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Six children being returned to Marimuthu to be brought up as Hindus — habeas corpus application for Suresh/Revathi case

A settlement was reached at the Shah Alam High Court this morning following the habeas corpus application filed by Karpal Singh on behalf of rubber tapper Marimuthu Periasamy for the release of his wife Raimah Bibi a/p Noordin and six children, Yoogneswary 12, Paramila 11, Hariharan 8, Ravindran 5, Shamala 5 and Keberan 4 from detention by the Selangor Islamic Religious Department since 2nd April 2007 on the ground that they were Muslims.

Periasamy has filed a supporting affidavit stating that he and his wife were at all material times of the Indian race and they practiced and professed the Hindu religion. They brought up their children in the Hindu religion and beliefs.

Their children were given Indian names and they had lived in peace without interruption even though they earn a modest living.

Things changed in the morning of 2nd April 2007 when seven officers acting on behalf of the Jabatan Agama Islam Selangor (JAIS) raided their residence in Kampung Baru Tambahan, Ulu Yang, Selangor, detaining his wife and six children and forcibly took them away from their house. Marimuthu was threatened with “khalwat” if he attempted to stop them.

When the Shah Alam High Court sat this morning, Karpal informed Justice Su Geok Yian that the habeas corpus application had been overtaken by events as a settlement has been reached with Raimah filing an affidavit that she remained a Muslim and that she has agreed that the six children be returned to the father to be brought up as Hindus – which is to be done later today. Raimah was in court and she confirmed the arrangement with Justice Su.

This is a sort of a solution to a very human problem affecting the parties concerned, although it is not a very happy arrangement as it leaves many issues open-ended which may cause problems in the future.

It is sad and tragic that a happy couple and united family with seven children as a result of 21 years of marriage should be broken up by religious factors when family unity and love should be the paramount concern of all religions.

Something is very wrong with our society and nation when a 21-year happy and united family could be broken up like the case of Marimuthu, Raimah and their seven children. Continue reading “Six children being returned to Marimuthu to be brought up as Hindus — habeas corpus application for Suresh/Revathi case”

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Ijok/Machap – Umno more concerned than MCA about swing of Chinese votes to Opposition?

It would appear that UMNO is more concerned than MCA and Gerakan over the swing of Chinese voters to the Opposition in the Ijok and Machap by-elections.

MCA national leaders continue in their denial that there is any significant swing of Chinese voters to the Opposition in Ijok and Machap by-elections, continuing to attribute the “little swing” of Chinese voters in Ijok to dissatisfaction with the former MIC State Assemblyman, the late Datuk K. Sivalingam.

In contrast, the Umno-owned New Straits Times have come out with an editorial today, “Wooing back the Chinese” which said:

“Based on the two recent by-elections in Machap and Ijok, the mood on the Chinese ground should be of concern to the Barisan Nasional. In Machap, a semi-rural area, MCA won in its traditional stronghold, but with a reduced majority. In Chinese polling districts, there was an estimated five per cent vote swing in favour of the opposition. In Ijok, the signal sent by the country’s second-largest ethnic group was more apparent.”

The NST editorial added that the outcomes in Machap and Ijok “appear to accord with the Merdeka Centre’s research findings earlier this year, to the effect that two to three Chinese would vote for the opposition in the next polls”.

The independent opinion research firm Merdeka Centre conducted a poll between October and December last year involving 1,025 respondents aged 16 and above in an attempt to examine the voting trend in the next general election. Continue reading “Ijok/Machap – Umno more concerned than MCA about swing of Chinese votes to Opposition?”

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RM534.8 million commission for Scorpene submarines – why Perimekar?

Commission paid was under the guise of support and coordination services
by Richard Teo

The pathetic explanation given by the Defence Ministry regarding the purchase of the Sukhoi SU30MKM fighter and Scorpene submarines raises more suspicions than answers.

The public is not concerned with the laborious explanation regarding the negotiations carried out by the Defence Ministry neither are they interested in the approval levels and the checks by the technical and price committee.

What the tax paying public is interested is why was the contract awarded to Perimekar to prepare support and coordination services for six years. The contract value was 114.96 mil euros(RM534.8 mil) to be paid in stages according to the level of progress of the project.

What kind of support and coordination services that Perimekar can provide that the Defence Ministry is not capable of providing?

The pertinent question that begs to be answered is why was the contract awarded to Perimekar. In view of the substantial amount involved (RM534.8 mil) was there any open tender for the contract? Continue reading “RM534.8 million commission for Scorpene submarines – why Perimekar?”

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Tip of iceberg? More disastrous public building mishaps to come?

Transparency International Malaysia President Tan Sri Ramon Navaratnam has said that the recent collapse at three new government buildings is symptomatic of the state of deterioration in standards, quality, productivity and efficiency in the country.

He said that there’s too much concern to make a quick buck and too little attention given to professionalism and warned that this could be “tip of the iceberg”.

Ramon is eminently qualified to pass such a stricture on the public service delivery system as he was one of the last top non-Malay civil servants, at a time when the Malaysian public service was still identified with quality and world-class standards.

The question posed by Ramon is uppermost in the minds of Malaysians — whether the trio of mishaps of three brand new government buildings in the past three weeks are mere “tip of the iceberg” which portend even more disastrous mishaps in the near future with grave consequences to life, limb and property?

In actual fact, there had been quite a catalogue of construction mishaps in the past three months, as apart from the recent trio – the flooding of the seven-floor Immigration Department headquarters in Putrajaya because of plumbing failure, the collapse of a ceiling at the Entrepreneur and Co-operative Development Ministry in Putrajaya and the ceiling collapse in a secretary’s room at the world’s largest court complex at the Jalan Duta court complex — other mishaps involving brand-new government buildings and public projects or those under construction included the Parliament (ceiling collapse as a result of pipe leakage), Matrade Building, MRR2, fungus in new hospitals, the navy complex fiasco, smart lab fiasco, etc.

The Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi has called for the Public Works Department to inspect all government buildings nationwide while the Works Minister, Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu has welcomed the call and praised the Prime Minister’s for his wisdom!

This is most ridiculous and outrageous. How did Malaysia descend so quick and fast in the past three years down the slippery slope of a third-world nation, not only in the maintenance culture but in the deterioration in standards, quality, productivity and efficiency in the public service delivery system? Continue reading “Tip of iceberg? More disastrous public building mishaps to come?”

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Ijok – full Parliament debate next week if PM wants to know reasons for Chinese swing to Opposition

The Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi should honour his promise to be Prime Minister of all Malaysians and allocate time for a full debate on the meaning of the Ijok by-election on Saturday before the current Parliamentary meeting adjourns next Thursday after a four-day resumption beginning on Monday.

Two days ago, Abdullah conceded that there was a swing against the Barisan Nasional among the Chinese voters in the Ijok by-election and asked the MCA and Gerakan to explain why the Chinese had supported the Opposition.

However, MCA President Datuk Seri Ong Ka Ting still disputes that there is any significant swing, claiming that while “there was a certain extent of swing in the votes but as a whole, Barisan still obtained a substantial number of the Chinese votes”.

With such hidebound denial syndrome with the classic complex of the ostrich hiding its head in the sand, how can the Prime Minister expect to get any truthful answer from MCA and Gerakan leaders as to why there was a swing of the Chinese voters to the Opposition in Ijok?

MCA leaders are quite united in publicly pinning the primary blame for the swing of the Chinese voters to the Opposition in Ijok on the MIC and the poor service record of its former Assemblyman Datuk K. Sivalingam. Ka Ting said a secondary factor was the unhappiness of the Chinese with “certain statements which had hurt their feelings”.

This has further reinforced public doubts about the ability of the MCA and Gerakan to tell Abdullah the truth as to the reasons for the swing of Chinese voters in Ijok to the Opposition, especially when: Continue reading “Ijok – full Parliament debate next week if PM wants to know reasons for Chinese swing to Opposition”

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Public building mishaps – once is accident, twice is coincidence, thrice is systemic government collapse

The Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi was angry yesterday. He ordered an immediate inspection of all government buildings for defects.

He said: “I feel angry. I feel ashamed. What the hell is this? It’s so new and such a thing happened.

“Something must have gone wrong somewhere. We need to know. I can’t be jumping all over the place!”

The Prime Minister was referring to a spate of embarrassing defects in new government offices — the collapse of a ceiling due to a leaky sprinkler system at the Entrepreneur and Co-operative Development Ministry in Putrajaya on Saturday, the ceiling collapse in a secretary’s room at the world’s largest court complex at the Jalan Duta court complex yesterday and on April 11, the Immigration Department headquarters in Putrajaya had to be closed after water flooded the seven-floor building following a failure in plumbing, turning and evacuating more than 1.000 people.

On March 22, Abdullah reacted in disbelief when what he never expected happened — a landslide in Putrajaya (Precinct 9) only inches away from three 15-storey government apartments, damaging 25 cars and evacuating more than 1,500 people from Blocks A, B and C in Phase 11 of the government housing complex.

The Prime Minister said he was angry and he “can’t be jumping all over the place”. But there were no signs that he was really either. Continue reading “Public building mishaps – once is accident, twice is coincidence, thrice is systemic government collapse”

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Ijok – Raja Nazrin has answer for swing of Chinese voters to Opposition

The front-page headline of Sin Chew Daily today blared: “Chinese in Ijok support Opposition — PM wants to know why from MCA and Gerakan” .

The Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak and the other Barisan Nasional top leaders especially MIC President Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu are elated by the Barisan Nasional victory at Saturday’s Ijok by-election with a bigger majority than in the 2004 general election — but whether the country has anything to be jubilant about over the Ijok by-election on the occasion of the 50th Merdeka anniversary of the nation is a subject which should engage the serious debate of all thinking Malaysians.

Abdullah’s public puzzlement as to the reasons for the swing of Chinese voters to the Opposition in the Ijok by-election and wanting to be enlightened by MCA and Gerakan bear testimony to the validity of my question as to whether the country has anything to celebrate over the Ijok by-election – whether, for instance, Najib is right that the Ijok by-election is proof that Malaysian democracy is “vibrantly alive” or whether it is the symbol of the worst culmination of electoral corruption in the past 50 years of Malaysian election history.

But what cannot be in doubt is that the Ijok by-election represents a great failure not only for MCA and Gerakan but also of Pak Lah as Prime Minister who had pledged to “hear the truth” when the reasons for the swing of Chinese voters to the Opposition in the by-election continue to elude them.

In the first place, how can Abdullah hear any “truth” from the MCA when the MCA supremo in the Ijok by-election, MCA Secretary-General Datuk Ong Ka Chuan had only a day earlier publicly denied that there was any swing of Chinese voters to the Opposition in Ijok by-election? Continue reading “Ijok – Raja Nazrin has answer for swing of Chinese voters to Opposition”

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Singapore Malays better off than Chinese in Malaysia

Singapore Malays better off than Chinese in Malaysia
by Richard Teo

It is rather ironic that Baki Aminuddin could venture to write in Malayisakini that “S’pore Malays worse off than Chinese here” when in fact the opposite is the truth.

Before I begin to answer his fallacious argument I would like to pose one very simple question to him. If S’pore Malays are really worse off in Singapore why is there no exodus of Malays from S’pore to Malaysia? Instead the opposite is happening where the Chinese are making a beeline to Singapore for work and education?

Baki is naive to deny that LKY’s statement that the BN govt is systemmatically marginalising the Chinese and non-Malays. Before condemning the S’pore govt of marginalising the Malays and their education Baki should support his assertion with facts rather
than spurious allegations.

There is no official policy to deny the Malays the chance to further their education till tertiary level provided they have the abilty to compete on a level playing field. Can Baki honestly say that the Chinese and non-Malays in Malaysia are given the same opportunity in education? Is it not a fact that Malays are exclusively given places in Mara schools where with their one year matriculation exams they can hop into any of the local universities whereas non-Malays have to undergo the more rigorous two year STPM exam to gain admission? Continue reading “Singapore Malays better off than Chinese in Malaysia”

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Ijok and the eclipse of reason

Ijok and the eclipse of reason
by Azly Rahman

In Ijok last Saturday, did the people vote wisely?

Or did they vote for the continuation of the use of totalitarian instruments such as the Internal Security Act, Universities and University Colleges Act, irrational preferential treatments, unsolved mysteries of massive corruption cases, rise of dynasties, political violence, postponement of trial of hideous political murders, abuse of “at-risk youths”, political-economy of controlling interests, age-old vendetta, hideous nature of the separation of power between the executive, legislative, and judiciary, and an ever-growing range of complex “rational” acts that have become our “political culture”?

What does “wise” mean? Is the level of wisdom dependent upon the levels of consciousness of the different “class” and “caste” of people?

Looks like the middle class is co-opted to support the dominant political group, the lower-class is busy making ends meet, and the lowest class is now the unsung heroes of the postmodern indentured slavery.

We do not have yet have a critical mass that can think critically to effect critical change. Continue reading “Ijok and the eclipse of reason”

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Tourism Minister should support the world’s tallest Mazu (Goddess of Sea) statue project in Kudat

The Tourism Minister Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor should support the world’s tallest Mazu (Goddess of the Sea) statue project in Kudat as it will be economically good for Sabah and Malaysia by enhancing the nation’s international tourism competitiveness.

Although Tan Sri Chong Kat Kiat has yet to publicly disclose the reasons for his shock resignation as Deputy Chief Minister and State Minister for Tourism, Culture and Environment on April 13, his oblique reference to resigning over “a matter of principle” raises the question as to whether his resignation concerned the interests of the state, his party or individual self.

Public speculation over his resignation had zeroed on two issues, viz:

Firstly, his being forced to “eat dead cat” or unfairly to take the blame for the development of Pulau Sipadan which damaged the unique coral reef of one of the top five diving spots in the world. As a result, it attracted public criticism of the Prime Minister when the Federal Government was embarrassed by the despoliation of the fragile ecosystem of Sipadan which was first exposed and reported internationally by environmental groups. However, it was the Chief Minister, Datuk Seri Musa Aman, who must bear responsibility for the plans to develop Sipadan.

Secondly, Chong’s differences with Musa over the former’s plan to build the world’s tallest Mazu (Goddess of the Sea) statue in Kudat which will be a tourist and economic boon for the district, Sabah and Malaysia in enhancing our international tourist competitiveness by drawing tourists from China, Taiwan and Japan. Continue reading “Tourism Minister should support the world’s tallest Mazu (Goddess of Sea) statue project in Kudat”

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Curses of 2Cs and 2Is in Sandakan and Sabah

For 12 years from 1978 to 1990, Sandakan was represented by the DAP in Parliament and the people of Sandakan were in the political vanguard in the state and nation in the battle for justice, equality and democracy.

In the past 17 years from 1990 to 2007, the people of Sandakan withdrew from this front-line role for political change in Sabah and Malaysia.

Last year, the wind of political change blew strong and hard in Sarawak when six DAP representatives were elected into the Sarawak State Assembly, fundamentally altering the culture, quality and direction of Sarawak State Assembly proceedings and Sarawak politics.

Many are hoping that this “Sarawak wind of political change” will also blow in Peninsular Malaysia and Sabah come the next general election, which is most likely at the end of this year or early next year after Barisan Nasional’s surprise result in the Ijok by-election in Selangor yesterday.

The time has come for the wind of political change to blow again in the “Land Below the Wind” as Sabah was known.

Earlier today, together with the Sarawak DAP Assemblywoman for Pending Violet Yong and Pahang DAP Assemblyman for Triang Leong Ngah Ngah, I visited the new Sandakan market which had been operating for four months.

It was a grandiose “white-elephant” which cost RM34 million or over 60 per cent cost overrun from the original estimate of RM21 million — an outstanding symbol of the lack of municipal good governance in Sandakan and Sabah as well as the lack of accountability, integrity and effective democratic representation.

The cries of the majority of the stallholders in the new Sandakan market that they are sandwiched between high rentals and poor business as a result of bad siting, lack of supportive infrastructure like proper bus service and sub-standard construction despite exorbitant construction costs, had been totally ignored by all the three tiers of government – local, state and national.

The Sabah State Assembly had just concluded its meeting last week but nobody raised the scandal of the RM34 million new Sandakan market in the Sabah State Assembly. Continue reading “Curses of 2Cs and 2Is in Sandakan and Sabah”

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An Indian boy on his first day at school in the US

May be we need light relief, and here goes:

An Indian boy on his first day at school in the US

    It was the first day of school and a new student named Chandrashekhar Subrahmanyam entered the fourth grade.

    The teacher said, “Let’s begin by reviewing some American History.

    Who said, “Give me Liberty , or give me Death”?

    She saw a sea of blank faces, except for Chandrashekhar, who had his hand up: “Patrick Henry, 1775” he said.

    “Very good!” Who said, “Government of the People, by the People, for the People, shall not perish from the Earth?”

    Again, no response except from Chandrashekhar.” Abraham Lincoln, 1863″ said Chandrashekhar.

    The teacher snapped at the class, “Class, you should be ashamed.

    Chandrashekhar, who is new to our country, knows more about its history than you do!”

    She heard a loud whisper: “F**k the Indians,”

    “Who said that?” she demanded.

    Chandrashekhar put his hand up. “General Custer, 1862.”

    At that point, a student in the back said, “I’m gonna puke.” Continue reading “An Indian boy on his first day at school in the US”

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Open Letter to Tawau MP – resign before May 17

I issued an Open Letter to the Barisan Nasional Member of Parliament for Tawau, Shim Paw Fatt, today asking him to resign before May 17 to position Tawau as the centre of state, national and international attention, end the decline of Tawau into an economic backwater and spur super-development with hundreds of millions of ringgit allocations that will be poured in by Barisan Nasional as demonstrated by Machap and Ijok by-elections.

In my Open Letter to Shim, I wanted him to know that my suggestion at a press conference at Sin Onn Market in Tawau yesterday that he resign as Tawau MP was no political game or “child’s play” but a deadly-serious proposal after serious consideration as to how to end the long-standing neglect of Tawau by the Barisan Nasional, whether at the state or federal level, transforming it from a stagnant economic backwater into a vibrant and dynamic growth centre for the region.

I told Shim that nothing in his political life could achieve greater results for the super-development of Tawau than to make a personal sacrifice by resigning as MP for Tawau before May 17, the deadline when any vacancy for a parliamentary seat would have to be filled by a by-election, causing a by-election to be held.

My Open Letter to Shim reads: Continue reading “Open Letter to Tawau MP – resign before May 17”

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It grieves my entire being but does it bother Pak Lah and Cabinet?

I have received an email which grieves my entire being but does it bother Pak Lah, our Prime Minister and the Cabinet? If they do not understand the cry deep from the heart and soul of “J”, who sent the email, then the 50th Merdeka anniversary celebrations this year are completely meaningless, waste of time and money.

Read this heart-rending email:

Dear Mr. Lim,

I have utmost respect and admiration for your tenacity in remaining in Malaysia to champion the cause of justice and equality and fight for a Bangsa Malaysia. My heart broke when I read about your article regarding the honest cyber cafe operator especially when he wondered if he “had chosen the wrong country” to start and operate his business.

I see my situation summed up in that phrase. You have said before that the best and brightest are leaving this country. Well, I am making every preparation to leave. I have consistently scored straight As in every public exam and placed among the top 3 of my form. In university, I studied medicine and am among the top scorers. I have just graduated and scored near perfect results in a medical licensing examination that will enable me to work abroad and further my studies.

I was born a Malaysian yet I cannot see myself as a Malaysian. As a chinese, I feel that I am being discriminated against. I feel that the government is trying its hardest to sideline me just because of my race. I look around and see this discrimination manifested in various forms. From the issue regarding religious conversion to the allocation of places in local universities, the stench of discrimination is sickening. Continue reading “It grieves my entire being but does it bother Pak Lah and Cabinet?”

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1987 Ops Lalang and Chinese primary school crisis – will Cabinet own up to historic wrongs?

Veteran Chinese educationist Sim Mow Yu has said that Parti Keadilan Rakyat adviser and former Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim should apologise for what he had done over the 1987 Ops Lalang mass arrests under the Internal Security Act (ISA) and the controversy over dispatching of staff unversed in Mandarin to hold senior posts in Chinese primary schools.

As one of the Ops Lalang ISA detainees served with a formal two-year detention order and incarcerated at Kamunting Detention Centre, Sim is most qualified to speak up on these subjects.

The Ops Lalang detention was my second ISA detention, which lasted 18 months as compared to 17 months in my first ISA detention in 1969-1970.

DAP Secretary-General Lim Guan Eng and I were the last two of the Ops Lalang ISA detainees incarcerated in Kamunting Detention Centre to be released in April 1989 — serving the longest Ops Lalang ISA detention after all the other 49 Ops Lalang detainees had been earlier released from Kamunting in various batches.

Anwar has admitted that he was wrong in 1987 in the dispatch of staff unversed in Mandarin to become principals and senior assistants of Chinese primary schools which resulted in the subsequent Ops Lalang mass arrests.

Anwar has now taken a stand on mother-tongue education which is in accord with justice and fair play for mother-tongue education in plural Malaysia as well as the higher national interests of enhancing Malaysia’s international competitiveness, which should be commended and supported. Continue reading “1987 Ops Lalang and Chinese primary school crisis – will Cabinet own up to historic wrongs?”

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Ijok – Bolehland’s Electoral Circus

Bolehland’s Electoral Circus
by Martin Jalleh

Santa Khir blatantly buys and bribes with
the rakyat’s money.

Samy Vellu crows, clowns and croons
the same old tune.

Shortchanged Indians are mickeyed
by the MIC, MGR and MGP.

Stunted UMNO Youth sends in thugs
– they do not have “towering Malays”.

Stultified MIC Youth unleash their
goats, geese and goondas.

Servile police lapdogs bow, bend
and do the bidding.

Slanted media spins, spews and sells
one-sided news.

Self-serving politicians proudly play the
parrot, puppet and prostitute. Continue reading “Ijok – Bolehland’s Electoral Circus”

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Will Najib, Khir Toyo or Samy Vellu resign if Ijok becomes “second Lunas”?

Among the three — Umno Deputy President and Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, Umno Selangor chief and Selangor Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Mohd Khir Toyo and the MIC President and Works Minister Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu — will anyone of them resign if Ijok becomes a “second Lunas” on Saturday with Barisan Nasional (BN) losing the seat despite the worst electoral corruption and most undemocratic campaigning in the 50 year history of the nation?

Electoral corruption and money politics in Ijok and the recent Machap by-elections have been the most blatant and fragrant-ever in the nation’s electoral history — even worse than during the previous four Prime Ministers, Tunku Abdul Rahman, Tun Razak, Tun Hussein Onn and Tun Dr. Mahathir Moahamad.

This is most ironic and tragic as these two by-elections should be even cleaner if not the cleanest in the nation’s 50-year history as they are held under a Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi who had pledged to wipe out corruption and money politics as the top priority of his administration.

The electoral corruption in Machap and Ijok are so blatant and flagrant, flooding the constituencies with tens of millions of ringgit development projects when they had been completely ignored in past decades, that many Malaysians regardless of race, religion or territory are now cynically saying that “A good BN MP/SA is a dead MP/SA”.

However, any BN MP/SA dying will not result in any by-election as the legal bar for by-elections during the two years before the next general election have come into force for all legislatures except for Kelantan (May 5), Kedah (May 20) and Parliament (May 17).

This is undoubtedly one of the reasons which have prompted former Prime Minister Tun Dr. Mahathir to make his extraordinary public call to the voters of Ijok to vote wisely on Saturday. Continue reading “Will Najib, Khir Toyo or Samy Vellu resign if Ijok becomes “second Lunas”?”

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How can a law-abiding cybercafe operator survive in corruption-rife Malaysia?

I have received a heart-rending appeal for help as to how a law-abiding cafe operator could survive in corruption-rife Malaysia.

The cybercafe operator J is “almost at the end of the road” after being in the business for the past five years and is regretting that he had “picked the wrong country to live and grow by doing business and earn a living”.

He had ventured into the cybercafe business for the last five years after he lost his job as a IT hardware/software salesman. With 2nd class honours degree in Business information System in a UK university, he never got any better job which paid enough commensurate with his qualification.

He had paid for his entire studies right from local college to university in UK, working since in high school till university as a part-time technician in computer shops, selling self-build computers from home, etc.

While in UK, he saw cybercafes as a booming industry and dreamt of owning such a business one day.

But now, he his staring at the stark possibility of having to close down his business with debts of bank loans near to RM1 million – all because a licence is required to run such a business.

Back in 2002, when he started with 30 computers in his hometown, he took him more than a year to get a licence to operate the business. Why the one-year wait? Continue reading “How can a law-abiding cybercafe operator survive in corruption-rife Malaysia?”

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Ijok by-election: Are we in Hutu-land?

Are we in Hutu-land?
by Azly Rahman

As we were finishing our lunch, Khalid Ibrahim was approached by a youth in Pemuda BN attire, and intimidating words were used on him soon after. malaysiakini has a good account of the incident, titled: BN group roughs up Khalid, photographers.

… We are not party to their ideological differences in partisan politics, so we steered clear of their ‘conversations’ and prepared to leave. Our casual attire for comfortable photographing also ensured that we are not wrongly mistaken as Parti Keadilan Rakyat’s cadre. We were there merely as men-at-work, photographers on assignment… . We were wrong. We were surrounded by over 20 rowdies, and the long and short of it, my colleague, who wound down his window to inch carefully his way out from the besieging scene, was smashed at close range with the sharp portion of the mineral water bottle… He tried to evade but still broke his glasses, bleeding. Without the glasses, he drove the both of us out of the danger zone until some PKR members escorted us in another vehicle to safe ground in Ijok town centre. (Thanks Cikgu Li.)… We kept our cool and tried hard to avert any eventualities as we didn’t want this incident to be spun as an ugly chapter of over 20 Malay youths attacking two Chinese photographers in Malaysia.

Nevertheless, the unasked question must get answered some days when the fanatical election fever is over – Jeff Ooi narrating on Ijok, Screenshots.

If what we are seeing and reading about the campaigning process in Ijok these last few days, what is the meaning of “voting” to the voters?

If votes can be bought and sold, for whatever reason of “economic necessity”, and if gangsterism and political violence is going to be the regular feature of elections, where are we heading towards?

If what’s at stake here is power that will create billionaires out of the few, and every means necessary is used to buy power, are we and our generation doomed? Democracy is for sale – wholesale.

T.I.A. – “This is Africa”!?

What have 50 years taught us? What then must we do? Continue reading “Ijok by-election: Are we in Hutu-land?”

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Ijok by-election – BN “kiasu” despite worst electoral corruption and most undemocratic campaigning in 50 yrs

Ijok by-election - BN kiasu despite worst electoral corruption and most undemocratic campaigning in 50 yrs

Last night, together with other DAP MPs including Dr. Tan Seng Giaw (Kepong), Chong Eng (Bukit Mertajam), Fong Po Kuan (Batu Gajah), M. Kulasegeran (Ipoh Barat), Fung Kui Lun (Bukit Bintang), Chow Kon Yeow (Tanjung) and Lim Hock Seng (Bagan) as well as Thomas Su Keong Siong (Perak DAP State Assemblyman for Pasir Pinji), I campaigned in Batang Berjuntai and Pekan Ijok for Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim, Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) candidate for the hotly-contested Ijok by-election for the Selangor State Assembly on Saturday, 28th April 2007.

I left Ijok last night with the predominant impression – that the Barisan Nasional (BN) is “kiasu” despite masterminding the worst electoral corruption and the most undemocratic campaigning in 50 years. What a shameful way to commemorate our 50th Merdeka anniversary in 2007!

It is because of this new emergent Barisan Nasional “kiasu” mindset that my speech at the first ceramah last night at Batang Berjuntai was sabotaged — by the Barisan Nasional making use of the Police.

A police party had earlier tried to intervene to stop the ceramah when PKR President Datin Seri Dr. Wan Azizah binti Wan Ismail was ending her speech, leading to arguments between PKR leaders and DAP MPs Fong Kui Lun and Lim Hock Seng on the one hand and the police on the other when the police party approached the make-shift rostrum.

After a short while when the commotion continued without resolution, I went up to the police officer leading the police team to ask what was the problem. When I was told that the ceramah was an illegal assembly, I was most surprised, as it was clearly a most unwarranted interference by the police in PKR by-election campaigning.

Unlike one occasion the previous night at Taman Pancaran, Bestari Selatan where the PKR ceramah featuring Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim was deemed by the police as being “too close” for “security comfort” to the BN one featuring Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak being separated by only 50 metres, and had to be cancelled, the PKR ceramah at Batang Berjuntai town last night posed no such problem as there was no other BN ceramah anywhere else in sight. Furthermore, the crowd was very peaceful, controlled and very good-natured. Continue reading “Ijok by-election – BN “kiasu” despite worst electoral corruption and most undemocratic campaigning in 50 yrs”