Dr M: They'll revoke my passport if I criticise Najib abroad

SG BESAR POLLS Dr Mahathir Mohamad today claimed he has been warned by the immigration that his passport will be revoked if he criticises Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak abroad.

"I was warned that if I say something not in support of Najib, when I come back from overseas my passport will be revoked for three years," the former premier said in his speech in Sungai Besar today.

Mahathir also disputed that the Immigration Department has a right to take back his travel document.

"I didn't read this in the federal constitution, where this right came from I don't know."

Previously Immigration chief Sakib Kusmi had said the law empowered him to have discretion to bar those who insult the government from leaving the country.



Read more: https://www.malaysiakini.com/news/345648#ixzz4BoEeTXbG

Not one more Indian vote to Barisan Nasional

Once bitten twice shy is an old and wise saying.

Bitten by BN is a mild way of saying it but what the BN coalition and Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak has done to the Indian community of Malaysia is far worse. They are now committing a severe breach of contract on promises they made and signed into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) - on April 18, 2013 with Hindraf acting as the representative organisation for the Indian community of Malaysia.

Here are some excerpts from that historic document - as samples of what were agreed upon. You can see the scale and scope of what was promised. There is much more elsewhere in that MOU contract document.

The MOU required the BN government to come up with programmes to double the mean monthly family income by 2018 from 2013 levels for all families earning less than RM3,000 per month. That is at least about 40 percent of the Indian families in the country. Absolutely nothing has happened on this. There has been no socio-economic development programmes targeting this group or even ng them access to some other general socio-economic development programmes.

It is now well three years into the MOU contract of five years. The BN coalition and Najib are clearly indicating that terms like this were meant to be nothing more than embellishments to buy the Indian vote when they needed their votes most desperately in the 13th general election. If in three years nothing has happened we can only conclude that nothing will happen at all on this count. Breach, deception, political trickery - call it what you want.

There is not any sign of a housing programme to provide decent and affordable housing to the displaced estate worker community - let alone a hundred thousand houses. Yes that is what was promised. Does anyone see anything remotely like that happening? It is actually quite saddening to see the scale of the deception.

Very little to nothing has been done to alleviate the problem of former estate temples being on private land and being continuous targets of demolition and eviction. This problem remains till today at the same level it has been in recent years. What hopes there were when the agreement was signed that there would be a robust solution to a nagging problem of a section of Malaysian society? All such hopes have been lost .

This was more icing that Najib gave on the cake of the big lie to the Indian community.

The contract requires the BN government to establish clear policies and programmes to eliminate the problem of statelessness experienced by a large number of Indian Malaysians. Every day new cases keep coming up on top of the what already exists. The problem does not look like it is going to go away any time soon.

There is completely a lack of willingness on the part of the BN government to address the root causes of the problem. They set up something called the Special Implementation Task Force (SITF) whose job it is to work on eliminating the problem. But all they are able to do is give out forms (borangs) to the illiterate and semi-literate people and who are required to produce voluminous information.

When are very falteringly able to do that, it takes months and years if at all before they will get something positive. When they fail to produce the information they are blamed for the persistence of the problem. The positive approach envisaged in the MOU has been completely obliterated. Does this government deserve any love from the Indian community?

No accounting yet from the Najib gov’t

This is a sample of the type of sharing that was envisaged in the education field. But considering the breadth of the requirements covered and that were recorded in the MOU agreement , what is happening today is little more than eyewash. With recent cutbacks in the budget, the allocations have been further slashed. Statistics are hidden behind the Official Secrets Act (OSA), there is no accounting yet from the Najib government on this matter.

To save his grace, Najib has thrown bits and pieces here and there and his cronies turn that into a “Najib is the PM who has done the most for the Indian community” label. Political trickery all the way.

Najib sets up a ghostly organisation called the Socio-Economic Development for the Indian Community (Sedic) and gives it some piddly funds, and Sedic for its part makes a big deal about giving that money out to the people through NGOs and engages in an illusion that they are contributing to permanent and comprehensive solutions.

They do nothing to the core problems of the Indian community at all they are just buying is the Indian vote. In the process they legitimise the deception of BN and Najib.

So, if you put all of that together what you get is a picture of outright deception of a politically vulnerable community. The Indian community believed some good will come out by supporting the BN in those last elections. They have been proved utterly wrong. Najib has shown all this is chicken feed for him.

When one considers the scale and scope of what was agreed between BN and Hindraf in the agreement - comprehensive and permanent solutions for the many socio-economic ailments of the Indian community was the core concept. But what has happened is peanut programmes with nothing more than further attempts to buy the Indian vote as the primary objective.

The Indian voters must become savvy to this point and understand that they will make their bitter point about the betrayal only by absolutely rejecting BN, Not one vote of the Indian community must go to the BN. BN has to be taught a lesson , so they will not attempt such deception on unsuspecting and vulnerable poor people. Betrayers must be dealt with no mercy.

Therefore the Hindraf People’s Movement calls out to all Indian voters in Sungei Besar and Kuala Kangsar to deny even one vote to BN. BN must be taught a lesson. To do otherwise will mean we lose out on even the little leverage the community possesses as an economic and numerical minority in the country.

RAMESH PERIASAMY is a member of the senate, Hindraf People’s Movement.

Three-year-old girl's hand caught in escalator

MALACCA: A three-year-old girl's left hand got stuck in an escalator during a shopping trip with her family at a hypermarket in Ayer Keroh here on Wednesday.

Fire and Rescue Department personnel took some five minutes to remove her hand that was caught at one end of the escalator in the 10pm incident.

The girl was rushed to a nearby private hospital with minor injuries.

Man’s skeletal remains found in plantation

POLICE in Malacca suspect that the skeletal remains found on a plantation in Jus Selandar, Jasin, may belong to a man abducted nearly a month ago, reported Makkal Osai.

The remains were found in a bush by a passer-by who went to the area to trap birds.

He contacted the police who recovered the body, which was left at about 100m from the road, and sent it for an autopsy.

The body was found with a tattered blue shirt which the family of the kidnap victim have confirmed were the clothes he was wearing on the last day they saw him alive.

Police believe the remains could be that of the man who had been kidnapped by a group of men 26 days ago.

Police shoot dead robber in Johor Bahru

Police believe he was part of a gang that committed 17 robberies in Johor this year resulting in RM600,000 losses.

JOHOR BAHRU: Police shot dead a male foreign national robber while his two accomplices escaped in an incident at the Jalan Ulu Choh-Pontian junction here this evening.

Johor Police Chief Wan Ahmad Najmuddin Mohd said the incident took place when a police patrol chanced upon three men in a car acting in a suspicious manner at 1.45pm.

“They ignored the police order to stop and tried to run down the patrol.

“The police shot at the car and hit the suspect who was driving the car. The car careened into the road divider,” he said in a statement here today.

“His accomplices managed to escape into the nearby jungle. An inspection of the car found the dead man, estimated to be aged 27, did not have any identification,” he said.

Wan Ahmad Najmuddin said two parangs and an imitation pistol were found in the car.

Several cellphones and RM1,400 in cash were also found on the dead suspect.

Police believed the group had committed 17 robberies in Johor this year resulting in RM600,000 losses, he added.
– BERNAMA

You can be the start of the change this nation needs, Ambiga tells UTM VC

Former Bar Council president Ambiga Sreenevasan today shared her thoughts on the erroneous information contained in Universiti Teknologi Malaysia’s teaching modules regarding Hindus and Sikhism.

In an open letter to UTM vice-chancellor Wahid Omar, she outlined the root causes of such incidents, and suggested solutions.

Below is her letter in full:

Open Letter to the Vice-Chancellor of Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Prof Ir Dr Wahid Omar

Dear Vice-Chancellor,

Your apology and expression of remorse together with your commitment to investigate the Titas slides is most welcome.

Let me, however, offer you a perspective which I hope you will consider.

What happened at your institution is, in my view, merely a symptom of a much larger problem that the country is facing. Years of brainwashing, racist supremacist statements by our leaders, and a system that condones and encourages racial polarisation have brought us today, to those infamous slides. As an educator, I am sure you are equally alarmed at where we are, given that this is the 21st century we are talking about and we are no longer a young nation.

The systematic creation of a narrow and bigoted thought process may help in a political agenda, but does nothing for the recipients of such tutelage. We can only rewrite history and social science so much. I hope that you share my view that those who have manipulated our young minds into becoming so closed have done the community a great disservice. They have also done a great disservice to those who are made to feel they are lesser mortals. Indeed, what they have done is to stunt the potential of our youth, both in heart and mind, making it difficult for them to compete in the global village.

Thus I see your latest problem as an inevitable result of a system that has been in place for years and which is sanctioned by those in power. You know the system I am talking about. You said this is an isolated incident. I don’t believe it will be the last of such incidents to surface in our education system. The only reason we know about the slides is because they went viral. But how many other such incidents are undetected? It may even be happening discreetly and may manifest in so many different ways.

Do you not think it is time to change, sir?

As an educator you must know that this brainwashing and feeding of young minds with false information must stop. Not all fall prey to this abuse, mind you. Many students, due to their parents’ and other teachers’ positive influences, do not succumb. I also know there are many good and dedicated teachers and these teachers are not the ones I am speaking of.

Having somewhat identified the source of the problem, I think I should be constructive. But before that, I believe you should ignore those who have suggested that you should not offer an apology. They are the ones who would encourage the system of “them and us”. They do not want Malaysians to live in harmony. They love the polarisation. They do not believe that human beings are all equal. They certainly do not believe in our diversity, as you do. They fail to understand that your tendering an apology is a sign of strength and courage, not weakness and that it is an acknowledgement that human beings are not infallible but that we can become better.

Now the solutions. You have stated that you are conducting investigations and that due action will be taken as necessary. I have some other suggestions.

May I suggest that you take your inquiry much further than just this incident. I suggest that you delve deeper and identify the root causes of the thought process of the educators who were responsible for the slides. It appears that they too are a product of the system I spoke of. I suggest you also engage all your lecturers of all races and ask them what they truly feel about each community in the country. Do they feel superior, or do they feel like second-class citizens? Investigate where your educators are from. Their schools, their influences and the reasons for their mindsets.

Engage your students in the same way. Ask if they stick to groups of one race or do they engage harmoniously with one another. I believe the polarisation is stark in most institutions and this has been the case for many years.

After all that, tabulate the findings and then move on to your second phase. The difficult one. Changing the mindsets of both the lecturers and students.

Teach them to value each others’ cultures. Show them how rich each culture is. Let them learn how much a diverse Malaysia can teach them. That we are all humans with the same aspirations. That they must open up their minds and embrace all the knowledge that they can acquire and can share. And most importantly that they must have an inquiring mind, free of prejudices and bigotry. In fact, why not have them all learn about the different religions? Did you know that when I want to give speeches, I can go to any religious text and I will have no problems finding beautiful passages on peace, justice, compassion and integrity.

What do you think, sir? Are you willing to carry out this experiment for the sake of the nation? There are many people who will gladly help you. Take it not only as a challenge but as a necessary step to reverse our intellectual decline.

Were you aware, sir, that there is a wonderful article in the latest The Economist about how to make a good teacher? It is worth a read. And it is worth asking your teachers to read it too. It is clearly time to invest in our teachers.

It is also time we aimed for a system of education with integrity and intellectual excellence. We need to encourage true scholarship. I am not an education professional but I believe we have to keep politicians out of deciding education policy and leave it to educators instead. In other words, let’s take the politics out of education.

You can be the start of the change that this nation needs. I hope that as an educator you will set an example and consider what I have said with an open mind. It is time. Our children deserve much better.

Thank you.

Yours sincerely,
Ambiga Sreenevasan

Who am I to intervene, asks prince amid appeals to pardon critic

Johor crown prince Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim has indicated he will not help his critics, who are facing criminal punishment or have landed in prison for insulting him.

Civil rights group had asked the Johor palace to pardon Muhammad Amirul Azwan Mohd Shakri, 19, after he was sentenced to a year in prison for insulting Tunku Ismail on matters related to football.

"The same people are asking me to release these individuals but you have made it clear that no one is above the law.

“Who am I to interfere with the police or the law?" said the prince in a Facebook statement.

Tunku Ismail pointed out that actions against his critics were not initiated by him but those who still "love the royal institution".

"There are people also saying that I have ordered their arrest but in reality, the police reports are made by the people of Johor who still love the royal institution.

"My question to them is - if they make the report, what does it have to do with me?" he asked.

Tunku Ismail also noted there were those trying to downplay the actions of the individuals who had insulted him.

"A few individuals have been arrested for insulting my good name. I have never bothered them.

"There are also certain quarters who are trying to twist facts by saying that these individuals are simply criticising and not insulting," he said.

However, Tunku Ismail said he did not care about this.

"Even though I am criticised or insulted, I could not care less and these people can continue with their wishes as I am grateful with the life Allah has given to me and the good will always prevail.

"To those who say that I cannot be criticised, I have been criticised since 2013 when I first took over the helm of Johor FA," he added.

Previously, the prince had asked the police not to arrest those who criticised him, saying that he would prefer if a face-to-face meeting could be arranged with his critics.

On June 7, Amirul pleaded guilty to 14 charges under Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998.

He was given the maximum sentence of one year in prison by the Johor Baru Sessions Court.

Mahathir: Rulers a problem then, PM a problem now

Dr Mahathir Mohamad has defended his move to amend the Federal Constitution in 1983 to take away the rulers' power to block legislation passed by Parliament.

The former premier said the government then had perceived the rulers to be problematic, but now it appears the present government is the one which is problematic.

"At that time we thought the rulers would be a problem since the government is the government of the people," Mahathir told a press conference held at Kampung Baru Jerlun, Kuala Kangsar today.

He also criticised his successor for imitating the leadership style of Uganda's third president Idi Amin.

Mahathir was asked if he should be partly blamed for the National Security Council (NSC) Act since it was gazetted without the Yang di- Pertuan Agong's assent, thanks to the amendment to the constitution.

"We thought the sultan will be a problem but in fact the sultan is not a problem, it is the prime minister who has gone out of hand, and he is trying to rule the country...," he said.

Mahathir was at the campaign trail for Parti Amanah Negara's candidate Ahmad Termizi Ramli.

He was warmly greeted by some 500 people at a Chinese new village.

Meanwhile, Mahathir dismissed the criticism which linked the NSC Act to Internal Security Act (ISA), which was abolished in 2011.

"There is no similarity between ISA and NSC. ISA was allowed as the Agong can declare emergency.

"But this (NSC) was rejected by Agong but he (Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak) still continued with it," he said.

"Under ISA, those (who felt they) were wrongly detained can take the case to court, while this is not permitted under NSC.

"This is the law used by Najib (photo) to take away Agong's right while ISA did not take away Agong's right," he stressed.

On another matter, Mahathir said 1MDB and Najib, who is also the advisory board chairperson of the state-owned fund, took the fund which was supposed to be channelled to Aabar Investments PJS (Aabar).

"It is ridiculous to suggest they gave billions of dollars to a company, that they could not check first if this was the real company or some company created elsewhere.

"But I suspect this company to whom they paid the money was created by them, and they purposely paid to this false company so they can make use of the money," he said.

International Petroleum Investment Company (IPIC) and its subsidiary Aabar have submitted a Request for Arbitration to the London Court of International Arbitration over its US$6.5 billion claim against 1MDB and the Ministry of Finance Incorporated.