Najib to “check” on corruption allegations against IGP – what next?

The
statement
 by the Deputy Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak yesterday  that he was not aware of the postings on a website on allegations of corruption and involvement with underworld figures against the Inspector-General of Police, Tan Sri Musa Hassan and top police officers and that he would “check” strains credulity to the utmost.

This is because these allegations against Musa  and other top police officers have been made almost a month ago, the first article  appearing on June 3 and the second article  on June 9, 2007.

It  appeared on a known website, Malaysia-Today news portal and by an identified writer,  Raja Petra Kamaruddin in his series “The Corridor of Power” — unlike the earlier Internet allegations of RM5.5 million  corruption accusing the Deputy Internal Security Minister Datuk Johari Baharum for  releasing three men held under the Emergency Ordinance which appeared on anonymous websites three months ago.

Furthermore, on June 19, I had sought to adjourn Dewan Rakyat to have an
urgent parliamentary debate
on the serious corruption allegations against both Johari and Musa, and although my motion was rejected by the Speaker, Tan Sri Ramli Ngah as not “urgent”, is it conceivable that the Deputy Prime Minister continued to be unaware or uninterested about the serious corruption allegations against the Inspector-General of Police?

Up to now, nobody in government has been able to explain why the corruption allegations against Johari which appeared on an anonymous website was immediately investigated while the corruption allegations against Musa which appeared on a known website has  instead  been ignored by the authorities!

If Najib is really unaware of the contents of the Internet allegations of corruption against Musa, then something is very wrong with Najib or his circle of advisers in this Internet era where information travels at the speed of light,  24 hours a day, seven days a week and 365 days a year.

Will Najib now raise in the Cabinet meeting on Wednesday that there should be independent investigation into the serious corruption allegations against the IGP?

The problem is that serious questions of integrity have also been posed to Najib himself about the massive  defence purchase commissions, i.e. US$120 million commission for the submarine deals from France and US$100 million commission for Sukhoi jet from Russia.

Who will raise in the Cabinet that there should also be an independent investigation into these deals in keeping with the public commitment of the Abdullah premiership to foster  integrity and combat corruption?

Be that as it may, now that Najib has publicly said that he would “check” on  Raja Petra Kamaruddin’s serious allegations of corruption against Musa and other top police officers, he should explain what he proposes to do about these allegations.

                This entry was posted on Sunday, 1 July 2007, 12:23 pm and is filed under
Corruption
,
Police
. You can follow any responses to this entry through
RSS 2.0
.                You can
leave a response
, or
trackback
 from your own site.


Pak Lah rejects 8-year press freedom memo by 1,000 journalists?

The speech by the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi to the
Mass Media Conference 2007
last Friday is more significant for what he omitted than what he said.

Eight years ago, when he was first appointed Home Minister, some 600 journalists in Malaysia which in the subsequent year grew to over 1,000 journalists, on the occasion of World Press Freedom Day on May 3 presented a memorandum to him calling for the repeal of the Printing Presses and Publications Act and  other repressive laws fettering the development of a free and responsible press.

Abdullah had given a solemn undertaking to the Malaysian journalists that he would give their memorandum serious consideration.

Eight years have passed and Abdullah has still to respond directly to the 1999 memorandum on press freedom which has the support of over 1,000 journalists.

The Mass Media Conference 2007 on Friday is most disturbing for more reasons than one.  In particular, the conference was  organized by the Internal Security Ministry which seems to reflect an  increasingly intrusive and invasive government  role in the sphere of mass media.

In his eight years first as Home Minister and later Internal Security Minister with direct responsibility over the media, the arsenal of repressive instruments and laws fettering media freedom had been left intact, whether Printing Presses and Publications Act, the Official Secrets Act, the Sedition Act, the Internal Security Act or the Police Act.

At any time, these repressive instruments and laws could be resorted to and re-activated.  There has been no move whatsoever towards new legislation to create an environment which fosters greater openness, accountability and transparency like the Freedom of Information Act and Whistleblowers Protection Act.

What is very disturbing is that there are more and more signs of government obstruction of the development of a free and responsible press, as for instance, in the latest government directive to expand the blackout of the Opposition from government television and radio stations to private stations.

Is Abdullah’s speech on mass media last Friday a final answer after eight years rejecting  the memorandum by over 1,000 Malaysian journalists to him when he first became Home Minister calling for the repeal of the Printing Presses and Publications Act and other repressive laws fettering  the development of a free and responsible press?

                This entry was posted on Monday, 2 July 2007, 1:52 pm and is filed under
Human Rights
,
Media
. You can follow any responses to this entry through
RSS 2.0
.                You can
leave a response
, or
trackback
 from your own site.


Parliamentary caucus “Fight rising crime” public hearing in JB at Tropical Inn

The first  “Fight Rising Crime” public hearing of the Parliamentary Caucus on Human Rights and Good Governance will be held in Johor Baru on Sunday, 8th July 2007 at 2.30 p.m. at Tropical Inn, Jalan Gereja.

Please help to pass the word, by all means available, including blogs, SMS and word of mouth, to have a capacity attendance.

Let this be a people-centred, people-driven and people-empowered event.

                This entry was posted on Monday, 2 July 2007, 10:06 pm and is filed under
Announcement
,
Parliament
,
Police
. You can follow any responses to this entry through
RSS 2.0
.                You can
leave a response
, or
trackback
 from your own site.


Samy Vellu  “Champion of Indians” for RM500,000

Congrats, Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu, for the being bestowed “Wira Kaum India” (Champion of Indians) by Indian Progressive Front (IPF) President Tan Sri M.G. Pandithan at the IPF general assembly where the MIC President announced a
RM500,000 grant
towards the construction of IPF headquarters in Serdang.

It is reported that IPF still owes close to RM800,000 on the RM5 million building.

As Samy Vellu  had been the sole obstacle to IPF’s long-standing application to join Barisan Nasional, will the MIC President now giving his blessing to IPF’s entry into BN following his rapprochement with Pandithan?

The Star

carries an interesting account of the Pandithan-Samy Vellu feud and rapprochement –

Friends forever — Pandithan and Samy

By A. LETCHUMANAN

KUALA LUMPUR: Once good friends, they became bitter political rivals. Yesterday, MIC president Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu and IPF president Tan Sri M.G. Pandithan announced their undying relationship in front of 3,000 IPF delegates.

They hugged with tears in their eyes. The delegates burst into applause.

“Once we were friends, then we separated and now we have rejoined. This friendship is permanent and there is no departure. I will only depart at my death,” said Pandithan.

He said the MIC supremo was the “true leader of the Indian community” and bestowed the Wira Kaum India title on Samy Vellu at IPF’s 15th general assembly.

Samy Vellu turned poetic when describing the respect Pandithan enjoyed among his followers.

Pandithan, who once regarded Samy Vellu as his mentor, was an MIC vice-president, Tapah MP and parliamentary secretary to the Trade and Industry Ministry in June 1988.

He was sacked after he started a fast-to-death effort in a bid to get charges of inciting violence and unrest within the party dropped. He also brought a coffin to the MIC headquarters in protest.

After expulsion from MIC on July 16, 1988, Pandithan tried to return to the party but was unsuccessful and in August 1990, he formed IPF.

His several attempts to join Barisan were thwarted by Samy Vellu and his scathing attacks on the MIC president failed to make headway.

However, when Pandithan fell ill and was hospitalised last year, Samy Vellu visited him and the two fell into an emotional reunion.

                This entry was posted on Monday, 2 July 2007, 10:10 am and is filed under
Indians
. You can follow any responses to this entry through
RSS 2.0
.                You can
leave a response
, or
trackback
 from your own site.


Church of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Puchong – why  from freehold to 60 yrs lease?

R has emailed her concern about the Church of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Puchong as to why its freehold status has been changed to 60-year lease.  Anyone can throw further light?

R’s email:

Even as the PM was talking overseas telling about love and peace and harmony in our multireligious country, there are many fundamentalists trying to derail his statements and prove him wrong.

I am a Catholic.  I was informed that our new Church in Puchong, Our Lady of Guadalupe, suddenly faced a “crisis”.   This church is in Selangor and you must remember what happened to our application for a church in Shah Alam over 20 years ago.  Whether the Selangor govt or just the over-zealous local authorities are behind that problem, I don’t know.  But now, it’s happening directly aimed at our church in Puchong.

This Church was actually an old chapel which was asked to relocate owing to housing development and the developers promised to give back a piece of land to rebuild a church.  For many years we have been operating from temporary buildings including shifting from shophouse to shophouse.  Finally a Church was built on a funny V-shaped piece of land in front of some shophouses just before an industrial area.  It looked like remnant, left-over vacant land but beggars can’t be choosers?

The land in the whole area including the land over which the Church is built is freehold land.  Now, suddenly out of the blue, we are told that the land on which the Church  is built is alienated to a 60 years leasehold  whilst the surrounding area is still freehold!  Is this not discriminatory?

                This entry was posted on Tuesday, 3 July 2007, 9:10 am and is filed under
Religion
. You can follow any responses to this entry through
RSS 2.0
.                You can
leave a response
, or
trackback
 from your own site.


“Revitalise Penang” Dialogue

“Revitalise Penang” Dialogue Series (I)

Organised by DAP Kampong Kolam Branch

THEME: “Lets Revitalise Penang Economy”

The economy of Penang used to be the most robust and competitive in Malaysia with giants like Intel anchoring the high-technology manufacturing industry.   However, today, it lies a distant 3rd in the country, after Selangor and Johor. The Pearl of the Orient has clearly lost its sparkle.

How can DAP help revitalise Penang, and make the Pearl of the Orient shine, once again?

Speaker: LIM GUAN ENG

DAP Secretary-General

TONY PUA

Economic Advisor to DAP Sec-Gen

(Graduate in Philosophy, Politics & Economics, Oxford University)

YB CHOW KON YEOW

Member of Parliament for Tanjong

DAP Penang State Chairman

Language:         Mandarin / English

Date:                6.7.2007 (Friday)

Time:                8.00 p.m. (Please be punctual)

Venue:      The hall of Chew Si Kee San Tong

(33, Lebuh Kimberley, Georgetown )

Contact : 04-2288482 / 2277068

                This entry was posted on Tuesday, 3 July 2007, 12:21 pm and is filed under
Announcement
,
DAP
. You can follow any responses to this entry through
RSS 2.0
.                You can
leave a response
, or
trackback
 from your own site.


Parliamentary caucus hearings – restore to Malaysians freedom from  crime and fear of crime

The Parliamentary Caucus on Human Rights and Good Governance’s first public hearing on “Fight Rising Crime” in Johor Baru at Tropical Inn on Sunday at 2.30 pm is part of a national campaign to restore to Malaysians their most important human rights in any civilized society — to be free from crime and the fear of crime.

Many Malaysians, particularly in Johor Baru, have lost these twin fundamental human rights.

In Johor Baru last night, I am reminded of Sandakan and Tawau in Sabah, where people stay at home at night in fear of their personal safety and their loved ones if they come out into the streets and public places. In fact, even in the privacy of their homes, they do not feel safe from robbers and criminals!

Is Johor Baru going the way of the Sandakan and Tawau?  In fact, I have been told by some Sabahans in Johor Baru that the Johore capital has become worse than Sandakan and Tawau.

This of course can be debated, but what is undeniable is that there is a prevalent atmosphere of fear of personal safety, whether of oneself or of loved ones, whether in the streets, public places or privacy of the homes in Johor Baru which must be regarded as the worst in Peninsular Malaysia.

It is no exaggeration to describe Johor Baru as a capital of crime in Malaysia, with 70 per cent of the crime index in Johore state coming from JB.

This is one of the most intolerable aspects of the country’s development on the occasion of the nation’s 50th Merdeka anniversary, and all concerned, whether the government, police, political parties, civic bodies, non-government organsiations and Malaysians citizens must come together to end this disgraceful aspect of Malaysian life.

Johor Baru had set a great example of this civic awakening in the very successful mass signature campaign launched by the Johor Baru Chinese Chung Hwa Association.

In Johor Baru, which has suffered for so long under rampant crime and lawlessness, there is a belated government and police awareness of the problem as a result of a spate of brutal crimes and public outcry not only in JB but nation-wide at the  loss of police control of the crime situation — with the deployment of more cops, patrol cars and greater police visibility publicly.

But public confidence has still to be fully restored — as there is widespread skepticism whether there is the full police commitment and political will to have a sustained campaign to restore to JB and all parts of Malaysia the safety and security all citizens, visitors, tourists and investors are entitled to enjoy in keeping with a civilized and ordered society.

Are the police efforts so far adequate?  What more should be done? The Parliamentary Caucus of Human Rights and Good Governance, which is chaired by the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz, has decided on a first series of three public hearings in JB on 8th July, Petaling Jaya on 11th July and Bukit Mertajam on 15th July, where the public can speak up to voice their experience, concerns, fears and hopes so that there is again a “safe JB”: and “safe Malaysia” as in the early decades of nationhood.

It would be most meaningful if the 50th Merdeka anniversary celebrations this year is informed and motivated by a national resolution to restore to JB, Johore and Malaysia the reputation of a safe destination whether for residents, tourists or investors.

The Parliamentary Caucus hopes that the first public hearing in JB can be a successful start to give birth to a sustained parliamentary effort to create a “safe JB” and “safe Malaysia”. The focus of the public hearing is not just the crime situation in JB but the whole state of Johore.

Let this be a people-centred, people-motivated and people-empowered event, with all citizens, whether political parties, civic organizations or NGOs, helping to spread the word about the public hearing, whether by word of mouth or SMS so that we can all feel safe and secure in our own homeland and home — able to be free from crime and the fear of crime when out in the streets, public places or in the privacy of our homes.

Earlier this morning, MP for Batu Gajah  Fong Po Kuan and I met the Johore Chief Police Officer, Datuk Hussein Ismail and other top Johore state police officers, and when I raised the concerns of the people, he assured that the Police is commtted to a long-term sustained mission to fight  and control crime in Johor Baru and Johore and is not just engaged in a short-term PR exercise.

He said there would be an increase of another 800 new cops to the addition of 400, making an total new complement of 1,200 new cops by August/September. He said the police has now a hotline 07-2212999 which is manned by multi-lingual staff.

(Media Conference Statement at Tropical Inn, Johor Baru on Wednesday, 4th July 2007 at 10.30 am)

                This entry was posted on Wednesday, 4 July 2007, 5:27 pm and is filed under
Parliament
,
Police
. You can follow any responses to this entry through
RSS 2.0
.                You can
leave a response
, or
trackback
 from your own site.


“Criminals to fear police every second” – IPCMC critical test

After the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi’s Monday announcement that the term of service of Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Musa Hassan had been extended, Musa told Bernama: “My aim is to clean up Sarawak and Johor of criminal elements. Beginning today, I want criminals to fear the police, every second of their lives.”

Musa  also said: “I am giving a stern warning to policemen who are involved in taking bribes and misuse their powers.

“I don’t want to see this particular group smearing the good name of the police”

Bernama reported that the IGP’s “strong words” were an indication that he would take the bull by its horns when dealing with the underworld, organised crime, illegal activities and corruption.

I wish Musa the best wishes in his new declared intentions on the extension of his service as IGP although he must realize and understand why they have been met with considerable skepticism and cynicism by the suffering public.

This is not the first time in the past 44 months that Musa, his predecessor former IGP Tan Sri Bakri Musa as well as the Prime Minister himself had declared war against crime and corruption which  had all proved to be “just thunder but no rain”!

The most recent occasion when Abdullah declared an “all-out war” on crime was only three months ago when the Prime Minister and Internal Security Minister spoke at the special assembly at the Police Training Centre in Kuala Lumpur in early April where he announced that there would be “no compromise” in wiping out criminals — more than eight years after Abdullah was first appointed Home Minister with direct responsibility over the police and more than three years as Prime Minister.  Like previous occasions, there was nothing to show for this declaration.

Will  the latest declaration of “all-out war against crime” by the IGP go the way of previous such declarations — all talk and no walk?

In my public congratulations tof Musa on his appointment as IGP in September last year, I had posed the question uppermost for Malaysians — whether the new IGP could make any difference in the law-and-order situation in the country so that Malaysians  can look forward to a safe and low-crime Malaysia.

To be free from crime and the fear of crime are  the most fundamental of all human rights of Malaysians which will also affect Malaysia as an investment centre, tourist destination and international educational hub for foreign students as well as the billion-ringgit Iskandar Development Region project.

There can be no denial that overall  the crime and law-and-order situation has deteriorated not only in the past 44 months but also during the 10-month tenure of Musa as IGP, to the extent that the Prime Minister had conceded that it is now “rampant crime” and not just “crime” that the police had to battle, when he said on Monday that the police “have been given the facilities to deal with rampant crime”.

In fact, a few of the  Commissioners  have privately confided in me  that the Royal Police Commission had been a total waste of time and effort as the crime situation has got worse and its recommendations to create an efficient, incorruptible, human rights-sensitive world-class police service had not been given serious consideration — apart from a few proposals like  the 18% to 42% increase in police pay and doubling of the cost of living allowance which the DAP had supported all along.

This is reflected by the skyrocketing crime index in the past three years, which had worsened from 156,315 cases in 2003 to 226,836 cases in 2006 — a sharp rise of 45.1% in the past three years when the police force had set the target of reducing the crime index by five per cent per year while the Royal Police Commission had proposed a minimum of 20% decrease in each category of crime within a period of 12 months.

Violent crime had increased by 85.8% from 22,790 cases in 2003 to 42,343 cases in 2006, with rape cases registering the highest increase of 65.5 per cent — reaching an average of 6.7 women raped daily in 2006 compared to an average of four women raped daily in 2003.  In 2003, an average of 1.5 persons were murdered daily; but in 2006, this has increased to an average of 1.65 persons murdered daily.

It must be further borne in mind that the crime index is actually a serious under-estimate of the gravity of the crime situation, as there is a high incidence where victims of crime do not lodge police reports as they lack confidence  that any good would come out of it apart from incurring a lot of hassle and inconvenience.

Under these circumstances, how is another declaration of an “all-out war” against crime by Musa going to be different from the long catalogue of previous ones?

Musa said on Monday that he had “a dream to see the force above all in the world” where police counterparts of other countries have “confidence and respect” in  Malaysia’s police.

Musa can be assured of the full support of Parliament, the people  and nation if he is  serious about his commitment to have a dedicated and professional police force, which he had announced previously, as during the 200th anniversary celebrations of the Royal Malaysian police in March this year that the police was being “rebranded with a new vision and mission in line with the recommendations of the Royal Police Commission”.

The Royal Police Commission’s most important recommendation for the establishment of the Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission (IPCMC) is the critical test of whether Musa’s declaration that “Beginning today, I want criminals to fear the police, every second of their lives” is to be taken  seriously or another empty rhetoric.

If Musa comes out to officially endorse the IPCMC and to have it established as the first priority following the Prime Minister’s announcement of extension of his term as IGP, it will be a clear signal to criminals that the police is committed to an all-out war against them as they will have to face an incorruptible, efficient and professional police service with no weaknesses  for criminals and crime syndicates to exploit.

Is Musa prepared to publicly endorse the IPCMC  proposal and work with the Attorney-General’s Chambers and Parliament so that the necessary legislation can be enacted as the first item of parliamentary business in the next meeting beginning on August 20, 2007  so that  the IPCMC can  be established before the end of the year?

                This entry was posted on Wednesday, 4 July 2007, 11:35 am and is filed under
Police
. You can follow any responses to this entry through
RSS 2.0
.                You can
leave a response
, or
trackback
 from your own site.


Two greater maturity developments on occasion of 50th Merdeka anniversary most welcome

Two developments showing greater maturity of Malaysians on occasion of 50th Merdeka anniversary is  most welcome as it is time that the government and  leaders move  away from narrow sectarian approach  towards a more nationalistic and broadminded approach on issues which should transcend race, religion, class or political differences to create greater national unity.

The two developments are:

	The announcement by the Minister of Culture, Arts and Heritage Minister Datuk Seri
Dr. Rais Yatim
that all parliamentary constituencies in the country will receive RM30,000 each for activities to celebrate the country’s 50th years of independence;

	The directive by the Minister for Energy, Water and Communications Datuk Seri Dr.
Lim Keng Yaik
to the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) Chairman Dr. Halim Shafie to withdraw his letter barring private television stations from broadcasting speeches by members of the opposition.

It will be very sad if on  the nation’s half-a-century nationhood, Malaysian public life is still moored in narrow sectarian divisions on  every issue including those  which must transcend race, religion, class or partisan politics.

Both Rais and Keng Yaik are to be commended for showing that they are prepared to make a beginning to take a Malaysian nationalistic approach rather than narrow sectarian one, and to show that there are issues where all can come together as Malaysians.

I hope these small beginnings can be broadened to larger  spheres of public life and to embrace more issues to bring about greater national unity instead of creating more and more division even on matters which should not be a subject of national disunity in the first place.

Yesterday, DAP MP for Batu Gajah, Fong Po Kuan and I met Rais to discuss the channeling of the RM30,000 allocation for 50th Merdeka celebrations  for the 20 non-Barisan Nasional parliamentary constituencies, which is a good new start.

                This entry was posted on Wednesday, 4 July 2007, 5:12 pm and is filed under
Media
,
nation building
,
Parliament
. You can follow any responses to this entry through
RSS 2.0
.                You can
leave a response
, or
trackback
 from your own site.


Are our doctors properly trained?

by Tam Yeng Siang

I read the
letter
 written by Tam Yong Yuee with interest and with a bit of concern.

As with his usual observant self, he has highlighted with a single example, how casual and nonchalant our medical profession has become, typically in Government clinics and hospitals.

It really amazes me that a Retired Primary School English Teacher (albeit a very good one), can be more circumspect in the diagnosis of our aunt, as compared to the presumptous view of the young doctor in attendance who has diagnosed her to have the Parkinsons’ disease.

Besides the absence of the ‘resting tremors’ that Yong Yee has observed, our aunt has also not suffered any speech impediment/deterioration in her years of having the trembling limbs symptom.

This is where my concern comes in. Are our young doctors serving in the thousands of clinics and hospitals adequately trained to treat our citizens properly?

If perchance they do not have the necessary experience when examining patients, do they take a moment to reflect, or even consult their references or their seniors, like what my brother did through Google?

To me, a doctor’s job begins when he finds himself stumped by a patient’s problems, and he tries to find a correct evaluation.

Have our doctors been trained to be discerning, or to just hazard a guess, like you and me. I am concerned.

(Letter by Tam Yong Yuee, published in NST 3.7.07, as follows:)

NST Online : Letters

2007/07/03

Logical step

By : TAM YONG YUEE, Muar

RECEIVING accreditation from an organisation like the Joint Commission International (JCAI) for our hospitals is a logical step in the provision of good health care for Malaysia as well as promoting the medical tourism industry — “Seek world-class recognition” (NST, June 29). It’s a win-win situation.

We need not worry about the private hospitals as they are profit-driven and are willing to pay for the best brains and expertise and invest in world-class infrastructure.

Government hospitals, though much better than before, still have a lot of room for improvement. With alleged cases of negligence happening once too often for comfort, this will be one aspect that needs looking into.

Once I brought my aged aunt (in her 80s) for an appointment in a government hospital.

The young doctor took one look at her and wrote Parkinson’s in her medical record card.

Not convinced, I did a Google search on “Tremors” and confirmed my suspicions that my aged aunt is suffering from a condition called “essential tremor” that occurs in people above 60, and linked to the ETM1 and ETM2 genes.

One of the tell-tale signs for Parkinson’s is “resting tremor” which did not occur in my aunt’s case.

What I am driving at is that to attain JCI-accreditation, government hospitals must ensure that their medical and nursing staff are of high calibre, well trained, committed and caring.

Many talented Malaysians who were rejected when they applied for a place in the medical faculty of local universities ended up serving in a neighbouring country which offered them scholarships, attractive terms of service, comfortable working and living conditions and, most importantly, recognition of their talents.

JCI-accreditation can be attained if the Health Ministry, together with the Education Ministry, remains focused on the relevant tasks and not be distracted by issues not related to health care and education.

                This entry was posted on Thursday, 5 July 2007, 10:34 am and is filed under
Health
. You can follow any responses to this entry through
RSS 2.0
.                You can
leave a response
, or
trackback
 from your own site.


Is JB crime under control – or must people cross causeway to Singapore to feel safe?

The public hearing of the Parliamentary Caucus on Human Rights and Good Governance in Johor Baru on Sunday at Tropical Inn at 2.30 p.m. will be an opportunity to assess whether the people of Johor Baru are satisfied with recent police actions to fight crime or whether more  have to be done by the police to wipe out the high crime index and the  fear of crime and end the situation where people only feel safe when they cross the causeway into Singapore.

It has been asked why the Parliamentary Caucus on Human Rights and Good Governance is holding a public hearing at the Tropical Inn in JB on Sunday on “Fight Rising Crime”, as if crime has nothing to do with human rights.

This is a great fallacy, for the fundamental right to be free from crime and to be safe and secure in the streets, public places and the privacy of the homes must rank as the first of all human rights, without which all other human rights have no meaning. The safety of its citizens must is also the acid test of effective government and good governance.

The Parliamentary Caucus on Human Rights and Good Governance want to popularize the concept that Malaysians must be restored their two most fundamenal rights,  to be free from crime and the fear of crime,  which were unquestioned rights of all Malaysians in the first three  decades of nationhood.

In the past 10 to 15 years, law and order have started to break down in several areas in the country to the extent that some  urban centres in Peninsular Malaysia acquired the notoriety as hot spots of crime, particularly JB, Kuala Lumpur, Petaling Jaya, Penang and  Ipoh.

This trend has not been reversed or  checked despite the establishment of the Royal Police Commission and its Report and 125 recommendations to create an efficient and professional world-class police service to control and reduce crime.

The public hearings of the Parliamentary Caucus on Human Rights and Good Governance on “Fight Rising Crime” in JB, Petaling Jaya and Bukit Mertajam in the next week  is not a police-bashing exercise but to create greater awareness among the police and public of the need for a joint effort to control and reduce crime to make our homeland and towns safe again not only for the residents, but also for tourists and investors.

                                                                           http://politics101malaysia.blogsome.com/

                This entry was posted on Friday, 6 July 2007, 3:45 pm and is filed under
Parliament
,
Police
. You can follow any responses to this entry through
RSS 2.0
.                You can
leave a response
, or
trackback
 from your own site.


Revathi released to custody of her parents, her 18-month daughter still no birth certificate

I have just come back from the  Shah Alam High Court which dismissed the habeas corpus application for the release of
Revathi
A/P  Masoosai/Siti Fatimah binti Abdul Karim filed by her husband Suresh A/L Veerappan on the ground that she had been released from 180-day detention at  the Ulu Yam  Islamic Rehabilitation Centre by the Malacca Syariah High Court yesterday.

Revathi was released to the custody of her parents by the Malacca Syariah High Court yesterday evening  with the order that she could not convert out of Islam. Syariah High Court judge Radzi said Islam is not only between man and Allah but is also the responsibility between the community and country, and to come out of it  is “treason”.

Is it right and proper for the Malacca Syariah High Court judge to describe as treason a conversion out of Islam?

Isn’t it ridiculous to release Revathi to the custody of her parents when she is an adult woman of 29 years with a 18-month daughter from her marriage to Suresh according to Hindu rites, with the couple stoutly defending their family  despite Revathi’s 180-day detention?

What does the Syariah Court’s order of  release of Revathi to the custody of her parents mean?  Could she be punished and even re-detained and sent again to Ulu Yam Rehabilitation Centre on ground of breach of term of her release order?

Revathi had been detained for six months since 9th January 2007 and sent to  the Ulu Yam rehabilitation centre, and her family of three forcibly separated in  three different  locations when the Malacca Islamic Religious Department also took their  daughter  Diviya Dharshini from the custody of the father and placed her in care  of the grandparents on March 26, 2007.

Diviya  Dharshini is now more than 18 months old and she has no birth certificate — an example of  bureaucracy gone crazy.

The lawyer for the aggrieved family, Karpal Singh, will file an appeal to the Federal Court against  the Shah Alam High Court dismissal of the habeas corpus  application, contending that although Revathi had been released rendering her habeas corpus application an academic exercise, there are important public issues concerning constitutional rights and fundamental liberties  which the court should have addressed as they concern not just parties to the case but the larger public.

                This entry was posted on Friday, 6 July 2007, 2:24 pm and is filed under
nation building
,
Religion
. You can follow any responses to this entry through
RSS 2.0
.                You can
leave a response
, or
trackback
 from your own site.


Let JB be national test case – whether can wipe ouf “fear of crime” before it spreads further

I remember when I stayed for a short stint in Johor Baru for about a year some 47 years ago,   the Johor capital like other parts of the country was generally safe and secure from crime  for its residents and visitors and the term ” fear of crime” never existed.

This was the position until some 20 years ago, when the law-and-order infrastructure and institutions failed to keep abreast with the  rapid socio-economic developments and changes, and Johor Baru together with other metropolitan areas like Kuala Lumpur, Petaling Jaya and Penang, increasingly acquired the notoriety as “hot spots” of crime where it residents are not only victims of high crime rate but live in fear of crime.

JB outranks all the other urban centres in the country as the capital of crime where the fear of crime haunting  the daily lives of its residents is most palpable like a permanent haze in the JB air.

Let JB be a national test case whether it is possible to wipe out the fear of crime which is haunting the daily life of the people  of JB or the fear of crime will worsen and spread to other parts of the country with the police losing the long-term war against crime.

This will be one of the objectives of the public hearings of the  Parliamentary Caucus on Human Rights and Good Governance on “Fight Rising Crime” starting in Johor Baru at Tropical Inn tomorrow (Sunday, 8th July 2007 at 2.30 pm), the second public hearing at MPPJ Civics Centre, Petaling Jaya on Wednesday 11th July at 8.30 pm and the third public hearing at Jit Sin Chinese Independent Secondary School, Bukit Mertajam on Sunday, 15th July at 10 a.m.

Other police forces in the world like the New York  Police Department (NYPD)  have openly recognized that  the “fear of crime” is a specific challenge they have to address and overcome  apart from fighting crime.

Apart from fighting crime, it is also time that the Malaysian Police openly recognize that public perceptions and confidence are of paramount importance and there must be a specific police strategy to wipe out the prevalent “fear of crime” in JB and other hot-spots of crime in the country and ensure it does not become a nation-wide problem.

                This entry was posted on Saturday, 7 July 2007, 2:33 pm and is filed under
Parliament
,
Police
. You can follow any responses to this entry through
RSS 2.0
.                You can
leave a response
, or
trackback
 from your own site.


Old Copper Mine poses a Threat

by Gursharan Singh

The Mamut Copper Mine was leased to a company for thirty years to mine copper. The mining operations ceased in 1999 and later in 2003 it was returned back to the Sabah State Government. The reason for ceasing operations prior to the expiry of the concession period may be due to the exhaustion of copper or continued mining may not have been economically profitable. The company had then provided profits in millions that benefited the company owners.

I remember that environmentalists and other experts had regularly voiced their concerns in the past on the damage caused to the environment and its ill effects on the health of the people. I personally seen the pollution during my visit to KK and Mount Kinabalu in the mid eighties when I visited the State on audit of construction projects duties.

It is apparent that the State and Federal Government Authorities were aware of the damage being caused. However it is not possible to ascertain whether the relevant authorities monitored the operations to ensure that necessary measures were undertaken by the mining company to rectify the damage or taken  any other remedial measures to prevent future environmental damage.

The possible millions in profits arising from the mining operations were enjoyed by the owners of the mine.  In the process the ‘mining operations left behind a trail of pollutants that are unfriendly to nature and the health of people living at the foothills of Mount Kinabalu in Sabah’.

The company has long left Sabah to enjoy their millions. It has left the cost of remedial and cleanup measures to be borne by the taxpayers. The Federal Government has allocated RM13.0m but this is probably the tip of the iceberg as the total cost may ultimately exceed the benefits derived by the State in the form of taxes and employment opportunities.

It would be appropriate for the State/Federal authorities to study the whole case to ascertain the costs to cleanup the damage including indirect losses from missed opportunities such as from tourism and match them with the benefits. It would be interesting to know the overall position as it is my perception that the country will end up with substantially higher losses.

The Federal/State Attorney Generals should look into the terms of the lease and see whether the costs of clean up can be claimed back from the company. IF such a provision is not there it may be appropriate to include such a provision in future leases. Lessons can be learnt from the US where Government has imposed substantial fines on the responsible mining companies in addition to requiring these companies to bear the costs of cleanup operations.

This is another case where the profits are enjoyed by the selected few and the losses are to be borne by the many.

                This entry was posted on Saturday, 7 July 2007, 2:25 pm and is filed under
environment
. You can follow any responses to this entry through
RSS 2.0
.                You can
leave a response
, or
trackback
 from your own site.


“Policing for People” – police revolution needed

I was for a short stint a resident of JB, staying here for almost a year some 47 years ago.

JB has changed quite out of recognition in the past four to five decades, both for good and ill.

Firstly, I would not qualify to be a JB-ite, as there are people who now  say that you are not a true JB-ite unless you have been a victim of snatch theft, robbery or other crime in JB.

Secondly, the haze from Indonesia forest fires are back, but in JB the people had been under a permanent haze in the past two decades with the JB air thick with the fear of crime which haunts the people, turning their waking  hours into nightmares about their personal safety and those of their loved ones whether in the streets, public places or the privacy of their homes.

Why is the Parliamentary Caucus on Human Rights and Good Governance starting its series of public hearings on “Fight Rising Crime” in Johor Baru?

Firstly, JB is the capital of crime with the worst crime index and the worst fear of crime  for any metropolitan area in the country.

The Police have said the crime in JB is under control and that it is a safe city to live.  Whether crime in JB is under control and a safe city must be  a verdict made by the people of Johor and not the Police — and this is the reason for the Parliamentary Caucus’ public hearing.

This is also why there should be a police revolution and not just police reform in the country where the  concept of “Policing for People” becomes the overriding objective  of the Malaysian Police in  democratic Malaysia, with the people as the primary voice in determining the police role, responsibility and strategy in fighting and reducing crime in JB, Johore and Malaysia.

We cannot continue to be in denial any more about the high crime index and oppressive  fear of crime in JB.

We should not need to cross the  Causeway to Singapore to feel safe. If we are not ambitious enough to make JB even safer than Singapore, we have the  right to demand that residents, visitors and investors should feel as safe in JB as in Singapore.

We have a right to demand that the definition that a person is not a true JB-ite unless he or she had been a victim of crime in JB becomes history and a nightmare of the past.

If New York can succeed in wiping out its past notoriety as an infamous capital of crime, JB should be able to do a New York in reducing crime and the fear of crime, not just having a Hotel New York.

Dare we articulate these hopes and objectives on the occasion of the 50th Merdeka anniversary celebrations and are all the stakeholders in the country, whether the police, people, government, Parliament and the press prepared to take the first step to restore to JB, Johore and Malaysia a low-crime society?

This is the collective challenge we all face today and it is hoped that this public hearing can make a modest contribution towards addressing this challenge.

(Speech at  Parliamentary Caucus on Human Rights and Good Governance  public hearing on “Fight Rising Crime” at Tropical Inn, Johor Baru at 2.30 pm)

                This entry was posted on Sunday, 8 July 2007, 11:48 pm and is filed under
Parliament
,
Police
. You can follow any responses to this entry through
RSS 2.0
.                You can
leave a response
, or
trackback
 from your own site.


Message of PM’s “I don’t know” confession – NIP fallen to bottom of his agenda

The shocking message of the
“I don’t know”
 confession of the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi ten days after serious and specific allegations have been made against a senior Umno Cabinet Minister and a 632-page memorandum submitted to him is that his national integrity plan has fallen to the bottom of his agenda.

On June 29, the Chairman of the Movement for Democracy and Anti-Corruption (Gerak) Ezam Mohd Nor submitted a
632-page document
containing allegations of criminal breach of trust and misappropriation involving a senior cabinet minister, including police reports against the minister made by a chief executive officer of a public listed company in 1998, statements by the Malaysian Companies Commission, and receipts and invoices for millions of ringgit.

Ezam had said that there  are several cases against this senior Umno Minister but one is clear, that he used a public company’s funds amounting to RM30 million to settle his personal debts.

Abdulla
h said yesterday:  “I was informed about the memorandum and I will study it.”   Asked who was the minister alleged to be corrupt, Abdullah said: “I don’t know”.

 Is it credible that a Prime Minister who is serious about his pledge and commitment to make anti-corruption his top priority can allow ten days to pass without bothering to find out who was the senior UMNO Cabinet Minister alleged to be corrupt in the 632-page memorandum which had been submitted to him or that he had not directed his officers to prepare and read a gist of the allegations?

Or is Abdullah going to read the entire 632-page memorandum himself?

If Abdullah needs to take ten days to state publicly that he is aware that the memorandum had been submitted to him in his office, how long would he take to read it and how long more would he need to announce what he proposes to do about it?

Or will he just pass the buck and kick the football elsewhere, starting a merry-go-round which will drag out the issue in an inconclusive manner for the next few years?

                This entry was posted on Monday, 9 July 2007, 1:17 pm and is filed under
Abdullah Ahmad Badawi
,
Corruption
. You can follow any responses to this entry through
RSS 2.0
.                You can
leave a response
, or
trackback
 from your own site.


Paradigm shift – from “Policing for government” to “Policing for People”

Yesterday, when commenting on the series of “Fight Rising Crime” public hearings of the Parliamentary Caucus on Human Rights and Good Governance, Deputy Inspector-General of Police
Tan Sri Mohd Najib Abd Aziz
 said that the public must understand that the police cannot solve crimes on their own as cases involve members of the public themselves.

He said public co-operation was sometimes disappointing with many people preferring to “look the other way”.

Najib is right when he said that policing cannot be left to the police alone but must be a multi-faceted task by all relevant agencies and involve the co-operation of all stakeholders, in particular members of the public.

True, the maintenance of law-and-order and a low-crime society is not just a police problem but requires  a holistic approach involving socio-economic, educational and even religious factors and problems such as migrant population, illegal immigrants and  the drug menace.

However, the police must bear the greatest responsibility for effective policing because of their specific mission.

The police must undergo a paradigm shift from “Policing for Government”  to “Policing for People” and accept public perceptions as of paramount importance in the evaluation of police performance in fighting crime and the fear of crime.

The first thing the Malaysian police must do is to come out of their denial syndrome claiming that law and order is under control and take full cognizance of pubic perceptions that the crime situation in the country, particularly in many black areas of crime, have gone from bad to worse.

At the first public hearing of the Parliamentary Caucus on Human Rights and Good Governance in Johor Baru on Sunday, the over-capacity crowd of over 600 people were asked three questions:

	Whether they were  satisfied with the police actions and measures which had been taken over the past month in Johor Baru as a result of the public outcry over a spate of brutal robbery-abduction-gang rape crimes;

	Whether they agreed with the Police that the crime situation in JB had been brought under control; and

	Whether they agreed with the Police that JB had become a safe city.

Not a hand went up for the “yes” vote for all three instances, as there was an unanimous show of hands to give a thunderous “no” to all three propositions — i.e. not satisfied with what the Police had done in JB in  the past month despite stepped-up police activities, did  not agree that the crime situation had been brought under control and did not agree that JB had become a safe city to the residents,  visitors and investors.

The police may not like or agree with the three answers, but they must accept that it is the people in any area which must have the final say whether the crime situation is under control and has become safe  – and they must go back to the drawing board to revise  their policing strategy taking  into account public perceptions which disagree with police conclusions.

The first  series of “Fight Rising Crime” public hearings of  the Parliamentary Caucus of Human Rights and Good Governance is not a police-bashing exercise but meant to help the police to fully understand public perceptions about the law-and-order, crime and fear of crime situation in different hot-spots of crime  in the country.

The first Parliamentary Caucus hearing in JB has given a clear verdict that   the situation of crime and fear of crime in JB remains very grave and critical, and this must be taken fully into account by the police authorities.

The second public hearing of “Fight Rising Crime” of the Parliamentary Caucus of Human Rights and Good Governance, which  will be held at the Petaling Jaya Civics Centre tomorrow (Wednesday, 11th July 2007 at 8.30 pm), will provide an opportunity for the police to understand the perceptions of the people with regard to crime and the fear of crime situation in the Klang Valley, particularly   Kuala Lumpur, Petaling Jaya, Subang Jaya  and Klang.

                This entry was posted on Tuesday, 10 July 2007, 3:42 pm and is filed under
Parliament
,
Police
. You can follow any responses to this entry through
RSS 2.0
.                You can
leave a response
, or
trackback
 from your own site.


Anti-corruption record in tatters – top leaders caught in maze of corruption allegations

At the monthly assembly of the staff of ministries and agencies under the Prime Minister’s Department on July 2, 2007, the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi  made the surprise announcement of the extension of the  term of service of Tan Sri  Musa Hassan as Inspector-General of Police   to enable Musa  to “continue  with his crime-fighting agenda”.  Musa is to retire on Sept. 13, 2007.

Such an announcement was most unprecedented for many reasons and the circumstances indicate that it was more a statement of intent on the Prime Minister’s part than a statement of fact in that all the due process of such an extension had been completed, including conveying the decision to the Conference of Rulers which will only meet later this month.

The very fact that no one knows for how long Musa’s term as  IGP had been extended although it is  more than a week after Abdullah’s surprise announcement lends support to the view that the Prime Minister’s  statement was one of intent rather than of fact about Musa’s extension as IGP.

The question is why was it necessary for Abdullah to act in so uncharacteristic a fashion in  “jumping the gun” to rush  such an announcement of his intent to extend Musa’s term as IGP when there are more than two months to go before the expiry of the tenure, and when the practice is to make the announcement of such top-level  appointments or their extensions at the last minute.

There are even cases where high offices are left vacant for months like the office of Chief Judge  of Malaya, which had remained vacant for more than six months, raising the question whether the country is facing a constitutional crisis in filling top judicial posts.

Was Abdullah forced to announce his intent to extend the tenure of Musa as IGP when it only expires on Sept. 16 to fob off mounting pressures against the extension of Musa’s service, and if so, what are these pressures and reasons for them?

The most critical  question which calls for Abdullah’s explanation is the reason for the double standards in extending Tan Sri Musa Hassan’s tenure as Inspector-General of Police while refusing to extend Datuk Seri Zulkipli Mat Noor’s term as Anti-Corruption Agency (ACA) director-general when serious corruption allegations against both remained outstanding and unresolved?

Deputy Internal Security Minister,
Datuk  Mohd Johari Baharum
  told Parliament during question time yesterday that “the Internal Security Ministry had lodged a report with the Anti-Corruption Agency (ACA)  on the allegations of corruption involving Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Musa Hassan” about a RM2.1 million bribe to release a group of gangsters.

On June 19, I had sought to have an
emergency debate
in Parliament on a motion of urgent definite public importance on the  serious allegations of corruption and abuses of power against both Johari and Musa but this was disallowed by the Speaker, Tan Sri Ramli Ngah, on the ground that it was not urgent as the ACA was conducting investigations.

Johari told Bernama that the ACA report  against the IGP was lodged to enable investigations to be carried out as he was not satisfied with several explanations given by the police on the matter. He said the ACA report was made “a long time ago… when the issue on corruption was raised on the website” — which would be in early June.

The question then is why Abdullah decided to extend Musa’s tenure as IGP when the serious corruption allegation had been made against the top police cop for more than a month and the issue raised in Parliament, while he applied a different standard in the case of the former ACA director-general Datuk Seri Zulkipli Mat Noor when serious corruption allegations were made against the top anti-corruption officer?

It is sad and tragic that in a short period of 44 months, the anti-corruption record of the Abdullah premiership is in tatters.

Abdullah  started off as the fifth  Prime Minister with the pledge  to make anti-corruption the top priority of his administration and a major difference with the previous Mahathir administration.

However, never before in the 50-year history of the nation have so many  top figures in government been caught in a  maze of corruption allegations involving the Inspector-General of Police, the Anti-Corruption Agency Director-General at the time, the Deputy Internal Security Minister, not to mention Cabinet Ministers, with all the corruption allegations outstanding and unresolved.

As a result, the international Corruption Perception Index ranking of Malaysia is now lowest in the nation’s history as well.

The time has come for Abdullah to salvage his anti-corruption programme and  check the rot of corruption in his administration or the point of no return would have been reached.

                This entry was posted on Wednesday, 11 July 2007, 1:18 pm and is filed under
Corruption
,
Parliament
,
Police
. You can follow any responses to this entry through
RSS 2.0
.                You can
leave a response
, or
trackback
 from your own site.


Malaysia’s Shame

By
Farish A. Noor

It seems as if there are some folk in Malaysia today who believe that the country cannot get enough bad publicity. Over the past few years the country’s religious authorities in particular have been at the forefront of the effort to show Malaysia and Islam in the worst light imaginable: A few years ago Malaysia made the international headlines when members of the religious morality-police vice squad raided a nightclub in the capital, arresting and detaining all the young Malaysians there who happened to be Muslims, while allowing their non-Muslim friends and companions to party the night away. Those arrested later complained to the media that they were harassed and abused, locked in cages and humiliated by the morality police themselves.

Then came the spate of other raids of peoples’ homes, including a rather embarrassing raid on the flat of an elderly American couple who were woken up in the middle of the night on the grounds that they were suspected of having Malaysian Muslims in their flat and presumably up to no good. The fact that the raid took place on the resort island of Langkawi further dampened Malaysia’s efforts to promote the country as a holiday paradise and second home for retiring couples from abroad.

Over the past three years the country has witnessed angry public demonstrations by conservative Muslims over the issue of freedom of religion; sparked off by the case of Lina Joy, a Malay-Muslim who had converted to Christianity only to be told that her conversion would not be recognised unless she put herself through the religious court system first, thereby incriminating herself in the process.

The latest case involves Massosai Revathi, a Malaysian citizen whose parents had converted to Islam but who was brought up by her Hindu grandmother and who had lived most of her life as a Hindu. Revathi is therefore one of the unfortunate cases of Malaysian citizens whose complex identity was bound to get her into trouble with the religious authorities in Malaysia, and it finally did. Following her marriage to her Hindu husband according to Hindu rites, they had a child who was also brought up a Hindu. Revathi was later called in by the religious authorities and told in no uncertain terms that she was legally a Muslim and had therefore committed a crime in the eyes of Islamic law and Muslim jurists: She was then sent to one of the country’s ‘Faith Rehabilitation Centres’ so that she could be ‘persuaded’ to return to Islam.

The plight of Revathi and others like her has brought to the public’s attention the existence of the so-called ‘faith rehabilitation centres’ that were created as part of the Islamisation programme of Malaysia since the 1980s. Though little is known about these state-funded institutions and what happens in them, Revathi’s case has brought certain facts to light. According to her husband’s affidavit statement made to the court, his wife was kept in the rehab centre and lectured on Islam for weeks on end. As part of her re-indoctrination into Islam, she was made to eat beef — which as many people know, is not allowed for Hindus. Revathi was kept away from her husband and child for six months, until media pressure and constant lobbying by both Hindu and secular NGO groups led to her release this week.

Upon her release Revathi has spoken of her ordeal to the Malaysian and international press, revealing the conditions of the camp and the fact that many who were there had chosen to escape. Furthermore she has been told that she cannot renounce Islam, despite the fact that she was brought up by her Hindu grandmother and had lived as a Hindu most of her life. This also puts into jeopardy her marriage to her Hindu husband and the custody of her child.

Needless to say, none of this bodes well for Malaysia, Islam or the image of Muslims in the country. At a time when religious issues have become ultra-sensitive in Malaysia, cases such as Revathi’s points to the growing intransigence and belligerence of the country’s religious authorities who increasingly behave like a law unto themselves. Furthermore one wonders how many more cases exist out there, of people like Revathi or Lina Joy who have been forced into a life of secrecy and hiding for fear of the wrath of the morality police and shariah enforcers.

Of course, all of this is taking place against the backdrop of a Malaysia that is about to celebrate its 50th anniversary and which is currently celebrating ‘Visit Malaysia Year 2007’. Tourists who come to the country will undoubtedly be bedazzled by the pastiche of post-modern consumerism run amok in the capital, where shopping and capitalism seem to be the real credo of the land. The Malaysian government under Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi prides itself with the claim of being a moderate Muslim state where a ‘civilised Islam’ is being promoted under the vague banner of ‘Islam Hadari’. But where, pray tell, is the ‘civilised’ aspect of religious moral policing that locks people in cages, verbally abuses female Muslims accused of indecent dressing, breaks into the homes of citizens in the dead of night? Underneath the glitz and glamour of Malaysia’s polished facade, the unfettered religious bureaucracy of the country points to a growing tide of Malay-Muslim communitarianism that is increasingly intolerant and demanding a greater slice of public space. Some Malaysians living in multiracial neighbourhoods have even been told that they cannot keep dogs as pets, for fear of upsetting their Muslim neighbours.

The victims of this politicised religious politics, like Revathi, are left to fend for themselves with only the help of the country’s small NGO community and the international media to highlight their cases. Yet the verdict is clear: After being detained for six months, Revathi confesses that she ‘hates Islam even more now’. Hardly surprising when one considers what she has been put through in the name of ‘saving her soul’. The question is, what is the current government of Malaysia going to do about the current state of affairs? Malaysia’s religious authorities have proven to be a menace to themselves, and some would argue the country as well.

                This entry was posted on Wednesday, 11 July 2007, 8:22 am and is filed under
Farish Noor
,
nation building
,
Religion
. You can follow any responses to this entry through
RSS 2.0
.                You can
leave a response
, or
trackback
 from your own site.


Caucus public hearing becomes “closed session” – Police not prepared to be responsive

The absence of police officials and the need for the “public hearing” of the Parliamentary Caucus on Human Rights and Good Governance on “Fight Rising Crime” in Petaling Jaya last night  to become a “closed session” are  clear proof that the Police is still not prepared to adopt a new paradigm of “policing for people” despite all talk of police “rebranding with a new vision and mission”.

Instead of thanking the Parliamentary Caucus on Human Rights and Good Governance for creating a meaningful forum for the police to hear the voices of the people about their concerns, fears, hopes and nightmares about crime and the fear of crime in various parts of the country, the police have adopted a far from appreciative attitude as illustrated by the absence of police officials at the public hearing in Petaling Jaya last night to  hear out the people who are concerned about the law-and-order situation in the Klang Valley  to attend and speak up  at the three-hour session.

There is also no doubt that if the Police  is prepared to fully respect and respond to the concerns of Malaysians about the law-and-order situation, there would have been no need for the Parliamentary Caucus public hearing  to become a “closed session” with the media not allowed to report its proceedings.

The “Fight Rising Crime” public hearings of the Parliamentary Caucus on Human Rights and Good Governance were  never meant to be police-bashing exercises, and this was clearly understood by members of the public and the press as illustrated by the first public hearing of the caucus in Johor Baru last Sunday.

There is one common objective among those who attended the public hearing — to have a better-quality policing service to restore to Malaysians their most fundamental human right to be doubly free from crime and the fear of crime, so that citizens, tourists and investors can be safe and feel safe whether in the streets, public places or privacy of their residence.

During the 200th anniversary celebrations of the Royal Malaysian Police in March this year, the Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Musa Hassan said that the police was being “rebranded with a new vision and mission in line with the recommendations of the Royal Police Commission”.

If so, then the Police must be guided by the strategic objective which the Royal Police Commission had spelt out for the Malaysian Police — “a world class, twenty-first century organization that is efficient, clean and trustworthy, dedicated to serving the people and the nation with integrity and respect for human rights”.

The police had failed in the rebranding with a new vision and mission as recommended by the Royal Police Commission when it refuses to undergo a new policing paradigm of transforming from “Policing for Government” to “Policing for People” with the conspicuous absence of police officers at the Parliamentary Caucus public hearing on “Fight Rising Crime”, which had to become a “closed session” out-of-bounds for  media coverage.

The Royal Police Commission had recommended making crime reduction priority No. 1 for the police, together with eradication of corruption and compliance with prescribed laws and human rights.

The two Parliamentary Caucus  public hearings in Johor Baru and Petaling Jaya are incontrovertible evidence that the police have failed to keep crime index low to make the country safe for the people, visitors and foreign investors — with the fear of crime even more palpable in Johor Baru than in the Klang Valley though  very real and widespread in the latter.

This losing war against rising crime  is also borne out by police statistics – with the crime index worsening  from 156,315 cases in 2003 to 226,836 cases in 2006,  a sharp rise of 45.1% in the past three years when the police force had set the target of reducing the crime index by five per cent each year!

The Royal Police Commission had in fact set higher benchmarks for the police, proposing a minimum of 20% decrease in each category of crime within a period of 12 months.

From the latest answer given by the Prime Minister and Internal Security Minister, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi,  to my parliamentary question, the country recorded a 8.7 per cent increase in the crime index between January and May this year as compared to the first five months of last year — with Kuala Lumpur registering an increase of 18.7 per cent  and Selangor an increase of 13.7 per cent.

As the Royal Police Commission rightly pointed out, the Police cannot make any headway in “rebranding with a new vision and mission” unless it is prepared to have a mindset change starting by  ending  its denial syndrome that it has been fighting a losing war against crime and the fear of crime particularly in the “black areas of crime” in the country and that the Police must undergo a paradigm shift  to transform itself from “Policing for Government ” to “Policing for People”.

                This entry was posted on Thursday, 12 July 2007, 12:26 pm and is filed under
Parliament
,
Police
. You can follow any responses to this entry through
RSS 2.0
.                You can
leave a response
, or
trackback
 from your own site.


Dear Citizen Lina…

by
Farish A. Noor

Identities are funny things. They evolve, overlap and sometimes regress when we least expect it. Odder still, most of us — though we might not care to admit it — actually have several at the same time; and the dilemma faced by many of us living in this modern world is how to juggle several overlapping, criss-crossing, permanently mutating and at times contradictory identities at the same time, without having to make an appointment with the psychoanalyst.

Now the problem of living in modern postcolonial nation-states like ours is that in just too many cases the politics of identity has come to the forefront as the defining aspect of national politics as a whole. Malaysia is not unique in this respect and everywhere we look we see modern nation-states in crisis, or denial, because the citizens themselves are at odds over who and what they are. The bane of postcolonial development is the lingering doubts over nationhood, loyalty and belonging. Once the white masters in their funny pith helmets packed their bags and were shipped back home, the natives started asking the question: ‘Now who has the right to stay?’

What is doubly odd about Malaysia (and here we are unique) is the way that the postcolonial set up envisaged a rather ackward and clumsy arrangement between two legal systems; one secular and one religious, to cater to the needs of all. Furthermore as we all know this happens to be one of the very few countries in the world where the racial and religious identity of one group — the Malays — has been defined by the constitution.

That the conflation of Malay and Muslim identity is artificial and has no basis in history is embarrassingly evident for all to see. Why, we just have to hop on the first AirAsia flight to Indonesia next door to see for ourselves that the same rule does not apply for them. Indonesians seem more comfortable with the idea that in the same family there can be Muslims, Christians and Hindus living under one roof, and unlike us they dont go around crafting slogans and jinggles for the ad campaign to sell Indonesia as some multi-culti happy land of harmony that is ‘Truly Asia’. Moreover, it proves that our Indonesian friends are quite capable of living with Pluralism that doesnt have to be imported from the liberal capitals of the West. But try taking that road to multiculturalism in Malaysia and see what happens…

Well, in fact one among our number has done just that, though at a rather hefty cost to her well-being.

I am, of course talking about our fellow Malaysian citizen Lina Joy. Though I’ve never met her and have no idea what she looks like, I am disturbed by the fact that right now, as we stand precariously on the brink of our big fiftieth anniversary, the Malaysian nation has lost — some would say ejected — one of our own. At fifty Malaysia as a nation should be mature enough, wise enough, and gutsy enough to live with the realities of a complex plural society. Yet Lina’s decision to leave Islam and to convert to another religion has irked many among her former faith community.

Legal technicalities aside, what surprised me the most was the reaction of some quarters who immediately pounced upon citizen Lina and denounced her as a traitor to her race and religion. Death threats ensued, with hatemail and slander aplenty. (Something Malaysians seem particularly fond of and good at.) Mobs took to the streets demanding their brand of small town justice, and warnings were issued to latte-drinking liberals not to stir the hornets’ nest or revise the constitutional set up of the country.

It doesn’t take much intelligence to see that behind this wayang kulit of inflated egos and boiling tempers were some other political motives at work. First and foremost one is struck by how citizen Lina was accused of being both a race traitor and an apostate at the same time, underscoring the fact that here in our quirky little tropical paradise being Malay is inextricably bound to being a Muslim. Of course any historian worth his or her salt would be the first to tell you that this notion raises a plethora of unanswered questions, such as ‘if being a Malay means being Muslim, then what the heck were our ancestors who built all those temples like Borobudur and Prambanan, and their humbler cousins here in Lembah Bujang?’ Swedish??

Such are the commonsensical fictions that guide our understanding of identity in this benighted country of ours that till today conversion to Islam is referred to as ‘masuk Melayu’ (becoming Malay). Following the same skewered logic that got us into this mess in the first place, leaving Islam is tantamount to abandoning the Malay community as well. Thus it hardly comes as a surprise if the groups who were most vocal in demonising our fellow citizen Lina happened to be the gung-ho rempit-types who are more than happy to harp on and on about preserving the agenda of Ketuanan Melayu as well.

Citizen Lina was accused of breaking the law, causing trouble, upsetting the neighbours and keeping hundreds of conservative die-hards awake night after night. Yet in the midst of this brouhaha we forget that this story involves the plight of a fellow Malaysian citizen whose only fault — if we can even call it that — was to ask to be recognised for what she is today. By making what had to be a difficult and costly choice for herself, however, what citizen Lina has done is remind us all of the contingencies of identity and how identities are constructed, rather than defined by narrow essentials. She is living proof that someone can be Malay and Christian at the same time, a fact rooted in our collective past which recurs again and again to spook the simplistic worldview of some today.

For all intents and purposes, Lina is a Malaysian like the rest of us. That she has been forced into hiding is a shame that all of us will now be forced to carry on our collective shoulders. Furthermore she also happens to be a Christian, and no legal hassling, soap-box dramatics, verbal pyrotechnics and rabble-rousing will alter that simple fact. I happen to be a Muslim not because it is stated so on some piece of paper, but because that happens to be my current existential status. The same applies to the rest of us, whatever our beliefs may be; and the same certainly applies to Lina, our fellow citizen.

I regret the fact that I am writing this without the benefit of ever having met Lina herself. Perhaps one day our paths may cross and I shall finally come face to face with this fellow citizen whose choice of belief proves my point that identities are crafted and decided by agency rather than the dictates of history and the circumstances of politics. When that day comes, I shall be quite happy indeed — for citizen Lina is proof that Malaysia is still capable of defining itself according to the will and agency of its citizens, and it is we, after all, who define what Malaysia is. To Lina, my fellow Malaysian, I wish a Happy Merdeka and all the best.

                This entry was posted on Thursday, 12 July 2007, 4:20 pm and is filed under
Farish Noor
,
nation building
,
Religion
. You can follow any responses to this entry through
RSS 2.0
.                You can
leave a response
, or
trackback
 from your own site.


Apologies demanded – Noh Omar for gangsterish conduct and Hishammuddin for racist/baseless insinuation

DAP Members of Parliament will censure the Deputy Education Minister Datuk  Noh Omar in Parliament unless he apologises to the Selangor DAP State Chairman Au Yong Han Wah for his loutish and gangsterish conduct at the Education Ministry in Putrajaya yesterday.

Au Yong had accompanied Lim Kim Chung and his wife from Pandamaran, Klang  to submit a memorandum to the Education Minister over the punching of their Remove Class daughter, Lim Nien Nie, 13, by her teacher at the  Sekolah Menengah Raja Lumu, Pandamaran on Monday.

Noh Omar had acted in a way totally unbefitting and unbecoming of a Deputy Education Minister when he lost control of himself and created a public scene by abusing Au Yong and crumbling and throwing away the memorandum, which had to be picked up by his officer.

I am shocked by Noh Omar’s public misconduct, as I had thought that he would have mended from his previous  ways of acting and behaving like a gangster when he was Deputy Internal Security Minister, as he had been assigned to the task of maintaining school discipline.

How could Noh Omar wipe out the menace of school gangsterism when he continues to act and behave like a gangster,  setting the worst possible example to students — totally without a proper sense of the public behaviour expected not only of a government officer, but an elected official?

Noh Omar was creating a  red herring when he accused  the Selangor  DAP of interfering in a school discipline matter, for Au Yong and the Selangor DAP officials were only carrying out their duties to the public when they were approached for assistance when  the school authorities refused to take appropriate action against the teacher for the physical violence of  punching  the Remove Class student.

I am shocked that the Education Minister, Datuk Seri
Hishammuddin Hussein
had given blanket approval for the loutish and gangsterish conduct of Noh Omar, even making racist and baseless  insinuations that DAP leaders only take up cases involving one community.

Hishammuddin even asked why the DAP was never  bothered about the death  a few years back of Mohd Farid Ibrahim,  the fourth-former at Sekolah Menengah Agama  Dato  Kelana Petra Maamor, Ampangan, Seremban who died after being assaulted by a group of seniors at the school hostel, openly suggesting  that DAP leaders were racists and were not concerned about the plight of victims if they were  Malays.

Hishammuddin was Education Minister when the killing of Mohd Farid took place at the religious school hostel and he should know that he was telling a lie when he said DAP leaders were unconcerned about the case.

I personally visited the Mohd Farid’s parents in their Seremban home over their son’s murder and I was in court during the murder trial.

Hishammuddin should apologise for making such a baseless and unwarranted allegation, which raises grave questions as to whether he sees himself as an Education Minister for all Malaysians who respects the viewpoints of all Malaysians regardless of race or whether he is above all else just a keris-wielding UMNO Youth leader.

                This entry was posted on Friday, 13 July 2007, 12:53 pm and is filed under
Education
. You can follow any responses to this entry through
RSS 2.0
.                You can
leave a response
, or
trackback
 from your own site.


Caucus public hearing in BM – let IGP declare police have no objection to media coverage

The Police should make clear that  they are fully responsive  to  the people’s concerns about crime and the  fear of crime by sending representatives to the third Parliamentary Caucus public hearing in Bukit Mertajam  (at Jit Sin Chinese Independent Secondary School ) at 10 am on Sunday and declaring no police objections whatsoever  to media coverage.

The Malaysian people cannot be blamed for concluding that the reason the second public hearing of the Parliamentary Caucus on Human Rights and Good Governance on “Fight Rising Crime”  in Petaling Jaya on Wednesday became a “closed session” which did not allow media reporting, which was a departure from the first public hearing in Johor Baru last Sunday, was because of police pressure.

This is not conducive to the police regaining full public confidence in its mission to fight and reduce crime and the fear of crime.

The Police should welcome opportunities such as the public hearings of the Parliamentary Caucus on Human Rights and Good Governance to allow the people to speak their minds and adopt an open and positive attitude to public criticisms about the failings and failures of the police in its task to reduce crime and the fear of crime.

These criticisms are made not because the people are anti-police and want to indulge in police bashing, but because the people, like the Royal Police Commission which was formed by the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi in one of his early initiatives when appointed to the highest office in the land 44 months ago, want to have a world-class police service which is efficient and professional enough to make the streets, public places and the privacy of homes safe and secure for citizens, tourists and investors.

Malaysians want the Police to be their friends and protectors and are prepared to give the Police all assistance and support to wipe out the country’s notoriety in crime and fear of crime, which former Deputy Prime Minister Tun Musa Hitam admitted a few days ago is a major disincentive for foreign investment.

Is the Inspector-General Police Tan Sri Musa Hassan prepared to send out a clear signal that the Police welcome public criticisms and will fully co-operate with the Parliamentary Caucus on Human Rights and Good Governance it its series of  “Fight Rising Crime” public hearings — and that he will ensure that top police officers will attend the public hearing in Bukit Mertajam and the Police have no objection whatsoever  to the public hearing being given media coverage?

Otherwise, Musa should explain what the Police have to hide that they are so opposed to the Caucus public hearing being open to media coverage?

                This entry was posted on Friday, 13 July 2007, 2:20 pm and is filed under
Media
,
Parliament
,
Police
. You can follow any responses to this entry through
RSS 2.0
.                You can
leave a response
, or
trackback
 from your own site.


PM speech to national unity panel

by Dr. Chen Man Hin

True to form, the PM  talks on generalities such as we are all Malaysians.  However what he did not say was worrying.

He did not say that Malaysians are equal and enjoy equal opportunities.

Did we hear about his views on Bangsa Malaysia?  Or that Malaysians are one Bangsa Malaysia without differentiation of Malaysians  into
Ketuanan Melayu
 and ordinary Malaysians?

Did he say that there is only a Malaysian agenda and not something that Mmno wants — the Malay agenda?

If he believed in a Malaysian philosophy of a  multiracial society that is multicultural and multireligious, then why after 50 years of Merdeka there is still classification of Malaysians into bumiputras and non bumiputras, quotas, racial preferences in politics, economics, culture and religion?

PM was quoted to have said the NEP has removed one of the two prongs of NEP, that there is no more identification of race with economic functions. So why did he not  say that there is no more need for the NEP to continure?

Then again, mouthing a Malaysian philosophy and having an national unity advisory panel that is predominantly Malay are contradictory. It clearly shows  the Malay agenda in practice. This  truly reflect the political dilemma and hypocrisy  that plagues our country.

                This entry was posted on Friday, 13 July 2007, 10:49 am and is filed under
nation building
. You can follow any responses to this entry through
RSS 2.0
.                You can
leave a response
, or
trackback
 from your own site.


The Photo I would Really Like to See

By
Farish A. Noor

The pranksters have been at it again, though perhaps in the eyes of some, the latest joke came across as being more of a stunt. We are, of course, referring to the now-infamous doctored photo of the Deputy Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak that was intended to remind us of an alleged encounter in some mysterious faraway locale which others would presumably hope to forget. Notwithstanding the ruckus that was sparked by the posting of this photo on the internet, the point was made and it was a valid one: If the real photo exists somewhere out there, we would like to see it, please.

Some have raised the question: Why all the fuss over a photo, real or fake? Well, the historian will tell you that photos are of crucial importance for any form of socio-political and historical research. For a long time the documentary worth of photos was downgraded by many scholars. Yet photos do tell us much about the subjects they contain, and in photos we find empirical evidence that helps to underscore the points we wish to make.

Take a walk down memory lane and visit the National Archives if you don’t believe me: While doing research for my book on the history of the Pan-Malaysian Islamic party (PAS), for instance, I was struck by the photos of the PAS general assemblies of the 1960s and 70s. For a start, the few surviving photos of the Dewan Muslimat (Women’s Wing) of PAS dating back then would show that many of the female members of PAS were quite comfortable wearing kebayas at the meetings, and some of them didn’t even wear tudungs. The sartorial shifts that took place not long after are a record of the social changes that took place in Malaysia from the 1980s onwards, which remains of historical importance.

Browsing through photos of Malaysia in the 1960s one also sees another Malaysia that may seem so alien to many of us now: Multi-racial dinner parties where Malaysians of all races and religions were happily eating, drinking and dancing the night away — tango and cha-cha being the favourite dances then. How quickly everything changed when the conservative elements of our society came to the fore in the 1980s, and the parties became decidedly tamer and duller, and the only drinks served in the wine glasses of the 1960s were fanta and pepsi…

Disappearing photos are another interesting phenomena altogether, and if any of you had been browsing through the net during the late 1990s you may have noticed an unreported event that was (and remains) of some importance:

Following his dismissal from office and the UMNO party, photos of the former Deputy Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim were speedily deleted from all the UMNO party websites. In a classic case of historical erasure ala Stalin and co. the memory of Anwar was removed from the public domain with a click, in a pre-emptive move that foretold of his subsequent arrest and beating by the security services.

Now back to the current brouhaha over the photos of the Deputy Prime Minister. As a political historian, I obviously cannot discount the possibility that the mysterious photo of this equally mysterious encounter might be out there somewhere. However for now fake pictures — even if they were intended as a joke — would not suffice.

But there are plenty of other real photos I would like to see. For a start many of the photos of Kuala Lumpur during and after the 13 May riots of 1969 have mysteriously disappeared. These need to be recovered for the simple reason that many of the faces we might see on these photos will tell us who were really involved in the racial clashes then.

However at the very top of my list of must-see pics is the photo of the abovementioned politician (and his other UMNO mates) present at a rally of several thousand Malay ethno-nationalists at the TPCA stadium of Kampung Baru in Kuala Lumpur in late 1987, a location loaded with symbolic meaning because the 13 May riots of 1969 began close by. Najib Razak was then deputy leader of UMNO Youth, whose members were present in large numbers at the meeting. You may recall that at the time the ruling UMNO party was in crisis (as it always is) following the election of the party leadership and the break-up of UMNO into the so-called camps A and B. That was also the year when the UMNO party was declared null and void, and a major political crisis ensued. That also happened to be the year when the government faced another crisis over the thorny issue of vernacular Chinese education, and when racial tempers were flaring.

At this rally in Kampung Baru, the politician who is now the Deputy Prime Minister was seen with the crowd that was already hot-tempered. We will recall that the banners and slogans shouted then included warnings such as ‘May 13 Will Happen Again’ and vain boasts such as ‘This Keris Will Drink Chinese Blood’. As a young scholar in England at the time, I recall watching televised images of this event where the leaders of the ruling party was seen standing in the middle of the crowd while all this bloodthirsty demagoguery was going on. Odd, to say the least, that a man who was present at such a racist rally could now occupy such a position of power in the country. (Or perhaps not so odd, considering the nature of Malaysia’s divisive communitarian racial politics… )

Now if anyone out there has any of these photos, this historian of modern Malaysian politics would dearly like to have some copies; un-doctored, thank you. I would also like to have all the newspaper cuttings of that period when shortly after the government launched Operation Lalang, that led to the arrest and detention of more than a hundred opposition politicians, academics, human rights activists and religious leaders. In particular I am still looking for the newspaper headline where another upcoming UMNO leader (then) justified the crackdown and the use of the ISA as a necessary security measure, ostensibly for the public good. (Despite the fact that the 1987 crisis, as we all know or should know by now, was really an internal crisis within UMNO and the ruling BN coalition that finally spilled out into the public domain.)

Politicians are public figures and they should be made to remember that they are in the glare of the public eye all the time. Yet in Malaysia these same individuals seem to think that they can rule the country like the Rajas and Dewarajas of old, trampling upon the sensitivities of the public and abusing their privileges at whim. Collecting such photographic evidence (along with newspaper cuttings, recorded speeches, etc.) is the first step towards building a people’s history of Malaysia and at the same time serves as an effective means to ensure that politicians do not get away with anything and everything under the sun.

So the next time you see one of these hot-headed nationalists brandish his keris in public and scream about racial supremacy, take a picture and keep it for posterity’s sake. Or better still, send it to us at
www.othermalaysia.org
. We should never let politicians get away with their mistakes, or allow them to forget them. The public store of common knowledge is the bedrock upon which a national history is made and written, and in the end it is that national history that will hold these politicians to account.

                This entry was posted on Friday, 13 July 2007, 11:24 am and is filed under
Farish Noor
,
nation building
. You can follow any responses to this entry through
RSS 2.0
.                You can
leave a response
, or
trackback
 from your own site.


Why with pay increase, police cannot assure public they are and feel safer in homes and communities

Another shocking crime report in today’s newspapers —
“Man dies in bid to foil car theft”

(The Star)
, how a factory worker Tan Chee Wai, 31,  was stabbed to death near his home in Taman Seri Cheras, Kuala Lumpur, at 7 am yesterday to prevent four men from  stealing  a car.

In Johor Baru, a woman was slashed in the early hours of Thursday morning when she was robbed at a petrol kiosk to refill fuel.

The day before in Johor Baru,  a Nanyang Siang Pau woman reporter who had told the Johor State Chief Police Officer the previous day that the crime situation in the town was so bad that she dared not come out at night was herself injured when she was a victim of an attempt snatch theft.

Nobody is safe from crime or spared from the fear of crime, particularly in the hot spots of crime  in Johor Baru, Klang Valley, Penang and Ipoh — despite the recent increases in police pay and personnel as well as a lot of P.R. by top police officers.

Even the police are not  safe in the privacy of their homes, as illustrated by the case of
L/Kpl Redzuan Mat Nor
, 41, from the Batu Arang police station, who was badly injured when he put up a fight when three robbers broke into his house in Taman Pelangi, Rawang last Saturday. Redzuan was slashed with a parang.

The question all Malaysians are entitled to demand an answer is why the  Police cannot give clear-cut assurances that with recent  pay increases, the people  can be  and feel safer in their homes and communities and the public can get better services from the police, with victims or witnesses to crimes treated better by the police?

The crime index had been on an unchecked  increase in the past four years although  the police force had set the target of reducing the crime index by five per cent each year while the Royal Police Commission had proposed a more ambitious target of a  minimum of 20% decrease in each category of crime within a period of 12 months from mid-2005.

Crime statistics show the police fighting a losing  war against rising crime as  the crime index worsened  from 156,315 cases in 2003 to 226,836 cases in 2006,  a sharp rise of 45.1% in the past three years.

In the first five months of this year, crime index has further worsened,  with the country recording  a 8.7 per cent increase in the crime index between January and May this year as compared to the first five months of last year.

This does not give a true picture of the grave crime situation as these are reported crimes, and there is a serious problem of unreported crimes with many victims of crimes  not lodging police reports because they have no confidence in the police.

It is because of this rising crime in the country that the Parliamentary Caucus on Human Rights and Good Governance is holding its third public hearing in Bukit Mertajam at Jit Sin Chinese Independent Secondary School at 10 am tomorrow.

The Police have rightly said that fighting crime cannot be left to the police alone. But the Police must demonstrate that it appreciates public assistance by not only sending it top officers to the Caucus public hearing in Bukit Mertajam tomorrow but by declaring that it has no objection to media coverage of the public hearing.

This will be proof  that the Police is getting out of its serious denial complex in refusing to admit that it is facing a crisis of confidence as to how to make the streets, public places and privacy of homes safe and secure again for citizens, tourists and investors.

                This entry was posted on Saturday, 14 July 2007, 2:24 pm and is filed under
Parliament
,
Police
. You can follow any responses to this entry through
RSS 2.0
.                You can
leave a response
, or
trackback
 from your own site.


Abdullah should intervene to “Free Nat Now” so that 50th Merdeka anniversary will not start off infamously

The Prime Minister and Internal Security Minister, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi must intervene to free
Nathaniel Tan
immediately to ensure that his administration does not start the slide down the slippery slope of repression to mark Malaysia’s 50th Merdeka anniversary — openly violating his pledges of an open, democratic, accountable and good governance when he was appointed to the highest office of the land 44 months ago.

The secretive circumstances in the first seven hours of arrest of  Nathaniel Tan, an aide of Anwar Ibrahim and information bureau staff of Parti Keadilan Rakyat, where his friends, relatives and supporters had to go on a “wild goose chase” to locate his whereabouts with the police initially disclaiming knowledge and refusing to give  information about his detention, is a scandal which speaks  of a police which has yet to fully accept that the first principle of policing in a democratic system must be policing for the people and not policing to serve the government leaders of the day.

The irregular and illegal circumstances of Tan’s arrest, with the police spiriting him away for seven hours without proper accounting, raises the question as to the actual motives behind the police action.

Is Tan’s arrest the beginning of a clampdown on dissent and criticism particularly in the blogosphere?

Had Tan become a pawn in a trade-off among the powers-that-be in the political and police establishments to close ranks and  protect their vested interests in the face of more and more specific and detailed allegations and increasing expose in the public domain of corruption, malpractices and abuses of power involving both the top political and police establishments?

Free Nat Now. Abdullah should be aware that the whole world is watching Malaysia. If the  Prime Minister does not  want the 50th Merdeka Anniversary celebrations to start off infamously, he should act and restrain police abuses by freeing Tan immediately.

                This entry was posted on Saturday, 14 July 2007, 11:33 am and is filed under
Human Rights
,
Police
. You can follow any responses to this entry through
RSS 2.0
.                You can
leave a response
, or
trackback
 from your own site.