Archive for the ‘BornInMalaysia’ category

« Older Entries
Newer Entries »

MPAJ deputy president suspended

September 30th, 2008
|  Subscribe in a reader | Subscribe to poobalan.com by Email


Not sure if this is the first time or not, but first time I’m reading that a senior government official is being suspended a week effective today (well a week during Raya time is like holiday actually!) over a temple demolishment. Granted that its more of insubordination rather than the issue itself, but still a bold move by the state government.

State Local Government, Research and Study committee chairman Ronnie Liu said Ampang Jaya Muni­cipal Council (MPAJ) deputy president Hamid Hussain was being suspended pending investigations, since he was the one who allegedly ordered that the Sri Maha­kaliaman temple be demolished. According to Ronnie, the decision was made yesterday, adding that investigation by the state three-man committee on non-Muslim religious affairs comprising Teresa Kok, Dr Xavier Jayakumar and himself has begun.

“We are expecting the investigation results by Monday and we will look into the next course of action after that,” he said when contacted yesterday.

Among other things Ronnie mentioned was:

– the council president was on leave when the temple was demolished and Hamid, as the deputy, had reportedly decided on the matter.

– the state government would find a solution to the problem of the Sri Mahakaliaman temple soon.

– so far 27 permits for places of worship, including churches, Hindu temples and Chinese temples on government land, had been given since the Pakatan Rakyat took over the state government.This showed that the state government was very concerned and sensitive to religious matters, he said.

– the state government hoped not to see any new places of worship coming up on land designated as forest and river reserves. He said the people should understand that these reserves should not be occupied for other than the intended use.

Meanwhile, the man in question, Hamid Hussain. who has holidaying in Langkawi, said he did not know anything about the council’s decision to suspend him.

“I’m on Hari Raya leave now and I don’t know what is going on,” he said, adding that he had not received any notice from the state government or council.

When contacted, MPAJ president Datuk Mohammad Yacob said that he had been informed of Hamid’s suspension. “The suspension is the state exco’s decision,” he said.

“We will follow whatever decision the state exco makes as we are all here to serve the public.”

Mohammad declined further comment but said that he would wait for an interim report on the issue next week.

The state government had taken some initial action, but let’s see how serious they are in settling this problem. As MIC demanded – publish the investigation results, allocate land for the temple, and rebuilt it. I’m sure they will because according to Mohan, the temple committee are Pakatan Rakyat “supporters”.

Meanwhile, another state EXCO, Elizabeth Wong apologised on her blog and provided more clarification. Interesting to note that she realized that the temple was in FOREST reserve, thus falls under the Forestry Department and not MPAJ. Thus, according to her, MPAJ had no jurisdiction to enter and demolish the building. Not sure how true that is. Excerpts from her blog:

The Pakatan Rakyat Selangor state government policy is clear:- That no place of worship (whether surau, tokong, kuil, church etc.) built prior to 8 March 2008 is to be demolished, unless and until a suitable site has been identified for relocation.

So, imagine our horror when we found out a Hindu shrine was demolished recently. No doubt it might have been built in a forest reserve or wherever for that matter, but the policy still stands regardless; we begin with the premise that most of these places of worship were forced over the years into this grey zone, and neglected until recently.

MPAJ should not have done what it did and more so, when it is not within its jurisdiction but of Forestry Department since it is a forest reserve. This afternoon, I checked with Forestry officers and (I am somewhat relieved) they were neither involved nor aware of the operation.

This lack of compliance of directives from the Pakatan Rakyat state government is something we have been battling from Day 1. However, this is not saying everyone is recalcitrant or trying to sabotage us, but there were a number of occasions which raised eyebrows and voices. Still, the MB is somewhat very optimistic that we are able to reason and to convince all the staff that ‘our’ way or the Pakatan Rakyat’s policies are better for all.

But not in the above case of clear defiance which reeks of sabotage. Suffice to say, we have taken action on the high-ranking officer who gave the order for the demolition (and who can’t possibly feign ignorance in this matter) and amends shall be made.

(But since I have stated my preference to the Menteri Besar that only one of us speak, as opposed to four, five spokespersons in the past couple of days, I shall let the person-in-charge give the public the details later today.)

The larger picture is this:- Many of these sites of worship have been built in the last 50 years or so (if not longer) on grounds not gazetted or unsuitable for religious purposes. This is due to the practice of town planning based on politics as opposed to needs and foresight. They should not be forced to go under high tension wired places or on river reserves, or in forests and factory lots – they deserve to be part of our Malaysian public landscape (and in fact, some should be considered part of our history and heritage). Which is why I am proposing to some of the local draft plans that are undergoing review to start putting in areas for religious purposes (apart from more cemeteries, parks etc.). At the same time, the process of registering these places of worship is also ongoing.

This issue is not just an ‘Indian’ issue, but one which every Pakatan Rakyat representative, regardless of one’s ethnic or religious background, is committed to resolving.

To my Hindu friends and readers, please accept my apologies and at the same time, I sincerely urge everyone to allow our Pakatan Rakyat government to continue to make things right and to implement just and sustainable solutions to our multiple, long-standing problems.

Its good to hear that Elizabeth talking about the larger picture – we have seen places of worships built due to political interference, instead of a proper policy or guideline. Who wants to go to a temple which is next to a water tank for the “taman” or is next to an oxidation pond? However, we have to see how far such “nice to hear things” are put into place and followed.

Comments Off on MPAJ deputy president suspended »

Posted in BornInMalaysia, Indian, Religion

Tags:

Ragu still dreaming of MyKad

September 30th, 2008
|  Subscribe in a reader | Subscribe to poobalan.com by Email


Ragu who was asked to obtain letter from Perak Sultan, got his temporary identification document yesterday, after the Sultan summoned those involved to settle this problem. However, Ragu knows that having temporary ID is meaningless as he still like a bankrupt:

Ragu also wondered if his fate would change after he got his temporary ID.

He said that the solution to his problem would be getting his MyKad.

“Many years ago, I held a similar temporary ID but I struggled to get work because companies, factories and enterprises asked me to produce my MyKad.

“Will things really change now for me and my family? No, not even a little, I believe.

“What is the use of re-issuing a temporary ID? I can’t open a bank account, buy a prepaid mobile phone card, own a car or have anything to my name.

“My situation is worse than a bankrupt.”

He had tried 8 times before this, but unsuccessful. Ragu, who was abandoned by his parents when he was 4, only has an incomplete birth certificate issued in 1998 indicating that he was born in Bagan Serai, near Taiping, to one Rajamani. Because the certificate has no other details about his parents, the NRD only issued a temporary ID which was valid until 2004 when the Home Ministry decided to stop issuing them. His eight attempts to apply for a MyKad since 1998 failed because he cannot prove that he was born here.

Ragu hopes that his problem will end with him, and his children will grow up as citizens. Going by the current situation, his concerns are real enough, since if he can prove his citizenship, his children will be in limbo:

The words that came out of 33-year-old R. Ragu sounded like they were plucked out of Martin Luther King Jr’s famous speech, I Have A Dream.
“I have a dream that my four children will one day live in this country as respected citizens.

“That they will be called Malaysians, and that they will not be made stateless like their father,” said Ragu at the National Registration Department (NRD), here, yesterday.

Speaking to the New Straits Times after obtaining his new temporary identification document, the father of three, who is expecting his fourth child soon, said he hoped his children would not suffer the same fate because of his stateless status.

His eldest daughter is now 9 and Ragu is worried that she would not be given a MyKad when she turns 12.
“If I, her father, had no MyKad and am not accepted as a citizen of this country, will the National Registration Department accept my eldest daughter as a citizen?

“Will my two younger daughters get to live as Malaysians? Will my unborn fourth suffer the same fate?”

“I hope the government will give me MyKad before my eldest daughter turns 12,” he said, adding that the temporary ID expires in September 2010.

The guy still had the time to thank all those who have helped him:

Despite his stateless predicament, Ragu is grateful that there were people who helped him.

“Although what I got was not what I had wished for, I am still very grateful to Sultan Azlan Shah, the New Straits Times, state exco member A. Sivanesan and Kuala Kangsar municipal councillor S. Thiagarajan who have helped me in their own way.

Comments Off on Ragu still dreaming of MyKad »

Posted in BornInMalaysia, Indian

Tags:

Ampang temple demolishment on national TV

September 29th, 2008
|  Subscribe in a reader | Subscribe to poobalan.com by Email


Well, a temple being demolished seldom makes main news especially on TV. The last time that happened was in Padang Jawa, and we know what that led to. This time, the tables are turned, with MIC as accusers and the Pakatan Rakyat led state goverment on the defensive, being accused of condoning temple demolishment. Add to this statement from MP Zuraida, and you get accusations and counter-accusations. The story of the temple being demolished is covered here and here. In a nutshell:

1. Maha Kaliamman temple in Ampang demolished on 9th September, supposedly by officers from MPAJ, the local council.
2. An state EXCO, Ronnie Liu, told the next day that it was not ordered by the state government nor were they informed about it. The MPAJ president is overseas, so he is also in the dark.
3. MIC, Samy Vellu gets to hear about this two weeks after the demolishment, and one if its state youth leaders, make a police report. MIC accuses the state goverment of not being able to keep its promise.
4. Another EXCO, Xavier Jayakumar angers the community by saying that its a “shrine not a temple” and saying that its not registered. However, he clarified that no orders came from state government for demolishing the temple.
5. MP for Ampang, Zuraida says MIC trying to politicise the issue and says that it was demolished for renovation. This is in conflict with earlier statement by Xavier.
6. Temple committee chairman says not sure who reported the temple causing it to be demolished.

Let’s continue with what happened after those postings.

MIC quickly highlights the confusing statements by PKR leaders, condemning them as trying to mislead and confuse the community:

In a statement today, he said the conflicting claims indicated that the Selangor government was diverting public attention away from the fact that the temple was demolished by state authorities.

“We want the state government to come clean on the matter and expose who had authorised the demolition of the temple,” Samy said, adding that the outcome of any investigation ought to be made public.

NST reported that MIC wants the state government to make public the report of the temple demolishment since there are conflicting statements by the two leaders.

MIC president Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu said the conflicting statements showed that the state government had deceived the people over who was responsible for the demolition of the Sri Mahakaliamman temple on Sept 9.

“We want the state government to come clean on the matter and expose who had authorised the temple’s demolition,” he said in a statement.

Ampang MP Zuraida Kamaruddin had said that the temple’s committee members had demolished the temple for renovation work, while Selangor’s health, estate workers and caring government committee chairman Dr Xavier A. Jayakumar said it was the work of Ampang Jaya Municipal Council (MPAJ) enforcement officers.

“Who is telling the truth now? We demand an explanation,” Samy Vellu said.

MP Zuraida later issued another statement on the 28th saying that her initial one was misquoted. She was referring to her statement that the temple was demolished for renovation purposes. According to her, Murugiah, the temple chairman was in the process of doing minor renovation when the temple was demolished by MPAJ workers.

A part of her first statement is reproduced below:

 Hakikatnya, kuil tersebut telah dirobohkan pada 10 September untuk kerja pengubahsuaian bangunan dan dokumentasi. Pada 11 September, Ahli Majlis MPAJ En. Soorianarayanan dan En. Supiramany tampil untuk berbincang bersama Timbalan Yang di Pertua MPAJ untuk menyelesaikan isu prosedur pengurusan kuil tersebut. Kini pihak pengurusan kuil masih menunggu laporan dari pihak Majlis Perbandaran.

Menurut Pengerusi kuil En. Murugiah, masalah kuil ini iaitu tanpa dokumentasi sudah berlanjutan hampir 19 tahun, malah pernah dirobohkan sebanyak dua kali di bawah pentadbiran Barisan Nasional. Barisan Nasional telah membiarkan masalah kuil tersebut.

I’m not sure who wrote it, but its pretty clear that is says the the temple was demolished on 10th September for renovation work and documentatio.

Xavier Jayakumar later visited the temple and said that temple committee is equally at fault. He was also recorded on camera as saying that he talked to Zuraida and she had clarified that her earlier statement was misused.

The Sri Maha Kaliamman temple committee must share equal responsibility for the demolition of the temple, Selangor state executive councillor Dr A. Xavier Jayakumarare said.

Xavier said the temple was built on forest reserve land and the Ampang Jaya Municipal Council was right to take action.

He said, however, the council should have sought permission from the state government before demolishing the temple.

“The state government was not informed of this matter.

“According to our guidelines, local authorities must seek permission from the state executive council before demolishing any place of worship,” Xavier said after visiting the temple site at Kampung Tasik, Ampang yesterday.
He said the council had been directed to submit a report on the demolition but declined to say if disciplinary action would be taken against anyone.

Xavier said the temple committee chairman, S. Murugiah, had also been advised to write to the state government for approval before rebuilding the structure.

He also described the demolition as a small issue.

“This is a small issue compared with other more serious problems affecting the Indian community. Why don’t we look at the bigger picture?”

Ampang member of parliament Zuraida Kamaruddin has denied that she had said “temple committee workers had demolished the temple to carry out renovation works”.

Her political secretary, who was at the site yesterday, said Zuraida was “misquoted” by several newspapers on Saturday.

I still remember my friend telling that “small things will become big things if not handled”. It is wrong of Xavier to brush aside this as a small problem, because this incident is a symptom of disobedience by officers. This problem can easily manifest in other areas. Secondly, this incident is about religion. Anything to do with race and religion is never a small issue.

At the site also was MHS representative, who said that state government or local council must approach MHS before demolishing any temples. He said MHS will find a solution for these sort of problems. This incident can be avoided if MHS was involved.

its quite clear that MPAJ is involved. The next steps are clear – get a report out, investigate who/where/why it happened. Mete out punishment to the guilty party. Anything less than that means Pakatan Rakyat is also like BN. All talk, no action.

6 comments »

Posted in BornInMalaysia, Indian, Religion

Tags:

Shut down NEP says Chua Jui Meng

September 29th, 2008
|  Subscribe in a reader | Subscribe to poobalan.com by Email


No doubt its a party election campaign strategy. Just like UMNO leaders who touched on hot issues to gain votes, MCA is also doing the same. Chua Jui Meng who is going for broke is proposing that the NEP is replaced with a new policy. This is surely going to be made into a controversy, as the politicians make use of certain statements by Chua and start a war of words. We might even see him arrested under ISA either for his own protection or to investigate his statements.

Before we proceed, let’s look at his proposal. Chua says NEP is a bone of discontent for the Chinese and Indians. He suggests that it is replaced with National Economic Consultative Council III. He believed the NECC III would bring back the support of the Chinese and Indian voters to Barisan Nasional in the next general election.

“I believe that a fair and open economic policy will bring in greater foreign direct investment, stimulate domestic investments for a repeat of the strong economic performance in the 1990s and restore the confidence of the rakyat.”

According to Chua, when National Development Policy (result of NECC 1) was in place between 1990 and 2000,:

“The NDP was fair and liberal to all races, resulting in plentiful economic and educational opportunities for all.

“As a result, the non-Bumiputera communities gave overwhelming support to the BN, giving it decisive electoral victories in 1995 and 1999.”

Chua said the introduction of the National Vision Policy in 1999, when the NECC II was established, saw an extraordinary election victory in 2004.

“If we don’t close the NEP before the next general election, I can tell that the BN has to forget about the Chinese and Indian votes because the opposition has agreed that the NEP must be scrapped.”

Thus he stresses that its time to replace NEP. Only the poverty eradication aspect should be retained (in other words – wealth distribution via discrimination is rejected).
The Star reported that Chua reasoned after 38 years since the NEP was introduced, the Malay middle class was now large and securely established.

“The need for the NEP therefore no longer exists, and the Constitutional rights of all Malaysians should be restored,” he said during his manifesto launch here today.

What do you think? Chua Jui Meng for MCA president or ISA?

Bye bye to NEP? Or just do cosmetic changes to it to please the public? Or maintain it?

Comments Off on Shut down NEP says Chua Jui Meng »

Posted in BornInMalaysia

Tags:

Biggest Anti ISA gathering

September 29th, 2008
|  Subscribe in a reader | Subscribe to poobalan.com by Email


According to bmahendran.com, this was an unexpected crowd. Over 2,000 people managed to find time on Saturday night to spend a moment for the ISA detainees. HINDRAF contributed about 500 people while others like WAMI also come. This was a show of unity as people from all walks of life came together. The Chinese community are especially angry at the treatment of reporter Tan and politician Teresa, while others would be Raja Petra’s fans. I think by arresting these people, the goverment had led credence to the misuse of ISA. A bumbling Home Minister also does not help.

Hindraf volunteers and the PDRM did their job well, says Mahendran. I guess the presence of various groups helped in creating a more festive and relaxed atmosphere.

Let’s look at home the three media groups presented their new. Malaysiakini, The Star and NST had their own points to highlight:

Malaysiakini:

About 2,000 people staged a peaceful march through the busy streets of Kuala Lumpur tonight calling for the abolishment of Internal Security Act and freeing detainees under the Act

Initially, two separate groups – Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf) and coalition of NGOs led by the Writer Alliance For Media Independence (Wami) – had initially planned to hold a candlelight vigil at Dataran Merdeka at about 7.30pm.

When they came across a police cordon at Dataran Merdeka, the Hindraf-led group numbering about 500 decided to march to the temple opposite the Puduraya bus terminal about 1km away.

The crowd marched unhindered towards their destinations and gradually the crowd swelled to about 2,000 people from all walks of life, with many carrying candles.

The other group, which was in a procession holding Chinese lanterns, eventually joined up with the Hindraf group.

The police were caught off-guard by the huge turnout. Many media personnel had also remarked that the large crowd was unanticipated as past vigils had been small in number.

Shouts of “Mansuhkan ISA (Abolish the ISA)”, “Bebaskan Raja Petra (Free Raja Petra)” and “Hindraf Valga (Long live Hindraf)” were chanted by the marchers.

Eventually, the crowd gathered at the temple compound where several individuals addressed the crowd with highly charged speeches.

Hindraf national coordinator R Thanenthiran said that government should heed the protesters’ demands to free ISA detainees.

“The Home Minister Syed Hamid Albar should listen to us. He alone cannot decide what is best for the country. Tonight, we the people, are the judges,” he said.

Later, Teluk Intan MP M Manogaran told the crowd that a large gathering is being planned to commemorate the first anniversary of the ISA arrest of five Hindraf leaders currently held in the Kamunting Detention Camp.

“We will keep holding gatherings until all ISA detainees are released,” he said.

Meanwhile, the crowd was peaceful throughout and a festive atmosphere permeates in the air.

Several supporters of detained blogger Raja Petra Kamaruddin were also at hand to sing ‘Happy Birthday Raja Petra’ as today was his birthday.

By 9pm, protest leaders dispersed the crowd. There were no reports of untoward incidents.

Hindraf national coordinator Thanenthiran later told reporters that the march tonight was proof that Malaysians can gather peacefully in order to express themselves.

“If the police follows the law, we can do the same,” he said.

In a statement immediately after the crowd dispersal, Hindraf leader-in-exile P Waytha Moorthy thanked the police for allowing the march to proceed.

“The government should now accept that Malaysians have sent a loud and clear message that the use of the ISA cannot be tolerated,” he said. Meanwhile, two visually blind participants told Malaysiakini at the scene why they took part in the march.

Ramli Abu Bakar, 51, said he has been supporting the anti-ISA movement ever since it was established because “the country has achieved independence and the act is nothing but a mediaeval law”.

“We have been independent for 51 years and why would we need such a legislation now?” asked Ramli.

Ramli’s friend, Kamal Abu Bakar, 48, echoed his views, saying that the government is “stupid for not abolishing ISA as it is no longer relevant”.

There were also supporters of Raja Petra who were in high spirits in showing their support to their idol on his birthday.

For Sampa Lee, 60, he said releasing Raja Petra and other detainees would be the best birthday gift the government could ever give to them.

“It would be the best present for Raja Petra and all Malaysians as we are all against the draconian law,” said Sampa.


The Star:

Almost 2,000 people from non-governmental organisations and opposition parties took part in a peaceful gathering near Puduraya calling on the Government to abolish the Internal Security Act (ISA).

They started gathering there at 8pm last night and dispersed one hour later.

Dang Wangi police chief Asst Comm Zulkarnain Abdul Rahman said police had received information that a gathering was scheduled to be held at Dataran Merdeka.

“But we had placed our people at various roads leading to Dataran Merdeka and this had caused the group to change the location of the gathering to an area near Puduraya.
“No untoward incident happened during the gathering and no arrests were made, but it added to the traffic congestion there,” he said. – Bernama

NST:

About 2,000 people marched from Dataran Merdeka to the Hindu temple near the Puduraya bus terminal in protest against the Internal Security Act (ISA).

The crowd started marching about 8pm while carrying candles.

Dang Wangi police chief Assistant Commissioner Zulkarnain Abdul Rahman said the march was held without a permit.

“However, no arrests were made and the crowd dispersed peacefully at 9.30pm,” he said.

At least all three agreed on the crowd figures.

A photo gallery is at National Express’ Picasa.

3 comments »

Posted in BornInMalaysia

Tags: