Kini sudah hari ke lima saya di Sarawak. Tiba pada petang hari Selasa, 29hb Mac yang lalu, acara diatur khusus bagi menyuntik semangat kepada para pendokong dan pastinya demi meyakinkan rakyat Sarawak untuk berani melakukan perubahan.
Tiga hari ini, saya mula menjelajah termasuk ke kawasan pedalaman yang merangkumi penduduk Iban, Bidayuh dan juga Melayu. Sambutan penduduk antaranya di Riit Mawang, Tabuan Melayu dan Kampung Tarat Rayang ternyata hangat dan mengalakkan. Saya tegaskan kepada mereka, manakala mereka hidup kais pagi makan pagi, kais petang makan petang, elit pemerintah terus memunggah kekayaan negeri dengan merampas tanah adat, mengagihkan khazanah balak, dan membahagikan kontrak di kalangan mereka.
Rakyat Sarawak kini dapat menghidu betapa Barisan Nasional mula terdesak. Pemrintah terpaksa menggunakan pihak berkuasa menghalang saya dan pimpinan Pakatan Rakyat lainnya dari terus berceremah menyampaikan maklumat yang tepat. Misalnya di bilik gerakan Kampung Sinjan, DUN Semariang dan Kampung Petingan, DUN Satok, pihak polis mengganggu saya dari terus berceramah. Alhamdulilah ianya tidak menghalang rakyat Sarawak untuk terus mendengar agenda Perubahan yang ingin kami sampaikan.
April 02, 2011PUTRAJAYA, April 2 — The Election Commission (EC) has no plan to automatically register those who have reached the voting age of 21 as voters.
EC chairman Tan Sri Abdul Aziz Mohd Yusof said people must apply to become voters in line with Article 119 of the Federal Constitution.
He said it was also difficult to have automatic registration of voters as many people were not staying at the addresses stated in their MyKad.
Automatic registration would inconvenience those who might prefer to vote in their current places of residence and not in the address stated in their MyKad.
Abdul Aziz also said about 3.9 million eligible Malaysians have yet to register as voters.
About 500 police personnel in many trucks and cars were deployed to block a peaceful anti-nuclear energy gathering in Port Klang this morning.
The police stopped the opposition’s anti-nuclear protest at the Pulau Ketam jetty in Port Klang before it could begin at 10.00am. Klang MP Charles Santiago spoke of intimidation and said that police were on the verge of making arrests.
Some 200 protesters managed to slip through but hundreds of others were turned away at a couple of major road blocks while at the venue, organisers negotiated in vain with police officers.
A total of 441 persons had been sentenced to death since 1960 while another 696 are waiting for execution of their death sentences in Malaysian prisons.
GEORGE TOWN: A DAP parliamentarian today called on the government to give a serious re-thinking to abolish the death sentence and substitute it with a more ‘humanely’ life imprisonment
Describing it as ‘a cruel sentence against human rights’, Bukit Bendera MP Liew Chin Tong said the death penalty had proven not to be an effective tool to deter crime.
“Convicts can be prevented from reoffending via life sentence, without the necessity to take their lives,” he argued.
He pointed out that given to the imperfect nature of the justice system, it was impossible to eliminate human error.
However, he said, this flawed system was still being continued to enforce an irreversible and cruel capital punishment that could not deter criminals and prevent crime.
He said a justice system that had not been infallible shall never pass an irreversible and cruel sentence in the name of justice.
“The government should initiate a comprehensive bipartisan discussion on the death penalty.
“It is time for serious rethinking on the death penalty,” said Liew in a statement.
He said in a civilised nation that respected humankind dignity, regard should be had for the legal maxim “better 10 guilty men go free than an innocent man die”.
He cited many nations of seriously rethinking capital punishment as “a barbaric and abhorrent punishment” fundamentally opposed to the nature of human rights.
According to Amnesty International, 30 countries have stopped the use of capital punishment in the last decade.
Liew said in the larger scheme of national safety and crime deterrence, it was crucial for the justice system to ensure that criminals were brought to justice through strong police investigative work with integrity.
“The country’s judicial system shall be just and seen to be just.
“Taking away lives in form of capital punishment has proven could not help to eliminate crime,” he said.
696 awaiting execution
He suggested that for a start, the government should amend the Dangerous Drugs Act to return the discretion of sentencing to the judge.
Currently, the hands of the judges are tied upon conviction as the death penalty was mandatory under Section 39B of the Act.
According to Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein’s reply to Liew’s question last Thursday in Parliament, 441 persons had been sentenced to death since 1960.
As of on Feb 22 this year, another 696 are waiting for execution of their death sentences in Malaysian prisons.
Of the 441 persons hanged, 228 were involved in drug trafficking and 78 were convicted for murder.
Another 130 were for illegal processions of arms, while four more were convicted for waging war against the King. The remaining one was involved in kidnapping.
Among those awaiting the gallows, 479 convicts were involved in drug trafficking, 204 in murders and 13 in illegal processions of arms.
Some of them are in the process of appealing to overturn their convictions and sentences, while several others are seeking pardons from the Pardon Board of respective states.
Among them, 676 are males while 20 are females, while some 90 percent are between 21 and 50 years old.
They were part of a small group of people who had turned up at the Batu Caves temple this morning to protest against the controversial novel.
KUALA LUMPUR: The police today arrested Teluk Intan MP M Manogaran and PKR division leader MS Arjunan for protesting against the controversial Interlok novel at the Batu Caves Hindu temple.
They were taken to the Gombak police district headquarters for questioning and are expected to be released after their statements had been recorded.
Manogaran, a DAP first-time parliamentarian, and Arjunan, who is also the president of the Malaysian Tamil Students Progressive Associations (MATSAP), arrived at the Batu Caves temple this morning with a small group of supporters to demonstrate against the novel.
They were protesting against the government’s decision to retain Interlok as compulsory reading for Form Five students taking Malay literature.
The anger over the novel has been simmering for months now after it was discovered that the school edition novel contained words which disparaged the Indian community.
A special panel formed by the government last week announced that while certain offensive words would be removed, the novel nevertheless would be retained, much to the disappointment of many Indian groups and politicians who had wanted the novel removed totally for the school syllabus.
Flyer and effigy
Confirming the arrest, Gombak police chief Abdul Rahim Abdullah told FMT that Manogaran and Arjunan have been taken to the police station for investigation.
“There was no demonstration, only a gathering of a small group of people who were expressing their protest against the novel,” he said.
“They had flyers with images of Tunku Abdul Rahman and Tun Razak. They also had an effigy. They refused to answer my questions on who was the organiser. They refused to disperse and were trying to divert my questions to them,” he said.
“I had to disperse this group before a bigger crowd gathered,” he added.
He also said that there were no banners or copies of Interlok with the protesting crowd. He said their banners stated ‘Kami tolak novel Interlok’.
He added that the situation at the temple returned to normal following the arrest at about noon.
Anwar taken to task
In a related development, veteran MIC grassroots leader KP Samy questioned why only the Indian leaders of Pakatan Rakyat were making a strong stand on Interlok.
He said that it was unfortunate that senior Pakatan leaders such as PKR’s de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim, DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng and PAS president Hadi Awang had not openly called for the novel to be banned in schools.
In fact, Samy added, he remembered Anwar stating that he (Anwar) had no issues with the book which was written by National Laureate, Abdullah Hussain.
“There is no official Pakatan stand on this matter. The ones who make the noise are the Indian leaders in Pakatan and some small level leaders in PAS.
“There have been no opposition as well from leaders such as PKR deputy president Azmin Ali, DAP chairman Karpal Singh or even Kedah Menteri Besar Azizan Abdul Razak of PAS,” he added.
“Would Anwar change his stand now?” asked Samy, a former MIC CWC member.
Samy said that the PKR supremo was answerable to the Indian community on the issue as the community played a key role in helming Pakatan into power in four states during the 2008 general election.
He also said that MIC took a lead in lodging the community’s anger over the matter with the government and managed to remove parts of the offending terms in the novel.
(Malaysiakini) Teluk Intan Member of Parliament M Manogaran was arrested along with MS Arjunan from the Malaysian Tamil Students Progressive Associations (MATSAP) while demonstrating against the Interlok novel.
Manogaran (second from right), who is from the DAP, and Arjunan (far right) had arrived with a small crowd of activists earlier this morning at the Batu Caves temple complex in Gombak. Kuala Lumpur.
They were demonstrating against the Education Ministry's decision to make Interlok a compulsory reading material for form five students taking the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) exams, this year onwards.
Police moved in and arrested Manogaran and Arjunan around noon, when the former addressed those gathered and urged the Indian community to unite against the introduction of the literature component in the Bahasa Malaysia subject.
Both Manogaran and Arjunan were taken to the Gombak district police headquarters.
They were released at about 2.40pm after their statements were taken.
Earlier in his speech, Arjunan called for the complete scrapping of the textbook as required reading as opposed to mixing parts of it.
“We don't want our government or the education ministry to merely modify a book that is a major problem to the Indian community. The book contains many problems and raises moral issues,” said Arjunan, reading from a statement.
“The Indian community wants Interlok done away with, but why is the government headstrong in this matter? It's our belief that the government wants to portray the community in an ill-manner,” he said.
Arjunan vowed to continue holding strikes until the novel was withdrawn from secondary school syllabus.
Civil society groups representing the Chinese and Indian communities had launched a firestorm of protests against the government for endorsing the novel, which they said disparaged the minority communities and urged for it to be withdrawn.
Deputy Prime Minister and Education Minister Muhyiddin Yassin, however, insisted that the novel will be retained pending amendments to its contents.
Tokyo (CNN) -- A first attempt to plug a cracked concrete shaft that is leaking highly radioactive water into the ocean off Japan failed Saturday, so officials are now exploring alternatives, spokesmen for Tokyo Electric Co. said.
Power plant workers had been trying to fill the shaft with fresh concrete, but that did not change the amount of water coming out of the crack, the spokesmen said at a news conference that ran late into the night Saturday.
Their "plan B" is to use polymers to stop the leak, the spokesmen said. A Tokyo Electric expert will visit the site Sunday morning and decide what polymer to use before the work begins.
Workers will then break the shaft's ceiling and insert the polymer in a different spot from where they tried to place the concrete, they said.
Water from the 2-meter-deep, concrete-lined basin has been seen escaping into the ocean through a roughly 20-centimeter (8-inch) crack, the company said earlier Saturday. The shaft lies behind the turbine plant of the No. 2 reactor at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, which was heavily damaged in the earthquake and resulting tsunami last month.
Radiation levels in the shaft have been measured at more than 1,000 millisieverts per hour, which is more than 330 times the dose an average resident of an industrialized country naturally receives in a year. Radioactivity above the shaft was measured at 250 millisieverts per hour, said Tokyo Electric, the plant's owner.
Tokyo Electric said it is discussing other methods to use should the polymer fail, but it hasn't identified what those other methods may be.
The discovery of the leak comes after a feverish effort in recent days to explain a sharp spike in contamination in seawater measured just off the plant. Tokyo Electric said the shaft lies next to the water intake for the plant's steam condenser, at the end of a long channel that has been filling with radioactive water for several days.
Officials announced Thursday, based on samples taken the previous afternoon 330 meters (361 yards) off the plant, that seawater showed levels of iodine-131 measuring 4,385 times above the standard and cesium-137 at 527 times beyond normal. Experts say the latter radioactive isotope may be a greater concern because it persists longer, since it takes 30 years to lose half its radiation -- compared to an eight-day half-life for the iodine-131 isotope.
The Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency ordered the utility to start testing water further offshore and to the south, agency official Hidehiko Nishiyama said. Tokyo Electric has now established monitoring posts 15 kilometers (9.5 miles) off the coast, in a line directly offshore, 10 kilometers south, and 16 kilometers south.
Highly radioactive water has also been detected in several reactors' turbine buildings, nearby tunnels and groundwater in the immediate vicinity. But the area around the No. 2 reactor has been of particular concern, because water in an exposed maintenance tunnel leading from its turbine building showed radiation levels more than 100,000 times above typical levels for nuclear coolants.
A two-day project began Saturday to install a camera in that trench to help pinpoint potential leaks, a Tokyo Electric official said.
Spraying was also set to continue this weekend of an experimental new material to lock in radioactive material in and around the nuclear complex so that it doesn't seep further into the air, water or ground.
Crews have dispersed about 2,000 liters (more than 500 gallons) of synthetic resin in a 500-square-meter locale, according to Tokyo Electric. The aim is to hold the released radioactivity on the ground, so it can't interfere with the restoration of the cooling systems aimed at preventing the overheating of nuclear fuel rods in reactors and spent fuel pools at the plant.
"You spray it to hold down the loose contamination, and it acts like a super glue," said Nolan Hertel, a radiation engineering expert at the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta. "You don't want radiaoactive materials that are loose to get away."
Meanwhile, Nishiyama said there is a plan to inject nonflammable nitrogen into reactors 1, 2 and 3 to prevent the risk of another hydrogen explosion like the ones that extensively damaged the unit 1 and 3 housings in the days following the March 11 earthquake and tsunami. A buildup of hydrogen is an early sign of damage to a reactor's superheated core, but Nishiyama said no alarms had been sounded about rising pressure and that adding nitrogen would not force engineers to release hydrogen from the reactor vessel.
"It is only to prevent the accumulation of hydrogen as part of the restoration effort," Nishiyama said.
The continued injection of tons of water into the reactor cores and spent nuclear fuel pools shows that the race to prevent further explosions or widespread releases of radiation into the atmosphere remains far from over.
Jeff Immelt, the chief executive of General Electric Co., was heading to Japan to meet with Tokyo Electric about stabilizing the damaged reactors, which were designed by GE, company spokeswoman Deidre Latour said Saturday.
All these efforts come just more than three weeks after a 9.0-magnitude earthquake and subsequent tsunami struck northeast Japan, effectively wiping out some communities and leading to the deaths of nearly 12,000 people and leaving more than 15,400 missing, according to Japan's National Police Agency.
The Fukushima Daiichi plant was hit hard in the disaster, especially after its primary and back-up systems to cool nuclear fuel in its six reactors and their respective spent nuclear fuel pools failed. Since then, there has been a multifaceted and at times problematic race to prevent explosions (three took place in the days immediately after March 11), the overheating of nuclear fuel and the resulting release of radioactive material into the air, soil and water.
By Saturday, concerns seem to have abated somewhat about the airborne radiation that led to the ordered evacuation of 78,000 people, with another 62,000 living within 20 to 30 kilometers being told to stay indoors. An official with Tokyo Electric said early Saturday that data from eight new monitoring posts around the plant showed airborne radiation levels had stabilized, at between .390 and .0019 millisieverts per hour.
Saturday -- after a stop in Rikuzentakata, in Iwate prefecture -- Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan went to Hironocho, a village in Fukushima prefecture that has served as the operations center for the nuclear crisis effort. The trip, described by the prime minister's office as aimed at boosting morale among utility company workers and soldiers involved in the effort, put Kan on the edge of the 20-kilometer evacuation zone.
"I appreciate your significant contributions in fighting the invisible enemies in this battle, which will determine the fate of Japan," Kan said at J-Village, a soccer complex that has become a staging area for the Fukushima Daiichi operation.
Few items of clothing inspire as much controversy as the hijab, or headscarf. To some it represents oppression or radical Islam.
But to American-born Muslim sisters Dima and Lema Sbenaty, the hijab is a source of pride.
“Before I thought it would bother me to wear a scarf in public. I was surprised to feel that I was proud of my religion and all of my friends," says Dima Sbenaty, 20.
"We all go out together and they’re all wearing headscarves as well. It’s nothing that I’m ashamed of, and that’s part of my strength with my religion.”
The sisters have lived most of their lives in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. Now they are students at Middle Tennessee State University. Lema, a chemistry major, wants to become a pediatrician and dreams of tending to children in Ethiopia. Dima, a biology and chemistry double major, is working toward becoming a dentist. Neither has decided if she will permanently wear a hijab, but both cover during daily prayer.
In Arabic, hijab roughly translates as “barrier” or partition. In Islam, it refers to the principle of modesty in behavior and dress, as described in the Quran: "Say to the believing women that they should lower their gaze and guard their modesty; that they should not display their beauty and ornaments.”
Women raised in the faith like the Sbenaty sisters say the moment to start wearing a hijab is theirs to choose.
For others who convert to Islam, like Ivy Balloul, a blue-eyed American raised as a Methodist, the hijab comes with her adopted faith. “This was part of me converting to Islam," she said. "You can’t divide it up into little pieces and pick and choose what you want. It’s a whole package.”
Ivy, married to the imam of the Murfreesboro mosque, has received negative comments for wearing a hijab. “One man said to me in the post office that I can take off my scarf, that I’m free here. Another woman felt like I was a traitor. A man called to me one day from his car telling me that, uh, I should go back home.”
But these experiences do not discourage her from covering her head.
“I feel like I have more respect. Before, I could be pumping gas in my car and some guy would whistle or make some type of catcall. It was an uncomfortable situation," she said.
"When you put on a scarf ... [you] know that people can’t look at you as a sexual object. The first time I put it on I felt more comfortable in my own skin.”
The former MACC official calls the government arrogant for defending election handouts and telling Transparency International to mind its own business.
PETALING JAYA: The government’s defence of election handouts is a sign of its disregard for the man on the street, said former Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) official Robert Phang.
Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Nazri Abdul Aziz had earlier attacked Transparency International Malaysia (TI-M) for condemning election handouts as corruption.
Phang said that Nazri’s actions showed how arrogant the government was, especially with the Sarawak elections just around the corner.
“Such arrogance against an NGO should not happen as the Barisan Nasional approaches the Sarawak state elections. It only shows the disregard that BN politicians have for the rakyat’s views,” he said in a press statement.
Phang said that the minister should have been more careful with his words, as Malaysians would vote based on what they hear.
“He should be reminded that it is the men and women on the streets who will determine his and his political party’s fate at the ballot box,” he added.
Nazri had previously remarked that election handouts were not a form of corruption.
However, this statement was rubbished by TI-M president Paul Low, who argued that election sweeteners doled out during political campaigns were acts of bribery.
Responding to the accusations, the minister told TI-M to “shut up” and “mind its own business.”
Claiming to have a personal relationship with Nazri, the former TI-M member said: “I can appreciate his urge to be a ‘jantan’ but there is a place and time for that. Be a ‘jantan’ in championing the people’s cause.”
He warned the minister that such statements could confuse the public and would be a “great disservice” to MACC.
“I urge Nazri not to undermine the efforts of MACC Chief Commissioner Abu Kassim. BN politicians will be scorned by the rakyat if they have blinkered views on issues of public importance,” he said.
Gutter politics
In an unrelated matter, Phang said that Malaysian politics had reached a new low through the recent public screening of the alleged Anwar Ibrahim sex tape.
Describing it as a smear campaign against the opposition leader, Phang warned: “This reignites the disgrace we already suffered from being the brunt of scornful jokes in this region.”
The former MACC official also said that Malaysia was in danger of being internationally-known as a “Muslim country obsessed with smut”.
He also blamed the police for doing nothing to prevent such a screening from taking place.
“This public screening at Carcosa Seri Negara would have drawn the attention of the Special Branch and the highest echelons of the police, all the way to the top ministry and political leadership,” Phang said.
He then ridiculed the police, especially the Inspector-General Ismail Omar for not having a clue over the offence committed.
Phang then dragged in Attorney-General Abdul Gani Patail, saying that the latter was guilty of practicing selective prosecution in not guiding the police regarding the case.
(Malaysiakini) Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Idris Jala has today revealed a 10-point solution to the Bible controversy.
Christians groups are allowed to import the Bibles in all languages, including Bahasa Malaysia/Indonesia without restriction.
“These Bibles can also be printed locally in Peninsula Malaysia, Sabah and Sarawak,” he said.
While there is no requirement for the Bibles in Sabah and Sarawak for any stamp or serial number, those in Peninsula Malaysia must have the words “Christian Publication” and the cross sign printed on the front covers.
“I hope this 10-point solution will be received positively by the Christian groups as being fair and reasonable. We have to look for a solution that deals with the Bible issues and also put a way forward to handle other issues raised by the Christian groups,” said Idris.
He conceded that the government and the civil servants are not perfect “as indeed all human beings are 'beautifully imperfect' in the eyes of God”.
"And for all our shortcomings in handling the Bible issue, I hope the Christians would find it in their hearts to forgive us.”
Below is the full statement by Idris:
The government confirmed that it has been in dialogue with the Christian groups to look into their specific requests on the Bahasa Malaysia/Indonesia Bible and also other religious issues. Taking into account the polarity of views of the different religious groups, including the Muslims, the government decided on a 10-point solution.
1. Bibles in all languages can be imported into the country, including Bahasa Malaysia/Indonesia.
2. These Bibles can also be printed locally in Peninsula Malaysia, Sabah and Sarawak. This is a new development which should be welcomed by the Christian groups.
3. Bibles in indigenous languages of Sabah and Sarawak such as Iban, Kadazan-Dusun and Lun Bawang can also be printed locally and imported.
4. For Sabah and Sarawak, in recognition of the large Christian community in these states, there are no conditions attached to the importation and local printing of the Bibles in all languages, including Bahasa Malaysia/Indonesia and indigenous languages. There is no requirement for any stamp or serial number.
5. Taking into account the interest of the larger Muslim community for Peninsula Malaysia, Bibles in Bahasa Malaysia/Indonesia, imported or printed, must have the words “Christian Publication” and the cross sign printed on the front covers.
6. In the spirit of 1Malaysia and recognising that many people travel between Sabah and Sarawak and Peninsula Malaysia, there should be no prohibitions and restrictions for people who bring along their Bibles and Christian materials on such travel.
7. A directive on the Bible has been issued by the ketua setiausaha (KSU) of the Home Ministry to ensure proper implementation of this cabinet decision. Failure to comply will subject the officers to disciplinary action under the General Orders. A comprehensive briefing by top officials, including the attorney-general (AG), will be given to all relevant civil servants to ensure good understanding and proper implementation of the directive.
8. For the impounded Bibles in Kuching, Gideon, the importer can collect all the 30,000 Bibles free of charge. We undertake to ensure the parties involved are reimbursed. The same offer remains available for the importer of the 5,100 Bibles in Port Klang, which have already been collected by the Bible Society Malaysia (BSM) last week.
9. Beyond the Bible issue, the government wishes to reiterate its commitment to work with the Christian groups and all the different religious groups in order to address inter religious issues and work towards the fulfilment of all religious aspirations in accordance with the constitution, taking into account the other relevant laws of the country. In order to bring urgency to this work, the prime minister will meet the representatives of the Christian Federation of Malaysia (CFM) soon to discuss the way forward.
10. The Christian ministers in the cabinet will meet on a regular basis with representatives of the various Christian groups in order to discuss their issues and work with the relevant ministries and PM in order to resolve them.
I recently stumbled upon the fact that there is in the possession of the Sultan of Perak and the Perak Royal Family some astounding relics of antiquity that in all probability have an extremely significant bearing on the question of Malaysian identity and history.
One such astonishing artifact is the sword Cura Si Manja Kini or Chora Samanda Kian mentioned in John Leyden's 1810 'Malay Annals' or'Sejarah Melayu' (published in 1821 by Sir Stamford Raffles).
The same sword is said to have been used during the installation of Parameswara as ruler of Malacca in 1400. But in fact, its origins go further back, possibly 200-400 years earlier than 1400.
The sword was part of the regalia of a Indian/Hindu prince linked to the Chola Kings (Raja Cholan) from South India, i.e. Nila Utthaman/Sri Tri Buana/Sang Nila Utama (founder of Singapore) narrated in the 'Sejarah' as having landed on Mt Segantang Maha Meru in Palembang, Sumatra together with two other princes, Vichitram and Karna Pandita, and a probable Brahmin priest, Bat'h, exact date unknown!
Now, Bat'h is a pretty unusual name for an Indian and perhaps it's a truncated form of Vadhyar (Tamil for priest), Vadh, which became Bat'h, in the same way Vichitram is spelt in the 'Sejarah' as Bichitram.
This is consistent with the fact that the Malay language generally does not have old words that commence with the letter 'V' and 'B' was substituted.
The 'Sejarah' relates that it is this self-same sword that was used by the borrower (from Nila Utthaman/Sri Tri Buana/Sang Nila Utama) and champion warrior Peramas Cumambang to slay the serpent monster Saktimuna (Sakatimuna/Ichktimani) into three parts in Minangkabau, Sumatra. In the process the sword became etched with 190 notches which is a strange "clue" of Dan Brown and 'da Vinci Code' proportions, that no Indonesia or Malaysian historian or anyone else has ever deciphered!
Royal Collar (15th century) said to have been presented by the Emperor of China
Dokong or Kerongsang Besar (Neck Pendant)
Cap Lalulintar (Royal Silver Seal) of Sultan Muhammad Shah (Malacca) and Kayu Gampit mentioned in Sejarah Melayu. (The Royal Lance, Limbuar appears to be missing)
Betel Boxes
Mestika Embun (Bezoar of Dew)
Kancing Halkah (Royal Collar Ornament)
Kris Taming Sari (originally said to belong to Hang Tuah).
So, how did all these relics from Palembang and Malacca end up in the custody of the Perak Royalty?
After the fall of Malacca on 24th April 1511 to Portugal led by Alphonso de Alburquerque, Malacca's last ruler, Sultan Mahmud Shah eventually made his way to Kampar in Sumatra where he died in 1528.
One of the sultan's two sons, Muzzafar Shah journeyed to Perak where he was installed the first Sultan in 1528. It was Sultan Muzzafar Shah who brought with him the artifacts which had been handed down to his father, Sultan Mahmud.
The inscriptions on Cura Sa Manjani Kini in Sanskrit are said to come from the the words 'Churiga Si Mandakini' which means "the blade from Lake Mandakini of the Ganges (River) in India!!
And what is the linkbetween the Chiri of Perak, nobat players and Bat'h the Brahmin priest cum charitra or cheritra teller in the 'Sejarah' (pg. c4/23 - 25 John Leyden's 'Sejarah Melayu')
Documents extracted from the 'Sejarah' and a 'A History of Perak' by R.O.Winstedt and R.J.Wilkinson published by The Malaysian Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society reveal that Bat'h had recited the lineage of the three Indian/Hindu princes who landed in the mountains of Palembang to Demang Lebar Daun, the aboriginal chief and his people in Sanskrit!! Astonishing, is it not?
The 'Sejarah' also clearly states Parameswara was buried in Tanjung Tuan (Cape Rachado) near Port Dickson, Negeri Sembilan (in Malaysia).
It is Demang Lebar Daun and Nila Utthaman/Sri Tri Buana/Sang Nila Utama who are reputed to have actually been buried in Fort Canning, Singapore!!
There is therefore some serious error with the claim that Parameswara was buried in Fort Canning (Bukit Larangan) in Singapore. Check out for Keramat Iskandar, Singapore.
It absolutely makes no sense that Parameswara would be buried in Singapore when he originally fled from there in fear of his life, before founding Malacca!!).
The time has come for the Singapore government to initiate investigations to identify through modern scientific procedures such as carbon dating, DNA testing etc., exactly who is buried in Keramat Iskandar and Fort Canning.
Some of these artifacts and regalia must be at least a thousand years old and there is not a shadow of a doubt about their links to Parameswara and the Malacca Sultanate of the 15th and early 16th century, Indonesia and INDIA!
So, why haven't our government and Department of Antiquities engaged an archaeologist and expert in Sanskrit and Indian languages/dialects and South East Asian history (and there must literally be hundred of them in India) as well as China counterparts to piece together what must surely be THE story of the century?
In particular, the Sanskrit inscriptions on Parameswara's sword need to be investigated in depth!
So, why the leaden footedness? Too busy 'interloked' in controversies?
The former PKR Youth member was detained for alleged subversive activities, says lawyer N Surendran.
KUALA LUMPUR: A 42-year-old disabled restaurant owner has been detained under the Internal Security Act (ISA) for subversive activities, said lawyer N Surendran.
According to him, Kadir Hashim, who only has one arm, was detained by the police at his residence in Kampung Kerinchi here yesterday evening.
“He has been detained for subversive activities,” the lawyer told FMT. “Lawyers for Liberty would be taking up this case,” he added.
He also told FMT that he had no further information regarding Kadir. Nevertheless, a press conference would be held on Monday.
Kadir, 42, is believed to be a PKR Youth member, said Anti-ISA Movement (GMI) coordinator, E Nalini.
However, Lembah Pantai MP Nurul Izzah Anwar, when contacted, said that Kadir was a former member.
The ceasefire offer came as UN envoy Abdelilah al-Katib visited Libya
A Libyan government spokesman has termed the conditions set by the opposition for a ceasefire "mad", and asserted that troops loyal to Muammar Gaddafi, the Libyan leader, will remain stationed where they are.
"They are asking us to withdraw from our own cities. .... If this is not mad then I don't know what this is. We will not leave our cities," Mussa Ibrahim, the government spokesman, said on Friday.
Fighting raged on Friday near the key oil town of Brega, in the country's east, and the towns of Misurata and Az Zintan in the west.
Earlier, the opposition had said it would agree to a ceasefire as long as Gaddafi pulled his military out of opposition-held cities and allowed peaceful protests against his government.
Mustafa Abdul-Jalil, head of the opposition's interim governing council based in Benghazi, spoke during a joint press conference on Friday with Abdelilah Al-Khatib, the UN envoy. Al-Khatib is visiting the rebels' de facto stronghold of Benghazi in hopes of reaching a political solution to the crisis embroiling the North African nation.
Abdul-Jalil said the rebels' condition for a ceasefire is "that the Gaddafi brigades and forces withdraw from inside and outside Libyan cities to give freedom to the Libyan people to choose and the world will see that they will choose freedom".
The UN resolution that authorised international air strikes against Libya called for Gaddafi and the rebels to end hostilities. Gaddafi announced a ceasefire immediately but has shown no sign of heeding it. His forces continue to attack rebels in the east, where the opposition is strongest, and have besieged the only major rebel-held city in the west, Misurata.
Abdul-Jalil said the regime must withdraw its forces and lift all sieges. He stressed the ultimate goal was still to oust Gaddafi.
"Our aim is to liberate and have sovereignty over all of Libya with its capital in Tripoli," he said.
Al Jazeera's Laurence Lee, reporting from Benghazi, played down the significance of the statements, noting that this is not the first time the rebels have said they are open to negotiation.
"You have to remember that Mr Abdel Jalil was saying it in the presence of the United Nations special envoy to Libya, and the UN is calling repeatedly for a ceasefire, and so he had to acknowledge that to some degree," Lee said.
"But the other thing you have to remember that he said, was that if there is no ceasefire then the rebels will
press on to try to liberate all the Western towns."
Despite the continued bravado, the protracted stalemate and shortage of arms is clearly causing unease in the opposition stronghold, he said.
"As time goes by, the military solution to this looks far less likely, and I think the political solution, if not inevitable, looks far more likely," he reported.
Forces loyal to Libya's leader of nearly 42 years spent much of this week pushing the rebels back about 160km along the coast. Attempting to regroup, the rebels hit back with mortars on Friday - weapons they previously appeared to have lacked. The previous night, they drove in a convoy with at least eight rocket launchers - more artillery than usual.
The rebels also appeared to have more communication equipment such as radios and satellite phones, and were working in more organised units, in which military defectors were each leading six or seven volunteers.
On Friday, they appointed Abdel Fatah Yunis, the former interior minister who resigned to join the opposition, as the commander of the opposition military forces combatting pro-Gaddafi brigades.
Fighting rages
The rebels' losses this week, and others before airstrikes began March 19, underlined the reality that their equipment, training and organisation were far inferior to those of Gaddafi's forces. The recent changes appear to be an attempt to correct, or at least ease, the imbalance.
Residents of Misurata, meanwhile, said they came under heavy bombardment throughout the day from pro-Gaddafi forces.
"They used tanks, rocket-propelled grenades, mortar rounds and other projectiles to hit the city today. It was a random and very intense bombardment," Sami, a rebel spokesman, told Reuters by telephone. "We no longer recognise the place. The destruction cannot be described."
Opposition fighters say government forces are targetting both the city's port and residential areas.
Heavy fighting also took place near the key oil port of Brega, where doctors told the AFP news agency that 11 people had been killed.
Meanwhile, in the village of Argkuk, near Ajdabiya, Al Jazeera's Sue Turton reported that what appeared to be a NATO-led coalition airstrike on a pro-Gaddafi vehicle killed seven civilians and injured 25 others when ammunition in the vehicle exploded.
Ibrahim, the government's spokesman, termed the strike a "crime against humanity".
It was unclear where the frontline was Friday. Rebels were holding journalists back at the western gate of Ajdabiya, far from the fighting. On Thursday the opposition had moved into Brega before Gaddafi's forces pushed them out.
A Libyan opposition official, meanwhile, said rebels would be able to buy more arms thanks to an oil deal they reached with the Arab nation of Qatar.
Ali Tarhouni, who handles finances for the opposition's National Transitional Council, said Qatar has agreed to market oil currently in storage in rebel-controlled areas of southeastern Libya.
Tarhouni said one sticking point is how to truck the oil out of the country. The money from oil sales will be put into an account which the opposition will use to pay for weapons, food, medicine, fuel and other needs.
Defections take toll
Gaddafi's greatest losses this week were not military but political. Two members of his inner circle, including his foreign minister, abandoned him this week, setting off speculation about other officials who may be next.
The defections could sway people who have stuck with Gaddafi despite the uprising that began February 15 and the international airstrikes aimed at keeping the Libyan leader from attacking his own people.
Gaddafi struck a defiant stance in a statement Thursday, accusing the leaders of the countries attacking his forces of being "affected by power madness".
"The solution for this problem is that they resign immediately and their peoples find alternatives to them," he said.
Yet Gaddafi's message was undercut by its delivery - a scroll across the bottom of state TV as he remained out of sight.
Meanwhile, nations behind the campaign of international airstrikes that have hobbled Libya's military hailed the resignation and flight to the UK of Gaddafi's foreign minister, Moussa Koussa, as a sign of weakness in Gaddafi's reign.
Koussa has been privy to all the inner workings of the regime, so his departure could open the door for some hard intelligence, though Britain refused to offer him immunity from prosecution.
Ali Abdessalam Treki, a former foreign minister and UN General Assembly president, announced his departure on several opposition websites the next day, saying "It is our nation's right to live in freedom and democracy and enjoy a good life".
Treki's defection comes after Al Jazeera uncovered what was supposed to be a secret visit to Tunis in mid-March.
The rebels say they have taken heart from the departures in Gaddafi's inner circle.
"We believe that the regime is crumbling from within," opposition spokesman Mustafa Gheriani said in Benghazi, the rebels' de facto capital.
Pengumuman itu akan dibuat pukul 3 petang di Ibu Pejabat Parti PBB.
KUCHING: Calon Barisan Nasional (BN) bagi pilihan raya negeri Sarawak ke-10 akan diumumkan esok, kata Ketua Menteri Tan Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud.
Taib yang juga Pengerusi BN negeri berkata pengumuman itu akan dibuat pada pukul 3 petang di Ibu Pejabat Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu Sarawak (PBB) di sini.
“Saya akan mengadakan mesyuarat pagi esok. Pengumuman (calon) pada pukul 3 petang,” katanya ringkas kepada pemberita selepas merasmikan Program Sejiwa Senada Kerajaan Bersama Rakyat peringkat Bandaraya Kuching Utara di Perkarangan Sukma Ria, Petrajaya dekat sini hari ini.
Turut hadir pada majlis itu adalah isteri Taib, Puan Sri Ragad Waleed Al-Kurdi dan Menteri Perumahan dan Pembangunan Bandar negeri Datuk Amar Abang Johari Tun Openg.
Semalam, Taib mengadakan pertemuan dengan Perdana Menteri yang juga Pengerusi BN pusat Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak di Putrajaya, dipercayai untuk menyerahkan senarai nama calon BN bagi pilihan raya negeri.
Pilihan raya negeri Sarawak akan diadakan pada 16 April ini dengan penamaan calon pada 6 April melibatkan 71 kerusi Dewan Undangan Negeri.
Umno should talk to us about psy-war. Instead of paying APCO tens of millions of Ringgit they should save their money and pay us just RM10 million to do their psy-war for them. We can do a much better job at a fraction of the price they are paying APCO. NO HOLDS BARRED Raja Petra Kamarudin
I have said this before and I will say it again: you can take the Malay out of the kampong but you can’t take the kampong out of the Malay.
Look at the comic below, which is being widely distributed in Kuala Lumpur and many other parts of Malaysia. Go to the Umno website, Malaysia Instinct, and read what they write.
First of all, all these postings and ‘comics’ have no names to them. They are all produced by ‘anonymous’ people. Secondly, they all lack class and finesse. They are most crude and without taste.
You only need to read the articles, postings and ‘comics’ to detect that they are the work of Malays. The hallmark is very distinct. And in this case they are certainly the work of Umno Malays, those who have absolutely no class.
Somehow, Malays like this kind of thing. They do not understand art or literature. To them smut is literature and a work of art. How do we educate the Malays into understanding that there is a difference?
Of late, Umno has been shooting itself in the foot. The more they try to smear Anwar Ibrahim the more people are convinced that Anwar is innocent. The effort is backfiring big time. And Umno is scrambling to do damage control.
How we do teach Umno about proper and effective psy-war? What they are doing is not psy-war. It is political suicide. And the more they spin the more it spins out of control.
Umno should talk to us about psy-war. Instead of paying APCO tens of millions of Ringgit they should save their money and pay us just RM10 million to do their psy-war for them. We can do a much better job at a fraction of the price they are paying APCO.
Macam ini hancurlah Umno. Lagi spin, lagi sakit. The opposition actually needs not do anything. They just need to do nothing and let Umno self-destruct with this very childish and tasteless Malay-style spinning.
The problem is the opposition is also making many mistakes. And herein lies the problem. If they can just sit quietly and not make mistakes just like Umno, the opposition is assured of winning the next general election.
But will the opposition listen? No, their egos are too big for their heads. And, just like Umno, they also shoot themselves in their foot every step of the way.
Anyway, enjoy the comic below, if you are the type of person who enjoys smut, that is -- courtesy of Umno.
(Asia Sentinel) Sexy Swindler and Debt-Collection Murder Arrests Give Citi Sleepless Week in Jakarta
In Jakarta, Citibank’s public relations staff must have put the banking giant‘s corporate slogan – “Citi never sleeps” – to good use over the past week as twin scandals involving an alleged beating death and a sexy swindler rocked the company.
First, a “relationship manager” employed by the bank for the last 15 years, variously known as Malinda Dee, Melinda Dee, Inong Malinda or just MD, was nabbed on March 25 after allegations came to light that she used her connections with her customers to steal about $2 million.
Pictures of the middle-aged woman, with long-hair, ample curves and heavy makeup, soon seemed to be everywhere, showing her in come-hither poses and skin tight skirts with a stable of luxury cars and an arm-candy husband, a minor 22-year old TV actor named Andhika Gumilang.
But Dee’s alleged over-the-top stealing is one thing, leaving a customer dead inside a branch office after a run-in with debt collectors is quite something else.
On Tuesday, Irzen Okta, 50, the secretary general of a minor political party, the National Unifying Party (PPB), went into a private room at a Citibank office on a crowded main street in Jakarta and never came out alive.
Police said the room where Irzen met with two contract debt collectors and a Citibank employee to discuss his credit card debt ‑ the bank said he owed, with interest, more than $10,000; the victim put the figure at about $7,000 – was splattered with blood but it was unclear if the brain hemorrhage that took his life was the result of a beating or just fear, stress and intimidation.
“The autopsy results so far have not shown any sign of beating with a blunt object,” a senior police officer told the media on Friday. “The cause of death, according to the autopsy, was a ruptured blood vessel in the brain.”
The police have arrested the two debt collectors and a Citi employee as suspects in the case and they are trying to figure out how Irzen’s blood ended up on the walls and curtains of the conference room.
The incident highlights the tough tactics of debt collectors in Indonesia. Credit firms, banks and others routinely hire thugs to go after deadbeats, leaving many people frightened of facing the agents if they get behind in their bills. Reacting to Irzen’s demise, lawmaker Harry Azhar Azis, urged Bank Indonesia (BI) to issue regulations to reign in violent debt collectors.
On Friday, the central bank summoned Citibank and other banks and told them to go easy on roughing up their customers, but a BI official told reporters there were no regulations that could compel banks to restrain their attack dogs.
The official, Muliaman Hadad, warned banks that they could be subject to “reputation and operational risks” from heavy-handed debt collectors, according to the Jakarta Post.
While the dead politician may not have been worked over with brass knuckles, police said the three debt collectors he faced were both rough and intimidating. After Irzen arrived at the bank asking to discuss his debt, he was taken to a small room where the suspects “pounded on the table, kicked a chair and tapped on the victim’s shoulders,” a police officer said, according to the Jakarta Globe. In another account, in the Jakarta Post, police said the victim was beaten and humiliated.
Most accounts agree that Irzen complained of a severe headache and was then further ridiculed, eventually falling to the floor, foaming at the mouth. One of the debt collectors, Aries Lukman, laughed at the man’s suffering, police said.
He died a short time later.
The politician’s death competed for headlines during the week with Dee’s antics. Her husband, who is a hunky pitchman for cigarettes of no particular renown before his wife’s alleged theft came to light, denied being aware of any misdeeds as he made the rounds of local gossip TV shows. Police seized from Dee two luxury apartments, two Ferraris, a Mercedes Benz and a Hummer in the course of investigations that began after some of Dee’s Citi clients complained that their savings had disappeared into her designer purse.
Given the woman’s looks, age and taste for the good life, Dee, who is variously reported to be 45 and 50, set off a storm of tabloid titillation, with many even respectable news outlets speculating on whether some of the ill-gotten wealth might not also have been spent on augmenting her impressive upper silhouette. On Friday, the National Police headquarters looked like a luxury car showroom as her fleet of flashy rides was on display in the parking lot.
Beleaguered Citibank officials said as little as they could about their twin PR nightmares during the week. “It is our commitment to protect the interest of our customers, including swiftly repaying all customers who suffered losses in the fraudulent transaction, fairly and timely,” said Citi’s Indonesia country corporate affairs head, Ditta Amahorseya, in a statement in response to Dee’s embezzlement.
After the bank’s contract employees were arrested on suspicion of murder in the Irzen case Thursday, Ditta issued a statement saying the bank had a strict code of conduct with regards to debt collection. “As representatives of the bank, all our contract staff are required to adhere to [the code] during all interactions with customers,” she said.
“We are cooperating fully with the police in their investigations to determine if agency staff adhered to the code of conduct.”
They are not doing this with East- timor delegates but it is just piece of low class mentality that they want to show other. This country will appear as Pakistan , Sudan and Somalia one day.
Manogaran (second from right
“The Indian community wants Interlok done away with, but why is the government headstrong in this matter? It's our belief that the government wants to portray the community in an ill-manner,” he said.
“These Bibles can also be printed locally in Peninsula Malaysia, Sabah and Sarawak,” he said. 
