Bawani: Students forced to attend controversial forum

INTERVIEW Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM) students from some of its residential colleges were compelled to attend the infamous Suara Wanita 1Malaysia (SW1M) forum under threat of expulsion, claims student KS Bawani (below).
Therefore, she said she is disappointed that the university had reportedly distanced itself from the event last month by saying that it merely provided the hall, where SW1M chairperson Sharifah Zohra Jabeen Syed Shah Miskin had berated her.

"The university said it was not involved, but many students were compelled to attend the programme... If it is not a university programme, why make it compulsory?" she said during an interview with Malaysiakini yesterday.

She said among those forced to attend were first year students from Proton Student Residential Hall (DPP Proton), which sponsored the event.

She said she had seen similar complaints on Facebook from students in other residential halls as well, but is unsure which particular ones or the number of students affected.

Bawani added that she was not one of them but went there on her own volition. Some 2,000 students reportedly attended the event.

The forum titled ‘Women in Politics' was held at UUM from around 10am to 1pm on Dec 8.

A 24-minute video of it, uploaded on Jan 9, quickly went viral, with many netizens condemning Sharifah (right) and advertisers were quick pounce on the event, parodying her antics. which also earned her the moniker ‘Kak Listen'.

Bawani's hope is that said the intense publicity generated would put and end to similar ‘brainwashing sessions' at universities.

Acting under false pretenses
Recounting the incident, she said she was already fed up with the function from the start.

"The topic was about one thing but the story was another. All sorts of nonsense came out as if to condemn only one side.

"It was like brainwashing," she said, describing the emotions which drove her to the microphone.

However, she was abruptly interrupted and told to "Listen" about 10 times before the microphone was snatched away, and Sharifah started browbeating her.

"I pleaded ‘let me finish first' but she only raised her voice higher. People would think that a big shot is scolding and I should stop. This student should stop. I think Sharifah has put me in bad light; very rude," she said.

Even then, she said she hoped Sharifah would allow her to speak again, but Sharifah kept on, making her feel that it was no use standing up against her as there would still be no answer.

When asked, she replied that she did feel angry at the time as it is human nature.

"But I controlled myself because I needed to respect her, too. People often say, ‘Give respect and take respect," the law student said.

After the incident, she said students were split between those sympathetic to her and those who felt that she had been rude, while others felt that both had been.
However, it turned out that some students also shared her view that the forum was in fact a brainwashing session, but had kept mum then.

"There is a problem is that we (students) are afraid of authority, such as the Universities and University Colleges Act (UUCA); afraid of action being taken against us.

"Many wanted to speak, but because of restrictions such as UUCA, students preferred to play safe rather than voicing out.

"Those who did not voice out dared to do so on Facebook. That means they have the guts but something is suppressing it," she said.

However, when the video was released, she said those who initially condemned her apologised.

"Sorry we didn't know. We only knew what really happened after watching the video.

Gracious enough to apologise
"We could not imagine it when you (Bawani) told us the other day and we thought perhaps it was right that people say that you were rude.

"After watching the programme, only then we knew why you behave like that," Bawani said, paraphrasing her friends.

She said she had received calls and messages from friends expressing support and saying that they are proud of her.

In addition, she received a call from Deputy Higher Education Minister Saifuddin Abdullah (right) with words of encouragement, and later met her.

"I was happy to meet Saifuddin, he is someone who is open to receiving views. I feel good because I didn't expect a minister... he called me and I didn't expect that. He was very encouraging.

"He said students should voice their views and room should be given for them to do so; there should be freedom of expression. So I was very happy to hear that from him," she said.

Despite all the the attention, she stressed that she is not a hero and there are others who have done more for the country.

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The interview was jointly conducted by Abdul Rahim Sabri, Kow Gah Chie and Koh Jun Lin.

Another man ‘beaten up in police custody’

The lorry driver has undergone surgery for head injuries and is still listed in critical condition.

PETALING JAYA: A 48 year-old-man was allegedly beaten up while in police custody but the police have refused to explain the reason behind his arrest or the beating.

The man, Francis Doriasamy @ Mosses, a lorry driver, was arrested at his apartment in Bandar Kinrara, Puchong, at about 2pm on Jan 6.

His wife, Sundrum M Parasuraman, 54, received a call from the police at about 11pm the same day saying that her husband was under arrest.

The next day (Jan 7), she went to the Serdang police headquarters and was told that her spouse was sent to the Puchong Jaya police station.

“They told me that they took him there and that I could not visit him.

“On Jan 8, I went to another police station in Serdang but this time the police told me that they have transferred him to the Shah Alam police station and again said that I could not visit him,” said the cleaner.

She added that the police also told her that they will inform her on the date her husband will be taken to court and that she could see him then.

“However, on the same day [Jan 8], at about 11pm, I got a call from the police saying that my husband has been admitted to Tunku Ampuan Rahimah hospital in Klang,” she said, adding that they told her he was in “critical” condition and asked her to rush to the hospital.

Sundrum said the hospital also contacted her and informed her of her husband’s condition.

When she arrived at the hospital, all her fears came true. She saw Francis was unconscious and looked terrible.

“Doctors informed me that he has to undergo emergency surgery to his head because he was bleeding in the brain,” she said.

Uncooperative attitude

Sundrum added that her husband was transferred to the Sungai Buloh hospital on Jan 9 to undergo surgery.


Her attempts to seek information from the policemen on duty at the Sungai Buloh hospital on why her husband was arrested and suffered head injuries were futile.

Sundrum, frustrated at the uncooperative attitude of the police, then sought the advice of Kapar MP S Manikavasagam.

“He [Manikavasagam] told me to make a police report. I urge the Selangor police chief [Tun Hisan Hamzah] to investigate this case thoroughly so justice can and will be served,” she said.

On Jan 13, she lodged a report at the Sungai Buloh police station.

Manikavasagam said that Francis is still unconscious at the Sungai Buloh hospital.

He added that he believed Francis was beaten while in police custody.

He said he will accompany Sundrum and her family to meet Tun Hisan on Jan 21.

'Pakistani and Indian citizens became instant Malaysians'

The royal commission of inquiry (RCI) on immigrants in Sabah today heard how two men who arrived in Malaysia as Pakistani and Indian nationals were granted citizenship in a matter of years.

Taking the stand today was Mohamed Hussein, a Pashtun Pakistani, who in 1987 flew to Kuala Lumpur from Karachi using a Pakistani passport.

He subsequently flew to Kota Kinabalu before settling down in Tawau.

“In 1988, a Pakistani man accompanied by a few Malaysian men approached me and offered me Malaysian documentation,” Mohamed told the inquiry in the Kota Kinabalu High Court complex.

The condition, he said, was that he must intent to stay in Malaysia and must become a voter, though he was not told for which party to vote.

“They brought me to the National Registration Department, filled in the forms for me - as I could not read and write - then took my thumbprint and signature,” Mohamed said.

He then surrendered his Pakistani passport and received a temporary identification receipt.

He received his blue identity card in 1989, some two years after arriving in Malaysia, and became a voter in Papar.

Mohamed, who replied to questions in basic Malay, said he later applied for a Malaysian passport and had returned to Pakistan four to five times using the document.
He married an Indonesian woman in 2002, who still does not have papers, but both his children have Malaysian birth certificates and blue identity cards.

‘Never questioned’

Despite his obvious appearance of not being a local Sabahan, Mohamed said he had never been questioned before when applying for a Malaysian passport for upgrading  his blue identity card to newer versions.

In a similar case, Aziz Kassim, who was from Tamil Nadu, India, arrived by plane to Kuala Lumpur with an Indian passport in 1980.

Testifying before the panel, Aziz said he subsequently flew to Labuan and then took a ferry to Kota Kinabalu where he worked at a restaurant.

“In 1987, some people who claimed to be government officers came and told me they could help me get an identity card.

“They filled in a form for me, and took my photograph, thumbprint and signature at the restaurant where I worked,” he said.

Four months later, Aziz said he received his blue identity card, along with a friend with whom he had travelled from India.

In 1995, he then applied for and received a Malaysian passport using his blue identity card, to return to India where he got married.

He then brought his wife back to Kota Kinabalu where he had her apply for permanent residence. All three of his children are Malaysian citizens.

‘I set up five restaurants’

In a story befitting the ‘Malaysian dream’,  Aziz then applied for a business licence which was approved by the Kota Kinabalu City Hall, and went on to set up five restaurants in the city.

“But later business went bad and I suffered losses, so I closed them down and am only working as a cook now,” he said.

Asked if he had voted before, Aziz said he registered as a voter in 1991 and had voted four times in the Likas constituency.

In 1999, the state election for the constituency of Likas was declared null and void due to the discovery of dubious names in the electoral roll there.

Subsequently, former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad sought to amend the election laws, making it impossible for the electoral roll to be challenged by the courts.

A total of 29 witnesses had testified during the five-day session which concluded today.

The RCI will reconvene on Jan 29 with its second session until Feb 1, with a third session scheduled for Feb 22 to Feb 27.

Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak had yesterday declined to comment on revelations at the RCI about allegations of covert operations to make illegal immigrants into citizens in a bid to topple the then PBS-led Sabah government.

He had said that it was premature to weigh on the inquiry as there would be 167 more witnesses to be called. The official number of witnesses that will be called, which the RCI had informed the media, was 48.

Kumpulan pelajar cabar Sharifah berdebat dengan Bawani

PM's wife swears to God she doesn't have the ring

Apparently taking a leaf from her husband Najib Abdul Razak's book, the premier's wife, Rosmah Mansor, said she can swear to god that she had never owned the RM24 million luxury ring as alleged by the opposition.

However, Rosmah admitted that she saw the ring when it was brought into Malaysia to be displayed to "those who have money".

"I dare to swear, I dare to swear to Allah that I don't have the ring on my hand at all.

"Indeed, the ring was brought in to be shown to those who have money. I don't have money, so I just viewed (and felt) it was 'very, very nice', that's all," she said during a dinner with military veterans at the Defence Ministry in Kuala Lumpur last night.

A footage showing the speech has been uploaded on Youtube by news portal KLPos.

Although Rosmah did not specify, it is believed that she was referring to the allegation by former PKR central committee member Badrul Hisham Shaharin in 2011.

Badrul Hisham, also known by his blog name Chegubard, lodged a report with the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) alleging that he received information that a ring tagged at RM24,458,400 was flown into Kuala Lumpur with Rosmah being the receiver.

Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Mohd Nazri Abdul Aziz later clarified that although the ring was brought into the country, it was not sold and was eventually returned to the company which owns it.

Rosmah had then denied the allegation, terming it slander, but did not reveal whether she had seen the ring before.

Her husband, Najib, had also resorted to swearing in a mosque when enveloped by allegations  of being involved in the murder of the Mongolian national, Altantuya Shaariibuu

During yesterday's dinner, Rosmah said that she has become the number one target of the opposition, despite not being a politician.

"I know that their first agenda is to attack Rosmah. Attack Rosmah, not anyone else, not Najib, but attack Rosmah. They attacked the wife of another. That surprised me," she said before a man across the floor shouted: "Kurang ajar! (uncouth)"

"Nevermind, let them say. We leave it to God, we leave it to Allah. If they want to commit sins, let them be. Let them commit sins, we just have to be patient.

"I hope you don't listen to their slander... if there is any issue, talk to me; ask me personally, I can explain," she added.

Rosmah: I am 'too busy' to answer Deepak

Despite being linked to an alleged cover-up in the murder of Mongolian Altantuya Shaariibuu, the prime minister's wife Rosmah Mansor continues to turn her back on carpet trader Deepak Jaikishan's accusations.
Cornered at a charity function she attended in Kuala Lumpur this afternoon, Rosmah snapped when asked if she could respond to Deepak's allegation: "I am very busy with the Girl Guides. Don't ask me any questions."

Rosmah, who is president of the Girl Guides Association of Malaysia, was the VIP at a charity luncheon hosted by the Federal Territory Girl Guides Association.

Malaysiakini tried to approach Rosmah three times, but was blocked by her personal assistants and bodyguards each time.

The first was after lunch, during a stage performance. Rosmah's aide moved in quickly and stopped this writer from asking questions.

The second attempt was when she was leaving the function. Swiftly following behind her, I asked: "Datin Seri, would you like to respond to Deepak's allegation, linking you to the cover-up of the murder (of Altantuya)?"

Once again, one of Rosmah's aides appeared,and said, "she will respond at another press conference". Rosmah remained silent as she walked on.
Aide: Ask another day

Heading towards her car, Rosmah was accompanied by few aides and bodyguards. Malaysiakini then moved to the other side of the car, where a group of Girl Guides leaders were waiting to take a group picture with her.

When Malaysiakini tried to ask same question again, an aide appeared and told me to ask the question another day.

However, Rosmah turned around and said, "I am very busy with the Girl Guides. Don't ask me any questions."

Deepak has given several interviews with the media since last November, alleging that Rosmah, her husband and Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak and his brother Mohd Nazim Razak, were involved in getting private investigator P Balasubramaniam to come out with a second statutory declaration.

New portals have been trying hard to approach Rosmah for her response to the allegation, but to no avail.
In another instance previously, a Malaysiakini journalist was also blocked by Rosmah's bodyguards when he tried to approach her.

Yesterday, Najib denied Deepak's allegation and questioned his credibility.

At the function earlier, Rosmah applauded the Girl Guides for extending their assistance to the recent flood victims and sending water to the higher floors of flats during the water crisis, saying she was proud of the girls.

Rosmah also visited a booth set up by the Girl Guides to watch them perform the cadiopulmonary resuscitation exercise, where she taught the girls how to help a baby choking on milk.

Sharifah’s uncalled for shenanigans

The modus operandi adopted by the SW1M chief is a classic example of how wannabe politicians will do anything to ‘hog’ both space and attention.
COMMENT

If there is a legacy that Umno leaves behind, it is that of an uncouth culture, one that says it is ok to humiliate others. And if Suara Wanita 1Malaysia (SW1M) aspires to be an Umno copycat, it does not augur well for the well-being of Malaysia.

For one, SW1M’s reputation precedes it, going by the kurang ajar or rude behaviour of its leader, Sharifah Zohra Jabeen who could not care less how to conduct herself in public which comprised students of a local university.

At a Universiti Utara Malaysia forum last month, an undergraduate KS Bawani forthrightly asked Sharifah questions in line with the forum theme ‘Are University Students in Line with Politics’ and on Bersih.

Instead of developing into an insightful forum, the event turned ugly after Sharifah, ignoring any semblance of decorum, started a verbal abuse against Bawani, a second year law student.

Unable to use critical thinking to reply to Bawani’s argument on free education, the NGO head did what only Umno does best – turn rude and hurl insults.

If that was not bad enough, the modus operandi adopted by Sharifah is a classic example of how wannabe politicians like the SW1M chief will do anything to ‘hog’ both space and attention.

Force and humiliate if need be, but never fail to grab all attention – this is the Umno mantra which Sharifah wholeheartedly subscribes to.

SW1M chief’s EQ and IQ = 0

The forum attended by Sharifah tackled a serious subject, of university students and politics. Was the topic too heavy for the SW1M chief that she could not think of a way to address the sophomore’s straight-to-the point questions?

Instead, Sharifah demanded that the law student listen to her explanation, even before Bawani, a Parti Sosialis Malaysia Youth activist had finished her question.

It was not once but seven times that Sharifah said ‘listen’ and ‘let me speak’ before pulling the microphone away from Bawani and told the undergraduate to move to another country if she wanted free education.

Sharifah also branded Bersih leader S Ambiga as ‘anarchist’. Clearly, Sharifah did not have the intellectual talent to deal with Bawani and instead retorted that ‘even animals had problems’.

Sharifah’s uncivilised behaviour gives hint of both her emotional and intellectual quotients respectively. Just as worrying is the mindset of the UUM graduates who instead of objecting to the Sharifah’s loutish act decided to applaud her. Were and are the UUM students’ racist? If yes, who is to be blamed for this troubling state-of-affairs?

Reject leaders like Sharifah

The uncalled for shenanigan by Sharifah has gone viral and received condemnation from higher education deputy minister Saifuddin Abdullah.

“I’m sad with what I saw in the video. Sharifah should had let Bawani complete her speech. Even if you don’t agree with her, you should reply nicely… not condescending and patronising.

“She should answer her with wisdom, good teachings and debate in the best of ways,” Saifuddin had commented after speaking with Bawani on Monday night.

As for Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin, he has disassociated his party from SW1M.

“Anyone can misuse the 1Malaysia slogan. No one in BN knows who this Sharifah Jabeen is,” was all Khairy said on Twitter.

But to SW1M, they regard Sharifah as somewhat of a hero, insisting that there was no reason for her to apologise to Bawani as the latter needed “to learn how to respect others.”

Looks like SW1M and Sharifah are in a hurry to rise from obscurity and achieve fame, giving two hoots to the fact that ‘respect has to be earned, not forced”.

Jeswan Kaur is a freelance writer and a FMT columnist.

The Ugly 1Malaysian Muslim Woman

Umno women, like Sharifah, Norhayati Saiddin, Raja Ropiah Raja Abdullah, Shahrizat Abdul Jalil and Rosmah Mansor, are poor role models for Malaysian women.
COMMENT

Umno seems to have a lot of people who open their mouths and put their feet straight into them. That is why few will sympathise with Sharifah Zohra Jabeen, the president of Suara Wanita 1Malaysia (SW1M) who has gone into hiding and is attempting to restore her reputation after she delivered a knockout blow to Umno.

Perhaps, she deserves a tinge of sympathy for having an out-of-body experience; the moment she opened her mouth, all credibility left her body.

Incidentally, from where does SW1M get its funding? Is it the taxpayer or does the money come from abroad?

Incredibly, the other members of her little known organisation are just as blind, and do not think Sharifah’s behavior was appalling. Can anything be clearer?

It is Sharifah’s snobbery and aggression which the rakyat identifies with Umno. Her lack of humility prevented her from apologising for her poor conduct. She is too arrogant to admit that she was wrong and her decision to go into hiding because she says she is being “blackmailed”, shows her cowardice and guilt. Her decision to prolong the issue and not deal decisively and immediately with it, has made her look even more conceited.

Sharifah’s tirade against KS Bawani the law student couldn’t have come at a worse time. The day before, Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak had tried to take the credit for the incident-free People’s Uprising rally dubbed KL112, but Sharifah’s outburst, has again focused our minds on Umno’s arrogance. Najib was again eclipsed by an arrogant woman.

Umno women, like Sharifah, Norhayati Saiddin, Raja Ropiah Raja Abdullah, Shahrizat Abdul Jalil and Rosmah Mansor, are poor role models for Malaysian women.

The video clip of the incident was around 24 minutes long, but in that short episode, we witnessed a snapshot of Malaysia as it really is. In real life, we have Umno, the bully party. In the university hall, Umno is personified by Sharifah.

Sharifah talks down to us and tells the students that she has respect for Bawani, despite giving her a public tongue-lashing. Her behaviour is just like Umno which tells us that the reforms are working, that there are low levels of crime in the country, that our education in the best in the world, but at the same time steals from us.

After several hours of listening to the panel members, only two questions were allowed from the floor. Even then, one wonders if the questions had been selected before the talk and did not come from the students themselves.

Drug dealer’s pitbull

Concerned that the students were unable to provide feedback on the talk, Bawani felt compelled to ask some questions. She quoted the High Court ruling on Bersih and corrected SW1M’s assertion that S Ambiga was an anarchist. She then asked for the panel’s opinion on the provision of free education for Malaysian students.

Sharifah, like a drug dealer’s pitbull, was ready to sink her fangs into Bawani, to prevent the other students from “thinking” about greater issues. Perhaps, the only difference between Sharifah and a pitbull is that eventually a pitbull will let go.

Sharifah, in typical Umno fashion, sidestepped Bawani’s questions and prattled on about animals and other unrelated matters – an Umno trick which has been honed to perfection in parliament.

Another similarity with Umno is the way Sharifah held the galaxy lucky draw after the talk. This is just like Umno offering bags of rice and Milo after canvassing.

The fact that the video-clip took one month to surface showed that the university was afraid of the backlash. When only one student appeared to show support for Bawani, the quality of our students, at least in that hall, is questioned. The panel members who failed to stop Sharifah from making a fool of herself, are themselves weak. What is Sharifah to them?

Most of us, despite our racial origins, have been brought up to respect others, but the school of respect Sharifah attended does things differently.

She sees nothing wrong in verbally abusing others in public. She claims she is being respectful, by virtue of shaking their hands first.

When Sharifah talked about respecting elders, did she want us to have respect for leaders who steal from us and take away our dignity?

Perhaps, this is another symptom of an education system gone wrong. Muslim children are given religious education at school and are barred from Moral Studies, when they should be learning alongside their non-Muslim peers, about manners, courtesy and consideration to others.

Sharifah’s SW1M cannot claim to speak for Malaysian women; she certainly does not speak for me.

For all her intellectual snobbery, the mangled English on Sharifah’s SW1M website brought howls of laughter, thus attracting more ridicule on the president, who had sought to browbeat Bawani with boasts about her degree.

Divisive doctrines

Are animals in an animal testing laboratory, which have been conditioned by scientists cleverer than animals in the wild? Sharifah should realise that the attainment of a degree is not as important as the use to which one puts it. A degree is not a badge of honour with which to belittle others.

We are all products of former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s divisive doctrines. Whilst many of us try to overturn his racism and look forward to a country with can be proud of its varied population, people like Sharifah feel it convenient to prolong Mahathir’s legacy.

At this crucial time before GE-13, other BN groups have distanced themselves from Sharifah.

Is Sharifah a Malaysian or someone who was put on the fastrack to citizenship?

The Malaysian Indian Muslim Congress (KIMMA) has denounced Sharifah for being difficult. Perhaps, her overbearing nature hides insecurities about her origins. Is this a trait which she shares with another Indian who calls himself a Malay?

In the Biro Tata Negara (BTN) sessions, students are told that all Muslims are considered Malays whatever their racial origins. Thus, any Chinese or Indians who embrace Islam become Malay.

When Sharifah locked eyes with Bawani, in the university hall, did she realise that the only difference between them was religion? These two women could have been twins who were separated at birth, but by virtue of being brought up a Muslim, Sharifah was entitled to all the perks of the bumiputera.

Did she feel morally, intellectually and spiritually superior to Bawani and decide to bully her? Was it fear that made Sharifah lash out? In Bavani, Sharifah saw herself as she might have been, if she or her family had not converted.

If a Malay had posed Bawani’s questions, would Sharifah’s tongue-lashing have been as severe and would she have suggested the questioner go to another country?

Mariam Mokhtar is a FMT columnist.