Wednesday, 30 January 2013
Afghan farmer beheaded with a PENKNIFE after refusing to let drug lords take his daughter and sell her as a sex slave
- Afghan opium farmers fall into debt to gangs when their crops are destroyed
- The smugglers take family members as collateral for unpaid debts
- Girls as young as 10 are sent abroad to become sex slaves and drug mules
Opium gangs in Afghanistan are using the sons and daughters of farmers as collateral for unpaid debts - with horrendous consequences for those who refuse.
A documentary has exposed the stomach-churning reality facing the war-torn nation's farmers, who borrow money from drug lords to set up cultivation of opium, used to make heroin, but are left destitute when NATO-backed Afghan forces destroy their crops.
The drug lords then take their children, including girls as young as 10, to places like Pakistan and Iran to sell them into the sex trade or use them as drug mules.
SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEO
Horrific: This little girl faces being handed
over to an Afghan drug gang to secure the father's safe return. Her
mother has no choice but to agree to the drug smugglers' demands
The makers of Opium Brides, a film made as part of American broadcaster PBS' investigative documentary series Frontline, obtained footage of one farmer being slowly beheaded with a penknife.
He had refused to hand over his daughter to the gang.
'It just seemed too awful to be true,' producer Jamie Doran, who made the film with Afghan investigative reporter Najibullah Quraishi, told CNN.
'There was one poor farmer who couldn't pay the traffickers back and refused to give his daughter away.
'And we actually have the entire film of him being beheaded with a penknife. That's what they do if you refuse to hand over your daughters.'
The film also features an interview with a little girl, aged around six, who faces being handed over to the drug runners in exchange for her father, who was captured after he could not pay up.
She said: 'The smugglers will take me by force and my mother can't stop them.'
Her father's captors sent a film of him blindfolded and in the dark. In it the father is seen to say: 'This is a really bad place. I beg you, give them whatever they want.
Shocking: Producer Jamie Doran, left, and Afghan reporter Najibullah Quraishi describe their harrowing film
The pair told CNN's Christiane Amanpour about
their horrific encounters and of the tragic victims at the mercy of
Afghan drug lords
The mother, who can't even look at her daughter, is also interviewed.
'I have to give them my daughter to release my husband,' she states, flatly.
The filmmakers believe there are many hundreds, if not thousands of girls on the run from the traffickers.
And the problem will only get worse when NATO forces leave Afghanistan in 2014, Mr Quraishi said.
Mr Doran added: 'I don't know if there's a solution because the world demands poppy cultivation for its heroin addiction.
'So you know, maybe the blame shouldn't just be put onto the Afghan government. Maybe we should be looking inside ourselves a little more.'
Afghan anti-narcotics personnel destroy poppies
in the district of Shindand. But their efforts to eliminate the trade
put the farmers at the mercy of drug runners
An Afghan policeman stands guard as an eight ton pile of opium, heroin and hashish is incinerated in Kabul in 2004
Worry about your own minorities, India tells Pak
New Delhi: Pakistan should worry about minorities in its own country, India’s Information Minister Manish Tewari and Home Secretary RK Singh said on Monday in response to Pakistan minister Rehman Malik’s statement that New Delhi should provide security to actor Shah Rukh Khan.Both Tewari and RK Singh spoke in near identical terms to decry Pakistani interior minister’s statement in Islamabad on the Bollywood star, who found himself in the thick of another controversy after his comments on being a Muslim led to Jamaat-ud Dawa chief Hafiz Saeed saying he could move to Pakistan.
“Instead of introspection of how minorities in India are being treated, he (Malik) should contemplate how he can improve condition of minority in his country,” Tewari told reporters here.
He said it would be better for Pakistan if Malik paid attention to domestic matters of his own country rather than worry about such things.
“Test of democracy is the way you treat your minority rather than majority. The UPA (United Progressive Alliance) government has strived to see every citizen in the same light and given equal right under the constitution,” he said.
The home secretary spoke out too. “We are quite capable of looking after security of our own citizens… let him (Malik) worry about security of his own,” he said.
The 47-year-old actor had written in Outlook Turning Points magazine, published in association with The New York Times: “I sometimes become the inadvertent object of political leaders who choose to make me a symbol of all that they think is wrong and unpatriotic about Muslims in India.”
“There have been occasions when I have been accused of bearing allegiance to our neighbouring nation rather than my own country – this even though I am an Indian, whose father fought for the freedom of India. Rallies have been held where leaders have exhorted me to leave and return what they refer to my original homeland,” added the superstar of Hindi cinema.
He went on say that he became so sick of being mistaken for some crazed terrorist, “who co-incidentally carries the same name as mine that I made a film subtly titled ‘My Name Is Khan’ (and I am not a terrorist) to prove a point”.
“Ironically, I was interrogated at the airport for hours about my last name when I was going to promote the film in America for the first time,” said the filmstar.
Negri prince confirms DAP courted him, says had ‘private conversations’
KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 29 — The son of the Negri Sembilan Yang di-Pertuan Besar confirmed today that
he had been courted by the DAP to be an election candidate, but he said “it is unfortunate that private conservations had been made public.”Tunku Zain Al-’Abidin ibni Tuanku Muhriz (picture) said there was nothing wrong with members of royalty taking part in politics, although he had not found a political party he wanted to be a member of.
Last Saturday, the DAP’s former vice-president Tunku Abdul Aziz Tunku Ibrahim claimed that the party’s national organising secretary Anthony Loke had asked him to persuade Tunku Abidin to contest in a state seat.
Loke, who is also the party’s Negri Sembilan chief, had on Sunday reportedly criticised Tunku Abdul Aziz over his allegations.
“I deeply regret his actions. That matter was stated in an informal and closed (-door) meeting, it should be personal in nature. So why the need to hebah-hebahkan (spread it)?
“He should respect the individual’s privacy because the one that was linked is not an ordinary person, but (bangsawan) aristocrat,” he was quoted as saying by Sinar Harian Online.
Tunku Abidin confirmed today that he had an “informal conversation” with the DAP some months ago, before saying that he was invited to talk with other political parties too.
“It should be noted that I have been invited to similar informal and private conversations with representatives of other political parties as well.”
He also said: “It is unfortunate that private discussions have been made public. Political parties should be able to freely engage any Malaysian citizen to discuss confidential proposals within the boundaries of the law.”
The Ruler’s son, more popularly known as Tunku Abidin Muhriz, said that no political parties had attracted him as they did not articulate the vision of the country’s founder with enough consistency.
“In my view, no political party today articulates the vision of our Ayahanda Kemerdekaan (Father of Independence) with sufficient conviction and consistency for me to consider joining them,” he wrote in a six-paragraph statement (http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/sideviews/article/response-to-statements-by-tunku-aziz-and-anthony-loke-tunku-zain-al-abidin-tuanku-muhriz/).
In response to claims that “it is improper for a child of a Ruler to participate in party politics”, he listed five members of the royalty who had previously held positions as members of Parliament, state assemblymen and ministers.
Tunku Abidin said he has been active in the country’s civil society space even before his father was elected to be the eleventh Yang di-Pertuan Besar of Negri Sembilan.
He said he would want to continue contributing to the country through the Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs (IDEAS) think-tank which was founded by him and other foundations.
Zaid Ibrahim quits politics
The former law minister who was banking on contesting in 'any urban seat' provided he had Pakatan’s support will be focusing on business instead.
PETALING JAYA: Former minister and ex-Kita chief Zaid Ibrahim has quit politics and entered the corporate sector in a bid to “try something else”.
“Yes, I am quitting politics to concentrate on business. But I will continue to write, I will continue to give ideas and suggestions on politics,” Zaid told FMT today.
It was only last November that the lawyer-turned-politician had told reporters he would contest in any urban seat in the 13th general election, provided he had opposition coalition Pakatan Rakyat’s
backing.
But when asked today whether he would continue to support Pakatan or turn to Barisan Nasional instead, he replied: “I will support whoever does right for the country.
“If you do the right thing, I will support, no matter which side you are from.”
Zaid’s abrupt departure from politics comes in the wake of his S$6.9 million (RM17.15 million) purchase of 350 million shares from Singapore-based Ipco International.
The Straits Times reported today that Zaid’s purchase will give him a 7% stake in Ipco, which has a diversified portfolio of investments.
Ipco had said that Zaid “is well-connected in Malaysia and in the region and the company can leverage his extensive connections… and knowledge in the oil and gas industry in order to grow its own oil and gas business” the Straits Times reported.
Commenting on this, Zaid said: “[The investment is] just a start, to see how things are. I am trying something else besides politics, so we’ll see how far it goes.”
When asked whether he would venture into further business, the former PKR member chuckled and said: “One step at a time.”
Zaid was a member of Umno and the de facto law minister before he was sacked for attending Pakatan events and assemblies in 2009.
He joined PKR soon after, but quit a year later, citing loss of confidence in the party’s leadership in its handling of the 2010 internal elections.
In 2011 he founded his own party, Kita, but resigned as its chief in November, citing health reasons.
PETALING JAYA: Former minister and ex-Kita chief Zaid Ibrahim has quit politics and entered the corporate sector in a bid to “try something else”.“Yes, I am quitting politics to concentrate on business. But I will continue to write, I will continue to give ideas and suggestions on politics,” Zaid told FMT today.
It was only last November that the lawyer-turned-politician had told reporters he would contest in any urban seat in the 13th general election, provided he had opposition coalition Pakatan Rakyat’s
backing.
But when asked today whether he would continue to support Pakatan or turn to Barisan Nasional instead, he replied: “I will support whoever does right for the country.
“If you do the right thing, I will support, no matter which side you are from.”
Zaid’s abrupt departure from politics comes in the wake of his S$6.9 million (RM17.15 million) purchase of 350 million shares from Singapore-based Ipco International.
The Straits Times reported today that Zaid’s purchase will give him a 7% stake in Ipco, which has a diversified portfolio of investments.
Ipco had said that Zaid “is well-connected in Malaysia and in the region and the company can leverage his extensive connections… and knowledge in the oil and gas industry in order to grow its own oil and gas business” the Straits Times reported.
Commenting on this, Zaid said: “[The investment is] just a start, to see how things are. I am trying something else besides politics, so we’ll see how far it goes.”
When asked whether he would venture into further business, the former PKR member chuckled and said: “One step at a time.”
Zaid was a member of Umno and the de facto law minister before he was sacked for attending Pakatan events and assemblies in 2009.
He joined PKR soon after, but quit a year later, citing loss of confidence in the party’s leadership in its handling of the 2010 internal elections.
In 2011 he founded his own party, Kita, but resigned as its chief in November, citing health reasons.
MyWatch chief: Cop threatened to shoot me
MyWatch chairman R Sri Sanjeevan was on undercover at several illegal gambling outlets in Jelebu when a policeman called him up and threatened to shoot him if he didn’t leave.
PETALING JAYA: A policeman from the Jelebu police headquarters allegedly threatened to shoot the chairman of anti-crime watchdog MyWatch early this morning, minutes after he informed Bukit Aman of illegal gambling outlets operating in the area.
R Sri Sanjeevan told FMT he had been staking out the illegal gambling outlets in Simpang Pertang alone, waiting for the district police to act on his tip off, when he received a threatening call at 3.43am from a Malay man.
According to Sanjeevan’s police report, the man had demanded in Malay: “who are you, are you drunk, why did you call Bukit Aman, do you think we don’t know what we are doing? I want you to leave that area or I will go there and arrest you or shoot you.”
When Sanjeevan asked who the man was, he allegedly replied: “I am a police officer from IPD Jelebu! If you have the guts, come to IPD Jelebu now!”
Sanjeevan said he immediately called Bukit Aman and was told that the information would be passed on to the Negeri Sembilan contingent police headquarters.
But no response came and Sanjeevan lodged a police report at 4.55am at the Jelebu district police headquarters over the matter.
“The investigating officer confirmed that the number [from the death threat] belongs to IPD Jelebu,” Sanjeevan told FMT.
“So they are narrowing it down and will charge the perpetrator for criminal intimidation. I doubt the case will stick, but the public needs to know that police give death threats as well.”
Sanjeevan said he was certain the man who issued the death threat was a police officer intent on protecting the illegal gambling outlets there, which he said had been operating for two years.
“It was just a four minute difference [from when I informed the police about the outlets]. Within four minutes, I get a threatening call. So who do you think it is?”
Police protecting illegal gambling outlets
Sanjeevan explained that he had gone undercover at 2.50am as a customer of the outlets based on information he received from a source.
“I have been getting complaints too often [over the illegal gambling outlets and] have relayed it to police but they failed so I went down personally,” he told FMT.
“Too many families getting ruined because of this gambling here and too many fights here too,” he said
But Sanjeevan said that despite calling Bukit Aman and the Negeri Sembilan police contingent headquarters multiple times as he staked out the area for over an hour, all he received in return was a death threat.
“I called Bukit Aman first because I thought if the order comes from there, they would act faster. From there, the order would go to the Contingent Control Centre, then to the District Control Centre,” explained Sanjeevan.
But just as he was about to leave the area at 4.15 am to lodge a report over the death threat, he said he spotted three policemen at the entrance of the illegal gambling outlets, smoking and speaking to the staff there.
“They didn’t bother to act or arrest anyone there. I noticed [a] total [of] 15 shops operating as illegal gambling outlets entrance at the back lane,” Sanjeevan had written in his police report.
He told FMT that there was no reason for the police to hesitate in raiding the area or even wait to gather further information as the outlets were clearly operating illegally.
“I urge the Inspector-General of Police Ismail Omar to investigate this matter and I strongly believe officers in IPD Jelebu are protecting the illegal gambling outlets here by not taking action against them,” he said.
PETALING JAYA: A policeman from the Jelebu police headquarters allegedly threatened to shoot the chairman of anti-crime watchdog MyWatch early this morning, minutes after he informed Bukit Aman of illegal gambling outlets operating in the area.R Sri Sanjeevan told FMT he had been staking out the illegal gambling outlets in Simpang Pertang alone, waiting for the district police to act on his tip off, when he received a threatening call at 3.43am from a Malay man.
According to Sanjeevan’s police report, the man had demanded in Malay: “who are you, are you drunk, why did you call Bukit Aman, do you think we don’t know what we are doing? I want you to leave that area or I will go there and arrest you or shoot you.”
When Sanjeevan asked who the man was, he allegedly replied: “I am a police officer from IPD Jelebu! If you have the guts, come to IPD Jelebu now!”
Sanjeevan said he immediately called Bukit Aman and was told that the information would be passed on to the Negeri Sembilan contingent police headquarters.
But no response came and Sanjeevan lodged a police report at 4.55am at the Jelebu district police headquarters over the matter.
“The investigating officer confirmed that the number [from the death threat] belongs to IPD Jelebu,” Sanjeevan told FMT.
“So they are narrowing it down and will charge the perpetrator for criminal intimidation. I doubt the case will stick, but the public needs to know that police give death threats as well.”
Sanjeevan said he was certain the man who issued the death threat was a police officer intent on protecting the illegal gambling outlets there, which he said had been operating for two years.
“It was just a four minute difference [from when I informed the police about the outlets]. Within four minutes, I get a threatening call. So who do you think it is?”
Police protecting illegal gambling outlets
Sanjeevan explained that he had gone undercover at 2.50am as a customer of the outlets based on information he received from a source.
“I have been getting complaints too often [over the illegal gambling outlets and] have relayed it to police but they failed so I went down personally,” he told FMT.
“Too many families getting ruined because of this gambling here and too many fights here too,” he said
But Sanjeevan said that despite calling Bukit Aman and the Negeri Sembilan police contingent headquarters multiple times as he staked out the area for over an hour, all he received in return was a death threat.
“I called Bukit Aman first because I thought if the order comes from there, they would act faster. From there, the order would go to the Contingent Control Centre, then to the District Control Centre,” explained Sanjeevan.
But just as he was about to leave the area at 4.15 am to lodge a report over the death threat, he said he spotted three policemen at the entrance of the illegal gambling outlets, smoking and speaking to the staff there.
“They didn’t bother to act or arrest anyone there. I noticed [a] total [of] 15 shops operating as illegal gambling outlets entrance at the back lane,” Sanjeevan had written in his police report.
He told FMT that there was no reason for the police to hesitate in raiding the area or even wait to gather further information as the outlets were clearly operating illegally.
“I urge the Inspector-General of Police Ismail Omar to investigate this matter and I strongly believe officers in IPD Jelebu are protecting the illegal gambling outlets here by not taking action against them,” he said.
Gangnam style at Thaipusam
A kavadi bearer and his friends berated for making a mockery of the festival by fulfilling a vow to the beat of South Korean pop star's mega hit.
VIDEO INSIDE
PETALING JAYA: Thousands of netizens are up in arms over a video clip showing a kavadi bearer and a group of his friends dancing to South Korean pop star Psy’s Oppa Gangnam Style.
The embarrassing 46-second video clip uploaded on YouTube has registered close to 6,000 hits since it was uploaded on Saturday, with angry viewers expressing their disapproval.
The clip titled, “2013 Penang Thaipusam goes Gangnam Style”, is believed to be taken in Penang. It shows a kavadi bearer and four Indian youths dancing to the pop song.
There’s even a little boy who appears mid-way in the clip mimicking the moves of the Korean pop star whose song recently passed one billion YouTube views.
One commenter, Clue Less, said: “This is why other races always condemn us. When it’s about a prayer, just pray. Is this a must? It makes sense if it is a devotional song. Why Gangnam?
“Sadly, we refuse to accept the truth when other races say it and start to bark at them. Think people. We create the opportunity for them to run us down. Think.”
Another YouTube account holder Thinagaran Hari Raja said that the video clip was really hurting. He added that the Indian culture and religion is degrading at a very fast pace.
Most of the commentators were of the view that there is a dire lack of religious education.
“How many of us know what the Thaipusam festival is all about and how to celebrate it correctly?” asked one OM Tamil.
The Malaysia Hindu Sangam (MHS) said that it does not condone anyone trivialising a religious festival.
Its president, RS Mohan Shan, said he was not aware of the video clip but nevertheless added that the incident is really shameful to the Indian community.
“The current generation does not understand the essence of religion. Some come to Thaipusam festivals only for fun and to make merry in an improper manner,” he said.
“Due to ignorance, our culture is deteriorating and we must rectify it before it gets worse. Let us watch the video first, before we consider any action,” added Mohan.
Blame Hindu Sangam
In another development, the Malaysian Indian Progressive Association (MIPAS) condemned Hindu Sangam for not doing enough to educate the Indian youths on religious matters.
MIPAS secretary S Barathisadan claimed that Hindu Sangam should have assumed such a responsibility and to stop blaming the youths for their immoral activities.
He also said that Hindu Sangam had previously remained silent when a local Indian drama with its title themed on Gangam Style was aired during Ponggal recently.
“Why should we blame the youths (over the Gangam Style kavadi) when Astro had aired a local drama with the title ‘Ponggal Gangnam Style’ ?” he asked.
“Anyhow we should accept that it is not right to do the Gangnam dance for kavadis. But, Hindu Sangam should be blamed for their inaction and they must start educating our youths’,” said Barathidasan.
VIDEO INSIDE
PETALING JAYA: Thousands of netizens are up in arms over a video clip showing a kavadi bearer and a group of his friends dancing to South Korean pop star Psy’s Oppa Gangnam Style.The embarrassing 46-second video clip uploaded on YouTube has registered close to 6,000 hits since it was uploaded on Saturday, with angry viewers expressing their disapproval.
The clip titled, “2013 Penang Thaipusam goes Gangnam Style”, is believed to be taken in Penang. It shows a kavadi bearer and four Indian youths dancing to the pop song.
There’s even a little boy who appears mid-way in the clip mimicking the moves of the Korean pop star whose song recently passed one billion YouTube views.
One commenter, Clue Less, said: “This is why other races always condemn us. When it’s about a prayer, just pray. Is this a must? It makes sense if it is a devotional song. Why Gangnam?
“Sadly, we refuse to accept the truth when other races say it and start to bark at them. Think people. We create the opportunity for them to run us down. Think.”
Another YouTube account holder Thinagaran Hari Raja said that the video clip was really hurting. He added that the Indian culture and religion is degrading at a very fast pace.
Most of the commentators were of the view that there is a dire lack of religious education.
“How many of us know what the Thaipusam festival is all about and how to celebrate it correctly?” asked one OM Tamil.
The Malaysia Hindu Sangam (MHS) said that it does not condone anyone trivialising a religious festival.
Its president, RS Mohan Shan, said he was not aware of the video clip but nevertheless added that the incident is really shameful to the Indian community.
“The current generation does not understand the essence of religion. Some come to Thaipusam festivals only for fun and to make merry in an improper manner,” he said.
“Due to ignorance, our culture is deteriorating and we must rectify it before it gets worse. Let us watch the video first, before we consider any action,” added Mohan.
Blame Hindu Sangam
In another development, the Malaysian Indian Progressive Association (MIPAS) condemned Hindu Sangam for not doing enough to educate the Indian youths on religious matters.
MIPAS secretary S Barathisadan claimed that Hindu Sangam should have assumed such a responsibility and to stop blaming the youths for their immoral activities.
He also said that Hindu Sangam had previously remained silent when a local Indian drama with its title themed on Gangam Style was aired during Ponggal recently.
“Why should we blame the youths (over the Gangam Style kavadi) when Astro had aired a local drama with the title ‘Ponggal Gangnam Style’ ?” he asked.
“Anyhow we should accept that it is not right to do the Gangnam dance for kavadis. But, Hindu Sangam should be blamed for their inaction and they must start educating our youths’,” said Barathidasan.
Sabah RCI witnesses at odds over testimony
This is contrary to what Ramli, supposedly the prime mover of the operation, had told the royal commission of inquiry (RCI) on immigrants in Sabah at its first session on Jan 16.
Badaruddin, now attached to the Special Branch in Kelantan, claimed that Ramli - during interviews while under detention - had said his actions were for financial gain.
"He
and his men issued about 16,000 identity card receipts... each was
(worth) RM250, so they made more than a million ringgit in profit," he
told the RCI panel in Kota Kinabalu today.Badaruddin said Ramli had personally issued 2,000 of the receipts while the remainder were issued by his officers.
The identity card receipt is an interim document given prior to the issuance of a blue identity card, but is accepted by the Election Commission as identification to qualify for voting.
Ops Durian Buruk allegedly involved NRD officers issuing identity card receipts to immigrants, using the particulars of voters in the electoral roll who were dead or had never voted before.
This effectively created ‘phantom’ voters, where immigrants voted in place of genuine citizens.
Ramli,
when testifying, had claimed that he had only initiated the operation
after receiving instructions from then Deputy Home Minister Megat Junid
Megat Ayub (left) ahead of the 1994 state election.When conducting officer Manoj Kurup asked Badaruddin about this, the latter replied: "When I questioned him, he said no one gave him instructions, it was for his personal gain."
Pressed if this means that Ramli had lied to the commission, he replied: "Not sure".
Ramli had also said the receipts were only good for voting and nothing else.
He had explained that, because the receipt was issued to immigrants but in the name and identity card of citizens, it could not be converted into blue identity cards. Furthermore, the receipt had a three-month expiry date.
It was not explained as to why immigrants would pay RM250 just to be able to vote, but neither the conducting officers nor lawyers holding a watching brief pressed this issue.
Backing for ‘lone wolf’ theory
Also taking the stand today was Sarawak special branch chief Ibrahim Zakaria who had interviewed Ramli's predecessor Abdul Rauf Sani, who was responsible for ‘Operation G17'.
Then a Bukit Aman special branch officer, Ibrahim had interviewed Abdul Rauf in 1996 while the latter had been detained under the Internal Security Act.
Ibrahim said he had interviewed another NRD officer and a civilian, who had also been held under the ISA, but could not recall their names.
"From interviews, what I can gather (was that) it was more of gaining profit," he told the RCI panel.
On Jan 17, Abdul Rauf had testified to the commission along the same lines.
‘Operation G17', which took place at the beginning of 1990, involved issuing blue identity cards to immigrants, whether or not they were eligible. This was seen as a bid to alter the demographics in Sabah to influence the outcome of elections.
Questioned by lawyer James Ghani, who asked if Abdul Rauf had received instructions from political masters, Ibrahim replied: "He acted on his own".
Even when questioned further, Ibrahim stood firm that Abdul Rauf had not received any instructions and had only acted for money.
He said Abdul Rauf had illegally issued 6,305 blue identity cards and received RM167,300 for this.
NRD made Indian national a citizen using false SD
An Indian national obtained Malaysian citizenship from the Sabah
National Registration Department (NRD) by simply using a false statutory
declaration, the royal commission of inquiry (RCI) into Sabah
immigrants was told today.
Nur Mohd Ibrahim, who hails from Tamil Nadu, India, said he entered Sabah in 1981 and soon after applied for a blue identity card on the urging of Filipino colleagues at a restaurant where he worked.
However, his first application using a false SD was rejected.
In 1983, he tried his luck again, using the same method, and was granted a blue identity card in 1987. This was merely six years after he had set foot on Malaysian soil.
The SD stated that Nur Mohd was born in Kinarut, Papar.
Nur Mohd told the RCI that he registered as a voter in 1991 - eight years after he became citizen. According to him, he has voted four times in the state seat of Likas.
In 2001, the Election Court had ruled that former Sabah chief minister Yong Teck Lee's (left) victory in Likas null and void due to the prevalence of illegal immigrants on the electoral roll.
Yong had won the seat at the Sabah 1999 state election and the results was challenged by two defeated candidates.
Then High Court judge Muhammad Kamil Awang, who revealed he was pressured by his superiors to dismiss the application, said in his judgment: "The instances of non-citizens and phantom voters in the electoral roll as disclosed in this trial may be the tip of the iceberg.
"It could not be denied that the registration of voters in the Likas electoral roll was in contravention of the law. No one including the government department is above the law."
‘Sabah chief minister is ... Mahathir’
Nur Mohd said the SD he used had been drafted by a commissioner of oaths in Kepayan and his Filipino friends taught him to list a place in Sabah as a his birth place.
"Even though I got my blue identity card, I was scared to use it because I was not sure if it was valid or not until I registered as a voter in 1991," he said.
Queried by conducting officer Jamil Aripin if he knew this was tantamount to cheating the NRD, Nur Mohd remained silent.
He then proceeded to test the witness' knowledge of Malaysia, and Nur Mohd managed to name the three most recent prime ministers without trouble.
However,
when asked who the chief minister of Sabah is, he replied: "Mahathir"
before withdrawing his statement as he invited giggles around the room.
It is unclear if Nur Mohd's identity card was part of any illegal operation but the NRD rules were relaxed in the 1980s to accept SDs as identification documents in applications for blue identity cards.
This rule was abolished in 1987, and since then, only birth certificates have been accepted.
Nur Mohd Ibrahim, who hails from Tamil Nadu, India, said he entered Sabah in 1981 and soon after applied for a blue identity card on the urging of Filipino colleagues at a restaurant where he worked.
However, his first application using a false SD was rejected.
In 1983, he tried his luck again, using the same method, and was granted a blue identity card in 1987. This was merely six years after he had set foot on Malaysian soil.
The SD stated that Nur Mohd was born in Kinarut, Papar.
Nur Mohd told the RCI that he registered as a voter in 1991 - eight years after he became citizen. According to him, he has voted four times in the state seat of Likas.
In 2001, the Election Court had ruled that former Sabah chief minister Yong Teck Lee's (left) victory in Likas null and void due to the prevalence of illegal immigrants on the electoral roll.Yong had won the seat at the Sabah 1999 state election and the results was challenged by two defeated candidates.
Then High Court judge Muhammad Kamil Awang, who revealed he was pressured by his superiors to dismiss the application, said in his judgment: "The instances of non-citizens and phantom voters in the electoral roll as disclosed in this trial may be the tip of the iceberg.
"It could not be denied that the registration of voters in the Likas electoral roll was in contravention of the law. No one including the government department is above the law."
‘Sabah chief minister is ... Mahathir’
Nur Mohd said the SD he used had been drafted by a commissioner of oaths in Kepayan and his Filipino friends taught him to list a place in Sabah as a his birth place.
"Even though I got my blue identity card, I was scared to use it because I was not sure if it was valid or not until I registered as a voter in 1991," he said.
Queried by conducting officer Jamil Aripin if he knew this was tantamount to cheating the NRD, Nur Mohd remained silent.
He then proceeded to test the witness' knowledge of Malaysia, and Nur Mohd managed to name the three most recent prime ministers without trouble.
However,
when asked who the chief minister of Sabah is, he replied: "Mahathir"
before withdrawing his statement as he invited giggles around the room.It is unclear if Nur Mohd's identity card was part of any illegal operation but the NRD rules were relaxed in the 1980s to accept SDs as identification documents in applications for blue identity cards.
This rule was abolished in 1987, and since then, only birth certificates have been accepted.
Pakistani gets countryman blue IC in 20 days
A Pakistani comrade by the name of Ikram told Prabesh that he (Ikram) could make this possible for a mere RM330, Prabesh told the royal commission of inquiry on Sabah immigrants today.
Prabesh then filled up a yellow National Registration Department form, placed his thumb print on the document and submitted it to Ikram together with eight photographs.
"Is
it true that in 20 days Ikram returned and gave you an identity card
with the name 'Mohd Sharif Sakar' ?" RCI conducting officer Jamil Aripin
asked the witness at the Kota Kinabalu court complex.Prabesh said 'yes', and added that the date of issue of the identity card was backdated to Nov 16, 1985.
The photograph on the IC was that of his, he added.
"I wanted to use my own name, but Ikram said this could not be done. I didn't choose my birth place either... he listed it for me as 'Tawau'," Prabesh said.
He then went to vote in the 1999 Sabah state election, in the constituency of Likas, but was not allowed to.
"I didn't know that I needed to register first," he said.
In a limbo now
In 2011, Prabesh said, he tried to change his identity card to a new one, but his IC was confiscated by the NRD.
Asked if he knew of a syndicate selling identity cards and that he may have fallen victim to it, he replied: "I don't know".
However, Prabesh said, he was now in limbo, since the confiscation of his IC.
The witness said he had started a new life in the state, marrying a Sabahan in 2002 and they now have two children.
"I just want my identity card back. If it is not valid, then at least make me a permanent resident," Prabesh added.
A total of nine witnesses testified today, with one being recalled to testify again today. To date a total of 37 witnesses have testified before the RCI.
'Coffin protest' on Feb 4 over Sugumaran's death
“We
shall take a coffin to Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein’s office. The
coffin symbolises the murder of the rakyat by the government,”
vice-president N Surendran (left) told Malaysiakini today.“(Sugumaran’s) family is disheartened, but will continue to fight for justice and ask for a post- mortem. They will not inter the body. We will fight on.”
Witnesses have claimed that Sugumaran had been pursued by four police officers on Jan 23 after he allegedly damaged pubic property.
They are said to have handcuffed him, smeared his face with turmeric powder and beaten him to death, joined by a mob, in Taman Pekaka, Hulu Langat. The police have denied the claims.
At 8pm tomorrow, supporters and Sugumaran’s family will hold a candlelight vigil in front of the Kajang police district headquarters. They will all be pall-bearers in the ‘coffin protest’.
Earlier
today, Surendran had led some 50 people in a peaceful sit-down protest
in front of the Bukit Aman police headquarters from 11am.Latheefa Koya, the lawyer representing Sugumaran’s family, said the group had demanded that the police issue instructions for a second post-mortem and to classify the case as murder.
“We have been here since this morning. The police only sent some public relations officers to meet us,” said Latheefa, who is also PKR legal bureau chief.
“But we sent them back because we only want to meet with the representatives of the investigations department.”She said the protesters carried placards reading 'Najib tindas masyarakat India' (Najib is supressing the Indian community) and 'Rakyat dizalimi, kuasa disalahgunakan' (People are mistreated, power is abused).
Others present were PKR vice-president Nurul Izzah Anwar, parliamentarian S Manikavasagam (Kapar), M Manogaran (Teluk Intan) and Che Rosli Che Mat (Hulu Langat), PSM secretary-general S Arutchelvan, Suaram executive director E Nalini and Malaysians for Beng Hock coordinator Ng Yap Hwa.
Sugumaran's mother, K Manimagalay, was also present.
Surendran said the group dispersed at about 4.30pm, after finally meeting with a CID legal adviser.
Selangor police chief Tun Hisan Tun Majid today rejected the family’s demand to classify the death as a murder case.
He said that the cause will instead be investigated through an inquest in open court, based on the fact that Sugumaran was still handcuffed when his body was found, he explained.
Additional reporting by Abdul Rahim Sabri.
AG approves inquest into security guard's death
Bukit Aman today stated that the sudden death report on Sugumaran's case had been forwarded to the public prosecutor who today agreed to the inquest.
Police, it said in a statement, will now seek to obtain the "earliest possible date" of the inquest from the magistrate.
Ir added that the application for an inquest was made in accordance to the Criminal Procedure Code (Act 593).
“Should the inquest find criminal elements in the (Sugumaran's) death, an investigation into the wrongdoing will be conducted," the statement reads.
In the meantime, police say anyone with information on the case may still come forward.
The AG's approval came in the face of the police's insistence for an immediate inquest into the incident, despite opposition from the deceased's family members.
Sugumaran's family members remain adamant that they don't want an inquest until a second autopsy is done on the deceased, who they believed to be a victim of murder and not a heart attack, as was the result from the first autopsy.
S'gor CPO seconds inquest
Earlier today, Selangor police chief Tun Hisan Tun Majid has turned down the demand of the family of C Sugumaran - who was allegedly beaten to death while handcuffed by the police - to classify the death as a murder case.
However, the death will still be probed through an inquest in the open court based on the situation of the body which was still handcuffed when found, he explained.
"His
body was found in such a situation. We want to find out the cause of
death. We want to find out the reason... An inquest is to ascertain the
cause of death," Tun Hisan (left) replied when asked during a press conference in Subang Jaya today.Sugumaran, 39, was a security guard who allegedly ran amok in Kajang, and who was apprehended by the police and another group that has been described as a mob.
He was found dead with turmeric smeared on his face and his hands cuffed.
The police has since denied hitting Sugumaran, and classified the case as sudden death.
According to the Serdang Hospital autopsy results, it was suggested that Sugumaran may have died from a heart attack, but his family did not accept this and has insisted on a second autopsy, and for the case to be classified as murder.
Tun Hisan assured that his men will do their best to investigate the case as it involves death.
This is why the Chinese back Pakatan
An article published on the Perkasa website claims that the opposition bloc is willing to strike out Islam as the official religion and do away with the Malay special position.
KUALA LUMPUR: As the clock ticks down to the nation’s most poignant general election, various quarters are scrambling to up the ante with regard to race politics.
An article published on the Perkasa website stirs up such sentiments when purportedly analysing the reasons behind the Malaysian Chinese support for Anwar Ibrahim and Pakatan Rakyat.
The Chinese, it said, were backing the opposition bloc because it was willing to strike out Islam as the official religion and remove the special position of the Malays should it seize federal power.
“Pakatan is also known to be a strong supporter of Christian activities as well as directly or indirectly open to the ‘wayward’ LGBT [Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender] group.”
PAS, it stated, had failed to halt the thrust of the liberal forces in Pakatan because the Islamic party’s voice had no impact in the coalition.
“PAS is unable to do anything apart from making oral objections or at most, stepping on DAP flags. This is because PAS is afraid of being booted out from Pakatan.
“So it would not do more than make noise in the papers to give the impression that it would not remain silent when Islam is misrepresented.”
The fact was, stated the article, PAS cannot depend on PKR to defend Islam although the latter was led by Anwar, a Malay-Muslim.
Describing the opposition leader as someone who subscribed to the pluralistic school of thought and possessed a liberal spirit, the article alleged that Anwar was more comfortable with “DAP Christian evangelists than PAS’ Islam Wahhabi-Syiah”.
“The confusion and flip-flop of PAS have destroyed whatever remnants left of its pride since the first time [PAS president] Abdul Hadi Awang hugged [DAP supremo Lim] Kit Siang.”
“In other words, PAS’ existence in Pakatan is merely to contribute manpower for demonstrations and to be embroiled in ‘cock fights’ with Umno; apart from this, its presence is negligible.”
‘Anwar’s secrets in DAP’s grasp’
Therefore, the article said it was no surprise that the Chinese preferred Pakatan and were willing to accept Anwar as prime minister, especially since “all of Anwar’s secrets were in DAP’s grasp”.
“We must question the motive behind their support for Pakatan because we believe that government integrity is not the issue [that has motivated the Chinese].
“If this is the issue, then DAP’s integrity with regard to corruption and vote rigging is even worse, similarly with PKR and PAS.
“The conclusion is that the Chinese choose Pakatan because it is willing to destroy Islam as the official religion and the Malay special position.”
Taking a swipe at the Malays who supported Pakatan, the article claimed that these people were gullible to sweet promises and dreamt about becoming rich without working hard while hiding behind the veil of wanting to eradicate corruption.
These Malays, the article insinuated, were willing to pawn both their religion and race in return for material benefits.
The article, originally posted on the ob21net blog, was based on a survey conducted by Universiti Malaya’s Centre of Democracy and Election Research (UMCEDEL).
The findings revealed that 78% – the majority being Chinese – of the 1,409 respondents had misgivings about Barisan Nasional on issues pertaining to integrity and abuse of power.
It was also stated that NFC, Lynas and Deepak Jaikishan’s revelations were among the major issues of concern.
As for the opposition, the main issue which troubled the respondents happened to be internal squabbles in Pakatan.
Nurul: No room for hate politics
Meanwhile, the article also cast aspersion on the veracity of the findings based on the background of UMCEDEL director Dr Mohammad Redzuan Othman.
The article said he was the former president of the Malaysian Islamic Youth Movement (Abim), who was still loyal to Anwar and comfortable with liberal ideas.
“It has become the standard strategy of [independent pollster] Merdeka Centre to show a decline in support for BN as the election comes closer to demoralise BN.
“And it has become the ‘duty’ of UMCEDEL to follow suit”.
Commenting on the article, PKR vice-president and Lembah Pantai MP Nurul Izzah Anwar described it as
the work of desperate people who gained positions by depending on Umno’s patronage.
“As such, they have nothing left to bank on except to rehash such scurrilous allegations,” she told FMT.
She stressed that Pakatan was committed to defending all articles in the Federal Constitution, including the special position of the Malays and Bumiputera as well as Islam being the official religion of the Federation without transgressing on the rights of people of other faiths.
“However Perkasa’s continued practice of racist, hate and bitter politics will not be tolerated and supported [by Pakatan] as it is now being done by the Najib administration,” she added.
KUALA LUMPUR: As the clock ticks down to the nation’s most poignant general election, various quarters are scrambling to up the ante with regard to race politics.An article published on the Perkasa website stirs up such sentiments when purportedly analysing the reasons behind the Malaysian Chinese support for Anwar Ibrahim and Pakatan Rakyat.
The Chinese, it said, were backing the opposition bloc because it was willing to strike out Islam as the official religion and remove the special position of the Malays should it seize federal power.
“Pakatan is also known to be a strong supporter of Christian activities as well as directly or indirectly open to the ‘wayward’ LGBT [Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender] group.”
PAS, it stated, had failed to halt the thrust of the liberal forces in Pakatan because the Islamic party’s voice had no impact in the coalition.
“PAS is unable to do anything apart from making oral objections or at most, stepping on DAP flags. This is because PAS is afraid of being booted out from Pakatan.
“So it would not do more than make noise in the papers to give the impression that it would not remain silent when Islam is misrepresented.”
The fact was, stated the article, PAS cannot depend on PKR to defend Islam although the latter was led by Anwar, a Malay-Muslim.
Describing the opposition leader as someone who subscribed to the pluralistic school of thought and possessed a liberal spirit, the article alleged that Anwar was more comfortable with “DAP Christian evangelists than PAS’ Islam Wahhabi-Syiah”.
“The confusion and flip-flop of PAS have destroyed whatever remnants left of its pride since the first time [PAS president] Abdul Hadi Awang hugged [DAP supremo Lim] Kit Siang.”
“In other words, PAS’ existence in Pakatan is merely to contribute manpower for demonstrations and to be embroiled in ‘cock fights’ with Umno; apart from this, its presence is negligible.”
‘Anwar’s secrets in DAP’s grasp’
Therefore, the article said it was no surprise that the Chinese preferred Pakatan and were willing to accept Anwar as prime minister, especially since “all of Anwar’s secrets were in DAP’s grasp”.
“We must question the motive behind their support for Pakatan because we believe that government integrity is not the issue [that has motivated the Chinese].
“If this is the issue, then DAP’s integrity with regard to corruption and vote rigging is even worse, similarly with PKR and PAS.
“The conclusion is that the Chinese choose Pakatan because it is willing to destroy Islam as the official religion and the Malay special position.”
Taking a swipe at the Malays who supported Pakatan, the article claimed that these people were gullible to sweet promises and dreamt about becoming rich without working hard while hiding behind the veil of wanting to eradicate corruption.
These Malays, the article insinuated, were willing to pawn both their religion and race in return for material benefits.
The article, originally posted on the ob21net blog, was based on a survey conducted by Universiti Malaya’s Centre of Democracy and Election Research (UMCEDEL).
The findings revealed that 78% – the majority being Chinese – of the 1,409 respondents had misgivings about Barisan Nasional on issues pertaining to integrity and abuse of power.
It was also stated that NFC, Lynas and Deepak Jaikishan’s revelations were among the major issues of concern.
As for the opposition, the main issue which troubled the respondents happened to be internal squabbles in Pakatan.
Nurul: No room for hate politics
Meanwhile, the article also cast aspersion on the veracity of the findings based on the background of UMCEDEL director Dr Mohammad Redzuan Othman.
The article said he was the former president of the Malaysian Islamic Youth Movement (Abim), who was still loyal to Anwar and comfortable with liberal ideas.
“It has become the standard strategy of [independent pollster] Merdeka Centre to show a decline in support for BN as the election comes closer to demoralise BN.
“And it has become the ‘duty’ of UMCEDEL to follow suit”.
Commenting on the article, PKR vice-president and Lembah Pantai MP Nurul Izzah Anwar described it as
the work of desperate people who gained positions by depending on Umno’s patronage.“As such, they have nothing left to bank on except to rehash such scurrilous allegations,” she told FMT.
She stressed that Pakatan was committed to defending all articles in the Federal Constitution, including the special position of the Malays and Bumiputera as well as Islam being the official religion of the Federation without transgressing on the rights of people of other faiths.
“However Perkasa’s continued practice of racist, hate and bitter politics will not be tolerated and supported [by Pakatan] as it is now being done by the Najib administration,” she added.
HINDRAF might join forces with BN – S. Thiagarajan
(The Kuala Lumpur Post) - HINDRAF, the Hindu Rights Action Force, will not be celebrating the government’s decision to lift its four-year ban on it yet because it still wants its 18 demands fulfilled.Hindraf youth chief S. Thiagarajan said yesterday the group did not discount the possibility of working with the Barisan Nasional on issues related to the Indian community if the conditions were favourable.
“It is a good start to the year. However, we don’t want to celebrate yet because we still want our 18 demands fulfilled by the government,” he said.
He said Hindraf’s stand was if any government, either BN or PR, fulfilled these conditions, then it would work closely with the government.
“At the moment, no one from either side have approached us,” he said.
Thiagarajan said Hindraf leader P. Waythamoorthy would issue an official statement once he returned from abroad.
Among the key demands are equal rights and opportunities for all Malaysians and scrap-ping the special privileges and positions of the Malays, which is enshrined in the Federal Constitution.
Other bodies related to the Indian community and political leaders felt the ban lift by the Home Ministry was a good sign from government as it gave them a chance to air their views on issues affecting them.
Malaysian Indian Progressive Society (MIPAS) president P. Raja Retinam said it was a good decision.
“It shows the government has realised and also a signal it is willing to listen to Hindraf’s 18 demands and other demands from similar NGOs.”
He said Hindraf, as the Indian’s movement or struggle, would play its role for the community in the coming general election.
“During the 2008 poll, 85 per cent from the Indian community voted for PR compared to 2004 when 90 per cent voted for BN.
Raja said MIC’s problem was they never met with Indian NGOs, they labeled as opposition, like MIPAS, over the community’s problems.
“They must change their modus operandi as BN may win the next general election but MIC may lose.”
On Makkal Sakti, he said it did not have the strength to list winnable candidates.
“This NGO is now divided into three (PR, BN and Independent representatives). Hindraf is not one entity anymore.
“MIC deputy president Datuk S. Subramaniam said the move reflected the government as being more liberal and tolerant.
“However, the political stand of Hindraf is not clear. Compared to 2008, Hindraf’s influence on the election will be lesser.”
On Hindraf’s demands, he said many issues pertaining to the Indian community were already handled by the government.
MIC Senator Datuk Daljit Singh Dhaliwal said the ban lift was good news for Hindraf.
“Now, they have the opportunity to work together with the government, but it should be based on guidelines and regulations.
“Perhaps, they can work closely with MIC and BN like other NGOs, such as the Indian Progressive Society (IPS), to strengthen Indian unity and work together for MIC’s nine parliamentary seats in the next general election.”
He said when Hindraf held the 2007 rally, they changed scenario for the community by voicing out on jobs and education, among others.
“Meanwhile, MIC had started working with the community and most had already supported BN.”
PPP Youth chief Harridz Mohan said the ban lift would give Hindraf freedom to air their views more appropriately.
“We should not ban any organisation in the country. It is like taking away their constitutional rights.’
He said the move had nothing to do with the coming general election or gaining support from Indians as the majority of people were back to support the BN.
“It also gives more headroom for Indians to play their role in society.Harridz said the two new political parties born out of the Hindraf movement, the Makkal Sakti and Human Rights Party Malaysia, were supporting the ruling coalition.
“Despite differences and different political paths, Indians are more united and focused on bringing in the right government, and that is for sure, the BN.”
He said it was vital for the community to put themselves on one platform to show unity instead in a fragmented manner.
Why the Malaysian government should fund higher education — Anas Alam Faizli
JAN 29 — Education was institutionalised to formalise the process of knowledge acquisition and research in man’s quest for understanding. The earliest universities in the history of mankind, namely Al-Azhar, Bologna, Oxford, Palencia, Cambridge and the University of Naples (world’s first public university, 1224), have one thing in common; they were built by notable early world civilisations as institutions of research, discourse, learning, proliferation of knowledge and documentation. This contrasts largely from the role of universities today as institutions of human capital accreditation, qualification and, most unfortunately, business and profits.
Ibnu Khaldun, father of historiography, sociology and economics, in his work “Prolegomenon” (Muqaddimah), argued that the government would only gain strength and sovereignty through its citizens. This strength can only be sustained by wealth, which can only be acquired through human capital development (education), which in turn can only be achieved by justice and inclusiveness for all. Aristotle too proposed: “Education should be one and the same for all.” A system that discriminates, in our case, based on household economic ability, can and will rile an unhealthy imbalance in the quality of the resulting labour force and society. These form the basis of our argument here.
In America, the individual funds his higher education while many European countries have public-funded institutions of higher learning. The latter is the best for Malaysia. Our societal and economic progression (or digression) does not depend on any one factor, but on the interaction of economic, social and political factors over a long period of time. Let’s first look at some realities that we need to contend with to understand why the Malaysian government should fund higher education.
Reality #1: Society benefits from education
We can never truly measure the immense positive externalities derived from an educated society. Outcomes of university education and research continuously found the progress of mankind. In developing Malaysia, higher education is an impetus for establishing a civic-minded society, highly-skilled manpower and competitive value proposition for capital and production. Investing in education may cost the society tax ringgit, but the consequences in failing to do so will be devastating. Walter W. McMahon (economist at University of Illinois) outlined the “private non-market benefits” for degree-holders. These include better personal health and improved cognitive development in their children. Alongside is the “social non-market benefits”, such as lower spending on prisons and greater political stability.
Reality #2: “Neither here nor there”
Malaysia is neither here nor there, and education opportunity is a major contributing factor. Robert Reich, former US secretary of labour and professor at UC Berkeley, made a compelling argument that is very applicable to Malaysia. To attract jobs and capital, nations and states face two choices; one is to build a low-tax but low-wage “warehouse economy” competing on price, another is to compete on quality, by increasing taxes and regulation to invest in human capital for a highly productive workforce. In Malaysia, wage growth caught up with productivity growth only up until the late 1990s. Since 1996, we have been living in the “middle-income trap”, stunted at the World Bank’s definition of upper middle income; neither high nor low income. In fact, for the past 10 years real wage growth has been negative. Having 77 per cent of the Malaysian workforce with only SPM and below qualification is a structural barrier to us crossing over to the higher-income group. The labour force is largely unskilled and unable to move their labour services up the value chain where higher salaries are paid.
Reality #3: Education is fundamental to a competitive value proposition
Another case for education is competitiveness for both FDI and outputs. On the FDI side, our factors of production, in this case labour, need to be attractive enough. With a labour force that is neither highly skilled nor cheap, our value propositions dwarf next to the likes of Vietnam and Singapore. As a result, technology and automation service the lower-value processes replacing need for labour, while R&D and origination have not caught up due to lack of expertise. Malaysia has been the only country in the region facing net outflow in FDI since 2007.
On the output side, our goal to move away from producing lower-value manufacturing and primary goods into the higher-value services sector too has been held back by limited talent and capabilities. Lack of advanced education is one major factor causing this lack of competitiveness.
Reality #4: Efficiency-driven economy versus innovation-driven economy
A study released by the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) categorises Malaysia as an efficiency-driven economy, behind innovation-driven economies. We focus on improving existing processes, but we are not out there inventing new things where the big money is. Focusing on the latter is extremely important now more than ever for Malaysia, because we can no longer offer very cheap labour, land and factories to produce mass generic products competitively. The number of researchers in Malaysia for each one million population is only 365, behind Japan’s 5,416 and South Korea’s 4,231. We are in dire need for more trained professionals and innovators, and we could have harvested them from talents that did not pursue tertiary education due to the lack of opportunities.
Reality #5: Education is an investment…
Like parents investing in their children’s future, the state must invest in the population for the future of the nation. An educated society is able to position themselves into higher standards of living characterised by higher income, production of high value goods and services, longer life expectancy, subscription to civic and moral values, political stability, existence of civil liberties and openness to change and development. While highly developed nations like Denmark and the Netherlands invest 11.2 per cent and 10.8 per cent (respectively) of GDP in education, we invested only 4.8 per cent last year (majority on infrastructure and emoluments!). To make matters worse, the education budget education is slashed from RM50 billion to RM37 billion this year! To get an idea of how counter-intuitive this is for a developing Malaysia, even Afghanistan (7.4 per cent), Vietnam (7.2 per cent) and Timor Leste (12.3 per cent) spent more.
Currently, about 80 per cent of the bottom 40 per cent income households are only-SPM qualified and below, while only 5 per cent received higher education. The rest never made it to school at all. The reason is crystal clear; it is education that can lift households into higher income thus significantly reducing poverty and its consequences. If this group were to receive higher education, it is the state that ultimately benefits as social capital is returned from the household to the state in increased production and tax income. Social justice is served; while nobody is left discriminated or neglected from being given an opportunity to develop his or her own merits.
Reality #6: … with a positive net return-on-investment (ROI)
Entertain this simple simulation: Consider a fresh graduate entering the workforce with a salary of RM2,500, working for 30 years with a modest increment of 5 per cent a year. Upon retiring at the age of 55 years, he would have paid back at least RM290,000 to the government only in income taxes. Even after discounting, payback in taxes is significantly beyond the investment cost providing education.
Reality #7: Education correlates with wealth and income
Tertiary-educated individuals have an average of RM182,000 in wealth to their name, while SPM holders have only an average RM82,000 in net worth. Degree-holders have at least 2.2 times the wealth of SPM leavers. But the tertiary education penetration rate for Malaysia stands at only 36.5 per cent. This is only measured at point of enrolment (not completion)! Not only we are significantly behind “very high human development” nations’ average of 75 per cent, we are also behind “high human development” nations’ average of 50 per cent. In contrast, 86 per cent of Americans, 84 per cent of Kiwis, 100 per cent of Koreans, 99 per cent of the British, 45 per cent of Thais and 38.4 per cent of Turks are university-trained. As a result, the bulk of our workforce is unable to position themselves in higher-earning jobs. The bulk of our jobs involve the lower portions of the industry value chains. How are we then to move our economy into higher GNI territory, and inclusively move the majority of our population into higher income brackets? Current practice of relying on one-off mega construction projects will not ensure Malaysia move into high-income status, and stay there for the long run!
Reality #8: Education will reduce income inequality
Malaysia ranks as the third-most unequal nation in Asia, based on a GINI coefficient of 0.4621 (World Bank). Using only GINI, a simple measure of dispersion between the richest and poorest in an economy, we can already see that there are structural problems with the kind of growth that we have been enjoying. A household that earns RM10,000 monthly and above is already considered the top 4 per cent Malaysian households! Sixty per cent of the highest earning income households have at least one member that received tertiary-level education. But 60 per cent of the lowest-earning households have only SPM-holders as their most qualified household member. Not coincidentally, only the top 20 per cent income households in Malaysia have experienced substantial income growth. For the remaining 80 per cent it has been moderate. The gap between the rich and poor has been consistently growing from year 1970 until today. Only non-discriminatory access to education for the bottom 40 per cent will arrest the growth of this gap.
America perceives that the benefits of tertiary-level education are enjoyed most by the individual himself, thus the individual funds his higher education. The Scandinavians believe that the government should pay for higher education. On one hand, we see a privately funded education system in America, and growing inequality between the relatively richer and poorer households. There is at least US$902 billion (NY Federal Reserve) in total outstanding student loan debt in the United States today. In contrast, government-funded higher education Scandinavia ranks as most equal nations in the world. The apparent causal-effect relationship here is hard to dispel.
We expect free access to education to allow inter-generational mobility and narrow this inequality gap. If we let economic disability become a prohibitive factor for education, relatively poorer households will never be lifted out of the low-income bracket.
One graduate for every Malaysian family
We need an education system that is inclusive, does not neglect academically-struggling yet vocationally-advantaged pupils, matches industry requirements, yet streams students into disciplines where they will excel most. Most importantly, the system must not allow students to find themselves at the point of entering the industry, handicapped with a student loan on their shoulders, only to realise that they are not employable.
Malaysia has progressed in many aspects by making primary and secondary education free. One hundred per cent of Malaysians finish at least Primary 6 and 68 per cent finish Form 5. The current socio and economic condition in Malaysia now calls to make finishing Form 5 legally compulsory and providing free and accessible tertiary education for all.
I humbly urge the government, non-governmental bodies, policymakers and lobby groups to move towards providing free tuition fees for higher education at all our public universities. Where public universities are unable to cater for surplus of qualified students, it is suggested that the same equivalent amount of tuition fee funding is to be provided for private universities in a staggered manner, so as to ensure education accessibility by all.
I also propose the target of one graduate in each of the 6.4 million Malaysian households to ensure inter-generational mobility; that is for at least one child of a self-subsistent fisherman or low-salaried factory worker to uplift the entire family into a higher income bracket. A graduate in each family will be the change-agent that ensures his generation improves the family; via a chain reaction multiplying effect, ultimately affecting the graduate’s surroundings.
Education is way too important for us to risk any mismanagement, oversight and underfunding. The generations that go through a robustly managed quality education system, or lack of them, will ultimately decide Malaysia’s direction and the society that we will live in. Only then we can fundamentally assure that our true north for a high income Malaysia is sustainable, inclusive and is enjoyed by all layers of society — not just for the top 1 per cent. “Education is the most powerful weapon you can use to change the world.” (Nelson Mandela)
* Anas Alam Faizli is an oil and gas professional. He is pursuing a post-graduate doctorate and is the executive director of Teach For The Needs (TFTN).
* This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insider.
Ibnu Khaldun, father of historiography, sociology and economics, in his work “Prolegomenon” (Muqaddimah), argued that the government would only gain strength and sovereignty through its citizens. This strength can only be sustained by wealth, which can only be acquired through human capital development (education), which in turn can only be achieved by justice and inclusiveness for all. Aristotle too proposed: “Education should be one and the same for all.” A system that discriminates, in our case, based on household economic ability, can and will rile an unhealthy imbalance in the quality of the resulting labour force and society. These form the basis of our argument here.
In America, the individual funds his higher education while many European countries have public-funded institutions of higher learning. The latter is the best for Malaysia. Our societal and economic progression (or digression) does not depend on any one factor, but on the interaction of economic, social and political factors over a long period of time. Let’s first look at some realities that we need to contend with to understand why the Malaysian government should fund higher education.
Reality #1: Society benefits from education
We can never truly measure the immense positive externalities derived from an educated society. Outcomes of university education and research continuously found the progress of mankind. In developing Malaysia, higher education is an impetus for establishing a civic-minded society, highly-skilled manpower and competitive value proposition for capital and production. Investing in education may cost the society tax ringgit, but the consequences in failing to do so will be devastating. Walter W. McMahon (economist at University of Illinois) outlined the “private non-market benefits” for degree-holders. These include better personal health and improved cognitive development in their children. Alongside is the “social non-market benefits”, such as lower spending on prisons and greater political stability.
Reality #2: “Neither here nor there”
Malaysia is neither here nor there, and education opportunity is a major contributing factor. Robert Reich, former US secretary of labour and professor at UC Berkeley, made a compelling argument that is very applicable to Malaysia. To attract jobs and capital, nations and states face two choices; one is to build a low-tax but low-wage “warehouse economy” competing on price, another is to compete on quality, by increasing taxes and regulation to invest in human capital for a highly productive workforce. In Malaysia, wage growth caught up with productivity growth only up until the late 1990s. Since 1996, we have been living in the “middle-income trap”, stunted at the World Bank’s definition of upper middle income; neither high nor low income. In fact, for the past 10 years real wage growth has been negative. Having 77 per cent of the Malaysian workforce with only SPM and below qualification is a structural barrier to us crossing over to the higher-income group. The labour force is largely unskilled and unable to move their labour services up the value chain where higher salaries are paid.
Reality #3: Education is fundamental to a competitive value proposition
Another case for education is competitiveness for both FDI and outputs. On the FDI side, our factors of production, in this case labour, need to be attractive enough. With a labour force that is neither highly skilled nor cheap, our value propositions dwarf next to the likes of Vietnam and Singapore. As a result, technology and automation service the lower-value processes replacing need for labour, while R&D and origination have not caught up due to lack of expertise. Malaysia has been the only country in the region facing net outflow in FDI since 2007.
On the output side, our goal to move away from producing lower-value manufacturing and primary goods into the higher-value services sector too has been held back by limited talent and capabilities. Lack of advanced education is one major factor causing this lack of competitiveness.
Reality #4: Efficiency-driven economy versus innovation-driven economy
A study released by the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) categorises Malaysia as an efficiency-driven economy, behind innovation-driven economies. We focus on improving existing processes, but we are not out there inventing new things where the big money is. Focusing on the latter is extremely important now more than ever for Malaysia, because we can no longer offer very cheap labour, land and factories to produce mass generic products competitively. The number of researchers in Malaysia for each one million population is only 365, behind Japan’s 5,416 and South Korea’s 4,231. We are in dire need for more trained professionals and innovators, and we could have harvested them from talents that did not pursue tertiary education due to the lack of opportunities.
Reality #5: Education is an investment…
Like parents investing in their children’s future, the state must invest in the population for the future of the nation. An educated society is able to position themselves into higher standards of living characterised by higher income, production of high value goods and services, longer life expectancy, subscription to civic and moral values, political stability, existence of civil liberties and openness to change and development. While highly developed nations like Denmark and the Netherlands invest 11.2 per cent and 10.8 per cent (respectively) of GDP in education, we invested only 4.8 per cent last year (majority on infrastructure and emoluments!). To make matters worse, the education budget education is slashed from RM50 billion to RM37 billion this year! To get an idea of how counter-intuitive this is for a developing Malaysia, even Afghanistan (7.4 per cent), Vietnam (7.2 per cent) and Timor Leste (12.3 per cent) spent more.
Currently, about 80 per cent of the bottom 40 per cent income households are only-SPM qualified and below, while only 5 per cent received higher education. The rest never made it to school at all. The reason is crystal clear; it is education that can lift households into higher income thus significantly reducing poverty and its consequences. If this group were to receive higher education, it is the state that ultimately benefits as social capital is returned from the household to the state in increased production and tax income. Social justice is served; while nobody is left discriminated or neglected from being given an opportunity to develop his or her own merits.
Reality #6: … with a positive net return-on-investment (ROI)
Entertain this simple simulation: Consider a fresh graduate entering the workforce with a salary of RM2,500, working for 30 years with a modest increment of 5 per cent a year. Upon retiring at the age of 55 years, he would have paid back at least RM290,000 to the government only in income taxes. Even after discounting, payback in taxes is significantly beyond the investment cost providing education.
Reality #7: Education correlates with wealth and income
Tertiary-educated individuals have an average of RM182,000 in wealth to their name, while SPM holders have only an average RM82,000 in net worth. Degree-holders have at least 2.2 times the wealth of SPM leavers. But the tertiary education penetration rate for Malaysia stands at only 36.5 per cent. This is only measured at point of enrolment (not completion)! Not only we are significantly behind “very high human development” nations’ average of 75 per cent, we are also behind “high human development” nations’ average of 50 per cent. In contrast, 86 per cent of Americans, 84 per cent of Kiwis, 100 per cent of Koreans, 99 per cent of the British, 45 per cent of Thais and 38.4 per cent of Turks are university-trained. As a result, the bulk of our workforce is unable to position themselves in higher-earning jobs. The bulk of our jobs involve the lower portions of the industry value chains. How are we then to move our economy into higher GNI territory, and inclusively move the majority of our population into higher income brackets? Current practice of relying on one-off mega construction projects will not ensure Malaysia move into high-income status, and stay there for the long run!
Reality #8: Education will reduce income inequality
Malaysia ranks as the third-most unequal nation in Asia, based on a GINI coefficient of 0.4621 (World Bank). Using only GINI, a simple measure of dispersion between the richest and poorest in an economy, we can already see that there are structural problems with the kind of growth that we have been enjoying. A household that earns RM10,000 monthly and above is already considered the top 4 per cent Malaysian households! Sixty per cent of the highest earning income households have at least one member that received tertiary-level education. But 60 per cent of the lowest-earning households have only SPM-holders as their most qualified household member. Not coincidentally, only the top 20 per cent income households in Malaysia have experienced substantial income growth. For the remaining 80 per cent it has been moderate. The gap between the rich and poor has been consistently growing from year 1970 until today. Only non-discriminatory access to education for the bottom 40 per cent will arrest the growth of this gap.
America perceives that the benefits of tertiary-level education are enjoyed most by the individual himself, thus the individual funds his higher education. The Scandinavians believe that the government should pay for higher education. On one hand, we see a privately funded education system in America, and growing inequality between the relatively richer and poorer households. There is at least US$902 billion (NY Federal Reserve) in total outstanding student loan debt in the United States today. In contrast, government-funded higher education Scandinavia ranks as most equal nations in the world. The apparent causal-effect relationship here is hard to dispel.
We expect free access to education to allow inter-generational mobility and narrow this inequality gap. If we let economic disability become a prohibitive factor for education, relatively poorer households will never be lifted out of the low-income bracket.
One graduate for every Malaysian family
We need an education system that is inclusive, does not neglect academically-struggling yet vocationally-advantaged pupils, matches industry requirements, yet streams students into disciplines where they will excel most. Most importantly, the system must not allow students to find themselves at the point of entering the industry, handicapped with a student loan on their shoulders, only to realise that they are not employable.
Malaysia has progressed in many aspects by making primary and secondary education free. One hundred per cent of Malaysians finish at least Primary 6 and 68 per cent finish Form 5. The current socio and economic condition in Malaysia now calls to make finishing Form 5 legally compulsory and providing free and accessible tertiary education for all.
I humbly urge the government, non-governmental bodies, policymakers and lobby groups to move towards providing free tuition fees for higher education at all our public universities. Where public universities are unable to cater for surplus of qualified students, it is suggested that the same equivalent amount of tuition fee funding is to be provided for private universities in a staggered manner, so as to ensure education accessibility by all.
I also propose the target of one graduate in each of the 6.4 million Malaysian households to ensure inter-generational mobility; that is for at least one child of a self-subsistent fisherman or low-salaried factory worker to uplift the entire family into a higher income bracket. A graduate in each family will be the change-agent that ensures his generation improves the family; via a chain reaction multiplying effect, ultimately affecting the graduate’s surroundings.
Education is way too important for us to risk any mismanagement, oversight and underfunding. The generations that go through a robustly managed quality education system, or lack of them, will ultimately decide Malaysia’s direction and the society that we will live in. Only then we can fundamentally assure that our true north for a high income Malaysia is sustainable, inclusive and is enjoyed by all layers of society — not just for the top 1 per cent. “Education is the most powerful weapon you can use to change the world.” (Nelson Mandela)
* Anas Alam Faizli is an oil and gas professional. He is pursuing a post-graduate doctorate and is the executive director of Teach For The Needs (TFTN).
* This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insider.
‘We’ll go after those responsible based on RCI findings’
The Star
by RUBEN SARIO
by RUBEN SARIO
TAWAU: The
Government will take appropriate action including criminal prosecution
based on the findings by the Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) probing
Sabah's illegal immigrant problem, Attorney-General Tan Sri Abdul Gani
Patail said.
He said the A-G's Chambers would have to find out if there was sufficient evidence before it could start any legal action.
“If criminal offences have been committed, we will take action. If there is any wrongdoing, we will correct it.
“That
is why we have the RCI,” he said after the launch of the Sabah and
Sarawak legal year by Chief Justice Tun Arifin Zakaria here yesterday.
Abdul Gani noted that there were differences between an RCI and a criminal proceeding in court.
“In the RCI, whatever people say will be accepted even if they say something without any proof or based on hearsay.
“When
we go to court, we need to have admissible evidence. But this is not an
excuse for us not to do anything against those who have done wrong,''
he said.
The
testimonies from the nearly 30 witnesses since the RCI began in Kota
Kinabalu on Jan 14 include claims that tens of thousands of Malaysian
identity cards and other documents were given to foreigners in Sabah.
“The
Prime Minister has said that the RCI would be transparent and so all
these details are coming out,'' said Abdul Gani, adding that the public
should allow the five-member commission headed by former Sabah and
Sarawak Chief Judge Tan Sri Steve Shim to do its duty unhindered.
Earlier in his speech, Abdul Gani said the credibility and integrity of the RCI must be safeguarded at all costs.
“As
all lawyers are aware, witnesses can easily be affected by external
comments and conclusions made by third parties without proper evidence.
“What more when not all the evidence has been adduced before the RCI as yet,'' he said.
Plane Crash Kills 21 In Kazakhstan
ASTANA, Jan 29 (Bernama) -- A passenger plane crashed in thick fog as it
prepared to land in Kazakhstan's largest city of Almaty on Tuesday,
killing all 21 people aboard, authorities said.
There were five crew members and 16 passengers aboard the Canadian-built Bombardier CRJ-200, which is owned by the local private carrier SCAT, Xinhua news agency reported.
The airline had earlier put the death toll at 20.
The aircraft was en route from the northern city of Kokshetau to Almaty at the time, and it went down just 1.5 km away from Almaty's main airport.
The plane had made one approach to the airport and was about to rise again for a second approach when it suddenly veered off course and crashed, SCAT said, adding that visibility on the ground was poor at the time due to the dense fog.
Eyewitnesses said the plane broke into pieces and wreckage of the plane and bodies were scattered around.
The crash site has been cordoned off and dozens of emergency vehicles were rushing to the scene.
The airport and its runways were unaffected and planes landed and take off as usual.
Prime Minister Serik Akhmetov has designated a committee to investigate the accident.
There were five crew members and 16 passengers aboard the Canadian-built Bombardier CRJ-200, which is owned by the local private carrier SCAT, Xinhua news agency reported.
The airline had earlier put the death toll at 20.
The aircraft was en route from the northern city of Kokshetau to Almaty at the time, and it went down just 1.5 km away from Almaty's main airport.
The plane had made one approach to the airport and was about to rise again for a second approach when it suddenly veered off course and crashed, SCAT said, adding that visibility on the ground was poor at the time due to the dense fog.
Eyewitnesses said the plane broke into pieces and wreckage of the plane and bodies were scattered around.
The crash site has been cordoned off and dozens of emergency vehicles were rushing to the scene.
The airport and its runways were unaffected and planes landed and take off as usual.
Prime Minister Serik Akhmetov has designated a committee to investigate the accident.
Vishwaroopam ban lifted by court, but Kamal Haasan is not past finish line
Kamal Haasan's big-budget thriller 'Vishwaroopam' can finally release in Tamil Nadu, the Madras High Court ruled today, rescinding a ban imposed on the movie last week by the state government.How quickly the film can start playing in theatres depends now on their availability. The government has said it will appeal against today's verdict.
In court today, the Tamil Nadu government defended the ban it ordered just days before the film's scheduled release, citing the need to protect communal harmony after Muslim groups accused the film of portraying the community negatively.
The government decided to hold the Rs. 95-crore film for two weeks despite a clearance given by the country's censor board. The state's Advocate General Navaneedakrishnan described that sanction as "a scam" and said it appeared to have been granted "without application of the mind."
Kamal Haasan's lawyer argued that the ban is unconstitutional, which was seconded unequivocally by Leela Samson, who heads the Central Board for Film Certification. "It is absolutely unacceptable. We have certified hundreds and thousands of films...only with Vishwaroopam, you find it has not been done with due diligence? This is an infringement on freedom of expression," she said.
Before going to court, Kamal Haasan, who stars in the film which he has also directed and produced, described the government's intervention as "cultural terrorism" and said Vishwaroopam is "one of the most Muslim-friendly films in recent times."
The judge hearing the case had reviewed the film over the weekend.
The controversy engulfing the film had spilled over to neighbouring states, with protests being held outside cinemas where it was showing. In Karnataka, the film was released today; cinema owners said the police had offered protection, if needed.
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