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Press statement for the immediate release of Dr Jeyakumar Devaraj

The Malaysian Insider
Jul 17, 2011

17 JULY — We, the undersigned doctors, including members of the Malaysian Medical Association (Perak Branch), and/or the Perak Medical Practitioners Society

1. are very concerned and troubled over the prolonged ‘illegal’ detention of our colleague Dr. Jeyakumar Devaraj.

2. are concerned for Dr Jeyakumar’s health, which seems to be deteriorating under detention.

3. are deeply saddened, hurt and disillusioned by the action of the Judiciary (which is supposed to be to be independent) which on 13/07/2011 delayed the hearing date of habeas corpus application of Dr Jeyakumar and five others by a month.

We urge the immediate release of our colleague, who is also the Member of Parliament Sungai Siput, Dr Jeyakumar Devaraj. Continue reading “Press statement for the immediate release of Dr Jeyakumar Devaraj”

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Let’s expose the ministers

— Spyman
The Malaysian Insider
Jul 17, 2011

JULY 17 — Enough is enough lah. Even after seeing the rakyat shout for change, the ministers continue to insult us and treat us like kids.

Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak tries to sound brave in London and challenges Pakatan Rakyat to a fight in the next elections. Hello, the polls will be rigged and election fraud will be widespread. That is why there was Bersih 2.0: to have clean and fair elections.

And now we have Ahmad Shabery Chik saying that Opposition will use Bersih as an excuse for poor performance in the coming polls. Here is where his reasoning shows him up: if BN is so confident of winning the polls, why are they so resistant to clean and fair elections? Continue reading “Let’s expose the ministers”

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Negara kita

— Michelle Chan
The Malaysian Insider
Jul 17, 2011

JULY 17 — At the not-actually-ripe-yet age of 20, I may have not experienced first-hand or seen with my own eyes how bad WWII or May 13 were, but I recognise the face of right and wrong.

Being politically inclined since school days, it was not easy to stay passionate about this Bolehland. There is too much contradiction and ignorance or even denial from the previous generations and also my own.

Raised in a middle-income family, my parents work hard to make sure I grow up to have the good things in life — a good education, leading to a good job, marriage, kids, life. The whole point of these ideals is about progressing towards betterment. No? Development is about achieving the better things in life, right?

Leading up to the Bersih rally, I thought thoroughly about the validity of this event. The objective: clean and fair elections. I sure hope that when I’m eligible to vote, my vote really counts. Continue reading “Negara kita”

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Proud to be a Malaysian

— T. Gopal
The Malaysian Insider
Jul 17, 2011

JULY 17 — This was not my first (illegal) rally. Therefore, the usual intimidation using roadblocks and arrests did not stop my plan for the day.

I come from a poor family. Way back in the early 1980s, when the Seremban-KL Highway was being built, my parents worked there as labourers. Their combined income was less than RM600 per month.

Therefore, it was not a surprise when they opposed my plan to enter one of the local universities simply because they couldn’t afford to pay the first semester fees of RM1,600. Fast-forward to today; I am living a comfortable life, with a good income and stable job. So, why did I join the rally? Continue reading “Proud to be a Malaysian”

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Kedah drops Ramadan bar closure plan

By Hazland Zakaria
Jul 17, 11 | MalaysiaKini

The PAS-led Kedah government has dropped plans to enforce a 1997 state enactment that requires bars, discos and karaoke clubs to close during the coming Ramadhan, a state official told AFP today.

The northern state decided in May to enforce closure of all entertainment outlets during the holy month, as stipulated in the state law passed by the previous BN-led administration.

However, the plan drew criticism from entertainment outlet operators, as well as other Pakatan Rakyat components who feared that a blanket ban would alienate non-Muslim voters. Continue reading “Kedah drops Ramadan bar closure plan”

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Kedah entertainment ban limited to Muslims, says Hadi

By Syed Mu’az Syed Putra
July 17, 2011 | The Malaysian Insider

AMPANG, July 17 — Kedah has revoked the outright ban on entertainment outlets during Ramadan and will instead bar only Muslims from patronising such establishments, PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang said today.

Hadi blamed the mainstream media’s inaccurate reports for causing confusion and sparking discontent among non-Muslims.

“The BN media is exploiting this issue. So only non-Muslims can enter (the entertainment outlets), but Muslims will not be allowed to enter,” Hadi told reporters here today. Continue reading “Kedah entertainment ban limited to Muslims, says Hadi”

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Planking or ‘pok kai’ in Hong Kong

By Anita Anandarajah
July 17, 2011

JULY 17 — So it seems planking has caught on in Hong Kong. Making like a plank of wood, practitioners like to shock their audiences by remaining utterly stiff and horizontal in the most inappropriate places.

The Planking Hong Kong Facebook page has chalked up 156 likes, a long way off from Planking Australia which has received 175,271 likes where the craze has taken its strongest hold. Continue reading “Planking or ‘pok kai’ in Hong Kong”

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Can the police investigate itself?

By The Malaysian Insider
July 16, 2011

JULY 16 — Just a week ago, the police took a no-nonsense approach in locking up the city and chasing Bersih 2.0 supporters from gathering and making their way to Stadium Merdeka for a rally calling for free and fair elections.

It resulted in one death, ostensibly from a heart attack, and a hospital clouded in teargas and drenched by water cannons fired by riot police.

The death and the incident at the Tung Shin Hospital are contentious. Putrajaya has ordered a series of probes, one by the Health Ministry and three by the police. Continue reading “Can the police investigate itself?”

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On toothless tigers

By Hafidz Baharom
July 17, 2011 | The Malaysian Insider

JULY 17 — Barisan Nasional has proven to this nation and its citizenry time and again, if not just rather blatantly in the recent days through their denials and openly disproven lies, that it is arrogant, relentlessly hostile and even, and you may quote me on this, downright stupid.

Let’s begin by stating the obvious for those who read my piece on LoyarBurok. Yes, I did join the Bersih 2.0 rally, wearing pink. Unfortunately I didn’t brandish a gigantic yellow umbrella as promised, so for that I apologise. Continue reading “On toothless tigers”

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A lie has robbed their freedom

By P. Ramakrishnan
July 16, 2011 | The Malaysian Insider

JULY 16 — A lie has robbed six Malaysians of their precious freedom. For three weeks they have been locked up and put away unfairly and unjustly.

Not a shred of evidence has been unearthed so far to justify their detention. Not an iota of proof has been disclosed to date to convince sceptical Malaysians that the action of the police has been honourable.

A lie that robs innocent Malaysians of their human rights discredits the police beyond repair. A lie that denies access to lawyers for the detained six denigrates the rule of law and disgraces the Barisan Nasional government for not observing the principles of decency, truth and honesty. Continue reading “A lie has robbed their freedom”

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Good cop, bad cop

By June Rubis
July 17, 2011 | The Malaysian Insider

JULY 17 — A few days ago, I had a conversation with a taxi driver who was excited about July 9th. While he had supported the rally, and could list out the points for free and fair elections, he was too scared to attend because of the heavy police presence.

He told me of a Vietnamese passenger he had that day, who was curious about the many roadblocks around the city.

“I explained to him about the rally, and how the police were there to stop the people from entering the city.”

The Vietnamese was so surprised at his explanation, he told me. Continue reading “Good cop, bad cop”

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Ambushed Like Animals, I Had to Walk-Crawl

By June Rubis
14 July 2011 | LoyarBurok

We were so close that I could wipe the sweat off his forehead if I had wanted to. Instead, I stood uncertainly in front of him, not wanting to push forward.

His expression on his face mirrored mine: which was of fear. After exchanging a glance with me, he looked away and determinedly stared into space, while in locked arms with few of his blue-clad colleagues.

I saw more police milling around and they did not stop us from entering KL Sentral. There were many chances to arrest the BERSIH leaders as soon as they had stepped outside the hotel. But it seemed to me that the police had a different plan: they wanted to ambush them, and pick them off one by one. Continue reading “Ambushed Like Animals, I Had to Walk-Crawl”