Klang City Council tears down disabled woman’s stall

KLANG: The Klang City Council (MPK) bulldozed a disabled woman's fruit stall and refused to tell her why it was done.P Banu, 35, who runs a fruit stall business with her husband in Jalan Teratai, Meru, for the last seven years, said last week a group of MPK enforcement officers came to the stall and asked her to pack up her goods as they were going to tear down the stall."When I asked why, they just smiled at me and started the bulldozer. I could not stop them as I am disabled.”Banu said that she tried to get a licence from MPK but was told she had to register the fruit business with the authorities.

Kate and William ready for 'happiest day'

Prince William and Kate Middleton were set to marry today in Britain's biggest royal wedding in 30 years, to be watched by up to half a million spectators in London and two billion global TV viewers.The red carpet and floral decorations were in place at the Westminster Abbey venue as Britons across the country prepared to toast the occasion with champagne breakfasts and around 6,000 street parties.Over a quarter of the world's population is expected to watch the moment Kate becomes a princess after William places the wedding ring on her finger in the church which held the funeral for his late mother Diana.

On the eve of the wedding, thousands of campers had transformed The Mall, the wide boulevard leading to Buckingham Palace, into a multicoloured sea of flags and eccentric headgear as they prepared to cheer on the newly weds.Some of them were lucky enough to catch a glimpse of William when he made an impromptu evening visit to shake hands with well-wishers, before retiring to spend his last night as a single man with his family.The 28-year-old prince was heard telling his fans: “All I've got to do is get the lines right”.

Expelled MIC Deputy Youth Chief Mugilan Ready to Make Comeback

KUALA LUMPUR, 28 APRIL, 2011: Expelled MIC Youth Deputy Chief V. Mugilan is ready to make a comeback to the party and probably contest the wing's top post in the future.Mugilan, who was sacked after starting the Gerakan Anti-Samy Vellu (GAS) campaign last year, however said his immediate plan was to submit an appeal and also to meet MIC Youth Chief T. Mohan."I intend to go for the youth leader's post in the next party election...but it is still very early to talk about it," he told a press conference called to announce the intention of nine expelled MIC members to be reinstated.

Pekerja lumpuh kesal tuntutan Perkeso ditolak

PUTRAJAYA: Seorang pekerja wanita yang lumpuh kesal apabila Pertubuhan Keselamatan Sosial (Perkeso) menolak tuntutannya untuk mendapatkan pencen ilat.M. Vijaya, 47, hilang pekerjaannya sebagai pekerja kilang dan tukang sapu di Ringlet, Cameron Highlands selepas disahkan diserang angin ahmar dan lumpuh bahagian kiri badan pada tahun 2006.Seksyen 16(2)(b) dalam Akta Perkeso menyatakan seseorang harus ditafsirkan sebagai ilat jika beliau tidak berupaya mendapat pendapatan melebihi 33 peratus daripada jumlah yang diperolehi sebelum keilatan itu.

MIC candidates: Sweeping changes expected

KUALA LUMPUR : MIC president G Palanivel is expected to make sweeping changes to the party's candidates list for the next general election.MIC sources revealed that Palanivel has set his sights on the next general election and all efforts are not spared in ensuring candidates from the largest Indian-based political party in the country wins back the seats its lost in the 2008 general election.Top in the list of preparation is the party's list of nine parliamentary and 19 state assembly candidates, and sources said Palanivel will wield his axe on several top guns in the party while providing space for the younger blood to take over.

Indian guru Sai Baba dies, mourners gather

PUTTAPARTHI, INDIA: Indian spiritual leader Sai Baba, one of the country's most famous gurus, died in hospital on Sunday, triggering an outpouring of grief from devotees around the world.He was 85 and succumbed to heart problems, his doctors said in a statement, after being in critical condition for more than three weeks.Thousands of Hindu followers massed at the Institute of Higher Medical Sciences hospital where Sai Baba was being treated in his hometown of Puttaparthi, in the southern state of Andhra Pradesh.

Police used barriers to hold back mourning crowds, and appealed for public calm after the death was announced."Sai Baba is no more with us physically. He breathed his last at 7:40 am and died due to cardio-respiratory failure," the hospital statement said."His body will be kept for public worship for two days on Monday and Tuesday."Devotees congregated in the town over recent weeks to hold special prayers asking for a miracle to allow Sathya Sai Baba - as he was properly known - to recover.

Rebuilding of Sri Maha Mariamman Temple begins

The controversial Sri Maha Temple in Kampung Rimba Jaya, Padang Jawa which was demolished in November 2007 is set to be rebuilt on 15,000 sq feet of land near the Keretapi Tanah Melayu quarters.The groundbreaking ceremony took place today at the site in Padang Jawa and was attended by Selangor state excos, community leaders and the Indian settlers from the former Kampung Rimba Jaya.The temple was ordered to be torn down by the authorities as it stood in the vicinity of the Rimba Jaya squatter settlement.

Its controversial demolition by the state government in 2007 had led to many Indians turning their backs on BN.The Hindu groundbreaking ceremony started at 9.00am with bricks coupled with religious paraphernalia arranged in a four foot-deep hole, which will sit right below the main altar of the soon to be built temple.

UN report: Sri Lanka committed war crimes

PETALING JAYA: War crimes were committed by the Sri Lankan army in the final days of the 30-year bitter civil war with Tamil separatists, a United Nations report revealed.The bloody conflict which drew to an end in 2009, saw the Sri Lankan troops deliberately targeting civilians, aid agencies and hospitals, the United Nations investigation found.In a news report by The Sydney Morning Herald, it was stated that the a three-member expert panel led by former Indonesian attorney-general Marzuki Darusman, delivered the report to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon last week. But, it is yet to be made public.

Cheng continues to draw flak over holiday proposal

GEORGE TOWN: Two Barisan Nasional local leaders have demanded a public apology from a Chinese business leader for stirring racial sentiments by suggesting the cancellation of public holidays for Deepavali and Wesak Day celebrations.Kuala Lumpur and Selangor Chinese Chamber of Commerce chairman William Cheng drew flak from Penang MIC youth wing chief J Dhinagaran and Penang Gerakan’s legal and human rights bureau head Baljit Singh over his alleged statement.Dhinagaran slammed Cheng for insulting the minority groups in the country as if “they are insignificant and irrelevant for nation building.”

PM distances gov't from '1Melayu, 1Bumi' idea

Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak said today the government had nothing to do with the '1Melayu, 1Bumi' movement proposed in a Utusan Malaysia newspaper report."That's the personal opinion of the writer. As for the government, we have a very clear concept which we will continue to work on."And, as for the Malays, it is most important that they support Umno if they want to be politically united," he told reporters after addressing a gathering of farmers, breeders and fishermen in Serdang.Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Minister Noh Omar was also present at the event.

Interlok: TPM bohongi rakyat, dakwa Pengerusi Niat

KUALA LUMPUR: Pengerusi Badan Bertindak Interlok Kebangsaan (Niat), Haji Thasleem Mohamed Ibrahim mendakwa Timbalan Perdana Menteri Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin telah membohongi rakyat Malaysia berhubung isu buku kontroversi, Interlok edisi murid."Muhyiddin di dalam sesi Parlimen pada 24 Mac menyatakan bahawa Jemaah Menteri bersetuju agar Interlok terus diguna pakai tetapi tiada seorang pun yang menjelaskan pendirian mereka.""Seterusnya Muhyiddin berkata keputusan penggunaan Interlok berterusan adalah muktamad namun akhbar Sinar Harian melaporkan Muhyiddin sebagai berkata bahawa Interlok hanya akan digunakan selepas pindaan dilaksanakan."

Merlimau multi-faith temple finally gets the nod

By the time a by-election was called in Merlimau in February, the committee members of a unique Hindu-Taoist temple in Kampung Simpang Kerayong had just about lost all hope. But with the by-election came the glare of the media spotlight. And several months after the communal storm which surrounded the 40-year-old temple was given much airplay, the temple is finally able to be built on the land where it was founded.

According to temple committee member N Ganesan, the approval came on March 29 through a telephone call from Malacca executive councillor R Perumal.

“A few of us from the committee met Perumal on March 27, and discussed the matter. Our architect also met some officials prior to that.“Chief Minister Mohd Ali Rustam had also visited the site earlier, and we understand that the approval came after his intervention,” said Ganesan when contacted. Perumal, when contacted, confirmed this.

Groups blast 'cancel Deepavali, Wesak hols' call

The call by the chairperson of the Kuala Lumpur and Selangor Chinese Chamber of Commerce for the public holidays of Deeapavali and Wesak to be cancelled and made into normal working days has raised the ire of groups, who have demanded that the remark be retracted and an apology issued. William Cheng (left)  had reportedly lamented as 'too many' the number of public  holidays for being bad for business. The government should consider cancelling Deepavali and Wesak Day, Cheng was said to have proposed, as only a “minority” group of people celebrate the occasions. Expressing “shock” at his statement today, DAP said expressed its “strongest objection” against the proposal.

Tricubes pins hope on EPF, IRB notices to sustain myemail.my

KUALA LUMPUR, April 20 — Tricubes Berhad will spend RM5.3 million first for the 1 Malaysia email project but will embark on a pension and tax notification initiative to sustain the service that many say is unnecessary.The IT company, which is currently in danger of being delisted from Bursa Malaysia for financial irregularities, said a slew of value-added services will be enough to pay for the total RM50 million outlay at no cost to the government or the public.The myemail.my service will threaten Pos Malaysia Berhad’s postal services for the Employees Provident Fund and Internal Revenue Board. Credit card firms and online portals, such as myeg.com.my, already provide payment facilities for such services.

KL public transport not convenient

PETALING JAYA: Why are the Klang Valley residents so reluctant to use public transport? The simple answer is: it is so inconvenient. And traffic jams will continue to be a part of everyday life unless the government comes up with a plan to encourage people to use public transport.Urban planner and International Islamic University of Malaysia professor Alias Abdullah told FMT that very few thought of public transport as convenient.“You can take your car anywhere you like, but you can’t do the same with the LRT (Light Rail Transit) or the MRT (Mass Rapid Transit).”

‘Cancel public holidays for Deepavali, Wesak’

KUALA LUMPUR: Tamil newspapers are abuzz with reports that a Chinese business figure has urged the government not to give public holidays for Deepavali and Wesak Day.According to the reports, the chairman of the Kuala Lumpur and Selangor Chinese Chamber of Commerce, William Cheng, had complained about the nation having too many public holidays.He said that the current 17 public holidays were bad for business.

Cheng then purportedly said the government should consider cancelling the public holidays for Deepavali and Wesak Day because the festivals involved “minority” groups.

All Malaysians to get official 1 Malaysia email a/c

PUTRAJAYA, April 19 — Malaysians aged 18 and above will be given a secure 1 Malaysia email account for official purposes, said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak today.The email account will allow direct and secure communication between citizens and the government, and is part of a new one-stop web portal for government services.The web portal will be developed by Tricubes Berhad and will provide services such as social networking, online bill payment and citizen application development.

Ambiga barred from entering Sarawak

KUALA LUMPUR: Bersih 2.0 chairperson Ambiga Sreenevasan was today barred from entering Sarawak, on the eve of the state election. This is the fourth such incident in the past two weeks.Ambiga, a former Bar Council president, landed in Kuching at about 9am, but was told she could not proceed.She said that she had been informed she had been barred following orders from Chief Minister Taib Mahmud’s office.No further reason was given.

“I told the authorities that under Section 67 of the Immigration Act, I should be allowed to enter if there were legitimate political reasons to do so. They told me that they didn’t know anything about it.”Ambiga described the treatment of activists as “appalling”, questioning why the state government did not see fit to allow them entrance.“We as Malaysians should be allowed entrance to the other states of our own nation. I’m anxious to find out what they are trying to hide by doing this.”

Southern battle: Tamil Nadu, Kerala go to polls

CHENNAI: Over 40 millions voters in Tamil Nadu will cast their ballots today, to decide the future of the prosperous state in South India.After a high-voltage campaign that ended on Monday, polling falls on the eve of the Tamil New Year, a day that would decide the political fates of South Indian heavyweights such as M Karunanidhi, leader of Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), and former actress J Jayalalitha, the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AADMK) supremo.“A cocktail of local, national and state level issues will feature in this election prominently.

“And it will be an important one, as it will send a political message, especially on corruption that had been the mainstay of the political discourse this time,” GVL Narasimha Rao, a political analyst and head of Development and Research Services told Bernama.

Mohan must reveal details of ‘missing’ funds

KUALA LUMPUR : MIC Youth chief T Mohan must reveal details of a fund collected through a charity dinner held on December, 2010, as some RM100,000 has "simply disappeared".In making the call, former MIC Youth public complaints bureau head R Ramanan said he was ready to reveal the "abuses" in the “Zuna Night” collection but on condition that Mohan and MIC Youth treasurer J Dhinakaran vacate their positions immediately.


He said the issue had been raised numerous time but Mohan's silence on the matter was deafening, indicating that something was not right with the accounts of the fund.He said that the fund raising dinner was organised by the Youth wing with the expenses fully borne by Human Resources Minister Dr S Subramaniam."I found out that the Youth wing managed to collect RM400,000. My sources tell me that about RM100,000 from the RM400,000 simply vanished from the accounts," he told FMT today.

In Malaysia, where Money is still God

Written by  Iskandar Dzulkarnain, Malaysia Chronicle


The case of a Customs officer found dead at the offices of the Malaysian Anti Corruption Commission reminds us again of the ongoing corruption and graft facing Malaysia today.Most will agree that Malaysia is one of the most corrupted countries in the world now. The obscene amounts running into billions of ringgit from black market activities borders to the extreme, and completely boggles the mind. Governed by a near dictatorship, a police state and repressive laws like the ISA, OSA and the Sedition Act, Malaysia is on the brink of collapse.

The amount of corruption in Malaysia, if listed in detail, will be hundreds of pages long, but let’s just concentrate on the latest expose’ – the Customs controversy. Everyone is waiting in anticipation of the investigation of Sarbani, Asst Director of Selangor Customs.An autopsy was performed pending lab analysis, and he is already buried. A customs officer has been arrested with RM2 million stashed away is only the tip of the iceberg. What is ironic is that the corruption has been going on for half a century and the authorities took so long to clamp down on graft shows that none of the enforcement agencies have any clout or Independence.

TN polls: Blender-grinder of corruption

The polls campaigns to five Indian State assemblies in Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal and Pondicherry, are in full swing these days. The rising tide of protest against corruption is expected to feature prominently in these polls, especially with the new support gathering for the fast launched by Anna Hazare, a respected social and political leader, against corruption, and demanding key amendments to the proposed Lokpal legislation by the Congress led government in New Delhi, supposedly to fight corruption.

The Union Government and the Centre, and its allies in various states, will certainly be facing an uphill task as the Hazare campaign gains strength, and shows signs of becoming the precursor to a revolt in the Indian streets, at least in states such as Bengaloru, Kolkata, Kerala and in New Delhi itself. The magnet that Hazare’s fast, now in its fourth day, has been to the educated youth in the major cities of India points to the possibility of a new dynamic in the world’s largest electoral democracy.

Life savings gone into sinking homes

IPOH: Ten families who used their life savings to build their dream homes 15 years ago are now having sleepless nights – their houses are slowing sinking.Life for these families from Kampung Tersusun Buntong Tiga Tambahan has become a daily nightmare since then.The distraught residents feel they have been short-changed by the state government into building their houses on a former dumpsite.The families are former squatters who have been relocated from various squatter areas by the state government to this village which has about 500 houses.

MACC to Use Ground Floor for Business with Public

PUTRAJAYA, 8 APRIL, 2011: The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) today announced the drastic measure of conducting all business involving accused persons, suspects, witnesses and complainants on the ground floor of MACC premises with immediate effect. MACC Deputy Chief Commissioner (Management and Professionalism) Datuk Zakaria Jaafar said that at MACC offices which did not occupy the ground floor, especially in the states, MACC officers would monitor these people at all times.

Samy Vellu: I never gave instruction to withdraw RM4m

KUALA LUMPUR: Former MIC president S Samy Vellu denied today that he had instructed the then Maju Institute of Educational Development CEO P Chithirakala to withdraw RM4 million from MIED's accounts and prepare three cheques to purchase shares for his son, S Vell Paari."It's a lie. I never gave such instruction," Samy Vellu said under cross-examination by Chithirakala's counsel J Chandra, at the Sessions Court here.He also disagreed with Chandra's suggestion that the money actually belonged to him but was kept under the name of Rashid Manaf, an AIMST Sdn Bhd shareholder.

'Customs man's injuries in line with fall from height'

The injuries found on Selangor Customs Department assistant director Ahmad Sarbani Mohamed are consistent with falling from a height, said Federal Territory police chief Zulkifli Abdullah.“From the injuries that were seen on his body, we think they are consistent with a fall from a height, but we have to wait for the laboratory report before coming to any conclusions,” he said.Speaking to reporters after officially opening the Kuala Lumpur police contingent monthly assembly today, Zulkifli said samples were taken from the deceased during a post-mortem that lasted more than a day.

No need for MACC chief to resign, says Nazri

Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) chief commissioner Abu Kassim Mohamed (photo) needed not resign from his post although pressured by some quarters to do so, said Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Mohamed Nazri Aziz."We did not expect the incident to happen and it was not the MACC's wish for it to happen. So, I do not agree with calls for Abu Kassim to resign as it will not solve the problem," he told reporters at the Parliament lobby today.

Samy Vellu: Chithirakala drafted supporting letter to Najib

KUALA LUMPUR: Former Maju Institute of Educational Development (MIED) chief executive officer P Chithirakala drafted a supporting letter to then Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Najib Tun Razak over an application for the National Service Camp project, the Sessions Court here was told today. Former MIC president S Samy Vellu said the letter, dated July 28, 2006, was signed by him on a works ministry letter-head, based on trust on Chithirakala after she had convinced him that Silver Line Services Sdn Bhd was 100% Indian-owned company and the community could benefit from it.

"I signed the supporting letter for the purpose of the Indian community and not for the benefit of Chithirakala's family," he said when cross-examined by defence counsel Salehuddin Saidin.Nevertheless, Samy Vellu agreed with Salehuddin's contention that he, as a senior minister then, should have been more careful in knowing the contents of the letter since it involved the ministry's official letter-head.

Customs officer falls to his death at MACC office

KUALA LUMPUR: A Customs officer fell to his death from the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) office in Jalan Cochrane here today.The deceased was identified as Selangor Customs Department assistant director, Ahmad Sarbani Mohamed, 56.He was among 62 officers arrested in a joint operation in Penang, Johor, Selangor and Pahang by a special task force comprising MACC, the Inland Revenue Board, the Customs Department and Bank Negara.

Speaking at a press conference here, MACC director of investigations Mustafar Ali said the deceased came to the commission's office at about 8am to meet the case's investigating officer."He was one of the Customs officers arrested during the raid on April 1 at Port Klang. He was released the day after at 12.30pm after posting bail," he said.Upon arriving at the office, Sarbani was unable to meet the investigating officer as the latter was in a meeting.The deceased then waited at the lobby until 9.30am and was later escorted by another officer who brought him to his office.

Interlok: MIC man accepts debate dare

KLANG : Combative MIC leader KP Samy today accepted a DAP challenge to an open debate on Interlok and offered to fund the session.However, he said the challenger, Sungkai assemblyman A Sivanesan, must bring along a statement from the Pakatan Rakyat leadership calling for the banning of the controversial novel.Samy, a former member of the MIC Central Working Committee, claims to be the first man to have sent a letter to the Prime Minister protesting against the use of the novel in schools.

Interlok protest: DAP MP, PKR man arrested

KUALA LUMPUR: The police today arrested Teluk Intan MP M Manogaran and PKR division leader MS Arjunan for protesting against the controversial Interlok novel at the Batu Caves Hindu temple.They were taken to the Gombak police district headquarters for questioning and were released at 3.30pm after their statements had been recorded.Manogaran, a DAP first-time parliamentarian, and Arjunan, who is also the president of the Malaysian Tamil Students Progressive Associations (MATSAP), arrived at the Batu Caves temple this morning with a small group of supporters to demonstrate against the novel.

They were protesting against the government's decision to retain Interlok as compulsory reading for Form Five students taking Malay literature.The anger over the novel has been simmering for months now after it was discovered that the school edition novel contained words which disparaged the Indian community.

Indian voters: PKR shoos, Najib woos

KUALA LUMPUR: Pakatan Rakyat is losing support among the Indian community and this is because of PKR, said the party's former deputy secretary-general PS Jenapala.“There is no need for an analysis (on this matter), it's clear that Pakatan is losing Indian support because of PKR,” he told FMT.Jenapala, who now heads the Indian Justice Party, pointed out that in by-elections held in Hulu Selangor (Selangor), Bagan Pinang (Negeri Sembilan), Tenang (Johor) and Merlimau (Malacca), Indian votes played a big role in securing victory for Barisan Nasional.

According to him, the main reason why PKR had lost Indian support was because the party refused to take care of the plight of the community."People are fed-up with PKR. Internal problems, grassroots leaders being neglected, not recognising the Human Rights Party and party leaders jumping ship. The people have grown tired of PKR,” he said.

Muhyiddin says government will not revisit ‘Interlok’

PAGOH, March 31 — Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said today the federal government will not bow to fresh demands from Chinese groups to remove the controversial “Interlok” novel from the school syllabus.The deputy prime minister said that as far as the government was concerned the issue had been resolved.He also described groups raising the issue again as irresponsible.

Fresh trouble is brewing over the use of “Interlok” in schools, with Chinese groups yesterday condemning the novel’s depiction of Chinese characters as greedy, opium-smoking lechers keen to exploit Malays for profit.Having weathered a storm of controversy from the Indian community over the novel’s use of the word “pariah”, the Education Ministry now faces Chinese calls to drop the “racist” book from the Form Five Bahasa Malaysia syllabus.