T. Mohan, the MIC Youth social and welfare bureau chief, has been appointed the party’s youth coordinator following the decision of the MIC Central Working Committee (CWC) to ask all youth leaders who have reached the age of 41 to vacate their posts.



Mohan, 35, a businessman, will have as his deputy lawyer S. Murugesan, who was the youth wing’s representative to the CWC, party’s highest decision-making body.

MIC president Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu, in disclosing these details to Bernama, said Mohan and his team would take the advice of the newly set up MIC Youth Advisory Council, headed by former Kahang (Johor) state assemblyman S. Ramis, in carrying out activities and programmes until the MIC Youth elections next year.

Mohan had stood on a Barisan Nasional (BN) ticket in the Batu Caves (Selangor) state constituency in the general election on March 8 while Murugesan was the BN candidate for the Subang parliamentary seat. Both of them did not win the seats.

“The youth wing would now be headed by the coordinator (Mohan). Murugesan will be the deputy. The youth wing, until the party elections next year, will take the advice of the youth advisory council comprising mostly former youth leaders who have passed the age of 40,” Samy Vellu said.

Two days ago at the Perak State Assembly, an assemblyman named Hamidah Osman from the BN coalition asked the House Speaker of a well-known fable. It was about a snake and an Indian man, where one was asked whether to kill the Indian man first or the snake first. She however refused to take back her own words until she was told to do so by her own member. She further commented she didn't mean to hurt anyone adding, it was just a proverb which means not to twist one's words around. She claimed to be misinterpreted.

She thought she was speaking at a Pasar Malam? Even a lousy and noisy Pasar Malam doesn't deserve to be desecrated like that. Her words have no place in this country. Period!

Hamidah was reported as asking the Perak state assembly speaker V. Sivakumar if he "agree to disagree" with the well-known fable of whether a snake or a man from a certain community should be killed first.

The response from the Speaker has been very dignified and measured. Despite requests from other Pakatan Rakyat members of the assembly for her to retract, Sivakumar let her off with just a warning.

And it took Opposition leader and Barisan whip Datuk Seri Mohamad Tajol Rosli Ghazali (BN-Pengkalan Hulu) to tame her off and retract that racial slur.

And she probably thought that things have quietened down for her over the weekend, especially after she issued an apology. But not for many other people, from both political divide.

Dato Seri S Samy Vellu stood up and demanded that BN punish Hamidah for the thoughtless words, as reported by The Star:

KUALA LUMPUR: Barisan Nasional has been urged to take disciplinary action against Sungai Rapat assemblyman Hamidah Osman for insulting the Indian community at the Perak state assembly on Friday.

MIC president Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu, in making the call, said the party condemned the state assemblyman’s action. “We urge the Barisan Nasional Supreme Council to take action against her,” he said in a statement here.

MIC Youth CWC Member, Mr.Murugesan wrote a good article titled Snake In The House on this issue. He articulated "it is unforgivable for an elected representative and that too in the august house of state assembly to put forth such a statement, even in the form of a question! "

Sorry Hamidah, a mere apology for such a statement will not do! It was not a slip of the tongue nor a statement made out of ignorance. It was a calculated statement made to display your ‘hatred’ without being held responsible for it.

BN must not allow such callousness, to say the least, from its representatives to go unpunished. A stern action by BN will indicate to all that BN does not tolerate racial intolerance; failure to do so will erode further our already thin credibility.

BN must work hard to regain lost grounds and mislaid trust. We can start doing so by unequivocally reminding people like Hamidah that there is a heavy price to pay for such transgression and that we in BN are representatives of ALL MALAYSIANS irrespective of race or religion.

KUALA LUMPUR: "I am not leaving. My position is not decided by the MIC Youth, but by the 3,600 MIC delegates nationwide."

This was the response from MIC president Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu to calls by Kedah MIC Youth leaders for him to step down from the top party post.

"There will be a presidential election next March. The delegates will be voting again," said Samy Vellu, who has been at the party's helm for 24 years.

He was speaking after opening the 26th delegates' conference of Hindudharma, a Hindu-based non-governmental organisation, yesterday.

Samy Vellu said it was common practice to have one or two party members objecting to a party leader.

The former minister was commenting on the move by Kedah MIC Youth leaders, including its chief R. Nantha Kumar, who resigned en bloc from their posts three days ago as a sign of protest against Samy Vellu's leadership in the party.

They were also against Samy Vellu's call for MIC Youth national chief S. Vigneswaran to resign from his post because he had passed the 41-year age limit.

Samy Vellu said: "I am the one who put him (Nantha Kumar) there. But the Youth chief failed to keep his promise to have a proper organisation for Kedah (MIC) Youth."

On the reason for asking Vigneswaran to vacate his post, Samy Vellu said it was in accordance with the party's constitution.

"The ruling that states a youth chief has to resign at the age of 41 was made about three or four years ago."

Samy Vellu also said it was to give way for the younger generation to serve the party.

"There are a lot of young graduates who want to help the party but cannot do so as others are holding the post of Youth chief for too long.

"We are not asking those above 41 years old to get out. We want them. We still want them to go to the ground and help the community. But we have to give way to young blood."

Saiful with Khairil Annas Jusoh (Pegawai Khas Timbalan Perdana Menteri Najib Tun Razak)Saiful with Dato ShahrirSaiful with Dato MustaphaSaiful with Dato Azalina



pictures source or copyright information here.

MIC Youth chief SA Vigneswaran today announced his decision to quit the party with immediate effect.

"I have never been a quitter. To leave office before my term is completed is abhorrent to every instinct in my body. But the president of MIC thinks otherwise," he told the media at a press conference held in Hokkien Association Hall, Klang.

"But with a forced move to remove my office in MIC, I hereby declare that I shall effective 3pm today quit as the member of MIC, a membership that I have been proudly holding for 25 years."

And he also issued a challenge to party president S Samy Vellu to similarly relinquish the presidency post which he had held for the past 30 years.

"My advice to the MIC president is to leave and prove that you can survive without MIC or be prepared to bury the party," he added.

The former parliamentary secretary for the youth and sports ministry said that the fateful defeat of the party in the last general election was due to ‘an individual' who has failed to address the crying needs of the community.

"Yet the president announces that he shall seek re election for another term," said Vigneswaran.

He lauded the MCA leadership of Ong Ka Ting and Chan Kong Choy for deciding to step down from their posts at the end of their term for the benefit of the party.

"But we cannot expect such noble declarations coming from the immortal MIC president," he said.

Who is ungrateful?

Vigneswaran, elected to lead the party's Youth wing in 2002, added that he was aware that it has become evident that he no longer had a strong enough political base in MIC.

"With the disappearance of that base, I now believe that an unconstitutional decision to remove me as the youth leader has been sealed."

He said that if he had continued to fight against the move the remove him as the Youth leader, that would just be time consuming and without a benefit for the party.

"I would be called ungrateful as that is the norm of the president.

"Who is ungrateful? Are people who are in position for four years, one term, two terms ungrateful or the person and family who have been surviving for 30 years on MIC ticket?" he asked, again making reference to Samy Vellu's long tenure as party president.

Vigneswaran had fallen out of favour with Samy Vellu after failing to retain his Kota Raja parliamentary seat in the last general election. Vigneswaran was the biggest loser of all MIC candidates, being defeated by more than 20,000 votes.

Once seen as a blue-eyed boy of the president, his fortunes continued to tumble when Samy Vellu announced wide ranging reforms in the party, a move that could have seen Vigneswaran being sidelined further.

The final straw came when Samy Vellu announced that Vigneswaran should step down from being the Youth chief as he had exceeded the party constitutional age-limit of 40. Vigneswaran, who is 42, refused to do so, on the grounds that he was elected and he would finish his term which would expire next year.

To continue working with the community

After that the party's top leadership has been making silent moves to silent Vikneswaran, finally culminating in his quitting not just his post but the party as well.

"I shall leave this office with regret at not completing my term, but with gratitude for the privilege of serving as MIC Youth leader for the past six years. These years have been a momentous time for the youth community and me," he said.

As for his future, Vigneswaran said that he would mobilise the Malaysian Indian Youth Development Foundation (MIYDF) to uplift the Indian community.

"With MIYDF, I will once again, outside of politics, serve the common good and move toward the ideals and solutions which I believe can build a future of hope and opportunity for us and for our community," he said.

"And to those who have not felt able to give me your support, let me say I leave with no bitterness toward you, because all of us, in MIC in the final analysis, have been more loyal and fearful of the president of MIC than with the good of the community," he added.

IPOH: The racial slur by a Barisan Nasional assemblyman continued to receive flak from various quarters, including Ipoh Timor MP Lim Kit Siang calling for a public apology over the statement.

Lim said Perak Barisan Nasional whip Datuk Seri Mohamad Tajol Rosli Ghazali should tender an open apology for the statement by Sungai Rapat Hamidah Osman at the Perak state assembly recently.

On Friday, Hamidah was reported to have asked Speaker V. Sivakumar if he "agreed to disagree" with a saying of whether a snake or an Indian should be killed first.

However, she retracted her words when Tajol Rosli asked her to do so.

Lim, when opening the Buntong DAP service centre here on Sunday, said her statement showed the mentality of Barisan assemblymen.

“She humiliated Indians," he said, adding that Barisan should resume full responsibility for what had happened.

Ipoh Barat MP M. Kulasegaran, who also attended the Buntong function, said Indians were “aggrieved” with what had transpired at the Perak state assembly.

“The MIC should be ashamed of what has happened and pull out of Barisan,” he said, adding that Hamidah’s statement was not good for nation building.

It also showed the arrogance and childish behaviour of Barisan assemblymen, he said.

Meanwhile, Buntong Jaya Parti Keadilan Rakyat branch chief M. A. Tinagaran said Hamidah’s statement had left an emotional scar on Indians.

“We are not happy and we want her to apologise publicly in all major dailies,” he said, adding that Tajol Rosli should also take disciplinary action against her. Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng concurred, saying Hamidah should be punished severely for her degrading remark.

He said Umno must take stern disciplinary action against Hamidah if the party did not share the same views as her.

“I find this shocking, especially when it (the utterance) came out from an assemblyman. The comment is clearly unacceptable.

“She is a disgrace to all wakil rakyat (people’s representatives). When we talk about peace, living harmoniously and cooperation among all races in the country, she talks about killing. The remark showed she is not fit to be a wakil rakyat,” he said after launching a children’s play camp at SJK (C) Shang Wu on Sunday.

Guan Eng said a leader must show good example by showering love and giving hope to the people.

“I have received many SMSes and the Indian community has expressed its disappointment. The people are very angry and outraged.

“We are Malaysians. We must show compassion to each other regardless of race, religion, gender and political affiliation,” he said.

Tamil movie style assaults. If the father do not give consent then disown the daughter. Y must he behave like a barbarian and proceed to attack guests of the function? He should've "let go" the daughter and remain silent yet due to violence and immaturity, he lost a son too.. and his life/future.

Hm, anger should be controlled and do not act in haste. This barbaric act should be a lesson for all of us, pls do not resort to violence, you won't gain anything but you willlose everything. Violence aint a solution for a problem.



KUALA LUMPUR: The younger brother of the bride in the botched wedding in Sungai Besi on Saturday died from a gunshot wound in the head.


The 23-year-old man was shot by a detective, who was a guest at the wedding. He died Sunday at the Kuala Lumpur Hospital, said City CID chief Senior Asst Comm II Ku Chin Wah.


He said police have arrested the bride's father and another person who were in a group that gate-crashed the Hindu wedding at Desa Tasik Sports Complex moments before the bride and groom were to be married.


It is believed that the bride did not get the consent of her family and the group arrived with parang (machetes) and chains to force her to cancel the wedding.


The group of about six, including a woman, began shouting before they started attacking the guests.


The plainclothes detective identified himself as a policeman and warned the group to stop and fired several warning shots.


But they charged at him forcing him to open fire and a bullet hit the bride's younger brother

KUALA LUMPUR, June 29 -- The government must set-up a monitoring committee to check on the progress of the proposed unit trust scheme, aimed at increasing corporate equity ownership among ethnic Indians from the present 1.1 per cent to 1.5 per cent by 2010.
In making this call, MIC information chief Datuk M. Saravanan also wanted the government to ensure fair Indian participation in the monitoring committee, comprising professionals, especially bankers and stock market experts, representatives of non-governmental organisations and political parties.
"The committee should ensure the smooth and fair implementation of the scheme. The scheme must receive equal distribution in the community and nobody should complain of being left out."
On Thursday, tabling the mid-term review of the Ninth Malaysia Plan, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi announced that to increase corporate equity ownership among ethnic Indians to 1.5 % by 2010, efforts would be continued to increase access to skills training and entrepreneurship development programmes.
In addition, special assistance will be given to the ethnic Indian community to raise the level of their equity ownership through unit trust schemes, Abdullah had revealed.
Saravanan, who is also Federal Territories deputy minister, also said the unit trust scheme should not be distributed by any single body as this would result in "all sorts allegations" and would be open to abuse.
"The government must ensure that Indians gain from the scheme. It should transparent coming out with regular periodical progress reports to ensure that the people know where their investments are and how it is doing in terms of financial gains.
"There is also a need to ensure that this scheme reaches its target group. There is no point in a few people holding most of the unit trusts. It must be evenly distributed so that the target group benefits. It must also have a safeguard so that only Indians are entitled to the scheme and that units do not pass on from Indians to another race," he added.
On another note, the deputy minister also hoped that the government would provide a one-off grant to all Tamil schools in the country to remedy whatever shortfalls they had.
"This could be as a one off grant. We can solve woes of Tamil schools once and for all. Never again should Tamil schools organise fund raising campaigns to improve the infrastructure of schools. This has become a habit and is becoming a norm.
"Students of these schools are also Malaysian and therefore they should gain from the government's support. We hope this grant can be made available at the tabling of the 2009 Budget," he added. -- BERNAMA

PUTRAJAYA: Parti Keadilan Raykat leaders decided Sunday morning that the party's de facto leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim stay at the Turkish Embassy for his safety after he received death threats.

His family visited him at the Embassy at Jalan U Thant Sunday evening, PKR vice-president Azmin Ali said.

At a press conference earlier Sunday, Anwar's wife and PKR president Satin Seri Wan Azizah Ismail said the death threats had come less than a day after an aide of Anwar's had lodged a police report alleging he was sodomised by the one-time deputy prime minister.

She said PKR had released pictures of the aide showing him with cabinet ministers and their high-ranking staff, which she claimed was evidence of political assassination.

Anwar was was sacked by former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad over similar allegations in 1998.

Federal CID director Comm Datuk Mohd Bakri Zinin said the police would conduct a thorough and fair investigation in the sodomy allegations.

They will also investigate the allegations before taking a statement from Anwar, he said.

Earlier Sunday, Current Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi reiterated that the Barisan Nasional Government was not behind the latest allegation of sodomy against Anwar.

Stating that he was shocked on hearing the police report lodged by an aide of Anwar on Saturday night, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said he would leave the police to conduct investigations on the allegations and to take the necessary action.

He said he or the Government did not instruct the police to take any action.

On Anwar's statement that the allegations were a complete fabrication to kill his political career, as in 1998 when he was sacked as Deputy Prime Minister, Abdullah said the Government had nothing to do with the police report.

"We are not (involved). Umno and Barisan Nasional did not plan to trouble, disturb or accuse him.

"I believe even my friends like (Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri) Najib (Tun Razak) did not have any intention to do such a thing to him," he told reporters here on Sunday after launching the Bumi Hijau programme.

Abdullah said the alleged victim has the right to lodge a police report if it had really happened.

When asked if Anwar would be arrested following the latest allegation, Abdullah said he did not want to speculate on the matter and would leave the matter to the police.

Meanwhile the aide, who had started working at PKR about three months ago to help in the 12th general election, had lodged a police report alleging sodomy by the PKR leader at about 5.45pm on Saturday.

The man, in his 20s, is being treated at a hospital in Kuala Lumpur.

Anwar called for an urgent press conference at 1.20am Sunday morning to deny the allegations.

In a statement read out by PKR vice-president Sivarasa Rasiah at a hotel in Shah Alam, he described the allegations as “total fabrication”.

The statement, which was also faxed to media offices, said: “The police report lodged against me today is a complete fabrication. I believe we are witnessing a repeat of the methods used against me in 1998 when false allegations were made under duress.”

Sources said police were waiting for the medical report from the hospital before proceeding with investigations.

They also said Anwar was expected to be called up by the police to have his statement recorded.

DAP adviser Lim Kit Siang posted in his blog early Sunday morning that he had spoken to Anwar over the phone and "he is expecting the worst."

"SMS and phone calls have been flying around of imminent police action against Anwar Ibrahim.

"I have spoken to Anwar over the phone and he is expecting the worst," Lim said.

Sodomy allegation
Anwar and his adopted brother Sukma Darmawan Sasmitaat Madja were found guilty by the Kuala Lumpur High Court on Aug 8, 2000 on the charge of sodomising Anwar's former family driver, Azizan Abu Bakar, at Sukma's apartment in Tivoli Villa, Bangsar, between January and March 1993.

Anwar was sentenced to nine years' jail while Sukma received six years and ordered to be given four strokes of the rotan. Sukma was also convicted by the High Court on a charge of abetting Anwar in the commission of the offence.

In 2003, the Court of Appeal dismissed their appeals.

Anwar was first convicted for corruption on April 14, 1999 and was jailed for six years.

He should have been released on April 14, 2003 after a one-third remission but had to start serving his sentence for the sodomy offence, which the court ordered to be served consecutively.

Anwar was freed in 2004 after the Federal Court acquitted him of the charge of sodomising his former family driver.

The three-person Federal Court bench reached a 2-1 majority decision when they allowed the former deputy prime minister's appeal and overturned the conviction and nine-year jail term six years after his sacking as deputy prime minister.

The panel headed by Federal Court judge Justice Abdul Hamid Mohamad also allowed Sukma’s appeal.

Court of Appeal judge Tengku Baharuddin Shah Tengku Mahmud concurred with Justice Abdul Hamid while Federal Court judge Justice Rahmah Hussain dissented.

Justice Abdul Hamid Mohamad held that from the record of appeal, he found evidence that the appellants were involved in homosexual activities and was inclined to believe that the alleged incident at Tivoli Villa did occur.

However, he said the Federal Court could only convict Anwar and Sukma if the prosecution had successfully proved beyond reasonable doubt the alleged offences stated in the charges based on admissible evidence and in accordance with established principles of law.

"We may be convinced in our minds of the guilt or innocence of the appellants but our decision must only be based on the evidence adduced and nothing else," he said.

SHAH ALAM: Parti Keadilan Rakyat de facto leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim was left fighting for his political credibility, calling a press conference at 1.20am today to deny allegations that he sodomised his aide.

He described the allegations made by his aide in a police report lodged yesterday as a “total fabrication”.

Anwar's statement was read out by PKR vice-president Sivarasa Rasiah at the press conference at a hotel in Shah Alam.

The statement, which was also faxed to media offices, said: “The police report lodged against me today is a complete fabrication. I believe we are witnessing a repeat of the methods used against me in 1998 when false allegations were made under duress.”

Asked why Anwar was not at the press conference, Sivarasa said Anwar was very busy attending to “too many telephone calls.”

Earlier, a man claiming to be an aide of Anwar lodged a police report alleging sodomy by the PKR leader.

It is learnt that the man, in his 20s, lodged the report at a police beat base here at 5.45pm.

He is being treated at a hospital in Kuala Lumpur.

Sources said the man alleged that he was sexually assaulted last Thursday inside a luxury apartment in the city.

He also alleged that it was not the first time that Anwar had sexually assaulted him.

Sivarasa said the aide started working for PKR three months ago to help out in the general election.

City CID chief Senior Asst Comm II Ku Chin Wah confirmed that a report had been lodged but declined to give details.

Sources said police were waiting for the medical report from the hospital before proceeding with investigations.

They also said Anwar was expected to be called up by the police to have his statement recorded

Radio and Television Malaysia (RTM) is ready to telecast live the debate on fuel price hikes between Information Minister Datuk Ahmad Shabery Cheek and Parti Keadilan Rakyat adviser Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, said the ministry’s secretary-general Datuk Kamaruddin Siaraf.

He, however, clarified that the agreement to do so was only related to the live broadcast and not of organising it.

Kamaruddin did not want people to think that the government had a hidden agenda if the organising was done by the ministry as it involved the information minister and an opposition leader.

“We are very open...we can carry (the live telecast) but not initiate it,” he told reporters after opening the ’Know Asean 2008’ exhibition here today.

Kamaruddin was of the opinion that the debate was good as the public often assumed that the government, including the information ministry, was one-sided and tried to hide the truth.

“The new minister and the ministry now are more open, we’ll see what happens during the debate. As an individual I feel the debate is good for the country,” he added.

He said as a way of proving fairness and openness, the ministry was willing to leave organising it to anyone interested.

“This is not a question of broadcasting news...not the same as the live telecast of the International Court of Justice recently event though we know a telecast like this will receive good response,” Kamaruddin said.

He said the ministry was moving towards openness and was exploring ways to make its presentation of information like that of CNN with complete and accurate analyses.

The debate with the theme ’Form a Government today and reduce the price of oil tomorrow’ is organised by news portal Agenda Daily and will be held at Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka.

The ’Know Asean 2008’ two-day exhibition beginning today is being held at the Terminal One shopping complex and people can also participate in competitions, watch entertainment programmes and view a talk show among intellectuals.

KUALA LUMPUR: It was like a scene right out of a Tamil movie when an armed group gatecrashed a Hindu wedding moments before the bride and bridegroom were about to marry.

And there was a detective among the guests who opened fired on them to scare them off, adding to the drama. What happened last night, however, was more frightening because it was the real thing and the group of six, which included a woman, were armed with parang and chains.

The group ordered the wedding stopped and began attacking guests. The detective then fired several shots at them, seriously injuring one of them,

Cheras OCPD Asst Comm Ahmad Amir Mohd Hashim said the group arrived at 7.50pm just before the wedding ceremony was scheduled to begin at the Desa Tasik Sports Complex, Sungai Besi.

“They began shouting and warning the crowd that the wedding should not be held before they started attacking the guests.

“A police detective from KL Headquarters who was invited as a guest identified himself as a policeman to the group and warned them to stop but they charged at him, forcing him to fire four shots,” he said.

He said two members of the group had been arrested, and police are looking for the others.

He said six guests suffered minor injuries, adding that police were still investigating the motive of the attack.

The wedding has been postponed indefinitely.

KUALA LUMPUR: The resignation of a few MIC Youth leaders in Kedah in protest against party requirements for Youth leaders to relinquish their positions after turning 40 years of age will not in any way jeopardise the party’s Youth movement.

“They can leave if they want to. They are doing this to protect one person,” said newly-appointed MIC Youth coordinator S. Ramis, who himself vacated the post of MIC Youth deputy chief in keeping with the ruling.

“The resignation of a few leaders in Kedah stating that they have lost confidence in the (party) president (Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu) is unacceptable,” said Ramis. – Bernama

SHAH ALAM: About 2,000 people gathered at the Malawati Indoor Stadium here last night to protest against the Internal Security Act (ISA).

A multi-racial crowd comprising men, women, youth, senior citizens and even children attended the gathering, organised by Gerakan Mansuhkan ISA.


Showing their support: Hindraf and anti-ISA supporters attending the gathering at the Malawati Indoor Stadium in Shah Alam last night.

The speakers included former ISA detainees Saari Sungib and Lee Ban Chen, Mohamad Sabu from PAS, Sivarasa Rasiah from PKR, Dr Tan Seng Giaw from DAP, Dr Mohd Nasir Hashim from Parti Sosialis Malaysia and R. Thanenthiran from the Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf).

In his speech, Saari, who is the Hulu Klang assemblyman, said the ISA functioned as an instrument of fear and torture.

Lee narrated how he was detained under the ISA in his capacity as a labour activist in 1967. He was only released in 1974.

Most of the speakers spoke about how Makkal Sakthi (People Power) had played an instrumental role in the capture of five states during the recent general election.

The crowd eagerly waited for Mohamad Sabu, who was the last speaker, to take the stand and they were not disappointed as the PAS leader gave a fiery speech, which received thunderous applause.

In condemning the ISA, Mohamad Sabu said that it was time for the draconian law to be abolished.

KUALA LUMPUR: MIC president Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu yesterday asked the Barisan Nasional (BN) leadership to take action against BN Sungai Rapat assemblyman Hamidah Osman for degrading the Indian community at the Perak state assembly.

"We condemn her offensive remarks. We want the BN supreme council to take action against her," he said.

Hamidah was reported as asking Perak state assembly Speaker V. Sivakumar on Friday, if he "agrees to disagree" with the well-known fable of whether a snake or a man from a certain community should be killed first.

She, however, retracted her remarks when state BN chief Datuk Seri Tajol Rosli Ghazali (BN-Pengkalan Hulu) asked her to withdraw her words.

As a people's representative and a Malaysian, Hamidah should not have uttered such words, said the former works minister.

"I want her to make a public apology to the Indian community. What she did is most humiliating and not acceptable."

Samy Vellu said her remarks had stirred up emotions and angered the Indian community. -- Bernama

Majlis Perbandaran Klang (MPK)

1-Mislan Tugiu (YDP)
2-Datuk Setia Diraja Abdul Ghani Akhir (OBD)
3-Azmizam Zamanhuri (PKR)
4-Ho Sang San (PKR)
5-Suhami Mohd Nor (PKR)
6-M. Sunthararajo Murugan (PKR)
7-Gary Tai Teck Chuan (PKR)
8-Maneyvannan Velue (PKR)
9-Hamidah Mat Som (PKR)
10-Tee Boon Hock (DAP)
11-Selvadurai Subramaniam (DAP)
12-Ang Mah Chye (DAP)
13-Ganasan Macholai (DAP)
14-Lim Lip Suan (DAP)
15-Yap Beng Lee (DAP)
16-Ismail Arsat (PAS)
17-Jamuliddin Elias (PAS)
18-Haidar Taslin (PAS)
19-Mohd Termizi Ismail (PAS)
20-Segaran Landasamy (Mindas)
21-Noriah Abdul Rahman (Persatuan Orang Yang Amat Cacat Akal Selangor)
22-Nor’Ain Eusoff (residents’ association)
23-Wong Siah Peng (NGO/PRO)
24-Tee Beng Lee (NGI/columnist)
25-Raju Veerasamy (Treasurer LPDM Malaysia)


Majlis Bandaraya Shah Alam

1.Mazalan Md. Noor (Dato Bandar)

2. Datuk Abu Bakar Abdul Hamid (OBD)

3. Ahmad Zamri Kamaruddin

4. K. Uthayasoorian (NGO)

5. Zulkifle Mohd. Nani (NGO)

6. A. Sivarajan (Wakil PSM)

7. Datin Noraini Md. Top (NGO)

8. Mohd. Harris Abu Bakar (PKR),

9. Mohd. Najmi Samsuddin (PKR),

10. Cheong Kai Cheng (DAP),

11. Izham Hashim (Pas),

12. Ahmad Sayutzi Bashiron (Pas).

Sedang Dikemaskinikan

WTF!!! I'm speechless after reading this. Sick Man..and only 15 years of jail? He should be hanged!!!

KUALA LUMPUR: He was a babysitter and father figure to a toddler, but when she did not stop crying, he slapped and hit her.

He then did the unthinkable - he placed a cushion on the crying toddler and sat on it - and the baby died instantly.

Megat Shahrizat Megat Shahrur's actions caused the 2-year-old child's liver and pancreas to rupture, and for that he was sentenced at the High Court yesterday to 15 years' jail.

Judge Lim Yee Lan, in delivering her judgment, said Megat Shahrizat, 30, charged with culpable homicide not amounting to the murder of Nur Izzatul Shahira Rozilan, 2, had offered to care for the child as her mother was away.

"He was also close to the victim but he betrayed the child's trust in him as a father figure and caused her injury instead."

She said she took into consideration Megat Shahrizat's remorse and intention to return to society.

"I am mindful that this is a serious offence and public interest requires the appropriate sentence," she said, ordering the sentence to run from the date of his arrest on June 4, 2001.

Megat Shahrizat was charged with committing the offence in an apartment at Sri Suajaya Condominium, Jalan Kampung Bandar Dalam, Sentul, between 10.45pm on June 3, 2001 and 1.30am the next day. He was arrested on the same day and charged with murder.

After a full trial of seven years, the judge decided that the prosecution had failed to prove a prima facie case for murder, but they succeeded in proving that Megat Shahrizat had caused the injuries which led to the baby's death.

Prosecution had called 10 witnesses, among them, the toddler's mother and two others, all of whom were housemates with Megat Shahrizat at the time of the incident.

According to the pathologist, the liver and pancreas were sandwiched between the body weight (of the accused) and the backbone (of the child), causing them to rupture or tear.

KUALA LUMPUR: MIC president Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu welcomed the Prime Minister’s announcement to give Indians special aid to increase equity ownership through unit trusts.

In a statement yesterday, Samy Vellu said this showed the Barisan Nasional Government was concerned about the welfare of the Indian community.

He also said MIC had previously suggested a special scheme to increase Indian equity to 3% by 2020.

Initially started off by HINDRAF , now it seems everyone resorts for rally to verbalize their views. Don’t they even bother to think about the rakyat’s? Rallies are a disturbance to rakyat, gosh, when would all this end…

KUALA LUMPUR: More than 20,000 members of several non-governmental organisations will gather in Putrajaya on July 12 in a show of support for Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

The "Gabungan Badan NGO Malaysia yang Menyokong Perdana Menteri" (the NGO coalition which supports the prime minister) aims to prove that Malaysians are behind the prime minister.

Its chairman, Mohd Radzi Daud, said Abdullah needed to know that he had the support of many Malaysians.

"Fingers were pointed at him after the Barisan Nasional's loss at the March 8 general election, even though it wasn't his fault. People said he was weak and incompetent, but we believe otherwise.

"Despite all the blame and accusations, he is a strong man."

Mohd Radzi invited the public to join the NGOs at the gathering.

Also present were Kembara Perpaduan Melayu Semalaya (KPMS) president Zainudin Ariff Hasan and Persatuan Bumiputera Bersatu Sabah president Datu Pengiran Abdul Rahman Zainal Abidin.

Zainudin said 70 KPMS members will lead a convoy on July 7 to collect signatures from state Umno leaders to be included in a memorandum to urge Abdullah to continue as prime minister.

The five-day trip will end at the Putrajaya International Convention Centre where Abdullah would receive the memorandum.

Abdul Rahman, who said he represented 57 tribes in Sabah, said Abdullah was still needed to lead the country even though some quarters had asked him to step down.

"People like Datuk Seri Yong Teck Lee (Sabah Progressive Party president) are irresponsible. We want Pak Lah to know that many other Sabahans will stand by him. After all, we voted for him."

KUALA LUMPUR, June 26 (Bernama) -- MIC Youth leaders who would have to vacate their positions upon attaining the age of 41, would be given new branches to play a more prominent role in the party mainstream, said MIC secretary-general Datuk Dr S. Subramaniam.

He said he would propose this move to the party's central working committee (CWC) and the MIC president (Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu).



"We will also request that in the interim period, some of the senior youth leaders offer advice and support to the youth movement until new appointments are made," the human resources minister said in a statement here Thursday.

On Wednesday evening, Dr Subramaniam chaired a meeting with national and state MIC Youth office-bearers at the MIC headquarters to brief them on the decision by the CWC that all Youth leaders needed to vacate their posts upon reaching 41.

At the meeting, he emphasised that despite the latest ruling, the services and contributions of the affected leaders was much needed to further strengthen the movement and the party.

"I told them that their contributions were fully recognised by the party leadership and that they would be given new roles to further strengthen the youth movement," he added.

On the same note, he said the MIC national youth convention, slated for July 6, would take place as scheduled and organised by a youth convention organising committee.

The MIC Youth wing has been on a roller-coaster ride since Dr Subramaniam announced on June 19, that Youth chief S. A. Vigneswaran and several other leaders of the wing would have to vacate their posts with immediate effect, as they had passed the age limit as stipulated in the MIC Constitution.

The decision to ask them to vacate their posts was taken at the party's central working committee (CWC) meeting held a fortnight ago. The CWC is the party's highest decision-making body.

Apart from Vigneswaran, several other leaders would also be given letters requiring them to relinquish their positions in the youth wing. Among them are Youth deputy chief, S. Ramis, Youth secretary M. Kumaresan, information chief K. Raj Kumar and youth representative to the CWC, S. Murugesan.

However, this interpretation of the party's constitution has been refuted by Vigneswaran, saying that the present office-bearers should be allowed to complete their term which ends in 2009, even if they had turned 41 this year.

The Youth chief counter argued, saying the CWC's interpretation of the constitution was inaccurate as Article 20.2 only stipulated that one could contest for positions in the wing, up to age 41.

He had also argued that Article 47 of the same constitution said the party's elected leaders could stay in office for three years and did not state that a youth leader should give up his position upon reaching his 41st birthday.

Since the March 8 general election, Vigneswaran has been at loggerheads with the party leadership and has not attended the past three CWC meetings.

It is also not clear if Vigneswaran, the former Kota Raja (Selangor) member of parliament and youth and sports parliamentary secretary, would be asked to manage a branch or provide any advice for the new Youth leadership to be named soon.

It must be noted that Vigeswaran did not attend yesterday's meeting with Dr Subramaniam, whereas other Youth leaders voiced their full support for Samy Vellu, the party chief.

PKR brewing hot in Selangor
Is there wrong in running the party?
Sidelined the warriors of reformation days
Isn’t the state government asking for trouble?

Now there is 17 division heads disagree
On Khalid ways of handling affairs of party
And the state government administration
He had suspended his special officer
Who was a PKR state secretary……..

Innocence until proven guilty
Khalid should have spoken to him personally
Not through SMS
It shows lack of civility

Demonstrations in his official residence
This is damaged control he should handle
In proper manner and absolute civility
Otherwise don’t ever think of managing the country

PKR brewing troubles
In Selangor among its own members
Now Anwar has to quickly correct it
Else it will reflect on his capability

PKR better get the house in order
Before you tell others what to do
It is for long term management
It isn’t just for a term………….

TAIPING: The Hindu Rights Action (Hindraf) has asked the public not to be duped by individuals seeking donations supposedly to raise funds for the group.

Its coordinator V. Raidu said there were people doing so under the guise of selling tickets for charity concerts.

“Hindraf does not approve of such methods as we have stopped collecting funds from the public a long time ago,” he told reporters yesterday after visiting his brother Ganaba- tirao, who is among the five Hindraf leaders detained under the Internal Security Act at the Kamunting detention centre.

Earlier, Raidu accompanied Gana-batirao’s wife, B. Buvaneswary and K. Vickneswary, wife of detainee K. Vasanthakumar, to visit their husbands.

At yesterday’s meeting, Raidu was informed by the detainees that they were being accused of raising funds for covert activities linked to terrorism.

Raidu said some cash had been raised last year but the RM68,000 collected was spent to pay for bail of those detained for participating in Hindraf-organised rallies.

Both Vickneswary and Buvanes- wary said they had not received any of the “donations”.

Vickneswary said her husband’s house would be up for auction today. She was unable to pay the RM600 monthly instalment.

2 suspect from Kluang and 2 more detained is from Melaka... I wonder when they actually going to come out with a statement saying they have caught the murderer,than keep on detaining more suspects

JOHOR BARU: Police have detained another MIC leader in connection with the murder of former Tenggaroh assemblyman Datuk S. Krishnasamy.

The 40-year-old man, believed to be a branch chief, was picked up here at 5.30pm here on Wednesday, bringing the number of people detained to four.

On June 17, a 46-year-old MIC leader was detained in Kluang while earlier, two others were arrested in Malacca to assist police with the case.

Johor police chief Deputy Comm Datuk Mohd Mokhtar Mohd Shariff confirmed the latest arrest.

“We urge everyone to refrain from speculating and let the police handle the matter,” he said, adding that police hoped to complete their investigations soon.

Sixty-one-year-old Krishnasamy, who was also the former Johor MIC deputy chairman, was shot dead just as he entered the lift at the Johor MIC building here on Jan 11.

KUALA LUMPUR: The Government should arrest Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf) chairman P. Waythamoorthy if he is a threat to national security.

Tian Chua (PKR-Batu) said the Home Ministry should make its stand on the matter clear, and announce whether Waythamoorthy should be allowed to walk freely or be arrested.

“If he is a threat to national security, then arrest him. Send a request to the British Government to repatriate him. If he is on the wanted list, then we should restrict his international activities,” he said at the Parliament lobby.

Waythamoorthy has been residing in London since December after five of his colleagues were detained under the Internal Security Act (ISA) for organising a protest rally in November.

Chua said he had submitted a question to the Dewan Rakyat asking if the Home Ministry would arrest Waythamoorthy, and if yes, under which Act.

However, the question was rejected under Standing Orders 23(1)(h) as it was considered hypothetical.

“The question is not hypothetical. I feel it is unfair that the question was turned down. We do not know if there is an (arrest) warrant out for him,” he said.

Chua continued to ask for the ISA to be repealed, citing Sri Lankan businessman Buhary Seyed Abu Tahir’s release as the most recent example.

Tahir was released after four years in detention, with Home Minister Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar saying he no longer posed a threat to anyone.

GEORGE TOWN: An unemployed man has filed a summons at a High Court here challenging the conversion of his deceased stepbrother to Islam.

S. Selvam, 48, a former mee goreng (fried noodles) seller, filed the summons at the High Court registry here on Wednesday, naming the state Islamic Religious Affairs Department, the Perak Islamic Religious Department and the Parit Buntar Hospital director as defendants.

He is seeking a declaration that B. Elangesvaran, 34, was a Hindu when alive and when the latter allegedly committed suicide four days ago.

He is asking the court for an injunction to restrain the defendants, their workers or agents, from claiming Elangesvaran's body.

Selvam also wants an injunction to stop the first and second defendants from claiming Elangesvaran's body and from interfering with the release of the deceased's body to him to perform the last funeral rites according to the Hindu custom.

In his statement of claim, Selvam represented by R.S.N. Rayer, said Elangesvaran had committed suicide by hanging himself at a house in Bagan Serai, Perak on June 22.

He claimed that after the post mortem, a hospital staff informed the deceased's family that the body could not be released to the family as the deceased had converted to Islam at the Penang Religious Affairs Department.

Selvam said he had contacted the Perak Islamic Religious Department (Parit Buntar is in Perak) for confirmation and proof of his brother's conversion but the department had failed to provide him with any official documents with the deceased's signature or thumbprint as proof of his conversion.

“I was only served with a police report alleging that my brother had embraced Islam at the Penang Islamic Religious Deparment in Lebuh Pantai and a letter, with some scribbling allegedly done by Elangesvaran, that he had converted.

“The letter, however, did not contain my brother's signature or thumbprint or the signatures of any witnesses to indicate that he had embraced Islam as required under the tenets of Islam,'' he said.

Selvam claimed that since the religious authorities could not provide him with the necessary documents to show that Elangesvaran had legally and rightfully embraced Islam, the defendants had no right to claim his brother's body, which is currently being kept at the Parit Buntar Hospital mortuary.

He is also seeking damages, costs and other relief deemed fit by the court.

The defendants, who were served with the summons Wednesday afternoon, have 14 days to file their notice of appearance

www.chedet.com

Malaysia has one of the most extensive system of express highways in Southeast Asia.

But still the roads are very congested.

Too many heavy vehicles such as container carriers and motorcar carriers clog the roads. Their numbers are increasing and container traffic from south Thailand add to the congestion.
Where double-tracking and electric trains have been introduced they have been very popular.

Car owners actually park their cars at train stations and use the commuter trains to get to and from their places of work. This also relieves the congestion on the roads.

We don't have enough train users for high speed trains but double tracking and electrification can obviously improve the service and increase the speed sufficiently for our needs. In the near future trains would become more popular as road congestion will increase and slow down travel by road. We are putting nearly half a million motor vehicles on the road every year.

We did not foresee the massive increase in oil price but even if the increases are more gradual, we would still need to take off some of the passenger and container traffic from the highways and put them on the rail system. This could be done if we upgrade by double-tracking and electrification of the railways to cover the country from the south to the north.

When we proposed to extend the double-tracking and electrification from Johor Baru to Seremban and Rawang to Padang Besar, with a spur line to Kuala Lumpur to avoid congestion at the Central Station, it was not because we wanted to cater to the whims and fancies of the former Prime Minister but because we saw the need then and in the future.

Malaysia had a population of only 5 million when we became independent in 1957. By the 1990s our population was 20 million and growing fast. People were apparently more prosperous to go by the number of private cars sold every year. And they were travelling more.

The demands for improvement in transportation by road and rail is obvious even to the laymen. Government could not help noticing it. And Government must respond to the needs of the people. Hence the increase in the number and mileage of highways. And obviously the improvement of the rail system.

When the double-tracking and electrification of the railways from Johor Baru to Padang Besar was proposed the lowest proposal cost RM14 billion and would take six years to build. Roughly the Government would need RM2 billion a year for the project. It could be started in 2004.

But upon taking over the Dato Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi Government decided to postpone it for some reason or other, although Dato Seri Abdullah had promised the former Prime Minister to go ahead with the project.

Now the Government has found that there is a need to go ahead. Unfortunately the cost has gone up. To build the double-track and electrification of the portion from Ipoh to Padang Besar alone would cost RM12 billion, an increase of roughly 50 per cent or roughly RM 7 billion if the line from Johor Baru to Padang Besar is to be constructed (as it must).

Lately the prices of steel and fuel have increased and even the portion between Ipoh and Padang Besar would cost more than 12 billion Ringgit. The total increase from Johor Baru to Padang Besar excluding the portions already built would be far more than the original cost of RM14 billion. It would need an additional RM7 billion plus.

The Government can opt not to build. In that case the congestion on the highways and the consumption of fuel would be horrendous. If it decides to build the Government would incur a loss of public funds to the tune of RM7 billion plus.

This is the result of postponing the Railway project which had been agreed to by the previous Government.

As you can see the Prime Minister is dishing out billions of Ringgit to gain goodwill in Sabah and Sarawak at a time when there is a deficit in the budget. One must wonder over the way public money is spent by this Government.

Raja Petra is a wily old fox isn't he?

His recent statutory declaration claiming knowledge of the involvement of certain big names and high ranking military officers in the murder of Mongolian model, Altantuya Shariibu borders on the surreal.

Firstly he is putting his name to an allegation that has been floating in many people's minds. Nobody I know would put a nickel on pinning down any guilt on the politician's wife but most would say that they do not think it impossible.

Secondly, he made the allegation using a legal device, a statutory declaration. Now a statutory declaration is something that you make to affirm that you want to change your name spelling from Samsol to Shamsul (or maybe even to declare your love to someone, if you feel so compelled although I don't think that would help your case with the girl much, in fact I foresee a restraining order following shortly)

I have not heard of anyone declaring knowledge of anything through this legal device, least of all knowledge of criminal wrongdoing in a case that is ongoing.

In effect what he has done is force the police to investigate his statutory declaration because it is an offence to make a false declaration. If the police does not investigate and prove it to be false then people can take Pete's declaration to be true.

The police MUST investigate his declaration and I say MUST because everything Pete said in his SD contradicts the police's own investigation findings in the Altantuya case.

Since Pete's version of reality and the police's version of reality is greatly at variance something has to be done to unify the the two alternative universes or we may find a rip in the space time continuuum and spell the end of the world as we know it.

Well I'm off to get my universe-hopping flip flops, see you out in the sun...gotta run my pink elephant is waiting .... leave the roast in the oven and don't wait upstairs

IPOH: The High Court here fixed July 21 to hear the habeas corpus application filed by Karpal Singh for the release of five Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf) leaders.

The application, filed on May 30, will be heard before judicial commissioner Ridwan Ibrahim. The date was fixed in his chambers yesterday afternoon.

The five detainees are lawyers R. Kengadharan, 41, M. Manoharan, 47, V. Ganabatirau, 35, P. Uthayakumar, 47, and Hindraf co-ordinator K. Vasantha Kumar, 35.

They are being detained under the Internal Security Act at the Kamunting detention centre.

Karpal is challenging the Yang di-Pertuan Agong's decision to extend their detention on the ground that it was "procedurally fatally flawed".

KUALA LUMPUR: The MIC central working committee will deliberate on party Youth chief S.A. Vigneswaran’s contention that he and several Youth leaders need not vacate their posts although they had passed the age limit of 40.

Secretary-general Datuk Dr S. Subramaniam said the CWC would discuss Vigneswaran’s interpretation of the MIC constitution.

“The CWC made a decision two weeks ago that Youth leaders who have passed 40 or have reached their 41st birthday cannot hold positions in the Youth wing.

“We are just implementing the decision made according to the MIC constitution. All those affected by the ruling will be informed,” he said after handing over RM39,500 to 10-year-old Shaveena Ragavan who will undergo surgery in Australia. The girl is suffering from multiple haemangiomas which require specialised treatment.

Last week, the CWC asked Vigneswaran and several Youth leaders to vacate their positions due to the age limit.

Vigneswaran argued that the CWC’s interpretation of the constitution was inaccurate.

He has been at loggerheads with the party leadership since the March 8 general election and had not attended the last three CWC meetings. – Bernama

TUN Dr Mahathir Mohamad was responsible for the plight of Indians in Malaysia, Hindraf national coordinator R. Thanenthiran told Makkal Osai.

He said the former premier had destroyed the future of the Indian community by failing to look into their welfare.

Speaking to reporters after attending a Makkal Sakthi dinner in Teluk Intan, he said Hindraf would not have been formed if equal opportunities had been given.

Malaysia Hindu Sangam Penang Branch deputy president P. Murugiah said the Government should introduce a ration card system for the poor to buy essential food items at lower prices, reported Malaysia Nanban.

He said the state governments could request the poor and deserving people to be issued with a card that can be used to purchase essential goods at a ration shop set up by the state government

Subramaniam, once regarded as a thorn in the flesh who was thrown out unceremoniously from MIC deputy presidency, defended his boss Samy Vellu by advising Dr. Mahathir to stop attacking Samy and MIC, according to Makkal Osai headline today.

“I cannot accept stamping Samy Vellu as racist. He (Samy) is voicing for the Indians in this country. So, stop attacking MIC.”, said Subra. “Mahathir should provide advice for strengthening MIC. We will welcome that but condemning MIC and its president is totally unwarranted.”

It looks like Subra has learned his lesson for being silent, hiding in the closet for 30 years leaving his supporters to do the dirty job. Mahathir, just after quitting prime minister of Malaysia, called Samy to quit from politics to give way for younger generations.


Many Samy opponents seized the opportunity to pound on Samy. Malaysia Nanban, the Tamil daily Subra co-owned at that time – he lost ownership after the death of Athikumanan -- mercilessly slaughtered Samy. But outwardly Subra maintained an elegant silence. He did not come forward to defend Samy unlike the other top MIC leaders of the day. This was one of the main reasons why Samy made his move to remove Subra and successfully put his loyal servant Palanivel.

The current MIC deputy president, Palanivel, seems much wiser, though he is not in good terms with Samy now and fallen out of favor, he blasted Mahathir to exhibit his loyalty and probably hoping to mend his ties with Samy.

Samy Vellu is indeed a racist to the core – Mahathir is at least right on this – not because of he is throwing his support to Hindraf but in way of being a filthy caste conscious politician who kept caste politics alive in MIC, promoting his own “thevar’ caste people to top positions so that caste allegiance will aid him from any challenges to his leadership.

Subra is well aware of all these and yet today he says, “Samy Vellu is Malaysian Indians representative”. What an irony?

Another politician supporting Samy is Klang businessman K. P. Samy, one of the remaining strong supporters of Subra whose MIC branch is defunct. Sources say, Samy Vellu’s police reports on KP Samy’s association with Hindraf 137 detainees for taking them on bail, landed him in trouble with authorities. Yet he follows his mentor Subra again.

KUALA LUMPUR: MIC Youth chief S. Vigneswaran, who has been asked to vacate his post, said the party's constitution did not say that a youth leader must give up his position on reaching the age of 41.

He said Act 20.2 4A and 4B only stated that one could contest for the post of youth chief up to the age of 41.

"Moreover, Article 47 states that all elected leaders shall stay in office for three years. Nowhere in the constitution does it say that a youth leader must leave when he reaches his 41st birthday," he said.

On Friday, MIC secretary-general Datuk Dr S. Subramaniam was quoted as saying that the party's constitution clearly stated that a youth leader or a member in the youth wing should not exceed the age of 40.

"This means that when they reach their 41st birthday, they need to vacate their positions in the youth wing," Dr Subramaniam, who is Human Resources Minister, had said.

However, a central working committee (CWC) member had commented that although the constitution was unclear on the age ruling, it had been decided at a CWC meeting in 2001 that everyone in the youth wing should vacate their posts on reaching 41.

Some members believed that the move to ask Vigneswaran to vacate his post was politically motivated. They claimed it was initiated by party president Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu to "kill off" Vigneswaran.

Vigneswaran, who used to be Samy Vellu's blue-eyed boy, was said to have fallen out of favour with the president. A source said the rift between the two could have started over the selection of the candidate for the Ijok by-election last year.

Others said Vigneswaran was aligned to deputy president Datuk G. Palanivel and was unhappy over former deputy Datuk S. Subramaniam making a comeback.

It is said that Vigneswaran had hoped that Palanivel would become the next party president and he would be the deputy. With Subramaniam back in mainstream politics, his hopes had been dashed.

Sources claimed that Vigneswaran was upset as there was no clear plan of succession and there had been confusion among members following the return of Subramaniam.

He was also said to have instigated "Jumbo" Maniam and Alex Thiagarasan to question Samy Vellu.

Vigneswaran said the rumour could have started because he was against the expulsion of "Jumbo" Maniam. "Jumbo" and Alex, whom he had recruited into MIC from the People's Progressive Party (PPP) years ago, are also friends.

Denying all the accusations hurled at him, Vigneswaran said he had always been a party loyalist.

He also denied being involved with a rumoured Makkal Sakthi-linked rally aimed at pressuring Samy Vellu to step down.

Vigneswaran said if he was going against Samy Vellu, he did not need the support of Makkal Sakthi.

"I have my own force but I am not willing to do it because I am loyal to the party," he said, adding that his suspicion was that someone from within MIC was trying get him into trouble.

Police had obtained an extended remand order until June 28 against a 46-year-old Johor MIC leader in connection with the murder of Datuk S Krishnasamy, the former Tenggaroh State Assemblyman. The suspect was picked up on June 17 at his home in Kluang. The original remand order against him had expired on Friday.

Krishnasamy, 62, who was also the State MIC deputy chairman was gunned down at the Johor MIC headquarters along Jalan Segget here on Jan 11.

KUALA LUMPUR: Former MIC deputy president Datuk S. Subramaniam yesterday defended party president Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu, who was called a racist.

"I don't agree that Samy Vellu is a racist because as the representative of the Indians, he has to speak for them primarily.

"Sometimes, I, too, sound racist, but we have to voice the problems of the community and how the government has to tackle their problems," he added.

He was commenting on former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad's statement in his blog, where he called Samy Vellu a racist for sympathising with the Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf).

"I urge him to be kind enough to spare the MIC. In the current situation, it is important not to launch any serious attack," he said, adding that Dr Mahathir was welcome to give his views on how to strengthen the MIC.

Subramaniam was speaking after opening the Koperasi Nesa Pelbagai Berhad (Nesa) annual meeting yesterday.

Subramaniam, who is the president of Nesa, said the cooperative would be giving its members a dividend of six per cent this year as it had done for the past five years.

Nesa was founded in 1974 to promote asset ownership by members, who were largely wage earners and estate workers.

KOTA BARU, Fri:

Refusing to be drawn into a prolonged war of words with Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, MIC President Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu said today he rather not reply to a statement made by the former prime minister.

Saying he was “just a dust”, the former works minister said he would not make comments that could put the good name of his former boss in a bad light.

“I’m nobody, I’m just a dust. I cannot reply to him in any way that will belittle him. I don’t want to cause any damage to his good name.

“He is my former boss. He had been a strong leader who had done a lot to develop the country... I rather not make comments about him,” he told reporters after opening the Kelantan MIC general meeting today.

Samy Vellu said this when asked to comment on the statement by Dr Mahathir that he (Samy Vellu) was a racist for sympathising with the group Hindraf.

The former prime minister made the statement in his blog www.chedet.com, which was also published in several newspapers today.

Samy Vellu said the main thrust of his previous remarks was the effort to unite the multiracial people in the country, which still needed to be done even though the nation had long achieved its independence.

“When I read the statement by Tun (Dr Mahathir Mohamad), I can only laugh. What else can I do?

“In my previous statements I had asked the Tun to be a leader for all races and as a leader for all, he should discuss problems with all communities.

“We should make effort to unite the people even after 50 years of independence.

At the same time, there are also problems... social problems, economic problems and so on. When a community voices out its grievances, it doesn’t mean that the community is bringing up racial issues,” he said.

Samy Vellu said he was, however, disappointed with Dr Mahathir’s action in inciting the voters in Sungai Siput not to vote for him in the 12th general election.

“What is hurting me is that during the election, he had said things which were not true. He said I’d never represented the (Indian) community, that I’d never asked for anything for the community, that I’d done nothing for the community, and therefore he wanted the people of Sungai Siput not to vote for me.

“He was the former Barisan Nasional (BN) chairman, the former Umno president, how could he talk in that manner... to defeat a party which once helped boost his position as the country’s leader,” said Samy Vellu, who was Sungai Siput MP since 1974 until his defeat in the March 8 election.

He also called on BN component members to strengthen their respective parties and not to create internal problems that could weaken the coalition.

“Under the present scenario, we should give our support to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi. If there are problems, we should discuss the solutions.

“MIC will also undergo a rebranding exercise to enable the party to face new challenges,” he said. — BERNAMA

Two men, whom police believe can shed some light into the murder of former Tenggaroh state assemblyman Datuk S. Krishnasamy, were detained in Malacca early today.

The “Ops Tenggaroh” special probe team picked up the two men, in their 30s, at their home at about 3am, said Johor police chief Datuk Mohd Mokhtar Sharif.

He, however, declined to elaborate, saying: “We cannot disclose further details at the moment.” Asked how long the police would take to complete investigations, he said the police were working hard to solve the murder as soon as possible and bring the people responsible to justice.

He said the police were preparing to obtain a remand order for the two men.

A 46-year-old man was arrested in Kluang on Tuesday to assist the police in their investigation.

He has been remanded until Sunday.

Krishnasamy, who was Johor MIC deputy chairman, was found dead with a gun shot wound under his left eyebrow in the lift at the Johor MIC building in Jalan Segget on Jan 11.

A man was seen rushing out of the building and rode on a red Yamaha RXZ, heading towards Jalan Wong Ah Fook shortly after the incident about 2.10pm. — BERNAMA

KUALA LUMPUR: MIC deputy president Datuk G. Palanivel has urged former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad not to make statements that will further fan racial sentiments and hatred among the people.

He said Dr Mahathir should be honest in his opinions and statements, as people had become more politically aware.

“His most recent statement on Hindraf as Tamil racists will only further drive away Indian votes from the Barisan Nasional to Pakatan Rakyat.

“It is sad to note that the former PM is not aware of the fact that Hindraf includes many non-Tamil and even non-Hindu Indians. He is wrong to say that Hindraf leaders only represent Tamil racists,” he said.

Palanivel said besides remembering his own roots, the former PM should realise that PAS, PKR and DAP were all with Hindraf during the recent general election.

The former deputy Women Family and Community Development minister was commenting on Dr Mahathir’s remarks that MIC president Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu was “racist”.

Palanivel said it appeared that the former PM had lost sight of the big picture in his continuous war against Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

“What civil society wants today is more freedom to be heard. The people of all races believe that the ISA is proscriptive and hinders the process of democracy. To pick on any one race and say that it is racist, is simply causing mischief,” he said.

Palanivel said past leaders and those who had lost their positions were busy apportioning blame on why Barisan lost and in doing so were only confusing supporters and non-supporters.

“Using rhetoric to subtly cover their self-interest is not going to work because people have become more politically aware,” he added

KUALA LUMPUR: The Maju Institute of Educational Development (MIED), MIC's education arm, has been receiving more applications for student loans, but the number of approvals is likely to be reduced due to financial constraints caused by defaulters.

MIC president Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu said although non-performing loans had been reduced to 17 per cent, the fact that other students were being denied access to these funds remained an urgent matter for MIED.

Besides legal action against defaulters, Samy Vellu said the loan programme had been restructured by allocating funds on a yearly basis and not for the duration of the course.

For instance, if a student pursued a three-year course, MIED would allocate funds for the first year only.

Money for the remaining two years would depend on the student's academic performance and additional funds provided by the student's family.

He said this after presenting MIED loans to 185 applicants, amounting to RM1.5 million at the MIC headquarters yesterday. Of the 185, 90 will pursue medicine.

He said since the loan programme was established in the 1980s, about RM90 million had been disbursed to 8,500 students to pursue tertiary education.

On the recent public university intake, he reminded Indian students who failed to secure a seat to submit their appeal to the MIC by June 26.

The party had requested for an eight per cent intake for Indian students, but had to settle for 6.84 per cent this year.

HINDRAF chairman P. Waythamoorthy has denied reports that it is organising a major demonstration against MIC president Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu at the MIC headquarters this Sunday, reported Tamil Nesan.

In a faxed statement from London, he said it could be the work of irresponsible people out to smear the good name of Hindraf and split the unity among the Indian community.

Waythamoorthy said the community must be wary of politicians who might be organising the demonstration to achieve their own agenda.

He said Hindraf’s policy had always been to fight for the rights and interest of the community.

JOHOR BARU: The Sultan of Johor Sultan Iskandar Ismail has vowed to find a way to reclaim Batu Puteh or Pedra Branca.

Sultan Iskandar said he wanted to remind all that he had not forgotten his island and it was rightfully under the state’s sovereignty and not Singapore’s.

“It doesn’t matter how long it takes, but I will find ways until the island is returned to Johor,” he said in the closing of his speech before the state assembly here yesterday.


Royal presence: Sultan Iskandar (second from left) and Abdul Ghani (right, standing) at the opening ceremony of the Johor state assembly Thursday.

He said he was confident the state would continue to prosper and also reminded the people to reject racial or religious extremism in order for the state to move forward.

The Sultan’s statement on Batu Puteh caught everyone off-guard.

Mentri Besar Datuk Abdul Ghani Othman said the state government had clearly heard what the Sultan said.

“We heard and listened, loud and clear, what he has ordered,” he said, without elaborating further.

On May 23, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled that Singapore had sovereignty over the disputed Pedra Branca, while Malaysia owned Middle Rocks.

On the other disputed territory of South Ledge, the ICJ ruled that it belonged to the country whose territorial waters the rocky outcrop was located in.

The ICJ decision brought to a close the 28-year-old territorial dispute between both countries, and was immediately described as a “win-win” outcome by Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Dr Rais Yatim, who led the Malaysian side at The Hague where the court is located.

KUALA LUMPUR: MIC Youth chief S.A. Vigneswaran and several other leaders of the wing have been asked to vacate their posts with immediate effect as they have passed the age limit.

Party secretary general Datuk Dr S. Subramaniam said the decision to ask them to vacate their posts was taken at the party’s central working committee (CWC) meeting nearly two weeks ago.

“The party’s constitution states that a Youth leader or members in the Youth wing should not exceed the age of 40. When they reach their 41st birthday, they need to vacate their positions in the Youth wing,” said Subramaniam, who is also Human Resources Minister.

Several other Youth leaders, including deputy chief S. Ramis, secretary M. Kumaresan, information chief K. Raj Kumar and youth representative to the CWC S. Murugesan, would also be given letters requiring them to relinquish their positions in the youth wing, he said.

Asked to comment on the ruling, Vigneswaran said: “We will consider our options and legal avenues only after receiving the letter.”

Party sources said the top leadership wanted another Youth representative to the CWC, T. Mohan, to run the wing until party polls in June next year. – Bernama

PETALING JAYA: The Barisan Nasional Supreme Council will hold an emergency meeting at 2.30pm to discuss Sabah Progressive Party’s (SAPP) no-confidence motion on Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

The party had yet to decide if one of its own Members of Parliament would table the motion in the next sitting of Parliament on Monday, or whether the motion would be tabled by an MP from another party.

The Barisan Supreme Council emergency meeting would take place at the Putra World Trade Centre in Kuala Lumpur at 2.30pm Thursday, Barisan secretary-general Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor said.

Reaction within Barisan ranks to SAPP’s announcement on Wednesday was varied. Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz said the party can accommodate dissenting voices and didn’t think there was a need to expel SAPP from the coalition party.

“It’s their right to express their views,” he said.

However, other leaders came down hard, with Umno vice-president Datuk Seri Mohd Ali Rustam asking for SAPP’s expulsion, describing its motion as “undisciplined, undemocratic and irresponsible.”

SAPP’s unprecedented move was announced on Wednesday by party president Datuk Yong Teck Lee, who said the no-confidence motion could spark off a groundswell within Barisan in the peninsula, Sarawak and Sabah.

Sepanggar MP Datuk Eric Enchin Majimbun or Tawau MP Datuk Dr Chua Soon Bui could propose the motion, said Yong, who also revealed that he had met Parti Keadilan Rakyat advisor and de facto opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim twice.

Yong cited the “continued insensitive attitude of the Government towards serious issues in Sabah” as the main reason SAPP decided to move a motion of no-confidence against the Prime Minister.

These issues included getting 20% oil royalties instead of the present 5%, the return of Labuan, poverty eradication, rural development, racial politics, illegal immigrants, crime and drugs.

He added that the people of Sabah were also suffering from high inflation because of recent “astronomical” and “unexpected” fuel price hikes, which was contrary to a Barisan election promise.

The SAPP blog is also running two polls on the matter.

The first is on whether its no-confidence motion was relevant at all. At press time, 590 had voted, with 559 (94%) saying yes.

The second, which began yesterday, was on whether SAPP should remain in Barisan. As at press time, 6,423 had voted, with an overwhelming majority (5,566 or 86%) saying it should leave Barisan and join the Pakatan Rakyat opposition alliance.

Only 195 or 3% urged it to stay with Barisan, while 662 (about 10%) wanted it to leave Barisan but remain unaligned.

Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, who came under pressure today following Sabah Progressive Party's decision to move for a motion of no confidence against him on Monday, received some good news from several BN coalition partners today.

The coalition's second biggest partner MCA, third most senior partner MIC as well as Gerakan today threw their weight behind the embattled premier.

Their support came at a time when several Pakatan leaders were lauding Sapp's brave decision to put the premier, also the BN chairperson, under severe pressure.

MCA was the first to give a lift to Abdullah by stating that it would stand steadfastly with Abdullah and the BN coalition.

"The Malaysian economy is suffering from escalating inflationary pressures, rising food and fuel prices now. The country and the people of Malaysia are going through very challenging times. What the country needs now is political and economic stability," said MCA president Ong Ka Ting in a statement.

"It would be best that all of us, both the BN and the Pakatan, to accept the results of the 12th general election.

"Our priority should be to continue to work hard to fulfil our election pledges, restore confidence and stability for the nation," he added. MCA has 15 members of Parliament.

Will not let PM down

Meanwhile MIC, which suffered a hammering blow in the general election, said that it would remain loyal with BN and continue to support the prime minister.

"We will continue working with all BN component parties that support and remain loyal to Abdullah," said MIC president S Samy Vellu.

"As for the three MIC members of Parliament, I've instructed them to support the prime minister especially in Parliament. This is the first time we have a BN component party not supporting the prime minister.

"We will not let the prime minister down because he was elected by the people," he added.

And Gerakan, another party which also suffered humiliating defeat in the general election, similarly said that it would not support Sapp's motion in Parliament. Gerakan has two members of Parliament.

Gerakan acting president Dr Koh Tsu Koon said that it was important to sustain solidarity and stability in the face of severe challenges from the global fuel, food crisis and economic uncertainties.

"Gerakan feels that such a drastic political move will only add to the uncertainty, disrupting efforts in reforms," he said in a statement.

Give him more time

He also added that Sapp president Yong Teck Lee was not giving Abdullah enough time and chance to make changes, overcome problems and address the issues concerned.

"These issues should have been deliberated more thoroughly and sentiments expressed more clearly within the BN Supreme Council and through other existing channels of communication.

"Forcing a vote of confidence in this manner is not positive and constructive. Gerakan therefore will not support such a move," he said.

Sabah Chief Minister Musa Aman also expressed disappointment over the move by Sapp in making the unprecedented move to call for a motion of no-confidence.

"I'm not sure what Sapp's real motive is in making such a move," he said in a statement.

"As a BN component party president, Yong's act was uncalled for and unprecedented in the spirit of camaraderie adopted by BN all this while," said Musa who is also the Sabah BN chairperson.

In an immediate reaction, Abdullah said: "I have not been able to satisfy his (Yong's) personal greed."

According to Bernama, the embattled prime minister did not elaborate on the matter.

Shahrir: Others won't follow

Meanwhile, Rahmah Ghazali reports, Umno Supreme Council member Shahrir Abdul Samad expressed his confidence that other BN coalition partners would not be following Sapp's lead in going against the prime minister.

He also doesn't think that the BN component parties would be leaving the coalition to join Pakatan Rakyat.

"I don't think that Sapp will able to precipitate other BN members to leave the party because they do not have the leadership or consistency in their issue," Shahrir said.

He also said that Abdullah was holding up well n the face of severe pressure being piled upon him by various quarters.

"He is still making his decisions (to stay as PM) and exercising his responsibilities as one... I think the prime minister is holding it up quite well," Shahrir added.

Shahrir, who is also the Minister of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs, was speaking in a press conference at his ministry in Putrajaya today.

He also said that Sapp seemed to be uncertain as to what it actually wanted - if they actually wanted to leave BN for Pakatan or if they just wanted the motion of no confidence.

"If they want to support the vote of no confidence, then they should say so. If they want to leave BN, then they would have to say so. So which is it?" Shahrir asked.

After the press conference, Shahrir also rubbished Pakatan's claim that it could form the new federal government by Sept 16.

"There is not even a shadow cabinet (formed by Pakatan) like the ones in the UK and Australia. This is a two-system party, where there's a federal cabinet and a shadow cabinet, led by the oppositions," he said.