Malaysian top news headlines

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“The party must honour the peace plan, which includes provisions of not going on a witchhunt against any leaders who supported me in the state leadership tussle last year,” he told FMT today just before attending the PKR supreme council meeting this afternoon.

“There must be honour among men. There was a reason for the peace plan and let’s stick to it. We must show that we are leaders with principles and honour,” he said.

He also clarified that his statement yesterday that he understood the party had a procedure to follow did not mean he would accept any punishment meted out on his boys.

“While there are party procedures to follow, we must also ensure that details of the peace-plan are not forgotten,” he said.

The supreme council, to be chaired by Anwar, will decide on the next course of action to be taken against the Sabah 12 – labelled Jeffery’s dirty dozen – following a recommendation by the party’s disciplinary committee to suspend them for 12 months.

The 12 leaders have been subjected to disciplinary proceedings due to their role in setting up Parti Cinta Sabah last year.

The idea of the new party was mooted by some Sabah PKR leaders following a massive fallout between Jeffrey and fellow vice-president Azmin, which resulted in Jeffrey being replaced as the state chief.

However, under a peace plan inked on Dec 13 here, Jeffrey was made responsible for both Sabah and Sarawak and another person was put in charge of the state. Azmin was totally removed from the state lineup.

The peace deal also ensured that there will be no witchhunt against those who had allegedly plotted against the party at that time by aligning themselves with Jeffrey.

The suspension of the 12 would result in them playing no part in the coming party polls. Their backers have seen this development as an elaborate plan hatched by Azmin and his Sabah loyalists to cut off rivals from the party.

Jeffery: No compromise

Yesterday Anwar, during a visit to Sabah, said that disciplinary process must take place against the 12 as the party had little choice but to follow procedure and take action.

“Usually the party leadership will just endorse the recommendation … I hope the 12 will accept with open heart. This is a normal process. I request my colleagues not to complicate this matter,” Anwar said late yesterday.

“Let us give the 12 a chance. They can still appeal. I personally know some of them and I know their commitment is very strong. But we have to go through this process,” he added.

Jeffery today urged Anwar to make a decision that will not put the party under further turmoil, especially with party polls forthcoming.

“I am not compromising on this matter. We had a peace deal and we must make sure it is kept. The party cannot now decide to take action against the 12 by going against the peace deal,” he said.

Supporters of the 12 have also expressed disappointment with Anwar for claiming that the party took action against the 12 following the discovery of new evidence on the formation of Parti Cinta Sabah.

“This is a lie. Anwar knew about the application for the new party last December. He was aware of that when he agreed for the peace deal.

“We can only surmise that the action against the 12 is being taken to curtail the influence of Jeffrey and his supporters in Sabah so that their rivals can will party polls,” they said.

Popular blogger: What due process?

Meanwhile, in another development, popular blogger Haris Ibrahim said Anwar seemed to have decided on the guilt of the 12 by talking about them utilising the appeal process even before affirming the recommendation made by the disciplinary committee

“Party leadership meets today to decide whether to endorse the recommendation to suspend.

“However, given that Anwar’s already urging the 12 to utilise the process of appeal allowed for in the party constitution, does this suggest that the fate of the 12 has already been decided even before the party leadership meets today?” asked Haris in his latest blog posting.

He went on to question if this was the due process in PKR.

“If so, Anwar has no moral basis to complain about the treatment that is being meted out to him in our courts,” he added.

Haris also questioned Anwar’s remarks yesterday that “usually the party leadership will just endorse the recommendation (of the disciplinary committee)”.

The lawyer-cum-blogger asked why wasn’t this followed in the case of Zulkifli Noordin over his actions in disrupting the Bar Council forum in August 2008, and statements he made thereafter.

“The PKR disciplinary committee, headed by Deputy President Syed Husin Ali, it seems, had recommended that Zul be suspended from the party.

“Anwar, my source tells me, had decided not to give effect to that recommendation but to ‘deal with Zul,” he added.

Senior Hindraf activist, K Balakrishnan, 53, was detained at 11am when the police attempted to block a delegation marching to the Kinta Palace to hand over a petition on the freedom of religion to the Sultan Azlan of Perak.

It’s learnt that an argument occurred between the police and activists when almost 300 Hindraf activisits, who have gathered at the Royal Casuarina Hotel, some 150m from Kinta Palace, were told to disperse.

The activists, including Hindraf legal advisor Uthayakumar and involuntary conversion ‘victims’ S Banggarma, Rani and Regina, started to gather at the vicinity since 10am.

In the midst of the fierce argument, Balakrishnan, who is popularly known as Capt Bala, was handcuffed and whisked away by the police to the Ipoh city police headquarters.

Hindraf activists also accused the police of assaulting Balakrishnan wife, Shanti, during the commotion.

Earlier police blocked all access roads leading to Kinta Palace to prevent Hindraf activists from handing over the petition to Sultan Azlan.

Following a lengthy heated discussion, the police told Hindraf local leaders that only four activists would be allowed to handover the petition to the palace.

This offer was declined by the Hindraf leaders who wanted the whole delegation to be allowed access to the palace, failing which, for a palace official to be asked to come to meet the delegation.

Police reports against cop

When the police turned down this request, the activists then placed the petition on top of a police patrol car, seemingly requesting the police to submit the petition to the Perak ruler on their behalf.

However, a police officer, only known as Sergeant Major Jamal, took the petition and threw it to the ground.

In the ensuing argument between Jamal and Uthayakumar, the activists saw Jamal threatening the Hindraf leader.

“This is an out-leashing of police terror on a vulnerable rakyat. This is the bloody impunity of the police in Malaysia.

“They can do whatever they please because there has been no accountability for them,” said Perak Hindraf coordinator P Ramesh.

The situation was brought under control after police whisked away Jamal and took away the copy of the petition.

The activists then dispersed from the area and several of them lodged police reports against Jamal at the city police headquarters.

Bernama meanwhile reported that a man was detained for hurling abusive words at a senior policeman during the gathering.

Ipoh deputy police chief Supt Ibrahim Abu Bakar said in the 11.40am incident, the man had used abusive language against Ipoh Tarffic and Public Order chief DSP Rodzi Rejab.

Forum disrupted

Last night some 70 police personnel stopped Hindraf from holding a public forum following the opening of the organisation’s Ipoh service centre in Buntong by Uthayakumar.

Some 300 Hindraf activists attended the function.

Seeing the police harassment, Ramesh said the organisers decided to end the function fearing a possible police barge into the gathering, which included elderly people, women and children.

On positive note, Uthayakumar was impressed with the crowd’s defiance against police presence.

“There were times Indians would just disperse instantly upon seeing the police. But today (yesterday), they were defiant and ready to stand up for their rights,” said Uthayakumar, also the pro tem secretary-general of Human Rights Party.

If Namewee of the homemade cyber-hit videoNegarakuku is frustrated by the worsening racism in the country, he can hardly be blamed. First, his latest video aimed at highlighting growing polarization was itself accused of containing “racial slurs” by several Umno leaders including Puteri chief Rosnah Shirlin. Next, Information minister Rais Yatim warned of stern action.

So upset by the doublespeak that Umno leaders are perceived to be famous for, the 27-year old Namewee, whose full name is Wee Meng Chee, has challenged Rosnah to a public debate. His video had satirized a headmistress recently caught for allegedly making racist comments against her non-Malay students.

Rosnah Shirlin
“Based on the report I have read by Utusan Malaysia, I am truly saddened and in disbelief that I am now being accused of causing racial tension when all I was doing in my own way, was to defend the true constitution of the country and condemn those who do not respect our Prime Minister Najib’s hard work of building a 1Malaysia country,” Namewee wrote in an impassioned posting onhis blog.

“My name has been used on many incidents by politicians over the years. This time I am not going to let empty accusations with no basis in them being laid upon me again. I am only an individual with no political agenda or motives, who wishes to voice out his opinion against racism in this country.”

Classification of racism now up to Umno?

Namewee also said he has decided to pull the video off Youtube since he has already made his point “which is to stop racism in this country.”

http://namewee.blogspot.com/

He first hit notoriety at the age of 25 with a six-minute homemade rap video parodying the national anthem Negaraku in 2007. His lyrics, which touched on abuse of power, corruption and racial discrimination, sparked a furore and made him a household name. A year later, he again stepped on toes – this time with another video entitled ‘Teacher Hew’s Time’.

On Sunday, Bernama reported Rais as promising stern action against those who produced videos containing racial slurs. According to him, punishment could be effected under Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998 to prevent the abuse from becoming a habit.

Rais Yatim
“We should not regard this something ordinary. This is something most saddening. After all these years of independence, we should be more matured by now. What is the joy for us, for example, in belittling the national anthem or defacing the portrait of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong or producing a video which tarnishes our dignity as one nation under the 1Malaysia concept?”Rais replied when asked if he would act against Namewee.

But conspicuously, Rais made no mention at all about the headmistress alleged to have made the seditious comments to her pupils, sparking skepticism for Najib’s promise that his government would be able practise zero-tolerance towards racism.

“Najib has his work cut out if at all he was sincere in the first place. 1Malaysia and zero-tolerance will never work unless he gets rid of his own Umno people like Rais, Rosnah and even deputy premier Muhyiddin. They are just playing the fool with Najib. When he announces zero-tolerance, they straightaway start to ‘racialize’ racism. Who is racist and who is not will now depend on their classification,” a political analyst told Malaysia Chronicle.

Controversial artiste Wee Meng Chee (aka Namewee) has withdrawn his controversial new video that ruffled feathers this week, and is challenging his critic Puteri chief Rosnah Rashid Shirlin to an open debate.

namewee name wee 1malaysia film 160310“I like to find out from her, why is she attacking the victim (the Malaysian public) when the real perpetrators of this very issue have yet to be punished?” said Wee (left) in a press statement on his blog today.

“If the chief thinks that I have no respect and sense of responsibility for my own country, please accept my invitation to have an open public debate on this issue.

“Help us Malaysians define, how to become a good patriotic citizen of Malaysia; educate us please,” he said.

Wee is keen to defend himself in the public arena as he says, “Many accusations have been made upon me since 2007 … nobody seems to be defending for me in the political arena.

“My name has been used on many incidents by politicians over the years. This time I am not going to let empty accusations with no basis being laid upon me again.

“I am only an individual with no political agenda or motives, who wishes to voice out his opinion against racism in this country,” he said.

‘Video defends 1Malaysia’

Wee claims his motives for his latest satiric video criticising the recently reported ‘racist’ headmaster was a condemnation of racism, in defence of Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak’s 1Malaysia.

“Over the past few weeks, servants of the government under the education system have committed certain acts which disrupted the racial sentiments in the country, and like many of my fellow Malaysians, I felt saddened and at times angered by these black sheep who do not respect that Malaysia is a multi-racial country with freedom of religion,” he said.

“This video was about defending the constitution of the country because just like me, most Malaysians want nothing but peace and racial harmony,” he said.

He added that he believed that the education system had taught him to “have an open mind so that some day I can in turn, contribute my intellectual thoughts back to my beloved country”.

Therefore he justified his use of obscene language “blatantly as a form of communication”, pointing out that it did not mean he was “uneducated”.

“Vulgarity of content was chosen only with the objective of bringing forward my point of view … with more impact.

“Therefore, I believe it is more critical to highlight the subject matter instead of focusing on the choice of words.”

Zero tolerance

Wee was strongly critical of “a small group of politicians representing the government” who has accused him of “causing racial tension” when all he purports to be doing is enforcing the PM’s ‘Zero tolerance over racist remarks’.

namewee negarakuku police bukit perdana 230908 01“Based on the report I have read by Utusan Malaysia, I am truly saddened and in disbelief that I am now being accused of causing racial tension … when all I was doing in my own way, was to defend the true constitution of the country and condemn those who do not respect our Prime Minister (Najib’s) hard work of building a 1Malaysia country.”

Wee says he has pulled the video off Youtube in respect of the PM, and since he has already made his point, “which is to STOP RACISM in this country.”

Wee first hit notoriety at the age of 25 with a six-minute homemade rap video parodying the national anthem in 2007.

The video called ‘Negarakuku’ had caused a furore with its lyrics that touched on police abuse of power, corruption, racial discrimination and other matters.

He stepped on toes again in 2008 with his music video ‘Teacher Hew’s Time’.

courtesy of Malaysiakini

Some 800,000 people joined in Zurich’s techno Street Parade Saturday, organisers said, as city police mobilised to monitor the crowd after the deadly techno event in Germany last month.

Fans started marching early afternoon (1200 GMT) to the beat of booming electronic music, following some 30 floats through the streets of Switzerland’s economic capital.

City police told AFP by early evening that the event was generally calm even though there were “many cases of people drunk or under the influence of drugs.”

Two people suffered head injuries and had to be hospitalised, police said.

Authorities were concerned about the techno event after panic broke out in the tunnel entrance to the Love Parade in Duisbourg, Germany, on July 24 causing a stampede that left 21 people dead and more than 500 injured.

The marchers in Zurich’s parade, some dressed as Superman and Hello Kitty or in goth style, gathered on the banks of Zurich’s lake and observed a minute of silence to remember the victims of the German techno party.

Around the lake there were seven stages where DJs presented concerts and the crowds danced to the music.

The Street Parade is considered the world’s biggest techno-party, which has taken place each year in Zurich since 1992.