Saturday, October 24, 2009

The demolished temple that never was

By Neville Spykerman - The Malaysian Insider

SHAH ALAM, Oct 23- The Shah Alam City Council (MBSA) said today an illegal structure demolished by its enforcement officers on Wednesday cannot be called a Hindu temple, “by any stretch of the imagination”.

Deputy Mayor Mohtar Hani said the structure in Persiaran Kerjaya, Jalan Glenmarie, Seksyen U1, Shah Alam, was a place where gamblers went to get predictions for 4D or numbers and not a house of worship.

Pictures of the site distributed to the press today showed Chinese deities and altars, along with a picture of a Hindu deity, in what looked like an old oil palm estate.

An appeal letter from the “temple” caretaker, K. Muniandy, asking for a month’s grace period to move, dated Feb 19, described the site as a “Tokong Datuk” or deity altar.

The revelations by MBSA today cast doubts on a statement by MIC president Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu, who yesterday denounced the demolition of the “temple”.

He said the demolition of the Mathurai Veeran temple was an act of treachery by Pakatan Rakyat (PR) against the Hindu community.

However MBSA councillor K. Uthayasoorian today said he was disappointed that MIC was resorting to such tactics for political mileage.

“They have twisted the facts,” he said, adding the embattled Indian party, which has lost the support of the majority of the community, was using the incident for its political survival.

According to him, the picture of the Hindu deity was brought to the site after the temple was demolished.

He said it was also disgrace for anyone to call the site a Mathurai Veeran temple and MBSA would not hesitate to lodge a police report and take legal action against the culprits which were raising such sensitive allegations.

Earlier this morning, about a dozen members from the Selangor MIC youth held a press conference at the site.

State party youth chief Shanker Raj Ayanger told the press they had lodged a police report about the incident yesterday.

He demanded the resignations of Selangor Executive Councillor Dr Xavier Jayakumar, who oversees non-Muslim places of worship, for failing to protect the ‘temple’.

He added they would be handing over a memorandum of protest to the Selangor mentri besar, next Wednesday.

He also called on PR to honour it promise that no places of worship would be demolished, which was made after they took over state administration last year.

PKR’s Latest Indian Mandore- Councillor Uthayasoorian

We all know that this PKR’s Indian Mandore who’s NGO has benifitted from Selangor the richest state in Malaysia. Now he is returning the favour and speaking up for his Tuan i.e. Tan Sri Khalid, Menteri Besar of Selangor. This PKR Indian Mandore trying to do damage control to water down this hindu temple demolishment which was given headlines and front page news in all three Tamil dailys.

After 25 Novenber 2007 we no longer need to convince the Malaysian Indian on what is a fact and what is fiction. This Indain Mandore should instead convince his Tuan to grant state land titles to all Hindu temples, crematorium and all 98 Tamil School in S

P. Uthayakumar’s public interest criminal cases in three different criminial Courts in three days in a row:-

News Update: 23/10/2009

P. Uthayakumar’s public interest criminal cases in three different criminial Courts in three days in a row:-

1) On 23/10/2009 before the Kuala Lumpur High Court at 9.00 a.m on the transfer of his case from the “bioused” Sessions Court Judge to the Kuala Lumpur High Court.(refer to our earlier postings)

2) On 26/10/2009 before the Kuala Lumpur Sessions Court “bioused” Judge at 9.00 a.m on his ethnic cleansing criminal prosecution. (decision on a technical objection)

3) Appeal by the Attorney General against the High Court Judge Datuk Kadir Musa’s decision quashing and setting aside the Warrant of arrest and his subsequent arrest in 2006. This hearing is to be on 27/10/2009 at 9.00 a.m at the Putrajaya Court of Appeal.

lawyer-puthayakumar-in-the-dock

PKR/P.R’s Deepavali present, demolishing hindu temple

Re: PKR/P.R’s Deepavali present, demolishing hindu temple

We refer to the aforesaid matter which was reported in Tamil Nesan (headlines 23/10/2009) Mathuraiveeran Temple demolished (Nanban front page 23/10/2009) Mathuraiveeran Temple demolished (Makkal Osai 23/10/2009 front page). (But none of the other non Tamil media reported the same).

After the recent infamous demolishment of the last Indian traditional village in Penang ie Kg Buah Pala, it is now the PKR led Selangor state government’s turn to demolish this Mathuraiveeran Hindu temple by the Shah Alam City Council. When even the wounds of the Kg Buah Pala had not healed, now PKR/P.R chooses to ruthlessly, unconstitutionally and unlawfully demolish yet another Indian symbol.

This despicable act is not only in violation of Article 11 of the Federal Constitution which provides for freedom of religion but is also a crime by virtue of the Penal Code ie Section 295 (Injuring or defiling a place of worship with intent to insult the religion of any class) which carries a maximum jail term of two years and a fine. Section 296 (Disturbing a religious assembly, Section 297 (Trespassing on burial places etc) and Section 298 A (Causing etc disharmony, disunity of feelings of enmity, hatred, ill – will or prejudicing etc, the maintenance of harmony or unity an grounds of religion). Why is it in Malaysia that almost always it is a Hindu temple, hindu crematorium or Tamil school that is demolished or forced to be relocated in Malaysia. Why not a Mosque, Chinese temple, Buddhist temple or a Church?

We now call upon your goodself as the Chief Executive Officer of the State of Selangor to lodge a police report with the view that the Attorney General prosecutes the Mayor of the City of Shah Alam, the enforcement director of the Shah Alam City Council and the Selangor State EXCO Member in charge of the Local Council for the aforesaid criminal offences.

As it stands this your PKR/P.R. State government has been not very much different from your UMNO predecessor Dato Seri Khir Toyo vis a vis the critical Indian problems in especially Selangor.

To prove that your goodselves are different and to stop the crimes of hindu temple demolishments etc the PKR, DAP and PAS State governments must within two weeks from the date hereof compulsorily acquire by virtue of Section 76 of the National Land Code and issue letters by the Menteri Besar of Selangor and Kedah and also the Chief Minister of Penang that all hindu temples, tamil schools and hindu crematoriums and all other Malaysian Indian symbols in the states of Kedah, Penang and Selangor that they would all be granted state land in situ, grant them land titles within six(6) months and gazette these land as hindu temples, hindu crematoriums and tamil schools accordingly. This would in effect solve half the critical Indian problems in Malaysia. But is there a political will by PKR, DAP and PAS in doing so.

This is the only and sure way for these state crimes to come to a complete full stop and which would in turn be emulated by the UMNO/BN Federal and the other UMNO/BN state governments.

After all P.R has granted state land to 102, 000 Chinese new villagers in Perak 110, 000 Rancangan Kampong Tersusun ( almost all Malay village heads) 3 hectres each for every orang asli family in Perak, 1, 000 hectres of land for nine Chinese Independent schools in Perak, 30hectres of land for the Premier International School, in Perak 30 hectres and RM 100 Million for the Sepang Pig Project in Selangor. All of this was within one month of taking over the state government. But almost zero land allocations had been granted for the Indians in Kedah, Penang and Selangor by the very same P.R. state governments.

Kindly take the appropriate action forth with and notify us accordingly.

Thank you.


Your faithfully,

_______________________

P.Uthayakumar

Secretary General (pro-tem).

temple-11

temple-21

copy-of-temple-3

Why Isa won

By Concerned Malaysian,

I have been reading all that has been written about the Bagan Pinang by-election results and the implications and thought I should say something. Let's look at what factors influenced the voters.

The Isa factor had a major influence on how the voters picked their candidate. Isa is immensely popular among the voters of all races. Whether it is rightly or wrongly placed it was very clear that he was popular.

Why I say it is rightly or wrongly is because, he just like every other politician, used tax payers money to gain that popularity through handouts. For a matured electorate this practice should be unacceptable as the money is ours anyway and who are you to use our money at your discretion?

The Indians in particular was disenchanted with the way Pakatan Rakyat government handled the Kampung Buah Pala situation. A promise was made during the election campaign in 2008 and there was no real effort to fulfill that promise.

All sorts of excuses were given on why Kampung Buah Pala could not be saved. Compromise and compensation was simply not good enough. It was like a betrayal to the community.

Lim Guan Eng had won a lot of respect when he was prepared to go to jail for the cause of a underaged Malay girl - a true reflection of the Malaysian spirit but where did this go in Kampung Buah Pala?

He also won a lot of respect when he was featured as the chief minister who travelled economy class. This differentiated him from the way BN politicians spend lavishly on themselves. However the perception I got from the many reports, is that he was arrogant and laid conditions for his meeting with the residents.

That was uncalled for as the famous saying that "everyone matters" was ignored. Anwar Ibrahim, the default leader of Pakatan Rakyat, was as usual missing in action when controversies crop up.

The postal votes had a major bearing on the outcome of the results. It was a forgone conclusion that the majority of the votes will go to BN.

Pakatan's commitment against corruption in the states that they govern has not been impressive. One, here we have the champions of corruption suddenly exposed to corrupt practices themselves as in the case of Perak, Penang and Selangor.

Although it has not been proven but the fact that the two assembly men are charged in court (who have also defected) does not bode well for Pakatan in Perak.

In Selangor, we have MACC investigating several Pakatan state assemblymen and if there is even the slightest evidence of corrupt practice, it will be enough to kill the anti-corruption champions.

We have a PJ councillor who made a public statement that all contracts will be divided 40-30-30. We have a Pakatan MP who defends such practices by claiming that politicians can make recommendations but that does not mean that it has to be awarded to those organisations. Again this smells of acceptance of such corrupt practices.

How different is Pakatan from BN although one might argue that this is a lot smaller scale then what BN does? Even at this point if Pakatan has corrupt practices creeping in, what will happen to them if they are given the Federal government? As a champion of anti-corruption, it is imperative that Pakatan should not tolerate any form of corruption even if it is at such a small and insignificant scale.

Pakatan is not a single entity but has three components - PKR, DAP and PAS. Each one of them has different principles, ideologies and objectives. Trust among them even at the highest level of leadership is perceived to be lacking. This has been demoralising to the electorate who for once believed there was an viable alternative to BN after the 2008 elections but now have lost their confidence.

Till today Pakatan has not even announced their shadow cabinet and this is perceived as the three component parties being unable to agree on which portfolios they will take. Can we trust them to take over the federal govenrment and run it well?

Performance has to be seen by the common folks and where it can begin and have an impact, is at the local , town and city councils. The maintenance of the environment, drains, roads and pavements would be a good place to start where the common folks would see the immediate results. Unfortunately there has been no change from BN to Pakatan

I believe all these factors have contributed in varying degrees to Pakatan's loss in Bagan Pinang. If these trends continue unabated, then the tide is bound to change and you will see a lot of Pakatan supporters going back to BN based on the principle that it is better to sleep with devil you know than the devil you don't.
It is also important to understand that the tsunami in 2008 was not because the people choose Pakatan for its ability but simply because of the ABN (Anything but Barisan Nasional) principle. So the ball is now in Pakatan's court and how you react in the next 24 to 36 months will determine your fate. The people are watching.

Friday, October 23, 2009

HINDRAF – PAKATAN PLAYING TRUANT WITH MALAYSIAN INDIANS

The ability of MPSA in their demolition of Mathurai Veeran Temple in Persiaran Kerjaya, Jalan Glenmarie, Seksyen U1, Shah Alam clearly shows the truancy of Pakatan coalition in disregarding the Malaysian Indians need.

The UMNO led coalition had failed the Malaysian Indians miserably either directly or through their mandores for the last 52 years and purely on that basis the Malaysian Indians voted en-block for the Pakatan throughout the country.

Besides hoping to be uplifted from marginalization and discrimination, the ability for Pakatan to ensure that “every person has the right to profess and practice his own religion” as stated in article 11 of the Federal constitution was one of the major consideration.

Pakatan leaders seem to have taken their cue from BN led government by continuing their practice in demolition of Indian temple and followed by statements issued by their chosen mandores to appease a certain segment of the society.

The Menteri Besar for Selangor is the chieftain for all Selangorian and such he has to take a stand to be responsible for each and every citizen’s rights to ensure what is just and fair.

The irresponsible act by the Pakatan led Selangor government, with this incident shows that the autorities whether it was BN / and now the PR do not show the respect for religious and cultural sensitivites of the Indian community.

Why to date, the Selangor Menteri Besar is yet to indentify those Indians temples / shrines in Selangor and act accordingly to gazette them if it is proved that they are pre-Merdeka or provide the relevant permits. What has he done to alleviate issues related to demolition of the temples / shrines of Malaysian Indian devotees in Selangor?

Similar to BN, the Pakatan government continues to fail to understand the complete socio development and cultural background to the temple / shrine issue. They have been no concrete attempt to resolve these issues other than sending their mandores to placate the public.

The Pakatan state governments in Selangor in this instance had decided arbitrarly without taking into consideration the sensitivities of Hindu devotees nor have they made any attempt to legalize, gazette to recognize and protect the special status of places of worship for the Malaysian Indians.

Like a schoolboy, the Pakatan coalition is exhibiting truancy against the Malaysian Indians without taking responsibility against their legal and moral obligation to protect the Malaysian Indians who a part of the citizenry.

P.Waytha Moorthy

HINDRAF –CHAIRMAN

Thursday, October 22, 2009

HINDRAF Press Statement

HINDRAF – Will Najib announce in the open special allocations for the marginalized and discriminated Malaysian Indians in his 2010 budget release.

The current Prime Minister in his statement recently admitted that Malaysian Indians have contributed immensely to the development of the country and are currently in the backwaters of the country. He also admitted that special attention needs to be given to the Malaysian Indians to bring them into the mainstream of the nation's development.

In the 2009 Budget, the then Prime Minister Datuk Ahmad Badawi initiated an action plan with the nation’s mission focusing first on ensuring the well being of Malaysians, development of quality Human Capital and strengthening of the nation’s resilience.

However Badawi’s plan was only a lip service to appease the nation without any real action to enhance the nation's resilience - with their continued suppression of the public aginst Article 5, 8, 10 & 13 of the Malaysian Federal Constitution - particularly against the Malaysian Indians.

The current Prime Minister of Malaysia, Dato Seri Mohd. Najib bin Tun Haji Abdul Razak has taken several approaches to appease the Malaysian Indians. Yet this all could be just more political charade to hoodwink the nation about the efforts to uplift the Malaysian Indians.

If the current Prime Minister is serious and is concerned about addressing the grievances of the Malaysian Indians, then he should come out in the open. He should announce bold and specific measures to uplift the Malaysian Indian from the systematic marginalization and discrimination they face and then ensure their implementation .

The failure by the Prime Minister to address this issue clearly will only lend further credence to the hypocritical and deceptive policies that has been the norm of the UMNO led government for the last 52 years.

Thank you.

P. Waythamoorthy

HINDRAF – CHAIRMAN

Shift of Indian votes: Dire warning for Pakatan

R Mutharasan

The majority of Indian votes shifting to Barisan Nasional in the recent Bagan Pinang by-election has led to an interesting question – will this be a permanent trend in future by-elections and the next the general election or is Bagan Pinang a case in isolation?

The results of Bagan Pinang is not surprising, but what is shocking is the majority Isa Samad was able to achieve despite Pakatan Rakyat, namely PAS, mounting a credible challenge.

Although there are many reasons for Isa’s performance, one key factor that contributed to the increase in the majority is the shift of Indian votes for BN.

Retaining a seat by more than 5,000 votes that was lost in 2008 by just 2,000 over votes clearly indicates that it is going to be anything but easy for Pakatan to overthrow BN in the next general election.

However, at the same time it looks like too many things are being read concerning the victory of BN in Bagan Pinang without realising the advantages BN had.

The first and foremost was Isa’s popularity with the Indian voters, who saw no reason to cast their ballots against him.

His previous acquaintances and political connections with key Indian leaders from the state and the local Indian community also helped him penetrate into the Indian vote bank.

Najib’s winning strategies

At the same time, Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak’s concerted and well-planned strategies to win over the hearts and minds of the Indian community and to convince them that the BN leadership is seriously considering their plight, also helped in the shift of Indian votes in Bagan Pinang towards BN.

Some may claim that this is a mere lip-service by BN, but there is no doubt that since taking over the leadership of BN, Najib has given the impression that he has drawn up a specific agenda to help and uplift the Indian community.

The opposition parties and the political pundits know that Umno is in a desperate situation now to retain its political supremacy and hence is making concessions and compromises to achieve its goal when it comes to dealing with non-Malay voters. For example, since taking office Najib has changed one major BN policy and that is dealing directly with Indian NGOs and other Indian political factions instead of always following the age-old tradition of using MIC as the channel to reach the Indian community.

Najib did not stop at that. He took a walk along Jalan Tun Sambanthan (commonly known as Brickfields) to personally mingle with the Indian community who frequent the area for their varied activities.

Next, he visited the Batu Caves temple and in his speech promised to return there for Thaipusam, a tradition followed by his father and former prime ministers but discontinued by Dr Mahathir Mohamad and Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

Najib’s visit to the Batu Caves temple is also seen by the Indian community as a sort of redemption for the police brutality committed during the Hindraf rally in 2007 where the temple premises became one of the venues for the epochal public rally.

Najib also personally presented a grant of RM1 million to the Sri Murugan Centre headed by M Thambirajah, an NGO which for years has been helping poor Indian students excel in public examinations by running tuition centres all over the country. Then there was the special allocation of Amanah Saham unit trusts for the Indian community.

The final and most striking gesture was the launching of the Malaysian Makkal Sakti Party (MMSP) headed by former Hindraf coordinator RS Thanenthiran.

This move which took place just one day ahead of the Bagan Pinang by-election had a profound effect on the minds of the Indian community in Bagan Pinang and elsewhere.

It must also be pointed out that Najib went ahead to launch MMSP despite public opposition from MIC. There were also speculations that the MIC leadership had privately coerced Najib not to launch MMSP as it was seen as an alternative political force to MIC and therefore he should not endorse it.

Najib’s launch of MMSP changed the mindset of the Indian community on two fronts. The first was that the prime minister himself was launching a new Indian-based political party comprising former members and leaders of Hindraf, a movement which was banned by Najib’s predecessor Abdullah.

Although the ban on the movement still remains, launching a party comprising former leaders of Hindraf and approving a name for the party which was once the slogan or mantra of Hindraf sent a message to the Indian community that the new BN government does not harbour any animosity towards Hindraf.

Next, by officially launching MMSP, Najib also drove home a clear message to the Indian community that the BN government will not deal with MIC alone when it comes to Indian political issues. At the launch, he also declared that he is not the prime minister for only those from BN parties but for all Malaysians.

At the same time, the some sections of the Indian community also realised that what Najib was doing was merely encouraging the division of the Indian community further into smaller political factions, thereby weakening them for Umno-BN’s own political mileage.

Again this is not Najib’s fault but that of MIC which always kept many young and active Indians outside the party which resulted in them joining other parties like IPF, PKR, PPP, Gerakan and DAP. To put it another way, the Indians were already politically divided when MMSP was launched.

Some have been also alleging that a splinter group from Hindraf headed by Thanenthran has hijacked the name ‘Makkal Sakti’ and has joined BN for their own personal political motives and agenda.

However, despite all these developments, the fact remains that the prime minister is prepared to go down to the ground to deal with Indian political issues and is prepared to listen and recognise other political factions like MMSP. This gesture caught the attention of the Indian community and impressed them.

Kampung Buah Pala

On the contrary, Pakatan despite capturing five key states that house more than 50 percent of the total Indian population in the country did not have a specific agenda for the Indian community or a well-thought out strategy to woo the Indian voters although they had done many good deeds by helping Tamil schools and Hindu temples. Pakatan parties also failed to convince the Indians that they were with them during their troubled times.

In this respect, the manner in which the Penang state government and the Pakatan leadership handled the Kampung Buah Pala issue remains a thorn in the flesh between Pakatan and the Indian community. In Kampung Buah Pala, the DAP-led Pakatan government in Penang had a golden opportunity to correct a grave injustice done by the BN government to the Indian community but they failed to capitalise on this.

Although everyone knows that it was the Gerakan-BN government that sold the land to outsiders for a paltry sum, the Indian community was looking forward to the new Penang state government and the Pakatan leadership to find a solution to the problem, rathe than merely point fingers. Until today, the state government is unable to correct the impression that it was the new government that gave the green light for the development in Kampung Buah Pala.

Pakatan could have also done so many things to cool down tensions as result of the Kampung Buah Pala issue but they failed miserably.

For example, they could have reached out to Indian NGOs and other Indian political factions to explain to them the real situation in Kampung Buah Pala and the efforts taken by the Penang state government in solving the problems faced by the residents.

However, Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng’s announcement that the residents will not be allowed legal representation during their meetings with the state government and that outsiders will not be allowed to be involved in the problem, gravely disappointed and irked the Indian community.

Even former Hindraf leader and Human Rights Party chief P Uthayakumar was not entertained by the Penang government concerning this matter. The Indian community saw this as arrogance on the part of the state government and realised that the new leaders were no better than the previous ones when dealing with Indian problems.

It is an irony that while Umno-BN are courting former Hindraf leaders like Thanenthran, Pakatan parties which were the real and immediate beneficiaries of Hindraf’s struggle were shunning other Hindraf leaders like Uthayakumar.

The Pakatan leadership should have accommodated people like Uthayakumar and other Indian political factions and NGOs in the Kampung Buah Pala issue, however unreasonable their demands might have been. That might have helped them find a common, acceptable solution or at least would have cooled down matters and allowed outside factions to understand the difficulties behind the Kampung Buah Pala issue.

Naturally, because of the Kampung Buah Pala issue, the Hindraf faction led by Uthayakumar abstained from the Bagan Pinang by-election and that indirectly helped BN.

Finally, there was also no statements from Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim on the Kampung Buah Pala issue either.

The mainstream media and the Tamil media were highlighting the promises Anwar had made some time ago to help the Indians affected by the Kampung Buah Pala issue but there was no response from him. This also disappointed the Indian community.

All is not lost

Pakatan must realise that just as MIC alone cannot deal with all the Indian issues through BN, Pakatan also cannot deal with all the Indian problems in their states simply through Indian leaders and members from PKR, DAP or the PAS supporters club. They need the cooperation, understanding and feedback from other Indian NGOs and Indian political factions.

DAP supremo Lim Kit Siang has rightly pointed out that Pakatan should go back to the drawing board to evaluate its performances and failures. PAS also admitted that they lost Bagan Pinang because they could not get the non-Malay votes.

The continued spat between PAS and DAP in Selangor, Kedah and elsewhere is also weakening Pakatan and contributing to their downfall.

The voters’ confidence in the alternative coalition is diminishing day by day due to Umno-BN’s aggressive overtures and their continued push for change.

However, all is not lost. Pakatan could still correct the situation and prove that as far as Indian votes are concerned, Bagan Pinang is a case in isolation.

To achieve that, the Pakatan leadership must be prepared to come down to the ground to understand the mindset of the Indian community and their feelings towards various issues affecting them.

Pakatan must also be prepared to court and embrace the Indian NGOs and other political factions within the Indian community. They must strategise fresh approaches and mechanisms to increase support from the Indian community and draw up specific agendas for the Indian community in the states ruled by them.

If Pakatan is not pro-active in addressing these issues then the trend set in motion in Bagan Pinang could continue in future by-elections and the next general election.

Single parent Indian mother, 5 children, 4 denied birth certificate homeless now.

Single parent Indian mother, 5 children, 4 denied berth certificate homeless now.

M. Suppama (44) is living in poverty with five children, four of whom have been denied even their birth certificates (by the UMNO controlled Malaysian government. (Malaysia Nanban 10/10/2009 at page 18). Three of her four children have been denied entry into even Primary school because they do not have a birth certificate. Her eldest son Linggeswaran works at a petrol station. Her eldest daughter Manimegalai (14) had to stop school at standard 4 as Suppama could not afford to pay for the bus fare the. Tamarai Lalitha (11) and Kogilavani (9) have also been denied their birth certificates by UMNO. This family has no water or electricity supply in their house. As they have not paid their rentals for a few months they have been told to vacate their house. This family does not know what to do next. They are expecting the existing poor working class Malaysian Indians to help them out financially.

If only the UMNO controlled Malaysian government grant them an opportunity in the Felda, Risda, Fama, Felcra, Agropolitan or the various such state land schemes or the various land schemes for lifestock, fish, chicken breeding etc, this Indian family’s mysery would certainly be alleviated. But just because they are Indians and not Malay muslims UMNO denied them the opportunity to escape from the clutches of poverty and neither does PKR, DAP or PAS care! This is how racist Prime Minister Najib can be under his supposed One Malaysia policy.

Posted by P. Uthayakumar.

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Kapitan Lim Guan Eng and his DCM II Indian mandore


The “DCM II” of Penang, the Indian mandore of Kapitan Lim Guan Eng said (cakap kosong) at his Deepavali lunch that the state had allocated land for the relocation of SJK (T) Ladang Batu Kawan and SJK (T) Azad which were now sited on private land.

“We will soon help acquire land to relocate SJK (T) Ladang Valdor and later look into land woes faced by SJK (T) Sungai Bakap and SJK (T) Rajaji.

He also said he was trying to help three Indian students from Kampong Buah Pala to obtain scholarships to further their studies in local institutions of higher learning (Sunday Star 18/10/2009 at page N18)

This is the exact piecemeal paper politics UMNO has been playing for the past 52 years since independence through their Indian mandores from the MIC. The latest example is the piecemeal paper politics by the UMNO Perak Menteri Besar Datuk Zambry Abdul Kadir who on the eve of Deepavali announced (cakap kosong) that 800 hectres of land, the proceeds of which are to be for poor Indians students. (The Star 16/10/2009 at page N24). The only difference is that the UMNO Menteri Besar made the announcement on the eve of Deepavali but Kapitan Lim Guan Eng’s DCM II Indian mandore made the announcement on Deepavali day itself. Both statements are “cakap kosong” without anything at all in writing as usual. This announcement will never take off and will be forgotten in due course. But in the meantime both UMNO and DAP/PKR would have made their political capital by having played politics.

Kapitan Lim Guan Eng should instead of making piecemeal paper politics “cakap kosong” announcements and pronouncements should forward to us (HRP) as guardians of especially the working class Indians and also the Pulau Pinang Indians in writing an official letter under the Chief Minister’s letterhead (and not through his Indian mandore) that all 28 Tamil schools in Penang have been issued land titles for their respective school buildings and a further adjoining land of ten (10) acres each for their future development, school field (which most Tamil schools do not have) and an assembly hall which would also double up as the local Indian community hall cum centre which would also generate extra income for these schools. This could be done by the stroke of Kapitan Lim Guan Eng’s pen by virtue of section 76 of the National Land Code by compulsorily acquiring these Tamil school land and restoring them with the respective Tamil school. Then and only then are we on and DAP and PR would be seen to be different from UMNO.

Why should these five Tamil schools be relocated in the first place. By doing this it’s historical and heritage value would also be wiped out forever. Why are Malay and Chinese schools in Penang not relocated in the same way as these Tamil Schools? Why does DAP and PR pick on the Tamil schools? Because they are soft targets? Because they do not have the political and economical clout?

Any why “try to help three Indian students” to obtain scholarships. This Kapitan Lim Guan Eng and his Indian DCM II mandore must ensure that scholarships are awarded by Yayasan Pulau Pinang for all the hundreds of deserving Indian students in Penang and not for just merely “only the three students”. And that too merely “try to help”?

It is plain and obvious that DAP, PKR and PAS are merely continuing UMNO’s 52 year old piecemeal paper politics, racist policies and the politics of hoodwinking even the poor underprivileged and working class Indians in Penang. This Kapiatan has conveniently forgotten that it was these Penang working class Indians who were in turn instrumental in bringing him (this Kapitan) to the office of the Chief Minister. It is plain and obvious as it stands that both UMNO and BN and also DAP, PKR and DAP are only interested in the Indian votes but not their critical Indians problems. The Indians out of no choice (as 90% of them have lost hope and could no longer vote for UMNO,B.N) would be left with no or very little other choice or alternative but be forced to vote for DAP, PKR and PAS.

We now have the alternative – The Indian political empowerment strategy.

kapitan

Lim Guan Eng and his pussy cats

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Are we racists?

There is a difference between lip service and service to the Rakyat. A difference that is yet to be learned by both governments of the day.
Merriam-Webster dictionary defines racism as such
Noun
1 : a belief that race is the primary determinant of human traits and capacities and that racial differences produce an inherent superiority of a particular race
2 : racial prejudice or discrimination
In the Malaysian context, the first definition may also be modified to the following
1 : a belief that race is the primary determinant of human traits and capacities and that racial differences produce an inherent inferiority of a particular race
This definition gives rise to the racial prejudice and discrimination that we see almost everywhere, in government policies, in the private sector and even in the supposedly egalitarian alternative media.
Let us now look at the speech delivered by YB Lim Kit Siang in Parliament on the 20th of May 2004 in the debate on the Motion of Thanks for the Royal Address, as the Parliamentary Opposition Leader.
The Honourable MP for Ipoh Timor calls for the formation of 10 Select Committees as a start towards making the Malaysian Parliament a ‘First-World Parliament’. You may read the transcript here, http://www.dapmalaysia.org/all-archive/English/2004/may04/lks/lks3034.htm
The tenth Select Committee was to focus on the ‘Marginalisation of the Indian Community as the underclass’
The Honourable MP says,
“During the 2004 general election, the “Group of Concerned Citizens” in its paper “Election 2004: New Politics for Indian Malaysians” had summarized nine long-standing fundamental issues faced by Indian Malaysians:
The number of Indian youth dying in police custody has increased;
The socio-economic inequality between the Indian poor and rich and between other communities has worsened;
The State has not responded effectively in addressing social ills in the community;
The State policies towards and financial allocation for Tamil schools remains pitiful;
The University intake policy has been a source of major distress for the community;
The State has not stepped in to help resolve the MAIKA scandal;
The Kampung Medan racially-motivated killings have not been brought to a closure. No public inquiry was instituted.
Low cost housing needs of the Indian poor have not been adequately addressed;
The negative consequences of the final breakdown of the plantation economy on the Indian rural poor have still not be regulated. Aggressive displacement of Indian Malaysians is a serious problem.
These nine fundamental issues afflicting the Indian community, marginalizing them into the new underclass in Malaysia, should be the terms of reference of a Select Committee on the marginalization of the Indian community in the country.”
A few questions rise in the mind upon reading the above.
First, is YB Lim Kit Siang a racist for raising Indian Malaysian issues in Parliament? If the answer is ‘no’, can we label anyone else as a racist for raising the same issues today, regardless of the name of the person who speaks out?
Why has the Pakatan Government, upon coming to power in several states, not addressed the same issues that was raised by one of its current leaders in the Parliament 5 years ago? A lack of political will, or a lack of moral will?
The third prime duty of the government to its people has been defined as to ensure that every family unit of the nation has space in the nation’s territory for a home and a means of livelihood.
When citizens are given different treatments when it comes to means of livelihood, education, right to identity and wage protection; and space for a home, based on race, then we have to accept the fact that we are a racist country and people.
There is a difference between lip service and service to the Rakyat. A difference that is yet to be learned by both the governments of the day. This is compounded by the inability of the supporters from both sides of the divide to discern the primacy of egalitarian service over egalitarian slogans.
We are racists as far as the Merriam-Webster definition goes, and that will not change with the mere adoption of slogans.

Discrimination and Marginalisation

Many are unsure of what is meant by discrimination and marginalisation, and whom it impacts.
Consider the following:
The PR state governments have, commendably, liberally granted state land and huge financial allocations on coming to power. For example:
1. RM 100 million and 400 hectares for a pig project in Sepang, Selangor.
2. 349 Rancangan Perkampungan Tersusun (RPT) and 134 New Villages in Perak, with 110,000 and 102,000 titles respectively, to be given out. Freehold titles for just RM 63 for 110,000 villagers almost 99% of whom are Malay Malaysians, and 102,000 Chinese New Villagers of whom 99% are Chinese Malaysians. “The value of these properties will then go up and they can apply for bank loans to rebuilt their houses” says Datuk Ngeh Koo Ham.
3. The Pakatan Perak government has also allocated 1,000 hectares or 2471 acres of land to 9 Chinese vernacular schools, “for them to generate revenue to pay for their operational expenses” says MB Nizar. Additionally, MB Nizar also donated RM 30,000 for each of the 9 schools. Barisan’s MB Zambry on coming into office confirmed that the issuance of titles will proceed.
4. 3.3 hectares of land for each Orang Asli family was approved, and 18,000 hectares of forest land has been gazetted as Orang Asli reserve, and another 30,000 hectares is waiting to be gazetted says Datuk Ngeh Koo Ham.
5. In Bagan Pinang the UMNO Deputy President Muhyiddin Yasin announced that RM 900,000 will be allocated to upgrade Chinese vernacular schools and Chinese temples. But for the Indians in Bagan Pinang, the Lukut Tamil school which is the only school in Malaysia and perhaps the world over which is situated on the first floor of a shop house was merely promised two (2) acres of land. As usual nothing has been given in writing, let alone having the land little issued. Even then these 2 acres of land will not be enough to cater for a school field, Assembly cum Community Hall and any future expansions. MIC went a bit further and announced that the school will get a computer and a fax machine.
A lot was done with lightning speed within about one month of the Perak and Selangor PR state governments coming into power, and in Bagan Pinang during the by-election. We were all overjoyed. What MCA and UMNO did not do in 52 years, the Pakatan government did in one month! This is what we want to see.
But hang on. Did anybody notice or ask, what about allocations to Tamil Schools? The Indian Malaysians have waited a year and a half since March 2008 but to date there is no mention of anything.
How many hundreds of hectares did the Pakatan government allocate for the 138 Tamil vernacular schools in Perak? How many NGOs and political parties have actually pointed out these omissions to those in power?
The disparity in what is done to uplift Malaysians must cease to exist. There is no cause for joy in slogans and clarion calls when politicians are able to fish for votes with empty promises and food hampers. That opportunity must no longer present itself in this country.
This is what is meant by discrimination, and this is how a Malaysian community continues to be marginalised.

By Jeevindra Kumar Krishnan, Protem Committee Member, Human Rights Party Malaysia

The Penang Monorail Project and the Kampung Buah Pala Connection

The demolition of KBP started after a character called Dato JK started to get involved, purportedly to help the KBP villagers. I used to wonder why this multimillionaire Dato was so interested in KBP that he drove down in hurry on the Friday just before Hari raya in that heavy traffic to have some meetings with the villagers. It all seemed too good to be true.

Now it seems to be turning out that he was the one who made it easier for LGE and his cronies to screw the KBP villagers.This Dato was just using the villagers to get himself the monorail project. I do not know what kind of deal he made with Prof Ramasamy and LGE during his individual discussions with LGE and Ramasamy - but here is the report of what he has now got in Penang.

The poor are always the pawn.
Read on... Seeralan

Penang monorail: the South African connection

The latest Edge weekly reports sources as saying that the Penang state government has given the green light to a low-profile businessman, Jeyakumar Varathan, to build and commission a RM70-million monorail test track on a 30-acre site in Batu Kawan.

The paper suggested that this could be a sign that the state is embarking on its own monorail plans and cited sources as saying that the groundbreaking for the project could be in December.

Jeyakumar’s consortium may first have to prove that its technology is viable before it can build a monorail network in Penang, the paper added.

Some questions arise:

  • How much is Jeyakumar paying for the 30-acre site in Batu Kawan?
  • Does the state government have a public transport masterplan and is a monorail part of it? First, it was the monorail and then subway, next it was the ‘aerorail’ – and now it’s back full circle to monorail?
  • What about other public transport options such as a bus rapid transit system and trams – which could be more cost effective? Have they been considered? How does Porr fit in?
  • Has the state government informed and briefed members of the Penang Transport Council? The perception is that its members are in the dark about this monorail thing. Why the secrecy?
  • Does Jeyakumar have a proven track record? Is the Penang state government aware of Jeyakumar’s attempts in South Africa? (See “Monorail king goes mum“.)

According to the US/Europe-based Institute of Transportation and Development Policy, on the very day of the bankruptcy of the Kuala Lumpur system (16 May 2006), Newcyc Vision announced a project commitment to build a 45-kilometre (28-mile) system in Johannesburg.

Read what the sustainable transport experts are saying. The same article points out that monorail systems create visual intrusions to the urban environment (how would this affect George Town’s appeal as a heritage city)? This should be enlightening reading:

South Africa

Despite the bankruptcy of the Kuala Lumpur system and the financial collapse of the Putrajaya project, the Malaysian monorail developers have attempted to develop new markets elsewhere. The most recent target has been South Africa. With South Africa’s hosting of the 2010 World Cup looming, a Malaysian consortium, known as Newcyc Vision, has targeted South African cities as a prime market.

In fact, on 16 May 2006, the very day of the bankruptcy of the Kuala Lumpur system, Newcyc Vision, announced a project commitment to build a 45-kilometre (28-mile) system in Johannesburg. The system would link Soweto directly with the central business district of Johannesburg. The estimated infrastructure cost of the system is R12 billion (US$1.7 billion), or US$38.1 million per kilometre.

While the exact financial arrangements on the Johannesburg project are unclear, it appears that the system developers will be awarded with land, property, and a ridership guarantee. As part of the deal, the consortium will be given public property in the central business district as well as along the corridor for development. Also, as is increasingly the case of many rail-based PPPs (Public-Private Partnerships), the developers will be guaranteed a minimum number of daily passengers. If that guaranteed ridership does not materialise, the South African government (i.e. South African taxpayers) will make up the difference. The costly Gautrain system, a previously approved rail system for the Johannesburg area, also provides a private consortium with rather generous ridership guarantees.

As in other cities, the Johannesburg project promoters have made some rather bold claims regarding the monorail system’s likely performance and ridership. At the initial press conferences to announce the project, the Province of Gauteng and Newcyc Vision claimed that the Johannesburg system would be able to carry 1.5 million passengers per day. Given that this amount is roughly equal to all public transport trips in the city, it was a bit difficult to believe this ridership could be achieved on a single corridor. Further, given that no monorail system is currently serving more than 5,000 passengers per peak hour per direction, increasing this by an order of magnitude in low-density South African conditions seems optimistic. However, if given ridership guarantees by the Government, then perhaps the system developers have no real concern regarding the actual performance.

The proposed monorail alignment will also largely duplicate the proposed Rea Vaya Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project that has already been approved and is under planning in Johannesburg. The future of the Rea Vaya project may become somewhat doubtful if the monorail project proceeds.

Fortunately, the Johannesburg project announcement now appears to have been premature. Apparently, the project developers forgot to notify the Mayor of Johannesburg and the City Council, who have responsibility over public space in the city, as well as the National Minister of Transport, who holds responsibility over rail systems nationally. In an unprecedented move, the National Transport Minister Jeff Radebe was forced to make a press statement in which he noted that he had no prior knowledge to the project’s existence. The project has thus been retracted to the status of being “under review”.

Undeterred, though, by this initial setback, the Gauteng Provincial Government and Newcyc Vision have instead insisted that they will continue pursuing the project not only in Johannesburg but also other South African municipalities, including Tshwane (Pretoria) and Ekhuruleni. Hopefully, reason will prevail and the Gauteng projects will be forced to go through an open and transparent process in which there is full public financial disclosure and as well as a full comparative analysis with all other public transport options.

Conclusions

Monorail technology does hold many intriguing performance aspects as well as an image that can potentially be attractive to discretionary public transport users, and especially to car owners. While the Malaysian monorail systems have experienced financial difficulties, there is a glimmer of hope that these systems can evolve into well-performing and lower-cost services, as was originally envisioned.

However, that future is yet to arrive. To date, monorail technology has suffered from operational difficulties, negative press coverage, and a spate of bankruptcies. As technologies such as Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) have delivered quality services at rational costs to a long list of cities, including Bogotá, Brisbane, Curitiba, Guayaquil, Jakarta, Los Angeles, Ottawa, Paris, Rouen, and Seoul, monorails have achieved nowhere near the same record of implementation or performance.

It would perhaps be unfortunate if the unrealised promises of monorails deter actual public transport advancements in South Africa and elsewhere. Monorail developers dream of taking us back to the future, but the hard reality is that our world cities require quality public transport today.

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Discard the Malaysian Indian at your own peril!!!

By Wong Mun Chee

The Malaysian Indian, though they stand as a minority, have enormous substance of morality and humanity intact within them. They don’t sell their soul like the Chinese and Malay MPs that took place in Perak for monetary gains against the Pakatan group. I make this point because lately there seems to be a lot of criticisms against the Malaysian Indians for the stand they have taken amongst fellow Malaysians.

You may say anything about an Indian, but loyalty is the credence that they have held steadfast within this multicultural society whether the Malaysian Indian is a Hindu, Muslim, Christian, Buddhist, or even an atheist.

To date until GE12, the Malaysian Indians have been silenced for their obeisance for the rule of law and what is good for the society as a whole. After GE12, and bearing the latest Bagan Pinang results, they are branded and labeled as scapegoats. They are never the unsung champions for the upheaval that had taken Malaysian society by storm during the GE12.

The Malaysian Indians are a susceptible society to the policies and law of the land that all Malaysians take for granted even if it is discriminative. However, they have proven through HINDRAF that they are not that susceptible anymore although everyone still tries to take them for a ride and belittle them.

Yes, it is a minority community. But conscience and awareness have awakened them that the other societies cannot continue to take advantage of them just because they have been too accommodating all these years to maintain tranquility.

Naturally, you have MIC and the all those who claim to represent Malaysian Indians for the ruling government. Yet they all lost in the GE12. For those Pakatan representatives for the Indians, the crack is beginning to show. This shows that the Malaysian Indians, after the awakening by HINDRAF, have a mind of their own that is dictated on equal terms with other Malaysians and cannot be bullied any longer.

For the Malaysian Indians, there is a moral dimension more than the others. How can everyone sit and watch in silence when the Malaysian Indians are persecuted, shot at sight, and branded with the highest stateless figures, crime figures and suicidal figures when they are just a minority. Nowhere in the world have the Indians deteriorated through such discriminative policies except in Malaysia.

It is a systematically engineered policy to create an underclassed society without any opportunity to participate in the development of the country on par with the others. As a minority, their leaders under the ruling administration had suppressed them and obtained their silence with false hopes. With the change after GE12, the Malaysian Indians hoped that things would get better but nonetheless they were again treated in a similar fashion as seen in Kg Buah Pala - a minority with nothing much to offer.

Naturally the faults of the system, whether it is BN/PR, harnesses this because the rest of the majority will sit down and pass judgement on this community whenever it is not favourable to their parties even when the Malaysian Indians are only seeking for fairness.

Being a Malaysian and as a fundamental point of orientation, I have to grasp firmly that the truth is, for most Malaysians, they continue to look down on the Malaysian Indian whenever possible.

The Malaysian Indians, originally indentured labourers, were also pioneers in the fields of finance, legal, education, medical, real estate and the civil administration during the 50's, 60's, 70's, and 80's. For a minority, they have done their fair bit for the development of the nation and yet we Malaysians still look down on them as an underclassed society. What has happened in the past is not going to change, but we as Malaysians must understand their position today and support them to reach parity with us.

My morality would suffer if I cannot or fail to recognize their predicament and I should not blame them if they have to fight their cause in whichever way possible to uplift their society.

Parames seeks welfare department' help Part



Sunday, October 18, 2009

NAJIB SAYS UMNO IS NOT RACIST. HERE IS A VIDEO ON RACISM - VIEW IT AND YOU DECIDE



Friday, October 16, 2009

HINDRAF INVITED TO HOUSE OF COMMONS DEEPAVALI CELEBRATIONS 15th October 2009






HINDRAF was today invited to attend Deepavali celebrations at the House of Commons London held between 4.00pm to 6.00 pm.

The celebrations was hosted by Rt.Hon. Tony McNulty MP. More than 300 community leaders throughout UK attended the colorful event. Bajan and aarthi was conducted by Narottam Virji Lakhani Foundation.

Enclosed are photos of Hindraf members who attended which included Ram Narayanasamy Solicitor, Appalasamy Rao Solicitor and businessman saravanananthar.

Waytha Moorthy

Kapitan Lim Guan Eng’s Indian mandore’s Deepavali message: Break up cow sheds

Kapitan Lim Guan Eng’s Indian mandore’s Deepavali message: Break up cow sheds to UMNO developer “ Don’t Break up the Kg Buah Pala cow sheds now, but feel free to break them after Deepavali” (Deepavali reprieve for cowherds, The Sun 16/10/2009 at page 8) DAP, PKR and PASs’ regular defence is that they have been in power only for about 1 ½ years and they need time to attend to the 52 year old problems created by UMNO. But why then is DAP so quick to break and demolish? On the reverse argument this breaking and demolishment of Kg Buah Pala by the DAP led state government in Penang, the hindu temple demolishment in Ampang by the PKR led Selangor state government and the hindu temple demolishment in Sg Petani by the PAS led Kedah state government can on a similar note also wait for 52 years! Why then the haste in breaking but the slow pace in building or at least preserving the history and heritage of the Indians in Malaysia? Happy Deepavali DAP, PKR and PAS!

lim-11

Bagan Pinang BN victory, the beginning of the evaporation of Indian support for PR ?

Voters in this small town near Port Dickson have clearly exercised their vote to give BN a landslide victory. Based on the last 8 bi elections the incumbent always held fort. BN was expected to retain Bagan Pinang . There was a high 40 % postal vote factor in this bi-election. Postal votes are normally pro BN. However the exceptionally high margin secured by the BN candidate confirms that more Indians have decided to give back their votes to BN..

Through out the elections, observers were gauging if PR could make the inroads in Bagan Binang. In the case of BN it was very pertinent for them to retain the seat. Against the wishes of the likes of Dr.M and Tengku Li, PM Najib chose Isa a controversial candidate who was censored and penalized by his own party. This was indeed a political gamble.A loss in Bagan Pinang could actually have seen weakening of his position within his party. The win in Bagan Pinang today can be seen as a mandate to PM Najib Razak to continue his BN leadership.

This election has shown us the glaring weakness within PR. PR has seemingly lost ground and have not settled in as the ruling government in 5 major states, more importantly they have lost ground gained with the Indian community..

From the results ,and the ensuing commentaries posted

on the Bagan Pinang bi-elections are we to infer the following?.

1.Corruption though an important issue only took 2nd place to tangible issues like housing, health, education and food.

2.Indian temper against MIC and Umno seems has cooled off.

3.PR has not convinced the voters that it wis a viable alternative to BN to rule the country.

4. PR failed to present to its Indian voters effective socio economic programs to secure their upward mobility.

If the above are true, the Indian community which was responsible for the tsunami elections in 2008, was eager to see policy based resolution to their perennial problems by an alternate PR led government but this however did not happen in the PR governed states. As such they had to weigh other options for their future.If PR does not distinguish itself as a viable governing material it should not be surprised if it looses its stake in the next GE.

The success of PR in the 12th GE was aided by the issues that were dominating the political landscape like the Suhashini custodial battle,Melaka pig breeders issue,Herald publication KDN withdrawal, Shah Alam temple demolition , Hindraf demonstration and subsequent ISA detention of its 5 leaders which was of intense public interest then. It was further facilitated by the flaws in the judgment of the timing of the elections by the former Prime Minister,but this time round PR will not have that benefit.

Be sure that the current Prime Minister will time the elections to his advantage. He is on track to appease the Indians. He will work around the other races soon. PR should not just wait to pounce on controversies and flaws on the governance of BN ,but should steer its state governments to deliver a distinctively viable socio-economic agenda .With two economically well developed states in hand it should not be a daunting task.If it fails to impress in the ensuing months that it can also deliver, forget about staking a claim for the seat in Putra Jaya. From the lessons from Bagan Pinang we know voter sentiment is very volatile, and no party can claim absolute rights to govern, Malaysian politics seems dynamic in its pattern of swing.In the next 24 months if PR fails to demonstrate its governance in its ruling states we should not be surprised at the reversal of vote swings.

It was a strategic political error that PR did not develop a mechanism wherein the participation of the leaders of the “Hindraf inspiration” was secured in the running of the PR controlled states. Is it a manifestation of Umno type arrogance or is it a deliberate strategy to sideline and marginalize those Hindraf leaders so that the Indians support can be split and absorbed within the so called multi racial parties like PKR , DAP and into Pas through dubious fan club mechanisms.? Is a strong united Indian community centered on the struggles of Hindraf ,a threat to others who connive to hijack Indian support by empty political rhetoric?

From the Bukit Selambau bi-elections, failure of PR to accommodate the request of Hindraf for a candidate of their choice, it is evident and has become difficult to believe that a PR led federal government in the future will give consideration to the 18 point socio-economic agenda for the Indian community which was the core of the Nov25 2007 Hindraf spirit.

Indians are emotionally distraught and downtrodden. If by just political rhetoric PR plans manage the Indian support ,such a support will evaporate in no time.I just hope Bagan Pinang is not the beginning of such a process.

by Malini Dass