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Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News |
- Nik Aziz should not take leave of his senses - Karpal
- Sarbaini widow lists proofs of MACC deception
- Gerakan Says No to Hudud
- Nazri backs call for non-prosecuting AG
- Bersih: PSC’s recommendations must come before polls
- Zaid’s roadshow for Najib sends Kita reeling
- MCA threatens to quit BN if Umno implements hudud law
- Umno blogs use sex video to attack Customs ahead of Sarbaini verdict
- Undilah video taken off-air over Ku Li speech, opposition figures
- Selangor's cash reserves hit historic high
- The hudud hysteria
- A-G bad choice to draw up ISA replacement laws, says ex-CID chief
- Unlikely for S'pore, Malaysia to merge: Lee Kuan Yew
- Lynas shares drop on higher losses
- Revolts looming in Sabah BN
- Political winds force Malaysian democratic reforms
- IGP: BN may lose power if ISA issue not addressed
- Malaysia to launch affirmative plan for minority communities
- Malaysia too dangerous, says council
| Nik Aziz should not take leave of his senses - Karpal Posted: 23 Sep 2011 02:46 AM PDT (Bernama) -- DAP national chairman Karpal Singh said he was surprised at Kelantan Menteri Besar Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat provocative language by now saying that the DAP could choose to leave the opposition pact if it objected to PAS' plan to set up an Islamic state. "It''s difficult to understand why Nik Aziz is unnecessarily supplying canon fodder to Barisan Nasional with a general election in the offing. "I would have thought the issue relating to Islamic state had been laid to rest irrevocably with the resolution adopted by the PAS muktamar held this year," he said in a statement today. Karpal alluded to PAS' resolution that the party would give up its objective to create an Islamic state in Malaysia and instead strive towards the setting up of a welfare state. "It''s difficult to understand why Nik Aziz has in such a short period of time forgotten about that resolution. He should not take leave of his senses," he said. Pakatan Rakyat leaders are at loggerheads over the Kelantan PAS government''s push to implement hudud laws and the party''s Islamic state ambition.
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| Sarbaini widow lists proofs of MACC deception Posted: 22 Sep 2011 08:36 PM PDT
She decries persistent efforts to defame the late customs officer (Free Malaysia Today) - The widow of customs officer Ahmad Sarbaini Mohamed, Maziah Manap, today accused the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) of persisting in its attempt to defame her husband as a corrupt official. She referred to a Sept 12 press statement by MACC lawyer Muhammad Shafee Abdullah and called it another bid by the agency to wash itself of responsibility for her husband's death. In the statement, Shafee said Sarbaini fell to his death while trying to escape from the MACC building in Cheras to meet a friend so that they could synchronise their statements to the agency's investigators. "I no longer can cope with any more defamation just so MACC is not held responsible for my husband's death," Maziah Manap said in a press statement. She said the MACC's conclusion that Sarbaini was responsible for his own death was baseless and not supported by evidence given during the official inquest. She highlighted the following five factors as support for her argument:
The MACC is already reeling from the suspension of three senior officers earlier this week, who were arrested in connection with an extortion-and-robbery case involving RM1 million.
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| Posted: 22 Sep 2011 08:01 PM PDT (Bernama) - Gerakan will oppose any attempt to implement hudud or any other theocratic law as it goes against the basic structure of the federation and constitution, said its deputy president Datuk Chang Ko Youn. "We're a country with a Muslim majority but with a significant non-Muslim minority. The basic structure of our constitution preserves this diversity, and that's why our punitive laws are secular and applies to everyone. We can't have different sets of laws for each section of society," he said in a statement issued here today. It was reported that opposition Pakatan Rakyat members were at loggerheads with regard to the implementation of hudud law. Deputy Prime Minister and Umno deputy president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin had said that Malaysia was not ready for hudud law as it was a multiracial and multiracial country.
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| Nazri backs call for non-prosecuting AG Posted: 22 Sep 2011 06:08 PM PDT
But he says the government has put constitutional amendments on hold. (Free Malaysia Today) - Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Nazri Aziz today expressed support for a call to separate the functions of the Attorney-General and the Public Prosecutor in different individuals, but denied that the government interfered in the AG's work. "We can use the United Kingdom as a reference," he said. "However, this is my personal opinion." In Britain, the Attorney General is the government's chief legal adviser. Prosecution powers are in the hands of the Director of Public Prosecutions. Yesterday, the Bar Council called on the government to amend the constitution in order to distinguish the AG from the Public Prosecutor. Its president, Lim Chee Wen, said that vesting the same person with both functions could give rise to "selective prosecution" due to intervention by the executive arm of government. Lawyers for Liberty made a similar call, saying the AG should be answerable to Parliament. Nazri, who sits on the Umno supreme council, dismissed the widely held notion that the government was interfering in the AG's work. "During my tenure as law minister, the government never interfered in the AG's independence," he said. Nazri also said the government had put on hold any tabling of laws that would require revising the Federal Constitution. This would be necessary to fulfil the Bar Council's call. "It's because we do not have the two-thirds majority needed to make the amendment and we do not trust the opposition lawmakers will give us their support," he said. As for making the AG answerable to Parliament, Nazri said it was not possible under the Malaysian system of government. "In our parliament, only an elected MP can sit in the Dewan Rakyat."
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| Bersih: PSC’s recommendations must come before polls Posted: 22 Sep 2011 03:20 PM PDT By Tarani Palani, FMT PETALING JAYA : Polls watchdog Bersih 2.0 today said it was not concerned with the composition of the Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) on electoral reforms as what was more important was for the committee to complete its task before the next general election. "Political parties have a right to choose their representatives to be in the PSC. We can't challenge that. "All we are saying is that the PSC has to finish its job before the general election is announced," Bersih steering committee member Dr Subramaniam Pillay said at a press conference today. He was asked to comment on the five Barisan Nasional MPs who will be sitting in the PSC. Yesterday BN announced that it will be represented by Maximus Johnity Ongkili (PBS-Marudu), Alexander Nanta Linggi (PBB-Kapit), Mohd Radzi Sheikh Ahmad (Umno-Kangar), Fong Chan Onn (MCA-Alor Gajah) and P Kamalanathan (MIC-Hulu Selangor). Ongkili is the chairman of the committee which has been given a six-month deadline to come up with its recommendations. The bill to form the committee will be tabled when Parliament sits on Oct 3. Three Pakatan Rakyat MPs and one independent MP will complete the nine-member PSC. Pakatan is expected to name its representatives next week. The choice of BN MPs for the committee has not sat down well with some quarters who had argued that these MPs were not familiar with electoral matters. Subramaniam, however, brushed aside these critics, arguing that it was the quality of the work that the committee does that matters at the end of the day. "We had a committee which did a good job (to review) the Criminal Procedure Code (CPC). That committee was also made up of some old (has-been) politicians. "Then we had the PSC to look into national unity and I don't know what came out of that," he said. PSC should be committed Subramaniam, when asked if Bersih had any preference on who should be the Pakatan MPs on the PSC, said that the decision was for Pakatan to make. "We cannot say. That' up to Pakatan to decide. The Pakatan people cannot tell us what to do. Similarly, we cannot tell the Pakatan people what to do," he said. He, however, hoped that Pakatan will pick representatives with knowledge on electoral procedures. He reiterated Bersih's stand that it wanted the PSC to complete its task before the elections are called and urged Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak to ensure this. "If the elections are called in October and the PSC is formed in October, then the PSC would not have even started its job… it is merely a public relations exercise," he added.
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| Zaid’s roadshow for Najib sends Kita reeling Posted: 22 Sep 2011 03:15 PM PDT By Stephanie Sta Maria, FMT PETALING JAYA: Kita president, Zaid Ibrahim, has sent shockwaves through his party with his announcement of a roadshow to drum up support for Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak's pledge for reforms. Kita's democracy roadshow secretariat told the press yesterday that it was important for people at all levels to understand the policy transformations which are "historical and full of importance". The secretariat also said that Kita would be holding meetings with the public to provide information and clarification on the issue in order that Najib's "noble efforts" are not obstructed by misunderstanding. The roadshow will be held nationwide from Sept 27 to Oct 26. This is the latest in a string of surprise moves from Zaid, with the first being the abrupt sacking of three party top leaders, which fuelled accusations of his tyranny and disrespect for party protocol. The announcement of the roadshow has sent the party's leaders in many states reeling particularly since they first learnt of it through the press late yesterday evening. Penang chief, Tan Tee Beng, said that Zaid had never held any meeting with the state leaders on such a controversial decision which clearly needed a collective opinion. "His apology to Najib already created havoc within the party," he said. "This roadshow has created a timebomb for both Zaid and the party. It's like adding salt to the wound." "Is he diverting attention from the talk of infighting within the party? If Barisan Nasional invited a Kita representative to sit on a panel to discuss the issue, we would gladly oblige but there is no need for a roadshow." Nothing concrete Federal Territory chief, G Rajaratnam, said that such a roadshow was premature when Najib had only announced an intent to repeal the Internal Security Act (ISA) without any futher solid details. "Whatever Najib says should be taken with a pinch of salt," he said. "Logically, this roadshow shouldn't be done because there is nothing concrete to talk to the people about." |
| MCA threatens to quit BN if Umno implements hudud law Posted: 22 Sep 2011 03:13 PM PDT By Lisa J Ariffin, The Malaysian Insider PETALING JAYA, Sept 23 — The MCA will leave the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition if hudud law is implemented by Umno. "MCA's stand is very clear. We will object strongly to hudud. If Umno wants to implement hudud, we will pull MCA out of Barisan Nasional - simple as that," MCA president Datuk Sri Dr Chua Soi Lek told reporters here today. "Our stand is very clear. Umno wants to implement hudud, MCA is no party to it, we'll get out of it," he added. When asked to comment on Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin's statement yesterday that Umno supported hudud law in principle, Dr Chua (picture) said: "That can be understood because all Muslim support the teachings of the Quran. But you must see his qualifying statement that Malaysia is not ready to implement hudud law. And that's very clear." Yesterday, Kelantan Mentri Besar Datuk Nik Aziz Nik Mat said he was willing for the DAP to leave Pakatan Rakyat (PR) if it objected to his views about implementing hudud law. Nik Aziz had also dismissed as laughable suggestions that Kelantan could now go ahead to implement hudud law in the state now that Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad was no longer the prime minister. Instead, he challenged Datuk Seri Najib Razak to withdraw any objections the federal government still had over Kelantan's longstanding plans to implement hudud.
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| Umno blogs use sex video to attack Customs ahead of Sarbaini verdict Posted: 22 Sep 2011 03:11 PM PDT
(The Malaysian Insider) - KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 23 — Umno-linked blogs have released a sex video in an apparent attempt to tarnish the reputation of Customs officers ahead of Monday's verdict in the inquest into the death of Ahmad Sarbaini Mohamed. The video — which appears to have been secretly recorded — shows a Malay man engaging in sex with a Caucasian woman in what looks like a hotel room. Umno-linked blog theunspinners.blogspot.com was the first to release the video, claiming the man in the recording was a Customs officer while suggesting the woman was a Russian prostitute. The man in the video is not named, but the blogger links the recording, which is titled "Pegawai Kastam Yang Terlampau," to the senior Customs officer's death while in the custody of the Malaysian Anti Corruption Commission (MACC) earlier this year. The blogger also echoes the position of the MACC and its lawyer Datuk Seri Shafee Muhamad Shafee Abdullah during the Ahmad Sarbaini inquest. Ahmad Sarbaini, the Selangor Customs assistant director, is believed to have fallen from the third-floor pantry of the MACC office in Jalan Cochrane here on April 6 and landed on the badminton court on the first floor. Ahmad Sarbaini's case is seen as high profile as it was the second death involving a person under the MACC's care. Teoh Beng Hock Teoh, a DAP political aide, was found dead on July 16, 2009 on the fifth-floor corridor of Plaza Masalam in Shah Alam after he was questioned overnight by MACC officers at their then-Selangor headquarters. Shafee had argued during the inquest that there had been no evidence presented to suggest either homicide or foul play, as claimed by Ahmad Sarbaini's family. The lawyer said that there was also compelling evidence that Ahmad Sarbaini had climbed out of the window, from which he is believed to have fallen, on his own. The release of the video that is being linked to the Customs Department comes after Ahmad Sarbaini's widow released a statement on Raja Petra Kamarudin's Malaysia Today website claiming that Shafee and the MACC had defamed her husband.
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| Undilah video taken off-air over Ku Li speech, opposition figures Posted: 22 Sep 2011 01:31 PM PDT -1hllAhSXLA KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 23 — A video promoting the right to vote has been taken off the air by local broadcasters despite a push for greater democracy because it contains opposition figures and Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah's speech talking about Malaysia having problems. The Malaysian Insider learnt that the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) directed local broadcasters this week not to use the public service announcement (PSA) produced by musician Pete Teo just days after its launch on September 16. "MCMC emailed both Astro and Media Prima Bhd about the issue, telling them the video clip should not be aired because Ku Li speaks about the country having problems and also because it features opposition leaders," an industry source told The Malaysian Insider, referring to Tengku Razaleigh by his popular nickname.  Teo said the move not to play the video is fundamentally undemocratic in intention. — Picture by Jack Ooi A government source confirmed that MCMC sent the email to Media Prima, which is linked to Umno and owns the NTV7 channel, and Astro, the direct broadcast satellite pay-television service. "The email about the PSA was sent this week," the source said, adding he was puzzled about the directive as it referred to Tengku Razaleigh, who happens to be the Gua Musang MP for the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) government. The MCMC is an independent regulator but it reports to Information, Communication and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Rais Yatim, who was incidentally the Kelantan prince's comrade in Semangat 46 before the party was dissolved for the politicians to join Umno Baru, the successor party to the original Umno that was declared illegal in 1988. Apart from Tengku Razaleigh, the 4.38-minute video also features Deputy Education Minister Datuk Dr Wee Ka Siong, Deputy Health Minister Datuk Rosnah Abd Rashid Shirlin and opposition figures Petaling Jaya Utara MP Tony Pua, Lembah Pantai MP Nurul Izzah Anwar, Shah Alam MP Khalid Samad and Seri Setia assemblyman Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad. Teo, who produced the independent video as a voluntary project, said the alleged directive was "disturbing" as it went against Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak's latest announcement to loosen media control and strengthen civil liberties in the country. Read more at: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/undilah-video-taken-off-air-over-ku-li-speech-opposition-figures/ |
| Selangor's cash reserves hit historic high Posted: 22 Sep 2011 12:40 PM PDT
(Harakah Daily) - The Selangor state government has managed to increase its cash reserves by some RM200 million in the first six months of this year, bringing the total to RM1.1 billion. According to Menteri Besar Khalid Ibrahim, the amount is the highest achieved by the state over the past 28 years.
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| Posted: 22 Sep 2011 12:39 PM PDT By The Malaysian Insider It is a no-brainer why Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad dredged up the issue of PAS's pursuit of hudud law in Kelantan. In sports parlance, this has been the "go to" issue for Barisan Nasional (BN) since it lost control of the state in 1990, whipping up hate and fear among non-Muslims towards the Islamist party and creating anxiety about the green tide and the chopping off hands. In the 1999 elections, he used it to save his government after the Malay vote deserted Umno following the sacking of Anwar Ibrahim a year earlier. Then, the non-Muslims, worried about Malaysia falling into the hands of "religious extremists" and concerned that Umno's poor standing could let PAS in through the backdoor, voted in large numbers for BN. And making PAS the extremists by misrepresenting what hudud is has been Dr Mahathir's favourite tactic, aided by the mainstream media. So with the Chinese not enamoured by the Najib administration and Umno, or particularly impressed with the mediocrity of the MCA leadership, Dr Mahathir went to his favourite topic: PAS and hudud. This move would receive blanket coverage in the Chinese press and is aimed at scaring the Chinese back into supporting the BN. The shortcoming of this strategy these days is that a growing number of Malaysians, especially urban folk, believe that Umno is more radical and extreme than PAS. With the breakdown of the system, the corruption and decaying institutions, just what is there to trumpet about the present system? The idea of tarring PAS as an extremist party worked when BN had a monopoly of the airwaves. It no longer does. Now a significant number of non-Muslims know that people like Datuk Nik Aziz Nik Mat, Dr Dzulkelfy Ahmad, Khalid Samad, Datuk Seri Nizar Jamaluddin, Mohamad Sabu and others are not the ogres painted by the mainstream media. They are reasonable people, Malaysians like you and me. In fact, in the last 24 months their politicians have stood up for Christians and other non-Muslims more than any Umno leader. So demonising them as extremists may not be as successful as in times past. But be assured that the likes of the mainstream media will not be daunted.
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| A-G bad choice to draw up ISA replacement laws, says ex-CID chief Posted: 22 Sep 2011 12:36 PM PDT By Debra Chong, The Malaysian Insider KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 23 – Datuk Seri Najib Razak has picked the wrong man to spearhead his legal transformation programme, a former senior police officer said today. Datuk Mat Zain Ibrahim urged the prime minister to rethink his choice of Attorney-General Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail to lead the government group tasked with drawing up two new security laws to replace the soon-to-be repealed Internal Security Act (ISA) and other laws that allow for preventive detention. "Concern arises because PM Najib is still using the services of an Attorney-General whom the government itself has confirmed to be involved in criminal wrongdoing in the name of public justice," the ex-Criminal Investigation Department (CID) chief said today in an open letter. "Is he still qualified and suitable to lead a taskforce to draft vital laws that control freedom of speech and national security?" he asked, referring to the government's top lawyer whom he described as being dishonest and having serious credibility issues. Though the three-page letter was addressed to Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Ismail Omar, Mat Zain reminded Najib that the criminal allegations against Abdul Gani were made publicly in two previous parliamentary sessions — the first in March 2009 and the other just last December. The ex-cop stressed that it was no ordinary group that had mounted the investigations into Abdul Gani but an independent three-man panel, which included the Solicitor-General, and that one of the panellists had concluded the A-G was involved in evidence tampering. |
| Unlikely for S'pore, Malaysia to merge: Lee Kuan Yew Posted: 22 Sep 2011 12:30 PM PDT By ChannelNewsAsia SINGAPORE: Singapore's former minister mentor Lee Kuan Yew said it is unlikely that Singapore and Malaysia will merge in the future. He was speaking at the Singapore Global Dialogue, held at the Shangri-La Hotel, on Thursday evening. The dialogue was attended by some 400 participants from all over world. |
| Lynas shares drop on higher losses Posted: 22 Sep 2011 12:22 PM PDT By Greg Roberts, Sydney Morning Herald Australia's largest rare earths miner Lynas Corporation has posted a 33 per cent jump in full year losses following a year blighted by controversy. However, Lynas insists that the outlook is bright as it moves from development towards production. |
| Posted: 22 Sep 2011 12:15 PM PDT By Luke Rintod, FMT KOTA KINABALU: If the virulent exchanges among Sabah Barisan Nasional component parties are to be taken seriously, then back-stabbing, revolts and open challenges will be a common scene in the coming general election in Sabah. Already at each other's throat is the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and Umno leaders close to Chief Minister Musa Aman. Sandakan Umno Youth has stated that it will not support LDP president, VK Liew, if he seeks re-election in Sandakan, a stronghold of Musa. LDP, formerly helmed by Chong Kah Kiat, who, political observers believe, still has a hand in the party, does not have a working relationship with Umno in Kudat. It is Chong's hometown and current LDP secretary-general Teo Chee Kang, the Tanjung Kapur assemblyman, is having a tough time with Umno leaders there who are aligned to Musa. The fallout between LDP and Musa can be traced back to when Musa put a stop to a Chong-inspired project to erect the world's tallest Mazu (a sea goddess) statue in Kudat. Parts of the statue are still laying at its original site in Kudat till this day. LDP-Gerakan war In addition to its quarrel with Musa and Umno, the Chinese-based LDP also has a problem with Gerakan, another peninsula-based BN component party. Gerakan has demanded that it be given the chance to represent BN in the constituencies formerly held by Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP), which is now in the opposition in Sabah. LDP in turn wants all the constituencies gained by Gerakan through defections to be returned Leaders within the BN circle are also worried about possible revolts in Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS), Umno's strongest ally in Sabah. "While PBS is very reliable in garnering support from the Kadazandusun-Murut community for BN, this time impatient leaders might be tempted to go against their own party's pick," said a component leader who did not want to be identified. These "impatient" PBS leaders include divisional chairmen and deputy chairmen who are well into their 50s and who have always cried foul over a myriad of domestic issues, including the perennial problem of the large presence of illegal immigrants from the southern Philippines and Indonesia and the lack of power-sharing in an Umno-dominated Sabah. Some have named PBS divisional chairman for Sook, Bernard Maraat, as a potential rebel to stand as an independent in the coming election. Revolts within PBS Maraat, the popular highly-educated Murut, was formerly with Parti Bersatu Rakyat Sabah (PBRS) but had since joined PBS and was elected its divisional chairman in Sook that has always been allotted to the tiny PBRS, which has been helmed by another long-serving leader Joseph Kurup. In other areas too, especially where the incumbent assemblymen are long-serving and unpopular, some PBS divisional leaders are working to propel themselves as possible candidates within or without BN. Some of these potential candidates think that with the votes being split among BN, SAPP and Pakatan Rakyat, they stand a chance while others claim they would just go for it to prove a point or two. "Many PBS assemblymen are old-timers; some of them have been there for far too long and many good leaders in PBS believe they would never have the chance no matter how popular and capable they are," said a party insider. PBS is helmed by 72-year-old Joseph Pairin Kitingan, a former chief minister who has been Tambunan assemblyman for more than three decades. A few days ago, he announced that he will defend both his current seats in Tambunan and Keningau where he is its long-serving MP in the coming general election. "Pairin might be making a statement to cool down the silent pushing and shoving to replace him in either of the two seats. "There is already a movement in these areas to promote certain leaders if an opportunity arises," said the party insider. Squabbling Upko PBS deputy president, Maximus Ongkili, is said to be likely to move from Kota Marudu to either Tambunan or Keningau in the next election.
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| Political winds force Malaysian democratic reforms Posted: 22 Sep 2011 12:12 PM PDT By ChannelNewsAsia KUALA LUMPUR - Prime Minister Najib Razak's vow to move away from Malaysia's authoritarian past is an acknowledgement of growing public pressure for real democracy that many believe will now become irresistible. Muslim-majority Malaysia has been dominated for five decades by the United Malays National Organisation, which has delivered strong growth and political stability but kept a tight lid on the volatile mix of races and religions. |
| IGP: BN may lose power if ISA issue not addressed Posted: 22 Sep 2011 12:05 PM PDT By G Manimaran, The Malaysian Insider KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 23 — Barisan Nasional (BN) may lose the next general election if the ruling coalition does not tackle issues surrounding the Internal Security Act (ISA), says top cop Tan Sri Ismail Omar. The Inspector-General of Police wrote this in a book that was published before Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak announced plans to repeal the security law last week. In the book titled "1 Malaysia Menjana Negara Sejahtera dan Bahagia Menjelang 2020", Ismail (picture) said the law, introduced in 1960, would continue to be a hotly-debated political issue, increasing support for the opposition. "The government is said to continue using the double-edged sword of the ISA. For the government, it is important to maintain peace and national security but the opposition will continue to gain public sympathy and voter support," he wrote. He said "if the government does not manage this issue well, it will lead to defeat in the next general election." Ismail, who replaced Tan Sri Musa Hassan as police chief in September 2010, said that even though the government had promised to review the ISA when Najib became prime minister in April 2009, many had doubted this pledge. But Najib announced on September 15, the eve of Malaysia Day, that his administration would repeal the ISA and other security laws to give more freedom to the public. The prime minister said the law, which allows for preventive detention, would be replaced by two laws that he promised would be limited to acts of terrorism and would never be used for political reasons. In the chapter titled "Peace and Security Towards Forming a Developed Nation," Ismail wrote that he expected the post-2008 election landscape to continue in the future.
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| Malaysia to launch affirmative plan for minority communities Posted: 22 Sep 2011 11:50 AM PDT By The Times of India KUALA LUMPUR: There is no level playing field for the minorities in Malaysia especially in securing jobs, admissions in educational institutes, but this scenario will change soon, a top ethnic Indian leader has said. "Affirmative programmes are good but if they bypass a particular community, it leads to deprivation and deprivation leads to violence," G Palanivel, President of the Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC), the largest Indian based political party, said noting that these issues were being looked into. Malaysia has an affirmative plan for the majority Malays.
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| Malaysia too dangerous, says council Posted: 22 Sep 2011 11:43 AM PDT By NineMsn, Australia The Refugee Council says there may be hope in the future to work with Malaysia on asylum seekers, but now is not the time for an agreement with the Asian nation. The government has introduced legislation to parliament to shore up its deal with Malaysia to transfer 800 boat-arriving asylum seekers for 4000 properly processed refugees. Council chief Paul Power, who visited Malaysia in July, told a Senate inquiry into the agreement in Canberra on Friday that the government had "misdiagnosed the problem" and he had grave concerns for the safety of people sent to Malaysia. "The visit confirmed for me that concerns of refugees for their safety and security are soundly based," Mr Power said. "Refugees in Malaysia are living in deep poverty with no legal status and forced to break the law in order to earn money to feed themselves. "Harassment and violence are part of the refugee community's daily experience and threat of arrest is constant." Mr Power said there had been some improvement in recent years, and he hoped that in the long-term Malaysia would improve its human rights record. "It is now less likely that UN-recognised refugees will get caned than it was two years ago," he said. "...But that is hardly sufficient grounds for suggesting now is the time to send asylum seekers who have transited through Malaysia back there." Mr Power said the solution lay in closer work between countries in the region. He said one of the problems was that 15 out of 19 nations in the region were not parties to the UN refugee convention. "This must change if ever we are to see a change to the current system of refugees and asylum seekers," he said, adding that the region was now seeing a "mad scramble for people seeking to find minimum levels of protection". Commonwealth Ombudsman Allan Asher told the inquiry that while he had been told by the immigration department that Malaysian authorities would only use force as a "very last resort", he was not satisfied about protection for the people sent there. "Our point is such agreements, if they are not scrutinised and if they are not operationalised, should not give us any degree of comfort," Mr Asher said. He said his office - which oversees Australian and offshore refugee programs - had yet to receive the procedure guide to be used by Malaysian officials. Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young asked Mr Asher how his office would be able to monitor what happened in Malaysia, when monitoring Australian facilities was hard enough. "Within Australia, with all of the openness and access that we have as immigration ombudsman, we make very frequent visits to Christmas Island and other detention centres," Mr Asher said. "We urge the government, in the implementation of an offshore agreement, that proportionate degrees of supervision be provided there so that we can at least have the assurances that we have for people in Australia." He said asylum seekers were "exceptionally vulnerable individuals". "The procedures need to be much more clearly elaborated and published," he said. Mr Asher said the documents he had seen relating to the agreement did not appear to address protections for unaccompanied minors. "The interests of those individuals must be fully protected," he said. Ombudsman office immigration complaints director Rohan Anderson told the inquiry there were no binding assurances in the Malaysia agreement that asylum seekers would not be returned to their countries of origin. "We are not assured that that would be the case," Mr Anderson said. "This is a case of an agreement that is not legally binding - it is a reflection of the parties' commitments and aspirations." Mr Anderson said the immigration department had not provided his office with any final costings of the Malaysia deal and he had had to source a figure from media reports. "Even though we are the immigration ombudsman ... we have not been given the basic information," he said.
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