Pakatan Rakyat Buzz & Blog

REFSA Rojak: Crisps of the Week (27 Apr – 3 May)

In our Selected Exhortations category, we republish interesting stuff such as must-read articles and essays not originally written exclusively for the blawg, and which have come to our attention. Please feel free to email loyarburokker@loyarburok.com if you would like to reproduce your writing, but first follow our Writer's Guide here.

Foong Li Mei brings to you another edition of REFSA Rojak, a weekly take on the goings-on in Malaysia by Research for Social Advancement (REFSA).

REFSA Rojak – "trawl the newsflow, cut to the core and focus on the really pertinent. Full of flavour, lots of crunch, this is the concise snapshot to help Malaysians keep abreast of the issues of the day."

According to mainstream media, this didn't happen | Source: http://bit.ly/JazACQ

Cops gone wild

Our men in blue lost more than their cool during the Bersih 3.0 rally in KL last weekend; their reputation and reliability were in shreds after they brutally handled the largely peaceful crowd.

Various eyewitness accounts, video footage and pictures documented the chilling aggression of the police officers when dispersing the protesters. They were seen firing rounds of tear gas and water cannons directly at the retreating public, as well as mocking, taunting and roughing up people in the crowd.

The rally, estimated to be 250,000 strong, started out as a peaceful protest for free and fair elections. Their initial plan to sit-in at Dataran Merdeka was thwarted by an 11th-hour court order barring the protesters from entering the square. Undeterred, Malaysians continued to march and gather at various routes that led to Dataran Merdeka.

The atmosphere of the yellow assembly was initially friendly. There was no intervention from the police and anti-riot Federal Reservation Unit (FRU) until the barricades at Dataran Merdeka were breached by overzealous protesters at 3pm, triggering a chaotic crackdown. Inspector-general of police, Ismail Omar, asserted that water cannons were only deployed after protesters crossed the barrier, and that the use of chemically-laced water was the 'least hurtful way' to disperse the crowd'.

The breaching of the barricades does not justify the excessive use of force by the police against a crowd that was already dispersing, according to Bersih co-chairperson Ambiga Sreenevasan. The Bar Council also slammed the authorities for violating human rights, and listed several highly questionable behaviours displayed by the police force.

These allegations of police violence are being investigated under a special team formed by the authorities, while members of the public are urged to come forward with evidence.

While the police brutality deserves action and attention, it should also not dominate the post-Bersih discourse. Let us not be distracted from the fact that the election commission has been silent on the demands of Bersih 3.0. If the fraud in our electoral process is not eliminated, it could lead to a political party seizing Putrajaya illegitimately.

Don't let the tears that flowed from our eyes and the burning pains on our skins blur our sights in the push for electoral reforms!

After Bersih 3.0, journalists join the fight for press freedom

The Bersih 3.0 rally pried opened more than one can of worms. On top of casting the searchlights on the violent behaviour of some of the police officers, the protest has uncovered the ugly truth of press freedom, or the lack thereof.

During the rally, authorities allegedly attacked and arrested journalists, besides seizing and damaging cameras and press equipment. Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammudin defended the seizure of media equipment, claiming that it was 'the standard operating procedure of police', a statement which the Inspector-General himself subsequently flatly contradicted.

Media blackout is even darker when it is the media companies themselves enforcing it. PKR vice president N. Surendran has accused the Home Minister of instructing chief editors of major print dailies to refrain from reporting any incident of police brutality. Subsequently, satellite TV network Astro admitted to censoring a news report by that most august of institutions, the BBC, 'to comply with the national content regulations'. Astro omitted interviews with demonstrators and the episode of policemen apparently firing at demonstrators.

Senior journalists concurred that mainstream media's coverage of the protest was not truthful. Global Bersih, the coalition of overseas Bersih supporters, has urged Malaysian corporations to stop their dealings with the mainstream media. Businesses that advertise or enter into sponsorship with mainstream media organisations are reminded that they are 'supporting blatant distortion and misrepresentation' of the rally.

It is ironic that the Malaysian media is getting such bad press in the same week the rest of the world celebrates World Press Freedom Day. To mark the occasion, all major Chinese dailies printed their front pages in black and white to condemn the violence against media personnel. Some featured the yellow ribbon – the symbol of press freedom. The newscaster of NTV7 mandarin news also sported a black vest with yellow ribbon, while the deejays of radio station FM 988 donned black.

Kudos to the journalists who stood up against suppression of press freedom at the risk of, as the Chinese say, smashing their own rice bowls. Only a press that pursues what is right can speak for the voiceless, as opposed to being used as mere megaphones for political propaganda.

Minimum wage for all

On the subject of rice bowls, the minimum wage introduced for Malaysian workers is good news. Or is it? Malaysian Trades Union Congress (MTUC) and Centre for Public Policy Studies (CPPS) welcome the RM900 floor wage for Peninsular Malaysia, and RM800 for East Malaysia, but hope that the implementation of the policy will be revised from time to time. On the flipside, economists and employers warned that the minimum wage policy would lead to more unemployment, 'black market' labour and inflationary pressure.

In response, Pakatan Rakyat said that the minimum wage policy has to be implemented comprehensively, such as by giving 'incentives' to small-medium industries (SMIs) to remain competitive with improved productivity, not relying on cheap, unskilled labour.

Parting of ways

The share swap deal between Malaysia Airlines (MAS) and AirAsia has been called off, as 'the cross-holding of shares has become a distraction to management efforts to turn around MAS', announced Khazanah Nasional.

REFSA welcomes the parting of ways of the two airline companies. We have been deeply sceptical of the collaboration since its announcement last year, and our warnings that the rakyat would be the biggest losers have sadly proven to be true. With MAS and AirAsia back as competitors, the best interests of consumers can regain some lost altitude.

Why 'Rojak'? Disparate flavours and textures come together in a harmonious mix to make this delicious but underrated concoction. Our Rojak weekly is much like this mix, making sense of the noise of daily newsflow and politicking.

It is also our ultimate dream that our multi-ethnic melange of communities can be made richer within the unique 'sauce' that is Malaysia. Let's take pride in the 'rojakness' of our nation!

Click here for previous issues of REFSA Rojak.

Visit us at http://refsa.org | Like us on our Facebook page | Follow our tweets @inforefsa

(Featured image accompanying article on the main page courtesy of Chris Blakeley, source: http://bit.ly/ITGQ30)

Domino’s: Prompt action taken against rude staff

PETALING JAYA: Popular pizza delivery company Domino's Pizza today said it took immediate steps to terminate the services of a trainee staff who had uttered a derogatory racial remark to a customer.

The company has also issued a memo to all its staff to remind them of the company guidelines and the consequences of contravening actions.

It is also monitoring its Customer Service Centre operations more closely, said Shamsul Amree Ab Rahman, the deputy general manager of Dommal Food Services Sdn Bhd, the operators of Domino's Pizza.

He was referring to a FMT report yesterday in which former IT consultant C Kuna had complained that she was referred to as 'keling' by a staff at Domino's when she had called to order a pizza on March 26. 'Keling' is considered a derogatory term by Indians.

Kuna had further said that while the operators apologised for the incident through a letter, she however felt insulted when they offered her 10 free Domino's vouchers.

"This is ridiculous. Domino's is an international brand and it is now obvious that they have a low opinion of the Indian community. An apology letter is not enough.

"They've insulted me by attaching 10 free pizza vouchers to the letter. They said it was a token of appreciation because I complained, but I'm insulted…they want to settle with 10 vouchers?" she had said yesterday. She also threatened to sue Domino's Pizza over the incident.

Goodwill gesture

In a statement issued to FMT today, Dommal Food Services once again issued an apology to Kuna over the rude remark made by the trainee staff.

"Domino's Pizza does not condone the use of any racist remarks by our staff nor do we discriminate based on creed, colour, national origin, or sex.

"To demonstrate how seriously we view this situation, within 24 hours of the said incident taking place, we took strict remedial action and terminated the services of the trainee involved and blacklisted this individual from future employment at Domino's Pizza Malaysia," said Shamsul Amree.

He added that its head of customer service K Atchuthan had contacted Kuna to personally apologise and explain all the remedial action that was being taken to ensure that such an incident was not repeated.

He also said that the 10 free pizza vouchers were given as a goodwill gesture, adding that the pizza company regretted any misunderstanding caused by this gesture.

"The gift was given as an indication of our goodwill. It was never our intention to treat the incident lightly or be insensitive to Kuna's feelings," he said.

He further clarified that based on the recording of the telephone conversation between Kuna and the trainee staff, Domino's discovered that the staff had not uttered the word 'lazy' as claimed by the customer.

All calls through the company's call centre are recorded for training and audit purposes.

"We recognize that it is Kuna's right to proceed with any action she may decide to take.

"However, this incident is deeply and sincerely regretted by all at Domino's Pizza as we believe that we have taken every step possible to effectively address the situation," he added.

Also read:

'I'm suing because Indians are not beggars'

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Btg Kali massacre: Edging closer to the truth

LONDON: Relatives of the victims of the Batang Kali massacre in British Malaya, have travelled to London in a final attempt to clear the names of 24 Chinese men, who were killed by a platoon of Scots Guards, on Dec 12, 1948.

The judicial review, to be held today and tomorrow at the Royal Courts of Justice in the Strand, will hear why and by whom, the truth has been suppressed. Reasons given for the terminations of previous investigations will also be revealed.

Despite the passage of time, and efforts to destroy records, a lot of information is still available, such as statements taken in 1949 and the 1970s, although many have been kept under lock and key for the past 64 years.

Civil servants from both the UK and Malaysia will be shown to have played a very disturbing role in responding to this event.

Present at the press conference held on the eve of the judicial review were:

Loh Ah Choi, whose uncle Loh Kit Lin, a student, was shot in the stomach on Dec 11, 1948; Ah Choi (photo, below) was herded together with the women and children from the village as 23 male villagers were rounded up and executed;

Chong Koon Ying who was a child at the time of the killings;

Lim Ah Yin, a witness who was 11 when the massacre occurred;

Ian Ward and Norma Miraflor, the authors of the book, "Slaughter and Deception at Batang Kali";

Quek Ngee Meng and Firoz Hussein, the Malaysia-based lawyers acting on behalf of the "Action Committee Condemning the Batang Kali Massacre", and;

John Halford a UK-based lawyer acting for one of the victims' families.

When Malaya faced a serious threat from communist insurgents, British troops were deployed to maintain order. In December 1948, soldiers of the Seventh Platoon, G Company, Second Battalion of the Scots Guards surrounded the village of Batang Kali, which was part of a British-owned rubber tapping estate.

Over the next two days, 24 unarmed men of the village were shot and their bodies mutilated; one was beheaded. These killings happened despite the absence of weapons, military uniforms or emblems. The men had not been a threat to the army patrol which later razed their homes.

In 1970 a few of the Scots Guards, who were present at the Batang Kali massacre, told a tabloid newspaper that the villagers had been gunned down in cold blood.

'Killed ruthlessly'

Halford gave the reasons for the case being re-opened six decades after the incident.

"What happened at Batang Kali was an extremely serious abuse of human rights.

"The cover-up lasted 60-odd years. The official account is that those who were killed were attempting to escape. They were suspects, insurgents and that they brought their deaths upon themselves.

"The truth is that these people were killed ruthlessly, in a series of what can only be described as executions, by British troops, probably in reprisals for things that happened earlier on in the Malayan Emergency."

Halford claimed that British officials conspired to maintain the official account of what transpired, to suppress the truth.

In the aftermath of the killings, the Malaya attorney-general, Sir Stafford Foster Sutton, talked to a few people but not the survivors. No forensic examination was conducted and he expressed satisfaction with the inquiry. None of the records of these investigations survived.

A few weeks after the killings, the Malayan colonial authorities drafted new regulations in a bid to render lawful, the killings that had already occurred.

Abuse of human rights

There were two further inquiries. One was in 1970, when the Metropolitan police interviewed the soldiers who confessed through the media. This investigation was terminated prematurely, just before the policemen were to go to Malaysia, for their final inquiries.

In the 1990s, the Malaysian police carried out their own investigations. The order to abort the investigation came just before the Malaysian police could travel to the UK to interview the soldiers.

Despite these setbacks, the "Action Committee for Condemning the Batang Kali Massacre" renewed its efforts to start a fresh campaign. The UK government's response was silence and inertia.

Halford stressed that the reasons for the previous terminations into the investigations, will be revealed in court.

"This case is fundamentally about truth and accountability. What the court will hear is what happened at Batang Kali and why the official account is false.

"The investigations by the police, by the journalists… all of which have been uncovered over the years, will for the first time, be gathered in one place.

"The court will also hear how and by whom, the truth has been suppressed."

Halford stressed that the key objective was for a public inquiry in which the victims could be confident that the truth would be told, through an independent investigation.

"There are consequences for the government; most important of which is that they should take responsibility and apologise for this very serious abuse of human rights resulting in a great many deaths at Batang Kali."

Mariam Mokhtar is a FMT columnist.

Also read:

UK court allows review of Btg Kali massacre

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More » Bonology.com | Barisan Nasional (BN) | Sociopolitics Plus | 大马社会政治

Sarawak natives resist Taib Mahmud's voracious deforestation and dam building projects

Sarawak Energy's desperate prayers for an unnecessary dam

Norwegian Sarawak Energy CEO Torstein Dale Sjotveit and Sarawak government representatives were faced with resistance when they tried to hold a traditional prayer ritual at the site of the planned Baram dam which would flood over 400km2 of rainforest and displace 20,000 people.

For more information visit http://www.stop-corruption-dams.org

Some rights reserved © Antares/Magick River You may borrow and/or modify content for your own blog but please credit and backlink, thanks.

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PATUT BAGI RM50,000, KENAPA RM15,000 SAJA?

Najib umum Durian Runtuh.. tapi kenapa RM1.689 Billion saja? lagi RM3.942 Billion hilang ke mana?

Berdasarkan prospektus penyenaraian, dana yang akan dikutip oleh FELDA selepas penyenaraian berjumlah RM5.6 bilion, tetapi Najib hanya mengumumkan sejumlah RM1.689 bilion akan diagihkan kepada kira-kira 112,000 peneroka…

Tentang bagaimana jumlah RM5.6 bilion sila dalam Kenyataan Media oleh Rafizi pada akhir entry ini..

Selain itu.. Peneroka yang dikatakan layak mendapat 'Durian Runtuh' itu hanyalah mereka yang menandatangani perjanjian dengan Bank.. lihat perjanjian di bawah..

Dokumen di atas merupakan bukti bahawa para peneroka telah ditipu kerana menandatangani "borang kosong" untuk pinjaman bank bagi memiliki saham FGVH.

Malah, dalam perjanjian itu peneroka akan dibebankan untuk menanggung segala kerugian dan bersedia untuk menanggung kerugian terhadap semua tindakan guaman, prosiding, tuntutan, permintaan, kerugian serta lain-lain yang berkaitan.

Cuba fikir, agaknya bank mana yang boleh bagi pinjaman tanpa cagaran?

Baca sebahagian petikan berita ini..

Perdana Menteri Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak hari ini mengumumkan pemberian RM15,000 kepada setiap keluarga peneroka Felda seluruh negara.

Beliau mengumumkan perkara berkenaan di hadapan ribuan warga peneroka Felda di Majlis Peneroka Bersama Perdana Menteri di Felda Jengka 8, Jerantut, Pahang.

Pemberian tersebut merupakan satu insentif bagi penyenaraian Felda Global Ventures Holdings Bhd (FGVH).

Menurut Najib, dengan penyenarian FGVH, sejumlah RM1.689 bilion akan diagihkan kepada kira-kira 112,000 peneroka.

Wang tersebut akan diagihkan dalam tiga peringkat - masing-masing RM5, 000.

Peringkat pertama, katanya, adalah bayaran RM5,000 kepada ketua isirumah, diikuti RM5,000 kepada isteri dan bayaran terakhir RM5,000 kepada anak-anak mereka - Malaysiakini

Kenyataan Media yang dimaksudkan..

PENEROKA FELDA BERHAK MENDAPAT RM50,000 SATU KELUARGA, BUKANNYA RM15,000

Pengumuman yang dibuat Dato' Seri Najib Tun Razak bahawa setiap peneroka FELDA akan mendapat ganjaran RM15,000 selepas penyenaraian FELDA membuktikan sekali lagi bahawa pentadbiran Barisan Nasional membolot kekayaan sesama mereka, sedang rakyat diberikan hampas dan imbuhan kecil sahaja.

KEADILAN telah meneliti prospektus penyenaraian Felda Global Ventures (FGV) untuk menentukan berapakah nilaian sebenar ganjaran yang sepatutnya diperolehi oleh peneroka FELDA. Proses ini turut melibatkan perbincangan dengan penganalisa pasaran untuk menentukan prestasi FGV dan harga s! etiap un it saham apabila disenaraikan kelak.

Berdasarkan prospektus penyenaraian, dana yang akan dikutip oleh FELDA selepas penyenaraian berjumlah RM5.6 bilion, sementara FGV pula akan mendapat suntikan dana tambahan berjumlah RM4.557 bilion.

Ini berikutan urusniaga berikut:

1. FELDA akan menjual 59% dari pegangannya sedia ada di dalam FGV (bersamaan 1,208,890,900 saham) kepada pelabur-pelabur baru.

2. FGV akan menerbitkan saham baru berjumlah 980,000,000 yang akan dijual kepada pelabur-pelabur baru

3. Harga penyenaraian setiap unit saham adalah RM4.65

4. Dana tambahan yang dikutip oleh FELDA adalah RM4.65 X 1,208,890,900 = RM5.6 bilion

5. Dana tambahan yang dikutip oleh FGV adalah RM4.65 X 980,000,000 = RM4.557 bilion

Jumlah keluarga peneroka FELDA di seluruh negara adalah 112,635 yang berhak mendapat keuntungan dari proses penyenaraian ini kerana tanah-tanah seluas 840,603 ekar yang diusahakan oleh Felda Plantatians Sdn Bhd adalah milik mereka. Tanah ini dipajakkan kepada FGV yang memberi nilaian besar kepada penyenaraian ini. Tanpa tanah yang diambil oleh FELDA atas nama peneroka ini, penyenaraian FGV akan gagal.

Oleh yang demikian, KEADILAN berpendapat Dato' Seri Najib Tun Razak harus berterus terang kepada rakyat bahawa hanya 30% (berjumlah RM15,000 setiap keluarga) dari dana yang dikutip akan diagihkan kepada peneroka. Jumlah keseluruhan agihan ini adalah RM1.689 bilion.

Bakinya yang lebih besar (iaitu 70% dari jumlah dana yang dikutip) berjumlah RM3.942 bilion akan disimpan dan digunakan oleh pentadbiran beliau.

Maka, reaksi pertama KEADILAN kepada pengumuman beliau pada hari ini adalah:

1. Dato' Seri Najib Tun Razak wajib mengagihkan KESEMUA dana yang dikutip oleh FELDA kepada peneroka. Ini bersama! an denga n RM50,000 setiap keluarga, bukannya RM15,000 yang diumumkan. KEADILAN mencabar beliau mengumumkan agihan keseluruhan RM50,000 ini; dan

2. Pentadbiran Barisan Nasional mestilah memperincikan bagaimanakah baki RM3.942 bilion akan dibelanjakan supaya ada ketelusan dan amanah.

Ini bukanlah kali pertama Dato' Seri Najib Tun Razak berpura-pura mendahulukan rakyat sedangkan di belakang beliau dan suku sakat mengaut keuntungan besar dengan menggunakan nama rakyat.

MOHD RAFIZI RAMLI
PENGARAH STRATEGI KEADILAN

WONG CHEN
PENGERUSI, BIRO PERDAGANGAN DAN INDUSTRI

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Lim dares BN to follow Penang’s example

GEORGE TOWN: The state government is ever willing to let the people of Penang elect their own councillors.

Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng said although his administration currently has full powers to appoint all 48 councillors in the island and mainland municipalities (MPPP and MPSP), he said the Pakatan Rakyat government was ever willing to restore the third vote process of electing local councillors.

"The state government wanted to return the power to Penangites to elect their councillors to protect their interests, rights and aspirations," said the DAP secretary-general in his blog posting.

Lim also challenged the Putrajaya administration to emulate his administration's pro-active steps to bring about real political transformation in Penang.

He said Penang was the first state to pass a comprehensive Freedom of Information Enactment.

He claimed that Penang was now relatively corruption free via open tender policy, full disclosure of contracts and public declaration of assets by the Chief Minister and executive councillors.

He said the state government has now taken another milestone with its bold attempt to pass a Penang Local Government Enactment at the on-going assembly sitting.

He said all these steps were part of Pakatan political transformation agenda for Penang to ensure that the people can live with dignity by enjoying basic freedom.

These included freedom of speech, freedom of information, freedom to hold peaceful assemblies, freedom to worship, freedom from corruption and now freedom to choose local government representation.

"If BN is genuine about political transformation, can they not do what Penang has done," he said.

In 1965, he recalled that BN's predecessor the Alliance federal government issued an emergency regulation suspending local government elections by using the Indonesian Confrontation as an excuse.

Promise not kept

Then prime minister Tunku Abdul Rahman promised the Parliament that local polls would be restored once the confrontation was over.

He had said: "As soon as this peace and quietness has returned we would make haste with all proper preparations for the local council elections … The very moment peace is declared I can assure this House that the elections will be held."

However, although the Confrontation with Indonesia ended in 1966, local government elections were not restored as promised by the Alliance government.

In 1968, a Royal Commission on Local Government headed by Senator Athi Nahappan recommended that local government elections be restored, but this was rejected by the federal government.

Although existing Proclamations of Emergency in Malaysia have now all been revoked, Sections 10 & 15 of the Local Government Act 1976 prevent local elections.

Until today, Lim said BN can't explain on why Malaysians were denied their rights to elect their own councillors or council president or city mayor when they can elect state and federal governments or select the prime minister or chief minister.

He said Malaysia finds itself in a most peculiar position in that the federal government has considered elections being suitable for national and state levels, but not at local level.

"On Merdeka Day, Malaysians had three votes to exercise the right to elect their federal, state and local governments.

"Let us therefore restore the 3rd vote of letting the people elect their councillors," said Lim, the Bagan MP.

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Expert: Fatwa not final

PETALING JAYA: Although the fatwa prohibiting Muslims from participating in illegal assemblies cannot be challenged in court, there is room for discussion to reconsider the edict, according to an expert.

An official of the Malaysian Muslim Lawyers Association said the National Fatwa Council could issue another fatwa to clarify the current one although it was unlikely to reverse its decision.

"Remember the indelible ink episode? It first said that it was haram. Later, after much consultation and deliberation with various parties, it put up a clarification that only inks with a certain percentage of chemicals is haram," said Abdul Rahim Sinwan, the association's deputy president.

He said parties disagreeing with the council could still approach it to present their points of view.

Since the fatwa was issued last Sunday, many Islamic scholars have argued that a person's intention of participating in any such rally should be taken into consideration.

They argue that it would not be sinful for Muslims to join a rally calling for clean elections and good governance because Islam champions such causes.

According to Abdul Rahim, a fatwa is not legally binding until gazetted as law at the state level.

"Since religious affairs fall under state jurisdiction, the state has to first gazette the fatwa into law. Only then can one be penalised by law if one goes against the fatwa," he said.

Asked to comment on disagreements with the fatwa expressed by officials of Pakatan-held states, Abdul Rahim noted that such matters were under the purview of the sultans.

"Religious affairs directly fall under the Sultan's purview. Therefore it is the Sultan who decides if the state will abide by the edict," he said.

Fatwa not a law

The speaker of the Kedah state assembly, Abdul Isa Ismail, meanwhile told FMT the announcement of the fatwa was made under"very curious circumstances".

"So many assemblies have taken place before" the Bersih rally, he said. "Why it is that only now the council has issued a fatwa?"

The speaker added that a fatwa, to him, was merely a statement and not a law.

"There is a fatwa banning Muslims from smoking. They still do it. You don't see them being prosecuted."

Last month, the Kedah government issued a general fatwa stating that no religious edict could be challenged in court.

Commenting on that, Abdul Isa said: "You have to read our fatwa in full. We said that there was no need to challenge the fatwa in court. We stand by that. A fatwa is a statement, not a law. Should people decide to ignore it, nothing can be done."

He added that people should continue to voice their opposition to the anti-rally fatwa and present the National Fatwa Council with alternative views.

"They must listen to both sides and not jump to conclusions," he said.

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Anti-Anwar protest – precursor to violent polls?

KUCHING: The recent anti-Anwar protest staged by Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) Youth in Sibu appears to have rattled Sarawak PKR, which sees it as indicative of a "violent" general election to come.

According to the state PKR election chief Baharuddin Mokshen, "a lot of pronouncements even from the federal leaders are pointing to this trend".

"We are worried that the coming general election is not only going to be dirty, but a violent one too," he said.

Baharuddin was commenting on last Sunday's unusual protest by 150 PBB Youth members from 10 branches in the central zone against the visit of PKR de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim.

The 150 protesters carried placards bearing slogans conveying their message that Anwar cannot be trusted.

PBB Tamin branch Youth chief Michael Mew said that Anwar's visit to the state was to sow hatred and he was not here to safeguard the interests of the people.

"The people in Sarawak have long been living in a peaceful and prosperous environment.

"However, since the presence of Anwar and his political ideology, the harmonious living in many places, including kampungs, has been disrupted.

"The authorities should stop people like Anwar coming to the state," Mew said.

PKR against protests

Baharuddin said PKR would like to put on record that it objected to activities like protesting.

"We have been pressured by our grassroots members to put up placards saying that [Chief Minister] Abdul Taib Mahmud is 'zalim' [cruel], robbing native customary rights (NCR) land and so on. But where does this stop and lead us to?

"We are worried that this type of protests and the pronouncements made by federal leaders will lead to not only a dirty, but violent election.

"I hope the PBB Youth protest is an isolated case and is not being endorsed by the Sarawak BN leadership.

"Unlike the Bersih protest, which was not directed at individuals, the PBB Youth protest was aimed at Anwar," Baharuddin said.

He denied that Anwar's visit to Sarawak was to create problems.

"Don't insult the intelligence of the people. Let them decide who is telling the truth" Alfred Jabu [Deputy Chief Minister and deputy PBB president], Taib or Anwar or Baru Bian [Sarawak PKR chief].

"You don't decide for the people. This is not the politics of 30 years ago when elected representatives were the towkays," he said.

Baharuddin added that trying to prevent Anwar from coming to Sarawak is "really an affront to democracy."

'BN scared and desperate'

On remarks made by the three former Inspectors-General of Police (IGP) that Bersih protests were influenced by communists, Baharuddin said: "This claim made in 2012 is totally ridiculous.

"These IGPs must be living in the stone age. To me communism is buried and dead. Maybe it only exists in Cuba."

He said it was commonly viewed here that the three IGPs' intentions were to "create fear" because "BN was dead scared and desperate".

"They are definitely scared as they have no issues to talk about. They have made a lot of promises which they could not fulfil.

"Now they are reverting to other issues like intimidation and fear," he said.

He however warned BN members that every action would be met with reaction.

"But for the time being, we are told not to respond to the protests," he added.

Sarawak, PKR, Anwar Ibrahim, general election

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‘Saya tak redha pembangkang terima durian runtuh’

JENGKA: Perdana Menteri Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak membidas sikap pembangkang yang cuba mengelirukan pemikiran peneroka Felda dengan menyelewengkan fakta sebenar.

Katanya, pembangkang cuba menanam persepsi segala tindakan kerajaan tidak betul dan memperlekehkannya walaupun ia mendatangkan keuntungan kepada rakyat.

"Pembangkang ketandusan modal. Kalau mereka tak boleh menangkan hati rakyat mereka cuba kelirukan fikiran.

"Sebab itu ada cuba nak bawa kes ini ke mahkamah. Tapi kita cekal teruskan juga Felda Global Ventures Holdings Bhd (FGVH) disenaraikan kerana kita tahu ini untuk kebaikan," katanya dihadapan kira-kira 50,000 warga Felda di Majlis Sejahtera Peneroka bersama Perdana Menteri di Jengka 8 di sini hari ini.

Katanya, lebih malang pembangkang sering meletakkan beban sesuatu kesalahan kepada Umno sekalipun isu itu menuding ke arah pembangkang.

"Semuanya nak dipersalahkan kepada Umno sehinggakan anak yang tak pedulikan mak pun Umno yang bersalah. Hebat sangatlah Umno ni sehingga isu dalam kelambu pun kita ada pengaruhnya," katanya.

Malah katanya ada pembangkang yang cuba menghasut peneroka supaya tidak menerima kebaikan 'durian runtuh' yang ditawarkan kerajaan.

"Saya nak tengok muka-muka ini durian runtuh ni mereka nak terima atau tak. Saya tak rela dan tak redha mereka ni terima. Itu pasallah nak cuba khianat apa yang kita buat lepas itu muka tebal terima pula.

"(Durian runtuh) ini hanya untuk peneroka yang jujur dan setia pada perjuangan," katanya sambil disambut teriakan sokongan peneroka.

Katanya, peneroka patut bersyukur kerana untuk sampai pada detik ini bukanlah satu perjalanan yang mudah kerana mereka sebelum ini terpaksa melalui pelbagai halangan dan pengorbanan semasa membuka tanah rancangan itu.

Beliau turut terharu dengan sokongan dan kehadiran peneroka di majlis tersebut yang disifatkannya diluar jangkaannya sama sekali.

"Kalau begini sambutan, esok pun boleh bubar parlimen…tapi nanti dululah," katanya.

Also read

Durian runtuh RM1.689 bilion buat warga Felda

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Student tortured mentally over Bersih, PKR claims

PETALING JAYA: Police subjected a student to psychological torture after he presented himself at the Kuala Lumpur Police Headquarters to help them investigate violence during last month's Bersih rally, PKR has alleged.

Khalid Mohd Ismath, a student at Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM), was one of several people whose pictures were published by local media with an announcement that police were seeking their help in investigations.

According to PKR leaders, he was arrested when he went to the police headquarters at about 10am on May 5 and was held for more than a day.

Speaking at party headquarters, PKR information chief Latheefa Koya said: "Khalid went to the Kuala Lumpur Police Headquarters together with his parents, family and lawyer.

"As soon as he went there, he was arrested. This was a trap. He was asked to assist in the investigations, but was immediately arrested."

She added that the police then advised him to sign a form stating that his lawyer did not have to be present at interrogations.

Police accused him of beating a police officer during the April 28 protest and calling for the killing of policemen on his Facebook page.

Khalid, who was at today's press conference, has denied both charges.

Latheefa said Khalid was taken to several police stations after his arrest. These included the Cheras, Dang Wangi and Jinjang police stations.

She said he was interrogated on matters that were irrelevant to the charges.

According to her, they asked questions such as these: "Why did you join Bersih? Don't you know that Bersih supports the LGBTs (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender)? Did you know that Facebook is owned by the Jews? Did you know that your Internet subscription money is a contribution to the Jews? Do you like to masturbate?"

No physical violence

At the Jinjang police station, she said, Khalid was made to await a magistrate's decision on a possible four-day remand extension and lawyers were kept outside. The magistrate rejected the remand request and Khalid was sent back to the Dang Wangi station, where he was detained from 11am to 3.30pm and where the interrogation continued, she added.

Khalid told reporters the police did not use physical violence on him.

Latheefa said: "How can we allow people to willingly report to the police (to assist in investigations) when this is what they're going to face?"

PKR vice-president N Surendran attacked investigations aimed at finding violent Bersih protesters as "political propaganda".

He said Rasah PKR leader R Thanggam was taken from the Dang Wangi police station to the Bukit Aman police headquarters and was questioned by a "special interrogation team" through the night.

Thanggam has since been charged with breaching a court order barring the public from entering Dataran Merdeka on Apr 28.

"It was endless interrogation," Surendran said. "This is psychological torture. This is the use of terror tactics. Questions that were posed to Khalid were political questions. It was not an investigation into the alleged crime of violence during Bersih 3.0, similar to Thanggam's case."

He questioned the rationale of releasing photos of 49 people accused of Bersih-related violence to the media, saying it was an act of defamation.

He also said police this morning picked up two more people whose photos were displayed—Hulu Selangor councillor K Suppiah and PKR Youth member Farhan Ibrahim

"These are just normal people who went for a peaceful gathering."

He demanded that the 49 photos be withdrawn and advised the police to send notices to the suspects if they already knew of their whereabouts.

Latheefa also revealed that a person named Muzazaruddin Mustapha was arrested on May 2 over a drug-related offence and lawyers had not been able to contact him since.

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MCA to Pakatan: Just lead Bersih 4.0

KUALA LUMPUR: MCA today suggested that Pakatan Rakyat should openly lead the next "Bersih 4.0" instead of hiding behind the guise of NGOs.

"Bersih 4.0 should be led by the opposition, so as not to mislead the people. Bersih started as an NGO but it is clear that it has been hijacked," MCA president Dr Chua Soi Lek told reporters at the party's headquarters here.

Chua said that MCA is upset that Bersih 3.0 was an attempt to topple the government.

"We are upset that what is purported to be a peaceful [gathering], became one that is violent. If you look at YouTube videos, it looks like [the rally was] an attempt to overthrow the government by using force," he said.

Last Friday, Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak said that Bersih 3.0 was an attempt to topple the government by "taking over" Dataran Merdeka and turn it into "Tahrir Square in Egypt".

However, when asked if the Bersih 3.0 steering had harboured such intention (to topple the government), Chua said: "I didn't say that."

"If you notice, the netizens like to link all these [demonstrations] to uprisings to the Arab Spring," he added.

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Chandra scoring cheap points in Bersih bashing

Friends have asked me what prompted the extraordinary hatchet job that Chandra Muzaffar attempted on the Bersih 3.0 movement and its leaders in his recent article misleadingly titled 'Bersih and the Quest for Human Rights' published in various media.

What was in the article that could be of academic or scholarly value to warrant any close reading? Those attracted by the title may have expected an article on how the quest for human rights in Malaysia may have taken on fresh urgency given the police manhandling of the demonstrators and media, and the many instances of violation of democratic rights.

In the internet and mainstream media, the issue of police brutality has become the main focus and memory of demonstrators and the Malaysian public. That could have been a topic that Chandra – in defending the status quo – could have brought fresh insights from a human rights perspective.

However, he chose not to do so. Instead he churned out a propagandistic piece praising the political reforms undertaken as well as aimed at demonizing the Bersih leaders and its supporters from the opposition.

His reminder about the "degree of integrity in the electoral process" and the fact that there is no electoral process in the world that is totally free of blemish is quite a turn-around.

The Chandra of old that I remember was lucid, scathing and critical of the lopsided electoral playing field in favour of the Barisan Nasional and the formidable array of dirty tricks, including mal-apportionment and gerrymandering, it used to win elections.

This includes control of the mainstream mass media that is now unsurprisingly keen to publish any piece that Chandra provides – certainly a far cry from past practice when he was with Aliran or the opposition.

In my numerous conversations with him during the 16 years that we were friends and colleagues at Universiti Sains Malaysia, we talked and shared similar views of the unfair and un-free electoral process and also of BN's manipulation of the system that enabled it to hold on to power indefinitely.

Today, Chandra seems to have changed his view on the ruling party and many issues in the country, including that of the state of civil liberties. According to him, "[I]t is an irrefutable fact that through these legislative reforms [Peaceful Assembly Act, ISA repeal, etc] the space and scope for the expression and articulation of human rights has been expanded and enhanced as never before."

That "irrefutable fact", as Chandra terms it, is not irrefutable. It needs the passage of time and confirmation from the ground to ascertain what has been gained and whether the reforms are substantive or simply cosmetic to pre-empt regime change.

Sweeping or grandstanding statements such as the one above made by him are premature and smack of political partisanship.

Where is Chandra of old?

Should Chandra, after conducting rigorous social science research – publish the results of his work confirming this "irrefutable fact", it may perhaps help convince sceptics that there has been "far reaching changes to political and civil liberties."

In the meantime, his pronouncements on the changes in the country are less convincing and less thoughtful than the one below, which could have come from the pen of the Chandra of old.

Excerpts from Muaz Omar: 'Claiming back our freedom' (The Malaysian Insider, 3 May 2010) As the nation and its people developed and progressed, Umno has dragged its feet, not wanting to accept that the social and political fabric has changed.

They are trapped in their old ways continuing their archaic doctrine of oppression, rampant corruption and abuse of power as well as propagating religious and racial tensions.

Half-hearted and watered-down transformation policies by Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak failed to diminish the desire of Malaysians for a better deal. The people are not impressed by the lack of political will.

This resulted in the resounding success of Bersih 3.0 on April 28 in Kuala Lumpur and 80 other cities around the world.

Hundreds of thousands, mostly young, of all races attended the gathering in Kuala Lumpur peacefully until the riot police took action.

Ordinary Malaysians were beaten up and tear-gassed. Even local and foreign media personnel were manhandled, some with their equipment destroyed and confiscated.

This black mark on Malaysian democracy reaffirms concerns that Najib lacks the desire or the will to reform.

His much-touted Peaceful Assembly Act did not provide any democratic civil rights to the people but is used to forcefully maintain the hegemony of his own party.

In short, Najib continues to engage in repressive and authoritarian tactics of former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

The tenacity as well as desire of Malaysians for substantive change was evident during the rally.

As Najib and Umno-BN leaders try to downplay and dismiss this demand by shifting blame and pointing fingers, Pakatan Rakyat needs to listen closely to Malaysians and not misread or take for granted their desire for change.

The people swarmed the capital with the intent of claiming back their freedom; they are tired, they are fed-up, and they are angry.

Where is the evidence?

My final problem with Chandra's article is its unprecedented attack on some of the Bersih and opposition activists as "frauds and hypocrites without any sincere commitment to freedom and democracy."

According to him, "[t]hrough their politics of deceit and duplicity, they continue to manipulate mass sentiments for their own diabolical agenda." These are strong accusations, going beyond even what the BN leaders have said.

Who are these people that he describes as frauds and hypocrites? It is unethical to hide under the cover of generalization in making these allegations.

Besides the requirement of naming them, Chandra should realize that as a social scientist he must provide evidence to prove his argument that they are frauds and hypocrites.

What actions have they engaged in to deserve such demonizing from a senior social scientist holding the esteemed position of Noordin Sopiee Professor of Global Studies?

Has he conducted any interviews with the Bersih leaders to get them to explain their positions? Or has he found them guilty without bothering to speak to them?

Is this the view of key independent respondents such as those who took part in the rallies? Or is this the view of the larger population? Or perhaps is it the view of some of the BN leaders?

These and a myriad of other questions need to be answered by Chandra. Otherwise he will be seen as another BN mouthpiece out to score cheap points and using the cloak of academic position to bolster his politically biased opinion.

Lim Teck Ghee is the director of Centre for Policy Initiatives.

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Murugiah on anti-BN speech: I was agitated

PETALING JAYA: Former senator and deputy minister T Murugiah has affirmed that he is still a loyal member of MIC and does not intend to withdraw his support for Barisan Nasional.

The question arose because a YouTube video shows him giving a speech that appears to be anti-Barisan Nasional.

The 15.09-minute clip, entitled "MIC people must watch this video", was posted on YouTube early last week and has since gone viral on Facebook.

The video was shot last year during a prize-giving ceremony at the Lorong Jawa Tamil school in Seremban.

Murugiah was speaking in Tamil about problems in acquiring land for new buildings for the school. He is recorded in the video as saying: "If they felt the votes of 1,000 school children here were important, they would have granted the land and built the school.

"You as parents should decide what you want during the general election. How can I ask you to vote for BN? Tell the government to decide or you decide (whom to vote for)."

Speaking to FMT today, he said he was speaking in the heat of agitation.

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

"I was agitated. The headmaster was bashing MIC and the government and then someone from the audience said that they would not vote for MIC," said Murugiah, who was a senator and deputy minister in the Prime Minister's Department until 2011.

The local Indian community had been asking for a new school on a new plot of land for the past 30 years. Murugiah said the parents and school staff were unhappy because the state authorities had been ignoring the request.

He told FMT he was blaming government agencies for failing to implement changes outlined by Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak.

"The PM has done a good job. It is the government machineries that are causing these problems."

He said he suspected that the person responsible for posting the video clip was out to tarnish his image.

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Twists and turns in politics — Lim Sue Goan

MAY 8 — Leftist Socialist Francois Hollande won the French presidential election while the two major parties of the Greece ruling coalition failed to win a parliamentary majority. The election results have made ruling party leaders in Malaysia uneasy.

The presidential election result in France might cause the deterioration of the debt crisis in Europe, which might affect our economy and is unfavourable to the ruling party if the election is held. The massive fall of Asian stocks reflects panic in the region.

Besides, the results have also stimulated the spirit of the opposition to fight. Pakatan Rakyat has more powerful foreign friends now.

Would the next general election be held before the month of Ramadan beginning on July 19, after the country was hit by the Bersih 3.0 rally? I think BN leaders are still indecisive over the date for the next general election.

Even though an assessment result shows that the BN approval rating has not been affected by the Bersih 3.0 rally, and The Economist magazine also wrote that the Bersih 3.0 rally has brought a smaller political impact compared to the Bersih 2.0 rally, the people would still remember the acts of violence during the rally if the election is held in June or July. It will inevitably lead to some emotional votes. In addition, Umno also wishes that the Selangor state election and the general election can be held simultaneously.

However, if the election is scheduled in September, the unpredictable European market might bring more trouble.

As for how they deal with and resolve the effect of the Bersih 3.0 rally, we can see that Umno conservatives are striving for the right to speak and trying to take tough action.

Three former IGPs, Tun Haniff Omar, Tan Sri Rahim Noor and Tan Sri Musa Hassan, agreed with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak that a special organisation had planned to storm and capture Dataran Merdeka during the Bersih 3.0 rally with the intention to overthrow the government. It was indeed rare. However, former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad's remarks better reflected their concerns about the transformation plans.

Mahathir is worried that the repeal of the Internal Security Act (ISA) and the government's emphasis on not arresting and detaining a person merely for his political beliefs might give room for the resurgence of the Malayan Communist Party (MCP). The law enforcement agencies would be helpless if terrorists form political parties.

The ISA and other outdated laws are the tool of old politicians to defend their power and even privileges. They are worried because Najib's reforms seem to have allowed the opposition to grow.

In fact, the transformation plans are in line with the global trend of democracy. However, the pace of reforms is not fast enough with too many obstacles. As a result, they are far from civil society's expectations. It is not the fault of the reform programme, but the malady within the system.

Mahathir's remarks are specious. He said that MCP leader Chin Peng might return, form a party and win the election, as there is no more ISA to deal with him.

Chin Ping is 88 years old and in poor health. He is not allowed to return to Malaysia. How is he going to form a political party? Moreover, the Home Ministry still holds the power to approve or reject the formation of the party. It is not easy to challenge the Societies Act 1966.

Mahathir tries to use the "fear" of terrorist attacks against the military and other incidents to rope in those who cherish the same ideals and take the same course.

Mahathir made such remarks on occasions where he can meet civil servants. Would it be the turning point and cause a pause or a change of tone to the transformation plans?

If Umno changes to a tough attitude, the alternative coalition will be very pleased to see it. It is because when Umno takes a defensive strategy to consolidate its basic support, its efforts in fighting for swing votes so far will then be wasted.

Malaysian politics is full of twists and turns and the real fun is yet to come! — mysinchew.com

* This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insider.

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‘RCI in Sabah is a gimmic’

KOTA KINABALU: De facto law minister Nazri Aziz has revealed that Sabah will have its royal commission of inquiry (RCI) and that "the government had already begun the process of preparing the terms of reference for the RCI".

But Nazri's response to Barisan Nasional Senator Paul Kong Sing Chu's question asking for an update on the RCI situation, during the Senate sitting yesterday, has only served to anger Sabahans further.

"He's (Nazri) just playing to the gallery. Those Umno fellows don't really want an RCI.

"It"s their fixed deposit that they are talking about. This is just another political gimmick..all talk no walk," said a seasoned political observer here.

One Umno insider here also questioned why no earlier statements were issued about the fact that the government was already looking into preparing terms of reference for the RCI.

"How come no news before? Why is Nazri talking, not PM? Sabah not important?" said the SMS text revert.

The RCI for Sabah is not big news here now. The excitement has fizzled.

It was much anticipated here on Feb 9, the day after the cabinet gave its 'nod' to the setting up of the commission to look into the exponential population growth among the legalised illegals immigrants in Sabah.

Federal minister VK Liew's office had leaked the cabinet decision to the media and Sabahans were waiting with bated breath for Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak to officially announce RCI for Sabah.

But that never came.

'No respect'

Najib and his deputy Muhyiddin Yassin have since come to Sabah no less than on twice and once respectively.

Each visit they snubbed Sabahans leaving their native-majority coalition allies here floundering in the face of rising criticism of how they have become Umno's puppets.

During a visit to Sipitang early last month, Najib left Deputy Chief Minister Joseph Pairin Kitingan who heads Parti Bersatu Sabah, red-faced and embarassed 'and without apology' when he cancelled at the last minute a press conference where he was expected to announce Sabah's RCI. With Pairin were other BN leaders.

Najib gave no reasons but the sudden U-turn was reportedly linked to a secret meeting with Umno leaders the night before during which Najib was educated on BN's fixed deposit – the loyal legalised illegal immigrants – who had voted BN in every election.

Sabah's legalised immigrant population is now in excess of 1.2 million and reports of 'free MyKads' being dished out overt and covertly in the infamous eastcoast 'gateways' in Sandakan, Tawau and Lahad Datu are worrying everyone here except Umno in Kuala Lumpur.

Even Sabah Umno chairman Musa Aman has thrown his support for the RCI.

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Lustre of ‘being’ Anwar wearing off

Morally and ethically, Anwar Ibrahim failed himself many years ago when he chose to put his personal agenda before that of the rakyat.

But his charm and a gift of the gab have taken him to be the deputy prime minister of our country and when that failed, to become leader of the opposition.

In the interim, he rode through many of life's conflicts that would have felled a lesser man.

He was convicted of corruption, went through two sodomy trials, made an inglorious attempt at bluffing his way into government by riding on the crest of an impossible victory at the 12th general election and generated many other distractions that were short on substance but riddled with political expediency.

All this caused Anwar and his PKR party to be reduced from the largest political entity in the opposition to now being its weakest link.

That charm and gift of the gab served him well, but it can no longer hide the personal failings that keep surfacing every time Anwar finds himself faced with choices.

Choices that could have made him the great man that everyone thinks is lurking just under that charming and confident exterior that he exudes or show him up for the man that he really is – all bluster and show, no substance, no morality and positively no ethics in his own self.

Now even that charm and gift of the gab can no longer excuse his latest folly of trying to hijack Bersih 3.0 to be his vehicle in his desperate attempt to goad (Prime Minister) Najib (Tun Razak) and the Barisan Nasional government into lashing out at the opposition so that he could again resurrect his "reformasi" days and take our country once again into chaos, conflict and harm.

Only this time our people and our nation will not allow Anwar to do as he will with the state of our nation as we have often seen him do to advance his personal agenda many times in the past.

If we look around us now, do we not see a nation polarised into racial and religious divides?

Anwar hijacked Bersih

Do we not see an opposition that is increasingly finding it difficult to accommodate a leader that understands there is no one else to lead Pakatan Rakyat but himself and yet abuses that need to serve himself and not Pakatan?

And more worrying, do we not see the leaders within Pakatan unable or unwilling to do the necessary to bring Anwar to heel because political expediency overrides all other considerations?

And why do I say all this? Because I think matters came to a head at Bersih 3.0.

I am not excusing the brutality inflicted by the police on our people. This is Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for these uniformed personnel.

Give them the opportunity and they will go berserk, whacking our people left and right. The pity of it all is that Anwar gave the police the opportunity to do just that.

Anwar took it upon himself to hijack what is a popular people's movement, with or without S Ambiga's consent, and proceeded to make Bersih his own.

I expected more out of someone who is our prime minister-designate.

I expect the leader of Pakatan to not covertly use Bersih for his own purpose of getting political mileage locally and globally by announcing to the world that our government used the police to beat their own people senseless and spray them with nauseating tear gas and harass men, women, children, young and old at every opportunity they had.

We know what the police are capable of doing. But Anwar is partly to be blamed for provoking the former Inspector-General of Police to hit him (and this by no means absolved the IGP of any blame for what he did) but for him to put our people in the line of fire because it served his own political purpose, is simply not right.

We expect better things of Anwar. This was Bersih 3.0′s day, not Anwar's. The people turned up in numbers to express their solidarity and sense of purpose with Bersih, NOT for Anwar.

Anwar in denial

Anwar will continue to be in denial of what he did to make Bersih 3.0 live in infamy for the things that the police did to their own people.

Anwar will continue to be in denial for his own ethical and moral lapses.

Anwar will continue to be in denial that Pakatan and PKR no longer need him as their leader because who needs a leader who no longer has the respect of his own people because he serves only his own cause, not the people?

You people have better not be in denial anymore about Anwar – not after Bersih 3.0.

He may be the pied-piper leading PKR but just look at where he is leading PKR to.

We know that there are many from PKR who are in Bersih but we must tell them that if they want to be with Bersih, then they must leave PKR out of Bersih.

And that goes for Anwar too – leave his Umno past and his PKR out of Bersih.

We can do without the duplicity and deviousness of using people for his own political agenda, especially when these people have not consented to be put into harm's way for Anwar's political agenda.

Things have changed in our times.

If we want answers from Najib for the abuses in the Defence Ministry (Mindef) during his time as its minister, then by the same token, we want Anwar to be upfront with us in the things that he does while being a leader of Pakatan.

Anwar 'hanging' himself

Anything less would be an insult to the intelligence of our people who can by now decide for themselves if the hijacking of Bersih 3.0 by Anwar for his own purpose is right or wrong.

Enough of this, Pakatan! If you continue to be in denial at the antics and deviousness of your own leader, then what do you expect the people to think?

Is Najib the lesser of the two evils when compared to Anwar?

Let me tell all you leaders of Pakatan that this is already happening. Give Anwar enough rope and he will hang himself, said Najib.

And Anwar seems to be doing that all by himself.

We now await his political demise in the very near future – if not at his own hands, then by (Lim) Kit Siang, (Abdul) Hadi (Awang), Najib or more certainly, by that of the people.

CT Ali is a reformist who believes in Pakatan Rakyat's ideologies. He is a FMT columnist.

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Saudara baru kesal JPN pertikai status agama

KUALA LUMPUR: Sepasang suami isteri saudara baru merasa kesal dengan layanan buruk yang mereka terima ketika berurusan di Jabatan Pendaftaran Negara (JPN) di Jalan Duta dan Batu Caves di sini baru-baru ini termasuk mempertikaikan status agama Islam mereka.

Muhammad Yusof Abdullah dan isterinya Siti Aisyah Abdullah kedua-duanya berusia 37 tahun berkata kejadian pertama berlaku di kaunter JPN di Jalan Duta pada 19 April lalu manakala kejadian kedua berlaku di kaunter JPN Batu Caves pada 7 Mei.

Muhammad Yusof memberitahu Bernama di sini bahawa kedua-dua kejadian itu berlaku ketika beliau dan isterinya mahu membuat laporan tentang kehilangan kad pengenalan dan surat beranak mereka serta empat anak mereka, ekoran satu kejadian samun di kedai mereka di Taman Segar, Selayang pada 17 April lepas.

Beliau berkata ketika membuat laporan di JPN Jalan Duta dengan menggunakan nama Islam isterinya, kerani terbabit didakwa telah mengherdik isterinya dengan berkata "mengapa kau letak nama Islam dan tidak letak nama kristian (agama asal mereka)".

Muhammad Yusof yang hampir menitiskan air matanya ketika menceritakan kejadian itu berkata beliau terkejut dengan pertanyaan pegawai terbabit.

"Dia (pegawai) itu sendiri pun orang Islam, tidak terfikirkah dia bahawa soalannya itu melukakan hati kami suami isteri yang sebenarnya sangat-sangat menyintai agama Islam dan kami bercadang untuk ke Sumatera untuk mengislamkan ibu bapa isteri saya yang berasal dari sana sebelum kejadian samun itu berlaku," katanya.

Muhammad berkata pegawai itu kemudian meminta mereka merujuk ke pejabat JPN di Batu Caves di mana surat beranak keempat-empat anak mereka dikeluarkan.

Katanya pada 7 Mei di kaunter JPN Batu Caves pula, seorang kerani wanita mengherdik mereka dan mempertikaikan penggunaan nama Islam pada laporan kehilangan dokumen penting.

"Yang anehnya itu merupakan pejabat yang sama yang mengeluarkan semua dokumen isteri dan anak-anak saya sebelum ini. Dahulu tidak timbul pula masalah penggunaan nama Islam pada dokumen-dokumen penting," katanya.

Muhammad atau nama asalnya S. Sivasubramaniam berkahwin dengan Siti Aisyah pada 2009. Siti Aisyah yang berasal dari Sumatera memeluk agama Islam pada 1995.

Siti Aisyah juga kecewa dengan layanan kakitangan kerajaan yang beragama Islam terhadap saudara baru seperti mereka hanya disebabkan kekeliruan antara nama asal dan nama Islam mereka.

"Ketika anak-anak saya dilahirkan saya telahpun memeluk agama Islam dan sudah tentu dokumen sijil beranak mereka menggunakan nama Islam dan perbuatan kedua-dua pegawai JPN itu mempertikaikan nama Islam keluarga saya amat saya kesali," katanya.

Bernama

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Invite special UN rapporteurs, govt urged

PETALING JAYA: The Bersih 2.0 steering committee wants the government to invite two UN rapporteurs and give them full access to investigate the incidents at the Bersih 3.0 rally.

They want UN Special Rapporteurs on the Promotion and Protection of the Right to Freedom of Opinion and Expression, Frank La Rue and Maina Kiai, to intervene and investigate what went wrong during Bersih 3.0 rally.

"We call on the Malaysian government to allow La Rue into Malaysia to carry out his investigation as a matter of urgency.

"We also recommend that the Malaysian government issue an immediate invitation to the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Rights to Freedom of Peaceful Assembly and of Association, Maina Kiai of Kenya, to also visit Malaysia and to undertake an investigation," the steering committee said in a statement.

Steering committee member Maria Chin Abdullah said: "We are suggesting to the government to invite La Rue since he is a neutral, non-partisan, independent party to investigate what happened during Bersih 3.0 rally."

The rally on April 28 saw more than 80,000 people gather around Dataran Merdeka before being dispersed by the police using tear gas and water cannon.

"Such an investigation ought to examine the role of Bersih 2.0 as the organiser and the responsibility of the police and the Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) in facilitating such an assembly.

"We are ready to fully cooperate in such an investigation," she said.

After Bersih 2.0 rally last year, La Rue had said: "I think the time is right to have an inquiry mission to Malaysia and I am going to ask the government to officially invite me to come as a rapporteur because I would like to do full research and report on this and make recommendations on how to avoid future conflict."

La Rue also claimed that the Malaysian government risked undermining democratic progress post- Bersih 2.0 rally that was held on July 9, last year.

Valuable lessons

The committee is confident that La Rue would be able to conduct a transparent and thorough investigation in order to provide an independent assessment as to the exact events of the Bersih 3.0 assembly.

"We say that it is important that valuable lessons are learnt from this episode in our nation's history so that freedoms of expression, assembly and association enshrined in our Federal Constitution are not rendered illusory.

"If indeed the government has nothing to hide and is keen for the truth to be established in the interests of the rakyat, then this would be an ideal occasion and opportunity to do so," the committee said.

The steering committee was also concerned over the government's call to foreign governments to launch a crackdown on Malaysians who had participated in Bersih 3.0 rallies held in various countries around the world.

"If these reports are true, it is a negative development that must be deplored, and we urge all Malaysians to unite in support of the safety of our fellow citizens."

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Invite special UN rapporteurs, govt urged

PETALING JAYA: The Bersih 2.0 steering committee wants the government to invite two UN rapporteurs and give them full access to investigate the incidents at the Bersih 3.0 rally.

"We call on the Malaysian government to allow La Rue into Malaysia to carry out his investigation as a matter of urgency.

The rally on April 28 saw more than 80,000 people gather around Dataran Merdeka before being dispersed by the police using tear gas and water cannon.

"Such an investigation ought to examine the role of Bersih 2.0 as the organiser and the responsibility of the police and the Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) in facilitating such an assembly.

"We are ready to fully cooperate in such an investigation," she said.

La Rue also claimed that the Malaysian government risked undermining democratic progress post- Bersih 2.0 rally that was held on July 9, last year.

"If these reports are true, it is a negative development that must be deplored, and we urge all Malaysians to unite in support of the safety of our fellow citizens."

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‘Use microphones, not fists’

PETALING JAYA: Fissures continue to emerge in MIC over the brawl which took place outside the front gates of the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) in Putrajaya last week.

Weighing in on the incident, party social and welfare bureau deputy chairman R Ramanan condemned the incident which left a PKR division leader with a fractured cheek bone.

He also defended MIC disciplinary committee chief KS Nijhar's decision to probe the matter.

Calling on party leaders and members to use microphones, and not their fists, to put across their points and arguments, he said: "We are not a bunch of hooligans or thugs. What happened that day is a disgrace and MIC should not condone such acts of violence."

"Some quarters in MIC have painted a different picture for their own personal gain, don't fall for their antics and the misinformation disseminated," he added.

Ramanan was referring to those who had criticised Nijhar for his stand on the incident, which involved a group of MIC Youth members.

In the fracas, Puchong PKR division leader S Murali was set upon by several MIC Youth members when the former accompanied PKR vice-president N Surendran to submit a memorandum to the PMO demanding that a 17-year-old student be issued a MyKad.

The MIC Youth members, led by their chief T Mohan, were there to thank the prime minister for issuing identity cards and birth certificates to Malaysian Indians under the MyDaftar campaign.

MIC Youth had accused Murali of hurling obscenities at them and throwing the first punch, but PKR denied this and labelled the incident as a premeditated attack.

The punch-up, according to observers, had further bruised the image of MIC, which is struggling to regain its former glory following its 2008 general election whipping.

'This is not a fight club'

Meanwhile, Ramanan said while MIC supported its Youth wing a hundred percent, the party should not tolerate violence among its members.

"How would we feel if this had happened to one of our family members?" he asked.

Under the leadership of MIC president G Palanivel, Ramanan said, the party was moving in a different direction.

"The president is doing a very good job in trying to take MIC to greater heights. Let's help him achieve this goal," he added.

He also pointed out that Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak and other top government leaders had condemned violence in the aftermath of the Bersih rally whereas the police were taking action on their personnel who had crossed the line on April 28.

He said the Cabinet had also agreed to form an independent panel to probe the transgressions during the rally and "if we are to support the stand of our top leaders, then we too must condemn violence."

"There are laws in this country, and nobody is above them," he said.

Ramanan stressed that the problem of stateless Malaysian Indians cannot be resolved by throwing punches at political opponents.

"We are members of a political party and not a 'fight club'. This issue requires the presentation of proper facts and hard work.

"The community would not gain anything with Indians fighting Indians," he said.

The stateless Indians tussle between MIC and PKR erupted when the latter claimed that there were 300,000 without identification documents, but the former dismissed this as a gross exaggeration.

Also read:

MIC unity injured in Putrajaya brawl

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