I cannot just be an observer, Waytha tells Zahid

Persatuan Hindraf Malaysia leader P Waythamoorthy says that as a leader of a marginalised community, he cannot remain a disinterested observer just because he is in government.

The deputy minister…

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Persatuan Hindraf Malaysia leader P Waythamoorthy says that as a leader of a marginalised community, he cannot remain a disinterested observer just because he is in government.

The deputy minister in the Prime Minister's Department was responding to Home Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, who said Waythamoorthy had misunderstood his intentions.

"Being a leader of the marginalised Indians in the country, I cannot just be a disinterested observer on the sidelines, just because I am in government.

"In fact, it is to the advantage of the government that I voice out the true sentiments of the people on the ground so that I can contribute positively to the objectives and good governance of the government." Waythamoorthy said in a statement today.

He also said he did not intend to interfere with police work in casting aspersions on the recent shooting of five suspected gangsters in Penang.

"The home minister has also to understand that the issue is not simply of some gross criminals being killed in a justifiable manner.

"The issue, if he understands it in its entirety, relates really to the wayward drift of the young of the Indian community and killing them off in this wanton manner does not solve the problem of rising crime in the country," he added.

Zahid had taken a swipe against Waythamoorthy, telling him not to act like an NGO and issue statements contrary to the government's policy.

This was over Waythamoorthy's statement on Aug 20 that from photographs of the five shot dead, their injuries suggested that they were shot at point-blank range, contrary to the statement by police that their men acted in self-defence during the Aug 19 shootout.

Waythamoorthy said he would be arranging with Zahid and other NGOs to address the issue of Indian youths involved in crime.

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PKR: Ops Cantas a 'PR exercise' using archaic law

The cycle of Hindu repercussion. Jat people socially boycotted the Muslims in Uttar Pradesh.

Jat Ban on Muslim.

Muslims shunned after one of them elopes with Jat woman in UP.

Faisal Fareed | Indian Express | Lucknow | 22 Aug 2013:: For the past…

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Jat Ban on Muslim.

Muslims shunned after one of them elopes with Jat woman in UP.

Faisal Fareed | Indian Express | Lucknow | 22 Aug 2013:: For the past four days, nearly 800 Muslims of Palachand village in Aligarh district have been socially boycotted by the majority Jat community after a Jat woman eloped with a Muslim man.

[ Rewari mahapanchayat bans couple for same gotra marriage ].

The Jats don’t speak to the Muslims, they are not allowed to make purchases at local shops and are barred from working in farms of Jats. The Jats have also stopped buying milk from dairies of Muslims.

The woman who eloped belonged to Nisuja hamlet of Palachand, and the man is from Khurja in Bulandshahr district. They studied together until high school in Khurja and stayed in touch after the woman moved to a college in Khair. They met at a wedding in Palachand on July 1 and eloped, sparking tension between their communities, before the woman was traced on August 5.

“She said she does not want to live with her family. That is why I had to send her to the Nari Niketan in Mathura,” said Aligarh SSP Dharamveer Yadav. On August 9, groups from the two communities clashed in nearby Arni village. Police registered a case and Dinesh, the uncle of the woman, and two Muslims were arrested.

Subsequently, the Jats convened a panchayat and gave a call to socially boycott the Muslims.

“It looks strange when they turn their face away,” villager Mohammad Isarel said. “There may not be serious problems right now… but we cannot live like this for long. We informed the police that the boy does not belong to our village and does not even have a relative in our village.”

Devraj Singh, district president of the BJP and a Jat who attended the panchayat, said the boycott would continue. “It is already enforced. Local Jats have decided not to have any relations with Muslim in their area,” he said.

The dharmabhimani (devout followers of Dharma) Jats of Palachand village of Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh are showing a real path to combat the anti Hindu force in a boycott method as it was done against the anti national Britishers in pre-independence period. We bow to thy people. But, it is difficult to resist the warrior Jat spirit to challenge the enemies to finish out with an ultimatum. Hindu repercussion has been started against the Arab, Chinese and other anti-Hindu foreign powers in many ways through out Bharat. Whoever try to challenge the right and might of Major Hindu population here, will be simply destroyed in the cycle of Mahakal ( the time infinite). Hindu Rashtra is emerging under a celestial design. Jayatu Jayatu Hindu Rashtram. Ed. Hindu Existence.

The local police organised meetings between the two communities after the boycott call and the SSP visited the village on Tuesday and urged the two communities to live in harmony. But the efforts have not met with much success.

Kedar Singh, a Jat whose wife is the Palachand village pradhan, said he tried to urge the villagers to end the boycott but was accused of backing the Muslims.

“The incident happened but the whole community cannot be blamed for it,” he said referring to the couple eloping. “I am afraid the boycott call may spread to other villages and create a problem in the area,” he said.

SSP Yadav, however, sought to downplay the incident. He said there were only sporadic incidents of violence and Muslims had not been boycotted.

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Just another out-of-context Muslim hate-preacher wanting people dead

Here we go again:
AN Adelaide Islamic preacher calls for all Buddhists and Hindus to be killed and describes Australian soldiers as “Crusader pigs” in an online video.

Sheikh Sharif…

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Here we go again:
AN Adelaide Islamic preacher calls for all Buddhists and Hindus to be killed and describes Australian soldiers as “Crusader pigs” in an online video.

Sheikh Sharif Hussein ... also attacks Jews, former prime minister John Howard, US President Barack Obama, and Australian troops.

“Tens of thousands of women were raped in Iraq, by the American and British crusader troops, aided by the Australian troops,” he says.

“The Australian participation in the Crusaders’ war on Iraq is 6 per cent. This is out of approximately 365,000 Crusader pigs sent to Iraq, during the term of (Mr Howard), Allah’s wrath be upon him.

“Listen, oh Obama, oh enemy of Allah, you who kiss the shoes and feet of the Jews. Listen! The day will come when you are trampled upon by the pure feet of the Muslims.

“Oh Allah, count the Buddhists and the Hindus one by one. Oh Allah, count them and kill them to the very last one."…

Sheikh Hussein is known in Adelaide’s Islamic community, used to be connected to the Marion mosque in Park Holme, and has preached at the Islamic Da’wah Centre of SA in Torrensville.

Now for the yes-buts from the Islamic community, which should be driving such hate-preachers out of their mosques:

In response to Sheikh Hussein’s comments, the management committee of the Islamic Society of South Australia said it wanted to remind everyone that it was difficult to comment on “edited materials without dates or any other specifics relating to the actual material"…

“It must be noted that Islam’s overwhelming message is that of peace.

“The Islamic Society of South Australia would therefore NOT support any comments made either locally, nationally or internationally, which are not in accordance with this message.”

Not good enough. Until Hussein’s brand of Islam is rooted out - and by Muslims themselves, pro-actively - it is wise to be cautious about allowing many more Muslims into Australia.

UPDATE

Ah, that old excuse again:

Wagdy Elgeezawy, the president of the centre where the sermon was delivered, said spoke to Sheik Hussein yesterday…

”His words are obviously being taken out of context.”

So who let this Tunisian into our country? Why is he still here?

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Dr M roasts Pak Lah about spendthrift ways and bankruptcy

In a response dripping with sarcasm today, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad finally responded to criticism
Mahathir (left) and Abdullah Badawi in better times. August 22, 2013.
by Tun Abdullah Ahmad…

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In a response dripping with sarcasm today, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad finally responded to criticism
Mahathir (left) and Abdullah Badawi in better times. August 22, 2013.
by Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi that Malaysia would have gone bankrupt had he followed his predecessor's brand of economics.

Malaysia's longest serving prime minister acidly said in a blog posting that "billions would have been saved if he stepped down earlier".

"Just imagine how many billions more would be saved if I had stepped down earlier before building the North-South Highway, Penang Bridge, KLIA, West Port, Putrajaya, Cyberjaya, the Petronas Twin Towers and a host of other mega projects.

"We would be sitting on a mountain of ringgit," Dr Mahathir said of his "spendthrift PM" reputation in his popular blog today.

His biting comments came after Abdullah's interview was published in a book covering his years as the prime minister of Malaysia titled Awakening: The Abdullah Badawi Years In Malaysia.

In the interview, Abdullah spoke about the nation going bankrupt if he had gone ahead on Dr Mahathir's advice to carry on with certain mega projects.

Dr Mahathir was prime minister from 1981 to 2003 when he resigned in favour of Abdullah, who then won a 91% majority in the 2004 election but lost the two-thirds super-majority in 12th general election in 2008.

"It must have been a very rich Government which went for the 12th General Election. Sadly the people did not appreciate the billions that were saved.

"They rejected the Government party, giving 5 states and one federal territory to the opposition, and just a small majority to the thrifty party," Dr Mahathir said.

He also said he was happy Abdullah had explained that it was the interviewer who wrote about the country going bankrupt.

"Yes, I agree that I was a spendthrift Prime Minister who finished all the government money building the North South Expressway, Penang Bridge, West Port, KLIA, Putrajaya, Cyberjaya and an assortment of others.

"Had Tun Abdullah succeeded me earlier all these would be stopped to save Malaysia from bankruptcy. As it is, he managed to stop the crooked bridge and the railway double-tracking and electrification project," Dr Mahathir wrote in his blog posting.

On the crooked bridge, he highlighted that the bridge would have cost under RM1 billion to build but the government had to pay RM200 million to cancel the project.

According to him, the railway project from Johor Baru to Padang Besar was to cost RM14 billion – slightly more than RM2 billion per year for six years.

"Fourteen billion ringgit was saved. But then it was found necessary to build the electrified double track from Ipoh to Padang Besar at a cost of RM12 billion.

A contract was given to a foreign company to build the track from Seremban to Gemas. I don’t know what it cost. Looks like the RM14 billion saved was spent on very much shorter tracks, about one-third in length," he added.

The former PM did not stop there with his scathing remarks.

He went to state that the "small jet he used was only good for the Deputy Prime Minister".

"A big jet was bought not through the usual channels but by some private individual. There was denial by the government that the A320 was bought for the use by the Prime Minister.

"But the aircraft is even today used by the Prime Minister. Wonder why the deal was struck. Who really owns the aircraft? How much money has been saved by the Government from this deal?" he questioned.

He said that in his time, the government budget was for the government to spend, but under Abdullah, the government budget was extended for use by the private sector as well. - August 22, 2013.

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No Dr Subra challenge, Palani stays till 2016

The MIC president also refutes reports that a compromise was reached between him and his deputy.
UPDATED

KUALA LUMPUR: MIC president G Palanivel today declared that he would continue to…

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The MIC president also refutes reports that a compromise was reached between him and his deputy.
UPDATED

KUALA LUMPUR: MIC president G Palanivel today declared that he would continue to helm the party until March 2016, suggesting that there would not be a contest for the top post in the coming party presidential election.

This also suggests that an understanding has been reached for his deputy, Dr S Subramaniam, to replace him at the helm at the next party polls in 2016, and lead the party for the next general election, due by 2018.

Palanivel however refuted reports that a compromise was reached between him and Dr S Subramaniam to avert a contest next month.

He said MIC’s top two positions — president and deputy president — would not face “strong challengers”, and hinted that there would be no contest for these two posts.

“I believe that there are no strong challengers for president and deputy president posts,” he said. It remains to be seen if there would be any other MIC leaders who would be able to overcome the strict party nomination system to pose a challenge for the two two posts.

Palanivel also revealed that there would be a possible contest for vice president and central working committee positions.

The press conference today at the MIC HQ was also attended by former MIC supremo S Samy Vellu, Dr Subramaniam, vice presidents M Saravanan and SK Devamany.

The nomination for the MIC presidential election is slated for Sept 1, while polling will take place on Sept 22, if there is a contest.

Subramaniam was tipped to take on Palanivel in the election. He had even started meeting branch leaders nationwide and had received warm response from the grassroots.

The MIC president is picked by the party’s 4,000-odd branch chairmen.

However, sources had said that a compromise was reached between the two leaders earlier this week after an intervention by BN chairman and Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak.

The elections for other national posts — deputy president, three vice presidents and 23 central working committee members — would be up for contest in November. Leaders for these positions would be picked by some 1,500 divisional delegates.

Meeting with Najib

Palanivel also said that even if a contender had enough nominations to qualify him to contest the presidency, it would be an uphill task to wrest the post from the incumbent.

“The incumbent president always has the edge in a presidential election,” he said. “Even when Samy Vellu faced a challenge in 1989, he received 13,000 votes against his former deputy, S Subramaniam, who obtained only 7,000 votes.

“Even if someone challenges Dr Subramaniam in 2016, I am sure Dr Subramaniam will win.”

Palanivel confirmed that he met Najib recently to talk about party matters, especially the upcoming MIC polls.

“The Prime Minister advised us to avert a contest and we have decided to abide by his request,” he said, but refused to give more details of what transpired at the meeting.

Palanivel predicted that the vice presidential race would be a crowded one, hinting that the two current veeps—Saravanan and Devamany—would defend their respective positions.

Apart from the incumbents, he said, other contenders for the three vice presidential posts could include Deputy Education Minister P Kamalanathan, former youth chief SA Vickneswaran and former vice president S Sothinathan.

He also said 187 candidates would vie for the 23 CWC positions available.

“Everyday, I receive SMSes from party members wanting to contest the CWC post,” he added.

Meanwhile, Dr Subramaniam, who is also Health Minister, said the decision not to fight for the top post was taken with party welfare in mind.

“I hope this decision will make MIC stronger,” he said, adding that party members should put aside their personal differences and work for the betterment of the party.

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‘We will nab culprits behind Sanjeevan’s shooting’

Bukit Aman CID director says the police will leave no stones unturned in nabbing the person behind the shooting of MyWatch chairman R Sri Sanjeevan.

KUALA LUMPUR: Bukit Aman CID…

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Bukit Aman CID director says the police will leave no stones unturned in nabbing the person behind the shooting of MyWatch chairman R Sri Sanjeevan.

KUALA LUMPUR: Bukit Aman CID director Abdul Hadi Ho Abdullah has given assurance that there will be a transparent investigation in MyWatch chairman R Sri Sanjeevan’s shooting, the anti-crime watchdog’s adviser S Gobi Krishnan said today.

He said this after an hour long meeting with Abdul Hadi this afternoon. Also present at the meeting were deputy CID director Mazlan Mansor and Serious Crime Investigation head Huzir Mohamed.

At the meeting, Gobi Krishnan told Abdul Hadi about a report made in January by Sanjeevan claiming that an unknown person had called from the Jelebu police station and threatened that Sanjeevan would be shot if he continued to report to Bukit Aman.

Sanjeevan reported the matter to the police but no action was taken.

“The CID director has re-opened this old case to look for any possible angle,” he said.

Gobi Krishnan also questioned Abdul Hadi why there were six policemen from the Negeri Sembilan police waiting inside the operation theatre when the surgery was being carried out.

Abdul Hadi advised Gobi Krishnan to report the matter to the Serdang Hospital director-general for violation of hospital rules.

“I hope police will catch the culprit soon and the CID director will meet me again next week to give an update on the investigation,” said Gobi Krishnan.

He said he would be glad to help the police nab the people responsible for the shooting.

Sanjeevan’s condition

Meanwhile, Sanjeevan’s father P Ramakrishnan said his son’s condition was slowly improving and hoped he would get well soon.

He said Sanjeevan shook hands with his doctor yesterday and with him today.

“He can’t talk at the moment as there is a wound in his mouth, but I’m happy with the way the doctors and nurses are taking care of him,” said Ramakrishnan.

He said he was sure that his son would be more aggressive in helping the police and public in the future.

The anti-crime chief was shot in the abdomen on July 27 at his hometown, Bahau, Negeri Sembilan by two men on a motorcycle in what is believed to be an assassination attempt to silence him.

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‘School’s negligence caused boy losing eyesight’

Eight-year-old student lost left eyesight after classmate slammed a door with a broken handle on him, Sessions Court was told.

BUTTERWORTH: A broken metal door handle pierced a pupil’s left…

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Eight-year-old student lost left eyesight after classmate slammed a door with a broken handle on him, Sessions Court was told.

BUTTERWORTH: A broken metal door handle pierced a pupil’s left eye leaving him blind when a classmate slammed the door on the eight-year-old three years ago, the Sessions Court heard today.

P Sasitharan, now 11, told the court that he was walking back to his classroom after buying a drink in the canteen when a classmate pushed the door against him.

The sharp edge of the broken door handle pierced Sasitharan’s left eye.

Dr Dinesh Kumar of Penang Hospital had previously testified that Sasitharan had suffered permanent damage of his left eye.

The incident took place in Sekolah Jenis Kebangsaan Kay Sin in Perkampungan Machang Bubok, Bukit Mertajam, at about 4pm on July 2, 2010 when Sasitharan was in Year Two.

Sasitharan was testifying before Judge Roslan Hamid.


In his suit filed through his father, M Paramaseevan, 51, Sasitharan had named the school headmaster Yew Teck Huah, the Education Ministry’s director-general and the government as defendants.

The defendants are represented by senior federal counsel Zahruddin Mohd Isa.

Sasitharan is claiming aggravated and exemplary damages, general and special losses, and other relief deemed fit by the court.

The pupil, who is represented by lawyer Jessica Ram Binwani, filed the writ of summons in October 2011.

Originally he also named the school’s board of management as the first defendant but withdrew it after learning that the school was a fully aided Chinese school.

In his writ, Sasitharan said his loss of eyesight was caused by negligence of the headmaster and the education department for failing to repair the door handle and warn the children on the condition of the door.


The defendants did not deny the incident had occurred but claimed Sasitharan violated school rules by running around and chasing his friends in the school compound during recess.

They said Sasitharan exposed himself to danger when he failed to comply with the rules and reminders of the school.

The defendants claimed negligence on the part of Sasitharan.

Sasitharan denied that he was running around and chasing friends during the time of the incident.

He testified that he was merely walking back to his classroom from the canteen at that time.

However, he agreed that he was running around with friends much earlier before he left to the canteen to buy his drink.

Paramaseevan testified that he had to bear the cost of medical treatment for his son, including in India.

The hearing continues.

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Let coroner’s court decide, families told

Minister in Prime Minister's Department Nancy Shukri says family of the five who were shot down can seek justice through the coroner's court.

PUTRAJAYA: The police should complete their investigation…

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Minister in Prime Minister's Department Nancy Shukri says family of the five who were shot down can seek justice through the coroner's court.

PUTRAJAYA: The police should complete their investigation into the death of five Indian youths who were shot dead first before the families consider their next step, said Minister in Prime Minister’s Department Nancy Shukri.

She said the families should let the coroner’s court decide if there had been injustice done.

The five shot dead by the police at an apartment in Sungai Nibong on Monday were J Gobinath 31, R Ramesh 27, N Rakan 25, M Suresh 25, and M Gobinath 21.

They were suspected to have been involved in at least 10 murders in Penang, Kedah, Negri Sembilan.

The family members have demanded that Inspector-General of Police Khalid Abu Bakar and state police chief Deputy Comm Abdul Rahim Hanafi explain why police resorted to killing the five instead of arresting them.

Suresh’s father VR Murugasen told the press that he would be lodging a police report as he did not see the necessity to shoot.

“We want the authorities to take firm action against those behind the brutal killing of my son,” he said.

The family members have roped in lawyer RSN Rayer ,who is also Seri Delima assemblyman, as their counsel.

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Gang members arrested after public tip-off

Police said the three men were planning to commit crime at a Subang Perdana restaurant.
UPDATED

SHAH ALAM: Three 08 gang members were arrested by cops in an early morning…

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Police said the three men were planning to commit crime at a Subang Perdana restaurant.
UPDATED

SHAH ALAM: Three 08 gang members were arrested by cops in an early morning high-speed chase today.

Initial investigation by police showed that the trio was planning to commit a crime at a restaurant in Subang Perdana at 2.30am.

Selangor Acting Police Chief, A Thaiveegan said the police after a tip-off from the public, sent an MPV patrol unit to the scene.

“Police officers spotted the three suspects in a white Perodua Viva. We ordered them to step out of their vehicle but the driver started reversing his car instead and nearly hit a police officer,” he said.

Thaiveegan then said the suspects sped off to Section 20 in Shah Alam before firing two shots at the police officers but missed.

“Another police MPV from Shah Alam was deployed to assist in the situation. During the chase, one of the suspects fired two shots, which did not hit our men,” he said.

The chase then continued to Taman Sentosa in Klang where the driver of the Perodua Viva crashed into a Toyota Hilux.

According to Thaiveegan, all three suspects immediately escaped on foot but one of the suspects was caught immediately.

“The driver lost control of his car before hitting the Toyota Hilux. They had no choice but to flee on foot. However, my men was fast enough to detain one of them instantly,” Thaiveegan said.

Another suspect was later caught after police found him hiding in a drain not far from the earlier accident scene.

“The other suspect was found hiding in a drain, holding a gun. My men could be easily killed but we managed to avoid any unnecessary incident from happening,” he said.

Police managed to capture the last suspect who was found trying to find his way out of the area at 9.15am.

Checks on the suspects showed that one of the gang members had four previous records while the police seized a Smith & Wesson pistol used during the incident.

“Two of the suspects are now in hospital while another is in police custody. Background checks on the pistol showed that it belonged to a businessman. The owner of the weapon was slashed with a machete and had his gun taken. He has since lodged a police report on Aug 18,” he said.

“My men could have been killed as they had opened fire at us. My men did a splendid job as no one was seriously injured,” Thaiveegan said.

The incident which started at 2.30am, ended at 9.15 am and the police had remanded the trio for further investigation.

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Police challenge gangs to bring it on!

(The Star) - Khalid said: “Crime is a living thing and we must adjust to an ever changing situation. The police will recommend whatever is necessary to ensure the safety…

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(The Star) - Khalid said: “Crime is a living thing and we must adjust to an ever changing situation. The police will recommend whatever is necessary to ensure the safety and security of Malaysians.”
The police have sent a clear message to gangsters challenging them – bring it on!

Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar said they would not tolerate any criminal group or gang trying to intimidate them.

“No criminal will win against the authorities.

“We will not allow any criminal group to intimidate or acah-acah (taunt), us,” he told a press conference after presenting certificates of appreciation to 50 good drivers in conjunction with Ops Selamat.

Commenting on acts of vandalism at the Kuala Langat police headquarters, where the words “RIP Gang 04” were sprayed on the outer wall, Khalid said police had identified the culprits.

“We have identified those responsible for the graffiti and we will take action.

“They tried to intimidate us but it will not work,” he said.

Khalid said the nationwide Ops Cantas Khas would be stepped up.

More than 5,000 people had been checked, with 783 of them arrested, since the operation started on Saturday night.

Khalid said that serious crimes had since dropped by 8% while the crime index decreased some 3.7%.

“We will improve this operation further by targeting drug traffickers.

“We will use all relevant laws to bring criminals to justice although I wish the Emergency Ordinance and the Internal Security Act were still around. But we are not law makers.”

On Tuesday’s shootout in Penang, in which five Gang 04 members were gunned down, Khalid said the police had never practised a shoot-to-kill policy.

He added that the families of the dead could take any action they wished, and the police were open to an inquest into the shootout.

Khalid said: “Crime is a living thing and we must adjust to an ever changing situation. The police will recommend whatever is necessary to ensure the safety and security of Malaysians.”

Meanwhile, Selangor acting police chief Deputy Comm Datuk A. Thaiveegan said that police would not be intimidated by such acts of vandalism which he described as kurang ajar (insolent).

“I don’t think that (the graffiti) was meant to be a threat. It’s just done by sampah masyarakat (social discards) with no respect for the law.

“If that was a challenge, that’s not the way to do it. Come meet the OCPD, say ‘I’m from 04’. If they are brave, marilah (come),” a visibly angry Thaiveegan told a press conference yesterday.

Besides the Kuala Langat police headquarters, the 04 number, religious Swastika symbol and the letters R.I.P. (rest in peace) were found sprayed at 11 locations in Banting, including a police post and a bank.

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BN MIND-SET HAS TO CHANGE

It is now 111 days since the new Barisan Nasional (BN) government came to power on the back of a transformation and “promises made will be fulfilled” platform. 111days is…

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It is now 111 days since the new Barisan Nasional (BN) government came to power on the back of a transformation and “promises made will be fulfilled” platform. 111days is time enough to get some foretaste of what is to come and to make some preliminary comments.

The MOU/Agreement signed between Hindraf and BN prior to the 13th General Election lays out a clear and detailed plan towards the socio-economic advancement of the Indian community. The plan has as its basis a clear transformation agenda. It is also a signed promise on the part of BN to Hindraf and to the Indian community at large that BN will carry out such a plan if it comes back into power in the 13th GE.

Hindraf, decided to back the BN coalition only because of this binding promise in spite of the severe criticism it came in for at the time of the elections. Hindraf chose this path because of the significant opportunity that the plan embodied to change the destiny of the Indian poor and marginalized.

The appointment of Waytha Moorthy into the BN government with the charter of implementing the BN Hindraf Agreement was and is an experiment at how grafting an entity that has a very different world view and which been extremely critical and vocal to say the least, of the government may work to address the grievances at the base. We call it an experiment because nothing of the sort has ever been tried before – involving a radical NGO in government in a ministerial role without going through the processes of election, a dedicated and empowered government unit to address the socio-economic woes in a focussed and targeted manner of one segment of Malaysian society.

In any agreement time is of the essence. In any implementation plan resources are primary. In socio-economic development plans the development concepts and methods are critical. Recognition of these factors demonstrate the commitment to the spirit of the plan.

The agreement is fairly explicit. Yet, to materialize the agreement there are specifics to be considered and negotiated. The specifics are about the development approach, about the infrastructure needed and about the budgets needed. There are many items within each of these and time is running. What we are however experiencing is unseemly delays in deciding on even the most basic specifics of the agreement. Maybe these delays are unavoidable or maybe these delays are a cover for a loss of political will, post elections, we do not yet clearly know – it is still early days but the fact of these delays is noteworthy, in spite of various and several attempts by us to move matters forward.

If it is not intended delay, but it is just the way that the wheels of the government grind, it is time for the BN government to anyway know that the entire Indian community is waiting with abated breaths on the outcomes of this agreement. The more time that passes without any tangible movement on the agreement, the more the naysayers of the agreement will take over the narrative. Delayed action will not be able to recoup a position too far gone. The expectation of the Indian community is very high after the high pitched election campaign to the Indian electorate based on the promises in the agreement.

If however, there is a scheme to subtly delay and to eventually frustrate the attempt at realising the objectives of the agreement the backlash from the Indian community will be so complete that the Indian vote will be entirely lost to BN in not just in the next elections but I think for many many more elections to come and Hindraf will not be just a bystander in this scenario. The awareness and sensitivity of the community has been raised since the Hindraf rally of 2007. Just talk to any Indian man or woman in the street.

One of the clear factors that quelled a complete loss of the Indian vote in the last GE was the hopes raised by this agreement. Any failure to realize this agreement now, will be the last straw that will break the camel’s back. The Indian votes will permanently and completely swing away from BN and nothing will be able to stop it. The opposition will have a field day with such an outcome.

However here right in front of BN’s nose is a significant opportunity for transformation in one of its key and problematic segments while also working to serve their future electoral interests. What Najib has to do now is to get on with giving what Waytha Moorthy needs so he can get cracking. Any uncertainty about grafting Hindraf into government and about integrating the agreement into the workings of the government have to be resolved with no more delays and Waytha Moorthy should be allowed to proceed with full executive authority, infrastructure and resources to carry out the his tasks without any further delays.

Depending on old ways of bribing the people at election time or depending on dead horses like the MIC for the Indian vote is no answer anymore. The political awareness of the people and the contours of the political landscape are far more advanced. BN has to recognize this truth and appropriately adjust its mind-set now, if it really wants to continue in power at the next GE and beyond.

N.Ganesan
Hindraf National Adviser

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