The ship is sinking - a letter

Posted by: "raj kumar maharajah" drmaharajahrk@yahoo.com drmaharajahrk
Sun Feb 3, 2008 9:55 pm (PST)
----- Forwarded Message ----
From: Pagalavan Letchumanan
To: barakathbadusha@ yahoo.com; dr.leehanwei@ gmail.com; kgdiv@yahoo. com.my; mrbasheerahamed@ gmail.com; tkalai170422@ yahoo.com; amish patel ; Dr G.C.George ; Guna ; Lew Hong Chau ; Nirven KUMAR ; noor azlina mohd salleh ; raj kumar maharajah ; WK Chan
Sent: Monday, February 4, 2008 1:40:52 PM
Subject: The ship is sinking - a letter

The ship is sinking
Posted by labisman
Monday, 04 February 2008

I am leaving. I am taking my family to a better place. Mixed reactions I have received from everyone around me have compelled me to write this.
This is not for those who understand my predicament. This is not for those who want to do what I am about to do but just cannot bring themselves to do it for various reasons.
This is, however, meant to enlighten those who are around me that has thrown words such as "coward", "easy way out", "unpatriotic" , "thrown in the towel" and most hurtful - "selfish".
I am in my mid 30s, and recently, I have become a father of 1. She is about a year and a half now. And to me, she is the most beautiful gift that anyone could have ever given me. I married a Malay-Muslim. I am a convert to Islam. Yes, at first it was for marriage, and later on, I have grown close to Islam, and I practice it with utmost sincerity.

I am leaving for my daughter. It is not a selfish thing to do. Canada will be a struggle for my wife and I. It will be a struggle for 2 people in their 30s to adapt, to leave so much behind, to start fresh. It is for my daughter. To me, that is unselfish.
You see, I have been a voter since I was eligible to vote. I have voted in every single election since I was eligible to vote. My vote always went to the opposition. And every single time I get beaten down and thumped by the results. I am no sore loser, but I wouldn't mind if I lost fairly and on a level playing field.

I have always encouraged my family, relatives, and friends to register as a voter if they have not already done it. And I do all I can to talk to family, relatives, and friends, since 15 years ago as to why we need a stronger opposition and recently, my tone changed to 'why we need a change of government'. From this, I am convinced that I have managed to swing many votes in the opposition's favor by people around me. I go to rallies, seminars, talks. I walked with the people, subjected myself to acid laced water, sounds to batons knocking on shields, risk arrest, and high handed police tactics. Yet every single time, I come out the loser. A loser who lost an unfair battle. A loser who cannot do much to change things even by doing everything he could, and everything within his power to change things. A loser who will keep losing unfairly.
I am leaving because I have run out of moves. I have run out of maneuvers. I have run out of steam. I have been thumped to the ground too many times over the years. People like me have been called names, insulted and ridiculed by people who run this country. The people I damn. The people that have sucked this country dry. The people who have clipped my wings for over 30 years. The people who convinced me that my daughter will not have a good quality of life in this potentially beautiful country.

My 1 and a half year old daughter goes to daycare. The teachers there gave me a hard time as to why my daughter has a Muslim name and also an Indian middle name. They say it should not be so. My neighbor sends his son to the same nursery. A son with a Malay-non Islamic name. But that is OK. Malays seem to equate malays to equal muslims. I took her away from that nursery, and searched for a new one. I went from one place to another. One nursery forced 3 – 4 year olds to wear a tudung, to purposes of "menutup aurat".

My wife is an educator. She has seen an unhealthy kind of Islamisation is schools. Not an Islamisation guided by the Quran. But a Malay, BN government version of Islam. Where to be a good muslim is to support the government. And to be a good muslim is to be a good malay who protect malay rights. Who protects this country from falling into the hands of the other races.
I have tried to talk to people, tell them about how a Muaalaf feels when they behave as though Islam belongs to the malays. People get angry, it is their God given right. They appear as though they are the Guardians of Islam in Malaysia. I reason with people, try to open hearts and minds. They get angry. Our government has set this mentality after 50 years. Our government has set this mentality for personal interests. Our government has ruled and shaped peoples mind to be one tracked, and benefiting to those in power. They have clipped their wings, crippled our minds, and created brain drains. There is no room for question, no room for analysis, no room for creativity, no room for change.

They have taken away what would potentially be a good quality of life for my daughter.
I walked with the people, subjected myself to acid laced water, sounds to batons knocking on shields, risk arrest, and high handed police tactics.

I do all I can to change things and people around me. Yet every single time, I come out the loser. A loser who lost an unfair battle. A loser who cannot do much to change things even by doing every he could, and everything within his power to change things. A loser who will keep losing unfairly.

Friends, I am not leaving because I am a "coward", or I am finding an "easy way out", or because I am "unpatriotic" , or have "thrown in the towel" and definitely not "selfish".
I am leaving because I have run out of moves. I have run out of maneuvers. I have run out of steam.
I am doing this for my daughter, for her future. She will adapt to her new home, My wife and I will suffer.

Staying here will be selfish. It will be selfish for me to not allow my daughter to have the best in life. It will be selfish for me to not provide for her the best that I can. It will be selfish for me to not provide her the best from everything within my power.

Yes, I am leaving. I have tried to plug the holes, but the holes are too many. All I see are people just looking on as the holes become more and more. I see holes being created by our government. I try to plug them, I try to get people around me to help plug them. The holes are too many.
The holes are making the ship sink.
The ship is sinking, and I'm taking my family to jump ship.

By Firdaus Siva

No windows !

No windows !

Posted by: "raj kumar maharajah" drmaharajahrk@yahoo.com drmaharajahrk

Tue Dec 25, 2007 5:49 pm (PST)

just felt like sharing this which i got from a website

THE CHINESE, THEIR HOUSES HAVE NO WINDOWS

I looked out the window.
And I saw

Thousands and thousands of Malays in the Bersih Rally. They were fighting their own kind for a cause they believed in. And they risk being ostracized by their Muslim brothers. And they risk much.

I looked out the window.
And I saw

Thousands and thousands of Indians holding the picture of Gandhi in the streets. All were teargassed and many beaten with batons. At Batu Caves, they were locked in, pumped with tear gas and sprayed with chemical water. 80 are awaiting trial. 31 are charged for attempted murder of a policeman that attacked them. All their leaders are under ISA. The one that got away fled the country.

I looked out the window.
And I saw

Thousands and thousands of Chinese closing their doors. Minding their own business. Watching the soap operas. Playing mahjong. Going to the gym. Planning for holidays. Eating bah kuet teh. Enrolling their children in private schools. Going for line dancing. Changing to a bigger car. Perming their hair brown. Going to the movies. Shopping.

The Chinese. They don't look out the window.

Their houses.
Have no windows.

Another open letter...not from me.

Received from an email


Vanakkam,


The real problems facing Malaysia are actually about the Malaysian Govt's INEPTNESS and RAMPANT CORRUPTION across institutions (in the Courts, Police, Election Commission, besides deaths in police custody; high crime rate; Mongolian beauty murder scandal involving a promintent poltician; etc..) as well as DISCRIMINATION against the MINORITIES, which have gone unanswerd for too long; and the growing UNDERCLASS across all races. Hence the protest marches by BERSEH, HINDRAF and others in November and December, comprising Malaysians from all racial and religious backgrounds against their government. This is the very government that obtained the people's overwheming mandate just a few years ago, with Mr. Abdullah Badawi as its head. What went wrong and how did their government in such a short period betray its people ?


Therefore, it is obvious that the problem is NOT between the races, as Malaysians of all races and creed do live peacefully side by side.


To be specific, it is the UMNO extremists who are trying their best to paint it as RACIAL for their OWN (not for their NATION's) survival in the face of growing discontent with the present self-serving coalition govt (Barisan National); and increasing support of the people for the opposition, and the expected loss of Malay votes to PAS and Anwar Ibrahim's Keadilan Party at the forthcoming General Election in 2008. UMNO has been trying to project the Malays as one united constituency for their picking. Alas, it is not so, in reality, as the Malays too, have their own problems including the rich-poor divide and other deep-seated grouses.

On the recent peace march by about 30, 000 to 50, 000 people (some govt reports stated that it was about 10,000) from the Indian Community and other supporters in KL last week, in order to understand the situation better, I had spoken or met some of my Malaysian friends - Indians, many Chinese friends, and Malays (incl a taxi driver, teh tarik shop owner, petrol kiosk attendant, some executives - esp the older ones) over the phone and in my recent trip to Malaysia.
I had also read some of the media reports, too.

Let me try to summarise these inputs for the benefit of and further discussion by the rest of us in this Forum:
(at least to provide a clearer perspective) .

Actual Background:

The problem has been simmering for the past 40-50 years, with some politicians (the usual culprits in many countries) in their brinkmanship and upmanship - what we called 'playing to the gallery ' - garnering votes from the majority - their Malay and Muslim constituents.

It is ironic that this year (2007) is the 50th Anniversary of Malaysia's Independence; and the people of Malaysia should proudly take stock of their achievements and progress as a nation.

The fact is that many of the Malaysian political parties are racist in origin. Some are religious - in origin or by their actions (eg PAS and UMNO).

Just reading the speeches by UMNO delegates at their Annual General Meetings will be sufficient for us to get an idea.

So the accusation of HINDRAF ( which is actually a coalition of about 30 NGOs) being racist, is misplaced and mischievous as the Malaysian govt is trying to discredit the peace march, using the media with disinformation.

This is being claimed as if none of the other organisations' actions (especially UMNO who is behind the steady introduction of the Shariah Law) are racist or religious in nature. The Shariah Court takes precedence over the Civil Court, even in cases involving people from the other religious backgrounds.

And PM Badawi, as reported in the press, appears to drag his feet to resolve this, losing his credibility as a just leader in the process.

The term, 'Mr Nice Guy' given to him by the press is actually misleading, as he had actually allowed many 'not so nice' policies to be implemented.

The Malaysian people would have preferred if he is called 'Mr. Fair Guy', instead and if he lives up to this slogan.

Incidentally, PM Badawi was a Muslim Scholar. Unlike Mahathir, PM Badawi is perceived by many Malaysians (incl Malaysian Malays) to be 'slower' or even 'laid back', in implementing changes and ' more tolerant' of UMNO ultras. Their simple observation is that the public did not hear about or see the brandishing of the keris at UMNO General Meetings during PM Mahathir's tenure. It is not that the Govt under Mahathir is free from blame for today's situation. This will be another subject.

One of the last straws was the wrongful conversion of Hindus and others to Muslims, in spite of their affected families' strong options and the disrespectful treatment of these affected bereaved families by outsiders. This included the late Malaysian Indian Commando, the frst Malaysian with another climber, who scaled Mt Everest and brought honour to Malaysia. He died later of other unrelated medical complications.

There are so many other cases of religious insensitivities. These include Ms. Joy who wanted to convert to Christianity from Islam; child custody cases, where the children were compelled to convert to Muslims, regardless whether one of their parents had objected; separation of children from their natural mothers who are non-Muslims; cases where Shariah Court decisions overruled Civil Court decisions, thus adding confusion to the Malaysian people. An UMNO member had recently asked that crosses/statues in missionary schools be removed. Fortunately, in the light of the Nov 25 protests, the govt retracted and allowed these missionary schools to display the cross and statues of Virgin Mary (New Straits Times (NST) dated 10 Dec, Page 4). In 2006, the Mufti of Sabah had the audacity to issue a decree to stop construction of Buddhist statues, and the Goddess of the Sea statue in Sabah, as they are considered 'haram' (forbidden) and this decree was allegedly issued to 'protect the sensitivities of Muslims in Sabah specifically, and Malaysia, in general'.
On a separate occasion, the Mentri Besar, Khir Thor ordered the recent destruction of the Hindu temple that triggered the HINDRAF rally on 25 Nov, which the govt now realised was insensitive and high-handed.

None of these perpetrators (esp the Mufti, the Metri Besar and certain UMNO activists) were arrested for inflaming racial and religious hatred, the very accusation the govt levelled at HINDRAF and other NGOs, now. PM Badawi's remarks on 11 Dec that 'if somebody breaks the law, he has to face the consequences' , in this context appeared hollow, when the original instigators to disrupt peace and public order were left untouched.

The other last 'straw' is the continual destruction of Hindu temples till today with impunity - many of which are not even reported in the govt controlled press. And these were not taken up effectively by most political parties, as probably being opportunistic, they thought it was not their problem. The past weeks' large scale protests has now come to haunt every one of these parties, as they are also guilty of dereliction of duty to protect the public from over-zealous officials and their abuses of power.

By the way, the destruction of some temples were recorded in DVDs by concerned Malaysian citizens. These DVDs should be submitted as evidence at an Independent Board of Inquiry.

Even MIC Supremo Samy Velu could not stop the destruction, when he went to a temple site in person to appeal against its demolishment.

The poor gets poorer and neglected. Most of their schools in the estates are run-down, and without govt funding. On the other hand, we do not see any of the Chinese and Malay vernacular schools being in such a state. The Indian underclass is growing and is worse than the Chinese and Malay Underclass.

Poverty and Lack of Job opportunities lead to Unemployment that leads to Crime (eg Klang Valley).
This is a classic case study found everywhere in the world.

(MIC Mr. Samy Velu, in a feeble and belated attempt to deflect criticisms, outlined the achievements of the Indian Community - ref: New Straits Times (NST) papers dated 10 Dec. and repeated in the Singapore Straits Times dated 11 Dec. However, Samy Velu conceded that 'the bottom 30 % of low-income families lacked institutional public sector support. We have requested the federal and state govts for an effective delivery mechanism to assist the Indian Community'. This important part of his speech was not even carried in our local Singapore papers.

It is left to the reader to conclude whether his statement will eventually lead to actual results OR continue to be like those hollow promises made over the past decade. Reading his statement closely, one can conclude that the MIC leader admits that there has not been sufficient effective measures to alleviate the large proportion of the Community out of the poverty trap.

DESPERATION leads to ACTION (in the form of HINDRAF and BERSEH, etc..) which we had witnessed the last few weeks.

On the other hand, we read of OTHER organisations now commenting in the press ('pontificating' is the more appropriate word, here) ' from their pedestals' and giving their 'unsolicited and obviously belated' advice. Isn't it a bit too late ? None of them had suggested any good solutions to these problems.
These include several political parties; and certain NGOs eg Social Strategic Foundation, etc..and even the Press.

Some of these 'pundits' claimed that there is no room for extremists. Rightly so.

On the other hand, there are so many 'extremist' elements within the BN coalition and the establishment, pandering to various religious and racial objectives.

Where were these NGOs and commentators and the press - when these extremist elements within the establishment got their ways ?

In this context, the peace march by HINDRAF is a cry for help - as a last resort.

Many of these parties have not done much to resolve long standing issues. We do not get to hear much of them.

(Of course, there will be exceptions, but it is a case of FAR TOO FEW of them and TOO FAR in between; and TOO LATE and sadly with not much significant progress). One exception I can recall is the MCA Public Services and Complaints Bureau that regularly helps and publicises the people's plight (incl those of the other races) under veteran Datuk Michael Chong. The MIC is NOT even able to do this.


DISINFORMATION and Untruths:

The problem is also between the Malaysian Government and the Indian Community of which the majority are Hindus.

Malaysia is now trying to use UMNO-controlled NST, etc.. and the media to sow disinformation that the problem is between the Races; when it is NOT in the first place. Apparently, Malaysians generally, are aware of their govt's ploy.

It brings to my mind what the former Permanent Secretary, Mr. Ngiam Tong Dow said in his speech at Sunday's (9 Dec) NUS Economics Alumni annual dinner about 'reality checks' and TODAY Newspaper banner headline (10 Dec): "Facts on the ground more eloquent than statistics".
Though Mr. Ngiam was referring to another matter about economics, his comments hit the nail on those 'pundits' and 'scribes' who continue to mislead the public , wittingly or unwittingly, about the actual situation by projecting their 'own statistics' or 'myopic views'. This is where the newly accepted 'mainstream media' -(and which is no longer considered as an 'alternative media') - the Internet, plays an important role in disseminating the truth or alternatives to the traditional media (eg printed newspapers and TV/Radio). Youtube is just one example of this powerful and more eloquent form of media.

WHY the attempts by the authorities for Disinformation?

The Hindraf issue though it focuses on the problems faced by the Indian underclass - - will ALSO lead to the AWARENESS that the Malays and Chinese UNDERCLASSES have also been taken for granted by the establishment of the country. This will further blow the myth that all Malays are behind UMNO. It is no longer anymore as UMNO had also let down the Malays.

(in actual fact, the poor Malays are angry about so many aspects of the skewed Bumi policy, too -- eg I was reminded about the AP permits where privileged people were given licences to import foreign cars - causing the country to lose millions in import taxes for the benefit of the privileged few; etc..)

Past reports incl research by academics have predicted that in Malaysia, there will eventually be big problems between the RICH Malays and the POOR Malays and with their Govt.

The Malaysian Govt cannot afford to 'wake up' the Malay Underclass that may go against against the Govt.
(even former PM Mahathir had lamented that the Bumiputera policy had only benefited a small section of the Malays, esp the Rich Malays).

Hence, the Malaysian Govt is trying its best to rally the Malays behind them by claiming that the HINDRAF issue is between races, when in ACTUAL FACT it is between the Govt and the Indian Community. It is a case of divide and rule.

Furthermore, the US Congress had mentioned of the plight of Malaysian Indians, accurately, too.

[SAME PLOY during former DPM (and later PM) Tun Razak's tenure in 1969. Today the late Tun Razak's son - Najib - is the DPM. How uncanny can it be ? And how leopards and offsprings do not change their spots].

Also, it is FALLACY to think that Malaysian Malays have never gone to the streets in big demos, as wrongly reported in the Straits Times (dated 7 Dec) by Janadas Devan, when he quoted an UMNO Supreme Council member. Such report does a disservice to Singaporean readers and others alike. In the same month, there was a much bigger ("Berseh') demo led by Anwar Ibrahim - most of whom are Malays.

In a PAS protest earlier this year, some Malays (rumoured to be planted by a political party within BN to cause embarrassment to PAS) had even burnt the Malaysian flag. No arrests have been made till now, even though it was committed in broad daylight.

The point is that a more balanced report and understanding on the ground is needed. There have been some other street protests by the Malays (PAS, etc..incl demos against foreign embassies eg Danish Embassy in 2006 over cartoons in their local Danish papers; US Embassy over Iraq; etc...).
Papers (including some of our own local papers) continue to give the impression that public protests are 'rare' in Malaysia. It does not convey a very accurate picture.

On the contrary, this is the FIRST time in Malaysia's history, the Indian Community (some reported to be as large as 50, 000) has come out in this protest march. It was also reported that there were several thousands more waiting to join, but they were not able to come due to road blocks leading to KL on Nov 25.

Based on observation and press reports, the Malaysian Indians, in general, are more accommodating and had tried their best to bring their problems to the Malaysian leaders over at least 10 years. It is usually the Malays and the Chinese that we get to hear most as they are the most vocal.

Culturally, the Malays and Indians are closer. Malays do love Indian movies and songs. A number of Malay words have their origins in Sanskrit and/or Tamil. Wayang Kulit, Batik, certain food and games share a common heritage with Indians.
Furthermore, a substantial number of Malays today have Indian ancestry through mixed marriages over the years.
Indian cultural influence was widespread in SE Asia during the Sri Vijaya and Mahapahit (and Chola) Empires.

Some have now asked the contrarian question, 'WHY it took so long for the Indian Community to come out, when all channels (through their MPs, MIC, Barisan National MPs, Courts, Press, etc.) have failed them a long time ago ?'

Janadas' article by quoting a UMNO member as saying 'do not force us to do so as we will draw our parangs to defend our country's sovereignty' , I feel, may unwittingly play to the agenda of UMNO, who is trying their best to garner the Malay and Islam votes, with an eye on the next General Election, rumoured to be held by mid, 2008. The Barisan National (BN) - comprising UMNO, MCA, MIC, etc.. have a bigger fear of Anwar and PAS, and like in many countries, minorities are taken as scape goats. UMNO is afraid to alienate the Malay votes, if the issue is the widening income gap for their Community, too (besides discrimination faced by the Indian Community).

Janadas correctly mentioned, however, that the UMNO-led ruling coalition govt, in desperation of "losing substantial support from Malaysia's minorities will find itself having to depend even more on Malays to preserve its two-thirds majority in Parliament, may be 'tempted to ratchet up their 'parang' talk. That is a dangerous game".

REALITY ON THE GROUND:

Many Malaysians also believed that the authorities had planted 'trouble makers' amongst the crowd who had assembled to proceed to the British High Comm.

The Batu Caves Temple, where the people had assembled to rest is the site where the Malaysian police had lobbed tear gas, etc...The people consider this as sacrilegious. There was nothing to provoke the police to enter the temple grounds.

Again, an independent inquiry into this incident (as well as the ' Berseh' protest march led by Anwar) will be
important to get to the truth of the matter.

HYPOCRISY:

It is 'funny' or 'hypocritical' to many Malaysians that Minister Nazri (of the PM Office) dare not tell the US to 'lay off' after the US Congress rebuke.

His rude remarks to Tamil Nadu Chief Minister smacks of arrogance, ignorance and hypocrisy.
Janadas Devan's article, incidentally, mentioned 'that any other ASEAN govt would have done the same'.
On the contrary, with the recently concluded ASEAN Conference in Singapore, the proposed ASEAN Charter (though watered down) will allow ASEAN govts to 'interfere' in another member's affairs (re: Myanmar). ASEAN members were under pressure from the US, EU, etc...to do so, rather than conveniently depending on the UN, only to do their biddings.

PM Lee Hsien Loong had also mentioned of the difficulty to get all the ASEAN members to agree to this 'interference in each other's internal affairs' clause in the ASEAN Charter which will be inevitable in the long term, if ASEAN is to be taken seriously by other nations.

On the issue of non-interference, Malaysia should first set an example by not interfering in other countries' affairs be it in the Middle East; Thailand, Singapore; Denmark (re the issue on cartoons).

Incidentally, China had also showed concerns when Indonesians of Chinese descent were killed or raped in Indonesia... in the 90s, and even in the 1965 during the large anti-Communist purge when Gen. Suharto came into power. And even for Malaysian Chinese in the past.

This is nothing new.

Even MM Lee Kuan Yew had mentioned about these 'premodial instincts' - where Singaporean Chinese and Singaporean Indians and Singaporeans Malays have understandable cultural attachments to their respective countries of origin. Singapore's links to China are on the same basis.

WISHING MALAYSIA WELL:

In conclusion, readers are advised to obtain their own feedback and make their own independent assessments of the situation in Malaysia.
As is said, the 'facts on the ground are more eloquent than the statistics'.

Furthermore, we also have to be wary of newspapers and keep track of certain journalists who penned their reports from KL or elsewhere, with a certain spin.

It pays to be kept accurately informed, rather than being subject to news reports by scribes and organisations with incomplete information or worse, with an hidden agenda.

It is also important for all Malaysians to take cognisance of opportunistic politicians who do not seriously work towards finding lasting and just political solutions.

The Government needs to sit down with the Community and arrive at genuine long-term solutions. Tough action and standoff against a section of the community, without justice, will back-fire, as the government attempts to divert the attention of their citizens from other seemingly intractable and deep seated problems mentioned at the beginning of this article.

While, as non-Malaysians, we may not wish to interfere in their affairs, reality on the ground, however, will prompt any concerned ASEAN citizen to feel sad and wary of the situation next door. As neighbours, we, too, wish the government and people of Malaysia well and peace and harmony.

Merry Christmas and A Happy New Year

RAJA PETRA : THE CORRIDORS OF POWER

5/12: The tried and tested route of history
Category: Articles
Posted by: raja petra
THE CORRIDORS OF POWER

Raja Petra Kamarudin

Why has Malaysia Today not written anything about
the HINDRAF rally of 25 November 2007? Why is
Raja Petra keeping so quiet? Why no comment? The
silence is deafening! Does Raja Petra and
Malaysia Today support or oppose the Hindu
demands?

Yes, I have been inundated by questions,
questions and yet more questions. The fact that
80% to 90% of Malaysia Today’s news, letters,
articles and blog items are about the HINDRAF
rally and the plight of the Indians do not seem
to matter. That is what others say. We want to
know what Raja Petra and Malaysia Today have to
say, came back the reply.

Well, I thought I would allow all and sundry to
get in their two cents worth before I deliver my
K.O. punch. If I make my move too early, then
this would enable the ‘other side’ to modify
their stance. Why reveal what I have up my sleeve
too early? Let them ‘habis modal’ (can translate
to ‘spent force’) first before I show the cards
in my hand. Once they have thrown everything onto
the table and have nothing left to offer, that
will be when I will wham-bam my cards and take
them for all they are worth. I will strip them
down to their underpants and send them home in
their seluar dalam.

And that time is now. But before that, read this
e-mail which has been making its rounds in an
attempt to stir up Malay nationalism and Islamic
sentiments:
#####
ANWAR IBRAHIM - HINDRAF No. 1 FAN

The Muslim community is now closely observing the
actions of the movers and shakers of Hindraf, a
small group of Hindus who are about on creating
chaos in the country whilst maintaining the
parade of championing racial and religious
sentiments. In fighting for and defending the
construction of Hindu temples, they have forsaken
all sense of decency towards the others races in
this country. What is the measure of their
decency when they falsely allege that the
government massacred 100 Indians during Kampung
Medan incident in the year 2000?

Whilst keeping an eye on the antics of this
group, the country was shocked when Anwar Ibrahim
approached them from behind and delivered a
speech motivating the 1500 odd Hindraf supporters
who were congregating in front of the Kelang
court house on 26 November 2007. Anwar urged them
to continue with their struggle in defending
their religion and the temple issue. That is
Anwar, always striking while the iron is hot.

Likewise, during the Bersih street demonstration
of 10 November 2007, Anwar made hay while the sun
shone by making an appearance at the rally, when
the coast was already clear and took over the
lead in the handover of the memorandum to palace
officials. That made the other opposition leaders
look idiotic. They slugged hard, braved the rain
and skirmished with the authorities. In the end,
Anwar enjoyed the fruits of their labour, while
they must be content with only the skin of those
fruits.

That is Anwar! A politically- bankrupt ex-leader
who favours “rear entry” to whatever circumstance
he finds himself in. Weekly, in the “back”
ground, he meets with the Jews and reviles the
government, accusing them of being responsible
for the economic downturn of the country, among
other things.

He has conveniently forgotten that when he was
the finance minister, he agreed to sell out the
country when he proposed to accept the IMF
package. That is Anwar, the Machiavellian prince
with the motto, “the ends justify the means”. He
will do whatever it takes for him to crowned, in
this case, as the Prime Minister of Malaysia.

The silent majority of Malaysia make your stand
now! Do you want this Liberation Tigers of Tamil
Elam sponsored Hindraf to destroy the very fabric
of Malaysian society? Do you want this failed
finance minister who will stop at nothing and
won’t hesitate to employ whatever means necessary
to achieve his political ambitions to become our
leader? Malaysia you need to decide now!

Anwar - the future Hindraf Prime Minister
#####

Yes, that is the e-mail making its rounds, and
the ‘message’ dovetails with the statement by
Nazri Aziz that Anwar is the hidden hand behind
HINDAF. The Umno Youth Leader in turn says that
there are certain forces behind all the marches
recently organised -- from the Bar Council march
on 26 September, to the BERSIH march on 10
November, the HINDAF rally on 25 November, and of
course the Batu Burok rally earlier where two
people were shot. The talk amongst the Umno
circles in the coffee houses and Mamak shops is
that Singapore is behind all these rallies,
engineered to destabilise the government and to
bring about Abdullah Ahmad Badawi’s downfall.

The so-called Singapore connection certainly
sounds far-fetched considering that Abdullah is
said to be working hand-in-glove with Singapore
and that the Singapore ‘plant’ in Abdullah’s
government is none other than his ‘economic
advisor’, Kalimullah. We can only assume that
this Singapore spin is designed to deflect
allegations that Singapore has infiltrated
Putrajaya and that ‘Tingkat 4’ drafts policies
favouring that tiny Island Republic. Whatever it
may be, the spin-doctoring machinery is working
overtime and the stories coming out of Umno are
meant to confuse rather than to inform.

Undoubtedly, much of what has been happening has
not been by perchance. If you think that Malaysia
has become a victim of circumstances and
coincidences, think again. There are engineers
and architects at play here. And the endgame is
simple; restore Malay unity.

As they say; why reinvent the wheel? Another
cliché: if it is not broken, why fix it? That’s
right; the best route is the tried and tested
route of history. And this tried and tested route
was proven on 13 May 1969, two days after the
ruling party lost its two-thirds majority in
Parliament and a few states fell to the
opposition. Today’s scenario is a duplicate of 11
May 1969. They do not need to wait for the
results of the 12th General Election to know what
the score is. If the 12th General Election is
held today, Kelantan, Terengganu, Penang and
Sabah will fall to the opposition while the
ruling party will loss its two-thirds majority in
Kedah, Perak, Selangor and Pahang.

And that is why the tenure of the Chairman of the
Elections Commission needs to be extended another
year when he retires at the end of this year.
Only he can ensure that the ruling party retains
control of Parliament and the State Assemblies
with a clear two-thirds majority. The postal
votes system can’t be abolished, the Chairman
replied indignantly, because that would be the
only way to ensure that none of the cabinet
ministers get kicked out of office. And when
asked is not the role of the Elections Commission
to conduct free and fair elections, he replied,
with maximum arrogance, that the role of the
Elections Commission is to ensure that the Malays
will not lose political domination. And as to why
the campaign period is so short instead of a
minimum of 21 days, he told the BERSIH delegation
that he does not have the authority to extend the
campaign period and if they are not happy with
that then go see the Agong and ask the Agong to
make the changes.

And so, true to the advice of the Chairman of the
Elections Commission, BERSIH took its case to the
Agong on 10 November 2007.

The government is worried. Umno has accused
BERSIH of ‘dragging’ the Agong into politics. But
the Agong is aware that it was the Chairman of
the Elections Commission who was the one who
brushed off BERSIH and told them to go see His
Majesty. And now the Chairman’s tenure of office
is about to expire in three weeks time. Will the
Agong consent to extending his tenure another
year so that he can rig the 12th General
Elections and make sure that the ruling party
wins, yet again, hands down? This is an unknown
factor. The Agong has already rejected the
extension of the tenure of the Chief Justice,
another crook. Chances are the Agong will also
reject the extension of the crooked Elections
Commission Chairman as well.

So they need to bypass the Agong. They need to
amend the law so that the tenure of the Elections
Commission Chairman can be extended without the
need to seek the consent of the Agong. And they
will do this on Tuesday, 11 December 2007. On
Tuesday, Parliament will pass a law allowing the
government to extend the tenure of the Elections
Commission Chairman another year beyond
retirement age. This will therefore make the
Agong irrelevant. The Agong’s consent will not be
required. The Agong can now be bypassed.

But this is still not enough. The Chinese appear
to have abandoned the government. The Sarawak
State Elections proved this. But the Malays are
split four ways. We have the PAS Malays. We have
the PKR Malays. We have the pro-Abdullah Ahmad
Badawi Umno Malays. Then we have the
anti-Abdullah Ahmad Badawi Umno Malays. At the
last count, the pro-Abdullah Ahmad Badawi Umno
Malays are down to 20%. 80% of the Malays are
with PAS, PKR, and sitting in the anti-Abdullah
Ahmad Badwi camp.

There are no two ways about it. The Abdullah camp
has to pull out another 13 May 1969 rabbit from
the hat. But they can’t wait for the results of
the general election before they do this like on
13 May 1969. That would be too obvious and too
risky. After all, they can already forecast the
result, so why wait? They can do that now. A
slight twist from 1969 -- instead of waiting for
the results, they can pre-empt the results. But
the strategy must be the same, unite the Malays.
Get the Malays to rally around one issue. Then
there will no longer be PAS Malays, PKR Malays,
Anti-Abdullah Umno Malays, and pro-Abdullah Umno
Malays. There will be only one group of Malays; a
group united under the threats and insolence of
the non-Malays.

In 1969, they thought they could contain the
fire. Today, they still think they can contain
the fire. In 1969, race riots actually broke out.
This time around it does not need to break out.
They can just suggest that it may break out and
then nip the whole thing in the bud by rounding
up all those ‘threats to national security’ under
the Internal Security Act. This worked 20 years
ago when they launched Operasi Lalang. Then, too,
the Malays were divided. And, 20 years ago, they
brought Malaysia to the brink of race riots and
then rounded up everyone under the Internal
Security Act and stopped the race riots before it
could happen. But at least the Malays reunited
under the ‘threat’ of the non-Malays -- a tried
and tested formula which works every time.

Ali Rustam was asked to clamp down on the pig
farmers in his state. When the Chinese fought
back, as they knew the Chinese would, that
triggered Malay anger. “They shoot Malays in
Terengganu but the Chinese are let off the hook,”
were the murmurings amongst the Malays. Then Ali
Rustam delivered a speech at the PPP state
convention and said that Umno does not need
Indian and Chinese support to stay in power. Umno
has ruled Malaysia for 50 years and can rule 50
years more without Indian and Chinese support, he
arrogantly declared to the assembly of Indians.

Then Khir Toyo demolished a Hindu temple in his
state and that triggered Indian anger. The
HINDRAF petition to the Queen was mooted. Someone
slipped in that most controversial petition that
talked about ethnic cleansing and which called
for an end to policies favouring the Malays. The
HINDRAF committee never got to read the petition.
Those 30,000 who came out that Sunday, 25
November 2007, did not know what the petition was
all about. Many were not even aware of the
existence of a petition. They were told that they
are rallying in support of the trillions being
claimed from the British government. Every
Malaysian Indian is going to become a
millionaire. They came out on the promise of the
money. They were not aware that in the background
was this most controversially- worded petition
which would trigger the anger of the Malays and
unite them all under Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

Now the HINDRAF committee thinks that the
petition was a mistake. They agree that the
petition could have been better-worded. Granted,
the Indians’ plight needs to be addressed. But
words such as ‘ethnic cleansing’ and whacking the
Malays across-the-board will not achieve what
they are looking for. How did all that get
slipped in? Who slipped it in? Why did no one
notice? In all that euphoria why did one man
handle the petition instead of the HINDRAF
committee, which should have been the one that
makes the last call on what the petition should
have said?

Nevertheless, the focus was on crowd
mobilisation, not on what the petition said. And
that was what everyone concentrated on, not
realising that the petition would set HINDRAF
back in its efforts to highlight the plight of
the Indians. At 2.00am on Sunday, the crowd
started moving into Batu Caves. At 4.00am, when
the Indians tried to start their march, they were
pushed back into the temple grounds and the gates
locked. At 4.20am, MIC gave the order and the
water cannons started shooting into the temple
grounds with volley after volley of tear gas
until they ran out of stock. New supplies were
brought in and the shooting continued under the
watchful eyes of the MIC Youth Movement which was
‘directing’ the police operation.

Batu Burok is not the icing on the cake. The 10
November episode at Masjid India is also not the
icing on the cake. The 25 November battle is not
the icing on the cake either. The big bang is yet
to come. This ‘tension’ is yet to peak. And it
will peak when word that the government is going
to clamp down on un-Islamic religious symbols and
statues reaches the ears of Muslims and
non-Muslims alike.

On 25 May 2006, the Kudat Town Board sent Chong
Kah Kiat a letter ordering him to stop work on
the construction of the Goddess of the Sea statue
in Kudat, Sabah.

On 6 June 2006, Sabah’s Ministry of Local
Government and Housing sent the Kudat Town Board
a letter informing them that the Sabah Chief
Minister had ordered all work on the statue to
stop.

Then, a letter from the Chief Minister’s office
was issued on 23 June 2006 reiterating the stop
work order on the statue.

On 27 June 2006, the Kudat Town Board again sent
Chong Kah Kiat a letter informing him that the
government wants him to stop all work on the
statue.

On 7 July 2006, the Mufti of the State of Sabah
issued a religious decree (fatwah) that said the
construction of any statue or replica of a living
thing, either human or animistic, is forbidden
(haram) according to the Shariah to prevent any
heretic act of worshiping statues. The Mufti then
asked that construction of Buddhist statues be
stopped to protect the sensitivities of Muslims
in Sabah in particular and Muslims in Malaysia in
general.

And with that religious decree by the Mufti of
the State of Sabah, this brings into focus that
giant statue in the Batu Caves which comes under
the jurisdiction of Khir Toyo, the same Menteri
Besar who ordered the demolition of that Hindu
temple in Shah Alam and which triggered the
HINDRAF rally of 25 November.

In another incident last week, an Umno Member of
Parliament asked that all Christian crosses and
statues at missionary schools be removed. Going
by what the Mufti of Sabah has decreed, the Umno
Member of Parliament was not out of line. But why
are they suddenly making this move against Hindu
temples, Buddhist statues and Christian religious
symbols? Surely Umno is not on self-destruct mode
because they must know that the non-Muslims would
rise up in anger. Or are they supposed to rise up
in anger like in 1969 so that the Malays would
become united again, like in 1969?

Yes, that is why I reserved judgement and refused
to comment on the HINDRAF rally. It appears like
there is more than meets the eye here. If the
HINDRAF committee members were not aware of the
most controversially- worded petition to the
Queen, then who was? And was HINDRAF an isolated
and unrelated incident or is it tied to the
Chinese pig-farming issue plus is it connected to
the Sabah Mufti’s fatwah declaring Buddhist
temples haram and the call by the Umno Member of
Parliament that all Christian religious symbols
be removed?

Anyway, whatever it may be, those behind these
religious controversies may have met their
objective. The Malays may finally unite under
Abdullah Ahmad Badawi as planned. And once that
happens, Abdullah can safely call for the
dissolution of Parliament to make way for the
12th General Elections. Okay, so they lose the
Chinese and Indian votes. Okay, so they only
garner 60% of the votes. But that does not matter
as long as the 60% comes from Malay votes because
these 60% votes from united Malays command 80% of
the seats. And all Abdullah needs is two-thirds
and 80% is more than two-thirds. And, in the
meantime, all non-Muslim religious symbols and
statues are declared haram and will no longer be
allowed in Malaysia, by religious decree.

Dell Users , please check...

https://www.dellbatteryprogram.com/ <--- Dell notebook user, pls check if your battery is affected..

Astro.... Know more.... Public Private and Love

Anyone out there a Cancer ?
Give me a call, or leave me a message or mail me or leave a comment.
I'm desperate. Really.


LOL



Note: forwarded message attached.
Be a better pen pal.
Text or chat with friends inside Yahoo! Mail. See how.--Forwarded Message Attachment--
From: dsrajakumar@ hotmail.com
Subject: Astro.... Know more.... Public Private and Love
Date: Sun, 2 Dec 2007 00:00:15 +0530

Aries
:
Compitability :
Libra
People see you in the public as
innovative, independent, and a stranger in career
associates. You need a partner to make your life easier, and to
help you take care of business so you wouldn't have to be so
alone.
Love : Those born under
Aries demand love and often take it for granted. Love is expected and accepted.
But in many cases, sadly, an Aries does not understand how to return it. The
thought of being abondaned in love can bring on panic and terror, and continuous
reassureance is the only thing that can calm these states of fear.

Taurus :
Compitability : Scorpio
People always think that you want money,
or need money, or you are possessive, or you are lazy. You are
dedicated, deep feeling, easily hurt, and fiercely
loyal.
Love: For a taurean,
love is synonymous with physical affection, which in a childlike way, is
unquestioningly given and received. Love is uncomplicated and appreciated
although many Taureans have not yet learned its full value.

Gemini :
Compitability :
Sagittarius
People think that
you are restless, you flit from here to there, you move around from house to
house, and change your job frequently. People also think that you are very
talkative and always trying to teach them something. You keep a lot
of your wisdom to yourself. You enjoy learning new things, and you are
privately religious. You really would like to tell the world the truth,
but you will keep that to yourself.
Love: In a desperate
desire to discover true love, Sagittarians are constantly blinded by the
idealism of love and therefore also constantly wounded by love's realities. They
need to look within themselves, to their own hearts for love, because they will
not find it an idealistic insubstantiality

Cancer :
Compitability
:Capricorn
People think that
you are nurturing and you want to take care of those around you. You love
to mother the world. And, you enjoy public acceptance. You
privately are really a solitary person, not easily expressing your feelings to
others about yourself. You are in charge and can take care of
yourself. You demand respect from others, and you do not want people to
analyze you.
Love : To the uncertain and sentimental Cancer, love is extremely
important. However, in this case, love represents emotional security, a
'home'.
'Cancerians' need for love is huge, although sometimes they try to
disguise this behind tears and laughter.

Leo
:
Compitability :
Aquarius
When people
meet you for the first time, they think that you are entertaining, creative,
self-confident, dramatic, and extroverted. You feel very
different. You feel unusual, not like other people. You are
reclusive and detached, too. You do not like to get involved with
the world in a personal way. You consider yourself a
"loner."
Love
:Love is a massive
attraction for the Leos, representing ultimate fulfillment. However, this can
lead to being 'inlove with love' , whereupon they give love because they enjoy
the gratitude and respect of the loved one. Leos donot like having to humble
themselves for love, neither do they understand its true meaning or how to make
sacrificies themselves.

Virgo :
Compitability : Pieces
People get the
impression that you love to work. They may even think that you are a
workaholic because you are detail-minded and very organized, logical, and even
scientific. You privately are a dreamer. You are a person who
are creative, idealistic, artistic, and even self-sacrificing. You are
also quite emotional, and sensitive. You hide your vulnerability and
sensitivity from the outsiders. Nobody knows about the real
you.
Love : Virgos are most at ease with a gentle devotion, and are
often unwilling or unable to feel true passion. Passion seems to consists of
surrendering themselves, and that they refuse to do, so they channel any energy
that love gives them into their work, always searching for
excellence.

Libra :
Compitability : Aries
It seems that you
are everybody's friend and you cooperate with the public. It also seems
that you are artistic, you are concerned with the fairness, and
you do not like to get into confrontations with others. You
privately always put yourself first. You always do your own things when
you are at home or by yourself. You are very independent really. You
initiate many of the things that you want to accomplish in life, and you do not
need anyone's help or interference.
Love: Love is best along
'the middle of the road for Librans; both the heart and the head are involved
but it is neither detached nor passionate. However, Librans are so concerned
with the surface beauty of love that they fail to understand it fully. Librans
do not question why they are in love, they merely recognize that they are in
love.

Scorpio :
Compitability :
Taurus
You seem intense or
mysterious to others. You do not trust strangers, and you do not want
people to mess with you. If they do, they will be liable to be sorry, or
even get hurt somehow. You are a person who is very interested in
beautiful things like art, music, and beautiful people. You love to relax
with family and friends, and especially eating meals with them. Your
pleasures are conventional and earthy.
Love:
Love is a continuous
struggle for scorpions. They are sexually uninhibited, yet at the same time,
they are often mentally suspicious and rather fearful. This means that they are
constantly trying to unite the physical and spiritual sides of love with a
mixture of eroticism and purity. Sadly, this means they are rarely
satisfied.

Sagittarius :
Compitability :
Gemini
People see you as
adventurous, big-hearted, and religious and very spiritual. They also
see you like taking chances, being independent and
fun-loving. You are really a teacher (may be of spiritual matters), a
communicator, and a collector of ideas and information. You are always
learning new things and teaching others what you have learned. And, you
may change residence often.
Love: In a desperate desire to
discover true love, Sagittarians are constantly blinded by the idealism of love
and therefore also constantly wounded by love's realities. They need to look
within themselves, to their own hearts for love, because they will not find it
an idealistic insubstantiality.

Capricorn
Compitability : Cancer
You look like a
career person. You appear to be the boss or at least the bossy type.
You may seem serious, conventional and demanding of others' respect.
People can not easily approach you in public, even at social gatherings and
parties. Your private nature is sensitive, protective and motherly,
or at least parental. You like family and kids, and they don't have
to be your own. And, you can take care of yourself. But, no one
knows this unless they have the opportunity or the self-confidence to get close
to you.
Love:
Capricorns have learned
that love cannot be measured in excessive emotion. Love is quiet, and
undermining, a mutual gratification. However, it may be that they have not
experienced true longing, due to the quiet nature of their
feelings.

Aquarius:
Compitability : Leo

You look so friendly and you
appear to most people to be a great humanitarian. You seem to be very
broad-minded about social issues. And, you are easily approachable and
always interested in getting to know people around you and their
ideas. You inwardly are a proud person who needs a lot of
recognition and approval. You feel special and blessed with so many
talents. You are loaded with self-worth, and need attention and
admiration frequently. Your ego can not stand to be ignored or
neglected.
Love :Love is an unselfish
and rather detached emotion for this star sign, and is to be explored and
enjoyed. Love's scope and dimentions are understood, but it is scattered
carelessly and the feeling is often confused with friendship. The sense of
fulfillment and 'oneness' is just out of reach

Pisces :
Compitability : Virgo
People see you as a
person who cares very much for what happens to humanity. You look sweet or
shy, and very quiet. You seem like a private person with much sensitivity
and intuition about others' feelings, and you may even appear to be
self-sacrificing. You never push yourself ahead of the crowd, and are
always humble, and usually play down your abilities and talents. You
are health conscious, hate germs and dirt, and if you don't feel well, you get
in a very bad mood. But, you still keep on working, and serving others in
some capacity. You are proud of yourself on what a good worker you are,
and how detailed and organized you can be. You know that others need you,
and that makes you feel great.
Love :
Unselfish submission defines love for the Piscean, who gains more pleasure from
giving than from receiving. They often succumb to temption, and float from one
partner to another. In this way, or by refusing any partners, they avoid become
hooked by deep emotional commitment. Those who refuse both these directions and
take a middle way are richly awarded.

If you vote for the government, I will certainly cut your balls !!!!

From: andrewlpt@chinfoh. com.myTo: selva_mookiah@ hotmail.comSubje ct: Fw: Very well written by a very disgruntled citizenDate: Tue, 4 Dec 2007 14:10:00 +0800

Guys, you will love this be'coz it's all so true!
So heed the advice on the last line!

Enjoy this!

In America, people are afraid of terrorists,In Malaysia we are afraid of bloggers .In Japan people make quality cars,In Malaysia, Proton's a blast. In Sweden, customers' car parks are on the ground floor, nearest to the shops.In Malaysia, customers' car parks are on the 4th floor and gettingthere requires gymnastics skills.In most countries, parking in public places are often free. In Malaysia, the government has proposed to extend parking chargestill 10 am to reduce road congestion.In most countries, travelling outstation, there's little or no toll.In Malaysia, If you go to Seremban, the toll is more than your petrol. In almost most countries, there's no ID card.In Malaysia, if you have no ID card you can go to jail for 6 months.In all countries corruption is almost looked upon with disdain.In Malaysia, after two White Papers on the police, they are dancing to our disdain.In all developed countries, nobody is above the law.You have only to be the Deputy PM to have everything "expunged" on Page 3.In most developed countries, your house is about quarter mile from the highway. In Malaysia, you house is inbetween the highway.In many developed countries, toilets and parking bays are reserved forthe disabled.In Malaysia we have locked toilets and barred parking bays and youhave to find the guard to get the keys if you are disabled.In Indonesia, all toll and parking charges are reasonably fixed by thegovernment. In Malaysia, you can get a heart attack just looking at your parking charges. In Australia, beer flows like water.In Malaysia, money flows like water when drinking beer.In Indonesia, you can squat on the toilets; in Germany you can even lie down.In Malaysia, you have to use one hand to hold your nose and the other your willy.In Singapore and Hong Kong, one ticket takes you around all subways.In Malaysia, Subway is the name of a sandwitch joint and it takes agenius to understand the route through 4 subways providers. In most countries, their PM is honest or dishonest but they do notpretend to be otherwise.In Malaysia, our PM pretends to be honest when he is really rotten dishonest.When people remarry, they go for a honey moon. When our PM remarries he is back from his honeymoon and he goes to hisfirst wife grave and ask for forgiveness. When Clinton was elected President, he went for 4 organized parties inWashington DC the same night. When our PM was made PM, he drove home and knelt beside his mother andcried for the papers to publish.People usually have their son and daughters succeed in their business.Our PM is better as he uses his son-in-law for his business and his son for other businesses.This country is so full of shit I am ashamed to call myself aMalaysian. Our 50th anniversary is but a side show to show ourdisgrace to the rest of world.You only need one bullet to kill democracy and that's our self-anointed Malay first policy. Remember Rome and its indulgencesand wastages and you will remember how this country will fall in thenext 50 years. Fortunately, I will not live till 100 to see it but at75, I will be paying RM40 to travel home to Seremban for toll just soto visit my parent's grave. I wondered who is buried there - myparents or my passivity.If I run for politics, will anyone support me? If you vote for the government, I will certainly cut your balls !!!!

Articles : Temple issues

It's been a very very long time since I blogged. I've been saving the articles in the PC and since it's the first in 4 months, I'm literally FREE (the boss is out), I'm able to update and clear my desktop.



More to come but hopefully, less political.
I do support HINDRAF - forget about the money, it's about the honor and the right for equality.
I just added them on Friendster, just for fun.
As long as the government doesn't torture me or block me from getting house and car loans. LOL





what he means by not urgent. the public is very angry. The malays and
indians are upset that such cruel hearted person destroy their home in
between raya and deepavali, plus kids still going for exam.
look at the video here. very terrrible and heart-wrenching.

http://videos. thestar.com. my/default. aspx?vid= 584

if can convert to youtube, pls do so.
if this appears in TV3, I'm sure Khir Toyo will be out office the next day.
Motion to discuss demolition of temple rejected BERNAMA

source
KUALA LUMPUR, THURS:

THE Dewan Rakyat Deputy Speaker Datuk Lim Si Cheng today rejected an
emergency motion tabled by an opposition member to discuss the demolition of
a Hindu temple in Padang Jawa, Shah Alam, on Tuesday.
He said that even though the motion was specific and of public interest, it
was not urgent.
M. Kula Segaran (DAP-Ipoh Barat) who tabled the motion, said that besides
the temple, a surau and 250 houses were also demolished.
"Indian gangsters were also paid by the contractor to intimidate the Hindus
who were at the temple," he said.
In the incident also, 26 people were injured, he added.
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]



Hi All,

Every morning I use to buy Gardenia bread in red box on picture cost RM0.50.
But today onwards 1st Nov the latest price is RM0.60 and not only this,
there are so many things price has been increased.

*WHY ALL THIS PRICES HAS TO BE INCREASED AT DEEPAVALI TIME?*

* *

PLEASE THINK AND DECIDE WHO TO VOTE…

Another part: - *Hindu temple Demolish in Klang*

Pictures of latest Hindu temple Demolish in Klang

http://www.malaysia nindians. net/v1/latest/ pictures- of-latest- hindu-temple- demolish- in-klang- 2.html

Samy: Stop temple demolitions or risk Indian votes

http://www.malaysia nindians. net/v1/latest/ samy-stop- temple-demolitio ns-or-risk- indian-votes. html

Temple row: Suhakam slams authorities

http://www.malaysia nindians. net/v1/latest/ temple-row- suhakam-slams- authorities. html

Samy: Give new sites for temples

http://www.malaysia nindians. net/v1/latest/ samy-give- new-sites- for-temples. html

*PLEASE THINK AND DECIDE WHO TO VOTE…*

Thanks & Regards,
*TJ*



Malaysia Hindu Sangam


KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA, November 3, 2007:

The Malaysia Hindu Sangam is shocked to understand that the developer of the
land in Taman Karuppiah had never taken court action to evacuate the homes and
buildings in the area. We understand that it was the former Mayor of Shah Alam
who had taken the court order to clear the land. Having obtained the order, the
Mayor, both former and present, had not followed procedures of having given
reasonable time before the demolition of the Sri Maha Mariamman Temple Taman
Karuppiah, Shah Alam on October 29, 2007. The temple which was demolished is no
ordinary roadside shrine but it is a reasonably large temple with facilities for
pujas, weddings, religious courses and kindergarten classes.

When the present Mayor went to the temple at about 9.00 AM the same day and said
that the temple will be demolished within two hours it is most unbelievable that
such a senior responsible official could have no knowledge of the existing
facilities of the temple. It is our view that he has not advised the Menteri
Besar with the full details. It is also hard to believe that he was ignorant of
the understanding by the officials of the MBSA, State Government, and MIC
Officials with the temple officials the previous night on October 28, 2007
assuring that temple can remain a few more days until the Deepavali
celebrations.

It is our view that any court order which was obtained more than two years ago
should have been treated with compassion to the devotees of the places of the
worship of both the temple and the surau. We agree that the indiscriminate order
to remove the Hindu temple and the surau was an unjust act of not considering
the feelings of the respective religious followers in that area.

It is also our opinion that Mayor had no control over his enforcement officers
who retaliated with heavy throwing of stones into the temple while a special pua
was being conducted. It must be stated that the police force on duty at that
time was restrained. The confrontational retaliatory action by the MBSA
enforcement officers was in our opinion the cause for the violence in the
temple.

Many officials of the temples, Malaysia Hindu Sangam and others were injured due
to this aggressive attitude of the MBSA officers. Mr. T. Ganesan, the Chairman
of Malaysia Hindu Sangam, Selangor Branch, is one of those injured. Among the 14
people arrested and remanded at least half of them were innocent devotees of the
temple who were merely playing a role of protecting the Deities. Attempting to
destroy these Deities is very sensitive and is considered as an insult to the
Hindu community. What else can the innocent devotees do when given only two
hours notice? Such an act of detention by the police is condemned.

It is reliably learnt that the developer has allocated a land to the temple.
However, we appeal to the developer to see that the land is suitable and
appropriate in such a way that the structure of the temple will be facing the
correct direction under the agamas.

In the mean time Malaysia Hindu Sangam appeals to the MIC leaders to have a
dialogue with the leaders of the HINDRAF to find ways of solving the problems of
temples in a peaceful manner. The Malaysia Hindu Sangam is willing to cooperate
in this matter.


Residents, lawyers held after demolition fracas
Bede Hong
Oct 31, 07 2:30pmAdjust font size:

The Kampung Rimba Jaya in Padang Jawa, near Shah Alam was a chaotic scene last night when residents tried to prevent the Shah Alam City Hall from demolishing their houses.

The residents’ attempt to save their homes turned physical and bloody when scores were hurt in the ensuing melee.

Fifteen residents were also arrested and are now being detained at the Shah Alam Section 11 police station.

In the end, over 200 houses, a 100-year-old temple and a surau have been levelled to the ground by the authorities. Even the presence of MIC president S Samy Vellu could not save the houses and the temple.

And later in the day, four lawyers - human rights lawyers P Uthayakumar and P Waythamoorthy as well as DAP lawyers M Manoharan and S Ganabathi Rao - were also arrested by the police when they attempted to enter Section 11 police station to help the release of the residents.

The police have today obtained a four-day remand order against the residents, said DAP legal bureau chief A Sivanesan.
The lawyers are still being held under custody although no remand order has been obtained against them as yet.

When contacted Sivanesan also said that at least two residents suffered serious injuries.

"A woman, in her fifties and a 16-year-old boy suffered great injury. Their clothes are soaked with their own blood and they are still wearing them," he said.

Tamil dailies today also carried images of another man with head injury.

Lawyers manhandled

The police have also taken Uthayakumar' s statement and are in the process of taking statements from the remaining three lawyers.

The lawyers were arrested for creating a scuffle in front of the Section 11 police station after they were refused entry by the police.

"Their purpose there was to assist residents lodge reports against the state government and relevant authorities. They were also to inquire on the status of those arrested and detained," said Hindraf lawyer R Gengadharan when contacted today.

"The conduct of arresting and detaining by the police is unjustified, " he said.

Last night, Waythamoorthy lodged a police report against the conduct of the police in arresting him and the other three lawyers.

In the report lodged at the same police station, Waythamoorthy said that he was manhandled and had a machine-gun pointed at him when he inquired as to why the lawyers were being refused entry.
"I was pushed down and stepped on my leg, preventing me from getting up," his report stated.
“I injured my head, my back and elbow...the same constable threatened to shoot me if I didn’t go out and his machine-gun was pointed at me while I was still on the ground,” he said.

He added in his report that he and the other lawyers faced racial abuses from the other police personnel at the station, with one policeman allegedly stating that he would “make sure I’m kept in lock up tonight”.

Baton-charged

Meanwhile, human rights activist S Kumaravel, 44, said a surau was also demolished by council authorities in the eviction exercise yesterday.

The surau is located in Rimba Jaya, about one kilometre away from the temple. The Sri Maha Mariaman temple is located in Rimba Jaya. Residents from nearby Kampung Karuppiah carry out their prayers at the temple.

Kumaravel, who is Jaringan Rakyat Tertindas (Jerit) exco member, said over 200 houses in Rimba Jaya were demolished in the exercise that saw at least 300 police personnel, including the Federal Reserve Unit, participating.

Rimba Jaya is mostly populated by Malays while Kampung Karuppiah is mostly populated by Indians.

The MPSA enforcement officers were beating people with batons, said Kumaravel.

"I saw an enforcement officer pulling out a knife and waving it around threateningly, " said Kumaravel.

It took almost three hours to demolish the Sri Maha Mariaman temple. The temple's nursery was the first to be demolished when the exercise began yesterday morning.

After a pause at noon, the demolition continued at 2pm and continued for another three hours amidst resistance from at least 400 residents. Several hundred council enforcement officers were also present.

News reports said stones were thrown between both sides.

Shots fired

In addition to that, today's Sin Chew Jit Poh reported that police fired several shots at a lorry, puncturing at least one tyre. Nanyang Siang Pau reported that five shots were fired. The report said several residents had tried to escape the police in the lorry. They were later arrested.

There were also accounts of a stabbing, but which could not be verified as yet.

"They should have waited until Deepavali is over before they begin demolishing the temple. At least the residents have somewhere to pray," said Kumaravel.

Early this morning, he had lodged a police report at Section 11 police station against the state government for ordering the eviction exercise.

"The police told us that the order was from the Menteri Besar (Mohd Khir Toyo). There was no court order to demolish the surau or the temple," he added.

Tamil dailies also reported that the resident had shown their anger towards Samy Vellu for not doing anything to help them. Samy Vellu is quoted as saying that he would raise the matter with Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.


Temple demolition led to all-out fracas
Bede Hong
Oct 30, 07 8:41pmAdjust font size:

A rowdy fracas broke out between residents and the authorities over the demolition of a temple near Shah Alam today resulting in at least four injured and eight arrested.

Several hundred police personnel and local council authorities clashed with the residents who sought to stop the demolition of the 100-year temple in Padang Jawa.

Workers from the Shah Alam City Hall had demolished the village’s Sri Maha Mariaman temple without a valid court order, said Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf) in a statement today. It added that the area looked like a “war zone”.

According to Hindraf, at least 300 police personnel and council workers had cordoned off the temple this morning.

It said council workers began hurling stones and beating devotees with sticks and batons when they tried to halt the demolition.

According to T Ganaraw, a lawyer who was at the scene, the demolition work began early in the morning but stopped temporarily to allegedly allow residents to remove the temple’s deities.

Demolition works continued at about 2pm. The fracas was in full swing by 4pm, involving over 400 residents.

“The police were armed with automatic rifles. The temple is completely smashed up, including the temple nursery,” said Ganaraw.

Samy went to negotiate

According to Ganaraw, present during the fracas were representatives from DAP and MIC, including Klang councillor Alex Thiagarajan, who tried to negotiate with the police.

MIC president S Samy Vellu also visited the village at about 5pm when it was clear that racial tension was raising.

Contacted today, DAP lawyer A Sivanesan said at least eight residents have been arrested and detained at Section 11 police station in Shah Alam.

He said the MIC president had tried to calm residents by telling them that he had spoken to both Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and Selangor Mentri Besar Khir Toyo on the matter.

“Samy Vellu however told me Khir was not cooperative at all,” said Sivanesan.

The temple chairperson was K Sivalingam, the late assemblyperson for Ijok. His position has since been replaced by Selangor executive councillor Kamala Ganatathy.

“When we checked with the authorities, the notice to demolish was dated November 2005. But the demolition was only meant for the houses there,” said Sivanesan.

Hindraf also said that at 4am today, another 160-year-old Jai Muniswarar Hindu temple in Taman Puchong Hartamas was demolished.

Over the past few years, a number of temples, some of which were more than a century old, had been demolished by the local authorities as they were built illegally.

Google Trick

1. Go to Google
2. Click images
3. Type "flowers" or any other word.
4. You will get a page which is having full of images
5. Then delete the URL from the address bar and paste the below script:

javascript:R= 0; x1=.1; y1=.05; x2=.25; y2=.24; x3=1.6; y3=.24; x4=300; y4=200; x5=300; y5=200; DI= document.images; DIL=DI.length; function A(){for(i=0; i

6. See the magic!!!

See you in hell Muhamad son of Muhamad

So much is revealed here!

Subj: [MalaysiaToday] See you in hell Muhamad son of Muhamad
See you in hell Muhamad son of Muhamad Raja Petra Kamarudin

It seems there is a certain ex Menteri Besar who made a police report against Malaysia Today and me. This ex-Menteri Besar who has two Muhamads is his name does not have even half the qualities of Prophet Muhamad S.A.W. let alone twice the qualities although he carries two Muhamads in his name.

This is the Muhamad who started life as a schoolteacher but does not speak a word of English. When caught carrying millions of dirty money into Australia, he pleaded ignorance of the English language and was acquitted by the Australian court the crime of smuggling money. What many people failed to realise is that when he resigned as a schoolteacher to contest the general election, the government made a claim of RM80,000 against him because he was on contract and was bound by this contract to serve the government to pay off what he owed.

You see, Malaysia has this unique system of giving underprivileged Malays government loans to further their studies. They must, however, serve the government for a certain period of time once they graduate and if they refuse to do so or resign before the expiry of their contract then they have to payback the government the amount of their loan. This ex-Menteri Besar with two Muhamads in his name therefore owed the government RM80,000 and if he did not pay back the amount then he would be denying other Malays the benefit of this money and therefore would in that same process be denying other Malays the benefit of a tertiary education.

This ex-Menteri Besar with two Muhamads in his name then appealed to the then Minister of Education, Anwar Ibrahim, for exemption from paying back the government the RM80,000 that he owed and Anwar, being the smart politician that he was (or maybe still is, I am not sure of that), waived the rule so that this ex-Menteri Besar with two Muhamads in his name need not pay back the nation theRM80,000 that he owed and which could have gone to other less-fortunate Malays who needed government assistance to further their studies.

What boggles the mind is how this ex-Menteri Besar with two Muhamads in his name could suddenly have millions in his pocket and which he was arrested for as he entered Australia when just barely a few years before that he could not even pay back the government the RM80,000 that he owed and needed Anwar Ibrahim to exempt him from the rule of paying back the money.

This ex-Menteri Besar with two Muhamads in his name has made a police report against Malaysia Today and me saying that I insulted the Agong and Islam and that I raised racial sentiments which could probably result in racial conflicts in Malaysia. He was of course acting on behalf of Umno and represented Umno as its Information Chief.

It is mind-boggling that this ex-Menteri Besar with two Muhamads in his name would accuse me of insulting the Agong who is also the Sultan of Terengganu when the Agong is my buddy. When the Agong, who is also the Sultan of Terengganu, was merely the Raja Muda of Terengganu, I used to ride horses with him along the beach in Kuala Terengganu. I also made trips to London to meet the Agong who is also the Sultan of Terengganu when he was still just the Raja Muda of Terengganu and a student in London.

The then Raja Muda of Terengganu who is now the Agong and I would drive around London in his Ferrari and together with my sisters and wife would visit the famous London night-spots such as Longfellows where all the action is. When he was back in Kuala Lumpur I would take him to the then famous Tin Mine where we would just sit and talk as he was not a disco-dancer but preferred to just enjoy the music and talk.

Would I insult my long-time friend who is now the Agong when I sembah and kiss his hand and he would withdraw it and refuse to allow me to kiss his hand as he considered me a buddy rather than a subject? This, the ex-Menteri Besar with two Muhamads in his name did not realise when he made that police report against Malaysia Today and me.

I will offer to make an audience (mengadap) with the Agong who was my buddy since the days he was merely the Raja Muda of Terengganu and if His Royal Highness is of the opinion that I have insulted him then I will subject myself to any form of punishment befitting a subject who has insulted his Agong. Such a punishment befitting the crime of insulting the Agong can include the death sentence and I will walk to the gallows to have my head separated from my body with the dignity of a true subject of the Agong. An Anak Raja Bugis is loyal to his Agong and a true Anak Raja Bugis looks death in the face with the dignity expected of an Anak Raja Bugis. I am not a descendant of Upu Tenribong Daeng Rilaka in vain and I shall not smear the name of my ancestors by avoiding the punishment of insulting his Agong. The Agong is one of the Raja-Raja Melayu and I am more than just an Anak Raja Melayu; I am an Anak Raja Bugis.

This ex-Menteri Besar with two Muhamads in his name accuses me of insulting the Agong when he himself insulted the late Agong who was the Sultan of Selangor and my uncle. This ex-Menteri Besar with two Muhamads in his name eloped with the Sultan's daughter who is also my cousin and secretly married her in Thailand.

When the late Agong and Sultan of Selangor, my uncle, asked this ex-Menteri Besar with two Muhamads in his name whether he (the ex-Menteri Besar with the two Muhamads in his name) had married his (the late Agong and Sultan of Selangor) daughter, this ex-Menteri Besar with two Muhamads in his name denied it. Marrying secretly in Thailand is a crime and one can be punished for it. Furthermore, marrying a woman without the consent of her father goes against Islam and Malay culture and, being a Menteri Besar, this is even more of a no-no. After all, a Menteri Besar is not a man-on-the-street but the head of government of a state. But this ex-Menteri Besar with two Muhamads in his name denied he had married the Sultan's daughter secretly in Thailand and swore in the name of Allah that the allegation is a lie.

Eventually, this ex-Menteri Besar with the two Muhamads in his name divorced the Sultan of Selangor's daughter, my cousin, and paid her RM12 million as a divorce settlement. This upset the late Agong and Sultan of Selangor, my uncle,who made a photocopy of the RM12 million cheque. The late Agong and Sultan of Selangor, my uncle, was not upset that his Menteri Besar with two Muhamads in his name had divorced his daughter, my cousin. He did not mind this. The late Agong and Sultan of Selangor was upset that his Menteri Besar with two Muhamads in his name had paid his daughter RM12 million as a divorce settlement. The late Agong and Sultan of Selangor then made a photocopy of the cheque and showed it to the Prime Minister, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, and demanded to know how a mere Menteri Besar could afford to pay RM12 million as a divorce settlement to his daughter, my cousin. This proves that Selangor has a corrupt Menteri Besar, said the late Agong and
Sultan of Selangor, my uncle.

And this is the ex-Menteri Besar with two Muhamads in his name who made a police report against Malaysia Today and me. This ex-Menteri Besar with two Muhamads in his name is corrupt, a liar who married the late Agong's and Sultan of Selangor's daughter and denied it, and who insulted the Malays and Islam by secretly marrying someone's daughter in another country without the permission of her father.

But this man is not a mere man-on-the-street. This man was then a Menteri Besar. And this man had two Muhamads in his name. And the woman is not a mere woman-on-the- street. This woman is the daughter of the late Agong and Sultan of Selangor. So this crime of the ex-Menteri Besar with two Muhamads in his name is ten times worse. And any other man would have been arrested and convicted of the crime of marrying a woman secretly in Thailand. But this ex-Menteri Besarwith two Muhamads in his name was not arrested and put on trial. He was also not arrested and put on trial when he paid RM12 million as a divorce settlement and could not explain where he got the money from and how he could afford to pay such an amount on his meagre Menteri Besar's salary.

I understand that this ex-Menteri Besar with two Muhamads in his name can't speak English. This is what the Australian court said and this is why the court acquitted him of the crime of smuggling dirty money into Australia. This means he also can't read English. How this ex-Menteri Besar with two Muhamads in his name managed to figure out that I insulted the Agong in my article is beyond me when I write in English and not in Malay. Umno should have chosen another man who can speak English to make that police report against Malaysia Today and me.

Many people from the media phoned me today to ask me my comments on the police report against Malaysia Today and me. Well, this is my response to that police report against Malaysia Today and me. I would just like to say: go to hell Muhamad the son of Muhamad. You are a disgrace to the Muhamad name. And let me tell you Muhamad the son of Muhamad: you should thank your lucky stars that this is 2007 and not 1907. If this was 1907 instead of 2007 I would challenge you to a duel. It would be a man-to-man, one-to-one duel. It would be a duel to the death with kerises.

But no, I don't think you would accept my challenge to a duel with kerises. You may have two Muhamads in your name but you have no class. You eloped with the late Agong's and Sultan of Selangor's daughter and secretly married her inThailand. Then you denied it when the late Agong and Sultan of Selangor asked you about it. Only someone with no balls would do this. A man with balls would not deny it. So there is no way you would accept my challenge to a duel with kerises.

I know that when the late Agong and Sultan of Selangor, my uncle, found out that you had in fact married his daughter, my cousin, and that you had lied about it, you arranged for Umno Youth to organise an anti-Sultan demonstration. The late Agong and Sultan of Selangor was very hurt and he cancelled his birthday celebration that year. So that year no datukships were awarded and you had to return the money to all those who had paid you for their datukships.

This act of yours, Muhamad the son of Muhamad, is treasonous. If this was 1907 instead of 2007 you would have been put to death. And you accuse me of insulting the Agong? You committed treason. You can send me to jail if you wish. You would have been put to death if this was 1907 instead of 2007.

But I know why you made that police report against Malaysia Today and me, Muhamad the son of Muhamad. You want to make a political comeback. You want to contest a parliament seat in the next general election. And you want to be made a federal minister when you win that parliament seat. You hope that the present Deputy Prime Minister, Najib Tun Razak, will fall and that you can take his job. That is why you made that police report against Malaysia Today and me, Muhamad the son of Muhamad.

Muhamad the son of Muhamad, see you in hell. And if I go there first I will wait at the gates of hell to greet you on your arrival, Muhamad the son of Muhamad. Ini Anak Raja Bugis becakap yang mati dengan keris di dalam tangan.

An observation of the Hindraf rally

From: V S Lingam
Date: 11/26/2007 8:12:15 AM
To: amit - home; con2; Vicknesh (g); joseph george; Sumi; Lewis
Subject: An observation of the Hindraf rally

An observation of the Hindraf rally
November 25, 2007

Malaysiakini has it that I led the 10-man Bar monitoring team.
Not true.
Bar Councillor Edmund Bon led the team.

The plan was for the team to meet at the KLCC LRT station.
7.28am - got an sms that '10s of thousands r already at klcc. Tear gas n water cannon shot at them.
7.39am - got an sms that 'klcc n ampang park lrt r closed. Meet at d wangi at 8.30am'.
As I headed to Dang Wangi LRT, encountered a steady stream of people making their way along Jalan Ampang headed for the British Embassy.



Whilst waiting for the team got the following smses from team members who had already made their way to KLCC.
8.31am - Massive crowds are gathering at klcc from different places. Cheers going up everywhere every few seconds as new groups arrive. crowd easily at 10k. Fired tear gas earlier at abt 0700. SB watching us. Tension mounts.
8.47am - FRU form up, ready to move in. 0845hrs crowds still streaming into klcc. More than 10k unsure how much more. Water cannons being readied. Warning issued to disperse otherwise poilce say 'kami akan gunakan kekerasan'. Water cannons moves in violently water sprayed. Crowds defiant.
8.49am - Water sprayed. Cry of defiance goes up. Fru form up. Crowds throw canisters back at police. Canisters fired from 2 directions. People take assault & stand firm.
By now, the team is assembled and a decision is taken to head in the direction of KLCC to assess the situation before any decision can be taken about deployment. Zorro and e.woon are with us.

As we walked, more smses come in from the team at KLCC.
8.56am - Fru fire tear gas. again and again..in different directions. Crowd of 15k watches from across angkasa raya.
The team reached the first crowd somewhere near Saloma's restaurant.

There is a roar and applause all-round when they realise that the Bar team had arrived.

These people complained about the gas.

Saw a photographer standing high on a wall and got him to take the next picture. Its in the direction of KLCC.

More smses from the team members at KLCC.
9.03am - Crowds defiant. Winds shifts. Gas drifts towards police. Crowds disperse & reform. Again and again. Helicopter flies low. We are troubled by teargas. Crowds move away from police but wait at edges
9.12am - Pictures of Gandhi displayed by crowds. Chants of 'long live hindraf". Crowds just swirls around police. Standoff. Banners say 'we are malaysians, we want our rights'. People are chanting and clapping, but otherwise fru & crowds are so far, non-violent.
9.16am - Banners read : queen of england, symbol of justice, we still have hope on u. Water cannon fired again. Crowds standing, not retreating. People are actually walking into the water cannon. Amazing.
We decided to move forward, but encountered a problem, which, it would turn out, would recur right through and proved to be an obstacle to our work.
Everytime we moved forward to head towards KLCC, the crowd would move along with us. Thank God Ashok was with us. Explained to them that they could not follow us, or it would appear as if we were leading them. Explained that we were there to monitor and observe and were not part of the rally.
The crowd appeared to be in disarray. They seemed to be at a loss as to how to move forward. The team members felt that there appeared to be a lack of leadership within the ranks.
Another sms.
9.24am - Crowd with hailers request police not to shoot them. That they are hear to ask for their rights only. Police continue to rain down teargas. People are trying to show to police, by their body language that they mean no harm. Standoff again.
Finally, someone managed to explain to the crowd and we were able to make our way and reach the junction leading into Jalan Yap Kwan Seng.
Now we saw for ourselves the water cannons being fired.

Another sms.
9.33am - Crowds move in towards police, chanting 'hindraf aman'. Fru and police watch impassively. Siren sounds. Water cannons and tear gas fired again. Crowds plead thru hailer 'kita damai. Don't hit us. After we will disperse'.
A canister misses Ashok and another misses me.
Damn, they are firing laterally.
The smoke is overwhelming.
3 young men help me over a railing to try and get behind the police line.
Another round of canisters fired.
The smoke is simply unbearable.
Retreat back toward the traffic lights at the junction with Jalan Yap Kwan Seng.
Another sms.
9.38am - Helicopter continues to hover. Water cannons fired again. Crowds have not dispersed
Eyes smarting, throat burning, we regroup and decide to try to get to Jalan Tun Razak through Jalan Yap Kwan Seng.
Same problem again. The crowd are following us.

Another sms.
Explain to the crowd again that they cannot follow us. Decide to let them go ahead. notice that there seems to be a lull back at KLCC. Decide to backtrack, get back on to Jalan Ampang behind the police line and try to walk from there to the embassy.
Another sms.
10.10am - A man holding a white flag wearing a Gandhi photo,waves at the police. Has been there for an hour. There's a large banner being held up 'kami aman'. Fru moves against crowd. Throw canisters at crowd, crowd throw it back.
We back on Jalan Ampang behind the police line.

Water cannon fired again.

More smses.
10.24am - Water cannon fired. Fru issues order to 'standby'. Tear gas canisters are thrown back at police.
10.25am - Actually saw police firing gas canisters directly into the crowd. that was unnecessary and dangerous. fru men physically threaten some peaceful onlookers.
We start to walk in the direction of the embassy. People on the other side of the road are getting into a bit of a frenzy and making their way to join us. FRU getting agitated with us.
Water cannon truck comes in and fires.

It turns out that some of the people thought we were part of the 'rombongan' to hand the petition to the emabssy.
We decide that to attempt to move further would risk another confrontation between the FRU and the crowd. We decide to stay put where we were, which was across from Wisma Central.
Between us and Ampang Park, you could still see a large crowd.



From hereon its a lot of waiting and waiting.
Edmund gets a call to say head back to the Pakistani embassy. Word is that the petition is to be handed over there now.
The picture below is the view of the crowd in Jalan Yap Kwan Seng on the way back to the Pakistani embassy.

Just before reaching the Pakistani embassy, which is slightly opposite the Saloma restaurant, stood on a railing to take the picture below. This is in the direction of Jalan Sultan Ismail.

At about 11.40am, someone gave the announcement to disperse.
They did, and peacefully.

Just had confirmation from Amer Hamzah that at Pulapol, there were more than 400 arrestees. of which 67 have been remanded.
At IPK, remand proceedings of another 60 or so are still ongoing.
No confirmation as yet on casualties.
So, was the rally a success?
That's Hindraf's call.
My take.
I saw some very determined Malaysians out there this morning.
Translate them into votes and we might just see the last of Samy.
Was the use of water cannons and tear gas warranted?
It was unnecessary and most excessive, in my view.
Looking forward to saying 'Sorry, I was wrong' tomorrow.
Posted by Haris Ibrahim Filed in People Power