Thousands gather at Kuala Terengganu 505 rally
12 hours ago
Friday, June 1, 2012
19 YEAR-OLD PAKISTANI BOY CHARGED WITH ASSAULTING PUNJABI GIRL
Sikhs block off a main road outside Luton Police station in protest against an attack on a Punjabi girl
The Sikh community strongly believes that this attack was racially motivated, and is one of the many and growing body of evidences of activity within the Muslim community, however, small or isolated, which preys upon vulnerable Sikh females in an organised way and actively encourages this. The attacker was identified as Anan Majid Basharat a local youth from the Luton neighborhood.
According to locals, the girl had been groomed and manipulated for sometime before the sexual attack. Both the victim and accused were students of Icknield High School, which is dominated with a Muslim majority. According to sources, the family had been to the police a numerous number of times in regards to the manipulation and grooming tactics being used by radical Islamists, however Bedfordshire Police force failed to take any action and failed to realize the historically linked hate crime.
In the mid 1990s the following poster was distributed by radical Islamists widely to the Muslim community throughout the UK and was the source of media controversy over how Sikh girls were being targeted and groomed for conversions, many of which were forceful and others through brainwashing by members of Hizb-ut-tahir (HUT), a major radical Islamic extremist organisation in the UK.
After meeting at Guru Nanak Gurdwara Luton on Tuesday evening, the Sikh community decided to protest outside the Police station after concerns that the local Police had failed to handle the incident properly. Some members of the community stated that “The Police are scared to upset a particular radical community. Even the media is scared of them. Every time their community commits systematic sexual grooming crimes the media and Police report the convicts as ‘Asians’. They are not just ‘Asians’ – but Pakistani radicals. When will the Police and media do justice?”
They further added, "We are do not consider Muslims as our enemies. It would go against our religion to do so. We respect all communities and religions. However, the Pakistani Muslim community needs to acknowledge and address they have a problem with their youth and that systematic grooming of young non-Muslims girls is happening throughout the UK."
The Sikh community blocked one side of Stuart Street. Although no one invited the English Defense League (EDL), some of their supporters joined the Sikhs in protest.
Representatives from the Sikh community were invited into the police station to discuss their concerns, but police, some with police dogs, eventually guarded the entrance to the station and herded protestors away from Buxton Road.
The group were eventually escorted back to the Gurdwara and eventually dispersed before midnight.
Hindraf to re-file US$4 trillion class action suit
Its chief P Waytha Moorthy also plans to return home from his self-imposed exile in London next month.
GEORGE TOWN: Hindraf Makkal Sakti is all set to re-file its US$4 trillion class action suit against the British government next month.
Hindraf supremo P Waytha Moorthy will file the suit in London in mid-June before returning to Malaysia from a self-imposed exile, with or without his Malaysian passport.
Unlike in 2007, the filing of the suit this time would be a low key affair.
Hindraf advisor N Ganesan said the movement had engaged a team of at least 10 Queen’s Counsel and solicitors to work on the suit.
He said the suit will seek compensation for Malaysian Indians whose ancestors were brought in by the colonial government as indentured labour.
He claimed that, after granting independence to Malaya, the British had left the Indians without representation and at the mercy of the Umno-BN government.
Waytha Moorthy originally filed the class action suit on Aug 31, 2007 in conjunction with the 50th anniversary of Malaya’s independence.
However, it was stalled when the government clamped down on Hindraf following the movement’s mammoth rally near KLCC on Nov 25, 2007.
Several lawyers, including P Uthayakumar and DAP’s Kota Alam Shah M Manoharan were detained on Dec 13 that year under the draconian Internal Security Act (ISA).
Waytha Moorthy however, was not detained as he had already left the country by then.
The Hindraf suit is expected to provide a ‘clear and unambiguous’ representation of Article 153 of the Federal Constitution.
Article 153 governs the special status of majority ethnic Malays and provides constitutional features to safeguard the interests, rights and benefits of minorities.
Ganesan said the suit would reveal the “correct information and real happenings” that took place during pre-independence talks on Article 153 and the Federal Constitution.
He said Malaysians would have a clearer picture on majority special privileges, minority rights and on the so-called majority-minority social contract in the country.
“It will reveal whether the constitution has been misused and abused,” he told FMT.
Lawyer deported
Hindraf’s team of British solicitors will be headed by internationally-renowned UK human rights lawyer Imran Khan.
Imran was deported by Malaysian authorities upon his arrival at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) on Aug 12 last year.
He was scheduled to meet his clients among the working class ethnic Indian community at Klang Hokkien Hall on Aug 14.
Subsequently Imran demanded an explanation, apology and compensation from the Malaysia government for his “humiliation.”
Hindraf would announce on June 16 on the exact date when Waytha Moorthy will return to Malaysia.
His international passport was cancelled by the Putrajaya administration just before he arrived in Britain on April 21, 2008, from Geneva.
His passport was seized and he was detained by British Immigration at Gatwick Airport for several hours.
But he was allowed to enter London temporarily for three days, after which he was allowed to apply for political asylum. He was granted asylum.
GEORGE TOWN: Hindraf Makkal Sakti is all set to re-file its US$4 trillion class action suit against the British government next month.Hindraf supremo P Waytha Moorthy will file the suit in London in mid-June before returning to Malaysia from a self-imposed exile, with or without his Malaysian passport.
Unlike in 2007, the filing of the suit this time would be a low key affair.
Hindraf advisor N Ganesan said the movement had engaged a team of at least 10 Queen’s Counsel and solicitors to work on the suit.
He said the suit will seek compensation for Malaysian Indians whose ancestors were brought in by the colonial government as indentured labour.
He claimed that, after granting independence to Malaya, the British had left the Indians without representation and at the mercy of the Umno-BN government.
Waytha Moorthy originally filed the class action suit on Aug 31, 2007 in conjunction with the 50th anniversary of Malaya’s independence.
However, it was stalled when the government clamped down on Hindraf following the movement’s mammoth rally near KLCC on Nov 25, 2007.
Several lawyers, including P Uthayakumar and DAP’s Kota Alam Shah M Manoharan were detained on Dec 13 that year under the draconian Internal Security Act (ISA).
Waytha Moorthy however, was not detained as he had already left the country by then.
The Hindraf suit is expected to provide a ‘clear and unambiguous’ representation of Article 153 of the Federal Constitution.
Article 153 governs the special status of majority ethnic Malays and provides constitutional features to safeguard the interests, rights and benefits of minorities.
Ganesan said the suit would reveal the “correct information and real happenings” that took place during pre-independence talks on Article 153 and the Federal Constitution.
He said Malaysians would have a clearer picture on majority special privileges, minority rights and on the so-called majority-minority social contract in the country.
“It will reveal whether the constitution has been misused and abused,” he told FMT.
Lawyer deported
Hindraf’s team of British solicitors will be headed by internationally-renowned UK human rights lawyer Imran Khan.
Imran was deported by Malaysian authorities upon his arrival at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) on Aug 12 last year.
He was scheduled to meet his clients among the working class ethnic Indian community at Klang Hokkien Hall on Aug 14.
Subsequently Imran demanded an explanation, apology and compensation from the Malaysia government for his “humiliation.”
Hindraf would announce on June 16 on the exact date when Waytha Moorthy will return to Malaysia.
His international passport was cancelled by the Putrajaya administration just before he arrived in Britain on April 21, 2008, from Geneva.
His passport was seized and he was detained by British Immigration at Gatwick Airport for several hours.
But he was allowed to enter London temporarily for three days, after which he was allowed to apply for political asylum. He was granted asylum.
Saravanan dwarfs other MIC leaders
The party vice-president showed his political shrewdness by taking on the oppositition face to face on a sensitive matter.
COMMENT
Politics is the art of seizing an opportunity on the prevailing issues to outclass others in the same profession. Not many are good at it. Among the mundane political figures of MIC, one leader recently proved that he has the political shrewdness and ability to overshadow his fellow leaders in MIC and, at the same time, taking on the opposition face to face on a sensitive issue – the Effingham Tamil school land.
That leader is M Saravanan, MIC vice-president, and Federal Territories and Urban Wellbeing Deputy Minister. Key MIC leaders, including party president G Palanivel, avoided direct debate with the opposition leaders on the Effingham Tamil school land issue, which had been widely published.
The land issue was highlighted and persistently pursued by Subang MP R Sivarasa (PKR), who alleged that three acres of land originally allocated to the Effingham Tamil school by the developers had been “hijacked” or “stolen” by MIC for its own purposes during the time of former president S Samy Vellu. Sivarasa produced documents to back his claim and called on the party to return the land on moral grounds.
In retaliation, Palanivel announced that the land legally and rightfully belongs to MIC and that the party will build educational facilities on the land benefiting the Indian community, including a student hostel, similar to the old PPN hostel established by the NUPW (National Union of Plantation Workers), which was demolished several years ago to pave the way for a condominium development.
However, the opposition team under Sivarasa doggedly pursued the issue, asking MIC to return the land. Other key MIC leaders refrained from commenting except Saravanan.
Saravanan steps in…
Saravanan took the bull by the horn. He challenged Sivarasa to a public debate on the issue, saying that since the Selangor state government is controlled by Sivarasa’s own PKR party, it can always take back the land if it had been illegally transferred to MIC.
Saravanan also challenged Sivarasa to sue MIC and reclaim the land if there are improprieties in the transfer of the disputed land.
Sivarasa avoided the public debate but preferred a public discussion to exchange views and documents. He also agreed that the land was legally transferred to MIC but should be returned on moral grounds as it rightfully belonged to the Tamil school.
While the issue received wide publicity in the Tamil press, a group of supporters went on a hunger strike in Brickfields asking MIC to return the land.
In an unprecedented manner, Saravanan went to the scene of the hunger strike and held direct talks with Sivarasa and other opposition leaders present. Finally, as a result of the frank discussions, Sivarasa’s team agreed to drop the word “stolen by MIC” when referring to the land issue and promised that they will persuade the Selangor state government to allocate another piece of land to MIC in the event the party hand over the disputed land to the Tamil school.
On his part, Saravanan promised to bring the matter to the attention of Palanivel and the party’s central working committee (CWC) on the need of the Effingham Tamil school for extra land.
Surprisingly, during all these incidents there were no comments from Palanivel on whether he has authorised Saravanan to carry on these discussions or whether he has consented to the proposals purportedly agreed to by both camps.
Other leaders also refrained from supporting Saravanan, which indicates that what Saravanan did was on his own without the blessings of the top leadership.
Effingham issue: Is it over?
The Effingham issue is far from over. The MIC’s current leadership is in a dilemma. If the MIC hands over the land back to the Tamil school, it will only prove that it did something morally wrong and the blame would then fall squarely on Samy Vellu, who engineered the land transfer with the help of former Selangor executive council member K Sivalingam. It will also be seen as a victory for the opposition against MIC and would be used as a campaign fodder in the forthcoming general election.
MIC’s proposal to build educational facilities on the disputed land is a good idea, but still it will face the wrath of the opposition which will continue to harp on the issue and which will again be highlighted during the national polls.
Whether Saravanan’s actions would be condoned or condemned by the party will only be known when the party holds its next CWC meeting.
A formula that is feasible and pleasing to both camps would be to hand over the land to the Tamil school on a long lease of, say, 50 years, with MIC still retaining ownership of the land. The land could be leased to the Tamil school for a nominal fee of RM1 per annum to be used only for the school facilities.
It must be pointed out here that the land where Sri Thandayuthabani School is located in Jalan Ipoh, Kuala Lumpur, belongs to the Nattukottai Chettiar’s trust, which also manages the adjoining temple, but it has given the land to the government on a long lease for a nominal fee of RM1 per annum.
A similar proposal for Effingham would solve the issue once and for all. MIC can consider it as it will benefit the Tamil school, an issue for which the party had been struggling all these years. MIC will also not lose its credibility since it would still be retaining ownership of the land.
There might not be a compromise or conclusion to the Effingham Tamil school land issue in the near future, but one man has seized a political opportunity and has shown that he has the political shrewdness to face the opposition to debate, discuss and solve the problem.
Saravanan may have other setbacks or controversial issues surrounding him, but in the Effingham Tamil school land issue, he has clearly outclassed the other MIC leaders with his performance.
RJ Rajah is an observer and writer on politics and social issues with a keen interest partiuclarly in Malaysian Indian affairs.
COMMENT
Politics is the art of seizing an opportunity on the prevailing issues to outclass others in the same profession. Not many are good at it. Among the mundane political figures of MIC, one leader recently proved that he has the political shrewdness and ability to overshadow his fellow leaders in MIC and, at the same time, taking on the opposition face to face on a sensitive issue – the Effingham Tamil school land.That leader is M Saravanan, MIC vice-president, and Federal Territories and Urban Wellbeing Deputy Minister. Key MIC leaders, including party president G Palanivel, avoided direct debate with the opposition leaders on the Effingham Tamil school land issue, which had been widely published.
The land issue was highlighted and persistently pursued by Subang MP R Sivarasa (PKR), who alleged that three acres of land originally allocated to the Effingham Tamil school by the developers had been “hijacked” or “stolen” by MIC for its own purposes during the time of former president S Samy Vellu. Sivarasa produced documents to back his claim and called on the party to return the land on moral grounds.
In retaliation, Palanivel announced that the land legally and rightfully belongs to MIC and that the party will build educational facilities on the land benefiting the Indian community, including a student hostel, similar to the old PPN hostel established by the NUPW (National Union of Plantation Workers), which was demolished several years ago to pave the way for a condominium development.
However, the opposition team under Sivarasa doggedly pursued the issue, asking MIC to return the land. Other key MIC leaders refrained from commenting except Saravanan.
Saravanan steps in…
Saravanan took the bull by the horn. He challenged Sivarasa to a public debate on the issue, saying that since the Selangor state government is controlled by Sivarasa’s own PKR party, it can always take back the land if it had been illegally transferred to MIC.
Saravanan also challenged Sivarasa to sue MIC and reclaim the land if there are improprieties in the transfer of the disputed land.
Sivarasa avoided the public debate but preferred a public discussion to exchange views and documents. He also agreed that the land was legally transferred to MIC but should be returned on moral grounds as it rightfully belonged to the Tamil school.
While the issue received wide publicity in the Tamil press, a group of supporters went on a hunger strike in Brickfields asking MIC to return the land.
In an unprecedented manner, Saravanan went to the scene of the hunger strike and held direct talks with Sivarasa and other opposition leaders present. Finally, as a result of the frank discussions, Sivarasa’s team agreed to drop the word “stolen by MIC” when referring to the land issue and promised that they will persuade the Selangor state government to allocate another piece of land to MIC in the event the party hand over the disputed land to the Tamil school.
On his part, Saravanan promised to bring the matter to the attention of Palanivel and the party’s central working committee (CWC) on the need of the Effingham Tamil school for extra land.
Surprisingly, during all these incidents there were no comments from Palanivel on whether he has authorised Saravanan to carry on these discussions or whether he has consented to the proposals purportedly agreed to by both camps.
Other leaders also refrained from supporting Saravanan, which indicates that what Saravanan did was on his own without the blessings of the top leadership.
Effingham issue: Is it over?
The Effingham issue is far from over. The MIC’s current leadership is in a dilemma. If the MIC hands over the land back to the Tamil school, it will only prove that it did something morally wrong and the blame would then fall squarely on Samy Vellu, who engineered the land transfer with the help of former Selangor executive council member K Sivalingam. It will also be seen as a victory for the opposition against MIC and would be used as a campaign fodder in the forthcoming general election.MIC’s proposal to build educational facilities on the disputed land is a good idea, but still it will face the wrath of the opposition which will continue to harp on the issue and which will again be highlighted during the national polls.
Whether Saravanan’s actions would be condoned or condemned by the party will only be known when the party holds its next CWC meeting.
A formula that is feasible and pleasing to both camps would be to hand over the land to the Tamil school on a long lease of, say, 50 years, with MIC still retaining ownership of the land. The land could be leased to the Tamil school for a nominal fee of RM1 per annum to be used only for the school facilities.
It must be pointed out here that the land where Sri Thandayuthabani School is located in Jalan Ipoh, Kuala Lumpur, belongs to the Nattukottai Chettiar’s trust, which also manages the adjoining temple, but it has given the land to the government on a long lease for a nominal fee of RM1 per annum.
A similar proposal for Effingham would solve the issue once and for all. MIC can consider it as it will benefit the Tamil school, an issue for which the party had been struggling all these years. MIC will also not lose its credibility since it would still be retaining ownership of the land.
There might not be a compromise or conclusion to the Effingham Tamil school land issue in the near future, but one man has seized a political opportunity and has shown that he has the political shrewdness to face the opposition to debate, discuss and solve the problem.
Saravanan may have other setbacks or controversial issues surrounding him, but in the Effingham Tamil school land issue, he has clearly outclassed the other MIC leaders with his performance.
RJ Rajah is an observer and writer on politics and social issues with a keen interest partiuclarly in Malaysian Indian affairs.
Occupy PM’s Office called off
Najib will meet the disgruntled residents of Bukit Jalil estate.
PUTRAJAYA: The Bukit Jalil estate residents committee today called off its Occupy PM’s Office campaign after receiving a letter promising that Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak would meet the residents over their grouses.
The letter was delivered by P Ravin, a special officer to the Prime Minister.
“An appointment will be given within a week and we will meet Najib next month,” said Parti Sosialis Malaysia secretary-general S Arutchelvan, a member of the committee.
The residents are seeking four acres of land as replacement for a portion that once was part of Bukit Jalil estate but now allocated for a Muslim cemetery.
The Occupy campaign began yesterday. The committee’s treasurer, K Balakrishnan, attributed its success to the tenacity of the residents.
“If not for their determination, we wouldn’t be successful,” he said.
Early this morning, the residents received a visit by MIC central working committee member S Vell Paari and several MIC Youth members, including their leader, T Mohan.
They also received PKR vice president and Lembah Pantai MP Nurul Izzah Anwar and Penang Deputy Chief Minister P Ramasamy.
PUTRAJAYA: The Bukit Jalil estate residents committee today called off its Occupy PM’s Office campaign after receiving a letter promising that Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak would meet the residents over their grouses.The letter was delivered by P Ravin, a special officer to the Prime Minister.
“An appointment will be given within a week and we will meet Najib next month,” said Parti Sosialis Malaysia secretary-general S Arutchelvan, a member of the committee.
The residents are seeking four acres of land as replacement for a portion that once was part of Bukit Jalil estate but now allocated for a Muslim cemetery.
The Occupy campaign began yesterday. The committee’s treasurer, K Balakrishnan, attributed its success to the tenacity of the residents.
“If not for their determination, we wouldn’t be successful,” he said.
Early this morning, the residents received a visit by MIC central working committee member S Vell Paari and several MIC Youth members, including their leader, T Mohan.
They also received PKR vice president and Lembah Pantai MP Nurul Izzah Anwar and Penang Deputy Chief Minister P Ramasamy.
Indraf brothers assaulted, BN blamed
DAP's P Ramasamy claims that the violent beating of V Ganabatirao and his brother Papa Raidu was 'BN-inspired'.
PETALING JAYA: The assault on two Indian Rights Action Force (Indraf) leaders last night was inspired by the Barisan Nasional government, alleged DAP deputy secretary-general P Ramasamy.
He claimed that Indraf leaders, V Ganabatirao and his brother Pappa Raidu, were assaulted as they were gaining support among the Indians masses.
“Some quarters felt that the success of the recent Indraf 2.0 gathering was a threat to their standing,” he added, without naming anyone.
Last night, Ganabatirao and Pappa Raidu were attacked by three men, after the duo attended a funeral in Taman Mutiara, Klang.
It was believed that the attack was linked to the Indraf 2.0 rally in Brickfields on Sunday, which was attended by nearly 3,000 people.
A police report had been lodged over the assault and the brothers were currently warded at the Seri Kota Medical Centre.
Apart from Ramasamy, DAP secretary-general Lim Kit Siang, vice-chairman M Kulsegaran and Selangor state chief Teresa Kok visited the duo today.
Ramasamy, who is also Penang deputy chief minister, urged Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak to condemn the attacks and called upon the police to carry out their duties without fear and favour.
“If no action is taken, the Indian community’s anger against the government will be further aroused,” he said.
Ramasamy said this was not the first time a Pakatan leader was assaulted, referring to the brawl that occurred between PKR and MIC Youth members at the Prime Minister’s Office early this month.
The brawl on May 3 left Puchong PKR division chief S Murali with a severe eye injury.
‘Beaten with steering lock and plastic chair’
Relating his ordeal, Ganabatirao said the assailants had used car steering wheel lock and a plastic chair to beat them.
The attacks, he added, had left him with nasal bone fracture and bruises all over.
“My brother suffered worse. He was assaulted so badly that he fainted at the scene. Pappa Raidu’s left arm is fractured and his shoulder is now dislocated. A surgery is scheduled for him later today,” he told FMT.
Whether he recognised any of his assailants, Ganabatirao said he recognised one of the men. “He used to persuade me to join BN in the past,” he alleged.
Northern Klang district police chief Supt Shukor Sulong, when contacted, said: “We’ll investigate the matter. Right now, we are looking for suspects.”
PETALING JAYA: The assault on two Indian Rights Action Force (Indraf) leaders last night was inspired by the Barisan Nasional government, alleged DAP deputy secretary-general P Ramasamy.He claimed that Indraf leaders, V Ganabatirao and his brother Pappa Raidu, were assaulted as they were gaining support among the Indians masses.
“Some quarters felt that the success of the recent Indraf 2.0 gathering was a threat to their standing,” he added, without naming anyone.
Last night, Ganabatirao and Pappa Raidu were attacked by three men, after the duo attended a funeral in Taman Mutiara, Klang.
It was believed that the attack was linked to the Indraf 2.0 rally in Brickfields on Sunday, which was attended by nearly 3,000 people.
A police report had been lodged over the assault and the brothers were currently warded at the Seri Kota Medical Centre.
Apart from Ramasamy, DAP secretary-general Lim Kit Siang, vice-chairman M Kulsegaran and Selangor state chief Teresa Kok visited the duo today.
Ramasamy, who is also Penang deputy chief minister, urged Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak to condemn the attacks and called upon the police to carry out their duties without fear and favour.
“If no action is taken, the Indian community’s anger against the government will be further aroused,” he said.
Ramasamy said this was not the first time a Pakatan leader was assaulted, referring to the brawl that occurred between PKR and MIC Youth members at the Prime Minister’s Office early this month.
The brawl on May 3 left Puchong PKR division chief S Murali with a severe eye injury.
‘Beaten with steering lock and plastic chair’
Relating his ordeal, Ganabatirao said the assailants had used car steering wheel lock and a plastic chair to beat them.
The attacks, he added, had left him with nasal bone fracture and bruises all over.
“My brother suffered worse. He was assaulted so badly that he fainted at the scene. Pappa Raidu’s left arm is fractured and his shoulder is now dislocated. A surgery is scheduled for him later today,” he told FMT.
Whether he recognised any of his assailants, Ganabatirao said he recognised one of the men. “He used to persuade me to join BN in the past,” he alleged.
Northern Klang district police chief Supt Shukor Sulong, when contacted, said: “We’ll investigate the matter. Right now, we are looking for suspects.”
Scorpene to surface in Parliament
Nurul Izzah Anwar wants to propose an emergency motion in Parliament to debate the alleged sale of a top secret document relating to the Scorpene submarine to the French.
PETALING JAYA: Lembah Pantai MP Nurul Izzah Anwar plans to raise the controversial topic of Scorpene submarines in Parliament following revelations that a highly-classified defence document was allegedly sold to a French defence company.
In a press statement today, Nurul said that she will be seeking an emergency motion during the June 11-28 session of Parliament.
The motion would be “to debate on the exposé of illegal commissions and sale of national defence secret documents in regard to the Scorpene submarines as revealed by Suaram in Bangkok on May 30, 2012 which threatens national security and sovereignty”.
Said Nurul: “The people have the right to demand Prime Minister [Najib Tun Razak] issue an immediate statement on this matter.
“… because if it is true, then it places the operations of the Scorpene submarines at risk as defence secrets may have been sold to foreign agents.”
Nurul said that if the government fails to respond to this allegation, Malaysians should be “prepared” to face the consequences that their nation’s security and sovereignty would be compromised.
Earlier today, FMT reported that a highly-confidential government document – an evaluation by the Malaysian navy of the Scorpene-class submarine and contract details – was allegedly sold to a French defence company for 36 million euros (RM142 million).
This claim was made by human rights NGO Suaram, which had initiated a now ongoing French judicial inquiry to look into corruption allegations surrounding the submarine deal.
Suaram said the secret document was sold by Terasasi (Hong Kong) Ltd to French defence giant DCNS, ostensibly for “commercial engineering” works.
This was among the major issues that the French judge probing the case lodged by Suaram against Paris-owned shipmaker DCNS for alleged corruption, is looking at.
High treason
According to a French lawyer acting for Suaram, Joseph Breham, the judge had inquired what those payments were and had demanded reports of financial transactions.
The lawyer had said it was even possible that Thales, a subsidiary of DCN, paid the money to obtain the classified document so that it could better its bid for the project.
The lawyer also said that the sale of the secret document could also amount to high treason.
Hong Kong-based Terasasi’s directors include Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak’s close ally Abdul Razak Baginda and the latter’s father Abdul Malim Baginda.
The secret document was allegedly sold to Thales International, also known as Thint Asia, which is a subsidiary of DCN (later known as DCNS).
DCNS is the company central in the legal suit filed by Suaram in 2009 in the French court, which recently commenced a judicial inquiry at the Tribunal De Grande Instance in Paris.
The inquiry revolves around the RM7.3 billion deal to purchase two Scorpene submarines with DCNS and Spainish Navantia in 2002, when Najib was defence minister. Suaram’s complaint was based on the claim of corruption for a payment amounting to 114 million euros from DCNS to Perimekar Sdn Bhd.
Perimekar is also directly linked to Abdul Razak who was acquitted of abetting in the murder of Mongolian national Altantuya Shaariibuu, while two of Najib’s former bodyguards were convicted of the murder.
PETALING JAYA: Lembah Pantai MP Nurul Izzah Anwar plans to raise the controversial topic of Scorpene submarines in Parliament following revelations that a highly-classified defence document was allegedly sold to a French defence company.In a press statement today, Nurul said that she will be seeking an emergency motion during the June 11-28 session of Parliament.
The motion would be “to debate on the exposé of illegal commissions and sale of national defence secret documents in regard to the Scorpene submarines as revealed by Suaram in Bangkok on May 30, 2012 which threatens national security and sovereignty”.
Said Nurul: “The people have the right to demand Prime Minister [Najib Tun Razak] issue an immediate statement on this matter.
“… because if it is true, then it places the operations of the Scorpene submarines at risk as defence secrets may have been sold to foreign agents.”
Nurul said that if the government fails to respond to this allegation, Malaysians should be “prepared” to face the consequences that their nation’s security and sovereignty would be compromised.
Earlier today, FMT reported that a highly-confidential government document – an evaluation by the Malaysian navy of the Scorpene-class submarine and contract details – was allegedly sold to a French defence company for 36 million euros (RM142 million).
This claim was made by human rights NGO Suaram, which had initiated a now ongoing French judicial inquiry to look into corruption allegations surrounding the submarine deal.
Suaram said the secret document was sold by Terasasi (Hong Kong) Ltd to French defence giant DCNS, ostensibly for “commercial engineering” works.
This was among the major issues that the French judge probing the case lodged by Suaram against Paris-owned shipmaker DCNS for alleged corruption, is looking at.
High treason
According to a French lawyer acting for Suaram, Joseph Breham, the judge had inquired what those payments were and had demanded reports of financial transactions.
The lawyer had said it was even possible that Thales, a subsidiary of DCN, paid the money to obtain the classified document so that it could better its bid for the project.
The lawyer also said that the sale of the secret document could also amount to high treason.
Hong Kong-based Terasasi’s directors include Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak’s close ally Abdul Razak Baginda and the latter’s father Abdul Malim Baginda.
The secret document was allegedly sold to Thales International, also known as Thint Asia, which is a subsidiary of DCN (later known as DCNS).
DCNS is the company central in the legal suit filed by Suaram in 2009 in the French court, which recently commenced a judicial inquiry at the Tribunal De Grande Instance in Paris.
The inquiry revolves around the RM7.3 billion deal to purchase two Scorpene submarines with DCNS and Spainish Navantia in 2002, when Najib was defence minister. Suaram’s complaint was based on the claim of corruption for a payment amounting to 114 million euros from DCNS to Perimekar Sdn Bhd.
Perimekar is also directly linked to Abdul Razak who was acquitted of abetting in the murder of Mongolian national Altantuya Shaariibuu, while two of Najib’s former bodyguards were convicted of the murder.
Why is the Sultan so stupid?
Let
this be a lesson to all the Rulers. Next time, do not bid for any
number, especially number ‘1’. Just make a phone call and you can get
that number for free. So many number ‘1’s have been registered to
Chinese business tycoons, Malay politicians, etc., and none of them bid
or paid for the number. They all got the number free of charge. And all
they had to do was to make a phone call.
NO HOLDS BARRED
Raja Petra Kamarudin
I remember back in the
early 1990s when Ibrahim Saad, who started his political career as
Anwar Ibrahim’s political secretary, was the Deputy Chief Minister of
Penang. I met up with him for dinner and he drove up in his official car
with the registration number ‘PAK 1’.
Considering
that Ibrahim Saad had the ‘normal’ Penang Mamak look, as many Umno
Penang people do as well, the ‘PAK 1’ number suited him well. Be warned,
though. Do not call someone a ‘Paki’ here in the UK. That would be like
calling an Indian a ‘Keling’ back in Malaysia. And in the UK you will
be sent to jail for racial slurs, something Ibrahim Ali of Perkasa
should learn about.
I know number ‘1’ is
difficult to get unless you have political or palace connections.
Normally, these numbers are reserved for senior politicians and/or
Ministers (if in the Federal Territory) and the Palace (if in states
with Rulers). Penang does not have a Ruler, though (it has a Governor),
so it is easier to get the number ‘1’ if you are close to the Chief
Minister/ Deputy Chief Minister.
I too wanted
a number ‘1’ so I asked Ibrahim Saad whether he could arrange it for
me. No problem, he replied. So I asked him to arrange ‘PUK 1’ for me.
Unfortunately,
that number is not due for some time so I would have to wait a few
years. But ‘PUK 1’ is mine, said Ibrahim Saad, when that number comes up
for registration. But then Pakatan Rakyat went and kicked Barisan
Nasional out of Penang. So I take it I will now have to lobby Lim Guan
Eng for that number.
Life was less
complicating when you could ‘pull strings’ to get number ‘1’. I remember
when ‘BBB 888’ came up for registration and every Chinese millionaire
in Malaysia scrambled for that number. Political connections, palace
connections, offers of tons of money, etc., were thrown into the ring by
those who wanted that number.
‘BBB 888’ is,
of course, a Selangor number. So trust me when I say that so many
people got in touch with the Selangor palace to try to get that number
through the back door.
Finally, the Road
Transport Department (RTD) tried to tender out that number. Money was no
problem for those who coveted that number. What’s RM88,888 for ‘BBB
888’? Even RM888,888 is a small price to pay for a number which has so
much ong. But because of the controversy surrounding that
number (so many people wanted it and so many strings were being pulled),
the RTD decided to just keep the number and not tender it out.
Actually,
‘WWW 1’ should not have been a controversy at all. All His Highness the
Sultan of Johor had to do was to call up Hishammuddin Hussein, who is
from Johor, who can then call up his cousin, the Prime Minister, and the
RTD could have been instructed to give that number to His Highness.
Unfortunately,
His Highness tried to do the correct thing (trying to be too honest or
what?). Instead of calling up Hishammuddin who can then have got Najib’s
office to issue an instruction to the RTD to give that number to the
Sultan, His Highness went and tendered for that number in an open bid.
And His Highness’s bid was the highest bid. Hence he got the number.
Let
this be a lesson to all the Rulers. Next time, do not bid for any
number, especially number ‘1’. Just make a phone call and you can get
that number for free. So many number ‘1’s have been registered to
Chinese business tycoons, Malay politicians, etc., and none of them bid
or paid for the number. They all got the number free of charge. And all
they had to do was to make a phone call.
Sometimes
Sultans can be so stupid. When they can get it for free they offer to
pay more than RM500,000. And because they paid more than RM500,000 it
has now become an issue. If they just make a phone call and save that
RM500,000 by getting the number free, like how Chinese business tycoons
and Malay politicians normally do, then the whole issue would not have
been blown out of proportions.
What His
Highness the Sultan of Johor failed to realise is that the issue is: he
paid more than RM500,000 for ‘WWW 1’. That is the crux of the matter,
the more than RM500,000 that he paid for a car registration number. If
he had got that number free without paying one sen, then no one would
have said anything.
The fact that the Sultan
used his own money and not the government’s money, the fact that the
Sultan and his son the Crown Prince do not earn any salary and whatever
salary they are paid is donated back to the rakyat through two foundations, is not the issue.
Nobody
said the Sultan used the people’s money to buy the number. Nobody said
the taxpayers are paying for the number. What the people are angry about
is why waste more than RM500,000 on a car registration number, even if
you used your own money and not the taxpayers’ money? It is a total
waste of money, as many have argued.
If His
Highness had quietly phoned Hishammuddin who in turn could have quietly
phoned Najib to quietly give ‘WWW 1’ to the Sultan, no one would have
known about it. And there would be no issue of the Sultan wasting more
than RM500,000 on a mere car registration number.
In
fact, His Highness the Sultan could have done what the late Sultan
Ibrahim did. Sultan Ibrahim donated a lot of his personal land to
charity and schools, some even prime land in the middle of Johor Baru.
Then people would have said what a great Sultan he is, a Sultan who
donated a lot to charity.
Hence, His
Highness the Sultan of Johor, like all Sultans before this and in all
the other states as well, could have got ‘WWW1’ free of charge instead
of paying more than RM500,000 for it. Then His Highness could have
donated RM1 million to various charities without linking it to ‘WWW 1’.
Then the people would have praised His Highness to the sky.
In
fact, I do not understand why the Sultan even needs to spend more than
RM500,000 of his own money to donate to the Malaysian government for
‘WWW 1’. The Sultan does not need a number plate on his car. He can
drive around with ‘DYMM Sultan Johor’ on his car, or ‘I am the Boss’, or
‘Fork with me and you die’, or whatever he wishes. His Highness can
also drive around with ‘WWW.Johor’ on his car. No one can stop him from
putting whatever he wants on his car and he would not need to pay one
sen. So why donate more than RM500,000 to the Malaysian government for’
WWW 1’?
I pun tak paham lah! Kadang-kadang Sultan ni tak betul juga. Boleh dapat free pergi bayar. Buat apa? Sekarang kan dah kecoh?
Shafee denies allegation
Azmin Ali issue: Former ACA boss says he in fact had recommended to Anwar that disciplinary action be taken against his aide
PUTRAJAYA: FORMER Anti-Corruption Agency (ACA) director-general Datuk Shafee Yahaya said he had recommended to Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim that disciplinary action be taken against his aide, Azmin Ali, following a 1995-97 probe into alleged corruption.
Anwar was then deputy prime minister and finance minister.
He said the disciplinary action was one of three options in any corruption probe.
Explaining the grounds for disciplinary action, Shafee said: “If that person is a civil servant, and for example, if there are no elements of corruption, but there’s a situation where that person has considerable debts and lives beyond his means, then there will be disciplinary action.”
He said the probe had revealed that Azmin was deep in debt.
Shafee maintained that the probe did not uncover “strong element of corruption” to warrant the first option — prosecution.
Shafee denied making a judgment call that there was no case against Azmin and ordering that the case be closed. This is the third option in a corruption probe.
“Where is the proof that I asked the IO (investigation officer) to stop his probe?,” he asked in an exclusive
interview with the New Straits Times.
Meanwhile, highly placed sources told the NST that Azmin had been investigated for, among others, assets allegedly amassed with his wife, Shamsidar Taharin, including houses and cars totalling almost RM1.5 million, shares valued at hundreds of thousands of ringgit, and almost RM10 million in cash and cheques that went in and out of both their accounts that had been certified by the banks concerned.
The assets were allegedly acquired when Azmin served as Anwar’s private secretary.
His pay then was RM2,442 a month.
Shafee did not disclose if his recommendation to Anwar for disciplinary action was acted upon.
He was commenting on Raja Petra Kamaruddin’s posting on his news portal, Malaysia Today, which quoted a former MACC officer as saying that ACA, which he (Shafee) then helmed, had buried Azmin’s corruption file when Azmin could have been prosecuted.
Shafee yesterday challenged the whistleblower to come forward to help in MACC’s investigations.
Justifying his call to merely recommend disciplinary action against Azmin, he said there was no strong element of corruption in the case.
On why the investigation paper (IP) was not referred to the Attorney-General’s Chambers, Shafee argued that it was the duty of his subordinate officer to inform the chambers, adding that it was impossible for the agency’s top bosses to monitor all cases and their details.
Meanwhile, investigators looking into the Azmin corruption case, in the light of fresh evidence, discovered that the Azmin file had vanished.
Following an exhaustive two-year investigation, the file was marked “No Further Action” by ACA.
The term used was Kemas Untuk Simpan (KUS).
Police, who had followed the developments closely, were reportedly unhappy with the outcome of ACA’s investigations.
They felt that it was premature for ACA to declare the case NFA without even submitting the IP to the A-G’s Chambers and had applied to the chambers to investigate the decision to close the case. Prior to an overhaul of ACA in 1997 and 1998, the director-general had wide-reaching powers, including deciding whether or not to prosecute.
It was learnt that police had applied to the A-G’s Chambers for the ACA case file in 1997.
The NST was told by highly-placed sources that police had confirmed that Azmin’s file had been returned to the the A-G’s Chambers a long time ago, but added that any attempt by MACC investigators to acquire the file would be pointless because it was no longer in the A-G’s possession and nobody knew where it was now.
MACC had revived the case in 2009 when Anuar Shaari, who was Anwar’s private secretary, came forward with new information eerily similar to the contents of the missing file concerning Azmin’s case.
“It is perplexing that the information in the 1995 case file as well as exhibits attached in the investigation papers have made it to the public domain.
“There may be a link between the disappearance of the papers and its recent emergence.
“So the question now is, who took the papers between 1997 and 1998, and what reason they have to take it away,” the sources said.
Adding credence to the authenticity of the leaked documents, classified under the Official Secrets Act, was the fact that a police report was lodged by MACC yesterday for a breach of the act.
Online news portal Malaysia Today on Tuesday published an article “MACC ‘Deep Throat’ Comes out of the Closet”.
The article detailed how ACA had gathered enough evidence to arrest and prosecute Azmin for corruption, but under orders, allegedly from Anwar, the case was buried.
The task for the MACC team handling this case is now a daunting one, said the sources.
For one, the break in the chain may adversely affect MACC in making its case in court.
The second factor is that the paper trail is extensive. The many bank mergers over the years would make checking and cross-checking bank records and verifying these documents an uphill task.
Anwar and Azmin did not immediately respond to the allegations.
However, Mohd Eekmal Ahmad, who is Anwar’s media co-ordinator, tweeted that Shafee had worked hard to relay the message to the director of investigation then, Datuk Nordin Ismail, to send the right file to the police.
Eekmal said on May 24, 1995 (at 5.30pm), Anwar, who was the finance minister then, was accused of interfering in MACC’s investigation on Azmin for allegedly acquiring excessive wealth.
He said it was only three years later, in 1998, that Anwar was charged with meddling in MACC’s investigation.
Azmin had, on Tuesday, described the allegation against him as mere slander.
He had tweeted: Persetankan mereka. Nabi Musa dan Nabi Yusuf juga difitnah. Saya manusia kerdil. Pohon kekuatan dari Allah SWT. (“Be damned to them. Even prophets Moses and Joseph have been vilified.
I am just a small person. Pray to Allah for strength.”)
Meanwhile, a non-governmental organisation has threatened to hold a demonstration in front of MACC’s office if it does not investigate the corruption allegation against Azmin in the next seven days.
Tolak Individu Bernama Anwar Ibrahim (Reject An Individual Named Anwar) leader Muhammad Zahid Md Arip had submitted a report to MACC yesterday.
“His (Azmin’s) wealth is not in correlation with his office and what he officially earned.
“His wife (Shamsidar) also allegedly has more than RM7 million in her bank account.”
Former Anti-Corruption Agency director-general Datuk Shafee Yahaya says he recommended disciplinary action be taken against Azmin Ali. -- Image from web
Anwar was then deputy prime minister and finance minister.
He said the disciplinary action was one of three options in any corruption probe.
Explaining the grounds for disciplinary action, Shafee said: “If that person is a civil servant, and for example, if there are no elements of corruption, but there’s a situation where that person has considerable debts and lives beyond his means, then there will be disciplinary action.”
He said the probe had revealed that Azmin was deep in debt.
Shafee maintained that the probe did not uncover “strong element of corruption” to warrant the first option — prosecution.
Shafee denied making a judgment call that there was no case against Azmin and ordering that the case be closed. This is the third option in a corruption probe.
“Where is the proof that I asked the IO (investigation officer) to stop his probe?,” he asked in an exclusive
interview with the New Straits Times.
Meanwhile, highly placed sources told the NST that Azmin had been investigated for, among others, assets allegedly amassed with his wife, Shamsidar Taharin, including houses and cars totalling almost RM1.5 million, shares valued at hundreds of thousands of ringgit, and almost RM10 million in cash and cheques that went in and out of both their accounts that had been certified by the banks concerned.
The assets were allegedly acquired when Azmin served as Anwar’s private secretary.
His pay then was RM2,442 a month.
Shafee did not disclose if his recommendation to Anwar for disciplinary action was acted upon.
He was commenting on Raja Petra Kamaruddin’s posting on his news portal, Malaysia Today, which quoted a former MACC officer as saying that ACA, which he (Shafee) then helmed, had buried Azmin’s corruption file when Azmin could have been prosecuted.
Shafee yesterday challenged the whistleblower to come forward to help in MACC’s investigations.
Justifying his call to merely recommend disciplinary action against Azmin, he said there was no strong element of corruption in the case.
On why the investigation paper (IP) was not referred to the Attorney-General’s Chambers, Shafee argued that it was the duty of his subordinate officer to inform the chambers, adding that it was impossible for the agency’s top bosses to monitor all cases and their details.
Meanwhile, investigators looking into the Azmin corruption case, in the light of fresh evidence, discovered that the Azmin file had vanished.
Following an exhaustive two-year investigation, the file was marked “No Further Action” by ACA.
The term used was Kemas Untuk Simpan (KUS).
Police, who had followed the developments closely, were reportedly unhappy with the outcome of ACA’s investigations.
They felt that it was premature for ACA to declare the case NFA without even submitting the IP to the A-G’s Chambers and had applied to the chambers to investigate the decision to close the case. Prior to an overhaul of ACA in 1997 and 1998, the director-general had wide-reaching powers, including deciding whether or not to prosecute.
It was learnt that police had applied to the A-G’s Chambers for the ACA case file in 1997.
The NST was told by highly-placed sources that police had confirmed that Azmin’s file had been returned to the the A-G’s Chambers a long time ago, but added that any attempt by MACC investigators to acquire the file would be pointless because it was no longer in the A-G’s possession and nobody knew where it was now.
MACC had revived the case in 2009 when Anuar Shaari, who was Anwar’s private secretary, came forward with new information eerily similar to the contents of the missing file concerning Azmin’s case.
“It is perplexing that the information in the 1995 case file as well as exhibits attached in the investigation papers have made it to the public domain.
“There may be a link between the disappearance of the papers and its recent emergence.
“So the question now is, who took the papers between 1997 and 1998, and what reason they have to take it away,” the sources said.
Adding credence to the authenticity of the leaked documents, classified under the Official Secrets Act, was the fact that a police report was lodged by MACC yesterday for a breach of the act.
Online news portal Malaysia Today on Tuesday published an article “MACC ‘Deep Throat’ Comes out of the Closet”.
The article detailed how ACA had gathered enough evidence to arrest and prosecute Azmin for corruption, but under orders, allegedly from Anwar, the case was buried.
The task for the MACC team handling this case is now a daunting one, said the sources.
For one, the break in the chain may adversely affect MACC in making its case in court.
The second factor is that the paper trail is extensive. The many bank mergers over the years would make checking and cross-checking bank records and verifying these documents an uphill task.
Anwar and Azmin did not immediately respond to the allegations.
However, Mohd Eekmal Ahmad, who is Anwar’s media co-ordinator, tweeted that Shafee had worked hard to relay the message to the director of investigation then, Datuk Nordin Ismail, to send the right file to the police.
Eekmal said on May 24, 1995 (at 5.30pm), Anwar, who was the finance minister then, was accused of interfering in MACC’s investigation on Azmin for allegedly acquiring excessive wealth.
He said it was only three years later, in 1998, that Anwar was charged with meddling in MACC’s investigation.
Azmin had, on Tuesday, described the allegation against him as mere slander.
He had tweeted: Persetankan mereka. Nabi Musa dan Nabi Yusuf juga difitnah. Saya manusia kerdil. Pohon kekuatan dari Allah SWT. (“Be damned to them. Even prophets Moses and Joseph have been vilified.
I am just a small person. Pray to Allah for strength.”)
Meanwhile, a non-governmental organisation has threatened to hold a demonstration in front of MACC’s office if it does not investigate the corruption allegation against Azmin in the next seven days.
Tolak Individu Bernama Anwar Ibrahim (Reject An Individual Named Anwar) leader Muhammad Zahid Md Arip had submitted a report to MACC yesterday.
“His (Azmin’s) wealth is not in correlation with his office and what he officially earned.
“His wife (Shamsidar) also allegedly has more than RM7 million in her bank account.”
A country going rotten
Othman Wahab - The Malaysian Insider
MAY 31 — Today is the day. If there was any doubt that Malaysia is ruled by the corrupt and assisted by the corrupt and that only regime change can save this country, today was the day where all the doubts were put to rest.
Today we saw the MACC give Shahrizat Jalil the all-clear, saying that she did not influence the RM250 million loan award to National Feedlot Corporation. But were her “expenses” paid by the NFC; did she benefit from the umrah packages bought by her family members aka directors of NFC.?
This probe was always going to be a whitewash because no Umno/BN bigshot is ever going to be convicted of anything, be it corruption or living beyond their means.
We knew that MACC was going to clear Shahrizat Jalil, and paint her as some aggrieved party. Poor thing. That they did it speedily while still investigating Taib Mahmud and Musa Aman should not surprise anyone.
The NFC case is a symbol of everything gone wrong with Umno and this country and the party elders believe that going to the polls with too many question marks over Shahrizat was untenable.
Still for the MACC to say that it cleared Shahrizat of any involvement in loan award is rich. It is like the police saying that they cleared the Nayati kidnappers of illegal parking along Mont Kiara.
But this was not all from the agency, in whose premises died Teoh Beng Hock and Sarbaini. They then said that they were re-opening a corruption investigation into Azmin Ali based on information given by the paragon of virtue, Ummi Hafilda!.
The same Ummi Hafilda who was discredited in Sodomy 1 and was part of the mayhem at the fracas at the PKR rally in Lembah Pantai.
I am pleased that the MACC Advisory Panel is re-opening an investigation into Azmin Ali’s alleged corrupt practices.
Good for them but what about all the other reported corruption allegations?
No, the MACC like the police has only two functions: protecting those in power and going after those identified as a thorn in the side of the establishment.
And yes, like Umno, they loves the likes of Ummi Hafilda, Ibrahim Ali, Zahrain, Zulkifli Nordin, Nallakaruppan, Gobalakrishnan. This is no laughing matter because our country is being run by these people.
Are we prepared for them to dictate our future?
MAY 31 — Today is the day. If there was any doubt that Malaysia is ruled by the corrupt and assisted by the corrupt and that only regime change can save this country, today was the day where all the doubts were put to rest.
Today we saw the MACC give Shahrizat Jalil the all-clear, saying that she did not influence the RM250 million loan award to National Feedlot Corporation. But were her “expenses” paid by the NFC; did she benefit from the umrah packages bought by her family members aka directors of NFC.?
This probe was always going to be a whitewash because no Umno/BN bigshot is ever going to be convicted of anything, be it corruption or living beyond their means.
We knew that MACC was going to clear Shahrizat Jalil, and paint her as some aggrieved party. Poor thing. That they did it speedily while still investigating Taib Mahmud and Musa Aman should not surprise anyone.
The NFC case is a symbol of everything gone wrong with Umno and this country and the party elders believe that going to the polls with too many question marks over Shahrizat was untenable.
Still for the MACC to say that it cleared Shahrizat of any involvement in loan award is rich. It is like the police saying that they cleared the Nayati kidnappers of illegal parking along Mont Kiara.
But this was not all from the agency, in whose premises died Teoh Beng Hock and Sarbaini. They then said that they were re-opening a corruption investigation into Azmin Ali based on information given by the paragon of virtue, Ummi Hafilda!.
The same Ummi Hafilda who was discredited in Sodomy 1 and was part of the mayhem at the fracas at the PKR rally in Lembah Pantai.
I am pleased that the MACC Advisory Panel is re-opening an investigation into Azmin Ali’s alleged corrupt practices.
Good for them but what about all the other reported corruption allegations?
No, the MACC like the police has only two functions: protecting those in power and going after those identified as a thorn in the side of the establishment.
And yes, like Umno, they loves the likes of Ummi Hafilda, Ibrahim Ali, Zahrain, Zulkifli Nordin, Nallakaruppan, Gobalakrishnan. This is no laughing matter because our country is being run by these people.
Are we prepared for them to dictate our future?
If human rights are not to turn completely useless...
Malaysiakini
by Roger Chan Weng Keng
by Roger Chan Weng Keng
The May 29
issue of the News Straits Times carried a full page report of a press
conference, where Tunku Abdul Aziz Tunku Ibrahim was reported to have
said: "When people talk about a Malaysian Spring, I get worried because
these people are totally irresponsible. In other words, they are saying,
‘let's burn down the buildings, let's kill people..."
This
rather presumptive statement is an amplification of his earlier
objection to the Bersih 3.0 rally on the grounds that it would encourage
people to break the law.
The
first point I like to make here is political allusions take place in
every civil society as a matter of inspiration without having to copy
others. The second is, borrowing a political idea need not mean
recreating a revolution of others.
The
British for example drew inspiration from the French Revolution to
develop the concept on the Rights of Man, when they were seeking reforms
for which there were no historical precedents.
Conceding
his right to free speech, I still say that Tunku's position constitutes
incompleteness in terms of a fundamental misunderstanding of the law
and the higher demands of applicable human rights.
Flaw in disobeying laws arguments
The
legal positivist approach to any transgression of laws in our country
strikes one as being incomplete in terms of missing out on the
supranational laws founded upon the Universal Declaration of Human
Rights adopted by the United Nation General Assembly on Dec 10 ,1948,
and the various international covenants and human rights instruments.
This is not to say that a positivist approach to law enforcement is questionable under any circumstances.
Shorn
of an in-depth analysis, it shouldn't be because any civilised person
would be sensible enough to argue that whoever breaks the law would have
to face the consequences, as there are institutions in the country to
embrace and discharge their respective role of enforcement, such as the
police force or the courts for that matter.
However,
this seemingly palatable argument to uphold the law and appeal to legal
rights could misrepresent the true character of human rights, and has
dangerous implications depending on how a particular context is played
out.
From
ordinary malfeasance cases like house-breaking, affray, shop-lifting to
more heinous crimes like rape or robbery, the police have a proven
capacity to deal with it whether the impinged act was perpetrated by an
individual or a group.
However,
when the context played out is about human rights, then a mammoth rally
to take upon a cause of an issue such as clean and fair elections,
means that the participants are appealing to their human rights since
historically the whole rationale of human rights is to criticise legal
authorities such as an election commission or a government or laws that
violate human rights.
We
appeal to these rights precisely because the government of the day fail
to take cogent steps to address them, as they should as trust of the
people.
So
when the collective consciousness of human rights assumed its rightful
place in the convergence of hundreds of thousands of minds and bodies in
Kuala Lumpur on April 28, the police role was expected to be one of
cooperation and assistance, such as dealing and facilitating peaceful
assemblies instead of frustrating them.
That
sense of cooperation included being able to handle legal transgressions
professionally like the breaching of a barricade, the overturning of a
police vehicle or taunting of police personnel because these were
group-centric activities and not that of rally participants.
I
must say that this sort of transgression-responsibility role of the
police has a direct bearing on any temptation by detractors of human
rights in readily interpreting and magnifying the smallest incident of
violence in a rally.
It
also has a bearing on wiseacres professing that violence is a
bound-to-happen thing like a sort of collateral damage of a Rumsfeldian
character in times of war.
In
this context the prime minister's speech in London recently seems to
conclude too fast that street demonstrations will inevitably lead to
trouble.
We need to understand fundamentally that human rights came about as results of the horrors of the Second World War.
It
is because peaceful assemblies have been euphemised as street
demonstrations that it is possible to usher in the spectre of trouble.
Otherwise trouble has no logic.
Implications in state of human rights
The
general ‘don't-break-the-law' argument as a protective shield used to
actually deny instead of advancing the rights of others, is the one I
wish to advocate.
On
this model, it comes in diverse forms or manner but essentially
maintaining their identical effect in ways that restricts the space for
the implementation of human rights in Malaysia.
It
is tempting and possible to introduce a kind of presumptive theory of
human-rights deniers (HRD) to explain failure to consider human rights
perspectives or understanding, such as the failure to see the contrast
that on prima facie evidence alone alleged police brutality were orders
of magnitude higher than the alleged transgressions that took place (for
which police were in a position to handle) during the height of the
Bersih 3.0 rally.
With that, I shall push on.
Tunku
Aziz sort of expounded his ‘don't-break-the law' conjecture (DBTL
conjecture) in a human rights context of the Bersih 3.0 rally. ( I call
it a conjecture partly because it is still not evidentially proven to
elevate it to the status of a theory as yet despite claim to the
contrary and partly because I argued earlier that collateral or isolated
incidents of individual or group-centric transgressions are matters
that the police are well-equipped to handle).
This conjecture spread like a cold virus coming later in different versions and varieties carried by others.
For
one it is intriguing to see accolades coming from the Barisan side of
the political divide as though to claim Tunku Aziz as one of their own,
and a figure to emulate.
In
almost similar vein Wong Chun Wai in his article 'Speak up against
disgraceful behaviour' (The Star, May 27) did emulate, but his argument
for good behaviour like the DBTL conjecture, missed two important points
namely a complete abandonment of the human rights perspective as a
minimal standards of human dignity and the ability of those entrusted
with the bounden duty to enforce law and order without trampling on
fundamental human rights of others.
By
the time his ‘good behaviour' argument could settle down, note that
another strain of the DBTL conjecture has already mutated and evolved
like some kind of a genetic drift.
Ex-prime
minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad was reported to have said Bersih 3.0 is
Pakatan Rakyat's warm up for ‘violent demonstration' should it fail to
win the next general election (Malaysiakini, May 25).
Ex-IGP
Tan Sri Rahim Noor alleged in the Malaysian Insider on May 20 that
Bersih 3.0 used "Marxist" tactics echoing similar sentiments of his
predecessor Hanif Omar.
Then another ex-IGP whipped up a yet similar conjecture that Bersih 3.0 is a coup d'état attempt to overthrow the government.
DBTL virus, mutates, spreads
Yet
another strain of DBTL conjecture found its way to the Malaysian Bar
that, on May 11, 2012 passed a resolution condemning police brutality by
an overwhelming majority.
This
was when another minister, Nazri Aziz had agreed to look into forming a
second Malaysian Bar on the ground that the Bar Council is behaving
like an opposition party, (The Malaysian Insider, May16) though his
proposed move was later restated differently by the deputy prime
minister but not in complete reversal.
The
ubiquity of DBTL conjecture virus passed on another strain to burger
selling and ‘butt exercising' in front of somebody's house.
Apparently
in this regard people have noticeably stopped short of arguing from
religious principles or on grounds of moral philosophy, as the whole
nation seems to be embroiled in a debate about the right or wrong of
such actions.
And this is in spite of the fact that we have established institutions to deal with all the issues raised in connection with it.
The
list of the aforesaid implications can go on and on if we train our
powers of observation on the day-to-day news of the Bersih 3.0. rally.
There
are important values in human rights which cannot be ignored. How well
we live in a society such as freedom from want or fear will determine
the level our well-being.
That level of well-being is derived from an expectation of minimum standards of good government.
In
this it is an inalienable right for every citizen of Malaysia to have a
government which must listen to the very problematic issues concerning
electoral reforms, and take immediate steps to fulfil their common
aspirations for a fair and clean electoral system.
In a larger human right sense that is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace for this country.
Telling
others to behave by not breaking the law is a good, moral thing to do
but not by carefully and systematically nurturing a sense of fear and
not raising awareness on our human rights.
It is likened to a political trickster who is not candid to the people, hence a betrayal of people's trust.
Telling
people about communism infiltrating into our system is not going to
help either because sooner or later people are going to find out, just
like the American electorate eventually found out about George Bush's
lack of candidness over his illusory war on terror.
Taking
a defensive posture by proposing an alternative Bar is bad. It reflects
on the failure to understand institutions and the principles and
mechanisms upon which they operate.
Regardless
of whether a particular institution is the Bar, imagine the
impoverished view that each time an institution is perceived to be
functioning in biased fashion, we change it.
I
can't imagine what will be the exact ramifications if we do such thing
but one thing I can be quite sure: that could be a first step in the
wrong direction in dismantling long cherished but valued human rights
institutions.
ROGER
CHAN WENG KENG is the deputy chairperson of the Bar Council Human
Rights Committee. He is also the co-chairperson of the Bar Council
Environmental and Climate Change Committee. The views in this article
are the author's personal views and not necessarily that of the
organisations he represents.
Islamic Chinese Artifacts On Display At Kelantan Museum
KOTA BAHARU, May 31 (Bernama) -- A gold and silver-plated Al-Quran,
dating back to the Ming Dynasty, are among 100 Chinese artifacts
exhibited at the Kelantan Museum, in conjunction with the 'Visit
Kelantan Year' this year.
Museum director Abdul Rahmah Abdullah said an exhibition, 'Gold and Silver Al-Quran, Islamic Treasures from China Exhibition' was being held until Aug 31.
He said it also displayed various traditional Islamic arts and artifacts, ranging from between 300 and 600 years old.
"This is the biggest exhibition involving international artifacts brought specially from a country with a large Muslim population.
"We aim to encourage the younger generation to appreciate the history of Islamic civilisation and its artifacts," he told Bernama here today.
Entrance fee is RM5 for adults, RM3 for teenagers and RM2 for schoolchildren.
Special rates and packages are available for school groups.
Museum director Abdul Rahmah Abdullah said an exhibition, 'Gold and Silver Al-Quran, Islamic Treasures from China Exhibition' was being held until Aug 31.
He said it also displayed various traditional Islamic arts and artifacts, ranging from between 300 and 600 years old.
"This is the biggest exhibition involving international artifacts brought specially from a country with a large Muslim population.
"We aim to encourage the younger generation to appreciate the history of Islamic civilisation and its artifacts," he told Bernama here today.
Entrance fee is RM5 for adults, RM3 for teenagers and RM2 for schoolchildren.
Special rates and packages are available for school groups.
Zunar to open ‘Cartoonists’ Operations Room’ for elections
Responding to the Election Commission’s prohibition on
posters bearing caricatures of personalities in the run-up to the
general election, Zunar has announced that he will be leading a team of
cartoonists during the campaigning.
Zunar’s statement below:
Zunar’s statement below:
Cartoons are one of the mediums used by political parties to convey messages in the elections. It is a legally-practiced medium in Malaysia and therefore EC does not have the right to forbid its use. To ban the use of cartoons during the election campaigns is not only lawfully wrong, but also comical and ludicrous.
What should be more important for EC to address is not the medium, but the contents or messages that are used by the political parties and their supporters. Irresponsible messages especially those in the form of personal attacks in whatever medium there is should be acted upon.
EC should use the energy and effort to meet the eight demands of Bersih instead, rather than talking about cartoons and caricatures.
I hereby would like to announce that I will be leading a group of cartoonists, the Kumpulan Kartunis Independen (KKI) and will be actively involved before and during the next election campaign.
We will be opening our own Cartoonist Operations Room and will be moving as a group in a van while campaigning for the coming election.
Our focus is to expose fraud and corruption by the current government – such as Scorpene Scandal, NFC, the domeneering of the PM’s wife, etc. The message-laden cartoons will be distributed in various forms: brochures, posters, banners, videos, to name a few.
Zunar
31th May 2012
******************************************************
(BAHASA MALAYSIA)
Kenyataan akhbar oleh Zunar
Saya merujuk kepada kenyataan Timbalan Pengerusi SPR (Suruhanjaya Pilihanraya), Wan Ahmad Wan Omar seperti dilaporkan media yang menyatakan bahawa badan itu melarang penggunaan kartun dalam kempen Pilihanraya Umum (PRU) ke 13.
KENYATAAN:
Kartun adalah salah satu medium bagi parti-parti politik untuk menyampaikan mesej dalam Pilihanraya. Dan ia adalah medium yang halal dipraktiskan secara undang-undang di Malaysia dan kerana itu SPR tak berhak melarangnya. Mengharamkan penggunaan kartun ketika kempen pilihanraya adalah satu peraturan yang bukan saja salah di sisi undang-undang, tetapi paling melucukan.
Ini kerana yang patut diberi perhatian oleh SPR bukan medium, tetapi kandungan atau mesej yang digunakan oleh parti-parti politik dan pentokong yang berkempen. Mesej yang tidak bertanggungjawab serta bersifat serangan peribadi dalam apa jua bentuk medium perlu diambil tindakan.
SPR seharusnya gunakan tenaga dan usaha untuk memenuhi lapan tuntutan Bersih daripada berbicara soal kartun dan karikatur.
Saya ingin mengumumkan saya akan mengetuai satu kumpulan kartunis, iaitu Kumpulan Kartunis Independen (KKI) dan akan terlibat aktif sebelum dan ketika kempen PRU akan datang.
Kami akan membuka bilik gerakan kartunis sendiri dan akan bergerak secara berkumpulan dengan menggunakan van dan berkempen ketika kempen PRU.
Fokus kami ialah mendedahkan penyelewengan dan korupsi oleh pemerintah sekarang. Ini termasuk isu Skandal Scrpene, NFC, isteri Perdana Menteri, dll. Dan kartun-kartun yang mengandungi mesej ini akan diedarkan dalam berbagai bentuk; risalah, poster, sepanduk, video dan sebagainya.
Zunar
31 Mei 2012
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