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khir toyo meets padang jawa folks

December 9th, 2007
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"Let’s put the Hindraf episode behind us and move forward to find a better life for all."

– and don't forget to vote for me or my friends in next election!

" Later last night, during a 60 minute live interview over RTM1, Dr Khir clarified that the Kampung Rimba Jaya Hindu temple was demolished after the Deepavali festival. “There is a misunderstanding. A lot of people thought the temple was demolished before Deepavali. But, it was demolished on Nov 15,” he said adding that the temple was built on private land."

Read what Thanish says on the events that took place on 30th October 2007. 15 November comes after 30 October, doesn't it? An article in my blog quotes Selangor State Govt's official website that says the date of demolition is 30th October 2007. There's another statement here too. Samy Vellu also nearly cancelled Deepavali open house. Did he get the dates wrong as well?

Move forward, Dr Khir tells Kampung Rimba folk

source

Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Khir Toyo greeting the residents of Kampung Rimba Jaya in Shah Alam yesterday.

SHAH ALAM: Let’s put the Hindraf episode behind us and move forward to find a better life for all.

This was the message Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Khir Toyo had for the people, especially those in Kampung Rimba Jaya here, yesterday. Meeting the people here for the first time since the controversial demolition of a temple in the squatter settlement last month, the Selangor menteri besar said the people should not be taken in by the claims of the movement. He said the people of Rimba Jaya were now staying in council homes provided by the state in Shah Alam and they could continue to do so until their low-cost homes were built. The council homes are flats owned by the state in Section 26 and the tenants could stay there rent-free, he added.

“Do not worry. I will not let anyone sleep under the bridge. It’ll be a shame for me if that happens. The government will never neglect the Indians.”

On the demolished temple, Dr Khir said the developer had given RM40,000 to the temple committee to build a new one at the site given by the developer.

He said the people should not fret about having to move into low-cost homes, saying it was a first step towards better things. For those who were not eligible for bank loans, he said there were other avenues such as the Housing and Local Government Ministry, state Islamic Religious Council and other state agencies.

Speaking on the impact of the recent illegal rallies in the city, Dr Khir said two Taiwanese investors had put on hold their plans to come to Selangor.

Later last night, during a 60 minute live interview over RTM1, Dr Khir clarified that the Kampung Rimba Jaya Hindu temple was demolished after the Deepavali festival. “There is a misunderstanding. A lot of people thought the temple was demolished before Deepavali. But, it was demolished on Nov 15,” he said adding that the temple was built on private land. He said the temple committee had agreed with the relocation and added that: “The temple issue had been settled.” “The problem is Hindraf followers instigated others to take the law into their own hands and did not allow the priest to go into the temple.”

He said the squatters in the area would also be moving to their new homes by end of this year or beginning of next year. They will move to low-cost units with proper kindergartens, Hindu temple, surau, community hall and other facilities, he added. “So there is no issue of the temple or not helping the community. The state government helps all races,” he said. He also said the politics of hate should be rejected by all.

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5 lawyers arrested at human rights march

December 9th, 2007
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well, i don't suppose water cannons used againsts educated professionals like lawyers will bode well for our country. It will be different if this was mass protest involving all segment of societies, "penyangak"s included!
 
Human rights march: 5 lawyers arrested
Syed Jaymal Zahiid | Dec 9, 07 8:16am

The police have arrested eight people, including five lawyers, for proceeding with a march to mark International Human Rights Day from the Sogo department store to Central Market in Kuala Lumpur early this morning.

The arrests came after a failed attempt by the organisers of the march to negotiate with the police to allow them to finish their march at their intended spot.

The 100-odd crowd was already halfway to their destination when the police give the marchers a 10-minute warning to disperse.

The organisers, who believed that they could complete their march within the time limit, wanted to press on. According to an eyewitness, the police however cordoned off the area, moved in and made the arrests even before the stipulated deadline expired. 

Those arrested included five lawyers – N Surendran (photo), Latheefa Koya, R Sivarasa, Eric Paulsen and Amer Hamzah. Others were Anthony Andu, Norazah Othman and an unidentified activist.

They were arrested near the Jalan Tun Perak LRT station and were immediately taken to the Kuala Lumpur police headquarters.

The eight were arrested under the Police Act for illegal assembly, said Dang Wangi's acting Superintendent Che Hamzah Che Ismail.

 The remainder of the marchers dispersed following the arrests.

"Authorities seem to be upset by any visible signs of protest and I think this is a problem with the country," said Sivarasa, who is also a leader of PKR.

"They don't seem to be able to deal with peaceful dissent," he told AFP before he was arrested.

Organiser Latheefa said that Malaysians needed to continue to exercise their constitutional right to public assembly.

Willing to cooperate

Earlier today, at about 8am, the small group of about 100 gathered at the Sogo departmental store under the watchful eyes of the police. There were however no signs of the dreaded Federal Reserve Unit and their water cannon trucks.

The marchers had carried banners that read "Lawyers for the freedom of assembly" and "Government that abuses human rights is terrorist."

Eyewitnesses said that one of the persons arrested was dragged into the waiting police truck and the arrests were done despite the marchers’ willingness to cooperate with the police.

This small group of marchers have undertaken this march after the Bar Council had dropped its annual march in conjunction with the International Human Rights Day celebration – which falls on Dec 10 – due to pressure to obtain a police permit.

Yesterday the police had warned the public not to participate in the march given that no permit had been issued for the gathering.

"As no permit has been issued for the gathering, those who take part in it can be charged under Section 27(5) of the Police Act 1967 for participating in an illegal assembly," warned Che Hamzah in a Bernama report.

Upon the decision of the Bar Council to call off the march, at least 15 lawyers decided to proceed with the walk to make a statement that citizens have a right to assemble peacefully and without prior requirement of a police permit.

Venue changed

Two days ago,  Surendran had said that the march was purely initiated by a group of concerned lawyers, adding that the organisers will not be applying for a police permit.

  “We think that applying for a permit is a negation of our fundamental right to freedom of assembly as enshrined in Article 10 of the Federal Constitution,” he had explained.

“We feel the (Bar Council) march was called of due to undue pressure from the authorities. We want to send a message that the people of Malaysia have the right to a peaceful assembly,” Surendran said.

Bar Council chairperson Ambiga Sreenevasan meanwhile had explained that the decision to call off the march was made after “anxious consideration to the present circumstances that surround the event, particularly the interests of the public and the Malaysian Bar."

The Bar Council also moved its “Festival of Rights” event today to its own building located near Central Market after police insisted that organisers apply for a permit to hold the event at Central Market.

In a related development, Ambiga today expressed disappointed over not being allowed to see the arrested people.

Ambiga said that the march was peaceful and slammed the arrests as "totally unnecessary and unfortunate."

"The Bar holds the view that requirement of police permit is unconstitutional," she told reporters.

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Malaysia’s performance in Global Corruption Barometer 2007

December 8th, 2007
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NST reported about the Transparency International's Global Corruption Barometer 2007 (download PDF copy here). Some of the highlights on Malaysia are listed below:

1. 6-18% of respondents reporting they paid a bribe to obtain a service (Table 1)
2. Malaysia is among the countries who believe government efforts to fight corruption are most effective (Table 3).
3. Number of respondents is 1250.
4. 6% of respondents paid bribe to obtain a service. (Table 4.1 )
5. Police sector is perceived as most affected to corruption (3.7 out of 5), followed by political parties (3.6 out 5). Both are lower than the overall average of 3.6 and 4.0 respectively. Religious bodies are perceived as least affected at 1.9 out 5. (Table 4.2).
6. 63% says in next three years corruption will increase, 18% says decrease, while 19% says it will remain. (Table 4.3)
7. 53% says the government effort to fight corruption is effective, 10% say its neither effective nor ineffective, while 37% says its ineffective. (Table 4.4)

Graft hits poor in Africa, Asia hardest

source

BERLIN: Some of the world's poorest people in Africa and Asia are hardest hit by public corruption — forced to pay bribes for police protection, education and justice — according to a survey released on Thursday.

Anti-corruption watchdog Transparency International's 2007 Global Corruption Barometer showed that as a region, Africa suffered the most public corruption. In the African countries surveyed, 42 per cent of people reported that they had been asked to pay a bribe to obtain a service during the past 12 months. The Asia-Pacific region was next with 22 per cent; the grouping of Russia, Moldova and Ukraine came in next with 21 per cent; Latin America with 13 per cent; southeastern Europe with 12 per cent; the European Union with five per cent; and North America with two per cent.

"This year's Global Corruption Barometer has made it clear that too often, people must part with their hard-earned money to pay for services that should be free," said organisation chairman Huguette Labelle.

The survey of more than 63,199 people in 60 countries, compiled by polling agency Gallup, found that a majority believe corruption in general is on the rise, and they consider politics the most graft-ridden sector. Fifty-four per cent said they expected the level of corruption to increase in the next three years, 26 per cent said it would stay the same, while 20 per cent said it would decrease.

Slightly less than 70 per cent said political parties were the most corrupt institutions, followed by about 55 per cent who said parliament or the country's legislature was the most corrupt, narrowly trailed by just over 50 per cent citing police departments. The figures total more than 100 per cent because people gave multiple answers about where they paid bribes.

Of the countries and territories where interviews were carried out, Cameroon fared the worst, with 79 per cent of respondents saying they had paid a bribe to obtain services. They were followed by 72 per cent of Cambodians, 71 per cent of Albanians, 67 per cent from Kosovo; both Macedonia and Pakistan registered 44 per cent.

Romania registered the highest levels of corruption inside the European Union, with one in three Romanians saying they paid bribes in 2007 — a higher rate than last year, before Romania joined the EU, when one in five said they paid bribes.Canada, Japan, South Korea, Austria, France, Iceland, Sweden and Switzerland fared the best overall, with only one per cent of respondents saying they had paid a bribe. The United States, Denmark, Finland, Ireland, the Netherlands, Portugal and Britain did slightly worse with two per cent.

The study found that police departments were the most corrupt, with one in four respondents around the world who had contact with police being asked to pay a bribe — and one in six ending up paying. Police departments were followed by the judiciary, permit and registration services, the education system and medical services.

This year's survey was done between June and September. It has been carried out yearly since 2003.

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sultan selangor on hindraf, bersih and datukships

December 8th, 2007
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Sultan of Selangor unhappy at Hindraf's action

source

By WONG CHUN WAI

SHAH ALAM: The Sultan of Selangor has voiced his unhappiness at the actions of the Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf), which he said has incited hatred and damaged the country’s image by taking its campaign overseas. 

»I am disappointed with what Hindraf has done. I am upset. There are better ways of doing things« SULTAN SHARAFUDDIN IDRIS SHAH

Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah said he was “upset and angry” that Hindraf had proceeded with its illegal protest in defiance of the police and causing disruption to many in Kuala Lumpur. 

He was also unhappy at the action of the Hindraf supporters in carrying banners and pictures of Queen Elizabeth II during the recent protests, which drew thousands of people. 

“Why were they displaying her pictures and asking her to intervene in Malaysia? They can always bring their case to the Government and the Yang di-Pertuan Agong,” he said in an interview at the Istana Mastika here. 

The Tuanku also hit out at Hindraf leaders for claiming that “ethnic cleansing” occurred in Malaysia, saying that it was an outrageous claim, which had damaged Malaysia’s image. 

“I am disappointed with what Hindraf has done. I am upset. There are better ways of doing things. To stage a protest and fight with the police, I cannot accept. This is not the way to do things in Malaysia,” he said. 

The Sultan, who is celebrating his 62nd birthday on Tuesday, urged his subjects to be rational and moderate, saying that racial tolerance has always been a trademark of Malaysia. 

He acknowledged that there were problems affecting Malaysians of all races and not just one particular ethnic group, adding that people must learn from the country’s history. 

“Not all Indians are Hindraf supporters. I hope they will speak up against such illegal protests and dissociate themselves from Hindraf,” he said. 

The Tuanku also hit out at the organisers of the recent Bersih protest, which drew thousands of demonstrators, saying that he could not accept illegal gatherings and that the law must be respected. 

Bersih is a loose coalition of opposition parties including PAS, DAP and Parti Keadilan Rakyat and non-governmental organisations, which has demanded free elections. 

The Sultan said Malaysia was not like some countries, where there were no democratic avenues, including elections, and that it was wrong for any Malaysian to emulate the protests there. 

On the awards for his birthday, he said that no more than 40 Datukships would be given each year, except during special occasions, adding that “if too many are given out, it would lose its prestige”. 

He said the state government would also launch a website on Thursday to enable the public to verify the awards and check on the background of Selangor Datuks. 

The Sultan said he believed that the titles from the state were valuable and he did not want anyone to claim that their Datukships were from Selangor if they were not. 

“The names would be listed in stages. We will start off with recipients between 2000 and 2007 and then we will work on those between 1999 and 1960,” he said, adding that it would take time but he was determined to implement it.

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Housing discounts, stop buying?

December 5th, 2007
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Just to add,

Lets assume the following values:

Developer A's project:

Num of units: 1000

Cost price: RM70,000

Selling price: RM110,000

Profit per unit: 40,000

Total profit: RM40 million

Allocated to bumi: 20% = 200 units

Discount: 7%

A) Total sales if all units sold without discount: RM110 million

B) sales if include 200 units sold with 7% discount: RM108.64 million

difference between A and B = 1.54 million

Question: Isn't that depriving honest income of the developer? Taking from one group and giving to another?

Well, ok, lets say that the developers are rich and Rm1.54 million is like small change to them. Fine. Let's look at Case2 – What if the developer is adamant that he wants his money in one way or another. Let's say he hikes up his unit price so that he gets back his 1.54 million and achieves net profit of RM40 million (his initial target). If the developer hikes the price of units from RM110,000 to RM111,562 (extra Rm1,562), he make a total profit of RM40.000132 million (including sales of 200 units at 7%)!

Question: in the Case 2, price is artificially increased by the developer. Aren't the public being cheated and is paying for others to purchase at cheaper price? Each unit will cost RM1562 extra, while bumi lots will cost RM1452.66 extra.

Now, this can be easily adapted to other house prices and also mixed properties. I'm sure that developers would plan properly to ensure their targets are achieved. Thus most likely Case 2 will happen.

Housing discounts – let’s stop buying (M'siakini)
S Nathan

The discussion about the bumiputera housing discount needs action and not more debate. The discount could be five percent, 10 percent or whatever. The numbers do not matter. The fact is the policy is racist.

It is racist because it gives an advantage to individuals based on their race and not because of their economic situation. That's why it is a racist policy. I have absolutely no problems to give discount to poor people.

Let's give 10 percent discount (only for their first home) to anyone who is earning RM2,000 or less. This applies to anyone (man or woman; any race; only Malaysian citizens). So in theory, a couple that buys their houses before they marry can actually own two houses at a 10 percent discount each.

Make it simple. Anyone who earns less than RM2,000 can get this 10 percent discount. The house price must be less than RM350,000 so that they, too, can stay in towns and not be relegated to urban ghettos.

The house and the loan must be in their name. After buying, they cannot sell it before five years. No other rules because policing complicated rules will not work and will only lead to corruption. With this, all low income people can buy at homes at discounts, which – if we are to believe official statistics – would include a great many bumiputeras.

I have no problem with paying a ‘social tax’ to the low income earners and hope they and their family will have a nice and happy home and that they will be my neighbours in Petaling Jaya. Welcome!

Okay. That is to solve the housing discounts issue. Now, if the government does not take up the proposal or a version of this proposal, we have then at least two choices.

Option 1 – Don't vote for BN. Vote for BA. This will have to wait until next general election. Too long.

Option 2 – Don't buy houses that are being sold based on racist discounts. Why must you buy now? Rent first. Don't worry as the construction sector is already suffering due to the government cutting down mega-projects.

If we stop buying new houses for just six months, the BN government will feel the pain. What's so difficult in delaying your home purchase for six months? Sometimes the legal and banking documentation itself can take up to six months. So six months is nothing.

Spread the word. Stop buying houses. Use your economic power to stop this racist policy. There is nothing illegal. Just stop buying house for six months. Nobody will be homeless. It is because all of us queue up like fools at the developer’s office, that they continue being racist.

Now, if you cannot vote for BA and cannot stop yourself from buying houses that are sold based on a racist policy, you then deserve to pay more. So stop complaining. If you agree, please pass this message on to your friends. Make it happen.

Let's see if Malaysians have got brains and are not just motor mouths when it comes to complaining.

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