The withdrawal of three members from the government-established panel to review the Interlok novel yesterday is now in question.
According to the panel chief, Prof Shamsul Amri Baharuddin, the panel had already completed its duties on March 4.
“Based on the terms of reference for the independent panel, the panel completed its duties after agreeing to submit its proposals to the (education) minister,” said Shamsul Amri in a text message to Malaysiakini.
The proposals were submitted to Deputy Prime Minister and Education Minister Muhyiddin Yassin on March 8, said Shamsul Amri, who is also a Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) lecturer.
Shamsul Amri also clarified that he did not attend the panel's meeting with Muhyiddin in Parliament house yesterday as he is currently overseas.
During the meeting, three representatives of the Indian community withdrew from the eight-member panel.
They claim that the panel had reneged on their earlier consensus to make about 100 amendments to the novel, which is used in secondary school as a Malay literature text.
Critics claim that the novel had portrayed the Indian community in negative light. Some amendments were also proposed concerning the portrayal of the Malay and Chinese communities.
Shamsul Amri refused to comment on the consensus that was arrived at by the panel, but instead said that a copy of the proposals can be obtained from those who had withdrawn from the panel.
The Japanese head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, the United Nations' nuclear watchdog, has denied that the situation at an earthquake-damaged nuclear plant is out of control.
"It is not the time to say things are out of control," Yukiya Amano told a news conference. "The operators are doing the maximum to restore the safety of the reactor.
Yukiya Amano was responding to comments by Guenther Oettinger, the EU energy chief, suggesting that efforts to contain the crisis at the Fukushima plant had failed after efforts to cool a reactor by dumping water on it from a helicopter were abandoned.
The plant has been hit by a series of explosions since Friday's quake knocked out reactor cooling systems.
"In the coming hours there could be further catastrophic events which could pose a threat to the lives of people on the island," Oettinger told a European Parliament committee.
There was hope early on Thursday that a newly built power line that could restore electricity at the plant would soon be ready. If the plant's electricity-powered pumps can be restarted, water could be pumped to the damaged reactors to cool them.
Naoki Tsunoda, a spokesman for Tokyo Electric Power Company, said officials planned to try the line as soon as possible, but could not say when, the AP news agency reported.
Radiation levels
Surging radiation levels forced Japan to order emergency workers at the crippled nuclear plant to be briefly moved to a bunker, as reported in the local media, in the desperate battle to cool the overheating reactors.
Al Jazeera's Harry Fawcett said workers struggling to avert a nuclear meltdown at the Fukushima nuclear complex were allowed to return to the facility later.
"The 70 workers who were taken into that protective bunker were able to go back and restart operations crucial to keeping this entire plant cool," he said.
"They have been pumping sea water into the reactors; the ones that were active before the earthquake and the ones which were just housing spent fuel."
Yukio Edano, the Japanese chief cabinet secretary, said the workers dousing the reactors in a frantic effort to cool them needed to be taken to safety after an explosion a day earlier in the Unit 4 reactor led to a surge in radiation.
The blast is thought to have damaged the reactor's suppression chamber, a water-filled pipe outside the nuclear core that is part of the emergency cooling system.
Hajimi Motujuku, a spokesman for the plant's operator, Tokyo Electric Power Company, said the outer housing of the containment vessel at Unit 4 was in flames on Wednesday.
The level of radiation at the plant surged to 1,000 millisieverts early on Wednesday before coming down to 800-600 millisieverts.
'Lethal doses'
But Gregory Jaczko, head of the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission, said Wednesday that emergency workers may have been exposed to "lethal doses" of radiation.
"It would be very difficult for emergency workers to get near the reactors. The doses they could experience would potentially be lethal doses in a very short period of time," told a House subcommittee.
Hundreds of thousands of people have been evacuated from a 20 km zone around the plant, while those within 30 km of the plant have been told to stay indoors because of the risk from heightened radiation levels.
The official death toll from Friday's massive earthquake and tsunami rose to 4,340 on Wednesday although thousands of people are still missing and officials say at least 10,000 have likely been killed.
Japanese Emperor Akihito also gave a rare televised address to the nation describing the catastrophe as being of an "unprecedented scale".
Many governments have urged their citizens to leave Tokyo and earthquake-affected areas amid concerns Japan's capital could be exposed to dangerous levels of radiation if the situation worsens.
Great Britain said Britons in Tokyo should leave because of the "evolving situation at the Fukushima nuclear facility". Australia, France and Germany have also advised their citizens to leave Tokyo.
The US said Americans living within 80 km of the plant should leave the area or take shelter indoors.
Tokyo reported slightly elevated radiation levels on Tuesday, but officials said the increase was too small to threaten the 39 million people in and around the capital.
Businesses have issued similar travel advisories telling people to consider moving away from disaster areas if they have no reason to be there.
Meanwhile US forces in Japan have been told to stay at least 80 km from the crippled Fukushima complex without special authorisation.
Reuters news agency, citing the US military, said potassium iodide tablets have been given to some air crews ahead of missions as a precaution against radiation, though no personnel in Japan are showing signs of radiation poisoning.
Rising toll
Authorities are staring at a staggering death toll following last week's twin disasters which decimated Japan's northeastern coastline.
The devastation in the tsunami-hit areas such as the small fishing town of Minamisanriku have been huge, with the northeastern settlement missing about half of its 17,000 people.
"Ten of my relatives are missing. I haven't been able to get in contact with them," 54-year-old Minamisanriku resident Tomeko Sato, who lost her house in the disaster, told AFP news agency.
"I was very surprised by the power of the tsunami... next time, I will live on the hill and hope it never happens again."
Andrew Thomas, Al Jazeera's correspondent in Osaka, Japan, said the trouble with the tsunami is that many of those people may never be found having been washed out to sea. He also said the weather had taken a turn for the worst for any survivors."
Another of our correspondents in the north said apart from a few isolated incidents of rescue on Tuesday, the large amount of work rescuers do is recovering bodies and looking after those who have been displaced.
Millions in Japan have been left without water, electricity, fuel or enough food. Hundreds of thousands more are homeless, stoically coping with snow and freezing rain in the northeast.
The Malay enclave lies almost within the shadow of the Petronas Twin Towers. — All pictures by Choo Choy May
KUALA LUMPUR, March 17 — The main Kampung Baru residents council wants a referendum to determine if landowners agree with Putrajaya’s redevelopment plans for the Malay settlement just a stone’s throw from the world’s tallest twin towers.
Kampung Baru Malay Agricultural Settlement Administrative Board (MAS) honorary secretary Shamsuri Suradi said such a poll was needed if the government “really wanted to know” the type of development residents here want.
He told The Malaysian Insider that the Election Commission (EC) was ideal to carry out the task as they were seen as neutral by both Barisan Nasional (BN) and Pakatan Rakyat (PR).
“They have authority to do all these elections. It (referendum) is sort of like an election, only the method is different,” he added.
Shamsuri suggested a spokesman be appointed for every lot to convey the decision of co-owners after discussing it among themselves.
Residents have begun flying banners to protest the planned redevelopment.
He said this was to prevent any open bickering between siblings who might support opposing political parties.
The referendum proposal comes on the heels of a new bill to regulate development in the 111-year-old settlement in the capital city, where it is hemmed in by newer buildings and towers built over the last two decades. Parliament is expected to debate the bill by June.
Most of the land in the settlement is under multiple ownership due to Islamic inheritance laws and cost a fraction of the land across the Klang River, where the 88-storey Petronas Twin Towers dominate the city skyline.
There are more than 4,000 Kampung Baru landowners spread across seven villages in the settlement measuring 90.2 hectares.
An average of five co-owners share each lot now, although some lots have many more.
Shamsuri, however, said a referendum would not be easy and would likely take up to a year to complete.
He noted that Titiwangsa MP Dr Lo’ Lo’ Ghazali was trying to canvass the area for opinions now, but pointed out the difficulties the PAS lawmaker would face as she had not approached MAS for assistance.
MAS keeps records of landowners in Kampung Baru dating all the way back to the settlement’s inception in 1900 that are crucial to such an endeavour.
Masjed Jamek will undergo a RM20 million renovation.
“They can do it but it’s not an easy task, let’s put it that way,” Shamsuri said.
However, he was quick to point out that Lo’ Lo’ only got involved due to the government’s failure to engage with residents here from the start.
Shamsuri said the government should instead allow residents to choose from a few development options rather than build “castles in the air”.
Kampung Baru lies within the Titiwangsa federal constituency, which has always been an Umno fortress but fell to PAS in Election 2008.
PR has been quick to capitalise on the growing anger of residents unhappy with the Najib administration’s plans to develop the area into an icon of Malay ownership in the heart of Kuala Lumpur.
Several houseowners have already put up banners opposing the new law or plans to redevelop the settlement, which has an LRT station and is popular among tourists and city residents as a street cuisine spot.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak kick-started the redevelopment of Kampung Baru by getting a RM20 million allocation recently to renovate the iconic Masjid Jamek in the middle of the settlement.
These are interesting times that we live in. The 30,000 bibles in Malay print, held up at Kuching Port since Jan 11, will be released by the home ministry pending the fulfilment of two conditions. Another 5,100 bibles seized at Port Klang will not be released unlike those at Kuching.
This smacks of double standard, which will not hold up in any court of law. Yet the Attorney-General Abdul Gani Patail thinks that the decision will not prejudice a pending case involving The Herald at the Court of Appeal. Obviously, the AG knows something that others don’t since there’s little sign that the appeal will ever be heard.
De facto Law Minister Nazri Aziz opines that the release of the bible in Kuching is not sub judice as there are no enactments in Sabah and Sarawak against the bible being in Malay print.
The first condition for Kuching is that the importer labouriously stamps each copy of the bible with the words “For Christians Only”. He should perhaps consider sub-contracting the job to the home ministry where the officials have been known to tar-black offending lines and passages in numerous publications. The forbidden fruit surely now tastes sweeter.
The other condition is that each copy should carry a serial number. Serial numbers would probably make it easier to produce evidence in court should any Muslim be found with a copy of the bible. Also, the Customs at the airports and seaports will now be able to prevent the bibles from being smuggled into Peninsular Malaysia where the holy book continues to be banned in Malay print.
A Malaysian from Sabah and Sarawak would have to leave his bible behind if he wants to visit Peninsular Malaysia. Otherwise, if the Customs misses his bible, he could face an uncertain fate for running foul of some law or fatwa yet to come.
Two thousand years ago, the Roman Empire had a similar attitude towards Christianity. The emperors routinely fed Christians to the lions at the Coliseum for the amusement of its citizens. In the end, Rome like the Greeks ditched its galaxy of Gods and Goddesses, embraced Christianity and ceded the Vatican as the Holy See and seat of the Holy Roman Catholic Church.
Tough stand
The home ministry cannot throw the book at Hindus, for example, found in possession of the Al-Kitab, Berita Baik. “For Christians Only”, getting into semantics, is therefore an unreasonable condition. The alternative would be to stamp “Not for Muslims” or “For non-Muslims only”. The second comes across as if the home ministry is proselytising. The first alternative is definitely a no-no considering, again, that “the forbidden fruit tastes sweeter”.
The tough stand taken by the Sarawak government probably had something to do with the speedy release of the bibles. No doubt the imminent state election figured in the equation. In any case, the Sarawak government needs rare praise. It did not cite “Muslim sensitivities”, unlike in Peninsular Malaysia, and do nothing about getting the bibles released.
Christians in Sabah and Sarawak have no choice but to use the Malay bible since they are more comfortable in that language than English. Also, there’s no bible available in the local languages.
Muslim-majority Indonesia must be credited as well for bringing out the bible in Malay translation.
It was not easy to translate the bible from Greek into other languages. Thousands of experts have to be employed to work on a translation. It takes maybe 25 years or more before the Vatican approves a translation.
It’s an over-simplification to say that the home ministry is bent on curtailing the rights of the Christians although it does look that way.
The real issue is that the home ministry lives in constant fear that Muslims will read the “Al-Kitab, Berita Baik” and decide that “this is the original stuff”. God in the bible in Malay print is Allah, the one word that drives the ministry up the wall.
After all, the Quran itself is based almost wholly on the bible plus the years of the Prophet Muhammad. If the bible had been available in Arabic instead of Greek after Christ, it’s anyone’s guess whether there would have been a Quran or Islam today.
Tolerant religion
It would be naïve to think that many Muslims will not read the “Al-Kitab, Berita Baik”. If their faith in Islam is shaken by their reading of the bible, they will surely abandon the Ummah. Many Muslims already think that Christianity is a more tolerant religion than Islam and one that allows for the practice of local language, culture, customs and traditions. Besides, many Muslims themselves don’t know much about their own faith.
Those who are lost will have to seek, as the bible advises, “and they shall find”; “knock and the doors shall be opened to them” and “ask and they shall receive”. This is the favourite portion of the bible with born-again Christians who credit their faith for their material success in life.
The bible, among other sources, also inspired the all-time best seller The Secret by Rhonda Byrne and subsequently, The Power.
Again, it’s from the bible that we find that “there are those who see and don’t see’, hear and don’t hear”.
Those who are in law should find the bible particularly interesting and useful. Western civilisation, including the law, is based on the Judeo-Christian tradition. However, secular law is always several steps behind compared with religion, moral studies, ethics and civics. The more one reads up on these subjects, the less that one will be convinced by the ability of existing law to render true justice and equality.
Patently, the home ministry should re-think its pre-occupation with the bible in Malay print and its fixation with the term Allah. God has 99 attributes, no names, and Allah is just one of them. Many Muslims, especially in Sabah and Sarawak, are rightly proud that the Christians recognise Allah – he who has the Godhood which is the power to create the entities – as the main attribute of God. The People of the Book – the bible, the Quran and the Jewish holy books – are members of a common faith divided initially by language and subsequently by ignorance.
If the pope can declare in recent days after 2,000 years that the Jews were not responsible for the death of Jesus Christ, the Muslims can come around to the Catholic view that they are members of a protestant branch of Christianity like the Anglicans and others. This would pave the way for Muslims to be represented at the Ecumenical Council of Churches and help bridge the divide between Islam and the West.
Rakyat will doubt the government's sincerity in respecting religious freedom and the mode of worship, says consultative council
PETALING JAYA: The government should respect religious freedom and the language used for worship, said the Malaysian Consultative Council of Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Sikhism and Taoism.
Its president Thomas Phillips said the government’s announcement that it will release 35,000 Malay-language bibles being held at two ports, was no soccour as there was no reason for the authorities to hold back the scriptures in the first place.
“Religion is an individual’s personal matter. It is important we respect their rights to worship and the language they use for that
purpose,” said Phillips.
Yesterday, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Idris Jala announced that the government would release the Malay-language bibles impounded at the Klang and Kuching ports.
The scriptures were imported from Indonesia by the Bible Society of Malaysia (BSM) in March 2009.
Asked on suggestions how to avoid such incidents in the future, Phillips said it was better for everyone to put this episode behind and move forward.
“However, I hope that the government would not seize Malay-language bibles in the future.
“If not, Malaysians would doubt the government’s sincerity in protecting the people’s choice of worship,” he said.
If we want to look at it on the basis of elected then only Barisan Nasional has been elected. The rest, Pakatan Rakyat included, are just ‘dogs barking at a hill’, as the Malays would say. And that would make everyone else illegitimate, hypocritical and self-appointed.
NO HOLDS BARRED
Raja Petra Kamarudin
'I have been following some of the threads and must admit that like you I also have misgivings about key aspects of the MCLM project.
Fundamentally, I think the screening of PR candidates smack of self-righteousness and is also hypocritical given that nobody elected MCLM in the first place and hence it is not accountable to anyone as much as we would like to think otherwise.
At the heart of this is the middle class composition of what most consider to be civil society, with little or no links with, let alone representation of, marginalised groups or workers.
Given these misgivings and my inability to commit time, I think it would only be fair for me to withdraw from MCLM and concentrate my efforts where I can in the ISA campaign. I would also like to remain unaffiliated politically although my sentiments are with the Opposition.'
That was the message that one committee member sent to another committee member but which was not copied but forwarded to me. So I suppose I am not meant to receive this resignation letter from that committee member.
Anyway, what he said is probably true. MCLM, like SABM (Saya Anak Bangsa Malaysia), Friends of Pakatan Rakyat, MyOverseasVote, BERSIH (the Coalition for Free and Fair Elections), Aliran, Just, Suaram, AIM (Anti-ISA Movement), HINDRAF, and the many hundreds of movements, associations and organisations all over Malaysia do appear self-righteous.
As the committee member argued, who appointed them? Basically, they are all self-appointed. How many of the 27 million Malaysians signed a letter giving them the mandate to fight for all Malaysians?
BERSIH might think they are fighting for free and fair elections for all Malaysians. But then five million eligible Malaysian voters do not register to vote and three million registered voters do not vote. Then, four million voters voted Barisan Nasional.
This means less than four million of the 27 million Malaysians would like to see a better-run election. Can BERSIH claim to represent all Malaysians when only 14% of Malaysians want to see the opposition in power while the balance 86% did not indicate so?
Even then we are assuming that all 14% of Malaysians who voted opposition are not happy with the way the elections are managed.
To be honest, nobody elected MCLM just like nobody elected SABM (Saya Anak Bangsa Malaysia), Friends of Pakatan Rakyat, MyOverseasVote, BERSIH (the Coalition for Free and Fair Elections), Aliran, Just, Suaram, AIM (Anti-ISA Movement), HINDRAF, and the many hundreds of movements, associations and organisations all over Malaysia.
If we want to look at it on the basis of elected then only Barisan Nasional has been elected. The rest, Pakatan Rakyat included, are just ‘dogs barking at a hill’, as the Malays would say. And that would make everyone else illegitimate, hypocritical and self-appointed.
How many movements, organisations or associations can claim a large membership? How many from the 27 million Malaysians have joined not just MCLM but also SABM (Saya Anak Bangsa Malaysia), Friends of Pakatan Rakyat, MyOverseasVote, BERSIH (the Coalition for Free and Fair Elections), Aliran, Just, Suaram, AIM (Anti-ISA Movement), HINDRAF, and the many hundreds of movements, associations and organisations all over Malaysia?
If based on membership then everyone is self-righteous -- except maybe Pekida, which has a huge membership base. And Pekida supports the ISA because, according to Pekida, this is a law that can be used to uphold Malay rights and privileges. So, since Pekida has more members than all the other NGOs combined, in particular AIM, then the fight to uphold the ISA is more legitimate than the fight to abolish the ISA.
And Pekida has elections so its office bearers are voted into office while no one elected the AIM officer bearers since they do not hold elections. And Pekida represents the farmers, fishermen, estate labourers and all those marginalised groups and workers (who are registered members of Pekida) while AIM is a middle-class, bleeding heart movement.
Going by these standards, Pekida that fights to uphold the ISA is more legitimate than AIM that fights to abolish the ISA.
[In Part 1, I discussed the importance of having leaders and followers with free minds – Hamka’s “berani menyebut yang aku yakin” – if we hope to aspire to Vision 2020. In this second part I assert that a free mind is Allah’s command; it is a necessary condition to being a believer.]
I will not wax philosophical on the meaning of a “free mind.” My co-panelist Dr. Azly Rahman is more than qualified to do that; he is also more erudite. The only formal exposure I had to philosophy was an introductory course in my freshman year; that hardly qualifies me. Instead I will share with you my understanding of the concept.
I am less concerned with the philosophical pondering on whether something can exist without being perceived (the tree falling in the deep forest) rather the more practical problem of the same reality being perceived differently, sometimes diametrically so. It is this that can so often leads to much strife and even greater misery.
One way to grasp the meaning of a word is to seek its synonyms and antonyms; likewise a concept. An open, liberated or flexible mind would mean the same as a free mind. Its opposite would be a closed or rigid mind. We have a saying, katak di bawah tempurung (frog underneath a coconut shell). That is an apt and beautiful metaphorical imagery of a closed mind, the very opposite of a free mind.
As Roger William’s song has it, we are “Born free! And life is worth living. Live free and beauty surrounds you.” A free mind is also Allah’s command, as attested to by many Koranic verses. Those who would enslave others are going against His command. And not having a free mind is to be enslaved.
Consider Allah’s command to Prophet Muhammad, s.a.w., as eloquently revealed in Surah Al-Rud (Thunder), “… Thy duty is no more than to deliver the message; the reckoning is Ours!” (13:40 – approximate translation). The prophet was to deliver the divine message but not to force it. This is reinforced in Surah Al-Rahf (The Cave, 18-29), “… Let him who will, believe; and whosoever will, let him disbelieve.”
A faith enforced is no faith. That is the essence of those verses. We accept Islam on our own free will, not because it is forced upon us. A free mind is thus a necessary condition to being a believer.
We have an obligation, to ourselves and to our Creator, not to be enslaved. Nor should we enslave others. Of course none of us would willingly submit ourselves to be so. The road to serfdom however, to borrow economist von Hayek’s phrase, is often laid with the best of intentions. We can be readily seduced into following the paved path that would lead to our enslavement.
We also have an obligation to those enslaved, to help topple their coconut shell. To do so effectively, we first must appreciate and understand the challenges and obstacles they face.
Let me clarify three related terms: brain, mind, and mindset. The brain is the jelly-like anatomical structure in our skull; it is part of our central nervous system (the other being the spinal cord). To use the language of the computer, the brain is the central processing unit of our nervous system. The brain is also the core of our consciousness.
The definition of the mind that is relevant here refers to the intellect and consciousness, our thoughts, perceptions, memory, emotions, will and imagination. The mind is also our thinking process, the rational aspects of our behavior. Thus behaving in an aberrant fashion is referred to as being out of one’s mind.
Mindset on the other hand refers to our outlook in or philosophy of life, the German’s Weltanschauung. It is the set of ideas, attitudes and assumptions that we as individuals or members of a group share of reality, or what we perceive to be reality. While the brain is something physical and can be touched, mind and mindset are but concepts or constructs, as the social scientists would put it.
All three are interrelated but the nature and level of the relationships are not well understood. Increasingly they point towards the molecular (specifically neurotransmitter) level, or what neuroscientists refer to as “neurotransmitter correlates of consciousness.”
Anatomists would be hard put to declare at the gross or even microscopic level that there is such an entity as the Malay brain any more than there is a Negro or Caucasian one. At the genomic level however, certain markers are associated with certain races and that there is indeed a Malay brain in contrast to a Caucasian one, just as there is with Malay intestine or red cell in contrast to Caucasian ones. That is why Malays do not tolerate cheese and the English readily succumb to malaria.
Those with a racist bend will find these insights of modern biology as supporting their prejudices. The scientist Daniel Hillis however, likens our genes (or genome) to the menu of a restaurant, or the ingredients found in its kitchen. Yes, if you were to see a wok and MSG in the kitchen and the menu offers sweet and sour pork, then you could categorically conclude that you are at a Chinese restaurant. Similarly if you were to find cheese and truffles in the fridge and the menu offers chicken cordon bleu, then it is most likely a French bistro.
You cannot however conclude from that the taste or quality of the food, the reason for choosing a restaurant. Those depend less on the ingredients and tools in the kitchen and more on the talent and experience of the chef.
Besides, we have so much more in common between the races and so much more variations within a race that it is less helpful if not distasteful to discuss the brain in terms of race.
The mind and mindset however, are culturally and experientially dependent. Since the cultures and experiences of the various races are so demonstrably different, an argument could be made for the meaningful discussion of the Malay mind and Malay mindset, in contrast to those of the Chinese or English.
The practical reality is that whenever we discuss the Malay mind or the Malay mindset, the dialogue inevitably and quickly degenerates into the dredging up of old ugly stereotypes to “explain” our current dilemmas instead of trying to find solid empirical evidence from which to formulate useful and workable solutions. For this reason I will shy away from discussing specifically the Malay mind despite it being on the agenda and instead focus more on the overriding theme of this conference, “Longing for a Free Mind.”
Next: Part 3 of 14: The Comfort of the Coconut Shell
KUALA LUMPUR (March 16, 2011): An argument broke out in the House today over whether Malaysian citizens residing overseas should have the right to vote in elections.
It led to name-calling between Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Nazri Abdul Aziz and Datuk Mahfuz Omar (PAS-Pokok Sena), with each describing the other’s statement as stupid.
Fong Po Kuan (DAP-Batu Gajah) also tried to raise a point of order against Datuk Seri Abdul Ghapur Salleh (BN-Kalabakan) for having said Malaysians who choose to reside overseas are not loyal to the country.
However, Speaker Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia put paid to that, saying a standing order could only be raised during debates, and not during question-and-answer sessions.
In her original question, Fong had asked about progress on the issue of giving Malaysians overseas the right to vote as requested by the Malaysians Overseas – Right To Vote campaign group.
In his reply, Nazri said the government’s policy on the matter is explained in Article 119 (1) (a) (b) of the Federal Constitution, Elections (Voters Registration) Regulations 2002 and Elections (Postal Voting) Regulations 2003.
“The laws state that only Malaysian citizens who are public servants working overseas and their spouses, and full-time students and their spouses, have the right to cast their votes (from overseas) if they are registered as voters,” he said.
Fong asked whether the government intended to change the policy as it was not right to deny Malaysians overseas their right to vote.
“According to the xonstitution, they can be absent voters if they don’t live here. But the government made regulations to deny them their right. They want the right because they still love the country and want to play a role,” she said.
Nazri said the government was only adhering to the law which states that in order to vote, one must be a resident of a constituency at the said time.
“We want them to be physically present to vote on election day. Exemption is only for public servants and students,” he said.
“If they really love Malaysia, they should come back and vote. They willingly went abroad and stayed there for five, six years and didn’t come back. It means they don’t love Malaysia.”
Abdul Ghapur in his supplementary question asked why Malaysians overseas were asking for the right to vote when they had lost trust in the country and are not loyal.
At this juncture, Mahfuz quipped that the government had been granting foreign nationals and illegal immigrants citizenship status.
Nazri said Mahfuz had made a stupid interjection as the law provides that only Malaysian citizens have voting rights.
Mahfuz in turn responded that the minister’s reply was stupid.
The question-and-answer session then turned into a noisy affair with Nazri and Mahfuz shouting at each other and Fong trying to argue her point.
Pandikar Amin finally put a stop to it, saying MPs who make unnecessary comments during question-and-answer sessions would not be given the chance to debate.
(CNN) -- As the rest of the world waits with bated breath to see if Japan can avert a nuclear catastrophe, a small band of experts is putting their lives at risk to prevent the disaster.
Thousands of people living near the troubled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant have been evacuated from their homes because of the risk of radiation leaks from reactors damaged by last week's devastating earthquake and tsunami.
But while most hurry in the opposite direction, about 180 plant workers are staying put -- despite the fact that doing so could result in serious illness or even death -- to battle the meltdown threat.
"The workers at this site are involved in a heroic endeavor," former U.S. Department of Energy Official Robert Alvarez told CNN.
"There is at least fragmentary evidence that in some places on this site there are life-threatening doses of radiation. I think they are doing enormously heroic work"
The workers left at the site are said to be highly trained and experienced nuclear operators, engineers and safety staff with highly specialized knowledge.
Professor Richard Wakeford, of the Dalton Nuclear Institute at the University of Manchester, said for many of them -- despite the highly unusual and potentially dangerous circumstances -- it will be just another day at the office.
"They see it as doing their job," he said. "The Japanese in particular are dedicated to duty, and they will see it as their duty to do what they are doing."
According to the World Health Organisation, the average person is exposed to about 3.0 millisieverts (mSv) a year of radiation, from naturally-occurring, medical and other sources.
But monitoring at the Fukushima Daiichi site has recorded radiation as high as 400 millisieverts an hour -- a level known to be a risk to human health.
Exposure to 1,000 millisieverts (1 Sievert) of radiation can cause radiation sickness.
"It is difficult to get a clear picture, but there have been spikes in radiation to enormous doses, high enough to risk radiation sickness," said Dr Ira Helfand, a member of the organization Physicians for Social Responsibility.
"These people are undergoing total body radiation, which can cause leukaemia and lymphoma as well as thyroid cancer later on," he said.
Experts say lessons have been learned since the nuclear disaster at Chernobyl 25 years ago, when an unauthorized experiment saw radioactive dust spread across swathes of Ukraine, Belarus, Russia and western Europe.
Then, emergency workers were sent in with little or no protection to deal with the fallout.
"The workers at Chernobyl had no idea that they were walking into an intense radiation field," said Professor Wakeford. "It was pandemonium; there was no monitoring, no idea of the risks."
By contrast, he said, staff at Fukushima Daiichi will be kitted out in protective clothing and breathing apparatus, they will be closely monitored and working in teams to limit their exposure to radiation.
"If I were them I would be more worried about the hydrogen explosions, which have been huge -- enough to blow the roofs off two buildings -- and which I think are a much bigger risk to the workers on the ground," he told CNN.
But Dr. Helfand said reports suggested that the operation was not going 100% to plan, describing it as "something out of an adventure movie."
"We are in totally uncharted waters, people are ad-libbing to deal with the situation," he said. "Using fire trucks to pump a mixture of sea water and boron onto the reactors is not in any of the manuals."
Professor Wakeford said the workers will have known they may one day face a risky situation such as this.
However, Dr. Helfand said that made them even braver, and their work more admirable.
"These workers are trained to understand the risks, but that only makes it all the more heroic that they have agreed to stay and work to prevent a disaster," he said.
"They know that if there is a reactor meltdown it could be a major disaster affecting huge areas and massive numbers of people, and they are risking their lives to try and prevent that. All of us owe them a huge debt of gratitude."
Professor Wakeford agreed: "They are heroic, there is no doubt about that -- it's a pity that isn't recognised more. They are heroes, and I bow down to them."
KUALA LUMPUR, March 16 — The Bible Society of Malaysia (BSM) was told today that its shipment of 5,100 Malay bibles seized at Port Klang had already been stamped with the home ministry’s official seal without its prior permission.
“At 5pm today, KDN informed Bible Society of Malaysia that they had already chopped the bibles and asked Bible Society of Malaysia to come collect the bibles,” the importer said in a statement to The Malaysian Insider, calling the home ministry by its Malay initials.
“Bible Society of Malaysia is alarmed by the defacement of the Christian bible by non-Christians chopping it with words that the Christians have not accepted or agreed to,” it added.
The BSM had earlier today refused to collect its cargo of holy books that had been detained for the last two years after the home ministry imposed two conditions for their release.
The society was stunned that home ministry officials had moved to act on their own and only notified BSM after the act, and called on the ministry to immediately put a stop to it.
“As the bible is the holy book of the Christians, due respect should be given to it by consulting the relevant Christian representative organs before any external text is inserted into the bibles.
“Bible Society of Malaysia calls upon KDN to stop chopping the copies of the Alkitab detained at Port Kelang [sic],” it said in the statement issued today.
Church leaders have stressed that they cannot follow the conditions imposed by the ministry, as it would mean desecrating their own holy book.
A separate shipment of 30,000 Malay bibles worth RM78,000 imported by the Sarawak branch of global Christian group, The Gideons, was also seized at Kuching port.
The Malaysian Insider understands that its cargo has been untouched, unlike BSM’s consignment, after the Sarawak importer told the home ministry state director to wait while it consults national Christian leaders.
The Sarawak importer had said it too was refusing to collect the Alkitab for the same reasons as the BSM.
The Malaysian Insider understands Sarawak home ministry officials had earlier contacted the importer to collect their holy books and carry out the stamping on their own.
Both importers are seeking advice from national church leaders on the matter.
BSM reminded the home ministry of its previous agreement made with the Christian community and repeated in an official letter dated December 22, 2005 “that Christians are permitted to have access to their holy book in the Bahasa Malaysia language provided that the sign of the cross and the words ‘Penerbitan Kristian’ are respectfully imprinted by Christians themselves”.
The society urged the home ministry to honour that agreement.
Yesterday, the importers each received a notice from the home ministry’s Publications Control and Quranic Text Division secretary, Datuk Zaitun Ab Samad, informing them of the two conditions imposed for the release.
The first requires the importers to directly stamp on the cover of each of the 35,000 copies the following words: “Peringatan: ‘Al Kitab Berita Baik’ ini untuk kegunaan penganut agama Kristian sahaja. Dengan perintah Menteri Dalam Negeri.”
[In English: “Reminder: This ‘Al Kitab Berita Baik’ is for the use of Christians only. By order of the Home Minister.”]
The cover of the Alkitab would be stamped with the department’s official seal and dated as well.
The second condition requires the importers to stamp a serial number on each copy, as if to demarcate copies from the released shipment and to enable the book to be traced back to the port of import.
(Malaysiakini) The controversy over the 'Interlok' rose several notches today when the eight-member independent panel to review and amend the novel saw all its ethnic Indian members pull out this afternoon.
Following a meeting held at Parliament building with Education Minister Muhyiddin Yassin today, all three ethnic Indian panellists declared they were withdrawing from the government-created body.
According to writer Uthaya Shankar SB (right), the decision was taken after it became apparent that the other members of the panel had changed their minds and rejected one-by-one the 100 modifications that had been recommended to render the book appropriate for consumption by Form 5 students.
“We feel we were betrayed,” Uthaya Shankar told Malaysiakini.
He claims that earlier, all eight panellists had reached a consensus over the matter.
Besides Uthaya, two others who withdrew from the panel are Global Aminuddin Baki Universiti education centre director Prof NS Rajendran and former education ministry officer G Krishnabahawan.
Earlier today, all eight panel members led by Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) ethnic studies institute director Shamsul Amri Baharuddin met Muhyiddin at Parliament to discuss the results of their studies.
'DPM disagreed'
According to Uthaya, everyone at the meeting had unanimously agreed that the word “pariah”, which denotes a lower caste in Tamil society, be removed from the novel.
However, Muhyiddin was not agreeable about 100 other amendments and requested that it be reduced.
“Muhyiddin then left the meeting. We continued discussing about the novel for three hours. But all the original amendments were rejected,” said Uthaya in a very dissatisfied tone.
Among others, Uthaya and two others had wanted a correction to the word “tali (string)” used in the book to described the ceremonial gold necklace used in weddings. The correct word should be “thali”.
“They (other panelist) said this is not sensitive. How would they know? We are Indians. We know what is sensitive and what is not,” said Uthaya, who is a celebrated Malay writer.
He refused to call his action and that of two others a form of protest and instead said that they did what was “appropriate”.
“We were brought in to represent the Indian community. Without us, I don't know what will happen,” he said when asked if the panel was doomed to failure.
The panel's meeting after Muhyiddin left was cut short after the trio withdrew.
Comments from Malaysiakini readers:-
E-Pakatan BN(Phoenix Star 88) You are a real Pariah. Even the word were to be removed you are still a pariah. The whole idea and best idea if this blady idiot like you dont want the book to ammended then sell the book in Muhi Tahi Book shop la. We just ask the book not to be used in School. Faham tak baghal., Bahlol Haprak. Tak perlu pinda pinda. Biarkan. Penulis gila Abdullah Hussien memang racist kalau dilihat dari segi penulisan nya walaupun ia nya satu Novel. Orang boleh baca isi hati dia. Dah dekat dengan liang sepatutnya sebelum mati minta maaf dengan orang India, China dan juga melayu. Mengapa dia katakan Melayu Malas, Pergilah tengok Melayu di Kelantan betapa Rajin. Mana ada Cina tipu. Itu firasat dia. Another F**** of race relation. Dia kutuk semua bangsa Malaysia. Kalau lah buku ini ditulis oleh seorang bukan Melayu now the Perkosa alaready ask them to be arrested under ISA. Tapi kerana penulis nya Melayu Perkosa sokong. Ini bukan isu antara orang melayu dgn bukan melayu tetapi maruah
4th generation pendatangIts so obvious that MIC got no clout in BN or the MIC reps are all under UMNO payroll and that's why they don't dare say anything in defence of their own community. Otherwise UMNO will ask them to leave BN cause in the last election MIC hardly contributed anyway ....
Anonymous_40ddThe sensitive words will not be removed from Interlok. Otherwise,the purpose of getting the novel to be read by all our 5th formers,that is to further their 'divide & rule' policy,will fail.Divide & Rule is essential for the present government to hang on to power for another 52 years.
Anti-InterlokI salute for the braveness of these 3 panel members. They went through hell when they were appointed as many threatening sms and email were thrown to these ppl. They stood brave for one reason that is to correct the uncorrect in the INterlok. Finally they realised tht the battle is not what is in the book but what is in DPM MY mind and his AMNO agenda. Uthaya SB of Kayvan have shown maturing in many discussion on this book. His was focus on his role. Now with all the Indian panel remove themselves, the united Indian must stand in voice to remove the book from school syllabus. Dont MEMPERKOSA the book and release the book to school, have respect to the writer n let it be status quo as it was abt 40 yrs ago.
PS_207dHeloo Indian friends vote again for BN and you will get better word next time.Still our indian wants to support this stupid BN.What MIC doing and they should leave BN and be an independent.
Anonymous_5fbInterlok adalah sebahagian daripada agenda 'Ketuanan Melayu' Umno yang bertujuan memberi anggapan kepada orang-orang muda yang Melayu adalah kaum yang lebih agung daripada kaum-kaum lain. Sebab itu, kaum India digambarkan sebagai 'Pariah' dan kaum Cina 'tamak' sehingga boleh jualkan anak gadis mereka semata-mata untuk wang ringgit. Tetapi adakah hakikatnya begitu dan adakah ini cara yang betul supaya dapat menaik-tarafkan kaum Melayu sebagai bangsa yang unggul? Ini sememangnya cara yang salah dari segi moral, ugama dan kemanusiaan bagi kerajaan yang diterajui Umno. Apa yang kita boleh buat ialah kuatkan hasrat kita semua supaya Umno dapat dikalahkan melalui peti undi kelak. Kalau tidak, penganiayaan sebegini akan diteruskan.
Jimmy Ng the DPM ala Education Minister decided that 100 amendments were too many and ask for it to be reduced ????!!!...on what basis ?? on what grounds ?? what is the rationale or logic that says 100 amendments is too many ? Come on MUJAHIDEEN !!, pray tell us all !! ..enlighten us all Malaysians with your "infinite wisdom" !!... Is that the way this country is runned as well ?? at every whim and fancy, as they see fit ???!!! ...No wonder this country is going to the dogs !!!!....NO !! There MUST BE CHANGE !!! THERE HAS TO BE CHANGE !! ENOUGH is ENOUGH !!..WAKE UP YOU BLADDY MALAYSIANS !! ..BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE !!...for ALL OF US !!
Gerard Samuel VijayanWhy is the government and the UMNO lackeys on the panel so stubborn and obstinate about this book? Can't they find any other Malay literature textbook that is not controversial, is unifying in its content and promotes national unity, tolerance and acceptance in its context. Why stick to a book that consists of streotypes, racial profiling and derogatory terms? Is the Indian unhappiness with this book seen as a provocation to the Malay hegemony that is so prevalent in our system today? If the book is nothing but a literary work then is it acceptable to use a text that refers to Malays as generally lazy and stupid with a penchant for rape, incest and drug addiction all under the guise of literary freedom and social context? The government is being very stupid. Increasingly, it is becoming clear that Malays can use all sorts of racist, derogatory and offensive words and gestures towards the non-Malays and get away with it with the tacit support of the UMNO regime but this is destructive.
Enough SaidAre you sure Indians got played out at Kampung Buah Pala? Where is MIC's carrot of RM3.2 mil? So who are having the houses now? Who sold the land initially to the Koperasi? Come on lah. Stop spinning nonsense. Today majority of the families who accepted the offer brokered by the state government is alive and well. Are you in Penang in the first place? If not, stop blabbing lah Aku Melayu. It is people like you that harbour hatred and play the divide and rule for your UMNO masters. Grow up la.
Indian JiCathrine: We aware of the issue. We are hopeless. You must also realize as there are more fair and trust able Indian leaders in PKR/DAP rather than culprits and back-fired peoples in BN/MIC. We must move slowly to achieve and get what we need in fair manner. You must think, who is the reason for this issue? UMNO and BN. So, we must withdraw them and replace them in new leaders and parties. Once we withdraw them, there will be a new strategies to put on to achieve and get good things for Indians communities. Who knows at that moments, Hindraf could be one of new Indian party under PKR/DAP? We dont know but what we know is that Indians will be continuously marginalized under UMNO/BN government
grinderThis is how we show unity. You three are great. The Indians' hats off to you. We don't know why the hell the Edu.Minister so adamant in this matter. What does he get hurting the community?
CathrineIt is strange most comentators talk about Indians voting for BN. The more serious issue is not addressed. How could voting Pas and PKR and DAP help the indians??? Can someone care to explain. Didn't the DAP play them out in Penang?? Didn't PAS play them out in Kedah?? Anwar himself endorsed this book and all PKR members are silent!!. Let us address the more pertinent question of decency and stop harping about votes. Hang the votes. Care for human decency first.
Dark ArchonHah! As expected. DPM aka Education Minister don't give a hoot about how the other ethnics feel. To him, he's 1st Malay. Everything else is secondary. So, why should he care? And those of you who hope that he gives a damn, you can just keep dreaming.
Indian JiI would like to know what they had been discussed, the reason for UMNO reject 100 requests (there should be reasons), and list of 100 requested demanded by the Indian parties. I am seriously eager to know what are the reasons for Muhiyiddin takes up very hard to make the amendment to the Interlok book? A leader should provide a positive and rational decision. He must be fair in every decision making. In this case, i wonder how reliable is the Education Minister in decision making and problem solving. This is a simple matter, but racism influencing in his and all UMNO leaders which lead this issue poorly manage and generated many racial issues. I believe the person so called Education Minister can solve this simple issue if he use his BRAIN and not KNEE. I also wondering whether the minister is really reliable and fit for the ministry level posting which he held now.
S VelluRight from the start, they had majority Malays in the panel. This was doomed to fail. All planned by the ever useless Muhi the education fiasco minister
Rohan TanMemang dijangka.Panel bebas adalah WAYANG KULIT. Tunggu apa lagi! Semua ibu bapa India dan Cina yang mempunyai MARUAH harus pulangkan Interlok kepada pihak sekolah dengan serta merta.
Raja ChulanFor Muhi, all that matters is the Malay extremist (Perkasa) vote. He is Dr. M's proxy and therefore must accept Perkasa's demand. Indian vote? Not very important as that of Perkasa's. MIC? Only to be used when it is convenient to UMNO. Throw a few bones at MIC (leaders like Samy) and the Mandore will do his job for UMNO. Truth? Who cares? Malaysia is doomed.
Phoenix Star 88I think the issue of Interlok has gone on for too long. The Indians have far bigger problems than an offensive word in a textbook. Interlok triggered protests and raw emotions from many Indian parties and NGOs but they seems to be a defeaning silence and inaction when it comes to serious social and economic woes plaguing the Indians. When The Star reported that a bunch of Indian boys from SMK Sri Gading, Rawang gang-raped an Indian girl, left a pencil inside her and terrorised the local community, nobody said or did anything. 3/4 of Tamil school students fail at least one subject in UPSR but there is no panel or 'action team' to address this issue.
Apapunbolehkah?With this fellow around, I see the future very bleak for 1Malaysia ! All talk only and at the end , these people will still consider others as outsiders no matter what . For those who are still asleep, this is what u all will get if you continue to vote BN ! Serves you right! Wake uplah.! We are nothing to them !
Ace IIAkuMelayu I think I have a better idea. Why not give all the Indian boys and Malay girls the Kama Sutra and the rest the Interlok. With this the Indians will give their votes to BN. It is a win win man.
Phoenix Star 88I urge Indian members of the panel not to be too picky or oversensitive. They main issue had always been the 'pariah' word and they have agreed to do away with it. Making 100 changes to a book is quite impractical. The characters in Interlok should be judged as individual rather than represantations of their race. The 'thali' is technically a string (tali) anyway, so what's the big deal ? Indian students should also avoid pulling stunts like returning the book to their principal. A principal cannot change a textbook even if he/she wanted to. Remember, failing BM means failing the entire SPM.
KgenMuhyiddin didn't want the other changes because the book would be neutered as a Malay Supremacist book. The non-Indian panellists bend over backwards to serve him. Clear enough?
Zz2XXYou can discuss till the cows come back and nothing will change. umNO racists party cannot change its stripe. It survives by being a racist party by spreading and promoting racism. Racism is the core of the party. When umNO racists party plays the race card it can always be in power.
Rosmin ShahrilAll the Indian panelist who withdrew have my highest respect. Thank you Sirs for being principled. These UMNoo guys are certainly playing politics and have their own agendas and are not there to solve the problem but to break the very fabric of our society. Just vote them out the next GE. Wasalam
StalinWe must understand one thing here,the writer spend monies to get it approved by DEWAN BAHASA .Everyone well paid thats the reason GOV dint want the book to be withdraw .Corrupt GOV even in the school books.Find out from DEWAN PUSTAKA whether what I wrote true or not.
Anonymous_4056MIC should withdraw from BN for good. MIC and for that matter MCA should not be in BN in the first place. Anyway, it doesn't make any differences. MIC and MCA is irrelevant. Indians and Chinese should throw them out once and for all come GE 13th. Let us bury them once and for all. Bet you UMNO will still appoint them ministers just for window dressing that also for minor iministries only.
AkuMelayuThe Indians kept voting BN because they trust the government of the day that have proven track record of delivering all their promises fairly to all races including the Indians. They fear the Pakatan regime after what happen to the Indians from Kampung Buah Pala in Penang. They remembered that very well. The Indians are not stupid when it comes to voting for the future. Understand Makcik Har?
josephineWhat can these 3 do? After all, the Indian voters are returning to BN, the community also have a short memory, and cannot break ties with BN for too long. If the community makes little headways with issues that are important to them, who can they blame but themselves?
Makcik HarTo cut the long story short, DPM Mooyideen and UMNO cabinet don't give a damn about Indians or how Indians feel. Behind closed doors they probably say ,' Pergi balik India lah !' But what can we do ? The Indians in the estates will continue voting for BN. Sigh............
Love for MalaysiaDear Utaya Shankar, Prof.N.S.Rajendaran & Sri Krishnabahawan. Thankyou very much for the decision of withdrawal from the panel. Hope our DPM will understand that the interlok issue has to be erased for once and forever to stop the unneccessary upset among the community. The community only wants the book to be out from the syllabus. There are many wonderful sastrawans in Malaysia who can produce more interluctual novels.Why wasting time on this interlok. Shame for our Malaysia Shame .Shame.
Anonymous_3ec6The indians are so screwed up they will still vote for BN after being screwed for 53 years.. Palanivelu can tell the DPM to Fuck off when DPM was talking cock and insulting the indians. Palanivelu..you are a religious man..quit MIC and join HRP and you can do more for the indians and will respect you more..
AkuMelayuI wonder which novel will satisfy our Indian friends. Kama Sutra perhaps? Yes, why not? Edu. Min. lets have two novels for SPM. The Indians can have 'Kama Sutra' while the others can stick with 'Interlok'. Semua happy.
Anonymous_3ec6AkuMelayu...the Kama Sutra is accepted worldwide where else the shit novel is only accepted in 3 or 4 states in malaysia. Would accept a novel insulting the malays as lazy bums.. who want easy money without working for it..
Akmalfor all the things I may have disagreed on with isa1@penyu before, I wholeheartedly agree with his statement on this issue. Muhyiddin should consider just removing it from the syllabus for now until the issues are settled. Otherwise, not just the non-Malay Malaysians but the world will think that we Malays are a people who think they cannot be offended even if they can offend everyone else.
Anonymous_3e06my dear friends you did the honourable thing. You understood the feelings and the aspiration of the Indians. Stand by the moral principles and truth. It will get you somewhere. I salute you three. Bless you.
Lover BoyI am sorry to say this. The Indian Community cannot act like the Christian over the Interloc issue because the Indian themselves are not united. You get that Ulu Selangor Kamalanathan who settle issues and in short Interloc remains, the students that were hauled to the police station were to shut up. Now on the issue of Indian culture, who knows better, the Sasterawan , Muyiddin or the 3 Indians experts? The meeting was doom to failure and in short the Government are telling the Indians to podah. Be united and then you can see changes, not otherwise
JBGUYMy respect is for these three Indians who stood their ground. Will the MIC, PPP, Gerakan, IPF and Makkal Sakti Indians have the same courage and walk out of the BN coalition if this issue is not resolved to the satisfaction of the Indian community. For far too long, the Indians have put up with all the oppresive and discriminatory practices of the UMNO led govt, it has come to this point, where the Indians must regain their lost pride and status. Enough is enough, stop groveling and walk with your heads held up.
BluemountainsThe Indians, in particular the HRP, should learn from the Christians on the bible issue. The Christians have shown what people power can do and have successfully forced them to raise the white flag. The Indians should do likewise by waking up the Indian community through group briefings and not by protesting at a rally and unnecessarily subjecting yourself to police arrest. The entire spectrum of the Indian society needs to be adequately informed before they cast their vote at the 13 GE.
Keturunan MalaysiaBRAVO isa@1penyu, that's what we want from you and good Malaysians...call a spade a spade. If a 'small' issue like getting rid of Interlok cannot be done in the spirit of 1Malaysia...what else??????
They are not doing this with East- timor delegates but it is just piece of low class mentality that they want to show other. This country will appear as Pakistan , Sudan and Somalia one day.
Following a meeting held at Parliament building with Education Minister Muhyiddin Yassin today, all three ethnic Indian panellists declared they were withdrawing from the government-created body.