Arab flies into a rage over couple’s kiss at lodge

Caught on camera: A screen grab from YouTube showing the suspect hitting the receptionist at the lodge in Kota Kinabalu.

KOTA KINABALU: It was only a kiss, but an Arab visitor blew his top and attacked two women at a backpackers' lodge here.

The man's outrage was caught on video and posted on YouTube immediately after the 6.30pm incident on Feb 9.

Police are now looking for the suspect, who was seen on the video clip attacking receptionist Dewina Jolilin, 22, and moving towards
another woman, said to be the local girlfriend of a Canadian traveller here.
City police chief Asst Comm Ahmad Sofi Zakaria said the receptionist had lodged a police report against the suspect, who was last seen leaving the lodge in a huff in a taxi.

Tourist Daniel Gunn, 30, who recorded the episode, said he had kissed his girlfriend on the cheek in the hall area and this infuriated the Arab man.

“I tried to calm him down but he got angrier,” said the Canadian.

Gunn said that at that point Dewina confronted the Arab, which only made him more furious because he reckoned the receptionist, who is a Muslim, should also be angry.

He then hit Dewina in the face with a plastic bag, prompting Gunn and his girlfriend to come to the receptionist's aid.

“My girlfriend told him that he cannot attack a woman. And then, she was also attacked,” he said.
The Arab man then stormed out of the lodge and left in a taxi. He did not settle his bill with the lodge.

Mechanic: Gun pointed to my head to force confession

Mahfuz wants DPM to clarify his role in NFC

PAS vice-president Mahfuz Omar revealed that two committees headed by Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin ignored different aspects of the project.

KUALA LUMPUR: PAS said that it has evidence that five government committees turned a blind eye on different aspects of the National Feedlot Centre (NFC) project.

PAS vice-president Mahfuz Omar said Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin, who was then the Agriculture and Agro-based Industries Minister, headed two of the committees.

“Muhyiddin headed the selection committee to choose the companies which would oversee the project. He also headed the progress committee to overlook the progress of the report,” he told a press conference today.

Mahfuz said he had information that there were five government committees which overlooked the different aspects of the project.

He added that during the selection committee meeting on Sept 25, 2006, the cattle-breeding project was awarded to Agro Science Sdn Bhd and another Australian company, but the latter pulled out at a later date. The two were selected out of six companies.

Agro Science is owned by Sharizat’s husband, Mohamed Salleh Ismail, who also owns National Feedlot Corporation (NFCorp), a private corporation which was engaged to assist NFC to boost beef production.

“We have to ask Muhyiddin: what was the criteria used to select the said companies? Were they qualified in this industry?” he asked.

Mahfuz said it is about time Muhyiddin broke his silence over the NFC project.

Muhyiddin must clarify

Although Muhyiddin was the agriculture minister when the project was awarded, his comments over the NFC scandal have been limited to his announcement that NFCorp’s accounts will be audited by an accounting firm.

“The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) and the police may be investigating the issue but are they looking into the manner in which the contract was awarded?

“This is why I again reiterate my stand that a Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) should be established to probe into the matter,” he said.

Muhyddin could alternatively answer to the parliamentary Public Account’s Committee (PAC), he added.

Earlier, Mahfuz took PAC chairman Azmi Khalid to task, questioning the latter’s sincerity to get to the bottom of this scandal.

Referring to the minutes of the Nov 23 PAC meeting on the scandal, he said that Azmi, knowing the great public concern, should not hesitate to release the meeting’s minutes.

“The moment he realised that something was not right himself, he should have made the information public. There is no need for the opposition MPs to write him letters asking for the minutes,” he said.

The November meeting was the only meeting PAC held over the NFC controversy. In a press conference after the meeting, a clearly irate Azmi lambasted the general mismanagement of government projects.

Earlier last week, Mahfuz had asked for the minutes to be made available to all MPs.

Azmi told FMT that the minutes of the meeting could even be made public, on condition that top brass leaders from the three opposition parties write a letter and not fault Azmi for making the minutes public.

Members of the PAC must also agree that the minutes be revealed to the public.

Explain, Bestino investors tell Bank Negara

The investors want the central bank to clear the air regarding the statement made by Bestino director Chong Yuk Ming.

PETALING JAYA: Embattled Bestino investors have expressed disappointment with Bank Negara Malaysia over the nation’s biggest gold scam.

In a press statement, Bestino Action Committee urged the central bank to clear the air over the statement made by Bestino director Chong Yuk Ming that Bank Negara had yet to give the green light to settle the investors’ money.

According to a news report on Feb 13, Chong said Bestino was ready to return the money to the investors on April 30 since the company had US$146million (RM438mil) in the HSBC Bank, Hong Kong.

He however claimed that the gold investment scheme company needed Bank Negara’s approval to bring the money into Malaysia.

In view of this, the action committee urged Bank Negara to state its stand on the matter.

More than 6,700 people had invested in Bestino but the company was later raided by Bank Negara.

On Dec 22, 2011, the action committee held a meeting with Bank Negara assistant governor Abu Hasan Alshari. The latter had accused the Bestino management of not being cooperative and not disclosing details of its properties.

At the same time, Bank Negara had also said that an investigation showed that Bestino had no record of owning properties outside the country.

“It is clear cut that both sides (Bestino and Bank Negara) are giving contradictory statements,” said the action committee. “We want to know who is speaking the truth?”

The action committee had launched a signature campaign, which would be later submitted to the Bank Negara governor and attorney-general next month.

‘Cops, Rela bash up innocent mechanic’

A mechanic alleged that he was assaulted and robbed by Rela personnel and policemen who wanted to force a confession out of him.
UPDATED

KUALA LUMPUR: A mechanic today alleged that he was subjected to hours of torture by law enforcement officers including having a gun pointed to his head to force a confession out of him.

S Mogan, 42, was filling petrol just 200 metres from his workshop-home in Taman Balakong Jaya, when his ordeal began.

He said on Feb 16, while waiting for a customer whose car had broke down, eight men – five uniformed People’s Volunteer Corps (Rela) members and three men who looked like gangsters – stopped him with the intention of searching his Nissan Sunny.

“They opened my car bonnet and said they wanted to check for drugs or illegal items. They asked why I kept all these tools in my car, and when I told them I was a mechanic, one Rela officer slapped me and all of them started assaulting me,” Mogan told a press briefing at the Human Rights Party office in Bangsar here.

Mogan said the group beat him with batons and iron rods, breaking the bone on his left leg.

“They whacked me. I screamed. They took my belt and tied my hands up and handed me to the Taming Jaya police station,” said Morgan, who is now on a wheelchair with a cast on his left leg.

While he can limp, he is still in pain as a result of being punched and kicked in the ears, head, eye, back and hip.

Mogan said the five Rela men who took him to the station accused him of various crimes. They conveyed their view to the police who appeared to believe them and tried to force a confession from Morgan.

“They said I stole cars, buses, TNB cables and was a drug addict and pusher and even involved in house breaks-in. The police also wanted me to confess to all these different crimes; it doesn’t make sense,” said Mogan.

He said at the police station, he was handcuffed and put in an interrogation room where four men continually beat, kicked and stepped on him. They also used a rubber hose to hit his legs and feet.

“Why must they do this? I told them my left leg hurts and may be broken but they continued hurting my left leg. They hit me everywhere – my head, body; I screamed ‘just kill me’ but they did not stop,” said Mogan.

Whacked for no reason

Out of the four who beat and verbally abused him, for about three hours, Mogan said he could remember the names of three – “Constable Gunalan”, “Sargeant Renga”, and “Corporal Ragu”.

“This Ragu wasn’t in uniform but he asked me if I knew a drug dealer (named) Thirumalai. But I told him I am a family man, I fix cars, I don’t do crimes, I don’t even drink,” said Mogan.

“Unhappy with my answer, he stepped on my face many times and kicked me till I fell over. He then pointed a pistol to my head and said if I did not confess, he would charge me with other car theft crimes so that he can ‘close those files’,” he said.

Mogan was then taken to the Kajang district police headquarters where a urine test showed negative. He also had no criminal records.

“The investigating officer, a Sargeant Alikaseh, was very professional and even reprimanded the policemen for hitting me and arresting me without firm reasons. I was then released at 2.30pm,” said Mogan.

When he made his way back to his car, he found his car radio, speaker, his handphone and mechanic tools missing, including RM1,300 cash in his wallet. He lost about RM6,000 in total.

“I saw the policeman Renga, the station chief, there and he warned me: ‘You know who am I? If I find you again, if a lorry is stolen, you will die in my hands.’”

After this traumatic experience, Mogan said he is now afraid to go out after 10.30pm, when he normally takes night calls from his customers.

“I could earn good money because I could charge my customers; many taxi drivers (do this) at night. They (policemen) do this to a good man, and I feel like I should just become a criminal,” he said.

Mogan lodged a police report on his alleged assault yesterday.

Racial profiling

Meanwhile, Hindraf de facto leader and Human Rights Party pro tem secretary-general P Uthayakumar, who is acting for Mogan as his lawyer, said that he has written a letter to the Attorney-General, Inspector-General of Police, Selangor police chief, police disciplinary head, and Kajang police chief over the matter.

“This is a serious crime against an innocent citizen, and we see an offence of attempted murder and armed robbery by the police, Rela and gangsters. We urge a swift prosecution…” said Uthayakumar.

He added that Mogan’s case of Indian racial profiling, which is rampant, must stop.

“They see an Indian they see a suspect or criminal. That’s not right,” he said.

Police investigating the matter

Meanwhile, Kajang police chief Abdul Rashid Abdul Wahab told FMT that investigations were ongoing in regards to Mogan’s case.

“We will investigate and if we have the proof, then we will take the appropriate action. We take no sides, we are open for everyone to see and will not hide anything,” he said.

Asked if any of the policemen will be suspended pending investigations, Abdul Rashid said “we will not suspend them just because of the allegations. At this moment, we still have to investigate first”.

He said so far, statements have been recorded from six Rela members and three police officers.

“We only have two other Rela members who have gone outstation and the complainant himself to question,” he said.

It was learnt that police will most likely not classify the case under attempted murder or robbery, as sought by Hindraf, but for assault with dangerous weapons under Section 324 of the Penal Code.

Najib with his ‘Nathekai’ (Dirty hand) in Thaipusam

By Saravanan

Each year millions of people going to Batu Caves, Penang Thanir Malai temple and many other Murugan temple to celebrate Thaipusam. Most of us going for the festival for the prayers beside shopping and sightseeing, the moment we talk about Thaipusam Kavadi Attam a dance performed by the devotees during the ceremonial worship of murugan is the one will come to our mind but do you know 80% of the devotees who going for Thaipusam donating in formed of gold, cash and archanai (offerings) to Lord Muruga?

What is puzzling my mind is what happens to all the gold and cash donated by the devotees? The donated cash and gold last seen will be brought to the Mariaman Temple via cargo container for the final counting but the management never once revealed to the public on the total collection. How much is the total collection? The gold value?

I would like to bring to everyone attention even the second richest temple in the world Thirupathi declared all the donation.

As an ordinary Malaysian Indian and citizen of this country who always attended and perfom my prayers during Thaipusam celebration would like to know how much the total collection and how the cash collected on behalf of GOD Murugan has been utilized? Why the fund was not use to assist our poor Indian university students, Tamil school or helping to upgrade our Indian community in term of financially or economically?

How much does the government of Malaysia who ruled by the richest political party in the world UMNO gets in form of tax from our Indian festival?

I believed Many of us are not aware the real reason or the meaning of Thaipiusam. Why the Hindu sangam and Temple committees not taking any initiatives to educate the public about the festival and set some form of guideline which I think will help us to understand the purpose of the festival and many more.

My sincere suggestion to the relevant party that the donation collected during the festival can also be channel to the religious education which is already in a danger zone among our Indian community in Malaysia. This also will help to reduce our community from convert to Muslim, which I believe due to lack of knowledge in Hinduism.

Anyhow UMNO is succeeding in their marginalizing agenda when MIC, Temple management, Hindu Sanggam and many other NGO, s who support BN government did not take any action to curb the corruption in all levels include the temple donation money.

Our beloved Prime minister Najib was garland with the most expensive MALAI, which estimated RM 4000.00 by the temple management and MIC. Why so much of money wasted in the MALAI when there’re many Indian are suffering out there. Do you think UMNO or any other Muslims festival will give you that kind of expensive garland to our Indian leaders in their festival?

I scratch your back and you scratch mine. I keep quiet when you take people’s money from the temple and you make sure you VOTE Barisan Nasional so that we can continue do Nathekai job (dirty job) for Indian community.

Hi friends please ask your self why should we Indians give the honor to PM Najib when he fails to help Indians: -
1.No special allocation for our Indian community to improve our social economy in yearly Budget
2.UMNO killing Indians in prison and police lock up
3.PM Najib has no guts to stop our Indian converting to Muslim
4.UMNO cannot stop temple breaking or gazetted any land for Hindu temples.
5.More than 150000 Indians in Malaysia are having red IC or even without birth certificate.
6.Tamil schools have not properly facilities under Barisan Government.
7.Many Indians in Malaysia are financially strained due to their ‘Ketuanan Melayu’ policy.
8.UMNO treat other Indian collusion party as low class or younger brother.
9.UMNO is not gazetted any permanent land for Indian residential area.
10. UMNO using gangsters like Perkasa, Pekida and Tiga line for threaten the Indian society.

All the above reasons will not allow Indians to give their Nambikai to PM Najib but he is just putting is Nathekai in Malaysian Indians life.

The temple committee and MIC should immediately STOP inviting any UMNO leaders to our Temple and Festival because this people have no respect for our Indian community. Ask yourself, MIC leader have ever UMNO leaders invited to their mosque?

Indian friends please join hand with me to request the Temple Management to declare the Hundial Money and Gold collected during the festival and put all the pressure to STOP them from inviting UMNO leaders for any of our festival.

Anwar, can we hear from you on this, please?

By Haris Ibrahim,

Last week, in RPK’s ‘The man behind PKR ( Part 2 )‘, a most startling revelation was made.
“September the 16th of 2008 was supposed to be the day that Pakatan Rakyat takes over the federal government. But to do that Anwar has to first persuade at least 30 Barisan Nasional Members of Parliament to cross over.
Getting 30 Barisan National Members of Parliament to cross over was not that much of a problem. All it needs is money, RM300 million to be exact — to pay each Member of Parliament RM10 million as an ‘inducement’ to cross over. The problem would be: after paying them the RM300 million, which would have to be in advance, of course, how can they be assured that Umno would not up the figure by RM15 million and buy them back?
The bottom line would be: Pakatan Rakyat pays them RM10 million each and Umno also pays them RM15 million. They would receive in total RM25 million each and remain in Barisan Nasional. If they can be bought, then others can also buy them for a higher price. And they will take the higher price without returning the RM10 million you gave them.
John Soh’s bone of contention was that he would be the one who has to pay the RM300 million. If it works, well and fine. But what if it fails, as it did in Perak, and Umno counter-offers these 30 Barisan Nasional Members of Parliament a higher figure? The RM300 million would be money down the drain.
John Soh did not agree to fund the RM300 million take-over-exercise unless Anwar could ensure success. But how could Anwar guarantee success? These were 30 ‘for sale’ Barisan Nasional Members of Parliament they were talking about. If they can sell themselves to one side then they can sell themselves to the other side as well.
John Soh refused to fork out the RM300 million and that ended the September 16th dream to march into Putrajaya. And that also meant Anwar would have to face trial for Sodomy 2. The only way to escape Sodomy 2 would be for Anwar to become the Prime Minister, which was not going to happen now.
For weeks Anwar refused to talk to John Soh. He put the failure of September the 16th squarely on John Soh’s shoulders. When they finally met, Anwar and John Soh had a heated exchange of words. When Anwar said that John Soh was to be blamed for the September 16th failure, John Soh retorted, “If you are so confident it was going to work then why not fund it yourself? Bring back some of the billions you have stashed overseas and pay the RM300 million from your own pocket!”
What troubles me the most is that, to-date, Anwar has not issued a statement to refute this most damaging of allegations.
You may or may not remember but soon after the 12th GE, PKR starting talking about the possibility of BN MPs crossing
On 19th March, 2008, Malaysiakini reported that Anwar had announced that he would form the federal government, aided by defectors from BN, mostly from Sabah and Sarawak.
Two days later, on 21st March, Malaysiakini reported that Anwar insisted that defectors from BN would not be ‘bought’.
Honestly, at the time, I took great comfort in this report.
It meant that I could turn my attention to another concern I had in respect of this much-talked-of crossover of elected representatives : a fraud on the voters.
On 23rd March, I wrote to Anwar seeking the comfort of a statement from him that no BN MPs would be accepted without such MP first getting the consent to crossover from those who voted him into office. That letter may be read in full HERE.
I can confirm now that n0 such statement was ever made by Anwar.
The next day, on 24th March, Malaysiakini reported PKR youth chief Shamsul Iskandar as saying PKR was not offering money to buy over the BN MPs.
“They have come and met (PKR de facto leader) Anwar Ibrahim because they have lost faith in the leadership of Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi. They are not crossing over for monetary gains…If they want to come over, we will accept them but we are against buying them over”, Shamsul is reported to have said.
A month later, Azmin is reported by Malaysiakini to have said that there was no monetary element in the talks with the MPs intent on crossing over from BN to Pakatan.
Fast forward now to 12th September, 2008, when RPK, Teresa Kok and journalist Tan Hoon Cheng were detained under the ISA.
For many of us then, a change of government might be the only hope of an early release.
With this in mind, I and several others accompanied Marina, RPK’s wife, to see Anwar.
He assured us that he had the numbers.
I asked if money was involved.
“Mana ada duit macam tu, Ris”, was the reply.
September 16th came and went.
No change of government.
RPK says in his post that September 16th was never going to  happen because John Soh had already decided that he was not going to bankroll this mass crossover. This is how RPK put it :
“For weeks Anwar refused to talk to John Soh. He put the failure of September the 16th squarely on John Soh’s shoulders. When they finally met, Anwar and John Soh had a heated exchange of words. When Anwar said that John Soh was to be blamed for the September 16th failure…”
Yet, the Star reported on 22nd September that Wan Azizah said that more BN MPs were keen to crossover to Pakatan.
The same report quotes the current PKR Sec-gen, Saifudin Nasution, as saying that Pakatan had started its “countdown” for the takeover and things were moving according to plan.
“Our timeline is by the hour. Putrajaya is within reach”, Saifudin is reported as saying.
Is RPK’s post a pack of lies?
Only John Soh or Anwar can tell us.
Unlike John, though, Anwar does not have the luxury of elegant silence in this matter.
He must speak up, and speak up now, or live with the inferences that will otherwise flow.

Budaya samseng: Itulah dalil jelas nak kehilangan kuasa

Aspan Alias - The Malaysian Insider


20 FEB — Hari ini saya mendengar apa yang berlaku di Semberong, Johor malam tadi. Mengikut laporan, kereta ketua pembangkang, Anwar Ibrahim, telah dibaling dengan berbagai-bagai objek pada 11.30 malam tadi dan ini merupakan satu budaya yang sedang terbentuk didalam Umno, iaitu budaya samseng. Budaya memaki hamun dalam Umno sudah meningkat kepada budaya samseng pula.

Tidak perlu seseorang itu untuk memihak kepada mana-mana pihak tetapi jika benar perkara ini berlaku, maka sahlah Umno sedang membentuk satu budaya samseng, sebagai satu lagi kaedah untuk menakut-nakutkan orang ramai dari menyokong pihak yang menentang Barisan Nasional.

Kelakuan kumpulan yang mengganggu program pihak PR ini adalah satu tindakan yang telah keluar jauh dari moral politik apatah lagi yang melakukan perkara yang tidak bertamaddun ini adalah di kalangan pemuda Melayu.

Tindakan mereka ini dibiarkan sahaja oleh pihak penguatkuasa undang-undang, iaitu pihak polis kita. Politik ini adalah perang psikoloji bukannya peperangan terbuka seperti peperangan tentera diantara dua negara yang bersengketa.

Apa yang dilakukan oleh pihak yang menyokong parti pemerintah ini menunjukkan indikasi yang amat jelas, yang parti pemerintah sedang berada didalam keadaan yang panik kerana takut dengan sokongan pihak alternatif yang kian hari kian membesar dan kuat.

Yang amat menjijikkan pihak tertentu tidak dapat menerima hakikat yang mereka adalah seperti telur dihujung tanduk bersabit dengan sokongan rakyat terhadap mereka. Oleh kerana sudah terlalu biasa dengan kuasa sejak berdekad-dekad dahulu, kehilangan sokongan dan kuasa ini amat memedihkan mereka. Sakitnya ibarat memisahkan kulit dengan daging.

Bahagian Semberong ini adalah kawasan yang diwakili oleh Hishammuddin Husein, Menteri Dalam Negeri negara kita. Apa yang berlaku ini memang menjejaskan imej menteri itu, apatah lagi tindakan polis mendiamkan sahaja apa yang berlaku dihadapan mata kepala mereka itu adalah menakutkan kepada sesiapa yang kuat berfikir tentang masa depan anak-anak dan generasi kita.

Setelah kita mencapai kemerdekaan selama 54 tahun, kita masih lagi terbelenggu dengan budaya samseng yang menjijikkan ini semata-mata untuk mendapat kemenangan undi didalam pilihanraya. Kalau beginilah keadaannya, apakah perbezaannya diantara pemerintahan diktator dengan pemerintahan demokrasi?

Kalau begini keadaan elok kita haramkan sahaja semua parti dalam negara ini dan kepada siapa yang sedang memerintah, perintahlah negara ini sesuka hati seperti mentadbir reban ayam mak bapak kita.

Bagi saya kelakuan dan gelagat samseng ini adalah kerja yang amat hina sekali dan tidak pula mendapat teguran dari parti mereka. Takkanlah untuk mengekalkan kuasa ahli-ahli serta penyokong parti pemerintah sanggup menjadi kumpulan haram samseng dan mengganggu kegiatan parti lain.

Bagaimanakah negara dan rakyat untuk membuat persediaan untuk menjadi rakyat negara maju yang berpendapatan tinggi jika masih terkongkong dengan budaya rakyat negara dunia ketiga. Tidak hairanlah kenapa setangah rakyat kita berpendapat yang negara kita ini adalah negara Zimbabwe atau Congo yang berlainan namanya.

Bagaimana kita boleh mengaku yang negara kita adalah negara yang aman sedangkan samseng-samseng berkeliaran disana-sini untuk memerhatikan segala kegiatan yang asasi bagi rakyat yang inginkan perubahan.

Keinginan perubahan yang sedang dilakukan oleh rakyat ini adalah hak mereka. Negara ini bukannya BN yang punya tetapi dipunyai oleh semua rakyat yang berbagai kaum, agama, budaya dan cara hidup mereka.

Sampai bila mereka hendak terus berkuasa dengan menakut-nakutkan rakyat? Pemimpin BN khususnya Umno nampaknya sudah hilang hidayah sehinggakan cara samseng kini menjadi begitu lumrah. Bulan lepas dua kejadian di mana usaha setengah pihak untuk menganjurkan perkumpulan untuk politik diganggu di Selangor sehinggakan ada yang telah dimasukan ke hospital kerana kecederaan yang di alami hasil dari tindakan samseng ini. Entah apa imbuhan yang mereka dapat dari tindakan samseng mereka ini tetapi ia nyata merupakan satu budaya yang ketinggalan zaman.

Rakyat harus melakukan sesuatu untuk menolak budaya ini. Semua diantara kita tahu bagaimana hendak melakukannya. Kita lakukan penolakan ini dengan cara yang paling berhemah dan kita tidak boleh terikut-ikut dengan budaya samseng yang menjijikan ini. Hanya lakukan sesuatu yang dihalalkan oleh undang-undang didalam peti undi semasa pilihanraya nanti.

Kita ambil tindakan dengan memberikan reaksi terhadap kegiatan samseng ini dengan cara yang terbaik sesuai dengan “attribute” manusia yang merupakan secantik-cantik kejadian Tuhan ini.

Pihak yang cuba membetulkan keadaan ini jangan sesekali menggunakan kata-kata kesat dan tindakan samseng seperti yang dilakukan oleh mereka yang sedang merasa tertekan ini. Kita mesti yakin jika sesuatu pihak itu berkelakuan seperti samseng ini sahaja sudah menunjukkan yang mereka sedang berada dihujung hayat kuasa yang ada pada mereka sekarang ini.

Jika kita dinesta dan dihamburkan dengan kata-kata kesat hanya beristighfar banyak-banyak. Kita tunjukkan perbezaan diantara kita dengan mereka. Perbezaan inilah yang sedang diperhatikan oleh rakyat ramai sekarang ini. — aspanaliasnet.blogspot.com

Jailed teen files appeal

The Star
by SHAILA KOSHY

KUALA LUMPUR: The teenager who is serving a 12-year jail sentence for causing the death of her newborn by throwing the baby out of a second floor window has filed a notice of appeal.

In the notice filed at the High Court in Shah Alam on Feb 13, Noor Atika Kamarolzaman, 19, said she was dissatisfied with the sentence.

On Jan 12, she pleaded guilty to causing the death of her child at B7-2 Taman Selayang Segar 2, between 3.30am and 7.15am on Oct 3 last year.

On Jan 30, the Selayang Sessions Court slapped a 12-year jail term on her and RM5,000 fine in default six months’ jail.

Noor Atika was unrepresented both times.

The Bar Council’s National Legal Aid Committee (LAC) chairman Ragunath Kesavan had told The Star on Jan 31 that they would apply to the High Court for a sentence revision.

The Kuala Lumpur LAC sent a chambering pupil to interview Noor Atika at Kajang Prison after getting in touch with her mother.

On Feb 5, the Joint Action Group for Gender Equality called on the judiciary to revise the sentence, saying it did not take into account the “different factors that may have affected her actions then, including post-partum depression.”

Since then, however, Noor Atika has decided to appeal the sentence.

Her case has been taken up by KL LAC on a pro bono basis and will be handled by its chairman Ravin Singh.

He said his firm would also apply for a stay of execution on her sentence, pending the appeal.

Asked why she had not asked for legal advice, Ravin – who met Noor Atika on Feb 9 – replied: “She said she could not afford one because she was told it would cost between RM10,000 and RM20,000 for a full trial.

“She was also told that if she pleaded guilty, she would get a non-custodial sentence.”

Ravin said she did not know who spoke to her on the day she was charged but it was not a lawyer.

He welcomed the statement by Attorney-General Tan Sri Gani Patail in The Star recently that the National Legal Aid Foundation, which provides free legal advice upon arrest, will begin operations in March.

Zahid Urges Umno Perak To Maintain BN's Power

KUALA KANGSAR, Feb 21 (Bernama) -- Umno vice-president Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi urged the state's party members to help Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Zambry Abd Kadir Barisan Nasional (BN) maintain its power during the 13th general election.

Speaking at the opening of the Bagan Datoh Umno Youth Transformation of the Mind course in Ulu Kenas, he said apart from, Minister of Finance II Datuk Seri Ahmad Husni Hanadzlah and Minister in Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz were both also responsible for ensuring that two-thirds of the BN seats were won in the general election.

He called on all the BN component party machinery to double their efforts saying it would be a narrow fight for the Rungkup and Hutan Melintang state assembly seats and Bagan Datoh parliamentary seat.

He emphasised that the bitter experience of losing power to the opposition for 11 months during the 12th general election should be a lesson to all.

Therefore, he told the Umno branch and division leaders in Bagan Datoh to work hard and regain the seats for BN this time.

Now MIC Youth issues debate challenge to PKR’s Surendran

Another attempt at dividing Malaysians by race: An MIC Youth office bearer has challenged N Surendran to a debate – but his challenge was brushed off by the PKR vice-president who insisted the MIC is “irrelevant”.
“I’m not an Indian leader, I’m a Msian leader,” tweeted Surendran in response to the challenge by MIC Youth secretary P Punithan.
“We wil quote dis into media !” warned Punithan.
“Pls do so,” countered Surendran.
“So u don’t want to debate with MIC? Not willing to accept with the challenge? Open debate. ?? Yes or No??” Punithan pressed on.
“I won’t repeat again, so listen: I’ll debate Umno Ministr/VP, MIC is irrelevant,” said Surendran.
Pakatan leaders should not fall into the BN trap of divide-and-rule and adopt a more inclusive agenda covering the rights of everyone residing in Malaysia including migrant workers, refugees and asylum seekers. We are all members of the human family.
The full twitter exchange: