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Eureka! But no…

Eureka! But no…

According to legend, more than 2,000 years ago, when Archimedes got into his bath and saw it overflow, he suddenly realised he could use water displacement to work out the volume and density of the king’s crown. Archimedes not only shouted “Eureka” – I have found it – he supposedly ran home naked through the streets of Syracuse in his excitement.

I was quite at a loss and almost given up the effort to try to understand why I could not update my blog and the signs of more and more of the WordPress functions breaking down, when I remembered a query by a poster whether I had configured the blog to reject the function embolding words. At the time, I did not really understand the query.

But this gave me a clue and I found that the use of the “bold” function in the WordPress 2.3.1 led to the rejection of the input, whether new blog or commentary. This led to other discoveries – the fatal role of most of the other WordPress functions in killing any update or new input.

This was why I was finally able to put up three blog items today, the latest article by Farish Noor on “The A, B and C of God” and two pieces of my media conference in Kampong Simee, Ipoh Timur this morning to launch “crime, law and order” as among the top general election themes in Perak state.

But I have not been able to use the WordPress functions whether to edit the blog like to “bold” or italicize passages, break up the blog, link to media reports, etc.

You will have to bear with the failure of the various WordPress functions until the WordPress glitches could be sorted out.

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Samy Vellu should resign as Minister for continuing to work against the cause of Indians to end marginalisation

MIC President and Works Minister, Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu was again snubbed by the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi in New Delhi while attending the “People of Indian Origin” Conference, after he had been conspicuously snubbed by the Tamil Nadu leader in Chennai last week, where Samy Vellu waited for three days for an appointment which never came!

Samy Vellu had said he wanted to explain to Indian leaders the “the real situation concerning the Indian community in Malaysia” but clearly the MIC President has lost all credibility in Tamil Nadu which has 70 million Tamils and no Tamil leader is prepared to lend him their ears.

Never before in his over 28 years as the sole Malaysian Indian Cabinet Minister has Samy Vellu brought more shame and dishonour to the MIC, government and Malaysia.

I call on Samy Vellu to resign as Works Minister not so much for being regarded as a “persona non grata” by the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu and other Indian leaders, but because he has continued to work against the cause of the Malaysian Indians for justice and fair play and an end to their long-standing political, economic, educational, social, cultural and religious marginalization.

This is because Samy Vellu has continued to maintain that there had been no marginalization of the Malaysian Indians during his current visit to India – when he knows in his heart of hearts that this is untrue.

The least that Samy Vellu, as President of MIC which claims to represents the rights and interests of the two million Malaysian Indians, should so is to openly acknowledge the fact and reality of the marginalization of the Indians in Malaysia causing them to become the new underclass in the country – for it is only with the MIC ending its denial syndrome about the marginalization of the Malaysian Indians that the Barisan Nasional government could abandon its denial complex on the same issue.

Is Samy Vellu afraid of losing his Ministerial position should he speak the truth and own up to the marginalization of the Indians in Malaysia?

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The A, B and C of God

The A, B and C of God

By Farish A. Noor

It has been a month now since Malaysia has been gripped in one of the most obscure and arcane of controversies over the use of the word ‘Allah’ by Muslims and non-Muslims alike. This must seem odd to foreigners for elsewhere in the world Muslims (such as the Muslims of Egypt) have no problem with their Coptic friends and neighbours using the word ‘Allah’ to refer to God. Why, even during the Coptic Christmas on 7th January the
Coptic Pope delivered his Christmas sermon with phrases like ‘Bismillah’ time and again. So why are the Muslims of Malaysia so obsessed with the idea of claiming a singular word for themselves?

For those who have studied the fundamentals of rational metaphysics in Islam, one of the first themes that is covered is often that of semantics and semiotics. Odd that many courses on rational metaphysics begins with the most fundamental of subjects itself: meaning and the relationship between the Signifier and the Signified, but then again as any scholar will alert
you, one cannot even begin to embark on the social production of knowledge without the ground rules of meaning and signification established in the first place.

The startling thing that the student learns soon enough may seem commonsensical, but crucial nonetheless: That signification is a socially determined, historically conditioned, relative and subjective phenomenon. Words mean what they do simply because the rules of signification have come to be settled by convention over time. There is no essential reason why the
idea of a tree has to be referred to with the word or symbol ‘tree’; but once that association is made then the rule for that sign is set (not necessarily in stone perhaps) and we stick to it. Otherwise even the most basic of conversations beginning with the word ‘Hello’ would not get off the ground, and we wouldn’t get very far would we?

The real difficulties arise, however, when we embark on discussions on loftier, more abstract matters like virtue, aesthetics, divinity and of course God. Here is where rational metaphysics gets sticky to a point.

For hundreds of years the Muslim world has witnessed the on-going polemic and contestation between the verificationists-positivists and the nominalists: In plain English, this refers to the dispute over how one reads scripture and how the mortal human mind interprets divine revealed knowledge. On the one hand there are the positivists who insist on empirical referents to everything that is said or signified, and who hence argue that
complex concepts like virtue and beauty are, literally, meaningless. Then on the other hand there are the nominalists who take the view that words mean what they do as we intend them to, and while empirical referents are not necessarily close at hand, the words nonetheless have meaning because they
are understood in a determined social context.

The Sufis or Muslim mystical philosophers who belong to the age-old tradition of Muslim metaphysics honed this principle to a high art, and in the lyrical ruminations and speculations of Maulana Rumi and his peers, we find the concept of divinity interrogated, explored, laid bare, adorned, embellished, dissected – all for the sake of trying to get to the Truth of the matter which the human mind, with its limited faculties, cannot encompass in its entirely. That is why, as the Sufis will remind you, there are so many names of God: From ‘Allah’, to ‘Gamal’, ‘Rahim’, ‘Rahman’ and so
forth, each of which point to a singular attribute of a divinity that is infinite. Perhaps one of the most enigmatic names of God is ‘Hu’; which during the dzikrs (recitations) of some Sufi mystics such as the followers of the Naqshabandiyya order, is pronounced ‘Who’. The Naqshabandis do not merely pronounce the word Hu, they even exhale and empty their lungs completely in a rhythmic sequence, again and again, to signify that even
speaking the name of God entails totally emptying – thus negating – your human self in the process; as if to suggest that God is all and the human is nothing.

With such a rich and complex history that points to an obvious understanding that the word ‘Allah’ is merely a symbol or sign and not the thing itself, why is it that the Muslims of Malaysia still demonstrate an understanding of normative Islam that is not only shallow, but also parochial and exclusive? To suggest that the word ‘Allah’ can only be used by Muslims as some of Malaysia’s leaders have done would suggest that God requires a copyright,
and that God would not be understood if you cannot get its name right.

Yet Islam, if it is to be the universal religion that it is, does not need an official language or uniform. Nor does it need to claim copyright to universal signifiers that are, after all, part of the common currency of public language. Once again, despite claims to being a ‘moderate’ Islamic state, the Malaysian government (or rather some of its leaders) have demonstrated a third-rate understanding of the subjects they are wont to prattle about. That this doesn’t say much about their understanding of Islam, linguistics and philosophy is bad enough; but worse still is how this reflects on Malaysia’s vainglorious ambition to present itself as a model Muslim state for others to follow. Perhaps the leaders of the country should get back to the basics, and focus more on the A, B, Cs of Islam once again…

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Abdullah’s anti-crime multiprong strategy – just general election gimmick?

The Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi’s expression of “worry” about the rising crime index and his announcement of a multi-prong strategy to combat crime lack seriousness and conviction, as they appear to be just election gimmicks to give Malaysians a false sense of security that something is being done to fight crime with the approach of the general election.

New Straits Times front-page headline yesterday, “CRIME RATE UP 13.4% – PM expresses alarm Announces remedial action” understates the gravity of the crime situation in Malaysia during the four-year Abdullah premiership.

The crime rate rose by 13.4 per cent last year but in the four years of Abdullah premiership, crime rate shot up by an even more alarming 45%.

When Abdullah became Prime Minister in October 2003, the crime situation was already out of control which was why one of his first reform promises and measures which won him all-round plaudits and support among Malaysians was the establishment of the Royal Police Commission to reduce crime to restore to Malaysians their twin fundamental rights to be free from crime and the fear of crime, whether in the streets, public places or the privacy of their homes.

After four years, Malaysia today is even more unsafe to its citizens, visitors, tourists or investors because of endemic crime.

In the past four years, the crime index had worsened from 156,315 cases in 2003 to 224,298 cases in 2007 – a sharp rise of some 45% when it should have gone down as recommended by the Royal Police Commission. For the first time in the nation’s 50-year history, the crime index last year crashed through the 200,000 psychological barrier. Women in Malaysia are now more unsafe today than four years ago – as the incidence of rape had more than doubled from a daily average of four women in 2003 to 8.5 women last year!

Is the five-prong anti-crime strategy announced by Abdullah adequate to make Malaysia a safer country than just four years ago before he became Prime Minister?

One of the five anti-crime strategies is to appoint civilians to administrative positions and thereby release police personnel for their main duties.

This is actually Recommendation No. 78 of the 125 recommendations of the Royal Police Commission to create an efficient, accountable, incorruptible, professional world-class police service to keep crime low, eradicate corruption and uphold human rights.

The Royal Police Commission proposed “Civilianising or outsourcing functions presently performed by uniformed personnel in PDRM, and re-deploying the uniformed personnel to core policing functions”. It said that such a move would immediately release 35,000 uniformed police personnel for core policing functions, i.e. fighting crime and catching criminals!

The Royal Police Commission provided a time-line for the implementation of this proposal – “In phases. Completion by May 2007”

This is January 2008 and the Prime Minister is still talking about this proposal of “appointing civilians to administrative positions to release police personnel” for their core police duties to fight crime and catch criminals! What a shame and disappointment!

DAP has decided make crime, law and order the top national theme in the next general election – which will be a first in the nation’s 50-year electoral history.

Today, we are here to launch in Perak state the DAP’s “Good Cops, Safe Malaysia” campaign theme for the next general election, starting with the visit to the Kampong Simee market just now.

Together with other DAP Perak state leaders, I will take part in a two-day whistle-stop campaign to take the DAP message of “Good Cops, Safe Malaysia” to all Malaysians as it is the basic right and expectation of all Malaysians, regardless of race, religion or political beliefs to enjoy personal safety and property security. Among the places I will visit in the weekend two-day whistle-stop campaign in Perak will be Ipoh, Teluk Intan, Taiping, Sungei Siput, Pantai Remis, Kampar and Bidor.

(Media Conference in Kampong Simee, Ipoh Timur, on Thursday, 10th January 2008 at 10 am)

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2007 crime index crashed through 200,000 barrier – biggest failure of 4-year Abdullah premiership

The Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi’s five-prong strategy announced yesterday to combat the rising crime index is not impressive at all – too little, too late and too indifferent in lacking seriousness and commitment by Abdullah to make Malaysia safe again for its citizens, visitors, tourists and investors.

Under Abdullah’s premiership, crime has reached endemic dimension with Malaysia gaining an international notoriety as a country unsafe for her citizens, visitors, tourists and investors.

When he became Prime Minister on Oct. 31, 2003, Abdullah pledged that one of his top priorities would be to reduce crime to restore to Malaysians their fundamental right to be free from crime and the fear of crime, whether in the streets, public places or the privacy of their homes.

Today, Malaysians feel even more unsafe from crime than when he became Prime Minister.

Abdullah had raised great hopes about his commitment to create an efficient, incorruptible, professional and world-class police service to declare an all-out war against crime when he set up the Royal Police Commission which came out with 125 recommendations, the most important of which was the proposal for an Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission (IPCMC).

All such high hopes of Malaysians for a world-class professional police service to keep crime index low to make the country safe for the people, visitors and foreign investors have been dashed to the ground in the past four years.

All these high hopes have come to nought. The proposal of an effective IPCMC has been killed, replaced with a clawless and toothless Special Complaints Commission proposal.

Under Abdullah’s premiership, the police fought a losing war against the rising crime index, which had worsened from 156,315 cases in 2003 to 224,298 cases in 2007 – a sharp rise of some 45% in the past four years.

The crime index crashed through the 200,000 barrier for the first time in nation’s history with rape more than doubled from a daily average of four women in 2003 to 8.5 women last year.
This means that under Abdullah as Prime Minister, women are even more unsafe from the crime of rape, with the risk of rape more than doubled than when Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad handed power over to him four years ago.

Abdullah’s multi-pronged anti-crime strategy announced yesterday has fallen like a damp squid as nobody believes that it will have any effect to make Malaysia at least as safe for personal safety and property security when he became Prime Minister four years ago. Continue reading “2007 crime index crashed through 200,000 barrier – biggest failure of 4-year Abdullah premiership”

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Stop misallocating limited resources hunting Chua Soi Lek sex DVDs when top police priority is to fight endemic crime

The Batu Pahat magistrate’s court yesterday sentenced three persons to jail and hefty fines for possessing and reproducing the sex DVD of former Health Minister, Datuk Seri Dr. Chua Soi Lek, viz:

• Tay Bee Bee, 29, owner of a beauty salon, was jailed for five days and fined RM10,000 or default six months’ jail for having in her possession three DVDs;

• See Tooh Choy Yoke, 26 (Tay’s employee) and farmer Lim Poi Keong, 51, each jailed for four days and fined RM15,000 or in default seven months’ jail for making 11 copies of the DVD.

The fourth person, Tan Kim Chong, 48, has claimed trial in the Johor Baru magistrate’s court to the charge of possessing the DVD.

It is reported that two more men in Johor Baru have been arrested for having six Chua Soi Lek sex DVDs each.

While public opinion is in general agreement that the trio had committed offences under Section 292© of the Penal Code, it is also the general consensus that the sentences of jail and fine were excessive, unjustifiable in the public interest and therefore detrimental to the cause of justice.

Public confidence in the administration of justice and police maintenance of law and order are not served if it is perceived that the law enforcement agencies are overzealous in a case which affect a former government Minister when similar zeal has not been shown to make the streets, public places and homes safe for Malaysians, visitors, tourists and investors.

Police should stop misallocating their limited resources to try to hunt down all who possess the Chua Soi Lek sex DVD when their total focus must be to make Malaysia a safe country again and to restore to Malaysians their fundamental right to be free from crime and the fear of crime. Continue reading “Stop misallocating limited resources hunting Chua Soi Lek sex DVDs when top police priority is to fight endemic crime”

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Who is Khairy to tell everyone including Ministers to stop speculating on when the general election would be held?

Who is Khairy Jamaluddin to tell everyone, including Ministers, to stop speculating on when the general election would be held when he has not even been elected as Member of Parliament?

Of course, everybody knows that he is the most powerful man in the country, presiding over the fourth storey of Prime Minister’s Office in Putrajaya and who controls and manipulates the Prime Minister’s moves and decision-making.

But such unaccountable and even unconstitutional exercise of power should not get to his head to make him publicly rebuke Ministers for speculating when the next general election would be held, although his statement was specifically directed at the Election Commission and made no mention of Cabinet Ministers.

However, when Khairy called on all parties, including the Election Commission Chairman Tan Sri Abdul Rashid Abdul Rahman , to stop speculating on when the general election would be held, claiming that “it was Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi’s sole prerogative on when to call for the election”, it was clear that he was carrying out an Umno proxy war and his target was not Rashid but Cabinet Ministers like the Home Minister and Umno Secretary-General Datuk Seri Radzi Sheikh Ahmad and Natural Resources and Environment Minister Datuk Seri Azmi Khalid.

It was only three days ago that Azmi said publicly that the general election was near – and in the past ten days, Radzi had been declaring that “It’s time for a leadership change in Perlis”, openly advocating that the current Perlis Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Shahidan Kassim should be replaced by Azmi.

However, standing in the way of Radzi and Azmi is Khairy, who is aligned with Shahidan as the Umno warlord in Perlis who could deliver what Khairy needed in Umno power stakes – to the extent that the scandals of Shahidan which Radzi had brought to the personal attention of the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi had been completely neutralized by Khairy. Continue reading “Who is Khairy to tell everyone including Ministers to stop speculating on when the general election would be held?”

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New method of crime by snatch thieves

Letters
by Joyce Ho

We have been reading about snatch thieves incidents. I witnessed for myself today a new method adopted by them.

Please pass this on to friends – Alert them of this NEW METHOD adopted by snatch thieves.

I was driving along SS2/22, Petaling Jaya going towards Damansara Jaya. This street is totally residential one street off the main road.

About 10 houses in front of me was this young lady walking by a car parked along the grass patch outside one of the terrace houses. As she was reaching the rear end of this clean decent looking Silver Proton Waja, I noticed the engine started and the left rear passenger doors window was being wound down.

Suddenly a man emerged out of the rear passenger doors window his entire torso! and making a grab of this ladys handbag!!!! As this man emerged from the cars window, the Silver Proton Waja was pulling out of its parking position slowly not in a hurry with the man from within just dragging the lady and her handbag along until she gave it up!! Then they drove off slowly no hurry!!!

All the above happened in front of my eyes in less than 30 seconds!!!!!

Her screams and cries did not help! No one came to her rescue in fact a middle age woman ran into her house upon seeing this happening right in front of her house only to come back out to lock her gates after the car has driven away! Do you blame her? The thieves were so bold!!!! Continue reading “New method of crime by snatch thieves”

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Samy Vellu should cut short his India trip to get Hindraf 5 released from ISA since there is no evidence of their terrorist links

MIC President and Works Minister, Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu should cut short his current India trip and rush back to the Cabinet meeting on Wednesday to uphold justice for the Hindraf Five wrongly detained under the Internal Security Act (ISA) since he has admitted to the Indian media that there is no evidence about Hindraf’s terrorist links.

Samy Vellu had told the Indian media in Chennai that the Malaysian government did not have any evidence that Hindraf had connection with Tamil Tigers or terrorists. He was responding to questions from reporters in Chennai.

This is the Q & A on the NDTVG.com where Samy Vellu admitted that there is no evidence that Hindraf has terrorist links:

NDTV: Do you have any evidence to back your government’s charge that the Hindraf has links with terrorists?

D S Vellu: Hindraf said they would fight like the Tigers, the way the Tigers are fighting in Sri Lanka. It was by Vedamurthy. After he talked like that, we did an investigation and it was felt that he may have gone there for training.

NDTV: Do you have evidence of this?

D S Vellu: No. It is our suspicion.

It was because of the alleged Hindraf’s terrorist links that the Hindraf Five, P. Uthayakumar, V. Ganabatirau, M. Manoharan, R. Kenghadharan and T. Vasantha Kumar were detained under the Internal Security Act (ISA).

The Inspector-General of Police, Tan Sri Musa Hassan had told Malaysians immediately after their ISA arrests on 14th December 2007 that the detention of the Hindraf Five was “imperative” because “they clearly have links with international terrorist organizations”. (NST 15.12.07) Continue reading “Samy Vellu should cut short his India trip to get Hindraf 5 released from ISA since there is no evidence of their terrorist links”

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Where is PAC report on AG’s Report 2006 before dissolution of Parliament?

I am asking for an urgent meeting with the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi to propose that there should be a special four-day meeting of Parliament within the next 30 days to dispose of all outstanding parliamentary business so that they will not lapse when Parliament is dissolved in less than 70 days for the 12th general election to be held.

One important outstanding parliamentary business is the report of the Parliamentary Accounts Committee (PAC) into the 2006 Auditor-General’s Report, which had created a nation-wide furore when it was tabled in Parliament last September, exposing scandals including:

• payment of RM224 for a RM32 set of screwdrivers;

• paying RM1,146 for a set of pens costing RM160;

• paying RM5,700 for a car jack worth RM50;

• the National Higher Education Fund Corporation (PTPTN) paying RM5.59 million in advance to 4,183 students who did not apply for a loan; and .

• the largest single case of misuse of funds in the Report — the RM6.75 billion scandal of six Offshore Patrol Vessels (OPV) that have either not been delivered or not operational and the increase of their contract price twice from RM4.9 billion to RM6.75 billion or 38 percent.

MPs and Malaysians were assured last September that the PAC members would be going through the Auditor-General’s strictures of criminal breaches of trust and financial irregularities in his 2006 Report with a fine tooth comb and would be demanding full public accountability and responsibility.

If the 11th Parliament is now dissolved without the PAC completing and submitting its report, it will be a failure of parliamentary scrutiny and responsibility for the 11th Parliament and a terrible reflection on the record of the PAC Chairman, Datuk Shahrir Samad. Continue reading “Where is PAC report on AG’s Report 2006 before dissolution of Parliament?”

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Sex and The Politician

by M. Bakri Musa

Between the salacious reporting on and the holier-than-thou responses to the sexual escapade of former Health Minister Chua Soi Lek, three important points are overlooked. In a country where an intrusive government could as a law enforcement exercise barge into people’s bedrooms (consider the many khalwat raids), these points bear pondering.

One, what if she had not been a “personal friend” (presumably Chua also has “non-personal friends”) but a foreign intelligence agent, and he, somebody important like a Minister of Defense? Rest assured then that she would be very smooth and sophisticated; she would not let herself be blown to pieces or let the tape be released. It would be more valuable kept secret than exposed.

Two, what if my wife and I had stayed in that same room a few days immediately before, when those “technicians” were having their “practice” runs, or a few days later, when their voyeuristic lust is not yet fully satisfied? Those peeping toms could not blackmail us of course, but we would have felt violated nonetheless. The hotel would be liable, legally and morally, for the damages suffered by us just as surely as if the management had handed to known thugs duplicate keys to our room.

Last is the sense of perspective. In this escapade two people had great fun, with one subsequently paying dearly with his career. No one was killed, or potentially killed, assuming they engaged in “safe sex.” Yet the police expended considerable resources on the case. Meanwhile the recent brutal sex slaying of young Nurin Jazlin remains unsolved and forgotten. Continue reading “Sex and The Politician”

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Najib, you are wrong

by Richard Teo

Yes the tide is turning in Kelantan but certainly not in favour of BN but for PAS. As a kelantanese I can safely tell Najib the true current political situation in Kelantan. How could Zubaidah Abu Bakar speculate in the 6th Jan.2008 NST that “there are many in Kelantan who want to see a change of government”?

This is farthest from the truth. The Malay psyche in Kelantan is vastly different from the psyche of Malays from the other states. The Malays in Kelantan are astute when it comes to politics. That explains why it is the only Malay state where the opposition party other than UMNO has ruled for a substantial period since Merdeka.

During BN’s tenure, pork sellers in the Chinese market were harrassed daily. They were confined to a small inconspicous space where pork could be sold hidden from public view. There was conditional and restricted time when pork could be sold. When PAS took over the government in 1990, they improved the Chinese market and pork was sold without any restrictions. In
short they were not harrassed.

Again, during BN’s tenure, Chinese could not buy houses built on Malay reservation land. Since most of the land come under the purview of Malay reservation, most Kelantanese Chinese could not own a home. But all these changed when PAS came to power.

Under the able DUN of Kota Bharu, Dato Annuar Tan, 30% of houses built on Malay reservation land were allocated for sale to the Kelantan Chinese.

Any doubts where the Chinese loyalty lies can easily be dispelled by visiting the Chinese enclave in Jalan Kebun Sultan. Ask any Chinese business community there and they will brazenly tell you that they will vote for PAS. Yes the Chinese votes in Kelantan are solidly behind PAS. Continue reading “Najib, you are wrong”

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Mazu statue – Lim questions Yong’s stand

Daily News Express
Lim questions Yong’s stand
Sunday 06 January 2008

Kota Kinabalu: Parliamentary Opposition Leader Lim Kit Siang has accused Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) President Datuk Yong Teck Lee of leading the attack on former Chief Minister Tan Sri Chong Kah Kiat to oppose the Mazu project in Kudat.

He said Yong – also a former Chief Minister – and Chong should be standing united to hold the middle ground to uphold the constitutional right of Sabahans and Malaysians on the freedom of religion by continuing with the construction of the 32.9 metres (108-feet Mazu) statue.

“It is disgraceful and tragic that instead of the two former Sabah Chief Ministers standing on an united platform working for the completion of the world’s tallest Mazu statue, Yong is leading an attack on Chong to oppose the project,” Lim said in a Press statement released in Parliament Saturday.

Lim, who is DAP Member of Parliament for Ipoh Timur, quoted several reports pertaining to the Mazu project by the two former Chief Ministers in the Daily Express. Continue reading “Mazu statue – Lim questions Yong’s stand”

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Obama’s historic Iowa victory should spur historic role by Malaysians Indians in next general election

In the 21st century of globalization and information/communications technologies, Malaysians and their leaders cannot continue to live like frogs in the well.

When Hindraf leaders sought the understanding and support of political leaders in India about the plight of Malaysian Indians, they were labelled as anti-national, disloyal and traitors of the country.

But now, the MIC President and Works Minister, Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu is on a extended trip to India on precisely the same purpose – although with very little results, but he has not been condemned as being anti-national, disloyal or traitors to the country.

If Malaysian leaders do not want to be “frogs in the well”, they must be sensitive to the fast-changing global developments and world opinion.

The continued marginalization of the Malaysian Indians will become an international issue, even more so for the Indian diaspora with a population close to Malaysia’s population – over 20 million.

The eyes of the world are on two awakening giants and they are both in Asia – China and India. The Indian company, Tata, for instance, is poised to take control of the British icons, Jaguar and Land Rover from Ford, and within the next decade, India will become a bigger economy than the UK, the first Commonwealth country to do so. Continue reading “Obama’s historic Iowa victory should spur historic role by Malaysians Indians in next general election”

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Samy Vellu’s triple shame in Chennai – apologies from mulitiple personalities warranted

I learn from a posting on my blog that the Malaysian Nanban today reported on its front page that the MIC President and sole Malaysian Indian Cabinet Minister for over 28 years, Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu suffered grave humiliation in Chennai when the Tamil Nadu chief Minister S. Karunanidhi refused to meet him, despite Samy Vellu waiting for an appointment for three days.

Samy Vellu had said when he arrived in Chennai on Dec. 30 that he would meet Indian leaders including Karunanidhi and the Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh during his visit to India to attend the three-day People of Indian Origin Conference in New Delhi starting on January 7.

He said he would explain “the real situation concerning the Indian community in Malaysia” to the Indian leaders in view of the “negative publicity” from the Nov. 25 Hindraf demonstration which drew support from 30,000 Indians from all over the country.

Samy Vellu was made to cool his heels in Chennai, waiting for three days and repeatedly phoning up for an appointment with the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister but to no avail.

Nanban reported the displeasure of Samy Vellu at being given the cold shoulder, complaining at the ingratitude of Karunanidhi when the MIC President had treated the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister like royalty when Karunanidhi had previously visited Malaysia.

Samy Vellu has brought shame not only to himself, but to MIC, the Malaysian Indians and the Malaysian nation. For this he owes the Malaysian Indian community and all Malaysians a fulsome public apology.

This is the Samy Vellu’s first shame in Chennai.

He suffered a second shame in Chennai. Continue reading “Samy Vellu’s triple shame in Chennai – apologies from mulitiple personalities warranted”

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EC Chairman Rashid should implement “caretaker govt” concept to ensure free, fair, clean election

I will seek a meeting with the Chairman of the Election Commission Chairman, Tan Sri Abdul Rashid Abdul Rahman to discuss how the Election Commission proposes to ensure that the 12th general election is free, fair and clean, particularly whether the Election Commission proposes to apply the caretaker government concept when Parliament is dissolved.

When he became Prime Minister four years ago, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi propounded the concept of Islam Hadhari, founded on just and trustworthy governance.

A government which genuinely believes in fair play and justice as two important ingredients of Islam Hadhari would support the concept of a caretaker government between the dissolution of Parliament and the election of a new legislature and formation of new government.

Under this concept, which has become commonplace in first-world developed nations, there is only a caretaker government when Parliament stands dissolved for a general election to be held. Continue reading “EC Chairman Rashid should implement “caretaker govt” concept to ensure free, fair, clean election”

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Chua Soi Lek faces second “conspiracy of silence” on the MCA “blackhand” who caused his downfall

Four persons have been detained by the police in connection with the sex video of former Health Minister, Datuk Seri Dr. Chua Soi Lek – a 29-year-old beauty salon owner in Taman Bukit Perdana, Batu Pahat and her assistant, a 50-year-old farmer in Batu Pahat and a 40-year-old man in a food court in Taman Sri Tebrau.

Johore Police sources have said that more arrests are expected in the coming days as police are confident of tracking down the main culprits behind the recording and distribution of the sex DVD.

Johore Police Chief Deputy Comm Datuk Hussin Ismail said that the cases are being investigated under Section 292 of the Penal Code for distributing and having in possession material containing pornographic elements.

Unless the four persons detained were involved in the syndicate responsible for the recording and distribution of the sex DVD, they should be released immediately if their only offence is one of possession of the Chua sex DVD and no charges should be brought against them.

The Police should also abandon the earlier plan announced by the Muar police chief Asst Comm Mohammad Nasir Ramli to conduct door-to-door searches of residents in Batu Pahat and Muar suspected to be possession of the Chua sex DVD as it would be a gross abuse of police powers and an intolerable and unacceptable violation of privacy of ordinary Malaysians.

The police should first conduct house-to-house search of MCA Ministers, Deputy Ministers, Parliamentary Secretaries, Members of Parliament and leaders for the Chua sex DVD before it thinks about house-to-house search of residents of Batu Pahat and Muar.

DCP Hussin said that it is an offence to keep the Chua sex DVD and those who have it should surrender it to the police or destroy it.

How many of the MCA Ministers, Deputy Ministers, Parliamentary Secretaries, MPs and leaders have surrendered their copies of the Chua sex DVD to the police? Continue reading “Chua Soi Lek faces second “conspiracy of silence” on the MCA “blackhand” who caused his downfall”

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Ban on “Allah” for non-Muslims and on stop-work on world’s tallest Mazu statue – are moderates in Cabinet outnumbered by extremists?

In his speech at the Christmas high-tea organised by the Christian Federation of Malaysia (CFM), the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi made a stirring call to moderates to lead the fight against fanatics or extremism will prevail.

He said: “If the moderates do not speak up, they will allow the extremists to occupy centre stage. And then, extremism will be seen as the religious or national approach in our country.”

However, from the continued ban on the use of “Allah” for non-Muslims and the stop-work on the world’s tallest Mazu statue in Kudat, Malaysians are entitled to ask: Where are the moderates in Cabinet and government to lead the fight against fanatics so that extremism will not prevail?

How can the Cabinet justify the total ban on the use of the word “Allah”, by surreptitiously inserting as an unwritten condition for the renewal of the printing permit of the Catholic weekly Herald, when for 50 years through four previous Prime Ministers, Tunku Abdul Rahman, Tun Razak, Tun Hussein Onn and Tun Mahathir, the use of the word by Christians and Sikhs had not caused religious misunderstanding, tension or conflict?

It is the Cabinet decision to impose a total ban on the use of the word “Allah” for non-Muslim religions, trampling on the fundamental right of freedom of religion for non-Muslims, that is exacerbating inter-religious relations in plural Malaysia.

Why are there no moderates in the Cabinet to hold the middle-ground or have the extremists and fanatics now outnumber the moderates among the Ministers? Continue reading “Ban on “Allah” for non-Muslims and on stop-work on world’s tallest Mazu statue – are moderates in Cabinet outnumbered by extremists?”

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Samy Vellu anti-national, disloyal and traitor in his current trip to India?

MIC President and Works Minister Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu is in India to attend the three-day conference for People of Indian Origin (PIO) and he is taking the opportunity to meet the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi and the Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to explain to them the position of the Indian Malaysians in the country.

When Hindraf leaders sought to explain to Indian political leaders the plight of the Indian Malaysians as a new underclass after long-standing political, economic, educational, social, cultural and religious marginalization, they were accused of being anti-national, disloyal and traitors of the country.

Can Samy Vellu be equally denounced now as anti-national, disloyal and traitor for involving Indian leaders in the Malaysian domestic affairs with regard to the plight of the Indian Malaysians?

Samy Vellu is organizing a mammoth 15,000-people rally at the Cheras Badminton Stadium in Kuala Lumpur on January 20 to pledge support for Barisan Nasional and Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi. Continue reading “Samy Vellu anti-national, disloyal and traitor in his current trip to India?”