Archive for October, 2008

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A Tale of Two Open Houses, The Hindraf Experience

October 14th, 2008
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Received this email:

Hindraf did not and will not ever insult our Malay Brethren – we are all one – Anak Bangsa Malaysia.

Two similar occasions, one was the PWTC Open House hosted by our PM, the other Hari Raya Open House hosted by Dato Seri Anwar Ibrahim and yet how different the treatment…

The very same 6years old Vwaishnavi, daughter of Hindraf chairman P.Waythamoorthy with the almost similar home made, Hari Raya greeting card carrying the same message accompanied by a teddy bear. The same Hindraf supporters of approximately 200 members, in their now familiar, orange Tee shirts. The very same occasion of Hari Raya open house but only this time hosted by the opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim at Kampung Baru, Kuala Lumpur on 12th October 2008.

As the supporters began to gather outside Sultan Sulaiman Club, our Muslim brothers who were passing by smiled and waved at us. In return Hindraf supporters wished them “Selamat Hari Raya bang”. Police officers on duty too were greeted Selamat Hari Raya by the Hindraf supporters, some of them wished us back while some just smiled and waved. What a contrast from the reception we got from the policemen on duty at PWTC? Were these officers the same ones who stopped and bullied us at PWTC? On whose orders?

Similar to our attendance at PWTC on the 1st of October 2008, Vwaishnnavi and her mother Mrs.Shanti took the lead into the club together with the Kapar MP YB Manikavasagam. The moment we stepped into the compound YB Zuraida Kamaruddin, the Ampang MP welcomed us . There was an announcement made to mark our presence and thousands of our Malaysian Muslim brothers cheered, clapped and welcomed us into the hall. Among the MPs who welcomed us were YB Tian Chua , YB Sivarasah ,YB Nurul Izzah and I might have missed some of the other hospitable YB’s. Minta Maaf.

YB Anwar Ibrahim and Datin Wan Azizah who came in after prayers welcomed the hundreds of the Hindraf supporters with a welcoming smile .They shook hands with each and every one of us. We greeted them “Selamat Hari Raya, Release all ISA detainees and Abolish ISA”. Datuk Seri confidently said “sure I will” to me and I believe to the rest as well. To digress a bit, no body says “Makkal Shakti” with so much conviction, encouragement and yet these powerful words of “Peoples’Power” is expressed with gentleness by Kak Wan – truly a woman of substance!! They accepted the same home made card and the teddy bear from little Vwaishnnavi.

Yet what a difference on how we were received by the two hosts and how it was reported by media, Hindraf had been demonized for attending the PWTC open house on 1st October 2008.

Frankly, we never anticipated the shameful way we were treated during the Hari Raya Open House hosted by none other than the PM of Malaysia and his cabinet ministers at PWTC.

Malaysians were fully aware of intentions of getting our Hindraf leaders out before Deepavali so that they may celebrate this auspicious occasion with their family. We are also serious about getting our brother RPK and other ISA detainees released. All of which was turned, twisted , manipulated and propagated by the powers that be.

Hindraf was accused as “Biadap” , “Kurang Ajar” “Pengacau” and the most heart breaking “Insulting Islam and Muslims of this country”. This was further compounded with 4 Hindraf supporters being summoned to the Dang Wangi Police station for merely attending the open house of the Prime Minister.
They were charged for illegal gathering?? and trespassing?? at PM’s Open House. By the way, we even informed Senior Officers in Putra Jaya on 22nd Sept 2008, that Vwaishnnavi and some of us Hindraf supporters would be at the Open House, PM’s secretary assured us that we would be welcome at the open house. Additionally, wasn’t the PM’s invitation to the open house extended to all Malaysians?

So then why PM Sir, were we consistently provoked ever since we stepped into PWTC premises? You yourself saw how the hand made Hari Raya card by six years old Vwaishnnavi was torn by your officials? This wasn’t a petition or a memo. A simple self made Hari Raya Greeting card offered to you by a Malaysian Child was taken over by dozens of police officers who stormed in to confiscate and rip it apart, what an insult to the Indian children and the entire Malaysian community!!

Why then did you say we did not greet you? You and your advisors, the police insulted us Indians, every step of our way in the Open House. Are we not correct to assume that the Hari Raya Open House was paid by us Malaysian Tax payers? So then, why were we so badly treated at our own Malaysian open house? Mr PM, don’t you consider us Hindraf supporters as Malaysians?

Is it wrong for us to ask you to release our Hindraf leaders, RPK and other ISA detainees, who are in prison, without you giving us any valid reasons for their imprisonment? So many Malaysians of all races concur with us that the draconian ISA law should be abolished, even members of your own cabinet voiced it out, so what’s so wrong about us voicing our democratic right at our own Malaysian Open House??

Then again, why didn’t Datuk Seri Anwar , Datin Wan Azizah , rest of the YBs and VIPs present at Sultan Sulaiman Club think that Hindraf as Biadap , Kurang Ajar , pengacau. Our Malay brothers there never commented or felt that Hindraf had insulted theMuslims, by attending this open house in our orange colored Tee shirts with a simple home made Raya greeting card and a teddy bear?? By the way we still asked that ISA be abolished and detainees released, yet what a contrast in treatment we received at PWTC ?

The Main stream media especially the Malay newspapers under your control has blamed and accused us for unruly behavior, labeled our women and children as trouble makers and said Hindraf supporters never respected Hari Raya. The Almighty God knows the truth and you too should let all Malaysians know the truth, that we conducted ourselves with decorum, even though we were initially stopped and not allowed to meet you.

You all with your propaganda had Hindraf demonized, some of you even wanted the society deregistered, do you think you can kill the spirit of Hindraf?? Sorry, we are not just a society, we are a united in spirit, not just Indians, but every Anak Bangsa Malaysia, and this spirit can never die, it will continue until we are accorded due respect as Malaysian citizens.

One may ask why we chose the Hari Raya Open House, our answer Mr Prime Minister is that you have just avoided all our calls to meet you in your office or elsewhere. We have no other choice but to state our request at this open house, we wanted you to look us in the eyes so that we can directly tell you to release our leaders, RPK and other detainees. That’s all. So cut out the condemnation and lies about our behaviour.

Many guests who were at the PWTC open house did not even know that we were present. Categorically we did not create any ruckus or commotion, full familes came in support. We are the ones who feel insulted that you did not treat us Malaysian citizens with due respect of a courteous host, especially as one would expect from a person of your stature.

I might not be a scholar on religion, but I can definitely say what the Prime Minister , the deputy prime minister, the home minister , the information minister, the tourism minister, Unity, Culture, Arts and Heritage Minister and rest of the ministers have said against Hindraf on and after the 1st of October 2008 Hari Raya Open House at PWTC – untruths, insincerity and lies are never condoned and unacceptable by any religion!!

Sambulingam Wisvalingam

Hindraf National Co-ordination team

14th October 2008.

Well, what do you expect? One group is dead set against you, so how to welcome you inside? If you went in plain clothes, they won’t mind. But you were representing an ideology which threatens their position.They have to maintain their stance in front of their supporters. So, when HINDRAF turned up at PWTC, they were left shell-shocked and embarrassed.

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Deepavali Shopping amid Economic downturn

October 14th, 2008
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How much does one spend for Deepavali? Clothes, prayer items, raw material for food/cookies, decorations, firecrackers (legal ones), house cleaning/painting (once every few years?), travelling back to home town, angpow for kids, etc. How much would it cost? RM500? RM1000? RM2000? RM5000? As for me, Deepavali has always been a low-key affair. So, most expenses will originate from Then.

Looking at the article from the NST, one “in-fashion” punjabi suit going for RM200, imagine if you have to buy 2 or 3 for your siblings, girlfriend, wife etc. I guess clothing is the single biggest cost for Deepavali

I was in Klang twice in October (and I think another 2 trips are in order if going by Then’s calculation). The crowd was less. I went on first day of Raya evening and also last Saturday night. Maybe the crowd is waiting for the last few days for better bargains.

The looming financial crisis has not dampened the spirit to shop for sarees and salwar kameez this Deepavali.
While saree shop owners admit that the Deepavali crowd in the Brickfields and Masjid India areas is a bit slow this time, they are still confident the cash registers will start ringing soon enough.

Women were still coming in for the latest Anarkali salwar kameez made popular by actress Aishwariya Rai, said Jothika Collections owner Thilagavathi Supramaniam.

“The Anarkali suit is the in-thing this Deepavali,” she said.

“Even though it is pegged at RM200 and more per suit, there is no shortage of buyers,” she said, adding that they were largely popular among the young crowd.

The Anarkali, designed with an empire line, boasts a traditional Moghul-style that has been revived with a contemporary look made popular via Bollywood and comes in classic colour combos — green with red and pink with grey.

The dinner saree is also a best-seller. Those who can afford to buy such premium products were not really affected by the dampened economy, said Thilagavathi.

“Sales for the lower range of sarees and salwar kameez are slightly down, but we have a steady stream of customers for our exclusive sarees like the dupion silk, brasso, traditional silk and sequined chiffon laser ones which come in vibrant colours.”

The prices for these sarees, range from RM120 to RM900 each.

“When Deepavali comes around, everyone wants to own at least one new outfit.”

So, the community is still spending money while the economy is in turmoil. Yeah, its once a year affair, so I rather not complain much. We hope that there’s enough left to cover for next few months.

So, how to be more prudent this Deepavali? Less clothes? Less food? Less travelling? Smaller open house?

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Business and Racial preference

October 14th, 2008
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I’m confused over the article published by the Star below. It’s title says “Keep race out of business, says Najib“, but the content seems to say the opposite. He stresses that non-bumiputra companies must do something and that GLCs (bumiputra-based) also must do something.So, in order to not be doing business along racial lines, you have to look at race before doing business. Is it just me having a confusion here?

Why not just do business with those that offer the best deal for your business, or people you feel comfortable working with?

Anyway, one can’t run away from racial lines because there are many rules and restrictions that requires bumiputra partners or only exclusive for bumiputra companies. This is unavoidable due to the policies set and also the constitution.

Perhaps the article should be retitled “Race must be considered in business, says Najib”?

Parliament: Keep race out of business, says Najib
By SIM LEOI LEOI

KUALA LUMPUR: The Government does not want business in the private sector to be conducted along racial lines.

Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak however said that all private companies were encouraged to build up a local vendor system to benefit small and medium-sized enterprises.

“So, all big non-bumiputra companies, particularly those which have received licences or contracts from the Government, should give priority towards the development of local small firms, including those owned by bumiputras.

“Goverment-linked companies (GLCs) also have a role in giving opportunities and guidance to all bumiputra and non-bumiputra businesses,” he told Datuk Seri Azmi Khalid (BN – Padang Besar).

Najib, recently appointed Finance Minister, also said that he had recently met with a few small businesses involved in the local furniture industry, particularly those contracted to supply furniture to the Government.

“They have asked for the tender system to be reviewed so that they will be considered later when awarding contracts,” he said.

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More training places for temporary Tamil school teachers

October 14th, 2008
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MIC helps to double places (from 100 to 200) for training for Tamil school teachers. Now targetting 300 places. If one remembers, recently the Tamil Schools Teachers Union was unhappy with the 100 places allocated. Now, 200 places is ready for the 1400 temporary teachers in Tamil schools. This was revealed by Dr S.Subramaniam.

Human Resources Minister and MIC secretary-general Datuk Dr S. Subramaniam said MIC would seek the cooperation of the Education Ministry to ensure that the 1,400 temporary teachers who are currently teaching in Tamil schools across the nation would be given the opportunity to pursue the teacher’s training course during the holidays within the next four years.

He said the Education Ministry had previously approved 100 places in the course for such teachers during the holidays, but at the request of MIC, had doubled the number of places to 200.

He said, however, that MIC found this number to be insufficient and had urged the ministry to allocate at least 300 places each year for temporary teachers from Tamil schools.

But, I’m peeved at the excuse given over partly-aided schools problem. For how long are they going to keep on identifying problems? Most schools have their own set of problems, so a crack team should be assigned to each of the 370 over schools. The team must be given a deadline to get the school to apply for conversion and clear all the requirements needed. I think in this way, at least few schools could have converted every year in the last 5 years. But until now, no news of even one school being converted. I think the idea of looking at the big picture is paralysing the process.

He said MIC was also in the midst of identifying problems faced by partly-aided schools and was taking the necessary action to solve these issues so that they could be converted to fully-aided schools.

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MP Kapar Manikasavagam in NST

October 14th, 2008
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I reproduce the full article from NST below.

I have the power to make a difference
S. Manikavasagam

I HAVE been fired from many jobs and arrested over my social activist programmes before I became a member of parliament for Kapar.
Prior to that, my whole life revolved around fighting against any injustice and issues of human rights under various non-governmental organisations like Policewatch.

My unexpected win in Kapar opened my eyes to a whole world of issues and made me realise that I had the power to make a change. After winning the Kapar parliamentary seat by a big majority, I also realised that my constituents wanted a change. They have such high hopes in me, especially the Indians who make up 13 per cent of Kapar’s 112,224 registered voters.

Kapar was a foreign area to me because I was actively involved in helping people at Batu Caves. In fact, I wanted to be an MP for Batu Caves but respected the party’s request to contest in Kapar.

As a first-time MP, I was quite nervous but my experience in dealing with constituency issues with senior MPs from PKR helped me cope with mine.
Issues in my constituency range from stateless people to clogged drains and perpetual flood problems. We have set up four service centres in Klang, one in each state assembly seat and have staff recording complaints or grouses from those who visit the centres.

They report back to me and if any of the complaints needs the state government’s attention, I bring the matter up with Selangor Menteri Besar Datuk Abdul Khalid Ibrahim.

Otherwise, I try to help as many people as possible, especially with land title issues and stateless persons since I have experience in dealing with such problems. We are saddened by the fact that we have no proper allocation for remedial work such as replacing the drainage system to overcome flood problems.

There are so many economic and social issues in Kapar, including high unemployment and crime rate and investors pulling out causing some businesses to close down.

We have tried discussing with the police on efforts to reduce the crime rate but find it difficult to get cooperation. The last thing I want to do is hit out at the police. I want to work with them. There is much work that needs to be done.

Although I have to sacrifice my privacy and time with my family, I will not rest until I see a safe and well-developed constituency.

Apa macam? Boleh percaya ka? What is your opinion on Manikavasagam so far?

He is having a tough time because Kapar is a big constituency, and he is also facing a lawsuit over the Sujatha case. Kapar is also famous for its criminal activities, especially by Indians.

Do you think he can last the race? Will he be a one-term MP or continue to rise in politics?

What are the Kapar folks saying?

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