Malaysian Indians

Hindraf duo still not fully free -- Lim Kit Siang

2009-04-06T06:34:00.000-07:00

Hindraf duo still not fully free
Posted by admin
Sunday, 05 April 2009 18:15

(The Malaysian Insider) - The two Hindraf leaders released from the Kamunting detention centre this afternoon are still in police custody, opposition leader Lim Kit Siang said today.

He said both V. Ganabatirau and R. Kenghadharan were taken by police and are believed to be at the Selangor police contingent headquarters in Shah Alam.

Both were released conditionally and had yet to leave the police custody.

“This is a most shameful way in releasing the two and most outrageous way in treating their families, which included young children!” Lim said in a statement.

“Can the new prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak explain the reason for the police ‘cat-and-mouse’ with Ganabatirau and Kengadharan and their families when Najib had announced their ‘immediate release’ under the ISA?” the Ipoh Timur MP asked.

He said both Hindraf leaders were taken out of Kamunting Detention Centre at 1.30pm under strict police escort, without being allowed to meet with their families, and as at 4.30pm the two police cars transporting the two in custody were sighted at Sungei Buloh, believed to be on the way to the Shah Alam police building.

The DAP strongman said the police move was a violation of the three Najib thematic themes of “1Malaysia. People First. Performance Now."

Another three Hindraf leaders have yet to be freed. Critics say the release of just two is to fish for votes in three by-elections this April 7.

http://www.hinducurrents.com/articles/16063/

Release of Hindraf leaders in Malaysia

2009-04-04T06:59:00.000-07:00

New Malaysia PM to free detainees, lift media ban
By VIJAY JOSHI – 23 hours ago
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak, in his first act after talking office Friday, freed 13 people being held under a law that allows indefinite detention and lifted a ban on two opposition newspapers.
"These decisions are timely as we move to enhance the confidence of our citizens in those entrusted with maintaining peace, law and order," Najib said in a surprise announcement on national television, hours after taking the oath of office.
"In this spirit, I would like to announce that the government has decided with immediate effect to remove the temporary ban on two news publications (and) release 13 detainees" from detention under the Internal Security Act, he said in a short and solemn speech.
Those freed include two ethnic Indian activists who were arrested in December 2007 for leading an anti-government campaign, three foreigners and eight suspected Islamic militants, Home Minister Syed Hamid Albar announced separately.
About 30 others remain in custody under the decades-old ISA, which allows indefinite detention without trial. Najib also promised to "conduct a comprehensive review" of the act.
He lifted the ban on the Harakah and Suara Keadilan newspapers, the publications of two main opposition parties. The three-month ban, imposed on March 23 with no reason given, ignited fears of a crackdown on press freedom.
"It is a good start. I am happy he has done this as it sets the bar high for his promise of adherence to rule of law. We fully expect him to live up to it," said Malaysia's leading human rights lawyer, Malik Imtiaz Sarwar.
"The ISA is a draconian and oppressive act which runs counter to the rule of law in modern Malaysia. All other detainees must be released as well," he told The Associated Press.
At various times opposition lawmakers, journalists and bloggers have been arrested under the ISA. Five ethnic Indian activists from the Hindu Rights Action Force, or Hindraf, were arrested in December 2007, of whom two are being freed.
They had organized a massive anti-government demonstration to complain about discrimination faced by ethnic minorities in the Malay-majority country.
"We want the unconditional and immediate release of all ISA detainees," said Hindraf leader P. Wayatha Moorthy, who lives in exile in London. "Only then can Najib sow confidence in the people" that he wants to bring democracy to Malaysia, he said in a telephone interview.
Malaysia's minority ethnic Indians and Chinese have been chafing at an affirmative action program for the Malay majority. In March 2008 elections, minority discontentment led to the ruling National Front coalition's worst results in the 51 years it has been in power.
It failed to get a two-thirds majority for the first time in 40 years, conceding 82 seats to the opposition in the 222-member Parliament. It also lost an unprecedented five states.
Najib's predecessor, Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, accepted blame for the loss and was forced out of office by the United Malays National Organization party, which leads the Front. Abdullah resigned Thursday as part of a planned power transition spread over one year.
The 55-year-old, British-educated Najib inherited the mammoth task of healing the country's politics, society and an economy heading for recession.
Associated Press writers Julia Zappei and Eileen Ng contributed to this report.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gee0HQDakZhTyH0OADiv9B1zjQuQD97B1EL00
Malaysian Indian Congress calls for release of three other HINDRAF members
April 4th, 2009 - 2:23 pm ICT by ANI
Kuala Lumpur, Apr.10 (ANI): The Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC) has urged the federal government to release the other three Hindu Rights Action Front (HINDRAF) members, who were detained under Internal Security Act in 2007.
MIC president S. Samy Vellu was quoted by The Star as saying: “We thank the Government and Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak for releasing two ISA detainees associated with the banned HINDRAF movement.”
He was asked to comment on the freeing of Hindraf lawyers V. Ganabatirau and R. Kengadharan who were among the 13 ISA detainees to be released by Najib in his first address to the nation as Prime Minister yesterday.
Samy Vellu said the MIC was happy that the Government had agreed with the party’s request to release the HINDRAF members.
“I hope they will release the rest of them quickly as it will make the Indian community happy,” he said.
Education Minister Hishammuddin Tun Hussein said the move to release the 13 ISA detainees was an act to stabilise the political situation in the country. (ANI)
http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/world-news/malaysian-indian-congress-calls-for-release-of-three-other-hindraf-members_100175410.html
Freeing detainees in the interest of Malaysia, says Najib
Jaishree Balasubramanian.
Kuala Lumpur, Apr 4 (PTI) Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak today said the decision to release 13 people, including ethnic Indian activists, detained under country's tough security law proves that his government was not"repressive".
"If we don't release them (the detainees), they will say the government is repressive. If we release them, they will say we are populist,"Najib told reporters at a press conference at the administrative capital of Putrajaya.
"The government has the best interest of the people at heart,"he said, describing it as the main reason behind the release of the detainees.
In his first decision as prime minister, Najib yesterday said he will revoke a ban on two newspapers and release 13 people held under the tough Internal Security Act (ISA), which allows for indefinite detention.
One Indian national, who had been detained under ISA for having forged documents, would also be released. Two other ethnic Indian activists along with their three colleagues had been in detention since December 2007 for organising a massive rally, declared as illegal by the government, on Nov 25, 2007.
More than 20,000 ethnic Indians participated in the rally, organised by Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf) to protest against alleged marginalisation of the community. The government had denied the allegations and later banned Hindraf. Three Hindraf leaders are still under detention.
http://www.indopia.in/India-usa-uk-news/latest-news/540922/International/2/20/2

Badawi to quit in April 2009. Good riddance.

2009-03-28T16:59:00.000-07:00

Malaysian prime minister to resign April 2
By SEAN YOONG
The Associated Press
Saturday, March 28, 2009; 6:22 AM
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia -- Malaysia's prime minister announced Saturday he will resign April 2 and hand over power to his deputy, completing a transition one year in the making after the ruling coalition's shock drubbing in general elections.
Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi relinquished the presidency of the United Malays National Organization party, which leads the ruling National Front coalition, earlier this week to Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak.
In keeping with tradition, the party chief also becomes prime minister.
"I wish to retire with a feeling of peace. I want to carry no negative emotions with me," Abdullah said, choking with emotion in a speech wrapping up the party's annual congress.
Abdullah, 69, said he will meet Malaysia's king, the constitutional monarch, on April 2 to convey "my intention to relinquish my responsibility as the prime minister." He said a ceremony to hand the reins over to Najib will be held later but gave no date. Local media speculate it will happen April 3.
Najib, 55, comes to office under a cloud of his own. The opposition accuses him of corruption and links to the murder of a young woman who was his friend's mistress. He vehemently denies the allegations.
"Please don't prejudge me ... judge me by my actions. Don't judge me on rumors of baseless allegations," Najib told reporters after Abdullah's speech.
The five-day UMNO congress elected top office bearers, most of them Najib allies, who will find places in his Cabinet.
"I believe the new leadership lineup will bring the desired change and strengthen our party to return it to the people's hearts," Abdullah said, quoting liberally from the Quran in a 30-minute speech.
The party congress' debates and speeches also became a virtual soul-searching to pinpoint the reasons for UNMO's plunging popularity.
They acknowledged what many Malaysians have been saying: UMNO is a party of corrupt and power-hungry politicians. The party is also accused of subverting the judiciary, the police force and the bureaucracy while discriminating against the Chinese and Indian minorities.
In 2003, Abdullah replaced longtime Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad amid great hopes that he would be a reformer. He was credited with allowing people to criticize the government and loosening controls over the media. But his much-vaunted promises to end corruption and bring about racial equality brought few results.
Critics within the party also said the freedoms he allowed led to a groundswell of support for the opposition, which dealt a heavy blow to the National Front in March 2008 elections. The front failed to win its traditional two-thirds majority in Parliament for the first time in 40 years and lost control of five states, its worst result since taking power after independence in 1957.
On Saturday, Abdullah apologized for his shortcomings. In earlier speeches, many party leaders paid handsome tributes to Abdullah for stepping down in the party's interest.
Abdullah also was weakened by regular public attacks from Mahathir, who accused him of corruption and nepotism by promoting his son-in-law, Khairy Jamaulddin. To the surprise of many, Khairy defeated Mahathir's son in an election at the UNMO congress for chief of the party's youth wing.
After his speech, Abdullah walked over and embraced Mahathir, who attended the congress for first time in four years, apparently to mark Abdullah's departure.
Abdullah said he will take a short break from politics to help his wife with her garden but will continue to contribute to the party.
"It is not that I will disappear and go to another world or to outer space," he said. He is expected to remain a lawmaker in Parliament but will have no role in Najib's government.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/03/28/AR2009032800212.html?hpid=moreheadlines

Stop the crufixion of Malaysian Indian -- Hindraf

2009-01-21T19:45:00.000-08:00

HINDRAF – Stop the crucifixion of Malaysian Indian

22 years old Kugan a/l Ananthan proclaimed dead after being in custody
in Police Station (Balai Polis) - Subang Jaya. What is happening to
the Malaysian Indians? Why don't the UMNO led government just arrest
and kill us all as the NAZI's did in the holocaust once for all as we
as the thirds class citizen and are such a sore eye to you. Look at
his injuries suffered in the police station at www.makkal.org. Look at
the main media spinmaster at New Straits Times that can claim that a
22 year old man can die all of a sudden within 5 days being in police
custody. Such atrocities prevail in this modern time for the unwanted
Malaysian Indians we are. Does humanity chooses its color, race,
religion or are we going to wait for the tailored version post mortem
by the UMNO led government to dictate on what actually happened
through its spinmasters?

Aren't we not deserving human to enjoy the same rule of law and
constitutional right to life amongst other Malaysians but rather
treated as animals and slave?

Why the rule of law, constitutional rights of being a Malaysian takes
a back step when it involves a Malaysian Indian? What have we done to
deserve such treatment when our forefathers had toiled for the
progress and benefit of the nation?

The recent case of Prabakaran's permanent bodily harm inflicted by the
police force has not even settled and we have a dead body of a
Malaysian Indian in the police station.

As for the missing Solomon the other who was arrested seems to be out
of radar. Is he going to end up as another dead body? The police
force has neither released him nor confirmed his whereabouts until
today. There is clearly no transparency or accountability by the
police force on his matter.

The abuses and human right violations that are perpetrated either in
the police stations or outside the police station seems endless
without regard to the rule of law and the constitution.

The UMNO led government seems to be providing the protection to the
police force in their modus operandi in marauding the public as and
how they wish. This is clearly an indication of a police state that is
against the principal of democracy in fairness and justice and above
all total annihilation of the Malaysian Indians.

Thank you.

P. Waytha Moorthy

Hindraf- Chairman http://www.makkal.org/

Watch Malaysian police info here

2009-01-11T19:10:00.000-08:00

http://web.archive.org/web/20071230160643/http://www.policewatchmalaysia.com/

The blocked/deleted hindraf site containing a wealth of information
can be accessed here.

Malaysia bans Hindu Rights Action Force

2008-10-16T05:04:00.000-07:00

Malaysia bans Hindu Rights Action Force
Press Trust of India
Thursday, October 16, 2008, (Kuala Lumpur)

The Malaysian government has banned the non-governmental Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf), branding it as a threat to national security.

Home Minister Syed Hamid Albar on Wednesday issued a statement declaring Hindraf, which has been advocating ethnic Indian rights since late last year for the minority community, an illegal organisation.

He said the government move followed the result of monitoring and investigations by the country's Registrar of Societies (RoS) since Hindraf was formed.

"As a result of the investigations, the Home Ministry, as per its authority under sections 3 and 5 of the Societies Act 1966, has declared Hindraf unlawful and detrimental to peace, public order, security and the moral values of Malaysia," he said in the statement.

Albar accused the Hindraf of exploiting "racial issues which caused an uprising against the government and created hatred between them and the Malays. I feel that if we don't rein in their activities, they will continue to jeopardize security and public order, our country's sovereignty, as well as upset the harmony among races."

Hindraf came into international focus after it organized a massive rally on November 25 last year to protest alleged marginalisation of the ethnic Indian minority in this country.

More than 20,000 people attended the rally, which was branded as illegal by the government. The large participation took the Abdullah Badawi government by shock. A large section of the ethnic Indians supported the Hindraf as they felt that the Malaysian Indian Congress, led by Samy Vellu, had done little to uplift the community over the past several decades.

Syed Hamid said the decision to ban the movement was not made based on only one or two misdemeanours committed by Hindraf, but covered the entire gamut of activities the group had been involved in since its inception.

"Hindraf submitted a registration application to the RoS on October 16 last year.The application had not been approved, but it went ahead and organised several public gatherings and demonstrations without a permit," he said.

"Considering all the facts and evidence we have, I am satisfied that Hindraf was and is being used in a manner detrimental to public order and national security," New Staraits Times quoted him as saying on Thursday.

An opposition MP has called the government's decision to ban Hindraf as ridiculous and uncalled for, adding that he would move an emergency motion asking for an open debate in Parliament on Thursday.

"This is against the interest and aspirations of the Indian community that is seeking a more tolerant and fair government," M Kulasegaran said, adding that Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi had agreed to hold a dialogue with Hindraf leaders but "nothing was done".

Hindraf national coordinator, R S Thanenthiran said the ban was unfair as they had not committed any crime or broken any laws, adding that Syed Hamid could have done this in retaliation to the police reports Hindraf supporters lodged against him.

Thanenthiran said Hindraf chairman P Waythamoorthy, who is in self-exile in Britain, had instructed coordinators to wait for a day before making further statements.

Coalition of Indian NGOs secretary-general Gunaraj George said that by banning Hindraf, Syed Hamid had rendered the Indian community voiceless, but said it would not dampen the spirit of its supporters.

"I know that their struggle will go on especially to free all those detained under the Internal Security Act," Star newspaper quoted him as saying.

http://www.ndtv.com/convergence/ndtv/story.aspx?id=NEWEN20080068936

Waytha slams Utusan, TV3 and UMNO linked NGO

2008-10-06T05:57:00.000-07:00

Waythamoorthy slams Utusan, TV3 and UMNO linked NGO~malaysiakini

Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf) chairperson P Waythamoorthy has taken Malay daily
Utusan Malaysia and television station TV3 to task over their 'biased and invalidated' reporting.In a statement today, he said: "This was a clear to invoke racial tension."He was responding to reports regarding Hindraf's visit to Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's open house at the Putra World Trade Centre in Kuala Lumpur last Wednesday."The visit has been demonised and given the impression that a criminal act was committed and Islam insulted. "It is indeed shocking that federal ministers, senior professors and government officials do not have the intelligence to differentiate between a memorandum and greeting card," he said.

Waytamoorthy, who is currently in self-exile in London, also noted that Hindraf's previous pleas for a dialogue with the prime minister have fallen on deaf ears."The open house is the only day in the year a commoner could make the acquaintance of the PM personally and Hindraf took the liberty to send a clear message- release all prisoners held unjustly without trial in spirit of forgiveness," he said.

Reveal photos and videos
The Hindraf chief also slammed Home Minister Syed Hamid Albar for interpreting the event as an insult to Islam. "We challenge Utusan (Malaysia) and TV3 to make public their photographs and video recordings to prove that Hindraf supporters behaved in an inappropriate manner."To the contrary we have evidence that the PM and his deputy were all smiles and accepted the greetings and card with an open heart," he added.

Last December, five Hindraf leaders were detained under the Internal Security Act several weeks after they had organised a mammoth street protest in Kuala Lumpur. They remain incarcerated without trial at the Kamunting Detention Centre.

Meanwhile, Waythamoorthy said the Umno-led government failed to realise that Malaysians were at a different wavelength now and could judge for themselves what truth, justice and equality means."Utusan Malaysia and TV3 can continue to act as an apparatus of the ruling government with their inept propaganda, but they fail to comprehend that most Malaysians are equipped with their own resources without any real need for their ultra bias commentary," he added.

Legal action
On Saturday, Hindraf coordinator RS Thanenthiran said the movement would initiate legal action against Utusan Malaysia over its reports. According to him, Hindraf was disturbed by the reports which he claimed were 'tainted by lies and distorted facts.'He said the Utusan Malaysia front page report under the headline – 'Hindraf Keterlaluan' (Extreme Hindraf) was unfair and communal, and seemed to suggest that the movement was made of extremists out to disrupt Muslim festivals and pour scorn on Islam.

Criticising another article - Baharom Mahusin's commentary in the same edition, Thanenthiran said the writer was unfair, attempted to incite racial hatred and instigate communal conflict.

Among others, Baharom had penned that 'kalau penyokong Hindraf melakukan penghinaan seumpama itu di kawasan-kawasan pendalaman yang menjadi kampung halaman orang Melayu, mereka sudah pun diajar tentang makna dan akibat berperangai kurang ajar.' (If Hindraf supporters poured such insults in the interior areas dominated by Malays, they would have been taught a lesson on the meaning and consequence of misbehaviour.)

source: malaysiakini

http://malaysianindian1.blogspot.com/2008/10/waythamoorthy-slams-utusan-tv3-and-umno.html

Waytha slams Mahathir for racism comment

2008-06-22T21:37:00.000-07:00

Mahathir under fire from exiled Hindraf leader
Ahti Veeranggan | Jun 21, 08 7:12pm

Dr Mahathir Mohamad came under fire today for suggesting that the Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf) was made up of Tamil racists.

Exiled Hindraf leader P Waytha Moorthy slammed the former premier's racist attack as "typical of Mahathir trying to erase all his wrongdoings during his 22-year dictactor-like rule as the country's fourth prime minister."

All Malaysians, he said, know that Mahathir was single handedly responsible for wiping out the impartiality of the legislative, judiciary and executive powers through widespread abuse or power, corruption, nepotism and cronyism as well as destroying racial harmony in multi racial Malaysia.

"We are disappointed but not surprised by Mahathir's remarks. He is bent to safeguard his personal agenda rather than Malaysian interests", Waytha Moorthy added.

In a blog post this week, Mahathir chided MIC president Samy Vellu for campaigning alongside DAP chairperson Karpal Singh and former UN special rapporteur Param Cumaraswamy in calling him (Mahathir) a racist.

He criticised Samy Vellu for requesting the government to release the five Hindraf leaders detained under the Internal Security Act despite the fact that Hindraf represented Tamil racists, whose motives were akin to Tamil Tigers in Sri Lanka and were seeking their former British colonial masters to protect them and did not believe in Malaysian institutions.

"Hindraf speaks not just of Indians but of Tamils as a separate race. Hindraf and its apologists are racist to the core," Mahathir wrote.

"His racial sling shots hurled at others will not undo the damage he had done to the country, nor will it address his failures as premier to provide equal and fair education, business, economic and religious opportunities to all, especially Malaysian Indians," said Waytha Moorthy in his online posting to his Makkal Sakti supporters, as Hindraf is popularly known now.
Indians conveniently ignored

Pointing out that Hindraf represents the oppressed and suppressed Malaysians of Indian origin, so systematically marginalised over the years, he stressed that the struggle for equality and fairness goes beyond race, religion, creed and skin colour.

The administrations under both Mahathir and current Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, Waytha Moorthy said, have conveniently ignored and swept under the carpet the plight and grievances of Indian Malaysians raised by Hindraf over the years.

"However, Mahathir will continue with his usual antics to divert attention from his wrongdoings which are all being uncovered now," said the exiled Hindraf chairperson.

Waytha Moothy's brother Uthayakumar, Kota Alam Shah state rep M Manoharan, R Kenghadharan, V Ganabatirau and T Vasantha Kumar are being detained in Kamunting Detention Centre, Taiping since last Dec13 last after organising a mammoth rally in Kuala Lumpur on Nov 25 against perceived marginalisation and discrimination of Malaysians of Indian origin.

MIC deputy president G Palanivel has rebuked Mahathir's wrong perception on Hindraf and reminded the former premier "to remember his own roots" before making such statements, obviously referring to the former premier's forefathers, who are from South India.

It is an open secret that Mahathir's father, a school teacher, migrated to Malaysia from the southern Indian state of Kerala and subsequently married a Malay woman.

Waytha Moorthy likened Mahathir's continuous political and racial bickering as 'a broken record' failing to seek solutions on the grievances of the oppressed and suppressed Indian Malaysians.

Hindraf's goal, he pointed out, was to defend and protect Indian Malaysians in their quest for equal and fair participation in the educational, religious and economic spheres, and to set themselves free from the current oppressive system practiced by the ruling administration that clearly defied basic human right and freedom.

http://singaporeindianvoice.blogspot.com/2008/06/mahathir-under-fire-from-exiled-hindraf.html

Hindraf calls for repeal of ISA

2008-06-16T07:23:00.000-07:00

Hindraf calls for repeal of ISA
From ANI

Kuala Lumpur, June 16: The Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf) took to the streets here over the detention of their leaders under the Internal Security Act (ISA), and demanded repeal of the ISA.

The group travelled in a convoy of more than 50 cars and six motorcycles with banners calling for the abolition of the ISA.

The protest started from Rawang at 8.30 a.m. and ended in Klang at about 5 p.m. The protestors travelled through Sentul, Brickfields and Shah Alam.

According to the New Strait Times, police personnel were stationed at all major intersections to prevent any untoward incidents.

Copyright Asian News International

http://www.dailyindia.com/show/250266.php/Hindraf-calls-for-repeal-of-ISA

Malaysia's Mahathir quits ruling party

2008-05-19T02:32:00.000-07:00

Malaysia's Mahathir quits ruling party (The Hindu, 19 May 2008)

Kuala Lumpur (PTI): Former Malaysian Premier Mahathir Mohammad on Monday announced that he was quitting the ruling party in protest against the leadership of his successor Abdullah Badawi, whom he blamed for the group's disappointing performance in the March general election.

82-year-old Mahathir, who was Prime Minister for 22 years before he handpicked Abdullah for the job, urged other members of the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) party to quit too as a way of pressuring the incumbent into stepping down.

The ties between the two had been on the decline after Abdullah did not implement some of the Mahathir's project ideas.

The ruling Barisan Nasional coalition, of which UMNO is the largest component party, won the March 8 election with a simple majority, losing one third of seats in the Parliament and five states to opposition.

However, Mahathir advised those who do quit not to join any opposition party.

Abdullah has so far refused all calls for him to step down and said he would defend his leadership in the party polls in December, the Star online report said.

Mahathir joined UMNO at its inception in 1946. After the May 13, 1969 riots Mahathir was sacked from the party's Supreme Council because of the widespread distribution of his letter to first Prime Minister Abdul Rahman criticising the latter's manner of handling the country's administration.

Mahathir rejoined UMNO in 1972. He was Prime Minister of Malaysia from July 16, 1981, until October 31, 2003.

UMNO information chief Muhammad Muhammad Taib said he was surprised at the decision, but added that it was Mahathir's right to do so.

http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/holnus/003200805191321.htm

"My passport was revoked" -- Waytha

2008-05-18T17:50:00.000-07:00

My passport was revoked, insists Hindraf leader

2008/05/19

KUALA LUMPUR: Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf) leader P. Waytha Moorthy is still claiming that his Malaysian passport has been revoked despite the government stating otherwise. He also claimed Home Minister Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar's statement that it was a "misunderstanding" and that Waytha Moorthy's passport had expired was meant to mislead the public.

In a press statement yesterday, Waytha Moorthy said his passport was valid till 2010.

"I am holding a Malaysian passport which is valid until 2010. But the fact remains that the Malaysian government has revoked my passport," he said.

The "misunderstanding" followed a report on Saturday quoting Amnesty International's Washington-based Asia-Pacific advocacy director T. Kumar, who said Waytha Moorthy had to put off talks with leaders of the Congress and Amnesty in Washington because his passport had been cancelled.

Waytha Moorthy was only aware his passport was revoked when he returned to London from Geneva after talks recently with the office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.

"The British Immigration authorities at Gatwick Airport (on April 21) told me my passport was cancelled," said Watha Moorthy, who has been living in the United Kingdom since December.

He said he was given leave to enter and remain in the United Kingdom for six months on April 2 upon his return from India.

"It is a known fact that no country would admit a person into its territory without a six-month validity period on the passport. For that matter, Switzerland would not have admitted me into their country on April 17. Nor would any airline allow me to board the flight without the six-month validity period," he said.

http://www.nst.com.my/Current_News/NST/Monday/National/2244254/Article/index_html

Malaysia says it hasn't revoked Waytha's passport

2008-05-17T06:45:00.000-07:00

Malaysia says it hasn't revoked Hindraf leader's passport

PTI May 17, 2008

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian government has rejected "claims" by a leading global human rights group that it has revoked the passport of an ethnic Indian leader, who has been living in London on self-imposed exile.

Home Minister Syed Hamid Albar said there was no truth in claims made by the Amnesty International that the passport of the Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf) Chairman P Wayathamoorthy has been revoked.

Hindraf had spearheaded protests by ethnic Indians against the community's alleged marginalisation. Five of its members had been detained for holding an "illegal" rally.

Notwithstanding the minister's remarks, Wayathamoorthy's wife Eashwari also claimed that that her husband's travel document has been revoked.

"When he flew to London from Geneva, the immigration authorities there told him that Malaysia had revoked his passport. He was held at Heathrow airport and allowed to enter temporarily," she said.

Syed Hamid, however, said he was surprised by the Amnesty report. "... as far as I am concerned, the Government has not ordered for his passport to be revoked. If he wants to return to Malaysia, he can do so," he told 'The Star' daily.

He said the government would not revoke the passport of any of its national unless the person relinquishes his citizenship and when this occurs, all documents to prove his Malaysian citizenship must be surrendered.

He said the "misunderstanding" occurred probably because Waythamoorthy's passport had expired and that he could have his passport renewed at the Malaysian mission in London.

Eashwari said she was "happy with Syed Hamid's statement as it can be grounds for her husband to renew his passport in London," adding that at the moment he was not able to travel anywhere.

http://www.dnaindia.com/report.asp?newsid=1164877

Hindraf Waytha's passport revoked by Malaysia Govt.

2008-05-16T17:48:00.000-07:00

HINDRAF
135-3 JALAN TOMAN 7
KEMAYAN SQUARE
70200
SEREMBAN
16TH MAY 2008

PRESS STATEMENT

RE : MALAYSIAN GOVERNMENT REVOKES MY PASSPORT
THE STRUGGLE CONTINUES

I was travelling back to London from Geneva after the HINDRAF briefing with the United Nations High Commissioner’s office on Human Rights on April 21, 2008 and was totally shocked to be informed by the UK immigration officer at Gatwick Airport that the Malaysian government had revoked my passport thus making me de facto stateless.

I see only one purpose. The Malaysian Government had intended that I be deported back to Malaysia by the British authorities so that I too could be arrested under the draconian Internal Security Act and be detained for unspecified period of time without trial and be subject to torture and inhumane treatment for my political beliefs. I have not committed any offence or crime other than to champion the cause of the systematically marginalized, discriminated and alienated ethic Indian community in Malaysia who remained a permanently colonized community despite achieving independence 51 years ago.

It is most distressing to learn that, the land that my forefathers toiled as indentured labourers and one that I had been made citizen by the will of the unavoidable circumstances has decided to banish and exile me for speaking and advocating the truth that was never spoken off before.

The government has once again acted according to its whims and fancy without a second thought of the public or for the good of the public.

The Malaysian government repetitively had oppressed , suppressed and persecuted all causes of HINDRAF by their act of totalitarianism from the very beginning but nevertheless the will and spirit of the HINDRAF supporters have been the beacon of hope for the new strength founded upon our new found MAKKAL SAKTHI (people power).

The callous and cowardly acts of the government against me not only undermine their credibility domestically but also internationally. The government needs to realize that the Malaysian public can no longer be cowed as the public are no longer the sheeps that begets the government wolves.

The government may use its best weapon in attempting to stall and break me but they fail to realize that I derive my strength from my MAKKAL SAKTHI and that is all that I need to carry on the torch and fight for the unjust cause of the ethnic Indians in Malaysia even if it means championing my cause from exile.

As much as I have been coerced, castigated by the Malaysian government, so have the HINDRAF supporters. HINDRAF supporters have shown unprecedented courage and character for the truth. It only motivates me further to pursue our goals.

The revocation of my passport is probably the last ditch desperate effort by the Malaysian government in crippling my international lobby for the cause of the Malaysian Indians. This unwarranted act has given me a greater “inner” strength to continue to fight for the struggle of the Malaysian Indians and for the unconditional release of my fellow brothers held unjustly in Kamunting. The government can unleash all the man made mechanism to stifle and silence me, but I have the backing of MAKKAL SAKTHI and that alone is sufficient for me to continue my fight for the people.

In MAKKAL SAKTHI, I have found the truthness of my cause for the people. In today's world, utterance of truth is seen as a revolutionary action, and my quest for the truthness has resulted as a hindrance for the government. My judge is the people not the government.

I will continue this struggle until my last breath. They may break me but they will never be able to break my will and spirit that is derived from the people for the truthness is in it.

I shall continue the struggle for the “freedom” of the ethnic Malaysian Indians from London and urge all HINDRAF supporters to remain calm as they have always been. I shall forever remain a loyal Malaysian and will return to Malaysia soon to continue and accomplish what I had started.

P.Waytha Moorthy

Chairman

HINDRAF

PLS VISIT www.hindraf.org and www.hindraf.co.uk

Malaysian Minister does not rule out further Hindu temple demolitions

2008-04-26T04:53:00.000-07:00

Malaysian Minister does not rule out further Hindu temple demolitions

http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/health/malaysian-minister-does-not-rule-out-further-hindu-temple-demolitions_10041841.html

April 25th, 2008 - 1:48 pm ICT by admin - Email This Post

Kuala Lumpur, Apr.25 (ANI): Even as the Malaysian Government is planning to introduce guidelines to govern the construction and demolition of places of worship, the countrys Unity, Culture, Arts and Heritage Minister, Shafie Apdal, has stopped short of giving an assurance that there would be no recurrence of the temple demolition incident in Kampung Jawa, Selangor, on the eve of Deepavali last year, which raised the ire of Hindus around the country.

"I won't say that because I am not in a position to do so. It is for each respective state authority, The Star quoted Apdal, as saying.

Elaborating on the guidelines, he said that there was a need to ensure that the guidelines were acceptable to all religious groups.

Speaking after chairing a meeting with the Malaysian Consultative Council of Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Sikhism and Taoism at the ministry in Jalan Sultan Ismail yesterday, he declined to reveal when the guidelines would be completed, but said it would not be too long.

Reaching an understanding between all religions, said Shafie, was vital, as was making sure laws and regulations have been clearly set down by local authorities.

He also did not rule out amending laws and enactments should the need arise.
Council president A. Vaithilingam said other issues discussed included conversions, bringing in of foreign priests and family laws.

Vaithilingam said the council had written to Home Minister Seri Syed Hamid Syed Albar requesting a meeting to discuss the issue of foreign priests.

Shafie, in his capacity as minister in charge of fostering unity, has been going all out to meet religious groups.

Last week, he met nine Muslim non-governmental organisations to seek their views on religious issues in the country, where many of the similar issues were discussed. (ANI)

Uthaya: Suhakam's conduct deplorable

2008-04-25T16:58:00.000-07:00

Uthaya: Suhakam's conduct deplorable

http://www.malaysiakini.com/letters/81936
Charles Hector | Apr 25, 08 3:48pm

I refer to the Malaysiakini report Suhakam: Uthaya wasn't denied treatment.

Madpet (Malaysians Against Death Penalty and Torture) is disappointed by the fact that the Malaysian Human Rights Commission (Suhakam) made and pronounced conclusions about complaints about detention conditions and health care of an Internal Security Act (ISA) detainee in Kamunting Detention Centre without even meeting with the said P Uthayakumar.

The Malaysian Human Rights Commission should never come to any conclusion or finding without at least meeting and talking to both sides.

In this case, it was reported that the Suhakam team, led by Human Rights Commissioner Siva Subramaniam, had meetings with '…senior officials, the doctor and police personnel at the camp, as well as medical personnel in Taiping hospital'.

It was also reported that 'Uthayakumar was neither present during the four-hour probe, nor interviewed by the team'. When Siva Subramaniam was asked why Uthayakumar's side of the story was not heard it was reported, 'He pointed out that media reports were also sufficient to highlight Uthayakumar's plight'.

The manner in which this 'inquiry' was done and the conclusions reached are very wrong, and is a deprivation of Uthayakumar and his family's fundamental right to be heard and participate in any inquiry and/or investigation.

Uthayakumar is already a victim of a draconian law that allows for detention without trial - where there is no right to defend oneself; no right to a fair and open trial and no right to even go for judicial review of the alleged reasons for detaining him.
As such, the manner in which Suhakam conducted themselves in this case makes it even more deplorable and is certainly unacceptable behaviour for a national human rights commission.

Madpet seriously hopes that the making of such speedy 'conclusions - in this case by Commissioner Siva Subramanian - was not affected by the fact that his current term expires in July 2008, and a belief that a 'pro-government' positioning now may assist chances of a re-appointment for another two-year term.

Human rights commissioners and Suhakam must at all times be independent and be seen to be independent and fearless and should only be driven by human rights and justice considerations. If a human rights commissioner cannot do this by reason of fear or some other reason, then the proper and ethical thing to do is to resign.

Madpet urges Suhakam to immediately retract its conclusions about the complaints by Uthayakumar, his family and/or his friends as reported in the media, and conduct a proper inquiry into these complaints in the proper manner – which would necessarily include that the fundamental rights to be heard and to participate be accorded to the alleged victim and the complainants.

Madpet also calls for the immediate and unconditional release of Uthayakumar and all those currently detained under the Internal Security Act (ISA) and other laws that allow for detention without trial and that all laws that allow for detention without trial be repealed.

The writer represents Madpet.

Vellu brings temple demoliton issue to the fore

2008-04-22T20:15:00.001-07:00

Vellu brings temple demolition issue to the fore

http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/world-news/vellu-brings-temple-demolition-issue-to-the-fore_10040328.html

Kuala Lumpur, April 21 (IANS) Senior Malaysian Indian leader S. Samy Vellu has once again spoken out against the demolition of a Hindu temple a week before Diwali last year, saying that it caused the Indian vote to swing away from the government. Vellu Sunday blamed the then chief minister of Selangor, Mohamad Khir Toyo, for refusing to heed his plea that the Hindu temple in Padang Jawa in Shah Alam not be demolished following a long dispute between the temple management and the civic authorities.

On the day it was brought down, Vellu said he had rushed to a hotel in Shah Alam to meet prime minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and Khir who were attending a function.

"I begged him (Dr Khir) not to demolish the temple but he refused, citing a court order. I told him that if the temple was demolished, it would mean demolishing the Barisan Nasional."

However, according to Vellu, Khir refused to listen despite the prime minister's intervention.

"Dr Khir has to take a bigger slice of the blame for Barisan Nasional's poor show in the general election," the New Straits Times quoted Vellu as saying Monday.

Vellu had last week called the incident an "atom bomb" that caused the "political tsunami" against ruling coalition Barisan Nasional, reducing its two-thirds majority support in parliament to a simple one in last month's general elections.

Vellu, a long time minister and president of the Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC), himself lost his ninth bid at re-election to parliament.

Vellu supported Badawi in the current tussle within the BN and said: "Let us stop blaming the prime minister for everything."

According to a post-poll study, 69 percent of ethnic Indian votes that traditionally went to MIC and 43 percent of ethnic Chinese vote swung in favour of the opposition, giving it an unprecedented 82 seats in parliament and control of five states.

Ethnic Chinese comprise 33 percent and Indians eight percent of Malaysia's 29 million population.

Malaysia to renew visas of temple priests from India, but in special categories only

2008-04-17T04:42:00.000-07:00

Malaysia to renew visas of temple priests from India, but in special categories only

http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/003200804151542.htm

Kuala Lumpur (PTI): Malaysia today said it has decided to renew the visas of temple priests, musicians and sculptors from India who are currently in the country, a move that can be seen as a goodwill gesture to the ethnic Indian community alleging marginalisation in the multi-racial nation.
The Human Resources Ministry had raised the issue of getting visas and permits for temple priests, musicians and sculptors from India at a Cabinet meeting on April 9.
The announcement comes after immigration authorities had adopted a go-slow process on renewing visas of temple priests.
"The Cabinet has made the decision to allow or renew the visas of the temple priests, musicians and sculptors currently in Malaysia. In connection to that, the Cabinet has agreed to extend their service in this country, in special categories only," a statement issued by the Ministry said.
Human Resources Minister Subramaniam said he will meet Hindu and Sikh NGOs as soon as possible to discuss the categories that had been agreed on and the guidelines.
The statement said that "the Cabinet also wants efforts to be made to train local people to take over those tasks in the long term so that the reliance on temple priests, musicians and sculptors from foreign countries can be reduced."
An ethnic Indian leader on Monday appealed to the government to lift the ban on the recruitment of "urgently needed" priests from India for Hindu temples and Sikh gurdwaras. Ethnic Indians, mostly Hindus from Tamil Nadu, form 7.8 per cent of the country's population of 27 million.
The recent general elections saw the ruling Barisan Nasional coalition's majority dented, partly due to the discontent among ethnic Indians.

Malaysian temple loses bid to stop relocation

2008-04-17T04:41:00.000-07:00

Temple loses bid to stop relocation
http://www.nst.com.my/Current_News/NST/Thursday/NewsBreak/20080417181240/Article/index_html

2008/04/17, SEREMBAN, Wed

The High Court today struck out an application by the Sri Maha Muniswara Alyam temple not to relocate the temple and a tree along Jalan Tampin, which are said to be more than 150 years old.

Lead counsel, G. K. Ganesan said the application was struck off on the grounds that the temple committee was not registered and that the temple was in fact a new structure that was built after 1957.

Earlier, in their submissions, counsel had argued that the temple and a tree near it had existed before 1957 and were therefore protected by ancient rites.

"We will file an appeal against the decision. Meanwhile, we urge the devotees to be patient and wait for the decision. The temple committee has agreed to a compromise and have the temple relocated to the back of the tree, but they don't want the tree to be uprooted as they believe that the deity 'Jada Muniswarar' resides there and should not be disturbed," he said.

The matter was heard in chambers before deputy High Court Registrar, Ahmad Sazali Omar, while the state was represented by its legal advisor, Ishak Sahari. Assisting Ganesan were S. Karthigesan, Vinod Sharma and John Fernandez.

Ganesan said the committee had also submitted plans on the proposed relocation of the temple to Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan and the state legal advisor.

"We will ask the High Court to review the decision. We believe the case should not be struck out as this is a matter of worship and the government should pay heed to religious needs. The fact that Hindus worship deities living in trees dates back to history. We respect the government's decision to widen the road near the temple, but I am sure we can come to a compromise."

Ganesan said the state legal advisor was very co-operative and sensitive to their requests.

Meanwhile, temple committee secretary, K. Kannis said they had applied to register the temple committee two years ago and it was now in its final stages.

Malaysian Govt. bans Tamil - language daily

2008-04-17T04:13:00.000-07:00

Malaysian govt bans Tamil-language daily
Published Date: April 17, 2008
http://www.kuwaittimes.net/read_news.php?newsid=MTI4Mzk2MjAxNg==
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia has imposed a ban on a leading Tamil-language newspaper critical of the government, its general manager said yesterday-a move the opposition called a "crackdown on human rights." S M Periasamy, general manager of the critical Makkal Osai daily, told AFP that he had received a letter from the home ministry, which is in charge for internal security-saying the paper's annual permit would not be renewed. "It means our daily has been banned," he said. Periasamy said no reasons were given for the government action, adding that he would immediately appeal to Home Minister Syed Hamid Albar.

From tomorrow, the daily will not hit the streets. If we continue to publish, the directors could be jailed," Periasamy said. Opposition lawmaker Lim Kit Siang, chairman of the Democratic Action Party, said the newspaper had been banned for giving too much coverage for the opposition since it made stunning gains in March 8 general elections. "It's the first sign of repression, a crackdown on human rights and the little space opening in the media after the March 8 political tsunami," he said.

Hindu temple demolition destroyed BN's Indian support: Samy

2008-04-17T03:57:00.001-07:00

2008/04/17

Hindu temple demolition destroyed BN's Indian support: Samy
By : Rina De Silva
http://www.nst.com.my/Current_News/NST/Thursday/Frontpage/20080417162304/Article/index_html

KUALA LUMPUR, Thurs:

The demolition of Hindu temples was the 'atomic bomb' that destroyed Indian support for Barisan Nasional in the March 8 general election, MIC president Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu said today. The BN paid the price for the rash actions of some leading to the Indian vote going largely to the opposition, he added.
The former Works Minister, an unexpected casualty of the political tsunami that swept parts of the nation during the polls, said the BN would have Indians support if it had addressed the issue of the temples properly.

He cited the demolition of a 36-year-old temple in Kg Karuppiah, Padang Jawa, by the Selangor government last October as the straw that broke the camel's back.

"That one temple that was demolished in Padang Jawa became a big atomic bomb which chased away the Indian community. We blindly smashed the temples and we paid the price for it. If we had 'jaga jaga' (looked after) the temples, we would have won the Indian vote,' he told reporters at MIC headquarters.

Samy Vellu had called for the Press conference to thank the Federal government for approving the renewal of work permits for 800 foreign priests for Gurdwaras (Sikh templeas) and Hindu temples.

Samy Vellu acknowledged, however, that the Selangor government later allocated a 10,000 sq ft piece of land in Shah Alam to rebuild the temple.

In the march 8 general election, Samy Vellu was defeated by Parti Keadilan Rakyat's Dr Michael Jeyakumar Devaraj in the Sungai Siput parliamentary seat, a constituency the MIC strongman has held since 1974.

On why the Home Ministry approved the renewal of visas for Hindu priests and temple musicians and artisans from India, he said they understood the implications of not doing so.

"There will be a problem if they do not approve as temples may have to be closed," he said.

He said the BN's failure to secure the two-third majority in Parliament was discussed at Wednesday's BN management committee meeting chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak.

"We discussed why we lost the elections. We asked questions like 'what is wrong with us?' and 'how did we lose the trust of the people," he said.

Samy Vellu was confident that the BN will spring back from defeat under Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and plans to rejuvenate the coalition.

He said the BN was the only party that could bring stability, strength, unity and development to Malaysians.

"There is no other party. You can have 25 other parties joining together but this party (the BN) is a party of experience. It is a party of leadership. It is a party that has led the country for 50 years," he said.

On the Home Ministry's plan not to renew the permit of the Makkal Osai, he said this should not have happened and that the newspaper could appeal against the decision.

"I am sorry about it. I do not know why they did it. But the newspaper can always appeal against the decision," he said.

Hindraf Uthayakumar's mother meets PM Badawi

2008-04-16T16:58:00.000-07:00

Hindraf leader's mother meets PM Badawi
16 Apr 2008, 2132 hrs IST,IANS

KUALA LUMPUR: Detained Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf) leader P Uthayakumar's mother met Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi to plead for early release of her son who is seriously sick.

Uthayakumar's mother K Kalaivaniy was accompanied by 100 supporters and the movement's coordinator, R S Thanendran.

Thanendran urged Badawi to consider Kalaivaniy's request, adding that since there was no guarantee that Uthayakumar would get proper medical attention, it was only right that the government allowed his family to send him for treatment.

Badawi met them in his office Tuesday, The Star said. It did not report Badawi's reaction, if any, to the delegation, the first that has met him since November last year.

Hindraf, claiming to speak for two million Tamil Hindus, had staged a protest rally Nov 25. The government disapproved of the rally and it was dispersed forcibly.

Uthayakumar, 46, is the legal adviser to Hindraf and the Malaysian Peoples Reform Party.

He and three others - M. Manoharan, 46, V Ganabatirau, 34, K Vasantha Kumar, 34 have been held under the Internal Security Act (ISA) since November.

The government said it suspected Hindraf to have terror links, particularly Sri Lanka's Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), and arrested some participants of the rally.

This was the second appeal in a week from the 66-year-old widow, who lives in Seremban.

She said her son's release was urgent, as he needed to take medicine for diabetes.

"He has not taken medication for his diabetes for a month, and this is very dangerous," she said Tuesday, adding that authorities' lack of concern for Uthayakumar's health could put him serious danger.

"When I visited him last week, he complained of being ill because he had not been on medication. I plead for my son's release and I will bear all his medical expenses myself," she added.

Home Minister Syed Hamid Albar said he would not go by "sentiments" and the decision to be taken by the cabinet would be dictated by "national interests".

The government has yet to take a decision on the representation made last year by 66 men charged with participating in the Hindraf rally.

Deputy public prosecutor Nik Suhaimi Nik Sulaiman Tuesday told the court they were still considering the representation and asked for more time as they needed to verify certain details. He asked the court to fix trial dates instead.

He told Sessions Court judge Azimah Omar that the prosecution would call between 80 and 100 witnesses to the stand.

Azimah fixed two weeks for trial beginning Sep 15.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Indians_Abroad/Hindraf_leaders_mother_meets_PM_Badawi/articleshow/2957386.cms

Appeal to PM of Malaysia from Uthayakumar's mother

2008-04-15T19:43:00.000-07:00

Uthayakumar’s mother appeal to PM

By hindrafinternational

K. Kalaivaniy

30/1226 Lorong Belatek 7/2

Batu 3 Jalan Rasah

Seremban

Negeri Sembilan

15th April 2008.

Y.A.B. Dato Seri Abdullah Haji Ahmad Badawi

Prime Minister of Malaysia

Putrajaya

Dear YAB,

Re: 5 HINDRAF LEADERS UNJUSTLY DETAINED

P.UTHAYAKUMAR SUFFERS SILENT DEATH IN PERMANENT INCARCERATION.

DENIAL OF MEDICATION AND PREMATURE DISCHARGE A MYSTERY

APPEAL TO RELEASE THE MESSENGERS OF TRUTH.

I am the 64-year-old mother of P.Uthayakumar who now suffers silent death in the lock up of Kamunting Detention Centre Taiping.

On the 8th April 2008 my son who is being detained under the much-criticised Internal Security Act since 13th December 2008 was admitted to the Taiping Hospital for high blood sugar as a result of being denied diabetes medication for more than 1 month. Upon admission his blood sugar level was 18.8 (normal being 6). His protein and uric acid level was also very high.

Upon examination the doctor who treated Uthayakumar had told him that his heart muscles were damaged but needed an Eco cardiogram to confirm this. However due to severe lack of facilities at the Taiping Hospital, he was given 28th of April 2008 for the said tests.

I also verily believe that my son’s other organs especially kidney and liver are equally affected but there is an attempt to cover this up by the Hospital and Prison Authorities. Despite our request the Hospital does not wish to divulge with matters concerning his health on grounds he is a detainee and that they have instructions from the “top” not to reveal anything.

What disheartened me further was the need to prematurely discharge Uthayakumar from hospital 2 days later despite his glucose level at 13.5 and upon discharge he was again deliberately denied his medication for more than 20 hours. To make matters worse he was deliberately served diet with high sugar content despite his objections and compelled to consume the above-mentioned unhealthy food.

My son complains of reduced vision in eyes, weakness and discomfort heart. I am advised and belief he is suffering a silent heart attack as a result of his health condition.

I belief the Prison authorities under “mysterious instructions” are deliberately ignoring his medical needs and diet to accelerate/worsen his medical condition so that he would suffer severe health conditions.

The conducts of prison authorities are scandalous and I have lost confidence on them and the Home Minister who remains silent on the issue.

I fear for the life, safety and health of my son.

I earnestly believe that there is a silent agenda to “inflict” and cause serious harm upon my son, as diabetes is known to be silent killer.

As an old aged mother I can’t bear to see my son silently dying in the prison and make this appeal to you directly to help facilitate the immediate transfer of my son to the National Heart Institute or a private hospital of my choice so that I could help my son undergo his medical needs, treatment and care.

I am not an educated person but from what I have read in the Tamil dailies, you have always assured all Malaysians irrespective of race and religion that you are a caring Prime Minister. My son is silently dying and there appears to be attempt and conspiracy to inflict harm on him.

I appeal to you as a compassionate Prime Minister to immediately instruct the prison authorities to liase with me to facilitate Uthayakumar’s immediate transfer to a private hospital. I am willing to bear the cost of private medical treatment on my son and do not wish to burden the state with unnecessary medical bills.

I also appeal to you Mr. Prime Minister to immediately and unconditionally release all 5 HINDRAF leaders currently detained as they only acted as messengers of truth to bring to your attention the sufferings of the ethnic Indian minority community in Malaysia. It is a known fact that post November 25th has opened up the eyes of Malaysians of all races of the Indian community plight.

I also noted and admired your humbleness when upon severe defeat at the recently concluded elections you had openly admitted your mistakes and had promised to make changes, which actually touched millions of fair-minded hearts in Malaysia. The people on the ground do not believe the Intelligence reports that the 5 are a national threat and I am certainly sure by now you would have obtained independent advise and realise you had been given wrong reports pertaining to the genuine struggle of HINDRAF.

My sons and hundreds of thousands other Malaysian Indians are born post independence and they think Malaysian. As Malaysians, none can blame them for seeking equality, fairness and justice as they rightly feel Malaysian. The country is progressing and so are the people, so let us allow legitimate voices of democracy.

I appeal to you Mr. Prime Minister as a father to this nation to exercise compassion and fairness to all your “children”. The families of the 5 are suffering daily. They shed tears daily unable to explain to their young children why their fathers who spoke the truth are incarcerated. Their young children suffer psychological scars as a result of being denied the love and care of their fathers.

Mr. Prime Minister I beg you to immediately release them on humanitarian grounds and let the whole Malaysia proudly say we have a Prime Minister who is caring, fair and exercises wisdom.

Yours faithfully

K.Kalaivaniy
http://hindrafinternational.wordpress.com/2008/04/15/uthayakumars-mother-appeal-to-pm/

Malaysian ban lifted on Hindu and Sikh priests, temple workers

2008-04-15T16:00:00.000-07:00

April 15, 2008
Ban lifted on Hindu and Sikh priests, temple workers

Source: Malaysian Insider

KUALA LUMPUR, April 15 – The Hindu and Sikh communities can now heave a huge sigh of relief. The ban on foreign workers from India who have been brought in to help build and run Hindu temples and gurdwaras has been lifted.

Human Resources Minister Datuk Dr S. Subramaniam today issued a statement that the government has decided to renew the working permits of temple priests, musicians and sculptors who were brought in from India to continue rendering their services in the country. However, the statement does not address the status of fresh applications.

Subramaniam, who is also secretary-general of the Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC), said he raised the issue at the last Cabinet meeting on April 9.

Datuk A. Vaithilingam who is the president of Hindu Sangam, the umbrella body for all Hindus in the country, said that it was good news but an unnecessary step in the first place. The ban was ordered by the Cabinet sometime late last year, he added.

“At the moment, they have accepted in principle. I'm told that there will be a meeting later with Home Minister, Datuk Syed Hamid Albar to discuss the details but I don't know when. I don't know why only the workers from India were affected,” he said.

In the meantime, the Hindu Sangam will continue to make new applications to bring in more priests, musicians and sculptors to fulfil the current shortage. There are roughly 180 priests for Hindu temples, which is not enough to meet the local demand.

According to MIC president Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu, Hindu temples and Sikh gurdwaras are in dire need of some 500 and 300 priests respectively.

http://normanfernandez.blogspot.com/2008/04/ban-lifted-on-hindu-and-sikh-priests.html

Hindraf Uthayakumar's medical condition dangerous: Malaysia govt. should stop playing with his life.

2008-04-14T22:56:00.000-07:00

Uthayakumar's medical condition dangerous

http://www.malaysiakini.com/letters/81339

P Ramakrishnan | Apr 14, 08 4:43pm

I refer to the Malaysiakini report Hindraf worried for Uthayakumar's health.

Aliran is shocked to learn that Hindraf leader P Uthayakumar who is under ISA detention is being treated inhumanely. We find it difficult to believe that a country that has exalted the virtues of Islam Hadari could be so callous in the treatment of a human being - which is hard to believe or accept.

Uthayakumar, who is diabetic, has been wickedly denied his daily medication even though the Kamunting detention authorities had been informed of his health problems. His fiancee S Indradevi had also handed Uthayakumar's medication to the Kamunting Detention Centre's administration in the belief that it would be handed over to him. But this had not happened. She reportedly said that he had written six letters previously to the prison's director but the director did not respond in any way. The medicines were prescribed by a doctor in January.

As a result of this gross negligence and wanton cruelty, Uthayakumar had fallen ill and had to be hospitalised. His diabetic reading was 18.8 - something that is worrying. If he does not receive his regular medication, he can be subjected to various related illnesses associated with diabetes. His kidneys may be affected and his eye sight may be in danger - just to mention a few ailments related to diabetes. We also understand that his protein and uric levels are dangerously high.

His medical condition would require him to go on a strict diet but this doesn't seem to be the concern of the Kamunting authorities. They do not seem to take responsibility for the welfare of a detainee under their care. His younger brother was reported as saying that despite his condition he was forced to consume food which was high in sugar and starch.

Aliran wishes to emphasise that a detainee does not forfeit his right to medical care under whatever circumstance. As a human being, he is entitled to receive medical attention like any other Malaysian. And his family has a right to be notified when a detainee is hospitalised. This is something very basic in a civilised society.

Kamunting authorities need to be given an urgent course on human decency so that they will react as human beings and treat others under their care with dignity and compassion. So far their conduct has been disgraceful, deserving condemnation from the civilised international community.

The writer is president, Aliran.

Hindraf Uthayakumar faces harm, says mother

2008-04-14T20:43:00.000-07:00

Hindraf detainee faces harm, says mother

Source : Indiainfo.com

Sunday, April 13, 2008 13:41 [IST]

Kuala Lumpur: The mother of a Tamil Hindu leader has alleged that her son was being served food with excessive sugar by jail authorities even though they knew he suffered from diabetes and other ailments.

K. Kalaivanyi, the widowed mother of P. Uthayakumar, one of the five leaders of the detained Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf), on Saturday lodged a police report alleging that there was a "silent agenda" to harm her son.

Uthayakumar is lodged in the Kamuntin Detention Centre. Friends say he is weak and had been denied his medication after being prematurely discharged from the hospital the day before.

Lawyer Uthayakumar, 46, was arrested with four other Hindraf leaders Dec 13 for allegedly trying to incite Hindus over the plight of two million Tamil Hindus who came to Malaysia during the British era. They are being detained for two years under the stringent Internal Security Act (ISA).

http://yennamike.blogspot.com/2008/04/hindraf-detainee-faces-harm-says-mother.html

When will Pak Lah pack up and go?

2008-04-14T17:15:00.001-07:00

Malaysian PM rejects pressure to unveil exit plan
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said Monday he would be re-appointed to the top job by his party in December polls and rejected calls to formalise his plans to relinquish power.

Abdullah has faced persistent demands to quit after the coalition led by his United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) was dealt an unprecedented setback in March general elections.

But despite mounting demands to quickly unveil his plans to hand over to his deputy Najib Razak, he said succession talks would only take place after UMNO's internal leadership polls in December.

"Delegates will continue to give me support during the party election and they will put me as president and Najib as deputy," he told reporters after a meeting of coalition lawmakers.

"After that Pak Lah and Najib will discuss issues related to transfer," he said, referring to himself by his nickname. "Why should I not contest the December party polls?"

"Of course I want the transfer of power to be smooth so that the party will be in good hands and there will be no chaos," he added.

Foreign Minister Rais Yatin indicated earlier that Abdullah's time frame was not adequate, telling the official Bernama news agency that UMNO members had the right to ask Abdullah to step down or announce a succession plan.

"I feel if the succession plan is announced, then the grassroots leaders would know the time frame, and that is good to stabilise the party. The grassroots should be allowed to say what they feel," he said.

Pressure also came from Trade Minister Muhyiddin Yassin, an influential UMNO vice president, who said the party would "fade away" if there were no immediate changes to the leadership.

"I think the sentiments are boiling at the grassroots. Therefore, if change does not happen in UMNO, many adverse things will surface," he said according to a newspaper interview.

After Abdullah's announcement, Domestic Trade Minister Shahril Samad said the premier should give his successor enough time to prepare the party for the next general elections which must be held by 2010.

"Obviously it is going to happen after December. Pak Lah is going to resign any time between 2009 (and) 2010," he told AFP.

"I think we should be fair to him, he has said he is going to go. Why the rush?" he said, adding that within the party there were "pockets of opposition" to Abdullah.

The UMNO-led coalition lost its two-thirds majority in parliament and control of five states in March 8 general elections, in the worst performance of its half-century rule over Malaysia.

Former Malaysian leader Mahathir Mohamad, who handed over to Abdullah in 2003 but has since said he regretted his choice, on Sunday called on him to resign immediately to ensure a smooth handover.

Abdullah reportedly accepted partial responsibility for the party's electoral losses over the weekend, and said he would not "retain the leadership forever". - AFP/ac

Channel NewsAsia
14/04/08

http://malaysianindian1.blogspot.com/2008/04/malaysian-pm-rejects-pressure-to-unveil.html

HAF policy briefing on Malaysian protest

2008-04-14T07:56:00.000-07:00

HAF Policy Briefing on Malaysian protest (April 14, 2008)

HAF Malaysia Protest Summary
© 2008 Hindu American Foundation, Inc.

BACKGROUND
The Hindu minority (7%) suffers from economic, social and educational discrimination, while the majority Malaysian Muslims benefit from an affirmative-action policy[1]

Hindus and other minorities face increasing religious discrimination, as Islamicisation has grown in recent years. Although Malaysia has a parallel court system: secular courts for non-Muslims and Sharia courts for Muslims, Hindus and other minorities have, at times, been forced to deal with the Islamic courts, where they have faced severe disadvantages. Furthermore, Hindus have been denied the right to conduct their funeral rites in accordance with Hindu practices, and in one case, lost custody of their child. In another case, a Hindu mother, Subashini Rajasingam, lost an appeal to prevent her husband, a recent Muslim convert, from changing their 4-yr old son’s religion to Islam. The highest court in Malaysia affirmed the ruling of a lower federal court, which granted the Muslim husband a right to use the Islamic Sharia courts to seek a divorce, and also upheld his right to convert their child to Islam without the mother’s consent. As a result, the Hindu mother may lose legal custody over her child, since Malaysia’s Islamic courts will not give custody of a Muslim child to a non-Muslim parent. [2]
A number of Hindu Temples have been demolished by government authorities, including the 100-yr old Maha Mariamman Hindu Temple. According to the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC), thousands of Hindu Temples have been destroyed over the last 15 years. Moreover, in contrast to Hindu temples, mosque properties receive favorable treatment and public funds [3]

SUMMARY OF RECENT EVENTS
A peaceful protest of approximately 10,000 Hindus took place on November 25. However, Malaysian authorities used tear gas, chemical laced water cannons and baton charges to break up the rally; hundreds of protesters were beaten and arrested including several hundred gathered at the Batu Caves temple complex.[4]
Prior to the protests, three leaders of a Hindu NGO, Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf), were arrested and charged with “sedition;” Malaysian authorities used repressive tactics to try and prevent the protest, including placing Kuala Lumpur on virtual lockdown. The leaders of Hindraf were later released after a court dismissed the sedition charges on technical grounds[5]

Hindus organized the protest for the following reasons[6]:

(1) Submit a petition to the British High Commissioner regarding a lawsuit filed against the British government for bringing Hindus to Malaysia as indentured laborers and failing to protect their rights in the Malaysian Constitution
(2) Bring attention to the economic and social plight of Hindus in Malaysia
(3) Protest the demolition and destruction of Hindu Temples
Following the protests, Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi threatened to use the draconian Internal Security Act (ISA), which allows indefinite detention without trial, to repress protests and demonstrations. The Prime Minister’s threats were strongly criticized by Malaysian human rights groups and lawyers.[7]

The dreaded ISA has been used since 1960 as an instrument of oppression and a means to stifle free speech and political opposition to the government. Under the Act, persons suspected of threatening national security may be arrested and detained indefinitely without charges or trial. According to Human Rights Watch, the ISA’s “provisions violate fundamental international human rights standards, including prohibitions on arbitrary detention, guarantees of the right to due process, and the right to a prompt and impartial trial.” Due its vague language, the Act has been employed to arrest and detain thousands of Malaysian citizens since 1960. Furthermore, persons held in custody under the ISA have frequently been subjected to physical and mental abuse.[8]

V Ganapathy Rao, one of the leaders of Hindraf arrested prior to the protests on “sedition” charges and later released, was re-arrested on November 29th. At least 80 other Hindu activists were charged with illegal assembly for their participation in the peaceful protests. On Decermber 4th, thirty-one other demonstrators were re-arrested and charged with attempted murder by the Malaysian government. [9]

Mr. Waytha Moorthy, the main leader of Hindraf, has left Malaysia and is currently in the United Kingdom.
On December 13th, 5 Hindraf leaders were arrested under the Internal Security Act (ISA), for allegedly “carrying out activities that threatened national security.” The arrested Hindraf leaders included P Uthayakumar, M Manoharan, R Kenghadharan, V Ganabatirau, and T Vasantha Kumar. Immediately following the arrests, they were moved to the Kamunting detention center in Taiping, Perak, where can be detained for 2 years without any investigation or trial. Malaysian human rights groups, lawyers, and opposition leader Lim Kit Siang condemned the arrests and strongly criticized the use of the ISA to target and repress Hindu/Indian leaders and activists.[10]

The Malaysian government dropped attempted murder charges against the thirty-one Hindraf activists arrested on December 4th, however, twenty-six of them are still facing charges for “illegal assembly” and “causing mischief.” Furthermore, the 5 Hindraf leaders arrested and detained on December 13th under the ISA have yet to be released.[11]

Malaysian police indicated that they will seek the assistance of Interpol and Europol to monitor the activities of Hindraf. The motives behind such a move are highly questionable, however, as this announcement from Malaysian authorities coincided with reports of Hindraf leader, P Waytha Moorthy seeking international support for the marginalized Hindu community.[12]
66 Hindus, including N Gobalakrishnan, member of the opposition Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR), are scheduled to be tried by a Malaysian court for their prior participation in a protest rally outside the Batu Caves temple complex on November 25, 2007. The 66 Hindus face charges of “unlawful assembly” and “causing mischief.”[13]

The Malaysian government is also suppressing freedom of expression by banning “policewatchmalaysia” (http://www.policewatchmalaysia.com), the official website used by Hindraf.[14]

A new visa policy was instituted, placing severe restrictions on foreign born Indians applying for visas to work in Malaysia. According to some reports, the Malaysian government has placed a complete ban on the issuance of new visas for Indian workers. The visa restrictions are seen by some as linked to the earlier protests held by Malaysian Hindus demanding equal rights.[15]

On February 16, 2008 multinational rallies protesting Malaysia’s policies of religious apartheid were held across the world, including in Kuala Lumpur, Los Angeles, New York, London, Dublin, Brussels, Melbourne, Auckland, New Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Singapore, and Jakarta. In Kuala Lumpur, Hindus gathered at Jalan Raja Laut in the city center to protest the government’s discriminatory policies against Hindus. The protestors carried roses to symbolize their peaceful struggle for equality. The police, however, used tear gas, chemical laced water cannons, and physical force to break up the rally. In addition, close to 200 Hindraf supporters were arrested, and nearly 5,000 temporarily detained, including women and children. Most of the arrested Hindus were eventually released, but at least 9 people still remain in police custody. Government authorities attempted to suppress the peaceful rally by using “racial profiling” and other repressive tactics by preventing Malaysians of Indian origin from entering Kuala Lumpur and removing them from buses traveling to the city. Road blocks were also set up to stop Indians from reaching Parliament, where the rally was originally scheduled to be held.[16]

WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE

Pressure the Malaysian government to protect the human rights of its Hindu minority
Release all arrested protesters
Allow Hindus and all minorities to peacefully protest and fully exercise their democratic rights
Stop the destruction of Hindu temples and treat all places of worship equally
The US Government must abandon the proposed Free-Trade Agreement (FTA) with Malaysia, unless the Malaysian Government drops it ethno-religious affirmative action policy, which favors the majority Muslim Malays. The FTA as currently constituted would require both foreign and domestic (non-manufacturing) investors to take on ethnic Malay partners (who would hold a minimum 30% of share capital). As a result, conclusion of the FTA with Malaysia would further the uneven distribution of wealth, thereby leaving the Indian Hindu minority at an increased economic disadvantage.[13]

WHY THE US NEEDS TO ACT IMMEDIATELY

It is in America’s strategic interests that democracy and human rights are protected and promoted in Malaysia, so it can serve as a model in the Muslim world
Prevent the situation from further deteriorating
In addition to Hindus, the human rights of other minorities are also at risk

HAF advocated for Malaysian Hindus at Congressional briefing

2008-04-11T03:16:00.000-07:00

HAF Advocates for Malaysian Hindus at Congressional Briefing

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (April 10, 2008)

Contact:
Ishani Chowdhury
Hindu American Foundation
Director of Public Policy
Office: 301.770.7835
Fax: 301.770.7837

Washington, DC (April 8, 2008). The Hindu American Foundation Director of Public Policy, Ishani Chowdhury, testified on recent events in Malaysia at a briefing held by the Congressional Task Force on International Religious Freedom (TIRF) today on Capitol Hill. Entitled "Matters of Life and Death in Malaysia: Does the Recent Election Point to a Trend Toward Religious Tolerance?," prominent panelists included Dr. Bridget Welsh, Assistant Professor in the Southeast Asia Studies Program at Johns Hopkins University-SAIS; Angela Wu, International Director with The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty; and Mickey Spiegel, Senior Researcher with the Asia Division at Human Rights Watch.

At the briefing attended by representatives of the U.S. Department of State, staffers of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and the Malaysian Embassy, Chowdhury flayed the Malaysian government on its record of persecution and discrimination of the country's substantial Hindu minority, constituting 7% of the population. "With a 40% minority population, Malaysia needs to include the minority population in dialogue and address grievances such as the violent responses to peaceful protests, judicial onslaughts against faith, and destruction of temples," stated Chowdhury. As noted in the Foundation's report 'Hindus in South Asia and the Diaspora: A Survey of Human Report: 2006', 76 Hindu temples were demolished, desecrated or forcibly relocated by the Malaysian government. The most prominent case is that of the destruction of the 100-year old Sri Muthu Mariamman temple, which was located on a rubber plantation and home to approximately 1,000 families.

"Hindus also face an socio-economic disadvantage as they are not entitled to benefits under the government's bumiputra program," said Chowdhury. The majority Muslim Malay, viewed as bumiputra or "sons of the soil," benefit from an affirmative action policy that includes discounts on housing, quotas on educational institutions, preference for government jobs, and disproportionate opportunities for economic advancement. "Many Malaysian Hindus have left Malaysia to settle in the United States, as they are unable to gain scholarships or admission to colleges or jobs, despite high academic achievements," she said.

This panel included discussion of the implications of Malaysia's March 8th elections on religious minorities. Although the elections served as watermark of Malaysian democracy, the long-term effects are uncertain. Religious minorities were galvanized during the vote by the government authorized destruction of Hindu and Buddhist temples, and legal decisions that limit their religious freedom rights related to issues of life and death, including marriage, conversion, custody of children, and burial. The election resulted in damaging losses for Prime Minister's Abduallah Badawi's coalition.

"As an economically strong nation with a large minority community, Malaysia has the opportunity to serve as a model of harmony in the Muslim world, with the US benefiting both strategically and economically, " said Chowdhury. "It is in the nation's best interest to work to promote dialogue, repeal the draconian Internal Security Act, which allows indefinite imprisonment without trail, and work with the Hindu community to ensure fairness towards all faith traditions. Otherwise, it may not be too long until we see another country spiral out of control into the contentious and devastating realm of human rights abuse, and religious and racial divide. "

The Hindu American Foundation is a 501(c)(3), non-profit, non-partisan organization promoting the Hindu and American ideals of understanding, tolerance and pluralism. Contact HAF at 1-301-770-7835 or on the web at www.HAFsite.org.

Detained Hindraf Uthayakumar denied medical attention by Malaysian Govt.

2008-04-09T18:21:00.000-07:00

Hindraf man denied health attention by Government April 10, 2008
Posted by beritaman

Hindraf legal advisor P Uthayakumar, who is being held without trial under the security laws, has been hospitalised after being denied medication for diabetes, his lawyer said today.

Uthayakumar and four other members of the rights group Hindraf have been held at a detention centre in Perak since December after organising an unprecedented mass rally claiming discrimination against ethnic Indians.

Uthayakumar, who has been a diabetic for the past 12 years, was admitted to the Taiping hospital in Perak on Monday after his sugar level rose to more than three times the normal level, lawyer Santha Devi Velusamy said.

“He was not given his diabetes medicines for the past one month,” she told AFP.

“He has written six letters previously to the prison’s director but the director did not respond in any way. These medicines were prescribed by a doctor in January,” she added.

Hindraf chairperson P Waythamoorthy, who is also Uthayakumar’s younger brother, said that despite his condition he was forced to consume food which was high in sugar and starch.

“This is a serious violation of Uthayakumar’s rights and is deliberately done to exert torture, cruel and inhumane punishment on him,” he said in a letter to the UN human rights commissioner.

The five are currently fighting for their release in the country’s highest court.

Malaysia’s home ministry was not immediately available for comment.

http://beritakini.wordpress.com/2008/04/10/hindraf-man-denied-health-attention-by-government/

Hindraf lodges report against Islamic info officer Maligning Hinduism

2008-04-08T18:48:00.000-07:00

Hindraf lodges report against Islamic info officer Maligning Hinduism

http://www.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2008/4/9/nation/20894464&sec=nation

Wednesday April 9, 2008
Hindraf lodges report against info officer

PENANG: A police report has been lodged against an Islamic Information and Services Foundation officer for allegedly condemning Hinduism during a recent closed-door ceramah in Alor Star, Kedah.

Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf) co-ordinator R.S. Thanenthiran said the ceramah was recorded and 11 clips were uploaded onto YouTube.

"We did our own checks and discovered that he had also put down other religions.

"He should stop before he causes religious unrest in our peaceful country," Thanenthiran said yesterday.

A police spokesman said they would investigate the report which was lodged at the Patani Road police station yesterday afternoon.

In Malacca, several Indian non-governmental groups and an individual have lodged police reports against the manager of a company in Setiawangsa, Kuala Lumpur, over alleged derogatory remarks made by him against Hinduism.

Malacca Hindu Sangam leaders of the Kota Melaka, Bukit Katil, Tangga Batu and Jasin MIC divisions, including an individual, lodged the report at the Central Malacca police station yesterday.

In their report, they claimed that the culprit had been making derogatory remarks in talks and in a website about Hinduism over the last several years.

His remarks are also on YouTube.

Fitna video vs. video of Malaysian muslim convert pouring hatred on Hinduism

2008-04-08T04:23:00.000-07:00

Fitna Video vs Video of Malaysian Muslim convert pouring hatred on Hinduism

You decide whether what is said in the Fitna video is right or wrong

View the Fitna video here
video.google.com/videoplay?docid=3369102968312745410

The venomous video on Hinduisn by an Malaysian Indian muslim (In Malay language)
http://www.youtube.com/user/umnosucks

Whereas Malaysian religious council slams Fitna video as insult to Islam and the former prime minister Mahathir has called for for boycott of Dutch products.

But the same people propagate hatred towards other religions in their own back yard.
A Mr Shah Kirit Bin Kakulal Govindji also known as Shah Kirit Kumar Da'wa , Officer of IIS is propagating hatred towards Hinduism in the video here
video.google.com/videoplay?docid=3369102968312745410

His personal blog is here: personal blog http://www.shahkirit.com/
http://www.iis.org.my/

So Fitna appears to be justified. Muslims have no respect for other religions.

Visa ban on Hindu priests: Govt. of India should get this ban revoked

2008-04-07T17:45:00.000-07:00

Visa ban on Hindu priests

Malaysian Govt takes revenge by denying visas to Hindu priests, musicians and temple builders! Major temples affected, Several temple construction coming to a standstill!

Hindu temples hit by 'cabinet ban'
K Kabilan | Apr 7, 08 12:02pm

http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/80979

Devotees of the Hanuman temple in Brickfields, Kuala Lumpur, have eagerly been anticipating a spanking new structure by year's end.

Construction work by specialist builders from India have been progressing smoothly, with about 40 percent of work completed on schedule to date.

But temple officials now foresee problems in completing the work as the immigration department has refused to extend the work-permits of the builders.

Worse, the department has given the workers one month to leave the country, and has refused to entertain applications to bring in new workers.

"We are stuck. The temple is only half-built. If these workers go, who will finish the work?" asked temple treasurer M Suresh.

"The department wants us to hire local workers. What they don't realise, or choose to ignore, is that not everyone can build temples. You need skilled and specialist workers."

He has another problem - what to tell the devotees who have donated huge sums of money for the temple construction.

This is not an isolated case. Across the nation, many Hindu temples face same problems with the immigration department refusing to renew work permits of builders, priests and musicians.

Its reason is that locals can be hired to do these jobs, a claim that many temple officials reject.

Half-built temples
Temple builder P Malairaju said about 10 of his projects are stuck as a result of this new policy.

"When we apply to bring in expert builders, we submit a huge dossier involving the work schedule and the need for these workers. Only after going through these documents, would the department approve a permit.

"Each worker is given an initial six-month permit which can be renewed for up to five years. However now, at the end of the six months, these workers are being told to pack up and leave," he told Malaysiakini.

He said the decision can be appealed and an extension could be granted for up to three months, but not in all cases.

He said that he has about nine expert workers at the Hanuman temple and about 90 more working at temples in other locations.

"When we asked the department why the renewal applications have been rejected, we were merely told to hire locals. Why can't they refer to our dossiers and see for themselves why we brought in these workers in the first place?"

He added that local workers still lacked the necessary skills to build temples and its intrinsic works.

"This is not like building an apartment or a building. You need to know the work," he added.

He also said that the department has also refused to entertain new applications to bring in workers to continue the stalled projects.

"What is going to happen is that there will be half-built temples all around the country. I pity the temple officials who have to face the wrath of devotees," he said.

Suresh agreed, saying that even now some of the devotee at the Hanuman temple were blaming the temple officials for "siphoning off the donation and slowing down the temple construction".

'We are stuck'
Other temples have been caught by the denial of renewed work permits for priests from India, thus forcing prayers and weddings to be conducted without priests.

The Sri Ayyanar Temple in Jalan Genting Klang is among those in this quandary. Its priest and a musician have been told to leave soon.

"How do we find replacements? Local priests are not interested in working full time. We don't have enough qualified musicians as well. And this temple is fully booked for the coming wedding season," said temple secretary A Gothandapaandi.

Similarly the Sri Subramaniam temple in Bandar Sunway is facing difficulty after its musicians were told to leave and applications for new musicians and priests were rejected.

"We are stuck. I fear for the future. We don't have enough local priests or musicians. The government should have some sense in this matter," said temple chairperson R Manivasagam.

Officials in other temple committees urged the government to end the 'ban'.

"Is there an unwritten code to stop the growth of Hindu temples in this country?" asked a temple secretary from Ipoh.

Sri Sivan temple secretary V Palani from Klang said: "Trained local musicians and priests prefer to work on freelance basis so that they can earn more. Temples need full time musicians and priests so that we can serve the needs of our devotees at all times."

When contacted, an immigration official said this is a cabinet-level decision and that all questions should be directed to the home ministry.

Back to cabinet
Last week MIC president S Samy Vellu raised the matter with the minister concerned, Syed Hamid Albar, who said the matter would be discussed in the cabinet before a decision is made.

Malaysia Hindu Sangam is also worried about the trend and has asked the government to revoke the cabinet decision, which was made late last year.

Hindu Sangam president A Vaithilingam said that the affected temples were all big, popular and registered temples.

"This sudden decision has caused a lot of unhappiness and had damaged the operations of especially larger temples," he said.

"We feel that the decision is very unfair especially when considering that there are two million foreign workers in the country, whereas the requirement of the temples for a few hundred foreign skilled workers is not being entertained," he added.

He also said that it takes many years to train highly-skilled priests and temple musicians.

"Unfortunately, the temples are not able to find locals with suitably high qualifications and skills to work for the pay that the temples can afford," he said.

Vaithilingam also said the Hindu Sangam is making efforts to meet Syed Hamid to resolve this problem.

This issue first cropped up last December when then minister in charge of foreign workers Radzi Sheikh Ahmad said that there is no ban on foreign workers - including priests, musicians and sculptors - from India.

He insisted that no applications from Indian priests, musicians or sculptors had been rejected, but admitted the government is trying to reduce foreign labour.

"Our policy is that we want locals to take up the jobs as priests, musicians and sculptors," he was reported as saying.

Temple officials, however, say that based on what's happening now, it is clear that there is I indeed a ban in place.

source: www.malaysiakini.com__._,_.___

Indian component of Malay culture -- Sabri Zain

2008-04-03T01:46:00.000-07:00

Indian component of Malay Culture

FORWARDED MAIL -------
From: asabri@pc.jaring.my
Date: 13 Nov 97
Originally To: "M.G.G. Pillai"
Re: Sanskrit and the Malay cultural ethos (fwd)

I am writing in response to MGG's excellent posting on the above. The
attempts by various parties to blot out the Indianised component of
Malay culture, I believe, is tantamount to destroying my rich cultural
heritage and turning Malays into third-rate Arabs. It is tue that islam
is a large component of our culture - but Malay culture is a rich
melting pot of many other cultures - Indian, Chinese, Thai, Javanese,
Minangkabau, Portuguese, even a pagan past when we were closest to our
roots in nature.

Historians tell us much about the political greatness and fame of the
Hindunized Malay Empires of Sri Vijaya and Majapahit. These two empires
controlled the destiny of the greater part of Malaysia. But how deep adn
widespread was `Indian' influence in Malaysia?

To begin with, Hindu influence was synonymous with Indian trade. This
trade was maritime and riverine, that is, confined to the coastal and
riverine areas of malaysia. The centres of Indian trade were places such
as Pasai, Indragiri, Melayu and Jambi in Sumatra; Malacca; Kuala Muda in
Kedah; and Surabaya in Java. The bulk of the people living inland of
these areas remained untouched by the religious by the religious,
economic and political influence of India. The Jakuns, Semangs and
Sakais of the Peninsular Malaysia, most of the original inhabitants of
the Borneo territories, of the Celebes, of Sumatra and the other bigger
islands of the Malay Archipelago were never converted to Hinduism. It
was only later, when communications inland were improved, that they were
converted to either Islam or Christianity. Smaller islands with central
zones never too far away from the coast were more thoroughly covered by
Indian traders. One such island was Bali, which has retained its Hindu
heritage up to the present day, despite the later onslaughts of Islam
and the West.

Then there was the next stage in the spread of Hinduism. Initially, it
came from traders from India, particularly South India. Later, the
centres of trade became powerful centres of political influence and
expansion.

First, there was the great Empire of Srivijaya in Sumatra, followed in
the 14th century A.D. by its conqueror and successor, the Empire of
Majapahit in Java. The political expansion of these two Empires meant
also the theological expansion of Hinduism in Malaysia but even then,
Hinduism did not spread to all parts of Malaysia. Sri Vijaya and
Majapahit were essentially maritime powers, and their sphere of
political, military and social influence was generally limited to the
coastal and riverine areas.

The Hindu influence was limited more or less rigidly to the upper class
of old Malay society - the royalty. Malay royalty was essentially Hindu
royalty descended, according to the Malay Annals, "Sejarah Melayu", from
a legendary half-Indian and half-Greek monarch, Raja Suran, whose sons
all bearing Indian proper names, Sang Nila Utama, Krishna Pandita, Nila
Pahlawan, then descended on Bukit Siguntang in Sumatra from whence Malay
royalty spread. Malay royalty was essentially Hindu royalty because the
spread of Hinduism was not the result of any organised missionary
movement. Indian merchants by virtue merely of their financial and
cultural superiority drew converts from the ruling and trading classes
of the races with which they traded. If Hinduism was accepted, it was
because of a desire for a better standard of living rather than because
of an understanding and appreciation of a superior religious system.

Hinduism spread also through marriage. The petty princes of the
Malaysian coastal trading centres were glad to marry off their sons and
daughters to the financially superior Indian merchants or their
children. As for those who lived on the outskirts of the trading
centre: as money was not the basis of their economy, there was no
incentive to accepts Hinduism. Among them, the Hindu influence was to
come much later and in gradual stages. It is true that the common
people followed the religious faith of their rulers, for they were used
in such matters to take directions from above. But there was always an
undercurrent of fear, lest they should evoke the wrath of their
animistic deities. So, at best among the common people Hinduism was
assimilated only with a lot of local theological "spice" retained (the
same happened with the later adoption of Islam).

If such was the case, how do we explain the fact that old Malay
literature is almost completely derived from Hindu epics, from the
Ramayana and the Mahabaratha; and the fact that at least 30% of Malay
vocabulary is made up of Sanskrit words? Does not this prove that Hindu
influence was very much more intensive than I have suggested?

But it is often misleading to draw evidence solely from old Malay
literature to assess the relative position of Hinduism in the religious
beliefs and practices of the people at large. Old Malay literature, it
must be remembered, was exclusively Court literature. This literature
was made up of stories and legends of kings and princes, queens and
princesses, and of people connected with royalty. As Malay royalty was
basically Hindu royalty, Malay court literature had to be Hindu
literature. It is plain, then, that the Hindu element in old Malay
literature cannot be taken to represent the general pattern of life of
the common Malay people.

But the influence of India has been marked on the Malay language and
also in the sphere of religion.

Today, when a Malay speaks a sentence of ten words, at least three or
four of them will be Sanskrit words, three Arabic and the remaining
either of English, Chinese, Persian or of some other origin. One expert
has even suggested that there are only four words in the Malay
vocabulary which are genuinely Malay. The are "api" or fire, "besi" or
iron. "padi" or rice, and "nasi" or cooked rice. This is rather a
sweeping claim, but no one will deny that AT LEAST a third of Malay
vocabulary has originated from Indian tongues.

Words such as putera, puteri, asmara, samudra, belantra, kenchana,
sukma, and literally thousands of other words are all Sanscrit words,
either in original or in modified form.

What of the influence of India on the religious developments of the
Malaysian peoples? Malay folk-lore and Malay literature show that
during the period before the coming of Islam, about the 14th century
A.D., the greater gods of the Malay pantheon were really borrowed Hindu
divinities. They were, in some respect, modified by Malay ideas, but
only the lesser gods and spirits were actually native to the Malay
religious system. It is true these native gods and spirits can be
identified with the great powers of nature, such as the spirit of the
Wind (Mambang Angin), the spirit of the Waters (Hantu Ayer) and the
spirit of the Sun (Mambang Kuning). But none of them appears to have
the status of the chief gods of the Hindu system. Both by land and
water, the terrible Shiva and Batara Guru or Kala, are supreme.

In Malay folk-lore we find Vishnu, the preserver, Brahma the creator,
Batara Guru (Kala) and S'ri all invoked by Malays, especially by Malay
magicians. Of all the greater deities of the Hindu system, Batara Guru
is unquestionably the greatest. In Hikayat Sang Sembah , Batara Guru
appears as a supreme god with Brahma and Vishnu and some subordinate
deities. It is Batara Guru who alone has the "water of life", the
elixir of life, which can restore life to dead humans and animals. To
the Malays of old, then, and to the Malay bomohs even of the present day
in whom are preserved these notions, "tok Batara Guru" or any one of the
corruptions which his name now bears, was the all-powerful god who held
the place of Allah before the advent of Islam, and was a spirit so
powerful that he could restore the dead to life. All prayers were
addressed to him.

Of the lesser deities of Hinduism, the most notable who have remained in
Malay superstition and folklore are the "gergasi", half-human forest
spirits of Hindu mythology represented in Malay folk-lore as tusked
orgres that feed on human flesh. Then there is the raksaksa, a race of
cannibal giants ruled, according to the Indian Puranas, by Ravana. A
tribe of raksaksa is mentioned in the Kedah annals, HIKAYAT MARONG MAHA
WANGSA, which tell of a giant king, Maroung Maha Wangsa, who led a tribe
of giants and founded the present state of Kedah which they called
LANGKASUKA (as I had mentioned in an earlier posting, the real Langasuka
was more probably in Pattani, Thailand)

All in all, that a form of Hinduism was the accepted religion of the
Malays prior to the advent of Islam is certain, and it is a fact amply
proved by Malay folk-lore and superstition, Malay literature, Malay
customs and various archaeological inscriptions.

Muslim religious teachers in Malaysia today still preach the Islamic
concept of heaven in a terminology which is neither Malay nor Arabic,
but Hindu. The sanskrit word "syurga" is always used in connection with
the Islamic concept of paradise. The proper Arabic word for this is
actually "al-jannah". In the same way, the Hindu religious term "neraka"
or hell is used by Muslim Malays to explain the Islamic concept of
hell. The Arabic word for hell is "al-nar: or the place of fire. Then
the Muslim fast, the annual religious abstention from food and drink, is
known by the Sanskrit term "puasa". A Muslim religious teacher is often
called "guru, another Hindu religious term , in fact the name of a Hindu
deity, Batara Guru. The Muslim prayer is among the Malays, called
"sembahyang". "Sembah" in Sanskrit means to pray, and "yang" is a
Sanskrit term meaning divinity or conjuring respect, as in Sang Yang
Tunggal", the most divine one, and "Yang Dipertuan ". There are many
other Hindu religious terms that have lost their original meaning and
are being freely and unconsciously used by Muslim Malays in connection
with the religion of Islam. This shows that Hinduism exerted a profound
influence on Malay culture before the coming of Islam to Malaysia. And
this influence has survived, despite the strict monotheistic
restrictions of the Islamic faith, to the present day. So, in religion
as well as in other aspects of Malaysian culture, we cannot treat the
influence of India as something belonging to the past.
The political influence of old India which was climaxed by the great
Empires of "Sri Vijaya" and "Majapahit" is today at an end, but the
cultural influence of India which began at the beginning of the
Christian era is still very much alive, and it will be alive for many,
many centuries to come because it has become part of the life of the
Malays. And even politics is not going to change that.

Chinese party (of UMNO) demands Hindraf leaders' release

2008-04-02T06:48:00.000-07:00

Chinese party joins demand for jailed Hindraf leaders' release

The Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA), a constituent of the ruling alliance, has joined the demand for the release of five jailed leaders of the Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf).

From correspondents in Federal Territory, Malaysia, 2 Apr 2008 4:02 PM - (www.indiaenews.com)

The Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA), a constituent of the ruling alliance, has joined the demand for the release of five jailed leaders of the Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf).

An unregistered body, Hindraf, claiming to speak for two million Tamil Hindu settlers, courted controversy after it organised a rally here Nov 25, 2007 to highlight the problems faced by ethnic Indians.

Police forcibly dispersed the rally using water cannons and arrested M. Manoharan, 46, P. Uthayakumar, 46, V. Ganabatirau, 34, R. Kengadharan, 40, and K. Vasantha Kumar, 34. They have been detained for two years under the stringent Internal Security Act.

The MCA has appealed to the government to open a dialogue with the Indian community to hear its grievances. The party, which has spoken for the estimated 33 percent ethnic Chinese population since Malaysia's independence, has for the first time lent its voice to an ethnic Indian cause after an appeal by the Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC) last week.

However, Home Minister Syed Hamid Albar has rejected the appeal of MIC chief and his former cabinet colleague, S. Samy Vellu, saying that 'national interests and not sentiments' would guide the government's decision.

Both MCA and MIC, which speaks for the eight percent ethnic Indians, belong to the ruling coalition Barisan Nasional (BN).

The BN emerged victorious, but weakened in last month's general election, losing its two-thirds majority in parliament and control of five states.

MCA vice-president Donald Lim Siang Chai Tuesday called on Albar to seriously consider freeing the five Hindraf leaders 'if they are found not to be a threat to the country's stability'.

He said releasing the five would show that the government was 'democratic', The Star newspaper said.

'It will show that the government is open in its handling of issues affecting the people. This in turn will enable the government to garner more support from the people,' he said.

(© IANS)

Read more at: http://www.indiaenews.com/asia/20080402/108313.htm

Hindraf leader meets Advani

2008-04-02T05:34:00.001-07:00

Hindu rights leader from Malaysia meets Advani

The Hindu Rights Action Force (HINDRAF) of Malaysia has urged the Leader of the Opposition L.K. Advani to urge the government so that an all-party delegation is sent there to look into the plight of Hindus there.

From correspondents in Delhi, India, 2 Apr 2008 4:02 PM - (www.indiaenews.com)

The Hindu Rights Action Force (HINDRAF) of Malaysia has urged the Leader of the Opposition L.K. Advani to urge the government so that an all-party delegation is sent there to look into the plight of Hindus there.

HINDRAF Chairperson P. Waytha Moorthy called on Advani at his home here late Tuesday and was with him for over half an hour, said Advani's personal staff.

Moorthy told IANS: 'I asked him to urge the government to send a discreet high-powered cross-party delegation to see for itself the plight of the Hindus in Malaysia. He has promised to take this up with the government and send a delegation soon.

'I asked him to speak to the Malaysian government to secure the release of five of our top office-bearers who are being detained without any trial under the Internal Security Act. He was surprised when I described to him the suppression and oppression we have undergone there in last 50 years.

'We are meeting other leaders also to build pressure on the Indian government.'

(© IANS)

http://www.indiaenews.com/print/?id=108312

Mahathir calls for rebellion in Malaysia

2008-04-02T02:16:00.000-07:00

Mahatir calls for rebellion in Malaysia
Malaysia Sun
Tuesday 1st April, 2008

Former Malaysian leader Mahathir Mohammad has urged supporters to openly rebel against the prime minister.

At a conference, about 2,000 members of the United Malay National Organisation party heard Mahatir speak against the party's leader, Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

Mahathir accused Abdullah of failing to curb unbridled corruption, nepotism and cronyism, and called on him to resign.

The meeting's agenda was to analyse the massive losses suffered by Abdullah's National Front ruling coalition in the March 8th general elections.

The volatile meeting quickly turned into vocal mass criticism of the 68-year-old prime minister, who still insists he has the full support of his party.

http://story.malaysiasun.com/index.php/ct/9/cid/303b19022816233b/id/343798/cs/1/

Release Hindraf 5; Hamid destroying Abdullah's reputation: Kit

2008-04-01T23:32:00.000-07:00

Hindraf 5 ISA detention - Hamid single-handedly destroying Abdullah’s reputation

Home Minister, Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar is single-handedly destroying the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi’s reputation that he is belatedly delivering his reform pledges though more than four years behind time by his refusal to immediately and unconditionally releasing newly-elected Selangor DAP State Assemblyman for Kota Alam Shah A. Manoharan and four other Hindraf leaders, P. Uthayakumar, V. Ganabatirau, R. Kenghadharan and T. Vasantha Kumar from Internal Security Act (ISA) detention.

Hamid’s comment on Samy Vellu’s call for the release of the five Hindraf activists could be used against the Home Minister himself. Noting Samy Vellu’s claim that his call was not a “publicity stunt”, Hamid said that was “his right as the leader of the Indian community to fight for the cause” and that “if he was in Samy Vellu’s shoes, he might have done the same thing”.

Clearly, Hamid had done the same thing and was not looking at the ISA detention of the Hindraf 5 afresh in the light of the unmistakable message of the March 8 “political tsunami” in wanting an immediate end to injustices and abuses of power like the arbitrary and unjust ISA detention of the Hindraf 5, but was purely looking at the issue in his capacity as an Umno leader who must defend his turf in the upcoming Umno General Assembly, subordinating and sacrificing his Ministerial oath of office to give top priority to national interests as the new Home Minister to steer the country from its past history of human rights violations and abuses of power particularly in ISA detentions.

In obstinately refusing to accede to demands for the immediate and unconditional release of the Hindraf 5, even without calling for an instant review of the ISA detention of the Hindraf 5, Hamid is showing utter contempt of the verdict of the Malaysian voters in the March 8 “political tsunami”.

Today is the second meeting of the new Abdullah Cabinet. The question is whether other Ministers, particularly from MIC and MCA, had raised in the Cabinet the issue of the release of the five Hindraf leaders under the ISA as a positive and responsible response to the March 8 “political tsunami” or whether the political culture of subservience and subordination of Barisan Nasional Ministers in the Cabinet has remained unchanged despite the March 8 political tsunami.

http://blog.limkitsiang.com/2008/04/02/hindraf-5-isa-detention-hamid-single-handedly-destroying-abdullahs-reputatuion/

Release Hindraf 5, says Samy...yes, you read that right!

2008-03-30T05:13:00.000-07:00

http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2008/3/30/nation/20080330150355&sec=nation

Release Hindraf 5, says Samy ... yes, you read that right!

KUALA LUMPUR: MIC president Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu has urged the government to release the five Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf) leaders who are being detained under the Internal Security Act (ISA).
He said two of the leaders -- R. Kenghadaran, 40, who is very sick and M. Manoharan, 46, who had won the Kota Alam Shah state seat in Selangor on a DAP ticket on March 8 -- should be freed sooner.
He said another two, V. Ganabatirau, 34, and K. Vasantha Kumar, 34, had not been very much involved in the rally organised by Hindraf in Kuala Lumpur on Nov 25 last year.
The fifth leader being detained under the ISA is P. Uthayakumar.
Speaking to reporters after opening a workshop on "Rebranding the MIC" here Sunday, Samy Vellu said the wives of Kenghadaran and Manoharan had approached him for his assistance.
"I have decided to raise it with the government. I will raise it (the issue of their release) with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi after he returns from Sabah.
"I will also meet Home Minister Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar and Inspector General of Police Tan Sri Musa Hassan. I have already made some moves on this earlier but I did not tell anyone. I will now make a firm move to see what can be done by the government with regard to their plight," Samy Vellu claimed.
He said Ganabatirau, and Vasantha Kumar were "not very much involved (in the rally), so the government has to make a decision."
Samy Vellu claimed that this was not a publicity stunt or a move to win back Indian support for the party.
"This is done in fairness, sympathy and, also, we feel that we as Indians have to do something about it. It is not a publicity stunt," he said.
Samy Vellu said that he was harshly criticised by certain people when he spoke to Abdullah and the Attorney General about reducing the attempted murder charges against the 31 people detained during the Hindraf rally, but he had continued to assist them.

Release of Hindraf 5 -- pressing agenda of 82 MPs and 196 State Assembly members

2008-03-29T21:39:00.000-07:00

Release of Hindraf 5 - pressing agenda of 82 MPs and 196 State Assembly members from DPP
One of the major breakthroughs of the March 8 political tsunami was the transformation of “Makkal Sakti” from a call for the end of the long-standing marginalization of the Malaysian Indians into a rallying and symbolic cry by all Malaysians to end all forms of marginalization against any Malaysian or group, regardless of race or religion.

It is distressing therefore that despite assurances by the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi that he has heard the voice of Malaysians on March 8 for change, actions taken by the second Abdullah administration have proved otherwise – in particular the statement by the Home Minister, Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar refusing to release newly-elected Selangor DAP State Assemblyman for Kota Alam Shah and four other Hindraf leaders, P. Uthayakumar, V. Ganabatirau, R. Kenghadharan and T. Vasantha Kumar from Internal Security Act (ISA) detention.

A pressing agenda for 82 MPs and 196 State Assembly members from DAP, PKR and PAS in Malaysia is to work out a common strategy for the immediate and unconditional release of the five Hindraf leaders from ISA detention and to ensure that the second Abdullah government understand the meaning of “Makkal Sakti”.

(Speech at the DAP Bukit Glugor general election thanksgiving dinner to celebrate re-election victory of Karpal Singh as MP for Bukit Glugor at Long Say Building, Burmah Road, Penang on Saturday, 29th March 2008)

http://blog.limkitsiang.com/2008/03/30/release-of-hindraf-5-pressing-agenda-of-82-mps-and-196-state-assembly-members-from-dpp/

Dictatorship Malaysia style: elected Hindraf leader will not be released from detention

2008-03-29T02:26:00.000-07:00

Dictatorship Malaysia style: elected Hindraf leader will not be released from detention

Malaysia Spurns Calls to Free Lawmaker
1 hour ago (29 March 2008, 3 PM IST)

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — A Malaysian opposition party on Saturday condemned the government's refusal to release an ethnic Indian activist elected as a state legislator while in jail.
M.Manoharan — a leader of the Hindu Rights Action Force, or Hindraf — was arrested shortly after his group organized a rally in November in which 20,000 Indians protested alleged government discrimination. He has been held since December under Malaysia's Internal Security Act, which allows for indefinite detention without trial.
While behind bars, he contested the March 8 election as a member of the Democratic Action Party and won a seat in the Selangor state legislature.
Despite Manoharan's win, Home Minister Syed Hamid Albar said the government cannot free him because he is still a security threat, The Star newspaper reported Saturday.
Calls to Syed Hamid and his aides went unanswered Saturday.
Lim Kit Siang, who heads the opposition Democratic Action Party slammed the government's decision.
"It shows that the Cabinet is not really listening to the people's voice for change toward a more democratic, accountable, just and more progressive Malaysian society," Lim told The Associated Press.
Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's ruling National Front coalition retained power in the March election, but suffered the worst losses in its 51-year rule.
http://www.insidebayarea.com/news/ci_8738770

Jailed Malay Indian MP cannot be released

Saturday, 29 March , 2008, 11:59
Kuala Lumpur: Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf) leader M Manoharan who is being detained under the Internal Security Act cannot be released although he won the Kota Alam Shah Assembly seat in the General Elections held March 8, 2008 Malaysian Home Minister Syed Hamid Albar has said.
"We cannot simply react to political parties' calls. We have to give priority to public safety and peace and will give due consideration (to the issue of his release) only if there is no threat to national security," he was quoted as saying by The Star newspaper on Saturday.
Manoharan will not be able to attend state assembly sessions while under detention.
He can, however, take oath as a state assemblyman at the detention camp as this had been done in the past, Albar said.
Chian Heng Kai and Chan Kok Kit, who won the Batu Gajah and Sungai Besi parliamentary seats respectively on a Democratic Action Party (DAP) ticket, took oath in the presence of the Dewan Rakyat (Parliament) speaker and secretary, and camp authorities in 1978, he said.
Manoharan, along with P Uthayakumar, V Ganabatirau, K Vasantha Kumar and R Kengadharan, is being detained for two years on charges of sedition for being part of Hindraf.
An unregistered body, Hindraf, claiming to speak for two million Tamil Hindu settlers, courted controversy after it organised a rally here November 25, 2007 to highlight the problems faced by ethnic Indians. Police forcibly dispersed the rally using water cannons and the group's leaders were arrested.
Albar said an advisory board comprising judicial and legal officers would review their detention.

http://sify.com/news/fullstory.php?id=14631976

Some advice for the new MIC Minister

2008-03-29T01:05:00.000-07:00

Some advice for the new MIC minister
Dr AM Raj | Mar 25, 08 4:26pm
http://www.malaysiakini.com/letters/80368

I refer to the Malaysiakini report Dr Subra: March 8 an awakening.

As a politician he knows how to be evasive when asked an uncomfortable
question like why was not the MIC given the Works Ministry. The fact
of the matter is that the MIC did try very hard to retain this
ministry but failed to do so.

Umno has been wanting to wrestle the portfolio from the MIC for a long
time. Of course, many in Umno fail to understand that the works
ministry is better off in the hands of a non-Umno minister so the
Umnoputras can shamelessly demand and get government contracts without
raising any eyebrows.

Nevertheless Dr S Subramaniam comes out in the interview as an
intelligent and dignified bearer of public office. The good doctor is
going to have his hands full. In all fairness, it must be said that
his predecessor in the cabinet, S Samy Vellu, was probably the most
hardworking cabinet minister.

How he managed with so little sleep and a frugal diet is a wonder. He
was also probably the only minister who personally answered phone
calls from the rakyat. The fact that Samy Vellu totally misread the
people's sentiments (probably aided and abetted by his staff of
various secretaries) contributed to his downfall.

The thousands of Indians helped by him to get contracts, loans,
scholarships and medical benefits did not count finally. He was like a
zamindar (land owner/chieftain) who dished out goodies on an ad-hoc
basis truly believing that he was doing the right thing. Indeed, many
Indians did benefit from his largesse and in a way, it is pitiful to
see them going for his jugular now.

So, Dr Subramaniam, I do have a few tips for you;

1. Emulate your predecessor in being a hardworking, disciplined
minister. You don't have to sleep only five hours a day like Samy
Vellu does and yes, you may continue being a vegetarian .

2. You don't have to inherit any personal staff of your predecessor.
It is better for you to bring in your own team if you are concerned
about your image.

3. Do not behave like a zamindar dishing out goodies. Those who get
the goodies will end up being ungrateful and those who do not not get
them will end up being your enemies. Instead, conceptualise your
vision to help poor Indians into a policy and demand that the
government act on it.

4. Do not be seen to be subservient member of the ruling coalition.
Demand that MIC be treated as an equal component of the ruling
coalition failing which you should consider pulling out of BN.

The MIC maintained the status quo by feeding on the fear that without
adequate Indian representation in the administration, the community's
needs would not be met. It may have been true in the past but not any
longer.

The 2008 general election has showed that the rakyat has matured and
voted across racial lines. The only ones who seem obsessed with race
seem to be the politicians. However, the MIC need not be written off.
It has a golden opportunity revamp itself into a dynamic party that is
sensitive to the needs of the poor and downtrodden Indians.

Eventually it is hoped that MIC, along with its friends in the BN will
form a single multiracial party a la PKR. Only then can we have a
truly credible two-party system that would be the envy of any plural
society. Someone did say that politics is far too important to be left
in the hands of politicians!

Demolished Hindu temple to be rebuilt on new site in Malaysia

2008-03-29T01:04:00.000-07:00

Monday March 17, 2008
Demolished Hindu temple to be rebuilt on new site
http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2008/3/17/nation/20080317191838&sec=nation

SHAH ALAM: A new site for the Sri Maha Mariamman Temple in Kampung Rimba Jaya, Padang Jawa, which was demolished in November last year has been approved.

Mayor Mazalan Md Noor said the temple would be rebuilt soon on a 10,000sq feet land near the Keretapi Tanah Melayu quarters, a much bigger site than the original temple.

He was speaking to reporters after Mentri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim, PKR de facto leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and Shah Alam MP Khalid Abd Samad visited the Rimba Jaya flats Monday.

The Hindu temple was ordered torn down by the authorities as it stood in the vicinity of the Rimba Jaya squatter settlement.

The 11ha site in the area is owned by Ken Rimba Jaya Sdn Bhd.

"The developer has been directed by the state government to provide the land and RM40,000, the cost of the building construction.

"It is up to the temple committee and the developer to decide when to start the temple construction," he said.

Mazalan said the Shah Alam City Council had cleared up the land to make way for the temple project.

Earlier, Khalid and Anwar had a dialogue with the Kampung Rimba Jaya residents and the demolition of the temple was among the hottest issues raised during the 15-minute meeting.

Khalid said the new state government was working hard to solve the squatter problems in the state.

Free Hindraf 5: UN Special Rapporteur urges Malaysian Govt.

2008-03-25T06:00:00.001-07:00

http://www.deccanherald.com/Content/Mar252008/foreign2008032559383.asp?section=updatenews

Free Hindraf leaders, UN official urges Malaysia

Kuala Lumpur, IANS: 25 March 2008

In a letter to Home Minister Syed Hamid Albar, Param Cumaraswamy has urged that they should be released in the interest of justice and harmony in the country.

UN Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers has urged the Malaysian government to review the detention of the five Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf) leaders and release them unconditionally.

In a letter to Home Minister Syed Hamid Albar, Param Cumaraswamy has urged that they should be released in the interest of justice and harmony in the country.

The five are being held for two years under the stringent Internal Security Act (ISA) and charged with sedition after they organised a protest rally on November 25 last year.

Cumaraswamy pointed out that one of those detained, M. Manoharan, was now an elected member of the state assembly in Kota Alam Shah.

This should be seen as a clear message that the electorate did not view him as a threat to state security.

He added that there was clearly no justification for the five to be detained any longer.

"Unite them with their families and allow Manoharan to serve his electorate effectively," The Star newspaper quoted him as saying.

Hindraf, an unregistered organisation, claims to speak for Malaysia's two million-plus Tamil Hindu settlers. It has been alleging that temples have been demolished and the community has been denied its due in terms of jobs and educational facilities.

Hindus avenge their humiliation in Malaysia, the fight goes on to get Hindraf 5 released

2008-03-24T07:45:00.000-07:00

March 30, 2008
Parvasi Bharatiya

Hindraf makes a dent in ruling coalition vote bank
Hindus avenge their humiliation in Malaysia
By Petaling Jaya

Malaysia is in shock. The Barisan Nasional is reeling from its worst-ever election performance with the ruling coalition losing 2/3 majority. While it managed to keep Terengganu and will form the next government, it lost Penang, Selangor Kedah and Perak to the Opposition and failed to recapture Kelantan. Barisan Nasional chairman, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, in accepting the results, said this was a clear proof of democracy at work in the country. He urged people to remain calm and not take to the streets to celebrate.

Tamil Nesan had a massive pull-out for birthday boy Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu with back-to-back coverage and full-page live-size photographs of him taken out by all 28 MIC candidates, hailing their chief as the greatest man ever born. The surreal coverage was in stark contrast to the ugly mood among Indians who had already ‘told’ Samy Vellu that his time was up—through the November 25 protest and the boycott of Batu Caves during Thaipusam—and were waiting to say it again through the ballot box. It was Samy Vellu’s final swan song. Except for Dr S. Subramaniam , S. Saravanan and K. Devamani, the other MIC candidates were all wiped out in an unprecedented wave of anger, opening up a new era in politics for Indians. With most of the MIC bigwigs wiped out, the internal power equation in the party has gone haywire and only time will tell how it is going to unravel. After such a beating it is also inconceivable that Samy Vellu should continue as party president. Sadly, he does not have a winner in a number two or three to hand over the party to. The vice-presidents, until press time, appear to have been defeated as well, leaving the MIC leadership in shambles. It will take a long time for the mess to be sorted out.

The MIC representation in the Cabinet and the administration is also in question now that Samy Vellu, the sole Indian minister for 29 years, has been defeated. Who is the winner or loser? Who will to take his place in the Cabinet? Indian voters form significant numbers in at least 67 parliamentary and 141 state assembly seats where they comprise between 9 per cent and 46 per cent of the electorate. The results across the country indicate they had used their numbers to vote Opposition and helped change the direction of politics in the country. They were the deciding factor in constituencies where Malay and Chinese votes divided. Indians who traditionally backed the Government made their small numbers count. Twenty-two Indians contested in 18 parliamentary seats and 53 Indians contested in 40 seats. They comprised about 8 per cent of contestants. MIC fielded nine for the Parliament and 19 for the state assemblies. The DAP had seven Indians for the Parliament and 17 for state while PKR fielded 19 Indians. In the Parliament and the state assemblies, there will be about 20 Indians from the DAP and PKR and all will be sitting on the opposition bench. Previously, in the entire country there were only two Indian MPs—Karpal Singh and M. Kulasegaran—holding the fort. It is going to be a lively Parliament and Opposition Indian MPs are going to fall over each other to voice Indian woes. The results are a victory for Makkal Shakti, the force unleashed by Hindraf leader P. Uthayakumar on November 25, which ballooned into a formidable Indian movement to carry away so many MIC leaders. The larger question is of course Indian representation in the government, which would be lesser with so many casualties. The government will have to find new ways to fill the vacancies and not just promote losers into senators and then ministers. Because of the defeat in some states, Indian representation is nil, making it a challenging task for the Barisan Nasional power-sharing formula to work.

While Malaysian political parties have managed to negotiate communal issues with remarkable dexterity over the past five decades, it is clear that the race-based formula that defines our political landscape must be re-modelled in due course. This is necessary because a long-entrenched habit of organising society into separate racial groups is patently unhealthy and ultimately counterproductive. The task should begin, naturally, with the envisioning of a society that emphasises a unifying, cross-cultural experience instead of striving to maintain social and institutional differences based on race and religion. This would require investing time and energy in reforming all important public institutions and processes to become inclusive, universal and egalitarian so that communal differences are de-emphasised and common values embraced as core principles. This is obviously a massive undertaking that will require decades if not generations to accomplish. Nevertheless, it must begin with a sense of conviction among all communities that such a society is not only achievable, but most desirable.

Further, as the goal involves a radical transformation in thinking, it must be approached in a systematic manner that would foster a gradual acceptance of the idea. The process should move from discussion of the idea among cultural experts, political leaders, public figures, community groups and civil society organisations, to confidence-building initiatives, experimental programmes and onward to more institutional efforts. A first step could be the establishment of a race relations commission that reports to the Parliament. Such an entity should be tasked with driving the agenda of racial harmony by drawing on the strength of opinion leaders and leading lights in the various communities. Thereafter a blueprint for promoting racial unity should be developed, including a revamp of institutions such as the Department of National Unity to make its role in promoting racial harmony more effective. Such a blueprint should encompass the reform of major national institutions including educational institutions, the civil service, Parliament, the justice system and others to reflect a race-blind public policy. This would ensure that over time, all public institutions would be guided by the principles of egalitarianism and universal values. In this process, a move towards reforming legislation to make them consonant with the values of a race-blind society would be a logical progression. Admittedly, from our current position, all this looks like a distant dream. However, the challenge of taking up the discussion is open to all who wish to forge a great future for Malaysia.

With the damming defeat, the MIC now becomes the only party, with its top leaders — president, deputy president (Datuk G. Palanivel) and three-vice presidents (Datuk S. Sothinathan, Datuk S. Veerasingam and Tan Sri Dr K.S. Nijhar)—will not have parliamentary seats to their names.

The MIC was allotted nine parliamentary and 19 state seats to contest. Only three MIC candidates won parliamentary seats while a mere seven won state seats.

MIC candidates who emerged victorious in the parliamentary seats were MIC information chief Datuk M. Saravanan (Tapah), S.K. Devamany (Cameron Highlands) and secretary-general Datuk Dr S. Subramaniam (Segamat).

The party’s candidates were wiped-out in Kedah, Penang, Perak and Selangor while the seven who managed to cling on were the four state assembly men in Johor, one in Melaka, Negeri Sembilan and Pahang.

Political observers said MIC’s dismal performance in this polls was to be expected as the “tell-tale” signs were there but were never noticed by party leaders.

It began when certain segments of the 1.8 million Indians unhappy with the way the party was addressing the woes of the community, sparked an uprising of some sorts by organising a street demonstration in Kuala Lumpur in November last year.

Despite the intense pressure, Samy Vellu vowed that he would make changes to the MIC line-up in this election. He did make changes but they were minimal. He brought in new faces only in Saravanan and S. Murugesan (who contested the Subang constituency and lost).

It is without doubt that the veteran leader, who was appointed as Deputy Housing and Local Government Minister in 1978 and subsequently Works Minister in 1979, has to leave the Cabinet, in which he was a member for many years.

Samy Vellu, who once worked as a bus conductor, office boy and a newscaster in RTM, climbed the party’s ladder the hard way.

After becoming an MIC member in 1959 at the Batu Caves branch, he clawed his way up as the acting president in 1979 following the death of Tan Sri V. Manickavasagam, the then MIC president.

The eldest son of rubber tappers Sangilimuthu and Angammah, took the helm of MIC in 1981. He has held on to that position despite facing strong challenge many a time.

After serving the community for nearly 30 years, the man, who as a kid, moved from estate to estate with his parents in search of employment, had a hard decision to make in the light of the current circumstances.

Will he step aside in the party or plod on, will he be made a senator and retain his works minister’s portfolio, one time will tell.

Malaysia’s opposition was set on recently to hand the ruling coalition its biggest upset ever, winning the northern industrial state of Penang and putting the prime minister’s political future at risk.

The multi-racial National Front coalition was almost certain to get a majority and form the government at the federal level, but the two-thirds majority in parliament it has held for most of its five-decade-long rule was looking shaky in early returns.

“It’s bad. They have lost Penang,” a source close to Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi told Reuters just two and a half hours after polling booths closed. “It’s a perfect storm,” he added. “Big guns are falling all over the place.”

The chief minister of Penang conceded defeat and said he would hand over power to the opposition, one of the state’s opposition leaders said.

“He has contacted the governor. He respected the wishes of the people and hoped there are no untoward incidents,” said Chow Kon Yeow, head of the Chinese-dominated Democratic Action Party (DAP), which was set to lead the new government in the state.

The surprise defeat for the ruling National Front coalition aroused memories of the last time it failed to win a two-thirds majority, in 1969, when deadly race riots erupted between majority ethnic Malays and minority Chinese.

Abdullah said he accepted defeat in some areas and urged people to remain calm.

Police officials vowed to use tough internal security laws against anyone spreading rumours of race riots, and banned victory processions after the results, one of which had triggered the violence in 1969.

The poll, called before it was due in May 2009, was widely seen as a referendum on Abdullah’s rule, and Malaysians took the opportunity to administer a stinging rebuke over price rises, religious disputes and concerns over corruption.

Works Minister Samy Vellu, chief of the Malaysian Indian Congress, one of the parties in the ruling National Front coalition, lost the seat he had held for nearly 30 years, because many Indians thought he was out of touch with their concerns.

Another slap in the face for the government was a victory by detained ethnic Indian activist and lawyer M. Manoharan, who won a parliamentary seat, after being held under internal-security laws for organising a major anti-government protest last year.

Chinese and Indians account for a third of the population of 26 million and many complain the government discriminates in favour of Malays when it comes to education, jobs, financial assistance and religious policy.

“This looks like a revolution,” said Husam Musa, vice president of the Islamist opposition party Parti Islam se-Malaysia (PAS), which looked to be winning in northeastern Kelantan state.

“The people have risen and are united. The message to government is, ‘Enough is enough’”, he told reporters.

http://www.organiser.org/dynamic/modules.php?name=Content&pa=showpage&pid=230&page=25

Time for Malaysia to address minorities' concerns: Hindraf

2008-03-24T07:03:00.000-07:00

Time for Malaysia to address minorities' concerns: HINDRAF

Chennai (PTI): Malaysia-based Hindu Rights Action Force (HINDRAF) on Monday said the defeat of Malaysian Indian Congress headed by former minister Datho Samivelu in recent polls, showed that it was time for the Malaysian government to come out with an "affirmative plan" to address the concerns of the minorities.

P Wayda Moorthy, Chairman, HINDRAF, told reporters here that after the elections, Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi had said that he would correct some of his mistakes like the crackdown on ethnic Indians.

Moorthy said the Government should announce "concrete, affirmative plan for the Indians."

He also called for repealing of the Internal Security Act under which several HINDRAF activists were detained and demanded their immediate release.

They were detained when HINDRAF organised a rally of ethnic Indians on November 25 last year, demanding equal rights to the community.

Moorthy said the recent MoU proposed by Malaysia offering all rights and facilities to the Indian expatriates and migrant workers was aimed at keeping India quiet.

"Migrant workers from various countries are employed in Malaysia. But, the proposed MoU for Indians alone is aimed at preventing India from taking up with it, the struggle by the ethnic Indians," he said.

http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/holnus/001200803241702.htm

Protests organized world-wide on 100th day of detention of Hindraf 5

2008-03-24T04:45:00.000-07:00

PWM: PRESS STATEMENT 23/03/2008
Mon, 24/03/2008 - 18:07 — admin The 100th day detention of the 5 HINDRAF linked persons and leaders were remembered throughout the country on the 22nd and 23rd March 2008.

Worldwide vigils and protests in conjunction with the 100th day detention would be organised on different dated as Europe celebrated the Easter break and India had its Holi Festival during this period.

A protest were organised at San Francisco United Nations Plaza on the 22nd March 2008.

Throughout the country thousands of Malaysians attended various “Abolish ISA Forums” and a total of 8 resolutions were unanimously adopted as follows:

1. HINDRAF through its MAKKAL SAKTI power has sent a clear message to the Government of the 50 years of marginalisation, suppression and oppression of the Indian community in Malaysia and calls upon the Government to adopt and implement all 18 demands made via a memorandum sent to the Prime Minister on 12th August 2007.

2. THIS FORUM does not believe that the 5 linked to HINDRAF detained under the ISA are a threat to National Security. The Government have maliciously linked them to terrorist organisation in December 2007, being extremist ect to justify their arrest under ISA.

THIS FORUM recognises that the Government felt threatened of losing the traditional Indian voters support as a result of the mass gathering organized by HINDRAF and show of MAKKAL SAKTI (PEOPLE POWER) ON 25TH November 2007 and hence the decision to detain under ISA.

THIS FORUM calls upon the Government to immediately release all 5 detained persons unconditionally and compensate them for their unlawful incarceration.

3. THIS FORUM reminds DAP KEADILAN PAS that the spirit of multi racial politics shown and advocated by HINDRAF during the General Elections are a commitment given by HINDRAF on behalf of the Malaysian Indians which is a total shift from previous voting trends. HINDRAF now calls upon the abovementioned political parties to recognize the contributions of HINDRAF by appointing a minimum of 5 HINDRAF leaders in the Senate (DEWAN NEGARA) a Deputy Menteri Besar position in each of the states in Penang, Perak and Selangor and equitable numbers of Timbalan Yang Dipertua’s and councillors from amongst HINDRAF.

4. THIS FORUM calls on the Government to recognize the legitimate existence and contributions of HINDRAF to the country and calls upon the Government to immediately approve the registration of HINDRAF as a Civil Rights and Political Pressure group/organization.

5. THIS FORUM recognises that the ISA is an obsolete act of Parliament and the detention under ISA is cruel, inhumane and against all International Human Rights standards.

THIS FORUM calls on the Prime Minister to table as the first act of Parliament, an act to repeal the ISA in the forthcoming new Parliamentary session.

6. THIS FORUM calls on the Government to heed calls made by all concerned citizens and Human Rights organisations to immediately release all detained persons unlawfully held under the ISA and compensate each individual for the loss of years and sufferings they and their families underwent.

7. THIS FORUM urges all Political Parties and the Government to accept the reality that HINDRAF IS THE NEW VOICE OF MALAYSIAN INDIANS.

8. HINDRAF declares and vows to vigorously campaign for the repeal of fINTERNAL SECURITY ACT even upon the release of the 5 linked to HINDRAF.

On the 23rd March 2008 between 7.00am-10.am a total of 131 yagams (yagas/ fire rituals) were conducted by Hindus to invoke the blessings of the ALMIGHTY for the release of the 5 and for the protection and guarantee of Minority Indian Rights in Malaysia.

HINDRAF congratulates and thanks all supporters for their participation and support in organizing these events and a special thanks to our fellow brothers and sisters in London and Dublin who despite the “safety restrictions” organized successful yagams and to our fellow brethren in San Francisco for their commitment in organizing the protest despite the Easter break.

P.Waytha Moorthy
CHAIRMAN
HINDRAF
http://www.hindraf.org/content/pwm-press-statement-23032008

Malaysian govt. softens stance toward bloggers

2008-03-22T21:15:00.000-07:00

Malaysian govt. softens stance toward bloggers

Kuala Lumpur (AP), 23 March 2008: Media reports say Malaysia's new information minister has pledged not to impose curbs on bloggers, who have been accused by authorities of spreading slander and undermining multiethnic harmony.

Information Minister Ahmad Shabery Cheek said bloggers played a key role in recent general elections by catering to voters who wanted an alternative source of information apart from mainstream newspapers and television.

Newspapers on Saturday quoted Ahmad Shabery as saying that everyone would have ``the freedom to use the blogs as an information distribution center.''

http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/holnus/001200803230321.htm

How the Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC) Failed The Indians

2008-03-22T04:11:00.000-07:00

An open letter to Dato S Subramaniam and others who want to resurrect the now dead MIC
Posted by Raja Petra, Thursday, 20 March 2008
http://www.malaysia-today.net/2008/content/view/4708/84/

The abandonment of MIC by Malaysian Indians is surely a reflection that MIC has failed itself significantly in representing the very people it serves.

MIC failed the Indians, when did barely nothing to prevent the temple demolitions. MIC failed when its leaders did not ensure that budgeted allocations actually went towards needy Tamil schools. MIC failed when it's leaders did not negotiate for better salaries for Estate Workers, or find jobs for displaced Estate workers. May we ask what MIC did towards halting the rising rates of gangsterism within the Malaysian Indian community?

We did not hear a squeak from MIC leaders when time and again Indians died in police custody. Once again where was the voice of MIC leaders when our deserving students did not get placement in the Universities? Neither did we hear our MIC representatives clamour to give housing for poor urban Indians. Where were the MIC leaders when our community were deprived of jobs and when the number of Indians in Government dropped alarmingly?

Sir, sorry to say, that our MIC leaders together with the ruling Government wilfully neglected the Indian community. So now you tell us, why do we Indians need such category of self serving leaders?

Though we Malaysian Indians had MPs and other leaders in Government, rarely did anyone take up their cause, a case in point, the hundreds of Memos sent in by Hindraf went virtually ignored and unanswered by all in government. When in actual fact, the MIC should have taken onus to address the problems enumerated in the Hindraf demands, this being specific Indian issue. Instead leaders went all out to demonise us, resorting to all manner of name calling from penyangkak to extremists to murderers even to the extent of our esteemed police force's vivid and imaginary terrorist links.

Why you too Sir, did not make any efforts to take up the Indian cause, surely with your connections you could have highlighted the Indian plight, but then I guess all of you very busy pursuing your own personal and business interests. Why did you not use your influence with the Government to speak on behalf of the thousands of Indians who came out on the streets in a voice of discontent? Were you lounging in one of the hotels on Jalan Ampang watching us Malaysian Indians being jetted with chemical waters and tear gas?

Consider the 12th General Elections and see for yourself how the Indians rallied with the opposition especially in constituencies where MIC candidates were contesting. Indians tirelessly worked to ensure that MIC candidates failed to get elected. Is that not proof in itself, that the very people MIC represents, in effect ensured its failure? Otherwise how do you attribute that even the CEO of MIC and his deputy failed to get elected, it was not by coincidence but the very intention of frustrated and marginalised Malaysian Indians.

One of the main reasons for the debacle of the BN in this elections, is that the Indians previously complacent openly came out in large numbers to assist the opposition candidates, be it DAP, PAS or PKR, it did not matter to them whether the candidates were Indian, Chinese, Malay or any other, nevertheless Indians gave their whole hearted support to any candidate other than BN.

By now you should know that the reason for the component parties' devastation in the 12th GE was primarily because the minorities felt that their leaders failed to represent and voice out the discontent of the people. This in turn effected the rise of the elite UMNO and their racial policies. Just to illustrate, when the Keris was raised, those who mumbled and grumbled a bit, were seen in the next days papers, smiling and shaking hands, with the keris wielding leader who today unfortunately still sits in cabinet, while the rest of us were furious and feared our very future in this nation.

To your question on who will represent the Indians, there are enough Indians in Parliament and the State Assemblies to ensure the welfare of the Indians. Right now there is a strong Indian presence in five state governments, so to you we say we have sufficient representation of Indians in whom we have placed our trust and confidence.

For the development of respective Arts and Culture, there should not be a problem to initiate societies and associations for the promotion of language, literature, culture, arts, music and dance.

It is timely that big industrialists and entrepreneurs come forward to develop, train and mentor the younger generation. I am equally sure that you should not have a problem with your expertise and being a person of influence to establish ways to promote economic growth of marginalised and deserving Malaysians irrespective of race or religion.

To Samy Velu, who today said "who will represent the Indians"? Go and seek penance in Kasi and prepare yourself to meet your maker, your end is nearing. Be sure you have answers for your bad performance and your major role in the making of a powerful opposition, for certain, they have already thanked you for this. Meditate how your devious actions led to the sad demise of MIC. By raising the tolls, in amassing huge amounts of wealth. We ofcourse in the elections did not forget how the Hindraf assemblers were treated at Batu Caves and we gave you the answer by booting you out. Be gone. You have negated all the the efforts and the good done by the early founders of MIC, you have dragged all their work into the stinking muck.

By the way, Dato Subramaniam and others you could earn back some semblence of respect if you could get not just the Hindraf 5 but also all other ISA detainees released. However if you wish to serve,let it be all Malaysians, not just one community, that is our sincere advice to you.

We have now reached a mature stage whereby we the people, Malays, Chinese, Indians and others will directly involve ourselves with our elected representatives to ensure that all our interests are taken care of. We have made our voice heard in this elections and we say once and for all, be gone all yea who want to encourage racism and partisan politics in Malaysia, that was once and no more shall the people let self-serving politicians divide us.

Why have you not heard our loud "NO TO RACISM, NEPOTISM, WASTEFUL EXPENDITURE AND CORRUPTION.

Right now, there are stalwarts who are true patriots, working to ensure the success of the Barisan Rakyat.

Barisan Rakyat is the only way forward for Malaysia.

From:

I am of one race - Malaysian

HAF welcomes 'political tsunami

2008-03-21T01:48:00.001-07:00

HAF welcomes "Political Tsunami" in Malaysia
http://www.weeklyblitz.net/index.php?subaction=showfull&id=1206013324&archive=&start_from=&ucat=3&cat=3
Blitz Desk

The political landscape was in upheaval in Malaysia late last week after the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition was handed a shocking defeat in national elections losing its two-thirds majority in the country's parliament. While the BN leader Abdullah Ahmad Badawi was sworn in as Prime Minister for another term, his mandate is severely weakened. The Hindu American Foundation, along with many human rights observers in the United States welcomed the development as a referendum against the Prime Minister's recent crackdown on ethnic minority Indians and jailing of Hindu leaders under draconian laws.
Political change began sweeping the country in late 2007 after the Hindu Rights Action Force (HINDRAF) organized 80,000 ethnic Indians to march on the nation's capital to protest ethnic and religious discrimination and the destruction of several Hindu temples by the government. The rally was brutally dispersed and the government tried to silence any opposition. In an obvious blow to the Badawi government, M. Manoharan, one of the five HINDRAF leaders held under a draconian security law that allows indefinite detention without trial, won a seat in parliament convincingly on a Democratic Action Party (DAP) ticket.

"The overwhelming message we can glean from these elections is that a national policy of ethnic marginalization, discrimination and, indeed, religious persecution was rejected by Malays from all backgrounds," said Aseem Shukla, M.D., member of the HAF Board of Directors. "The Badawi government's regressive policies of reserving coveted jobs, leadership opportunities and school admissions for ethnic Malays, and a promotion of Islamist ideology poisoned and polarized the polity in Malaysia too far."

The Barisan Nasional, headed by Prime Minister Badawi won a majority of the seats (140 of the 222 seats), but compared to the 2004 elections in which it had won 64 percent of the vote, and 90 percent of the parliamentary seats, this time around it won only 51% percent of the votes and 63 percent of parliamentary seats. This despite widespread reports of vote-rigging and the huge advantages that the ruling coaliton had in terms of resources and support to hold big public rallies, denied to the opposition. Much more significantly, the BN lost its two-thirds majority, and suffered its worst outcome in 50 years. A two-thirds majority in parliament is needed to amend the constitution. The opposition parties together have won 82 seats compared to only 19 in the outgoing parliament.

The chief of the Malaysian Indian Congress, Samy Vellu, lost the seat he had held for 34 years. Many Hindu-Malaysians had blamed Samy Vellu for ignoring the real plight of his fellow minorities to gain favor within the Badawi government of which he was a cabinet member.
"The Hindu American Foundation is gratified that Hindu-Malaysians, who have borne the brunt of Malaysia's discriminatory policies, have been vindicated in their struggle to right the old wrongs," said Dr. Mihir Meghani, President, HAF. "We were one of the few international Hindu organizations who stood firmly behind HINDRAF's struggles this past year, and we look forward to the leaders of HINDRAF being released from prison, allowed to participate freely in public life, and fight for the rights of the long-discriminated Hindu minority."

Malaysian Indians' winter of discontent

2008-03-21T01:45:00.000-07:00

Malaysian Indians Winter of Discontent
Thursday, March 20, 2008
http://makkalsakti.blogspot.com/2008/03/malaysian-indians-winter-of-discontent.html

Joe Fernandez | Mar 19, 08

'Air tenang jangan disangka tiada buaya' (Don't think there are no crocodiles in the water just because it is still.) The unhappiness has always been there even before Hindraf (Hindu Rights Action Force) emerged in public.

It began well before Malaysia announced the New Economic Policy in 1970, several months after the May 13, 1969 race riots. There were deviations in the policy from the very outset, it is alleged, and this apparently further exacerbated the 150 years of exploitation during the British colonial era.

When you virtually kidnap, which is what the British colonials allegedly did, perfectly-contented people from the freedom of the vast Tamil Nadu countryside and subject them to virtual enslavement in the pressure-cooker of a regimented estate environment, the pressures build up over the century and decades and must eventually find an outlet.

Historically, the vast majority of even voluntary migrants everywhere, since time immemorial, have generally exchanged grinding poverty in the old country for genteel poverty in their new land. That's the perennial lot of the wage-earner. The "smart" Indians in Malaysia, mostly in the towns and some among the planting class in the estates, are the ones that didn't stay when independence came. They came during the days of the British Empire, saved almost every sen they could lay their hands on and went back cash rich to invest in India, taking advantage of the exchange rate.

In the end, no matter where you go in the world, what matters is the exchange rate and how much you can save every month and whether you can eventually return and neutralise your "karma". Others, especially those shanghaied and kept in the estates against their will on a pittance, were trapped when the Empire fell apart.

Then, came the big Hindraf-led demonstration in front of the British High Commission. There are reports which suggest that many of the Hindraf demonstrators were MIC members. Obviously, there are attempts to distance people from Hindraf. The official line proceeds along an all too familiar pathway: criminalisation, demonisation, dehumanisation, neutralisation, isolation, marginalisation and finally elimination. Will that be the end of the government's troubles?

Hindraf claims to represents the voice of the unseen, the unheard, the forgotten, the ones outside the tight-knit MIC ambit which not so long ago expelled the poorest of the poor led by M G Pandithan. Having just one party in the BN to represent the Indians, it seems, no longer works.

Initial eye-opener

The initial eye-opener came, observations show, with an influx of Indian tourists and when Indian IT expatriates started working in Malaysia. These were the new role models. The government's idea, from press reports, is to get at least one million Indians from India's middle class, as large as and richer than the combined populations of France and Germany, to visit Malaysia every year and a further one million from China. Sounds good on paper. Now that India is an emerging economic and military power as well, besides being second only to the US in medicine and IT, the Indian community has been further emboldened to make demands especially since Malaysia is increasingly eyeing India (and China too) economically in the wake of globalisation.

India aside, the issue is simple. Hindraf wants the British government to right the historical wrongs to the Indians in Malaysia, the Tamils in particular, and compensate them as well as issue an official apology from the Queen and the prime minister. The memo was meant to internationalise the issue of religious freedom in Malaysia which, allegedly, is less than satisfactory at the state and local government levels.

Aside from freedom of worship, Hindraf also wants equal rights as guaranteed by the Federal Constitution. They are not touching on the special privileges of the Malays because there's no need. Affirmation programmes to correct historical injustices can be within the ambit of the law and the Constitution as long as they do not deviate from an accepted framework and timeframe and do not violate the Constitutional provisions on equality, the fundamental bedrock of colour-blindness.

According to Hindraf, the random demolishing of Hindu temples, allegedly built illegally, has been a growing problem in Malaysia. Hindraf has reportedly threatened a Sri Lanka style situation in Malaysia if the Tamils are further pushed into a corner.

Again, the core fact is that all this would probably not have risen if not for the temple incident in Kampung Rimba Jaya, Selangor, where not only was the temple demolished around Deepavali day, but the idols too were reportedly smashed. Why did they have to smash the idols? That was the last straw, the proverbial one that broke the camel's back.

In the wake of the current flare-up, the former Selangor MB visited Kampung Rimba Jaya and advised the residents to let bygones be bygones and move on. He mentioned compensation of RM40,000 from a developer for the destroyed temple and a new site. It was in the papers (Move forward, Dr Khir tells Kampung Rimba folk . . . New Sunday Times Dec 9, 2007, Page 5) with a picture etc.

There must be no violence on either side no matter what the provocation. The future of the country is at stake. Besides, Government officials must tone down their rhetoric which only further inflames the situation. Don't they realise that when politics comes in through the door, economics flies out through the window? The rational approach is to talk and keep talking. It's not wise to close doors. There is nothing to fear but fear itself. As long as the talking continues, there would be no violence.

Allegations of police brutality

The police are another issue. There are allegations of police brutality against those in custody resulting in unexplained deaths. Apparently, the "smarter" ones among the newly arrived Tamils from the estates have embarked on a life of crime in collusion with the triads to accumulate capital, as much as possible, in the shortest, easiest, quickest time frame This is a well-trodden path taken by many peoples all over the world, since time immemorial, to accumulate capital and eventually get into politics.

At this stage, we are not sure whether the urban middle class Indians are riding on their underclass brethren. Historically, movements for change have always been led by the middle class, not the down-trodden, when something bugs them in their comfort zone.

If there are two things that the Tamils are fanatical about, it is language and religion. The Tamils are even more fanatical than the French over language. That's why the Malaysian government doesn't want to dwell too much on the issue of Tamil schools.

For another, it doesn't mean that just because there are quotas for the Malays everywhere, there should be quotas for the Tamils too. I doubt that the Tamils, apart from the MIC, are really interested in this approach. Does the fate of the Tamils in Malaysia hinge solely on the government? The Tamils are the last people on Earth to protest over jobs, business opportunities and university intake etc. That doesn't mean that these are no serious economic issues.

Somehow, they find their own way in these matters. These matters are just add-ons in the current flare-up, not the real issue. Unless, of course, I am out of touch with the younger generation of Tamils in Malaysia. In that case, there's little difference between Tamil and Malay youth. In fact, no one in the Indian diaspora anywhere in the world has protested over economic issues. Malaysian Tamils are the first to do so and that's what surprises everybody. The temple issue was the catalyst. The "well-off" Indians in Malaysia are of course "ashamed" by the demos etc.

Malaysia has an economy in transition, in the wake of globalisation, and will surely pay a huge economic cost in terms of lost investments, diminished values and higher insurance and business costs, if a picture emerges in the international arena that the country is in the same league as Sri Lanka and Muslim countries like Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iraq, Palestine, Sudan and Somalia. Closer home there are trouble spots like Aceh, the Thai south and the Southern Philippines.

Fifty years after independence, we wonder what the next half century will bring. More of the same?

Pre-occupation with economics

Much of the last 50 years has seen a pre-occupation with economics. This is not surprising considering that Malaysia is a microcosm of the British Empire which was essentially a commercial empire. Globalisation is now seen as the better way forward. The emphasis is on market efficiency, smart partnerships, giving consumers choices rather than allowing governments to protect inefficient industries run by fat cats and cronies, a policy of prosper thy neighbour and the common good that comes from companies, wherever they are, doing good, countries doing good and being a blessing to all. Malaysia surely sees a prosperous Indian community as good for the country.

Malaysia will be pre-occupied with race relations and national unity for the next 50 years. We have a Department of National Unity in the PM's Department run by Dr Maximus Ongkili, the former minister in the PM's Department.

They tend to focus on a lot of cosmetic programmes. What they need to work on is substance. My recent SMS to Dr Max reads: "At present, there is too much lip service when it comes to national unity. As one who has dear relatives and friends among all races and religions, I venture that national unity is of paramount importance and will hinge on two major factors viz. tak kenal, maka tak cinta; and parents and teachers must not transfer their prejudices to their children. Perhaps this is something that your department can take up urgently, starting with our police, the press, politicians and PTAs."

I would add that a third factor would be instituting a culture of sharing and caring. Now, greed and materialism gets in the way. I am happy to see the Malays, or others for that matter, doing well. I think it will be good for the country. The same sentiments cannot be detected in the Indian community. When they see others forging ahead while they lag behind, their anger and frustration knows no bounds and borders on the explosive.

Former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad did say before he retired that he has put everything in place for the next century or so. "Only a congenital idiot would ruin everything," he said. A house divided against itself cannot stand and must surely fall!"

Man proposes, God disposes

On a personal level, the Indians can take a leaf from the Chinese in their winter of discontent and not give in to negativity. Man proposes, God disposes. This is not a case of talk being cheap or easier said than done. There are deep spiritual truths here. Always be thankful and grateful and there will be more opportunities to be thankful and grateful for. Look for the silver lining in the clouds, consider everything that happens as a blessing in disguise and always count your blessings. Opportunities often come disguised as problems. You cannot keep a good man down.

For starters, one cannot insist on having the cake and eating it too. Tamil education, up to Year 6, was started by the British colonialists not only to keep the community in the estates in perpetuity but to turn out better tappers.

Obviously, the lack of language skills create a communication gap with other Malaysians and even the syndrome best expressed by the Malay saying: "Seperti katak di bawah tempurung" (The frog under the coconut shell thinks that is the world.). There needs to be greater interaction between Indians and non-Indians in all spheres of national life. It's a great loss to the nation if the Indians keep away from others, either deliberately, or because they have no choice in the matter. Already, there is polarisation between Muslims and non-Muslims thanks to the 911 tragedy in New York.

The unrest in Malaysia sounds all too suspiciously like similar eruptions elsewhere in the world in the wake of globalisation. The influx of foreign workers, both legal and illegal, from neighbouring countries has had a negative effect on Indian jobs and depressed wages. Indian unrest should not be allowed to spill over into the other communities. The stresses and strains are evident in Malaysia after 50 years of "nation building". It's a brave new world out there.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
JOE FERNANDEZ is an educationist and former newspaper editor who feels compelled to put pen to paper when something doesn't quite jell with his weltanschauung (worldview). He readily admits that there's a demon in him at these times, urging him on. Otherwise, he's working quietly on a semi-autobiographical travelogue, and teaching English privately.

Penang Malay protest compared with Hindraf Rose Rally

2008-03-16T19:44:00.000-07:00

Penang Malay Protest Vs Indian Hindraf Rose Rally -- See Police
Treatment Photos juxtaposed.

Compare the police non-violence in the Malay protest versus the brutal treatment of Indians in the Rose Rally
http://www.scribd.com/doc/2292469/penanghindraf

Rally in San Francisco on March 22, 2008 in support of Hindraf

2008-03-15T01:30:00.000-07:00

HINDU AMERICAN FOUNDATION: Malaysian rights rally in San Francisco
Sat, 15/03/2008 - 13:46 — admin HINDU AMERICAN FOUNDATION
SUPPORT
Malaysian rights rally in San Francisco

The Hindu American Foundation (HAF) is throwing its support behind a rally planned to take place in front of the United Nations Plaza in San Francisco, California on Saturday, March 22, 2008. The rally, organized by American Hindus with familial ties to Malaysia, is to support human rights in Malaysia.

The organizers are calling for an end to the apartheid policies of the Malaysian government that favor ethnic Malay Muslims over other ethnic groups, and are demanding an immediate end to the destruction of Hindu Temples. The rally will also mark the 100th day of the unjust and unlawful detention of 5 leaders of the Hindu Rights Action Force (HINDRAF), who were jailed after they led a non-violent protest in the nation's capital in late November.

Venue: United Nations Plaza in San Francisco, CA (at the intersection of Market & Hyde)

Date/Time: Saturday, March 22, 2008 from 10a.m. – 1p.m.

Contact: Bhuvan Govindasamy
bhuvan.govindasamy@gmail.com

The Hindu American Foundation is a 501(c)(3), non-profit, non-partisan organization promoting the Hindu and American ideals of understanding, tolerance and pluralism. Contact HAF at 1-301-770-7835 or on the web at www.HAFsite.org.

http://www.hindraf.org/content/hindu-american-foundation-malaysian-rights-rally-san-francisco

Penang Malay Protest Vs Indian Hindraf Rose Rally -- See Police Treatment Photos

2008-03-14T06:45:00.001-07:00

Photos: Penang Malay Protest Vs Indian Hindraf Rose Rally -- See Police Treatment

How genuine is the Malaysian Indian's complaint of discrimination and police brutalities. Check out these telling photos

Have a look at these photos of the and decide for yourself

March 14 protests in Penang at the KOMTAR area by Penang Malays -- See Police Action (or rather Non-Action)
http://mahaguru58.blogspot.com/2008/03/anti-guan-eng-protest-by-penang-malays.html
http://anilnetto.com/2008/03/14/2000-gather-for-pro-nep-demo-in-penang/

And compare with the police high handedness here (tear gas, chemical laced water etc)
Feb 18th Hindraf Rose Rally
http://indiaboleh.blogspot.com/2008/02/in-pictures-hindraf-rose-rally.html
http://gmurali.com/what-the-world-say-on-hindraf-rose-rally-plus-unseen-photos.html

From Malaysia, IPS: "The opposition benches are infested with bloggers"

2008-03-13T04:47:00.000-07:00

March 13, 2008
From IPS: "The opposition benches are infested with bloggers"

BN = Barisan Sosialis???

MEDIA-MALAYSIA: Bloggers On Opposition Benches
Analysis by Kalinga Seneviratne

SINGAPORE, Mar 13 (IPS) - The presence of five bloggers on opposition benches in Malaysia’s newly elected parliament must be galling for the ruling National Front (NF) coalition, which was returned to power in Saturday’s general elections minus its long-held two-thirds majority.

Internationally renowned blogger Jeff Ooi, a 52-year-old former advertising copywriter, won a seat in the western island state of Penang, while Oxford University economics graduate Tony Pua, 34, claimed a seat in the bustling Kuala Lumpur suburb of Petaling Jaya with over a majority of over 19,000 votes. Both were candidates of the left-leaning Chinese Democratic Action Party (DAP).

Wining seats in state parliaments for the multi-racial Parti Kadilan Rakyat (PKR) were prominent bloggers Nik Azmi Nik Ahmed and Elizabeth Wong, a noted human rights activist and media reforms advocate. Tian Chua, a former political prisoner under the notorious Internal Security Act, was another claimant to a seat in the national parliament.

The only prominent blogger who lost a fight was Badrul Hisham Shaharin, who contested a semi-rural constituency south of Kuala Lumpur and lost to Khairy Jamaluddin, Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi’s controversial son-in-law.

Prem Chandran, chief of the Internet news portal Malaysiakini, argues that the Internet had a major influence on the election outcome because the issues which make a difference, such as corruption and interference in the judiciary, were only carried on news sites like theirs.

There were large swings in urban and semi-urban areas, especially (to opposition) among first-time young voters, Chandran told IPS. Internet, he said, allowed political parties to reach out to a very important constituency which was non-existent in previous elections.

Raja Petra Kamaruddin, owner of malaysia-today.net, argues that the Internet’s biggest contribution was to get the middle-class to the ballot box. The opposition is infested with bloggers noted Raja Petra in an interview with Singapore’s ‘Strait Times’.

Alternative media cured the apathy the middle-class has. They were no longer saying: ‘’Let’s not bother. Suddenly, it was let’s go and give the opposition a chance.’’

Denying the NF (or Barisan Socialis) coalition two-thirds majority in the national parliament, which the party enjoyed for the past 40 years, is seen as a major victory for the opposition. The opposition also won majorities in five state parliaments, an act never before accomplished in Malaysia. Nationally, the government won only 51 percent of the vote and in fact would have lost the elections if not for the slew of seats they retained in the eastern Malaysian states of Sarawak and Sabah.

It was direct access to the Internet in urban areas -- ironically, because of the government’s policy of developing a Multimedia Super Corridor -- that allowed urban voters to access information not available in the government-controlled mainstream media.

Chandran pointed out that apart from the Internet, the use of SMS (telephone text messages) and photocopiers took information rural electorates, bridging the digital divide. He also said that Malaysiakini’s Internet-streamed television programmes were copied on to VCDs and circulated for viewing in rural homes (where VCD machines are popular).

More than the Internet, SMSs played a critical role in spreading the opposition message, says Sankaran Ramanathan, managing partner of Media Plus Research Consultants. Because rural people now have mobile phones, it was easy to break the urban-rural barrier.

"There were Internet groups which exchanged messages via e-mail, especially among the Hindu (Indian minority) community… I know at least half a dozen users," Ramanathan told IPS. "They were not registered organisations and were urban based. There were similar groups among the (minority) Chinese community," he added.

Ramanathan pointed out that both the information minister and his deputy were beaten by opposition candidates promoted by the Internet media.

Though Malaysia’s mainstream newspapers, radio and television, are mainly private-owned, their licenses are held by business people closely connected with the constituent parties of the NF.

But analysts argue that the poor reputation that Malaysia’s newspapers have, as mouthpieces of coalition parties, worked against them, and in favour of alternative media.

Malaysian mainstream media are directed and constrained by two interrelated entities; the state and the market, argues Zaharom Nain, associated professor of communication studies at the Science University of Malaysia. Through direct and indirect ownership there tends to be collusion between the state and the market.

What the alternative media has done, according to Nain, is improvise communication systems using a combination of the Internet, mobile phones, blogs, e-mails, SMS and the YouTube. They were not only used effectively by opposition parties but also by civil society to raise consciousness and create awareness, he noted.

Chandran feels the government may now be tempted to impose sanctions on the Internet media to protect them from further damage as Singapore has done. They have a tough decisions ahead of them, Chandran said, adding that it was best if they adopted path of reform by opening up the media and cracking down on corruption -- changes that people obviously want.

Ramanathan believes that the government will not take to the repressive path simply because they have already tried to take bloggers to courts, without much success, and failed in its attempts to police the Internet.

Gayathri Venkiteswaran, executive director of the Centre for Independent Journalism, believes that with five opposition-led state governments taking office in Malaysia it was now possible to completely reform the media scene.

‘’State governments can allocate grants and other financial support for communities to have their own newspapers and media, paving the way for more diverse and dynamic expression of views and exchange of information,’’ she said.

(END/2008) http://howsy.blogspot.com/2008/03/from-ips-opposition-benches-are.html

Mahathir's unfair attack on Samy Vellu

2008-03-11T04:41:00.000-07:00

Former PM Mahathir's unfair attack on Samy Vellu

Samy Vellu: Did he speak up or not?

http://www.malaysiakini.com/opinions/79386

Denison Jayasooria | Mar 7, 08 8:12pm

MIC President S Samy Vellu has been facing many attacks from all sides in recent days. These attacks have intensified especially in the post-Hindraf rally in November last year and during the 2008 election campaigning period now.

Samy Vellu has been very skilled in avoiding the venom from the sting of the darts. This he has done through aggressive rebuttals in press conferences, adverts in papers and dissemination of information. At the same time he has not shied away from the angry crowds whom he calls as his people when they want to talk him.

With these direct approaches, there is a definite softening of the heart of ordinary people except diehard Indian opposition members in the run up to polling day.
However the attack by Dr Mahathir Mohamad two days before polling is really uncalled for. Furthermore to say that 'Samy Vellu did not ask for assistance' is totally unbecoming of a former prime minister whom we hold so dearly.

I do agree with Mahathir that Samy Vellu would not have highlighted the Hindraf position on 'genocide' or 'ethnic cleansing' which is an argument that MIC does not subscribe to and an argument used by Hindraft only recently. MIC has also not subscribed to the Malay dominance theory nor questioned the position of the specific privileges for the Malay community.

However time and time again, Samy Vellu has been consistent in highlighting the plight of the poorer sections of the Indian community on specific matters related to:
Plantation workers their monthly wages, displacement, social conditions and retraining

On matters related to the Tamil language and Tamil schools especially in the infrastructure requirements

On the weak economic position of Malaysian Indians especially with reference to the equity position

On the inability of Indian youths to secure adequate places in higher education

On the requirement of foreign workers by Indian business community especially restaurant owners, textile shops, provision shops, jewelers, barbers and metal traders

On the issues related to Indian youth, social ills and gang-related problems and the need for social intervention programmes

On the issues pertaining to the urban poor and low income families with regards to housing, welfare, public facilities in high density low cost housing areas.
Gross misrepresentation

The Yayasan Strategik Sosial was established by the MIC in 1997 and we have prepared many papers for consideration at the Second Economic Consultative Committee, Input into the Third Outline Perspective Plan, Eighth Malaysia Plan and Ninth Malaysia Plan. These are also in record to show the submissions indicating the status, plight and requirements of the poorer sections of the community.

All these were directed and commissioned by Samy Vellu who has played a very important role in policy advocacy on behalf of the Indian community within the government.

During every MIC AGM attended by Mahathir, a whole list of community needs and concerns were presented as the presidential address by the MIC president. MIC clearly articulated the issues and concerns. Furthermore the MIC general assembly resolutions have also systematically highlighted all the major concerns of the community. These were submitted to all the relevant government agencies.

Therefore, to say that the MIC president has not asked for assistance is gross misrepresentation of a man who has been very vocal in all the meetings he has participated in. How is it, that Najib Abdul Razak could make a public declaration on Feb 3, 2008 at the PWTC that Samy Vellu fights for the community in the cabinet?
'So, if people accuse Dato Seri Samy Vellu of not fighting for the Indian community, I will be the first to deny, because he has fought for Indians. He has fought hard for the Indian community. He is very colourful in his presentation. And he does that because he is the leader of the MIC and of the Indian community,' said Najib.

Delivery of services

In my assessment it is only fair and just to acknowledge that Samy Vellu has spoken up on all the critical matters affecting the community. The government has acknowledged these concerns as reflected in the appropriate action of the government in the time of Mahathir such as the providing of financial assistance for the rebuilding of Tamil schools, funds for the purchase of Tafe college and the building of the Aimst University.

In addition, government established the Cabinet Committee on Urban Poverty and also another cabinet committee to address the squatter issue in the Klang valley. The initial work by the cabinet committee on addressing social ills in the community was re-established as the National Social Council. These were major policy drives at the national level recognising the Indian concerns along with those of other communities.
The Indian community's concerns and the uprising of the grassroots is over their dissatisfaction on the monitoring and the delivery of services. There are however clear indications in the Eighth and Ninth Malaysia Plans and the government has executed programmes such as skills-training for underachieving Indian youths through Giat Mara or micro-business training and access to micro-business loans.

However there is an urgent need through the Mid-Term Review of the Ninth Malaysia Plan to enlarge the outreach and ensure a much larger number of youths are able to access the services and provisions.

Furthermore, as promised by both the prime minister and deputy prime minister, the Indian concerns of the lower thirty percent must be addressed as national concerns. This, I believe, should be the main agenda for the post-2008 elections.

DATUK DR DENISON JAYASOORIA heads the Yayasan Strategik Sosial (YSS), the social initiatives arm of the MIC.

Vellu and Badawi will quit only kicking and screaming !

2008-03-10T02:02:00.000-07:00

Some people like Samy Vellu, Badawi will only quit office, kicking and screaming!

samy vellu's next step
http://www.nst.com.my/Current_News/NST/Monday/National/2182904/Article/index_html

KUALA LUMPUR 10 March 2008: Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu has pledged to continue serving the Indian community in his capacity as MIC president.

In a statement yesterday, Samy Vellu said he would restructure and rebuild the party.

Samy Vellu, who was defeated in the Sungai Siput parliamentary seat, said that he was not unhappy.

He thanked the voters for giving him the opportunity to serve them since 1974.

"All good things have to come to an end but there is always a new beginning.

"We accept the people's verdict because they are the ones who matter."

Badawi fails to gauge public anger; he should release Hindraf leaders and then resign.

2008-03-09T23:35:00.000-07:00

Malaysia PM fails to gauge public anger (The Hindu, March 10, 2008)

KUALA LUMPUR (AP): Malaysia's prime minister may have made his biggest political blunder by calling early elections that only exposed public anger over simmering racial tensions and his perceived missteps.

Abdullah Ahmad Badawi was sworn in Monday for a new five-year term in office, following a stinging defeat by his ruling coalition in general elections. Abdullah is rejecting calls to step down, but analysts say Saturday's poll results will place Abdullah under pressure to resign.

``He misread the signs. A lot of people were voting against Badawi,'' said Malik Imtiaz Sarwar, a human rights lawyer and political commentator. ``He became the face of the mismanagement of the country.''

Abdullah's National Front coalition lost its two-thirds majority in the 222-member parliament for the first time in four decades, winning only a simple majority of 140 seats.

The opposition gained control of five of Malaysia's 13 states and a third of its parliament in the biggest electoral upset in the country's history.

The results were seen as a verdict against a string of perceived missteps by Abdullah, 68, and his failure to fulfill promises made ahead of the 2004 elections, which the National Front won in its biggest victory ever.

Among those missteps, analysts said, Abdullah ignored Malaysia's widening poverty gap and increasing cost of living. He appointed his son-in-law Khairy Jamaluddin as an adviser. And when the southern state of Johor was struggling after floods in 2006, Abdullah was in Perth to inaugurate his brother's curry restaurant.

Abdullah also has faced criticism for remarrying less than two years after his first wife died of cancer and engaging in public displays of affection with his new wife.

``At a time when the country is crumbling around us we have to watch his lovey-dovey going-ons with his wife,'' said Malik. ``People don't want to see a lovable teddy bear. They want a tough leader.''

Abdullah's next big test will come later this year when he faces the general assembly of the United Malays National Organization, the largest party in the National Front coalition. A date has not yet been set.

``The reality is that there will be tremendous pressure within UMNO for him (Abdullah) to step down,'' said Bridget Welsh of the Johns Hopkins University, a Southeast Asia expert who was in Malaysia to monitor the polls.

Former longtime leader Mahathir Mohamad already has called for Abdullah's resignation, saying he had ``apparently made the wrong choice'' when he hand-picked Abdullah to succeed him in 2003.

Mahathir's son Mukhriz, an active member of UMNO, joined the call.

``The message is clear from the results of the elections. That's the voice of the people. We have to respect it. It is a very humbling experience and points to dissatisfaction of the prime minister's leadership,'' he said.

The Front's formula for success all these years was simple. It is a coalition of 11 small parties and three major ones that represent Malaysia's main ethnic groups _ the majority Muslim Malays who make up 60 percent of the 27 million population, the Chinese at 25 percent and Indians at 8 percent.

Traditionally, Malays have voted for UMNO, the Chinese for the Malaysian Chinese Association and the Indians for the Malaysian Indian Congress.

The power-sharing arrangement has worked as long as the three races believed only their parties could look after their respective communities' interests. But the minorities have become increasingly disappointed with their parties.

The Chinese and Indians are angry about an affirmative action program known as the New Economic Policy that has given Malays preference in jobs, education, business, housing, finance and religion since 1971.

They also worry that their religious rights are being eroded by the government. Several Indian temples were destroyed by authorities last year, purportedly for illegal construction, and many courts presiding over religious disputes ruled in favor of Muslims.

Ordinary Malays also are unhappy, many charging that the benefits of the New Economic Policy are being reaped only by rich and well-connected Malays.

Repressive police tactics have further aggravated racial tensions. In October, officers dispersed thousands of people with tear gas and water cannons at a street protest for electoral and judicial reforms.

A month later, Indian demonstrators were chased away by police when they held a rally to protest discrimination. Five of their leaders were jailed under a law that allows indefinite detention without trial.

These tensions were tapped by the opposition parties, which for the first time set aside their ideological differences and came together to pose a united challenge. They countered National Front propaganda in government-controlled media with campaigns on the Internet.

In the end, the Indian and Chinese minorities abandoned the National Front in droves. MCA, the Chinese party, won only 15 of the 40 seats it contested, and the Indian MIC won three out of nine. UMNO won only 78 seats compared to 109 in 2004.

Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim campaigned on a platform that urged people to look outside race-based politics. Although the opposition parties are also identified by race, they have agreed to build a multiracial alliance where all races will be treated equally.

``What is crucial now is how the opposition works as a coalition,'' Welsh said. ``The mandate given to them has created a national opposition for the first time.''

http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/001200803101121.htm

Anwar to fight Malaysia race laws as opposition gains -- Bloomberg

2008-03-09T20:48:00.000-07:00

Anwar to Fight Malaysia Race Laws as Opposition Gains (Update2)
By Douglas Wong
March 10 (Bloomberg) -- Malaysia's political world has been upended. The March 8 election left the government of Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi hobbled though still in power, its legalized system of preferences for ethnic Malays under attack.
When the dust settles, the most powerful man in Southeast Asia's third-largest economy may be opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim, a former deputy prime minister. Anwar, 60, spent the 2004 election in prison after being ousted from the government and prosecuted on criminal charges -- later overturned -- of having homosexual relations.
The ruling National Front coalition's worst-ever performance will force Abdullah, 68, to face Anwar's emboldened opposition as it presses to scrap race rules that disadvantage ethnic Chinese and Indians in housing, jobs and education. The opposition also wants to increase aid for the poor and fight corruption.
Once all but written off, Anwar now is well positioned to become prime minister eventually, said Eddin Khoo, the director of Pusaka, a Malay cultural studies center. ``It probably won't be until the next election,'' Khoo said. ``This vote was more anti-government than pro-opposition, but he's here to stay.''
The opposition parties yesterday quickly moved to implement their policies, announcing plans to drop race rules in a state where they won control -- Selangor, which is Malaysia's most populous area and surrounds the capital, Kuala Lumpur.
1969 Loss
For now, Malaysia is in uncharted territory, with the government facing meaningful opposition for the first time since 1969, when the National Front, also known as Barisan Nasional, last was denied a two-thirds supermajority in parliament.
After winning 91 percent of the legislature in 2004, the National Front won just 63 percent this time, worse than its 1969 performance by three percentage points. In the new parliament, the National Front will have 140 of the 222 seats.
Malaysia's stock index today slumped as much as 7.6 percent, set for the biggest drop in almost 10 years, and the ringgit weakened.
The opposition alliance -- Anwar's multiethnic People's Justice Party, the Chinese-based Democratic Action Party and the Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party, or PAS -- won the remaining 82 seats, up from 19. Among the losers were Indian and Chinese leaders in Abdullah's Malay-dominated government. Five of 12 states contested fell into opposition hands, including Penang, a manufacturing base for Intel Corp. and Motorola Inc.
Anwar got his start in politics as a student activist at the University of Malaya and helped found the Muslim Youth Movement of Malaysia, many of whose members supported PAS.
Malay Champion
He shocked allies in 1982 by joining the United Malays National Organisation, the Malay party that heads the National Front. For a time, he championed the pro-Malay policies he now opposes.
After successfully backing UMNO's Mahathir Mohamad for prime minister, Anwar rose to became deputy prime minister in 1993. In 1998, Mahathir fired Anwar amidst speculation that the deputy was moving to oust him, eventually choosing Abdullah as his successor instead.
Imprisoned from 1998 to 2004, Anwar was barred from competing as a candidate until April and didn't run. He plans to take one of 31 seats won by his members of his party, including wife Wan Azizah Ismail and daughter Nurul Izzah, 27.
``I have plenty of choices and a lot of work to do,'' he said in an interview yesterday.
Najib Razak
The opposition benefited from attacks on Abdullah's administration by Mahathir, 82, who said the prime minister should step down in favor of his deputy, Najib Razak, 54. ``I made the wrong choice,'' Mahathir told reporters yesterday, calling for Abdullah to take responsibility for the losses by stepping down.
The state-owned Bernama news agency said Abdullah won't resign because he has the support of UMNO leaders, including Najib.
The prime minister was sworn in by Malaysia's King, Mizan Zainal Abidin at 11:15 a.m. local time today. Abdullah will meet the supreme council of UMNO at 12 p.m., and gather leaders of the coalition parties at 3 p.m.
An adviser to the prime minister said Abdullah probably will step down in favor of Najib before the next election, due within five years. The adviser, who spoke on the condition that he not be identified, said Abdullah will try to rebuild the coalition first.
Challenging Task
That will be a challenging task, said Mushtaq Ibrahim, who manages about $1.4 billion at Amanah SSCM Asset Management Bhd. When UMNO and its partners -- the Malaysian Chinese Association and the Malaysian Indian Congress -- lost their supermajority in 1969, they regained it by persuading some opposition parties to join their coalition.
``You now have three very weak component parties,'' Mushtaq said. ``They have to go back to the drawing board to find ways of winning back the confidence of the voters.''
Malaysia was calm in the immediate aftermath of the election. In 1969, Chinese opposition celebrations were followed by clashes that killed hundreds and prompted the government to impose pro-Malay preferences. This year, Abdullah urged supporters to accept the results. Musa Hassan, the country's police chief, promised to maintain order by enforcing a ban on victory parades.
To contact the reporter on this story: Douglas Wong in Kuala Lumpur at Dwong19@bloomberg.net
Last Updated: March 9, 2008 23:24 EDT

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=axMRUN_fhgb0&refer=home#

Badawi, read the writing on the wall; release Hindraf leaders, quit politics

2008-03-09T15:39:00.000-07:00

MIC - A new era begins
RK Anand | Mar 10, 08 1:35am
On March 8, MIC president S Samy Vellu turned 72. It was also the day the curtain fell on his political era.
After nearly three decades in power, the politician who commanded a cult-like following in his party was defeated in the fortress where he reigned for nine terms.
It was a cleansing of MIC's top echelon. The casualties included deputy president G Palanivel, vice-president S Sothinathan, Youth chief S A Vigneswaran and Women's wing chief P Komala Devi.
The party only managed to retain three out of nine parliamentary seats and six out of 19 state seats. The message was loud and clear.
According to Malaysian Indian Business Association (Miba) president P Sivakumar, this could signal the birth of a new era for MIC.
But firstly, he said, the party must conduct an in-depth analysis to determine the reasons behind its crushing defeat.
"When you fall, you must pick yourself up and look at the reasons as to why you fell so that you do not fall again," he told Malaysiakini yesterday.
Likening the damage inflicted on MIC to the destruction brought about by the Sept 11 terror attacks, he said it also served as a lesson for the younger generation of leaders.
The factors
Sivakumar said the first, and most important, factor which contributed to the devastation of MIC was the advent of the Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf) and the wave of discontent it created.
On Nov 25 last year, some 30,000 disgruntled Indians took the streets to vent their frustration against the government and MIC, namely its president.
"These were not the voices of a few hundred, but tens of thousands of people. Many organisations also came out to help MIC and the government on this issue, but no immediate attention was given, except for some assurances," he said.
MIC - to the chagrin of the community - had also joined the government in condemning the Hindraf movement whose five key leaders are now held under the Internal Security Act (ISA).
Another factor, Sivakumar said, was the silencing and removing of dissenting voices in MIC, including Samy Vellu's former estranged deputy S Subramaniam.
"Thousands of Subramaniam's supporters were left in the lurch and they also expressed their anger in this polls," he noted.
Thirdly, the Miba president pointed out that the manifestos of the opposition parties, which stressed on equality, were also well received by the Indians.
"The Indian community is not questioning the special rights and the privileges accorded to the Malays, but just want their due rights and equal opportunities as citizens of this country," he said.
The future
On the future of MIC, Sivakumar said the most important issue to address now was unity in the party.
"MIC must look into the possibility of bringing those on the outside back into the fold in order to strengthen the party," he added.
Asked if this included Subramaniam, he responded: "Why not? He has a large following and he was the longest serving deputy president."
Subramaniam, whose ties with Samy Vellu had been strained for years, was defeated in the 2006 party polls by Palanivel, who was endorsed by the president.
Meanwhile, Sivakumar also stressed on the importance of MIC to craft a new image for itself.
"The party must break free from the image of violence and thuggery. It must become a party which is willing to accept constructive criticisms and feedback
"A conducive environment must be created to attract the thousands of well-educated and talented Indians in the community who prefer to speak freely about issues," he said.
"We need a large number of dynamic young minds to chart the future course of the party. More bureaus must be set up to look into the critical issues facing the community instead of leaving it in the hands of one or two think-tanks," he added.
Still relevant
Sivakumar also reminded MIC leaders that the younger generation of Indians are more aware of their rights.
In view of this, he said the party must create a leadership which blends the experience of the veterans with the dynamism and talents of the young.
On that note, the Miba president also stressed that MIC was still a relevant political force in the country.
"BN (Barisan Nasional) is still ruling the country, so MIC is still relevant. We must not forget that the founding fathers had entered into a social contract between MIC, Umno and MCA. MIC is still a good platform for the Indian community," he said.
Sivakumar advised the younger leaders in MIC to pay heed to the valuable lessons from this tragic episode for the party.
"Do not cull talents because of rivalry. MIC is a powerful party, talents must be nurtured and not expunged," he said, adding that the ball was now in the president's court.
"This is a new beginning for MIC. Samy Vellu's next step is crucial," he stressed.
Agreeing with Sivakumar, a party observer said the younger leaders must also realise that they cannot afford to ignore the voice and sentiments of the people.
"Samy Vellu had given the kiss of life to the political careers of the leaders in MIC and now he has taken it away. These leaders have learned, albeit bitterly, the true meaning of democracy," he said.
"From the ruins of yesterday, hopefully a new and more vibrant MIC will rise tomorrow. A party which the Indians will once again embrace," he added.
http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/79529

Samy's conqueror: It feels great!
RK Anand | Mar 10, 08 4:02am
A 'confluence of forces' had made it possible to defeat MIC president S Samy Vellu in his stronghold, said his victor Dr D Jeyakumar.
On Saturday, the 53-year-old physician staged a major upset by knocking out the 72-year-old politician on his birthday in the contest for the Sungai Siput parliamentary seat - which the latter held since 1974.
Asked how this felt, Jeyakumar replied: "It feels great!"
The Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) leader who stood under the PKR banner had contested against the MIC president and former works minister on two previous occasions.
This time around, Jeyakumar conceded that his opponent, whom he regards as formidable, had been weakened by other factors.
The PSM pro-tem central committee member also admitted that he did not expect to win. "We cannot take full credit for everything," he told Malaysiakini yesterday.
"We went in as the underdog but his (Samy Vellu) credibility had eroded terribly among the Indian voters," he said.
The MIC president's influence in the Indian community had waned in the wake of the Nov 25 rally organised by the Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf).
Low-key campaign
Jeyakumar also acknowledged that Samy Vellu's campaign this time around was rather low key compared to the previous elections.
He said apart from the Hindraf factor, the work PSM had done on the ground in the constituency over the past decade as well as the hard work of the volunteers also contributed to his victory.
On top of that, he said the strong DAP candidate for the state seat and the cooperation from PAS also helped.
"The swing against BN (Barisan Nasional) was stronger than anticipated. BN has been taking the people for granted," said the PSM leader who saw an increase of support among all three races.
Jeyakumar, who is being flooded with congratulatory messages from all over the country, also revealed that he had received several death threats.
"We are concerned and are taking the necessary precautions," he said.
'We went all out'
On his plans for this term, Jeyakumar, who is still settling into his new role as a parliamentarian, replied: "I intend to bring the problems faced by the common man to Parliament."
"This elections has shown that ideology is still relevant," he added.
His wife and campaign manager R Rani said she was "delighted and overwhelmed" by the victory in what she described as "not an easy seat to win" due to the alleged underhand tactics employed by their rival.
However, the PSM pro-tem central committee member said that during the course of the campaign, there were positive vibes from all the races indicating the possibility of upstaging the incumbent.
"He (Samy Vellu) never expected to lose just like how we never expected to win," said Rani, adding that PSM "went all out" this time around.
Jeyakumar had defeated Samy Vellu with a 1,821 majority. In the 2004 polls, he lost to the MIC president by more than 10,000 votes.
http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/79530

Voters played the race card

Monday • March 10, 2008

— AGENCIES

IT was the day the Malays failed Umno.

The Malays — apart from their Kelantanese brethren — were to have been the Umno-led Barisan Nasional's (BN) last bastion of support even as the coalition braced itself for massive rejection by Chinese and Indian voters in the general election.

The conventional wisdom was that the Malays had no major quarrel with the government and would provide the votes needed to help Umno and the BN retain its two-third parliamentary majority as well as control of all local governments in most, if not all, states.

Yet, desert Umno the Malays did — in numbers large enough to enable the unthinkable to happen: BN losing control of the state governments in Kedah, Selangor and Perak to the loose opposition coalition comprising the Democratic Action Party (DAP); Parti Keadilan Rakyat and the Parti Islam SeMalaysia (PAS).

The loss of support for BN from the Chinese and Indian communities were expected due to several reasons, from concerns over inflation and rising crime, which also affected the Malays, to worries over "creeping Islamisation" in Malaysia at the expense of the other religions.

And, of course, there was the "Hindraf effect".

The street protests led by the Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf) might have started out with the goal of airing the Indian community's grievances but many Chinese could also empathise with their complaint that the country's pro-bumiputera policy has denied non-Malays fair access to jobs, education and housing.

But if the non-Malays' swing against the BN was expected, the Malays' considerable support for the opposition parties appeared to have caught even the Umno leadership by surprise.

Bread-and-butter issues aside, some analysts attributed it to the Anwar Ibrahim factor, crediting him with the ability to convince fence-sitters that Malay interests would not be neglected even if they were to vote the opposition parties.

Umno also had its own party infighting to blame for its losses.

In Kedah, Umno was divided into two camps, one led by supporters of former Premier Mahathir Mohamad and the other by former Mentri Besar Mahdzir Khalid. In several other states, many Umno members reportedly refused to campaign for BN candidates who had been "parachuted" into their constituencies.

Mr Ibrahim Suffian, the programmes director of the Merdeka Centre for Opinion Research, told the Malaysiavotes news portal: "From the dissolution of Parliament till Nomination Day, the bickering and horse-trading between Umno candidates started the erosion in Malay support.

"The attack on Anwar and the belated attempt to go on an offensive further pushed the Malay electorate away from BN."
http://www.todayonline.com/articles/242020.asp
Badawi refuses to resign after a stunning electoral reversal (The Hindu, March 9, 2008)
Kuala Lumpur (PTI): In a stunning electoral reversal, Malaysia's ruling coalition that had alienated ethnic-Indians failed to secure a 2/3 majority for the first time in five decades and was defeated in five states, prompting demands for premier Abdullah Badawi resignation but he remained defiant.
Badawi on Sunday said he will not resign as he is not under pressure to do so, the state-run Bernama news agency said after his predecessor and mentor Mahathir Mohammed joined the chorus pressing for his ouster following the Barisan Nasional's win in only 139 seats in the 222-member Parliament.
Badawi's gamble for a snap poll backfired as the coalition came up with its worst ever electoral performance, losing power in four out of 12 states for the first time-- Penang, Selangor, Kedah and Perak. The opposition retained its hold on the Kelantan state
The opposition parties together have won 82 seats compared to only 19 in the outgoing parliament.
Among the key losses to Barisan were the president of the Malaysian Indian Congress Samy Vellu, the lone ethnic Indian in the cabinet who had derided the street protests by the community against alleged racial discrimination.
The MIC won only three of the nine parliamentary seats and and seven of the 19 state seats allocated to it. The party was wiped out in the states of Kedah, Penang, Perak and Selangor.
The ethnic Indian voters, who form nearly 8 per cent of Malaysia's 27 million population, helped the opposition win more mixed seats, Jenison Jayasooria, Executive Director of MIC's think tank Yayasan Strategic Sosial said.
M Manoharan, one of the five Hindraf leaders held under a draconian security law that allows indefinite detention without trial for spearheading protests by ethnic Indians, won convincingly on DAP ticket.

http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/000200803092072.htm

He's staying, for now

Exclusion of 'favourite man' Radzi from the Cabinet may signal Pak Lah's exit: Analyst

Monday • March 10, 2008

Nazry Bahrawi in Kuala Lumpur
nazry@mediacorp.com.sg

READ his lips: Pak Lah is not resigning.

"I don't know who is being pressured to step down, I'm not resigning," Malaysia Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi told a news conference early yesterday, after his Umno-led Barisan Nasional suffered its worst defeat in nearly 40 years.

Despite his denial, several analysts believe that Mr Abdullah's resignation is inevitable — the only question is when.

Journalism lecturer and political observer Wong Chin Huat believes that Mr Abdullah will negotiate with the Umno leadership for a graceful exit. He said: "Abdullah may negotiate a dignified exit like Malaysia's first Prime Minister Tengku Abdul Rahman did in 1969 — the first time the ruling coalition was denied a two-third parliamentary majority."

Arguing that there will be "enormous pressure" for Mr Abdullah to resign, political analyst Dr Farish A Noor of the S Rajaratnam School of International Studies, said: "This election is a mandate for Abdullah and his performance for the past four years. Now, the Malaysian public has sent the message that he has failed."

Dr Farish also believes that Deputy Prime Minister and Umno deputy president Najib Razak will launch a more aggressive bid to secure his position as the next Prime Minister.

Mr Najib scored a personal triumph by securing a 26,000-vote majority in his Pekan seat in Pahang, an increase of about 3,000 votes from the 2004 polls. Mr Abdullah himself won his Kepala Batas seat with a reduced majority of about 11,000 votes, down from the more than 18,000-vote majority in 2004.

However, Dr Farish added: "Even if he (Najib) were to assume power, the Umno would still suffer a crisis.

"Its leaders have lost credibility."

Mr Wong believes that the shape of the new Cabinet — whether it will include those close to Mr Abdullah, such as his son-in-law Khairy Jamaluddin and Home Minister Radzi Sheikh Ahmad — will offer some clues as to when the Premier may resign.

Mr Wong said: "If he (Radzi) is out from the Cabinet, then it would be a strong indicator that Pak Lah is losing control. He is Pak Lah's favourite man."

As for Mr Khairy, "I would be surprised if he could get a full ministership. He would probably be brought in as frontbencher."

As Mr Abdullah grapples with his political future, another question on the minds of many will be whether the BN's loss of its two-third majority in Parliament will scare away investors?

Ms Tricia Yeoh, of the Centre of Public Policy Studies in Kuala Lumpur, said: "Investors are going to wait and see what is happening on ground level before making any decision." She believes investors will have a clear picture of Malaysia's new political dynamics only in about a year or so.

However, Mr Wong believes that the rise of opposition state governments in Penang, Kedah, Selangor and Perak may encourage even more foreign investments.

This is because the opposition parties would want the states under their control to be become a model of success so that they can win even more seats in the next general election, he said.

http://www.todayonline.com/articles/242044print.asp

Hindraf congratulates opposition parties for their success

2008-03-09T03:28:00.000-07:00

HINDRAF
135-3 Jalan Toman 7
Kemayan Square 70200
Seremban.

09 March 2008

BRIEF PRESS STATEMENT

HINDRAF congratulates opposition parties for their success.

The opposition parties should appreciate the "Makkal Sakthi" wave
created by HINDRAF as it is the root cause for change in mindset and political
maturity of all races.

HINDRAF demands that DAP and Keadilan appoint a deputy Menteri Besar/Chief
Minister in the state of Selangor, Penang and Perak to show their sincerity towards
the Indian community.

HINDRAF urges DAP and Keadilan to appoint M. Manoharan as deputy Menteri Besar
for the state of selangor.

HINDRAF cautions DAP and Keadilan not to shortchange/betray the indian
community and the trust placed upon them.

P. Waytha Moorthy
Chairman
HINDRAF
Currently in New Delhi

p/s: Please send this statement out via email/sms to everyone you know.

Election fiasco: Badawi should step down, says Mahathir

2008-03-09T01:29:00.001-08:00

Election fiasco: Badawi should step down, says Mahathir

Malaysia's former leader calls on prime minister to step down after election fiasco; Mahathir also apologizes for hand-picking B

The Associated Press
Published: March 9, 2008

Sunday, March 9, 2008
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia: Malaysia's former leader Mahathir Mohamad on Sunday urged his successor to resign in the wake of stunning election losses, and apologized for hand-picking him in 2003 to lead the country.
Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's National Front lost its two-thirds majority in Parliament and five of 13 states to the opposition in Saturday's general elections the coalition's worst setback in its 51-year rule since independence.
"I think he should accept responsibility for ... this massive defeat," Mahathir told reporters. "He needs to consider stepping down."
Mahathir, who resigned in 2003 after 22 years in power, choose Abdullah as his successor but turned against him Abdullah two years ago and has frequently accused him of corruption and nepotism. He has said in the past that Abdullah's deputy, Najib Razak, would have made a better prime minister.
"I'm sorry that I apparently made the wrong choice," he said. "My greatest concern is that the leader doesn't understand the situation." He said Abdullah and others in the coalition "have become so arrogant."
Earlier Sunday, Abdullah dismissed suggestions that he would now face pressure from party members to step down.
"I don't know who would pressure me. There is nothing at this time," he said.
Mahathir cited voters' frustrations over price hikes and alleged nepotism as the main reason for the poor election showing, which gave the National Front 139 parliamentary seats and the opposition alliance 82 seats with one still to be decided. Previously, the opposition held only 19 seats.
He said successive high economic growth has not trickled down to ordinary Malaysians, who were now suffering from the rising cost of living.
"And then, of course, they've observed that this government is run by one family," he said, accusing Abdullah of favoring his son-in-law, Khairy Jamaluddin, a National Front member.
Malaysians also were upset over the rise in crime and seething ethnic and religious tensions. Some 60 percent of the country's 27 million people are Muslim Malays, while a quarter are ethnic Chinese and 8 percent ethnic Indians.
Discontent over policies that favor Malays in education, business and job opportunities led some 20,000 Indians to protest last November in a rare show of anger. They also complained their Hindu temples were unjustly demolished.
But critics say many of the problems facing the country, including racial tensions, inflation and judicial corruption, have their roots in Mahathir's rule
"Twenty-two years of Mahathir's maladministration and dismantling of democracy and weakening of institutions came to fruition in the last four years," said Malik Imtiaz Sarwar, a political commentator.
http://www.iht.com/bin/printfriendly.php?id=10830434

Congrats, Malaysia! Now, get rid of Badawi.

2008-03-08T23:24:00.000-08:00

Congrats, Malaysia! Now, get rid of Badawi who has lost moral authority to rule.

Watch video: Why Badawi lost big: http://edition.cnn.com/video/#/video/world/2008/03/08/sesay.malaysia.election.cnn
Malaysian opposition scores upset
Story Highlights
National Front falls short of a majority in elections, preliminary results show
The opposition alliance claims 82 seats, or 37 percent
PM and National Front leader Abdullah Ahmad Badawi says he's not resigning
"The people of Malaysia have spoken," opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim says
(CNN) -- In a surprise upset, Malaysia's ruling party, which has retained power since the nation declared independence in 1967, fell short of a two-thirds majority Saturday amid rising inflation, crime and ethnic tensions.
The protest vote gave the opposition alliance a third of parliament and control of five states, according to the Associated Press.
"Political tsunami," read the headline of Malaysia's The Star newspaper.
The National Front's loss raised questions about the future of its party leader, Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.
His predecessor, Mahathir Mohamad, has called for his resignation, The Associated Press reported, a prospect Badawi shot down in a news conference after preliminary results were announced.
"I'm not resigning," said Badawi, who has held his post since November 2003.
His National Front coalition won 137 of the 222 seats at stake, or less than 62 percent, the Election Commission announced in releasing preliminary results, according to state news agency Bernama.
The opposition alliance of the Democratic Action Party, the People's Justice Party and the Islamic Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party, or PAS claimed 82 seats, or 37 percent.
By contrast, in 2004, the National Front clinched 199 of 219 seats, or nearly 91 percent.
"Today, at the ballot box, you listened to your heart with a firm conviction that the time for change has arrived," former Deputy Prime Minister and opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim said. "The people of Malaysia have spoken. This is a defining moment, unprecedented in our nation's history." Watch Anwar describe the election as a "defining moment" »
Badawi has been battling demonstrations against alleged vote fraud for weeks and demanded an overhaul of Malaysia's electoral commission before the election.
Last fall, more than 30,000 protesters gathered in the streets and faced squads of police with water cannons.
http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/asiapcf/03/09/malaysia.elections/index.html

Malaysia's governing coalition takes heavy hit in elections
By Thomas Fuller

Sunday, March 9, 2008
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia's governing coalition, which has run this multiracial country without any major challenges for the past four decades, suffered a string of election defeats on Saturday, losing control of three major states and all but surrendering urban areas to the opposition.

Results early Sunday showed that the coalition of Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi won 136 of 222 seats in Parliament, enough to be able to remain in power. But unexpectedly strong gains by opposition parties, which quadrupled their seats in Parliament, are likely to challenge the longstanding paternalistic practices of a government that controls the mainstream media, bans most street protests, bars students from taking part in politics and jails political opponents without trial.

Stripped of its long-held two-thirds majority in Parliament, the governing coalition will no longer be able to freely amend the constitution, which it has done more than 40 times since independence from Britain in 1957.

Anger among ethnic Indians and Chinese over religious disputes and economic preferences for the Malays, the majority ethnic group, appeared to play a major role in the opposition's gains.

"I don't think Malaysian politics will ever be the same again," said Anwar Ibrahim, a former deputy prime minister who was expelled from the governing party a decade ago and is now one of the leaders of the opposition. "There is a wave, an outcry for democratic reform."

The opposition parties unseated several political veterans by fielding fresh but inexperienced candidates, including a political science professor, a popular blogger and a human rights advocate.

Opposition candidates did especially well in urban areas, winning 10 of the 11 seats in Kuala Lumpur, the commercial capital, and capturing the relatively prosperous and populous states of Selangor and Penang. The opposition also made inroads into the rural heartland.

The Pan-Islamic Party, one of the three main opposition parties, strengthened its control over the northern state of Kelantan and won control over the states of Kedah and Perak.

Losing control of those states is a blow for the governing coalition because states have jurisdiction over land allocation, local matters and Islamic laws.

Voters showed their anger over a recent government crackdown against ethnic Indians by electing to a state legislature M. Manoharan, one of five advocates jailed after a street protest by Indians. It is unclear how Manoharan, who is being detained without a trial, will carry out his duties.

The loss of Penang, which alone among Malaysia's 13 states has a majority of Chinese voters, is a major blow to Abdullah, whose constituency is based there. The state is an industrial center, producing microchips, cell phones and computer parts in factories owned by Intel, Dell and Motorola, among many others.

The departing chief minister, or governor, of Penang, Koh Tsu Koon, lost his seat on Saturday to a dissident university professor, P. Ramasamy.

The leaders of the two ethnic Indians parties represented in the government also lost their seats, including the only ethnic Indian in the cabinet, Samy Vellu.

Those losses call into question the future of the country's race-based coalition, a system in place since independence in which each major ethnic group - Malays, Chinese and Indians - is represented by a political party.

Opposition leaders have vowed to move Malaysia away from the system, with the National Justice Party of Anwar the loudest proponent of the change. Anwar, who many see as a possible future prime minister, is barred from holding public office until April because of a conviction for abuse of power in a politically charged trial. But his wife and his daughter won seats in Parliament on Saturday.

He said in an interview that he would not rule out asking a member of his party to resign so he can run in a by-election. "I'm not in a hurry," said Anwar, whose party won 32 seats, up from one seat in the last election in 2004.

http://iht.com/articles/2008/03/09/news/malay.php

Ivy Sam, Agence France-Presse
Kuala Lumpur, March 09, 2008
First Published: 10:42 IST(9/3/2008)
Last Updated: 11:04 IST(9/3/2008)

Malaysia's ruling coalition suffers stunning blow

Malaysia's ruling coalition suffered a stunning blow in weekend polls, losing its two-thirds parliamentary majority for the first time in nearly 40 years and conceding four states to a resurgent opposition.
The result puts a question mark over the future of Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, who said in the early hours of Sunday that the Barisan Nasional coalition could form the next government but declined further comment.

"I will issue a statement and give my views after everything is over. That is all I have to say," the visibly exhausted prime minister told reporters at the headquarters of his United Malays National Organisation party.

Asked if the results were a vote of no confidence in his leadership, which has been criticised as weak and ineffective, Abdullah responded: "Maybe. There are a lot of messages from the people."

Barisan Nasional, which has governed Malaysia for half a century, won 137 seats in the new 222-seat parliament but had needed 148 to form the two-thirds majority that allows it to amend the constitution at will.

The Keadilan party of former deputy premier Anwar Ibrahim, who has made a spectacular political comeback after his 1998 sacking and imprisonment, won 31 seats for the biggest opposition presence in the new parliament.

The Chinese-based Democratic Action Party (DAP) won 28 and the Islamic party PAS won 23.

In an unprecedented result, the states of Kedah, Penang, Perak and Selangor all fell into the hands of the main opposition, while PAS extended its hold on Kelantan which it had ruled with a razor-thin majority.

It was the worst defeat the ruling coalition suffered since 1969, when it last lost its two-thirds majority in a result that was followed shortly after by serious racial clashes.

Abdullah had won a landslide victory in 2004 polls after taking over from veteran premier Mahathir Mohamad, but analysts said he was being punished this time for high inflation, rising crime rates and mounting ethnic tensions.

Minority voters are concerned over the growing "Islamisation" of Malaysia and are angry at the government's refusal to drop affirmative action policies for Muslim Malays that provide advantages in housing, education and business.

"It's an overwhelming protest vote against the government. It shows a maturing society which doesn't necessarily vote solely upon racial lines," said Tricia Yeoh, director of the Centre for Public Policy Studies thinktank.

"They are voting according to principles instead and are practising priciples of mature democracy."

While Malaysia's minority ethnic Indians and Chinese had been expected to turn away from the government, pollsters said the coalition also suffered a loss of support from the majority Muslim Malays who form its bedrock.

In the outgoing 219-seat parliament, there were 199 lawmakers from Barisan Nasional -- an alliance of 14 race-based parties -- with 12 from DAP, six from PAS, one from Keadilan and one independent.

Rights monitors and opposition leaders had warned that the coalition could manipulate the vote in tightly fought seats.

Concerns over electoral fraud triggered a clash between PAS supporters and police in northern Terengganu state. Authorities using tear gas to disperse some 300 people and 22 people were arrested.

http://tinyurl.com/2pqyej

Sunday, March 09, 2008
Revolution in Malaysia
Sophie's World is still surprised but glad with the totally unprecedented electoral outcome in Malaysia. Sophie's World is digesting the latest news and views, and and will provide a more detailed analysis soon.

But the signs are very clear. It's a revolution.

9 March 2008
Malaysia's BN suffers worst upset in national polls
KUALA LUMPUR - MALAYSIA'S ruling party faced its biggest electoral debacle on Sunday, as the opposition won five of 13 states, putting a dark cloud on the prime minister's political future.

Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's multi-racial National Front coalition managed to win just a simple majority in parliament and will form the government at the federal level.
But it lost a crucial two-thirds parliamentary majority it has held for most of its 50-year-long rule, the election body said. That level is needed to change the constitution.
Mr Abdullah dismissed suggestions by a reporter that he would now face pressure from party members to step down.
'I don't know who would pressure me. There is nothing at this time,' he said. 'We suffered a lot of losses tonight,' Mr Abdullah's son-in-law Khairy Jamaluddin told reporters. 'But we are going to fight on. We are not going to quit. It is not the end of the world and we are going to get through this.'
The leftist Chinese-backed Democratic Action Party (DAP) won Penang state, which houses many multinational firms.

The opposition Islamist party PAS scored shock victories in the northern heartland states of Kedah and Perak and easily retained power in its stronghold in northeastern Kelantan state.
DAP and PAS also joined the People's Justice Party, or Parti Keadilan, to take control of the industrial state of Selangor and almost all the seats in capital Kuala Lumpur.
'Tomorrow we will start building a brighter future,' opposition icon Anwar Ibrahim, whose wife heads Parti Keadilan, told reporters. 'This is a new dawn for Malaysia.'
The shock defeat in Penang stirred memories of the last time the ruling coalition failed to win a two-thirds majority, in 1969, when deadly race riots erupted between majority ethnic Malays and minority Chinese.
'This is the biggest defeat ever since our party's founding 40 years ago,' Penang Chief Minister Koh Tsu Koon said.
'I feel sad and surprised. I urge all National Front members to stay calm and not to take any action that could jeopardise peace and security in the state.'
Police vowed to use tough internal security laws against anyone spreading rumours and banned victory processions, one of which had triggered the 1969 violence.
Results from the elections commission as of 2145 GMT (5.45am Singapore time) showed the National Front with 137 seats in the 222-seat parliament versus 82 for the opposition, with 3 seats still being tallied.
Referendum on Abdullah
'This looks like a revolution,' PAS Vice-President Husam Musa said. 'The people have risen and are united. The message to government is, 'Enough is enough.'' The poll, called before it was due in May 2009, was widely seen as a referendum on Mr Abdullah's rule, and Malaysians took the opportunity to administer a stinging rebuke over price rises, religious disputes and concerns over corruption .
'I think the PM will potentially have to resign,' said Bridget Welsh, a Malaysia specialist at Johns Hopkins University in the United States. 'This is unprecedented. The only other time this happened was in 1969 and that's why everybody is very nervous now because of the uncertainty.'
Works Minister Samy Vellu, chief of the Malaysian Indian Congress, one of the National Front parties, lost the seat he had held for nearly 30 years, because many Indians thought he was out of touch with their concerns.
Two other cabinet ministers, both ethnic Malays, also lost.
Detained ethnic Indian activist and lawyer M. Manoharan delivered another slap in the face of the government, winning a parliamentary seat despite being held under internal security laws for organising a major anti-government protest last year.
Chinese and Indians account for a third of the population of 26 million and many complain the government discriminates in favour of Malays when it comes to education, jobs, business and religious policy.
About 70 per cent of Malaysia's 10.9 million eligible voters had cast ballots, the country's top poll official said.
Opposition rallies drew big crowds, especially Chinese and Indian voters unhappy with Mr Abdullah's Malay-dominated coalition.
First-time voter Michael Lim said he voted for an opposition party.
'They have not taken care of the people,' he said in Kuala Lumpur, referring to the ruling coalition. 'A lot of promises were made, but nothing was fulfilled.'
'This is a defining moment, unprecedented in our nation's history,' said opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim. 'The people have voted decisively for a new era where the government must be truly inclusive and recognise that all Malaysians, regardless of race and colour, culture and religion, are a nation of one,' Mr Anwar said.
'This clearly shows Malaysians want an alternative. Going forward Malays, Indians and Chinese all have to work together and make a formidable pact.'
A key issue in the elections was the disillusionment among Malaysia's minority ethnic Chinese and Indian population who have long complained about discrimination, particularly an affirmative action system that gives the majority Muslim Malays preference in jobs, business and education.
The programme was designed 37 years ago to help the Malays catch up with the wealthier Chinese. But minorities complain the programme continues despite rising standards of livings for Malays.
The National Front held 90 per cent of the seats in the outgoing federal parliament. Political experts had predicted Mr Abdullah's continued leadership could be in jeopardy if his majority fell back below 80 per cent, or around 178 seats, in the new 222-seat parliament.
The economy grew 6 per cent last year but inflation and a likely US economic slowdown have fueled worries. -- REUTERS, AP
Posted by Sophie at 12:30 PM
http://sophiesworld-sophiesworld.blogspot.com/2008/03/revolution-in-malaysia.html

Ruling Coalition Suffers Major Elections Defeat - Malaysia Boleh!!!
Dear readers of my blog,
Despite being in China right now, I am jumping about my hotel room in glee. The corrupt ruling coalition (Barisan National) has suffered the worst ever election results since the 1957 independance thanks to clever teamwork between the opposition parties and blogs!
Let me give you the details, point-by-point:
1. In 1969, the majority Malay community had stayed loyal to Barisan while the Chinese backed the opposition, setting the stage for racial clashes. Malaysia’s streets were largely quiet, and political experts said they doubted there would be racial violence this time, noting that all of Malaysia’s major ethnic communities - Malays, Chinese and Indians - had deserted the government.
2. Stripped of their long-held two-thirds majority in Parliament, Barisan Nasional will no longer be able to freely amend the Constitution, which it has done more than 40 times since independence from Britain in 1957.
3. Barisan Nasional has lost the state of Kedah to the PAS (the Islamaic party) who will form the next state government
4. The defeat of Barisan Nasional in the state of Kedah is shocking, PAS took 38 of the 45 state seats. Note that 80% of the population in that state turned out to vote!
5. The much loathed president of the MIC (Malaysia Indian Congress) has been defeated. He can’t handover the presidency of his number 2 or 3 (they were defeated as well). In fact all but 3 of the MIC candidates were defeated, a clear sign of rejection by the Malaysian Indians.
6. The opposition party DAP (Malaysia for All Malaysians), has taken Penang - blogger Jeff Ooi (whom I supported here) has won, making him the first blogger in parliament.
7. The combined opposition of DAP, PKR and PAS will form the new government in Perak. Collectively the three parties have won 30 seats (DAP - 18, PKR - 6, PAS - 6) out of 59 seats.
8. Jailed for years for sodomy, former minister Anwar Ibrahim fielded his daughter (Nurul Izzah Anwar of PKR) in his place (criminals can’t stand for election) and she won the Lembah Pantai seat. His wife, Wan Azizah - won the Permatang Pauh parliamentary seat by a 13,388-vote majority. Nicely done!
9. The opposition have taken over the state of Selengor. The opposition needed just 29 seats to form the state government with a simple majority - they won 35 seats!
10. BN retains Johor with reduced majorities losing the shocking seats of Bakri Parliamentary seat and the state seats of Skudai, Bentayan, Senai and Mengkibol to the DAP. It also lost the Sungai Abong and the Maharani state seat to Pas. In the past, the opposition has never won more than 2 seats at best.
The DAP retained its Bandar Kuching seat (Kennysia’s playground) with a larger majority this time round.
11. The PM’s son-in-law, Khairy Jamaluddin beat PKR’s Badrul Hisham Shaharin
12. Manoharan, a detainee under the Internal Security Act has won in the general election. He is currently being detained for his involvement in Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf aka Indians Kena Bully).
13. The current Miss Malaysia, Deborah Priya Henry needs to shut the f87k up and smell the roses.
14. We Welcome These Bloggers Into Public Office!
http://cowboycaleb.liquidblade.com/index.php/archives/2008/03/09/ruling-coalition-suffers-major-elections-defeat-malaysia-boleh/

March 9, 2008
HINDRAF prowls in Malaysian polls
Ethnic Tamil Minister Velu defeated in Malaysian polls
Result of HINDRAF effect
Malaysia's long-serving Tamil minister Samy Velu was on Saturday handed down a surprise defeat in Malaysian snap polls seen as a 'litmus test' for the ruling coalition, which faces the danger of a getting its majority dented.
Even on Friday, he was confident that ethnic Tamils will overwhelmingly vote for him and his government and would not be misled by a few leaders who had been running a campaign complaining of racial inequality in the multi-ethnic country.
Adding salt to the ruling coalition's injury was the impressive victory of detained Hindu Rights Action Force leader M Manoharan fighting on opposition Democratic Action Party ticket from the Kota Alam Shah state seat in Selangor. He beat Barisan Nasional's Ching Su Chen, reports here said.
Manoharan, whose organisation has been fighting against the alleged marginalisation of ethnic Indians, has been behind bars since late 2007 along with four other Hindraf leaders for organising the November 25 ethnic Indians' rally. His wife, a political novice, campaigned relentlessly for him.
http://factusa.blogspot.com/2008/03/hindraf-prowls-in-malaysian-polls.html

Stunning scale of Badawi’s debacle: Badawi should quit politics

2008-03-08T22:42:00.000-08:00

http://malayindians.blogspot.com/2008/03/stunning-scale-of-badawis-debacle.html
Stunning scale of Badawi’s debacle: Badawi should quit politics

ANALYSTS' VIEW - Malaysia's ruling coalition suffers upset
Sat Mar 8, 2008 9:30pm GMT (Reuters, UK)
KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - Malaysia's opposition handed the ruling Barisan Nasional (National Front) coalition the biggest upset in its history after Saturday's elections, putting the premier's political future at risk and raising security fears.
Barisan retained a parliamentary majority, according to the election commission, but could put in its worst performance since 1969, when polls were followed by race riots and a state of emergency.
The election commission said the ruling coalition lost four states across the northern part of the peninsula and the opposition was claiming victory in a fifth state.
Indicative of the scale of the debacle, the chief of the Malaysian Indian Congress, a key component of the National Front, lost the seat he had held for 34 years.
Following are views of political analysts and politicians on Malaysia's watershed general elections.
SANI HAMID, DIRECTOR OF SOVEREIGN RATINGS, STANDARD AND POOR'S
"In my point of view there is no immediate effect on the sovereign rating, but the focus will actually be on two fronts, one is a decision-making process, i.e. what is the impact from the loss of the two-thirds majority on parliament?
"If that is going to lead a more difficult push to pass legislation, especially those measures that relate to the economy, one can imagine that if the government wants to raise oil prices, the other parties could create some opposition and the process would be more protracted.
"Secondly, the opposition states, Kedah and Penang, are key states in the northern corridor story, so how this is going to impact those states with regard to investment and public funds will have to be seen as well."
MALAYSIAN OPPOSITION LEADER ANWAR IBRAHIM:
"All Malaysians regardless of race, culture and religion are a nation of one. The people have expressed in no uncertain terms that they want accountability, transparency and the rule of law. Today unity, consensus and mutual respect thrives. Tomorrow we will start building a brighter future. This is a new dawn."
TIM CONDON, HEAD OF ASIA RESEARCH, ING:
"This is probably not good news for the equity market or the ringgit. I think the consensus was that the BN coalition would soldier on and have a sufficient majority to push through their spending programmes and the development of their corridors (economic development zones) ... but this puts in doubt that they will even be able to implement their spending programmes. There really was no feel-good factor before (the election) and this really reduces the likelihood that there will be one in the near future."
BRIDGET WELSH, POLITICAL ANALYST, JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY:
"It was a phenomenal shift. They lost up to potentially four state governments. I think the PM will potentially have to resign. This is unprecedented. The only other time this happened was in 1969 and that's why everybody is very nervous now because of the uncertainty."
DAVID COHEN, ECONOMIST, ACCESS ECONOMICS:
"I guess the question now is, 'Is it going to be peaceful?' If they are able to control it, then that would at least avoid one potentially negative reaction ... Maybe it's an encouraging sign that real contested elections can be held without violence. If they had won overwhelmingly, I think there would have been suspicions that there was fraud, so the fact that they did allow the opposition to make these gains is encouraging."
Cohen doubted that rising prices alone would account for a heavy backlash against the ruling coalition.
"Frankly, I don't think that that's what would have been to blame for the opposition doing so well. People are certainly nervous about the economic outlook for the world economy right now, but I think that's more a function of what's going on in the U.S."
IBRAHIM SUFFIAN, OF MARKET-RESEARCH FIRM THE MERDEKA CENTER: "I think the opposition is 20 to 30 seats away from forming government and that's what the unofficial count is revealing. I think it's a combination of many factors. I think, number one, is the economy -- the economy is doing well, but it's not translating into a better standard of living for ordinary Malaysians.
"The level of campaigning that's being done by the opposition is phenomenal, much, much better than previous elections. It's not just the result of being better organised and better prepared, it's also the support of the people who are a bit fed up. There's also infighting within (main ruling party) UMNO."
SAM ZARIFI, HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH, WASHINGTON:
"First of all, we saw several attempts by the coalition to try and not have these elections free and fair. Clearly, they were worried about the possibility of losing, more than any other time. At the same time, it was clear that there has been some discontent with the state of affairs in Malaysia and that the people of Malaysia really wanted an end to what has essentially been a state in which they don't have freedom of press, freedom of speech and freedom of assembly.
"There is no excuse or reason any more for Malaysia not to have that freedom. For a country that has made so much of economic progress, it is time to catch up politically. ... What we hope to see is that parliament will begin dismantling some of the authoritarian laws and systems that have been in place for too long, starting with the Internal Security arrangements. ... Opening up of Malaysian society to allow it to flourish.
YAP SWEE SENG, ACTIVIST WITH HUMAN RIGHTS BODY SUARAM: "This is a victory of people who were fed up with Barisan Nasional's mismanagement and abuse of power. People have sent a very clear message that they are fed up with racial politics.
HUSAM MUSA, VICE PRESIDENT OF PARTI ISLAM SE-MALAYSIA: "This looks like a revolution. The people have risen and are united. The message to government is, 'Enough is enough'".
LINKS:
- The official election result is available at the Web site of the Election Commission of Malaysia pru12.spr.gov.my/spr/
- Comment from Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi will be available at the official Web site, www.pmo.gov.my
(See also MALAYSIA-ASIA-ELECTION/SCENARIOS, MALAYSIA-ELECTION/VOTERS (FACTBOX) and MALAYSIA-ELECTION/OVERVIEW)
http://uk.reuters.com/article/wtMostRead/idUKKLR15040220080308

________________________________________
« BN leaders - grow up and accept ups and downs of democratic process
Devilish Star heading with two lies in 11 words - call for nation-wide firestorm protest without instant Star online apology »
No Chinese representationn in govt - then Pak Lah must step down as PM as he had promised to be PM for all races
(Media Conference Statement by DAP Parliamentary Candidate for Ipoh Timur Lim Kit Siang at the DAP Ipoh Timur Ops Centre, Ipoh on Friday, 7th March 2008 at 12 noon)
I am utterly shocked and stunned – that the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi has done what even Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad in his most undemocratic excesses had never done in 22 years as Prime Minister, trying to force the Chinese voters to vote for MCA and Gerakan with the irresponsible threat that they could end up without any Chinese Ministers or representation in Government.
It is a grave sign of political desperation and bankruptcy – that Abdullah himself should go down into the gutter to indulge in the politics of scare, intimidation and blackmail to force the Chinese voters to vote for MCA and Gerakan candidates.
The MCA leadership has been adopting a “Jekyll-and-Hyde” attitude – playing both the role of human being and the devil at the same time - with the MCA Deputy President Datuk Seri Chan Kong Choy boldly declaring only yesterday that MCA is confident it will be able to capture the majority of the 40 parliamentary and 60 state assembly seats it is contesting, while on the other hand, egging Abdullah to warn that the Chinese will end up not having any representation in the Government if the Chinese give the DAP their votes.
Why is Abdullah prepared to do the “dirty work” for MCA with the baseless poser that the Chinese have to decide if they want a louder voice in Parliament or representation in the Cabinet, when Chan Kong Choy had just said that the MCA is confident of winning the majority of the parliamentary and state assembly seats it is contesting?
When Abdullah said that the Chinese have to decide if they want a louder voice in Parliament or representation in the Cabinet, is he suggesting that the MCA President, Datuk Seri Ong Ka Ting could be defeated in the Kulai parliamentary seat and that all the 40 parliamentary and 60 state assembly candidates of MCA could all be wiped out in the general election tomorrow?
From the wind of change blowing throughout the country, if they reach a great velocity on polling day tomorrow, I expect MCA to lose many parliamentary and state assembly seats but never near being wiped out completely in Parliament and the State Assemblies as to have no representation in the government, both at national and state levels.
Abdullah referred to the 1990 general election when the MCA was “paralysed”, saying: “When the MCA lost its voice, the people felt it. I hope they will think very carefully. This is important in the interests of all races.”
Abdullah cannot be more wrong. In 1990, the MCA “paralysis” was in fact beneficial to the Malaysian Chinese and the Malaysian nation, for it forced the Mahathir government to abandon the long-standing nation-building policy of assimilation and acceptance of the DAP’s policy of integration – resulting in “little liberalization” on policies of language, education and culture. It also led to the Vision 2020 with its goal of building a Bangsa Malaysia, transcending ethnic, linguistic, cultural and religious differences - a copy of the DAP’s version of Malaysian Malaysia.
It was only when the MCA was very strong, as in 1999 general election, when the Chinese voters saved Umno and Barisan Nasional from losing its two-thirds parliamentary majority as the Malays defected from Umno with Umno candidates suffering their worst electoral setbacks, that MCA produced the weakest and most ineffecfive results – particularly in allowing the rise of Umno political hegemony!
Abdullah has said the Barisan wanted the Chinese community to be part of government.
He said: “We do not want to have a government that does not have representation of all ethnic groups in the Cabinet”.
Has Abdullah forgotten one of his great pledges when he became the Prime Minister four years ago – to be Prime Minister for all Malaysians and all races and not just for Malays?
If so, if there are no Chinese representations in government, then it must be regarded as his greatest personal failure. How can he continue to cling on as Prime Minister if he cannot lead a government with fair and equal representation from all races, including the Chinese in Malaysia?
Let me answer Abdullah’s poser to the Chinese - the Chinese want both a louder voice in Parliament as well as meaningful representation in government as the best way to ensure effective representation in Cabinet is to have a louder voice in Parliament!

http://blog.limkitsiang.com/2008/03/07/no-chinese-representationn-in-govt-then-pak-lah-must-step-down-as-pm-as-he-had-promised-to-be-pm-for-all-races/#more-1074

Badawi: 'we've lost, we've lost'; so, release Hindraf leaders, quit from BN, Badawi

2008-03-08T20:29:00.000-08:00

Badawi cries: 'we've lost, we've lost'; so, release Hindraf leaders, quit from BN, Badawi. You have lost the moral right to rule Malaysia.

k

March 8, 2008
Malaysian opposition wins 5 states, MIC President ousted, Hindraf ISA detainee wins

Malaysian opposition take over 4 new states - Penang, Kedah, Perak, Selangor and maintains Kelantan.
Malaysian Indian Congress President S Samy Vellu (who the Malaysian Indians wanted removed) has suffered a defeat at the hands of PKR's Dr D Jeyakumar for the Sungai Siput parliamentary seat which he has held for nine terms.
Hindraf leader and ISA-detainee M Manoharan, on a DAP ticket, obtained 12,699 votes to win with a 7,184-vote majority.

PM Badawi: 'We've lost, we've lost'

These were the only words which Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi could muster when quizzed on the ruling coalition's shocking defeat in five states.

Abdullah was posed with the question during a press conference at the Putra World Trade Centre in Kuala Lumpur. He was accompanied by his wife Jeanne, deputy Najib Abdul Razak and other BN leaders.

The prime minister added that he will make a media statement after analysing the results in detail.

Anwar ushers in 'a new dawn for Malaysia'

A triumphant PKR leader Anwar Ibrahim described the victory of the opposition parties in five states and its breach of Barisan Nasional's two-third majority in Parliament as "a defining moment" in the history of the nation and the opening of "a new chapter."

"The people have voted decisively for a new era where the government must be truly inclusive and recognises that all Malaysians, regardless of race, culture or race are a nation of one," he told a packed press conference at his residence in Segambut, Kuala Lumpur.

"The people have expressed in no uncertain terms that they want accountability, transparency, and the rule of law."

http://singaporeindianvoice.blogspot.com/2008/03/malaysian-opposition-wins-5-states-mic.html

Setback for Malaysia's ruling coalition

2008-03-08T19:26:00.000-08:00

Malaysia's ruling coalition wins simple majority, down from 90% majority in the last Parliament. This should make Badawi quit his position in the front.

k

March 9, 2008
Malaysia’s Governing Coalition Suffers a Setback
By THOMAS FULLER
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — Malaysia’s governing coalition, which has run this multiracial country without any major challenges for the past four decades, suffered a string of election defeats on Saturday, losing control of three major states and all but surrendering urban areas to the opposition.

Results early Sunday showed that the coalition of Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi won 136 of 222 seats in Parliament, enough to be able to remain in power. But unexpectedly strong gains by opposition parties, which quadrupled their seats in Parliament, are likely to challenge the longstanding paternalistic practices of a government that controls the mainstream media, bans most street protests, bars students from taking part in politics and jails political opponents without trial.

Stripped of their long-held two-thirds majority in Parliament, the governing coalition will no longer be able to freely amend the Constitution, which it has done more than 40 times since independence from Britain in 1957.

Anger among ethnic Indians and Chinese over religious disputes and economic preferences for the Malays, the majority ethnic group, appeared to play a major role in the opposition’s gains.

“I don’t think Malaysian politics will ever be the same again,” said Anwar Ibrahim, a former deputy prime minister who was expelled from the governing party a decade ago and is now one of the leaders of the opposition. “There is a wave, an outcry for democratic reform.”

The opposition parties unseated several political veterans by fielding fresh but inexperienced candidates, including a political science professor, a popular blogger and a human rights advocate.

Opposition candidates did especially well in urban areas, winning 10 of the 11 seats in Kuala Lumpur, the commercial capital, and capturing the relatively prosperous and populous states of Selangor and Penang. The opposition also made inroads into the rural heartland. The Pan-Islamic Party, one of the three main opposition parties, strengthened its control over the northern state of Kelantan and won control over the states of Kedah and Perak.

Losing control of those states is a blow for the governing coalition because states have jurisdiction over land allocation, local matters and Islamic laws.

Voters showed their anger over a recent government crackdown against ethnic Indians by electing to a state legislature M. Manoharan, one of five advocates jailed after a street protest by Indians. It is unclear how Mr. Manoharan, who is being detained without a trial, will carry out his duties.

The loss of Penang, which alone among Malaysia’s 13 states has a majority of Chinese voters, is a major blow to Mr. Abdullah, whose constituency is based there. The state is an industrial center, producing microchips, cellphones and computer parts in factories owned by Intel, Dell and Motorola, among many others.

The departing chief minister, or governor, of Penang, Koh Tsu Koon, lost his seat on Saturday to a dissident university professor, P. Ramasamy.

The leaders of the two ethnic Indians parties represented in the government also lost their seats, including the only ethnic Indian in the cabinet, Samy Vellu.

Those losses call into question the future of the country’s race-based coalition, a system in place since independence in which each major ethnic group — Malays, Chinese and Indians — is represented by a political party.

Opposition leaders have vowed to move Malaysia away from the system, with the National Justice Party of Mr. Anwar the loudest proponent of the change. Mr. Anwar, who many see as a possible future prime minister, is barred from holding public office until April because of a conviction for abuse of power in a politically charged trial. But his wife and his daughter won seats in Parliament on Saturday.

He said in an interview that he would not rule out asking a member of his party to resign so he can run in a by-election. “I’m not in a hurry,” said Mr. Anwar, whose party won 32 seats, up from one seat in the last election in 2004.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/09/world/asia/09malaysia.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

Kuala Lumpur (PTI): Malaysia's ruling coalition Barison Nasional (BN) won a simple majority in Saturday's general elections.

The Front led by Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi has bagged 112 out of 165 seats for which the counting has been completed, the Election Commission said.

The Opposition Democratic Action Party (DAP) has secured 22 seats and Islamic Party of Malaysia Islamic Party (PAS) 13 seats.

While Badawi retained the Kepala Batas seat, his son-in-law Khairy Jamaluddin won from the Rembau parliamentary seat.

The vote counting is still continuing and the final results are expected Sunday morning.

The Barisan Nasional comprises the majority UMNO (Malay party), Malaysian Indian Congress and Malaysian Chinese Association.

The polls saw a rout of MIC chief Samy Vellu, the lone Indian minister in Abdullah's cabinet. Abdullah's Barisan Nasional held a 90 per cent majority in the last parliament when it had recorded a landslide victory.

However, this elections has seen a historic setback with the Opposition parties claiming victory in five state assemblies.

The Opposition has won the northern states of Penang, Kedah, Kelantan and Perak and central Selangor state.

"Tomorrow we will start building a brighter future...This is a new dawn for Malaysia," Anwar Ibrahim, former deputy premier and de facto leader of Opposition party Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR), told reporters. His daughter Nurul Issa Anwar defeated Family Welfare Minister Shahrizat of the BN.

http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/000200803090331.htm

Electoral verdict in Malaysia: moral victory for Hindraf

2008-03-08T18:33:00.000-08:00

ELECTORAL VERDICT IN MALAYSIA: MORAL VICTORY FOR THE HINDRAF

BY DR. ADITYANJEE

Dr. Adityanjee is the President of the Council for Strategic Affairs, New Delhi and can be contacted at adityan@pol.net

The answer my friend is blowing in the wind! The winds of change are indeed blowing strongly in Malaysia. The election results in Malaysia despite the allegations of vote rigging, electoral malpractices, last minute changes in election rules, reflect an electoral loss of historical proportions for Abdullah Badawi and 13-party ruling alliance the Barisan Nasional (National Front). Though the new federal government would still be formed by the Barisan Nasional, it will not command the towering two-thirds majority in the federal parliament. The opposition had only 20 seats in the federal parliament in the 2004 elections compared to 198 of BN. In 1999, under the sagging leadership of Mahathir Mohammad the BN had won 148 seats compared to 42 of the combined opposition. Whereas the 2004 elections were a landslide in favor of reform promising, soft-spoken Abdullah Badawi; this is a humiliating defeat for him personally. Abdullah, who replaced longtime UMNO leader Mahathir Mohamad in 2003, had led the ruling Front to a landslide victory in 2004, taking 91 percent of the seats in Parliament. Calling the mid-term elections now instead of May 2009 when the parliamentary elections were scheduled backfired on Abdullah Badawi who was hell-bent upon preventing the 60 years old charismatic opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim from contesting the elections as a potential Prime Ministerial candidate of the loosely combined opposition.

Most analysts and election observers were initially forecasting a mild protest vote by the Hindu-Malaysians and Chinese-Malaysians alone, predicting that ethnic Malays will cast their votes in favor of United Malays National Organization (UMNO) and BN. This analyst, in article written on March 4th 2008, had projected 80-90 seats in federal parliament for the combined opposition . However, the results suggest a 15% swing away from the UMNO among the ethnic Malay voters in the latest elections. This may be interpreted as a vote against rising crimes, rising prices, politics of cronyism, politics of institutionalized corruption in the majority Muslim Malay community. The federal election commission in Malaysia had been slow to announce the results except for the constituencies where UMNO had won. By the time this report is filed the BN tally in the federal parliament is 137, with 82 seats going to the opposition giving only a simple majority to the BN in 222 seat federal parliament with three results still pending. Initially Barisan Nasional edged closer towards the coveted two-thirds parliamentary majority of 148 by securing 137 seats, but the two-third majority was ultimately denied only for the second time in the history of independent Malaysia. This “simple victory” for Abdullah Badawi and BN is still a defeat because the state machinery and the official media were blatantly misused for electoral purposes by the BN. Standard precautionary plan to prevent multiple voting by marking every voter’s finger with indelible ink was cancelled by the election commission at the last moment. According to ridiculous claims by the EC chairman Abdul Rashid Abdul Rahman there was a conspiracy to import such ink and mark voter’s fingers to prevent them from voting!

The Inspector General of Police Musa Hassan has gone on the record in Kuala Lumpur to ban public rallies by victorious candidates to avoid repetition of the May 1969 ethnic riots. When the dust settles and all the results are finally announced, what would Abdullah Badawi do? That is a 64 million dollars question. Yes, the government will still be formed by BN/UMNO which has obtained a simple majority in the parliament. Yes, Abdullah Badawi won his own parliamentary seat. But would Abdullah Badawi re-emerge as the Prime Minister and leader of very much weakened UMNO or the dominant ethnic Malay party will choose a new leader? Abdullah claims that he will go before the ceremonial king tomorrow to stake his claim for forming new government. Will he have the moral courage to govern for the next five years?

MCA that had 31 seats in the dissolved parliament has now only 15 seats. Both Chinese dominated Democratic Action Party (DAP) and the Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) or People’s Justice Party of Anwar Ibrahim of “Reformasi” fame have emerged as main opposition parties with PKR winning 31 seats and DAP getting 28. Islamic hardliner PAS has won 23 seats in the parliament. The state of Penang has gone to the (DAP) that is set to form the state level government in Penang. The state of Kelantan was already ruled by the Islamic hardliner PAS that retook the state in this election as well. In the northern state of Kedah, from where the former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohammad comes, PAS claimed a completely unanticipated victory. An opposition alliance of three parties won the state assembly in Perak. The state of Selangor witnessed the opposition victory as well. This means five out of 14 states have gone to the opposition instead of only one in 2004. In the capital Kuala Lumpur, opposition candidates have trounced BN candidates. Community Development Minister Shahrizat Abdul Jalil lost the Lembah Pantai parliamentary seat in the capital to Nurul Izzah Anwar, the daughter of the former Deputy Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim who is not allowed to hold a public office till April 2008. Human rights activist, parliamentarian and lawyer Karpal Singh of DAP has won the Bukit Gelugor parliamentary seat by a comfortable 21,015-vote majority.
Hindu Rights Action Force (HINDRAF) leader M Manoharan, a lawyer by profession, won his elections on DAP ticket from behind the bars having been arrested under the dreaded Internal Security Act. He won the Kota Alam Shah state seat in the state of Selangor, beating Ching Su Chen (BN) by a 7,184-vote majority. His arrest under ISA was “justified” by the apartheid state because HINDRAF leaders had the audacity to hold a public rally of 20,000 Hindu-Malaysians protesting against the excesses of the Islamic state. Public works Minister S. Samy Vellu, the discredited leader of the Malaysian Indians’ Congress (MIC) has lost to PKR’s Dr. D. Jeyakumar Devaraj his Sungai Siput parliamentary seat that he held for more than 30 years. Samy Vellu was totally and hopelessly out of touch with the concerns of ordinary Hindu-Malaysians whose temples were being demolished on a weekly basis by the UMNO led government, whose dead bodies were snatched and stolen by the Shariat authorities under false pretext that there was conversion to Islam before death. The MIC so far has won only 3 seats compared to nine seats it held in the federal parliament that was elected in 2004. Hindu–Malaysians were discriminated at every level and Samy Vellu chose to denounce the HINDRAF leaders. Abdullah Badawi’s despicable actions in labeling HINDRAF leaders as terrorists aligned to LTTE have miserably failed and actually backfired not only against the BN but also against the MIC.

A weakened BN headed by Abdullah Badawi will form yet another Government in Malaysia. The ruling coalition's performance is the worst since 1969, when it last lost its two-thirds majority in parliament in a result that triggered serious racial clashes. That time victories of DAP triggered attacks on Malaysian Chinese by dagger wielding Malay youths belonging to UMNO Youth. Since this time the electoral defeat of the BN is triggered by protest voting against BN by the Hindu -Malaysians, it is hoped that the law and order machinery in the state of Malaysia will work hard to prevent any revenge attacks against the Hindu-Malaysians. If Abdullah Badawi sticks to his pre-election rhetoric warning about chaos and instability in case BN is defeated by a protest vote, will he control the law and order situation in next few weeks to prevent such ethnic riots directed against Hindu-Malaysians?

Will Abdullah Badawi give any representation to the shrunken MIC in the federal cabinet since most of the Hindu-Malaysians voted against BN this time? During the election campaign, Abdullah Badawi wanted the support of Chinese Malaysians and Hindu-Malaysians so that they are well-represented in the federal cabinet! If he follows that flawed reasoning, he may not provide any representation to the defeated MIC marginalizing the Hindu-Malaysians further. However, after this humiliating defeat, Abdullah Badawi may face challenge for the leadership of the UMNO during its next annual meeting. Mahathir Mohammad who has been very critical of Badawi may try to reassert his influence in the UMNO by supporting an alternative new leadership during the next annual UMNO meeting. Badawi may not be able to stop the ultimate rise of former Islamist turned democracy and civil rights activist Anwar Ibrahim. There may be calls within UMNO to bring the charismatic Anwar Ibrahim back into the UMNO fold for the sake of “Malay supremacy”. For Anwar Ibrahim, this is sweet victory with his party PKR getting 31 seats compared to only one in 2004. Both his wife and daughter have won their respective seats. After April 2008, he may enter the parliament with his wife opting to resign her seat so as to enable him to contest a bye-election.

Denied two-thirds majority in parliament, Abdullah Badawi and the BN will not be able to bring constitutional amendments at the drop of a hat. A rejuvenated opposition will have to be consulted on every major policy decision. However, in the ultimate analysis this is a moral victory for the HINDRAF leaders. Among everything else, the elections results force the international community to salute the brave leaders of HINDRAF who had the tremendous courage to bring into open the systematic persecution of Hindu-Malaysians by the Islamized and apartheid state of Malaysia. More than 20,000 Hindu-Malaysians of ethnic Indian origin attended the rally organized by the HINDRAF group on November 25, 2007. Most Hindu-Malaysians feel that it was only after this mass rally organized by NGO Hindu Rights Action Force that the Malaysian government had actually conceded that there were problems being faced by the Hindu-Malaysian community. When government of India had expressed concerns about the sorry plight of Hindu-Malaysians of Indian ethnic origin, Abdullah Badawi had the nerve to claim that HINDRAF leaders are terrorists with ties with LTTE.

The new BN government is well-advised to release all the arrested HINDRAF leaders and workers, withdraw cases against them under the repressive ISA and seriously address their genuine grievances. The new Malaysian government needs to stop demolishing Hindu temples, provide land for building of already demolished temples, stop stealing the dead-bodies of prominent Hindu-Malaysians under the garb of Shariat laws, provide educational and job opportunities to marginalized Hindu-Malaysians and dismantle the apartheid rules of New Economic Policy-II. Malaysian civil courts and the Supreme Court will have to re-assert their supremacy in the filed of justice for the citizens over the rulings of Shariat courts that can not be challenged currently. Abdullah Badawi, having eaten a crow, owes a personal apology to HINDRAF leaders for characterizing them as terrorists. HINDRAF will have to convert itself into a formal political party if the ethnicity based apartheid state in Malaysia continues to exist. If the apartheid laws and the New Economic Policy –II are dismantled, HINDRAF, DAP and PKR of Anwar Ibrahim should merge into a single multi-racial party in trying to bring about the birth of a new, post-racial, multi-religious and democratic Malaysia!

Hindraf effect: Malaysia's political landscape changes

2008-03-08T17:06:00.000-08:00

Barisan reels from worst-ever election performance [the ruling coalition
loses 2/3 majority]

PETALING JAYA: Malaysia is in shock. The Barisan Nasional is reeling from
its worst-ever election performance.

While it managed to keep Terengganu and will form the next government, it
lost Penang, Selangor Kedah and Perak to the Opposition and failed to
recapture Kelantan.

Barisan Nasional chairman Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, in accepting the
results, said this was clear proof of democracy at work in the country.

He urged people to remain calm and not take to the streets to celebrate.

Story: http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2008/3/9/nation/20590068
ion> &sec=nation

MIC [Malaysian Indian Congress] in shambles with no leader in the wings
[Many senior leaders defeated]

KUALA LUMPUR: Saturday's Tamil Nesan had a massive pullout for birthday boy
Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu with back-to-back coverage and full-page live-size
photographs of him taken out by all 28 MIC candidates, hailing their chief
as the greatest man ever born.

The surreal coverage was in stark contrast to the ugly mood among Indians
who had already 'told' Samy Vellu that his time was up - through the Nov 25
protest and the boycott of Batu Caves during Thaipusam - and were waiting to
say it again through the ballot box.

It was Samy Vellu's final swan song. Except for Dr S. Subramaniam , S.
Saravanan and K. Devamani, the other MIC candidates were all wiped out in an
unprecedented wave of anger, opening up a new era in politics for Indians.

With most of the MIC bigwigs wiped out, the internal power equation in the
party has gone haywire and only time will tell how it is going to unravel.

After such a beating it is also inconceivable that Samy Vellu should
continue as party president. Sadly, he does not have a winner in a number
two or three to hand over the party to.

The vice-presidents, until press time, appear to have been defeated as well,
leaving the MIC leadership in shambles. It will take a long time for the
mess to be sorted out.

The MIC representation in the Cabinet and the administration is also in
question now that Samy Vellu, the sole Indian minister for 29 years, has
been defeated. Who is the winner or loser? Who will to take his place in the
Cabinet?

Indian voters form significant numbers in at least 67 parliamentary and 141
state assembly seats where they comprise between 9% and 46% of the
electorate.

The results across the country indicate they had used their numbers to vote
Opposition and helped change the direction of politics in the country.

They were the deciding factor in constituencies where Malay and Chinese
votes divided. Indians who traditionally backed the Government made their
small numbers count.

Twenty-two Indians contested in 18 parliamentary seats and 53 Indians
contested in 40 seats. They comprised about 8% of contestants.

MIC fielded nine for Parliament and 19 for the state assemblies. The DAP had
seven Indians for Parliament and 17 for state while PKR fielded 19 Indians.

In Parliament and the state assemblies, there will be about 20 Indians from
the DAP and PKR and all will be sitting on the opposition bench. Previously,
in the entire country there were only two Indian MPs - Karpal Singh and M.
Kulasegaran - holding the fort.

It is going to be a lively Parliament and Opposition Indian MPs are going to
fall over each other to voice Indian woes.

The results are a victory for Makkal Shakti, the force unleashed by Hindraf
leader P. Uthayakumar on Nov 25, which ballooned into a formidable Indian
movement to carry away so many MIC leaders.

The larger question is of course Indian representation in the government,
which would be lesser with so many casualties. The government will have to
find new ways to fill the vacancies and not just promote losers into
senators and then ministers.

Because of the defeat in some states, Indian representation is nil, making
it a challenging task for the Barisan Nasional power-sharing formula to
work.

Story: http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2008/3/9/nation/20591166
ion> &sec=nation

Beyond racial politics [a pre-election editorial appeal by Sun Newspaper]

While Malaysian political parties have managed to negotiate communal issues
with remarkable dexterity over the past five decades, it is clear that the
race-based formula that defines our political landscape must be re-modelled
in due course. This is necessary because a long-entrenched habit of
organising society into separate racial groups is patently unhealthy and
ultimately counterproductive.

The task should begin, naturally, with the envisioning of a society that
emphasises a unifying, cross-cultural experience instead of striving to
maintain social and institutional differences based on race and religion.
This would require investing time and energy in reforming all important
public institutions and processes to become inclusive, universal and
egalitarian so that communal differences are de-emphasised and common values
embraced as core principles.

This is obviously a massive undertaking that will require decades if not
generations to accomplish. Nevertheless, it must begin with a sense of
conviction among all communities that such a society is not only achievable,
but most desirable.

Further, as the goal involves a radical transformation in thinking, it must
be approached in a systematic manner that would foster a gradual acceptance
of the idea. The process should move from discussion of the idea among
cultural experts, political leaders, public figures, community groups and
civil society organisations, to confidence-building initiatives,
experimental programmes and onward to more institutional efforts.

A first step could be the establishment of a race relations commission that
reports to Parliament. Such an entity should be tasked with driving the
agenda of racial harmony by drawing on the strength of opinion leaders and
leading lights in the various communities. Thereafter a blueprint for
promoting racial unity should be developed, including a revamp of
institutions such as the Department of National Unity to make its role in
promoting racial harmony more effective.

Such a blueprint should encompass the reform of major national institutions
including educational institutions, the civil service, parliament, the
justice system and others to reflect a race-blind public policy. This would
ensure that over time, all public institutions would be guided by the
principles of egalitarianism and universal values.

In this process, a move towards reforming legislation to make them consonant
with the values of a race-blind society would be a logical progression.

Admittedly, from our current position, all this looks like a distant dream.
However, the challenge of taking up the discussion is open to all who wish
to forge a great future for Malaysia. Let the work begin.

http://www.sun2surf.com/article.cfm?id=20983

Hindraf effect: Malaysian ruling coalition suffers loss of 2/3 majority

2008-03-08T14:48:00.000-08:00

Malaysia ruling coalition loses crucial 2/3 majority
Reuters
Published: March 09, 2008, 00:03

Kuala Lumpur: The Malaysian premier's multi-racial coalition lost its crucial two-thirds majority in parliament in general elections on Saturday, the Election Commission said on Sunday.

The coalition also lost control of three states - Kedah, Penang and Kelantan, the election body said.

The oppositiobn is claiming victory in five state assemblies including Selangor and Perak, while also capturing at least one-third of the seats in federal parliament.

A two-thirds majority is needed to amend the constitution. The last time it lost that majority was in the 1969 election.

Meanwhile, Malaysia's opposition threatened on Saturday hand the ruling coalition its biggest upset in 40 years by winning the northern industrial state of Penang, putting the prime minister's political future at risk.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The multi-racial National Front coalition is almost certain to get a majority and form the government at the federal level, but it was as yet uncertain of retaining the two-thirds majority it has held for most of its five-decade-long rule.

"It's bad. They have lost Penang," a source close to Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said just two and a half hours after polling booths closed at 0900GMT. "It's a perfect storm," he added. "Big guns are falling all over the place." The chief minister of Penang conceded defeat and said he would hand over power to the opposition, one of the state's opposition leaders said.

"He has contacted the governor. He respected the wishes of the people and hoped there are no untoward incidents," said Chow Kon Yeow, head of the Chinese-dominated Democratic Action Party (DAP) in Penang, which was set to lead the new government in the state.

Works Minister Samy Vellu, chief of the Malaysian Indian Congress, one of the parties in the ruling National Front coalition, lost the seat he had held for nearly 30 years, because many Indians thought he was out of touch with their concerns.

Complaints

Chinese and Indians account for a third of the population of 26 million and many complain the government discriminates in favour of Malays when it comes to education, jobs, financial assistance and religious policy.

"This looks like a revolution," said Husam Musa, vice president of the Islamist opposition party PAS, which looked to be winning in northeastern Kelantan state. "The people have risen and are united. The message to government is, 'Enough is enough'," he told reporters.

About 70 per cent of Malaysia's 10.9 million eligible voters had cast ballots, the country's chief election official said. "What has happened is there were aspects of unhappiness everywhere - Indians, Chinese and Malays," the source said.

"All these storms came together and there's this massive swing. The only thing you can say now is that there will be a simple majority. It will be the biggest setback since 1969."

Race relations have become a big issue in a country that has long been proud of the racial harmony among its majority Muslim Malays, and ethnic Chinese and Indian minorities.

Opposition rallies drew big crowds, especially Chinese and Indian voters unhappy with Badawi's Malay-dominated coalition. An early hint of the changing political winds was a police ban on victory processions. Malaysia's worst episode of racial violence in 1969 was sparked by such a parade.

The poll, called before it was due in May 2009, was widely seen as a referendum on Badawi's rule. But the electoral system was also on trial as opposition parties accused the multi-racial Barisan Nasional coalition of vote-rigging to continue its five-decade-long grip on power.

It's bad. They have lost Penang.It's a perfect storm. Big guns are falling all over the place."

Source close to PM

Kuala Lumpur (Reuters) A detained ethnic Indian activist won a seat in the Malaysian parliament yesterday, local media said, handing another sharp slap in the face to the national ruling coalition in general elections.

Lawyer M. Manoharan, one of five Hindu rights activists detained under internal security laws for organising a major anti-government protest last year, won his parliamentary seat outside the capital, pro-government newspaper the Star said in a text-message alert.

The five activists are being held in a detention centre in the country's north.

http://www.gulfnews.com/world/Malaysia/10195989.html

Malaysian Indian Party (MIC) Suffers heavy losses in elections due to Hinduraf Effect

End For Samy Vellu's Legacy After Historic Loss At Sg Siput
http://www.bernama.com.my/bernama/v3/news.php?id=319468
March 09, 2008 06:13 AM

By S. Retna

KUALA LUMPUR, March 9 (Bernama) -- March 8 was his birthday but what he did not bargain for was the unexpected birthday gift from "his" voters in Sungai Siput which had been his bastion since 1974.

The man in question is none other than MIC President Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu, who turned 72 yesterday, and was trounced resoundingly in the 12th general election.

He may not have seen it coming but for many, especially in the last few months, the writing had been on the wall.

The relationship between Samy Vellu and the constituency goes back a long way when he was picked to contest in 1974 as a young aspiring politician.

Sungai Siput became synonymous with Samy Vellu and it was his stronghold for there was a general notion that he could never be defeated there.

But the impossible did happen on his ninth attempt to stand in Sungai Siput when Dr D. Jeyakumar, contesting under the Parti Keadilan Rakyat ticket, coasted to victory on Samy's "special" day.

As if this was not enough, the entire MIC line-up formulated by the veteran politician for this election was nearly wiped out by the Opposition, including the party's deputy president and vice-presidents.

With the damming defeat, the MIC now becomes the only party, with its top leaders -- president, deputy president (Datuk G. Palanivel) and three-vice presidents (Datuk S. Sothinathan, Datuk S. Veerasingam and Tan Sri Dr K.S. Nijhar) -- will not have parliamentary seats to their names.

The MIC was allotted nine parliamentary and 19 state seats to contest. Only three MIC candidates won parliamentary seats while a mere seven won state seats.

MIC candidates who emerged victorious in the parliamentary seats were MIC information chief Datuk M. Saravanan (Tapah), S. K. Devamany (Cameron Highlands) and secretary-general Datuk Dr S. Subramaniam (Segamat).

The party's candidates were wiped out in Kedah, Penang, Perak and Selangor while the seven who managed to cling on were the four state assemblymen in Johor, one in Melaka, Negeri Sembilan and Pahang.

Political observers said MIC's dismal performance in this polls was to be expected as the "tell-tale" signs were there but were never noticed by party leaders.

It began when certain segments of the 1.8 million Indians unhappy with the way the party was addressing the woes of the community, sparked an uprising of some sorts by organising a street demonstration in Kuala Lumpur in November last year.

Despite the intense pressure, Samy Vellu vowed that he would make changes to the MIC line-up in this election. He did make changes but they were minimal. He brought in new faces only in Saravanan and S. Murugesan (who contested the Subang constituency and lost).

It is without doubt that the veteran leader, who was appointed as Deputy Housing and Local Government Minister in 1978 and subsequently Works Minister in 1979, has to leave the Cabinet, in which he was a member for many years.

Samy Vellu, who once worked as a bus conductor, office boy and a newscaster in RTM, climbed the party's ladder the hard way.

After becoming an MIC member in 1959 at the Batu Caves branch, he clawed his way up as the acting president in 1979 following the death of Tan Sri V. Manickavasagam, the then MIC president.

The eldest son of rubber tappers Sangilimuthu and Angammah, he took the helm of MIC in 1981. He has held on to that position despite facing strong challenge many a time.

After serving the community for nearly 30 years, the man, who as a kid, moved from estate to estate with his parents in search of employment, had a hard decision to make in the light of the current circumstances.

Will he step aside in the party or plod on, will he be made a senator and retain his works minister's portfolio, one time will tell.

-- BERNAMA

Malaysia ruling coalition suffers surprise upset
Sat Mar 8, 2008 9:29pm IST
By Mark Bendeich

KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - Malaysia's opposition was set on Saturday to hand the ruling coalition its biggest upset ever, winning the northern industrial state of Penang and putting the prime minister's political future at risk.

The multi-racial National Front coalition was almost certain to get a majority and form the government at the federal level, but the two-thirds majority in parliament it has held for most of its five-decade-long rule was looking shaky in early returns.

"It's bad. They have lost Penang," a source close to Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi told Reuters just two and a half hours after polling booths closed at 0900 GMT. "It's a perfect storm," he added. "Big guns are falling all over the place."

The chief minister of Penang conceded defeat and said he would hand over power to the opposition, one of the state's opposition leaders said.

"He has contacted the governor. He respected the wishes of the people and hoped there are no untoward incidents," said Chow Kon Yeow, head of the Chinese-dominated Democratic Action Party (DAP), which was set to lead the new government in the state.

The surprise defeat for the ruling National Front coalition aroused memories of the last time it failed to win a two-thirds majority, in 1969, when deadly race riots erupted between majority ethnic Malays and minority Chinese.

Abdullah said he accepted defeat in some areas and urged people to remain calm, the Star newspaper reported.

Police officials vowed to use tough internal security laws against anyone spreading rumours of race riots, and banned victory processions after the results, one of which had triggered the violence in 1969.

The poll, called before it was due in May 2009, was widely seen as a referendum on Abdullah's rule, and Malaysians took the opportunity to administer a stinging rebuke over price rises, religious disputes and concerns over corruption.

Works Minister Samy Vellu, chief of the Malaysian Indian Congress, one of the parties in the ruling National Front coalition, lost the seat he had held for nearly 30 years, because many Indians thought he was out of touch with their concerns.

Another slap in the face for the government was a victory by detained ethnic Indian activist and lawyer M. Manoharan, who won a parliamentary seat, after being held under internal-security laws for organising a major anti-government protest last year.

Chinese and Indians account for a third of the population of 26 million and many complain the government discriminates in favour of Malays when it comes to education, jobs, financial assistance and religious policy.

"This looks like a revolution," said Husam Musa, vice president of the Islamist opposition party Parti Islam se-Malaysia (PAS), which looked to be winning in northeastern Kelantan state.

"The people have risen and are united. The message to government is, 'Enough is enough'", he told reporters.

The final result is unlikely to be clear until early on Sunday. About 70 percent of Malaysia's 10.9 million eligible voters had cast ballots, the country's chief election official said.

Race relations have become a big issue in a country that has long been proud of the racial harmony among its majority Muslim Malays, and ethnic Chinese and Indian minorities.

Opposition rallies drew big crowds, especially Chinese and Indian voters unhappy with Abdullah's Malay-dominated coalition.

"Our victory is really impressive," opposition figure Anwar Ibrahim told reporters. "Unofficially, we have formed the state government in Penang, and we have made inroads in UMNO's stronghold. This clearly shows Malaysians want an alternative."

"Going forward Malays, Indians and Chinese all have to work together and make a formidable pact," he said.

Anwar's daughter, Nurul Izzah, won her maiden election foray winning a parliamentary seat in the capital, state news agency Bernama said in an unofficial result.

Barisan held 90 percent of the seats in the outgoing federal parliament. Political experts had predicted Abdullah's continued leadership could be in jeopardy if his majority fell back below 80 percent, or around 178 seats, in the new 222-seat parliament.

The economy has been growing at a 6 percent annual clip but inflation and a likely U.S. economic slowdown have sparked worries.

(Additional reporting by Mark Bendeich, Jalil Hamid and Liau Y-Sing)

http://in.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idINIndia-32369120080308

Manoharan, ethnic Indian detainee wins seat in Malaysia polls

2008-03-08T07:27:00.000-08:00

http://www.reuters.com/article/reutersComService_2_MOLT/idUSKLR14528320080308

Ethnic Indian detainee wins seat in Malaysia polls
Sat Mar 8, 2008 9:57am EST
KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - A detained ethnic Indian activist won a seat in Malaysian parliament on Saturday, local media said, handing another sharp slap in the face to the national ruling coalition in general elections.

Lawyer M. Manoharan, one of five Hindu rights activists detained under internal-security laws for organizing a major anti-government protest last year, won his parliamentary seat outside the capital, pro-government newspaper the Star said in a text-message alert.

The five activists are being held in a detention centre in the country's north under a colonial-era law that provides for indefinite detention without charge or trial. Manoharan was nominated by the opposition Democratic Action Party.

They were arrested after more than 10,000 ethnic Indians took to the streets of Kuala Lumpur in November, accusing the ruling multi-racial National Front coalition of discrimination and depriving Indians of equal opportunity to jobs and education.

Earlier on Saturday, state news agency Bernama said the head of the Front's component Indian party, S. Samy Vellu, had his own seat in a stunning upset. Vellu had backed the decision to jail the five activists and faced down the protesters.

Vellu, leader of the Malaysian Indian Congress, lost the seat he had held for three decades. He was also the longest-serving government minister with almost 30 years in cabinet.

(Reporting by Mark Bendeich; Editing by Bill Tarrant)

The rise of 'makkal sakthi' (Peoples' power) in Malaysia

2008-03-08T02:17:00.001-08:00

The rise of 'Makkal Sakthi'
http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/79420

B Mahendran | Mar 8, 08 1:09pm

Indian Malaysians make up at least 25 percent of voters in more than 20 parliament and state seats and this is where they can make a difference today at the ballot box. Once staunch supporters of the ruling Barisan Nasional coalition, the winds of change have recently blown through this minority community.

The Hindraf cause last November was the spark in the awakening of political awareness among the mostly conservative Indians. Claims of marginalisation were the major topic of discussion among the Indians at coffee shops, weddings and even toddy shops in the rural areas.

Hindraf has been used as the rallying call for not only the underclass, but also educated middle-class Indians. The November rally saw 30,000 Indian Malaysians taking the street to express their frustrations, not so much over the government's pro-Malay policy, but the discrimination they face during its implementation.

The hatred towards Umno and the New Economic Policy has also affected BN's Indian partner, MIC and its party chief, S Samy Vellu (right).

MIC officials secretly admitted that Samy Vellu has now become a liability to the party and BN, yet they defended him publicly. Former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad in an interview in Malaysiakini recently has said that Samy Vellu has never raised Indian concerns in the cabinet, and this added fodder to existing frustrations.

In his defence, Samy Vellu pulled out facts and figures on how the government has helped the Indian minorities. He claimed that the MIC-administered Asian Institute of Medicine, Science and Technology (AIMST) has alone received RM300 million, and it was named the first PIO (people of Indian origin) university outside of India.

But many Indians were not taken by such claims.

"In his (Samy Vellu's) statement, he claimed that RM1 million was allocated annually to the temples in Malaysia. Do you think that is enough? How many temples are there in Malaysia?" said A Vickneswaran from Ipoh.

Vickneswaran was one of the detainees in the 'Rose for Pak Lah' rally last month. He represents the voice of younger generations who are expressing anger against the government.

"We have no future in this country, we are 'anak tiri' (stepsons) of this soil!"

Such sentiments are well and alive all across the country. In an estate in Sungai Siput, a group of ethnic Tamils gathered in front of a temple, each with a story to tell. Ladang Dovenvy has a sizable number of Indian voters, many of whom were once staunch MIC supporters.

"I am here not for myself, [...] but I realise these boys must be educated of the situation," said Kalai (right), a man in his 40s, referring to the young men around him. He came all the way from Puchong in Kuala Lumpur to Sungai Siput - Samy Vellu's stronghold in Perak - two weeks before the polling day to educate the residents on 'BN's injustice'.

"Hindraf has done what MIC couldn't do at all. The Indians are now politically awakened, they know their civil rights, and they realised they have been made a fool for the past 50 years or so," said the mechanical degree holder from Sunderland University.

The sentiment on the ground in Sungai Siput is very much the same as with other parts of the country.

Further up north, in Taiping for instance, PAS members were seen shouting 'Makkal Sakthi' (people's power) on nomination day to the delight of the Indians who were there. The feeling there among Indians is that they would rather vote for the opposition, or independent, rather than BN.

"The temple here is not being taken care of. What lies did Samy tell regarding the allocation for temples annually? What money?" says an angry youth in Ipoh, who declined to be identified.

"We have seen too much discrimination in this country, even at school level. There is no opportunity for us to further our studies, to get employment, no nothing."

Many angry youth not voters

One resident in Sungai Siput complained of being ignored by the Election Commission. The four-time voter in the constituency claimed that he was brushed aside by EC officials after finding out that he was not on the electoral rolls.

"They say I'm not on the list, but I have voted four times before. They just ignored my pleas. I am a citizen of this country. What difference is there between me and an Indonesian if I can't cast my vote?" said S Ravi (left) from Ladang Dovenby.

Kalai claimed he has come across similar cases elsewhere. However, while he conceded that the 'Makkal Sakthi uprising' is strong, most angry Indian youths are not registered as voters.

MCA's Yik Phooi Hong, who is standing for Ipoh Barat, is confident of wresting this Perak seat from DAP based on this factor alone.

"Most of the youth who are angry with us are not even registered," says M Rajoo, a volunteer at BN's service centre in Buntong - a state seat which has the highest proportion of Indian voters in the country. Popularly known as 'Buntong Tiger', Yik will be facing incumbent M Kulasegaran from DAP.

Not surprisingly, Kulasegaram (right) is facing a tough fight to retain his seat, but he hopes the popularity of party leader Lim Kit Siang - who is defending the neighbouring seat of Ipoh Timur - will pull him through.

Nevertheless, whatever the outcome today, the Indian community has already made history. For the first time since Independence, they are united in their mission to ensure everyone has a place under the Malaysian sun.

Enough is just too much, Barisan (of Malaysia)

2008-03-08T02:13:00.000-08:00

http://www.aliran.com/content/view/490/40/

Enough is just too much
(Aliran monthly)
Saturday, 08 March 2008

Barisan, you told me before and you keep telling me again and again that you are the best party to rule this country. You have always coaxed the electorate to give you a two-thirds majority in Parliament. You keep telling us that you will transform Malaysia into “negara cemerlang”. The electorate has believed you and trusted you.

You promised ...
* to defend the Federal Constitution but it has proved to be an empty promise. The Barisan has treated the Constitution as a mere piece of paper to be trampled upon. Just imagine, in the last fifty years the Constitution has been amended six hundred times, resulting in the loss of many precious provisions safeguarding the country’s secular democratic status, civil rights and liberties, religious freedom, rule of law, independence of the judiciary etc. You have converted a secular democracy into an “Islamic” state though the Constitution does not mention the word “Muslim” even once! You trampled upon the 20-point Sabah Agreement. Frankly, would Sabah and Sarawak have joined Malaysia if it was an “Islamic” state?

* to build a participatory democracy and yet local council elections remain suspended — the main reason being the fear that non-Malays will gain control of town and city councils. This in actual fact means that non-Malays are seen fit to vote in the general elections but not in local government elections. The lopsided rural/urban weightage in terms of voter strength ensures your unfair grip on paper. The Election Commission’s method of delineating constituencies ensures your political survival. Just ask what happened to the many Kadazan-majority constituencies in Sabah?

* to wipe out corruption - but corruption at all levels of the civil service and government is forever galloping. The ACA, under the control of the government, is a joke! Just imagine the ACA cleared Muhammad Taib, the currency smuggler, Judge Eusoff Chin and Zakaria of Klang of any wrong-doing. And now it is alleged that the ACA indulged in a serious corrupt practice by buying the silence of a clerk to close a criminal case because political bigwigs were involved. The Auditor-General’s Report contains many examples of corrupt practices like the set of RM40 screwdrivers supplied at RM224! Negotiated contracts at absurdly inflated prices — to ensure lucrative kickbacks — have enriched contract-awarding authorities at all levels of government. In 2007, our Transparency Index (TI) stood at 44; Corruption Perception Index (CPI) stood at 30. You are not serious about fighting corruption. You have refused to appoint an Ombudsman. Why? Neither have you set up a public register for civil servants and politicians to declare their income and assets.

* to ensure national unity but your actions go contrary to what is required to build a united nation. Islamo-fascism has permeated every level of government — only one ethnic group and one religion is important. Every objection, however trivial, by Muslims holds sway. The Kuan Yim statue in Ayer Itam, Penang, was shortened. The Catholic Church in Shah Alam, though approved by the Council, was given a stop-work order. Hindu temples and churches for Orang Asli have been destroyed on the grounds that they were illegal constructions. (What about Zakaria’s mansion in Klang?). The Hindu temple in Kg. Rawa, Penang, was relocated. You talk of respecting the sensitivities of various ethnic groups. You allow the slaughter of cows in the compound of Parliament House. You talk of give-and-take but who is giving and who is taking?

* to be fair to all ethnic groups in your recruitment policies for the civil service but Islamo-fascism has ensured mono-ethnic control of the civil service — education, police, the army, navy and air force, town and city councils etc. You give the reason that the non-Malays are not interested to join the civil service, army etc. Letters in the media of unsuccessful applicants speak otherwise.

* for a start, to recruit people based on merit — the mere mention of this word is bound to drive recruiters into a paroxym of fear and epilepsy! Constitute interview boards which comprise 50 per cent non-Malays. If the criteria for selection for the police and armed forces is rotten, the country is in danger of having low calibre men with high calibre weapons. A non-Malay applicant for a civil service job was asked to name the first Agong together with his full awards! It has not occurred to both the MCA and MIC to set up a database and encourage every applicant for a government job, scholarships, promotion posts to punch in so that they will have correct statistics of applicants, the success rate, the failure rate etc. The MCA and MIC claim to look after the interests of the community they represent but their failure is patent to all.

* to ensure that our education system is dynamic, liberal and progressive. The quality of education provided at all levels — primary, secondary and university is very low. Policies coloured by Islamo-fascism has ensured literally, total mono-ethnic control of education. The non-Malays have all been wiped out in important jobs — no non-Malay directors in the various divisions of the Ministry of Education, no non-Malay Vice-Chancellors in any of the 23 public universities, out of 92 deputy Vice-Chancellors only one is a non-Malay, no non-Malay is a State Director of Education, the same of District Education Officers. Zaid Ibrahim, UMNO MP for Kota Baru, in a recent interview said that “education is an absolute disaster” in Malaysia. He further commented that racism runs deep in our country and this is clearly the case with the Ministry of Education. The UN Report on education clearly expresses a serious concern of the poor quality of education in Malaysia, which is bound to be sidelined in a highly competitive globalised world. The public universities keep crowing that they are centres of education excellence and demand better grants. Keris-kisser Hishamuddin believes that more money pumped into education at all levels will improve quality. A Malay academic at the public university where I worked exclaimed in bitter frustration that one cannot turn donkeys into race horses. The THES-QS World University Rankings tell the truth: UM stands at 246, UKM at 309, UPM at 364 and USM at 307.

* to create a safe environment but the crime rates — murder, rape, kidnap, robbery, snatch-thefts, burglary etc. — are frighteningly high. The government statistics are just the tip of the iceberg as people do not bother to report crimes because of the “tidak apa”and “macam biasa” attitude of the police. A correspondent to a local newspaper made an impassioned plea not to deny her a normal life. Women are frightened to walk on our streets. They dare not carry handbags or even wear ear-rings, let alone chains and bangles.

The price of food has risen dramatically and petrol price hikes and increased tolls have further burdened the people and damaged the quality of life.

* to protect the environment but the Mentris Besar/Chief Ministers together with their Excos have destroyed the environment in the name of so-called progress and development. They in actual fact have severely harmed our survival. Under the slightest excuse of a threat to national security, people have been locked up under the ISA. National survival is more important than national security because if you do not survive there would be no need for national security. Out of 141 countries surveyed, Malaysia’s position with regard to the following is thus:

Air quality 79, water 47, environmental health 40. Overall 54.

* to build a caring society. Look at the problems experienced by senior citizens with health problems. They are denied the drugs they need to survive and the indignity and suffering they go through are pitiable. In Australia, a senior citizen gets a month’s supply of Zocor at $A3.70 cents (about RM11). That is a caring society.

* The youth who commence work are in an unenviable position. A rotten public transport system and malfunctioning public telephones force them to buy a car and a handphone. Prices of cars in Malaysia are the second highest in the world! In addition to this they need a credit card. Board and lodging costs are high. So they fall into the credit card trap. Many young people have been declared bankrupt. When will these people be able to save enough to buy a flat, get married and start a family? Does anybody care for them?

Dear Barisan, I am thinking whether any other political party could have done worse. The people of Malaysia I hope will be thinking too.
Enough.

Race, religion stirs pot in Malay election

2008-03-07T14:09:00.000-08:00

Race, religion stirs pot in Malay election

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) -- Campaigning wrapped up Friday for general elections that could see gains for Malaysia's opposition amid anger over race and religion among minority Chinese and Indians.

Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's coalition appeared certain to win Saturday's elections as it has for decades.

However, analysts predicted the opposition would win between 35 and 38 seats in parliament, nearly doubling its 19-seat share of the 289-seat body amid growing disenchantment among ethnic minorities who complain of discrimination.

Abdullah has been accused of failing to properly manage inflation, crime, corruption and, most importantly, ethnic tensions between the majority Malays and ethnic minorities.

"There should be a swing in these seats," said Tricia Yeoh, director of the Center for Public Policy Studies think tank. "The Chinese and Indian votes will be the important swing votes."

A reduced majority for the National Front would be seen as a personal rebuke for Abdullah, who has lost much of the goodwill he had when he replaced longtime leader Mahathir Mohamad in 2003.

On Friday, Abdullah met fishermen and visited a mosque in the northern state of Penang, while his deputy, Najib Razak, inaugurated a health clinic and met schoolteachers and senior citizens in eastern Pahang.

"Every time you face the election, you get some degree of anxiety because we cannot assume that victory is in our hands," Najib told reporters.

At stake are 222 seats in parliament, along with legislatures in 12 of Malaysia's 13 states.

Muslim Malays make up 60 percent of Malaysia's 27 million people, and form the bulk of voters for Abdullah's United Malays National Organization.

The party dominates the National Front coalition, which includes Chinese- and Indian-based parties in a power-sharing arrangement that has ensured racial peace in this multiethnic country.

The National Front has won every election since independence in 1957.

Minorities object to a 37-year-old affirmative action program for Malays that continues despite their rising standards of living. The program, instituted after deadly race riots in 1969, gave Malays preference in government jobs, business and education to help them catch up with the wealthier Chinese.

The Chinese and Indians are also angry at a string of court decisions in religious disputes that have gone in favor of Malays, and Indians were infuriated by the demolition of Hindu temples by authorities last year. E-mail to a friend.

http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/asiapcf/03/07/malay.elex.ap/index.html

India has a stake in the few, poor and scatterd Malaysian Indians

2008-03-07T14:06:00.001-08:00

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1080308/jsp/opinion/story_8991923.jsp

FEW, POOR AND SCATTERED
- India has a stake in ethnic peace and stability in Malaysia
Sunanda K. Datta-Ray

Kumutha Rahman
New Delhi can rest assured that today's Pilihan Raya Umum (general election, 2008) in Malaysia will not affect the strengthening of military and strategic ties since Abdullah Badawi's ruling Barisan Nasional will return to office, though perhaps with a smaller majority. But the two million Indians (7.1 per cent of the population) whose controversial leader, S. Samy Vellu, of the impossibly black hair is also celebrating his 72nd birthday today draw little comfort from a process that leaves them out in the cold so far as education, jobs and effective political representation are concerned.
India's concern is not only because of its diaspora. Selling cruise missiles, training Malaysians to fly fighter jets, giving scholarships and road-building contracts to Malaysia and building railways there and burgeoning trade give India a stake in the kingdom's stability. That demands ethnic peace. The problem is not religious. Malaysia is not a Shariah-driven theocracy. Not yet. But it is an ethnocentric society in which Indians are too few, too poor and too scattered not to be marginalized. They constitute more than 20 per cent of the voters in only 10 parliamentary and 34 state constituencies and must, therefore, come to an accommodation with Malay-Muslims to prosper. There are two alternatives to Vellu, who has been president of the Malaysian Indian Congress since 1975. Indians can emulate either the devoutly Hindu, 29-year-old Kumutha Rahman, who has thrown her lot in with the Islamists, or the defiant Hindraf (Hindu Rights Action Force), whose leaders are languishing in jail without charges or trial.
It's a feverish time for them, mobilizing makkal shakti, people power, through SMS, DVD and e-mail. Indian anguish is not the only blot on the fabric of Malaysian life. There are more weighty reasons like crime and corruption for wondering if today's outcome will accurately reflect voter sentiment (even among Malays) or just skilful management. The timing of elections was clearly designed to exclude the charismatic former deputy prime minister, Anwar Ibrahim, who is banned from contesting until next month. The latest surprise announcement, dispensing with indelible ink, invites speculation about what the Barisan's dominant constituent, the United Malay National Organization, might be up to. Postal votes from the military and the police will play a large part in its success. Constituencies are mapped out almost for Barisan's convenience. The Chinese-majority Seputeh constituency had 46,500 voters in 2004, when the Malay-majority seat of Putrajaya had only 4,654. Thus, one Malay vote is the equivalent of about 10 Chinese votes.
The Chinese who comprise 23.7 per cent of Malaysia's 27 million population are also perturbed by the drift from secularism, which alone can unite a multi-racial state in contented peace. The election announcement during the Chinese new year celebrations was seen as an insult. UMNO's 2005 general assembly — when the party's youth chief brandished a traditional Malay dagger (keris), threatening to bathe it in Chinese blood — awakened memories of the horrendous 1969 race riots. But the Chinese have weightage of numbers (they are in a majority in 26 constituencies), wealth (several millionaires), and political power (Penang state has a Chinese chief minister). They also have China and Singapore (especially Lee Kuan Yew) behind them. Indians are helpless in contrast.
They voted solidly for Barisan, hoping for justice in return. But as works minister and the MIC's sole representative in the government, Vellu was seen more and more as a token Indian leader, rather like apartheid South Africa's Bantustan chiefs. He trounced his opponent in 2004 by 10,349 votes, but has recently been jeered at, harangued and insulted by Indian crowds. He has had to flee meetings where he has been heckled. His official car has been blocked from entering Indian enclaves in Penang and Kuala Lumpur and rowdy protesters have shoved his bodyguards around. Some MIC candidates feared his appearance would undermine their position but were embarrassed to ask their president to keep away. On police advice, the MIC cancelled many events. Mounting resentment against Vellu reportedly prompted Badawi at one time to consider dumping him. It is believed this is his last election though there has been no formal announcement.
Does Kumutha Rahman suggest an alternative? Her name should really be Raman, but a clerical error inserted the 'h', which could be dangerous in a country where body-snatching for the faith is a pastime with Muslim clerics. Reporters say she rattles off the names of Hindu temples she visits regularly; eats only vegetarian meals three times a week; and that nary a drop of alcohol passed her lips while she studied for a law degree at Northumbria University in England. She is active in the Parti Islam Se-Malaysia Supporters Club and her brother, president of an organization with 2,500 Indian youth members, organizes joint activities with the PAS. But since the PAS constitution does not permit non-Muslim members, she is technically contesting on the affiliated Parti Keadilan Rakyat ticket for the Tiram assembly seat in Johor state. It is no coincidence that 14 per cent of Tiram's voters are Indian; by fielding her, the avowedly Islamic PAS hopes to mop up that vote as well as substantiate its claim to have abandoned the original goal of a Muslim theocracy. Supping with Islamists is, for Kumutha, an acknowledgement that an Indian can achieve something only by cooperating with the mainstream. "The Hindu religion made me aware of my limits," she says.
Hinduism also has a role in the third — Hindraf — alternative. The courts' recent refusal to release the five leaders held under Malaysia's Internal Security Act means more prayers for their welfare in temples. Inevitably, prayers lead to political speeches, bestowing on temples, for the first time in Malaysian history, a function that churches discharged in medieval Europe and mosques do most conspicuously now. Temple prayer meetings are still safe from police raids.
Malaysia's deputy prime minister, Najib Razak, suggests the MIC can meet the challenge by "rebranding itself as a political party". That demands a new and dedicated leadership but as Mahathir Mohamad (the former prime minister) says, Vellu will not allow any other Indian to come up. Hindraf can probably rebrand itself more easily if it softens its defiance, gives up a rejectionist posture, capitalizes on the goodwill it has won and harnesses the Tamil youth power now at its disposal. After all, its target of 20 parliamentary seats indicates a yearning for participative legitimacy. The nature of the Malaysian state rules out meaningful minority politics save with the majority's consent. Malaysia is not India (or Britain), where the minority can call the tune in many social matters, and where law and tradition provide a level playing field and an impartial umpire. Malaysian Indians can ensure the sanctity of their places of worship and their social and economic opportunities only with Malay-Muslim patronage. Sadly, there is no alternative to the Kumutha Rahman way, no matter how it is disguised.
India might remind protesters who carry Mahatma Gandhi's pictures that apart from compromising with the British, he was ready to make massive concessions to the Muslim League. The task would be easier if Badawi is also convinced that the only way of defusing anger and restoring the Barisan-Indian compact is by co-opting Hindraf into mainstream politics. Releasing the incarcerated leaders is a necessary first step. Malay-Muslim hotheads, who reportedly prevented a new election manifesto promising an equitable share of the economy to minority groups and who reacted hysterically last year to Manmohan Singh's innocuous comment, will object. But Badawi must know that if it's surrender all the way, there will be little difference between UMNO and PAS or, for that matter, between Malaysia and Iran. He calls Barisan a racially "inclusive" organization. Proving it, irrespective of the result of today's voting, would benefit Malaysia in the long term, at home and abroad.

Malaysian Indians to desert govt in polls

2008-03-07T01:45:00.000-08:00

Malaysian Indians to desert govt in polls

http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticleNew.asp?xfile=data/theworld/2008/March/theworld_March280.xml§ion=theworld

(AFP), 7 March 2008

BATANG BERJUNTAI, Malaysia - Malaysia's ethnic Indians are expected to end 50 years of allegiance to the ruling coalition in Saturday polls as allegations of neglect and discrimination reach a crescendo.

Herding his cows along the roads of this rural outpost, 73-year-old R. Ceniyah seems an unlikely candidate for a political awakening, but he is one of many in the disadvantaged community who say they have had enough.

"I am angry with this government. This year I will vote for the opposition for the first time," he told AFP, still wearing the T-shirt emblazoned with the emblem of the ruling Barisan Nasional coalition he was given years ago.

"My village floods when it rains heavily. Nothing is done to address it," he said in this sleepy district southwest of the capital Kuala Lumpur, where many Indians work in the palm oil plantations and in nearby factories.

"Promises are not carried out. I applied for a land grant for the past three decades without any results. But the ethnic Malays apply and they get it within five years."

Barisan Nasional, dominated by the Muslim Malays who make up some 60 percent of the multicultural nation's population, is assured of another victory in Saturday's elections but its majority is expected to be clipped.

In 2004 it won 90 percent of parliamentary seats, but this year voters are angry over inflation, rising crime and racial tensions that are seething among its minority Indian and Chinese citizens.

Ethnic Indian activists last year mounted unprecedented public protests claiming discrimination against the community, saying it is denied opportunities in education and employment.

Anger has been targeted at the Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC), a coalition member which has been criticised for failing to advance the cause of its constituents.

Batang Berjuntai was once an MIC stronghold, but many here say they will now vote for opposition parties including former deputy premier Anwar Ibrahim's Keadilan or even the Islamic party PAS.

They are particularly incensed over the demolition of hundreds of Hindu temples in Malaysia in recent years, steamrollered to make way for development projects.

Analysts said Saturday's ballot will see a shift among Indian voters who have never before been a factor in elections.

"I feel there will be some erosion of support in favour of the opposition," said political observer Chandra Muzaffar from University Sains Malaysia.

"It is quite possible some candidates of the Malaysian Indian Congress may lose. The party president S. Samy Vellu's own position may be vulnerable," he said.

Samy Vellu, Malaysia's only ethnic Indian minister, has led the MIC for some three decades, but in recent months has been heckled and abused at public events and faced mounting calls to quit.

While Indians make up only about eight percent of Malaysia's 10.9 million voters, political observers say they could affect the outcome in dozens of tightly fought parliamentary constituencies.

Malaysia's ethnic Indians are the descendents of labourers brought by the former British colonial rulers from southern India in the 19th century, mainly to work in the rubber estates.

K. Arumugam from rights group Voice of the Malaysian People said that even now, 40 percent remain labourers lacking skills, capital and education, typically earning less than 600 ringgit (186 dollars) a month.

In Batang Berjuntai, oil palm factory worker T. Vijayan, 44, said he joined the MIC four years ago thinking it would solve his problems. But the majority of the 100 workers on his estate now want to shift to the opposition.

"We were promised clean water by the MIC if it won, but months have passed. Look, the water still stinks," he said.

Chandra said that while the Indian community is unhappy, it is difficult to predict whether it will translate into votes or seats for the opposition.

"The Indians are dependent on the state, unlike the Chinese. Even if they are unhappy it is questionable whether they will want to abdicate their own wellbeing by being not represented in the government," he said.

Ethnic tensions in Malaysian election

2008-03-06T04:56:00.001-08:00

Ethnic Tensions in Malaysian Election
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5grS5WjOSUb5eC_gSY_TLD7ztrB5wD8V7SKG00

By VIJAY JOSHI – 2 hours ago

RINCHING, Malaysia (AP) — With a small knife, plantation worker Ramalingam Tirumalai makes raw incisions on the rubber trees every morning to harvest the oozing gooey latex.

Just like the gashes on the trees, Ramalingam says, countless wounds have been inflicted by Malaysia's government on the country's ethnic Indian minority, denying them jobs, education, freedom of religion and most of all dignity.

Seething anger among ethnic Indians like Ramalingam is likely to singe the government during parliamentary elections on March 8.

"We have been independent for 50 years," the stocky 53-year-old said of his country. "But there has been no change in the lives of Indians."

No one doubts that the National Front coalition, which has ruled Malaysia since independence in 1957, will return to power. But it is expected to fall short of its 2004 landslide, when it won 91 percent of the seats. Anything less than a two-thirds majority would signal plunging support for Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

Voters are upset by rising prices and a surge in urban crime. Ethnic tensions are also at a high, largely because of the increasing influence of Islam in daily life.

"We need a new kind of leadership," Ramalingam said in an interview near his plantation in Rinching town, about 30 miles from Malaysia's main city, Kuala Lumpur.

The National Front is dominated by the party of the Muslim Malay majority, which make up 60 percent of the country's 27 million people. The Front also has the support of some ethnic Chinese, who are 25 percent of the population, and some Indians, who are eight percent.
Indians have traditionally voted for the Malaysian Indian Congress, their party in the National Front.

But now the Indians will "definitely vote for the opposition," said S. Nagarajan of the Education, Welfare and Research Foundation, a nonprofit group that represents impoverished ethnic Indians. "This time there is raw anger."

Indian voters could make a difference in 62 of the 222 constituencies, said Denison Jayasooriya, a political analyst who specializes in Indian affairs.

At the time of independence, most Malaysians were poor, regardless of race. But an affirmative action program that gives Malays preference in university admission and government jobs, discounted homes and a mandatory 30 percent share of all publicly listed companies has lifted the Malay standard of living.

The Chinese, already well established in business, continued to flourish. But the Indians remain at the bottom of the barrel.

The government denies discriminating against Indians, citing statistics that show the poverty rate among Malays is higher than for Indians. But analysts say the statistics are skewed because the Malay figure includes indigenous tribes that are extremely poor and not ethnically Malay.

Indians were also infuriated when municipal authorities destroyed several Indian temples last year because they were deemed to have been built illegally.

The disenchantment exploded on Nov. 25 when about 20,000 Indians demonstrated in Kuala Lumpur. Several smaller demonstrations have taken place since.

About 85 percent of the ethnic Indians are descendants of indentured laborers brought by the British to work on rubber plantations in the 19th century. The work, where it remains, pays about $60 month.

But many plantations were turned into golf courses and luxury home communities in the 1980s and 1990s, and the workers lost their jobs and the free housing and schooling that was included.

Other plantations converted to palm oil, which does not require the skills of rubber tapping, and the Indians were replaced with Indonesian immigrants at lower wages.

Another rubber estate in Kuala Lumpur was cleared for stadiums and athlete housing for the 1998 Commonwealth Games.

Former workers still live on the last 40-acre patch, which is slated to become a graveyard.

The residents have been classified as squatters and offered two-room rental apartments in a nearby low-cost housing development. Their school and temple will be relocated inside the burial ground, a proposal that has incensed the residents.

"My age is 43 years. I have lived here for 43 years. How can I be a squatter?" said Shanti Vasupillai. "All I am asking for is our rights."

Indian Muslims in Malaysia: ancestry and history

2008-03-05T00:52:00.000-08:00

This is in response to the article
Call us Malays, say Indian Muslim youth
http://www.nst.com.my/Current_News/NST/Monday/National/2175500/Article

Indian Muslims in Malaysia: ancestry and history

Kimma, Kurma and Karma

http://www.malaysia-today.net/2008/content/view/3779/1/

Posted by Raja Petra
Wednesday, 05 March 2008

BY Sheikh Moinudeen Chisti Syed Abdul Kadir

Kurma is an excellent Indian Muslim dish. The diference between a kurma and a curry is in the chilli.

A curry is reddish because it uses dried red chillies and also dried chilli powder. A kurma does not use dried red chillies or dry chilli powder. Instead a kurma is cooked with fresh green chillies. The taste and the colour are therefore different. Both are excellent methods for cooking poultry, mutton, beef, duck and even fish.

Kimma is of course the Kongres Indian Muslim Malaysia, which is the 'mamak' version of the Kongres India Malaysia or Malaysian Indian Congress or MIC which itself is a namesake of the Congress Party of India. The MIC was founded by Mr John Thivy of Ipoh in the 1940s as the Malaysian chapter of Nehru's Congress Party of India.

It is really ignorant of the KIMMA members to claim that they are Malays when their party is still named after the Congress Party of India. This is a case of extremely serious mamak confusion.

An Indian Muslim can be anyone of Indian ancestry who is a Muslim. Tamils, Keralas, Punjabis, Sindhis, Mahrattas, Hydrabadis etc are all Indian Muslims. But in Malaysia a large majority of Indian Muslims are Tamil speaking. Hence the term Indian Muslim is generally applied to the Tamil speaking Indian Muslims. In Malaysia, Indian Muslims are also known as mamaks, DKK (darah keturunan keling), Kelings and Jawi Peranakan. The last one Jawi Peranakan is a strange misnomer. There is even a recent book written about the Jawi Peranakan which actually talks about the Indian Muslims.

In contemporary Malaysia Tan Sri Syed Mokhtar Al Bukhari, Zainuddin Mydin, Siti Nurhaliza binti "Thaarudeen", Justice Haidar Mohd Noor, Ahmad Nawab, Akbar Nawab, P Ramlee, Man Bhai, Tan Sri Elyas Omar, Tan Sri Ali Abul Hassan are all Indian Muslims or descended from Indian Muslims. Malaysia's first Speaker of Parliament Tan Sri CM Yusuf was a mamak. So was the permanent Chairman of UMNO Tan Sri Sulaiman "Ninam" Shah. 'Ninam' is actually truncated Tamil for 'Naina Mohamed'. Former Sabah Chief Minister Dato Harris Salleh and present Chief Minister Musa Aman are all mamaks. They are not Pushtuns, Pakistanis or Yemenis.

Among our Prime Ministers Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad is the son of an Indian Muslim. Abdullah Badawi has mamak blood from his father's side. Toh Puan Sharifah Radziah Syed Alwi Barakbah, the wife of our first PM Tunku Abdul Rahman, had mamak ancestry. The Tunku himself was of mixed Thai and mamak parentage. Ex DPM Dato Sri Anwar Ibrahim's father is a mamak. The intellectuals Kassim Ahmad and Farish Noor have Indian Muslim fathers while the late Tan Sri Muhammad Noordin Sopiee had a mamak grandfather. Munir Majid is a Tamil speaking mamak and Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor is a mamak too.

Here it is pertinent to note the "Syed" and "Sheikh" name. Among Indian Muslims the name Syed or Sheikh is common, its no big deal. The names "Shah" and "Khan" are also very common mamak names. Other 'Malay' names like 'Chik', 'Tamby Chik' and 'Keling' are definitely of mamak origins too.

The name 'Shah' is not common among the Malays but strangely enough it is very common among the Malay sultans, for example Sultan Azlan Shah and Raja Nazrin Shah. Shah is NOT an Arabic name. It originates from Persia and comes to Malaysia from India through the Indian Muslim influence. This is just more indication of the mamak ancestry of our Malay rulers.

But among kampong Malays the name Syed and Sheikh are supposed to indicate Arab ancestry, the name Syed being associated with 'keturunan nabi' or lineage from the Prophet. To the kampong Malays these names are a really big deal. This is the furthest thing from the truth. Another common mamak name is 'Maricar'. Actually it is 'Marikiyaar'. This has evolved into 'Merican'. Hence the thousands of Malays who bear the 'Merican' name today are also of mamak ancestry. They call themselves Jawi Peranakan. They are actually mamak.

Many smart Indian Muslims realized very early on this Malay liking for Arabic names and Arab ancestry. So they started passing themselves off, (or did not object if they were referred to) as Arabs, usually of Yemeni descent. In Malaysia too many Syeds and Sheikhs from among the Malays today are actually recycled mamaks. One good example is Tan Sri Syed Mokhtar Al Bukhari. Among the Malay elite Tan Sri Syed Mukhtar Bukhari passes of as being of Yemeni descent. His family actually comes from India. The former mayor of KL Tan Sri Elyas Omar is also of Tamil mamak origins from Penang.

Among the Malays it is also 'ok' if a mamak is from Pakistani descent. Perhaps Pakistan is closer to Bollywood. So some clever mamaks claim to be from Pakistan. The former Sabah Chief Minister Harris Salleh and present Chief Minister Musa Aman are said to be 'of Pakistan origins' but in actual fact they are of Indian mamak ancestry, and usually Tamil speaking.

Mamaks come in all colours and complexions from the dark skinned to the light skinned, green eyed and brown eyed types. A visit to the Masjid Kapitan Keling in Pitt Street in Penang or Masjid India in Kuala Lumpur on a Friday will witness all varieties of mamak.

The Indian Muslims in Malaysia today can be classified as follows :

Those mamaks who have inter married with Malays for generations and have actually become Malays. You can only know their mamak ancestry by their mamak sounding names like Merican, Shah, Syed, Sheikh etc, by their 'Indian' appearances – prominent nose, rounder eyes etc.
Those mamaks who have not inter married with Malays but who have assimilated closely into the Malay culture. They can only speak Malay and have cut off almost all their links with India. These would include thousands of mamaks in Penang, Kedah, Melaka and other parts of the country. Only their DNA remains Indian. But practically, for all intents and purposes they are Malay.
Those mamaks who are still very much Tamil and who can only speak pasar Malay. They may not have links with India but they watch Tamil movies and do not read the Malay papers or know much about the Malays. Despite being born in Malaysia they still would not know a 'kuih talam' from an 'otak-otak'. Many KIMMA members fall in this category. That is why they still call themselves Kongres Indian Muslim Malaysia after the Indian Congress Party of Panditji Jawaharlal Nehru.
Those mamaks who are still very much Tamil and who cannot even speak pasar Malay despite being born in Malaysia. They will not know 'nasi lemak' from a hole in the ground. They will have strong family ties to India. They watch Tamil movies and know more about Tamil Nadu politics than Malaysia politics. They read Tamil Nesan and Malaysian Nanban religiously everyday to find out what is happening in Tamil Nadu and India. Again many KIMMA members also fall into this category.
Before 1970 the last two classes of Indian Muslims above (no.3 & 4) were usually overtly prejudiced against the Malays. Before 1970 many of them were not even citizens of the country. Their slang term for Malays was 'valayan-katti'. This is a term invented by Tamil estate workers but which became widely used by most Tamils including Indian Muslims to describe Malays.

A 'valayan' means wire. 'Katti' means to tie something. So 'valayan-katti means 'a person who ties a wire'. What does this mean? In the early days of the rubber industry, the British tried to get the Malays to tap the rubber trees. However the native Malays had problems tapping the rubber tree in the proper manner and ended up injuring the tree, reducing the output of rubber. The British had better luck getting the trees properly tapped with the Tamils from India. Malays were then delegated the simpler job of using wire (valayan) to tie (katti) the little latex cups to the rubber tree. Hence the name 'valayan-katti'.

Another Tamil term used for Malays is 'naattu kaaran' or 'naattan' which means 'native'.

Before 1970 the type 3 and 4 mamaks above and everyone else did not see much in the Malays. But post 1970 and the New Economic Policy the mamaks realized that they suddenly depended on the Malay for everything, especially the ever precious 'Entry Permit' to get Permanent Resident status in Malaysia. Until then few mamaks got married in Malaysia. They always went back to India to get married. After 1970 and the NEP, the trend disappeared in a hurry. The Malays refused to give Entry Permits for mamak brides and grooms from India. All of a sudden mamaks realized that they were short of wives and husbands. Hence the rate of inter marriage between mamaks and Malays increased tremendously after 1970. After 38 years of the NEP, the mamaks are even more assimilated now through marriage than ever before. Today there is rarely a mamak family which does not have a Malay son or daughter in law.

Post 1970, the mamaks realized that real political power and with it economic largesse had shifted to the Malays. But many mamaks included in class 1 and 2 above had no problem with this shift in power because often they were the ones holding high office. For example the first Speaker of Parliament CM Yusuf, a mamak, was his own power in his day. It was only the class 3 and 4 mamaks described above who were (and still are) slow in assimilating into becoming Malaysians. The KIMMA represents many of these people.

Hence the present scramble among them to be recognized as bumiputras, to get Malay classification in the Birth Certificate, BIN in the IC etc.

But it is a fact that the Indian Muslims are heavily intermarried with Malays. This trend started over 600 years ago and continues until today. They and their offspring have played major roles in the history of this country. Sang Nila Utama, Parameswara, Tun Ali, Hang Kasthuri, Hang Tuah, Mani Purindan, Tun Teja, Abdullah Munshi and ALL the Malay Sultans are descended from Indian Muslims. The Perlis Royal family is almost certainly of mamak/Thai mix.

It is also true beyond any single doubt that from their earliest history here, the mamaks have had extreme affection which the Indian Muslims have had for the Malays throughout history. This could be attributed to the similarities in religion but there are also other Muslims in the country (including from India) like Pakistanis, Punjabi Muslims, Patans and also others like the Chinese Muslims.

Although the Indian Muslims are generally friendly with all races there is not as much intermarriage between Indian Muslims and other Muslims compared to the heavy intermixing and intermarriages between Indian Muslims and the Malays.

And it is an established fact (evidenced by all the names mentioned above) that throughout history the Indian Muslims have always stepped forward to defend the rights of the Malays. In the process many of the Indian Muslims have lost their identity almost completely to the Malays. Who are the descendants of the Tamil educated Munshi Abdullah today? No one knows. A DNA test will reveal Indian DNA among all our Malay rulers but which Sultan can or wants to retrace his Indian ancestry? These are the mamaks who assimilated into the Malay community from generations ago.

Fast forward to today : in UMNO there are thousands of mamaks fighting for Malay rights. In PAS there are mamaks fighting for Islam (aka Malay) rights. PAS stalwart Hanipa Mydin is a pure mamak while Deputy MB of Kelantan Dato Husam Musa may have mamak blood. In the old Keadilan 'brother' Abdul Rahman Othman, another mamak tulen, became party secretary general and then quit later – to join PAS. In the Civil Service and in the Melayu korporat sector there are thousands of mamaks helping the NEP 'social engineering' come true.

In Penang pure Malays are a rarity. As late as the 80s, they could only be found in Sungai Ara, Balik Pulau and other places where there were no roads. In all other places in Penang, mamak blood is almost a certainty. Hence words like 'chacha' and 'nana' are a part of Penang Malay. In Kedah and Melaka the mamak 'penetration' of the Malay populace is much more earlier than in Penang. Which means the mamaks in Kedah and Melaka have diluted their DNA into the Malay population from much earlier (from Portugese, Dutch and British times).

In short mamaks are a permanent feature of the Malay 'make up'. It is the karma of the mamaks that they have become kurma in Malaysia.

No black mark in Malaysia to allow phantom voters

2008-03-04T14:53:00.000-08:00

U-turn on ink: A black mark for EC
Wed, 05/03/2008 - 02:37 — lucid [via malaysiakini.com]
Mar 4, 08 6:32pm

Opposition parties today slammed the Election Commission for the last-minute reversal of its plan to use the indelible ink in the coming general election, which they claimed could have stopped the menace of phantom voters.

In an immediate reaction, PKR’s deputy president Dr Syed Husin Ali did not mince his words when he charged that the cancellation of the use of indelible ink was clear proof that the “EC is colluding with BN to allow cheating in the coming general elections”.

“Despite all assurances and false gestures, it is now clear the (EC chairperson) Abdul Rashid (Abdul Rahman) is content to conduct the 12th general election in an atmosphere completely bereft of integrity,” he said in a statement.

“Citing 'public order' and 'security' is also nonsensical reasoning that is perfectly consistent with the language of forces around the world who seek to supress democratic freedoms,” he added.

Syed Husin said that polls reform group Bersih, which represents not just political parties but a wide swathe of civil society, has campaigned tirelessly for indelible ink to be used to battle the scourge of phantom voters.

He also said that candidates have observed irregularities in postal voting, and revealed "hundreds and thousands" of false addresses, dead individuals and voters over 100 years old in the electoral rolls.

“At a moment where the eyes of the entire world are upon us, the EC has now conclusively and irrevocably shown that any overtures towards reform that it had made previously were in bad faith, and that in decisive moments, the EC will yield to every demand of its political masters,” Syed Husin decried.

He however said that the PKR noted one positive outcome of this development - that the BN intelligence must clearly be showing a swing towards the opposition, thus forcing them to resort once again to phantom voters and other forms of cheating.

Under protest

Meanwhile PAS leader and member of Bersih's steering committee Dr Dzulkifli Ahmad also similarly expressed his outraged with EC's stunning reversal today.

"This means that none of our demands are getting through. We thought it would at least go through with (using indelible ink)," said the director of PAS Research Centre.

"We want to make it clear that we are entering this election under protest," he said.

"We could foresee this coming. Now, our concerns and anxieties are immensely vindicated."

Despite his outrage with the EC's move, Dzulkifli urged opposition candidates and sympathisers to remain calm and focus on the task at hand - winning the upcoming polls.

"We will not be provoked. We will remain resilient, calm and relentless. We will maintain the due process of the elections. We will not destroy our chances of victory and will not do anything untoward."

After the polls, however, Bersih would "surely" file a petition on this matter, Dzulkifli said.

DAP looking at legal avenues

DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng also said that the decision today would only benefit BN as it amounted to the EC sanctioning the ruling party’s "cheating and abuses" in the election.

He said that the EC must also explain as to how the use of indelible ink can threaten public order and security issues.

“It is ridiculous that the use of indelible ink can put the whole country into chaos and ruination,” he said.

He also said that the decision to cancel the use of indelible ink meant that the EC was wasting the RM2 million spent on buying 47,000 bottles of indelible ink.

“The EC has also destroyed its credibility, integrity and independence by cancelling the use at the last minute when it had earlier touted the use of indelible ink as a sign of its commitment towards ensuring free, fair, clean elections,” he said.

He warned that the people might not accept the results of the election on March 8 if it was tainted by abuses, cheating and vote rigging.

Lim also said that DAP was exploring legal avenues to see how it can prevent the EC from abandoning the use of indelible ink.

Mafrel PC tomorrow

PKR vice-president R Sivarasa, who is also the candidate for Selangor's Subang parliamentary seat, matched the indignation unleashed by Dzulkifli.

"I am completely shocked by this decision. It is tantamount to perpetuating a fraud on the elections," he said.

"From last July to just recently they told the Malaysian public that they were using indelible ink. And the reasons they give for cancelling the ink are nonsensical. How can marking someone's finger have anything to do with national security?" he asked.

Election watchdog Mafrel, when contacted, said that it would be commenting on the matter through a press conference tomorrow.

Earlier today, EC chairperson Abdul Rashid announced the cancellation of the use of the indelible ink for this general election, citing public order and security issues.

http://www.hindraf.org/content/u-turn-ink-a-black-mark-ec

Free polls? Not in Malaysia.

2008-03-04T14:50:00.000-08:00

Free polls? Not in Malaysia

http://www.dailypioneer.com/indexn12.asp?main_variable=OPED&file_name=opd2%2Etxt&counter_img=2

Malaysia's ruling coalition is busy fixing the general election
scheduled for March 8. Julia Zappei reports from Kuala Lumpur

If election results were a measure of popularity, Malaysia's ruling
coalition would be one of the most adored Governments in the world.
But few believe popularity alone has kept the National Front in power
continuously since independence in 1957.

The parliamentary election on March 8 has once again fuelled
complaints that a subservient Election Commission, gerrymandering,
vote fraud, a compliant media, misuse of Government resources and
massive vote buying gives the Front an unfair advantage. The
Government "controls everything during election time," said Mr
Mohammed Agus Yusoff, a political science professor at the National
University of Malaysia. "This is why it's very difficult for the
Opposition to win."

The head of the Election Commission rejects such accusations.
"Cheating has never been proven anywhere in this country," said
Chairman Abdul Rashid Abdul Rahman, who himself has been accused of
being partial to the ruling coalition.

Regardless, the National Front is all but assured of remaining in
power after this week's election, because it offers a sense of
stability that many voters find comforting. But critics say the
alleged election irregularities unfairly increase its margin of
victory and make a mockery of democracy. The National Front has become
institutionalised to such an extent, they say, that people no longer
see the Opposition as an alternative.

Opposition leaders say the Election Commission creatively draws
election districts to favour the Government, so the National Front
wins far more seats than its percentage of the popular vote. In the
2004 election, the National Front took 91 per cent of the 219
parliamentary seats with only 64 per cent of the popular vote.

"The election is far from a level playing field," said Mr Dzulkifli
Ahmad, the chief political strategist of the Opposition Pan-Malaysian
Islamic Party. "We are really pushed to the wall." Mr Ramon
Navaratnam, president of the Malaysian branch of Berlin-based
anti-corruption watchdog Transparency International, said such
gerrymandering is his main concern.

"It shows weaknesses in the democracy as it doesn't reflect the true
aspirations of the people," Mr Navaratnam said.

Activists also allege the electoral roll includes the names of
thousands of deceased people. They suspect "phantom voters" use these
names to cast ballots for the National Front, using fake
identification documents.

Until late last year, as many as 31,000 people above the age of 107
were on the electoral roll, according to Bersih, a watchdog
organisation made up of opposition parties and some independent
groups.

The Election Commission has deleted some names, but more than 8,600
people above 100 years old remain on the list, the commission says,
adding it cannot remove a name unless it has proof that the person has
died.

Ms Sharmila Thuraisingam, a 35-year-old housewife in Kuala Lumpur,
found out in 2004 that she was on the electoral roll in Kelantan
State, even though she had never registered to vote. "How are you
going to ensure that no one votes on my behalf?" she said, adding that
she complained to the Election Commission but is still listed in the
north-eastern Malaysian State this year.

Responding to critics, the commission has agreed to introduce a few
reforms such as marking voters' fingers with indelible ink to prevent
people from voting more than once. But the measure is voluntary, so
voters can refuse to have their fingers dyed. The Opposition also
complains that media coverage is biased. Most newspapers and
television stations are controlled by or closely linked to parties in
the National Front.

The media often trumpet Government achievements, especially during
election season, while the Opposition is portrayed as bumbling and
hypocritical.

Mr Abdul Rashid, the Election Commission's head, acknowledges that
"there are media bodies that take only one side," but says the
commission has no power to stop that.

Ms Somsri Hananunta-suk, director of the Bangkok-based Asian Network
for Free Elections, said Malaysia needs to curb prejudiced media
reports. "There are so many things that need to be reformed," she
said. "There are no checks and balances. In any democracy, you have to
have checks and balances."

-- AP

Malaysian elections and geopolitical implications: Dr. Adityanjee

2008-03-04T04:03:00.000-08:00

Monday, March 3, 2008
MALAYSIAN ELECTIONS AND GEOPOLITICAL IMPLICATIONS
By Dr. Adityanjee

Mr. Abdullah Badawi, the Prime Minster of Malaysia faced a scheduled parliamentary election in 2009. Not unexpectedly, on February 13th 2008 he announced mid-term elections one year ahead of schedule. He wanted to avoid an electoral contest in which the opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim, a former Islamist turned democracy activist, could be allowed to participate as the leading opposition figure and possible Prime Ministerial candidate. Anwar Ibrahim faces ban from electoral scene till 2009 on trumped up charges of corruption and sodomy on behalf of previous Prime Minister Mahathir Mohammad. Anwar Ibrahim might have pulled off an alternative, credible multi-racial political front by 2009 to confront the ruling coalition if the mid-term elections were not announced prematurely. Badawi seems to be using the stability, economic prosperity and continuation of Malay dominance to face electorate again on March 8th 2008. He has targeted the Malaysian civil society and the leaders of the (Hindu Rights Action Forum) HINDRAF who are in prison under the infamous Internal Security Act. Badawi had got the opposition leader Mr. Anwar Ibrahim also arrested a few weeks ago to prevent him from informally campaigning for the expected but not announced elections
India has genuinely tried to engage Malaysia since independence. India is currently trying to negotiate a free trade area with Malaysia. The Defense Minister AK Anthony visited Malaysia few weeks ago to develop military relations with that country despite claims of marginalization and oppression of Hindu Malaysians. A day after his visit, Malaysia announced new visa rules restricting entry of Indian Professionals in Malaysia. Though successive governments of India have truly considered Malaysia as a friendly Asian nation, the diplomatic sentiments have not been reciprocated by the successive Malaysian governments. Malaysia has consistently blocked India’s entry into ASEAN+6, ARF, APEC, East Asia Community on behest of China and Pakistan. Former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohammad was very vocal in proposing anti-India entry parameters in these East Asian fora to keep India isolated. In fact Malaysia has been counter-balanced by Singapore that has welcomed India’s role as an ASEAN regional dialogue partner. Singapore is facilitating India’s entry into derivative East Asian and Asia-pacific institutions. Malaysia has always taken pro-Pakistan stance in international fora against vital Indian interests.
While denouncing India for the 1998 Pokhran II nuclear tests, Malaysia became a willing participant in Pakistan’s clandestine nuclear trade and commerce. Mr. Abdullah Badawi’s own son was allegedly front-running a shadow company for the benefit of AQ Khan's international nuclear Wal-Mart that benefited Pakistan and smuggled nuclear weapon components to North Korea, Libya, Syria and Iran. Details of these transactions are carefully documented by Adrian Levy and Catherine Clark-Scott in their best seller entitled “Deception: Pakistan, the United States, and the Secret Trade in Nuclear Weapons”. Also not widely known is the fact that Kuala Lumpur was the active planning and meeting ground for the Islamic terrorists who brought down the Twin Towers during the 9/11 attacks. It appears that after Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, Malaysia has turned out to be the incubator of Jihadi terrorism in Asia.
In the Asian geo-political theatre, a de-facto China-Pakistan-Malaysia axis has emerged with its strong anti-India under-pinnings. Malaysia, like Pakistan is an artificially contrived product of British Colonialism. The British colonial territory of Peninsular Malaya was merged with Sabah and Sarawak states that constitute East Malaysia. Analogous to Pakistan, it has pre-Islamic Indic and Hindu heritage that Malay Muslim civil society vehemently refuses to accept and acknowledge unlike their Indonesian cousins. Both countries are part of the Organization of Islamic Countries (OIC) and tend to view international policies through the prism of Islamic Ummah. Both countries lack true democracy and have authoritarian, anti-minority constitutional provisions that have brought about ethnic cleansing of Hindu minority since independence from colonial Britain. This has reflected in demographic pattern of both these countries with declining Hindu minority population since the time of Independence from colonial power Britain. Meanwhile, China, in order to counter-balance US in the Islamic world, has gone out of the way to aggressively cultivate Islamic countries, including Pakistan, Iran, Sudan, Albania, Libya and Malaysia etc. It is no secret that China has cultivated Pakistan over the last four decades to contain India. With their similar hostile anti-India and anti-Hindu national mindsets, both Pakistan and Malaysia have become Chinese pawns in the international chess-board.
Mr. Badawi hopes to hold on to power in the March 8th 2008 federal elections. Four years ago, Mr. Badawi obtained more than two-third majority in national elections winning 200 seats conceding only 20 seats in the Malaysian parliament to the opposition. Mr. Badawi has gone on the record to say that Malaysian Indians might not vote for Barrisan Nasional this time. As a sop to Hindu-Malaysians, the Hindu festival of Thaipussam was declared a national holiday just before announcing the mid-term elections. The discredited MIC leader Sami Velu initially decided to not contest the elections having realized that he may not win this time. But ultimately, in the name of experience, he was persuaded to contest his seat by Abdullah Badawi to avoid giving any moral victory to HINDRAF leaders. Now, during the elections Sami Vellu who has been a minister in the Barrisan Nasional government for more than thirty years claims that the Malaysian government has not done enough for the Malaysian Indians!
It is widely predicted that though Barrisan Nasional will come back to power, it may not get two-third majority. It is likely that the loose opposition combine of Democratic Action Party, Kedilan (Justice) Party of Anwar Ibrahim and the Islamist PAS may together get a total of 80-90 seats in the national parliament. Last time when the ruling UMNO (United Malay National Organization) lost electorally in May 1969, there were racial riots with targeting of Chinese Malaysians. The youth wing of UMNO has been displaying spears and axes in their annual meetings to maintain the Malay supremacy. In this context, one may remember former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohammad ‘s overt threats in his book “The Malay Dilemma” that Malays will be forced to “run amok” if Malay supremacy is challenged. This time, in case of UMNO electoral losses, the potential targets of Malay mobs will be Hindu-Malaysians. The international community needs to anticipate racial and religious violence targeted against Hindu-Malaysians in the aftermath of UMNO defeat in the March 8th 2008 elections in Malaysia.
A wounded but victorious Abdullah Badawi and UMNO may show persistent hostility towards Hindu-Malaysians in the domestic arena. Genuine grievances of Hindu Malaysians may not be resolved after the elections. Cornered domestically, Malaysia led by Abdullah Badawi may draw closer into the undeclared CPM (China-Pakistan-Malaysia) axis and show its intense displeasure by striking at India’s interests in international arena with scorn and renewed vigor.
The de facto and de jure system of racial and religious apartheid needs to be dismantled in Malaysia. If the international community can criticize and demand reforms in South Africa for racial segregation and apartheid policies, we can certainly criticize Malaysian government for the same. Multi-lateral, carefully calibrated economic sanctions against Malaysia are warranted till the apartheid state is dismantled and the proposed constitutional reforms are implemented. The US, India and Japan are not morally justified in negotiating an FTA with Malaysia under current apartheid system when minorities are being systematically persecuted. Asian democracies like India and Japan need to take moral lead and use calibrated and targeted economic sanctions to change this system of apartheid in a fellow Asian nation.
All diplomatic means must be used to avoid any repetition of ethnic riots following declaration of results of the March 8th 2008 elections. Strong political message needs to be sent to the law-enforcement agencies of Malaysia (Police and Army included) that ethnic violence and genocide following a possible defeat in the March 2008 elections will not be tolerated. If such timely steps are not taken now, the whole of South-East Asia will be destabilized consequently. History will not forgive us for our failure to act in Malaysia at this crucial juncture.

Posted by intellibriefs at 7:44 PM 0 comments

Hindraf on Malaysia Genl. Elections 2008

2008-03-04T01:42:00.000-08:00

Hindraf on Malaysia Genl. Elections 2008
HINDRAF CHAIRMAN'S PRESS STATEMENT ON GENERAL ELECTIONS 2008.
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
HINDRAF
135-3 Jalan Toman 7
Kemayan Square 70200
Seremban.

Re : HINDRAF CALL ON MALAYSIAN INDIANS TO VOTE FOR OPPOSITION PARTIES EN BLOCK.
PAS KEADILAN AND DAP ARE FAIRER AND PROMISES COMMITMENT TO RESOLVE INDIAN ISSUES.
50 YEARS OF BLIND LOYALTY ENOUGH- MALAYSIAN INDIANS ARE POLITICALLY MATURED.

HINDRAF calls upon all Malaysian Indians to vote for the opposition parties en block in the forthcoming 12th general elections.

50 years of blinded loyalty to a political union which cheated, oppressed and mislead and made threat of serious repercussions to the Indian community should they not support is enough. HINDRAF believes the Malaysian Indians are politically mature now and are able to see the devious BARISAN NATIONAL Government controlled by UMNO.

HINDRAF wishes to reiterate that we are not against the Malay race or the muslim religion. We believe and respect the principle that all religions are true and have equal status clearly defined under International legislations. We have lived peacefully and in good harmony with the Malays but UMNO which controls the BN Government had deliberately adopted and implemented policies that divide and rule the multi racial and multi religious Malaysian population.

UMNO instils unfounded fear among the Malays on the demands made by HINDRAF. The truth is they fear losing the monopoly of the “elite class privileges” they had been enjoying over the last 50 years under the guise of “malay special privileges” but had in turn neglected the equally poor and underclass malay community.

Time has come for all Malaysians to think globally and in the Larger National Interest for the sake of nation building. Let us all do our part to deny BN the 2/3 majority as the “first step” and work towards a progressive, cohesive and strong opposition representation in Parliament.

HINDRAF invites our Malay, Chinese, Kadazan, Iban and all other ethnic community brothers and sisters to join us in this pursuit to undo 50 years of “systematic violations of the Federal Constitution”.

P.Waytha Moorthy
Chairman
HINDRAF
Currently in London
http://makkalsakti.blogspot.com/2008/03/hindraf-chairmans-press-statement-on.html