Wooing the Indian Malaysian vote

By Deborah Loh
thenutgraph.com

ON 25 Nov 2007, the Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf) burst into public consciousness through a mammoth street rally. Few doubt that Hindraf was pivotal in swinging Indian Malaysian votes away from the Barisan Nasional (BN) three months later in the March 2008 general election.

On 2 July 2009, Malaysiakini reported that Hindraf has submitted an application to the Registrar of Societies to found a new party known as Parti Hak Asasi Manusia (Paham).

But apart from Hindraf, the emergence of other Indian Malaysian political parties is a trend that warrants attention. All claim to want to represent and improve the lot of Indian Malaysians. What does this say about the community itself? And what impact do these divisions have on BN and the Pakatan Rakyat (PR)?

A few months before Hindraf, there was the Malaysian Indians United Party (MIUP) started by Datuk KS Nallakaruppan, a former Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) stalwart and close friend of Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

This year saw the birth of Hindraf splinter group, the Malaysian Makkal Sakthi Party (MMSP), and the Malaysian Indian Democratic Action Front (Mindraf) founded by former journalist Manuel Lopez.

And in PAS, the party's supporters club has seen the Indian Malaysian faction, which outnumbers Chinese Malaysian members, demand that the club be split according to racial lines.

Developments in the community's political scene will shape the battle for Indian Malaysian votes in the 13th general election due in 2013. Already, there are early and subtle signs that the ground is shifting.

Moving quickly

Consider a few things which have happened since 3 April 2009, when Datuk Seri Najib Razak became prime minister.

The Tamil press play up criticisms of the PR by Hindraf leaders, though the organisation is banned. In Penang, Hindraf is butting heads with the DAP-led state government on behalf of Kampung Buah Pala residents whose land is to become the site of a luxury housing project.

Hindraf protestors (© The Nut Graph)

About two weeks after Najib took office, former Hindraf national coordinator RS Thanenthiran met with the premier to talk about the Indian Malaysian community's grievances. By this time, two Hindraf leaders had already been released from Internal Security Act detention in one of Najib's first moves as premier. Three other leaders would later be released on 9 May.

Thanenthiran confirms with The Nut Graph that he met Najib, remarking that his predecessor, Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, did not once entertain Hindraf's requests for a meeting or acknowledge their memorandums. A month after the meeting with Najib, Thanenthiran launched MMSP.

On the ground, BN has not wasted time wooing the community, according to reports in the Tamil press.

Take the Cameron Highlands constituency, for example. Its Member of Parliament Datuk SK Devamany says, in a phone interview, that since April, two Tamil schools have received RM500,000 and RM700,000 each. Indian Malaysians have also been promoted to head a primary school there, and the local Drainage and Irrigation Department.

Indian Malaysian sentiment towards the BN government also appears to be on the uptrend although it is still early days in Najib's administration.

In the Merdeka Center for Opinion Research's 2008 fourth quarter poll on Peninsula Malaysia sentiment, 56% of Indian Malaysians surveyed disagreed when asked if Najib would make a good prime minister.

In another poll in May 2009, the first survey since Najib became prime minister, 64% of Indian Malaysians said they were satisfied when asked about his performance as premier.

Divide and conquer?

Datuk Dr Denison Jayasooria, the former executive director of MIC's Yayasan Strategik Sosial, says the emergence of different Indian Malaysian political parties indicates that the community still feels sidelined from the mainstream economy. This discontent gives room to individuals with the means and backing to start new parties.

Denison

Another cause is the lack of grassroots leaders who can identify with the rural and plantation communities in a way that western-trained leaders like PKR vice-president R Sivarasa or the DAP's Charles Santiago cannot. Denison says these leaders are not seen as representatives of the Tamil grassroots, and believes this played a part in allowing Hindraf, and parties like MMSP to rise.

Najib's tacit acceptance of MMSP by meeting them indicates his seriousness about winning back the non-Malay Malaysian vote. Denison observes that Najib knows BN cannot afford to be over-protective of MIC, which is embroiled in infighting and is no longer able to defend its position as the main representative of Indian Malaysians.

And while things appear quiet with MIUP and Mindraf, Najib only needs to engage the most attractive alternative to the illegal Hindraf.

As such, the speed at which MMSP's registration was approved in May, three months after its application, gave rise to talk that the fledging party had the BN's backing and funding.

Thanenthiran denies this and when asked again, said: "It is not important whether we support BN or PR but that we work with the party that is doing things to help the Indian [Malaysian] community."

He claims that MMSP, which has over 30,000 members now, is self-funding.

The party has been given further legitimacy by BN, even though it is not part of the coalition, through a campaign launched in early June to find stateless Indian Malaysians—- those without birth certificates or MyKads. MMSP is tracking these cases through announcements in the Tamil press and through its grassroots network, and is forwarding the individuals' details for the National Registration Department's further action.

Structural change

The political divisions among Indian Malaysians may be beneficial to BN, but problematic for PR which is still learning the ropes of state administration and coalition politics.

Thiruvenggadam

Petaling Jaya City councilor A Thiruvenggadam, who is from PKR, feels that PR could be doing more to fill the void by introducing faster changes in certain policies.

He says the PR-led Selangor government still has not dismantled past BN policies on the procurement and awarding of contracts, which, he says, still favour Malay Malaysians. He has also angered his party leaders for going public with claims of political interference in certain council dealings, and knows he is likely to be dropped when the state government announces councilors for the new term in July.

"The Selangor PR government is still adopting all the BN policies of the past to favour one community. We are seeing BN giving aid to Tamil schools and temples but PR is doing nothing to change such policies. Indian [Malaysian] support for PR will reduce if PR doesn't correct this," he warns in an interview.

Devamany
(pic courtesy of
MIC.org.my)BN, being in federal power, has the resources to court the community. But structural change is also underway, promises Devamany, who is Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister's Department and whose portfolio includes policies on Indian Malaysian community issues for the Economic Planning Unit.

"The government is aware that piecemeal handouts to Tamil schools and temples are insufficient," he tells The Nut Graph.

Changes in education, civil service recruitment, poverty eradication, housing, and wages, among other areas, must take place with the results documented to give visibility to the government's efforts.

Devamany, who sits on the cabinet's sub-committee on Indian Malaysian affairs, says this must be done because people still believe "the government doesn't help non-Malays".

Personality vs community

Denison notes that the history of Indian Malaysian political parties has been fraught with splits and the formation of new parties. MIC has faced competition for Indian Malaysian membership even from parties in the BN fold or those friendly to BN, such as the People's Progressive Party, Gerakan, the Indian Progressive Front, and the Malaysian Indian Muslim Congress (Kimma).

"It can be taken as a sign that the Indian [Malaysian] community is most active politically. They are in every party, whether pro-BN or pro-PR. Their common problem, however, is that these parties tend to be personality-based which explains the splits and emergence of new parties," he notes.

Denison believes that Indian Malaysian parties have to change from being personality-driven to community based.

"The truth it, Indian political activism in Malaysia has not thrived unless there are other races to help it," he says, noting that just as MIC cannot go it alone without the rest of the BN coalition, PKR too, needs a multiracial platform to survive.

"I don't think Indian [Malaysian] unity is necessarily the way forward," he says.

But who eventually wins over the Indian Malaysian vote in the coming elections is still left to be seen.

M'sia serious about beating human trafficking

The Sun
Charles Ramendran

KUALA LUMPUR (July 2, 2009): The Home Ministry said Malaysia had taken issues related to human trafficking seriously even before implementing the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act 2008.

Deputy Home Minister Datuk Wira Abu Seman Yusop said prior to the enactment of the new law two years ago, the authorities used other existing and preventive laws to prosecute perpetrators of the crime.

He said enactment of the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act 2008 was proof of Malaysia's seriousness in tacking the issue of human trafficking.

He said the new law was more specific in addressing the issue and the clauses within it enables all relevant enforcement agencies to apply the law on offenders.

Abu Seman said Australia will work closely with Malaysia through joint enforcement efforts.

"There are things we can learn from Australia. They have had anti-human trafficking laws before we did," he said.

He said police and other enforcement agencies have tightened security at entry points in the country and will be stricter following alerts of Malaysia being used as a transit point especially for foreigners attempting to gain entry into Australia illegally.

The United States put Malaysia back on its blacklist this year for human trafficking with 17 other countries.

Abu Seman was speaking at a press conference today after launching a two-day seminar called National Security Policing in a Modern Society - Issues and Challenges at the Palace of the Golden Horses hotel in Seri Kembangan.

Also present at the seminar for the police, military and other enforcement agencies was Armed Forces chief General Tan Sri Abdul Aziz Zainal and Inspector General of Police Tan Sri Musa Hassan.

Abu Seman said the seminar was to enrich personnel at enforcement agencies with knowledge and information on current pressing issues and to enhance ties among security forces.

Tense moment at High Chaparral

The Star

GEORGE TOWN: It was a tense moment at Kampung Buah Pala Thursday when three court bailiffs came to serve eviction notices, but police managed to control the highly-flammable situation.

Still, angry residents have threatened to send a letter to the United Nations for George Town’s Unesco World Heritage Site status to be revoked should the state government fail to help them with their land problems.

Kampung Buah Pala Residents Association chairman M. Sugumaran claimed the state government was “killing” the living heritage of the village, which is popularly known as Penang’s High Chaparral.

“The war has just begun. Look at what happened when the bailiffs came to serve the notice and imagine what will happen on Aug 2 when the grace period given expires,” he told a press conference after the bailiffs left the village about 1pm Thursday.

Claiming there were irregularities in the notice served, Sugumaran said the notice was directed to 41 temporary occupation of land (TOL) holders when the Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng said there were only 23 families.

“We have faxed a letter to Lim asking for a date to meet him.

“Otherwise, we will bring along our cows to see him at his official residence in Rumah Seri Teratai,” he said.

There was a tense moment when three bailiffs arrived at about 11.30am with two court officials and Thomas Chan, the executive director of the developer Nusmetro Ventures.

They started shouting and blocking the entrance, claiming that they have earlier informed the police that no developer would be allowed to enter the village.

Police personnel then escorted Chan away. Three bailiffs then began putting up the eviction notices on the gate, trees and posts but some were being torn away by the residents later.

There was an argument when one of the developer’s personnel started taking photographs of residents who were holding placards in protest but police personnel managed to control the situation.

A herd of cows belonging to the residents then damaged the cars of three newsmen.

A cowherd was leading the cows to enter the village while the FRU personnel were standing in a line across the entrance when the 12.15pm incident took place.

Lim, in a statement, said the state government would not “take a single cent” of the goodwill payment proposed by the developer unless the villagers agree to the compensation.

He also said the developer should continue to seek solutions for a win-win situation for all parties.

He added it was highly improper for the developer to stoke fear into the villagers’ by threatening to evict them when the one-month grace period expired on Aug 2.

Anwar Denies Kedah DAP Withdrawal From State Pakatan Government

KUALA LUMPUR, July 2 (Bernama) -- Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim today dismissed media reports that Kedah DAP had withdrawn from the Pakatan state government yesterday over dissatisfaction with the Kedah PAS administration.

Anwar, who is Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) advisor, instead blamed the media for playing up the issue and said it would not affect the cooperation among the three Pakatan parties, PAS, DAP and PKR.

"This is what the media, your newspapers, raised (on the Kedah DAP issue). There are many differences on many matters within the Barisan Nasional (BN) but these are not played up. Pakatan Rakyat is a poor pact, without any large media. That's the difference," he told reporters at the lobby of Parliament, here.

Anwar, who is the MP for Permatang Pauh, said he believed that the problem in Kedah could be resolved through discussions in an atmosphere of goodwill among the parties.

Kedah's DAP yesterday announced it was withdrawing from the Pakatan state government over dissatisfaction with the state PAS administration, among others for having demolished an illegal abattoir for pigs in Kampung Berjaya.

Asked whether he had known of the decision of Kedah Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Azizan Abdul Razak to demolish the abattoir, Anwar said he had been informed and knew that the abattoir would be relocated.

Meanwhile, PKR election director Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said the Kedah DAP issue was not a major one.

"We have faced a statement by (DAP chairman) Karpal Singh calling on Anwar to resign; that was a much bigger issue. These are all processes which will enable us to mature," he said.

DAP advisor Lim Kit Siang said he was awaiting a full report from Kedah DAP and said the matter was not serious.

"We have to wait for the report from Kedah DAP on this matter and I will go to Kedah to meet them," he said.

Karpal Singh said the issue could be resolved.

"I do not think the problem is so serious as to split the opposition pact," he said.

Meanwhile, Kubang Kerian MP and PAS vice-president Salahuddin Ayob, who chaired a meeting of the Pakatan secretariat today, said the decisions adopted would be discussed at the Pakatan presidential council on Saturday.

The meeting had also discussed the Kedah DAP issue, he said, adding that the matter could be resolved.

Kes protes anti Rosmah, UM dipaksa serah kes pada Polis.

by Chegubard,

2 mahasiswa yang ditahan dengan tuduhan kononya bersalah kerana mengecat dinding dewan yang bakal dilawati Rosmah dengan perkataan "Isteri Puaka" dan "C4" telah dibebaskan dengan ikat jamin RM5,000. Mereka juga dituduh dengan perbuatan kianat kononnya mencurahkan petrol pada permaidani merah yang bakal Rosmah lalu.

Jika didapati bersalah dan dihukum maksima mereka mungkin boleh dikenakan hukuman penjara 20 tahun....... wow hebat semuanya kerana Rosmah !

Diberitakan pihak Universiti Malaysia hendak cuba menyelesaikan kes tersebut sebagai kes dalaman Universiti, namun telah dipaksa oleh Rosmah yang tidak berpuas hati dengan memaksa UM menyerahkan kes tersebut kepada polis, dan seperti biasa kerana Rosmah Polis telah bertindak dengan cepat. Sila klik sini untuk baca UM dipaksa serah kes pada Polis.

Pada hari kejadian dua ditangkap, pegawai penyiasat pula dianugerahkan dengan reman 5 hari kononya. Belum cukup 5 hari dua mereka telah didakwa di mahkamah. 3 lagi sedang diburu, ada yang diburu pula rumah sewanya dipecahkan mangga kunci diganti dan beberapa benda penting seperti 'handphone' hilang. Mereka mengesyaki ini adalah bertujuan memancing mereka ke Balai Polis untuk membuat laporan dan kemudian akan ditangkap.sila klik tajuk untuk baca 'Polis buru 3 siswa UM lagi' dan 'Siswa anti Rosmah belum serah diri'.

Grafiti anti Rosmah ini telah menjadi bahan jenaka sepanjang minggu siswa (program sambutan mahasiswa baru). sila klik sini untuk baca lanjut.

Posting tawaran che'GuBard untuk membantu sekadar mampu kepada mahasiswa UM yang dituduh rupanya telah mengundang beberapa kumpulan mahasiswa universiti lain dan beberapa kumpulan anak muda yang menyatakan hasrat hendak berbincang mengenai 'mood anti Rosmah'...wah nampaknya jika di susun Regim mungkin jatuh dengan mengulang lagenda Imelda Marcos......

Menjengok pula pagi ini kepada laman rujukan che'GuBard yang dilihat anti Najib, melihat siri 'i paper' Buku 100 dalil Najib sudah hampir lengkap satu buku.

• siri 1 'i paper' Buku 100 Dalil Najib

• siri 2 'i paper' Buku 100 Dalil Najib

• siri 3 'i paper' Buku 100 Dalil Najib

• siri 4 'i paper' Buku 100 Dalil Najib

• siri 5 'i paper' Buku 100 Dalil Najib
  

Buku ini ialah buku lama yang diterbitkan oleh musuh Najib dalam Umno sendiri yang membayar penulis upahan untuk mengumpulkan beberapa fakta. Namun agak menarik hendak diimbau oleh 'budak-budak' baru macam che'GuBard. Jangan percaya semua baca tengok dan fikir.... Najib tak pernah saman, atau nafi penerbitan buku ini.

Quota-free: How's the market reacting to Najib?

How is the stock market reacting to Najib's "quota-free" announcement today... the 2nd day of Q3?

KS: Hindraf is a disservice to Indian cause

Are pigs more valuable than humans? - Malaysiakini

Does DAP care more for pigs than humans?

This is the question posed by Kampung Buah Pala villagers in Penang who are now counting the days to the deadline for their eviction from the area which has been earmarked for development.

Describing it as 'double standards', village residents' association chairperson M Sugumaran chided the DAP-led state government's response to their predicament.

"Is this rule of law?" he thundered when speaking to reporters. "Is this justice, fairness and equality regardless of race and religion?"

"Are pigs more valuable... more important than humans? Are we worse than pigs?" he added.

He was referring to Kedah DAP's decision yesterday to pull out from the state Pakatan Rakyat coalition following a series of misunderstandings, the latest being the demolition of an illegal abattoir for pigs.

'War will erupt on Aug 2'

This morning, some 100 villagers, including women and children, had gathered at the entrance of the village to prevent representatives of the developer - Nusmetro Venture (P) Sdn Bhd - from entering the area.

Tempers flared when they spotted Numesto executive Gary Ho Yuen Kong arriving with court officials and policemen at about 11.30am.

A small light strike force unit was also deployed to prevent any untoward incidents while the bailiffs posted the writ.

The villagers started to shout at Ho as he entered the village. Calm was restored by the police after Ho left the area.

The villagers however refused to receive the notices of the writ, forcing the bailiffs to paste them outside their houses.

The writ gives a two-week deadline for the villagers to vacate their houses to pave the way for the lucrative Oasis development project.

The state government, which has come under intense fire over this issue, has already requested the developer to extend the grace period until Aug 2, in an effort to find an amicable solution.

Sugumaran warned the developer that the villagers would not surrender their homes at any cost.

"Our resistance today would have given the developer a clue that we not going to give up our land. It's going to be a war come Aug 2, unless the state government can end our woes," he said.

Whose side are you on?

Joining the fray, Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) secretary-general S Arutchelvan said everyone wants to know which side state government leaders will be when the developer's bulldozers roll in.

"Will they be on the villagers' side defending the people's rights against the rampaging developer?

"Or will they be on the developer's side protecting capitalist interests?" he asked after visiting the area.

Arutchelvan said Kampung Buah Pala was an organised traditional Indian village that must be preserved by the authorities as a state heritage.

"It is not a squatter settlement as claimed. "It's a living cultural and economically vibrant village of 200 years," he added.

Indicating that the state government cannot hide behind the Federal Court ruling to wash its hands over the crisis, he said Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng should find a political solution.

Konflik di Kedah-Pulau Pinang, Pakatan cari penyelesaian

Director of the CCD who investigated these cases was severely dealt with

Ramli refused to sweep the entire episode under the carpet. And because of that they came for him. And when he engaged a lawyer to defend him, and the lawyer successfully proved that the allegations against Ramli were unfounded, they came for the lawyer as well.

THE CORRIDORS OF POWER

Raja Petra Kamarudin

Last month, Malaysia Today republished a series of eight Statutory Declarations that were originally published two years ago. Six were Statutory Declarations signed by police officers and two by Chinese underworld figures. Copies of these Statutory Declarations were extended to ex-Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad as well.

When I signed a Statutory Declaration last year, they arrested me and charged me for criminal defamation. The government, however, has been very silent about these eight Statutory Declarations although the allegations are most serious indeed.

I mean: eight people, six of them police officers, have said that the police, all the way up to the IGP himself, are in partnership with the Chinese crime syndicate that controls most of the prostitution, gambling, drugs and loan shark business in Malaysia.

Either these allegations are true or they are false.

If they are true then why is the IGP being given another extension of service after the two-year extension beyond retirement given him in 2007? And since when does a retired IGP get more than a two-year extension after retirement? Traditionally, it has always been either a one- or two-year extension. And that is about it. And if the allegations are false then why have the eight not also been arrested and charged for criminal defamation -- just like me?

What many are not aware is, against the backdrop of all this, three court cases are going on simultaneously. One involves the ex-Director of the CCD, Datuk Ramli Yusuff, who was charged and is now on trial for the alleged crime of not declaring his assets. The other trial involves a lawyer, Rosli Dahlan, who represented the hapless one-time CCD Director. And the third court case, which has not been publicised that much, involves Malaysian Airlines in a civil suit it is facing.

Coincidently, Rosli, Ramli’s lawyer, is also representing MAS in that civil suit. And the irony to this whole thing is Rosli, who uncovered many transgressions and shady dealings in MAS, was also arrested and charged for not declaring his assets. Is Rosli being punished because he is representing a senior police officer that had exposed the links between the police and the Chinese underworld or is it to keep him quiet about what those who walk in the corridors of power are doing in MAS? And we are talking about billions of Ringgit here.

My suspicion is that it is both. They want to punish Rosli for getting Ramli off the hook and for proving that the government has no case against him, as well as to make sure that he does not talk about what he discovered in MAS. Well, Rosli may not want to talk since, as the lawyer for MAS, he has to be professional about attorney-client privileges. But Malaysia Today has ways of finding out what people would rather remain hidden.

Now, let’s get one thing very clear. The CCD Director is not being charged for corruption. He is being charged for not declaring his assets, which, according to what was leaked to the media, totals RM27 million in all. How they arrived at the figure of RM27 million and how come this was leaked to the media when the investigation was still ongoing and nothing had been established yet is a mystery that can only be speculated upon.

Does not information about a corruption investigation come under the ambit of the Official Secrets Act -- especially when the investigation is not completed yet and is still ongoing? Ezam Mohd Nor was arrested, charged and convicted for revealing the corruption investigation against the then Trade Minister, Rafidah Aziz. And he was sentenced to two years jail for this crime. So it certainly is a crime, according to the government. Yet, the investigation on Ramli’s alleged non-declaration of RM27 million in assets was leaked to the media even before anything had been established. Then it was found that there was no such thing as RM27 million assets -- declared or otherwise.

Anyway, Ramli engaged Rosli as his counsel and he managed to produce a set of accounts proving that the amount involved is not RM27 million and that whatever Ramli had earned over the more than 37 years of working life had in fact all been properly declared and none of the money was earned through illegal means.

You see, like many Malaysians, Ramli ‘plays’ the stock market and is quite good at buying low and selling high, which is how the stock market should be ‘played’. The nagging question is, though, not whether he procured the money the ‘proper’ way or otherwise -- which the accounts he submitted proved there was nothing illegal in his dealings -- but whether he had declared whatever he had earned.

The accounts that Rosli, Ramli’s lawyer, submitted showed that nothing untoward happened and that the CCD Director had not only earned his money the legitimate way but that he had also declared all his assets as well.

And that was when the government decided to arrest Rosli and also charge him for not declaring his assets. He was arrested on the eve of Hari Raya and thrown into the lockup for the night. During his arrest, which occurred in his office, they roughed him up as well.

Rosli lodged a complaint about this rough treatment in his office in front of his staff and they responded by lodging a counter-complaint that the lawyer had been verbally abusive to the officers who had come to arrest him in his office on the eve of Hari Raya.

But the CCD Director’s case is a very complex affair. It not only involves the Chinese crime syndicate and the links it has to the Malaysian police right up to the head honcho himself, the IGP. It also involves corruption, abuse of power, conflict of interest and mismanagement in Malaysia’s national airlines, MAS, which Ramli, as head of the CCD, had uncovered.

Malaysia Today discovered that Rosli is, in fact, also acting for MAS. So both Rosli and Ramli are very intimate with the details of the corruption, abuse of power, conflict of interest and mismanagement -- which goes all the way up to those who walk in the corridors of power.

The ‘crime’ that Ramli committed is that he detained a few underworld bosses linked to the police plus he opened a file and launched an investigation into the corruption, abuse of power, conflict of interest and mismanagement in MAS when the higher-ups told him not to. Why do the higher-ups want him to close the file on the Chinese crime syndicate as well as close the investigation on MAS and stamp these cases with NFA (no further action)?

Well, Ramli refused to sweep the entire episode under the carpet. And because of that they came for him. And when he engaged a lawyer to defend him, and the lawyer successfully proved that the allegations against Ramli were unfounded, they came for the lawyer as well.

Hishammuddin wants to do a walkabout on the streets of Kuala Lumpur to get to the bottom of the loan shark (ah long) problem. Actually he need not do that. He just needs to call for the file that was opened by Ramli and the whole (real) story would emerge as clear as daylight. The reason the ah long scourge can’t be eradicated is because any police office that dares ‘touch’ this case would be severely dealt with. Similarly, those who dare investigate corruption, abuse of power, conflict of interest and mismanagement in a GLC such as MAS that involves those who walk in the corridors of power would also be severely dealt with.

And that is why crime and corruption in Malaysia can’t be eradicated. This is because the real crime bosses sit in Putrajaya.

We are trying to get our hands on even more damaging evidence involving MAS from our contacts in Europe and we shall reveal in due course the extent of the abuse of power, conflict of interest, mismanagement and corruption involving those who walk in the corridors of power in Putrajaya.

Stay tuned for the next episode where you shall see where your hard-earned tax money has gone to and why we no longer have money to develop this country the way it should be.

Is Hadi’s Islam and Parti PAS different from Nik Aziz’s?

By Haris Ibrahim,

On 20th November, last year, I had written to JAKIM requesting for a fatwa on the question of whether concepts of ‘Ketuanan Melayu’ and the Bumiputra-non Bumi distinction that seems to be constantly pursued by UMNO is unIslamic.

I had blogged about this last year and the post and the letter to JAKIM can be viewed HERE.

Both in that post and the letter to JAKIM, I had quoted Nik Aziz as reported in BERNAMA. I reproduce that quote below.

“Di dalam Islam tidak mengira bangsa, apa yang penting adalah takwa kepada Allah s.w.t. Tidak kiralah bangsa apa, Cina, Melayu, India dan Arab. Tuhan hanya melihat ketakwaan seseorang itu… kerana bila kita bertakwa kita takut kepada Allah dan menjalankan tanggungjawab kita”.

Needless to say, I’ve not got a response from JAKIM.

Malaysiakini yesterday reported PAS president Hadi Awang as being against the “dropping the 30 percent bumiputera equity in businesses, describing the proposed measures by Prime Minister Najib Razak as detrimental to the race”.

For those of you who are not subscribed to Malaysiakini, Malaysianinsider has a similar report .

Malaysiakini reports Hadi as saying that “The bumiputeras are still lagging behind in terms of experience and their position…We want to be fair to all races but at the same time the bumiputera position should be strengthened…They lag behind in education amenities (for example). They cannot compete with the urbanites of other races who have such privileges”.

Could the leadership of the Kelab Penyokong PAS (KPP) please ask Hadi to explain what position, unique only to the bumiputras, needs to be strengthened?

Could the leadership of the KPP ask Hadi if he is aware that, like the bumiputras, a great many people of the other races also lag behind in education amenities and cannot compete with urbanites of any race, bumi or otherwise?

Could the leadership of KPP ask Hadi if his stand on this bumi – non bumi divide is at odds with the final sermon of the Holy Prophet, as reproduced below?

“All mankind is from Adam and Eve. An Arab has no superiority over a non-Arab nor a non-Arab has any superiority over an Arab. Also a white has no superiority over a black nor a black has any superiority over a white except by piety and good action.”

Until KPP gets clarification and shares the same with us, we must assume that Hadi’s PAS might just stand for Parti Ajaran Sesat.

Relativism and the Politics of Absolutes

By Farish A. Noor

Studying Malaysian politics is a chore in itself, but rewarding for the simple reason that it is one of the most plural, complex and complicated countries in the world. Among all the countries that I have worked on, it is Malaysia that continues to challenge my capacity to think (and relax) for the simple reason that its communitarian mode of sectarian politics is an odd blend of modernity and primordialism that is seldom equalled anywhere else.

At present the opposition coalition known as the Peoples Alliance (Pakatan Rakyat) is once again in a state a crisis – or rather manifold crises – as the component parties bicker over the mode of governance in the states that they won after the elections of March 2008. Bringing together the predominantly Chinese-Malaysian Left-leaning DAP, the multiracial PKR and the overwhelmingly Malay-Muslim Islamists of PAS was never an easy task; and it was said from the outset that the coalition was an instrumental one.

Today however the coalition is once again at breaking point after the DAP threatened to leave the coalition over a dispute over the destruction of a pig abattoir in the state of Kedah, disputes over contracts awarded to development projects in Penang and Selangor, and the lingering fear that the Islamists of PAS will push their Islamisation agenda in the states that have come under their control. Seemingly trivial matters such as the sale of pork and alcohol have forced all three parties to the defensive, with each party holding steadfast to its stand.

Now for political scientists such as myself, situations such as these – which are by no means unique to Malaysia – are worthy of further study as they raise the question of how a mode of representative politics can be developed and institutionalised in the context of plural societies with ethnic, religious and linguistic differences enshrined in the constitution as well as the institutions of state. For this reason what happens in Malaysia is of interest to others in countries like India, Pakistan, Indonesia, Singapore, South Africa et al.

The root of the problem seems to be this: Despite the introduction and imposition of modern tools of statecraft such as the Parliament, the Constitution, the Judiciary etc. the operative mode of politics in Malaysia – like in many other post-colonial societies – is anything but modern. Feudal, essentialist and primordial loyalties to race, religion and culture predominate and determine the norms of political praxis, and are still being used by all political parties to maintain the support of their respective sectarian constituencies. Hence the Islamist party’s preponderance to defend and foreground causes deemed relevant to Muslims; while other ethnic-based parties continue to foreground the interests of their respective ethnic communities.

Despite decades of rhetoric about building a united plural Malaysia, none of the political parties and political elite of Malaysia have done much in terms of bridging the cultural, religious and ethno-linguistic gulfs between them. Hence the predominance of a mode of absolutist politics where no single party or leader can even begin to accept the idea of genuine difference and alterity in their midst.

It is for this reason that trivial matters like the sale of pork and alcohol have become so contentious in states like Selangor, and why even the simplest of things like linguistic differences can make or break the fragile coalitions we see in the country.

The question that has to be raised is this: how long will it take for the leaders of Malaysia’s political parties to realise that difference and alterity are living realities in a complex world, and that successful politics arises when parties can accept these differences and transcend them? At present, it is clear that some of the parties in the country have yet to learn the lesson. The Islamists of Selangor, for instance, are still bent on pursuing their mode of religiously-inspired politics with all its attendant dangers of moral policing. While all the parties of the country talk on and on about the much-lauded image of Malaysia being a diverse and plural nation, we see little respect for pluralism on the ground level. Religious minorities such as the Shias and Ahmadis are routinely described as deviants and deprived of their status as Muslims, moral policing is still the norm; and now even the sale of pork for non-Muslims has become an issue.

What holds true for the conservatives among the Islamists also holds true for the representatives and leaders of other parties as well, and as long as this situation pertains then there can be little hope for a genuinely plural and democratic politics in Malaysia.

Plural societies on the other hand are not the best place to play out a politics of absolutism, with its maximalist ambitions. In so many developing countries today, the hope of creating a singular national vision with a singular narrative has been eclipsed by the very real fact that these societies are too complex to be simplified and essentialised. There can be no singular image or identity to Malaysian society today any more than there can be a singular Indian, Pakistani, Indonesian or even American nation, for the simple reason that the processes of social differentiation have grown so far advanced that the appeal of a singular unifying narrative is lost.

So perhaps a healthy dose of relativism – tempered by the awareness that relativism per se cannot be a licence for all sorts of cultural particularism of the Taliban variety – is required to get us out of the present impasse that stands before most plural societies. In the Malaysian context this may be more difficult for those political parties that use religion as the basis of their ideology, and who think of themselves as God’s politicians on earth who are here to gain control over the Parliament of Heaven. But sooner than later all politicians who claim to be representative – rather than authoritarian – will have to accept the fact that not all communities live and believe as their own, and that dealing with difference is part and parcel of modern constitutional politics today.

100 reasons why Malaysia needs a new Inspector-General of Police

By Lim Kit Siang

The passage of the Enforcement Agencies Integrity Commission (SIAP) Bill by Dewan Rakyat on Tuesday is the last nail in the coffin of the Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission (IPCMC) proposed by the Royal Police Commission more than four years ago in May 2005.

It also marks the failure of the Barisan Nasional government and the police leadership to fully honour and implement the 125 recommendations of the Royal Police Commission set up by former Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi during his “First 100 Days” to revamp and reform the police, which had raised such high hopes and expectations among Malaysians creating such a national euphoria that Abdullah won an unprecedented landslide victory in the March 2004 general elections winning over 91% of the parliamentary seats!

Who must take the greatest responsibility for such a great national letdown and disappointment, if not the Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Musa Hassan?

This is why I said more than once in Parliament in the debate on SIAP Bill that there are over 100 reasons why the country needs a new Inspector-General of Police to set the police force on a new course of direction, with new commitment and vision, which can win public confidence where Malaysians regard the police as their friend and protector – a sentiment Malaysians have lost for over a decade since their loss of two fundamental rights, the right to be free from crime and to be from the fear of crime!

What are the major failures of Musa as Inspector-General of Police?

The three core functions proposed by the Police Royal Commission of Inquiry reflect the three biggest failures of Musa as IGP.

In its report in May 2005, the Police Royal Commission proposed “As an immediate measure, PDRM should target a minimum of 20 per cent decrease in the number of crimes committed for each category within 12 months of this Report’s acceptance and implementation.”

The latest statistics available to the Police Royal Commission at the time was the 156,455 incidence of crime in 2004, which was an increase of 29 per cent from 121,176 cases in 1997.

This was what the Police Royal Commission said:

“The increase seriously dented Malaysia’s reputation as a safe country. Malaysians in general, the business sector and foreign investors grew increasingly concerned with the situation. The fear was that, if the trend continues, there would be major social and economic consequences for Malaysia. A survey of 575 respondents from the public carried out by the Commission clearly demonstrates the extremely widespread concern among all ethnic groups and foreign residents. Between 82.2 per cent and 90 per cent of the respondents, or 8 to 9 persons in every 10, were concerned with the occurrence of crime.” (3.1 p.108 Report)

From the latest statistics given in Parliament, crime index have galloped to break the 200,000 mark, with the incidence of crime shooting up to 209,582 in 2007 and 211,645 in 2008.

Instead of achieving the Police Royal Commission’s target of reducing the intolerably high incidence of crime of 156,455 cases in 2004 by 20 per cent in 12 months (i.e. 125,164 cases), the reverse took place. In the four years after the Royal Police Commission Report, crime index kept “reaching for the stars” . In the seven years from 1997 to 2004, crime index increased by 29%, but in the four years from 2004 to 2008 crime index increased by 35.5%.

How can an Inspector-General of Police who presided over such a deterioration in the crime situation demand an extension of this renewed term of Inspector-General of Police in September?

On the second core function to eradicate corruption, Musa Hassan has also failed. In fact, I had called Musa in Parliament as a ‘lobbyist” for mega-contracts, whether for a proposed RM20 billion police helicopter project or the RM4.2 billion “E-Police Force Solution”, and I have not received any satisfactory answer from Home Minister.

On the third core function to uphold human rights, clearly the Police Royal Commission’s proposal that the police officers should undergo human rights “sensitization” orientation courses have fallen on deaf ears, with police violation of human rights in recent months most blatant and flagrant – with indiscriminate police arrests of Malaysians for wearing black, lighting candles, singing birthday songs and the deployment of hundreds of police personnel who should be catching criminals but were dispatched instead to frustrate the holding of DAP dinners, creating the new phenomenon firstly that Malaysians can eat but cannot talk and later that Malaysians cannot even eat!

I said that more than a hundred reasons can easily be given as to why the country needs a new IGP and a new police leadership, especially in his shocking failure to lead an efficient, incorruptible, professional and world-class police service as proposed by the Police Royal Commission!

I welcome Malaysians to come to my blog to give their reasons why the country needs a new IGP and a new police leadership, so that Malaysians, visitors and investors can feel safe again in this country!

Guan Eng: Kedah situation “desperate”

By Deborah Loh
thenutgraph.com

KUALA LUMPUR, 2 July 2009: While other Pakatan Rakyat (PR) leaders today glossed over Kedah DAP's pullout of the state government, DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng had a different view.

Lim, who is also Penang Chief Minister, said the situation in Kedah was "desperate" enough that the party's top leadership would be meeting to decide whether to endorse or oppose the move.

He added that said the implications of DAP withdrawing from the Kedah PR government would have "large adverse national ramifications", and needed to be studied.

He squarely blamed Kedah Menteri Besar (MB) Datuk Seri Azizan Abdul Razak for the breakdown in trust between PAS and DAP there.

"Kedah DAP has been unhappy with the lack of respect accorded by PAS to DAP in Kedah unlike the respect accorded to PAS in Penang," Lim said in a statement today.

He singled the "failure of the PAS-led government not to give equal treatment to all Kedahans" as the reason for the pullout.

Lim said Kedah DAP chairperson Thomas Su had informed him that the demolition of an illegal pig abattoir and the imposition of the 50% bumiputera housing quota in the state were the main causes for DAP's unhappiness.

"For Kedah DAP to pull out from the Kedah government, [this] signals the complete lack of communication and respect from the Kedah PAS-led government."

Lim said he would "normally oppose such moves" if there was still room to correct the situation, but he believed things had become desperate.

No big deal

Other PR leaders, however, tried to minimise the Kedah DAP pullout, describing it as a "small problem" that would not affect the strength of the alliance.

Several said it was a normal problem in governance and administration, where misunderstandings were bound to occur.

PR de facto leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said the matter could be solved through negotiations and that things in PR were "still normal".

He said he had talked to Azizan and had heard his reasons for the abattoir demolition, and what alternative solutions there were.

"The MB has informed me that he has given space and options on where the abattoir can be built. I think it can be solved through discussions.

"Pakatan will not fall apart. I don't believe it will affect our larger agenda which concerns the rule of law in this country, freedom of expression, and the economy. There are always problems where people have differences of opinion.

"Barisan Nasional also has its problems, I [was] in BN a long time and there are many differences of opinion but they don't become big news, because the difference with Pakatan is that BN controls the big media," Anwar told reporters in the Parliament lobby today.

On the spat between PKR in Penang and the DAP-led state government over the sacking of Seberang Prai municipal councillor Johari Kassim, Anwar said he was leaving the matter to state PKR chief Datuk Zahrain Mohamed Hashim to resolve the matter with Lim.

PR is maturing

Earlier, Kedah DAP's pullout of the state government and the Kampung Buah Pala issue in Penang were discussed by the secretariat of the PR presidential council at a meeting in Parliament today.

The secretariat has proposed solutions to resolve both problems, and will forward these to the PR presidential council for approval.

Tian Chua (File pic) The secretariat meeting was attended by two representatives from each PR component party - PKR's strategic affairs chief Tian Chua and elections director Saifuddin Nasution, DAP's information chief Tony Pua and national Youth chief Anthony Loke, and PAS's vice-president Salahuddin Ayub and research head Dr Dzulkifli Ahmad.

Salahuddin said the proposed solutions would be discussed by the PR presidential council at a meeting likely to be held this weekend.

"We want them to discuss it before the Manik Urai by-election. The decision of the meeting will then be conveyed to the Penang and Kedah governments," he told reporters after the secretariat meeting.

Chua said the problems in PR states were "small" and could be resolved.

"Mostly, there are perception problems which we need to clarify, that it's not true that just because of a problem in Kedah, the whole of PR nationwide is at the edge of collapse," he said.

PKR's Saifuddin also said the current problems were "part of Pakatan's maturing process".

"We are still united on the fundamental things such as the rule of law in this country. This is just one episode in the last 15 months of Pakatan working tougher," he said.

DAP should leave

Barisan Nasional, meanwhile, has waded into the controversy by calling on DAP to leave the PR alliance.

Gerakan's Youth chief in Kedah, Tan Keng Liang, said the lone DAP assemblyperson's withdrawal from the alliance would have little impact on the state government.

Tan He also suggested for PKR to withdraw from the state government, and called for a "BN-PKR-DAP" unity government in the state.

"A unity government in Kedah can protect the rights of all Malaysians in Kedah. After more than a year, Kedah has seen extremist policies by the PAS state government which have not benefitted the people but have dampened economic growth in Kedah," Tan said in a statement.

MCA information and communication bureau chairperson Lee Wei Kiat said not only Kedah DAP, but the national DAP should withdraw from PR.

He said PAS had misled everyone with their election slogan "PAS for all".

"It was only a ploy to canvass for votes. I urge Chinese [Malaysians] all over the country to protest together with the Chinese in Kedah," Lee said in a press statement.

"Kedah DAP's withdrawal is just a political gimmick...it will not produce constructive solutions. If DAP really wants to oppose the action taken by PAS, the whole party should withdraw from PR, including Penang and Selangor DAP," he said.

Karpal-Khairy name-calling in Parliament

By Deborah Loh
thenutgraph.com

KUALA LUMPUR, 2 July 2009: Pakatan Rakyat (PR) parliamentarians staged a walkout in support of Karpal Singh who was ejected from the Dewan Rakyat today following an exchange of words with Umno Member of Parliament (MP) Khairy Jamaluddin.

Karpal, the DAP chairperson, and Khairy, who is Umno Youth chief, locked horns over the fracas with four Selangor Umno Youth leaders who on 26 Feb 2009 harassed and obstructed Karpal from entering Parliament.

Karpal, the MP for Bukit Gelugor, was told to leave the house by Speaker Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia after he retorted that Khairy was "unworthy" of accusing him because Khairy was "a person guilty of corruption".

Karpal being wheeled out of the Dewan Rakyat chamber after being ejected by the speaker

Plenty of name-calling was exchanged between the PR and Barisan Nasional (BN) MPs as they debated a motion to adopt the punishments recommended by a select parliamentary committee set up to probe the February incident.

The proposed punishment for the four Youth leaders was a RM1,000 fine each, which they paid in Parliament today. The four leaders who were fined were Serdang Umno Youth head Ungku Mat Salleh, Petaling Jaya Utara Youth chief Latt Shahrizan Abdullah, Gombak Youth chief Megat Zulkarnain Omar Din, and Shah Alam Youth chief Azhari Shaari.

The committee had also called for eight PR MPs to be admonished by the speaker for refusing to attend the inquiry either as witnesses or as committee members. They are Karpal himself, Fong Po Kuan, Lim Lip Eng, N Gobalakrishnan, Fong Kui Lun, Lim Kit Siang, Datuk Kamarudin Jaffar, and R Sivarasa.

The motion was passed by BN MPs after Lim (Ipoh Timur-DAP) led the remaining PR legislators out of the House when Karpal left.

Karpal stood his ground for a while after Pandikar ordered him out, demanding higher fines and stiffer punishment for the Umno Youth leaders, including arrests and court action.

Fong (Batu Gajah-DAP) said Pandikar should not chair the session to debate the motion due to a conflict of interest, as he had also chaired the select committee that investigated the incident.

Khairy with Umno Youth deputy chief
Datuk Razali Ibrahim Khairy (Rembau-BN) tried to rebut Karpal by saying that the Umno Youth leaders had already apologised to Parliament for their actions.

Khairy added that none of them had touched Karpal's body and that the four had only wanted Karpal to account for his allegation that Umno Youth had sent him live bullets and for his use of the word "celaka" on the youth wing. Karpal had made this accusation in the Dewan Rakyat on 25 Feb.

Karpal started it

In the Parliament lobby, Khairy told reporters after the motion was passed that Karpal was "a big fat liar" who "did not dare" to repeat his allegation about the live bullets outside of the House.

"He knows that he can say it inside the Dewan because of parliamentary immunity. I have challenged him to repeat it outside but he will not.

"He is the root cause of why the incident happened, his lack of respect for Parliament, for the rulers, for Pemuda Umno, and his tendency to keep on lying. Today is proof that he is an MP who lies through his teeth," Khairy said.

Khairy said the payment of the RM1,000 fine and the Youth leaders' apology to Parliament showed that they had taken responsibility for their actions, whereas no action was taken against Karpal for his "foul mouth".

"We should have more strenuous punishment for MPs who flout rules and who disrespect the House. He should apologise to us as what he said was unprovoked," said Khairy.

Karpal told reporters earlier after leaving the Dewan Rakyat that the four Youth leaders should have come inside the House to make their apology.

Guan Eng warns developer not to play hard ball

Chief Minister Guan Eng has issued a warning to Nusmetro Ventures after the Oasis developer’s “highly irresponsible and inflammatory” threats yesterday.

Meanwhile, the state investigative committee needs to quickly get to the bottom of the circumstances surrounding the questionable sale and land transfers. What has happened to the villagers’ report to the MACC?

The State Government will not take a single cent of the so-called “goodwill payment” from the developer unless the kampung Buah Pala residents agree to the compensation.

The Penang state government warns Nusmetro Ventures (P) Sdn Bhd, the developer of the proposed housing project in Kampung Buah Pala, for threatening to send bulldozers in by August 2 to forcibly evict residents and demolish their houses as highly irresponsible and inflammatory. It is highly improper to stoke fear into the villagers’ hearts by reminding them that they will have to move out by Aug 2 when the one-month grace period given by the developer expires and there will be “no more extensions”. The one-month grace period was negotiated by the state government with the developer to find a solution to the problem.

Nusmetro claimed to have offered the highest compensation in the state from RM140,000 to RM260,000 to the temporary occupation of land (TOL) holders as well as their immediate and extended families. And even offered one of the two cattle ranchers there RM330,000 including a five-year rent-free deal for land in Balik Pulau which was rejected.

To say that the developer has the legal right not to pay anything to the residents just because the developer has a Federal Court order, would not assist in resolving this problem. Instead of all the cruel talk about bulldozers, the developer should continue to seek solutions that works towards a win-win situation for all parties. For this reason, the state government will not take a single cent of the “goodwill payment” proposed by the developer to the state government unless the villagers of Kampung Buah Pala agrees to the compensation.

I wish to reiterate that the state government has nothing to do with the eviction, or the Federal court order and the bringing in of bulldozers to demolish the houses. Instead the state government had intervened to prevent the eviction of the residents since last year. Even though this is a court order obtained by the developer, the state government would continue to work aggressively to try to assist the villagers.

LIM GUAN ENG

Kugan case proceeds ... without a judge!

The Star
By YENG AI CHUN

KUALA LUMPUR: The judge might have been away, but this did not stop the prosecution and the defence from arguing their case in the High Court here Thursday.

It was supposed to have been the first day of hearing for the return of documents, tissue samples and bodily fluids of suspected car thief A. Kugan who died while in police custody, but Justice Muhamad Ideres Muhamad Rapee was away in Kedah.

Nevertheless, the prosecution and the defence carried on with their arguments before a stunned court official.

Senior assistant registrar Azlinda Ahmad Sharif tried to intervene to explain that she could not hear any kind of arguments in the absence of the judge, but her words were drowned out by the heated exchange between Deputy Public Prosecutor Noorin Badaruddin and defence lawyer N. Surendran.

The war of words between the two started when Surendran asked Noorin to clarify her grounds to get the case thrown out on technical grounds.

Noorin replied that there was no need for her to do that as the prosecution’s ground had been clearly stated.

Surendran insisted that he must be given specific grounds to enable him to reply.

Noorin then repeated that the three grounds of the prosecution’s objection have been clearly stated.

However, she said she would “happily” provide further clarification if needed.

In the end, no order was given on the matter as the exchange between the two was not considered a real proceeding.

The hearing was postponed to July 15.

Kugan’s mother N. Indra, 41, who was also present Thursday, had filed a notice of motion and a supporting affidavit through her lawyer for the return of his samples on May 28.

Indra is asking the High Court to set aside and/ or cancel a search warrant issued by the Petaling Jaya Magistrates Court for the search and seizure at the pathologist’s office on April 6.

Outside the courtroom, Surendran hit out at the Attorney-General for the delay in prosecuting whoever was responsible for Kugan’s death.

“We hold the A-G responsible because the power to prosecute is his,” he told reporters.

He said Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz’s statement that the authorities were waiting for the results of a probe carried out by the Malaysian Medical Council should not have any bearing on the issue.

The probe, he said, was on the professional conduct of the first pathologist and had nothing to do with finding out who was responsible for Kugan’s death.

Keputusan Mahkamah Rayuan Amat Dikesali

(video ehsan Malaysiakinitv)

Keputusan Mahkamah Rayuan petang tadi amat dikesalkan walaupun tidak memeranjatkan.

Kita mungkin saja merujuk kepada persoalan teknikal undang-undang, tetapi sungguh aneh untuk para hakim mengenepikan isu dakwaan ke atas Peguam Negara Abdul Gani Patail atas keterlanjuran, penipuan dan merekacipta keterangan.

Hakim memilih mempertahankan Peguam Negara yang punyai kuasa mutlak dalam isu pendakwaan.

Malah hakim mempersoal jaminan Perdana Menteri (ketika itu Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi) dengan singgungan nakal bahawa Perdana Menteri tidak punyai kuasa untuk mempengaruhi Peguam Negara, haha!

Dan, sekonyong-konyong hakim memberi jaminan bahawa perbicaraan di Mahkamah Tinggi nanti adalah adil dan saksama.

Wah, kejahilan terhadap lapuran ICJ; kenyataan bekas Ketua Hakim, Tun Suffian; lapuran Suruhanjaya Diraja yang menyiasat skandal video VK Lingam turut membingungkan!

ANWAR IBRAHIM

Jawatankuasa Ahli Parlimen Pakatan Rakyat Mengikut Kementerian

(video ehsan Malaysiakinitv)

Kenyataan Akhbar

Pakatan Rakyat

2 Julai 2009

Senarai Jawatankuasa Ahli Parlimen Pakatan Rakyat Mengikut Kementerian

Pada hari ini kami ingin mengumumkan Senarai Jawatankuasa Ahli Parlimen Pakatan Rakyat mengikut Kementerian.

Matlamat Jawatankuasa ini adalah untuk menyediakan Ahli-ahli Parlimen Pakatan Rakyat bagi sesi perbahasan di Parlimen termasuk perbahasan Rang Undang-undang dan sesi soal jawab. Ini adalah bagi meningkatkan kualiti perbahasan dengan bersandarkan rujukan secara khusus berdasarkan kementerian masing-masing.

Jawatankuasa ini dibentuk mengikut 25 Kementerian dalam kerajaan Barisan Nasional dan dipengerusikan secara bersama oleh seorang wakil dari setiap parti dalam Pakatan Rakyat. Keanggotaan Jawatankuasa ini melibatkan beberapa Ahli Parlimen lain dan juga boleh melibatkan pakar dari luar dalam bidang masing-masing bagi membantu Ahli Parlimen Pakatan Rakyat.

YB Mohamed Azmin Ali

Ketua Whip

Ahli Parlimen PKR

YB Tan Seng Giaw

Ketua Whip Ahli Parlimen DAP

YB Salahuddin Ayub
Naib Presiden PAS

Pejabat Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim

A Pakatan Shadow Cabinet! At long last!!

by Nathaniel Tan

Hooray!! :)

Well, ok, it may not *exactly* be in the shape some of us imagined, as YB’s Azmin and Tony explained; but this is exactly the configuration I have always thought would be most practical, given the Pakatan context and dynamics.

Naming individuals as shadow ministers is a politically exhausting process. I think this alternative will allow Pakatan MPs to show that they have the calibre of ministers, and that they have better, concrete, alternative policy ideas.

The whole thing is all very interesting, but for now (beyond perhaps saying that I’m not thrilled about Zul Nordin), I’d just like to enjoy and bask in the fact that it merely exists :) This is a first for the country, and truly, a step forward for Malaysia.

For the original, check out the MS Word File :)

Kementerian	Ahli Parlimen PKR	Ahli Parlimen PAS	Ahli Parlimen DAP
JABATAN PERDANA MENTERI	YB Dato’ Seri Anwar IbrahimYB Mohamed Azmin Ali YB Sivarasa Rasiah YAB Tan Sri Dato’ Abdul Khalid Ibrahim YB William Leong YB Ahmad Kasim YB Fuziah Salleh	YB Dato’ Seri Hj Abdul Hadi AwangYB Ust Nasharudin Mat Isa YB Salahuddin Ayub YB Dr Hatta Ramli YB Dr Dzulkifli Ahmad YB Taib Azamuddin YB Khalid Samad	YB Lim Kit SiangYB Ngeh Koo Ham YB Hiew King Chiew YB John Fernandez
KEMENTERIAN DALAM NEGERI	YB Dato’ Johari Abdul	YB Salahuddin Haji Ayub	YB Karpal Singh
KEMENTERIAN KEWANGAN	YB Mohamed Azmin Ali	Dr Dzulkifli Ahmad	YAB Lim Guan Eng
KEMENTERIAN PENGANGKUTAN	YB Dato’ Zahrain Mohamed Hashim	YB Khalid Samad	YB Tan Kok Wai
KEMENTERIAN KERJA RAYA	YB Dato’ Kamarul Bahrin Abbas	YB Dato’ Mahfuz Omar	YB Gobind Singh Deo
KEMENTERIAN PERUSAHAAN PERLADANGAN DAN KOMODITI	YB Dato’ Rashid Din	YB Dato Wan Abd Rahim Wan Abdullah	YB Er Teck Hwa
KEMENTERIAN TENAGA, TEKNOLOGI HIJAU DAN AIR	YB Chua Tian Chang	YB Nasir bin Zakaria	YB Charles Anthony Santiago
KEMENTERIAN PERDAGANGAN ANTARABANGSA DAN INDUSTRI	YB William Leong	YB Dr Mohd Hatta Ramli	YB Teresa Kok
KEMENTERIAN PERTANIAN DAN INDUSTRI ASAS TANI	YB Ahmad Kassim	YB Taib Azamuddin Md Taib	YB Sim Tong Him
KEMENTERIAN PERDAGANGAN DALAM NEGERI DAN HAL EHWAL PENGGUNA	YB Azan Ismail	YB Dr Mohd Abdul Wahid Endut	YB Jeff Ooi
KEMENTERIAN PELAJARAN	YB Yusmadi Yusoff	YB Che Uda Che Nik	YB Chong Eng
KEMENTERIAN PENERANGAN KOMUNIKASI, KESENIAN DAN KEBUDAYAAN	YB Amran Abdul Ghani	YB Dato’ Mahfuz Haji Omar	YB Teo Nie Ching
KEMENTERIAN SUMBER MANUSIA	YB Abdullah Sani Abdul Hamid	YB Muhammad bin Husin	YB M Kulasegaran
KEMENTERIAN SAINS, TEKNOLOGI DAN INOVASI	YB Nurul Izzah Anwar	YB Dr Che Rosli Che Mat	YB Chow Kon Yeow
KEMENTERIAN PERUMAHAN DAN KERAJAAN TEMPATAN	YB Hee Loy Sian	YB Dr Siti Mariah Mahmud	YB Nga Kor Ming
KEMENTERIAN PERTAHANAN	YB Saifuddin Nasution Ismail	YB Dato’ Seri Muhammad Nizar Jamaluddin	YB Liew Chin Tong
KEMENTERIAN KEMAJUAN LUAR BANDAR DAN WILAYAH	YB Ab Aziz Ab Kadir	YB Dato’ Ab Halim bin Ab Rahman	YB M Manogaran
KEMENTERIAN LUAR NEGERI	YB Sivarasa Rasiah	YB Dato’ Kamarudin Jaffar	YB P Ramasamy
KEMENTERIAN BELIA DAN SUKAN	YB Tan Tee Beng	YB Mohd Firdaus bin Jaafar	YB Anthony Loke Siew Fook
KEMENTERIAN KESIHATAN	YB Dr Lee Boon Chye	YB Dr Mohd Hayati Othman	YB Dr Tan Seng Giaw
KEMENTERIAN PEMBANGUNAN WANITA, KELUARGA DAN MASYARAKAT	YB Zuraida Kamaruddin	YB Siti Zailah bt Mohd Yusuf	YB Fong Po Kuan
KEMENTERIAN PELANCONGAN	YB Manikavasagam a/l Sundaram	YB Dato Wan Abd Rahim Wan Abdullah	YB Fong Kui Lun
KEMENTERIAN WILAYAH PERSEKUTUAN	YB Wee Choo Keong	YB Dr Lo’ Lo’ Haji Mohd Ghazali	YB Lim Lip Eng
KEMENTERIAN PENGAJIAN TINGGI	YB Zulkifli Nordin	YB Salahuddin Haji Ayub	YB Tony Pua
KEMENTERIAN SUMBER ASLI DAN ALAM SEKITAR	YB Gobalakrishnan a/l Nagapan	YB Dr Mujahid Yusof Rawa	YB Chong Chien Jen

Anwar's Appeal Dismissed

PUTRAJAYA, July 2 (Bernama) -- The Court of Appeal Thursday dismissed an appeal by Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to have his sodomy trial sent back to the Sessions Court from the High Court.

In a unanimous decision, it ruled that no member of the Executive, not even the Prime Minister could interfere or fetter with the independent powers of the public prosecutor in respect of prosecutions.

Justice Datuk Abdull Hamid Embong, who led a three-member bench in hearing the appeal, said the Prime Minister was not the competent authority on matters concerning criminal prosecutions in the country.

"This authority is by virtue of Article 145(3) & (3A) of the Federal Constitution vested solely on the public prosecutor. All prosecutions are in his name as the representative of the state and public interest," said Justice Abdull Hamid.

He said the public prosecutor, who doubled as the Attorney-General, may be administratively answerable to the Prime Minister but certainly not in the area of prosecution which the Federal Constitution and indeed the public demanded that he be independent of any external interference or barriers.

He further held that the transfer certificate signed by Attorney- General Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail as the public prosecutor was valid under Section 418A of the Criminal Procedure Code (CPC) as he was only carrying out an administrative function when he signed it.

After the descision, Anwar, who was accompanied by his wife Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, said: "I am disgusted with the decision, it makes a mockery of our judiciary".

Anwar, 62, was appealing against the High Court decision on March 5 which reversed the Sessions Court's decision to retain his sodomy case at the Sessions Court.

He was charged with sodomising his former aide, 23-year-old Mohamad Saiful Bukhari Azlan, at Unit 11-5-1, Desa Damansara Condominium, Jalan Setiakasih, Bukit Damansara between 3.01 pm and 4.30 pm on June 26, last year.

One of Anwar's counsel, S. N.Nair told the media that the defence team was considering filing for a review of today's decision.

Justice Abdull Hamid said the then Prime Minister Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's assurance that Abdul Gani would not be personally involved in this case did not mean the public prosecutor be completely barred from exercising his functions in respects to prosecution.

Justice Abdull Hamid, who presided over the hearing with justices Datuk Abu Samah Nordin and Datuk Jeffrey Tan Kok Wha, in a 17-page skeletal decision, said Abdullah's assurance meant that the public prosecutor (Abdul Gani) should no longer be seen to appear in Anwar's sodomy proceedings.

"It could not be stretched to mean that the former Prime Minister intended to bar the public prosecutor from exercising his formal statutory functions, such as putting his signature on the transfer certificate," he said.

He further said the Sessions Court Judge was wrong in finding the transfer certificate to be invalid because when it was tendered, the subordinate court had no jurisdiction or discretion to determine its validity but make the transfer as asked.

He said the Sessions Court Judge was not fettered with such powers, and that she had acted beyond her jurisdiction.

"When faced with such a certificate, the subordinate court has no choice but to dutifully comply. This is a mandatory requirement under Section 418A of the CPC," he said.

Justice Abdull Hamid also said despite the allegations of bias and conflict of interest against Abdul Gani, he was the specific and only officer authorised by law to sign the transfer certificate under Section 418A of the CPC.

"His act cannot be impugned by reason of the imputed bias or conflict of interest," he said.

Justice Abdull Hamid also said under that section, no one could question the decision by Abdul Gani when he issued the transfer certificate and his decision was final and that the subordinate court must remove the case upon receiving the certificate.

"It confers on him (Abdul Gani) untrammelled and uncontrolled power in very wide terms to effect this requirement", he said.

Justice Abdull Hamid also said this mandatory effect was also confirmed in a Federal Court which held that the Attorney-General had the discretion to initiate courts proceedings in any forum he liked without having to assign reasons for doing so.

He said after considering all factors, the court found that the right forum to initiate Anwar's sodomy case was the High Court as there was absolutely no evidence that Anwar would not get a fair trial at it.

Before ending his judgment, Justice Abdull Hamid stressed that as usual, any decision made by the court would attract critics, commentators and detractors.

When Justice Abdull Hamid was reading the verdict half-way, Anwar appeared unsatisfied and was heard mumbling "No! No!".

MPs concerned over amendments to laws on religious conversion

Data Source : Thestar.com.my

MPs have raised concerns over the proposed amendments to three laws on religious conversion, saying that the matter must be handled with care.

“In a civilised society, it is essential to have freedom of religion in line with basic human rights,” Datuk Seri Wilfred Mojilip Bumburing (BN – Tuaran) said.
“The matter is now back at the discussion table. I hope there will be a good solution to all,” he said when debating the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Amendment) (Amendment) Bill.

The suggested amendments to the conversion laws were not tabled this time around, as more time was required to review them.

M. Kulasegaran (DAP – Ipoh Barat) said the issue of religious conversion had caused problems to the families involved where children were often caught in the tussle. This had led to much heartache, he added.

At the Parliament lobby, Lim Kit Siang (DAP – Ipoh Timur) said the Cabinet should call for an emergency meeting by next month to push through amendments to the religious conversion laws.

The Cabinet, he said, had to resolve the issue fast because unilateral conversions had wreaked havoc on the family structure and affected racial unity.

It had been a very polarising and divisive matter, he told reporters.

On Tuesday, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Nazri Abdul Aziz announced that the Government was putting on hold the amendments to hear the views of state religious councils.

The three laws are the Law Reform (Marriage and Divorce) Act, the Administration of Islamic (Federal Territories) Islamic Law and the Islamic Family (Federal Territories) Law.

Lim said there could be more cases of family disunity as a result of religious conversion until Parliament sat again in October.

PAS vice-president Datuk Mahfuz (PAS – Pokok Sena) said time should be given to Rulers for their feedback on the issue.

PAS has disagreed with the Cabinet’s decision, saying that the courts should decide on the children’s religion and not the Cabinet.

Mirror, Mirror on the Wall ... - Rocky's Bru

... Who's the Fairest of them all? The entry of Malaysian Mirror into the country's online news portal scene makes blogosphere goes round and round faster. Launched on Tuesday by former Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad (in his capacity, I'm sure, also as the blogger with the largest following in Malaysia), the Mirror has begun its journey with articles that appear more right than the other portals, namely Malaysiakini, Malaysia Today and Malaysian Insider.

Does that make Malaysian Mirror's coverage fairer? I say, give it time. Shah Dadameah is a "seasoned" name in the local journalism scene. He was already considered a quite senior reporter with the Star when I joined the paper 25 years ago. Shah's presence at the Mirror will make a difference.

At a time when it's cool only if you hit out at BN, this piece Pakatan Rakyat: Strange and Undiscipined Bedfellows is a brave one indeed from Shah and company: