Tsu Koon accepts Keng Yaik’s resignation

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 6 – Gerakan President Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon finally relented today and accepted the resignation of his predecessor Tun Dr Lim Keng Yaik as party adviser.

Dr Koh explained in a statement this evening that his decision had come after his meeting with the former Cabinet minister this afternoon.

“After deliberation, I decided to accept Lim’s resignation as the Gerakan adviser. We met this afternoon to discuss many matters about the party and the country,” he said.

Dr Koh also announced that he had invited Lim, who is still a lifelong member in the party, to preside as chairman in the Gerakan Life Members Council on his behalf.

“I have also decided that Tun Lim will play a different role in the party. He has graciously accepted,” he said.

In his attempt to re-unite Gerakan’s seemingly fractured leadership, Dr Koh also called on all members at all levels to close ranks in the “satu hati spirit” (spirit of unity) and focus on serving the people.

Dr Koh’s decision comes barely a day after he announced that the party’s central leadership would not accept Lim’s resignation.

Lim dropped a bombshell on Monday when he announced his sudden decision to quit as party adviser, citing his dissatisfaction with Dr Koh’s leadership.

The former Beruas MP accused Dr Koh of being too afraid to resolve internal party conflicts, referring to the ongoing Penang Gerakan leadership crisis.

A group of members in the party’s northern stronghold of Penang recently succeeded in their bid to summon an extraordinary general meeting this Sunday where they plan to remove their state chief Datuk Dr Teng Hock Nan.

Dr Koh came under fire from Lim when he announced that he would not attend the EGM and would instead honour his promise to be present at the MCA annual general meeting, slotted for the same day.

Kuil diroboh, penduduk kecewa dengan DAP

Oleh B Nantha Kumar

SERI KEMBANGAN: Penganut Hindu sekitar Taman Bukit Serdang berasa marah dan kecewa dengan DAP kerana gagal bertindak sebelum Pejabat Tanah Daerah Petaling memusnahkan sebuah kuil.

Pada pukul 9.00 pagi hari ini, dengan arahan daripada pengarah pejabat tanah daerah Petaling, sekumpulan penguatkuasa dan polis terdiri daripada lebih 60 orang memusnahkan Kuil Sri Maha Perchai Vada Bathra Kaliamman Alayam di Seksyen 5, Taman Bukit Serdang.

Ketika dihubungi, pengerusi jawatankuasa sementara kuil, B Gopalan merakamkan perasaan kecewa.

Beliau mengakui walaupun insiden ini berlaku bukan atas arahan DAP tetapi pada masa yang kelewatan DAP bertindak dalam isu ini adalah antara satu punca utama kuil ini di roboh.

"Saya sangat kecewa dengan DAP yang lewat bertindak dalam isu ini. Sejak enam bulan yang lalu persatuan kuil mendesak DAP untuk memberi tapak yang sesuai untuk pembinaan kuil yang baru tetapi mereka enggan," katanya.

Tambahnya lagi, "DAP perlu menanggung keseluruhan kejadian dan jangan memberi alasan".

Gopalan mengulas bahawa kuil ini dibina oleh Pemuda India Bukit Serdang,di Seksyen 6 sejak 10 tahun yang lalu. Ia dipindah ke tapak sementara atas arahan DAP kerana tapak sebelumnya dijual kepada syarikat pembangunan.

Beliau menambah: "Kerana tapak sementara, kami dicadangankan membina kuil dalam keadaan serba sederhana. Kami telah pun menyediakan duit yang mencukupi untuk membina kuil yang lebih besar selepas mendapat tapak yang baru."

Katanya, "Secara keseluruhan kuil ini dijaga oleh pemuda-pemuda sekitar Serdang. Motif kami adalah bukan sahaja membuat aktiviti agama malah aktiviti sosial juga seperti kelas tuisyen percuma, perpustakaan mini, ceramah agama dan lain-lain."

Gopalan yang berkerja sebagai pemandu lori, menolak cadangan DAP untuk membina kuil bersebelahan kuil lain kerana ia tidak masuk akal.

"Tempat yang dicadangkan adalah sekitar 1km-2 km jauhnya dari Taman Bukit Serdang, yang jauh bagi kita. Ini akan menyebabkan ketidakselesaan besar untuk umat Hindu di Taman Bukit Serdang, terutama mereka yang tidak mempunyai pengangkutan sendiri,” katanya lagi.

Beliau mengakui telahpun membuat satu laporan polis berhubung kes ini dan akan mengambil tindakan selanjutnya.

Malam ini, jawatankuasa kuil akan mengadakan satu perjumpaan tergempar dengan ahli parlimen Serdang Teo Nie Ching.

Ex-aide 'lied' for Anwar, mob raids sodomy PC

By Teoh El Sen - Free Malaysia Today

KLANG: In a new twist to the Anwar Ibrahim sodomy saga, a former aide has claimed that he was forced to lie for the opposition leader in two statutory declarations made in 2008.
Rahimi Osman also filed a police report on the matter this afternoon.

In his report, the former aide said he was forced to ink the documents in June 2008 regarding Anwar and Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan.

"The SDs are untrue and was not written by myself," he said.

Rahimi claimed that he signed the documents because he feared for his safety at the time as he was surrounded by Anwar's supporters and his “right-hand men” in a hotel in Shah Alam.

"After Saiful made a police report saying he was sodomised by Anwar, Anwar's people as well as his laywers, including (PKR information chief) Latheefa Koya and Saiful Izham Ramli, forced me to stay at Quality Hotel," he said.

"They then forced me to put down my signature when I did not agree with the contents of the SDs at all," he added.

Rahimi stated that in his first SD signed on June 28, he had "accused" Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak and his wife Rosmah Mansor of conspiring against Anwar.

He made a new SD today, because he wanted to "tell the truth".

"A few months ago, Latheefa called me to ask me to sign a new SD as she told me the one I signed previously was lost. However, I did not entertain them and tried my best to stay away from them,” he said.

In his police report, Rahimi also asked for protection since he was most likely to be called in as a witness in the sodomy trial.

Meanwhile, Anwar's lawyer Sankara Nair denied Rahimi's claim of being forced to sign the SDs and questioned the timing of the latest revelation.

“He made the statutory declaration voluntarily and it was in Anwar's favour. By the way, why is he making an about turn now? After about three years?” he asked.

Mob storms restaurant

Rahimi's attempt to disclose the matter at a press conference in a restaurant here this evening was thwarted when a group of Anwar's supporters stormed the venue.

The men hurled abuses at Rahimi, and among others, shouted: “How many millions did you get?” and “We know everything”.

The men, led by PKR vice-presidential hopeful R Suresh Kumar, also threatened to forcefully drag Rahimi out of the restaurant if he did not end the press conference. He subsequently called off the press conference.

Speaking to reporters later, Suresh said he and his group came to protect Anwar from any false allegations.

"We don't know what he was going to expose but we know it's something bad. But he's the culprit. I know very well what he did to Saiful, I met his father also.

“Suddenly he comes out, definitely he got something from the government. So there's no story, there's nothing. Now the case is in court, why now? Who is Rahimi, why suddenly come out?" he asked.

Suresh also alleged that Rahimi and Saiful had a "special relationship" without elaborating.

Anwar was accused of sodomising Saiful in a condominium in Kuala Lumpur, and the opposition leader, who is facing his second sodomy charge in a decade, claimed that it was a sequel to the political conspiracy authored against him in 1998.

Is the Sultan of Johor promoting further annihilation of minority’s rights?

The recent statement by the Sultan of Johor in relation to the constitution has thrown to light for what seems to be a veiled support to encourage the neo-fascist movement PERKASA with their antics based on the purported Federal constitution.

The failure by the Sultan to recognize and acknowledge the second limb of Article 153 that provides for legitimate interest of the non-Muslim will only provide credence to PERKASA to continue their shenanigans hand in hand with UMNO against the non Muslims.

Malaysia is a secular country and in their representation to Reid Commission in 1956, the Rulers have specifically agreed that Islam should be for ceremonial purpose and that they did not intend to make Malaysia an Islamic state.

This was further echoed by Tunku Abdul Rahman, at the 80th birthday celebrations organized by the Barisan Nasional in his honour on 8th February 1983, where Tunku pointedly said Malaysia should not be turned into an Islamic state, that Malaysia was set up as a secular State with Islam as the official religion which was enshrined in the Constitution. This is the true spirit of the constitution.

The constitution had been pristine clear in its objective, yet UMNO & the government had diluted the true spirit of the original document with more than 650 amendments since 1957 where now the original Federal constitution only bear a biased mirror of its original model against the minorities.

The very notion that it is amended just to favour a certain parties seems all too obvious as what had been observed over the last 50 years with such dilution of basic rights for the minorities on the basis of religion including the East Malaysians.

The devolution of the Rulers power in the constitution was itself emanated by their own weakness as what had been observed in during the Mahathir era in 1983 and 1993 as Mahathir was able to obtain the obedience of the rulers for reasons known best to them. Therefore any issue of any amendments to the Sultan & Agong rights stated in the constitution was a downfall of their own doing not the public at large for the excessive manipulated power UMNO possessed during the Mahathir era.

In relation to judiciary and its independence, as a rule of thumb, constitutional monarchy needs to understand and grasp the separation of power between judiciary, legislators & executives. The weakness of the rulers to ensure that the legislators toe the line was obvious during the spill over of the UMNO general election of 1987 that created the Malaysian Constitutional crises in 1988 with the suspension of Tun Salleh Abbas for opposing the subordination of the judiciary to the legislators and executives during the era where the Sultan of Johor was the Agong. This was a clear breach of the Federal constitution, yet it was succumbed to for the Mahathir legislators & executives to absorb the functions of the independent judiciary for judiical powers.

If you look further to East Malaysia, the monarchy is a non issue as they were never part of the 1957 constitution nor are they neither subject to such monarchy nor what the monarchy states or intimidates against the minorities based assertion for basic rights.

Bearing the above facts, and as the bearer of a constitutional monarchy for all Malaysians irrespective of race, religion or creed, the Sultan should make attempts to ensure the sanctity of the Federal constitution in its true sense in upholding it rather than making veiled threats to minorities against questioning the malay rights and acting as spokesperson to Perkasa. Citing lessons to be learned from the May 1969 racial riots are most distasteful and insulting the intelligence of Non Malays who no longer live with the idea of subjection.

As the Ruler for all communities, the Sultan should remind the government and umno of the second limb of article 153 which provides for the legitimate interests of non Muslims and Article 8 which provides for equality for all citizens.

Thank you.

P. Waytha Moorthy

CHAIRMAN

HINDRAF

Buddhism is King Kong religion, says convert ustaz

 

Pix: Ann Wan Seng is a member of the 
Perkim national council

By Sharifuddin A. Latiff
What is with these Chinamen who convert to Islam in Malaysia?!

One of the most well-known Muslim missionaries (pendakwah) is Ann Wan Seng, who’s a prolific speaker in Malay — like you-know-who.




Above is a screenshot of the Perkim website organization chart. The Perkim chairman is Mahathir, by the way.

But watch the video! (below)

Beginning 2:30 Ann Wan Seng explains that the Chinese practise various strains of Buddhism.

At 3:00, Ann says:

Bukan sekadar orang Cina menyembah agama Buddha. Mereka juga sembah berbagai dewa dan juga dewi. Mereka sembah Tua Pek Kong, mereka sembah Pau Kong, mereka sembah Datuk Kong dan barangkali mereka juga sembah King Kong (audience snickers).

Maka jadilah agama dia agama Kong Kali Kong.

Dan inilah keadaan yang sedia wujud itu (speaker laughs) di mana orang Cina sembah patung-patung ini kerana mereka yakin dan juga mereka percaya bahawa patung ini boleh mendatangkan kebaikan kepada mereka, boleh mendatangkan kesejahteraan kepada mereka, boleh memberikan keselamatan malahan boleh menjadikan mereka ini kaya-raya.

—00000—

Ann is wrong to conflate Buddhist teachings with the worship of Taoist deities. Even I know this. It just goes to show how shallow the knowledge of these Muslim preachers are. Spreading such ignorance and denigrating other religions is just as bad as BTN propaganda.

The YouTube video is three years old but it has only came to light and to the attention of the wider audience after the brouhaha created by blogger Mahaguru58. The president of the Muslim bloggers network Zainol Abideen made his police report against a Christian preacher whom he accused of insulting Prophet Muhammad s.a.w. six years ago.

In a tit-for-tat, the other side of blogosphere similarly highlighted this video to show that it is both sides doing the insulting.

However, only one side is making the police reports and the death threats.

The authorities are also one-sided in their warnings against perpetrators. Take for example the NFA against the two school principals who not only made racial taunts but were also religiously motivated in their actions.

And Malaysia wants to lecture the rest of the world on religious tolerance? Bah, humbug.

‘… I am proud of my ethnicity …’

By K Temoc | Letters

I refer to the article titled Behind Perkasa’s pig obsession by your columnist Helen Ang. While I find it interesting I must take issue with her on two points, both related to DAP. Firstly (excuse the pun) it’s about her criticism of Lim Kit Siang’s ‘Malaysian First’.

She made a motherhood statement that the Malaysian First-ers hate to be called ‘pendatang’ and don’t like to be told ‘balik Cina’, but one that lacks relevance because really, which Chinese does?

Then she argued that though Dr Mohd Ridhuan Tee Abdullah has Chinese skin tone and Chinese facial features, no one has told him to ‘balik Cina’. And the reason is of course that Ridhuan is a Malay-speaking Muslim, ipso facto the ‘balik Cina’ jeer does not apply to him as he belongs here.

Then her logic plummeted when she averred that for Malaysian First-ers to avoid the ‘balik Cina’ gibe, they should emulate Ridhuan who is the model Malaysian First-er. She also quoted a blogger (I believe to be Shuzheng) who also argued that Malaysian First requires doing a Ridhuan Tee. Shuzheng argued that if a Chinese, like Ridhuan, no longer possesses Chinese characteristics, then nobody can ask him/her to ‘balik Cina’.

Ang and blogger Shuzheng both failed to understand two things: (a) Dr Ridhuan tee is not a Chinese by choice and a Malay through his constitutional rights, so how and who he looks like is totally irrelevant, and (b) Lim Kit Siang’s ‘Malaysian First’ is not about acceptance per se. On July 5, Lim Kit Siang made a media statement (available on his blog) in response to a second challenge by DPM Muhyiddin to state whether he is a Chinese or Malaysian first.

Lim said: ‘I had already stated in Parliament that I am a Malaysian first and Chinese second. I am proud of my ethnicity but I have always believed that all Malaysians must rise above their ethnic, cultural, religious and geographic differences to seek a common bond with the Malaysian identity transcending all ethnic, cultural, religious and geographic identities.’

That’s a political vision statement of the highest merit, akin to one made on Aug 28, 1963 in a distant land by another visionary who said the following immortal words during an era of seemingly impossible struggle for racial equality, and for an end to ethnic discrimination.

Those words were: ‘I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.’

‘I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.’ [...]

‘This is our hope. This is the faith ….. With this faith we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood.’ […}

‘Now is the time to lift our nation from the quicksand of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood. Now is the time to make justice a reality for all of God’s children.’

That visionary, Martin Luther King Jr, didn’t have to abandon his identity, heritage or convert himself into a white man as Michael Jackson did. And he wasn’t alone nor the first in the struggle – there was Rosa Parks nearly a decade before him – to chip gradually but perseveringly away at what was then seen as the insurmountable odds of invincible racism.

Thanks to their efforts, endurance and faith in themselves, today an African American sits in the White House as the 44th President of the United States of America. At home Lim Kit Siang espouses the Malaysian First doctrine to seek the same outcome. His objectives are clear and straightforward, and he knows he would still need many like-minded successors to chip away at the vested interests of Malaysian racism before his dream can come true that all Malaysians ‘will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character’.

Lim Kit Siang and many like me do not want to see a Chinese as a future prime minister of Malaysia but rather a Malaysian.

Secondly, I regret very much Ang made a double incorrect statements that the wearing of selendang (presumably by Teo Nie Ching) to a surau and Lim Guan Eng ‘Photoshop-ed’ slaughtering cow in Islamic ritual were examples of DAP preaching Malaysian First in the hope of gaining privileges as first-class citizens.

I believe by now we should be able to easily disregard her bizarre accusation of Malaysian First as a concept to gaining privileges as first class citizens, but I lament her refusal to acknowledge that Teo Nie Ching had to wear a selendang after a faux pas already chided by the Selangor Sultan; and if Teo visited her Malay constituency, what better place than a surau, the traditional gathering place for kampung Muslim Malays.

I would like to ask Ang what’s wrong with the DAP current program of seeking Malay acceptance through more direct socio-political intercourse. After all, the Malays represent more than 60% of Malaysians. Why disparage a political party for striving to demonstrate their Malaysian character as well as enlarge its voters base?

The only area I agree with Ang would be in her concerns with the DAP’s unnecessary flirtation with Islam. I believe the DAP can seek rapprochement with the Malay community without over- the-top fawning over a historical Muslim leader and his exemplary governance, and

perhaps in that process, misleading some Pakatan Rakyat Muslims into believing Lim Guan Eng is so enamoured of Caliph Umar Ibn Abdul Aziz that he will soon be embracing Islam.

But unfortunately the worst of her attacks against DAP was when she made no mention of the fact that the photo showing Lim Guan Eng slaughtering a cow in Islamic ritual was a forgery. I hope it’s a genuine slipup and not a Shuzheng type of insecure creativity, where that blogger (in a letter) had accused Lim Kit Siang, in promoting the Malaysian First concept, of denying his (Lim’s) ancestral roots.

Let me conclude by reproducing for both Helen Ang and blogger Shuzheng a crucial sentence of what Lim Kit Siang had stated in his media statement of July 5, 2010.

‘… I am proud of my ethnicity …’.

Kottapan Wants Probe Into Chaos At Kota Raja PKR Division Axpedited

KLANG, Oct 6 (Bernama) -- One of the candidates for the division chief post in Parti Keadilan Rakyat's (PKR) Kota Raja division, who alleged that he was assaulted during its divisional polls by a group of 40 thugs, wants the party's top leadership to expedite its probe into the incident.

S. Kottapan said he came to understand that the probe will be carried out after the party's polls in November.

"By then it would be too late," he told reporters Wednesday at his hospital bed at a private hospital here where is receiving treatment for injuries sustained in the incident.

Asked what he expected of the top leadership, he said:"I want the election carried at the Kota Raja division to be cancelled."

He added that it would be an injustice to him if nothing was done.

In that election on Sept 26, Andalas assemblyman and Selangor state executive councillor Dr Xavier Jayakumar was announced as the winner for the post on the party's website.

Bekas kakitangan Pejabat Anwar lancar kempen PRK Galas bagi pihak Umno

Umno panik dengan pertembungan di kawasan majoriti Melayu di DUN Galas. Dalam keadaan mereka sedang melakukan perang saraf memaksa semua percaya bahawa Melayu sudah benci Pakatan Rakyat dan mencintai Umno melalui Perkasa yang mendapat hak francais peembakar suhu perkauman sudah tentu pilihanraya kecil di kawasan Melayu ini mencemaskan mereka.

Galas sukar buat Pakatan Rakyat untuk mengekalkan kerusi tetapi akan cuba yang terbaik. Bn cemas dan mengarut bermula dengan nak lantik pemimpin yang mereka pinggirkan selama ini 'KuLi' sebagai pengarah, Umno panik kerana kalau tewas Galas maka retorik konon mereka dipuja Melayu akan hancur.

Mereka tahu sesuatu perlu dilakukan segera. Pakatan Rakyat jika turun dengan jentera yang padu pasti Bn tumbang. Faktor pengikat Pakatan Rakyat, Anwar kini berada di Itali. Tanpa perlu menanti Anwar berada di luar negara serangan dituju kepada Anwar.

Kempen Bn sempena Galas bermula hari ini dengan 'kick off' nya dimulakan oleh Rahimi, bekas kakitangan di pejabat Anwar Ibrahim.

Rahimi ini kononya hari ini hadir di Ibu Pejabat Balai Polis Kelang dengan menyatakan dia dipaksa membuat kenyataan bersumpah palsu.

Strategi menggunakan Rahimi ini sudah dihidu beberapa hari lepas. Kononya Rahimi akan membuat aduan polis yang dia juga diliwat. Pelik juga sebab strategi itu mudah sangat dipatahkan kerana Rahimi ini pernah membuat akuan bersumpah dan rakaman audio visual menolak semua dakwaan Saiful, malah dia juga yang menimbulkan dan mengaitkan nama Ezam Mohd Nor sebagai orang yang terlibat dalam kes fitnah 2.

Mungkin 'perancang jahat' juga sedar perkara ini, maka Rahimi tidak jadi mengaku diliwat tetapi sekadar mengaku dia dipaksa membuat akuan bersumpah palsu. *banyak blog pro Umno termasuk twitter Lokman Adam semua telah umum mangsa liwat Anwar akan buat laporan sebelum pun Rahimi buat laporan polis ternyata semua mereka di update hanya dengan perancangan asal dan bukan plan B sila klik

Saya sendiri ada bersama beliau selepas Saiful membuat laporan polis dia diliwat. Rahimi oleh kerana kononya takut maka dia diletakkan di sebuah hotel dan beberapa teman saya diminta menjaga dan memenuhi keperluan Rahimi.

Sepanjang dijaga selama kira - kira 6 hari itu, dia bebas gunakan telefon, dia bebas ke sana ke mari termasuk ke Seri Pentas untuk menonton perlawanan bolasepak ketika itu.

Malah ketika berbual dengan teman-teman yang menemani beliau diberitahu betapa dia sedih kerana bagaimana Saiful boleh buat sedemikian rupa zalim terhadap Anwar.

Namun cheGuBard secara peribadi lansung tak percaya Rahimi ini, saya pernah sendiri ketika itu bercakap dengan Anwar Ibrahim sendiri mengenai keraguan yang timbul kerana beberapa perkara jelas yang terjadi tetapi Rahimi menipu dengan mengatakan sebaliknya. Rahimi ini cheGuBard tak suka sebab terlalu elit gayanya,sombong sangat pakai kereta mewah dengan pemandu, pakaian jenama hebat dan cakap besar sentiasa. Konon dialah orang yang banyak bantu Anwar itu dan ini termasuk susun pertemuan dan buat ucapan. Dia kata kalau nak anak muda ikut parti kena pakai banyak duit, itulah kata yang cukup menjadikan cheGuBard menyampah dengan dia, cuma dah tugasan ialah 'meneman bukan mendidik' maka teman dan dengar je lah.

Mungkin sharpshooter a.k.a Din Binjai dan Zulkifli Ibrahim (Nibong Tebal) boleh berkongsi lebih banyak cerita kerana dialah yang bersama Rahimi ke banyak tempat 'berfoya' ketika mereka menemani Rahimi.

Dipaksa ? Gila...... langsung tak wujud paksaan, malah dia sendiri yang cerita itu dan ini termasuk mengaitkan Ezam.

Lama dia hilang tak tahulah buat apa bagi che'GuBard tak nak campur itu urusan pejabat Anwar, che'GuBard tumpu perkasa parti, tak mahu campur urusan pejabat Anwar Ibrahim sebab nanti tak sesuai pula kerana kita tak secerdik mana.

Tiba - tiba beberapa bulan lepas ketika menghantar sepupu Isteri bernikah di Sg. Buloh kami sekeluarga singgah di Denai Alam. Sebab dengar tempat ini boleh tengok kuda maka cheGuBard bawa anak-anak untuk ambil gambar dengan kuda. che'GuBard jumpa Rahimi ini baru lepas naik kuda, biasalah dengan pakaian hebat, boot naik kuda dan cakap besarnya dia menyapa, salam siap nak cium tangan lagi. Kalau dia kena paksa kenapa sekarang ? Kenapa dekat dengan Galas ?

Previously unknown language emerges in India

Linguist Gregory Anderson, right, makes one of 

the first recordings of the "hidden" language Koro.

 

(CNN) -- Linguists announced Monday they have identified an endangered language known as Koro that is spoken by about 800 people in northeast India.

The language was unknown to science and recently came to light during an expedition by linguists traveling in India on fellowships for National Geographic, the linguists said in telephone interviews.

Koro belongs to the Tibeto-Burman language family, which is composed of a group of about 400 languages spoken primarily in east, central, south and southeast Asia and includes Tibetan and Burmese, according to linguist K. David Harrison.

Some 150 Tibeto-Burman languages are spoken in India alone, but no other language has been identified as closely related, said Harrison, an associate professor of linguistics at Swarthmore College in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania.

Like most languages, Koro is unwritten and transmitted orally. It is neither a dialect nor a sister language close to Hruso-Aka, despite being considered such by both Hruso and Koro people.

Koro shares some vocabulary with other languages spoken in the region but shares more features with languages spoken farther east, such as Milang and Tani, the linguists said in a news release issued by National Geographic.

Harrison and another National Geographic Fellow, Greg Anderson, led the expedition, called Enduring Voices, which brought Koro to light. Enduring Voices documents vanishing languages and cultures and assists with language revitalization.

Harrison and Anderson, director of the Living Tongues Institute for Endangered Languages, in Salem, Oregon, focused on Arunachal Pradesh, a remote area of northeast India that is considered the black hole of the linguistic world.

It is a language hotspot where there is room to study rich, diverse languages, many unwritten or documented. A permit is required to visit, few linguists have worked there and a reliable list of languages has never been drawn up.

"On a scientist's tally sheet, Koro adds just one entry to the list of 6,909 languages worldwide. But Koro's contribution is much greater than that tiny fraction would suggest," Harrison writes in his book, "The Last Speakers."

"Koro brings an entirely different perspective, history, mythology, technology and grammar to what was known before."

In the news release, the linguists described their discovery as bittersweet: Of the approximately 800 people who speak Koro, few are under the age of 20, meaning the language is endangered.

"We were finding something that was making its exit, was on its way out," Anderson said. "And if we had waited 10 years to make the trip, we might not have come across close to the number of speakers we found."

The team set out in 2008 in Arunachal Pradesh to document Aka and Miji, languages spoken in a small district there. The expedition went door to door among homes propped up on stilts to reach potential speakers of those little-known languages.

While recording the vocabularies, they detected a third language -- Koro. It was not listed in Indian language surveys, Indian censuses or standard international registries.

"We didn't have to get far on our word list to realize it was extremely different in every possible way," Harrison said.

The inventory of sounds and the way these sounds were combined to form words were distinct from other languages spoken in the region.

An Aka speaker would call a pig "vo" and a Koro speaker would call a pig "lele."

"Koro could hardly sound more different from Aka," Harrison writes. "They sound as different as, say, English and Japanese."

Anderson and Harrison said Aka is the traditional language of the region's historic slave traders, and they hypothesized that Koro may have sprung from the slaves; though they said more study is needed to determine the origin.

The project reports that a language becomes extinct every two weeks. By 2100, it is estimated that more than half of the 6,910 languages spoken on earth will vanish. The team will return to India to continue studying Koro in November.

Ayodhya litigant begins talks; gets death threats

Ayodhya, Oct 6: Mohammad Hashim Ansari, a litigant in the Ayodhya title suit case, has alleged that people with political interests are plotting to eliminate him.

A week after the Allahabad High Court delivered its verdict in the Ram Temple-Babri Masjid land dispute, the oldest litigant in the case has claimed threat to his life.

“When I started to talk about peace with Mahant Gyandas (president of the Akhil Bharatiya Akhara Parishad) those doing politics on this issue felt their shops will get closed and they are issuing threats and plotting to eliminate me,” 90-year-old litigant said.

He claims that he started exploring possibilities of an amicable solution only after the consent of the Sunni Central Waqf Board.

The board, on the other hand, has denied this.

Mr Ansari holds that if the issue can be sorted out through talks, then that is the way to go.

“If the issue could be sorted out through talks today, tomorrow or two months, it should be done. After all we have three months time,” he said.

The HC prescribed three months of status quo while delivering its verdict on the 60-year-old dispute over the land, which was divided one part to the Muslim board, two to the Hindu parties.

Source: OneIndia News

Ex-Anwar aide claims was forced to implicate Najib, Rosmah in Sodomy II

The Malaysian Insider,

KLANG, Oct 6 — A former aide to Pakatan Rakyat (PR) defacto leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim claimed today that he was forced to implicate Datuk Seri Najib Razak and Datin Seri Rosmah in the on-going Sodomy II trial.

Rahimi Osman said that he was forced to sign two statutory declarations back on June 28, 2008 which accused Najib and Rosmah of masterminding a conspiracy against Anwar.

PKR members had stormed the press conference even before Rahimi could begin and demanded that he stop the press conference.

However, a police report made by Rahimi at 3.03 pm earlier was available to The Malaysian Insider.

According to the report, Rahimi claimed that he was forced to sign two staturory declarations by PKR information chief Latheefa Koya as well as party members at Quality Hotel back in June 2008.

“I was forced to sign two statutory declarations on June 2008 about Anwar and Saiful. The declaration was not true because I did not write it.

“I was forced to sign it because I feared for my safety... at that time there were hundreds of Anwar’s supporters and right-hand men around Quality Hotel,” said Rahimi.

The former aide also claimed that he was forced to stay at the hotel for a few days after signing the SD.

Khalid Samad dares Ibrahim Ali to contest Galas

The Malaysian Insider

SHAH ALAM, Oct 6 — Shah Alam Member of Parliament Khalid Samad has challenged Perkasa chief Datuk Ibrahim Ali to contest the Galas state seat to prove that his group was not backed by Umno.

Ibrahim has repeatedly denied accusations that his Malay rights movement was linked to the Malay ruling party.

“If he (Ibrahim) does not contest and he campaigns for Barisan Nasional (BN), people should realise that this is Umno’s political game,” Khalid told reporters today.

“It is a good-cop bad-cop method to gain support from extreme Malay nationalists and moderate Malays,” he added.

Pro-Anwar mob thwarts 'sodomy' press meet

By Teoh El Sen - Free Malaysia Today,

FMT ALERT KLANG: A group of men stormed a press conference at a restaurant here this evening regarding Anwar Ibrahim's ongoing sodomy trial.

The men, believed to be supporters of Anwar, started hurling abuses at Rahimi Osman, who is purportedly a former aide to the opposition leader.

Among others, the men shouted: “How many millions did you get?” and “We know everything”.

The men, led by PKR vice-presidential hopeful R Suresh Kumar, also threatened to forcefully drag Rahimi out of the restaurant if he did not end the press conference.

According to a media advisory sent out this morning, Rahimi was supposed to “set the record straight” on Anwar's trial.

Anwar has been charged with sodomosing his former aide Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan.
He subsequently called off the press conference

Read More

PKR leaders clash over Hulu Selangor division

By Syed Jaymal Zahiid - Free Malaysia Today,

KUALA LUMPUR: PKR leaders appear to be at loggerheads over the problematic Hulu Selangor divisional polls -- the division where a known party bigwig linked to party supremo Anwar Ibrahim and deputy presidency hopeful Azmin Ali had vied for the post of division chief. PKR secretary-general Saifuddin Nasution today announced the party's decision to hold re-election for its nine trouble-plagued divisions including that of Hulu Selangor.

The Hulu Selangor election, which was nullified due to the alleged surplus of votes cast there, purportedly saw Anwar's former press-secretary during his time as deputy prime minister, Khalid Jaafar, defeated in a seven-cornered fight by popular local leader Nazar Yakin.

However shortly after Saifuddin's press meet, PKR election steering committee chairman, Dr Molly Cheah, has come out to question the validity of secretary-general's announcement.

Cheah, when contacted by FMT, said no decisions were made in respect to the party's Hulu Selangor annual general meeting.

"Who decided that there would be re-election there? As far as I know, I chaired the election committee meeting last night and no decision was reached with regard to Hulu Selangor," she said, adding that she was not aware that a press conference was held.

Saifuddin told a press briefing that PKR leaders had decided to hold re-elections for the nine divisions, dividing them into two categories with a separate schedule for each.

Divisions whose elections were postponed due to technical and logistical problems such as in Hulu Selangor, Petaling Jaya Selatan, Merbok, Jerai and Kuala Nerus will cast their ballots again before the party's national congress in late October.

Saifuddin said the rest of the divisions where pollings were marred by factional clashes will hold re-elections after the congress.

All's not well in PKR

Saifuddin, who is Machang MP, said while more could have been done to avoid the acrimonious electoral outcome of the nine divisions, this should not overshadow the party's success in holding a smooth polling process for the rest of its 145 divisions.

"Although the media, especially those linked to Umno and Barisan Nasional, highlighted only unpleasant incidents, it must be emphasised that such cases took place only at four divisional meetings," he said.

But the spat between Saifuddin and Cheah will likely fortify the popular view that the direct election system is undemocratic.

It will also strengthen the belief that there is a concerted effort at the highest level to slot in certain leaders to key posts as part of the "Anwar-Azmin cartel".

The loudest critic is Azmin's strongest rival, Zaid Ibrahim, who claims that there are "powerful forces" attempting to undermine his chances for the number two post.

The fact that Saifuddin held a separate press conference for only selected medias after the initial media briefing will also not help the party dispel Zaid's allegations.

Veiled attack against Zaid

During the 'exclusive' interviews with reporters, Saifuddin launched a veiled attack against Zaid for his refusal to tow the party line pertaining to PKR's blanket rule against engaging Umno-owned media.

"The party's decision is clear in boycotting Utusan Malaysia. If we are members of PKR, we must respect the decisions of the party," online news portal The Malaysian Insider quoted him.

Zaid had recently given interviews to both Utusan Malaysia and New Straits Times, saying there was an emerging "Umno culture" within PKR and despite the warning by Anwar, the PKR Federal Territories chief in an interview with another Malay daily yesterday defiantly said he will not hesitate to talk to all media including those which are Umno-owned.

Azmin Ali, the PKR vice-president and Selangor party chief, is leading in the nominations count. He has garnered 92 nominations against Zaid's 35 while the third contender, fellow vice-president Mustaffa Kamil Ayub, has received 13 nominations.

Saifuddin also said three candidates are eligible for the presidential contest, seven for deputy presidency, 27 for vice-presidency and 190 for supreme council.

The eligible candidates who wish to contest for any of the posts will have to confirm their nomination by Oct 16, he added.

Galas by-election: Polling Nov 4, nomination Oct 26

By Stephanie Sta Maria - Free Malaysia Today

FULL REPORT PUTRAJAYA: The Election Commission today fixed the polling date for the Galas by-election on Nov 4. Nomination will be held on Oct 26.

The dates were announced by Election Commission deputy chairman Wan Ahmad Wan Omar during a press conference this morning.

The recently updated voter count in Galas stands at 11,553, of which 61.63% are Malays, 20.08% Chinese, 1.6% Indians, 0.9% Sarawak bumiputeras and 16.37% Orang Asli. Of this number, 127 will consist of postal votes.

Wan Ahmad said the election was being held on a weekday as “majority of the voters are based locally”. The nomination falls on a Tuesday while polling is on a Thursday.
The state seat fell vacant following the death of its rep, Che Hashim Sulaima, of PAS, on Sept 27.
The by-election is expected to see a straight fight between BN/Umno and PAS. The seat falls under the Gua Musang parliamentary constituency, held by Umno veteran and Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah.
Tight race expected
Observers believe the Galas contest will be a tight race considering the volatile voting pattern. In 2004, Umno won the seat and in 2008, Che Hashim won when he polled 4,399 votes against BN's Saufi Deraman who obtained 3,753 votes.

Two other state seats in the Gua Musang constituency — Nenggiri and Paloh — were won by BN with majority of 2,090 and 2,833 votes respectively.
This will be the country's 12th by-election since the 2008 general election.

While neither BN nor PAS have indicated whom they will field as a candidate, the past few days have seen a growing chorus of support in BN for Razaleigh to wrest the seat back from PAS.

The Kelantan prince yesterday agreed to assume to election director's post but has yet to decide on whether he will contest in the by-election.

Razaleigh's possible run for the seat has stirred wariness within PAS which believes his presence will steer the by-election in BN's favour.

Last weekend PAS spiritual leader and Kelantan Menteri Besar Nik Aziz Nik Mat attempted to discourage BN from fielding Razaleigh by suggesting that it would be an insult to his political career.
No decision on independent monitors
Speaking to reporters today, Wan Ahmad said Gua Musang district officer Wan Mustapha Wan Abdul Hami will be the returning officer for the by-election and he will be assisted by three assistants.

Wan Ahmad also said 11 schools, a treatment centre belonging to the Department of Orang Asli Affairs (JHEOA) and public hall will be used as polling stations. There will be 25 election streams and 323 election monitors to oversee the election process.

The budget for the Galas by-election is estimated at RM1.3 million which includes helicopter access for four polling stations.
Wan Ahmad also said that the EC has yet to choose an independent watchdog for the Galas by-election.

"There is actually no need for an independent watchdog as the polling agents are capable of playing that role," he explained.

"As for independent watchdog Mafrel, it has recently sent us its reports of the previous by-elections. We  are currently studying those reports and will meet with Mafrel soon," he said.

The 2008 general elections saw an 81% turnout in the constituency.

Abolish party adviser role, Gerakan urged

By Athi Shankar - Free Malaysia Today

GEORGE TOWN: The Gerakan grassroots movement (VGG) has called on the party top leadership to abolish the office of party adviser following Dr Lim Keng Yaik's outburst against party president Koh Tsu Koon.

In its portal statement here today, the group said Lim was right to resign as Gerakan adviser for failing to perform the proper role of an adviser.

The group said although Lim has the right to criticise party affairs, he should have had some decency to do so.

It said that Lim should respect the office of party president and Koh’s discretion to listen or not to listen to his advice.

It said Lim should not abuse his position as party adviser to pursue his personal vendetta and ulterior motives.

The group added that since Lim had resigned, he should keep it that way and stay out of party affairs.

“With hindsight, it was a mistake to create the office of party adviser in the first place. Given this nasty episode, it is time to abolish the office of adviser immediately,” the group said.

Theatrical show

The group criticised Lim for putting up a theatrical “I quit” show at the eleventh hour to save Dr Teng Hock Nan from losing his position as Penang party chief.

“What is most upsetting is the manner he announced his resignation. It’s unbecoming of a former leader to ridicule and denounce the president of the very party that appointed him as adviser.

“He has failed to perform truly as adviser,” the group said in a statement made available to FMT.

The group said it was not calling on Lim to resign, but insisted that the former president was free to do so if he believed he could not perform in his advisory role.

This Sunday (10-10-10), Teng faces a vote of no confidence against his state leadership in an extraordinary general meeting (EGM) engineered by VGG.

State Gerakan secretary Ong Thean Lye had sent notices of the EGM, called under Article 73 of the party constitution, to all 393 eligible delegates from 197 branches in the state.

Gerakan, which was the state ruling party under the Barisan Nasional from 1969 to 2008 until it was toppled by Pakatan Rakyat, has some 63,000 members in Penang.

Political stunt

Lim resigned as party adviser two days ago because Koh has decided to skip the EGM to attend the MCA annual delegates’ conference held on the same day.

VGG claimed that Lim pulled the political stunt because his anointed successor Koh did not listen to him on how to handle the party affairs, especially pertaining to the motion of no confidence against Teng.

“Koh was merely expressing his neutrality on the issue. So what’s the big deal? Why was Lim so upset and behaved as if the sky was falling?” asked the group.

VGG is puzzled why Lim, who is not a Penang delegate, chose to call for a press conference to angrily denounce Koh just before the EGM.

“Given Lim’s strange action and emotional outburst, one cannot help but suspect that he wants to interfere through Koh in the EGM,” the group said.

The group argued that Lim should leave the EGM matters solely in the hands of Penang party delegates.

It said that Penang delegates did not see Koh’s absence as an issue neither did they feel offended or neglected.

“The delegates can handle the EGM by themselves,” the statement said.

MACC: Documents published by RPK are genuine

MARHALIM ABAS, The Malay Mail

The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC), in its blog www.ourdifferentview.com, admitted that the documents published by blogger Raja Petra Kamarudin were genuine, although it did not refer to it directly.

However, it stated that Raja Petra's claims in his Malaysia Today blog that the agency failed to act on graft allegations as baseless.

“The accusations made in a blog that said MACC did not investigate and did not prosecute suspects based on the investigation reports of three cases is absolutely baseless,” stated the MACC blog.

Apart from publishing MACC documents concerning ex-Malaysia Airlines chairman Tan Sri Tajuddin Ramli and former Selangor Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Khir Toyo, Raja Petra also published MACC investigation papers or reports against Datuk Seri Zulkifly Mat Noor who was former chief of the Anti-Corruption Agency (ACA, as the forerunner of the MACC was known at the time) and National Civics Bureau director-general Datuk Shagul Hamid Abdullah, and a report on the allegations by Kulim State Assemblyman Lim Soo Nee that he was offered a bribe to defect to the Barisan Nasional (BN).

The MACC blog stated: "All cases cited are old cases.”

Concerning Zulkifly, MACC stated that news reports in 2007 had highlighted police investigations on Zulkifly, and pointed out that they could not have taken action against their own head.

“To ensure that investigations were done fairly and transparently, the police were given the responsibility to handle the investigations,” said the MACC.

“Besides, the cases mentioned were not graft cases. Don’t try to connect MACC with this issue and slam us for purportedly not taking action to investigate and prosecute. It is not fair to hit out at MACC and connect it to the issue of MACC’s frayed image for silencing action on this case.”

MACC also pointed out that the report on Lim was not enough to prosecute BN's former Kedah Menteri Besar who allegedly offered Lim a RM5 million bribe to defect to the BN, which could have resulted in the current PAS-led Kedah government to fall.

“If the investigation report is read carefully, it is only a report that was given by the branch office to the headquarters for it to start the investigation process. In this case, the ACA had already started investigations,” said the blog.

The blog further blamed Pakatan Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) leaders for hampering their investigations by sparking massive media coverage which eventually affected the outcome of the case.

“The attitude of PKR’s highest leaders who were too quick to over-react until this case was blown up in the media,” said the MACC.

“It clearly affected the ACA’s investigation process. Investigations were disrupted as there was no longer an element of surprise and the perpetrators who were involved knew the future actions of the authorities. Eventually, the case that was supposed to happen did not happen. So, who should be blamed in this instance?”

The MACC went on to state that they had tried to collect evidence in Lim's case as the purported bribe had not yet occurred, but their efforts were allegedly blocked by over-reactive PKR leaders as mentioned by the former MACC chief, according to a February 2009 news report.

“In this case, the (graft) transaction had not yet happened and the process of collecting evidence was disrupted because of the over-reaction of other parties,” it said.

“Because of that, MACC tightened laws by introducing Section 29(4) of the MACC Act 2009. It is aimed at preventing complainants from declaring their complaints in public until the investigation process is complete and the guilty party is brought to court.”

On Dr Khir's case, the MACC blog pointed out that the case was deemed 'no further action' as investigations showed that there was no wrongdoing.

In a third case which involved Dr Khir, the MACC pointed out that they had no basis to prosecute him as statements from witnesses and documents favoured the accused.

“In the case of the former Selangor Menteri Besar, it clearly shows that both elements — statements and evidential documents — were on the side of the accused. To what basis then MACC will have to use to prosecute him?” it asked.

“MACC has investigated and deemed that he (Dr Khir) did not commit any wrongdoing in his visits to Disneyland and Morocco,” it said, adding that the agency had completed their duties in investigating Dr Khir and pointed out that an investigation process was not about pinpointing the blame on someone.

“This case clearly proves that MACC has done its duty to investigate. The investigation process is not a process to look for someone to blame. Instead, it is a process to find the truth. MACC cannot accuse someone based merely on sentiment.”

How many times we have heard this: in the next election we must go all out and vote and make a difference.

by Haris Ibrahim,

“From what we see in PKR and Gerakan today, there is one thing we can learn. Never rely completely on politicians to see through our aspirations for a more socially just Malaysia. If we do leave it to the politicians, we are going to be seriously disappointed and disillusioned. We need to play our part through a constant participation in the larger democratic process
How many times we have heard this: in the next election we must go all out and vote and make a difference.
Big mistake. Why wait five years for the next election before you try and make a difference? Make your voices heard – now. Do something – write, speak, campaign, castigate racist politicians, speak out against corruption, lobby for policy and legal reforms, join a voluntary or civil organisation, read, discuss, debate, reflect. Do it 365 days a year. Small ripples of change will gradually spread across the country. Never rely 100 per cent on politicians and political parties, no matter how progressive they might seem – for their compromises, betrayals, and disgusting ambition will invariably disappoint us” - Anil Netto.
Read the rest of Anil’s thoughts HERE.

Will UMNO and BN be consigned to the funeral pyre come the 13th GE? It’s in your hands

By Haris Ibrahim,

Muhyiddin suffers from a malaise that inflicts many in BN, particularly UMNO.
It’s called arrogantitis.
No, don’t bother looking up the medical encyclopedia.
Comes from being in power for too long.
Lording it over a people long accustomed to being docile, submissive even.
In Muhyiddin’s case, along with a whole bunch of the others in UMNO, one classic symptom of the in-breeding that Dr M spoke of in his ‘Malay Dilemma’ is also showing through.
You know which symptom I’m referring to, right?
According to Malaysiakini, Muhyiddin reckons that RPK’s ripping into the Pakatan leadership at the dialogue session with Anwar, Tunku Abdul Aziz and Tian Chua in London last Saturday and his threat to pull out his support for Pakatan at the Galas by-election is evidence of waning support and confidence in Pakatan, and PKR in particular.
He is reported to have said that “more and more PKR members at the higher as well as the grassroot level had realised the wrong choice they made and left the party” and then offered this advice to the rakyat.
“… we hope the people will learn from this and think carefully”
This blog has been kicking PKR and its leaders in the head, in the groin, and in the butt the last few months or so and late last year, not because I have given up on PKR, but because I think there is still hope.
Hope that PKR will reform as it needs to.
Hope that it will begin to listen to, and heed, the voices of the rakyat.
Hope that, together with its partners in Pakatan, they will collectively turn their focus on what it will take to begin the restoration of our vital institutions of state, if they reach Putrajaya, rather than individually pursuing position and power and, to that end, indulging in self-serving intrigues.
Hope that Pakatan will work swiftly to get its act together and then, working closely with the many rakyat who are today committed to bring about the changes needed in this country, bury BN at the 13th General Election.
This is what, for the rakyat, separates Pakatan from BN today.
Hope.
Arrogantitis does not allow Muhyiddin to see this.
Many of us hoped we’d see BN out on its backside after the last general election.
It didn’t happen.
We hoped then that at least UMNO and BN would take some hard lessons from the loss of its 2/3 majority in parliament and another 5 state governments to the opposition, and begin the process of reform to be relevant to the needs of the rakyat.
That, too, didn’t happen.
Instead, they gave us Zaki in the Federal Court.
They gave us the Perak crisis.
They gave us NFA on the VK Lingam RCI recommendations.
They gave us renewed terms of Musa Hasaan.
They gave us Kugan and Teo Beng Hock.
They gave us AminulRasyid.
UMNO and BN cannot see this.
Arrogantitis.
BN must be buried, come the 13th GE.
What, though, if those hopes we now place on Pakatan turn out to be misplaced?
What if PKR, too, will not reform, and Pakatan cannot get its act together?
Unlike some of you who have commented in this blog, I do not see myself as limited in my choice to either Pakatan or BN.
I  do not see that if Pakatan flounders, I am compelled to give my vote to BN.
I have a third choice.
It is a third choice, though, that is not presented to me on a silver platter.
It is a third choice that I have to carve out for myself, if I have to.
And I will, if I have to.
In my constituency.
You want a third choice in your constituency too, if the need arises?
If Pakatan doesn’t measure up to your expectations?
You want it on a silver platter, without your having to lift a finger?
Dream on.
There is much talk now of a third force, both in this blog and elsewhere.
You want a third force, that might afford you a third choice in your constituency?
You want to be a part of that third force, or merely cheer from the sidelines?
In the coming days, friends and I will meet to deliberate on this idea of a third force.
Where this will go, if anywhere at all, and how far, I cannot say.
What I can say is that if BN still reigns after the 13^th GE, I will be able to look my children in their eyes and say, ‘I tried. I gave it my all’.
Can you?

Anwar waves his magic and thrills European audiences

By Tunku Abdul Aziz

I have had to come all the way to Brussels and Berlin to discover a side of Anwar Ibrahim that I was wrong about.

Reading the Barisan Nasional-owned newspapers that consistently portrayed him as a “traitor to Malaysia” who exaggerated the situation obtaining in the country given half a chance, I have, I must admit, tended to view him as a self-serving political demagogue who could not care less about the fate of his country as long as he achieved his ambition of becoming prime minister.

Anwar spoke last Monday evening (September 28, 2010) on “Liberal Values in the Muslim World — Why Islam and Democracy are Destined to Coincide” to a packed hall of some of Europe’s powerful decision-makers. These were men and women with wide international experience and could not be easily hoodwinked even if he had tried.

It was vintage Anwar, perfect smooth-as-silk delivery of a complex, serious subject to a critical audience. He knew his stuff. His was more than a speech; it was an intellectual journey mapped out by someone who knew the area traversed like the back of his hand.

There he stood, under the spotlight, his charming and quietly confident self as always, speaking without a note for a full hour. Earlier in the day, when he said to me he had to go back to his hotel room to give his speech the once over, I told him half in jest that he could make his speech standing on his head. He did just that and more. He successfully won the audience over with his argument, supported by historical antecedents and more recent examples that completely demolished the conventional wisdom in non-Muslim circles that Islam and democracy were somehow incompatible bedfellows. He challenge the unfounded belief that it was against the order of nature for Islam to embrace democracy as seriously flawed because of the underlying assumption that Muslims, unlike others, were not born free to exercise their democratic rights.

As I sat listening to the prime minister Malaysia never had, thanks to Mahathir the Maverick, and who might yet take the country by storm, Anwar, I mean, not Mahathir, I could not help thinking how utterly sad and absurd for Najib, whose articulation of his 1 Malaysia slogan invariably finishes in a cul-de-sac, offering his services to Obama to help bring about greater understanding of Islam, the religion of peace, among the majority American non-Muslims. My dear fellow, charity begins at home.

The only Malaysian politician, who can, without making a fool of himself, stride the world stage with the right combination of strong intellectual credentials and honesty, is not to be found within the serried ranks of the BN, but in the person of Anwar Ibrahim, Malaysia’s iconic liberal democrat.

As I saw here in Brussels, he had the European parliamentary leadership, figuratively speaking, eating out of his hands. Many have already put the champagne on ice; they clearly see this victim of a rotten political system as the next man to lead the country.

For all our sakes, I hope they are right. Malaysia needs a thorough overhaul and Najib whom we need like we do a great big hole in our head is unlikely to understand the dynamics of change for the great leap forward. Even if he understands the urgent necessity for change, would he be allowed to by the reactionary forces with the party ever so gingerly as the prospect of a palace coup remains a distinct possibility? He is not only busy watching oversized baggage, but also his back with the sort of loyal friends he has had foisted on him. There simply isn’t much time for anything else while the ship of state springs more leaks by the day.

I was asked by a senior European Parliament bureaucrat over coffee what the Pakatan Rakyat coalition’s priorities would be on taking over the federal government? In brief, I said revamp institutions of state that have been virtually destroyed and have, in many cases, been rendered dysfunctional, overhaul policies, systems and procedures that have tended to divide rather than unite Malaysians, pay special attention to economic policies centred on orderly growth and sustainable development, and generally to put things right and undo the excesses and abuses of that began under Mahathir so that democratic principles and practices may have a real chance of taking root. A tall order but with fairness, and integrity grounded in the rule of law, God willing, we will get there.

Perak DAP leaders, branches, members and supporters should rally behind Ngeh and Kula

By Lim Kit Siang,


On Sunday morning, I had sent the following sms to Perak DAP State Chairman, Ngeh Koo Ham and Perak DAP Deputy State Chairman M. Kulasegeran:

“Lets face it. What happened last 36 hrs have caused enormous damage to DAP leaders involved, DAP, PR – only question is who suffer more damage – which is utter madness. Its massive ‘lose-lose’ formula without any redeeming ‘win-win’ element at all. Public opprobrium all round. Nobody can hold head high. Decisive action needed.”

Ngeh and Kula have since issued apologies for the Perak DAP leadership crisis and have pledged to resolve party differences internally.
I urge all Perak DAP leaders, branches, members and supporters to rally behind Ngeh and Kula on an unity ticket to restore the Pakatan Rakyat government in Perak and to help Pakatan Rakyat to take over Putrajaya in the next general elections.
I am reminded of two quotations about the lessons of history:

“That men do not learn very much from the lessons of history is the most important of all the lessons of history.” – Aldous Huxley
“Those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it.” – George Santayana

Perak DAP leaders, branches and members must remember these quotations and prove that they are not only mindful of them but would not repeat the Perak DAP history where because party disunity, Perak DAP suffered the worst electoral setback in the 1995 general elections – reduced to only one State Assembly seat after winning four Parliamentary and 13 State Assembly seats in the 1990 general elections.
DAP Perak leaders, branches and members should fully embrace the unity formula in Perak so that DAP Perak can play its full role in ensuring that DAP and Pakatan Rakyat “write history” in the state in the next general elections – which is the expectation and aspiration of all Perakians and Malaysians who want to see a new beginning for Malaysia after more than half-a-century of misrule.

Supporters Want Kulasegaran To Quit DAP

IPOH, Oct 6 (Bernama) -- A group of DAP supporters today staged a demonstration demanding that Perak DAP deputy chairman M. Kulasegaran to quit the party.

Some 20 DAP Youth members of Indian origin gathered in front of the state DAP office at Medan Istana here carrying banners stating their support for Kulasegaran and criticisms against the Perak DAP leadership.

Azman Mubarak, 24, who claimed to be the spokesman for the group, said a total of 300 DAP members from Buntung here were willing to follow Kulasegaran, who is also Ipoh Barat Member of Parliament, to quit the party.

They were disappointed with the state DAP leadership for sidelining Kulasegaran and supporters of Indian origin, he added.

Another DAP member, Alex Raj, 22, said the gathering was held as a show of support for Kulasegaran and to condemn Perak DAP chairman Datuk Ngeh Koo Ham for allegedly practising nepotism and cronyism in Perak DAP.

"We feel cheated by DAP. They only need our votes in the election," he added.

Kulasegaran is now in Nepal and expected to be back in a week.

There have been reports of a tiff between Kulasegaran, Ngeh and Perak DAP secretary Nga Kor Ming that Kulasegaran has threatened to resign.

Patuhi peringatan Sultan Johor, jangan cabar Perlembagaan

Utusan Malaysia 

PERINGATAN keras Sultan Johor, Sultan Ibrahim Ibni Almarhum Sultan Iskandar agar hak-hak istimewa orang Melayu dan bumiputera tidak terus dicabar wajar dihormati oleh semua pihak yang selama ini begitu lantang mempertikaikannya.

Pihak-pihak berkenaan bukan setakat lantang mencabar hak-hak istimewa Melayu yang termaktub dalam Perlembagaan, malah makin berani menyentuh kuasa-kuasa raja.

Malah, dalam sesetengah keadaan seperti mana yang pernah berlaku di Perak, tindak-tanduk pihak pembangkang telah sampai ke peringkat menghina kuasa dan martabat Sultan.

Ini bukan kali pertama peringatan sedemikian dikeluarkan, malah kebimbangan pihak istana mengenai isu yang sama pernah dititahkan oleh sultan-sultan negeri lain termasuk Selangor, Perak dan Perlis.

Walaupun baru mengambil alih tampuk pemerintahan daripada ayahanda baginda, Sultan Ibrahim mungkin merasa perlu untuk menitahkan kenyataan keras itu bagi menyedarkan semua pihak terbabit.

Tragedi berdarah tahun 1969 yang dibimbangi oleh baginda boleh berulang pada masa-masa akan datang dan mungkin keadaannya lebih tragis jika kita membiarkan pemimpin kaum lain terus memberi tekanan politik agar Melayu melepaskan hak-hak istimewa mereka.

Berdasarkan sikap yang ditunjukkan oleh ramai pemimpin Melayu sekarang terutama yang berada dalam parti pembangkang seperti Pas dan Parti Keadilan Rakyat, hak-hak istimewa Melayu dan bumiputera seperti termaktub dalam Perlembagaan, mungkin satu hari nanti boleh terlepas seperti mana yang diperjuangkan DAP.

Lihat saja reaksi yang pernah dikeluarkan oleh pemimpin-pemimpin kanan pembangkang seperti Ketua Pembangkang, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim dan Mursyidul Am Pas, Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat yang makin condong kepada perjuangan rakan politik mereka iaitu DAP.

Di manakah suara Anwar ketika orang Melayu di negerinya iaitu Pulau Pinang makin dipinggirkan di bawah pemerintahan pembangkang ditunjangi DAP.

Pertubuhan-pertubuhan bukan Melayu (NGO)yang lantang membela nasib Melayu dilabel sebagai rasis oleh pemimpin dari bangsa mereka sendiri dan NGO seumpama itu dianggap musuh dan perlu diperangi.

Tentunya kita merasa hairan, di mana suara pemimpin Melayu seperti Azmin Ali apabila golongan extremis daripada kaum lain menghina dan mencabar hak-hak bangsa mereka.

Pemimpin pembangkang seperti Azmin lebih rela menjadi juara bagi kaum lain kerana merasakan undi golongan itu boleh mencorakkan suasana politik negara terutama dalam menghadapi pilihan raya umum akan datang.

Misi utama mereka ialah untuk menawan Putrajaya dengan sokongan padu orang Cina dan India. Dalam menjayakan misi itu, pemimpin Melayu pembangkang sanggup mengorbankan hak-hak orang Melayu, kedudukan Sultan, malah kesucian agama Islam seperti dalam isu kalimah Allah dan isu 'tazkirah' pemimpin DAP di ruang solat surau.

Mungkin bagi Melayu berfahaman liberal, mereka menganggap peringatan demi peringatan oleh sultan-sultan dan pemimpin-pemimpin NGO Melayu sebagai agenda UMNO untuk terus berkuasa atau kenyataan 'lapuk' yang tidak lagi relevan dengan peredaran masa.

Pemimpin Melayu pembangkang semakin lantang menyokong misi DAP kerana mereka telah menguasai banyak masjid dan surau di seluruh negara melalui imam-imam dan ustaz-ustaz yang pro-Pas.

Hanya mereka lupa bahawa tragedi 13 Mei 1969 akan berulang jika lahir lebih banyak NGO yang lebih 'rasis' daripada Perkasa dan golongan Melayu yang merasakan mereka dipinggir dan dianiayai oleh pemimpin dan golongan elit Melayu yang sepatutnya melindungi dan mempertahankan hak-hak mereka yang termaktub dalam Perlembagaan.

Bagi mengelak sebarang kemungkinan buruk berlaku, peringatan Sultan Johor perlu dijadikan renungan. ''Kita harus bertolak ansur jika ingin hidup makmur dalam negara yang berbilang bangsa ini,'' titah Sultan Ibrahim.

France arrests 'terror' suspects

French police have arrested 12 people in two separate counter-terrorism raids, amid a state of high alert for attacks in the country.

Nine people arrested in Marseille, the southern port city, on Tuesday morning were being investigated for suspected links to a "terrorist enterprise", police said.

Weapons including a Kalashnikov rifle, a pump action shotgun and ammunition were also seized in the raid, an official was quoted by the AFP news agency as saying.

Another three men were arrested in Marseille and Bordeaux, in France's southwest, on alleged ties to a group recruiting fighters for Afghanistan.

The trio were linked to Ryad Hannouni, a Frenchman arrested in the Italian city of Naples last weekend and suspected of being connected to al-Qaeda fighters, police said.

Officials said investigators wanted to question Hannouni on suspected links to armed fighters coming to Europe from Afghanistan, the AFP news agency reported.

'Terrorist threat'
The arrests come days after the US state department and a number of other governments warned of an increased risk of attacks in Europe.

France recently said it was on high alert, with the government warning that the country faces a serious threat of attack.

False alerts in recent weeks have prompted evacuations of train stations and Paris's Eiffel Tower.

Last month five French nationals were among seven people kidnapped, by the Northern African wing of al-Qaeda last, and continue to remain held hostage.


The arrests also come as reports suggest five German have been killed in a suspected drone attack in Pakistan that killed a group of fighters.

The are concerns that growing numbers of fighters are going from the West to remote war zones for training with al-Qaeda.

Brice Hortefeux, the French interior minister, said the threat of an attack in the country was "real".
"Yes there is a terrorist threat at the moment in Europe. It must be neither overestimated nor underestimated," he said.

"The threat is real, our vigilance is total and every French person must know that we're doing everything to ensure their security and their protection."

Hortefeux said he would take stock of the situation again on Thursday with European Union counterparts meeting in Luxembourg.

Intelligence reports have said well-armed teams of jihadists planned to seize and murder Western hostages in a manner similar to the attacks two years ago in the Indian city of Mumbai on two hotels and its main railway station.

Source: Agencies

HINDRAF & HRP: Hindu Civilization Wiped Out- Bujang Vally Malaysia.

UMNO denial of fair opportunities pushes Indian youths into drugs vis a vis the gallows

The new emerging trend of Indian youths pushed into the drug trade has become a new and growing trend.

UMNO denies these poor Indians skills, training opportunities, even micro loans to kick start a business to indulge in agriculture, lifestock farming, fish farming, scrap metal, car wash, food stall, flower stall, fruit stall, etc opportunities to feed their wife and children.

In this case, these 28 and 29 year old Indian youths trafficking drugs is as a result of the high risk taking as they have not much to lose in the face of having been denied these aforesaid opportunities.

P. Uthayakumar

Gerakan rejects Keng Yaik’s resignation

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 5 — Gerakan president Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon said tonight the party will not accept the resignation of its adviser Tun Dr Lim Keng Yaik.

After more than two hours of discussion at the Gerakan headquarters, the Central Working Committee (CWC) chaired by Koh, had decided not to accept Lim’s resignation, tendered yesterday.

“After an in-depth discussion, for the sake of party unity, Gerakan’s Central Working Committee will not accept the resignation letter by the party’s adviser and plead him to reconsider,” he told reporters after the meeting ended at about 10pm.

However, he did not elaborate on how the party would persuade Lim to change his mind.

Koh had moved into damage control mode earlier today, claiming that Lim’s sudden resignation could have been due to a mere “misunderstanding”.

The embattled president defended his handling of the ongoing crisis in Gerakan’s stronghold of Penang, pointing out that Lim himself had given him the impression that he would have a free hand in the matter.

This, he claimed, was the very reason why he had not sought the veteran leader’s advice.

Lim had dropped a bombshell on the party yesterday with his sudden announcement during a press conference after the Wawasan Open University convocation ceremony that he would quit his post as adviser.

In explaining his shocking decision, the Cabinet veteran expressed disappointment in the leadership of his former protege and accused Koh of refusing to get involved in conflicts for fear of offending others.

Koh acknowledged tonight that the party had received Lim’s resignation after 4pm yesterday.

However, Lim firmly asserted earlier today that the die had been cast over his resignation as Gerakan adviser and no amount of cajolling will persuade him to retract his decision because the party is “going to the dogs”.

However, it is likely that the party’s efforts would be futile for Dr Lim told The Malaysian Insider today that he was no longer interested in what the Gerakan leadership had to say.

MCA tells Muhyiddin to suggest action against racist principals

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 5 – The MCA today appeared to rap the Education Minister for passing the buck on disciplining two school heads accused of racism, and warned of a public backlash if not resolved soon.

The Public Service Department (PSD), charged with investigating the two principals, have been keeping mum on the matter nearly two months after they were made public.

“We feel the minister can make recommendations to the JPA,” its president Datuk Dr Chua Soi Lek (picture) told reporters at its headquarters, calling the government department by its Malay initials.

Dr Chua was referring to Education Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin’s seeming reluctance to intervene, citing he had no power to act against the two principals who were senior-ranking civil officers and that the PSD was in charge.

The ruling Barisan Nasional’s (BN) Chinese chief said his party understood the separation of authority, but pointed out that the public did not.

“The final decision is with JPA, but the rakyat don’t understand, and this includes the parents from the affected schools,” Dr Chua said.

“If the government does not take stern action and quickly, it will send the message that the government does not care about this issue,” the former cabinet minister observed.

The two principals – one from Johor and the other from Kedah – had triggered a national uproar in August after their ethnic Chinese and Indian students complained of being verbally abused with racially-tinged remarks.

Some 20 students of SMK Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra in Kulai, Johor had lodged police reports against principal Siti Insyah Mansor, claiming she had called them “passengers”, inferring they were not qualified to be citizens and likened the Hindu students wearing prayer strings around their necks to leashed “dogs”.

Ungku Aznan Ungku Ismail, the principal of SMK Bukit Selambau in Sungai Petani, Kedah, got into trouble after his ethnic Chinese charges complained of being scolded for eating in the school compound in front of their Muslim peers during the fasting month of Ramadan.

The two school heads were suspended following the outcry, but upset parents and politicians want a stiffer penalty imposed against them, including sacking.

GAS man Mugilan launches new NGO

By G Vinod - Free Malaysia Today

PETALING JAYA: The coordinator of the disbanded Gerakan Anti-Samy Vellu (GAS) has formed a new group called Malaysian Indian Visionary Association (MIVA) and will embark tomorrow on a membership drive. 

V Mugilan, who formed GAS after he was sacked from MIC, said he expected MIVA to register 100,000 members by the end of this year.

He said the membership drive would begin in Perak and last 10 days.

“I started my ground work to form this NGO in July, but could not launch it then as I was still involved in GAS,” he told FMT.

Mugilan dissolved GAS last Oct 1, after S Samy Vellu announced he would step down from the MIC presidency. GAS took credit for pressuring the longest serving party president to announce his departure.

He said MIVA would be apolitical.

“Any Indian who is 18 years of age or above is welcomed to join MIVA without any restrictions as the movement will only serve to empower the Indian community with information,” he said.

It would provide information from the government and the private sector on education and business opportunities, he added.

“The government and the private sector offer a lot of education and business opportunities to the Indian community," he said.

"However, the information does not seem to be reaching the grassroots. This is where we come in.

“We will work on two strategies to deliver the information. For the youths who are technology savvy, we will use media such as Twitter, Facebook and web portals. As for the senior generation, we will educate them on the opportunities using the Tamil newspapers.

“In addition, we will also educate the Indians on how to be successful in the Malaysian socio-economic scenario.”

Mugilan, who was MIC’s deputy youth chief before his sacking, said he expected the Registrar of Societies (ROS) to approve of  MIVA  in two weeks’ time.

He said he had been meeting Indian grassroots leaders since July and was confident that about 50,000 people were already interested in joining MIVA.

“Once I get the approval from ROS, the committee will work to register them immediately and get the numbers to reach the 100,000 mark by the end of December.”

DAP's Kula: I'm sorry comrades

By FMT Staff

PETALING JAYA: Embattled DAP leader M Kulasegaran today apologised for washing the party's dirty linen in the open and said he would cease discussing party matters openly.

“DAP is like a family and comrades are just like brothers and sisters. The last thing I want to do is to hurt this family and the family members,” he said in his blog posting today from Nepal.

“To all those party leaders and members as well as party supporters who have felt disappointment or even anger over the Perak family problem becoming a public issue, I hereby tender my sincere apologies,” he said.

Kulasegaran has been holidaying in Nepal for the past three days and is expected to return later this week. He left Malaysia to cool off following an open and heated fight with Perak DAP leaders.

Perak DAP deputy chief Kulasegaran had on Oct 1 stormed out of a meeting with state DAP head Ngeh Koo Ham and state secretary Nga Kor Ming, threatening to resign from party positions.

He then tweeted "Just finished DAP leadership meeting in Ipoh. Sad day as I will announce what is lacking in Perak leadership 2molo n why I have 2 leave 4good.”

He had also planned to hold a "tell-all" press conference on Saturday but called it off at the last minute and and left for a week-long trip to Nepal.

This was after the intervention of DAP advisor Lim Kit Siang, who wanted Kulasegaran to take time off to let things cool-down.

'I spoke no lie'

In his blog posting, Kula Segaran, who is also MP for Ipoh Barat, said he had been planning for the Nepal holiday with his family for the past two months.

He added that while he was enjoying his break, his thoughts were nevertheless with his “second family back home in Malaysia—the DAP”.

“I have no hidden agenda or ill intention. My conscience is clear.

“I spoke no lie and made no insinuation against anyone. I was prepared to go open and tell all--nothing but the truth.

“But since I have agreed with the party secretary-gGeneral Lim Guan Eng of the need to cease talking about internal issues openly, I shall abide by the agreement,” he added.

He also stressed that he was committed to the DAP cause despite the ongoing turmoil in the Perak DAP.

“I shall play my part to ensure that DAP shall continue to be the beacon of hope for Malaysians who have yearned so long for a better Malaysia,” he said.

'Killer' lawyers' lawyer: Charge or free them

By S Rutra - Free Malaysia Today,

KUALA LUMPUR: The counsel for the two lawyer brothers arrested in connection with the brutal murder of a millionaires Sosilawati Lawiya and three others want the police to charge his clients or release them.

Ravi Nekoo said the police should have conducted their investigation first and then arrest the suspects.

“It seems to me that the police are only investigating the case now,” he told FMT.

“How long is this going to continue? Every week, a fresh missing persons report is highlighted by the media and my clients are linked to it,” he added.

Ravi said he was dissappointed with the police and Attorney-General's Chambers who continue to keep him in the dark over the progess of the investigation.

Previously, the police claimed that they had solid evidence against the suspects, whom they believed were linked to a spate of murders.
The brothers and six others were arrested on Sept 12, and were still being remanded for further investigation, sparking off speculation that the police had yet to find conclusive evidence.

The remand orders against the brothers expire on Thursday, while for the other six on Friday.

FMT also learnt that a high-profile meeting was held at the AG's office recently led by head of the prosecution unit Tun Majid Tun Hamzah to discuss the progress of the investigation and what charges to be brought against the suspects.

Brothers file police report

In a related development, the two brothers had filed police reports claiming that they were denied legal representation.

The suspects aged 41 and 38, lodged their reports with the Telok Panglima Garang police station at about 5pm yesterday.

On Sept 26, the elder brother filed a police report claiming that he was beaten with a rubber hose and a policeman had hit his private part with a stick.

In their latest reports, which appeared identical, the brothers claimed that an officer and detective from the Kuala Lumpur police headquarters had forced them to sign a document without letting them read the contents.

The officer, the brothers said, later told them that they were being denied legal representation.

The brothers also complained of “feeling tortured” due to the continous interrogation which had caused their blood pressure to increase and their backpain to worsen.

"We were denied our rights of giving instructions to our counsel on matters pertaining to our arrest. Our request of meeting family members has also been denied, we are lodging this police report to seek a meeting with our counsel before our remand orders expire on Oct 7," they said in their reports.

Sosilawati, 47, her driver, Kamaruddin Shamsuddin, 44, a CIMB bank officer Noorhisham Mohammad, 38, and lawyer Ahmad Kamil Abd Karim, 32, were battered to death, their bodies burnt and remains strewn in a river.

The murders had allegedly taken place on a farm belonging to the suspects in Banting. The other six detained were the lawyers' workers.

Shafie: Galas best handled by Ku Li

By Patrick Lee - Free Malaysia Today,

KUALA LUMPUR: Gua Musang MP Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah is the right man to handle the Galas by-election, Umno vice-president Shafie Apdal said today.

Kelantan Menteri Besar Nik Aziz Nik Mat had said that asking Razaleigh to contest in the Galas by-election was undermining the latter's credibility.

"PAS is in a state of confusion," said Shafie, who is also Rural and Regional Development Minister.

"Razaleigh is not only a respected leader in Gua Musang, but also in the whole country," he said at the Hari Raya celebrations at Mara headquarters here.

Fondly known as Ku Li, Razaleigh has been the country's longest-running MP, having lead Gua Musang since 1969.

Apdal said that since Razaleigh had proven himself to be capable in both domestic and international affairs, it had made him the right man for the job.

He also confirmed that Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin had already contacted Razaleigh, who is in Northern Ireland, regarding his appointment as election director.

"It is an honour (for Muhyiddin) to give (Razaleigh) that sort of responsibility," Apdal said, adding that Galas also fell under Razaleigh's jurisdiction.

However, Apdal did not mention if Razaleigh had accepted the post to lead BN's election machinery in Galas.

"Razaleigh is an Umno member and he's been struggling for the party as well," he said, adding that it was up to Razaleigh to make the decision.

"Don't leave it to Nik Aziz to make the decision for him," he said.