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Indians participation in Bersih rally

July 13th, 2011
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I’m still wondering how this conclusion was arrived at. I hope those folks in MIC can share their statistics on the number of Indians who participated in the rally last Saturday.  Is the conclusion based on absolute number or percentage of participants? Are they relying on third party data (police/media/observers) or had their own team on the ground gathering data?

I saw a tweet from MP Padang Serai N Gobalakrishnan who was replying to MP Ipoh Timur Lim Kit Siang saying: “@limkitsiang It shows that the Indians have deserted PR as not even 1% in Bersih”

I tweeted for clarification from the MP, but no reply to date, even after sending a reminder tweet: “@Ngobalakrishnan @novinthen @limkitsiang 1% of 6k or 50k or committee members?”

 

The decline in participation of Indians in the Bersih 2.0 illegal rally yesterday compared to that in the 2007 street demonstration was because they realised that it was only aimed at tarnishing the image of the BN government.

MIC president G Palanivel said many in the Indian community realised that yesterday’s illegal rally held in the federal capital was not actually about questioning the role of the Election Commission.

“The Indians are now more aware that such a practice (street demonstration) is no longer relevant in resolving issues.”

He said this to reporters after launching a book on the early history of the Kinta Indian Association and ground-breaking ceremony for its new building.

Palanivel said the realisation came about after proactive measures taken by the government that focused on improving the lot of the Indian community.

He said the Indians were benefiting from the efforts undertaken such as in the education, business, economic and social sectors.

“This has brought about a high level of realisation among the Indian community of the government’s sensitivity to their needs and problems.”

Palanivel said yesterday’s Bersih-organised illegal rally also clearly showed that the opposition was actually behind it, from the participation of opposition leaders such as Anwar Ibrahim, Abdul Hadi Awang, Lim Kit Siang and Azmin Ali.

The MIC president praised the police for their quick and stern action  against the illegal demonstrators to protect public safety and national security. – Bernama

source: http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/169492

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MP Hulu Selangor Kamalanathan’s service centre

July 13th, 2011
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Good effort by MP for Hulu Selangor, P Kamalanathan. Hopefully more people make use of such service centres. I think location of service centres should be publicised for all the 222 parliamentary seats and also the states seats. Can use local newspaper vendors, schools, places of worship, markets, 4-digit outlets, 7-11 stores, petrol stations, banks, popular youth hangout areas etc., as means to advertise to the public.

48 0ut of  362  (263+85+14) is 13.25%. Of course can’t expect very high rates because it depends on the departments to settle the cases. Do note, it says “solved” and “cleared”, but no mention of how many were successful. For the benefit of doubt, we assume all 48 were successful in obtaining their citizenship/documents.

BTW, looks like DHRRA members in the photos. Is this part of the MyDaftar initiative as well?

update:  got this from DHRRA Malaysia website:

Pusat Khidmat Rakyat Parlimen Hulu Selangor (Puskap) dengan kerjasama DHRRA Malaysia telah menyelesaikan sebanyak 48 permohonan MyKad, Sijil Kelahiran, Pemastautin Tetap dan permit masuk di daerah ini dalam tempoh bermula Oktober 2010 hingga Julai tahun ini.

Ahli Parlimen Hulu Selangor, P Kamalanathan berkata, permohonan itu melibatkan seluruh rakyat daripada pelbagai kaum dan peringkat umur.

“Saya bagi pihak penerima amat gembira apabila usaha membantu menyelesaikan permohonan MyKad dan dokumen kerakyatan berjaya dilakukan dengan sempurna.

“Kini, mereka mampu bergerak bebas, malah masa depan mereka lebih cerah dengan adanya dokumen ini,” katanya pada majlis penyerahan MyKad dan Sijil Kelahiran kepada 11 penerima di Wisam MIC Bahagian Hulu Selangor di sini.

Daripada 11 penerima itu, dua menerima MyKad dan sembilan lagi menerima Sijil Kelahiran. Hadir sama, Presiden DHRRA Malaysia, S Saravanan dan wakil pertubuhan bukan kerajaan (NGO), Yoong Tham Fook. Kamalanathan berkata, sehingga kini Puskap telah menerima sebanyak 263 permohonan sama di mana 35 pemohon MyKad, 129 Sijil Kelahiran, 85 Pemastautin Tetap dan 14 permit masuk.

Menurutnya, daripada jumlah itu, 115 sedang dalam proses di Jabatan Pendaftaran Negara (JPN). Sementara itu, Saravanan berkata, terdapat beberapa kes melibatkan pemohon yang mempunyai tunggakan bayaran dan denda turut diselesaikan dengan bantuan Puskap.

Menurutnya, kerjasama diberikan Puskap banyak membantu dalam menyelesaikan kes seumpama itu selain membantu meringankan beban pemohon yang kurang berkemampuan.

 

Article on the service centre:

SINCE October last year, Hulu Selangor MP P. Kamalanathan’s service centre in Bukit Beruntung, Rawang has solved 48 cases in the district with regards to people not having identity cards (IC) and birth certificates.

According to Kamalanathan, there were cases of people in Hulu Selangor not having ICs and BCs when he went on his rounds.

“I told them to come to my service centre. We have received a total of 263 cases involving birth certificates and MyKad, 85 pertaining to citizenship and 14 cases of not having entry permits.

“We have submitted these applications to the National Registration Department (NRD) and they have cleared 48 cases thus far.

Happy day: Kamalanathan (squatting) presenting a young girl with her birth certificate at the Hulu Selangor MIC office in Kuala Kubu Bharu.

“There are still more people — orang asli, Malays, Chinese and Indians — coming to my service centre seeking for help.

“It does not matter which race or religion they belong to. We are 1Malaysia and we’ll do our best to solve their problems,’’ said Kamalanathan, who presented nine people with birth certificates and two individuals with MyKad at the Hulu Selangor MIC headquarters in Kuala Kubu Baru on July 4.

Those who received their MyKad were Manorni Malay and Kumaran Rajoo while the nine who received birth certificates were Nor Fitri Syahira Zarzuli, Nor Fitri Amalina Zarzuli, Jessita David, Jamuna David, Dhivashini Kaliyapan, Ubenthiran Kaliyapan, Tharanitaran Rick Clay, Daenise Wong Thiyagarajah and Abdul Sarip.

He said he was happy for the recipients knowing that they would have a peace of mind and able to lead a normal life from now onwards.

“The recipients can go to school, send in applications to receive aid from the Government and other benefits.

“The rest of the applicants will also be able to get their birth certificates and MyKad when we receive them,’’ he said.

Those in Hulu Selangor who are in the same situation can call Kamalanathan’s service centre at 03-6092 5094.

source:  http://thestar.com.my/metro/story.asp?file=/2011/7/7/central/9032226&sec=central

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50 NGOs and 30000 supporters

July 13th, 2011
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As we all know, the rally participant numbers between 6,000 (police) and 50,000 (foreign media, rally organisers, participants). I wonder what the Indian NGOs below would have said after the rally. Where were their 30,000 supporters?

30,000 / 50 Ngos = 600 supporters per NGO. Not to mention, how many percent of the supporters are also supporters of the other NGOs.

I really wonder if these folks did any analysis of their membership strength and activeness. Or simply talk.

 

A coalition of 50 ethnic Indian NGOs says it will mobilise 30,000 supporters to join the Bersih 2.0 rally tomorrow.

 Known as the Angkata Warga Aman Malaysia (Warga Aman), the coalition said it whole-heartedly supported Bersih 2.0’s rally and hoped the authorities would cooperate to make the event a success.


Warga Aman spokesperson Gobi Krishnan said the coalition hoped police would respect the Yang di-Pertuan Agong’s mediation effort between Bersih 2.0 and the government. 

“We advise the police to stop all harassment and arrest of people who support Bersih 2.0,” Gobi said in a statement issued late yesterday. 

The group said it would gather in Brickfields, Kuala Lumpur, before marching to Stadium Merdeka.

The 50 NGOs involved include Persekutuan Pertubuhan India Malaysia (Prima), Malaysian Indian Voice (MIV), Persatuan Kemajuan Pelajar Tamil Malaysia and Majlis Kemajuan Belia Bell Tamil.

Two ex-ISA detainees lend voice

NONEGobi’s statement was also endorsed by two former Internal Security Act (ISA) detainess V Ganabatirao (right) and T Vasanthakumar. 

The duo were active in the Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf) movement in 2007 but are now playing the same role in DAP and PKR respectively.

Bersih 2.0 intends to rally at Stadium Merdeka tomorrow but police have denied the coalition a permit for an assembly. 

The movement chose to accept the government suggestion to rally at a stadium after the Agong stepped in as mediator on Tuesday. 

However, Bersih 2.0 is now accusing Prime Minister Najib Razak of reneging on his word by refusing to do the necessary to facilitate the stadium rally.

source: http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/169324

 

 

 

 

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PR for Sabah Indians

July 6th, 2011
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Wow! nearly 45 years problem…

 

Some 200 indians who came to Sabah in the 1960s to work in rubber plantations in Lahad Datu and Tawau can now look forward to getting their permanent residency (PR) status.

Sabah MIC liaison committee chairman V Jothi said the deputy state secretary Maznah Abdul Ghani had given them this assurance.

“I met with Maznah on June 30. We trashed out several issues affecting the Indian migrant workers communtiy in Sabah.

“Among these issues were PR, land resettlement and welfare assistance for the elderly,” he said.

Jothi said he had also discussed the Migration Workers Fund Board Scheme with state welfare and labour department officers.

He said at the meeting they had confirmed the list of migrant workers who had come to Sabah from peninsular Malaya begining 1968.

“We have identified and submitted applications for PR status for 201 people.

“Eighty-two of the applications have been identified. I will be bringing the names to Chief Minister so that the state government can give them the PR status.

“We will be looking into the plight of the others as soon as possible,” he said.

Jothi also raised the land resettlement issue with Maznah and was assured that the matter would be brought to the CM Musa Aman’s attention.

Unkept promises

Jothi said the migrant workers had also been promised a 15-acre piece of land, by the then state government when they first came to Sabah to work.

However this promise was not kept. Many of them have since died but their children are living and working in Sabah.

However many of these children and grandchildren are yet to be registered with the National Registration Department (NRD). This too is an issue which the party will resolve soon.

Jothi disclosed the status of the migrant indian during state MIC’s 13th convention at a hotel here on Sunday night. Also present was national MIC president G Palanivel.

Palanivel said that he had been informed that the migrant workers were mostly deployed to rubber plantations in Lahad Datu and Tawau.

“This is a matter that is long overdue.

“Some of these workers have since passed away but their children should be honoured and given the chance to participate in land resettlement programmes,” he said.

Living in poverty

The Sabah MIC has been steadily reviving its role in the state, particularly championing the needs of the local minority Indian and other needy communities.

In May, the party’s state Youth chief Taran Manoharan asked CM Musa Aman to revive a “nominated-seat” once held by the community in the State Legislative Assembly.

According to Manoharan when the state constitution was first drafted, the goverment had made allowances for “nominated seats” in the State Assembly mainly to cater for the minority groups in Sabah.

He said it was necessary for Indians in Sabah to have a voice.

“This is because the problems faced by the Indians in Sabah are peculiar.

“The Indians residing in Sabah were brought to work here under the Migrant Workers Fund Board Scheme from Malaya.

“Those people entered into an agreement with the Board which was established on Aug 25, 1966.

“Among the terms of the agreement are that these people are eligible to obtain permanent stay status in Sabah and to participate in the land settlement scheme after they had worked for two years in Sabah.

“Unfortunately, these terms were not fulfilled by the authorities concerned.

“As a result, some of these people and their children and grandchildren have been neglected and they are living below the poverty level,” he said.

 

http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/2011/07/05/pr-status-for-migrant-sabah-indians/

 

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Financial aid for poor Tamil school students in KL

July 4th, 2011
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I guess have to move fast, because now only want to do survey. Its not as if this problem just cropped up!

Sometimes, the parent from low income category won’t bother paying school fees because they know it would be covered under KWAM or other government schemes. Worse case, the teachers or HM will get some NGO or businessmen to cover the fees.

FINANCIAL aid will be given to poor Tamil schoolchildren in Kuala Lumpur after a survey is conducted by the Education Ministry, said Deputy Urban Development and Wellbeing Minister Datuk M. Saravanan.

Saravanan said nearly a quarter of the Tamil schoolchildren in Kuala Lumpur were under performing because they come from poor homes.

He said from his meetings with chairmen of parent-teacher associations of Tamil Schools he had gathered that there were still many Indian families living in abject poverty.

“There are families which do not have even television sets. I can understand if people cannot afford Astro services. But not having a television set is something unheard of in our country,” he said at the launching of the SRJ (Tamil) Segambut annual sports event recently.

The MIC vice-president said there were a large number of pupils who could not afford to pay school fees.

“It is just RM24 per year and if their parents cannot afford even that then they must be given help,” Saravanan said, adding the well being of residents in the city was his ministry’s responsibility.

“We have the allocation but we want to have statistics to show their social economic standing,” he said.

He added that survey forms had been distributed to the chairmen of these PTAs and it would be cross-checked with another survey to be conducted by the Education Department.

Saravanan said the Education Ministry had been notified to conduct a similar survey.

“Only then we will know the financial situation of these poor families and the ministry will start making arrangements for them to receive allocations.

“My ministry has the allocation to eradicate poverty in the city and I will ensure the funds are channelled to hard-core poor families so that their children can do better at school,” he added.

A similar survey conducted last year by a non-governmental organisation (NGO) found that 42% of Tamil schools pupils in the country cannot read and write because they come poor homes.

About 10,000 Tamil school pupils attending Year One are illiterate because they can not afford to attend kindergarten.

source: http://thestar.com.my/metro/story.asp?file=/2011/6/29/central/8983851&sec=central

 

 

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