Posts Tagged ‘BN’

« Older Entries
Newer Entries »

MIC confident indians vote for BN

December 23rd, 2007
|  Subscribe in a reader | Subscribe to poobalan.com by Email


BN can count on Indian voters
http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/76334
Dec 22, 07 3:21pm

There is no risk of the Indian voters ditching the BN and running to vote for the opposition in the coming general election, said MIC deputy president G Palanivel today.

"Loyalty is not a one-way process. It's a two-way process. BN voters will remain loyal to us because we have served our constituencies and have cultivated our relationship with our people," said Palanivel.

Bernama reported the Deputy Minister of Women, Family and Community Development as saying that the voters would know the volume of work done by MIC for the community.

"On the ground situation, especially during a general election, would be such that our voters will evaluate the volumes of work the MIC has done under the leadership of Datuk Seri S Samy Vellu,” he said.

He was commenting on suggestions by Opposition Leader Lim Kit Siang yesterday that there has been a political awakening among Indian voters in the country recently. Lim had said that the Indian voters could use their voting powers to be kingmakers in determining who should represent them.

However Palanivel said: "This will not happen".

He added that Lim was only referring to the voice of a splinter group, adding that the majority of the Indian voters knew that voting for the opposition would not be a solution to some of their unresolved woes.

Palanivel however admitted that BN’s elected representatives must continue to work hard in their constituencies and keep their voters informed of the opposition's ploy to fish in troubled waters.

Opposition exploitation

Palanivel’s comments today followed similar remarks made by the MIC Youth chief SA Vigneswaran yesterday that the opposition was exploiting the Indian voters.

Yesterday party president Samy Vellu also claimed that recent incidents have not dented MIC.

"I will continue to fight for the betterment of the (Indian) community,” he told Bernama in an interview.

Referring to recent street protests by some members of the Indian community and those from the Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf), he said MIC's spirit and strength had not been weakened by those incidents.

"I have always stood by the MIC and will continue to stand by the party. I will continue to fight for the community to ensure that Indians in the country continue to rise socially and economically," he had said.

Lim however had said that Samy was out of touch with the wishes of the Indian community.

The opposition leader said that Samy has a "serious denial syndrome" when he claimed that the government has never neglected the Indians.

The kingmakers

Lim also predicted that the Indian voters, who for long have been loyal to the Barisan Nasional, will shift away from voting for the ruling coalition in the next general election.

The most recent electoral data shows that there are 50 parliamentary and 133 state assembly constituencies where Indian voters comprise more than 10 percent of the electorate and 21 parliamentary and 133 state assembly seats in Peninsular Malaysia where the Indian voters constitute more than 15 percent of the electorate.

Lim said that the Indian voters in these constituencies can make the difference in sending a message to the BN.

MIC and Samy Vellu have come under tremendous pressure in recent months after Hindraf had managed to gather 30,000 people in Kuala Lumpur as a sign of protest against the marginalisation of the community in this country.

The community, feeling helpless, has thrown its weight behind Hindraf in the calls made to the government to immediately look into the woes of the Indians here.

As a result of their hardline campaign, five Hindraf leaders have been detained under the Internal Security Act which provides for detention without trial.

To regain the losing support, Samy Vellu and the MIC have been embarking on a series of programmes to convince the community that only MIC can help them.

Comments Off on MIC confident indians vote for BN »

Posted in Indian

Tags:

gerakan issues statement on paranjothy

December 23rd, 2007
|  Subscribe in a reader | Subscribe to poobalan.com by Email


Following DAP Vice Chief Paranjothy's statement ( http://poobalan.com/blog/borninmalaysia/2007/12/21/gerakan-leader-paranjothy-attacks-umno/), Gerakan issues statement to disassociate itself from his statement. I think he would say that it was his personal opinions and not official party stand.

Gerakan Youth 'shocked' by Paranjothy's comments
http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/76335
Andrew Ong | Dec 22, 07 3:35pm

Gerakan Youth has disassociated itself from the scathing comments issued by the movement’s vice-chief S Paranjothy yesterday.

In a joint statement issued by Gerakan Youth deputy chief Lim Si Pin and party central committee member Kohilan Pillay, the duo said the Youth wing was “shocked” by Paranjothy’s statement.

blamed Umno for inciting racial sentiments among Malaysians for political mileage.

He also criticised the government for “marginalising, oppressing and ignoring” Indian community which resulted in them being “fourth-class citizens”.

Lim and Kohilan hinted that Paranjothy’s statement could have resulted from several Gerakan Youth discussions on the causes and implications of the Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf) rally on Nov 25.

“(However) the (Youth wing) committee did not discuss about issuing such a statement. We strongly believe in the true spirit of BN in consensus building in resolving problems faced by all Malaysians,” they said.

Lim and Kohilan said issues raised by Paranjothy should be resolved internally or through “consultation” without having to attack others through the media.

Lets move on

On Paranjothy’s criticism of Umno’s acts of racial posturing, Lim and Kohilan said Gerakan Youth was fully committed BN Youth chairperson, and Umno Youth chief, Hishammuddin Hussien’s advice to let the past lie.

“It is not constructive to criticise again at this moment, utterances and actions of the past which has admittedly hurt the feelings of one another,” they added.

On Paranjothy’s comments regarding the plight of the Indian community, Lim and Kohilan said the best way to overcome such problems was through “consultation and working on concrete solutions” without having to point fingers through the media.

“Gerakan Youth wants to reiterate that we understand and symphatise with the grievances of segments of the Malaysian Indian community especially those from the lower income groups about their adverse economic and social situations,” added Lim and Kohilan.

) and Kohilan said the Indian community’s problems were a national problem and required the attention and actions of the government.

They added that the duo were responding to Paranjothy’s statement as Gerakan Youth chief Mah Siew Keong was presently overseas.

Comments Off on gerakan issues statement on paranjothy »

Posted in BornInMalaysia, Indian

Tags:

mahathir on ISA

December 22nd, 2007
|  Subscribe in a reader | Subscribe to poobalan.com by Email


TDM says if don't like ISA, don't vote for those who use them. So, asking people not to vote for BN?

Star, NST, and MK excerpts below:

The Star
On the Government using the Internal Security Act (ISA) against Hindraf leaders, Dr Mahathir said he himself had used the ISA before. 

"It is up to the government and the people to decide this. You see, we are a democratic country. 

"If the people selected to lead are the people who support the use of ISA, then they will use it. The choice is yours. I thought people approved the use of ISA when they supported me, so I implemented it." 

However, Dr Mahathir felt that problems felt by any community ought to be addressed in other ways and that public assemblies should only be used as a last resort.

NST
When asked on the government’s decision to invoke the Internal Security Act (ISA) on the group behind the activities which threatened public order and national security, Dr Mahathir said: “I used the ISA too.

“It is up to the government and the people to decide; as you know we are a democratic country. If you elect people who are supportive of the ISA, naturally the ISA will be there.

“If you don’t like the ISA, you have to elect people who don’t like the ISA. The choice is yours.”

According to Dr Mahathir, he was elected based on the fact that he supported the ISA.

“I was elected by the people, so I thought the people approved the ISA, that’s why I implemented the ISA,” he said.

On claims of ethnic cleansing here, Dr Mahathir said he read a lot about ethnic cleansing in Bosnia.

“I have yet to see a lot of Indians being killed here. Malays killing Indians and all that…I think that’s a bit absurd.”

On street demonstrations, he said the people were entitled to raise (issues) but there were other ways of doing it.

“Not unless they are prevented from making their presentation in other ways.

“If they don’t have a choice, of course, they may resort to demonstrations. But if they have a choice, they have their own leaders to explain their problems. I think that should be their first choice,” he said.

MK
Former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad said today demonstrations should only be held as a last resort when other avenues of communicating grievances are unavailable.

Mahathir said that as long as the channels are still open for issues to be raised and conveyed to community leaders, he is against demonstrations.

“They are entitled to raise (the issues), but there are other ways of raising it,” Mahathir told a press conference at his Perdana Leadership Foundation office in Putrajaya.

“If they have no other choice, of course, they may resort to demonstrations. But if they have a choice, they have their own leaders, they can meet (and) they can explain their problems, I think that would be the first choice,” he added.

Mahathir – speaking after the launch of a book on ‘The Third World and International Law’ by legal expert Tungku Sofiah Jewa – was commenting on the spate of public gatherings organised recently, such as by polls watchdog coalition Bersih and Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf).

Also present at the press conference were Dr Siti Hasmah Mohamad Ali and Minister of Culture, Arts and Heritage Dr Rais Yatim.

While Bersih rallied about 40,000 people into the streets on Nov 10 in support of a petition to the King for electoral reform, about 30,000 rallied on Nov 25 in support of a Hindraf petition to the British embassy protesting discrimination against and marginalisation of ethnic Indians.

Following the crackdowns by the police on the events, civil society groups and organisations have pressed for the government to give greater freedom for public assemblies and to abolish laws requiring a police permit before public gatherings are held.

Vote wisely

Mahathir also denied that the Indian community had been refused opportunities to make their grievances known.

On claims of ethnic cleansing here as alleged by Hindraf,  Mahathir said he read a lot about ethnic cleansing in Bosnia.

"I have yet to see a lot of Indians being killed here. Malays killing Indians and all that….I think that's a bit absurd."

  Speaking on the use of the Internal Security Act (ISA) against five Hindraf leaders, Mahathir said if people were against the ISA – which provides for detention without trial – they should not vote to power a party whose politicians are in support of the act.

“As you know, we are a democratic country. If you elect people who are supportive of the ISA, naturally, the ISA will be there. If you don’t like the ISA, you have to elect people who don’t like the ISA. The choice is yours,” he said.

“I was elected despite the fact that I supported the ISA. I was elected by the people, so I thought the people approved the ISA. That’s why I implemented the ISA,” he added.

Many quarters have criticised the government’s detention of the ‘Hindraf 5' under the ISA as an act of ‘desperation‘.

Comments Off on mahathir on ISA »

Posted in BornInMalaysia

Tags:

Gerakan leader Paranjothy attacks UMNO

December 21st, 2007
|  Subscribe in a reader | Subscribe to poobalan.com by Email


I read with amazement the report below. Is Paranjothy committing political suicide or is this a case of "miscommunication" between him and the journalist?

Gerakan rep: Umno incites racial sentiments
http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/76305
Dec 21, 07 6:23pm

In an audacious move, a notable Gerakan politician has taken Barisan Nasional coalition leader Umno to task for inciting racial sentiments among Malays to gain political mileage. 

“They incite racial sentiments among their community in a petty attempt to further their political career,” Gerakan Youth vice-chief S Paranjothy alleged today.

Such attempts, he said, include taking potshots at other BN component parties which draw their support from non-Malay communities. 

“Umno leaders are very found of picking on component parties and use them as their punching bag or stepping-stone to gain popularity in their community,” Paranjothy said in a hard-hitting four-page statement entitled ‘Discrimination from Womb to Tomb’.

and his deputy Khairy Jamaluddin’s claim that non-Malays would take advantage of a weak Umno leadership, as prime examples of racial posturing. 
 
He also cited Khairy’s speech at the Umno general assembly last month, during which he blamed newspaper vendors for not wanting to work on Deepavali day. He made a pointed reference to the fact that the sector is predominated by Indian Malaysians. 

(Each year, the print media takes a break during the major festivals. This year, Deepavali fell during the week of the Umno general assembly, and there was no publication on the day following the delivery of the presidential address.)

“Umno is fond of playing up sensitive issues among Malaysians. Statements and decisions made by Umno politicians have been (discriminatory) and contain a lot of racial slurs. So who is playing racial politics in Malaysia?… So who is causing racial disunity?” asked Paranjothy.

He warned that national unity would be elusive as long as political parties and politicians continue their communal approach towards politics.

“Politicians always feel (they) must fight for (their) own party. Since we have mostly ethnic parties, they are fighting for their ethnic group. It is difficult to achieve any kind of consensus.”

He stressed that the 14 BN component parties must consolidate into a single party in order to “end racial manipulation in politics”.

“In a multiracial party, if a politician wants to succeed, he would need to prove his ability and win support from all races, not just his own,” he explained.

‘Fourth-class citizens’

Commenting on the Nov 25 Hindraf rally, Paranjothy said the 30,000 Indians took part to express their “frustrations and anger” because the community has been “marginalised, oppressed and ignored”. 
 
Paranjothy said Indians form the most neglected group in economic terms, as shown by key performance indicators such as tertiary education.

“(They) are treated as fourth-class citizens. Where the Indians predominate over their fellow Malaysians is mostly in prison, violent crimes, gangsterism, suicide and social ills. Government policies have failed to improve (their situation).”

On the government’s hardline stance against public demonstrations, Paranjothy said the government has practised double-standards in the issuance of police permits.

“I have participated in street demonstrations and rallies organised by Barisan Nasional Youth, spearheaded by Umno Youth, to handover a memorandum… over certain issues that had taken place (abroad) which I believe would not have benefitted Malaysia.

“Did BN Youth obtained a permit to hold the rallies or demonstrations?… Looks like the government is one-sided when it came to the issuance of permits for public gatherings. BN started this culture of street demonstrations and now others have emulated it.”

1 comment »

Posted in BornInMalaysia

Tags:

MIBA’s Sivakumar offers more views

December 21st, 2007
|  Subscribe in a reader | Subscribe to poobalan.com by Email


He asked why the government cannot offer discounts to poor Indians and Chinese to purchase better houses.

"Why should they be left with the low-cost houses option? This will just lead to the creation of urban slums. They should also be given the opportunity to enjoy better housing," he added.

Yeah, why not?

Indian woes: Look at the BIG picture
RK Anand | Dec 21, 07 5:17pm
Source

The problems afflicting the Indian community in Malaysia extend beyond government handouts, said Malaysian Indian Business Association (Miba) president P Sivakumar today.

In order to view the big picture, he called on concerned groups, including MIC, to discard their conventional myopic ways.

The Johor-based businessman stressed on the importance of a reform in mindset and approach to tackle the community's woes.

"For decades, they have been talking about the same issues like estates, Tamil schools and temples. No doubt these are important, but the problem now is greater.

"What is confronting the community today are issues of national identity and equal opportunities in both the public and private sector as well as education," he told Malaysiakini.

After 50 years of independence, Sivakumar said Indians are deeply concerned about their future and that of their children's in this country.

"This is the real issues that need to be addressed. We cannot run away from them. The community is also concerned about its rights as enshrined in the federal constitution.

"This is a painful and tearful situation. Those with wealth, who are the minority, can afford to migrate, but what about the rest?" he said, adding, "I have been working with the community for 25 years and I have read their 'pulse'."

"It is these concerns that are being expressed. The community is not indulging in racism, communalism or extremism, they are merely expressing their sentiments and frustrations."

Elections – a test for BN

Sivakumar also warned that the coming general election will be a litmus test for the ruling Barisan Nasional government in terms of Indian votes.

In the past, Indians have been true-blue supporters of the ruling coalition but recent events, namely the emergence of the Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf) and allegations of marginalisation and persecution, indicate the possibility of a swing in votes.

Meanwhile, Sivakumar said the Indian community is not questioning the special privileges accorded to the bumiputera.

"These privileges were agreed to in the social contract in 1970 when the New Economic Policy (NEP) was formulated, agreed to and supported by all the races.

"This is not being disputed by anyone," added the 50-year-old entrepreneur who was one of those who met with Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi recently to discuss the problems faced by the Indians.

The issue of contention, according to Sivakumar, is the 'abuse' of the NEP. "This has given rise to dissent and dissatisfaction. It is the lack of aid extended to the poor of other races. The poor are being neglected," he said.

He asked why the government cannot offer discounts to poor Indians and Chinese to purchase better houses.

"Why should they be left with the low-cost houses option? This will just lead to the creation of urban slums. They should also be given the opportunity to enjoy better housing," he added.

He reasoned that education and business are two key areas which can help propel the community towards a better future. "So, it is vital that the government assist Indians in these areas."

Furthermore, he said with the increase in the cost of living, the Indians must receive their fair share of help from the government to ensure that they can lead quality lives.

Samy 'departs from the norm'

"These are the issues that MIC should be pushing for instead of mentioning the same old things again and again," he added.

However, he commended MIC president S Samy Vellu over his recent comments, which Sivakumar described as a "departure from the norm."

"Samy Vellu made some critical observations, such as agreeing on the need for more Indians in the civil service and that the public delivery system must be improved and stressing on the need for a Malaysian identity," he said.

Sivakumar also commented on a news report today which quoted Johor MIC chief K S Balakrishnan as saying that the state never marginalised Indians.

Among others, the state MIC leader said the state granted RM9 million over the past years for the modernisation and development of Tamil schools while RM2 million was allocated last year to build new Tamil schools, renovate classrooms and buy equipment.

"I have to agree with this," said Sivakumar.

"Johor Menteri Besar Abdul Ghani Othman has a track record of being fair to all races. He was also generous enough to extend a privatisation project to the community, but this was later withdrawn.

"Maybe Johor MIC can explain why it was withdrawn," he said, without elaborating.

Comments Off on MIBA’s Sivakumar offers more views »

Posted in Indian

Tags: