Thursday, 12 December 2013
Islamic violation of Human Rights and attack upon minority Hindus in Bangladesh severely opposed in HR Day.
Human Rights day: Discrimination and persecution upon Minority Hindus in Bangladesh condemned in Dhaka, Bangaon and Kolkata.
Upananda Brahmachari | HE Media Bureau | New Delhi | 11 Dec 2013::
On…
Human Rights day: Discrimination and persecution upon Minority Hindus in Bangladesh condemned in Dhaka, Bangaon and Kolkata.
Upananda Brahmachari | HE Media Bureau | New Delhi | 11 Dec 2013::
On the Human Rights Day on 10th December, various Rights Groups and
Hindu organisations opposed the discrimination and persecution upon
Minority Hindus and other religious minorities and conducted various
programmes in Dhaka, Bangaon and Kolkata.
Demonstration and awareness programme in Dhaka
Bangladesh
Minority Watch (BDMW) – Global Human Rights Defence (GHRD) and
Bangladesh Center for Human Rights Development (BCHRD) jointly organized
-Discussion Meeting – peaceful demonstration and awareness programme on
International Human Rights Day-2013 in front of National Press
Club-Dhaka-Bangladesh with a centralized theme to alleviate the
tantamount attack and humiliation of Bangladesh minority people, mainly
Hindus-Buddhist and the Christian people there.
…
The program was marked successful as
more than 100 participants including minorities from various parts of
Dhaka and Narayongonj District attended the meeting with festoon and
placards to mark the day despite Hartals (strikes) called by
Jamat-E-Islam at Dhaka denouncing the death sentence of Abdul Kader
Mollah passed by the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of
Bangladesh.
…
Hindu minorities are presently at a
stake and fleeing from Bangladesh to seek refuge in neighbouring India
through the present turmoil in Bangladesh between Awami League and BNP
after the pronouncement of some death sentence for the War Criminals in
BD.
…
In the demonstration the speakers said
that Bangladesh must stop all the violation of Human Rights towards the
minorities and must ensure to bring back the 1971 Constitution for the
healing of the fractured Human Rights in BD so far.
…
Monoranjan Ghoshal – the Freedom
fighter & renowned singer of Bangladesh Radio, Advocate
Rabindra Ghosh-President of Bangladesh Minority Watch (BDMW) , Advocate
Rana Das Gupta-Prosecutor-International Criminal Tribunal and
Secretary-General of Hindu Bouddha Christian Unity Council, Mohammad
Abdul Khaleque- President- Biswa Bangalee Convention, Dr. Gopal Debnath-
Professor of University, Advocate Prodiwp Saha, Ms. Anita Paul-Social
Organizer, Manik Chandra Sarkar-Secretary of BDMW-Narayangonj, Ganesh
Rajbongshi, Mahabul Hoque –BCHRD , Shamsul Alam Chowdhury and many
others were present and delivered their speeches on the importance of
Human Rights Day concerning religious minorities.
…
Most of the speakers stressed upon the
urgent need of establishing good governance and democracy. Some specific
demands were raised and highlighted for ensuring voting rights of
vulnerable groups. Protection Rights of HR defenders and minorities were
discussed.
…
Leaflets concerning human rights issues
ensuring equal participation of minorities in the ensuing national
election in Bangladesh, were also distributed and exhibited.
…
Hindu Samhati rally in Bangaon
…
Hindu
Samhati, a Hindu organisation working mainly in West Bengal, took
out a big protest rally against Persecution of Hindus by Fundamentalist
Muslims in Bangladesh. Bangaon is a sensitive border town on the
India-Bangladesh border in N 24 Parganas District of WB.
Though police refused to give permission
to Hindu Samhati’s rally, the protesters thronged in good number. Some
criticized that the WB police and their direct controller Chief
Minister, Mamtaz Banu Arjee, are supporters of Jamaat-e-Islami & BNP
of Bangladesh and behaving like Islamist.
As a matter of fact, the Rally set to be
nullified to avoid any displeasure the fundamentalist Muslims here in
West Bengal. Hence, the ruling party, Trinamool Congress (TMC) put all
hurdles to obtain the permission from police. Therefore, under a
culpable instruction from the TMC leaders, Bangaon police refused to
give the necessary permission to hold our rally.
However, Hindu Samhati activists were
ready to face any consequences only to show solidarity with victimized
minority brothers and sisters of Bangladesh.
The speakers highlighted the plight of
minority Hindus living in Bangladesh and the Hindu refugees came in
India under a bare religious atrocities and persecution. ”We will not
turn a blind eye to the worsening plight of our Hindu Brothers and
sisters of Banglades”, said Ajit Adhikari, the chief organiser of the
rally
Advocate Brojendra Nath Roy, Bikarna
Naskar, Nisith Ghosh, Abhijit Mishra and other key persons of the
organisation attended the rally.
CAAMB put up a stall at Human Rights Fair at Academy of Fine Arts, Kolkata
The Campaign
Against Atrocities on Minorities in Bangladesh (CAAMB), a Kolkata based
human rights organization that campaigns against human rights
violations on minorities and liberal thinkers in Bangladesh put a small
book stall in front of Acadeny of Fine Arts, Kolkata at Human Rights
Fair, 2013.
The books mainly on Human Rights and the
Works on the matter of Rights Violation of Minorities in Bangladesh were
displayed in the stall for both sit-on-reading and sale. Some books
from Bangladesh by eminent authors like Salam Azad, M A Khan, Humayun
Azad, Shariar Kabir were the main attractions of the stall.
The books, written by Rabindranath Dutta
(born in Bangladesh -settled in West Bengal) on Bangladesh Hindu
Genocide and Plight of BD Hindus, were also sold in good numbers.
As before, CAAMB activists distributed
leaflets highlighting the plight of Bangladeshi Hindu and other
religious minorities with a request to the present Govt of BD to stop
attack on them in various parts of Bangladesh by the fundamental
Islamist belonging to some political parties.
In a discussion forum, Mohit Roy,
Rabindranath Dutta and other dignitaries of CAAMB interacted with the
interested people to do something for the cause of dying religious
minorities in Bangladesh.
Courtesy: BDMW | SDF | CAAMB.
Labels:
Bangladesh
Atheists And Freethinkers Face Death Penalty, According to Study [VIDEO]
(Photo : salon.com) Famous atheists (from L-R): Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris, and the late Christopher Hitchens
(Photo : salon.com) Famous atheists (from L-R): Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris, and the late Christopher Hitchens
The Freethought Report 2013 covered all 193 U.N. member states and asked the expertise of lawyers and human rights experts to look into statutes, court records and media accounts to verify the situation of atheists and non-believers.
The study found that atheists and free thinkers are always subjected to discrimination and the worst that could happen to them is execution.
"This report shows that the overwhelming majority of countries fail to respect the rights of atheists and freethinkers although they have signed U.N agreements to treat all citizens equally," Sonja Eggerickx, IHEU President, told Reuters.
IHEU's study this year is more comprehensive. It brought to the fore a full list of countries where execution, usually public beheading, takes place. The study includes Afghanistan, Iran, Malaysia, Maldives, Mauritania, Nigeria, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, United Arab Emirates and Yemen. The list of countries in the study is higher compared to seven out of 60 countries surveyed last year. The study showed that the offenses that warranted public execution are blasphemy and apostasy, or when a believer renounces the faith or switches to another religion.
The study also showed that "there are laws that deny atheists' right to exist, revoke their citizenship, restrict their right to marry, obstruct their access to public education, prevent them working for the state...."
The study asserted that when a person criticizes religious faith in these countries, his action is frequently treated as a felony that can be equated to blasphemy, which is punishable by death.
IHEU also pointed out that a more systematic oppression of atheists and non-believers take place in the European Union. In countries like Austria, Denmark, Germany, Greece, Malta and Poland, any person can be discriminated against and might face jail sentences up to three years if the person publicly expresses his non-belief.
Labels:
Atheist
Ex-IGP: Malays hurt by challenges on 'taboo topics'
However, this is the norm today, Hanif lamented, no thanks to the "alternative media phenomena", community leaders and a "small group of people" who give no second thought to how much this hurts the Malays.
"The feelings of the people, especially the Malays and Muslims, are no longer considered. My retiree friends and I are very sad about this and sometimes wonder where this country is being led to, especially now when there are Muslims who even consider themselves prophets or god.
"By
God, it is as if there is a grand design in place that can lead to the
country's destruction, if not carefully managed," he said. Haniff was addressing the Selangor Sultan at a tea party with government retirees in conjunction with the Sultan's birthday last Sunday.
The text of his speech was released to media today.
In his speech, Hanif also said that alternative media has eroded the credibility of the traditional media.
He said these new media were also being used to "spread slander and lies without shame or the fear of Allah".
"There are also leaders who travel from one country to another to speak ill of their own country to gain international support.
This is unlike in the US or other Western nations, where political differences end at their shores and are not brought internationally, for the sake of national unity, pride and dignity," he said.
'Demonstrations hurt the economy'
In his speech, provided to media by the Selangor government, Hanif also traced the nation's history from pre-Independence time to the communist insurgency and to today.
Among others, he expressed regret that PAS deputy president Mohamad Sabu could say that police officers who died when the Bukit Kepong post was attacked by communists were loyal to the British.
Hanif claimed that this was untrue because the British never actually colonised Malaya, and were only administering the federated and non-federated Malay states on the consent of the Malay rulers.
Even the British government, when faced with the suit against 24 people killed in the Batang Kali massacre, argued that Selangor then was a sovereign state and not a British colony.
Moving forward to the "third phase" - the post-1998 Malaysia - he said this era was plagued by street demonstrations that "affected the nation's development".
"If
in the 1950s, 60s and 70s, demonstrations only involved pro-communist
Chinese youths, today this phenomena is anchored by all youths and
Malays," he observed. Although Malays now make up about half of urbanites, Hanif said, they were in the lowest economic ranking compared with their fellow urban-dwellers from the other races.
"All these have their own ramifications and have to be dealt with through long-term vision," he said.
Hanif was the federal police chief from 1974 to 1994, making him the longest-serving head of the force.
He took charge at the age of 35, following the death of then inspector-general Abdul Rahman Hashim, who was shot dead by communist insurgents.
Labels:
Melayu
Man charged with statutory rape told to enter defence
The Sessions Court in Kota Kinabalu today ordered a restaurant manager charged with statutory rape to enter his defence.
Judge Ummu Khaltom Abd Samad said the court found that the…
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Judge Ummu Khaltom Abd Samad said the court found that the…
The Sessions Court in Kota Kinabalu today ordered a restaurant manager charged with statutory rape to enter his defence.
Judge Ummu Khaltom Abd Samad said the court found that the prosecution had established a prima facie case against Riduan Masmud, 40.
The judge fixed Dec 16 and 17 for the hearing. The court had heard the testimonies of 19 witnesses from July 1 to Nov 14.
Riduan had claimed trial to raping a schoolgirl aged slightly over 12 between 9am and 10am in a car by the roadside near the Kionsom Waterfall in Inanam on Feb 18 this year.
He faces a maximum jail term of 20 years and whipping upon conviction. On May 20, Riduan told the court that he had married the girl.
However, on June 6, the Attorney-General’s Chambers said it would proceed with the prosecution against the restaurant manager.
The prosecution is led by deputy public prosecutor Raja Zaizul Faridah Raja Zaharuddin while Riduan is not represented.
Lawyer Mary Lee is holding a watching brief for NGOs Sabah Women Action Resource Group (SAWO), Women’s Centre for Change, Penang (WCC Penang), Sisters in Islam and Mama Anne of Bukit Harapan, and Mary Florence Gomez, for the Sabah Law Association and the Voice of Children Malaysia.
- Bernama
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Judge Ummu Khaltom Abd Samad said the court found that the prosecution had established a prima facie case against Riduan Masmud, 40.
The judge fixed Dec 16 and 17 for the hearing. The court had heard the testimonies of 19 witnesses from July 1 to Nov 14.
Riduan had claimed trial to raping a schoolgirl aged slightly over 12 between 9am and 10am in a car by the roadside near the Kionsom Waterfall in Inanam on Feb 18 this year.
He faces a maximum jail term of 20 years and whipping upon conviction. On May 20, Riduan told the court that he had married the girl.
However, on June 6, the Attorney-General’s Chambers said it would proceed with the prosecution against the restaurant manager.
The prosecution is led by deputy public prosecutor Raja Zaizul Faridah Raja Zaharuddin while Riduan is not represented.
Lawyer Mary Lee is holding a watching brief for NGOs Sabah Women Action Resource Group (SAWO), Women’s Centre for Change, Penang (WCC Penang), Sisters in Islam and Mama Anne of Bukit Harapan, and Mary Florence Gomez, for the Sabah Law Association and the Voice of Children Malaysia.
- Bernama
Labels:
Rape
Questions for Umno delegates
With
the advent of mega-issues such as the most hegemonic and imperialistic
US-imposed proposal of the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA),
the rise of fascist and hate-mongering groups, the disillusionment about
our education system, run amuck and latah behaviors displayed in our
Parliament, massive growth of the underclass amongst the overpopulated
nation on immigrants shipped en masse to build the country to such giddy
heights, a daily rise of cases of mindless crimes, a slackening and
weakening school system that is criticised for not preparing the next
generation for a competitive economy requiring the cultivation of
brainpower, resilience, and a sense of economic republicanism with a
heart of social-democraticism, the clamour for a sense of unity
reminiscent of the 70s - with all these and more, why are the speeches
in this party assembly out of focus?Here are my questions to the Umno delegates:
Why can’t your speeches be about:
- Coming up with strategies to create a better understanding between the races, since we’ve been together for centuries?
- Designing our education system to be inclusive of all Malaysians with each race treated on equal terms,
- Helping any group progress, regardless of race, religion or political affiliation, since we are all lawful citizens and we are not going back to “where we belong”,
- Stopping this nonsense called ‘1Malay’ as a greeting since 1Malaysia is already enough as a meaningless slogan and even 1Mandela would be better,
- Dismantling all systems that will perpetuate hatred amongst us and redesign our lives around celebrating our strength in diversity,
- Find ways to unify all races as one dignified race of Malaysians united against any threats from outside (if there are any real or imagined),
- Coming together as Malaysians to redesign our education system that will truly enhance children’s understanding of concepts, skills, attitude to become good learners, global and transcultural in outlook, and will grow up to see each other as a human race with a common humane destiny, rather than see more divisions and destructions,
- Collaborating with all races to see how best we can help those who are marginalized regardless of race and religion, and how best we can design an economic system that will promote cooperation, collaboration, and the enculturalisation of conscience and conscientiousness amongst us, rather that perpetually create competitions that lead to hatred and warmongering,
- Mediating the differences between Muslims of different interpretive practices, schools of thoughts, ways of leading their ‘Islamic life’ rather than create bogeymen and bogey-women for the purpose of witch-hunting and persecuting each other of the things we cannot fully understand,
- Stopping the total closing of the Malay mind by constantly instilling fear of themselves since time immemorial, since feudal times, so that the Malays can be spared of being called stupid, weak, lazy, and dependent on Umno as savior - all these a perfect model of a Master-Slave Narrative.
You are a political party more intelligent than this.
Umno is a party my beloved grandfather, a good ol’ Johorean, was proud of back in the days of its early struggle, back in Johor Baru where it all started. That was one grandfather whom I saw cried profusely in a corner by his old Sanyo radiogram, the day Abdul Razak Hussein died.
Behave now like an adult, Umno, you are almost 60!
Or - are your days numbered, and better dismantled altogether or reduced to an NGO?
Message to the prime minister
Mr Malaysian prime minister, here is my plea - help all Malaysians not just Malays. We’re all bumiputras now. We’ve toiled for the soil. And you’re prime minister for all.
Poverty now cuts across racial lines, with an increasing number of those in the middle class now falling below the poverty line. There is no strong rationale any more, after more than 50 years of independence, to continue policies that are based on racial lines. Doing this will guarantee another 50 years of race and class antagonism.
In education especially, scholarships need to be give based on merit, talent, and needs, not because one is a bumiputra or a Malay or because of the birthright of one’s race. Many of those in privileged boarding schools such as MRSM are not from families who are poor or who could not afford good and quality education. Many are from wealthy families.
There are deserving children from all races that must be given all the opportunities to excel, just like how the Malays from even the abject poor were given the chance back in the early 1970s when the MRSM system first started its first three schools.
Mr
prime minister, you must be fair to all races. Open up the privileged
MRSMs and other well-funded schools to more children of all races. It
will be better for the nation.Look at the plight other Malaysians. Promising a billion or so Ringgit in educational, entrepreneurial, and economic aid to only one race defined by one-dimensional construct is a wrong political act done with ill intentions. Be wise, in the remaining political time you and your party is given. Reverse the trend of apartheid-isation of education - for the sake of the future of our children.
The New Economic Policy has been replaced with the New Economic Agenda which promises fairness for all, not just the Malays and bumiputras. Honour that. There is enough to go around for everybody’s needs and not just to feed the few’s greed.
Aren’t most of your speeches filled with misplaced and uninformed hatred?
DR AZLY RAHMAN, born in Singapore and grew up in Johor Baru, holds a Columbia University (New York City) doctorate in International Education Development and Masters degrees in four areas: Education, International Affairs, Peace Studies and Communication.
‘No benefit to redefine Islam in Constitution’
However, Shah Alam MP Khalid Samad welcomes arguments for and wisdom behind Putrajaya's proposal.
PETALING JAYA: Redefining Islam in the Federal Constitution to specify that it refers only to the…
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PETALING JAYA: Redefining Islam in the Federal Constitution to specify that it refers only to the…
However, Shah Alam MP Khalid Samad welcomes arguments for and wisdom behind Putrajaya's proposal.
PETALING JAYA: Redefining Islam in the Federal Constitution to specify that it refers only to the Sunni denomination will not bring any benefit to the country, Khalid Samad said today.
The Shah Alam MP said that the amendment would only declare “half of the Muslim population as non-Muslims” and strain Malaysia’s relationship with Iran and Iraq, which are Shia majority countries.
“I don’t see what is the benefit of such an approach or stand,” Khalid told FMT.
“Why do something unnecessary to strain the relationship with half of the Muslim world?” he asked.
However, when asked if he would be against the amendment if it was brought to Parliament, Khalid said: “Not necessarily”.
“I will still listen to their arguments and wisdom behind it,” he said.
“Why are we falling into the trap of American international policy of trying to bring the Sunnis and Shias into loggerheads?
“Those are the issues they (Putrajaya) have to answer. It has not been an issue all this while, so why make it into an issue now?” he questioned.
Meanwhile, Pandan MP Rafizi Ramli said the decision to support or reject Putrajaya’s proposal lay with top Pakatan Rakyat leadership.
“We will wait for the top leadership of Pakatan’s deliberation on this,” he said.
Home Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said last week that his ministry would propose to insert the words “Sunnah wal Jamaah” in Article 3 of the Federal Constitution to specify the definition of Islam as the religion of the federation.
This was to curb the spread of other ideologies, including the much-maligned Shia branch of Islam, in the country.
Yesterday, Umno’s Saifuddin Abdullah said the definition of Islam in the Federal Constitution is sufficient without having to specify that it refers only to the Sunni denomination.
Saifuddin pointed out that even redefining Islam in the constitution would not guarantee an end to the debate regarding Syiah in Islam in Malaysia.
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PETALING JAYA: Redefining Islam in the Federal Constitution to specify that it refers only to the Sunni denomination will not bring any benefit to the country, Khalid Samad said today.The Shah Alam MP said that the amendment would only declare “half of the Muslim population as non-Muslims” and strain Malaysia’s relationship with Iran and Iraq, which are Shia majority countries.
“I don’t see what is the benefit of such an approach or stand,” Khalid told FMT.
“Why do something unnecessary to strain the relationship with half of the Muslim world?” he asked.
However, when asked if he would be against the amendment if it was brought to Parliament, Khalid said: “Not necessarily”.
“I will still listen to their arguments and wisdom behind it,” he said.
“Why are we falling into the trap of American international policy of trying to bring the Sunnis and Shias into loggerheads?
“Those are the issues they (Putrajaya) have to answer. It has not been an issue all this while, so why make it into an issue now?” he questioned.
Meanwhile, Pandan MP Rafizi Ramli said the decision to support or reject Putrajaya’s proposal lay with top Pakatan Rakyat leadership.
“We will wait for the top leadership of Pakatan’s deliberation on this,” he said.
Home Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said last week that his ministry would propose to insert the words “Sunnah wal Jamaah” in Article 3 of the Federal Constitution to specify the definition of Islam as the religion of the federation.
This was to curb the spread of other ideologies, including the much-maligned Shia branch of Islam, in the country.
Yesterday, Umno’s Saifuddin Abdullah said the definition of Islam in the Federal Constitution is sufficient without having to specify that it refers only to the Sunni denomination.
Saifuddin pointed out that even redefining Islam in the constitution would not guarantee an end to the debate regarding Syiah in Islam in Malaysia.
Pemaju langgar perintah mahkamah, dakwa peguam Kg Hakka
Segalanya bermula sekitar jam 09.30 pagi tadi apabila penduduk kampung dikejutkan dengan kehadiran beberapa pekerja dari syarikat pemaju iaitu Mega 9 Housing Sdn Bhd yang mula mendirikan pagar berzink di…
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Segalanya bermula sekitar jam 09.30 pagi tadi apabila penduduk kampung dikejutkan dengan kehadiran beberapa pekerja dari syarikat pemaju iaitu Mega 9 Housing Sdn Bhd yang mula mendirikan pagar berzink di sekitar salah sebuah rumah penduduk kampung tersebut.
SEREMBAN: Episod isu Kampung Hakka, Mantin di sini masih belum berakhir apabila sedikit kekecohan berlaku di kampung tersebut sejak pagi tadi hingga 02.30 petang tadi.
Menurut Pengerusi Jawatankuasa Bertindak Kampung Hakka, Chong Tza Yaw, 46; segalanya bermula sekitar jam 09.30 pagi tadi apabila penduduk kampung dikejutkan dengan kehadiran beberapa pekerja dari syarikat pemaju iaitu Mega 9 Housing Sdn Bhd yang mula mendirikan pagar berzink di sekitar salah sebuah rumah penduduk kampung tersebut.
“Seterusnya lebih kurang 50 penduduk kampung tersebut menghalang pekerja pemaju dari mendirikan pagar berzink tersebut. Pekerja-perkerja itu balik dari lokasi kejadian.
“Walaubagaimanapun sekitar jam 12.30 tengahari pekerja-pekerja itu datang semula untuk menyambung kerja menaikkan pagar berzink. Kordinator JERIT, R Gandhi cuba menghalang pekerja daripada meneruskan kerja-kerja mendirikan pagar berzink itu.
“Sejurus kemudian Gandhi ditahan oleh pihak polis dan di bawa ke Balai Polis Mantin untuk siasatan.
“Apa saya kesalkan ialah kita (penduduk kampung) sudah mendapat perintah penggantungan pelaksanaan (stay order) daripada Mahkamah Rayuan Putrajaya sehingga rayuan kes ini habis dibicarakan. Sebaliknya pemaju pula mendirikan pagar dan menghalang tuan rumah ini dari masuk ke kediaman beliau,” jelas Chong.
Peguam penduduk dan juga Ahli Dewan Undangan Negeri Lobak (ADUN), Siow Kim Leong (DAP) yang bergegas ke tempat kejadian, bertikam lidah dengan salah seorang wakil pemaju.
“Wakil pemaju memberi interperasi bahawa perintah penggantungan pelaksanaan dari Mahkamah Rayuan bermaksud pemaju tidak boleh merobohkan kediaman penduduk. Tetapi mendirikan pagar tidak melanggar perintah mahkamah tersebut.
“Walaubagaimanapun ianya tidak benar, apabila Hakim Mahkamah Rayuan memutuskan perintah penggantungan pelaksanaan, ianya bermaksud kembali kepada keadaan asal kampung tersebut. Bermakna pemaju tidak boleh buat apa-apa ditapak kampung tersebut termasuk mendirikan pagar.
“Saya anggap tindakan pemaju pada hari ini satu penghinaan kepada mahkamah (contempt of court),” kata Siow.
Siow seterusnya mengesahkan kepada FMT bahawa setelah beliau berunding dengan pemaju, pihak pemaju tetap mahu meneruskan kerja-kerja mendirikan pagar berzink itu.
“Alasan pemaju ialah Majlis Perbandaran Nilai mengarahkan pemaju membuat pagar di tapak projek dan sekiranya tidak berbuat demikian, pemaju akan dikenakan tindakan.
“Saya akan membuat permohonan prosiding ‘penghinaan mahkamah’ ke atas pemaju di Mahkamah Rayuan secepat mungkin,” ujar Siow.
Sementara itu Sidek Muhammad, 62, yang tinggal di rumah tersebut berang dengan pemaju dan sambil menunjukkan kakinya yang berbalut bertanya kepada pemaju bagaimana beliau ingin masuk ke rumah jika kawasan rumah beliau dipagar.
“Saya tidur di sini. Kaki saya sakit. Bagaimana saya mahu masuk rumah kalau awak pagar kawasan rumah ini?
Turut hadir ialah ADUN Nilai, J Arulkumar (DAP); Setiausaha Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) Seremban, S Tinagaran dan wakil NGO Jingga 13.
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SEREMBAN: Episod isu Kampung Hakka, Mantin di sini masih belum berakhir apabila sedikit kekecohan berlaku di kampung tersebut sejak pagi tadi hingga 02.30 petang tadi.Menurut Pengerusi Jawatankuasa Bertindak Kampung Hakka, Chong Tza Yaw, 46; segalanya bermula sekitar jam 09.30 pagi tadi apabila penduduk kampung dikejutkan dengan kehadiran beberapa pekerja dari syarikat pemaju iaitu Mega 9 Housing Sdn Bhd yang mula mendirikan pagar berzink di sekitar salah sebuah rumah penduduk kampung tersebut.
“Seterusnya lebih kurang 50 penduduk kampung tersebut menghalang pekerja pemaju dari mendirikan pagar berzink tersebut. Pekerja-perkerja itu balik dari lokasi kejadian.
“Walaubagaimanapun sekitar jam 12.30 tengahari pekerja-pekerja itu datang semula untuk menyambung kerja menaikkan pagar berzink. Kordinator JERIT, R Gandhi cuba menghalang pekerja daripada meneruskan kerja-kerja mendirikan pagar berzink itu.
“Sejurus kemudian Gandhi ditahan oleh pihak polis dan di bawa ke Balai Polis Mantin untuk siasatan.
“Apa saya kesalkan ialah kita (penduduk kampung) sudah mendapat perintah penggantungan pelaksanaan (stay order) daripada Mahkamah Rayuan Putrajaya sehingga rayuan kes ini habis dibicarakan. Sebaliknya pemaju pula mendirikan pagar dan menghalang tuan rumah ini dari masuk ke kediaman beliau,” jelas Chong.
Peguam penduduk dan juga Ahli Dewan Undangan Negeri Lobak (ADUN), Siow Kim Leong (DAP) yang bergegas ke tempat kejadian, bertikam lidah dengan salah seorang wakil pemaju.
“Wakil pemaju memberi interperasi bahawa perintah penggantungan pelaksanaan dari Mahkamah Rayuan bermaksud pemaju tidak boleh merobohkan kediaman penduduk. Tetapi mendirikan pagar tidak melanggar perintah mahkamah tersebut.
“Walaubagaimanapun ianya tidak benar, apabila Hakim Mahkamah Rayuan memutuskan perintah penggantungan pelaksanaan, ianya bermaksud kembali kepada keadaan asal kampung tersebut. Bermakna pemaju tidak boleh buat apa-apa ditapak kampung tersebut termasuk mendirikan pagar.
“Saya anggap tindakan pemaju pada hari ini satu penghinaan kepada mahkamah (contempt of court),” kata Siow.
Siow seterusnya mengesahkan kepada FMT bahawa setelah beliau berunding dengan pemaju, pihak pemaju tetap mahu meneruskan kerja-kerja mendirikan pagar berzink itu.
“Alasan pemaju ialah Majlis Perbandaran Nilai mengarahkan pemaju membuat pagar di tapak projek dan sekiranya tidak berbuat demikian, pemaju akan dikenakan tindakan.
“Saya akan membuat permohonan prosiding ‘penghinaan mahkamah’ ke atas pemaju di Mahkamah Rayuan secepat mungkin,” ujar Siow.
Sementara itu Sidek Muhammad, 62, yang tinggal di rumah tersebut berang dengan pemaju dan sambil menunjukkan kakinya yang berbalut bertanya kepada pemaju bagaimana beliau ingin masuk ke rumah jika kawasan rumah beliau dipagar.
“Saya tidur di sini. Kaki saya sakit. Bagaimana saya mahu masuk rumah kalau awak pagar kawasan rumah ini?
Turut hadir ialah ADUN Nilai, J Arulkumar (DAP); Setiausaha Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) Seremban, S Tinagaran dan wakil NGO Jingga 13.
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Malaysian Chinese
Lembah Bujang: Identify and gazette sites without delay
Heritage Commissioner must take responsibility and act swiftly in protecting heritage sites.
COMMENT
By P Waythamoorthy
Hindraf appreciates the swift action taken by the Kedah Menteri Besar in issuing the…
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COMMENT
By P WaythamoorthyHindraf appreciates the swift action taken by the Kedah Menteri Besar in issuing the…
Heritage Commissioner must take responsibility and act swiftly in protecting heritage sites.
COMMENT
By P Waythamoorthy
Hindraf appreciates the swift action taken by the Kedah Menteri Besar in issuing the stop work order and call by the Tourism and Culture Ministry into gazetting Lembah Valley as a national heritage but beg to differ on the concern of the Kedah MB that the effort is infeasible as it would involve tens of millions ringgit.
There should be no compromise on the protection of our national heritage. There is also funding available from the United Nations.
Although United Nation Development Programme (UNDP) in 1987 was ready to provide the funding with co-operation from the federal government, nothing had been forthcoming in planning and implementation of the masterplan that should have been mooted by the National Heritage Department.
Besides the funding from UNDP, our very own Heritage Act 2005 has the necessary provision under the Heritage Fund for such purpose. Also, the World Heritage Fund too provides monetary assistance.
Hindraf is puzzled as to why is the Heritage Commissioner is silent on the various questions raised on his responsibility to protect these sites.
Recent discovery of jetties dating back to BC487 in Bujang Valley and the similarity in the bricks and smelting systems with the Gandhara area in Kashmir which was a part of the Indus Valley civilization as asserted by Centre for Global Archaeological Research (CGAR) of USM’s Prof Dr Mokhtar Saidin further reaffirms why all sites in Bujang Valley need to be identified and gazetted.
As it stands now it appears only 17 tomb temples (candi) have been registered when there are more than 127 sites and 90 other candis identified.
A detailed report on conservation and preservation of the Bujang Valley has been initiated by Unesco in 1987 but unfortunately the National Heritage Department had not been proactive in pursuing to conserve and safeguard such sites.
Therefore any issue relating cost should not be any issue at all. There should be proactive efforts from the Heritage Commissioner to preserve such a historic archaeological site.
National park
The report by Unesco was quite meticulously prepared and recommended the government to create a National Historical Park in Bujang Valley sprawling over 400 sq kilometer with a view to protecting, preserving and presenting the archaeological sites found therein and thereby creating a national as well as an international tourist attraction.
Unesco made those recommendations to preserve it as the site clearly fulfills the basic criteria to be listed under the World Heritage List.
The Bujang Valley is internationally recognized as the oldest and richest archaeological area in Malaysia and therefore in the interest of the nation, we urge the National Heritage Department to immediately initiate the necessary action plans to revisit the Unesco report that was done in 1987 and carry out the steps to protect the cultural heritage of Malaysia.
The National Heritage Department which has all the necessary authority vested onto them by the Heritage Act 2005 should work in tandem with the federal government and the state government swiftly in delineating the boundaries, acquiring such sites, gazetting them and taking all appropriate actions to avoid such a mishap that had occurred recently in relation to Candi 11.
They can start by initiating a Heritage Steering Committee consisting of personnel from the National Heritage Department, local government, federal government as well as independent expert members.
The Heritage Steering Committee should cover all aspects of heritage management plan, implementation and making the relevant recommendation including introduction of appropriate protection measures in planning policies in response to potential threat like change of land use, housing development and other activities.
P Waythamoorthy is the Hindraf chairman and a deputy minister in the Prime Minister’s Department.
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COMMENT
By P WaythamoorthyHindraf appreciates the swift action taken by the Kedah Menteri Besar in issuing the stop work order and call by the Tourism and Culture Ministry into gazetting Lembah Valley as a national heritage but beg to differ on the concern of the Kedah MB that the effort is infeasible as it would involve tens of millions ringgit.
There should be no compromise on the protection of our national heritage. There is also funding available from the United Nations.
Although United Nation Development Programme (UNDP) in 1987 was ready to provide the funding with co-operation from the federal government, nothing had been forthcoming in planning and implementation of the masterplan that should have been mooted by the National Heritage Department.
Besides the funding from UNDP, our very own Heritage Act 2005 has the necessary provision under the Heritage Fund for such purpose. Also, the World Heritage Fund too provides monetary assistance.
Hindraf is puzzled as to why is the Heritage Commissioner is silent on the various questions raised on his responsibility to protect these sites.
Recent discovery of jetties dating back to BC487 in Bujang Valley and the similarity in the bricks and smelting systems with the Gandhara area in Kashmir which was a part of the Indus Valley civilization as asserted by Centre for Global Archaeological Research (CGAR) of USM’s Prof Dr Mokhtar Saidin further reaffirms why all sites in Bujang Valley need to be identified and gazetted.
As it stands now it appears only 17 tomb temples (candi) have been registered when there are more than 127 sites and 90 other candis identified.
A detailed report on conservation and preservation of the Bujang Valley has been initiated by Unesco in 1987 but unfortunately the National Heritage Department had not been proactive in pursuing to conserve and safeguard such sites.
Therefore any issue relating cost should not be any issue at all. There should be proactive efforts from the Heritage Commissioner to preserve such a historic archaeological site.
National park
The report by Unesco was quite meticulously prepared and recommended the government to create a National Historical Park in Bujang Valley sprawling over 400 sq kilometer with a view to protecting, preserving and presenting the archaeological sites found therein and thereby creating a national as well as an international tourist attraction.
Unesco made those recommendations to preserve it as the site clearly fulfills the basic criteria to be listed under the World Heritage List.
The Bujang Valley is internationally recognized as the oldest and richest archaeological area in Malaysia and therefore in the interest of the nation, we urge the National Heritage Department to immediately initiate the necessary action plans to revisit the Unesco report that was done in 1987 and carry out the steps to protect the cultural heritage of Malaysia.
The National Heritage Department which has all the necessary authority vested onto them by the Heritage Act 2005 should work in tandem with the federal government and the state government swiftly in delineating the boundaries, acquiring such sites, gazetting them and taking all appropriate actions to avoid such a mishap that had occurred recently in relation to Candi 11.
They can start by initiating a Heritage Steering Committee consisting of personnel from the National Heritage Department, local government, federal government as well as independent expert members.
The Heritage Steering Committee should cover all aspects of heritage management plan, implementation and making the relevant recommendation including introduction of appropriate protection measures in planning policies in response to potential threat like change of land use, housing development and other activities.
P Waythamoorthy is the Hindraf chairman and a deputy minister in the Prime Minister’s Department.
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Bujang Valley,
Hindraf
Respect human rights, urges organiser
Sarawak witnessed state wide rallies calling for human rights to be respected.
KUCHING: The unprecedented statewide series of peaceful rallies on human rights day was successfully held yesterday.
Hundreds of…
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KUCHING: The unprecedented statewide series of peaceful rallies on human rights day was successfully held yesterday.Hundreds of…
Sarawak witnessed state wide rallies calling for human rights to be respected.
KUCHING: The unprecedented statewide series of peaceful rallies on human rights day was successfully held yesterday.
Hundreds of Sarawak natives staged rallies across the state today to protest the state government’s alleged forced acquisition of their land and indigenous rights.
Kuching rally coordinator, Peter John Jaban urges the government to respect the people’s rights.
“I hoped that Malaysia government respect the declaration rights of the indigenous people or the human rights,
“The government signed the declaration of human rights,
“So, please respect human rights,” he said to the media during the rally in Padang Merdeka, Kuching.
In Kuching, an estimated 300 people were at Padang Merdeka in the city center. They carried placards and banners denouncing the acquisition or planned acquisition of their land.
Meanwhile in Sibu, over 200 community people of the central region of Sarawak from Ngemah to Kuala Igan, Saratok to Ulu Mukah staged a peaceful rally starting from the Sibu Town Square to the Divisional Lands and Surveys Office, voicing their dissatisfaction of land development policy that encroach the customary land with unfair deal.
The Sibu rally was led by Matek Maxi, Sarawak Dayak Iban Association HQ activist.
In Bintulu at least 60 people turned up for the event in front of the First Council Negeri Memorial led by Yusuf Abdullah.
Miri had the biggest turnout with more than 400 people; peacefully gathered at the Centre Point commercial centre at Jalan Kubu.
Gerakan Seluruh Rakyat Sarawak (Grass) press liaison officer, Mark Bujang says that the rallies got good responds.
“It’s very good because our expectation was not many but the people giva a very good respond,” he told FMT
The police gave full cooperation to control the rally.
“We also have small protest in Long Lama, Long Mekaba and Baram,
Mark also says that they will do the rallies yearly as to celebrate world human rights day.
“In future we will do it again with proper planning.”
Nicholas Bawin, from the Dayak Culture Council says that the government must be serious in respecting human rights.
“Taib must listen to the voice of the people and stop violating their rights, robbing them of their communal forest and exploiting the state’s resources. He must also stop the construction of the dams.
“The show of force from the various communities that took part in the rally in Kuching is a clear message to the chief minister that he must respect the rights of the natives,” he quoted
There were no reported incidents and police did not attempt to stop the rally participants from marching through the town’s major thoroughfare.
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KUCHING: The unprecedented statewide series of peaceful rallies on human rights day was successfully held yesterday.Hundreds of Sarawak natives staged rallies across the state today to protest the state government’s alleged forced acquisition of their land and indigenous rights.
Kuching rally coordinator, Peter John Jaban urges the government to respect the people’s rights.
“I hoped that Malaysia government respect the declaration rights of the indigenous people or the human rights,
“The government signed the declaration of human rights,
“So, please respect human rights,” he said to the media during the rally in Padang Merdeka, Kuching.
In Kuching, an estimated 300 people were at Padang Merdeka in the city center. They carried placards and banners denouncing the acquisition or planned acquisition of their land.
Meanwhile in Sibu, over 200 community people of the central region of Sarawak from Ngemah to Kuala Igan, Saratok to Ulu Mukah staged a peaceful rally starting from the Sibu Town Square to the Divisional Lands and Surveys Office, voicing their dissatisfaction of land development policy that encroach the customary land with unfair deal.
The Sibu rally was led by Matek Maxi, Sarawak Dayak Iban Association HQ activist.
In Bintulu at least 60 people turned up for the event in front of the First Council Negeri Memorial led by Yusuf Abdullah.
Miri had the biggest turnout with more than 400 people; peacefully gathered at the Centre Point commercial centre at Jalan Kubu.
Gerakan Seluruh Rakyat Sarawak (Grass) press liaison officer, Mark Bujang says that the rallies got good responds.“It’s very good because our expectation was not many but the people giva a very good respond,” he told FMT
The police gave full cooperation to control the rally.
“We also have small protest in Long Lama, Long Mekaba and Baram,
Mark also says that they will do the rallies yearly as to celebrate world human rights day.
“In future we will do it again with proper planning.”
Nicholas Bawin, from the Dayak Culture Council says that the government must be serious in respecting human rights.
“Taib must listen to the voice of the people and stop violating their rights, robbing them of their communal forest and exploiting the state’s resources. He must also stop the construction of the dams.
“The show of force from the various communities that took part in the rally in Kuching is a clear message to the chief minister that he must respect the rights of the natives,” he quoted
There were no reported incidents and police did not attempt to stop the rally participants from marching through the town’s major thoroughfare.
Labels:
human rights
Penang’s homestay lacks Bumi participation
Penang state government has been urged to be proactive in getting more Bumiputeras involved in homestay programme
GEORGE TOWN: Penang opposition leader Jahara Hamid today called on the state government…
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GEORGE TOWN: Penang opposition leader Jahara Hamid today called on the state government…
Penang state government has been urged to be proactive in getting more Bumiputeras involved in homestay programme
GEORGE TOWN: Penang opposition leader Jahara Hamid today called on the state government to increase the participation of Bumiputeras in the homestay tourism sector in the state.
The assemblyman from Teluk Air Tawar said Bumiputeras only made up two per cent of the participants in the sector.
The state government should be proactive in intensifying the promotion of homestay as a tourism product, particularly in the rural areas, she said when speaking during the debate on the Supply Bill 2014 in the state legislative assembly.
Jahara said feedback from many foreign tourists indicated that they preferred a homestay holiday so as to experience the unique local culture.
Meanwhile, Muhamad Farid Saad (BN-Pulau Betong) criticised the state government for not providing complete answers to questions in the assembly.
He said state assemblymen required complete information so as to be able to engage well in the debate sessions.
“I also find information of the state expenditure in the budget proposal difficult to comprehend, especially on the distribution of allocations. Some of the information is illogical,” he said.
He said the absence of details for projects to be implemented next year was worrying, leading to apprehension over whether some of the projects could bemimplemented.
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GEORGE TOWN: Penang opposition leader Jahara Hamid today called on the state government to increase the participation of Bumiputeras in the homestay tourism sector in the state.The assemblyman from Teluk Air Tawar said Bumiputeras only made up two per cent of the participants in the sector.
The state government should be proactive in intensifying the promotion of homestay as a tourism product, particularly in the rural areas, she said when speaking during the debate on the Supply Bill 2014 in the state legislative assembly.
Jahara said feedback from many foreign tourists indicated that they preferred a homestay holiday so as to experience the unique local culture.
Meanwhile, Muhamad Farid Saad (BN-Pulau Betong) criticised the state government for not providing complete answers to questions in the assembly.
He said state assemblymen required complete information so as to be able to engage well in the debate sessions.
“I also find information of the state expenditure in the budget proposal difficult to comprehend, especially on the distribution of allocations. Some of the information is illogical,” he said.
He said the absence of details for projects to be implemented next year was worrying, leading to apprehension over whether some of the projects could bemimplemented.
Labels:
Penang
If other Muslim countries can have Shias and Sunnis, why can’t we? asks Suhakam chief
The Malaysian Human Rights Commission, or Suhakam, has called for a dialogue between the country's predominant Sunni Muslims and the tiny number of Shia Muslims.Suhakam chairman Tan Sri Hasmy…
The Malaysian Human Rights Commission, or Suhakam, has called for a dialogue between the country's predominant Sunni Muslims and the tiny number of Shia Muslims.Suhakam chairman Tan Sri Hasmy Agam, saying the Federal Constitution provided for freedom of different communities to practise their faith, called for such a freedom to be extended to other denominations within Islam.
“If other Muslim countries can have Shias and Sunnis living side by side, why can’t Malaysia?” asked Hasmy, adding that the sensitive issue could still be solved through dialogue.
Hasmy said despite followers of two schools involved in violent conflicts elsewhere, both groups should work out their differences through dialogue.
Shiaism is the second largest denomination of Islam, and according to Washington-based Pew Research Center, its adherents make up 10% to 20% of the global Muslim population, now estimated to be at 1.6 billion.
Despite their small number in Malaysia, Shia Muslims have been targeted by local Islamic authorities. The move is ironic, as Malaysia has good relations with Iran, a predominantly Shia Muslim nation.
Hasmy’s call, which was made during an event to mark Human Rights Day yesterday, followed months of belligerent talk by political parties, Muslim groups and government agencies against local Shia Muslims who they said posed a “threat” to Sunni Islam.
Last week, during the Umno general assembly, party leaders took turns in calling for a clampdown on Shia Muslims.
Other local Muslim groups have called for the same treatment towards Shias, although they said the denomination should not be recognised as a branch of Islam in Malaysia.
This is despite the 57-member Organisation of Muslim Cooperation's stand in support of good relations between Sunnis and Shias.
Hasmy meanwhile said the country's quest for a developed nation status by Vision 2020 can only be realised if "hold ourselves to a higher standard of behaviour when it comes to dealing with religious differences".
“I do not want to create controversy but I believe that there should be greater understanding and dialogue. We can agree to disagree and that is healthy," Hasmy told The Malaysian Insider after a panel discussion titled “The Road to 2020: Human Rights and Development” at the Parkroyal Hotel in Kuala Lumpur, yesterday. - December 11, 2013.
Bali Boost: WTO Lives, Snatched From Jaws of Defeat
It would be churlish not to congratulate the WTO and especially Roberto Azevêdo,…
It would be churlish not to congratulate the WTO and especially Roberto Azevêdo, its dynamic director-general, for successfully passing a “Bali package” at the Indonesian resort well past the 11th hour on 7 December.
The WTO Doha Round, launched in the Qatari capital in 2001, a few weeks after 9/11, had become a synonym of failure: failure of the WTO and failure to move forward an inclusive agenda of globalization. It was expected by many, including this author, that the ninth ministerial conference would follow the pattern.
Instead Bali succeeded, at least in the sense that unlike previous ministerial conferences it did not collapse. The question is whether, as some exuberantly declare, the Doha Development Agenda has been brought back to life or, as others fear, the state of suspended animation has been extended by temporarily rebooting the life-support machine.
The trading system put in place after World War II with the establishment in 1947 of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, or GATT, contributed enormously to bringing peace and prosperity to the nations of the North Atlantic. This was when the world was divided in three: the first world consisting of rich market-oriented economies; a second world of state-led central-command economies; and a third world collection of basically poor countries, many of which – including Brazil, Argentina, Indonesia and India – were practicing import-substitution industrialization policies.
Thus the GATT was essentially an elite club of OECD countries, with Canada, the US, the EU and Japan, what was referred to as the “quad” calling the shots. This was fine because other countries were not interested. After the last GATT Uruguay Round in 1994, the institution was reformed and recreated the following year into the World Trade Organization.
The first director-general, the late Renato Ruggiero, referred to the WTO as the first true institution of this new phase of globalization. As the Soviet empire, hence the second world, imploded and major market-oriented reforms occurred in third world countries, the world gradually unified into one global integrated market economy with only a handful like North Korea opting out.
Ruggiero warned early on: “we have gone from a divided world to an integrated world; and an integrated world is much more difficult to manage.” And so, that has proved to be the case.
In 1995, the WTO counted some 90 member states; at Bali there were 160. But apart from the membership increase, all has not developed smoothly. The 1999 WTO ministerial meeting in Seattle descended into total fiasco. Then Director-General Mike Moore expressed the prophetic fear that the WTO would become the “League of Nations” of the 21st century world economy – impotent and irrelevant.
In 2001, China was admitted and the ministerial meeting was held in Doha. Developing countries from the South wanted a piece of the global trade action, but in areas where they had comparative advantage: in essence agriculture, raw materials and labor intensive goods, precisely areas where the quad had maintained high tariffs, subsidies, quotas, exclusions and other forms of trade distortions that were especially discriminatory against developing countries.
The South clamored for a level playing field, something they would not be granted because of lobbies and vested interests in the countries of the North.
Nevertheless in Doha, in great part because of the brief and ethereal moment of global solidarity in the wake of 9/11, not only was a new round launched, but it was called the Doha Development Agenda, or DDA, thus understood by countries of the South as development-oriented, aimed at eliminating discriminatory trade distortions.
The spirit of global cooperation and development orientation disappeared before the ink was dry. At the 2003 WTO ministerial in Cancún, talks collapsed for a variety of reasons, but largely because of Washington’s refusal to cut massive subsidies allocated to its powerful cotton lobby, thereby undermining more cost-efficient producers from developing countries, especially Africa’s “cotton four” – Benin, Burkina Faso, Chad and Mali.
In the decade since Cancún attempts to restore the DDA have failed. While the North-South divide remains, other issues complicate the global trade picture, two of which stand out: The first is the absolutely amazing, unexpected rise of China as a global trade superpower. Another is that technology has made production of goods and services in the form of global value chains highly dispersed in a totally new paradigm.
The DDA was launched at a time when these transformations had not yet occurred. Negotiations were fought on yesterday’s battlefields. The world had changed immensely while Doha was a constant.
Unable to adjust, lead or compromise, and thereby frustrated by no longer being able to dictate the global trade agenda, the established powers opted to play in regional trade deals and then in another more exclusive trade sandbox – in the form of what’s been called the “trade mega-deals.”
There are two especially big ones: TTIP, the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership, composed of the US and EU, and The Transpacific Partnership, composed of a dozen Pacific countries, led by the United States. Both exclude the new emerging trading powers – China, Brazil, India, South Africa – along with the poor countries, especially those from southern and central Asia and Africa.
The intention of these mega-deals is not only to liberalize trade among members, but also, perhaps especially, to write new trade rules for the 21st century.
So in the space of not much more than a decade, the world transformed from a three-part division to an attempt at integration is back to a new two-part divide with the essentially rich “in” countries, and the “outs” – emerging, developing and poor countries – with the former being rule-makers and the latter rule-abiders.
There is no guarantee that these mega-deals will see the light of day. But there’s been a trend in recent years from global trade integration to fragmentation. Of course, trends need not be irreversible. Will Bali be seen as a reversal of these trends of global fragmentation in favor of greater global integration? One must hope, but a closer look at the Bali package suggests it is unlikely.
Much of the Bali package is rhetoric, not yet translated into implementable concrete reality. More fundamentally, it remains to be seen whether the spirit of global cooperation, the setting aside of narrow national interests in favor of improving the global commons, will prevail sufficiently to generate post-Bali momentum. Bali is Doha-lite. One reason for its “success” is the view among US trade officials that none of the provisions are likely to require approval of Congress, in these days an almost-certain graveyard for trade deals, perhaps even for TPP and TTIP.
Optimists celebrate that, thanks to Bali, trade multilateralism lives to see another day. The fear was that a Bali failure would not only have put a last nail in the Doha coffin, but would also have hastened the demise of the already fragile rules-based multilateral trade regime. It is a victory of sorts, but perhaps dangerously so of the pyrrhic variety.
The tattered global trade fabric is in desperate need of radical reform. Mindsets, the culture of 21st century globalization, must change and implement radical reforms to adapt to the new realities and thereby seize the opportunities for a more equitable, inclusive and sustainable globalization.
So Bali is not the end nor, to paraphrase Winston Churchill, is it the beginning of the end, but one must hope perhaps the end of a long, tortuous beginning. Great effort, leadership and vision are required to build solid foundations for a 21st century trade regime.
(Jean-Pierre Lehmann is emeritus professor, IMD; visiting professor, Hong Kong University and NIIT University (Neemrana, Rajasthan, India); and founder of The Evian Group. Copyright © 2013 The Whitney and Betty MacMillan Center for International and Area Studies at Yale.)
Schools should be decentralised, says World Bank
Autonomy in schools will allow the resident learning centres to accommodate local needs and allow ownership by teachers, administrators, parents and students.
by Azli Jamil
PETALING JAYA: Malaysia needs to…
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by Azli JamilPETALING JAYA: Malaysia needs to…
Autonomy in schools will allow the resident learning centres to accommodate local needs and allow ownership by teachers, administrators, parents and students.
by Azli Jamil
PETALING JAYA: Malaysia needs to decentralise its schools, provide feedback to parents on performance and find quality teachers as a crucial step in its race to become a high income nation, according to the World Bank’s Economic Monitor report on High-Performing Education released yesterday.
The report said Malaysia’s education system, which is among the most centralised in the world, makes it difficult to adapt to rapidly changing needs and circumstances.
“Autonomy allows for greater responsiveness to local needs as well as stronger ownership of performance by teachers, administrators, parents and students,” said World Bank country director for Malaysia Ulrich Zachau.
“Schools must have more freedom to hire and fire and also to manage its own budget allocations and curriculum.”
He said autonomy must come with accountability where parents must be more involved in demanding performance from the schools as the parents’ feedback loops and bottom-up pressure are important drivers of systemic improvements.
The quality of teachers is the third priority and is a cause of concern where the key is to recruit and retain the best teachers.
Zachau said 46% of principals noted that lack of qualified teaching staff as constraint and the Minister of Education has admitted that some candidates enrolling at teacher training institutions did not meet minimum requirements of academic achievement at the secondary level.
Nevertheless, Zachau noted that there is a need to look at benchmarking the school leadership as that is a key area too in ensuring the success of Malaysia’s education aspirations.
With regard to the nation’s dismal performance at the Programme for International Student Assessment survey results released last week, Zachau said that if the comparison is made using the scores of the top 5% of Malaysian students, it would place them at par with the average level for scores for China and South Korea.
Nonetheless, out of the 65 countries participating in the survey, the overall ranking for Malaysia for 2012 remains at 52 for Mathematics, 53 for Science and 59 for Reading.
Earlier, in his speech, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Abdul Wahid Omar said the planning for the 11th Malaysia Plan is underway with the output expected to come in mid 2015. “We want to avoid over planning and focus on implementation,” said Wahid.
The Plan is premised upon six major thrusts; harnessing talent, re-engineering economic growth, strengthening growth enablers, enhancing inclusivity, improving wellbeing and maintaining environmental and resources management.
“It is the last phase of our development plan towards achieving a high-income nation,” said Wahid.
Wahid noted that the issues of school autonomy and greater stakeholder participation in the school system has been recognised in the Malaysian Education Blueprint 2013-2025 launched last month.
“Steps have and will be taken to address these proposals,” said Wahid.
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by Azli JamilPETALING JAYA: Malaysia needs to decentralise its schools, provide feedback to parents on performance and find quality teachers as a crucial step in its race to become a high income nation, according to the World Bank’s Economic Monitor report on High-Performing Education released yesterday.
The report said Malaysia’s education system, which is among the most centralised in the world, makes it difficult to adapt to rapidly changing needs and circumstances.
“Autonomy allows for greater responsiveness to local needs as well as stronger ownership of performance by teachers, administrators, parents and students,” said World Bank country director for Malaysia Ulrich Zachau.
“Schools must have more freedom to hire and fire and also to manage its own budget allocations and curriculum.”
He said autonomy must come with accountability where parents must be more involved in demanding performance from the schools as the parents’ feedback loops and bottom-up pressure are important drivers of systemic improvements.
The quality of teachers is the third priority and is a cause of concern where the key is to recruit and retain the best teachers.
Zachau said 46% of principals noted that lack of qualified teaching staff as constraint and the Minister of Education has admitted that some candidates enrolling at teacher training institutions did not meet minimum requirements of academic achievement at the secondary level.
Nevertheless, Zachau noted that there is a need to look at benchmarking the school leadership as that is a key area too in ensuring the success of Malaysia’s education aspirations.
With regard to the nation’s dismal performance at the Programme for International Student Assessment survey results released last week, Zachau said that if the comparison is made using the scores of the top 5% of Malaysian students, it would place them at par with the average level for scores for China and South Korea.
Nonetheless, out of the 65 countries participating in the survey, the overall ranking for Malaysia for 2012 remains at 52 for Mathematics, 53 for Science and 59 for Reading.
Earlier, in his speech, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Abdul Wahid Omar said the planning for the 11th Malaysia Plan is underway with the output expected to come in mid 2015. “We want to avoid over planning and focus on implementation,” said Wahid.
The Plan is premised upon six major thrusts; harnessing talent, re-engineering economic growth, strengthening growth enablers, enhancing inclusivity, improving wellbeing and maintaining environmental and resources management.
“It is the last phase of our development plan towards achieving a high-income nation,” said Wahid.
Wahid noted that the issues of school autonomy and greater stakeholder participation in the school system has been recognised in the Malaysian Education Blueprint 2013-2025 launched last month.
“Steps have and will be taken to address these proposals,” said Wahid.
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Education
Don't Do Anything That Can Cause Mistrust Among Communities, Selangor Sultan Advises People
KLANG, Dec 11 (Bernama) -- The Sultan of Selangor, Sultan Sharafuddin
Idris Shah today reminded the state's multiracial and multireligious
society not to do anything that could cause mistrust among…
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KLANG, Dec 11 (Bernama) -- The Sultan of Selangor, Sultan Sharafuddin
Idris Shah today reminded the state's multiracial and multireligious
society not to do anything that could cause mistrust among them.
The Sultan said each individual in the state should respect the freedom of others to practise their own religion and not touch on sensitive issues, which could arouse anger and create undesirable situations.
"I wish for the development in Selangor to continue into the times of our future generations.
"Therefore, all communities in Selangor must play their role in maintaining development in the state by not creating disharmony and mistrust of each other," the Sultan said at a tea reception with the rakyat at Padang Mahkota, Istana Alam Shah, here, Wednesday, in conjunction with his 68th birthday celebration.
In this regard, he also reminded the country's intellectuals to understand sensitive issues and not make statements that could hurt people's feelings to the extent of causing disharmony. The Sultan also urged the people to explore and venture into new things that could make Selangor even more developed and outstanding in Malaysia.
"Let's not allow Selangor's development to be stagnant. But Selangor cannot develop further if its multiracial people are not united and cooperative as one team," he said.
The Sultan also wants the people to assist and cooperate with the police in combating crime in the state.
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The Sultan said each individual in the state should respect the freedom of others to practise their own religion and not touch on sensitive issues, which could arouse anger and create undesirable situations.
"I wish for the development in Selangor to continue into the times of our future generations.
"Therefore, all communities in Selangor must play their role in maintaining development in the state by not creating disharmony and mistrust of each other," the Sultan said at a tea reception with the rakyat at Padang Mahkota, Istana Alam Shah, here, Wednesday, in conjunction with his 68th birthday celebration.
In this regard, he also reminded the country's intellectuals to understand sensitive issues and not make statements that could hurt people's feelings to the extent of causing disharmony. The Sultan also urged the people to explore and venture into new things that could make Selangor even more developed and outstanding in Malaysia.
"Let's not allow Selangor's development to be stagnant. But Selangor cannot develop further if its multiracial people are not united and cooperative as one team," he said.
The Sultan also wants the people to assist and cooperate with the police in combating crime in the state.
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Rulers of Malaysia
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