Samy fires first salvo via show cause letter to challenger

/* June 3rd, 2008 by poobalan | View blog reactions 1 comment »
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Looks like no time is wasted after Alex announced his intention to stand for presidency. Alex is issued with the show cause letter. Let the battle begin!

KLANG: Barely a day after he announced that he plans to run for the MIC presidency, Klang division chief Alex Thiagarasan received a show-cause letter for acting in a manner detrimental to the party yesterday. Thiagarasan said he had 14 days to explain to the party disciplinary committee why action should not be taken against him. He said at least seven branch chairmen had also received show-cause letters asking them to explain their reasons for supporting him.
The letter from the committee stated that a complaint had been received about an article in a Tamil daily on May 25, in which Thiagarasan had said party president Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu had misappropriated Telekom shares allocated by the government, as well as government funds allocated for Tafe College and the Asian Institute of Medicine, Science and Technology.

The letter also noted that in an article in the New Straits Times, Thiagarasan had said Samy Vellu was not an asset to the MIC or Barisan Nasional. The committee also said it had received a complaint that Thiagarasan had not remitted all of the funds collected by the division for the new MIC headquarters building fund.

“This is typical of Samy Vellu. He gets rid of anyone who is a threat to his leadership,” Thiagarasan said. “This proves that nothing has changed in the MIC, despite its so-called re-branding exercise.”

On the money for the building fund, Thiagarasan said the division had unanimously agreed during its annual general meeting last month that it would be returned to all branch chairmen. So far RM30,000 of the RM37,000 collected had been returned. » Read more: Samy fires first salvo via show cause letter to challenger

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NLFCS willing to transfer land for Tamil Schools sake

/* June 3rd, 2008 by poobalan | View blog reactions No comments »
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I guess NLFCS is taking the first step to aid in conversion of partially-aided schools to full-aided status. Other plantation owners should follow suit. With the rising price of palm oil and rubber, surely a bit of corporate social responsibility is in order. Once converted, the government cannot simply wash its hands off these schools.

But why does it take NLFCS such a long time to come to this decision? Surprising that an Indian based cooperative was unable to do so earlier. Rather than spending RM5 million all this while, it could have given the land to government and helped out in other ways.

THE National Land Finance Cooperative Society (NLFCS) is willing to give land to eight Tamil schools if the Government fully supports the schools.

Tamil Nesan quoted its executive director Tan Sri K.R. Somasundram as saying that the board of directors had agreed to a proposal to transfer the land to the schools for the sake of the children’s education.

He said that currently the Government was only giving partial aid to Tamil schools as many were situated on private land.

He said it was the expectation of the Indian community that Tamil schools be fully-aided schools to enable the pupils to study in a conducive environment.

He said NLFCS had spent nearly RM5mil to maintain schools under its supervision.

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Kapar temple status threatened by land owner

/* June 3rd, 2008 by poobalan | View blog reactions 10 comments »
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Well, in this instance, the authorities are not directly involved. The questions being raised is the inaction by the police on various reports made by the temple caretaker for last two years. Its related to the dubious manner of the land ownership transfer. Unfortunately, the temple lost the court case years ago, thus no option but to relocate. The caretaker had put in an application to set aside the ruling, but the owner is not bothered to wait. Perhaps the court should put up a restraining or stop-work kind of order. Then we can see if the police follow the court decision or not.

Until then, the police won’t be protecting the temple since court ruled otherwise. I’m sure in this instance, the police will follow the rule of the law and protect the owner. The only option is to provide proof of embezzlement or criminal action by the new owner. But even then, a recent landmark case involving land transfer shows that the “sale” or “transfer” is valid (even though invalid methods are used) and the buyer’s rights are protected. The actual owner (whose land title was transferred without their knowlege) lost their case. So, again I think legal avenue will be failure as well.

Since the owner is private (individual), he won’t be so charitable to allocate a plot for the temple. He won’t be standing for any election is not worried position and power. Only thing is that, if indeed he cheated in order to own the land, Amman will ensure he and his future generation pays many folds. That’s natural law.

Next option is political intervention – perhaps PR government will create much hassle until the new owner can’t do any development in the land. Or just buy the land and convert it into park. temple, school land etc. This would be a big challenge for new Kapar MP Manikavasagam. I’m sure Komala is waiting happily to seize the opportunity and hentam him.

They way I see it, only political or divine intervention can save the temple. Perhaps the owner will have a dream soon! 🙂

Kapar seems to be in the papers due to land issues nowadays.

MP Manikavasagam have written on his website about the issue. Photos are available at his Picasa site.

Kannan (Hindraf Coordinator) provides an account of the happenings (via email): » Read more: Kapar temple status threatened by land owner

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Sabah NGO to follow Hindraf idea?

/* June 2nd, 2008 by poobalan | View blog reactions No comments »
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Well, well, well. Looks like someone did learn from HINDRAF’s actions. Would they proceed with the petition, or merely highlight the possibility to sound a warning?

Being curious, I would like to know, how easy (or hard) is it for Sabah and/or Sarawak to leave the Federation and be a subject of the British government or declare independence? Can they do something like join Brunei, or Singapore or Phillipines, or combine and become one country? Err…my question is not seditious, is it?

A Sabah group is taking a page from Hindraf’s book – it is seriously considering petitioning the British government on the situation of illegal migrants in the state.
Having seen their proposal for a royal commission to probe the issue of illegal immigrants in the state rebuffed by BN lawmakers, the group is exploring the possibility of filing a petition to Britain through the Commonwealth office.

The Consumer Association of Sabah and Labuan (Cash), which is spearheading the move, is particularly aggrieved by the 440,000 foreign illegals, including 130,000 illegal immigrants in the state.

According to Cash, many of these foreigners, mostly from the Philippines and Indonesia were given local identity cards (ICs), according them all the benefits enjoyed by local Malaysians such as the right to vote.

Cash’s leader, Patrick Sindu, who is a Kadazan from Papar, told Malaysiakini that the setting up of a cabinet committee on illegal immigrants showed that the federal government was not serious in dealing with the situation.

“Only a royal commission has the real power to get into the bottom of the whole thing. We want to know the actual numbers of ICs given, why it was done so, who directed the government agencies and what will be done to leaders involved,” stressed Sindu (left).

If Cash was to follow the example from Hindu Action Front (Hindraf), which had filed a controversial lawsuit in Britain, it would be along the similar arguments that the former colonial administration had failed to ensure that rights of Sabahans be protected.

Another possible referendum?

Sindu was also not too impressed by the prime minister’s announcement over the weekend that the Sabah Federal Development Department would be abolished, something which had been demanded by many Sabahans.

He said he was more concerned that Filipino-based groups, including the separatist Mindanao Nationalist Liberation Front, might refer the unresolved Philippines’ claim on Sabah to the International Court of Justice.

The Sabahan feared if another referendum was to be had, the Filipinos having ICs would decide the matter. The Cobbold Commission had conducted a referendum in April 1962, where most Sabahans backed the merger with Malaya.

According to Sindu, the Malaysia Agreement – which is the basis for Sabah and Sarawak to join Malaya to form Malaysia – provided for reviews every decade and this was not done. There have been other breaches to the agreement since the 1963 merger, reported Cash.

http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/83809

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Commission for minimum wage

/* June 2nd, 2008 by poobalan | View blog reactions No comments »
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The commission is to determine (i) which sectors should have minimum wage, and (ii) how much it should be subject to periodic review. Would it be a good news for the plantation workers, dock workers, restaurant workers, etc?

KUALA LUMPUR: The Human Resources Ministry will set up a permanent Commission of Inquiry to determine which sectors should have a fixed minimum wage, and to review these wages on an on-going basis.

Its minister Datuk Dr S. Subramaniam said the Commission would gather first feedback from the various wage councils on which sectors should have a fixed minimum wage.

Speaking to reporters at a press conference in the lobby of Parliament on Monday, he said the Commission would also work with these councils on reviewing any such fixed minimum wage on an on-going basis.

source 

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