Unjustified detention prompts Kumar to launch hunger strike

By
Aliran executive committee

28 July 2011

Aliran is gravely concerned to hear that MP Dr Jeyakumar Devaraj, one of the Parti Sosialis Malaysia 6 who have been unjustly and unjustifiably held in detention under the Emergency Ordinance, has decided to go on hunger strike.

PSM Central Committee member and Kumar’s wife Rani Rasiah, together with party colleagues, announcing today that the detained MP has started a hunger strike

We know Dr Jeyakumar Devaraj, a long-standing and outstanding Aliran member, well enough to know that he does NOT engage in such acts for theatrical effect. Rather, given his steadfast and tenacious character in facing threats and intimidation from the police before, there is every reason to expect that Jeyakumar Devaraj conduct his hunger strike with complete seriousness.

At the same time, knowing he has a poor heart condition that has required treatment and hospitalisation during the period of his detention, we can only be alarmed at the potential damage to his health that this action may bring about.

We understand his frustration and impatience with the endless and pointless attempts by his police interrogators to extract confessions of guilt where none exists except in the imagination of the Special Branch officers and the political masters whom they serve, in particular Prime Minister Dato Seri Najib Tun Razak and Minister of Home Affairs Datuk Hishammuddin Tun Hussein.

Perhaps our politicians have become so used to believing that all politics is about perceptions and images that can be moulded by lies, distortions and propaganda that they cannot anymore recognise that there can be politics of the highest moral level, such as that exhibited by Dr Jeyakumar Devaraj and his fellow detainees from PSM.

Politicians like Najib and Hishammuddin and the Inspector-General of Police have been issuing irrelevant and self-serving warnings about how Bersih 2.0 was trying to import the Arab Spring into Malaysia. Let them, who try to hoodwink the Malaysian public and frighten others with images of chaos, remember how the uprising in Tunisia began with the needless self-immolation of one protester.

We in Aliran, together with other concerned citizens, non-partisan but admiring and supportive of the courageous stance of Dr Jeyakumar Devaraj and the other members of the PSM 6, demand their immediate release from an unjust imprisonment.

Free Dr Jeyakumar Devaraj!

Release the PSM 6 unconditionally! Now!

                This entry was posted on Friday, 29 July 2011, 10:01 am and is filed under
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Welcome to Malaysia

—
David D. Mathew

The Malaysian Insider

Jul 28, 2011

JULY 28 — Malaysia receives thousands of visitors every day. Some come looking for jobs while others are travellers yearning to enjoy our sunny beaches and delicious food.

But this article is not about jobseekers or tourists.

It is about two men.

About a month ago, Malaysia welcomed someone from a country formerly known as Rhodesia. He was treated very well and afforded all the luxuries and hospitality Wisma Putra could possibly provide.

This man, who so easily entered Malaysia, has a European Union travel ban against his name.

When this man appeared at a food summit in Rome in 2008, Mark Malloch Brown, the British Foreign Office minister for Africa, Asia and the UN, commented that this was “like Pol Pot going to a human rights conference.”

The Australian foreign minister, Stephen Smith, said that the man’s attendance at the food summit was obscene because “this is a person who has presided over the starvation of his people.”

In 2006, the African Union’s Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights released a report which expressed concern over “the continuing violations and the deterioration of the human rights situation” and “the number of internally displaced persons and the violations of fundamental individual and collective rights resulting from the forced evictions” that was being carried out by the government led by this man.

Three years ago the Queen of England stripped this man of his honorary knighthood which was awarded to him in 1994.

Without mincing his words, a British Foreign Office spokesman said that the action had been taken “as a mark of revulsion at the abuse of human rights and abject disregard for the democratic process” in the country over which this man presided.

The man being referred to is Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe. He visited Malaysia last month to attend the Ninth Langkawi International Dialogue as an invitee of the government.

Much of the world chides him. Thousands of his people have died of starvation because of his policies. Hundreds of his political opponents have been savagely beaten and tortured by the state.

Yet, Malaysia welcomes him.

Last week, the former general secretary of the International Federation for Human Rights visited Malaysia.

This man has been very active in initiating legal proceedings in France against former Serbian or Rwandan leaders suspected of crimes against humanity and crimes of war.

He acts for Franco-Chilean families who were victims of the former dictator Augusto Pinochet. He also defends several French prisoners detained in Guantanamo.

The man also founded Sherpa, a non-profit organisation dedicated to protecting and defending victims of economic crimes.

In 2009, Sherpa along with other non-profit organisations lodged a complaint in France against Dalhoff, Larsen and Horneman (DLH), one of the world’s leading international timber wholesalers.

It is alleged that during the civil war in Liberia from 2000-2003, DLH brought timber from Liberian companies that provided support to Charles Taylor’s brutal regime.

According to the claimants, by importing timber from forest concessions operated by corrupt Liberian companies, the French arm of DLH is guilty of handling and profiting from goods obtained illegally which is punishable under French criminal law.

The man being referred to is French human rights lawyer William Bourdon.

He arrived in Malaysia last week at the invitation of local human rights group Suara Rakyat Malaysia (Suaram) to attend three fund-raising dinners. After the first dinner in Penang, Bourdon was detained by the authorities on his return to Kuala Lumpur and then unceremoniously deported.

Bourdon is in fact engaged by Suaram to represent them in a case pending at the French courts concerning alleged financial kickbacks received by top government officials both in France and Malaysia over the purchase of the Scorpene submarines.

The Mugabe and Bourdon incidents raise grave concerns about the Malaysian foreign and immigration policies.

How can it be possible that we welcome an undisputed, evil despot but kick out a human rights campaigner who at the end of the day is merely advocating the stand of a local organisation trying to have their day in the French courts?

I guess it all comes back to something I have written about before.

We don’t like it when it is about us.

March and rally all you like if it is against Israel or America. But it is not all right to march when it concerns local issues like free and fair elections.

Welcome to Malaysia if you don’t criticise us, doesn’t matter about what you do elsewhere.

Get out if you are here to talk about the possible shortcomings of those in government.

Only time will tell if Bourdon and Suaram succeed in proving their case. But one thing is for sure. Robert Mugabe is no hero and if there is one person in this world who does not deserve to enter this land, it would be him. —
mysinchew.com

                This entry was posted on Friday, 29 July 2011, 12:18 pm and is filed under
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10 Countries Facing the Biggest Brain Drain

Online Universities.com
 | July 6th, 2011

Brain drain, also known as human capital flight, is a serious issue in many parts of the world, as skilled professionals seek out work abroad rather than returning to work in their home country. Many are driven away by high unemployment, but issues like political oppression, lack of religious freedom and simply not being able to earn a big enough paycheck also play a significant role in exacerbating brain drain. The phenomenon is not only a serious economic issue (both in that the country loses workers and the money it put into training them in college), but one that often puts the health and safety of the nation’s citizens at risk, creating long-term and potentially disastrous results for countries with high brain drain rates spanning several decades.

Here we’ve compiled a list of some of the nations that have been hardest hit by brain drain in that past few years. While some are making progress in reversing the process, others are seeing numbers rise and citizens migrating in larger numbers every year. These nations, often those in the developing world, must make major economic and social changes if they hope to retain their best and most skilled workers over the long term.

Ethiopia
: Ethiopia produces a large number of qualified professionals, especially in the medical field, but is experiencing one of the worst brain drains of any country in the world. Attracted by better prospects overseas and in other African nations and pushed out by political persecution, Ethiopia’s best and brightest haven’t been sticking around after graduation. A recent study presented at the National Symposium on Ethiopian Diasporas revealed some shocking numbers, with the country losing about 75% of its skilled professionals over the past ten years. This exodus of highly qualified professionals has had a huge impact on the country, leaving it with too few physicians, engineers and scientists to fill positions the country desperately needs to thrive economically.

Nigeria
: Nigeria is another African nation that has suffered due to a massive brain drain. With much of Nigeria still essentially a developing nation with unreliable power and few resources, higher level science, engineering and medical professionals often find little to motivate them into staying, especially with job offers from the U.S. and European nations exerting a powerful pull. Since Nigeria’s brutal civil war in late 60s, the country has bounced between military governments and dictatorships, pushing out between 11 and 17 million people. Today, over 2 million Nigerians live in the U.S. alone, and of these about 20,000 are doctors and over 10,000 are academics. That’s a heavy loss for a nation that so desperately needs qualified professionals to rebuild and improve its own resources.

Kenya
: High unemployment rates, lack of resources and other factors have made Kenya one of the top brain drain countries in Africa. With fewer than 30% of Kenyans who study overseas returning to work in Kenya, the nation is feeling the hurt of losing so many skilled professionals. The Kenyan Medical Association has warned that emigration of medical professionals may make it impossible to provide health care to the country’s residents – and the situation is already pretty dire. As of 2002, the public sector medical field had only 600 doctors and 70 dentists available to treat over 28 million citizens. With somewhere between 500,000 and 1.8 million Kenyans working and living overseas, the country is trying desperately to find a way to lure some of these citizens back home where their skills are much needed.

South Africa
: Years of unrest, high crime rates, AIDS and lack of jobs have combined to make South Africa’s brain drain a serious problem. Over the past three years, the country has lost over 100,000 workers, with an additional 70% of skilled South Africans saying they are considering leaving the nation. Losing so many skilled workers has a ripple effect, with the loss of each skilled professional costing about 10 unskilled jobs. Currently, the country is working to not only keep residents from leaving once they’ve completed their training, but to also attract professionals from other nations to South African businesses. Though there is still a long way to go to make this a reality.

Iran
: In 2006, the IMF ranked Iran the highest in brain drain among 90 countries (both developed and less developed), with over 180,000 people leaving each year due to a poor job market and oppressive social conditions. In fact, it is estimated that over 25% of Iranians with post-secondary degrees live and work abroad, adding up to a total of 4 million Iranians living overseas. While the outflux of Iranians was scoffed at in the early 80′s by government officials, today Iran is doing more to keep their skilled professionals at home, creating several national foundations aimed at improving the conditions for students in the sciences and increasing the number of graduate programs. Why pay attention now? Iran’s brain drain is estimated to cost the country over $50 billion each year in economic losses.

China
: China has become a major player in global economics, but despite a rapidly growing job force, it is having trouble hanging on to qualified professionals. Many believe the reason lies in censorship and lack of freedoms (including the one child policy), but whatever the true cause, 70% of Chinese students who study overseas never return to their homeland. Since 1978, over 1 million Chinese students have headed to universities located abroad to get their degrees, yet fewer than 275,000 have returned. In fact, many foreign schools actually work to attract Chinese students, only exacerbating the problem for a nation in need of top scientists and researchers. The Chinese government has worked hard to reverse the trend, providing top-tier students in science and engineering with a large number of incentives, yet the numbers are only growing larger. By the end of this year, the nation could see well over 200,000 students leaving.

Mexico
: Mexican immigration is a big issue in the U.S., with tens of thousands of illegal immigrants crossing U.S. borders each year. Yet a large portion of Mexican immigrants don’t fit this stereotype and are wealthy, well-educated and enter the country quite legally. Mexico is seeing a huge brain drain as more middle- and upper-class citizens move abroad, many who hold higher degrees and work in professional fields like medicine and law. The biggest cause for this is unemployment, with hundreds of thousands of skilled workers unable to find work, though security issues also play a big role. The higher the level of education, the less likely workers are to stay in Mexico, with about 70% of Mexicans with a PhD coming to work in America. The brain drain is worst in the sciences, where 79% of students who come to study in America never return home.

Jamaica
: In a trend common for Caribbean nations, Jamaica faces one of the biggest brain drains in the region. Over 80% of Jamaica’s citizens who’ve obtained higher education live abroad. Most of this migration is due to lack of jobs, as there simply aren’t enough to go around for young graduates from university programs. What makes this loss so striking isn’t just the high percentage, but that Jamaican citizens who choose to work abroad must pay a remittance to the Jamaican government. Even with these additional fees, students aren’t enticed into staying to work in Jamaica. While much attention has been paid to the issue in recent years, little has changed and Jamaica. Along with Haiti, Suriname, Guyana and Grenada are losing between 70-90% of their college-educated force each year.

Malaysia
: The brain drain in Malaysia has been steadily worsening, with the World Bank projecting it to intensify over the next few years. Currently, two out of every ten Malaysians with higher education seeks employment elsewhere, accounting for about 305,000 immigrants in 2009. There are a number of factors that contribute to this mass emigration, including job opportunities, political corruption and lack of religious freedom. Malaysia made big economic strides in the 90s, but growth has been halved in the past decade, slowing from 7.2% to just 4.6%. Experts believe this is largely due to brain drain, and caution that the nation could see serious economic issues if it doesn’t do something more to encourage professionals to work in their home country.

England
: While it isn’t seeing staggering losses like many countries on this list, it is valuable to see how brain drain is a problem even in developed and relatively wealthy nations like Britain. Over the past few years, England has seen a large number of its skilled professionals leaving for work abroad, with over 1.1 million university graduates living and working outside of the country. This accounts for almost 1 in 10 skilled citizens choosing to emigrate. This mass emigration of skilled professionals may have serious ramifications for the British economy, as professionals add to the workforce of nations like Australia, Canada, America, France and Spain rather than at home. When compared to other developed nations, these numbers are especially high, with only Germany coming close in terms of losses (with 860,000 workers lost), making it clear that even top nations with good schools, public health and lots of resources can be subject to brain drain.

                This entry was posted on Saturday, 30 July 2011, 1:00 am and is filed under
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4 things Najib must do to salvage his tattered  credibility after his greatest leadership failure as PM post-Bersih post-EO6

The past five weeks are undoubtedly the worst period for Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak since becoming the sixth Malaysian PM 27 months ago – making him the object of ridicule and scorn not only in the country but also internationally, forcing him to cut short his overseas trip.

It was his greatest failure of leadership as Prime Minister leaving his credibility in tatters – which is why his claim yesterday that the release of the PSM6 under the Emergency Ordinance was in accordance with the rule of law was met with nation-wide derision.

Najib cannot be more wrong if he thinks that he had restored his credibility with the release of the PSM6 yesterday, as nothing could wipe out the fact of his government’s high-handed and unsuccessful action to suppress the 709 Bersih 2.0 rally for free and fair elections, resulting in the arbitrariy and totally unjustifieable arrests of the PSM6, first on the ridiculous grounds of “waging war against the Agong” and “reviving communism” and then under EO for being “prime movers” of Bersih.

There are four things Najib must do, immediately and urgently, if he wants to salvage his tattered credibility after his greatest leadership  failure as Prime Minister post-Bersih post-EO6.

Firstly, the Home Minister, Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein and the Inspector-General of Police should tender a public apology to the PSM6 for their unlawful detention and Najib should make public commitment to annul the four Proclamations of Emergency which are obsolete, going back from 34 to 47 years ago,  repeal the EO and all oppressive legislation.

Secondly, lift the ridiculous ban on Bersih 2.0 and end the government’s even more ridiculous Xanthophobia (irrational fear of yellow) arresting people for wearing the yellow Bersih 2.0 T-shirt and set up a Royal Commission of Inquiry on free and fair elections to make recommendations in time for the forthcoming 13th General Elections.

Thirdly, take firm action against the UMNO official organ, Utusan Malaysia, which had in the past few months carried out a most insidious and seditious  campaign to incite ethnic hatred and religious tensions in the country totally against the spirit and objective of a united, harmonious, inclusive multi-racial and multi-religious nation – making Utusan the greatest threat to and destroyer of  Najib’s 1Malaysia campaign.

Fourthly, charge Malaysian Anti-Corruption Agency (MACC) officers found by Teoh Beng Hock Royal Commission of Inquiry as having committed a host of offences and crimes, including perjury before the TBH Inquest and TBH RCI, and setting up a special investigation squad for  fuller investigation into the real causes and circumstances of Teoh Beng Hock’s death. This is because the TBH RCI, despite its unacceptable “driven suicide” finding,  had provided several new leads which must be further pursued, in accordance with the Prime Minister’s undertaking to Teoh Beng Hock’s family in July 2009 to “leave no stone unturned”, to find out the real causes and circumstances of Beng Hock’s death.

It is only when Najib is prepared to tackle these four basic things that he can hope to begin to recover his credibility which suffered a fatal blow in the past five weeks as a result of the government’s gross mishandling of the 709 Bersih 2.0 Rally and arbitrary arrests of the  PSM6.

                This entry was posted on Saturday, 30 July 2011, 1:37 pm and is filed under
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EO6: A bitter lesson for the govt

Jeswan Kaur | July 30, 2011

Free Malaysia Today

The Najib administration should now learn to respect the ‘rule of law’ instead of bending over backwards to fulfill its own hidden agendas

COMMENT

Abusing the Emergency Ordinance 1969, six breadwinners of their families’ were thrown behind bars and defamed with having waged a war against the King, holding subversive beliefs and instigating the rakyat to attend a rally which the police had deemed illegal.

Yesterday, 28 days later, all six were set free, unconditionally. The question that begs an answer from Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak is: What happened in those 28 days’ that made him, his cousin the Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein and the Inspector-General of Police Ismail Omar realise that the six are innocent and should rightfully be released?

Or was it a case of all three parties being well aware of the innocence of the six but proceeded to used them as scapegoats, hoping to teach Malaysians in general a lesson for taking to the streets on July 9, 2011 and challenging the ‘powers that be’?

The six detained were Sungai Siput MP Dr Michael D Jeyakumar, Parti Sosialis Malaysia deputy president M Sarasvathy, central committee members Choo Chon Kai and M Sukumaran, Youth chief R Saratbabu and Sungai Siput branch secretary A Letchumanan.

Despite cooperating with the police, the six were treated like hardcore criminals, being held in solitary confinement and deprived of all basic necessities including their medication as in the case of Jeyakumar and Sarasvathy.

It was much later that the police claimed the six were detained for allegedly being “movers” for the July 9, 2011, rally organised by election watchdog Bersih 2.0 (Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections).

However, none of the six were steering committee members of the Bersih 2.0 which was declared illegal by the government. The coalition comprises of more than 60 non-governmental organisations.

What rule of law, Najib?

On July 29, after a tormenting 28-day ordeal, when all six were released, Najib had this to say: “It is a decision (to release) taken by the police based on their own observation.

“We accept the decision made by the police… it is up to the attorney-general to decide on the next course of action. As a sovereign country we uphold the rule of law.”

Is Najib confirming that this country has turned into a police state, with the police having absolute liberty to detain and abuse whoever they wish?

Premier Najib said Malaysia as a sovereign country upholds the rule of law.

The rule of law states that individuals, persons and government shall submit to, obey and be regulated by law and not arbitrary action by an individual or a group of individuals.

Clearly Najib contradicted himself, for in the case of the six, the rule of law was never applied. It was the arbitrary action of the ‘powers that be’ that resulted in the detention of the six who later became known as PSM6.

And in case Najib has forgotten, the rule of law applies to the government as well, compelling it to obey the law and not manipulate it to serve the interest of a select few.

PM pressured to release PSM6

The PSM6 were finally set free not because the police or Najib had an awakening of any kind. Rather, it has to with the Barisan Nasional government’s fight for survival in light of the coming general election has brought the Federal government to its knees.

The pressure was made worse by the severe condemnation and pressure for their release that came pouring in after the six were held under the EO.

The release of the PSM6 certainly calls for a celebration and for sure it excludes all gratitude to Najib.

Hours after his release, Jeyakumar told reporters the release of PSM6 was a “smart political move” by Najib in face of the eroding public support.

“It’s definitely due to public pressure that we were released. He was losing popularity and realised that it too politically costly to keep holding us,” Jeyakumar said.

He added that it was the pressure imposed by the people that forced the government to release him and his party colleagues.

Jeyakumar said there were strong movements by the people in holding candlelight vigils, peace marches and hunger strikes nationwide, all calling for the release of the six.

“It’s not because the police were being sensible. They were out to get us to use us as an example.”

He said PSM’s next step would be to gauge the situation and perhaps file a case as they had been wrongly detained under the Emergency Ordinance.

“It’s a huge step forward for democracy, a victory for all of us,” added Jeyakumar.

Government’s agenda

Jeyakumar believes the government and the police had their own agendas and aims. The good doctor during a family visit while in detention had said the police were “not listening” and were trying to frame the six based on unsubstantiated allegations.

This in spite of all six having cooperated with the police, giving rise to the conclusion that the police was finding ways of incarcerating them.

With no other avenue left, Jeyakumar decided to go on a hunger strike on July 28, to demand the release of PSM6. Supporting him were 14 members from five PSM Perak branches.

The PSM6 were arrested in Kepala Batas on June 26 on claims that they were distributing leaflets urging the public to support the Bersih 2.0 demands for free and fair elections.

They were then re-arrested on July 2 under the EO which allows the police to detain suspects for up to 60 days.

A habeas corpus application was also filed by the family members of the PSM 6 to secure their release, and Aug 5 was fixed for the hearing date of the application.

It is hoped the PSM6 detention will serve as a bitter lesson for the Barisan Nasional government, prompting it to respect the ‘rule of law’ and not bend it backwards to fulfill its own hidden agendas.

Jeswan Kaur is a freelance journalist and an FMT columnist.

                This entry was posted on Saturday, 30 July 2011, 6:11 pm and is filed under
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Jeyakumar: Too ‘politically costly’ for BN to continue holding us

By
Clara Chooi

The Malaysian Insider

Jul 29, 2011

KUALA LUMPUR, July 29 — Sungai Siput MP Dr Michael Jeyakumar asserted tonight that the order to release all Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) detainees had been a political decision and not because the “police had come to their senses”.

“They (Barisan Nasional) were losing so much popularity and support from the people that it just became too politically costly for them to keep holding us,” he told reporters after addressing a crowd of supporters at the Kuala Lumpur and Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall (KLSCAH).

The first-term lawmaker also disagreed with Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s claim earlier this evening that the release order had been in accordance with the rule of law and that the decision had been made by the police based on their “observations”.

“No, it was definitely because of pressure from the public. After over one month, there was no sign that public support for us was abating; in fact, it was going to escalate. People walking, people fasting all over the place …. it was getting too big for them,” he continued.

Najib, added Dr Jeyakumar, had made a “smart move” to allow the release of the six before things worsened for the BN government.

“It was not because the police came to their senses or they became honest and professional. They were not,” he said.

He insisted that the police were bent on keeping the PSM 6 detained as a way to scare other Malaysians from voicing their dissent.

“But it did not work. The people were brave and it was because of them that I am free today,” he said.

When asked for his plans in the coming days, Dr Jeyakumar said he may consider taking legal action against the authorities for his “unlawful” detention.

“But we are just out and we have to sit down and discuss it,” he said.

Dr Jeyakumar’s and five others — PSM deputy chairman M. Sarasvathy, central committee members Choo Chon Kai and M. Sugumaran, Sungai Siput branch secretary A. Letchumanan and Youth chief R. Saratbabu — were released from their detention at 5.30pm this afternoon.

The six were picked up in Penang on June 25 along with 24 others during the widespread pre-Bersih clampdown, and were later slapped with accusations that they were attempting to revive communism and wage a war against the King.

On July 2, they were placed under the Emergency Ordinance, a preventive law allowing for 60-days detention without trial, which was enacted in 1969 as a temporary measure in response to the May 13 race riots.

                This entry was posted on Saturday, 30 July 2011, 9:01 am and is filed under
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Just what Malaysia needs: Another minister

–
Jacob Sinnathamby

The Malaysian Insider

Jul 30, 2011

JULY 30 – I hate to spoil the party but the last thing this country needs is another minister.

In fact, what we need is not quantity but quality. The last couple of months has shown up the inadequacies and incompetence of a number of ministers and exposed the paucity of talent in the Cabinet.

We have a Home Minister who did not know that EU citizens do not need a tourist visa (French lawyer Michael Bourdon had to educate him); a de facto Law Minister who misinterpreted a key fact in the Teoh Beng Hock Royal Commission of Inquiry and a Defence Minister who sounds shaky whenever he speaks.

And I have not even touched on the Agriculture Minister, Unity Minister, etc.

You can now understand why I greeted news of Palanivel’s promotion with a shrug and a sigh. No doubt this is a reward for the MIC but it will sold as recognition for the Indian community.

Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak will wax lyrical about the Indians (never mind that a chunk of PSM6 were Indians!). The only people happy with Palanivel’s promotion will be Palanivel, Palanivel’s family and parts of the MIC (unity is still a problem with these guys).

For the rest of us, it will just mean another name in the Cabinet; another politician with a chauffer-driven car, a bodyguard and a security guard in his house.

Another minister to an already bloated Cabinet. Truth be told, he will have little impact on the welfare of the Indians.

MIC kept quiet when the PSM6 were detained and only found its voice when the mood of public opinion stirred. Not too different from how the party handled the Hindraf problem.

MIC and BN moved faster this time because they need the Indian vote more this time than in 2008.

Dr Michael Jeyakumar has got more credibility than Palanivel and all his CWC members put together. And that is not only because he was detained unjustly but because the man actually serves the rakyat.

                This entry was posted on Saturday, 30 July 2011, 6:32 pm and is filed under
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Kit Siang: Reveal who ‘concocted’ PSM 6 charges

Malaysiakini

Jul 29, 11 3:42pm

DAP parliamentary leader Lim Kit Siang has demanded that the government reveal who was behind the charges that the PSM 6 were allegedly trying to wage war against the Yang di-Pertuan Agong and reviving communism.

“Malaysians are entitled to ask who are the officers or politicians who had been so ‘creative’ as to concoct the heinous charge under Section 122 of the Penal Code against the PSM activists in the first instance,” Lim said in a media statement today.

“I will ask in the next Parliament session who are the officers who concocted such charges and who are their police superiors who gave the approval, and whether the advice of the attorney-general or his officers had been sought,” he said.

When the six were first detained, police officers said that they were investigated for waging war against the Agong and reviving communism ideology, which has been banned in Malaysia.

However, in response to affidavits by the PSM 6 in support of their habeas corpus application, police filed an affidavit saying the six were detained under the Emergency Ordinance for being key movers in Bersih 2.0, and not for activities related to communism.

The DAP leader added that people should question who is behind the “heinous” charges against the PSM activists.

“These persons responsible for such ridiculous charges should be publicly exposed and punished for a most gross abuses of power.”

Lim said that if Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak does not release the six detainees, he will have to face the penalty for not doing so in the next general election.

“The PM should release the PSM 6 who have been detained under the EO on the most spurious and ridiculous grounds or face the wrath of the people in the next general election,” said the DAP supremo.

                This entry was posted on Saturday, 30 July 2011, 9:36 am and is filed under
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Mahathir’s grand contribution to decline in political morality

Written by
Hussein Hamid

Friday, 29 July 2011

CPI

Since the early 1980s, the ‘indiscretions’ of elected officials and those in the civil service have become the hallmark of all things Malaysian. This is to the extent that the people now accept corruption, greed and furthering vested interests as colouring all government transactions.

How did this scheme of things come about?

The turning point was 1981. After Mahathir Mohamad became prime minister, compassion for the people and respect for their rights was extinguished. With Mahathir too came the decline of political morality and a corresponding decline in the moral fibre of the civil service.

Malaysians accept that we are now a country in decline without much hope for recovery in the foreseeable future. As if to emphasize this decline, we are continually bombarded with scandal after scandal as if confirming that Malaysia is indeed bereft of any decent political leadership and a country that has lost its way.

The Barisan Nasional government had found it expedient to accelerate the country’s racial divide by granting citizenship to illegal Malay immigrants. Imagine what social harm the massive influx of unskilled and uneducated immigrants would do to any country that is not even able to provide basic welfare and education to its existing citizens.

Project M is surely the act of an irresponsible and self-serving government without regard for anything else but its own political survival.

He who promoted M’sia Inc.

Following the gutter politics example set by this BN government, our society has followed suit.

We have a corrupt and brutal police force which is just short of becoming a willing appendage of Umno.

The corporate world is a willing, eager and generous participant where prudent business practices are cast aside for the more lucrative political patronage. The spoils on offer are breathtakingly profitable for those who participate but they come at the expense of the public.

And where do all these practices lead to? The simple answer is to look at where we are today. We have a government that virtually declared war on its people for wanting a fair, free and open election. We have a government that is prepared to risk the lives of its people in Gebeng, Kuantan for the Lynas corporation (big business against the little people).

We have the Prime Minister talking up a RM4 billion redevelopment of the city riverfront at a time when minimum wages are still just “to be discussed” next year, when subsidies are being “restructured” and when our hardcore poor can still be seen wandering the streets of our capital and major cities, and the elderly are still without adequate care.

What madness is this to prioritise mega projects when matters of affordable housing and putting food on the table for the poor should really come first?

These are some of the reasons why today in Malaysia compassion for others who are less fortunate is no longer a consideration for this BN government. Moral decency has gone the same way as BN has gone – into the abyss.

Mahathir, Father of Apartheid

Are we at the point of no return?

To answer this we need to look at what has happened after Mahathir became PM.

The manner in which Mahathir consciously used race to divide and rule the country would put Malaysia on the same level as South Africa that had used apartheid to ‘manage’ racial inequality.

Initially, as the restructuring of Malaysian society got underway, there were visible images of the Malays getting their share of the nation’s wealth. The non-Malays accepted the necessity of this social re-engineering with grace, and with possibly a pragmatic resignation that this must be the way to go forward if we are to be united.

But much too soon the cosmetic redistribution of wealth amongst the Malays became a grab by Umno politicians of the nation’s wealth for their own keeping. The executive power vested in Umno made it all too easy for them to do, and they did so with gusto.

Greed led to the culture of money politics, and this culture seeped into the consciousness of the Malays in general and Umno in particular.

I would think that the irreversible slide towards this moral decay started when Umno within itself accepted the use of money politics as a means of buying and staying in power.

Thus began the transformation of Umno where power open doors to great wealth. No longer was the party there to fight the battles for the Malays. No longer were the Malays the reason for Umno’s being. Money was the be all and end all, and this new reality brought along with it the troubles and abuses that we have with us presently.

All of it started when Mahathir became our prime minister.

Mahathirism still a scourge

We now have a new generation, maybe even two generations of our young and not too young who will no longer tolerate the government thinking it has the right to pillage and plunder our country’s resources.

With the advent of the electronic media and the Internet, we are made aware of the wrongdoings of this BN government. No longer can they keep secret from us the massive losses incurred in wasteful public spending, excessive infrastructure costs and the all in all incompetence of the BN government of the Mahathir years which still continue to today.

All the dominance Malaysia once had within the Asean region, if not in the global economy, has now disappeared because of the lack of prudence by this BN government in our times of plenty.

What else does BN need to see before they realise that their past and current policies whether in education, business or racial balance have failed miserably?

Changes must be made now if we are to ever regain our place again amongst our erstwhile peers. Economic reforms and national transformation programmes must be done to address the necessary changes most needed, not for scoring political points or to protect the vested interests of the BN cronies.

It is most urgent to guarantee our economic future.

I cannot see any other way forward for Malaysia then to do away with this self-serving Umno-BN government. What is to come after BN is still to be seen. Much too often human beings have the ability to change for better or for worse when called upon to do so by circumstances of their own making or by factors outside their control.

If BN is voted out of office at the 13th general election, then let those that will take its place understand that the momentum to ensure change rests with the people. Ignore the people at your peril!

                This entry was posted on Saturday, 30 July 2011, 10:02 am and is filed under
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PSM6: The end of the farce

—
The Malaysian Insider

Jul 30, 2011

JULY 30 — Just this once, please apologise.

Own up to this despicable mistake of arresting six innocent Malaysians and, maybe, the rest of their fellow citizens will move on and cut the police as well as the Najib administration some slack.

Just this once, drop the political posturing and say sorry to Sungai Siput MP Dr Michael Jeyakumar and his party colleagues, Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) deputy chairman M. Sarasvathy, central committee members Choo Chon Kai and M. Sugumaran, Sungai Siput branch secretary A. Letchumanan, and Youth chief R. Saratbabu.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak had an opportunity to right a wrong yesterday but he chose to indulge in official talk, saying that the release of the six was according to due process.

The release was based on some “observations” by the police, said the PM.

One wonders whether these are the same powers of “observation” that led the authorities to accuse the PSM officials of attempting to wage war against the King and trying to revive communism.

All these allegations were bunkum and aimed at intimidating the people behind Bersih 2.0. In all likelihood, the PSM6 were made scapegoats because they belonged to a party with little heft or appeal.

Can anyone imagine the police putting PKR, DAP or PAS bigwigs under detention without trial these days? The outcry would be deafening in and out of the country.

But what Putrajaya did not count on was the sense of fairplay of Malaysians, and the refusal of the average citizen to accept that Dr Jeyakumar and the five were nothing more than social activists, men and women who work tirelessly for the poor and socially disadvantaged.

Their detention has been a terrible injustice, a major blot on the record of the Najib administration and the police.

An apology would have helped. The lack of it just reinforces the meanness of the whole episode.

                This entry was posted on Saturday, 30 July 2011, 9:09 am and is filed under
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6 reasons for high-level special investigations squad to break “blue wall of silence” of MACC officers to pinpoint TBH’s killers

The James Foong Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) into the death of Teoh Beng Hock (TBH) that “TBH was driven to commit suicide by the aggressive, relentless, oppressive and unscrupulous interrogation by certain officers of the MACC”(Para 119) is not acceptable as it is mere speculation and  not backed up by evidence.

There are however six reasons from  the RCI report why a high-level special investigation squad should be formed to break the conspiracy of  “blue wall of silence” (RCI Report) of Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) officers to pinpoint and to bring to book Beng Hock’s killers.

1.The TBH RCI was most scathing in its indictment of the character and testimony of the MACC officers especially from Selangor at the RCI. Apart from two brave and truthful souls from Selangor MACC, i.e. Azeem Hafeez Jamaluddin and Azlan (Para 176), the TBH RCI virtually dismissed the rest as a pack of liars led by Hishamuddin Hashim (HH), the “mastermind” of the massive and unjustified operation which resulted in TBH’s death.

This is what the TBH RCI has to say about Hishammuddin, the “mastermind”:

In Para 337, the TBH RCI said: “That HH and others under his command lied in this inquiry is borne home by the testimonies of Azeem and Azian, the two MACC offices who were courageous enough to testify that attempts were made to get them to say that HH was not directly involved in the operation and that it was Hairul Ilham who was in charge”.

In fact, the TBH RCI report is fertile source for the formulation of multiple perjury charges against Hishamuddin and other MACC officers in giving false testimony at the RCI – a judicial proceeding under the definition of Penal Code Section 193 which provides for  the maximum sentence of seven years jail and fine on conviction.

With all  MACC Selangor officers led by Hishammuddin dismissed as “a pack of liars” (apart from Azeem and Azian), this would  mean that they had lied all the way from the initial police investigations into TBH’s death, the TBH inquest and the TBH RCI about what happened to TBH in MACC on the fateful days of July 15/16, 2009.

As the police had been lied to in police criminal investigations into TBH’s death, this means that all the police statements given by Hishammuddin and the MACC Selangor officers (except for Azeem and Azian) about what happened to TBH in his three interrogations in MACC from 6 pm on 15th July to 3.30 am on 16th July were  untrue, worthless and must be rejected – justifying a re-opening of police investigations into TBH’s death.

2.  The TBH RCI reported that apart from the three interrogations from 6pm on 15th to 3.30 am on 16th July, there was a hitherto unknown “Fourth Interrogation” of TBH between 3.30 am and 7 am on the 16th “that broke the camel’s back, so to speak, that propelled TBH to commit suicide” (Para 166).

Para 229 said: “By the time, the fourth or final stage of the interrogation was over, TBH would have been almost a mental and physical wreck.”

Police investigations into TBH’s death never knew about this “Fourth Interrogation” between 3.30 am to 7 am on 16th July – a second lead from the TBH RCI report on why police should re-open investigations.  In fact, it should also investigate whether there was a “fifth” interrogation between 7 am to 11 am – depending on the time of TBH’s death.

3. Hishammuddin was the  “mastermind” in the host of criminalities and breaches of the law in the massive operation resulting in TBH’s death. Though deputy director of MACC Selangor at the time in charge of investigations and intelligence-gathering, Hishammuddin “appeared to have absolute authority to investigate anyone whom he suspected to be involved in any corrupt practice in the state without even informing or obtaining the consent of his superiors in the in the MACC headquarters in Putrajaya (HQ) or his superior  on the ground, the director of Selangor of MACC.” (Para 23).

Hishammuddin blatantly abused his powers when he launched the massive 33-officer operation which resulted in TBH’s death “solely on a mere belief and without  supporting facts” (Para 184) based on a “mere” telephone call (Para 188).

These are revelations which would justify police re-opening investigations into TBH’s death to find out who gave Hishammuddin the sense of immunity and impunity for breaking laws and committing crimes, going over the head of his superior in Selangor and in national headquarters resulting in TBH’s death?

4. As pointed out by Marcus van Geyzel in his article “A sham that deceived Malaysia” in loyarburok.com:

“The MACC official line is that Teoh’s body was only found at about 1.35 pm on July 16. But the evidence presented at the RCI TBH showed that MACC officers namely, Azhar, Amin, Fauzi Shadollah had already been speaking about Teoh’s death before or about 1.00 pm! How could MACC Klang officers at the MACC Klang office be talking about a death in another office miles away even before Teoh’s body was found?

“The answer lies here. Amin in particular said that at about 12.45 pm, he overhead a group of officers at the MACC Klang office talking about Teoh’s death. He said that the information about Teoh’s death came from a MACC Klang officer who was at the MACC Selangor office on the morning of July 16 and returned to the MACC Klang office that morning. Zulkefly is as described. By 7 am, he already knew that Teoh fell from the window and died.

“Why did the MACC hide the fact they knew of Teoh’s death by 7 am? The Commission failed to appreciate and deal with this crucial area that nails the MACC coffin of its suicide story.”

5. A few days after TBH’s tragic death  on 16th July  2009, a “black blog” appeared which accused DAP of TBH’s murder to distract public attention from the real cause of TBH’s death – raising the suspicion that the “black blog” was the work of people responsible for killing him.

Furthermore, the “black blog” had the finger prints of MACC or MACC officers as it contained documents related to TBH investigations which were only in the possession of MACC.

6. The RCI ignored the bulk of TBH’s suicide risk assessment in the psychiatric report submitted by Australian Paul Edward Mullen – the emeritus professor of forensic psychiatry from the Monash University engaged by the Bar Council. Mullen found more factors pointing to TBH not having committed suicide than otherwise.

For the above six reasons, justice for Beng Hock demands that there should be a re-opening of inquiry into Beng Hock’s killers by a high-level special investigations squad.

(Speech at the  DAP 45th anniversary dinner organised by Sri Delima DAP Branch at Penang Hang Chiang School Hall on Saturday, 30th July 2011)

                This entry was posted on Sunday, 31 July 2011, 8:12 am and is filed under
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Cart and horse

—
NH Chan

(www.loyarburok.com)

Jul 31, 2011 JULY 31 — The MACC knew at the outset that without a confession from Teoh Beng Hock they would be unable to prove any wrongdoing against the state government of Selangor.

However, the RCI concluded that the MACC tried to extract a confession from Teoh Beng Hock but the ruse backfired when instead the RCI pointed its finger at the perpetrators at the MACC with a finding that it was the MACC’s own personnel who had driven Teoh Beng Hock to suicide.

Don’t you think this looks like a scenario for a whodunnit or a Hollywood movie?

One wonders how silly can the three judges get, when they should have known better? There were three superior court judges in the panel of the Royal Commission of Inquiry – in fact the RCI was headed by a Federal Court judge! All that the judges have to do – when they have to deal with expert witnesses – is to refer to section 45 of the Evidence Act 1950. It is as simple as that.
 Section 45 of the Act reads:

45.    Opinions of experts.

(1)    When the court has to form an opinion upon a point of foreign law or of science or art, … the opinions upon that point of persons specially skilled in that foreign law, science or art, … are relevant facts.

(2)    Such persons are called experts.

ILLUSTRATIONS

(a)    The question is whether the death of A was caused by poison.

The opinions of experts, as to the symptoms produced by the poison by which A is supposed to have died are relevant.

Section 45 of the Evidence Act is plain enough. It means that the opinions of experts are relevant facts. Without any relevant fact, that is to say, without an opinion from an expert, a court is unable to form an opinion upon, in this instant, the scientific point that Teoh Beng Hock took his own life. In this case, none of the experts gave the opinion that Teoh took his own life.

Yet the RCI took the view that Teoh took his own life. But the RCI had no business to reach such a conclusion. Such a conclusion that Teoh took his own life could only be made by an expert. The RCI was not such an expert! The Commissioners must not substitute their own opinion for that of the experts! Yet this was precisely what the RCI did! By assuming the mantle of a forensic psychiatric expert it came to the conclusion that Teoh took his own life. At paragraph [233] of the report of the RCI it spoke as if it was an expert and gave its opinion on how Teoh was driven to suicide. This is how it reads in the report:

Conclusion on forensic psychiatric aspects

[233]    Tormented by this predicament, TBH experienced a change in his state of mind. And in a matter of hours, this change transformed him from being in the low-risk group for suicide into the high-risk group. The doubts, extreme emotional conflict and the immense feeling of guilt were all intolerable. Finally precipating the irreversible crisis that happened to him between 3.30am and 7.00pm on the 16th, was the last straw that broke the camel’s back. Finding no viable strategies to surmount the hurdle of accusations leveled, he found himself unable to escape from the suffocating quagmire in which he was trapped. Losing all hope, TBH would have felt trapped and have succumbed to despair. Since the window on the 14th floor was either open or could easily be opened and it was conspicuous and easily accessible near where he was on the sofa outside Nadzril’s room, TBH would have found that the only way for escape from the torment he was undergoing was by jumping out of the window, even though it meant taking his own life.

So that with such an unfounded opinion we are none the wiser as to how Teoh died!

In fact the finding that Teoh was driven to suicide by the MACC is also unfounded.

Three judges who were like three blind mice. Perhaps the coroner at the inquest was wiser.

                This entry was posted on Sunday, 31 July 2011, 12:58 pm and is filed under
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DAP: Repealing EO might save Najib’s credibility

Malaysiakini

Jul 30, 11 3:54pm

In order to regain credibility after the “gross mishandling” of the PSM 6, Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak must publicly repeal the EO and annul the obsolete emergency proclamations as well as other “oppressive legislature”, says Lim Kit Siang.

In a statement today, Lim said the release of the PSM 6 does not restore Najib’s credibility, as it was his government’s “high-handed” handling of the Bersih 2.0 rally that had landed the six in detention in the first place.

“It was (Najib’s) greatest failure of leadership as prime minister leaving his credibility in tatters – which is why his claim yesterday, that the release of the PSM6 under the Emergency Ordinance was in accordance with the rule of law, was met with nation-wide derision.

Lim slammed the PM for the “arbitrary and totally unjustifiable arrests” of the six Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) members over a month ago, “first on the ridiculous grounds of ‘waging war against the Agong’ and ‘reviving communism’ and then under EO for being ‘prime movers’ of Bersih”.

The six were finally released yesterday evening after mounting pressure from PSM, politicians and a cross section of civil society both at home and abroad.

They were part of a group of 30 party members arrested on June 25 during the massive pre-Bersih crackdown.

‘Repeal EO now’

Lim said the PM’s handling of the rally was amongst the failures that marked Najib’s “worst period” in office, “making him the object of ridicule and scorn not only in the country but also internationally”.

The only way Najib could restore any credibility, said the veteran DAP leader, was for him to publicly annul the obsolete emergency proclamations, and repeal the EO and other “oppressive legislature”.

The home minister and IGP also needed to issue an immediate apology to the PSM 6 for “unlawful detention”.

He also called for the “ridiculous ban on Bersih 2.0″ and on things yellow like the Bersih T-shirt be lifted, and for a Royal Commission of Inquiry on free and fair elections to make recommendations prior to the next general election.

                This entry was posted on Sunday, 31 July 2011, 7:30 am and is filed under
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Kit Siang: Five days, I was in darkness

Joseph Sipalan and Lee Way Loon | Jul 30, 11 12:23pm

Malaysiakini

INTERVIEW

Waking up blind was the last thing Lim Kit Siang had expected.

It happened at a jubilant time, when DAP had just seen its best ever performance in the Sarawak state election on April 16, tripling their presence to 12 seats in the 71-seat state assembly.

Lim, who is DAP advisor, had just spent the evening celebrating the achievement with his party colleagues in Kuching, later retiring to his room where he was reading up on news online till about 2am.

“Then I was up at 6am, and I couldn’t see anything out of my left eye,” he said in an exclusive interview with Malaysiakini.

“Of course, it was quite a frightening thought. Suddenly you’re incapacitated. I was a one-eyed jack and that was my good eye, my right eye is my lazy eye.”

Known to be fiercely independent, Lim revealed that this was one of the few times he had called up his son, DAP secretary-general and Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng, for help.

“I rang him up. He was sleeping, but he knew something was wrong for me to ring him up. He was in a daze, half awake and he quickly ran over (to my hotel room) in his pyjamas,” Lim recalled.

They proceeded to an eye specialist in Kuching, who told them that the elder Lim was suffering from a “very aggressive infection” on his left eye as a result of a recent routine cataract operation.

Lim said the doctor told him that the infection required immediate treatment, and proceeded to administer two jabs to his eyeball to control the swelling while also advising him to cancel all his programmes.

“He said if there was no improvement, I would need an operation and they could not do it there. So I took a flight to Penang the same day,” said Lim.

Fear of going blind

As feared, there was no improvement to Lim’s condition, forcing him to undergo a vitrectomy, where some, or all, of the vitreous gel inside the eye ball is removed.

After the two-hour operation under general anaesthetic, he woke up to find he could not see out of his left eye at all.

“Five days, I was in darkness in my good eye. (When it first happened in Kuching) I just got a shock. I didn’t think of anything else but the shock, and what it was going to be like (going blind),” he said.

Lim’s condition has improved in the several months since the surgery last April, with long-range vision in his left eye now better than in his right.

He, however, has to continue to wear dark glasses – which he said was shipped to him from the Malacca by a “concerned supporter” – for several more months to cut out glare that tends to increase pressure on his left eyeball.

Lim also can’t read newspapers and printed documents at present, nor can he make out SMSes sent to his phone.

“For reading (my condition) still needs to stabilise. There is no more infection, but there is still inflammation.

“It may take a few more months, so the dark glasses are for the glare to avoid strain and pressure… it’s not painful but pressure (builds up),” he said.

Nevertheless, he can read from the computer monitor and keep up to speed with current news by surfing online websites.

He said the first print document that he read, with much difficulty, since the eye operation was the Teoh Beng Hock Royal Commission of Inquiry report.

Lim said that he had to force himself to read the 124-page report from cover to cover.

‘Slowed down a lot’

Journalists would attest that Lim is arguably the most prolific writer of press statements in Malaysia’s political arena, with some claiming that he had once sent as many as eight statements in one day.

He laughed when told he was probably the only politician in the country to do that, replying that his age and eye problem has slowed him down considerably.

“You are a human being. You have to sleep, wake up… but I’ve slowed down a lot. Age catches up,” he said reverently.

Lim pointed out that his penchant for issuing statements was purely in exercising his responsibility as an elected representative.

“I mean, in terms of articulating the views of the people, (this) appears to be one important duty. I’m not saying all those who do not issue statements are not good politicians… it depends on what you think.”

Lim also takes comfort in the belief that the public are no longer as willing to accept the many attacks aimed at DAP, particularly on him and party chairperson and long-time comrade Karpal Singh and their sons.

From criticism that DAP is a family party, to whatever accusations plastered across the pages of Umno-owned Malay daily Utusan Malaysia, Lim said he feels that there is no longer the urgency to respond to such claims.

“At one time, I’d be more concerned about such allegations but I think the years have shown (the people) that DAP is not Lim Kit Siang’s or Karpal’s families’.

“It’s for all leaders and supporters and members… it’s bigger than just one person or one family. It has to be so, otherwise we won’t be here today. It’s as simple as that.

“Just like the Utusan attacks, in the old days you feel like you want to react immediately to show how untrue it is, because of the damage it can cause. Now you feel you can afford not to be so concerned,” he said.

The fight continues

Despite claiming to have “slowed down”, the 70-year-old still maintains a schedule – that would burn out people his grandchildren’s age – criss-crossing the country to push the Pakatan Rakyat agenda in his quest for “change”.

He revealed that he felt his career had hit an all-time low when he lost his parliamentary seat in Penang in the 1999 general elections, but even that did not kill off his hopes – that rekindled after the opposition’s surprising feat of denying the BN a two-thirds parliamentary majority in the March 2008 polls.

Lim, however, joked that with age, he probably needs to make more time for exercise in order to maintain the consistently demanding pace that sets for himself, and his opposition colleagues.

“I think I should be exercising lah, but I haven’t had proper exercise for a long time because of my heavy schedule… but I’m not exactly sedentary. I’m walking here and there, walking up and down the country,” he said with a hearty laugh.

The physical demands aside, Lim appeared at a loss to explain what exactly has kept him going all these years, despite being detained twice as a political dissident under the Internal Security Act in 1969 and the 1980s, and being convicted for revealing state secrets related to a dodgy arms deal involving a Swiss company in the 1970s.

Having all these years avoided as much as possible talking about his personal life, Lim simply said he subscribes to the same conviction that got him started in politics in the 1960s at the age of 25.

“It’s the belief that you have to do something good for the country and the people. It may sound cliché, but basically you must believe in it and continue doing it.”

Asked if the scare of possible blindness has got him thinking of retirement, Lim brushed it aside as a mere inconvenience.

“I haven’t come to that yet. I have no time to think of that yet. You have to cope with what you do with your left eye, and see if anything can be done about it,” he said, almost triumphantly.

He hopes that he would be able to ditch his dark glasses by year-end.

                This entry was posted on Sunday, 31 July 2011, 7:21 am and is filed under
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Najib’s credibility still ‘in tatters’ despite PSM6 release, says Lim

By
Shazwan Mustafa Kamal

The Malaysian Insider

Jul 30, 2011

KUALA LUMPUR, July 30 — Lim Kit Siang today reminded Datuk Seri Najib Razak that his credibility as Prime Minister was “in tatters” due to his administration’s gross mishandling of several issues, and said that the release of the six Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) members from their Emergency Ordinance (EO) detention yesterday did not change anything.

The Prime Minister has insisted that the release of the PSM members, including Sungai Siput MP Dr Jeyakumar Devaraj was done according to the due process of the law, and that it was made by the police based on “their observations.” “It was his greatest failure of leadership as Prime Minister leaving his credibility in tatters — which is why his claim yesterday that the release of the PSM6 under the Emergency Ordinance was in accordance with the rule of law was met with nation-wide derision.”

“Najib cannot be more wrong if he thinks that he had restored his credibility with the release of the PSM6 yesterday,” said Lim in a statement today.

The DAP parliamentary leader listed down four things Najib needed to do to restore his credibility — make Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein and Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Ismail Omar tender a public apology to the six PSM members and repeal the EO as well as all oppressive laws. He said that Najib should also lift the ban on Bersih 2.0 and end the government’s persecution of people wearing yellow t-shirts, and set up a Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) on free and fair elections.

Besides that, Lim demanded Najib take “firm action” against Utusan Malaysia for carrying out “insidious and seditious” articles to incite ethnic hatred and religious tensions in the country.

The Ipoh Timur MP also urged the PM to charge the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Agency (MACC) officers found by Teoh Beng Hock Royal Commission of Inquiry as having committed a “host of offences and crimes”, including perjury. Lim added that a special investigation squad needed to be set up to determine the real cause and circumstances surrounding Teoh’s death.

“It is only when Najib is prepared to tackle these four basic things that he can hope to begin to recover his credibility which suffered a fatal blow in the past five weeks as a result of the government’s gross mishandling of the 709 Bersih 2.0 rally and arbitrary arrests of the PSM6,” said Lim.

                This entry was posted on Sunday, 31 July 2011, 12:48 pm and is filed under
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Najib dodges ‘Malaysian first, Malay next’ question

By
Shazwan Mustafa Kamal

The Malaysian Insider

Jul 31, 2011

KUALA LUMPUR, July 3 — Datuk Seri Najib Razak kept mum today when asked to state whether he was a proponent of his own two-year-old 1 Malaysia policy that espouses being “Malaysian first”.

The country’s sixth prime minister was responding to questions posed by Malaysian students at the Malaysian Student Leaders Summit (MSLS) here.

A student had asked Najib whether he was prepared to state that he was Malaysian first and what he thought of his deputy, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin’s infamous remark of being “Malay first and Malaysian next.”

Najib did not answer the question directed at him.

“I don’t want to respond in a way that will divide me from my deputy.

“1 Malaysia is our guiding philosophy. It does not matter what you say, just as long as you follow (the 1 Malaysia concept),” he said today.

Najib’s 1 Malaysia concept has been heavily attacked by Pakatan Rakyat (PR) lawmakers who have labelled it as meaningless after Muhyiddin made the proclamation last year.

To date, only Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz has publicly stated his acceptance of the 1 Malaysia idea.

Najib also added that the 1 Malaysia concept was in tandem with the federal constitution, and that while the government pushed for meritocracy and equality, any developments in that direction would be in line with the country’s laws.

                This entry was posted on Sunday, 31 July 2011, 8:50 pm and is filed under
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Najib says had Shah Alam stadium in mind for Bersih

By
Shazwan Mustafa Kamal

The Malaysian Insider

Jul 31, 2011

KUALA LUMPUR, July 31 — Datuk Seri Najib Razak disclosed today he had thought of Shah Alam stadium for the July 9 rally when he made offered a venue to Bersih, pointing out this was “the best option” available.

The prime minister, however, had never specified which stadium Bersih could hold the July 9 rally at when he made the offer.

“I offered a stadium. You can show dissent in a stadium, but they still wanted to do it on the streets.

“I had in mind the Shah Alam stadium, that was the best option,” Najib said today during his speech at the closing of the Malaysian Student Leaders Summit (MSLS) here.

He also accused Bersih today of rejecting his stadium offer despite the electoral reform group’s widely publicised concession to conduct the rally in a stadium.

The group had initially agreed to call off the rally after a meeting with the Yang di-Pertuan Agong and for it to be held in Stadium Merdeka instead.

The request, however, was rejected by the authorities which resulted in a spill-over of Bersih supporters across the city last July 9 who had planned to march to Stadium Merdeka but were prevented from doing so by the police.

The PM stressed to the students that dissent was allowed in Malaysia, but that it had its limits.

“It’s a fallacy to say that we do not allow dissent. We don’t want it to impede the interests of a large majority,” he added.

“We’re always at the losing end, no matter what we do,” lamented Najib in reference to Pakatan Rakyat (PR)’s criticisms of the way the government had handled the Bersih rally as well as demands for electoral reform.

Bersih estimated that 50,000 people showed up at the July 9 rally for free and fair elections despite efforts to prevent it from taking place while police have said the number was closer to 6,000.

The protest turned chaotic when police fired tear gas and water cannons at thousands of demonstrators, resulting in nearly 1,700 arrests, scores injured and the death of ex-soldier Baharuddin Ahmad, 59.

The government has promised to investigate allegations of police brutality while the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam) will hold a separate public inquiry into police conduct during the rally.

                This entry was posted on Sunday, 31 July 2011, 9:04 pm and is filed under
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Najib vows to help Indians if MIC secures their vote

By
Yow Hong Chieh

The Malaysian Insider

Jul 30, 2011

PUTRAJAYA, July 30 – Datuk Seri Najib Razak pledged to do all he can to bring the Indian community back into the “mainstream of development” but asked that MIC redouble efforts to secure the community’s vote.

The prime minister said there must be “quid pro quo” between Barisan Nasional (BN) component party MIC and the ruling coalition if both wished to benefit from their relationship as “loyal friends”.

“There must be an understanding. Can you all deliver for Barisan Nasional? You can deliver and we will deliver,” Najib (picture) told delegates at the 65th MIC general assembly here today.

Najib also stressed that unity within MIC at all levels was crucial for the party to be seen as the main choice for Indians come polling day.

“There cannot be factions within MIC. There must be only one MIC,” he said.

MIC president Datuk G. Palanivel had earlier called on the prime minister to reward “hardworking” Indians who toiled in rubber plantations and on railways and roads to make the nation what it is today.

Palanivel said Najib should assist Indians by increasing Budget allocations for the community, setting up a special purpose economic vehicle to improve their lot and by upping the number of seats for Indians in matriculation courses to 1,000.

“The Indian community is waiting for your good moves, sir, good announcements and good plans,” he said.

“If you can fulfill all the requirements that I have put forward…  you can be rest assured that the Indian votes will automatically return to Barisan Nasional.”

The Indian community has always been a strong supporter of the ruling coalition but forsook it in Election 2008 after the government cracked down on the November 2007 Hindraf rally where 30,000 Indians marched for better opportunities.

Since then, the Najib administration has gone on a charm offensive to win back the Indian vote by making Deepavali a holiday for universities and providing vegetarian meals on campus and buses to take Hindu students to temples on Fridays.

The 2010 census showed there are 1.9 million Indians or 7.3 per cent of the 28 million population, far less than the 2.3 million foreigners in the country.

                This entry was posted on Sunday, 31 July 2011, 7:27 am and is filed under
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Palanivel makes dubious history – the first “I help you, you help me” barter Cabinet appointment in nation’s 54 year history

MIC President Datuk G Palanivel has made dubious history – being the first, unashamed and most blatant  “I help you, you help me” barter Cabinet appointment in the nation’s 54-year history, nothing to do whatsoever with his personal merit or quality!

It must rank as  the most cynical Cabinet appointment ever made in Malaysian history under six Prime Ministers.

Palanivel also made dubious history in other aspects.

Although the Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak said that he was returning to his father Tun Razak’s practice of having two MIC Ministers, there is a great difference: In Tun Razak’s time in 1976, MIC was in a position of strength but today in 2011 MIC is in position of unprecedented weakness.

In his speech yesterday, Palanivel revealed that MIC had about 600,000 members nationwide of which 390,000 are voters.

MIC must be the only political party in the country where less than two-thirds of its membership are voters.

Palanivel’s “barter” appointment, announced at the “Don’t debate Interlok novel” 65th MIC General Assembly yesterday, will inflate an already over-bloated Cabinet and set dubious records of :

•	The most number (six with Palanivel) of Ministers in the Prime Minister’s Department or some 20% of the Cabinet strength; and

•	The most number of Senators in the Cabinet.

All in all, a Cabinet appointment not in the spirit of  “People First, Performance Now” but “BN leaders first, Performance later” – further undermining the legitimacy of the Najib Cabinet.

                This entry was posted on Sunday, 31 July 2011, 12:38 pm and is filed under
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13th General Elections may be held as early as October/November and all Malaysians must grasp the possibility for the first time in nation’s history for change of government in Putrajaya

The Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak had said that UMNO must reform or it would be reformed.

From recent events, it is crystal clear that Umno and Barisan Nasional are incapable of reform and must be reformed by the people effecting a change of federal government from Barisan Nasional to Pakatan Rakyat in the next general elections.

Yesterday, the Prime Minister announced the MIC President G. Palanivel as his second Indian Cabinet Minister implementing his notorious philosophy spelt out in the Sibu by-election of “Gua tolong lu, lu tolong gua” – when the duty of any responsible government must be to serve all needy Malaysians, regardless of race, religion, region or political beliefs.

It is this cynical philosophy where essential public services are treated as a barter trade between the government and the people which is the root cause of the host of abuses of power and corruption afflicting the country destroying our national unity and international competitiveness.

This is one big difference between the Pakatan Rakyat government in Putrajaya from the Najib government – no Cabinet appointments or government decisions or projects based on “Gua tolong lu, lu tolong gua” but strictly on the basis of merit or need.

This evening, the Prime Minister was put in a spot over his signature “1Malaysia” policy and slogan by a student at the 5th Annual Malaysian Student Leaders Summit who asked Najib whether he was prepared to state he was Malaysian first and what he thought of Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin’s infamous remark of being “Malay first and Malaysian next”.

I remember very vividly Muhyiddin’s reply as it was in response to my challenge to all Cabinet Ministers in Parliament in March last year to declare their stand whether they are Malaysians first and their religion, region and socio-economic status second to demonstrate their full allegiance to Najib’s 1Malaysia policy.

Najib dodged the student’s question on the ground that he did not want to give grounds for people to create divisions between him and his deputy.

This is a real cop-out, an evasion of the question which is even more significant than any direct answer as it revealed the total hollowness of Najib’s 1Malaysia policy – which has so far not gone beyond circus fanfare of 1Malaysia Tupperware, 1Malaysia T-shirt, 1Malaysia Burger, 1Malaysia Mineral Water and other gimmicry.

The real 1Malaysia was achieved on July 9 in the Bersih 2.0 rally for free and fair elections as the weeks of mainstream media demonisation and police threats as well as the unjustified lockdown of Kuala Lumpur did not prevent the phenomenon of Malaysians, regardless of race, religion, region, gender or sex coming together as one Malaysian people in the common cause of a Bersih Malaysia!

Najib should be celebrating the Berish 1Malaysia coming of age on July 9, but instead he and his Cabinet Ministers have not let up in their groundless and irresponsible attacks on Bersih 2.0 and Malaysians who support the cause of a Clean Malaysia.

The next general elections could be very near and may be held as early as October/November and all Malaysians must grasp the possibility for the first time in nation’s history for change of power in Putrajaya.

Before the Sarawak state general elections, many have forecast that Najib may hold the 13th general elections before the Puasa month and could be in June or July.

However, after the poor Barisan Nasional performance in the April 16 Sarawak state polls, despite Barisan Nasional retaining its two-thirds majority in the state, talk of general elections veered to end of the year.

After the series of self-inflicted wounds following the gross mishandling of the 709 Bersih 2.0 rally, including the mala fide detention of the PSM6 under Emergency Ordinance, UMNO and Barisan Nasional self-confidence suffered grievous blows pushing forecasts of the possible polls date for the next general elections to next year.

However, when Najib cut short his overseas trip after his most embarrassing visits to London, the Vatican, Rome and Paris – hounded by adverse international reactions to the high-handed government response to Bersih 2.0 rally – the possibility of polls being held in October or November has again returned to the fore.

Be that as it may, regardless of when the next polls are held, whether in October/November this year or next year, Malaysians must be aware that the next general elections is going to be the most important one in the nation’s history as it is within the power of the voters to decide whether there should be a change of the national government in Putrajaya from Barisan Nasional to Pakatan Rakyat.

UMNO and Barisan Nasional are incapable of reform as they could only be reformed by the people voting for a new Pakatan Rakyat government in Putrajaya.

It is only with a new government in Putrajaya that there can be major policy changes in the country, as for instance in resolving the long-standing grievances of taxi drivers in the country by implementing a “Permits for Taxi Drivers” policy.

                This entry was posted on Monday, 1 August 2011, 12:26 pm and is filed under
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BN-Dayak leaders’ failure a boost for DAP

by
Joseph Tawie

Free Malaysia Today

A senior lecturer in Unimas describes Sarawak DAP’s move to establish a Dayak think-tank as a ‘concrete and pragmatic’ approach in winning over Dayak support.

KUCHING: The failure of Dayak leaders to highlight the Dayak community’s problems in Parliament and in the Sarawak Legislative Assembly has been described as a key reason for the opposition DAP’s bid to form the Dayak Consultative Council (DCC).

According to DCC head John Brian, Dayak leaders in Barisan Nasional had proven to be ineffective.

He said the ruling BN having been in power for almost 50 years was less responsive to the voices of the people when compared to the DAP.

He described DAP as a more ‘progressive and democratic” party which can see issues from another perspective.

“Although there are Dayak elected representatives in Parliament and the state assembly, the Dayak community still needs DAP to highlight pertinent issues affecting them,” he said when introducing the new DCC members to the press over the weekend.

The council was set up during a recent forum held in Selangor by DAP.

The council is expected to advise the DAP on issues pertaining to the Dayak community as well as to bring all Dayaks working in Peninsular Malaysia together.

Brian said that DCC will soon meet with the locals in major cities and towns with the aim of seeking their views on issues as well as encouraging them to form sub-committees.

“These sub-committees will become the wings of the council. Anyone could be a member of the committee.

“They do not necessarily have to be DAP members,” he said.

He said thus far responses from Dayak community has been good towards the formation of DCC.

Only the Dayak leaders in the BN have refused to comment.

Concrete move

BN-partner Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) president James Masing, when contacted via text message failed to respond. Likewise his party secretary-general Wilfred Nissom too failed to respond.

Sarawak’s lead-political party Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) deputy information chief Peter Minos, who is known for his harsh criticisms, also failed to respond.

Meanwhile, Jeneri Amir, a senior lecturer in the faculty of social science at University Malaya Sarawak described DAP’s move as “concrete and pragmatic”.

He said it would ensure that DAP wins the hearts and minds of the Dayaks.

“Based on the results of the state election, firstly DAP had reached almost the maximum performance in the Chinese areas.

“In order to have more impact on Sarawak politics, DAP needs to expand its influence in other areas especially the Dayak areas.

“I think one of the best steps taken is to establish this think tank, and DAP fully realises there is quite a big and significant support among the Dayaks in the last election between 30% to 34%.

“This gives DAP some kind of confidence. With proper planning and strategy, DAP can win more Dayaks to support it.

“I believe that with this think-tank which comprises intellectuals and strategists, DAP is very realistic and pragmatic.

“This is the way forward,” Jeneri said.

                This entry was posted on Monday, 1 August 2011, 11:32 am and is filed under
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Malaysia in the Era of Globalization # 76

by Bakri Musa

Chapter 9: Islam in Malay Life

Reform in Islam

The Quest For Answers

Present-day Muslims look askance at the sorry state in which the vast majority of our ummah live. Muslim nations, even those well endowed by Allah with abundant rich natural resources, live in abject poverty. Human rights abuses are the norm in many Islamic countries. As painfully noted by Abdullahi An-Naim, the vast majority of Muslims live at a superficial level of both Islam and modern civilization. Although we claim adherence to Islam and exhibit apparent commitment to its ritualistic formalities, we fail to appreciate and live up to its moral and spiritual essence. Likewise most Muslims benefit from modern civilization but have little appreciation of the values and ways of thinking that underlie and sustain those technologies and institutions. Further, many Muslims’ understanding of Western civilization is often reduced to the gaudy simplistic images propagated by Hollywood, and the seamier aspects highlighted by Muslim fundamentalists eager to denigrate the West.

            Muslim leaders are no better. They smugly and gleefully gloat over the ills of the West without once pausing to look over the inadequacies of their own society. Meanwhile the West progresses while Islamic societies stagnate. Envy and jealousy are common human faults. As a result today there is considerable rage against the West among Muslims. The 9-11 Al Qaeda’s attacks on America are only the latest and most vicious manifestation of this ugly emotion. I suggest that Muslims emulate, not hate the West. The energies of Muslim leaders and scholars should instead be directed to picking the best out of the West for emulation. Condemning (or destroying) does not take any talent.

            Bernard Lewis’s critique of Islamic societies in What Went Wrong, suggests that contemporary Muslims in pondering their fate should stop asking the question, “Who did this to us?” and more usefully substitute, “What did we do wrong?” and, “How do we right it?” That Lewis is not a Muslim does not in any way diminish the wisdom of his observation.

            Muslims can begin to answer the “What we did wrong?” by first critically reexamining the sunnah and Shari’a. Foremost we must remember that both are the creations of man and have qualities inherent in all such endeavors, including the possibility of errors and imperfections.

            Only the Koran is perfect. Contrary to accepted wisdom, the sunnah is not the practices and sayings of the prophet, rather what some scholars interpret to be so. It is instructive that the collection of ahadith (plural for hadith) considered most authoritative is that of Imam Bukhari. But he was not even born until nearly two hundred years after the prophet’s death. It is equally instructive that he rejected thousands of purported sayings of the prophet (pbuh). The essential criterion he used was the lineage of the oral propagation (isnah), relying heavily on the piety and reputation of the transmitters. The assumption is that the pious would not willingly fabricate or embellish. May be not willingly or consciously, but our memory does play fools on us, regardless of our piety or wisdom. Being a mere mortal, we can expect errors on Bukhari’s part both in including the less-than-truthful ahadith as well as excluding some legitimate ones. Remember, only Allah is perfect.

            Had Imam Bukhari and the early scholars not put as much effort on evaluating the theological pedigree of the transmitters and instead concentrated their intellectual energies on reconciling the purported sayings and practices of the prophet (pbuh) with the message of the Koran, their ensuing treatises might have been considerably different. Or perhaps Bukhari, knowing full well how entrenched some of the beliefs in the purported sayings and ways of the prophet (pbuh) were in the minds and culture of the Muslims then, dared not personally challenge the perceived wisdom. He knew only too well the fate that befell “deviationists.” Thus he ingeniously devised the “science” of hadith by using his considerable intellect and prodigious memory to tracing the lineage and transmission of each hadith. With this “science” he found a neutral or objective way of dispensing with the more outrageous and embellished sunnah and ahadith. Were he to simply dismiss them through his own independent research and critical thinking, he would have been lynched. As it was, he had his share of denigration and banishment for daring to dispense with some of the more popularly accepted but obviously preposterous ahadith.

            Today over a millennium later, there is no possible way of independently ascertaining the veracity of the lineage and pedigree of the sunnah. In the interpretation of the Koran, modern scholars pay as much attention to the “occasion of the revelation” as to the text, thus giving us a much richer and more perceptive reading. We should likewise do the same in interpreting the various ahadith, that is, examine the occasion of the purported sayings as well as analyzing their historical and sociological contexts.

            Many scholars, past and present, have cautioned Muslims on attributing infallibility to the sunnah and Shari’a. We should reserve that only for the Koran. Kassim Ahmad has suggested doing away completely with hadith. For that audacious position, his book was banned in Malaysia and he was branded an apostasy. So much for Muslim tolerance in Malaysia! I disagree with Kassim, but I find his views refreshing even though his analyses and reasoning are less than rigorous. We must have an open mind and treat the hadith and sunnah as historical and sociological vignettes in order to understand the Koran better.

            To me the current debate on whether Malaysia should adopt the Shari’a and whether it is an Islamic state is futile, nonproductive, and highly divisive. Such controversies are nothing more than wayang kulit (shadow play) or sandiwara (staged theater) between UMNO and PAS out to display their religious aroma. At least wayang kulit and sandiwara are entertaining and help bring people together. The bigger question that has yet to be addressed and is being shunted aside in the preoccupation with trivia, is how to make the present laws and institutions conform to the ideals of the Koran.

                This entry was posted on Monday, 1 August 2011, 11:11 am and is filed under
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DAP: Palanivel first ‘you help me, I help you’ minister

By
Malaysiakini

MIC President G Palanivel has made “dubious history” in being the first cabinet minister to obtain the post not by merit, but in a “most blatant ‘I help you, you help me’ barter” arrangement, said Lim Kit Siang.

Responding in a statement today on Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak’s announcement of Palanivel’s ministership at MIC’s 65th AGM in Putrajaya International Convention Centre (PICC) yesterday, the DAP veteran was scathing in what he called “the most cynical cabinet appointment ever made in Malaysian history under six prime ministers”

The DAP advisor and Ipoh Timor MP also pointed out that while Najib had cited his father Abdul Razak having two Indian minister, the difference, said Lim, could not be more different.

“In Razak’s time in 1976, MIC was in a position of strength but today in 2011 MIC is in position of unprecedented weakness,” said Lim.

He added that the appointment adds further strain to an already “over-bloated” cabinet.

“Palanivel’s ‘barter’ appointment, announced at the ‘don’t debate Interlok novel’ 65th MIC general assembly yesterday, will inflate an already over-bloated Cabinet and set (several) dubious records.”

First, said Lim, was that the Prime Minister’s Department will now has six ministers, or 20 percent of the cabinet strength.

Secondly, this represents the most number of senators in the cabinet the country has seen.

Lim said this has undermined the legitimacy of Najib’s cabinet and his “BN leaders first, Performance later” administration.

Think tank to uplift Indians?

Meanwhile Bernama reported that a delegate at MIC’s general assembly today appealed to the party’s leadership to form a think tank to come out with strategies to uplift the economy of the Indian community.

Batu division chairperson C Ramanathan said the group should not only comprise financial experts from MIC but outside experts from the Indian community as well.

“It is time that we shift our mindset towards economic upliftment of the Indian community as our first priority. Our economic equity is only 1.1 percent, it must be increased in stages to three percent, five percent or even higher.

“If it (think tank) can help increase our economic participation it will automatically solve a lot of problems on children’s education, unemployment, scholarships, social problems and others,” he said when debating the MIC president’s policy speech at the party AGM today.

Another delegate, Putrajaya division chairman SS Ganapathy said the time had come for small entrepreneurs from the community to go global and that one of the ways to do this was to opt for the franchising model.

A delegate, M Vickneswari, from the Shah Alam division, got a blasting from him when she urged the MIC leadership to form a special committee to chose MIC senators and candidates for the next election.

Telling the delegate to think before she spoke, Kumaran said, “Are you saying that our president (G Palanivel) is not qualified to choose (the candidates)?”

When another delegate called for Indians and Chinese to be recognised as “Anak Malaysia” (Children of Malaysia) just like bumiputera for Malays and other indigenous ethnic groups and not by their race, Kumaran said such an intention was good but reminded the delegate that just like their bumiputera counterparts, they too were born raised and would die in Malaysia.

                This entry was posted on Monday, 1 August 2011, 11:20 am and is filed under
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Dead Bersih marcher’s kin demand inquest

By
Syed Mu’az Syed Putra
 | August 01, 2011

The Malaysian Insider

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 1 — The family of ex-soldier Baharuddin Ahmad, the sole Bersih 2.0 marcher who died on July 9, filed a notice at the High Court here today demanding an inquest to investigate the circumstances leading to his death.

At a press conference later, Baharuddin’s widow Rosni Melan said the notice was filed as the police had refused to initiate special investigation proceedings to probe her husband’s death, despite the seven-day deadline she had issued last month. The deadline expired on July 26.

“Today, I directed my lawyer to file the notice demanding an inquest to investigate my husband’s death as soon as possible.

“My purpose is sincere. I accept God’s will but my family and I need to know how he died… who and which party was responsible and to what extent is that responsibility,” she said.

To court notice was filed today through law firm Patick Dass & Co.

The 55-year-old Rosni also claimed that her husband never had any serious illnesses, including any heart-related ailment, which could have led to his sudden death during the Bersih 2.0 rally in the capital.

Instead, she said Baharuddin had been a very healthy and active man.

“There have been many accusations made over my husband’s death but what I know and the information I have shows otherwise. My husband was always healthy before this and there were no signs of any serious ailments,” she said, adding that she was still waiting for the post mortem report.

Police have absolved themselves over Baharuddin’s death, claiming that the ex-soldier had succumbed to heart failure and not tear gas attacks or water cannons.

Baharuddin was found unconscious near the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre (KLCC) on the day of the rally and was pronounced dead later at Hospital Kuala Lumpur. He was said to have collapsed during the haze of confusion following the bombardment of chemicals by riot police attempting to disperse the thousands who had gathered for the rally.

When asked about the CCTV recording that the police had played to show Baharuddin’s location, Rosni said it was hard to tell if the man in the video was her husband.

“The video was not clear, I could not identify (the man),” she said.

When insisting that the police were responsible for Baharuddin’s death, internal security and public order director Datuk Salleh Mat Rashid had screened footage of the rally to the media to prove his claim.

The recording showed Baharuddin entering Avenue K centre and was found lying down there moments later, disputing previous reports stating that he died during a scuffle with the police at KLCC.

“Post-mortem found that there were no physical injuries… it was a heart attack. But the cause of death is ‘pending lab analysis’,” said Salleh, who added that an ambulance took 17 minutes to arrive and attend to Baharuddin.

                This entry was posted on Monday, 1 August 2011, 5:15 pm and is filed under
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