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15 months for an inquest!

May 22nd, 2010
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Won’t you be angry as well if something like this happens to you? I think the culprits should be sacked for gross inefficiency.

So, after this, another 15 months to deliver documents, 15 more months to fix actually start the inquest. I think judge also would have retired by the end of the inquest.

Some of you guys would remember this particular case as it was in the news for few weeks. The police did an operation during night time and shot dead the alleged criminals. It seems the were involved in robbery. Interestingly, one of the deceased is an OKU: L.J. Santana, 36, who was deformed and visually impaired. Maybe he was in the wrong company at the wrong time?

Hindraf did interview of the neighbors and victims’ family. Can find in the internet.

A sister of one of the six men shot dead by police 15 months ago burst into a tirade outside the coroner’s court here where the inquest into the deaths is to be held.

Upset that it took months for the inquest to be called, R. Malarselvi, 45, berated the police, saying that family members had been in distress. She cited her mother V. Visachi, 64, who was seen crying at the court premise.

Malarselvi is the eldest sister of scrap dealer Elango, 31.

Yesterday was the first date for the inquest into the deaths of Elango, scrap worker R. Dilipkumar, 20, L.J. Santana, 36, who was deformed and visually impaired, carpenter S. Kurusamy, 49, contractor R. Pannir Selvam, 28, and crane driver S. Vadivelan, 29. They were killed at Lot 157A Kampung Kemunting in Karangan here at 10.10pm on Feb 17, 2009.

The courtroom was filled with family members and relatives.

Bukit Aman believed that the men were members of a notorious gang said to be responsible for a series of robberies in the northern region. According to police, the suspects had opened fire on them.

When the case was called up at 9.35am yesterday, coroner Shamshol Azwa Martadza proceeded to record the particulars of the parents or wives of the men. DPP Melissa Mohd Akhir, who is assisting the court with DPP Nuraswan Aminuddin, then stood up to say that they were still awaiting the supplementary documents to the pathologist’s reports.

Jagdeep Singh Deo, who is holding a watching brief for the families, assisted by R.S.N. Rayer, said they had yet to be furnished with a set of the documents.

“We need the documents, especially the post-mortem reports,” said Jagdeep.

The court fixed June 3 for mention so that the documents can be served and a hearing date to be fixed. Out-side the courtroom later, Malarselvi made the outburst.Jagdeep told the press that family members had lodged police reports and made numerous requests to the Attorney-General to direct an inquest under Section 339 of the Criminal Procedure Code.

“We are pleased that the inquest was finally fixed for today but, as you can see, the family members are absolutely distraught that it had taken 15 months,” he said.

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RM10 million renovation for Klang Perumal temple

May 19th, 2010
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I used to visit this temple few times a years years ago. Its a small temple and gets overcrowded easily during festive seasons. And its quite well known among locals and foreigners.

While I can understand the logic of using granite stones, the amount being spent stumped me. RM10 million can do wonders to our Tamil  schools, sponsor students for further education, or even pay for surgeries faced by patients who can’t afford the bills, like this case of two siblings who need about RM40,000. I would have been happy to hear if the organisers/donors also allocated a million or two for a good cause, and there are plenty of those causes around.

Some times we need to take a step back and consider if there’s a better way of doing things, or is it a necessity to spend for what we intend to spend for.

Now, if I had RM10 million, it would have all gone to education purpose. Different people have different views and priorities 🙂

KLANG: Known worldwide as the “Thirupati Venkateswara temple” of Southeast Asia, the newly-rebuilt Sri Sundararaja Peru mal temple will be the first all-granite, hand-carved one of its kind in Malaysia.

Devoted to the worship of Lord Vishnu, the Hindu temple has enlisted the efforts of 50 stone carvers and their families in Kanchipuram, 60km from Chennai, India, to craft the all-granite temple, costing RM10mil.

One of a kind: Anandakrishnan showing the granite brick that will be used for the stone laying ceremony at the temple in Klang today. Behind him is the gopuram, the only remaining part of the old temple.

The Tirupathi Venkateswara temple in Thirupati, South India is reportedly the richest and most visited place of worship in the world with about 50,000 to 100,000 pilgrims daily.

Temple president S. Ananda krishnan, who initiated the idea to rebuild the temple using granite, said work had began last year and would be completed in 2014.

“Stone blocks from Sirudamoor Hill, some 20km from Kanchipuram will be carved. No machines will be used so as not to disturb the living energy in the granite.

“It is believed that Vishnu is in everything and using granite would cause the vibrations of the mantras to resonate at a higher level,” he said, adding that the granite structure follows the precise design formulas defined by southern Indian temple builders thousands of years ago.

He added that the Sri Sundararaja Perumal temple would be 15m high including a dome and copper crown.The first shipment of seven, 40ft containers of pillars weighing at least three tonnes will be brought in soon for assembling, he said.

R. Selvanathan, the chief executive officer of the Chennai-based Sri Vaidyanatha Sthapati Associates – an architect, sculptor and building firm – said the all-granite temple project was a rarity even in India when granite has yielded to concrete and steel.

Philanthropist P. Thiagarajan and Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk S.K. Devamany will attend the foundation laying ceremony of the temple at 7am today.

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Good news from Samy Vellu

May 18th, 2010
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This may be music for the ears for many Malaysians, including the members of ruling coalition 🙂

While a definite date was not given, the range is either August or September 2011. That’s about 14 months more before Samy Vellu quits as MIC president. This would probably intensify the competition for position within the party. Can expect teams to be formed and alliances made.

It could still be a red herring since nothing is cast in stone in politics.

S Samy Vellu, who has been MIC president for more than three decades, has announced that he would quit his post eight months before the next party polls, scheduled for May 2012.

However, Samy Vellu did not say who he would hand over the party leadership to.

“I will leave eight or nine months before my term expires in May 2012. I will hand over the leadership to the next generation of leaders then.

“This is what I had told the prime minister (Najib Razak) when I met him prior to the Hulu Selangor by-election,” he told journalists after opening the MIC Wilayah Persekutuan convention today.

“Before that, I want to revamp the party completely, starting with the branch and state leaders. People have asked me when I would leave the post and this is the time frame I have set.

“I want all party members to know that the transformation of the MIC will continue. The transition of power in the MIC will be smooth,” he added.

Samy, 74, was re-elected for the ninth time last year.

“By the time I retire, I would have trained the deputy president to run the party,” he said without naming his deputy, G Palanivel.

Since the March 2008 general election, the MIC chief had been under intense pressure to relinquish his post to give way to a new leader.

Samy Vellu has previously said that he would step down at the next party election in two years’ time.

The MIC took a beating in the 12th general election, when it lost six of the nine parliamentary seats it contested under the BN banner. Among those who failed to retain their seats in the 2008 elections were Samy Vellu himself and Palanivel.

The party, however, managed to recapture the Hulu Selangor seat, previously held by Palanivel, when party information chief P Kamalanathan won the seat in the recent by-election.

Question over Palanivel’s fate

Samy Vellu’s decision not to name his successor today would also raise questions as to who would take over the helm of the party since Palanivel was not given the opportunity to contest the seat by the top BN leadership.

However, Palanivel (far left) was appointed senator earlier this month, indicating he had yet to reach political oblivion.

Samy Vellu said he would like to quit earlier, but had refrained from doing so for fear the party would face problems.

“I would have to set the party on its right foundation and place the right people first, then only I would say, ‘OK young men, you all can take over’.”

Samy Vellu said in the mean time, he was not just wasting his time in the office, as he had an important job to do prior to his retirement.

“I am using my time to strengthen the party and change the machinery to become a working machinery, and then to remove the leaders who don’t do their work and put in new leaders.

“So, when they take over they don’t see a big bunch of non-working leaders there,” he said.

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CSI by EWRF

May 17th, 2010
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A laudable effort by EWRF:

Malcolm (not his real name) was a drug pusher and a ganja user from the tender age of 12. By 15, he would skip school and spend his time gambling.

He started drinking alcohol at 15, was expelled from school and was brazen enough to steal a motorbike from a police station.

Another boy, Sam (not his real name) started creating problems in school when he was only 10 years old. He joined an infamous gang when he was 15, stole and got involved in fights.

Another underachiever Manuel (also not his real name) stole, smuggled goods and drugs for a syndicate and almost lost his life.

By 15, these Indian teenagers, like many others, were fully aware of infamous gangs such as “36, 08 and 77.” School was far from their minds with drinking, smoking, crime and drugs becoming a norm in their lives.

However, all was not lost for these problematic Indian youth who were often dubbed as a “lost cause.”

They were referred to the Education, Welfare and Research Foundation (EWRF), a non-governmental organisation which helped turn their lives around.

“I was paid for the drugs I pushed and even saw people get killed. But now, I have reformed and am trying to improve my life,” said Malcolm.

EWRF executive director S. Malar said many – including Malcolm, Sam and Manuel – had turned over a new leaf, acquired skills and obtained decent jobs.

Yesterday, EWRP mooted a Civil Society Intervention (CSI) to target the “bad boys” and Indian underachievers in schools nationwide and reform them with an initial focus on five schools in the Klang Valley and Johor.

“The children just need guidance. We need to go down to their level and help understand them better. Some come from broken homes or are just mixing with the wrong crowd, but there is hope,” she said.

The CSI module, she said, was comprehensive and would be implemented by professionally trained personnel.

“Our work starts right from breaking the teenagers’ ego, grooming them – including cutting their ekor (hair), sending them for empowerment classes, skills training and ensuring they get jobs,” she said.

According to police sources, Indians committed 18% of crimes over the last three years with theft, robbery and rioting.

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Avinaash the only Malaysian accepted into Harvard and MIT

May 7th, 2010
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From the Star:

AVINAASH Subramaniam is beaming with pride. He is the only Malaysian to have been accepted into Harvard University this autumn. This is not all — he has also managed to earn a place at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), both among the best universities in the United States (US).

However, the former SMK Damanasara Jaya student who is presently pursuing his A-Level studies at Help University College, is in a tough spot as he still cannot make up his mind on the university he wants to go to.

Avinaash has been awarded a full scholarship at Harvard University, and has until tomorrow to decide if he would prefer to do his undergraduate studies there.

While Harvard looks promising, so is MIT, where his sister Anushree is completing her undergraduate degree in Economics and Mathematics.

Anushree was one of the country’s top students in 2005 when she scored 14 A’s in the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) examinations.

Dr Goh (third from left) congratulates Ryan while Avinaash, Michael (second from right), Dr Coffman and Tan look on.

Avinaash who obtained 11A’s in the 2008 SPM, said he is also undecided about the courses he would like to pursue.

“The US system generally does not accept freshmen into any particular degree programme and we only need to declare our major(s) in the second or third year.

“We are encouraged to do a range of subjects and discover our interests before taking the plunge,” said Avinaash who has indicated an interest in Biology including Ecological and Environmental Sciences.

Dr Goh Cheng Teik, who sits on the interview panel that selects students for undergraduate admission into Harvard University, said that students applied directly to the university.

“Harvard will then shortlist the applicants from each country and send us the names of those to be interviewed,” he said at a recent press conference to announce the names of those selected for admission to Harvard University.

This year, there were four shortlisted applicants from Malaysia, but only three were successful. They include Avinaash and two American students Michael George and Ryan Marschang, who are currently studying and residing in Malaysia.

Both Michael and Ryan are students of the International School Kuala Lumpur.

Avinaash (left) getting to know Ryan (middle) and Michael after the announcement.

Michael said he was interested in studying International Relations and has received offers from other top US universities but has not made his decision yet.

“Harvard is definitely at the top of my list. I’m still torn between Harvard, Princeton, Yale and Stanford,” he added.

Ryan, who moved to Kuala Lumpur with his family in 2004, said he has also received offers from the University of Pennsylvania, Northwestern University and the University of California, Berkeley.

“I never imagined getting into Harvard when I was applying for entry into colleges, but I have not made up my mind yet,” he said, adding that he might opt for a double major in Developmental Economics and Engineering.

Another interviewer Nathaniel Tan, who is also an education and applications consultant, said applicants should have critical thinking skills, a passion and an interest in world affairs, apart from wanting to make an impact.

Dr Goh encouraged Malaysian students to apply for admission into Harvard University.

He said money would not be an issue should one successfully gain admission into Harvard.

“If parents are unable to pay the full cost, the university will provide financial aid,” he added.

Also present was Malaysian-American Commission on Educational Exchange (Macee) executive director Dr James Coffman, who said there had been a 20% increase in the number of Malaysian students going to the US compared to the previous year.

“There are over 4,000 higher education institutions in the US and our goal at Macee is to see many Malaysians studying there,” he said.

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