Najib welcomes release of PSM activists

Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak maintains the country practises rule of law and welcomes the release of the six Parti Sosialis Malaysia leaders who had been detained for 28 days under the Emergency Ordinance. “It is a decision(to release) taken by the police based on their own observation.

“We accept the decision made by the police... it is up to the attorney-general to decide on the next course of action. As a sovereign country we uphold the rule of law,” said Najib in echoing an earlier statement by the inspector-general of police.This was Najib's immediate response after chairing the Umno supreme council meeting tonight.

Ambiga grills Wan Ahmad in Round 2

Election Commission (EC) deputy chairperson Wan Ahmad Wan Omar reiterated that the EC is just a "management body" under the law to manage elections, rather than an enforcement agency."We are guided by the Attorney-General's Office. The laws given to us are management laws," he said.He was speaking today at a forum 'The Election Laws, Election Commission and Electoral Reform' organised by the Association for the Promotion of Human Rights (Proham).

Delivering the opening address at the forum, Wan Ahmad said that issues relating to money politics, vote-buying and dirty politics are under the purview of the Malaysia Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC).

"The EC can be called as a respondent or witness in court, but never in the history of the country has the EC taken a person to court over corruption," he said. His remark appeared to be a blow to many of those who attended the forum, including one lady who ridiculed the EC as an “event management company” for which its client is the government.

New wind blowing through MIC under Palanivel

MIC's 65th general assembly being held tomorrow will see a breath of fresh air as it will be presided over by greenhorn party leader G Palanivel, who has waited patiently for the last four years for his turn.Palanivel, who took over the party leadership from stalwart S Samy Vellu last December, has vowed to recapture the backing of the Indian community for BN.

This is also the first time the party - that boasts of being the voice of the ethnic minority which forms eight percent, or 2.24 million, of the Malaysian population - will be meeting without the presence of Samy Vellu who held power for more than three decades.Palanivel  was handpicked to take the lead as the party president after the tumultuous years of Samy Vellu's leadership. The party, at one point, became divided and Samy Vellu had to be forced out for many were dissatisfied with his iron grip on the leadership.

PM's 'Incentives' For Indian Students Welcomed

KUALA LUMPUR -- A number of 'incentives' for Indian students at Higher Learning Institutions announced by Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak, received a round of applause.Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister's Department, S.K Devamany said the Prime Minister's announce was filled with the 1Malaysia inspiration."This is a good indication that the government under Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak understood the sentiments of all races. It is also in line with the 1Malaysia aspiration and culture," he told Bernama when contacted here yesterday.

He added that the 'incentives' announced by Najib would further inspire Indian students to focus and excel in their studies.

MIC: Indian support for BN remains a question mark

The support of the Indian Malaysian community for the ruling coalition is still a “question mark”, says MIC president G Palanivel, who admitted that the party, as well as the BN, lost the bulk of the support from the community in the 2008 general election.“We (Indian Malaysians) are only helped during by-elections, with tit-bits, small allocations for schools, temples, small loans - (but) we need things on an enormous scale, and only then will the community's support come back, because we have no one else to depend on except the BN government,” he said.

“MIC will always support Umno, MCA and all other parties in BN but whether the Indian community will support or not is a question mark because they must be looked after. “The community's support was okay (but) it is very difficult for me to give a guarantee at this moment that it is all back... because from time to time there is deterioration because of various issues,” said Palanivel .

PSM's Jeyakumar goes on hunger strike

Sungai Siput MP Dr D Jeyakumar is believed to have gone on a hunger strike from this morning, out of frustration over his prolonged detention under the Emergency Ordinance. His wife, R Mohanarani (left), said Jeyakumar told her about his intention when she was allowed to visit him at the Kepong police station yesterday. "He was frustrated and disappointed that the police and government continued to detain the six of them... despite their cooperation throughout interrogations (and) lack of evidence to justify the detentions.

"He told me that he will begin a hunger strike on July 28, to seek justice, and he that he will continue his strike until all six of them are released or brought to trial," she said in a statement. She said Jeyakumar, who was recently taken to hospital for heart complications, was adamant about going ahead with his hunger strike despite being persuaded not to do so on health considerations.

Mohanarani said her husband was adamant because "he had lost faith" in the police, who he said have been "shooting wildly" and blindly, rejected their repeated denials of being part of either Bersih 2.0 or the Communist Party of Malaya.

Stop demonising Bersih, free E06

PETALING JAYA: The government banned Bersih 2.0 and accused it of working hand-in-glove with the opposition to topple Barisan Nasional through illegal means.However, the Election Commission's second-in-command Wan Ahmad Wan Omar saw it fit to engage the chairperson of the so-called illegal entity, S Ambiga, in a public debate, which was widely reported.“Does this mean the EC recognises Bersih 2.0 and considers its demands for free and fair elections worth looking into?” asked MIC central committee member S Vell Paari.

He said this coupled with the fact that Bersih 2.0 leaders were given an audience with the King rendered the coalition a degree of legitimacy and the government should stop demonising the coalition.“The country is moving away from 'guided' democracy and into a democracy in the truest sense of the word. Bersih 2.0's demands are in line with the latter and must be considered.“As I said before, the entire episode has been mishandled and BN is feeling the repercussions of this. So it will be wise not to exacebrate the situation,” he added.

The unfortunate ones of Ladang Bukit Jalil

PETALING JAYA: There is something whimsical about Ladang Bukit Jalil. The houses still have chimneys, and the roads that lead to these homes look like something out of an Enid Blyton book. The houses are simple, but spacious and sitting inside one of them will make you oblivious to the scorching heat. It seems an idyllic, placid place; nothing about it says that the 41 families residing there are in danger of losing their homes.

But today, however, they have chosen fun over fret, forgetting the bulldozers, local authorities and the police, just to mention a few of their daily concerns. Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) is invoking the Emergency Ordinance (1969) to evict the 41 families who still reside there, which their lawyer claims is illegal as they are licensed former estate workers.

Ambiga-Wan Ahmad rematch on Friday

The stage is set for a re-match between Bersih chief Ambiga Sreenevasan and Election Commission deputy chief Wan Ahmad Wan Omar in their war of words over whether or not Malaysia's electoral system requires reform.This comes with the two of them confirming their attendance at a talk on "The election laws, Election Commission & electoral reform" that the Association for the Promotion of Human Rights (Proham) is holding at the Dream Centre in Section 13, Petaling Jaya, on Friday.

"They have conveyed to me that they will attend. However, we will focus on a different set of topics as opposed to the talk yesterday," Proham committee member Dennison Jayasooria told Malaysiakini.Ambiga and Wan Ahmad crossed swords at yesterday's discussion in Shah Alam organised by Kumpulan Karangkraf, the media group that publishes Malay language daily Sinar Harian and a score of popular magazines.

Dr Subra breaks BN ranks over EO6

PETALING JAYA: Human Resources Minister Dr S Subramaniam has voiced concern over the continued detention without trial of six Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) members, stopping short of calling for their release.
In a media statement put out today, he urged the Inspector-General of Police and the Home Ministry to “review” their detention under the Emergency Ordinance (EO) and to charge them in court “as quickly as possible” if they had indeed committed chargeable offences.

The statement makes Subramaniam, who is MIC’s deputy president, the second prominent Barisan Nasional figure to break ranks over the detention of the six. Last week, Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin called the arrests “misguided” and said he would convey his view to Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak."The IGP and Home Ministry should review the continual arrest of Dr (Michael) Jeyakumar and five others under the Emergency Ordinance,” Subramaniam said.

Indian students victimised again

PETALING JAYA: The new 2011 local universities admissions list released recently has once again riled the Indian community over allocations of places for its students.According to a Higher Education Ministry source, out of the total 41,267 seats allocated nationwide in local universities, only 1,511 or for just 2.6% had been given to Indian students.Talking on condition of anonymity, a veteran MIC leader said according to the ministry, there were 64,073 applications submitted to the Unit Pusat Universiti (UPU) for various courses.

"There were 39,998 applications from Malays, 10,677 Chinese, 1,813 Indians and 728 for others. That's a total of 53,216," he said.He, however, disputed the figures. "How come the such a low figure for Indians when almost 20,000 finish their SPM and STPM yearly?" he asked."And what about the remaining 10, 857 places unaccounted for from the official figure?

EC deputy chief in debate with Ambiga

Election Commission (EC) deputy chairperson Wan Ahmad Wan Omar today faced a hostile crowd in a debate with Bersih 2.0 chairperson Ambiga Sreenevasan.He was booed a number of times, forcing him to plead with the audience to give him a hearing in the event organised by Kumpulan Karangkraf, a media organisation which publishes Malay language daily Sinar Harian and a score of popular magazines.

Wan Ahmad also insisted that the EC is just a “management body” which does not have the enforcement powers to tackle the abuses raised by various quarters relating to the electoral system and processes.

He then kicked the ball to the Attorney-General's Chambers regarding amendments to the election laws, stressing that it is a natural advantage for the ruling government to decide on the laws to be passed and amended, and the EC has no say in this aspect.“Anybody who wants to push reform which touches on the fundamental policy of the government must approach the right person.”

MACC offices will video record interrogations

PUTRAJAYA: All Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) offices nationwide will be equipped with video interviewing rooms (VIR) in an upgrading exercise.All the 36 MACC offices will be equipped with the VIR rooms by year-end to the tune of RM140,000 to RM160,000 per room.MACC investigations director Mustafar Ali said that all the interviews in the rooms would be recorded using audiovisual equipment.

"Three copies of the recording will be made: one copy will be kept by the MACC, another for the court and the third can be requested through a lawyer by the suspect but not the witness,” he said, adding that statements would be taken in a transparent and orderly manner.He also promised that all officers would be given training so they could get used to the new operating procedure, and that only fully trained officers would be allowed to interview suspects.The VIRs are a direct result of the report released by the Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) into the death of former political aide Teoh Beng Hock, which called on the MACC to provide interview rooms with an audiovisual recording system.

MACC Sets Up Team To Probe Misconduct By Three Officers

KUALA LUMPUR -- The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) has set up a special investigation team to investigate three of its officers who were found to have violated regulations while interrogating political aide Teoh Beng Hock.In a statement here on Saturday, MACC said it received and viewed seriously the suggestions for its improvement as outlined in the Royal Commission Of Inquiry (RCI) Report To Investigate The Death Of Teoh Beng Hock which was released on Thursday.According to the statement, the special investigation team is meant to be a proactive follow-up on the suggestions and simultaneously, to act on the three officers as contained in the report.

The special team headed by MACC Deputy Commissioner (Management and Professionalism) Zakaria Jaffar will conduct a thorough in-house investigation and prepare a comprehensive report.The report will be submitted to the Complaints Committee which comprises four independent individuals, and chaired by former Court of Appeal judge Mohd Noor Abdullah.Also in the team are former senior deputy secretary-general in the Prime Minister's Department Muhammad Mohd Noor, former Public Complaints Bureau director-general Wan Abdul Wahab Abdullah and lawyer V. Ravindran.

What four gruelling interrogations did to Teoh

Four interrogations endured by Teoh Beng Hock caused him to move from being in the low-risk group for suicide into the high-risk group in just 13 hours, and this is detailed in the 124-page report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Teoh's death.

First interrogation (6pm to 10pm on July 15)

After being brought into the Selangor office of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) from Selangor state government building, Teoh underwent a so-called "calming therapy" designed by MACC officer Mohd Anuar Ismail.

He was verbally assaulted by a team of officers, numbering six to seven at one time, or others during this period who were told to "chat" with him "to calm him down". They asked repeated questions of his background.The commission is of the view that the method of interrogation was done with a particular objective: to break down Teoh's resistance and to force him to say what the MACC officers wanted.

"The therapeutic treatment designed by Anuar to calm Teoh down through a "chat" at the Pen Mas area must have had a profound effect on him. He had to endure this torture for four hours," the report says."Teoh was reserved, quite most of the time, kept to himself, and only answered questions when asked. Such a description of Teoh's mood fits the characteristics of a person who was being intimidated."

'Fourth interrogation' broke Teoh, postulates RCI

The Teoh Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) report claims that the MACC instituted the "fourth interrogation" during the wee hours of July 16, 2009, from 3.30am to 7am, which "must have been the final straw that broke the camel's back".According to the report, after having to endure three strenuous rounds of interrogations, the RCI panel believes that DAP political aide Teoh Beng Hock was put through yet another round of intense interrogation by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC).This is the theory postulated by the RCI to explain how Teoh was pushed to the brink and eventually committed suicide.

"The acts committed by these three persons, namely Hishammudin Hashim, Mohd Anuar Ismail, and Mohd Ashraf Mohd Yunus , were most probably in the form of another round of intensive interrogation of Teoh to coerce him into making a statement that it was Ean Yong Hian Wah who directed him to commit unlawful acts in handling the allocation. "This session must have been very taxing on Teoh, both physically and mentally. He had been deprived of sleep throughout the night and into the morning and had to endure persistent, aggressive and unscrupulous questioning.

RCI: Teoh Beng Hock committed suicide

Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Mohd Nazri Aziz has disclosed that the Royal Commission of Inquiry into the death of Teoh Beng Hock found the political aide had committed suicide.Though the finding do not divert from the official line of explanation by the authorities into the tragedy that occurred in mid-2009, Nazri said the RCI had determined the suicide was the result of continuous and aggressive questioning by officials of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC).

Three MACC officers were found to have continuously used interrogation tactics that were “agresif dan tidak wajar" (aggressive, inappropriate) and therefore in violation of the regulations, Nazri told a press conference in Parliament building in Kuala Lumpur this afternoon.The three officers are former Selangor investigations unit head Hishammudin Hashim, investigation officer Mohd Anuar Ismail and assistant superintendent Mohd Ashraf Mohd Yunus. “The MACC had conducted investigations following information that a Selangor executive councillor and assemblyperson was involved in false allocation claims for his own party interest.

Auntie Bersih: The arts my political awakening

EXCLUSIVE When Anne Ooi arrived in Kuala Lumpur eight years ago, this Penangite was no political animal. But the move to the city centre was a pivotal change - climaxing in the events of July 9 - the day an iconic picture of 'Auntie Bersih' was captured.The image of a lone, elderly and frail woman clad in a yellow T-shirt, drenched to the bone in chemical-laced water amid the backdrop of a vanguard of riot police flanked by water cannon trucks, has become a symbol of resilience and resistance in the face of oppression.

After much reluctance and contemplation, Ooi mustered her courage to speak out for the first time in an exclusive interview with Malaysiakini in Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday."When I came to KL, the Five Arts Centre was already doing shows. They pointed out many things about the government to create awareness. Since my daughter is involved in the arts scene, her friends were my friends. I didn't know anyone else in KL," she said.

Ambiga to be conferred doctor of law by UK varsity

KUALA LUMPUR, July 21 — Bersih 2.0 chief Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan will be awarded an honorary doctorate in law today from the University of Exeter in the UK. The Malaysian Insider understands she will be present to receive the university award at its ceremony to be held later today.
Sources said Ambiga (picture) left for the UK over the weekend, where she plans to take a one- to two-week break after the landmark July 9 Bersih 2.0 rally for cleaner and more honest elections she spearheaded. Close friend and fellow lawyer Tommy Thomas confirmed the news when contacted by The Malaysian Insider yesterday.

Thomas, a former Bar Council secretary, said in England, universities value seriously contributions to the professions but was unable to shed light on who nominated Ambiga for the award and what she was being recognised for. He believes there are three possible push factors, the first two being services to her profession as a lawyer as Ambiga had been vocal during her two-year term as the Malaysian Bar president from 2007 to 2009.Ambiga, 55, has played an active role in other sectors of the legal profession for almost 30 years including helming the Securities Industry Dispute Resolution Centre and speaking out on Malaysian intellectual property protection.

Auntie Bersih spooked by Facebook attention

Eleven days after inspiring netizens for her heroic role in the Bersih 2.0 rally, Auntie Anne Ooi has gone into hiding.Ooi, 65, said she is stunned by the attention she has received on the Facebook page set up for her, which has gained more than 40,000 'likes' to date.She has been praised as the 'Malaysian Lady of Liberty' and held up as an icon of the Bersih 2.0 cause for clean and fair elections.

For a retired teacher who has led a simple life and who has no knowledge of social media, the intense attention has come as a culture shock."I'm so frightened by all this 'madness' in Facebook," she said when met on Monday night.

"I lead a life with no TV, no newspaper, no nonsense. I read only good books. (Now) I dare not go home. All this madness frightens me. Everything is so unbelievable."Ooi, who had been an English teacher for 35 years, said her daughter's house "is now my shell" and said she dared not go out in public, except to church.

Bersih 2.0 rally videos to be screened to media

Inspector-General of Police Ismail Omar assured today that a probe into allegations of police brutality during the Bersih 2.0 rally will be completed in the shortest time, followed by a screening session for the media on video footage recorded on July 9."I'm very confident that I will obtain the report in the soonest time and a screening session will be held, during which questions will be answered," the country's top cop told a press conference at the Bukit Aman federal police headquarters.

However, Ismail refused to take questions during the hastily called press conference.He also reiterated the announcement by his deputy yesterday that police have set up six committees headed by a senior officer to produce a comprehensive view on what had happened on July 9.

Ismail repeatedly urged media and members of the public to be patient and to avoid making any assumptions before the investigation is concluded.

Surrender Video Recordings Of Rally To Determine Truth

GENTING HIGHLANDS -- Anyone in possession of a video recording of the police resorting to violence to disperse a crowd during the July 9 illegal rally, should surrender it to the long arm of the law.Deputy Inspector-General of Police Khalid Abu Bakar said such cooperation would enable the police to determine the actual events during the rally as several quarters claimed the police used violence to handle protestors."We will investigate this matter thoroughly and the police will not hide any facts," he told reporters after attending a workshop on Combating Vehicle Theft in Malaysia here yesterday.

In relation to that, Khalid said the police had set up six committees headed by a senior officer to investigate claims of police brutality during the illegal rally."Investigations will be completed as quickly as possible and several witnesses have been called to shed light on the matter."However, this does not include the incident at the Tung Shin Hospital," he said.Khalid said the police were ready to air videos on the illegal rally, should it be necessary, but only after the committees had completed their reports on it (rally).Commenting on arrests during the rally, he said it was done in compliance with the laws, adding however, that those detained could take the matter to court, if they were unhappy with the police action.

176 doctors call for release of 'PSM 6'

One hundred and seventy-six medical professionals today called for the release of PSM's Dr Michael D Jeyakumar and five others who are currently under Emergency Ordinance (EO) detention.In a statement released today, individual doctors as well as members of the Perak branch of the Malaysian Medical Association (MMA) and the Perak Medical Practitioners Society expressed concern that Jeyakumar and the others were still in police custody three weeks after they were picked up at Sungai Dua, Penang.

They also said they were troubled by the prolonged and “illegal” detention of the 'PSM 6' - as they have come to be known - as well as the deterioration of Jeyakumar's health under detention.Since his arrest on June 25, Jeyakumar has been brought to the hospital twice for medical treatment for his heart condition.“Dr Jeyakumar and five other Socialist Party of Malaysia members were 'illegally' detained under the Emergency Ordinance recently. They have been placed in a cruel and unjust situation....

“We say that the detention is 'illegal' because till today, there is no solid and could someone with such immaculate professional standing and exemplary be an enemy to the country! “The home minister must make every effort to secure the immediate release of Dr Jeyakumar and do justice to both his ministerial duties and to Dr Jeyakumar,” they said in their statement.Jeyakumar was one of 30 PSM activists arrested on June 25 for allegedly 'waging war against the Agong' when materials purportedly promoting communism were found with them while on a roadshow.

Japan beat US to win women’s World Cup

FRANKFURT, Germany, July 18 — Japan won the women’s World Cup for the first time when they upset the United States 3-1 on penalties following a 2-2 draw after extra time yesterday.Japan was in need of a good news story after the tsunami disaster which rocked the country in March and their female soccer players supplied it despite being dominated for long spells in the final.They slipped behind once in normal time and then again in extra time but hit back out of the blue on both occasions before prevailing in the shootout as the US top-ranked team lost all their confidence, sending a series of poor efforts at goal.

Japan’s winning spotkick sparked wild celebrations in front of the sell-out crowd of 48,837 in Frankfurt.It was the first time in 26 matches that Japan had beaten favourites the US, who had won the World Cup title in 1991 and 1999.Japan, reduced to 10 when Azusa Iwashimizu was dismissed just before extra time ended, levelled on 117 minutes through Homare Sawa after Abby Wambach’s cool header in the 104th minute looked to have given the US victory.In normal time, Aya Miyama of Japan equalised in the 81st minute when she tapped in a loose ball after woeful US defending.Alex Morgan had stylishly opened the scoring for the US in the 69th minute when she lashed home having run onto a long ball.US President Barack Obama watched the match from the White House but his messages of support failed to inspire his team in the dramatic shootout.


Source - Reuters 

Estate folk submit list of grouses

HULU SELANGOR: The residents of Nigel Gardner estate here have compiled their grievances and the list will be handed to MIC central working committee member S Vell Paari tomorrow.Based on the nine-page handwritten document, the residents' main grouse was being let down by both Barisan Nasional (BN) and Pakatan Rakyat with regard to realising their dream of owning a house."Since 1999 we have requested the government for houses. But the answer is zero," said one resident when contacted.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, the resident said that during the Hulu Selangor by-election last year, BN and Pakatan leaders made numerous promises, which were never kept.Apart from this, the workers also wanted a salary increment, saying their current wages fell below RM1,000."How do you expect a family to survive on RM,1000?" asked the resident, adding that there were also those working as clearners in the estate's schools, who earn about RM500 a month.

Jeyakumar, the activist doctor

COMMENT Dr Jeyakumar Devaraj, or Kumar as I call him, is a public figure of enormous stature. Very much respected for his achievements and contributions to medicine and public health in Malaysia, he was the recipient of the Malaysian Medical Association's 1999 Award for Community Service. As a government physician, Kumar served many years in hospitals in Penang, Sarawak and Perak, and chose optional retirement when he ran in the 1999 general elections. In addition, Kumar is a tireless social advocate and activist.
Kumar and I were classmates from Form 1 to Upper Sixth Form in the Penang Free School between 1967 and 1973. In subsequent years, while we attended universities in the United States (and, for Kumar, Universiti Malaya as well), and after we began our own careers, we maintained frequent, though irregular, contacts.

Some people may think of the dispossessed and marginalised communities as simply being 'unfortunate' in that they have neither benefited from booms nor been protected from slumps. Others consider them to belong to the past - to sunset sectors and redundant labour ready to be dumped by globalisation's sunrise industries, new technologies and emerging divisions of labour.

DAP man on mission to help war victims

KUALA LUMPUR: DAP’s M Manogaran is determined to help Sri Lankan Tamils deal with the aftermath of the 30-year civil war in their country.He told reporters today that he would seek help from India by engaging with both New Delhi and the Tamil Nadu state government.The civil war ended in 2009, when the Sri Lankan army crushed the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in the island nation's Tamil-dominated north.  Since then 300,000 civilians have been living in camps under military rule.

"We will meet Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalitha in a week or two," said Manogaran, who is the MP for Teluk Intan. He visited Sri Lanka last month with Sungai Petani MP Johari Abdul and Senator S Ramakrishnan.
They held the press conference today to publicise their fact-finding report.“We are seeking India's help for meaningful change to happen for the war victims," Manogaran said.India is seen as an influential big brother in South Asia.

Q&A: Malaysia’s Ambiga Sreenevasan

An estimated 20,000 protesters gathered in Kuala Lumpur on Saturday to call for reforms to Malaysia’s electoral system. The surprisingly large turnout—and the government’s tough response, with water cannons and tear gas—appears to have galvanized the country’s opposition, which until recently had struggled to gain traction against a government led by Prime Minister Najib Razak.The protesters believe Malaysia’s government must reform to reduce electoral fraud and create a level playing field for all parties, including the opposition. Government officials say rally organizers were trying to embarrass the government, garner sympathy for opposition politicians and threaten social order.
The question now is whether Malaysia’s opposition groups can capitalize on the momentum from Saturday’s rally and force further changes in one of Southeast Asia’s linchpin economies– or if voters will continue to stick with Mr. Najib and the ruling coalition that has dominated Malaysia since it gained independence from Britain several decades ago.The Wall Street Journal’s Celine Fernandez recently spoke with Ambiga Sreenevasan, chairwoman of Bersih 2.0 (or the Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections), a coalition of activists that organized Saturday’s rally. A former president of the Malaysian Bar Council, she was the first Malaysian to receive the U.S. Secretary of State’s International Women of Courage Award for championing human rights, the status of women and religious tolerance in Malaysia. Here are some edited excerpts from the interview:

Special Lane for Bus, Taxis in Jln Tun Sambanthan Beginning Aug 20

KUALA LUMPUR, The Federal Territories and Urban Wellbeing Ministry will create a special lane for buses and taxis in Jalan Tun Sambanthan heading to Bangsar and Seputeh, while maintaining Jalan Sultan Abdul Samad as one-way street starting on Aug 20.Its minister, Senator Datuk Raja Nong Chik Raja Zainal Abidin said the move was hoped to provide more comfort to the residents, traders and road users in Brickfields who have been suffering traffic congestion and noise pollution due to ongoing work on a traffic dispersal system there which began in October last year.

"The main problem faced by road users and residents is traffic congestion and noise pollution especially in Jalan Sultan Abdul Samad as the road is the main road for buses heading to Seputeh and Bangsar," he said in a statement here today.He said since Aug 3, 2010, the traffic congestion eased after the road was turned into a one-way street and thus, the ministry and Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) were planning to maintain the one-way traffic flow."However, if there is a need to turn Jalan Sultan Abdul Samad back to a  two-way street, it will be studied and reviewed," he said.

    
Meanwhile, he said the creation of a special lane for buses and taxis in Jalan Tun Sambanthan heading to Taman Seputeh or Jalan Travers in Bangsar would also help in diverting the buses from entering Jalan Sultan Abdul Samad.To facilitate pedestrians, especially the blind, Raja Nong Chik said five overhead pedestrian bridges would also be built in Brickfields, with two of them equipped with elevators for the disabled."Apart from that, elevated parking lots would also be built in Jalan Tun Sambanthan 1 near the DBKL Sports Club and in Jalan Tun Sambanthan 6 near the Brickfields Post Office," he added. 

Source : Bernama

‘Lady of Liberty’ at Bersih march draws online support

KUALA LUMPUR, July 11 — Quiet has settled over Saturday’s chaos but one image is still making waves on the Internet — the picture of an elderly woman in yellow, drenched in rain and chemical-laced water, walking away from riot police while clutching on to a long-stemmed flower and a near-empty mineral water bottle.

She is Annie Ooi Siew Lan, a 65-year-old retired English teacher who took a bus from Setapak in the early morning of July 9 to join thousands of others in Bersih 2.0’s march for free and fair elections. An unknown man had offered her the flower in the morning and she waved it like a flag throughout the four-hour march.

Netizens have dubbed her “Aunty Bersih”, and even Malaysia’s “Lady of Liberty”, for placing her health and safety at risk to join a march the government had declared illegal.

Pictures of the diminutive Ooi strolling in the war zone that Kuala Lumpur had turned into are all over the Internet, inviting messages of awe and wonderment from netizens across the country.On Facebook, at least three fan pages were set up in dedication to Ooi immediately after the event. One page called “Malaysian Lady of Liberty” attracted 17,176 “likes” as of 9am this morning.Ooi was one of the few who dared to turn up in yellow to mark the occasion, despite earlier warnings that those with clothes indicating support for the outlawed Bersih 2.0 coalition would be arrested.

Offices shut early, roads closed ahead of Bersih rally

KUALA LUMPUR, July 8 — Several offices sent their staff home early today as police began locking down the federal capital ahead of the Bersih rally calling for free and fair elections tomorrow.National oil company Petronas sent their staff home at 4pm today while other offices in the 88-storey Petronas Twin Towers closed for the day after lunch. It is understood the management of the Suria mall beneath the iconic twin towers will also put up blockades around the shopping complex as a security precaution although it remains open to the public.
City police have already closed off Dataran Merdeka in the middle of the city today but most roads will be closed from midnight.

The roadblocks and diversions will affect entry points along the entire stretch of Jalan Syed Putra, Jalan Istana, Jalan Bukit Petaling, Jalan Bellamy and the area surrounding Istana Negara, police said in a posting at the www.rmp.gov.my website.Also affected would be the area surrounding the National Mosque in the Lake Gardens area, covering the entire stretch of Jalan Sultan Hishammuddin, Jalan Lembah Perdana and Jalan Chenderasari.In the city centre, blockades will be set up around Dataran Merdeka, Pasar Seni, Masjid Jamek, Dataran DBKL, Kompleks Sogo, Maju Junction, Masjid Kampung Baru, Jalan Kinabalu, Jalan Kuching, Jalan Sultan Ismail, Jalan Raja Laut, Jalan Sri Amar, Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman, Jalan Haji Taib, Jalan Raja Muda Musa, Jalan Raja Bot, Jalan Raja Abdullah, Jalan Dang Wangi, Jalan Munshi Abdullah, Jalan Gereja, Jalan Raja Chulan, Jalan Tun Perak, Jalan Tun Tan Cheng Loke, Jalan Sultan Mahmud and all areas within their immediate vicinity.

Indian students urged to apply now

KUALA LUMPUR: Indian students currently in Form Five have been urged to apply for the matriculation programme for the year 2012/2013.MIC vice-president SK Devamany said Education Minister Muhyiddin Yassin has invited the Form Five students to apply for next session.According to Devamany it is better that the students, who are scheduled to sit for SPM this year apply now and not later.He said the ministry was offering seats in three streams of accountancy, science and technical (engineering).“This is a good opportunity and every student should apply for the matriculation programme,” he told FMT.

Welcome to gang land

SERI KEMBANGAN: Gang-related deaths and disappearances have become a common feature over the past few years in Serdang.The latest incident revolves around five men, who were said to be involved in numerous criminal activities such as drugs and extortion rackets.Last April, the five vanished without a trace, and it is believed that they were kidnapped by their rivals.

Over the years, Serdang had become a heaven for illegal crimes, mainly involving Indians youths, and FMT learnt that in the last five years alone, 15 were killed or had disappeared.The authorities had yet to charge anyone in connection with these cases.Three rival gangs operate in Serdang - “08”, “Satu Hati” and “36” - and they often crossed swords over the drug and extortion business.

Traffic gridlock in pre-Bersih rally roadblock

The police have erected roadblocks in major thoroughfares in Kuala Lumpur causing massive peak-hour traffic jams in an apparent effort to foil the Bersih rally planned for Saturday.Key roads affected included the Federal Highway near Subang Parade, Subang Jaya near Segi College, Lebuhraya Damansara Puchong (LDP) and KL-Seremban highway in Seri Kembangan.
 
Motorists have vent their anger over the roadblocks, which resulted in many failing to get to work on time.Some have poured their frustration by taking to Twitter.

Here are some of their tweets:

Trust me, Najib tells Indian M'sians

The prime minister has sought the trust of the Indian Malaysian community, saying only this will provide hope for the future.Officiating the new auditorium of the Temple of Fine Arts in Brickfields today, Najib Abdul Razak said the government has many programmes to address legacy and contemporary issues facing the community.But pivotal to the success of the programmes will be the community's trust in the national leadership.

"We must build this hopeful mindset that has to be premised on solid trust between the leaders,” he said."For me to work with you towards a better future, I need your trust so that we may make this sense of hope reach the community everywhere." He also said it is the duty of community leaders and political leaders in government to "absolutely work together" as "hope for all is not created by accident". "It needs constant nurturing and the utmost sincerity and dedication in those that seek to provide it," he noted.

Speaking to about 600 people, Najib also mooted starting with a comprehensive documentation of the history of the Indian community in Malaysia who have "struggled and evolved" with the nation.

Statement By Agong On Bersih Illegal Rally

KUALA LUMPUR -- Istana Negara last night issued a special statement by Yang di-Pertuan Agong Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin on the planned illegal rally by Bersih.Below is the translated full text of the King's statement."I am following closely the developments of the proposed illegal gathering and procession by Bersih with the aim of handing over a memorandum to me as the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, and how the government, particularly the agencies and departments concerned, is handling the issue.

"However, I believe that the nation's leadership under Yang Amat Berhormat Dato' Sri Mohd Najib Tun Haji Abdul Razak is capable of handling this problem in the best possible way."I urge that amid the political fervour of a section of the people to bolster democracy in our country, it must also be ensured that this demand on democracy does not bring destruction to the country."Generally, we cannot be following too much the practices in other countries, as harmony and stability are vital foundations for a country and which all quarters must protect.

Rajnikanth the man of the masses

Indian cinema has always been synonymous with escapism. Or, at least largely so with picture postcard locales, mesmeric music, vibrant dances and lovely people. It is thence only natural that film heroes and heroines are not just adored but placed on pedestals and revered.Sometimes temples are built for them, and when actors turn politicians, they carry with them their celluloid halos, enslaving their electorates.

This is a phenomenon that is particularly strong in southern India, where Dravidian political parties have been using movies to spread their ideologies, capturing the imagination of the masses.Tamil Nadu’s onetime Chief Minister, MG Ramachandran, acted out the Dravidian dogma, endearing in the process to the poor and socially downtrodden.In neighbouring Andhra Pradesh, NT Ramarao slipped into mythological characters – like Rama and Krishna – and transformed himself into an epitome of godliness, eventually winning hearts and votes.