WHY NOT TOTAL BAN ON COW SLAUGHTER IN INDIA?

Hindus will launch a Great War again to stop Illegal and Brutal Cow Slaughter in Bharat. Be Prepared.

Click here>>Sign this petition : Save Cows in West Bengal.<

Gandhi on…

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Hindus will launch a Great War again to stop Illegal and Brutal Cow Slaughter in Bharat. Be Prepared.

Click here>>Sign this petition : Save Cows in West Bengal.<

Gandhi on Cow Protection:

Mother cow is in many ways better than the mother who gave us birth. Our mother gives us milk for a couple of years and then expects us to serve her when we grow up. Mother cow expects from us nothing but grass and grain. Our mother often falls ill and expects service from us. Mother cow rarely falls ill. Here is an unbroken record of service which does not end with her death. Our mother, when she dies, means expenses of burial or cremation. Mother cow is as useful dead as when she is alive. We can make use of every part of her body-her flesh, her bones, her intestines, her horns and her skin. Well, I say this not to disparage the mother who gives us birth, but in order to show you the substantial reasons for my worshipping the cow. (H, 15-9-1940, p. 281)

Mother cow is in many ways better than the mother who gave us birth. Our mother gives us milk for a couple of years and then expects us to serve her when we grow up. Mother cow expects from us nothing but grass and grain. Our mother often falls ill and expects service from us. Mother cow rarely falls ill. Here is an unbroken record of service which does not end with her death. Our mother, when she dies, means expenses of burial or cremation. Mother cow is as useful dead as when she is alive. We can make use of every part of her body-her flesh, her bones, her intestines, her horns and her skin. Well, I say this not to disparage the mother who gives us birth, but in order to show you the substantial reasons for my worshipping the cow. (H, 15-9-1940, p. 281)

My ambition is no less than to see the principle of cow protection established throughout the world. But that requires that I should set my own house thoroughly in order first. (YI, 29-1-1925, p. 38)>> Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi.

Vinoba on Cow Protection:

COW PROTECTION

“Protection of the cow and the bullock is a characteristic of the Indian social philosophy. We are, in this respect, a step ahead of the Western socialism. Western socialism asks for a full and equal protection being given to all men, but there it stops. We in India have gone a step further. We have included the cow as a member in the family. True, we have not followed this principle in practice fully. We merely pay respect to the cow but do not look after it so well as they do in the Western countries. Nevertheless we have deep regard for it and consider it worthy of our care and protection in the same way as the human members of the family. We do not drive out the latter when they grow old. In the same way, though we make full use of the cow and the bullock – take milk, get our fields ploughed, use the dung for manure, and use even their hides after they are dead – we do not kill them. But now we must link up this regard with a scientific attitude. Superstitious respect will not do. We must open good dairy forms, Gosadans, and the wealthy amongst us should come forward to provide for the upkeep of decrepit cattle. S.V.-1160

• BAN ON COW-SLAUGHTER
Some people are under serious misapprehension in regard to the secular character of our State. They think that there is some kind of incompatibility between cow protection and a secular State. There is no incompatibility between the secular character of our State and the protection of the cow. No religion in India says that it is meritorious to kill a cow, and therefore there is no conflict among our different religions about the desirability of the protection of the cow. Therefore I say that there is nothing to prevent the secular State from striving to protect the cow, and our State must do it. S.V.-1161 “ - Vinoba Bhave.

AND SEE THE RAPE OF THE SEERS AS WE CONTRADICT EVERYDAY EVERY MOMENT
A revealing Film ” THEIR LAST JOURNEY” prepared by Temple Worshippers Society & promoted by Smt. Radha Rajan or ‘Sign of Human brutality on Cow Progeny in India’.



TILL THEN WE HAVE SAVED THOUSANDS LIVES OF GAU-MATAS, CUBS, BULLS, COW-PROGENIES IN WEST BENGAL DESPITE OF SEVERE GOVT. REPRESSION THIS YEAR. WE ARE WORKING AT ENTRY & EXIST POINTS OF ORISSA, JHARKHAND, BD BORDERS, NATIONAL HIGHWAYS. WE CHECK, FIGHT, SAVE, PROTECT AND REHABILITATE. ~ See some pictures of our struggle to Save Cows in West Bengal.

*Help, Support and Donate generously*

               

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Greek Orthodox priest abducted in Syria is found dead

BEIRUT -- A Greek Orthodox priest has been found slain after being kidnapped near the Syrian capital of Damascus, the Syrian government and the Vatican news service reported Thursday.

The…

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BEIRUT -- A Greek Orthodox priest has been found slain after being kidnapped near the Syrian capital of Damascus, the Syrian government and the Vatican news service reported Thursday.

The body of the Rev. Fadi Jamil Haddad, pastor of St. Elias Church in Qatana, outside Damascus, was discovered in the Jaramana district of the capital, reported Agenzia Fides, the Vatican news service. The site was not far from the area where he was kidnapped by an “unidentified armed group" last Friday, the agency said.

The Vatican agency quoted a colleague saying the priest had been “horribly tortured.”

The official Syrian news service said the priest was found with a gunshot wound to his head. The government news agency blamed the crime on “terrorists,” its usual characterization of the armed opposition fighting to oust President Bashar Assad.

According to the official account, the priest was abducted while seeking the release of another person who had been kidnapped by militants.

But it was not clear if the priest’s slaying was political, sectarian or criminal in nature. Many Syrians have complained of a breakdown in law and order and a spike in kidnapping for ransom and other crimes as security has deteriorated. Opportunistic criminals have moved to take advantage of the nation's security void.
The Vatican news agency reported that the priest’s kidnappers had demanded a ransom equivalent to about $715,000 for the priest’s release. “It was, however, impossible to find the money and meet this exorbitant demand,” reported Agenzia Fides.

The Greek Orthodox population is considered the largest Christian denomination in Syria, where Christians represent perhaps 10% of the population. Syria is overwhelmingly Muslim.

Christian leaders in Syria say their community, which has ancient roots, is in a precarious position. Some Christians have joined the rebellion and called for Assad to step down. But many Syrian Christians back Assad, whose administration has been tolerant of religious minorities even as it has crushed political dissent.

Assad has tried to rally support among Christians and other minorities against the armed rebellion, which is led by the nation's Sunni Muslim majority. There have been reports from Syria of government efforts to arm Christian communities. But some Christian leaders have urged their co-religionists to remain neutral in the conflict.

Some Christians voice fears that Islamists will take over the secular Syrian government and that the nation will experience the kind of sectarian violence, including the bombing of churches and torching of Christian shops, that ravaged neighboring Iraq after the U.S.-led invasion toppled Saddam Hussein. Hussein, like Assad, was a secular autocrat who tolerated Christian religious practice. Tens of thousands of Iraqi Christians fled to Syria in the aftermath of Hussein’s fall.

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On the Islamic state

President Sukarno, Founding Father of Indonesia, was in Central Kalimantan on one occasion, directing the design of Palangkaraya to become the capital of the entire republic.

His design is still…

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President Sukarno, Founding Father of Indonesia, was in Central Kalimantan on one occasion, directing the design of Palangkaraya to become the capital of the entire republic.

His design is still on the board, and there is recent debate whether to move the entire governmental structure to that location.

All three Islamic-based political parties have suffered losses in recent parliamentary elections. Furthermore, government workers complain bitterly at the overcrowding in present-day Jakarta.

Sukarno chose Palangkaraya to take the ‘leadership spotlight' off of the Javanese who had ruled much of the area for many centuries.

The local ethnic and religious mix there was quite varied, and so he took the occasion to deliver an infamous speech in which he declared that Indonesia must NEVER be an Islamic state, and the Indonesian government absolutely insists that Indonesia (under the state ideology known as "Pancasila") is an entirely secular government.

Kalimantan would have been a good location to get the "spotlight" off Islam as the dominant force in the modern-day republic, if that is what the Indonesians really want.

The long-term effects of using "Pancasila" to replace Islam as a value and ideology base have been bitterly debated for a long time. President Suharto effectively ended the debate by defining Pancasila as the ONLY legal basis for Indonesian governance and law.

One religious teacher of my personal acquaintance was actually buried in the ground up to his head and fed only water for two weeks, in punishment for teaching his students that Pancasila was unIslamic.

What has been the result of this Pancasila deliberate displacement of Islam?
Aesthetically, the Islamic majority of Indonesia is quite hidden compared to Malaysia, as one can see in the totally secular design of Jakarta architecture, as well as such phenomena as no tudung at all on TV. If a Martian suddenly landed in downtown Jakarta, he might have no idea what sort of country he was in.

Locals justify the lack of Islamisation of their city environment by saying that according to the principles of Pancasila, the non-Muslim Indonesians must not be offended by Islamic design and practice in public areas.
Even the national Istiqlal Mosque was designed by a Christian architect with a central dome supported by the "magic Christian number" of twelve columns.

A large part of Malaysia's recent successes in the modern world are due to government support of Islamic style and practice, in spite of these policies causing such dread and fear in the non-Muslim countries, obviously due to lack of proper understanding and media stereotypes about Islam.
Islamic policies give our people pride and self-esteem, thanks to the genius of those who were not afraid to position Islam as the religion of the federation.

The implications brought about by this special position were in fact once translated into real policies used to be protected by our caliph in Istanbul, but must now be re-acquired, sometimes painfully, Islamic state-by-state.

In fact, a truly enduring model of Islamic governance was the brilliant Abbasid reign in Andalusia (modern Spain), which lasted almost 700 years. And the downfall of that model was exacerbated by the incredibly "dirty fighting" of the Catholics, Isabella and Ferdinand, king and queen at that time.

If you insisted that God was One, these monarchs created the Inquisition to torture you until you declared "God is Three".

With their plunder literally stolen from the Andalusian Muslims, Isabella funded Columbus' discovery of America, with its following model of freemasonic secular governance in the USA. His voyage took place in 1492, the exact same year as the final fall of the Muslims at Granada, in their battles to preserve the Andalusian Muslim legacy.

As has refreshingly been pointed out by the Minister in the Prime Minister's Department, Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz, Malaysia has never been declared a secular nation and the federal constitution made no mention of the word ‘secular'.

And even if we prefer not to call Malaysia an "Islamic state" due to the loaded content of that phrase, and also due to the considerable variety of definitions of "Islamic state" in the different Islamic legal schools of thought, we are still nevertheless engaged in the critical task of forming a Muslim polity that need not bow down to the mobilisation of Western secular forces, such as the United Nations.

We are in fact attempting to form a model of a state following the constitutionally enshrined religion of Islam, which can help the entire Muslim world to resist the secular aspects of western liberalisation (for example, the LGBT demands for legal and public recognition), as well as make up for the hundreds of colonial years after the 1492 fall of Andalusia, during which Islam's undeniable enlightenment in the arts and sciences was hijacked by the secular west.

And so, it is up to Malaysia more than any other Muslim country to create at least some implementation that would most closely approximate the Ummah we originally had under the Prophet himself (may Allah's blessing and peace be upon him) in multi-racial Madinah Al-Munawwarah.

Malaysia is struggling manfully to strike this balance. We can be justifiably proud of our downtown area and its peoples, which no Martian would mistake for anything other than a Muslim city.
We can find tudung galore, as well as many calls-to-prayer and other religious reminders for Muslims on the public media.

Yet, although the 35 percent non-Muslim citizenry worries much about "hudud" and even sometimes the Azan being too loud from their local mosques, they prosper. They do not care to return to their ancestral countries.

Instead of complaining that the balance is not right this way or that, we should give thanks to Almighty Allah SWT that our country is really the only one in the world that is trying to achieve this balance in a fair-minded and Islamic way, which still requires fairness to all religious practices within her borders.

What matters most is the spirit to achieve the actual Islamic practice which has been and will be ongoing in our country's daily governmental, legal, and public lives.

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AZRIL MOHD AMIN is vice-president, Muslim Lawyers Association of Malaysia.

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'BN-era local council okayed Batu Caves condo'

Approval to construct a 29-storey condominium next to Batu Caves was renewed by the Selayang Municipal Council (MPS) before a new councillors were appointed in 2008, Selangor state executive councillor…

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Approval to construct a 29-storey condominium next to Batu Caves was renewed by the Selayang Municipal Council (MPS) before a new councillors were appointed in 2008, Selangor state executive councillor Dr Xavier Jeyakumar said today.

The renewal was made by the Selayang Municipal Council on May 31, 2008, but the new Pakatan Rakyat nominated councillors were only sworn-in and briefed on their duties on July 5, 2008.

Xavier said the approval for the condominium was first given by the BN government of Selangor in August 2007, but this approval had lapsed.

Pakatan Rakyat took over Selangor on March 8, 2008.

"If you recall, there was a quarry there run by Dolomite Corporation Bhd and there was a huge protest for the quarry to stop operations.

"The BN leaders then stopped the quarry, but the land was okayed for development," Xavier said when contacted.

He said preliminary checks by the state government showed that the condominium project received approval from all relevant agencies except from the Department of Environment.

"The Department of Environment objected to it in 2007 but yet the approval was granted," he said, contradicting the claim by MPS yesterday that the developer had fulfilled all necessary requirements.

Xavier, who is in charge of health, estate workers, poverty and compassionate government, added that the executive council has extended the stop work order pending a "thorough report" from MPS.
"We will safeguard the interest of Batu Caves due to its historical and religious significance to the people of Malaysia," he said.

The stop work order was issued on Tuesday following objections from NGOs and the Batu Caves Hindu temple committee, but the committee said protests would continue until MPS revoked the development order.

'Politically-motivated'
Xavier claimed that the objections were politically-motivated as the condominium sales gallery had been located next to the Batu Caves for four years now, during which the temple committee had never objected.

He said the BN was "making use of the temple issue, knowing that Indians are sensitive to matters involving places of worship".

"It's not a new thing, and MPS does not have record of a single objection letter sent in by the temple committee.

"In any case, the buildings inside the Batu Caves temple area never had any council approval, either. The one (Prime Minister) Najib (Abdul Razak and wife) Rosmah Mansor sat in (during Thaipusam) does not have a certificate of fitness," he noted

Xavier said construction work had not commenced for the 29-storey condominium and that the area "is just a flat piece of land now".

He also denied a report in The Star quoting him as saying that there was nothing wrong with a 29-storey building next to the temple.

"I made no such statement to The Star and have written to ask them to retract it," he said.

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Dr M’s attack on Najib tactical, say analysts

Only the rural Malays will buy the former premier's attempt to rally the electorate behind the ruling coalition with communal politics.

KUALA LUMPUR: Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s attempt to scare the…

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Only the rural Malays will buy the former premier's attempt to rally the electorate behind the ruling coalition with communal politics.

KUALA LUMPUR: Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s attempt to scare the Malays through communal politicking will not work, said analysts who viewed the former prime minister’s recent criticism against the Najib government as “tactical”.

Yesterday, Dr Mahathir, the influential former Umno president, speaking at the 2012 Malay Economic Congress, called Prime Minister Najib Razak’s administration “weak” and hinted that it was making too much concessions to non-Malays.

Malaysia’s longest-serving premier argued that the country’s majority race is now divided and is fast becoming a “beggar” dependent on the support and sympathy of the minorities.

This was the second time Mahathir had openly criticised Najib just ahead of the 13th general election, but he said current premier cannot take the blame alone.

He cited Malay disunity as key to the current government’s predicament.

Political observers noted that Mahathir’s strategy had often been used in the past, but the tactic may still be effective in driving the Malays away from the opposition.

“This is apparently a scare tactic. It may work on the rural Malays but not the urban Malays,” said analyst James Chin of Monash University.

“If you look at the key institutions of the government, they are still held by the Malays,” he said, adding that much of Mahathir’s race rhetoric has the least impact on an informed and decided electorate.

Caution

But Chin agreed with the view that Mahathir’s attack on Najib may not all be strategic and that the former premier, who was instrumental in the ousting of the latter’s predecessor Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, is indeed unhappy with some of the current government’s policies.

Observers noted that Najib may have angered the conservatives from within his own party with plans to enhance non-Malay participation in the economy and promote better civil liberties, a move that may be seen as pandering to non-Malay demands.

There is also rising discontent among the party ranks over Najib’s supposed lenient response to the increasingly vocal non-Malay opposition, especially on sensitive issues like vernacular education and Malay rights.

“It [Mahathir's criticism] is a caution to the Najib government that it is weak in all these areas,” said Agus Yusoff , an analyst formerly with Universiti Kebangsaan Malaya.

On whether Mahathir’s tactic will influence the Malays or have any impact on Najib’s rating, Agus believed Mahathir’s gibes present a real problem for the present administration.

On the one hand, Najib will have to contain the simmering frustration of Umno’s far right; on the other, he must push on for reforms if he wants to win over a large chunk of the young voters as well as the non-Malays.

“But I don’t see that happening. He has done much but still the non-Malays especially the Chinese are anti-government,” he said.

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Politicians ARE servants of people

Politicians who refuse to digest the truth that their bona fide political masters are the rakyat have no business calling themselves as 'wakil rakyat'.
COMMENT

Veteran politician Mohamed Nazri Abdul…

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Politicians who refuse to digest the truth that their bona fide political masters are the rakyat have no business calling themselves as 'wakil rakyat'.
COMMENT

Veteran politician Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz has gone on record to say that he is a very important person and is very influential, proving to the rakyat that his self-conceit has blinded him to the very essence of serving the rakyat.

This “interesting” remark came about after Nazri told FMT last Friday that he had no hand in the outcome of the criminal investigation involving his son Mohamed Nedim.

On March 20, Mohamed Nedim made news for the wrong reason when he allegedly assaulted a security supervisor at a luxury condominium.

It, however, did not take long for the incident to die a natural death when the Home Ministry on Oct 17 declared Mohamed Nazri’s son innocent, shifting the blame on Mohamed Nedim’s former bodyguard instead.

The Brickfields district police chief Wan Abdul Bari was then quoted as saying: “This is a minor case. We have already completed investigation. I do not know why and how another person (Mohamad Nedim) was dragged into this. It is a clear-cut case involving a bodyguard and a security guard.”

Mohamed Nedim was also cleared of any wrongdoing that led to the murder of one Darren Kang at the Uncle Don restaurant in Sri Hartamas in 2004.

In Malaysia’s “Bolehland”, such verdicts no longer shock the rakyat. What, however, gets their goat is when politicians like Nazri no longer show any interest in looking after the people’s welfare.

Instead, Nazri’s pompous claim that “I am very important person and am very influential” is a slap in the face of Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak’s “people first” propaganda.

No politician, no matter his years of experience in politics, should have the audacity to brag of being important and influential, for doing so only reflects his insincerity in serving the rakyat.

It appears that Nazri, the de facto law minister, is either ungrateful or has forgotten who his real “masters” are, that is, the people of this nation; a shame that 40 over long years in politics failed to humble him.

Politicians are servants of the rakyat

Had Nazri, the Padang Rengas MP, not received the rakyat’s trust, would he and his family be leading the life of the rich and famous, with his son Mohamed Nedim painting the town red in his luxurious Porsche and armed with his father’s business cards?

Did the rakyat choose Nazri as their representative so that he could one day boast of his so-called eminence and power?

If Nazri is one of the many politicians whose arrogance supersedes the original agenda of working for the people, it is time the rakyat rejected the likes of him.

It is amazing how politicians of this country waste no time upon joining politics in amassing a fortune. With mansions for home and a fleet of luxury cars to boot, these politicians get busy “working” for themselves and not the rakyat.

Prior to this, it was Mohamed Salleh Ismail, chairman of National Feedlot Corporation and husband of former women, family and community development minister Shahrizat Abdul Jalil, who allegedly misused the RM250 million government loan meant for cattle breeding to purchase upscale condominiums in the affluent Bangsar, Kuala Lumpur, and in Singapore besides buying a posh Mercedes Benz and two plots of land in Putrajaya.

Shahrizat then defended herself from allegations of being an “accomplice” by virtue of her being a minister by saying that she and her family led independent lives, each having no idea what the other person was up to.

Did the rakyat buy Shahrizat’s feckless retort? Far from it as the public furore that ensued resulted in Shahrizat’s senatorship not being renewed, forcing her on April 8 to vacant her minister’s seat and trying hard to remain politically relevant as Wanita Umno chief.

The bitter truth is that politicians like Nazri and Shahrizat very conveniently dismissed the fact that they are nothing more than servants of the rakyat; all because a red carpet is rolled out each time they attend an event does not make them important, in the true sense of the word.

On the contrary, the red carpet and VIP treatment is simply a gesture of respect from the humble rakyat which the politicians have sadly taken for granted.

No politician is ‘important’ and ‘influential’

It will do the country’s politicians good to guard their tongue each time they develop the itch to turn phony, their modesty long gone down the drain.

To the rakyat, it is their right to treat their politicians as servants of the people, looking after their interest and not vice-versa.

There is no need for the rakyat to pander to the whims of politicians, be they ministers, members of parliament or state assembly representatives.

No politician, for any reason whatsoever, should gloat over the appreciation shown by the very people they are meant to serve.

For this reason, too, superlatives like “important” and “influential” have no place in the dictionary of politicians, whatever their political status.

That said, politicians who refuse to digest the truth that their bona fide political masters are the rakyat have no business calling themselves “wakil rakyat” or the people’s representatives.

Jeswan Kaur is a freelance writer and a FMT columnist.

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Muhyiddin’s boys target Nov 30

According to Muhyiddin Yassin's camp, campaigning in December will give BN a strategic advantage, given that the middle-class and Christians will be distracted.
COMMENT

Umno deputy president Muhyiddin Yassin’s boys…

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According to Muhyiddin Yassin's camp, campaigning in December will give BN a strategic advantage, given that the middle-class and Christians will be distracted.
COMMENT

Umno deputy president Muhyiddin Yassin’s boys want the general election this year. They are pushing Muhyiddin to pressure Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak to dissolve Parliament by Nov 30.

Muhyiddin’s supporters feel Nov 30 should be the latest date, or else Umno and Barisan Nasional will be in trouble.

According to them, campaigning in December will give BN a strategic advantage.

The strategic advantage they are talking about is in East Malaysia. A December poll, they believe, will give the Christians (read opposition) less time to campaign, they will be busy with Christmas and have little time to dwell on politics.

And this will be good for the BN as far as Sarawak is concerned as the natives will be also too busy with the festivities to seek out the alternative media. They will thus depend on the propaganda dished out by the government-controlled mass media especially the radio and TV.

In West Malaysia, the middle class, which is seen to be anti-establishment, will be busy taking holidays. Many of them may not be around even to vote if the election is called in December.

And this is what BN needs to win back states like Selangor and Penang.

The Christians in West Malaysia, too, will have little time having to prepare for Christmas, schooling for the children and holidays and may not be around in their respective constituencies.

Muhyddin may get the boot


Najib, on the other hand, does not think so. He believes he is gaining ground with the Christians and needs their support.

Najib reckons MCA president Dr Chua Soi Lek’s peddling of the hudud around every nook and corner will compel Christians to opt for the BN even though many in their ranks deplore the BN.

Now within Umno there are two groups with different views.

Muhyiddin’s supporters are convinced that Najib is just wasting time as he knows this is his last term.

Muhyiddin himself is growing increasingly frustrated. He is confident of an even worse showing for Umno-BN than in 2008.

He is sure to make moves to push Najib out sooner than later.

Najib, meanwhile, is fully aware of his plight but does not see himself being ousted the way former prime minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi went.

Najib is as such preparing to remove Muhyiddin from the deputy’s position and has in mind Defence Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi to replace him.

Najib believes Zahid has done a good job in handling the Suaram onslaught against him and he wants to reward Zahid.

And Najib has precedence to support him.

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Power turns the screw on Palani

NGO threatens to lodge report with the MACC if the MIC chief does not come clean on Dr S Vijendran's employment status.

PETALING JAYA: An NGO is pressuring MIC President…

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NGO threatens to lodge report with the MACC if the MIC chief does not come clean on Dr S Vijendran's employment status.

PETALING JAYA: An NGO is pressuring MIC President G Palanivel to reveal the employment status of Dr S Vijendran, who has allegedly been passing himself off as the former’s political secretary.

“Palanivel said he would give Dr S Vijendran a week to resign. The Indian community wants to know if the man has been removed from office,” said S Gobi Krishan, chairman of the People’s Welfare and Rights Organisation (Power).

“It’s been already more than a week since he told us that he would ask Dr S Vijendran to quit. If Palanivel does not come out with an official statement, Power will lodge a report with the police and MACC,” he added.

In a reply to Gobi Krishnan recently, Palanivel who is the lead Minister of Indian Affairs in the Prime Minister’s Department, said that he had asked Vijendran to resign within a week.

A Tamil daily questioned his appointment to the post, claiming that Vijendran was a bankrupt. According to documents shown to FMT, the Department of Insolvency had declared Vijendran a bankrupt on March 1, 2011.

‘Resignation letter sent’

Subsequent to the report in the Tamil paper, Vijendran clarified that he was a private secretary to Palanivel, not his political secretary. He also denied that he was a bankrupt.

MIC observes questioned Vijendran’s right to distribute name cards indicating his position as political secretary when he has not taken the oath of secrecy before the prime minister.

Meanwhile, in a related matter a party source claimed that Vijendran has already sent his resignation letter to Prime Minister’s Department.

Talking on the condition of anonymity, he said the prime minister has received Vijendran’s resignation letter. However, he said was not aware when he submitted the letter.

“But, Vijendran is still working in Palanivel’s office where his salary is paid by Palanivel himself,” he said.

FMT has been unable to obtain a clarification from Vijendran.

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Hate public transport? Here’s a forum for you

Got a problem with public transport? Air them out at the Petaling Jaya Library on Nov 3.

KUALA LUMPUR: Do you risk coming to work late just because you take…

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Got a problem with public transport? Air them out at the Petaling Jaya Library on Nov 3.

KUALA LUMPUR: Do you risk coming to work late just because you take the train? Does your bus usually break down in the middle of the road? Do you wish that the government would tell you what bus you can take from Gombak to KLCC?

If these things happen to you, consider airing your grouses at the National Forum on Public Transport, an all-day event at the Petaling Jaya Library (Section 3) on Nov 3 from 8.30am to 4pm, next week.

Organised by the Working Group on Public Transportation in Malaysia (WGPTM), the forum will look at everything that’s wrong with the country’s public transport.

At the Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall today, WGPTM member A Sivajaran told reporters: “Why is that after so many years, the man on the road has problems with public transport?”

He added that Malaysians were paying for private car-centric policies set up 30 to 40 years ago.

Speaking on behalf of senior citizens, fellow WGPTM member Lily Fu said that Malaysia’s public transport was not elderly-friendly.

“A lot of my friends want to take public transport, but are totally clueless to get from point A to point B… And instead of information at bus stops, you have ads for loan sharks and teaching classes,” she said.

WGPTM member Stanley Yong Yew Wei said that Malaysia’s transit services were not only ineffective, but also inefficient.

He said: “Even if you want to get from one area to another, and you have many options [to do so], you are unable to get there with great convenience.”

WGPTM member Gurmit Singh, however, touched on the environmental aspect, adding that Kuala Lumpur was guilty of massive amounts of carbon emissions due to private transport.

He said that even Singapore, Bangkok and Hong Kong had lower instances of carbon emissions.

Gurmit added that Malaysia’s aggressive policies on its national car brand Proton also contributed to the mess.

The forum will also be attended by Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ), Federal Department of Town and Country Planning (JPBD), Penang City Council and Land Public Transport Commission officials.

It will also feature a series of workshops that will address public transport, disabled matters, national car policies and the myriad views of transit users.

For more information, call 019-2612259 or email at simogi@gmail.com.

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Kamalanathan lodges police report against Liu

The Hulu Selangor MP wants police to investigate the Selangor exco for allegedly making false accusations against him over a controversial condo project.

KUALA LUMPUR: The police have been asked…

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The Hulu Selangor MP wants police to investigate the Selangor exco for allegedly making false accusations against him over a controversial condo project.

KUALA LUMPUR: The police have been asked to investigate Selangor exco Ronnie Liu for allegedly slandering MIC leader P Kamalanathan over a condominium project in Batu Caves.

S Yogendran and M Yuktesvaran, special officers to the Hulu Selangor MP and MIC Putera chief, lodged separate reports yesterday at the Travers police station.

They claimed that Liu had malicious intent when he named Kamalanathan as one of the councillors who approved the project in 2007.

Yogendran and Yuktesvaran, in their reports, said Kamalanathan had ended his term as a Selayang councillor in 2006.

“We believe that Liu gave out these false information with an intent to tarnish and smear the good name of Kamalanathan,” said the duo.

Project approved by BN

FMT reported that the Selangor government has directed the Selayang Municipal Council (MPS) to issue a stop work order against the developer of the project.

The 29-storey project is slated to be built adjacent to the Batu Caves Hindu temple.

Liu said the state government would conduct soil tests in the area to ensure that the development did not pose a threat to the statues in the temple.

Liu said the project was approved in Sept 27, 2007, when the state was under the Barisan Nasional government.

He claimed that Kamalanathan and Gerakan’s A Kohilan Pillay were MPS councillors when the project was approved by the district council.

Kohilan is Gerakan Selangor chief and deputy foreign minister. An attempt to contact Kohilan for comments were unsuccessful.

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Demo ‘Selamatkan Pantai Kita’

Bantahan berkisar kepada isu penambakan pantai Teluk Kemang dan isu persatuan peniaga kecil Melayu yang ditindas oleh pemimpin Umno.

PETALING JAYA: Lebih 100 peniaga, pengusaha pantai dan Persatuan Peniaga Kecil…

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Bantahan berkisar kepada isu penambakan pantai Teluk Kemang dan isu persatuan peniaga kecil Melayu yang ditindas oleh pemimpin Umno.

PETALING JAYA: Lebih 100 peniaga, pengusaha pantai dan Persatuan Peniaga Kecil Melayu Port Dickson membuat satu bantahan di hadapan Wisma Negeri di Seremban semalam.

Bantahan berkisar kepada isu penambakan pantai Teluk Kemang dan isu persatuan peniaga kecil Melayu yang ditindas oleh pemimpin Umno setempat termasuk Majlis Perbandaran Port Dickson.

Menurut Pengarah Sekretariat Solidariti Anak Muda Malaysia (SAMM) Negeri Sembilan, Azizi Abd Aziz, satu memorandum turut diserahkan kepada Menteri Besar Negeri Sembilan, Dato’ Seri Mohamad Hassan.

“Bagaimanapun Mohamad Hassan tidak sudi untuk mendengar rintihan rakyat di atas kesibukan mengurus negeri dan beliau hanya diwakili oleh pegawai khas, Zulkifli Awang,” kata Azizi dalam satu kenyataan media.

Beliau berkata, demonstrasi bantahan berpunca dari isu penambakan pantai Teluk Kemang yang telah menimbulkan suasana yang menjejaskan periuk nasi mereka yang saban tahun berniaga di Teluk Kemang.

Penambakan pantai juga merosakkan rupa bentuk muka bumi pantai Teluk Kemang yang selama ini menjadi pilihan nombor satu pelancong tempatan terutamanya dari bandaraya Kuala Lumpur di atas faktor pantainya yang landai dan lokasinya yang strategik.

Azizi menjelaskan bahawa penambakan pantai di atas alasan ‘pantai sempit’ tidak releven. Ia akan menjurus kepada kerosakan ekosistem.

“Secara tidak langsung mengubah rupa bumi pantai Teluk Kemang yang diiktiraf antara pantai selesa yang selamat berbanding pantai di tempat lain yang berselut lumpur dan terdedah kepada bahaya air pasang surut yang jauh dari gigi pantai.

Katanya, seperti yang berlaku di pantai Batu 4 dan Batu 5 Port Dickson selepas penambakan, kecerunan pasir yang ditambak telah mengubah kedalaman lantas meragut banyak nyawa pengunjung. Akhirnya pantai tersebut dihindari oleh pengunjung.

Pusat pelancongan

“Inilah yang amat dikhuatri akan berlaku di pantai Teluk Kemang. Nescaya dalam jangka masa panjang negara akan kehilangan satu pusat pelancongan yang paling digemari.

“Dalam jangka masa pendek pula, peniaga akan mengalami kerugian yang berterusan dan ramai yang bakal hilang mata pencarian di atas projek yang terburu-buru ini,” terang beliau.

Dalam demonstasi yang sama, Persatuan Peniaga Kecil Melayu juga ingin memohon kepada Menteri Besar supaya segera menyelesaikan kemelut persatuan mereka.

Mereka mendakwa persatuan mereka disabotaj oleh beberapa pemimpin Umno setempat bersama pihak berkuasa tempatan bagi menutup segala kemungkaran dan penyelewengan yang telah dilakukan oleh pengerusi persatuan yang terdahulu.

Antara lain mereka menuntut perancangan pembangunan yang tidak menepati spesifikasi diperbetulkan dan membantah pembinaan longkang besar yang menyebabkan air laut Teluk Kemang menjadi keruh dan kotor.

Mereka juga menuntut supaya gerai lama, tandas awam dan bangunan buruk diganti dengan fasiliti yang baru, memastikan setiap premis perniagaan memperolehi CF tepat pada masanya supaya perniagaan tidak terhenti lama dan pampasan yang setimpal sekiranya projek penambakan ini diteruskan.

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Launch nationwide protest, Indians urged

MIC president G Palanivel has called on Indians and NGOs to hold peaceful demonstrations tomorrow against the proposed condominium project near the Batu Caves temple.

PETALING JAYA: MIC president G…

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MIC president G Palanivel has called on Indians and NGOs to hold peaceful demonstrations tomorrow against the proposed condominium project near the Batu Caves temple.

PETALING JAYA: MIC president G Palanivel has called on Indians to launch a nationwide protest against the proposed condominium project slated to be built near Batu Caves temple.

In a statement today, Palanivel also urged non-governmental organisations, irrespective of their political leanings, to voice objections against the 29-storey condominium project.

“The Selangor state government should stop this project. A mere stop-work order to conduct soil tests at the vicinity is not enough,” he said.

On Monday, the Sri Subramaniar Swamy temple chairman R Nadarajah raised objections against the proposed condominium project by Dolotime Industries, slated on a land beside the temple.

The project was approved by the Selayang Municipal Council (MPS).

Selangor state executive councillor for local government, Ronnie Liu, later issued a temporary stop- work order to conduct soil tests on the land to ensure the construction would not damage temple statues.

The temple committee plans to hold a protest tomorrow to pressure the Pakatan Rakyat-led state government and the developer to stop the project.

nPalanivel, who is also a Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, said that the state government should look for an alternative land for the condominium project, claiming the soil near the caves was not suitable.

“The hills in Batu Caves are made of limestones. The area tends to become soggy whenever there is a downpour. Development work there may cause the caves and the condominium to collapse in years to come,” said Palanivel.

He added that the soil test is not going to prove anything in the long run.

Palanivel also urged the state government to compensate Dolomite for its losses.

“Hulu Kelang is a water catchment area. It should be left on untouched,” he said.

The condominium project was approved on Sept 27, 2007 when the state was under Barisan Nasional’s administration.

The temple committee had taken fullpage advertisements in major Tamil dailies today to urge people to participate in the rally at temple compound tomorrow.

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Student killed in attack by gang of schoolboys

R.S.N.MURALI , The Star
murali@thestar.com.my

ALOR GAJAH: A Form Two student from SMK Pulau Sebang near here was killed when he was set upon by a group of five schoolboys…

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R.S.N.MURALI , The Star
murali@thestar.com.my

ALOR GAJAH: A Form Two student from SMK Pulau Sebang near here was killed when he was set upon by a group of five schoolboys from another secondary school over an earlier skirmish.

It's learnt that the victim, K. Saravanan, 14, from Gadek in Alor Gajah succumbed to neck injuries after he was kicked violently and stomped on in a brutal attack.

In the 2.30pm attack, the victim was waiting for the bus with another friend on the second floor of the Tampin Bus Terminal when he was confronted by the group.

The attack was believed to have started following a series of arguments between the victim and the group which often mocked Saravanan's style of walking.

However, yesterday the group of Form Two students noticed that Saravanan was sitting with only one friend at the bus stop when they decided to attack him.

A trader, at the bus terminal, who requested anonymity, said the group was known for bullying other students.

“This is not the first time the delinquent schoolboys had attacked other students as numerous gang fights have been reported at the terminal,” he said.

The trader, in his late 40s, said he heard the group cheering and only realised that they were beating up someone after the victim who was floored was seen lying unconscious.

The boys, he said, were attempting to resuscitate the victim when they noticed his mouth was foaming.

“The group fled the scene when a group of traders ran to the victim's aid,” he said.

The victim was rushed to Tampin Hospital where he died at 3.20pm.

Deputy OCPD Deputy Superintendent Abdul Rahman Jid said police detained all those involved in the incident between 6pm and 7pm yesterday.

Meanwhile, the victim's mother, M. Mala, 36, said her only son complained about the bullying by the group two weeks ago.

“He was afraid to attend school and I informed the school about the existence of the gang,” she said between sobs.

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The Malaysian Bar presented UN Malaysia Award for its pivotal role in Malaysia’s democratic development

United Nations celebrates 67th anniversary

NEWS RELEASE 

UN Day 2012 

KUALA LUMPUR, 24 October 2012 – The Malaysian Bar was today conferred with the United Nations (UN) Malaysia Award, during…

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United Nations celebrates 67th anniversary

NEWS RELEASE 

UN Day 2012 

KUALA LUMPUR, 24 October 2012 – The Malaysian Bar was today conferred with the United Nations (UN) Malaysia Award, during ceremonies marking the UN’s 67th anniversary.

The UN Malaysia Award was presented in recognition of the Malaysian Bar’s many years of invaluable, courageous and creative work in advancing the cause of democracy and human rights in Malaysia.

(Read the UN Malaysia Award 2012 Citation for the Malaysian Bar)

“This tribute is fitting, given the significant and long-standing contribution by the Malaysian Bar to an environment that promotes the protection and effective fulfillment of democracy and human rights, key values embodied in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights,” said Kamal Malhotra, UN Resident Coordinator.

(Read the full UN Day 2012 speech by Mr. Kamal Malhotra).

The UN Malaysia Award has been accorded on the anniversary of the United Nations, (UN Day as it has come to be known) since 1998, in recognition of the outstanding contributions of individuals or organisations toward the promotion of human rights, social justice and equality in the country. The focus of this year’s UN Malaysia Award is on democracy and development.

“The UN Malaysia Award this year recognises that an environment with genuine and independent democratic institutions and practices is essential for fostering long-term security and stability,” said Malhotra. “Such institutions and practices foster and allow for peaceful political dialogue; they create a conducive and legitimate environment for good governance, development, and for meeting basic human needs; and for the promotion and protection of human rights.”

“Democracy has emerged as a cross-cutting issue in the outcome of the major UN conferences and summits since the 1990s, and in internationally-agreed development goals produced by its member States, including the Millennium Development Goals.

As UN Secretary General BAN Ki-moon indicated in his public lecture in Kuala Lumpur when he visited Malaysia in March this year, it is also one of the top five priorities for his second term, which began in January 2012,” said Malhotra.

(Read UN Secretary-General's message for UN Day 2012)

Malhotra added that in November 2007, the UN Secretary-General initiated the development of a strategy for supporting democracy, emphasizing that democracy is inextricably linked to the three pillars of the work of the United Nations – peace and security, development, and human rights.

In presenting the UN Malaysia Award to the Malaysian Bar, the UN in Malaysia acknowledges the contribution of the Bar in advancing democracy in Malaysia, particularly through its 66-year commitment to guarding the rule of law, defending human rights and public interest, and speaking out against abuse of power by those in authority.

Past recipients of the UN Malaysia Award include individuals, such as; Tan Sri Razali Ismail, Datin Paduka Marina Mahathir, and Datuk Dr. Raj Abdul Karim, and organisations, such as; Ward 54 of Hospital Sungai Buloh, the Malaysian Armed Forces and the Royal Malaysian Police, and the Center for Orang Asli Concerns (COAC).

The 67th Anniversary of the United Nations was launched by the Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Senator A. Kohilan Pillay.

At the same event, the late Professor Khoo Kay Jin, renowned Malaysian intellectual and social scientist, was posthumously recognised for his years of outstanding service and tireless contributions in the areas of poverty eradication, democratisation and development in Malaysia. Among his many distinguished roles, Professor Khoo was also the lead author of the UN-Government of Malaysia report on the Millennium Development Goals at 2010, and had worked on a joint UNDP and Economic Planning Unit initiative to identify strategies to eradicate poverty and improve employment and equity restructuring in Sabah and Sarawak.

(Read the UN Malaysia Tribute for the late Professor Khoo Kay Jin).

UN day is celebrated in 189 countries around the world to mark the founding of the organization on the principles of justice, peace, equality and human rights as ratified in its Charter on 24 October 1945.

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Acceptance Speech by Lim Chee Wee, President, Malaysian Bar, at the United Nations Malaysia Organisation of the Year Award 2012 Presentation Ceremony, Renaissance Hotel, Kuala Lumpur (24 Oct 2012)

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No Plans By Umno To Announce Election Candidates Early - Ahmad Maslan

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 25 (Bernama) -- Umno has no plans as yet to announce the names of its general election candidates early in a move to check sabotage in the…

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KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 25 (Bernama) -- Umno has no plans as yet to announce the names of its general election candidates early in a move to check sabotage in the party, Umno Information chief Datuk Ahmad Maslan said Thursday.

He said the party did not want those who were not selected to form "teams", which could derail the chances of the candidates.

"At least three names have been proposed for each constituency, but only one person will be chosen. These people are selected because the party believes they are winnable candidates.

"It is not the end of the world for those who are not selected. They should give preference to the party and not their own interests. They should not lose heart, remain silent and try to sabotage the party," he told reporters after distributing leaflets on Budget 2013 at the Selayang Wholesale Market, here.

Ahmad, who is a deputy minister in the Prime Minister's Department, was asked to comment on suggestions from Barisan Nasional (BN) component parties for the names of election candidates to be announced earlier to overcome any attempt at sabotage.

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PPP Youth To Embark On Intellectual Programme To Educate Youngsters

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 25 (Bernama) -- The People's Progressive Party (PPP) Youth has embarked on an intellectual brainstorming programme with youngsters to further explain initiatives taken by the government for…

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KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 25 (Bernama) -- The People's Progressive Party (PPP) Youth has embarked on an intellectual brainstorming programme with youngsters to further explain initiatives taken by the government for a better quality of life.

Its chief, Harridz Mohan, said the recently-introduced 'Let's Speak' programme focused on university students to educate them on the government transformation plans outlined by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.

As for now, he said, the programme was conducted on a smaller scale with 20 students in each session.

"However, from next month, we will be conducting in each state a similar programme as how the MIC Youth approached the people through the Barisan Nasional Concert Tour," he told Bernama.

He urged leaders to promote Barisan Nasional with a new road map outlined by the prime minister for a better future for Malaysians.

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Johor stirring