Thursday, 3 May 2012
Police and Islamist jointly tortured Hindus in Magrahat, West Bengal.
“West Bengal : Hindu-Muslim clashes rock Mograhat”
Or
Changed Reality rocks Magrahat Hindus to put into Jail.
 |
Mograhat (West Bengal): As
fresh reports are coming in, the fair in village: Kamarpukur, P.S.
Mograhat, District: 24 Paraganas (South), has been rocked by a series of
Hindu-Muslim clashes, starting from evening of November 29, 2012 thus
far.
In
accordance with sources, problem erupted when an Islamist wanted to give
a fake Indian currency note to a Hindu shopkeeper; he refused to accept
it leading to a scuffle between the two. The situation would have ended
there if the Islamist returned with more of his fellows to teach the
Hindu shopkeeper a lesson. The pack of Islamists torched the entire shop
and whoever tried to oppose them was beaten outrageously.
Hindu shopkeeper cried for help
desperately; Hindu youths in the vicinity, acquainted with such postures
of Islamists day in and day out, built up a strong defence and in no
time smashed a few shops of Islamists forming the said pack.
This
incident sparked off another set of troubles. Hundreds of Islamists
turned up in the venue soon started vicious attacks on Hindus soon.
However, unlike other times, Hindus did not withdraw to their houses and
were found to implement countermeasures as well. And rule of
administration became the greatest casualty as a result.
A number of police contingents along with SDPO rushed to the spot (on the very night) to rein in the situation.
More details are being awaited.
Reality differs from above as the Hindus in the areas lastly faced joint attack of RAF and Police with the help of Political goons obviously Muslims. Two Hindus injured ghastly. One Hindu boy separated/not traced yet.
Know the reality of Magrahat.
Abhed Acharya from Magrahat [1st May, 2001]: I was then within 20 km from the place of occurrence at the sporadic time of clash started after 7 pm afresh on 29th of April (2012). Frequent phone calls were reaching to a number of a reliable person whom the sufferers believe as a protector in crisis. The man with a subtle skill and calmness was giving important instructions to his men in Magrahat and also reporting the matter to the Police and administration from another phone number. He also preparing arrangements with an advocate to move bail as RAF already arrested some Hindu men from the area of Kamarpukuria.At the meeting point of three villages of Haludberia, Kamarpuria and Kadamanuraj there is a religious pond named Kaipukur Where an annual Hindu Mela (congregation) held every year on and from Akshay Trithiya in the name of Mata Manasa in front her Temple/Vedi. The mela is gradually growing its shape with the participation of nearby villagers for the last three/four years. Muslim operators have been trying to take control over the Mela for last two years, but the local Hindu young generation kept the control in a manageable way.
This year some fake notes of Rs.100/- denominations were recovered in the Mela but the culprits were not detected. On 28th April a fake note of Rs 500/- was detected on spot when a Muslim boy tried to make payment to a Hindu shop keeper. A tiny scuffle turned a big discord all on a sudden when the manhandled Muslim boy attacked the Hindu village Kamarpukuria with a greater Muslim force came from Bankipur, Mamudpur and Magrahat Market area plan fully. Yes, Hindus resisted heroically with their limited strength, but they were victimized under heavy bomb charges from Muslims. Muslims attacked with sharp chopper and three Hindu boys injured seriously. As, no Hindu Organization in Bengal does not believe in armed resistance to an armed attack, the follower of all the Hindu organization usually fallen victim as their leaders tell them an impossible mass awakening and not to be in the fray of the ruling political force.
Getting stern resistance from the Hindus, the Muslim attackers took refuge of Political Strength of ruling Trinmool Congress (TMC) and immediately they put diary against Hindu villagers. Getting the diary from the Muslims and obviously under the pressure from the Muslim appeaser TMC, RAF entered the troubled area and tortured the Hindu villagers. In this dispersed moments the Hindus could not put any diary against Muslim attackers from outside. Within this span of time the news reached to a Hindu Organization only busy then to prepare a report to be posted in their internet site. Nobody from the organization gave any advice to make a general diary to the local police station or to admit the injured persons in the nearby Govt. Hospitals to be treated there to procure injury reports from the authority to produce it in Court cases etc.
I was hearing the appeal from local BJP leader named Ratan Sardar of Magrahat to make arrangements for bail for some Rabin, Ranjit and Prasenjit of Kamarpukur and Two others from Maititrhat and one from Atasura. So far 11(eleven) persons are arrested and put in judicial custody till 15.05.2012. Police is searching other 6 (six) accused upon false allegations. On 15.05.2012 the case will be moved for bail. No Muslims are arrested yet, not a single Muslim was admitted so far in any Hospital or Nursing Home being injured in the clash save and except the boy injured on 28.04.2012 after caught with fake note.
It is noteworthy that some leaders of different Hindu Organizations are also giving advice not to go against TMC and one perpetrator Akhtar Gazi of the area is now acting as an agent of the Islamist to calm down the Hindu retaliation so that it may not turn virulent.
The most injured Hindu man Tapas Mondal was threatened by the Islamists perhaps escaped in a safer place and his father Manik Ch Mondal is still searching his son here and there.
I came to know that the Muslim population of Magrahat Block has been increased by 40% in just last twenty years. And the Hindus came down to 47% in 2001 from 87% in 1981. The situation of Hindus in Magrahat (West Bengal, India) is not better than any vicinity of Pakistan.
But, the most alarming thing to me from this current happening is that (i) The Hindu organizations in Bengal is less interested in field actions but prefer reactions in Internet. (ii) There is no co-ordination between various Hindu Organizations in Bengal. Everybody wants to be the Big Boss. (iii) The freaky Hindu leaders dream a change through an absurd Mass Awakening without any armed resistance to the well equipped Jihadists. (iv) Now the Hindu leaders in Bengal are will convinced by State BJP, not to oppose TMC, as there is a chance of alliance of NDA in 2014 General Election. So bear all the Muslim torture with tight lip. This idiotic calculation will turn the Bengal as a Total Muslim Change. These calculation helped TMC to sit on power and kick out Hindus now & (v) Unfortunately, Bengali Hindu leaders are envious each other shamelessly.
The tendencies to grab the Hindu Credits for own organization with doing nothing is another disease in Bengal in Hindu Organizational methodology.
God knows who will save Bengal?
Al Qaeda may carry bomb implants
Doctors working with Al Qaeda said to prepare surgery
US and allied officials said they are increasingly concerned that doctors working with Al Qaeda's Yemen-based affiliate will implant bombs inside living militants in order to try to circumvent airport security measures and bring down aircraft.
Earlier this year, a missile fired by a CIA-operated drone killed a Yemeni doctor who had devised medical procedures which could be used to surgically plant explosive devices in humans, several US officials told Reuters.
However, another individual, the expert bomb-maker who came up with this tactic survived a similar missile attack last year. Counterterrorism agencies believe he is still engaged in active plotting against US and other Western targets.
Moreover, three US officials said counter-terrorism agencies report that other doctors in Yemen are prepared to surgically load bombs into the organs of militants.
The possibility of implanted bombs has been a concern for US officials since at least 2009, when two incidents occurred involving militants who had spent time with leading figures of Yemen-based Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP).
In August 2009, a Saudi militant who had spent time in Yemen unsuccessfully tried to assassinate Prince Mohammed bin Nayef, Saudi Arabia's counter-terrorism chief, with what authorities initially believed was a bomb secreted in his anal cavity.
Authorities determined the bomb was virtually identical to a one which Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, a Nigerian militant who had been studying Arabic in Yemen, used to try to blow up a Detroit-bound airliner on Christmas Day 2009.
Both Abdulmutallab's bomb and the bomb used in the failed attack on Nayef turned out to have been sewn into the would-be bombers' underwear, rather than implanted inside body organs or cavities.
These incidents sparked concern among US and western counter-terrorism agencies that implanted bombs might be a more effective way for militants to evade airport security devices including X-ray machines and metal detectors.
MORE OR LESS POWERFUL?
After the failed attack on Prince Nayef, three US agencies examined the threats which bombs secreted in clothing or inside the body could pose to aviation security.
According to US officials, the research suggested that a bomb hidden inside a body cavity or organ would be less likely to jeopardize the safety of an airplane than a bomb hidden under clothing. Much of the force of the bomb would be absorbed by exploding body tissue, likely killing the bomber but causing little structural damage to an aircraft.
By contrast, the explosive force of a bomb hidden under clothing alone would be more likely to cause potentially catastrophic damage to an airplane if detonated in flight, officials said.
Officials said that in response to the possible deployment of implanted bombs, efforts were being made to adjust airport security, including the body scanners and metal detectors now used, to try to spot potential threats.
AL-ASIRI CONNECTION
Officials said that one reason for concern is the continuing role of Saudi bomb-maker Ibrahim Hassan al-Asiri, now regarded by US and European authorities as one of the more dangerous and imaginative AQAP operatives presently at large.
Counterterrorism experts attribute the original invention of the two tactics to Asiri, and it was his brother who wore the underwear bomb and died while attempting to kill Prince Nayef.
Officials acknowledge initial reports were wrong that Asiri was killed in the same sequence of drone attacks which resulted in the death last year of Anwar al-Awlaki, a US-born militant Yemeni preacher.
ABC News reported on Monday that American and European officials feared al Qaeda may soon try to attack US-bound aircraft using explosives implanted in the bodies of militants. ABC reported that due to this concern, security had been stepped up at some British and European airports and some Federal Air Marshals may have been redeployed.
US and allied officials said they are increasingly concerned that doctors working with Al Qaeda's Yemen-based affiliate will implant bombs inside living militants in order to try to circumvent airport security measures and bring down aircraft.
Earlier this year, a missile fired by a CIA-operated drone killed a Yemeni doctor who had devised medical procedures which could be used to surgically plant explosive devices in humans, several US officials told Reuters.
However, another individual, the expert bomb-maker who came up with this tactic survived a similar missile attack last year. Counterterrorism agencies believe he is still engaged in active plotting against US and other Western targets.
Moreover, three US officials said counter-terrorism agencies report that other doctors in Yemen are prepared to surgically load bombs into the organs of militants.
The possibility of implanted bombs has been a concern for US officials since at least 2009, when two incidents occurred involving militants who had spent time with leading figures of Yemen-based Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP).
In August 2009, a Saudi militant who had spent time in Yemen unsuccessfully tried to assassinate Prince Mohammed bin Nayef, Saudi Arabia's counter-terrorism chief, with what authorities initially believed was a bomb secreted in his anal cavity.
Authorities determined the bomb was virtually identical to a one which Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, a Nigerian militant who had been studying Arabic in Yemen, used to try to blow up a Detroit-bound airliner on Christmas Day 2009.
Both Abdulmutallab's bomb and the bomb used in the failed attack on Nayef turned out to have been sewn into the would-be bombers' underwear, rather than implanted inside body organs or cavities.
These incidents sparked concern among US and western counter-terrorism agencies that implanted bombs might be a more effective way for militants to evade airport security devices including X-ray machines and metal detectors.
MORE OR LESS POWERFUL?
After the failed attack on Prince Nayef, three US agencies examined the threats which bombs secreted in clothing or inside the body could pose to aviation security.
According to US officials, the research suggested that a bomb hidden inside a body cavity or organ would be less likely to jeopardize the safety of an airplane than a bomb hidden under clothing. Much of the force of the bomb would be absorbed by exploding body tissue, likely killing the bomber but causing little structural damage to an aircraft.
By contrast, the explosive force of a bomb hidden under clothing alone would be more likely to cause potentially catastrophic damage to an airplane if detonated in flight, officials said.
Officials said that in response to the possible deployment of implanted bombs, efforts were being made to adjust airport security, including the body scanners and metal detectors now used, to try to spot potential threats.
AL-ASIRI CONNECTION
Officials said that one reason for concern is the continuing role of Saudi bomb-maker Ibrahim Hassan al-Asiri, now regarded by US and European authorities as one of the more dangerous and imaginative AQAP operatives presently at large.
Counterterrorism experts attribute the original invention of the two tactics to Asiri, and it was his brother who wore the underwear bomb and died while attempting to kill Prince Nayef.
Officials acknowledge initial reports were wrong that Asiri was killed in the same sequence of drone attacks which resulted in the death last year of Anwar al-Awlaki, a US-born militant Yemeni preacher.
ABC News reported on Monday that American and European officials feared al Qaeda may soon try to attack US-bound aircraft using explosives implanted in the bodies of militants. ABC reported that due to this concern, security had been stepped up at some British and European airports and some Federal Air Marshals may have been redeployed.
Al Qaeda planned to hijack cruise ships and execute passengers, reveals 'treasure trove of intelligence' embedded in PORN video
Al Qaeda planned to hijack cruise
ships and post footage of passengers being executed online to pressurise
governments to release particular prisoners, it has been revealed.
Documents embedded inside a pornographic movie, on a memory disc, show how the terror network wanted to dress tourists up in Guantanamo Bay-style orange jumpsuits before murdering them.
The audacious plan is just one of several plots discovered by investigators who decrypted the hardware found in the underpants of a suspected terrorist arrested in Berlin last year.
Scroll down to see video...
The cache of 141 documents, described
as 'pure gold' by intelligence agencies, also details how the network
wanted to conduct a Mumbai-style attack - where ten gunmen killed 164
people in a three-day rampage in 2008 - in Europe.
And it reveals the organisation is using a 'twin-track strategy' - using 'low-cost, low-tech attacks' to keep security services preoccupied as other 'operatives' plan large-scale 9/11 type atrocities.
The documents, seized by German intelligence operatives in the days following Osama Bin Laden's death last year, reveal an 'extraordinarily detailed insight into the inner workings of Al Qaeda'.
They also state some of the tactics used by the organisation as it attempts to elude the counter-terrorism initiatives of the world’s military and intelligence agencies.
CNN reports how Al Qaeda's hand in the London 7/7 and attempted 7/21 bomb plots emerges for the first time with a highly detailed account from cell leader Rashid Rauf.
CNN's Nic Robertson said: 'These documents show that London was extremely lucky on 7/21.
'The terrorists were using the same bomb-building instructions as the 7/7 bombers, who had actually encountered the same problem with the way they had mixed their explosives.
'The 7/7 bombers had closer contacts with Rauf and were able to contact him and change their bombs so that they worked.'
The 46 page document outlines how and why the liquid explosive plot took shape and explains how counter-surveillance measures by the 21/7 bombers threw security officers off their scent.
The files also contain details of the ways in which Al Qaeda seeks to learn from its mistakes, and the levels of sophistication and determination within its ranks.
In addition, they reveal the impact that military drone strikes and infiltration by intelligence agencies are having on al Qaeda's numbers and behaviour.
Robertson added: 'These documents lay open Al Qaeda’s inner workings. They prove the links between some of its highest profile plots and attacks, and show how it's trying to cope with the constant pressure from military and intelligence operations against it.'
The documents were discovered on the memory disc when Austrian 22-year-old Maqsood Lodin was arrested following his return to Germany from Pakistan.
Buried amongst the files was a pornographic video called Kick Ass, and a document marked 'Sexy Tanja'.
It took German investigators several weeks to decrypt the file, but when they did they found an inside track on some of the terror group's most audacious plots and a road map for future operations.
PDF terrorist training manuals in German, English and Arabic were also found in what U.S. intelligence sources say is the most important haul of terrorist materials in the last year.
Lodin and another man called Yusuf Ocak, who allegedly travelled back to Europe with him, are now on trial in Berlin where they are pleading not guilty to terror offences.
Documents embedded inside a pornographic movie, on a memory disc, show how the terror network wanted to dress tourists up in Guantanamo Bay-style orange jumpsuits before murdering them.
The audacious plan is just one of several plots discovered by investigators who decrypted the hardware found in the underpants of a suspected terrorist arrested in Berlin last year.
Scroll down to see video...
Hijack: Al Qaeda wanted to seize cruise ships
and post footage of passengers being executed online to pressurise
governments to release particular prisoners (file picture)
Execution: Al Qaeda wanted to dress cruise ship
passengers up in Guantanamo Bay-style orange jumpsuits and then film
their murders to post footage online
And it reveals the organisation is using a 'twin-track strategy' - using 'low-cost, low-tech attacks' to keep security services preoccupied as other 'operatives' plan large-scale 9/11 type atrocities.
The documents, seized by German intelligence operatives in the days following Osama Bin Laden's death last year, reveal an 'extraordinarily detailed insight into the inner workings of Al Qaeda'.
They also state some of the tactics used by the organisation as it attempts to elude the counter-terrorism initiatives of the world’s military and intelligence agencies.
CNN reports how Al Qaeda's hand in the London 7/7 and attempted 7/21 bomb plots emerges for the first time with a highly detailed account from cell leader Rashid Rauf.
CNN's Nic Robertson said: 'These documents show that London was extremely lucky on 7/21.
'The terrorists were using the same bomb-building instructions as the 7/7 bombers, who had actually encountered the same problem with the way they had mixed their explosives.
'The 7/7 bombers had closer contacts with Rauf and were able to contact him and change their bombs so that they worked.'
The 46 page document outlines how and why the liquid explosive plot took shape and explains how counter-surveillance measures by the 21/7 bombers threw security officers off their scent.
The files also contain details of the ways in which Al Qaeda seeks to learn from its mistakes, and the levels of sophistication and determination within its ranks.
In addition, they reveal the impact that military drone strikes and infiltration by intelligence agencies are having on al Qaeda's numbers and behaviour.
Robertson added: 'These documents lay open Al Qaeda’s inner workings. They prove the links between some of its highest profile plots and attacks, and show how it's trying to cope with the constant pressure from military and intelligence operations against it.'
The documents were discovered on the memory disc when Austrian 22-year-old Maqsood Lodin was arrested following his return to Germany from Pakistan.
Buried amongst the files was a pornographic video called Kick Ass, and a document marked 'Sexy Tanja'.
It took German investigators several weeks to decrypt the file, but when they did they found an inside track on some of the terror group's most audacious plots and a road map for future operations.
PDF terrorist training manuals in German, English and Arabic were also found in what U.S. intelligence sources say is the most important haul of terrorist materials in the last year.
Lodin and another man called Yusuf Ocak, who allegedly travelled back to Europe with him, are now on trial in Berlin where they are pleading not guilty to terror offences.
Rais defends Astro, says ‘best parts’ of BBC Bersih clip shown
Rais said today that credit has to be given “for knowing which part of the news is newsworthy.” — file pic
“It has to be given credit for knowing which part of the news is newsworthy and therefore they should exercise that within their rights of itself as a broadcasting firm,” the information, communication and culture minister told reporters here today.
He added that in the case of Bersih 3.0, or “Kotor 3.0”, as he put it, the coverage had been edited so that only the “best part” was aired by Astro.
He stressed that each television station had the right to “edit” news at their discretion as such items could “run into hours”.
Astro has admitted to censoring the BBC’s Bersih 3.0 coverage. — file pic
Rohaizad did not divulge further details on what the regulations were but said that Astro reserved the right to “edit” content from international providers and channels as it sees fit.
“We are surprised and somewhat disappointed that our long-standing partner, the BBC, when, issuing its statement, did not take cognisance of the duty of Astro to comply with local content regulations,” the Astro senior executive said in a statement last night.
In a statement emailed to The Malaysian Insider on Monday night, the BBC complained about Astro’s censorship of its brief coverage of Saturday’s rally, which saw local police fire tear gas and water cannons to disperse protesters.
“We would strongly condemn any blocking of the trusted news that we broadcast around the world including via distribution partners,” a BBC spokesman said in the statement.
The British public service broadcaster added that it was making “urgent enquiries” to Astro to seek its reasons for censoring its two-minute coverage of the protest.
According to the YouTube link available in the statement, BBC’s coverage of Bersih 3.0 had been shortened by several seconds to exclude clips of short interviews with two protesters.
In the first censored interview, a man, believed to be Chinese, had told the BBC that the police took unprovoked action at protesters despite efforts to negotiate.
The BBC said in a statement it was “surprised” and “disappointed”. — file pic
“I’m here to see that we have free and fair elections. That’s all.
“We want the Election Commission (EC) to be independent and clean. At the moment, it is not clean. Okay? So I have to stand here because this is a day of destiny for Malaysians,” he said, amid a backdrop of hundreds standing before the barricades surrounding Dataran Merdeka.
Local TV operators had also slashed another portion of BBC’s report, which showed scenes of the riot police’s fire-red water cannon trucks firing chemical-laced water at protesters.
A part of the BBC correspondent Emily Buchanan’s words were also clipped along with the scene.
“It’s not entirely clear how the violence started,” she had said in the portion of the clip that was aired.
“... but after the rally was declared a success and people began to go home, the barriers were breached...,” she said in the censored portion.
“... and the authorities fired tear gas at the crowds,” she continued, as the scene continued.
Police to arrest protesters soon
CID director Mohd Bakri Zinin said police would release the pictures of those who attacked the police and members of the public.
KUALA LUMPUR: Police will soon arrest participants who turned violent in last Saturday’s Bersih 3.0 rally, based on pictures taken and recordings made by several quarters obtained by them.
Bukit Aman Crime Investigation Department director Mohd Bakri Zinin said police would release the pictures of those who attacked the police and members of the public, as well as caused damage to properties during the rally.
“We have their pictures and we will release to the media and the public soon to track them down,” he told reporters at the Bukit Aman police headquarters here today.
In last Saturday’s rally, participants at the rally had not only breached police barricades to enter Dataran Merdeka, but also a court order which prohibited the public from being in the area between April 28 and May 1.
The order was issued following a decision by Kuala Lumpur City Hall to not allow Dataran Merdeka to be used a venue for the gathering which was organised by a non-governmental organisation supported by the opposition.
The organiser was instead offered other places, including Merdeka Stadium, but it was turned down.
Yesterday, Kuala Lumpur police chief Mohmad Salleh said police had detained a man in Negeri Sembilan to assist investigations into an incident at the rally.
KUALA LUMPUR: Police will soon arrest participants who turned violent in last Saturday’s Bersih 3.0 rally, based on pictures taken and recordings made by several quarters obtained by them.Bukit Aman Crime Investigation Department director Mohd Bakri Zinin said police would release the pictures of those who attacked the police and members of the public, as well as caused damage to properties during the rally.
“We have their pictures and we will release to the media and the public soon to track them down,” he told reporters at the Bukit Aman police headquarters here today.
In last Saturday’s rally, participants at the rally had not only breached police barricades to enter Dataran Merdeka, but also a court order which prohibited the public from being in the area between April 28 and May 1.
The order was issued following a decision by Kuala Lumpur City Hall to not allow Dataran Merdeka to be used a venue for the gathering which was organised by a non-governmental organisation supported by the opposition.
The organiser was instead offered other places, including Merdeka Stadium, but it was turned down.
Yesterday, Kuala Lumpur police chief Mohmad Salleh said police had detained a man in Negeri Sembilan to assist investigations into an incident at the rally.
Hadi receives history lesson from Karpal
Karpal Singh says Hadi Awang was wrong in saying that there were no Muslims in the Reid Commission.
PETALING JAYA: DAP national chairman Karpal Singh has taken PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang to task for stating that the Reid Commission that drafted the Federal Constitution did not consist of any Muslims.
“The assertion by Hadi that the Federal Constitution was drafted by the Reid Commission which did not include a single Muslim in it is misleading.
“The Reid Commission comprised of jurists of international standing having in it two Muslims – Justice B Malik from India and Justice Abdul Hamid from Pakistan,” Karpal said in a press statement.
The Reid Commission drafted the Federal Constitution of Malaya in 1956 and its main purpose was to devise a constitution for an independent Malaya.
The other members of the commission were Sir Ivor Jennings (Britain) Sir William McKell (Australia) and it was headed by Lord William Reid.
Hadi said at a press conference in Terengganu yesterday that the status of Islam in the Federal Constitution would be changed from official religion to a “way of life” when Pakatan Rakyat takes over the federal government.
“In the world today, people know of two ways to describe the faith: one is what is adopted by the West by calling it a religion, which denotes the spiritual relationship between human and God, without mentioning it as a way of life.
“The second option is by calling it Addin, the way of life, which is more apt as it includes everything, from the spiritual to all other aspects of life.”
“It is not right to say Islam is a religion, the right way is to describe it as Addin, a way of life.”
Hadi said this after launching the Terengganu PAS Youth annual meeting in Kampung Kubang Lembek, Manir here yesterday.
Karpal said the Reid Commission also gave importance to Islam as the religion of the federation.
“Islam has been internationally accepted as a religion from time immemorial and the Reid Commission would have given the matter deep consideration and thought before including Article 3 in the Federal Constitution,” he said.
Hence, Karpal said that amending the Federal Constitution would be a wrong move.
He added that Hadi’s statement was not Pakatan Rakyat’s stand.
“In any event, Hadi, when making the proposal, was not speaking for Pakatan Rakyat as this matter has not been discussed with the other component parties of Pakatan,” said Karpal.
PETALING JAYA: DAP national chairman Karpal Singh has taken PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang to task for stating that the Reid Commission that drafted the Federal Constitution did not consist of any Muslims.“The assertion by Hadi that the Federal Constitution was drafted by the Reid Commission which did not include a single Muslim in it is misleading.
“The Reid Commission comprised of jurists of international standing having in it two Muslims – Justice B Malik from India and Justice Abdul Hamid from Pakistan,” Karpal said in a press statement.
The Reid Commission drafted the Federal Constitution of Malaya in 1956 and its main purpose was to devise a constitution for an independent Malaya.
The other members of the commission were Sir Ivor Jennings (Britain) Sir William McKell (Australia) and it was headed by Lord William Reid.
Hadi said at a press conference in Terengganu yesterday that the status of Islam in the Federal Constitution would be changed from official religion to a “way of life” when Pakatan Rakyat takes over the federal government.
“In the world today, people know of two ways to describe the faith: one is what is adopted by the West by calling it a religion, which denotes the spiritual relationship between human and God, without mentioning it as a way of life.
“The second option is by calling it Addin, the way of life, which is more apt as it includes everything, from the spiritual to all other aspects of life.”
“It is not right to say Islam is a religion, the right way is to describe it as Addin, a way of life.”
Hadi said this after launching the Terengganu PAS Youth annual meeting in Kampung Kubang Lembek, Manir here yesterday.Karpal said the Reid Commission also gave importance to Islam as the religion of the federation.
“Islam has been internationally accepted as a religion from time immemorial and the Reid Commission would have given the matter deep consideration and thought before including Article 3 in the Federal Constitution,” he said.
Hence, Karpal said that amending the Federal Constitution would be a wrong move.
He added that Hadi’s statement was not Pakatan Rakyat’s stand.
“In any event, Hadi, when making the proposal, was not speaking for Pakatan Rakyat as this matter has not been discussed with the other component parties of Pakatan,” said Karpal.
Govt mulling independent panel on Bersih 3.0
Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein says an independent committee may be set up to verify the findings of the police.
PUTRAJAYA: The government may set up an independent panel to investigate Saturday’s Bersih 3.0 rally and the members may be announced “in due time”, Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein said.
“We discussed in the post-Cabinet, we have no objection at all in forming an independent panel to verify whatever findings made by the police, even against their own personnel,” he told a press conference after chairing the ministry’s post-Cabinet meeting here today.
“The Inspector-General of Police [Ismail Omar) also wants the matter to be transparent even if it involved the police. We want transparency. We want justice and everything will be done in accordance with the rule of law," he added.
He also said that the ministry and the police would air the recordings of Saturday's rally so that the incident would not be exploited by the opposition and the international media.
He said recordings of the rally which had been aired, especially by the international media, focused only on police action in firing tear gas and water cannons.
The incident where the protesters breached the police barricades at Dataran Merdeka was not shown, he added.
"The Cabinet has agreed to show the actual incident; the sequence of events on how the police acted will be aired. We will find a mechanism [to air the video recording],” he added.
Meanwhile, Cabinet has ordered the police and the Attorney-General Abdul Gani Patail to expedite investigations and prosecute those responsible for creating disorder in Kuala Lumpur during the Bersih 3.0 rally.
Hishammuddin said stern action would be taken against those found to have breached the country’s laws.
“The Cabinet unanimously agreed that the government has to take all necessary measures and action to maintain security and public order in the country.
“The Cabinet also gave its assurance that the security of the country and its people is above the political interest of any individual or group.”
Hishammuddin said the government regrets the action of some participants at the rally for turning violent and causing injury to policemen, as well as damage to public property.
Bernama
PUTRAJAYA: The government may set up an independent panel to investigate Saturday’s Bersih 3.0 rally and the members may be announced “in due time”, Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein said.“We discussed in the post-Cabinet, we have no objection at all in forming an independent panel to verify whatever findings made by the police, even against their own personnel,” he told a press conference after chairing the ministry’s post-Cabinet meeting here today.
“The Inspector-General of Police [Ismail Omar) also wants the matter to be transparent even if it involved the police. We want transparency. We want justice and everything will be done in accordance with the rule of law," he added.
He also said that the ministry and the police would air the recordings of Saturday's rally so that the incident would not be exploited by the opposition and the international media.
He said recordings of the rally which had been aired, especially by the international media, focused only on police action in firing tear gas and water cannons.
The incident where the protesters breached the police barricades at Dataran Merdeka was not shown, he added.
"The Cabinet has agreed to show the actual incident; the sequence of events on how the police acted will be aired. We will find a mechanism [to air the video recording],” he added.
Meanwhile, Cabinet has ordered the police and the Attorney-General Abdul Gani Patail to expedite investigations and prosecute those responsible for creating disorder in Kuala Lumpur during the Bersih 3.0 rally.
Hishammuddin said stern action would be taken against those found to have breached the country’s laws.
“The Cabinet unanimously agreed that the government has to take all necessary measures and action to maintain security and public order in the country.
“The Cabinet also gave its assurance that the security of the country and its people is above the political interest of any individual or group.”
Hishammuddin said the government regrets the action of some participants at the rally for turning violent and causing injury to policemen, as well as damage to public property.
Bernama
MyKad brawl outside PM’s office
A fight broke outside the PM's office in Putrajaya, leaving a PKR man injured while a MIC man has been arrested.
FULL REPORT
KUALA LUMPUR: Pandemonium erupted outside the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) in Putrajaya this morning as MIC Youth and PKR members traded blows.
In the fracas, Puchong PKR division chief S Murali sustained injuries to his face while a MIC Youth member was arrested.
Some 100 PKR members led by party vice-president N Surendran arrived at the PMO this morning to submit a memorandum to Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak, urging him to look into the plight of 17-year-old student B Reshina.
Reshina was prevented by the Gombak district education office from attending school last month as she did not have a blue MyKad.
At the same time, a large number of MIC members arrived at the scene to show gratitude to Najib for granting blue MyKads to thousands of Malaysian Indians under the MyDaftar programme.
MIC claimed that Murali had hurled vulgarities at them, sparking off the brawl. But PKR blamed the former for the incident.
It took some 50 policemen to bring the situation under control.
PKR: They tried to attack Reshina
Speaking to reporters later, Surendran said that Murali was attacked when he tried to defend Reshina from being assaulted by the MIC Youth members.
“Umno deliberately hired MIC gangsters to thwart our intention (of submitting the memo)
by provoking us and creating a ruckus,” he said.
Besides Murali, the PKR leader said two other party members were also injured – Gunasegaran from the Kota Rajah division and S Gobikrishnan, who recently joined PKR.
Also present were PKR’s Kapar MP S Manikavasagam, Ampang MP Zuraidah Kamaruddin and PKR strategic director Rafizi Ramli.
Surendran also expressed disappointment with the police for failing to bring the situation under control.
“They (MIC) openly attacked our members but only one was arrested but the others were allowed to walk free,” he said.
Surendran said they managed to send the memorandum to the prime minister’s special officer.
“We want an immediate solution (to Reshina’s problem) and not the normal process which would take a couple of months,” he added.
Speaking at a press conference later, Zuraidah said that she was confused over MIC’s aggressive reaction.
“We are only trying to help the Indians, why is MIC reacting so violently?” she asked.
She conveyed her hope that Reshina would be allowed to attend classes while her application was processed.
Reshina, who was also present, said that she felt sorry for those who were injured in the fracas.
“My father has a blue IC. So do my sisters. I have a birth certificate… I just want my IC for my education. As you know, if you don’t have an IC, you can’t get anything done.
“I don’t know why this happens but I hope they process my application soon,” she added.
MIC Youth: They threw the first punch
Meanwhile, MIC Youth chief T Mohan accused PKR members of starting the ruckus.
“The scuffle started when one of them shouted vulgarities at us and punched one of our members,” he said.
He also rubbished Surendran’s claim that MIC Youth members tried to attack Reshina.
“It is utter rubbish. There is no reason for us to attack the girl,” he said, challenging the PKR leader to prove his claim.
During his speech earlier, Mohan said that he would resign as MIC Youth chief if PKR brought the 300,000 Malaysian Indians, which the opposition party claimed had no identification documents.
“We offered to help them, but until today, PKR has not revealed the details,” he said.
In a related development, Subang PKR Youth member V Sivam told FMT that he had video evidence to prove that MIC Youth members started the fracas.
“I will submit the video to MIC disciplinary committee chairperson KS Nijhar and ask him to take action against those responsible,” he said.
FULL REPORT
KUALA LUMPUR: Pandemonium erupted outside the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) in Putrajaya this morning as MIC Youth and PKR members traded blows.In the fracas, Puchong PKR division chief S Murali sustained injuries to his face while a MIC Youth member was arrested.
Some 100 PKR members led by party vice-president N Surendran arrived at the PMO this morning to submit a memorandum to Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak, urging him to look into the plight of 17-year-old student B Reshina.
Reshina was prevented by the Gombak district education office from attending school last month as she did not have a blue MyKad.
At the same time, a large number of MIC members arrived at the scene to show gratitude to Najib for granting blue MyKads to thousands of Malaysian Indians under the MyDaftar programme.
MIC claimed that Murali had hurled vulgarities at them, sparking off the brawl. But PKR blamed the former for the incident.
It took some 50 policemen to bring the situation under control.
PKR: They tried to attack Reshina
Speaking to reporters later, Surendran said that Murali was attacked when he tried to defend Reshina from being assaulted by the MIC Youth members.
“Umno deliberately hired MIC gangsters to thwart our intention (of submitting the memo)
by provoking us and creating a ruckus,” he said.Besides Murali, the PKR leader said two other party members were also injured – Gunasegaran from the Kota Rajah division and S Gobikrishnan, who recently joined PKR.
Also present were PKR’s Kapar MP S Manikavasagam, Ampang MP Zuraidah Kamaruddin and PKR strategic director Rafizi Ramli.
Surendran also expressed disappointment with the police for failing to bring the situation under control.
“They (MIC) openly attacked our members but only one was arrested but the others were allowed to walk free,” he said.
Surendran said they managed to send the memorandum to the prime minister’s special officer.
“We want an immediate solution (to Reshina’s problem) and not the normal process which would take a couple of months,” he added.
Speaking at a press conference later, Zuraidah said that she was confused over MIC’s aggressive reaction.
“We are only trying to help the Indians, why is MIC reacting so violently?” she asked.
She conveyed her hope that Reshina would be allowed to attend classes while her application was processed.
Reshina, who was also present, said that she felt sorry for those who were injured in the fracas.
“My father has a blue IC. So do my sisters. I have a birth certificate… I just want my IC for my education. As you know, if you don’t have an IC, you can’t get anything done.
“I don’t know why this happens but I hope they process my application soon,” she added.
MIC Youth: They threw the first punch
Meanwhile, MIC Youth chief T Mohan accused PKR members of starting the ruckus.
“The scuffle started when one of them shouted vulgarities at us and punched one of our members,” he said.
He also rubbished Surendran’s claim that MIC Youth members tried to attack Reshina.“It is utter rubbish. There is no reason for us to attack the girl,” he said, challenging the PKR leader to prove his claim.
During his speech earlier, Mohan said that he would resign as MIC Youth chief if PKR brought the 300,000 Malaysian Indians, which the opposition party claimed had no identification documents.
“We offered to help them, but until today, PKR has not revealed the details,” he said.
In a related development, Subang PKR Youth member V Sivam told FMT that he had video evidence to prove that MIC Youth members started the fracas.
“I will submit the video to MIC disciplinary committee chairperson KS Nijhar and ask him to take action against those responsible,” he said.
New video: Cop points gun at protester
In the 10-second clip, a traffic policeman is seen pointing his pistol at a man believed to be a PAS Unit Amal member.
VIDEO INSIDE
KUALA LUMPUR: A slew of videos have emerged in the aftermath of last Saturday’s Bersih 3.0 rally, showing both the police and protesters turning violent on the streets.
Today, FMT received a video depicting a traffic policeman pointing his gun at an unarmed protester, adding on to the series of incriminating visual evidence indicating the use of excessive force by the authorities.
In the 10-second clip, from an anonymous contributor, the protester, believed to be a PAS Unit Amal member, is seen trying to lift a red motorcycle amid a chaotic background of protesters appearing to be fleeing from the police.
There were two motorcycles lying on the road. It was not clear if they were the properties of the police. PAS Unit Amal is a volunteer corp tasked to maintain crowd discipline during rallies.
A few seconds later, a traffic policeman is seen entering the frame with a gun in hand and pointing it towards the activist. The latter is then seen raising his hands as the officer approached him and runs off to join the rest of the crowd.
At that point, two blue uniformed policemen are seen chasing the large crowd away with their hands on their holstered guns in what appeared to be an attempt to intimidate and push the crowd backwards.
According to a lawyer, a policeman could only take out his gun if the person before him was highly suspicious or likely to cause hurt.
“So in this case it was wrong for the traffic policeman to do that. In some countries it would have been considered as assault or intimidation,” the lawyer said on condition of anonymity.
Police violence
The video was believed to have been shot along Jalann Tunku Abdul Rahman near the Sogo shopping complex just after a police car was overturned and police and protesters clashed on Jalan Raja Laut that saw scores injured including those from the police.
The clashes occurred after police fired tear gas and water cannons to disperse tens of thousands of demonstrators, following a breach of the barricade in front of Dataran Merdeka.
Police had on Friday obtained a court order barring Bersih 3.0 and the public from entering the historic square across the weekend.
Dozens of tear gas canisters were shot on a packed crowd forcing them to retreat north of Jalan Raja Laut while some ran towards Jalan Tun Perak as police and anti-riot squads moved in to disperse the crowd.
Angry protesters later attacked a police car, which then crashed into at least two people, while trying to flee. After an ambulance took away the injured policemen, the protesters flipped the car over on its side but then fled after tear gas was fired.
Both the authorities and rally organisers blamed each other for the fracas but the police now face more pressure to explain the surfacing evidence of what rights groups described as unnecessary violence used to disperse a peaceful assembly.
Inspector-General of Police Ismail Omar had vowed to open investigations on the allegations but said his men made the right move to disperse the rally as a “more dangerous situation could have taken place”.
VIDEO INSIDE
KUALA LUMPUR: A slew of videos have emerged in the aftermath of last Saturday’s Bersih 3.0 rally, showing both the police and protesters turning violent on the streets.Today, FMT received a video depicting a traffic policeman pointing his gun at an unarmed protester, adding on to the series of incriminating visual evidence indicating the use of excessive force by the authorities.
In the 10-second clip, from an anonymous contributor, the protester, believed to be a PAS Unit Amal member, is seen trying to lift a red motorcycle amid a chaotic background of protesters appearing to be fleeing from the police.
There were two motorcycles lying on the road. It was not clear if they were the properties of the police. PAS Unit Amal is a volunteer corp tasked to maintain crowd discipline during rallies.
A few seconds later, a traffic policeman is seen entering the frame with a gun in hand and pointing it towards the activist. The latter is then seen raising his hands as the officer approached him and runs off to join the rest of the crowd.
At that point, two blue uniformed policemen are seen chasing the large crowd away with their hands on their holstered guns in what appeared to be an attempt to intimidate and push the crowd backwards.
According to a lawyer, a policeman could only take out his gun if the person before him was highly suspicious or likely to cause hurt.
“So in this case it was wrong for the traffic policeman to do that. In some countries it would have been considered as assault or intimidation,” the lawyer said on condition of anonymity.
Police violence
The video was believed to have been shot along Jalann Tunku Abdul Rahman near the Sogo shopping complex just after a police car was overturned and police and protesters clashed on Jalan Raja Laut that saw scores injured including those from the police.
The clashes occurred after police fired tear gas and water cannons to disperse tens of thousands of demonstrators, following a breach of the barricade in front of Dataran Merdeka.
Police had on Friday obtained a court order barring Bersih 3.0 and the public from entering the historic square across the weekend.
Dozens of tear gas canisters were shot on a packed crowd forcing them to retreat north of Jalan Raja Laut while some ran towards Jalan Tun Perak as police and anti-riot squads moved in to disperse the crowd.
Angry protesters later attacked a police car, which then crashed into at least two people, while trying to flee. After an ambulance took away the injured policemen, the protesters flipped the car over on its side but then fled after tear gas was fired.
Both the authorities and rally organisers blamed each other for the fracas but the police now face more pressure to explain the surfacing evidence of what rights groups described as unnecessary violence used to disperse a peaceful assembly.
Inspector-General of Police Ismail Omar had vowed to open investigations on the allegations but said his men made the right move to disperse the rally as a “more dangerous situation could have taken place”.
MINIMUM WAGE
1. The workers of Malaysia must be happy over the RM900 per month minimum pay. It will give them a higher standard of living.
2. But the minimum wage would I think, cause a domino effect. Those now receiving RM900 per month would not be happy with the idea of their juniors getting the same wages as themselves. To preserve the salary structure their wages must be raised also. And of course if their wages go up those above them would also demand an increase so that their seniority would be properly compensated.
3. So the increase in minimum wage would result in increases in the wages of all categories of workers and employees. Costs of everything must certainly go up.
4. So will the overtime pay. It would be double of the RM 900 per month base salary and quadruple for work after the usual working hours. Considering the number of weekends and holidays in Malaysia, the salary bill would be substantially increased.
5. This increase should not worry the Government. But it should worry the private sector. Already Malaysia’s wages and salaries are higher than all the Asean countries excepting Singapore. It is certainly higher than China. This might deter both domestic and foreign investors.
6. If investments do not come in, the number of new jobs created would be diminished. This might increase unemployment.
7. Unless Government revenue increase substantially the increased salary bill would have to be met by reducing development budget. This will have other unwelcome side effects.
8. I am sure the Government financial experts have already taken into consideration all these things when they advised the Cabinet. It is just that I worry. Some rating agencies have been talking about down-grading this country. I hope they are not serious. Malaysia has always managed its finances well. I am sure that productivity would increase to compensate for the higher wages and overall costs.
Should we still believe in peaceful protests?
Ksatriya - The Malaysian Insider
— It is so tempting, isn’t it?
To throw up our hands and declare that this will never work. To say that’s it and throw in the towel. To lose faith completely in our fellow Malaysians and retreat into a corner, declaring that ideals can never trump human flaws.
The myth of the peaceful protest, busted?
I spent the last two days being in and out of depression. It descended on me the minute I heard of violence perpetrated by protestors at Bersih 3.0. Suddenly, my belief in the cause and the Malaysian people seemed to crumble. After all our noble intentions, are we nothing more than a mob? Yesterday, some first-hand accounts began to appear. Some of the political leaders had incited the crowd to breach the cordon, they said. The crowd surged forth. The police had no choice but to defend themselves with wave after wave of tear gas. They had to mop up the streets of violent and unruly protestors. Things were broken, cars were overturned. The myth of the peaceful protest was finally busted.
Or was it?
I hardly slept last night. I was in front of the computer until the early hours of the morning, poring over news reports, videos, pictures. Trying to make sense of the events that had dealt such a powerful blow to my faith. Then it dawned on me.
There were 250,000 plus peaceful protestors on the streets yesterday. Let that sink in. Two hundred and fifty thousand people, just like you and me. With jobs and hobbies and bills. And that was just in KL. There were scores of protestors at other locations all over Malaysia and all over the world. The Bersih banner was held aloft on top of a mountain. It was proudly displayed under the sea. It was held aloft in KL, in Penang, in Ipoh, in JB, in Kuching, in KK, in London, in Hong Kong, in Japan, in Australia, in the US, in Canada — at over 70 locations all over the world.
All peaceful, save for one. KL.
People had begun gathering 12 hours earlier in KL. You’ve seen the reports. People started pouring in on the night of the 27th. But no property was damaged in that time. No policemen were attacked in the hours leading to Bersih. There were thousands of Malaysians already near Dataran before Bersih even started. They could have breached the cordon if they wanted to, really. They did not.
A team of independent observers called the protestors ‘peaceful’ and ‘exemplary’. Read the story here.
Nor did any violence occur at 2pm, the official starting time for Bersih’s Duduk Bantah. I was there from 11am. There were thousands of people at the rallying points leading to Dataran Merdeka. No incidences of violence. People were laughing, talking, singing songs. Some exceptional young men and women were walking around with trash bags, cleaning up after other protestors. Even cleaning up trash that was there before we had started to gather. The atmosphere was festive. The camaraderie was infectious. We were Malaysians. And we were there to build a better Malaysia. Peacefully.
So what the hell happened at 3pm?
We’d spent the day in a jovial, celebratory mood. Resting with friends in the shade, I remember telling one of them that maybe the police had taken Bersih 2.0 as a lesson. Then we smelled the tear gas.
It is quite telling on the Malaysian government, I think, that a crowd of young, mostly middle-class people at a peaceful protest immediately recognised the smell of tear gas. But I digress.
At first the acid stench of tear gas was bearable. We could see the clouds of smoke in the distance. The crowd began slowly walking away. And then the canisters were fired into the crowd and all hell broke loose.
You might imagine a scene of utter chaos. Every man for himself, people stepping and clamouring over each other to reach safety, to hell with their fellow man. For a second, this was my fear.
Then the crowd proved me wrong.
Our skin stung from the chemicals, our eyes watered in pain, our breathing laboured and difficult. We had nowhere to go. People were everywhere, running, screaming, dragging their friends and family behind them.
But voices began punctuating the panic.
“Stay calm! Don’t run! Help the people beside you!” they called in both Malay and English. There were shouts in Chinese and Tamil as well, though I could not discern what they were saying.
I threw my voice in. “Sabar! Jangan panik! Makan garam! Basuh muka! Jalan! Jangan lari!” I screamed over and over, to know one in particular. A young Malay man with Unit Amal did the same, repeating the call for calm over and over in Malay.
Then the crush and pull of the crowd began to slow. People looked at us and slowed their pace. They ate the salt and washed their faces. They offered what they had to the people around them regardless of race. I saw young men and women with faces red from the pain. But they bit their lips and started looking around, helping the people around them.
A single, shining bud of hope sprang forth in my heart. “This,” my brain screamed in elation “is my Malaysia!”
People were angry, though. They were angry at the authorities for their heavy-handed tactics. What did we do to deserve this? As we tried to disperse, we were caged in, exits blocked, people forced to suffer the full effect of the burning tear gas. Isn’t the whole point of that vile fume to disperse people? Why kettle us into confined spaces and flay us with wave after wave of that noxious stuff?
Later on I read a tweet that I felt perfectly explained the situation. “They didn’t want us to disperse. They wanted us to suffer.” **
Even then, there was no violence. There was pent up anger, but no violence. We dispersed however we could. We helped whomever we could along the way. At 4pm, we made our way home.
So should we still believe in the cause? Should we still believe in peaceful protests?
I’m not going to spend any time here pointing fingers or assigning blame. There will be more than enough of that in the next few days. Accusations will fly from both sides, fantastic theories will be put forth, condemnation will spew freely from the ground. Once the dust has settled, the truth will finally emerge triumphant, bloody but never beaten. Until then, I would like to appeal to all my friends here, stay calm. Stay rational. Be patient. Let the facts emerge. Have faith in your fellow Malaysians. If we lose that, we have nothing.
Nobody said this was going to be easy. We didn’t really think we could breeze through this without having to face the tough questions, did we? Face them we must.
Can we let the action of a few undermine our noble cause? Should we tear ourselves apart pointing fingers and assigning blame, whilst our democracy and votes continue to be stolen from right under our noses? Should we descend once again into apathy and inaction because things didn’t go exactly as we planned them?
There will be some difficult questions we’ll have to answer. There are going to be obstacles and challenges. There will be room for improvement and growing pains. We must face and solve them all rationally. We will have to slog through the mud before we reach our goal. But reach it we shall
There’s a line from a movie I like to quote all the time. The movie itself is cheesy, the line, however, is not.
“Success will test a man’s mettle as surely as the strongest adversary.”
Please excuse the gender specific reference. As I said, the movie’s a little cheesy. That single line of dialogue, however, is genius. It is both true and timely. We have seen some success, now it will test us to see if we are truly worthy of reaching our ultimate goal.
We cannot fail.
We must see this through, despite all obstacles and tribulations.
Stay united. Keep the belief alive. Trust your fellow Malaysians. Fight on for our worthy cause.
We will succeed.
PS In case you’re wondering, yes, an Australian Senator was in fact present at Bersih 3.0 and he was tear-gassed too. He was part of an international fact-finding mission on the electoral process in Malaysia. The team has stated that they have grave concerns about the electoral process and Election Commission. Watch the press conference here
— It is so tempting, isn’t it?
To throw up our hands and declare that this will never work. To say that’s it and throw in the towel. To lose faith completely in our fellow Malaysians and retreat into a corner, declaring that ideals can never trump human flaws.
The myth of the peaceful protest, busted?
I spent the last two days being in and out of depression. It descended on me the minute I heard of violence perpetrated by protestors at Bersih 3.0. Suddenly, my belief in the cause and the Malaysian people seemed to crumble. After all our noble intentions, are we nothing more than a mob? Yesterday, some first-hand accounts began to appear. Some of the political leaders had incited the crowd to breach the cordon, they said. The crowd surged forth. The police had no choice but to defend themselves with wave after wave of tear gas. They had to mop up the streets of violent and unruly protestors. Things were broken, cars were overturned. The myth of the peaceful protest was finally busted.
Or was it?
I hardly slept last night. I was in front of the computer until the early hours of the morning, poring over news reports, videos, pictures. Trying to make sense of the events that had dealt such a powerful blow to my faith. Then it dawned on me.
There were 250,000 plus peaceful protestors on the streets yesterday. Let that sink in. Two hundred and fifty thousand people, just like you and me. With jobs and hobbies and bills. And that was just in KL. There were scores of protestors at other locations all over Malaysia and all over the world. The Bersih banner was held aloft on top of a mountain. It was proudly displayed under the sea. It was held aloft in KL, in Penang, in Ipoh, in JB, in Kuching, in KK, in London, in Hong Kong, in Japan, in Australia, in the US, in Canada — at over 70 locations all over the world.
All peaceful, save for one. KL.
People had begun gathering 12 hours earlier in KL. You’ve seen the reports. People started pouring in on the night of the 27th. But no property was damaged in that time. No policemen were attacked in the hours leading to Bersih. There were thousands of Malaysians already near Dataran before Bersih even started. They could have breached the cordon if they wanted to, really. They did not.
A team of independent observers called the protestors ‘peaceful’ and ‘exemplary’. Read the story here.
Nor did any violence occur at 2pm, the official starting time for Bersih’s Duduk Bantah. I was there from 11am. There were thousands of people at the rallying points leading to Dataran Merdeka. No incidences of violence. People were laughing, talking, singing songs. Some exceptional young men and women were walking around with trash bags, cleaning up after other protestors. Even cleaning up trash that was there before we had started to gather. The atmosphere was festive. The camaraderie was infectious. We were Malaysians. And we were there to build a better Malaysia. Peacefully.
So what the hell happened at 3pm?
We’d spent the day in a jovial, celebratory mood. Resting with friends in the shade, I remember telling one of them that maybe the police had taken Bersih 2.0 as a lesson. Then we smelled the tear gas.
It is quite telling on the Malaysian government, I think, that a crowd of young, mostly middle-class people at a peaceful protest immediately recognised the smell of tear gas. But I digress.
At first the acid stench of tear gas was bearable. We could see the clouds of smoke in the distance. The crowd began slowly walking away. And then the canisters were fired into the crowd and all hell broke loose.
You might imagine a scene of utter chaos. Every man for himself, people stepping and clamouring over each other to reach safety, to hell with their fellow man. For a second, this was my fear.
Then the crowd proved me wrong.
Our skin stung from the chemicals, our eyes watered in pain, our breathing laboured and difficult. We had nowhere to go. People were everywhere, running, screaming, dragging their friends and family behind them.
But voices began punctuating the panic.
“Stay calm! Don’t run! Help the people beside you!” they called in both Malay and English. There were shouts in Chinese and Tamil as well, though I could not discern what they were saying.
I threw my voice in. “Sabar! Jangan panik! Makan garam! Basuh muka! Jalan! Jangan lari!” I screamed over and over, to know one in particular. A young Malay man with Unit Amal did the same, repeating the call for calm over and over in Malay.
Then the crush and pull of the crowd began to slow. People looked at us and slowed their pace. They ate the salt and washed their faces. They offered what they had to the people around them regardless of race. I saw young men and women with faces red from the pain. But they bit their lips and started looking around, helping the people around them.
A single, shining bud of hope sprang forth in my heart. “This,” my brain screamed in elation “is my Malaysia!”
People were angry, though. They were angry at the authorities for their heavy-handed tactics. What did we do to deserve this? As we tried to disperse, we were caged in, exits blocked, people forced to suffer the full effect of the burning tear gas. Isn’t the whole point of that vile fume to disperse people? Why kettle us into confined spaces and flay us with wave after wave of that noxious stuff?
Later on I read a tweet that I felt perfectly explained the situation. “They didn’t want us to disperse. They wanted us to suffer.” **
Even then, there was no violence. There was pent up anger, but no violence. We dispersed however we could. We helped whomever we could along the way. At 4pm, we made our way home.
So should we still believe in the cause? Should we still believe in peaceful protests?
I’m not going to spend any time here pointing fingers or assigning blame. There will be more than enough of that in the next few days. Accusations will fly from both sides, fantastic theories will be put forth, condemnation will spew freely from the ground. Once the dust has settled, the truth will finally emerge triumphant, bloody but never beaten. Until then, I would like to appeal to all my friends here, stay calm. Stay rational. Be patient. Let the facts emerge. Have faith in your fellow Malaysians. If we lose that, we have nothing.
Nobody said this was going to be easy. We didn’t really think we could breeze through this without having to face the tough questions, did we? Face them we must.
Can we let the action of a few undermine our noble cause? Should we tear ourselves apart pointing fingers and assigning blame, whilst our democracy and votes continue to be stolen from right under our noses? Should we descend once again into apathy and inaction because things didn’t go exactly as we planned them?
There will be some difficult questions we’ll have to answer. There are going to be obstacles and challenges. There will be room for improvement and growing pains. We must face and solve them all rationally. We will have to slog through the mud before we reach our goal. But reach it we shall
There’s a line from a movie I like to quote all the time. The movie itself is cheesy, the line, however, is not.
“Success will test a man’s mettle as surely as the strongest adversary.”
Please excuse the gender specific reference. As I said, the movie’s a little cheesy. That single line of dialogue, however, is genius. It is both true and timely. We have seen some success, now it will test us to see if we are truly worthy of reaching our ultimate goal.
We cannot fail.
We must see this through, despite all obstacles and tribulations.
Stay united. Keep the belief alive. Trust your fellow Malaysians. Fight on for our worthy cause.
We will succeed.
PS In case you’re wondering, yes, an Australian Senator was in fact present at Bersih 3.0 and he was tear-gassed too. He was part of an international fact-finding mission on the electoral process in Malaysia. The team has stated that they have grave concerns about the electoral process and Election Commission. Watch the press conference here
Bar considering lawsuit against police
The Star (Used by permission)
KUALA
LUMPUR: The Bar Council is mulling over whether a civil suit should be
filed against the police over the treatment of protesters during the
Bersih 3.0 rally.
They may also call for an inquiry by Suhakam over allegations of police brutality.
“We
will engage with the police. We have spoken to (City CID chief Senior
Asst Comm Datuk Ku Chin Wah) that we need to sit down and talk and he
was quite receptive to that,” its president Lim Chee Wee told a press
conference yesterday.
Releasing
the interim report of the Malaysian Bar’s observation of Saturday’s
rally, Lim said the instances of police brutality as well as arbitrary
use of water cannon and tear gas were a lot more rampant than during the
Bersih 2.0 demonstration last year.
“The use of force by the police, without any obvious provocation or cause, was disproportionate and excessive.
“We need a police transformation programme.
“The Prime Minister may be sincere in his reforms but his agencies are not catching up,” Lim said.
He
declined to comment on allegations that Opposition leader Datuk Seri
Anwar Ibrahim and PKR deputy president Azmin Ali had provoked the crowd
into breaking through police barriers, saying that it “required further
investigation”.
“But even if you breach the outer barriers, does it justify firing tear gas into the crowd?” Lim asked.
Bersih
2.0 steering committee said in a statement yesterday that it had not
broken its promise of a peaceful gathering as the reported acts of
violence only occurred after the tear gas was fired.
The police, it said, had failed to ensure peace after firing the water cannons and tear gas.
“In
advanced democracies where the freedom to assemble is respected, both
the organisers and the state have equal responsibility to ensure peace
and security.
“Yet
in this case, the state imposed the entire burden on Bersih 2.0. We
discharged that burden fully and Bersih 2.0 had full control until the
tear gas was fired.
“Once
that happened, the burden shifted to the police to handle the situation
they had created. The responsibility became theirs,” the statement
said.
While
stressing that they did not condone the breaching of the barricades at
Dataran Merdeka, the committee questioned whether it was an “excuse for
the disproportionate and excessive use of force by the police”.
“The
breach at the barricades came after Bersih had declared the rally a
success and had given instructions to the crowd to disperse,” it said.
Screening Of Video Recordings Of Rally Encouraged, Says Rais
KUALA LUMPUR, May 2 (Bernama) -- The Information, Communications and
Culture Ministry encourages the screening of video recordings of last
Saturday's protest rally which turned violent so as to give the public
an overall picture of what happened that day.
Its minister Datuk Seri Dr Rais Yatim said the ministry had asked television stations like Radio Televisyen Malaysia (RTM), TV3 and others to look at the video recordings in total to show the rally participants' behaviour.
"For example, there were participants who smashed police patrol car windscreens. They should watch this video, while there are also videos showing policemen acting inappropriately.
"All these can be gathered as evidence on the behaviour and actions of various groups of people at the rally that day," he said after launching what is called as the world's smartest 4G Phone, Eclipse, by YTL Communication, here, Wednesday.
He was earlier asked by reporters to comment of the move by police to show the video recordings in order to give a real picture of the protest rally.
Rais said as demanded by the public, there must be justice and each group involved must be made responsible for their actions.
On Astro's censorship of BBC's coverage of the rally, he said each broadcasting house was at liberty to exercise its own right of getting the best news items for its station.
"If you look at the length of video recordings of all the news items in the world, they can run into hours. Don't tell me that each station cannot do its own editing of the best for the news items to be broadcast.
"In the case of Astro, we could see that they had edited their video recording and taken just the best part that they deemed should be broadcast," he said.
On another note, Rais said the country needed a module to enable the people to communicate via broadband while telecommunication companies would be able to offer the service at affordable rates.
He said the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission was looking at the matter; how the formula could be implemented soon.
He added that the Internet was a necessity where its use would be a culture that was competitive to Malaysia, especially in its drive to become a developed nation by 2020.
Its minister Datuk Seri Dr Rais Yatim said the ministry had asked television stations like Radio Televisyen Malaysia (RTM), TV3 and others to look at the video recordings in total to show the rally participants' behaviour.
"For example, there were participants who smashed police patrol car windscreens. They should watch this video, while there are also videos showing policemen acting inappropriately.
"All these can be gathered as evidence on the behaviour and actions of various groups of people at the rally that day," he said after launching what is called as the world's smartest 4G Phone, Eclipse, by YTL Communication, here, Wednesday.
He was earlier asked by reporters to comment of the move by police to show the video recordings in order to give a real picture of the protest rally.
Rais said as demanded by the public, there must be justice and each group involved must be made responsible for their actions.
On Astro's censorship of BBC's coverage of the rally, he said each broadcasting house was at liberty to exercise its own right of getting the best news items for its station.
"If you look at the length of video recordings of all the news items in the world, they can run into hours. Don't tell me that each station cannot do its own editing of the best for the news items to be broadcast.
"In the case of Astro, we could see that they had edited their video recording and taken just the best part that they deemed should be broadcast," he said.
On another note, Rais said the country needed a module to enable the people to communicate via broadband while telecommunication companies would be able to offer the service at affordable rates.
He said the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission was looking at the matter; how the formula could be implemented soon.
He added that the Internet was a necessity where its use would be a culture that was competitive to Malaysia, especially in its drive to become a developed nation by 2020.
Bersih 3.0 turnout, crackdown resets Malaysian politics
The BN finds itself on the political defensive after police
personnel cracked down on a largely peaceful 28 April protest held in
Kuala Lumpur calling for electoral reforms.
The large popular turnout and government’s perceived mishandling of the rally will likely push back general elections, earlier expected to be called by June, as Prime Minister Najib Razak’s government deals with the fallout.
Reports and images of demonstrators being assaulted by police have been circulated, raising the hackles of international rights groups about the excessive use of force. The country’s Bar Council has condemned the violence against unarmed demonstrators while media freedom groups have expressed their concerns about the targeting of journalists who attempted to document scenes of police brutality. Full article on Asia
The large popular turnout and government’s perceived mishandling of the rally will likely push back general elections, earlier expected to be called by June, as Prime Minister Najib Razak’s government deals with the fallout.
Reports and images of demonstrators being assaulted by police have been circulated, raising the hackles of international rights groups about the excessive use of force. The country’s Bar Council has condemned the violence against unarmed demonstrators while media freedom groups have expressed their concerns about the targeting of journalists who attempted to document scenes of police brutality. Full article on Asia
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