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Suhakam joins call for review of ISA replacement law

By Anisah Shukry
The Malaysian Insider
Apr 16, 2012

KUALA LUMPUR, April 16 — The newly-proposed security law to replace the Internal Security Act (ISA) must be reviewed to ensure it is in line with human rights principles, the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam) said today.

Suhakam highlighted that the Bill did not provide for judicial oversight in the extension of the detention period for up to 28 days, and expressed concerns over how it gave police the power to deny detainees immediate access to legal representation.

It added that the power to intercept communications under Clause 4(6) should be exercised through a court order rather than by the police, as it could “infringe personal liberty and the right to privacy”.

“The provisions in the Bill as well as the amendments to the other relevant laws must strike a balance between national security and fundamental liberties and human rights,” Suhakam Chairman Tan Sri Hasmy Agam said in a statement today.

“The Commission looks forward to further and continuing engagements with the government agencies… to ensure that obsolete and irrelevant laws are abolished and replaced by laws that are consistent with universally accepted human rights principles,” he added. Continue reading “Suhakam joins call for review of ISA replacement law”

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What a load of rubbish

— Lucius Goon
The Malaysian Insider
Apr 16, 2012

APRIL 16 — This is what we learnt today. We learnt that Najib Razak is in his element when making promises. He will sound like a true believer when you give him the floor, as they did in Parliament today.

He promised “more reforms”. I love it that he assumes that his replacement laws are reforms and that Idris Jala’s sleight of hand EPP, ETP and GTP qualify as real change.

He will do away with the Publishing and Printing Presses Act and amend the Sedition Act, he said, but left out a time frame. This is a superb tactic given that it is likely this is the last Parliament session before the polls!

Najib is a prime minister who will say anything and pretend to do something to win our votes. He said today that the era of the “government knows best” is over. Are you sure? Continue reading “What a load of rubbish”

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Guan Eng: BN apology needed for ISA closure

By Clara Chooi
The Malaysian Insider
Apr 16, 2012

KUALA LUMPUR, April 16 — Lim Guan Eng today pushed the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) to issue a public apology to all “victims of the ISA (Internal Security Act)”, insisting that this was the only way to prove the government’s sincerity in repealing the controversial preventive law.

Lim, who was himself an ISA detainee during Operasi Lalang in 1987, told the Dewan Rakyat today that so long as BN refuses to apologise, its proposed repeal of the Act would be merely be a “evil ploy” to continue wielding the law’s powers under a different guise and form.

The DAP secretary-general noted that many provisions in the Security Offences (Special Measures) Bill still infringe basic human rights although the element of “detention without trial” is scrapped.

“Is BN ready to openly apologise to all victims of the ISA?

“As long as it refuses to do so to seek closure, it raises doubt that abolishing the ISA today is merely a game and an evil ploy to continue using the Act but in a different guise and form,” he told the House when debating the Bill.

“This black mark of the ISA in our history must be buried forever and this cannot be done if the government does not apologise and guarantee that such iron-fisted laws like the ISA will not be repeated,” he added. Continue reading “Guan Eng: BN apology needed for ISA closure”

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DAP says MCA minister dismantling steps to uncover PKFZ scandal

By Shannon Teoh
The Malaysian Insider
Apr 16, 2012

KUALA LUMPUR, April 16 — The DAP today accused Transport Minister Datuk Seri Kong Cho Ha of conspiring to reverse previous efforts to reclaim losses from the RM12.5 billion Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ) scandal.

Publicity chief Tony Pua claimed the Port Klang Authority (PKA), which comes under the Transport Ministry, has decided to withdraw all legal action against turnkey developer Kuala Dimensi Sdn Bhd (KDSB) for failing to carry out RM1.6 billion in work.

He said the MCA secretary-general “is doing everything in his means to dismantle and reverse all painstakingly agreed steps to get to the bottom of the scandal and cover up for all guilty parties.”

The Petaling Jaya Utara MP said in a statement the suits related to “double and fictitious billings for works never carried out and excessive charges to PKA.”

Pua claimed that PKA has agreed to proceed to arbitration instead despite the “obvious criminality of the alleged offences” by KDSB, whose then chief executive was Bintulu MP Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing, the current Barisan Nasional (BN) backbenchers’ chief.

“Kong and new PKA chairman Datuk Teh Kim Poh have conspired to reverse the decision as well as many other decisions which were taken previously by PKA,” he said. Continue reading “DAP says MCA minister dismantling steps to uncover PKFZ scandal”

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Pemansuhan ISA Tidak Bermakna Kerana Kuasa Tahanan Luasnya Digantikan Dengan 3 Rang Undang-undang

(Ucapan Setiausaha Agung DAP Dan Ahli Parlimen Kawasan Bagan Lim Guan Eng Di Parlimen Semasa Membahas Rang Undang-undang Kesalahan Keselamatan (Langkah-langkah Khas) 2012 Di Dewan Rakyat Pada 16 April 2012)

Dengan pemansuhan Akta Keselamatan Dalam Negeri (ISA) maka berakhirlah satu era penindasan rakyat oleh Kerajaan BN. Berakhirlah satu sejarah hitam buat negara kita, di mana sepanjang 52 tahun pelaksanaan ISA dijangka lebih 10,000 orang mangsa telah ditahan tanpa bicara di bawah akta tersebut.

Tetapi adakah kita rakyat harus rasa gembira?

Saya rasa ini bukannya masa untuk diraikan kegembiraan dengan membaca Al-Fatihah kepada ISA kerana ia masih belum benar-benar meninggalkan tanah air Malaysia. Di samping itu keengganan kerajaan BN mengambil tanggungjawab ke atas kezaliman yang diperlakukan ke atas mangsa-mangsa ISA dengan meminta maaf secara terbuka atas tahanan tanpa bicara yang melanggari segala asas perikemanusiaan serta lunas undang-undang hak asasi manusia dan due proses.

Setengah mangsa yang tidak bersalah mahupun berdosa terdiri daripada Timbalan Perdana Menteri, Menteri-menteri, ketua pembangkang aktivis sosial dan rakyat biasa. Apakah kesalahan sehingga boleh memudaratkan keselamatan negara selain daripada menentang pemimpin BN yang rasuah dan menggugat monopoli kuasa rakus BN daripada terus menindas rakyat.

Apakah kesalahan Dato Seri Anwar Ibrahim, Lim Kit Siang, Karpal Singh, Mat Sabu yang selalu ini menegakkan kedaulatan undang-undang dan sistem perlembagaan beraja sehingga perlu merengkok dalam tahanan di bawah ISA tanpa bicara dan dituduh melakukan kesalahan dengan sewenang-wenangnya tanpa bukti langsung. Malah mereka yang buat tuduhan palsu bukan sahaja tidak dikenakan tindakan sebaliknya dinaik pangkat dan diangkat ke jawatan yang tinggi. Continue reading “Pemansuhan ISA Tidak Bermakna Kerana Kuasa Tahanan Luasnya Digantikan Dengan 3 Rang Undang-undang”

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Reforming Education: Part 4 of 6: Enhancing Residential Schools

By M. Bakri Musa

Fourth of Six Parts

My first three essays dealt with the challenges facing kampong schools and how we could leverage technology to alleviate those problems. I discussed enhancing the educational opportunities through improving the schools, recruiting superior teachers, and enriching the curriculum. Failure to do so would doom these unfortunate students to perpetual mediocrity and poverty, with dire consequences for them as well as the rest of Malaysia. This essay explores ways of maximizing the potential of residential schools. Again here as with kampong schools, we are dealing primarily with Malay students.

Our residential schools get the top students, have the best teachers, and consume more than their fair share of resources. Yet their aggregate performance has been underwhelming. When I visit top American campuses, the Malaysians I meet there are from other than our supposedly elite residential schools. That is the most telling indicator.

Malaysia’s oldest residential school, Malay College Kuala Kangsar, only recently (June 2011) started a matriculation program, the International Baccalaureate. Despite the luminaries on its board and the institution’s special status, it took a full decade to implement the program. Imagine the glacial pace at lesser institutions!
Continue reading “Reforming Education: Part 4 of 6: Enhancing Residential Schools”

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‘We won’t cower to BN’s scare tactics’

by Joseph Tawie| April 15, 2012
Free Malaysia Today

Twelve windscreens of cars belonging to DAP members were smashed in Mas Gading constituency whilst the owners were attending a campaign dinner.

BAU: Sarawak DAP’s launch last night of its campaign to wrest the Mas Gading parliamentary seat, which is a Bidayuh-majority constituency, was marred by a group of motorcyclists who smashed the windscreens of 12 cars while the owners were attending a party dinner at Kampung Sg. Pinang.

Local and national DAP leaders were addressing more than 1,000 people at the dinner when a group of motor cyclists were seen smashing the windscreens of the cars which were parked quite a distance from the venue.

Commenting on the incident, visibly upset Sarawak DAP secretary Chong Chieng Jen said: “Obviously it was a sabotage work by BN members or their supporters.

“Such behaviour only goes to show they are afraid of us. Only cowards do that sort of thing; only someone who is in fear will do a dirty tactic trying to scare the people,” he said.

Chong added that neither the car owners nor the crowd were perturbed by the attacks, as they had come to terms with such ‘scare tactics’ by the ruling regime. Continue reading “‘We won’t cower to BN’s scare tactics’”

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Let’s be adults, YAB

— Aspan Alias
The Malaysian Insider
Apr 15, 2012

15 APRIL — Merasakan diri sendiri itu sebagai hebat dan “invincible” itu merupakan kesilapan yang susah hendak diperbaiki oleh seseorang yag mempunyai sifat itu. Jika mereka yang jenis ini menjadi pemimpin mereka akan dianggap sebagai pemimpin sombong dan selalunya pemimpin seperti ini akan memandang rendah orang lain dengan begitu mudah. Hasilnya akan timbullah masalah kepimpinan (leadership crisis) yang tidak sepatutnya berlaku.

Krisis ini sememangnya boleh diatasi hanya dengan menjadi pemimpin yang merendah diri. Saya tidak dapat mencari sebab kenapa seseorang itu apabila menjadi pemimpin dia menjadi sombong dan tidak mahu merendahkan diri dihadapan rakyat pimpinannya. Orang lain semuanya bodoh dan dia sahaja yang betul dan benar.

Di negeri saya, Negri Sembilan, ada pemimpin besar yang tidak mahu merendah diri kerana pangkatnya besar dan wang ringgitnya banyak, walhal “it doesn’t cost him even 10 cents to be humble”.

Beliau ini merasakan dirinya itu datang dari syurga (paradise). Jika ada yang tidak bersetuju dengannya dia akan menjawab dengan sombong, “ah, dio tu bukan boleh mendalamkan air pun”. Semua orang lain tidak boleh mendalamkan air. Ramai juga yang datang memberitahu saya yang beliau menganggap saya sebagai pemimpin nyamuk sahaja. Continue reading “Let’s be adults, YAB”