Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News
Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News |
| Seats demand behind the Hindraf-Pakatan impasse Posted: 14 Feb 2013 04:36 AM PST One has to examine his remarks, as reported by this news portal, in some depth before coming to the critical bit – nicely couched in circumlocution – which has had the similar effect of a bone stuck in Pakatan's proverbial throat. After lamenting the "inordinate delay" by Pakatan in endorsing the Hindraf blueprint for the Indian poor, Ramesh lets on that there is also the matter of an "electoral pact with Hindraf" that is also awaiting Pakatan's concurrence. Hitherto, no details about the pact have been shed in the public domain by either party in regards to the talks. These have not had the publicity that details of the Hindraf blueprint for the Indian poor which were received in the public arena. No doubt, the need for discretion must have been the motive behind both parties' silence on the pact's ingredients, but given the salience of this aspect of the talks and their potential for engendering deadlock, the quiescence has been extraordinary. Hindraf has demanded of Pakatan, as a condition for their support of the opposition coalition in the 13th general election, that the movement be given the right to contest for seven parliamentary and 10 state seats. The parliamentary seats that the Hindu rights movement has asked for are Telong Kemang, Tapah, Kapar, Padang Serai (all PKR), Cameron Highlands, Segamat and Batu Kawan (all DAP).
In effect, Hindraf is asking Pakatan components, PKR and DAP, to hand them on a silver platter their incumbencies (where relevant) of these seats and (where it applies) cede the groundwork done over the last five years in seats where PKR and DAP have been working to win over from BN. Hindraf deals a shocking blow to Pakatan Pakatan were stunned by these demands made by Hindraf when both sides got down to brass tacks after the latter's leader, P Waythamoorthy, met with Pakatan supremo Anwar Ibrahim early last November. Waythamoorthy, in contrast to his brother P Uthayakumar – who was always interested in the acquisition of parliamentary clout – had given the impression that as a social movement, Hindraf was more interested in fighting for its agenda for the Indian poor than in political representation.
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| MY FATWA on VALENTINE'S DAY and GREETINGS Posted: 14 Feb 2013 04:34 AM PST So, calm down, religionistas of all denominations. Both St. Valentine and Cupid are remembered for the love they promote. What is the problem with honoring that? Would blowing oneself up in the name of religion be a more noble cause to be romanticizing and rationalizing about? 3) Happy "Belantan" Day folks ... I first heard the word "Valentine" when I was growing up in Johor Bahru. Linguistically sensitive I am, that word I heard on American TV stuck in my head; as the Malay word "belantan" meaning the walking stick the policeman use to beat up suspected criminals. It's other name is a "chotar" It became a symbol of the Malaysian police back in the day .. ("... speak softly and carry a big stick ..." , said the America president Theodore Roosevelt of his foreign policy,). Police go on his/her "beat" swinging the belantan as a display of the "act of tough love) in my mind. So, my feel for Valentine was cultural and evolving. I learned about "belantans" before "valentines" and even before that in between these two words were words such as "kelantan", "bentan", and "setan" and "sultan" too. Understandably, Bahasa Melayu was still a first language for me; Johor Malay that is. Now I consider myself quite fluent in both Malay and English and that my thought-processes vacillate between two worlds even when having conversations or lecturing about "Valentine Day as pop-culture".
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Whereas, the state seats asked for are Bukit Melawati, Seri Andalas, Seri Setia, Jeram Padang, Port Dickson, Bukit Selambau (all PKR), Buntong, Prai, Tanah Rata and Tiram (all DAP).| You are subscribed to email updates from Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. | Email delivery powered by Google |
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