Hindraf providing CPR for Indians

Wealthy, middle class, and educated Indians must find ways to help Hindraf solve the problem of working class Indians.
COMMENT

By Suguman Narayanan

The best analogy that I can provide…

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Wealthy, middle class, and educated Indians must find ways to help Hindraf solve the problem of working class Indians.
COMMENT

By Suguman Narayanan

The best analogy that I can provide to illustrate the situation of working class Indians is that of a man who just experienced a heart attack. When someone suffers a heart attack, he or his family will channel all resources to saving his or her life, other concerns become secondary, at least for the moment.

That is exactly what Hindraf is doing—providing CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) for working class Indians. Can Barisan Nasional or Pakatan Rakyat see themselves doing anything like this?

In the past, some Indians have fought for Indian rights. Some went unnoticed while others gave up half way because of fear or were bought-over.

Today one man took it beyond limits never experienced before. One man decided to sacrifice his life for the cause.

That man spent five years away from home, lonely and cold in a little cramped apartment. He could not watch his kid growing up. How many of us are willing to be physically separated from our spouses and kids?

This man took the challenge. He never gave up. Today he has decided to give his life for the cause. He is no other than Hindraf chairperson, P Waythamoorthy, who is currently staging a hunger strike.

The strike is in its 10th day and is fast taking a toll on his health. Soon his organs will fail!

Hindraf is merely asking for the minimum. The request for a RM4.5 billion budget to solve immediate problems faced by Indians may seem like a huge amount.

If you read the Hindraf Blueprint, you will realise that the demands are extremely minimal. For instance when RM4.5 billion is spread across 57 years (due to 57 years of neglect), it amounts to RM79 million a year.

The annual national budget of the federal government is RM250 billion. Can you honestly say that what Hindraf is asking for is excessive– hardly 2% of the annual national budget.

It is not about race

Is what Hindraf asking for unreasonable? I do not need to elaborate on what this means compared to the enormous amounts spent elsewhere. It’s a no-brainer.

Now, is it unreasonable for Hindraf chairperson Waythamoorthy staging a hunger strike? Is it too much to demand for a 1.8% budget for a community of 8% (The percentage of Indians in Malaysia could probably be larger than 8%)?

Wealthy, middle class, and educated Indians must find ways to help Hindraf solve the problem of working class Indians. The working class scruffy Indian defines the Indian in Malaysia.

You will never be able to run away from that. All of us must look at this as a cause for a group that is in dire need for help.

It is not about race. It is about justice, it is about fairness. It is about support for a fellow human. It is about rights for all. Natural law dictates that every citizen is entitled to justice and human rights.

Now is the time to unite for the cause. Support my call to unite. Provide the overwhelming support we need to force both Pakatan Rakyat and/or Barisan Nasional to take this seriously. Pass this message to all.

Lets not play the blame game. When one starts the blame game the other will react. It will go on forever. There is no end to this.

What I propose is forget the past and work on a concrete solution to the Indian problem now. Even if you are against Waythamoorthy’s hunger strike idea, please support the cause because the Indian community must survive the heart attack it has sustained.

I travelled 16,000 kilometers to visit Waythamoorthy in Rawang. Will you travel 16 kilometers to gather for a demo in support?

Malaysian-born Suguman Narayanan is a political science professor at a state university in Texas, USA. He is an expert in civil wars/rebellions and the field of political conflict. He is also a board member of the Malaysian-American Foundation based in San Francisco, California.

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BN's appeal

Ignoring Tamil Hindu Genocide in SL is a sin of Indian Politics. Delhi to Geneva all should make a ‘Justice to the 150000 Tamil victims’.

India must stand against Sri Lanka, vote for US resolution with all necessary amendments to restore the infringed Tamil Rights in SL.

Upananda Brahmachari | New Delhi | 20 March…

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India must stand against Sri Lanka, vote for US resolution with all necessary amendments to restore the infringed Tamil Rights in SL.

Upananda Brahmachari | New Delhi | 20 March 2013 :: On the day of 22nd March 2013, the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) will be voting on a resolution urging Sri Lanka to carry out an internal investigation. Obviously, an independent international investigation against these human rights violations is the need of the hour.

As a key stake holder of World Peace and a neighbouring country, India has a responsibility towards the ethnic Tamil people (MOSTLY HINDUS by faith) in Sri Lanka who faced human rights violations during the civil war.

That’s why many urgent appeals have been reached urging the Prime Minister and the External Affairs Minister of India to take a strong stand for this ethnic minority at the UNHRC. But, the activities of Indian Government and most of the Political Parties in Indian Parliament reflect a gross ignorance and apathy to this deadly State oppression on Tamils in Sri Lanka by a ‘Buddha Shasana’ in its gory steps.

While an independent and fair probe into the human rights violations, and fixing accountability are crucial necessity of the towards the rehabilitation of the affected people in war-ravaged Sri Lanka, how can India indulge into a formality bashing without a strong step with out its heart felt sympathy to our victimized Tamil brothers in Sri Lanka?

Though the Italian heart of Indian Politics, Sonia Gandhi blasts Sri Lanka over ‘unspeakable atrocities’ on Tamils in a high drama (never she had view or review the matter) after DMK quit out the UPA and Congress Govt on Tamil Issues and finally a teething reaction in Indian Politics is hitting its snubbing consciousness within for the last couple of days.

While the Indian envoy to UNHRC, Mr Dilip Kumar Sinha was instructed to immediately attend South Block in Delhi rightly flown towards Indian Capital from Geneva, 525 colleges under Annamalai University shut in Tamil Nadu over Sri Lankan Tamils issue for an indefinite period. It was the Tamil Nadu government’s decision to rock the Centarl Govt of India in the same issue of Atrocities upon Tamil people in Sri Lanka.

But, what is most disgusting in this picture of worldwide protest and consensus over the Tamil Issue of Sri Lanka and to corner the perpetrators of 150,000 Tamil victims so far after revealing all truths, some sections of Indian Politics, Hindu Activists and Bigot Journalists still finding friendship of Sri Lankan Government at the cost of probable Total elimination of Tamils from Sri Lanka.

This series includes Dr Subramnian Swamy of Janata Party, one Dr Shrinivasan Kalyanraman of RSS fold and another Kanchan Gupta of Niti Central Digital and columnist in Daily Pioneer, Delhi and many others who are yet to drop a shy even for the killed, looted, raped, uprooted and virtually erased Tamil people of Sri Lanka in the last two decades.

When I urged ”India must stand against Sri Lanka, vote for US resolution” against Kanchan Gupta’s article “ India must stand by Sri Lanka, vote against US resolution“, Mr Gupta asked me “to provide me with a list of 150,000 Hindus killed in Sri Lanka — names, gender, age, address”.

When I asked Mr Gupta, “Would you be able to give the total list of Great Calcutta Killing or Noakhali Carnage as a fashion you demanded?”, he replied, “Actually list of those killed in 1946 exists on Govt records.”

I was stuck in the manners, apathy in the issue and faith upon the British records by a Macaulian breed of contemporary Indian.

As a reply I send him a collage as under. He didn’t get any time to make a reply to it.

Actually, a great conspiracy in Indian Politics always alive to divide Bharat in the North-South-East-West lobby to disunite the Hindu force in Bharat. Gupta, Swamy and Ramans are being plotted by that central Anti Hindu Force knowingly or unknowingly. A series of betrayal to Tamil Hindu people is on in the Political scenario in India. It is now suspected that the ruling Congress is trying to downplay the GENOCIDE and have good relations with the Brutal Regime of Mahinda Rajapaksha who is now a darling of China.

As a matter of fact, political leaders in Tamilnadu and South have called on the Indian Government to take a “historic, strong, and courageous stand on the issue”. But is it an issue of the Tamil people of Tamilnadu or the Tamil victims of Sri Lanka or an Extinction Malady of Tamil culture and heritage from the Lankan island? Why RSS, VHP or BJP could be able to address this important issue in right forum well in advance for stopping such a horrible genocide in a neighbouring country, they claim a good relation and Hindu legacy?

Actually, some Hindu Intellectuals, Politicians, Statesmen, Columnists all went to sleep when the Tamil Hindus were being tortured ruthlessly and more than 150000 Tamil Hindus were killed by SL Govt in last two decades. But they wake up only when somebody rise their voice a genocide of Tamil Hindus in Sri Lanka.

They only see some LTTE Conspiracy and Christian Bogey in it.

What a tragedy for Sub Continental Hindus. But, Hopefully a resurgent Hindu force in Bharat and abroad is now fighting for a Tamil Hindu Cause on a very humanitarian rights ground. In no way we support any menace or overtone as perpetration by LTTE. But why our sensation got a total paralysis on the matter of Tamil Genocide in Sri Lanka. Mind it the Sri Lankan lobby is also vocal for the retaliation of Colombo people as did in front of Indian High Commission there on 19 March to pressurize the Indian Govt to support a blood thirsty Rajapaksa.

I should not forget one octogenarian Tamil Rights Crusader of Canada, Sri Kumarathasan Rasingam, who relentlessly keep these issues on and appealed to all only to Save the Tamil Hindus’ Rights in Sri Lanka as a right wing of Hindu Existence Forum. We have a joint appeal to all concerned.

To whom it may concern as Tamils in Sri Lanka are Human beings and not the slaves of Sri Lankan Buddhists.

We feel most of the Hind Organizations, Hindus, Hindu Leaders, Hindu Politicians are not fully aware of what happened and what is happening in the Traditional and historical homeland of the Tamils [Tamil Eelam] Please note that before the British captured Sri Lanka in 18th century there was Hindu Tamil Kingdoms existed and ruled by Hindu Kings. But when the British gave independence to Sri Lanka [then called Ceylon] in 1948 the powers were handed over the majority Sinhalese. Since then Hindu Tamils are treated as slaves. Now there is no one to give protection to the Hindu Tamils.

Hindu Tamil women and girls are raped by the army of occupation. Tamil homeland colonized by Sinhalese. In time to come there will be no land for Hindu Tamils and will be completely wiped out. Kindly read, watch the two attachments below for evidence and facts.

We most respectfully and most humbly request you to highlight the real plight of Tamil people in Sri Lanka. It is suspected that the ruling Congress is trying to downplay the GENOCIDE and have good relations with the Brutal Regime of Mahinda Rajapaksha who is now a darling of China.

We are disappointed, dismayed, worried to understand that the Congress [anti -Hindu] party has forced United States to dilute further the UNHCR resolution that has been submitted yesterday in Geneva at the UNHCR meeting. But why `

A. There is no mention about the Independent Investigation in to the Killings of 150000 Hindu Tamils ?

B. There is no protection to the Tamil women and girls under an army of occupation ?

C. There is no mention about demilitarization and resettling the people back to their own land?

D. There is no mention for a political solution to the Hindu Tamils with their rights of self-determination?
Now mischievously the ruling force in the center, Congress and UPA in India have watered down the US resolution to give more time and space to Sri Lanka to wipe out the remaining Hindu Tamils in Sri Lanka. At the original draft the following were included…
…………………
1. Appoint Independent International Investigation on War Crimes, Crimes against humanity rapes of Tamil women and girls.
………………
2. Political solution to the Hindu Tamils so that they can look after their affairs.
…………..
Kindly request/force the Indian Parliamentarians to include these two important points in the Final resolution to be submitted tomorrow and act India accordingly in UNHRC.

In the service of Hindu Existence in this world,

Upananda Brahmachari, Kumarathasan Rasingam,

Hindu Sadhna Kuthir, Pickering, Ontario,

Haridwar, Bharat. Canada.

In fine I have only one appeal to all. That is: India must stand against Sri Lanka, vote for US resolution with all appropriate amendments in favour of infringed Tamil Rights restoration in Sri Lanka and obviously open the truth of perpetration for the 150,000

Please see these two pages to get into the real Hindu Plight of Tamil People in Sri Lanka.

Pages are dedicated to all 150,000 Tamil people laid their life and dedication for a strive to uphold the Tamil ethnicity in Sri Lanka.

Page 1. FACTS AND EVIDENCES OF GENOCIDE OF HINDU TAMILS IN SRI LANKA.

Page 2. THAT KILLING FIELD OF TAMIL PEOPLE IN SRI LANKA THAT WE DON’T KNOW.

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Textbook biases show when Muslim students ask non-Muslim high achievers to convert

National Commission for Justice and Peace holds a talk on biases in textbooks.

KARACHI: Intellectuals from a number of fields came together to point out the horrifying prejudices found in…

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National Commission for Justice and Peace holds a talk on biases in textbooks.

KARACHI: Intellectuals from a number of fields came together to point out the horrifying prejudices found in text books in Pakistan at a talk on ‘Biases in Textbooks and Education Policy’ organised by the National Commission for Justice and Peace (NCJP) on Monday.

“I have heard of cases where Muslim students ask non-Muslim high achievers: Why don’t you convert to our religion,” recalled Karamat Ali, the executive director of the Pakistan Institute of Labour Education and Research. “And it is not just Muslims and Hindus, but also Shias who are given this treatment. This is because of the horrifying myths about people of other faiths that we fill our children with.”

Ali criticised political parties for having a narrow vision. “Every party says that they’ll bring ‘roti, kapra and makaan’. What about the freedom to practice your religion?”

Dr Bernadette Dean, the principal of St Joseph’s College for Women, spoke about the religious and gender biases found in text books in Pakistan. “In the curriculum, Islamiat was included in the ‘general knowledge’ taught to children and was made compulsory for students in classes one, two and three,” she pointed out.

“This goes against Article 22 of the Constitution, which states that no person will be forced to attain religious education.”

Dean found religious biases in textbooks written for English, Urdu, Pakistan studies and social studies. “Teachers have to teach these textbooks because students are tested on them in the examinations. They don’t have the choice of breaking out of the system,” she said, adding that the cherry on top is the system of rote learning.

“Imagine thousands of students all over Pakistan rote learning biases against people of other religions by heart and then regurgitating them.”

Quoting acclaimed works, such as K. K. Aziz’s ‘Murder of History of Pakistan’ and Nayyar and Salim’s ‘A Subtle Subversion’, she went on to explain how Pakistan’s history is subverted by “omissions and additions”. “Our students aren’t taught that the first chief justice of Pakistan was a Christian,” she said. “Neither are they told that there were more Hindus than Muslims in Karachi at the time of partition.”

The partition is a tricky topic. “When I asked my students to write about the problems faced by Pakistan during partition, they said: Hindus are bad because they didn’t want to give us the Rs200 million promised to us at partition,” she said.

She then spoke about how textbooks fail to represent gender in a fair manner. “Our text books are full of great men,” she explained.

“You hardly ever come across any great women and when they do turn up, you find them in stereotypical roles, as mothers and housewives.” Dean stressed that textbooks need to be rewritten to reflect the changing times.

The executive director of NCJP, Peter Jacob, also wondered that if the study of religion is so important as to be included at every stage in the curriculum, then why does it only focus on Islam. “Why not include other religions as well.”

Sharing her views with The Express Tribune, Dr Nuzhat, the former principal of Government College, Karachi, felt the discussion was particularly saddening if the history of education in Pakistan, and Sindh in particular, was kept in mind.

“Why do we forget that all great schools in Karachi, including Karachi Grammar School and Mama Parsi, were built by non-Muslims? Muslim parents have been dying to get their children admitted into these schools ever since they were built around 100 years ago.”

Published in The Express Tribune, March 19th, 2013.

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Tunisia:Muslim preacher issues fatwa against Femen activist

(ANSAmed) - TUNIS, MARCH 19 - Tunisian high school student Amina, 19, has joined the Femen credo of protest through nudity, and a Muslim cleric has issued a fatwa calling…

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(ANSAmed) - TUNIS, MARCH 19 - Tunisian high school student Amina, 19, has joined the Femen credo of protest through nudity, and a Muslim cleric has issued a fatwa calling for her to be flogged then stoned to death.

Amina posted a topless picture of herself with the words ''my body is mine and no one else's'' written on her skin on the Tunisian Facebook fanpage of Femen, a social movement and provocative women's movement founded in 2008 in the Ukraine. The page got 3,700 supporters and also a lot of insults and protests against what some deem is mere exhibitionism.

Fatwas are rulings on a point of Islamic law given by a recognized authority, and are sometimes not justified based on the Koran. But the fatwa against Amina could be risky for the student in contemporary Tunisia, where religious fundamentalism often exploded into violence. (ANSAmed).

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The online media cruelty

Kuala Lumpur, A journalist who was mistreated, insulted, bullied, framed to cover up millions of US fundings. Thursday morning will be the judgement for the case. Malaysia government hardly practices…

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Kuala Lumpur, A journalist who was mistreated, insulted, bullied, framed to cover up millions of US fundings. Thursday morning will be the judgement for the case. Malaysia government hardly practices media freedom followed by some media companies practices politics and discrimination against their journalist. A particular journalist was betrayed by some ex colleagues for personal gain according to a spokesman.  National Express Malaysia stand for press and journalist freedom.

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Najib sees early achievement of Mahathir's vision

Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak said the nation may reach high-income status two years ahead of target, as he seeks to convince voters of his economic achievements before the election…

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Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak said the nation may reach high-income status two years ahead of target, as he seeks to convince voters of his economic achievements before the election is due within weeks.

Gross national income (GNI) could rise to RM1,931 per capita (US$15,000) in 2018, earlier than the target of 2020, Najib said in a televised speech late yesterday. The measure has increased from 49 percent since 2009, to RM12,838 (US$9,970) last year, the government estimates. Najib also pledged to give annual cash handouts to low-wage earners.

“The time has come for Malaysians to make a decision and I hope you make the right choice,” said Najib, 59, without indicating when the election will be held. On that note, he must dissolve Parliament by April 28 and hold a vote by the end of June.

Najib, who inherited a country in recession when he replaced Abdullah Ahmad Badawi as its leader in 2009, is focusing voters on his efforts to boost investments and improve incomes as he seeks a popular mandate for the first time. The ruling BN coalition won the last election in 2008 by its narrowest margin in more than five decades, prompting Abdullah to hand over the leadership mid-term.

A nation is considered high income when GNI per capita meets or exceeds RM16,066 (US$12,476), according to the World Bank. In 1991, former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad laid out a 30-year plan known as ‘Vision 2020' aimed at earning Malaysia a high-income status by the end of the current decade.

Go to KiniBiz for more.

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MACC to ‘act accordingly’ on new video expose evidence, says director

KUALA LUMPUR, March 20 – Ongoing
KUALA LUMPUR, March 20 – Ongoing investigations against Sarawak Chief Minister Tan Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud will continue following new leads that have emerged,…

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KUALA LUMPUR, March 20 – Ongoing
KUALA LUMPUR, March 20 – Ongoing investigations against Sarawak Chief Minister Tan Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud will continue following new leads that have emerged, the Malaysian Anti Corruption Commission (MACC) said today.

This follows a 16-minute covert video revealed by Global Witness (GW) implicating Taib (picture) and his family with shady land deals, which surfaced in the media yesterday.

“The investigation has been ongoing. With the new evidence that has emerged the MACC will act accordingly,” its director of investigation Datuk Mustafa Ali told The Malaysian Insider by text message here.

The corruption watchdog had two years ago confirmed that they were investigating Taib over allegation of timber corruption.

“We are investigating Taib Mahmud and whatever our action is, we cannot reveal at this moment,” MACC commissioner Datuk Seri Abu Kassim Mohamed was quoted as saying in June 2011.

Civil society groups had earlier today demanded an immediate response from Putrajaya and MACC, which they claimed had been toothless in probing the Sarawak chief minister over his alleged ill-gotten riches.

The group of civil society organisations had also asked for a Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) on the matter before the 13th general elections which are expected very soon.

“This is very terrible for Malaysia ... (We need) nothing less than RCI. We call the Yang di-Pertuan Agong to call an RCI to investigate this issue,” Sarajun Hoda, a representative of reform movement Aliran.

Meanwhile, the Advocates Association of Sarawak (AAS) has indicated that they will investigate and act against the lawyer featured in the GW clip.

The Sarawak lawyer, identified as Alvin Chong, allegedly represented sisters Fatimah Abdul Rahman and Norlia Abdul Rahman who were recorded in the video describing potentially illegal deals.

Both are daughters of former state chief minister Tun Abdul Rahman Ya’akub and first cousins with the incumbent CM Taib.

“AAS will take appropriate action after due inquiry. One of the possible courses of action is to refer any complaints received on this matter to the Advocates Inquiry Committee,” a spokesman from AAS told The Malaysian Insider.

The Advocates Inquiry Committee is an independent statutory body separate from AAS, consisting senior lawyers from the state appointed by the Chief Judge of Sabah and Sarawak. The lawyers in both Borneo states are not under the jurisdiction of the Malaysian Bar, which only represents lawyers in the Malay peninsula.

In a 16-minute video clip released yesterday, GW investigators posing as foreign investors recorded snippets of their conversation with Taib’s cousins and lawyers, made under the pretext of purchasing Sarawak land for hefty profit and which the environmental campaigner said would displace thousands of the indigenous people living there.

Taib had suggested yesterday that his cousins and others implicated in the video exposé were promoting themselves to be his agents to solicit favours.

“OK I saw the so-called proof. Could it not be someone who tried to promote themselves to be an agent to get favours from me?

“It has nothing to do with me. I think it is a bit naughty of them. They are using their big powers to blacken my name,” the Sarawak chief minister said when approached by reporters in the state capital Kuching.

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Future dim for PI Bala’s family

With Balasubramaniam’s death, his wife and three children are now in dire financial state.

KUALA LUMPUR: The nation reeled in shock last week as private investigator P Balasubramaniam abruptly passed…

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With Balasubramaniam’s death, his wife and three children are now in dire financial state.

KUALA LUMPUR: The nation reeled in shock last week as private investigator P Balasubramaniam abruptly passed away, just days before declaring he would continue to seek justice for the murdered Altantuya Shaariibuu.

But as the shock wears off and Malaysians move on, his family is left picking up the pieces of a shattered life – a life already strained five years ago, when Balasubramaniam’s declarations regarding the prime minister forced his family to flee the country.

Now, with Balasubramaniam dead, his wife, A Santamil Selvi, and three teenaged children are stranded in Malaysia with diminishing funds and a rapidly dimming future.

Funeral expenses, education fees and mortgages are weighing heavily on the widow’s mind, who is currently homebound in accordance with Hindu tradition.

“I visited Bala’s wife last night to talk about how her family was coping – she showed me her IOUs, how she is well in debt. She has even resorted to pawning the items she owns,” Kelana Jaya MP Loh Gow Burne told reporters today.

“Unfortunately, despite Bala’s sacrifice for the country, his family is now in serious trouble.”

In a bid to keep the bereaved family afloat, Loh is now initiating a fund-raising campaign and is appealing to the public to donate any money they can spare for the widowed Santamil Selvi and her fatherless children.

“The priority is for Bala’s children to be given the opportunity to finish their education, and to ensure that someone who sacrificed all he had for the nation, would not have his family left in poverty,” said Loh.
Balasubramaniam’s lawyer, Americk Singh Sidhu, said the funds would immediately be used to help Santamil Selvi and her children return to India, where they had been residing for the past five years.

“His children must go back to India as they have been schooling there for five years. It would be too difficult for them to adapt to the school system here, especially after all the trauma they recently went through,” said Americk.

“The funds will also go towards basic requirements such as food, clothes, mortgage, education… Monthly expenditure can easily reach up to RM15,000,” he added.

Urgent monetary woes


The lawyer dismissed rumours that Bala had received RM5 million for retracting his claims that Najib Tun Razak and his wife Rosmah Mansor were linked to Altantuya’s murder .

“If Bala had never revealed the truth, then maybe he would have got the RM5 million. But he stuck to his stance that the first statutory declaration was the truth, and the funding stopped,” said Americk.

Americk also clarified that the RM750,000 businessman Deepak Jaikishan had given the family in 2008 had already run out as the family had no other source of income.

“Bala and his wife have not been working for five years. Because they are Malaysian citizens, they were not able to gain employment in India.”

Americk said the donations would be used to solve the family’s urgent monetary woes.

He said he and Loh would also seek a long-term solution to Santamil Selvi and her children’s finances.

“In the meantime, Goh Burne and I shall also update the public on the family’s situation, and how much money we were able to collect,” he said.

When asked what compelled him to start the campaign, Loh said that he had worked closely with Balasubramaniam for the past four years and sympathised with his predicament.

“We were involved with Bala since 2009; we helped him collect evidence for his case, so we understand the situation he was in, being on the run for so long.

“We really sympathise with him and we feel there’s a huge injustice done to him due to his steadfast refusal to bow down to authorities. Society should be rewarding him and his family and I hope what he has done will encourage other people to do the right thing.”

Those interested in donating to Balasubramaniam’s family may bank in their money to Santamil Selvi’s Public Bank account at: 4866 0747 04 or contact either Americk or Loh.

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Stop the Buku Jingga lie

Hindraf chairman P Waythamoorthy pens his political thoughts while on his 11th day of hunger strike.
COMMENT

By P Waythamoorthy

Today is the 11th day of my hunger viratham (hunger…

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Hindraf chairman P Waythamoorthy pens his political thoughts while on his 11th day of hunger strike.
COMMENT

By P Waythamoorthy

Today is the 11th day of my hunger viratham (hunger strike). I continue to feel weaker with each passing day.

The variety of visitors is broadening. Among the visitors yesterday were several politicians. I would like to thank all the politicians who visited me to show their concerns for my condition during my viratham.

However what I would also like to tell all my politician friends is that the time spent in coming all the way to the temple in Rawang to visit me probably is better spent in lobbying within their respective political parties to get their bosses to endorse the Hindrag Blueprint.

This is the best way for them to show concern. The condition for my going off the hunger strike is very clear:

The Malaysian government led by Najib Tun Razak must endorse Hindraf’s 5-Year Blueprint in a binding manner to commit to a plan of implementation of all the six proposals in the blueprint as long as they remain the government,

or

The government-in-waiting of the Pakatan Rakyat led by Anwar Ibrahim must endorse the blueprint in a binding manner and commit to its implementation, should they be forming the next federal government.

My request to my politician friends is to help us to realize the blueprint.

Today I would like to lay out some of my thoughts on Pakatan’s Buku Jingga and Hindraf’s Blueprint.

It is a lie to say that the Buku Jingga covers Hindraf blueprint proposals.

Xavier’s photo opportunity visit

I would like to make mention of an incident with one PKR politician Dr Xavier Jeyakumar who visited me yesterday.

When asked by one of the other visiting wellwisher as to why Pakatan was reluctant to sign the blueprint, he replied with a question of his own: “Why should we sign your blueprint when it is all in our Buku Jingga?”

The wellwisher then requested Xavier to show where exactly the Buku Jingga covered the Hindraf blueprint proposals. She got silence for the answer.

We were left wondering if Xavier had made that long trip just to convince me to drop our demands for the blueprint endorsement because Pakatan had it all covered.

Isn’t it making a mockery of my basic purpose for the hunger strike, which Xavier made an occasion of, to visit?

He being a professional politician just came for the photo opportunity, that is all. If he really felt as he answered, then there clearly was no other purpose for his visit.

In any case, I would like to make it very clear that the Buku Jingga consists of the Common Policy Platform of the parties representing the Chinese interests and a section of the Malays and the Pakatan Agenda which covers eight broad areas and a 100 day action plan.

In all these, what you get other than broad statements of intent are some targets. There is no serious discussion in the Buku Jingga about the plans for realising any of these.

Another great lie

The Buku Jingga broad statements and goals just cannot cover the specific proposals of Hindraf’s blueprint. It is apples and oranges.

Pakatan politicians have to stop lumping together what is logically incompatible. It is a lie. There is no way any Pakatan politician can answer the lady yesterday to show where the blueprint proposals are covered in the Buku Jingga. They are not!

The NEP had the stated goal of poverty eradication and economic restructuring so as to eliminate the identification of ethnicity with economic function. The NEP policy document much like the Buku Jingga stated their intentions in these kinds of broad statements, but then we all know how much of a lie the NEP had become.

It became a vehicle for hijacking the national resource – sapu bersih. In fact NEP was initiated in 1970, just the time the massive displacement of the Indian plantation workers began.

Instead of eradicating poverty for the Indian plantation workers, they were pushed deeper into a poverty trap by the development plans arising from the NEP. RM1.1 trillion were spent in the 10 development plans in the name of NEP.

How much of that went to eradicating poverty among the displaced estate workers?

Similarly when the Felda program was started sometime in 1956, Tun Abdul Razk said Felda would provide land to the landless and jobs to the jobless.

We all now know that it did not mean what it said. There was no land for the landless non-Malays and there were no jobs for the jobless non-Malays.

And now, saying the Buku Jingga will do this or that based on broad statements and broad goals has significant potential to turn into another great lie.

All one can say is that we really do not know what it will finally pan out as, if you do not state exactly what your programs of action are.

Stop lying Xavier

In preparing the blueprint, we had considered all these possibilities for distortion and that is why we developed it as a set of very concrete proposals – not only in terms of the specific interventions but also in terms of the realisation mechanism by way of the Minority Affairs Ministry.

Therefore we are effectively talking apples and oranges. No matter how hard you search for apples in a heap of oranges, you are not going to get any apples. Xavier, so stop the lying.

Broad statements of principle or broad goals become affectively a cover for non delivery.

The Buku Jingga broad statements and goals just do not cover the blueprint proposals and Pakatan politicians have to stop repeating this lie.

P Waythamoorthy is the Hindraf chairperson. He has been on his hunger strike since March 10.

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Rayer sues MIC’s Dhinagaran

The DAP man and his aide say they have been libelled in statements about power abuse and graft.

GEORGE TOWN: Seri Delima assemblyman RSN Rayer and his personal aide S…

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The DAP man and his aide say they have been libelled in statements about power abuse and graft.

GEORGE TOWN: Seri Delima assemblyman RSN Rayer and his personal aide S Sivalingam today filed libel suits against Penang MIC youth head J Dhinagaran, accusing him of making false allegations of power abuse and graft.

They are seeking an apology and special damages over statements made by Dhinagaran and reported by the Kuala Lumpur Post on March 8 and FMT on March 11.

Rayer and the aide, S Sivalingam, allege that Dhinagaran had “recklessly, wrongly, irresponsibly, negligently, falsely and maliciously” caused his statements to be published in the two news portals.

They are also seeking a court injunction against any repeat of the allegations.

The news reports quoted Dhinagaran as saying a Pakatan Rakyat supporter had written to DAP leaders alleging that Sivalingam, who is Rayer’s uncle, had misused state education funds by allocating RM6,000 and RM3,000 to two relatives.

Dhinagaran also alleged Rayer had admitted in a letter that he had donated a microwave oven to Penang’s Northeast Land and District Office.

Rayer has explained that the oven was his personal gift to the office’s pantry section, not to any particular person and not as inducement to return a favour.

However, he admitted to setting aside RM6,000 as aid for a female student to cover the years 2008 and 2009.

He acknowledged that the student was a distant relative of his, but said she was a needy person and was eligible for the fund.

“The fund was allotted in an open transparent process,” he said. “There was nothing fishy about it. I have rejected applications by so many relatives for similar funds on grounds of ineligibility.”

However, he denied that he allocated RM3,000 to another relative.

Today’s filing of the suit at the High Court came days after Rayer and Sivalingam issued to Dhinagaran notices demanding a retraction and apology.

The MIC man ignored the notices. Yesterday, he lodged four reports against the two at the Penang office of the Malaysia Anti-Corruption Commission, repeating his allegations.

In addition to the allegations regarding the oven and education fund, Dhinagaran has also accused Rayer of using his political influence to direct the assistant treasurer of the Penang Hindu Endowment Board to withdraw a theft case against an employee of the board.

“There were reports of the staff pocketing over RM10,000 while money was being counted,” Dhinagaran said. “He was caught and a police report was lodged, but Rayer intervened to get the report withdrawn.”

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Najib: Govt has met most goals

The New Straits Times

2012 REPORT CARD: Nation on track to become a high-income nation earlier than 2020

KUALA LUMPUR: PRIME Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak said last night  the…

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The New Straits Times

2012 REPORT CARD: Nation on track to become a high-income nation earlier than 2020

KUALA LUMPUR: PRIME Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak said last night  the government has met the majority of its  goals under the National Transformation Programme, and is  on track to meet its goal of becoming a high-income nation earlier than 2020.

Announcing the results of the government's report card for last year in the form of the Economic Transformation Programme (ETP) and Government Transformation Plan (GTP), he said the achievements were proof of the government's dedication to the 1Malaysia philosophy of "People First, Performance Now".

He described ETP and GTP as "the bravest experiment undertaken by any government in the world to practise the principles of transparency and responsibility".

"The task to become a high-income nation by 2020 is ambitious, but attainable.

"With this transformation agenda, I am responsible for its success and am bound by its results.

"I want to help Malaysia realise its exceptional potential," he told the audience at Auditorium Perdana at Angkasapuri.

He said initiatives taken to boost the living standards of low-income households had lowered the poverty rate to 1.7 per cent last year from 3.8 per cent in 2009.

The income gap narrowed to 0.431 as per the Gini coefficient ratio (a measure of inequality of income or wealth) last year, compared with 0.441 in 2009.

A lower Gini coefficient ratio equates to a more equal distribution of wealth, with "0" corresponding to complete equality.

The country's per capita income last year, he said, stood at US$9,970 (RM31,131), compared with US$257 (RM802) in 1957, which is a 4,000 per cent leap in five decades.

In addition, the average household income last year stood at RM5,000, a jump from RM4,025 in 2009.

The construction of 35,000 new homes had also enabled more medium- and low-income families to own their own properties.

The efforts by the government had resulted in 99.9 per cent of households from the extreme poor category moving out of the bracket over the last three years.

"As part of our initiative to ensure that rural communities share in the country's progress, more than 3,300km of roads have been built, more than 1.4 million homes provided with clean water and 470,000 homes enjoy round-the-clock electricity supply."

 

The government's stand on the importance of early education, he said, had seen more than 2,000 preschool classes established, leading to a more than 80 per cent pre-school enrolment last year compared with 67 per cent the previous year.

Touching on the ETP, he said it had continued to meet its targets, with RM32 billion in investments secured via 39 projects last year.

"Since the ETP's launch in 2010, private investment has grown more than three-fold, recording a 22 per cent increase in 2012."

The ETP had since announced 149 projects, worth RM211 billion in investments, and is projected to add another RM136 billion to the gross national income and create 408,443 jobs.

He said in line with the government's stand on transparency, the results had been subject to review and verification by international experts on the International Performance Review Panel and auditing house PricewaterhouseCoopers Malaysia.

"What we have achieved, and failed to achieve, is on display for everyone to see."

Najib reiterated that the Barisan Nasional government was one that kept its promises.

"We place the people's wellbeing above all else.

"That is why before promising something to the people, we study it first as to whether it will benefit the people and not burden them, whether it is temporary or for the long term.

"Secondly, we ask ourselves, is this promise something we can keep? We do not make empty promises."

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The Truth Serum Behind Najib’s Economic Transformation Programme (ETP)

When Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak launched the Economic Transformation Programme (ETP) on 21st September 2010, it was done with the intention of keeping Malaysia on the right track to…

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When Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak launched the Economic Transformation Programme (ETP) on 21st September 2010, it was done with the intention of keeping Malaysia on the right track to a high-income status nation by the year 2020. In 2012, ETP boasts 72 out of 131 EPPs launched, surpassing its GNI target of RM830 billion and also surpassing its private investment target worth RM94 billion.[1] The ETP also boasts itself of the pool of acronyms; EPP, NKEA, SRI, SEDIA, IRDA, NCIA, RAPID, BOs, BLESS, and much more. And yet, your average Joe and Jane on the street not only does not fully understand the ETP, they seem to be left out from the fruits of labour of the ETP.

Failures of ETP
Prior to Najib’s ETP and GTP address on RTM last night, the failures of the ETP listed include; falling surplus in which the share of external trade to GDP (gross domestic products) shrunk to 145% caused by weak external environment; the silent death of the Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC) which was supposed to be a part of the ETP; Malaysian investment abroad worth RM19.5 billion in the first half of 2012 surpassed the RM13.6 billion worth of inward investment; the GNI per capita of 49% as boasted by Najib in from USD$6,670 in 2009 to USD$9,970 in 2011 was misleading. The real figure was a minor 16.2% according to World Bank data. Recycling old failed projects such as the Karambunai Integrated Resort City and the Tanjung Agas poject. The failure to attract foreign investment to Educity, Iskandar. Of the ten institutions approached by the government, only two have been fully functioning.
Think tank Political Studies for Change (KPRU) believes Najib should also show the other set of glaring failures of the ETP which includes the falling of Malaysia’s rankings in the World Economic Forum’s Global Competitiveness Report (WEFs GCR; Table 2). Amongst the fall in ranking are the fall in wastefulness of government spending ranking; a fall in labour market efficiency, a fall in the government’s budget balance position ; a fall in the labour market efficiency; a fall in the women in labour force, ratio to men, a fall in the technological readiness under NKEA and more.

Dazzling but Substance Lackluster ETP Speech
During the ETP and GTP speech, Najib claimed 149 EPP projects have been announced but in actual fact, according to the 2012 Annual Report, the real number is 152 EPPs planned with 408,443 employment created and it’s expected GNI contribution is RM135.64 billion. Najib used ringgit Malaysia as the currency for GNI, however in an earlier 2012 report, American dollars was used instead. Why the discrepancy and non-compliance of currency? Najib also claimed an increase of 22 percent in private investment from 2011 to 2012. However, what can be seen is that still the major contributor of investment are from the government. Najib boast the ‘success’ of the RAPID Pengerang project and in the 2012 report state drawing the likes of Newcastle University Medicine Malaysia (NUMed), Netherlands Maritime Institute of Technology (NMIT), Raffles University Iskandar, University of Southampton Malaysia (USMC), Reading University Iskandar, Raffles American School and Marlborough College Malaysia (MCM). Yet, he seems to have left out the representatives of those institutions facing immense struggles of bureaucracy causing a mismatch of departments put in place and a lack of students with staff interested to work in Educity.[2]
Najib in his speech also quoted several international rankings such a the World Bank Ease of Doing Business Report  2013, World Competitiveness Yearbook 2012/2013, AT Kearneys FDI Confidence Index, Globe Shopper Index by the Economist Intelligence Unit, and also the International Living Magazine to display Malaysia’s positive international outlook. Yet, KPRU sees that while Najib likes to bask in the so-called glory of the ETP, Najib have failed to state the rankings stated by the World Economic Forum’s GCR Report, in which Malaysia pretty much fell in the expectations of accountable and transparency or that 50% of business lost business in Malaysia over corruption as stated in Transparency International. Malaysia be a leader in global shopping but Malaysia also suffers a heritage loss such as the crumble of iconic places in Jalan Sultan, Tun Perak, Lebuh Pasar and even the infamous yet iconic Pudu Jail and the non-discriminatory loss of our million years old forests particularly in East Malaysia.

Epilogue
Najib may have claimed much successes over the implementation of the ETP but what remains is the amount of gold felt by the common people of Malaysia. He may have boasted on the ‘surge’ felt in the Kuala Lumpur Bursa and the sukuk investment revealing in dazzling numbers, percentage and tables but KPRU sees that none of all that matters when those who feel the returns are the corporate and political figures rather than the common people of Malaysia. In a nutshell, Najib’s ETP is a series of projects benefiting UMNO rent seekers rather than the ordinary Rakyat that he used to claim in his Janji Ditepati rhetoric.

Table 1: List of ETP Activities and its Failures

No.	Failure	ETP 2012 Report
1.	Falling surplus – the share of external trade to GDP has shrunk to 145% caused by weak external environment.[3]	As of 31st December 2012, 149 EPP projects were launched worth RM211.34 billion.
2.	Oil palm replanting programme – the target plant areas was 126,500ha but only 103,000ha was achieved.[4]	113,000 hectre  of oil palm planted
3.	Growth of real GNI is only 4.7%, much lower than 6% target in ETP. Its claim of RM797 billion “target” for 2011 GNI was lower than the MoF forecast of RM811 billion. This “target” was only publicised after the GNI data was released by the MoF. Furthermore, it is very low, calling for just 7.8 per cent growth, well below the average 8.8 per cent targeted in the ETP Roadmap Report. The ETP focuses on GNI, but CEO Datuk Seri Idris Jala misdirected Malaysians by citing the stronger GDP numbers.[5]	GNI per capita increased 49 percent in 3 years. 2010- RM8100 2011-RM9700 2012-RM9970 GNI in 1957 was merely USD257 Purchasing power parity is 2x of the Malaysian GNI.
4.	1 on October 25, 2010, PEMANDU said LFoundry Sdn Bhd, a subsidiary of German-based Landshut Silicon Foundry GmbH, would undertake a 200 mm water fab worth  RM1.9 billion project. Yet nothing was mentioned in the “Achievements” section of the ETP Annual Report. Instead, a much smaller RM100 million equipment refurbishment and training centre project was highlighted.Lfoundry in Germany is declaring itself insolvent and going into bankruptcy proceedings.	-
5.	Damansara City 2 project by GuocoLand (Malaysia) Berhad was unveiled in the 3rd ETP Progress update on January 11, 2011. There was no status report, it was not even mentioned in the “Moving Forward” section. Instead three additional heritage routes and the upgrading of Masjid Jamek were highlighted instead.  Marina Island Pangkor’s International Resort & Entertainment Extension Project was showcased in the 4th ETP Progress Update on March 8, 2011. Strangely though, no progress update was given in the Annual Report on this huge project.[6]	-
6.	According to Asia-Pacific Sovereigns Andrew Colquhoun, ETP has failed to boost Malaysia’s average income fast enough to avert a middle income trap.[7]	-
7.	According to Refsa, only 21% of income will eventually go to the workers as opposed to the current 28%. Only 21% of the income created by Pemandu’s ETP will go to workers. Compare this to Singapore which allocates 40% and South Korea and the US which set aside 50%.[8]	-
8.	Karambunai project was initially announced in October 2010 during Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s budget speech as a RM3 tourism project which more than tripled in value to RM9.6 billion when it was included in the fifth ETP update on April 19, 2011.[9]	Between in 2011 and 2012, Malaysia attracted 50 million visitors with RM100 billion GNI.
9.	Abdul Jalil Abdul Rasheed, who helps manage US$3 billion as CEO of Aberdeen Islamic Asset Management in Kuala Lumpur, is worried the lion’s share of the billions in private investments needed for the ETP will come from government-linked companies who then raise funds by issuing bonds. These bonds then get government guarantees, making the government’s debt position even more worrying should a default happen.[10]	TERAJU manages the Skim Jejak Jaya Bumiputera (SJJB), a Government initiative introduced in 2007 providing “lastmile” support to eligible Bumiputera companies for listing on Bursa Malaysia. The initiative will consequently allow for greater Bumiputera corporate equity. Khazanah Nasional Bhd and Permodalan Nasional Bhd have identified a total of 10 companies to be divested to Bumiputera companies. Eight of these have officially been tendered for divestment.
10.	1Malaysia email or MyEmail project from last year that was taken by then public-listed Tricubes Bhd. It recently lost its listing status as it was not able to regularize its financials. RM5 million was invested but only 22,000 Malaysians registering for it. Lfoundry scrapped its operations in Kulim Hi-Tech Park.[11]	2012 Report state the failure of the Myemail is due to failed public relations with the public.
11.	According to Standard Chartered, a more focused approached than the ETP is needed to transform Malaysia. Instead of the ETP, Malaysia should emulate South Korea and Taiwan in reinventing its economy and moving up the value curve to high-quality products.[12]	Between 2011 and 2012, 1087 sundry shops were transformed under the TUKAR scheme with shops experiencing an increase of 30% of sales.
12.	The Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC), which was supposed to be part of the Economic Transformation Programme (ETP), has died a silent death due to pressure from certain NGOs.[13]	-
13.	RM594 billion of the incremental RM594 billion GNI that the ETP creates will go to corporate profits; Just RM166 billion will go to wages for employees; and RM40 billion will go to the government in net taxes.[14]	GNI will contribute RM135.64 billion and 404,443 employment opportunities.
14.	PEMANDU’s target is to double nominal income per capita to RM48,000 by 2020. But using its forecasts for income and population growth, and inflation, the target should be RM54,145, not RM48,000.[15]	-
15.	MSC was renamed MSC Malaysia, the name of the lead agency changed from MDC to MDeC (while still remaining the Multimedia Development Corporation), MDeC is straitjacketed – it has been given the mandate to oversee and implement an initiative that promises to be as transformative as the other TPs were supposed to be, but without the teeth to do so.[16]	MdeC will focus on ongoing industry initiatives on two thrusts: Maintaining a competitive environment in Malaysia to attract foreign investment in outsourcing; and increasing the competitiveness of local companies by enhancing their scale, credibility and market reach.
16.	According to HwangDBS Vickers Research, GLC/Bumiputera developers tipped to benefit from government land redevelopment, owners of large land bank and investment assets in KL should also stand to benefit from ETP.[17]	48 MRT package contracts contributing to RM19.8 billion and 45 percent of those 48 contracts are awarded to Bumiputeras worth RM8.9 billion
17.	Foreigners withdrew $42 million from Malaysian offshore equity funds in the last six months of 2012, while adding a net $129 million and $230 million to Philippine and Thai funds respectively.[18]	-
18.	Malaysian investment abroad of RM19.5 billion in the first half of this year surpassed the RM13.6 billion worth of investment that the country received.[19]	RM547 million worth of creative output and 157 hours of man hours was poured into the making of the Academy awarded of the movie Life of Pi.
19.	Cypark Resources Bhd has covered the 26ha former landfill in Nilai, Negeri Sembilan, with up to 32,000 solar panels, turning the area into what is said to be the largest solar photovoltaic (PV) farm in the country and South-East Asia.[20]	-
2	In 2009, Najib dismantled a long-time restriction that benefited “sons of the soil.” They can now own 100% stakes in businesses in 27 sub-sectors. Najib’s 2012 budget extends that reform to 17 more sub-sectors such as medical and education services. But bigger reforms are absent from manufacturing and the labour market that suffers from entrenched affirmative-action policies.[21]	18 subsectors liberalised including quantity surveying that will be liberalised in 2013. Competition Act 2010 gazetted in 2012 and the first case is solved.
21.	Only 30% of Malaysians obtained higher education qualifications compared to Singapore’s 46%, Thailand’s 41% and South Korea’s 89% in 2010. 80% of our workforce only receive secondary level education and only 25% of our workers are highly skilled compared to Singapore’s 49%, Taiwan’s 33% and South Korea’s 35%.[22]	MSC Malaysia MyUniAlliance Programme is a new initiative by the MDeC with support from PEMANDU. The goal is to develop graduates who are industry-ready and employable.
22.	Najib says the GNI per capita rose 49% from US$6,670 in 2009 to US$9,970 in 2011. But World Bank note the figure was only 16.2%.[23]	GNI per capita increased 49 percent in 3 years. 2010- RM8100 2011-RM9700 2012-RM9970 GNI in 1957 was merely USD257
23.	Foreign education institutions are struggling to launch in Educity. Of ten institusion approached to open campuses, only two institutions have officialy fully operated.	Globally recognised institutions including Newcastle University Medicine Malaysia (NUMed), Netherlands Maritime Institute of Technology (NMIT), Raffles University Iskandar, University of Southampton Malaysia (USMC) and Reading University Iskandar have set up campuses.
24.	Recycled old projects such as the Tanjung Agas that was originally launched in 2009 with an investment shot of RM8 billion[24] that is relaunched under ETP as a transforming project.	-
25.	IHH Healthcare IPO falls flat, expects not dividends as it is no longer attractive to investors nor is it supportive of its rich valuation.[25]	-
26.	The renaming of the Kuala Lumpur International Financial District (KLIFD) or now known as Tun Razah Exchange (TRX)  worth RM25.07 billion with the possibility of creating a propertyglut.[26]	RAPID Pengerang will provide 4000 employment opportunities with 20,000 contruction workers.

Table 2: Fall in Malaysian Ranking in the WEF GCR from 2011 to 2012[27]

Indicator	Ranking in WEF GCR 2011 and 2012	NKEA/SRI
Wastefulness of government spending	12 to 19	Public finance reform SRI
Government’s budget balance position	96 to 110	Public  finance reform SRI
Intensity of local competition	26 to36	Competition, standardisation and liberalisation SRI
Extenct of market dominance	14 to 19	Competition, standardisation and liberalisation SRI
Labour market efficiency	20 to 24	Human capital devfelopment SRI
Women in labour force, ratio to men	114 to 119	Human capital devfelopment SRI
ICT use	57 to 68	Communications, content and infrastructure (CCI) NKEA
Technological readiness	44 to 51	Communications, content and infrastructure (CCI) NKEA
Broadband internet subscriptions	62 to 68	Communications, content and infrastructure (CCI) NKEA
International internet bandwith	60 to 83	Communications, content and infrastructure (CCI) NKEA

*WEF GCR is an abbreviation for World Economic Forum Global Competitiveness Report

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Scandal-hit PM still sits in office in Shameless Silence!

by Martin Jalleh

MCA To Propose About 70 Per Cent Young Candidates In Selangor - Donald Lim

PELABUHAN KLANG, March 20 (Bernama) -- Almost 70 per cent of the MCA candidates in Selangor for the 13th general election will be young faces, said Selangor MCA chairman Datuk…

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PELABUHAN KLANG, March 20 (Bernama) -- Almost 70 per cent of the MCA candidates in Selangor for the 13th general election will be young faces, said Selangor MCA chairman Datuk Donald Lim Siang Chai.

He also said that the party was confident of winning seven of the 14 state constituency seats and three of the seven Parliamentary seats in the state.

In the 2008 general election, the MCA won two state seats namely Kuala Kubu Baru and Sungai Pelek and only one Parliamentary seat, namely Pandan in Selangor.

Lim said the party's confidence in winning more seats this time was due to the greater confidence placed by the Chinese community in the Barisan Nasional (BN) under the leadership of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.

"The Chinese voters' support (for the BN) appeared to have increased after the Chinese New Year celebrations," he told reporters in Pulau Ketam, near here after opening the Polling District Centre at the fishing village and also at Sungai Lima.

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Ongoing Anti-Hindu Violence in Bangladesh Alarms Hindu American Foundation

 
Washington, D.C. (March 20, 2013) -- Upon receiving continued reports of widespread anti-Hindu violence, the Hindu American Foundation (HAF) called upon the U.S. State Department and international community to…

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Washington, D.C. (March 20, 2013) -- Upon receiving continued reports of widespread anti-Hindu violence, the Hindu American Foundation (HAF) called upon the U.S. State Department and international community to urgently address the escalating crisis in Bangladesh. According to local Hindu community leaders, over 50 temples and 1,500 Hindu homes have been either damaged or destroyed by Muslim mobs since late January. The latest violence began when the first of three Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI) leaders was convicted for committing war crimes during the country's 1971 War of Independence from Pakistan. JeI is widely believed to have instigated the current spate of violence and a local Jamaat official, Alamgir Kabir Chowdhury, was arrested last Thursday for inciting attacks on Hindus in the southern district of Chittagong.

"Despite the recent arrest of Chowdhury, Jamaat and Islami Chhatra Shibir activists continue to attack the Hindu community in Bangladesh with impunity," said Samir Kalra, Esq., HAF's Director and Senior Human Rights Fellow. "The government's failure to adequately protect religious minorities from ongoing attacks or rehabilitate those already victimized by the violence is unacceptable."

Media accounts indicated that several Buddhist villages and temples had also been targeted by religious extremists. JeI supporters reportedly set off bombs and torched dozens of vehicles in at least four neighborhoods in the capital city of Dhaka, allegedly aimed at causing panic amongst ordinary Bangladeshi citizens.

"These latest attacks are not unique, but rather part of a larger historical pattern of violence against religious minorities and secular Bangladeshis by Jamaat-e-Islami and its affiliates," said Jay Kansara, HAF's Washington, D.C. based Associate Director. "From 1971 to the present, JeI leaders have systematically orchestrated and engaged in attacks on non-Muslims and liberal Bengalis in their quest to create a theocratic Islamic state in Bangladesh."

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