Sunday, May 27, 2012
BOYCOTT his business! We do not need to eat Ikan Bakar at his outlets to survive but see whether he can survive without business patronage from the good supporters of Datuk Ambiga!
You reap what you sow!
Show support for Datuk Ambiga and BERSIH!
BOYCOTT SEKINCHAN IKAN BAKAR!
P.S. I wonder whether the Income Tax fellows know that ikan bakar business can be so lucrative that one can afford driving Ferraris and other sports cars from it!
Or is he one of the privileged UMNO cronies receiving "favours" from a munificent UMNO!
Sekinchan ikan bakar
The owner of the above restaurant outlet is the bloody moron who proposes
to organize a pasar malam in front of Datuk Ambiga's house.
You won't get this in the newspapers, only online news portals and blogs will print this:
Racial policies rejected, preliminary 10-point manifesto unveiled.
In a rousing opening address, Guan Eng warned Prime Minister Najib Razak's Umno party not to 'hijack' the federal constitution and misinterpret the controversial Article 153 to divide the ethnic groups in the country.
"Somehow Umno always fails to mention that Article 153 also states that the legitimate interests of other communities must also be protected, Guan Eng said.
Guan Eng also unveiled a ten-point document to be signed by all the top Pakatan leaders and which is set to become the coalition's preliminary manifesto in the coming general election. The resolutions outlined in detail the changes Pakatan will introduce within the first 100 days of its taking over Putrajaya if it wins the next general election expected
to be held early next year.
The resolutions are:
1. A restructure of institutions including the Elections Commission (EC), the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC), the Attorney-General's Chambers and the Royal Malaysian Police. During a debate on the policy framework, DAP's Anthony Loke requested PR bring the MACC under the purview of Parliament.
2. A repeal of the Internal Security Act (ISA)
3. Instruct Khazanah Berhad, Employees Provident Fund (EPF) and other government bodies to take over highway assets from the concessionaires in order to abolish the toll system.
4. A restructure of the country's subsidies, to lessen subsidies given to the private sector (such as the RM19 billion in gas subsidies given to independent power producers) and transferring these to subsidies for the
Man on the street.
5. Acknowledging the role and sacrifices of civil servants by studying the current pay schemes and increasing the incentives for teachers by RM500 a month
6. Transferring private water concessions to the government
7. Offering free wireless Internet access to those in urban
and semi-urban areas
8. Cancelling Felda Plantations and opening up its farms to second- and third generation Felda settlers.
9. Increasing oil royalty payments to Sabah, Sarawak, Terengganu and Kelantan to 20 per cent from 5 per cent currently.
10. Formation of a Royal Commission to solve the problem of illegal immigrants and citizenship issues in Sabah and Sarawak .
Don't you think Pakatan Rakyat deserves your vote for a change for the better at the next 13th G. E.?
Evidence? Look at the improvements in Penang and Selangor.
" It Only Takes A Spark To Make A Fire Going ".
Please forward this message to your contacts to make them aware of what is happening in this country.
Friday, May 18, 2012
And lyrics to make the song easier to follow:
Najib Razak's song: I BOUGHT it my way
Frank Sinatra: I DID it my way
Lyric parodied by: Adelene Wee
Sung by: Chom Lee
Najib's I bought it my way
I heard my end is near
And so I face my final burden
BERSIH, I'll say it clear
I'll fight your cause of which I am certain
I've lived a life that's BULL
I've trampled foes and kept them at bay
An more, much more than this
I bought it my way
Regrets, now that's taboo
I'm warning you proceed with caution
I did what I had to do
And saw it through without exemption
I planned each charted course
Each careful step with lots of foul play
And more, much more than this
I bought it my way
Yes there were times I'm sure you knew
Pisang goreng was all I could CHEW
But through it all when there was doubt
NST's there to edit out, I faced it all
I had the gall and bought it my way
I've urged, I've asked and cried
I've had my fill of London's calling
And now I'm PISSED insider
I'm begging you stop interrupting
To think I did all that
And may I say, not in a shy way
Oh no, oh no, not me
I bought it my way
For what is a man, what has he got
If not Ah Jib Kor, then he has naught
To suppress the things he truly feels
'bout tyranny and dodgy deals
The records showed, I've got cash flow
And bought it my way
Frank's Sinatra: I did it my way
And now the end is near
And so I face the final curtain
My friend I'll say it clear
I'll state my case of which I'm certain
I've lived a life that's full
I traveled each and every highway
And more, much more than this
I did it my way
Regrets I've had a few
But then again too few to mention
I did what I had to do
And saw it through without exemption
I planned each charted course
Each careful step along the byway
And more, much more than this
I did it my way
Yes there were times I'm sure you knew
When I bit off more than I could chew
[- From: http://www.elyrics.net/read/f/frank-sinatra-lyrics/my-way-lyrics.html -]
But through it all when there was doubt
I ate it up and spit it out, I faced it all
And I stood tall and did it my way
I've loved, I've laughed and cried
I've had my fill, my share of losing
And now as tears subside
I find it all so amusing
To think I did all that
And may I say not in a shy way
Oh no, oh no, not me
I did it my way
For what is a man what has he got
If not himself then he has not
To say the things he truly feels
And not the words of one who kneels
The record shows I took the blows
And did it my way
Yes it was my way
Cynthia revealed that Najib Razak had written a letter demanding RM1 billion for Perimekar stay in Paris prior to his arrival in Paris.
Monday, May 14, 2012
Besides the highlights of the 2011 FoE report, there will be an additional presentation on media coverage of Bersih 3.0 compared with Bersih 2.0. It includes analyses of how different media reported on, among others:
the numbers of those who turned up; and
the numbers of those injured and which side - protesters or police - is allegedly responsible.
We invite everyone to come in the T-shirt that expresses their most pressing cause. This is another opportunity for all to state whatever they espouse.
We have an exciting, interactive launch in store. Major protest groups of 2011 will come together to share their core messages as one giant human microphone!
Please find below the programme:
Launch of Centre for Independent Journalism's (CIJ) annual report “Freedom of Expression in Malaysia in 2011"
Date Time: 16 May 2012 (Wed); 8pm
Venue: Auditorium (1st Flr), Kuala Lumpur & Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall, 1 Jalan Maharajalela, KL
8.00pm Welcome by CIJ executive officer Masjaliza Hamzah
8.05pm Curtain-raiser for presentation of Freedom of Expression in Malaysia 2011 report
8.10pm Presentation of Freedom of Expression in Malaysia 2011 report (by CIJ media monitor Ding Jo-Ann)
8.30pm Presentation of Bersih 3.0 media coverage (by Jo-Ann)
9.10pm Launch: Human microphone by major protester groups of 2011
So Free Sarawak has launched the latest Buy a longboat campaign to collect donations to enable them to purchase longboats.
I have contributed and hope you will too.
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
It is fortunate that public pressures have cause the Election Offences Act Amendment bills to be withdrawn with probably the size of the participants in BERSIH 3.0 also contributing to the decisions.
Gov't withdraws Election Offences Amendment Bill
4:07PM May 9, 2012
In a rare move, the Election Offences Amendment Bill will be withdrawn from the Dewan Negara tomorrow following “a lot of resistance”.
According to Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Nazri Abdul Aziz, the decision to abort the Bill was arrived at today after a 10-minute meeting between the government, the opposition and the Election Commission (EC).
"I will table the motion in the Dewan Negara tomorrow," he told reporters at the Parliament lobby today.
The means that the Election Offences Act remains at status quo for the next general election.
Nazri (left) said the decision was first made at cabinet level as the Senate are seeking two more amendments to the Bill.
The Dewan Rakyat passed the Bill last month but with changes, including holding back the amendment which disallowed political parties from assisting voters to check their names and voting streams.
Another amendment rejected by the Dewan Rakyat was one which allowed the Election Commission to dictate when and how long a candidate's polling and counting agents can stay in the polling stations.
Amendments passed include the proposal to remove the candidate's agents from the Election Commission registration booth (barong) and to remove requirement for all printed materials to have printers and publishers' details.
"Amendments made to the Bill by the Senate would have to go back to the lower house and withdrawing is a neater, better way," he said.
'More public consultation next time'
Nazri added that the EC had agreed to withdraw the Bill in entirety as more amendments made would render it pointless.
He said that the government had only acted as a "postman" in tabling the Bill to Parliament, and did not know the contents of the Bill which was proposed by the EC.
Nazri, who said that the Bill saw resistance from both government and opposition lawmakers, added that the government had tabled the Billin toto as it had respected the EC's independence.
The minister said that the last time something like this happened was three years ago, when a Bill was sent back to the Dewan Rakyat.
"But the Dewan Rakyat did not take it up within three months and it lapsed," he said.
DAP parliamentary leader Lim Kit Siang, who was also at the press conference, said the EC should engage in consultation with all stakeholders before proposing a Bill to avoid this happening in the future.
In an immediate response, the EC chairperson Abdul Aziz Mohd Yusof (left) denied the withdrawal was a slap in the face for the commission, who mooted the amendments.
"Not really. We had our meeting chaired by Speaker of the Dewan Negara and attended by Nazri and Lim before the press conference.
"We consulted each other and finally all agreed to abort it," he toldMalaysiakini in a text-message.
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
hotline at 012-3496013,
SUARAM at 03 77843525 or
The Countdown To Defeat For BN Has Begun
Will Najib Be The First Unelected Prime Minister of Malaysia?
By Christopher Chang
3rd May 2012, Future Fastforward
This article follows from a discussion with my father who is now recuperating at home. My father was admitted to hospital on the 23rd April on the initial diagnosis of having a stroke but was discharged late afternoon on the 28th April after his condition stabilised. His concerns for the country prompted him to discuss with me his views and he has directed that I post them to the website asap.
“If people lose their trust in the government, then the country has lost its basis” - Confucius
Christopher Chang (Chris): What is your reaction to the police brutality as shown
in several YouTube video clips?
Matthias Chang (Matthias): I am not surprised at all. I had concluded in the early morning of Tuesday, 24th April that excessive force would be used. My mind was focused on the Bersih Rally on the 28th April. I was contemplating writing an article to warn the BN government not to repeat the mistakes made in previous Bersih rallies even though deep down in my heart I know that my appeals would be ignored. But, I could not pen my article as I was rushed by an ambulance (following a 999 call) to the KL General Hospital.
Chris: But the Home Minister on the 22nd April, and as reported in NST was quoted as stating:
NST: The home ministry will allow next week’s Bersih rally and similar peaceful gatherings AS THEY DO NOT jeopardise national security. The minister, Dato’ Seri Hishammuddin Hussein, said the ministry’s initial monitoring indicated that the Bersih assembly did not require excessive presence of the police, such as the Federal Reserve Unit (FRU) as the rally was not a security threat.
Matthias: This minister (who is a lawyer by profession) as well as the Prime Minister must explain why the City Police Chief applied ex-parte (i.e. without the knowledge and presence of the Bersih organizers) for an order that Bersih cannot gather at Dataran Merdeka (the Independence Square), as inter-alia it posed a threat to public order and security. This is inconsistent and contradictory to the press statement of the Home Minister. Either the “right hand is not aware of what the left hand is doing” or it is the “good cop, bad cop” routine and the Home Minister hopes to be absolved from any potential fall-out. It would be utterly naïve for him to think of that, and that the public would fall for it.
Chris: Were you surprised by the turnout, estimated to be between 200,000 and 300,000?
Matthias: The exact number is not important but, if as reported by international media and independent observers as over 200,000 and comprising a crosssection of our people then this is historic and this means that the Malaysian people have crossed the Rubicon – the threshold has been crossed. It is a clear message to the BN government that the people are fed-up, pushed to the wall and their limits of tolerance have been breached. THEY DO NOT TRUST THE BN GOVERNMENT ANYMORE.
What I did not expect was that the threshold was crossed at this juncture, at this point in time. I had expected that if the BN Government called for a snap election before the clean up of the electoral roll, the rakyat would come out in droves to punish the BN government and ensure its defeat. The turnout would surpass all previous elections!
There have always been irregularities in our electoral roll as well as incidents of phantom voters, but in the past the people put up with the irregularity as it would not be sufficient to determine the outcome in a major way.
This reality and perception no longer hold true. This has been buttressed by the fact that electoral reforms were only considered after the massive turnout of Bersih 2.0. But for Bersih 2.0, the status quo would remain and this has really stirred the hornet’s nest. The fundamental issue is one of trust. And as Confucius said, once there is no trust in the government, the country has lost its basis!
Only the die-hard UMNO and BN supporters would not acknowledge this and or fail to see the writing on the wall. I had warned as such in my numerous articles before and after Bersih 2.0. The irony is that, the Home Minister before 28th April acknowledged that the government over-reacted when dealing with Bersih 2.0. But, the people treated it as propaganda or in local parlance, sweet talk. The government is no longer able to command the trust of the rakyat. And this is the death knell for the BN government.
I say this without any fear of contradiction. As a lawyer and as a former political secretary to the fourth prime minister, I have always stated the facts objectively without fear or favour. If I am wrong, I stand to be corrected but do not throw profanities at me. Prove me wrong and debate with me.
Chris: Dad, there are so many versions as to what happened, what is your take?
Matthias: First lesson in politics, when advising a politician – Don’t get emotional and be distracted from the principal issue(s).
The starting point must be that any law or court order must be just and seen to be so. And that the military, police and security personnel (Special Branch etc.) must be the protector and defender of the people.
Screw up this fundamental principle and the ability of the government to govern is undermined and the trust of the people is forfeited. The legitimacy of the government is brought into question. It is a Herculean task to recover the trust and legitimacy – unless the government is changed or the leadership of the government is changed.
Invariably, within the government, daggers would be drawn and sharpened as no leader is ever indispensable. Who, at the material time would have thought Edward Heath would be replaced by a shopkeeper’s daughter in the person of Margaret Thatcher and she (the Iron Lady) at the peak of her powers would in turn fall victim to a political coup. She did not even know what hit her, as on
that fateful day she went to Paris for an EU meeting in full confidence of her powers on the world’s stage! On her return, the plotters thrust the dagger into her bosom. The rest, as they say is history.
There will be the usual blame game and the more the BN government and their spin doctors indulge in such nonsense, the worse it will be for them. Police brutality cannot be excused under any circumstances (even if provoked) as the police are trained to handle such a scenario and to exercise restraint. There are standard operating procedures (SOP) under which strict orders are issued as to how to handle and control such a situation (especially one which the Home Minister has declared that Bersih is not a security threat to the country. There were no warnings before tear gas and water cannons were used on the crowd at the barricade near Dataran Merdeka.
Elsewhere, the crowd was peaceful, yet we have videos showing police brutality – several policemen beating a single protester in one instance. Then, we have a video of traffic police on their motorbikes in formation chasing the crowd when their role is to control traffic! And more!
Let us take the bulls by the horn. Let’s accept the official version that some protesters broke through a specific barricade. Does that justify the police brutality????
And if the police were to say that the brutality inflicted on the protesters was the action of a few renegade policemen and that the entire police force should not be criticized or condemned, then my reply is, sauce for the goose is also sauce for the gander – the alleged actions of a handful of so-called renegade protesters and or provocateurs cannot be blamed on the entire gathering as from the beginning it was peaceful. In any event, the upper hand is with the security forces as they are trained and properly equipped.
I was informed that someone propagated a lie that a policeman was killed by the protesters when there were no fatalities at all. This could very well be a provocation by someone to inflame the police to react in a negative way. It is hoped that whoever is responsible for this false information be brought to book.
This issue must be thoroughly investigated. But, I stand to be corrected. Chris: But, Dad how do you respond to the assertion that a Court order was contravened?
Matthias: There are court orders and court orders. The order by the Magistrate, Encik Zaki Asyraf bin Zubir is a “lawful order” but was it just in the circumstances or an abuse of power? Can it be said that the magistrate was unaware of the press statement by the Home Minister that Bersih 3.0 was not a security threat to the country. What were the grounds / evidence stated in the supporting affidavit in the ex-parte application to contradict the Home Minister? This should be made known to the public. I hope that the Bar Council and concerned lawyers and human rights groups would file the relevant application to challenge the grounds for the said application, being an application made ex-parte. Hence, utmost good faith and full disclosure of all relevant facts (including the press statement by the Home Minister) is required. Was the magistrate misled?
Be that as it may, I take the view that the Court order is unjust in its scope and purport. Dataran Merdeka, in spite of its haloed name, has been used for all sorts of functions, from rock concerts to other social gatherings. Even Mat Rempits have used the surrounding roads for their illegal racing and getting away with it, but the ordinary folks cannot even use the said road parallel to the square. When hundreds of thousands of people gather there to express their democratic right for a clean electoral roll, they were barred from using the place by a Court order. That order is manifestly unjust, when it has been expressly stated by the Home Minister that it posed no security threat to the country.
The likely retort is that, Matthias, this is a Court order and must be obeyed! I will cite a few examples why it can be disobeyed, even at the risk of contempt of court.
1. During the British colonial rule, several laws were enacted to suppress the people, yet it is UMNO who never ceased to tell us that they “led the demonstrations against the British for independence and justice for the people”. Newspapers were shut down and people imprisoned for defying British colonial rule. There were laws and court orders but they were defied. So the laws and the court orders must be examined whether they are just or unjust laws.
2. South Africa had Apartheid laws and court orders. But they were defied by the Black majority and Nelson Mandela was incarcerated for over 20 years when he defied these inhumane and unjust laws. Malaysians and the Malaysian government supported the struggle of the Black majority.
3. The Palestinians have been humiliated and imprisoned for opposing Zionist Israel’s occupation of their land. Today, over ten thousand are incarcerated in Israeli prisons including young children below the age of 14 years. They have been imprisoned in accordance with Israeli laws and court orders. Have the Palestinians no right to demonstrate against these unjust laws?
4. During the civil rights movement in the USA, there were “legitimate” laws forbidding “Blacks and dogs” from public places, e.g. in parks and blacks must sit at the back of buses, segregated from the whites who were seated in the front and any contravention is a criminal offence attracting custodial sentences. But, it took a brave woman to defy the law and demand that she be treated equally. The woman is none other than Rosa Parkes. She has been referred to as "the first lady of civil rights" and "the mother of the freedom movement" by the US Congress. Parkes' act of defiance became an important symbol of the modern Civil Rights Movement and Parkes became an international icon of resistance to racial segregation. She organised and collaborated with civil rights leaders,
including boycott leader Martin Luther King, Jr., helping to launch him to national prominence in the civil rights movement.
5. I would like to quote Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., on defying unjust laws: “One who breaks an unjust law must do so openly, lovingly and with a willingness to accept the penalty. I submit that an individual who breaks a law that conscience tells him is unjust and who willingly accepts the penalty of imprisonment in order to arouse the conscience of the community over its injustice, is in reality expressing the highest respect for the law”.
And I say, Amen to that.
6. From Yahoo, I found this posting – “In India, the Salt Satyagraha was a campaign of non-violent protest against the British salt tax (an unjust law) in colonial India which began with the Salt March to Dandi on March 12, 1930. It was the first act of organised opposition to British rule after Purna Swaraj, the declaration of independence by the Indian National Congress. Mahatma Gandhi led the Dandi march from his Sabarmati Ashram to Dandi, Gujarat to produce salt without paying the tax, with growing numbers of Indians joining him along the way. When Gandhi broke the salt laws in Dandi at the conclusion of the march on April 6, 1930, it sparked large scale acts of civil disobedience against the British Raj salt laws by millions of Indians.
“Gandhi was arrested on May 5, 1930, just days before his planned raid on the Dharasana Salt Works. The Dandi March and the ensuing Dharasana Satyagraha drew worldwide attention to the Indian
independence movement through extensive newspaper and newsreel coverage. The satyagraha against the salt tax continued for almost a year, ending with Gandhi's release from jail and negotiations with Viceroy Lord Irwin at the Second Round Table Conference. Over 80,000 Indians were jailed as a result of the Salt Satyagraha. The campaign had a significant effect on changing world and British attitudes toward Indian independence, and caused large numbers of Indians to actively join the fight for the first time.”
And even though I may not agree with the Opposition parties, I will oppose any attempt to stifle such expression of the democratic will of the people. Election with a clean electoral roll is a legitimate way of making political changes, including the change of a government. But when the legitimacy of the means to effect change is undermined by fraud, irregularities etc. we are inviting
the public to effect change by other means.
Let me remind the powers that be that Republican France was as a result of the French revolution. The American War of Independence was a revolution against British Colonial rule and the Americans today proudly celebrate on the 4th July as their Independence Day, following the success of the American Revolution. It may be wise for the BN leaders to restudy history. I am not here advocating
revolution, but when legitimate means for change are denied to the people, be prepared for the inevitable as history has demonstrated repeatedly. BN, you are forewarned. A clean and fair election is the only way.
Chris: Why has the government not come out openly that they will ensure a clean electoral roll?
Matthias: The government has established a Parliamentary Select Committee to look into the electoral reforms but I take the view that it has not and or failed to address the issue of the registration of fraudulent voters and other malpractices. By opposing Bersih 2.0 and 3.0 in the manner in which it did, it is the perception that the government is aware of these fraudulent voters and malpractices but is not willing to clean up the electoral roll.
All it takes is for the government, specifically the Prime Minister to declare that he is against fraudulent voters and other forms of registration malpractices highlighted thus far, and will leave no stone unturned to ensure a clean electoral roll to regain the trust of the people and take the wind out of the sails of the Opposition parties.
Why Najib and for that matter all senior politicians in the Barisan Nasional have not done so openly and categorically is the Trillion dollar question. I leave it to you to draw the necessary conclusions. I am exhausted, I must stop here……. The dizzy spells are getting bad.
Chris: Thank you Dad.
My thoughts after Bersih 3 : what I think Bersih 4 will be about
When you asked me to share my Bersih 3 experience, I did not feel like writing at all because I had nothing terribly exciting to report. My friend and I were among those who got the message to disperse at about 3 pm, and we were walking past Central Market heading towards Brickfields when we saw the cloud of teargas rolling along the Klang river beside Central Market. We had heard earlier shouts of “Tear gas !” and some muted sounds of explosions in the distance, but mercifully, we were quite a distance from the attacks. It was only later that we heard reports and saw videos carrying stories about the unwarranted aggression and violence inflicted upon our fellow Bersih comrades.
So what is there to tell you? The tables are now turned. The teacher now has to submit a piece to a former student. The teacher who had kept insisting on responses and opinions from docile and clueless undergrads is now required to submit her response to a momentous event, and I find myself searching for something worthwhile to say. I could tell you that Bersih has debunked the myth that Malaysians can never be punctual because I know many of us started out at hours ahead for an event that was to start at 2 pm ! I cannot bring myself to repeat what so many others have already written about – the carnival-like atmosphere, the camaraderie, the sense of being united with fellow Malaysians of all shapes and sizes, ages and ethnicities. I’d felt more of that at my first experience at Bersih 2, when I was with the crowd in front of Menara Maybank and when, with each new surge of a river of supporters from different directions swelling the crowd, I’d felt an inexplicable sense of pride and triumph swelling in me. This time my Bersih 3 experience seems rather tame. We had walked, chanted, sat, and then, without having heard any speech (we were too far from the main action), we were told to disperse. And I returned home without suffering a whiff of teargas this time.
It has taken some time to sort out my thoughts – reeling from a mixture of horror, helpless disbelief and sadness at the brutality inflicted on fellow Malaysians by thugs in police uniforms. Bersih 3 was intended to show the government that we , the rakyat, were firm in our demand that they needed to clean up the electoral roll (among other things) before calling for the next general elections. How it was overturned to end in chaos and brutality simply indicates one thing – that the government has absolutely no intention to attend to our demands. The reason is clear - there is too much at stake for BN , and to entertain our Bersih demands would simply mean political suicide for BN. The cheating and manipulation has been staged so well, why should they bother with us, the rakyat? No, they are going to ride roughshod over us, and teach us a lesson to cow us into submission .
We the rakyat have come this far. We have discovered how strong we are in our determination to save our beloved country from further ruin, and we have discovered, when push comes to shove, how courageous and united we can be.
We shall have Bersih 4, but it may not be a walk, nor a sit-in. We have our creative imagination to make Bersih 4 more powerful and effective . No, no more walking, chanting, or sitting, since, clearly the government is not interested in our message. No, Bersih 4 shall no longer be about drumming up the message again. Bersih 4 shall be about achieving what we want in our own way. Bersih 4 shall be for each individual Malaysian to achieve.
As various voices have exhorted, we need to keep our eye on the ball. What is our goal? To have clean and fair elections. If the BN government is not willing to go clean, we shall have to work hard at making it so ourselves. How shall we counter the cheating, the numbers of instant citizens and phantom voters who will swell the votes for BN? I believe the only peaceful alternative we have is to individually knuckle down to real hard work. No more carnivals, no more strolling or sitting down. No more being dependent on someone else to tell us what to do. If we can’t make the government clean up its act, we need to prevent it from cheating us further. We’ve got to use our own initiative now. Bersih has brought us together into this solidarity, and shown us how strong we really are, now let us do things individually but in solidarity, towards a greater goal: to save Malaysia. One important way is by volunteering to become polling agents – get ourselves trained for the job. Another equally important way is to go around and convince fence-sitters that it’s time to change. We have to do what does not come easy to us – for the sake of saving our country!
To me this will be Bersih 4 – the quiet, non-violent, but powerful and aggressively industrious individual effort, consolidating and energizing into a tsunami-like movement to crash the old, the corrupt, the tyrannical. We need to do this if we want to build a new Malaysia. And pray. Pray hard. God will surely help us if we really try hard to help ourselves.
Will the new government be better? We have to take a chance. An informed chance. But we will be wiser in dealing with the new administration. Bersih has taught us well.
Monday, May 7, 2012
Q1: What is rare earth (RE)?
Rare earth (RE) is just a metal, as ordinary as other metals like iron, silver and gold. The difference between them is we don’t encounter RE in daily life, e.g. you don’t wear RE bracelets, you don’t build the bridge with RE. It’s precious, valuable and essential for many high-tech industries.
Q2: Who is LYNAS?
LYNAS is the owner of the RE mine and Gebeng plant, incorporated and listed in Australia. LYNAS (M) Sdn. Bhd is wholly owned by LYNAS Inc.
Q3: Where does the RE come from? What is it like?
Like other metals, RE is found in ore (rock) in West Australia. The ore is mined, cleaned and crushed into sand or powder form, before being shipped to Kuantan. The journey is about 5000 km. The size of a single grain of powder can be 100 times smaller than the diameter of a strand of hair.
Q4: Why do they take the RE from Australia and process it here?
The official statement said that Australia cannot provide high-skilled manpower, and that Australia cannot supply enough water, acids and natural gas to process RE.
Q5: What do we get in terms of income?
Malaysia was offered 12 years tax break by LYNAS, which means they do not pay us anything during the first 12 years of operation. Eventually, all revenue generated here will probably be channeled back to the LYNAS Inc. share holders in Australia, and not to LYNAS (M) Sdn. Bhd.
Q6: What do we get in terms of job opportunities?
Only a total of 350 employees are needed, including expatriate, skilled and unskilled workers. The number of employees in a mid-size supermarket is greater than this.
Q7: What do we get in terms of new, world-class technology?
Malaysia is not a traditional, major RE-producing county. Transferring RE processing knowledge to Malaysia does not benefit the country and its people considerably.
Q8: So, what actually do we get?
Save the “jobs created, new technology and sales revenue of chemicals, water and natural gas”, strictly speaking, in the first 12 years – nothing! Except large quantities of waste. To be more precise, 500 cubic meters/hour of waste water, 100,000 cubic meters/hour of waste gas and 280,000 tonnes/year of solid waste.
Q9: Is RE dangerous?
Most RE metals are harmless, but in natural ore RE is normally mixed with the radioactive substances. During the separation process, valuable RE is extracted and exported to US, Europe and Japan, leaving behind harmful substances in Kuantan.
Q10: How dangerous is it?
The radioactive substances release radiation and two major toxic materials – radon gas and lead. Radon is a colorless, odorless toxic gas. When it gets into the human body through inhalation, it can damage cells and cause cancer. As for lead, many years ago petrol gas been changed from leaded to unleaded, as we didn’t want lead to be released to the air through our car exhaust. Lead can harm the nervous system, and cause brain and blood diseases. In short, two key hazards can be found in Gebeng RE plant – the radiation and the toxic materials.
Q11: Where and when can the radiation, radon and lead be found?
The RE raw material (in powder or sand form) arrives at the Kuantan port, then gets transported to Gebeng by truck, where it is unloaded, transferred and processed. Waste gas from chimneys, the waste water disposed into the Balok River, the solid wastes that are stored in Gebeng – possibly in all of the above we can find the radioactive substances, which can emit radiation, radon and lead, wherever and whenever they are present.
Q12: Mr. A lives in Balok, 3km from Gebeng. Mr. B lives in Kuantan, 30km from Gebeng. Mr. C lives in KL, 300km from Gebeng. Can the radioactive materials endanger them?
In short, the answer is NO for all of them if they stay more than 100 metres away from radioactive materials. But, the answer is YES for all three if they consumed these harmful substances, even if they stay hundreds of kilometres away. WHY? The radiation emitted in Gebeng doesn’t travel long distance to harm us, hence if you stand a short distance away from the materials without consuming it, all you will get is a slight radiation. Radon gas and lead in general do not affect our body externally, as we are protected by our skin. However, if these radioactive materials contaminate the solid waste, waste water and waste gas, they will be released to the atmosphere, water streams and eventually the food chain. Once the radioactive materials enter the human body via inhalation, ingestion and wound penetration, the radiation, radon and lead will be released inside the body and these can cause very serious consequences.
Q13: Why did they say that it is safe? Why did they say that the radioactivity is low? Who should I listen to?
You decide who you should listen to! It’s your life, it’s your family, it’s your home. See above to understand why they said the radioactivity is low. The media, authorities and LYNAS have failed to report the consequences of consuming radioactive materials.
The questions were answered by Dr. Lee Chee Hong, Chemical Engineering Expert on Metals.
Malaysians do not want the LYNAS rare earth plant and here is one more reason why it should not be allowed to operate.
A China expert on rare earth claims that LYNAS plans to dispose of its radioactive waste by diluting it then recycle it into commercial products, is OUTDATED:
China expert: Lynas' waste recycle proposal outdated
Lee Long Hui
6:17PM May 7, 2012
Although Lynas had given an assurance that the radioactive waste from its rare earth refinery in Gebeng will be recycled into non-hazardous commercial products, a prominent chemist from China commented that it is an outdated method abandoned by China.
Chun-Hua Yan, who is Cheung Kong professor of the College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, part of Peking University, said that recycling radioactive waste from a rare earth plant into gypsum, fertiliser and material for road construction, was the method adopted by China rare-earth plants in the early days.
“I’m not an expert in this field but I believe that was the road travelled by China before but not now,” he told the media after attending an international symposium on rare earth today in Kuala Lumpur.
Yan claimed that radioactive leakage is not the most hazardous risk of a rare earth plant because if the operator is willing to inject huge funds to bury the waste far from habitation and seismic areas, as well as isolated from groundwater and sealed, it would not be a problem.
“It can be done from the technological perspective but the key lies in your investment, cost and management, whether you are committed in addressing it,” he stressed.
Generally the most pressing problem for a rare earth plant, said Yan, is to deal with the fluorine gas produced during the fusion process.
Earlier, a researcher from the Atomic Energy Licensing Board (AELB) reiterated that the controversial Asian Rare Earth (ARE) plant in Bukit Merah was shut down in 1994 due to commercial consideration and not to public health concerns.
Presenting his paper entitled ‘The Asian Rare Earth Experience and Related Research Activities by Nuclear Malaysia’, Meor Yusoff Meor Sulaiman (right) claimed that Mitsubishi Chemicals chose to close the plant on Jan 14, 1994, because the market price of rare earth was way below its production cost of US$4.25 per kg.
The plant failed to compete in the international market when the market price of light rare-earth chloride dropped to US$2.60 in 1996.
Developing a rare-earth course at UMP
Speaking at a press conference later, the former Science Academy of Malaysia (ASM) vice-president Ahmad Zaidee Laidin said that the academy is planning to develop a rare-earth related course at Universiti Malaysia Pahang (UMP).
He said that ASM is currently preparing a memorandum of agreement to sign with the Chinese Rare Earth Society (CRES) to develop the curriculum.
On top of that, he also said that the university can become the third-party monitoring unit for Lynas’ rare-earth plant, which is similar with the situation in Germany where the nuclear plants are monitored by non-governmental organisations.
“(We are) trying to work with UMP to provide that kind of monitoring service using the latest equipment they have and working with China’s Peking University as well in order to develop the know-how, the understanding.
“This is something we have been working on and it’s a work in progress,” said Ahmad Zaidee.
The chairperson of the Unesco International Science, Technology and Innovation Centre for South-South Cooperation (ISTIC) Lee Yee Cheong, who also a speaker, said that the academy wanted to see UMP come up with a rare-earth research and development facility.
“But UMP is only the hub, we are having a consortium of universities with rare-earth expertise to pool their resources, and we are asking China to help us to develop the curriculum for the research and development and also to train mining engineers and technicians.”
The foreign rare-earth experts who attended today’s symposium also urged Lynas to enhance its transparency and public engagement.
“The first thing you are going to do is to tell everybody what are you going to do,” said Jack Lifton, the founding principal of the US-based Technology Metals Research.
Sunday, May 6, 2012
firstname.lastname@example.org or 012-6541415
for legal aid and assistance.
5 MAY 2012
SUHAKAM inquiry on Police Violence on April 28
While the government focuses on the breaching of the barricades at Dataran Merdeka by a few, and what they see as a threat to their power, there is a deafening and irresponsible silence about the unprecedented violence inflicted upon unsuspecting members of the public by the police force.
Whilst BERSIH 2.0 does not condone the breaching of the barricades, the legality of those barricades is questionable, as is the legality of the hurriedly obtained court order. We are also receiving information that much more was happening at the barricades than meets the eye.
The unanswered question still remains – who is responsible for the untold violence upon participants of the Duduk Bantah that occurred after the first tear gas was fired?
Evidence based on medical reports of some of those who were detained by the police appear to show that some members of the police force were out to punish those who wore BERSIH 3.0 t-shirts, anti-Lynas t-shirts or any yellow t-shirts, by inflicting excessive and completely unjustified violence on them.
Some detainees were attacked at the time of arrest, when they were in shops dining, or about to board LRTs while others were attacked after arrest and despite the absence of struggle. Some were alleged to have been assaulted by over 30 police personnel. Many speak of having to “run the gauntlet” of police personnel and beaten repeatedly before being loaded onto police trucks.
The brutality suggests that a segment of the police force on duty that day had acted with vengeance against BERSIH 3.0 participants whether due to orders given to them or because they had lost control. There are too many reports of police officers who were wearing blue police uniforms but without their names and police identity numbers so as to prevent the victims of violence from identifying the perpetrators of police violence.
In addition to BERSIH 3.0 participants, it must not be forgotten that more than 12 photographers and journalists were assaulted, intimidated or detained by police while reporting the rally, and cameras, memory cards and video equipment were taken away.
Given the violence towards members of the media, we find it shameful that fellow members of the mainstream media, continue with their blatant censorship of the news on the violence committed against civilians by the police. It is at this critical time that the media must step up to the plate, serve the interests of justice and report the truth and the whole truth. In not doing so, they fail the rakyat and their fellow journalists, many of whom (including those in the mainstream media) are now bravely voicing their concerns. We support these journalists who are claiming their rights as professionals.
The proposed independent panel
The "independent panel" that is to be set up is to apparently look into violence against journalists only. What of violence against the other participants? Is that unimportant to the government? BERSIH 2.0 calls upon SUHAKAM to conduct an urgent independent inquiry into one of the most extensive acts of violence perpetrated by the authorities upon the people of Malaysia.
The Rejection of Stadium Merdeka
As to the rejection of the stadium by BERSIH as a reason for the violence, this is wholly without basis. The offer for Stadium Merdeka came too late for BERSIH 2.0 to re-organise its event. It is evident from the vast number of people who turned up that day that any change in venue at the last minute would have created certain chaos on the day. We were therefore right in the decision not to change venue at short notice.
In hindsight, we believe it was also a good thing not to have accepted the Stadium Merdeka. Given the conduct and ill intent of some of the police force, the Stadium would have been a trap that would have been wholly unsafe for the participants.
Overthrowing the Government?
As far as the statement about overthrowing the government is concerned, BERSIH 2.0 rejects it entirely. BERSIH 2.0 wants free and fair elections. The Government has not explained how occupying Dataran Merdeka constitutes a threat to Government, or an attempt to overthrow the Government.
It is our wish that any changes to those who will ultimately represent us in government be made through the ballot box in elections that are clean and fair.
Which brings us back again to BERSIH’s demands. Are they all going to be implemented before the 13th G.E.? Are the EC Chairman and Deputy Chairman going to be asked to step down if it is confirmed they are UMNO members?
Those that choose to ignore the cry of over 250,000 people for clean and fair elections, by labelling it something else, insult the intelligence of the people. What we want is for candidates who win the elections to do so honourably. And what we need to see now are statesmen and stateswomen who handle the grievances of the people sensitively and responsibly.
Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections 2.0 (BERSIH 2.0)
The Steering Committee of BERSIH 2.0 comprises:
Dato’ Ambiga Sreenevasan (Co-Chairperson), Datuk A. Samad Said (Co-Chairperson), Ahmad Shukri Abdul Razab, Andrew Ambrose, Andrew Khoo, Anne Lasimbang, Arul Prakkash, Arumugam K., Awang Abdillah, Dr Farouk Musa, Hishamuddin Rais, Liau Kok Fah, Maria Chin Abdullah, Matthew Vincent, Niloh Ason, Richard Y W Yeoh, Dr Subramaniam Pillay, Dato’ Dr Toh Kin Woon, Dr Wong Chin Huat, Dato’ Yeo Yang Poh, Zaid Kamaruddin.
Saturday, May 5, 2012
Lim said Police brutality this time around has been magnified; there is more police brutality (compared to last year.) There was arbitrary use of tear gas, water cannons.
The events showed an “urgent” need for the police force to undergo a “transformation programme”, to be changed by force of statute through the establishment of the recommended Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission (IPCMC).
Venue: Sunway Putra Hotel (formerly Legend Hotel)
Date: Friday 11 May 2012
Resolutions1. Call on the police to identify errant personnel and surrender them for prosecution,
TranscriptAfter being shot 5 times by the police, Norizan was dragged this lady out and down to the ground and then kicked her with booted feet and broked her ribs.
Norizan Salleh is an innocent woman, was travelling in a car, has not been charged for any offence. Never had trouble with the law before, and for no reason whatsoever, the police fired at her car and almost killed the lady. One bullet was lodged right next to the heart.
Surendran's shock and disappointment is this. Despite such clear evidence of wrong doing on the part of the police, the Minister Hishammuddin has said that the police acted properly and no action will be taken against the police.
International standards are very clear. Police can only shoot if there is actual danger to the lives of the police themselves. These people are unarmed people travelling in a car. So what is the justification of the police in shooting her?
There has also been a false story spread by the police that the police had to shoot at the car in self defence because the car that Norizan was travelling in had tried to ram the police.
This is a lie, and Surendran will prove why it is a lie. The bullet that entered the car entered from behind. So if they were trying to ram the police car, how can the bullet come in from behind?
Norizan explained further in Bahasa Malaysia including explaining that there were not even a road block.
Here is one spotted at Jalan Leboh Ampang in front of HSBC:
It seems such jammers are banned in many countries and only allowed for military or prisoners situations but deployed in Malaysia to disrupt communications during BERSIH 3.0
You can see a similar one over at
According to the report in Malaysiakini below, the Election Commission deputy chief had told the foreign Fact Finding Mission that they had proposed to the Parliament outstation Sabah and Sarawak voters be allowed to cast their ballots without having to return to East Malaysia (postal voters), but that the Parliament rejected it.
However, the fact finding team found out that the PSC (Parliament Select Committee) had proposed it to the EC as clearly stated in their report but that the EC had refused to implement it in the next election.
EC lies to mission about postal voter proposal
Kuek Ser Kuang Keng
11:15AM May 5, 2012
The Election Commission had allegedly told an international mission that the Parliament had rejected the proposal to introduce postal voting for Sabah and Sarawak voters working in peninsular Malaysia.
However, the report by parliamentary select committee (PSC) on electoral reform released last month revealed that it was the EC that gave the thumbs down.
According to the 12-page interim report from the seven-memberinternational fact-finding group on Malaysia's electoral system, the negative response came from EC deputy chief Wan Ahmad Wan Omar (left).
The report states that the group has found out that these people working in the peninsula face difficulties in returning home to vote, recommending that legislation be introduced for them to be absentee voters.
However ,Wan Ahmad told the group: "That's the reality in Malaysia. They should change their registration (addresses). We proposed that Parliament legislate to introduce postal voting for the people in Sabah and Sarawak. Our proposal was not accepted".
In fact, the PSC report had stated clearly that one of electoral reforms proposal is to allow outstation voters to cast their ballots without having to return to their constituencies.
Evidence of EC digging in
The report added that the EC refused to implement it in the next general election, only agreeing to study the proposal futher in relation to Article 119 of the Federal Constitution, which stipulates that an eligible voter must be a resident in his or her voting constituency.
It is among the six preliminary proposals rejected by the EC.
The international group also noted that the Federal Constitution empowers the EC to compel state-owned media to give parity ofcoverage for political parties during the election campaign period, but the EC chose to adopt a narrower interpretation of the clause.
The group pointed out that Article 115(2) of the Constitution which states that "All public authorities shall on the request of the (Election) Commission give the Commission such assistance in the discharge of its duties as may be practicable" can be used by the electoral body to ensure fair reporting.
But the group's interim report records Wan Ahmad as replying that the Article empowers the EC to obtain "logistical assistance only".
To clear doubts on this matter, the group recommended clear legislation to compel state-owned media to provide fair coverage.
In the absence of a legal provision, the group proposed that the EC exercise its moral and persuasive authority by releasing a report each day of the campaign on its views whether public and private ational TV stations have provided balanced coverage over that 24- hour period.
It reiterated that the Constitution provides the EC with wide latitude in the conduct of the electoral process.
The group comprises Australian senator Nicholas Xenophon, Pakistani senator Hasil Khan Bizenjo, Filipino University of East College of Law dean Amado Valdez, Germany's Freidrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom coordinator Juliane Schmucker, University of New South Wales associate professor of politics Clinton Fernandes, Indian journalist Mobashar Jawed Akhbar and the Indonesian International Scholars Association chairperson Mohamad Nasir Tamara Tamimi.
They visited Malaysia from Apr 25 to 29 at the invitation of Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim's office to assess the Malaysian electoral system.
During a press conference to release the findings last Sunday, Bizenjo described the EC as "backward", a cause for the country's weak democracy.
Besides Wan Ahmad, they had met with Umno secretary-general Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor, Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Nazri Abdul Aziz, Bersih steering committee member Maria Chin Abdullah, Selangor MB Khalid Ibrahim and Anwar.
The group had also heard disturbing testimony from a former senior military officer, who requested anonymity, on the pervasive fear among military personnel regarding the secrecy of their votes during the 2008 election.
The report quoted the ex-officer as saying: "There was a definite fear factor among the soldiers that if they did not vote for the government they could be victimised because they knew that their vote could be traced".
"Troops would discuss this in front of me. I and other officers would say 'You can vote any way you want'. Troops would laugh and say 'Who will give us protection if we're traced?
"It was common and widespread knowledge among military personnel that they knew they could face retribution if they voted the wrong way."
Hence the group recommended that the postal vote system for military personnel be reformed and protocols changed to ensure fair practice.
Friday, May 4, 2012
Is the Registration Department conspiring with the Election Commission to create phantom voters to help UMNO/BN retain power?
Many Bersih 3.0 participants on the run in streets of KL found that they had problems using their phones, there were no lines. Did you know that they carted jammers onto 4WD and parked them along strategic areas to be effective to jam handphones?
The BBC and Aljazeera experienced news censorship, one of the many cases of info suppression and destruction of their media hardware. That's how evil and brutal the desperados have become.
Thursday, May 3, 2012
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
3:06PM May 1, 2012
Bersih 2.0 has denied Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak's claims that the movement broke its promise to keep its rally on Saturday peaceful.
In a press release today, Bersih co-chairperson Ambiga Sreenevasan said the police had broken their promise of protecting the innocent.
"(Instead, they) turned on us and betrayed the trust of all peace-loving Malaysians," said Ambiga.
She said Bersih had discharged its duties fully and had full control of the rally until the first tear gas was fired, as noted by reported acts of violence.
"Once that happened, the burden shifted to the police to handle the situation that they had created.
"The responsibility became theirs," said Ambiga, in a lenghty three-page statement.
A shared burden
Ambiga, a former Bar Council president, argued that in advanced democracies where freedom of assembly is respected, both organisers and the state have equal responsibility to ensure peace and security.
But in the case of the rally last Saturday, the state had imposed the entire burden on Bersih.
She said Bersih had done its part by declaring the rally a success and instructions to disperse were issued.
"Bersih 2.0 does not condone the breaching of the barricades and the parties responsible should account to the public for their actions," she said.
However, Ambiga questioned whether the breaching of the barricades at Dataran Merdeka, which triggered the police crackdown, was a justifiable excuse for the "disproportionate and excessive" use of force.
Was it justifiable?
She pointed out that at the time, the majority of participants were already dispersing.
"The police were therefore only justified in taking reasonable measures to push the participants back beyond the barrier," she said.
What was not justifiable was the act of chasing after protesters around Kuala Lumpur, beating them, lobbing tear gas at them and closing down the Masjid Jamek LRT station, said Ambiga.
"The chilling reality is that the brutality shown this year by the police far exceeded the brutality shown last year."
Don't change the subject
Despite all the attention now being directed at the violence seen at the rally, Ambiga said the authorities must not forget that Bersih 3.0 had gathered a 250,000 strong crowd.
(Malaysiakini estimated that the figure was closer to 100,000.)
Ambiga said the crowd gathered for a common purpose - true electoral reforms - for hours under the sun.
"They were the young and the old, Malaysians from different backgrounds. They came from the Klang Valley and from as far away as Sabah and Sarawak.
"They came despite the threats by the government, the lack of transportation and the roadblocks placed in their way. And they were not the only ones.
"Thousands of other Malaysians gathered in Penang, Malacca, Johor, Kuching, Sibu, Miri, Kota Kinabalu and in more than 80 cities around the world.
"These are the true faces of Malaysia. They are a reflection of the true will and aspirations of Malaysians," she said.
Meanwhile, Ambiga also commended PAS' uniformed welfare outfit - the Unit Amal - and police personnel who did not perpetuate the violence for maintaining order during the earlier half of the rally.
"I also state that there were many police on that day who did act with restraint and honour. But there were others who clearly got a different memo from the top.
"They were ruthless and behaved like thugs inflicting maximum damage on the retreating participants. There were instances when they deliberately instigated the crowd," she said.
Ambiga said evidence was continuing to emerge and Bersih 2.0 was compiling such data.
She urged the Human Rights Commission (Suhakam) to conduct an inquiry, because many quarters have much to answer for.
"If Bersih 2.0 has to answer questions, and we will readily do so before an independent inquiry, then the government has much more to answer for," she added.
Why would I say so? Because police fire tear gas cannisters in order to box in the fleeing crowd. Not only that, why else would they shut all the nearby LRT stations even around 5pm when people were trying to leave if not to trap them where they are?
Here is an account of a very elderly lady in the 70's:
"Stumbled our way to the back but met with more tear gas coming now from the Jalan Raja Laut area. Nowhere to run. How to disperse? Why were they trapping people by firing from front and back? Such confusion for everyone fleeing and not knowing where to run."
Source: Bersih 3.0: Malaysia at its best and worst
The police during the BERSIH 3.0 rally for free and fair elections assulted some protesters in groups, probably to try to intimidate future participants from further participating.
Some of the victims of police brutality related their ordeal to Bersih at a press conference organised a day after the protest.
Many of the protesters claimed the police carried no name tags or identification numbers on their uniforms when they launched their attacks at about 6pm. The assault lasted for three hours.
These are not wild allegations; pictures of the injuries suffered by the protesters as a result of being beaten by the police are proof that the federal government had no intention of allowing the rakyat to exercise their fundamental right to assemble and voice out their unhappiness.
A protester, Adrian Low, 38, said he was repeatedly stomped on his back even after he was detained. His back still carries the footprints of the police boots.
Another protester, Nurul Amani Faizal, 28, said that 10 male police officers charged at her and beat her.
“They had just fired a tear gas at Masjid Jamek so my friends and I ran in the opposite direction. I wasn’t wearing the Bersih T-shirt but I was a rally participant. They caught hold of me and beat me.
“Then one officer slapped me and asked a female officer to arrest me,” she said, adding that she sustained injuries in her lower back.
Yet another protester, Mohamad Fazwan Yusoff, 23, sustained bruises to his face and left eye. He was about to leave Masjid Jamek when the police dragged him and assaulted him.
“My friends and I saw the police step on a lady so we went to help her. Suddenly, a group of policemen appeared and attacked us too.
“I don’t remember how many charged at me but I was beaten for several minutes and they didn’t stop even in the police truck.
“They just continued their assault,” he said.
Never-ending police brutality
Bersih steering committee member, Wong Chin Huat, who was also arrested, has said it is not unusual for the police to continue their insults and assaults even after the protesters were detained.
“They only stopped beating me when I fell to the ground; even then, they continued to shout racial insults in the trucks,” he had said.
Wong revealed that Bersih were told of policemen who were dressed in yellow Bersih T-shirts while videographing the detainees in the police trucks and detention centres.
They want to submit the evidences to the relevant bodies like SUHAKAM, KDN, PM office and Bukit Aman for thorough investigation.
What we need are:
3. The names and telephone numbers of witnesses who were detained and witness violence by police and agents provocateur.
Tel: 03 77843525 Email: email@example.com
Please submit this details to SUARAM by THURSDAY 3 MAY 2012. Please contact Theva at 013 3845740 or Nalini at 019 3758912 for further info.
SUARAM is Suara Rakyat Malaysia, (Malay for "Voice of the Malaysian People") and a human rights organization
He was reported as saying the confisication of the press cameras was police "Standard Operating Procedure", revealing his silly infantile brain for it does not need an intelligent person to know that if true, it would reflect very badly on the police.
It was thus left to the IGP (Inspector General of Police) Ismail Omar to say that the police do not have a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) allowing them to seize media equipment including cameras or memory cards.
What a dumb ass.
Lim Guan Eng also stressed that implementing minimum wage alone is not sufficient to raise the people's standard of living. It also have to be accompanied by structural reforms in the economy, higher productivity jobs and increasing women participations in the workforce.
It had uploaded a video (below) comparing the original BBC news report with that broadcasted by ASTRO:
"Thirty seconds appears to have been cut out of the doctored version on Astro, after the removal of three separate sequences, one which showed a policeman on a motorbike apparently firing at demonstrators.
"The two other sequences that were removed included interviews with demonstrators, explaining why they felt they had to take to the streets to defend the right to fair elections," it said in the article.
If what Chua Jui Meng, former Health Minister and current PKR Vice-President said is true, it sounds more likely that the police were tear gassing the crowd not to disperse them but to punish them, and this seemed to be buttressed by what happened elsewhere.
According to Chua Jui Meng, he was trapped inside Masjid Jamek when he together with others which include many senior citizens sought refuge there. Chua said he negotiated with a police officer holding the rank of assistant commissioner, wearing a name tag saying ‘Jamal' to allow them a free and safe passage out of the area and 'Jamal' agreed.
However, as they were leaving the mosque, the police fired tear gas and water cannon at them. Not only that. Chua said that the tear gas was stronger and more stinging than those used at BERSIH 2.0
"I too suffered difficulty in breathing and was choking. I thought I was going to die there as I felt a strong burning sensation in my lungs.
"There were many, many people at Bersih 3.0 and I could not run anywhere. I see that the government is taking punitive measures to punish the rakyat by using such devices," Chua said.
Source: Police broke word by firing tear gas near Masjid Jamek
Just who is this "Razak wants it to be paid quickly" in a handwritten note accompanying 360,000 euro (RM1.44 million) paid to a mysterious Hong Kong Company by Thint Asia (French defence company Thales International Asia)?
Is it Najib Razak the current Prime Minister of Malaysia or is it Razak Baginda, his close confidant who was implicated in the murder of Altantuya Shaahriibuu?
A mystery HK company in Scorpene scandal
11:11AM May 1, 2012
For a company that allegedly received at least 36 million euro (RM144 million) from an offshoot of the French defense company DCN, Terasasi (Hong Kong) Ltd is a mysterious company indeed.
It is one of at least 142 names listed on the directory on the 19th floor of a skyscraper at 3 Lockhart Road in Hong Kong's Wan Chai district.
The 19th floor's main tenant is a company called Union Alpha, the Hong Kong arm of an accounting firm that provides "professional services to meet clients' daily business needs, both in Hong Kong, Greater China and globally," including auditing and assurance services, management consulting, accountancy and other services, according to the firm's website.
There is no indication of what Terasasi's business is. It is only listed in the Hong Kong Companies Registry as a "local company".
Asked about the nature of Terasasi's operations, Monique KL Chan, a senior officer at Union Alpha, told Asia Sentinel that "we cannot discuss confidential matters of our clients."
She referred Asia Sentinel to her boss, whom she said was in a meeting. He did not immediately answer a request for a phone call.
Terasasi, however, is at the centre of allegations that at least some of the 36 million euro (RM144 million) was funneled through its accounts to Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak as a commission on the sale of two Scorpene submarines purchased from the French defence company Thales International, also known as Thint Asia.
The two directors of Terasasi Hong Kong, which was first incorporated in Malaysia, are listed in the Hong Kong Companies Registry as Abdul Razak Baginda, formerly one of Najib's closest friends, and Razak Baginda's father, Abdul Malim Baginda.
There is no indication, for instance, who Terasasi's bankers might be, but they might be beginning to take notice.
That is because Hong Kong's money-laundering law makes it an offence for bankers, lawyers or accountants to deal with property they know or have reasonable grounds to believe represents the proceeds serious crimes.
Offenders are subject to a maximum of 14 years in prison. Records must be kept on any transaction over HK$8,000, the rough equivalent of US$1,000.
Tough money-laundering laws
The Hong Kong Monetary Authority's (HKMA's) voluminous guidelines put the onus on banks and other financial institutions and their professional employees to ensure that companies follow legal guidelines on deposits.
As required by the guidelines, banks make it a common practice to subject all employees dealing with the transfer of funds to regular, detailed briefings on money-laundering statutes and the penalties involved.
The need to guard against money laundering received new impetus in 2004 when the Hong Kong Monetary Authority urged banks to be especially alert to the possibility of money laundering as the territory prepared to become an outlet for yuan-denominated deposits.
In June of that year, the HKMA issued a supplement to the territory's anti-money laundering guidelines, setting out ‘Know-Your-Customer' principles, taking account of the requirements of a paper on ‘Customer Due Diligence for Banks' issued by the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision.
French investigating magistrates Roger Le Loire and Serge Tournaire, who were appointed at the Paris Tribunal de Grande Instance, who are probing the sale of the submarines have indicated they would like to interview the Malaysian prime minister as well as Abdul Razak Baginda, who now lives in the UK.
However, any possibility that the French authorities could interview the prime minister of a sovereign state concerning bribery allegations is extremely slim - although the question could complicate any of Najib's future plans to vacation in Europe.
It is unknown if French authorities have asked Hong Kong authorities for help into looking into Terasasi's activities. Cecily Chik, a senior press information officer with the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) in Hong Kong told Asia Sentinel only that the agency does not comment on operational matters.
In addition to being a close Najib associate, Abdul Razak Baginda is the former head of a Malaysian think-tank who was at the centre of a 2006 investigation into the notorious death of Mongolian translator and party girl Altantuya Shaariibuu.
It was previously revealed on the floor of the Dewan Rakyat, Malaysia's parliament, that a company called Perimekar Sdn Bhd received another 114 million euro (RM457 million) as a commission on the sale of the vessels, from an offshoot of Thales and DCNS called Armaris.
Perimekar at the time was wholly owned by another company, KS Ombak Laut Sdn Bhd, which in turn was also controlled by Razak Baginda and his wife, Mazalinda. Perimekar is now 20 percent each owned by the military retirement system LTAT and Boustead Holdings.
Probe on three contracts
The French news agency Agence France Press recently reported that the probe by the French investigating magistrates involves three contracts for the submarines which were signed on June 5, 2002.
According to the documents, the contracts had two components: the sale of two submarines built by Thint and the Spanish shipbuilding firm Izar, for 920 million euro (RM3.7 billion); and the delivery of "logistical support" from Perimekar Bhd - the 114 million euro (RM457 million) - to train the first 200 Royal Malaysian Navy personnel although there is no indication that the company had the wherewithal to train them.
The contracts cited by AFP included the 114 million euro (RM457 million) one paid by the Malaysian government to Perimekar. The second, called "C5 contract of engineering business," was concluded in August 2000 between DCNI, a subsidiary of DCN, and Thales International Asia worth some 30 million euro (RM132 million). The third was the "consulting agreement" signed in October 2000 between Thint Asia and Terasasi.
The French investigators are also studying one of the invoices issued by Terasasi in August 2004 for 359,450 euro (RM1.44 million) sent to Thint Asia. For investigators, "it appears that... the amounts paid to Terasasi ultimately benefited Najib, the defence minister, or his adviser Razak Baginda."
French authorities say Terasasi apparently received regular payments from Thint Asia, including one for 360,000 euro (RM1.44 million) that was accompanied with a handwritten note saying "Razak wants it to be paid quickly." There is no indication if the Razak in question was Najib Razak or Razak Baginda (left).
The magistrates have documents that show that the money was funneled from Thint Asia to Terasasi - 3 million euro (RM12 million) when Terasasi was still domiciled in Malaysia, and 33 million euro (RM132 million) after it was incorporated in Hong Kong.
There is no indication at this point where the money went. French investigators, however, theorise that it was part of 146 million euro (RM585 million) that may have been funneled to officials of Umno and Najib, who traveled with Abdul Razak Baginda several times to France as defence minister at the time the Malaysians purchased the submarines from DCNS.
On at least one trip in 2004, Altantuya, then Razak Baginda's lover, accompanied him to France as a translator. He later jilted her, impelling her to come to Kuala Lumpur to demand US$500,000 (RM1.5 million) from him. In a handwritten letter found after her death, she wrote that she was attempting to blackmail him, although she didn't say why.
Two of Najib's bodyguards were convicted of shooting her in the head and blowing up her body with plastic explosives in September 2006, possibly to hide the fact that she was pregnant when she was killed.
Because her killing does not appear to be connected to the scandal, French investigators are not looking into the causes of her death or the reasons behind it.
Although Razak Baginda was charged with abetting her murder, he was released without having to put up a defence.
Najib's former bodyguards remain on death row in Malaysia. Their appeal against the death penalty has been delayed, presumably until after national elections that had been expected June this year although elections plans may have been derailed by a massive rally on April 28 calling for election reform.
Money used for bribery was tax deductible
Under the bribery conventions of the 32-member Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, the French defence contractors could be liable for criminal sanctions if it is proven that no real services were delivered by the companies. Under French law, violators are liable for up to 10 years in prison.
Joseph Breham (right), a lawyer with Solicitors International Human Rights Group which was engaged by the Malaysian reform NGO Suaram, said in October last year that DCNS often budgeted as much as 8 to 12 percent of its total receipts as "commissions" to grease sales of armaments in third world countries.
Breham said Perimekar had received the commission for "supporting the contract," which he said was a euphemism for unexplained costs, and also for "housing the crew" of the submarines in France.
In France, before 2002, any money used to bribe foreign officials was tax deductible. When the former finance director of DCN made a claim for 31 million euro (RM124 million) allegedly used to bribe the Malaysians for the purchase of the Scorpenes, Breham said, the budget minister questioned such a large bribe, although he did eventually authorise the tax break.
Olivier Metzner, a lawyer for Thales, told the French daily Le Parisienthat "we have already demonstrated to investigators that there was no corruption in this case."
However, a confidential memorandum made available to Asia Sentineland Free Malaysia Today states that: "The beneficiaries of these funds are not difficult to imagine: the family clan and Razak Baginda relations. In addition, these funds will find their way to the dominant political party (Umno)."
JOHN BERTHELSEN is the editor of Asia Sentinel.