

A three-member bench of the Federal Court led by Court of Appeal president Tan Sri Alauddin Mohd Sheriff had earlier dismissed Chin Peng’s application for leave, on grounds it did not fulfil the requirements of Section 96 of the Courts of Judicature Act for it to show how the lower court had wrongly applied the law.

Ragunath said Chin Peng’s case was “unique” and involved the right of a citizen’s access to justice.

He noted that the top court had done the former secretary-general of the Communist Party of Malaya (CPM) an injustice by denying him a chance to present his case in court.

“It’s clear as a fact and has been accepted that he is born here even if he can’t show proof of his citizenship papers,” the lawyer added.

One of the lawyers for Chin Peng — who now goes by his birth name, Ong Boon Hua — told reporters the case had never been given a full hearing when it started out in the High Court in 2005.

The lawyer, Chan Kok Keong, hinted they may yet take the case to an international arbitration centre for justice.

Chan told The Malaysian Insider he will be speaking with Chin Peng on the options left to him later today.

Malaysia urged to end caning








Human rights organisation says ancient practice has reached "epidemic proportions" that amount to torture.
Amnesty International has urged the Malaysian government to ban caning in prisons, saying the practice has reached "epidemic proportions" that amount to torture.

The organisation said the punishment, which rips into the victim's naked skin, is being used for immigration violations, meaning thousands of migrant workers, refugees and asylum seekers are being subject to it.

"It's intentionally inflicting severe pain and suffering - it fits the international definition for torture - something that's prohibited under any circumstances," Lance Lattig, one of the authors of the report by Amnesty told Al Jazeera on Monday.

"According to our figures, more than 10,000 people are caned by authorities in Malaysia annually and this number is actually a conservative estimate," he said in a separate statement.

He said the practice was introduced by British colonial authorities prior to Malaysia's independence in 1957 but that most former colonies had abandoned it.

"It exists as a residue of an extremely brutal form of Victorian punishment that exists in very few other places," he said.

Financial incentives

Malaysia's government says the practice is a legal and effective deterrent against criminal activity.

But a high level official told Amnesty that the punishment did not stop drug users or refugees, Lattig said.

Amnesty's report detailed how "specially trained caning officers tear into victim's bodies with a metre-long cane swung with both hands at high speed".

"The cane rips into the victim's naked skin, pulps the fatty tissue below, and leaves scars that extend to muscle fibre.

"The pain is so severe that victims often lose consciousness. Blood and flesh splash off the victim's body, often accompanied by urine and feces," it said.

The Malaysian government trains officers how to conduct caning and pays them a bonus for each stroke, the report said.

It added that prison officers were given financial incentives for caning prisoners, being paid a bonus for each stroke, in some cases allowing officers to double their income.

"Others take bribes to intentionally miss, sparing their victims," it said.

The report said many of the foreigners sentenced to caning did not get legal representation or understand the charge.

"They don't tell you what day you'll be whipped. You just know your number is coming closer,'' Amnesty quoted a Malaysian caned for heroin possession as saying.

The caning is administered under criminal laws that are separate from Malaysia's Islamic laws, which also prescribe whipping for religious offences.

Source: Al Jazeera and agencies

Khir: It was on a willing buyer, willing seller basis

BN Convention PM Najib Razak says equal partners in serving the Malay muslims in Malay-sia.

http://www.humanrightspartymalaysia.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/urlbn.jpg 

By saying Oray Malaysia (One Malay-sia) BN Convention yesterday, the Indians are not going to be fooled. You may fool some of the people all the time. As for the Indians no more though after the 25th November 2007 Hindraf Rally.

Why a BN Convention only after nine (9) years desperate to win back 90% of the Indians votes that moved to the Opposition?

As for HRP and Hindraf we are committed to see to the end of the 53 year without a break in the chain rule of UMNO/BN that has brought down especially the Indian poor to this level of misery, mired in poverty and having to beg for even the basic necessities like BC, IC, Tamil school land, equal job, business and licence opportunities.

Just this morning I had bumped into a supporter from Klang on my way into the office. He is looking for a place to relocate his hair dressing shop and now stays at the PPR flats in Bangsar. When I asked him why he did not try renting the shop lots at the basement of his said PPR flats to serve the 1,000 over residents in the flats, he said he had tried but was told that it is only for the Malay muslims. This is just the tip of the iceberg of the ground realty on a day to day basis and from womb to tomb for especially the Indian poor in Malay-sia.

UMNO/BN has to go! UMNO/BN has over stayed their welcome! We want PR to take over Putrajaya. We support Anwar Ibrahim as the next Prime Minister of Malaysia. But we are not prepared to give him a blank cheque. We want to be PR’s check and balance in Putrajaya.

We cannot and will never accept PKR, DAP and PAS’s role for us as the showcase and showpiece a la MIC Indian mandores. (This is why PKR, DAP and PAS say we are difficult).

We will only come on board when PKR, DAP and PAS are sincere in seriously resolving Hindraf’s 18 point demands.

Until then HRP’s Project 15/38 is on the forthcoming March 2011 general elections.

Rights not Mercy.

P. Uthayakumar
bn

Samy Vellu's final (drama)

Shahidan wants Facebook banned, cites national security

Allegedly offensive content on a Facebook page has moved Shahidan to call for the service to be barred. — Reuters pic

KANGAR, Dec 6 — Umno Supreme Council member Datuk Seri Dr Shahidan Kassim today called for the blocking of the Facebook social networking website if its contents continue to pose a threat to national security.

He said a Facebook account holder was found to have taken advantage of the technology to insult Islam and leaders of Malaysia.

“If the website content poses a threat to national security and insults Islam, then it is unnecessary to have Facebook,” he told reporters after accompanying Perlis Facebook Association committee members to lodge a report at the Kangar police station on the insults hurled at Prime Minister Seri Najib Razak and former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad on a Facebook page.

The report was lodged by the association’s deputy president, Mohd Faizuddin Ismail, at about 5.30 pm.

Shahidan said a report would also be lodged at the State Islamic Religious Department as the holder of the Facebook account had also insulted Islam, and added that the insults hurled at Najib and Mahathir were discovered by a member of the association on November 29.

Shahidan, who is Tambun Tulang assemblyman, said the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC), the Malaysian Islamic Development Department and the National Fatwa Council should act against the holder of the Facebook account. — Bernama

Home Ministry denies discrepancy in Anwar’s ‘black-eye’ case


Hishammuddin’s ministry looks to be closing the book on the
1998 incident. — file

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 6 — The Home Ministry today brushed aside claims of discrepancies in the investigation of Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s infamous 1998 “black-eye incident”, despite the Cabinet’s directive last month to query Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail on his alleged involvement in the case.

In a letter to DAP advisor Lim Kit Siang dated December 2, Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein told the Ipoh Timor MP that the police would not reopen investigations into the case, despite claims by the former investigating officer in the incident of new information that implicated Abdul Gani and former Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Musa Hassan.

Hishammuddin added that the Royal Malaysian Police had completed its checks on the 12-year-old investigation and had found no reason to suggest that false evidence had been given.

“There were no explanations given to show that false testimony had been made during the investigation.

“The prosecution of (former Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri) Rahim Noor for inflicting injury on Anwar Ibrahim was based on proof that was uncovered during the investigation.

“He was charged in court under Section 323 of the Penal Code and he had pleaded guilty to the charge,” Hishammuddin wrote in his letter.

The minister was writing in response to Lim’s questions during debates for his ministry’s 2011 budget, which he had failed to address during his winding up in the House recently.

Lim had raised the issue of former KL CID chief Datuk Mat Zain Ibrahim, the investigating officer in Anwar’s assault case, who had revealed in an open letter to the new IGP Tan Sri Ismail Omar on October 8 that he had new information on the “black-eye incident” which implicated Abdul Gani, the current Attorney-General.

Following Mat Zain’s revelations, the Najib administration had instructed two Cabinet ministers — Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz and Datuk Seri Utama Rais Yatim — to question Abdul Gani on the matter.

Speaking to The Malaysian Insider two weeks ago, Nazri confirmed this, adding that the Cabinet wanted to hear Abdul Gani’s explanation before taking any action.

But in his letter to Lim last week, Hishammuddin insisted that there was no need to reopen investigations on the case.

He claimed that despite Mat Zain’s allegations, his letter had not contained any elements of incitement, defamation, criminal intimidation and was not vulgar as to trigger any police investigation.

Hishammuddin also said that the country’s criminal justice system had not gone “topsy-turvy” as a result of the “black-eye incident”, as claimed by the veteran politician.

“The principle of separation of powers allows the police to carry out its duty to investigate crime while the A-G’s Chambers is responsible to prosecute criminals and the court’s function is to provide a space to hear and discuss these trials,” he said.

Hishammuddin claimed that all three arms of the government played their respective roles to ensure there were no disruptions in the country’s justice system.

The Sembrong MP also pointed out to Lim that, to date, no police reports have been lodged on Mat Zain’s open letter, which has been distributed across the Internet.

In his letter, Mat Zain had claimed that an independent panel that cleared Abdul Gani and Musa of fabricating evidence in the incident was unconstitutional and accused the country’s top lawyer of deceiving the Cabinet over the independent panel.

He said there was no need for any royal commission of inquiry on the matter as the police were capable of resolving the case themselves.

Mat Zain also revealed that there had been an agreement between former IGP Rahim, former Deputy IGP Tan Sri Norian Mai as well as Mat Zain on October 8, 1998, at 2.30pm that there would be “complete closure” to the black-eye case.

“It is important that I note that Rahim Noor was ready to take full responsibility in the black-eye incident, and his decision was made of his own accord,” said Mat Zain. “The closure of the case had been agreed to be done professionally, above board.”

Mat Zain said that Rahim was prepared to step down after the closure of the black-eye incident.

“But I found out that about 5pm to 5.30pm on the same day, Allahyarham (the late) Tan Sri Mohtar Abdullah, along with the then Datuk Abdul Gani Patail (now Tan Sri), had met with Rahim Noor at his office. At 6pm, I was then told by Tan Sri Norian to ‘continue investigations like normal’.

“I then understood that the agreement that we had reached mere hours ago had been cancelled. I was shocked and upset, but who was I to say anything at the time,” said Mat Zain.

The former policeman also accused Abdul Gani of falsifying testimonies relating to the black-eye incident.

He said the longer the case remained unresolved, the longer innocent officers would be accused of being involved in a cover-up of the case.

In July 2008, Anwar filed a police report accusing Abdul Gani, Mat Zain, Musa (then a senior investigation officer in 1998) and Dr Abdul Rahman Yusof of falsifying a medical report on his black-eye case.

Rahim, the IGP in 1998, had admitted he assaulted Anwar following a royal commission of inquiry probe in 1999.

He has since been convicted of the crime and sentenced to two-months imprisonment with a fine of RM2,000. Rahim has completed his sentence.

Drop defamation suit against me, Ng tells Khir

By Rahmah Ghazali - Free Malaysia Today

PETALING JAYA: Sekinchan DAP assemblyman Ng Suee Lim urged former Selangor menteri besar Dr Mohd Khir Toyo to drop a defamation suit against him over his exposé on the alleged land fraud that finally saw the state opposition leader being charged by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) today.

Ng said that the long-overdue legal action taken by the MACC clearly indicated that his allegation over Khir's extravagance in the construction of his Balinese-themed mansion in Section 7, Shah Alam, and the price paid for the land was not baseless after all.

"His defamation suit against me should be dropped, because his arrest and the charge made against him today have proven that my allegation was not baseless. Although he has every right to proceed with it, I still think he has lost the political authority to take a legal action against me," Ng told FMT.

Ng was slapped with a defamation suit by Khir's legal team last year when the former claimed that Khir had constructed the mansion at a cost of RM20 million and had purchased the land for RM3.8 million during his tenure as menteri besar.

He raised questions as to how Khir could afford it on his menteri besar's salary.

Khir, who vehemently denied all the claims, said that he took a RM3.5 million loan from an international bank to purchase the property and dismissed allegation that the property cost RM24 million.

He also claimed that he could afford the mansion based on his professional business as a dentist.

When asked whether his effort to make Khir face justice was fruitful, Ng said he was still not satisfied with MACC's snail pace approach to prosecute the former menteri besar.

"It took them one year and five months to finally charge him in court. However, I feel relieved and welcome the move despite its slow process," Ng said, adding that MACC should have acted swiftly after he dropped the bombshell in July, last year.

Uncertain political future

Khir was arrested this morning at his office in Shah Alam at 9am and was brought to Shah Alam Sessions Court.

He was charged with committing a land fraud for the purposes of building the mansion, while developer Ditamas Sdn Bhd director Shamsuddin Haryoni was charged with abetting Khir.

Both pleaded not guilty before Sessions Court judge Azhaniz Teh Azman Teh, who set bail at RM750,000 and allowed the prosecution to transfer the case to the High Court.

Khir was charged with obtaining, for himself and his wife Zahrah Kechik, the two plots of land and a house at No 8 & 10, Jalan Suasa 7/1 L, Shah Alam, from Ditamas through Shamsuddin at the price of RM3.5 million when in fact the lots were brought by Ditamas on Dec 23, 2004 at RM6.5 million.

The charge against the Sungai Panjang assemblyman and Selangor opposition leader came under Section 165 of the Penal Code which carries a maximum two years' jail and fine, or both.

But if convicted, Khir faces an uncertain political future as he could be disqualified from contesting in the next general election, which political observers said could be held soon, pending an appeal.

Asked whether this was also a sign of the upcoming snap polls, Ng said this has nothing to do with it.

Samy steps down, Palani takes over


By S Retnanathan - Free Malaysia Today

KUALA LUMPUR: MIC president S Samy Vellu has relinquished his party top post effective today.

The long serving MIC chief is replaced by MIC deputy president G Palanivel, who is also the deputy minister of plantation industries and commodities.

Human Resources Minister Dr S Subramaniam is the new deputy president.

These new appointments leave a vacant spot in the vice-presidency following Subramaniam 'promotion'. The other two vice-presidents are M Saravanan and SK Devamany.

Samy Vellu who has been at helm of the party since October 1979 made the announcement after the all-powerful MIC central working committee meeting at the party headquarters here today.

The CWC had its historic meeting as the party charted its first power transition in 31 years.

The meeting finalised the details of the handover of power between Samy Vellu and Palanivel.

Samy Vellu arrived at the party's headquarters at 9.56am and was greeted by the 61-year-old Palanivel and CWC members.

Samy Vellu, 74, who took over the helm of the party in 1979 after the death of its sixth president V Manickavasagam, had said last week that the party would see a smooth power transition.

With the handover to Palanivel, the former press secretary to Samy Vellu becomes MIC's eighth president.

'I am happy,' says Samy

Speaking at the press conference after the CWC meeting, Samy Vellu vowed to continue his efforts to help the Malaysian Indian community as "I am still a MIC member".

He hoped that the Palanivel-Dr Subramaniam partnership would take the party to greater heights and would be able to attract Malaysian Indians, who had deserted the party and the ruling Barisan Nasional, back to support BN in the next general election.

'I am happy that I am leaving the party to Palanivel. I have had a clear head over the last 10 days. I felt that there should be a leadership change in the party and I was ready for this," he said.

He said Palanivel was not someone new to the party and that he would be able to face any challenges.

He however said he would assist Palanivel run the party should the former asks for his help.

"Life has not ended yet...I will continue serving the community in my own way," he said.


Asked how he would like to be remembered, Samy Vellu said he wanted to be known as someone who had brought about a mindset change in the community, especially in terms of education.

"I have slogged all this while to ensure that Indians understand that education is vital for growth," he added.

His advice to MIC leaders and grassroots was to listen to whoever leads the party. Samy Vellu also discounted an advisory role in the party in the future.

Ambassador's post

On speculation that he had been appointed as an ambassador in charge of obtaining infrastructure projects for Malaysian contractors, Samy Velly said that should be announced by Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak.

"Over the last few months I have been active touring several countries, especially India. We have a few projects in which Malaysian contractors are interested in. This includes projects involving United Engineers Bhd, Hopeteach Bhd and several others.

"If the PM asks me to do it (take up the ambassador's post) then I would do it. Malaysia has good contractors and with them we would be able to grab some opportunities, not only in India but also in other countries" he added.

Asked on his immediate plans following his retirement, Samy Vellu said he would concentrate on the Maju Institute of Educational Development (MIED), the party's educational arm, as he was still it president.

Palani to do it his way

Meanwhile, Palanivel speaking at the same press conference, thanked Samy Vellu and the party central working committee for the trust they had placed on him.

"I wanted a smooth transition of power. This is the way it should be. I will talk about my plans for the party in two days' time," he said.

He however acknowledged that his style of leadership would not be the same as practised by Samy Vellu and that he would "run the party my own way".

Subramaniam on the other hand said, in a move to quickly kill off any thoughts of internal turmoil, unity should be of paramount importance right now.

"I thank everyone for the position. Now we need to be united to face the next general election. This is important," he added.

Samy Vellu's last function as the MIC president was to attend the BN conference held at MCA headquarters yesterday where he presented a paper on how MIC can regain its lost ground.

Ex-youth chief back in fold

In a related development, Samy Vellu also announced that the membership of former party youth chief S Vigneswaran has been reinstated.

Vigneswaran resigned from the party after the 2008 general election after falling out with the ex-MIC president. He has since been vocal critic of Samy Vellu and party policies.

The former youth chief has also initiated court proceedings against Samy Vellu and few others over the running of MIED and the construction of MIC's AIMST University.

When contacted Vigneswaran said the reinstatement of membership came as a shock to him.

“It is a magmaminous decision. I thank him for it. I would continue to fight for the community and the BN,” he told FMT.

Anwar calls Najib desperate, Kit Siang wants live debates

By Patrick Lee - Free Malaysia Today

KUALA LUMPUR: Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak is a desperate man struggling to contain the internal strife in Barisan Nasional, said Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim today.


He said that Najib's vitriolic attack on Pakatan Rakyat was proof of this.

"He wants to divert attention away from the internal problems and the corruption that is taking place in BN right now," he told reporters at the Parliament lobby.

According to Anwar, Najib's comments showed that there was a tussle in the ruling coalition, and the prime minister was “under siege” since it was not the latter's style to launch such verbal assaults.

Speaking at the BN convention yesterday, Najib had described Pakatan Rakyat as an evil coalition with trecherous and anti-national leaders.

He accused Anwar, the PKR de facto leader, of practicing nepotism since the latter's wife was the party president and the couple's daughter, the newly elected vice president.

The premier called DAP a “father and son dominated” Chinese chauvinist party and berated PAS for sacrificing its Islamic ideals.

'He is PM because of his father'

Meanwhile, Anwar asked if fighting against corruption was considered being anti-national.

“Was yesterday's peaceful protest (against water privatisation) a sign of anti-nationalism?” he asked, referring to the protest which saw the police using tear gas and water cannons to disperse the crowd.

“If Najib is really a responsible leader, he should give space to the opposition to answer. But he shouts at us and doesn't give us space. But here is a PM who is using the police, the judiciary and the entire media to launch this severe personal attack against me and Pakatan leaders,” he said.

Anwar also found it strange that Najib attacked him over nepotism, and said that the PM and his own family had benefited from their government positions.

"This comes from a person who rose because his father was PM, and has appointed his cousin (Hishammuddin Hussein) as the home minister," he said.

He added that Najib's rise to power was not the same as DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng who had to work up the ranks.

“He (Najib) is there simply because he is the (former) PM's son,” Anwar said.

Anwar also criticised Umno leaders for playing the race card to further their political power, while keeping much of the country's wealth for themselves.

“I detest the idea of using the race card to appeal to the Malays and to make poor workers and rubber tappers feel that they are tuan (masters) when the few very rich Malays squander and amass wealth in the billions,” he said.

Be wary of the 'boomerang' effect

Commenting on Najib's scathing speech, DAP's Lim said such attacks could only “boomerang” on him and BN.

He added that Najib was guilty of three - “delusion, amnesia and arrogance” - of the four political diseases which the premier had warned would crush BN.

Lim said if Najib wanted his 1Malaysia concept to be taken seriously, he should be mindful of Samuel Johnson’s dictum, “Patriotism is the last refuge of scoundrels.”

“He should not set the bad example of doubting the sincerity, bonafide or worse the patriotism of his political adversaries,” he added.

The DAP veteran challenged Najib to a series of live television debates between BN and Pakatan leaders on who was really “anti-national”, “evil”, “despicable” and “very dangerous”.

PAS vice-president Mahfuz Omar said that Najib's attacks indicated that Malaysians were more supportive of Pakatan than BN.

The exclusive club syndrome


Religion since time immemorial has been used by those at the top of the religious hierarchy to imprison the minds of the populace. And those who question them suffer persecution.

NO HOLDS BARRED

Raja Petra Kamarudin

Many of my Muslim friends are no longer my friends because of what they regard as my deviant views of Islam. Of course, to most Muslims, ‘deviant’ means any view that you have which differs from theirs. As long as you do not also believe in what they believe then you are a deviant.

In the old days, those who thought that the world was round rather than flat were deviants because the majority believed that the world was flat. And the church was extremely uncompromising towards those perceived as deviants.

Years back I said that racism is haram and frowned upon by Islam. The response from many was: which Islamic university did I attend to be able to talk like that? Can I even speak Arabic, they asked.

That is an old trick they used in medieval times as well to deny the population their own understanding of religion. Only those who spoke Latin could interpret religion. It became a sort of exclusive club. The fact that Jesus spoke Aramaic and not Latin failed to grab their attention.

Christianity has since progressed beyond that. But Islam is still suffering from what Christianity suffered more than 1,000 years ago. Islamic critical thinking is not tolerated because the interpretation of Islam is the monopoly of this exclusive club where membership is denied to those without the right credentials.

And Raja Petra Kamarudin does not possess these right credentials: thus one of the reasons of my ISA detention in 2008.

But what have I said that the people with the right credentials have not also said? I said that racism is haram and that the Prophet Muhammad himself said so in his last sermon in Arafah.

Today, the ex-Mufti of Perlis and the spiritual adviser of PAS have both said the same thing. But I get detained without trial for saying what those with the right credentials have also said.

I said that Jihad is not a war where suicide bombers kill innocent women and children but your personal struggle (or war) against greed, lust (lust for power included), pride (which also breeds racism: pride of your race), ego, vanity, jealousy, etc.

Now, many of those with the right credentials are saying the same thing.

I said that Hijrah is not just about the Prophet migrating from Mekah to Medina but more about you ‘migrating’ from the old you to the new you -- basically transforming or reforming yourself.

New Year’s Day 2011 will soon up be upon us. If you make your New Year’s Resolution to stop smoking, stop visiting massage parlours, stop cheating on your income tax, stop beating your wife, stop raping your daughter, stop siphoning money from your company’s petty cash box, stop taking commission from contractors, stop awarding contracts to your family and friends, and whatnot, that is Hijrah -- you Hijrah from a life of sin to a life of repentance.

Now Bernama, the government-owned propaganda agency, also says the same thing. But then the man quoted by Bernama is someone with the right credentials while I am not.

Religion since time immemorial has been used by those at the top of the religious hierarchy to imprison the minds of the populace. And those who question them suffer persecution.

This has not changed over thousands of years. It is comforting to know though that what I have been saying for years and which resulted in me being branded a deviant is now being said by those with the proper credentials to speak.

Some may call me an Atheist. Some call me an Agnostic. Some may even call me anti-religion. Rest assured it is not for man to decide what I am and am not. That is the exclusive domain of God to decide what His creations are or are not.

*********************************************

Hijrah: Time for Muslims to Reflect on Al-Quran

BERNAMA

The Maal Hijrah, which is also called Awal Muharram, is an important day for Muslims not only to commemorate the hijrah (migration) of the Prophet Muhammad from Mecca to Medina but also to reflect on their inner self and deeds.

The Hijrah that occurred 1432 years ago is still relevant in its essence today that goes beyond the physical migration, the migration from ignorance to englightment through the Al Quran.

Every year the Maal Hijrah is celebrated by recalling the historic migration that is also the cornerstone of Islam.

The Essence of Hijrah

According to the Institute of Islamic Understanding Malaysia's (Ikim) Director General Datuk Nik Mustapha Nik Hassan, Hijrah is more than the physical migration from Mecca to Medina.

“Prophet Muhammad's Hijrah from Mecca to Medina is not just a change of place but a change in the system and values of a society based on the teachings of Al Quran that emphasises on truth, fairness and compassion.”

“So the meaning of Hijrah is all encompassing. Unfortunately, our society today view Hijrah literally on the context of physical migration that does not give the actual picture of this remarkable event,” he explained.

He hoped that the Muslims would see the Hijrah beyond the physical migration and dwell deep into the lessons that they can learn from Prophet Muhammad's Hijrah.

The Virtues of Hijrah

According to Nik Mustapha, Prophet Muhammad's Hijrah helped to create a highly civilised society anchored on iktikad (belief) and syahadah (attestation) of the faith and Allah Almighty.

The Prophet Muhammad wanted to establish a new bastion for Islam and restructure the society in Medina into a highly civilised society based on Al-Quran.

Based on the divine revelation in surah Al-Anbiya:107 that literally means

"We have sent you out of mercy from us towards the whole world," the Prophet Muhammad took on the role as Allah's messenger in establishing an Islamic administration through the Medina Charter.

“The ingenuity and skills of the Prophet Muhammad during Hijrah should be emulated. The way the Prophet won back Mecca through the Hudaibiah Treaty without going to war. The way the Prophet united the people by asking them to seek the truth, fairness and compassion through the Al-Quran.

Hijrah in the Present Day Context

The lessons to be learnt by Muslims today is how Prophet Muhammad brilliantly established the faith in the society then.

The other virtue will be how Prophet Muhammad planned his rule to strengthen Islam and the Muslims in Madinah. One of the good examples is that he turned the Nabawi mosque into a place of worship and congregation for Muslims.

According to Nik Mustapha, the mosque during Prophet Muhammad's time were the centres for human activities in matters relating to this world and hereafter, unlike in Malaysia today where the mosque activities is limited to religious affairs only.

He also called upon Muslims to absorb the Al-Quran in them.

“Parents have to capitalise on this opportunity to emphasise on the teachings of the Al-Quran that advocates truth, fairness and compassion. This is the spirit that we have to comprehend in our lives.

The same goes to an organisation, each leader must work to instill these three elements in implementing the universal values of Islam.

He pointed out the essence of Hijrah not only calls for the change within oneself for the better, but also to emulate the ways how Prophet Muhammad planned and administered a system based on divine revelation for the mankind.

Ketuanan Melayu Types are Worse than OKUs

By batsman

Recently our great PM himself officiated an event on OKUs where some overdue political correctness was practiced. The definition for OKU was changed from Orang Kurang Upaya to Orang Kelainan Upaya.

This is because the OKUs themselves resent the old definition. They do not seek handouts or sympathy. They do not seek charity even if they desperately need it. Little goodie bags that VIPs are fond of giving out to them as public relations exercises on festive occasions are a real insult and a real disappointment to them.

OKUs want to be self-reliant and want to be productive and want to contribute to national development. They want most of all to have some self-esteem and not be looked down upon as imperfect creatures that God has somehow forgotten. This is more than can be said for Ketuanan Melayu types.

But I do not believe that God has forgotten the OKUs. It is man’s fault that they are being sidelined and looked upon with disdain, considered imperfect and considered parasites on society. It is man that disappoints God by forgetting his humanity and compassion and putting up road blocks and discrimination against the OKUs.

Ketuanan Melayu types on the other hand do not suffer from any physical disabilities although some might question whether they have mental disabilities. Ketuanan Melayu types call others political prostitutes and use state power to bully selected individuals. Ketuanan Melayu types recommend to the government to use the ISA on selected individuals who dare to challenge and criticize them. This is because they themselves know that there is no fault in criticizing the evil that is Ketuanan Melayu and therefore they need to use oppressive state power and unjust laws to silence any criticism against them. Ketuanan Melayu types threaten May 13 against anyone who dare challenge them.

Ketuanan Melayu types are also voracious and greedy. They demand 30% (often even more) from other people’s property without even having to work for it. This is worse than riba. This is daylight gangsterism. This is sinful and wrong. Am I wrong to say that they are worse than OKUs who wish only to have some self dignity and self-reliance and not be a burden on the rest of society? All OKUs ask is not to be discriminated against and for some facilities to allow them to rejoin the rest of society as equal partners in development. On the other hand Ketuanan Melayu types ask the government to support and feed them on a luxury scale, nay, make them millionaires with monopolies and fat contracts backed up by the power of bad laws.

So Mr. PM. I need to ask you whether your NEM is going to give the OKUs a well deserved break as well as put the Ketuanan Melayu types to competitive and productive work? Will your SRIs remove bad laws and the massive Ketuanan Melayu toll collecting, rent demanding, property depriving, water stealing roadblocks than turn your accelerated fast driving highways into rivers of death and decay?

Already more than 50% of Malays do not accept Ketuanan Melayu anymore. This is shown by their support for the PR. But although Ketuanan Melayu Malays are now a minority, they still represent a huge number of people. I daresay most of them are probably government employees and public servants and their families and most of them are probably employed in the PM’s department as well as RTM TV1.

Are your SRIs going to change all of this and make sure the accelerated traffic flow along your super highways are not blocked by this massive drain on productivity which relies in handouts and subsidies?

OK so you are slowly removing subsidies. Does this mean you are acknowledging that Ketuanan Melayu is a burden on development in Malaysia? But the subsidies are removed from ALL the rakyat not just the Ketuanan Melayu types. Is this fair if subsidies are removed from ALL the rakayat but handouts are still retained for the Ketuanan Melayu types? Will the rakyat forgive you for this unfairness in the 13th GE?

OK so RPK claims that Indians and Chinese support Ketuanan Melayu. But his claim is based upon a statement made by the PPP – a component of the BN and which was sitting happily in your BN congress hearing your great speeches that your wife also greatly appreciates and fawns on you as a great leader who is able to make great speeches.

So it may be that only a few Indians and Chinese support Ketuanan Melayu. I daresay these are the sharks and cut-throats waiting to pounce on any goodies and steal anything not nailed down from their own communities and Malays as well. These are the same cut-throats you warn Malays against and you say Malays cannot compete against. Yet they are sitting in the same BN congress as you as well as their friends the Ketuanan Melayu types. What is going on?

Aisehman Mr. PM is your NEM building super highways or rivers of death and decay?