Prof Francis Boyle – Aparthied-type policies are Crimes Against Humanity
Professor Francis A. Boyle, an expert in international law at the University of Illinois College of Law, said at a convention in Connecticut that Sri Lanka is a violator of the Apartheid Convention, and that the world should, without delay, intensify a ‘divestment and disinvestment campaign’ against Sri Lanka in the same lines and for the same reason the world did this against the criminal apartheid regime in South Africa."
Article I of the Apartheid Convention, more formally known as the International Convention on the Suppression and Punishment of the Crime of Apartheid (ICSPCA), labels the crime of Apartheid as a "crime against humanity," and declares that "inhuman acts resulting from the policies and practices of racial segregation and discrimination are crimes violating the principles or international law…"
Prof. Boyle said the long history of discriminatory policies instituted by successive governments including desecration of cemeteries and cultural symbols overwhelmingly qualify as an apartheid regime, and therefore should be prosecuted as a violator of the Apartheid Convention.
Denying to a group basic human rights and freedom, the right to freedom of opinion and expression also qualifies.
Prof. Boyle pointed out that there is some degree of overlap between Apartheid treaty and the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC). He added that while some nations avoided becoming signatory to the Rome Statute, the crimes against humanity fall into the category of peremptory norms, and the international laws are binding on Governments even when the countries are not signatories to the conventions.
Earlier on another issue of deportations, he said that, "deportation without any reason is illegal, when refugees without visa were not deported."
Rome Statute
http://www.tamilnet.com/img/publish/2010/02/rome_statute.pdf
Text of Aparthied Convention
http://www.tamilnet.com/img/publish/2010/07/ApartheidConvention.pdf
Sunday, July 25, 2010
A Tale of Two Temples by Farish A. Noor
Editor’s Note: Up to date this Hindu temple problems remain unresolved. Even the Mariamman hindu temple in Shah Alam that was said to be the spark for the 25th November 2007 HINDRAF Rally has refused to be granted land by even the new PKR Selangor government. UMNO, PKR, DAP and PAS has refused to grant land to all Hindu temples all in on go in the states they rule including Kedah, Penang and Selangor. Because they will lose Malay votes!
A Tale of Two Temples
by Farish A. Noor
Tuesday, 04 December 2007
While meandering about in downtown Saigon recently I chanced upon the Sri Mariaman temple close to Ben Thanh market. It was an interesting visit to say the least, for the riotous colour of the temple were matched by the riotous conjunction of many faiths that had come together in that singular enclosed and sacred space.The reasons for this are obvious to those familiar with Vietnam’s recent history: In 1975 when Saigon finally fell to the triumphant North Vietnamese Army and Viet Cong, practically all the foreigners and migrant residents had made a bee line for the dock. The temples, churches and mosques of Saigon – thenafter renamed Ho Chi Minh city – were left vacant and the devotees wondered if they would be allowed to remain standing at all after their departure. At the height of the Cold War the Vietnamese Communists were seen as a rather uncompromising, tiresomely dogmatic, no-fun bloodthirsty lot and many had assumed that the religious texts would be recycled as toilet paper (as the Khmer Rouge treated the Bibles and Qurans that fell into their hands later) and that the sacred sites would be desacralised in the most outlandish manner.
But what followed next was a surprise to many: They, the dreaded Commies, not only allowed the religious buildings to remain, but they also made use of them in a host of imaginative ways. Many of the churches and mosques were restored and preserved, and some were turned into schools or clinics. Not a stone was touched, save by the restorer’s paint brush.
Today the Sri Mariaman temple in central Saigon has once again become a religious site for many, but ironically most of the devotees happen to be Buddhists and Taoists, not Hindu – for there are scarcely a dozen Hindus left in the city. So I sat and watched as mothers and aunts, grannies and grand-kids perambulated around the precinct of the temple, offering their prayers and sending up their hopes and wishes to the Gods of the Himalayas on a cloud of incense smoke. The Hindu priests are still there, though one wonders what they make of it all, with Buddhists and Taoists coming to offer prayers and light joss-sticks before the many avatars of Lakshmi, Durga, Kali and Krishna. If human beings have proven their intolerance time and again, at least the Gods seem more kindly and benevolent to entertain the vainest of wishes even from strangers.
Hop of the next cheapo flight and find yourself here in multi-culti Malaysia, just in time to see the bulldozers smash through another Sri Mariaman temple in Selangor. 
It was a double blow to me to return to KL in transit to hear the news that not one, but two, Hindu temples had just been flattened on the same day by our endearing developers in the vicinity of Shah Alam. Even less heart-warming were the accounts of the devotees of the temple who were manhandled and forcibly marched out before the hammers came down, some at gun point. If nefarious Commie Vietnam can protect their temples, why can’t we ‘plural, multicultural, multiflavoured’ Malaysians extend the same comfort and protection to our fellow Malaysians too?Of course there will be the nay-sayers who will point me to the legal fine print and remind me of the legally dubious status of some of these temples. Then there will be those who will insist that this is an Indian-Hindu issue which I should not stick my nose in (even though the issue is a
Malaysian one as these are Malaysian temples being destroyed on Malaysian territory and Malaysians are affected). Then there will be the gung-ho testosterone-driven macho types who will yelp and whinge about Malay identity being the paramount defining factor that defines what being Malaysian is, etc. etc.But prattle and legalese notwithstanding, the bottom line is this: These happen to be Malaysian temples built on Malaysian soil with Malaysian devotees and the Malaysian government is presiding over their systematic and calculated destruction, one by one. One shudders at the thought of the long-term global repercussions of this campaign, for already recorded footage of these temple demolitions are being transmitted to websites all over the globe and the issue taken up by Hindu conservatives in India.
Nor are the parallels being drawn an attractive one: If the Taliban could have leveled the Bamiyan
statues of Buddha with a flick of the trigger-finger (to be followed by the mass slaughter of goats and cows all over the benighted land, which did not make it to the headlines); then what is happening in our plural wonderland called Malaysia? How are we to hold our heads up high and invite the world to visit our wonderfully diverse and colourful country when the very same landscape is being flattened in a rather indecorous way at the same time? Taliban, Wot? Here? Blimey!The tragedy of course is that the deliberate reconstruction of Malaysia’s urban landscape is being done in broad daylight under the flag of a nebulous formulae of ‘moderate Islam’ that is said by some hopefuls to be the last chance to save the pluralist spirit of the country. However one finds it hard to accept such talk of mutual love and inter-communal cuddlyness when the bulldozers parked outside don’t look all that cuddly. Nor do the cops with their tear gas canisters and batons. Or the Orcish horde of construction (or should we say destruction) workers with mallets and hammers slung precariously over their shoulders, ready to rock and roll. Looking back at the fate of the two Sri Mariaman temples, the question remains: Who were the ones who protected the rights of the religious minorities better? The Godless Commies or the faithful Malaysians? These are the times when I am not proud to admit that I am a Malaysian, I have to say.
Saturday, July 24, 2010
Resolve Tamil school's land issue, NGOs urge PM
PETALING JAYA: Two NGOs have urged Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak to resolve the land issue involving the SRJK (T) Sungai Salak Tamil school in Negri Sembilan. In a joint press statement today, Lim Lian Geok Cultural Development Centre's president Toh Kin Woon and his Tamil Foundation counterpart K Arumugam said the school deserved the six-acre land promised during the Bagan Pinang by-election last year.
“During the by-election, the government promised the school the land. After the election, the Education Ministry informed the Parent-Teacher Association that the school will share the space with the education department, effectively receiving only three acres.
“We find this appalling. This is clearly a breach of trust and we cannot help but to think that the promise was made to fish for votes. The school deserves to get the land as it caters mainly for poor Indian children,” they said.
Toh and Arumugam were responding to a report which appeared in the FMT on Wednesday.
In 2002, the Sungai Salak school was forced to close down when its land was used for a development project.
Following this, it shared the same premises with another Tamil school, SRJK (T) Springhill, till 2007 but was later evicted due to space constraint.
The school's PTA then convinced the Education Ministry to permit them to set up the school in a shoplot unit in Lukut. It has remained there to date.
'Be fair to all under 1Malaysia'
Meanwhile, the two NGOs also urged the government to hasten the building of Chinese schools as per the promise made before the 2008 general election, including the SRJK(C) Tun Tan Siew Sin.
“Though Putra Heights residents have submitted a petition of 1,200 signatures in January 2009, the ministry had ignored it,” they said.
Toh and Arumugam also urged the government to be fair in distributing allocations for building schools, and to provide adequate insfrastructural support and qualified teachers to all schools.
“Whether the school is built on government or private land, to categorise them as fully-aided and partly-aided is unconstitutional and discriminative in nature.
“We urge the prime minister to abolish such categorisation in the spirit of 1Malaysia. If it still exists, the 1Malaysia slogan will just remain a rhetoric,” they said.
“During the by-election, the government promised the school the land. After the election, the Education Ministry informed the Parent-Teacher Association that the school will share the space with the education department, effectively receiving only three acres.
“We find this appalling. This is clearly a breach of trust and we cannot help but to think that the promise was made to fish for votes. The school deserves to get the land as it caters mainly for poor Indian children,” they said.
Toh and Arumugam were responding to a report which appeared in the FMT on Wednesday.
In 2002, the Sungai Salak school was forced to close down when its land was used for a development project.
Following this, it shared the same premises with another Tamil school, SRJK (T) Springhill, till 2007 but was later evicted due to space constraint.
The school's PTA then convinced the Education Ministry to permit them to set up the school in a shoplot unit in Lukut. It has remained there to date.
'Be fair to all under 1Malaysia'
Meanwhile, the two NGOs also urged the government to hasten the building of Chinese schools as per the promise made before the 2008 general election, including the SRJK(C) Tun Tan Siew Sin.
“Though Putra Heights residents have submitted a petition of 1,200 signatures in January 2009, the ministry had ignored it,” they said.
Toh and Arumugam also urged the government to be fair in distributing allocations for building schools, and to provide adequate insfrastructural support and qualified teachers to all schools.
“Whether the school is built on government or private land, to categorise them as fully-aided and partly-aided is unconstitutional and discriminative in nature.
“We urge the prime minister to abolish such categorisation in the spirit of 1Malaysia. If it still exists, the 1Malaysia slogan will just remain a rhetoric,” they said.
Top Indian student Reethashini Raman (17) have to beg for Scholarship and PTPTN study loans in One Malay-sia?
NAME: REETHASHINI A/P RAMAN,ADDRESS: 4E-11-17 LORONG SEMARAK API 1,
BANDAR BARU AYER ITAM ,
11500 PENANG.
21/JULY/2010
TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN,
RE: APPLICATION FOR SHOLARSHIP
I’M REETHASHINI RAMAN,17; WOULD LIKE TO APPLY FOR A SHOLARSHIP FROM THE MIC COMMITEE FOR MY STUDIES. MEANWHILE, I HAVE JUST FINISH MY FOUNDATION IN NURSING LAST MONTH. IN TWO WEEKS TIME I’LL BE CONTINUEING MY DEGREE PROGRAMME IN NURSING. IM STUDYING IN ‘INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF NURSING (IUCN)’ AT KOTA DAMANSARA,KUALA LUMPUR.
I WILL BE APLLYING MY PTPTN LOAN SOON AT A AMOUNT OF RM80,0000. I AM FROM A MIDDLE CLASS FAMILY. AND IN FUTURE I THINK I’LL BE HAVING DIFFICULTIES IN PAYING BACK THE MONEY BECAUSE OF MY FAMILY PROBLEMS AND CERTAIN CIRCUMSTANCES.THEREFORE, I WOULD LIKE TO GET A SHOLARSHIP FROM THE MIC FOR MY STUDIES TO BE CONTINUED.
MY FATHER IS A TAXI DRIVER WHO EARN NOT MUCH MONEY DAILY ACCORDING TO THE NUMBER OF CUSTOMERS.WHILE MY MOTHER IS A NURSE IN A PRIVATE CLINIC WHO EARNS RM 1500 TO RM2000. I HAVE A SISTER,SANGIDAA RAMAN;20, WHO ARE STUDYING IN MASTERSKILL COLLEGE, KUALA LUMPUR FOR PHARMACIST AND MY YOUNGER BROTHER, ARVIN RAJ;16, WHO IS STILL STUDYING IN ‘SMK PENANG FREE SCHOOL,PENANG’. MY PARENTS ARE HAVING DIFFICULTIES IN TAKING CARE THREE OF US.
I HAVE GOOD ACHIEVED CGPA MARKS FOR MY 2 SEMESTERS IN FOUNDATION. THE TOTAL CGPA MARKS WILL BE ANNOUNCED SOON IN THIS MONTH. I HAVE STUDIED WELL FOR MY FOUNDATION WHERE FOR MY 1ST SEMESTER I HAVE ACHIEVED CGPA OF 3.23. AND FOR MY 2ND SEMESTER I HAVE ACHIEVED CGPA OF 3.21. WHILE PREVIOUSLY PAST 3WEEKS AGO I FINISHED MY 3RD SEMESTERS FINAL TEST ACCELLENTLY.I AM TOTALLY SURE THAT I WILL BE QUALIFIED TO ENTER THE DEGREE PROGRAMME.
UNFORTUNATELY, THE TOTAL INCOME OF MY PARENTS WOULD NOT ENOUGH TO TAKE CARE US AND GIVE ME MONTHLY EXPENSES MONEY FOR MY STUDIES. THEREFORE, IF THERE IS ANY HELP THAT THE MIC COMMITEE CAN HELP MY STUDIES,PLEASE KINDLY REPLY ME AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.
YOUR KIND HELP WILL BE MUCH APPRECIATED.
THANK YOU.
FAITHFULLY,
REETHASHINI RAMAN.
P.Uthayakumar : All citizens bound by the law, no exception to police.
HRP pro-tem sec-gen P.Uthayakumar commented on the issue of a 35-year-old market vendor A. Murugan, his wife and mother were arrested but only Murugan was brought to court Friday (July 16,2010) to face a murder charge. He was sentenced to death. It has been no history of the Attorney General prosecuting death under police detention and death by police shooting. Our statistic showed that 1.3 person has been gunned down by police every week. 2002 statistic shows that one person died while under police custody every two weeks.
Camera work : Calvin Cheah
Video by Citizeen Journalist, Arvind Raj
Friday, July 23, 2010
HRP seeks UN help for top Indian students (Malaysiakini)
Gavaskar Brian Raj and Richard Loo ( Photos by HRP) ,
The Human Rights Party (HRP) has appealed to the United Nations to intervene in the Malaysian government’s denial of scholarships and study loans for top Indian students, as well as places for them in university and matriculation courses.
In a memorandum addressed to the UN, HRP called on the body to despatch a fact-finding mission to investigate the matter, which the party described as "akin to apartheid".
HRP information chief S Jayathas described the memorandum to the UN as the "last resort", following the party’s unsuccessful attempts to seek intervention from the prime
minister and the King.
"We have no other avenue as we have exhausted all political and legal options," Jayathas (right) said.
He also said that many people have promised the HRP help on this issue, but he described them to be the cakap tak serupa bikin type.
United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef) representative Hans Olsen received the memorandum on behalf of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) resident representative, Kamal Malhotra, who was predisposed.
"I will take it (the memorandum) to Kamal and he will decide what we (the UN) can do," Olsen said.
Among others, Jayathas had previously submitted memoranda to the prime minister as well as to the Yang diPertuan Agong, and has also made 31 police reports against the federal government.
Riot police present
He was accompanied by HRP adviser Pathmarajah Nagalingam, central working committee member Jeevindra Kumar Krishnan and six party members.
Around 20 riot police personnel were gathered outside the UN headquarters, but no untoward incident was reported.
The HRP has been championing the cause of an estimated 2,237 high achieving but financially constrained Indian students in the country who have been denied opportunities for tertiary education.
The party tried to submit a memorandum to the King at his palace recently, in which it sought the establishment of a royal commission of inquiry to address the issue.
In the memorandum, HRP also called for a UN official to head the selection committee for the allocation of Public Service Department scholarships as well as matriculation and university placements for the next five years.
The Human Rights Party (HRP) has appealed to the United Nations to intervene in the Malaysian government’s denial of scholarships and study loans for top Indian students, as well as places for them in university and matriculation courses.
In a memorandum addressed to the UN, HRP called on the body to despatch a fact-finding mission to investigate the matter, which the party described as "akin to apartheid".
HRP information chief S Jayathas described the memorandum to the UN as the "last resort", following the party’s unsuccessful attempts to seek intervention from the prime
minister and the King. "We have no other avenue as we have exhausted all political and legal options," Jayathas (right) said.
He also said that many people have promised the HRP help on this issue, but he described them to be the cakap tak serupa bikin type.
United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef) representative Hans Olsen received the memorandum on behalf of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) resident representative, Kamal Malhotra, who was predisposed.
"I will take it (the memorandum) to Kamal and he will decide what we (the UN) can do," Olsen said. Among others, Jayathas had previously submitted memoranda to the prime minister as well as to the Yang diPertuan Agong, and has also made 31 police reports against the federal government.
Riot police present
He was accompanied by HRP adviser Pathmarajah Nagalingam, central working committee member Jeevindra Kumar Krishnan and six party members.
Around 20 riot police personnel were gathered outside the UN headquarters, but no untoward incident was reported.
The HRP has been championing the cause of an estimated 2,237 high achieving but financially constrained Indian students in the country who have been denied opportunities for tertiary education.
The party tried to submit a memorandum to the King at his palace recently, in which it sought the establishment of a royal commission of inquiry to address the issue.
In the memorandum, HRP also called for a UN official to head the selection committee for the allocation of Public Service Department scholarships as well as matriculation and university placements for the next five years.
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Family wants written safety guarantee for Tharmendran
KUALA LUMPUR: The family of former air force sergeant N Tharmendran submitted a note of demand to the Defence Ministry urging its minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi to give written guarantee that no armed forces personnel will attempt to arrest him. It also also urged the minister to take action against those who were attempting to take Tharmendran back to air base and those who had tortured him when he was in custody.
On June 17, Tharmendran's father claimed that his son was tortured while in custody by senior Royal Malaysian Air Force officials and made to confess to stealing two jet engines.
On July 8, Tharmendran was released from Sungai Buloh prison after posting bail. However, his family claimed that there were attempts by the air force to bring him back to the air base.
Fearing the prospect of being illegally taken to the air base, Tharmendran applied to withdraw his bail and voluntarily surrendered himself to the custody of prison officials.
Teluk Intan MP M Manogaran, who accompanied Tharmendran's father N Nagarajah to the ministry, said: “Tharmendran ceased to be an air force personnel since May 28.
“But we were recently made aware that the air force is trying to get him back to its air base. This is unlawful.”
MPs S Manickavasagam (Kapar), Zuraida Kamaruddi (Ampang), Tian Chua (Batu), and lawyers Latheefa Koya and N Surendran were in the procession to hand over the note of demand.
Lawyers and MPs denied entry
The group was earlier denied entry into the ministry premises by military police which irked Zuraida who lambasted them.
“We are the people's representative but yet you are not even giving us the courtesy by letting us in,” said Zuraida.
After several deliberations, the ministry sent its corporate communicatons officer K Raveendran to receive the note at the ministry's entrance but the lawmakers refused to hand over the note to him.
“We are not here to do business. We are here on an issue of national concern,” Manogaran told Raveendran.
Then the military adviser to the minister, brigadier-general Dzahir Abd Rahim came to receive the group, eventually allowing them into the ministry premises for a meeting at 11am.
After 20 minutes, the group returned and said they were disappointed that the minister or the deputy minister was not around to receive them.
Manickavasagam said that Dzahir could not guarantee Tharmendran's safety. “He did not even say when he was going to hand over the note to the minister. Tharmendran's well-being is still at stake.”
Give Tamil schools direct funding, Khalid urged
SHAH ALAM: The Tamil Schools Parents' Association in Selangor is demanding that the RM4 million state government allocation for Tamil schools be channelled directly to individual schools’ Parent-Teacher Associations (PTAs) and not via irrelevant third parties.
The association president S Murali (photo) said the 400-member strong association also wants Tamil school affairs to be handled by the state executive councillor in charge of education, and not by irrelevant excos.
He said the demands would be highlighted in an eight-point memorandum on the development of Tamil education in Selangor.
He said the memorandum will be submitted to Menteri Besar Abdul Khalid Ibrahim in the next few days.
Explaining their reasons, Murali said the PTAs were in a better position to manage the funds, which are state allocations under the Tamil Schools Development Fund, as they have first-hand information of their respective schools’ needs.
Selangor has 97 Tamil schools.
The Pakatan Rakyat Selangor government allocated some RM4 million in annual funds last year for development programmes to Tamil schools.
However, only RM2.4 million of the allotted sum was dispersed directly to schools.The remaining RM1.6 million was channelled to three non-governmental organisations, namely the Education Welfare Research Foundation (EWRF), Tamil Foundation and Child Information Learning and Development Centre.
It’s learnt that the money was allotted to the three NGOs to carry out Tamil education development programme in the state.
For this year, the state government recently approved similar funds to be dispersed among Tamil schools and NGOs.
Unhappy with exco's work
Murali said the association was against the state government’s decision to divert part of the funds for Tamil schools to the NGOs.
He suggested instead that the state government allot separate funding for these NGOs while dispersing the whole RM4 million directly to the schools.
“We don’t understand why the money for Tamil schools is being diverted to these NGOs. Such diversion of funds is not happening in allocations for Chinese and religious schools,” Murali told FMT.
The memorandum will demand that Khalid's government walk his talk on multiracial governance by assigning only the state executive councillor in charge of education, higher education and human capital development portfolios, currently Halimah Ali, to handle Tamil school affairs.
Murali said the association members were strongly against the current arrangement in which another state executive councillor Dr Xavier Jeyakumar, who is in charge of health, plantation workers, poverty and compassionate government, is made responsible for Tamil school affairs.
Several PTA leaders criticised Khalid for emulating typical Umno-MIC politics by giving the mandate to an irrelevant Jeyakumar to distribute allocations for Tamil schools.
It’s learnt that Jeyakumar, formerly a dentist by profession, has close links with the three NGOs receiving the annual funds.
The state government cyber information portal, SelangorKini online, has disclosed that “Xavier is active in EWRF.”
Tamil school PTAs in Selangor have also expressed their dismay with the manner Jeyakumar has been handling the Tamil schools' issue.
“Although Tamil school affair is not his business, he is trying to promote himself as the Indian leader in the Pakatan government and state PKR," said several PTA leaders, who spoke to FMT in anonymity for fear of Jeyakumar's backlash.
They fear Jeyakumar would sabotage funds to their schools if he knew their identities.
Jeyakumar was not available for comment despite numerous calls made and text messages sent to him over the past three days.
Free land sought
The memorandum would also demand the state government allocate free land to all landless Tamil schools in Selangor and change land title ownership to the schools, which are already sitting on government land.
Murali said his association would demand that the Pakatan government include all Tamil schools into the state's mainstream national school development programme.
“In short, we want the Pakatan state government to be different from BN,” said Murali.
Copies of the memorandum are expected to be distributed to all executive councillors and elected representatives in Selangor and, the state and national PKR leaders as well.
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Ex Fiji Prime Minister shocked at extent of discrimination in Malaysia. Letter to HRP.
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Mr. P. Uthayakumar
Human Rights Party
Malaysia
Dear Mr. Uthayakumar.
Thank you for forwarding us your Party’s statements and newsletters. I am indeed shocked by the extent of discrimination and the denial of human rights of the people of Indian origin in your country.
I have always considered Malaysia a friendly and multi-racial country but can now imagine how difficult it is there for Indians, particularly those who exist in poverty.
The only sure way in which their problems can be addressed and justice meted out to them is to make the international community aware of their plight and appeal for their assistance to redress the situation.
It can be a long drawn and frustrating experience but it is, in the end, sure to achieve satisfying results.
I wish you and your Party the success you all deserve in your worthy struggle and commend you for your courage in taking up the cudgels on behalf of your people.
With warm personal regards.
Sincerely,
Mahendra P. Chaudhry
Secretary General
Fiji Labour Party
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Hindraf’s 18 demands and what Hindraf wants
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1) An end to the ongoing violations of the Malaysian Federal Constitution
2) An end to the deeply rooted racism in Malaysian society
3) Affirmative action to rehabilitate the marginalized and abandoned Indian poor
4) All Tamil Primary Schools to be made fully government funded and with complete facilities – in short a consolidation of Primary education for the Indian poor.
5) Equal and fair opportunities for higher education for Indians to realize the true potential of the young of our country
6) Equal and fair opportunities for business to provide adequate opportunities for upward mobility
7) Eliminate the Mandore system of subjugating the Indian poor
20% of top level positions in Government and GLCs to be set aside for Indians as a means of ensuring a fair and competent Civil service 9) Government to become transparent in all of the above as a check and balance
10) Government to stop demolition of Temples, Burial Grounds and grant state land for all such needs and allow complete freedom of religion
11) Stop the bullying of Indians by the Police because they form such a soft target
12) Establish a Royal Commission of Inquiry into the Kg. Medan killings and pay due compensation of RM1,000,000 to each affected family, like what has just happened to the late Anuar bin Sarip.
13) The Indian poor be paid compensation for 50 years of neglect by the Malaysian government, the process to be adjudicated by the Un and the quantum of compensation to be determined by them
14) Provide affordable homes to all Malaysians and set a minimum wage of RM 1,000 for all.
15) Establish a Royal Commission of Inquiry to study the violations of the constitution and to recommend due affirmative actions to correct the situation
16) Stop all forms of religious discrimination and a race Relations Act and a Equal Opportunities Commission and Freedom of Religion Commission be set up.
17) Set up specific laws to assure the independence of the various arms of the government like the Judiciary, the police, the Civil Service, the Attorney General’s Chambers, the Human Rights Commission and the Media
18) Set aside a minimum of 20 MPs seats for Indians to be elected by Indians.
If you think about the points raised it is very clear that it covers all aspects of life for the Indians. In summary what the document looks for is a totally new beginning for the Indians in the country after reworking some of the fallout from the last 53 years of neglect and abuse.
These points do not only touch on the lives of Indians though in many cases the points specifically point to Indians. In reality when these points are realized all of Malaysia will benefit. You cannot really think of the ruling elite acceding to these demands purely to the Indians. All these can only be realized when there is an overhaul of the entire system.
Basically what the 18 points calls for is a better life for the working poor and a for a complete democratization of the socio-political system of the country. Now isn’t that a large and bold objective that benefits all in the country.
The call for an 18 point demand is really a call for a major upliftment of Malaysian society as a whole. Racism is really an anachronistic concept whose time is well over. But the UMNOPutras in their shortsighted wisdom think that this is the way to go to build a nation in their own image of a purely Malay country. This is not tenable given the paradigm developing across the world of open borders and shrinking distances. The UMNOPutra’s paradigm is definitely one that is not achievable. What will result will be a destruction of Malaysia and a squandering of the potential greatness of the country. Malaysia was a model to the third world on the 60s and 70s in the last century. Now it has the twin towers to boast about. When the opportunity is squandered everyone will lose, the Malays, the Chinese, the Indians, the KadazanDusuns, the Dayaks, the Ibans everyone. Since the Malays are the predominant community, they will land up losing the most.
It is not the resources available in a country that makes for its greatness. Resources are transient and will get consumed in time and then afterwards what are you then left with. It is the people of a nation that make for the greatness of a nation and if this basic wisdom cannot be perceived by the UMNOPutras in time, they will drive Malaysia into the ground in time. They are already driving away significant human potential from this land, out of their illusory concepts of self preservation. They will not allow the nascent human potential in the country to develop, They keep promoting mediocracy with corruption, nepotism and cronyism and their racism.
The people who should develop will not be developed and people who are developed will not be able to rise to the tasks of a nation in competition with the rest of the world because of a culture of mediocrity. And time and resources would have been spent and as someone the other day was saying we will probably land up exporting maids to our neighbouring countries in the second half of this century.
The 18 point demand is no simple set of demands. They are a set of demands which if dealt with in an intelligent response can potentially bring us back from the brink of all of this. They require guts and they require Statemenship to be able to be dealt with squarely. No myopic leader will ever be able to understand just what it stands for. Rather such leaders in their myopia will only pass all of this off as nonsense spouting from extremists and racists and in their supreme wisdom will let a historic opportunity slip.
Indians in the country are the ones that seek change most. They are the ones who have been worst affected by the ways of this system. The ones who have most inertia against any change are the UMNOPutras, because they have benefitted the most from the current arrangement. So, Hindraf and HRP in championing the rights and interests of the Indians are pitting themselves against the most conservative segment of Malaysians. Hindraf and HRP have established courage and an ability to confront injustice fearlessly as their trademarks. In that tradition they will continue, inspite of the odds against them.Hindraf and HRP will continue to grow as the wisdom and their deep understanding of the needs of Malaysian society are appreciated by more and more as time passes. When you are right , it is only a matter of time. Truth always prevails.
Hindraf and HRP in pushing the agenda of the Indian poor are really pushing to build a great and new Malaysia.
Valga Hindraf. Valga HRP.
Naragan
Monday, July 19, 2010
Tricked by employers and discarded by police
KUALA LUMPUR: Seven months ago 43-year-old Rasiabanu from Tamil Nadu lodged a police report against her employers for failing to pay her wages for 16 months.
Rasiabanu had worked with them as a maid for two years and saw only her first month’s salary.
“Every time I asked them (employers) they said they will give it to me when I return to India.
“I believed them and continued working. After two years I asked to return home, but they refused to let me go. They refused to give me my money,” said Rasiabanu who now has a very low opinion about Malaysian employers. .
Rasiabanu came to Malaysia in 2008 with the ‘great hope’ of improving her family’s financial situation in India.
In India her husband worked as a sales assistant in a shopping complex in Trichy and earned 60 rupees a day.
But it was not enough to take care of the family, including their three children’s daily expenses.
“It was about that time when an agent met me and told me that I could work in Malaysia for two years and earn a lot of money.
"I wanted to help increase my family income. The agent said I had to pay 25,000 rupees to work in Malaysia.
“I managed to borrow the 25,000 rupees and paid the agent,” she told FMT.
On arrival at the Malaysian airport Rasiabanu was taken straight to her employer’s house.
“The employer agreed to pay me RM400 a month. They paid my first month salary and promised to pay up fully when the time came for me to return home.
“I agreed because they seemed like good people.”
But the backdated salaries amounting to RM6,400 did not come. Instead her former employers threatened her.
'Malaysians are mean'
Angry and upset at having been wronged, she sought justice at the Brickfields police station.
According to her the police have only met with her former employers once, but so far nothing has happened and she has not received her money.
“I'm staying in Tenaganita now for more than seven months. I still cannot go home. I miss my family so much...
"When I was in my village in India, I thought Malaysians were very nice people but when I came here I discovered how mean Malaysians actually are.
“They (Malaysians) have a lot of money but they are uncaring and cruel to people.
“Everyday I hope the police will make my former employers pay-up so that I can go back to my husband and children,” said Rasiabanu when met recently.
Sunday, July 18, 2010
Heritage status hollow as Malay villages vanish
(Malaysiakini) The Penang government is being haunted by the ghost of rampant development projects approved by its predecessor, Gerakan, which is putting a damper on George Town's second anniversary as a Unesco World Heritage Site.
In particular, the Malay community complains that the heritage status is meaningless if its villages and culture is not preserved.
Malay Muslim cultural and religious experiences featured on Heritage Row, like the famous Majid Kapitan Keling and Penang Muslim Museum at Syed Alatas Mansion in Armenian Street, do little to help as Malay villages gradually vanish due to massive development creeping everywhere across the island.
Villagers from Kg Jalan Pokok Asam, who face eviction by developers at the end of September, are particularly upset.
They have expressed extreme dissatisfaction that the on-going Heritage celebrations is featuring mostly Chinese and Hindu temples, and fishing communities like the Koay Jetty, and ignoring the plight of their villages.
At a two-hour dialogue session with PAS state deputy chief Mujahid Yusof Rawa in a Jelutong surau on Thursday, the villagers lamented that the heritage celebrations held in July was 'meaningless' if it did not include the Malay villages.
“What does it mean by heritage if Malay villages are being eroded one by one? Even if Penang celebrates Heritage Day again next year, it holds no meaning for us,” said Zarus Yusof (left), a 47-year-old businessman who has lived in Jelutong all his life.
“Heritage is not just about buildings, it is the culture and soul of the people living in the state. There is no meaning to heritage if the Malays are divided,” he added.
Not a racial problem
Zarus said he was not being racist to raise the issue facing Malay villagers, as the ongoing development projects would eventually affect the other communities as well, robbing them of their homes and disrupting their lives.
“We have to preserve our villages. That is the bottom line. We are not against development, relocate us but allow us to live in the same area, with reasonable housing facilities,” he added.
Another villager, Mohamad Idaham (left), warned that suraus, mosques,and cemeteries being provided for village folks risk becoming white elephants as the Malay community shrinks by the day.
“Who will go and pray if they are no more Malay communities in this area? No matter how you make the mosque, surau or cemeteries bigger, none of this means anything if there are no Malay families left to use them,” he complained.
Idaham appeared a little uncomfortable with the presence of PAS, although he admitted supporting the Opposition in the last general election.
He said the group preferred to be non-partisan when pleading their case, and would meet any group who were willing to help them resolve their eviction woes.
“It's difficult if we were to rely on political parties to help us. It can cause problems because even though we live in the same kampung, we all have different political allegiances,” he said after the meeting.
BN legacy
The group is demanding the developer to compensate them with a RM120,000 double storey house or a RM75,000 unit with three rooms per family.
However, they insist that they be relocated in the same area Jelutong, where they have lived since birth.
Jelutong parliamentarian Jeff Ooi (right) recently told the Sun that the rapid development issue is inherited from the previous government under BN's Gerakan led by Koh Tsu Koon.
These included 36 families affected by expansion plans for Heng Ee school and more than 40 families asked to move due to a housing project at Yew Kongsi. Over 50 families were evicted from behind the Perak Road market, 17 families from beside Sri Wonder centre, and 29 households in the Jalan Pokok Asam vicinity.
“In addition, 70 households will be affected by land acquisition for a road to link Jalan Tan Sri The Ewe Lim to the Jelutong Expressway, while compensation for another eight houses for a project at Jalan Madrasah has been resolved amicably,” he added.
In an immediate response, Jamek Mosque committee representative Yusof Noor apologised for any misunderstanding which has arisen out of the current situation.
Yusof, who is a municipal councillor, said he has contacted Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng and Deputy Chief Minister I Mansor Othman to meet with the mosque committee and representatives from the affected villages.
Issue to be escalated
“We really lack information when the problem happened, so I am sorry if there was any confusion” he told the group.
“But since then, we have been speaking to all quarters to try and find the best solution for everyone,” he added.
Mujahid (in red, in photo), in responding to the villagers' grouses, explained that as a minority community in the state, they understandably feel marginalised but that this would be no different under an Umno government.
In particular, the Malay community complains that the heritage status is meaningless if its villages and culture is not preserved.Malay Muslim cultural and religious experiences featured on Heritage Row, like the famous Majid Kapitan Keling and Penang Muslim Museum at Syed Alatas Mansion in Armenian Street, do little to help as Malay villages gradually vanish due to massive development creeping everywhere across the island.
Villagers from Kg Jalan Pokok Asam, who face eviction by developers at the end of September, are particularly upset.
They have expressed extreme dissatisfaction that the on-going Heritage celebrations is featuring mostly Chinese and Hindu temples, and fishing communities like the Koay Jetty, and ignoring the plight of their villages.
At a two-hour dialogue session with PAS state deputy chief Mujahid Yusof Rawa in a Jelutong surau on Thursday, the villagers lamented that the heritage celebrations held in July was 'meaningless' if it did not include the Malay villages.
“What does it mean by heritage if Malay villages are being eroded one by one? Even if Penang celebrates Heritage Day again next year, it holds no meaning for us,” said Zarus Yusof (left), a 47-year-old businessman who has lived in Jelutong all his life.“Heritage is not just about buildings, it is the culture and soul of the people living in the state. There is no meaning to heritage if the Malays are divided,” he added.
Not a racial problem
Zarus said he was not being racist to raise the issue facing Malay villagers, as the ongoing development projects would eventually affect the other communities as well, robbing them of their homes and disrupting their lives.
“We have to preserve our villages. That is the bottom line. We are not against development, relocate us but allow us to live in the same area, with reasonable housing facilities,” he added.
Another villager, Mohamad Idaham (left), warned that suraus, mosques,and cemeteries being provided for village folks risk becoming white elephants as the Malay community shrinks by the day.“Who will go and pray if they are no more Malay communities in this area? No matter how you make the mosque, surau or cemeteries bigger, none of this means anything if there are no Malay families left to use them,” he complained.
Idaham appeared a little uncomfortable with the presence of PAS, although he admitted supporting the Opposition in the last general election.
He said the group preferred to be non-partisan when pleading their case, and would meet any group who were willing to help them resolve their eviction woes.
“It's difficult if we were to rely on political parties to help us. It can cause problems because even though we live in the same kampung, we all have different political allegiances,” he said after the meeting.
BN legacy
The group is demanding the developer to compensate them with a RM120,000 double storey house or a RM75,000 unit with three rooms per family.
However, they insist that they be relocated in the same area Jelutong, where they have lived since birth.Jelutong parliamentarian Jeff Ooi (right) recently told the Sun that the rapid development issue is inherited from the previous government under BN's Gerakan led by Koh Tsu Koon.
These included 36 families affected by expansion plans for Heng Ee school and more than 40 families asked to move due to a housing project at Yew Kongsi. Over 50 families were evicted from behind the Perak Road market, 17 families from beside Sri Wonder centre, and 29 households in the Jalan Pokok Asam vicinity.
“In addition, 70 households will be affected by land acquisition for a road to link Jalan Tan Sri The Ewe Lim to the Jelutong Expressway, while compensation for another eight houses for a project at Jalan Madrasah has been resolved amicably,” he added.
In an immediate response, Jamek Mosque committee representative Yusof Noor apologised for any misunderstanding which has arisen out of the current situation.
Yusof, who is a municipal councillor, said he has contacted Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng and Deputy Chief Minister I Mansor Othman to meet with the mosque committee and representatives from the affected villages.
Issue to be escalated
“We really lack information when the problem happened, so I am sorry if there was any confusion” he told the group.
“But since then, we have been speaking to all quarters to try and find the best solution for everyone,” he added.
Mujahid (in red, in photo), in responding to the villagers' grouses, explained that as a minority community in the state, they understandably feel marginalised but that this would be no different under an Umno government.He was referring to Umno's attempts to capitalise on the situation for political mileage.
He however agreed with the group's demand to be relocated to the same area.
“We will tell the state and developer, you can do what you like, but we will remain on this land,” he vowed.
He promised to raise their issues to the CM and Pakatan Rakyat state representatives, which he said was a good channel to voice the villagers' plight.
“I will tell the state government to look into this issue seriously. Don't play a fool for this is my kampung too. I have relatives here and have lived and played here when I was young,” he said.
He also apologised for the party being perceived as not willing to help the Malay community, and condemned Malay language daily Utusan Malaysia for enforcing the wrong perception.
“This is not only a Malay problem as the papers make it out to be. The Chinese and Indians are involved too, because everyone is affected by the same (problem),” he added.
Kg Jalan Pokok Asam is one of many victims of Penang's development overdrive inherited from the BN which continue to dog Lim Guan Eng's administration, including the controversial Kg Buah Pala and the Tanjung Bungah issues.
“We will tell the state and developer, you can do what you like, but we will remain on this land,” he vowed.
He promised to raise their issues to the CM and Pakatan Rakyat state representatives, which he said was a good channel to voice the villagers' plight.
“I will tell the state government to look into this issue seriously. Don't play a fool for this is my kampung too. I have relatives here and have lived and played here when I was young,” he said.
He also apologised for the party being perceived as not willing to help the Malay community, and condemned Malay language daily Utusan Malaysia for enforcing the wrong perception.
“This is not only a Malay problem as the papers make it out to be. The Chinese and Indians are involved too, because everyone is affected by the same (problem),” he added.
Kg Jalan Pokok Asam is one of many victims of Penang's development overdrive inherited from the BN which continue to dog Lim Guan Eng's administration, including the controversial Kg Buah Pala and the Tanjung Bungah issues.
Saturday, July 17, 2010
Hindraf calls for merit-based education
GEORGE TOWN: The government should scrap its racist-based education system and replace it with one based on meritocracy, Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf) said today.
Hindraf London-based chairman P Waythamoorthy said it was time the Umno-led federal government overhauled the education system to keep pace with the global educational standards.
He said a meritocracy-based system was the only way forward for the country to attain excellence in education in the highly competitive world.
However, he said the objective can never be achieved if the Umno-led federal government is not sincere and serious.
“The government should revamp the education system to focus on meritocracy regardless of ethnic and religious origins to enhance the country’s human capital,” he added.
He was commenting on Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak's announcement at last weekend MIC general assembly that Indian students who score 9A+ in the SPM would be given public scholarships to pursue tertiary education.
Waythamoorthy said Najib’s promise was nothing more than a gimmick to raise false hopes.
“Why only 9A+? What about plain 9As and 9A-?” he asked.
He said Najib was trying to assuage the feelings of the Indian community when he announced the scholarship award to Indian students with 9A+.
“Predictably, MIC members gave the premier a standing ovation without understanding the dynamics of Umno political manipulation.
“They failed to comprehend that the 9A+ move was detrimental to the Indian community and the country at large,” he told FMT.
Stop gloating
Last month, Waythamoorthy brought up to the United Nations the BN government’s perceived systematic discrimination of Indian students for over half a century.
He addressed the issue to Geneva-based Githu Muigai, the UN special rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance.
He also sent a copy of his complaint to the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Asia and Pacific regional bureau for education office) in Bangkok, seeking Unesco's intervention to end the perceived marginalisation of Malaysian Indians.
In May, he updated and provided evidence to the UN Human Rights Council on the continued discrimination and marginalisation of minority Malaysians, especially Indians, and natives from Sabah and Sarawak.
According to education director-general Alimuddin Mohd Dom, some 7,987 of the 465,853 students who took the SPM last year obtained all As in all their subjects.
This includes 214 with A+, of which 41 were private school and agency-sponsored students.
Of the 52,348 candidates who took STPM in 2009, only 15 got 5As in all subjects.
Waythamoorthy said Najib should stop gloating over the fact that about 2,304 places were given to Indian students in 2010 when there were nearly a million seats available in all public universities in the country.
He alleged that the government was pursuing a racist policy by making sure that more than 120,000 places available in Universiti Technology Mara (UiTM) were reserved exclusively for Malay Muslim candidates.
Waythamoorthy said even though seats were increasing in public universities, the ratio was rapidly diminishing for the Indian community.
“The seats given to Indian students did not even represent 0.2% of the Indian student population.
“Is the prime minister trying to tell us that Indian students are so stupid that they do not deserve a place in public universities?” he asked.
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