By Kong See Hoh, Opalyn Mok and Llew-Ann Phang

PETALING JAYA (April 10, 2008): In stark contrast to Umno, Selangor MCA lends support to the new state government over the centralised pig farming project, and showed that it will not oppose for the sake of opposing.

Both Selangor MCA state liaison chief Datuk Ch’ng Toh Eng and his deputy, Datuk Tang See Hang, have given the thumbs-up to Mentri Besar Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim for his decision to implement the project, which was approved by the previous Barisan Nasional (BN) government, in Ladang Tumbuk, Mukim Batu in Kuala Langat.

Khalid has incurred the wrath of some non-governmental organisations, which said the project will damage the environment, and drew flak from state Umno assemblymen.

Ch’ng urged the Pakatan Rakyat (PR) government to implement the project as soon as possible and disagreed with Umno’s Sementa assemblyman Datuk Abdul Rahman Palil who objected to the project by saying it may give rise to a sensitive issue as there are more Malays than people from other races staying around the pig farming area.

Abdul Rahman should not harbour such narrow-minded thinking, he said in a press statement.

Ch’ng, who is the shadow exco member monitoring the land development, finance, and state economic action committee as well as the youth and sports committee, reminded Umno elected representatives, who are up in arms against the project, that it was the previous BN state government which approved the project.

He stressed that MCA supports the project now as it did before, and will not oppose for the sake of opposing the Pakatan Rakyat (PR) state government.

Ch’ng urged the PR government to place the interest of the pig farmers and people above all in dealing with the pig farming issue.

He also urged the dissenting Umno assemblymen to discard their narrow-mindedness and to instead look at the broader picture of the economic benefits the pig farming industry can bring to the state.

“MCA will support all state projects that benefit the people,” he said.

Tang, who was tasked with handling the centralised pig farming issue under the previous state government, stressed that at present pig farming in the state is concentrated in Ladang Tumbuk.

He disclosed that, in fact, farms outside Ladang Tumbuk had been closed down by the previous government for polluting the environment.

He said the centralised pig farming project should not become an issue at all as it was approved by the previous Umno-dominated state government.

Defending the new government’s decision, he felt that as long as the state government can ensure that special measures are taken to ensure hygiene and non-pollution of the environment, centralised pig farming should not be a problem.

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 26 (ES) - Nearly sixty anti-inflation activists were arrested by the police near the iconic national oil company Petronas twin towers here today for allegedly participating in an illegal assembly.

The arrest – including of two journalists affiliated to an online newsportal – came before activists even arrived at the towers to make their demands against further fuel hike known.

Among those arrested were Islamic Party of Malaysia (PAS) vice president Mohamad Sabu, treasurer Dr Mohd Hatta Ramli and women chief Nuridah Salleh. Others include National Justice Party (PKR) information chief Tian Chua and Socialist Party of Malaysia (PSM) pro-tem chairman Nasir Hashim.

Malaysiakini journalist Syed Jaymal Zahid told the English Section that he was just asking an unidentified policeman on why people were being arrested.

“He said you don’t have any right to ask me questions… Come with me and that was that,” Syed Jaymal said from inside a black Maria that also held several others arrested.

Syed Jaymal said he had forgotten to bring along his press tag but he showed the officer his name card and his Identity Card.

“The name (on those documents) were the same, but they sill wanted to arrest me,” he said.

“I was just doing my job,” he said.

Another freelance journalist arrested is Chou Z Lam, 38. He was spotted wearing a yellow t-shirt, the trade mark for an ongoing campaign for a free and fair election.

Nasir said the police had learnt a “new trick” by obtaining a Court injunction that barred anyone from participating in a protest in a radius of 1km around the Twin Tower.

He said the use of the Court injunction was preventive just like in the case of the abuse of the draconian Internal Security Act (ISA).

Abdullah “paranoid”

“We are not going to cause problem, we are saying that the price of good is going up and the poor is suffering. What’s wrong with that?,” he told journalists some half an hour before he was arrested.

“There must be check and balance, otherwise it will be an authoritarian (regime ruling the country),” he said.

Network of the Oppressed People (JERIT) coordinator Y. Kohila was adamant that the protest should go on despite several arrests earlier, when met at a venue some 500metres away from the twin tower.

Asked on whether the arrest of the protest leader S. Arutchelvan would dampen the spirit of some 200 mainly PSM supporters present, Kohila said: “We will go on. We are all leaders”

Kohila was arrested about half an hour afterwards. Those arrested are expected to be released later tonight.

A check by the English Section some three hours after the scheduled protest, found that some 200 uniform policemen including the anti riot Federal Reserve Units (FRU) were still present at the scene.

In the absence of any visible form of protest which dissipated shortly after the series of arrests that lasted for an hour and a half since as early as 2pm, the policemen were seen sitting and chatting idly among themselves.

PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang had previously remarked that Malaysia is heading toward becoming a “Police state”. –Saadon Aksah/ES

The Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf) today expressed shock over Deputy Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak’s statement that the movement’s leaders had to be arrested to prevent a racial clash. 

In a statement, Hindraf chairperson P Waythamoorthy claimed that detaining the five Hindraf leaders under the Internal Security Act (ISA) was an ‘insult to justice’.

They were held without any proof, added the lawyer, who is currently in London.

“We are shocked with Najib’s revelation that the arrest was indirectly meant to pacify those who were prepared to resort to violent acts.

“This is absolutely ridiculous and doesn’t augur well in a democratic and civil society,” he said.

Yesterday, Najib told AFP that the arrest of the five Hindraf leaders had averted a major racial clash in Kuala Lumpur. 

“If the Malays of Kampung Baru had come out then, we (would) have the spectre of a serious possibility of a racial clash in this country.

“There were signs that they were preparing to come out, so we had to tell them, ‘look, don’t make the situation any worse’. “The government was actually taking action to prevent anything worse from happening,” the deputy premier was quoted as saying.

‘Obsolete’ threat

Waythamoorthy claimed that whenever a minority community raises its grouses, the government will instill the fear of racial clashes.
“Hindraf feels that the threat of ‘Malay violence’ is obsolete and by condoning such acts, the government is violating the principles of peace, harmony and co-existence,” he said. 

The Hindraf chairperson also stated that the movement has always promoted peaceful democratic rights enshrined in the Federal Constitution.

“The issue of oppression, suppression and marginalisation of the Indian community over the last 50 years should be tackled but the government chooses to imprison those who advocate principles of democracy and minority rights,” he said.

Waythamoorthy said the Indian community will no longer “believe these lies.”

“Our demands have even opened the eyes of the underclass Malays who now realise that the Malay special privilege under Article 153 of the Federal Constitution has failed them, instead enriching the elite class of the ruling Umno leaders,” he added.

The Hindraf chairperson also reiterated his call to free the five held under the ISA.

The five, including Waythamoorty’s brother and Hindraf legal advisor Uthayakumar, were detained on Dec 13.

On Nov 25, Hindraf organised a massive street rally which drew some 30,000 Indian Malaysians to the streets.

The movement has since been labelled as an ‘extremist’ outfit and its leaders accused of having terrorist links.

By Andrew Ong

Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi’s standing among the Indian community has taken a severe beating according to a survey released recently.

Based on the Merdeka Centre for Opinion Research survey, Indians approval for Abdullah had dropped from 79% in October to only 38% in December. 

This has dragged Abdullah’s overall approval rating to an all time low of 61% since a high of 91% in November 2004.

Merdeka Centre director Ibrahim Suffian said the sudden drop in approval ratings was due likely to the Hindraf issue since an earlier survey before November did not capture a negative swing among the Indians.

“It is likely the Hindraf rally has changed the mood of Indian voters,” said Ibrahim, adding that the survey however did not provide conclusive explanation for the drop in approval.

Hindraf became a household name among Indians after the movement’s mass rally on Nov 25 which saw 30,000 Indians demonstrating for equality and an end to discrimination.

The survey was carried out for five days starting on Dec 14 – a day after the detention of five Hindraf leaders under the Internal Security Act – and involved 1,026 registered voters selected via random stratified sampling.

Other than the Indians, the survey showed Abdullah losing the approval of the Malays and Chinese which saw a reduction of 8% and 5% respectively when compared to the October survey.
Pessimistic on economy

On the economy, less than 50% of respondents optimistic that the economy would improve over the next one year.

The Chinese were the least optimistic as only 19% of respondents believe they will see improvement in the economy while the Malays (53%) were the most optimistic.

On average, only 41% of respondents believe that the economy would improve.

The survey also showed top three issues affecting voters were price hikes and inflation (20%), racial issues and inequality (17%) and crime and public safety (12%).

Asked if they were satisfied with the government to solve the price hikes and inflation problem, 70% of respondents replied “somewhat dissatisfied” or “very dissatisfied”.

By Fauwaz Abdul Aziz

Dressed in a frilly dark-red dress and wearing pom-poms in her hair, five-year-old Vwaishhnnavi was all decked out to deliver a letter to Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi. What she wanted was a ‘date’  for Valentine’s Day.

Her letter, submitted through the premier’s aide at his office in Putrajaya this morning, invited him to accept roses from her and hundreds of other children on Feb 16 (Valentine’s Day is observed on Feb 14, traditionally with gifts like flowers).

But this was no ordinary child and not your typical expression of love from yet another star-struck admirer of the prime minister.

Vwaishhnnavi is the only child of Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf) chairperson and lawyer P Waythamoorthy, who is currently in self-imposed exile in London.

Her uncle, Uthayakumar, the movement’s legal adviser, has been detained with four others for two years under the Internal Security Act.

The planned parade of flower-bearing children and their parents to Parliament House next month is to petition Abdullah for the release of the Hindraf leaders who were detained on his orders, on Dec 13 last year.

In a three-page handwritten letter, Vwaishhnnavi also asked that the gathering of supporters be protected from any untoward incident.

“I am doing this for the rights of Indians in our country and for my five uncles whom you have put them [sic] in prison,” reads the letter. 

“Please protect me and others coming to Parliament from the brutal attack of police who may use tear gas and chemical (-laced) water. Mr PM, I am coming because I want to give you beautiful flowers… You must wait for me at Parliament to take my roses.” [See full letter]

Other than the flowers, the group hopes to hand over to Abdullah an 18-point memorandum on the needs of the Indian Malaysian community. 

Most of the talking this morning was done by Hindraf national coordinator RS Thanendran and its spokesperson S Manickavasagam.

Vwaishhnnavi was quiet throughout. She knew, though, how to smile sweetly as photographers and television crew focused their lenses on her.

Hindraf’s influence ‘evident’

Asked what they had in mind if denied a police permit to assemble outside Parliament, Manickivasagam said the peaceful gathering would go on even if a permit is not issued. An application will be submitted tomorrow to the police.

“We are not bringing weapons or anything (like that). These are flowers that we are bringing to the prime minister,” said Manickavasagam, who is also a member of the PKR supreme council.

Echoing this, Thanendran said the premier should set an example to the children by allowing the peaceful gathering.

“We will apply for the permit, (so) grant us the permit. We will abide by all the laws and regulations. We’ll never break any laws. We’re only worried that they (the police) will set a bad example,” he said.

To a suggestion that the group would be using children to further its goals, he said the gathering on Feb 16 is to educate the younger generation and impress on them the need to struggle for their rights.

“We are taking them (along) with the consent of their parents. We are doing this for their future,” he said.

The first gathering by Hindraf on Nov 25 last year saw a gathering of about 30,000 Indians suppressed by riot police.

Despite the government’s reluctance to accord legitimacy to Hindraf, said Thanendran, it was evident that it has succeeded in forcing recognition that the Indian community has legitimate grievances.

He cited Abdullah’s announcement on Sunday declaring a public holiday for Thaipusam – a move sought by community leaders for at least 20 years. 

Abdullah also announced the creation of a special cabinet committee to look into eradication of poverty, as well the establishment of a task force under the home ministry to look into the plight of an estimated 400,000 Indians who are without identification documents.

“After Hindraf’s (Nov 25 demonstration of) people power, (many things) came into (play),” said Thandendran.

He also described Hindraf as a “non-political” group that supports any party struggling for the rights of Indian Malaysians.

However, he said actions against Hindraf could well influence the voting choices of Indians in the upcoming general election.

“We are a NGO asking for basic human rights which (Indians) have been deprived (of) and (we have been) discriminated against for the past 50 years,” he added.

“If the five (Hindraf leaders) are still detained in Kamunting (camp in Perak) and (elections are called), it will affect (choices made by voters).”

By Syed Jaymal Zahiid

The two Tourism Malaysia high-ranking officials implicated in the ‘Korean scandal’ have been suspended, according to sources today. The sources told Malaysiakini that the two-month suspension took effect starting today.

However, Seoul office director Abdul Mutalib Awang and North Asian regional director Ramzi Abu Yazid will be receiving their monthly salaries. 

The suspension comes despite Tourism Minister Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor’s (photo) announcement that an internal probe had cleared the duo of any wrongdoing.

On Jan 11, Malaysiakini reported that Abdul Mutalib and Ramzi had allegedly pocketed RM850,000 slated for the production of a video to promote Malaysia to South Koreans.

Sources had furnished Malaysiakini with documentary evidence of their allegations against the duo and an accomplice by the name of Tan Poh Eng, a Malaysian-based graphic designer.

‘Ministry trying to cover up’

Sources claimed that early last year, Ramzi had suggested to the Tourism Malaysia Seoul office to produce a promotional video of Malaysian tourist attractions.

Mutalib allegedly agreed and the project was tendered to one Sekyung Communications Co Ltd, said to be established by his South Korean friends.

It was alleged that Ramzi and Tan would pick up the money and transfer it back to Malaysia.

Following the report, the minister announced that an internal probe will be conducted to determine the veracity of the accusations.

The matter also became the subject of an investigation by the Anti-Corruption Agency (ACA).

Accusations of a cover-up

Sources said they are puzzled by the suspension in the light of Tengku Adnan’s announcement and alleged that the ministry is trying to ‘cover up’ the matter.

“How can they (Ramzi and Mutalib) be cleared of any wrongdoings and yet be suspended?” they asked.

Tengku Adnan, who was also implicated in the scandal but denied any involvement, was again accused by sources of turning a blind eye to the allegation.

Despite several attempts, Malaysiakini could not obtain a confirmation on the suspension from the Tourism Malaysia headquarters or the Tourism Ministry.

By Soon Li Tsin

He may have retired from politics but that has not stopped former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad from speculating on the date of the next general election along with every other Malaysian. 

Answering questions at a press conference after launching (photo, left) the second outlet of his bakery, The Loaf, in Kuala Lumpur today, Mahathir said the ideal time to hold the election would be now. 

“It’s ideal now. Everything is going up. The prices of items are going up, the stock market is going up. Roti pun naik (bread also rises),” he said with a huge smile and his usual dose of sarcasm.

He revealed that, during his 22-year tenure as premier up October 2003, he would decide on the general election date when he was confident of winning.

“So if you want to know when the elections (will be called), then just look out for when the government appears confident of winning,” he said.

Asked the Barisan Nasional’s (BN) chances of winning again with another large margin, he shrugged and replied: “They will surely win, no doubt about it.”

“I don’t know (by) what percentage because they haven’t told me yet, but it will be a substantial victory,” he quipped.

 In 2004, the BN swept into power winning over 90 percent of the seats contested. However, few expect this to be repeated because of growing disenchantment with the government’s handling of issues like the economy and crime rate.

Mahathir also took a swipe at ministers when he said Japanese people are known for their demand for high quality in everything. 

“If something goes wrong here, the minister does not do anything. But in Japan, the minister would jump off a building,” he mused without naming names.

Earlier, he had explained that he had decided to go into the Japanese bread-making industry because he was fascinated by the high quality of the process.

Another memory lapse

Mahathir and Japanese entrepreneur Jiro Suzuki co-own The Loaf. Its bakers are led by award-winning grand chef Yukichi Matsubara from Japan. The first outlet was opened in Langkawi island on July 2006.

Mahathir’s arrival at the launch was greeted with a brass band performance at the new Pavilion shopping complex where the bakery is located. People crowded around, clamouring to shake hands with him and wife, Dr Siti Hasmah Ali. 

 After making his way to the outlet, he delivered a short speech thanking guests for their support. 

His humour was the undoubted star of the show. With a grin, he joked about his dwindling memory after failing to name the chairpersons of the Pavilion mall.

“Mahathir mudah lupa (Mahathir forgets easily). I’m 82 years old. I’m forgetting things. Sometimes it’s good to forget certain things,” he said to cheers.

Mahathir was in the spotlight last week when he said he “could not remember” various matters while being questioned by the royal commission of inquiry into the VK Lingam tape.

Personalities who graced the launch included his daughter Marina, singer Siti Nurhaliza and husband Khalid Jiwa; business tycoon Vincent Tan, DAP politician Jeff Ooi, former News Straits Times group editor Abdul Kadir Jasin and former MCA president and transport minister Ling Liong Sik.

By Nat

TheSun : Umno cannot be the DAP’s political arch nemesis and a vote for the DAP cannot be translated as a vote against Umno, MCA president Datuk Seri Ong Ka Ting said.

Can it?

What I do know is this: a vote for MCA is DEFINITELY a vote for Umno.

The only way this could possibly be untrue is if MCA has ever proven itself to be a credible check against Umno.

I think no one outside the party could ever they’ve done anything of the sort. Remember post- Hisham and the keris?

I took some time to extensively spell out how and why MCA is completely selling out not only Chinese interests, but Malaysian ones.

At the heart of any BN component party is the fear that Umno cannot be defeated. This is loser talk, and one that has led to a lot of bending over over time.

It’s true that a party like DAP does not contest in any Umno seats, but it’s part of a credible opposition and government-in- waiting (See Tony’s budget).

Only KeADILan and Pas are in a position to challenge Umno directly, but rest assured, to vote for MCA, MIC or Gerakan is to reward Umno and perpetuate 2nd class citizenry for not only Chinese, Indians and others, but also for under-priviliged Malays.

It is sad indeed that finally we have to acquiesce to the growing consensus that if we want our children to be safe we have to protect them ourselves. Indeed, if we want to be spared the pain, the grief, the sense of loss and anguish and not to be pricked by a sense of regret whenever their smiling faces appear in our mind, and above all to avoid the public censure for having been careless, we have no choice in the matter.

It is most unfortunate that it has come down to this. We can be stubborn and insist that security is a right due to us and the state must provide it but in the end it is our children and we who are going to suffer.

In trying to accept the new reality maybe we can rationalise that circumstances

have changed – there are more people, there are more foreigners, more criminal elements and insufficient policemen – and so we have to take care of our own safety ourselves. The days when we used to walk or cycle long distances to and from school, in urban and rural areas, without having to fear for our safety are long gone.

Those were the days when primary school children walked, either singly or in small groups, without fear of being abducted or molested, sometimes frolicking merrily to and from schools. And the worst fear of parents then was their children forgetting or not heeding the constant reminders to look left and right before crossing a road and being knocked down by a passing car.

Many parents now suffer different nightmares after what happened to Nurin Jazlin and others before her. And if the present spate of children going missing continues, parents, who would do anything for the sake of their children, would have to make sacrifices.

One of them will have to stay home to look after the children. Thus, for many couples the threat to their children’s safety could mean giving up much of what they had been planning to do together or to have. It could very well lead to many establishments losing some of their best workers.

No doubt parents have to mind their children but must it come to this? The first time when almost every child in large cities was escorted to school was after the May 13 riot. School gates then used to be noisy places where the escorts – parents or grandparents or child minders – congregated before and after school.

Gradually and fortunately, however, as the situation returned to normal and confidence in the state security apparatuses increased many children were no longer escorted.

If we don’t do something, and quickly, our school gates will once again be where parents, grandparents and house maids congregate in large numbers. – The Sun

By Soon Li Tsin & Chua Sue-Ann

The royal commission on the Lingam tape today zeroed in on the correspondence between Chief Justice Mohamed Dzaiddin Abdullah and ex-prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad on the appointment on High Court judges in 2001.

Former chief secretary to the government Samsudin Osman was today asked to confirm the letters which were exchanged between Mohamed Dzaiddin and Mahathir seven years ago. Samsudin, as the chief secretary, was privy to the highly confidential correspondence.

In one letter dated Oct 2, 2001, Mohamed Dzaiddin recommended five names to Mahathir to be appointed to the High Court.

The five were then solicitor-general Heliliah Yusof, judicial commissioners Ramly Ali and Ahmad Maarop, and senior lawyers Andrew Chew and Zainudin Ismail.

However, another letter which was later submitted by Samsudin to Mahathir had a list of five additional persons who should also be considered for the High Court posts.

Samsudin denied that his recommendations were influenced by other parties. He also said that he had not spoken to Mohamed Dzaiddin regarding the appointment and promotion of judges

The commission was told that when Mahathir subsequently responded to Mohamed Dzaiddin on the successful candidates, the names of Chew and Zainudin – which was suggested by the then CJ – were dropped.

The two were replaced by Sulaiman Daud and VT Singham – both from the list prepared by Samsudin.

Samsudin told the commission that he was not sure as to why Chew and Zainuddin were not selected.

“I don’t know. It was the prime minister’s decision,” he claimed.

He also said that he does not personally know lawyer VK Lingam but knew tycoon Vincent Tan whom he had met in the course of his work.

Dzaiddin’s men dropped

The list of candidates forwarded by Mohamed Dzaiddin is important as Lingam is caught talking about it to former chief justice Ahmad Fairuz Sheikh Abdul Halim in his telephone conversation, said to be in December 2001.

Mohamed Dzaiddin retired in 2003 and was replaced by Ahmad Fairuz, who himself retired last December.

In the grainy 14-minute video, Lingam tells Ahmad Fairuz that Zainudin’s name was dropped because he “condemned” Ahmad Fairuz’s promotion to chief judge of Malaya and former attorney-general Mohtar Abdullah’s appointment to the Federal Court.

According to the video, Lingam said: “There is a letter sent to … ah … CJ – I mean Tan Sri Dzaiddin – that Datuk Heliliah, …er Datuk Ramli and Datuk Maarop be made judges, and he (Mahathir) rejected that Dr Andrew Chew and apa itu Zainudin Ismail lah because Zainuddin Ismail who condemned your appointment and Tan Sri Mohtar’s appointment.”

As mentioned by Lingam in the video, the two lawyers were indeed dropped when the appointments to the High Court were officially announced two months later.

The video also showed Lingam expressing concern that the outgoing chief justice Mohamed Dzaiddin was moving his ‘men’ into top judiciary posts.

The conversation revolved around the urgent need to get Ahmad Fairuz, then chief judge of Malaya – the judiciary’s No 3 – appointed as Court of Appeal president (No 2) and then chief justice (No 1).

OSA documents

Lingam’s conversation also included references to tycoon Tan, a close crony of then prime minister Mahathir, and Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor, a key minister in the PM’s Department.

They were to lobby Mahathir on the appointment of judges.

Samsudin today said that he was not sure as to how Lingam could get access to the highly confidential letters exchanged between Mohamed Dzaiddin and Mahathir.

He added that these letters were never made available to ministers or their deputies.

“I assure you we guard (these documents) very closely … I am also puzzled by this,” he told the commission.

Samsudin also confirmed that all 30 documents tendered to the inquiry today were classified as official secrets.

Some of these letters and memorandums were stamped ‘Official Secret’ while others were not.-Malaysiakini