Is The Government Not Concerned For The People's Suffering?

IT'S like pouring salt to injury. That is how Malaysians feel now as price and rate increment imposed by the Malaysian government seems to pressure the existing burden faced by Malaysian citizens.

The coming year will be the most challenging, especially for the low and moderate income as price of goods and services increase simultaneously.

After the 13th general election, the government never cease to surprise Malaysians with shocking news when they announced, one after another, price increase in goods and services as well as the removal or reduction of government subsidies.

It started with the reduction of subsidies that lead to the increase of RON95 and diesel by 20 per cent, followed by the removal of sugar subsidy by 34 cents, the increase in electricity tariff by 4.99 sen per kilowatt hour (KWH), the revised rate of gas, LRT and monorail and the current toll rates in 13 highway seems to form a series of price increases.

Previously, the Works Minister Datuk Fadillah Yusof said that there will be a revision on the toll rates structure revision next year.

However, Datuk Seri Abdul Wahid Omar from the Prime Minister's Department dropped the bomb and said the time has come for the toll rates to be increased, given that the concession agreement stated that it (rates) should be reviewed and increased in 2011.

World unites for Mandela memorial

SOWETO: Tens of thousands of grieving South Africans will sit side-by-side with presidents, priests, queens and sheikhs today at a memorial service for unifying global icon Nelson Mandela.

Close to 100 world leaders and 80,000 South Africans will gather at a stadium in Soweto — the crucible of Mandela’s anti-apartheid struggle — to bid farewell to a man whose life story earned uncommon universal respect.

News of the prisoner-turned-president’s death at his home in Johannesburg on Thursday resonated around the world, triggering a wave of loving admiration from political and religious leaders, some of whom agree on little else.

The presidents of the United States and Cuba are among those who will share a stage, pausing rivalries that date back to the Cold War to pay tribute as millions around the world look on.

The event is part of an extended state funeral that will culminate in Mandela’s burial on Sunday in the rural village of Qunu where he spent his early childhood.

A massive security operation will swing into place as South Africans grab their final chance to unite in a mass celebration of Mandela’s life ahead of the more formal lying in state.

Spain to open vs Netherlands

COSTA DO SAUIPE, Brazil -- World champions Spain will open their defence of the title at the 2014 World Cup play with a rematch of the 2010 final against Netherlands, while hosts Brazil kick off against Croatia and the United States was drawn in the tournament's Group of Death.

 The draw, which opened with a tribute to Nelson Mandela, saw Brazil alongside Mexico and Cameroon in Group A, while Spain were drawn in Group B with Chile -- who they also faced en route to lifting the trophy in South Africa in 2010 -- and Australia, as well as the Netherlands.

"I said this morning that we would get Holland in the first game, and look what happened," Spain coach Vicente del Bosque said. "What fortune! It is up to us to be very good from the first day. The Dutch will demand the best from us. From there, it could all depend on us and our mental preparation."

Colombia, Ivory Coast, Japan and Greece are together in Group C. South American champions Uruguay, Euro 2012 finalists Italy, Costa Rica and England are in a highly competitive Group D. Switzerland, Honduras, Ecuador and France are in Group E.

Argentina, Nigeria, Iran and Bosnia-Herzegovina are in Group F. Bosnia-Herzegovina -- the only debutant at next year's finals -- will play their first-ever World Cup match against Argentina.


Group G looks set to be this tournament's 'Group of Death', containing Germany, Ghana, United States and Portugal. Belgium, South Korea, Algeria and Russia complete the draw in Group H.

 Mexico will play their first match against Cameroon, while the USA take on their 2010 second-round conquerors, Ghana, in their opener.

Making their seventh straight World Cup appearance, the Americans will open on June 16 in Natal.

"I kind of had in my stomach that we were going to get Germany," said Klinsmann. "Obviously it's one of the most difficult groups in the whole draw, having Portugal with Cristiano Ronaldo and then Ghana, who has a history with the United States. It couldn't get any more difficult or any bigger."

With the longest travel schedule of any World Cup team at almost 9,000 miles, the US meet Portugal and Cristiano Ronaldo on June 22 in the Amazon rainforest city of Manaus.

They close their group against Germany in Recife on June 26 in Recife, facing the team that beat them in the 2002 quarter-finals.


In Group D, Italy start against England, who they defeated in a penalty shootout at Euro 2012 before losing to Spain in the final.

 "It’s a tough group, no doubt about that," England manager Roy Hodgson said. "With Uruguay and Italy, we’ve almost got two No. 1 seeds, because Italy were very unlucky not to be seeded amongst the first eight. We know how good they are, because we lost to them in the Euros."

Argentina, champion in 1978 and 1986, first plays Bosnia-Herzegovina, the only World Cup newcomer among the 32 teams. After that game at the Maracana stadium in Rio de Janeiro, the Argentine team of four-time world player of the year Lionel Messi then plays Iran and finally Nigeria. In six previous World Cup encounters, Nigeria has beaten Argentina just once.

Farewell, Madiba

NICOSIA: So what, exactly, is it that makes Nelson Mandela so special?

Apart from the fact that he emerged from 27 years in apartheid prisons bearing so little malice. And that he insisted on “reconciliation” being central to a truth commission in order to heal wounds caused by years of bitter racial hatred.

And that he donned a Springbok jersey and took to the field during the 1995 rugby World Cup final in a bold bid to unite the nation behind the mainly-white South African team.

And that he stepped down after just one term as president, unlike too many world leaders who, once given a whiff of power, cling to it until it destroys them or they destroy the nation they are leading.

These are some of the anti-apartheid icon’s better known qualities.

Reaction to the death of Nelson Mandela

South African President Jacob Zuma: “Our people have lost a father. Although we knew this day was going to come, nothing can diminish our sense of a profound and enduring loss. His tireless struggle for freedom earned him the respect of the world. His humility, passion and humanity earned him their love.”

US President Barack Obama: “He achieved more than could be expected of any man.... Today he’s gone home, and we’ve lost one of the most influential, courageous and profoundly good human beings that any of us will share time with on this earth.”

British Prime Minister David Cameron: “A great light has gone out in the world. Nelson Mandela was a hero of our time.”

Former South African President F.W. de Klerk, on CNN: “He was a great unifier and a very, very special man in this regard beyond everything else he did. This emphasis on reconciliation was his biggest legacy.”

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon: “Nelson Mandela was a giant for justice and a down-to-earth human inspiration. Nelson Mandela showed what is possible for our world and within each one of us if we believe, dream and work together for justice and humanity.”

Former US President Jimmy Carter: “The people of South Africa and human rights advocates around the world have lost a great leader. His passion for freedom and justice created new hope for generations of oppressed people worldwide, and because of him, South Africa is today one of the world’s leading democracies.”

Anti-apartheid icon Mandela dies at 95

South African anti-apartheid hero Nelson Mandela died aged 95 at his Johannesburg home yesterday after a prolonged lung infection, plunging his nation and the world into mourning for a man hailed by global leaders as a moral giant.

Although Mandela had been frail and ailing for nearly a year, President Jacob Zuma’s announcement late yesterday of the death of the former president and Nobel Peace Prize laureate shook South Africa.

Tributes began flooding in almost immediately for a man who was an iconic global symbol of struggle against injustice and of racial reconciliation.

US President Barack Obama said the world had lost “one of the most influential, courageous and profoundly good human beings that any of us will share time with on this earth”.

British Prime Minister David Cameron called Mandela “a hero of our time”and said “a great light has gone out in the world”.

Ordinary South Africans were in shock. “It feels like it’s y father who has died. He was such a good man, who had good values the nation could look up to. He was a role model unlike our leaders of today,” said Annah Khokhozela, 37, a nanny, speaking in Johannesburg.

Mahabharata – Bahagian 57

Sebaik sahaja Raja Yayati memeluk Puru, suatu transformasi magis berlaku. Sebelum ini, Yayati menjadi tua kerana sumpahan Maharishi Sukracharya.

Akan tetapi, kini Yayati tiba-tiba memiliki kekuatan seperti seorang remaja berusia 15 tahun. Sementara itu, putera bongsunya pula yang kini mendapati dirinya sudah menjadi seorang lelaki tua.

“Betapa hebatnya perasaan ini!” Yayati meluahkan rasa gembira seraya memeluk Puru beberapa kali. “Ayah sudah dapat merasakan darah muda dan hormon remaja menular dalam tubuh ini.”

Puru pula kepenatan kerana tiba-tiba bertukar menjadi orang tua.

Dia meminta diri untuk duduk di atas kerusi. Sementara itu, Yayati melompat-lompat dan menggerak-gerakkan tangannya kerana amat gembira dengan transformasi yang berlaku pada diri.

“Apakah ayah akan kembali kepada ibu?” tanya Puru sejurus kemudian.

“Kembali kepada Devayani?” Yayati mengerutkan kening sebelum ketawa.

Mahabharata – Bahagian 56

Putera keempat berminat untuk mengetahui tawaran terkini yang dikemukakan oleh Raja Yayati. Para putera lain juga ingin tahu.

“Ayah menjadi tua akibat sumpahan Maharishi Sukracharya. Kalau kau bersetuju menyerahkan usia muda kau kepada ayah, maka kau boleh menggantikan ayah sebagai raja Kerajaan Bharata.

“Apabila ayah sudah puas menikmati hidup bersama-sama para gadis dan wanita, maka ayah akan kembalikan usia muda ini kepada kau. Kau pula boleh terus kekal sebagai raja,” Yayati mencadangkan.

Putera keempat berfikir sebentar. Dia sedar bahawa dia perlu membuat keputusan teliti agar tidak menyesal nanti. Misalnya, Yayati menyebut “apabila ayah sudah puas” dan perkara itu adalah amat subjektif.

Mungkin mengambil masa setahun, lima tahun atau sepuluh tahu sebelum Yayati benar-benar berasa puas.

“Maafkan saya, ayah. Saya tetap terpaksa menolak tawaran ini.”

“Kenapa?” Yayati bertanya dengan penuh sedih dan suara merayu.

“Suatu hakikat yang diketahui umum adalah bahawa warga emas yang sudah terlalu lanjut usia – seperti ayah sekarang – akan menghadapi masalah untuk membersihkan diri sendiri sekali pun,” kata putera keempat tanpa mendedahkan mengenai isu “apabila ayah sudah puas” itu.

“Oh! Bukankah dayang-dayang boleh memandikan kau dengan penuh manja dan mesra?”

“Bagaimana kalau saya sarankan perkara sama kepada ayah? Supaya ayah membiarkan dayang-dayang melayan ayah?”

Yayati terkedu mendengar jawapan yang amat pedas dan menikam kalbu. Raja berkenaan sedar bahawa putera keempat juga tidak bersedia untuk menyerahkan usia muda kepadanya.

Dalam diam, Yayati menyumpah-nyumpah isterinya, Devayani. Kalau bukan kerana wanita itu mengadu kepada bapanya iaitu Sukracharya, tentulah segala masalah ini tidak wujud.

Tidak timbul keperluan untuk Yayati merayu-rayu kepada putera-puteranya.

“Bagaimana pula dengan kau?” Yayati memandang sekilas putera bongsunya yang berumur 15 tahun.

Yayati sedar bahawa sebagai seorang remaja yang baru sahaja mula menikmati keseronokan berkasih dan meniduri wanita, putera kelima itu pasti amat keberatan untuk meninggalkan alam remaja.

“Demi ayah, saya bersetuju.”

Yayati amat terkejut mendengar kata-kata yang diucapkan oleh Puru. Keempat-empat putera turut hairan dengan jawapan yang diberikan oleh adik bongsu mereka.

“Nampaknya dia masih terlalu mentah untuk memahami apa yang bakal dia kehilangan,” bisik putera keempat kepada abang-abangnya.

 “Dalam masa sehari sahaja, dia pasti tidak dapat mengawal nafsu dan mahu kembali menjadi remaja.”

Yayati berpura-pura tidak mendengar bisikan itu. Sebaliknya dia segera berdiri lalu menghampiri Puru.

Putera bongsu itu juga berjalan ke arah ayahnya yang ternyata terlalu lemah untuk berjalan dengan cepat.

“Betulkah apa yang ayah dengar? Benarkah kau bersetuju dan bersedia untuk menyerahkan usia muda kau kepada ayah?” Yayati bertanya dengan penuh tidak sabar.

“Benar, ayah. Demi ayah, saya bersedia untuk menjadi orang tua. Biarlah ayah menikmati kepuasan seks seperti yang ayah impikan,” kata Puru tanpa berselindung.

“Benarkah?” Yayati bertanya lagi – lebih kepada dirinya sendiri – seraya fikirannya sepantas kilat sudah mula membayangkan tubuh-tubuh montok yang bakal dapat dinikmatinya dalam masa terdekat.

Tambahan pula, dia bakal memiliki nafsu dan tenaga seperti seorang remaja berumur 15 tahun!


Source : http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/leisure/2013/11/17/mahabharata-%e2%80%93-bahagian-56/

Mahabharata – Bahagian 55

“Maafkan saya, ayah,” kata putera sulung sambil menundukkan kepala.

“Maksud kau?” Raja Yayati bertanya dengan rasa tidak percaya. “Kau tidak sanggup berkorban bagi ayah?”

Putera sulung kepada Raja Kerajaan Bharata itu terus tertunduk. Empat orang adiknya juga tertunduk. Yayati memandang mereka silih berganti.

“Ayah perlu faham bahawa umur saya sekarang 20 tahun. Ayah mengharapkan saya menyerahkan keremajaan dan usia muda saya kepada ayah.

 Sebagai ganti, saya akan menjadi tua.”

“Ya, benar. Dan kau akan segera ditabalkan sebagai pemerintah kerajaan ini, wahai putera sulungku,” Yayati memintas dengan suara memujuk.

“Maafkan saya, ayah,” balas putera sulung sambil mengangkat kepala dan memandang wajah Yayati.

“Kalau saya menjadi tua seperti ayah, maka para wanita dan gadis tidak akan memandang saya.

Mahabharata – Bahagian 54

Kata-kata berupa jaminan yang diberikan oleh Maharishi Sukracharya memberikan sedikit harapan kepada Raja Yayati yang sudah disumpah menjadi orang tua.

“Apakah cara untuk membuang sumpahan ini?” Raja Kerajaan Bharata bertanya tanpa sabar.

“Kau perlu mencari seorang individu yang sanggup bertukar tempat dengan kau,” penasihat kepada golongan asura menjelaskan.

“Maksudnya?”

“Carilah seorang lelaki yang sanggup menyerahkan keremajaan dan kemudaannya kepada kau. Lelaki itu pula akan mengambil alih usia tua yang kini kau miliki.”

Yayati terdiam mendengar akan kata-kata itu. Mana mungkin ada lelaki muda dan bertenaga yang sanggup mengambil alih kedudukannya sebagai seorang warga emas.

Sejurus kemudian, Yayati teringat akan kelima-lima puteranya yang berumur antara 15 dan 20 tahun. Pasti salah seorang daripada mereka akan sanggup berkorban demi bapa yang dicintai.

Mahabharata – Bahagian 53

Selepas berfikir seketika, Maharishi Sukracharya memutuskan untuk menghukum Raja Yayati atas perbuatan menjalinkan hubungan sulit bersama-sama Puteri Sarmista selama hampir 20 tahun.

“Saya menyumpah raja Kerajaan Bharata itu kehilangan segala ciri orang muda dan terus menjadi seorang warga emas yang tidak mampu berbuat apa-apa bagi memenuhi keinginan seksualnya!”

Sebaik sahaja penasihat kepada golongan asura itu melafazkan kata-kata berkenaan, Yayati serta-merta menjadi seorang lelaki tua.

Baginda yang sedang berada di istana bersama-sama Sarmista benar-benar terkejut.

Sarmista yang menyaksikan apa yang berlaku di depan matanya turut terkejut.

Tanpa berlengah, puteri itu segera mengambil segala barang-barang miliknya dan kembali ke istana bapanya iaitu Raja Vrishaparva.

Yayati pula sedar bahawa perubahan mendadak pada dirinya pasti disebabkan perbuatan Devayani yang pergi bertemu bapanya.

Mahabharata – Bahagian 52

Devayani terasa amat bangga dan gembira kerana bersuamikan Raja Yayati. Sekali gus, dia menjadi permaisuri di Kerajaan Bharata.

Bagi Yayati pula, baginda asyik terkenang akan Puteri Sarmista yang mula-mula dilihatnya pada majlis perkahwinan.

Sementara itu, Maharishi Sukracharya dan Raja Vrishaparva terpaksa akur pada syarat yang diletakkan oleh Devayani dahulu.

Maka apabila Devayani berkahwin dan tinggal di istana bersama-sama Yayati, Sarmista diarahkan pergi menjadi pembantu rumah.

Atas sebab itu, saban hari Yayati berpeluang melihat puteri itu bekerja membersihkan istana dan mengemaskan bilik tidurnya.

Di pihak Devayani pula, dia terasa amat gembira dan puas apabila seorang puteri yang angkuh berjaya dijadikan orang gaji yang terpaksa akur pada setiap arahan dan perintah.

Kini dialah wanita nombor satu atau “first lady”.

Devayani terasa amat bahagia hidup sebagai permaisuri. Yayati ternyata seorang suami yang pandai melayan isteri. Setiap kali ada peluang, mereka akan meluangkan masa bersama-sama di dalam bilik.

Lebih dua dekad sudah berlalu dan Devayani sudah melahirkan lima putera. Masing-masing sudah menjadi remaja dan dewasa.

Sebagai seorang wanita yang sudah meningkat usia, Devayani lebih banyak menumpukan masa pada aktiviti keagamaan dan spiritual. Keadaan ini membuatkan Yayati merasai keperluannya diabaikan.

Mahabharata – Bahagian 51

Beberapa minggu sudah berlalu sejak peristiwa Devayani jatuh ke dalam perigi buta di tepi tasik.

Para penduduk di bawah pemerintahan Raja Vrishaparva sudah melupakan kisah itu.

Akan tetapi, tentulah Puteri Sarmista tidak dapat melupai peristiwa berkenaan yang benar-benar menjatuhkan maruah dan kedudukannya sebagai golongan berdarah pemerintah.

“Kononnya saya telah menghina, memperlekeh dan menjatuhkan maruah Devayani! Pada hakikatnya, dialah yang menghina saya.

Saya pasti akan membalas dendam. Hanya itulah motif saya dalam hidup sekarang!” Demikian fikir puteri kepada ketua asura itu.

Sementara itu, Devayani pula sudah tidak meluangkan masa bersama-sama Sarmista.

Sebaliknya dia menggunakan jaringan rangkaian sosial yang dimilikinya untuk berusaha mengesan Raja Yayati, pemerintah Kerajaan Bharata.

“Raja itu bukan sahaja telah menyelamatkan saya dari dalam perigi buta, tetapi juga telah melihat saya dalam keadaan bogel.

Maka hanya baginda yang harus menjadi suami saya,” fikir anak Maharishi Sukracharya sambil melakukan pencarian.

Akhirnya Devayani berjaya memperoleh maklumat lengkap mengenai Yayati.

Ternyata raja itu masih bujang. Terbukti baginda tidak ada kekasih. Tidak ada tanda-tanda Yayati mengamalkan gaya hidup songsang atau terlarang.

Maka, Devayani bertekad untuk bersuamikan pemerintah itu. Tanpa menghiraukan kata-kata raja itu dahulu, Devayani memutuskan untuk pergi menemui Yayati dan memujuknya supaya mereka berkahwin.

Devayani pergi tanpa pengetahuan Sukracharya. Apabila dia sampai di istana Kerajaan Bharata, Yayati terkejut melihat wanita itu. Muka baginda memerah; bukan kerana marah tetapi kerana serba salah.

Tanpa membuang masa, Devayani sekali lagi merayu kepada Yayati supaya menjadi suaminya.

Sekali lagi dia menggunakan ugutan psikologi iaitu dengan mengulangi kenyataan bahawa raja itu telah melihat tubuhnya dalam keadaan berbogel bulat.

“Tetapi pada waktu itu kau berada di dalam perigi buta dan sedang menangis. Kau memerlukan pertolongan.

 Saya membantu dengan ikhlas. Malah, tubuh kau tidak sedikit pun menggoda saya,” kata Yayati dengan gelisah.

“Tapi bukankah tuanku juga telah memegang tangan kanan saya? Maka saya tidak boleh menjadi isteri orang lain.

Kahwinilah saya,” pintas Devayani pula dengan nada yang berbaur antara merayu, mengugut dan mengarahkan.

Yayati termenung seketika. Baginda sedar bahawa kedudukan sosial yang berbeza pasti menjadi salah satu penghalang.

Tambahan pula, terus-terang, baginda tidak sepenuhnya tergoda pada wanita itu sehingga sanggup menjadikannya teman sepanjang hidup.

“Baiklah, kita akan pergi berjumpa ayah kau, Maharishi Sukracharya. Sebagai penasihat kepada Raja Vrishaparva iaitu ketua golongan asura, pasti ayah kau boleh memberikan penyelesaian terbaik.”

Maka Yayati dan Devayani kembali ke rumah Sukracharya. Maharishi itu terasa amat gembira kerana anaknya yang meninggalkan rumah untuk kahwin lari sudah kembali.

Sekurang-kurangnya maruah dan nama baik keluarga tidak terjejas.

Sukracharya dan Yayati berbincang secara teliti dan mendalam mengenai keinginan Devayani untuk menjadikan Raja Bharata itu sebagai suaminya.

Walaupun wujud perbezaan kedudukan dalam masyarakat serta perkara-perkara yang bertentangan dengan budaya dan tradisi, Sukracharya bersetuju untuk menerima Yayati sebagai menantu.

“Usahlah risau tentang segala peraturan dalam masyarakat. Semua itu untuk dipatuhi sepenuhnya oleh golongan bawahan.

Sebagai pemerintah dan kuasawan, tuanku bebas melakukan apa sahaja. Kedudukan tuanku adalah di atas segala undang-undang dan peraturan. Tidak ada sesiapa yang boleh menghalang.”

Selepas mendapatkan jaminan dan sokongan moral daripada Sukracharya, Yayati bersetuju untuk berkahwin dengan Devayani. Majlis diadakan secara ringkas dan sederhana.


Source : http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/leisure/2013/10/06/mahabharata-%e2%80%93-bahagian-51/

Khairy up against FAM brick wall

What does two obscure and relatively unknown countries such as Liechtenstein and Gabon have in common and in context with Malaysia?

Well, for one they are ranked much higher than Malaysia in the latest (October 2013) installment of the FIFA World rankings.

Frankly, I do not know the intricate mechanics that FIFA uses to decide the ranking but what I do know is that one has to win to earn points which go towards the rankings, the one area which we have not been able to pull off consistently.

A quick check indicates that Gabon is located in the West Coast of Central Africa with a population of slight more than 1.5 million, while Liechtenstein is a landlocked alpine country situated in central Europe bordered by Switzerland and Austria. Estimated population, 35,000 (according to Wikipedia).

Ok, enough of geography and let’s get back to the rather pressing issue at hand, the standard of football or rather the lack of it which has been on the decline and for want of a better word, is currently at rock bottom.

Malaysia occupies the 160th position while the likes of Myanmar (149), Vietnam (151) and Belize (145) to mention a few countries, which were not even in the radar when Malaysia qualified for the 1980 Olympics are placed much higher.

Coach Rajagopal has done a splendid job

National football coach K Rajagopal is probably feeling very “hunted” these days following the outcry from certain sections of fans after his team’s defeat to Qatar last Tuesday, in the run-up to the Asian Cup tournament in 2015.

However I, like many silent Malaysians, purely feel that the man has done a splendid job with the Malaysian team till to date, even from the standpoint of Malaysian football history.

If any reasonable Malaysian cares to do a reality check with the history of the Malaysian national football team, it won’t be difficult to realise that since the days of Soh Chin Aun, there was no real credible winning team anywhere until Rajagopal took over the coaching of the Harimau team.

With his guidance, we at least won  two regional tournaments in recent years and brought some prestige to the country, after years of waiting in agony.

Of course, its easy for certain hardcore fans and even certain past players who are now armchair critics and possibly also wannabe future coaches, to spew venom at every opportunity, but the fact remains that Rajagopal has indeed lifted the performance level since those early days of Santokh Singh, Mokhtar Dahari and R Arumugam, while many others, both local and foreign, failed.

Now that Rajagopal's contract ends on Dec 31, 2013 the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) may feel compelled to not extend his contract, but let it be said for the record that this man, Rajagopal, had truly done his duty to the nation by lifting the national team’s performance to the levels of the Middle Eastern nations.

 I sincerely wish him  better days ahead whatever the outcome.

 Thank you, Datuk.


Source : http://www.malaysiakini.com/letters/247335

Not a nice, sweet move for Hindus

PETALING JAYA: The removal of the sugar subsidy could not have come at a worse time for Hindus celebrating Deepavali: now they will have to pay more to make their cakes and sweets.

The move to scrap the subsidy may be good on health grounds since 2.6 million Malaysians under the age of 30 are diabetic patients.

But the government should have been a little bit more considerate for those preparing to usher in the festival of lights on Nov 2.

Deepavali invariably involves making sweets such as gulab jamun (a milk-based dessert served in a sugar syrup), jilabi (sweet dessert made of deep fried dough) and palkova (milk sweet), which of course involves a lot of sugar.

Housewife D Ratnam told theantdaily that while the move to abolish the sugar subsidy might promote a healthy living, the timing was inconsiderate.

“Deepavali is just around the corner. The prime minister [Datuk Seri Najib Razak] should have taken into account the importance of the multi-racial composition of the country especially since we use a lot of sugar in making Deepavali sweets.

Palanivel’s men capture most divisions

SHAH ALAM: MIC president Datuk Seri G Palanivel can breathe easier now after his men have won most of the top posts in the nearly-concluded divisional elections.

In Selangor especially, almost all of Palanivel’s men have been elected to the chairman’s post.

The state, which has the largest number of delegates with almost 30 per cent of the 1,450 delegates nationwide, has become Palanivel’s fort in the coming party elections.

The race is now between Palanivel’s men and his deputy Datuk Seri Dr S Subramaniam who was to have challenged his boss for the presidency but had settled to defend his position following a no-contest deal, brokered by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak.

Under the deal, Palanivel gets to keep his position, inherited from former party supremo Datuk Seri S Samy Vellu, until 2016 before passing the party reins to Subramaniam.

Palanivel has already won his president’s post uncontested.

Recent developments in the party suggest that there is an attempt to get rid of Subramaniam and his line-up of leaders for the party’s three vice-presidents and 23 central working committee members.

The reason is simple: Palanivel needs to have his team of people holding top positions in the party for his own political survival as he had hinted after winning the position unopposed on Sept 1 that he may stay beyond his term.

Mahabharata – Bahagian 50

Raja Vrishaparva yang diiringi Maharishi Sukracharya dan sekumpulan asura berangkat menuju ke tepi tasik di mana Devayani dilaporkan masih duduk menangis kerana dibuli serta dihina oleh Puteri Sarmista.

Peristiwa keberangkatan itu mula tersebar secara meluas dalam kalangan orang ramai.

Walaupun maklumat dan berita cuba disembunyikan oleh golongan pemerintah – kerana melibatkan maruah dan salah-laku golongan bangsawan – rakyat tetap ada cara untuk mendapatkan dan menyebarkan maklumat.

Setiba di tepi tasik yang dimaksudkan, Vrishaparva mendapati memang Devayani sedang duduk menangis teresak-esak di bawah sebatang pokok.

Perkembangan terbaru itu pula segera dilaporkan secara telepatik oleh beberapa pendeta kepada rakan-rakan yang berada jauh dan dekat.

Apabila melihat ketibaan bapanya serta raja yang juga bapa kepada Sarmista, segeralah Devayani berdiri sebagai tanda hormat kerana sudah menjadi kebiasaan sejak kecil.

Sebelum gadis itu sempat menceritakan semula segala apa yang berlaku sejak mula, Sukracharya berkata,

“Tidak perlulah bercerita kerana saya sudah pun memaklumkan secara terperinci apa yang berlaku.”

Mahabharata – Bahagian 49

Golongan asura yang berada di istana Raja Vrishaparva terkejut mendengar kata-kata ketua mereka yang sanggup membunuh diri dengan melompat ke dalam unggun api jika ditinggalkan oleh Maharishi Sukracharya.

“Saya tidak kisah dan saya tidak mahu ambil tahu apa yang akan tuanku lakukan. Saya tidak mahu masuk campur.”

Kata-kata yang diucapkan oleh Sukracharya membuatkan orang ramai dan Vrishaparva terkedu.

Tentulah kemarahan pendeta itu amat memuncak sehingga sanggup meluahkan kata-kata seperti itu kepada ketua golongan asura yang disegani.

“Kalau tuanku sudah tiada sekali pun, saya masih akan meneruskan hidup.

Golongan pemerintah dan penguasa sering mengandaikan bahawa rakyat tidak boleh hidup tanpa mereka.

Hakikat adalah bahawa hidup akan diteruskan seperti biasa tanpa pemerintah yang tidak mampu memainkan peranan yang sewajarnya.”

Wajah Vrishaparva memerah mendengar akan kritikan pedas itu. Namun begitu, baginda tetap berdiam diri kerana mengakui kebenaran kata-kata tersebut.

“Sebagai seorang bapa, insan yang lebih penting dalam hidup saya adalah anak saya iaitu Devayani.

Jika tuanku benar-benar memerlukan saya serta sanggup membunuh diri dengan terjun ke dalam unggun api jika saya memilih untuk meninggalkan kerajaan ini, hanya ada satu cara. …”

Orang ramai terus terpaku. Masing-masing menunggu dengan penuh debaran untuk mengetahui apakah alternatif atau pilihan yang mahu dicadangkan oleh penasihat kepada golongan asura itu.

“Atas dosa dan kesalahan yang dilakukan oleh Puteri Sarmista, saya mahu tuanku pergi bertemu Devayani yang masih sedang duduk menangis di bawah sebatang pokok di tepi tasik,” Sukracharya mengemukakan cadangan dengan berani dan tegas.

Orang ramai mula berpandangan. Tidak kurang juga yang hairan melihat perubahan sikap maharishi itu yang selama ini begitu setia dan akur pada segala arahan Vrishaparva.

Pada hari ini, maharishi itu sudah berani memberikan arahan manakala pemerintah pula yang berdiri tertunduk mendengar apa-apa yang dikatakan kepada baginda.

“Ya, beta akan segera pergi bertemu Devayani. Beta akan meminta maaf bagi pihak Sarmista,” kata pemerintah kerajaan asura itu seketika kemudian.

“Bukan setakat itu,” pendeta berkenaan pula segera menambah. “Saya mahu tuanku menyembah kaki Devayani bagi pihak Sarmista dan memohon maaf.”

Golongan asura yang berkumpul di istana Vrishaparva benar-benar terkejut mendengar arahan itu. Masakan seorang raja akan sanggup menyembah kaki seorang rakyat; apatah lagi seorang wanita!

Vrishaparva memandang ke arah Sukracharya bagaikan memohon simpati. Bagaikan pandangan itu mampu mencairkan hati pendeta berkenaan yang ternyata sedang dikuasai kemarahan.

“Tidak adakah pilihan lain?” tanya raja itu sejurus kemudian.

Sukracharya mengangkat dagu dengan megah dan menggeleng-gelang sambil berdiri bercekak pinggang. Pada saat itu, bagaikan pendeta berkenaan adalah raja yang paling berkuasa manakala Vrishaparva seorang hamba yang paling hina.


Source : http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/leisure/2013/09/15/mahabharata-%E2%80%93-bahagian-49/

Mahabharata – Bahagian 48

Rombongan yang diketuai Maharishi Sukracharya sampai di istana Raja Vrishaparva iaitu ketua golongan asura.

 Raja berkenaan terkejut kerana memikirkan kemungkinan rakyat telah bangkit dan mahu menggulingkannya daripada tampuk pemerintahan.

“Apakah tujuan begitu ramai pendeta dan maharishi berarak ke istana? Apa yang tidak kena?” tanyanya dengan nada risau. “Nyatakanlah supaya dapat diselesaikan menerusi rundingan.”

Sukracharya yang amat marah dan kecewa tidak berlengah-lengah untuk meluahkan segala apa yang terbuku dalam jiwanya sebagai seorang bapa.

“Dahulu, apabila Kacha iaitu anak Maharishi Brihaspati, penasihat golongan vasu, datang untuk berguru dengan saya, orang-orang di bawah pemerintahan tuanku cuba membunuhnya beberapa kali.

 Malah, mereka berjaya membunuhnya beberapa kali! Mujurlah saya menguasai mantera Sanjivini yang berjaya menghidupkannya semula.”

Vrishaparva hanya mendengar tanpa masuk campur. Raja itu sedar bahawa walaupun dia berkuasa, kuasa rakyat – apatah lagi rakyat yang sedang marah dan sudah bersatu – adalah lebih besar dan tidak boleh dilawan dengan mudah.

Thanabalan, the forgotten hero

IT was the Malaysia Cup Final 1968. Two arch-rivals during the 1960s, Selangor and Penang, were in the final, and in the end, Selangor triumphed.

However, what many of us forgot on that eventful day in 1968 was the scoring prowess of a young man who scored four goals in a Malaysia Cup final and that record has yet to be broken after 45 years!

That man is none other than national and Selangor football legend, Thanabalan Nadarajah or better known as N. Thanabalan .

Thanabalan first represented the country when he was 17 years old at the 1960 Asian Youth tournament and later graduated to the senior team from 1963 to 1971.

He had earned 107 caps playing for the country and was a nippy and skilful striker that put fear in opponents’ heart.

In the 1968 Merdeka tournament that Malaysia won 3–0 in the final against then Asian powerhouse Burma (now known as Myanmar), Thanabalan scored a total of eight goals in six matches.

Not many knew the extreme passion Thanabalan had for the game. He played the 1968 Medeka tournament final on the eve of his wedding day.

Difference between Om Nama Shivaya and Shivaya Nama

Om Nama Shivaya and Shivaya Nama are mantras dedicated to Mahadev Shiva. But is there a difference between them?

Om Nama Shivaya – Sthula Panchakshara

Shivaya Nama – Sookshma Panchakshara

Om Nama Shivaya is chanted to gain worldly objectives.

Shivaya Nama is chanted to attain Moksha – Liberation

Saint Vallalar wrote that when one applied sacred ash on the forehead, one should say ‘Sivaya Namaha,’ because it confers on a devotee good speech, good company, good qualities and moksha.

Each of the letters in these mantras has significance. ‘Na’ represents our pride, ‘Ma’ represents the impurities in our minds, ‘Si’ represents Lord Siva, ‘Va’ represents Goddess Sakti, and ‘Ya’ represents the atma. 

So when we say, ‘Sivaya Namaha,’ the atma, represented by ‘ya,’ is in the middle. On one side are pride and other impure thoughts represented respectively by ‘Na,’ and ‘Ma.’ On the other side of ‘ya,’ we have Lord Siva and Goddess Sakti represented by ‘Si’ and ‘Va.’ So it is for us to decide what we are going to do.

Will we go the way in which temptation leads us? Or will we turn towards God? The ‘ya’ comes right next to ‘Va,’ for the Goddess is even more merciful than Lord Siva. After all, an erring child is afraid to approach its father.

It first seeks forgiveness from its mother, who recommends to the father that he must not judge his child harshly. In the same way, the Goddess makes sure that the Lord’s wrath is not directed towards us. 

She speaks to Him on our behalf. To get His mercy, we must go to Her first. His mercy then automatically comes to us.

Saviour Najib and an Indian economic fund

SHAH ALAM: The down-trodden and marginalised Indian community is hoping that Datuk Seri Najib Razak can be their saviour.

All they want is an Indian economic fund fashioned after the Bumiputera economic empowerment agenda he announced recently.

Leading the call for hand-outs to Indians is the MIC. Vice-president Datuk M Saravanan and party treasurer Datuk Jaspal Singh feel that this is the only way Indians can break free from their chains of poverty.

But another view is to take stock of what have been given to the Indians so far.

Saravanan reportedly said that the marginalised Indians need to be uplifted by the government with such specifically targeted economic model while Jaspal said Indians were twice worse off than Bumiputeras.

Jaspal had called on Najib to introduce among others an Indian Economic Empowerment Council, increase Indian equity ownership in the corporate sector and structured programmes to support Indian entrepreneurship.

But do the Indians need a specifically targeted economic model?

Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) Institute of Ethnic Studies principal research fellow Datuk Dr Denison Jayasooria thinks otherwise.

Sothinathan's dilemma

ANALYSIS With the announcement by M Saravanan that he would not contest for the MIC deputy president post, the only candidate likely to challenge Dr S Subramaniam in the forthcoming party elections is S Sothinathan.

But Sothinathan is said to be in a dilemma, whether to make a second attempt for the post as he did in 2009 or to position himself as one of the three vice-presidents this year and to move up later in 2016, when the leadership transition in MIC takes place.

In the 2009 party elections, Sothinathan contested as the third candidate for deputy presidency, securing a respectable 280 votes against veterans G Palanivel and S Subramaniam. Palanivel won the contest with 629 votes against Subramaniam who polled 547 votes.

Sources close to Sothinathan said although it is an uphill task to unseat the current deputy president and health minister, Sothinathan may still have a fair chance provided Palanivel's supporters back him for the position.
      
"Most of the delegates who were elected in 2009 are likely to be returned again this year. Sothinathan has a comfortable 280 votes based on the 2009 election results.

"Former deputy president Subramaniam’s 547 votes are up for grabs now because Subramaniam is not going to play any role in this election due to his health condition.

Group proposes EIA for Batu Caves

PETALING JAYA: An environmental impact assessment (EIA) must be conducted before any development at the 400-million-year-old Batu Caves is considered, said Friends of Batu Caves (FoBC).

The environmental coalition urged the Selangor government and Natural Resources and Environment Ministry to insist, with immediate effect, on an EIA for any development activities at and within the Batu Caves’ buffer area.

FoBC stressed that this was crucial in view of Batu Caves’ status as a national heritage site and its proposed listing as a Unesco World Heritage Site.

“Although this may not be required by law at the moment, special consideration should be given to the area.

“Particularly since there have been recent calls by prominent figures including Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak and Natural Resources and Environment Minister Datuk Seri G. Palanivel for Batu Caves to be nominated as a World Heritage Site,” it said.

It added that the operational guidelines for the Implementation of the World Heritage Convention clearly stated that impact assessments for proposed interventions were essential for all World Heritage properties.

FoBC warned that Batu Caves’ location within a densely populated and heavily developed area meant that it was highly vulnerable to irreversible damage, especially to the fragile karst and cave ecosystems of the limestone hill.

No excuse for temple fracas in 1Malaysia

COMMENT I am a Hindu born and raised in Malaysia. My sisters, cousins, mother, father, their siblings, even their parents were born and raised here.

I have best friends of all races, I know the "right way" of using chopsticks, wore a kebaya for my wedding reception, got married in a church and a temple and have a Malaysian flag stuck in my car and well, tick all the boxes when it comes to being an ideal Malaysian. At least I used to think so.

Yet three decades on, I return from a short trip abroad to the news that Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) officers had allegedly wore shoes, smoked and damaged statues of deities at a Hindu temple in Jalan P Ramlee in the act of removing the statues to make way for construction for 30-storey tower block next door. Welcome home.

The statues were unceremoniously removed, allegedly hacked out from the 101-year old Muneswarar temple in the Golden Triangle before proper prayers can be carried out to have them relocated, amidst claims that no notice was issued.

Even we, Hindus, are not allowed to simply manhandle statues and proper prayers must be done before an altar at home is moved, what more in a temple proper and in such an angry manner.

When a group of Buddhists used a surau for meditation with permission of the Muslim resort owner, all hell broke loose with the resort owner being remanded, his permanent resident status revoked and the surau earmarked for demolition. But now it would appear that government staff do not think twice of defiling another's place of worship.

We are Malaysians, we were raised to know not to wear shoes in homes and in suraus, mosques, temples and most places of worship.

Mahabharata – Bahagian 47

Hari sudah lewat petang dan Maharishi Sukracharya mula risau. Anak gadisnya, Devayani, yang pergi ke tasik untuk mandi-manda bersama-sama sekumpulan kawannya masih belum pulang.

“Mungkinkah sesuatu yang tidak diingini menimpa? Mengapa hatiku begitu risau?” Demikian fikir pendeta itu yang merupakan penasihat kepada ketua golongan asura iaitu Raja Vrishaparva.

Sejurus kemudian, maharishi itu memanggil seorang wanita yang menginap di ashram (asrama) dan memintanya pergi meninjau tasik tempat Devayani, Puteri Sarmista dan rakan-rakan mereka pergi.

“Mengapa tidak saya pergi terus ke istana untuk mendapatkan maklumat? Kalau ada sesuatu berlaku sekali pun, pasti maklumat sudah sampai di sana,” wanita itu mencadangkan.

“Oh! Sampai bila kita mahu terus hidup berkiblatkan istana dan raja-raja? Bukankah lebih baik jika kita pergi terus kepada punca masalah daripada asyik bergantung kepada sumber maklumat daripada pemerintah dan istana?”

Wanita yang mengusulkan cadagan tadi tidak membantah mahu pun menjawab. Dia segera pergi ke tasik yang dimaksudkan.

Sebaik tiba, dia terkejut melihat Devayani sedang menangis seorang diri di bawah sebatang pokok. Gadis itu ternyata amat marah dan kedua-dua matanya pula merah.

Palanivel's U-turn may trigger fight for No 2

ANALYSIS On Sept 1, G Palanivel was officially elected unopposed as the eighth president of MIC, securing 617 nominations, which translate into support from 3,702 branch chairmen out of 4,000-odd branches. This is indeed a tremendous show of support.

Palanivel's smart and tactical moves made this possible.
His early announcement that he will only stay for one more term as president overwhelmingly doused deputy president Dr S Subramaniam's hopes of mounting a challenge for the presidency as the branch chairmen across the nation felt: "Why should there be a challenge since he is going away in three years. Let's give him the chance!"

About two weeks before nominations, at a closed-door meeting attended by central working committee members and divisional chairmen from all over the country, and at the press conference that followed subsequently, Palanivel reiterated once again that he would step down as president in the first quarter of 2016, paving the way for Subramaniam to take over.

It was also publicly declared that this leadership transition deal was brokered by Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak himself.

This triggered a massive show of support for Palanivel from MIC branch chairmen in terms of filing nomination papers. Even MIC leaders who were openly backing Subramaniam filed nominations for Palanivel and garlanded him on his victory.

MIC polls: Focus shifts to vice-presidents

Come Sept 1, G Palanivel will be elected as president of MIC without any contest. In the given political scenario, it is a mammoth task for anyone to garner the support of more than 300 branches  in order to mount a challenge for the presidency.

Dr S Subramaniam, who agreed not to contest for the top post, is also not expected to face any serious contest for his deputy president's post.

Taking a cue from Palanivel who has announced that he will relinquish his position in favour of Subramaniam, in the first quarter of 2016, all the key leaders of MIC are now vying for the vice-president slot to enable them to position themselves when the leadership transition takes place in 2016.

None of them are interested in mounting a challenge for deputy presidency as they know it will be political suicide if they lose.

As of today, the indications are that the following candidates will be contesting for a vice president's slot in the forthcoming MIC elections:

Mahabharata – Bahagian 46

“Tolonglah ceritakan apa yang sebenarnya berlaku di sini,” pinta Raja Yayati apabila melihat Devayani terus membisu di tepi tasik berair jernih di pinggir hutan.

“Saya boleh menceritakan sekiranya tuanku berjanji tidak akan memaksa saya pulang ke rumah,” gadis itu meletakkan syarat.

“Baiklah,” kata Raja Bharata itu tanpa berfikir panjang kerana terlalu ingin tahu apa yang berlaku sehingga menyebabkan seorang gadis jelita berada di dalam sebuah perigi buta dalam keadaan berbogel.

Maka mulalah Devayani menceritakan mengenai kedatangannya ke tasik itu bersama-sama Puteri Sarmista iaitu anak Raja Vrishaparva.

Tentulah memandangkan dia yang bercerita, maka watak dan perwatakan dirinya diputihkan manakala personaliti Sarmista dihitamkan.

“Saya tidak sanggup pulang ke rumah saya yang terletak dalam kerajaan di bawah pemerintahan Raja Vrishaparva memandangkan puterinya, Sarmista, sudah memalukan dan menghina saya,” Devayani berkata sebagai kesimpulan bagi ceritanya.

Sepanjang mendengar cerita itu tanpa bersuara, Yayati tertanya-tanya juga dalam diri tentang rupa fizikal Sarmista; apakah dia jelita atau hodoh seperti digambarkan oleh Devayani.

“Jadi apa yang mahu kau lakukan sekarang? Tentu seorang gadis jelita seperti kau tidak boleh terus tinggal di pinggir hutan seorang diri,” Yayati berkata sejurus kemudian dalam usaha memujuk Devayani supaya pulang.

Mahabharata – Bahagian 45

Raja Yayati adalah Raja Bharata yang terkenal. Sebagaimana lazim dilakukan oleh raja-raja India pada zaman dahulu, baginda sering memburu di dalam hutan.

Pada suatu petang, baginda terpisah daripada kumpulan pemburu yang datang bersama-sama masuk ke dalam hutan. Walau bagaimanapun, Yayati tidak risau.

Baginda meneruskan perjalanan menunggang kuda dengan harapan akan mendapat mangsa yang sesuai untuk diburu.

Tidak lama kemudian, raja itu sampai di tepi sebuah tasik berair jernih di pinggir hutan.

Tanpa berlengah-lengah, Yayati turun dari atas kuda. Kuda tunggangannya dibawa ke gigi air untuk minum. Kemudian, bagindu juga minum air dari tasik untuk menghilangkan dahaga.

Tiba-tiba, Yayati berhenti. Baginda memasang telinga. Benarlah seperti apa yang disangkakannya. Sayup-sayup kedengaran suara seorang wanita sedang menangis teresak-esak.

“Siapakah itu?” Yayati tertanya-tanya dalam diri. “Tidak mustahil bahawa ada penunggu di tasik ini. Mungkin ia sengaja cuba menipu dan memperdaya orang dengan bunyi tangisan itu.”

Namun begitu, rasa ingin tahu yang sangat mendalam membuatkan Yayati terus meneliti sekeliling. Matanya tajam memperhati manakala telinga tajam mendengar.

Court frees Azilah and Sirul of Altantuya murder charge

The Court of Appeal today freed Special Action Unit officers Chief Inspector Azilah Hadri and Corporal Sirul Azhar Umar of the charge of murdering Mongolian translator Altantuya Shaariibuu.

This followed the court’s unanimous decision to allow the duo's appeal in the sensational case.

However, the prosecution has the opportunity to appeal with the Federal Court - the country's highest court.
As soon as the court's decision was read, the two accused said: "Thank you, your lordships."

While justice Md Apandi Ali led the three-member bench, justice Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat read out the judgment, which ruled there were serious misdirections by the High Court judge.

The misdirections included the failure to call Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak's former aide de camp DSP Musa Safri and the failure to take into consideration the police station's diary, which stated that Azilah was at Bukit Aman at the time of the incident.

The other judges were justices Linton Albert and Tengku Maimon Tuan Mat.

Alibi not taken into consideration

Shah Alam High Court judge Md Zaki Yassin on April 2009 convicted the two of murder but acquitted Najib’s close confidante, political analyst Abdul Razak Baginda (below), of abetting the murder.

In today's judgement, justice Tengku Maimun said the court did not find anywhere in the High Court's judgment about whether it had considered the alibi and the inconsistency in the telephone call logs of the accused.

"These include the police station’s diary, which states that Azilah was at Bukit Aman and not at the crime scene.
"The learned trial judge had misdirected himself by way of non-direction in failing to consider the station’s diary and in failing to make a finding whether the defence had cast a reasonable doubt in the prosecution's case," she said.

On the call logs, she said the court found inconsistencies in the testimonies of the telephone company's witnesses, which had put an issue on the accuracy of the calls in question and the coverage protection.

“In our judgment, it is essential for the trial judge to address his mind to the challenge raised by the defence on whether there was in fact alteration or tampering of the data and whether the authenticity of the data was questionable or otherwise.

"Regrettably, the judge failed to do so and this amounts to serious misdirection rendering the exhibits (the call logs) unsafe to be relied upon," she said.

Inconsistency in police testimonies

The court also ruled that there were inconsistencies in the testimonies of the police’s prosecution witness leading to the discovery of the crime scene, where the High Court judge did not examine the credibility and did not address the defence’s contention.

"This has raised a doubt on the accuracy of the section 27 statements and whether the discovery was made exclusively as a result of the information supplied by the two appellants (the two accused) and not from other sources," said Tengku Maimun.

On the possession of explosives, Tengku Maimun said the High Court judge should have made a further finding to connect the explosives to the two accused.

"By not making any findings on possession by the appellants of the explosives used in the commission of the murder, the learned trial judge had failed to address his mind on this missing link, resulting in yet another misdirection," she said.

The defence had argued that the type of explosives used in the murder was not kept in the police armoury.
Tengku Maimum also ruled that the non-calling of Musa (Najib's aide de camp) was essential.

"This is to unfold the narrative upon which the prosecution's case is based on.
"The failure of the prosecution to call or offer Musa for cross-examination in the circumstances of the evidence as a whole would have triggered adverse inference under section 114 (g) of the Evidence Act 1950 against the prosecution," she said.

The Court of Appeal also found that justice Md Zaki (High court) had failed to establish whether there was common intention.

"We find the judge made no findings on whether the prosecution had established that there was a pre-arranged plan by the appellants to commit murder and that murder was committed pursuant to the pre-arranged plan.

"In our judgment, the absence of such findings by the learned trial judge on the ingredient of common intention amounted to a misdirection by way of non-direction," Tengku Maimun ruled.

Blood-stained slippers and spent bullet

On the issue of the blood-stained slippers (allegedly Altantuya’s) found in Sirul's car, the court ruled there was no nexus between the slippers and Sirul and the prosecution had not closed the gap.

There were questions about the blood-stained slippers as they were not Sirul's size and it was not ascertained who owned it.

On the issue of a spent bullet found in Sirul's car, again the court found that there was a gap in the prosecution's case and the High Court judge had failed to direct his mind to the matter.

"It is our judgment the cumulative effect of the non-directions by the judge rendered the conviction unsafe.

"We unanimously allow both appeals. Conviction and sentence are set aside. The appellants are acquitted and discharged," said Tengku Maimun.
Azilah was represented by Hazman Ahmad and J Kuldeep Kumar, while Kamarul Hisham Kamaruddin and Hasnal Rezua Merican appeared for Sirul.

Deputy solicitor-general III Tun Abdul Majid Tun Hamzah led a team of prosecutors that comprised  DPP's Manoj Kurup and Noorin Badaruddin.

Altantuya (above) was murdered in the forest of Puncak Alam near Shah Alam between 10pm on Oct 19 and 1am on Oct 20, 2006.

According to the accuseds' lawyers, the two should be released from prison later today.
Sirul is being held at Tapah prison while Azilah is at Kajang prison.

Scorn explodes in Twitterjaya over Altantuya ruling

The social media is abuzz with the news that former police personnel Chief Inspector Azilah Hadri and Corporal Sirul Azhar Umar have been freed of the charge of murdering Mongolian translator Altantuya Shaariibuu.

Many of the netizens greeted the news with cynicism, musing that Altantuya may have killed herself.

One Twitter user @azzizul82 said: "I have guessed that Altantuya is a suicide bomber. It's just that she bombed the wrong coordinates."

Another user, @jaillanish, speculated that she had "exploded from within just like in (the movie) Iron Man 3".

Other netizens raised the question: Who killed Altantuya?

Meanwhile, constitutional lawyer Syahredzan Johan pointed out via his Twitter account that Sirul and Azilah's acquittal this morning does not mean that the court is ruling that no one had murdered Altantuya.

While qualifying his statement that he has yet to see the grounds of the judgement, he said it could mean that the now-overturned High Court conviction was "unsafe" and the case had yet to be proven beyond reasonable doubt.

"It is not easy to convict someone of a charge, as it should be. Better to free 100 guilty fellows, than to convict one innocent sod. Understandably, people are shocked.

"But let's criticise if the judgement is wrong, not because we didn’t get the judgement we want to see," he tweeted.

Other netizens raised issue with the fact that the verdict meant that the Altantuya case remained unresolved.

"A woman was killed using explosives. No one is found responsible for her death. Where is justice?" tweeted @1Obefiend.

Below are other selected tweets and Facebooks postings:

@rafiziramli: Shock & horror! Altantuya case: initially no motive, now there's not even murderers! Who killed Altantuya? Even Sherlock Holmes can’t solve

@chrisyht: So, who killed Altantuya? Oh well, this is Malaysia, land of endless possibilities...

@RajivJayKumar: Razak Baginda free, now cops free. Only in Malaysia will a foreign woman come to posses military grade C4 and blow herself up.

@marclourdes2m: So, if there's no connection between Azilah and Sirul to Altantuya's murder, does it mean this is Malaysia’s first spontaneous combustion case?

Paan Zaki: Altantuya had in fact committed suicide, wakes up, then blows herself up to hide the evidence – Another cartoon story from Malaysia.

@obie2610: Court of Appeal overturns conviction in Altantuya murder case... Now, how many did not see that coming?

Lau Chin Chua: Just my two cents, I think Sirul and Azilah’s acquittal is a good move. The explosives were not theirs; they have no interest in killing Altantuya. Congratulations to the two of you, but be wary because many  think only you would know who is behind the murder.

@MillicentBogert: So what happens next regarding Altantuya’s murder case, Malaysia? Any chance she will receive justice at this late date?


Source : http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/239105

What's next for MIC following Palani-Dr Subra truce?

ANALYSIS Last Sunday, the MIC headquarters in Kuala Lumpur was abuzz with activity with hundreds of MIC branch chairpersons converging there.

It was the day for MIC branch chairpersons from Kuala Lumpur, Selangor and Pahang to personally receive the endorsement signature from president G Palanivel in their respective nomination forms for the MIC presidential election.

The next evening (Aug 19), Palanivel headed for Seremban where he received similar support from branch chairpersons in Negri Sembilan.

MIC sources said the overwhelming response received by Palanivel (right) on these two occasions had changed deputy president Dr S Subramaniam's mind about contesting for the top post.

The media is also abuzz with speculation that Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak met the key leaders of MIC and brokered a deal whereby Palanivel and Subramaniam would be elected as president and deputy president respectively, with Palanivel agreeing to step down in 2016 after serving one more term.

A formal announcement on this deal is expected tomorrow.

Besides the deal brokered by the PM, MIC sources pointed out that it was Subramaniam’s delay in announcing if he wanted to contest that enabled Palanivel to take the lead in the run-up to the presidential campaign.

We are Chindians

"No culture can live, if it attempts to be exclusive." - Mahatma Gandhi

COMMENT Chindians are a minority within a minority. Being Chindian has made me look at the issue of race differently. I have always found it easy to find common ground with people of different races. I believe this is a result of being Chindian.

The Chindian Diaries project is aspiring to collect and document stories from the community in Malaysia and Singapore.

It is focused primarily on Chindian culture but is open to stories from other mixed marriages. By gathering these collective stories, it is hoped that they will form a greater, overarching cultural narrative.

Reflecting on my life, I was intrigued by my grandparents - my paternal Indian-Tamil grandfather and Chinese-Nyonya grandmother.

My father used to tell me about their union and how my grandmother was disowned by her family for marrying my grandfather, a dark skinned Indian.

I started this project in June 2012, after participating in a weekend storytelling workshop to dig deeper into my ancestors. It forced me to delve into my family history and I learnt new things about them.

Most Chindians lean towards Indian culture, only because there were more Indian men marrying Chinese women in the 1980s till 1990's.

Lee: Rajapakse a Sinhalese extremist

COLOMBO: Former Singaporean prime minister Lee Kuan Yew has described Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse as a Sinhalese extremist.

He also described what happened in Sri Lanka in 2009, during the end of the civil war, as ethnic cleansing.

The father of modern day Singapore made this statement during a conversation with author Thomas Plate, who wrote the book ‘Citizen Singapore: How to Build a Nation – Conversations with Lee Kuan Yew.

Lee described Sri Lanka as an “unhappy country” as it was disunited between the Sinhalese and Jaffna Tamils for decades.

“Yes, they have beaten the Tamil Tigers this time, but the Sinhalese who are less capable are putting down a minority of Jaffna Tamils who are more capable. They were squeezing them out.

“That’s why the Tamils rebelled. But I do not see them getting rid of all two million-plus Jaffna Tamils.

The Jaffna Tamils have been in Sri Lanka as long as the Sinhalese.” he said.

Batu Caves dress code draws mixed reaction

KUALA LUMPUR: The dress code imposed by the Batu Caves Sri Subramaniar Temple committee drew brickbats from joggers and devotees alike.

While some argued that it may affect tourist arrival, one even gave spiritual reasons to back his argument.
D Ponranggan, a senior citizen who frequents the temple for prayers, said a man of faith would not be perturbed by people wearing shorts or any other attire.

“Are you telling me that our people are so weak in faith that a man or women in shorts would distract them while praying?” he asked.

Ponranggan, a permanent resident in Malaysia, argued that imposing such a guideline would not give foreigners a good impression of Malaysia as a developing country.

“Our body itself is a temple and God lives in everyone. So, are we still going to stop ourselves from seeing people in shorts and skirts wherever we go? I think this is not logical,” he said.

Yesterday, FMT reported that the temple committee has imposed several prohibition on the visitors such as no smoking, running up the steps and spitting as well as barring them from wearing shorts, skirts and having pets with them.

Ishtiaq - A humble all-round sportsman

OBITUARY Ex-sportsmen seldom make good coaches. Isthiaq Mubarak bucked the trend. He probably is the only ex-international who has produced endless champions.
He was no ordinary coach. Nor was he an ordinary athlete. He was special. A passionate lover of sports.

To the athletes he was a father figure. More of a Svengali. Young athletes looked up to him as a role model.

Ishtiaq had the acumen of spotting talent. He simply loved to pick 15-year-olds and groom them to become champions.

When I first met Ishtiaq in 1981 at the Kampung Pandan sports complex in Kuala Lumpur, he was training Wan Zaleha Radzi, 15, to hurdle.

Less than a year later Wan Zaleha, who later made her name as a TV3 newscaster, was winning medals in school championships at Asean level.

"Ishtiaq was more than an inspiration. He was kind of a coach you just trust and surrender yourself too," recalls Zaleha.

Ishtiaq had an uncanny ability to get the best out of an athlete. He was a great motivator. One can cite numerous examples but a classic case was that of decathlete Hanapiah Nasir.

No spitting, no shorts: Dress code at Batu Caves

PETALING JAYA: A dress code for visitors, especially morning joggers, to the Batu Caves Sri Subramaniar temple has been put up at the foot of the 272 steps due to complaints made by temple devotees.

Temple committee chairman R Nadarajah said devotees came to pray as early as 7am and they were especially embarrassed and disturbed to see people exercising in front of the temple when prayers were being conducted.

“People cannot exercise in front of the temple in shorts. We have been receiving complaints every week,” said Nadarajah.He said joggers in shorts would be told to exercise in the field nearby.

Nadarajah said this when asked to comment on a Chinese daily report on six dress code prohibitions imposed by temple management committee.

According to the Sin Chew Daily’s front page report, visitors to Batu Caves are not allowed to smoke, run up the 272 steps, spit, wear shorts, wear skirts and bring pets.

Temple’s works committee chairman N Sivakumar said devotees wearing shorts and carrying kavadis during Thaipusam would however be allowed.

“They are coming here for a religious purpose and there will be no restrictions for tourists during Thaipusam,” he said.

He added that competitions such as the Tanggathon Batu Caves could still be held provided that the participants were properly attired and inform the temple committee in advance.

“We can allocate one or two flight of steps for the participants without inconveniencing and endangering devotees,” he said.More than 800,000 locals and foreigners visit the temple every year.


Source :http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2013/08/12/no-spitting-no-shorts-dress-code-at-batu-caves/

BAM perlu buka mata sebab kegagalan

GUANGZHOU: Biar apa jua alasan dan sebab musabab, skripnya tetap sama dan tidak boleh diubah. Pemain Malaysia sekali lagi gagal membawa pulang gelaran pada Kejohanan Badminton Dunia 2013 yang berakhir di sini semalam.

Ketika pasukan jiran tetangga, Indonesia dan Thailand berbangga kerana pemain masing-masing mampu menjulang kejuaraan pada kejohanan itu, skuad Malaysia terpaksa berpuas hati apabila Datuk Lee Chong Wei sekadar di tempat kedua dalam acara perseorangan lelaki.

Untuk rekod, pemain Indonesia muncul juara dalam acara beregu lelaki dan beregu campuran manakala pemain muda Thailand, Ratchanok Intanon merangkul gelaran dunia dalam kategori perseorangan wanita.

Kegagalan Chong Wei menamatkan badi kekalahannya kepada musuh tradisi, Lin Dan dari China pada perlawanan akhir semalam, mengulangi skrip seperti pada Kejohanan Badminton Dunia 2011 dan Sukan Olimpik 2012, kedua-duanya di London.

Pada ketiga-tiga pertemuan tersebut, Chong Wei gagal kepada lawan yang sama iaitu Lin Dan yang kini sudah mengecap lima kejuaraan dunia dan dua pingat emas pada temasya Sukan Olimpik.

Mahabharata – Bahagian 44

Pada suatu petang, Devayani bersama-sama Puteri Sarmista dan sekumpulan kawan sedang mandi di tebing sebuah tasik.

Sarmista adalah anak kepada Raja Vrishaparva iaitu pemerintah bagi golongan asura. Penasihat diraja pula ialah Maharishi Sukracharya yang memiliki mantera Sanjivini.

Melalui hubungan itulah Devayani mengenali Sarmista dan hubungan mereka juga agak rapat.

Sukracharya membiarkan anak gadisnya meluangkan masa bersama-sama puteri itu kerana sekurang-kurangnya boleh membantu melupakan pengalaman pahit bercinta dan kemudian ditinggalkan Kacha iaitu anak Maharishi Brihaspati yang merupakan penasihat golongan vasu (dewa).

Pada petang itu, Devayani, Sarmista dan kawan-kawan mereka memutuskan untuk mandi di dalam tasik. Untuk itu, mereka menanggalkan pakaian dan meletakkannya di atas beberapa ketul batu besar di tepi tasik.

Sewaktu kumpulan gadis berkenaan sedang seronok bermain dan mandi di dalam tasik yang berair sejuk dan jernih, angin bertiup agak kencang.

Mahabharata – Bahagian 43

Maharishi Sukracharya segera memejamkan mata dan mulutnya terkumat-kamit membaca mantra (mantera) dalam Bahasa Sanskrit.

Tindakan itu adalah untuk mengetahui di mana mayat Kacha yang dikerat-kerat dan dibakar menjadi abu itu dibuang.

Apabila lokasi sebenar sudah diketahui, mudahlah untuk maharishi itu menggunakan mantera Sanjivini untuk menghidupkan semula Kacha, anak Maharishi Brihaspati.

Devayani terus menanti dengan tidak sabar di hadapan bapanya. Gadis itu benar-benar risau memikirkan nasib kekasihnya.

Pada pendiriannya, sekiranya Kacha tidak dapat dihidupkan semula, biarlah dia turut mati bersama-sama buah hatinya itu.

Seketika kemudian, Sukracharya membuka kelopak mata. Keningnya berkerut dan peluh mula kelihatan mengalir turun dari dahi dan pipi.

Matanya tidak berkelip sewaktu merenung tajam ke arah anak gadisnya.

“Kenapa? Apa yang berlaku? Di mana Kacha? Sudahkan mantera Sanjivini dilafazkan untuk menghidupkannya semula?”

Mahabharata – Bahagian 42

Apabila Kacha dibunuh oleh segerombolan asura bagi kali ketiga, mayatnya dikerat-kerat, dihancurkan sehingga lumat, dibakar menjadi abu dan dimasukkan ke dalam bekas kecil.

Sebagaimana diarahkan oleh ketua asura, bekas itu dibawa ke ashram milik Maharishi Sukracharya di Vrishaparva.

Penasihat kepada golongan asura itu tidak mengetahui semua ini.

Pada tengah hari, apabila Sukracharya meminta secawan air, Devayani segera pergi untuk mendapatkannya. Walau bagaimanapun, seorang asura sempat memasukkan abu mayat Kacha ke dalam cawan minuman itu.

Menjelang senja, Devayani kembali risau. Kacha yang membawa lembu-lembu ke padang ragut masih belum pulang.

Tidak lama kemudian, lembu-lembu berkenaan sahaja kelihatan berjalan pulang ke ashram.

Gadis itu segera menangis kerana dapat mengagak bahawa sesuatu yang buruk telah melanda kekasihnya sekali lagi.

 Devayani tidak tahu mengapa Kacha sentiasa menjadi sasaran penjenayah dan pembunuh. Dia juga tidak tahu bahawa pembunuhan dilakukan oleh golongan asura sendiri.

Exhuming Maika’s can of worms

PETALING JAYA, July 30 — The MIC’s failed investment arm Maika Holdings has emerged once again as a hot-button issue in the lead up to the party elections.

The Malay Mail’s editor Frankie D’Cruz asked S. Vell Paari, the chief executive officer of Maika from 1999 till mid 2010, to explain intense matters that party treasurer Datuk Jaspal Singh raised last week in the Dewan Negara.

FD: How fatal has Maika’s failure been to the MIC?

VP: I have always admitted that Maika’s failure was a contributing factor that weakened the support of the Indian community for the MIC and Barisan Nasional.  This was despite Maika paying out RM41 million in dividends.

And even though we returned the original RM100 million investments by shareholders, it was nothing to be proud of because the inflationary effects since the early 1980s — when Maika was set up — caused them losses on their outlay.

FD: Were you part of the G Team Resources management team that took control of Maika?

VP: No, I was not. After I resigned in mid-2010, G Team took control of Maika and I was never involved.

I suspect Datuk Jaspal keeps saying “G Team and Maika management” to implicate me as being responsible in effecting the sale of insurance company Oriental Capital to the Tune Group.

I feel there’s a hidden political agenda.

FD: Explain the sale of Oriental Capital, Maika’s prized asset?

VP: Being an insurance company, Oriental Capital Berhad is governed by the Banking and Financial Institutions Act. Only on obtaining Bank Negara’s approval can the potential buyer open negotiation with a financial institution.

Bank Negara has a say on the price. If you recall the case of People’s Insurance where although the board had agreed to sell at a certain price, Bank Negara intervened to say the purchase price was too high and told them to reduce it.

Hence, Bank Negara would and should have played the role to ensure the Oriental Capital transaction was above board.

The Malaysian Indian curse

The Indian leadership in Malaysia has always been a subject of criticism. The Indian leadership has not seen a leader with capability to steer the community for socio-economic growth.

To date Malaysian Indians are still plagued with fundamental issues of identity card issues, job opportunities, Tamil schools, poverty, displaced estate workers,university seats, alcoholism, gangsterism, etc.

The resolution for most of the issues are political in nature and merely window dressing. The outcomes are usually temporary and the issues continues to haunt Indians.

In a nutshell, the Indian leadership in Malaysia has failed to resolve the issues plaguing the community for years.

The MIC) has been the forerunner championing Indian issues for years.

MIC has launched various programmes and initiatives to uplift the community with National Land Finance Cooperative Society (NLFCS), MIC Education Fund, Maju Institute of Education Development (MIED), Special secretariat for Empowerment of  Indian Entrepreneurs (SEED), Yayasan Strategik Social (YSS), AIMST University, TAFE College, Yayasan Pemulihan Sosial (YPS), Putera MIC, Puteri MIC, Pemuda MIC and Wanita MIC.

These MIC arms have failed to achieve the objectives to uplift the Indian community. MIC leaders have been under heavy criticism and the failure of MIC has paved way for new political parties and activists to champion for Indian rights. Hindraf, HRP, IPF, PPP, etc. are result of MIC’s leadership failure.

Don't pay taxes if ministry fails to act, non-Muslims told

A MIC leader suggested that non-Muslims stop paying taxes if the Education Ministry fails to act against the school authorities who allegedly made their non-Muslim students eat in a shower room during Ramadan.

"This is ridiculous!" said party strategy director S Vell Paari in a statement. "Is this what the children of non-Muslims have been reduced to? Having to hide in washrooms to eat."

"To be honest, I am at a loss for words. The future of this country appears bleak and I fear for the future of our children which such school authorities and teachers around," he added.

Vell Paari called on the Education Ministry to launch an immediate probe and act against those responsible.

"It should not simply be a slap on the wrist, such as transferring the teacher or teachers responsible," he said.

Failing which, Vell Paari suggested that non-Muslims refrain from paying taxes.
                  
"Our tax money is used to pay the salaries of the civil service and if this is the kind of people (civil servants) we get, then we might as well stop paying," he said.

Photographs emerged online allegedly showing non-Muslim students of SK Seri Pristina in Sungai Buloh being made to eat in a shower room during fasting month.

The photographs were supposedly uploaded on Facebook by a parent.

It is alleged that school authorities made the students eat in the makeshift room, located next to the toilets.

Kisah Viratam

Dalam kalangan masyarakat India-Hindu di Malaysia, istilah "viratam" (Bahasa Tamil) lazimnya digunakan untuk membawa maksud "puasa". Misalnya, seseorang mungkin berkata "Saya viratham pada hari ini".

Namun begitu, seorang individu beragama Hindu tidak digalakkan - serta tidak akan - mempublisitikan serta menghebohkan kepada seluruh dunia bahawa dia sedang berpuasa.

Hal ini adalah demikian kerana dalam ajaran agama Hindu, berpuasa adalah niat yang melibatkan individu terbabit dengan Tuhan. Sikap menunjuk-nunjuk dan bermegah-megah dengan memberitahu (baca:
menghebohkan kepada) orang ramai bahawa seseorang sedang berpuasa boleh membatalkan "niat" puasa itu sendiri.

Makalah ini bertujuan memberikan sedikit maklumat umum mengenai puasa yang diamalkan oleh penganut agama Hindu tanpa menyentuh - apatah lagi mempersenda - amalan puasa dalam mana-mana tradisi atau agama lain.

Atas sebab itulah juga saya tidak menggunakan istilah "noonbu" (Bahasa Tamil) yang lazimnya digunakan apabila merujuk kepada ibadat puasa dalam kalangan penganut agama Islam.

Menurut Kamus Bahasa Tamil - Bahasa Melayu - Bahasa Inggeris (Fajar Bakti,1997), "noonbu" juga disebut "tavam" yang membawa makna "penebusan dosa" (penance) dan "pertapaan berdasarkan peraturan agama yang ketat" (meditation with religious austerities).

Mahabharata – Bahagian 41

Hari sudah petang tetapi kelibat Kacha belum kelihatan. Devayani, iaitu anak gadis Maharishi Sukracharya, mula risau.

Biasanya, menjelang petang begini, pemuda bertubuh sasa itu akan pulang bersama-sama beberapa lembu yang dibawa ke padang ragut.

“Mungkinkah sesuatu perkara buruk telah menimpa kekasihku?” fikir gadis itu dengan penuh kerisauan dan asyik mundar-mandir di ashram (asrama) milik Sukracharya di Vrishaparva.

Hari sudah senja tetapi Kacha, anak Maharishi Brihaspati yang datang berguru dengan Sukracharya, tetap belum pulang. Kebimbangan Devayani sudah tidak tertahan.

“Ayah! Saya bimbang memikirkan kemungkinan sesuatu yang buruk sudah menimpa Kacha,” kata gadis itu kepada bapanya yang merupakan penasihat kepada golongan asura.

Sukracharya termenung seketika memikirkan apa yang mungkin telah berlaku kepada anak muridnya iaitu anak kepada Maharishi Brihaspati, penasihat golongan vasu (dewa).

Maharishi itu memejamkan mata dan membaca beberapa baris mantra (mantera) dalam Bahasa Sanskrit. Gambaran sekumpulan asura membunuh Kacha dan mengerat mayatnya menjadi ketulan kecil muncul dalam minda.

Vaali: The reasons he will be missed by the Tamils

Vaali, the great poet-lyricist-actor-writer needs no introduction. An active member of Tamil film industry for five decades, Vaali wrote some 10,000 Tamil songs in his career.

As an actor, Vaali appeared in Hey Ram, Sathya and Paarthale Parvasam. He has also scripted for Tamil upcoming Thillu Mullu, which is scheduled to release this year.

Vaali had also penned the biographies of Rama, Krishna and Ramanuja. He even wrote an autobiography titled "Naanum Indha Nootrandum".

Born as T.S Rangarajan, he rechristened himself as Vaali, since he was a devoted fan of artist Mali.

Before picking up the pen to write, he worked with All India Radio (AIR) for a brief period of time. He was also actively involved in Tamil theatre and even directed few plays.

He came to Chennai in 1950 and struggled for many years. He wrote his first song in 1958 for the film "Azhagarmalai Kalla", but his much needed recognition came in 1963 with the song "Idaythil Nee" from the film "Karpagam".

In 1964, Vaali penned the lyrics for the song "Thottal Poo Malurum" from the film "Padagotti" featuring late Tamil Nadu chief minister M.G Ramachandran (MGR). The song went on to be a chartbuster, and subsequently he wrote for almost all films of MGR.

Kingdom on fire but battle rages for the throne

COMMENT The kingdom is on fire and there is a battle raging for the throne. This is a Tamil adage which best describes the conundrum in MIC.

It was once a thriving kingdom, replete with power and riches. It served as the route for Indian Malaysians, with brains or brawn, to become political titans and amass fortunes.

But this changed in 2008. The kingdom's knights and court officials suffered near obliteration while the king himself was dethroned after ruling for three decades.

Then a new king was installed amid much pomp and pageantry, with his loyal subjects hailing his ascension as a new dawn, where transparency and good governance would prevail.

But he, too, was unable to restore the kingdom's former glory.

On the contrary, the party fared even worse in the last general election under his stewardship, with the king himself scraping his elbows and knees in an uphill attempt to conquer Cameron Highlands, once considered a safe haven for MIC.

The party only won four of the nine parliament seats and five out of the 18 state seats it contested.

And whatever upward trend witnessed in the community's voting pattern for the ruling coalition was attributed to Prime Minister Najib Razak as opposed to MIC and its leaders.