Najib 'passed by cheating'

PETALING JAYA: PAS vice-president Mahfuz Omar has likened Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak's win in the recent Hulu Selangor contest to a “school kid passing his exam by cheating”.

In a statement to FMT, the Pokok Sena MP said the ruling coalition should not gloat about such a victory.

Mahfuz said BN's win did not affect Pakatan Rakyat, especially PKR, since its candidate Zaid Ibrahim garnered more votes than the late Zainal Abidin Ahmad in the 2008 general election.

"Even the 'vote-buying' did not have an impact on us,” he said, reiterating an allegation which drew a strong denial from BN.

On Sunday, Zaid lost to BN's P Kamalanathan by 1,725 votes, despite Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin having set a 6,000 vote-majority target.

'With the help of EC'

Mahfuz also alleged that the BN victory came with the aid of the Election Commission, which “transferred hundreds of voters' names out of the electoral roll and relocated 13,000 voters to a different constituency”.

"This is an example of organised fraud,” he said.

The PAS leader said he found it strange that BN leaders attributed the victory to Najib's transformation policies.

"They think he passed the test. But that was like a school kid passing by cheating,” he added.

FMT
01/05/10

No change in plight of Penan

KUALA LUMPUR: A scathing two-part report in the Sarawak Eastern Times regarding a UK-film screening of documentary “Penusah Tana” about the Penan community’s struggle has compelled its producer to refute several allegations.

Former Star reporter Hillary Chiew, who produced the documentary in 2007 tracing the native community’s struggle, is shocked at veteran writer James Ritchie’s report.

She said Ritchie had never contacted her to verify details of the screening neither did he check with the organisers of the screening. Ritchie in his reports states that the screening was held on April 17 at the BPP Holborn Law School in London.

Below is her rebuttal to Sarawak Eastern Times’ articles by Ritchie.

By Hillary Chiew

On April 14, three days before a film-screening intended for a Malaysian crowd was scheduled in London, the Sarawak-based newspaper, Eastern Time, front-paged a story drawing attention to the event.

It was to be the screening of my documentary film -- Penusah Tana (The Forgotten Struggle).

In a highly unusual publicity of the event, veteran journalist James Ritchie implied that the film presented a false picture of the Penan's long-standing resistance against logging.

Interestingly, he included his interview with Ajang Kiew, the protege of the film, of which the senior Penan admitted to his involvement in past blockades – the peaceful protest method employed by the Penan that has come to symbolise their defence of their forest home in the high-profile international campaign to save Sarawak rainforest.

Notwithstanding the fact that Ajang Kiew has decided that he has enough of the confrontational ways and now preferred to engage in “give and take” discussions, the historical facts remain that he was a veteran blockader as depicted in the film.

As I won't pretend to be able to comprehend the hardship that Ajang has suffered all those years, so I would not judge him for his decision in his old age.

However, I did make it a point at the screening in London to mention that Ajang has abandoned the struggle and no longer heads the Sarawak Penan Association.

Never did Ritchie contact me to verify if indeed his interpretation of the event was correct. Neither did he check with the host of the event that the screening was a campaign against Malaysian timber and oil palm plantation industries as he virtuously proclaimed.

Public outrage

I have never met Ritchie and couldn't have possibly offended him to warrant such a personal attack that was so apparent in the following article the next day in the same newspaper, again on the front-page.

In the second article, he wrote: “Failing in her attempts to sway local public opinion by raising emotional issues such as the alleged rape of Penan schoolgirls, Chiew is now treading on the trodden path of foreign NGOs bent on attacking Malaysian primary industries.”

As was typical of mainstream media reporting, particularly timber company-owned Sarawak newspapers, on conflicts arising from commercial logging in the state for the last quarter century, Ritchie pointed his finger at western media/NGOs evil interference.

Alas, he would be disappointed. Neither was western media invited to the screening nor was there presence of western environmental NGOs.

As for the Penan rape case – public outrage was evident from the number of letters, SMSes, local NGOs and official responses carried in major newspaper and online publications. The Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development promptly set up a task force and the police launched an investigation.

The task force's report acknowledged that sexual violation of Penan women and young girls was indeed a problem afflicting the marginalised Penan community. Until today, the police have neither officially announced their investigation results nor decisions on the matter.

Ritchie surely is aware of the Ministerial Penan Task Force Report which incidentally included the testimonies of the two young victims highlighted in my articles.

In the last few years, the plight of the Penan is also documented by the Human Rights Commission (Suhakam) in the agency’s own independent investigations which showed that the Penan are worst off today than they were 20 years ago and the underlying cause being the unsustainable logging practices sanctioned by the state.

“Penusah Tana” documentary was premiered in Malaysia in 2007 and screened at numerous venues and is viewable on the website www.whatrainforest.com

FMT
01/05/10

'PR lost touch with grassroot Indians'

GEORGET TOWN: In the aftermath of the Hulu Selangor by-election and the many views expressed, Hindraf campaigners see the single most pertinent fact in that Pakatan Rakyat has lost its highly underestimated baseline support – the Indians.

Lacking the influence of Hindu Rights Action Force and Human Rights Party campaigners is seen by them as the main reason for PKR candidate Zaid Ibrahim’s defeat in Hulu Selangor.

HRP adviser N Ganesan contrasts this to the wave of Hindraf support in four states two years ago that he believes led to Pakatan general election success, placing the largest collection of Indian MPs in Parliament.

Ganesan said the results of last two by-elections – Bagan Pinang state seat in Negeri Sembilan and Hulu Selangor – clearly showed that Pakatan was rapidly losing the Indian vote bank without the Hindraf/HRP backing.

“Both seats have sizeable and decisive number of Indian votes. Pakatan failed to capture the majority of the Indian votes and lost both,” he told FMT.

He recalled that Hindraf-inspired Indians strongly backed Pakatan en bloc in the general election of 2008 resulting in Pakatan having a third of parliamentarians and more Indian elected representatives than Barisan Nasional.

“Indian frustration has boiled over to the ballot boxes,” said Ganesan, who is also a political analyst for HRP, alluding to the recent Hulu Selangor by-election.

Two conditions

BN’s P Kamalanathan from MIC won the Hulu Selangor parliamentary seat by a 1,725-vote majority on Sunday, polling 24,997 votes against PKR supreme council member Zaid’s 23,272 votes. Indian voters form 19.3% of the constituency voters or 12,453.

Similarly in the Bagan Pinang by-election last October, BN’s Mohd Isa Samad won with a landslide 5,435 majority, garnering 8,013 votes against PAS Negeri Sembilan commissioner Zulkefly Mohamad Omar’s 2,578. There, Indian voters comprised 20.7% of the constituency’s 13,664 eligible voters.

Unlike in the last general election, activists from Hindraf /HRP did not campaign for Pakatan in Hulu Selangor this time.

Hindraf/HRP held firmly to their demand that Pakatan fulfil two conditions in return for their supporting Zaid: that the PKR-led Selangor government allot freehold land to all 98 Tamil schools in the state within next two months, and that Pakatan to stop the practice of Umno and MIC "mandore politics" in the coalition.

“Pakatan refused to budge. As a result, Zaid lost,” claimed Ganesan.

He said Indian frustration against Pakatan was triggered by last year’s demolition of Indian traditional village, Kampung Buah Pala, in Penang, which is governed by Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng of DAP.

Marginalised Indians

Ganesan warned that the demolition of the village, once popularly known as High Chaparral, would have a trigger-effect nationwide in the next general election unless Pakatan acted swiftly to stop the rot.

It was time that Pakatan state governments acknowledged their shortcomings and failures to safeguard the rights, interests and benefits of the marginalised Indian community in the respective states, he said.

Pakatan governments in Penang, Kedah and Selangor must implement pro-active, long-term policies to upgrade living standards of the working class Indians, who form the bulk of the Indian community and are largely in the lower income bracket.

Ganesan claims that the outcome of the Hulu Selangor contest would have been different if Pakatan governments have heeded Hindraf/HRP's numerous calls to safeguard Indian interests in their states.

The last two by-election results, he said, revealed that Pakatan secured 70% to 80% each of Indian and Chinese votes, and at least 30% to 40% Malay support to win mixed constituencies. “Even 50% of Indian votes would not be enough,” he said.

He said the only way for Pakatan to win back Indian votes was by forging a political alliance with Hindraf/HRP.

He has ruled out any cooperation with Umno-led BN. “But we would only work with Pakatan if the coalition can assure us of a better future for Indians in the country,” said Ganesan.

FMT
01/05/10

Kg Buah Pala DAP & UMNO axis “blood letting” of poor and landless Indian and cattle farmers continues

Kg Buah Pala DAP & UMNO axis “blood letting” of poor and landless Indian and cattle farmers continues. Vengeful and Revengeful Lim Guan Eng who himself had once been a victim of injustices.

4Kg Buah Pala DAP & UMNO axis “blood letting” of poor and landless Indian and cattle farmers continues. Vengeful and Revengeful Lim Guan Eng who himself had once been a victim of injustices.

Having ruthlessly demolished the last traditional Kg Buah Pala Indian village in Penang, the DAP and UMNO axis continues with their “blood letting” of the poor, underprivileged and landless Indians in Penang by now demolishing their cow sheds which in any event is outside the developer’s land and which is not the subject of the Developer’s Court Order in their favour.

Towkay Kapitan Lim Guan Eng’s promised Court application to set aside the Court Order favouring the Developer was a mere wayang kulit theatrics and never intended to take off. The very much publicised propaganda of the RM600,000.00 double storey house, a hindu temple and an Indian community hall repeatedly promised by the DCM II Penang Indian mandore on his towkay’s instructions is again another wayang kulit and which is yet to be given to the Kg Buah Pala settlers and neither has the offer been in black and white or at least a guarantee of the same by the DAP Penang state government in the event that the developer does not complete and hand over these double storey houses. 2

And now to add insult to injury, these poor Indians 100 years old traditional cow sheds are being demolished by using armed DAP Chinese gangsters. 100 cows and 15 calves have now been left roaming around the area with no where to go. K.Sivananthan’s RM200.00 income per day from daily milk has been thrown sand into by the DAP. It is coming to almost one year now but the DAP Penang Towkay Kapitan Lim Guan Eng has refused to at the very least grant alternative land to these Kg Buah Pala cattle farmers.

And after the “show” the Penang Municipal Council (MPPP) enforcement team and the UMNO police arrive at the scene.

Lim Guan Eng rightfully should be more blameworthy then UMNO, as he himself had not long ago been a victim of gross injustices and fully knows the pain of being a victim of injustices. But now that he has become the YAB of Penang he may have conveniently forgotten this pain and heartache. (TN 30/4/10 at page 3).

This kapitan towkay and the UMNO axis even caused the death of cattle farmer Murugan a few months ago. Murugan had gone to the Unesco office in Geneva in July 2009 to protest the demolishment of Kg Buah Pala and to have Penang’s Heritage status revoked. Murugan had prematurely passed away at 47 years of age a few months ago immediately after his cattle farm was demolished as he could no longer bear DAP’s injustices, the pain and heartache. This Kapitan towkay Lim Guan Eng’s vengeance and revengeful act is abundantly clear and aggravated and done with impunity.

1Penang has a vast land area of 1,033sq kilometers. We now call upon the Penang Chief Minister to grant an alternative ten acre Felda like land scheme with no interest and offering ownership after the offered Penang State government loan is paid up back in full in 15 years times. This offer should be made to all these Kg Buah Pala cattle farmers and all other settlers to at least undo the injustices meted out by this towkay on the poor Indians.

Note: Mr Maran of the Penang HRP was at the site to lend support to this cattle farmer. To make matters worse as at press time today (30/4/2010) we have been told that another cow shed belonging to another Kg Buah Pala settler has also been demolished and the area now cordoned off to them.

Karunai Nithi @ Compassionate Justice
5 7 683
01/05/10

Kamalanathan is Umno’s mandore, says Hindraf

KUALA LUMPUR: Human Rights Party (HRP) has written off fresh faced Hulu Selangor MP Kamalanathan as “Umno’s mandore”.

Its information chief S Jayathas said: “We’re not pining any hope on Kamalanathan.
“Kamalanathan is just another ‘mandore’ who will work for his boss Umno,” he said.
He added that HRP was confident that Kamalanathan will not raise issues related to the community’s woes in Parliament.

“We are sure Kamalanathan will never bring up the discrimination suffered by the Indian community in Parliament,” he told FMT.

He said although the Indian community had high hopes in him, his loyalty lay Umno and not with the Hulu Selangor voters.

“We believe Kamalanathan will not be able to solve the Indian community’s fundamental problems, “Take their welfare problem: more than half of the Indian families in Hulu Selangor are poor.

“What drastic action will Kamalanathan take to eliminate their poverty?” Jayathas asked.
He added that nothing would change as Umno would continue to cheat the Indian minority.
“Kamalanathan is nice but he is also the same as his party boss S Samy Vellu (MIC president) who bows to Umno,” he said.

On Kalamanathan’s comment that Hindraf is dead, Jayathas said: “Kamalanathan should admit that the reason PKR failed was because Hindraf did not campaign in Hulu Selangor.
“If it had campaigned, the Indian votes would surely have gone to PKR’s candidate Zaid Ibrahim,” he said.

BN’s Kamalanathan beat Zaid by a 1,725 vote majority in last Sunday’s by-election.
Hindraf had declined to campaign for Pakatan, claiming that the party had failed to fulfil its commitment to the Indian community in these states since it came into power in 2008.

Despite several attempts to lure Hindraf, it refused to enter the fray, saying it would only help if the Selangor Pakatan government agreed to give all 98 Tamil schools in the state freehold land.
Hindraf
01/05/10

200 Indians denied Tekun Micro business loans only (13) 6.5% get peanuts of RM2K to RM3K- Kacang putih business?

The 2010 National budget is RM191.5 Billion.

RM200 Million was allocated to Tabung Kumpulan Usaha Niaga (TEKUN). This includes RM20 Million for small scale Indian Malaysian entrepreneurs which is in addition to the existing RM50 Million. But we estimate that about 95% of this RM35 Million did not go down to the Indian entrepreneurs on the ground, just like how the RM100 Million allocation for Tamil schools under the first and second economic stimulus packages (2009 Budget) but not a single cent went to any Tamil school. (NST 24/10/2009 at page B4).

But when it comes to granting these Tekun business loans even up to 100% of the Indian applicants have been denied the same. RM2.5 Billion AIM loans were given to 190,900 poor households earning below RM2,000 per month. But the Malaysian Indian Business Association President, Mr.P.Sivakumar was reported to have said in 2008 that the government’s AIM loans did not provide micro credit loans to all the 200 Indians it had recommended.

Out of the 200 applicants for this Tekun loans, only 13 were granted RM2,000.00 to RM3000.00 loans. What! to do Kacang Putih business? And only one Indian was granted RM10,000.00 (SH 30/4/10 at page S21).

The Indians do not want any special allocation of RM35 Million or so, as the UMNO led Malay-sian government’s racist game plan is that an estimated 95% or so of these allocations do not reach the targeted 70% of the Indians who are poor and in the lower income group anyway! This UMNO’s game plan is just the tip of the iceberg and it applies to all other areas of the national mainstream development of Malaysia which excludes the Indians.

The Indians want to be part of the RM200 Million Tekun loans which should be on a needs basis in accordance with Article 8 of the Federal Constitution which guarantees equality for all Malaysian citizens before the law but which the racist, religious extremist and supremacist UMNO does not follow. In fact UMNO violates this Article 8 with impunity.

And on top of this we want the UMNO One Malay-sia Prime Minister to publish, in a transparent, accountable manner and with good governance, in the Prime Minister’s website the full list of recipients, the amount of loans they had received and the criteria of selection.

Then and only then will there be One Malaysia as opposed to One Malay-sia.

P.Uthayakumar

Lim Guan Eng – Stop Colluding with the Developer and Stop the Continuing Bullying of the Remaining Kampung Buah Pala Ranch.

High Chaparral cows and goats were left strayed on the streets when a developer’s demolition team flattened one of the two livestock ranches in the former Kampung Buah Pala here on Wednesday morning. The remaining ranch could be demolished tomorrow Friday, its owner had been warned.

According the affected cowherd K Sivanandam, a group of Malay and Bangladesh gangsters ran riot and demolished his ranch about 11.30am using an excavator and sledgehammers.

He even named several trespassers as Johan, Izad, Noordin and Helmi in his police report lodged at Jelutong police station last night.

The four were allegedly were part of the developer’s demolition team that demolished homes and annihilated the Indian traditional village in September last year.
Sivanandam claimed that the gangsters stormed into his ranch and wrecked it without even producing any notice of evacuation from relevant authorities.

The frightened cows and goats fled all over the places fearing the rampage.
“When I asked who they are, they acted aggressively against me and said that they have power to demolish my ranch.“I was all alone and could not fight back,” Sivanandam told newsmen at the site today.
He estimated his losses at RM30,000.

The demolition team was accompanied several uniformed and plain clothed policemen. According to police sources, they were merely acting on the ‘directives’ of several higher ups in the Pakatan Rakyat state government .

However, at a separate press conference, Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng as expected was non-committal and claimed that he was unaware about the demolition.He said that the state government wouldn’t interfere in the issue and would leave it to the developer Nusmetro Venture (P) Sdn Bhd and cowherds to resolve the dispute. Ironically, Lim’s statement indirectly confirmed that the developer carried out the unauthorised demolition.

At another press conference, Penang Island Municipal Council president Patahiyah Ismail said the council had not issued any notice of evacuation to the ranches and its enforcement unit was not involved in the demolition.Northeast district land office officials also confirmed it and re-affirmed that the cow ranches were sitting on a state land, not the developer’s land.

Kampung Buah Pala was once known as Penang Tamil High Chaparral for its population of cowherds, cattle, goats and other livestock, unique Indian cultural features and festivities.The 200-year-old Indian traditional village was demolished last September by Nusmetro, while families were still in their homes, to pave the way for a posh condominium project called the Oasis.

Consumer Association of Penang officer NV Subarrow said the developer has no authority to demolish a cow ranch outside his land.

“The authorities must explain this injustice,” he told newsmen.He said the state authorities should resolve the problem by identifying a suitable alternate site for the cowherds to breed their livestock.“It’s their livelihood being affected and the state authorities must help them,” insisted Subarrow.
The other cowherd R Subramanian, who rears some 200 cows and goats, said he was warned by the same developer’s gangsters that his nearby ranch would be demolished tomorrow.Sivanandam and Subramanian are in dilemma now on where to relocate their cattle and livestock.

Producing notice of a meeting with the land district office last month, they said they had been in discussion with the land officers to find an alternate site to relocate and rear their livestock.

“We are not saying we wanted to stay put here.
“We want an alternate site and authorities should help us here,” said Sivanandam and Subramanian, whose family have had been breeding cattle and livestock in the village for more than 100 years.

Nadodi Mannan
01/05/10

Khalid Samad reveals 2nd witness in Aminul’s death

SHAH ALAM, April 30 — A second witness has come forward to claim that Aminulrasyid Amzah did not reverse his car the morning he was shot dead by police, Shah Alam MP Khalid Samad (pic) said today.

He urged the police must “face up the truth” and reveal all that happened when the 14-year-old schoolboy died.

“It’s nonsensical for police to maintain he was shot while trying to reverse into them.” the Shah Alam PAS divisional leader said.

He disclosed that a second witness has claimed Aminul did not reverse his car nor was there a parang as reported in the press.

According to the police report by Zafrullah Ahmad Zainal Abidin, there was a series of loud explosions before the car crashed.

The 27-year-old, who lived next to the house where the car crashed in a drain, was at the scene when police searched it, and did not see anything being removed from it.

Khalid said the statement by Zafrullah was consistent with the first witness who was with Aminul in the car and contrary to initial press reports.

Khalid accompanied Zafrullah to the police station last night and said the witness statement was recorded by an investigation officer till 2am.

Khalid appealed for more witnesses to come forward so the ‘jigsaw of what actually happened can be pieced together, especially since the deceased and his family’s good name is still in doubt.

He also called on Selangor Police Chief Datuk Khalid Abu Bakar to withdraw his statement that politicians were trying to politicised the case.

“Those remarks are uncalled for. This is my constituency and I cannot just look away.” Khalid said.

He pointed out the police should be grateful because it was he that also brought the first witness to the police station to lodge his report on Monday night.

“We were elected to look into the welfare of the people, not just road and drains.”

He also lashed out at the Inspector General of Police for still blaming the schoolboy for the incident.

“Yes he committed an offence by driving without license but question remains on why he was shot in the head after the tyres of the car he was in were shot out.”

He said Tan Sri Musa Hassan should not try to divert the issue.

He also described Musa’s outburst — to call off his men, if the public was not happy — as unprofessional.

“He is paid to serve the people and if they want at explanation he cannot thumb his nose at the public.”

He acknowledged there were good cops who carry out a thankless job but added standards and an examples must be set

“We know the danger they face but breaches of standard operating procedures cannot be condoned”.

He said there has been other similar cases including single mother Norizan Sallehn, who was shot five times by police but who survived.

He also cited the case of A.Kugan who died in police custody and political aid Teoh Beng Hock who died after being questioned by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission as other questionable fatalities

involving the authorities.

“The police needs to bite the bullet, face up the truth and let this be the last case,” he concluded.

The Malaysian Insider
01/05/10

Press Statement by Malaysian Trades Union Congress

After the May Day Rally, MTUC and trade unions will reach out to workers and their families to highlight the serious implications of the draconian amendments planned by the Human Resources Minister.

In conjunction with Labour Day on May 1st, 2010, Selangor Menter Besar Y.A.B. Tan Sri Dato’ Abd Khalid bin Ibrahim will officially rename Jalan Barat Petaling Jaya to Jalan Dr V David. MTUC is thankful to the Selangor State Government for consenting to MTUC’s request to name a road in recognition of the late Dr V. David’s contribution to the Labour Movement. Indeed the entire trade union movement is honoured by the Selangor State Government’s decision.

MTUC is deeply concerned that the Human Resources Ministry is planning to introduce drastic changes to the Labour Legislations specifically aimed to remove all safeguards against unfair dismissals. Executive and Managerial Staff will no longer have any job security.

Government has proposed to remove the supervisory authority of the labour Department on several important aspect such as night work for women and limit on daily working hours.

Responding to the HR Minister’s criticism against MTUC, Rajasekaran said, the HR Ministry’s attempt to impose unacceptable conditions on the workers and trade unions, MTUC is forced to reach out to the public directly. Hulu Selangor by election presented a good opportunity to launch our public campaign.
After the May Day Rally, MTUC and trade unions will reach out to workers and their families to highlight the serious implications of the draconian amendments planned by the Human Resources Minister.

By G. Rajasekaran,
Secretary General
01/05/10

Abdullah Says Cabinet Approved Boundary Pact With Brunei

Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said he signed a land and sea boundary agreement with Brunei in March 2009 in which two overlapping offshore exploration fields came under Brunei after it was approved by the Malaysian Cabinet a month earlier.

In a statement on Friday, the former prime minister confirmed that Block L and Block M concessions now belonged to Brunei but the agreement provided that Malaysia would be allowed to participate in joint development of oil and gas on a commercial basis in the two areas for a period of 40 years.

"The financial and operational modalities for giving effect to this arrangement will be further discussed by the two sides. This means that in so far as the oil and gas resources are concerned, the agreement is not a loss for Malaysia," said Abdullah who had visited Bandar Seri Begawan for a two-day working visit on March 15 and 16 last year before he stepped down as prime minister two weeks later on April 3.

Abdullah was responding to questions raised by his predecessor, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, who said Abdullah had surrendered the two blocks in negotiations with the Sultan of Brunei in exchange for Limbang which straddles the Sarawak-Brunei border.

Dr Mahathir said the loss of the two blocks cost Malaysia at least US$100 billion dollars (RM320 billion) from an estimated reserves of almost one billion barrels of oil.



Dr Mahathir also said Brunei had disclaimed that it had agreed to give up Limbang and Abdullah had made no mention of the two blocks when he announced that he had settled the Limbang claim.

Last week, United States-based Murphy Oil Corp said Malaysia's Petroliam Nasional Bhd (Petronas) had terminated the production sharing contracts for Blocks L and M as they "are no longer a part of Malaysia".

Abdullah, revealing details of the agreement for the first time, said he had signed the Exchange of Letters with the Sultan of Brunei on March 16 last year in specific steps to finally establish a permanent land and sea boundary between the two countries.

"In my capacity as the Prime Minister of Malaysia, I signed the Exchange of Letters with the Sultan of Brunei after the Malaysian Cabinet approved the deal on 11 February 2009," he said.

The two sides agreed to undertake a joint survey to demarcate the land boundary in two ways.

Firstly, the joint survey would confirm the ground boundary in five sectors which had already been established by previous agreements in 1920, 1931, 1933 (two separate agreements) and 1939.

Secondly, in the sectors where there were no agreements yet, the joint survey shall determine the land boundary on the basis of the watershed principle.

"When the entire land boundary demarcation exercise is completed, there will be established a final and permanent boundary between Sarawak on the Malaysian side and Brunei on the other side.

"When this is accomplished, there will no longer be any land boundary dispute between Brunei and Malaysia as a whole. This long standing issue, which had existed in the past as an irritant in the relations between Malaysia and Brunei, will be settled without any disadvantage for Malaysia," Abdullah said.

On the maritime area, he said the two countries agreed to establish a final and permanent sea boundary.

"This agreement serves to settle certain overlapping claims which existed in the past which included the area of the concession blocks known before as Block L and Block M.

"Sovereign rights to the resources in this area now belongs to Brunei.

However, for this area the agreement includes a commercial arrangement under which Malaysia will be allowed to participate, on a commercial basis, to jointly develop the oil and gas resources in this area for a period of 40 years," he said.

Details of this would be further discussed and thus, in so far as oil and gas resources, the agreement was not a loss for Malaysia, he added.

01/05/10

PKR lodges report against Musa

SEREMBAN: PKR supreme council member Badrul Hisham Shaharin today lodged a police report against Inspector-General of Police Musa Hassan and another police officer from Bukit Aman, Superintendent Maszely Minhad, at Seremban police station here today.

In his report, Badrul Hisham alleged that Maszely abused his power when he detained four persons, including him, for eight hours at the Kuala Kubu Baru police headquarters on April 23. The arrest disrupted his by-election campaign in Hulu Selangor.

" When I was arrested at Kuala Kubu Baru police headquarters, I saw at least five bundles of biodata of PKR candidates and other campaigning materials hidden in the Criminal Investigation Department.

" This is clearly an effort by police to sabotage our campaign", he said.

Meanwhile, Badrul Hisham, who is also known as Chegu Bard, took the police to task for their failure to act swiftly on a "parang" attacker on polling day (April 25).

" When my team and I reached the Sungai Buaya polling centre, we were attacked by a parang-wielding BN supporter.

" Luckily, we able to defend ourselves. But when we are on our way to the nearest police station, our convoy was stopped by Maszely,” Badrul Hisham said, adding that they were then escorted to the Serendah police station.

"There we were detained for 10 hours because we were considered a threat to public order. But the parang attacker was never arrested,” he said.

On another matter, Badrul Hisham said he felt ashamed that Musa said he would pull off his force from the streets following criticism over the fatal shooting of 15-year-old Aminulrasyid Amzah.

"He should accept constructive criticism and improve the police force. I feel ashamed over his unprofessional approach,” he said, adding that Home Minister Hishamuddin Hussein Onn should act against Musa.

Free Malaysia Today
01/05/10

Abdullah’s denial raises more questions

Former premier Abdullah Badawi has denied giving up the oil rights in Blocks L and M – but his response raises more questions.

In remarks published by the Malaysian Insider, he said Blocks L and Block M would be jointly developed by Malaysia and Brunei over 40 years. He added:

The financial and operational modalities for giving effect to this arrangement will be further discussed by the two sides. This means that in so far as the oil and gas resources are concerned, the agreement is not a loss for Malaysia…

This agreement serves to settle certain overlapping claims which existed in the past which included the area of the concession blocks known before as Block L and Block M. Sovereign rights to the resources in this area now belongs to Brunei.

However, for this area the agreement includes a commercial arrangement under which Malaysia will be allowed to participate, on a commercial basis, to jointly develop the oil and gas resources in this area for a period of 40 years…

In my capacity as the Prime Minister of Malaysia, I signed the Exchange of Letters with the Sultan of Brunei after the Malaysian Cabinet approved the deal on 11 February 2009…
More answers are needed:

•On what basis did the Cabinet and Abdullah decide to hand sovereign rights to the resources to Brunei?
•What were the precise terms of the agreement? What did Malaysia get in return? Limbang?
•Why wasn’t this deal made public? Was it raised in Parliament?
•What is the financial impact of this deal on Malaysia?
•Why were the contracts with Murphy Oil cancelled? How will Murphy Oil be compensated?

Anil Netto
01/05/10

Get out of BN: Umno division to MCA

KUANTAN: An Umno division has called on MCA to leave Barisan Nasional following its failure to deliver the Chinese votes in the recently-concluded Hulu Selangor by-election.

Paya Besar Umno division chief Ahmad Tajuddin Sulaiman told MCA to stop making “silly excuses.”

He said MCA should leave the ruling coalition for not mustering Chinese support for the BN candidate.

As a result, he claimed that BN managed to retake the seat by a slim majority.

Ahmad Tajuddin said MCA’s best option was to withdraw from the coalition, and not continue to be a burden on BN.

“Leave BN to prevent yourselves from becoming a burden to the other component parties. Don’t point fingers at others for your own failure.

“They (MCA leaders) should admit their mistakes and not blame others,” he said, in referrence to their recent comments blaming Perkasa for the loss of Chinese support.

'Covering up their own failures'

The Umno leader said MCA’s allegations are merely to cover up their own failure to secure the support of the Chinese.

“To me this is an irresponsible action. MCA has failed to convince the Chinese community to support the BN candidate (P Kamalanathan) from MIC.

“If Umno could convince the Malay candidates to support the MIC candidate, why couldn’t MCA? Don’t create silly excuses to cover your mistakes,” he said.

Ahmad Tajuddin said MCA must admit that the party no longer holds the trust of the Chinese community.

“It not only happened in Hulu Selangor but also in the 2008 general election,” he said.

In the Hulu Selangor parliamentary seat by-election, Kamalanathan beat PKR candidate Zaid Ibrahim by a 1,725 vote majority.

The Chinese community’s vote went to PKR.

Free Malaysia Today
01/05/10

O Hantar Perisik Sejak 2002?

BIASANYA Dr. Mahathir tidak diam atas apa saja isu semasa di negara ini. Jika dia tidak ditanya oleh wartawan atas sesuatu isu, dia sendiri akan menyatakan pendiriannya dalam laman webnya.

Tetapi saya tidak sedar ada komennya dalam pengambilan syarikat Yahudi APCO Worldwide sebagai juru rinding Malaysia untuk diterima baik Amerika seperti yang dibongkar oleh Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim di Parlimen awal April ini.

Perdana Menteri Najib memanglah diam saja atas apa jua dakwaan orang dalam hal-hal yang dituju kepadanya seperti isu APCO ini. Tetapi Dr. Mahathir pantang ada isu yang menyentuh negara, dia akan bangkit. Tetapi dalam isu APCO bertapak di Malaysia ini, dia membisu.

Mengapa?

Tentu dia ada peranan utama dalam menggalakkan agen Israil datang ke sini. APCO sudah mendapat kontrak menasihatkan Malaysia bagaimana hendak disukai oleh Amerika sebaik Najib berkuasa tahun 2008.

Hujung tahun 90an dan awal tahun 2000 Najib sedar tentang imej Dr. Mahathir dipandang buruk oleh Amerika berhubung penindasannya terhadap Anwar. Dunia termasuk Amerika merasakan apa yang dilakukan terhadap Anwar oleh Dr. Mahathir dan kerajaannya adalah menzaliminya.

Hatta Presiden Clinton tidak hadir dalam sidang kemuncak Apec di Kuala Lumpur sedang Presiden Amerika tidak pernah tiada dalam setiap puncak Apec. Bahkan Naib Presiden Algore yang menggantikan Presiden Clinton dalam sidang Apec itu telah melaungkan R E F O R M A S I di hujung ucapannya di sidang itu.

Macam-macam usaha Dr. Mahathir untuk menjustifikasikan tindakannya tidak dipedulikan baik oleh pentadbiran Clinton mahu pun pentadbiran Bush yang menggantikannya. Memang Mahathir bernafsu untuk menemui Bush apabila dia masuk ke Rumah Putih. Bush tidak melayan hasratnya.

Ada pandangan mengatakan Dr. Mahathir sanggup berbelanja besar bagi mendapatkan peluang menjengok Bush di Rumah Putih.

Maka dipercayai masa inilah jarum perisik Israil masuk menawarkan nasihatnya bagaimana Malaysia boleh mendapat layanan dari Amerika. PDRM ada program besar mengenai sistem mengkumputerkan perkhidmatannya. Ia diswastakan kepada Sapura tetapi Asiasoft berjaya menjadi subkontraknya tahun 2002. Syarikat kepentingan Israil itu dapat menyusup ke tengan nadi polis kita.

Mahathir masih Perdana Menteri. Pada masanya agen Israil masuk dalam nasi keselamatan negara. Dia mesti bertanggungjawab atas angkara itu.

Najib sedar tentang payahnya Mahathir untuk mendekati Amerika kerana pada penindasan terhadap Anwar tidak adil tentang hak asasi manusia. Dan Najib pula banyak masalah. Dia cuba dikaitkan dengan pembunuhan Altantuya dan membenarkan komisyen stengah bilion atas pembelian kapalselam Perancis dan pesawat pejuang Rusia. Hal-hal ini Amerika getik.

Bagaimana supaya Amerika tidak getik. Dia perlukan juru runding supaya dapat memenangi hati Amerika. APCO, kompeni kepentingan Israil berpengkalan di Amerika menawarkan khidmat rundingan bagi memenangi hati Amerika. Kontraknya 77 juta.

Isu APCO hanya terbongkar tiga minggu lalu. Ia tambahan kepada agen Yahudi Asiasoft di hujung pentadbiran Dr. Mahathir dan sepanjang pentadbiran Abdullah Badawi. Sedang Najib menyambung angkara peninggalan era Dr. Mahathir dulu.

Negara-negara di dunia tidak perlu berbelanja besar dan tidak memerlukan juru runding asing untuk mendekati Amerika. Amerika sendiri akan datang mencari semua negara dan kerajaan di dunia bagi menawarkan pengaruhnya.

Yang tidak berbaik dengan Amerika Cuba, Libya, Korea Utara, Venezula, Iraq di bawah Saddam dulu, Iran dan lain-lain bukanlah kerana Amerika tidak cuba mendapatkan hubungan baik dengannya tetapi negara-negara itu tidak suka kepada dasar kolonialisma Amerika.

Macam-macam pentadbiran Truman, pentadbiran Eisenhower dan Kennedy buat untuk memenangi hati Sukarno tetapi Sukarno tidak mahu menjadi pak turut kepada Amerika. Sukarno tidak mengupah sesiapa untuk mendekati Amerika tetapi Amerika pula yang menggunakan siapa saja untuk memikat Sukarno.

Sukarno sekadar berbaik dengan Soviet Union dan rajin ke Beijing menemui Mao Zedung, maka Amerika datang menawarkan bermacam-macam supaya Sukarno lebih rapat dengannya.

Tidaklah sukar Dr. Mahathir dn Najib untuk bertemu Presiden Amerika. Mahathir sukar berjumpa Bush. Bukankah Mahathir pernah menempelak Yahudi. Tiba-tiba Bush yang sukar ditemuinya dulu datang bercakap dengan Dr. Mahathir dalam sidang ketua-ketua kerajaan di Bangkok.

Tidak perlu Najib bayar 77 juta kepada APCO untuk jumpa Presiden Barrak Obama. Berbaik dengan Sudan, Hamas dan Iran, maka Obama pun berusaha mendekati Najib.

Bukan kerana lobi APCO Najib dijemput oleh Obama ke Washington. Presiden Arroya Macapagal tidak menggunakan APCO dan tidak berbelanja besar dijemput juga ke Washington oleh Obama. Amerika mahu supaya jangan berbaik dengan Iran dan Hamas. Najib dijemput ke Washington dalam sidang puncak mengenai neuklear ialah supaya Najib setuju mengepong Iran yang hendak dikenakan tindakan oleh Amerika.

Kita rasa Mahathir pintar dan Najib juga pintar. Mahathir kecam Yahudi di PBB dan Mahathir anjurkan tribunal Kuala Lumpur untuk menghukum kekejaman Israil di Palestin. Tetapi ternyata Yahudi lebih pintar. Ditawarkan khidmat rundingan Asiasof dan APCO kononnya membantu Malaysia supaya disukai Amerika.

Dia bukan sekadar dapat masuk ke tengah pentadbiran dan kuasa di Kuala Lumpur dan ia dibayar pula 77 juta pada hal yang memerlukan sokongan dunia supaya mengikut saja kemahuannya ialah Amerika sendiri. Tentunya APCO dapat habuan juga dari Amerika.

Tugas APCO sekarang bukan lagi melobi Amerika supaya menerima Malaysia dan Najib, kerana lobi untuk itu tidak diperlukan, tetapi ialah menasihatkan Najib bagaimana menghalang Anwar dan Pakatan Rakyat dari menumbangkan Najib. Sebahagian kecil dari 77 juta itu boleh digunakan bagi membeli penyokong Anwar.

Itulah sebabnya Mahathir dan UMNO diam tentang kehadiran APCO zionis itu.

Harakah
29/04/10

PROOF OF APARTHEID MALAYSIAN GOVERNMENT, WHAT FUCK IS 1MALAYSIA?


Which government will practice such a despicable rules and laws to its own citizens?
What the fuck are component parties of BN action against discriminatory laws.
Why aren’t we learning any lessons?
Why are we voting for the Apartheid Government?
Are we dumb and deaf or stupid idiot till we vote for an Apartheid government?

They are robbing our money in the name of Government agency. So we have a government agency which provides financial assistance only to UMNO putras and not to the citizen of Malaysian.

There you go, we have provided a tip of the ice berg that UMNO@BN government is a government that should not be allowed to rule Malaysia. We will be doomed forever.

There is no options for Malaysians, We should shoot all the dirty bastards in UMNO @BN.

BOYCOTT 2010 TAX, WHY SHOULD YOU PAY TAX TO APARTHEID GOVERNMENT ?

Hulu S’gor: HRP deemed the stumbling block for PR for speaking up for poor Indians. Indian mandore reporters and internet writers used to undermine HR

Hulu S’gor: HRP deemed the stumbling block for PR for speaking up for poor Indians. Indian mandore reporters and internet writers used to undermine HRP struggle.

In the aftermath and the dust settles after the Hulu Selangor by elections, we are getting SMSes, calls and feedback that HRP could and would have made a difference to PR winning the Hulu Selangor by elections. Yes, we could have easily swayed at least that 863 votes so that PKR would have won by one vote.

A thousand mile journey begins with a single step. When Anwar Ibrahim refuses to grant even the basic necessity of Tamil school land for all the 98 Tamil Schools land in Selangor, which in turn would have forced UMNO to grant them fully financial aid status how are we to support PKR and PR? We cannot be the blind supporters that PKR, DAP and PAS wants us to be, like how the MIC mandores have been for UMNO for 53 years, or how PR’s 11 Indian MPs and the 15 ADUN mandores are doing now.

And now PKR, DAP and PAS in the interest or political expediency expects HRP to support their party line and also abandon these critical Indian problems which HRP will not.

HRP means business. HRP will speak up without fear or favour, for especially the Indian poor, as there seem to be no takers for their pain, suffering and degeneration.

Who speaks for the poor Indians? UMNO? Or PKR, DAP or PAS?

None! So if HRP also abandons these critical Indian problems and opt to play to the majoritarian Chinese, Malay and Native gallery, at least 70% of the Indians within the next ten years would be reduced into destitution in Malaysia, which is already in the making today.

PKR, DAP and PAS in their zest to get to Putrajaya are almost wholly sidestepping the critical Indian problems, beginning from the three west coast states they are ruling.

We are not prepared for UMNO to be replaced by the PKR led clone of UMNO. We want to move parallel with PKR, DAP and PAS’ intended ascent to Putrajaya.

HRP will be the check and balance for PR vis a vis the critical Indian problems when they get to Putrajaya.

PR is trying to tell us not to pursue the critical Indian problems until they get to Putrajaya. And then PR will, ala UMNO, ask for another 50 years to put the Indians back on track.

Why can’t solving the basic necessity and critical Indian problems be more parellel with P.R’s ambitions to Putrajaya? This would go a long way in displaying sincerity to the critical Indian problems.

As it stands PR is only showing their zest in the Indian votes, but not resolving their issues.

PR is now getting alternative media writers to undermine HRP.

Several Indian writers, journalists, NGO activists, etc., perhaps suffering from minority complex syndrome or inferiority complex, almost wholly sidestep the real and critical Indian problems. They would rather play to the gallery and cari makan or not take the risk of being branded a racist. This aforesaid group collectively has probably written about 1% of the critical Indian problems we highlight here on a day to day basis.

In their supposed hidden multi-racial agenda to dilute the Indian critical problems they often write that there are also poor orang Asli, poor Malays and poor Iban and Kadazan. But they have never replied to our explanation that the poor Malays, orang Asli, Kadazan and Iban have their social safety net of their traditional villages and ancestral villages, plus the privileges as bumiputras. The sky is the limit for them to earn a living by engaging agricultural activities, animal and poultry farming. But this option is no way available to the Indian poor. Even Jeffrey Kitingan and other east Malaysian leaders concede that the native east Malaysians are better off than the Indian poor.

The truth is that the Indian issues have emerged so critical and in a condemned state of affairs, so much so that these Indian writers, mandores and their tuans and towkays in PKR, DAP and PAS have conveniently chosen to abandon them.

There is a Tamil proverb that if one cannot be of any help, one should not be stumbling block (in this HRP struggle). Just as how HRP was never a stumbling block for PR in the Hulu Selangor by elections.

HRP
28/04/10

HRP Seminar for Professionals and Businessmen on the 25th of April 2010 in Penang

A seminar was held on the 25th of April 2010 in Penang for a small group of Indian Professionals and Businessmen with the aim of raising the awareness on the Malaysian Indian Political Empowerment Strategy. There were a total of around 30 attendees. The session was a substantial session of sharing of thoughts .

Uthayakumar spoke of the origin of the Empowerment strategy, in his Police Watch Malaysia days, when he began to see at first hand just how the system did not pay any heed at all to the Indian minority in the country, especially to the poorer segments of the community.He spoke of how he developed the idea while he was in detained in kamunting. He spoke of the project 15/38 which is the intermediate term goal of the Ploitical Empowerment Strategy.

In his usual style of not mincing words he told the group that there was just no other way forward for the Indian minority community than by creating Indian majority constituencies in the 15 Parliamentary constituencies and 38 State Constituencies. Uthayakumar emphasized that what we had was Indian representatives in the current halls of power but what we did not have in those halls of power was representation. only project 15/38 could achieve it.

Ganesan then spoke about the specific operationalization of the Indian Political Empowerment Strategy in the Batu Kawan and Prai constituencies in Penang state . He started by clarifying that many of the critical problems of the Indians are unique which required unique solutions, something that the present political arrangement could not provide. only which Empowered Indian representation could deal with. He talked about what was needed to be done in these two constituencies and the need for expanding the core of HRP in Penang. He appealed to all those present to volunteer for the various tasks on hand to create the Indian majority constituencies.

A lively Q &A session then ensued. The key questions asked were on the organizational aspects of HRP and Hindraf. Several key points relating the leadership challenges of the struggle were clarified.

The Seminar ended with the autographing of the Malaysian indian Political Empowerment Strategy book by Uthayakumar for the participants.

HRP
28/04/10

The move of the Indian votes to UMNO is tactical and PR needs to understand that the Indian votes do not come for free . They must be earned.


“Indian voters suffered from myopia and amnesia, the big Hindraf march of late 2007 expressing the frustration of more than 50 years of Indian marginalisation all but forgotten. They went for the short-term gains.”

Myopia mean short sight. Meaning Indians have gone for short term gains. Have they really?

The Indians marched for changes to their lives in the Grand Hindraf Rally. Have they seen the changes?

From their standpoint PR is proving to be no different than BN in the last two years. Every Indian problem that existed two years ago at the time of the Rally is pretty much still there. Nothing has been forthcoming from the PR Governments in the 4 states to really address the underlying issues . Just unfulfilled promises, theatrics in the media, mollifying goodies and more of the mandore stuff ala UMNO.

Then we get silly excuses like it is only two years, we need more time.

Why does one need so much time to address a couple of the issues , for a lesser community. Has anything serious really been started that may take some time to yield tangible results or changes?

So, what does one infer from all of this? ……… only that PR has no political will to address the Indian issues, plain and simple. That is not much different than under BN, is it? Kee, tell me that the inference is unjustified.

The votes have not gone permanently to BN either. It has gone to BN as a protest against PR for their amnesia. Will stay there only as long as necessary. PR cannot take the Indian votes for granted. PR has to earn the Indian votes.

Now see that it is PR who has amnesia, but I do not see you complaining. Kee!

Indians have not gone for short term gains. Anyway how much of the multimillions were spent on projects benefitting the Indians.The move of the votes is tactical to let PR know there must be permanent changes, the changes the Indians marched for, in the Grand Hindraf Rally, if PR is to keep the votes. That is actually a long term move , more than what you can grasp, it appears, dear Kee, It is not because of myopia or amnesia as you so superficially put it, or so self servingly understand it.

Your tone in accusing the Indians that they suffer from myopia and amnesia is downright condescending. Please do not think you have monopoly over wisdom. This condescending attitude, generally seen with our Chinese compatriots is also a needed component of the change we seek of this racist system. Let us see some of that as we walk together for larger changes. What say you?

Naragan
28/04/10

Malaysian Kangaroo MACC clears Ong in RM10mil case

KUALA LUMPUR - Transport Minister Ong Tee Keat has been cleared of the allegation that he received RM10mil for MCA activities from Kuala Dimensi Sdn Bhd chief executive officer Tiong King Sing.

Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission deputy chief Mohd Shukri Abdull said investigation papers forwarded to the deputy public prosecutor (DPP) were returned to the MACC with instructions to close the case.

“They (DPP) said there was no case against him (Ong),’’ Mohd Shukri said, declining to elaborate.

Ong, meanwhile, said he received a letter from MACC on Apr 22 clearing him of the allegation.

Last week, he said he was still committed to his promise to bring to book all those responsible for the Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ) scandal.

"When I gave my word that I'm committed to it, that's it," he said, commenting on a news report which stated that all previous directors of the Port Klang Authority, under whose watch the nation lost more than RM12bil in the PKFZ scandal, had been let off the hook.

Ong vs Tiong on May 17

In another development, the High Court, on Tuesday, deferred to May 17 the hearing of an application by Ong for an injunction to restrain Tiong from further making defamatory statements against him.

Judicial Commissioner Dr Prasad Sandosham Abraham set the new date because Tiong's counsel needed time to reply to Ong's latest affidavit which was filed Tuesday morning.

The court was scheduled to hear the application Tuesday but was told by Ong's counsel, Ronnie Tan, that he had received an important document from his client pertaining to the case Monday afternoon and filed an affidavit Tuesday morning.

Ong, who was then MCA president, filed a RM500mil defamation suit against Tiong, the Bintulu MP and Barisan Nasional Backbenchers Club chairman, on Aug 24 last year.

He claimed that Tiong had defamed him in an article on the Malaysiakini website on Aug 12, 2009, in which Tiong said he had given Ong RM10mil for MCA activities.

Kuala Dimensi was the turnkey contractor for the Port Klang Free Zone project which is being probed for billing irregularities.

Malaysian Mirror
28/04/10

MCA: Enter Perkasa, exit Chinese votes

KUALA LUMPUR: MCA has blamed right-wing Malay pressure group Perkasa and its chief Ibrahim Ali for the loss of Chinese support for Barisan Nasional in the Hulu Selangor by-election.
MCA president Dr Chua Soi Lek lashed out at Ibrahim for calling on the government not to fulfill its promises of development to the Chinese community.

“I wish to condemn in the strongest terms the statement by the Perkasa chairman asking the government to stall the development allocations to the Chinese community.

“I wish to stress that government money belongs to the people. It should be used for the local community for local development,” he said.

Chua said Chinese voters of Hulu Selangor should not be punished for not voting BN.

The MCA president said he has raised this matter with Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak, and the latter vowed to deliver the promises made to the community.

“Najib assured that BN will fulfil its pledges of development. BN does not renege on its promises,” he added.

Continuing his attack, Chua said Malaysia will not be able to progess with people like Ibrahim who is not sensitive to the feelings of other communities.

Sunday's by-election saw BN's P Kamalanathan defeating PKR's Zaid Ibrahim by a 1,725-vote majority.

However, less than 30 percent of the Chinese voters backed the ruling coalition, leading Ibrahim to accuse them of being “ungrateful.”

BN must distance itself

MCA vice-president Gan Ping Sieu also took the Perkasa chief to task over his “ultra-rightist” statement.

Not only was the independent Pasir Mas MP's statement disturbing and damaging, Gan said, it was also seditious.

He added that one of the major reasons BN was losing Chinese confidence was the real or perceived alliance and close working relationship of certain BN leaders with ultra rightist organisations.

He also claimed that the widely-reported racially-bent statements stemming from a few fellow BN leaders had also taken its toll in the by-election.

Gan said that if BN sought to gain more backing from non-Malay voters, it should first practise self-distancing against any form of linkage with organisations such as Perkasa.

Otherwise, he warned, BN risked losing the support of non-Malay voters in the upcoming 13th general election.

"Politicians who make racist remarks from within their community will ultimately be forsaken by the people.

“I am certain that if Ibrahim were to stand as candidate in a non-Malay constituency, he would not even get more than 10 per cent of the votes," he added.

FMT
28/04/10
mi1: Porn actor should know that Perkasa is UMNO's sister party and was formed by Najib & Mahathir and asked FROG Ibrahim Ali to head the party

Be gracious in defeat, MIC tells PKR

KUALA LUMPUR: PKR should accept its defeat in the Hulu Selangor by-election instead of making baseless allegations, said MIC secretary-general S Murugesan today.

He said Barisan Nasional did not complain when it lost in several by-elections in the past.

“For example, we lost the Manik Urai by-election by a very narrow margin and yet accepted the result without complaining.

“Even in Hulu Selangor, when BN lost in the 2008 general election by a mere 198 votes, we accepted the people's verdict,” he said.

“Why is it that PKR can never accept the people's verdict gracefully?” he asked.

Murugesan said it has become a trend for PKR leaders to hurl all sorts of accusations when they fail to win an election.

Furthermore, he said by claiming that the people of Hulu Selangor had been “bought”, PKR was casting aspersions on the intelligence and integrity of the voters there.

“It also shows their disrespect for the choice of the people,” he added.

BN must keep striving

As for BN, Murugesan said the ruling coalition must keep striving to regain its former strength following the 2008 electoral setback.

“BN must continue working hard as we still have some distance to cover before we regain the pre-2008 level of confidence.

“I am confident that we will we will regain lost grounds in the next general election if this momentum continues,” he added.

The MIC secretary-general also expressed the party's gratitude to all BN component parties for ensuring a victory in Sunday's by-election.

MIC information chief P Kamalanathan had defeated PKR's Zaid Ibrahim by more than 1,700 votes to reclaim the seat for BN.

28/04/10

1M'sia bait fails to fish Chinese votes

KUALA LUMPUR: The Barisan Nasional may have reclaimed the Hulu Selangor seat in the recent parliamentary by-election but there is something the ruling coalition should worry about – the Chinese voters.

PAS secretary-general Mustapha Ali said today some 70% of the Chinese had voted for PKR's Zaid Ibrahim, giving a clear indication that they were not impressed by Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak's 1Malaysia concept.

"They think the 1Malaysia concept touted by the BN leaders is all a sham unlike Pakatan Rakyat's concept of justice," Mustapha told reporters at PAS headquarters here.

He also feels that the voters were "fed up" with the prolonged MCA leadership crisis and the "racial sentiment" played up by Umno.

"They were probably disappointed with (Deputy Prime Minister) Muhyiddin Yassin's statement too," he said, referring to his controversial statement "I am Malay first, Malaysian second" that had upset most of the minorities in the country.

In the by-election, most of the Chinese votes went to the opposition, especially in major towns like Kalumpang, Kuala Kubu Baru and Rasa.

Three major reasons why Pakatan lost

Mustapha said that BN had focused on three main areas to weaken PKR's defences – the Felda settlers, Orang Asli and the Indians in the estates.

The reason was that most of the voters in these areas "are dependent" on BN as opposed to those who were not politically bound to the government.

"In Felda, we can say that 60% of the votes went to BN and following the relocation of the Orang Asli voting streams in one place, the party machinery could now control them easily," he said.

Despite all this, PKR could still penetrate the urban and suburban Malay areas, especially in the Umno stronghold of Hulu Bernam.

"PKR received more votes than BN in this area but throughout Malaysia, Felda became Umno's bastion where they would get a 'fixed deposit' every time there is an election," he said.

For example, Mustapha said Malay support in Felda schemes in Sungai Buaya swung to BN when the government announced that it would finally build a tiered interchange in the area next year after a 15-year wait.

This meant that the developer, who acquired the land from the former settlers, would be able to repay the balance of their compensation which was long overdue.

Free Malaysia today
28/04/10

HRP: 'Put teen killer cops behind bars, not desks'


KUALA LUMPUR: The Human Rights Party wants the policemen involved in the shooting of a 15-year-old teenager to be accorded the same treatment as other suspects in a murder probe.

“They should be arrested and remanded pending investigation,” said HRP pro-tem secretary-general P Uthayakumar.

He was responding to Selangor police chief Khalid Abu Bakar's statement that the policemen had been reassigned to desk duties.

“They killed a young boy, these policemen should be in jail,” he told FMT, adding that such action would serve as a deterrent for other policemen."

Uthayakumar, who has consistenly accused the police of being trigger-happy, said: “It must be drilled into their heads that the police are not above the law.”

“If it was you or me, we would be in jail by now. Why the special privilege for them?” he asked, expressing regret that a young boy's life was needlessly lost.

Citing the Criminal Procedure Code, Uthayakumar, who is a lawyer, stressed that the law is clear on the discharging of firearms by policemen.

“Although this is probably a case of an overzealous policeman firing his weapon, stern action however would put a full stop to this,” he said.

PAS MP: Don't cover up

Earlier, PAS Shah Alam MP Khalid Samad also warned the police not to "cover up" the incident.

In view of this, he urged the police to ensure the safety of the witness. “There should not be any attempts to change his statement,” he told a press conference.

Khalid claimed that the police had a tendency to sweep such cases under the carpet.

According to the police report made by the witness, he and the victim identified as Aminul Rashid Amzah were returning from a restaurant in Section 7, Shah Alam, yesterday.

The witness claimed that they overtook a police vehicle, which later chased their car, and it was during the pursuit that the cops had allegedly opened fire, forcing them to come to a halt.

The report said that when the witness alighted from the car to surrender, he was kicked and punched by the policemen.

However, the witness managed to flee the scene and returned home.

Police's version different

Meanwhile, the police's version of the incident was different.

Khalid was reported as saying that his men had chased the Proton Iswara driven by the deceased after suspecting something was amiss.

He claimed that instead of slowing down, the teenager sped on, leading the police to shoot the tyres.

When the car skidded to a halt, Khalid said one of the suspects escaped, while the driver reversed the vehicle attempting to ram into the policemen, who were joined by others from a different patrol unit.

“Surprised by the suspect's action, a police officer fired in self-defence,” he said, claiming that the police discovered a machete in the car later.

Aminul died on the way to the Tengku Ampuan Rahimah Hospital in Klang.

Khalid also said the four police personnel have been transferred to desk jobs pending an investigation under Section 302 of the Penal Code for murder.

Meanwhile, the PAS MP said he was told that Aminul was a good student who was active in sports

28/04/10

They don’t want change, do they?

The outcome of the Hulu Selangor by-election has been a great personal disappointment. As a layman, not a member of any political party but one who wants change, it’s clear that many of the people who voted last Sunday do not want change. And that frightens me.

In returning the parliamentary seat to Barisan Nasional, most of the Malay and Indian voters in the constituency seem to prefer remaining safely within their cocoon of ignorance about the reality of what is happening outside their kawasan. Many of them are mere rural yokels, city slickers might say, and therefore excused from wanting to see the larger picture.

Many, perhaps, are incapable of seeing the subterfuge behind the BN's gargantuan effort to win their votes. They took the money, the bribes, the promises of development, and felt beholden to the giver: never mind that such bribery was a form of corruption; they became complicit.

Most Chinese voters rejected the old corrupt ways. More than 75 per cent of them voted for Pakatan Rakyat, advising one another to yong ngan thhai (open your eyes). Some rejected duit kotor handouts; others took the money and voted against the giver. They were aware of the larger world, of the legacy of lies and letdowns from more than 50 years of BN rule. Why weren't the Malay and Indian voters as clued in?

Malay voters were worried about losing their rights, no doubt, after being bombarded with BN propaganda gushing from Utusan Malaysia and TV3.
Indian voters suffered from myopia and amnesia, the big Hindraf march of late 2007 expressing the frustration of more than 50 years of Indian marginalisation all but forgotten. They went for the short-term gains.
A hollow victory
The BN's majority of 1,725 votes for its candidate, P. Kamalanathan, and his sponsors, Najib Abdul Razak and Umno, represent a hollow victory. Were they to objectively assess their returns from the money and machinery thrown into the effort, they would have to admit they could have scored better. And if they were honest about it, they would also acknowledge that the subterfuge made their victory less deserved, less meaningful.

Where did the money come from? Some, no doubt, from the Treasury, money from taxpayers.

Najib promised RM3 million to a Chinese school in Rasa if BN won: that school is not even in the list of Chinese schools slated to receive government aid. As a taxpayer, I don’t agree to such aid to a Chinese school in return for votes. More importantly, as a taxpayer, I don’t subscribe to money politics.

In such an instance, can a citizen sue the leader of the ruling party for making use of public funds for dubious purposes? Perhaps it’s something worth looking into.

Najib also allocated to an Indian temple the land on which it had illegally been built. Did he not condone an illegal action by making it legal through the gift of land? Worse, he displayed bad form in openly stating that he expected the community to reciprocate by voting for the BN. And this coming from no less than a prime minister.

It was just as disgraceful for Najib to say when he first went to the ground: “Even before winning, we are already giving out ang pows. If we win, the ang pows will be bigger.” What message is he sending out to the people of his 1Malaysia? What values for our young?

It was morally wrong. So wrong any level-headed person would have seen it. Said a reader in Malaysiakini: “How do you end corruption when the government practises it blatantly in this Hulu Selangor buy-election?”
Defeat of rakyat power
As in the 2008 general election, Hulu Selangor produced a black-and-white distinction between good guys and bad guys, just like Hollywood westerns of old -- something like The Magnificent 7 (or rather The Seven Samurai, which provided the inspiration for it). The sad exception was that, where in both movies the underdog won despite lack of resources and firepower, in Hulu Selangor the underdog lost.

The defeat was more poignant for rakyat power being defeated by government power.


Carnival time during the by-election (Photo: Fahmi Fadzil)

The volunteers who worked so hard behind Pakatan Rakyat’s candidate, Zaid Ibrahim, gave freely of themselves. They were committed, from being committed to the idea of change.

They checked the people sent on buses to voting centres to make sure they were not phantom voters. They went from door to door to impart to voters the message of change. They blogged. They wrote articles for online media. They tweeted to spread the latest developments. They spent their own time and money.

They were men and women who toiled for an ideal. They dignified an otherwise dirty by-election.

Dignity is a key word here. Pakatan Rakyat leader Anwar Ibrahim said at the coalition’s huge final rally in Kuala Kubu Baru on election eve, “It is a question of dignity for the people of Hulu Selangor. Let us not because of RM200 sell our dignity. Tomorrow is the day to regain our dignity ... no one can take it from us.”

The majority of voters paid no heed. And BN showed no dignity. Those who voted for the party, by endorsing a lack of dignity, collaborated in diminishing the value of dignity. Unless and until the Malaysian electorate can uphold dignity, we will continue to be ruled by the less than dignified, those who will stoop to anything to ensure victory for themselves, those who will do that which is wrong and refuse to admit it.
Same old dirty ways
Unless and until the Malaysian electorate holds high the need for dignity, we will not get change.

Najib called the by-election a referendum on his performance as PM. How reliable is that a measure if you throw ang pows around and tell people bluntly that, in return, they should vote for BN? A paid-for endorsement is not true endorsement. Didn’t he want a genuine appraisal? In any case, with BN getting 24,977 out of the total 48,935 votes – endorsement by just 51.1 per cent of voters – the jury’s still out.

What emerges clearly is that BN, or rather Umno, will not change its ways; it still plays by the old dirty tactics.

One of the declared aims of Najib’s New Economic Model is to weed out corruption. That should include money politics, which is certainly a form of corruption.

Those NEM reforms, in any case, face resistance from within his own party, which means he may, at best, be able to give only a promise of change or a semblance of it without delivering on the real thing. To keep himself in power, he might not want to rock the Umno boat too much. If he does and the warlords take over, that could be even worse for Malaysia.

Either way, it would be pointless to give the BN the mandate at the next general election if we want change and a chance to rejuvenate Malaysia.
Challenge for Pakatan
The problem, as seen at Hulu Selangor, is how to get the people who voted for BN to understand any concept of change if they can succumb so easily to money politics? If that’s the mentality and level of maturity of these voters – and there must be many times more of such throughout the country – how can we expect them to vote for change?

That is the big challenge for Pakatan to overcome. It must take the bull by the horns now and show itself as a viable alternative, not just rely on winning sympathy from voters by criticising the BN government and exposing its mistakes and shortcomings.

The media have already begun to spin the line that Pakatan is tearing the nation apart with “disruptive” politics. To counter this, Pakatan must proactively and aggressively take to the people its vision of a new Malaysia, and show how it can govern when the time comes and what its policies will be.

There is no time to waste. Pakatan should have started yesterday.

Najib keeps coming up with stuff like 1Malaysia, GTP, NEM. What does Pakatan have to offer? If they have their own policies and programmes already, why don’t they implement them straight away to help the people? Do they even have a shadow Cabinet? What is their shadow Budget? How can the state governments they run perform even better?

Having lost the battle for Hulu Selangor, Pakatan has to gear up for the war: the next general election. The support it obtained in Hulu Selangor is certainly not measly, and Pakatan should be heartened by it.

The road to Change is long and winding, but the work must begin now. When the general election comes around, I hope I won’t be disappointed, as I was in Hulu Selangor.
28/04/10

Suhakam's plan: No action if UMNO@BN govt stays in power

The Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam) turns 10 this year. For the past decade, it has fought for human rights in the country but has still wound up being called a “toothless tiger” for its inability to bring about a significant change.

Last week all 16 of its commissioners, some of whom had been serving Suhakam since its inception, stepped down to make way for a fresh team.

In an exclusive interview with FMT, Suhakam's former vice-chairman Simon Sipaun talks about Suhakam's role, challenges and future.

FMT: What does Suhakam have to show for itself after 10 years?
Simon: Suhakam has four roles. The first is to educate the public on human rights and we have done well as more Malaysians are now more aware of human rights issues and Suhakam.
Our second role is to advise the government on existing or proposed laws that violate human rights, like the Internal Security Act (ISA). We still have a long way more to go here. None of our annual reports have been debated in Parliament and the government has constantly turned a deaf ear to our recommendations. So while Suhakam has performed its duties, the results are yet to be seen.

The third role is advising the government on international human right treaties and instruments. When Suhakam first started, the government ratified two instruments. Ten years later, that figure hasn't changed. Again we have done our part but the government hasn't done its part.

The fourth role is to investigate complaints of human rights violations and to propose solutions. We have done this to the best of our abilities, but we are only a recommendatory body and have no decision-making powers. Although we've not done too badly in this area, our main challenge is the authorities not taking our recommendations seriously.

Is Suhakam's reputation as a “toothless tiger” a fair one?
The problem is that no one knew anything about Suhakam until it was created and very few understood our exact role. So when they heard that Suhakam deals with human rights violations, their expectations were very high and they were very disappointed to find out that we are only an advisory body.

So in a way, we are a toothless tiger. Then again, we were never meant to be a tiger with teeth. In my opinion, Suhakam cannot be a tiger based on the existing law. If Suhakam was really meant to be effective, then the government should have consulted the public, the civil society and human rights activists before creating it.

What is the current criteria of selection of commissioners?
The old law states that 'members of the commission shall be appointed from among prominent personalities including those from various religious and racial backgrounds'. Of course this is very subjective. What do you mean by prominent? People are well-known for both the good and bad that they have done.

Under the amended law, this clause has been improved to read 'the members of the commission will be appointed from among men and women of various religious, political and racial backgrounds who have knowledge of or practical experience in human rights matters'.
This amendment has made the selection process more specific and transparent. The government approaches various non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and asks them to submit nominations based on the above criteria. This name list is scrutinised by the committee which will then advise the prime minister on the final selection. As for how the committee members are selected, I myself am not too sure.

What are the biggest human rights issues in Malaysia?
Definitely the ISA and the Emergency Ordinance Act. The fact that the latter still exists indicates that Malaysia is still in a state of emergency. This is serious because the Act is invoked even when the conditions that gave rise to its creation no longer exist.

For instance, there was a recent incident in Perak where the police shot dead a couple. The families wanted to sue the police and the government for abuse of power, but the government invoked a section under the Emergency Law which states that if a police officer shoots to kill someone whom he believes is a threat to security, he cannot be prosecuted. Malaysia is no longer in a state of emergency but yet the Act is still being used.

This is why you have Simpang Renggam. People are being put away simply because they are assumed to be a threat to security, and then they are forgotten.

Racism is another threat to human rights today because it is becoming institutionalised. The treatment of the Orang Asli is akin to apartheid.

What needs to happen for Suhakam to carry out all its roles effectively?
The establishment of a National Human Rights Action Plan. It's a plan of action by the government that will expose it to human rights issues and put it on the same wavelength as us. The human rights bodies in other countries have already implemented this plan and their governments are more receptive towards their recommendations.

We proposed this plan to the government in 2002 but was told that the federal constitution is sufficient to protect and promote human rights. I disagree because more often than not, government enforcement agencies are the violators of human rights. The concept of human rights violation is foreign to them as they have never had their rights violated before.

Do you see this plan coming into place soon?
Not if the current government remains in power.

28/04/10

Stop blaming BN’s money politics, says DAP's Kula

GEORGE TOWN: As the dust settles on PKR’s defeat in the Hulu Selangor by-election on Sunday, a disappointed senior MP has called on Pakatan Rakyat to stop blaming Barisan Nasional’s money politics.

Accusing Pakatan of still being in denial, DAP vice-chairman M Kulasegaran said the party must return to the drawing board and do a no-holds-barred detailed review of the devastating loss.
“It’s more than vote-buying.

“There are other pressing issues that influenced the election result.
‘It’s a timely wake-up call,” said the two-term Ipoh Barat MP.

In the by-election, electoral debutant P Kamalanathan of BN obtained 24,997 votes to score a 1,725-margin victory against PKR heavyweight Zaid Ibrahim, who polled 23,272.
Kulasegaran pointedly noted that Pakatan Rakyat lost despite fielding its best candidate against an MIC novice.

Secondly, he said, Pakatan lost the seat in a state that the coalition rules.
He said he was surprised and disappointed with Zaid’s defeat because it’s so close to Kuala Lumpur.

“It’s frightening to learn we lost in a mixed constituency. Something is amiss here… to lose in our own den?

“All Pakatan leaders and elected representatives must reflect on where and what went wrong.
“We must take stock urgently,” Kulasegaran told FMT.
Why did Indians drift away?

He said Pakatan leadership must find out why Indian and Malay voters, who voted for the coalition in the last general election, had drifted away this time.

He said Pakatan’s post-mortem must probe on whether the Indian voters have ditched Pakatan for good or were merely warming up with BN to issue a stern warning to Pakatan.
“Many Indians felt that Pakatan had failed to live up to its expectations and aspirations.
“Although Pakatan state governments have limitations, nonetheless have they really delivered within their limits for Indians?

“Pakatan must acknowledge that it has to work harder and be more transparent to recapture the Indian and Malay votes, especially the working-class group,” he said.
On a positive note, however, Kulasegaran said all was not lost for Pakatan.

He said although the defeat was a bitter pill to swallow, nonetheless it could be a blessing in disguise for it to happen now than during the 13th general election.

“We can always re-organise, re-invent and re-strategise our political approach and policies to turn around the defeat into triumph."

Recalling PKR’s by-election defeat in Ijok in April, 2007, he said a year later, Pakatan scored an unprecedented electoral success in the general election.

“Who knows... Hulu Selangor could just turn out to be another Ijok,” said the diminutive MP.
28/04/10

Orang Asli converted against will

KUALA LUMPUR, 26 April 2010: Staff at the Orang Asli hospital in Gombak have systematically attempted to convert Orang Asli to Islam regardless of the "converts'" willingness to do so, several Orang Asli have revealed.

Mohd Zaki Abdullah, an Orang Asli Muslim convert who still goes by his Orang Asli name Angeh, told The Nut Graph how he was converted, against his will, to Islam when he was barely an adult.

Angeh claims two officers were involved in his forced conversion. One was Saidon Ishak, a Jabatan Hal Ehwal Orang Asli (JHEOA) officer based at the hospital, and Sharifudin Ishak, who works in the hospital pharmacy.

According to Angeh, both men visited him at his uncle's house where he was staying about eight years ago. He said he thought they were trying to help him apply for his identity card, which he had lost.

Angeh, now 26, said he was given something to recite, which he thought was part of his IC application. "I asked them, 'Apa benda ni?' They said, 'Syahadah ja, cakap ja.'"
Angeh said he did not know at the time that reciting the syahadah meant he was converting to Islam. He only found out after his uncle told him he was now a convert.

"I never asked to convert. I had no intention, none," Angeh said.
He said he was shocked when he found out and wondered how to tell his adoptive father. "Bapa aku sembahyang Cina. Saya pun sembahyang Cina," he said.

Jamuan makan
Angeh is not the only one with such a story. An Orang Asli staff at Gombak Hospital told The Nut Graph how he was invited for a "jamuan" at the Selangor menteri besar's residence, then occupied by Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Khir Toyo from the Barisan Nasional, several years ago.
At the jamuan, the staff, who did not want to be named for fear his job would be jeopardised, said he was converted.

"I received a hospital memo shortly after I joined the hospital which said I was chosen to go to the menteri besar's house for a banquet," said the staff member. "I asked (hospital director) Dr Saaiah Abdullah and Saidon, 'How come I'm invited and others not?' They told me it was a random selection by name."

The syahadah, or declaration of faith: "There is no god but Allah,
and Muhamamd is the messenger of Allah" (Source: Wiki commons)
He said he and a few other Orang Asli colleagues were brought after work to a JHEOA officer's house. "I was given baju melayu to wear," he said. "I asked them, 'Why do I have to wear baju melayu?' They told me, we must follow custom."

He said he was then brought to the menteri besar's Shah Alam residence where food was served. "At about 8pm, during prayer time, they brought us to the big surau in Shah Alam. There were lots of others there, some from Sabah and Sarawak. They told us to recite [the syahadah]."
The staff member said he was shocked. "I told them, 'I don't want to convert to Islam, my family doesn't know about this. If you had told me earlier, I would not have come.' Saidon told me, 'You've already come here; we'll teach your family to follow you. Just recite.'"

The staff member, who is now in his 30s, said he was in a difficult situation. He said due to the pressure of the situation, he recited the syahadah. But he had to do so four times because he found it difficult to say the words. He claimed he was then given some food and RM250.
He added, "I reached home about midnight after the event and told my family what had happened. My wife was furious. She told me, 'You said you were going for kenduri. How did you end up converting to Islam?'"

The staff member said, however, that as there was no record of his conversion with the religious authorities, he does not consider himself a Muslim and lives life as before.
"Niat kita, hati kita, tetap tak ada nak masuk [Islam]. Kalau nak masuk, keluarga mesti ada, boleh tanya — nak ikut ke tak nak, mesti dari hati kitalah. Kira ada niat, kita masuklah. Ini — niat pun tak ada. Saya diperguna macam itu," he said.

(Pic by Ijansempoi / Dreamstime)Financial incentive
The staff member said he believes Saidon and other hospital personnel received financial benefits for bringing in converts, even though he had no way of proving it.
Angeh, however, confirmed that financial incentives were involved in the conversion of Orang Asli. He claimed that Saidon and Sharifudin told him that if he was married, he would receive the RM1,000 allocated for a Muslim couple.

According to his story, Angeh, then 18, agreed to marry his 20-something-year-old bride, Wak Chin. He said they were brought to Tambun, Perak and married together with nine other couples.

His wife had to convert to Islam as well to get married. "Her Muslim name is Aminah," Angeh said.

However, Angeh claimed he and his wife did not receive any money after their wedding.
He further claimed that Saidon had also told him that as a Muslim, he would be able to get a job at the Gombak Hospital. However, this never materialised, and today Angeh works as a grass cutter.

Hospital involved
Another staff member, who is not Orang Asli, confirmed that hospital staff were frequently involved in conversion activities.

She recounted how Dr Saaiah repeatedly asked her to convert: "Every time I went to see her, Dr Saaiah would ask me, 'What do you think of Islam? Why don't you convert to Islam? Don't you think Islam is a good religion?'"

She added that the hospital was constantly used for Islamic talks.
The staff also spoke on condition of anonymity so that her position would not be jeopardised.
Centre for Orang Asli Concerns (COAC) volunteer Puah Sze Ning said she had attended a JHEOA-organised Islamic talk at the hospital in 2009, after being informed by hospital staff about such activities.

"It was held during office hours in the afternoon. The hospital set up a tent on their grounds," she told The Nut Graph in a phone interview. "There were about 60 people present, including hospital staff. A visiting imam expounded on part of the Quran."

At the JHEOA talk in 2009 (Pic by Puah Tze Ning)
Denials
Saidon and Sharifudin both denied any knowledge about any conversion cases. Dr Saaiah did not respond to any of The Nut Graph's calls or text messages.

"Tak ada, tak ada. Itu bukan urusan kita," said Saidon, when contacted by The Nut Graph by telephone at JHEOA and informed of the allegations against him. He declined further comment, saying this was something his superiors should answer.

"I only work to dispense medicine, I don't know anything about [any conversions]," Sharifudin told The Nut Graph. "People can say whatever they want, it doesn't mean anything. They can say I raped someone, they can even say I raped you, it's just talk."
The Nut Graph
28/04/10

PKR lost because of Hindraf

We have not obtained the complete details of the results but from what we have heard a majority of the Indian voters of Hulu Selangor had cast their votes for BN. The Human Rights Party and Hindraf had stayed completely neutral in this by-election and yesterday's result is entirely the people's decision. The people of Hulu Selangor have spoken.

Our political analyst Subramaniam Bharathy, at the outset of this by-election, had said that two clear conditions had to be met for PKR to win. They needed to field a credible Malay candidate and they needed to get endorsement from a strong Indian grassroots organisation like HRP for a clear win. PKR met one condition, but not the other. The results prove the veracity of that prediction.

Endorsement from HRP would have come had the leadership of PKR heeded HRP's request on the allocation of land to all the Tamil schools in Selangor that did not sit on their own land. PKR decided it was not worth the prize requested. That probably cost them this seat.

The 1,725 vote majority means a swing of 865 votes the other way and PKR's Zaid Ibrahim would have won instead. This would have been more than achieved had P Uthayskumar gone in with the troops for one day. But PKR probably thought the price of that was too high.

PKR now needs to keep in mind they are not going to get to Putrajaya without paying the due price. That much is clear from these by-elections. The ball has been in PKR's court for some time now.

We definitely want to see Umno go, but not to be replaced by a clone.

The writer is national advisor, Hindraf/Human Rights Party.

MK
28/04/10