India gang-rape suspects charged with murder

The case has galvanised a wave of protests against gender violence across India [Reuters]

 

Five men charged with rape and murder of 23-year-old student, with police saying they will push for death penalty.

Indian police have filed rape and murder charges against five men accused in the gang rape of a woman on a New Delhi bus last month.

Police said on Thursday they plan to push for the death penalty in the case.

A sixth suspect is believed to be a juvenile and is expected to be tried in juvenile court.

The five were charged with raping the 23-year-old woman for hours and beating her companion as the bus drove through the capital.

Police arrested six people in the case and filed charges at a new fast-track court in south Delhi to deal specifically with crimes against women, police spokesman Rajan Bhagat said.

The December 16 attack on the woman, who later died of her injuries, has caused outrage across India and sparked demands for tough new rape laws, better police protection for women and a sustained campaign to change
society's views about women.

Indian Chief Justice Altamas Kabir said the accused should be tried swiftly, but cautioned that they needed to be given a fair trial and not subjected to mob justice.

"Let us not lose sight of the fact that a person is presumed innocent until proven guilty,'' he told reporters on Wednesday, while inaugurating the new fast-track court.

"Let us balance things. Let us not get carried away.Provide justice in a fair but swift manner so that faith of people is once again restored that the judiciary is there behind the common man.''

Commission of enquiry

The government is to set up four other such courts in the capital to hold timely trials in sexual assault cases, which often get bogged down for years in India's notoriously sluggish court system.

The new courts will work to provide justice as swiftly as possible "so that the message is sent to all and sundry that these matters are going to be dealt with seriously,'' Kabir said.

The government has set up three separate commissions to look into the incident and suggest changes in the law, with one minister suggesting new anti-rape legislation should be named after the victim.

This sparked a controversy as her name has not been disclosed in line with legal protections given to the victims of sex crime and their families, who face social stigma.

The brother of the victim, speaking from the family's home village in northern Uttar Pradesh state, said they would not object if the government wanted to name a new law after her.

"My father feels if they want to name the new law after her, they can go ahead, it will be like a tribute in her memory," he told the Indian Express newspaper.

The brother also pleaded that the family should be left alone to grieve their loss.

"The public anger is justified but my sister's story should not be made into a spectacle," he said.

A recent poll found India to be the worst in the G20 group of nations for women because of child marriage, abuse and female foeticide, which has led to a badly skewed sex ratio in the country of 1.2 billion people.

Deepak proved he acted without us, says Rafizi

PKR director of strategy Rafizi Ramli said he would meet businessperson Deepak Jaikishan, following the latter’s press conference yesterday lamenting the lack of political support.

Rafizi said while he is confident that Deepak (right) has a lot of “evidence detrimental to (Prime Minister) Najib Abdul Razak, he previously did not want PKR to be seen to be close to him.

“My fear before was that if PKR is seen to be too close with him and too cozy with him before the fact is established (that Deepak is working on his own), the whole opportunity to uncover the truth would be overtaken by Umno’s spin and allegations that we are behind this,” he said at a press conference, today.

Rafizi said the message that Deepak is acting on his own accord was achieved last night when Deepak had a press conference calling for political support, and he believed that the public could see that PKR had never had any discussions with him.
He said he would contact Deepak after the press conference to apologise, arrange for a meeting, and see what he can offer.

“I will hear for myself what evidence does he have, what plans does he have, and his views. We will see how we will go from there.

“My rule is very simple and we have maintained that rule all along: We are not really interested in other things except when it is of public interest,” he said.

However, he insisted that the documents he disclosed yesterday, purportedly showing Deepak’s carpet trading companies purchasing jewellery for the prime minister’s wife Rosmah Mansor are authentic and came from Deepak.
He said Deepak had indeed approached PKR leaders with documents that he claimed would incriminate Najib and his wife Rosmah several months ago, with hopes that the party would take up the issue.

These documents were eventually passed to Rafizi, because it is his role as director of strategy to research it, verify its authenticity, and decide what to do with it.

“At that point with those documents alone, I don’t see any element of public interest in the matter.

“It could be that Deepak is really rich, and it could be that he bought everything as presents to Rosmah. After all, Rosmah had made it public that she receives gifts from different governments and other people. That is why we didn’t intervene when he later started his exposés.

‘A whole new dimension’

“However, last week when Boustead Holdings Bhd announced that it would pay RM160 million for Deepak’s company and Awam Megah, that adds a new dimension to the whole thing.

“Suddenly you see pension money from Lembaga Tabung Angkatan Tentera - which involves the armed forces’ interests - now being used to buy Deepak’s shares and pay Awam Megah” he said, which raised suspicion of kickbacks and prompted him to investigate further.

Since Deepak had denied that the documents were his but admitted that he owned the carpet trading companies named, Rafizi said Deepak should report it the police if he believed there was forgery.

However, he noted that it would be difficult for Deepak to do so because the documents originate from him.

Regardless, Rafizi said PKR leaders throughout the nation would lodge reports with police and the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) over the documents, and added that the person who obtained the document from Deepak is willing to come forward to give statements.

“At this stage when we exchange words in press conferences, of course it is my words against his words.

“In the interest of the public, I think we should push it further so that it is being investigated... only the authorities after an investigation can ascertain whether these documents did come from him,” he said.
 

Mahathir: Even 5 years for Pakatan is dangerous

As the polls draw nearer, former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad again raised the red flag for voters that handing over Putrajaya to the Pakatan Rakyat, even for just five years, would be dangerous.

"Five years for the (PKR de facto leader) Anwar (Ibrahim) or (PAS president Abdul) Hadi (Awang) -led opposition to govern is dangerous. Many things can be destroyed in five years. We have some experience in this.

"Already we see this person who claims to fight for free speech suing and resorting to the courts to shut the mouths of his critics. Other powers of the government will be similarly abused, "said Mahathir. (right)
"Nepotism and cronyism will be employed as indeed they are in the party he now heads," said the veteran politician in his blog posting today titled "Change".

Mahathir said Pakatan would ensure there will be no return for the BN and government officers would be used to threaten whoever tries to change the administration should Pakatan capture Putrajaya.

Dr M lists Anwar's shortcomings

He also revisited his arch rival Anwar's track record when the latter was his deputy and finance minister during the 1998 Asian financial crisis, to back his claim that Pakatan cannot rule the nation.

"The then deputy prime minister and minister of finance tried the International Monetary Fund (IMF) solution without the IMF loans.

"Banks and companies were faced with the threat of bankruptcy from non-performing loans. Imports cost more. Cost of living shot up.

"The record is there. Malaysians must not allow themselves to be hoodwinked as I was hoodwinked by the appearance of religious piety in the past," he said, referring to Anwar's background as the leader of Islamic NGO Abim before joining politics.

He also slammed Anwar (left) for promising changes to the voters but had failed to introduce any positive change when he was in the government.

"All he was interested in was getting up Umno's leadership ladder in order to become prime minister. How he achieved his objective does not bear scrutiny."
'BN people friendly coalition'
Mahathir trumpeted BN's achievements, contrasting with the current financial crisis in Eurozone and the United States.

"The BN has listened to the people and has changed many laws and policies. All that the people need to do is to urge the BN to carry out whatever change the people desire.

"But changing the government can and will result in this country becoming unstable and unable to grow."

On the other hand, the promises offered by Pakatan to change the nation into a welfare state by waiving various fees and increasing petrol subsidy, would lead Malaysia onto the footsteps of Greece, Mahathir argued.

"That's what happened to Greece. It's bankrupt now. The whole of Europe cannot put it back together again.

"Admittedly the BN has ruled this country ever since independence. But look at the record and compare it with other countries which gained independence at the same time.

"Compare it even with the developed West. They are in deep financial trouble and try as they might, they have not been able to overcome the crisis."

PSM, Jerit offer monitoring on RM900 minimum wage

Hindu Mahasabha demands immediate arrest of MIM MLA Akbaruddin Owaisi

Hyderabad : Andhra Pradesh Director General of Police Dinesh Reddy on Thursday denied any political interference in the alleged hate speech case against All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM) MLA Akbaruddin Owaisi. Claiming that Owaisi could be arrested for making the alleged hate speech following the registration of an FIR against the MLA under Indian Penal Code Section 153(a) (promoting enmity between different groups on ground of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, etc., and doing acts prejudicial to maintenance of harmony) by the Nirmal police station in Adilabad district of Andhra Pradesh, the DGP said that police took time to act against him because they were seeking legal opinion since the MIM MLA is a people's representative.

Reddy said that the police needed to understand the language used by Owaisi, who is the younger brother of Lok Sabha MP and MIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi. After getting the translated version of Owaisi's speech, the police took suo motu cognizance of the speech and registered the case.

When asked why there was a delay in taking action, Reddy said, "Partly because there were language problems at the places he made the speeches. There was a difficulty in getting the transcripts and then this recorded portion. After local police got it, they were sent to Hyderabad for the legal opinion. "

"It is a bit uncharitable to say that. This state government is very particular to let law take its due course, irrespective of who the person is," Reddy replied when asked if the police had been reluctant in taking action due to political interference. "No, since he has gone for treatment. We thought let him go for treatment and continue with the prosecution," he added.

Another case is likely to be registered against Owaisi in Nizamabad district as well following a Hyderabad court's order. The court had on Thursday ordered the police to register FIR against Akbaruddin Owaisi for an alleged hate speech made by him even as Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Kiran Kumar Reddy assured that "anyone who hurts sentiments will be dealt with as per law."

"If anyone has hurt sentiments you can be rest assured they will be firmly dealt with. Congress is a secular government and anyone who hurts sentiments will be dealt with as per law," Reddy said. "Law will take its own course. We have not directed the police in any way. Anyone who has broken law will be dealt with. The government will not take action, the police will," Reddy added.

The court order came on a petition filed by a city-based businessman S Venkatesh Goud. The court of the 4th Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate directed the Osmania University Police to investigate the complaint under section 156 (3) of CrPc and file a report before it on January 28. The Hyderabad court on Thursday posted the hate speech case for January 7 and would record the statement of petitioner on the same date.

"I am really shocked and surprised about the criminal silence of the state government. Why is the Chief Minister, why is the DGP silent? Is the Andhra Pradesh government worried about the political fallout? The BJP will not take it lying down, we will take it up as a serious issue," BJP leader Venkaiah Naidu said in Hyderabad.

Owaisi had made the incendiary speech, using inflammatory and derogatory words, in Adilabad. A Hyderabad court has also admitted a criminal complaint against him.

This is not the first time that Akbaruddin, currently in London, has proved controversial. Five-years ago, he and his supporters had physically attacked the Bangladeshi writer, Taslima Nasreen for her alleged anti-Muslim views. The MIM was a part of the United Progressive Alliance till a few months ago even though the Owaisis have had a track record of raising the communal temperature with their speeches.

The hate speech of the junior Owaisi has raised questions of whether notions of secularism tend to be selective and why the Owaisis have been allowed to get away for so long. Akbaruddin is an MLA in the Andhra Pradesh Assembly, representing the Chandrayangutta constituency in Hyderabad.
Source : IBN Live

“Muslim (savages) firebombed our orphanage while we slept,” says Indonesian Pastor Paulus Wiratno

Pastor Paulus Wiratno of Mercy Indonesia ran an orphanage and taught Christianity by radio from his Bible School- until neighbor Muslims bombed their dormitories while they slept. Here he explains Muslims’ violent intolerance towards non-Muslims.

'Comic bio' of Muhammad risks Muslim ire

Charlie Hebdo's office after they were hit by a firebomb in 2011. Photo: David Monniaux. 

 

A French magazine, which sparked international protests and saw its offices firebombed after it printed cartoons mocking Muhammad, on Wednesday published a "halal" cartoon biography of Islam's founder.

The editor of Charlie Hebdo weekly insists that "The Life of Mohammed", whose cover shows a goofy-looking prophet leading a camel through the desert, is an educational work prepared by a Franco-Tunisian sociologist.

"It is a biography authorised by Islam since it was edited by Muslims," said Stéphane Charbonnier, who was also the illustrator of the book which comes complete with academic footnotes.

"I don't think higher Muslim minds could find anything inappropriate," said Charbonnier, whose magazine has repeatedly enraged some Muslims with satirical depictions of the prophet, including showing him naked.

He said the idea for the comic book came to him in 2006 when a newspaper in Denmark published cartoons of Mohammed, later republished by Charlie Hebdo, that sparked angry protests across the Muslim world.

"Before having a laugh about a character, it's better to know him. As much as we know about the life of Jesus, we know nothing about Muhammad," he told AFP last week.

He said the book was "perfectly halal", a joking reference to meat that is deemed fit for Muslims to consume.

Despite Charbonnier's insistence that the book is well-intentioned and inoffensive, the depiction of the Muslim prophet in any visual form is deemed sacrilegious by many Muslims.

Also likely to cause offence are the drawings of naked men wearing turbans on its first page and later depictions of naked female breasts and exposed female genitalia.

The book also at one point shows Muhammad – as a boy – taking his clothes off to join other naked children.

There was little initial reaction Wednesday to the new comic book, which retails at six euros (eight dollars), but some condemnation was starting to appear on social media networks.

"#CharlieHebdo at it again, No matter what they claims (sic) this is a deliberate effort to create chaos," wrote one Twitter user.

"#CharlieHebdo is reopening a can of worms: publishing a comic with illustrations about the Prophet Muhammad... I wish they leave it alone," wrote another.

On Monday a senior political advisor to Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan denounced the work.

"Turning the prophet of Islam into a cartoon character is itself wrong," Ibrahim Kalin said in a Twitter message. "No matter what Charlie Hebdo people say, this is a provocation. My advice to Muslims: ignore it. Don't give them what they want."

In September Charlie Hebdo published cartoons of a naked Muhammad as violent protests were taking place in several countries over a low-budget film, titled "Innocence of Muslims", which was made in the United States and insulted the prophet.

French schools, consulates and cultural centres in 20 Muslim countries were briefly closed along with embassies for fear of retaliatory attacks.

In 2011 Charlie Hebdo's offices were hit by a firebomb and its website pirated after publishing an edition titled "Charia Hebdo" featuring several Muhammad cartoons.

Charbonnier, who has received death threats, lives under police protection.
AFP (news@thelocal.fr)

Astacanggih buy a chance to increase landbank, says Boustead

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 3 – Boustead Holdings Bhd (BHB) has said Increasing its landbank is the reason to buy 80 per cent of Astacanggih Sdn Bhd, adding today it was purely commercial decision.

Pakatan Rakyat (PR) officials have called the RM30 million paid for the Astacanggih stake and another RM130 million for 80.9371ha of Bukit Raja land in Selangor as a bailout for Selangor Wanita Umno chief Senator Datuk Seri Raja Ropiaah Abdullah.

Carpet dealer Deepak Jaikishan had dropped his suit against Raja Ropiaah over the land sale earlier, although he has lamented that the deal benefited the politician.

In a filing to Bursa Malaysia today, BHB said economies of scale can be achieved by combining the land with the adjacent 283.28 ha. land held under Jendela Hikmat Sdn Bhd, which the Boustead Group and Lembaga Tabung Angkatan Tentera (LTAT) jointly hold a 60 per cent equity interest.

Based on its experience, BHB said it is confident the acquisition of the development land will be able to generate a return on development cost of 25 per cent from the RM160 million investment.

On Dec 27, 2012, BHB announced its wholly-owned subsidiary Bakti Wira Development Sdn Bhd was acquiring an 80 per cent stake in Astacanggih Sdn Bhd.

The acquisition formed part of the corporate exercise to acquire an 80 per cent interest in the 80.9371 ha. development land in Bukit Raja at a total price of RM160 million or RM18.37 per square feet.

In the filing, BHB and Bakti Wira Development had started negotiations with Awan Megah Sdn Bhd on their proposed sale of the Bukit Raja land on April 11, 2005.

BHB received an offer letter from the shareholders of Astacanggih on their proposed sale of Astacanggih on June 15, 2012.

However, the group was only able to conclude the final agreements in the third week of December 2012 after a prolonged negotiation with the respective parties.

In a media statement, LTAT said it did not play a role in the commercial decision made by BHB.

LTAT chairman Admiral ® Tan Sri Mohd Anwar Mohd Nor also reiterated it was to expand the company’s landbank.

“Astacanggih currently does not have any bank loan, and will make a loan to finance the acquisition and land development in Bukit Raja,” he said.

Mohd Anwar said LTAT will closely monitor all its investments including in Boustead to ensure they bring the best returns for LTAT’s contributors, who are Malaysian Armed Forces (ATM) personnel.

“LTAT has full confidence that the land development project will be successful, like other Boustead land development projects, besides providing affordable houses for purchase by ATM personnel,” he added.

Musa: IGP, top brass avoided me

The ex-top cop defends his open criticism of the police force, saying that he had reached a dead end when trying to engage with the top brass and his successor the inspector general of police.

PETALING JAYA: Each time Musa Hassan approached his successor Inspector General of Police (IGP) Ismail Omar, the latter would “walk away” from him, making all communication between the two impossible, the ex-IGP said.

“I don’t have the chance to talk to [Ismail] because whenever we meet even in public, he just walks away from me,” said Musa in a recent interview with FMT.

“I don’t know [why]. Maybe they think I am no longer relevant,” he said.

Musa said this when asked if he had raised the issue of criminal elements and political interference in the police force with the IGP before announcing it to the public.

Musa had dropped the bombshell two months ago during a press conference with crime watchdog MyWatch, which coincided with the opening of the Umno general assembly.

His timing, as well as his new role as the patron of the NGO lead by PKR members, had led many to grill him on his motives.

While the question on most people’s lips is “why now?” (Musa’s reply: the timing was a coincidence), others have expressed disgust at what they perceive as efforts that could destroy the police force’s credibility.

Musa’s rival, former top cop Ramli Yusuff had slammed him for turning to the media instead of discussing the issues with Ismail in private.

“You don’t have to say these kind of things in the open. These are internal matters. Musa could have discussed it discreetly with Ismail, meet up with him, tell him nicely,” the former commercial crimes investigation department (CCID) chief had told FMT last month.

But Musa told FMT that not only did Ismail deliberately avoid him, but the top brass also refused to speak with him on the matter.

“I have spoken to some police officers. But of course they are lower rung, they can’t do anything about it. But the bosses, they refuse to talk to me,” claimed Musa.

When asked whether the current leadership of the police was open to discussing such issues head-on in a transparent manner, he said: “I don’t think so.”

“I see Ismail [as] only a ceremonial IGP. He would only attend ceremonies,” Musa remarked.

Encouraging transparency

He also dismissed claims by his detractors that his bombshells would destroy the credibility of the men in blue.

Instead, Musa said, open criticism of the police force would encourage transparency and enhance its credibility.

“I don’t think so, [that making claims publicly would erode confidence in the institution]. You have to be open about this…

“If you keep quiet and keep things this way… there will always be the perception of the public that you are not doing anything,” Musa pointed out.

“[Then] it would erode the credibility of the police and also the confidence of the people [towards the police].”

‘People still want me to be involved’

Ramli had also criticised Musa, now technically a civilian after having retired in 2010, for “disturbing” the police with his allegations.

“When you have retired, your days are over. You don’t disturb. Your successors have their own way of doing things. You are gone, so why do you want to disturb?” Ramli had said.

But Musa told FMT that he still received text messages and even visits from people asking for his help in matters related to crime.

He said that when people contacted him for advice or help, it meant that they still wanted him to be involved in crime-fighting.

“The question mark is why people still give information to me even though I am retired, when they can give it straight to the police officer?

“That’s why I feel sometimes that something is wrong here. Why should people trust me? They should trust the police because I am already retired,” stressed Musa.

He said that despite being a civilian, he could not bring himself to deny them help as they would come to his house asking for advice.

‘MyWatch under attack’


Meanwhile, MyWatch chairman R Sri Sanjeevan said that The Malaysian Crime Watch Task Force (MyWatch), and Musa, were being attacked from “certain people who want crime to happen or benefit from crime.”

When asked who he meant, he cryptically replied: “Can be kingpins. Can be kingpins who are benefiting from the crime. The people running the crime. The people who are associated with some cops and all these.”

He also said that the bad press, speculation and criticism aimed at MyWatch and its prolific patron would not deter the NGO.

“This is very much anticipated from day one. These are acts by certain people to divert our attention. They just want us to go out of track. All this is not going to stop us,” said Sanjeevan.

“We are very clear of our vision, we know where we are heading, we know our objective. They can always say we are politically motivated, they can always say there is someone behind us, but we are not.

“We have always made ourselves clear. Our objective is crime. We don’t feel safe. It is a national issue, it is a universal problem. So all of us must stay together to tackle this issue.”

Sanjeevan said that MyWatch aimed to be different from other NGOs.

He said MyWatch would not only assist in reducing crime and acting as a police watchdog, but are accountable to the people – something other NGOs were not doing, he claimed.

“We want this to be very different. Other NGOs are not accountable to the public, we want the public to know what we are doing, what we plan to do,” he said.

Pakatan to decide on ‘Allah’ issue next week

Anwar says the matter would be deliberated at the opposition pact's leadership council meeting scheduled for next Tuesday.

PETALING JAYA: The Pakatan Rakyat leadership will be holding a meeting on Jan 8 to deliberate on use of the word “Allah” to represent God in Malay language Bibles, said PKR supremo Anwar Ibrahim.

“We have will be holding our leadership council meeting next week and I believe the matter will be raised. We will discuss this,” said the former deputy prime minister.

Last month, DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng urged the government to allow Christians to use the word “Allah”, to address God in the Malay language Bibles.

However, his suggestion drew criticism from several Muslim-based NGOs which cautioned Lim not to provoke the Muslims.

Lim was also rebuked by his ally within Pakatan when PAS information chief Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man said that non-Muslims should abstain from using the word Allah in their holy books as reference to God.

Meeting with Bank Negara confirmed

Touching on the Global Financial Integrity report (GFI), Anwar said that Bank Negara had agreed to meet him to discuss the latest report by the financial watchdog on the illicit outflow of funds from Malaysia.

“We have proposed to meet on Jan 17, which they have tentatively agreed. They promised to get back to us,” said Anwar.

The US-based financial watchdog reported that Malaysia ranked number two in terms of illicit outflow of funds in 2010, ranking second to China.

The report indicated that Malaysia lost RM200 billion in that year alone. Between 2001 and 2010, Malaysia lost about RM871 billion in capital outflow.

Describing it as “alarming”, Anwar had since offered to meet Bank Negara governor Zeti Akhtar Aziz to offer solution to the matter.

No news from ROS


Meanwhile, PKR secretary-general Saifuddin Nasution said that the Registrar of Societies (ROS) has yet to reply to Pakatan’s request to formally register as a coalition to take on Barisan Nasional in the general election.

“Umno is accusing us of being disunited for not registering ourselves as a coalition but on the other hand, ROS is keeping quiet on our application,” said the Machang MP.

When asked if Pakatan would pressure the ROS on the matter, Saifuddin said, “We will follow our own call on good governance. We will just follow up using proper channels.”

Minimum wage hotlines launched

PSM says the government has gone back on its word by giving leeway to 600 firms.

KUALA LUMPUR: Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) and the workers’ rights organisation Jerit have set up a system to monitor companies’ compliance with the Minimum Wage Act.

This followed last week’s announcement by the Human Resources Ministry that it had permitted 600 companies to restructure wages so that what were previously categorised as allowances were now incorporated into the basic pay.

PSM secretary general S Arutchelvan today described that decision as tantamount to the government going back on its word.

He told a press conference that the monitoring system would be managed by PSM and Jerit. At its heart is a network of hotline numbers that disgruntled workers can call to lodge complaints, which will then be forwarded to the Human Resources Ministry. There are also complaint forms that workers can fill in without fear of their identities being revealed.

Arutchelvan said PSM and Jerit were distributing the complaint forms to workers in gazetted industrial areas.

He also announced that the two organisations would hold their Minimum Wage Awareness Week from Jan 20 to Jan 26 at various industrial zones nationwide, where they will distribute cards explaining workers’ rights under the minimum wage policy.

Jerit coordinator M Sivaranjani said more than 300 workers had approached Jerit and PSM since December with inquiries about minimum wage.

The Minimum Wage Act was gazetted in July 2012 and becomes effective this month. It fixes minimum wage at RM900 in Peninsular Malaysia and RM800 in Sabah and Sarawak.

Arutchelvan demanded that the government reveal the names of the 600 companies that have been exempted.

He suggested that the government provide subsidy assistance to companies claiming to have difficulties in giving minimum wage instead of allowing them to postpone its implementation.

He also suggested that the Human Resource Ministry announce a hotline number for workers to lodge complaints against companies breaking the minimum wage law.

Ibu bapa, murid buat demo bantah guru ditukar

Dua guru sekolah itu dipindahkan ke sekolah lain kerana dikatakan membuat aduan kepada pihak atasan berhubung kes guru besar yang mengeluarkan kata-kata lucah kepada pekerja am.

JEMPOL: Seramai 60 ibu bapa, penjaga dan murid mengadakan bantahan aman di depan Sekolah Jenis Kebangsaan Tamil (SJKT) Ladang Kelpin, Rompin, di Jempol Negeri Sembilan; pada hari pertama pembukaan sekolah sesi 2013 semalam.

Bantahan diadakan berikutan rasa tidak puas hati terhadap tindakan pihak bertanggungjawab menukar dua guru sekolah terbabit ke sekolah lain tanpa alasan munasabah.

Murid-murid yang turut mengadakan bantahan tidak mahu masuk ke dalam kelas selama sejam.

Ibu bapa mendakwa dua guru sekolah itu dipindahkan ke sekolah lain kerana dikatakan membuat aduan kepada pihak atasan berhubung kes guru besar yang mengeluarkan kata-kata lucah kepada dua pekerja am di sekolah tersebut.

Mereka juga mendakwa guru besar sekolah tersebut mengugut akan memberhentikan dua pekerja am tersebut jika memberitahu perkara tersebut kepada orang lain.

Kejadian didakwa berlaku pada 25 September 2012 apabila dua pekerja am sekolah berkenaan, K Poopathy,24, dan adik iparnya R Komathy,19, sedang membersihkan kawasan sekolah.

Komathy mendakwa guru besar itu menegur Poopathy dan berkata Poopathy nampak letih kerana bersama suaminya semalam dan guru besar itu memberitahu dia pandai mengurut dan kemudian mempelawanya masuk ke biliknya.

“Dia juga memanggil kami untuk melihat dua ekor anjing yang sedang mengawan di luar pagar sekolah. Kemudian mengugut kami supaya tidak memberitahu perkara itu kepada orang lain.

“Jika kami maklumkan juga, kami akan diberhentikan kerja selain guru besar tidak akan mendatangani slip gaji kami. Jadi kami takut dan mengadu pada guru sekolah terbabit,” kata Komathy.

Laporan polis

Sehubungan itu Komathy berkata beliau telah membuat laporan polis pada 27 September tahun lalu berhubung tingkah laku guru besar tersebut kerana bimbang akan keselamatan beliau dan Poopathy.

M Manivanan, 40, bapa kepada seorang murid, berkata beliau terkejut dengan pertukaran guru-guru terbabit yang disifatkan sebagai tindakan mengejut.

“Kami tidak mahu guru besar seperti ini yang mengeluarkan kata-kata tidak senonoh kepada orang lain. Sepatutnya guru besar ini yang harus dipindahkan ke sekolah lain,” katanya.

C Parvathy,46, nenek kepada seorang murid dari sekolah yang sama berkata beliau kecewa dengan pertukaran dua guru terbabit kerana mereka hanya mempertahankan maruah dua pekerja am wanita itu.

“Saya difahamkan dua guru ini memaklumkan insiden dan tingkah laku guru besar itu kepada pihak atasan,” kata Parvathy.
Suami kepada salah seorang guru yang ditukarkan sekolah berkata, isterinya hanya diberitahu mengenai pertukaran itu, seminggu sebelum musim persekolahan baru dibuka.

“Saya juga begitu kecewa apabila mendapat tahu berita berkenaan. Isteri saya hanya mempertahankan maruah dua pekerja am ini. Bagaimanapun saya mahu kes ini disiasat pihak atasan,” ujar beliau.

Sementara itu Exco Kerajaan Negeri, Datuk Shamsulkahar Mohd Deli yang menjaga portfolio Jawatankuasa Pelajaran dan Pengajian Tinggi Negeri, berkata beliau akan menyiasat insiden tersebut dengan pihak berkenaan.

Musa Hassan zips lips in latest scorcher on Altantuya murder

Amin Iskandar, The Malaysian Insider

Tan Sri Musa Hassan has refused to be drawn into the latest controversy over the 2006 murder of Altantuya Shaariibuu, following the publication of a book claiming the former Inspector-General of Police (IGP) has inside information.

The retired policeman reiterated that Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak was uninvolved in the explosive case that had been linked to several politicians from the ruling Barsian Nasional (BN) and had resurfaced recently in the run-up to the 13th general election.

“I have nothing to comment,” he told The Malaysian Insider when contacted yesterday for a response on allegations he has knowledge of the events surrounding the death of the Mongolian translator, for which two elite police commandos have been convicted and are facing death sentences.

“I have said it many times: Najib is not involved with the murder of Altantuya. This is (Abdul) Razak Baginda’s work,” he said, referring to the PM’s former political advisor who once had an affair with the Mongolian.

“I had briefed Pak Lah that Najib was not involved in this case,” Musa said, referring to the then-PM, Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

A 26-page book titled “The Black Rose ― Black Rose 1.0”, which describes the tangled web of high-profile personalities purportedly involved in the murder conspiracy, has been circulating on the Internet over the past few days.

Carpet dealer Deepak Jaikishan, who is at the centre of the controversy surrounding P. Balasubramaniam’s conflicting sworn testimonies on the case, yesterday admitted to being the book’s author. He also said he will release a sequel.

Balasubramaniam, a former policeman-turned-private investigator who was at that time hired by Abdul Razak Baginda to keep an eye on Altantuya, is seen to be a key witness to the whole saga.

Deepak recently revealed his involvement in getting Balasubramaniam to make the second statutory declaration (SD), reversing an earlier statement linking Najib to Altantuya’s murder.

The Bar Council was chided on Tuesday for dragging its feet in investigating the identity of the mystery lawyer behind Balasubramaniam’s controversial second SD.

Lawyer Americk Singh Sidhu, who is acting for the former private detective, said that the Bar Council should speed up its inquiry on the high-profile case that had previously been linked to several high-ranking government officials and resurfaced recently in the run-up to the 13th general election.

The Bar Council has said it is investigating the possibility of misconduct in the drafting of Balasubramaniam’s second SD, which contradicts his previous sworn statement made just a day earlier over the death of the Mongolian translator.

A cloud of mystery has been hanging over the identity of the lawyer who had drawn up Balasubramaniam’s second SD, dated a day after his first on July 3, 2008, regarding the Altantuya murder case.

Last month, Musa accused politicians, including Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein, of interfering with police work.

Malaysian Businessman Continues Attacks on Premier

Deepak at the ramparts

(Asia Sentinel) Prime Minister Najib, his wife and UMNO leaders remain silent in the face of charges

Disaffected Malaysian businessman Deepak Jaikishan is continuing to rain accusations of bribery, political favoritism, murder cover-up and other scandals against Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak, his wife, family and top UMNO figures despite apparent attempts to shut him up by arranging for a quasi-government agency to buy his company.

He has now written - apparently at lightning speed - a book called "Black Rose" which is billed as a tell-all about his relationship with Rosmah Mansor, Najib's wife, and deals with allegations of the cover-up of details of the murder of the 28-year-old Mongolian national Altantuya Shaariibuu in 2006. The book was to be issued today but he told local media that the publisher couldn't get it to him in time, so he would issue an e-book which so far hasn't appeared.

Deepak, who once said he was close enough to Rosmah to call her his "big sister," has continued to cause embarrassment to the prime minister and his wife, who so far have maintained an awkward silence in the face of his charges.

He has vowed to detail - or re-detail, since he has already made the information public to a flock of internet sites over recent weeks - RM3 million in payments to a private investigator, Perumal Balasubramaniam, in 2008 in an effort to shut up the investigator, who first made public sworn allegations that Najib himself had had an affair with the jet-setting beauty, who was killed by two of Nabob's personal bodyguards who were later convicted of murder in a trial regarded by many as designed to keep secret the names of those who had paid them to carry out the crime.

Although the scandal has all the trappings of a B movie, there are questions whether it has percolated into the ethnic Malay heartland that provides the political support that keeps Najib and the United Malays National Organization in power. That could be changing. Political analysts in Malaysia tell Asia Sentinel that Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim and his Parti Keadilan Rakyat have considerably polished their campaign tactics, making sophisticated videotapes and other materials that they are using effectively in ceramahs, or talks given in lieu of political rallies, which are largely banned in Malaysia.

Malaysians still get most of their news from the mainstream newspapers, the New Straits Times and The Star, which are owned by the major political parties, as are the main television broadcast stations. They haven't breathed a word of the scandal. However, internet penetration in Malaysia is one of the highest in the region, with more than 62 percent of the population having access.

There have been growing reports that former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad and Muhyiddin Yassin, the current deputy prime minister, are behind Deepak's revelations, although a lawyer close to the Mahathir wing of UMNO sarcastically denied it.

"The people within UMNO who are pushing this say that by getting Rosmah and Najib out of the way, the party will be able to boost its support among the Malays, both rural and urban who are simply disgusted with (the antics of Najib and his wife.) That perhaps may answer the strong air cover Deepak is getting with his rantings and also the coverage (former Inspector General of Police Musa Hassan) is getting for his attacks," a seasoned political source told Asia Sentinel.

"But the question is whether UMNO can afford a palace coup? Najib does have support within the party and his allies won't want him to throw in the towel without a fight. In any case, Najib's silence over the allegations has hurt him considerably and many in UMNO smell blood. Even if they let him lead the elections, he is probably finished after that."

Deepak's latest revelation was that he had paid RM13 million (US$4.28 million) for 19 pieces of custom-made jewelry from Hong Kong firms as part of alleged kickbacks to facilitate a land deal that later collapsed when a politically wired leader of the women's wing of UMNO refused to part with land steered to her from Malaysia's defense ministry. The woman, Rajah Ropiaah Rajah Abdullah, is well wired into the UMNO power structure. A six-year veteran of political ladder-climbing, she is an executive council member with the UMNO women's wing and the women's wing head in Selangor state.

In that regard, the scandal resembles far too many on the part of UMNO and makes a mockery of Najib's vow, at the start of his premiership in 2009 that corruption must stop and that "The perception of UMNO as a party to make a living from must be thrown far far away… must be discarded." In that regard, the land scandal calls up unpleasant associations with what has become known as Cattlegate, in which the family Shahrizat Aziz, the current national head of the women's wing, was charged with misspending millions of dollars for flats, cars, trips and other items from a RM250 million soft loan to develop a national cattle feeding scheme.

Deepak testified earlier in court that he had entered into a venture with Rajah Ropiaah's company, Awan Mega (M) Sdn. Bhd to build a National Defense Research Center in the country's administrative capital of Putrajaya. The ministry was to pay Rajah Ropiaah's company RM27 million (US8.9 million) to build the center. The center would occupy a portion of the land and Awan Mega would be ceded roughly 90 hectares worth RM72.5 million for free for development.

Awan Mega wasn't able to obtain a bond for the building's construction and asked Deepak for help, he testified. Thus, his Asta Canggih Sdn Bhd stood for a RM72.5 million land bond on behalf of Rajah Ropiaah's company, he alleged. He was to pay RM23 million in exchange for 89 ha. However, once the bond was put up, Deepak alleged, was ignored from that point forward.

After his barrage of charges, Boustead Holding Bhd., the investment vehicle of the military retirement fund, known as LTAT, stepped in, as what looked like an effort to shut him up, to buy Asta Canggih from him for RM30 million. That didn't help. Deepak said the sale of his company was forced on him and only covered the money he had spent on the land deal and that he had been cut out of the development project. He did abruptly withdraw his lawsuit against Rajah Ropiaah and her company over the land deal although he went on to charge that the latest deal meant the defense ministry, through Boustead, was buying back land from Rajah Ropiaah that they had given her.

"The losers are the Defense Ministry and army officers who get cheated by UMNO and cheated again by having to buy back the military land at double the price they gave it away for," he told the independent website Malaysiakini.

Mengecam Penghinaan Terhadap Rasulullah SAW

Saya mengecam sekeras-kerasnya penghinaan terbaru terhadap Nabi Muhammad dengan melakar kisah kehidupannya dalam sebuah majalah satira yang diterbitkan di Perancis baru-baru ini. Karya tersebut, yang bertujuan untuk menimbulkan provokasi umat Islam serta cuba untuk membangkitkan kekacauan sewajarnya ditarik semula dan dikutuk sekeras-kerasnya oleh pemimpin-pemimpin dunia.

Allah SWT melarang sama sekali menggambarkan Nabi Muhammad SAW dalam apa jua cara, melainkan seperti yang telah digambarkan dalam Al Quran. Sewajarnya diletakkan suatu batas yang membedakan di antara penghinaan dan penyelewengan agama dengan kebebasan bersuara dan hak untuk berkarya.

Perancis perlu bertanggungjawab dengan bertindak terhadap mereka yang sengaja mencetuskan provokasi ini dengan kadar segera. Hak kebebasan berkarya bukan alasan untuk disalahguna oleh pihak-pihak tertentu yang berkepentingan.

ANWAR IBRAHIM

Out with the old, in with the new

Mariam Mokhtar

Puppet shows, ‘Punch and Judy’ politics, farcical presentations, tragicomedies, drama queens, flip-flops, U-turns, dress rehearsals and of course, pornographic productions can be used to sum up current Malaysian politics.

It is amazing what the subconscious reveals. When MCA keeps asking if Hadi Awang or Anwar Ibrahim would make the better prime minister, you know what the ruling coalition are thinking - that BN is doomed.

Why would one of the main component parties in BN talk about opposition candidates for the post of prime minister? If they thought they stood any chance of winning GE13, they would be discussing which BN candidate should lead the country, rather than which opposition politician would make the best PM.

In November 2011, the Umno information chief, Ahmad Maslan, talked about a hung parliament: “If there is a hung Parliament scenario like Australia, let’s say 112 government seats to 110 opposition seats, it is the worst thing that could happen.”

This showed that Umno had no confidence of victory at the polls.

Ahmad Maslan warned the Malays of the DAP’s Christian zeal: “The Malay language will be lost, say goodbye to the Malay Sultans, the opposition DAP do not even respect the royal institution ... they have never accepted royal titles even though they have been offered them.”

Last week, it was alleged that the MCA president Chua Soi Lek also talked about a hung parliament, when asked to comment about a rival in his party.

An online newspaper had reported that the blogger, Syed Akbar Ali had written: “Revisiting the issue of factionalism and lack of support, he spoke bluntly about the Ong Tee Keat faction trying to sabotage him in Melaka. Dr Chua feels that if there is a hung Parliament after the general elections, Ong Tee Keat may just pack his bags and leave. Like Chua Jui Ming.”

One year after Umno raised fears of a hung parliament, MCA has voiced the same anxieties.

There are other indications of the lack of confidence in BN.

The sporadic acts of violence against the opposition are acts of desperation by a defeated Umno which has acknowledged defeat before the election has been held.

In the past, the usual spokesperson in Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak’s cabinet would be quick to come to his defense, whenever someone makes serious allegations about him. This time, they are quiet. Has Najib issued a gagging order?

Despite revelations by the carpet seller, Deepak Jaikishan about Rosmah Mansor and Nazim Razak, interfering in the investigations into the death of the Mongolian model Altantuya Shaariibuu, both the police and the attorney-general’s offices have taken no action.

Deepak also claimed to be the victim of a business deal, involving a Defence Ministry project, which had gone foul. One would have expected the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission to investigate these allegations, but they, like the police and the attorney-general’s chambers, are quiet.

When the former inspector-general of police (IGP) Musa Hassan complained of interference in the police force, by the Home Minister and other senior politicians, there was no response from Najib.

Many allege that former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad are behind these revelations. Why would he support moves that would give an advantage to Anwar Ibrahim, his arch-enemy? Mahathir has been strangely silent about Deepak and Musa’s claims. Why would he give the opposition a chance to take over Putrajaya, undo his legacy and end his dynasty?

Najib is gradually being undone by his greed and vanity. If only he had paid Altantuya her meagre commission, then none of this mess would haunt him. If only he had paid Deepak his monies from the corrupt land deal. If only he had paid Musa Hassan his dues which most former IGPs received in the past.

Luxury goods up for grabs?

Last week, the Tunisian Prime Minister Hamadi Jebali arranged for the auction of thousands of luxury goods owned by Tunisia’s deposed dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali and his family. People have been queuing-up to have a brief glimpse of the dictator and his wife’s ostentatious life. There were fast-cars, jewellery, works of art, shoes, handbags and other accessories.

For years, Malaysians have heard stories about multi-million ringgit rings, expensive handbags, fast-cars and other dizzying displays of an opulent lifestyle by our politicians, their spouses, and their children. When the time comes, will Malaysia’s new prime minister arrange an auction of goods, like the Tunisians have done?

So what would you look for if the opposition were to win and there was an auction of luxury goods formerly owned by BN politicians and their cronies?

Would it be Rosmah Mansor’s handbags and rings? Her badminton racquets? Her lycra tracksuit? Her clothes?

Or would it be Sarawak Chief Minister Taib Mahmud’s grand piano which allegedly belonged to Liberace? Or Taib’s selection of Rolls-Royces, gems or yachts? Or would you be interested in his son, Sulaiman’s fast cars?

Would you include the items which were ‘lent’ by their cronies, such as the Hummer 2 SUV lent by Michael Chia to the de facto Law Minister Nazri Aziz’s son, Nedim? What about Nedim’s luxury watch which would cost more than the average Malaysian could earn in several lifetimes?

The one item that I would love to see is Mahathir’s little red book, which is alleged to hold the dirty secrets and alleged crimes of his cronies, his corrupt politicians and the other people who were easily bought. Allegedly, he positively encouraged corruption and wrongdoing so he would be able to hold them to ransom at a later date.

The book should make interesting reading, but judging by the number of scandals that have rocked Malaysia over the past 30 years, it would not be a book that one could read in an evening.

Happy New Year to everyone.

---

MARIAM MOKHTAR is a non-conformist traditionalist from Perak, a bucket chemist and an armchair eco-warrior. In ‘real-speak', this translates into that she comes from Ipoh, values change but respects culture, is a petroleum chemist and also an environmental pollution-control scientist.

Press Release: End Deaths in Police Custody Now!

The Malaysian Bar is once again appalled and deeply troubled that yet another person has died in police custody. 32-year old K Nagarajan was found dead on 24 Dec 2012, before his scheduled court appearance, after having spent three nights in the Dang Wangi police station lock-up. According to the police, he died from a fall, but his family reportedly found inexplicable injuries on his body.

It is shocking that individuals continue to die in such highly suspicious circumstances while under the care of the police, which raises very alarming questions about the treatment of detainees in police custody and the methods of interrogation used.

The duty of the police is set out in very clear terms in the leading judgment of Lord Bingham of Cornhill in Amin, R (on the application of) v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2003] 4 All ER 1264, where Lord Bingham said:

. . . a state must not unlawfully take life and must take appropriate legislative and administrative steps to protect it. But the duty does not end there. The state owes a particular duty to those involuntarily in its custody. . . . Such persons must be protected against violence or abuse at the hands of state agents. They must be protected against self-harm. . . . Reasonable care must be taken to safeguard their lives and persons against the risk of foreseeable harm.


Death in custody, especially under dubious conditions, is among the worst crimes one can imagine in a civilised society under the rule of law. The burden of proving that such a death did not occur by foul means must surely fall squarely on the law enforcement agency in question. The reasons are plain: the victim was being held in isolation and was wholly within the control of the detaining authority; rarely are there independent witnesses to such a crime, as the witnesses are generally interested parties or persons under enquiry; and the police adhere to a strict chain of command code and are bound by a “blue wall of silence”.

Based on the statistics disclosed by the Ministry of Home Affairs, 156 persons died in police custody between 2000 and February 2011, and this was reportedly at least the sixth incident of custodial death at the hands of the police in 2012. Such tragedies underscore the dire need for an Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission (“IPCMC”), to function as an independent, external oversight body to investigate complaints about police personnel and to make the police accountable for their conduct. K Nagarajan’s death is inexcusable, and is another incident demonstrating that the police are unable to police themselves.

The Malaysian Bar calls for an immediate inquest into the incident, which is a matter of utmost public interest and warrants the highest level of priority. Although Chapter XXXII of the Criminal Procedure Code requires that all custodial deaths be investigated by way of inquest, no inquest is held in most instances. Every death in custody must be thoroughly and impartially investigated. K Nagarajan’s death must not be relegated to a mere statistic.

The Malaysian Bar also calls on the authorities to urgently implement structural reform, where inquests are concerned. Recent enquiries into deaths of persons that occur whilst in the custody of, or in or around the premises of, law enforcement agencies, have resulted in “open” verdicts.

The Malaysian Bar thus urges the Government to introduce a Coroners’ Act, and establish a Coroners’ Court with the following features:


(1) A clearly-stated aim, which will focus on identifying the deceased and ascertaining how, when and where the person died;

(2) The creation of an official position of a State Coroner, and Coroners. These are appointed by the Prime Minister upon the recommendation of the Chief Justice. The State Coroner must be a Sessions Court Judge, ie a more senior position than that of a Magistrate, who currently conducts the inquests;

(3) The Coroner would be responsible for supervising investigations by the police, ensuring that all relevant evidence is gathered, presiding over enquiries, and making findings; and

(4) The specific use of pathologists and forensic pathologists. Only pathologists, or medical practitioners supervised by pathologists, may conduct post-mortems.


It is also disquieting that, in the case of K Nagarajan’s arrest, the protocol prescribed under the Yayasan Bantuan Guaman Kebangsaan (“YBGK”) scheme does not appear to have been complied with. The guidelines for enforcement officers provide that as soon as an arrest has been made, and before the suspect is questioned, the officer must inform the suspect’s family (or friend) regarding the arrest, and must also provide details regarding the arrest and the suspect to YBGK. However, K Nagarajan’s family has reportedly stated that they were not informed about the arrest, and YBGK did not receive any notification.

K Nagarajan’s tragic fate is the latest in a deplorable string of deaths occurring in the context of investigations carried out by law enforcement agencies. It must be the last. The Malaysian Government must act now.

Our heartfelt condolences go out to K Nagarajan’s family and friends.

Lim Chee Wee
President
Malaysian Bar

Income Limit Eligibility For My First Home Scheme Increases To RM5,000

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 4 (Bernama) -- The income limit of individual borrowers for My First Home Scheme (SRP) will be increased from RM3,000 to RM5,000 per month effective January 2013.

This enhancement was one of the SRP's eligibility criteria slated for improvement under 2013 Budget announcement last year, Cagamas SRP Bhd said in a statement.

For joint borrowers, it said the income limit has been increased up to RM10,000 per month, subject to the individual borrower's income not exceeding RM5,000 per month.

"In addition, the requirement for a savings record equivalent to three months installment and minimum employment of six months will be abolish," Cagamas SRP said.

It said the scheme allows homebuyers to obtain 100 per cent financing from participating banks, enabling them to own a home without having the need to pay a 10 per cent down payment.

"Cagamas SRP will guarantee the initial 10 per cent of the loan under the scheme," it added.

Cagamas was mandated in 2011 to play an active role of helping young, working Malaysians in the private sector to own their first homes under the SRP.