Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News
Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News |
- Explain probe under Sedition Act
- Tioman Trip: Excitement turned into Frustration
- Di bawah 1Malaysia, anak muda semakin kreatif
| Explain probe under Sedition Act Posted: 06 Sep 2012 09:49 AM PDT
Stepping on a photograph of the Prime Minister and his wife cannot be an offence under the Sedition Act 1948. Gobind Singh Deo I call upon the IGP to explain why and how it is Ong Sing Yee, 19 and others were arrested and detained for investigations under the Sedition Act 1948. Stepping on a photograph of the Prime Minister and his wife cannot be an offence under the Sedition Act 1948. Section 4 of the Act makes it an offence for any person who does or attempts to do any act which has or would have a seditious tendency. Section 3 of the Act defines and outlines what is meant by the words "seditious tendency". Of the 6 instances, (a) defines it as being a tendency to bring into hatred or contempt or to excite disaffection against any Ruler or against any Government. And as for the definition of "Government", section 2 of the Act says it means Government of Malaysia and of any State in Malaysia. Clearly therefore the Act does not apply to the Prime Minister and his wife individually. It must be taken in its proper context. The acts complained of must relate to the Government in terms of its governance and not otherwise. To extend the application of the word Government to individuals who are part of the Government would be to stretch its definition too far. It is further disappointing to note that despite the government saying openly that it proposes to repeal the Sedition Act 1948 because it is outdated, the Act is still being used. In July this very year, the Prime Minister himself announced the proposed repeal of the Act. Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz was thereafter quoted in the Star of July 14 2012 as saying: "The Sedition Act has a provision of not allowing the raising of anger against the government, but now we have discarded it as criticism levelled at the government and its leaders is legitimate under the freedom of speech guaranteed under the Constitution." The action of the police in moving to do what to my mind isn't condoned by the Act and against the July declaration aforesaid is therefore, and without explanation, an abuse of process. As such, it would be best for the police to clear the air and explain forthwith.
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| Tioman Trip: Excitement turned into Frustration Posted: 06 Sep 2012 09:29 AM PDT  Insufficient life jackets, improper evacuation procedures and overloading contributed to the deaths and injuries suffered in 2007. What is it going to take for the authorities to wake up from their slumber and do their jobs? Are they waiting for another 7 people to die, or maybe 15 or 20 people this time? Malaysian authorities are known for acting only AFTER a tragedy happens. Nirmala Arunaselam Tioman has often been touted as a great tourist attraction, on par with overseas holiday destinations. Adverts peddling the appeal and lure of the island are aplenty. But for my family and me, what was supposed to be an enjoyable and relaxing Merdeka weekend getaway on the island turned frustrating and traumatic on our trip home. Mind you, Tioman island is a wonderful tourist destination and has its own quirky charm if you like a simple, laid-back relaxing-in-the-sun environment. It is also known as a divers' paradise and tons of people come to dive and snorkel. HOWEVER the facilities and services were a complete and total letdown. We were to return home on Sunday, September 2, 2012 after a nice, relaxing weekend on the island. The ferry (Bluewater Express company) pick-up was at 10:30am and it was expected to be jam-packed with people. We decided to go to the jetty half an hour early so that we could wait at the front of the line to ensure that we get a seat on the ferry. What we discovered was that there was no line, no queue system and basically no system whatsoever for boarding the ferry. So there we were waiting for the ferry from 10am. 10:30 passed, then 11am, 11:30am and still no ferry in sight. It finally arrived at 1pm. You can just imagine the crowd pushing to get on board. I had to board the ferry first with my two young children while my husband went to the back of the ferry to load the bags. Here I was with 2 small kids – holding onto one and carrying the other – and people were pushing me from the back, left and right. My temper started to rise and I had to tell them to stop pushing. After boarding the ferry (Bestari 2), I noticed that there were people already on board – obviously picked up from the earlier stops. Usually this is not the case as Salang is usually the first pick-up point, but due to the delay I guess that they must have picked up passengers from the other stops while dropping others off. I hastily tried to find 4 seats but was unsuccessful. I found two seats and left my 7 year old there while I went to look for another two. I finally found one other empty seat. Suddenly I realized that the ferry was moving. I looked out the window and saw my husband still waiting at the jetty, after not succeeding in loading our bags as the boatmen would not take any more bags on board. He called my handphone and told me that they were not letting anymore people on the ferry as it was overloaded already. I quickly ran to those in charge and asked them to stop and go back for him. I spoke to 2 people, one of whom told me that my husband had to wait for the next ferry which might come in about another hour (not guaranteed). After I raised my voice, the other person finally agreed to radio the skipper and ask him to stop the ferry. Imagine how I had to frantically negotiate with the boatmen to turn back for my husband while handling 2 girls aged 4 and 7 who were sitting in different sections of the ferry. Initially I thought they were going back for my husband but that was not the case. My husband called and said that the ferry was not turning back. I flipped out and almost yelled at the person in charge. I told them there was no way I was going to travel on the ferry for 3 hours with 2 small kids while my husband was left behind at the jetty. I insisted, "Let him on or let me off". I believe most of the passengers were staring at me but I was so furious I could not care less if I was upsetting anyone. Well, the ferry finally turned around and my husband came on board. All this took quite a few minutes. For your information, out of nearly 80-100 people who were waiting for the ferry, more than half were not allowed on board and were thus left behind. We later overheard the boatman saying that this was the last ferry out for now. What was the fate of those left waiting at the jetty? I shudder to think if I was one of those left behind. That the ferry was overcrowded is an understatement. There were people standing, sitting on the steps, squatting near the toilets as well as bags and stuff everywhere on the floor, steps and compartments. I saw only a few life jackets, and I wonder how many rules and regulations were broken that day. Remember the Tioman ferry tragedy in 2007 where 7 people died? Ref: Ferry tragedy trials postponed - Nation | The Star Online 5 years have passed and I wonder if the authorities are waiting for another tragedy to occur before any action is taken to enforce the regulations meant to safeguard passengers. Or has integrity been thrown out at sea with authorities closing one eye so that the ferry company can rake in more money at the expense of passengers' safety. Back to my story, when reaching what we thought was Mersing jetty, we were told that it was instead heading towards Tanjung Gemuk as it was low tide at Mersing and the ferry could not go there. Buses were supposed to be waiting at Tanjung Gemuk to transfer passengers to Mersing. The question here is, if they already knew that it would be low tide at Mersing after 2pm (as was told to us), why did the ferry not come on time at 10:30am to fetch passengers and make it back on time to Mersing by 1:30pm? And what about all the other passengers left stranded at Salang jetty? The obvious answer could be that the ferry company was making sure that profits were maximized by overloading the ferry and cramming in as many people as possible (we paid for 4 tickets but only got 3 seats). This is not my first time to Tioman and each time I board the ferry from Mersing, I pray for a smooth and safe trip to the island and back. On almost every trip, the ferry is overloaded and waiting for a disaster to happen. Ref: A Tioman disaster waiting to happen - Malaysiakini What is it going to take for the authorities to wake up from their slumber and do their jobs? Are they waiting for another 7 people to die, or maybe 15 or 20 people this time? Malaysian authorities are known for acting only AFTER a tragedy happens. What do the Ministry of Transport and Ministry of Tourism have to say about this? Why all the hype about local tourist destinations when they can't even enforce basic rules to ensure the safety of passengers on ferries? Ministry officials should experience first-hand waiting for delayed ferries and suffering the congestion of overloaded ferries. They should also try using the public toilets, especially at Mersing jetty. There was only one female toilet and one male toilet catering to around 120-150 people. To make matters worse the lights were not working. Imagine the STENCH!!! I am sure foreigners who visit Tioman will go home and discourage others from visiting the place. Does the ferry company, Bluewater Express, have a conscience? What they did that day smacks of greed, recklessness and unprofessionalism. They are willing to put so many lives at risk, just to make a few extra bucks. Aren't human lives more precious than dollars and cents? I don't expect miracles overnight, but I do hope that more people come forward and voice out their views and opinions, especially where safety and health issues are concerned. Only then will we see a change for the better in the tourism and other public sectors. I urge the authorities to take action and be proactive instead of reactive. Safety should not be taken lightly. Ensure that ferry operators act professionally and enforce safety regulations before another disaster happens!!! |
| Di bawah 1Malaysia, anak muda semakin kreatif Posted: 06 Sep 2012 09:18 AM PDT
Penghormatan adalah kurniaan dari rakyat tetapi bukan menghasut atau di minta. Penghormatan adalah suci dan indah tanpa diselaputi dengan ketakutan. Meta trader kDGLevboeRg Najib salah seorang Perdana Menteri yang dipilih parti UMNO, begitulah statusnya kurang dapat penghormatan dari anak muda. Dasar parti pemerintah memang haus dengan kuasa dari rakyat tetapi dasar pemerintah menganggap sesiapa yang menentang mereka adalah musuh, ini amatlah konflik macam mana parti pemerintah dapat sokongan dari musuh?? Penghormatan adalah kurniaan dari rakyat tetapi bukan menghasut atau di minta. Penghormatan adalah suci dan indah tanpa diselaputi dengan ketakutan. Penghormatan dianugerahkan dengan percuma tanpa dijual beli, dalam prinsip demokrasi kuasa rakyat adalah kuasa penghormatan. Isu anak muda memijak poster Najib dan Rosmah menandakan anak muda terasa jijik dan benci atas corak pemerintahan 1Malaysia, Najib patutlah mengambil langkah yang bijak dan positif demi mengujudkan imej mesra dengan anak muda. Isu penangkapan anak muda memiak poster Najib memang kurang moral, ini adalah isu moral yang kurang sopan terhadap seseorang pemimpin tetapi kenapa diperkenakan akta hasutan?? Penyiasatan PDRM yang begitu pilih kasih bukan dapat menakutkan anak muda tetapi memberikan kesempatan untuk menjauhi parti pemerintah. Ruang siber bergitu luas, anak muda berupaya menggunakan minda kreativiti mereka dalam apa japa enis rekaan dan ciptaan mereka, meraka sanggup lakukan apa saja, sama ada dalam puisi, sajak, video, animation,.... demi melepaskan geram dan menyebarkan rasa ketidakadilan yang wujud dari hati naluri mereka. Selagi parti pemerintah bersikap angkuh dan enggan memberikan ruang untuk anak muda bernafas, khasnya akta 114A, Maka banyak lagi hasil kreatif sama ada dalam blog, forum, acebook youtube akan dijadikan medan perang mereka. Begitu juga video klip janji di capati, kelihatan anak muda bijak menggunakan media alternatif menghiburkan rakyat, menyampaikan mesej dan pendapat pendapat yang waras dalam musik ciptaan mereka. |
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