14/11: Rafidah: Foreign investors' confidence not affected by Bersih gatherings

Charles Ramendran and Pauline Puah
The Sun

International Trade and Industry Minister Datuk Seri Rafidah Aziz today expressed confidence that foreign investments will not be affected by the rally organised by the Opposition on Saturday (Nov 10).

"I must say that when I go overseas, business people do not ask about the Opposition. They understand (the Opposition). They also know the history of our opposition members. They are not interested," she said after Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi had opened Intrade Malaysia and the Kuala Lumpur International Trade Forum 2007.

Referring to the gathering organised by the Coalition for Clean and Fair Election (Bersih), Rafidah said foreign investors are more interested in understanding the government’s new policies and the business environment here.

"I don’t even have one question about the Opposition. I had been going around. I just came back from Europe, not even one (investor) asked about the Opposition," she said.

Rafidah said foreign investors understand that these are politicians who demonstrate in the name of democracy.

"The public should be aware that this is the way of the opposition. It’s not really positive. It’s very negative for them. But for foreigners, they don’t worry. They are not interested. Even in their country, they also have demonstrations," she said.

In Saturday’s gathering, thousands of people marched from various parts of Kuala Lumpur to Istana Negara to submit a memorandum to the King, calling for electoral reforms.

The police, which did not issue a permit for the gathering, had used tear gas and the water cannon on the protesters near Masjid Jamed area when the demonstrators failed to disperse.

On another question whether the government would ask Petronas to increase oil production following the increase in oil prices, Rafidah said the government is studying it.

"Like the prime minister said, we are all looking at the subsidy structure. This is being done at the technical and official level. We are working it out. So bear with us," she added.

15/11: Malaysia lives under state of emergency - EU envoy

By Mark Bendeich

(Reuters) - Malaysia is living under an effective state of emergency, an EU envoy said on Tuesday, after police used tear gas and water cannon at the weekend to break up the biggest anti-government protest in a decade.

"Today, this country still lives under emergency," the European Commission's envoy to Malaysia, Thierry Rommel, told Reuters by telephone on the last day of his mission to Malaysia.

Rommel's remarks, extraordinarily blunt for a diplomat, chime with a chorus of criticism from opposition parties and some non-government groups about the way the government handled the protest, which it called an illegal assembly of troublemakers.

Police had set up road blocks around the capital to prevent protesters converging on Kuala Lumpur for Saturday's rally, but despite these measures and heavy rain, around 10,000 people thronged the city centre to call for electoral reform.

Police later moved in with tear gas and water cannons, which fired jets of water laced with a chemical irritant, to break up the crowd. There were no reports of any serious violence.

Rommel, who has spent four and a half years in Malaysia, said many Malaysians felt that their voices were not being heard and agreed that the electoral system should be reformed.

"It's not a secret that elections are not fair," he said, noting complaints from electoral reform group Bersih, organiser of Saturday's protest, that election campaigns were too short and that the media was biased toward government campaigning.

"There's a significant part of the population that feels their voice is not really heard because of the way elections are managed," he added. "They feel locked out."

The Belgian noted that several emergency-style laws were still in use, such as the Emergency Ordinance, born in 1969 to deal with race riots, and the colonial-era Internal Security Act (ISA). Both allow detention for years without trial.

None of these powers were used to quell Saturday's protest, and the ISA has not been used against opposition politicians and activists for several years. But the chief minister of central Pahang state, a member of the main ruling party, has said the ISA should be used if necessary to deal with future protests.

"They (emergency laws) all very clearly establish the legal framework for the executive to take measures in cases of unrest -- as the executive defines them," Rommel said.


PAINTING AN UGLY PORTRAIT

Rommel, a career diplomat, is not new to controversy in Malaysia. He created a storm in June when he gave a speech likening Malaysia's affirmative-action policy to a trade barrier.

That remark brought a swift backlash and formal protest from the government. The trade minister even complained publicly that Rommel had an attitude problem, and his name started to disappear from the government's invitation lists.

But Rommel, who spoke to Reuters on condition that his comments be published after his departure later on Tuesday, said he was unrepentant about his criticisms and denied he was trying to superimpose Western values onto Malaysia.

He said Malaysia's "Bumiputra" policy of affirmative action, which favours majority ethnic Malays, distorted trade because it allowed the government to award state contracts to Malay businesses without clear, competitive tender procedures.

It also fostered corruption, he added.

"The extension of Bumiputra-based discrimination and preference in public procurement -- which is massive in the Malaysian economy -- has worked to the disadvantage of foreign players in particular and has become a vehicle for officially acknowledged corruption...," Rommel said.

"It is public knowledge that local Malay vested interests, with powerful political or administration connections, want to see this mechanism maintained."

14/11: Michael Backman on Malaysia again

Malaysian Indian Congress ( MIC ) President S. Vellu - the Indian "feudal lord".

Michael Backman
www.michaelbackman.com

Ethnic rivalry in Malaysia usually is portrayed as rivalry between the majority Malay population and the large Chinese minority. But sandwiched between the two are Malaysia's Indians. They make up about 2 million or 8% of the population but according to some estimates they account for around 2% of the nation's corporate wealth. This disparity is leading to rising tensions from a group that the authorities normally take for granted.

The Indian community is split into Muslims and Hindus. The Muslims, known locally as the 'Mamak', tend to blend more easily with the dominant Malays - both being Muslim means that intermarriage is not uncommon. (Former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad is the product of such a union.) The Hindus on the other hand are far more marginalised. Politically weak and disorganised, they tend to be largely ignored by the government.

Many are very poor. But despite this, as non-Malays and non-Muslims they do not qualify for Bumiputera status – the status given to Malays which gives the Malays preferred access to university places, government share distributions and other such privileges. Some of the poorest work as rubber tappers.

Several years ago I visited several rubber estates in the northern state of Kedah and the poverty and physical condition of the rubber tappers was unbelievable particularly as Malaysia is not a poor country. The plight of the tappers is akin to that of the aborigines in the more remote parts of Australia except that the Australian government pours billions into the community but with little discernible effect.

Malaysia's Indians are among those to suffer the greatest displacement from the million or more legal and illegal Indonesian migrants now in Malaysia. Sporadic ethnic unrest now beaks out between poor Indians and resident Indonesians but rarely is such unrest reported in the Malaysian media – the government directs the local media either not to report it or not to highlight it.

Growing resentment too derives from the demolition of Hindu temples by the various state governments. Dozens have been destroyed in the last few years. All or most targeted for demolition have been built on land to which the temples have no title. Typically the demolitions proceed with a court order and as such are reasonable. The real issue is why do so many of Malaysia's Indians need to squat on land that isn't theirs in the first place?

But it is the manner in which the demolitions are carried out which unnecessarily raises tensions. The authorities who enforce the demolition orders invariably are Malay and Muslim giving such demolitions unfortunate religious rivalry overtones. Sometimes the idols are smashed before worshippers are given a chance to remove them to a safe place, action which is insensitive at best and a deliberate provocation at worst. The most recent temple to be demolished was at Shah Alam, near Kuala Lumpur on October 30. Scuffles broke out and people were manhandled.

In another perceived sleight, the most important Indian festival Deepavali this year falls on November 8. The (Malay) ruling UMNO party's annual General Assembly is being staged on 5-9 November without stopping for Deepavali even though Deepavali is one of Malaysia's gazetted public holidays. The Malay politicians of yesteryear would not have been this insensitive.

Many better educated Indians are migrating. Those who remain are becoming more strident politically.

On August 12, around 2,000 Malaysian Indians protested outside the prime minister's office to demand better treatment. The protest might have been bigger but according to organisers the police blocked as many as 15 buses carrying Indians from entering the area on the basis that the bus drivers did not have valid driving licences.

On August 30, a class action was filed in London by a group of activists against the UK government for bringing indentured labourers from India during the colonial era and failing to "protect" them thereafter including during the fifty years since Malaysia's independence. The suit will go nowhere of course but it is a calculated attempt to embarrass the Malaysian government internationally to force it to better look after the welfare of the Indian minority. And on November 25, a petition with what activists claim will have 100,000 signatures will be presented to the British High Commission in Kuala Lumpur in support of the legal action.

But what of the Indians' political leaders?

Samy Vellu is head of the Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC) party and has been so since 1979. He is also Malaysia' Public Works Minister. Vellu completely dominates the MIC which his critics claim he runs almost along feudal lines.

He was the subject of a major scandal in the early 1990s when the government allocated ten million shares in the country's national telephone company to Maika, an Indian cooperative company set up by the MIC. The company accepted only one million shares. The other nine million were then given to three companies which Vellu described as MIC-linked companies, but which, according to his critics, were actually linked to his relatives. The three companies made tens of millions of dollars in capital gains on the shares. Meanwhile Maika became almost insolvent.

Former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad when asked why he didn't sack Vellu from his cabinet given this and other scandals replied that he had no control over the MIC's internal processes and that he was obliged to have in the cabinet whomever the MIC chose as its leader. To be fair, Mahathir once told me that Vellu had an appalling job, given how politics is played out in the Indian community with the constant and seemingly trifling demands for gifts and direct assistance. But essentially, Vellu is part of the wider malaise of political leadership from which Malaysia suffers from today.

Watch him in action here: http://www.youtube.com/llanfairVideos
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17/11: Mind your own business, Syed Hamid tells foreign Human Rights groups

(Bernama) -- Mind your own business. This is the candid response from Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar to foreign human rights groups who have called for a royal commission of inquiry to investigate whether the authorities had breached human rights laws in handling last Saturday's illegal assembly in Kuala Lumpur.

He said although Malaysia was a democratic country, democracy did not equate to lawlessness.

"Let me put it this way... Malaysia will govern the country in its own way.

"You still have to abide by the law, so I don't think any country's human rights body can tell other countries what it should do," he told reporters after hosting lunch for his counterpart from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Sven Alkalaj, at a hotel here today.

Syed Hamid said foreign human rights groups should instead look at correcting the wrongs in their respective countries and improving their own justice system.

"In the past we've seen what they have prescribed for a country, there's always trouble in that countries. They should just look after their own country and see whether there are things that can be improved and then maybe we can learn from them.

He said Malaysia allowed rallies provided they were staged in accordance with the law.

Alkalaj, accompanied by senior government officials and representatives from the country's private sector is in Malaysia on a three-day visit since Tuesday.

Syed Hamid said he and Alkalaj had very fruitful discussions and both Malaysia and Bosnia and Herzegovina can learn a lot from each other, especially in areas of defence and technology.

"As we know Bosnia has a very strong technology industry and I think even in the defence industry they are very strong and modernised because of their past experiences.

"In our case, the defence industry is still in its infancy. So there is interest in developing cooperative efforts between our two countries," he said.

Syed Hamid said Alkalaj had also been looking at development modules in Malaysia suitable for application in Bosnia because the country was similar to Malaysia with its multi-ethnic, cultural and religious society.

He said Alkalaj also visited the Economic Planning Unit in the Prime Minister's Department and addressed a seminar on business and investment opportunities in his country.

17/11: Royal commissions: What are they about?

New Straits Times

A ROYAL Commission is usually formed when a matter of national interest arises that requires immediate action.

In 1993, when rejecting a motion by Kepong MP Dr Tan Seng Giaw to set up a royal commission to investigate the Highland Towers collapse, Dewan Rakyat deputy speaker Juhar Mahirudin said the three requirements necessary for such a commission to be considered was that it had to concern a specific issue, it had to be of importance to the general public and it had to be a matter of urgency.

In that case, the request to set up a commission failed because it did not meet the third requirement.

In Malaysia's history, Royal Commissions have been set up to look into a host of issues, ranging from the operations and management of the police force, to the deadly blaze at the Sungai Buloh Bright Sparklers fireworks factory in 1991, to the collapse of the Butterworth ferry terminal in 1988 and the salaries and conditions in the public service in 1965.

Originating in the United Kingdom, Royal Commissions exist in many Commonwealth countries, including Malaysia, Canada, Australia, India and New Zealand.

Royal commissions can consist of any number of commissioners depending on the complexity of the investigation.

For example, the Butterworth ferry terminal commission panel consisted of three members, while the last commission, the Royal Commission to Enhance the Operations and Management of the Police Force in 2004, had 16 members from various segments of society.

Royal commission members are usually notable public figures headed by retired senior judges.

Created by the king on the advice of the government, royal commissions have great powers but a limited sphere of operation that extends only to its terms of reference.

However, once a royal commission of enquiry has begun, the government cannot stop it until the date given in the terms of reference expires.

The commission is given whatever facilities, technology or expert assistance it needs, and can compel anybody it wants to appear before it and give evidence under oath if necessary.

It can seize documents and other evidence that is relevant to its investigation.

Once the investigation is completed, the results are usually published in public reports that also contain policy recommendations.

The reports tend to lead to the government turning the recommendations into law.

13/11: Hindus angered by Deepavali jeer from Khairy...

Left: Khairy Jamaluddin ( KJ ), UMNO Deputy Youth leader & son-in-law of Prime Minister Badawi of Malaysia
Right: UMNO Youth Chief aka Minister of EDUCATION kissing the keris.

Umno Deputy Youth Leader and the Prime Minister's son-in-law Khairy Jamaluddin has offended Hindus and the Indian community by attacking Indian newsvendors at the recent Umno General Assembly.

We are outraged when Khairy blamed Indians as the cause why Umno President Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's presidential address at the Umno General Assembly was not published on Thursday which is deepavali day and a press shut down day.

It is foolish to blame newsvendors for your own foolishness to fix the Umno assembly on a deepavalli day.

Why were the Umno officers so slack. Everybody knows that deepavali is a pores shut down day and there will be no newspapers. But Umno and Datuk Seri Abdullah when ahead and now blame the poor vendors.

Khairy said "Today is the first time the Umno president's speech is not being read by the masses because a particular ethnic group controls the distribution line of newspapers and they are on holiday."

Yes, true. Who is too blame, Umno or the poor newsvendors.

The holding of the Umno General Assembly during Deepavali, a gazette public holiday, had also upset many Malaysians, both Hindus and non-Hindus, as it seems to point to a growing pattern of insensitivity by the powers-that-be in the country.

If the MIC, MCA or Gerakan had held their annual party assemblies during Hari Raya holidays, it would have been regarded as highly insensitive, offensive and unacceptable – and undoubtedly pressures would have been brought to bear to move such assemblies to another date.

Why wasn't the same consideration given in the case of this year's Umno General Assembly clashing with Deepavali – as the excuse that Abdullah had a "tight schedule" is simply just unacceptable?

Newsvendors wake up at 3am to start distributing newspapers from 5am. They work very hard and their labour should be admired and respected not belittled.

Khairy should apologies to the Indian community for his uncalled-for and most unwarranted aspersions on the Indian community yesterday.

M. Kulasegaran

18/11: 3 groups lodge reports against blogger

New Straits Times

Three police reports were lodged against blogger Jeff Ooi for allegedly defaming the country, government and police force.

The reports were lodged by the Malaysian Islamic Consumers Association, Malaysian Indian Muslim Congress and Pertubuhan Seni Silat Ikatan Kalam Malaysia against a statement issued by Ooi to an Al Jazeera reporter. The statement was allegedly broadcast on YouTube following an illegal gathering on Nov 10 organised by a coalition of opposition parties and non-governmental organisations calling itself Bersih.

The police reports were lodged at the Sentul police headquarters yesterday about 4.30pm.

The complainants want Ooi to be investigated, alleging that the interview given to Al Jazeera not only tarnished the image of the country but was also seditious and caused racial tension.

Ooi is also alleged to have given inaccurate information to Al Jazeera in stating that the police used unnecessary force in dispersing the demonstrators.