08/12: Hindraf an extremist group and threat to national security, says Najib

The Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf) is an extremist group whose actions have gone overboard to the extent of threatening national security, Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said today.

“Hindraf has exceeded the limits, many people say Hindraf has gone beyond the tolerable limit... they have violated the law,” the Deputy Prime Minister said.

He, however, said the government is leaving it to the relevant authorities to take appropriate action as provided for under the law against Hindraf leaders and supporters.

“If there is any evidence that Hindraf is involved in violence and terrorism, the government will not hesitate to take harsh action,” he told a press conference on the final day of the five-day Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace 2007 Exhibition.

Najib said the warning was not only confined to Hindraf but also to all extremist groups, be they Islamic, Christian or Hindu religious groups.

“Anyone involved in activities linked to violence and terrorism must accept that action can be taken against them just like other extremist groups.

“Hindraf is no different than other groups. “I am not saying Hindraf is a terrorist movement but if it has links with terrorist organisations, then I suggest the same legal action be taken (similar to what has been taken against other terrorist and militant organisations),” he added.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Bahawi yesterday ordered the police to closely monitor Hindraf’s activities including its links with international terrorist movements.

Abdullah, who is also Internal Security Minister, issued the order following the revelation by Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Musa Hassan that there were signs of Hindraf trying to seek support from terrorist groups.

Musa had said besides attempting to solicit help and support from foreign countries and terrorist movements, Hindrau had also set up a fund to finance their activities.

Hindraf leaders and supporters had condemned the government, alleging that the Malaysian government was carrying out ethnic cleansing on the Indians in the country during the Nov 25 street protest in Kuala Lumpur.

08/12: Hindraf heads with ties to terrorists to be watched

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and his wife Datin Seri Jeanne Abdullah at the meet-the-people session in Segamat yesterday.

BATU PAHAT: The prime minister has instructed the police to monitor Hindu Rights Action Force leaders and followers who may have links to terrorist groups.

Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said should their action threaten national security, the Internal Security Act could be used.

He said he was aware of Hindraf canvassing for support and help from terrorist groups and local gangsters.

"I was informed. My instructions to the police is that the group should be monitored. ISA is an option. I will decide when the time is right. If they are deemed (as a threat to national security) we will know what to do."

Earlier in Segamat at a meet-the-people session attended by 3,000 people, Abdullah said he was puzzled by the actions of certain groups who are bent on berating their own country.

"They tell lies and accuse the government of cruelty and ethnic cleansing."

He said the absurd and extreme actions of Hindraf had caused outsiders who knew nothing about Malaysia to believe those claims.

"Those who are not in the know may be taken in," he said, adding that the government practised power sharing to ensure there was peace and harmony in the country.

"This government has the support of the people. It has policies and implements plans for the benefit of the people. It allocates funds and has the machinery to implement those programmes.

"These are important elements that a government must have to develop the nation and its people."

He called on the people to safeguard the political stability and peace they had been enjoying all this time.

He said the government would always listen to the people when implementing development programmes, including consulting village development and security committees, farmers' organisations, fishermen's association and non-governmental organisations.

He also called on the people to be thrifty, spend wisely and to make provisions for their children's education.

07/12: DEMOCRACY IN ASIA: Malaysia scores big in Gallup International poll

Survey shows Malaysians have full faith in free, fair elections* 74% of Malaysians feel that elections in the country are free and fair* 69% feel that the people are well-represented by the governmentThat's the highest in the region, where an average 53% of the people believe that elections in their country are neither free nor fair, and nearly 61% do not feel that their government follows the will of the people.

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysians are the most confident in Asia of their country’s free and fair elections, and outrank most of the region in their faith in democracy, according to an international poll.

A new global survey, Voice of the People, conducted by TNS and Gallup International, found three-quarters of Malaysians answered yes to whether “elections in your country are free and fair", the highest among 10 nations in Asia, and exceeding by far the 47 per cent world average.

TNS is a global market insight and information group with offices in more than 70 countries. Gallup International is the renowned polling outfit based in Zurich.

The survey, which included a study on democracy in Asia, was done between June and August this year and involved more than 60,000 people in 57 countries excluding China. The results were released yesterday.

With a sample size of 1,250 Malaysians, 74 per cent felt that elections in this country were legitimate and 69 per cent believed that government was by the will of the people.

The sample was selected from urban areas in the peninsula and respondents were interviewed face-to-face.

“This belief in the transparency of elections is in contrast to the sentiment expressed by more than half of respondents across the region who do not consider their country’s election process to be so impartial,” TNS and Gallup said in a statement.

At the other end of the scale, only 16 per cent in Pakistan believed their elections were free and fair. The others were: India (55 per cent), Hong Kong (51 per cent), Indonesia (58 per cent), Japan (50 per cent), Korea (55 per cent), the Philippines (22 per cent) and Singapore (68 per cent).

The survey also showed that an average of 53 per cent in the region believed elections in their countries were neither free nor fair and 61 per cent did not feel their government followed the will of the people when it came to making decisions.

Around the region nearly eight out of 10 people surveyed (78 per cent) agreed with the idea that democracy might have problems but it is still the best system of government.

In Malaysia, 85 per cent believed democracy was best, more than any other country except Indonesia (89 per cent) and Vietnam (86 per cent). The rest all scored above 75 per cent.

Satisfaction in democracy overall was also prevalent in the region. An average of seven in 10 interviewees (73 per cent) declared themselves to be content.

About 88 per cent in Malaysia were satisfied with democracy, a higher proportion than the bedrock of Asian democracy, India, with 79 per cent. The others were: Hong Kong (71 per cent), Indonesia (69 per cent), Japan (79 per cent), Korea (75 per cent), Pakistan (66 per cent), the Philippines (63 per cent), Singapore (81 per cent) and Vietnam (89 per cent).

Globally, 79 per cent of the people surveyed believed democracy was the best system and 69 per cent were satisfied with democracy.

07/12: Nazri defends Zaki's appointment

KUALA LUMPUR (Dec 6, 2007): Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Mohd Nazri Abdul Aziz defended the fast track elevation of Federal Court Judge Tan Sri Zaki Tun Azmi as the Court of Appeal President.
He said Zaki, who was appointed to the position within three months after being made a judge, is not something new.

This was because former Chief Justice of Malaya Tun Mohamed Dzaiddin Abdullah went up in similar fashion, said Nazri to reporters in Parliament lobby today.

"Are there any laws against doing that (fast tracking judges elevation)?" he asked.

To a question that the fast track elevation of the former Umno Disciplinary (Technical) Committee chairman over other more established judges would prove to be controversial, Nazri said: "The matter should be (the) concern of the judges (judiciary) and not the public."

On Zaki’s past association with Umno, Nazri said his association was in relation to the disciplinary committee proceedings and responsibility in the Barisan Nasional component party.

"He was never a state executive, elected representative or even a division head or an Umno branch head for the matter of fact," Nazri said.

Nazri added that Zaki was roped into helping Umno based on his past performance as a lawyer and his integrity as a person.

DAP chairman Karpal Singh said the appointment of Zaki has caused apprehension among lawyers in the country.

He said this apprehension comes from the fact that Zaki was a legal adviser of Umno and headed the party’s disciplinary before the appointment.

Karpal, himself a senior lawyer, said the appointment should have been made based on the seniority of judges.

"There will always be a shadow of doubt whether there will be independence (when it comes to Zaki) due to his close association with Umno," he said, adding Zaki should prove that his decisions would not be influenced by Umno.

On Datuk Abdul Hamid Mohamed being confirmed as the new Chief Justice, Karpal welcomed the move, adding that the country’s new top judge has inherited a judiciary which is in crisis. "I believe Hamid can restore public confidence on judiciary."

IPCMC bill may be delayed again

KUALA LUMPUR (Dec 6, 2007): The bill on the Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission (IPCMC) may not be tabled in the current Parliament sitting, said Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Mohd Nazri Abdul Aziz.

He said though the draft bill to set up the commission is before the cabinet and it was discussed at the weekly meeting yesterday, there has yet to be a conclusive decision by the ministers for it to be tabled in the current sitting.

"Some points have been raised (by cabinet ministers) which needs some clarification," he told reporters in Parliament lobby.

New Istana Negara costs RM650m

KUALA LUMPUR (Dec 6, 2007): The new Istana Negara Complex on Jalan Duta costs RM650 million, inclusive of additional work, Deputy Works Minister Datuk Mohd Zin Mohamed told the Dewan Rakyat.

He said the change was because the original estimates did not take into account the cost of earth works, road construction, flyover, palace workers' quarters and basement car park.

The palace is also equipped with the state-of-the-art security systems," he said during question time.

Mohd Zin said the government decided that additional works were necessary for guests and visitors' comfort.

07/12: Police say Hindraf seeking help, support from terrorist groups

Posted By: The Sun


KUALA LUMPUR (Dec 6, 2007): Police intelligence reports have revealed that the Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf) is seeking assistance and support from terrorist groups to realise their goals.

Secretary of the police force SAC II Azian Yahya said in a statement today Hindraf was also hoodwinking the public to contribute to a fund to finance their activities.

He said police had carried out survelliances on the unregistered group comprising five lawyers and a senior executive of a private company since late July.

He said the findings showed that the group had incited racial sentiments among Malaysian Indians through the distribution of publications, the internet, SMSes and other forums which led to hatred and retaliation against the government.

Azian said the group's actions could trigger a racial clash in the country.

He said the group was also planning to use gangsters to obstruct the authorities who bulldoze illegally erected temples but the latest information police received was Hindraf's alleged link to terrorist groups.

He added that Hindraf had fleeced Indians who turned up at their illegal rally on Nov 25 when they did not hand over a petition to the British High Commission although they were given the opportunity to do so by the police.

"This shows that their real intention was to trigger chaos in the city.They also twisted the facts and blamed the police for acting brutally on their supporters."

He said such a situation was worrying for a multi-racial nation and police view the group's activities very seriously and will not hesitate to take action.

"I advice the public not to be influenced by malicious rumours spread through the internet and SMSes by irresponsible parties as it can worsen the situation.

Anyone spreading such rumours can be be held under the Internal Security Act (ISA) or they may face imprisonment up to three years and a fine of RM10,000."

06/12: Cops probing 5 cases of slanderous bloggers

Fu: Cops probing 5 cases of slanderous bloggers
B.Suresh Ram

KUALA LUMPUR (Dec 5, 2007): Five cases of slanderous contents involving blogs managed by locals are currently being investigated by the police, said Internal Security Deputy Minister, Datuk Fu Ah Kiow.

He said to date only one arrest had been made involving seditious articles in blogs and the investigation in the case is in the final stages.

"The police are looking at whether to proceed with prosecution or not in this case, involving Nathaniel Tan over a posting in his website Jelas.info." he said in reply to a supplementary question from Raime Unggi (BN-Tenom) in the Dewan Rakyat (Parliament) today.

The other cases investigated involved a private company director over a seditious posting in his company website, Dr Ng Seng over a posting on the Prime Minister Department’s website, Wee Meng Chee on his NegaraKuku posting in YouTube and an email containing seditious material involving racial sentiments.

Earlier, to an original question from Raime, Fu said any action on blogs or bloggers is limited to sites which have extreme seditious contents and which have the potential to affect the country’s peace," he said.

Fu said the limitation was due to the huge number of websites and blogs. "The government also did not want to impede people’s freedom of speech."

"We cannot breach our pledge under the Bill of Guarantee launched for the Multimedia Super Corridor," he said.

Fu added that if any was blogger found to have misused blogs to spread slander and twist facts can be charged under the Sedition Act 1948, Penal Code and the Communication and Multimedia Act 1998.

He said the Cyber and Multimedia Criminal Investigations Unit had been set up under the police Commercial Crime Division to monitor new developments in the internet.

The monitoring focused on blogs and discussion forums, he said, adding that despite the establishment of the unit, there is still difficulty in identifying the wrongdoers.

"There are several reasons … they do not use their own name and the server host is located abroad," Fu said.

To a supplementary question from Datuk Kamaruddin Jaafar (BN-Tumpat) that the government could avoid such slanderous comments and information being put up in the internet, Fu said the government at all times is transparent in the administration.

"However, there are information that are related to internal security and national security which could not be made public," he said.

06/12: The tried and tested route of history

Posted By: Raja Petra Kamarudin


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

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

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

And that time is now. But before that, read this e-mail which has been making its rounds in an attempt to stir up Malay nationalism and Islamic sentiments:

ANWAR IBRAHIM - HINDRAF No. 1 FAN

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

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

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

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

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

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

Anwar - the future Hindraf Prime Minister

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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

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

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

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

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

And with that religious decree by the Mufti of the State of Sabah, this brings into focus that giant statue in the Batu Caves which comes under the jurisdiction of Khir Toyo, the same Menteri Besar who ordered the demolition of that Hindu temple in Shah Alam and which triggered the HINDRAF rally of 25 November.
In another incident last week, an Umno Member of Parliament asked that all Christian crosses and statues at missionary schools be removed. Going by what the Mufti of Sabah has decreed, the Umno Member of Parliament was not out of line. But why are they suddenly making this move against Hindu temples, Buddhist statues and Christian religious symbols? Surely Umno is not on self-destruct mode because they must know that the non-Muslims would rise up in anger. Or are they supposed to rise up in anger like in 1969 so that the Malays would become united again, like in 1969?

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

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

ADDENDUMS

06/12: Hindraf’s allegations untrue, says Karpal

The Star

Allegations by the Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf) that the Government was carrying out ethnic cleansing and had committed atrocities against Indians in Malaysia are baseless and untrue, said lawyer Karpal Singh.

He said he felt surprised that Hindraf leaders would make such charges and hoped that they would be more responsible when uttering such statements.

He said the manner in which Hindraf's rally on Nov 25 was carried out was not right.

Karpal Singh said the problems of the Indians had not properly been addressed but that the protest gathering had not been properly organised and that “there should not have been any violence involved.”

The DAP national chairman and Bukit Glugor MP, however, said that the DAP was supportive of peaceful demonstrations and questioned the need for permits.

Opposition Leader Lim Kit Siang (DAP – Ipoh Timur) said at a press conference at the Parliament lobby yesterday that the Cabinet should set up a special task force headed by the Prime Minister to resolve the problems faced by the Indians.

“The Cabinet should come out with a new policy for a new deal to end this,” he said.

“The number of Indians in the civil service has also plunged in the past 34 years, from 17.4% in 1971 to 5.12% in 2005,” he added.

05/12: Bersih next demonstration on Dec 11

Saadon Aksah/ES
Harakah English Section

Coalition for a free and fair election (Bersih) is planning a second demonstration in front of Parliament here on Dec 11, to protest against a Constitutional amendment done "in haste".

Bersih steering committee secretary Faisal Mustaffa expects thousands of participants wearing yellow T-shirts to congregate in front of the building where lawmakers will be considering amending the Constitution that provided for the extension of Election Commission (EC) chairman Tan Sri Abdul Rashid Abdul Rahman's tenure for another year.

The Constitution currently require EC members to retire when reaching the mandatory age of 65 but their term might be extended for another six months by the consent of His Majesty Yang di-Pertuan Agong.

Many quarters had accused the government of introducing the amendment to give the EC chairman a lifeline to serve for another year, in the event that the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, the King did not consent the extension.

The amendment is expected to be tabled for the second reading on that day.

Faisal said participants are expected to congregate at about 11am but said that there would not be a march involved this time compared to the demonstration on Nov 10, when participants assembled and marched to the National Palace with their demands for a free and fair elections.

05/12: Bar Council calls off 'People's Freedom Walk'

Pauline Puah
The Sun

The Bar Council has called off its "People's Freedom Walk", in view of the "unfortunate and wholly unwarranted" controversy surrounding the event.

"The Bar Council has given anxious consideration to the present circumstances that surround this event, particularly the interests of the public and the Malaysian Bar. In consequence, the Bar Council has decided to cancel the walk from Sogo to Central Market," its chairwoman Ambiga Sreenevasan said in a press statement today.

She said the controversy surrounding the walk was "unfortunate and wholly unwarranted" and that the walk "ought not to be embroiled in controversy".

"Most significantly, it should not be vilified as affecting race relations or be regarded as an anti-government rally," she said.

"We are mindful that many will be disappointed at the cancellation of the walk, but other more significant considerations have prevailed on this occasion."

The walk was part of the Bar Council’s Festival of Rights on Dec 9, organised in conjunction with International Human Rights Day on Dec 10.

Ambiga said while the walk has been called off, the activities in Central Market – such as a lip-reading session of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, stage performances by the Orang Asli and others, and a colouring competition for children – will proceed as planned.

On Sunday (Dec 2), Information Minister Datuk Seri Zainuddin Maidin said street protests should not be held as they would stir up uneasiness among the people and harm racial unity. Commenting on the Bar Council’s walk, he told Bernama that street rallies, regardless of what reasons were given, should not be permitted.

His comment came in the wake of two rallies held in Kuala Lumpur without police permits – by the Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections on Nov 10 and Hindu Rights Action Force on Nov 25 – where the police used water cannon and tear gas to disperse the crowd.

Other ministers, including Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, had also criticised the rallies. Abdullah said that if necessary, the government will use the Internal Security Act against street demonstrators who threaten national security and disrupt racial harmony.

Zainuddin questioned the Bar Council’s motive for organising the walk. "Any form of street rallies for whatever reasons should not be allowed now as they will only tarnish the nation’s image in the eyes of the international community.

"I believe the Bar Council’s intention to hold the ‘People’s Freedom Walk’ is to condemn the government under the guise of human rights," he said.

He also criticised theSun for publishing a report on the walk, saying the report promoted the event and that the daily was not bothered about racial unity.

In her statement, Ambiga said the Bar Council had held events in the past two years to commemorate International Human Rights Day. "It is a celebration of human rights, and the Malaysian Bar supports the International Human Rights Day as symbolic of the universality of human rights," she said.

She also said the walk would have demonstrated racial harmony and – as has been demonstrated before – that the people can walk peaceably in unity for human rights the world over.

"It would have been an opportunity for the authorities to show to the world that we subscribe to these values," she said. "It is a missed opportunity."

Ambiga said the Bar Council also took the position that the requirement for a police permit, under the Police Act, to hold the event would be a violation of the people's constitutional right to peaceful assembly.

"In fact, the Royal Commission on the Police Force and Suhakam (Human Rights Commission of Malaysia) have said as much, and have called for a repeal of this law, as has the Bar Council.

"The police had asked for the Bar Council to apply for a permit for their consideration for the walk. Apart from the circumstances that we have taken into account, we believe this is an unlawful fetter on our constitutional right to assemble peacefully," she said.

04/12: Hindraf unqualified to meet with PM, says Zainuddin

(Bernama) -- The group calling itself the Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf) is unqualified to meet with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi to discuss the problems of the Indian community because the organisation is not recognised by anyone, Information Minister Datuk Seri Zainuddin Maidin said today.

"It would be unbefitting a prime minister to meet with a discredited organisation which had stooped to the level of street thugs and violated the laws of the country," he told reporters after a visit to the media centre at the Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace (LIMA) 2007 exhibition, here.

He also said that it would be inappropriate for the prime minister to meet with a group which had sparked off chaos and resorted to violence to threaten the government.

Zainuddin said any effort to meet with the country's leaders to express any dissatisfaction should have been made before Hindraf acted to organise the illegal rally and not after.

Thousands of Hindraf sympathisers joined an illegal rally on Nov 25 in Kuala Lumpur to support what they claimed was the handing over of a petition to the British High Commission asking Queen Elizabeth II to appoint a Queen's counsel to represent the Indian community in a class action suit against the British government for bringing Indians as indentured labourers to then Malaya in the 1800s and exploiting them.

Hindraf is seeking a four trillion pound sterling (RM27.7 trillion) compensation through the suit filed in London claiming that the British were to blame for the alleged marginalisation of the Indians in Malaysia.

Zainuddin said Malaysia had representatives and leaders from various communities, and the government recognised the MIC as the political party championing the cause of the Indian community in the country.

He said the Indian community, via the MIC since the era of Tun V.T. Sambanthan, had collaborated to gain independence for the country and that the community should accord respect for the MIC as well as Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu who was its current leader.

Zainuddin said the Indians had achieved much progress compared with the time before independence when they came to the country as plantation workers, adding that many of them were now professionals -- including even those who supported Hindraf.

"We also regret the action of certain quarters who have taken advantage of the situation to allege that the president of India and the chief minister of Tamil Nadu supported the Hindraf action," he said.

A Hindraf leader, P.Uthayakumar, had told Bernama yesterday that the organisation wanted to have a meeting with the prime minister to raise the problems confronting the Indian community in the country.

Last Friday, Abdullah described as harsh a claim by Hindraf that the government was involved in ethnic cleansing of Indians in the country.

04/12: Someone planned recent rallies and street demos

By KAREN CHAPMAN
The Star

There must be a link between the rallies and street demonstrations happening recently, said Umno Youth chief Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein.

The frequency of such recent events was too much of a coincidence, he said.

“We didn’t see any of this before and all of a sudden, in a space of two months, there was the incident in Terengganu, Putrajaya, Istana Negara and Dataran Merdeka,” he told reporters after opening a convention on the National Education Blueprint 2006-2010 at Institut Aminuddin Baki.

It could have been a coincidence if it were a one-off case but somehow more rallies were being planned, he added.

“There must be somebody planning something behind the scenes,” he said.

Hishammuddin said the opposition should make a stand.

“It’s very easy for one party to address its own constituents, to address only one race and promise the world to them, but when you ask them to make a stand which involves the future of the country which is multiracial, they are not able to so.

“That is the difference between the opposition and Barisan Nasional,” he said.

He was commenting on the Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf) issue.

“I think we have to dig deep to find out who is behind all this,” he said.

04/12: Street protests will only harm racial unity, says Zainuddin

The Sun

Information Minister Datuk Seri Zainuddin Maidin said street protests should not be held as they will stir up uneasiness among the people and harm racial unity in the country.

He told Bernama yesterday that street rallies, regardless of what reasons were given, should not be permitted.

He was commenting on the Bar Council’s plan to organise a "People’s Freedom Walk" on Dec 9 in conjunction with World Human Rights Day on Dec 10.

According to news reports, Bar Council chairwoman Ambiga Sreneevasan had said they had met the police on Friday to discuss how best to organise the Human Rights Day march.

She said it would be a peaceful march and part of the Festival of Rights to commemorate Human Rights Day.

In the Bernama report, Zainuddin questioned the Bar Council’s real motive to organise the walk, which according to him was "only a front under the guise of human rights".

"Any form of street rallies for whatever reasons should not be allowed now as they will only tarnish the nation’s image in the eyes of the international community.

"I believe the Bar Council’s intention to hold the ‘People’s Freedom Walk’ is to condemn the government under the guise of human rights," he said.

"Solutions cannot be found to human rights issues merely by staging street protests. Moreover, such protests will only worsen the current situation in the country," he added.

Zainuddin said the two street rallies held in Kuala Lumpur last month – organised by the Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections and the Hindu Rights Action Force – had only created adverse effects and aroused the people’s anger.

He also criticised theSun for publishing a report on the "Walk", saying the report promoted the event and that the daily was not bothered about racial unity.

The report on Nov 29 quoted the Bar Council’s human rights committee chairman Edmund Bon, who provided details on the time and venue to gather for the walk and encouraged the people to bring along banners on human rights issues.

04/12: Man behind Indians' protest stirs up mixed feelings

Many regard lawyer as a maverick, but they also sympathise with his causes

By Carolyn Hong, Malaysia Bureau Chief
The Straits Times


CONTROVERSIAL FIGURE: Hindraf chief P. Uthayakumar (right) has tapped into the discontent felt by Indians. -- PHOTO: AFP

LAWYER P. Uthayakumar, who recently roused thousands of Indians to take to the streets in a protest against their plight, is a man who stirs up a lot of mixed feelings.

He speaks like a machine gun going off, is confrontational and has the lawyerly knack of hammering home his points through repetition.

The 46-year-old is louder than some of the most strident pressure groups.

And he has turned off some Malaysians, especially the elite, who view him suspiciously as a maverick or even a publicity hound.

Yet even they have sympathy for the issues that he articulates. And the Indian march that he led on Nov 25 shows how his message has resonated with the working class.

'A lot of people do not like the way he does things, and it does affect his credibility, but it gets the message out,' said human rights lawyer Edmund Bon.

Mr Uthayakumar, who is unmarried, is a key leader of the Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf), a previously little-known organisation.

He grew up in rural Kelantan, the son of a locomotive driver and a housewife.

His younger brother, Mr P. Waytha Moorthy, is chairman of Hindraf. Mr Uthayakumar said his elder brother and three sisters are supportive of his campaign and turned up for the mass rally in Kuala Lumpur.

Hindraf became a household name after it led thousands of Indians in the Nov 25 march that drew the attention of the international media.

The New Straits Times has described its plan to hand over a petition to the British government asking for financial compensation as a 'quixotic mission'.

It is precisely this sort of mission that has led some to question Mr Uthayakumar's credibility and purpose, as do his charges of the 'mini genocide' of ethnic Indians.

In 2004 he sought political asylum in London, claiming that police were harassing him over his work on deaths in police custody.

When he ran his Police Watch and Human Rights Committee to demand action on deaths in custody, mostly of Indians, it was as high-profile as Hindraf is now.

Hindraf emerged about two years ago when Mr Uthayakumar switched focus to the demolition of Hindu temples built without permission and the struggles of the Indian community.

He was quoted by The New Paper yesterday as saying that Hindraf's protests were inspired by the monks in Myanmar, and included some who 'were prepared to die for their cause'.

'I've shown slides of monks getting shot and killed during my road shows, and I think it struck a chord with the people,' he said.

Asked whether he was inspiring his followers to turn to violence, he replied: 'I think it's quite unlikely we'll head down that path towards a civil war, but there's always the possibility. Some of the uneducated may resort to violence.'

Indians form about 8 per cent of Malaysia's population, but only up to a third of them are well-off. The rest, mostly Tamils, live on the margins with little access to good education.

'He is very much issue-oriented, and these are matters that are very important to the Indians,' said Mr M. Kulasegaran, an opposition MP.

Mr Uthayakumar told The Straits Times he has been researching on these issues since he opened his law firm in 1994, and half his income has gone to his causes.

He claims his work is funded by donations from working-class Indians.

That thousands of Indians - traditionally a safe voter base for the governing party - are challenging the authorities must be a cause of worry for the government.

But it is unlikely to cost it many seats because Indian voters are a minority and Hindraf's confrontational stance repels many would-be supporters.

It would, however, be a blow to the ruling Barisan Nasional coalition if its popular vote were to be hit.

What Hindraf wants
HINDRAF has issued a long list of demands to the government, the latest coming last Saturday.

Original demands

Compensation of £1 million (S$3 million) from the British government for each of Malaysia's nearly two million Indians.

Halt temple demolitions. Those demolished to get RM10 million (S$4.3m) compensation each.

Equal rights in education and employment.

More aid to 523 Tamil primary schools.

New demands

A meeting with Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi by Sunday.

A new committee to look into Indian grouses.

Release of Indians held without trial in a notorious Johor jail.

Appointment of a non-Malay to a new post of second deputy prime minister.

Finance minister's post to be filled by a Chinese.

20 per cent of top posts in government and private sector for Indians for the next 15 years.

A minimum of 20 opposition MPs to be elected by the Indian community.

03/12 No conditions must be attached if PM meets Hindraf, says Nazri

By The Sun

KUALA LUMPUR (Dec 3, 2007): If there is going to be any meeting between the Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf) and Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, it must be done without any conditions and in a mutually-agreed manner, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz said.
Otherwise, he said, Hindraf would be seen to be giving an ultimatum to the government, and the government will not bow to this.

While stressing that he was only giving his personal opinion, he also said that should the prime minister agree to meet the group, it must be with the presence of the MIC.

"Otherwise, we may be interpreted as having lost confidence in the MIC in handling Indian issues. These are just my thoughts. The PM will have the last say.

"But, in my opinion, any meeting should not leave out the MIC because it has always been our partner for the last 50 years with regards to matters relating to the Indians," he said in Parliament lobby today , after the opening of the Asean Inter-Parliamentary Caucus for Good Governance.

Yesterday, Hindraf called for a dialogue with Abdullah to discuss the social and economic problems faced by the Indians. This was following an illegal rally staged by Hindraf in Kuala Lumpur on Nov 25, to voice concerns on the issues faced by the community. At least 94 people have been charged for allegedly being involved in the illegal assembly.

Asked why the government did not allow peaceful demonstrations, Mohamed Nazri said there were historical reasons for this, citing the May 13, 1969, incident when demonstrations led to racial riots.

"There is no point talking about rule of law when many lives have been sacrificed," he said.

He added that in multi-racial Malaysia, some of the issues raised by certain groups may be interpreted as challenges to other groups.

He also said the government was responsible for ensuring the country remained peaceful and stable.

"If we do know a demonstration can lead to something which may be explosive and violent, [but we still allow it], if anything happens later, the buck stops at the government. People will ask, ‘Why did you allow it when you know it was bound to happen?’

"I have respect for human rights but I am prepared to withdraw the human rights of three or four people in order to protect the human rights of the majority," he said, adding that the Nov 25 demonstration was instigated by a few people and that the majority of the Indians were happy with the government.

Asked to comment on Hindraf legal adviser P. Uthayakumar’s remark that Hindraf had resorted to the rally because it had exhausted all avenues to overcome the community’s problems, Mohamed Nazri said it was not a valid claim.

"Whatever you do, you cannot have it your way all the time," he said.

He advised Hindraf supporters to work with the government or register the group as a political party to face the ruling government in the general election.

On Hindraf’s request for a special committee and hotline at the Prime Minister’s Office to respond to issues concerning the Indian community, Mohamed Nazri said: "This is a government which listens but it must be done in a proper way."

Asked to comment on Hindraf’s complaint about the demolition of temples, he said he agreed it was insensitive of the officials in Selangor to tear down the temples on the eve of Deepavali.

"I agree that was stupid of the officials not to be considerate in sensitive matters like this. It could have been done in a better way if we had just waited a few more days and let the Hindus celebrate Deepavali.

"[But] I do not think the Mentri Besar [Datuk Seri Dr Mohamad Khir Toyo] has a personal vendetta against the Hindus. I think, we put it to experience, which he probably lacks. I agree that matters touching on religious issues should be handled more cautiously and not be done in a wanton way according to one’s whims and fancies," he said.

He added that the public must understand that the relocation of temples or surau on government land was common in the process of development.

03/12: MARAH: Malay Rights Action Hoard

Dear Raja Petra,

The Hindu Rights Action Force (HINDRAF) was reported in the media as having filed a class-action suit in London against the British government for bringing in Indians to Malaysia as indentured labourers and exploiting them for 150 years, and failing to protect their rights under the Federal Constitution. It is seeking sterling pound 4 trillion (RM27.2 trillion), or RM1 million per Indian in Malaysia, less legal costs.

Wow! RM1 million per person! The MIC President was even quoted as saying he himself was tempted to join in the rally on Sunday, 25 November 2007, which police has deemed an illegal gathering.

Since the Chinese always look for an opportunity in a crisis (the character has the two-fold meaning), why don’t the Malays now form a Malay Rights Action Hoard (MARAH) and file a class action suit against the British government for, inter alia:

1. Forcing their Raja-raja Melayu to listen to the advice of the British residents.

2. Flooding the country with immigrant labour without asking for the royal’s consent.

3. Not giving a chance for the Malays then to develop mercantile skills (monopolized by the Chinese immigrants; this is the seed of our never-ending debate on whether to continue the NEP or not) or work hard and develop strong labour practices (monopolised by the Indian immigrants) thus keeping them idle watching the immigrants work while they lepak in the istana and padi fields, hence creating and perpetuating the myth of the lazy natives (read the late Prof Syed Hussein al Attas eponymous treatise debunking this myth).

4. Taking away their getah and selling them back at inflated value-added prices with English-sounding names like Dunlop (but our maruah was saved by the historic dawn raid on Guthrie when Londoners were caught with their pants down by smart Melayu like Tun Ismail Md Ali and a certain ex-CEO of PNB/Guthrie who is still in the news many decades on, yellow-robed this time).

5. Taking away their timah and selling them back at inflated value-added prices as containers with English-sounding names like:

Milo (pronounced mai low) and Ovaltine (pronounced O valtin: omit the ‘e’). The song/film Tipah Tertipu should be re titled Timah Tertipu.

6. Taking away their mother tongue and replacing it with a strange language that does not make sense to the logical Malay mind; such words as ‘buffet’ (bufey, not buffet), ‘chalet’(cheley, not chalet), ‘vogue’ (vog, not vogiu), ‘ferro roche’ (fero roshey, not leceh), ‘quay’ (pronounced key, not kueh), ‘hors de ouvre’ (ordev, not horse di uver), ‘malaise’(malay, not malais, which is derogative-sounding ), ‘UMNO’ (arm no, not umno). Many Malays still suffer from this colonial infection in their mind when they think in English despite being very Melayu.

7. And causing a 21st century quarrel between erstwhile peaceful neighbours when owing to a difference in semantics, Singapore claims Pedra Branca and Malaysia claims Pulau Batu Putih, a rocky outcrop not big enough to build a squash court for Nicol David: all because the British then did not properly record their agreement to just operate a lighthouse in 1851, leaving it all to the poor Temenggong who could not find his ayam piru to pluck the feather and make a pen to write the agreement with (Singapore argues that PBP was ‘terra nullius’ or no man’s land at the time the British built the lighthouse, conveniently ignoring the Johor-Riau empire a few kilometers away and adopting the same argument used once by conquistadores Cortez in Mexico and Pizarro in Peru when they ignored the Inca and Maya civilizations then in their quest for gold).

It is because of the British too, not Malaysians, that we are now stuck with the dilemma of using English for teaching Maths and Science, and are still quarrelling about it 50 years after Independence when other countries like India have mastered their colonial master’s language so well that even American kids are learning tuition online from English-speaking Indians, as noted by T. Friedman in his excellent book on the benefits of globalisation, ‘The Lexus and the Olive Tree’.

Sterling pound 40 trillion would do justice as it would enable every Malay to stop working, keep their money in Tabung Haji, even stop politicking (no need to make money this way anymore) and go for haji every year (even consider polygamous unions, if they like).

Oh yes, to add another prayer to the statement of claim:

* For setting up that little Etonish institution in the State of Perak that turned once-humble budak kampong into pouting, bragging, swaggering brown sahibs who look condescendingly at their less-endowed counterparts across the street, in Ipoh, and in other hostels across the land..... (they are still pouting, bragging, swaggering and looking condescendingly, whether in the government or opposition, way past their biological prime, but still very much in charge of the affairs of the land left behind by their colonial masters, exuding manliness in the wisdom that they preach to all and sunder).

Yours truly,

Budak Kolet

03/12: Malaysia's lingering ethnic divide

By Robin Brant
BBC News, Malaysia

Malaysia's prime minister has ordered his government to take a fresh look at recruitment levels of non-Malays, after thousands of ethnic Indians took the streets to protest against what they say is years of discrimination.

At least 10,000 people gathered in central Kuala Lumpur last week to demonstrate against the unfair treatment they say they have had to endure.

Police used tear gas and water cannon to break up the marches.

The level of support was unprecedented, but, aside from the numbers involved, what has particularly concerned the Malaysian government is the ethnic division the protest highlighted.

Modern Malaysia is built on the co-existence of three ethnic groups - Malays, Chinese and Indians.

The protesters were Indians, who make up around 8% of the population, railing against the Malay majority, who account for about 60%.

The country has quotas that ensure preferential treatment for Malays looking for work or those who want to set up a business.

The Indians say this means they lose out.

Fears realised

P Uthayakumar is one of the lawyers who lead the Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf) - the organisation behind last Sunday's protest march.

Along with two colleagues, he was arrested and charged with sedition before the event, but later released without charge.

He says discrimination was something Indians have always been worried about.

"The term of reference of Malaysia's independence was equality for all communities, and there were many fears of the Indian community 51 years ago, just before we achieve independence," he said.

Now, 50 years on, as Malaysia looks forward to a new era of development, Mr Uthayakumar says those fears have become a reality.

"There was even one suggestion made... that we would be completely at the mercy of the Malay [Muslim] majority. Today it has become completely true," he said.

Unequal funding

The marchers were calling for fairer treatment. Education is a key complaint.

They say their Tamil-speaking schools do not get the same money as other public schools, which means the level of teaching is lower.

But in the area of the capital where the Indian community is centred, 21-year-old graduate and telecoms engineer Tavan Aysan said he had done very well out of Malaysia's education system.

"In my case I didn't face that sort of a problem,' he said, but added: "It could be my luck."

But the people around us as we spoke, getting on with their work, illustrated the problem many complain of.

There were men cooking on the pavements as street vendors, and others weaving startlingly bright flower petals into beautiful garlands.

In modern Malaysia, the place where Apple makes its mice and Sony assembles many of its gadgets, flower arranging is not the way to a comfortable future.

Heightened anxiety

The two million Indians in Malaysia are predominantly Hindus, and the Hindraf campaigners say there has been religious discrimination too.

Hindu temples have been torn down to make way for new buildings without proper consultation, they claim.

All of this would be valid grounds for complaint in the eyes of many governments but in Malaysia, protests are not acceptable.

Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi warned people that taking to the streets was not "the proper way" in Malaysia.

Even some Indians disagree with the cause of the Hindu Rights Action Force. Those Indians are the ones in government.

The Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC) is a founder member of Malaysia's coalition government, the Barisan Nasional (National Front), which has governed the country in some form since its independence 50 years ago.

MIC Secretary General Dr S Subramaniam said that street protests were "a culture which is totally foreign to this country".

"The people of this country are not used to it," he said.

"They are concerned because of the multi-racial element in this country... it can grow into something which cannot be controlled."

Concern about racial tension boiling over is not just because of what might happen, but because of what did happen.

Hundreds died in racial riots in Malaysia in 1969, when the country was barely a decade old.

The government sees any attempt to replicate that unrest as a threat to the nation itself.

'Social transition'

But there is also a contemporary political element to these protests.

A general election is coming here, probably in the new year, and the race card is a vote winner, although you are unlikely to hear many say that overtly.

At the recent annual assembly for Umno - the main party of Malays and the main party in the governing coalition - the politicians warned people not to challenge Malay rights, which lie at the foundations of modern-day Malaysia.

Mr Uthayakumar said that the protest rallies would go on if the prime minister did not begin a dialogue with his organisation.

Further marches are planned across Malaysia over the coming weeks, part of separate campaigns for different causes.

But it is clear that some in this country now seem to have got the bug for demonstrating.

The key difference with last weekend's protest was that it was a protest rooted in ethnic division.

That is why it is such a cause for concern Malaysia's government.

03/12: M'sian PM given a week to meet Hindraf leaders

The Straits Times

THE Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf) has given Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi a week to meet its leaders and has also issued a list of demands.

The group said it would stop its international lobbying campaign if Datuk Seri Abdullah agreed to cease policies that it says discriminates against minority Indians.

Hindraf, which gained prominence after organising a mass rally on Nov 25, also wants the Prime Minister to create a Second Deputy Prime Minister's post to be held by a non-Malay.

'It can go to anyone, including Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu,' one of Hindraf's top leaders, Mr M. Manoharan, told The Straits Times on Sunday.

Datuk Seri Samy, who leads the Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC), a junior partner in Barisan Nasional, is unpopular among some Indian activists who feel he has not done enough to help his community.

Another demand is the appointment of a Chinese to be Finance Minister because Hindraf feels too many top portfolios are held by Umno leaders.

The last Chinese to hold the top finance post was the late Tun Tan Siew Sin, who was finance minister for 13 years until he retired in 1974.

Hindraf also wants the government to stop tearing down Hindu temples that stand in the way of development.

Additionally, it wants the government to give more aid to Tamil schools and free all Indians held without trial in a detention centre in Simpang Renggam, Johor.

An estimated 40 per cent of the inmates are Indians, many of them held on gangsterism or criminal charges.

03/12: Prove ethnic cleansing and I'd quit: Abdullah

By IBNlive.com

In a statement reflective of the growing tension in Malaysia over ethnic clashes, the country’s Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi on Sunday offered to resign if the allegation of ethnic cleansing of Indian Tamils was proved.

Outraged at the allegations levelled against his government by a local Hindu group, Badawi said the statements were aimed at dividing Malaysia.

"I rarely get angry but this time I am very angry and this is something I cannot accept," Abdullah was quoted as saying by the New Straits Times.

He condemned the Hindu Indian Rights Front for trying to lobby Britain for an emergency resolution in the United Nations condemning the incidents in the country.

He said Hindraf was making baseless allegations and wanted the UK to move an emergency UN resolution condemning ethnic cleansing in Malaysia.

“Tell me do you believe there is ethnic cleansing in Malaysia? Is there ethnic cleansing, tell me? If this happened I will resign," the paper quoted him as saying.

He said Malaysians would not believe it and even the Indians who are Hindus did not believe it.

"Ethnic cleansing was perpetrated in Bosnia where the Serbs attacked the Bosnians to chase them out and make them non-existent. It was backed by the state. We do not do this here."

Tension has spiralled in Malaysia since last Sunday when close to 10,000 Tamils protesting alleged discrimination were attacked by the country's police.

03/12: British MPs slam Malaysia over treatment of Hindus

Posted By: Raja Petra

(IANS) - Members of the British parliament have demanded that the Malaysian government scrap plans to demolish Hindu temples and allow legitimate protests against it.

In a strongly worded statement, they have also urged the British government to take up the matter on their behalf and 'make the strongest possible representation' to Kuala Lumpur.

The MPs' demand comes after the Malaysian police used force to break up protests by Hindus complaining of decades of neglect and discrimination by the government in Kuala Lumpur.

The police action has been criticised around the world.

'This House notes with grave concern the stated intention of the government of Malaysia to demolish 79 Hindu temples,' said the House of Commons Early Day Motion that has been signed by 19 MPs so far.

The MPs called upon their government 'to make the strongest possible representations to the Malaysian government both to cease the programme of demolition and to allow this legitimate voice of protest to be heard without physical interference'.

The EDM was moved Thursday by Stephen Pound, ruling Labour Party MP for Ealing North, and signed among others by Keith Vaz, the longest-serving Asian MP in Britain, and Ann Cryer, a member of the influential Home Affairs Select Committee.

02/12: The hand that rocks the cradle can rock the world

THE CORRIDORS OF POWER

Raja Petra Kamarudin

More democracy and transparency

Datuk Zaid Ibrahim
30 August 2007, The Sun

It is impossible to project with certainty the political changes Malaysia will undergo in the next 50 years because outcomes of political developments have defied predictions. However, there are constants that will influence our political landscape.

The entrenched Malay political culture, especially dominant in Umno, is one of patronage where in exchange for unquestioned loyalty, the Malays gain economic benefits and protection from their leaders. However, the strength of the popular votes obtained by PAS in the last three general elections indicate that Malay support for PAS is still strong. This may be a reflection of yearnings amongst the Malays that whilst they value patronage, they also want Islamic values of justice, fairness and accountability.

The approach of the current PAS leadership to governance, focusing less on ideologies, suggests that they are adopting a middle ground for their Islamic constituents. Whilst PAS may want to shed some of its extreme Islamic image and rhetoric to gain headway into the middle ground of Malay politics, the same may not be true for Umno. If Umno were to lose support – which appears unlikely in the short term – their likely response may be to be more ethno-centric and to champion the “Islamic agenda”. In the future, it is not inconceivable that PAS may sound more like Umno and Umno like PAS.

Already, we have heard repeated statements from Umno’s upper echelons that Malaysia is an Islamic state. I hope that race and religion, which have destroyed and divided other countries, will spare our nation. The continued inequitable distribution of resources will cause a possible political backlash.

The economic condition of the East Malaysian states requires careful thought so that the fragile integration we now have will not deteriorate. Though poverty as a whole has been substantially reduced, the disparity within ethnic groups is worrying. Economic issues will gain importance in the years to come and solutions by periodical handouts will have to be replaced by carefully structured planning and better utilisation of resources.

The Chinese-based parties will, in future, take on a more assertive stance in their political play unlike the spectator and supplementary role they now assume. In exchange for government positions, the parties are more focused on business and community issues. This does not, however, mean they contribute little to nation-building. However, in the decades to come, the Chinese will be more politically active and assertive. Their strength in education, their ability to accumulate capital and know-how means they will have greater clout and involvement where decision-making is concerned.

Increasing foreign investments from China, Singapore and the influx of capital and investments from the Chinese diaspora will compel them to evolve into a political force of some reckoning. The Indian community, too, will be more vocal and their politics will be emboldened by the growing strength of the economies of Indians. Even the government has singled out the Indians as a target for more support in terms of increasing their equity in corporations. The emergence of India as an economic powerhouse, and their investments in this country, will have a significant trickle-down effect to the Indian community here. So, we will see a more vigorous political stance from Malaysian Indians.

The real test of the maturity and resilience of Malaysia’s ethnic political parties will be known during that time. Being such a dominant partner, Umno will need to adjust to and accommodate the growing assertiveness of the non-Malay political parties. The younger generation’s lack of interest in politics will change as more will register to vote. With the increasing reliance on the Internet for news and information, this generation of voters will be better informed and their participation in non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and political organisations will bring to the fore socio-economic issues that at present lie dormant. Women will also play a more dominant part in political organisations and NGOs.

The end result will be, the public will demand greater accountability. Consequently, a more vibrant civil society will emerge to monitor government. So, Malaysian political norms will change albeit at a slower pace than one would like to see. The prevailing political order will not be replaced easily but the nascent coalition of forces seeking changes to race-based politics will strengthen.

Cynics will assert that Malaysians will continue to choose “more of the same” but reforms in the institutions of government are inevitable. Market place demands, the dictates of the changing world political and economic order, and the need to be efficient and productive makes it necessary for the country to be more democratic and not less, and more reliant on transparent systems and less on discretion. The Barisan Nasional government is mindful and fully cognisant of these matters. Hence, it has to implement these changes or face the wrath of voters.

Datuk Zaid Ibrahim is a lawyer and a Barisan Nasional Member of Parliament. He describes himself as a real Malay and a true Malaysian.

Zaid Ibrahim is the voice of reasoning. He is what I would call a pragmatic politician who can differentiate the wood from the trees. Maybe Zaid did not say so in so many words but he could easily have summed up his piece by declaring that Umno is its own worst enemy. And I can say the same for the opposition as well. Anyway, Zaid has done some reflecting and soul-searching on what his party, the ruling party, is faced with. Let us do the same for the opposition.

Since Zaid wrote his piece on Merdeka Day of this year, much of what he prophesised have actually come true. And this all happened within the last month or so. The Malays have come out. The Indians have come out. It appears like the Chinese are yet to come out. But the Chinese have come out in ways that are not so apparent and they have been ‘coming out’ much earlier, long before the 10 November and 25 November rallies organised by BERSIH and HINDRAF respectively. Of course, as many would argue, the Chinese will not ‘take to the streets’ like their Malay and Indian comrades. The Chinese will not want to rock the boat. The Chinese will not want to jeopardise their business interests. And so on and so forth.

But as far back as when Abdullah Ahmad Badawi first took over as Prime Minister, the Chinese already voted. And their vote is a vote of no-confidence for the Abdullah government. Their vote, however, was not in the general election. It was not even on the streets like the Malays and Indians. The Chinese voted with their feet. And they did this by quietly moving their money out of Malaysia and by sending their children overseas to make a new life for themselves in another country that can offer them a better future and where skin colour does not determine whether you are Class 1, Class 2, or Class 3 citizens.

The government proudly announces FDI figures. The announcements are of course based on promises and not on actual cash injection. What the government does not announce is the outflow of capital. How many Ringgit leave the country for every Ringgit that comes in? This, the government will not reveal. The Umno Members of Parliament keep telling the Chinese if they do not like it here then they can leave Malaysia. Actually they are doing just that so these Umno MPs can stop shouting. Those leaving the country are not the Chinese fishermen from Telok Intan or Chinese farmers from Cameron Highlands. They are those with fat bank accounts and with money to burn. And this is hurting Malaysia’s economy big-time.

Whether you would like to admit it or not, the Malays dominate the political scene, the Chinese make the economy tick, while the Indians are regarded as neither here nor there. The ruling party is constantly worried about the ‘Malay swing’ or the ‘Chinese swing’. No one ever talks about the ‘Indian swing’ because not only are the Indians regarded as insignificant in numbers and probably only 10% of the seats command an ‘Indian majority’ -- and even then this so-called majority does not exceed 30% of the voters -- but the Indians traditionally have always voted for the ruling party and seldom will we see less than 90% of the Indian votes going to the ruling party.

However, whether they realise this or not, while the Indians can never create a dent in the political landscape, they can certainly play the role of kingmaker. Many seats are won with a mere 5% margin of votes. In fact, in seats that the opposition wins, they win with large margins, but in seats that the ruling party wins, they win with slim majorities. That is why the ruling party may garner only 60% of the votes but win more than 90% of the seats. In other words, the opposition can win half the votes but this does not mean it will win half the seats or that it will be able to deny the ruling party its two-thirds majority in Parliament.

The next general election will soon be upon us. But only about eight million Malaysians will cast their votes. In all likelihood, the ruling party will garner about five million votes while the opposition will bring home roughly three million votes. So the ruling party will obtain a majority of two million votes. This would mean that the ruling party will win roughly 60% of the votes or less than two-thirds but it would still be able to win more than two-thirds of the seats quite comfortably. Even on 11 May 1969 when the ruling party won only 45% of the votes it still managed to form the government, though without a two-thirds majority.

Dislodging the ruling party is an almost impossible task. Denying it its two-thirds majority is very difficult though not impossible. So that should be the focus of the opposition and the voters have to be told this. The voters should not be misled into believing that the game-plan is to form the next government. They should be told that the game-plan is to put as many opposition representatives as possible into Parliament and the State Assemblies so that Barisan Nasional’s arrogance can be clipped and some form of checks and balances can be introduced. Only when 60 opposition Members of Parliament and another 200 opposition State Assemblymen are sent into government as the ears, eyes and mouth of the voters will Barisan Nasional constantly look over its shoulder and think twice or thrice before it does something lest the voters get to hear about it and, again, take to the streets in protest.

Unfortunately, however, three million registered voters will not come out to vote. Another four million eligible voters will not register as voters. So, seven million Malaysians who can and should vote will not be voting. And three million will vote for the opposition while five million will vote for the ruling party. That is the sad reality of Malaysia’s elections. Only about 20% of Malaysians or one-third of eligible voters will vote for the ruling party. But this 20% or 33.3% is enough to give the ruling party a clear two-thirds majority in Parliament and the State Assemblies.

51% of Malaysians are women. 52% of registered voters are women. 53% of those who cast their votes are women. This is where the secret lies. Women are a force to be reckoned with. And women are not as corruptible as men. Men can be bought. With the right amount of money, men will swing on the morning of Polling Day. But women, once they have decided who to vote for, will remain steadfast and unwavering. Seldom can money make a woman change her mind. Yes, women are more loyal than men.

The opposition has to work hard on the women’s vote. To start off, since more than half the voters are women, why not half the candidates fielded also be women? The present ratio of women candidates is too low and not proportionate to their voter representation. Politics should not be a ‘men’s game’ while the role of women be merely to cook for their husbands. The hand that rocks the cradle can rock the world. Even during the time of Prophet Muhammad it is said that women fought alongside men in battles. If Prophet Muhammad can recognise the role of women and place women in the frontline of battlefields, is PAS more Islamic than Prophet Muhammad and place women in veils, hidden from public view, and playing the role of child-minder and cook?

Undoubtedly, PAS is the kingpin of the opposition. Without PAS the opposition will not get the numbers. So the opposition has no choice but to look at PAS as the taiko. And PAS, therefore, has to not only accept this role of taiko but perform it more meaningful as well.

PAS must understand, what is good for PAS may not be good for the opposition. So PAS has to come out with strategies that suit the opposition cause rather than its own party cause. For starters, PAS must agree to the launching of a Joint Election Manifesto. Let not this Joint Election Manifesto be drafted by ulamak and ustaz. Let it be drafted by experts and professionals from various fields such as law, economy, etc. If not, then all we will get is another academic religious paper fit only for the trashcan. And if PAS does not agree to this, then the opposition coalition might as well be put to sleep today and the voters be told now that each party will go its own way come the next election, three- or four-corner fights notwithstanding.

Read the proposed ‘sample’ of a JOINT ELECTION MANIFESTO here (http://www.malaysia-today.net/manifesto.htm). This is just an idea of what one should look like and which could probably be the basis of a new Joint Election Manifesto that will be signed by all the opposition parties in the opposition front. Thereafter, only this one election manifesto will be used and the individual parties will not come out with its own individual election manifestos which will confuse the voters as they would not know which one the various parties will eventually honour.

Five million people will vote for the ruling party. Three million people will not bother to vote. Four million people will not bother to register to vote. That comes to 12 million people. How will the opposition persuade part of this 12 million to vote for it thereby increasing the three million votes it is expected to garner come the next election? I don’t know. If I did then I would form my own political party and contest the next election. Okay, while I do not know how to make these 12 million people vote for the opposition, maybe I can throw some light onto why they will not.

Most people do not see any alternative to the present government. The opposition has not been able to convince the voters that it is a credible and viable alternative. Sure, the Islamic State issue is one issue that has frightened the voters, in particular the non-Muslims, though many Muslims too are opposed to the idea. Like it or not, PAS has to bite the bullet. It is painful, no doubt, but all good cures are painful, or at the very least bitter. Let us start from there. If PAS can’t even begin to consider this then its sincerity would be questioned. PAS must openly admit that Malaysians are not ready for an Islamic State and the issue will be dropped until such a time that Malaysians are ready, and even then if they ever will be ready. PAS must openly declare that in the event it wins two-thirds of the seats in Parliament it will hold a National Referendum to see whether Malaysians want an Islamic State and if 75% of Malaysians say yes then it will be done. If not, then no deal.

This will pacify the Islamists who will then not think that PAS has abandoned the Islamic cause. If not, then these Malays will just swing to Umno and abandoning the Islamic State will not make the opposition stronger but instead make PAS weak -- and we can’t afford a weak taiko. PAS then has to impress upon the voters that it will need two-thirds of the seats in Parliament to amend the Federal Constitution and turn Malaysia -- or even just one of the states -- into an Islamic State. PAS, however, is contesting only one-third the seats and even if it wins all the seats it contests it is still just one-third. Normally, however, PAS will win half the seats it contests so there is no possibility PAS can amend the Constitution and turn Malaysia into an Islamic State.

Next, the opposition has to present its Shadow Cabinet to the people. The voters want to know who will be the Prime Minister, Deputy Prime Minister, Finance Minister, etc., and this should also extend to agencies such as the heads of the ACA, SPR, Judiciary, and so on. Convince the voters that these are the qualified, experienced and worthy people who will be running this country in the event there is a change of government.

Sure, these people will be ‘exposed’ and may become the target of government persecution. But the voters do not want any surprises and if these people are too scared to face that risk then they are not worthy of representing us in government. 60,000 Malaysians took to the streets on 10 November. Another 40,000 tried but were prevented from doing so. 30,000 people took to the streets on 25 November. Another 20,000 tried but were prevented from doing so. All these people were prepared to face that risk. Many suffered injury and arrest for daring to take that risk. It is time those who want to lead us no longer hide but come forth to stand and be counted.

Yes, the above are but some of what needs to be addressed. Rest assured that more needs to be done. But let us start from there. And if we can’t even address these then there is no point in talking about the rest. Let the promise to the people be by way of an irrevocable Joint Election Manifesto. Promise the people that this and only this document will be the guiding light of the opposition, a united opposition, and that there are no other hidden documents which will be pulled out of a hat a la Houdini.

Will the people trust you? Will the people believe in your promises? Hey, you are the politicians and you are the ones who will be running this country if the people give you that mandate to do so. So it is your job to convince the people. But have faith in humankind. Normally, people can detect sincerity. And they can also detect if you are not sincere and are lying to them. And ask the people to give you just 60 voices in Parliament and 200 voices in the State Assemblies. And, who knows, if you prove this time around you are worthy of the job, the next time around they might give you 100 seats in Parliament and 350 seats in the State Assemblies. And by 2020 they might even put you in charge of running this country. But let us see how you address the more immediate issues first.

02/12: Bersih, a 2008 version of Barisan Alternatif?

By ABDUL RAZAK AHMAD
New Straits Times

The story of the Bersih coalition is ultimately about the opposition regrouping to challenge the Barisan Nasional in the coming polls. Will it be enough to convince voters? ABDUL RAZAK AHMAD writes

THERE was eagerness among many in the audience who turned up at the Pas training centre in Gombak, Kuala Lumpur, on Monday night.

The event was the launching and screening of the Bersih coalition's VCD on its Nov 10 illegal rally. The audience was, to a degree, multiracial, though mostly Malay -- presumably Pas supporters and members.

In attendance were Pas deputy president Nasharuddin Mat Isa and Bersih committee members, including DAP central executive committee member Ronnie Liu and Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) vice-president Sivarasa Rasiah.

The screening was followed by promises of more activities in the months ahead. Also launched were two Bersih merchandise -- Bersih coffee and Bersih mineral water.

There is little doubt that the movers behind Bersih are working to gear up their campaign, which will be intensifying in the months ahead leading to the general election.

Much of the publicity and debate on Bersih -- a coalition of opposition parties, non-governmental organisations and other groups -- has been on its campaign.

There is, however, another possible explanation of what this is really about: a framework paving the way for electoral co-operation in the coming polls between Pas and DAP, with PKR acting as go-between.

Where the Barisan Nasional (BN) faced the opposition pact of Barisan Alternatif (BA) in the 1999 general election, as things now stand, it looks likely that in the coming polls it will be Bersih that will provide the common thread running in each and every Pas, DAP and PKR candidate's campaign. So is Bersih going to be the 2008 version of Barisan Alternatif?

"Because of our differences with the DAP, something like the BA is not going to be feasible. Bersih will be our common platform, one which everyone in all the parties can agree on," says a Pas insider.

The party's Nasharuddin doesn't go that far.

"Bersih was set up specifically to call for fair elections, but after this we can also go on to talk on wider subjects such as democracy in the country in general. We foresee that the horizon could be broader."

In any case, Nasharuddin says that morale in Pas has now been boosted, with Bersih receiving many requests for programmes and activities.

Liu, though, says Bersih will not serve the same role as the BA.

"People who support us generally want to see unity in the opposition: unity not necessarily in the form of a formal electoral coalition, but among opposition parties.

"Of course, something like the BA is something they hope for. Present circumstances do not permit this to happen, but at least now with Bersih, the opposition parties are united.

"Maybe in future we can talk about merging into a formal coalition, but the minimum expectation is that there must be unity."

Bersih was set up in 2005, a year after a general election which saw the BN sweeping over 90 per cent of seats in parliament.

Since then, Pas, on its part, has done a lot of quiet work to prepare its rank and file for Bersih and the co-operation that entails with all its components, including the DAP.

For the past two years, Pas president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang has focused on the campaign to "restore democracy" and talked about "going to the streets to demand change" in his address at Pas' annual assemblies.

This year's Pas muktamar saw him talking about a 100,000-strong demonstration to demand for "change" -- a reference to Bersih's Nov 10 rally. The question now is how big an impact this will all have in the coming election results.

Bersih isn't the first opposition and NGO-driven special concern coalition.

Earlier ones include the Gagasan Demokrasi Rakyat or Coalition for People's Democracy and the Majlis Gerakan Keadilan Rakyat Malaysia, both formed in 1998 after the sacking of Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and linked by the then Parti Keadilan Nasional.

It all built up to an outright electoral arrangement: the BA for the 1999 general election. The DAP pulled out two years later following the insistence of Pas in setting up an Islamic state, and the BA fell apart.

There were also two earlier opposition electoral alliances -- the Muslim-based Angkatan Perpaduan Ummah and the multireligious Gagasan Rakyat for the 1990 general election, bridged by Semangat 46. Both did not survive to the next polls in 1995.

These on-and-off opposition alliances -- in 1990 but not in 1995, in 1999 but not in 2004 -- amount to what Umno Terengganu information chief Datuk Ahmad Shabery Cheek describes as the "yo-yo" effect between Pas and the DAP.

"It underscores their Catch 22 predicament. If they go to the election without a common front, they give little hope to people that they can form a government, but each time they do, the pact breaks up," says Shabery.

"The kind of co-operation the opposition must forge must be truly substantial, one that can iron out differences in terms of ideology, or else it's not going to get them far aside from marginal gains," says Associate Prof Dr Mohammad Agus Yusoff, head of Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia's political science department.

It remains to be seen whether the opposition will remain under the loose platform of Bersih or a more formal arrangement to come in the months ahead.

An actual electoral alliance, in any case, should be the preferred option.

As things stand, numerous opposition party figures have taken great pains to explain that they can co-operate even without a formal pact, and that there will be no three-cornered fights.

The DAP and Pas, they say, won't overlap as each party caters to a different voter segment. The PKR, on its part, can serve as a bridge between the two, they claim.

If so, then the speed at which the parties are able to work out and announce a full agreement on seat distribution will be crucial. It's the most telling and easily observable sign of how close the parties really are to each other.

With the clock ticking ever closer to the polls, such an announcement, for some reason, has yet to materialise.