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Is there not a single woman BN MP who will stand up for Po Kuan and women dignity and condemn the sexist BN MP duo?



Click PLAY to watch for Video of sexist BN MPs in action

FLASH – video of sexist BN MPs in action (1) youTube – google



Click PLAY to watch for Video of sexist BN MPs let off the hook (2)

video of sexist BN MPs let off the hook (2) youTube (Part 1) & (Part 2) – google

The Speaker, Tan Sri Ramli Talib did not instantly reject the privilege motion under Standing Order 26(1)(p) when it was tabled by DAP MP for Batu Gajah Fong Po Kuan who had stood up in the Dewan Rakyat when it started its meeting yesterday at 10 am to refer the two sexist Barisan Nasional (BN) MPs for making crude, derogatory, sexist and offensive remarks directed at Po Kuan in particular and women in general.

Instead, Ramli asked for time for him to announce his decision at 2.30 pm.

This could only mean that Ramli was convinced of the strength and merit of Po Kuan’s complaint — which was indeed very serious with sexist MPs abusing their parliamentary privilege to denigrate a woman MP, which is also a slur to all Malaysian women — that he did not immediately dismiss Po Kuan’s application.

It is both wrong and unfortunate that in the end, Ramli decided to “knock out” Po Kuan’s privilege motion on a ground of technicality, ignoring the substantive complaint and leaving unresolved two issues:

  • The public dishonouring and humiliation of Po Kuan because she is a woman MP by two sexist BN MPs;
  • The misuse and abuse of their parliamentary privilege to besmirch and dishonour Parliament in demeaning and degrading the highest political and legislative chamber in the land to make crude, vulgar, sexist and offensive remarks.
  • The insult not only to Po Kuan but to all Malaysian women, making this year’s Mother’s Day the most meaningless one, when Parliament could be exploited to make vulgar, derogatory and sexist remarks.

I am particularly disappointed that no woman BN MP had stood up in solidarity with Po Kuan and all Malaysian women who were insulted by the two sexist BN MPs.

Is there not a single woman BN MPs who will stand up to speak up for women dignity and condemn the two sexist BN MPs for their derogatory, crude, sexist and offensive remarks about Fong Po Kuan? Continue reading “Is there not a single woman BN MP who will stand up for Po Kuan and women dignity and condemn the sexist BN MP duo?”

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Grim and bleak Mother’s Day

Mother’s Day on Sunday in Malaysia this year has become very grim and bleak because of gender-insensitivities of Barisan Nasional (BN) MPs as well as increasing incidence in the country of family break-ups because of religion.

I will not go into the disgraceful episode in the last two days of two BN MPs dishonouring women and Parliament with their crude, sexist and gender-offensive remarks.

There is also the other heart-rending development of increasing incidence of families being broken up because of religion, whether Subashini, Marimuthu, Revathi, Benedict Gopal or Magendran – all very cases.

Take the case of rubber-tapper Marimuthu who was happily married to Raimah Bibi a/p Noordin for 21 years with seven children but who was forcibly separated from them on the ground that his wife was a Muslim. Although Marimuthu has got back all his children, the family is broken up as the children do not have a mother with them in the house and Raimah Bibi is separated from the husband and children — although there can be no doubt that they would want to be reunited as one family again but religion is standing in the way.

All religions inculcate good values of family love, compassion and unity and no religion would work to disrupt happy families.

This trend is most unhealthy and disruptive of family unity and development, national integration and inter-religious understanding and harmony and warrants the most urgent attention for a solution to be found to stop more and more break-up of families because of religion. Continue reading “Grim and bleak Mother’s Day”

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Last-minute ban on international Muslim-Christian diagloue – big blow to Malaysia’s reputation as model multi-religious nation

When tabling the motion for the House to accept the interim report of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Unity and National Service, the Select Committee Chairman and Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, Datuk Dr. Maximus Ongkili said the government encouraged inter-religious dialogue to promote inter-religious understanding and national integration.

The latest development in this field questions the seriousness of the government’s commitment to inter-religious dialogue.

I have here the London Times report today headlined “Summit on religious harmony is thrown into discord by Malaysia” which reads:

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, has suffered a serious setback in his attempts to foster Muslim-Christian dialogue after the Malaysian Government banned an interfaith conference he was due to be chairing this week.

Christian and Muslim scholars from around the world had bought air tickets, written papers and begun to pack their bags for the Building Bridges conference, the sixth in a series intended to foster dialogue between the two religions. It was cancelled with just two weeks notice. Continue reading “Last-minute ban on international Muslim-Christian diagloue – big blow to Malaysia’s reputation as model multi-religious nation”

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Let off despite ‘sexist’ remarks – media reports

(1) Motion over ‘menstruation’ remarks rejected
Ooi Kelly and Bede Hong
May 10, 07 6:47pm
Malaysiakini

The Dewan Rakyat today rejected a motion by Opposition MP Fong Po Kuan who wanted two BN members of Parliament censured for making comments about her menstruation.

Amidst pandemonium that broke out during the afternoon’s debate over the leaks in Parliament yesterday, Bung Mokhtar Radin (BN — Kinabatangan) had stood and made off-mike comments over the Batu Gajah parliamentarian’s menstrual cycle.

His comments were carried today by Utusan Malaysia, China Press and Sin Chew Daily.

Mohd Said Yusof (BN — Jasin) was also named for censure making similar remarks.
This morning, Fong called for a motion under the Standing Order 26 (1P) to refer the two BN MPs to the Committee of Privileges.

However Speaker Ramli Ngah Talib shot down the motion, with reason that the issue was not raised at the time of incident.

Technical knock out

DAP MPs protested that they had not heard the comments made by the two BN MPs due to the commotion in the House.

“During the incident at 12:37 pm yesterday, the offending remarks were uttered. The YBs have a chance to voice their displeasure (then). However, this issue was put forth only this morning,” said Ramli.

“As the matter must be raised at the time of the incident, and the issue occurred yesterday, I must reject the motion for the Standing Order,” he added.
Opposition leader Lim Kit Siang protested: “… the remarks were not heard yesterday. There was chaos and pandemonium. The earliest that we knew of the remarks was this morning when the comments were published [by several national dailies].”

“Do we allow this sexist, offensive remarks to pass. They are celebrating, that the motion is rejected,” said Lim, pointing at BN MPs who were thumping at their desks.

De-facto law minister Nazri Aziz, who read out the bills of the day, left the Dewan Rakyat at this juncture.

Insulting to all women

In a press conference later, Fong expressed her regret over the decision: “I feel sad that no woman MP in the Dewan just now voiced their objection to the comments that were insulting to all women.

DAP MP Teresa Kok said the matter was not new: “Each time a gender sensitive issue comes out … each time derogatory remarks were made against women, there is no action taken by the speaker.”

Lim said, “The Kinabatangan MP (Mokhtar) behaved as though he has no mother, or daughters or sisters. And the BN can thump unashamedly at the rejection of the motion on technical ground.”

Lim called on the prime minister to “discipline the two BN MPs.”

Both MPs did not deny making the comments. Continue reading “Let off despite ‘sexist’ remarks – media reports”

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Summit on religious harmony is thrown into discord by Malaysia

From The Times, London
May 10, 2007
Summit on religious harmony is thrown into discord by Malaysia
Ruth Gledhill, Religion Correspondent

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, has suffered a serious setback in his attempts to foster Muslim-Christian dialogue after the Malaysian Government banned an interfaith conference he was due to be chairing this week.

Christian and Muslim scholars from around the world had bought air tickets, written papers and begun to pack their bags for the Building Bridges conference, the sixth in a series intended to foster dialogue between the two religions. It was cancelled with just two weeks notice.

The three-day conference was set up in the wake of September 11 and meant to be an annual get-together of Christian and Muslim academics in an attempt to find theological understandings that might help prevent future terrorist attacks.

At the first conference, at Lambeth Palace in London six years ago, Lord Carey, the former Archbishop of Canterbury, fêted Tony Blair. In return, the Prime Minister invited the Muslim and Christian scholars to a high-profile reception at Downing Street.

Since then the scholars have met in New York, Qatar and Sarajevo. This year’s seminar in Malaysia was to signal a breakthrough in Muslim-Christian relations in a region where they are particularly delicate.

However, it is understood that some influential Muslims believe that Christianity is “not a heavenly religion” and therefore they frown on interreligious dialogue.

Although the Malaysian Government allowed Dr Williams into the country to preach at the consecration of a new Anglican bishop, it said that it would not permit the interfaith dialogue to take place. Continue reading “Summit on religious harmony is thrown into discord by Malaysia”

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Most Shameful Mother’s Day in nation’s history

Sunday will be the most shameful Mother’s Day in the nation’s history.

This is because the dignity of women had been dishonoured in Parliament with Barisan Nasional MPs thumping the table in glee and joy when DAP MP for Batu Gajah Fong Po Kuan failed in her effort to redeem the dignity of Malaysian women and salvage the good name of Parliament.

Today is a day of shame for Parliament, when Barisan Nasional MPs abused their 91% parliamentary majority to gang up, support and defend two of their number, Datuk Mohd Said Yusuf (Jasin) and Datuk Bung Mokhtar Radin (Kinabatangan), who had made vulgar, sexist and offensive remarks against Po Kuan yesterday when DAP MPs raised the subject of Parliament ceiling leaks after a RM100 million renovation works — saying “Batu Gajah pun bocor tiap-tiap bulan pun bocor juga”.

The Speaker, Tan Sri Ramli Ngah Talib returned to the Dewan Rakyat Chamber after lunch recess at 2.30 p.m. to reject Po Kuan’s application to move a privilege motion to refer Mohd Said and Bung Mokhtar to the Committee of Privileges on the ground that Po Kuan had not invoked Standing Order 26(1)(p) with regard to the alleged breach “when it occurred” as required — i.e. yesterday itself.

I asked Ramli whether before making his decision to reject Po Kuan’s application on a technicality, he had referred to Erskine May’s Parliamentary Practice, the authoritative work on parliamentary practices and procedures, where it is stated very clearly that “when it occurred” in S.O. 26(1)(p) had been interpreted in most Commonwealth Parliaments to mean “at the first available opportunity”.

In the case in point, when Mohd Said and Bung Mokhtar made the vulgar, sexist and offensive remarks, DAP MPs could not hear them both because of the din and pandemonium at the time and being seated far away from the duo. However, they were heard distinctly by reporters and other BN MPs who sat near the duo.

For Po Kuan, raising the privilege motion this morning was her “first available opportunity” after reading press reports. Continue reading “Most Shameful Mother’s Day in nation’s history”

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Another RM22 million scandal to inspect new Putrajaya buildings – Malaysians made suckers!

Malaysians today feel angry and outraged when they read that the Works Minister Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu is asking for RM22 million to inspect new government buildings in Putrajaya for defects, on top of an unending list of government building mishaps.

The spanking new RM290 million court complex in Jalan Duta, Kuala Lumpur has undoubtedly earned instant international notoriety with the daily defects since its opening last week.

Yesterday, the court complex was shut down by a power failure. This morning I receive complaints from a lawyer of leaks in the criminal courts. This is on top of the ceiling collapse, cracks on the wall, faulty toilets and air-conditioning breakdowns.

Had a certificate for fitness for occupation (CF) been issued for the largest court complex in the world, and if so when. If no CF was issued, why was the court complex allowed to be used; and if there was CF, whether actions would be taken against those who had been so negligent as to issue the CF when there are still so many defects, including structural ones, which had to be rectified? Continue reading “Another RM22 million scandal to inspect new Putrajaya buildings – Malaysians made suckers!”

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MCPs in the House — censure or not? Vote at 2.30 pm

Parliament will vote at 2.30 pm today to decide whether to refer two Barisan Nasional (MP) Members of Parliament, Datuk Mohd Said Yusuf (Jasin) and Datuk Bung Mokhtar Radin (Kinabatangan) to the Committee of Privileges for making offensive and sexist remarks directed at the DAP MP for Batu Gajah, Fong Po Kuan in Parliament yesterday.

When Parliament began this morning, Po Kuan stood up on a point of order under Standing Order 26(1)(p) to move a privilege motion to refer the two BN MPs to the Committee of Privileges for breach of parliamentary privilege. No notice is required under S.O. 26(1)(p) when the privilege matter had to raised at the first available opportunity.

Subject of complaint – Mohd Said and Bung Mohktar had made vulgar, sexist and offensive remarks at Po Kuan when she and other DAP MPs had raised in Parliament yesterday afternoon the issue about the ceiling leaks near the media centre during heavy downpour in the morning despite a RM100 million renovation bill.

Utusan Malaysia in its report “Enam kebocoran siling dikesan di Parlimen”, recounted:

M. Kulasegaran (DAP-Ipoh Barat) dan Fong Po Kuan (DAP-Batu Gajah) yang turut mencelah kemudian berkata, kebocoran itu membazirkan wang rakyat.

Datuk Bung Mokhtar Radin (BN-Kinabatangan) yang bangun mengambil bahagian secara sinis berkata:”Mana ada bocor, Batu Gajah pun tiap-tiap bulan pun bocor juga.”

This was also reported by Sin Chew Daily and China Press. Sin Chew reported that Mohd Said made the derogatory remark that “MP for Batu Gajah tiap-tiap bulan pun bocor juga” while China Press reported that Mohd Said was the first to make the sexist and offensive remark which was followed by Bung Mohtar.

Both Sin Chew and China Press observed that probably because there was so much din and pandemonium in the House at the time that DAP MPs did not hear the vulgar, sexist and offensive remarks made by the two BN MPs at Po Kuan — which was why there had been no protest by DAP MPs in the House at the time. Continue reading “MCPs in the House — censure or not? Vote at 2.30 pm”

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Withdrawal of Maybank 50% bumi rule – first Ijok effect but tactical retreat or strategic decision?

I am not surprised by the Cabinet decision yesterday directing Maybank to withdraw its discriminatory ruling that law firms must have a bumiputra partner with at least 50% stake before they could qualify to be on its legal panel as this is the outcome of the first “Ijok effect”.

Although the Barisan Nasional (BN) had won the recent Ijok by-election in Selangor with BN trumpeting it as a great victory, BN leaders know that it is a pyrrhic victory won at too great a cost in money, manpower and machinery and which is not sustainable in a general election.

This is why the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi had asked MCA and Gerakan to explain the reason for the swing of Chinese voters to the Opposition in Ijok, although he and other top Umno leaders have equal reason to worry about Umno failure to make a significant dent in the Malay ground despite humongous expenditures of money, manpower and machinery which made a total mockery of laws to prevent money politics in elections and Abdullah’s pledge to uphold integrity and fight corruption.

However, many questions await answer, including: Continue reading “Withdrawal of Maybank 50% bumi rule – first Ijok effect but tactical retreat or strategic decision?”

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50th Merdeka Anniversary National Mission – restore Malaysia’s position as No. 2 in Asia in economic development

The ING Insurance Agency Force Association Malaysia (INGIAFAM) must be commended for its success in hosting the biggest-ever insurance convention in its history on the occasion of its 25th anniversary with some 2,500 participants.

I am very impressed by the vim, verve, vitality and vigour exuded by the organizers and participants of this Conference and I have no doubt that if these qualities could be extended to the national stage, Malaysia can hold her proper place in the forefront of nations in this challenging era of globalization.

The theme of the ING Insurance National Convention 2007, “Honour — Gratitude — Appreciation”, cannot be more appropriate as the nation is celebrating half-a-century of nationhood on its 50th Merdeka Anniversary. The Conference theme, “Honour — Gratitude — Appreciation”, is not confined just to your family, relatives, your work colleagues and customers, but also to the nation, for we are all Malaysian patriots who love this land and want the best for our country.

Applying your conference theme “Honour — Gratitutde — Appreciation” to the nation, it is worth pondering how to make the 50th Merdeka Anniversary most meaningful for Malaysia.

When we achieved Merdeka 50 years ago in 1957, the nation was second in Asia after Japan in terms of economic development. Today, we have lost out to Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan and Hong Kong and risks being overtaken by Thailand, Vietnam and even Indonesia.

The 50th Merdeka Anniversary will be the suitable occasion for the private and public sectors and all Malaysians to commit themselves to a National Mission — to restore the nation’s position when we achieved Merdeka in 1957 when we were second in Asia after Japan in terms of economic development. If we cannot beat Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan and Hong Kong, at least we must be in the same league with these countries as well as ensure that we can never be overtaken by Thailand, Vietnam and Indonesia. Continue reading “50th Merdeka Anniversary National Mission – restore Malaysia’s position as No. 2 in Asia in economic development”

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RM1.9 billion SMART Tunnel safety – DAP MPs wants on-the-spot assurance/demo by Samy Vellu before opening

I have sent an urgent fax to the Works Minister, Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu for on-the-spot safety assurance and demonstration that the RM1.9 billion SMART Tunnel is safe for use by the public not only on Monday, when it will start operation, but for the next few decades.

This has become even more urgent with more instances of government building and construction defects, with Parliament again leaking in some six places in the foyer outside the media centre this morning after heavy rain — a repeat of the disgraceful incident in April 2005 when Parliament had to be adjourned summarily because rainwater was pouring into the Dewan Rakyat Chamber as a result a ceiling collapse in a RM100 million Parliament renovaton contract.

With the recent unending series of mishaps in public buildings and construction projects, like the landslide in Putrajaya in March which should not have happened, the defects at the Immigration Headquarters and Entrepreneur and Co-operative Development Ministry buildings both in Putrajaya, the unfolding mishaps with every other day at the RM290 million largest court complex in Jalan Duta, and now the return of leaks in Parliament building, Malaysian confidence in the safety of public buildings and construction projects have reached a new low.

In this connection, was a certificate for fitness for occupation (CF) issued for the largest court complex in the world, and if so when. If no CF was issued, why was the court complex allowed to be used; and if there was CF, whether actions would be taken against those who had been so negligent as to issue the CF when there are still so many defects, including structural ones, which had to be rectified?

In the case of the RM1.9 billion SMART Tunnel, no margin of mishap could be allowed to happen,as life and limb would be at stake — unlike falling ceilings, leaking buildings and burst pipes which have so far luckily avoided fatalities or human injuries. Continue reading “RM1.9 billion SMART Tunnel safety – DAP MPs wants on-the-spot assurance/demo by Samy Vellu before opening”

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Maybanks’ legal panel – what is the truth?

by I Bernadette

First, my ethnicity is irrelevant — and I am not defending MayBank or/and its policies.

The fact that racial discrimination has been ‘cast in stone’ so to speak, into policies of organizations like MayBank, is nothing new. In Malaysia, corporations linked to the Government and not just MayBank have fine-tuned the art of racial discrimination to a heart beat.

What is new in the case of MayBank in its latest ruling is that it would appear to be encroaching on the principle of free speech as protected by our Federal Constitution of 1957 — asking that law firms hoping to deal with it be first majority-owned by a certain class of Malaysians based on race. What right has MayBank got to go around telling private individuals who go into business as partners, how profits on their earnings are supposed to be distributed among them, what equity participation they should have in their private ventures and what internal policies they should or should not follow? Isn’t this the responsibility of private individuals as free citizens?

But at least MayBank has been forthright on the issue by making public its policy. Others are less so if they ever do. Apparently it arises out of MayBank’s genuine desire to comply with what after all is government policy.

Since the issue is one basically of racial discrimination against certain categories of lawyers based on race, in favor of one class of Malaysians vis-à-vis the others, one cannot be faulted for asking whether the proper forum ought not to be the country’s legislative body responsible for such laws i.e. Parliament and not MayBank.

Consider this. For a law firm looking to do work for a bank even on an ad hoc basis, the partners would have to work hard — ‘working hard’ means in most cases many hours on the golf fields at prestigious clubs scattered not only all over the country but overseas with its team of ‘enablers’ if you will where business deals are made. This acts to automatically exclude most of the small to medium law firms with their limited resources, limited experience (on the golf fields rather than in any field) and limited track record as a firm because they are new and the partners are young. Continue reading “Maybanks’ legal panel – what is the truth?”

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Indians can change their destiny

Indians Can Change Their Destiny
by Richard Teo

I fail to agree with Samy Vellu’s assertion that the 3% equity for the Indians had been on the national agenda for a long time and that nothing had been planned and implemented for the community. The failure to reach that equity level lies not wholly with the govt but with the MIC leader which Samy leads.

The dilemma facing the marginalised Indian community will continue as long as they are led by the current MIC leaders. For 25 years the Indian community have been led by these leaders and in many ways the trust bestowed on them have been repeatedly betrayed.

The pitiful and marginalised position the Indian community are enduring would not have occurred had their leaders placed community above self, service and sacrifice above greed.

Partly to blame for this current dilemma are the Indian community generally and the MIC members specifically. Like the proverbial sheep been led to the slaughter house, they had faithfully placed their trust to these same leaders who had deemed fit to plunder the wealth meant for the poor and destitute in the Indian community. Continue reading “Indians can change their destiny”

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Merdeka! But are we totally free?

Merdeka! But are we totally free?
by Azly Rahman

Let me share my thoughts on independence and social contract by first quoting excerpts from a poem by the American poet Emma Lazarus, and next from the Enlightenment thinker Jean Jacques Rousseau.

“Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, the wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!” (The New Colossus by Lazarus, inscribed on the Statue of Liberty in the New York).

“Nations, like men, are teachable only in their youth, with age they become incorrigible. Once customs have been established and prejudices rooted, reform is a dangerous and fruitless enterprise, a people cannot bear to see its evils touched, even if only to be eradicated, it is like a stupid, pusillanimous invalid who trembles at the sight of a physician” (Rousseau in The Social Contract).

The excerpts above inspire my essay on the meaning of social contract.

Let us go back to our history and listen attentively to the idea of the formation of Malaysia. We must revise our understanding of social contract that we derive from state-authored textbooks, written by the intelligentsia; knowledge that has since formed the perception of policy makers.

What revisions do we need to make to our social contract, if we are to be independent? Continue reading “Merdeka! But are we totally free?”

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Hishammuddin – apologise for “keris-wielding” episodes to restore confidence as a symbol for national integration among students

During the debate in Parliament today on the Youth Societies and Youth Development Bill, I called on the Umno Youth leader and Education Minister, Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein to apologise for his “keris-wielding” episodes to restore confidence as a symbol for national integration among students in the nation’s schools.

This raised the heckles of UMNO MPs in the House particularly Datuk Badruddin bin Amiruldin (Jerai) and Idris Harun (Tangga Batu) who demanded clarifications which I rejected as I had only ten minutes to speak as the second last speaker on the Bill.

As a result, the last MP in the debate, Razali Ismail (Muar) started his speech on the “keris-wielding” episodes, allowing Badruddin to go on a rampage to accuse me of being disrespectful and contemptuous of Malay culture and the Yang di Pertuan Agong in not accepting the keris as a national symbol.

In rebuttal, I made it very clear that I accepted without reservation the Malay keris as part of the national emblem, and that when the Yang di Pertuan Agong unsheathed and kissed the keris, it was a symbol of justice.

However, what was unacceptable was when the Umno Youth leader wielded the keris in the context of extremist and communal demands utterly insensitive of the feelings and rights of all communities in the country. I reminded Umno MPs that at the recent Umno Youth general assembly, an Umno Youth delegate even asked when Hishammuddin was going to use the keris now that he had wielded it twice — highlighting the totally unacceptable circumstances of the keris episodes. Continue reading “Hishammuddin – apologise for “keris-wielding” episodes to restore confidence as a symbol for national integration among students”

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Religion disrupting families — two more cases

The Cabinet tomorrow must give top priority to end the series of man-made tragedies of religion disrupting families and announce after its meeting a proactive strategy to put an end to such instances which have cast a dark shadow over the nation’s 50th Merdeka anniversary celebrations.

For over forty years, such instances of family disruptions because of religion were virtually unheard of but its increasing incidence is giving Malaysia not only a bad name internationally but stand as an indictment of the failure of nation-building and national integration in plural Malaysia on half-a-century of nationhood.

The two latest instances:

1. A hair saloon operator, Benedict Gopal, 32, married his wife Audrey Christina Samuel, 29, six years ago and have two children Melissa, 5 and Jason 17 months. Both are born Christians.

In April, she left the house after differences with her husband, converted to Islam and took the name Nur Adryana Questina binti Abdullah. The two children remained with the father.

On May 3, 2007, she secured an ex-parte order from the Negri Sembilan Syariah Court directing the Negri Sembilan Islamic Affairs Department (MAINS) and the Police to co-operate to get Benedict Gopal to hand over Melissa and Jason to the mother.

Benedict Gopal was given 14 days to appear before the Negri Sembilan syariah court to set aside its order.

There have been two unsuccessful attempts involving the police to take Melissa and Jason from Benedict Gopal to hand them over to the custody of Nur Adryana Questina. Continue reading “Religion disrupting families — two more cases”

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Can Samy Vellu guarantee that the RM1.9 billion SMART Tunnel will be trouble-free when it opens on Monday?

Public constructions and buildings have become a national scandal, with burst-pipes, collapsing ceilings, faulty air-conditioning systems in brand-new government buildings almost a daily shame.

As a result of we have the following two reports today:

  • “”I have spoken until my mouth is dry’ — PM tired of talking about Terengganu airport maintenance problem” (Sin Chew Daily).
  • “Judge loses his cool over faulty air-con” (New Straits Times).

The former referred to the cancellation of all night flights for two nights at the Sultan Mahmud Airport in Kuala Terengganu following a power glitch that caused the runway navigation lights to be switched off. The two-day closure affected six commercial flights and some 335 passengers were stranded on the first day. The Yang di Pertuan Agong and his entourage, who were to have left for Kuala Lumpur on Sunday night, were also grounded.

The latter referred to spanking new RM290 million largest court complex in the world in Jalan Duta, Kuala Lumpur which has earned instant notoriety as the most mishap-prone public building — not only with collapsed ceiling, cracks on the walls, defective lift and toilet, and yesterday, High Court judge Datuk Mohamed Apandi Ali lost his cool with the frequent breakdown of the air-conditioning system in the new court complex as he was forced to postpone an appeal hearing. Continue reading “Can Samy Vellu guarantee that the RM1.9 billion SMART Tunnel will be trouble-free when it opens on Monday?”

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Putrajaya – Mahathir’s Fatehpur Sikri

PUTRAJAYA — MAHATHIR’S FATEHPUR SIKRI
by Z Ibrahim

I refer to the news regarding the various construction defects of buildings in Malaysia’s new administrative capital at Putrajaya. Putrajaya remains an architectural wonder in the forest with its gleaming, sometimes partially completed buildings and bridges. A megaproject during Malaysia’s days of excesses it is reminiscent of Akbar’s deserted capital of Fatehpur Sikri.

Fatehpur Sikri, located 40km west of Agra, was the political capital of India’s Mughal Empire under Akbar’s reign from 1571 until 1585. It shared its imperial duties as a capital city with Agra and is regarded as Emperor Akbar’s crowning architectural legacy. Construction of the new ceremonial capital, with its elaborate palaces, formal courtyards, reflecting pools, harems, tombs and a great mosque commenced in 1571. A large number of masons and stone carvers worked hard for 15 years on the construction of the city the size of which was larger than contemporary London. It served as the capital of his mighty empire for twelve years (1571-1585) and was abruptly abandoned thereafter shortly after the work was completed ostensibly because of the lack of adequate water supply. Continue reading “Putrajaya – Mahathir’s Fatehpur Sikri”

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Samy Vellu – why marginalisation of Indians worsened nine years after Anwar sacked from Umno?

MIC President Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu yesterday castigated Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) adviser Anwar Ibrahim, accusing him of deceit and not helping Indian estate workers when he was in power.

When Anwar was deputy prime minister, he “did nothing” for the estate workers, let alone the Indian community, said the Works Minister.

Samy Vellu said: “I have copies of letters I sent to him seeking assistance (for estate workers when Anwar was deputy prime minister), but he did not lift a finger to help.”

This was the MIC President’s response to Anwar who had said that Indians in estates were treated like slaves and subjected to abject poverty. “They live in fear of thugs and their overlord minister. The Indians are treated as third class, not by us but by you,” Anwar said, referring to Samy Vellu.

Anwar said estate workers were intimidated and bribed into supporting the Barisan Nasional during the recent Ijok state constituency by-election.

Anwar is fully capable to defending himself and I have no intention of replying on Anwar’s behalf.

However, I have received calls from Malaysian Indians wanting to know from Samy Vellu why the MIC President had been a party to the marginalization of Indians and kept quiet for so long even now. Continue reading “Samy Vellu – why marginalisation of Indians worsened nine years after Anwar sacked from Umno?”

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Freeze new Maybank bumi ruling until EPU methodology on ethnic equity ownership made public

Although Maybank Bhd has said that it will review its new ruling that with effect from 1-7-2007, one of the criteria for legal firms to be on its panel is that 50% of the equity of the partnership of the legal firm must be held by Bumiputras, its statement is ambivalent and unsatisfactory.

This is because the Maybank statement seems to imply two things:

  • firstly, that existing legal firms which are already on the Maybank panel, and which had been given one year to comply with the new ruling, may now be exempted from the 50% bumiputra partnership ruling;
  • secondly, that for all practical purposes, new legal firms will have to comply with the 50% bumiputra partnership ruling if they are to be emplaced on the bank’s panel.

In keeping with the principles of CSR (corporate social responsibility), Maybank Bhd should not speak in ambiguities but must make clear its policies and guidelines. For this reason, Maybank should clearly explain whether the 50% bumiputra partnership ruling for its panel lawyers will come into force on 1st July 2007 and how it will impact separately on its existing panel lawyers and new firms.

The controversy raised by the Maybank ruling, whether on the blogosphere or among the Malaysian public, have highlighted one important issue — that the few law firms doing good business with the government, statutory bodies or public listed companies with large government holdings are the politically connected ones, which is a more important consideration than whether they are bumiputra owned and operated or with substantial bumi equity.

Or as one poster on my blog put it: “In many of the cases if there is a bumiputra partner he’s probably a retired government servant or a stay-at-home mom who lends their names for a few bucks every month”.

I call on Maybank to be a model of CSR and make public the top 25 legal firms on its panel which have been given the most bank business each year for the past 10 years. This is to allow Malaysians to judge whether the criteria for legal firms on its panel who are given the most Maybank business are the politically-connected ones rather than based on meritocracy or other critera. Continue reading “Freeze new Maybank bumi ruling until EPU methodology on ethnic equity ownership made public”