KUALA LUMPUR: Maika Holdings shareholders are warned not to fall prey to unscrupulous people who want to purchase their shares for 30 sen each, said its chief executive officer S. Vell Paari.

He said these people could make the offer based on a statement by businessman Datuk V.K.K. Teagarajan that a Maika share that was sold at RM1 in 1986 was now selling at 30 sen.

Vell Paari said Maika has RM150mil in gross assets and the Government had been helpful in solving the company’s financial woes with Danaharta.

In a statement here, he said at the company’s annual general meeting last year the board had proposed to sell all assets and distribute the surplus to the shareholders, adding that the company could buy back the shares at a minimum of RM1 each including the bonus shares.

“But the plan was put on hold due to an injunction taken by a shareholder,” he said.

Vell Paari said the High Court would decide on Dec 2 on Maika’s application to hold an Extraordinary General Meeting to approve the resolutions and refund the shareholders.

KUALA LUMPUR: The MIC has welcomed Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi’s reassuring statement on the fatwa on yoga issued by the National Fatwa Council.

MIC secretary-general Datuk Dr S. Subramaniam said Abdullah’s explanation had cleared all misunderstandings or misconceptions on the fatwa among Malay­sians and that it could be accepted by everyone.

There has been opposing views by various quarters and confusion after the council banned yoga for Muslims as it involved chanting of mantra and acts of worship which are against Islamic teachings.

Subramaniam, who is also Human Resources Minister, hoped that with the explanation there will not be any more misunderstanding on yoga.

In George Town, Muslims who practised one or another type of traditional exercises said yoga could provide a good form of exercise.

Universiti Sains Malaysia communication lecturer Assoc Prof Dr Mustafa Kamal Anuar, 57, said his faith had not wavered despite practising yoga in his late 40s.

“I don’t think Muslims’ faith is so fragile that we can be swayed into Hinduism with a few movements here and there. It’s a bit insulting to think we can be so easily duped into another religion,” he said, adding that yoga helped him gain stamina and taught him proper breathing methods.

International Islamic University Malaysia’s (IIUM) History and Civilisation student Shamsiah Mukhtar, 22, said the council could have been overzealous in its decision to ban yoga.

Amirul Iman Dollah, a karate exponent educated in Chinese schools, agreed with the outgoing Mufti of Perlis Dr Mohd Asri Zainul Abidin’s stand that yoga could be practised as long as there was elimination of Hindu elements.

By Baradan Kuppusamy
(The Malaysian Insider) NOV 26 - Last night's gatherings in Batu Caves and a Penang temple to mark the anniversary of last year's explosive Hindraf protest were tame affairs with low turnouts, in what is a clear sign the movement's influence is waning amid a police crackdown.




Members of Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf) hold banners as they shout slogans after prayers to commemorate the first anniversary of the Nov. 25, 2007 mass rally at a Hindu temple in Kuala Lumpur, yesterday. — AP pic
The recent spate of arrests of prominent Hindraf leaders and the constant warnings by police not to stage any further protests may have also deterred Hindraf followers from filling up the streets once again to mark the 1st anniversary of the Great Awakening, as the Nov 25 protest is now known.


But more significantly, the lack of a clear and firm leadership is probably the most major setback for the movement.

Top Hindraf leaders led by lawyer P. Uthayakumar and four others are now incarcerated in Kamunting and out of the picture.

Another founding leader P. Waythamoorthy is in self imposed exile in London and unable to effectively manage the movement.

In the meantime the Hindraf leadership has been taken over by various "co-coordinators" whose allegiances are increasingly in question. There is frequent infighting among the coordinators.

Despite the setbacks there is strong public support for Hindraf but the support is uncoordinated, and not gathered into a coherent political movement to win resources for the Tamil working class from the political centre.

The DAP's and PKR's Indian leaders remain keen to tap on to the Makkal Sakthi or people's power of the Tamil masses for their political careers and as a result they dominated the two commemorative functions here and in Penang.

At the Sri Maha Mariamman Temple in Batu Caves about 500 Hindraf supporters attended a prayer ceremony and climbed the 272 steps to light oil lamps and chant "Makkal Sakti Valga" (long live people's power).

In Penang about 700 people prayed at the Sri Maha Mariamman temple in Butterworth to commemorate Nov 25. They were led by Penang Deputy Chief Minister P. Ramasamy and coordinator R.S Thanenthiran.

Ramasamy promised to declare Nov 25 a national public holiday if Pakatan Rakyat captured the federal government.

He added that he would ask the PR- ruled Penang to declare a state holiday on Nov 25.

It is unclear how a holiday would advance the Hindraf cause or put bread on the table and cash in the pockets of the Tamil working class but the offer is emotive and would endear the opposition to the Hindraf supporters.

On this day in 2007 nearly 30,000 Indians marched to the capital to demonstrate and demand an end to marginalization and equal treatment and a fair share of the national wealth.

Despite greater political representation their demands remain largely unrealized although there appears to be greater sensitivity - both in the opposition and the government - to the needs of the Tamil masses.

The vast majority of Indians live in the Pakatan Rakyat ruled states of Selangor, Perak, Penang and Kedah and the state governments have come under great pressure to deliver.

On the side of the BN government a cabinet committee under deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak has been formed to comprehensively review the problems Indians face and how to resolve them.

Hindraf supporters who expected immediate change in their lives after voting for the PR parties are now growing increasingly frustrated at what they see as a "failure" by the PR governments to satisfy their needs.

But they are not yet disillusioned enough with PR to again embrace the BN though that day may not be far off going by the lukewarm reception to the Hindraf call to show protests yesterday.

Both PR and BN will continue to pay lip service and make cosmetic changes to exploit the Hindraf movement for political gains.

But this indeterminate situation could change dramatically if the founder and leading light of Hindraf P. Uthayakumar is freed and allowed to lead the movement again.

KUALA LUMPUR (Bernama), Nov 26 — Maika Holdings Bhd, in its existing structure, will continue to be a punching bag for aspiring politicians to make political gains, according to its chief executive officer S. Vell Paari.

As such, it would be better for Maika to be liquidated, he said in a statement today.

Vell Paari said this in response to the claim by businessman, Datuk V.K.K. Teagarajan, that Maika had suffered losses and its shares, which were priced at RM1.00 apiece when it was formed in 1986, were now sold for 30 sen each.

He said the company last year had proposed a resolution to sell all its assets and distribute the surplus to shareholders.

“Maika would have been in a position to buy back its shares at a minimum of RM1.00 each including its bonus shares, but that plan has to be put on hold due to injunction by a shareholder to stop the company from acting on the resolutions,” he said.

Vell Paari said Maika had tried discussing with the shareholder to come to an amicable solution.

In the meantime, he said, Maika has submitted an application to the High Court to allow it to set a date to hold an extraordinary general meeting (EGM) and the court has set to hear the application on Dec 2.

“If successful, Maika will then immediately call for an EGM to approve the resolution for share buyback at a minimum of RM1.00,” he said.

He said since the announcement of the buyback plan at RM1.00 per share, there were unscrupulous people who preyed on innocent shareholders so that they could make a quick 70-sen profit per share.

“I will get my officers to immediately call Teagarajan to give information on any knowledge of the 30 sen per share transaction that has taken place," he said.

Vell Paari said for shareholders who approached Maika to sell their shares, the company would identify potential buyers to undertake transactions at RM1.00 per share.

He said since there were many shareholders who did not want to cash out and wanted the company to exist, it would be advisable to set up a new company (newco).

“The funds of the shareholders who wanted to stay and the remaining assets of Maika after liquidation would then be transferred to the newco, which would have new board members appointed by shareholders,” he said. — Bernama

As far as the blogging community and civil society movements are concerned, Pakatan Rakyat has betrayed the voters. We gave them a mandate and they let us down. But we are not going to allow it to end there.

THE CORRIDORS OF POWER

Raja Petra Kamarudin



ANWAR IBRAHIM
AGE: 60
OCCUPATION: Malaysian politician

PRO: Seen as a possible future Prime Minister, Ibrahim provides an active voice for demanding free and fair elections in Malaysia, a country known for its censorious government, which controls the mainstream media, bars students from political protest, and jails dissidents without trial.

CON: Citizens don't soon forget the fact that a politician, however freedom-loving, once got six years in prison for corruption (in a politically charged trial) and nine for sodomy.

*********************************************

Anwar Ibrahim
By Paul Wolfowitz, Time

During the 1990s, Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and a group of U.S. Senators organized a forum to exchange views among East Asians and Americans. Asked at one session about the role of Islam in politics, Anwar replied, "I have no use for governments which call themselves Islamic and then deny basic rights to half their population."

This devout Muslim leader was an impressive and eloquent advocate of tolerance, democracy and human rights. So we were shocked by his arrest and trial in 1998 on charges of corruption and sodomy. I felt his real "crime" had been to challenge Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, whose impressive record will be forever stained by his treatment of Anwar. I joined Senator Sam Nunn and others to speak out in Anwar's defense.

When he was finally released from prison in 2004, U.S. policy on Iraq was unpopular in Malaysia, and Anwar was harshly critical. It would have been easy for him to disown our friendship, but he is not that kind of person. He kept the channels of dialogue open, even while making clear our disagreements.

Anwar, 60, is back in the center of Malaysian politics. The coalition led by his wife Wan Azizah has become the main opposition bloc. His future role can be determined only by Malaysians. One can hope that they will embrace his brand of tolerance, valuing dialogue across political differences, and that this courageous leader will continue to play a leading role on the world stage.

Wolfowitz is a former U.S. Deputy Secretary of Defense

************************************************

“Are they worthy?” asked ‘The 2008 TIME 100 Finalists’ report. Anwar Ibrahim was placed at number 9 in the list of 100 and the question is most apt for Anwar even if it may not be for the rest of the 99.

It is easy to brush off Paul Wolfowitz’s glowing ‘obituary’ of Anwar seeing that the former was one of the ‘architects’ of the invasion of Iraq that resulted in probably a million deaths and untold misery for the Iraqi civilian population. For all intents and purposes, Iraq has been sent back to the Middle Ages and Wolfowitz is one of those with blood on his hands.

Nevertheless, we must be matured enough to separate the singer from the song. It is the message and not the messenger that counts. And Wolfowitz’s message does have some merits. And that is also why I support some of Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s ‘messages’ at the ire of most Malaysia Today readers who reject anything that comes from Mahathir, positive or otherwise. I can understand that most would rather focus on the wrongs he has done and that they feel the rights can never clean the slate of the wrongs. But that is another subject for another time. Today we shall talk about Anwar Ibrahim and where he will probably go from here.

“His future role can be determined only by Malaysians,” said Wolfowitz, and this would certainly be true. The future of the Prime Minister or Malaysia, if he comes from Umno, is determined by the 191 Umno divisions headed by its 191 division heads. That’s right, 191 Malays from Umno determine who will become the Prime Minister of this nation and they have already unanimously nominated the husband of Rosmah Mansor. Like it or not, Rosmah will be running this country come March with her husband, Najib Tun Razak, as her nominee.

If you think this is scary then you have seen nothing yet. Rosmah is one vengeful woman and she has not finished settling scores with her critics. And guess who is at the top of her list of ‘must be put to death’? No prize for the right guess. I wonder whether the Mongolian government has a policy to offer political asylum for ‘friends of Altantuya’? Anyway, we will cross that bridge when we come to it.

Back to what Wolfowitz said: His future role can be determined only by Malaysians. Wolfowitz is right on this point and Anwar will not go places unless Malaysians are prepared to deny Najib the Prime Ministership in March and instead hand the post to Anwar.

Malaysians are quite divided on this issue. While some would like to see Anwar pull off his hat-trick and engineer a crossover of at least 30 Barisan Members of Parliament to the aisle of Pakatan Rakyat in Parliament, there are others who feel this would be immoral and that Anwar should wait until the next general election to ‘legitimately’ take power through the ballot box. To these people, crossovers are a sell-out and they do not condone crossovers whether from Barisan Nasional to Pakatan Rakyat, or vice versa.

The question would then be: does the end justify the means? In politics the end always justify the means. There can be no two ways about it. Politics itself is about manipulation and there is no such thing as dirty politics. Politics is about being dirty and manipulation comes with the territory.

Dr Chandra Muzaffar, the one-time Deputy President of Parti Keadilan Nasional -- before it merged with Parti Rakyat Malaysia to become Parti Keadilan Rakyat -- used to talk about ‘politik baru’ or ‘new politics’. I told him that ‘politik baru’ is a misnomer, it doesn’t exist, and this upset him like mad. Politics is the second oldest game in the world, second only to prostitution, so there can be no ‘politik baru’. You need to grasp the concept of ‘politik lama’ to make it in the political game.

Dr Chandra would hit back and say, “It is people like you who have reduced Malaysian politics to what is has become today. We need to change the people and if people like you still subscribe to the old politics then what hope do we have?” Dr Chandra eventually became disillusioned with politics in general and Anwar Ibrahim in particular and left the party in a huff, condemning Anwar in the process.

Many see Anwar as the possible saviour of Malaysia. But this is not because they see Anwar as the most suitable choice but rather as the lesser of the many evils. They still regard Anwar as having a lot of baggage and with as much ‘blood on his hands’ as Mahathir. So it is not that Anwar is the best choice. It is just that all the others are worst choices. Between Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, Najib Tun Razak, Muyhiddin Yassin, Mohammad Mohd Taib, Ali Rustam, and all those other Ali Babas and their 40 thieves, Anwar would be a saint by comparison. But this is only because we are comparing the scum of the earth to Anwar -- so Anwar comes out looking like Mother Teresa.

In that sense, most Malaysians don’t trust Anwar any more than they trust the rest. It is just that the rest would be more damaging for Malaysia while Anwar can be ‘controlled’ and, with a gun at his head, be made to walk the straight and narrow. At least this is what most Malaysians hope although they are hoping with their fingers crossed and praying that they might not end up creating a Frankenstein instead.

On Saturday, 29 November 2008, I shall be attending the Parti Keadilan Rakyat party congress at the Melawati Stadium in Shah Alam. No, I am not going as a delegate. I am going together with about 25 other bloggers and civil society movement activists as an observer. We are going to see what Anwar is going to talk about in his Ucapan Dasar or policy speech.

Just before the 8 March 2008 general election, the blogging community and civil society movements launched the ‘Peoples’ Declaration’ or ‘Dekalarasi Rakyat’. Six political parties, including Parti Keadilan Rakyat, endorsed the Declaration at a ceremony at Blog House. Then the elections ended and Pakatan Rakyat won 82 Parliament seats and five states. And that was the end of the Declaration. They never spoke about it again.

As far as the blogging community and civil society movements are concerned, Pakatan Rakyat has betrayed the voters. We gave them a mandate and they let us down. But we are not going to allow it to end there.

In December, we are going to organise a fund-raising exercise to finance the printing of one million copies of the Declaration in four languages -- English, Bahasa Malaysia, Mandarin and Tamil. These booklets are going to be distributed the length and breadth of Malaysia so that we can educate Malaysians on how this country should be run.

Sure, we clamour for changes. But what changes are we talking about? What do we hope to see? This booklet will address all these issues. This is not an anti-government Declaration. It is not even a pro-opposition Declaration. It is a pro-rakyat Declaration, which we want all the political parties to adopt, whoever they may be.

Yes, as Wolfowitz said: His future role can be determined only by Malaysians. And on Saturday, 29 November 2008, 25 members of the blogging community and civil society movements will be at the Parti Keadilan Rakyat party congress in the Melawati Stadium in Shah Alam to remind Anwar that Pakatan Rakyat and three other non-Pakatan Rakyat parties made a promise to the voters in the days leading to the 8 March 2008 general election. They endorsed our Peoples’ Declaration and we voted for them. But after we voted for them they abandoned our Peoples’ Declaration.

Later, we shall also attempt to meet the coalition members of Barisan Nasional and talk to them about the Peoples’ Declaration. We hope that they too will see that this document is not anti-government but pro-rakyat. And we hope, in their wisdom, they will also endorse it and come out with a program of reforms that can only benefit this country and all Malaysians regardless of race and religion.

That is going to be our project over these next four months before Najib takes over as Prime Minister -- if Anwar does not do so before then, that is. I know that when Najib finally takes over I shall probably be sent to jail for a number of years. But until then I still have four months (I hope) and I am going to use those remaining four months to aggressively campaign for the Peoples’ Declaration to become our new ‘Rukun Negara’ on how this country should be run, never mind who it is that will be running this country.

So, Anwar, Najib, or whosoever aspires to be the next prime minister. You are now on notice. The rakyat are giving you a yellow card. “His future role can be determined only by Malaysians,” said Wolfowitz. And we too are telling you the same. Put your money where your mouth is. The rakyat spoke on 8 March 2008. And we have not stopped talking. Endorse and adopt the Peoples’ Declaration or be prepared to meet your Maker because your days will certainly be numbered if you don’t endorse and adopt it.

We are going to flood the country with our Peoples’ Declaration. And after we do that the rakyat will be better informed and more educated on the meaning of good governance. Then they will weigh this against what both the Barisan Nasional and Pakatan Rakyat governments are doing. Then, come the next election, the rakyat will know what to do. No longer can the rakyat be taken as suckers. The rakyat have become an informed society. And the blogging community and civil society movements will see to it that when the rakyat next go to the polls they will be able to make an ‘informed decision’.

Yes, you can fuck us once. But you can’t fuck us twice. The next time around the rakyat will fuck you, at the ballot box. So be warned. And our presence at the Parti Keadilan Rakyat party congress this Saturday is to deliver that yellow card.

SELANGOR state executive councillor Dr Xavier Jayakumar said many Tamil schools did not have basic facilities although the country has been independent for more than 50 years, reported Malaysia Nanban.

He said there were some schools which conducted their classes in warehouses and under trees.

He added that in the 1980s and 1990s, many parents were not interested in sending their children to Tamil schools due to the deplorable conditions, which made it unsafe for them.

He said the trend had changed and more Indian parents were eager to send their children to Tamil schools due to the excellent academic performance by students in such schools.

He said the involvement of the Education Ministry, political parties and public organisations in upgrading the schools had brought greater awareness among the parents.

He said there were currently about 30,000 students in Tamil schools in Selangor and about 80% came from poor families.

SHAH ALAM: The Selangor government will not implement a blanket ban on alcohol in the state but will only restrict the sale of alcohol to Muslims and those below 18 years old.

Menteri Besar Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim said the state government understood the concerns of certain parties on the negative effects of alcohol, but would not enforce a total ban on its sale.

"This is because Selangor is a state with people of various races and religions.

"The matter was discussed at the executive council meeting and the state government has decided to step up enforcement to ensure liquor is not sold to Muslims and those under 18."

Khalid said the restriction was needed to ensure that the community, especially the youth, were not be involved in social ills.

A Chinese daily yesterday reported that Selangor Pas had directed its councillors in the 12 local authorities to press for a blanket ban on the sale of alcohol after failing to do so through the state executive council.

Pas' local councillors in Klang were supposed to table such a motion during its full board meeting yesterday.

However, no such proposal was put forth.

On Petaling Jaya Utara member of parliament Tony Pua's statement that Pas Selangor needed a crash course in coalition politics for proposing the ban, Khalid said councillors, whatever their political affiliations, should be allowed to present their views and debate any issues they had.

"We have requested that all decisions be in line with that of the state executive council.

"Our decision is to restrict the sale of alcohol to Muslims and those below 18."

KOTA BARU: PAS spiritual leader Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat described the Pakatan Rakyat as immature and still in its infancy in handling conflicts and differences of opinions between PAS, PKR and DAP.

Nik Aziz, who is also Kelantan Menteri Besar, said there were bound to be differences in opinion between the three partners because the coalition was still young.

As such, he told reporters it was not proper for those outside the coalition to pressure it excessively.

Nik Aziz said this when asked to comment on Pakatan’s cooperation policy following an internal crisis between the three parties in Selangor that led to the dismissal of Shah Alam MP Khalid Abdul Samad as PAS Deputy Commissioner II.

The Agenda Daily website reported yesterday that Selangor PAS Commissioner Datuk Dr Hassan Mohamed Ali had dismissed his deputy because “Khalid is seen as frequently defending the actions of Selangor Mentri Besar Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim and would disagree on any protest made by Selangor PAS against the actions of the Mentri Besar”.

Nik Abdul Aziz, however, refused to comment on Dr Hassan’s move to drop Khalid. — Bernama.

THE failure by the Barisan Nasional government to give proper recognition to the achievements of outstanding Indian athletes has led to a decrease in their participation, reported Tamil Nesan.

Federal Territories Deputy Minister Datuk M. Saravanan said the Indian community’s support to Barisan also declined because it failed to give the necessary support.

He said that in the 1960s and early 70s, more Indians were involved in various sports and now the trend had changed.

He said previously, about 163 Indian sportsmen had brought fame and honour to the country, but they were denied the proper recognition.

Saravanan, who is also MIC information bureau chief, said their names had been submitted to the Government and recommended for the due recognition.

KUALA LUMPUR: The Government must take over Maika Holdings as part of an affirmative action to improve the standard of living of Indians, said businessman Datuk V.K.K. Teagarajan who recently announced his intention to contest for the MIC deputy president.

As the company made losses, a Maika share which was sold at RM1 when it started in 1986 is now selling for 0.30 sen and many Indians have suffered heavy losses.

Therefore, he said, a takeover would be a positive way for the Government to help the shareholders.

“The Government has several vehicles to take over Maika and the UOB insurance arm it owns and convert them into a unit trust company,” Teagarajan said.

Alternatively, he said, the Government could set up a company after taking over Maika and award some projects to improve the well-being of Indians.

Teagarajan said that he came up with the idea after discussing the proposal with many Maika directors and other Indian leaders.

He added that if the Government did not do anything, the MIC had a moral obligation to redeem the shares at a fair price

KULAI: An MIC councillor had been regularly missing council meetings, and has even gone missing for four months.

The councillor, in his 40s, from the Kulai Municipal council is said to have the worst attendance record among 28 MIC councillors in the state’s 14 councils.

The party has two councillors in Kulai.

It is learnt the councillor, who is also a businessman, is a member of several committees overseeing issues related to licensing, health, finance, general issues, development and public works.

It is learnt the issue about his poor attendance was raised in a full council meeting in Sept after he failed to turn up for meetings in June, July, August and September.

Subsequently, the man attended two meetings in October but did not come for any of the meetings so far this month.

Each month, the councillors have to attend one full council meeting and their respective committee meetings.

Councillors get a RM500 monthly allowance and free parking throughout the state.

Council president Ismail Karim confirmed that the councillor had not been attending meetings regularly and had the worst attendance.

Ismail added that he had raised the matter with the councillor who said he was too busy to attend the meetings.

State MIC chief Datuk K.S. Balakrishnan said they were aware of the situation and would look into the matter.

source: www.ecademy.com

Muslims believe that since the beginning of mankind by Adam and Eve, and the story of getting out of Paradise; God promised us Mankind to get back to the paradise - where we belong - when we pass an exam which is life. So as time goes by mankind started to forget, why are we in earth and what are we supposed to do, how should we behave, what's the decision to take in that issue and that one .etc

So, God started sending prophets as Guides to the right path in life, some of them with Holy Books to a certain group of people in a certain geographical areas, these Holy Books' function was to remind people; why are they here, how are they supposed to act and how are they going to be judged by God.

In different places on earth, and in different periods of time, what you should and shouldn't do, or in other words what's prohibited and what's not, was logically different but still all prophets were sent with the same "Core Belief" of a one God, and promoting the same principles of kindness, love and worshiping God. And in my belief every human being is born with these principles planted deeply in his own soul, including yourself!

And Muslims believe that God had sent the final prophet; Mohamed (peace and blessings be up on him) to the whole world as God knew that his message will reach every living human being on earth.

So, Prophet Mohamed wasn't sent to a limited group of people in a limited geographical area or in a bounded age, his message was meant to reach everyone. The main tools in order for prophet Mohamed to clarify to mankind his message was mainly the final words of God; the Holy Quran, then what he agreed on and told people to do and don't do, as he was taught by God and was getting the message across as a living example. what prophet Mohamed directed us to is named "Sunnah".

So the Holy Quran, is the core of a Muslim's belief, and Sunnah or what prophet Mohamed taught us; is the illustration and practical example of the Holy Quran.

But of course as time goes by, and as the circumstances differ from place to place, from time to time, and from person to person. Islamic sciences had been started by extracting the rules from the Quran and Sunnah, and then comes different concepts that would be complex to get into now but I can sum it up by saying it implies using Human's creativity and understanding of Quran and Sunnah, to judge something if it goes well with the core belief and core behavior or it doesn't.

A certain people who's mostly religious in belief and behavior, balanced and intelligient was able to go through that science and "Measure" if a certain issue is acceptable or prohibited "Halal" or "Haram".

Those people, who used to be scientists not only in religious sciences but in a lot of cases developed also brilliant work in astronomy, physics, philosophy, social sciences and algebra, was being asked from people who don't know or not sure if they're supposed to do that or not for a Fatwa!

As societies grown in population and geographical area, a well-known scholars "researchers" with a good knowledge of Islamic Science should provide the Muslim community with Fatwas! clarifying the things that frequently face them on their daily lives, things like smoking is it okay or not, Yoga for example what should I take from it and what I shouldn't?

Also, those highly qualified researchers in Islamic Sciences should be available if someone want to ask a certain question that he faced, and in a lot of cases a Fatwa in the same subject that could be declared to person "A" might be totally different for another person "B", why? because they might have a different circumstances, living in a different environment or have different concerns, so a Mufti should be intelligient and take the context during which the Fatwa had been asked into perspective.

So, Fatwa! always involved a level of creativity and intelligence and ability to measure, and further more; measuring the reason WHY that person is asking that question, does he want to do a bad thing and get away with it, so that the intelligient Mofty - who should be highly qualified in communication skills - should tell them No, It's prohibited for you now, here at that context. Or he's a kind person had forced in a certain situation and he's so pure from inside and need TOLERANCE to ease his life so the Mofty should be tolerant and let him ease his life. Prophet Mohamed was always choosing the easier for people.

Furthermore, Prophet Mohamed hadn't let the issue be random, when he had been asked from a companion what if I had been gives different Fatwas! he told something that's logical to whom read the Quran and understood the Sunnah, he told consult your heart even if they give Fatwa to you ask Fatwa from your heart what do you think? you know why you want to do that more than anyone else, do you think that it's against your belief? does it affect your behavior and get you being disrespectful or whatever negative behavior you might do.

So, a Fatwa! what made - and will make - Islam as a religion applicable in any community at any time, with tolerance, flexibility and understanding. The core beliefs never change, but how people interpret different issues it's up to them.

Fatwa! isn't obligatory, It's the outcome of a research conducted by a scholar and involved a level of human creativity that might differ from someone to another, so what to do then if we got two different Fatwas from highly qualified scholars, we return to what Prophet Mohamed teach us, and measure it by our hearts and see if it goes with our souls! Why because that's the core of our being. Islam isn't meant to concentrate on trivial matters, those issues could be judged with someone who's just pure from inside and doing his best to be a good Muslim! a good Human Being after all!

Source: www.ecademy.com

MAKKAL OSAI, in a special report, highlighted the Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf) which organised a rally on Nov 25 last year to show dissent and anger among the Indian community against the Barisan Nasional government.

It reported the rally helped turn the political tide against Barisan in the March 8 general election.

The paper reported that the anger and frustration was now being directed at Pakatan Rakyat state governments, which are being perceived as dragging their feet in resolving Tamil working-class issues.

This was readily admitted by participants at a forum in Parliament chaired by Klang MP Charles Santiago. The forum highlighted the problems being faced by the Indian community like poverty, low skills, low wages, lack of upward mobility and the related ills.

Dr Xavier Jeyakumar, the sole Indian in the Selangor state exco, lamented that Indians in the state make a beeline for him and not to other exco members, resulting in a situation which constantly overburdened him.

PETALING JAYA: Police have warned supporters and sympathisers of the outlawed Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf) to refrain from gathering at any location to commemorate the first anniversary of the movement’s demonstration.

Selangor Chief Police Officer Deputy Comm Datuk Khalid Abu Bakar said policemen would be stationed at strategic locations where planned gatherings were to take place.

“The movement has been outlawed by the Government and we hope all parties respect that and not create any trouble,” he said.

“We know some of them have planned to gather at Batu Caves for prayers and we hope they are there to pray and not to do anything that is against the law,” he said.

He added that police would not hesitate to take stern action against anyone who defied police orders to disperse.

KUALA LUMPUR: After 13 years of struggle, social activist Irene Fernandez was finally freed from a charge of publishing false news about abuse of migrant workers in a detention camp.

The 62-year-old director of Tenaganita, which she set up in 1991 to fight for migrant workers’ rights here, had her conviction set aside by the High Court yesterday.

There was applause and shouts of joy from Fernandez’s family and supporters when Justice Mohd Apandi Ali announced his decision to overturn the one-year jail sentence meted out by the magistrate’s court in 2003 following an appeal by Fernandez.

Her three children Camverra Jose Maliamauv, Tania Jo and Katrina Jorene hugged their mother as tears of joy streamed down her face.

At the outset of the proceeding yesterday, DPP Shamsul Sulaiman had told the court that he would not pursue with the cross-appeal filed by the prosecution.

He said that after being served with the records of the proceedings of Irene’s case and discovering systemic errors in the records, he decided that justice would not be achieved by opposing the appeal.

In the light of the prosecution not opposing the appeal “there is no necessity to deliberate on this appeal further,” said Mohd Apandi.

“I hereby reverse the sentence and acquit and discharge the appellant.

“The conviction and sentence is hereby set aside. The cross-appeal is dismissed,” he said.

Fernandez later said that she was “relieved and very happy that truth and justice had prevailed” as she had not expected the result when she got up this morning.

She said she would continue to struggle for freedom of expression and justice for detainees and migrant workers.

In 1995, Fernandez wrote a memorandum on “Abuse, Torture and Dehumanised Conditions of Migrant Workers in Detention Centres.”

A year later, she was arrested and charged under Section 8A (1) of the Printing Presses and Publications Act.

She was represented by counsel M. Puravalen. Bar Council chairman Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan who was present said the Bar was happy that good sense and justice had prevailed.

She added that the Bar had always maintained that the case was a flawed one and the case was a “travesty” against Fernandez.

“It was a pity that she had to suffer for 13 years before justice was finally done,” said Ambiga.

By Baradan Kuppusamy, Themalaysianinsider.com, Nov 23 2008

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 23 - It will be one year ago on Tuesday that Hindraf rallied on the streets here, as dissent and anger among the Indian community exploded into a groundswell which helped turn the political tide against the Barisan Nasional.

But some of that anger and frustration is now beginning to be directed at Pakatan Rakyat (PR) state governments, which are being perceived as dragging their feet when it comes to resolving Tamil working-class issues.

This development was readily admitted by participants at a forum in Parliament on Friday that was chaired by Klang MP Charles Santiago and attended by a disparate group of about 30 people.

These included NGO leaders, several DAP MPs and councilors like Ipoh Barat MP M. Kulasegaran, PKR leaders S. Sivarasa and Dr Xavier Jeyakumar, a few lawyers, business people and even individuals who manage orphanages and charities.

Others include Dr Denison Jayasooriya and SUHKAM commissioner Siva Subramaniam.

One participant privately lamented that instead of elected leaders telling what they have done for the Indian community since winning state power on March 8, the forum became a general discussions more on what is the problem and not how to solve it.

Problems being faced by the Tamil working class communities are not new. They range from abject poverty to low skills, urban squalor, low wages and lack of upward mobility and the related ills that include wife beatings to single parenting, crime, alcoholism and drugs.

All these were dredged up during the forum but with little understanding of the core issue - neglect by the state especially by the MIC and the BN government in the last few decades when Tamils in the estates were uprooted and thrown out in an improper, unplanned manner and ended up as urban squatters.

In 1980 81per cent of Tamils lived in estates and rural areas. After 2006 over 80per cent are living in urban centres, according to government statistics.

The forum also dangerously and erroneously slipped into "us" against "them" debate with "us" being Indians and "them" Malays although some participants tried to qualify "them" as "Umno Malays."

Several participants argued that poverty cuts through race and that the way to understand the dilemma is to look at it as a problem of the exploited working class.

They said Indians should discard their "it is our right" approach and work with the poor of other races to right the wrongs and stop the rich from hijacking the national wealth.

However several participants openly took a racial approach and demanded to know what the Pakatan Rakyat had done for the Indians since riding on Indian anger to win.

They argued, erroneously as the case may be, that it was the Indian vote that brought victory for Pakatan Rakyat.

One participant even said that some of the newly elected MPs, unless they resolve the Tamil miseries, would end up as one term MP.

Dr Xavier, the sole Indian exco member in Selangor, was the star attraction and the man in the hot seat.

Dr Xavier cut a cheerless figure as he listened to the arguments, the problems and the accusations pile up.

When he spoke up he shocked the participants with a narration of the "horrendous" task he faced trying to help resolve Tamil woes.

He did give some solutions that are gestating in the pipeline but his narration of his woes was also a litany of all the ills that the Tamils face.

One setback, he said, is that Indians in the state make a beeline to him and not to the other exco-members or government departments, resulting in a situation that constantly overloads him.

Tamil school headmasters, many of whom are MIC leaders, don't attend meetings, nor do they participate in problem solving and work with the state government.

They look to the Education ministry for direction and the ministry does not encourage state-headmaster co-operation.

"The Nov 25 rally unleashed huge expectations and the demands are very high. They expect change in the next 48 hours, it is impossible. We are talking about a 50 year old delivery system that has its own way of doing everything," said Dr Xavier.

Indians too have a strong attachment with temples and temples are mushrooming everywhere in the state without regard to rule or law, he said, adding it is emerging as a huge problem.

The community's main emphasis is on temples and Tamil schools and not breaking free of the cycle of poverty that is gripping them, he said.

"For the first time in history the state has allocated RM4 million to Tamil schools but headmasters refuse to turn up to collect the money," he said adding federal officers had also refused them permission.

Politically he said huge and unregulated demands on the state government and the entrenched, Malay-dominated bureaucracy could alienate Malay voters who had also made March 8 possible.

"We are up against an entrenched, 50 year old system. We cannot change in nine months or even in nine years," he said. "It takes time but I am afraid if we don't satisfy the huge expectations we might end up as one term MPs," Dr Xavier said.

With his eyes on the clock Charles Santiago hurriedly summed up saying "it appears that there have been efforts made to change" under the PKR state governments but that "there is a long way to go."

"It is too short a period to judge," he said.

KUALA LUMPUR: At least seven men, including several Pas Youth leaders, were detained on suspicion of being involved in an illegal assembly at the Ampang Jaya Municipal Council Square in Pandan Indah on Sunday night.

They were all taken to the Pandan Indah Police Station for questioning. Pas Youth head Salahuddin Ayub, who is also the Member of Parliament for Kubang Kerian, Kelantan, said he was present at the gathering to disperse the supporters of the Movement for the Abolition of ISA (GMI), who had assembled because they were not informed that the gathering did not have a permit.

"I came to carry out my duty and to disperse them because they were not informed, but they were detained even before the time given for them to disperse had expired," he told reporters outside the police station.

The gathering at the square, which started at 9pm, was held in conjunction with the launch of the Anti-ISA campaign which was scheduled to be opened by Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) advisor Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim. However, Anwar did not turn up. - Bernama

IPOH: Muslims in Perak will be barred from practising yoga following the National Fatwa Council’s edict that the practice is haram (prohibited).

Perak Religious Department director Datuk Jamry Sury said the state would abide by the decision of the council to disallow Muslims from practising yoga.

“We will be meeting on Dec 9 to make a formal announcement on the matter,” said Jamry who is also Perak Malay Customs and Religious Council secretary.

However, the department has not identified any Muslim in Perak who practises yoga, he said yesterday.

In Petaling Jaya, Malaysia Hindu Sangam president Datuk A. Vaithilingam said the council must respect the sensitivities and feelings of people of other religions in Malaysia while giving guidance to Muslims.

“Many Hindus have been deeply disturbed by the council’s announcement. To declare this ancient practice haram and say that it can ‘corrupt’ a person is very hurtful and demeaning,” he said in a statement yesterday.

The council on Saturday issued an edict banning Muslims from practising yoga on the grounds that it was inappropriate for Muslims as it involved chants and acts of worship of the god of another religion.

The Home Ministry has been urged to allow Internal Security Act (ISA) detainee and Hindraf leader P. Uthayakumar to visit his ailing mother Kalaivany, reported Tamil Nesan, based on a statement released by Uthayakumar’s elder brother and Hindraf chairman P. Waythamoorthy.

Waythamoorthy, who is in self-exile in London, said the authorities must allow Uthayakumar to visit their 64-year-old mother who was warded from Nov 12 to 19.

She was unable to travel to Kamunting to visit Uthayakumar for Deepavali due to health reasons, he said, adding that repeated requests to the Kamunting Detention Centre had fallen on deaf ears.

KAPAR: Kapar member of parliament S. Manikavasagam lodged a police report yesterday claiming that a former Sentul police chief allegedly provided a false affidavit in his suit against him.

In his report, he said Assistant Commissioner K. Kumaran had stated in his affidavit that he was not close to MIC leaders but that there was evidence to prove otherwise.

Manikavasagam said he had photographs of MIC leaders at a function for Kumaran's daughter earlier this year.

"This shows he is close to MIC leaders and not otherwise as he had claimed," he said after lodging the report at a police station here.

Kumaran had filed a RM10 million defamation suit against the MP with the latter failing in two attempts to strike out the suit.

The suit was filed after Manikavasagam lodged police reports calling for a thorough investigation into the circumstances leading to the death of popular local Tamil actress K. Sujatha.

She died at the Tengku Ampuan Rahimah Hospital in Klang on June 25 last year, four days after admission.

Police had classified the case as sudden death.

It is said neighbours found Sujatha unconscious in her house after she was believed to have consumed paraquat.

She was reported to have been the personal assistant to S. Vell Paari, the son of MIC chief Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu.

There was speculation about the case as no post-mortem was purportedly done. In the course of investigations, Vell Paari was questioned for five hours by the police. However, nobody has been charged.

Manikavasagam had made several media statements against Kumaran in the matter and this led to the suit against him.

PUTRAJAYA: The Cabinet has assured that more Indians will be recruited into the civil service.

Human Resources Minister Datuk Dr S. Subramaniam said the Cabinet would ensure that more applications by Indians would be approved based on their job descriptions and merit.

The MIC urged the Public Services Commis­sion to ensure a minimum intake of at least 7% for all job categories in the public service, Subramaniam, who is the MIC secretary-general, said in a statement here

KOTA KINABALU: Straight fights between the opposition and Barisan Nasional candidates will be seen in Sabah and Sarawak in the next elections, said PKR adviser Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

The Opposition Leader said he was confident that PKR, DAP and PAS would work towards agreeing on a single candidate from the opposition parties to contest a seat.

In the March elections, the opposition had each fielded candidates for a single seat when they failed to reach an agreement in both states, he said.

Anwar was confident that they would be able to talk to Sabah Progressive Party that left Barisan earlier this year to form an independent opposition front in the state.

“What makes you think it’s only one party (SAPP), there are others that we need to speak with,” he said, adding that other Barisan component parties could move the way SAPP did.

Anwar, who opened a PKR service centre in Damai, said they were ready to contest the Pensiangan seat, of which the result was declared null and void by the High Court here.

A candidate would be decided after the courts make a decision on the appeal by incumbent Tan Sri Joseph Kurup, he said.

“Tell me which by-election there is no friction,” he replied when asked about friction within the Sabah PKR leadership over the choice of potential candidate for the Pensiangan seat.

On another matter, he said Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Musa Aman was not keen to negotiate for a higher petroleum royalty for the state when he (Musa) claimed there was no provision for the state to re-negotiate on the matter.

“What is stopping any state government from re-negotiating any agreement. If he can’t do it, PKR can do it,” said Anwar, who is on a two-day visit.

PETALING JAYA: The Sisters in Islam (SIS) has hit out at the National Fatwa Council, saying it is concerned with the continuous sexist and discriminatory approach towards Malaysian women, especially Muslim women.

Its programme manager, Norhayati Kaprawi, said this in reference to the fatwa issued by the council that bans tomboys.

“The fatwa on ‘tomboys’ can lead to arbitrary arrests and undue harassment towards our Muslim women and girls.

“How do the authorities define a tomboy? A woman with short hair? Wearing pants? Wearing shirts? No make-up?” Norhayati questioned.

She pointed out that women who did not dress or behave as what certain quarters perceived as not feminine were not a menace to society.

“In fact, many of these women hold respectable positions and actively contribute to our society,” she said.

She also asked why the fatwa was only imposed on women, saying it was yet another example of selective prosecution.

“SIS believes it is not Islam’s obsession to police people’s morality, find people’s faults or spy on its followers,” Norhayati said.

She said unlike some Muslim countries, a fatwa is enforceable by law once it is gazetted.

On Oct 23, the National Fatwa Council issued the edict saying that tomboyism, where a girl behaves or dresses in a boyish manner, is forbidden in Islam.

KUALA LUMPUR: The MIC central working committee (CWC), the party’s highest decision-making body which met at the party’s headquarters on Thursday, has appointed an election steering committee headed by Penang-based Datuk K. Vijayanathan.

MIC treasurer-general Tan Sri M. Mahalingam, who is a committee member, said the CWC had also picked several senior members to conduct party polls early next year.

The election steering committee would also comprise Tan Sri K.R. Somasundram, Tan Sri Dr Devaki Krishnan and two others.

“Obviously, the party secretary-general (Datuk Dr S. Subramaniam) is also in the committee. The appointment of the secretary-general into the committee is normal as this would enable better co-ordination between the committee and the party headquarters,” said Mahalingam.

Vijayanathan, when contacted, confirmed he has been in touch with party leaders on the matter but has yet to receive an official letter of appointment.

The MIC will hold its presidential election early next year while the election for the positions of deputy president, three vice-presidents and 23 CWC seats, is slated for the middle of the year.

MIC president Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu, who has been at the helm of the party since 1979, has announced that he would defend his post.

Only former vice-president Datuk M. Muthupalaniappan has voiced his intention to contest the top post.

An aspirant for the MIC presidency must obtain 50 nominations to be eligible to contest. Each nomination must have a proposer and five seconders, with all proposers and seconders being branch chairman. — Bernama

Dog-catchers do not have the right to enter private property and seize an unlicenced dog.
MCPX
According to Society For The Prevention of Cruelty To Animals (SPCA) Selangor, instead of nabbing the dog, the catchers should first fine the owner for failure to obtain a licence for the animal.

SPCA Selangor has today issued the advice after a spat of reports by owners against dog catchers for “breaking into homes and stealing their dogs”.

“They also try and coax the dog to the fence and then snare the dog with poles and drag it outside the property,” lamented the animal protection organisation.

“Quite often these dog catchers use the excuse that the dog is not licenced in order to try and justify their actions. The monetary incentive is attractive, with many municipals paying them up to RM45 per dog.”

SPCA also reminded members of the public that dog-catchers do not have the legal authority to climb the fence and enter into the home compound, whether or not the dog has a licence, in all 13 municipal councils in Kuala Lumpur and Selangor.

“SPCA advises pet owners to challenge any dog-catcher that says they have the right to take your dog, and ask for names and a contact number of a supervisor,” said the organisation in a statement today.

Allegations of abuse by dog-catchers

SPCA is also helping the Department of Veterinary Services (DVS) in investigating allegations of abuse by dog-catchers.

“The reports have been pouring in, we are now investigating up to four local municipal councils for alleged cruelty to animals by municipal and contracted dog-catchers,” says SPCA chairperson Christine Chin.

According to her, police reports had been lodged in three out of the four incidents.

In a recent incident, Majlis Bandaraya Shah Alam (MBSA) dog-catchers had trespassed into an owner’s home and caught her dog, dragging it out from underneath the main gate.

“Attempts were made to locate the dog, which was not taken to the PAWS Animal Shelter, but held by the MBSA and put to sleep three days later,” said SPCA.

“The owner and an SPCA inspector arrived during the destruction process, and were literally minutes too late to save the dog. The distraught owner made a police report immediately after leaving the pound.”

JOHOR BARU: A 44-year-old MIC politician has been detained under the Emergency Ordinance for alleged involvement in major crime syndicates in Johor.

The suspect, believed to be also the mastermind behind violent crimes relating to drug deals, was picked up at his home on Monday.

Johor police chief Deputy Comm Datuk Mohd Mokhtar Mohd Shariff said the man has been detained under Section 3(1) of the Emer­gency Ordinance. The order was signed by Home Minister Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar.

“The suspect was sent to the Simpang Renggam rehabilitation centre on Tuesday and will be detained for two years,” he said at the state police headquarters here yesterday.

In an unrelated case, 24 suspected motorcycle thieves, including two students, were nabbed in operations in the city.

The suspects, aged between 17 and 25, belonged to three gangs. They were detained between Nov 14 and 18 in Tampoi, Kempas, Skudai, Majidee and Larkin.

DCP Mokhtar said police believed they have solved about 70 cases with the arrests.

In another case, seven suspects, including a 17-year-old girl, were detained for multiple car thefts and house break-ins in the state.

KUALA LUMPUR: MIC secretary-general Datuk Dr S. Subramaniam will leave it to the party to decide on its future direction, including whether he should contest in the coming party election.

“When the time comes we will make a collective decision on the future direction and announce it,” he said when asked whether he was planning to contest any post.

The Human Resources Minister, who noted that the party election was 10 months away, said his agenda at the moment was to focus on his ministerial role to serve the public.

“It’s rather too early. I rather focus my energy on serving the people,” Subramaniam told reporters here yesterday.

Veteran opposition lawmaker Karpal Singh has given Chief Justice Zaki Azmi a week from today to resign from his post for allegedly admitting to corrupt practices while in private practice.

This came after Karpal claimed for the first time today that there was an audio recording of Zaki's confession made two weeks ago despite the CJ's denial of making the remarks.

"Zaki cannot, and should not, deny that he had in fact uttered the words. There is a audio recording of what he said in Kuching," Karpal, also DAP's Bukit Gelugor MP, said in a statement today.

The statement was issued in his capacity as the chairperson of the newly-formed parliamentary caucus on judiciary independence and integrity.

Calling Zaki's clarification a "lie", Karpal said the chief justice - appointed to the post last month - has allegedly misled the country and therefore not fit to continue holding the post.

"In the event Zaki does not step down as CJ within seven days from today, I will have no alternative but to move a motion against him under Article 127 of the federal constitution for having misled the country with his so-called clarification," said Karpal further.

Zaki has issued clarification

The judiciary's No 1 embroiled in the controversy after English daily New Straits Times quoted him as making the confession of bribing court staff at a convention in Kuching on Nov 7.

During the convention, Zaki delivered a speech in which he recalled an incident in 1987 and allegedly said the following:

"It took me six months to be nice, to bribe each and every individual to get back into their good books before our files were attended to.

"That was my personal experience, and I am telling this to all the clerks and all the registries to stop this nonsense".

Zaki however issued a clarification later, saying the reporter has misinterpreted him.

So far, Karpal has lodged a police report and moved a motion to debate the matter in the Parliament twice - but both attempts were shot down by the Speaker.

Audio evidence

Meanwhile, Rahmah Ghazali reported from Parliament on Karpal saying that the audio recording of Zaki's remarks in Kuching can prove that he had lied.

"There is an audio recording (to prove that he lied), I think you can take my word for it what has been quoted in Kuching. There is no doubt about it," said Karpal when met at the Parliament lobby.

He declined to confirm directly that he was in the possession of the recording when pressed for an answer apart from saying he did not want to go into details.

Karpal also argued that the NST has not come up with any retraction on the initial report.

He further reiterated that there must be an integrity in the judiciary and it must start all the way from the chief justice.

"You cannot have a chief justice who lies. As simple as that...No point having independence of judiciary if the judges cannot tell the truth. Integrity comes first, then independence," said Karpal.

Neither police reports nor Umno pressure will veer Penang Deputy Chief Minister II P Ramasamy from speaking up for what is right."I won't be worried or afraid to speak out against discrimination of any form against any Malaysian in this country," he told Malaysiakini today.

Referring to the police report lodged by Umno Bayan Baru Youth leader Norman Zahalan on Sunday, Ramasamy said he would not cowed by intimidation tactic deployed by Umno to stifle his voice.

The Youth wing is asking the former UKM academic to apologise and retract his statement.

He is adamant on not apologising for his statement in the Penang assembly last Thursday - that Umno policies have adversely affected the participation of many Malaysians in government.

"Umno marginalisation is so severe that non-Malays have become insignificant in public administration," he said.

He said the Umno’s monopolisation of power through a divide-and-rule policy, has divided the people and marginalised minorities, especially in the public sector.

He was bemused that Umno was trying to twist and turn his statement by implying that he is stirring up Malays by his allegation that non-Malay application forms submitted to the civil service are torn and thrown away.

"At no point I said Malays were discriminating non-Malays.

"I only blamed Umno for engineering the marginalisation," he stressed.

In his speech last week, he repudiated claims by several Umno assemblypersons that he was making wild accusations, insisting the veracity of his data based on his own study.

Ramasamy (DAP–Prai) was replying to a written question raised by Pakatan Rakyat backbencher RS Nethaji Rayer (DAP-Seri Delima) on how the new government intends to rectify ethnic and gender imbalance in its civil service.

Telling numbers

The numbers revealed by Ramasamy then were worrying, with 82 percent of the public sector in multicultural Penang dominated by Malays.

The state’s public administration and statutory bodies are 92 percent and 72 percent Malay respectively.

Ramasamy’s disclosure did not sit well with Norman, who lodged the police report.

"Why should I apologise for telling the truth?

"I have even revealed this in Parliament," said the Batu Kawan MP.

Ramasamy - the executive councillor in charge of economic planning, education, human resources and science, technology and innovation - pointed out that the Pakatan Rakyat state government was going all out to wipe racial and gender discrimination in both public and private sectors without fear and favour.

The state policy is also intended to balance racial and gender composition in the private sector.

"We were voted in by Penangites wanting a change in governance, thus we want to make the change from a racist Umno policy to a non-racist people policy.

"We must reverse Umno policies and bring about change for the better," he said, adding that Pakatan-elected representatives are facing mounting pressure from the electorate to do just that.

SULTAN of Kedah Sultan Abdul Halim Mu'adzam Shah wants the state government to put more effort into cleaning up tourists spots, industrial sites and urban centres to attract more tourists and investors to Kedah.

"This is not something that is impossible to achieve. All parties must play their part," he said when opening the state assembly sitting here yesterday.

Sultan Abdul Halim said cleanliness and the availability of basic amenities and facilities at such places were vital to complement efforts by the state government to create greater economic opportunities for the people and state.

"We are doing a lot to boost the tourism sector in conjunction with the Visit Kedah Year programme.

"We need to continue introducing new products and create a bigger pool of trained workers."

Sultan Abdul Halim was equally concerned with the moral decadence among Kedah youths.

"The state government should take steps to avoid serious social repercussions involving our youths as the state enjoys great strides in economic achievements.

"Parents may become busy and neglect their children, who then fall prey to bad hats or succumb to immoral activities."

Citing an example, Sultan Abdul Halim viewed seriously the high number of cases involving juvenile crime last year: 862 cases contrasted with 432 cases the previous year.

"I am very worried and I hope the state government and parents will work together to check this."



He was happy with the state government's effort to help the poor, which included a recent mass wedding ceremony for 50 Muslim couples.

The sultan was also happy that efforts were being carried out to eliminate hardcore poverty by 2010.

He reminded the state government to be prudent in its spending considering financial uncertainties sweeping the globe.



"The problems in the West will affect us because we have strong trade dealings with them.

"I hope the state government will continue to carry out programmes to ensure continued prosperity and unity for the people."

PAHANG Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Adnan Yaakob said the failure of MIC candidates to win seats in the March general election cannot be blamed on one leader alone, reported Tamil Nesan.

He said the MIC was not the only one which had lost as other Barisan Nasional component parties such as the MCA, Gerakan, and Umno also suffered heavy losses.

He said the MIC’s rebranding exercise was aimed at uniting the Indian voters and regaining the trust of the Indian community.

He proposed that Umno should also carry out a rebranding exercise as money politics seemed to have taken root in the party.

KUALA LUMPUR: The MIC Youth has proposed the setting up of a Tamil League in a move to attract international attention to the plight of Tamils in Sri Lanka.

Adviser S. Vell Paari said the league should be a United Nations-recognised body, similar to the Organisa- tion of the Islamic Conference (OIC).

“I believe a new league of Tamils representing their resident country should be established in Tamil Nadu to diligently and vigilantly guard over the political, economic and social agenda of Tamils living all over the world,” he said in a statement.

Vell Paari said the Tamil League should have a similar framework and diplomatic status like that of the UN and each Tamil representative from member countries should be given an ambassadorship entitling them to diplomatic immunity.

“I say this to sanction a valid representation from the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), who can also sit within this Tamil League to voice its concerns and grievances without the fear of being detained,” he said.

Vell Paari said the Tamil League can set up a committee to discuss and negotiate with the Sri Lankan Government for a peaceful solution.

For details, please e-mail Vell Paari at tamilleague@gmail.com.

KUALA LUMPUR: All highway concessionaires except for one have agreed to make their concession agreements public.

Works Minister Datuk Mohd Zin Mohamed said yesterday that only Maju Expressway, the concessionaire for the Kuala Lumpur-Putrajaya Highway, had yet to agree on making their agreement public.

He said the Cabinet had on Oct 17 agreed to declassify the agreements but a non-disclosure clause in the contracts meant that the Government must get the consent of the concessionaires before making them public.

Asked if a deadline had been set for Maju Expressway to give its consent, Mohd Zin said the Government could not force the company if it did not wish to publicise its concession agreement “as the Government cannot act unilaterally in this case”.

Mohd Zin said he hoped to have the agreements published for public viewing by Jan 1, next year.

KUALA LUMPUR: The absence of both Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and his deputy Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak for two days this week has raised questions about who will lead the country in their absence.

Ipoh Timur MP and DAP adviser, Lim Kit Siang, said for as long as he could remember, such a situation had never occurred.

"It has been 30 years or longer since both the Prime Minister and deputy have been out of the country."

In a press conference at the Parliament lobby on Monday, Lim said Abdullah was in Uzbekistan for a four-day official visit accompanied by his wife and Cabinet ministers.

"On Tuesday, Najib will leave with another team of Cabinet ministers for the 16th Apec Economic Leaders Meeting in Lima, Peru."

Lim said Abdullah would only return on Friday while Najib is expected to continue to New York after Peru and will only return early next month.

"This would mean that for at least two days, both leaders will be out of the country. Why has this standing rule been broken?"

Lim asked who would be the acting Prime Minister as even Umno vice-president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin and Home Minister Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar would be with Najib in Peru.

"Can it be the most senior minister in the Prime Minister's Department, Tan Sri Bernard Dompok or the newly elected MCA president, Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat?"

Lim said he would also like the Prime Minister's Office to disclose the number of times in the past 30 years when both the prime minister and his deputy had been out of the country.

KUALA LUMPUR: Businessman Datuk V.K.K. Teagarajan, 60, a former MIC central working committee (CWC) member, has announced his intention to contest the MIC deputy presidency at the party elections slated for September next year.

The tussle for the party's No. 2 position is expected to be intense as Samy Vellu had apparently told several leaders that he would vacate the presidency soon after the September 2009 MIC elections and let the deputy president take over as acting president.

Teagarajan, the former president of the Malaysian Associated Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry told Bernama that MIC had to be rejuvenated and strengthened after having lost the support of the Malaysian Indian community in the last general election, held on March 8.

"I am declaring this (bid to contest) after speaking to my supporters and party members in general. They feel that there should be new blood in the party, and I would like to offer myself for the position of deputy president," he said.

Unlike in the case of the presidential contest, a party member needs only one nomination to qualify to contest the post of deputy president, the three posts of vice-president or any of the 23 CWC posts.

For the post of president, a candidate must obtain 50 nominations, with each nomination having a proposer and five seconders. The proposer and seconders must be branch chairmen.

While the president is elected by branch chairmen, who number some 3,200, the candidates to fill the other national posts are elected by about 1,400 delegates at the party general assembly.

Teagarajan, who joined the largest Indian-based political party in the country in 1987, stood for one of the three posts of vice-president at the last party elections, in 2006, but came in fourth.

In 2003, he filed nomination papers for a veep post but withdrew barely seven hours later after being dissuaded from contesting by party president Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu.

Teagarajan, who is also a former senator and had served as party information chief in 2003, was elected to the CWC, the party's highest decision-making body, in 1997, and served in that capacity until 2003.

Teagarajan is the second MIC leader to announce his intention to contest a top party post. Last week, former vice-president Datuk M. Muthupalaniappan declared his bid to contest the MIC top post in the presidential election scheduled for March next year.

"I know the elections are 10 months away but we have to start somewhere ... and I feel this is the start," said Teagarajan, who is also former Kuala Lumpur MIC chief.

Asked about the possibility of him pulling out of the contest for deputy president, he said he would only do so if he found another "worthy candidate".

"But for now, I do not see anyone making the move for the deputy president's post. If they come in, then by all means, they can contest. But for now, I am not going to back off," he said.

At the 2006 party elections, current deputy president Datuk G. Palanivel beat then incumbent Datuk S. Subramaniam who had been deputy president for more than 20 years. - Bernama

RTM will increase its air time for local Tamil programmes to five hours a week next year, from 90 minutes at the moment, reported Makkal Osai.

Information Minister Datuk Ahmad Shabery Cheek said the move was to encourage more producers of local Tamil programmes to play an active role in the national broadcasting system.

He said the response from viewers, especially the Indian community, towards local and imported Tamil programmes was encouraging, with daily viewership ranging from 200,000 to 500,000.

No permanent job for C.Krishnamurthy

KUANTAN: MIC president Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu, who is seeking re-election for the 11th time, welcomes any challenge against him.

Commenting on the move by Datuk M. Muthupalaniappan to contest against him in March, Samy Vellu said any individual was free to contest and make statements.

He shot down a suggestion by Muthupalaniappan that the president's post be limited to two terms.

"That is his view. We must listen to the majority and not an individual.

"I don't wish to elaborate on the issue because we are yet to make a stand regarding the elections. The decision will be done by the central working committee (CWC).

"After the CWC has decided on the elections, then any individual can contest the president's post," he said after chairing a MIC rebranding workshop yesterday.

He said the rebranding was initiated to regain the support of Indians for the party and Barisan National.

"We want to look into the problems faced by the Indian community at the grassroots and overcome them.

"We also want to convey the message that the government has never sidelined the Indian community."

He said among the steps taken was the setting up of a cabinet committee chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak to look into the woes of the Indian community

"During a recent meeting, Najib, who is finance minister, had allocated RM50 million this year to renovate and construct buildings for Tamil schools."

Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Adnan Yaakob, who visited the workshop, praised MIC's rebranding efforts.

Selangor executive councillor Ronnie Liu was arrested at the state secretariat building in Shah Alam this afternoon.

The DAP state assemblyperson for Pandamaran was detained by several plainclothes and uniformed policemen at the entrance of the building around 2pm.

Liu, who was on his way to attend an exco meeting, was later taken to the Puchong police station.

According to another Selangor exco Elizabeth Wong, Liu was arrested in connection with a report filed against him for allegedly obstructing Subang Jaya municipal council enforcement officers from carrying out their duties during a anti-vice raid on a hotel in Puchong last year.

Wong, who witnessed the arrest, said Liu is expected to be charged on Monday at the Petaling Jaya magistrate's court.

Liu was then released on police bail at about 3.15pm. He has been asked to appear at the PJ magistrate's court on Monday.

Suit against Khir

The controversy over Liu's alleged role in the hotel raid cropped up after it was revealed by former Selangor Menteri Besar Dr Khir Toyo.

As a result Liu filed a defamation suit against Khir, who is now the opposition leader in the Selangor state assembly.

In his suit filed on Oct 5, Liu claimed that Khir had defamed his character by describing him as immoral and being involved in vice activities

In May, Khir had accused Liu of obstructing a prostitution raid at a hotel in Puchong and claimed he was therefore not fit to be in charge of the state's local government.

Liu had said the accusations were baseless and was aimed at attacking his political reputation and tarnishing his name.

PUTRAJAYA: Deputy Minister in Prime Minister’s Department Senator T. Murugiah, whose aggressiveness in overseeing the Public Complaints Bureau has landed him in trouble with his party boss, claims he has been praised by the Prime Minister.

Murugiah, who is the PPP Youth chief, said he recently received a call from Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi to see him in Parliament.

“I was on medical leave then. When I met him, he praised me and said I was doing a good job (with the bureau). What more do you want?” he told reporters after chairing a meeting between residents in Kg Pandan and City Hall authorities at his office yesterday.

Murugiah supposedly landed in hot water after party president Datuk M. Kayveas wrote a letter to Seputeh MP Teresa Kok to enquire if she had made an official complaint to the bureau concerning the poor quality of food served to her during police detention.

Kayveas had claimed that he had been questioned by a Barisan Nasional official (whom he did not want to identify) as to why Murugiah went to Teresa’s office on his own initiative.

Adding that he had “no issue” with Kayveas, Murugiah said he had met the latter on Monday and that “he had then said nothing about the letter” to him.

“I have my job to do and I don’t have a choice about this. He (Kayveas) is my boss and mentor, and he groomed me. I am always grateful to him,” he said.

KUALA LUMPUR: MIC president Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu may be challenged in party elections next year by former vice-president Datuk M. Muthupalaniappan.

Muthupalaniappan said he had been approached by members to challenge the former works minister.

"I am seeking the blessings of party veterans before deciding on whether to take on the party supremo," he said.

Muthupalaniappan, who lost in his bid for a party vice-presidency last year, acknowledged the fact that getting the minimum amount of nominations to qualify to contest may prove difficult.

"There is this fear among branches of being victimised by the president later for nominating someone other than him for the post," he said.

To challenge the president, one needs at least 50 nominations from branches with six office-bearers proposing and seconding the candidate.

"In the interests of the MIC, Barisan Nasional and the Indian community, there must a change of leadership in the party," Muthupalaniappan added.

In the MIC, the presidential election is held at least three months ahead of elections for other posts with branch office-bearers responsible for nominations.

Other national leaders are selected by delegates from divisions.

The MIC will hold its presidential election in March next year while elections for all other top posts including those on the central working committee (CWC) will be held six months later.

A party veteran said it was impossible for Muthupalaniappan to beat Samy Vellu.

"Even former deputy president Datuk S. Subramaniam could not make it in 1989 when he challenged Samy Vellu," he said.

He said a report should be released on branches qualified to participate in the presidential election with the formation of new branches frozen until the election was over.

In 1989, Samy Vellu faced the toughest battle of his political life when he faced eight challengers for his post.

Earlier this year, former Klang division chief Alex Thiagarasan challenged Samy Vellu for the post but was was expelled for criticising him.

MIC Information chief Datuk M. Saravanan said no one could defeat Samy Vellu as he was well liked by members.

"Moreover, I don't see any leader who can match him in terms of hard work and commitment at this point of time."

KUALA LUMPUR: The pressman from a vernacular newspaper who was being investigated in connection with the recent bomb hoax at the Putra World Trade Centre has been released from police custody.

Police detained the man, in his 40s, at his home in Taman Seri Sentosa, Jalan Klang Lama, on Nov 4.

Sources said an SMS alert about a bomb sent to an Umno leader attending the supreme council meeting on Oct 31 was traced back to the man’s mobile phone.

City CID chief Senior Asst Comm (II) Ku Chin Wah confirmed the man’s release.

DAP veteran Lim Kit Siang’s accused Umno of money laundering, which erupted the house - and ended with him stating that the end was nigh for Rembau MP Khairy Jamaluddin.

In his 2009 Budget related speech, Lim questioned why Sabah Chief Minister Musa Aman had failed to meet Hong Kong’s Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) investigating team.

He reminded the house of the police report they filed against the Sabah man last August for being implicated in a RM16 million smuggling scandal.

He asked why the local Anti-Corruption Agency were lacklustre in investigating the scandal which is "now said to involve more than RM100 million and not just RM16 million as originally reported in Hong Kong media".

"Money-laundering is serious. We need to prevent corruption especially from this ‘maha’ corrupt chief minister," said Lim, drawing jeers from the government’s bench.

Puad Zarkashi (BN-Batu Pahat) got up in protest and demanded proof.

An unfazed Lim went on and stressed that "we should not run away from settling this matter, particularly when during the on-going economic crisis".

He was interrupted by Khairy Jamaluddin (BN-Rembau) this time.

Lim did not yield to the Umno youth deputy chief and asked the younger man to cite the standing order for his interruption.

A shouting match ensued with the prime minister’s son-in-law calling Lim a ‘dinosaur’.

MPs from both sides joined in a shouting match.

Five months

The deputy speaker Ronald Kiandee calmed things down and asked the first time MP not to refer to honorable members as a dinosaur.

Both Lim and Khairy got in each other’s way which led to Khairy saying, "On even such a petty matter, dinosaurs do what they do, they refused to sit down when standing orders are cited."

The deputy speaker seeking to regain control asked Khairy to retract his statement.

At this juncture Lim got up as told Kiandee that he did not want Khairy to retract.

"I do not want him to retract because in five months time, he will be finished," said Lim.

In March - five months from now - Khairy’s father-in-law Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi’s will vacate his seat. The Rembau man could also be defeated in the Umno youth chief contest, rendering him position-less in the party.

KUALA LUMPUR: Consumers in the Klang Valley have reason to smile - the prices of nasi kandar, teh tarik and roti canai are being reduced immediately.

Nasi kandar will see a reduction of 20 sen a plate, while roti canai (and other roti items such as roti telur, roti pisang, etc) and teh tarik will see a reduction of 10 sen each.

This is because the Muslim Restaurant Operators Association (Presma) and the Malaysian Indian Restaurant Owners’ Association (Primas) have decided to support the Government’s move on price reduction.

However, the price reduction will be on a voluntary basis, and there is no fixed maximum price for these three food items.


Prices down Workers at an Indian Muslim restaurant in Petaling Jaya busy preparing roti canai and teh tarik Monday as a notice on the price reduction is displayed for customers. — KAMAL SELLEHUDDIN / The Star

Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister Datuk Shahrir Samad said consumers could check the prices against the price-list in the restaurants.

“All such restaurants must have a price-list. It’s an offence for them not to have one,” he told a press after launching the Price Reduction Campaign yesterday.

Presma president Jamarulkhan Kadir said the prices of the three items, however, would differ depending on the location of the restaurants.

“Of course, the prices of teh tarik in Bangsar and Balakong would be different,” he said.


Price concerns: Shahrir (seated, in white shirt) speaking to newsmen after launching the Price Reduction Campaign in Kuala Lumpur yesterday. With him were (from left) Jamarulkhan, Deputy Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister Jelaing Mersat, Primas deputy president T. Muthusamy.

Jamarulkhan said the price range in the Klang Valley was between RM4 and RM5.50 for nasi kandar, 90 sen and RM1.50 for teh tarik, and 70 sen and RM1.20 for roti canai.

“We will start with our 200 members in the Klang Valley, and soon, we hope this move will be adopted by all our 4,500 members nationwide.

“As for restaurants that refuse to bring their prices down, consumers can choose to not eat there, and go to another restaurant which supports this campaign,” he said.

Asked if such a move would incur losses for the restaurant operators, he replied: “No, it will only lower our profit margin.”

Asked if there were plans to include more items for price reduction, he said: “Slowly.”

Riot police today dispersed about 300 people who had gathered at the Petaling Jaya Civic Centre.

MCPXThe police moved into the crowd just as they were singing the national anthem and getting ready to leave. Before that they have heard short speeches from several politicians.

The crowd had walked over to the PJ Civic Centre shortly after 9.30pm after they had been originally dispersed from the Padang Timur, about a kilometre away, where they had gathered to take part in a candlelight vigil.

Just as the crowd started re-gathering at the Civic Centre, a team of anti-riot squad and a water cannon truck had arrived.

Shortly afterwards the police started dispersing the crowd using their shields.

In the ensuing melee, police arrested PJ Utara member of parliament and DAP leader Tony Pua, Kampung Tunku state representative Lau Weng San and about 20 others. Also arrested was Malaysiakini videographer Shukri Mohamad.

Eyewitnesses said that Pua was physically manhandled and thrown into a waiting Black Maria. The police were also seen chasing the crowd into an Indian restaurant located opposite the Civic Centre.

Those arrested have been taken to the PJ police station. A small group of people have gathered outside in support of those arrested under the watchful eyes of a team of police anti-riot squad.

Candlelight vigil called off

Earlier, at about 9.35pm, a candlelight vigil organised by polls reform group Bersih was hampered by police insistence on the gathered crowd to disperse.

The vigil was to have started at 9.30pm at Padang Timur opposite Amcorp Mall, Petaling Jaya.

However, the police had started blocking the roads leading to the venue as early as 7pm.

And as the scheduled 9.30pm approached, the police urged the gathered crowd in the field to disperse.

The crowd had then moved into the nearby Amcorp mall, engaged in a ‘wait-and-see' game with the police.

Among those in the crowd were recently court-released ISA detainee Raja Petra Kamaruddin, Selangor exco member Ronnie Liu and DAP leaders Lau Weng San and Pua.

At about 9.30pm, the organisers told the crowd to disperse so as to avoid any trouble with the police.

Some of the people then decided to hold a mini-procession from the field to the PJ Civic Centre, about a kilometre away.

Roads blocked

Eyewitnesses told Malaysiakini that roads leading to the PJ field have earlier been blocked by the police from about 7pm.

Some have complained that the roadblocks had stopped them from going to a famous fast-food outlet in the vicinity.

Many had resorted to park their vehicles in PJ new town - some two-kilometres away -to walk to the field to take part in the vigil.

At about 8pm, eye-witnesses said that about 100 people had gathered at the venue.

The police meanwhile had began asking the crowd to leave the place.

By 8.30pm - with only an hour away from the planned vigil - the police managed to turn away most of the people from the field.

The crowd, by now around 200, moved closer to the Amcorp mall, waiting for the organisers to start the vigil.

No water cannons

At the same time, about 20 federal reserve unit personnel took position just outside the shopping mall.

The candlelight vigil did not taken place as planned at 9.30pm. The field was totally deserted, with the crowd waiting in the mall for signs of a possible vigil.

Tonight's vigil was to have featured speakers from both civil society groups and political parties.

Bersih - or in full the Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections - organised the rally to call for electoral reform as well as the abolition of the ISA.

A similar rally was also held in Ipoh tonight to commemorate the first anniversary of the Bersih rally in Kuala Lumpur last year.

That rally, attended by 350 people, proceeded without a hitch

KUALA LUMPUR: Nothing seems impossible for academic Dr Siva Kumar Balasundram and his colleagues, who between them, have set up TheMind (Malaysian Indian Educational Development) Association, an organisation of high academic achievers who are helping some Malaysian Indians achieve excellence and success through education.

They themselves had struggled to achieve high academic status and believe that with the right help, encouragement and motivation, other Indians too can achieve similar success through education.

“We believe educational attainment is the one sure path for Malaysian Indians to advancement in life and success,” said Dr Siva, 37, a senior lecturer at UPM and a specialist on precision agriculture.


Datuk Vinod Sekhar
A core group of about 20 high achievers are running TheMind, and they organise opportunity seminars, motivation forums, courses and seminars for Indians.

They also organise sessions with rural Indian youths to place them in training institutes after they have completed their SPM.

In addition, TheMind has set up an e-mail network of over 50,000 individuals who act as initiators or helpers, offering advice, job vacancies and other pointers to needy individuals, for instance, where to get loans, scholarships and jobs.

“It is like a help-line and it’s growing in size,” said association vice-president Dr Ganesan Vadamalai, 36, an agricultural scientist, referring to TheMind Bulletin Board.

In 2005, the group organised the 9th Malaysia Plan – Voices of the Grassroots, a joint programme with ERA Consumer that was supported by the Friedrich Nauman Foundation and the European Union.

In 2007, they organised the National Indian Youth Convention, which attracted widespread attention from Indian youths, teachers, professionals and business people hungry to develop themselves, network and succeed in life.

Among the speakers at this convention was Petra Group founder president and CEO Datuk Vinod Sekhar, whose late father Tan Sri B. C. Sekhar was a world-reknown rubber specialist.

A one-day seminar in Kulim in April this year saw TheMind enthusiasts like Dr Ganesan coming face-to-face with the myriad problems Indian youths face – poverty, low skills, low academic achievements, lack of scholarships and being sidelined from mainstream development.

“They were in the low information group, and did not have adequate information on how to seize the opportunities and advance themselves,” Dr Ganesan said, adding that 15 youths who had completed their SPM and were about to enter the job market as low-skilled employees were persuaded to study new skills at vocational institutes.

“They can get much higher wages with higher skills,” Dr Ganesan said, adding the TheMind intended to conduct more forums to place Indian youths in skills training centres.

“We want to make this a permanent feature of our activities because Indian enrolment in skills institutes is low.”

TheMind is a registered organisation and entirely voluntary, said Dr Siva.

“We could use more support and help. We also hope others set up similar voluntary organisations to show the way and motivate our people.”

TheMind started with one man, Saravanan Kandasamy, an electronic engineer with Maxis who sent out e-mails in 2004 to Indian professionals whose addresses he had collected after diligent research on the Internet.

“Saravanan argued that Indian professionals needed to get involved to help the community and not just take care of themselves,” Dr Siva said.

A meeting was held, attended by about 20 people and from that, a core group of five formed TheMind.

Saravanan runs its bulletin board from Porta City, Portugal, where he is studying for his PhD on a Portuguese government scholarship.

“Although he is far away, we keep in regular touch,” Dr Siva said.

TheMind’s latest initiative is “An Afternoon with Datuk Vinod Sekhar” at the UPM campus from 2pm today where the successful businessman appears as a role model for Indian youths.

He will be offering pointers, sharing ideas and taking questions on the subject of the challenges facing Indian youths today.

The event is sponsored by the Sekhar Foundation, which is chaired by Vinod who was impressed enough by TheMind to promise help and funding for the group’s initiatives.

KUALA LUMPUR: The remand order for a pressman from a Tamil newspaper in connection with the recent bomb hoax at the Putra World Trade Centre car park has been extended until Monday.

City deputy police chief Senior Asst Comm (I) Datuk Abu Samah Mat confirmed the three-day remand extension but declined to elaborate.

The man, in his 40s was picked up by Kuala Lumpur police on Tuesday night from his home in Taman Seri Sentosa, Jalan Klang Lama, and was initially remanded for five days.

Sources said an SMS alert about a bomb sent to a person attending the Umno supreme council meeting was traced to the man’s mobile phone.

The Shah Alam High Court this morning ruled that the detention of well-known blogger Raja Petra Kamarudin under the ISA was illegal and ordered his immediate release.

Judge Syed Ahmad Helmy Syed Ahmad said that Raja Petra's detention was unconstitutional.

He said the Home Minister had not followed proper procedure under Section 8 of the ISA to issue the detention order against Raja Petra.

The judge also ordered that Raja Petra, editor of the popular Malaysia Today website, be produced in court by 4pm today after which he should be immediately released.

Raja Petra is being held at the Kamunting detention camp in Perak.

Raja Petra's wife Marina Lee Abdullah who was present in court this morning expressed her gratitude to the court for ordering the release of her husband.

A handful of Raja Petra supporters were also present in the court.

The ruling by the court followed a habeas corpus application by Raja Petra's counsel seeking his release from detention under the security law.

The blogger was arrested on Sept 12 by police and held at an unknown location before he was sent to Kamunting on Sept 23.

Home Minister Syed Hamid Albar on Sept 22 had signed a detention order for him to be held under section 8(1) of the ISA. Under the Act, the initial two-year detention period without trial can be renewed indefinitely

Syed Hamid had at the time told reporters that he was satisfied with the reasons given by the police for the blogger's detention.

"The detention is due to Raja Petra's articles that ridiculed Islam which could arouse anger among Muslims," he had claimed.

"The police had recommended his detention and after going through the papers, we are satisfied that there are strong grounds for him to be further detained for two years (in Kamunting)."

According to his lawyer J Chandra, Raja Petra (left) was arrested for publishing articles on his news portal which allegedly tarnished the leadership of the country and insulted the sanctity of Islam.

The former newspaper columnist had earlier been charged with sedition and defamation after linking Deputy Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak and his wife to the sensational murder of a Mongolian national.

This was the second time that Raja Petra has been arrested under the ISA.

He had first been detained in 2001, at the height of the reformasi movement triggered by the sacking and jailing of former deputy premier and now Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim.

However, Raja Petra was released after 53 days in police custody, without being sent to Kamunting.