Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News
Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News |
- Bancian Manifesto Pilihan di Portal Sinar Harian 'Dipadam' Atas Arahan Siapa?
- BN woos Indian votes but indifferent to Hindus
- Tindak Malaysia challenges Tunku Aziz to respect & the EC to Enforce the Voter’s Right to ...
- Surgical Removal of UMNO from the Malaysian Body Politics
- Response to letter published in Malaysia Today
- Anwar needs to answer the entire Indian community
- Why Rais Yatim shouldn’t drive the Information Department vans around the bend
- Monopolizing Indian Future?
- Misleading Results
- Indians in Pakatan: Tradable or disposable?
- A blatant lie about Nurul Izzah
| Bancian Manifesto Pilihan di Portal Sinar Harian 'Dipadam' Atas Arahan Siapa? Posted: 11 Apr 2013 01:31 PM PDT Terdapat tiga bancian mengenai manifesto pilihanraya hilang dari paparan. Salah satu bancian berbunyi "Jika anda seorang pengundi, manifesto parti mana yang memikat perhatian anda?". Hasil bancian dari lebih 10 ribu responden menunjukkan 81% memilih manifesto PR manakala selebihnya 19% berpihak kepada BN. Solidariti Anak Muda Malaysia (SAMM) Solidariti Anak Muda Malaysia (SAMM) hari ini berasa terkejut dengan sikap luar biasa yang ditunjukkan oleh portal Sinar Harian apabila beberapa kotak bancian online di sebelah kanan portal tersebut telah dipadam. Sebagai media arus perdana baru yang mengamalkan 'media baru', SAMM memuji portal Sinar Harian di atas pelbagai bancian yang dipaparkan di satu sudut demi mendapat maklum balas dari pembaca. Ia Berbeza dengan era media konvensional yang sehala. Namun bancian undian yang berkisar mengenai pilihan di antara manifesto Barisan Nasional dan juga manifesto Pakatan Rakyat tidak bertahan lama seperti kebiasaannya. Kali terakhir bancian tersebut kelihatan di portal Sinar Harian ialah pada lewat malam tadi. Terdapat tiga bancian mengenai manifesto pilihanraya hilang dari paparan. Salah satu bancian berbunyi "Jika anda seorang pengundi, manifesto parti mana yang memikat perhatian anda?". Hasil bancian dari lebih 10 ribu responden menunjukkan 81% memilih manifesto PR manakala selebihnya 19% berpihak kepada BN.    Mengapa bancian online tersebut hilang secara tiba-tiba? Sedangkan sering kali bancian online di portal Sinar akan terpapar sepanjang masa dan tidak hilang walaupun bancian yang baru masuk mengambil tempat. Apakah ada tekanan dari Kementerian Dalam Negeri atau SKMM agar tiada bancian mengenai manifesto dipapar? Apakah bancian mengenai manifesto pilihan itu mengancam keselamatan negara dan boleh menimbulkan huru-hara sehingga perlu dipadam? Dalam perkara ini, SAMM sesekali tidak menyalahkan pihak portal Sinar Harian. SAMM yakin dan percaya bahawa Sinar Harian merupakan media yang telus dan berani dengan penyiaran berita yang neutral. Dengan keberanian ini juga, Portal Sinar Harian telah menyiarkan bancian manifesto yang kemudiannya dipadam. SAMM tidak menolak kemungkinan ada tekanan besar dari pihak yang terdesak agar bancian online itu ditarik dari terus dipaparkan. SAMM juga mendesak supaya pihak portal Sinar Harian memberi sedikit penjelasan apa yang sebenarnya telah berlaku. Jika benar Sinar Harian ditekan, nyatakanlah kebenaran itu dan rakyat akan bersama dengan kebenaran. Kesempatan ini juga SAMM mengucapkan syabas kepada media neutral Sinar Harian kerana acap kali melaporkan berita tanpa berselindung sepertimana yang diamalkan oleh media konvensional arus perdana yang lain. Sekian, Edy Noor Reduan Pengarah Propaganda Solidariti Anak Muda Malaysia (SAMM)
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| BN woos Indian votes but indifferent to Hindus Posted: 11 Apr 2013 01:08 PM PDT It is appalling that the higher-ups in the civil service are totally not bothered about Hindu sensitivities, observes P Ramakrishnan citing his experience with medication supplied at a general hospital. The Prime Minister and the Barisan Nasional have been very busy going after the Indian Malaysian votes. They seem to be addressing some issues to pacify the Indians in their attempt to win them. The Indian vote is very crucial to the BN and they are desperately trying to woo them. But it would appear that they are not bothered about the sensitivities of the Hindus. It is appalling that the higher ups in the civil service are totally not bothered about Hindu sensitivities. They are indifferent and insensitive to the Hindus. One good example is the medication that is provided by the General Hospital. Those suffering from IBS (irritable bowel syndrome) have been put on the medication 'Duspatalin'. I am one of those taking this medicine for a number of years. This particular medication was easily available for some years now. But when I went for my supply in February, I was given 'Mebetin' capsules and the packaging was different. When queried, the explanation was that it is the same medicine – only the packaging was different. On reaching home, my wife examined the box containing the medicine. Horror of horrors, she discovered printed on the box the wording "Bovine coated". Immediately, she alerted me and told me that as an Hindu I couldn't take it as there was a beef extract added to the medicine. We went back to the hospital, met up with the pharmacist and told him of my predicament. He understood my problem, went to the back of the store and came back with 80 tablets of Duspatalin. That was all they had, he told me. Another pharmacist, an Indian, came to see me and assured me that she would bring this to the notice of those above her. I was told that I would be contacted the following week. But there was no call so I went to see them. This time they told me that they were trying to source the Duspatalin and had not been successful. In the meantime I went to my private pharmacy to make enquiries. Fortunately they had this supply of Duspatalin. I went back to inform the hospital but I was told that they managed to source from the Bukit Mertajam hospital. When I went back for my supply of Duspatalin in March, I was happy that it was available. I remarked that all Hindus must be receiving this from now onwards. "No", he told me, "you are the only one in Penang receiving this." When I asked why, the reply was that I was the only one who complained! This is preposterous! Most patients simply consume the medicine given to them. They hardly read the write-up; there are others who can't read and therefore they are not aware that certain medicines are "bovine coated". Also, many don't understand what is "bovine". My wife is on Omeprazole for her gastritis. She has been on it for a number of years. In March when she went for her supply, she was given Omerprazole capsule, the packaging of which was different. She was assured that it was the same medicine. On reaching home, she discovered that this was also "Bovine coated". I had occasion to discuss this problem with a doctor when I went for my next consultation. I asked him why this was not raised with the higher-ups. His reply was that they had but the response from those above was, "They are a minority. If they don't want to take, they don't have to take." This kind of attitude is totally unacceptable. They are callous and indifferent and they don't deserve to be where they are. They are a disgrace to the human race! In the past, medicine used to be porcine coated. The Ministry of Health rightly stopped this in deference to the sensitivities of the Muslims. This is the correct thing to do. By the same token, the sensitivities of the Hindus should have been addressed as well and taken care of. But it was not and deliberately so. If the Prime Minister was not aware, no one can blame him or fault him. But now that it has been revealed what would be his reaction? Would he condemn those insensitive people who are not bothered? Would he direct the Ministry of Health to stop this indifferent attitude and put a stop to this atrocious behaviour? Will he address the sensitivities of the Hindus as astutely as he is wooing the Indian votes?
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| Tindak Malaysia challenges Tunku Aziz to respect & the EC to Enforce the Voter’s Right to ... Posted: 11 Apr 2013 12:57 PM PDT
It appears to be a concerted attack on Tindak Malaysia by a person who have not attended our polling agent training programmes. Yet he took it upon himself to condemn us. We are very sad and disappointed with Tunku Aziz's allegations. pywong, Tindak Malaysia We refer to Tunku Aziz's accusations against Tindak Malaysia of plotting to cause chaos in:
WHO ARE WE? Tindak Malaysia is an electoral movement made up of Malaysian volunteers who care for and want to do our bit for the nation. We do it through voter education and polling agent training for the public.
WHY US? We are puzzled why the Election Commission (EC) would make use of Tunku Aziz to do their dirty work of demonizing Tindak Malaysia for them? Are they afraid to face Tindak Malaysia? Since July 2012, after their one and only briefing for Tindak Malaysia at EC HQ in Putrajaya on the polling process and indelible ink, we have been trying to engage the EC in more dialogue to clarify and improve the polling procedures. We sent repeated emails to them seeking clarification. It was only when everything else failed that we had to resort to press releases and videos to reach out to the public to explain what are the problems with the current polling process. And they are serious problems. WATCH OUR VIDEOS You can study some of the problems at YouTube, myDurianTV (or bit.ly/myDurianTVinTM):
ROLE-PLAY DEMO ON 'AJARAN SESAT' We even invited the EC Chairman and Deputy Chairman to come for an 'Ajaran Sesat' Role-play Demo this Sat, 13th Apr 2013 from 2pm – 6pm at S20, Mosaic Community Studio at Bandar Utama Center Point, PJ to review and correct us on our training methods. We will present through role-play with the participation of the audience to identify which parts would constitute 'ajaran sesat'. And if they are too 'busy' to attend, to send their experts on law and polling processes instead. WHAT IS THE ISSUE? Finally, after all the sound and fury created by Tunku Aziz, if we are to clear through the smoke and obfuscations, what really is the issue? The EC is an election management body appointed by the Yang DiPertuan Agong on the basis of public confidence in them. The issue "Is this election managed by the EC for":
If an election is managed for the Rakyat, why is Randomizationan issue? WHAT IS RANDOMIZATION? Randomization is a process whereby ballot papers are issued to a voter from anywhere inside the ballot book so that no one can match the serial no. of the ballot paper with a voter, in order to protect the secrecy of his vote. During the public hearing by the Parliamentary Select Committee on Electoral Reform (PSC) during Dec 2011 in Kota Kinabalu, the Deputy Chairman of the PSC enthusiastically supported Tindak Malaysia's proposal on randomization. Or least he appeared to be. He even went to the extent of suggesting that the EC clerk should tear the whole ballot book, place the ballot paper face down and allow a voter to choose any piece. Unfortunately, this was not included in the 22 recommendations in the final report of the PSC issued in Apr 2012. WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT? Tindak Malaysia has trained thousands of Malaysians on voter education and polling agent training all over the country. Talking to the people, a constant theme kept recurring. Voters do not trust the EC and were worried that their votes were not secret. ELECTION INCIDENCES This was reinforced when: · BN politicians go round threatening the people "We know how you vote!" · EC Clerks record the voter reference no. on the ballot paper counterfoil even though it is an election offence since May 2006, · Presiding officers recite the serial no. of the ballot paper as a voter enters the polling station (Apr 2011, SK Tanjung, Batu Danau, Sarawak), again an election offence, WHY ARE EC OFFICIALS ABLE TO ACT WITH SUCH IMPUNITY? Because Section 6 of the Election Offences Act states: Offences against this Part 6. (4) A prosecution for an offence under this Part shall not be instituted without the sanction of the Public Prosecutor. Like Prime Minister Najib Razak declared in the Sibu By-election in May 2010 "You help me, I help you!" WE HAVE A CRISIS! Public Confidence in the EC is at a rock-bottom and Public Confidence of the EC members is a requirement specified Federal Constitution Article 114 (2). If they cannot command the confidence of the public, they should do the proper thing and step down. Instead they try every trick possible to frustrate the people's desire for Free and Fair Elections. And instead of facing the problems head-on, the UMNO/BN and the EC resort to propaganda warfare through the Mainstream Media to demonize their critics and then send in the Police to harass them. IS VOTER SECRECY PROTECTED BY LAW? Voter secrecy is protected under the following Election Acts or Regulations: · Election Act, Section 13 (2) states that the vote shall be secret. · Election Offences Act, Section 5 Maintenance of secrecy at elections. · Section 9 Undue influence · Conduct of Elections, Regulation 13 (3) requires a screen at the voting counter to maintain secrecy. · Regulation 19 (2) As each voter requests for a ballot paper….. This does not specify that the ballot paper has to be issued sequentially. There is no prohibition against a voter asking for a random paper. · Regulation 19 (5), (7) & (  all support the requirement to maintain secrecy of voting.So Tindak Malaysia challenge:
To the EC: Implement Randomization for this election to prove your sincerity. REPEAT INVITATION TO BOTH TUNKU AZIZ AND THE EC. Come, if you dare, this Sat 13th Apr 2013, 2pm – 6pm at S20, Mosaic Community Studio, Bandar Utama Center Point to have a dialogue with us in presence of the public and the Press. Don't hide behind the Mainstream media and throw your wild accusations at Tindak Malaysia. By the way, Tunku, you really should do your homework. It is clear you have not attended any of Tindak Malaysia's PACABA Training. If you had and if you had asked about randomization, you would have known: In a meeting in October last year, Pakatan Rakyat and BERSIH 2.0 pleaded with us to stop the teaching of randomization. They explained that the Deputy EC Chairman in an election briefing in Johor Bahru claimed: "We have consulted with the Attorney General on the issue of randomization and the advice we got is that any voter who asks for randomization will be "invited" to leave the polling station without being given the ballot paper." We were shocked that the EC would countenance such an act. Under Section 4(d) of the EOA, it is an election offence to prevent a legitimate voter from voting. The penalty is two years jail or up to five thousand ringgit fine or both. Why would the EC would put their presiding officers at risk and resort to such a measure to prevent a voter from ensuring the secrecy of his vote? Is it to inflict fear in the voter? If a voter had his finger marked by Kerani Pengundian KP2 and then have his ballot paper refused by KP3 because he asked for randomization, and evicted, he would be in a very difficult situation. There could be chaos if the EC resorted to such underhand tactics to prevent randomization. To avoid the risk of the EC abusing their powers and prevent a voter from voting, Tindak Malaysia has since Oct 2012 stopped the teaching of randomization. When a participant queried us why we stopped teaching randomization, we explained that we had to avoid chaos in the polling station and the risk of a voter losing his vote. We told them "If you see randomization in the polling station, you will know that particular presiding officer is fair and respects your right to secrecy of voting. If you don't see randomization, you know that the EC is trying to cheat you. In that case, punish them by voting accordingly!" Regards, Py wong Tindak Malaysia pywong@tindakmalaysia.com Forum www.tindakmalaysia.com Registration www.network.tindakmalaysia.com/ Personal - wong piang yow Tindak Malaysia - tindakmalaysia.com Malaysia Electoral Reform Program - 1 Juta Rakyat Menyokong Reformasi Sistem Pilihan Raya FAQ - Tanya Tanya Tindak Malaysia - Ask Tindak Rat Race System - Malaysians4Change Malaysians4Change - piang yow wong http://bit.ly/myDurianTVinTM myDurianTV
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| Surgical Removal of UMNO from the Malaysian Body Politics Posted: 11 Apr 2013 12:51 PM PDT
Fernz the Great MAY 5 OPERATION ON FRANKENSTEIN MONSTER "MALAYSIA" 55 years ago the British colonial masters surgically embedded a slimy parasitic reptile species UMNO to colonise the Malayan body politic.Then 50 years ago Sabah and Sarawak were grafted to Malaya into a Frankenstein monster. This parasite fed on and grew fat inside all 3 countries and is called "Malaysia". The name "mala" in Latin means "bad" - and nothing has been good for the artificial country as it became infested with all sorts of parasites. "Malaysia" has become the anaemic "sick man" of South-east Asia, filled with mutated parasites called "BN politicians" that have so infested its body that it can longer longer function as a healthy body. On May 5 2013, a major surgical operation will be carried out by the people to extract the UMNO snake and purge its hanger-ons. Although it is expected that the damage can be reduced, the parasites may not be fully purged. It may be necessary to detach Sabah and Sarawak from Malaya to save the 2 countries.
Eel Removed From Man After Getting Stuck, Chewing Through Colon (GRAPHIC PHOTOS)Do not try this at home. Do not try this anywhere. Just do not try it. A man in China's southeastern Guangdong province admitted himself to a local hospital after he reportedly got a live eel stuck inside him. According to British tabloid The Sun, the man inserted the 20-inch-long Asian swamp eel into his anus after seeing it done in a porn movie, and he had to endure all-night surgery to have it extracted. According to a HuffPost translation of a blogger's post on Chinese message board forum Mop.com, the eel reportedly chewed through the man's colon, perforating his large intestine, and became stuck in his body cavity. A graphic X-ray image (seen below) shows how far inside the eel was when the man came in for treatment. Medical team members reportedly said the eel, which was "simply trying to find its way out," was alive when removed but died shortly thereafter. According to The Sun, the man is still recovering at the hospital and might face animal cruelty charges. The Asian swamp eel -- also known as the rice eel or rice paddy eel -- is a snake-shaped fish that is commonly sold live at food markets in East Asian countries. Although this type of eel is known as an invasive species in parts of the United States, this isn't the first time that it's made its way into (ahem) foreign habitats. In 2012, a New Zealand man had to have an eel removed from his posterior. In 2010, a Chinese man died after his friends allegedly inserted an eel into his rectum as a joke. WARNING: GRAPHIC IMAGES  This photo, provided by Europics, shows the eel after it was removed from the man.
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| Response to letter published in Malaysia Today Posted: 11 Apr 2013 12:01 PM PDT
I refer to the Letter to the Editor which appeared in Malaysia Today on 28 March 2013 with relation to the MRT. We would like to thank the writer for the feedback on the Klang Valley MRT Project. We however would like to respond to some of the points made by the writer and correct inaccurate assertions made. We are happy that the writer understands that the Klang Valley is in dire need of a good public transport system. Everyone recognises that a good public transport system is needed for Kuala Lumpur to continue to grow economically and at the same time, be one of the most liveable cities in the world. Without good urban rail with the MRT forming a major component of this network, the roads of Kuala Lumpur will be choked, bringing about dire consequences not only in terms of economic growth, but also to the quality of life of its denizens. The writer was however incorrect in saying that the MRT is being built a couple of feet away from these houses of Jalan Kasah in Medan Damansara. What is being built now is a retaining wall and NOT the MRT viaduct. With the retaining wall, a new slow lane for the Kuala Lumpur-bound side of the Sprint Highway can be created. This new lane will compensate for the fast lane of the highway which is being taken for the MRT viaduct. The MRT therefore will run in the middle of the Sprint Highway and not metres behind the houses along Jalan Kasah. The writer is also wrong in stating that the MRT alignment is 4m of Peninsula Residence at Jalan Semantan, and that Sinaran Apartments and the houses at Pinggir Zaaba are "similarly affected". Peninsular Residence is at least 6m from the MRT alignment while the others are even further away. While the Railways (Protection Zone) Regulations 1998 is meant to prohibit new buildings from being constructed less than 6m of a railway alignment, this 6m distance is generally followed when constructing new railways. This MRT Sungai Buloh-Kajang Line is no exception. On the point about the law permitting tunnelling under private property, the current land laws do not precisely determine the depth of land ownership. As such, acquisition under public purpose will be needed for even for tunnelling, no different from acquisition of surface land to build a railway above ground. Otherwise, issues of trespass will arise. While permitting alienation of underground land, this right to exercise this rests solely with the owner. To avert acquisition of private property, Mass Rapid Transit Corporation Sdn Bhd has taken the initiative to negotiate with the owners to obtain the right to go beneath their properties without the surface property being disturbed. One can appreciate the complexities of these negotiations. However, we are greatly encouraged as we have been successful in most cases. Thank you.
Best regards, MRT CORPORATION SDN BHD
AMIR MAHMOOD RAZAK Director
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| Anwar needs to answer the entire Indian community Posted: 10 Apr 2013 04:27 PM PDT
MEDIA STATEMENT By Saravanan (Overseas Hindraf Member) Dato Seri Anwar Ibrahim was given the first chance by Hindraf Makkal Shakti to endorse their 5 years plan blue print. More than 18 meetings were held in between Pakatan Rakyat and Hindraf. Till today the silence of Pakatan doesn't make any sense about the blue print. DSAI need to answer Indian voters why he rejected or neglected the 6 points Hindraf blue print demans. Anwar shouldn't play coward game any longer by using Indian Pakatan leaders and cyber troopers to protect his position. There is a need for Anwar to come forward and say what makes the whole discussion halted and why he stopped the blue print endorsement personally. The scenario is going very ugly because DSAI continuously using journalist to attack a minority group which fighting for the downtrodden Indian's rights. Whereas Hindraf leaders are coming forward to answer all the necessary questions in the media. We Indians request DSAI to tear his cowardice mask and answer the whole blueprint scenario truth without any delay. By Playing politics many Indians will boycott Pakatan Rakyat in the coming up 13th General election. The loser of the game will be Pakatan. Indians been marginalized by UMNO for 56 years. If Pakatan is really into helping Indians they should safe their election situation from now. We Indians will not loose anything but Pakatan will loose Indian votes. Do not take Indians for a ride. DSAI please answer us, you been propagating that Malaysia is not practising human rights to foreign medias. Now the 6 points demands of Hindraf is purely human rights matter why are you shying away? You use to campaign anak melayu anak saya, anak Cina anak saya dan anak India anak saya. Where is the slogans of anak India anak kamu? If you think Indians are your children you will treat them equally but you are not eager to treat them in that manner. In Last general election you promised Kampong Buah Pala folks that as soon as Pakatan win Penang the land will protected. But you behaved other way around as soon as Pakatan took over Penang, you played big time politics with Buah Pala Indians. You didn't safe them till last but you just blamed Barisan Nasional. Pakatan statement was we are not in charge of Putra jaya hard to undo the previous agreement. Now we are asking you a question if you take over Putra jaya will you undo the agreement now ? For the sake of your Indian children. I personally challenge DSAI to abolish article 153 and other racist policies which been practised in Malaysia. Can you give equal rights to all Malaysian citizen besides 'mengankat martabat orang Melayu'? If any Malaysian or coalition read the 6 points demands of Hindraf carefully will understand that it is a Human rights demands. Any Government can endorse it under the provision of human rights. Instead of approving and being straight forward DSAI and Pakatan playing dirty game by flip flopping downtrodden Malaysian Indians life. Stop making Indians as 3rd class citizen of Malaysia. My final request to DSAI stop using mandores and cyber troopers to answer Hindraf´s questions. Please step forward boldly as a leader and explain us why you rejected the 6 point demands.
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| Why Rais Yatim shouldn’t drive the Information Department vans around the bend Posted: 10 Apr 2013 02:17 PM PDT
Dr Mustafa K Anuar, Honorary Secretary, Aliran Aliran roundly condemns Information, Communication and Culture Minister Rais Yatim's recent indefensible justification for the Barisan Nasional's blatant use of government machinery for its election campaigning in the run-up to the general election. What was done had nothing to do with the functions of the caretaker government. The three Information Department vans were there to assist the BN coalition to prepare for the opening of the BN's election command centre for the Batu parliamentary constituency on Sunday. Government machinery was definitely used for party purposes. It is crucial that all parties concerned must acknowledge and respect the demarcation line between party and government use to prevent abuse of power and to ensure a level playing field between the incumbent coalition and its contenders. It is therefore understandable that the Opposition coalition had no option but to reject the pathetic offer by the BN government, an action which Rais considered an attempt to 'mock' RTM. He fails to realise that without doubt he is mocking the democratic process. |
| Posted: 09 Apr 2013 02:15 PM PDT
Hindraf is not the only organisation working towards the empowerment of ethnic Indians. Charles Santiago Hindraf's illusion is dangerous and nonsensical. I am referring to its unyielding stand that the DAP Gelang Patah Declaration is plagiarised from Hindraf's manifesto. It's commendable that Hindraf has come up with a manifesto to uplift the socio-economic status of ethnic Indians. But other Indian based organisations such as the National Indian Rights Action Team (NIAT) have put forward a-68-page exhaustive Indian empowerment plan and policy reforms to uplift the Indian community. Clearly, Hindraf is not the only organisation working towards the empowerment of ethnic Indians. But the insistence by Hindraf's leaders that the DAP Declaration copies Hindraf's aspirations for the Indian community only goes to show their ignorance about the long-standing grievances faced by the minority community. During the 1999 election, a group of NGOs under the umbrella of the Group of Concerned Citizens (GCC), first put forward a political document entitled 'Demands of Indian Malaysians: For a Better Future'. It was endorsed by political parties such as DAP, PAS, PRM, PAS and KeAdilan (now PKR). Thus the aspirations of the Indian community are not a monopoly of any one group and there is enough room for all to contribute in the struggle. I started working with the Indian community, and particularly the plantation workers, from the early 80s. The Indians were largely poor, did not have the necessary skills to survive in an urban environment and marginalised in terms of education, employment and business opportunities. We fought alongside the Indians for the implementation of a minimum wage, the right to Tamil education and to have their inherent rights met. We fought for better infrastructure in Tamil schools and higher intake in universities, among other issues. Fast forward to 2013, nothing much has changed under Barisan rule. Malaysian Indians are facing the same dilemma. The MIC, which was then the self-proclaimed custodian of the community, took it upon them to look into the welfare of the Indians. The MIC's many schemes, including Maika shares, to uplift the community ended in disasters. Their only feat was successfully disengaging the Indians from the decision-making process of the government. Hindraf leaders must bear in mind that many of the leaders in Pakatan Rakyat have been working with the Indian community long before Hindraf was even formed. We understand their issues and are not strangers to their aspirations. Some of the points raised in the Gelang Patah Declaration were already raised in Pakatan Rakyat's manifesto. The Declaration itself is a work in progress. My party, DAP, has put forth the Gelang Patah Declaration to PKR and PAS. We will reach a consensus as deliberations are currently underway. The Pakatan state governments of Selangor and Penang have provided millions of ringgits in support of Tamil schools including computer labs. Money has also been given to temples and other programs including interest free small business loans and programs for single mothers. Pakatan Rakyat has walked the talk although more needs to be done. However delivery aspects of these programs can be more efficient. But the structural problems facing the Indians can only be addressed in a comprehensive manner with the commitment of the federal government. Given what Hindraf claims to represent, its natural ally would be Pakatan Rakyat. As such, it would be prudent on the part of Hindraf leaders to stop acting like children. We are not at war with each other here.
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| Posted: 09 Apr 2013 01:39 PM PDT
The Malaysia Airlines 4Q results are misleading to say the least. While the results look positive, on closer examination, it shows that the 4Q net profit of RM50 million was largely attributed to forex gains and lower impairment charges. Edmund The impending rights issues are a massive disservice to Malaysians who have throughout the years been called upon to bear the burden of the bailing out MAS to the tune of billions. That's a whole load of schools, hospitals and better service delivery lost in opportunity costs. This latest 'corporate restructuring' sees MAS requiring Khazanah Nasional to subscribe to the RM 3.1 billion rights issue. As the largest shareholder, Khazanah will be forking out a whopping amount of tax payers' money to take up the offer. That's our money, good money, being thrown after bad money again. This comes soon after Kumpulan Wang Persaraan, the nation's pension fund, took up RM 1 billion of sukuk issued by MAS. We should remember that the bonds were not guaranteed and carried a 6 percent coupon rate. At those yields, one wonders why there wasn't a long queue of foreign investors at the door.We should not lose sight of the fact that both KHazanah and KWAP is the guardian of the Rakyat's wealth. Whatever happened to reducing Government's Role in Business (GRIB) that requires GLCs to divest stakes in companies once it hits a 'trigger' price. Khazanah's entry price to MAS shares was approximately RM 3. Does it hope that MAS will surpass that mark in the near term before it divests at a profit? Interesting that the under the ETP, a key focus NKEA is reducing Government's Role In Business (GRIB). That's why we had Khazanah divesting IHH in monster IPO and selling its stake in Proton and Pharmaniaga. Looks like all this will be wasted on MAS. As right thinking Malaysians, I think we have has enough of the shenanigans in MAS over the past 10 years at the tax payers' expense. Bottom-line is there is something not right with this rights issue.
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| Indians in Pakatan: Tradable or disposable? Posted: 09 Apr 2013 12:56 PM PDT
When the Chinese and Malay Pakatan elephants fight, it is the Indian grass that gets trampled. P.M. Sivalingam Pakatan Rakyat leaders regard Indian candidates as tradable commodities at best and disposable merchandise at worst. Anwar Ibrahim had been dropping names of candidates in a staggered fashion during nationwide road shows but had never mentioned a single Indian candidate. Until today that is, when he named N.Surendran as PKR candidate for Padang Serai in Kedah. Still in the balance are the candidatures of Kulasegaran, Xavier Jayakumar, Sivakumar, Sivarasa, Ramasamy, M. Manoharan, Charles Santiago and S. Manickavasagam. The Indian community is watching to see who will be traded and who will be disposed. Kulasegaran seems to be Pakatan's first fall-guy. Word had leaked out that he would be moved from his comfort zone in Ipoh Barat to Segamat. He was seen as a thorn in the side of the Ngeh cousins, and therefore disposable. Kulasegaran had indicated that he would be willing to be sacrificial lamb for the sake of his party, the DAP. However, Anwar had other plans. He had to find a slot for PKR's Chua Jui Meng. And so he blocked Kula's move down south and named Chua as the Segamat candidate instead. The political hopes of other Indians in Pakatan are also hanging on a thread. It is common knowledge that the jostling for seats in the Pakatan coalition is continuing with great intensity. Since launching its manifesto on February 25, the Pakatan leadership had repeatedly said that parliamentary seat allocation had been finalised, with minor changes. But to date, the full list has not been announced. That's because of last-minute jostling and intra-party rivalries. The Star newspaper said in a report today, as follows: In Terengganu, the announcement of PKR state chief Azan Ismail last Wednesday that the party would contest 11 state and three parliamentary seats was contradicted by PAS commissioner Abdul Wahid Endut...
In Penang, PAS central committee member Datuk Dr Mujahid Rawa said that a PAS candidate would contest the Sungai Acheh state seat. This was refuted by Penang PKR vice-chairman Datuk Abdul Malik Abdul Kassim...
In Perlis, PKR and PAS have locked horns over the Kangar seat, traditionally contested by PKR...
In Sabah, the Pakatan leadership is trying to hammer out a formula to share seats with its allies Angkatan Perubahan Sabah (APS) and Pakatan Perubahan Sabah (PPS)...
Problems can also be seen in Johor and Negeri Sembilan.
When the Chinese and Malay Pakatan elephants fight, it is the Indian grass that gets trampled.
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| A blatant lie about Nurul Izzah Posted: 09 Apr 2013 12:41 PM PDT Raja Nong Chik and his leaders only reacted after Nurul came into action. If she did not make any inroads, I can guarantee you that we would have been suffering until today. Rebecca Jane Thomas, letter to FMT I was reading the April 8 Malay Mail article, 'Lembah Pantai back to BN?' by Nadya Ngui and my blood rose. I was so furious with the following opening paragraph: "The Barisan Nasional's (BN) chances of recapturing the Lembah Pantai parliamentary seat look promising as voters in the constituency say Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) representative Nurul Izzah Anwar was a "no show" after 2008." I am here to say that this is a blatant lie. I have personally witnessed the dedication, the sensitiveness towards the people's concern, the humility and hard work of this MP in my area, Taman Bukit Angkasa especially Block 14 in Lembah Pantai. When I approached the MIC and Umno leaders in 2010 to do something about the burst pipes in our block, I was told that since this place is now under MP Nurul Izzah, I should go to her and that they cannot do anything to help me. I remember very clearly the MIC and Umno leaders mentioned that the government has no money to help replace the pipes which was causing a nightmare and a burden to its residents. They just did not bother about our problems and wanted us to continue suffering. But I kept on with my fight. Even the PR Officer of Syabas at that point of time questioned our support for BN if they were to come in and help us. So I took MIC's and Umno's advice and communicated with Nurul and she came to hear us out. She said she will raise our issue in Parliament and this was confirmed by her former assistant. This former assistant is now serving Raja Nong Chik.
When the Umno leaders saw that Nurul was making inroads, they sprung into action. They decided to take matters into their hands including Raja Nong Chik. They felt threatened by her presence. If I did not go to Nurul Izzah, all our pipe woes would not have been solved. I had to find my own sponsors to pay the 20% deposit for the funds under the TP1M scheme and Block 14 was the first block in Taman Bukit Angkasa which had its pipes upgraded in 2011. Raja Nong Chik grabbed the golden opportunity to gain name and favour by providing funds for the remaining 18 blocks to upgrade their pipe systems. This was only announced last Saturday (April 7, 2013). Why could he have not done this earlier? Read more at: http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/opinion/2013/04/10/a-blatant-lie-about-nurul-izzah/
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