16-Year-Old Malala Yousafzai Leaves Jon Stewart Speechless With Comment About Pacifism

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Malala Yousafzai, the 16-year-old Pakistani advocate for womens rights and access to education, appeared on the Daily Show last night, ahead of Friday's pending announcement for the 2013 recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize.

Her answer to one of Jon Stewart's questions left him speechless.

An outspoken critic of the Taliban's tactics in her native Swat Valley from a young age, Malala was the subject of an attempted assassination at the hands of a Taliban gunman because she was unafraid to speak out.

Then, at just 14 years old, a Talib fighter boarded her bus, pointed a pistol at her head, and pulled the trigger. But she survived, made a full recovery in England, and has become and transformative figure in human rights.

Now, she is poised to become the youngest Nobel Peace laureate ever.

In the key moment of the interview, Stewart asked her how she reacted when she learned that the Taliban wanted her dead. Her answer was absolutely remarkable:

I started thinking about that, and I used to think that the Talib would come, and he would just kill me. But then I said, 'If he comes, what would you do Malala?' then I would reply to myself, 'Malala, just take a shoe and hit him.' But then I said, 'If you hit a Talib with your shoe, then there would be no difference between you and the Talib. You must not treat others with cruelty and that much harshly, you must fight others but through peace and through dialogue and through education.' Then I said I will tell him how important education is and that 'I even want education for your children as well.' And I will tell him, 'That's what I want to tell you, now do what you want.'

Dr M: I want to see more resignations over AG's report

Sanjeevan quizzed over 'police bullet' tweet

Criminal bikie gangs boost numbers with young Muslim and Eastern European recruits

SUBURBAN Sydney has become the breeding ground for a new generation of bikies, as Gold Coast gangs target young Muslim and eastern European men.

Police sources said gangs such as the Bandidos were embracing multiculturalism, signing up Lebanese, Turkish and Balkan members from across Sydney as they seek to beef up their ranks.
Sydney bikies invade Queensland's Gold Coast ahead of a turf war
It mirrors the early stages of the rise of crime gangs in Sydney and Melbourne that recruited from ethnic groups, police sources said.
It comes amid revelations some of Sydney's toughest bikies are spearheading the latest gang turf war terrifying holiday-makers and locals on the Gold Coast.

Bandidos Brisbane Centro president George Bejat. Source: Supplied

Senior police sources said that Bandido enforcers from Sydney were flown in to boost numbers for a brawl with Finks members, as the rival outlaw gangs fight for control of the Gold Coast's multi-million dollar drug trade.
Criminal bikie gangs boost numbers with young Muslims
The police sources confirmed Sydney bikies have muscled in to claim a piece of the action on the Gold Coast - where the lucrative drug trade had spread and also threatens tourists, including the Sydneysiders who flock there in their thousands.
Meanwhile, police have found proof of the growing threat posed by the patch-over of the Finks to US powerhouse the Mongols.
A pair of known Finks members who were stopped over the weekend for routine vehicle checks, but allowed to continue on, were in possession of caps bearing the Mongols MC name and logo.
Another arrest over Gold Coast bikie brawl
"That's the first time I've seen any Mongols gear here,'' Senior Sergeant Arron Ottaway said.
"That is a really important sign that the intel we are receiving in regards to the Mongols is real.''

Police descended on the Gold Coast recently in a show of force after a bikie rampage. Picture: Luke Marsden Source: News Limited

The Daily Telegraph has reported that at least 90 per cent of Finks across Australia were planning to patch across and join the Mongols, making them arguably the most powerful outlaw gang in the country.
It can also be revealed that one young Bandido who is currently facing charges of violence on the Gold Coast is a Muslim convert and a member of Muslim brotherbood Ummah United.
Hell hath no fury like a bikie scorned
Ummah United - whose members wear black hoodies and T-shirts with a crossed dagger logo - describes itself as a community group to help keep Muslim youth on the straight and narrow.
A spokesman has emphatically denied any bikie associations.

Under-fire Ahmad Zahid says tough stand on crime based on “universal humanitarian” grounds

Home Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi (pic) defended his tough anti-crime stand which has been strongly criticised by politicians and civil society.

In a live 20-minute interview with news channel Astro Awani today, he said, his tough, no-nonsense stand was based on "universal humanitarian" grounds.

Ahmad Zahid explained that "humanitarian" in his context meant safeguarding the rights of both civilians and policemen, who were victims of violence.

The minister, who is under fire for endorsing a "shoot first" policy, added that the amendments to the Prevention of Crime Act (PCA), another sore point among politicians and rights groups, were because he is "answerable to Allah".

"Shootings every day, murders almost every week. This needs to be dealt with," he said.

"If I don't do something, not only will the public question my credibility, but on Judgement Day, Allah will question me. My biggest responsibility is to take care of the rakyat."

Ahmad Zahid, however, did not comment on his "shoot first" policy which he had made in a statement at an Umno function in Malacca last week.

He said he respected all opinions but questioned why was the focus only on legal aspects.

"What about humanitarian aspects?" he asked.

"Has any opposition MP or human rights activist visited the family of a police officer who died while on duty recently?"

On the PCA, Zahid said the critics were afraid that it would replace the repealed Internal Security Act, Emergency Ordinance and Restricted Residence Act.

"Those are for criminals, who should be the enemy of all, opposition or not, NGO or not," he said, insisting that the PCA will not be used against political opponents and that there should be "no fear over differing opinions".

Zahid: 'Shoot first' remark refers to Penang shooting

Home Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi claimed his infamous "shoot first" remark was in reference to the fatal shooting of five suspected mobsters in Penang on August 19 by the police.

"I was referring to what happened in Penang, where five (suspected) criminals were killed by the police, because according to information (obtained from police) intelligence (revealed) that (the suspects) were armed.

"I said that the statement by a deputy minister was that to fire warning shots before the actual ones.

"I think that is not the SOP applied by the police because the (suspected) criminals were armed.

"Is the police only allowed to defend themselves after they are shot? If that is the case, surely a lot of police will die if we do so.

"What I have stated (in Malacca) was the readiness of the police because early information suggests that the criminals must be eradicated.

"To me, 'shoot first, ask questions later' does not arise. This is wild statement made by 'them'," he said.

Following this, the interviewer sought to confirm if the shooting happened after the intelligence gathering was "100 percent" sure that they were armed, to which Zahid replied in the affirmative.

Zahid added that some of the suspected criminals from the group that was shot in Penang had escaped to Perak but an operation against them had to be called off because women and children were present.

"Because we don't want collateral damage to others. We didn't highlight that. If we did, they will spin it into something else," he told Astro Awani in an interview today.

Challenge to Bar Council

Ahmad Zahid said the context of what he said would have been made clear if a certain news portal had published his controversial speech in its entirety.

Zahid was referring to Malaysiakini's report on Monday on his recent speech on Saturday in Malacca, where he ordered journalists not to report his speech, while threatening to close down any newspaper that did not comply.

During his speech, Zahid said Malays were often the victim of crime and that "the best way is not to compromise with them. Don't give them warnings. (Once) we have evidence, we shoot first."

This portion of the speech can be heard here, while the full recording of the speech can be heard here.

Although Zahid never made it explicitly clear at the time that the "shoot first" remark referred to the shooting in Penang, he did immediately segue into criticising deputy minister P Waythamoorthy for claiming that the police should have fired warning shots first.

However, Zahid claimed in his interview with Astro Awani that his criticisms against Waythamoorthy and the "shoot first" remark was intertwined.

During the interview, Zahid also challenged the Bar Council to take action against him under the Sedition Act 1948.

Zahid: I'm doing this for humanity and Allah

Under fire for endorsing a 'shoot first' policy by the police, Home Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi justified his strong anti-crime stance on "universal humanitarian" (kemanusiaan sejagat) grounds.

In a live interview with Astro Awani, today, he added that the amendments to the Prevention of Crime Act (PCA) criticised by rights groups, was done because he is "answerable to Allah".

"Shootings every day, murders almost every week. This needs to be dealt with. If I don't do something, not only will the public question my credibility, but on Judgement Day, Allah will question me," he said.

By "humanitarian", Ahmad Zahid (left) said he is thinking of the rights of victims of crime and police who are victims of criminal violence.

"My biggest responsibility is to care for the majority of the rakyat. I appreciate differing views from the Opposition, bloggers and news portals.

"In this emancipation and transformation process, all opinions are celebrated, but why must we only focus on the legal aspects? What about humanitarian aspects?" he asked.

Chiding disregard for police welfare, he pointed out that not a single human right defender or opposition MP visited the family members of a police officer who died in the line of duty recently.

"They (the critics) feel the PCA is replacing the Internal Security Act, Emergency Ordinance and Restriction Residence Act. This is for criminals, who should be the enemy of all, opposition or not, NGO or not," he said.

He also insisted that the PCA will not be used against political opponents and there should be "no fear over differing opinions".

The 20-minute interview on Analisis Awani, however, did not touch on the minister's endorsement for police to shoot down suspected criminals, even before they are charged in court.

Ahmad Zahid made international news, and has been slammed by rights groups, after a recording of him saying that at a government event, was made available to Malaysiakini.

Extrajudicial killings barbaric, says MIC leader

There is no room for extrajudicial killings in a civilised nation, says MIC treasurer Senator Jaspal Singh.

Even in the Old West, Jaspal saind, wanted posters for outlaws would give their would-be captors the option of bringing them in 'dead or alive'.

"If it is indeed true that the home minister has said that suspected gangsters in Malaysia would be shot without warning, then it is a very disturbing statement indeed," he noted.

Jaspal (left) was responding to the remarks made by Home Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi during an event in Malacca that suspected criminals should be shot first.

The MIC leader pointed out that the most obvious argument against such a precipitate policy was that the suspected criminal might be innocent, have been set up or framed.

"In such a case, the state would be executing, without trial, an innocent man. If indeed the suspect is guilty, that is still no justification for killing him in cold blood. He can be arrested and charged if there is proof," Jaspal added.

If there was a lack of evidence, he said, the amendments to the Prevention of Crime Act had armed the Home Ministry with the option of detaining suspects without trial for two years.

"What is the point in voting for the PCA amendments if such murderous tactics are going to be employed?" he asked.

Jaspal pointed out that the best possible criminal justice system in the world was the one practised today, where an accused, particularly one facing capital punishment, is given every opportunity to defend himself and to appoint the lawyer of his choice.

"The death sentence can only be pronounced by the court in strict accordance with the law. No other individual may carelessly appropriate for himself so awful a power.

"If such is allowed, we will become and be viewed as a barbaric nation. We may or may not reclaim our streets from the strutting thugs, but we would have lost our soul as a nation.

"The police force is well-trained and equipped to handle all kinds of criminals. A 'surrender first' policy would be the way to go,"
he added.

'Don't give crime a racial twist'

Jaspal was also surprised that the home minister (right) could imply that crime victims were mostly Malays while the "villains" were Indians or Chinese.

"I do not believe there is any truth in this and I am sure there are no statistics to back up such claims. There are only victims and perpetrators and it should not be turned into a racial issue.

"In the case of a large number of Indians involved in gangsterism, the government should look into the root causes. It is a well known trend throughout the world that gangsterism and underground activities prevail among the marginalised communities.

"The Indian community in Malaysia is no different. They have been left out of mainstream development," he added.

While Jaspal said he understood that this was the "silly season of party elections" and outlandish statements from politicians intent on casting themselves as race champions were expected, however, "it was wrong to demonise the Indians in this cynical political game."

“This would strain the fragile fabric of our inter-racial relations, and it is downright irresponsible,” he warned, calling on Zahid to explain himself as the people have been quite alarmed.

Charge Zahid with instigating murder, say lawyers

The home minister's call to the police to gun down suspected criminals has earned the wrath of a group of legal eagles who demanded that Ahmad Zahid Hamidi be arrest and prosecuted for instigating murder.

In a statement today, Lawyers for Liberty said it was both "deeply concerned and disturbed" by the criminal nature of Zahid's "shoot first" remark.

"It is disturbing that our home minister has given his endorsement to all law enforcement officers to mete out death sentences to suspected offenders on the street, without due process.

"It is evident that the home minister is unaware of the basic concepts of the rule of law that underpin our justice system and has chosen to trample on the federal constitution and human rights.

"Fundamental principles of the right to life, liberty, fair trial, due process and innocence until guilt is proven are concepts that appear to be alien to the home minister, which is a cause for alarm for all Malaysians," said the group's legal/campaign coordinator Michelle Yesudas.
Najib must act
Yesudas also noted that Zahid's stand was reflected in his adamant views on welcoming back detention without trial, by taking ownership of the draconian amendments to the Prevention of Crime Act.

By encouraging law enforcers to "shoot first", she said, the home minister was effectively ordering policemen and officers to disregard the criminal justice system, due process and was legitimising the cold-blooded murder of "suspects" without them being brought before a court.

Furthermore, Lawyers for Liberty found it ironic that a minister so bent on curbing gangsterism with preventive detention laws and "shoot to kill" policies did not hesitate to befriend the gangsters of Tiga Line.

"His statement disregards and disrespects the tragic deaths of many innocent Malaysians and their long suffering families, such as Aminulrasyid, the Glenmarie Trio, the Cheras Trio, Dinesh Dharmasena and Pua Bee Chun, to name a few," said Yesudas.

Lawyers for Liberty also called on Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak to take stern action against ministers who display such disregard for human lives and civil liberties.

The organisation was responding to the controversial remarks made by Zahid during an event in Malacca last week.

Dr M wants ministers to quit due to their failures

With the recent revelation of the government’s incompetence and mismanagement in the Auditor-General’s Report 2012, former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamed wants the respective ministers to resign due to their failures.

Speaking in a press conference after visiting the MRT Cochrane underground station, he said that the government must correct the mistakes highlighted in the report, and should charge the people concerned “or they will lose their jobs, including the ministers”.

“You know in Japan, when a plane crashes at an airfield, the transport minister has to resign.

“(But) in Malaysia, (the minister will say) that’s not my business. I hope to see more resignations,” said Mahathir.

He also jokingly said that he decided to resign as the prime minister because of his failure.

“I resigned because I failed,” he quipped.
Noting that the same mistakes also happened in other countries, Mahathir opined that the Auditor-General’s Department should be strengthened so that it can constantly monitor what is happening regarding the mistakes pointed out in the report.

“We should follow-up and see whether corrections have been made or not, identifying the mistakes and hoping the people will correct their errors,” he added.

Won’t Najib say anything?

What is causing Umno leaders such insecurity that makes them desperate enough to want to spill blood among Malaysians?
COMMENT

The spirit of muhibbah Malaysians so very cherished once upon a time is now a thing of the past. Living in Malaysia in today’s time entails putting up with racist and selfish politicians who have seemingly embarked on a ‘divide and rule’ agenda.

It is not just the present Home Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi who has earned the wrath of the rakyat for his pernicious remarks over ”Indian gangsters hunting down the Malays”.

There is also the deputy prime minister who is also the Education Minister, Muhyiddin Yassin. Like Zahid, the DPM has never shied away from revealing his ultra Malay sentiments, never failing to make the non-Malays uncomfortable with his ‘ganyang’ (crush) the Chinese and Indians remarks.

Then there is Mohd Ali Rustam, the former chief minister of Malacca who serves as the classic example of the ‘sour grapes’ idiom when he blamed the Chinese for his defeat in the May 2013 general election and later accused the Chinese of allegedly being involved in illegal businesses.

Zahid’s predecessor, Hishammuddin Hussein too was all gung-ho about ‘defending’ Malay rights and privileges. He broke all traditions by hinting severe repercussions via the keris should anyone dare touch on the Malay sensitivities.

Just why are these politicians going berserk over their religion and all-things Malay is mind boggling.

What is causing them such insecurity that makes them desperate enough to want to spill blood among Malaysians?

The people have not forgotten Hishammuddin’s rantings and threats to the non-Malays. Neither will the rakyat forgive Muhyiddin for trying to incite the Malays against the Chinese and the Indians.

And now, it is Zahid with his irresponsible act of blaming the Indians for “hunting down” the Malays.

Among others, Zahid in a speech in Malacca last Saturday reportedly stated that it was okay for the police to proceed with a ‘shoot first’ policy against suspected criminals if they had the evidence.

Zahid added that the majority of gangsters were from the Indian community and the victims were Malays and therefore there was nothing wrong in arresting or shooting them.

While the Umno vice-president’s speech is still drawing a slew of reactions with some declaring it as “racist remarks”, the man who claims he has the rakyat’s best interest at heart is silent, a ‘standard operating procedure’ Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak seems to hide into.

‘Lawless’ to Umno politicians

More often than not it is the Umno politicians who continue to act brashly, breaking all rules and cultural sensitivities.

The reason why they thrive on playing bullies is because they believe they enjoy some form of immunity. To blame the minority community of turning murderers against the dominant race is a very dangerous presumption, one which definitely makes the racial harmony agenda a joke in the eyes of the rakyat.

The latest racial tension caused by Zahid has prompted calls for him to be removed as the Home Minister. But will Najib adhere to them? Or for that matter what are the chances that Najib will take any action against Zahid?

DAP MP Teresa Kok has defined Zahid’s remarks as “extremely dangerous views” while others see it as an “abuse of power” and as “insensitive remarks”.

However, in the typical Umno fashion, there is no way Zahid will be shown the door by Najib. And nothing is going to change as far as the Umno politicians are concerned – they are going to continue harassing, threatening and insulting the non-Malays.

What next for the non-Malays?

Former Malaysian Bar head S Ambiga says it is time Umno’s partners under the Barisan Nasional coalition made an exit from the party ‘out of self-respect’.

The question is do Gerakan, MIC and MCA have enough self-worthiness left to dump Umno for greener pastures? Is this latest racial attack by yet another Umno politician not humiliating enough for the trio?

Ambiga who is also electoral watchdog Bersih co-chairperson is puzzled as to why Umno’s allies in BN, the country’s federal ruling political force, rather keep their mouths shut, stay put in the ruling coalition and tolerate such despicable behaviour.

“After hearing the home minister, I really want to know what MCA and MIC are doing in BN. Have some self-respect please and walk out!” she said in a Twitter posting on Tuesday.

Walking out en masse is not a difficult step, not when enough verbal abuse and insults have been endured. But sadly, MIC, Gerakan and MCA have become Umno’s ‘Pavlov’s dogs’, unable to think for themselves.

Until Umno’s allies in BN come clean and accept the fact that they have withstood enough humiliation from Umno, there is no stopping the United Malay National Organisation in damning the ‘lain-lain’ (other) races in the country.

Jeswan Kaur is a freelance writer and a FMT columnist.

Sanjeevan probed by Bukit Aman police

MyWatch chairman is being investigated for a tweet that said the bullet recovered from his body was the type used by the police.

PETALING JAYA: The police are investigating MyWatch chairman R Sri Sanjeevan over a tweet on Sept 30 in which he said that the .38 bullet recovered from his abdomen was similar to that used by the police.

Sanjeevan said he received information from a police source but declined to name the officer for security reasons.

A team of four senior police officers from Bukit Aman and Ampang district police took 45 minutes to recorded the statement from Sanjeevan at the Tropicana police station.

Present at the the interrogation was PKR Legal Bureau head Latheefa Koya.

Police are also investigating the anti-crime activist for extortion after three reports were made against him.

In the first report on Aug 17 in Triang, Pahang, a shopowner said two Indians posing as Special Branch (SB) officers approached him to collect protection money.

Two more similar reports were made in Bahau, one in June by a cake shopowner and the other on Aug 26, by a massage parlour operator.

According to Latheefa, the police interrogators did not show the content and the names of the complainants.

Sanjeevan remained silent throughout the interrogation.

Latheefa said there was no direct link in all the three reports because Sanjeevan’s name was not mentioned by the complainants.

“Police are investigating only on suspicion and why are they doing this after his attempted assassination?,” she asked.

Latheefa said there were no arrest made on Sanjeevan’s hitmen, but the police were quick to investigate him on something baseless.

“Are they trying to frame him because he exposed some corrupted police officers from Malacca and Negeri Sembilan?” she asked.

The interrogators said Sanjeevan would be further questioned by investigating officers from Pahang and Negeri Sembilan as there could be an identification parade to further assist the case.

The MyWatch chairman calls this a further harassment by the police and trying to delay his case.

Sanjeevan said he wanted an answer from the police on his attempted assassination and not to throw baseless allegations on him.

The anti-crime chief’s father, P Ramakrishnan, said he was disappointed with the police for not making any arrest on his son’s attempted murder.

He also said he had not received a copy of the ballistic report on the bullet that was taken to Cheras Forensic Laboratory.

Ramakrishnan showed a SMS received from IGP Khalid Abu Bakar that the Bukit Aman police had taken over the investigation and would do the best to arrest the hitmen.

“But so far no one was arrested,” he said, hoping the police will carry out their duty in a professional manner.

Sanjeevan was shot in the abdomen on July 27 at his hometown, Bahau, Negeri Sembilan by two men on a motorcycle.

Memorandum to IGP to protest NGO leader’s arrest

Kampung Bunga Raya longhouse residents' recent peaceful protest saw the arrest of an NGO leader, leading the residents to hand a memorandum to the IGP today in protest of the arrest.

KUALA LUMPUR: Led by NGO Malaysian Tamilan Today, Kampung Bunga Raya longhouse residents submitted a memorandum to the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) at Bukit Aman today in protest of the NGO vice-president’s recent arrest.

Insp Nurleen Hannah Abdullah of the Communications Department of the Police Headquarters, Bukit Aman received the memorandum on behalf of the IGP, from the 20 residents who turned up.

In the memorandum, the group demanded an explanation from the police over the arrest of the NGO vice-president K. Gunasekaran during a peaceful assembly at the settlement on Monday.

The assembly was held to protest their eviction from the longhouse which was supposed to be their temporary shelter after they were uprooted from their homes also in the area for development with the promise that low-cost flats would be built for and sold to them at a discount.

The 118 families had been squatting at the longhouse for 22 years without the promised low-cost flats in sight and moves from the government, political parties and developer to resolve the issue.

A police officer who turned up at the event told the crowd to disperse, which led to a squabble between Gunasekaran and the officer when the former asked for his identification, leading to the former’s arrest.

Following Gunasekaran’s arrest, 23 longhouse dwellers lodged a police report against the police themselves for what they claimed were police intimidation and unlawful arrest.

Following his arrest, Gunasekaran urged he IGP to investigate the matter claiming that the police was abetting the developer in oppressing the longhouse residents.

MIC’s ‘hidden hand’ manipulates div polls

There are claims that ineligible candidates and even bankrupts were allowed to contest and win in division polls with the “hidden hand” of top MIC leaders.

PETALING JAYA: Certain MIC party leaders have manipulated the outcome of the division polls, said a party source.

This was following allegations that the winners are not even eligible to contest in their division elections.

A senior party leader told FMT that the leadership’s decision to uphold the election results for the posts of Kota Raja division chairman and Petaling Jaya Selatan youth chief had created unhappiness among party members.

It is reported that Taman Maznah branch chairman S Sandirashegran, is elected as the new chairman for Kota Raja division after defeating incumbent RS Maniam in a straight fight.

While in Petaling Jaya Selatan, A Premnath, the party youth wing deputy secretary, was elected as division youth leader after his opponent pulled out as a sign of protest.

A veteran leader from Selangor, who wish not to be named, claimed that both Sandirashegran and Premnath are not qualified to contest.

According to him, Sandirashegran is alleged to be a bankrupt since 2010, while Premnath does not meet the criteria set in the party constitution.

The source also forwarded a set of documents to FMT via email to prove his allegations.

The documents, dated Oct 4, 2013, shows Sandirashegran, who is better known as “Taman Maznah” Sandiran, was declared a bankrupt by the Department of Insolvency on Jan 19, 2010.

“Article 93 of the party’s constitution reads that under the Registration of Criminals Act, 1967, a party member who is declared as bankrupt is prohibited from contesting any post in the party elections,” said the source.

“Thus, Sandiran is not eligible to contest. But, a ‘hidden hand’ helped him to contest,” he added.

When contacted, Sandiran claimed that he has settled his debt. However, he said he wondered why the Insolvency Department had not update his status.

“I will pursue this matter legally,” he told FMT.

‘I am qualified’

In Premnath’s case, he was not eligible to contest the division youth chairman post as he did not meet the criteria. The candidate for division youth chief must hold a branch youth leader’s post for at least one full term.

But the documents provided to FMT indicates that Premnath has not held any post since joining MIC, until he transferred his membership from Selayang to the Petaling Jaya Selatan division.

“He joined MIC before 2008, in deputy minister P Kamalanathan’s branch as an ordinary member. However, later he transferred his membership to Petaling Jaya Selatan,” said the insider.

“A check on the list of 2009-2012 for the youth membership also shows that he has not served as branch youth chief for one full term. Hence, he is not qualified to contest in the elections,” added the party insider.

The source also urged party secretary-general A Sakthivel to come out in the open and clarify the allegations.

When contacted, Premnath dismissed claims that he was ineligible to contest for the division youth post, stressing that he was a MIC branch leader in the last term, from 2010 to 2013.

“I was the deputy youth leader for the Petaling Jaya Barat MIC branch in the previous term. Based on party regulations, a deputy youth leader or the youth leader is eligible to contest for division youth leadership,” he said.

He also cited Article 44.1 of the party constitution to support his case.

Article 44.1 reads: “Only members of the division youth council and delegates to the divisional youth delegates’ conference shall be eligible to stand for election for in the mentioned in by-laws 43.2 and 43.3. Provided, however, that candidates desiring to contest for the post of divisional youth leader must have served as branch youth leader or branch deputy youth leader for at least one full term (three years)

Premnath said he had also obtained a letter from MIC youth secretary C Sivaraajh to confirm his eligibility to run for the division youth post.

“And if I was not qualified, my nomination papers would not have been accepted during the polls,” he said.

Now Shahidan defends another Malay gang

After 'Tiga Line' was labelled as benevolent gangsters by the home minister, an Umno supreme council candidate says Gang 30 is a charity organisation.

PETALING JAYA: In the wake of Home Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi calling ‘Tiga Line’ as benevolent gangsters and his friends, another Umno leader has stepped up to defend Gang 30.

Minister in Prime Minister’s Office Shahidan Kassim claimed that Gang 30, which was declared an illegal outfit, is a charity organisation offering assistance to poor Malays during festivities and burials.

Shahidan, who is also the former Perlis menteri besar, said that Gang 30 were merely practising Malay culture and tradition.

However in August, the Home Ministry, had listed Gang 30 as an illegal secret society. In addition, the ministry also listed the group in the Top 5 of illegal secret societies among 49 secret societies.

Apart from Tiga Line, the other Malay secret societies named by the Home Ministry were Double 7 and Gang 30. Only three Malay gangs were named by the ministry.

Tiga Line and Gang 30 are believed to have links with Malay NGO Pertubuhan Kebajikan dan Dakwah Islamiah Malaysia (Pekida), which in turn is strongly linked with Umno.

The two groups are alleged to be involved in drug distribution, car-jacking and night-club protection.

At a security briefing with community leaders last weekend, Zahid was reported as saying that the Tiga Line members were not thugs and endorsed their activities.

In a Malaysian Insider report yesterday, Shahidan claimed that he was not aware the existence of Tiga Line and suggested that Ahmad Zahid Hamidi may have been referring to Gang 30 instead.

Critics have slammed Umno leaders such as Zahid for playing up the race card in order to gain support for the Umno polls on Oct 16.

PPR units available, applicants told otherwise

FMT discovered there were 20 vacant units during a visit with an applicant and her family who are staying in her mum's unit at the site, confirming that there are empty lots.

KOTA DAMANSARA: People’s Housing Project (PPR) flats applicants claimed that they have to endure long wait for their units despite lots of available units.

FMT surveyed the site and found that there were about 20 vacant units at PPR Section 8 in Kota Damansara and the applicants told FMT that no reason was given for the delay.

A 24-year-old mother of two, Nitya Chandiran, whose total household income was about RM1,200, said she and her family had been living in her mother’s unit at the PPR Section 8.

“My husband is also living with us and we had applied for a unit in the same place. However, we were told to wait for two years,” Nitya told FMT.

When she approached the local town council Majlis Bandaraya Petaling Jaya’s (MBPJ) office on the matter, she was told that individual PPR management offices are in charge of unit allocation.

And when she checked with the management office, she was told that she had to wait as those who applied for units two years ago were still waiting for their lots.

“The management office staff also told us that many were rundown units. Since we are living in one of those flats, we know that there are some decent vacant units,” Nitya said, adding that she was willing to repair a rundown unit if she was given one.

However, another applicant Malathi Rajoo, 44, said there were many vacant units, and that he believed that one person had taken a number of the available units.

“We have seen Indonesians living here and probably they had been sub-renting it from someone,” she said.

Malathi Rajoo, who took FMT on a tour of the area, also explained that some houses are used to store junks when it could be used as homes.

“PPR flats are for the poor and if the rich are renting it out, then it defeats the purpose of building these flats. Irresponsible parties are commercialising it,” she added.

Another applicant, Parimala Mukeyah, 31, was also in the same boat of being told to endure a long wait for her unit.

“My husband is sick and I am working to support my family. All I need is a flat to bring up my three children and to nurse my husband back to health. We are currently staying with our extended family and urgently need a place of our own,” she said.

Parimala who worked in a school canteen to support her family had applied for a unit three months ago but was told by the management office that there was no available unit.

‘Najib would not boycott CHOGM’

An ex-parliamentarian claims that the PM would not do so because human rights means little to the Putrajaya administration.

GEORGE TOWN: A former parliamentarian claims that Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak would not boycott the coming Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Sri Lanka because the Tamil sentiments and human rights issues mean little to the Putrajaya administration.

Indeed, former Teluk Intan MP M Manogaran said Malaysia would do all it could to please the Sri Lankan government despite the civil war past between Sinhalese-dominated Sri Lanka government and Tamil minority population living in the northern peninsular of the island republic.

He recalled that Najib had previously remained silent on the strong protest from Malaysian Tamils and other Malaysians in 2012 to object the participation of Sri Lanka president Mahinda Rajapakse in an economic forum in Johor Baru. Eventually Rajapakse himself decided not to attend the forum.

He also noted that Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper was the first government leader to announce that he would not attend the 23rd CHOGM to be held in Colombo between Nov 15 and 17.

Harper – who was in an official visit to Malaysia just last week – has stated that Rajapakse and his government must first answer for the human rights violations in Sri Lanka.

Manoharan insisted that Rajapakse must answer for the war crimes he was accused of although no formal charges had been brought against him.

“Will the Malaysian Prime Minister follow the Canadian Prime Minister’s footsteps?

“It is highly unlikely because Tamil sentiments and human rights issues are of little importance to Malaysia,” Manogaran said in a statement here today.

He also called on the CHOGM to be either moved to another country or cancelled altogether to avoid the whole Commonwealth from being “tainted with the blood of innocent victims” if the summit went ahead as scheduled in Colombo.

He said the attendance of leaders of Commonwealth countries in the Sri Lanka summit would be a slap in the face of people who loved peace, democracy, good governance and justice.

Until May 2009, Manogaran said over 60,000 Tamil civilians had been killed by the Sri Lanka forces.

Inflicting maximum damage

He claimed that until today, the Sri Lanka government had been carrying both open and covert operations to inflict maximum damage on the Tamil community in northern Sri Lanka.

He cited the UN expert panel’s report, the Channel 4 news on the killing fields of Sri Lanka, UN High Commissioner for Human RightsNavi Pillay’s report as well as the recent documentary “No Fire Zone” as irrefutable testimonies of Rajapakse’s and the Sri Lanka security forces’ atrocities.

“Any leader attending the summit on Sri Lankan soil will be a party to the atrocities of Sri Lanka,” Manogaran said.

He also expressed disappointment that India would not boycott the summit in a bid to stop Sri Lanka from moving closer to China.

But he said India had failed to realise that Colombo was closer to Beijing than New Delhi.

He also claimed that the New Delhi administration had little concern and care for Tamils in Sri Lanka and even those in Tamil Nadu.

He insisted that as South Asia region power, India alone could stop the human rights violations in Sri Lanka.

“But India will fumble again, just as how it deals with Pakistan, Kashmir and China,” Manogaran said